Background.

In 2001 the BBC broadcast "The Blue Planet", a series on the natural history of the world's oceans. It received critical acclaim, high viewing figures, audience appreciation ratings, and many awards. It also became a hugely profitable global brand, eventually being sold to 150 countries worldwide. Feedback showed that audiences particularly liked the epic scale, the scenes of new and unusual species and the cinematic quality of the series. Programme commissioners were keen for a follow-up, so Alastair Fothergill decided that the Natural History Unit should repeat the formula with a series looking at the whole planet. The idea for "Planet Earth" was born, and the series was commissioned by Lorraine Heggessey, then Controller of BBC One, in January 2002.  A feature film version of "Planet Earth" was commissioned alongside the television series, repeating the successful model established with "The Blue Planet" and its companion film, "Deep Blue". "Earth" was released around the world from 2007 to 2009. There was also another accompanying television series, "", which looked at the environmental problems facing some of the species and habitats featured in the main series in more detail.

Broadcast.

"Planet Earth" premiered on BBC One on 5 March 2006 in the United Kingdom. On the same day or in the subsequent weeks or months, the series also began airing in several other countries.  International broadcasters carrying Planet Earth include Australia on ABC and GEM, Canada on CBC and CTV, New Zealand on Prime, the Philippines on GMA Network and GMA News TV, the U.S. on Discovery Channel and Velocity and Science and Animal Planet and Destination America and BBC America.  <onlyinclude></onlyinclude>

British television.

The episodes are each an hour in length, comprising the main programme and a 10-minute featurette called "Planet Earth Diaries", which details the filming of a particular event. In the UK, "Planet Earth" was split into two parts, broadcast in spring and autumn 2006. The first five episodes premiered on BBC One at 9:00 pm on Sundays, beginning on 5 March 2006. The programmes were repeated the following Saturday in an early evening slot on BBC Two. Along with its 2005 dramatisation of "Bleak House", the BBC selected "Planet Earth" for its trial of high-definition broadcasts. The opening episode was its first-ever scheduled programme in the format, shown 27 May 2006 on the BBC HD channel.  The first episode in the autumn series, "Great Plains", received its first public showing at the Edinburgh International Television Festival on 26 August 2006. It was shown on a giant screen in Conference Square. The remaining episodes were broadcast from 5 November 2006 in the same primetime BBC One slot, following a further repeat run of the spring programmes on BBC Four. The autumn episodes were broadcast simultaneously on BBC HD and were repeated on BBC Four the following week.  Besides being BBC One's featured "One to Watch" programme of the day, "Planet Earth" was heavily trailed on the BBC's television and radio channels both before and during its run. The music that was featured in the BBC trailers for the series is the track "Hoppípolla" from the album "Takk..." by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. Following the advertisements, interest was so widespread that the single was re-released. In the United States, the series was promoted using "The Time Has Come" from trailer music company Epic Score, composed by Gabriel Shadid and Tobias Marberger. The Australian trailers initially used "Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity" from Gustav Holst's orchestral suite "The Planets", but later reverted to "Hoppípolla".

International.

The BBC pre-sold the series to several overseas broadcasters, including the Discovery Channel for the United States, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, China Central Television, WDR for Germany, Discovery Channel for India, Prime Television for New Zealand, and C1R for Russian broadcasts. The series was eventually sold to 130 countries.  On 25 March 2007, the series began its run on American television on the Discovery network, premiering on the Discovery Channel and Discovery HD Theater. There were a number of revisions to the original British programme. Actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver was brought in to replace David Attenborough as narrator, as it was thought her familiarity to American audiences would attract more viewers. The Discovery programmes also used a slightly different script to the British original. The series was broadcast on Sundays in one 3-hour block followed by four 2-hour blocks. The "Planet Earth Diaries" segments were not shown immediately after each episode, but collectively in "Planet Earth: The Filmmakers' Story", a two-hour special which was broadcast after the series had finished its initial network run. Edited versions were later broadcast on The Science Channel, Animal Planet, and Planet Green.  In Canada, the series did not air on the Canadian Discovery Channel, as it is owned by CTV and the Canadian rights were exclusively sold to the CBC.

"Planet Earth: The Future".

The latter episodes were supplemented by "Planet Earth: The Future", a series of three 60-minute films that highlight the conservation issues surrounding some of the featured species and environments. The programmes are narrated by Simon Poland and the series producer was Fergus Beeley. The series began transmission on BBC Four after the ninth episode, "Shallow Seas".

Feature film.

Alongside the commissioning of the television series, BBC Worldwide and GreenLight Media secured financing for a US$15 million film version of "Planet Earth". This followed the earlier success of "Deep Blue", the BBC's 2003 theatrical nature documentary which used re-edited footage from "The Blue Planet". The film was co-directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield and produced by Alix Tidmarsh and Sophokles Tasioulis. Only 30% of the footage shown in "Earth" is new, with the remainder being reworked from the television series to suit the narrative of the film. David Attenborough was replaced as narrator by high-profile actors: Patrick Stewart for the UK market and James Earl Jones for the United States.  "Earth" had its worldwide premiere in September 2007 at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in San Sebastián, Spain, in Basque Country. Lionsgate released the film in several international markets over the following year. In the United States, it became the first film to be released by Disneynature, the Walt Disney Company's new nature documentary arm. When released on Earth Day 2009 it set the record for the highest opening weekend gross for a nature documentary, and went on to become the third highest grossing documentary of all time. It has grossed more than $108 million worldwide; in the nature documentary genre, only "March of the Penguins" has achieved greater box-office success.

Reception.

Critical reception.

"Planet Earth" received widespread critical acclaim. "Time" magazine's James Poniewozik named it one of the Top 10 New TV Series of 2007, ranking it at No. 4.  In 2019, "Planet Earth" and its sequel were ranked 72nd on "The Guardian"'s list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.

Accolades.

"Planet Earth: From Pole to Pole" won the Science and Natural History award at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in 2007. The RTS also awarded it a Judge's Award and a Photography Award at its Craft and Design Awards. The series picked up two awards from the Broadcasting Press Guild for Best Documentary Series and Innovation in Broadcasting, and won Best Documentary Series at the 2007 Broadcast Awards. At the 2007 BAFTA Television Awards, "Planet Earth" was nominated in the Specialist Factual and Pioneer Audience Award categories, but lost out to "Nuremberg: Goering's Last Stand" and "Life on Mars" respectively. It received three nominations at the BAFTA Television Craft Awards later the same year. George Fenton's original score won him Soundtrack Composer of the Year at the 2007 Classical BRIT Awards. Planet Earth was also nominated for the NTA for Most popular Factual program but lost to "Top Gear" ("Supernanny" and "Bad Lad's Army: Officer Class" were also nominated).  "Planet Earth" was recognised by the American television industry, collecting the award for Nonfiction Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2007 and winning a further three prizes in technical categories at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. It also collected two awards from the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles in July 2007 and a Peabody Award in April 2008.  The series was also fêted at wildlife film festivals around the globe, collected multiple prizes at the Wildscreen Festival 2006, the International Wildlife Film Festival 2007 and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival 2007.

Audience response.

The credentials of the filmmakers, the size of the production, a high-profile marketing campaign and a primetime BBC One timeslot all resulted in "Planet Earth" attracting large audiences when it debuted in the UK in March 2006. The first episode, "From Pole to Pole", was watched by more people than any natural history programme since Attenborough and Fothergill's previous series, "The Blue Planet", in 2001. The first five episodes drew an average audience of 11.4 million viewers, including the early evening repeats, outperforming even "The Blue Planet". When the series returned to British screens after a six-month break, it remained popular but viewing figures did not reach the same levels. The final six episodes attracted an average audience of 6.8 million viewers, appreciably lower than the spring episodes, but still higher than BBC One's average for the timeslot. The BBC's 2007 Annual Report revealed that the series "received the highest audience appreciation score of any British programme on TV this year".  In the United States, "Planet Earth" drew equally impressive ratings when it premiered on Discovery and Discovery HD Theater on 25 March 2007. The first three episodes (screened back to back) averaged 5.72 million viewers with a peak of 6.07 million viewers, giving the network its third highest audience ever. It was also the most watched Discovery programme since "The Flight That Fought Back" in 2005.

Sequel.

In February 2016, the BBC announced a six-part sequel had been commissioned, titled "Planet Earth II", for release in late 2016, with Sir David Attenborough returning as narrator and presenter. As with the 2006 series, the trailer features the track 'Hoppipolla' by Icelandic group Sigur Ros.

