title: Topps

text: Topps also acquired ThePit.com, a startup company that earlier in 2000 had launched a site for online stock-market style card trading. The purchase was for $5.7 million cash in August 2001 after Topps had earlier committed to invest in a round of venture capital financing for the company. This undertaking was not very successful, however, and Topps unloaded the site on Naxcom in January 2006. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed, but Topps charged a $3.7 million after-tax loss on its books in connection with the sale.


title: Topps

text: In 2002, Topps revived the T206 set originally released in 1909–11 by the American Tobacco Company under the "Topps 206" brand, with current players. That first revival included the T206 Honus Wagner iconic card, with blue background instead of the original orange. A second revival would be launched in 2010.


title: Topps

text: Topps grabbed collectors' attention early in 2007 when the new card of Yankees' shortstop Derek Jeter was found to have been altered to include an image of Mickey Mantle standing in the dugout and President George W. Bush walking through the stands.


title: Topps

text: In 2009, Topps became the first official baseball card of MLB in over thirty years. The first product to fall under the deal was the 2010 Topps Baseball Series 1. The deal gave Topps exclusivity for the use of MLB and club trademarks and logos on cards, stickers and some other products featuring major league players. The exclusive deal was extended in 2013, then extended again in 2018. It is currently scheduled to go through at least 2025.


title: Topps

text: Again in 2020, the company released a new T206 collection divided into five different series, with the first (50 cards) being released in May 2020. The collection, named "Topps 206", include players from both, Major and Minor League. The fifth series was released in September 2020.


title: Topps

text: Although Topps did not invent the concept of baseball cards, its dominance in the field basically allowed the company to define people's expectations of what a baseball card would look like. In addition to establishing a standard size, Topps developed various design elements that are considered typical of baseball cards. Some of these were the company's own innovations, such as the 1971 Football Set, while some were ideas borrowed from others that Topps helped popularize.


title: Topps

text: One of the features that contributed significantly to Topps's success beginning with the 1952 set was providing player statistics. At the time, complete and reliable baseball statistics for all players were not widely available, so Topps actually compiled the information itself from published box scores. While baseball cards themselves had been around for years, including statistics was a relative novelty that fascinated many collectors. Those who played with baseball cards could study the numbers and use them as the basis for comparing players, trading cards with friends, or playing imaginary baseball games. It also had some pedagogical benefit by encouraging youngsters to take an interest in the underlying mathematics.


title: Topps

text: The cards originally had one line for statistics from the most recent year (i.e. the 1951 season for cards in the 1952 set) and another with the player's lifetime totals. Bowman promptly imitated this by putting statistics on its own cards where it had previously only had biographical information. For the first time in 1957, Topps put full year-by-year statistics for the player's entire career on the back of the card. Over the next few years, Topps alternated between this format and merely showing the past season plus career totals. The practice of showing complete career statistics became permanent in 1963, except for one year, 1971, when Topps sacrificed the full statistics in order to put a player photo on the back of the card as well.


title: Topps

text: Although the 1971 set was an aborted experiment in terms of putting photos on card backs (they would not return until 1992), that year was also a landmark in terms of baseball card photography, as Topps for the first time included cards showing color photographs from actual games. The cards themselves had been in color from the beginning, though for the first few years this was done by using artist's portraits of players rather than actual photographs and until 1971, Topps used mostly portrait or posed shots. The 1971 set is also known for its jet black borders, which because they chip so easily, makes it much more difficult to find top grade cards for 1971. The black borders would return for Topps's 1985 football set and 2007 baseball set.


title: Topps

text: After starting out with simple portraits, in 1954 Topps put two pictures on the front of the card – a hand-tinted 'color' close-up photo of the player's head, and the other a black-and-white full-length pose. The same basic format was used in 1955, this time with the full-length photo also hand-tinted. For 1956, the close-up tinted photo was placed against a tinted full-background 'game-action' photo of the player. The close-up head shots of some individual players were reused each year.


title: Topps

text: From 1957 on, virtually all cards were posed photographs, either as a head shot or together with a typical piece of equipment like a bat or glove. If using such a prop, the player might pose in a position as if he were in the act of batting, pitching, or fielding. Photographs did not appear in sharp focus and natural color until 1962. However, that year also saw problems with the print quality in the second series, which lacked the right proportion of ink and thus gave the photographs a distinctly greenish tint. The affected series of cards was then reprinted, and several players were actually shown in different poses in the reprinting. Although Topps had produced error cards and variations before, this was its largest single production glitch.


title: Topps

text: In the absence of full-color action photography, Topps still occasionally used artwork to depict action on a handful of cards. Starting in 1960 a few cards showed true game action, but the photographs were either in black-and-white or hand-tinted color; these cards were primarily highlights from the World Series. In addition to basic cards of individual players, Topps sets commonly include cards for special themes, the 1974 tribute to Hank Aaron as he was about to break Babe Ruth's career home run record being one example. The 1972 set finally included color photographs, which were used for special "In Action" cards of selected star players. Thereafter, Topps began simply mixing game photography with posed shots in its sets.


title: Topps

text: Baseball artist Dick Perez was commissioned to paint art cards for Topps beginning in 2006. His art card series include Turkey Red and Allen & Ginter.


title: Topps

text: When used for the cards of individual players, some of the early action photography had awkward results. The photos were sometimes out of focus or included several players, making it difficult to pick out the player who was supposed to be featured on the card. In a few cases, a misidentification meant that the player didn't even appear in the picture. These problems diminished as Topps's selection of photographs gradually improved.


title: Topps

text: Before statistics, biographical information, and commentary became the dominant element on the backs of cards, Topps also featured artwork there. This primarily involved using various types of cartoons drawn by its stable of artists. These appeared on card backs as late as 1982, but gradually declined in the prominence of their placement and the proportion of cards on which they appeared. In 1993, Topps finally managed again to incorporate a player photo on the back as well as the front of the card, after some competitors had been doing so for a number of years.


title: Topps

text: The pictures and information on baseball cards sold during one season came primarily from earlier seasons, so Topps used various tactics to give its cards a greater sense of staying current with the times. Before coming up with the idea of a "Traded" set, the company still tried to produce cards of players with their new team if they changed teams in the offseason. This was sometimes accomplished by showing the player without any team cap, or by airbrushing out elements of the former team's logo on his uniform. Cards for rookies could also be prepared by airbrushing over their minor-league uniforms in photos.


title: Topps

text: In one case, Topps even got too far in front of events, as in 1974 it showed a number of players as being with the "Washington Nat'l Lea." franchise, due to expectations that the San Diego Padres would relocate to the vacant Washington, D.C., market. The team designation was the only change, as no new nickname for the franchise had been selected. When the move failed to materialize, Topps had to replace these with cards showing the players still as Padres.


title: Topps

text: On rare occasions, Topps has issued special cards for players who had either died or had been injured. The 1959 set had card 550 as "Symbol Of Courage – Roy Campanella", with a color photo of the paralyzed former Dodger in his wheelchair and a black-and-white photo of him in uniform inserted to the upper left. The 1964 set issued cards for two recently deceased players: Ken Hubbs of the Cubs with a different "In Memoriam" front design compared to standard cards, and Colts pitcher Jim Umbricht's regular card with a special note on the back about his April 1964 death from cancer. In October 2006, Topps was prepping for its annual updated/traded card release, which featured Cory Lidle in a Yankees uniform. After Lidle's tragic death, the cards were pulled and subsequently released with "In Memoriam" on its front.


title: Topps

text: In addition to baseball, Topps also produced cards for American football in 1951, which are known as the "Magic" set. For football cards Bowman dominated the field, and Topps did not try again until 1955, when it released an "All-American" set with a mix of active players and retired stars. After buying out Bowman, Topps took over the market the following year.


title: Topps

text: Since then, Topps sold football cards every season until 2016. However, the emergence of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960 to compete with the established National Football League also allowed Topps's competitors, beginning with Fleer, to make inroads. Fleer produced a set for the AFL in 1960, sets for both leagues for a year, and then began focusing on the AFL again. Philadelphia Gum secured the NFL rights for 1964, forcing Topps to go for the AFL and leaving Fleer with no product in either baseball or football.


title: Topps

text: Although more competitive for a time, the football card market was never as lucrative as the market for baseball cards, so the other companies did not fight as hard over it. After the AFL–NFL Merger was agreed to, Topps became the only major football card manufacturer beginning in 1968. In spite of the lack of competition, or perhaps to preempt it, Topps also created two sets of cards for the short-lived United States Football League in the 1980s. Many NFL legends had their first ever cards produced in the USFL sets. These players include Steve Young, Jim Kelly, and Reggie White. This resulted in a controversy when these players debuted in the NFL. Many wondered if the USFL cards should be considered rookie cards because the league did not exist anymore. The situation continued until growth in the sports card market generally prompted two new companies, Pro Set and Score, to start making football cards in 1989.


title: Topps

text: Throughout the 1970s until 1982, Topps did not have the rights to reproduce the actual team logos on the helmets and uniforms of the players; curiously, these could be found on the Fleer sets of the same era, but Fleer could not name specific player names (likely an issue of Topps holding the National Football League Players Association license and Fleer holding the license from the league). As a result, helmet logos for these teams were airbrushed out on a routine basis.


title: Topps

text: After the 2015 football season, Panini was awarded an exclusive license by the NFL for producing football cards. 2016 was the first year Topps did not produce football cards since 1955.


title: Topps

text: Topps also makes cards for other major North American professional sports. Its next venture was into ice hockey, with a 1954 set featuring players from the four National Hockey League franchises located in the U.S. at the time: the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers.


