title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Options for engines and transmissions vary from country to country, but the Golf Mk5 is available with 4-cylinder, 5-cylinder, and 6-cylinder petrol engines, and a new Pumpe Duse unit injector Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) diesel engine. Transmission options include manual, automatic, Tiptronic, and Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG).


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: The Golf GTI included a 2.0-litre Turbocharged Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) engine rated at 5100–6000 rpm ( automatic) and torque at 1700–5000 rpm. Transmissions include a 6-speed manual or 6-speed DSG.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: In September 2005, the Golf Mk5 GT was announced, which featured a choice of either 1.4 L petrol engine in twincharger (TSI) configuration, or a 2.0 litre TDI. Both are available as versions; while the diesel also is available as a variant in the UK. The diesel has of torque, which is more than the range topping R32.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: The new Twincharger (TSI) petrol engine uses Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI), along with a pair of chargers forcing the induction of the air. The chargers are a single supercharger that disengages after a specified rev-range, at which point charging of the air is handled by a single turbocharger. This system benefits from the pumping efficiency of the supercharger at lower revs and the fuel efficiency of the turbocharger at high revs. This results in more constant power delivery through the rev range, and better fuel efficiency. Both petrol and diesel versions are also available with DSG (Direct-Shift Gearbox). Performance figures for the petrol vehicle are 0- in 6.9 seconds (6 speed) and 6.9 seconds (DSG), with the diesel taking 8.2 seconds, and both reaching top speed of .


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: United States and Canada base specification Rabbits use the same 2.5-litre five-cylinder gasoline engine that powers the Jetta and New Beetle in these markets, making and in 2006–2007 models, and and from 2008 onward. North American transmission choices include a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic for the Rabbit. Diesel engines have been unavailable on Rabbits, though they were offered through 2006 on the Jetta until tightening emissions regulations in the U.S. led to their temporary unavailability.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Volkswagen did not market the GT version to the US or Canada, though the VR6-powered R32 range-topping model was available in the United States.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: The station wagon version of the Golf Mk5 debuted at the International Geneva Motor Show in March 2007 and was marketed as the Golf Variant in the German domestic market, in The United States as the Jetta SportWagen, and in Argentina and Uruguay as the Vento Variant. Designed by Murat Günak, it is more closely related to the Jetta saloon with a shared front fascia design and front doors. It was produced in Puebla, Mexico since April 2007 alongside the similar Jetta with a targeted annual production of 120,000 units.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Volkswagen did not intend to release the station wagon/estate version of the Golf Mk5 until later in its life cycle. Initially, Volkswagen expected the Golf Plus and Touran to be able to cover the station wagon segment left by the Golf, however it was reported that dealers and customers were asking for a replacement instead.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: It was facelifted in late 2009, with changes including the front clip and interior from the Golf Mk6, while the remaining is based on the pre-facelifted model. It is marketed as the station wagon version of the Golf Mk6 as it was sold alongside it. The facelifted model was also marketed as the Golf Wagon and Variant in the Canada and Mexico, while it continued to be sold as the Jetta SportWagen in the United States.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Volkswagen marketed the three-box sedan variant of the Mk5 Golf since 2004 as the Jetta in North America and Europe, replacing the Bora name. It debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show on 5 January 2005. It was marketed as the Volkswagen Bora in Mexico and Colombia, Volkswagen Vento in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, and Volkswagen Sagitar in China. The Mk5 Jetta shared the front fascia, front fender panel and front doors with the Golf Variant, while the GLI variant adopted Golf GTI's front end. It is the last Jetta generation to be heavily based on the Golf, since the Jetta A6 used a dedicated bodywork. In the US market, the Jetta outsells the Golf/Rabbit by a ratio of 4 to 1.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: In December 2004, Volkswagen announced the Golf Plus variant of the Golf Mk5. It is taller than the standard Golf, and shorter than the other compact MPV of the marque, the seven-seater Volkswagen Touran. It is sold up to 2014 when it was replaced by the Golf Sportsvan, with a refresh in December 2008. A crossover-styled version was released as the CrossGolf (Golf Plus Dune in UK) in 2006.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: The Golf Mk5 GT features a choice of either 1.4 L petrol engine in twincharger (TSI) configuration, a 2.0 litre TDI diesel engine or a 2.0 (FSI) direct injection petrol engine. TSI petrol and diesels are available as versions. The 125kW diesel engine has of torque, which is more than the range topping R32. The petrol engined offering contains the new TSI engine, which is based on the recent Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI), but with a pair of chargers forcing the induction of the air. The chargers are a single supercharger that disengages after a specified rev-range, at which point charging of the air is handled by a single turbocharger. This system benefits from both of the efficiency of the supercharger in the lower rev ranges, with the longevity of the turbocharger higher in the rev range. This results in little turbo lag, constant power delivery along the rev range, and better fuel efficiency than similarly powered 2.4 L V6 engine due to its small size. However, the power delivery of the petrol TSI engine was criticised as being very jerky by Jeremy Clarkson.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: In the UK the GT sport badge was marketed as offering both high power and low emissions, sparking some controversy. The diesel offers 156g/km and returns 47.9 mpg combined with the petrol equivalent offering 175g/km and 38.2 mpg respectively.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Both petrol and diesel versions are also available with Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG). Performance figures for the petrol vehicle are 0- in 7.9 seconds (6-speed manual) and 7.7 seconds (DSG), with the diesel taking 8.2 seconds, and both reaching top speed of .


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: The Golf GT features the same brakes as the Golf GTI, with ventilated front discs, and solid rears. It has also lowered suspension, which lowers its centre of gravity, it borrows the GTI's suspension/damper settings, uses 7Jx17" "ClassiXs" alloy wheels fitted with wide 225/45 R17 tyres, and has twin exhaust outlets.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: The Golf GTI features a 2.0 litre turbocharged inline 4-cylinder petrol engine with Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) direct-injection technology, which produces 200PS (147 kW/197 bhp). It is available in both 3-door and 5-door hatchback body shapes, and comes with a choice of either 6-speed manual or a 6-speed Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG) which greatly reduces shift time to only 8ms.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Some Mk 5 GTIs bound for the North American Market produced in late 2008 and early 2009 came with a different engine. The FSI EA113 engines used in the earlier years were traded for a new design in late 2008 as VW Audi Group began producing new engines for the upcoming Mk 6 GTI (among other models) which was released for sale in late 2009. Some of the Mk 5s exported to North America in these years received this new engine and were delivered to customers with the redesigned EA888 TSI engine. This early version of the EA888 engine produced very similar horsepower and torque numbers compared to the EA113.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: The main design changes came in the form of addressing known issues with the previous platform. A new high pressure fuel pump cam follower design that did not require periodic replacement due to wear was chief among them. Failure of this component in the EA113 design had the potential to lead to catastrophic engine failure if not replaced often enough. Further, the timing belt was replaced with a timing chain. This was done to address the reported problems with failed timing belts and tensioner assemblies that caused severe damage when not maintained properly in this interference engine design. One other notable change was the air intake and intake manifold design. The air intake was no longer integrated into the plastic engine cover and instead was routed around the right hand side near the battery. This design provided slightly reduced intake restriction and access to cooler air further from the engine.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: The concept GTI was first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2003. The first production model was initially unveiled at the Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris in September 2004, and went on sale around the world shortly thereafter. At the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006, the GTI made its long-awaited North American debut in 3-door guise (a 5-door variant was eventually made available), where it is marketed solely under the 'GTI' moniker, with no reference to the Rabbit. The new GTI has a considerable price increase over the previous model, mainly due to the features mentioned above, and the fact that the exterior itself had not seen such a dramatic design change in years. The price is further raised because it is built in Germany, unlike the Mk4 some of which were built in Brazil. The innovative DSG transmission and the TFSI engine all helped raise the retail price of the car. The Mk5 GTI was named 2007 Automobile of the Year by "Automobile Magazine", in December 2006.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: This generation marked the only generation in Canada to have the GTI as a separate nameplate rather than a trim of the Golf. When Volkswagen announced the revival of the Golf in the US and Canada for the 2010 model year, Volkswagen reverted the GTI nameplate as a Golf trim, although the GTI remains a separate nameplate in the United States.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: In Mexico, it is only sold as a 3-door hatchback. A special edition of the GTI was sold in 170 copies under a "Pirelli" limited edition with a 230 CV engine and only in a black colour.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: In September 2005, the Mk5 R32 went on sale in Europe. United Kingdom sales began in November that year. It features an updated 3.2-litre VR6 engine of that fitted to the previous Mk4 version, with an extra due to a reworked inlet manifold. Maximum power is now at 6,300 rpm; torque is unchanged at . It reaches an electronically governed top speed of . Going from 0 to will take 6.5 s, reduced to 6.2 s with the Direct-Shift Gearbox.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Compared with the previous Mk4 R32, it is 0.1 seconds faster for the manual version, while the newer R32 is about heavier. As with the previous R32; there is the Haldex Traction-based 4motion part-time four-wheel drive, now through 18" Zolder 20-spoke alloy wheels. Stopping the R32 comes in the form of blue-painted brake calipers with discs at the front and disks at the rear.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: The Mk5 R32 was released in the US in August 2007 with a limited production run of 5000. Each R32 has its production number laser etched on its steering wheel.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: In Chile, the Golf Mk5 was only offered in this model, while the standard Golf model offered was the Brazilian-made Mk4.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Following Volkswagen's successful 20th anniversary edition GTI (1996 in Europe, and 2003 for the North American market), and the 25th anniversary GTI (in 2001 for Europe only) models, Volkswagen marked the GTI's 30th anniversary by producing the GTI Edition 30.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Going on sale in November 2006 from £22,295 RRP, with an initial goal of a limited production run of only 1500 (Europe models), the Edition 30 was available in 6 colours; Tornado Red, Black, Candy White, Reflex Silver (Metallic), Steel Grey (Metallic) and finally Diamond Black (Pearl). Due to strong demand, 2280 cars were eventually built with a small number continuing into the 2009 model year. The changes over the standard production model included a modified engine that produced an extra more than the standard version, raising the output to , giving rumour that it was faster in the dry and more powerful than the R32. Slight changes to the body work included body coloured side skirts and Votex front spoiler, colour-keyed rear bumper and tinted rear lights from the R32. Changes to the interior included a return for the golf ball shaped gear knob and silver "Edition 30" logo'd sill plates. Edition 30 seats were also decked out in the distinctive red stitching on 'Vienna' leather and 'Interlagos' fabric mix. Red stitching was also added to the leather-covered steering wheel. Finally, dependent on the market and the options available the Edition 30 was available with 18" BBS originated 'Pescara' alloy wheels, or black versions of the 18" 'Monza II' alloy wheels.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Performance was marginally improved: with 0- coming at 6.8 seconds (6.6 seconds for DSG-equipped models), and a top speed of (manual) or (DSG).


