title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: After rising to prominence with Southampton during the 2010–11 season aged 17, Oxlade-Chamberlain signed for Arsenal in August 2011. Scoring twice in his first three matches for the club, Oxlade-Chamberlain became the youngest English goalscorer in UEFA Champions League history and also claimed a regular place in the England under-21 team. Over his six seasons at the Emirates Stadium, he played 198 games and scored 20 goals, winning the FA Cup three times. He signed for Liverpool in August 2017, winning the UEFA Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Oxlade-Chamberlain made his debut for the England national team on 26 May 2012 in a 1–0 win against Norway in a friendly. Following this, he received a surprise call-up to the England squad for UEFA Euro 2012 and became the second youngest player ever to represent England in the European Championships behind Wayne Rooney, later to be overtaken by Jude Bellingham as well. He was also called up for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He has made a total of 35 appearances for the national side, the latest in 2019, scoring seven goals.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Oxlade-Chamberlain is the son of former Stoke City, Portsmouth and England international player Mark Chamberlain. His uncle, Neville Chamberlain, was also a professional footballer, as is his younger brother, Christian.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Oxlade-Chamberlain attended the independent St John's College in Southsea, Portsmouth. He grew up as an Arsenal supporter. He played rugby union as a scrum half or full back and nearly chose that sport over football when he was offered a trial at London Irish. He also played cricket as a wicketkeeper, bowler and opening batsman with south east Hampshire. He was offered trials as a wicketkeeper batsman with Hampshire, but declined because it conflicted with his youth footballing duties.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: In February 2017, Oxlade-Chamberlain was confirmed to be dating singer Perrie Edwards of the girl group Little Mix. In August 2021, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Edwards had their first child together, a son. In June 2022, the couple announced their engagement.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Oxlade-Chamberlain joined the Southampton Academy at the age of seven. On 2 March 2010, he made his first-team debut for Southampton, at 16 years 199 days, coming off the bench in a 5–0 victory over Huddersfield Town and became the club's second youngest ever appearance maker behind Theo Walcott. Oxlade-Chamberlain appeared as an 82nd-minute substitute for Jason Puncheon on 8 May 2010 in the final match of the season against Southend United. At the beginning of the 2010–11 season, Oxlade-Chamberlain made his first competitive start on 10 August against AFC Bournemouth in the first round of the League Cup. During the match, he scored the second goal of Southampton's 2–0 victory, his first senior goal.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 20 August 2010, shortly after his 17th birthday, Oxlade-Chamberlain signed his first professional contract lasting for three years. His first league start came in a 2–0 loss at home to Rochdale on 4 September 2010. His first league goal came in a 2–1 victory over Oldham Athletic on 23 October 2010, which proved to be the match winner. He scored two more goals and also got an assist in a 4–0 win over Dagenham & Redbridge on 2 November 2010, when he was voted Man of the Match in a league match for the first time.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Oxlade-Chamberlain finished the season with nine goals as Southampton were promoted to the Championship; he was named in the PFA League One Team of the Year for the 2010–11 season. He was subsequently the subject of transfer speculation and in June his father, Mark Chamberlain, stated he was eager for his son to join Arsenal "as soon as possible" to "continue his development".


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 8 August 2011, Oxlade-Chamberlain signed for Premier League club Arsenal. Although neither club involved revealed details of the contractual arrangements, press sources indicated that the fee was a £12 million initial payment which could rise to £15 million with "add-ons".


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 28 August 2011, he made his Arsenal debut in the 8–2 defeat away to Manchester United, as a 62nd-minute substitute for Francis Coquelin, thus becoming the 150th player to represent Arsenal in the Premier League. On 20 September 2011, he scored his first goal for Arsenal in the 58th minute of a League Cup match against Shrewsbury Town, with a drive from 25 yards. Arsenal won 3–1.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 28 September 2011, Oxlade-Chamberlain scored the opening goal in the eighth minute of his UEFA Champions League debut against Greek team Olympiacos, running diagonally onto an Alex Song long pass and past several defenders before finishing into the corner of the goal. In so doing, he became the youngest Englishman to score in the Champions League, surpassing teammate Theo Walcott's record.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Oxlade-Chamberlain started his first Premier League match for Arsenal in a 2–1 defeat to Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on 22 January 2012, contributing an assist to a Robin van Persie goal. Arsène Wenger replaced him with Andrey Arshavin in the 78th minute, with the score at 1–1. Not only did Arsenal fans boo the decision to take Oxlade-Chamberlain off, Van Persie also remonstrated with the manager. On 4 February 2012, Oxlade-Chamberlain celebrated his first two Premier League goals in a home match against Blackburn Rovers which finished in a 7–1 victory to Arsenal. Following this match, Wenger praised Oxlade-Chamberlain for his fast development.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: After the second leg of the Champions League second round against Milan, Oxlade-Chamberlain earned many plaudits for his impressive run of form, and for his display against strong European opposition; he was described by Marco van Basten as a "gem", while then-Arsenal captain Robin van Persie stated Oxlade-Chamberlain was the future of both Arsenal and England.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: At the end of his first season in the Premier League, Oxlade-Chamberlain was nominated for PFA Young Player of the Year; he was the youngest player on the shortlist and he eventually lost out to Tottenham Hotspur's Kyle Walker, three years his senior.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first goal of the 2012–13 season from 25 yards out in a 6–1 home victory over Coventry City in the League Cup.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 19 December 2012, it was announced that Oxlade-Chamberlain, along with teammates Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere and Carl Jenkinson, signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal. Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his only Premier League goal of the 2012–13 season in a 7–3 home win against Newcastle United.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On the opening day of the 2013–14 season, Oxlade-Chamberlain assisted Olivier Giroud's goal in a 3–1 defeat at home to Aston Villa, however he came off injured and it was later revealed he would be out for between six weeks and three months, missing England's remaining World Cup qualifiers against Poland and Montenegro.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Despite not playing for Arsenal since picking up the injury, Oxlade-Chamberlain was still nominated for the Golden Boy Award 2013 in recognition of his performances earlier in the year for England and Arsenal.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 2 February, Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first two goals of the season in Arsenal's 2–0 win over Crystal Palace. Oxlade-Chamberlain missed the last few weeks of the season, including the 2014 FA Cup Final, after picking up a groin injury.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Oxlade-Chamberlain began the season by winning the 2014 FA Community Shield with Arsenal beating Manchester City 3–0 at Wembley Stadium. On 27 September, he scored in the North London derby in a 1–1 draw against Tottenham. On 4 November, he scored to put Arsenal 3–0 up against RSC Anderlecht in the UEFA Champions League, although the match eventually finished 3–3. He also scored in the round of 16 match against Monaco in February. Two matches later, he was injured in a 2–1 win against Manchester United in the FA Cup and had to be withdrawn just after half-time. It was later confirmed that he would be out for three to four weeks due to the hamstring injury. On 30 May 2015, Oxlade-Chamberlain came on as a substitute in the 2015 FA Cup Final and set up Olivier Giroud to make it 4–0; the final score against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 2 August 2015, Oxlade-Chamberlain scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Chelsea in the Community Shield. His only league goal that season came away to Bournemouth, the first goal he scored for Arsenal in a league match away from home.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 23 February 2016, he suffered a serious knee injury in a 2–0 home defeat by Barcelona in the Champions League, which was initially expected to prevent him playing for up to eight weeks. A further injury in May during training prevented his return for the rest of the season, including the summer UEFA Euro 2016 tournament.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Oxlade-Chamberlain started on the bench for Arsenal's opening day defeat to Liverpool, however Oxlade-Chamberlain replaced the injured Alex Iwobi to score Arsenal's second goal in a 3–4 defeat. Oxlade-Chamberlain also created an assist for Olivier Giroud's last minute equaliser at Old Trafford as Arsenal sealed a 1–1 draw with Manchester United. Oxlade-Chamberlain also scored a goal against West Ham United and created an assist for a goal from Alexis Sánchez in Arsenal's first away match at the London Stadium, where they won 5–1. He scored three times in Arsenal's 2016–17 EFL Cup campaign where they reached the quarter-finals of the tournament.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 23 April, Oxlade-Chamberlain won the man of the Match Award in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City, having provided an assist for Nacho Monreal to score an equaliser. This was his second match in a new wing-back role. He also provided assists for both goals in a 2–0 win in the home fixture against Manchester United on 7 May.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 31 August 2017, Oxlade-Chamberlain signed a five-year contract with Arsenal's Premier League rivals Liverpool for a £35 million fee. On 9 September 2017, Oxlade-Chamberlain made his debut for Liverpool, coming on as a substitute in a 5–0 loss to Manchester City. He scored his first goal for the club on 17 October, coming off the bench to score in a 7–0 Champions League win over Maribor, a result which was the joint-largest ever away win in the competition, and the largest away win by an English club. On 4 November 2017, he scored his first league goal for Liverpool in a 4–1 victory over West Ham. On 14 January 2018, he scored the first goal in his side's 4–3 victory over Manchester City, ending their unbeaten run in the Premier League that season.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 25 April 2018, Oxlade-Chamberlain suffered a serious injury to his knee in the 15th minute of the Champions League semi-final first leg 5–2 victory against Roma, which prevented him playing further during the season, or participating in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 18 July, Liverpool confirmed that Oxlade-Chamberlain would miss the majority of the 2018–19 season, with Klopp stating: "It feels like now is an appropriate time to tell people that for Ox this coming season will be about focusing on recovery and rehab".


