Description.

"B. rosserae" grows as a multi-stemmed shrub high, and wide. The trunks are from in diameter. Unusually for "Banksia" species, the grey bark is papery and flaky. The leaves are dark green, long and wide, with serrated margins. Flowers are yellow and occur in "Banksia"'s distinctive flower spikes; these are approximately spherical, with a diameter of about. The "cones" have a hairy appearance due to the retention of old flower parts. They typically contain from twelve to twenty follicles, most of which do not open until stimulated to do so by fire.

Taxonomy.

Taxonomic history.

Reports of who first discovered "B. rosserae" are somewhat contradictory. Peter Olde and Neil Marriott acknowledge Ann Pilkington of Kirkalocka, "who discovered "Banksia rosserae" and who drew it to our attention through various third parties." However, Kevin Collins states that it was first discovered in September 2000 by a "Grevillea" enthusiast named John Cullen. According to Collins, Cullen had visited Kirkalocka in search of an undescribed "Grevillea" species mentioned in the writings of Charles Gardner (now published as "G. kirkalocka"); in addition to finding the "Grevillea", he also found two "B. rosserae" plants growing on the top of an orange sand dune.  Irrespective of who first discovered it, its presence in the area was reported to Peter Olde and Neil Marriott. In 2001, Olde, Marriott and Keith Alcock visited the area in search of the undescribed "Grevillea" species. While there, they also searched for the "Banksia", and eventually Alcock located two specimens growing on top of a dune. The plants were clearly an undescribed species, so specimens were collected so that a formal description of the species could be published. The following year it was published as "Banksia rosserae" Olde & Marriott. The name honours Celia Rosser, an illustrator, whose three-volume monograph "The Banksias" has been acclaimed as one of 20th century's great works of botanical illustration.  In January 2002, Kevin Collins and John Cullen undertook a search for more plants, locating a clump of six plants about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the original two, and a further 18 plants on crown land adjacent to Kirkalocka. No flowering specimen was seen during these visits; indeed, no-one knew what the flower looked like until 2006. In March of that year, storms associated with Cyclone Glenda dumped a year's worth of rain in the area in a single day, and shortly afterwards, flowers began to form. Two months later, a party of botanists and "Banksia" enthusiasts visited the area, and observed the flowers for the first time.

Infrageneric placement.

"B. rosserae"'s relationship to other "Banksia" species is uncertain. Its leaves are virtually indistinguishable from narrow-leaved forms of "B. laevigata" (Tennis Ball Banksia), and like that species it has condensed, roughly spherical inflorescences, and slender styles. However, unlike "B. laevigata" it has a lignotuber, and terminal inflorescences that hang down instead of being held erect. The lignotuber suggests an affinity with "B. lullfitzii", while the pendulous inflorescences suggest a relationship with the "Banksia" ser. "Tetragonae" series.  Olde and Marriott provisionally placed it in subgenus "Banksia" because its inflorescences take the form of "Banksia"'s characteristic flower spikes; "Banksia" sect. "Banksia" because of its straight styles; and "Banksia" ser. "Cyrtostylis" because it has slender flowers. It was placed alongside "B. laevigata", but with the proviso that "we have perceived a close relationship between "Banksia laevigata" and "Banksia rosserae" which a more informed study may find superficial."  "B. rosserae"s current placement within "Banksia" may be summarised as follows:  A 2013 molecular study by Cardillo and colleagues using chloroplast DNA found that "B. rosserae" was sister species to a clade made up of "Banksia meisneri adscendens" and "Banksia pulchella", and the three together were sister to "Banksia meisneri meisneri".

Distribution.

"Banksia rosserae" is known only from an area south-south-east of Mount Magnet in inland Western Australia. There are 27 plants known, all occurring within a radius of about 20 kilometres (12 mi). The area is around 200 kilometres (125 mi) from where other "Banksia" species are known to occur, representing "a significant extension of range into the arid zone and a significant geographic disjunction for the genus."  Although most of the land around Mount Magnet has the heavy clay soil and "Acacia aneura" (Mulga) scrub common throughout semi-arid Western Australia, the area on which "B. rosserae" occurs is unusual in having deep yellow sand and laterite. It occurs there with mallee "Eucalyptus" species, over open heath of "Grevillea", "Hakea", "Leptospermum", "Melaleuca", "Cryptandra" and "Triodia" species. Thus the flora is more like that found on the Swan Coastal Plain than the arid zone in which it occurs.

Ecology.

Very little is known of the ecology of "B. rosserae". Its massive lignotuber is clearly an adaptation to desert conditions, providing a store of water during extended periods of drought, and a store of energy from which it can resprout after bushfire. Marriott also considers its papery bark to be an adaptation to desert conditions, although he does not elaborate on how the plant benefits from it.  Flowering apparently occurs only after rain, and hence may be separated by periods of many years. Pollinators have not been recorded for the species, but extensive data from other "Banksia" species suggests that insects, birds and nectariferous mammals would all play a role. There is clearly no shortage of pollinators, as most "cones" contain plenty of follicles. Although most follicles observed are closed, a few open ones have been found, suggesting that the species is weakly serotinous: that is, a few follicles open spontaneously or in response to rain, but most remain closed until burnt.  Seedlings would have little change of surviving in a normal dry season; establishment probably requires several consecutive seasons of good rain. The combination of a bushfire followed by several seasons of cyclonic storms probably only occurs every few hundred years, suggesting that opportunities for seedling recruitment are extremely rare. This would explain why the entire population appears to be over two hundred years old.  There is little information on threats to the species. All known plants appear to be in very good health and free of pests; it seems they are not eaten or damaged by the area's kangaroos, goats and sheep. Bushfire clearly poses no threat; and the area is free from "Phytophthora cinnamomi" dieback, a scourge of most other western "Banksia" species. Any concerns about future land use are abated by the fact that the largest population occurs on crown land, which is now being considered for a conservation reserve. In fact, the only perceived threat is the rarity of conditions conducive to seedling recruitment: "it may well be that this banksia has become so adapted to its harsh environment that its long-term future in the wild is in doubt."  Because of the absence of any specific threat to the species, it has not been declared rare or threatened. However, Olde and Marriott declared it to merit Priority One listing on the Department of Environment and Conservation's Declared Rare and Priority Flora List. Consequently, they withheld the precise location of their specimens "for conservation reasons".

Cultivation.

"Banksia rosserae" is poorly known in cultivation as yet. In 2003, Kevin Collins reported that "early trials have proven good seed viability and rapid young seedling development". The following year Neil Marriott reported that "seedlings germinate well with smoked water during spring, and young plants establishing here in deep granite sands and sandy loams at Stawell are growing slowly but steadily." It was his view that the species was likely to be of value to the cut flower industry, and as a garden plant in hot dry climates.

Banksia rosserae is a recently described species of "Banksia". Endemic to inland Western Australia, it is the only "Banksia" species to occur solely within the arid zone.

Banksia rosserae est une espèce découverte en 2000 de "Banksia", famille des "Proteaceae". Endémique dans l'intérieur de l'Australie de l'ouest, cette espèce est l'unique "Banksia" présente en zone aride. Elle a été baptisée en hommage à Celia Rosser, une artiste reconnue qui a publié une monographie en trois volumes, "Les Banksias" ("The Banksias"), contenant des peintures des 76 espèces connues à l'époque.


Education and early life.

He was born on 20 February 1937 in Munich where his father, Sebastian, was a bank cashier. He was educated at the Humanistisches Karls-Gymnasium from 1947 to 1956 and then studied chemistry at the Technische Hochschule, receiving his diploma in 1960. He stayed, and did research into using crystallography to elucidate the structure of organic compounds.

Career.

In 1971 he became a director at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry where his team developed methods for the crystallography of proteins.  In 1988 he received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry jointly with Johann Deisenhofer and Hartmut Michel. The trio were recognized for their work in first crystallizing an intramembrane protein important in photosynthesis in purple bacteria, and subsequently applying X-ray crystallography to elucidate the protein's structure. The information provided the first insight into the structural bodies that performed the integral function of photosynthesis. This insight could be translated to understand the more complex analogue of photosynthesis in cyanobacteria which is essentially the same as that in chloroplasts of higher plants.  In 2006, he took up a post at the Cardiff University to spearhead the development of Structural Biology at the university on a part-time basis.  Since 2005 he has been doing research at the "Center for medical biotechnology" of the University of Duisburg-Essen.  Huber was one of the original editors of the Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry

Awards and honours.

In 1977 Huber was awarded the Otto Warburg Medal. In 1988 he was awarded the Nobel Prize and in 1992 the Sir Hans Krebs Medal. Huber was elected a member of Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts, in 1993 and Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in 1999. His certificate of election reads:

Personal life.

Huber is married with four children.

Robert Huber (born 20 February 1937) is a German biochemist and Nobel laureate. known for his work crystallizing an intramembrane protein important in photosynthesis and subsequently applying X-ray crystallography to elucidate the protein's structure.

Robert Huber (né le à Munich) est un chimiste allemand. Il est co-lauréat du prix Nobel de chimie de 1988 avec Johann Deisenhofer et Hartmut Michel.


History.

Background and early years.

Although officially the new stadium was inaugurated on 6 December 1981 with a Maltese Premier League encounter between Zurrieq F.C. and Senglea Athletic F.C., certain records suggest that the stadium was already up and running by May 1981. Indeed, newspapers extracts indicate that the stadium hosted the final of the first ever national championship organised by the now defunct Malta Football Federation (not to be mixed with the Malta Football Association, which at that time was known as the Main Football Association) between Valletta Vanguards FC and Birkirkara St. Joseph Sports Club on 3 May 1981.  The highest ever attendance at the Stadium was on during a 1986 World Cup Qualifier encounter between Malta and West Germany played on 16 December 1984, when 35,102 people turned up to watch Malta narrowly lose to the runners up of the previous World Cup.

The Millennium Stand.

On 3 September, 2002, the Malta Football Association inaugurated the Millennium Stand. The Millennium Stand replaced the 5,000 seater East Stand, which had been declared as a dangerous structure for a number of years by then and hence had to be demolished. The construction of the Millennium Stand, which costed 3.5 million Maltese lira, Malta's currency before the introduction of the Euro, was regarded as the ""biggest infrastructural project ever undertaken by the Malta Football Association"" whereas the stand itself has been described as ""the jewel in the Malta FA's crown"".

Pitch Resurfacing.

In 2016, the Maltese Football Association announced a €1.5 million project to replace the old grass surface with a modern hybrid grass surface, with the latter having been in service for 35 years. The project was conducted by SIS Pitches who are renowned for other works such as the Vodafone Arena and iPro Stadium. The expenses were partly financed by UEFA and FIFA, with the rest being covered by the MFA.