Merchandise.

The popularity of the television series around the world translated into strong sales of associated "Planet Earth" merchandise. In the United States, it became the fastest and bestselling documentary DVD in Discovery Channel's history, and the high-definition (HD) discs generated US$3.2 million in sales in just two months. By the end of 2007, U.S. sales had topped 3 million units, making it the highest-grossing HD title and one of the top ten DVD titles of the year.  In addition, the brand was licensed to other companies to produce children's books, calendars, a board game, jigsaws, stationery, cards, and more.

DVD.

A five-disc DVD box set of the complete series (BBCDVD1883) was released in the UK for Regions 2 and 4 (PAL) on 27 November 2006 by 2 entertain. It is presented in 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound and video. The bonus features include "Planet Earth Diaries" (presented immediately after each episode as for the original TV broadcast) and "". In the United States, two versions of the same five-disc set were released as a Region 1 (NTSC) DVD on 24 April 2007. The BBC Warner release retained David Attenborough's narration from the original British television broadcasts, but the Discovery Channel edition used the alternative Sigourney Weaver voice-over. Even in the United States the Attenborough version was much the better for sales.

HD DVD and Blu-ray.

Except for a small amount of extremely hard-to-obtain footage, "Planet Earth" was filmed entirely in high-definition, and consequently became one of the first television series to take advantage of the new HD disc formats.  The series was released in both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats as a five-disc Region B box set on 12 November 2007. On the fifth disc, the bonus features from the standard-definition DVD set were replaced by two episodes from the BBC's "Natural World" series, "Desert Lions" and "Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth", both also presented in high-definition.  In the United States, the series was released as a four-disc set in both high-definition formats, the Blu-ray version on single-layer BD-25 discs and the HD DVD set on dual-layer HD DVD-30 discs. The first U.S. high-definition releases omitted the extra disc of bonus features from the standard-definition boxed set, though these extras were included with new material in a special-edition Blu-ray released in 2011.

Books.

Four official tie-in volumes were published by BBC Books in 2006 and 2007:

Soundtrack album.

On 20 November 2006, a two-disc soundtrack CD was released with a compilation of the incidental music specially commissioned for "Planet Earth". The award-winning score was composed by George Fenton and performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra and has been performed during "Planet Earth Live" events in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Planet Earth is a 2006 British television series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Five years in the making, it was the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC and also the first to be filmed in high definition. The series received multiple awards, including four Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and an award from the Royal Television Society.

Planeta Země (v anglickém originále Planet Earth) je dokumentární cyklus televize BBC. Dokument namluvil David Attenborough. Tento dokument byl natočen roku 2006 a staví na naprosto unikátních záběrech, které jsou v některých případech i první svého druhu (například v jeskyních). Dokument je informativní a představuje různé ekosystémy planety Země. První díl je úvodní a další se věnují jednotlivým biotopům. Dokument ukazuje život živočichů a to hlavně jak se vypořádávají s přírodními živly, jak se přizpůsobili svému prostředí, jak vychovávají mláďata a jak loví, shání potravu nebo jak unikají před predátorem. Zabývá se rostlinami a prostředím samotným.


Character and appearances.

Sansa Stark is the second child and elder daughter of Eddard Stark and Catelyn Stark. She was born and raised in Winterfell, until leaving with her father and sister at the beginning of the series. She was raised with a younger sister Arya Stark, two younger brothers Rickon Stark and Bran Stark, as well as an older brother Robb Stark, and an older illegitimate half-brother, Jon Snow.  Raised as a lady, Sansa is traditionally feminine. Sansa's interests are music, poetry, and singing. She strives to become like the heroines of romantic tales by attempting to find a prince, knight, or gentleman to fall in love with. For a companion animal, she

Storylines.

"A Game of Thrones".

Sansa Stark begins the novel by being betrothed to Crown Prince Joffrey Baratheon, believing Joffrey to be a gallant prince. While Joffrey and Sansa are walking through the woods, Joffrey notices Arya sparring with the butcher's boy, Mycah. A fight breaks out and Joffrey is attacked by Nymeria (Arya's direwolf) after Joffrey threatens to hurt Arya. Sansa lies to King Robert about the circumstances of the fight in order to protect both Joffrey and her sister Arya. Since Arya ran off with her wolf to save it, Sansa's wolf is killed instead, estranging the Stark daughters.  During the Tourney of the Hand to honour her father Lord Eddard Stark, Sansa Stark is enchanted by the knights performing in the event.

"A Clash of Kings".

Sansa is a hostage in King's Landing, and has learned to be outwardly loyal to King Joffrey to avoid severe physical abuse.  At the celebration for Joffrey's name day, she ostensibly saves the life of Ser Dontos Hollard, when he shows up late and inebriated, begging Joffrey to spare him, in turn winning Dontos' loyalty. Sansa is routinely beaten by Joffrey's guards. After her brother has won a battle against Joffrey's maternal family, she is publicly beaten and has her clothes torn. Tyrion Lannister intervenes on her behalf, and Sandor Clegane gives her his cloak to cover herself. Later, Sandor Clegane saves Sansa from a riot in King's Landing.

"A Storm of Swords".

In the third book, Sansa is invited to dine with Margaery and her grandmother, Olenna Redwyne. The two women seek to learn the true nature of Joffrey Baratheon now that he and Margaery are betrothed. In turn, Olenna suggests that Sansa should marry her grandson Willas Tyrell. Sansa reveals the marriage plan to Ser Dontos, who warns her of the Tyrells; however, Sansa develops a close friendship with Margaery and is excited about becoming a part of her family. However, when Tywin learns of

"A Feast for Crows".

After Lysa's death, Sansa becomes mistress of the Eyrie and still pretends to be Baelish's illegitimate daughter, Alayne Stone. Baelish successfully pacifies the lords of the Vale, who suspected Baelish's hand in Lysa's death. Afterwards, Baelish reveals to Sansa

TV adaptation.

Storylines.

Season 1.

Sansa is first seen with Arya at Winterfell, during their embroidery lesson with Septa Mordane. Following the arrival of Robert Baratheon and his escort at Winterfell, he insists to Ned that Joffrey and Sansa should be married in order to join their houses. Sansa, who is desperate to leave Winterfell, begs Catelyn to make Ned agree to the engagement.  Joffrey is bitten by Arya's direwolf Nymeria while bullying Mycah the butcher's boy and Arya. Sansa, an eyewitness, claims to be ignorant of the event at the inquest. As retribution for Joffrey's injury, Cersei convinces Robert to have Sansa's direwolf, Lady, killed in place of the now-missing Nymeria.  After arriving at King's Landing, Sansa attends the Hand's Tourney where Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish tells Sansa and Arya the story behind Sandor "The Hound" Clegane's gruesome facial burns. As time passes, Sansa wears her hair like a southerner and is more flippant with Mordane, expressing fears she

Season 2.

As the War of the Five Kings progresses, Sansa's position in King's Landing becomes increasingly perilous. On Joffrey's name day celebration, Sansa saves an inebriated Ser Dontos Hollard from execution, by convincing Joffrey to instead make Dontos his fool. While at the celebration, Tyrion offers his condolences for Ned's death, in response to which Sansa insists her family are all traitors, and she is loyal to Joffrey. Later on, when her eldest brother Robb wins a battle against the Lannisters, Sansa is publicly beaten and humiliated in front of the court by Joffrey and Ser Meryn (on Joffrey's orders), as payment for her brother's crimes.  Tyrion Lannister enters the

Season 3.

With her engagement to Joffrey annulled, Sansa does not have to worry about spending the rest of her life with him, but is with lesser protection from tormentors. Petyr Baelish, an old friend of her mother's with a reputation for being sadistic and cunning, tells her that he can smuggle her out of the city, but she is reluctant. Sansa finds a friend in Loras Tyrell, who is kind to her and whom she hopes will ask for her hand. His sister, Joffrey's new fiancé, Margaery, is also kind to her and takes her to dine with her grandmother, Olenna Tyrell, who asks her for her opinion of Joffrey. Sansa reveals Joffrey's true, cruel personality, but Margaery and Lady Olenna merely pass it by as a trivial matter, saying there is nothing to be done to change a man's character, especially a king's. Sansa's affection for Loras

Season 4.

