title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: Lulu is a collaboration album between rock singer-songwriter Lou Reed and heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as a double album on October 31, 2011, by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and Vertigo elsewhere. The album is the final full-length studio recording project that Reed was involved in before his death in October 2013. It was recorded in San Rafael, California, during April to June 2011, after Reed had played with Metallica at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert which led to them wanting to collaborate. The lead single, titled "The View", was released on September 27, 2011.


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: Conceptually, the album is based on the two "Lulu plays" by the German playwright Frank Wedekind (1864–1918). The majority of composition is centered on spoken word delivered by Reed over instrumentals composed by Metallica, with occasional backing vocals provided by Metallica lead vocalist James Hetfield. Reed wrote the majority of the lyrics. The album was released worldwide on October 31, 2011, and on November 1 in North America. Upon its release, "Lulu" received mixed reviews, and an extremely negative response from many fans and several prominent critics.


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: Lou Reed and Metallica had both been on the bill in October 1997 for the eleventh of Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit concerts. The conception of the collaboration project began in 2009 when both Metallica and Reed performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert. After that performance, they began "kicking around the idea of making a record together," but did not start working together until two years later. In February 2011, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett announced that in May 2011 the group would start working on something that's "not 100 percent a Metallica record. It's a recording project, let's put it that way." The project was revealed to be a collaboration with Lou Reed once the recording of the album had been completed in June 2011.


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: The collaboration was originally intended to be Metallica re-recording various previously unreleased tracks Reed had written over the years. Among these unreleased demos was a collection of songs composed for a play called "Lulu"—a theatrical production of two plays originally written by the German playwright Frank Wedekind. Reed shared the demos of these songs with the members of Metallica to help bring the "piece to the next level," and the group provided "significant arrangement contributions" to the material. David Fricke of "Rolling Stone" heard at least two of the songs from the project in June 2011—"Pumping Blood" and "Mistress Dread"—and described their sound as a "raging union of [Reed's] 1973 noir classic, "Berlin", and Metallica's '86 crusher, "Master of Puppets"." All tracks were made available for listening on the official Lou Reed & Metallica website before its release. Reed stated that "Everything is cut live – us staring at each other, playing". The recording was problematic at times, with Lars Ulrich admitting that at one point Lou Reed challenged him to a "street fight".


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: "The View" was released for streaming online in late September 2011. Examining reaction to the track and a previously released 30-second preview of the same, "The New Zealand Herald" reported that there was much negative reaction by fans online, and that the song had about twice as many "dislikes" as "likes" on YouTube. Not all reaction to the song was negative; "Rolling Stone" gave "The View" a 4 out of 5 star rating while the same song was rated 4.5 out of 5 by Artist Direct and positively by One Thirty BPM. The song's music video was directed by Darren Aronofsky, with cinematography by Matthew Libatique and produced by Scott Franklin through Protozoa Pictures, his and Aronofsky's production company. Originally it was planned that Aronofsky should helm a performance video for the album's second single "Iced Honey" but "when everyone got together, it became obvious 'The View' was the way to go."


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: "Lulu" received polarized reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, "Lulu" received an average score of 45, based on 31 reviews. Staff reviewer Joseph Viney of Sputnikmusic rated it one and a half out of five and commented "The fallout from this could have dire consequences. A lot of people, already placing Metallica at the best seat in the house at the Last Chance Saloon have now called last orders. It's genuinely difficult to guess what their next move will be. As for Reed, his legacy, whatever that means in his case, is cemented and this will have no real effect on him."


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: "Pitchfork" critic Stuart Berman assigned the album a rare 1.0 rating, writing "for all the hilarity that ought to ensue here, "Lulu" is a frustratingly noble failure. Audacious to the extreme, but exhaustingly tedious as a result, its few interesting ideas are stretched out beyond the point of utility and pounded into submission." Essayist and pop culture writer Chuck Klosterman, in his review for the website Grantland, wrote, "If the Red Hot Chili Peppers acoustically covered the 12 worst Primus songs for Starbucks, it would still be (slightly) better than this." Reviewer Julian Marszalek of "The Quietus" gave it a very negative review, commenting that "the effect is that of Lou Reed ranting over some Metallica demos that were never intended for human consumption." Marszalek summarized the review by suggesting that time spent listening to "Lulu" could have been better spent watching grass grow, "or perhaps wanking into a sock." Furthermore, longtime reviewer Don Kaye, who had previously defended Metallica's much-maligned 2003 album "St. Anger", wrote on Blabbermouth.net that ""Lulu" is a catastrophic failure on almost every level, a project that could quite possibly do irreparable harm to Metallica's career."


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: The German edition of "Metal Hammer" gave it four out of seven stars. The reaction of the reviewer, Metallica biographer Joel McIver, was mixed. According to McIver, Lou Reed and Metallica had created an "avant-garde theatrical" soundtrack that is "not easy to listen to" and recommendable for Lou Reed fans. However Metallica fans "will mostly ignore "Lulu"—and listen to "Master of Puppets"".


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: In contrast with the negative reviews, J. R. Moores of "Drowned In Sound" however, gave the album a perfect score of 10 out of 10, praised the album as 'the second greatest record ever made in the history of the human ear drum' after "Metal Machine Music". The review was misunderstood to be a joke as the writer stated that every point he mentioned about "Lulu" is sincere; saying the album is the most interesting Metallica album and Lou Reed's most enjoyable lyrics. In a review titled "Metallica and Lou Reed's 'Lulu' Is Actually Excellent", James Parker of "The Atlantic" wrote "I don't think the record is crap. In fact I love it... Give "Lulu" a shot. Give it another listen. Offer it what Lou would call your 'coagulating heart,' and you will be rewarded."


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: In the British avant-garde music magazine "The Wire", David Keenan wrote "Metallica's unrelenting sledgehammer style works as the perfect complement to Reed's vision of compassionless love" and concluded "[a]gainst all the odds, "Lulu" functions as the ultimate realisation of Reed's aesthetic of "Metal Machine Music", cruel vulgar, half in love with power and pain but with a bruised, beating heart at its centre." "Uncut" gave the record a positive review, singling out the closer "Junior Dad" for praise and calling it "breathtaking" and "astonishing", a "perfect ending to the most extraordinary, passionate and just plain brilliant record either participant has made for a long while." "NME", scoring the record seven out of ten, praised it as "a surprising triumph", and said that the offering's "breadth and ambition is to be applauded. Metallica have performed way beyond what many thought them capable; they improvise freely as Reed's musical bitch, while for him this marks his most outré offering since "Metal Machine Music"". "The Telegraph" awarded "Lulu" three stars out of five, stating that while it was "grueling, even by latter Lou Reed standards," the sense of "unrestrained folly" and sheer lack of commercialism made the album feel "important".


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: Additional praise was received for the album when "Lulu" reached number nine on "The Wire" 'year-end critics' poll. Indeed, "The Wire"'s Jennifer Lucy Allan commented about the bad reviews: "ultimately, the reaction to it is a testament to Lou Reed's ability to still get up the noses and under the skin of even the most open-minded listeners. He's probably laughing his head off at it all this very minute." Moreover, Mattin in his review of "Lulu" for Volcanic Tongue agreed when Lou Reed said "This is the best thing ever done by anybody" and he adds ""Lulu" is more Lou Reed than Lou Reed and that surely means that this is the best thing ever done by anybody."


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: In a piece published on the day of Reed's death, Robert Christgau wrote that "Lulu" "probably didn't get enough" "mazel tov" from critics.


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: At Lou Reed's 2015 posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Reed's widow Laurie Anderson announced that David Bowie had referred to "Lulu" as Reed's "greatest work". LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy later said Bowie had told him "Lulu" was "some of the best writing Lou's done. People are making a snap judgment and they aren't "listening"."


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: Reed stated that Metallica fans threatened to shoot him due to the collaboration on "Lulu". In response to this and the overall negative reaction to the album, Reed commented, "I don't have any fans left. After "Metal Machine Music" (1975), they all fled. Who cares? I'm essentially in this for the fun of it." Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich also noted the negative reaction to "Lulu", and stated that he wasn't surprised by the criticism due in part because, "In 1984, when hard-core Metallica fans heard acoustic guitars on 'Fade to Black', there was a nuclear meltdown in the heavy-metal community," and also noted that Reed's poetry is "not for everyone." Talking about the negative reactions, frontman James Hetfield expressed understanding of "fearful people", who are "typing from their mom's basement that they still live in", stating that the band needed "to spread our wings" and try something new, while Reed stated that the album is for "literate people". Robert Trujillo spoke about the album saying, "Love it or hate it, it was definitely something that we enjoyed and that we embraced."


title: Lulu (Lou Reed and Metallica album)

text: In the United States, the album debuted at number 36 on the "Billboard" 200 with first-week sales of 13,000 copies. This made it Reed's highest-charting release since "Sally Can't Dance", which reached number 10 in 1974. "Lulu" debuted in the top 10 of the charts in eight countries. Despite this, sales fell off exponentially; three years after its release, the album had sold just under 33,000 copies in the US, well below the average sales of both Metallica and Lou Reed.


title: Unity in diversity

text: Unity in diversity is used as an expression of harmony and unity between dissimilar individuals or groups. It is a concept of "unity without uniformity and diversity without fragmentation" that shifts focus from unity based on a mere tolerance of physical, cultural, linguistic, social, religious, political, ideological and/or psychological differences towards a more complex unity based on an understanding that difference enriches human interactions. The idea and related phrase is very old and dates back to ancient times in both Western and Eastern Old World cultures. It has applications in many fields, including ecology, cosmology, philosophy, religion and politics.


title: Unity in diversity

text: The concept of unity in diversity can be traced back to Sufi philosopher Ibn al-'Arabi (1165–1240), who advanced the metaphysical concept of the "oneness of being" ("wahdat al-wujud"), namely, that reality is one, and that God's is the only true existence; all other beings are merely shadows, or reflections of God's qualities. Abd al-Karīm al-Jīlī (1366–1424) expanded on Al-'Arabi's work, using it to describe a holistic view of the universe which reflects "unity in diversity and diversity in unity" ("al-wahdah fi'l-kathrah wa'l-kathrah fi'l-wahdah").