title: Topps

text: In 1958, the O-Pee-Chee Company of London, Ontario, Canada, entered into an agreement with Topps to produce NHL cards (the 1957–58 series) and Canadian football cards (the 1958 series). O-Pee-Chee then started printing its own hockey and football cards in 1961. Similarly, the Topps Company struck agreements with Amalgamated and British Confectionery in the United Kingdom and Scanlen's in Australia.


title: Topps

text: In 1967, with the major expansion of six new NHL teams to the United States, the Topps Company produced a new hockey card set that paralleled the 1966–67 O-Pee-Chee hockey design (the basic television design was in fact first used for 1966 Topps American football series). Starting in 1968–69, the Topps Company started printing an annual Topps hockey set that was similar to the annual O-Pee-Chee hockey set. The Topps and O-Pee-Chee hockey sets shared a similar design from 1968–69 to 1981–82 and from 1984–85 to 1991–92.


title: Topps

text: Topps first sold cards for basketball in 1957, but stopped after one season. The company started producing basketball cards again in 1969 and continued until 1982, but then abandoned the market for another decade, missing out on printing the prized rookie cards of Michael Jordan and other mid- and late-1980s National Basketball Association stars. Topps finally returned to basketball cards in 1992, several years after its competitors. This would be perfect timing, because 1992 was the rookie year of Shaquille O'Neal.


title: Topps

text: In the United Kingdom, where football stickers have been popular over roughly the same period of time as trading cards, Topps acquired the old Amalgamated and British Confectionery firm in 1974, bringing its production methods and card style to Britain. Topps also makes cards for the Scottish Professional Football League. Under its Merlin brand, it has the licence to produce stickers for the Premier League and the national team. Its main competition is the Italian firm Panini. Until 2019, Topps made 'Topps Premier League' stickers and the Match Attax trading card game, and since 2015 it has produced stickers and trading cards for the UEFA Champions League.


title: Topps

text: In 2008, Topps gained the rights to production of WWE trading cards. The first variation of cards were aptly titled Slam Attax, a play on words of the previously popular football trading card game Match Attax (also made by Topps). The first set was released in late 2008 in the U.K., and it was then later released in the United States in mid-2009. This later proved to be a pattern for subsequent Slam Attax sets and variations, with the U.K. getting an earlier release than the U.S.. After failing to take off, Topps ceased production of Slam Attax cards in the U.S. after only two sets, whilst continuing the line in the U.K. and in Europe where in contrast the brand had become more popular. It remains today one of the longest running Topps brands in the U.K..


title: Topps

text: In 2008, Topps and Zuffa, LLC signed an exclusive agreement to produce mixed martial arts trading cards. Among the included cards were current and former athletes from the UFC.


title: Topps

text: Originally, Topps was purely a gum company, and its first product was simply called "Topps gum". Other gum and candy products followed. In imitation of Bowman and other competitors, Topps eventually began producing humor products unrelated to sports. This included stickers, posters (Wanted Posters, Travel Posters), media tie-ins ("Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In"), book covers (Batty Bookcovers) and toys (Flying Things), plus offbeat packaging (Garbage Candy). More recently, the company published comic books and games.


title: Topps

text: The 2020 Topps Licensee of the Year GPK NATION created its own hobby with their Topps Licensed Challenge Coins. Topps licensed GPK to Louis Uncle Louie Gregory and Adam F. Goldberg in 2020 and they have taken the hobby worldwide.


title: Topps

text: The longest-lived Topps product line remains Bazooka bubble gum, small pieces of gum in patriotic red, white, and blue packaging. Bazooka was introduced in 1947 as a bar of gum that sold for five cents. Unlike the gum sold with baseball cards, it was of better quality and capable of selling on its own merit. In 1953, Topps began selling smaller penny pieces with the "Bazooka Joe" comic strip on the wrapper as an added attraction.


title: Topps

text: Even though baseball cards became the company's primary focus during this period, Topps still developed a variety of candy items. For quite a few years, the company stuck within familiar confines, and virtually all of these products involved gum in some way. Sales declined significantly in the 1970s, however, when this relatively hard gum was challenged by Bubble Yum, a new, softer form of bubble gum from Life Savers.


title: Topps

text: In recent years, Topps has added more candy items without gum. One particular focus has been lollipops, such as Ring Pops. However, Topps has complained that increasing public attention to childhood nutrition undercuts its candy sales. Under pressure by shareholders, the company considered selling off its confectionery business in 2005, but was unable to find a buyer to meet its price and decided to cut management expenses instead.


title: Topps

text: Discontinued products include the Vertigo lollipop, that consisted of a creamy lollipop with a chocolate half and the Wazoo bar.


title: Topps

text: As its sports products relied more on photography, Topps redirected its artistic efforts toward non-sports trading cards, on themes inspired by popular culture. For example, the Space Race prompted a set of "Space Cards" in 1958. Topps has continued to create collectible cards and stickers on a variety of subjects, often targeting the same adolescent male audience as its baseball cards. In particular, these have covered movies, television series, and other cultural phenomena ranging from the Beatles to the life story of John F. Kennedy. The many "Star Wars" card series have done well, with a few exceptions. Future screenwriter Gary Gerani ("Pumpkinhead') joined the company in 1972 and became the editor/writer of almost all movie and television tie-in products, most notably the numerous "Star Wars" sets, while also creating and helming original card properties such as 1988's "Dinosaurs Attack!".


title: Topps

text: Many Topps artists came from the world of comics and continued to work in that field as well. The shift from sports to other topics better suited the creative instincts of the artists and coincided with turmoil in the comic book industry over regulation by the Comics Code Authority. Beginning at Topps when he was a teenager, Art Spiegelman was the company's main staff cartoonist for more than 20 years. Other staffers in Topps's Product Development Department at various times included Larry Riley, Mark Newgarden, Bhob Stewart and Rick Varesi. Topps's creative directors of Product Development, Woody Gelman and Len Brown, gave freelance assignments to leading comic book illustrators, such as Jack Davis, Wally Wood and Bob Powell. Spiegelman, Gelman and Brown also hired freelance artists from the underground comix movement, including Bill Griffith and Kim Deitch and Robert Crumb. Jay Lynch did extensive cartooning for Topps over several decades.


title: Topps

text: Drawing on their previous work, these artists were adept at things like mixing humor and horror, as with the Funny Monsters cards in 1959. The 1962 "Mars Attacks" cards, sketched by Wood and Powell and painted by Norman Saunders, later inspired a Tim Burton movie. A tie-in with the "Mars Attacks" film led to a 1994 card series, a new 100-card "Archives" set reprinting the 55 original cards, plus 45 new cards from several different artists, including Norm Saunders' daughter, Zina Saunders.


title: Topps

text: Among Topps's most notable achievements in the area of satire and parody have been "Wacky Packages", a takeoff on various household consumer products, and "Garbage Pail Kids", a parody of the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. Another popular series was the "Civil War News" set, also with Norman Saunders' artwork.


title: Topps

text: Earlier, particularly in the early and mid-60s, Topps thrived with several successful series of parody and satire cards for a variety of occasions, usually featuring artists who also worked at "Mad" magazine. There were several insult-valentine card series, plus a series of insult epigram cards called Wacky Plaques, several series of well-known-product advertising parody cards, a set of cards featuring the 'mad car-driver cartoons' of artist Big Daddy Roth, and a card-sticker series of fanciful bizarre 'rejected aliens' from other planets, among other semi-subversive outrageous over-the-top concepts designed for the semi-rebellious adolescent boomer market.


title: Topps

text: Although baseball cards have been Topps's most consistently profitable item, certain fads have occasionally produced spikes in popularity for non-sports items. For a period beginning in 1973, the "Wacky Packages" stickers managed to outsell Topps baseball cards, becoming the first product to do so since the company's early days as purely a gum and candy maker. "Pokémon" cards would accomplish the same feat for a few years starting in 1999. In the absence of new fads to capitalize on, Topps has come under pressure from stock analysts, since its sports card business is more stable and has less growth potential.


title: Topps

text: In 2015 Topps started to expand its non-sports category by adding more TV shows, as well as sci-fi with its brand-new "Star Wars" line (expanding into its own Topps virtual card app, similar to Topps BUNT), as well as "Doctor Who", with regular autographs as well as vintage cut autographs, screen-worn relics, and more.


title: Topps

text: Topps worked together with the Disney Channel to create trading cards of "High School Musical", "High School Musical 2", "High School Musical 3", and "Hannah Montana".


title: Topps

text: Drawing on its established connections with artists, in 1993 Topps created a division of the company to publish comic books. Known as Topps Comics, its early efforts included several concepts from retired industry legend Jack Kirby, known collectively as the "Kirbyverse". Topps Comics particularly specialized in licensed titles with tie-ins to movies or television series, though it also published a few original series. Its longest-running and best-selling title was "The X-Files", based on the Fox TV show.


title: Topps

text: These comic books featured former Marvel Comics editor Jim Salicrup as its editor-in-chief. Apart of "The X-Files", some of the more famous titles included "Lone Ranger and Tonto" by Timothy Truman, "", "Mars Attacks", and "Zorro", which introduced the famous comics character Lady Rawhide. With sales stagnating, the company decided to pull out of the comics business in 1998.


title: Topps

text: The Topps Pokémon cards were purely for entertainment, pleasure and collecting, but a new niche of collectible card games was also developing during this period (a Pokémon trading card game was produced simultaneously by Wizards of the Coast). Topps made its first foray into the world of games in July 2003 by acquiring the game company WizKids for $29.4 million in cash, thus acquiring ownership of the rights to the well-known gaming universes of "BattleTech" and "Shadowrun". By inventing yet another niche, the constructible strategy game "Pirates of the Spanish Main", this unit managed to reach profitability. Topps shut down Wizkids operation in November 2008 due to the economic downturn. The brand was acquired by NECA in September 2009.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: "Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the American South. The song refers to the passenger train "Midnight Special" and its "ever-loving light" (sometimes "ever-living light").


