text: The main reason for the development of the MICH was due to the protective but heavy PASGT being supplanted by these bump helmets by special forces operators due to them being lighter, more comfortable, closer-fitting, and made of plastic making them easier to mount accessories onto, especially night vision devices and communications headsets. The lighter weight and non-ballistic nature of these helmets allowed the fitting of additional accessories without putting undue strain on the neck or requiring the drilling of holes through Kevlar to affix night vision mounting brackets, compromising the Kevlar helmet's protective ability if not done precisely. Inevitably, operators suffered injury and deaths due to taking their wholly unsuited plastic helmets into the unforgiving environment of close-quarters warfare, especially the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu where at least one Delta Force operator (either SFC Shughart or MSGT Gordon) was supposedly killed by a shot to the head. While no ballistic helmet of the time could protect from small arms fire in close-quarters combat, it inspired the U.S. Army to create a new helmet to better protect special operations forces in direct action missions while providing the weight and modularity they desired that caused them to cease using the PASGT in the first place.


title: Modular Integrated Communications Helmet

text: An initial stop-gap solution was provided in the RBR S4 helmet (introduced in 1994), which is difficult to find information on but appears to be derived from the French SPECTRA helmet; it particularly resembles the Canadian CG634, which is a derivative. Meanwhile, development was under way of a purpose-built helmet under the SPEAR program, which eventually produced the MICH in the late 1990s and offered in three cuts to allow operator choice in balancing protection and weight to suit their preferences and mission profile. While it did not entirely replace the plastic bump helmets, it replaced them almost completely in direct action missions where operators are most likely to suffer head injury from fragments, concussive force, or bullets. Initially, it was used almost exclusively by SOCOM and some units with close ties to them; however, the U.S. Army later determined that the improvements presented by the lighter, higher-cut, and brim-less MICH over the PASGT helmet warranted organization-wide distribution, and began to release examples to the Army at large as a more cost-effective solution to reequipping the entire Army.


text: To date, the MICH and its derivatives, the Advanced Combat Helmet and Enhanced Combat Helmet have fully replaced the PASGT in active U.S. Army service and is in use with all branches of the U.S. military in at least some capacity.


text: The U.S. Marine Corps evaluated the MICH during its own search for a PASGT replacement, but chose to adopt a helmet that retains the profile of the PASGT but is lighter, known as the Lightweight Helmet, which incorporates improvements in the MICH such as the liner and retention system.


text: The MICH ranges in weight from about 3 lb (1.36 kg) (size medium) to just over 3.6 lb (1.63 kg) (extra large). It uses a new, more advanced type of Kevlar and provides increased protection against handgun rounds.


text: A pad system and four-point retention system, similar to the cushions and straps found on the aforementioned skate, bicycle, and water helmets, replaces the nylon cord suspension system, sweatband and chinstrap found on the PASGT helmet. The change provides greater impact protection and comfort for the wearer. It can be fitted with a mounting bracket for a night vision device on the front, such as the AN/PVS-14 or AN/PVS-15, similar to that on the PASGT helmet. It can also be fitted with a pair of straps on the rear to keep protective eyewear in place, as well as cloth helmet covers in varying camouflage patterns including M81 Woodland, three-color desert, USMC MARPAT, U.S. Army UCP, Crye MultiCam, and solid black for use with SWAT teams, among "numerous" other patterns available commercially. As with its PASGT predecessor, the MICH is often worn with a band around it which features a pair of "cat eyes"—patches, some purely reflective and some also slightly luminous, on the back intended to prevent friendly fire incidents.


text: The MICH is also slightly smaller than the PASGT, providing 8% less coverage; this is primarily in the elimination of the brow and raising of the sides to the point that the lower brim behind the temple is "flat", compared to the "curved" profile of the PASGT. This accounts for some of the reduced weight and allows for both greater situational awareness and less obstruction of the wearer's vision, particularly when combined with Interceptor Body Armor.


text: Previously, soldiers had complained that the high collar of the Interceptor combined with the two-point chinstrap pushed the back of the PASGT helmet forward, in turn moving the helmet brim over their eyes when they attempted to fire from a prone position, this is rectified in the MICH with its reduced profile and four-point chinstrap.


text: The second cut known as "high cut", which removes all ear protection allowing for more headset options at the cost of all side protection.


text: The third cut known "gunfighter cut", which raises the area around the ears by about 1/2", allowing for a wider range of headsets to be used and roughly meeting the profile of the skateboard and whitewater helmets previously used by special forces.


text: The Advanced Combat Helmet is derived from the MICH in terms of design, but offers superior protection.


text: The Enhanced Combat Helmet is identical in shape to the Advanced Combat Helmet but thicker and made with lighter materials. It is set to replace LWH in use by the United States Marine Corps and the ACH and MICH 2000 helmets of the U.S Army, Air Force, and Navy.


title: Shawn Roberts

text: Shawn Roberts (born April 2, 1984) is a Canadian actor best known for his roles in zombie films such as "Land of the Dead", "Diary of the Dead" and the "Resident Evil" franchise.


title: Shawn Roberts

text: Roberts started acting when he played the wolf in a school play of "Little Red Riding Hood", which was seen by award-winning screenwriter Robert Forsythe. Forsythe, a friend of Roberts' father, helped him get a role in "Emily of New Moon". Afterwards, he gained a role on "Goosebumps" as Brian O'Connor in the two-part episode, The Perfect School. Roberts went on to play Dean Walton in the Canadian television series "". He has also co-starred with Anna Paquin. His film works include George A. Romero's "Land of the Dead" and "Diary of the Dead". In 2010, he appeared in "", where he played villain Albert Wesker. He reprised the role of Wesker in 2012 in "".


title: Shawn Roberts

text: In 2020 he starred in a television movie "Love Under the Olive Tree", portraying Adam Cauldfield—the lead character's gay best friend and her co-worker. He starred as Spartacus in the season 6 premiere of "Legends of Tomorrow".


title: Shawn Roberts

text: Known for his heavily muscular physique. His biggest influences in acting include action stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Sylvester Stallone.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol Hathaway is a fictional character from the NBC medical drama series "ER," portrayed by actress Julianna Margulies. She is the nurse manager in the ER. She regularly appeared throughout the series from the pilot episode to her penultimate episode of the show’s sixth season. She was mentioned throughout the series and made her final appearance in season fifteen, the show’s last season, when she is revealed to have a new career as a transplant coordinator.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Originally, the character of Carol Hathaway was supposed to die by suicide during the pilot episode of "ER". Margulies explained in 2000 that the show's creator, Michael Crichton, "had something like that happen when he was a resident" at Harvard.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: However, test audiences who viewed the show before its official premiere reacted negatively to her death. Her character was well-liked by test audiences. Some nurses also protested her suicide attempt, disappointed at how the death of such a strong, confident nurse would represent the profession on television. Foreign buyers of the show, too, were interested in the dynamic between her and the Doug Ross character as he was seen reacting to her suicide attempt in the pilot. As a result of these reasons, it was decided that Carol Hathaway should recover.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Then-unknown actor George Clooney, who had filmed the pilot episode with Hathaway's actress Julianna Margulies, called Margulies to let her know that he had overheard producers saying that her character might survive the suicide attempt after all and become a series regular. He encouraged her to consider waiting for "ER" producers to call her and not take another job. Clooney was right and Margulies accepted the role of Carol Hathaway on "ER" in 1994.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: That same year, Julianna Margulies said of her character, “[Hathaway] is strong and controlling and that’s why she’s good at her job. She has a dry sense of humor and a very dark side to her that she doesn’t wear on her sleeve. She’s very compassionate, even if she’s dealing with her own demons.”


title: Carol Hathaway

text: To prepare for her role as Carol, Margulies observed and shadowed medical professionals at hospitals in Los Angeles and Chicago, including Cook County General Hospital, the hospital that inspired the look of the show's emergency room. She ultimately based Hathaway on two nurses, in particular, whom she had observed working at Cook County General Hospital. Julianna Margulies has said that, when playing Carol, she developed a backstory in her mind that her father's death is the reason that Carol became a nurse.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Margulies initially worried that viewers would see Hathaway as too young to be the head nurse in the ER, but was reassured by the nurses she met that Hathaway’s young age made sense considering the stress levels and strength needed for the job.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Margulies also attended nursing conferences as research for the role. In response to Carol attempting suicide in the first episode of the show, Margulies did research on the high rate of drug overdoses in nursing professionals, citing the high stress levels and expectations of the job.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol Hathaway is a complex television character. Margulies has said that she pushed for Hathaway to be represented strongly on "ER". "The first year it was really easy to write for her, because she was coming from such a low place that she could only go up after a suicide attempt," she said in 1997. “The second year, I felt that they lost sight of Carol Hathaway and that she sort of became a reactionary character to everyone else's life. So I went in [that year] and I said: 'Look, I love this character. I think she is one of the strongest women on television. I think she is an incredible role model for people because she is so human, and why aren't you writing for her?' They all agreed with me completely."


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Margulies was also instrumental in keeping Hathaway a nurse on the show, as producers wanted to make her a doctor. While the character does consider medical school, and proves herself to be well-qualified, Margulies felt that making her character a doctor would do a disservice to nurses, who she was proud to represent on television. She also felt it would be out-of-character.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In a 1996 interview with "US Magazine", the actress also expressed her disappointment that the show did not dive deeper into Carol's mental health struggles. She said, "[Executive Producer] John Wells says Hathaway’s ratings go up when she’s lighter, and I know they think the show is dark enough. But I think they missed the boat."


title: Carol Hathaway

text: However, in 2019, Margulies shared that her role as Carol Hathaway is one of the roles she is proudest of having played. She said, "I loved that character because she was so damaged herself, but she was such a healer to others. To start the beginning of a series having tried to [die by] suicide and to end up where she did, I think it's beautiful."


