title: United States Marshals Service

text: In 1998, retired Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Matthew Fogg won a landmark EEO and Title VII racial discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against the Justice Department, for which he was awarded $4 million. The jury found the entire Marshals Service to be a "racially hostile environment" which discriminates against black employees in its promotion practices. U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson summarized the jurors' decision by stating that they felt there was an "atmosphere of racial disharmony and mistrust within the United States Marshal Service". As of 2011, Fogg is president of "Bigots with Badges", and executive director of CARCLE (Congress Against Racism and Corruption in Law Enforcement), and is also associated with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a drug law reform organization of law enforcement officers.


title: United States Marshals Service

text: The Department of Justice under Janet Reno acknowledged wrongdoing in U.S. marshals decisions surrounding a firefight at Ruby Ridge in 1992, where a deputy U.S. marshal shot 14-year-old Samuel Weaver in the back. Afterwards, deputy U.S. marshals became involved in a gunfight with Weaver's father, who was wanted on a federal warrant for failure to appear, and another person. Deputy United States marshals dispute this claim. Deputy U.S. marshal Billy Deegan was killed during a surveillance operation after identifying himself as a federal agent. This led to an extended gunfight in which both sides fired several rounds. Samuel Weaver was shot and killed. His body was taken to a small building for more than a week and an autopsy was unable to determine entry and exit wounds (see Idaho Federal Court Transcripts for clarification of this incident). "Newsweek" described the incident as "one of the most shameful episodes in the history of American law enforcement".


title: Popular culture

text: Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a society at a given point in time. Popular culture also encompasses the activities and feelings produced as a result of interaction with these dominant objects. The primary driving force behind popular culture is the mass appeal, and it is produced by what cultural analyst Theodor Adorno refers to as the "culture industry".


title: Popular culture

text: Heavily influenced in modern times by mass media, this collection of ideas permeates the everyday lives of people in a given society. Therefore, popular culture has a way of influencing an individual's attitudes towards certain topics. However, there are various ways to define pop culture. Because of this, popular culture is something that can be defined in a variety of conflicting ways by different people across different contexts. It is generally viewed in contrast to other forms of culture such as folk cults, working-class culture, or high culture, and also through different academic perspectives such as psychoanalysis, structuralism, postmodernism, and more. The common pop-culture categories are: entertainment (such as film, music, television and video games), sports, news (as in people/places in the news), politics, fashion, technology, and slang.


title: Popular culture

text: In the past folk culture functioned analogously to the popular culture of the masses and of the nations.


title: Popular culture

text: The phrase "popular culture" was coined in the 19th century or earlier. Traditionally, popular culture was associated with poor education and with the lower classes, as opposed to the "official culture" and higher education of the upper classes.


title: Popular culture

text: With the rise of the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Britain experienced social changes that resulted in increased literacy rates, and with the rise of capitalism and industrialization, people began to spend more money on entertainment, such as (commercialised) pubs and sports. Reading also gained traction. Labelling penny dreadfuls the Victorian equivalent of video games, "The Guardian" in 2016 described penny fiction as "Britain's first taste of mass-produced popular culture for the young". A growing consumer culture and an increased capacity for travel via the newly invented railway (the first public railway, Stockton and Darlington Railway, opened in north-east England in 1825) created both a market for cheap popular literature, and the ability for its distribution on large scale. The first penny serials were published in the 1830s to meet the growing demand.


title: Popular culture

text: The stress in the distinction from "official culture" became more pronounced towards the end of the 19th century, a usage that became established by the interbellum period.


title: Popular culture

text: From the end of World War II, following major cultural and social changes brought by mass media innovations, the meaning of "popular culture" began to overlap with the connotations of "mass culture", "media culture", "image culture", "consumer culture", and "culture for mass consumption".


title: Popular culture

text: The abbreviated form "pop" for "popular", as in "pop music", dates from the late 1950s. Although the terms "pop" and "popular" are in some cases used interchangeably, and their meaning partially overlap, the term "pop" is narrower. Pop is specific to something containing qualities of mass appeal, while "popular" refers to what has gained popularity, regardless of its style.


title: Popular culture

text: According to author John Storey, there are various definitions of popular culture. The quantitative definition of culture has the problem that much "high culture" (e.g., television dramatizations of Jane Austen) is also "popular." "Pop culture" is also defined as the culture that is "leftover" when we have decided what high culture is. However, many works straddle the boundaries, e.g., William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, and George Orwell.


title: Popular culture

text: A third definition equates pop culture with "mass culture" and ideas. This is seen as a commercial culture, mass-produced for mass consumption by mass media. From a Western European perspective, this may be compared to American culture. Alternatively, "pop culture" can be defined as an "authentic" culture of the people, but this can be problematic as there are many ways of defining the "people." Storey argued that there is a political dimension to popular culture; neo-Gramscian hegemony theory "... sees popular culture as a site of struggle between the 'resistance' of subordinate groups in society and the forces of 'incorporation' operating in the interests of dominant groups in society." A postmodernist approach to popular culture would "no longer recognize the distinction between high and popular culture."


title: Popular culture

text: Jean Baudrillard argued that the vague conception "Public Opinion" is a subjective and inaccurate illusion which is more complicit in populism rather than in factuality, for it attributes a sovereignty to consumers that they do not really possess.


title: Popular culture

text: Storey claims that popular culture emerged from the urbanization of the Industrial Revolution. Studies of Shakespeare (by Weimann, Barber, or Bristol, for example) locate much of the characteristic vitality of his drama in its participation in Renaissance popular culture, while contemporary practitioners like Dario Fo and John McGrath use popular culture in its Gramscian sense that includes ancient folk traditions (the "commedia dell'arte" for example).


title: Popular culture

text: Popular culture is constantly evolving and occurs uniquely in place and time. It forms currents and eddies, and represents a complex of mutually interdependent perspectives and values that influence society and its institutions in various ways. For example, certain currents of pop culture may originate from, (or diverge into) a subculture, representing perspectives with which the mainstream popular culture has only limited familiarity. Items of popular culture most typically appeal to a broad spectrum of the public. Important contemporary contributions for understanding what popular culture means have been given by the German researcher Ronald Daus, who studies the impact of extra-European cultures in North America, Asia, and especially in Latin America.


title: Popular culture

text: Within the realm of popular culture, there exists an organizational culture. From its beginning, popular culture has revolved around classes in society and the push-back between them. Within popular culture, there are two levels that have emerged, high and low. "High" culture can be described as art and works considered of superior value, historically, aesthetically and socially. "Low" culture is regarded by some as that of the lower classes, historically.


title: Popular culture

text: This early layer of cultural mainstream still persists today, in a form separate from mass-produced popular culture, propagating by word of mouth rather than via mass media, e.g. in the form of jokes or urban legends. With the widespread use of the Internet from the 1990s, the distinction between mass media and word-of-mouth has become blurred.


title: Popular culture

text: Although the folkloric element of popular culture engages heavily with the commercial element, communities amongst the public have their own tastes and they may not always embrace every cultural or subcultural item sold. Moreover, certain beliefs and opinions about the products of commercial culture may spread by word-of-mouth, and become modified in the process and in the same manner that folklore evolves.


title: Popular culture

text: Popular culture in the West has been critiqued for its being a system of commercialism that privileges products selected and mass-marketed by the upper-class capitalist elite; such criticisms are most notable in many Marxist theorists such as Herbert Marcuse, Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, bell hooks, Antonio Gramsci, Guy Debord, Fredric Jameson, Terry Eagleton, as well as certain postmodern philosophers such as Jean-François Lyotard, who has written about the commercialisation of information under capitalism, and Jean Baudrillard, as well as others.


title: Popular culture

text: The most influential critiques of popular culture came from Marxist theorists of the Frankfurt School during the twentieth century. Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer analysed the dangers of the culture industry in their influential work the "Dialectic of Enlightenment" by drawing upon the works of Kant, Marx, Nietzsche and others. Capitalist popular culture, as Adorno argued, was not an authentic culture of the people but a system of homogenous and standardised products manufactured in the service of capitalist domination by the elite. The consumer demand for Hollywood films, pop tunes and consumable books is influenced by capitalist industries like Hollywood and the elite who decide which commodities are to be promoted in the media, including television and print journalism. Adorno wrote, "The industry bows to the vote it has itself rigged." It is the elite who commodify products in accordance with their narrow ideological values and criteria, and Adorno argues that the audience becomes accustomed to these formulaic conventions, making intellectual contemplation impossible. Adorno's work has had a considerable influence on culture studies, philosophy and the New Left.


title: Popular culture

text: Writing in the "New Yorker" in 2014, music critic Alex Ross, argued that Adorno's work has a renewed importance in the digital age: "The pop hegemony is all but complete, its superstars dominating the media and wielding the economic might of tycoons...Culture appears more monolithic than ever, with a few gigantic corporations—Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon—presiding over unprecedented monopolies." There is much scholarship on how Western entertainment industries strengthen transnational capitalism and reinforce a Western cultural dominance. Hence, rather than being a local culture, commercial entertainment is artificially reinforced by transnational media corporations.


title: Popular culture

text: Jack Zipes, a professor of German and literature, critiqued the mass commercialisation and corporate hegemony behind the Harry Potter franchise. He argued that the commodities of the culture industry are "popular" because they are homogenous and obey standard conventions; the media then influences the tastes of children. In his analysis of Harry Potter's global brand, Zipes wrote, "It must conform to the standards of exception set by the mass media and promoted by the culture industry in general. To be a phenomenon means that a person or commodity must conform to the hegemonic groups that determine what makes up a phenomenon".