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: The song is historically performed in the country-blues style from the viewpoint of the prisoner and has been performed by many artists.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: However, these lyrics are known to be floater lines, appearing in various African-American songs of that period, notably in the "Grade-Songs", which are about prison captains and have nothing to do with a train or a light.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: The first printed reference to the song itself was in a 1923 issue of "Adventure" magazine, a three-times-a-month pulp magazine published by the Ridgway Company. In 1927 Carl Sandburg published two different versions of "Midnight Special" in his "The American Songbag", the first published versions.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: The song was first commercially recorded on the OKeh label in 1926 as "Pistol Pete's Midnight Special" by Dave "Pistol Pete" Cutrell (a member of "McGinty's Oklahoma Cow Boy Band"). Cutrell follows the traditional song except for semi-comedic stanzas about McGinty and Gray and "a cowboy band":


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: In March 1929, the band, now "Otto Gray and the Oklahoma Cowboys", recorded the song again, this time with the traditional title using only the traditional lyrics.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: Sam Collins recorded the song commercially in 1927 under the title "The Midnight Special Blues" for Gennett Records. His version also follows the traditional style. His is the first to name the woman in the story, Little Nora, and he refers to the "Midnight Special's" "ever-living" light:


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: In 1934, Huddie William "Lead Belly" Ledbetter recorded a version of the song at Angola Prison for John and Alan Lomax, who mistakenly attributed it to him as the author. However, Ledbetter, for his Angola session, appears to have inserted several stanzas relating to a 1923 Houston jailbreak into the traditional song. Ledbetter recorded at least three versions of the song, one with the Golden Gate Quartet, a gospel group (recorded for RCA at Victor Studio #2, New York City, June 15, 1940).


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: John and Alan Lomax, in their book, "Best Loved American Folk Songs", told a credible story identifying the "Midnight Special" as a train from Houston shining its light into a cell in the Sugar Land Prison. They also describe Ledbetter's version as "the Negro jailbird's ballad to match "Hard Times Poor Boy." Like so many American folk songs, its hero is not a man but a train." The light of the train is seen as the light of salvation, the train which could take them away from the prison walls. It is highly reminiscent of the imagery of such gospel songs as "Let the Light from Your Lighthouse Shine on Me". Carl Sandburg had a different view. He believed the subject of the song would rather be run over by a train than spend more time in jail.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: Although later versions place the locale of the song near Houston, early versions such as "Walk Right In Belmont" (Wilmer Watts; Frank Wilson, 1927) and "North Carolina Blues" (Roy Martin, 1930) — both essentially the same song as "Midnight Special" — place it in North Carolina.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: Most of the early versions, however, have no particular location. Only one recording, collected by the Lomaxes at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, actually identifies the railroad operating the "Midnight Special" — the Illinois Central which had a route through Mississippi.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: Country musicians Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper had a top 5 country hit with their reworking of the song in 1959 as "Big Midnight Special".


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: Only two versions of the song have reached the US "Billboard" Hot 100. Paul Evans recorded the highest-charting version of "Midnight Special," reaching number 16 in the winter of 1960. Five years later, Johnny Rivers' version reached number 20 in 1965. The Johnny Rivers version was used as the theme for the NBC music program "The Midnight Special".


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Odetta, Les Paul, The Kingston Trio (who also recorded their song "The Tijuana Jail", which retains the same music but with new lyrics), Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, Burl Ives, Big Joe Turner, Bobby Darin, Cisco Houston, Jimmy Smith, Mungo Jerry, Van Morrison, Little Richard, Buckwheat Zydeco, Otis Rush, The Spencer Davis Group, Lonnie Donegan, Eric Clapton, The Louvin Brothers, Long John Baldry, The Kentucky Headhunters, Willie Watson, Mischief Brew, Hoyt Axton and Creedence Clearwater Revival, among others, have recorded the song. Jody Miller arranged her own version and included it on her first album "Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe" in 1963.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: Harry Belafonte's 1962 version is notable for containing the first official recording of Bob Dylan, who played harmonica.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s 1969 version was used in the opening sequence of "", in a scene featuring Albert Brooks and Dan Aykroyd enthusiastically singing along.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: ABBA recorded the song in 1975 for charity, as a part of a folk medley, along with "Pick a Bale of Cotton" and "On Top of Old Smokey". It was the B-side to their 1978 single "Summer Night City". The medley represents the group's only recording of material not written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus after their breakthrough with "Ring Ring" in 1973.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: Dylan references a line from the song — "Shine your light on me" — on the second track, "Precious Angel", of his 1979 gospel album "Slow Train Coming".


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: The Dutch band Drukwerk also recorded a cover of "Midnight Special" for their 1982 album "Tweede Druk", mixing English and Dutch vocals.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: Paul McCartney has performed it numerous times. It was the closing song on his 1988 album "Снова в СССР" and was performed on his 1991 appearance on "MTV Unplugged", but was not included on the accompanying album.


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: Mischief Brew recorded a cover of "The Midnight Special" for their 2006 album, "Songs From Under the Sink".


title: Midnight Special (song)

text: NEEDTOBREATHE used the song line "Let the midnight special shine a light on me" as a segue into their original song "Mercy's Shore" on their 2022 album "Live From Bridgestone Arena".


title: Mario Barrios

text: Mario Thomas Barrios (born May 18, 1995) is an American professional boxer who held the WBA (Regular) super lightweight title from 2019 to June 2021. As of October 2021, he is ranked as the world's ninth-best active super lightweight by "The Ring."


title: Mario Barrios

text: Barrios turned professional in 2013. On May 11, 2019, Barrios faced Juan Jose Velasco. Barrios got the KO win via a spectacular body shot in the second round.


title: Mario Barrios

text: On September 28, 2019, Barrios was victorious against undefeated Batyr Akhmedov by unanimous decision, with scores of 114–112, 115–111, 116–111, to win the vacant WBA (Regular) super lightweight title in a tough contest on the undercard of Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter, in which Barrios dropped Akhmedov twice in the fourth and twelfth rounds but took considerable punishment resulting in most of his face being swollen. The decision was considered controversial by many pundits and observers.


title: Mario Barrios

text: On October 31, 2020 in front of his hometown crowd at Alamodrome in San Antonio, Texas on the undercard of Gervonta Davis vs. Léo Santa Cruz, Barrios defended his WBA (Regular) title with a sixth-round technical knockout victory against Ryan Karl. In the sixth round, an accidental head clash caused a bad cut over Karl’s right eye, and blood poured down his face. After the cut was examined by the ringside doctor, the fight resumed and the two men immediately went hard after each other, until Barrios dropped Karl during with a pair of left hooks to the chin during a fierce exchange. As soon as Karl went down, the referee called off the fight at 2 minutes, 23 seconds. At the time of the stoppage, Barrios led 48–47, 49–46, 49–46 on the judges' scorecards.


title: Mario Barrios

text: Barrios faced fellow undefeated Gervonta Davis on Showtime PPV on June 26, 2021 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Davis knocked Barrios down twice in the eighth round, and again in the eleventh round en route to an eleventh-round technical knockout victory, handing Barrios his first professional loss. At the time of the stoppage, Barrios was down 97–91 and 96–92 twice on the judges' scorecards.