Sansa, still distraught over the death of Robb and Catelyn, is approached by Dontos Hollard, a former knight whom Sansa had convinced Joffrey to make his fool instead of executing him. Dontos gives her a necklace, claiming it was his mother's. However, the necklace turns out to be a fake; one of the gems contains the poison which Lady Olenna Tyrell uses to poison Joffrey at his wedding to Margaery Tyrell. In the commotion, Sansa is taken by Dontos, to Baelish's boat in Blackwater Bay. Baelish smuggles Sansa from King's Landing after revealing the nature of the necklace and has Dontos killed with a crossbow.  Lord Baelish, with Sansa posing as his niece Alayne Stone, pass through the Blood Gates to the Eyrie and to the keep of Lysa Arryn. Lysa initially invites them with

Season 5.

Baelish brokers a marriage between Sansa and Ramsay Bolton, now the heir to the North after the death of Robb Stark. Though Sansa is reluctant to marry Ramsay, as his father Roose had personally murdered Robb, Baelish persuades her by claiming that the marriage will give her the opportunity to avenge her family. On the way to Winterfell, they encounter Brienne of Tarth, who had sworn to Catelyn Stark to take Sansa to safety and tries to convince Sansa to come with her; Baelish has her chased off by his men, but Brienne follows Sansa to Winterfell regardless. Though initially charming, Ramsay's sadistic nature becomes apparent when Sansa discovers that he has captured and enslaved Ned's former ward Theon Greyjoy, and forced him to assume the identity of

Season 6.

Sansa and Theon are captured by Bolton soldiers in the forest outside Winterfell, but Brienne and her squire Podrick Payne arrive in time to rescue them and kill the Bolton soldiers. This time, Sansa accepts Brienne's loyalty. While Theon returns to the Iron Islands, Sansa, Brienne, and Podrick journey on to Castle Black, where she reunites with her half-brother Jon Snow, who has just resigned as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Sansa tries to persuade Jon to help her drive the Boltons out of Winterfell; although Jon initially refuses, he changes his mind after Ramsay sends a letter to Jon in which he gloats that he holds Rickon Stark captive and threatens to kill the Starks and the Wildlings Jon has let through the Wall if Sansa is not returned. Before Jon and Sansa leave Castle Black, Baelish arranges a meeting with Sansa

Season 7.

Jon travels to Dragonstone to negotiate with Daenerys Targaryen for her support against the White Walkers, leaving Sansa as regent in his absence. Soon after, Bran and Arya return to Winterfell. Littlefinger seeks to drive a wedge between Sansa and Arya by letting Arya find Sansa's letter to Robb asking him to bend the knee to Joffrey, causing Arya to confront Sansa. Sansa sneaks into Arya's quarters and comes across the "faces" Arya has taken from the various people she has killed on her travels; Arya catches Sansa and tells Sansa of her ability to assume people's identities with the faces before she threatens her.  Sansa later receives an invitation to King's Landing, where Jon intends to present Cersei, who is now Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, with proof of

Season 8.

Sansa welcomes Daenerys and her court, including Tyrion, to Winterfell. Tyrion declares that the Lannister troops will be marching north as well to defend against the dead, but Sansa is skeptical; her fears are confirmed when Jaime Lannister arrives in Winterfell and he reveals Cersei's treachery. Sansa wishes Jaime dead for attacking Ned in King's Landing, but spares him when Brienne vouches for him. Sansa suspects that Jon's decision to pledge to Daenerys as queen is due to his love for Daenerys. Sansa is wary of Daenerys but when speaking with her in private, Daenerys assures Sansa that her love for Jon is also genuine and they reach common ground. However, the situation becomes tense when Sansa asks of the North's independence after Daenerys has conquered Westeros. They are interrupted by Theon's arrival, who has come to help defend Winterfell.  Sansa watches the battle against the dead from Winterfell's battlements, but when the Dothraki are easily overrun, Arya orders Sansa to seek refuge in the crypts with the other non-combatants. The Night King reanimates the dead around Winterfell, including the Starks buried in the crypts, but the

Reception.

As her storyline has progressed, Sansa has received critical acclaim for the development of her character and her emergence from a naive young girl to a strong young woman. "Rolling Stone" ranked Sansa as No. 4 on a list of the "Top 40 "Game of Thrones" Characters", saying that Sansa is "often overlooked in favor of her killer kid sister", but that her "quiet, innate political shrewedness and emotional strength have enabled her to survive", and calling her "the show's best-kept secret". In a ranking of the 48 best "Game of Thrones" characters listed in the main credits in the first five seasons on the website "The Wrap", Sansa was ranked at No. 4, ahead of the more popular Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, and Tyrion Lannister, saying that "Sansa has been kind of great in Season 6, turning into the sort of badass we always hoped but never thought she actually could become".  In an article published on "Mic."com, Julianne Ross says that "the elder Stark daughter is often cited as one of the most reviled characters on "Game of Thrones"", while also saying that "not coincidentally, Sansa Stark is also one of the most classically feminine characters on the show." Ross criticized the heavy hatred for Sansa, particularly in contrast to "her universally (and rightly) adored tomboy little sister Arya", stating that Sansa "arguably gets a disproportionate amount of fan hate because she doesn't fit the narrow'strong female character' mold we're used to rooting for." Blogger Rhiannon Thomas of "Feminist Fiction" wrote in 2012 that "the focus on this sort of female character - the oft-cited'strong female character' - seems to suggest that femininity is still "bad," and that women can only be strong by adopting stereotypically male roles and attitudes". Thomas went on to say that "in an abusive situation that would break so many people, Sansa survives" and that she has a "woman's courage" that "keeps her alive and in the game where characters like Arya would not last five minutes".  In an article published on MTV.com by Crystal Bell titled "Sansa Stark is the Only "Game of Thrones" Hero Worth Rooting For", Bell writes: "Sansa is the most relatable character in George R.R. Martin's canon. She's often despised for having no agency, but the way I see it, Sansa is hated for being a woman. Unlike Brienne, Arya, Cersei, and Margaery -- models of the "strong female character" archetype—Sansa's passivity denotes weakness. She doesn't have cool swordplay skills like her sister Arya; she isn't a smart seductress like Margaery Tyrell or a fierce queen like Cersei. She is the epitome of femininity on "Game of Thrones", and therefore, she is dismissed." Bell went on to say: "However, Sansa's greatest strength as a character has been her unwavering resilience. She was tortured and humiliated for seasons by the unhinged man-boys around her. She's been the subject of everyday sexism and misogyny since day one. And yet, she survives, even as armor-clad heroes fall before her. She is the show's survivor. She continuously "endures" the pain and humiliation of being a woman in Westeros. Just because Sansa doesn't wield a sword as fiercely as Arya and Brienne, or command a horde of dragons like Daenerys Targaryen, doesn't make her any less of a hero."  Sansa received particular acclaim in Season 6 of the show, during which she began her quest to retake her family home and exact revenge on those who wronged her. In an interview with "The New York Times", actress Sophie Turner said that "she's [Sansa] no longer a pawn in anyone's game; she's no longer a prisoner...she's the one taking charge and doing her own thing, which is very exciting". Megan Garber of "The Atlantic" praised the show's decision to have Sansa be the one orchestrating Ramsay's death in Battle of the Bastards, saying that "In the end, it was Sansa and her abuser, alone again in a darkened chamber; in the end though, it was Sansa making the decisions about who would be the victim." On the scene, Turner said: "It's amazing. It's Sansa's first kill and it's such a strong moment for her because all her life she's been affected by these men who have just done such terrible things to her..."  Following the penultimate Season 6 episode, Bennett Madison of "Vanity Fair" wrote "When Sansa icily reminds her dopey brother that 'No one can protect you', it's because she's always been on her own. As far back as King's Landing, Sansa's between quietly protecting herself, working on her stitchery while taking cool measure of everything going on around her, learning how to game the system, and slithering through situations that would have gotten the best of the show's more flashy or impulsive characters. In 'Battle of the Bastards', she got to show a little flash of her own; by being defiantly, gloriously correct in her convictions, by saving the day with her foresight and savvy, and by feeding Ramsay to the dogs." Turner later told "Time" magazine about how gratifying it was to watch Sansa's development during Season 6 and defended the show on its cruel treatment of women: "In my opinion, "Game of Thrones" is not sexist, and it's accurate to medieval time. The show puts social boundaries on the women, and they break out of these boundaries."

Recognition and awards.

Sophie Turner has received several award nominations for her portrayal of Sansa including an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2019. For her performance in the series she earned the Glamour Award for

Sansa Stark is a fictional character created by American author George R. R. Martin. She is a prominent character in Martin's award-winning "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.