title: Unity in diversity

text: Leibniz used the phrase as a definition of "harmony" ("Harmonia est unitas in varietate") in his "Elementa verae pietatis, sive de amore dei" 948 I.12/A VI.4.1358. Leibniz glosses the definition "Harmonia est cum multa ad quandam unitatem revocantur" which means the 'Harmony' is when many [things] are restored to some kind of unity.


title: Unity in diversity

text: The Old Javanese poem "Kakawin Sutasoma", written by Mpu Tantular during the reign of the Majapahit empire sometime in the 14th century, contains the phrase "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika", translated as "unity in diversity". The poem is notable as it promotes tolerance between Hindus (especially Shaivites) and Buddhists, stating that although Buddha and Shiva are different in substance, their truths are one:


title: Unity in diversity

text: Unity in diversity is a prominent principle of the Baháʼí Faith. In 1938, in his book "The World Order of Baháʼu'lláh", Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith, said that "unity in diversity" was the "watchword" for the religion.


title: Unity in diversity

text: ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, the head of the Baháʼí Faith from 1892 to 1921, explained this principle in terms of the oneness of humanity:


title: Unity in diversity

text: In Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba's "Final Declaration", he stated that "Unity in the midst of diversity can be made to be felt only by touching the very core of the heart. This is the work for which I have come. I have come to sow the seed of love in your hearts so that, in spite of all superficial diversity which your life in illusion must experience and endure, the feeling of oneness through love is brought about amongst all the nations, creeds, sects and castes of the world."


title: Unity in diversity

text: "Unity in diversity" is also a slogan utilized by the disciples of Swami Sivananda. They came to America to spread the true meaning of Unity in Diversity; that we are All in One & One in All in an all loving ahimsa God.


title: Unity in diversity

text: Dutch Christian theologian Herman Bavinck wrote that principles of “unity in diversity” and “diversity in unity” both flow out of the Christian doctrines of the Imago Dei and the Trinity:"Every human being, while a member of the body of humanity as a whole, is at the same time a unique idea of God, with a significance and destiny that is eternal! Every human being is himself or herself an image of God, yet that image is only fully unfolded in humanity as a whole!"


title: Unity in diversity

text: "[The Trinity] reveals God to us as the fullness of being, the true life, eternal beauty. In God, too, there is unity in diversity, diversity in unity."


title: Unity in diversity

text: — "Reformed Dogmatics: Volume 2" ("Gereformeerde Dogmatiek"), 1895-99Nagar Chaurasi-The Symbolism Of Unity In Diversity Is Inspiring The Whole World.


title: Unity in diversity

text: India is a country of varying culture,castes, languages and religion and this is what special in India.In Rajgarh(Dhar) the tradition Nagar Chaurasi with faith,religion and belief is a symbolism of unity in diversity which shows brotherhood and mutual reconciliation.It promotes the spirit of brotherhood and harmony for the future of India with its vision of unity in diversity.


title: Unity in diversity

text: In India, people usually see events like Bhandara, Phale Chundari but only people from particular class can celebrate it on the other hand Nagar Chaurasi is an event for every class,which is celebrated in Rajgarh of Dhar district,Madhya Pradesh in India.


title: Unity in diversity

text: Nagar chaurasi is a tradition where people of all religions and castes eat together,this work is done without any discrimination of religion,caste or class.There is a special view of unity in diversity in this tradition without any discrimination,where people of many religions like Sanatan Dharma, Jainism,Christianity, Islam etc takes part and in fact by this tradition we have raised our culture to new heights. Through Nagar chaurasi the Indian culture gives a message of happiness to the public that "We All Are Equal".


title: Unity in diversity

text: District Dhar of Madhya Pradesh has been given the name of nagar chaurasi tradition for many years,this tradition is a prestige for everyone or this is such a event in which the whole city is involved.People of all religions and castes sit together on the same floor and do food offerings.In which Hindu-Muslim-Bohra-Jain-Sikh-Christian all come with great joy and take food. The residents of Rajgarh have saved this Nagar Chaurasi till today. In the year 2022 February itself,the grand event of 25th Nagar Chaurasi was held.


title: Unity in diversity

text: India has a very deep roots of Unity in Diversity and this tradition enhances unity in diversity. We celebrate many festivals together simultaneously we share common love and integrity for our heritage. 'Nagar Chaurasi Festival' celebrated in Rajgarh (Dhar), Madhyapradesh, has no exceptions, started in 2001, it is spreading message of unity since almost 2 decades, people from different religion, caste, creed and faith celebrate this every year. In 2022, more than 23000 people become part of it.


title: Unity in diversity

text: The first Nagar Chaurasi was organized on Feb 21, 2001 under the guidance of Shri Purushottam Bharadwaj ji (Ancient Shri Mataji Mandir,Famous Name Bawdi Mandir) representing the Indian tradition of "unity in diversity"


title: Unity in diversity

text: In modern politics it was first used, as "In varietate unitas", by Ernesto Teodoro Moneta in the context of Italian Unification.


title: Unity in diversity

text: Adélard Godbout, while Premier of Quebec, published an article entitled "Canada: Unity in Diversity" (1943) in the Council on Foreign Relations journal. He asked,


title: Unity in diversity

text: The phrase was invoked in the Interdisciplinary Research Seminar (IRS) at Wilfrid Laurier University in the 1970s. Ervin Laszlo presented his paper entitled "Framework for a General Systems Theory of World Order" (1974) as one of the first seminar Papers that led to the establishment of the IRS in 1975.


title: Unity in diversity

text: The motto of the province of Saskatchewan, adopted in 1986, is a variation, "Multis e gentibus vires" (from many peoples, strength).


title: Unity in diversity

text: In 2000, the European Union adopted 'United in Diversity' (Latin: "In varietate concordia") as official motto, a reference to the many and diverse member states of the Union in terms of culture. Apart from its English form, the European Union's motto is also official in 23 other languages. "Unity in diversity" was selected by means of a competition involving students from member nations. According to the European Union official website:


title: Unity in diversity

text: Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India and leader of the Indian National Congress, vigorously promoted unity in diversity as an ideal essential to national consolidation and progress. He wrote at length on this topic, exploring it in detail in his work "The Discovery of India".


title: Unity in diversity

text: "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika", an Old Javanese phrase translated as "Unity in Diversity", is the official national motto of Indonesia.


title: Unity in diversity

text: When apartheid South Africa celebrated 20 years of independence on 31 May 1981, the theme of the celebrations was "unity in diversity" (). Anti-apartheid campaigners denounced the motto as a cynical attempt to explain away the inequalities in South African life and called on runners of the Comrades Marathon to protest at the co-option of the event by wearing a black armband. The winner of the race, Bruce Fordyce, was one of those wearing a black armband.


title: Unity in diversity

text: The term has since been incorporated into the preamble of the 1996 Constitution of South Africa as a central tenet of post-apartheid South Africa and is currently the national motto.


title: Unity in diversity

text: The Gwichʼin Tribal Council representing the Gwichʼin, a First Nations of Canada and an Alaskan Native Athabaskan people, who live in the northwestern part of North America, mostly above the Arctic Circle, adopted the motto Unity through Diversity.


title: Unity in diversity

text: ● A Small Town In Madhya Pradesh, People Of All Religions And Castes Come Together In Harmony Nagar Chaurasi


title: Unity in diversity

text: ● The World Record ‘Largest Multicultural Mass Food Fest’ Has Been Achieved By Nagar Chaurasi At Rajgarh-Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India.


title: Chris Jagger

text: Christopher Jagger (born 19 December 1947) is an English musician. He is the younger brother of rock star Mick Jagger, frontman for the Rolling Stones.


title: Chris Jagger

text: Jagger was born into a middle-class family in Dartford, Kent. His father, Basil Fanshawe "Joe" Jagger (13 April 1913 – 11 November 2006), and grandfather, David Ernest Jagger, were both teachers. His mother, Eva Ensley Mary (née Scutts; 6 April 1913 – 18 May 2000), born in New South Wales, Australia, of English descent, was a hairdresser.


title: Chris Jagger

text: Jagger attended secondary school at Eltham College. He won a place to study drama at the University of Manchester but opted not to go, preferring instead to spend time in London where elder brother Mick was enjoying his first years of fame.


title: Chris Jagger

text: Jagger has worked in many fields, including theatre, cinema, clothes design, and decoration. He first appeared in the musical "Hair" in Tel Aviv for six months, later with the Black Theatre of Brixton at the ICA in London with Rufus Collins, then joined The Glasgow Citizens' Theatre where he appeared with, amongst others, Kieran Hinds, Pierce Brosnan, and Sian Thomas. He also played repertory theatre in Nottingham, Plymouth, and Hammersmith Lyric London.


title: Chris Jagger

text: In the 1970s, his project for recording an album with the Flying Burrito Brothers was aborted. In the 1980s, he contributed on two of the Rolling Stones' albums "Dirty Work" (1986) and "Steel Wheels" (1989) while he also worked in France with Vanessa Paradis's producer, Franck Langolff.


title: Chris Jagger

text: Jagger has worked as a journalist (contributing articles for "The Daily Telegraph", "The Guardian", "The Mail on Sunday", "The Independent on Sunday" and "Rolling Stone"), and wrote and presented for BBC Radio 2 a programme about Alexis Korner, a blues pioneer, and co-produced a film for Sky Arts channel, "I Got the Blues in Austin".


title: Chris Jagger

text: In England, he also organised charity concerts: one for Bosnia ("Bop for Bosnia") and the three others for Tibet including one at Alexandra Palace London in the presence of the Dalai Lama, where the acts included Dave Gilmour and Sinéad O'Connor.


title: Chris Jagger

text: After twenty years, Jagger's third album was released in 1994. Since this date, his musical style has changed to incorporate elements of cajun, zydeco, folk, country, blues, and rock.


title: Chris Jagger

text: In April 2018 it was announced that Jagger would be the support act at six concerts in June 2018 of the German popstar Nena, a long-time fan of the Rolling Stones who had met Jagger during one of his performances in Verden the previous October.