title: Popular culture

text: According to John M. MacKenzie, many products of popular culture have been designed to promote imperialist ideologies and to glorify the British upper classes rather than present a democratic view of the world. Although there are many films which do not contain such propaganda, there have been many films that promote racism and militarist imperialism.


title: Popular culture

text: bell hooks, an influential feminist, argues that commercial commodities and celebrities cannot be symbols of progressiveness when they collaborate with imperialist capitalism and promote ideals of beauty; hooks uses Beyoncé as an example of a commodity reinforced by capitalist corporations complicit in imperialism and patriarchy.


title: Popular culture

text: Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky critiqued the mass media in their 1988 work "". They argue that mass media is controlled by a powerful hegemonic elite who are motivated by their own interests that determine and manipulate what information is present in the mainstream. The mass media is therefore a system of propaganda.


title: Popular culture

text: According to the postmodern sociologist Jean Baudrillard, the individual is trained into the duty of seeking the relentless maximisation of pleasure lest he or she become asocial. Therefore, "enjoyment" and "fun" become indistinguishable from the need to consume. Whereas the Frankfurt School believed consumers were passive, Baudrillard argued that consumers were trained to consume products in a form of active labour in order to achieve upward social mobility. Thus, consumers under capitalism are trained to purchase products such as pop albums and consumable fiction in order to signal their devotion to social trends, fashions and subcultures. Although the consumption may arise from an active choice, the choice is still the consequence of a social conditioning which the individual is unconscious of. Baudrillard says, "One is permanently governed by a code whose rules and meaning-constraints—like those of language—are, for the most part, beyond the grasp of individuals."


title: Popular culture

text: In Baudrillard's understanding, the products of capitalist popular culture can only give the illusion of rebellion, since they are still complicit in a system controlled by the powerful. Baudrillard stated in an interview, critiquing the content and production of "The Matrix":


title: Popular culture

text: With the invention of the printing press in the sixteenth century, mass-produced, cheap books, pamphlets and periodicals became widely available to the public. With this, the transmission of common knowledge and ideas was possible.


title: Popular culture

text: In the 1890s, Nikola Tesla and Guglielmo Marconi created the radiotelegraph, allowing for the modern radio to be born. This led to the radio being able to influence a more "listened-to" culture, with individuals being able to feel like they have a more direct impact. This radio culture is vital, because it was imperative to advertising, and it introduced the commercial.


title: Popular culture

text: Films and cinema are highly influential to popular culture, as films as an art form are what people seem to respond to the most. With moving pictures being first captured by Eadweard Muybridge in 1877, films have evolved into elements that can be cast into different digital formats, spreading to different cultures.


title: Popular culture

text: The impact of films and cinema are most evident when analyzing in the search of what the films aim to portray. Films are used to seek acceptance and understanding of many subjects because of the influence the films carry—an example of an early representation of this can be seen in "Casablanca" (1942): the film introduced war subjects to the public after the United States entered World War II, and it meant to increase pro-war sentiment for the allies. Films are a known massive influencer to popular culture yet not all films create a movement that contributes enough to be part of the popular culture that starts movements. The content must resonate to most of the public so the knowledge in the material connects with the majority. Popular culture is a set of beliefs in trends and entail to change a person's set of ideologies and create social transformation. The beliefs are still a trend that change more rapidly in the modern age that carries a continuation of outpouring media and more specifically films. The trend does not last but it also carries a different effect based on individuals that can be grouped to generalized groups based on age and education. The creation of culture by films is seen in fandoms, religions, ideologies, and movements. The culture of film is more evident through social media. Social media is an instant source of feedback and creates discussion on films. A repeating event that has been set in modern culture within the trend setting phase is the creation of movements in social media platforms to defend a featured subject on a film.


title: Popular culture

text: Popular culture or mass culture, is reached easily with films which are easily shared and reached worldwide.


title: Popular culture

text: A television program is a segment of audiovisual content intended for broadcast (other than a commercial, trailer, or other content not serving as attraction for viewership).


title: Popular culture

text: Television programs may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documentary, light entertainment, news and reality television). They may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television movies), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional series). They can be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows.


title: Popular culture

text: Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional or "folk" music. Art music was historically disseminated through the performances of written music, although since the beginning of the recording industry, it is also disseminated through recordings. Traditional music forms such as early blues songs or hymns were passed along orally, or to smaller, local audiences.


title: Popular culture

text: Sports include all forms of competitive physical activity or games which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants, and in some cases, entertainment for spectators.


title: Popular culture

text: Corporate branding refers to the practice of promoting the brand name of a corporate entity, as opposed to specific products or services.


title: Popular culture

text: Personal branding includes the use of social media to promotion to brands and topics to further good repute among professionals in a given field, produce an iconic relationship between a professional, a brand and its audience that extends networks past the conventional lines established by the mainstream and to enhance personal visibility. Popular culture: is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of the practices, beliefs, and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a society at a given point in time. As celebrities online identities are extremely important in order to create a brand to line-up sponsorships, jobs, and opportunities. As influencers, micro-celebrities, and users constantly need to find new ways to be unique or stay updated with trends, in order to maintain followers, views, and likes. For example, Ellen DeGeneres has created her own personal branding through her talk show "The Ellen DeGeneres Show". As she developed her brand we can see the branches she created to extend her fan base such as Ellen clothing, socks, pet beds, and more.


title: Popular culture

text: Social media is interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation or sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat are the most popular applications used on a daily basis for younger generations. Social media tends to be implemented into the daily routine of individuals in our current society. Social media is a vital part of our culture as it continues to impact the forms of communication used to connect with those in our communities, families, or friend groups. We often see that terms or slang is used online that is not used in face to face conversations, thus, adding to a persona users create through the screens of technology. For example, some individuals respond to situations with a hashtag or emojis.


title: Arya (actor)

text: Jamshad Cethirakath (born 11 December 1980), known by his stage name Arya, is an Indian actor and producer who predominantly appears in Tamil cinema. Arya has won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South and received two nominations each for Filmfare Awards and Vijay Awards. He was included on the 2015 edition of the "Forbes India" Celebrity 100, a list based on the top earning Indian celebrities.


title: Arya (actor)

text: He made his breakthrough portraying rogue characters in Vishnuvardhan's "Arinthum Ariyamalum" (2005) and "Pattiyal" (2006). He later won critical acclaim for playing an Aghori in Bala's "Naan Kadavul" (2009). Arya gained further commercial success with the release of the period drama "Madrasapattinam" (2010), the comedy film "Boss Engira Bhaskaran" (2010), family action film "Vettai" (2012) and Atlee's family film "Raja Rani" (2013). In 2013, he appeared in three more Tamil films: R. Kannan's comedy film "Settai", Vishnuvardhan's action thriller "Arrambam" and Selvaraghavan's fantasy film "Irandam Ulagam". In 2021, he appeared in Pa. Ranjith's sports film "Sarpatta Parambarai" (2021) as a main lead, which garnered him high critical acclaim. He also collaborated with an veteran director Sundar C., with acted in a Horror Comedy film "Aranmanai 3" (2021).


title: Arya (actor)

text: Arya was born in Trikaripur, Kerala in 1980. He did his schooling in SBOA Matriculation and Higher Secondary School, Chennai and then graduated with an engineering degree from Crescent Engineering College in Vandalur, Chennai. His younger brother Sathya has also appeared in Tamil films.


title: Arya (actor)

text: Arya participated in the Vätternrundan Motala cycle race and won a medal. Arya was the prospective bridegroom on the show Enga Veetu Mapillai aired on Colors Tamil searching for a perfect bride from the 16 contestants.


title: Arya (actor)

text: On 14 February 2019, Arya announced his engagement to actress Sayyeshaa, and the two were married on 10 March 2019, according to Muslim traditions. The couple has a daughter who was born in July 2021.


title: Arya (actor)

text: While working as an assistant software engineer, Arya was approached by the cinematographer Jeeva to audition for his "Ullam Ketkumae" in 2003. The pair had lived in the same neighbourhood. Arya signed on for the project and was given the stage name by Jeeva. The film was delayed. Hence, Arya's first appearance was as Kutty, in Vishnuvardhan's "Arinthum Ariyamalum". The film featured Arya as the adopted rogue son of a gangster . Critics reported that Arya in a supporting role "walks away with all the applause" and "has everything in him to make the big league". In an interview several years later, Arya also stated, "If people know Arya, it is because of the "Thee pidika" track", a song from the film's soundtrack, crediting and expressing gratitude to its composer Yuvan Shankar Raja. His next release, the delayed "Ullam Ketkumae", portraying Arya as a college cricketer, also carried good reviews and was a successful venture at the box office. His third release in 2005, was the campus romance story, "Oru Kalluriyin Kathai" opposite Sonia Agarwal, took a strong opening but failed to find commercial acceptance. However, after also gaining favourable reviews for his performance, Arya was labelled as the new "pin-up" of Tamil cinema at the time and attracted offers for films.