Sansa Stark je fiktivní postava knižní série "Píseň ledu a ohně" a televizního seriálu "Hra o trůny", který je knihami z větší části inspirován. Byla vytvořena autorem knižní série Georgem R. R. Martinem, který ji představil již v prvním díle série a v seriálovém zpracování stále žije (dosud nebyly vydány všechny díly knižní série, proto není Sansin „knižní“ osud znám). V seriálu ji ztvární Sophie Turner.


Etymology.

Surat was founded by a man called Gopi, who named the area Surajpur or Suryapur. Duarte Barbosa described Surat as Suratt. Jacob Peeters referred to Surat as Sourratte which is a Dutch name there are many other names of surat in history. Surat is referred to as Surate or Soorat in some literature.

People from Surat.

A resident of Surat is called "Surati".

History.

In the 12th and 15th centuries, Surat was managed by Muslims. In 1514, the Portuguese traveler Duarte Barbosa described Surat as an important seaport, frequented by many ships from Malabar and various parts of the world. By 1520, the name of the city had become Surat. It was burned by the Portuguese (1512 and 1530) and conquered by the Mughals (1573) and was twice raided by the Maratha king Shivaji (17th century).  It was the most prosperous port in the Mughal empire. Despite being a rich city, Surat looked like a typical "grubby" trader's town with mud-and-bamboo tenements and crooked streets, although along the riverfront there were a few mansions and warehouses belonging to local merchant princes and the establishments of Turkish, Armenian, English, French and Dutch traders. There were also hospitals for cows, horses, flies and insects run by religious Jains, which puzzled travelers. Some streets were narrow while others were of sufficient width. In the evening, especially near the Bazaar (marketplace), the streets became crowded with people and merchants (including Banyan merchants) selling their goods. Surat was a populous city during the Mughal era but also had a large transient population: during the monsoon season, when ships could come and go from the ports without danger, the city's population would swell. In 1612, England established its first Indian trading factory in Surat. The city was sacked twice by the Maratha king Shivaji, with the first sacking occurring in 1664. Shivaji's raids scared trade away and caused ruin to the city.  Later, Surat became the emporium of India, exporting gold and cloth. Its major industries were shipbuilding and textile manufacture. The coast of the Tapti River, from Athwalines to Dumas, was specially meant for shipbuilders, who were usually Rassis. The city continued to be prosperous until the rise of Bombay (present-day Mumbai). Afterwards, Surat's shipbuilding industry declined and Surat itself gradually declined throughout the 18th century. Between 1790–1, an epidemic killed 100,000 Gujaratis in Surat. The British and Dutch both claimed control of the city, but in 1800, the British took control of Surat.  By the middle of the 19th century, Surat had become a stagnant city with about 80,000 inhabitants. When India's railways opened, the city started becoming prosperous again. Silks, cotton, brocades, and objects of gold and silver from Surat became famous and the ancient art of manufacturing fine muslin was revived.

Geography.

Surat is a port city situated on the banks of the Tapi river. Damming of the Tapi caused the original port facilities to close; the nearest port is now in the Magadalla and Hazira area of Surat Metropolitan Region. It has a famous beach called 'Dumas Beach' located in Hazira. The city is located at. It has an average elevation of 13 metres. The Surat district is surrounded by the Bharuch, Narmada, Navsari, to the west is the Gulf of Cambay and the surrounding districts. The climate is tropical and monsoon rainfall is abundant (about 2,500 mm a year). According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, the town falls under seismic zone-III, in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing vulnerability to earthquakes).

Climate.

Surat has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw), moderated strongly by the Sea to the Gulf of Cambay. The summer begins in early March and lasts until June. April and May are the hottest months, the average maximum temperature being. Monsoon begins in late June and the city receives about of rain by the end of September, with the average maximum being during those months. October and November see the retreat of the monsoon and a return of high temperatures until late November. Winter starts in December and ends in late February, with average mean temperatures of around, and negligible rain.  Since the 20th century, Surat has experienced some 20 floods. In 1968, most parts of the city were flooded and in 1994 a flood caused a country-wide plague outbreak, Surat being the epicenter. In 1998, 30 per cent of Surat had gone under water due to flooding in Tapti river following release of water from Ukai dam located 90 km from Surat and in Aug 2006 flood more than 95 per cent of the city was under Tapti river waters, killing more than 120 people, stranding tens of thousands in their homes without food or electricity and closing businesses and schools for weeks.

Economy.

Surat ranked 10th in India with a GDP of 2.60 lakh crore in fiscal year 2016 ($37 billion in 2016). Surat GDP in 2020 will be around $57 billion estimated by The City Mayors Foundation, an international think tank on urban affairs.

Diamond polishing.

Surat is a major hub of diamond cutting and polishing. The first diamond workshops in Gujarat appeared in Surat and Navasari in the late 1950s. The major group working in this industry is people from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Because of demand in the American market from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s (with only a brief recession in 1979), Surat's diamond industry grew tremendously. Currently most of the diamond polishing workshops are running in the Varachha area of Surat, mostly by the people of the Patel community.  Around the world, 8 out of 10 diamonds on the market were cut and polished in Surat. This industry earns India about US$10 billion in annual exports. A legacy of old Dutch trade links, it began after a Surti entrepreneur returned from East Africa bringing diamond cutters. The rough diamonds are mined in South Africa and other regions of the African continent, and go from here as smooth gems to Antwerp, Belgium where the international diamond trade is run mainly by Hasidic Jews and Jains from Palanpur in North Gujarat.

Textiles.

Since it is known for producing textiles, including silk, Surat is known as the textile hub of the nation or the Silk City of India. It is very famous for its cotton mills and Surat Zari Craft. Surat is the biggest centre of MMF (man-made fibre) in India. It has a total of 381 dyeing and printing mills and 41,100 power loom units. There are over a hundred thousand units and mills in total. The overall annual turnover is around 5 billion rupees. There are over 800 cloth wholesalers in Surat. It is the largest manufacturer of clothes in India, and Surti dress material can be found in any state of India. Surat produces 9 million metres of fabric annually, which accounts for 60% of the total polyester cloth production in India. Now the city is focusing on increasing the exports of its textile.

Information technology.

There are many SME Domestic IT Companies present in Surat. MNC IT companies like IBM, HCL have satellite or virtual branches in Surat. On 14 February 2014, Government of Gujarat DST had handover STPI Surat at Bhestan-Jiav Road, Bhestan Near Udhana-Sachin BRTS Route.  Surat city administration will demand for setting up of an Information Technology (IT) hub and an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) on the outskirts of the city.  Microsoft CityNext initiative has tied up with IT services majors Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro to leverage technology for sustainable growth of cities in India. The first smart IT city in India is being constituted by the Microsoft CityNext Initiative in Surat, Gujarat. In 2011, Surat hosted India's first Microsoft DreamSpark Yatra (a tech event) with speakers from Microsoft Headquarters at Redmond, Washington. The event was organised by Ex-Microsoft Student Partner Samarth Zankharia.  In May 2015, Tech giant IBM has chosen Surat among 16 global locations for its smart cities program to help them address challenges like waste management, disaster management and citizen services. Under the program, IBM will send a team of experts to each of the chosen cities where they will spend three weeks working closely with city staff analysing data about critical issues faced by its local bodies; the co-operation continued into 2016.

Diamond Research And Mercantile City (DREAM).

The government of Gujarat plans another project near Surat similar to Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT). The Chief Minister has suggested that the government wishes to develop DREAM to have a five-seven star hotel, bank, IT, corporate trading house, entertainment zone and other facilities while the Surat Diamond Bourse (SBD) will be based there. Allotment of Khajod land for the project is convenient for the state government because they have of available land. The Trade Centre, located near Sarsana village, will have a pillar-less air-conditioned hall with a pillar-less dome.

Transport.

Built in 1860, Surat railway station falls under the administrative control of Western Railway zone of the Indian Railways. In early 2016, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation rated the facility the best large station in India based on cleanliness.  The Sitilink or Surat BRTS is a bus rapid transit system in the city. Initiated by Bharat Shah, additional city engineer of Surat Municipal Corporation. It is operated by Surat Municipal Corporation and as of August 2017, had a network of 245 buses connecting major localities.  Surat International Airport located in Magdalla, 11 kilometres (7 mi) southwest of Surat. It is the 2nd busiest airport in Gujarat in terms of both aircraft movements and passenger traffic. Currently, airlines such as Air India, Alliance Air, AirAsia India, SpiceJet, IndiGo Airlines, Air Odisha, Ventura AirConnect provide flight services from the Surat to various major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam. There are also running international flights for the Sharjah route of Air India Express. Apart from the main city, Surat Airport also caters to various localities of south Gujarat including Navsari, Bardoli, Valsad, Bharuch, Ankleshwar.  Surat Metro is a proposed rapid transit rail system for the city.