title: Mario Barrios

text: After the loss to Davis, Barrios decided to challenge Keith Thurman, who, like him, was coming off of a loss. Barrios lost a clear unanimous decision with scores of 117–111 and two scores of 118–110.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: The Italian invasion of Albania (April 7–12, 1939) was a brief military campaign which was launched by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian Kingdom in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime minister and dictator Benito Mussolini. Albania was rapidly overrun, its ruler King Zog I was forced to go into exile in neighboring Greece, and the country was made a part of the Italian Empire as a protectorate in personal union with the Italian Crown.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: Albania had long been of considerable strategic importance to the Kingdom of Italy. Italian naval strategists coveted the port of Vlorë and the island of Sazan which is located at the entrance to the Bay of Vlorë, because they wanted to use it as an entrance to the Adriatic Sea, and they also wanted to construct a suitable base on Vlorë and Sazan and use it to conduct military operations in the Balkans. In the late Ottoman period, with a local weakening of Islam, the Albanian nationalist movement gained the strong support of two Adriatic sea powers, Austria-Hungary and Italy, which were concerned about pan-Slavism in the wider Balkans and also Anglo-French hegemony, purportedly represented in the area through Greece. Before World War I Italy and Austria-Hungary had been supportive of the creation of an independent Albanian state. At the outbreak of the war, Italy had seized the chance to occupy the southern half of Albania, to avoid it being captured by the Austro-Hungarians. That success did not last long, as Albanian resistance during the subsequent Vlora War and post-war domestic problems forced Italy to pull out in 1920. The desire to compensate for this failure would be one of Mussolini's major motives in invading Albania.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: Culturally and historically, Albania was important to the nationalistic aims of the Italian Fascists, as the territory of Albania had long been part of the Roman Empire, even prior to the annexation of northern Italy by the Romans. Later, during the High Middle Ages, some coastal areas (like Durazzo) had been influenced and owned by Italian powers for many years, chief among them were the Kingdom of Naples and the Republic of Venice (cf. Albania Veneta). The Italian Fascist regime legitimized its claim to Albania by conducting studies and using them to proclaim the racial affinity of Albanians and Italians, especially as opposed to the Slavic Yugoslavs. Italian Fascists claimed that Albanians were linked to Italians through an ethnic heritage which was due to links which existed between the prehistoric Italiotes, Roman and Illyrian populations, and they also claimed that the major influence which was exhibited over Albania by the Roman and Venetian empires justified Italy's right to possess it.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: When Mussolini seized power in Italy, he turned to Albania with renewed interest. Italy began to penetrate Albania's economy in 1925, when Albania agreed to allow Italy to exploit its mineral resources. That action was followed by the signing of the First Treaty of Tirana in 1926 and the signing of the Second Treaty of Tirana in 1927, which enabled Italy and Albania to form a defensive alliance. Among other things, the Albanian government and economy were subsidised by Italian loans and the Royal Albanian Army was not only trained by Italian military instructors, most of the officers in the army were also Italians; other Italians were highly placed in the Albanian government. A third of Albanian imports came from Italy.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: Despite strong Italian influence, King Zog I refused to completely give in to Italian pressure. In 1931, he openly stood up to the Italians, refusing to renew the 1926 Treaty of Tirana. After Albania signed trade agreements with Yugoslavia and Greece in 1934, Mussolini made a failed attempt to intimidate the Albanians by sending a fleet of warships to Albania.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: As Nazi Germany annexed Austria and moved against Czechoslovakia, Italy noticed that it was becoming the lesser member of the Pact of Steel. Meanwhile, the imminent birth of an Albanian royal child threatened to give Zog the opportunity to establish a lasting dynasty. After Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia (March 15, 1939) without notifying Mussolini in advance, the Italian dictator decided to proceed with his annexation of Albania. Italy's King Victor Emmanuel III criticized Mussolini's plan to annex Albania by stating that it was an extremely unnecessary risk for an almost negligible gain. Rome, however, delivered Tirana an ultimatum on March 25, 1939, demanding that it consent to Italy's occupation of Albania. Zog refused to accept money in exchange for allowing a full Italian takeover and colonization of Albania.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: The Albanian government tried to keep news of the Italian ultimatum secret. While Radio Tirana persistently broadcast claims in which it stated that nothing was happening, people became suspicious; and the news of the Italian ultimatum was spread by unofficial sources. On April 5, the king's son was born and the news of his birth was announced by the firing of cannons. Alarmed, people poured out into the streets, but the news of the birth of the new prince calmed them. People suspected that something else was going on, which led to an anti-Italian demonstration in Tirana the same day. On 6 April, several demonstrations were staged in Albania's main cities. That same afternoon, 100 Italian aircraft flew over Tirana, Durrës, and Vlorë, dropping leaflets which instructed the people to submit to Italian occupation. The people were infuriated by this demonstration of force and they called for the government to resist the Italian occupation and release all of the Albanians who were previously arrested on the suspicion that they were "communists". The crowd shouted, "Give us arms! We are being sold out! We are being betrayed!". While a mobilization of the reserves was called, many high-ranking officers left the country. The government began to dissolve. The Minister of the Interior, Musa Juka, left the country and moved to Yugoslavia the same day. While King Zog announced that he would resist the Italian occupation of his country, his people felt that they were being abandoned by their government.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: The original Italian plans for the invasion called for the deployment of up to 50,000 men who would be supported by 51 naval units and 400 airplanes. Ultimately, the invasion force grew to 100,000 men who were supported by 600 airplanes, but only 22,000 men actually took part in the invasion. On April 7, Mussolini's troops, led by General Alfredo Guzzoni, invaded Albania, simultaneously attacking all Albanian ports. The Italian naval forces which were involved in the invasion consisted of the battleships "Giulio Cesare" and "Conte di Cavour", three heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, nine destroyers, fourteen torpedo boats, one minelayer, ten auxiliary ships and nine transport ships. The ships were divided into four groups that carried out landings at Vlore, Durres, Shengjin and Sarandë. The Romanian Royal Army never deployed to Sarandë and Italy conquered the Romanian concession along with the rest of Albania during the invasion.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: On the other side, the regular Albanian army had 15,000 poorly equipped troops who had previously been trained by Italian officers. King Zog's plan was to mount a resistance in the mountains, leaving the ports and the main cities undefended; but Italian agents who were placed in Albania as military instructors sabotaged this plan. The Albanians discovered that artillery pieces had been disabled and there was no ammunition. As a consequence, the resistance was mainly offered by the Royal Albanian Gendarmerie and small groups of patriots.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: In Durrës, a force of 500 Albanians, including gendarmes and armed volunteers, led by Major Abaz Kupi (the commander of the gendarmerie in Durrës), and Mujo Ulqinaku, a naval sergeant, tried to halt the Italian advance. Equipped with small arms and three machine guns and supported by a coastal battery, the defenders resisted the Italians for a few hours before they defeated them with the help of naval gunfire. The Royal Albanian Navy stationed in Durrës consisted of four patrol boats (each armed with a machine gun) and a coastal battery with four 75 mm guns, the latter also being involved in the fighting. Mujo Ulqinaku, the commander of the patrol boat "Tiranë", used his machine gun to kill and wound many Italian troops until himself being killed by an artillery shell from an Italian warship. Eventually, a large number of light tanks were unloaded from the Italian ships. After that, resistance began to crumble, and within five hours the Italians had captured the city.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: By 1:30 pm on the first day, all Albanian ports were in Italian hands. That same day King Zog, his wife, Queen Geraldine Apponyi, and their infant son Leka fled to Greece, taking with them part of the gold reserves of the Albanian Central Bank. On hearing the news, an angry mob attacked the prisons, liberated the prisoners and sacked the King's residence. At 9:30 am on April 8, Italian troops entered Tirana and quickly captured all government buildings. Italian columns of soldiers then marched to Shkodër, Fier and Elbasan. Shkodër surrendered in the evening after 12 hours of fighting. However, two officers garrisoned at Rozafa castle refused to obey the ceasefire order and continued to fight until they ran out of ammunition. The Italian troops later paid homage to the Albanian troops in Shkodër who had halted their advance for an entire day. During the Italian advance in Shkodër the mob besieged the prison and liberated some 200 prisoners.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: The number of casualties in these battles is disputed. Italian military reports stated that at Durrës 25 Italians were killed and 97 wounded, while the local townspeople claimed that 400 Italians were killed. Casualties for the Albanians were given as 160 dead and several hundreds wounded.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: On April 12, the Albanian parliament voted to depose Zog and unite the nation with Italy "in personal union" by offering the Albanian crown to Italy's King Victor Emmanuel III. The parliament elected Albania's largest landowner, Shefqet Vërlaci, as Prime Minister. Vërlaci served as interim head of state for five days until Victor Emmanuel III formally accepted the Albanian crown in a ceremony at the Quirinale palace in Rome. Victor Emmanuel III appointed Francesco Jacomoni di San Savino, a former ambassador to Albania, to represent him in Albania as "Lieutenant-General of the King" (effectively a viceroy).


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: In general, the Italian invasion was poorly planned and badly executed, and succeeded only because Albanian resistance was weak. As Fillipo Anfuso, Count Ciano's chief assistant sarcastically commented "...if only the Albanians had possessed a well-armed fire-brigade, they could have driven us into the Adriatic".


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: On April 15, 1939, Albania withdrew from the League of Nations, from which Italy had resigned in 1937. On June 3, 1939, the Albanian foreign ministry was merged into the Italian foreign ministry, and the Albanian Foreign Minister, Xhemil Dino, was given the rank of an Italian ambassador. Upon the capture of Albania, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini declared the official creation of the Italian Empire and the figurehead King Victor Emmanuel III was crowned King of the Albanians in addition to his title of Emperor of Ethiopia, which had been occupied by Italy three years before. The Albanian military was placed under Italian command and formally merged into the Italian Army in 1940. Additionally, the Italian Blackshirts formed four legions of Albanian Militia, initially recruited from Italian colonists living in Albania, but later from ethnic Albanians.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: Upon the occupation of Albania and the installation of a new government, the economies of Albania and Italy were merged by a customs union which resulted in the removal of most trade restrictions. Through a tariff union, the Italian tariff system was put in place in Albania. Due to the expected economic losses in Albania from the alteration in tariff policy, the Italian government provided Albania 15 million Albanian leks each year in compensation. Italian customs laws were to apply in Albania and only Italy alone could conclude treaties with third parties. Italian capital was allowed to dominate the Albanian economy. As a result, Italian companies were allowed to hold monopolies in the exploitation of Albanian natural resources. All petroleum resources in Albania went through Agip, Italy's state petroleum company.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: Albania followed Italy into war against Britain and France on June 10, 1940. Albania served as the base for the Italian invasion of Greece in October 1940, and Albanian troops participated in the Greek campaign, but they massively deserted the front line. The country's southern areas (including the cities of Gjirokastër and Korçë) were temporarily occupied by the Greek army during that campaign. In May 1941, Albania was enlarged by the annexation of Kosovo and parts of Montenegro and the Vardar Banovina, going a long way towards the realization of nationalistic claims for a "Greater Albania". Part of the western coast of Epirus which was called "Chameria" was not annexed, instead, it was put under the rule of an Albanian High Commissioner who exercised nominal control of it. When Italy left the Axis powers in September 1943, German troops immediately occupied Albania after a short campaign, with relatively strong resistance.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: During the Second World War, the Albanian Partisans, including some Albanian nationalist groups, sporadically fought against the Italians (after autumn 1942) and, subsequently, they sporadically fought against the Germans. By October 1944, the Germans had withdrawn from the southern Balkans in response to military defeats which they had suffered at the hands of the Red Army, the collapse of Romania and the imminent fall of Bulgaria. After the Germans left Albania due to the rapid advance of Albanian Communist forces, the Albanian Partisans crushed nationalist resistance and the leader of the Albanian Communist Party, Enver Hoxha, became the ruler of the country.