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 28 December, Klopp stated that Oxlade-Chamberlain's rehabilitation was going "ahead of schedule" and that "if he makes further steps like he did in the last few weeks then he can play Premier League football this season, which is nice to know". On 26 April 2019, 366 days after his injury, Oxlade-Chamberlain made his return as a substitute in Liverpool's 5–0 league win over Huddersfield. He was an unused substitute for the 2019 UEFA Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 22 August, Oxlade-Chamberlain signed an extension to his contract until 2024. Back to fitness following the extensive rehabilitation, in late October and early November, Oxlade-Chamberlain scored three Champions League goals in the space of two weeks against Genk, as well as a long-range effort against former club Arsenal in the League Cup on 30 October. He scored his first league goal of the season the following month, slotting home a ball from Jordan Henderson to provide the first in a 3–0 away win over Bournemouth, on 7 December. Exactly two weeks later, on 21 December, Oxlade-Chamberlain started for Liverpool in the FIFA Club World Cup final against Flamengo, playing 75 minutes until he was forced off due to an injury after "falling awkwardly on his ankle"; Klopp later confirmed how Oxlade-Chamberlain will miss the remaining two games of 2019, as he sustained "damage to his ankle ligament". Oxlade-Chamberlain would later score the fifth goal in Liverpool's 5–3 win over Chelsea on 22 July, their final home game of the season.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Oxlade-Chamberlain suffered a knee injury on 21 August, during a pre-season camp in Austria. On 19 May, Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first goal of the season coming off the bench in 3–0 away win over Burnley.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Oxlade-Chamberlain was called up to the England Under-18 squad for the match against Poland which took place on 16 November 2010 at Adams Park. England won the match 3–0 and Oxlade-Chamberlain played the first 45 minutes before he was substituted.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: He was called up to the England Under-19 squad to face Germany on 8 February 2011, but on 2 February he was promoted into the England under-21 team for a friendly match away to Italy on 8 February. In the match, he came on as a 60th-minute substitute, replacing Henri Lansbury. England lost the match 1–0 with the Italians scoring from a penalty two minutes from time.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: Oxlade-Chamberlain made his first start for the Under-21s against Azerbaijan on 1 September 2011 and claimed two assists during the game. He also made a brief appearance against Israel on 5 September, coming on in the second half to claim three assists (including winning a penalty) to push England from a 1–0 deficit to a 4–1 comeback victory. A month later, he scored a hat-trick against Iceland as England won 3–0 in Reykjavík. On 10 November 2011, Oxlade-Chamberlain played in 5–0 win for the under-21s against Iceland, to remain top of Group 8. On 29 February 2012, he netted a late penalty as England made certain of at least a play-off spot for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with a 4–0 victory over Belgium.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 16 May 2012, Oxlade-Chamberlain was called up to the 23-man senior England squad for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine. He made his debut for the senior England team on 26 May 2012 in a 1–0 win against Norway in a warm-up match, coming on as a substitute for Ashley Young in the second half. He made his first senior start for England on 2 June playing 66 minutes before being replaced by Theo Walcott in a 1–0 win against Belgium at Wembley Stadium, another warm-up match, and England's final match before the tournament. On 11 June, he made his major international tournament debut when he started in England's opening match of the Euro 2012 tournament against France.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 12 October 2012, Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first senior international goal, in a 5–0 victory over San Marino. He scored again in the return match against San Marino on 22 March 2013, which England won 8–0.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 2 June 2013, he scored against Brazil in the official opening of the refurbished Maracanã Stadium, with the match finishing 2–2. He came on as a second-half substitute and scored with a half-volley to bring the score to 1–1.


title: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

text: On 16 May 2018, due to injury he was left out of Gareth Southgate's 23-man England squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.


title: Henry III of France

text: Henry III (; ; ; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.


title: Henry III of France

text: As the fourth son of King Henry II of France, he was not expected to inherit the French throne and thus was a good candidate for the vacant throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, where he was elected monarch in 1573. During his brief rule, he signed the Henrician Articles into law, recognizing the szlachta's right to freely elect their monarch. Aged 22, Henry abandoned Poland–Lithuania upon inheriting the French throne when his brother, Charles IX, died without issue.


title: Henry III of France

text: France was at the time plagued by the Wars of Religion, and Henry's authority was undermined by violent political factions funded by foreign powers: the Catholic League (supported by Spain and the Pope), the Protestant Huguenots (supported by England and the Dutch) and the Malcontents (led by Henry's own brother the Duke of Anjou and Alençon, a party of Catholic and Protestant aristocrats who jointly opposed the absolutist ambitions of the king). Henry III was himself a , arguing that a strong and religiously tolerant monarchy would save France from collapse.


title: Henry III of France

text: After the death of Henry's younger brother Francis, Duke of Anjou, and when it became apparent that Henry would not produce an heir, the Wars of Religion developed into a succession crisis, the War of the Three Henrys. Henry III's legitimate heir was his distant cousin, King Henry III of Navarre, a Protestant. The Catholic League, led by Henry I, Duke of Guise, sought to exclude Protestants from the succession and championed the Catholic Charles, Cardinal of Bourbon, as Henry III's heir.


title: Henry III of France

text: In 1589, Jacques Clément, a Catholic fanatic, murdered Henry III. He was succeeded by the King of Navarre who, as Henry IV, assumed the throne of France after converting to Catholicism, as the first French king of the House of Bourbon.