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol Hathaway is a registered nurse and is the nurse manager and charge nurse in the emergency room of Chicago's County General Hospital. In the pilot episode, Dr. Mark Greene refers to her as "very popular" with the staff in the emergency department. She is portrayed as a highly skilled trauma nurse. It is revealed in season two that she holds a master's degree in nursing when she completes a performance evaluation for physician assistant Jeanie.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol is tough and sensitive towards the lack of recognition the ER nurses experience. She takes her role in the ER seriously and, in one episode, is said by Dr. Weaver to be “the best nurse” they have on staff at County General. However, she does not like to take orders and is sometimes hostile to the physician assistants, as well as the interns.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol's high level of skill and knowledge mean that she is often teaching the med students. However, she often feels like her abilities — and the abilities of the other nurses — go unappreciated.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In season 3, Carol decides to attend pre-med classes at a local community college and eventually takes the MCAT exam. When she scores well on the exam, Dr. Kerry Weaver spends a day excitedly teaching Carol med student tasks, such as how to intubate a patient, which Carol does expertly. However, by the end of the day, Carol decides against becoming a doctor. When she helps a mother whose child has died, she realizes that her job as a nurse is worthwhile.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In season 4, Carol decides to open a clinic in the ER, but in season 5, she is forced to step down from overseeing the clinic due to a mistake involving Dr. Ross. She asks the nurse practitioner that she'd hired to help run the clinic, Lynette, to take over, so that the clinic could continue running without Carol's involvement. After the incident, Carol says that she is allowed to keep her job in the ER, but that she is out of management. However, in season six, she can still be seen completing managerial duties.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol's mental health is a major plot line and backstory for her character. She attempts suicide in the show's first episode, being rushed into the ER via ambulance after an overdose of barbiturates. The attempt is nearly fatal, but thanks to the aggressive care of her co-workers, she recovers and returns to work eight weeks later.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: On her first day back to work, in the season one episode, “Going Home”, Doug asks Carol what was going on in her life to cause the attempt. He feels guilty and fears it had something to do with him. Carol tells him, “there were actually more depressing things going on in my life than you.” She then says, “You know how it is, too much stuff starts piling up and you feel trapped.” She tells him she spends a lot of time discussing these things in therapy and does not want to talk about it anymore.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Episodes later, when Carol’s application to adopt an abandoned child is denied due to her attempt, she tells Doug that she feels defective, and that she has worked hard in therapy since that day. At the end of season one, she expresses her fear to Doug that she will never be happy.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: The reasons for Carol's suicide attempt are sprinkled throughout the series. She often uses her experience to connect with others. After physician assistant Jeanie Boulet's HIV status is revealed to the staff, Carol privately tells her that about her attempt and that she knows what it's like to come back to work and have everyone treat you differently. The two were once competitive rivals, but now, she suggests they be friends. Jeanie ends up working in Carol's free ER clinic. In many other episodes, Carol tells her patients and colleagues, when they are in distress, that they have to deal with their feelings and that keeping things inside makes things worse.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: She often appears emotionally affected when other patients who have attempted suicide come into the ER. In the episode, Long Days Journey, Carol helps work to save a woman who does die by suicide. After the experience, Haleh tells Carol that she knows that must have been hard for her to relive. Haleh asks if Carol had written a suicide note like the woman they had worked on. Carol tells her that she did not leave a note, because she did not know what to say.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In season two, episode eight, Carol cares for another patient who has attempted suicide. While working on the girl, she comments to Mark that she “hates this” and is clearly affected by the patient, to whom she later shares the story of her own attempt a year before. After caring for the patient, Shep comments - unaware of Carol's history - that anyone who takes a bunch of pills just wants attention and does not really mean it. Annoyed, Carol replied, “I really meant it,” shocking him and leading him to try to apologize to her several times. Later, in the same episode, he told her that he was glad that she survived her suicide attempt. Carol answered, “Me too.”


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In season three, episode eleven, she tells Doug that she remembers how unhappy she used to be. She tells him that she "didn't think much of herself" when they dated before her suicide attempt, but now she "feels good." She explained, "I used to think I couldn't do things. Now, I'm taking a premed course. I guess it's about being in control."


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In another season three episode, Carol expresses resentment toward her mother and tells her that she never felt supported growing up.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In season four, episode twelve, she tells paramedic Greg, "I thought of everybody but me when I tried to kill myself. I just got wrapped up in everybody else's expectations of me and forgot who I was. Now, I’m okay. I even tried to go to med school, but it just wasn’t for me.”


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Also in the season four episode, “Of Past Regret and Future Fear”, Carol tells Doug that her father suffered from depression. Their conversation hints that his depression may have been a factor in his death, with Carol's mother believing “it was an accident.”


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Shortly after her character is introduced on the show, she is rushed into the hospital after an overdose of barbiturates in a suicide attempt. She had been working on shift just hours prior, making jokes and seeming like herself. The staff is distraught and almost too shocked to work. Dr. Greene has to continually remind them to treat her like any other patient.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In 2021, actress Julianna Margulies recalled her character's first episode. She said, "Whenever my character was at the medicine cabinet getting meds for her patients, she was putting some in her pocket for herself [for her eventual suicide attempt]. Not that they ever paid attention to that. If you re-watch the pilot, you can probably see her pocketing some medication."


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol's suicide attempt is serious, with the staff at times speaking of her in the past tense, as they do not expect her to survive. Carol is close friends with both Dr. Lewis and Dr. Greene, and the two order aggressive medical care, which results in her miraculously surviving after being comatose for several hours.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Eight weeks after her suicide attempt, Carol returns to work. As she prepares for the day, she is clearly anxious and unsure. When she arrives at work, she is haunted by images of herself being brought into the ER on a gurney. She tries to make jokes to lighten the mood of her arrival.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol tells Dr. Greene that her therapist suggested she consider working in a doctor's office instead of the high stress environment of the ER. She wonders if she's returned to work too quickly, but expertly runs a trauma with Dr. Greene that boosts her confidence. She also meets a patient who reminds her that life is a gift, which she vows to take to heart herself.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Although she later denies it, the staff suspects that her suicide attempt was brought about by her failed romance with Doug Ross, a womanizing pediatrician also working in the ER. Carol explains in the third episode of season one, Going Home, that the attempt was actually caused by “things piling up” and feeling trapped.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Also during her first day back, it becomes obvious that while she is still attracted to Doug, she harbours some animosity towards him. She recognizes that Doug feels guilty about her attempt and tells him in the third episode of season one, "there were actually more depressing things going on in my life than you." Carol keeps Doug at a distance in both professional and private matters, which becomes difficult as Doug continually tries to win her back, on one such occasion showing up drunk on her doorstep, with flowers.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In an attempt to move on from her fractured relationship with Doug, Carol plans to marry orthopedic surgeon John "Tag" Taglieri (Rick Rossovich). The relationship is tumultuous from the start, since Carol cannot commit fully to Tag, and against his wishes, she tries unsuccessfully to adopt a Russian child suffering from AIDS who was abandoned in the ER. She is denied because of her past suicide attempt. Carol is devastated and turns to Doug for support. She shares with Doug that she is still in therapy, and has been in therapy for nine months at that point.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In season one, episode nine, after giving advice to a patient to be more honest, Carol tells Tag that she cheated on him with Doug before her suicide attempt and recently kissed him. Tag becomes angry and tells Carol that he has been patient, but her suicide attempt can’t be an excuse for all of her behaviors. However, in the next episode, Carol is wearing an expensive engagement ring from Tag.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Right before they are about to walk down the aisle, Tag leaves Carol at the altar, telling her he cannot commit to someone who cannot reciprocate those feelings. While she seems to acknowledge that she and Tag were not a strong relationship, Carol is still hurt, telling Doug in the final episode of season one, "I just want to be happy and I'm so afraid I never will be."


