Perfect as Cats: A Tribute to the Cure is a charity record released by Los Angeles indie label Manimal Vinyl on October 28, 2008.  It features covers of The Cure favourites by The Dandy Warhols, Bat For Lashes, Kaki King, Devastations, ex-Godflesh frontman, Justin K. Broadrick's Jesu, Rio en Medio, Lewis & Clarke, Sarabeth Tucek, Mariee Sioux, Xu Xu Fang, Blackblack, Gangi, Rainbow Arabia and over 20 more artists and bands. The record was mastered by Xu Xu Fang's Bobby Tamkin.  The proceeds of the album went to the Invisible Children charity which works with the war torn youth in Sudan.

Pitchfork rated the album a 3.9.

Track listing
Disc One

Disc Two

Additionally, several more tracks were available as iTunes exclusives:

References

Tribute albums
2008 albums
Invisible Children
The Cure


The English rock band Radiohead have received 22 awards from 79 nominations. They have received 16 Brit Awards nominations, and are the most nominated act in Mercury Prize history, with five nominations. They have received three Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album, for OK Computer in 1998, Kid A in 2001 and In Rainbows in 2009. At the MTV Video Music Awards, Radiohead received the award for Best Art Direction for "There There" in 2003. They received the Q Award for Best Act in the World Today in 2001, 2002 and 2003. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

AMFT Awards
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| rowspan=2|2016
| Best Rock Album
| A Moon Shaped Pool
|
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Best Rock Duo/Group Performance
| "Daydreaming"
|

AIM Independent Music Awards
The AIM Independent Music Awards, hosted by the Association of Independent Music (AIM), were established in 2011 to recognise artists signed to independent record labels in the United Kingdom. Most of the categories and nominations are selected by an independent judging panel, though some are decided by the public.

Antville Music Video Awards
The Antville Music Video Awards are online awards for the best music video and music video directors of the year. They were first awarded in 2005. Radiohead have received one award from two nominations.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| 2007
| Best Performance
| "Jigsaw Falling Into Place"
|
|-
| 2011
| Best Choreography
| "Lotus Flower"
|

Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. Radiohead failed to win all seventeen times they were nominated.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| 1994 || British Single of the Year || "Creep" ||  ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1996 || British Video of the Year || "Just" ||  || rowspan="3"|
|-
| British Album of the Year || The Bends ||
|-
|  rowspan="2" | British Group || rowspan="3" | Radiohead ||
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1998 ||  || rowspan="4"|
|-
| British Producer of the Year ||
|-
| British Album of the Year || OK Computer ||
|-
| British Single of the Year || "Paranoid Android" ||
|-
| 1999 || British Video of the Year || "No Surprises" ||  ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2001 || British Group || Radiohead ||  || rowspan="2"|
|-
| rowspan="2" | British Album of the Year || rowspan="2" | Kid A ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2002 ||  || rowspan="2"|
|-
| rowspan="3" | British Group || rowspan="3" | Radiohead ||
|-
| 2004 ||  ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009 ||  || rowspan="2"|
|-
| British Album of the Year || In Rainbows ||
|-
| 2017 || British Group || Radiohead ||  ||
|-

GAFFA Awards

Denmark GAFFA Awards
Delivered since 1991, the GAFFA Awards are a Danish award that rewards popular music by the magazine of the same name.

Grammy Awards
The Grammy Award is awarded by the Recording Academy for outstanding achievement in the mainly English-language music industry. Radiohead have received three awards from 20 nominations.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1998 || Album of the Year || rowspan="2" | OK Computer ||  || rowspan="26"|
|-
| rowspan="2" | Best Alternative Music Album ||
|-
| 1999 || Airbag / How Am I Driving? ||
|-
| 2000 || Best Music Film || Meeting People Is Easy ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2001 || Album of the Year || rowspan="2" | Kid A ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | Best Alternative Music Album ||
|-
| 2002 || Amnesiac ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2004 || Hail to the Thief ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal || "There There" ||
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2009 || rowspan="3" | "House of Cards" ||
|-
| Best Rock Song ||
|-
| Best Music Video ||
|-
| Album of the Year || rowspan="2" | In Rainbows ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | Best Alternative Music Album ||
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2012 || The King of Limbs ||
|-
| Best Rock Performance || rowspan="3" | "Lotus Flower" ||
|-
| Best Music Video ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | Best Rock Song ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2017 || "Burn the Witch" ||
|-
| Best Alternative Music Album || A Moon Shaped Pool ||
|-
| colspan="4" align="center" | Note
|-
| 2001 || Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical || Kid A ||
|-
| 2002 || Best Recording Package || Amnesiac ||
|-
| 2004 || Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical || Hail to the Thief ||
|-
| 2009 || rowspan="2"|Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package || In Rainbows ||
|-
| 2012 || The King of Limbs ||

 Aside from their work with Radiohead, members from the band have also received nominations at the Grammy Awards for their solo works, Thom Yorke has been nominated twice for Best Alternative Music Album, for The Eraser in 2007 and Anima in 2020, for the latter, he also received nominations for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package and Best Music Film. Jonny Greenwood was nominated for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media 2009 for the score of Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood.
 Note: The table does not include nominations for others' work associated with Radiohead.
 Nigel Godrich received five nominations for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for his work with Radiohead (2001, 2002, 2004. 2006 and 2009).
 Two albums have been nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, Kid A in 2001 and Hail to the Thief in 2004, winning for Hail to the Thief. For Kid A, Nigel Godrich received the nomination as engineer; for Hail to the Thief, Godrich shared the award with Darrell Thorp.
 In 2002, the special limited edition of Amnesiac for Best Recording Package, the award received by the art directors of the album, Stanley Donwood and Yorke.
 Two albums have been nominated for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, In Rainbows in 2009, which won, and The King of Limbs in 2012. For In Rainbows, art directors Stanley Donwood, Mel Maxwell and Xiaan Munro received the award, while for The King of Limbs, Donwood and Yorke received the nomination.

Ibiza Music Video Festival
Ibiza Music Video Festival is the online music video competition. Rupert Bryan and Elizabeth Fear founded the event in 2013.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| 2016
| Best Animation
| "Burn the Witch"
|
|

Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. Radiohead have received four awards.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1998 || Best Contemporary Song || "Karma Police" ||  ||
|-
| Best Song Musically and Lyrically ||  "Paranoid Android" ||  ||
|-
| 2004 || International Achievement in Musical Theater || Radiohead ||  ||
|-
| 2008 || Album Award || In Rainbows ||  ||
|-

Libera Awards
The Libera Awards, hosted by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) were established in 2012 to celebrate the achievements of artists signed to independent record labels

Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. Radiohead have received five nominations, making them the most nominated act in Mercury Prize history.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| 1997 || rowspan="5" | Mercury Music Prize || OK Computer ||  ||
|-
| 2001 || Amnesiac ||  ||
|-
| 2003 || Hail to the Thief ||  ||
|-
| 2008 || In Rainbows ||  ||
|-
| 2016 || A Moon Shaped Pool ||  ||

Meteor Music Awards
The Meteor Music Awards was an accolade bestowed upon professionals in the music industry in Ireland and further afield.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| 2004 || rowspan="2" | Best International Album || Hail to the Thief ||  ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2008 || In Rainbows ||  || rowspan="2"|
|-
| Best International Band || Radiohead ||

MTV

MTV Video Music Awards
The MTV Video Music Award is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Radiohead have received one award from 12 nominations.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
|  || rowspan="2" | Breakthrough Video || "Just" ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |  || rowspan="2" | "Paranoid Android" ||
|-
| International Viewer's Choice Award for MTV Europe ||
|-
| rowspan="4" |  || Best Group Video || rowspan="4" | "Karma Police" ||
|-
| Best Alternative Video ||
|-
| Best Direction ||
|-
| Best Cinematography ||
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2003 || Best Visual Effects || rowspan="4" | "There There" ||  || rowspan="4"|
|-
| Best Art Direction ||
|-
| Best Editing ||
|-
| Best Cinematography ||
|-
|  || Best Video (That Should Have Won a Moonman) || "Karma Police" ||  ||
|-

MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Award are an event presented by Viacom International Media Networks Europe which awards prizes to musicians and performers.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1997 || Best Video || "Paranoid Android" ||  || rowspan="4"|
|-
| Best Group || rowspan="5" | Radiohead ||
|-
| Best Alternative ||
|-
| Best Live Act ||
|-
| 2003 || Best Group ||
|-
| 2016 || Best Alternative ||  ||
|-

MTV Asia Awards
The MTV Asia Awards are the Asian version of the MTV Video Music Awards. Radiohead have received one award from three nominations.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2004 || Favorite Video || "There There" ||  ||
|-
| Favorite Rock Act || rowspan="2" | Radiohead ||  ||
|-
| 2008 || Innovation Award ||  ||
|-

MVPA Awards
The Music Video Production Association (MVPA) is a non-profit trade organization created to address the mutual concerns of its members in today's highly competitive, ever-changing music video industry.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| 2002
| Best Alternative Video
| "Knives Out"
|
|
|-

NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual Popular music awards show in the United Kingdom. Radiohead have won nine awards.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| 1994 || Best Single || "Creep" ||
|-
| 1998 || Best Album || OK Computer ||  ||
|-
| 2001 || Best Band || Radiohead ||
|-
| 2002 || Best Video || "Pyramid Song" ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2004 || Best Album || rowspan="2" | Hail to the Thief ||
|-
| Best Album Artwork ||
|-
| Best Video || "There There" ||
|-
| 2008 || John Peel Award For Musical Innovation || Radiohead ||  ||
|-
| 2010 || Best Band Blog || www.radiohead.com ||  ||
|-
| 2017 || rowspan="2"|Best Reissue || OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017 ||  ||
|-
| 2022 || Kid A Mnesia ||  ||
|-

PLUG Independent Music Awards
The PLUG Independent Music Awards are given in support of indie music. Radiohead have received one award from two nominations
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2008 || In Rainbows || Album of the Year ||
|-
| Radiohead || Artist of the Year||