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: In October 2006, Volkswagen debuted a new Fahrenheit Edition of their GTI and GLI models at the Playboy Mansion. These new models were the first special-edition versions of the GTI and GLI made available in North America, and the first of the new models arrived in dealers in the early March 2007.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Fahrenheit models of the GTI were distinguished by their Magma Orange paint job, special Fahrenheit badging, a commemorative plate placed on the steering wheel, body-coloured interior panels, orange stitching on the DSG boot, steering wheel, park brake handle and floor mats (from which the red GTI logo had been removed), as well as special gunmetal-colored 18" "Charleston" wheels. The Fahrenheit also came with a European tuned suspension.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: The Fahrenheit GTI was available with Volkswagen's DSG transmission or 6-speed manual. Only 1200 Fahrenheit GTI models in Magma Orange were produced for the US (150 in Canada) and 1200 GLIs in yellow (not available in Canada)(600 DSG 600 manual). US pricing started at $27,665.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: This is a special edition GTI, developed by Volkswagen Individual. It was given the Edition 30 engine, instead of the in the standard Mk5 GTI. It is equipped with 225/40R18 Pirelli P-Zero tyres on titanium colored alloy wheels. It is available with a 6-speed manual or an optional DSG gearbox.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: It features leather sport seats in "San Remo" microfiber with embossed Pirelli tyre tread pattern down the centre. It also has yellow stitching on the seats, steering wheel and gear shift. There is also a Pirelli logo on the head restraints. The exterior and valences are painted sunflower yellow. Other colours are also available.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Volkswagen unveiled the GTI W12-650 at the GTI Festival in Wörthersee, Austria, in May 2007. It was designed as a concept car, and only one is known to exist. Unlike most concept cars, it is mechanically functional to the extent that it can be driven. Due to the rushed build time of the car (8 weeks), however, not all of its features function fully. The steering-wheel mounted paddle-shifters are not linked to the transmission, the hazard lights do not function, the stereo system doesn't work, and the heating and air-conditioning system of the car does not function due to the dashboard controls never being linked to the unit.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: The car features a 6.0L W12 bi-turbo engine from the Bentley Continental GT delivering , of torque, 0- in 3.7 seconds, and a top speed of . The W12 differs from the standard GTI in several ways. It features 19-inch wheels that resembled the GTI's. It is lower and wider, the rear seats have been removed to accommodate the mid-engine design, and the roof is made from carbon-fibre composite, front brakes are from the Audi RS4, and rear brakes and axle are from a Lamborghini Gallardo. The W12-650 achieved a time of 1:29.6 on BBC Top Gear's "Power Lap" feature. Jeremy Clarkson showed that the car had some trouble with high-speed cornering but was extremely fast in the straight sections of the track.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: A VW Golf TDI Hybrid concept was shown at the March 2008 Geneva Motor Show. The concept vehicle shown had a three-cylinder TDI engine – probably the 1.4 litre used in the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion – mated to a electric motor, and a seven-speed double-clutch DSG transmission. The electric power system is a Nickel-metal hydride battery in the boot, and a regenerative braking system. An "energy monitor" display on the dashboard keeps tabs on what the powertrain is doing, and provides both a stop/start capability and a full-electric mode at low speed. The design also includes concepts introduced via BlueMotion, with smaller grill and thinner low-resistance tyres. According to Germany's "Auto Bild", the car will get 69.9 mpg, and emit 90 g/km of carbon dioxide, less than the 104 g/km emitted by the Toyota Prius and 116 emitted by the Honda Civic Hybrid. The TDI Hybrid was expected to be marketed in Europe from mid-2009.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: VW CEO Martin Winterkorn announced Volkswagen Golf Twin Drive plug-in hybrid vehicle based on Mark V Golf, which uses 2.0L turbodiesel and electric motor with lithium-ion batteries. The car could run about 50 kilometres on battery power. The combined power was .


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: Volkswagen never developed the Twin Drive system for the Golf. It was planned to be developed with 8 German partners and planned a trial fleet of 20 Golfs outfitted with the system in 2010.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: The production version was expected to be based on Mark VI Golf featuring a 1.5L turbodiesel engine and electric motor, with estimated arrival date of 2015.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: In 2004, the Mk5 received a 5-star Euro NCAP rating. The 2010 edition of Monash University's "Used Car Safety Ratings", found that the Golf Mk5 provides an "excellent" (five out of five stars) level of occupant safety protection in the event of an accident.


title: Volkswagen Golf Mk5

text: In auto racing, APR Motorsport has led two MKV VW GTI's to victory in the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner (ST) class.


title: Orson Bean

text: Orson Bean (born Dallas Frederick Burrows; July 22, 1928 – February 7, 2020) was an American film, television, and stage actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was a game show and talk show host and a "mainstay of Los Angeles’ small theater scene." He appeared frequently on several televised game shows from the 1960s through the 1980s and was a longtime panelist on the television game show "To Tell the Truth". "A storyteller "par excellence"", he was a favorite of Johnny Carson, appearing on "The Tonight Show" more than 200 times.


title: Orson Bean

text: In the 1960s, Bean remarked in an interview that he became known as a "neocelebrity who's famous for being famous" for his appearances as a panellist on television prime-time gameshows.


title: Orson Bean

text: Orson Bean was born in Burlington, Vermont, in 1928, while his first cousin twice removed, Calvin Coolidge, was President of the United States. Bean was the son of Marian Ainsworth ("née" Pollard) and George Frederick Burrows. His father was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a fund-raiser for the Scottsboro Boys' defense, and a 20-year member of the campus police of Harvard College. Bean said his house was "full of causes". He left home at 16 after his mother died by suicide.


title: Orson Bean

text: Bean graduated from Rindge Technical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1946. He then joined the United States Army and was stationed in Japan for a year. Following his military service, Bean began working in small venues as a stage magician before moving in the early 1950s to stand-up comedy. He studied theatre at HB Studio.


title: Orson Bean

text: In an interview on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1974, Bean recounted the source of his stage name. He credited its origin to a piano player named Val at "Hurley's Log Cabin", a restaurant and nightclub in Boston where he had once performed. According to Bean, every evening before he went on stage at the nightclub, Val would suggest to him a silly name to use when introducing himself to the audience. One night, for example, the piano player suggested "Roger Duck," but the young comedian got very few laughs after using that name in his performance. On another night, the musician suggested "Orson Bean" and the comedian received a great response from the audience, a reaction so favorable that it resulted in a job offer that same evening from a local theatrical booking agent. Given his success on that occasion, Bean decided to keep using the odd-sounding but memorable name. (Bean again told the story nearly verbatim on the Carson show September 23, 1976, but Carson appeared to not remember having heard it before.)


title: Orson Bean

text: Bean claimed that his name was a blend of the pompous and the amusing. He recalled that Orson Welles once called him over to a table and said, "You stole my name," and then dismissed him with a wave.


title: Orson Bean

text: In 1952, Bean made a guest appearance on NBC Radio's weekly hot-jazz series "The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street", giving the young comic his first national exposure. The series, burlesquing stuffy symphonic and operatic broadcasts, had the host (always introduced as a doctor of music) reciting dignified commentary in jazz-musician slang. NBC had broadcast the series off and on since 1940, and it was revived for a 13-week run with "Dr. Orson Bean" now as full-time host. Bean's august, bemused delivery belied the fact that this eminent professor was only 24 years old.


title: Orson Bean

text: For 10 years, he was the house comic at New York's Blue Angel comedy club. In 1954, "The New York Times" noted in a review of "The Blue Angel", Bean's delivery was always well played, even if a joke fell flat. He once hosted a television show, "Blue Angel", on CBS. He "maintained a steady career since the 1950s and cut his teeth on and off Broadway before becoming a live-television staple."


title: Orson Bean

text: Bean was placed on the Hollywood blacklist for attending Communist Party meetings while dating a member, but continued to work through the 1950s and 1960s. "Basically I was blacklisted because I had a cute communist girlfriend," he said in a 2001 interview. He only stopped working in television for a year. An appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" was cancelled due to his being on the blacklist and he was rendered "persona non grata" there for years because of it. Sullivan eventually relented and re-booked him, declaring that he was the master of his own show, not "Campbell's Soup."


title: Orson Bean

text: On Broadway Bean starred in the original cast of "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" with Walter Matthau and Jayne Mansfield. Then, in 1961, he was featured in "Subways Are for Sleeping" with Sydney Chaplin, for which he received a Tony Award nomination as Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Bean performed in "Never Too Late" the following year. In 1964, he produced the Off-Off-Broadway musical "Home Movies" — which won an Obie Award. And the same year, he appeared in the Broadway production "I Was Dancing". Bean starred in the musical John Murray Anderson’s Almanac. He also voiced and sang the role of Charlie Brown on MGM's original 1966 concept album of the musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown", and starred in "Illya Darling", the 1967 musical adaptation of the film "Never on Sunday".


title: Orson Bean

text: Bean played the title character in the "Twilight Zone" episode "Mr. Bevis" (1960) that was an unsuccessful television pilot. For the CBS anthology series "The DuPont Show with June Allyson", he starred as John Monroe in "The Country Mouse" (1961), based on the works of the American humorist James Thurber, an episode which was later developed into the series "My World and Welcome to It" on NBC, starring William Windom in the Monroe role.