Future.

In July 2017, during the annual general meeting, the Malta Football Association announced five projects were announced by the association. Two of the these projects, which also include the construction of new futsal hall and a parking adjacent to the Enclosure (West Stand), entail the re-development of the North and South Stands.. A short clip shared by the association on its Facebook page suggests that the space behind both the goals will be removed and the two stands will be moved closer to the pitch. The re-development also entails the removal of the corners, thus resulting in the stadium become an "English-style" venue.

Events.

UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

The National Stadium was Malta's main venue during its hosting of the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. The stadium hosted 7 matches in all, including the opening ceremony, 3 group stage games, the semi-finals and the final. 9,422 people turned up to watch England win the championship by beating the Netherlands on penalties.

Games of the Small States of Europe.

The Xth edition of the Games of the Small States of Europe was held in Malta and the National Stadium was chosen to hold the Opening Ceremony. The Opening Ceremony was spectacular as colour, dance and fireworks made the evening a memorable one for those present at the stadium.

The stadium, locally also referred to as Ta' Qali, officially known as Grawnd Nazzjonali (), is a stadium located in Ta' Qali, Malta. The stadium, which also contains the headquarters of the Malta Football Association, seats 16,997 people and is, by far, the largest stadium in the country. It serves as the national football stadium of Malta and is the home stadium of the Malta national football team. The stadium, together with three other stadiums, also hosts the Maltese Premier League.

Le Ta'Qali Stadium est le stade national de la république de Malte, situé dans la commune de Ħ'Attard. Les grands événements footballistiques et musicaux locaux y sont accueillis, sa capacité est de 17 500 places assises (35 000 pour les concerts).


League business.

Not since World War II travel restrictions caused the NHL to drop regular season overtime games in 1942–43 had the NHL used overtime to decide regular season games. Starting this season, the NHL introduced a five-minute extra period of overtime following the third period in the event of a tied game. A team losing in overtime would get no points. This rule remained in effect until the 1999–2000 season, where a team losing in overtime was awarded 1 point. If the game remained tied after the five-minute extra period, it remained a tie, until the NHL shootout arrived in the 2005–06 season. Overtime in the Stanley Cup playoffs remained unchanged.  In the entry draft, Brian Lawton became the first American to be chosen first overall, by the Minnesota North Stars. Three Americans were chosen in the top five: Lawton, Pat Lafontaine (third) and Tom Barrasso (fifth). Sylvain Turgeon was chosen second and Steve Yzerman was chosen fourth overall. The St. Louis Blues did not participate in the draft, having been "orphaned" by Ralston Purina. The NHL took control of the franchise after the draft. On July 27, 1983, Harry Ornest purchased the Blues for US$3 million.  Arthur M. Wirtz, long-time chairman and part-owner of the Chicago Black Hawks, died at the age of 82 on July 21, 1983. His son, Bill, took over ownership of the team.

Regular season.

The Edmonton Oilers ran away with the best record in the league, and for the third straight year set a new record for most goals in a season, 446. The Oilers' new captain, Wayne Gretzky, was once again breaking records and rewriting his name into the record book. This season saw Gretzky score at least one point in the first 51 games of the season. During those 51 games, Gretzky had 61 goals and 92 assists for 153 points, which is equivalent to exactly three points per game. He also won his fifth straight Hart Trophy and his fourth straight Art Ross Trophy. The season's second leading scorer was Gretzky's teammate Paul Coffey, who, with 126 points, became the third defenceman to score 100 points in a season.  The Calgary Flames played their inaugural season at the Olympic Saddledome.  Prior to the season, the St. Louis Blues were purchased by Harry Ornest, keeping the team from moving to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and remaining in the Missouri city, where it remains. In addition, the team's home venue, the Checkerdome, reverted to its original name, the Arena, after six seasons.

Final standings.

"Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes"

Playoffs.

Stanley Cup Finals.

It was a rematch of the 1983 final as the Islanders attempted to match the 1950s Montreal Canadiens and win five consecutive Stanley Cup championships, against the Edmonton Oilers attempting to win the franchise's first championship. The Islanders lost the first game at home 1–0, but came back to defeat the Oilers 6–1 in the second game. Edmonton took over the series from that point, winning the next three games, all played in Edmonton.  This season's finals adopted the 2–3–2 home ice format, rather than the usual 2–2–1–1–1 format.

Awards.

All-Star teams.

Source: NHL.

Player statistics.

Scoring leaders.

"Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points"  Source: NHL.

Leading goaltenders.

"Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts"

Milestones.

Debuts.

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1983–84 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

Last games.

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1983–84 (listed with their last team):

The 1983–84 NHL season was the 67th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers de-throned the four-time defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders four games to one in the Cup finals.

La saison 1983-1984 est la régulière de la Ligue nationale de hockey. Vingt-et-une équipes ont joué chacune 80 matchs. Auparavant, en cas d'égalité à la fin du temps réglementaire, la partie est déclarée nulle. Cette saison, la ligue décide de mettre en place une prolongation de cinq minutes ; la première équipe à marquer est alors déclarée gagnante. Si les équipes ne se départagent toujours pas, le match est alors arrêté et déclaré nul.


Career.

Tyibilika was born in Port Elizabeth and educated at the Loyiso High School. While at high school he started playing rugby union, making his professional debut in 2001 with Griquas.  Tyibilika played for Springbok 'A' in 2004. In November of that year he made his debut for the Springboks in a match against Scotland at Murrayfield playing at flank. South Africa won the match 45–10. He scored on his debut. He played in a subsequent test against Argentina in Buenos Aires, which the Springboks won 39–7.  Tyibilika next played for the Springboks the following season in June, where he played against Uruguay, which the Springboks won 134–3. He then played a subsequent test against the Wallabies in the 2005 Tri Nations Series, which the Springboks won 33–20 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. He earned one other cap that year against Argentina in Buenos Aires in November. He was named in the Springboks' 2006 Tri Nations Series squad.  Tyibilika was part of the Southern Kings squad that played against the British and Irish Lions, in the Lions tour of South Africa in 2009.  In the 2011 season, which would turn out to be his last, he played for Hamiltons in Cape Town.  Tyibilika scored 24 tries for Griquas, Sharks, Lions and Border, appearing 158 times.

Personal life.

Tyibilika was not married and had four children.

Death.

Tyibilika was shot dead in a tavern in the township of Gugulethu, near Cape Town, shortly after 2pm on 13 November 2011. Witnesses reported Tyibilika had his back turned to the entrance and was on his telephone when two gunmen fired ten rounds in the door. Tyibilika was found to be lying lifeless in his own blood on the floor after the incident.  Mr Oregan Hoskins, president of SARU, said, ""Solly was a trailblazer among black African Springboks. To lose him so suddenly and in this brutal manner is very distressing. The casual disregard for life in our society is shocking."" Hoskins also said, ""His emergence was a demonstration of what can be achieved when talent is combined with opportunity in what is always a very competitive position in Springbok rugby"". There were pleas for donations for a burial, with his last club Hamiltons offering to help his family. Sport and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula told Parliament two days after the murder that Tyibilika had done his country proud.

Solomzi "Solly" Tyibilika (23 June 1979 – 13 November 2011) was a South African rugby union footballer, who played as a flanker for the Lions in the international Super 14 competition in his last years. He was the first black person (not white or mixed race) to score a test try for the South Africa national rugby union team.

Solomzi Tyibilika dit Solly Tyibilika, né le à Port Elizabeth et mort assassiné le dans un bar de Gugulethu dans la banlieue du Cap, est un joueur sud-africain de rugby à XV évoluant au poste de troisième ligne aile. International à huit reprises, il est le premier joueur noir de l'histoire à avoir marqué un essai pour les ".


Playing style.

Tanasugarn produces her best game and strategy when she performs on grass. She is also known for her accurate flat ground strokes and a heavy slice serve for which are particularly effective on grass, Venus Williams has given an interview regarding Tanasugarn's game after their quarterfinal match in 2008 Wimbledon Championships "I think her game is really suited for the grass. Her serve is a slice that turns into you and it stays low. Her shots are really, really low to the ground. A lot of time I think I was battling just to stay down on the shots, and I felt good when I got one up in my strike zone". Kim Clijsters has once described Tanasugarn as a "tricky player". Tanasugarn's weakness has always been her serve.  Tanasugarn was coached by her best friend, Andreea Ehritt-Vanc until her retirement.

Career.

Junior.

During her junior career, her expenses were provided by her father, Virachai Tanasugarn, a lawyer who was once a Thai basketball player and who inspired Tanasugarn to become a professional tennis player. At 17, she reached the Junior Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in 1995 with a win over Anna Kournikova in the semifinal, but lost to Poland's Aleksandra Olsza, 5–7, 6–7 in the final.

1994–1999.

Tanasugarn turned pro in 1994, but made her WTA debut in the 1993 Pattaya Women's Open, in which she lost to Australian Rennae Stubbs, 4–6, 6–7. The following year, she made the second round in the same tournament by beating world No. 44, Marianne Werdel Witmeyer in the first round, 1–6, 7–5, 7–5. In 1995, Tanasugarn started participating in Grand Slams, but did not make it beyond the qualifying rounds. In 1996, Tanasugarn played her first WTA final at the Pattaya Women's Open, in which she lost to Ruxandra Dragomir, 6–7, 4–6. In 1997, she reached the third round of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, beating Chanda Rubin in the first round. She reached a semifinal at Hobart and ended the year with a No. 46 ranking.  1998, Tanasugarn reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam in the Australian Open by defeating the reigning French Open Champion and world No. 6 Iva Majoli, 6–0, 6–2, in the third round. Tanasugarn also made her second fourth round of the year at Wimbledon, where she eventually lost to Martina Hingis. In 1999, she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for a second time by defeating Frenchwoman Sandrine Testud, 6–2, 1–6, 6–3, in the third round. Tanasugarn ended the year ranked No. 72.

2000–2004.