Q Awards
The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Radiohead have received four awards from eleven nominations.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1997 || Best Album || OK Computer ||
|-
| Best Live Act || rowspan="5" | Radiohead ||
|-
| 1998 || rowspan="4" | Best Act in the World Today ||
|-
| 1999 ||
|-
| 2000 ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2001 ||
|-
| Best Album || Amnesiac ||
|-
| 2002 || rowspan="2" | Best Act in the World Today || rowspan="2" | Radiohead ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2003 ||
|-
| Best Album || Hail to the Thief ||
|-
| 2004 || Best Act in the World Today || rowspan="4" | Radiohead ||
|-
| 2011 || Greatest Act of the Last 25 Years ||
|-
| 2012 || rowspan="2" | Best Live Act ||
|-
| 2017 ||
|-

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is a museum and hall of fame located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, dedicated to document the history of rock. Radiohead were inducted in 2019.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| 2019 || Radiohead || Inductee ||  ||

The Daily Californian Art Awards
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| rowspan=2|2016
| Best Non-Billboard Song
| rowspan=2|"Daydreaming"
|
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Best Music Video
|

UK Music Video Awards
The UK Music Video Awards is an annual award ceremony founded in 2008 to recognise creativity, technical excellence and innovation in music videos and moving images for music. Radiohead have received six nominations.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:85%;"
|-
! width=5%|Year
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:40%;"| Nominated work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
!width=5%|
|-
| 2008
| Best Rock Video
| "House of Cards"
|
|
|-
| 2011
| Best Choreography
| "Lotus Flower"
|
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2016
| Best Video Artist
| Radiohead
|
| rowspan="5"|
|-
| rowspan="2" | Best Alternative Video – UK
| "Daydreaming"
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |"Burn the Witch"
|
|-
| Best Production Design
|
|-
| Best Animation
|
|-
| 2022
| Best Rock Video - UK
| "If You Say the Word"
|
|
|-

References

External links
 Radiohead official website

Awards
Lists of awards received by British musician
Lists of awards received by musical group


Vidmantė Jasukaitytė (10 July 1948 – 14 July 2018) was a Lithuanian writer and signatory of the 1990 Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania.

Biography

Vidmantė Jasukaitytė was born in 1948 in a village near Šiauliai called Pumpučiai. When she graduated from secondary school she was already working for a living. She studied Lithuanian language and literature at the University of Vilnius. She has worked in various institutions. Her creative work started with writing poetry. Her first poetry book A Fire to be Crossed earned her the Zigmas Gaidamavičius award for the best debut. Her second prose book Stebuklinga patvorių žolė (Miraculous Grass by the Fence) placed the author among serious Lithuanian writers, and was translated into Spanish (La milagrosa hierba de la raíz amarga) and published in Madrid in 2002. The novel After Us There Is no Us had an edition of 45,000 copies that were sold out within two months. Consequently, the novel was awarded the prominent Juozas Paukštelis literary prize. She faced difficulties publishing some of her works due to Soviet censorship.

From the very beginning of the independence movement in Lithuania, Jasukaityte, who already was well-known national writer, took part in its activity. She founded the Lithuanian Women's Union, started and developed a social protest against Lithuanian men's service in the Soviet Army where they often experienced various forms of humiliation. When the Soviet leader at the time M. Gorbachev was visiting Lithuania, she gave a speech that was broadcast all over Soviet Union and made a considerable impact on the army system – every military unit was obligated to write a letter in which it had to reject Vidmantė . accusations. Letters flooded her house and the Lithuanian Writer's Union. The military newspaper Zvezda (The Star) demanded that she should come and take away stacks of letters that occupied half of the space of their editorial office. The writer also received many telegrams from the ordinary people of Russia. In 1990 she was elected to the Lithuanian Parliament that proclaimed the independence of Lithuania. V. Jasukaityte also signed the Pact of Independence. The political commotion affected her private life. Even though she had never belonged to a party, the writer experienced spiritual isolation as well as open attacks of political extremists. After ten years and a long trip to Egypt, she returned home and started writing again.

Political activities
Jasukaitytė joined the pro-independence Sąjūdis movement. She founded and was elected chairman of the Lithuanian Women's Union. The Union organized a social protest against Lithuanian men's service in the Soviet Army where they often experienced various forms of humiliation. When the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev visited Lithuania, Jasukaitytė gave a speech, broadcast over TV, accusing the Soviet military of mistreatment of their soldiers. After the controversial speech letters flooded her house and the Lithuanian Writer's Union. Jasukaitytė was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR and became signatory of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania.

Works
 Fire to be Crossed (poetry, 1976)
 I'm so Far Away (poetry, 1979)
 Miraculous Grass by the Fence (short stories, 1981)
 Man, my Brother (1982)
 Too Much Sun (poetry, 1986)
 Žemaitė (drama, 1986)
 Žilvinas (tragedy, 1988)
 After Us There Is No Us (novel, 1988)
 The Dove That Shall Wait (short stories, 1989)
 Grass Roots (screenplay, 1989)
 The Wolves' Hunt (drama, 1990)
 Say Farewell to Unmined Silver (poetry, 1999)
 Golgotha's Grapes (essays, meditations, prayers, 2001)
 Mary the Egyptian (novel, 2002)
 The True Face of Nonexistence (poetry, 2002)
 Subačius Street. Ghetto (poetry, 2003)
 God Dies Lonely (novel, 2003)
 Miraculous Grass by the Fence (2005)
 When We Were Wolves (novel, 2007)
 After Us There Is No Us (novel, 2005–2008)
 La loba (poetry, 2008)
 What After Nothing? (poetry, 2008)
 I Killed My Daughter (novel, 2008)

References

External links

1948 births
2018 deaths
People from Šiauliai District Municipality
Vilnius University alumni
Writers from Vilnius
20th-century Lithuanian women writers
20th-century Lithuanian writers
21st-century Lithuanian women writers
21st-century Lithuanian writers


Hu Sihui (, 和斯輝, 忽斯慧, also Hu Zheng Qi Huei; active nr. 1314–1330) was a Chinese court therapist and dietitian during Yuan dynasty. He is known for his book Yinshan zhengyao (Dietary Principles), that became a classic in Chinese medicine and Chinese cuisine. He was the first to empirically discover and clearly describe deficiency diseases.

Biography
The career of Hu Sihui, as he states in preface to his book, was in the reign of Buyantu Khan in Yenyu years (1314—1320). His ethnicity is unclear. He has been credited as of Mongol descent by some East Asian scholars, while Western scholars have pointed out his Turkic descent, his book being "far too comfortable with Turkic and a larger Islamic culture."
He was an official in Xuanhui Yuan (the Ministry of Court Supplies and Provisions), around 1315 Hu Sihui initially emerged as the therapist of Empress Dowager, soon also became the therapist of the acting Empress, and later received the rank of the chief Imperial therapist and became responsible for dietary planning of the numerous members of the Emperor's family.

As tradition has it, Buyantu Khan, after several years of expeditions and irregular life, was overstrained and suffered acute pain in his kidneys. The vegetable soup prescribed by Hu Sihui cured the pains in 3 months, and one of Emperor's spouses  became pregnant. The Emperor grandly awarded Hu Sihui as the cause of this "double joy".

In 1330, Hu Sihui, no longer busy with the Emperor and his harem, completed and presented to the Court his book Yinshan zhengyao, summarising his experiences as court dietitian. The main idea of his work was that people preparing food for the Emperor are directly responsible for efficiency of the State, as a monarch may get sick from improper eating, and lose the ability to properly manage state affairs effectively.

Legacy
Hu Sihui's book was widely accepted in Later Yuan, but won even wider influence after the fall of Yuan. Ming Dynasty, after occupying Beijing in 1368, started to combine Chinese cuisine from other regions with the cosmopolitan cuisine of Yuan court. Jingtai Emperor of Ming (ruled 1449—1457) personally wrote a preface to an edition of Yinshan zhengyao.

As a culinary encyclopedia, this book made some regional recipes aссepted as part of national cuisine of the whole of China.  For example, it is this book that contained a recipe of a roast duck that could be a predecessor of the widely known Beijing duck.

Bibliography
 Buell, Paul, E. N. Anderson, Hu-ssu-hui. A soup for the Qan. Chinese Dietary Medicine. Kegan Paul International, 2000. 715 pages.

 Husihui, Paul D. Buell, E. N. Anderson, et al., A Soup for the Qan Chinese Dietary Medicine of the Mongol Era as Seen in Hu Sihui's Yinshan Zhengyao: Introduction, Translation, Commentary, and Chinese Text (Leiden: Brill,  2nd rev. and expanded,  2010).
Françoise Sabban, "Cuisine À La Cour De L'empereur De Chine: Les Aspects Culinaires Du Yinshan Zhengyao De Hu Sihui," Médiévales (1983):  32-56.

References

Chinese people of Mongolian descent
Dietitians
14th-century Chinese physicians
Yuan dynasty people
Year of death unknown
Year of birth unknown


Kantipur City College is a college in Putalisadak in Kathmandu city, the capital of Nepal. It was established in 2000, and is affiliated with Purbanchal University. Kantipur City College has 852 students.

External links
Kantipur City College

Schools in Nepal
Educational institutions established in 2000


1-2-3 Go is a 1941 Our Gang short comedy film.

It was directed by Edward Cahn, and starred George McFarland, Billie Thomas, Mickey Gubitosi, and Billy Laughlin.

It was the 199th Our Gang short released (200th episode, 111th talking short, 112th talking episode, and 31st-MGM produced episode).From Gianna

Plot
While playing baseball on a busy street in Greenpoint, Mickey is struck by a car. Though he fully recovers from his injuries, Mickey meets several other kids in the hospital who were not so lucky.

Quickly developing a sense of civic responsibility, the Gang members establish the 1-2-3 Go Safety Society, dedicated to lowering the number of auto injuries in their community.

Cast
 Mickey Gubitosi as Mickey
 Billy Laughlin as Froggy
 George McFarland as Spanky
 Billie Thomas as Buckwheat

Additional cast
 Vincent Graeff as Kid umpire
 Giovanna Gubitosi as Kid eating ice cream
 James Gubitosi as Kid giving up home run
 Freddie Walburn as Kid retrieving home run from street
 Barbara Bedford as Ann, a nurse
 Margaret Bert as Nurse at reception desk
 John Dilson as Mayor Of Greenpoint
 Arthur Hoyt as Horace
 May McAvoy as Miss Jones, a nurse
 Anne O'Neil as Horace's wife
 William Tannen as Cab driver
 Joe Young as Man calling for ambulance

See also
 Our Gang filmography

References

External links

American comedy short films
American black-and-white films
Films directed by Edward L. Cahn
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short films
1941 comedy films
Our Gang films
1941 short films
African-American comedy films
1940s English-language films
1940s American films
Films about children


Abcoude is a railway station located in Abcoude, Netherlands.