title: Orson Bean

text: Among dozens of appearances, Bean starred in "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman", and "Desperate Housewives" while tallying guest appearance credits on programs such as "How I Met Your Mother", "Modern Family", "Two and a Half Men", and "The Closer". Bean was a regular in both "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and its spin-off "Fernwood 2Nite". He also portrayed the shrewd businessman and storekeeper Loren Bray on the television series "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" throughout its six-year run on CBS in the 1990s. He played the main characters Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in the 1977 and 1980 Rankin/Bass animated adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit", and "The Return of the King". In 2000, he appeared in the "Will & Grace" episode "There But For the Grace of Grace" as Will Truman and Grace Adler's old college professor. He also appeared in the short-lived ABC sitcom "Normal, Ohio" as the homophobic father of a gay man (played by John Goodman).


title: Orson Bean

text: Bean appeared as a patient in the final two episodes of "7th Heaven"s seventh season in 2003. In 2005, Bean appeared in the sitcom "Two and a Half Men" in an episode titled "Does This Smell Funny to You?", playing a former playboy whose conquests included actresses Tuesday Weld and Anne Francis. He appeared in the 2007 "How I Met Your Mother" episode "Slapsgiving" as Robin Scherbatsky's 41-year-old boyfriend, Bob. In 2009 he was cast in the recurring role of Roy Bender, a steak salesman, who is Karen McCluskey's love interest on the ABC series "Desperate Housewives". At the age of 87, Bean in 2016 appeared in "Playdates", an episode of the American TV sitcom "Modern Family". He appeared in a 2017 episode of "Teachers" (TV Land, season 2, episode 11, "Dosey Don't"). In 2020, Bean appeared in the Netflix series "Grace and Frankie", as the rascally character Bruno, a potential green card spouse for Joan-Margaret, in the episode "The Scent" (S6E10). It was Bean's final television performance.


title: Orson Bean

text: Doing stand-up comedy and magic tricks, and passing on wit and wisdom, he became a regular on "I've Got a Secret", "What's My Line?", and "To Tell the Truth". He appeared on game shows originating from New York. He was a regular panelist on "To Tell the Truth" in versions from the late 1950s through 1991. He appeared on "Super Password" and "Match Game", among other game shows. He hosted a pilot for a revamped version of "Concentration" in 1985; it was not picked up, but elements carried over to "Classic Concentration" with Alex Trebek, primarily the theme, graphics and announcer Gene Wood.


title: Orson Bean

text: Bean was a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show" (with both Jack Paar and Johnny Carson). He guest starred on television talk and variety shows, e.g., "The Ed Sullivan Show", "The Mike Douglas Show", and "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson".


title: Orson Bean

text: Bean played the eccentric, foul-mouthed Dr. Lester in Spike Jonze's 1999 film, "Being John Malkovich". He also appeared as a Holocaust survivor in the 2018 film "The Equalizer 2" and as Meg Ryan's editor in Joe Dante's 1987 film "Innerspace".


title: Orson Bean

text: Bean was married three times. His first marriage was in 1956 to actress Jacqueline de Sibour, whose stage name was Rain Winslow. Sibour was the daughter of French nobleman and pilot Vicomte Jacques de Sibour and his wife Violette B. Selfridge (daughter of American-born British department-store magnate Harry Gordon Selfridge). Before their divorce in 1962, Bean and Jacqueline had one child, Michele.


title: Orson Bean

text: In 1965, he married actress and fashion designer Carolyn Maxwell, with whom he had three children: Max, Susannah, and Ezekiel. The couple divorced in 1981. Their daughter Susannah was married to journalist Andrew Breitbart from 1997 until his death in 2012. In the early 1970s Bean took his family on a sabbatical break from New York to live briefly on a farm commune in Victoria, Australia.


title: Orson Bean

text: Bean's third wife was "The Wonder Years" co-star Alley Mills. They married in 1993 and lived in Los Angeles until his death in 2020. When Mills was baptized as an adult, Bean walked with her down to the beach so "Pastor Ken" from First Lutheran Church of Venice could baptize her in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. For many years, Bean and Mills played roles in First Lutheran's annual production of "A Christmas Carol"; Bean played Ebenezer Scrooge.


title: Orson Bean

text: An admirer of Laurel and Hardy, Bean, in 1965, was a founding member of The Sons of the Desert. This international organization is devoted to sharing information about the lives of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and preserving and enjoying their films.


title: Orson Bean

text: In 1966, he helped found the 15th Street School in New York City, a primary school using the radical, democratic, free school Summerhill as a model. Bean wrote an autobiographical account about his life-changing experience with the orgone therapy developed by Austrian-born psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich. Published in 1971, the account is titled "Me and the Orgone: The True Story of One Man's Sexual Awakening".


title: Orson Bean

text: He was a distant cousin of President Calvin Coolidge. In later life, "his politics turned more conservative" and he authored intermittent columns for "Breitbart News". He ventured the thought that being a conservative in 21st-century Hollywood was much like being a suspected Communist back in the 1950s.


title: Orson Bean

text: For much of his career and until his death, he was represented by the Artists & Representatives agency. In its brief statement after his death, they noted he was an "assiduous nurturer of rising talent."


title: Orson Bean

text: On February 7, 2020, while crossing Venice Boulevard in the Venice section of Los Angeles, Bean was struck by two vehicles, with the second vehicle striking him fatally. The driver of the first vehicle did not see Bean and "clipped him and he went down", said Los Angeles Police Department Captain Brian Wendling. "A second vehicle's driver was distracted by people trying to slow him down; when the driver looked ahead, a second traffic collision occurred and it caused the death of Bean".


title: The Rising of the Shield Hero (season 2)

text: "The Rising of the Shield Hero" is an anime series adapted from the light novels of the same title written by Aneko Yusagi. At 2019's Crunchyroll Expo, it was announced that the series will receive a second and third season. At 2020's virtual Crunchyroll Expo, it was announced that the second season will premiere in 2021. Masato Jinbo replaced Takao Abo as director, and the rest of the staff members reprised their roles, with production by Kinema Citrus and DR Movie. During "Kadokawa Light Novel Expo 2020", it was revealed that the second season will premiere in October 2021, but it was later delayed. The second season aired from April 6 to June 29, 2022, on AT-X and other channels. It ran for 13 episodes. The opening theme is "Bring Back", performed by MADKID, while the ending theme is , performed by Chiai Fujikawa. On May 2, 2022, Crunchyroll announced the English dub for the second season, which began streaming on May 4.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: Ella Enchanted is a 2004 fantasy comedy film directed by Tommy O'Haver and written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, loosely based on Gail Carson Levine's 1997 novel of the same name. Starring Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy, the film plays with the usual fairy tale genre.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: In the kingdom of Lamia, misguided fairy godmother Lucinda Perriweather bestows the “gift” of obedience on newborn Ella of Frell, causing her to instantly obey any command she is given. Some years later, on her deathbed, Ella's mother warns her daughter not to tell anyone about the gift, for fear that someone might use it to exploit Ella.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: Years later, Ella's father Sir Peter marries wealthy socialite, Dame Olga, who dislikes Ella and treats her poorly. Ella meets Prince "Char" Charmont, who invites her to his coronation ball. Jealous, Olga’s daughters Hattie and Olive find out about Ella’s obedience and use it to humiliate her. Ella resolves to find Lucinda to undo her gift. Mandy, the household fairy, lends Ella her boyfriend, Benny, whom she accidentally transformed into a magic book. Ella learns that Lucinda is in Giantville and leaves to find her.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: On her journey, Ella rescues Slannen, an elf who wants to be a lawyer rather than be forced to be an entertainer. They are captured by ogres but are rescued by Char. He joins them, intending to avenge the death of his father, and Ella opens his eyes to the cruelty of the laws oppressing elves and giants enacted by Char’s paternal uncle, the Regent Sir Edgar.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: Ella and Char begin to fall in love. Edgar learns of Ella's gift from her stepsisters. Knowing his nephew is in love with her, Edgar orders Ella to murder Char at midnight and to keep this plan secret. Edgar reveals that he murdered Char's father, and the prince’s death will make Edgar king. Ella writes Char a letter, saying she must leave but cannot explain why. She has Slannen chain her to a tree, hoping to wait out Edgar's command, while Slannen recruits more elves and giants to protect Char.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: Lucinda appears and Ella begs her to take back her gift. Offended, Lucinda insists that Ella remove the gift herself and unchains her. Forced back to the castle, Ella stumbles into the ball. Char whisks her away to a secret hall of mirrors, where he proposes. As Ella is about to stab Char, she sees her reflection and commands herself to no longer be obedient, permanently freeing herself from the gift. Char notices the dagger, and Edgar has Ella arrested before she can explain herself.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: Benny reveals Ella is in the dungeon, and Slannen sneaks into the castle along with a band of elves, giants, and ogres, and frees her. Benny shows that Edgar has poisoned Char's crown, intending to kill him at the coronation. Ella and the others crash the ceremony and a brawl ensues. In the scuffle, Mandy manages to turn Benny human again. As Char and Ella fight off the guards, she confesses her love for him and reveals Edgar's plot. Edgar's talking snake, Heston, almost fatally bites Char, which Char takes as evidence of his uncle's guilt. Edgar attempts to proclaim himself king, but foolishly puts on the poisoned crown and collapses.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: Soon after, Char and Ella are married, with Areida as Ella's maid of honor. Char toasts to a new era of equality among all citizens of the kingdom. Edgar is revealed to still be alive, but disabled. The cast performs a final dance number of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" before the newlyweds ride off on their honeymoon.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: Hathaway, who first read the book when she was 16, says that there was originally a version of the script that was much closer to the book but that it didn't work as a film; she added that she prefers the way the movie actually turned out because it "makes fun of itself for being a fairy tale." Levine states that the film is "so different from the book that it's hard to compare them," noting the addition of new characters such as Sir Edgar and Heston, and suggested "regarding the movie as a separate creative act".