Civic Institutions.

The Surat Municipal Corporation is responsible for maintaining city's civic infrastructure as well as carrying out associated administrative duties. At present, BJP is the ruling party with a majority. Under the Provisions of Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949, Section – 4, the powers have been vested in three Distinct Statutory Authorities: the General Board, the Standing Committee, and the Municipal Commissioner. <nowiki> </nowiki>It ranked 7 out of 21 cities for best administrative practices in India in 2014. It scored 3.5 on 10 compared to the national average of 3.3. It is the only city in India to disclose municipal budgets on a weekly basis.

Science centre.

Science Centre, Surat is a multi-facility complex built by the Surat Municipal Corporation in 2009, the first of its type in western India. The complex houses a science centre, museum, an art gallery, an auditorium, an amphitheatre, and a planetarium.

Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium.

With a seating capacity of 6800, Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium is the first of its kind in the Western Region of India. The stadium frequently organises national and international indoor games such as volleyball, table tennis, gymnastics, handball, boxing, wrestling, badminton, basketball, and tennis. It has a central arena of size 63 m x 33 m, rooms for participants and team officials, and other essential facilities including snack bars. This is also a convenient venue for organizing cultural programs, music concerts, drama, fashion shows, seminars, conferences and many more. The Indoor Stadium also hosted TEDxSurat 2018 on 7 October 2018 which is the largest TEDx conference of Gujarat and one of the largest TEDx conference of the world.

Lalbhai Contractor Cricket Stadium.

Lalbhai contractor cricket stadium has a capacity of more than 7000 and hosted several Ranji, Irani and Duleep Trophy matches. The stadium also serves as a primary destination for local budding cricketers and enthusiasts. The stadium has hosted several benefit matches for international cricketers as well.

Public Safety.

Surat began the 'Safe City Project' in 2011 aimed at keeping the city safe using surveillance cameras. The project was headed by Sanjay Srivastava (IPS) who was then the Joint-Commissioner of Surat Police. The 280-square-foot video wall, claimed to be the largest surveillance screen in the country, is being installed at the control room of Police Commissioner Mr. Rakesh Asthana (IPS). This will help the police view the entire city live through 10,000 CCTV cameras across the city. Surat police have decided to install 5,000 CCTV cameras at sensitive points across the city. While 1,000 cameras will be night vision cameras, 4,000 others will be simple CCTV cameras. This has been installed on PPP base with the help of the city's businessmen, city's social persons, Surat Municipal Corporation and Surat City Police.

Demographics.

According to the 2011 India census, the population of Surat is 4,462,002. Surat has an average literacy rate of 89%, higher than the national average of 79.5%, male literacy is 93%, and female literacy is 84%.  Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. In Surat, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Education.

Universities.

Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat is one of 31 National Institutes of Technology that are recognised as Institutes of National Importance by the Government of India. Indian Institute of Information Technology, Surat started in 2017.  Most of the regional colleges are affiliated to Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU, named after the poet Veer Narmad), which has headquarters in the Surat Metropolitan Region. Colleges are also affiliated to SNDT, Gujarat Technological University and other universities. Government Medical College, Surat is a more than 50 years old medical school of 250 yearly student admission capacity with attached tertiary care hospital, New Civil Hospital. Auro University has also started to provide education in Surat.

Culture.

Food.

Surat is famous for it's food all over the India. There is a famous saying in Gujarati language "સુરતનું જમણ અને કાશીનું મરણ", meaning "Eat in Surat and Die in Kashi for the ultimate experience of the soul".  The unique dishes of surat includes Locho, Ghari (sweet), Ponk, Undhiyu, Khaman, Sev Khamani etc.

Surat is a city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It used to be a large seaport and is now the commercial and economic center in South Gujarat, which is famous for its diamonds and textile Industries and as a shopping centre for apparels and accessories. It is the eighth largest city and ninth largest urban agglomeration in India. It is the administrative capital of the Surat district. The city is located south of the state capital, Gandhinagar; south of Ahmedabad; and north of Mumbai. The city centre is located on the Tapti River, close to Arabian Sea.

Súrat (, ) je město v indickém svazovém státě Gudžarát. Leží na řece Táptí zhruba dvacet kilometrů od jejího ústí do Kambajského zálivu. V roce 2011 měl Súrat zhruba 4,5 milionu obyvatel. Je druhým největším městem Gudžarátu po Ahmadábádu. Je důležitým střediskem textilního a diamantového průmyslu a také důležitým námořním přístavem a střediskem obchodu.


Early life.

Theodahad was a nephew of Theodoric the Great through his mother Amalafrida. He is probably the son of Amalafrida's first husband because her second marriage was about 500 AD. His sister was Amalaberga.  He may have arrived in Italy with Theodoric and was elderly at the time of his accession. Massimiliano Vitiello states the name "Theodahad" is a compound of 'people' and 'conflict'.  Before becoming king, his kinswoman Amalaswintha ruled. During her rule, potential enemies were murdered or humiliated. Theodahad was accused of land grabbing and forced to return land he had supposedly stolen.

King.

He arrested his first cousin Amalaswintha, former regent of the Ostrogoths from 526 to October 534, while they co-ruled as queen and king. He imprisoned her in the spring of 535 on an island in Lake Bolsena. When Amalaswintha was assassinated while in custody, his enemies claimed he acquiesced to her murder. Since her assassination would likely separate him from her power base, this was unlikely.  Political instability within the kingdom served as a pretext for Byzantine general Belisarius to intervene in Sicily and Italy, in the service of Emperor Justinian, causing the Gothic Wars.  When his ineffectiveness in the war caused Theodahad to lose control, Witiges sent Optaris to retrieve him dead or alive, and Witigis became king.  He was notable for his adoration for Neoplatonic philosophy and poetry over martial prowess. His focus on erudition instead of bellicosity, in a time when Italy was consumed by turmoil, is claimed to be a reason for his downfall.

In fiction.

Theodahad (as "Thiudahad") appears as a character in the alternate history novel "Lest Darkness Fall", by L. Sprague de Camp.

Theodahad, also known as Thiudahad (; born 480 AD in Tauresium – December 536) was king of the Ostrogoths from 534 to 536.

Theodahad (480, Tauresium, Panonie – prosinec 536, Via Flaminia nedaleko Říma, Ostrogótská říše) byl v letech 534-536 ostrogótský král z amalské dynastie a syn Theodorichovy sestry Amalafridy.


Life.

Little is known about the life of Menippus. He was a native of Gadara in Coele-Syria. The ancient sources agree that he was a slave. He was in the service of a citizen of Pontus, but in some way obtained his freedom and lived at Thebes. Diogenes Laërtius relates a dubious story that he amassed a fortune as a money-lender, lost it, and committed suicide through grief. Lucian ranks Menippus with Antisthenes, Diogenes, and Crates as among the most notable of the Cynics.

Writings.

His works (written in a mixture of prose and verse) are all lost. He discussed serious subjects in a spirit of ridicule, and especially delighted in attacking the Epicureans and Stoics. Strabo and Stephanus call him the "earnest-jester" (, "spoudogeloios"). His writings exercised considerable influence upon later literature, and the Menippean satire genre is named after him. Although the writings of Menippus no longer survive, there are some fragments of Varro's "Saturae Menippeae", which were written in imitation of Menippus. One of the dialogues attributed to Lucian, his avowed imitator, who frequently mentions him, is called "Menippus", but since the sub-title ("The Oracle of the Dead") resembles that of a work ascribed to Menippus by Diogenes Laërtius, it has been suggested that it is imitated from his "Necromancy".  Diogenes Laërtius says the following works were written by Menippus:  In addition, Athenaeus mentions works called "Symposium" and "Arcesilaus", and Diogenes Laërtius mentions a "Sale of Diogenes" () written by Menippus which seems to be the main source of the story that Diogenes of Sinope was captured by pirates and sold into slavery.

Menippus of Gadara (; ; fl. 3rd century BC) was a Cynic satirist. His works, all of which are lost, were an important influence on Varro and Lucian. The Menippean satire genre is named after him.

Menippos z Gadar, někdy též Menippos z Gadary (; 330 př. n. l. Gadara, nyní Umm Quais, Palestina – 260 př. n. l.) byl řecký filosof, představitel kynizmu. Původně byl otrokem, později se stal thébským občanem. Vytvořil literární formu později nazvanou dle jeho jména – menippská satira.