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol, in an attempt to become more independent and rebuild her life, purchases a run-down row house, which she plans on renovating. As the seasons progress, the house slowly transforms into a vibrant living space, mirroring Carol's work to rebuild her life.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: She later becomes involved with paramedic Ray "Shep" Shepard (Ron Eldard), who moves in with her. Despite a promising start, their relationship becomes severely strained after Shep goes through a drastic personality change after the death of his work partner.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Shep and his partner had decided to enter a burning building to save children who were trapped by the fire. Shep's partner was badly burned and later died in the ICU. In response to the death, Shep becomes aggressive and violent. Carol covers for him during an investigation where he seriously injures another person. Carol regrets covering for him, not realizing the gravity of his problems. Despite Carol's attempts to get him professional help, he refuses, so she ends their relationship, telling him that she has finally gotten her life together and can not be with him if he is not seeking therapy for his problems.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol struggles financially. She takes out a second mortgage on her house. Things get even worse when a labor dispute arises concerning the reassignment of her nurses. As nurse manager for the ER, Carol is privy to management decisions, and she finds herself torn between her friends and the hospital administration.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: During a nurse sickout, Carol accidentally transfuses the wrong blood into a patient. Although it is unclear whether it was the blood or his other injuries that cause his death, Carol blames herself.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: The administration initially does not punish Carol for this incident and uses it to cast the sickout in a bad light, but she resents the administration's actions and believes she is not being punished sufficiently for her error, so she talks to the press and gets suspended.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: During her suspension, Carol is held hostage at gunpoint during an armed robbery at her local grocery store. She treats several injured people and performs advanced procedures, including a tracheotomy, using only the supplies in the store. She manages to escape the incident, shaken but unharmed.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol is shown taking pre-med classes at a local college, and later takes the MCAT with Doug's encouragement. She assumes she failed, when in fact she did very well. She scores in the 85th percentile, impressing the hospital and leading Kerry to take her under her wing. However, she opts not to pursue medical school, having only taken the test to prove she was capable.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol opens up a free clinic in the ER, backed financially by colleague Dr. John Carter's wealthy grandmother. The clinic is a success, helping many in the community.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: It is also during this time that Carol and Doug become closer again as friends. Doug, the once-womanizing pediatrician, hits rock bottom, leading a life of celibacy after one of his one-night stands dies from a cocaine overdose. As he straightens out his life, Carol begins to see him differently, and after a surprise passionate kiss on her doorstep, Doug and Carol begin to rekindle their relationship.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Their relationship is held up by Carol's insecurities and bitter memories of the past. Frightened over what the staff might think, Carol and Doug romance each other in secret, even though it is obvious to the staff, who start an office pool over when they will out themselves. Doug's attempts to make up for his past mistakes and commit to her eventually pushes her back.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In season 4, after an intense paramedic ride-along, Carol and paramedic, Greg, have an unexpected conversation about her previous suicide attempt. In the heat of the moment, they kiss. Later, horrified at her actions, Carol confesses to Doug, who leaves her for a while.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In a heated conversation at the hospital soon afterward, Doug accuses Carol of humiliating him. She then proceeds to tell him of the many times when his cheating humiliated her. Ultimately, she is not ready for them to be moving so fast. She emotionally asks him for time and space. He tells her that he will wait.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: The two eventually reconcile. Carol overcomes her insecurities and is finally able to put those demons to rest and commit fully to Doug. Soon after, they have a pregnancy scare, and it makes the two of them decide to conceive a child.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Doug's constant run-ins with authority begin to jeopardize not only his job, but also his relationship with Carol, who — despite her devotion — finds it increasingly difficult to support his reckless decisions regarding patient care.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: This all comes to a head when a terminally ill boy dies under his care. Using a PCA machine from Carol's clinic, Doug authorizes the mother, Joi, to administer enough pain medication to stop his heart. An ensuing scandal resulting from the police investigation ruins both of their careers.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol is forced to give up control of her clinic and Doug is forbidden from seeing patients. Seeing no other way out, Doug resigns, leaving for Seattle to take a lucrative job offer despite Carol's protests.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Doug asks Carol to come with him, but Carol turns him down. She explains that Chicago is her hometown, with her job, family, and friends all in the city. She wants him to stay for her, and emotionally tells him she does not want to wake up without him. However, Doug ends up leaving Chicago alone.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: After Doug has left, Carol begins experiencing headaches and insomnia that she at first blames on stress. She soon realizes that she is actually pregnant. She struggles with the emotions of being pregnant without Doug, even though she tells him not to return to Chicago when she informs him of her pregnancy.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: She also struggles with the risks of being pregnant while working as a trauma nurse. She is kicked in the stomach by a child, faced with the need to care for a woman who has an infection that is dangerous to pregnant women, and accidentally exposed to an x-ray.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol has a difficult pregnancy. She frequently becomes dizzy and twice nearly passes out from low blood pressure. She tells Elizabeth that she is suffering from morning sickness and fatigue. She confides in her that she does not want to be a single mother.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Her labor is equally difficult, with Carol collapsing on the staircase of the El train and then suffering from dangerous bleeding during delivery.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Despite the problems, Carol delivers twins Tess and Kate Ross on Thanksgiving Day. She is assisted by then-OB nurse Abby Lockhart, as well as by her long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Mark Greene, as her birthing coach.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: When Doug learns of his twin daughters' birth via a telephone call from Carol, he again invites them to come and live with him in Seattle. Carol cannot decide if it is the right thing to do; she is still hurt over his abrupt departure a year earlier. She attempts to raise their daughters alone.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: After the birth of the twins, Carol struggles to balance child-rearing, her postpartum emotions, and her return to work. She also tells Mark that she knows the girls deserve a father. Mark then says that Doug has been seeing them, implying plane visits from Doug off-screen.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Dr. Luka Kovač, a new Attending from Croatia who lost his wife and children in the Croatian War of Independence, often helps Carol take care of the twins. A tentative romance eventually develops as the two become closer, but Carol does not see it going anywhere. Carol is still focused on Doug and seems to send Luka mixed signals.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In season six, episode twenty-one, treating a woman dying of end-stage ovarian cancer and helping her family say goodbye moves Carol to reunite her own family. She realizes that she has been in love with Doug "since she was 23 years old."


title: Carol Hathaway

text: After apologetically saying goodbye to Luka, she abruptly leaves work and flies to Seattle that day to reunite with Doug. It is later revealed that the day after she left Chicago, Carol sent for her twin daughters (who were staying with her mother) to join her and Doug in Seattle. This is the last time she is seen on the show until season 15.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: When Susan Lewis returns to the ER in season 8, she asks about Carol. The nurses tell her that she got on a plane, sent for the twins, and they haven’t seen her since.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In season 9, episode 2, Elizabeth Corday is grieving the death of her husband, Mark Greene. She becomes emotional when she enters the doctor’s lounge and sees a photograph of him smiling with some of the hospital staff before his death. Carol is in the photograph.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In the season 11 episode, “The Show Must Go On,” Carol's voice telling him to hurry up is one of the voices that Carter hears in his head as he leaves the hospital.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Eight years after her departure, in the Season 14 episode, "Status Quo", Jeanie Boulet mentions Doug and Carol when she returns to the ER after her ex-husband's death and learns of brain lesions due to AIDS progression in her son. Nurse Haleh Adams says that Doug just sent her a photo of the twins. She says that Carol and Doug are still loving Seattle and that their twin daughters are now in third grade. Jeanie says that she keeps meaning to visit.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In the season 15 episode "The Book of Abby", long-serving nurse Haleh Adams shows the departing Abby Lockhart a closet wall where all the past doctors and employees have put their locker name tags. Amongst them, both the tags "Hathaway" and “Ross” can be seen.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol Hathaway appears again in Season 15. She and Doug are practicing together at the University of Washington Medical Center, where Carol is now a transplant coordinator. In the episode, they both wear wedding rings, implying that they are now married. However, Carol introduces herself to the staff in the hospital lounge as “Carol Hathaway,” not “Ross.” Doug and Carol also discuss their now school age twin girls, who Carol says spent the morning complaining about a spelling test.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: During the episode, Carol and Doug help a grieving grandmother (Susan Sarandon) donate her grandson's organs. While on the job she meets two current employees at Chicago County General Hospital, Dr. Neela Rasgotra and Nurse Manager Sam Taggart, who reveal to Doug that almost everyone they know at County is now gone. At the end of the episode, Carol receives a call from Chicago that the heart and kidney transplant from their patient was successful and that "some doctor" got the kidney. Both are left unaware that the doctor they helped save is their old co-worker and friend John Carter.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Hathaway was originally supposed to die in the pilot episode of "ER", but during test viewings of the show before its official premiere, the character tested well with audiences. She was then added as a series regular. In 2014, "The Atlantic" ranked Carol Hathaway at the top of its list of the 45 most memorable ER characters, referring to her as the most beloved hero on the show.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol Hathaway is routinely acknowledged as a character who has inspired generations of medical professionals. Many real life nurses have said that they chose their profession because of Carol Hathaway. In a Vulture piece entitled “The Doctors Made ER Great. The Nurses Made it Radical,” Hathaway's arc on the show is described as “the most compelling and propulsive long-running story of the entire series.”


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol Hathaway has been ranked many times as one of the best representations of a nurse on television. "Entertainment Weekly" placed Hathaway in its list of the "30 Great TV Doctors and Nurses.” Parade Magazine named her one of the best fictional nurses on television. Some of her most admired moments were listed in Bustle's “11 Reasons Why Carol Hathaway Was the Best TV Nurse.”


title: Carol Hathaway

text: The character has been widely recognized for her impact and influence as a strong, complex female character on television during the 1990s era.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In 2022, Carol Hathaway was also featured in the “Great Expectations” podcast episode of Podcast Like It’s 1999 with "Sleepy Hollow" writer Philip Iscove and "Game of Thrones" writer Bryan Cogman. The episode described her impact as a powerful female character and her role as the heart of the show.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In 2016, a podcast episode of Advanced TV Herstory noted the uniqueness of "ER" in having a character “attempt suicide and recover, only to be put back into the same stressful workplace.”


title: Carol Hathaway

text: The podcast, hosted by Cynthia Bemis Abrams, observed that the character of Carol Hathaway was often more knowledgeable and skilled than the medical students, and that her high expectations for herself made for a worthwhile story arc. Bemis Abrams said, “Her [suicide] incident and return opened up chances for dialogue about life, second chances, protecting yourself from others, and not settling for something or someone who doesn’t meet your expectations.” However, the show also noted that the soap opera nature of her relationships began to take precedent over her career as the seasons progressed.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Boston.com included Carol on its list of the greatest nurses in pop culture, referring to her as a “staunch advocate of the nursing staff” who is “sometimes melancholy” and “occasionally hostile with physician assistants and doctors when she feels that she or other nurses are being disrespected.”


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Her relationship with Doug Ross was included in AOL TV's list of the "Best TV Couples of All Time" and in the same list by "TV Guide". In 2022, "Entertainment Weekly" ranked them 33rd on its list of the 100 Best TV Romances of All Time, with Carol noted by the magazine as a nurse who doesn’t suffer fools gladly.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In 1995, Julianna Margulies won a Primetime Emmy Award for playing Carol Hathaway. She was the only cast member to ever win an Emmy Award for "ER". She continued to be nominated every year that she portrayed Carol as a series regular on the show.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: In an episode of that guest-starred fellow "ER" star Noah Wyle, Carol Hathaway is the alias used by the character, Sophie, when she is acting as a nurse.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: Carol Hathaway is mentioned in the Chris Carter book, "I Am Death", as the reason for the book's character, Sharon, to become an ER nurse.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: During an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2021, actress Amy Poehler shared her desire to meet with Julianna Margulies to ask a list of questions she had about Carol Hathaway.


title: Carol Hathaway

text: The character is often referenced in books, blogs, and articles analyzing the creation of complex female characters, as well as the impact of medical characters on the real life profession.


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: romantic comedy film directed by Sabbir Khan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film is based on the 2002 Tamil film "Pammal K. Sambandam" which in turn was based on the 1999 movie "The Bachelor".


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: It features Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor in pivotal roles along with actors Aftab Shivdasani and Amrita Arora in supporting roles. Hollywood actors Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards, Brandon Routh and Holly Valance appear in cameos, playing themselves.


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: Originally scheduled to release in December 2008, the film was postponed due to extensive production work and was released on 3 July 2009. It was termed an "Average" by Box Office India.