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: Jimi Mistry, a British actor of Indian descent, said that he enjoyed playing a talking book in the film because it offered him the opportunity to do something different from his other roles. "You can't get less Indian than a talking book, and an American talking book, so it was great," he said.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: Filming took place in Ireland at Ardmore Studios and on location in Wicklow during August–December 2002. Locations included Luggala Estate, Killruddery House and Garden, and Kiltegan.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: "Ella Enchanted" opened on April 9, 2004 and earned $6,169,030 in its opening weekend, ranking number nine at the domestic box office. At the end of its run, the film grossed $22,918,387 domestically and $4,470,380 overseas for a worldwide total of $27,388,767.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: The film received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 51% approval rating based on 115 reviews with an average rating of 5.6/10. The site's consensus reads: "Hathaway is a charming heroine, but the simple storyline gets overwhelmed by silly gimmickry." On Metacritic, the film has a 53 out of 100 rating based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average rating of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: "Chicago Sun-Times" critic Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, praising it as "the best family film so far this year" (April 9, 2004).


title: Ella Enchanted (film)

text: The soundtrack was released April 6, 2004 by Hollywood Records and features Kelly Clarkson's cover of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" along with "Somebody to Love" by Queen and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and Kiki Dee, both as covered by Hathaway and Jesse McCartney.


title: Spherical Earth

text: The earliest documented mention of the concept dates from around the 5th century BC, when it appears in the writings of Greek philosophers. In the 3rd century BC, Hellenistic astronomy established the roughly spherical shape of Earth as a physical fact and calculated the Earth's circumference. This knowledge was gradually adopted throughout the Old World during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. A practical demonstration of Earth's sphericity was achieved by Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián Elcano's circumnavigation (1519–1522).


title: Spherical Earth

text: The concept of a spherical Earth displaced earlier beliefs in a flat Earth: In early Mesopotamian mythology, the world was portrayed as a disk floating in the ocean with a hemispherical sky-dome above, and this forms the premise for early world maps like those of Anaximander and Hecataeus of Miletus. Other speculations on the shape of Earth include a seven-layered ziggurat or cosmic mountain, alluded to in the Avesta and ancient Persian writings (see seven climes).


title: Spherical Earth

text: The realization that the figure of the Earth is more accurately described as an ellipsoid dates to the 17th century, as described by Isaac Newton in "Principia". In the early 19th century, the flattening of the earth ellipsoid was determined to be of the order of 1/300 (Delambre, Everest). The modern value as determined by the US DoD World Geodetic System since the 1960s is close to 1/298.25.


title: Spherical Earth

text: Earth is massive enough that the pull of gravity maintains its roughly spherical shape. Most of its deviation from spherical stems from the centrifugal force caused by rotation around its north-south axis. This force deforms the sphere into an oblate ellipsoid.


title: Spherical Earth

text: The Solar System formed from a dust cloud that was at least partially the remnant of one or more supernovas that produced heavy elements by nucleosynthesis. Grains of matter accreted through electrostatic interaction. As they grew in mass, gravity took over in gathering yet more mass, releasing the potential energy of their collisions and in-falling as heat. The protoplanetary disk also had a greater proportion of radioactive elements than Earth today because, over time, those elements decayed. Their decay heated the early Earth even further, and continue to contribute to Earth's internal heat budget. The early Earth was thus mostly liquid.


title: Spherical Earth

text: A sphere is the only stable shape for a non-rotating, gravitationally self-attracting liquid. The outward acceleration caused by Earth's rotation is greater at the equator than at the poles (where is it zero), so the sphere gets deformed into an ellipsoid, which represents the shape having the lowest potential energy for a rotating, fluid body. This ellipsoid is slightly fatter around the equator than a perfect sphere would be. Earth's shape is also slightly lumpy because it is composed of different materials of different densities that exert slightly different amounts of gravitational force per volume.


title: Spherical Earth

text: The liquidity of a hot, newly formed planet allows heavier elements to sink down to the middle and forces lighter elements closer to the surface, a process known as planetary differentiation. This event is known as the iron catastrophe; the most abundant heavier elements were iron and nickel, which now form the Earth's core.


title: Spherical Earth

text: Though the surface rocks of Earth have cooled enough to solidify, the outer core of the planet is still hot enough to remain liquid. Energy is still being released; volcanic and tectonic activity has pushed rocks into hills and mountains and blown them out of calderas. Meteors also cause impact craters and surrounding ridges. However, if the energy release from these processes halts, then they tend to erode away over time and return toward the lowest potential-energy curve of the ellipsoid. Weather powered by solar energy can also move water, rock, and soil to make Earth slightly out of round.


title: Spherical Earth

text: Earth undulates as the shape of its lowest potential energy changes daily due to the gravity of the Sun and Moon as they move around with respect to Earth. This is what causes tides in the oceans' water, which can flow freely along the changing potential.


title: Spherical Earth

text: The spherical shape of the Earth was known and measured by astronomers, mathematicians, and navigators from a variety of literate ancient cultures, including the Hellenic World, and Ancient India. Greek ethnographer Megasthenes, c. 300 BC, has been interpreted as stating that the contemporary Brahmans of India believed in a spherical Earth as the center of the universe. The knowledge of the Greeks was inherited by Ancient Rome, and Christian and Islamic realms in the Middle Ages. Circumnavigation of the world in the Age of Discovery provided direct evidence. Improvements in transportation and other technologies refined estimations of the size of the Earth, and helped spread knowledge of it.


title: Spherical Earth

text: Geodesy, also called geodetics, is the scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of Earth, its gravitational field and geodynamic phenomena (polar motion, Earth tides, and crustal motion) in three-dimensional time-varying space.


title: Spherical Earth

text: Geodesy is primarily concerned with positioning and the gravity field and geometrical aspects of their temporal variations, although it can also include the study of Earth's magnetic field. Especially in the German speaking world, geodesy is divided into geomensuration ("Erdmessung" or "höhere Geodäsie"), which is concerned with measuring Earth on a global scale, and surveying ("Ingenieurgeodäsie"), which is concerned with measuring parts of the surface.


title: Spherical Earth

text: As the science of geodesy measured Earth more accurately, the shape of the geoid was first found not to be a perfect sphere but to approximate an oblate spheroid, a specific type of ellipsoid. More recent measurements have measured the geoid to unprecedented accuracy, revealing mass concentrations beneath Earth's surface.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is an American publicly traded media company with headquarter offices in Irving, Texas; Midtown Manhattan; and Chicago, Illinois. The company is the largest television station owner in the United States, owning 197 television stations across the U.S., most of which are affiliates with the four "major" U.S. television networks, and MyNetworkTV. It also operates all of the stations owned by affiliated companies, such as Mission Broadcasting and Vaughan Media, under local marketing agreements, and operates major TV network The CW through a 75% majority stake, two terrestrial television networks airing classic shows, Antenna TV and Rewind TV, and has full or partial ownership stakes in three pay television networks (cable news and entertainment network NewsNation and food and cooking networks Food Network and Cooking Channel, the latter two through a 31% stake in Television Food Network G.P.).


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: The Nexstar Media Group was founded as the Nexstar Broadcasting Group on June 17, 1996, initially backed by ABRY Partners. The first television station bought by Nexstar was WYOU in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Nexstar bought WYOU from Diversified Communications. The sale was completed on September 28 of that year. Nexstar promptly fired two beloved anchors and laid off several long-term staff members. Nexstar founder Perry Sook said that WYOU would be Nexstar's flagship station, keeping an office off the newsroom for years. In 1998, Nexstar purchased WBRE-TV in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Because this was in the same market as WYOU, WYOU was 'sold' to Mission Broadcasting. This began the first-ever 'shared-services' agreement between stations. WYOU's sales staff was kept in Scranton while the production and news operations were moved to WBRE's offices in Wilkes-Barre. WYOU's staff who were not laid off were fired by Nexstar, hired by Mission, and eventually rehired by Nexstar. Mission Broadcasting then paid Nexstar to operate and control the production and news-gathering operations while Mission kept the sales and management team.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: In 1997, Nexstar acquired WJET-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania from Jet Broadcasting, for which it paid $18.5 million.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On January 12, 1998, Nexstar acquired three stations owned by the U.S. Broadcast Group, including KFDX-TV, KBTV-TV, and KSNF, for $64.3 million. In 1999, Nexstar bought out WROC-TV in Rochester, New York from Smith Broadcasting.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: In 2003, Nexstar acquired Quorum Broadcasting (owner of 10 television stations). Also that year, it purchased KARK-TV and WDHN-TV from Morris Multimedia. In 2006, Nexstar bought out WTAJ-TV and the licensee rights of WLYH-TV from SJL Broadcasting for $56 million.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On March 20, 2009, Nexstar operated television stations that were owned by Four Points Media Group through an outsourcing agreement. However, on September 8, 2011, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its intent of purchasing the Four Points stations outright and took over the MSA for the stations that October upon Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approval of the deal (the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave final approval of the group deal on December 21, and the Sinclair purchase of the Four Points stations was completed on January 1, 2012).