title: Chris Jagger

text: Jagger and his business partner Pat Townshend developed the guitar company Staccato in the mid-1980s. Townshend designed the magnesium alloy guitar, The Staccato. It features a neck and bridge system that could be swapped out. The user could interchange a bass neck for a six-string neck. Some models featured no volume or tone pots. The user could activate the volume controls on a touch sensitive LED pad.


title: Chris Jagger

text: A prototype bass was built in Norfolk, England in 1983, and a business partnership was formed to produce Staccato guitars, at the old school house in Woodbastwick, Norfolk. The partners on equal shares were Pat Townshend, Bill Wyman, and Chris and Mick Jagger. The company went under in 1987. Gene Simmons played a Staccato bass during Kiss' Crazy Nights World Tour.


title: Chris Jagger

text: Jagger is married and has five children. Through his brother Mick, he also has four nephews and four nieces, among them Jade, Elizabeth and Georgia May; six grandnephews or grandnieces; and three great-grandnieces.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: The Electoral Palatinate () or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of Lotharingia from 915, it was then restructured under the Counts Palatine of the Rhine in 1085. These counts palatine of the Rhine would serve as prince-electors () from "time immemorial", and were noted as such in a papal letter of 1261, they were confirmed as electors by the Golden Bull of 1356.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: The territory stretched from the left bank of the Upper Rhine, from the Hunsrück mountain range in what is today the Palatinate region in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the adjacent parts of the French regions of Alsace and Lorraine (bailiwick of Seltz from 1418 to 1766) to the opposite territory on the east bank of the Rhine in present-day Hesse and Baden-Württemberg up to the Odenwald range and the southern Kraichgau region, containing the capital cities of Heidelberg and Mannheim.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: The counts palatine of the Rhine held the office of imperial vicars in the territories under Frankish law (in Franconia, Swabia and the Rhineland) and ranked among the most significant secular Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1541 elector Otto Henry converted to Lutheranism. Their climax and decline is marked by the rule of Elector Palatine Frederick V, whose coronation as king of Bohemia in 1619 sparked the Thirty Years' War. After the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, the ravaged lands were further afflicted by the "Reunion" campaigns launched by King Louis XIV of France, culminating in the Nine Years' War (1688–97). Ruled in personal union with the Electorate of Bavaria from 1777, the Palatinate was finally disestablished with the German mediatization and annexation by Baden on 27 April 1803.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: The comital office of Count Palatine at the Frankish court of King Childebert I was already mentioned about 535. The Counts Palatine were the permanent representatives of the King, in particular geographic areas, in contrast to the semi-independent authority of the dukes (and their successors). Under the Merovingian dynasty, the position had been a purely appointed one, but by the Middle Ages had evolved into an hereditary one.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: Up to the 10th century, the Frankish empire was centered at the royal palace () in Aachen, in what had become the Carolingian kingdom of Lotharingia. Consequently, the Count Palatine of Lotharingia became the most important of the Counts Palatine. Marital alliances meant that, by the Middle Ages, most Count Palatine positions had been inherited by the duke of the associated province, but the importance of the Count Palatine of Lotharingia enabled it to remain as an independent position.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: In 985, Herman I, a scion of the Ezzonids, is mentioned as count palatine of Lotharingia (which by then had been divided into Upper and Lower Lorraine). While his Palatine authority operated over the whole of Upper Lorraine, the feudal territories of his family were instead scattered around south western Franconia, including parts of the Rhineland around Cologne and Bonn, and areas around the Moselle, and the Nahe Rivers.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: In continual conflicts with the rivalling Archbishops of Cologne, he changed the emphasis of his rule to the southern Eifel region and further to the Upper Rhine, where the Ezzonian dynasty governed several counties on both banks of the river. The southernmost point was near Alzey.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: From about 1085/86, after the death of the last Ezzonian count palatine Herman II, Palatinate authority ceased to have any military significance in Lotharingia. In practice, the Count Palatinate's Palatine authority had collapsed, reducing his successor (Henry of Laach) to a mere feudal magnate over his own territories – along the Upper Rhine in south-western Franconia. From this time on, his territory became known as the County Palatine of the Rhine (not because Palatine authority existed there, but as an acknowledgement that the Count still held the title, if not the authority, of Count Palatine).


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: Various noble dynasties competed to be enfeoffed with the Palatinate by the Holy Roman Emperor – among them the House of Ascania, the House of Salm (Count Otto I of Salm in 1040) and the House of Babenberg (Henry Jasomirgott in 1140/41).


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: The first hereditary Count Palatine of the Rhine was Conrad, a member of the House of Hohenstaufen and younger half-brother of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The territories attached to this hereditary office in 1156 started from those held by the Hohenstaufens in the Donnersberg, Nahegau, Haardt, Bergstraße and Kraichgau regions (other branches of the Hohenstaufens received lands in the Duchy of Swabia, Franche-Comté, and so forth). Much of this was from their imperial ancestors, the Salian emperors, and apart from Conrad's maternal ancestry, the Counts of Saarbrücken. These backgrounds explain the composition of Upper and Rhenish Palatinate in the inheritance centuries onwards. About 1182, Conrad moved his residence from Stahleck Castle near Bacharach up the Rhine River to Heidelberg.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: Upon Conrad's death in 1195, the Palatinate passed to the House of Welf through the (secret) marriage of his daughter Agnes with Henry of Brunswick. When Henry's son Henry the Younger died without heirs in 1214, the Hohenstaufen king Frederick II enfeoffed the Wittelsbach duke Louis I of Bavaria. The Bavarian House of Wittelsbach eventually held the Palatinate territories until 1918.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: During a later division of territory among the heirs of Duke Louis II, Duke of Upper Bavaria, in 1294, the elder branch of the Wittelsbachs came into possession of both the Rhenish Palatinate and the territories in the Bavarian Nordgau (Bavaria north of the Danube river) with the centre around the town of Amberg. As this region was politically connected to the Rhenish Palatinate, the name Upper Palatinate () became common from the early 16th century in contrast to the Lower Palatinate along the Rhine.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: With the Treaty of Pavia in 1329, the Wittelsbach emperor Louis IV, a son of Louis II, returned the Palatinate to his nephews Rudolf and Rupert.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: In the Golden Bull of 1356, the Palatinate was recognized as one of the secular electorates, and given the hereditary offices of archsteward (, ) of the Empire and imperial vicar () of Franconia, Swabia, the Rhine, and southern Germany. From that time forth, the Count Palatine of the Rhine was usually known as the Elector Palatine (, ).


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: Due to the practice of dividing territories among different branches of the family, by the early 16th century junior lines of the Palatine Wittelsbachs came to rule in Simmern, Kaiserslautern, and Zweibrücken in the Lower Palatinate, and in Neuburg and Sulzbach in the Upper Palatinate. The Elector Palatine, now based in Heidelberg, adopted Lutheranism in the 1530s; when the senior branch of the family died out in 1559, the Electorate passed to Frederick III of Simmern, a staunch Calvinist, and the Palatinate became one of the major centers of Calvinism in Europe, supporting Calvinist rebellions in both the Netherlands and France.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: In 1619, the Protestant Frederick V, Elector Palatine accepted the throne of Bohemia from the Bohemian estates. This initiated the 1618–1648 Thirty Years' War, one of the most destructive conflicts in human history; it caused over eight million fatalities from military action, violence, famine and plague, the vast majority in the German states of the Holy Roman Empire. In terms of proportional German casualties and destruction, it was surpassed only by the period January to May 1945 and remains the single greatest war trauma in German memory.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: Frederick was evicted from Bohemia in 1620 following his defeat by the forces of Emperor Ferdinand II at the Battle of the White Mountain. Over the period 1621–1622, the Palatinate was occupied by Spanish and Bavarian troops and Frederick was exiled to the Dutch Republic. His territories and electoral rights were transferred to the distantly related but Catholic Maximilian I of Bavaria, who now became Elector of Bavaria.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: After his death in 1632, Frederick's daughter Princess Elizabeth and wife Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, worked tirelessly to have the Palatinate restored to her son Charles Louis and the Protestant cause. When the Peace of Westphalia ended the war in 1648, he regained the Lower Palatinate and the title 'Elector Palatine' but now ranked lower in precedence than the others. He was succeeded by Charles II, Elector Palatine in 1680 but the Simmern family became extinct in the male line after he died in 1685.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: In 1670, Charles II's sister Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate married Philippe of Orléans, younger brother of Louis XIV; on this basis, Louis claimed half of the Palatinate for France. The direct heir to the Palatinate was Philip William, Catholic Count Palatine of Neuburg, Duke of Jülich and Berg. His eldest daughter Eleonore married Emperor Leopold, while another, Maria Anna, married Charles II of Spain in 1690.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: When France invaded the Palatinate in September 1688 to enforce its claim, these wider connections meant the conflict rapidly escalated, leading to the outbreak of the Nine Years' War. The French were forced to withdraw in 1689 but before doing so, destroyed much of Heidelberg, another 20 substantial towns and numerous villages. This destruction was systematically applied across a large section of the Rhineland but especially the Palatinate, which was raided again in 1693; the devastation shocked much of Europe. France later renounced its claim to the region in the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: Johann Wilhelm succeeded as Elector in 1690, changing his residence first to Düsseldorf, then back to Heidelberg and finally Mannheim in 1720. Like his father, he was a Catholic, which under the 1555 Peace of Augsburg meant the Protestant majority in the Palatine was theoretically obliged to convert to Catholicism. The 1705 'Palatine Church Division' compromised by allocating five-sevenths of public church property to the Reformed or Calvinist church and the remainder to Catholicism, while excluding the Lutheran Church, whose membership exceeded 40% of the population in some areas.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: In 1716, Charles Philip succeeded his brother as Elector and in January 1742, helped his cousin Charles Albert become the first non-Habsburg Emperor in over 300 years. He died in December and the Palatinate passed to Charles Theodore, then Duke of Sulzbach, who also inherited the Electorate of Bavaria in 1777. The title and authority of the two Electorates were combined, Charles and his heirs retaining only the vote and precedence of the Bavarian elector, although continuing to use the title 'Count Palatine of the Rhine'.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: The Palatine territories on the left bank of the Rhine were annexed by France in 1795, mainly becoming part of the Mont-Tonnerre department. The loss of these territories was accepted by Elector Maximilian Joseph in the Treaty of Paris. Those on the right were taken by the Elector of Baden, after the 1805 Peace of Pressburg dissolved the Holy Roman Empire; the remaining Wittelsbach territories were united by Maximilian Joseph as the Kingdom of Bavaria.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: In 1156 Conrad of Hohenstaufen, brother of emperor Frederick Barbarossa became Count Palatine. The old coat of arms of the House of Hohenstaufen, the single lion, became coat of arms of the Palatinate.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: By marriage, the Palatinate's arms also became quartered with those of Welf and later Wittelsbach. The arms of Bavaria were used with reference to the elector's holdings in Bavaria. This was extended to quartering of the lion and the Bavarian Arms upon the ascension of Maximilian I to the position of elector of the Palatinate in 1623, used concurrently with the arms shown. From 1356 onwards, the orb represented their position as Arch-Steward of the Holy Roman Empire.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: In 1806, Baden was raised to a grand duchy and parts of the former Palatinate including Mannheim became part of it. At the Congress of Vienna in 1814 and 1815, southern parts of the left-bank Palatinate were restored and enlarged by mediatisation (consuming the former Bishopric of Speyer, the Free Imperial City of Speyer, and others) up to the new border with France, and given (temporarily) to the Habsburg Austrian Empire; after this time, it was this new region that was principally known as "the Palatinate". The right-bank Palatinate remained with Baden while northern parts became part of Prussia (Rhine Province) and Hesse (Rhenish Hesse).