Tanasugarn partnered with Paradorn Srichaphan at the Hopman Cup in 2000. Tanasugarn beat Jelena Dokić of Australia, Barbara Schett of Austria, Ai Sugiyama of Japan, and Henrieta Nagyová of Slovakia. However, Tanasugarn lost in the women's singles final to Amanda Coetzer of South Africa, 6–3, 4–6, 4–6, having led 6–3, 3–0. In the men's singles final Paradorn Srichaphan lost to Wayne Ferreira, 6–7, 3–6. This result made them the first Asian team to reach the finals at the Hopman Cup. Tanasugarn reached her second WTA final at Birmingham with a win over Julie Halard-Decugis, but lost to Lisa Raymond. She also lost in the fourth round at Wimbledon to Serena Williams. Tanasugarn reached three semifinals at the Japan Open Tennis Championships, Kuala Lampur, and Shanghai. She represented Thailand in the 2000 Summer Olympics, but was defeated by Venus Williams. Her year-end ranking was No. 29, her first time in the top 30.  In 2001 Tanasugarn had her second and third top-ten wins against Nathalie Tauziat at Eastbourne and Amélie Mauresmo at Wimbledon and reached her third career final at Japan Open Tennis Championships, losing to Monica Seles, 3–6, 2–6. At the end of the season Tanasugarn was ranked in the top 30.  In 2002 Tanasugarn achieved her best ranking by reaching the fourth and fifth major finals at Canberra, losing to Isarael's Anna Smashnova, and at Doha, losing to Monica Seles, and the quarterfinals at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. On 13 May, Tanasugarn was ranked No. 19 in the world, her best career ranking to date. Tanasugarn ended the year ranked No. 28.  In 2003, Tanasugarn won her first tour major in Hyderabad, where she beat Maria Kirilenko in the quarterfinals, the Flavia Pennetta in the semifinals, and Iroda Tulyaganova from Uzbekistan in the final, 6–4, 6–4. Tanasugarn reached her second Tier I quarterfinal in the Toray Pan Pacific Open, beating Silvia Farina Elia, but lost to Lindsay Davenport in two sets. Tanasugarn suffered her earliest exit at Wimbledon since she turned pro, losing to Akiko Morigami in the first round. Tanasugarn reached the fourth round at the US Open for the first time, beating Rita Grande, Patty Schnyder, and ninth seed Daniela Hantuchová. She lost to Amélie Mauresmo in two sets in the following round. Tanasugarn was ranked No. 34 at the end of the year.  In 2004, Tanasugarn reached her sixth fourth round at Wimbledon, although she lost to Ai Sugiyama in two sets. Tanasugarn was also a semifinalist in the Japan Open Tennis Championships, losing to Maria Sharapova.

2005–2007.

Tanasugarn had to deal with multiple injuries, which affected most of her year in 2005. Her ranking dropped out of the top 100, and she played in Challenger-level tournaments to collect points.  In 2006, she once mentioned retiring from tennis, but, after she qualified to play in the main draw of Wimbledon and reached the third round, she decided to give it another shot. Tanasugarn reached her home country tournament final again in the Bangkok Open, facing Vania King, and was two games away from taking the title. Leading in the final set 4–2, King fought back to win the match. Despite losing the match, Tanasugarn regained some confidence to get back to the tour. She finished that year ranked No. 75.  Unfortunately Tanasugarn still struggled with injuries in 2007 and had to play in many Challengers, ending the season ranked No. 124.

2008–2009.

Tanasugarn made a successful comeback in 2008. She decided to skip the clay-court season due to her difficulty playing on that surface and chose to play in hard-court Challengers she thought were more like grass. Tanasugarn won the singles title at the Kangaroo Cup in Gifu, defeating former world No. 4, Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan.  In the grass-court season, Tanasugarn beat the Austrian Tamira Paszek in Birmingham, but lost to Bethanie Mattek in the fourth round. A week later, Tanasugarn stunned many tennis fans at the Ordina Open when, ranked No. 85, she beat Kateryna Bondarenko, Ashley Harkleroad, Michaëlla Krajicek, and Alona Bondarenko to reach her eighth major final, beating the French Open runner-up Dinara Safina in two sets. She reached her seventh fourth round at Wimbledon, beating Petra Cetkovská, Vera Zvonareva and Marina Erakovic en route, and surprised the world No. 3, Jelena Janković with a two-set defeat in the fourth round. Despite making her Grand Slam quarterfinal debut, she lost to the eventual champion Venus Williams, 4–6, 3–6. Tanasugarn became the first Thai player to make a Grand Slam quarterfinal. She ended 2008 ranked No. 35, her best ranking in four years. Tanasugarn was seeded 32nd in the 2009 Australian, Open, but lost early to María José Martínez Sánchez, 5–7, 3–6. She played in the Fed Cup for Thailand, losing to Samantha Stosur, 6–4, 5–7, 0–6, leaving Thailand in third place in the Asia/Oceania group, after Australia and New Zealand. Tanasugarn lost to Sania Mirza in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the Pattaya Women's Open. In doubles, she partnered Yaroslava Shvedova, and the team, seeded second, got into the final and won the match, beating Yuliya Beygelzimer and Vitalia Diatchenko, 6–3, 6–2.  At the French Open, Tanasugarn defeated Camille Pin, 6–3, 5–7, 7–5, in the first round. In the second round, she was beaten by eighth seed, and defending champion, Ana Ivanovic, 1–6, 2–6. Tanasugarn started playing on grass courts at the Aegon Classic. In the first round, she defeated Julie Coin in straight sets, 7–6, 6–1. In the second round, Tanasugarn spent 2 hours 23 minutes on court, eventually losing to home favourite Naomi Cavaday in three sets, 6–7, 6–2, 4–6. In's-Hertogenbosch. As defending champion, Tanasugarn defeated Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová and seventh seeded Iveta Benešová to reach the quarterfinals. There, she recovered from a set down to defeat third seeded Flavia Pennetta, 2–6, 6–3, 6–3. In the semifinals, Tanasugarn defeated Dinara Safina in straight sets, 7–5, 7–5. It was Tanasugarn's first career win over a reigning world No. 1. In the final, she beat Yanina Wickmayer, 6–3, 7–5, to successfully defend her title.  At Wimbledon Tanasugarn had an arm injury and lost to Arantxa Parra Santonja in the first round, 4–6, 4–6. Tanasugarn played the mixed-doubles event for the first time, partnering with Rogier Wassen, but she scratched in the second round because of her injury.  Tanasugarn came back after her arm injury at the 2009 US Open, but lost to Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia in the first round, 3–6, 5–7.

2010–2015.

Tanasugarn started the year by playing at the Australian Open. She won her first Grand Slam first-round match in five years, with a 6–1, 7–6 victory over Sesil Karatantcheva, but lost to Kim Clijsters in the second round, 3–6, 3–6. At the Pattaya Open, Tanasugarn worked her way past Alla Kudryavtseva, 6–1, 6–1, second seed Sabine Lisicki, 6–3, 3–6, 7–5, Anna Chakvetadze, 6–1, 6–4, and Sesil Karatantcheva, 6–2, 6–0. She finally lost to top seed and defending champion, Vera Zvonareva in a dramatic final, 4–6, 4–6.  Tanasugarn and her New Zealand partner Marina Erakovic won the Pattaya Open doubles title, beating Anna Chakvetadze and Ksenia Pervak, 7–5, 6–1, giving Tanasugarn a successful defence of her homeland doubles title. Tanasugarn's next scheduled tournament was the Malaysian Open, where she lost to seventh seed Magdaléna Rybáriková in the first round, 5–7, 3–6. At the American fortnight tours, she entered the main draw in Indian Wells as a lucky loser and advanced into the second round, before losing to 19th seed Aravane Rezaï. In Miami, she lost to Pauline Parmentier in the final qualifying round. She also played several ITF tournaments in April, reaching the finals in Johannesburg.  After the middle of April, Tanasugarn did not play any tournaments and withdrew in Strasbourg due to an elbow injury. At Roland Garros, she lost to Daniela Hantuchová in the first round. Tanasugarn began playing her favourite surface, grass, at the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, surviving into the second round against Sania Mirza, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1, after Mirza failed to serve out the match at 5–4 and 30–0. She lost to Yanina Wickmayer in the next round, 4–6, 4–6. She then competed at the UNICEF Open in's-Hertogenbosch, but was defeated in the first round. Tanasugarn suffered a first-round loss at Wimbledon and missed the US Open due to injuries. She won her fourth WTA title at Osaka, defeating Marion Bartoli en route and Kimiko Date-Krumm in the final.  Despite losing in qualifying stages of 2011 Wimbledon with her partner Marina Erakovic, the doubles team received a lucky loser berth into the main draw and advanced to the semifinals with a 4–6, 7–6, 13–11 victory over third seeds Lisa Raymond and Liezel Huber. It was the first time that Tanasugarn (as well as Erakovic) had advanced to the semifinals of a Grand Slam event in any capacity.  In late March 2015, Tanasugarn defeated Sofia Shapatava in the first qualifying round of the 2015 Open GDF Suez Seine-et-Marne; this would be the final singles win of her professional career. In late April 2015, Tanasugarn lost to Kristýna Plíšková in the first round of the 2015 Kangaroo Cup; this would turn out to be the final singles match of her career.

2016–present: retirement.

She announced her retirement from professional tennis in June 2016.  Tanasugarn regularly plays doubles in small ITF tournaments around Thailand and nearby areas, most recently winning the finals of the $25K tournament in Hua Hin in November 2019, partnering Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove.

Police Lieutenant Tamarine Tanasugarn (,, ; born 24 May 1977) is a Thai professional tennis player. Born in Los Angeles, United States she turned professional in 1994, and has been in the top 20 in both singles and doubles. Tanasugarn's highest WTA ranking was No. 19, achieved on 13 May 2002, which is the highest ranking ever achieved for a Thai female player. She has won four singles and eight doubles titles. She was briefly a doubles partner with Maria Sharapova, with whom she won two titles in 2003. Her career-high doubles ranking was No. 15, which she achieved on 13 September 2004. With Liezel Huber, she reached the 2004 US Open doubles quarterfinals, and at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, she reached the women's doubles semifinal with Marina Erakovic. Her biggest success came in 2008, when she reached the singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

Tamarine Tanasugarn, surnommée "Tammy", née le à Los Angeles (États-Unis), est une joueuse de tennis thaïlandaise, professionnelle de 1994 à 2016. Elle a remporté quatre tournois en simple sur le circuit WTA au cours de sa carrière.


Plot summary.