Life and career.

Early life and career beginnings.

Alexandra Burke was born in Islington, London on 25 August 1988, daughter of David Burke (born 1954) and Melissa Bell (5 March 1964 – 28 August 2017). Her mother was a soul and R&B singer, and featured as a singer in the band Soul II Soul. She is of Dougla, Afro-Jamaican, and Irish descent. Burke has four siblings, Sheneice, David Jr, Aaron and Jahzeel. Burke shares the middle names Cecelia Ewen with her mother and her sister, Sheneice. Burke said that she had to grow up very fast, at a very young age as her mother was always touring with her band and that she had to look after her young brother, which included taking him to and picking him up from school. Burke's parents broke up in 1992, while she was still young, but the pair continued to co-parent their children.  Burke began dance classes at a very early

2005–2008: "The X Factor".

Burke auditioned for the second series of "The X Factor" in 2005 (which was eventually won by Shayne Ward). She made it through to the final seven in Louis Walsh's 16–24 category, effectively the top 21 of the competition; however, Walsh did not choose her for his final four as he felt that she was too young for the competition. Burke however did not give up and went on to seek professional singing lessons over the next three years, proving her dedication and commitment to becoming a popstar. Burke's second bid to win "The X Factor" came in 2008. Falling into the

2009–2010: "Overcome", international breakthrough and All Night Long tour.

On 13 February 2009 it was reported that Burke signed a £3.5 million, five-album US record deal with Epic Records. Burke's first album was originally scheduled for March 2009, however, Simon Cowell confirmed that her album was scheduled for release later in the year to allow Burke to polish her skills and find the right songs for the album, so that it would not be rushed. The album was released on 19 October 2009 in the UK, titled "Overcome". Burke's first commercial single from her debut album is titled "Bad Boys", which features Flo Rida. The single premiered in the UK on

2010–2012: New record deal and "Heartbreak on Hold".

Burke stated that her next album would get "down, raunchy and dirty", promising the record would take risks. Burke took a break from recording so that she could embark on her first headline concert tour, the All Night Long Tour and said she would continue recording two days after the tour ends. She worked with RedOne for a lot of the album, but also reunited with Bruno Mars, StarGate, Rico Love, Autumn Rowe and Ne-Yo, among others. Burke stated that she had

2012–2014: "Renegade", U.S. launch and other projects.

In September 2012, it was revealed that Burke would take part in "Les Misérables" for Children in Need. Burke later announced that she was working on an album for a US release. Again in October 2012, Burke revealed that she was working on a follow-up album to "Heartbreak on Hold", which would be released in 2013. On 3 November, she performed "All The Lights" at MAMA Awards with Zico, leader of the k-pop group Block B, as part of a special stage from H-Artistry in Malaysia. Burke said she wanted to go back to her original sound which was featured on her debut album,

2014–2017: Musical theatre and "Strictly Come Dancing".

Burke made her West End debut as a leading cast member in the £5 million production of "The Bodyguard" on 2 June 2014, at London's Adelphi Theatre, taking over the lead role from Beverley Knight. Based on the 1992 movie of the same name and made famous by Whitney Houston, Burke played Rachel Marron – a superstar receiving threats from a love stricken obsessed fan, who falls in love with the new bodyguard hired to protect her. Burke was approached to play the role two years prior to her 2014 debut, but due to scheduling commitments was forced to turn down the opportunity. Two years later Alexandra was again invited to audition for the role and was subsequently offered the part.  Burke played the role for a relatively short period until the production closed at the Adelphi Theatre on 29 August 2014. The Bodyguard was one of London's most successful and popular shows at the time, however the production was forced to close as it had reached the end of its contract with the theatre, with a new production already booked to take residency. Later in the year Burke was nominated for

2018–present: "The Truth Is" and return to musical theatre.

On 22 December 2017, it was announced Burke had signed with Universal Music Group's Decca Records with her third record, "The Truth Is", was released on 16 March 2018. The album's lead single "Shadow", was released on 23 February 2018. Burke then announced her first full UK and Ireland tour in seven years; encompassing 13 venues, would commence in Southend on 1 September 2018, but this was canceled in June.  In February 2018, it was formally announced

Artistry.

Music and voice.

Burke's music is contemporary R&B, however her music has a feature of soul and pop in her some of her songs. Burke's vocal range has been compared to Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston and Beyoncé.  Since winning "The X Factor" and signing a record deal with Syco Music and recording her debut album "Overcome", Burke has been heavily involved in what type of music she records and releases. She said about being involved with the album's music: "I said to my manager I want my music to be fun, to be uplifting and to be bold. I want it to reflect my personality. I want it to be in your face, I want it to be a beast. I want it to be energetic and fun. When I record the ballads I want to cry. And if I go through a roller coaster recording this album then I want the listener to go through a roller coaster when they hear it." During her first studio album, the genre ranged from

Influences.

Burke's known influences in music include Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Kelly Rowland, and Whitney Houston. Burke has also listed Alicia Keys, John Legend and Mary J. Blige as an inspiration in music. Burke performed with Beyoncé during the final of series 5 of "The X Factor". Burke introduced Beyoncé by saying:  Beyoncé later described Burke as a "superstar" and Burke has a "beautiful voice" as well as being a "beautiful young lady" and that Beyoncé was proud to sing with Burke. Burke later said that performing with Beyoncé made her "dreams come true". Beyoncé later announced

Other ventures.

Fashion lines.

In 2010, it was reported that Burke and JLS who came second to Burke during "The X Factor" were in talks to release a clothing line together. JLS and Burke said that they have wanted to release a clothing line since before they were famous. The pair have been using ideas and inspiration which they have collected together over the years. It was later reported that the company would be called "2KX" and the company would sell a range of men and women's clothing which could be worn casually during the day or for a dressed up night out. With the clothing range being sold exclusively at branches of USC around the United Kingdom and Ireland. "2KX" was released in Spring 2011 during a heat wave in the United Kingdom which raised sales of the company. In order to promote the company, both artists began wearing the clothing at gigs performances, music videos as well as Facebook page opening for the company, an official website launch and YouTube adds. JLS wore the clothes in their music video for "Love You More".  Burke later signed a contract with IMG Models

Reality television.

Burke first appeared on reality television in 2001, when she took part in the second series of "Star for a Night". She became the runner-up of the series, behind Joss Stone. She went on to audition for the second series of "The X Factor" in 2005, where she made it to judges houses before her mentor Louis Walsh decided she was too young to continue in the competition. She returned to "The X Factor" for its fifth series in 2008, where she went on to win the competition

Philanthropy.

From a young age Burke has supported a number of charities around the United Kingdom. Before Burke went on to audition for "The X Factor" and achieved a successful music career, Burke went on tour with Young Voices. Burke performed in large audience venues, such as the Royal Albert Hall before she made fame. Burke went on tour with her mother's band, Soul II Soul where Burke sang to raise money for charity. Burke's mother, Melissa Bell, said that herself and Burke only do professional gigs together for charity. In 2008, while Burke was a contestant on "The X Factor" she and her fellow "series five contestants" released a cover of Mariah Carey's "Hero" for the Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion charities. The release was backed by, and originally suggested by, "The Sun" newspaper.  On 30 October 2008 it was announced that British Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling would waive all tax on copies sold on the single. He said:  Simon Cowell ordered the song to have a big promotional push in order for the song to top the UK Singles Chart, and the contestants performed the song live on "The X Factor" and again performed it with Carey herself. On 2 November 2008 it debuted atop of the UK Singles Chart, staying there for three consecutive weeks and becoming the fastest selling single of 2008. The song sold 100,000 copies in the first day of its release and 313,244 copies by the end of the week. It sold over 770,000 copies and raised over one million pounds for Help For Heroes foundation. Many shops had to order urgent copies of the single due to high demand." It was listed as the second biggest single of 2008 and the nineteenth best selling single of the decade. The single sold 1.2 million copies within the UK getting certificated double platinum. Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, many celebrities, including Burke, wanted to help the

Endorsements.

Burke first signed a merchandise contract when she agreed to become the face of company, Dolce & Gabbana in the United Kingdom and Ireland. After the end of Girls Aloud's contract as ambassadors for Nintendo DS, it was announced that Burke would become the new ambassador for the company; she was replaced by JLS when her contract finished. Then again, Burke recorded a television advertisement which featured Burke's music, "Bad Boys", "All Night Long", and "Start Without You", on this advert, it showed Burke

Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is an English singer, songwriter and actress. Burke won the fifth series of British television series "The X Factor" in 2008. She has been signed to Epic Records, RCA Records and Syco Music.

Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (* 25. srpna 1988, Islington, Anglie, Spojené království) je anglická zpěvačka a textařka. V roce 2008 vyhrála britskou verzi talentové soutěže X Factor. Měla podepsanou smlouvu s Epic Records, RCA Records a Syco Music.


History.

Planning.

For years, the New Jersey Devils had been rumored to be at least considering relocation. Even when the team won the Stanley Cup in 1995, it was amidst rumors that the franchise would move to Nashville. Despite playing championship-caliber hockey in the 2002–03 season culminating in a Stanley Cup that year, the Devils only averaged 14,858 fans per game at their home arena, Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford.  A project to build a new 18,000 seat arena in Newark first received funding from Newark's city council in 2002, when the team was owned by Puck Holdings, a subsidiary of YankeeNets. In 2004, former Lehman Brothers executive Jeffrey Vanderbeek bought the team from Puck Holdings and became a strong proponent of the proposed arena. Vanderbeek said, "The Devils need a new arena that can provide a game-day experience that is certainly equal to the best team in the National Hockey League and certainly equal to the product that is put on the ice." He also stated that he believed the arena "would take downtown Newark to a whole new level." After legal battles over both eminent domain and the city's financial participation in the arena project, the final deal was approved by council and went through in October 2004.

Construction and funding.

A site for the arena in downtown Newark was selected, bordered by Edison Place on the north, Lafayette Street on the south, Mulberry Street on the east, and Broad Street on the west. The site was the location of the never-completed Renaissance Mall and, previously, the tracks and train shed of the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Broad/Lafayette Street terminal whose building still stands nearby. The arena was designed by HOK Sport, with the exterior designed by Morris Adjmi Architects. Initial designs were released in early 2005 and referred to the arena as "Newark Arena". Groundbreaking began on October 3, 2005, and a workforce of 2,725 union workers was employed to construct the arena. Financial issues, though, threatened to halt the deal. On January 24, 2006, the Devils averted having the project canceled by submitting a guarantee in writing that the team would contribute $100 million to the arena, one day before their deadline.  Though construction was well underway, in late summer 2006, Cory Booker, who had recently taken office as Mayor of Newark, promised to reevaluate the deal and considered backing out. In October, Booker conceded there would be "a first-class arena built in the city of Newark, whether we like it or not", and soon afterwards, the Devils struck a deal including both property and monetary givebacks that appeased city officials.  The city of Newark pledged to contribute $210 million to the construction of the arena, using settlement money from its lease dispute over underpaid rent for use of Newark Liberty International Airport with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Devils paid for the remainder of the cost. Thus, no new direct taxpayer funding was required for the construction of the arena. Some taxpayer dollars, however, were spent on infrastructure improvements. These improvements were necessary for both the new arena and proposed private development surrounding that arena.  Prudential Financial purchased the naming rights to the stadium in January 2007 for $105.3 million over 20 years, reducing the city's cost for the project. The arena had been referred to as "Newark Arena" before the deal. In addition to its formal name, Prudential Center was immediately nicknamed "The Rock" after Prudential's corporate logo.  Construction on the arena was completed in October 2007. The estimated final cost of the arena's construction is $380 million. In total, more than 18,000 tons of steel were used to build the bowl area and high roof, while 62,000 linear feet of ductwork were installed throughout the arena. The Devils had to play their first nine games of the 2007–08 NHL season on the road as construction on their home arena was finished.

Opening.

For the soft opening on October 20, the Newark Boys Chorus performed at Prudential Center, which became the first use of the arena. It officially opened on October 25, 2007, with a series of 10 concerts by the New Jersey native rock group Bon Jovi, featuring a star-studded lineup of opening acts including Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Daughtry, The All-American Rejects and fellow New Jersey native group My Chemical Romance.  The Devils played their first home game at Prudential Center on October 27, 2007, against the Ottawa Senators, who, coincidentally, were the Devils' last opponent at Continental Airlines Arena. Chris Neil scored the arena's first goal, while Brian Gionta scored the Devils' first goal in the arena. Martin Gerber earned the first win as the Senators defeated the Devils 4–1.  On November 11, 2007, the first collegiate basketball game took place in the arena, with Seton Hall defeating Monmouth, 89–81, in overtime.

Lighting incident.

On January 8, 2010, a lighting problem occurred in the arena during a game between the Devils and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay was leading 3–0 with 9:12 left in the second period when half of the arena's sports lights went out due to a power surge on the grid feeding electricity to the arena, followed by a computerized lighting system failing to reboot. PSEG and Prudential Center electricians worked on the situation for 1 hour and 52 minutes but could not reboot the system. The game was suspended due to the lighting problem; it was resumed two nights later, with about 3,000 of the original crowd of 15,129 in attendance. Tampa Bay won, 4–2, with Lightning center Steven Stamkos scoring two goals in the contest: one on Friday and one on Sunday.

Arena usage.

Prudential Center primarily serves as the home arena for the New Jersey Devils hockey franchise, who previously played at the Meadowlands Arena from 1982 to 2007, as well as the home court of the NCAA's Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball program, who also played in the Meadowlands from 1985 to 2007. The arena also hosts select home games for the Seton Hall Pirates women's basketball team, and the NJIT Highlanders men's basketball team. The arena was a former home of the New York Titans of the National Lacrosse League until 2009, when the team moved to Orlando.

Ice hockey.

The Devils won their first regular season game at the arena on October 31, 2007, by defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 6–1, led by a hat trick by Jay Pandolfo.  The Devils' first playoff game win at the arena came on April 15, 2009, when they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4–1 in Game 1 of the First Round.  The Devils' first playoff series-clinching win at the arena was on May 25, 2012, when they defeated the rival New York Rangers 3–2 in overtime on a goal by Adam Henrique to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Games 1, 2, and 5 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals were played at the arena.

College basketball.

The Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball team moved into the arena on November 11, 2007, and defeated the Monmouth University Hawks by a score of 89–81 in overtime.  In November 2007 and 2008, the Center hosted the semifinals and finals of college basketball's Legends Classic.  The arena hosted the East Regional semifinals and final of the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

Professional basketball.

The Prudential Center was originally intended to also be the home of the New Jersey Nets, but the team was sold to real estate developer Bruce Ratner, who intended to build an arena in Brooklyn for the team, and the Nets remained in the Meadowlands while awaiting construction of what became the Barclays Center. However, the construction of the Barclays Center was plagued by lawsuits and economic issues during the late 2000s recession. In the fall of 2009, the Nets played two preseason games at the Prudential Center, while considering a possible move there. After the success of the preseason games at the Prudential Center, the Nets finalized a deal to move to the Prudential Center.  On June 23, 2011, the arena hosted the 2011 NBA draft, marking the second time the NBA draft was held in New Jersey. The arena held the NBA draft once again the following year on June 28, 2012.  On April 23, 2012, the Nets played their final game at the Prudential Center, a 105–87 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Lou Williams made the final basket on the court. The Nets subsequently relocated to the Barclays Center to become the Brooklyn Nets at the beginning of the 2012-13 NBA season.  The New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) played home games at Prudential Center during the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons, due to renovations at Madison Square Garden.

Indoor soccer.

The New Jersey Ironmen of the indoor Xtreme Soccer League (XSL) played their inaugural home game at Prudential Center on December 1, 2007. A crowd of 13,429 was on hand to see soccer legend Pelé, who was the honorary captain, take the ceremonial first kick. The Ironmen won this game 8–6 over the Detroit Ignition. The Ironmen folded along with the XSL in 2009.

Boxing and MMA.

Boxing promoter Main Events has hosted a number of fight cards, most notably headlined by former world champions Zab Judah and Tomasz Adamek. Due to the large Polish population in the North Jersey area, Adamek has drawn upwards of 10,000 fans for his last few bouts, including almost 11,000 against Michael Grant on August 21, 2010.  The UFC held UFC 78 on November 17, 2007, one of the first events to take place at the new arena. It marked the first UFC event in New Jersey in two years. It also played host to UFC 111, which took place on March 27, 2010. On March 19, 2011, it hosted UFC 128, UFC 159 on April 27, 2013, and UFC 169 on February 1, 2014.

Gymnastics.

On November 11, 2016, the arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.

Professional wrestling.

