Background.

The original song "Ignition" was first recorded in 2002 after the alleged statutory rape tape was a hot topic in the media. The original "Ignition" was planned to be one of the songs on his forthcoming album at that time called "Loveland"; the album got leaked later on, and Kelly decided to turn "Loveland" to "Chocolate Factory", record mostly new songs and remix some of the songs on that album. "Ignition" was one of the songs he decided to remix after people in the studio liked the end part of the song, which would later become the intro to the remix.  On Genius, Kelly explained the song: "First of all it was an old, old track that I had in my computer for a long time. When I pulled it up, for some reason I just heard “ignition” on it, so I start really just messing with the words and a lot of metaphors start coming to me. You know “trying to get you to my hotel/ you must be a football coach/ the way you got me playing the field/ So baby give me that “toot toot, that beep beep.” You know what I mean? Just basically having fun with the song from there, once I tapped into the metaphor of it." In a 2016 interview, Kelly claimed that he wrote the basis of "Ignition (Remix)", including the main lyric of the refrain, approximately five years before he wrote the song called "Ignition".

Song structure.

The song is sometimes called simply "Ignition" colloquially and for marketing purposes, including as the title of one of its releases as a single and on the "Billboard" charts. While it shares the song title with the original version of "Ignition", the remix version is most commonly referred to in writing to avoid confusion with the original. The two songs share some instrumental elements (guitars and percussion) but are otherwise completely different.  The original "Ignition" was released first to urban contemporary radio stations although it never officially charted on "Billboard" in this manner at first. At the end of the song, Kelly gives the listeners "a lil' preview of the remix", which includes only the first verse then fades out. The "remix to Ignition" was released weeks later to urban and Top 40 pop stations, and it gained significantly more attention. While many stations never played the original but opted for the remix only, others played both songs, merged, at six minutes total; it was structured that way on the "Chocolate Factory" album.  The song contains a minor sample from the intro of R. Kelly's 2001 hit song "Fiesta (Remix)". Additionally, the original version opens with the same spoken-word intro that originally appeared in his earlier hit "You Remind Me of Something".

Music video.

The music video was shot in a club where Kelly is seen wearing a Boston Celtics jersey. The club is meant to be the inside of a stretch Club Hummer limousine. He is also seen in a different part of the club wearing a white fur coat. Nick Cannon is also featured in the music video as the DJ. David N. Feldman also makes a cameo as the dancing white hipster. The music video is directed by Bille Woodruff, who has directed numerous other videos for Kelly.

Live performances.

Kelly often performs "Ignition (Remix)" at events and concerts; he has sung this song three times at the BET Awards show to date (2003, 2004 and 2013).  In 2013, R. Kelly surprised the crowd at the music festival Coachella coming in to the stage and performing a mash-up between "Ignition (Remix)" and "1901" with French rock band Phoenix; a year later, Kelly again surprised the crowd with the song, this time at Lollapalooza with Chance the Rapper.

Chart performance.

"Ignition (Remix)" was a huge success for Kelly. In the United States, it peaked at number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks behind 50 Cent's "In da Club" and became his most successful song in the United States in the 2000s.  In the United Kingdom, the song debuted and peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for four weeks, becoming Kelly's second number-one song in Britain after "I Believe I Can Fly" in April 1997. In April 2013, a decade after its initial release, "Ignition (Remix)" re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 43.  "Ignition (Remix)" also topped the charts in Australia, New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland.  The song also peaked at number two on the 2003 "Billboard" Year-End Chart, yet again behind "In da Club". Due to the success of this song and other songs by Kelly the same year, this also made him number two on the "Year End Best Artist" chart, behind 50 Cent.

Reception.

The remix received positive reviews from both critics and fans upon release.  The remix was included on the updated version of Rolling Stone's 500 greatest songs of all time in 2010 at number 494. The song was listed at #19 on Pitchfork Media's top 500 songs of the 2000s.

Credits and personnel.

Credits adapted from AllMusic.

Soundtrack appearances.

The song has been featured in the films "Love Don't Cost a Thing" (2003), "Soul Plane" (2004) and "30 Minutes or Less" (2011).  The song is in the episode "The Gang Group Dates" on the sitcom "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia".  The song is featured in the Ubisoft "Just Dance" series of games, on "The Hip Hop Dance Experience" (2012).

Cover versions.

Live covers.

Other artists who have covered the song include Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars.

Parodies.

The sketch comedy show "Chappelle's Show" had a 2003 skit parodying the R. Kelly sex tape, which consisted of music videos for the fictional songs "Piss on You" and "Piss on You (Remix)". "Piss on You" parodied the 2001 R. Kelly song "Feelin' on Yo Booty", while "Piss on You (Remix)" parodied "Ignition (Remix)".

Samples and interpolations.

"Don't Matter", by Akon on his 2006 album "Konvicted", borrows the melody of "Ignition (Remix)" in its verse.

Other legacy.

A portion of "Michael Jackson's Private Home Movies", a 2003 compilation of home movies which Jackson recorded throughout his life and narrated, showed him dancing to "Ignition (Remix)" in the back of Brett Ratner's car during a 2003 vacation in Miami, Florida. Kelly, who claimed to have been unsuccessfully asked by Jackson to write a song similar to "Ignition (Remix)" for Jackson's use, later stated in 2009 after having seen the clip on the Web that "I cried when I first saw it on YouTube[...]I've written a lot of songs, I've been around the world, and I've won all kinds of awards and everything else, but[...]nothing told me, I didn't know I had made it until I saw Michael Jackson in the back of that car singing and dancing to my song 'Ignition'. That's when it became official. I've been in the business for over 20 years, but that's when it became official to me that Kels is here, baby."  In March 2013, a petition was launched on We the People requesting that the U.S. national anthem be changed from "The Star-Spangled Banner" to "Ignition (Remix)". Referencing the song's lyrics, the petition stated that "We, the undersigned, would like the Obama administration to recognise the need for a new national anthem, one that even a decade after its creation, is still hot and fresh out the kitchen."

Ignition (Viceroy Remix).

"Ignition (Viceroy Remix)" or "Ignition (Viceroy "Jet Life" Remix)" is a 2014 remix to "Ignition (Remix)", the song was released on iTunes as a single. The remix was made by "Viceroy" as it says on the title. The song was uploaded to R. Kelly's Vevo the same day and also on his Spotify account.

"Ignition (Remix)" is a song written and produced by American R&B singer R. Kelly. It was released in 2002 as the lead single from his sixth studio album "Chocolate Factory" (2003). It is viewed as one of his most well-known songs and has been popular in the United States, Europe and Oceania.

Ignition (Remix) je jedna z nejznámějších písní amerického zpěváka R. Kellyho. Píseň pochází z jeho pátého alba Chocolate Factory. Píseň sám napsal i produkoval. K písni byl vydán další remix, na kterém hostuje rapper Twista.


Description.

"Arundo donax" generally grows to in height, or in ideal conditions can exceed. The hollow stems are in diameter. The grey-green swordlike leaves are alternate, long and wide with a tapered tip, and have a hairy tuft at the base. Overall, the plant resembles an outsize common reed ("Phragmites australis") or a bamboo (subfamily Bambusoideae).  "Arundo donax" flowers in late summer, bearing upright, feathery plumes long, that are usually seedless or with seeds that are rarely fertile. Instead, it mostly reproduces vegetatively by tough, fibrous underground rhizomes that form knotty, spreading mats which penetrate deep into the soil, up to deep (Alden et al., 1998; Mackenzie, 2004). Stem and rhizome pieces less than long and containing a single node could sprout readily under a variety of conditions (Boose and Holt, 1999). This vegetative propagation appears well adapted to floods, which may break up individual "A. donax" clumps, spreading the pieces, which may sprout and colonise downstream (Mackenzie 2004).

Biology.

"Arundo donax" is a tall, perennial grass in the subfamily Arundinoideae. Stems produced during the first growing season are unbranched and photosynthetic. In the Mediterranean, where a temperate climate is characterized by warm and dry summer and mild winter, new shoots of giant reed emerge around March, growing rapidly in June and July and producing stems and leaves. From late July the lower leaves start to dry, depending on seasonal temperature patterns. Drying accelerates during autumn when anthesis occurs from the beginning of October to the end of November. In this phenological stage moisture content falls significantly. In the low temperatures of winter giant reed stops its growth; regrowth occurs in springtime. Giant reed behaves as an annual in Central Europe where soil temperatures are low, due to poor freeze tolerance of the rhizomes.  The base growth temperature reported for giant reed is 7 °C, with a maximum temperature of 30 °C. It has a high photosynthetic capacity, associated with absence of light saturation. Carbon dioxide exchange rates are high compared to other and species; maximum CO uptake ranged from 19.8 to 36.7 μmol m s under natural conditions, depending on irradiance and leaf age. Carbon dioxide exchange is regulated by leaf conductance.

Genetic background.

In most areas where giant reed grows (Mediterranean area and US), viable seeds are not produced. It is reported that sterility of giant reed results from failure of the megaspore mother cell to divide. This sterility, which drastically limits genetic variability, is an obstacle for breeding programs which aim to increase the productivity and biomass quality for energy conversion. A total of 185 clones of "A. donax" were collected from California to South Carolina and genetically fingerprinted with the SRAP and TE-based markers. Giant reed exhibited no molecular genetic variation despite the wide genomic coverage of the markers used in this study. The molecular data strongly point to a single genetic clone of "A. donax" in the United States, although multiple introductions of this plant into the United States have been documented. Another study conducted in the Mediterranean area sampled giant reed from 80 different sites, and demonstrated low gene diversity in this region as well. Results indicate the occurrence of post-meiotic alterations in the ovule and pollen developmental pathway. AFLP data support a monophyletic origin of giant reed and suggest that it originated in Asia, spreading from there into the Mediterranean Basin.

Ecology.