Sophie Amundsen is a 14-year-old girl who lives in Norway.  The book begins with Sophie receiving two messages in her mailbox and a postcard addressed to Hilde Møller Knag. Afterwards, she receives a packet of papers, part of a course in philosophy.  Sophie, without the knowledge of her mother, becomes the student of an old philosopher, Alberto Knox. Alberto teaches her about the history of philosophy. She gets a substantive and understandable review from the Pre-Socratics to Jean-Paul Sartre. In addition to this, Sophie and Alberto receive postcards addressed to a girl named Hilde from a man named Albert Knag. As time passes Knag begins to hide birthday messages to Hilde in ever more impossible ways, including hiding one inside an unpeeled banana and making Alberto's dog, Hermes, speak.  Eventually, through the philosophy of George Berkeley, Sophie and Alberto figure out that their entire world is a literary construction by Albert Knag as a present for Hilde, his daughter, on her 15th birthday. Hilde begins to read the manuscript but begins to turn against her father after he continues to meddle with Sophie's life by sending fictional characters like Little Red Riding Hood and Ebenezer Scrooge to talk to her.  Alberto helps Sophie fight back against Knag's control by teaching her everything he knows about philosophy, through the Renaissance, Romanticism, and Existentialism, as well as Darwinism and the ideas of Karl Marx. These take the form of long pages of text, and, later, monologues from Alberto. Alberto manages to concoct a plan so that he and Sophie can finally escape Albert's imagination. The trick is performed on Midsummer's Eve, during a "philosophical garden party" that Sophie and her mother arranged to celebrate Sophie's fifteenth birthday. The party soon descends into chaos as Albert Knag lost his control over the world, causing the guests to react with indifference to extraordinary occurrences. Alberto informs everyone that their world is fictional but the guests react with rage, believing him to be instilling dangerous values in the children. When a Mercedes smashes into the garden, Alberto and Sophie use it as an opportunity to escape. Knag is so focused on writing about the car that he doesn't notice them escaping into the real world.  Having finished the book, Hilde decides to help Sophie and Alberto get revenge on her father. Alberto and Sophie cannot interact with anything in the real world and cannot be seen by anyone but other fictional characters. A woman from Grimm's Fairy Tales gives them food before they prepare to witness Knag's return to Lillesand, Hilde's home.  While at the airport, Knag receives notes from Hilde set up at shops and gateways, instructing him on items to buy. He becomes increasingly paranoid as he wonders how Hilde is pulling the trick off. When he arrives back home, Hilde has forgiven him now that he has learned what it is like to have his world interfered with. Alberto and Sophie listen as Knag tells Hilde about one last aspect of philosophy—the universe itself. He tells her about the Big Bang and how everything is made up of the same material, which exploded outward at the beginning of time. Hilde learns that when she looks at the stars she is actually seeing into the past. Sophie makes a last effort to communicate with her by hitting her and Knag with a wrench. Knag doesn't feel anything, but Hilde feels as though a gadfly stung her, and can hear Sophie's whispers. Sophie wishes to ride in the rowboat but Alberto reminds her that as they are not real people, they cannot manipulate objects. In spite of this, Sophie manages to untie the rowboat and they ride out onto the lake, immortal and invisible to all but a few. Hilde, inspired and mesmerized by philosophy and reconnected with her father, goes out to get the boat back.

Adaptations.

Movie.

In 1999 "Sophie's World" was adapted into a Norwegian movie by screenwriter Petter Skavlan. It was not widely released outside of Norway. Kjersti Holmen won an Amanda Award for her role in the movie.

Television.

The 1999 movie was also presented as an eight-part TV series in Australia and Iceland, again scripted by Petter Skavlan.  It was also adapted for television in 1995 by Paul Greengrass and shown on the BBC as part of "The Late Show". This version starred Jessica Marshall-Gardiner as Sophie, Jim Carter as Albert Knox, and Twiggy as Sophie's Mother.

Board game.

In 1999 it was made into a board game by Robert Hyde and Ken Howard, and published by Sophisticated Games Ltd. The game involves answering trivia on famous philosophers and requires players to talk for several minutes on philosophical topics such as animal rights.

Computer game.

In 1998 it was adapted into a PC and Mac CD-ROM game by The MultiMedia Corporation. The game allows players to learn about philosophy as in the book, while adapting the metafiction elements for a virtual world.

Music.

English space rock band Spiritualized named their 1997 studio album "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space" after a line in the novel. Chinese math rock indie band Baby Formula's self-titled album has a track called "Sophie's World(苏菲的世界".

Censorship.

In the Xiao Baosen-translated Chinese version (Simplified Chinese) published by Writers Publishing House, parts of the content related to Karl Marx were deleted according to the requirements of the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China, such as the last 32 paragraphs in the Marx Chapter.

Sophie's World (Norwegian: "Sofies verden") is a 1991 novel by Norwegian writer Jostein Gaarder. It follows Sophie Amundsen, a Norwegian teenager who is introduced to the history of philosophy by Alberto Knox, a middle-aged philosopher.

Le Monde de Sophie (titre original : "Sofies verden") est un roman philosophique publié en 1991 et écrit par l'écrivain norvégien Jostein Gaarder. Il est traduit en 54 langues (français en 1995). Le roman se veut une introduction à la philosophie, à ses différents mouvements et à son évolution.


Early life.

Sherwood was born on March 14, 1965 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was born into a musical family; his father Bobby Sherwood was an actor, musician, and big band leader and his mother Phyllis is a former singer and drummer. His brother Michael is a singer and keyboardist. Sherwood's godfather is late comedian Milton Berle.

Career.

Lodgic and World Trade.

Sherwood's music career started when he joined a band called Lodgic formed by Michael. Billy played bass and sang, while Michael played keyboards and sang back up. Lodgic also included Guy Allison on keyboards, Jimmy Haun on guitar and Gary Starns on drums. They eventually moved the band to Los Angeles in 1980. After many years of trying to get things together, they recorded their debut album "Nomadic Sands", released in 1985.  After Lodgic broke up, Sherwood put together a new band with Guy Allison. They recruited guitarist Bruce Gowdy and drummer Mark T. Williams to form World Trade. They recorded their self-titled debut in 1989, with Sherwood taking on the roles of engineer, mixer, and producer again, along with his band duties as bassist and lead singer. Sherwood got back together with his bandmates from World Trade and released "Euphoria" in 1995, with Jay Schellen replacing Williams on drums.  In 2017, Sherwood reunited with World Trade to record a third album titled "Unify", which was released on August 4, 2017.

Yes.

By 1989, Sherwood was invited to meet Yes bassist Chris Squire after singer and record executive Derek Shulman suggested his name. By this time, Yes had suffered a setback when singer Jon Anderson had left and formed Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (ABWH). Sherwood was invited to jam with the remaining Yes members, Squire, guitarist Trevor Rabin, drummer Alan White, and keyboardist Tony Kaye, with the intention of Sherwood on lead vocals. By the time the five had recorded some demos, they merged with members of ABWH in 1990 to become an eight-man formation of Yes, which lasted until 1992. The two groups recorded songs for "Union" (1991), which features the first song that Sherwood and Squire wrote together, "The More We Live - Let Go". Sherwood struck up a friendship with Squire that would lead him to work with him throughout the next 20 years.  In 1994, Sherwood toured with Yes as additional guitarist and keyboardist on their tour supporting "Talk" (1994) tour. Sherwood would co-produce, engineer and mix the new studio tracks for their following studio albums, "Keys to Ascension" (1996) and "Keys to Ascension 2" (1997). Following Rick Wakeman's departure in 1997 Sherwood and Squire continued to write songs, which Yes decided to record for their next studio album, "Open Your Eyes" (1997). This made Sherwood become a full-time member of the group, playing rhythm guitar and keyboards. The addition of Igor Khoroshev in 1997 left Sherwood to handle backing guitar and vocals for live shows. In 2000, after recording and touring their next album, "The Ladder" (1999), Sherwood left the group. A live album and DVD of the show at the House of Blues in Las Vegas, Sherwood's hometown, was released as "".  On May 19, 2015, it was officially announced that Squire would be undergoing treatment for acute erythroid leukemia, and that Yes would continue their 2015 North American tour with Sherwood filling Squire's role. After Squire's passing on June 27, 2015, Sherwood (along with other former and current members of Yes) made a public statement expressing his grief. In regards to his new role as the now-permanent bassist for Yes: "Chris said to me, 'play the music, be yourself and make me proud'. It's my true desire now [to] live up to his wishes."

Conspiracy.

After his departure from Yes, Sherwood worked with Squire to release the album "Conspiracy", which includes some work they composed together some years before. Following that, Sherwood composed his first solo album called "The Big Peace" in which he played most of the instruments and also produced. The album was a sort of back to basics of his progressive roots.  In 2003, Sherwood released "The Unknown", another album with Chris Squire as Conspiracy.  More recently, Sherwood has been working on further tribute albums, notably "Back Against the Wall" and "Return to the Dark Side of the Moon", tributes to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and "The Dark Side of the Moon" respectively. The latter includes a new track recorded with Tony Kaye.

Circa and Yoso.

In 2007, a new band with Sherwood, Alan White, Tony Kaye and Jimmy Haun was announced, called Circa. With the release of their debut album "Circa 2007" and a live DVD concert, Circa has played various live dates. White left the band and was replaced by Jay Schellen.  On January 14, 2009, Circa self-released on the Internet its second studio album, "Circa HQ". This time, White was not available due to his commitments with Yes (who had begun a new tour). Sherwood's long time friend, collaborator and drummer, Jay Schellen, replaced White on the album. After a short international tour, Sherwood and co. started another project with former Toto singer, Bobby Kimball. Kimball, Sherwood, Tony Kaye and Jimmy Haun formed new band, Yoso, with a debut studio album in April 2009. Haun later abandoned the line-up (in order to focus on his work for adverts). He was replaced by Yes tribute band guitarist, Johnny Bruhns. Schellen chose to focus on his work in Asia Featuring John Payne and, after a number of other drummers, the band toured with Scott Connor on drums. Yoso then disbanded.  In 2011, Circa returned with a new line-up of Sherwood, Kaye, Bruhns and Connor, while Sherwood released his fifth solo album, "What was the Question?". In 2012, Sherwood wrote, produced, arranged and performed on "The Prog Collective", an album featuring vocal or instrumental contributions from many of the progressive rock artists he had worked with over the years. He reprised the concept with a similar collection of artists for "Epilogue", released in 2013.  On October 8, 2013, they released the official video to William Shatner's record "Ponder The Mystery", followed by a sold-out tour with Circa. "Ponder The Mystery" also features appearances of Steve Vai, Robby Krieger, Al Di Meola, George Duke, Vince Gill, Dave Koz, Rick Wakeman and Edgar Winter.  On July 8, 2016, Sherwood re-grouped with Circa to release their fourth album titled "Valley Of The Windmill".

Other projects.