title: Arya (actor)

text: His next, Igor's thriller "Kalabha Kadhalan", where he played an engineer pursued romantically by an aggressive sister-in-law, won favourable reviews from critics but failed commercially. Arya collaborated with Vishnuvardhan again in the successful gangster flick, "Pattiyal", where Bharath also played another leading role. The film, was shot across the slums of Chennai and told the story of two ruthless underworld hitmen, with Pooja and Padmapriya also playing major roles. Upon release, the film gained positive reports and the lead pair's performances were praised with a critic claiming that scenes between Arya and Bharath were "touching" while Arya's use of facial expressions and body language "fits exactly for the kind of role he plays". The film consequently became a big box office success and placed Arya as a leading actor in Tamil cinema. Arya subsequently appeared in the action film "Vattaram" as Burma, but the film's release coincided with bigger budgeted releases and the film was crowded out from box office success, despite gaining favourable reviews. In 2007, Arya played a guest appearance in Cheran's "Maya Kannadi" as himself before his long-delayed "Oram Po", previously known as "Auto", released in late 2007. Prior to release the film gained cult status for its innovative trailer, with Arya playing a Chennai-based auto driver who competes in races at nights, while Pooja was his pair again. The film directed by duo Pushkar-Gayathri opened to very positive reviews, with most critics claiming that the film was a "riot" and "entertaining", praising characterisations. Critics from the Hindu labelled Arya as "terrific as the cocky yet lovable Chandru" saying that his "good physique should cement his 'heartthrob' status".


title: Arya (actor)

text: Arya's next release was in 2009, with Bala's long delayed drama film on Aghori's, "Naan Kadavul". The film was initially launched with Ajith Kumar in early 2005, but after he dropped out Arya signed on in mid 2006. The three previous films made by Bala were known notoriously for their dark themes, their rogue leads and their long delays in production but also that his two previous protagonists Vikram and Suriya had risen from obscurity to stardom after featuring in his films. As per, the film took three years to complete with Arya growing a full-length beard for the production thus making him unable to sign other projects, while he often cited the intense pressure and the hardships of the shoot. Arya appeared as an Aghori in the film situated in Kasi but is forced to relocate to Tamil Nadu, where he duly encounters an underworld which gains collections through the torture of the handicapped, with Pooja, yet again playing a significant role. The film opened to positive reviews with unanimous praise on Arya's portrayal of Rudran, with a critic from Sify citing "Arya pumps life and blood and gets under the skin of Rudran, making his animal like character so convincing" while adding that "he has delivered a performance that is hard to forget even days after you've watched the film". Though he was highly expected to win several awards for the portrayal, he failed but garnered two nominations from notable award committees. After a guest role in Rajesh's "Siva Manasula Sakthi", he then collaborated with Vishnuvardhan for the third time in his romantic-thriller, "Sarvam", an anthology film also featuring Trisha Krishnan, J. D. Chakravarthy, Rohan Shiva and Indrajith. Arya played a carefree young architect who falls in love and pursues Trisha, before another thread in the film interlocks with his portions and changes his situation. The film however only went to gain average reviews from critics, and eventually became a surprise failure at the box office.


title: Arya (actor)

text: 2010 became a career-defining year for Arya, with the widespread success of his films establishing him as a leading actor in South Indian films. His first release was his debut in Telugu films, where he played the antagonist in "Varudu" co-starring Allu Arjun. Despite opening to positive reviews, the film failed to match expectations at the box office, although Arya's performance was praised by critics, claiming that "powerful, menacing, quiet yet indomitably spirited" in his role while another reviewer claimed he outshone Allu Arjun. His next venture was the period film "Madrasapattinam" depicting a love story from the 1940s, co-starring newcomer Amy Jackson and directed by A. L. Vijay. The big budget film progressed with its schedules with little publicity for a year, with Arya portraying the role of Ilamparithi, a dhobi situated in a community of Washermanpet who falls in love with the daughter of a governor. The film gained mostly positive reviews from critics and became successful at the box office, although most reviewers agreed his performance was outshone by Jackson's. While a critic cited that Arya "looks stone-faced no matter what the situation", another cited the performance was "awe-inspiring". He then appeared in Rajesh's comedy film "Boss Engira Bhaskaran", which Arya's production house, "The Show People", also co-produced. The film portrayed Arya as a spoiled, carefree Kumbakonam youth and his comic timing in the film alongside Nayantara and Santhanam received positive responses from critics. Furthermore, the film went on to become his first blockbuster, running for over hundred days in multiplexes. His final release in 2010 was in a dual role in the romantic travelogue film, "Chikku Bukku" by Manikandan, featuring Shriya Saran and Preetika. The film, shot extensively in London and Karaikudi, received a mixed response and fared averagely at the box office, with Arya's performance being described by critics as from "watchable and dependable" to "morose and silent".


title: Arya (actor)

text: In 2010 Arya made a speech at an awards function in Dubai, organised by a Malayalam television channel. The Film Employees Federation of South India (FESFI) president V. C. Guhanathan, without directly referring to Arya by name, accused him of having "belittled the Tamil film industry". The South Indian Film Artistes Association (SIFAA), however, supported Arya, condemning Guhanathan "for making irresponsible and false statements" about an actor who "strives for the welfare of Tamil film industry." Arya eventually clarified in a letter, that he had "never made derogatory statements about the Tamil film industry", which was his "bread and butter", further quoting: "I can never forget such a support extended by my fans. If I had hurt anyone's feelings, I am really sorry about that."


title: Arya (actor)

text: Arya's first release in 2011 was a cameo appearance in Santhosh Sivan's Malayalam historical-fantasy film "Urumi", where he played two characters. The film which also featured Prithviraj, Genelia D'Souza and Nithya Menen, won positive reviews with reviewers from Sify.com labelling it a "miniature masterpiece of moods". In March 2011, he was signed by director Mani Ratnam to essay the role of Arulmozhi Varman in his epic film "Ponniyin Selvan", based on the same-titled novel by writer Kalki Krishnamurthy, which however did not materialize. Arya then appeared in his second film with Bala in "Avan Ivan", where he portrayed the lead role of Kumbedran Sami alongside Vishal. The film opened to mixed reviews but the performance of the lead actors won acclaim with the critic from The Hindu citing that "Arya is a perfect foil for Vishal — his brash demeanour and genuine affection for his stepbrother come out well in many of the scenes" and that "he deserves appreciation for taking up a role that isn't as heroic as Vishal's and presenting it convincingly". Arya next appeared in Linguswamy's "Vettai", an action entertainer featuring an ensemble cast of Madhavan, Amala Paul and Sameera Reddy. The film opened to positive reviews in January 2012 and went on to become a commercial success, with critics praising Arya's performance in the film as a rogue youngster who defends his timid police officer brother. He went on to appear in the promotional song for "Kazhugu" alongside several other actors and then played a cameo role in the climax of Rajesh's "Oru Kal Oru Kannadi" of a village chieftain.


title: Arya (actor)

text: In 2013 he was seen in four Tamil films. He first appeared alongside Santhanam and Premji Amaren in R. Kannan's comedy film "Settai", a remake of the 2011 Hindi film "Delhi Belly". The film opened to mixed reviews and average collections, with a critic noting Arya looks "wooden, tired and disinterested". He had three more releases in the latter half of the year, Atlee's romantic comedy "Raja Rani" that had him acting amongst an ensemble cast of Nayantara, Jai and Nazriya Nazim, Vishnuvardhan's action thriller "Arrambam" which featured him alongside Ajith Kumar, Nayantara and Thapsee Pannu and Selvaraghavan's magnum opus fantasy film "Irandam Ulagam" with Anushka Shetty. He had worked out to build a huge frame and six-pack abs to fit the muscular lead role in "Irandam Ulagam". "Raja Rani" and "Arrambam" were highly successful at the box office.


title: Arya (actor)

text: He also acted in UTV Motion Pictures' "Purampokku" to be directed by S. P. Jananathan and the thriller "Meagamann" directed by Magizh Thirumeni. He will also be working with Rajesh in a romantic comedy which will be produced by his home production house "The Show People". He will have guest appearances in three forthcoming films: "Madha Gaja Raja", "Parimala Thiraiyarangam" and "Kadhal 2 Kalyanam", which features his brother, Sathya in the lead role. In September 2014, he was named as the replacement for Fahadh Faasil in Lijo Jose Pellissery's "Double Barrel" .


title: Arya (actor)

text: In 2018, Arya made his Kannada-language debut in the comedy film "Rajaratha" and he also appeared in the film "Ghajinikanth", a Tamil remake of the Telugu film "Bhale Bhale Magadivoy". His next films were "Pathinettam Padi", "Magamuni" and "Kaappaan" released in 2019.


title: Arya (actor)

text: He produces films under his production company, The Show People and is a partner in the Trivandrum-based Malayalam production company August Cinema.


title: Arya (actor)

text: In 2010, Arya ventured into film production in order to promote new talents and help funding small budget films. He established the banner "The Show People" and first produced the comedy film "Boss Engira Bhaskaran" he himself starred in, following which he produced Suka's "Padithurai", which remains unreleased. He also ventured into film distribution in 2013, as he bought the FMS (Singapore and Malaysia) theatrical rights of his own film "Irandaam Ulagam".


title: Arya (actor)

text: Arya is the ambassador of television and print marketing campaigns of Otto, the flagship brand of Pothys clothing.


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales, chart position, or critical reception." Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys, and it is one of the general field awards alongside Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year, presented annually since the 1st Annual Grammy Awards in 1959. Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon and Taylor Swift have each won this award three times, more than any other artists.