Giant reed is adapted to a wide variety of ecological conditions, but is generally associated with riparian and wetland systems. It is distributed across the southern United States from Maryland to California. Plants can grow in a variety of soils, from heavy clays to loose sands and gravelly soils, but prefer wet drained soils, where they produce dense monotypic stands. Giant reed was found to grow rapidly in soil contaminated with arsenic, cadmium and lead; limited metal translocation from roots to shoots accounted for its strong tolerance to heavy metals. The same study determined that accumulations of As, Cd and Pb were high in roots but low in shoots, where SEM images showed thick and homogeneous stem tissue characteristics. In Pakistan, where the presence of arsenic has made risky the use of ground waters as a source of drinking water, a research study highlighted the phytoremediation potential of "A. donax" when grown in hydroponics cultures containing arsenic concentrations up to 1000 μg l. Giant reed was able to translocate the metals absorbed into the shoot and to accumulate metals in the stalk and leaves above the root concentration, showing no toxic effects at As concentrations up to 600 μg l. Furthermore, the plant is not consumed by herbivores, a positive trait in phytoremediation plants.

Carbon sequestration.

An increased environmental concern is the health of soil system as one of the main factors affecting quality and productivity of agroecosystems. Around the world, several regions are subjected to a decline of fertility due to an increasing degradation of soils, loss of organic matter and increasing desertification. Recently research was carried out to evaluate, in the same pedological and climatic conditions, the impact of three long-term (14 years) agricultural systems, continuous giant reed, natural grassland, and cropping sequence, on the organic-matter characteristics and microbial biomass size in soil. The study pointed out that a long term Giant reed cropping system, characterized by low tillage intensity, positively affect the amount and quality of soil organic matter. "Arundo donax" showed greater values than tilled management system for total soil organic carbon, light fraction carbon, dissolved organic carbon, and microbial biomass carbon. Regarding the humification parameters, there were noticed any statistically differences between giant reed and a cropping sequence (cereals-legumes cultivated conventionally).

Management in riparian habitats.

Arundo is a highly invasive plant in southwestern North American rivers, and its promotion as a biofuel in other regions is of great concern to environmental scientists and land managers. "Arundo donax" was introduced from the Mediterranean to California in the 1820s for roofing material and erosion control in drainage canals in the Los Angeles area (Bell 1997; Mackenzie 2004). Through spread and subsequent plantings as an ornamental plant, and for use as reeds in woodwind instruments, it has become naturalised throughout warm coastal freshwaters of North America, and its range continues to spread.  It has been planted widely through South America and Australasia (Boose and Holt 1999; Bell 1997) and in New Zealand it is listed under the National Pest Plant Accord as an "unwanted organism". Despite its invasive characteristics in regions around the world where it is not native, Arundo is being promoted by the energy industry as a bio-fuel crop. Some of the regions, such as the southeastern United States have natural disturbances, such as hurricanes and floods, that could widely disperse this plant.  It is among the fastest-growing terrestrial plants in the world (nearly / day; Dudley, 2000). To present knowledge, Arundo does not provide any food sources or nesting habitats for wildlife. Replacement of native plant communities by Arundo results in low-quality habitat and altered ecosystem functioning (Bell 1997; Mackenzie 2004). For example, it damages California's riparian ecosystems by outcompeting native species, such as willows, for water. "A. donax" stems and leaves contain a variety of harmful chemicals, including silica and various alkaloids, which protect it from most insect herbivores and deter wildlife from feeding on it (Bell 1997; Miles et al. 1993; Mackenzie 2004). Grazing animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats may have some effect on it, but are unlikely to be useful in keeping it under control (Dudley 2000).  "Arundo donax" appears to be highly adapted to fires. It is highly flammable throughout the year, and during the drier months of the year (July to October), it can increase the probability, intensity, and spread of wildfires through the riparian environment, changing the communities from flood-defined to fire-defined communities. After fires, "A. donax" rhizomes can resprout quickly, outgrowing native plants, which can result in large stands of "A. donax" along riparian corridors (Bell 1997; Scott 1994). Fire events thus push the system further toward mono-specific stands of "A. donax".  A waterside plant community dominated by "A. donax" may also have reduced canopy shading of the in-stream habitat, which may result in increased water temperatures. This may lead to decreased oxygen concentrations and lower diversity of aquatic animals (Bell 1997).  As the impact of "Arundo donax" increased in the environment and native species various efforts have been taken to reduce its population. It has few natural enemies in its introduced range. Several Mediterranean insects have been imported into the United States as biological control agents (Bell, 1997; Miles et al. 1993; Mackenzie 2004, Goolsby 2007). The Arundo wasp, "Tetramesa romana", the Arundo scale insect, "Rhizaspidiotus donacis", and the Arundo fly, "Cryptonevra" are known to have some effect in damaging the plant. "Tetramesa romana" and more recently "Rhizaspidiotus donacisis" were registered in the US as biological control agents.  Other remedies like using mechanical force have also been employed, since outside its native range "Arundo donax" doesn't reproduce by seeds, so removing its root structure can be effective at controlling it. Also preventing it from getting sunlight will deplete the plant of its resources and eventually kill it (Mackenzie 2004). Systemic herbicides and glyphosate are also used as chemical remedies.  The US Department of Homeland Security considers this plant invasive and in 2007 began researching biological controls. In 2015, Texas Senator Carlos Uresti passed legislation to create a program to eradicate "Arundo donax" using herbicides and the Arundo wasp.  In New Zealand's northernmost region, "Arundo donax" crowds out native plants, reduces wildlife habitat, contributes to higher fire frequency and intensity, and modifies river hydrology.

Uses.

Energy crop.

Energy crops are plants which are produced with the express purpose of using their biomass energetically and at the same time reduce carbon dioxide emission. Biofuels derived from lignocellulosic plant material represent an important renewable energy alternative to transportation fossil fuels. Perennial rhizomatous grasses display several positive attributes as energy crops because of their high productivity, low (no) demand for nutrient inputs consequent to the recycling of nutrients by their rhizomes, exceptional soil carbon sequestration - 4X switchgrass, multiple products, adaptation to saline soils and saline water, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.  Giant reed is one of the most promising crops for energy production in the Mediterranean climate of Europe and Africa, where it has shown advantages as an indigenous crop (already adapted to the environment), durable yields, and resistant to long drought periods. Several field studies have highlighted the beneficial effect of giant reed crop on the environment due to its minimal soil tillage, fertilizer and pesticide needs. Furthermore, it offers protection against soil erosion, one of the most important land degradation processes in Mediterranean and US environments. "A. donax" bioenergy feedstock has an impressive potential for several conversion processes. Dried biomass has a direct combustion high heating value of. In Italy, "Arundo donax" was used in one instance from 1937 to 1962 on a large-scale industrial basis for paper and dissolving pulp. This interest was stimulated primarily by the desire of the dictatorship, just before World War II, to be independent of foreign sources of textile fibres and the desire for an export product. According to historical records made by Snia Viscosa, giant reed was established on 6 300 ha in Torviscosa (Udine), reaching the average annual production of 35 t ha. Today several screening studies on energy crops have been carried out by several universities in the US as well as in EU to evaluate and identify best management practices for maximizing biomass yields and assess environmental impacts.

Cultivation.

Establishment is a critical point of cultivation. Stem and rhizome have a great ability to sprout after removal from mother plant and both can be used for clonal propagation. The use of rhizomes were found to be the better propagation method for this species, achieving better survival rate. In this field study, it was noticed how the lowest density (12 500 rhizomes ha) resulted in taller and thicker plants compared to denser plantation (25 000 rhizomes ha). Seedbed preparation is conducted in the spring, immediately before planting, by a pass with a double-disk harrowing and a pass with a field cultivator. Giant reed has the possibility of adopting low plant density. The rhizomes were planted at of soil depth, with a minimum plant density of 10 000 plants per ha), while mature stems, with two or more nodes, can be planted deep. In order to ensure good root stand and adequate contact with the soil, sufficient moisture is needed immediately after planting. Pre-plant fertilizer is distributed according to the initial soil fertility, but usually an application of P at a rate of ha is applied.  "A. donax" maintains a high productive aptitude without irrigation under semi-arid climate conditions. In Southern Italy, a trial was carried out testing the yields performance of 39 genotypes, and an average yields of 22.1 t ha dry matter in the second year were reached, a comparable result with others results obtained in Spain (22.5 t ha) as well as in South Greece (19.0 t ha). Several reports underlined that it is more economical to grow giant reed under moderate irrigation.  In order to evaluate different management practices, nitrogen fertilizer and input demand was evaluated in a 6-year field study conducted at the University of Pisa. Fertilizer enhanced the productive capacity in the initial years, but as the years go by and as the radical apparatus progressively deepens, the differences due to fertilizer decrease until disappearing. Harvest time and plant density were found to not affect the biomass yields.  Due to its high growth rate and superior resource-capture capacity (light, water and nutrients), "A. donax" is not affected by weed competition from the second year. An application of post-emergence treatment is usually recommended. Giant reed has few known disease or insect pest, but in intensive cultivation, no pesticides are used.  To remove giant reed at the end of the crop cycle, there are mainly two methods: mechanical or chemical. An excavator can be useful to dig out the rhizomes or alternatively a single late-season application of 3% glyphosate onto the foliar mass is efficient and effective with least hazardous to biota. Glyphosate was selected as the most appropriate product for specific considerations on efficacy, environmental safety, soil residual activity, operator safety, application timing, and cost-effectiveness. However, glyphosate is only effective in fall when plants are actively transporting nutrients to the root zone, and multiple retreatments are usually needed. Other herbicides registered for aquatic use can be very effective in controlling Arundo at other times of the year.

Biofuel.