During the hiatus of Yes, Squire put together the Chris Squire Experiment, having Sherwood as the lead singer while playing some guitar and keyboards. Sherwood then went on to record a project called The Key with guitarist Marty Walsh, though they would not release the album until 1997.  Behind the board, Sherwood worked with Motörhead, Dangerous Toys, and Paul Rodgers (formerly of Bad Company) as producer and engineer. Sherwood also guested on Toto's "Kingdom of Desire" album, singing and playing bass. He also produced a couple of tribute albums, including "Jeffology", a tribute to Jeff Beck. Sherwood then joined Yes on tour as an additional musician, playing guitar and keyboards for their tour in support of "Talk".  Sherwood appeared along with William Shatner in the Season 14 premiere of "Hell's Kitchen" where they met blue team as part of their reward for winning the signature dish challenge.  Sherwood is also credited for writing the theme song for the online anime series, "Kung Fu Jimmy Chow".  Sherwood worked as producer, mixer and engineer, including on more tribute albums: "Dragon Attack", a tribute to Queen; "Salute to AC/DC"; and "Crossfire", a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan.  On 11 January 2017, it was announced that Sherwood would be filling in on bass and lead vocals for John Wetton for tour dates in the spring of 2017 while Wetton underwent chemotherapy, having been chosen by Wetton himself. Wetton died on 31 January 2017 and the tour went forward with Sherwood. In 2019, Asia's line-up changed with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal joining on guitar and lead vocals and Sherwood remaining on just bass and backing vocals.  In May 2019, Billy and his partner Elisa Furr, along with Jay Schellen, Guy Allison and John Thomas (who has worked with Vixen) formed a new band together featuring Furr on vocals.

Solo career.

In August 2008, Billy Sherwood's released his third solo album, "At the Speed of Life", for which he received an award that year as the best Progressive Rock Producer.  On May 20, 2019, it was announced that Sherwood was working on his tenth solo album, titled "Citizen: In The Next Life", which was released on July 12, 2019.

Equipment.

Sherwood mainly plays Carvin guitars, 6- and 12-string; his main guitar, which he's played since his first stint in Yes, is a red Carvin, Telecaster-shaped, with a Roland V-guitar pickup. His acoustic guitars are made by Babicz. He uses Line 6 amplifiers with 4x12" cabinets.  As a bassist, Sherwood plays Spector basses through Tech-21 amps with 2-4X12" cabinets. He has previously played Kubicki, Tobias, Fender and Turner basses.

Discography.

Solo albums  With World Trade  With Lodgic  With Yes  With Conspiracy  With Circa  With The Prog Collective  With Yoso  With Light Freedom Revival  Solo production credits  Other appearances

William Wyman Sherwood (born March 14, 1965) is an American musician, record producer, and mixing engineer. He is best known for his tenures in the English progressive rock band Yes as guitarist and keyboardist from 1997 to 2000 and as full-time bassist since June 2015, following the death of original bassist Chris Squire. He is known for working with former and current Yes members in other capacities as well.

William « Billy » Wyman Sherwood (né le 14 mars 1965 à Las Vegas) est un musicien américain, producteur de musique et ingénieur du son principalement connu pour sa participation avec les groupes "World Trade" et "Yes".


Beginnings.

The Cat Empire's origins are traced back to Jazz Cat, a Melbourne-based band, led by Steve Sedergreen in 1999. Jazz Cat was a nine-piece group from different schools and backgrounds which debuted at the Manly Jazz Festival in Sydney. They gigged around Melbourne's jazz club scene including at Dizzy's (Sedergreen was a part-owner). Late that year, Jazz Cat spawned The Cat Empire, originally as a three-piece, with Ollie McGill on keyboards, Felix Riebl on percussion and vocals and Ryan Monro on double bass. The band's name was taken from the title of a drawing by Riebl's younger brother, Max, and its distinctive cat's eye icon, known as "Pablo", was created by Ian McGill, Ollie McGill's father. For a few months both groups performed alternate Thursdays at Dizzy's. The Cat Empire's sound is a fusion of jazz, ska, funk, indie and rock with heavy Latin influences. They started playing a variety of gigs at other clubs including Bennett's Lane. The band expanded in July 2001 by adding Harry James Angus on trumpet, Will Hull-Brown (ex-Jazz Cat) on drums and Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwala as a DJ on turntables (later on percussion).  In late 2001, the band appeared in the Spiegeltent at the Melbourne Festival. By year's end, they had released an independent single "Feline" that October, and a live six-track extended play, "Live @ Adelphia" was released in December. In early 2002, the group played gigs at the Adelaide Festival of Arts, and in March, they headlined the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and St Kilda Film Festival. The ensemble commenced its first overseas tour on the West Coast of the United States playing at The Matrix in San Francisco and at the Napa Valley Wine Auction in June. The band received a Music for the Future grant to fund the recording of a live album, "The Sun", at Melbourne's Adelphia studio. At the Edinburgh Festival, they played sixteen successive shows in the Late 'n' Live slot between 3am and 5am. They performed at the 2002 Melbourne Festival and a series of local gigs; Kate Ceberano appeared as a guest vocalist at their final show for the year.

Debut album.

The Cat Empire recorded its debut studio album, "The Cat Empire", in seven months during 2003 with producer Andy Baldwin in Melbourne. Between recording sessions they toured Australia, including appearing at the St Kilda Festival with Ceberano, and at the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival in April. The ensemble was nominated in two categories at the Australian Jazz Bell Awards. They successfully applied for an International Pathways grant from The Australian Arts Council. The band was featured on BBC Four performing at the 2003 WOMAD Festival. The lead single, "Hello", was placed on high rotation on BBC Radio 1 in August. The group's growing live and critical reputation enabled them to approach record companies for a deal to issue the album in August. They signed with EMI and Virgin Records, and, in the UK, with an independent label.

"Two Shoes".

The Cat Empire released their second album, "Two Shoes" on 19 April 2005. It was recorded in Havana, Cuba, at Egrem Studios, late in 2004, with production by The Cat Empire, Riebl and Jerry Boys. It debuted at number 1 and until 2016 was their only album to reach the number-one position. The tracks were more Latin in flavour, with a higher proportion written by Angus than on the first album and it contained some songs previously released on their debut. Allmusic's Jeff Tamarkin wrote "Skipping merrily from alt-rock crunch to hip-hop beats, landing on reggae/ska, Latin jazz, and points in between, "Two Shoes" is clever and brainy, danceable and absorbing". The Australian version contains a hidden track, called "1001", which is coupled with the track, "The Night That Never End". The lead single, "Sly", was issued ahead of the album on 28 March and reached the top 30. The song appeared on EA Sports' "FIFA 08" soundtrack. "The Car Song", written by Angus, was released as the second single in July, and peaked in the top 50.  In July, the band played two sets at the Cambridge Folk Festival (Cambridge, United Kingdom). Later in the month, they performed a set on Sunday evening of Sheep Music (Presteigne, Wales) Festival for World music. In October, "Two Shoes Deluxe Edition" DVD was released, which contained live footage of Lullaby and The Car Song, a documentary on the making of the album in Cuba, the original video clips created for the album, and behind-the-scenes footage. The ensemble also featured on a Triple J CD entitled "Like a Version", featuring cover versions of songs performed by artists on Mel Bampton's show, "Mel In The Morning". Their track was a version of "Hotel California" (originally by the Eagles), sung in French by Angus. By the end of 2005, "The Cat Empire" achieved double platinum certificate and "Two Shoes" achieved platinum status.

"Cities" to "So Many Nights".

In March 2006, The Cat Empire participated in the opening ceremony of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, playing their own compositions for approximately an hour as the Games' athletes entered the stadium, introducing the group to an estimated worldwide audience of one billion. The band signed an American record deal with Velour Recordings, which released a modified version of the second Australian album, "Two Shoes" with different tracks.  On 1 April 2006, the group issued their third studio album, "Cities" (aka "Cities: The Cat Empire Project") in Australia, which peaked at number 11. Described by the group as "between a tribute to our own city and an experiment in sounds that we've found abroad". A limited edition of 10,000 individually numbered copies were made available. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2006, they won the 'Best World Music Album' category and received a nomination for 'Engineer of the Year' for Adam Rhodes' work.  The band toured extensively over the year, visiting Asia, America and Europe and playing over 45 gigs in 12 countries.  The ensemble started 2007 with a busy touring schedule and US TV appearances including the "Late Show with David Letterman" in February, followed by "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" in March. Angus' side project, Jackson Jackson, released their first album, "The Fire Is on the Bird" that month. In May, The Cat Empire performed on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno". In June, on the group's European tour they appeared on the Avalon Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, where the mud was so deep that Riebl and Khadiwhala performed the "gumboot shuffle".  The Cat Empire released their fourth album, "So Many Nights" in Australia on 22 September 2007, it was produced by John Porter and reached number two. The lead single, "No Longer There", was issued two weeks earlier and peaked at number 12. "So Many Nights" was listed at number 50 on the Triple J Hottest 100 for 2007, while "No Longer There" finished at number 62.  In February 2008, the band concluded their Outdoor Australian Tour, with performances in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Newcastle, Canberra, Geelong, Townsville and Launceston. The group later played at a Melbourne Grand Prix event, sharing the stage with KISS. In March, the band headlined on the Sunday night at the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival in Byron Bay.  In January 2009, the ensemble opened the Sydney Festival 2009 at The Domain. In early February, they performed at Hisense Arena as part of the Australian Open for A Day on the Baseline. Also in February, the group issued "Live on Earth" – a live album featuring 22 songs recorded around the world – and a DVD "Live at the Bowl" of their Sidney Myer Music Bowl performance, with others shows and on-the-road videos. They issued a box set which was limited to 2000 copies. It contained the "Live on Earth" CD and DVD as well as a tour diary written by Monro, and band memorabilia. On 28 February, the band played two free shows at Bondi Beach and Circular Quay, welcoming donations, in an effort to raise funds to be put towards the Victorian Bushfire Appeal.  In March, the group played at the annual Bass in the Grass festival in Darwin to a crowd of 5000. They returned to the WOMADelaide Festival for a second time. After touring Australia, the ensemble completed a tour of the UK with Balkan support act, Paprika Balkanicus. The tour started in July at O2 Academy Oxford. The band then performed a range of shows in Melbourne, Brisbane and the Northern Territory, before heading off to Canada for a short tour.

"Cinema".

The Cat Empire's fifth studio album, "Cinema", was issued on 25 June 2010 in Australia, followed by releases in Canada, the US, and then Europe. It was produced by Steve Schram and reached number three. The track, "Beyond All", was featured on Triple J's "New Music with Richard Kingsmill" in April. However, the lead single, "Feeling's Gone", was released in May.  A promotional copy of "Cinema" had been leaked to eBay about three weeks before its due date and sold for $200; EMI provided a statement regarding the leak. In October 2011, the ensemble played their 800th show at the O2 Academy Bournemouth in front of a sell out crowd. In April 2011, they performed at the West Coast Blues & Roots Festival in Fremantle.

"Steal the Light".