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: In 2011, Nexstar and Fox entered into a dispute over terms of reverse compensation; this occurred as Fox began to aggressively seek shares of earnings from retransmission consent agreements with cable and satellite operators as part of affiliation agreement renewals between station groups with affiliates whose affiliation contracts had already expired (and carrying the network's programming without a contractual agreement) or were near expiration. Reportedly, the amount from retransmission consent fees from cable and satellite operators that Fox wanted its affiliates to pay the network would be 25 cents per subscriber during the first year of the affiliation agreement, increasing to 50 cents by the fourth year. President of affiliate sales and marketing for Fox, Mike Hopkins, had said earlier in the year that the network would consider moving its affiliation to another market station as a last resort if existing affiliates did not agree to the terms for reverse compensation retrans sharing.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: Fox dropped its affiliation from Nexstar-owned/managed stations in four markets, with three of the replacement stations adding Fox in addition to existing affiliations with the MyNetworkTV program service (owned by Fox parent company News Corporation). In Indiana, two markets saw Fox go from a primary affiliation of one station to joining an existing MyNetworkTV-affiliated digital subchannel of a competing Big Three station, with MyNetworkTV going to a secondary affiliation: in Evansville, Fox moved from WTVW (which then became an independent station and later joined The CW) to a MyNetworkTV-affiliated subchannel of CBS affiliate WEVV-TV on July 1, while in Fort Wayne, the Fox affiliation moved from WFFT-TV to a MyNetworkTV-affiliated subchannel of NBC affiliate WISE-TV on August 1. The network also moved its affiliation in Springfield, Missouri from KSFX-TV (operated in a duopoly with area CBS affiliate KOLR) to upstart MyNetworkTV affiliate KRBK on September 1, 2011, with both stations becoming independents. Nexstar chose to drop Fox from WFXW in Terre Haute, Indiana and re-affiliate with ABC on September 1, 2011 (becoming the only Nexstar station thus far to affiliate with another network following the removal of the Fox affiliation) as part of a long-term renewal agreement between Nexstar and ABC for the group's nine existing ABC stations, reversing a 1995 switch that saw Terre Haute losing over-the-air carriage of ABC programs (since then, ABC has been seen in the market via Indianapolis affiliate WRTV on area cable and satellite providers); the Fox affiliation then moved to a digital subchannel of CBS affiliate WTHI-TV which also added MyNetworkTV as a secondary affiliation. Nexstar's remaining Fox affiliates have since signed a renewal agreement through December 2013; In addition, following the settlement of Nexstar's antitrust lawsuit against WISE-TV's then-owner Granite Broadcasting, WFFT-TV reclaimed the Fox affiliation on March 1, 2013. Nexstar would purchase KRBK in late 2018, restoring its ownership of the Fox affiliation in the Springfield, Missouri market.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: In July 2012, Nexstar agreed to purchase 11 stations and Inergize Digital Media from Newport Television with two stations going to affiliate Mission Broadcasting. On August 12, 2012, Nexstar sold KBTV-TV to Deerfield Media, which entered into a JSA and SSA with Sinclair Broadcast Group to became a duopoly with KFDM-TV.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On April 24, 2013, Nexstar announced that it would acquire the entire group of Communications Corporation of America, KMSS-TV, KPEJ-TV, and most of the ComCorp-managed stations that are owned by White Knight Broadcasting would be sold to Mission Broadcasting while WEVV-TV and White Knight Broadcasting's KSHV-TV would be sold to a female-controlled company called Rocky Creek Communications, with Nexstar assuming operational control of those stations.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On September 16, 2013, Nexstar announced that it would acquire WOI-DT, KCAU-TV, and WHBF-TV from Citadel Communications for $88 million. Nexstar immediately took over the stations' operations through a time brokerage agreement. The deal followed Phil Lombardo's decision to "slow down," as well as a desire by Lynch Entertainment to divest its investments in WOI and WHBF; Citadel would continue to own KLKN, WLNE-TV, and its Sarasota properties. On March 5, 2014, the Federal Communications Commission approved the sale of these stations to Nexstar outright and the deal was completed on March 13. KCAU continued to use Citadel's standardized news sets, graphics and logos.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On November 6, 2013, Nexstar announced that it would purchase the Grant Broadcasting stations for $87.5 million. Due to Federal Communications Commission ownership regulations, one of the stations, KLJB, was spun off to Marshall Broadcasting Group, but is operated by Nexstar through a shared services agreement. The sale was completed on December 1, 2014. In 2015, Nexstar sold off the licensee assets of WLYH-TV, the CW affiliate to Howard Stirk Holdings.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On September 28, 2015, Nexstar announced that it presented an unsolicited offer to buy Media General for $4.1 billion (including debt). Per share, shareholders of Media General would receive $10.50 in cash and 0.0898 shares of Nexstar, a total equivalent of $14.50 per share. Nexstar's offer was seen by analysts as a maneuver to torpedo the merger of Media General with Meredith Corporation (announced on September 8). If Media General agreed to the counteroffer within a 20-day period, Nexstar would expand its portfolio to 114 television stations, pending spinoffs in markets where both own stations and federal approval. On November 16, Media General rejected the offer but agreed to negotiate after concluding its merge with Meredith.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On January 27, 2016, Media General announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Nexstar in a deal valued at $17.14 per share, valuing the company at $4.6 billion plus the assumption of $2.3 billion debt. The combined company became known as Nexstar Media Group, and owns 171 stations, serving an estimated 39% of U.S. households. The company paid Meredith Corporation (whom Media General had previously proposed a merger with) a termination fee of $60 million and gave Meredith right of first refusal to acquire any broadcast or digital properties that may be divested during the purchase. The deal also included contingent value rights for Media General shareholders if it sold spectrum from its stations during the FCC's spectrum incentive auction.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On May 27, 2016, Nexstar announced the sales of five stations. WCWJ in Jacksonville, Florida, along with WSLS-TV in Roanoke, Virginia, was sold to the Graham Media Group; and KADN-TV, as well as KLAF-LD in Lafayette, Louisiana, was sold to Bayou City Broadcasting, with KREG-TV in Glenwood Springs, Colorado going to Marquee Broadcasting as part of a series of divestitures required following Nexstar's acquisition of Media General due to Federal Communications Commission ownership caps (the sale of the Roanoke and Lafayette stations are required as Media General and Nexstar both own stations in those markets). On June 3, 2016, it was announced that Nexstar would spinoff WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin and KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa to Gray Television for $270 million.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On June 13, 2016, Nexstar announced that it would sell WFFT in Fort Wayne, Indiana; KQTV in St. Joseph, Missouri; KIMT in Rochester, Minnesota; WTHI-TV in Terre Haute; and WLFI in Lafayette, Indiana to Heartland Media, through its USA Television MidAmerica Holdings joint venture with MSouth Equity Partners, for $115 million. The divestitures were in order to allow Nexstar to comply with FCC ownership rules (specifically pertaining to national market coverage for station owners) in advance of the approval proceedings of the merger of both groups (Nexstar already owned NBC affiliate WTWO and operates ABC affiliate WAWV-TV in Terre Haute, and planned to acquire Media General-owned CBS affiliate WANE-TV in Fort Wayne).


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: The transaction was approved by the FCC on January 11, 2017, and the sale was completed on January 17.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On March 13, 2014, Nexstar announced that it would purchase Internet Broadcasting, for $20 million. The company had also recently acquired competitor Inergize Digital through its purchase of assets from Newport Television, followed by Enterprise Technology Group, a spun-off joint venture between LIN Media and Fox Television Stations. The providers were merged to form Lakana, led by former ETG CEO Phillip Hyun. On October 23, 2014, Nexstar bought out KASW in Phoenix from SagamoreHill Broadcasting and Meredith Corporation, and it was completed on January 30, 2015.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On February 2, 2015, Nexstar finalized its acquisition of Yashi, a location-focused, video-advertising and programmatic-technology company, for $33 million. On November 17, 2015, Nexstar announced its intent to purchase West Virginia Media Holdings' stations (WOWK-TV in Charleston, WBOY-TV in Clarksburg, WVNS-TV in Ghent, and WTRF-TV in Wheeling) for $130 million. The company took over the stations' non-license assets under a time brokerage agreement in December 2015 pending the formal completion of the deal, expected in late 2016. The two companies viewed the acquisition as being a complement to Nexstar's WHAG-TV, whose coverage area includes the Eastern Panhandle region. Nexstar CEO Perry A. Sook is an alumnus of WOWK. The sale was completed on January 31, 2017.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On August 1, 2018, Nexstar bought out KRBK in Springfield from Koplar Communications for $16.45 million, and also bought out WHDF in Huntsville from Lockwood Broadcast Group for $2.25 million. On November 1, 2018, Nexstar bought out MyNetworkTV affiliate KFVE in Honolulu from American Spirit Media as part of transactions requiring from the Raycom Media/Gray Television merger.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On April 30, 2017, "The Wall Street Journal" reported that there were competing bids for Tribune Media from Nexstar and a partnership between 21st Century Fox and private equity firm Blackstone Group. However, on May 8, 2017, it was announced that Tribune reached a deal to be acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group. On May 26, 2017, it was reported by DealReporter that Nexstar might be considering a bid to acquire Tegna Inc., although such a deal would likely require significant divestments due to ownership conflicts and exceeding the ownership cap.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On November 14, 2018, after Tribune cancelled its proposed sale to Sinclair, it was reported that Nexstar was a leading bidder to acquire Tribune. On December 3, 2018, Nexstar announced its intent to merge with Tribune Media for $6.4 billion ($4.1 billion for all of Tribune's shares in cash and $2.3 billion of Tribune's debt). The merger would give the company 216 stations in 118 markets, placing it just below the FCC's market cap of 39% of TV households and making it the largest owner of television stations in the United States. Nexstar planned to divest some stations and "non-core" assets as part of the merger.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: In spring 2019, Nexstar launched "Border Report", a website focusing on news stories from the Mexico–United States border.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On March 20, 2019, Nexstar announced that it would divest 19 stations to the E. W. Scripps Company and Tegna Inc. for a total sum of $1.32 billion, with Scripps receiving eight stations (WPIX, WSFL-TV, WTKR and WGNT, WTVR-TV, WXMI, KSTU, and KASW), and Tegna eleven (WATN-TV and WLMT, WTIC-TV and WCCT-TV, WOI-DT and KCWI, WNEP, WPMT, WQAD-TV, WZDX, and KFSM-TV). Of those stations, only WPIX was not associated with a duopoly, but rather its