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: When Hollywood stuntman Viraj Shergill and medical student Simrita Rai come across each other at his brother Lucky's and her best friend Kamini Sandhu's hastily planned wedding ceremony, they instantly develop a dislike for each other. Both have a very low opinion of the opposite sex, and staunchly believe marriage is not the way to go for the two newlyweds, whom they try to discourage from proceeding further.


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: Simrita convinces Kamini to test out her theory that men are after only one thing, by forcing Lucky to delay their marriage vows for three months. She is sure, Lucky will not be able to do so and this will prove to Kamini that Lucky was just another low-class male, like all others, and her claims of him being different from most men are unfounded. Viraj, upon hearing about this new development, tries to do the exact opposite. This results in a hilarious scene at a local disco bar, where Viraj lures Kamini with the hope of her finding Lucky with a "girlfriend" that he has planted in the lap of Lucky in order to make Kamini jealous. The plan backfires out of a police raid and Kamini and Lucky end up in divorce court where the judge puts them on a three-month probation and marriage counselling. Simrita keeps on telling Kamini that all men are the same and that all they want is sex. Lucky tries to make love with Kamini but she never lets him come near her.


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: Meanwhile, Simrita and Viraj keep bumping into each other when they both travel to Italy independently; the former to make some quick cash as a model to pay her medical bills, and the latter, with Lucky, to chill out and take a vacation from all of the marital stress Lucky has been facing back home. Upon returning home, Simrita is given a watch pendant by her aunt Dolly to wear as a good luck charm. The pendant hangs from a bracelet on her wrist. Viraj gets seriously hurt in an accident at work and is brought for emergency surgery to the hospital where Simrita is an intern. Much to each other's irritation, Simrita is given the charge to perform surgery on Viraj. After the surgery, while looking at the X-rays, she is horrified to discover that the watch on her wrist has accidentally ended up in Viraj's stomach.


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: Simrita tries various ways of getting the watch out. During one such process, which fails, it becomes clear that Simrita is bitter about her perceived unfaithfulness of the two most prominent men from her childhood: her divorced father and her elder sister's ex-husband. By this time, Viraj is secretly beginning to fall in love with Simrita. Several days later, Simrita is successful in removing the watch from Viraj's stomach. Following the surgery, Viraj overhears the truth and leaves. Several days later, he proposes to Denise Richards in an attempt to forget about Simrita. Upon realising her mistake, Simrita helps Lucky and Kamini reconcile and decides to confess her love for Viraj at the wedding ceremony. At first, Denise is upset but then tells Viraj to go to Simrita. The two embrace and go off together in the car sharing a few passionate kisses.


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: In November 2007, producer Sajid Nadiadwala signed on actor Akshay Kumar to play the lead role in his film. Later that month Kareena Kapoor was signed on to play the female lead. It is the seventh time Kumar and Kapoor are paired on-screen. Kumar plays a Hollywood stuntman in the film and Kapoor plays a high-society girl. According to Nadiadwala, "It will be an international love story on a lavish scale."


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: The project was originally expected to commence filming in January 2008 in Los Angeles with nine actors from Hollywood but due to extensive pre-production work on the film, it was later shifted to May 2008. Reports indicated that actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger was signed on to do a cameo and that the film would feature a performance by singer and actress Beyoncé Knowles. Prashant Shah, line producer of "Kambakkht Ishq" in L.A. commented, "We are in talks with Beyoncé and we have also received a letter from Arnold's office...Things will be confirmed shortly and we will be making a formal announcement when that happens." It was later reported that neither star would be appearing in the film.


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: In March 2008, Nadiadwala announced that "this would be the first Indian film to be shot within Universal Studios." However, when a fire broke out on the backlot of Universal Studios on 1 June 2008, the shooting of the film was expected to be delayed. But the producer indicated, "so far the area where we are supposed to shoot remains unaffected. So for now, we are proceeding on schedule." Later that month, the cast finally began filming for the project in Los Angeles, California, where pivotal scenes were shot at the Kodak Theatre and Universal Studios. In August 2008, reports had indicated that the film was 50–60% complete and the cast would continue filming for the project in Venice, Italy. After completing their overseas schedule, the production team later headed to shoot in Mumbai, India.


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: During December 2008, reports surfaced indicating that Kumar and Kapoor would appear alongside Carmen Electra in a promotional music video for the film. In February 2009, Nadiadwala announced that Electra wouldn't be appearing in the music video and was replaced by the music group RDB. According to Nadiadwala, "It is not a music video but a song that we will use as an integral part of the film. It will occur close to the film's interval. It will also be the first promotional song." The first trailer of the film was shown alongside the release of Jehangir Surti's film "Aa Dekhen Zara" (2009).


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: The music of this movie was primarily composed by Anu Malik, with RDB and Salim–Sulaiman as guest composers.


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: Before the film's worldwide release of 3 July 2009, advance bookings for "Kambakkht Ishq" officially commenced from 28 June onwards to positive response from the public. The film grossed over Rs 10 million from its 125 advanced paid previews shown on Thursday [2 July 2009] night. On 3 July 2009, "Kambakkht Ishq" opened to an Average response of 50-60% all over India. Making a first day total of Rs 85.0 million, the film emerged as the second biggest opening day gross of all time for a Bollywood film. For its opening weekend in India, "Kambakkht Ishq" accumulated a total of Rs 245.0 million from 1,400 screens. The following Monday, it grossed another Rs 40 million, and the following Tuesday it grossed Rs 30 million. At the end of its first week, "Kambakkht Ishq" collected a total of Rs 359.5 million. During its second week at the box office, the film showed a 70% drop in its collections; the movie was a semi hit grosser overall at the box office.


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: Besides being released domestically in India, Eros International released the film in over 600 screens overseas in a combination of prints and digital format. For its opening weekend in the United Kingdom, the film debuted at number 8 and grossed £ 299,533 on 56 screens, for an average of £5,349 per screen. "Kambakkht Ishq" debuted at number 14 in the United States and number 11 in Australia, accumulating US$768,542 from 100 screens in the former and $152,626 from 17 screens in the latter. As of 29 July 2009, "Kambakkht Ishq" has grossed a total of £681,154 in the U.K. and $1,445,739 in the U.S.


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: Noyon Jyoti Parasara from "AOL India" concluded, "The film has nothing going for it. It has a worryingly bad script, horrible screenplay, traumatising dialogues and unpleasant music." Parasara further explained, ""Kambakkht Ishq" is a shame when it comes to watching Indian films on the world stage." Rajeev Masand from "CNN-IBN", who gave the film 1 star out of 5, noted that "Kambakkht Ishq" "is a loud, vulgar and seriously offensive film".


title: Kambakkht Ishq

text: Taran Adarsh of "indiaFM" described "Kambakkht Ishq" as a film that would "strike a chord with the youth and those who relish zany and madcap entertainers". He praised the performances, direction, and writing, noting that the film would "see an earth-shattering opening weekend and a historic Week 1." Rachel Saltz from "The New York Times" concluded that "[the film] has only one frantic desire: to entertain. It spottily succeeds, despite its frequently crude humor, relentless pace and a few unpalatable racial bits."


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: , transliterated as Aeris Gainsborough in the English releases of "Final Fantasy VII" and "Final Fantasy Tactics"—is a fictional character in Square's (now Square Enix) role-playing video game "Final Fantasy VII". She was designed by Tetsuya Nomura with influence from Yoshinori Kitase, Hironobu Sakaguchi and Yoshitaka Amano.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: One of the main characters of "Final Fantasy VII", she is a young woman who is allied with the eco-terrorist organization AVALANCHE. As the story progresses, AVALANCHE begin to pursue the game's antagonist Sephiroth, and the player learns that she is the last surviving Cetra, or "Ancient", one of the planet's oldest races. She has also appeared in the later-released "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" and "Kingdom Hearts" series.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Her voice-actress is Maaya Sakamoto in Japanese. In English releases, her voice-actresses are singer and actress Mandy Moore in "Kingdom Hearts", actress Mena Suvari in "Kingdom Hearts II" and "Final Fantasy VII Advent Children", actress Andrea Bowen in "", as well as the Re Mind DLC of "Kingdom Hearts III" and actress Briana White in "Final Fantasy VII Remake". The character and the events surrounding her death in "Final Fantasy VII" have met with an overall positive reception from critics and fans.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Aerith was designed by Tetsuya Nomura, with influence from director and scenario writer Yoshinori Kitase and Hironobu Sakaguchi, whilst Yoshitaka Amano created conceptual artwork which too helped to influence her design. She has green eyes and long brown hair tied in a braid with a pink ribbon. She wears a long pink dress, a bolero jacket, and brown hiking boots. The long dress was designed to appear ladylike and as a contrast to Tifa Lockhart's miniskirt. During development, Aerith was supposed to be Sephiroth's sister as both designs resembled each other, but they were made former lovers with Aerith remembering Sephiroth when meeting Cloud as both are ex-SOLDIERS. Late during development, Aerith's first love was changed to Zack Fair.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Her green eyes were meant to symbolize nature and also served as another contrast to Tifa's brown eyes. Nomura did not change much of Aerith's design for "Advent Children", but her design was updated in "Kingdom Hearts" with the removal of her bolero jacket, which made her attire appear more as Amano had originally drawn her. Other changes included the addition of bracelets and a belt. Nomura modified her dress in "Before Crisis", adding white and green colors, and this version was also used as the basis for her design in "Kingdom Hearts II".


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Aerith's original Japanese name is エアリス "Earisu," . This was transliterated to "Aeris" in "Final Fantasy VII" and "Final Fantasy Tactics" and "Aerith" in later products. Both transliterations have basis, as the Japanese "su" (ス) is used when transcribing "s" () and "th" () to Japanese. However, official Japanese material uses the spelling "Aerith", and developers stated that "Aerith" is a near-anagram of "Earth".