In December 2012, the Cat Empire returned to Melbourne to commence the recording of a new album after touring extensively throughout 2012. The album, produced by Jan Skubiszewski, was scheduled for a May 2013 release, but the band embarked on a March 2013 "warm-up" tour, on which they played intimate shows in Melbourne and Sydney, as well as bigger stages at the Fremantle Arts Centre in Western Australia and WOMADelaide in South Australia.  "Brighter Than Gold", the first single from their sixth album, "Steal the Light", was released on 22 February 2013 on the Two Shoes music label. A music video for the song was directed by Nicholas Verso for Asphodel Films. Brighter Than Gold received high rotation on Australian and European radio.  "Steal The Light" was released on 17 May 2013 and a worldwide "Steal the Light Tour" was announced shortly afterwards. The band performed nine US shows in July 2013, supported by Blackalicious and, for some of the American dates, were joined by fellow Australians Tinpan Orange. They played nine UK dates throughout October, then embarked on a European tour. Support was provided by fellow Australians FLAP!, and the tour eventually consisted of a total of 70 shows on four continents. The most notable of these performances was in Sydney, September 2013, where they performed in the Enmore Theatre.The show attracted more than 1500 people from Sydney, including Riebl's old schoolmate who designed the band's posters, Arthur Brammall.  In February 2014, the Romanian B’ESTFEST Summer Camp announced that the Cat Empire was the first band to confirm their position on the events musical lineup. The festival was scheduled for July 31, 1 and 2 August 2014, on the Mogoşoaia Palace estate, approximately 10 minutes from Bucharest.  On 16 January 2015, the Cat Empire performed at Triple J's 40th anniversary "Beat The Drum" celebration concert at the Domain in Sydney, along with other Australian musicians, including Hilltop Hoods, The Presets, You Am I, Daniel Johns, Vance Joy, The Preatures, Ball Park Music, Sarah Blasko and Gotye. During their set, the Cat Empire collaborated with special guests Remi and Owl Eyes. With the latter, they performed a cover of Kylie Minogue's "Confide In Me".  They were in Romania again the following year, at the "Electric Castle" Festival in Transylvania, on July 28, 2015.

"Rising With The Sun".

In early 2016, The Cat Empire announced their second fully independent album, "Rising With The Sun", produced by Jan Skubiszewski. The album was made available worldwide on March 4. On the week of release, the band performed a series of secret 'pop up busking' events around Melbourne, with locations given to fans via clues shared on social media. The locations performed at were Federation Square, Circus Oz Spiegeltent and South Melbourne market.  The album debuted at #1 on the ARIA and AIR charts in Australia, staying in the AIR top 20 for an impressive 21 weeks to date to date since release. Internationally successful, the album achieved Top 10 debut in 7 countries, and Top 20 debuts in 16 countries: #1 Australia, #1 Romania, #4 Hungary, #7 Sweden, # 8 Canada, #9 Czech Republic, #10 Switzerland, #13 Malaysia, #13 New Zealand, #14 Netherlands, #17 Germany, #18 Denmark, #18 South Africa, #19 United Kingdom, #20 Portugal, #20 Spain.  Supported by lead singles Que Sera Ahora, Wolves (#79 in Triple J Hottest 100) and Bulls, the band has performed live on triple J, Terry Wogan Show on BBC2 and Breakfast TV Toronto, as well as achieving extensive media coverage in all of their major markets globally.  "Rising With the Sun" was supported by an extensive global tour, with close to 100 shows booked across Australia, Europe, America, and Asia for 2016. Major festivals the band were booked for in 2016 were Sula Festival (India) WOMADelaide (Australia) Bluesfest Byron Bay (Australia) Osheaga (Canada) Edmonton Folk Festival (Canada) Regina Folk Festival (Canada) Rock The Shores (Canada) Pleasure Garden (Australia) and Southbound Festival (Australia), among others.

"Stolen Diamonds".

In early 2018, The Cat Empire recorded their third fully independent album, "Stolen Diamonds", at Red Moon Studio (Gisbourne, Victoria), also their third to be produced by Jan Skubiszewski. The album was drip fed to the band's global audience via their release strategy of releasing one new track on the 1st day of each month, where each song was also complemented with the release of a 360 VR video clip. The videos were filmed at The Mission To Seafarers Dome in Melbourne, Victoria, and regularly featured on YouTube's dedicated VR channel highlights.  July: Ready Now  August: Stolen Diamonds  September: La Sirene (Feat. Eloise Mignon)  October: Kila  November: Sola (Feat. DePedro)  December: Barricades  January: Oscar Wilde  February: Echoes  Stolen Diamonds, the album, was released globally on February 15, 2019.  The album debuted at #1 AIR charts in Australia, and #4 on the ARIA charts – their 6th release to debut in the top 10 of this chart.  2018 saw The Cat Empire “Awarded Best Live Band by Public Vote” at the 2018 Australian National Live Music Awards, and co-lead singer Harry James Angus Awarded “Best Live Voice by Public Vote” at the 2018 Australian National Live Music Awards  Melbourne magazine "Beat" rated the album 7 out of 10, stating: "The album barely takes a break from its upbeat tempo, and flows seamlessly between funk, reggae, and ska...". They went on to say that the album "...sees The Cat Empire take one step closer towards legend status."  "Double J" presented "Stolen Diamonds" as its feature album, and was also very positive in its review, saying: "The worst thing about "Stolen Diamonds" is that you’re gonna need to clear some space around you if you're planning on listening to it. Because this is very much a record that inspires movement."  The band's iconic St Kilda Festival set was recorded for Double J’s Live at The Wireless segment, and they performed a live performance on Breakfast TV Toronto, as well as achieving extensive media coverage in all of their major markets globally.  With a history of putting fans in the spotlight, lead singers Felix Reibl and Harry Angus hand delivered copies of the album to fans on release day, and also gave them opportunities to put their own spin on the music with a Karaoke competition for the track Oscar Wilde, and a Busking competition that included an entry from long time friends of the band, Pierce Brothers.  "Stolen Diamonds" was supported by an extensive global tour, with shows booked across Australia, Europe and America throughout both the single release and album release years 2018/2019. The band were the first band to sell out two consecutive shows at London’s prestigious Roundhouse (UK), and hold the record for the band to have sold out the most shows at Bristol’s O2 Academy (UK) with 10 shows. Major festivals the band were booked for in 2019 included opening night of The Commonwealth Games (Australia), Woodford Folk Festival (Australia), St Kilda Festival (Australia), Doctor Music (Spain), Larmer Tree Festival (UK), Bristol Sounds (UK), Bands In The Sands (UK), Blue Balls (Switzerland), BosPop (Netherlands), among others.

Activism.

In response to the proposed dumping of around 3 million cubic metres of dredged seabed onto the Great Barrier Reef, a legal fighting team was formed by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Australia and the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) in late 2013/early 2014. The legal team received further support in April 2014, following the release of the "Sounds For The Reef" musical fundraising project. Produced by Straightup, the digital album features the Cat Empire, in addition to artists such as John Butler, The Herd, Sietta, Missy Higgins, Fat Freddys Drop, The Bamboos (featuring Kylie Auldist) and Resin Dogs. Released on 7 April, the album's 21 songs—including The Cat Empire's song "Steal The Light"—were sold on the Bandcamp website.  The band have been official ambassadors for Melbourne organization Asylum Seeker Resource Centre since 2011, actively participating in events and running fundraising initiatives to support the work of the center, including their 2016 Telethon, band member run donation drives and raffling off rare memorabilia.

Band members.

An auxiliary group of brass musicians.  Kristy Conrau - cello Alyssa Conrau - violin  Touring string musicians during 2008:

The Cat Empire is an Australian rock band formed in 1999. Their core members are Felix Riebl (percussion and vocals), Harry James Angus (trumpet and vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwhala (decks, percussion), Ollie McGill (keyboard and backing vocals), and Ryan Monro (bass and backing vocals). They are often supplemented by The Empire Horns, a brass duo composed of Ross Irwin (trumpet) and Kieran Conrau (trombone), among others. Their sound is a fusion of jazz, ska, funk and rock with heavy Latin influences.

The Cat Empire est un groupe de musique australien originaire de Melbourne formé en 1999. Constitué à l'origine de trois membres, puis de six, ce groupe mélange de façon éclectique les influences jazz, reggae, funk, latino, hip-hop, rock, ska et tzigane.


Early life.

Margaret Ruth Kidder, one of five children, was born on October 17, 1948, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, the daughter of Jocelyn Mary "Jill" (née Wilson), a history teacher, and Kendall Kidder, an explosives expert and engineer. Kidder was born in Yellowknife because of her father's employment, which required the family to live in remote locations. Her father subsequently served as the manager of the Yellowknife Telephone Company from 1948 to 1951. Her mother was Canadian, from British Columbia, while her father was an American originally from New Mexico. She was of Welsh and English descent. She had one sister, Annie, who is a Canadian actress and executive director of the "People for Education" charity, and three brothers: John, Michael and Peter. Two of her siblings married notable Canadian personalities: Annie to actor Eric Peterson and John to politician Elizabeth May. Kidder's niece Janet Kidder is also an actress.  Recalling her childhood in northern Canada, Kidder said: "We didn't have movies in this little mining town. When I was 12 my mom took me to New York and I saw "Bye Bye Birdie", with people singing and dancing, and that was it. I knew I had to go far away. I was clueless, but I [have done] okay." In addition to Yellowknife, she also spent some time growing up in Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador. Kidder became interested in politics from a young age, which she credited to debates her parents would have over the dinner table during her childhood; her mother was Canadian with socialist leanings, while her father was originally from the United States, and was a conservative Republican.  Kidder suffered with mental health issues from a young age, which stemmed from undiagnosed bipolar disorder. "I knew I was different, had these mind flights that other people didn't seem to have," she recalled. At age 14, she attempted suicide by swallowing a bottle of codeine capsules after her then-boyfriend broke up with her. Kidder found an outlet in acting as she felt she could "let my real self out... and no one would know it was me." "Nobody ever encouraged me to be an actress," she recalled. "It was taken as a joke... As a teenager, I envisioned myself in every book I read. I wanted to be Henry Miller and Thomas Wolfe. I wanted to eat everything on the world's platter, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach." She attended multiple schools during her youth through her family's relocations, eventually graduating from Havergal College, a boarding school in Toronto, in 1966. In 1966, she found herself pregnant with her boyfriend who arranged to have an illegal abortion. The abortionist was located in a hotel room and filled Kidder's uterus with Lysol to terminate the pregnancy. After graduating from Havergal, Kidder relocated to Vancouver to attend the University of British Columbia, but dropped out after one year. She returned to Toronto, where she found work as a model.

Career.

1968–1974: Early films and television.