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: Album of the Year is awarded for a whole album, and the award is presented to the artist, featured artist, songwriter, producer, recording engineer, and mastering engineer with significant contributions to that album. The similarly titled Record of the Year is awarded for a single or for one track from an album. This award goes to the performing artist, the producer, recording engineer and/or mixer for that song.


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: Tom Coyne (as mastering engineer); Serban Ghenea and John Hanes (as engineers/mixers) are the biggest winners in this category with four wins. They are followed by Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, Taylor Swift, and Stevie Wonder (as performers); David Foster, Daniel Lanois, Phil Ramone, and Ryan Tedder (as record producers); Tom Elmhirst and Mike Piersante (as engineers/mixers); and Bob Ludwig (as mastering engineer) with three victories each. Coyne, Ghenea, Hanes, and Ludwig are the only people to win the award in three consecutive years. Paul McCartney leads all performers with nine nominations: five as a member of The Beatles, three for solo albums, and one as a member of Wings. Sinatra leads solo performers with eight nominations, seven for solo albums and one for a duet album. Barbra Streisand has the most nominations amongst female artists with six. McCartney and Simon are the only artists with nominations in every decade from the 1960s to the 2000s.


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: The first woman to win the award was Judy Garland in 1962, for "Judy at Carnegie Hall". Taylor Swift was the first solo female artist to win the award twice and thrice. Swift and Adele are the only women to win the award more than once for their own albums, winning for "Fearless", "1989", and "Folklore"; and "21" and "25", respectively. Swift was also nominated for "Red" and "Evermore", and Adele was nominated for "30". In addition, Lauryn Hill, Norah Jones and Alison Krauss landed in second place with two wins, each winning as lead artist for their respective albums, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill", "Come Away with Me" and "Raising Sand" (Krauss' collaboration album with Robert Plant); Hill won her second as a producer of her collaboration on Santana's "Supernatural" (featured artists on non-soundtrack albums did not share in the award before 2008), while Jones won as a featured artist on Herbie Hancock's "", and Krauss was featured on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Soundtrack". Also, for their own albums, besides Swift and Adele, only three female artists have received nominations after previously winning, Barbra Streisand nominated again for "People", "My Name Is Barbra", "Color Me Barbra", "Guilty" and "The Broadway Album", after winning previously for "The Barbra Streisand Album"; Bonnie Raitt nominated for "Luck of the Draw" and "Longing in Their Hearts", after winning previously for "Nick of Time;" and Billie Eilish nominated for "Happier Than Ever" after winning previously for "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?".


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: Billie Eilish is the youngest main credit artist to win in the category, winning for her debut album "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" in 2020 at age 18. She surpassed Taylor Swift who won in 2010 at the age of 20 for her second album "Fearless". The Peasall Sisters, Sarah, Hannah and Leah, are the category's youngest credited winners, winning for their contributions to the "O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Soundtrack" at the ages of 13, 9, and 7 respectively. Leah Peasall is the youngest winner of any Grammy in any category. The youngest person to make an appearance on an Album of the Year is Stevie Wonder's daughter Aisha Morris who appeared on "Isn't She Lovely?" off the album "Songs in the Key of Life" as an infant.


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: Christopher Cross and Billie Eilish are the only artists to receive the Grammys for Album of the Year as well as Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist in a single ceremony. Adele was the first artist to win the award for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist from separate occasions, and first woman to accomplish this feat. Only five artists have won both Album of the Year and Best New Artist in the same year: Bob Newhart ("The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart" in 1961), Christopher Cross ("Christopher Cross" in 1981), Lauryn Hill ("The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" in 1999), Norah Jones ("Come Away with Me" in 2003) and Billie Eilish ("When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" in 2020).


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: Frank Sinatra's "Come Dance with Me!" was the first album by a traditional pop artist to win, Stan Getz's & João Gilberto's "Getz/Gilberto" was the first by a jazz artist, The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" the first by a rock and roll artist, Glen Campbell's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" the first by a country artist, Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" the first by a hip hop artist, Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" the first by an indie rock artist, and Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories" the first by an electronic music artist.


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: Only two artists have won the award in two consecutive years, Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder. Sinatra had wins in 1966 ("September of My Years") and 1967 ("A Man and His Music") and Wonder followed with wins in 1974 ("Innervisions") and 1975 ("Fulfillingness' First Finale"). Additionally, Lauryn Hill also won as a producer in 2000, after winning previously in 1999 as an artist and producer; Bruno Mars won as an artist and producer in 2018, after winning previously in 2017 as a producer. Wonder and Sinatra both won the most Grammys for Album of the Year within a decade among the artists. Sinatra had three victories in 1960s, while Wonder winning in 1970s.


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Barbra Streisand and Lady Gaga are the only artists to receive three consecutive nominations for Album of the Year. In addition, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Steely Dan, Bonnie Raitt, Dixie Chicks, Kanye West, Lady Gaga and Adele are the only performers with three nominations for consecutive studio albums in this category. West and Gaga being the only solo artists to receive nomination for their first three albums. Additionally, The Beatles hold the record for most consecutive years being nominated for Album of the Year, with five.


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: Stevie Wonder and Adele are the only artists to win the award for consecutive studio albums in this category, winning for "Innervisions" and "Fulfillingness' First Finale" and "Songs in the Key of Life"; and "21" and "25", respectively.


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: Quincy Jones, Lauryn Hill and Bruno Mars are the only performers to win the award both as the main credit artists and as a record producers, winning as lead artists for their respective albums: "Back on the Block", "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" and "24K Magic"; and as a producers for "Thriller" by Michael Jackson, "Supernatural" by Santana, and "25" by Adele, respectively.


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: To date, there have been four "live" albums to win the award: "Judy at Carnegie Hall", "The Concert for Bangladesh" and two "MTV Unplugged" albums (Eric Clapton's and Tony Bennett's), which were performed in front of an intimate, live audience. One television soundtrack recording was also the first recipient: "The Music from Peter Gunn". Two comedy albums have also triumphed in this category: "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart" and "The First Family". There have been three soundtrack compilation albums that have been successful, as well: "Saturday Night Fever", "The Bodyguard" (though only Whitney Houston won for it as an artist) and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?".


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: Only six artists have won twice as the main credited artist: Paul Simon (1976, 1987), U2 (1988, 2006), and Adele (2012, 2017), with three artists winning it three times as the main credit: Frank Sinatra (1960, 1966, 1967), Stevie Wonder (1974, 1975, 1977), and Taylor Swift (2010, 2016, 2021).


title: Grammy Award for Album of the Year

text: From 1995 to 2021, members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences nominated their choices for album of the year. A list of the top twenty records was given to the Nominations Review Committee, a specially selected group of anonymous members, who then selected the top five records to gain a nomination in the category in a special ballot. The rest of the members then voted on a winner from the five nominees. In 2018, it was announced the number of nominated albums would be increased to eight. In 2021, it was announced that the Nomination Review Committees would be disbanded, and the final nominees for album of the year would be decided by votes from members. Starting in 2022, the number of nominees in the category increased to 10.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: James Eagan Holmes (born December 13, 1987) is an American mass murderer responsible for the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting in which he killed 12 people and injured 70 others (62 directly and eight indirectly) at a Century 16 movie theater on July 20, 2012. He had no known criminal background before the shooting occurred. Before the shooting, Holmes booby-trapped his apartment with explosives, which were defused one day later by a bomb squad.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Holmes was arrested shortly after the shooting and was jailed without bail while awaiting trial. Following this, he was hospitalized after attempting suicide several times while in jail. Holmes entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, which was accepted. His trial began on April 27, 2015. On August 26, 2015, Judge Carlos A. Samour sentenced Holmes to 12 consecutive life sentences plus 3,318 years without parole after the jury spared Holmes the death penalty by a single vote. In imposing sentence, Judge Samour declared "it is the intention of this court that the defendant never set foot in free society again."


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Holmes was born on December 13, 1987, in San Diego, California. His father Robert Holmes is a mathematician and scientist with degrees from Stanford University, UCLA and UC Berkeley, and his mother Arlene Holmes is a registered nurse. He has a sister. Holmes was raised in Oak Hills, a community in Monterey County near Castroville, California, where he attended elementary school. At twelve years old, Holmes moved back to San Diego. There, he lived in the Rancho Peñasquitos neighborhood, where he reportedly began to decline socially. He went to Westview High School and graduated in 2006. Holmes played soccer and ran cross-country in high school. He attended Peñasquitos Lutheran Church with his family, according to the Lutheran church's pastor. According to Holmes' lawyer, Daniel King, Holmes began to suffer from mental health issues in middle school and attempted suicide at age 11.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: According to Holmes, during his childhood, he was frightened of what he called "Nail Ghosts" that would hammer on the walls at night. Holmes saw social worker Margaret Roth once before she sent him to psychiatrist Lynne Fenton. Holmes was depressed and "obsessed with killing for over a decade".