title: Italian invasion of Albania

text: The events which surrounded the Italian annexation of Albania formed part of the inspiration for the eighth volume of "The Adventures of Tintin" comics titled "King Ottokar's Sceptre", with a plot based on a fictional Balkan country "Syldavia" and uneasy tensions with its larger neighbour "Borduria". The author of the Tintin comics Hergé also insisted that his editor publish the work to take advantage of current events in 1939 as he felt "Syldavia is Albania".


title: Bob Bergen

text: Robert Bergen (born March 8, 1964) is an American voice actor. He voices Warner Bros. cartoon characters Porky Pig and Tweety and has voiced characters in the English dubs of various anime. He formerly hosted the children's game show "Jep!", adapted from the game show "Jeopardy!"


title: Bob Bergen

text: Bergen, in his childhood, watched the Daffy and Speedy cartoons in theaters and didn't like them, saying it didn't make sense. He then watched The Bugs Bunny / Road Runner Show in his later childhood.


title: Bob Bergen

text: As a teenager in 1980, Bergen appeared as a contestant on a Teen Week episode of "Wheel of Fortune", winning prizes including a watch.


title: Bob Bergen

text: Bergen is the current voice of the animated character Porky Pig, and has also voiced Tweety, Marvin the Martian, Sylvester Jr., and Speedy Gonzales.


title: Bob Bergen

text: Bergen is responsible for the voice of Arsène Lupin III for the Streamline Pictures dubs in the late 1980s and early 1990s: "The Mystery of Mamo" (directed by Sōji Yoshikawa), "The Castle of Cagliostro" (directed by Hayao Miyazaki) and "Lupin III's Greatest Capers" (two TV episodes from series two directed by Hayao Miyazaki). He also played the part of No-Face in the 2001 Academy Award-winning movie "Spirited Away", one of the firefighters in "The Incredibles", and Kai and Masaru in the Streamline-dubbed version of the anime classic "Akira".


title: Bob Bergen

text: He is also responsible for the voice of Luke Skywalker in over a dozen "Star Wars" video games as well as the "Robot Chicken" episodes "", "" and "", the voice of Wembley and the World's Oldest Fraggle for the animated "", was selected to play the animated versions of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Link Hogthrob in the ill-fated "Little Muppet Monsters", and also voiced characters of the day in the 1987–89 seasons of "Muppet Babies".


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: "The Vampire Diaries" Universe is an American media franchise and a shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series airing on The CW. The series were developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, and based on characters who appeared in the original novel series, "The Vampire Diaries," by L. J. Smith.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: "The Vampire Diaries" is set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, a town charged with supernatural history since its settlement in the late 18th century. It follows the life of Elena Gilbert, a teenage girl who has just lost both parents in a car accident, as she falls in love with a 162-year-old vampire named Stefan Salvatore. Their relationship becomes increasingly complicated as Stefan's mysterious older brother Damon returns, with a plan to bring back their past love Katherine Pierce, a vampire who looks exactly like Elena.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: "The Originals" centers on three of the Mikaelson siblings: Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah. The Mikaelson family are also commonly known as "the Originals" due to the fact that they are the first vampires in history. The series begins with the Original siblings returning to the city of New Orleans for the first time since 1919, where Hayley Marshall, who is pregnant with Klaus's child, has also settled. In their absence, Klaus's former protégé and Rebekah's former lover, Marcel, took charge of the French Quarter. Klaus resolves that they must take down Marcel and get back the city that once belonged to them.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: "Legacies" follows Hope Mikaelson, the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall, who is descended from some of the most powerful vampire, werewolf, and witch bloodlines. Two years after the events of "The Originals", 17-year-old Hope attends the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. The school provides a haven where supernatural beings can learn to control their abilities and impulses.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: Initially, Kevin Williamson had little interest in developing the series, finding the premise too similar to Stephenie Meyer's successful novels, "Twilight". However, at the urging of Julie Plec, he began to read the books. He started to become intrigued by the story: "I began to realize that it was a story about a small town, about that town's underbelly and about what lurks under the surface." Williamson has stated the town's story will be the main focus of the series rather than high school.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: On February 6, 2009, "Variety" announced that The CW had green-lit the pilot for "The Vampire Diaries" with Williamson and Julie Plec set as the head writers and executive producers. On May 19, 2009, the series was officially ordered for the 2009–2010 season.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: The pilot episode was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia. However, the rest of the seasons have been filmed in Covington, Georgia (which doubles as the show's fictional small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia) and various other communities around Greater Atlanta to take advantage of local tax incentives. On the morning of May 10, 2012, a fire broke out in the building on Clark Street in Covington that was used as the setting for Mystic Grill on the show.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: The series was given a full 22-episode order on October 21, 2009, after strong ratings for the first half of the season. Now there is a spin-off called "The Originals", that goes into depth about the original vampire family from "The Vampire Diaries".


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: On February 16, 2010, The CW announced that it had renewed the show for a second season, which premiered on September 9, 2010. Early in production, producers tried to get Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy on the popular supernatural drama series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", to guest-star on the second season in the role of Rose; however, Gellar declined the role.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: On April 26, 2011, The CW renewed the show for a third season. The third season premiered on September 15, 2011.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: Former president of entertainment at The CW, Dawn Ostroff, mentioned a spin-off idea in 2010 that she said could happen in a few years. A spin-off was in development for the 2011 fall line-up, but due to Kevin Williamson's commitment to "The Secret Circle", it was put on hold indefinitely.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: The fourth season premiered on October 11, 2012. The CW renewed the show for a fifth season on February 11, 2013.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: On April 26, 2013, The CW announced that "The Originals" had been ordered to the series premiere in the 2013–14 television season. "The Originals" premiered on October 3, 2013.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: Daniel Gillies as Elijah, Claire Holt as Rebekah, and Phoebe Tonkin as Hayley continued to play their characters, originally from "The Vampire Diaries", in the new spin-off series.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: "The Originals" is about the Mikaelson siblings, who are the original family of vampires, and their take-over of the French Quarter of New Orleans. The show also involves Hayley and Klaus's daughter, Hope.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: Producers reported that there would be a transition of the characters in both series. Claire Holt made a special cameo in "The Vampire Diaries", in the episodes "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "500 Years of Solitude". Michael Trevino made a special cameo on episodes of "The Originals", "Bloodletting" and "The River In Reverse." Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, and Claire Holt returned to "The Vampire Diaries" in a special cameo on the series' 100th episode "500 Years of Solitude". Nina Dobrev also appeared in the fifth episode of "The Originals" second season, "Red Door," as Tatia.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: At the Television Critics Association winter 2016 press tour, CW president Mark Pedowitz announced an official crossover between "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Originals," where Stefan goes on the run and finds a haven in New Orleans where he runs into Klaus.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: In November 2014, a web series titled "The Originals: The Awakening" was released as the third show in the franchise. The series explores the character Kol Mikaelson and his relationships with his siblings. Flashing back to 1914, Kol is on a quest to ally with the witches of the French Quarter. Awakening gives answers to some questions about Kol's past, including the origins of his rivalry with his family and the unique backstory he has with the New Orleans witches. Each webisode is approximately two minutes long. The series concluded on December 8, 2014. To date, "The Originals: The Awakening" is the only web series in "The Vampire Diaries" universe.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: President of The CW, Mark Pedowitz, said in an interview at the summer TCA's that "The Vampire Diaries" didn't receive an extra episode order for the second season at the request of Kevin Williamson. Kevin Williamson felt to do the best show possible; he would rather do 22 episodes. "I'd rather have a great 22 than a good 24 if Kevin couldn't do it," he explained. The writers first met for the fifth season on April 15, 2013. Filming began on July 10, 2013, and finished on April 10, 2014. On July 23, 2016, it was announced that the show would end after a 16-episode eighth season.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: In August 2017, it was announced that early discussions on the development of a spinoff of "The Originals" focusing on Hope Mikaelson, the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall, were taking place with Julie Plec, creator of "The Originals" and co-creator of "The Vampire Diaries". In January 2018, it was revealed that a pilot for the spinoff had been ordered; Plec penned the pilot script and is credited with creating the series. It was announced in March 2018 that the spinoff had been ordered to pilot, but instead of a traditional pilot, a fifteen-minute pilot presentation of the series would be presented to The CW.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: On May 11, 2018, it was announced that the spinoff, titled "Legacies", had been ordered to series for the 2018–19 U.S. television season.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: In June 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on October 25, 2018. On October 8, 2018, The CW announced that they had ordered three additional scripts for the series, bringing the first season total script order to sixteen episodes.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: On January 31, 2019, The CW renewed the series for a second season. The second season premiered on October 10, 2019. On January 7, 2020, the series was renewed for a third season.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: With the impending possible sale of The CW in early 2022, "Legacies" showrunner Julie Plec tweeted that the possible sale had left "Legacies"' fate hanging in the balance. On May 12, 2022, it was canceled with its remaining episodes left to air.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: In February 2020, it was announced that a fourth show in the universe was being developed. In February 2022, Plec tweeted that "there were many more stories to tell" in the TVDU. In May 2022, she reiterated that she hoped to tell many more stories in the universe. In June 2022, executive producer Brett Matthews stated that he believed that "the TVD Universe will likely continue in different forms and fashions over the coming years". He also said that he, Williamson, and Plec were discussing future shows in the universe and that he believes there will "definitely" be more shows in the universe. Plec later stated that the end of "Legacies" was a farewell to the TVDU, but "only for now, not forever". Plec later confirmed that she, Williamson, and Matthews had an idea for "another chapter" and that the next entry in the franchise was "just a matter of when". Elaborating, Plec said that a fourth show was "coming", but that it was in early stages with "nothing on the page yet" but that she and Matthews were "having a lot of really good, fun conversations about how to launch the franchise into the next phase".