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: In early planning stages of "Final Fantasy VII", Aerith was to be one of only three protagonists; herself, Cloud and Barret. During a phone call to Kitase, it was suggested that at some point in the game, one of the main characters should die, and after much discussion as to whether it should be Barret or Aerith, the producers chose Aerith. Nomura stated in a 2005 "Electronic Gaming Monthly" interview: "Cloud's the main character, so you can't really kill him. And Barrett... well, that's maybe too obvious." While designing "Final Fantasy VII", Nomura was frustrated with the "perennial cliché where the protagonist loves someone very much and so has to sacrifice himself and die in a dramatic fashion to express that love." He found this trope appeared in both films and video games from North America and Japan, and asked "Is it right to set such an example to people?" Kitase concluded: "In the real world things are very different. You just need to look around you. Nobody wants to die that way. People die of disease and accident. Death comes suddenly and there is no notion of good or bad. It leaves, not a dramatic feeling but great emptiness. When you lose someone you loved very much you feel this big empty space and think, 'If I had known this was coming I would have done things differently.' These are the feelings I wanted to arouse in the players with Aerith's death relatively early in the game. Feelings of reality and not Hollywood."


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: According to Nomura, "death should be something sudden and unexpected, and Aerith's death seemed more natural and realistic." He said: "When I reflect on "Final Fantasy VII", the fact that fans were so offended by her sudden death probably means that we were successful with her character. If fans had simply accepted her death, that would have meant she wasn't an effective character." From the original release of the game, rumors have circulated that Aerith can be resurrected in or that the original plan was to have her come back, but this was scrapped in development. Nomura has categorically stated that neither of these rumors were ever true; "the world was expecting us to bring her back to life, as this is the classic convention." A lengthy petition asking for Aerith's revival by Japanese players was sent to Kitase, but he dismissed it, pointing out that "there are many meanings in Aerith's death and [her revival] could never happen." Mena Suvari explained that for "Advent Children" Aerith was given a mothering feel with an ephemeral presence. She was expressed joy for her role.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: With regards to the Remake, Square wanted to avoid showing too much favoritism to either girl in their love triangle with the main character Cloud. Briana White studied Sakamoto's acting in order to appeal to fans.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: A leitmotif associated with Aerith is played several times throughout "Final Fantasy VII"; it is first heard during the flashback scenes with Aerith's mother at her house, and is repeated as she is killed by Sephiroth. It was composed by "Final Fantasy" composer Nobuo Uematsu. The piece "Flowers Blooming in the Church" is based on it.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: "Aerith's Theme" is very popular among "Final Fantasy" fans, and has inspired an orchestral version, a piano version, and a vocal version performed by the artist Rikki (who also performed "Suteki Da Ne" for "Final Fantasy X"). A piano arrangement of the theme appears twice in "Advent Children", and the track "Water" echoes shades of the theme: the opening phrase of "Aerith's Theme" appears just prior to the climax of the track "Divinity II", which shortly thereafter includes as its final line the Latin phrase "Sola Dea fatum novit" ("Only the goddess knows fate"), and is also featured during the end credits of the film. It has been reinterpreted on the OverClocked ReMix "Final Fantasy VII" compilation "Voices of the Lifestream". In 2013, "Aerith's Theme" achieved the third place in the Classic FM Hall of Fame.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Aerith Gainsborough is first introduced as a flower seller, when she briefly converses with Cloud Strife, a mercenary working for the anti-government group AVALANCHE, who are fleeing from the bombing of a Mako reactor. The two later meet in Aerith's church in the Sector 5 slums, where she is faced with the possibility of capture by the Turks. Aerith asks Cloud to be her bodyguard for the cost of one date. She is eventually apprehended, but is ultimately rescued by Cloud and his allies. Aerith then joins them in the pursuit of Sephiroth, while also embarking on her own journey of self-discovery.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: After a failed attempt to foil Sephiroth's theft of the Black Materia, Aerith ventures alone into the Forgotten City. Cloud and his companions give chase, eventually finding her praying at an altar. As Aerith looks up to smile at Cloud, Sephiroth appears and kills her by impaling her through the torso. Cloud carries Aerith's body out into a lake in the Forgotten City, and releases her back to the Planet. Reeve Tuesti, the head of Shinra Urban and Development, brings the news of her death to Elmyra Gainsborough, Aerith's adoptive mother. The party later learns the reason for Aerith being in the Forgotten City; through her White Materia, Aerith was able to summon Holy, the only force capable of repelling the ultimate destructive magic, Meteor, which has been summoned by Sephiroth. Although Aerith successfully cast Holy before her death, it is held back by the power of Sephiroth's will. When Sephiroth is finally defeated and Holy is released, it appears that it is too late to function as effectively as it should, as Meteor has already come too near to the Planet's surface. While Holy clashes with Meteor, attempting to prevent its impact, the gravity of both Meteor and the Planet pulling on Holy in opposite directions weakens it. Aerith is seen praying with both hands interlocked whilst urging the lifestream to ultimately defend the planet. The Planet's Lifestream then flows forth, intervening between Holy and Meteor, and acting as a battering ram while aiding in the destruction of Meteor.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: In "", set several years prior to the events of "Final Fantasy VII", Aerith becomes the target of the original incarnation of AVALANCHE, led by Elfé, who seek to prevent Shinra from acquiring the last surviving Cetra. Instead, AVALANCHE intend to use her to learn the whereabouts of the Promised Land for their own purposes, although a member of the Turks tries to protect her.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Aerith makes several appearances in the CGI film "", as Cloud's spiritual guide, urging him to move on with his life and to forgive himself for the tragedies that were beyond his control, telling him that she never blamed him for her death. During their spiritual reunion, Aerith speaks to Cloud in an open meadow laden with flowers, cheerfully and kindheartedly poking fun at how he needlessly burdens himself with the past. However, she acknowledges his suffering and offers kind words of support. One of Aerith's interactions with Cloud comes when each member of the original game's party helps in Cloud's final attack against Bahamut SIN; she appears as the last party member to assist Cloud. She appears again in the final scene of the movie, along with Zack Fair, where she gives Cloud more words of encouragement before she and Zack walk into the light. Near the end of the film, it is discovered that water mixed with the Lifestream flows beneath the flowerbed in Aerith's church, which manifests itself as a cure for Geostigma.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: The "On the Way to a Smile" novella "Case of the Lifestream – Black & White" focuses on Aerith and Sephiroth's respective journeys through the Lifestream after the end of the game but before the events of the film. The "Black" section deals with Sephiroth, the "White" section with Aerith.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Aerith appears in the prequel game "". At the age of 16, she meets Zack, for whom she develops feelings during his stay in Midgar. Aerith and Zack develop a romantic relationship, but Zack is killed at the end of "Crisis Core" after being held in a Mako chamber for four years in the Shinra Mansion basement. During those years, Aerith helped her adopted mother earn a living by growing and selling flowers, a job that results in her meeting Cloud at the beginning of "Final Fantasy VII".


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Aerith features prominently in "Final Fantasy VII Remake", which covers only the Midgar portion of the original game. Unlike in the original localization, the remake gives her name as the more widely-accepted Aerith rather than Aeris.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Aerith's character has appeared in several games outside of the "Final Fantasy VII" continuity. In "Final Fantasy Tactics", she appears as a flower girl; when a group of criminals harasses her, Cloud appears and the player engages in battle with the group, letting her escape. "Itadaki Street Special" features a playable version of Aerith, as well as other "Final Fantasy VII" characters Tifa Lockhart, Cloud Strife, and Sephiroth. She also appears in "Itadaki Street Portable" with the same characters from "Special", with the addition of Yuffie Kisaragi. While not playable, Aerith appears in the fighting game "Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy" as an assistant character. She is also featured in the rhythm game "Theatrhythm Final Fantasy" as a sub-character representing "Final Fantasy VII". In "LittleBigPlanet 2", Aerith is featured as a downloadable character model. Aerith also appears as a Mii costume and spirit in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate".


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Aerith makes an appearance in the "Kingdom Hearts" series as a member of a group dedicated to defeating the Heartless; the group also includes fellow "Final Fantasy VII" characters Yuffie and Cid, and Leon of "Final Fantasy VIII". In the plot of "Kingdom Hearts", Aerith suggests a method for defeating the Heartless to protagonists Donald Duck, Goofy and Sora, and gives advice to the player throughout the game. She also appears in "" as a perceptive figment of Sora's memories. Aerith returns in "Kingdom Hearts II", wearing a modified version of her dress from "Before Crisis". She, Leon, Cid and Yuffie run a restoration committee for the town of Hollow Bastion. Aerith and the restoration committee return in the "Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind" expansion, helping Riku search for the missing Sora.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: "Hoshi o Meguru Otome", a novella written by Benny Matsuyama which appears in the "Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω" guide, follows Aerith's journey through the Lifestream immediately after her death in "Final Fantasy VII". Aerith is mentioned in a graffiti in the subway station early in the animated film "Wreck-It Ralph"; the graffiti reads "Aerith Lives".