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Despite these issues, Holmes graduated from high school in 2006 and completed a bachelor's degree at University of California, Riverside in 2010. He decided to pursue a graduate degree in neuroscience at the University of Colorado and moved to Aurora.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: In Aurora, Holmes lived on Paris Street in a one-bedroom apartment in a building with other students involved in health studies at the University of Colorado. In a rental application for an apartment, he described himself as "quiet and easygoing", and in an online dating profile, Holmes identified himself as an agnostic. He left some digital footprints, like a university email address, an old Myspace photo, a dating profile on Match.com, and a profile on Adult FriendFinder, as well as a résumé at the employment website Monster.com. Holmes allegedly hired sex workers and left reviews of their services on an online message board.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: In October 2011, Holmes began dating a fellow student in his biology class. Their relationship lasted until an encounter on Saint Patrick's Day, ending when she felt distant from him following an encounter between Holmes and another man who talked to her during a date. She said that Holmes often made flat jokes that made other people feel uncomfortable and had expressed his desire to kill people. She tried to recommend getting professional help despite not taking his claims seriously. They resumed their relationship in early January 2012, but it ended again in February. Holmes told a state-appointed psychiatric physician that "their breakup contributed to his violent depression."


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: In 2006, Holmes worked as an intern at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, where he was assigned to write computer code for an experiment. Holmes, who was described by his supervisor as stubborn, uncommunicative and socially inept, presented his project to the other interns at the end of the internship, but never completed it.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Holmes wrote of his experience at the Salk Institute in a college application essay: "I had little experience in computer programming and the work was challenging to say the least. Nonetheless, I taught myself how to program in Flash and then construct a cross-temporal calibration model... Completing the project and presenting my model at the end of the internship was exhilarating."


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Graduating from Westview High School in the Torrey Highlands community of San Diego in 2006, Holmes attended the University of California, Riverside (UCR). In 2010, he received his undergraduate B.S. degree in neuroscience with highest honors. He was a member of several honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa and Golden Key. According to UCR recommendation letters submitted to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC), Holmes graduated in the top 1 percent of his class with a 3.949 GPA. The UCR letters also described Holmes as "a very effective group leader" and a person who "takes an active role in his education, and brings a great amount of intellectual and emotional maturity into the classroom". Holmes scored in the 98th percentile on the verbal portion, the 94th percentile on the quantitative portion and the 45th percentile on the analytical writing portion of the Graduate Record Examinations.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: In the summer of 2008, Holmes worked as a counselor at a residential summer camp in Glendale, California, which served children aged 7–14. There, he was responsible for ten children and had no disciplinary problems.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: In the fall of 2010, Holmes was employed at a pill and capsule-coating factory in San Diego County. One of his co-workers later said that Holmes was unsociable, and once acted strangely at a laboratory work station by staring at a blank wall and not verbally responding, only making a quick glance and smirking, when his co-worker asked if he was okay.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: In June 2011, Holmes enrolled as a Ph.D. student in neuroscience at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. He received a $21,600 grant from the National Institutes of Health, according to agency records, which was disbursed in installments from July 2011 to June 2012. Holmes also received a $5,000 stipend from the University of Colorado, Denver. Though Holmes received a letter of acceptance to UIUC, where he was offered a $22,600 stipend and free tuition, he declined their offer without specifying a reason. Reviewers of Holmes' application at UIUC remembered his application in part because he submitted a picture of himself with a llama.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Beginning in graduate school, Holmes would see shadows and "flickers" at the corners of his eyes, which would fight each other with firearms and other weapons. At the University of Colorado, Holmes sought help in 2012 for his mental state at the student health clinic after he broke up with his girlfriend. Because he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, his caregivers were allowed to testify at his trial.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: He was seen by psychiatrist Dr. Lynne Fenton, who testified at his trial that she was worried about his homicidal ideation expressed in their last meeting. She saw him a total of seven times over three months, twice with a male psychiatrist. Holmes rejected their suggestions for treatment. In June 2012 after Holmes had sent her a threatening email, she activated a threat assessment team to help her formulate a plan for Holmes. She expressed concerns about his social phobia and "psychotic-level thinking" and believed he may have had schizoid personality disorder. She listed specific concerns, such as his long-standing fantasies about killing as many people as possible, his reluctance to discuss any details about his plans, his refusal to allow them to talk to anyone else and the unclear timeline; she didn't know if he was always that way or if this was a new behavior. She consulted with his mother, who said he had longstanding social problems. Although the center offered to treat him if he lost his insurance, he left treatment.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: In 2012, Holmes' academic performance declined, and he scored poorly on the comprehensive exam in the spring. The university was not planning to expel him; however, Holmes was in the process of withdrawing from the university. Three days after failing a key oral exam at the university in early June 2012, Holmes dropped out of his studies without further explanation. At the time of his arrest, he gave his occupation as "laborer."


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Holmes' defense attorneys stated in a motion that he was a psychiatric patient of the medical director of Anschutz's Student Mental Health Services prior to the Aurora shooting. The prosecutor disagreed with that claim. Four days after the release of the defense attorney's motion, the judge required this information to be blacked out. CBS News later reported that Holmes had met with at least three mental health professionals at the University of Colorado before the massacre. One of them, who was informed by Holmes of his homicidal thoughts, considered placing him on an involuntary mental health hold, but decided against it, noting her belief that Holmes was "borderline" and the commitment would only inflame him.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: One of Holmes' psychiatrists suspected that prior to the shooting, Holmes suffered from a mental illness that could have been dangerous. A month before the tragedy, Dr. Lynne Fenton told the campus police that he had also made homicidal statements. Two weeks before the massacre, Holmes sent a text message asking a graduate student if the student had ever heard of the disorder dysphoric mania, and warning the student to stay away from him "because [he was] bad news".


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Initial reports from the "Los Angeles Times" quoting one of Holmes' classmates indicated that Holmes was a fan of superheroes and also quoted an anonymous law enforcement official as claiming that Holmes' apartment was "decorated with Batman paraphernalia". However, later reports described Holmes' apartment as relatively empty, while mentioning the presence of a single Batman mask. George Brauchler, the district attorney who prosecuted Holmes, stated after the trial that there was no evidence to suggest that Holmes had an obsession with Batman. William Reid, the psychiatrist who interviewed Holmes after the shooting, said that Holmes "picked that movie simply because it was guaranteed to be full". Dave Aragón, an actor from the MTV television series "Pimp My Ride", stated that Holmes called him twice the month before the shooting took place. Aragón was the writer, director, and star of a then-upcoming film entitled "The Suffocator of Sins", which depicts a vigilante who shoots criminals, and Aragón claimed that Holmes showed interest in his movie's trailer.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: According to Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler, Holmes chose the Century 16 theater for his attack because he liked movie theaters and that specific theater had doors that he could lock in order to increase the number of casualties, as well as being in an area where police response would take longer. He specifically chose to attack a midnight screening because he believed fewer children would be present, not wanting to kill them. Holmes allegedly considered other locations for a mass shooting, such as an airport, but ruled it out because an airport would have too much security. He also wrote his reasoning that an attack on an airport would be confused as an act of terrorism, saying, "Terrorism isn't the message. The message is, there is no message." In addition, he had been considering using explosives, chemical agents, or biological agents in his attack, but rejected the scenario as he thought he might "blow himself up". Holmes had also considered serial killing as an option, but later reasoned it was "too personal, too much evidence, easily caught, few kills."