"Arundo donax" is a strong candidate for use as a renewable biofuel source because of its fast growth rate and its ability to grow in different soil types and climatic conditions. "A. donax" will produce an average of three kilograms of biomass per square metre (25 tons per acre) once established. The energy density of the biomass produced is 17 MJ/Kg regardless of fertilizer usage. Outside its native range, this needs to be balanced against its major invasive potential.  Studies in the European Union have identified "A. donax" as the most productive and lowest impact of all energy biomass crops (see FAIR REPORT E.U. 2004).  "Arundo donax"'s ability to grow for 20 to 25 years without replanting is also significant.  In the UK it is considered suitable for planting in and around water areas.  "Arundo donax" grown in Australia was demonstrated as potential feedstock for producing advanced biofuels through hydrothermal liquefaction.

Chemicals.

Studies have found this plant to be rich in active tryptamine compounds, but there are more indications of the plants in India having these compounds than in the United States. Toxins such as bufotenidine and gramine have also been found.  The dried rhizome with the stem removed has been found to contain 0.0057% DMT, 0.026% bufotenine, 0.0023% 5-MeO-MMT. The flowers are also known to have DMT and the 5-methoxylated N-demethylated analogue, also 5-MeO-NMT. The quite toxic quaternary methylated salt of DMT, bufotenidine, has been found in the flowers, and the cyclic dehydrobufotenidine has been found in the roots. "A. donax" is also known to release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mainly isoprene.

Ethnobotany.

"Arundo donax" has been cultivated throughout Asia, southern Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians wrapped their dead in the leaves. The canes contain silica, perhaps the reason for their durability, and have been used to make fishing rods, and walking sticks. Its stiff stems are also used as support for climbing plants or for vines.  This plant may have been used in combination with harmal ("Peganum harmala") to create a brew similar to the South American ayahuasca, and may trace its roots to the Soma of lore.

Construction.

Mature reeds are used in construction as raw material, given their excellent properties and tubular shape. Its resemblance to bamboo permits their combination in buildings, though Arundo is more flexible.  In rural regions of Spain, for centuries there has existed a technique named ", consisting of rectangles of approximately 2 by 1 meters of woven reeds to which clay or plaster could be added. A properly insulated " in a roof could keep its mechanical properties for over 60 years. Its high silicon content allows the cane to keep its qualities through time. Its low weight, flexibility, good adherence of the "" fabric and low price of the raw material have been the main reasons that made this technique possible to our days. However, in the last decades, the rural migration from the countryside to urban centres and the extensive exploitation of land has substituted traditional crops. This has threatened very seriously its continuity.  Recently, initiatives are being taken to recover the use of this material, combining ancient techniques from southern Iraq "mudhif" (reed houses) with new materials.  Diverse associations and collectives, such as CanyaViva, are pioneering in the research in combination with Spanish universities.

Musical instruments.

Ancient Greeks used cane (called Kalamos: A. donax) to make flutes, known as kalamavlos; this is a compound word, from kalamos (cane) + avlos (flute). At the time, the best cane for flutes came from the banks of river Kephissos, in Attica, Greece. Several kalamavlos tuned differently and tied together, made a syrinx or Panpipes. "A. donax" is still the principal source material of reed makers for clarinets, saxophones, oboes, bassoons, bagpipes, and other woodwind instruments. The Var country in southern France contains the best-known supply of instrument reeds.  Additionally, giant reed has been used to make flutes for over 5,000 years. The pan pipes consist of ten or more pipes made from the cane. Also, the ancient end-blown flute ney (a) is made from the same reeds.

Other uses.

When young, "A. donax" is readily browsed by ruminants, but it becomes unpalatable when maturing. "A. donax" has also been used in constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment.

Arundo donax is a tall perennial cane. It is one of several so-called reed species. It has several common names including giant cane, elephant grass, carrizo, arundo, Spanish cane, Colorado river reed, wild cane, and giant reed.

Trsť rákosovitá nebo tresť rákosovitá ("Arundo donax") je vysoká travina rákosovitého vzhledu z čeledě lipnicovitých, kde je tento rod řazen do tribu "Arundineae" v podčeledi "Arundinoideae".


History.

Age of Exploration.

Christopher Columbus was the first European to arrive on Margarita Island in 1498. The local natives were the Guaiqueries people. The coast of the island was abundant in pearls, which represented almost a third of all New World tribute to the Spanish Crown. Margarita Island was fortified against the increasing threat of pirate attacks, and some fortifications remain today. It was the center of Spanish colonial Margarita Province, established in 1525.  In 1561 the island was seized by Lope de Aguirre, a notoriously violent and rebellious conquistador. Around 1675, the island was captured again, this time by Red Legs Greaves, a pirate known for his humanity and morality. He captured a fleet of Spanish ships off port, before turning the guns on the forts which he stormed and claimed a large booty of pearls and gold. The story of Greaves' capture of the island does not appear in historical Spanish records and may be fictional.  Construction of the fort Santa Rosa was ordered by the governor, Juan Muñoz de Gadea, after the French buccaneer Marquis de Maintenon attacked the island in early 1676.

Independence era.

The island gained independence from the Spanish in 1814 after the collapse of the First Republic of Venezuela. It became the first permanently free territory in Venezuela. In the same year, Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi was detained in a dungeon of the Fortress of Santa Rosa on the island in an attempt to put pressure on her husband Juan Bautista Arismendi, who was fighting for independence. Her detention lasted for over three years. Simón Bolívar was confirmed as Commander-in-Chief of the Second Republic of Venezuela on the island in 1816. From there he started a nine-year campaign to free Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia from the Spanish Crown.

Contemporary history.

In modern times, Margarita Island was primarily a tourist destination. The island's status as a duty-free port was established in 1974 to promote commercial and tourism industries, with lower-priced imports driving increased visitors and the development of hotels. The island was the host venue for the Caribbean Series in 2010 and 2014.  In light of the economic, social and political crisis in Venezuela, tourism in Margarita Island has significantly declined. Between 2010 and 2020, tourism rates dropped 90% on the island and many of the hotels were left abandoned.

Geography.

Located in the Caribbean Sea between latitudes 10°52'N and 11°11'N and longitudes 63°48'W and 64°23'W, the island, along with the islands of Coche and Cubagua, comprises the state of Nueva Esparta. The island is split into two peninsulas joined by an long isthmus and covers an area of. It is long and measures roughly at its widest. The climate is sunny and dry, with average temperatures ranging from to.  Most of the island's 420,000 residents live in the more developed eastern part of the island, which includes the large cities of Porlamar and Pampatar along with the state capital of La Asunción. The island can be reached by direct flights from Caracas or ferries from Puerto La Cruz, Cumaná, and La Guaira. There are no international flights to the island at present. The Macanao peninsula to the west has a central mountain range in the east-west direction. The highest altitude is at Pico de Macanao. Several smaller ranges derive from this axis following a north-south orientation with deep valleys between them. The most notable of these valleys is San Francisco in the north-central part of the peninsula. The Paraguachoa peninsula to the East is formed by a mountain range in the north-south direction from Porlamar to Cabo Negro. The highest peaks are San Juan or Cerro Grande at and El Copey. The peninsulas are connected by the La Restinga isthmus, on which the La Restinga lagoon is located. There are also two breast-shaped hills known as Tetas de Maria Guevara on the isthmus.

Beaches.

There are at least 70 beaches on the island, which has a coastline. Popular beaches include Playa El Yaque, Playa Parguito, Playa Caribe, Playa Punta Arenas, Playa El Agua and Playa Puerto Cruz.

Terrain.

Macanao peninsula consists of mountainous spine of the central west-east, with several culminations, including Macanao Peak, which is the highest, with an altitude of 760 meters above sea level stands. This axial region several side brackets oriented north-south off, including deep valleys are dissected; the most important is San Francisco in the north central of Margarita. The central massif is surrounded by foothills forming a more or less continuous, narrow strip, which reaches almost to the coast north and south of the peninsula.  Isla Margarita eastern is formed by a mountain range which runs roughly north-south, from northern Porlamar to "Cabo Negro"; north from the town of "El Espinal", the massif rises steeply to the culminations of San Juan and Copey hills, at heights of 960 and 890 m, respectively. The hills are Matasite and Guayamurí "Los Andes" foothills. To the north stands the Tragaplata hill.  Among the higher elevations found on the island, are cited:

Climate.

The average temperature is with minimum ranging between and and maximum that can easily exceed. Rainfall is common in the winter months and rainy season that begins July-October (although the rain is usually quite rare). Being located in the Caribbean Sea near the Earth's equator, solar rays fall perpendicularly on the island and therefore it is advisable to always use some sort of sunscreen when visiting its beaches.

Cities.

La Asunción is the capital of the Federal State of Nueva Esparta with a population of around 28,500. It is the seat of the regional government. The city is overlooked by the Santa Rosa Castle of La Asunción The urban area of Pampatar has a population of around 50,000. A number of the island's larger shopping malls are located in the city, namely Sambil Margarita, Rattan Depot, Centro Comercial La Vela, Centro Comercial Costa Azul, Centro Comercial AB (Avenida Bolivar) and La Redoma. The Royal Fortress of San Carlos Borromeo, constructed in the late 17th century, is located in Pampatar. The city also has several beaches.  The largest city on Margarita Island is Porlamar. The population can reach 125,000 in the high season, while in the low season, the population is about 85,000. Two beaches are located within the city. The island's major airport, Santiago Marino Caribbean International Airport, is located near Porlamar.  Juan Griego is a city on the northern side of Isla Margarita, and is the most northern port in Venezuela. It has a population of 28,256 inhabitants (as per census of 2001) and is the capital of the Marcano municipality of the Nueva Esparta state. Its Gothic-style church, constructed in 1850 by Fray Nicholas de Igualdad, is still, along with the lovely bay, the symbol of the city. The La Galera fortress, where in the early 1820s a fierce battle for independence was fought, is located near the city centre. In 1973, the island become a free port and the city once again become the second city of commercial importance after Porlamar.

Population.

The demonym for islanders is "Margariteños/as" and "Neoespartanos/as". Ethnic minority populations of some significance include descendants of enslaved West African (brought by the Spaniards), Lebanese, Syrian, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Portuguese, Argentine, Chilean, Uruguayan, Colombian, and Chinese. Immigrants from mainland Venezuela are colloquially called "navegaos" by islanders.  A little less than 25% of the Neoespartanian population live in Porlamar. Margarita's population is just under 440,000, although this tends to fluctuate during holiday periods and the festive season.