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: In September 2022, Plec commented saying the writers were planning another series, that the network new about it, and the studio knew about it, and probably would have pitched it within the year 2023, but that "Legacies"’ cancellation put the spin-off on hold. The following month, she elaborated on her, Matthews, and Williamson’s fourth series plotline. The series was poised to be set in Atlanta and follow two warring factions - likely brothers. However, Plec stated she was unsure the series could be made yet as she didn’t know what network it would be picked up by.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: A promotional web series that follows Jason Harris investigating the strange death of his sister, Jordan Harris. Parody series imitating the style of The Vampire Diaries with excerpts of the original series.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: The series explores the character Kol Mikaelson and his relationships with his siblings. Flashing back to 1914, Kol is on a quest to form an alliance with the witches of the French Quarter. Awakening gives answers to some questions about Kol's past, including the origins of his rivalry with his family and the unique backstory he has with the New Orleans witches.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: Since the expansion of the universe, several characters and plotlines have crossed over into other shows. "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Originals", airing together, often shared plotlines and characters. "Legacies", a cultivation of the two, continues plotlines started in the two parent shows and sees the return of several characters.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: "The Vampire Diaries" won 7 Teen Choice Awards in 2010 including Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Nina Dobrev), Choice TV: Villain (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV: Breakout Show, Choice TV: Female Breakout Star (Nina Dobrev) and Choice TV: Male Breakout Star (Paul Wesley). Other nominations were Choice Male Hottie (Ian Somerhalder) and Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer (Kat Graham). The show won an award for Favorite New TV Drama at the 2010 People's Choice Awards and received a nomination for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show. It was also nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Network TV Series. On November 9, 2010, it received nominations for Favourite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show and Favourite TV Drama as well as a nomination for Ian Somerhalder in the TV Drama Actor category at the 2011 People's Choice Awards.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: In 2011, "The Vampire Diaries" was nominated for 12 Teen Choice Awards including Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Nina Dobrev), Choice TV: Villain (Joseph Morgan), Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer (Kat Graham), Choice TV: Male Scene Stealer (Michael Trevino), Choice Female Hottie (Nina Dobrev), Choice Male Hottie (Ian Somerhalder) and Choice Vampire (Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, and Paul Wesley).


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: At the 2012 People's Choice Awards, the show gained four nominations: Best TV Drama, Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Drama Actor for Ian Somerhalder, and Drama Actress for Nina Dobrev. While the show and Ian Somerhalder lost out (to another The CW show "Supernatural" and Nathan Fillion, respectively), Nina Dobrev won in her category, becoming the first write-in person ever to do so. At the 2012 Teen Choice Awards, the show gained nine nominations: Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Nina Dobrev), Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Kat Graham), Choice TV: Villain (Joseph Morgan), Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer (Candice Accola), Choice TV: Male Scene Stealer (Michael Trevino). Also, the Choice Male Hottie (Ian Somerhalder), and won six.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: In 2013, "The Vampire Diaries" was nominated for five People's Choice Awards, including Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Drama Actor for Ian Somerhalder, Drama Actress for Nina Dobrev, Drama Actor for Paul Wesley and Favorite TV Fan Following. While the show lost to another, The CW show "Supernatural", Ellen Pompeo, and Nathan Fillion, respectively. At the 2013 Teen Choice Awards, the show gained eight nominations: Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Nina Dobrev), Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Kat Graham), Choice TV: Villain (Joseph Morgan), Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer (Candice Accola), Choice TV: Male Scene Stealer (Steven R. McQueen).


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: In 2014, "The Vampire Diaries" was nominated for four People's Choice Awards, including Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show. Also, the Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor for Ian Somerhalder in which he won the award, Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress for Nina Dobrev. Also, the Favorite On-Screen Chemistry (Damon Salvatore & Elena Gilbert) in which they won the award. At the 2014 Teen Choice Awards, the show gained ten nominations: Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Nina Dobrev), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Kat Graham), Choice TV: Villain (Paul Wesley), Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer (Candice Accola), Choice TV: Male Scene Stealer (Michael Trevino), Choice Male Hottie (Ian Somerhalder).


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: In 2015, "The Vampire Diaries" was nominated for five People's Choice Awards, including Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Drama Actor for Ian Somerhalder, Drama Actor for Paul Wesley, Drama Actress for Nina Dobrev. Also, the Favorite TV Duo (Ian Somerhalder & Nina Dobrev) in which they won the award. At the 2015 Teen Choice Awards, the show gained ten nominations: Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV: Scene Stealer (Kat Graham), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Nina Dobrev), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Candice Accola), Choice TV: Villain (Chris Wood) Choice TV: Chemistry (Kat Graham & Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV: Liplock (Candice King & Paul Wesley), Choice TV: Liplock (Nina Dobrev & Ian Somerhalder).


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: In 2016, "The Vampire Diaries" was nominated for two People's Choice Awards, including Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Drama Actor for Ian Somerhalder. At the 2016 Teen Choice Awards, the show gained seven nominations: Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Paul Wesley), Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Kat Graham), Choice TV Actress – Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Candice King), Choice TV: Chemistry (Kat Graham & Ian Somerhalder), Choice TV: Liplock (Candice King & Paul Wesley).


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: In 2017, "The Vampire Diaries" was nominated for two People's Choice Awards: Favorite Network TV Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor for Ian Somerhalder. It was also nominated for three Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Ian Somerhalder), and Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi (Kat Graham)(Won)


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: Newcomer "Legacies" has also continued the tradition of the two parent series, earning several award nominations at the Teen Choice Awards. Particularly, for favorite Sci-Fi or Fantasy Series, and Danielle Rose Russel has been nominated for lead actress.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: Five short stories based upon The Vampire Diaries were published in 2010 and 2011. The short stories followed the romance of Elena and Matt, Bonnie and Damon, expansion of the lore, and a Christmas special.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: Due to the success of the show, a series of novels based on Stefan Salvatore were published from 2010 to 2012, entitled "The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries". They tell Stefan and Damon's past since Katherine's arrival. As they were written during the series broadcast, some things differ, such as the story of the original Vampires.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: While The Vampire Diaries primarily had comics released based on the series, "The Originals" only had a novel series. On January 27, 2015, the first book in a series of novels based on the show was released. "The Rise", "The Loss", and "The Resurrection" make up the three novels in The Originals series written by Julie Plec.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: There are several books that the shows are based on and take lore from. These include the original four books the show was based on, and several future trilogies, such as "The Return", "The Hunters", and "The Salvation".


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: The original novel series shares only a few similar ideologies and lore as the television series has. The novels do follow Elena Gilbert, Damon Salvatore, and Stefan Salvatore. However, there are several differences and changes the shows have made. Several character names were altered and powers were also changed.


title: The Vampire Diaries Universe

text: When approached by the CW to make a spin-off, the network's president, Mark Pedowitz, originally asked the writers to pursue a spin-off about Caroline and Tyler leaving Mystic Falls that would have followed their adventures in another city. However, the writers rejected the idea and attempted to come up with a better one.


title: Spiderland

text: Spiderland is the second and final studio album by the American rock band Slint. It contains six songs played over 40 minutes, and was released by Touch and Go Records on March 27, 1991. Slint's lineup at the time of recording comprised Brian McMahan on vocals and guitar, David Pajo on guitar, Todd Brashear on bass guitar and Britt Walford on drums. "Spiderland" was engineered by Brian Paulson and recorded over four days in August 1990. The music and vocal melodies were composed throughout the summer of 1990, while lyrics were written in-studio.


title: Spiderland

text: Forming in 1986 in Louisville, Kentucky, Slint had met as teenagers playing in the Midwestern punk scene but soon diverged sonically from their hardcore roots. By the time they recorded "Spiderland" in late 1990, the band had developed a complex, idiosyncratic sound characterized by atypical rhythmic meters, harmonic dissonance and irregular song structures. McMahan's vocal delivery on the record alternates between spoken word, singing and shouting. The lyrics are presented in a narrative style and cover themes such as unease, social anxiety, loneliness, and despair.


title: Spiderland

text: Slint broke up shortly before the album's release due to McMahan's depression. In the US, "Spiderland" initially attracted little critical attention and sold poorly. However, a warm reception from UK music papers and gradually increasing sales in subsequent years helped it develop a significant cult following. "Spiderland" is widely regarded as foundational to the 1990s post-rock and math rock movements, and is cited by critics as a milestone of indie and experimental rock, inspiring a myriad of subsequent artists. Slint reunited in 2005 to perform the album in its entirety across three international tours.


title: Spiderland

text: Slint formed in 1986 in Louisville, Kentucky, after the dissolution of two local bands: Squirrel Bait and Maurice. The founding members included David Pajo (guitar), Britt Walford (drums) and Ethan Buckler (bass guitar), with Brian McMahan (guitar, vocals) joining soon after their first performance. Their debut album "Tweez" was recorded by Steve Albini and released in 1989 on the group's self-owned record label Jennifer Hartman Records and Tapes. Buckler left the band out of dissatisfaction with "Tweez", and was replaced with Todd Brashear. Their second recording was an untitled extended play (EP) commonly referred to as "Slint". Its instrumental rock sound featured on the EP, which would not be released until 1994, reflected both their new direction and increased musical sophistication since writing and recording their debut album.


title: Spiderland

text: The 1989 studio recordings drew the attention of Corey Rusk, co-founder of Touch and Go Records. He said that the album "was just so radically different than "Tweez". ... I remember getting a tape of that and just listening to it over and over, really fucking loud." By early 1990, Rusk had agreed to pay for studio time and committed to a release their next record with Touch and Go. In July 1989, two weeks after the release of "Tweez", Slint supported concerts by Crain and King Kong at which they debuted early versions of the songs: "Nosferatu Man", "Breadcrumb Trail", "Good Morning, Captain" and "Washer". That June, they performed nearly finalized instrumental renditions of the "Spiderland" songs during a concert at the Kentucky Theater.