History
The station is located on the Amsterdam–Arnhem railway between Amsterdam and Utrecht, and was opened on 18 December 1843. Previously, there were only two trains a day going to Abcoude. The line was doubled to 4 tracks in 2007 and the old station closed with a new station opening a few hundred metres to the north. The old station stood next to the Gein with the line crossing the river by a bridge which was barely higher than the river level. During the quadrupling of the line a new underpass was built to take the railway under the river. This new underpass begins just after the current station and emerges back at ground level a good distance past the original station buildings.

Accidents and incidents

On 12 March 2015, a passenger train caught fire at the station and was evacuated. Twenty-one passengers had breathed in smoke but could resume their journey, one passenger excluding the train driver was taken to the hospital.

Train services
The following services currently call at Abcoude:
2x per hour local service (sprinter) Uitgeest – Amsterdam – Woerden – Rotterdam
2x per hour local service (sprinter) Uitgeest – Amsterdam – Utrecht – Rhenen (Not in the evening and the weekend)

References

External links
NS website
Dutch Public Transport journey planner

Railway stations in Utrecht (province)
Railway stations on the Rhijnspoorweg
1843 establishments in the Netherlands
De Ronde Venen
Railway stations in the Netherlands opened in 1843


Gakkeulsan () is a mountain in South Korea. Its area extends across the city of Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do and the county of Cheorwon in Gangwon-do. Gakkeulsan has an elevation of .

See also
List of mountains in Korea

Notes

References

Mountains of South Korea
Mountains of Gangwon Province, South Korea
Mountains of Gyeonggi Province


This list of choreography awards is an index to articles about notable awards given to choreographers for a song, music video or album.

See also
Lists of awards

References

Lists of film awards
Lists of theatre awards


Best Special Effects usually refers to a specific award category at various awards ceremonies within cinema, TV and music, and may refer to:

 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, which was called Best Special Effects from 1939 to 1963, and included both visual and sound effects from 1939 to 1962
 BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects, which has been known as that since it was introduced in 1982
 MTV Video Music Award for Best Visual Effects, which was called Best Special Effects in a Video from 1984 to 2011


Alan, Allan or Allen Morgan may refer to:

Alan Morgan (footballer, born 1973), Welsh football player
Alan Morgan (footballer, born 1983), Scottish football player
Alan Morgan (politician), South Carolina politician
Alan Morgan (sailor) (1909–1984), American sailor
Alan V. Morgan, professor in earth sciences at the University of Waterloo, winner of the E. R. Ward Neale Medal
Alan Morgan (bishop) (1940–2011), bishop of Sherwood
Allen Morgan (ornithologist) (1925–1990), American ornithologist
Allen Morgan (rowing) (1925–2011), American coxswain
Allen B. Morgan Jr., brokerage founder
Allen Morgan (priest) (1761–1830), Anglican priest in Ireland

See also
Al Morgan (disambiguation)


Basic Palaeontology is a basic textbook on the study of paleontology written by the palaeontologists Michael J. Benton and David A.T. Harper, and published by Prentice Hall in 1997. It was described in a 1998 review by palaeontologist Mark Purnell as being uniquely inclusive in its coverage of the subject, going into detail about the history of the science as well as methodology and other aspects. The book was described as having significant, "broad" coverage, but not as much "depth", making it a potential resource for students and researchers looking to find more-detailed references.

References

Paleontology books
1997 non-fiction books
1997 in paleontology


Shiv Khera is an Indian author, activist and motivational speaker, best known for his book, You Can Win. He launched a movement against caste-based reservation in India, founded an organization called Country First Foundation

Early life
Khera was born in a business oriented family that operated coal mines, which were eventually nationalized by the Indian government. In his early years, he worked as a car washer, a life insurance agent, and a franchise operator before becoming a motivational speaker. While working in the Toronto, he was inspired by a lecture delivered by Norman Vincent Peale and claims to follow Peale's motivational teachings.

When Freedom Is Not Free was published, Amrit Lal, a retired Indian civil servant, accused Khera of plagiarism, alleging that content from that book directly came from his own book India Enough Is Enough, published 8 years earlier. Additionally, he found that numerous anecdotes, jokes and quotes in Khera's other books were also used without acknowledging proper sources. Khera countered that he took notes and inspirations from numerous sources, and that he was unable to keep track of all of them. Lal finally accepted an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed sum of money (reputed to be 25 lakh according to Khera), which he said he would donate to the Missionaries of Charity.

Activism and politics
Khera founded Country First Foundation, a social activism organisation whose mission is "to ensure freedom through education and justice". In 2004, he stood as an independent candidate from the South Delhi constituency in Indian general elections and "lost badly". In 2008, he started the Bharatiya Rashtravadi Samanata Party. During 2014 polls in India, he supported the Bhartiya Janata Party and campaigned for Lal Krishna Advani, a senior member of the party. Khera has also filed several public interest lawsuits in the Indian Supreme Court, and he unsuccessfully contested the 2009 general election in India on an anti-corruption platform.

Shiv Khera was one of the speakers in Bhagavad Gita Summit (from 10th - 14th December 2021) during Gita Jayanti at Dallas, Texas, US along with other notable personalities such as Swami Mukundananda Ji, Dr. Menas Kafatos, Kiran Bedi, Brahmacharini Gloria Arieira and others.

Books
You Can Win: Winners don't do different things. They do things differently.

You Can Achieve More: Live By Design, Not By Default

You Can Sell: Results are Rewarded, Efforts Aren't

See also
 List of Indian writers

References

External links
 Official website

Living people
Indian self-help writers
Indian business speakers
People from Dhanbad district
Activists from Jharkhand
Writers from Jharkhand
Indian motivational speakers
1951 births


The Empyrean is the eighth solo album by American musician John Frusciante, released worldwide on January 20, 2009 through Record Collection. Frusciante did not plan on a following tour, as he instead wanted to focus on writing and recording. The Empyrean peaked at number 151 on the US Billboard 200 as well as number seven on the Top Heatseekers. On release it made number 105 on the UK Albums Chart.

Frusciante said that the record "was recorded on and off between December 2006 and March 2008," and is a concept album that tells "a single story both musically and lyrically." The Empyrean contains a version of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren", from his 1970 album Starsailor. The record also features an array of collaborators and guest musicians, including Frusciante's bandmate Flea, and friends Josh Klinghoffer and the former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. Due to an error at the duplication plant, the United States CD release date was delayed until January 27. On June 2, 2010, a new bonus track, Here, Air, was added to the album, freely available at John's website.

On December 11, 2012, Record Collection re-issued various John Frusciante albums released from 2004 to 2009, including The Empyrean.   These re-issued albums are available on 180 gram limited edition vinyl. Each LP also comes with a download card for your choice of MP3 or WAV file. The Empyrean was one of the most sought after John Frusciante LPs from the 2012 catalog reissue.  According to John Frusciante's official website, the pre-order of the limited edition vinyl was sold out as of November 24, 2012; therefore, making it the first from the limited catalog reissue to do so.  Additional stock of recording would be available in 2013.

A ten-year anniversary reissue, recut by John Frusciante and Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes, was released on March 29, 2019. The reissue is a double disc LP that includes a download card of the album plus bonus tracks in hi-resolution.

A song which was written during The Empyrean sessions, "Scratch", was released as a free download on February 18, 2014 as an introductory track to the full-length record Enclosure released April 8, 2014.

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 8 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews."

Album artwork
The artwork is a photograph of prints arranged to form a collage. The upper left region of the image contains various references to the natural world, such as the multiple images of green leaved trees and several superimposed images of mountains. Considering John's philosophy on life, it is plausible to draw that this arrangement is a reference to the Tree of life.

In the lower left corner, the presence of tree roots and semi-transparent fallen leaves reinforces the idea of the Tree of life.

Josh Klinghoffer, John's personal friend (whom he has collaborated with previously, as well as on The Empyrean) is pictured laying next to a skull, and connected to the angelic figure of John. This is a reference to death and rebirth, which is confirmed through John's blog posts. The two figures are connected through means of a rope or string. Considering the religious themes of the album (song titles "God" and "Heaven" are present on the album), it is plausible to draw the conclusion that this is a reference to God and Jesus. However John's figure could be interpreted as being Dante's Satan due to the similarity between the multiple pairs of wings and heads.

The helical staircase leading from the dead figure's resting place signifies rebirth and improvement until it reaches the highest point in heaven. The palace above the clouds is the representation John chooses to take of this concept. The album artwork is representative of the musical content of the album. This is reinforced through John's content in his blog posts.

Track listing

Personnel
John Frusciante – lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano, synthesizers, Bass VI on "Dark/Light" and "Central", drum machine, backing vocals
Josh Klinghoffer – drums, percussion, electric piano, organ, piano, synthesizers, backing vocals
Flea – bass guitar on "Unreachable", "God", "Heaven", "Enough of Me", "Today", and "Ah Yom"
Johnny Marr – electric guitar on "Enough of Me", electric and acoustic guitar on "Central"
Donald Taylor and the New Dimension Singers – backing vocals on "Dark/Light"
Lawrence Young – backing vocals on "Dark/Light"
Sonus Quartet – strings
Geoff Gallegof – string arrangement on "God" and "One More of Me"
Neel Hammond – string arrangement on "Enough of Me"
Vanessa Freebairn-Smith – string arrangement on "Central"

Production
Ryan Hewitt – recording engineer
Adam Samuels – recording engineer
Dave Lee – instrument tech
Sarah Sitkin – cover art
Anthony Zamora – production coordination

Charts

References

John Frusciante albums
2009 albums


Gamaksan (), also known as Kamak Mountain or Hill 675 () during the Korean War, is a mountain in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Its sits between the cities of Paju, Yangju and Yeoncheon County. Gamaksan has an elevation of .

It has been one of the sacred mountains of shamanism since the Silla Dynasty. According to the Annals of King Taejo, during the Joseon Dynasty, the royal court held a byeolgieun on this mountain in spring and autumn. In the middle of the mountain, there was Gamaksa Temple, now demolished. Since the Three Kingdoms period it has been a battleground: Battles were fought here during the Khitan invasion, and it was also the main battlefield of the Battle of Gorangpo during the Korean War. Being on the border of the demilitarised zone (DMZ) there continue to be military bases closeby.