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On May 22, 2012, Holmes purchased a Glock 22 pistol at a Gander Mountain shop in Aurora. Six days later, on May 28, he bought a Remington 870 Express Tactical shotgun at a Bass Pro Shops store in Denver. On June 7, just hours after failing his oral exam at the university, he purchased a Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport rifle. All three of these weapons were bought legally, and background checks were performed. In the four months prior to the shooting, Holmes also bought 3,000 rounds of ammunition for the pistol, 3,000 rounds for the M&P15, and 350 shells for the shotgun over the Internet. On July 2, he placed an order for a Blackhawk Urban Assault Vest, two magazine holders, and a knife at an online retailer. He also purchased spike strips, which he later admitted he planned to use in case police would shoot at or follow him in a car chase.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On June 25, less than a month before the shooting, Holmes emailed an application to join a gun club in Byers, Colorado. The owner, Glenn Rotkovich, called him several times throughout the following days to invite him to a mandatory orientation, but could only reach his answering machine. Holmes left Rotkovich one voicemail in reply. Due to the nature of Holmes' voicemail, which Rotkovich described as "bizarre", "freaky", "guttural", "spoken with a deep voice", "incoherent and rambling", Rotkovich instructed his staff to inform him if Holmes showed up, though Holmes neither appeared at the gun range nor called back. "In hindsight, looking back – and if I'd seen the movies – maybe I'd say it was like the Joker – I would have gotten the Joker out of it... It was like somebody was trying to be as weird as possible," Rotkovich said.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On July 19, just hours before the shooting started, Holmes mailed a notebook to his psychiatrist. The notebook detailed his thoughts and plans during the weeks preceding the shooting. The notebook was found in an undelivered package in the Anschutz Medical Campus mail-room. Immediately prior to the shooting, Holmes reportedly called a crisis hotline for mental health with the hopes that someone would talk him out of committing the massacre at the last minute. However, the call was disconnected after nine seconds.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Holmes had sneaked out of an exit door, propped it open, and returned with weapons and other gear, setting off several gas or smoke canisters and then opening fire on the theater audience, killing 12 and wounding 70. On July 20, 2012, police arrested Holmes without resistance while he was standing next to his car behind the Century 16 theater, moments after the shooting. According to testimonies during the following trial, Holmes was initially "calm and detached" during the arrest, but became interested in watching the aftermath of the shooting after being placed in the back of a police car. The responding officers recovered several guns from inside the car and the theater.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Once apprehended, Holmes told the police that he had booby-trapped his apartment with explosive devices before heading to the theater. Police later confirmed the presence of explosives in the apartment.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Holmes was initially jailed at Arapahoe Detention Center, under suicide watch. He was held in solitary confinement to protect him from other inmates, a routine precaution for high-profile cases.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Holmes made his first court appearance in Centennial, Colorado, on July 23, 2012, before Judge William B. Sylvester. He was read his rights, and no bail was given due to the nature of the charges. A mandatory protection order was issued by the judge. The judge appointed the Colorado State Public Defender for Holmes' defense. Holmes said nothing and never looked at the judge. His appearance and behavior, which was described as "dazed" and "confused" fueled speculation about his mental state.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On July 30, Colorado prosecutors filed formal charges against Holmes that included 24 counts of first degree murder, 116 counts of attempted murder, possession of explosive devices, and inciting violence. The multiple charges expand the opportunities for prosecutors to obtain convictions. For each person killed in the shooting, Holmes was charged with one count of murder with deliberation and one count of murder with extreme indifference. Holmes agreed in court to waive his right to a preliminary hearing within 35 days.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On August 9, Holmes' attorneys said their client was mentally ill and that they needed more time to assess the nature of his illness. The disclosure was made at a court hearing in Centennial where news media organizations were asking a judge to unseal court documents in the case.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On September 19, the prosecution filed a motion to add 10 new charges against Holmes and asked to amend 17 others. The additional charges would bring the total counts Holmes faced to 152. Holmes appeared in the Arapahoe County Court house the following day for the first time without his dyed-red hair, his cropped hair revealing his natural brown color.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On September 28, court documents released by prosecutors said Holmes was revoked access to the University of Colorado campus because he threatened a professor. The university had said Holmes was denied access to non-public parts of the campus because he had withdrawn from school.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On October 11, Holmes' attorneys asked Judge William Sylvester to postpone a preliminary hearing scheduled for November. On October 25, the preliminary hearing was set for the week of January 7.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Holmes' lawyers filed an emergency motion on November 14 to delay a pre-trial hearing, citing an unspecified condition that left him unable to appear in court: "As a result of developments over the past 24 hours, Mr. Holmes is in a condition that renders him unable to be present in court for tomorrow's hearing." They requested a delay, which they received. It was rescheduled for December. Evidently, Holmes made various suicide attempts referred to as "half-hearted" in the days before the scheduled hearing on November 15.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Holmes returned to court on January 7, 2013, at which 9-1-1 phone call recordings and videos from the cineplex were presented as evidence, information that up until then had not been released. Holmes's defense team continued to maintain that he was mentally ill. On that same day, it was reported that investigators seized four prescription bottles plus immunization records from his apartment when it was searched in July 2012. It was not revealed what the prescriptions were or what they were for. The judge ultimately ruled in October that prosecutors could keep the items.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On January 10, 2013, a judge ruled that the evidence presented was sufficient for Holmes to face trial on all counts with which he had been charged. His plea hearing was delayed until March 2013.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On March 27, 2013, Holmes' attorneys said he would be willing to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty. On March 28, prosecutors said they were not ready to accept Holmes' offer to plead guilty and avoid the death penalty and also criticized the offer as a deliberate ploy by the defense in order to delay the start of the trial.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On April 1, 2013, prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty in a trial to start in February 2014. On May 7, 2013, Holmes's attorneys filed their intent for him to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. He made this change in his plea on May 31. On May 23, 2013, Holmes's attorneys called the state's insanity-plea rules unconstitutional. On May 29, 2013, the judge ruled on the constitutionality of the laws for an insanity plea questioned by Holmes's attorneys, concluding that the laws were not in violation of the Constitution. On June 4, 2013, the presiding judge accepted his plea of insanity.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On August 5, 2013, Holmes was transferred to the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, Colorado. By August 20, 2013, Holmes was no longer detained at Colorado Mental Health Institute.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On February 27, 2014, Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour set the start of Holmes' trial for October 14. The trial was delayed to December 8 upon a defense request for a continuance to further evaluate Holmes' mental condition. On that date, the trial was again postponed, as Holmes' lawyers asked for another continuance to further prepare their case and review the paperwork of evidence.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: Jury selection eventually started on January 20, 2015, after a request by Holmes' lawyers for yet another continuance was denied. The juror selection process lasted three months and summoned 9,000 candidates, making it the largest jury summons in U.S. history. On April 15, selection ended, with a total of nineteen women and five men serving. There were concerns about the selection of the jurors, as at least two from the pool of twelve primary jurors, along with twelve alternates, had ties to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre: "Juror No. 535", was the aunt of a Columbine survivor; and "Juror No. 737", was a student there at the time and was also a former friend of the shooters.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: The trial began on April 27 with opening arguments by the prosecution explaining that Holmes intentionally went to the movie theater that evening with the deliberate intent to kill as many people as possible in a mass shooting spree. The defense opened their argument by admitting the facts that Holmes was the shooter, but said that he was mentally ill with severe schizophrenia and was never in control of his right mind. Starting on April 28, and over the next few weeks, prosecution testimony included various survivors of the massacre and enumerated the after-effects on the survivors.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On May 26, the notebook Holmes mailed to his psychiatrist hours prior to the shooting was presented as evidence. There had previously been intense debate as to whether the notebook was eligible as evidence and should be admitted, since it detailed Holmes' thoughts. Prosecutors argued the content in Holmes' notebook, which had attack plans, proved the shooting was premeditated, while Holmes' attorneys argued that his writing indicated his mental illness.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On May 27, Dr.William Reid, a court-appointed psychiatrist who interviewed Holmes for a total of about 22 hours, testified that Holmes was mentally ill but legally sane. He diagnosed him as having schizotypal personality disorder, which is characterized by constricted behavior and difficulties relating to others. Reid and another doctor evaluated Holmes in December 2013, determining him to be legally sane, and said that his mental illness did not prevent him from forming intent and knowing the consequences of his actions. Holmes's attorneys tried to call for a mistrial, saying that the jurors heard an unprompted opinion that complicated the legal standard for judging the sanity of a person, but the judge refused to grant the request.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On May 29, videos of Reid's interviews with Holmes in 2013 were shown to the court. In the videos, Holmes described his social awkwardness and the violent, paranoid thoughts he had been having prior to the massacre. He also stated his belief that he was being followed by federal agents at the time of the massacre and hoped they would apprehend him at the theater before he could act. According to him, he transitioned from suicidal thoughts to homicidal thoughts after becoming depressed from his breakup with his girlfriend. On June 8, a second psychiatrist, Jeffrey Metzner, testified that Holmes was mentally ill but legally sane when he plotted and carried out the shooting, and that he suffered from schizoaffective disorder. He interviewed Holmes for a total of 25 hours.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On June 9, the trial came to a standstill after three jurors were dismissed by the judge for violating orders to refrain from talking about news reports regarding the trial. One of the jurors had begun discussions about sensitive details of the case with the other two jurors outside of the court on at least two occasions. Two days later, Holmes's attorneys requested the dismissal of a fourth juror after her brother-in-law was shot during a robbery the previous day, and other jurors had seen her crying. Judge Carlos Samour responded that he would consider it, and agreed to the motion by dismissing her on June 15. On June 17, a fifth juror was dismissed after Judge Samour was advised that she personally knew a wounded victim of the shooting.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On June 19, the prosecution called as their last witness Ashley Moser, the mother of slain victim Veronica Moser-Sullivan. Moser was critically injured and left paralyzed by the shooting. Afterward, they rested their case.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On July 9, Samour asked Holmes if he would testify in court, and advised him of his right to do so. Holmes chose not to testify.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On July 10, the defense showed two videos of Holmes' behavior in his jail cell. One video showed him running and slamming his head against the wall before sitting down, while the other showed him tethered to a bed while naked, attempting to cover his head with a blanket and then a sheet. Afterward, they rested their case.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On July 14, closing statements were made; jury deliberations began on July 15 and continued into July 16.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On July 16, after deliberating for over twelve hours, the jurors found Holmes guilty on all twenty-four counts of first-degree murder, 140 counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of possessing explosives, and a sentence enhancement of a crime of violence. They began deciding his sentence on July 22. The court expected the sentencing phase to last for one month. Holmes declined to make an allocution statement. On July 23, the jury ruled that Holmes acted in a cruel manner, was lying in wait, and ambushed his victims during the shooting, which constituted aggravating factors. The jurors decided that Holmes did not intend to kill children when he opened fire.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On July 27, Holmes's sister testified that her brother became withdrawn from the family after they moved from Salinas to San Diego during his early teenage years. On July 28, Holmes' father pleaded for his son's life, stating that he is severely mentally ill and does not deserve to die, regardless of his crimes. He displayed photos of camping trips and family vacations with Holmes to the jury. On July 30, Holmes' lawyers made a final appeal to the jurors, urging them to consider mental illness in his sentencing, despite their rejection of the insanity defense used in the trial. The appeal for clemency was rejected on August 3, based on mitigating factors such as mental illness not outweighing aggravating factors such as the number of casualties in the massacre.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On August 7, Holmes was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after jurors failed to unanimously agree on a death sentence. One juror was opposed to sentencing Holmes to death due to his mental health issues, while two other jurors were uncertain. Formal sentencing began on August 24 and ended on August 26. On August 26, Samour formally sentenced Holmes to 12 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murder charges, and an additional 3,318 years for the attempted murder and explosives possession charges. In imposing the sentence, Samour stated for the record that it was "the intention of the court that the defendant never sets foot in free society again," and added that "the defendant deserves no sympathy."