WWE has held multiple events at Prudential Center including Hell in a Cell in 2009, Extreme Rules in 2016, and Backlash on May 6, 2018. It is also a regular stop for "Monday Night Raw" and "Friday Night SmackDown ". On March 25, 2020, the arena was due to host an "AEW Dynamite" special episode Blood and Guts, featuring All Elite Wrestling's first-ever Blood and Guts match. However, the event was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NFL.

The National Football League used the arena for Super Bowl XLVIII Media Day on January 28, 2014, instead of the game's outdoor site, nearby MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

Concerts.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, for years a staple at the Meadowlands Arena, performed their first show at the Prudential Center on May 2, 2012, as part of their Wrecking Ball World Tour. They returned to the arena on January 31, 2016, for a date on the opening leg of The River Tour 2016.  The McDonald's Gospelfest, the nation's largest gospel music competition, has taken place at the arena since 2008.  The Eagles' performance at the arena on their Long Road out of Eden Tour is commemorated with murals on the arena's upper suite level.  The Rolling Stones broadcast their last show of their 50th-anniversary tour live on pay-per-view from the arena on December 15, 2012.  The Misfits, a punk rock band from Lodi, announced that they would reunite for one-time performance and play in the venue on May 19, 2018. Bon Jovi performed for ten nights at the October 25, 2007 opening of the Prudential Center. Many "big name" rock acts have performed and continue to perform at the Prudential Center.

In TV.

In June 2011, it played host to the Newark audition stages in the first season of the Fox talent search program "The X Factor". The open auditions were held on April 14.

Other events.

Democratic Governor Jon Corzine held a rally on November 1, 2009, to gather support for the governor's election on Tuesday, November 3, 2009. Speakers included Newark Mayor Cory Booker and President Barack Obama, who addressed the near-capacity crowd.  Nik Wallenda walked and then bicycled across a suspended wire, 12 stories off of the ground, from the roof of the Prudential Center during a live broadcast of "Today" on October 15, 2008. The stunt was made in an attempt to break the world record for longest and highest bike ride on a highwire, which is documented by the Guinness Book of Records.  In June 2019, the Center held the Season 7 World Championship of the Rocket League Championship Series, featuring 12 teams from North America, Europe, Oceania and for the first time in RLCS history, South America.  In August 2019, the Center hosted the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards for the first time in its history.

Features.

Design.

The red and gray exterior is inspired by Newark's bricklaying and railroad heritage. Fans approaching the arena from the front are presented with a view of the arena's externally mounted 4,800 square foot (446 m2) LED display, one of the largest in the world. The Daktronics display is split up into thin panels with gaps in between, in order to prevent the fans' view from inside from being obstructed. Along the arena's east side Mulberry Street entrance are two large "entrance cylinders" named the Ford Tower and Investor's Bank Tower, the arena's most prominent exterior feature. These towers take the fans up to the Grand Concourse, by escalator and staircase.  The interior's lower level Grand Concourse provides views of downtown Newark on the Edison Place and Mulberry Street sides through large windows. Prudential Center features separate concourses for the lower and upper levels, whereas the Continental Airlines Arena had one concourse for both levels of the arena. Throughout the Grand Concourse, jerseys of most high school hockey teams in New Jersey hang from the walls. The arena also features many murals of players and memorable moments from Devils history. One mural encompasses a long stretch of the Grand Concourse wall and features Devils Martin Brodeur, Scott Stevens, and Ken Daneyko, along with tributes to other New Jersey sports and Newark landmarks, with depictions that include Seton Hall men's basketball legends Richie Regan and Terry Dehere, soccer player Tony Meola, a boxer, and tennis legend Althea Gibson.

Amenities and facilities.

As one of the newer facilities to be used in the NHL, the Prudential Center features a large array of amenities. The rink area features LED ribbons circumnavigating the arena and a scoreboard by Trans-Lux installed in 2017, weighing over 44 tons and the largest in-arena, center-hung scoreboard in the world, replacing a smaller, lower-resolution eight-sided unit from Daktronics. The 76 luxury suites available are the largest in North America. Personal dining, WiFi, and HDTVs are some of the many conveniences available in the luxury suites. There are 750 flat-screen TVs in total across the arena. On each side of the lower bowl the three middle sections consist of a combined 2,330 Club seats. These black-colored seats emblazoned with the Devils' logo are wider with more legroom. Club seat and season ticket holders have access to a 350-seat restaurant on the suite level in one of the end zones with views of the rink and practice rink. Additionally, the Goal Bar, located on Suite Level One offers Club and Goal Bar seat holders terrace-style seating in a bar environment. Club Seat holders also have access to lounges on the main concourse offering buffet-style food options. One of these lounges contains the television camera staging area and the commentating post at which Steve Cangialosi and Ken Daneyko call games for MSG Plus telecasts, whereas home radio broadcasts and all road team broadcasts originate from the press box above the 200 level.  On the north, Edison Place side of the arena, at street level, are the ticket office and the Devils' 2,600 square foot (242 m2) Team Store, along with Championship Plaza, a public meeting place that celebrates the Devils' past and present successes on the ice. Attached to the Prudential Center are the Devils' corporate offices and practice rink, which contains its own locker rooms. The Prudential Center is one of only four NHL arenas with a practice rink (the others are Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, home of the Buffalo Sabres, and Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, home of the Detroit Red Wings) and the only one with dual locker rooms and practice facilities.  The Grammy Museum Experience, a museum celebrating the Grammy Awards, opened on October 20, 2017 at the Prudential Center.

Practice rink.

The Devils's practice rink, the RWJ Barnabas Health Hockey House (formerly AmeriHealth Pavilion), is attached to the arena, located on the south side of the building. On select days, it is open to fans after the game for public ice skating. The practice rink also served as the home of the Metropolitan Riveters of the National Women's Hockey League from 2016 to 2019. The Saint Peter's Prep Mauraders hockey teams, NJIT Highlanders club hockey team that competes in the Colonial States College Hockey Conference, and other local youth teams also use the rink. It has been the home The arena also hosts the NJSIAA Public A, Public B, and Private State Finals for high school ice hockey.

Championship Plaza and environs.

Championship Plaza, an outdoor space designed to celebrate the Devils' 30-year history, is located opposite the PNC Bank Tower on Mulberry Street between Edison Place and Market Street. "We are working hard to enhance our fans' experience at Prudential Center, and continue our effort to be a cornerstone in the revitalization of Newark", Vanderbeek said in a released statement. "Championship Plaza is going to be a great place to gather with friends, meet new fans and celebrate Jersey's team." The most prominent piece of the project is the tall, stainless steel hockey player statue. The Prudential rock, inspired by the Rock of Gibraltar, was also installed in the plaza, and placed along Mulberry Street. Devil fans were able purchase a limited amount of bricks that would be placed in and around the plaza with personalized messages inscribed. The plaza was opened to the public on October 3, 2009. On the opposite end of the arena, a statue of former New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur was dedicated outside of the Lafayette Street entrance tower and practice rink on October 22, 2016.  Much like the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Prudential Center was expected to boost Newark's urban renaissance. Small-scale projects in the immediate vicinity of the arena around Four Corners have led to the construction of new hotels, loft conversions, and a restaurant row. The development of Mulberry Commons (known as Triangle Park during its conception), a city square originally proposed as the centerpiece of a commercial and residential complex near the arena, stagnated for a decade before construction began in October 2017. The park finally opened after 15 years of delay on May 30, 2019.

Accessibility and transportation.

Located only two blocks from Newark Penn Station, the Prudential Center, like its other two major counterparts in the New York metropolitan area, Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center, is one of the most easily accessible arenas in the country. Public transportation access is provided via NJ Transit trains and buses, PATH trains, Newark Light Rail, and Amtrak. Major highways in the arena's vicinity include I-95 on the New Jersey Turnpike, I-78, I-280, US 1/9, NJ 21, US 22, and the Garden State Parkway.

Prudential Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, United States. It was designed by HOK Sport (now Populous), with the exterior designed by Morris Adjmi Architects. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the men's basketball program of Seton Hall University, known as the Seton Hall Pirates. The arena officially seats 16,514 patrons for hockey games and up to 18,711 for basketball. Fans and sports writers have affectionately nicknamed the arena "The Rock" in reference to the Rock of Gibraltar, the corporate logo of Prudential Financial, a financial institution that owns the naming rights to the arena and is headquartered within walking distance of it. In December 2013, the arena ranked third nationally and ninth internationally for self-reported annual revenue.

Prudential Center je sportovní aréna nacházející se v Newarku ve státě New Jersey. Je pojmenována podle společnosti Prudential Financial, která v lednu 2007 zakoupila práva na název arény na dalších dvacet let.