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: market size (an outright acquisition under current FCC rules would cause Nexstar to exceed the 39 percent cap). The transaction involving WPIX included a $75 million option condition allowing Nexstar to buy WPIX back between March 31, 2020, and the end of 2021. In the summer of 2020, the option was transferred to Mission Broadcasting (whose station acquisitions are largely funded by Nexstar) and exercised shortly thereafter. Nexstar stated that these divestitures would be used to help fund the sale and cover debt. On April 8, 2019, Nexstar announced that it would sell 2 additional stations (WISH-TV and WNDY) to Circle City Broadcasting for $42.5 million.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On April 3, 2019, Marshall Broadcasting Group sued Nexstar for breach of contract, alleging that the company was trying to "undermine" its operations so it could buy back the stations at a later date and lower cost in the present regulatory environment. The company also accused Nexstar of using the divestiture of stations to a minority-owned broadcaster as a token to gain FCC approval for the associated acquisitions. A carriage dispute with AT&T resulted in the removal of more than 120 Nexstar stations across 97 markets from AT&T's DirecTV, DirecTV Now and U-verse platforms, which began at 11:59 p.m. on July 3, 2019, and ended on August 29, 2019.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On August 1, 2019, the United States Department of Justice approved the deal between Nexstar Media Group and Tribune Media. The merger was approved by the FCC on September 16, and would be consummated three days later.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On November 5, 2019, it was announced that Nexstar would acquire Fox Television Stations-owned WJZY and MyNetworkTV outlet WMYT-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina for $45 million. In turn, it also announced that it would sell its duopoly of Seattle-based KCPQ and KZJO (along with Milwaukee-based WITI) to FTS in a separate deal worth $350 million. Nexstar made the transactions to pay down debt and consolidate operations in the Southeast. The sale closed on March 2, 2020. As part of a settlement between the parties in litigation over the failed deal, Sinclair had to sell two properties in Harlingen and Lexington to Nexstar Media Group for $60 million on January 27, 2020. The company's founder, Perry Sook, had once been a principal of Superior Communications, who owned the WDKY property, making the sale to Nexstar a homecoming of sorts. WDKY's transaction was completed on September 17, 2020.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On January 15, 2020, Nexstar announced a national newscast called "NewsNation" on WGN America. The program launched September 1, 2020. On March 1, 2021, the WGN America channel was renamed NewsNation.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On October 22, 2020, Nexstar underwent a corporate reorganization, under which its primary subsidiaries of Nexstar Broadcasting and Nexstar Digital were merged into the operating subsidiary Nexstar, Inc.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: A carriage dispute with Dish Network began on December 2, 2020, and ended by Christmas Eve, which resulted in the removal of at least 164 Nexstar stations in 115 markets, covering about 63% of TV homes, from its services.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On December 16, 2020, Nexstar announced it was purchasing BestReviews from Tribune Publishing for $160 million.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: On May 20, 2021, The CW and Nexstar announced that they have reached multi-year agreements to renew network affiliation for The CW in 37 markets in across the country. Almost eight months later, on January 5, 2022, "The Wall Street Journal" reported that Nexstar is a potential leading buyer of said network, as CW co-owners WarnerMedia (since merged with Discovery, Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery) and Paramount Global explore options in selling a majority stake in the joint venture network; the three companies have yet to comment on the WSJ report. In late August, as confirmation to another WSJ report made last June, Nexstar announced that it has "entered a definitive agreement" to acquire 75% ownership in the network, while its current owners — Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery — will each retain 12.5% ownership. Based on media industry reports, Nexstar would reportedly assume "a significant portion" of the network's current losses. The deal did not require regulatory approval, but had to perform financial closure conditions at the company's fiscal third quarter, i.e. by the start of October 2022, in order to complete the transaction; thus, Nexstar first took over operations of the network on August 15, with the transaction's full completion announced later on October 3.


title: Nexstar Media Group

text: A new digital subchannel network, Rewind TV, was launched on September 1, 2021, featuring classic TV shows from the 1980s and 1990s.


title: Demon Days

text: Demon Days is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was first released on 11 May 2005 in Japan and on 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. Produced by the band, Danger Mouse, Jason Cox, and James Dring, the album features contributions from De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF Doom, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder, and Dennis Hopper. As with the band's eponymous 2001 debut, the release of "Demon Days" and its respective live performances were both accompanied by various multimedia, including interactive features on the "Gorillaz" website, a total of four animated music videos, and animatics for select videos. Almost all visuals associated with the album were designed by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett, under his design company Zombie Flesh Eaters.


title: Demon Days

text: Upon its release, "Demon Days" was a chart success reaching the top 10 in 22 countries. The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and number 6 on the US "Billboard" 200, and was later certified six times platinum in the UK and double platinum in the US. Outperforming their debut, the album has sold eight million copies worldwide. The album spawned the singles "Feel Good Inc.", "Dare", "Dirty Harry", "Kids with Guns", and "El Mañana". "Spin" ranked "Demon Days" as the fourth-best album of 2005, while "Mojo" ranked it at number eighteen on their year-end list and hailed the album as a "genre-busting, contemporary pop milestone". The "NME" placed the album at number 98 on their list of 100 greatest albums of the decade, and "Uncut" placed it at number 75 on their list of top 150 albums of the decade. "Complex" included it on their list of 100 Best Albums of the "Complex" Decade, placing it at number 43, and "Spin" later included it in their list of "The 300 Best Albums of 1985–2014".


title: Demon Days

text: In 2020, the album was included at the 100 Best Albums of the 21st Century list of "Stacker", being ranked at 27.


title: Demon Days

text: While Jamie Hewlett was working with his team on a script for a possible Gorillaz movie, Damon Albarn was still recording "Think Tank" with Blur. By the time Albarn was ready to start writing and recording material for the Gorillaz movie, the whole idea had already been scrapped, although ideas from the movie's script were still used, including the themes of being driven by ego and the world being trapped in an endless night. Despite this, the album's main source of inspiration actually came about as a result of Albarn's train journey from Beijing to Mongolia where he, his partner and six-year-old daughter spent a day travelling through what Albarn describes as a "weird, unspoken, forgotten part of China. It was basically dead trees as far as the eye can see," Albarn recalls. "Dust bowls, loose earth rapidly turning into desert. There are little satellite towns in the middle of these semi deserts that are absolutely on their knees. And it's the size of Europe this area. And then you wake up in the morning with this nightmare in your head and it's blue sky and beautiful sand, which looks fantastic now but was probably something else millions of years ago. And that will happen to us in our lifetime."


title: Demon Days

text: "Gorillaz make dark pop; that's what they always set out to achieve," Albarn said in an interview with MTV News. "The whole album kind of tells the story of the night — staying up during the night — but it's also an allegory. It's what we're living in basically, the world in a state of night."


title: Demon Days

text: Hewlett was excited by the prospect of a second Gorillaz album, saying, "Let's repeat the same process, but do it better. Because everyone thought it was a gimmick. If you do it again, it's no longer a gimmick, and if it works then we've proved a point. And instantly, all of us got excited".


title: Demon Days

text: The most obvious difference on the band's second offering is the absence of Dan "The Automator" Nakamura as the acting musical producer. Instead, Albarn reached out to Danger Mouse based on the strength of "The Grey Album", which brought Danger Mouse to prominence for mixing the Beatles' "The White Album" and Jay-Z's "The Black Album". "Dan [The Automator] wasn't busy, the project just needed a slightly different approach," Albarn explained. "Danger Mouse, in my opinion, is one of the best young producers in the world. I think the last record was a lot more simplistic. It was virgin territory — animated hip-hop, reggae, stroke-rock, Latin rock — there's a lot more intricacy with this record." For Danger Mouse, a longtime Blur (Albarn's other band) fan, the feelings of admiration and respect were mutual. "It was a no-brainer when there was interest there from Damon," Burton said. "I heard demos of the new record, but the biggest part was getting the chance to be a part of something that's so strong — you just gotta jump on it. I had a very up-and-down year [in 2004], but it was definitely a big up when I got a chance to [work with Gorillaz]."


title: Demon Days

text: "I learned so much working on the record with Damon", claimed Danger Mouse. "...and it was sink or swim. You just pick it up. At the end of the day, the people you're working with – whether it's the choir or string section or guitarist – are specialized in what they do. All you have to do is figure out the best thing they're doing and how it's going to fit within the context of the whole project. That goes back to putting together a song on a computer-based program. You're looking for all the parts that are going to make something sound right. It's also being able to communicate. I had done stuff before Gorillaz – like the Pelican City stuff – where I worked with musicians, so it wasn't completely foreign to me."


title: Demon Days

text: As on "Gorillaz" there are plenty of guest collaborators including rappers De La Soul, Bootie Brown from the Pharcyde, and MF Doom along with Ike Turner on keyboards, the singer Shaun Ryder from Happy Mondays and the actor and director Dennis Hopper, who narrates a parable (Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head) about innocence, greed and retribution set to a droll reggae bounce. That song leads into a stretch of ethereal vocal harmonies in a clear homage to the Beach Boys. Albarn said he couldn't make the vocal parts sound right until he had a minor revelation. "If you've ever seen the Beach Boys in footage, they're all smiling, desperately keeping the upbeat Beach Boy thing alive, while Brian Wilson is just absolutely glum as hell. So I did three harmonies smiling with my face. And then one just being really miserable, which was Brian. Now it's got that vibe."


title: Demon Days

text: "Kids with Guns" was inspired by a boy in Albarn's daughter's class who turned up to school with a knife. "A nice boy", said Albarn, "just decided to pick up a knife and show it to his friends at lunchtime. It's a very real problem, but I'm not treating it as a problem. It's part of the brutalisation of a generation that's going on at the moment". "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head", meanwhile, is a parable read by Dennis Hopper that seems to have clear parallels with the war for oil.


title: Demon Days

text: Regarding the song "Dare" and the collaboration with Shaun Ryder, Albarn also said: "I love Shaun Ryder. During the whole Oasis thing, he and Bernard Sumner were the only two who cared about what I was going through. Being constantly taken the piss out of by Noel & Liam (Gallagher). How can you fight when you've got the tabloids and a working class attitude on your back? You're fucked. But Shaun was really sweet to me and made me feel a whole lot better about it. Because I did get quite upset about it, so was selecting Shaun karma in action, then? Yeah, definitely". The song's title is purported to have come about due to Ryder's thick Mancunian accent he was unable to say the phrase "It's There", which was the song's original title, so it was change simply to "Dare". Roses Gabor takes over the role of "Noodle" from Miho Hatori, who provided the vocals for her on the first album. Albarn provides backing vocals; however, to blend his vocals with Gabor's, his voice was toned down to be slightly covered up. Albarn's full vocalization can be heard on the "D-Sides" remix album. "D-Sides" features a demo version of "Dare" entitled "People". This version contains the same background beat while lacking the majority of the keyboards and effects in the final recording. Unlike the final version, it is completely sung by Damon Albarn and features an Omnichord breakdown.