Religion.

The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism. Other Christian denominations are also present. Of the churches that present in the Neospartan entity, among the most important are: Basílica de la Virgen del Valle (in the Valley of the Espíritu Santo), Cathedral of La Asunción, Iglesia San Juan Evangelista (Juangriego), Iglesia parroquial de San Juan (San Juan Bautista), Iglesia de San Nicolás de Bari (Porlamar), of the San José de Paraguachi and other churches and chapels minor located in populations of Santa Ana, Punta de Piedras, Porlamar, Pampatar and virtually all the towns of the island. There are also small populations of Jews and Muslims.  Evangelical Christian churches have had a significant growth in recent years demonstrating their presence and impact in the population of the island. One of the fastest-growing is the Centro Cristiano Casa de Alabanza (CCCA), present in Porlamar, Juan Griego, La Asunción and Tubores Municipality. The patron saint of eastern Venezuela is the Virgen del Valle and in the population El Valle del Espíritu Santo is the Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora del Valle, which approaching Margarita, Coche and Cubagua Islanders visit to honor her on her feast day.

Natural heritage.

Las Tetas de María Guevara.

The "Las Tetas de Maria Guevara" ("Maria Guevara's breasts"), located in a coastal plain in the south of the 1,670 hectare Laguna de La Restinga National Park, are two small twin hills with a height of. The vegetation around the hills is desert, with cacti, prickly pears, yaks, guamaches. The fauna is diverse, including desert lizards, rabbits, rattlesnakes and coral.  The legend told by the inhabitants of the island goes that the name María Guevara comes from a white young girl who was heavily involved in the War of Independence and that upon her death, the hills rose on her grave. Another Margaritan myth says the source of the name also comes from the same woman, but that she was from Cumaná and came to the island to lead a group of men in fishing activities. As she had small breasts, by way of derision whenever they sighted the hills said, "there are the lady's tits" and the name was created. The area was declared a national park on February 27, 1974.

Crime.

Drug trafficking.

Multiple international intelligence organizations have focused their investigations on Isla Margarita as being a major center of organized crime. According to the CIA World Factbook, Margarita Island is the location of significant narcotics-related money-laundering activity.  Aerial drug shipments from Colombia and Venezuela often utilize the island for exportation. Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was known to frequently visit the island. According to Alex Cifuentes, the self-described "right-hand, left-hand man" of Guzmán, Guzmán would visit Isla Margarita every two to three months.

Piracy.

Since 1998, there have been about ten pirate attacks on or near Margarita Island. Venezuela is now listed as a dangerous region for pirate attacks and, in many regions, including between Margarita and Sucre, sailors should not anchor and yachts should sail in company.

Terrorism.

Isla Margarita has been described as the largest center of terrorism in the Americas. Since the early 2000s, the United States government has seen links to Islamic terrorism on Isla Margarita. The United States Southern Command has recognized Isla Margarita as one of the most important locations for the terrorist group Hezbollah. Ghazi Atef Salameh Nassereddine, who was sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury for funding Hezbollah and who is a close friend of Tareck El Aissami, established a Hezbollah militant camp on the island with his brother Oday Nassereddine. Hezbollah also receives funds from operations on the island which include local businesses, financial institutions and drug trafficking groups.  Multiple Islamic centers funded through dubious means have been created in Porlamar which began to indoctrinate the island's citizens to support certain causes. Photographs have also been taken of Islamic militant training in the remote area of Macanao.

Violent crime.

Since 2010, there have been numerous instances of tourist murders. On 27 August 2010 an Italian tourist, Emiliano Astore, was murdered on his boat anchored off Margarita Island in an apparent robbery. Two police officers and a civilian were arrested. A third officer was implicated in the "exploitation of objects" from the crime. On 18 July 2011, 28-year-old Briton Tom Ossel was killed resisting seven armed robbers who had tricked their way into the backpackers hotel before they took the guests hostage and raiding rooms for valuables. On 29 March 2011, French tourist Yves Le Bras was murdered in a robbery at the Laguna Mar hotel while he and his wife dined at the Guacuco restaurant. In March 2011, Belgian tourist Bonne Philippe was murdered while eating in a fast food outlet in Playa El Agua, Margarita. On 20 January 2012, about 30 or 35 Brazilian tourists were robbed in their hotel in Antolin del Campo, Margarita, by a gang of between 13 and 15 armed robbers. On 3 September 2013, a Dutch sailor was killed on his yacht while resisting armed robbers attempting to board his boat.  Starting in October 2011, the Government installed equipment that requires everyone visiting Margarita Island to electronically register their fingerprints and a picture when entering Margarita Island. The US Government has not issued any warnings of violent crime on Margarita Island, but there is a general warning for all of Venezuela. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office warns that street crime in mainland Venezuela is high, and that armed muggings and 'express kidnappings' – opportunistic abductions to extort money from someone – are regular occurrences.

Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the northeastern coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the island.

Isla de Margarita je největší venezuelský ostrov. Nachází se v Karibském moři při severním pobřeží pevninské Venezuely, řadí se mezi Malé Antily (konkrétněji Závětrné Antily). Spolu se dvěma menšími blízkými ostrovy Isla de Coche a Isla de Cubagua tvoří nejmenší venezuelský stát Nueva Esparta.


Early life.

Mirren was born Helen Lydia Mironoff in 1945 at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in Hammersmith, London, the daughter of Kathleen "Kitty" Alexandrina Eva Matilda (; 1909–1996) and Vasily Petrovich Mironoff (1913–1980). Kathleen was a working-class Englishwoman from West Ham, East London, the 13th of 14 children born to a butcher whose own father had been the butcher to Queen Victoria. Vasily was Russian, brought to Britain at the age of two by his father, Pyotr Vasilievich Mironov. Pyotr, who owned a family estate near Gzhatsk (now Gagarin, Smolensk Oblast), was a member of the Russian aristocracy and a descendant of Mikhail Fedotovich Kamensky, a prominent Russian general in the Napoleonic Wars. He served as a colonel in the Imperial Russian Army and fought in the 1904 Russo-Japanese War. Pyotr later became a diplomat and was negotiating an arms deal in Britain when he and his family were stranded by the Russian Revolution. The former diplomat became a London cab driver to support his family and settled down in England.  Vasily also worked as a cab driver and then played the viola with the London Philharmonic Orchestra before the Second World War. During the war, he worked as an ambulance driver and served in the East End of London during the Blitz. He and Kathleen were married in July 1945, and at some point before 1951 he anglicised his name to Basil. After the birth of Helen, Basil left the orchestra and returned to cab driving in order to support the family. He later worked as a driving-test examiner, before becoming a civil servant with the Ministry of Transport. In 1951, Basil changed the family name to Mirren by deed poll.  Mirren considers her upbringing to have been "very anti-monarchist". She was the second of three children; she has an older sister, Katherine ("Kate"; born 1942), and had a younger brother, Peter Basil (1947–2002). Her cousin was model and Bond girl Tania Mallet; Mallet's mother and Mirren's father were siblings. Mirren was brought up in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.

Education.

Mirren attended Hamlet Court primary school in Westcliff-on-Sea, where she had the lead role in a school production of "Hansel and Gretel", and St Bernard's High School for Girls in Southend-on-Sea, where she also acted in school productions. She then attended a teaching college, the New College of Speech and Drama in London, "housed within Anna Pavlova's old home, Ivy House" on North End Road – which runs from Hampstead to Golders Green.  Aged 18, she auditioned for the National Youth Theatre (NYT) and was accepted. Aged 20, she played Cleopatra in the NYT production of "Antony and Cleopatra" at the Old Vic, a role which Mirren says “launched my career”, which led to her signing with the agent Al Parker.

Theatre.

Early years.

As a result of her work for the National Youth Theatre, Mirren was invited to join the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). While with the RSC, she played Castiza in Trevor Nunn's 1966 staging of "The Revenger's Tragedy", Diana in "All's Well That Ends Well" (1967), Cressida in "Troilus and Cressida" (1968), Rosalind in "As You Like It" (1968), Julia in "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" (1970), Tatiana in Gorky's "Enemies" at the Aldwych (1971), and the title role in "Miss Julie" at The Other Place (1971). She also appeared in four productions, directed by Braham Murray for Century Theatre at the University Theatre in Manchester, between 1965 and 1967.  In 1970, the director/producer John Goldschmidt made a documentary film, "Doing Her Own Thing", about Mirren during her time with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The film was made for ATV and shown on the ITV Network in the UK. In 1972 and 1973, Mirren worked with Peter Brook's International Centre for Theatre Research, and joined the group's tour in North Africa and the US, during which they created "The Conference of the Birds". She then rejoined the RSC, playing Lady Macbeth at Stratford in 1974 and at the Aldwych Theatre in 1975.  Sally Beauman reported, in her 1982 history of the RSC, that Mirren—while appearing in Nunn's "Macbeth" (1974), and in a highly publicised letter to "The Guardian" newspaper—had sharply criticised both the National Theatre and the RSC for their lavish production expenditure, declaring it "unnecessary and destructive to the art of the Theatre," and adding, "The realms of truth, emotion and imagination reached for in acting a great play have become more and more remote, often totally unreachable across an abyss of costume and technicalities..." According to Beauman, there were no discernible repercussions for this rebuke of the RSC.

West End and RSC.