Kidder made her film debut in a 49-minute film titled "The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar" (1968), a drama set in a Canadian logging community, which was produced by the Challenge for Change. Kidder's 1969 appearance in the episode "Does Anybody Here Know Denny?" on the Canadian drama series "Corwin" earned her a Canadian Film Award for "outstanding new talent."  Kidder's first major feature was the 1969 American film "Gaily, Gaily", a period comedy starring Beau Bridges, in which she portrayed a prostitute. She subsequently appeared in a number of TV drama series for the CBC, including guest appearances on "Wojeck", "Adventures in Rainbow Country", and a semi-regular role as a young reporter on "McQueen", and as a panelist on "Mantrap" which featured discussions centered on a feminist perspective. During the 1971–72 season, she co-starred as barmaid Ruth in "Nichols", a James Garner-led western, which aired 22 episodes on NBC.  During an August 3, 1970 interview on "The Dick Cavett Show", Kidder stated that she was ambivalent toward having a film career, and was considering working as a film editor in the future. At this time, she had become an acquaintance of director Robert Altman, and served as an apprentice assisting him in editing "Brewster McCloud" (1970). She susbequently appeared in "Such Dust As Dreams Are Made On", the first pilot for "Harry O" which aired in March 1973. She was a guest star in a 1972 episode of the George Peppard detective series "Banacek". After moving to Los Angeles, Kidder was cast opposite Gene Wilder in "Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx" (1970) as an exchange student in Ireland who becomes the love interest of a poor horse manure collector in Dublin whom she almost runs over with her car. After filming in Ireland, Kidder relocated to New York City to further study acting. A year later, she returned to California, and was cast in the Brian De Palma film "Sisters" (1973), which gained notoriety for both director and Kidder, who as leading lady, portrayed conjoined twins, one of whom is a suspect in a brutal murder. Kidder had been in a relationship with De Palma at the time, and had been roommates with co-star Jennifer Salt in Los Angeles. "Sisters" went on to achieve critical recognition, being considered among the best American films of the decade by critic Robin Wood, as well as one of the most important films in Kidder's career by film critic G. Allen Johnson.  She then starred in the slasher film "Black Christmas" (1974), for which she won a Canadian Film Award for Best Actress; followed by a role as a prostitute in the Terrence Malick-scripted "The Gravy Train" (1974). She received another Canadian Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the war drama "A Quiet Day in Belfast" (1974). Also in 1974, Kidder made her directorial debut with a 50-minute short film produced for the American Film Institute, titled "Again". The film follows a woman who pastes photographs of her former lovers on her wall, continuously searching for "Mr. Right."

1975–1980: "Superman", mainstream recognition.

Kidder had a central supporting role in the airplane-themed drama "The Great Waldo Pepper" (1975) opposite Robert Redford and Susan Sarandon, followed by a lead role in the psychological horror film "The Reincarnation of Peter Proud", directed by J. Lee Thompson, in which she portrayed a woman about whom a college professor has recurring nightmares. "Variety" praised her performance in the latter film as "outstandingly rich." In the summer of 1975, Kidder was hired to direct a documentary short chronicling the making of "The Missouri Breaks" (1976), a Western film starring Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. "I was such a jerk," she recalled. "I mean, I thought they wanted a real documentary. So I filmed all the behind-the-scenes rows and arguments and shot footage of the vet shooting up the horses with tranquilizers so the actors would look as if they rode well. What an idiot I was. Then when they fired me, I realized what they'd wanted was a publicity film."  She subsequently co-starred with Peter Fonda in "92 in the Shade" (also 1975), a drama directed by novelist Thomas McGuane, based on his own book. While filming, Kidder became romantically involved with McGuane, and in March 1975 relocated with him to Livingston, Montana. She subsequently became pregnant, and gave birth to their only child, daughter Maggie McGuane, on October 28, 1975. During this time, Kidder took a hiatus from acting, though she appeared in the March 9, 1975 edition of "The American Sportsman", learning how to hang glide, and providing the narration, with a remote microphone recording her reactions in flight; the segment concluded with Kidder doing solos soaring amid the Wyoming Rockies. She was also photographed by Douglas Kirkland for the March 1975 issue of "Playboy", accompanied by an article written by Kidder herself. Kidder and McGuane married in August 1976, but the marriage ended in divorce on July 21, 1977. During the marriage, Kidder stated that her self-esteem had faltered significantly, and she found it difficult to maintain a career in film while residing in Montana. Eager to return to acting, Kidder read for the character of Lois Lane in the 1978 superhero film "Superman: The Movie", in the spring of 1977, only one month before principal photography was scheduled to begin. Kidder was subsequently flown to England for screen-tests. Upon meeting with director Richard Donner, Kidder tripped while walking into the room. Donner recalled: "I just fell in love with her. It was perfect, this clumsy [behavior]." She was ultimately cast in the role, which would become her most iconic. Filming lasted approximately eighteen months. "Superman" was released during Christmas 1978 and was a major commercial success, grossing $300 million worldwide. Kidder won a Saturn Award for best actress for her performance, which was deemed "most charming" by Vincent Canby in "The New York Times".  After completing filming for "Superman", Kidder starred as Kathy Lutz in the supernatural horror film "The Amityville Horror" (1979), which further cemented her status as one of Hollywood's leading ladies. "The Amityville Horror" was a major commercial success, grossing over $86 million in the United States, but it received mixed reviews from critics. Janet Maslin of "The New York Times", though giving the film a mixed review, said Kidder "stubbornly remains the bright-eyed life of the party [in the film]." In retrospect, Kidder called the film "a piece of shit." The same year, Kidder hosted an episode of the American sketch comedy TV show "Saturday Night Live". On August 25, 1979, she married actor John Heard, but the couple separated only six days into their marriage. Their divorce was finalized on December 26, 1980.  Kidder reprised her role as Lois Lane in "Superman II" (1980), though she publicly disagreed with the decision of producers Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind to replace Richard Donner as director. "Superman II" was also a box-office hit, grossing $108 million in the United States. Through her appearances in the "Superman" films, Kidder maintained a close friendship with her co-star Christopher Reeve, which lasted from 1978 until his death in 2004: "When you're strapped to someone hanging from the ceiling for months and months, you get pretty darned close," Kidder told CBS. "He was such a huge part of my life... He was complicated, very smart, really smart, and he knew he'd done something meaningful. He was very aware of that and very happy with that role." Also in 1980, she appeared in Paul Mazursky's romantic comedy "Willie & Phil", playing one-third of a love triangle opposite Michael Ontkean and Ray Sharkey.

1981–1988: Career re-evaluation.

Kidder starred in the Canadian comedic road movie "Heartaches" (1981), portraying a free-spirited woman who helps an acquaintance raise her child. Vincent Canby of "The New York Times" noted: "Nothing happens in "Heartaches" that isn't telegraphed 15 minutes ahead of time, but Miss Kidder and Miss [Annie] Potts are good fun to watch, not because they convince you of the reality of their characters but because they handle their assignments with such unbridled, comic, actressy enthusiasm." She then starred opposite Richard Pryor in the comedy "Some Kind of Hero" (1982), about a Vietnam War veteran who attempts to re-assimilate into civilian life. While filming the picture, Kidder stated she "fell in love with Pryor in two seconds flat," and the two carried on a relationship during the production. Prior to this, Kidder was romantically linked to Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau in the early-1980s. In 1982, she appeared in a stage performance of "Bus Stop", playing Cherie opposite Tim Matheson as Bo, which was broadcast on HBO.  It was reported that, as a result of Kidder's previous objection to Donner's directorial replacement for "Superman II", her role in 1983's "Superman III" was notably small, consisting of 12 lines and less than five minutes of footage, though the producers have denied this in DVD commentaries. The same year "Superman III" was released, Kidder also starred as a court stenographer-cum-private eye named Mickey Raymond in the comedy "Trenchcoat" (1983). Critic Roger Ebert disliked the film, deeming it "one of the most tired, predictable, uninteresting movies in a long time." Also in 1983, Kidder produced and starred as Eliza Doolittle in a version of "Pygmalion" with Peter O'Toole for Showtime.  Kidder subsequently produced and starred in the French-Canadian period television film "Louisiana" (1984) as a plantation owner in the American South who returns from Paris to find her estate and holdings have been lost. Kidder began dating the film's director, Philippe de Broca, and the two married in France in 1983. Her marriage to de Broca lasted one year, ending in divorce in 1984. Kidder later characterized the marriage as "impulsive, I'm afraid. Not a little irresponsible. We just weren't meant to be married to each other." In 1984, she reunited with her former "Nichols" co-star, James Garner, in the Hollywood crime drama "The Glitter Dome", and appeared in the drama "Little Treasure" for Columbia Tri-Star, with co-stars Ted Danson and Burt Lancaster, in which she played a distraught stripper looking for her bank robber-father's buried fortune.  In 1985, Kidder expressed ambivalence toward continuing her career, and was quoted as saying: "I don't feel comfortable as a performer and I'm a big turkey as a movie star." She would subsequently state that the quote was reported out of context, but conceded: "I am in a weird frame of mind at the moment. I know acting is not going to be enough for me for the rest of my life. This business is very hard on women at a certain age, and I never want to end up just having to accept what's offered me. So I am anxious to direct, to have options." In 1986 she was selected as the English narrator for the Japanese animated series "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Kidder subsequently reprised her Lois Lane role in "" (1987), which she filmed in 1986. "Body of Evidence" (1988), a CBS Movie of the Week, cast Kidder as a nurse who is suspicious that her medical pathologist second husband is a serial killer.

1990–1999: Mental health struggles.