title: Henry III of France

text: Henry was born at the royal Château de Fontainebleau, the fourth son of King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici. He was a grandson of Francis I of France and Claude of France. His older brothers were Francis II of France, Charles IX of France, and Louis of Valois. He was made Duke of Angoulême and Duke of Orléans in 1560, then Duke of Anjou in 1566.


title: Henry III of France

text: He was his mother's favourite; she called him "chers yeux" ("precious eyes") and lavished fondness and affection upon him for most of his life. His elder brother, Charles, grew to detest him, partially because he resented his better health.


title: Henry III of France

text: Although he was skilled and fond of fencing, he preferred to indulge his tastes for the arts and reading. These predilections were attributed to his Italian mother. Henry's favourite interests were hunting and riding.


title: Henry III of France

text: At one point in his youth Henry showed a tendency towards Protestantism as a means of rebelling. At the age of nine, he called himself "a little Huguenot", attended Mass only to please his mother, sang Protestant psalms to his sister Margaret (exhorting her all the while to change her religion and cast her Book of Hours into the fire), and even bit the nose off a statue of Saint Paul. His mother firmly cautioned him against such behaviour, and he would never again show any Protestant tendencies. Instead, he became staunchly Roman Catholic.


title: Henry III of France

text: In the factional dispute that engulfed France in the wake of Henry II's death in 1559, Henry was solicited by Henry, son of Francis Duke of Guise, at the behest of Jacques, Duke of Nemours, to run away from court to be a figurehead for the ultra-Catholics. However, the plot was uncovered before any action could be taken.


title: Henry III of France

text: Henry was known as a flaneur, who relished leisurely strolls through Paris and partook in the sociability in the busiest of neighbourhoods. He revelled in fairs, music, bilboquet and court masques. His extravagance in court entertainments cut him off from the common people. He was also a devout Catholic who introduced pious reforms into the city and he encouraged the French church to follow the edicts of the Council of Trent.


title: Henry III of France

text: Reports that Henry engaged in same-sex relations with his court favourites, known as the "mignons," date back to his own time. He was known to have enjoyed intense relationships with them. The scholar Louis Crompton maintains that all of the contemporary rumours were true. Some modern historians dispute this. Jean-Francois Solnon, Nicolas Le Roux and Jacqueline Boucher have noted that Henry had many famous mistresses, that he was well known for his taste in beautiful women, and that no male sex partners have been identified. They have concluded that the idea he was homosexual was promoted by his political opponents (both Protestant and Catholic) who used his dislike of war and hunting to depict him as effeminate and undermine his reputation with the French people. The portrait of a self-indulgent sodomite, incapable of fathering an heir to the throne, proved useful in efforts by the Catholic League to secure the succession for Cardinal Charles de Bourbon after 1585.


title: Henry III of France

text: Gary Ferguson found their interpretations unconvincing: "It is difficult to reconcile the king whose use of favourites is so logically strategic with the man who goes to pieces when one of them dies." Katherine Crawford, by contrast, emphasizes the problems Henry's reputation encountered because of his failure to produce an heir and the presence of his powerful mother at court, combined with his enemies' insistence on conflating patronage with favouritism and luxury with decadence.


title: Henry III of France

text: In 1570, discussions commenced arranging for Henry to court Queen Elizabeth I of England. Elizabeth, almost 37, was expected by many parties in her country to marry and produce an heir. However, nothing came of these discussions. In initiating them, Elizabeth is viewed by historians as having intended only to arouse the concern of Spain, rather than contemplate marriage seriously. Henry's mother felt the chance of marriage despite differing religious views (Henry was Catholic, Elizabeth Protestant) simply required personal sacrifice. Henry tactlessly referred to Elizabeth as a ('public whore') and made stinging remarks about their difference in age (he was 18 years younger).


title: Henry III of France

text: In November 1567, upon the death of Anne de Montmorency, Henry assumed the role of Lieutenant-General of France, placing him in nominal control of France's military. Henry served as a leader of the royal army, taking part in the victories over the Huguenots at the Battle of Jarnac (March 1569) and at the Battle of Moncontour (October 1569). At this time he was a rallying point for the ultra-Catholics at court, who saw him as an opposition figure to the tolerant line being taken by the King, with Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine guiding his council. Lorraine offered him 200,000 Francs of Church revenue to become a protector of Catholicism, and tried to arrange his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots; however neither project took off.


title: Henry III of France

text: While still Duke of Anjou, he helped plot the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572. Though Henry did not participate directly, historian sees him as the royal most responsible for the massacre, which involved the targeted killing of many Huguenot leaders. Henry III's reign as King of France, like those of his elder brothers Francis and Charles, would see France in constant turmoil over religion.


title: Henry III of France

text: Henry continued to take an active role in the Wars of Religion, and in 1572/1573 led the siege of La Rochelle, a massive military assault on the Huguenot-held city. At the end of May 1573, Henry learned that the Polish "szlachta" had elected him King of Poland (a country with a large Protestant minority at the time) and political considerations forced him to negotiate an end to the siege. Negotiators reached an agreement on 24 June 1573, and Catholic troops ended the siege on 6 July 1573.


title: Henry III of France

text: Following the death of the Polish ruler Sigismund II Augustus on 7 July 1572, Jean de Monluc was sent as the French envoy to Poland to negotiate the election of Henry to the Polish throne in exchange for military support against Russia, diplomatic assistance in dealing with the Ottoman Empire, and financial subsidies.


title: Henry III of France

text: On 16 May 1573, Polish nobles chose Henry as the first elected monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Lithuanian nobles boycotted this election, however, and it was left to the Lithuanian ducal council to confirm his election. The commonwealth elected Henry, rather than Habsburg candidates, partly in order to be more agreeable to the Ottoman Empire (a traditional ally of France through the Franco-Ottoman alliance) and strengthen a Polish-Ottoman alliance that was in effect.


title: Henry III of France

text: A Polish delegation went to La Rochelle to meet with Henry, who was leading the Siege of La Rochelle. Henry left the siege following their visit. In Paris, on 10 September, the Polish delegation asked Henry to take an oath, at Notre Dame Cathedral, to "respect traditional Polish liberties and the law on religious freedom that had been passed during the interregnum". As a condition of his election, he was compelled to sign the "pacta conventa" and the Henrician Articles, pledging religious tolerance in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Henry chafed at the restrictions on monarchic power under the Polish-Lithuanian political system of "Golden Liberty". The Polish-Lithuanian parliament had been urged by Anna Jagiellon, the sister of the recently deceased king Sigismund II Augustus, to elect him based on the understanding that Henry would wed Anna afterward.


title: Henry III of France

text: At a ceremony before the Parlement of Paris on 13 September, the Polish delegation handed over the "certificate of election to the throne of Poland-Lithuania". Henry also gave up any claims to succession and he "recognized the principle of free election" under the Henrician Articles and the "pacta conventa".


title: Henry III of France

text: It was not until January 1574 that Henry was to reach the borders of Poland. On 21 February, Henry's coronation was held in Kraków. In mid-June 1574, upon learning of the death of his brother Charles IX, Henry left Poland and headed back to France. Henry's absence provoked a constitutional crisis that the Parliament attempted to resolve by notifying Henry that his throne would be lost if he did not return from France by 12 May 1575. His failure to return caused Parliament to declare his throne vacant.


title: Henry III of France

text: The short reign of Henry at Wawel Castle in Poland was marked by a clash of cultures between the Polish and the French. The young king and his followers were astonished by several Polish practices and disappointed by the rural poverty and harsh climate of the country. The Poles, on the other hand, wondered if all Frenchmen were as concerned with their appearance as their new king appeared to be.