title: Demon Days

text: Rapper Roots Manuva and Martina Topley-Bird appear on the track "All Alone" (The instrumental of which was partially recorded in Africa) and also recorded another track entitled "Snakes and Ladders". The track does not appear on the album or "D-Sides", however, the track was sampled by Topley-Bird for her song "Soldier Boy", which appears as a B-Side for her song "Poison" which features Roots Manuva and features a production credit for Gorillaz. The track can be heard partially on the Gorillaz documentary-film "Bananaz", and is also sampled on the track "Intro".


title: Demon Days

text: Sputnikmusic wrote that the album's style "is a strong foray into the melding of hip hop into pop and rock music." "Odyssey" said that the album was "apocalyptic dark pop at its finest, strangest, and most topical". "Vice" called the album a "British pop masterpiece", and wrote that its music "flits between UK rap, alternative rock, piano-pop, trip-hop, reggae, and Beach Boys psychedelia". "The Unapologists" called the album "both a typical post-9/11 political statement and mid-2000s alt-rock masterpiece". "Spin" described the album as a "slinky folk-disco-hip-hop-Afro-pop-punk expedition". Robert Christgau labelled the album "pop trip-hop", while "Happy Mag" listed it as a key work in the art rock style.


title: Demon Days

text: "Demon Days" prominently makes use of string sections, which were organized under the lead of Isabelle Dunn, who formed Demon Strings for the album and its later live performances. Choirs are also incorporated, including the San Fernandez Youth Chorus on "Dirty Harry", and the London Community Gospel Choir on the album's final two tracks, "Don't Get Lost in Heaven" and "Demon Days".


title: Demon Days

text: Albarn has said that the album is meant to be a depiction of a journey through the night in which each track represents a confrontation with a personal "demon". The album also has many lyrical themes centered on the destruction humans are causing worldwide; speaking about the track "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head", Albarn explained, "That came from a very naive idea, which is: what is going to happen when they've taken all of the oil out of the earth? Aren't there going to be these vast holes? Surely those holes shouldn't be empty. Surely there is a reason why they had all of this in. It's like bad plastic surgery, eventually it collapses." Mike Schiller of "PopMatters" wrote that "Demon Days" "[provides] its listeners not with a story arc, but a "music arc" [which] starts off slow, and honestly, not all that strange", describing the first few tracks as "[sounding] a bit like the Casioed version of a mid-'90s trip-hop album." The album's opener, "Intro" contains a sample from "Dark Earth", from the soundtrack to the 1978 film Dawn of the Dead.


title: Demon Days

text: "Demon Days" was first mentioned in articles detailing the reopening of Gorillaz' website in early December 2004. Initially, a March or April 2005 release date was announced, but this date was later pushed back. In an article for "Q" in February 2005 it was reported that the album was to be titled "We Are Happy Landfill". Another early title was reported to be "Reject False Icons", which is also the title of Gorillaz' culture jamming project. In January 2005 a promo for the song "Dirty Harry" was released as a white label 12", and an exclusive video was released online entitled "Rock It". It was later reported that the track would not appear on the album, although it later appeared on "D-Sides", a collection of remixes, rare songs and B-sides released in November 2007. "Demon Days"' lead single "Feel Good Inc." became Gorillaz' biggest hit at the time, while the album's second single, "Dare" featuring Shaun Ryder, was a big hit as well and gave the band their first No. 1 single in the UK. Since its release, "Demon Days" has been certified double platinum in the US and 6× platinum in the UK. It was also certified Gold in Japan.


title: Demon Days

text: The limited edition of the album includes a DVD containing the video, audio commentary and an animatic for the music video "Feel Good Inc.", short animated films featuring the band, an exclusive audio track titled "The Swagga" and online access to exclusive sections of the band's website, with various wallpapers and screensavers, as well as a crowbar, facilitating the opening of a locked cupboard in the kitchen on Gorillaz.com in order to download the song, "Happy Landfill". This content is no longer available, however, the track appears on "D-Sides" (re-titled "We Are Happy Landfill").


title: Demon Days

text: The phrase "Reject False Icons" was first mentioned on 24 November 2004 on a Gorillaz mail out to fans. On 8 December, the Gorillaz website was re-opened with a brand new music video, "Rockit", which has the saying "Reject False Icons" at the end. On 19 December the "Reject False Icons" campaign kicked off with the launch of rejectfalseicons.com. Fans could submit their photos of ways to spread the message by using graffiti or by sticking "Reject False Icons" stickers that were available for a limited period from the site and from selected record shops in the UK.


title: Demon Days

text: In December 2004, Gorillaz launched their own talent contest, Search for a Star, to find an artist to collaborate with. There were on average over 100 entries per week whittled down to around 10 to be put forward for the public vote. The 200+ entries were viewed over a million times. A gallery room was added to Kong Studios which displayed all of the entries. Gorillaz' competition was initially run to pick just one winner from entries submitted to Gorillaz.com. However, at the end of the competition, it was announced that two further entries – one from the submitted images, and one from the submitted audio files – would be chosen by online vote.


title: Demon Days

text: All three collaborated on the fourth single release of Phase Two, "Kids with Guns" / "El Mañana". Sourbee provided his animated incarnation of the "Don't Get Lost in Heaven (Original Demo Version)" B-side, featured on the DVD version of the single. Asidus made a "Dirty Harry" remix called "Uno Quatro" featured on the Gorillaz website. Irina Bolshakova aka Schneeflocke created her own artistic interpretation of "El Mañana", featured on an insert included on the DVD version of the single. The winners were also originally supposed to have their own rooms in Kong Studios, but that never came to pass.


title: Demon Days

text: At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, "Demon Days" received an average score of 82, indicating "universal acclaim". AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "Demon Days" "is unified and purposeful in a way Albarn's music hasn't been since "The Great Escape"" and "stands alongside the best Blur albums, providing a tonal touchstone for this decade the way "Parklife" did for the '90s." Paul Mardles of "The Observer" felt that, compared to "Gorillaz", the songs on "Demon Days" were more "fully realised and pregnant with ideas", and that the album may prove to be Albarn's "masterwork". Writing in "Entertainment Weekly", David Browne called it "spookier, blippier, and more on edge." "Los Angeles Times" critic Robert Hilburn stated that Albarn's "evocative words, compelling if understated melodic sense and subdued vocals" are at the emotional center of "Demon Days", "transcending the gimmick even more than on the first Gorillaz album."


title: Demon Days

text: Rob Mitchum of "Pitchfork" felt that while "Demon Days" was uneven, Albarn's experiments "fit together just often enough to again make Gorillaz more than mere Adult Swim novelty." In a mixed assessment, Alex Mar of "Rolling Stone" described "Demon Days" as "hit-or-miss" and felt that Albarn's "phoned-in and incredibly flat" vocals weighed the record down. In contrast, "Uncut" stated that the album featured "great beats, brilliant production, top tunes and some of Albarn's best singing." Robert Christgau of "The Village Voice" gave "Demon Days" a three-star honourable mention, indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure", and selected "All Alone" and "Dare" as highlights.


title: Demon Days

text: "Feel Good Inc.", the lead single from "Demon Days", won the Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals accolade at the 48th Grammy Awards. The album was nominated for Best British Album at the 2006 Brit Awards, but lost to Coldplay's "X&Y". "Demon Days" won the accolade for Best International Album at 2006 Danish Music Awards and made the band win the accolade for Best Group at 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards.


title: Demon Days

text: "Demon Days" was voted the 21st best album of the year in "The Village Voice"s annual Pazz & Jop critics poll for 2005. The album was chosen as the 10th best album of 2005 by "NME" and the 2nd one for "Q" magazine. "Glide Magazine" listed the album on its Best Albums of the Decade, ranking it at 46. "Spin" ranked "Demon Days" as the fourth best album of 2005, while "Mojo" ranked it at number eighteen on their year-end list and hailed the album as a "genre-busting, contemporary pop milestone." "NME" placed it 98th on their list of 100 greatest albums of the decade. "Uncut" ranked it at 75 on their list of top 150 albums of the decade. "Complex" included it on their list of 100 Best Albums of the "Complex" Decade, placing it at number 43. "The Guardian" listed the album on its Top 50 Albums of the decade, ranking it at 11. "Spin" later included it in their list of The 300 Best Albums of 1985–2014. In 2016, "Q" ranked "Demon Days" as one of The Greatest Albums of the Last 30 Years. In 2020, the album was included at the 100 Best Albums of the 21st Century list of "Stacker", being ranked at 27.


title: Demon Days

text: Despite its only modestly positive reception at release, "Demon Days" is now considered to have left an indelible mark on alternative music and has since been variously hailed as "iconic", "classic", "timeless" and a "modern masterpiece".


title: Demon Days

text: Multiple writers have noted how "Demon Days"' commentary was prescient for outlining social and environmental issues in the following years of the 21st century. In an eleventh-anniversary retrospective, Angus Harrison wrote for "Noisey UK" that while at the time the record was perceived as "corny, ranty, and hysterical," and even "pretentious twaddle," it is now viewed as "scarily prescient" and "a thrilling allegory set on the precipice of an increasingly dark stretch of modern history." In Vinyl Me, Please's "Liner Notes" series, Kyle Kramer called the "tormented, large-scale questions" of the album "more relevant than ever," whether in "2017 or much further down the line." John of "audiosnobbery" pens that "this doomsday scenario was simply viewed as a self-indulgent and pretentious move from Albarn, but, 14 years later, the messages and problems explored in Demon Days are more pertinent than ever: overpopulation, false gods, guns, violence, depression, corruption and greed. The world is not better than it was, and this is precisely why listening to "Demon Days" today is even more interesting than in 2005 – these are the true Demon Days." Hatim Hafid of "River Beats Dance" describes that ""Demon Days" acts as a direct societal critique on colonialism and invasion. It highlights the negative practices used to exploit countries in the name of democracy and peace", and "..."Demon Days" remains as one of the most politically charged pieces of the era." Tim Karan of "Diffuser" has called "Demon Days" as "one of the most innovative albums of the 21st century". He also classified the album as "dense and atmospheric". Sean Craig from "Mixed Frequencies" said that "Demon Days" is "as dense as a 50-minute album can be, packed with hit after hit, feature after feature, and changes in musical style so fast that it can give you whiplash if you're not prepared for it. It's a dark, apocalyptic album that brims with energy and funk, a pop music oxymoron in every fiber of its being. It's an idiosyncrasy made manifest, something that uses sounds from every possible corner of the musical world and blends them together, in turn sounding almost entirely its own."