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Aerith has received an overall positive reception from critics. "GamesTM" referred to her as a "gaming legend." RPGamer's Stuart Hoggan opined that although Aerith "represented the token damsel in distress," she "broke the mould in terms of personality," possessing "an admirable pluck that was not brassy nor off-putting." In 2007, she was included in Tom's Games list of top 50 greatest female characters in video game history, for her death scene and the beauty of her appearance and personality. That same year, she was named the fifth best character of all time in "Dengeki PlayStation"s retrospective awards feature about the original PlayStation. "IGN" ranked her the number two in their top "Final Fantasy VII" character list – a rank higher than the game's protagonist, Cloud Strife. "GameTrailers" ranked her at the top of their list of "babes who are out of your league" in 2010. Heath Hooker of "GameZone" ranked Aerith as fifth on his 2012 top list of "Final Fantasy" characters and wrote she "has become an icon in not only the "Final Fantasy" series, but also in video game history." Her relation with Cloud too has received positive response, including the two being listed in IGN's article about the best video game romances.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Aerith’s reception has not been completely uncritical. In a "This American Life" episode, titled "Save the Girl", reporter Lina Misitzis described the character as one-dimensional and lacking in personality. She and Kotaku writer Mike Fahey conclude that had the character been anything other than a pretty girl she would have needed much more development in order to elicit an emotional response from the player.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: The character is popular among gamers, especially Japanese and fans of the "Final Fantasy" series. Aerith has been included in most of GameFAQs' "Character Battle" contests, though she progressed only a few rounds each time. In 2010, "Famitsu" readers voted Aerith as the 24th best video game character. In 2013, Aerith was voted the second favorite female "Final Fantasy" character in an official poll by Square Enix. That same year, "Complex" ranked her as the seventh greatest "Final Fantasy" character of all time. In 2020, the Japanese broadcaster NHK concluded their global but Japan-focused poll for all "Final Fantasy" titles. Among characters Aerith ranked in third place, behind a first place Cloud and a second place Yuna from "Final Fantasy X". Thus making Aerith the second most popular female and "Final Fantasy VII" character respectively.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: The character's traits in the remake were praised by Siliconera due to how caring she is and how developed she becomes across the narrative. Despite criticizing for not doing wrong things that balance her, Siliconera still enjoyed the scene where she volunteers for Don Corneo. Nevertheless, the site enjoyed how enigmatic she is for the way she interacts with the members from the cast.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Aerith's death in "Final Fantasy VII" has received a great deal of attention. According to "GamesTM", her death helped establish the popularity of "Final Fantasy VII". Players commented on message boards and blogs about the emotional impact the scene held. Fans submitted a petition to Yoshinori Kitase requesting her return. GameSpy numbers her demise as the 10th greatest cinematic moment in video game history, while its readers voted it the second most cinematic moment. "GamePro" considers her death sequence to be the greatest of all gaming moments. Tom's Games called the scene "one of the most powerful and memorable scenes of the "Final Fantasy" series—or any other game, for that matter." "Edge" called her death the "dramatic highpoint" of "Final Fantasy VII", and suggested that reintroducing her through the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" titles "arguably undermines this great moment." In 2005, "Electronic Gaming Monthly" listed "Final Fantasy VII" number six in their list of ten most important games, stating that without this game, "Aeris wouldn't have died, and gamers wouldn't have learned how to cry." In 2011, "IGN" ranked her death scene at No. 1 in its list of top video game moments. In 2012, "PlayStation Magazine" included it among the ten most emotional PlayStation moments. Said death has also been cited as the defining moment of a star-crossed love story, between her and main character Cloud Strife.


title: Aerith Gainsborough

text: Brian Taylor, writing for "Kill Screen", described a cottage industry of fan theories for how to return Aerith to life or prevent her death. He compared these efforts to the letter-writing campaign to convince Charles Dickens not to let Nell, the endearing protagonist of "The Old Curiosity Shop", die at the end of the book. Taylor affirmed that the acts of discussing these fan theories and dissecting the game code to test them comprise a valid and important part of the experience of the game.


title: Billa II

text: Billa II is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Chakri Toleti. It is a prequel to "Billa" and the film was set at the ending of late 1990's. The story focuses on how David Billa, an ordinary man from the coastal regions of Sri Lanka, becomes a dreaded underworld don. The film stars Ajith Kumar reprising the role of the titular character, leading an ensemble cast including Vidyut Jammwal, Parvathy Omanakuttan, Bruna Abdullah, Yog Japee, Rohit Khurana, Manoj K. Jayan, Sudhanshu Pandey, Dinesh Lamba, Krishna Kumar, Sricharan, Janaki Sabesh, Madhusudhan Rao and Rahman. The film's soundtrack and background score were composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, while R. D. Rajasekhar handled the cinematography and Suresh Urs worked as the editor.


title: Billa II

text: The film, produced by Wide Angle Creations in association with the Hinduja Group company IN Entertainment, was officially announced in November 2010, with Vishnuvardhan as the director. Due to schedule clashes, Vishnuvardhan was replaced by Chakri Toleti, with a new script having been penned by a team involving Toleti, Sarath Mandava and Eric Felberg. Principal photography happened between July 2011 and December 2011. The filming primarily took place at Tamil Nadu, Goa, Hyderabad and in Georgia. "Billa II" was released worldwide on 13 July 2012.


title: Billa II

text: David Billa, a Sri Lankan refugee, along with several others, arrives at a camp in Rameswaram, where he befriends Ranjith. The refugee camp is constantly terrorised by corrupt police Inspector Raghubir Sinha. Billa attacks Raghubir when he tries to forcefully detain one of his friends and, in return, gets tortured in a police cell. Billa vows to make him suffer. He goes to meet his widowed sister in Chennai as she is his sole living relative, but is shunned by her due to his criminal past in Lanka. A few days later, Billa and Ranjith are hired to transport fish from Rameswaram to Chennai, which is a plot by Raghubir to trap them as the truck they are driving has diamonds inside. Police intercept them to arrest them, but Billa realizes the play and kills all the cops. Despite Ranjith advising fleeing with the Diamonds, Billa drives the truck to its destination, where they meet Hotel owner Selvaraj. Raghubir's ally Mustafa bai comes minutes later and tells him that Billa has escaped with the Diamonds. Selvaraj realizes the ploy and kills Bhai. Selvaraj is pleased with Billa's loyalty and employs him & Ranjith in his illegal business. Days later, Billa murders Raghubir in a brothel and also kills an egoistic immigration officer who had insulted him earlier.


title: Billa II

text: Months later, a Goan Criminal, Kotiswara Rao, visits Selvaraj and asks for help in selling off the heroin he had brought along with him. Selvaraj refuses, but Billa volunteers to sell it off and tries to deal the heroin with a local thug who refuses to pay for it in return. In a brutal scuffle that ensues where one of Billa's friends is slaughtered, Billa kills them all and goes directly to Koti's boss Abbasi in Panaji with the money and the heroin, which is very impressed and recruits him. Abbasi is a drug trafficker and the boss of the biggest drug cartel in Goa. Abbasi is in business with powerful and dreaded Russian gun dealer, Dimitri.


title: Billa II

text: When Billa and Ranjith retrieve Dmitri's arms consignment held by the Indian coastal guard, they enter his good books. Billa climbs the ladder of Abbasi's gang quickly. He learns of his elder sister's death and brings his niece Jasmine with him. He provides her with a big house and servants, and enrolls her in a medical college. Billa and Koti travel to Russia to meet Dimitri, who own a large arms and ammunition manufacturing unit. Billa meets corrupted interpol officer Jagdish in Dimitri's mansion, and is astonished by the functioning of the mafia and its international network. Billa signs a larger deal with Dimitri without Abbasi's knowledge. at the same time, Dimitri kills Bobby, Abbasi's henchman who comes with Koti and Billa as a translator. Dimitri and Jagdish then reveals that Bobby is actually a interpol spy who was really betraying Abbasi's gang. After coming back to Panaji, Koti misleads Abbasi as Billa kills Bobby and directly started business with Dimitri, which creates rivalry between Billa and Abbasi. Tensions further increase when Billa beats up Satish Kumar, son of an influential minister, Praveen Kumar, when he tries to misbehave with Jasmine in a party. Abbasi expresses his discontent and vents at him. Billa, surprised and enraged at his ingratitude, walks away with Ranjith and two others. Billa, Ranjith, and ally Ram plot to venture into the drug business on their own during the carnival. At the carnival, Billa is betrayed by Ram and is brutally attacked. However, he survives and kills the assailants, Abbasi and Ram, eventually becoming Goa's most powerful gangster. He begins a relationship with Abbasi's girlfriend, Sameera.


title: Billa II

text: Dimitri arrives in Goa and finds himself in a fallout with Billa, when they try to re-negotiate a deal. Dimitri thereafter seeks to oust him, with the help of Koti, Satish, and Praveen. They proceed to assassinate Chief Minister Mohan Kanth, and the blame falls upon Billa. However, Billa is freed by Ranjith, who threatens the judge and his family. Billa rescues Jasmine from Koti's men and informs Sameera to take Jasmine to safety. But Sameera betrays Billa, informs the minister's son, who holds Billa and Jasmine captives. Billa, while being held to the ground and is mocked at by Satish, who slits Jasmine's throat. Enraged at her death, Billa overpowers and kills everyone.


title: Billa II

text: Meanwhile, in Russia, Dimitri is having a meeting with the African warlords, and Koti is present with him. He shows his factory in his computer via a series of webcams, and much to everyone's shock, Billa is seen destroying his factory. He also sees his consignment train go off course. He gets angered and kills Koti for not killing Billa, and he sets out himself to finish the task. The arms factory is destroyed by Billa, Ranjith and their men. Dimitri arrives and follows his delivery train, when to his shock, the delivery train is blown by Billa, who is waiting for him on his own helicopter. After an intense battle, Billa throws Dmitri off the flying helicopter. In the epilogue, Billa and Ranjith board a plane out of the country, and Sameera, Police Officer R.K. De Silva, Billa's Lawyer and Minister Praveen Kumar are killed by Billa's assassins.


title: Billa II

text: In 2008, reports claimed that Soundarya Rajinikanth was planning to make a follow-up after noting "Billa"s commercial success, to be produced by Ocher Studios in association with Warner Bros. However, the sequel did not materialise and the idea was dropped, with Ajith Kumar, Vishnuvardhan and Soundarya getting busy with other projects.


title: Billa II

text: In 2010, sources confirmed that Vishnuvardhan had finished penning the script for a prequel, which would star Ajith Kumar as the titular character again, and would commence in 2011. The project became officially announced in late 2010, after Ajith Kumar signed up to the prequel and first production poster were published to the media. Further details were disclosed, with Suresh Balaje, son of producer and actor K. Balaji, who produced the original "Billa" with Rajinikanth, and George Pius from Wide Angle Creations banner, being confirmed as the producer, who would associate with Mumbai-based IN Entertainment Limited, a Hinduja group company. The entire production team of the "Billa" remake, including cinematographer Nirav Shah, editor A. Sreekar Prasad and music director Yuvan Shankar Raja, were announced to be retained for the sequel.