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: In 1816, the Palatinate became a formal part of the Wittelsbach Kingdom of Bavaria (the or Circle of the Rhine) in a pre-arranged exchange for Tirol, which Bavaria ceded to Austria. Most of the area remained a part of Bavaria until after the Second World War (after 1918 the Free State of Bavaria), with some western parts becoming part of the Territory of the Saar Basin after World War I.


title: Electoral Palatinate

text: In September 1946 the territory was made part of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, along with former left bank territories of Prussia (southern part of the Rhine Province, including the former Principality of Birkenfeld which had been an exclave of Oldenburg until 1937, and western parts of the Province of Nassau) and Rhenish Hesse. The former Territory of the Saar Basin was reinstated and expanded to create the French Saar Protectorate, which returned to Germany in 1956 as the modern state of Saarland.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: Paektu Mountain (), also known as Baekdu Mountain and in China as Changbai Mountain (; Manchu: Golmin Šanggiyan Alin), is an active stratovolcano on the Chinese–North Korean border. At , it is the highest mountain of the Baekdudaegan and Changbai ranges. Koreans assign a mythical quality to the volcano and its caldera lake, considering it to be their country's spiritual home. It is the highest mountain in North Korea and Northeast China.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: A large crater lake, called Heaven Lake, is in the caldera atop the mountain. The caldera was formed by the VEI 7 "Millennium" or "Tianchi" eruption of 946, which erupted about of tephra. This was one of the largest and most violent eruptions in the last 5,000 years (alongside the Minoan eruption, the Hatepe eruption of Lake Taupō in around AD 180, the 1257 eruption of Mount Samalas near Mount Rinjani and the 1815 eruption of Tambora).


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The mountain plays an important mythological and cultural and nationalistic role in the societies and civil religions of both contemporary Korean states. For instance, it is mentioned in both of their national anthems and is depicted on the national emblem of North Korea. The mountain is regarded by the Manchu people as their ancestral homeland, and it was a symbol of imperial power in the Qing, the last imperial dynasty of China.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The mountain was first recorded in the Chinese "Classic of Mountains and Seas" under the name "Bùxián Shān" (). It is also called "Shànshàn Dàlǐng" () in the "Book of the Later Han". In the "New Book of Tang", it was called "Tàibái Shān" (). The current Chinese name, (, 'ever white mountain', was first used in the Liao dynasty (916–1125) of the Khitans and then the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) of the Jurchens. The "Liao Shi" recorded that chiefs of 30 Jurchen tribes from Mount Changbai paid their tribute to the Liao in AD 985. According to the Song dynasty travelogue "Songmo Jiwen", it was named as such because the mountain was "the abode of the white-robed Guanyin" and its birds and beasts were all white. The modern Manchu name of the mountain, which is (), also means 'ever white mountain'.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The modern Korean name of the mountain, or (), was first recorded in the 13th-century historical record . It means 'white-head mountain'. In other records from the same period, the mountain was also called (, ), which means 'great-white mountain'. An alternative Chinese name, (), is the transliteration of "Paektu Mountain".


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The Mongolian name is (), which means 'lofty white mountain'. In English, various authors have used nonstandard transliterations.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: Mount Paektu is a stratovolcano whose cone is truncated by a large caldera, about wide and deep, partially filled by the waters of Heaven Lake. The lake has a circumference of , with an average depth of and maximum depth of . From mid-October to mid-June, the lake is typically covered with ice. In 2011, experts in North and South Korea met to discuss the potential for a significant eruption in the near future, as the volcano explodes to life every 100 years or so, the last time in 1903.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The geological forces forming Mount Paektu remain a mystery. Two leading theories are first a hot spot formation and second an uncharted portion of the Pacific Plate sinking beneath Mount Paektu.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The central section of the mountain rises about per year due to rising levels of magma below the central part of the mountain. Sixteen peaks exceeding line the caldera rim surrounding Heaven Lake. The highest peak, called Janggun Peak, is covered in snow about eight months of the year. The slope is relatively gentle until about .


title: Paektu Mountain

text: Water flows north out of the lake, and near the outlet there is a waterfall. The mountain is the source of the Songhua, Tumen and Yalu rivers. The Tumen and the Yalu form the northern border between North Korea and Russia and China.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The weather on the mountain can be very erratic, sometimes severe. The annual average temperature at the peak is . During summer, temperatures of about or higher can be reached, and during winter temperatures can drop to . The lowest record temperature was on 2 January 1997. The average temperature is about in January, and in July, remaining below freezing for eight months of the year. The average wind speed is , peaking at . The relative humidity averages 74%.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The mountain's caldera was created in 946 by the colossal (VEI 7) "Millennium" or "Tianchi" eruption, one of the most violent eruptions in the last 5,000 years, comparable to the 180 AD eruption of Lake Taupō and the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora. The eruption, whose tephra has been found in the southern part of Hokkaidō, Japan, and as far away as Greenland, destroyed much of the volcano's summit, leaving a caldera that today is filled by Heaven Lake.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: According to the Book of Koryo History, "thunders from the heaven drum" (likely the explosions from the Millennium eruption) were heard in the city of Kaesong, and then again in the capital of ancient Korea about south of the volcano, which terrified the emperor so much that convicts were pardoned and set free. According to the book of Heungboksa Temple History, on 3 November of the same year, in the city of Nara (Japan), about southeast from the mountain, an event of "white ash rain" was recorded. Three months later, on 7 February 947, "drum thunders" were heard in the city of Kyoto (Japan), about southeast of Paektu.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The age of the Tianwenfeng eruption is not clear, but the carbonized wood in Heifengkou's lag breccia has been dated at around . This eruption formed large areas covered in yellow pumice and ignimbrite and released about of SO into the stratosphere. The bulk volume of the ejecta is at least 100 km, making the Tianwenfeng eruption also of VEI 7. The Tianwenfeng eruption has also been recorded in Manchurian myths. Manchus described the mountain as "Fire Dragon", "Fire Demon" or "Heavenly Fire".


title: Paektu Mountain

text: After these major eruptions, Mount Paektu had at least three smaller eruptions, which occurred in 1668, 1702, and 1903, likely forming the Baguamiao ignimbrite, the Wuhaojie fine pumice, and the Liuhaojie tuff ring.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: In 2011, the Government of North Korea invited volcanologists James Hammond of Imperial College London and Clive Oppenheimer of the University of Cambridge, to study the mountain for recent volcanic activity. Their project was continuing in 2014 and expected to last for another "two or three years". American volcanologist Kayla Iacovino also participated, becoming one of the first women scientists to do research in North Korea.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: There are five known species of plants in the lake on the peak, and some 168 have been counted along its shores. The forest on the Chinese side is ancient and almost unaltered by humans. Birch predominates near the tree line, and pine lower down, mixed with other species. There has been extensive deforestation on the lower slopes on the North Korean side of the mountain.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The area is a known habitat for Siberian tigers, bears, wolves, and wild boars. The Ussuri dholes may have been extirpated from the area. Deer in the mountain forests, which cover the mountain up to about , are of the Paekdusan roe deer kind. Many wild birds such as black grouse, owls, and woodpecker are known to inhabit the area. The mountain has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports a population of scaly-sided mergansers.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The mountain has been worshipped by the surrounding peoples throughout history. Both the Koreans and Manchus consider it sacred, especially the Heaven Lake in its crater.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The mountain has been considered sacred by Koreans throughout history. According to Korean mythology, it was the birthplace of Dangun, the founder of Gojoseon (2333–108 BC), whose parents were said to be Hwanung, the Son of Heaven, and Ungnyeo, a bear who had been transformed into a woman. The Goryeo and Joseon dynasties also worshiped the mountain.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The Goryeo dynasty (935–1392) first called the mountain "Paektu", recording that the Jurchens across the Yalu River were made to live outside of Mount Paektu. The Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) recorded volcanic eruptions in 1597, 1668, and 1702. In the 15th century, King Sejong strengthened the fortification along the Tumen and Yalu rivers, making the mountain a natural border with the northern peoples. Some Koreans claim that the entire region near Mount Paektu and the Tumen River belongs to Korea and parts of it were illegally given away by Japanese colonialists to China through the Gando Convention.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: Mount Paektu is mentioned in the national anthems of both North and South Korea and in the Korean folk song "Arirang".