At the West End's Royal Court Theatre in September 1975, she played the role of a rock star named Maggie in "Teeth 'n' Smiles", a musical play by David Hare; she reprised the role the following year in a revival of the play at Wyndham's Theatre in May 1976.  Beginning in November 1975, Mirren played in West End repertory with the Lyric Theatre Company as Nina in "The Seagull" and Ella in Ben Travers's new farce "The Bed Before Yesterday" ("Mirren is stirringly voluptuous as the Harlowesque good-time girl": Michael Billington, "The Guardian"). At the RSC in Stratford in 1977, and at the Aldwych the following year, she played a steely Queen Margaret in Terry Hands' production of the three parts of "Henry VI", while 1979 saw her 'bursting with grace', and winning acclaim for her performance as Isabella in Peter Gill's production of "Measure for Measure" at Riverside Studios.  In 1981, she returned to the Royal Court for the London premiere of Brian Friel's "Faith Healer". That same year she also won acclaim for her performance in the title role of John Webster's "The Duchess of Malfi", a production of Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre which was later transferred to The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, London. Reviewing her portrayal for "The Sunday Telegraph", Francis King wrote: "Miss Mirren never leaves it in doubt that even in her absences, this ardent, beautiful woman is the most important character of the story." In her performance as Moll Cutpurse in "The Roaring Girl"—at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in January 1983, and at the Barbican Theatre in April 1983—she was described as having "swaggered through the action with radiant singularity of purpose, filling in areas of light and shade that even Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker omitted." – Michael Coveney, "Financial Times", April 1983.  After a relatively barren sojourn in the Hollywood Hills, she returned to England at the beginning of 1989 to co-star with Bob Peck at the Young Vic in the London premiere of the Arthur Miller double-bill, "Two Way Mirror", performances which prompted Miller to remark: "What is so good about English actors is that they are not afraid of the open expression of large emotions" (interview by Sheridan Morley: "The Times" 11 January 1989). In "Elegy for a Lady" she played the svelte proprietress of a classy boutique, while as the blonde hooker in "Some Kind of Love Story" she was "clad in a Freudian slip and shifting easily from waif-like vulnerability to sexual aggression, giving the role a breathy Monroesque quality" (Michael Billington, "The Guardian").  On 15 February 2013, at the West End's Gielgud Theatre she began a turn as Elizabeth II in the World Premiere of Peter Morgan's "The Audience". The show was directed by Stephen Daldry. In April she was named best actress at the Olivier Awards for her role.

Broadway debut.

A further stage breakthrough came in 1994, in an Yvonne Arnaud Theatre production bound for the West End, when Bill Bryden cast her as Natalya Petrovna in Ivan Turgenev's "A Month in the Country". Her co-stars were John Hurt as her aimless lover Rakitin and Joseph Fiennes in only his second professional stage appearance as the cocksure young tutor Belyaev.  Mirren was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actress (Play): in 1995 for her Broadway debut in "A Month in the Country", now directed by Scott Ellis, then again in 2002 for August Strindberg's "Dance of Death", co-starring with Sir Ian McKellen, their fraught rehearsal period coinciding with the terrorist attacks on New York on 11 September 2001.  On 7 June 2015‚ Mirren won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play‚ for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in "The Audience" which also won her the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress and made her one of the few actors to achieve the “Triple Crown of Acting” in the US, joining the ranks of acclaimed performers including Ingrid Bergman‚ Dame Maggie Smith, and Al Pacino.

National Theatre.

In 1998, Mirren played Cleopatra to Alan Rickman's Antony in "Antony and Cleopatra" at the National Theatre. The production received poor reviews; "The Guardian" called it "plodding spectacle rarely informed by powerful passion", while "The Daily Telegraph" said "the crucial sexual chemistry on which any great production ultimately depends is fatally absent". In 2000 Nicholas Hytner, who had worked with Mirren on the film version of "The Madness of King George", cast her as Lady Torrance in his revival of Tennessee Williams' "Orpheus Descending" at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Michael Billington, reviewing for "The Guardian", described her performance as "an exemplary study of an immigrant woman who has acquired a patina of resilient toughness but who slowly acknowledges her sensuality."  At the National Theatre in November 2003 she again won praise playing Christine Mannon ("defiantly cool, camp and skittish", "Evening Standard"; "glows with mature sexual allure", "Daily Telegraph") in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Mourning Becomes Electra" directed by Howard Davies. "This production was one of the best experiences of my professional life, The play was four and a half hours long, and I have never known that kind of response from an audience... It was the serendipity of a beautifully cast play, with great design and direction, It will be hard to be in anything better." She played the title role in Jean Racine's "Phèdre" at the National in 2009, in a production directed by Nicholas Hytner. The production was also staged at the Epidaurus amphitheatre on 11 and 12 July 2009.

Film.

Mirren has also appeared in a large number of films throughout her career. Some of her earlier film appearances include roles in "Midsummer Night's Dream" (1968), "Age of Consent" (1969), "O Lucky Man!" (1973), "Caligula" (1979), "The Long Good Friday" (1980)—co-starring with Bob Hoskins in what was her breakthrough film role, "Excalibur" (1981), "2010" (1984), "White Nights" (1985), "The Mosquito Coast" (1986) and "When the Whales Came" (1989). She appeared in "The Madness of King George" (1994), "Some Mother's Son" (1996), "Painted Lady" (1997) and "The Prince of Egypt" (1998). One of her other film roles was in Peter Greenaway's "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover", as the thief's wife, opposite Michael Gambon. In "Teaching Mrs. Tingle", she plays sadistic history teacher Mrs Eve Tingle.  In 2007, she claimed director Michael Winner had treated her "like a piece of meat" at a casting call in 1964. Asked about the incident, Winner told "The Guardian": "I don't remember asking her to turn around but if I did I wasn't being serious. I was only doing what the [casting] agent asked me – and for this I get reviled! Helen's a lovely person, she's a great actress and I'm a huge fan, but her memory of that moment is a little flawed."  Mirren continued her successful film career when she starred more recently in "Gosford Park" (2001) with Maggie Smith and "Calendar Girls" (2003) with Julie Walters. Other more recent appearances include "The Clearing", "Pride", "Raising Helen", and "Shadowboxer". Mirren also provided the voice for the supercomputer "Deep Thought" in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams's "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". During her career, she has portrayed three British queens in different films and television series: Queen Elizabeth I in the television series "Elizabeth I" (2005), Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen" (2006), and Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III, in "The Madness of King George" (1994). She is the only actor to have portrayed both Queens Elizabeth on the screen.  Mirren's title role of "The Queen" earned her numerous acting awards including a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award, among many others. During her acceptance speech at the Academy Award ceremony, she praised and thanked Elizabeth II and stated that she had maintained her dignity and weathered many storms during her reign as Queen. Mirren later appeared in supporting roles in the films "", "Inkheart", "State of Play", and "The Last Station", for which she was nominated for an Oscar.

2000–2009.

Mirren's first film of the 2000s was Joel Hershman's "Greenfingers" (2000), a comedy based on the true story about the prisoners of HMP Leyhill, a minimum-security prison, who won gardening awards. Mirren portrayed a devoted plantswoman in the film, who coaches a team of prison gardeners, led by Clive Owen, to victory at a prestigious flower show. The project received lukewarm reviews, which suggested that it added "nothing new to this already saturated genre" of British feel-good films.  The same year, she began work on the mystery film "The Pledge", actor Sean Penn's second directorial effort, in which she played a child psychologist. A critical success, the ensemble film tanked at the box office. Also that year, she filmed the American-Icelandic satirical drama "No Such Thing" opposite Sarah Polley. Directed by Hal Hartley, Mirren portrayed a soulless television producer in the film, who strives for sensationalistic stories. It was largely panned by critics.  Her biggest critical and commercial success, released in 2001, became Robert Altman's all-star ensemble mystery film "Gosford Park". A homage to writer Agatha Christie's whodunit style, the story follows a party of wealthy Britons and an American, and their servants, who gather for a shooting weekend at an English country house, resulting in an unexpected murder. It received multiple awards and nominations, including a second Academy Award nomination and first Screen Actors Guild Award win for Mirren's portrayal of the sternly devoted head servant Mrs. Wilson. Mirren's last film that year was Fred Schepisi's dramedy film "Last Orders" opposite Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins.  In 2003, Mirren starred in Nigel Cole's comedy "Calendar Girls", inspired by the true story of a group of Yorkshire women who produced a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia Research under the auspices of the Women's Institutes. Mirren initially was reluctant to join the project, dismissing it as another middling British picture, but rethought her decision upon learning of the casting of co-star Julie Walters. The film was generally well received by critics, and grossed $96 million worldwide. In addition, the picture earned Satellite, Golden Globe, and European Film Award nominations for Mirren. Her other film that year was the Showtime television film "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" opposite Olivier Martinez, and Anne Bancroft, based on the 1950 novel of the same title by Tennessee Williams.

2010–2014.