See also
 List of mountains in Korea

Notes

References

Mountains of Gyeonggi Province
Paju
Yangju
Yeoncheon County
Mountains of South Korea


Gamaksan (감악산; 紺岳山) is the name of three mountains in South Korea:

 Gamaksan (Gyeonggi) in Paju, Yangju, and Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do
 Gamaksan (Gangwon) in Wonju, Gangwon-do, and Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do
 Gamaksan (South Gyeongsang) in Geochang, Gyeongsangnam-do


The Lombardi LM.5 Aviastar was a two-seat light aircraft produced in Italy shortly after the Second World War, followed by a three-seat version called the LM.7.

LM.5 Design and construction
It was a low wing, cantilever monoplane of conventional design and mixed construction. The main units of the tailwheel undercarriage were retractable, and the cabin was fully enclosed, offering side-by-side seating. The Italian press of the day nicknamed it Topolino dell'Aria ("Little mouse of the air").

Operational history
An LM.5 (registration HB-UEM) was piloted to victory in the 1949 Tour Aerien de Suisse by Walter Spahni. The same year, however, the Lombardi firm ceased business, unable to sell its designs in the post-war marketplace. Only five examples of the LM.5 and two of the LM.7 had been built.

The LM.5 prototype (registered I-PIER, after its designer) was restored by Ali Romantiche at Sandigliano.

LM.7 design and construction
The two Lombardi LM.7 aircraft were completed in 1949 and had a lengthened cabin accommodating two seats in the front with a single rear seat. The starboard and rear seats may be removed for the carriage of light freight.  Ali Romantiche has also commenced the restoration of the LM.7 prototype (registration I-TTEN).

Variants
 LM.5 - two-seat version with CNA D or Continental C90 engine
 LM.7 - three-seat version with Praga or Walter Minor engine

Specifications (LM.5)

Notes

References

External links

 Ali Romantiche's historical archive on the LM.5 and photo gallery of the restored aircraft
 Ali Romantiche's historical archive on the LM.7 and photo gallery of the restoration underway

Lombardi aircraft
1940s Italian civil utility aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1945


Robot Wrecks is a 1941 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Edward Cahn. It was the 200th Our Gang short released (201st episode, 112th talking short, 113th talking episode, and 32nd MGM-produced episode).

Plot
Slicker sells the Our Gang kids some "invisible rays," with which they hope to power their homemade mechanical robot. Miracle of miracles, the robot not only begins to move, but actually performs several of the gang's household chores. In truth, the robot is being manipulated by Slicker's cohort Boxcar, but the kids do not learn this until their rampaging mechanical man nearly lays waste to the entire neighborhood.

Cast

The Gang
 Mickey Gubitosi as Mickey
 Darla Hood as Darla
 George McFarland as Spanky
 Billy Laughlin as Froggy
 Billie Thomas as Buckwheat

Additional cast
 Vincent Graeff as Boxcar
 Freddie Walburn as Slicker
 Margaret Bert as Froggy's Mother
 Billy Bletcher as Froggy's father / Voice of Froggy's Mother
 Emmet Vogan as Robot owner
 Giovanna Gubitosi as Onlooker at robot demonstration

See also
 Our Gang filmography

References

External links

1941 films
1941 comedy films
American black-and-white films
Films directed by Edward L. Cahn
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short films
Our Gang films
1941 short films
American robot films
1940s American films
1940s English-language films


I.G.I.-2: Covert Strike, known in the PAL region as Project I.G.I. 2, is a 2003 tactical shooter video game developed by Innerloop Studios and released by Codemasters. The game is a stealth-based first-person shooter. It is the sequel to Innerloop's Project I.G.I.. The original, published by Eidos Interactive, offered only single-player play, and no game saves. Covert Strike added multiplayer play and limited save game capability. Chris Ryan, a former Special Air Service operative best known for being the lone successful escapee of Bravo Two Zero, served as a consultant to the game.

The game's plot features a rogue Chinese General, "Wu Xing" as the primary antagonist. Xing orchestrates various events (such as armed robbery of advanced prototype technology from the Russian mafia) in order to get electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weaponry on a space rocket that he has launch control over.

The game was banned in China after six months of sales (having passed censor inspection with an incomplete copy of the game that lacked the final six levels of Chinese content), because it was perceived to damage the Chinese army's image.

Plot
The game's protagonist, David Jones, an agent working for the Institute for Geotactical Intelligence and former British SAS operator, was sent to the Carpathian mountains to recover a set of prototype EMP chips stolen by a group of Russian mafia from a high-tech US facility. After HALO jumping and infiltrating a weather station, Jones retrieves a chip that was stolen. The researchers at IGI conclude after close examination that the chip that Jones found was actually an improved version of the chip. Then his mission director (Phillip White having replaced an injured Rebecca Anya) commands him to go to retrieve the remaining EMP chips so that the IGI researchers can launch a full scale research on the chips to determine their real usage for which the Russian mafia stole them for. He is then transported to a local Russian storage facility where a convoy carrying the chips is due to arrive. He is instructed to obtain C4 explosives from the facility and destroy the bridge on which the convoy would pass and retrieve the chips by intercepting the convoy. After successful completion of his objective, he is then transported to a Russian weapons production facility to get the remaining EMP chips and their blue prints on White's orders. After this incident, he is betrayed by his pilot, Robert Quest and mission director, Phillip White as they take the EMP chips obtained by Jones. Jones is forced to jump from the helicopter in which he was being carried by Quest and he eventually finds himself at the borders of Ukraine and Romania, where he is forced to evade the incoming border patrols while being ill-equipped.

Meanwhile, his former pilot and mission director had escaped and have taken away the EMP chips along with their blue prints. The IGI was not able to detect their whereabouts after the incident, but spent enough efforts to get an important detail that Phillip White and Robert Quest took years to infiltrate the IGI and gain its trust and that White had made several weapons and military deals with Jach Priboi in Libya. Anya returns as Jones' mission director and Jones sets off to Libya under the orders of Senator Lenahan to search for the middle-aged Priboi, who had been locked up by the Libyan Intelligence as he was supplying weapons to the rebel forces, after David finds Priboi, he is captured by the Libyan intelligence commander Major Zaleb Said. The two are then transported to a heavily guarded Libyan prison. While they are being transported, Priboi asks him about his purpose of finding him, Jones responds by saying that he is after his former mission director Phillip White and that the IGI knows that White made weapon deals with him. Priboi then reveals that he made a lot of deals with White and sold him advanced equipment. His last order from Priboi was a high tech Russian ekranoplan which was waiting for delivery on a remote sea port in the gulf. The shipping papers were in a safe in Priboi's villa which was currently taken over by Major Zaleb Said and being used as his base of operations.

After rescuing Priboi and escaping out of the prison, David decides to go to the villa to get the information. While going there, David blows the truck's engine in which they escaped. Priboi then told him that he needs to infiltrate the villa by disabling the security system and bypassing Major Said's guards. He also needs to take his hard disk which contains all the data for Priboi's transactions with White. Surprisingly, after expunging much effort and going through many of gunfights, Priboi discovers that Major Said had taken away his papers from the villa and he then vows angrily to take them back. He tells David to take control of his helicopter which is in his airbase not far away from the villa now controlled by Major Said. They get the helicopter without much conflict, and manage to gun Major Said down at one of his bases amidst the opposition to get the papers back. Upon returning to his villa, Priboi tells David that the trade he made with David's former mission director was on Port Bur Safaga in Egypt and that Robert Quest would be taking delivery of the plane in 3 days.

David sets off to the port without hesitation, where he is instructed by Anya to find the Enkranoplan and a crate of stolen EMP chips. While searching the log books to find the Enkranoplan, David discovers that Robert Quest and Phillip White were actually cooperating with an unknown country to operate the chips. He is confronted by his former pilot in the process who orders his men to throw David in the water with the sewage. David ambushes Quest's men and kills him after a confrontation. He then takes the ekranoplan to venture off to unknown country which is later revealed to be the Spratly Islands near China, where, according to Anya, suspicious activities are carried out throughout the time being. After a series of events, David finds his former mission director cooperating in secrecy with a Chinese general, whom he found out later to be General Wu Xing, who plans to use the chips to blindfold US intelligence and cripple the powers within.

Later David finds his former mission director Phillip White killed by General Wu Xing himself, as the former accused the latter of killing his friend Robert Quest, who was actually killed by David at the Egyptian port. In Wu Xing's secret weapons lab, David Jones gets to know that the General was going to start a "World War III". He then engages in a gunfight with Wu Xing and kills him.

David tracks the entire plan location to a large and closely guarded rocket launch pad, where Anya asks him to disable the system immediately before the launch is made. With efforts, David then succeeds in preventing the rocket from  heading towards its programmed destination and to detonate somewhere safe.

Gameplay

Missions
The game is divided into 19 missions. The story is presented in cutscenes, shown before and after every mission, with animated characters rendered in real-time and pre-recorded speech. Missions have objectives that must be completed before the mission ends.

Straightforward approaches are not encouraged, with stealthy and covert movement giving the player a better rating, rank and chance of survival, with the highest attainable ranking entitled 'David Jones'.

Multiple paths exist for every mission, with the most obvious and daunting being a noisy gunfight, because in every mission Jones is outnumbered. Every mission presents an opportunity for large groups of enemies to be bypassed or sneaked past, undiscovered. Certain missions even require entire operations to be carried out undetected.

At the start of a new game, a difficulty level can be chosen, changing the number of bullets Jones takes before dying, the intelligence of the enemy and group AI, and the number of save-games available.

Covert operation

Jones is equipped with lock picks, and safe crackers making him capable of forced entry into any locked room or safe, enabling noiseless and stealthy entry into restricted areas and buildings, and obtaining military secrets or private information, and objects. Remote-controlled CR-4 explosives are also available for use on certain ground targets, meaning large structures can be destroyed safely, from a distance, leaving Jones undetected. Air strikes can be called for on certain missions, using the laser designator to pinpoint ground targets for bombing.

Reception

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. IGN gave it a favourable review over a month before its U.S. release date.