title: Paektu Mountain

text: Dense forest around the mountain provided bases for Korean armed resistance against the Japanese occupation, and later communist guerrillas during the Korean War. Kim Il-sung organized his resistance against the Japanese forces there, and North Korea claims that Kim Jong-il was born there, although records outside of North Korea suggest that he was actually born in the Soviet Union.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The peak has been featured on the state emblem of North Korea since 1993, as defined in Article 169 of the Constitution, which describes Mt. Paektu as "the sacred mountain of the revolution". The mountain is often referred to in slogans such as: "Let us accomplish the Korean revolution in the revolutionary spirit of Paektu, the spirit of the blizzards of Paektu!" North Korean media also celebrates natural phenomena witnessed at the mountain as portentous, and Korean Central Television's weather reports list Paektu behind only Pyongyang. The mountain's name is used for various products, such as the Paektusan rocket, the Paektusan computer, and the Mt Paektu handgun.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: Mount Changbai was regarded as the most sacred mountain in the shamanist religion of the Manchus, and their ancestors Sushen and Jurchens. The Jin dynasty bestowed the title "the King Who Makes the Nation Prosperous and Answers with Miracles" () on the mountain in 1172 and it was entitled "the Emperor Who Cleared the Sky with Tremendous Sagehood" () in 1193. A temple for the mountain god was constructed on the northern side.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: The Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, which founded the Qing dynasty of China, claimed their progenitor Bukūri Yongšon was conceived near Paektu Mountain. In 1682, 1698, 1733, 1754 and 1805, Qing emperors visited Jilin and paid homage to the mountain. The rites at Mount Changbai were heavily influenced by the ancient Feng Shan ceremonies, in which Chinese emperors offered sacrifices to heaven and earth at Mount Tai. The Kangxi Emperor claimed that Mount Tai and Changbai belong to the same mountain range, which runs from northeast to southwest but is partially submerged under the sea before reaching Shandong. The geography and feng shui of Mount Changbai thus provided legitimacy to the Aisin Gioro clan's rule over China.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: "Baishan Heishui", "white mountain and black river", referring to Mount Changbai and the Heilongjiang, has been a traditional name for Northeast China since the Jin dynasty.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: According to "Annals of the Joseon Dynasty", the Yalu and Tumen Rivers were set as the borders in the era of the founder of Joseon Dynasty, Taejo of Joseon (1335–1408). Because of the continuous entry of Korean people into Gando, a region in Manchuria that lay north of the Tumen, Manchu and Korean officials surveyed the area and negotiated a border agreement in 1712. To mark the agreement, they built a monument describing the boundary at a watershed, near the south of the crater lake at the mountain peak. The interpretation of the inscription caused a territorial dispute from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, and is still disputed by academics today. The 1909 Gando Convention between China and Japan, when Korea was under Japanese rule, recognized the area north and east as Chinese territory.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: In 1962, China and North Korea negotiated a border treaty to resolve their undemarcated land border. China received 40% of the crater lake and North Korea kept the remaining land, holding approximately 54.5% of the territory. Neither of this treaty is recognized by the governments of the Republic of China on Taiwan and the Republic of Korea.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: Some South Korean groups argue that recent activities conducted on the Chinese side of the border, such as economic development, cultural festivals, infrastructure development, promotion of the tourism industry, attempts at registration as a World Heritage Site, and bids for a Winter Olympic Games, are an attempt to claim the mountain as Chinese territory. These groups object to China's use of the name "Mount Changbai". Some groups also regard the entire mountain as Korean territory that was given away by North Korea in the Korean War.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: During the 2007 Asian Winter Games, which were held in Changchun, China, a group of South Korean athletes held up signs during the award ceremony which stated "Mount Paektu is our territory". Chinese sports officials delivered a letter of protest on the grounds that political activities violated the spirit of the Olympics and were banned in the charter of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia. Officials from the South Korean athletic team apologized to China.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: In addition to domestic tourists, most international visitors, including many South Koreans, climb the mountain from the Chinese side, though it is also a popular tourist destination for visitors to North Korea. The Chinese tourism area is classified as a AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration.


title: Paektu Mountain

text: There are a number of monuments on the North Korean side of the mountain. Paektu Spa is a natural spring and is used for bottled water. Pegae Hill is a camp site of the () allegedly led by Kim Il-sung during their struggle against Japanese colonial rule. Secret camps are also now open to the public. There are several waterfalls, including the Hyongje Falls which splits into two about a third of the way from the top. In 1992, on the occasion of the 80th birthday of Kim Il-sung, a gigantic sign consisting of metal letters reading "Holy mountain of the revolution" was erected on the side of the mountain. North Koreans claim that there are 216 steps leading to the top of the mountain, symbolizing Kim Jong-il's 16 February birth date, but in reality there are more. On the North Korean side of the mountain, there is a funicular system with two cars. This was updated with new funicular cars built by the Kim Chong-t'ae Electric Locomotive Works, with the new cars successfully running on the funicular from October 30.


title: Kerri Strug

text: Kerri Allyson Strug (born November 19, 1977) is a retired American gymnast from Tucson, Arizona. She was a member of the Magnificent Seven, the victorious all-around women's gymnastics team that represented the United States at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Strug performed the vault that clinched the gold for the U.S. team despite having injured her ankle.


title: Kerri Strug

text: Strug began training in gymnastics at the age of three. She began competing in gymnastics at the age of eight. Her sister Lisa was already competing in gymnastics at the time that Strug was born. Strug was trained by American coach Jim Gault until January 1991, when she moved to Houston, Texas, to train with coach Béla Károlyi. At that time, she also joined the United States National Team. In 1992, as the youngest member of the entire U.S. team at age 14, she won a team bronze medal at the Barcelona Olympics. Throughout the Team Compulsories and Optionals, she and Kim Zmeskal competed for the final US available spot to compete in the all-around. She was eventually edged out by Zmeskal, with Shannon Miller and Betty Okino as the other two American gymnasts to qualify for the all-around.


title: Kerri Strug

text: After the 1992 Games, Strug chose to move to Edmond, Oklahoma, to train under the coaching of Steve Nunno at the Dynamo Gymnastics Club, where she trained with Shannon Miller. There, she struggled with severe weight loss and a serious injury to her stomach.


title: Kerri Strug

text: At the 1993 Nationals, Strug placed 3rd in the all-around, 2nd on the uneven bars, and 3rd on floor exercise. She completed the Yurchenko ½ vault. However, she had a weak second vault and did not medal in that event. After this competition, Strug left Edmond to return home to Tucson, Arizona, where she trained with Arthur Akopian, who flew in from California to train her, with the assistance of Jim Gault. Gault was Strug's coach when she started gymnastics at age 3.


title: Kerri Strug

text: While performing the compulsory uneven bars set in 1994, she pinged off the bar, subsequently releasing too early to be able to make the transition to low bar. She lost control and flew off the high bar backwards, landing in a twisted position on her side beneath the low bar. She was carried out of the gym on a stretcher and was taken to Desert Regional Hospital. The injury turned out to be a badly pulled back muscle, which required extensive rehabilitation. She recovered in time for the 1994 World Championships.


title: Kerri Strug

text: In 1995, Strug graduated from Green Fields Country Day School in Tucson, Arizona. Eventually, the coaching arrangement with Gault and Akopian became untenable as Gault was restricted in his coaching by NCAA recruiting rules. Strug once again left home, in July 1995, to train at Aerials Gymnastics in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with Tom and Lori Forster. Later that year, at the 1995 Nationals, Strug placed 5th in the all-around and came in 3rd on the uneven bars. At the 1995 World Championships, she was a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team, and she placed 7th in the all-around.


title: Kerri Strug

text: She trained with the Forsters from July 1995 until December 1995. She then moved back to Houston to train with Károlyi again in preparation for the 1996 Olympics. She beat the competition at the 1996 American Cup in the all-around by almost a half point, a huge margin with the scoring system at that time. She also placed 1st on floor exercises and balance beam and 2nd on vault and uneven bars in the event finals. At the 1996 U.S. Nationals, Strug placed 5th in the all-around and came in 2nd on both vault and floor.


title: Kerri Strug

text: Strug participated in the 1996 Olympics as a member of the U.S. women's team, often referred to as the Magnificent Seven. After compulsories, Strug was ranked 9th overall and had placed high enough to qualify herself for the all-around. She posted the second-highest score on floor exercise—but qualified first in floor exercise event finals after the team final and ahead of eventual floor exercise gold medalist Lilia Podkopayeva—and fourth-highest on vault, which would qualify her for event finals in her two strongest events. In the team competition, an event dominated by the Soviets for decades and never won by the United States, the U.S. competed with the Russian, Romanian, and Ukrainian teams. The Russians came into the team competition with a very narrow lead. The event came down to the final rotation on the final day of the team competition, July 23, 1996.


title: Kerri Strug

text: Going into the final rotation, with the Russians on floor exercise and the U.S. on vault, the U.S. women held a commanding 0.897-point lead over the Russian team. However, it was still possible for the Russians to take the gold if the U.S. women collapsed. The first four U.S. gymnasts landed their vaults, but struggled to land them cleanly, taking steps and hops. Adding to the drama, Strug's teammate Dominique Moceanu fell twice, registering a poor score. Strug was the last to vault for the United States.


title: Kerri Strug

text: Strug under-rotated her first attempt, causing her to fall and injure her ankle. As a result, the attempt was awarded 9.162 points. Russian gymnast Elena Dolgopolova finished her floor routine about 10 seconds after Strug sat her first vault, with 1994 floor world champion Dina Kochetkova and reigning Russian national floor champion Roza Galieva still to perform their routines. Moceanu's score (9.200) may have been sufficient to beat the Russians if Strug did not perform a second vault. However, with the top two Russian floor workers left to perform, and Dolgopolova's score yet to be posted, the Russian team could have won gold if those last three scores averaged over 9.816. Strug, Moceanu, Dominique Dawes, Romanian gymnasts Simona Amânar and Gina Gogean, and Chinese gymnast Ji Liya had all received floor scores of 9.825 or higher earlier that night. After leading the entire night, the U.S. was at risk of losing to Russia, and Strug needed a second vault score of 9.762 to mathematically clinch the gold.