title: Demon Days

text: Artists including Kali Uchis, ASAP Rocky, and Trippie Redd have suggested "Demon Days" specifically as an influence on their work (among many others who have cited the project as a whole), with the latter saying it provides him with inspiration to create "timeless" work. Mura Masa commented how "Demon Days" has influenced him to invite Damon Albarn to work in his track "Blu": "..."Demon Days" was the first album I bought, so getting to meet up and actually work with him was crazy."


title: Demon Days

text: The music videos for singles from "Demon Days", "Feel Good Inc.", "Dare", and "El Mañana" have amassed millions of views on YouTube; in 2011, "Rolling Stone" clocked "Feel Good Inc." as the 99th best song of the 2000s. In 2020, the song "Dirty Harry" trended on video-sharing platform TikTok, featured by users conceptualizing themselves as cartoon characters (referencing Gorillaz' virtual nature).


title: Steps (pop group)

text: Steps are a British dance-pop group consisting of Lee Latchford-Evans, Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and Ian "H" Watkins. Steps were formed in May 1997 and achieved a series of charting singles between 1997 and 2001 including two number-one singles in the UK (one a double A-side), two number-one albums in the UK, 14 consecutive top 5 singles in the UK and a string of hits throughout Europe. The group has sold over 22 million records worldwide in addition to acquiring a BRIT Award nomination in 1999 for Best Newcomer while supporting Britney Spears on tour the same year. When Richards and Watkins departed to form a recording duo, the group disbanded on 26 December 2001. Their penultimate single reached number five in the UK charts while their final album of greatest hits, "" (2001), was the group's second number-one album in the UK.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: Steps re-formed in May 2011 for a four-part documentary series on Sky Living titled "Steps: Reunion". The series started airing on 28 September, following an announcement of a second greatest-hits album, "The Ultimate Collection", that was released on 10 October 2011. The album entered the charts at number one, becoming the band's third album to achieve this feat. The second series of "Steps: Reunion", titled "Steps: On the Road Again", aired on Sky Living in April 2012; the series followed the band as they embarked on their sellout 22-date UK tour. On 24 September 2012, the group confirmed they would release their fourth studio album, "Light Up The World", on 12 November 2012, alongside a six-date Christmas tour, starting on 30 November and ending on 5 December. The group re-formed for a second time on 1 January 2017 in celebration of their 20th anniversary, and later announced their fifth studio album, "Tears on the Dancefloor", which was released in April 2017.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: Steps' sixth studio album, "What the Future Holds", was released on 27 November 2020. It was preceded by three singles, the title song "What the Future Holds", "Something in Your Eyes" and "To the Beat of My Heart". Their seventh studio album, "What the Future Holds Pt. 2", with 10 new tracks, four stripped-back versions of songs and a new sound for some tracks, was released in 2021. The band's third compilation album, "Platinum Collection" was released in August 2022, and debuted at number 1 in the UK, making Steps the first British, mixed-gender group to achieve four number 1 albums in four different decades.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: Steps were formed by Steve Crosby and Barry Upton (writers of "5,6,7,8") alongside manager Tim Byrne after auditioning hopefuls who answered an ad in "The Stage" newspaper. Byrne had previously been involved in the production of the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party, the BBC collaboration with the pop magazine "Smash Hits".


title: Steps (pop group)

text: After auditions, the original line-up of Watkins, Scott-Lee, Derek O'Brien, Maddy Chan, and Mitch Stevens was finalised and the band started shooting promotional images and recording tracks. However, O'Brien, Chan and Stevens left, as they wanted more than a one-hit wonder, and saw no long-term future with Steps. New auditions were held on 7 May 1997, and in conjunction with the manufacturers, they selected Tozer, Latchford-Evans and Richards as the remaining members.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: Their first single "5,6,7,8" was a techno line dance song. Though not typical of what became their style, it was their first hit both in the UK and internationally. Despite only peaking at number 14, the single achieved considerable longevity in the fast-paced singles climate of 1997–1998, racking up over four months on the UK chart. The track remains one of the highest-selling singles never to reach the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart. Its release in Australia gave the group their first number one in 1998.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: Tim Byrne then founded a management and production company, Byrne Blood, with former BMG head of marketing and video, Victoria Blood, which took over sole management of Steps and was also instrumental in the creation and management of A1.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: The group were then presented to pop impresario, Pete Waterman who signed them to his Eastern Block Unity Label (EBUL) in a partnership with his long time associates, Jive Records. Waterman and his new PWL production partners, Mark Topham and Karl Twigg, reworked the "5,6,7,8" demo, introducing the prominent fiddle into the arrangement. Waterman stated that whilst he was pleased with the final mix of "5,6,7,8", his co-producers were less so, to the extent that on the single liner notes they did not take a credit, although they were credited on all subsequent releases, such as the "Step One" album. In April 1998, Steps launched their second single, a cover version of Bananarama's "Last Thing on My Mind", which became their first UK top ten, peaking at number 6.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: By August 1998, Steps continued to build momentum with their third single "One for Sorrow" which peaked at number 2, and began an unbroken chain of 14 consecutive Top 5 hits on the UK singles chart. Steps' singles success translated into album sales, with their debut album "Step One" entering the chart at number 2. It was certified 5× Platinum following a run of 50 weeks in the Top 20.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: The next single release was a double A-side which provided Steps with their signature song and biggest career seller. The single was a cover version of the Bee Gees' "Tragedy" and original track "Heartbeat". The single was released in November 1998, when it charted at number 2. Following enduring popularity over the Christmas period, the single rebounded up the chart and became their first number-one hit in January 1999, eight weeks after it was initially released. The single eventually sold over a million copies and occupied the chart for 30 weeks.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: The final track to be released from "Step One" was "Better Best Forgotten". Because of the continued success of the previous single, the CD release was delayed by nearly two months. Nonetheless, "Better Best Forgotten" entered the chart at number 2.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: Steps were part of the ensemble that released "Thank ABBA for the Music" (a medley of ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me", "Dancing Queen", "Mamma Mia" and "Thank You for the Music") in March 1999, as performed at the BRIT Awards. The other artists singing were Tina Cousins, Cleopatra, B*Witched, and Billie, known collectively as the Supertroupers. The single later peaked at number four. The group was also nominated for Best Newcomer. Pete Waterman claimed to have been told days before the ceremony that Steps had won the award, as voted for by listeners of BBC Radio 1. However, on the night the award was handed to the Scottish band Belle & Sebastian, who were assumed to be rank outsiders. Despite the allegation that a significant number of votes for Belle & Sebastian were traced to one location (two computers sited in a particular UK university campus), the band held onto their award as foul play was denied by organizers of the BRIT Awards.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: A fan-created Steps fanzine, "Count Me In", started in 1998. This became known for its Steps Photostory, in which cut-out members of Steps went on a variety of fun adventures. It ran for 13 issues and later issues included interviews with Steps themselves, as well Dermot O'Leary, Pink and other pop-culture figures of the time. "Count Me In" can be viewed by visiting the British Library archive where all issues are held.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: In July 1999, Steps released the first single from an all-new album, "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart". Once again they narrowly missed the number-one spot following a last-minute surge by Ricky Martin. After the single's release, Steps went to America to support Britney Spears on her 1999 ...Baby One More Time Tour. A remixed version of "One for Sorrow" was included in the film "Drive Me Crazy" and released as their debut American single. They were also successful in Europe and Australasia.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: Steps returned home to release their second album, "Steptacular", which was accompanied by "After the Love Has Gone". The album charted at number 1 and was eventually certified 4× Platinum, thus becoming their second UK million selling album. The group subsequently released an album in North America which was titled "Step One" and was an amalgamation of their first two albums. The group's next two singles, "Say You'll Be Mine/Better the Devil You Know" and "Deeper Shade of Blue" (originally recorded by labelmate Tina Cousins for her debut album), both continued their top-five run.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: In February 2000, Disney Channel aired a concert special featuring Steps and another group, Youngstown, titled "Steps and Youngstown in Concert". The concert itself promoted the group and the sales of the album.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: In July 2000, Steps released another double A-side, consisting of the "Steptacular" track "When I Said Goodbye" and an entirely new song, "Summer of Love". The latter was a Latino-flavoured pop song, which later appeared on their third album. Steps were also awarded the BRIT Award for Best Selling Live Act of the year in 2000.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: In October 2000, "Stomp" became their second number one single. The third album, "Buzz", followed shortly and whilst it was less successful than their first two albums, went on to achieve double platinum status and contains five UK Top 5 singles. The group worked with many American and Swedish producers who had created hits for other Jive artists such as Britney Spears, 'N Sync, and the Backstreet Boys. The following single, "It's the Way You Make Me Feel", reached number 2 upon its January 2001 release. Steps promoted "Buzz" worldwide and did not return to the UK until May, when they released "Here and Now / You'll Be Sorry".


title: Steps (pop group)

text: Split rumours started circulating after it was announced that Steps would release a greatest hits album. The group continuously denied this in their interviews. "Chain Reaction", a cover of the popular Diana Ross song, was released as the first new single from "". The single became their biggest in almost two years. The second single, "Words Are Not Enough/I Know Him So Well", was another top five hit. It would become their final single as a group until their re-formation in 2012.


title: Steps (pop group)

text: In 2001, following their Boxing Day split, the group were heavily criticised by their fans. Many UK tabloid papers published the fans' disgust on their front pages, displaying quotes taken from Steps message boards. After the group spent much of 2001 strongly dismissing claims of a split, fans were furious and accused the group of capitalising on the success of a host of merchandise released in the lucrative pre-Christmas market. However, it has since come to light that both H and Claire left the group on the last night of the Steps' "Gold: Greatest Hits" tour, because of their ongoing unhappiness within the group, although Steps' official statement stated that the split was caused by their belief that they should end on a high, while they were at their best and could be remembered for being the best of their kind. H and Claire went on to form a duo and signed to Warner Music for a reputed £5 million (over five albums), although they only released one album, "Another You Another Me", before being dropped due to poor album sales.