title: Henry III of France

text: In many aspects, Polish culture had a positive influence on France. At Wawel, the French were introduced to new technologies of septic facilities, in which litter (excrement) was taken outside the castle walls. On returning to France, Henry wanted to order the construction of such facilities at the Louvre and other palaces. Other inventions introduced to the French by the Polish included a bath with regulated hot and cold water, as well as dining forks.


title: Henry III of France

text: In 1578, Henry created the Order of the Holy Spirit to commemorate his becoming first King of Poland and later King of France on the Feast of Pentecost and gave it precedence over the earlier Order of St. Michael, which had lost much of its original prestige by being awarded too frequently and too readily. The Order would retain its prestige as the premier chivalric order of France until the end of the French monarchy.


title: Henry III of France

text: Henry was crowned king of France on 13 February 1575 at Reims Cathedral. Although he was expected to produce an heir after he married the 21-year-old Louise of Lorraine on 14 February 1575, no issue resulted from their union.


title: Henry III of France

text: In 1576, Henry signed the Edict of Beaulieu, which granted many concessions to the Huguenots. His action resulted in the Duke of Guise forming the Catholic League. After much posturing and negotiations, Henry was forced to rescind most of the concessions that had been made to the Protestants in the edict.


title: Henry III of France

text: In 1584, the King's youngest brother and heir presumptive, Francis, Duke of Anjou, died. Under Salic Law, the next heir to the throne was Protestant Henry of Navarre, a descendant of Louis IX (Saint Louis). Under pressure from the duke of Guise, Henry III issued an edict suppressing Protestantism and annulling Henry of Navarre's right to the throne.


title: Henry III of France

text: Henry, stung by the open disobedience of Guise, attempted a coup in May 1588 and sent royal Swiss troops into several neighbourhoods. This had the unintended effect of rallying the people against him and in favor of the more popular Guise during the Day of the Barricades. Henry III fled the city, he would later seek support from the Parlement of Paris and propped up an anti-League establishment throughout France.


title: Henry III of France

text: Following the defeat of the Spanish Armada that summer, the king's fear of Spanish support for the Catholic League apparently waned. Accordingly, on 23 December 1588, at the Château de Blois, he invited Guise to the council chamber where the duke's brother Louis II, Cardinal of Guise, already waited. The duke was told that the king wished to see him in the private room adjoining the royal bedroom. There, royal guardsmen murdered the duke, then the cardinal. To make certain that no contender for the French throne was free to act against him, the king had the duke's son imprisoned. The Duke of Guise had been very popular in France, and the citizenry turned against Henry for the murders. The Parlement instituted criminal charges against the king, and he was compelled to join forces with his heir, the Protestant Henry of Navarre, by setting up the Parliament of Tours.


title: Henry III of France

text: By 1589 Henry's popularity hit a new low, preachers were calling for his assassination and labelling him a tyrant. The people of Paris disdained him for his court extravagances, allowing corruption to grow rife, high taxes and having relied extensively on Italian financiers. But what most Parisians hated most about him was his sexuality, as sodomy was seen as heresy and a social deviance at the time.


title: Henry III of France

text: Under Henry, France named the first Consul of France in Morocco in the person of Guillaume Bérard. The request came from the Moroccan prince Abd al-Malik, who had been saved by Bérard, a doctor by profession, during an epidemic in Constantinople and wished to retain Bérard in his service.


title: Henry III of France

text: Henry III encouraged the exploration and development of New World territories. In 1588, he granted Jacques Noël, the nephew of Jacques Cartier, privileges over fishing, fur trading, and mining in New France.


title: Henry III of France

text: On 1 August 1589, Henry III lodged with his army at Saint-Cloud, and was preparing to attack Paris, when a young fanatical Dominican friar, Jacques Clément, carrying false papers, was granted access to deliver important documents to the king. The friar gave the king a bundle of papers and stated that he had a secret message to deliver. The king signaled for his attendants to step back for privacy, and Clément whispered in his ear while plunging a knife into his abdomen. Clément was then killed on the spot by the guards.


title: Henry III of France

text: At first, the king's wound did not appear fatal, but he enjoined all the officers around him, in case he did not survive, to be loyal to Henry of Navarre as their new king. The following morning, on the day that he was to have launched his assault to retake Paris, Henry III died.


title: Henry III of France

text: Chaos swept the attacking army, most of it quickly melting away; the proposed attack on Paris was postponed. Inside the city, joy at the news of Henry III's death was near delirium; some hailed the assassination as an act of God.


title: Henry III of France

text: Henry III was interred at the Saint Denis Basilica. Childless, he was the longest-living of Henry II's sons to have become king and also the last of the Valois kings. Henry III of Navarre succeeded him as Henry IV, the first of the kings of the House of Bourbon.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: Robert Francis Vaughn (November 22, 1932 – November 11, 2016) was an American actor noted for his stage, film and television work. His television roles include the spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."; the detective Harry Rule in the 1970s series "The Protectors"; Morgan Wendell in the 1978–1979 miniseries "Centennial"; General Hunt Stockwell in the fifth season of the 1980s series "The A-Team"; and grifter and card sharp Albert Stroller in the British television drama series "Hustle" (2004–2012), for all but one of its 48 episodes. He also appeared in the British soap opera "Coronation Street" as Milton Fanshaw from January until February 2012.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: In film, he portrayed the gunman Lee in "The Magnificent Seven" with Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, Major Paul Krueger in "The Bridge at Remagen" with George Segal and Ben Gazzara, the voice of Proteus IV, the computer villain of "Demon Seed", Walter Chalmers in "Bullitt" with Steve McQueen, Ross Webster in "Superman III" with Christopher Reeve, General Woodbridge in "The Delta Force" with Lee Marvin, and war veteran Chester A. Gwynn in "The Young Philadelphians" with Paul Newman, which earned him a 1959 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: Robert Vaughn was born on November 22, 1932, in New York City, to Gerald Walter Vaughn, a radio actor, and his wife, Marcella Frances (Gaudel), a stage actress. His parents divorced, and Vaughn lived with his grandparents in Minneapolis while his mother traveled and performed.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: After high school, he enrolled in the University of Minnesota as a journalism major. However, he dropped out after a year and moved to Los Angeles with his mother. He studied at Los Angeles City College, then transferred to Los Angeles State College of Applied Arts and Sciences, earning a master's degree in theater. After graduating from college, Vaughn was drafted into the Army, serving as a drill sergeant. He later received a Ph.D. in communications from the University of Southern California in 1970. In 1972, he published his dissertation as the book "Only Victims: A Study of Show Business Blacklisting".


title: Robert Vaughn

text: Vaughn made his television debut on the November 21, 1955, "Black Friday" episode of the American television series "Medic", the first of more than two hundred episodic roles through mid-2000. His first film appearance was as an extra in "The Ten Commandments" (1956), playing a golden calf idolater also visible in a scene in a chariot behind that of Yul Brynner. In 1956, Vaughn made his first guest appearance on "Gunsmoke" in the episode entitled “Cooter.” The following year, he made his second guest appearance on "Gunsmoke" opposite Barbara Eden in a Romeo-Juliet role, in the episode "Romeo", which turned out okay for the bride and groom.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: Vaughn's first credited movie role came the following year in the Western "Hell's Crossroads" (1957), in which he played Bob Ford, the murderer of outlaw Jesse James. Seen by Burt Lancaster in Calder Willingham's play "End as a Man", Vaughn was signed with Lancaster's film company and was to have played the Steve Dallas role in "Sweet Smell of Success". Vaughn appeared as Stan Gray in the episode "The Twisted Road" of the western syndicated series "Frontier Doctor".