References

External links

2003 video games
Codemasters games
First-person shooters
Multiplayer online games
Spy video games
Tactical shooter video games
Video game sequels
Video games developed in Norway
Video games set in China
Video games set in Egypt
Video games set in Libya
Windows games
Windows-only games
Works banned in China
Multiplayer and single-player video games


"Halo" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). Included on the I Am... disc, it was intended to give a  glimpse of Beyoncé's life, stripped of her make-up and celebrity trappings. Columbia Records released the song, the album's fourth single, to mainstream radio in the United States on January 20, 2009, and to international markets from February 20. Inspired by Ray LaMontagne's 2004 song "Shelter", "Halo" was written and composed by Ryan Tedder and Evan Bogart, with additional minor songwriting by Beyoncé. It was originally conceived by Tedder and Bogart specifically for Beyoncé, although there was media speculation that it had been intended for Leona Lewis.

"Halo" is a pop and R&B power ballad, the lyrics of which describe a sublime love. It features drum, piano, keyboard, string, synthesizer, and percussion instrumentation. The song faced a controversy when Kelly Clarkson claimed that Tedder had reused the musical arrangement in her own 2009 song "Already Gone". "Halo" received positive reviews from music critics, who made comparisons with Lewis's 2007 song "Bleeding Love", also written by Tedder. Its production and Beyoncé's vocals also received critical praise. "Halo" was nominated for Record of the Year and won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. It won Best Song at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards.

"Halo" topped the singles charts of Brazil, Norway, and Slovakia, and reached the top five on the singles chart of Australia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The song has received numerous certifications, including a  certification from Australia, making it one of the highest-certified songs in the country,  certifications from Canada and the US, a  certification from the United Kingdom, a  certifications from Italy, and a  award from Spain.

Philip Andelman directed "Halo"'s accompanying music video, which features American actor Michael Ealy. It portrays a romantic relationship between Beyoncé's and Ealy's characters. Critics complimented Beyoncé's looks in the clip. An alternative music video, which shows Ealy's character being chased by police officers through a forest at night, was posted on the Internet in May 2010. The lyrics to "Halo" were changed for three of Beyoncé's special live performances: a tribute to Michael Jackson following his death, a tribute to the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and for Kobe and Gianna Bryant's memorial in 2020. The song has been covered by many artists, including Florence and the Machine, Harper Blynn, LP, and Westlife. It was also performed on the television show Glee, and was added to the international soundtrack of the Brazilian soap opera Caminho das Índias.

Writing and production

"Halo" was initially composed by Ryan Tedder, lead vocalist of OneRepublic, together with Evan "Kidd" Bogart. In an interview for HitQuarters, Kidd narrated the events that led to writing the song. OneRepublic canceled their tour after Tedder had broken his Achilles tendon and had undergone surgery. The following day, the band sent Tedder to Los Angeles. There, he and Kidd were socializing when Tedder expressed his desire to write a song. At first, Kidd was opposed to the idea because Tedder was supposed to be recuperating, but the pair went to Tedder's studio. During the writing sessions, singer Ray LaMontagne was the primary inspiration for "Halo". Kidd suggested they create a song in the style of LaMontagne's "Shelter" for Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z, and proposed the title "Halo" after hearing Tedder play "angelic" chords. They wrote the song in three hours. In 2009, the original demo leaked on the Internet, and its production was similar to the published recording, for which Beyoncé received a writing credit. Tedder explained that she edited vocally the bridge of the song and consequently earned the credit.

According to Simon Cowell, owner of the music production company Syco Entertainment, Bogart and Tedder intended "Halo" for his client, singer Leona Lewis, who could not record the song because of her tight schedule. Cowell was upset that Beyoncé chose to record the song. David Balls, editor of the British media website Digital Spy, asked Tedder during an interview whether "Halo" had initially been written for Lewis. Tedder answered that he had only tentatively offered the track to Lewis after Beyoncé waited a long time before recording it. He commented:

There was this huge scandal that originally "Halo" was meant to go to Leona. That was never the case ... That song was written for Beyoncé. What happened was that Beyoncé waited long enough to record that song ... I thought this would be a brilliant first single for Leona, which it would have ... What I did was foolishly say to Leona's camp, "I have it on hold for another  artist and I'm pretty sure they'll take it, but if they don't, I just want to know if you like it enough to consider it". I sent it to them and they flipped on it. They loved it and instantly said they wanted to do it. I was like, "Wait, wait, wait, no, it's not free yet!"

Tedder and Beyoncé produced "Halo" in 2008 at Los Angeles' Manfield Studios, and at New York City's Germano and Roc The Mic Studios. Tedder did the musical arrangements and played the instruments, while Christian Baker assisted in recording the music. Mark "Spike" Stent mixed the track with assistance from Matt Green, and Jim Caruana recorded Beyoncé's vocals; both these tasks were done at Roc the Mic Studios. "Halo" is present on the I Am... disc of the double album I Am... Sasha Fierce, as it is a ballad that shows Beyoncé's insecurities about love, and the person she is "underneath all the makeup, underneath the lights and underneath all the exciting star drama". Beyoncé has said that she loves singing ballads because, "the music and the emotion in the story is told  so much better. It's a better connection because you can hear it and it's not all these other distractions. I really wanted people to hear my voice and hear what I had to say".

Composition and lyrical interpretation

"Halo" is a contemporary downtempo R&B power ballad that features a pop production. It has elements of gospel and soul music. Instrumentation is provided by a piano, a keyboard, big drums, a synthesizer, strings, and percussion instruments. The cascading piano work is accompanied by percussive beats that alternate between handclaps and foot stomps. "Halo" was composed using common time in the key of A major, with a tempo of 84 beats per minute. It is built on the chord progression , and is written in the common verse–chorus form. Beyoncé's vocals span from C3 to the head voice note of G5, incorporate melisma, and are supported by backing vocals. She ornaments her singing with vibrato yelps and trills—rapid alternations between two adjacent notes, usually a semitone or tone apart. The arrangement also consists of symphonic crescendos and electronic accents.

In "Halo", Beyoncé professes her  fondness to her lover with open-hearted emotion. She said, "['Halo'] is angelic ... like you see [angels'] faces instantly when you hear it. [Its lyrics] are basically saying that I had these walls built up about love; you completely tore them down and when I look at you I see your halo, it's really beautiful". Backed by a piano, claps and step stomps that set a spiritualized atmosphere, Beyoncé opens the song
with the lines: "Remember those walls I built? / Well, baby, they're tumbling down". She sings the introduction in a low register, and the power of her voice gradually increases as the song progresses. In the , she chants, "Everywhere I'm looking now, I'm surrounded by your embrace / baby I can see your halo, you know you're my saving grace / you're everything I need and more, it's written all over your face". Beyoncé then echoes the word "halo" in the chorus; the third and final one is preceded by a 1980s drum breakdown, and is complemented by sweeping strings and percussion.

Release
"Halo" and "Ego" were initially planned for simultaneous release in the US, following the 2008 dual lead singles "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". But the release of "Ego" was canceled and replaced with "Diva". "Halo" was taken from a different disc of I Am... Sasha Fierce to "Diva"; the intention was to demonstrate the concept that Beyoncé has conflicting personalities—the central theme of the album. The motif was demonstrated by placing the album's ballads and uptempo tracks on separate discs. "Halo" was sent by Music World Entertainment and Columbia Records to contemporary hit radio playlists on January 20, 2009, while "Diva" was classified for rhythmic contemporary and urban contemporary radio playlists. A digital extended play (EP) containing a radio edit and four remixes of "Halo" was later released on April 14, 2009.

On February 20, 2009, "Halo" was released as a two-track digital download, including a remix of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" in Australia and New Zealand. In France, it was released as a stand-alone digital download on March 20, 2009. On the same date, "Halo" was serviced digitally alongside the album version of "Diva" in mainland Europe, including Germany, where it was also made available as a CD single on April 3 and a vinyl single on April 12, 2009. In the United Kingdom, a digital EP containing the album version and three remixes of "Halo" was released on April 13, 2009. The following day, the song was made available on a digital EP, as a maxi single and a vinyl single in Canada.

Controversy
Soon after composing "Halo", Tedder worked with Kelly Clarkson on her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted (2009), for which they wrote "Already Gone" together. When the song came out, critics noted a resemblance to Beyoncé's "Halo". Clarkson, however, initially stated that she was unaware of any similarities between the two songs. She eventually realized their resemblance when she listened to both recordings closely; the similarities are most notable in the backing tracks, which in both cases feature a melancholy piano, loud drums, and handclaps. Clarkson tried to prevent "Already Gone" from being included on All I Ever Wanted, but it was impossible to make last minute changes, as her album was already being printed when I Am... Sasha Fierce was released. She accused Tedder of using the same arrangement on both "Already Gone" and "Halo", and complained that people would, incorrectly, assume she was stealing it from Beyoncé.

Clarkson was furious, and confronted Tedder on the phone. In response, Tedder commented that he would never give two artists the same musical arrangement, and that her criticism was "hurtful and absurd". He asserted that the concept, melodies, and lyrics of "Already Gone" and "Halo" are completely different. Calling "Already Gone" one of the best songs he had ever composed, Tedder challenged people to "listen [to the two ballads] and form their own opinions". Clarkson also tried to stop her label, RCA, from releasing "Already Gone" as a single because she wanted to respect Beyoncé, but they went against her will and released it. She said, "It's one of those things I have no control over. I already made my album. At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it." Clarkson later told James Montgomery of MTV News that it was unfortunate "Already Gone" and "Halo" sound so similar, but noted that at least they have different vocal melodies.

Critical reception

Christian Williams of Billboard magazine wrote that the pop sound of "Halo" should take it to the top of the charts. He added that comparisons could be made to Lewis' "Bleeding Love" (2007), but concluded that "Halo" "hangs high on its own merits". Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly described "Halo" as "an absolutely glorious and perfectly produced track", which had the potential to be as commercially successful as "Crazy in Love" (2003) and "Irreplaceable" (2007). Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle wrote that it was an immediate standout on I Am... Sasha Fierce. Praising the "big and wide" melodies of "Halo", Matos Michaelangelo of The A.V. Club commented that Beyoncé has "a real flair for grandeur". Jennifer Cady of E! Online wrote that the song could be included on a romantic mixtape, and James Montgomery of MTV News noted that the "tear-jerking power" of "Halo" reveals "sides of Beyoncé we never knew existed". Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork wrote that Beyoncé's vocal delivery was "strident and exposed", reminiscent of Céline Dion's style.