title: Spiderland

text: Throughout the summer of 1990, the band practiced the music for six new songs McMahan and Walford had written for Slint's second album. The songs were recorded in August 1990 with producer Brian Paulson, who was known for his "live" recording style and minimal takes. Paulson later said that the recording "was weird... because I remember sitting there, and I just knew there was something about it. I've never heard anything like this." McMahan and Walford wrote the lyrics at the last minute while in studio, although they had worked out the vocal melodies in advance using recordings of practice sessions and a four-track. The album mostly explored themes of coming of age and anxiety about the approach of adulthood, and McMahan did not want the lyrics or vocal style to be heard by others until the actual recordings. He said: "I did not want to rehearse the vocals...it was a one-shot, cathartic experience."


title: Spiderland

text: The recording sessions were intense, fraught, and often difficult. According to AllMusic, they were "traumatic...and one more piece of evidence supporting the theory that band members had to be periodically institutionalized during the completion of the album." Rumors circulated that at least one member of Slint had checked into a psychiatric hospital. Walford later said that there was no truth to such claims, although the band was "definitely trying to be serious about things, pretty intense, which made recording the album kinda stressful." The recording was completed in four days.


title: Spiderland

text: The album's guitar work is noted for its roomy sound, angular rhythms, dramatically alternating dynamic shifts, and irregular time signatures. McMahan's singing style varies among mumbling, spoken word, strained shouting, and a written-narrative style. Influences on the record included Gang of Four, Black Sabbath and Sonic Youth. Will Hermes of "Spin" summarized the album's sound as "mid-'70s King Crimson gone emo: screeching guitar chords and gorgeous note-spinning in odd-metered instrumentals speckled with words both spoken and sung". "Melody Maker" described the music as "structurally and in tone", saying that the band "recall[s] Television circa "Marquee Moon" and Crazy Horse, whose simplicity they echo and whose style they most certainly do not".


title: Spiderland

text: The lyrics are usually narrative in style, and have been described as "eerie" and having "peculiar syntax". Both the vocal melodies and words were written by McMahan and Walford after the basic tracks had been recorded during practice sessions, and often were not heard by Pajo and Brashear until their final recording in studio. The vocal additions often pulled the songs in new directions, with examples being "Good Morning, Captain" and "Washer". McMahan was never comfortable taking the role of vocalist and only did so because nobody else in the band would. He considerably increases his range on "Spiderland", incorporating both his earlier whispered and shouting approaches with what Tennent describes as conventional, "actual singing".


title: Spiderland

text: The opening track, "Breadcrumb Trail", describes a day at a carnival with a fortune-teller. The song is built from complex guitar arrangement with sharp transitions, during which the guitar fluctuates between a clean-sounding riff with harmonics in the verse to heavy and high pitched distortion in the chorus. "Nosferatu Man" is the second track and was inspired by the 1922 German Expressionist silent film "Nosferatu". Its verse includes a dissonant guitar riff which uses high-pitched notes similar to those in "Breadcrumb Trail" and a drumbeat centered on snare and toms. The chorus, featuring "jagged" distorted guitar and a beat with "thrashing cymbals with quick drum fills", segues into an extended jam before the song ends with 30 seconds of feedback.


title: Spiderland

text: Walford sings and plays lead guitar on "Don, Aman", a deliberate anagram of Madonna. Delivered in a hushed tone, the song's ambiguous lyrics depict the thoughts of an "isolated soul" before, during, and after an evening at a bar. The tempo quickens as the song develops, becoming loud and distorted at its peak, before slowing back to the original speed. "Washer" is the album's longest track, and features a low volume intro with guitar and cymbals before the rest of the band joins in the recording. The song builds until the final verse, when the tension is broken by loud distortion, followed by a lengthy outro. Pajo has said he is particularly proud of the song's one-note guitar solo, admitting that "at that point in my life, if someone asked me to do a solo, I would do the exact opposite of what a solo usually is. Instead of playing a bunch of notes, I would just play one, though I did some decorative stuff around it there. There’re some cool, weird things in that song". When McMahan's girlfriend accidentally found the song's lyrics on a piece of paper, she mistook them for a suicide note.


title: Spiderland

text: The instrumental "For Dinner..." begins with a quiet section of "brooding chords throb[bing] with the occasional rumble of muted toms and bass drum", the song cycles through sections of building and releasing tension. Unlike other tracks on the album, the guitars employ standard tuning, and does not use effects pedals. The closing song, "Good Morning, Captain", has been described as a tribute to the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" but the band have denied this. The song, which Pajo says is his favorite from the album, is built from a two-chord guitar structure, described as a "spindly, tight riff", and a "jerky" drumbeat. During the recording of the final chorus, McMahan became physically sick due to the strain of yelling over the guitars. David Peschek of "The Guardian" compared "Good Morning, Captain" to Led Zeppelin for its epic scope, though not its bleak mood, writing: "the extraordinary [song] is [Slint's] "Stairway to Heaven", if it's possible to imagine Stairway to Heaven bleached of all bombast."


title: Spiderland

text: The title originates from McMahan's younger brother, who thought the record sounded "spidery". Its black-and-white cover photograph, which depicts the members of the band treading water in the lake of an abandoned quarry at lake in Utica, Indiana, was taken by Will Oldham. An article in "The Stranger" credits the image as responsible for the later mystique surrounding the publicity-shy band, and notes how "[m]ost people only had seen Slint as four heads floating in a Kentucky quarry on "Spiderland"s cover. Listeners pondered the band's sparsely adorned black-and-white covers as if they were ruins bearing secrets."


title: Spiderland

text: Chris Gaerig of the "Michigan Daily" wrote that the album cover "captures the joyous fear and violence of the album so precisely it shakes souls. The group—submerged in a lake to their chins with deranged smiles—seems to be stalking you, hovering out of the black-and-white façade." Several other promotional images have been taken from the same photo session with Oldham.


title: Spiderland

text: The photograph on the back cover is of a dead wolf spider, taken by Noel Saltzman, who also took the uncredited cover photo for their untitled 1994 EP. Saltzman found the spider in a shed while working his summer job. As it would not remain still enough to be photographed, Saltzman killed, froze, and repositioned it with tweezers to take the shot. The inside sleeve contains the message "interested female vocalists write 1864 douglas blvd. louisville, ky. 40205". The words "this recording is meant to be listened to on vinyl" is printed on some CD issues, indicating Slint's preference for analog audio devices.


title: Spiderland

text: The band had broken up by the time Touch and Go were preparing for the album's release. As a result, a planned tour of Europe was canceled and the album received minimal promotion. It thus failed to attract an audience, make an impression on college radio, or chart in either the US or the UK. The album went virtually unnoticed by the American music press or zines. "Maximumrocknroll" described it as "genius", but only during a passing mention midway through a column on the Kentucky scene. The writer for "Flipside" was unable to review the album as he had received a damaged copy from the label, and did not ask to have it replaced. McMahan admits that while the band did not seek to engage with journalists, "there wasn't really a huge infrastructure for getting information out on a broad scale. We definitely avoided it."


title: Spiderland

text: The UK music press were the first to report on the album. Albini, who produced "Tweez", wrote a review for "Melody Maker" published on March 30, 1991. He praised the music's originality and emotional intensity, as well as the clarity and immediacy of Paulson's production. He claimed that "Tweez"—which he produced—only "hints at their genius" but had little of the "staying power" manifested on "Spiderland". He awarded the album "ten fucking stars" and predicted that it would rise in stature, writing "It's an amazing record... and no one still capable of being moved by rock music should miss it. In 10 years it will be a landmark and you'll have to scramble to buy a copy then."


title: Spiderland

text: The album sold only a few thousand copies within the first year. Even a few years later it was estimated to have sold fewer than 5,000 copies. Slint remained an obscure local act in the period leading up to the album's release. By the time it came out, the band had already broken up and its members had moved on to new projects, believing that Slint would be "just another blip".


title: Spiderland

text: In the February issue of "Select", reviewer Mike Noon praised its "creeping success", but cautioned that the band's sound would take time to fully appreciate." In September 1992, Ben Thompson reviewed both "Spiderland" and "Tweez" for "The Wire", and while the band's reputation had grown by that time, wrote that bands "like Pavement" were "hailing them as guiding lights for a new obliqueness". "It's not surprising these records confused people on first release", he wrote, in part because listeners had been primed to expect straightforward noise rock—a "total red herring" that concealed the band's "alarmingly introverted" sound. Although Thompson found "Spiderland" more accessible than "Tweez", he wrote that it "still demands that you push your head up right close to the speakers (or buy some headphones) if you want to find out what is being said and sung. But you do want to find out." According to biographer Scott Tennent, the laudatory review of the "Melody Maker" failed to attract commercial interest, but over the years succeeded in rescuing the album from an otherwise-assured relegation to obscurity.


title: Spiderland

text: "Spiderland" is considered a major influence on the post-rock bands Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Isis and Explosions in the Sky. Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh said the album was "quiet-to-loud" while still sounding like nothing before, as if "a new kind of music", while PJ Harvey included it in her 1992 "Ten For Today" list of records. Bob Nastanovich of Pavement ranked it as among his favorite albums. Its cover was recreated by The Shins in the music video for "New Slang". The album is regarded as essential to "the fabric of math-rock genre". Peschek described it as "the ur-text for what became known as post-rock, a fractured, almost geometric reimagining of rock music stripped of its dionysiac impulse." Rachel Devine of "The List" called "Spiderland" "arguably the most disproportionately influential [album] in music history". "Pitchfork"s Stuart Berman noted how the album "motivated a cluster of semi-popular bands in the late-90s and early 2000s to adopt its whisper-to-scream schematic. It's the boundless inspiration it perpetually provides for all the bands that have yet to emerge from the basement." In 2015, "Gigwise" named the album in their list of "The 11 most vicious post-hardcore albums ever."