In the fall of 1990, Kidder appeared as a singer who becomes a murder victim in the Canadian television film "White Room" (1990). In December that year, Kidder was seriously injured in a car accident on the set of the television series "Nancy Drew and Daughter" which left her partially paralyzed as a result of spinal injury. She was unable to work for two years, causing her financial difficulties, resulting in debts of over $800,000. Kidder attempted to sue the Canadian producer, Nelvana, for $1 million in damages but did not receive a settlement, and her launching of the suit rendered her ineligible for Canadian workers' compensation. Kidder returned to the screen with an uncredited cameo appearance in the comedy film "Delirious" (1991), appearing as a woman in a washroom. This was followed by a role as a psychic in "To Catch a Killer" (1992), a Canadian television thriller film based on the crimes of John Wayne Gacy. She had several small roles in 1994, including in the Disney Channel film "Windrunner", as well as another uncredited appearance in "Maverick". She also played a bartender at the Broken Skull Tavern in "Under a Killing Moon", an IBM PC adventure game.  Kidder's mental health was declining during this period; she had received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in 1988, which she rejected at the time, and refused the recommended lithium treatment. In April 1996, she experienced a widely publicized manic episode in Los Angeles. At the time, Kidder had been working on an autobiography when her laptop computer became infected with a virus, which caused it to crash and her to lose three years' worth of drafts. Kidder flew to California to have the computer examined by a data retrieval company, who ultimately was unable to retrieve the files. She entered a manic state and disappeared for four days. She was later found by a homeowner in the backyard of a Glendale residence, and was taken by the Los Angeles Police Department to Olive View–UCLA Medical Center in a distressed state, the caps on her teeth having been knocked out during a rape attempt. She was subsequently placed in psychiatric care. While convalescing from the incident in Vancouver, Kidder said she finally "was able to accept the diagnosis." She would later speak openly about her treatment of the disorder via orthomolecular medicine.  Kidder returned to film with a lead role in the independent comedy-drama "Never Met Picasso" (1997), portraying an actress living with her gay adult son (portrayed by Alexis Arquette) who is attempting to sort his life out. Kevin Thomas of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote that "Arquette and Kidder given the chance to come across as quite appealing" in their roles. She next appeared in the slasher film "The Clown at Midnight" (1998), opposite Christopher Plummer, and alongside Lynn Redgrave and James Earl Jones in the comedy "The Annihilation of Fish" (1999), playing the landlady of an interracial couple. Critic Todd McCarthy in "Variety" referred to the film as a "would-be charmer" and "a drear moment in the careers of all concerned."

2000–2018: Independent films, television.

In 2000, Kidder played Eileen Canboro in "Apocalypse III: Tribulation", a Christian film dealing with Christian eschatology and the rapture. Kidder stated afterwards that she did not realize until she was on the set that the movie was serious. Also that year she appeared in three episodes of Peter Benchley's "Amazon", playing a striking role as an insane Canadian woman bent on domination of all the local tribes. In 2001, she played the abusive mother of a serial killer in "", an episode of "". In 2002, she appeared alongside Crispin Glover and Vanessa Redgrave in the film adaptation of "Crime and Punishment".  Kidder appeared off-Broadway in "The Vagina Monologues" in December 2002, and toured with the show for two years. After this, she appeared on "Robson Arms", a Canadian sitcom set in an apartment block in Vancouver's west end. She played a quirky neighbor of the main cast members. She also had a cameo in "Rich Hall's Election Special" on BBC Four. In 2006, Kidder played Jenny Schecter's mother Sandy Ziskin on "The L Word"; her character was a repressed Jewish woman coming to terms with her daughter's sexuality. In 2007, Kidder began appearing on the television series "Brothers and Sisters", playing Emily Craft. In 2004, Kidder briefly returned to the Superman franchise in two episodes of the television series "Smallville", as Bridgette Crosby, an emissary of Dr. Swann (played by her "Superman" co-star, Christopher Reeve).  Kidder became a United States citizen on August 17, 2005, in Butte, Montana, and settled in Livingston. She said that she decided to become an American citizen to participate in the voting process, to continue her protests against U.S. intervention in Iraq, and to be free of worries about being deported.  In 2008, she portrayed an embattled guidance counselor in the gay-themed mystery film "On the Other Hand, Death", as well as a supporting role as Laurie Strode's therapist, in Rob Zombie's "Halloween II" (2009). In an interview with the LGBT publication "The Advocate", Kidder discussed her later career choices: In 2015 Kidder won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming for her performance in "".

Activism and politics.

Kidder was a longtime supporter of the U.S. Democratic party and voiced her support for liberal causes throughout her career. She actively supported Jesse Jackson's bid for the Democratic nomination in the 1984 United States presidential election. In the early 1990s, during the first Gulf War, Kidder was branded a "Baghdad Betty" and subjected to abuse for her remarks questioning the war. In a piece called "Confessions of 'Baghdad Betty'", styled as a letter to her mother and printed in "The Nation", Kidder responded by explaining and defending her statements.  As of November 2009, Kidder was the Montana State Coordinator for Progressive Democrats of America. The organization's website carried her article "Ax Max", in which she criticized Max Baucus, Montana's Democratic senator. She also contributed articles to "CounterPunch", a left-wing magazine, beginning in 2009. On August 22, 2015, she was named the host of a dinner event by the Yellowstone County Democrats in Billings, Montana called "Billings for Bernie" in support of Bernie Sanders' presidential primary bid. In a "CounterPunch" article expressing her reaction to the 2016 Democratic National Convention, she wrote, "I am not an American tonight... I reject the words I voiced at my citizenship ceremony."  In addition to her campaigning in the United States, Kidder expressed support for liberal causes in Canada. In 2011, she supported her brother, John Kidder, in British Columbia, who was running to be a member of Canada's Parliament for the Liberal Party: Throughout her life, Kidder was also invested in efforts protesting for environmental and anti-nuclear causes. On August 23, 2011, Kidder, Tantoo Cardinal, and dozens of others were arrested while protesting in Washington, D.C. against the proposed extension of the Keystone Pipeline. In 2012, she appeared in a video for "Stop the Frack Attack", an environmental organization working toward regulating hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") practices. When discussing sustainable energy, Kidder said: "The first thing people have to start facing, contrary to the advertising fed to us by oil and gas companies, is that environmentalism and economic stability go hand-in-hand on any long term basis." Kidder spent the winter of the 2016–2017 residing in a tent at the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.  In addition to environmental causes, Kidder was a vocal supporter of LGBT rights, and in 2003 hosted benefits at a gay and lesbian health center in Boston, Massachusetts. Following her publicized nervous breakdown in 1996, she also spoke outwardly about her struggles with mental health and her bipolar disorder diagnosis. In 2001, she was awarded the Courage in Mental Health Award from the California Women's Mental Health Policy Council for her public dialogue on mental illness.

Death.

Kidder died on May 13, 2018, at her house in Livingston, Montana, at the age of 69. She was found unresponsive by a friend. The cause of death was initially not released; her agent stated that "she passed away peacefully in her sleep", while, in the days following her death, her friend Jeffrey St. Clair wrote: "I've been struggling all week with the image of Margie lying helplessly on the floor of her house." On August 8, 2018, it was reported that Kidder's death had been ruled a suicide by overdose. The Park County, Montana, coroner said her death was "a result of a self-inflicted drug and alcohol overdose."  Kidder's friends have related that she had suffered from poor health in recent years, particularly following her lengthy stay at the Standing Rock protest camp in 2016, often enduring frigid temperatures. DC Comics stated on its Twitter feed: "Thank you for being the Lois Lane so many of us grew up with. RIP, Margot Kidder". After her death, Kidder's close friend, director Ted Geoghegan, stated: Kidder was cremated, and her ashes were scattered by her brother John in childhood-favorite locations in Canada, as well as in Montana, amongst lilies often eaten by grizzly bears, partially fulfilling Kidder's wish to "have her body just left out there for the bears". She was survived by her daughter, Maggie, and two grandchildren from Maggie's marriage to novelist Walter Kirn.

Margaret Ruth Kidder (October 17, 1948 – May 13, 2018), known professionally as Margot Kidder, was a Canadian-American actress, director, and activist whose career spanned over five decades. Her accolades include three Canadian Screen Awards and one Daytime Emmy Award. Though she appeared in an array of films and television, Kidder is most widely known for her performance as Lois Lane in the "Superman" film series, appearing in the first four films.

Margaret Ruth Kidder, dite Margot Kidder, est une actrice et productrice canadienne naturalisée américaine, née le à Yellowknife (Territoires du Nord-Ouest) et morte le à Livingston (Montana).


Family.

Crispina came from an illustrious aristocratic family and was the daughter of twice consul Gaius Bruttius Praesens and his wife Valeria. Crispina’s paternal grandparents were consul and senator Gaius Bruttius Praesens and the rich heiress Laberia Hostilia Crispina, daughter of another twice consul, Manius Laberius Maximus.  Crispina's brother was future consul Lucius Bruttius Quintius Crispinus. Her father’s family originally came from Volceii, Lucania, Italy and were closely associated with the Roman Emperors Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. Crispina was born and raised in Rome or Volceii.

Marriage.

Crispina married the sixteen-year-old Commodus in the summer of 178 and brought him, as a dowry, a large number of estates. These, when added to the Imperial holdings, gave him control of a substantial part of Lucanian territory. The actual ceremony was modest but was commemorated on coinage, and largesse was distributed to the people. An "epithalamium" for the occasion was composed by the sophist Julius Pollux.  Upon her marriage, Crispina received the title of "Augusta", and thus became empress of the Roman Empire, as her husband was co-emperor with her father-in-law at the time. The previous empress and her mother-in-law, Faustina the Younger had died three years prior to her arrival.  Like most marriages of young members of the "nobiles", it was arranged by "patres"—in Crispina's case by her father and her new father-in-law, the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Crispina is described as being a graceful person with a susceptible heart, but there is no medal extant of her.  As "Augusta", Crispina was extensively honoured with public images during the last two years of her father-in-law's reign and the initial years of her husband's reign. She did not seem to have any significant political influence over her husband during his bizarre reign. However, she was not exempted from court politics either, as her sister-in-law Lucilla, herself a former empress, was reportedly ambitious and jealous of the reigning empress Crispina due to her position and power.  Crispina's marriage failed to produce an heir due to her husband's inability, which led to a dynastic succession crisis. In fact, both Lucius Antistius Burrus (with whom Commodus had shared his first consulate as sole ruler) and Gaius Arrius Antoninus, who were probably related to the imperial family, were allegedly put to death 'on the suspicion of pretending to the throne'.  After ten years of marriage, Crispina was falsely charged with adultery by her husband and was banished to the island of Capri in 188, where she was later executed. After her banishment, Commodus did not marry again but took on a mistress, a woman named Marcia, who was later said to have conspired in his murder.

Death.

On the basis of a misreading of "HA Commodus" 5.9 and Dio 73.4.6, her fall is sometimes wrongly associated with Lucilla's conspiracy to assassinate Commodus in 181 or 182. Her name continues to appear in inscriptions until as late as 191 (). Her eventual exile and death may instead have been a result of the fall of Marcus Aurelius Cleander, or of Commodus's inability to produce offspring with her to ensure the dynastic succession.

Bruttia Crispina (164 – 191 AD) was Roman Empress from 178 to 191 as the consort of Roman Emperor Commodus. Her marriage to Commodus did not produce an heir, and her husband was instead succeeded by Pertinax.

Bruttia Crispina (en français Crispine) était la fille de Lucius Fulvius Bruttius Praesens. Elle épousa le futur empereur Commode en 177. Elle fut répudiée et bannie dès 188 à Capri, puis assassinée en 191 sur ordre de son ex-mari.