In spite of what he called it a "garden-variety lyrics", James Reed of The Boston Globe wrote that "Halo" was "the most evocative power ballad" recorded by Beyoncé, comparing it to the work done by American record producer and songwriter Phil Spector on his Wall of Sound mixing board. Critics highlighted the similarities of "Halo" to Rihanna's "Umbrella" (2007); Alexis Petridis of The Guardian noted that both have the same "icy synths, drivetime rock dynamic, and a similar repetitive chorus". This view was echoed by Jennifer Vineyard of MTV News and Brent DiCrescenzo of Timeout, who viewed "Halo" as a "Bette Midler–level hymn from ['Umbrella'], lift[ing its] savior theme". Nick Levine of Digital Spy described "Halo" as a "muscular hybrid" of "Umbrella" and Lewis' "Bleeding Love". David Balls of the same website wrote, "Halo' is a contemporary power ballad in the 'Bleeding Love' mould ... Could Lewis have pulled this off better? Well, that's a matter of opinion of course, but Mrs. Jay-Z doesn't leave much room for improvement."

Accolades
"Halo" was nominated for Best Single at the 2009 Urban Music Awards, and for Best Love Song at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. It won the Best Song award at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2009. The ballad was placed at number seven of Rap-Ups list of the 25 best songs of 2009. "Halo" was nominated at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in the categories of Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, winning the latter. It also won Best Foreign Song at the 2010 Croatian Porin Awards. The live version of "Halo", featured on I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas (2009), was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) recognized "Halo" as one of the most performed songs of 2009 at the 27th ASCAP Pop Music Awards. On the occasion of Beyoncé's thirtieth birthday in 2011, Erika Ramirez and Jason Lipshutz of Billboard magazine placed the ballad at number 18 on their list of Beyoncé's 30 biggest Billboard hits. On The Village Voice year-end Pazz & Jop singles list, "Halo" was ranked at numbers 878 and 124 in 2008 and 2009 respectively. In 2013, John Boone and Jennifer Cady of E! Online placed the song at number three on their list of the ten best Beyoncé's songs, writing that other power ballads "don't come more powerful than this one, which finds Beyoncé belting alongside what sounds to be every instrument in the entire world (including a dope one-second drum solo)". Consequence of Sound named "Halo" the 23rd best song of 2009.

Chart performance
"Halo" debuted at number 93 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart issue dated February 7, 2009. It peaked at number five on the chart issue dated May 23, 2009. "Halo"s US success helped Beyoncé achieve more top 10 singles on the Hot 100 chart than any other female artist during 2001–10. After spending 30 weeks in the top 40 of the Hot 100 chart, "Halo" last charted on the week ending August 29, 2009. It peaked at number two on the US Mainstream Top 40 chart, behind "Boom Boom Pow" by The Black Eyed Peas, at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, and at number 16 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. On January 5, 2010, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single , denoting sales of two million copies. In August 2022, RIAA updated Beyoncé's sales, certifying "Halo" as having sold more than 9 million copies.

"Halo" debuted at number 40 on the New Zealand Singles Chart on February 2, 2009, and attained a high point of number two three weeks later. The song spent 33  weeks on the chart, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), representing sales of 15,000 copies. On February 15, 2009, it entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number 29. The ballad peaked at number three for four non-consecutive weeks, and spent a total of 36 weeks in the top 50. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) certified "Halo" twelve-times platinum for selling 840,000 copies.

"Halo" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 98 for the week ending February 21, 2009; over a period of seven weeks, it climbed to number four on March 29, 2009 (for the week ending April 4, 2009). It spent 49 weeks in the top 100 of UK Singles Chart; 44  weeks after its debut, it was at number 94 on March 4, 2012, before dropping out the following week. As of June 2022, it had sold 2.1 million copies in the UK, including 158.7 million plays, and is her  and most streamed single there. In October 2023, the song was certified  by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting 2,400,000 units sold and streamed in the UK. It debuted on the Irish Singles Chart at number 32 on January 22, 2009, and peaked at number four for three consecutive weeks.

On the Spanish Singles Chart, "Halo" debuted at number 45 on January 25, 2009, but it fell off the chart the following week. However, the song  the chart four months later on May 3, 2009, at number 44, and peaked at number five on October 11, 2009. It was certified  by the Productores de Música de España (PROMUSICAE), indicating sales of 80,000 copies. "Halo" topped the Brasil Billboard Hot 100 chart for more than 20 consecutive weeks in 2009. It emerged as the most listened to song on radio in Brazil during the same period as it registered 24,734 plays on radio stations throughout the country. "Halo" was also the most downloaded song in Brazil from November 2009 to November 2010, as highlighted by the first edition of the Brazilian Digital Music Awards.

Music videos
The accompanying music videos for "Halo" and "Diva" premiered simultaneously on the US iTunes Store on December 23, 2008. Shot in late November 2008 in a SoHo townhouse owned by Beyoncé, the video was directed by Philip Andelman and features actor Michael Ealy as Beyoncé's love interest. Ealy was happy to work with Beyoncé, as he had loved the song immediately after hearing it. This was the second time he was asked to star in a video for a song by Beyoncé; the first was "Irreplaceable", which he had refused because he did not appreciate its theme and concept. He had advised Beyoncé: "Call me when you have a hero role".

The video, which Beyoncé has considered intimate and romantic, begins as she stands against a wall, illuminated by light that passes through a window. In one scene, Beyoncé's character, dressed in a skin-tight leotard, performs a dance sequence while her love interest looks down at her from a balcony. According to Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly, the dance routines pay homage to the 1983 romantic drama film Flashdance. Beyoncé and Ealy later stare adoringly at each other as they snuggle on a sofa. During the climax of the video, Beyoncé is shown underwater, dressed in white, moving slowly upwards. As the chorus begins, she opens her eyes; after Ealy kisses the back of her neck, the pair come face to face in the final scene, in which Beyoncé lies in bed, with Ealy above her. Jennifer Cady of E! Online wrote that the bright shiny lights in the video "make [Beyoncé] look like an angel". The video was ranked at number 74 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown. By April 2020, the video had received over one billion views on YouTube, becoming Beyoncé's first to achieve it.

An alternative video surfaced online in late May 2010, explaining why Beyoncé's character was remembering her love interest in the original version. It begins with a view of the night sky and many trees, as Beyoncé drives a car and Ealy's character is chased by the police through a forest. As the video progresses, she parks her car on the side of the road and scenes from the original version are shown. Police dogs eventually catch Ealy's character and attack him savagely. An open bag reveals stolen money, which is dispersed by the wind. At the end of the video, in the forest, Beyoncé finds Ealy lying lifelessly on the ground.

Live performances and tributes

Beyoncé's first live performance of "Halo" was at the NAACP Awards on February 12, 2009. She sang the ballad while archival footage from the Civil Rights Movement was shown in the background. Brennan Williams of Entertainment Newswire wrote that Beyoncé's "breathtaking performance" showed why she received the 2009 Outstanding Female Artist award. She also sang "Halo" on the Late Show with David Letterman on April 22, 2009, and on Today the following day. "Halo" was later added to the set list of her I Am... Tour in , when it was performed during the concert's encore. After Beyoncé finished "Single Ladies", she sang "Halo" initially on stage before descending to shake hands with everybody in the front rows. Deborah McAleese and Lauren Mulvenny of The Belfast Telegraph commented that she did it with "great passion". It was included on her CD/DVD live albums I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas and I Am... World Tour (2010). Beyoncé performed "Halo" live, as the closing song at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival.

On February 3, 2013, Beyoncé performed the song during the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show. "Halo" was added to the set list of her The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour (2013–14) where it was preceded by a short a cappella performance of "I Will Always Love You". In 2014, during the On the Run Tour, Beyoncé's co-headlining venture with Jay-Z, the song was performed during the end of the concert along with "Young Forever". Throughout the performance, home videos of the pair and their daughter Blue Ivy were shown on the screen on the stage. A live rendition during a stop in Paris was broadcast on September 20, 2014 on HBO during an documentary special chronicling the tour. The following day, a  video of the medley was released on Beyoncé's official YouTube channel. "Halo" was added to the set list of her The Formation World Tour (2016).

Beyoncé has performed "Halo" for several tributes. On June 25, 2009, American singer Michael Jackson died. During some concerts, an image of Jackson was shown on the main screen and she changed the lyrics to "Michael I can see your halo / I pray your music won't fade away". On January 12, 2010, Haiti was struck by an earthquake. A charity telethon called Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief took place on January 22, 2010, in which many artists participated. Beyoncé performed an acoustic version of "Halo" with Coldplay's lead vocalist Chris Martin playing the piano. To make the song match the night's purpose, She sang "Haiti, we can see your halo / You know you're my saving grace / You're everything I need and more, it's written all over your face / Haiti, we can see your halo / I pray you won't fade away". The version was included on the 2010 live album Hope for Haiti Now. Following the death of Whitney Houston earlier that year, Beyoncé performed a tribute during her Live revue in May 2012, at the Revel resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Beyoncé began the performance of "Halo" singing the first verse of Houston's "I Will Always Love You". Maura Johnston of The Village Voice praised the performance noting that "the most basically structured song [...] could be turned into something glorious with the right singer". Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly wrote that it was "the most attention-grabbing moments of the night". Ben Ratliff of The New York Times highlighted the performance. In January 2020, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash. Beyoncé sang "Halo" during their memorial the following month.

Cover versions and usage in media

"Halo" was blended with the Katrina and the Waves' 1985 song "Walking on Sunshine", in the "Vitamin D" episode (2009) of the Fox Broadcasting Company television show Glee. Released as a single, their version peaked at number 4 on the Irish Singles Chart, number 8 on the UK Official Download Chart, number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, number 10 on the ARIA Singles Chart, number 28 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart, and number 40 on the Hot 100 chart. It was certified gold by ARIA, denoting shipment of 35,000 copies. The mash-up was included on the set list of the group's debut concert Glee Live! In Concert! (2010–11).

In 2009, "Halo" was covered by Florence and the Machine on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. Elementary school group PS22 Chorus covered "Halo" and "Single Ladies" during the 2009 Billboard Women in Music luncheon held at The Pierre in New York City. At the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards, American singer Katy Perry performed a mash-up of "Halo" and the other Best Song nominees. American singer Mike Posner also covered the ballad with different lyrics, and included it on his 2009 mixtape A Matter of Time. According to an MTV writer, Posner's rendition was "a refreshing take on the original". The song was blended with "How to Break a Heart" by the Irish boy band Westlife, on their 2010 Where We Are Tour. On February 5, 2012, the team on the Australian talent show, Young Talent Time, sang "Halo" as the closing song of that night. On April 17, 2013, Angie Miller, a contestant on the 12th season of American Idol covered the song during an episode of the show. Melissa Locker of Rolling Stone magazine commented that she was "at her best" and "managed to tap into that power sans piano".