title: Spiderland

text: In the 2010s AllMusic's Mark Deming described it as one of the most singular and important albums of the '90s, and in 2003, "Pitchfork" named it the twelfth best album of the 1990s. Writing in 2000, Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic, and said that despite their "sad-sack affect", Slint are actually "art-rockers without the courage of their pretensions", and noted that the lyrics were not to his liking. In "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide", journalist Mac Randall felt even though it is more accessible than "Tweez", "[t]he absence of anything resembling a tune continues to nag." Touch and Go founder Corey Rusk observed how "Spiderland" is "like an icon now. But when it came out, nobody cared! The band had broken up by the time the album came out, and it really didn't sell particularly well or get written about all that much in the year it was released. But it was a revolutionary, groundbreaking record, and it's one of the few instances where people catch up to it later on."


title: Spiderland

text: After Slint's break-up in November 1990, the members went on to play in other projects, notably Tortoise, The Breeders, Palace and The For Carnation. They reunited briefly in 2005 for an eighteen-date tour. Pajo said that they didn't "want to be a reunion band that keeps reuniting. ... I know that this is going to be it." Their 2007 performance of the album at All Tomorrow's Parties' "Don't Look Back" concert series celebrating classic albums lead to a tour that included an appearance at the 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival and Primavera Sound festival.


title: Spiderland

text: Critics differed in their assessment of the reunion. Some viewed the band's studio-based music as fundamentally unsuited to a live setting. Jim DeRogatis of the "Chicago Sun-Times" wrote that although "fans greeted [Slint's performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival] as manna from heaven. [...] the musicians' fragile, intertwining guitar lines, mumbled attempts at poetry and uninspiring shoegazer personas were poor matches for the setting and the occasion." Both DeRogatis and the "A. V. Club" review noted that the band's performance was plagued by sound problems. According to "New York magazine" review, their "deeply brooding, fussily-executed album finally sounded, sixteen years later...like the existential, cosmos-annihilating shrug it was envisioned as. Which is to say: It sounded fucking great."


title: Spiderland

text: In 2014, Touch and Go reissued "Tweez" and a version of "Spiderland" remastered by Bob Weston from the original analog master-tapes. The bonus tracks were selected by the band and include demos, outtakes and a live performance. The transitional songs (written after "Tweez", but before the bulk of the "Spiderland" tracks) "Pam" and "Glenn" (whose recording is described as containing one the best drum sounds Albini ever achieved) were recorded during the "Spiderland" sessions but failed to make the album.


title: Spiderland

text: All music written by Slint. Actual music composers listed below. Lyrics by Brian McMahan and Britt Walford.


title: Spiderland

text: The album packaging omitted the band members' names. The lineup credits below are adapted from "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography" (1999) by Martin C. Strong. Walford performed vocals and guitar on "Don, Aman", accompanied by Pajo on guitar.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: Thessaloniki Airport , officially Thessaloniki Airport "Makedonia" () and formerly Mikra Airport, is an international airport serving Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece. It is located southeast of the city, in Thermi.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: The airport is the third-largest airport in the country after Athens International Airport and Heraklion International Airport. It opened in 1930 and was the second-busiest airport in Greece in terms of flights served and the third-busiest in terms of passengers served in 2016, with over 6 million passengers. It is the main airport of Northern Greece and apart from the city of Thessaloniki it also serves the popular tourist destination of Chalkidiki and the surrounding cities of Central Macedonia. The AthensThessaloniki route is the tenth busiest in the EU with 1.8 million passengers. To cope with demand, a second terminal was constructed in conjunction with Fraport and formally opened in 2021.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: The airport was first established as an airfield during the First World War, as part of the allied war effort on the Macedonian front. There were numerous airfields at the time, including , (which became the current international airport), and the major military airfield of Sedes. The first international flight to Thessaloniki landed at the air field, and government efforts at encouraging the growth of civil aviation saw the start of construction of a purpose-built civilian airport at the present location in 1938. Works were temporarily abandoned due to the Second World War and the airport opened to civilian traffic in 1948.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: Major works were undertaken after the war. The accession of Greece to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation saw NATO-funded investments such as the expansion of the 10/28 runway to and the inauguration of a new terminal building in 1965. Damage to the tower caused by the 1978 Thessaloniki earthquake meant it needed to be torn down, and a new tower, still in operation, was built. Modernisation works were undertaken in the late 1990s, as part of the celebrations for Thessaloniki being European Capital of Culture in 1997. In 1993 the airport took the name (, Macedonia).


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: The operational aspects of the airport were privatised in 2015. Fraport AG/Copelouzos Group joint venture and the state privatisation fund agreed to the privatisation of the airport operations, and 13 other Greek airports, in December 2015. Fraport Greece will operate the airport for 40 years starting on 11 April 2017. It pledged to invest €400 million ($ million) on the various airports, including a refurbishment of the existing facilities at Thessaloniki as well as the construction of a second terminal. Construction on the new terminal began on 19 September 2018 and finished in February 2021, three months ahead of schedule. Refurbishment works other than the terminal included the installation of an upgraded baggage handling system, the construction of three additional baggage reclaim belts, the connection of the wastewater treatment plant to the municipal service, the construction of a new airport fire station, and the construction of two new access control gatehouses to the previously unguarded apron. Fraport expects passenger traffic to increase by 48% by 2026 as a result of its investment.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: The airport consists of two terminals arranged in a T-shape, with the main access road on one side and the tarmac on the other, while the control tower is located in the junction between the two terminals. Four parking lots are located directly in front of the Terminal 1 building: the P4 lot is reserved for short term (visitor) parking and lots P6, P7 and P8 are used for long term (traveler) parking. P5, located on the left of the T1 building, serves taxi cabs and tourist buses.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: The airport's original terminal (T1) consists of three floors. The ground floor serves arrivals only and is divided into two sections: international/extra-Schengen arrivals and domestic/intra-Schengen arrivals. The second floor serves departures and also includes a shopping center. On this floor there are 16 check-in counters, waiting areas, bars, stores and various airlines' offices. The third floor houses two restaurants and several bars with views to the runways, as well as two passenger lounges. T1 houses twelve departure gates (numbered 13-24) : gates 13 and 14 are for domestic or intra-Schengen flights, gates 15-18 are used interchangeably for either domestic, intra-Schengen or extra-Schengen flights, and gates 19-24 are reserved exclusively for extra-Schengen international flights.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: An additional terminal (T2) was opened in the beginning of 2021. It includes an additional 28 check in counters (bringing the airport total to 44), and twelve departure gates (numbered 01-12) for international (intra-Schengen) and domestic flights. This terminal also includes several additional duty-free shops, traditional souvenir and jewelry shops, and auxiliary airline offices.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: In both terminals, passengers can use the "Fraport-free" free Wi-Fi and public mobile phone charging ports, as well as luggage carrying trolleys, and receive information from two National Tourism Organization offices. There are also ATM machines, postal service and car rental offices in the departure sections of both terminals.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: The airport has two runways (10/28 and 16/34) and two taxiways. There are 22 stands for narrow-body aircraft and 20 for light aircraft.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: A modernisation and expansion project for runway 10/28 began in 2005, with an initial completion date of 2011, but has since been delayed and was finally completed in March 2019. The runway entered service on 11 September 2020. Overall, the project took almost a quarter century to build, from inception in 1997, and it had an estimated cost of €179 million ($ million). The runway was extended by 1000 meters into the sea, with a total length of 3440 meters and was equipped with ILS. When the runway opened for commercial use it was able to accommodate 89.6% of current commercial aircraft types, as opposed to just 22.6% before the extension, and improved safety while landing in bad weather conditions and low visibility.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: The airport is served by Thessaloniki Fire Station No 5, whose facility is located in the junction between runways 10/28 and 16/34.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: The Thessaloniki AeroClub recreational flying club maintains a hangar next to the T2 building which is used by its more experienced pilots (the club's actual hangar facilities are on the Kolchiko airport). The Aeolus pilot academy also operates on the airport.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: Between 1994 and 2010, Thessaloniki Airport saw a rise in passenger traffic equal to 76%, from 2.2 million in 1994 to 3.9 million in 2010. Between 2003 and 2008 the airport saw a passenger traffic increase of 19.1% from 3.5 million to almost 4.2 million passengers, an all-time high. The number of passengers dropped in next years. However, over the last two years the airport experienced passenger traffic increase to just above four million by 2013. Significant traffic increase took place during 2014, with the total number of passengers exceeding the five million mark for the first time.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: The table below shows passenger totals at Thessaloniki International Airport by country destination during 2018.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: The airport is directly connected with the city's major road arteries in the southeast, the EO16 and the A25, which connects Thessaloniki with Chalkidiki, via the ΕΟ67. The Thessaloniki Inner Ring Road provides access to the A1/E75 and A2/E90 motorways. A total of 2,285 parking spaces for cars exist at the front of the terminal building. A car rental service is available at the terminal building. In addition, taxi services are available outside the airport terminal building 24 hours a day.


title: Thessaloniki Airport

text: There are plans to connect the airport with the Thessaloniki Metro network, which is set to open in 2023 after delays. Attiko Metro, the company overseeing the project, has published a map of proposed extensions, and it includes an overground extension of Line 2 towards the airport. This extension is not an immediate concern for the company, however, since the terminus of Line 2, , will be connected with the airport by a 10-minute shuttle bus. Detailed planning of the metro extension toward the airport was initiated in March 2019.