In 2010, Mirren appeared in five films. In "Love Ranch", directed by her husband Taylor Hackford, she portrayed Sally Conforte, one half of a married couple who opened the first legal brothel in the US, the Mustang Ranch in Storey County, Nevada. Mirren starred in the principal role of Prospera, the duchess of Milan, in Julie Taymor's "The Tempest". This was based on the play of the same name by Shakespeare; Taymor changed the original character's gender to cast Mirren as her lead. While the actor garnered strong reviews for her portrayal, the film itself was largely panned by critics. Mirren played a gutsy tea-shop owner who tries to save one of her young employees from marrying a teenage killer in Rowan Joffé's "Brighton Rock", a crime film loosely based on Graham Greene's 1938 novel. The film noir premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2010, where it received mixed reviews. Mirren's biggest critical and commercial success of the year was Robert Schwentke's ensemble action comedy "Red", based on Warren Ellis’s graphic novel, in which she portrayed Victoria, an ex-MI6 assassin. Mirren was initially hesitant to sign on due to film's graphic violence, but changed her mind upon learning of Bruce Willis' involvement. Released to positive reviews, it grossed $186.5 million worldwide. Also in 2010, the actor lent her voice to Zack Snyder's computer-animated fantasy film "", voicing antagonist Nyra, a leader of a group of owls. The film grossed $140.1 million on an $80 million budget.  Mirren's next film was the comedy film "Arthur", a remake of the 1981 film of the same name, starring Russell Brand in the lead role. "Arthur" received generally negative reviews from critics, who declared it an "irritating, unnecessary remake." In preparation for her role as a retired Israeli Mossad agent in the film "The Debt", Mirren reportedly immersed herself in studies of Hebrew language, Jewish history, and Holocaust writing, including the life of Simon Wiesenthal, while in Israel in 2009 for the filming of some of the movie's scenes. The film is a remake of a 2007 Israeli film of the same name.  In 2012, Mirren played Alfred Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville in the 2012 biopic "Hitchcock", directed by Sacha Gervasi and based on Stephen Rebello's non-fiction book "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho". The film centres on the pair's relationship during the making of "Psycho", a controversial horror film that became one of the most acclaimed and influential works in the filmmaker's career. It became a moderate arthouse success and garnered a lukewarm critical response from critics, who felt that it suffered from "tonal inconsistency and a lack of truly insightful retrospection." Mirren was universally praised for her play however, with Roger Ebert noting that the film depended most on her portrayal, which he found to be "warm and effective." Her other film that year was "The Door", a claustrophobic drama film directed by István Szabó, based on the Hungarian novel of the same name. Set at the height of communist rule in 1960s Hungary, the story of the adaptation centres on the abrasive influence that a mysterious housekeeper wields over her employer and successful novelist, played Martina Gedeck. Mirren found the role "difficult to play" and cited doing it as "one of the hardest things [she has] ever done." The following year, Mirren replaced Bette Midler in David Mamet's biographical television film "Phil Spector" about the American musician. The HBO film focuses on the relationship between Spector and his defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden, played by Mirren, during the first of his two murder trials for the 2003 death of Lana Clarkson in his California mansion. "Spector" received largely mixed to positive reviews from critics, particularly for Mirren and co-star Al Pacino's performances, and was nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards, also winning Mirren a Screen Actors Guild Award at the 20th awards ceremony. The film drew criticism both from Clarkson's family and friends, who charged that the suicide defense was given more merit than it deserved, and from Spector's wife, who argued that Spector was portrayed as a "foul-mouthed megalomaniac" and a "minotaur". Also in 2013, Mirren voiced the character of Dean Abigail Hardscrabble in Pixar's computer-animated comedy film "Monsters University", which grossed $743 million against its estimated budget of $200 million, and reprised her role in the sequel film "Red 2". The action comedy received a mixed reviews from film critics, who called it a "lackadaisical sequel", but became another commercial success, making over $140 million worldwide.  Mirren's only film of 2014 was the comedy-drama "The Hundred-Foot Journey" opposite Indian actor Om Puri. Directed by Lasse Hallström and produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, the film is based on Richard C. Morais' 2010 novel with the same name and tells the story of a feud between two adjacent restaurants in a French town. Mirren garnered largely positive reviews for her performance of a snobby restaurateur, a role which she accepted as she was keen to play a French character, reflecting her "pathetic attempt at being a French actress." The film earned her another Golden Globe nomination and became a modest commercial success, grossing $88.9 million worldwide.

2015–present.

In 2015, Mirren reunited with her former assistant Simon Curtis on "Woman in Gold", co-starring Ryan Reynolds. The film was based on the true story of Jewish refugee Maria Altmann, who, together with her young lawyer Randy Schoenberg, fought the Austrian government to be reunited with Gustav Klimt's painting of her aunt, the famous "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I". The film received mixed reviews from critics, although Mirren and Reynold's performances were widely praised. A commercial success, "Woman in Gold" became one of the highest-grossing specialty films of the year. The same year, Mirren appeared in Gavin Hood's thriller "Eye in the Sky" (2015), in which she played as a military intelligence officer who leads a secret drone mission to capture a terrorist group living in Nairobi, Kenya. Mirren last film that year was Jay Roach's biographical drama "Trumbo", co-starring Bryan Cranston and Diane Lane. The actor played Hedda Hopper, the famous actor and gossip columnist, in the film, which received generally positive reviews from critics and garnered her a 14th Golden Globe nomination.  Mirren's only film of 2016 was "Collateral Beauty", directed by David Frankel. Co-Starring Will Smith, Keira Knightley, and Kate Winslet, the ensemble drama follows a man who copes with his daughter's death by writing letters to time, death, and love. The film earned largely negative reviews from critics, who called it "well-meaning but fundamentally flawed." In 2017, Mirren narrated "Cries from Syria", a documentary film about the Syrian Civil War, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky. Also that year, she made an uncredited cameo appearance in F. Gary Gray's "The Fate of the Furious", the eighth instalment in "The Fast and the Furious" franchise, playing Magdalene, the mother of Owen and Deckard Shaw. Mirren had a larger role in director Paolo Virzì's English-language debut "The Leisure Seeker", based on the 2009 novel of the same name. On set, she was reunited with Donald Sutherland with whom she had not worked again since "" (1990), portraying a terminally ill couple who escape from their retirement home and take one last cross-country adventure in a vintage van. At the 75th awards ceremony, Mirren received her 15th Golden Globe nomination.  In 2018, Mirren portrayed heiress Sarah Winchester in the supernatural horror film "Winchester: The House That Ghosts Built", directed by The Spierig Brothers. In the same year, she starred as Mother Ginger in Disney's adaptation of "The Nutcracker", titled "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms", directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston. In 2019, she appeared in the ensemble film "Berlin, I Love You", the French crime thriller film "Anna", directed and written by Luc Besson, and co-starred in the "Fast and the Furious" spin-off "Hobbs & Shaw".

Television.

Mirren is known for her role as detective Jane Tennison in the widely viewed "Prime Suspect", a multiple award-winning television drama series that was noted for its high quality and popularity. Her portrayal of Tennison won her three consecutive BAFTA Awards for Best Actress between 1992 and 1994.  Some of Mirren's other television performances include "Cousin Bette" (1971); "As You Like It" (1979); "Blue Remembered Hills" (1979); "The Twilight Zone" episode "Dead Woman's Shoes" (1985); "The Passion of Ayn Rand" (1999), where her performance won her an Emmy; "Door to Door" (2002); and "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" (2003). In 1976, she appeared with Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates and Malcolm McDowell in a production of Harold Pinter's "The Collection" as part of the "Laurence Olivier Presents" series. She also played Queen Elizabeth I in 2005, in the television serial "Elizabeth I", for Channel 4 and HBO, for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Mirren won another Emmy Award on 16 September 2007 for her role in "Prime Suspect: The Final Act" on PBS in the same category as in 2006. Mirren hosted "Saturday Night Live" on 9 April 2011.

Awards and recognition.

Among her major competitive awards, Mirren has won one Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and one Tony Award. She has also received numerous honorary awards, including the BAFTA Fellowship from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Gala Tribute presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. In January 2009, Mirren was named on "The Times"' list of the top 10 British Actresses of all time. The list included Julie Andrews, Helena Bonham Carter, Judi Dench, and Audrey Hepburn.

Personal life.

Mirren lived with actor Liam Neeson during the early 1980s; they met while working on "Excalibur" (1981). Interviewed by James Lipton for "Inside the Actors Studio", Neeson said Mirren was instrumental in him getting an agent.  Mirren married the American director Taylor Hackford (her partner since 1986) on 31 December 1997. The ceremony took place at the Ardersier Parish Church near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The couple had met on the set of "White Nights" (1985). It is her first marriage and his third (he has two children from his previous marriages). Mirren has no children and says she has "no maternal instinct whatsoever". Mirren's autobiography, "In the Frame: My Life in Words and Pictures", was published in the UK by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in September 2007. Reviewing for "The Stage", John Thaxter wrote: "Sumptuously illustrated, at first sight it looks like another of those photo albums of the stars. But between the pictures there are almost 200 pages of densely printed text, an unusually frank story of her private and professional life, mainly in the theatre, the words clearly Mirren's own, delivered with forthright candour."  In 1990, Mirren stated in an interview that she is an atheist. In the August 2011 issue of "Esquire" magazine, Mirren said, "I am quite spiritual. I believed in fairies when I was a child. I still do sort of believe in the fairies. And the leprechauns. But I don't believe in God."  In a "GQ" interview in 2008, Mirren stated she had been date raped as a student, and had often taken cocaine at parties in her twenties and until the 1980s. She stopped using the drug after reading the (since debunked) tabloid tale that Klaus Barbie made a living from cocaine dealing.  On 11 May 2010, Mirren attended the unveiling of her waxwork at Madame Tussauds London. In 2012, Mirren was among the British cultural icons selected by the artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork – the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover – to celebrate the British cultural figures of his life that he most admires.  In 2013, Mirren was announced as one of several new models for Marks & Spencer's "Womanism" campaign. Subtitled "Britain's leading ladies", the campaign saw Mirren appear alongside British women from various fields, including pop singer Ellie Goulding, double Olympic gold medal winning boxer Nicola Adams, and writer Monica Ali. In March 2013, "The Guardian" listed Mirren as one of the 50 best-dressed over 50.  She told the "Radio Times", "I'm a naturist at heart. I love being on beaches where everyone is naked. Ugly people, beautiful people, old people, whatever. It's so unisexual and so liberating." In 2004, she was named "Naturist of the Year" by British Naturism. She said: "Many thanks to British Naturism for this great honour. I do believe in naturism and am my happiest on a nude beach with people of all ages and races!"

Dame Helen Lydia Mirren, (; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. Excelling on stage with the National Youth Theatre, her performance as Cleopatra in "Antony and Cleopatra" in 1965 saw her invited to join the Royal Shakespeare Company before she made her West End stage debut in 1975. Since then, Mirren has also had success in television and film. She is one of the few performers who have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in the US. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen," the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the same role in "The Audience", and has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie four times.

Dame Helen Mirrenová (* 26. července 1945, Londýn, Spojené království), narozena jako Helen Lydia Mironoff (resp. "Елена Лидия Васильевна Миронова", "Jelena Lidija Vasiľjevna Mironova"), je britská herečka a režisérka, držitelka Oscara za nejlepší ženský herecký výkon z roku 2006 za film "Královna".