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On December 4, 2015, Judge Carlos Samour ordered Holmes to pay $955,000 in restitution to the victims. The judgment ordered $851,000 of the restitution to be sent to the state victim compensation fund, and $103,000 to be paid directly to the victims.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: In September 2015, Holmes was moved to the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City. Authorities said they had not determined at which facility Holmes would be ultimately incarcerated and that it was possible he might be moved out of state due to his notoriety.


title: James Holmes (mass murderer)

text: On October 8, 2015, Holmes was assaulted by another inmate, identified as Mark Daniels, who had been convicted of auto theft. Daniels attacked Holmes after a corrections officer inadvertently opened a gate separating the two; he struck Holmes twice before being subdued by prison staff. At the time, Holmes was not allowed interaction with other inmates. As a result of the attack, he was secretly transferred to an undisclosed location outside the state. According to the inmate locator on the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, Holmes is incarcerated at USP Allenwood in Gregg Township, Union County, Pennsylvania. The exact reason for the transfer to federal custody is not known for certain; the "Washington Post" speculated that it was, in part, due to a heightened need for security.


title: Chris Sarandon

text: Christopher Sarandon (; born July 24, 1942) is an American actor. He is well known for playing a variety of iconic characters, including Jerry Dandrige in "Fright Night" (1985), Prince Humperdinck in "The Princess Bride" (1987), Detective Mike Norris in "Child's Play" (1988), and Jack Skellington in "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Leon Shermer in "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975).


title: Chris Sarandon

text: Chris Sarandon was born and raised in Beckley, West Virginia, the son of restaurateurs Chris and Cliffie (née Cardullias) Sarandon. His father, whose surname was originally "Sarondonedes", was born in Istanbul, Turkey, of Greek ancestry; his mother is also of Greek descent.


title: Chris Sarandon

text: Sarandon graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley. He earned a degree in speech at West Virginia University. He earned his master's degree in theater from The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C.


title: Chris Sarandon

text: After graduation, he toured with numerous improvisational companies and became much involved with regional theatre, making his professional debut in the play "The Rose Tattoo" during 1965. In 1968, Sarandon moved to New York City, where he obtained his first television role as Dr. Tom Halverson for the series "The Guiding Light" (1973–1974). He appeared in the primetime television movies "The Satan Murders" (1974) and "Thursday's Game" before obtaining the role in "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975), a performance which earned him nominations for Best New Male Star of the Year at the Golden Globes and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.


title: Chris Sarandon

text: Sarandon appeared in the Broadway play "The Rothschilds" and "The Two Gentlemen of Verona", as well making regular appearances at numerous Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw festivals in the United States and Canada. He also had a series of television roles, some of which (such as "A Tale of Two Cities" in 1980) corresponded to his affinity for the classics. He also had roles in the thriller movie "Lipstick" (1976) and as a demon in the movie "The Sentinel" (1977).


title: Chris Sarandon

text: To avoid being typecast in villainous roles, Sarandon accepted various roles of other types during the years to come, portraying the title role of Christ in the made-for-television movie "The Day Christ Died" (1980). He received accolades for his portrayal of Sydney Carton in a TV-movie version of "A Tale of Two Cities" (1980), co-starred with Dennis Hopper in the 1983 movie "The Osterman Weekend", which was based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name, and co-starred with Goldie Hawn in the movie "Protocol" (1984). These were followed by another mainstream success as the vampire-next-door in the horror movie "Fright Night" (1985). He starred in the 1986 TV movie "Liberty", which addressed the making of New York City's Statue of Liberty.


title: Chris Sarandon

text: One of his most endearing roles onscreen, is that of Prince Humperdinck in Rob Reiner's 1987 movie "The Princess Bride", though he also has had supporting parts in many other successful films, including his lead turn in the original horror classic "Child's Play" (1988). In 1992, he played Joseph Curwen/Charles Dexter Ward in "The Resurrected". He also played Jack Skellington, the main character of Tim Burton's animated Disney movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993), and has since reprised the role in other productions, including the Disney/Square video games "Kingdom Hearts" and "Kingdom Hearts II" and the Capcom sequel to the original movie, "". Sarandon also reprised his role as Jack Skellington for several Disneyland Halloween events and attractions including; "Halloween Screams", the "Frightfully Fun Parade," and the Haunted Mansion Holiday, a three-month overlay of the Haunted Mansion, where Jack and his friends take control of a mansion in an attempt to introduce Christmas, much as his character did in the movie.


title: Chris Sarandon

text: Sarandon appeared in TV again with a recurring role as Dr. Burke on NBC's long-running medical drama "ER".


title: Chris Sarandon

text: In 1991 he performed on Broadway in the short-lived musical "Nick & Nora" (based on the movie "The Thin Man") with Joanna Gleason, the daughter of Monty Hall. Sarandon married Gleason in 1994. They have appeared together in a number of movies, including "Edie & Pen" (1996), "American Perfekt" (1997), and "Let the Devil Wear Black" (1999). During the 2000s he made guest appearances in several TV series, notably as the Necromancer demon, Armand, in "Charmed", and as superior court judge Barry Krumble for six episodes of "Judging Amy".


title: Chris Sarandon

text: In 2006 he played Signor Naccarelli in the six-time Tony award-winning Broadway musical play "The Light in the Piazza" at Lincoln Center. Most recently he appeared in "Cyrano de Bergerac" as Antoine de Guiche, with Kevin Kline, Jennifer Garner, and Daniel Sunjata.


title: Chris Sarandon

text: In 2016 he performed in the Off-Broadway production of the Dave Malloy musical "Preludes" as Anton Chekhov, Tchaikovsky, Alexander Glazunov, Leo Tolstoy, Tsar Nicholas II, and The Master.


title: Chris Sarandon

text: Sarandon has been married three times: he married actress Susan Sarandon in 1967. The two met while attending The Catholic University of America together in Washington, D.C. The marriage lasted for twelve years; the pair divorced in 1979. After divorcing from Susan, he married his second wife, fashion model Lisa Ann Cooper, in 1980. The couple had two daughters and one son: Stephanie (born 1982), Alexis (born 1984) and Michael (born 1988). After nine years, the marriage ended in divorce in 1989. In 1994, he married his third wife, actress and singer Joanna Gleason. The couple met while performing in Broadway's short-lived 1991 musical "Nick & Nora"; they returned to the stage together in 1998's "Thorn and Bloom". They also collaborated in several films together, such as "Road Ends", "Edie & Pen", "Let the Devil Wear Black", and "American Perfekt".


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Wanted is a 2008 action thriller film directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, and Chris Morgan, loosely based on the comic book miniseries by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones. The film stars James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, and Chris Pratt. Its plot revolves around Wesley Gibson (McAvoy), a frustrated account manager who discovers that he is the son of a professional assassin and decides to join the Fraternity, a secret society in which his father worked.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Universal Pictures acquired the adaptation rights from Millar in 2004, and while the eventual script drifted from the comic book supervillain mythos in the original miniseries, he was content to see most of the comic's darker content retained. Production began in April 2007, with filming in the Czech Republic, Budapest, and the story's main setting, Chicago. Bekmambetov's production company, Bazelevs Production, provided the majority of the film's visual effects. Danny Elfman scored the film, employing a guitar-based musical score.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: "Wanted" opened on June 27, 2008 to generally favorable reviews, with praise for its fast pacing and stylized action scenes, and grossed $342 million worldwide. A sequel was announced shortly after the film's release, but ultimately stalled in development.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: In Chicago, Wesley Gibson works at a dead-end desk job with an overbearing boss, takes medication for panic attacks, and has a live-in girlfriend who cheats on him with his co-worker and best friend, Barry. One evening, Wesley is told by a woman named Fox that his recently murdered father was an assassin, and the killer, Cross, is now hunting him. When Cross and Fox engage in a shootout, Wesley panics and is pursued by Cross. Fox flips Wesley into her car and then executes an escape. Wesley awakens in a factory surrounded by Fox and other assassins. The group's leader, Mr. Sloan, forces Wesley at gunpoint to shoot the wings off of several flies, which he does, much to Wesley's shock. Sloan explains that Wesley's panic attacks are actually a rare ability that allows him to produce massive amounts of adrenaline, slowing his perception of his surroundings and granting him superhuman strength and speed. He reveals that Wesley's father, as well as Cross, were members of the Fraternity, a society of assassins that maintains balance in the world. Sloan wants to train him so that he may help kill Cross.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: A panicked Wesley leaves the building and awakens the next morning in his apartment. He discovers that his bank account now contains $3.6 million. Filled with new confidence, he insults his boss in front of the whole office and hits Barry in the face with a keyboard. Fox, waiting for Wesley, chauffeurs him to the Fraternity headquarters, a repurposed textile mill. Wesley trains under the Fraternity's cruel tutelage, learning to control his abilities; Fox teaching him speed, the Gunsmith teaching him marksmanship, such as curving a bullet, the Butcher teaching him hand-to-hand combat, the Exterminator teaching him explosives, and the Repairman teaching him pain resistance. When his training is complete, Sloan shows him the "Loom of Fate", which has served for 1,000 years in giving coded names of Fraternity targets through errors in the fabric. The Loom identifies those who will create evil and chaos in the future, with Sloan responsible for interpreting the code. Fox reveals when she was a kid after a member refused to kill her father's boss when his name appeared in the Loom, he hired a sadistic hitman who made her watch as he burned her father alive, which is why she joined the Fraternity.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: After several successful missions, and dumping his girlfriend with the help of Fox, Wesley has an unexpected shootout with Cross, where he accidentally kills the Exterminator. Cross shoots and injures Wesley in the shoulder. Sloan grants Wesley's wish to avenge his father and sends him after Cross—but then secretly gives Fox a mission to kill Wesley, saying that his name has come up in the Loom. Analyzing the bullet from his shoulder, Wesley realizes that Cross had used a traceable bullet for the first time (as his previous kills were all untraceable). Wesley traces it to a man named Pekwarsky. He and Fox capture Pekwarsky, who arranges a meeting with Cross. When Wesley faces Cross alone on a moving train, Fox crashes a car into the train, causing a derailment. While Cross saves Wesley from falling, Wesley shoots him. Before dying, Cross reveals that he is Wesley's real father. Fox confirms this and explains that Wesley was recruited because he was the only person Cross would not kill. As Fox prepares to shoot Wesley, he shoots the train window below him and Cross, causing the men to free fall into the river. Wesley is retrieved by Pekwarsky, who takes him to Cross' apartment (which is located just opposite Wesley's) and explains that Sloan started manufacturing targets for profit after his name appeared in the Loom. Cross discovered the truth, went rogue, and started killing Fraternity members to keep them away from his son.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Pekwarsky departs, stating that Cross wished Wesley a life free of violence. Wesley, however, decides to kill Sloan in order to finish what his father started. Wesley attacks the base using explosive rats (a tactic he learned from the Exterminator), killing surviving Fraternity assassins in a massive shootout, including the Repairman and the Butcher. Entering Sloan's office, he is surrounded by Fox, Gunsmith, and the remaining assassins. Wesley discloses Sloan's deception, to which Sloan admits his name appeared in the loom alongside the names of those present, and that he had acted to protect them. He gives the members a choice: kill themselves, per the code, or kill Wesley and use their skills to control the world. As the others choose to kill him, Fox curves a bullet around the room, choosing to follow the code and kill everyone, including herself, but not before throwing her gun to Wesley, preventing him from saving her. Sloan escapes in the mayhem. Wesley, penniless again due to his bank account being wiped out by Sloan, apparently returns to his desk job. Sloan arrives to kill Wesley but is shocked when the person turns around and is revealed to be a decoy. Wesley kills Sloan with a sniper rifle from Cross' apartment miles away. Wesley states that he is taking back control of his life before turning to the audience and asking, "What the fuck have you done lately?"