title: Billa II

text: In a turn of events, Vishnuvardhan opted out of the project citing that his dates clashed with the making of his Telugu film, "Panjaa" (earlier titled as "The Shadow"). Chakri Toleti who directed the 2009 Kamal Haasan-Mohanlal starrer "Unnaipol Oruvan" was subsequently signed on by the producers to direct the venture. In May 2011, Chakri Toleti held his first press conference stating that production would begin in late June 2011 and revealing that ""Billa 2" would focus on how David, an ordinary man from the coastal Thoothukudi in South Tamil Nadu, becomes Billa, a dreaded underworld don". David's character was afterwards widely reported to be either a refugee from Tamil Eelam or a Tamilian from Sri Lanka. Both the director and the producer refused to confirm the statements, disclosing only that the film would depict David's journey over a period of five years.


title: Billa II

text: With Vishnuvardhan's exit from the project, his script was also scrapped, and Toleti, along with Ajith Kumar, began penning a new script for the prequel. Yuvan Shankar Raja only was retained from the original production team, with the rest of the technical crew being finalised in the following weeks. Hemant Chaturvedi, who hitherto had worked in Bollywood productions only, was signed on to replace Nirav Shah as the cinematographer after the latter's schedules clashed with the making of his other film, "Vettai". However, in July 2011, Hemant Chaturvedi too moved out of the project, fearing that the delay in commencement of "Billa 2" may hurt his chances in Bollywood, and R. D. Rajasekhar was appointed as the new cinematographer. V. Selvakumar who had notably worked in "Madrasapattinam" was selected as the art director. The crew also announced that the film would become the first Indian production to be filmed with a RED EPIC Camera, being shot at 5K resolution. Writer Ee. Raa. Murugan, who had previously collaborated with Chakri Toleti in the Kamal Haasan-starrer "Unnaipol Oruvan", was appointed to write the dialogue.


title: Billa II

text: From the previous film, the producers made it clear that apart from Ajith Kumar, and Rahman, most of the other characters would not be retained. The female lead role was expected to be handed to Anushka Shetty, but despite media speculation she was not signed on. The female lead role was handed to debutant Huma Qureshi, a Mumbai-based theatre actor who had previously been featured in commercials, with Toleti finalising Qureshi after a nationwide search for an actress. However, she was removed from the project by September 2011, due to date clashes, and became replaced by Miss India World 2008 Parvathy Omanakuttan later that month, who the director had spotted and offered the role of Jasmine at a fashion show. Parvathy described her character as a "simple girl who transforms into a modern person" and that Billa looks up to, adding that she was had more scenes in the "emotional part" of the film. Bollywood actress and model Bruna Abdullah was selected to portray another significant character, which she went on term as "super powerful, very strong and sexy". Besides models Abdullah, and Parvathy Omanakuttan, Meenakshi Dixit was recruited for the item number "Madurai Ponnu". Another three models including, Gabriela Bertante, Nicole Amy Madell, and an unknown artist, was recruited to perform a dance number "Yedho Mayakkam".


title: Billa II

text: Television actor Krishna Kumar, was signed on to play a "dirty cop". In June 2011, Sudhanshu Pandey, a former model who has appeared in several Hindi films, was given the role of a "greying ganglord", who becomes the mentor to the young David, whilst Malayalam character actor Manoj K. Jayan was roped in for a "key role". Actress Vimala Raman was signed on to make a special appearance in the film, however she opted out in July 2011 citing date problems. Meenakshi Dixit was later finalised for that role and shot her scenes in July 2011 during the first schedule. Vidyut Jamwal, who played negative roles in the Hindi film "Force" (2011) and the Telugu film "Oosaravelli" (2011), was selected to play the villain, also making his debut in Tamil cinema. In December 2011 sources revealed that Sricharan, who starred in "Payanam", was shooting for a supporting role in the film. Reports in February 2012 suggested that the team was trying to sign Nayantara, who played the female lead in "Billa", for a cameo role; the actress refuted the rumours. Furthermore, composer Yuvan Shankar Raja on Toleti's insistence agreed to make a brief appearance in one of the songs. Sources also reported that director Seeman would be acting in the film.


title: Billa II

text: The film's production was delayed as Ajith Kumar's previous film, "Mankatha", progressed beyond the anticipated completion dates. In March 2011, the producers released a press note that the film would begin in early May 2011, however this failed to happen. During that period, it was also suggested that "Billa II" may not be Ajith Kumar's successive project and commence only after the actor completed a film with M. Raja. Eventually, a photo shoot was held in June 2011 with Ajith sporting an appearance of a man in his mid-twenties. Principal photography commenced on 14 July 2011 at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. Filming during the first 30-day schedule throughout July and August 2011 was held in Hyderabad and Vizag. As part of the schedule, one song was shot in Puducherry under the direction of choreographer Raju Sundaram. Both actresses Parvathy Omanakuttan and Bruna Abdullah joined the crew for the second schedule in Goa, that lasted for 39 days and ended in the first week of November.


title: Billa II

text: In the third week of November, a unit of thirty-six members left for Georgia in Eastern Europe for the final 20-day schedule of the film. In Georgia, the crew filmed at the country's capital, Tbilisi, Borjomi and Rustavi. "Billa II" became the first Indian film to be shot at the Likani Palace, which functions as a summer residence of the President of Georgia. Midway through the filming, heavy snowfall began. The crew, however, carried on shooting and later reshot the complete sequence with the snowy background to maintain the continuity. The climax portions were also filmed there against a snowy backdrop, for which aerial shots were done from a helicopter. Approximately half a million dollars were spent for the whole schedule in Georgia, which was finished by mid-December. In February 2012, the remaining scenes, including the film's title song, were canned at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, despite the ongoing strike in the film industry. An item number "Yedo Mayakkam" featuring three models was shot in a studio in Goa. Although producer Kheterpal had named Bangkok, Thailand as a potential location for filming, shooting was not held there. The entire filming was completed over a period of 90 days.


title: Billa II

text: Three stunt choreographers were involved in the making of "Billa II". The stunt sequences in Georgia were partly choreographed by an award-winning German-based company led by stuntman Stefan Richter, while the climax action scenes were done by Kecha Khamphakdee's Jaika Stunt team. K. Rajasekhar choreographed the fight sequences in Hyderabad and Goa. Madhu Sudhanan, a VFX creative director, said that VFX had been used in action sequences, in "set extensions" and in sequences involving 3D.


title: Billa II

text: Yuvan Shankar Raja, who had also worked on the score of "Billa" (2007), composed the soundtrack and score of "Billa II", becoming his fifth project starring Ajith Kumar. The album consists of six tracks, five songs and a theme music track. The producer however confirmed that the film would feature a sixth song, not included in the soundtrack that was composed for a belly dance sequence. Na. Muthukumar agreed to write the lyrics for the songs. In a departure from convention, the lyrics were penned first which were set to tunes later.


title: Billa II

text: The audio launch was initially to be released in mid-March 2012, but was then pushed to second week of April. Actor Rajinikanth was approached to unveil the soundtrack, with the team supposedly rescheduling the audio launch to suit Rajinikanth's dates, who had left for London for the filming of his film "Kochadaiyaan". The soundtrack was unveiled on 1 May 2012, coinciding with Ajith Kumar's birthday. Sony Music Entertainment that marketed the album of Ajith Kumar's previous film "Mankatha", acquired the music rights of "Billa II" as well for an unprecedented sum after some weeks-long negotiations. In the week before the audio launch, Sony Music began releasing teasers of each of the songs every day and promoted them across social platforms. The Telugu version of the soundtrack was released on 5 June 2012 at the Taj Deccan in Hyderabad. The soundtrack received positive response from critics and topped the charts.


title: Billa II

text: "Billa II" underwent an extensive marketing spree before its release. A first teaser poster displaying the new logo design was published in Diwali 2011, while the first posters depicting Ajith Kumar's look were released in January 2012 during the Pongal festival. From late February onwards, further posters featuring Ajith were unveiled, with one poster in late March portraying a young Ajith carrying a kerosene can on a boat that led to speculations over the character's origin. On 13 April 2012, a one-minute teaser trailer was uploaded to YouTube. The teaser garnered over 500,000 views within the first three days of its release, setting a new record for Tamil films.


title: Billa II

text: As part of the marketing, the makers planned to release a "Billa 2" calendar featuring the two lead actresses, Parvathy Omanakuttan and Bruna Abdulla; the stills were shot exclusively for the calendar in Goa. An event to launch the official theatrical trailer was planned to be held on 2 July at the Anna Centenary Library auditorium in Kotturpuram, Chennai. The entire cast and crew along with Russian dancers were expected to attend the function, which was to be telecast on television later. The event was cancelled at short notice. The trailer was however uploaded to YouTube the same day, gaining record views. Moreover, a promotional video featuring Ajith with composer Yuvan Shankar Raja was shot as well, but was not released either.


title: Billa II

text: Billa 2 was released in 2500 theatres worldwide. On the first day, Mayajaal Multiplex released Billa 2 in all screens and all shows – a total of 102 shows in 14 screens.


title: Billa II

text: The overseas distribution rights were sold for 53 million to the US-based company GK Media, the highest ever for an Ajith film. In March 2012, The Sun TV bought the satellite rights for a record price, with sources estimating the price at 6 million. The Television Premier was occurred in June 23' 2013 @ 6:30pm. Three prominent production houses were reportedly trying to purchase the domestical theatrical rights then. Venu Ravichandran's Aascar Films eventually acquired the theatrical distribution rights of Tamil Nadu for 260 million. All the distribution rights of the film, except the Kerala and Hindi dubbing rights had been sold at a record price of more than 400 million, making "Billa II" one of the top pre-release revenue generating films of all time in the Tamil film industry. In early May 2012, the Kerala release rights were finally sold to Sagara Entertainment and Money Tree Entertainment for 8million, likewise a new record for an Ajith film. "Billa II" received an adult rating ("A" certificate) from the Central Board of Film Certification due to its "violent theme and presentation", without any major cuts. In the UK, the film was issued an 15 certificate by the British Board of Film Classification with an advice that it contained "very strong violence and revenge theme".


title: Billa II

text: "Billa II" was initially planned to release on 13 April 2012, coinciding with Tamil New Year, but the release was postponed to 1 May 2012, coinciding with Ajith Kumar's birthday, with the makers considering to bring forward the film by four days to release it on a Friday. However, the release became further delayed and was pushed to the second half of May 2012. After considering the first four Fridays in June 2012 for the film's release, the producer finally zeroed in on 13 July as the release date.