title: Kerri Strug

text: In the time interval between Strug's two vaults, she asked, "Do we need this?" Károlyi replied, "Kerri, we need you to go one more time. We need you one more time for the gold. You can do it, you better do it." Strug thus limped slightly to the end of the runway to make her second attempt. She landed the vault briefly on both feet, almost instantly hopping onto only her good foot, saluting the judges. She then collapsed onto her knees and needed assistance off the landing platform, to which sportscaster John Tesh commented, "Kerri Strug is hurt! She is hurt badly." The completed vault received a score of 9.712. As Strug landed the second vault, Dolgopalova's 9.750 floor score was posted, making Strug's 9.712 enough to guarantee the Americans the gold medal.


title: Kerri Strug

text: The rest of the Magnificent Seven refused to walk out to the medal ceremony without Strug, and eventually Béla Károlyi carried her onto the medals podium to join her team, after which she was treated at a hospital for a third-degree lateral sprain and tendon damage. Due to her injury, she was unable to compete in the individual all-around competition and event finals, despite having qualified for both. This allowed her teammates who had qualified for finals, but were eliminated due to rules limiting the number of gymnasts per country, to take Strug's place. Moceanu replaced Strug in the all-around, Dawes took her place in the floor final, and Shannon Miller took her place in the vault final.


title: Kerri Strug

text: Strug became a national sports hero for her final vault, visiting President Bill Clinton, appearing at various television talk shows, making the cover of "Sports Illustrated" and appearing on a Wheaties cereal box with other team members. Actor Chris Kattan notably parodied her adolescent-sounding voice (as her "brother" Kippi Strug), and appeared on "Saturday Night Live" (in a segment in which she appeared alongside him). ESPN's "This is SportsCenter" ad campaign poked good-natured fun at her injury with two ads featuring various ESPN workers carrying her around.


title: Kerri Strug

text: Shortly after her feat, Strug participated in the Ice Capades and Disney's World On Ice, then announced her retirement and enrolled in UCLA where she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta women's fraternity. As a professional, she could not compete in NCAA gymnastics events, so she worked for a time as team manager instead, a behind-the-scenes role. She later transferred to Stanford University where she earned a master's degree in sociology. Strug also took part in a Semester at Sea in the Fall of 2000.


title: Kerri Strug

text: After graduation, Strug worked as an elementary school teacher at Tom Matsumoto Elementary School in San Jose, California, before moving to Washington, D.C. in 2003.


title: Kerri Strug

text: She worked as a staff assistant with the White House Office of Presidential Student Correspondence, moved to a job at the General Counsel in the Treasury Department, and in March 2005, joined the Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention staff as a presidential appointee. Strug has competed in marathons in Houston, New York, Boston and Chicago.


title: Kerri Strug

text: During the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Strug was a correspondent for Yahoo! in artistic gymnastics. In 2008, she appeared in a television commercial for the Zaxby's restaurant chain. Also in 2008, her history-making ordeal at the 1996 Olympic Games was featured in a commercial, narrated by actor Morgan Freeman for the "Go World" campaign.


title: Kerri Strug

text: Strug was born in Tucson, Arizona, the daughter of Melanie Barron and Dr. Burt Strug, a cardiovascular surgeon. Strug is Jewish. She married attorney Robert Fischer at the Skyline Country Club in Tucson, Arizona, on April 25, 2010. On March 1, 2012, Strug gave birth to the couple's son, Tyler William Fischer. In 2014, she gave birth to their daughter, Alayna Madaleine.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: Pinocchio is a 2002 Italian fantasy comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Roberto Benigni, who also stars. It is based on the 1883 novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi, with Benigni portraying Pinocchio. Filming took place in Italy and Kalkara, Malta. It was dedicated to costume and production designer Danilo Donati, who died on 1 December 2001.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: The film was released in Italy on 11 October 2002 by Medusa Distribuzione, which was met with mixed reviews. It received an English-language dub in the United States in December 2002, released by Miramax Films; this version was critically panned. "Pinocchio" was selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 75th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: A magical log falls off a wagon, stopping at Geppetto's door. The wood carver creates a puppet from the log and names it Pinocchio. Pinocchio comes to life and runs away in the streets, turning the town upside down. The carpenter is blamed and taken to prison by the carabinieri, while Pinocchio escapes.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: Back home, a Talking Cricket scolds him for his behavior; this annoys Pinocchio, so he tries to hit him with a hammer. Tired and hungry, Pinocchio promises to his father that he will go to school and study. Geppetto returns home from prison and sold his only coat to buy schoolbooks for him, however the naughty puppet goes on several adventures, dreading school.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: Joining a puppet theater, Pinocchio is almost eaten by the giant puppet master Mangiafuoco. Lying to get out of the situation, he is given five gold coins. He then meets The Fox and the Cat, who trick him out of his money, telling him to plant it to grow a 'money tree' in the Miracle Meadow near the town of "Grab-A-Dimwit". A Blue Fairy encourages Pinocchio to give up his obnoxious ways, and saves him from being hanged. After being examined by the Owl, the Crow, and the Talking Cricket, Pinocchio experiences the side-effect of his lying. She gives Pinocchio medicine and when he refuses it, coffin-bearing rabbits appear, so he immediately takes it.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: The Fox and Cat steal the gold coins Pinocchio buried. The Talking Cricket informs Pinocchio about it. Pinocchio tells the judges about the Fox and Cat's theft, but was sentenced to five years in jail for foolishness. While there, Pinocchio meets Lucignolo, a thief that stole 29 lollipops from a candy shop (though the judges are shown eating them) who is being released. Four months later, during the celebration of the King's son's birth, Pinocchio is set free. He stumbles across the grave of the Blue Fairy, who supposedly died of grief because of his antics.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: A dove tells Pinocchio his father was heading out to sea to look for him. Pinocchio arrives at the shore, finding Geppetto on his ship and been knocked out by the waves. Pinocchio nearly drowns trying to save his father, then washes up by a city where he meets the Blue Fairy again.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: On his way to school, a kid throws a book at him, he ducks, and it hits Eugenio, who loses consciousness. Pinocchio is blamed for the crime. Upon nearing the Blue Fairy's house he escapes, ending up in a grape farmer's trap. Pinocchio is freed by Lucignolo and returns to the Blue Fairy's home.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: The next day, Lucignolo convinces Pinocchio to join him on a trip to 'Fun Forever Land'. When there, the Cricket tries to warn them all they will turn into donkeys if they do not leave and continue being bad. Pinocchio soon becomes a donkey and is sold to a circus ringmaster.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: During his performance, Pinocchio gets hurt and is thrown into the sea, where he instantly returns to normal and is swallowed by a giant shark which coincidentally has also swallowed Geppetto. They escape together.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: Pinocchio takes Geppetto to a farm to help him recover by helping out a farmer to get his father better, inside the farmer's paddock he sees a sick donkey who he immediately recognize as Lucignolo, but his friend tragically dies from working too hard.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: Rewarding his efforts to strive for moral prudence, the Blue Fairy transforms him into a real boy. With his wish granted, he and his father sees his old puppet body in the corner of the house and sets off his actual first day of school.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: To promote the film's release, McDonald's sold Happy Meals containing toys that each resembled a character of the film.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: In the United States and Canada, Miramax released the film on Christmas Day with no advance screening. Miramax said that this is because they needed to do post-production looping to insert the English dub for its English-speaking release. Edward Guthmann, a film reviewer for the "San Francisco Chronicle", thought that this was because Miramax knew the film would not be well-received, and sought to have it released before critics placed their opinions on the film. The English version includes some differences, such as changed dialogues, some shortened scenes, and narration by David Suchet added. After the English dubbed version was poorly received, Miramax reissued the film in Italian with English subtitles on February 7, 2003.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: In Italy and Europe, "Pinocchio" grossed over $7 million within the first three days of its release. It went on to gross $3.67 million in the United States, and $37.7 million in other territories (of which €26 million was in Italy), for a worldwide total of $41.3 million, against a production budget of $40 million.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: "Pinocchio" received mixed reviews. David Rooney of "Variety" wrote: 'In Roberto Benigni's take on Carlo Collodi's classic fairy tale, "Pinocchio", the spirit of the late Federico Fellini - with whom Benigni talked of doing the project together - surfaces repeatedly. But that spirit fails to enliven a film substantially lacking in personality, energy, magic and humor ... The union between the Tuscan fairy tale and the region's most talented contemporary offspring would seem like the perfect marriage. In fact, it comes off as artificially exuberant and a little precious.' Roberto Nepoti of "La Repubblica" stated: "The film is a kind of linear translation of the book, illustrated by the splendid scenographies of Danilo Donati, played by good actors, accompanied by special effects of excellent levels but where, unfortunately, something is missing. What is missing is a visionary fantasy, a sense of excess, of the poetry that belongs to Benigni as an actor and author, but which Benigni as director has not yet acquired."


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: "Pinocchio" went on to receive six nominations at the David di Donatello Awards, winning two in the process: Best Sets and Decorations and Best Costumes, both to Danilo Donati. It was also nominated for at the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: The English-dubbed recut version by Miramax was met with critical panning in the United States. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the English-language version of the film, with 55 reviews, has a rare approval rating of 0% meaning no favorable reviews whatsoever receiving an average rating of 2.70/10. The site's consensus states: "Roberto Benigni misfires wildly with this adaptation of "Pinocchio", and the result is an unfunny, poorly-made, creepy vanity project". Metacritic gave the film an 11/100 based on 15 critics, which suggests 'overwhelming dislike'. Jonathan Rosenbaum stated on "Chicago Reader" that "the recut American version is truly awful, but a good 75% of the awfulness is attributable to Miramax". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D+" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: Amongst other issues, the English dub was heavily criticized, with many critics also finding that Breckin Meyer being chosen as Benigni's voice was inappropriate and that he was too young. David Noh of "Film Journal International" referred to Meyer's performance as a "ridiculously inappropriate Valley Boy voice". Elvis Mitchell of "The New York Times" stated that the voices "are so sloppy you might feel as if you're watching a 1978 Hong Kong action picture: the dubbed mouths of the Italian cast are probably still moving an hour after the film is over". Mitchell also called it "an oddity that will be avoided by millions of people" and criticized Benigni's decision to play the titular character, opining that his role as Pinocchio is 'as believable as Diana Ross playing Dorothy in "The Wiz"".