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: The comic book miniseries "Wanted" (2003–04), by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones, came to the attention of Universal Pictures through executive Jeff Kirschenbaum, a comic book fan who sought a film adaptation that would be considered a "hard-R" and encouraged the studio to pick up the rights to the miniseries. By 2004, producer Marc Platt had gotten the film rights, and lobbied the studio to get Russian-Kazakh director Timur Bekmambetov, as Platt considered that the visual style and sensibility Bekmambetov showed in "Night Watch" (2004) and its sequel "Day Watch" (2006) fit "Wanted" in the sense that "the comic is dark and edgy but it also has an ironic, comedic tone beneath its violent action." In December 2005, Bekmambetov was hired to direct, his first English-language film, and writers Derek Haas and Michael Brandt were assigned the script. Bekmambetov described the original comic as "risky and very provocative", with "a twist and good characters", and declared that the thing that attracted him the most in "Wanted" was how it went through various film genres in its plot: "It's a comedy, a tragedy, a drama, a melodrama. Every scene, we change genres and that's why our movie is different."


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Universal was initially reluctant on giving a potentially lucrative action film to a filmmaker who had never made an English-language film, but Platt convinced the studio that he could "create an environment that would allow Timur to be himself as a filmmaker and exercise his creative muscles."


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Millar was unhappy with the first draft of the screenplay, considering the approach to be "too tame" and "a little bit Americanized" given he wanted "basically be the opposite of the "Spider-Man" movie, the idea of someone getting powers and realizing they can do what they want, then choosing the dark path." The author only started to support the direction the project was taking once Bekmambetov "came in with his Eastern European madness" and the intention of coming closer to the spirit of the book. Bekmambetov said that he would take liberty in adapting the comic book's world: "It's difficult for me to just follow. It's interesting for me to create. I feel a little bit different how this world has to be executed." In July 2006, screenwriter Chris Morgan was hired to revise the third act of Haas and Brandt's script.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Haas and Brandt returned to refine the character of Wesley Gibson, which they had established in their first draft.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Millar saw previsualized footage of the film and said that it exceeded his expectations for the adaptation. He described its first half as being close to the source comic, and added the ending was similar though it was relocated elsewhere from the comic's original setting. The superhero costumes in the series were also removed, with the exception of the leather attire worn by Wesley and Fox. Incidentally, this had been Millar's intent when writing the miniseries, but he and artist J. G. Jones had forgotten to. Millar said, "I wanted them to have those powers and then just wear those costumes for the initiation, but just for one panel. And then I forgot." Millar also stated that he would have liked to keep the supervillain mythos that dictates the original comic in the film. Millar was favorable to most of the changes in the storyline, which includes the story arc of the Fates issuing death orders in line with the series' original theme of predestination.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: James McAvoy, who had screen-tested for the role early in 2006, was initially rejected because the studio was seeking an actor with conventional Hollywood leading man looks and physique. McAvoy was later recalled, being considered to be the "runt of the litter" among those who tested. According to McAvoy, "They [ultimately] wanted someone geeky."


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: The Scottish actor, who portrays an American in the film, worked out to improve his physique for the film's action scenes, and suffered several injuries during shooting which included a twisted ankle and an injured knee.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Angelina Jolie was cast in March 2007, after screenwriter Dean Georgaris rewrote the screenplay to tailor the role of Fox for her.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Mark Millar became much more enthusiastic about the project after learning that Jolie had accepted the role of Fox, saying "the only way they could have got a bigger star to play this role is if they'd hired Tom Cruise in drag." Jolie decided to make Fox seem "distant and unattainable" by having her silent in many scenes. She mentioned Clint Eastwood, who had recently directed her in the film "Changeling", as a possible influence for this aspect of her performance. Furthermore, she asked for Fox to get killed, suggesting that "[i]f she was to find out she had killed people unjustly and was a part of something that wasn't fair, then she should take her own life."


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Common became interested in the role of Gunsmith due to both the script and the prospect of working with McAvoy, Jolie, and Morgan Freeman. Common learned a great deal about firearms as preparation for the role, but said he is not a strong supporter of guns in real life. Konstantin Khabensky, who starred in Bekmambetov's "Night Watch", was cast so that the director would have a familiar face around. British television veteran Marc Warren agreed to work in the film because he always wanted to be in a Hollywood blockbuster. Thomas Kretschmann originally intended to pick up the comic series after being cast, but Bekmambetov convinced him not to. Kretschmann said that he undertook "excessive gun training" to "make sure I look good and I look like I know what I'm doing". Kristen Hager originally auditioned for Fox, but accepted the role of Cathy, considering it "fun to play".


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Location plate shooting took place in Chicago in April 2007. Several chase scenes, including one with a low flying helicopter, were shot in Chicago over two days, on Wacker Drive along the Chicago River, between Columbus Drive and LaSalle Street.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Production moved to the Czech Republic later in May, scheduled for 12 weeks of shooting, which included a scene in Pernštejn Castle. Using a former sugar factory in Prague, production designer John Myhre constructed a large textile factory as part of an industrial world, the setting of a mythological environment in which looms create fabrics that weavers interpret as assassination orders. Afterward, filming moved to Budapest, then returned to Chicago in August. While the actors performed many of their own stunts, with free running and parkour in some of the action scenes, and Angelina Jolie being actually strapped to the hood of a moving Dodge Viper, some of the especially high-risk sequences required digital doubles instead. Two full-sized train cars were built, a Chicago 'L' for a training scene where Fox and Wesley run atop a train, and a Czech Pendolino for the derailment, which was stationed in a gimbal equipped with hydraulics to allow the car to tilt and roll as the train crashed. The film originally had both an alternate opening and an alternate ending. The alternate opening, a flashback to ancient times describing the history of the Fraternity and the Loom of Fate, is available on the special edition DVD and Blu-ray.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Eight visual effects companies worked on the film's 800 effects shots, the majority of which was done by Bekmambetov's company Bazelevs Production. The first effects supervisor, Jon Farhat, was forced to withdraw from the production due to illness and was replaced by Stefen Fangmeier, who accepted the task as "Wanted" would only require four months of work. Once Fangmeier visited Bazelevs in Moscow, the effects were behind schedule, with only 12 finished composites out of the planned 500. Fangemier then brought two other supervisors to assist him in finishing many shots per week, so the job could get done by the deadline, a process the supervisor described as "a creative challenge on one hand, but on the other also a significant production challenge." Another major contributor was London-based Framestore, responsible for the climactic train crash.


title: Wanted (2008 film)

text: Danny Elfman wrote the film's score, a job he accepted for being a fan of Bekmambetov's previous films. Considering the film to be a "weird, twisted, sarcastic thing," Elfman decided to make a guitar-based soundtrack, with the "nastiest sounds" and a "heavy metal approach." This included a rock song written and performed by Elfman, "The Little Things", which is featured throughout the film and on the end credits. The film score has been released on June 24, 2008 in North America by Lakeshore Records.