"Halo" has been covered by other musicians, including Ailee, ceo, Harper Blynn, Chris Sebastian and the Kingdom Choir. Marc Hogan of Pitchfork Media wrote that no cover has been "quite as inspired or as perversely logical" as the one by ceo. He added that it was built on bumpy beats, and his version makes use of an acoustic guitar, 1980s-era stylized electric guitar, strings, and horns, and ends with a rapped outro. A dancehall cover of "Halo" by Major Lazer, with lead vocals by Elephant Man, was posted on the former's Twitter account the night after Beyoncé won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2011 Grammy Awards. Simon  of Entertainment Weekly commented that their version "stays fairly close to the original, except with Elephant Man growling instead of Beyoncé belting the verses". A 2012 cover by singer-songwriter LP was described by MTV as "[finding] the perfect balance between making it her own and preserving the integrity of the original melody". In 2013, "Halo" was covered by the Icelandic band Hjaltalín, with their version of "Halo" appearing as the  of their single "Crack in a Stone".

A  version of the song was recorded by Jahméne and was released on his album Love Never Fails (2013). Indian singer Sunidhi Chauhan covered the ballad during a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London in late September 2013. A writer of The Times of India included the performance of the song as one of the highlights of the concert. In 2013 Ane Brun, accompanied by Linnea Olsson on cello and backing vocals, released a "personal and " version of "Halo" on her album Rarities. This cover is included on the soundtrack of the 2014 movie If I Stay. "Halo" was included on the international soundtrack of Caminho das Índias, an Emmy Award-winning Brazilian soap opera. "Halo" is featured on the British compilation album Now! 73.

Formats and track listings

Australia single
 "Halo" – 4:21
 "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (RedTop Remix Radio Edit) – 3:32

Europe single
 "Halo" – 4:22
 "Diva" – 3:21

Germany premium CD
 "Halo" (Album Version) – 4:22
 "Diva" (Album Version) – 3:21
 "Halo" (Dave Audé Remix – Radio Edit) – 4:10
 "Halo" (Enhanced Video) – 3:44

France single
 "Halo" – 4:21

UK single EP
 "Halo" (Olli Collins & Fred Portelli Remix) – 6:58
 "Halo" (The New Devices Remix) – 5:49
 "Halo" (My Digital Enemy Remix) – 6:33
 "Halo" – 4:21

Canada and US single and remixes – EP
 "Halo" (Radio Edit) – 3:44
 "Halo" (Dave Audé Club Remix)  – 8:54
 "Halo" (Gomi Club Remix) – 8:57
 "Halo" (Karmatronic Club Remix) – 7:13
 "Halo" (Lost Daze Club Remix) – 8:02

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

List of best-selling singles in South Korea
List of Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number ones of 2009
List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2009 (Brazil)
List of most-downloaded songs in the United Kingdom
List of number-one pop hits of 2009 (Brazil)
List of number-one songs in Norway of 2009
List of songs which have spent the most weeks on the UK Singles Chart
List of best-selling singles in Australia

Notes

References

External links

2000s ballads
2008 songs
2009 singles
Beyoncé songs
Brasil Hot 100 Airplay number-one singles
Brasil Hot Pop number-one singles
Columbia Records singles
Contemporary R&B ballads
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Music videos directed by Philip Andelman
Number-one singles in Norway
Pop ballads
Song recordings produced by Beyoncé
Song recordings produced by Ryan Tedder
Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements
Songs involved in plagiarism controversies
Songs written by Beyoncé
Songs written by E. Kidd Bogart
Songs written by Ryan Tedder


The 1975 Uber Cup was the seventh edition of the Uber Cup, the women's badminton team competition. The tournament took place in the 1974-75 badminton season, 14 countries competed. Indonesia won its first title in the Uber Cup, after beating the defending champion Japan in the Final Round in Jakarta.

Teams
14 teams from 4 regions took part in the competition. As defending champions, Japan skipped the qualifications and played directly in the second round of the inter-zone ties (team matches), effectively the semifinals of the tournament.

Australasian zone
 (exempt from qualifying rounds)

Asian zone
 (exempt from qualifying rounds)

European zone

Pan-American zone

From the qualifying rounds, four countries progressed to the inter-zone ties. From the Australasian zone, Australia advanced to the next round after beating New Zealand 4–3. From the Asian zone, Malaysia beat India 6–1. In the European zone final, England defeated Denmark 5–2. From the Pan American zone, Canada advanced to the inter-zone ties after defeating the United States 5–2.

Inter-zone playoffs

First round

Second round

Final round
Japan played in its fourth consecutive Uber Cup final, having won the tournament in 1966, 1969, and 1972. The Japanese women won two of the three singles, but dropped all four doubles to the Indonesian women who were playing before their home crowd. Indonesia thus won the Uber Cup for the first time. It was the final Uber Cup appearance of two great "veterans", Japan's  Noriko Nakayama (née Takagi), who completed her fourth campaign undefeated in singles, and Indonesia's Minarni Soedaryanto who, after playing on Indonesian teams since 1959, finally achieved the ultimate prize.

Final round

References

External links
tangkis.tripod.com
Mike's Badminton Populorum

Uber Cup, 1975
Uber Cup
Thomas & Uber Cup
U


"Ego" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for the deluxe edition of her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). The song was composed by Elvis Williams, Harold Lilly, and Beyoncé. "Ego" was officially remixed with additional vocals from hip hop artist, Kanye West. Initially planned to be released in January 2009 as the second urban single in the US along with the fourth US and third international single "Halo", the release of "Ego" was canceled and replaced by "Diva". "Ego" was later issued as the third urban single, and fifth overall single in the US on May 19, 2009, alongside the sixth US and fourth international single "Sweet Dreams".

"Ego" was originally written for singer Chrisette Michele, who turned it down. It was eventually proposed to Beyoncé who used it for the deluxe edition of I Am... Sasha Fierce. In the song, Beyoncé sings about her love for the "huge ego" of her love interest. "Ego" was generally well received by music critics, many of whom praised the fact that Beyoncé opted to show some of her vocal limitations in a part of the song. Critics also noted that "Ego" could even have been placed in either disc of I Am.. Sasha Fierce as it combines elements of both sides of Beyoncé's split musical personality. The remix version of "Ego" was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 52nd Grammy Awards.

"Ego" became the fifth consecutive song from I Am... Sasha Fierce to reach the top 40 on US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 39. It reached number three on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Despite not being released elsewhere, "Ego" reached number 11 in New Zealand and number 60 in the United Kingdom, among others. Its music video was directed by Frank Gatson, Jr, and was co-directed by Beyoncé herself, thus becoming her directorial debut. A video was also filmed for the remix version of the song with Kanye West. "Ego" was a part of Beyoncé's set list on her I Am... World Tour (2009–10).

Background and release

"Ego" was written by Elvis Williams, Harold Lilly and Beyoncé while production was handled by Williams and Beyoncé. It was originally written for singer Chrisette Michele for her 2009 album Epiphany. However, Michele turned it down because she had written all the songs on her then-upcoming album and feared that the song might not suit her. She said, "You don't know if they're going to be able to capture your voice the same way that you captured it yourself." "Ego" was eventually proposed to Beyoncé, who used it for the deluxe edition of I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was officially remixed with added vocals from Kanye West, whom Beyoncé described as the "perfect person" to be on the remix. Elaborating on her collaboration with West, she told MTV News, "[Kanye's] voice sounds so wonderful on it. He definitely has the confidence and he backs it up. And that's what this song is about." The remix was included on the 2009 remix album Above and Beyoncé – Video Collection & Dance Mixes and the platinum edition of I Am... Sasha Fierce. Andrew Burgess of musicOMH criticized West's "lackadaisical and disappointing appearance" on the remix.

"Ego" and "Halo" were initially planned for simultaneous release in the US, following the 2008 dual lead singles "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". However, the release of "Ego" was scrapped and replaced with "Diva". "Ego" was later released as the fifth US single to urban contemporary radio on May 19, 2009 and to rhythmic contemporary radio on June 2, 2009, along with "Sweet Dreams". It was at first supposed to be released alongside the sixth US and fourth worldwide single "Broken-Hearted Girl"; however, at the last minute, the release of the latter was scrapped, and "Sweet Dreams" was released instead. Both tracks were taken from the ... Sasha Fierce disc. This goes in contrast to the previous joint-releases from this album where one track was taken from each disc. "Ego" was additionally released on a digital EP as a B-side single to "Sweet Dreams" on July 31, 2009, in Germany.

Composition

According to Beyoncé, "Ego" is an R&B-leaning song with a "fun vibe". It also incorporates influences from bump jazz, soul music, and pop music. The song is built on a punchy beat and its instrumentation includes a backing piano, horns, as well as trumpets and organs. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Hal Leonard Corporation, "Ego" is written in common time, composed in a moderate tempo, and is set in the key of D Major. The song follows the chord progression of D-Gmaj7-A-A. Critics noted that "Ego" is an homage to "old-school R&B midtempo jams". Joey Guerra of Houston Chronicle described the song as a blend of "old-school soul riffs and double entendres".

Lyrically, the song features Beyoncé as the female protagonist singing about her love for the "huge ego" of her lover. Jay Lustig of New Jersey On-Line further noted that the song may be an insight into Beyoncé's marriage to Jay-Z. In an interview with Jayson Rodriguez of MTV News, Beyoncé clarified that "Ego" is on the Sasha Fierce disc because it is "fun" and very "Sasha Fierce". She further explained that "Ego" reveals the story about someone being "very confident and having [this] swagger when they walk and when they talk, and that being one of the reasons why [she is] attracted to them." The song explores the restrained vocals of Beyoncé singing "I talk like this, cos I can back it up" and consists of a piano breakdown. As Beyoncé sings, she lets out a slinky snarl in her voice. She describes the ego of her love interest as: "It's too big, it's too wide, it's too strong, it won't fit, it's too much." The remix of the song features Kanye West rapping on it. He sings the lines, "Now I'm standing next to Jay, who's standing next to B / Could have been anywhere in the world, but you're here with me / That's good for my ego... My ego is my imaginary friend / He was with me when I was only imagining."