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: Ken Fox of "TV Guide" wrote: "there's no getting past the shockingly poorly dubbed voice work of the English-speaking cast; Meyer's voice is particularly shrill and grating", but praised Benigni's performance and make up effects, stating: "he's one Italian icon playing another, and physically, he's actually quite good" and "the art direction is often exquisite, and the anthropomorphic animal characters are beautifully realized through clever makeup design".


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: The original version was nominated for six David di Donatello Awards (winning two) and three Nastro d'Argento (winning one):


title: Pinocchio (2002 film)

text: The English dub was nominated for six Golden Raspberry Awards (a first for a foreign-language film) and won one:


title: Oh My Ghost (South Korean TV series)

text: Oh My Ghost () is a 2015 South Korean television series starring Park Bo-young, Jo Jung-suk, Lim Ju-hwan and Kim Seul-gi. It aired on tvN from July 3 to August 22, 2015, on Fridays and Saturdays at 20:30 (KST) for 16 episodes.


title: Oh My Ghost (South Korean TV series)

text: Na Bong-sun (Park Bo-young) has an extremely timid personality and low self-esteem, doesn't have any close friends, and is constantly getting reprimanded at her job as an assistant chef at Sun Restaurant. She also occasionally sees ghosts, thanks to a shaman grandmother. One day, Bong-sun gets possessed by a lustful virgin ghost named Shin Soon-ae (Kim Seul-gi). To make up for the lack of romance in her short life and believing that only by losing her virginity will she be able to "resolve her grudge" and move on to the afterlife, Soon-ae is determined to seduce as many men as she can by possessing various women, and she finds the perfect vessel in Bong-sun.


title: Oh My Ghost (South Korean TV series)

text: Bong-sun's boss is arrogant star chef Kang Sun-woo (Jo Jung-suk), whom she secretly has a crush on. Sun-woo hasn't dated anyone since getting his heart broken by his college friend Lee So-hyung (Park Jung-ah), who's a TV producer. But when Bong-sun seemingly gets rid of her shyness and suddenly changes into a confident, dynamic woman, she finally catches his eye. Meanwhile, the mystery surrounding Soon-ae's death involves Sun-woo's brother-in-law, a kind police officer, Choi Sung-jae (Lim Ju-hwan), who may not be what he seems.


title: Oh My Ghost (South Korean TV series)

text: In September 2018, the Thai remake of the same title premiered on True4U. It stars Nuengthida Sophon as Jiew, Keerati Mahaprukpong as Khaopun, and Arak Amornsupasiri as Chef Artit.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is a 2006 re-edited director's cut of the 1980 superhero film "Superman II". It is a sequel to Richard Donner's 1978 film "Superman", based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name, and stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, and Marlon Brando, the latter whose scenes were removed and entirely re-shot with actress Susannah York for the theatrical release. This alternate cut was edited by Michael Thau and was overseen and completed by Donner himself. It features a significant amount of discarded footage, alternate takes, and story elements not featured in the theatrical version.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: In 1979, after the tense nineteen month-long shoot on "Superman" and a significant portion of "Superman II", executive producer Alexander Salkind removed Donner from production on the sequel and replaced him with director Richard Lester. Lester completed the remainder of the film for its theatrical release, but also re-wrote and re-shot a substantial portion of Donner's footage in order to receive full director's credit. While the sequel was a critical and financial success upon release, interest in Donner's cut of "Superman II" became well known after a community of online fans began petitioning for Warner Bros. to release Donner's vision. However, due to legality issues over Marlon Brando's unused footage, the task seemed impossible. After Brando's death in 2004, his family estate allowed for Warner Bros. to feature archival footage of the late actor in the 2006 film "Superman Returns", thus granting the studio permission to restore Donner's version of "Superman II".


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Since Donner never completed "Superman II" in its original form, certain key scenes filmed by Lester, along with newly created visual effects shots by Thau and an early screen test of one pivotal scene featuring Reeve and Margot Kidder, had to be added to the film in order to create a completed work. The film also features an early developed alternate opening and ending that were both envisioned before the theatrical release of "Superman", in which the sequel's original ending was re-worked as the finale to the first film. Donner stated that had he finished the film in 1980, he would have shot a different ending. "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut" was released on DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD on November 28, 2006 to positive reviews and is dedicated to Reeve's memory.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: On the planet Krypton, criminals General Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa (Sarah Douglas) and Non (Jack O'Halloran) are sentenced to eternal banishment inside the Phantom Zone by Jor-El (Marlon Brando) for insurrection and murder, amongst other crimes. Thirty years later, Superman (Christopher Reeve) diverts a missile into outer space, unknowingly freeing them from the Phantom Zone.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: At the "Daily Planet" in Metropolis, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) suspects that Clark Kent is Superman. She tests Clark by jumping out of a window, but Clark uses his powers to save her while appearing to have done nothing. Meanwhile, with the help of Eve Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine), Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) escapes from prison, abandoning Otis (Ned Beatty). They find and infiltrate the Fortress of Solitude, learning of the impending doom brought by General Zod. Lex resolves to meet Zod, and begins tracking him. On the Moon, Zod, Ursa, and Non discover that they have superpowers due to Earth's yellow sun, and ruthlessly kill a group of astronauts.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Perry White (Jackie Cooper) has Clark and Lois pose as newlyweds to investigate a honeymoon suite scam at Niagara Falls. Superman's appearance and rescue of a small boy at the Falls renews Lois' suspicions, and she tricks Clark with a gun loaded with blanks into admitting that he is Superman. He takes Lois Lane to the Fortress of Solitude, where the two spend the night together. Meanwhile, Zod, Ursa and Non arrive on Earth and conquer a small town in Idaho. After learning that the U.S. military takes orders from the President of the United States, the Kryptonians fly to Washington D.C. and invade the White House.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Superman, unaware of Zod's release from the Phantom Zone and his subsequent rampage, decides to transform himself into a human and remove his super-powers by exposing himself to red Kryptonian sunlight in a crystal chamber. On their way back to Metropolis, Lois and Clark stop at a diner, where Clark gets beaten up by an obnoxious trucker and learns of Zod's conquest of the world. Realizing that humanity is helpless, Clark returns to the Fortress to reverse the transformation. Having anticipated this decision, Jor-El's artificial intelligence reveals it has been programmed to deal with this situation by sacrificing the remaining Kryptonian energy it needs to operate. To restore Clark's superpowers, it must be joined with him, fulfilling the Kryptonian prophecy concerning "the father becoming the son", resulting in the "death" of Jor-El and rendering the Fortress of Solitude inoperable.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Lex arrives at the White House. In exchange for Australia, he informs Zod that Superman is the son of Jor-El, and that he has the ability to find him. He takes the three Kryptonians to Metropolis to kidnap Lois as bait for Superman. Superman arrives and a fight ensues in and over Metropolis. After saving a bus full of civilians, Superman realizes he cannot win and flies to his Fortress, with Zod, Ursa, and Non in pursuit, bringing Lois and Lex with them. At the Fortress, Luthor shows the chamber that stripped Superman of his powers to Zod, who forces Superman to again undergo the transformation process. Superman, feigning defeat, reveals by crushing Zod's hand, that he has altered the process to expose everyone outside the chamber, removing the Kryptonian criminals' powers, while protecting himself. Zod, Ursa and Non are quickly dispatched. After destroying the Fortress of Solitude with his heat vision, Superman returns Lois to her apartment, where she wishes him a tearful goodbye, realizing she can never be with him. To undo everything, Superman accelerates around Earth, traveling back in time to restore the past few days, rebuild the Fortress of Solitude and place Zod, Ursa and Non back into the Phantom Zone. Clark returns to work the following day as Lois and Perry experience a slight case of déjà vu. Clark revisits the diner with the obnoxious trucker to teach him a lesson in humility.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: In 1977, director Richard Donner set about simultaneously filming an epic two-part adaptation of the Superman comic book series. Principal photography began on March 28, 1977 at Pinewood Studios for the Krypton scenes, but by May 1977, production had run two weeks behind schedule. It was reported that Donner had developed tensions with the Salkinds and Pierre Spengler concerning the escalating production budget and production schedule. Donner responded by claiming he was never given a budget. However, Donner told "Starlog" in March 1979, "I got along with the Salkinds all right, but I didn't get on with Pierre Spengler. I told him to his face that the film was too big for him but he wouldn't face up to the responsibility. It had nothing to do with the film itself, it was in the making of the film—the knowledge to pull it off." In July 1977, Richard Lester, who worked with the Salkinds on "The Three Musketeers" (1973) and "The Four Musketeers" (1974), was brought in as a temporary co-producer to mediate the relationship between Donner and the Salkinds who were no longer on speaking terms. During production, Lester enlisted to be a second unit director where he formed an effective partnership with Donner. By October 1977, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, and Valerie Perrine had completed their scenes as they were all under contract to finish both pictures. Nevertheless, with months left of filming, the Salkinds had halted filming "Superman II" and focus on finishing "Superman" by which Donner had already completed 75% of the sequel.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Following the release of "Superman" in December 1978, it was widely assumed that Donner would be recalled to complete the remainder of the sequel. Spengler had encountered "Variety" columnist Army Archerd at a Christmas party, and assured him that while there had been tension, he was proud of the film and looked forward to working with him on the sequel. Archerd then contacted Donner in which he responded "If he's on it—I'm not." However, a number of events led to Donner's eventual replacement as director of the movie. Most importantly, producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind announced that Marlon Brando's completed scenes for "Superman II" would be excised from the movie in order for them to avoid having to pay the actor the reported 11.75% of gross U.S. box-office takings he was now demanding for his performance in the sequel. Donner publicly lambasted this decision, announcing that he would make the film his way or not at all. In January 1979, Donner had told "Variety", "That means no games... They have to want me to do it. It has to be on my terms and I don't mean financially. I mean control." As Donner had become unavailable during the European promotional campaign for "Superman", the Salkinds approached Guy Hamilton to take over directional reins for "Superman II" since Lester was filming "Cuba" (1979) at the time. However, Hamilton was unavailable, but by the time "Superman II" was ready to begin filming, Lester had completed "Cuba" and was available to direct.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Eventually, on March 15, 1979, the Salkinds decided to replace Donner with Richard Lester. Donner recalled that "One day, I got a telegram from them saying my services are no longer needed and that my dear friend Richard Lester would take over. To this day, I have not heard from them." Ilya Salkind countered, "Dick Donner said, 'I will do the second movie on my terms and without [Pierre] Spengler'...Spengler was my friend since childhood and my father and I were very loyal guys. We said no, and it really boiled down to that."