title: Billa II

text: "Billa 2" was released across over 1,400 screens worldwide, making it one of the largest Tamil releases ever. The film was released simultaneously in the four southern states, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala as well as in North India and international markets. In Tamil Nadu, it opened across 550 theatres, while a dubbed Telugu version of the film released in Andhra Pradesh as "David Billa". In Kerala, the Tamil version was screened and Karnataka saw the release of both the versions. The film was also released by Aanna Films in most of the major multiplexes in France with French subtitles; in Malaysia, North India and the Gulf Nations, Malay, Hindi and Arabic subtitles were added to the film, respectively, while in other international markets, it was screened with English subtitles.


title: Billa II

text: "Billa 2" mainly received mixed reviews from critics and audience, with praise on cast's performances, Yuvan's music and cinematography, while the film's pace, screenplay and direction received criticism. Karthik Subramanian of "The Hindu" said, "Where the movie lacks in substance, it does try to score with technical aspects. The camerawork by R. D. Rajasekhar, background score by Yuvan Shankar Raja and editing by Suresh Urs are superlative for the most part", and that the film "does live up to the hype". MSN India said "'Billa 2' would be an interesting film only if you are an ardent fan of Ajith. Otherwise, it is an average film with a weak script spoiling the show."


title: Billa II

text: Meena Iyer of "The Times of India" recommended it with a 3 star rating, "If you're Ajith fan—"Billa 2" is a must. If you're an action aficionado, it's a treat. If you're neither, then don't bother." Indiaglitz called it as a slick entertainer running for just 129 minutes. Prathibha Parameswaran of IBN Live said, "If you liked "Billa" and "Mankatha", and expected as much from the prequel, it falls well short of expectations." and further wrote, "watch it only for Thala." Anupama Subramanian of Deccan Chronicle rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and said, "The film works to a great extent because of the sheer screen presence of a star called Ajith Kumar. After all, it is his film all the way!"


title: Billa II

text: In the domestic market, "Billa II" had a great opening with 100% occupancy in single screens and multiplexes. In the opening week, it grossed around 4.79 crore at the Chennai box office, and after 5 weeks, it amounted to 7.79 crore after tax deduction. It grossed around 41 crore at Tamil Nadu, 2.4 crore at Kerala, 2.1 crore at Karnataka, 2 crore at Andhra and 1 crore at rest of India. The film did not get exemption from entertainment tax due to A certificate. It yielded 7 crore or 10 per cent of the total entertainment tax revenue of the year for the exchequer.


title: Billa II

text: In Malaysia, "Billa II" collected US$348,000 The film grossed $78,000 in the UK and approximately $20,000 in Australia.


title: Contempt (film)

text: Contempt () is a 1963 French New Wave drama film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, based on the 1954 Italian novel "Il disprezzo" ("A Ghost at Noon") by Alberto Moravia. It stars Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, Jack Palance, and Giorgia Moll.


title: Contempt (film)

text: Paul Javal, a young French playwright who has found commercial success in Rome, accepts an offer from vulgar American producer Jeremy Prokosch to rework the script for German director Fritz Lang's screen adaptation of the "Odyssey".


title: Contempt (film)

text: Paul's wife, Camille Javal, joins him on the first day of the project at Cinecittà. As the first discussions are completed, Prokosch invites the crew to join him at his villa, offering Camille a ride in his two-seat sportscar. Camille looks to Paul to decline the offer, but he submissively withdraws to follow by taxi, leaving Camille and Prokosch alone. Paul does not catch up with them until 30 minutes later, explaining that he was delayed by a traffic accident. Camille grows uneasy, secretly doubting his honesty and suspecting that he is using her to cement his ties with Prokosch. Her misgivings are heightened when she sees Paul grope Prokosch's secretary, Francesca. Back at their apartment, Paul and Camille discuss the subtle uneasiness that has come between them in the first few hours of the project, and Camille suddenly announces to her bewildered husband that she no longer loves him.


title: Contempt (film)

text: Hoping to rekindle Camille's love, Paul convinces her to accept Prokosch's invitation to join them for filming in Capri. Prokosch and Lang are locked in a conflict over the correct interpretation of Homer's work, an impasse exacerbated by the difficulty of communication between the German director, French script writer, and American producer. Francesca acts as interpreter, mediating all conversations. When Paul sides with Prokosch against Lang by suggesting that Odysseus actually left home because of his wife's infidelity, Camille's suspicions of her husband's servility are confirmed. She deliberately allows him to find her in Prokosch's embrace, and in the ensuing confrontation she implies that her respect for him has turned to contempt because he has bartered her to Prokosch. He denies this suggestion, offering to sever his connection with the film and leave Capri; but she will not recant and leaves for Rome with the producer. After a car crash in which Camille and Prokosch are killed, Paul prepares to leave Capri and return to the theater. Lang continues to work on the film.


title: Contempt (film)

text: Italian film producer Carlo Ponti approached Godard to discuss a possible collaboration; Godard suggested an adaptation of Moravia's novel "Il disprezzo" (originally translated into English with the title "A Ghost at Noon") in which he saw Kim Novak and Frank Sinatra as the leads; they refused. Ponti suggested Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, whom Godard refused. Anna Karina (by then Godard's former wife) later revealed that the director had traveled to Rome to ask Monica Vitti if she would portray the female lead. However the Italian actress reportedly turned up an hour late, "staring out the window like she wasn't interested at all". Finally, Bardot was chosen because of the producer's insistence that the profits might be increased by displaying her famously sensual body. This provided the film's opening scene, filmed by Godard as a typical mockery of the cinema business with tame nudity. The scene was shot after Godard considered the film finished, at the insistence of the American co-producers. In the film, Godard cast himself as Lang's assistant director, and characteristically has Lang expound many of Godard's New Wave theories and opinions. Godard also employed the two "forgotten" New Wave filmmakers, Luc Moullet and Jacques Rozier, on the film. Bardot visibly reads a book about Fritz Lang that was written by Moullet, and Rozier made the documentary short about the making of the film "Le Parti des Choses".


title: Contempt (film)

text: Godard admitted to changing the original novel, "but with full permission" of Moravia, the original writer. Among his changes were focusing the action to only a few days and changing the writer character from being "silly and soft. I've made him more American—something like a Humphrey Bogart type."


title: Contempt (film)

text: "Contempt" was filmed in Italy where it is set, with location shooting at the Cinecittà studios in Rome and the Casa Malaparte on Capri island. In a sequence, the characters played by Piccoli and Bardot wander through their apartment alternately arguing and reconciling. Godard filmed the scene as an extended series of tracking shots, in natural light and in near real-time. The cinematographer Raoul Coutard also shot some of the other "nouvelle vague" films, including Godard's "Breathless" (1960). According to Jonathan Rosenbaum, Godard was also directly influenced by Jean-Daniel Pollet and Volker Schlöndorff's "Méditerranée", released earlier the same year.


title: Contempt (film)

text: Godard admitted his tendency to get actors to improvise dialogue "during the peak moment of creation" often baffled them. "They often feel useless," he said. "Yet they bring me a lot... I need them, just as I need the pulse and colours of real settings for atmosphere and creation."


title: Contempt (film)

text: On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 58 reviews, with an average score of 8.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "This powerful work of essential cinema joins 'meta' with 'physique,' casting Brigitte Bardot and director Godard's inspiration Fritz Lang."


title: Contempt (film)

text: "Sight & Sound" critic Colin MacCabe referred to "Contempt" as "the greatest work of art produced in postwar Europe."


title: Contempt (film)

text: Bosley Crowther of "The New York Times" called the film "luxuriant" but wrote that Godard "could put his talents to more intelligent and illuminating use"; according to Crowther, who is unclear about the motivations of the main characters, "Mr. Godard has attempted to make this film communicate a sense of the alienation of individuals in this complex modern world. And he has clearly directed to get a tempo that suggests irritation and ennui."


title: Contempt (film)

text: French journalist Antoine de Gaudemar made a one-hour documentary in 2009 about "Contempt", "Il était une fois... Le Mépris" ("A Film and Its Era: Contempt") using footage from Jacques Rozier's earlier documentaries "" (1963), "Le Parti des Choses" (1964), and André S. Labarthe's "Le dinosaure et le bébé" (1967).


title: Contempt (film)

text: In 2012, Godard's film ranked 21st on critic's poll and 44th on director's poll in Sight & Sound magazine's 100 greatest films of all time list.


title: Contempt (film)

text: The extended apartment sequence that occurs in the film, where Paul and Camille's marriage unravels, has been praised by critics and scholars. In February 2012, "Interiors", an online journal that is concerned with the relationship between architecture and film, released an issue that discussed how space is used in this scene. The issue highlights how Jean-Luc Godard uses this constricted space to explore Paul and Camille's declining relationship.


title: Contempt (film)

text: The song "Theme de Camille", which was originally composed for "Contempt", is used as a main theme in the 1995 film "Casino".


title: Contempt (film)

text: In 2018 the film ranked 60th on the BBC's list of the 100 greatest foreign-language films, as voted on by 209 film critics from 43 countries.


title: Jalal Talabani

text: Jalal Talabani (; ; 1933 – 3 October 2017) was an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the sixth president of Iraq from 2006 to 2014, as well as the president of the Governing Council of Iraq. He was the first non-Arab president of Iraq. He is known as Mam Jalal (uncle Jalal in Kurdish) amongst the Kurds.


title: Jalal Talabani

text: Talabani was the founder and secretary-general of one of the main Kurdish political parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). He was a prominent member of the Interim Iraq Governing Council, which was established following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Talabani was an advocate for Kurdish rights and democracy in Iraq for more than 50 years.


title: Jalal Talabani

text: Talabani was born in Kelkan village into the Koysinjaq branch of the Talabani family. The Talabani lineage has produced many leading social figures including the poet Riza Talabani, his grandfather, Abd al-Karim Qasim prime minister (1958–1963) and former National Democratic Party's member Hasan Talabani and Mukarram Talabani, a prominent member of the Communist party.