Critical reception
"Ego" received positive reviews from critics, most of whom wrote that "Ego", which is featured on the Sasha Fierce disc, could have also been placed on the I Am... disc since the lyrics seem to showcase vulnerability and the desire to be loved back while the music is completely fun like Beyoncé's alter ego. A writer for Billboard magazine gave the song a positive review, writing that "Ego" manages to combine elements of both sides of Beyoncé's musical personality. He said that the song seems to be an homage to "old-school R&B midtempo jams". He went on to praise Beyoncé's vocals, which according to him, she did not polish during the interlude, thus showing her real voice and limitations "just like the old days". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine was brief and said that the song could benefit from the first half of the album. Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph chose "Ego" as the standout track on I Am... Sasha Fierce, complimenting its lyrical content and calling it "playful boldness".

Ann Powers of Los Angeles Times noted that in "Ego", Beyoncé shows the spunk she developed playing Etta James in Cadillac Records. IGN Music described the song as one of the "genuine shining moments" where Beyoncé's voice and the music are perfectly matched. The Village Voices Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond described "Sasha Fierce" as "brassy, big-headed, confrontational, and witty" and wrote that all these adjectives suit "Ego". According to Jennifer Vineyard of MTV News, the song seems more like a meeting ground between the album's halves, further writing that it is "musically" with "Sasha", nevertheless thematically and lyrically, it is full-on Beyoncé; "vulnerable, wanting to love and be loved back". Nick Levine of Digital Spy commented that Beyoncé is "goddamn fabulous" on "Ego". However, Jim Farber of Daily News commented that "'Ego' avoids expectations by celebrating a man's cockiness rather than her [Beyoncé's] own." The remix version of "Ego" with Kanye West was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards but lost to "Run This Town" sung by Jay-Z featuring Rihanna and West. On The Village Voices 2009 Pazz & Jop singles list, "Ego" was ranked at number 546.

Chart performance
For the week ending June 20, 2009, "Ego" entered US Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 77, becoming Beyoncé's 19th solo entry on the chart. The song peaked at number 39 after 8 weeks on the chart issue dated August 15, 2009, becoming Beyoncé's 18th solo top 40 single and the 5th single from I Am... Sasha Fierce to crack the top 40. "Ego" fared better on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it peaked at number three on July 25, 2009, thus charting higher than "If I Were a Boy" and "Halo" on that chart. The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and, as of October 6, 2010, has sold 357,000 downloads (excluding remix version) in the US.

Even though "Ego" was only officially released in the US, it still managed to chart in other countries. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 28 on June 8, 2009, and peaked at number 11 on June 29, 2009, after just three weeks on the chart. Spending ten weeks on the chart, it became the fifth song from I Am... Sasha Fierce to chart within the top 40 there. The song was certified gold by Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) on August 7, 2011. "Ego" also bubbled at number two on the Dutch Tip Parade chart, which is equivalent to number 42 on the Dutch Top 40 Singles Chart. The song charted for four weeks on the Swedish Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 29.

"Ego" began to receive mild airplay on UK music channels as of March 2010. Consequently, it debuted at number 153 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 81 on the UK R&B Chart on April 10, 2010. One week later, due to a considerable increase in airplay, it surged to number 60 on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 23 on the UK R&B Chart. It later managed a better peak at number 22 on the UK R&B Chart on April 24, 2010. "Ego" is the second single from I Am... Sasha Fierce to enter both the Top 75 of UK Singles Chart and the Top 25 of the UK R&B Chart without a physical or a digital release, the first being "Diva", which peaked at number 72 on the UK Singles Chart on May 24, 2009.

Music video

Background and synopsis

Beyoncé made her directorial debut on the video for "Ego" with the choreographer Frank Gatson Jr, who had been working with her for twelve years by then, as the creative director. Gatson has been the creative director for many of her videos, such as "Suga Mama", "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", and "Get Me Bodied", as well as her last three world tours, including the I Am... World Tour (2009-2010). Beyoncé let Gatson direct the video for "Ego" after he introduced her to a new choreographer, Sheryl Murakami. Beyoncé told Entertainment Weekly: "My goal for [the] video is simplicity... In 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)', I saw this old tape of Bob Fosse's wife [Gwen Verdon], and I used that as inspiration. I thought in this world, with all the technology and everything that's going on, to strip everything down—great idea. So I kind of did the same thing, but glossy and black, for 'Ego'."

Like the music videos for "If I Were a Boy", "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)", and "Diva", the one for "Ego" was shot in black and white. The word "bitch" is muted out when Beyoncé sings, "I got every reason to feel like I'm that bitch!". "Ego" is the first video from I Am... Sasha Fierce in which she has curly afro hair, similar to the one in "Work It Out". It is also the first video from the Sasha Fierce disc of her album where she does not don her robot-glove. The video features Beyoncé and her two backup female dancers all dressed in silver leotards and performing similar choreography, which has reminiscence of that of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Later, Beyoncé sits on a white glittery chair in front of the same tiled background; she is wearing black coat and the two dancers are still dancing in unison around her. There are a few shots of her on the chair facing the back of the camera with the dancers doing the same. Beyoncé then gets up to join the dance being executed by the two female around the chair. This scene ends as they walk to the left of the camera, into the next scene. Beyoncé is still with the tiled background. She and her dancers are now holding poles as props with which they dance. During the same pole scene, some shots of her singing in the chair are intercut. In the next scene, with the same tiled background, Beyoncé is leaning against the wall as the bridge of the song has been reached. Her dancers spin in heels around her, and they all then continue to dance against the wall. The last scene shows Beyoncé in the chair, without the black jacket and still dancing until the song ends.

Release and reception
A "bootlegged" version of the music video, featuring Sheryl Murakami performing the choreography, was leaked onto YouTube in early March 2009. In the B-roll footage on Above and Beyoncé, it was shown that a clay sculpture of Beyoncé was made for the video of "Ego". However, the sculpture was not shown in the final version of the video. Three edits exist for the "Ego" music video: an official video, a remix video featuring Kanye West, and a fan-exclusive video. The official video premiered on Beyoncé's official website on May 21, 2009. The remix music video, which features a cameo appearance of Kanye West, was included on the remix album with videography Above and Beyoncé – Video Collection & Dance Mixes.  It premiered on the June 15, 2009, episode of BET's Access Granted. In the remix video, Kanye West begins his rap in an empty room next to a follow spot. At the end of his rap, he points the light towards the camera and the shot fades in white to Beyoncé's scenes. The rest of the video is nearly identical to the original video. Mark Richardson of Pitchfork Media commented that the video shows "in-your-face Kanye spitting before Beyoncé shows off some of her 'Single Ladies' moves." It was ranked at number 38 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown. A fan-exclusive version of "Ego" was included on Above and Beyoncé, in which only Beyoncé appears. The whole video is a continuous double-angled scene where she is seated on the throne chair previously seen in the original video.

Upon its release, the music video for "Ego" received mixed reviews from music critics who noted similarities with the one for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". A writer of Rap-Up magazine described the video as "Single Ladies (Part 2)". Tracey Ford of AOL described the video as "an ode to multiple personalities, leotards and all things 'diva.'" Nick Levine of Digital Spy commented that the video would divide critics' opinions whether it is "a sexy, burlesque-inspired variation on the theme [Beyoncé] established in the other two videos from the Sasha Fierce side of the album, or just a 'Single Ladies' retread with more crotch and rump". Leah Greenblatt of the magazine Entertainment Weekly gave a negative review for the video, saying that it was very similar to the one for "Single Ladies" noting "[the music video for] 'Ego' feels an awful like the (admittedly awesome) 'Single Ladies' with a spiral perm." Tamar Anitai of MTV was also negative towards the video for the song, writing that it looks like a dress rehearsal of the video for "Single Ladies" but "in drag". She further wrote, "Anyway, while the '80s horns-and-organ vibe delivers some throwback flavor, I'm not feeling the circa-2002-Christina-Aguilera curly wig or the satin prom gloves. And the boob grabbing is a little too gratuitous. And when Beyonce says 'It's too big, it's too wide, it's too strong, it won't fit, it's too much,' I'm not even positive that she's really referring to an ego."

Live performances
Beyoncé performed "Ego" as part of the set list during her world tour, the I Am... World Tour (2009). When she performed the song live in Seattle before of its release as a single, Kanye West joined her onstage and rapped: "I got a big, ha ha ha, ego / She love my big, ha ha ha, ego / She stroke my big, ha ha ha, ego...". West later made a surprise appearance at Beyoncé's concert in London on November 15, 2009, where he again rapped his verse. Eventually, the remix of "Ego" was included on Beyoncé's 2010 live album, I Am... World Tour as the fifteenth track. Andy Gill of The Independent listed the song as a highlight on the album.

Use in media
In 2020, the song began being used in viral videos on TikTok and Instagram Reels.

Track listing

US Singles & Dance Mixes

 "Ego" - 3:57
 "Ego" (DJ Escape & Johnny Vicious Club Remix) - 8:22
 "Ego" (Slang "Big Ego" Club Remix) - 6:18
 "Sweet Dreams" - 3:29
 "Sweet Dreams" (OK DAC Club Remix) - 5:14
 "Sweet Dreams" (Karmatronic Club Remix) - 6:36

Germany Digital EP
 "Sweet Dreams" - 3:29
 "Sweet Dreams" (Groove Police Remix) - 3:10
 "Ego" - 3:57
 "Ego" (Remix) [feat. Kanye West] - 4:43
 "Sweet Dreams" (Music Video) - 4:00
 "Ego" (Remix) [feat. Kanye West] (Music Video) - 4:52

Credits and personnel
Credits for "Ego" taken from the album's liner notes.

Beyoncé Knowles – vocals, producer, writer
Jim Caruana – vocals recorder
Matt Green – mixer assistant
Donald Hayes – saxophone
Elvis Lee – publisher
Harold Lilly – producer, writer

Philip Margiziotis – horns
Mark "Spike" Stent – mixer
Elvis "BlacElvis" Williams – producer, writer
Dontae Winslow – trumpet
Mack Woodard – recorder
Jeremy "JaRe" Dishman - mixer

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Notes

References

2009 singles
Beyoncé songs
Kanye West songs
Song recordings produced by Beyoncé
Songs written by Beyoncé
Songs written by Blac Elvis
Black-and-white music videos
Songs written by Harold Lilly (songwriter)
2008 songs
Columbia Records singles