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: With Lester placed as director, he was not sympathetic to Donner's filmmaking style: "Donner was emphasizing a kind of grandiose myth. There was a kind of David Lean-ish attempt in several sequences, and enormous scale. There was a type of epic quality which isn't in my nature, so my work really didn't embrace that...That's not me. That's his vision of it. I'm more quirky and I play around with slightly more unexpected silliness." Since Geoffrey Unsworth had died before the release of "Superman", Lester brought on cinematographer Robert Paynter to have the film evoke the garish color scheme of the comics.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Tom Mankiewicz was approached by Terry Semel, then a Warner Bros. vice president, to return for the sequel, but he declined out of loyalty to Donner. Mankiewicz recounted "I have a lot of respect for [Lester]. Friendship is more important than anything. And Dick [Donner] brought me on the picture and my loyalty was with Dick and I couldn't believe that they fired him." David and Leslie Newman were then brought back to re-tool the script constructing a new opening and an ending. The new opening involved Superman thwarting the nuclear terrorists at the Eiffel Tower. The new ending involved Clark causing Lois to forget his secret identity through a hypnotic kiss.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Additionally, Christopher Reeve had become unavailable as he accepted to star in the romantic fantasy film, "Somewhere in Time" (1980), five months into the production shutdown by which his contract to shoot both "Superman" films back-to-back had expired. Reeve had claimed that twelve hours after his casting was announced, he received a letter from the producers to be available for "Superman II" on July 16, which was only five days after he was to finish filming "Somewhere in Time". In March 1979, the Salkinds filed suit against Reeve alleging he had breached his contract by walking off the sequel. Furthermore, Reeve had held reservations with Lester and the Newmans' script following the departure of Donner. During the renegotiation of his contract, Reeve agreed to the financial terms, but demanded more artistic control.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: The remaining sequences left to be shot included the scenes of the super-villains in Midwest America and the battle in Metropolis, which were all shot by Lester. Gene Hackman, out of loyalty to Donner, declined to return for re-shoots, which necessitated the need for a stand-in actor and a voice double for several scenes. Filming for "Superman II" re-commenced in September 1979. Throughout filming, Lester opted to retain his directorial technique for the three-camera setup while shooting scenes, which frustrated the actors as they did not know from where they were being filmed for their close-ups. However, Reeve noted that it made the production move at a faster pace. Filming was completed on March 10, 1980. Composer John Williams was flown to England to score the film in which he was given a screening with Ilya Salkind and Richard Lester. When Salkind left the projection room, Williams and Lester fell into an argument; when Salkind returned, Williams told him that he "could not get along with this man." Ken Thorne was then selected to score the sequel. Before the film's release, Warner Bros. had appealed to the Directors Guild of America to assign the appropriate co-director credit, in which they argued Lester could not be credited unless he shot 40 percent of the film. Although Lester had earlier thought he would not be credited, he approached Donner to see if he wished to be credited as co-director, in which Donner replied, "I don't share credit".


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: The title was released in Europe and Australia on December 4, 1980 and June 19, 1981 in the United States. This version of "Superman II" combined Donner footage shot in 1977 with Lester footage shot in 1979. Approximately 30% of Lester's "Superman II" is Richard Donner's footage. In numerous scenes, the theatrical "Superman II" interweaves footage filmed years apart. Much of this interweaving was necessitated by Lex Luthor actor Gene Hackman's refusal to return to film any further scenes with Lester. Thus, all Hackman footage in the film is Donner's, although in certain scenes, a body double was used for wide shots re-filmed by Lester. In several instances, Lester re-staged Donner-filmed scenes, inserting certain newly filmed shots into pre-existing material. This is most evident during a scene in which the super-villains burst into the "Daily Planet". The scene was filmed in its entirety by Donner in 1977. The Perry White office set was then partly re-built under Lester in 1979, the actors placed in exactly the same positions, costumes, etc., and new material filmed and inserted into the final film, despite the actors looking physically different.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Critics of Lester's "Superman II", including Donner, have stated that Lester's penchant for comedy undermined the integrity of the film, especially when compared to Donner's "Superman". Examples of this trademark comedy are evident during scenes which feature Superman fighting the super-villains in Metropolis. The villains attack the citizens of Metropolis using super-breath. Several sight gags follow, including the wind blowing off a man's toupee, the ice cream being blown off of a cone and into someone's face, a man being blown over in a telephone booth and talking the whole time, a man with an umbrella being spun around as if dancing (parodying "Singin' in the Rain") and a man on roller-skates rolling uncontrollably backwards across the pavement. Conversely, David Denby, reviewing the film for "New York", praised the film's light approach and credited Lester for the film, particularly Hackman's performance. Mankiewicz shot back in a mailed letter writing, "Just for the record, Gene Hackman did 100 percent with Dick Donner and it was all written by me," but "New York" never issued a correction.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Discussions about the lost Donner footage raged for years. With the advent of the Internet, numerous letter-writing and other campaigns were instigated to persuade Warner Bros. to allow Richard Donner to create his version of "Superman II". In 2004, the fan-restored DVD known as Superman II: Restored International Cut was released through many Superman fan sites. It featured extended scenes pulled from international TV broadcasts over the years. Warner Bros. threatened legal action over the bootleg release.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: When filming was suspended on Donner's "Superman II" in October 1977, the director had completed almost all of the major character-based sequences in the film. All scenes in the "Daily Planet" and most scenes set in the Fortress of Solitude were completed. All scenes featuring Marlon Brando, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Valerie Perrine and Gene Hackman were also completed. What remained to be filmed was the villains' arrival on Earth, and their rampage through mid-west America as well as exteriors at Washington D.C. during which Zod announces his takeover of the Earth from the tip of the Washington Monument. Most of the battle scenes between Superman and the super-villains had yet to be shot, as well as both the interiors and exteriors at Niagara Falls, which had been planned to be shot during the Canadian shooting on "Superman: The Movie", but was indefinitely postponed to make up for time and get the production back to England quicker. Several minor scenes including a love-struck Superman deliberately tilting over the Leaning Tower of Pisa (later adapted in "Superman III") and a scene in which Superman warns off some English fox-hunters were also not filmed.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: "The Donner Cut" features most of the completed but previously unseen scenes (some scenes have been deleted for narrative or dramatic reasons), which in many cases replace scenes re-filmed or altered by Lester. These include the original opening of the film set in the offices of the "Daily Planet". In this opening, we see Lois trying to figure out the similarities between Clark Kent and Superman, followed by Perry White assigning Clark and Lois on the honeymoon racket in Niagara Falls, and then Lois testing Clark / Superman by jumping off the balcony of one floor of the "Daily Planet" (a revised version of this scene appears in the Lester theatrical cut).


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: A scene in a Niagara Falls hotel room, in which Lois tricks Clark into revealing he is Superman by shooting at him with a pistol loaded with blanks, is assembled from footage from Christopher Reeve's screen test, filmed with another actress (Holly Palance) as Lois. Footage from Margot Kidder's screen test for the same film was shot with the now-cast Christopher Reeve. Accordingly, Reeve's build, clothing, haircut, and eyeglasses are notably different from shot to shot.


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: The prospect of creating a Richard Donner cut of "Superman II" did not begin to gain momentum until the 2001 restoration of "Superman: The Movie" for DVD. At this time, six tons of footage for "Superman" and six tons of footage for "Superman II" were discovered in vaults in England by Michael Thau, including much "lost" footage filmed by Richard Donner. Soon after, Donner was approached by Warner Bros. to do an extended version of "Superman II", but remained reluctant to revisit the movie. In May 2001, he told the website IGN, "At the time, the studio wanted me to go back in and re-cut the film and add anything I wanted to add or do anything I wanted to do. Quite honestly, I was done with it. I was finished."


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Nonetheless, fans continued to campaign for the film such as Birmingham native Dharmesh Chauhan who launched his website, supermancinema.co.uk, in which he petitioned for a release of the Richard Donner cut. In June 2004, Margot Kidder said in an interview for "Starlog" that "There's a whole other "Superman II" in a vault somewhere, with scenes of Chris and me that have never seen the light of day. It's far better than the one that was released." The "Planet of the Apes" fansite TheForbidden-Zone.com launched an Internet campaign demanding Warner Bros. to allow Donner to release his version of "Superman II" in conjunction with the film's 25th anniversary. On June 19, 2004, the studio responded with the statement, "Warner Home Video is supportive of an extended version of "Superman II" on DVD. However, there are complex legal issues that need to be resolved before the film can be re-released. Warner Home Video is presently addressing those issues."


title: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

text: Other than Donner's reluctance to re-visit the project, these legal issues were the greatest obstacle towards creating a Donner cut. The required footage was still owned by the Salkinds, and issues of using Brando's filmed footage in "Superman II" remained unresolved. In March 2005, it was reported that stock footage of Brando would be used in the then-upcoming sequel "Superman Returns". Later, in November 2006, "Donner Cut" producer Michael Thau told "American Cinematographer" magazine, "Marlon Brando's estate made a deal with Warner Bros. to license some of his footage for "Superman Returns". This later led to the studio going back to his estate for our re-cut of "Superman II". If that footage couldn't be used, it wasn't worth doing the project."