title: Robert Vaughn

text: Vaughn's first notable appearance was in "The Young Philadelphians" (1959), receiving a nomination for both the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. He next appeared as gunman Lee in "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), a role he essentially reprised 20 years later in "Battle Beyond the Stars" (1980), both films adapted from filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's 1954 Japanese samurai epic, "Seven Samurai". Vaughn was the last surviving member of those who portrayed The Magnificent Seven. He played a different role, Judge Oren Travis, on the 1998–2000 syndicated television series "The Magnificent Seven".


title: Robert Vaughn

text: In 1963 Vaughn appeared in an episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" as Jim Darling, a successful businessman and an old flame of Laura Petrie in the episode "It's A Shame She Married Me". During the 1963–64 season of "The Lieutenant", Vaughn appeared as Captain Raymond Rambridge alongside Gary Lockwood, who played a Marine second lieutenant at Camp Pendleton. Vaughn had guest-starred on Lockwood's 1961–62 series "Follow the Sun".


title: Robert Vaughn

text: His dissatisfaction with the somewhat diminished aspect of the Rambridge character led Vaughn to request an expanded role. During the conference, his name came up in a telephone call and he ended up being offered a series of his own—as Napoleon Solo, title character in a series originally to be called "Solo", but which became "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." after the pilot was reshot with Leo G. Carroll in the role of Solo's boss. This was the role which would make Vaughn a household name even behind the Iron Curtain.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: From 1964 to 1968, Vaughn played Solo with Scottish co-star David McCallum playing his fellow agent, Illya Kuryakin. This production spawned a spinoff show, large amounts of merchandising, overseas theatrical movies of re-edited episodes, and a sequel, "". After the series ended, Vaughn landed a major film role playing Walter Chalmers, a U.S. Senator in the film "Bullitt" starring Steve McQueen; he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: In 1966, Vaughn appeared as a bachelor on the nighttime premiere of "The Dating Game". He was picked for the date, which was a trip to London. After "The Man from U.N.C.L.E" was cancelled in 1968, Vaughn continued to appear on television and in mostly B movies. A notable exception is his appearance in "The Towering Inferno".


title: Robert Vaughn

text: He starred in two seasons of the British detective series "The Protectors" in the early 1970s. He also appeared in two episodes of "Columbo" during the mid-1970s, "Troubled Waters" (1975) and "Last Salute to the Commodore" (1976). The latter episode is one of the few in the series where the identity of the murderer is not known until the end. Vaughn won an Emmy for his portrayal of Frank Flaherty in "" (ABC, 1977) and during the 1980s starred with friend George Peppard in the final season of "The A-Team". Vaughn played Morgan Wendell, opponent to Paul Garrett played by David Janssen in the 1978–79 miniseries "Centennial".


title: Robert Vaughn

text: Vaughn portrayed Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, in addition to Woodrow Wilson (in the 1979 television mini-series "Backstairs at the White House"). He additionally played Roosevelt in the 1982 HBO telefilm "FDR: That Man in the White House". In 1983, he starred as villainous multi millionaire Ross Webster in "Superman III". In 1983–1984, he appeared as industrialist Harlan Adams in the short-lived series "Emerald Point N.A.S.", replacing Patrick O'Neal. In the mid-1990s, he made several cameo appearances on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" as an audience member who berates the host and his guests beginning with "you people make me sick."


title: Robert Vaughn

text: After a string of guest roles on series such as "Law & Order" (in which he had a recurring role during season eight as Carl Anderton, a wealthy businessman who vows revenge on the NYC DA's office and longtime friend Adam Schiff for sending his grandson to juvenile correction for murdering his stepsister), Vaughn experienced a resurgence in 2004. He began co-starring in the British TV drama series "Hustle", made for BBC One. The series was also broadcast in the United States on the cable network AMC. In the series, Vaughn played elder-statesman American con artist Albert Stroller, a father figure to a group of younger grifters. In September 2006, he guest-starred on an episode of "".


title: Robert Vaughn

text: Vaughn also appeared as himself narrating and being a character in a radio play broadcast by BBC Radio 4 in 2007 about making the film "The Bridge at Remagen" in Prague, during the Russian invasion of 1968. In November 2011, it was announced that Vaughn would appear for three weeks in the British soap opera "Coronation Street". His role as Milton in the long-running program lasted from January to February 2012.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: In later years, Vaughn appeared in syndicated advertisements marketed by Commercial Pro, Inc. for various personal injury and workers compensation law firms, using the catchphrase, "Tell them you mean business".


title: Robert Vaughn

text: Vaughn married actress Linda Staab in 1974. They appeared together in a 1973 episode of "The Protectors", called "It Could Be Practically Anywhere on the Island". They adopted two children, Cassidy (born 1976) and Caitlin (born 1981). They resided in Ridgefield, Connecticut.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: During the late 1960s Joyce Jameson was a girlfriend of Vaughn's. She acted opposite Vaughn as a guest star on a 1966 U.N.C.L.E. episode "The Dippy Blond Affair".


title: Robert Vaughn

text: For many years, it was believed Vaughn was the biological father of English film director and producer Matthew Vaughn, born when the actor was in a relationship with early 1970s socialite Kathy Ceaton. However, a paternity investigation identified the father as George de Vere Drummond, an English aristocrat and godson of King George VI. Early in Matthew's life, Vaughn asked for the child's surname to be Vaughn, which Matthew continues to use professionally.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: Vaughn was a longtime member of the Democratic Party. His family was also Democratic and was involved in politics in Minneapolis. Early in his career, he was described as a "liberal Democrat". He was opposed to the Hollywood Blacklist of suspected Communists on freedom of speech principles, but Vaughn also was opposed to Communism as a totalitarian system. Vaughn campaigned for John F. Kennedy in the Presidential election of 1960 for U.S. President. He was the chair of the California Democratic State Central Committee speakers bureau and actively campaigned for candidates in the 1960s.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: Vaughn was the first popular American actor to take a public stand against the Vietnam War and was active in the peace group Another Mother for Peace. Vaughn debated William F. Buckley Jr. on his program Firing Line on the Vietnam War. With Dick Van Dyke and Carl Reiner, he was a founder of Dissenting Democrats. Early in the 1968 presidential election, they supported the candidacy of Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy, who was running for president as an alternative to Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who had supported President Lyndon Johnson's escalation of the war in Vietnam.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: Vaughn was reported to have political ambitions of his own, but in a 1973 interview, he denied having had any political aspirations. In a conversation with historian Jack Sanders, he stated that after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, "I lost heart for the battle."


title: Robert Vaughn

text: Vaughn published "Only Victims: A Study of Show Business Blacklisting" in 1972. His second book, "A Fortunate Life", was published in 2008.


title: Robert Vaughn

text: on November 11, 2016, eleven days before his 84th birthday, after a year-long treatment for leukemia.


title: The Mars Volta

text: The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms the core of the band. The band's current line-up also includes founding member Eva Gardner (bass), Omar's brother Marcel Rodríguez-López (keyboards, synths, percussion), Linda-Philomène Tsoungui (drums) and Leo Genovese (keyboards, saxophone).