Background.

The 2010 Turkish Grand Prix was the seventh scheduled round of the 2010 Formula One season after taking a two-week break from the previous race of the season in Monaco. It was held on 30 May 2010 at the Istanbul Park circuit in Istanbul, Turkey. The Grand Prix was contested by twelve teams with two drivers each. The teams (also known as constructors) were Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, Renault, Williams, Force India, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Lotus, Hispania and Virgin. Tyre supplier Bridgestone brought four different tyre types to the race: two dry compounds (soft "options" and hard "primes") and two wet-weather compounds (intermediate and full wet).  Before the race Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel were tied for the lead of the Drivers' Championship with 78 points each, with Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso in third with 75 points. Jenson Button was fourth on 70 points and Felipe Massa was fifth on 61 points. In the Constructors' Champions Red Bull were leading with 156 points, Ferrari and McLaren were second and third with 136 and 129 points respectively, while Mercedes (78 points) and Renault (65) contended for fourth place. Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull had so far clinched the six previous victories of the season. Championship competitors Massa and Robert Kubica had both secured second place podium finishes with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg having both achieved third place podium finishes.  Webber dominated the previous two rounds in Spain and Monaco and clinched the pole position in both events. Despite the form, Webber said Red Bull were still wary of their rivals, saying that they had a good foundation and position but no person knew who would be challenging for the title late in the season, but did not feel it would between two people. Ferrari came into the event with a long series of success at the track, having won three of the last five races held at Istanbul Park. The team identified the event as their 800th Grand Prix and their cars carried a logo celebrating the achievement on their engine covers. Alonso was upbeat about their chances in the race, saying that compared to the Spanish Grand Prix, he felt their situation was a little better due to the fact Istanbul Park's characteristics are different and did not require the maximum amount of aerodynamic downforce, but a lower level which was suited to the F10. Alonso also believed it would be a "surprise" if the Red Bull team finished behind him. Hamilton claimed that McLaren would be competitive in Istanbul and hoped that he would secure his first victory of the season.  Several teams made modifications to their cars in preparation for the event. Red Bull introduced a revised version of its RB6 chassis for Vettel as his previous monocoque had a small defect which created handling difficulties in Monaco. The team tested a version of McLaren's F-duct system (which increases the top speed of a car) during the Friday practice sessions but removed it for qualifying and the race because both of McLaren's drivers found the device difficult to operate. Ferrari modified their F-duct system so that it would allow their drivers to operate the system by using their left leg. Mercedes arrived at the circuit by reverting to a previous specification of suspension and introduced a longer wheelbase on both their cars as well as a new version of their F-duct system. Williams decided to revert to an old specification of their front wing following accidents involving their drivers in Monaco, though the team brought new brake ducts. Lotus débuted a new rear wing specification which improved forward balance of their chassis. Virgin managed to procure a longer-wheelbase version of the VR-01 for Lucas di Grassi after the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull prevented them from having two cars prepared in time for the previous race.

Practice.

Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race—two on Friday, and a third on Saturday. The Friday morning and afternoon sessions each lasted 90 minutes. The third session was held on Saturday morning and lasted an hour. The Friday morning practice session was held on a dusty track scattered with debris and several drivers spun off the track. Hamilton set the fastest time of the first session, at 1 minute and 28.653 seconds; his late lap was almost one second quicker than teammate Button. The two Mercedes drivers ended third and fourth quickest; Michael Schumacher ahead of Rosberg. Vettel and Webber set the fifth and eighth fastest times respectively for Red Bull; they were separated by the Renault cars of Kubica and Vitaly Petrov. Alonso and Adrian Sutil rounded out the session's top ten drivers. The session was disrupted with two minutes remaining when Sutil ran wide at turn eight, which caused him to spin backwards and crash into a barrier, breaking his front wing and both front tyres. The session was prematurely ended due to the limited time running.  In the second practice session, Button set the quickest lap of the day, a 1:28.280, which was nearly one tenth of a second quicker than Webber. Vettel was third fastest followed by Hamilton and Alonso in fourth and fifth. Both Mercedes cars were slower in the session with Rosberg sixth and Schumacher seventh. Kubica, Petrov and Massa followed in the top ten. Webber stopped outside the exit of turn two with an engine failure and engaged in an argument with marshals on preventing the car from moving backwards. In the final practice session, Vettel was fastest with a time of 1:27.086. This made him three tenths of a second faster than Rosberg in second place. Hamilton set the third quickest lap despite spinning sideways into the turn eight gravel trap. He was ahead of Webber who was afflicted with a throttle problem. Kubica, Alonso, Schumacher, Button, Massa and Petrov completed the top ten ahead of qualifying.

Qualifying.

The qualifying session held on Saturday afternoon was split into three parts. The first part ran for 20 minutes and eliminated the cars that finished the session 18th or lower. The second session lasted 15 minutes and eliminated cars that finished in positions eleven to 17. The final session ran for ten minutes and determined pole position to tenth. Cars which competed in the final session of qualifying were not allowed to change tyres before the race, and as such started the race on the tyres that they set their quickest lap on. The session was held in dry weather conditions. Webber set the fastest time in the final session, and took his third successive pole position with a lap of 1:26.295. He was joined on the grid's front row by Hamilton, who recorded a lap time 0.148 seconds slower. Vettel set the fastest times in the first two sessions, though mistakes on his first two runs due to a roll-bar failure in the final session prevented him from recording a faster lap. He dropped to third overall in the final session. A car setup error caused Button to run too low to the ground through turn eight and was restricted to fourth. Schumacher qualified in fifth and was happy with his starting position despite spinning at turn eight on his final qualifying lap. Rosberg qualified sixth and despite wanting to start higher up the field, he was confident about his race chances Kubica had problems when running the soft compound tyre managing seventh but was happy with his lap in the final session.  He was ahead of Massa in the faster of the two Ferrari cars. Petrov secured ninth in the slower Renault car. Kobayashi rounded out the top ten fastest qualifiers. Sutil was the fastest driver not to advance into the final session in eleventh; his best time of 1:27.525 was eight tenths of a second slower than Vettel's pace in the second session. Alonso recorded the twelfth fastest time and could not secure a position in the final session as his car touched a white line under braking on the circuit, causing his car to slide. Nevertheless, Alonso thought that the error did not cost him time. He was followed by Pedro de la Rosa in the other Sauber car in 13th, who in turn, was ahead of Sébastien Buemi for Toro Rosso and Williams driver Rubens Barrichello. This formation continued on the eighth row of the grid, which was occupied by Jaime Alguersuari in the second Toro Rosso and Nico Hülkenberg in the other Williams. Vitantonio Liuzzi failed to progress beyond the first session; the Force India driver qualified in 18th. The Lotus cars of Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli lined up in 19th and 20th respectively. Timo Glock and Bruno Senna lined up on the eleventh row of the grid, with their teammates Lucas di Grassi and Karun Chandhok qualifying at the rear of the field.

Qualifying classification.

The fastest lap in each of the three sessions is denoted in bold and the winner of pole position is indicated by a.

Race.