title: The Mars Volta

text: Known for their energetic live shows and concept albums, The Mars Volta formed following the break-up of Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala's previous band, At the Drive-In. Seeking to experiment and expand their sound, Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala recruited Gardner, Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (keyboards), Jon Theodore (drums) and Jeremy Ward (sound manipulation) to form The Mars Volta. The band released their debut EP, "Tremulant", in 2002, with Gardner leaving the band prior to recording their debut album, "De-Loused in the Comatorium". She was replaced by Red Hot Chili Peppers bass guitarist Flea for the sessions. The Rick Rubin-produced album received widespread critical acclaim upon its release in 2003.


title: The Mars Volta

text: The band's second studio album, "Frances the Mute" (2005), was self-produced by Rodríguez-López and was the first to feature longterm members Juan Alderete (bass) and Marcel Rodríguez-López. The album debuted at #4 on the US "Billboard" 200 and became the band's biggest commercial success, selling over 500,000 copies in the US and achieving Gold certification from the RIAA. The band's third studio album, "Amputechture", was released in 2006 and was the last album to feature Theodore. In 2008, the band released "The Bedlam in Goliath", a concept album inspired by the band's turbulent experiences with a ouija-type talking board. The album's first single, "Wax Simulacra" was awarded a Grammy Award in 2009 for Best Hard Rock Performance. The band released its fifth album, "Octahedron", in June 2009.


title: The Mars Volta

text: Following the release of their sixth album, "Noctourniquet" (2012), and a run of reunion shows with At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta entered a hiatus in September 2012. Rodríguez-López subsequently formed a new project, Bosnian Rainbows, and the band formally broke up after disagreements between Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala. The duo repaired their friendship and reunited in 2014 for a new project, Antemasque, and further At the Drive-In tours and recording sessions.


title: The Mars Volta

text: Reuniting in secret in 2019, Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala recorded a new studio album, "The Mars Volta", with Gardner, Marcel Rodríguez-López and drummer Willy Rodriguez Quiñones. The band announced their reunion – after ten years of public inactivity – with an art installation called L'ytome Hodorxí Telesterion, in June 2022. For the band's live return, jazz pianist Leo Genovese and drummer Linda-Philomène Tsoungui were added to the line-up.


title: The Mars Volta

text: The Volta is taken from a Federico Fellini book about his films, what he characterizes as a changing of scene, or a turnaround; a new scene to him is called Volta. Y'know, changing of time and the changeover. And Mars, we're just fascinated by science fiction so and it's something that ultimately looked as in anything I write, its meaning is always up to the listener. As the way we write songs and words, if it looks great on paper then to us it's like painting, so if it looks good meaning the second then people usually have a better interpretation than we ever would.


title: The Mars Volta

text: The roots of The Mars Volta are found in the band At the Drive-In. ATDI imploded on the verge of a commercial breakthrough, partly due to boredom, partly to musical differences. Members Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López began to further explore their experimental, dub-influenced side project called De Facto, which featured Bixler-Zavala on drums, Rodríguez-López on bass, Isaiah "Ikey" Owens on keyboards, and Jeremy Ward on vocals, loops and sound effects.


title: The Mars Volta

text: During 2001 Eva Gardner joined the members of De Facto on bass, and they recorded two songs with drummer Blake Fleming and producer Alex Newport, which became the first demo by The Mars Volta. The lineup for their first public show at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, California was Rodríguez-López, Bixler-Zavala, Owens, Gardner, Ward, and drummer Jon Theodore. This lineup recorded three more tracks with Alex Newport, which became the EP "Tremulant", released in early 2002 by Gold Standard Laboratories.


title: The Mars Volta

text: After the demise of At the Drive-In, Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala found themselves once again starting from the ground up, touring and performing in smaller venues. In their early years The Mars Volta were characterized by chaotic live shows and heavy drug use.


title: The Mars Volta

text: Following "Tremulant", The Mars Volta continued touring with a fluid line-up while preparing to record their debut full-length album "De-Loused in the Comatorium", produced with Rick Rubin and released on June 24, 2003. Whereas "Tremulant" had no general theme (except the prophetic mentioning) "De-Loused" was a unified work of speculative fiction telling the first-person story of someone in a drug-induced coma, battling the evil side of his mind. Though lyrically obscure, The Mars Volta stated in interviews that the album's protagonist is based on their late friend Julio Venegas, or ""Cerpin Taxt"", an El Paso poet and artist who went into a coma for several years after a deliberate drug overdose, recovered and later committed suicide. He died jumping from the Mesa Street overpass onto Interstate-10 in El Paso during afternoon rush-hour traffic. (Venegas' death was also referenced in the At the Drive-In song "Embroglio" from their album "Acrobatic Tenement".)


title: The Mars Volta

text: In an interview with "The Aquarian Weekly" in 2008, Cedric Bixler-Zavala said about working with Rubin, "Rick really over-simplified some of the parts that we thought were unique, and just made them very digestible. He's got this thing about representing the common man's ears—I'd rather jab the common man's ears. If we don't, we'll never get to a place where future music exists."


title: The Mars Volta

text: The Mars Volta had no official bassist during the recording session, but Flea (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) played bass on nine of the album's ten songs, with Justin Meldal-Johnsen playing double bass on "Televators". Flea's bandmate John Frusciante also contributed additional guitar, synthesizer and backing vocals to "Cicatriz ESP". After several temporary replacements, a permanent bassist for the band was found in Juan Alderete (formerly of Racer X).


title: The Mars Volta

text: Despite limited promotion, "De-Loused" earned strong reviews, and appeared on several 'year-end best-of' lists. The album remains The Mars Volta's best-seller, with over 500,000 copies sold. Rolling Stone ranked a track from "De-Loused", "Drunkship of Lanterns", the 91st Best Guitar Song Ever. The band later released a limited-edition storybook version of the album, available by download from the Gold Standard Laboratories website. The book speaks of Cerpin Taxt (Julio Venegas) and his suicide.


title: The Mars Volta

text: While on tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in support of the album, founding member Jeremy Ward died of a heroin overdose. The band had canceled the tour's second leg, and the first single from "De-Loused" was later dedicated to Ward. It was this event which finally convinced band leaders Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala to purportedly quit using opioids. Bixler-Zavala recalled: "One day, we were all getting high, and Jeremy asked me if I could see he had worms in his head. I never touched the stuff again. His passing was the final nail in the coffin. We never went back."


title: The Mars Volta

text: As the band resumed touring to support "De-Loused", they added Marcel Rodríguez-López (Omar's brother) on percussion. Work on their second album began in 2004. That year the band received the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Vanguard Award.


title: The Mars Volta

text: In 2005, the band released "Frances the Mute". The story given by the band on the album's concept concerns a diary that had been found in a repossessed car by late sound technician Jeremy Ward, while working as a repo-man. The author of the diary is unknown but appeared to be someone who was adopted and was searching for their birth parents, and who may have suffered from mental illness caused by the death of a loved one. The lyrics for each track on the album are loosely based on characters and life events described in this person's diary.


title: The Mars Volta

text: "Frances the Mute" started as a bigger commercial hit than "De-Loused", moving 123,000 copies in its first week, and debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard album charts. Reviews of "Frances" were generally positive (with a 75 on Metacritic) if somewhat polarized; "Rolling Stone" called it "a feverish and baroque search for self that conjures up the same majesty and gravity as Led Zeppelin three decades before", and even the detractors of "Frances the Mute" generally praised the band's musical abilities. "L'Via L'Viaquez" was later released as the 12 minute B-side to "The Bible And The Breathalyzer" single, a song which did not appear on the album. "Frances the Mute" has sold nearly 465,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan ratings.


title: The Mars Volta

text: Rodríguez-López wrote all of the instrumental parts as well as arranging and producing the recording sessions himself. He used a method that Miles Davis used to evoke great performances from bandmates: refusing to let the other members hear each other's parts, or the context of their own part, thereby forcing them to play each part as if it were a self-sufficient song. In order to accomplish this, the musicians recorded to the pulse of a metronome. While in the studio, Rodríguez-López recruited Adrián Terrazas-González to play saxophone, flute, and additional wind instruments for the album. Terrazas-González was added as a permanent member to The Mars Volta while touring in support of "Frances the Mute".


title: The Mars Volta

text: Several songs written during the original recording sessions for the album never made the final cut. Notably, the self-titled 14-minute epic "Frances the Mute", which was originally to open the album and was ultimately supposed to decode the album's concept, was not included due to time constraints. Instead the track was featured as a b-side to the single release for "The Widow".


title: The Mars Volta

text: On May 21, 2005, instead of playing a traditional set at KROQ's Weenie Roast Festival, the band played a 50-minute improvisation jam that was jokingly named on-the-spot as "Abortion, The Other White Meat" by Rodríguez-López. In keeping with The Mars Volta's tradition of testing and developing new work live, parts of "Abortion" later appeared on "Population Council's Wet Dream" from Rodríguez-López's 2009 album "Old Money".


title: The Mars Volta

text: Midway through their headlining U.S. tour, former At the Drive-In member Paul Hinojos left the band Sparta to join The Mars Volta, claiming, "My time with Sparta has run its course, and simply wasn't fun anymore." Hinojos joined as rhythm guitarist and became the band's sound manipulator, the position previously held by the late Ward. Hinojos had previously toured with The Mars Volta in 2003 and 2004.


title: The Mars Volta

text: During mid-2005, the band toured in support of the album with System of a Down and curated the All Tomorrow's Parties festival at Camber Sands in England. In addition, a full-length live album named "Scabdates" was released on November 8, 2005.


title: The Mars Volta

text: Upon finishing the majority of touring for "Frances the Mute" in fall 2005, Rodríguez-López traveled to Amsterdam and wrote what became "Amputechture", which was released on September 8, 2006, in Europe, on September 9, 2006, in Australia and on September 12, 2006, in the U.S. Rodríguez-López spent much of his time in Amsterdam working on and performing various solo projects most notably under the name "Omar Rodriguez Quintet". During this time Rodríguez-López also composed the score to the film "El Búfalo de la Noche", which was written and directed by Guillermo Arriaga and Jorge Hernandez Aldana respectively. The Mars Volta as a whole performed the score.


title: The Mars Volta

text: "Amputechture" was produced by Rodríguez-López and mixed by Rich Costey. Jeff Jordan provided the artwork, making it their first album not to feature the work of Storm Thorgerson. It was once again a concept album, but rather than telling a story, the album was a series of vignettes, with each song telling a different story. It became the last album with drummer Jon Theodore, whom Rodríguez-López fired before touring in support of the album. Rodríguez-López said in an interview with an Italian fan site that Theodore was the only member in the band who was not happy playing live and brought down the moods of the rest.


title: The Mars Volta

text: John Frusciante was featured on every track on "Amputechture", except for "Asilos Magdalena". Rodríguez-López contributed the solos and riffs where the guitar work needed to be doubled. Bixler-Zavala said in an interview, "...he taught Frusciante all the new songs and Frusciante tracked guitars for us so Omar could sit back and listen to the songs objectively. It's great that he wants to help us and do that."


title: The Mars Volta

text: On July 28, 2006, the drummer's spot was filled by Blake Fleming, formerly of Laddio Bolocko, Dazzling Killmen, and the very first Mars Volta demos. A new song titled "Rapid Fire Tollbooth" was debuted live on September 22, 2006, in Chicago, Illinois, as reported by fans and attendees of the show who had received set lists from the stage. The song originally appears on Rodríguez-López's solo album "Se Dice Bisonte, No Búfalo". The song eventually evolved into the track "Goliath" from the band's fourth studio album.


title: The Mars Volta

text: On September 25, 2006, The Mars Volta played a unique set on the opening night of a double-header in Toronto, Ontario. Cedric Bixler-Zavala fell ill and could not perform, so The Mars Volta played with John Frusciante on third guitar. The set consisted of over 47 minutes of instrumental material, including a lengthy cover of the Pink Floyd composition "Interstellar Overdrive". On October 17, 2006, while opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the band played with drummer Deantoni Parks as Rodríguez-López had fired Fleming because of complications within the band. Parks remained with the band only until the conclusion of the Japanese tour because of his prior commitments with other bands. On October 31, 2006, in Cleveland, Ohio, as Parks could not perform, The Mars Volta played an approximately 40-minute improvisation set as a rehearsal for another drummer, Thomas Pridgen.


title: The Mars Volta

text: On a 2006 episode of The Henry Rollins Show, The Mars Volta performed "Tetragrammaton" and "Day of the Baphomets" in a rare television performance. Afterwards, they did an interview with Rollins about the creation of "Amputechture".


title: The Mars Volta

text: In 2007, Thomas Pridgen became the new permanent drummer for the band. Pridgen's first full-time appearance was at the March 12 show in New Zealand, where the band debuted the song "Idle Tooth" which was later renamed "Wax Simulacra" for the forthcoming album. After shows in New Zealand and Australia, The Mars Volta toured a few West Coast venues as the headliner, then entered the studio to record their fourth LP, "The Bedlam in Goliath". One of these performances was captured in a live concert DVD (which remains unreleased) shot by director Jorge Hernandez Aldana.


title: The Mars Volta

text: Despite finding a permanent drummer and getting the band back on track, the recording and production of the album was reportedly plagued by difficulties related to a bad experience with a Ouija board purchased in a curio shop in Jerusalem. According to Rodríguez-López, their original engineer experienced a nervous breakdown, his studio flooded twice, and both he and mixer Rich Costey claimed that various tracks would disappear at random.


title: The Mars Volta

text: On November 5, 2007, The Mars Volta released a document by Jeremy Robert Johnson titled, "The Mars Volta's Descent into Bedlam: A Rhapsody in Three Parts". The document includes a history of the band and describes the obstacles and inspirations they encountered in the creation of "The Bedlam in Goliath". On November 20, 2007 "Wax Simulacra", the first single from the forthcoming album, was released with a cover of "Pulled to Bits" by Siouxsie and the Banshees as the b-side.


title: The Mars Volta

text: The band kicked off their supporting tour with a December 29, 2007 "secret show" at the Echoplex in Los Angeles, California, followed by a special New Year's Eve performance at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. That night they played their first ever acoustic set, which included six songs and a live performance of "Miranda, That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore". The band then departed on a club tour of the U.S. east coast throughout January, with an album release show at San Diego's Soma, followed by another month's worth of European dates from mid-February to mid-March.


title: The Mars Volta

text: On January 2, 2008, The Mars Volta released an online game called "Goliath: The Soothsayer", based on a true story that inspired their forthcoming album "The Bedlam In Goliath". The album chronicles the band's purported experience with the "Soothsayer", a Ouija board owned by vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and its transition from a source of fun on tour to a psycho-spiritual force that almost tore the band apart. The game was available for a limited time exclusively via Amazon.com.