The race commenced at 15:00 Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+3). The conditions on the grid were warm and sunny before the race; there was an air temperature between with an track temperature ranging between. Di Grassi changed his engine and began from the pit lane because his team rectified an issue with his engine oil system which was discovered one hour beforehand. As the five red lights went out to signal the start of the race, Webber maintained his pole position advantage heading into the first corner. Hamilton had wheelspin when he moved out of his starting position and abandoned the use of his second clutch. Vettel made a brisk start to pass Hamilton for second around the inside of turn one but Hamilton reclaimed the position by passing Vettel around the outside at the third corner. Schumacher also made a fast getaway and overtook Button for fourth place but the latter retook the position at turn twelve after slipstreaming in Schumacher's tow on the back straight. De la Rosa ran wide at turn two allowing Buemi to pass him heading into the third turn. However, Buemi went wide allowing Hülkenberg to take advantage of Buemi's error. Buemi attempted to re-pass Hülkenberg around the inside at turn seven but Hülkenberg made contact with Buemi, puncturing the right rear tyre of Buemi's car which forced both drivers to make early pit stops. At the end of the first lap, Webber led Hamilton by 0.4 seconds, who in turn was followed by Vettel, Button, Schumacher, Rosberg, Kubica, Massa, Petrov, Sutil, Kobayashi, Alonso, de la Rosa, Alguersuari, Hülkenberg, Liuzzi, Trulli, Kovalainen, Senna, Barrichello, Glock, Chandhok, di Grassi and Buemi.  The first four drivers opened a gap from the rest of the field, as Webber set the fastest lap of the race so far on lap two with a time of 1:33.685. Hamilton attempted an overtake manoeuvre on Webber heading into turn twelve on lap three but was unable to get close to affect a pass. Alonso passed de la Rosa for twelfth place on the same lap and began to battle Kobayaski for eleventh. Hamilton attempted to pass Webber for a second time at turn twelve on lap four but could not get close enough. This was because Hamilton's car was more effective than Webber's; it allowed Webber to pull away through turn eight but Hamilton could close the gap between himself and Webber in the back straight by employing his car's F-duct. Hülkenberg passed di Grassi and Chandhok in turn eight to move up into 21st place by lap six, while Webber, Hamilton and Vettel traded the fastest lap with Hamilton quickest on the same lap. McLaren became aware of a higher than expected fuel consumption by the tenth lap and they ordered both their drivers to change engine modes for fuel conservation. Kobayashi made a pit stop on lap eleven which released Alonso into clean air; Alonso made his pit stop on the following lap for hard tyres and rejoined ahead of Kobayashi. The next few laps saw a large amount of activity in the pit lane. Vettel made his pit stop from third position on lap 15, and rejoined in front of Rosberg, while Button pushed hard in an attempt to move ahead of Vettel. Hamilton and Webber both made their pit stops on the following lap; Webber emerged in front as Hamilton's pit crew were slow to fit Hamilton's left-rear tyre. Hamilton fell to third place behind Vettel.  Button thus inherited the lead but reported to his team via radio that he was losing rear grip in his tyres after pushing hard. He made a pit stop on lap 18 and re-emerged in fourth. Hamilton attempted to pass Vettel around the outside heading into turn 12 on lap 18 but was unable to complete the manoveure after running deep into the corner. By the end of the 19th lap, all of the leading drivers had taken their pit stops. The running order was Webber leading with Vettel, Hamilton and Button in close attendance, then a 15-second gap back to Schumacher, Rosberg and Kubica. Massa in eighth was being caught by Petrov in ninth, and the two were followed by Alonso, Kobayashi, Sutil, de la Rosa, Alguersuari, Liuzzi, Hülkenberg, Kovalainen, Barrichello, Trulli, Glock, Senna, Buemi, di Grassi and Chandhok. The top nine drivers remained in the same positions in which they had qualified, and as the race continued, there was a threat of rain forecast by meteorological service Météo-France which intensified by hot weather and heavy clouds brewing to the west of the circuit. Trulli pulled off to the side of the track with an hydraulic failure, becoming the first retirement on lap 35. Trulli's teammate Kovalainen retired the lap after with a power steering failure in turn eight which was followed by him not being able to operate his gearbox, clutch and throttle and his car was pushed into the Lotus garage.  On lap 39, Webber asked Red Bull to advise Vettel to reduce his speed but his request was rejected due to the quick pace and the close distance between themselves and the McLaren cars. Webber entered fuel-saving mode on lap 40 which lost him performance while Vettel had saved one kilogram of fuel and opted to run on a faster engine setting. Vettel got a run exiting turn eleven and turned left to the inside lane and drew alongside Webber on the back straight. As the pair approached turn twelve, they made contact at high-speed which sent Vettel spinning through 360 degrees twice. Both drivers ended on a run-off area and Vettel almost hit Webber again as Hamilton and Button overtook them. Vettel retired with a punctured right-rear tyre and Webber sustained damage to his front wing endplate. The expected rain only manifested as a very light drizzle on lap 41, as Webber made a pit stop for a replacement front wing two laps later. Hamilton was informed by McLaren to conserve fuel on lap 44 as the drivers drove cautiously through turn one because of the light rain. Senna drove to the pit lane to retire with a fuel pressure issue. Button was instructed to conserve fuel although he was not given a target lap time because the team's chief engineer Phil Prew felt Button would not pass his teammate. Hamilton had been told by his race engineer Andy Latham that Button would not overtake him. McLaren asked both drivers to drive cautiously through turn eight where there was a high risk for problems with their front-right tyres.  Button drew alongside teammate Hamilton on lap 48 heading into turn twelve and passed Hamilton (who drove on the inside line) around the outside of the corner. Hamilton reclaimed the lead on the following lap after getting a run on the pit straight and narrowly avoided a collision with Button at turn one. Hamilton began to pull away from teammate Button. Sutil passed Kobayashi around the outside for tenth on lap 52 while Button was ordered to conserve his tyres and fuel on the same lap. Chandhok became the final retirement of the race when he entered the pit lane with a fuel pump failure on lap 53. Alonso attempted to overtake Petrov around the outside of turn one on lap 54 but was unable to get ahead. Alonso tried again going into turn three and Petrov (who had worn tyres) made an error allowing Alonso to move into eighth. Both drivers made contact and Petrov sustained a punctured tyre. Petrov made a pit stop for soft tyres on lap 56 and emerged in 15th. Hamilton maintained his lead throughout the remainder of the race and took the checkered flag on lap 58 to secure his first win of the season, 2.6 seconds in front of teammate Button. Webber was third, ahead of Schumacher who equalled his best result of the season, having finished fourth at the Spanish Grand Prix as well. Rosberg held off Kubica to take fifth, followed by Massa, Alonso, Sutil and Kobayashi. De la Rosa was close behind teammate Kobayashi in eleventh. Alguersuari, Liuzzi, Barrichello, Petrov, Buemi, Hülkenberg, Glock, di Grassi and Chandhok (despite his mechanical issues) were the final classified finishers. Hamilton's victory made him the fifth different driver in seven races to win a Grand Prix in 2010.

Post-race.

The top three drivers appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and in a later press conference. Hamilton said the race was "quite exciting" and dedicated the victory to his father Anthony. He stated that he was unfortunate up until the race but was happy that he could help McLaren achieve their second 1–2 finish of the season. Button said his second-place result was pleasing despite him starting from fourth position, and stated the pace of his McLaren was good. He felt the event was "fun", and praised his team for improving his car which allowed them to challenge Red Bull. Webber revealed that he had been confident that he would be able to take victory having fended off both McLaren cars for the previous 40 laps. He also stated the first stint of the race was "very interesting" and had expected it to be an "interesting race" but revealed he was not as comfortable on the hard-compound tyre.  Much of the post-race debate centred on the Red Bulls' clash at the front of the field on lap 40. Both Webber and Vettel blamed each other for the crash. Team principal Christian Horner implied Webber remained partially responsible for failing to give Vettel enough room on the run to the corner, and he was noticeably frustrated and angry at both of his drivers for wasting a potential 1–2 finish. Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko insisted the team did not favour Vettel through their strategy and also offered the perspective that Vettel had to attack for fear of backing off into the clutches of Hamilton behind. McLaren chief engineer Tim Goss said the crash had prevented Red Bull from securing a 1–2 finish, but understood why Webber switched to a different engine mode as he noted that one of Vettel's engines had failed earlier in the season. He felt that the battle between both McLaren and Red Bull drivers for both championships would continue unabated. Red Bull held a meeting at their factory in Milton Keynes four days after the race, and all people in attendance believed the situation had been dealt with. The incident between Webber and Vettel is widely seen by the media as a key moment in the rivalry between the two drivers.  Mercedes maintained they had achieved what the car was capable of with fourth and fifth-place finishes for Schumacher and Rosberg respectively. Massa said it was a "very boring" and "difficult" race from his point of view because he was behind Kubica for the duration of the race whom he could not overtake. Alonso was disappointed with the team's performance in what Ferrari identified as their 800th start, yet he looked forward to upgrades in the following races. James Key, the technical director of BMW Sauber, stated he was happy with the double finish and the one point the team picked up, courtesy of Kobayashi. Despite setting the race's fastest lap, Petrov was disappointed to not finish in a points-scoring position. He said there were many positives he could take from the event and hoped to achieve a stronger result in the Canadian round.  The result extended Webber's lead in the Drivers' Championship to five points over Button who moved into second place. Hamilton's victory promoted him to third, while Alonso's eighth-place finish demoted him third to fourth. Vettel's fell from second to fifth. McLaren's 1–2 result allowed them to assume the lead of the Constructors' Championship with a one-point advantage over Red Bull. Ferrari's poor finish dropped them from second to third, while Mercedes remained in fourth position with 100 points. Renault retained fifth on 73 points, with 12 races left in the season. After their strong finish, Hamilton hoped McLaren's result would give them further momentum to challenge Red Bull for the championship.

Race classification.

Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold and by a.

The 2010 Turkish Grand Prix (formally the 2010 Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 30 May 2010 at the Istanbul Park circuit near Istanbul, Turkey. It was the seventh round of the 2010 Formula One season and the sixth Turkish Grand Prix. The 58-lap race was won by McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton who started from second position. His teammate Jenson Button finished second, and Red Bull driver Mark Webber took third.

Grand Prix Turecka 2010 (VI Turkish Grand Prix), 7. závod 61. ročníku mistrovství světa jezdců Formule 1 a 52. ročníku poháru konstruktérů, historicky již 827. grand prix, se již tradičně odehrála na okruhu v Istanbulu.


History.

Completed in 1992 by Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company, Two California Plaza has of office space. The towers were designed by Arthur Erickson Architects and named BOMA Building of the Year in 1997 and 2001.  California Plaza was a ten-year, project. Started in 1983, the Two California Plaza tower was completed in 1992 during a significant slump in the downtown Los Angeles real estate market. The tower opened with only 30 percent of its space leased and overall vacancy rates in downtown office space neared 25 percent. It was nearly 10 years before significant tall buildings were completed again in downtown Los Angeles.  California Plaza was originally planned to include 3 high rise tower office buildings instead of the two completed. Three California Plaza at 65 floors, was planned for a site just north of 4th St., directly across Olive St. from California Plaza's first two office highrises and was planned to house the Metropolitan Water District's permanent headquarters. The site is currently an entrance to the Pershing Square subway station.  The construction and US$23 million cost of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) was part of a city-brokered deal with the developer of the California Plaza redevelopment project, Bunker Hill Associates, who received the use of an, publicly owned parcel of land.  Owner MPG Office Trust let the property go into receivership in 2012. A tenant since 2000, Deloitte moved to the nearby Gas Company Tower in 2014.  In 2014, CIM Group bought the building and made improvements to the restaurants and shops in the plaza which was popular but had been neglected. The California Plaza courtyard has an elaborate dancing-water fountain and the upper station of the funicular railway Angels Flight. The plaza also links to the Museum of Contemporary Art and an apartment tower. Several clear shots of the tower under construction can be seen in the 1991 comedy/action film "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man".

Two California Plaza is a skyscraper in the Bunker Hill District of downtown Los Angeles, California. The tower is part of the California Plaza project, consisting of two unique skyscrapers, One California Plaza and Two California Plaza. The Plaza is also home to the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), Colburn School of Performing Arts, the Los Angeles Omni Hotel, and a water court.

Two California Plaza je mrakodrap v centru kalifornského města Los Angeles. Má 52 pater a výšku 219 metrů, to z něj dělá čtvrtou nejvyšší budovu ve městě. Spolu s mrakodrapem One California Plaza tvoří komplex Plaza California. Výstavba probíhala v letech 1990–1992 podle návrhu firmy Arthur Erickson Architectural Corporation. Budova disponuje podlahovou plochou o rozloze 123 542 m2, z toho drtivou většinu zabírají kancelářské prostory.