title: The Mars Volta

text: On January 17, 2008, the band made their U.S. network television debut, performing "Wax Simulacra" on the Late Show with David Letterman (Rodríguez-López, Bixler-Zavala and Hinojos had appeared on the show with At the Drive-In in 2000). On January 22, they made a surprise appearance at Toronto, Ontario, Canada's MTV Live studios, where they performed "Wax Simulacra" and an extended version of "Goliath". In late January, the new album debuted at a career-best No. 3 on the Billboard 200.


title: The Mars Volta

text: The song "Wax Simulacra" won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. It was the band's first nomination and win. The band members thanked their families and Bixler urged people not to forget the memories of the recently departed Lux Interior and Ron Asheton.


title: The Mars Volta

text: Omar Rodríguez-López had discussed the band's next album as early as January 2008, the month that "The Bedlam in Goliath" was released, claiming "I consider it to be our acoustic album." Cedric Bixler-Zavala had expressed an urge for the album to not be released on a major label. In February 2009, Rodríguez-López claimed "the next two Mars Volta records are already recorded and waiting for a release date."


title: The Mars Volta

text: On April 14, 2009, The Mars Volta announced their fifth studio album, entitled "Octahedron". It was released June 23 in the United States and June 22 in the rest of the world. A vinyl version was released on July 21 in a limited edition of 500 LPs. In the spirit of distillation of the band's sound, Rodríguez-López asked saxophonist Adrián Terrazas-González and guitarist/sound manipulator Paul Hinojos to leave. Regarding their departure, percussionist Marcel Rodríguez-López noted that: "it's like we got a whole new band. It's two less members – we got to play differently."


title: The Mars Volta

text: The first single released in North America was "Since We've Been Wrong". The first European single was "Cotopaxi".


title: The Mars Volta

text: An excerpt from The Mars Volta's performance at the All Tomorrow's Parties, UK 2005 A Nightmare Before Christmas festival was featured in the All Tomorrow's Parties film, which was released in cinemas during October 2009.


title: The Mars Volta

text: During the Octahedron tour, the show on October 23 in Raleigh, NC was unexpectedly cancelled. It was supposed to be the final show of the North American leg of the tour, but was cancelled due to an argument between Bixler-Zavala and Thomas Pridgen, the drummer at the time, which ended with Pridgen abruptly leaving the venue. A month later, Pridgen confirmed his departure from The Mars Volta via Facebook stating he was "not in TMV anymore". In a February 2011 interview, Pridgen said he left the group "because the singer had a jealous ego trip. There's nothing more to elaborate on"; however, Juan Alderete stated in 2013 that "Thomas got really drunk, did some bad things and did some real damage to the trust we all had with him." The band later completed the tour with drummer Dave Elitch. They played throughout Europe and Australia until the end of January 2010.


title: The Mars Volta

text: In October 2010, The Mars Volta played two shows in Brazil and Chile. Long-time keyboardist, Ikey Owens, was absent during these dates due to touring commitments with his own project, Free Moral Agents.


title: The Mars Volta

text: Shortly after "Octahedron"'s release, Rodríguez-López claimed to have put the supposed follow-up "on hold" and was starting work on a completely new album. In an April 2010 interview with Rolling Stone, Rodríguez-López talked about trying to loosen his grip in the studio. He claimed to have finished writing the album, and was awaiting lyrics and vocals from Bixler-Zavala. Rodríguez-López spent most of 2010 focusing on his solo career, and little information regarding the sixth Mars Volta album was released. During this year drummer Deantoni Parks began touring with Rodríguez-López as well as appearing on several solo records, and Cathy Pellow of Sargent House Records confirmed that Parks was in talks to become the next drummer for The Mars Volta.


title: The Mars Volta

text: In 2011 Rodríguez-López spoke about the band's new album in several interviews, saying that it would feature thirteen songs which, "[are] a simplified version of what we've done before", and would be released "Whenever the record label decides to put it out". Bixler-Zavala took the opportunity to make a few remarks on the sound of the album, indicating a drastic change in sound for the band, referring to the new sound as "future punk".


title: The Mars Volta

text: On March 19, 2011, the Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group performed at SXSW. Bixler-Zavala joined the group as a vocalist, performing entirely new material with the band, which led to speculations of the show being a secret Mars Volta show under the Omar Rodríguez-López Group moniker. The Group continued to tour throughout April with the same lineup of Bixler-Zavala, Omar and Marcel Rodríguez-López, Juan Alderete, Deantoni Parks and (previously offstage) keyboardist/sound manipulator Lars Stalfors. An official Mars Volta tour began in summer of 2011, consisting of them opening for Soundgarden on select dates. This was in addition to their opening slot for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in their one-off gig in Hong Kong on August 9, 2011. During these shows the band (featuring the same six members) continued to play the new material premiered during the Omar Rodríguez-López Group tour earlier in the year, with Bixler-Zavala telling the crowd at one show that he was "inviting them to a private rehearsal for their new album," confirming the material was off the band's upcoming album.


title: The Mars Volta

text: Keyboardist Ikey Owens, who had played with the band since its inception, was noticeably absent from all 2011 dates. When asked in an interview, Owens stated that he knew "Absolutely nothing [of the upcoming album]. I haven't heard one note of it; I haven't played on it. I don't know if I am going to play on it; I have no idea". Bassist Juan Alderete later revealed via his Twitter page that Owens was no longer playing with The Mars Volta as he was busy "producing bands". Marcel Rodríguez-López and Lars Stalfors took over keyboard and synth duties with the band in lieu of Owens.


title: The Mars Volta

text: On January 5, 2012, a new song titled "Zed and Two Naughts", a song revealed to be from the band's upcoming album, was confirmed to be included on the Soundtrack.


title: The Mars Volta

text: On January 12, it was revealed that the upcoming album would be called "Noctourniquet". Later that week, an official page went up confirming "Noctourniquet" as the album title along with unveiling the album art and a full track listing and announcing March 27, 2012 as the release date. The album's first single, "The Malkin Jewel," was first broadcast on February 13 and subsequently released on February 14.


title: The Mars Volta

text: After the conclusion of the "Noctourniquet" tour, Omar Rodríguez-López decided to put The Mars Volta on hold to fully concentrate on his new project, Bosnian Rainbows, which also features Deantoni Parks. When asked in an interview if the band will reunite, he stated:


title: The Mars Volta

text: I don't know, and I'm not insecure enough to have to ask myself that. It's like, we've done that for ten years, eleven years. Now we're all doing different things, and everything that we're doing informs how we express ourselves, and so if that happens then it happens and if it doesn't it doesn't. It's not something to be worried about. It shouldn't occupy a space in the mind. There's way too many things that are much too important to occupy space in the mind.


title: The Mars Volta

text: On January 23, 2013, Cedric Bixler-Zavala revealed that he was no longer a part of The Mars Volta on Twitter and that the band had broken up.


title: The Mars Volta

text: Bixler-Zavala subsequently focused on his solo music and eventually formed a new band, Zavalaz, which also includes Juan Alderete. He stated shortly after that he was "currently not on speaking terms" with Rodríguez-López and that "the falling out had been four years in the making, so the final announcement on my part was really just to let the children know that Mom and Dad were splitting up".


title: The Mars Volta

text: Rodríguez-López, meanwhile, did not rule out the possibility of The Mars Volta reuniting in the future: "Because of all my anger and how I dealt with people, I spent so much of my life just closing doors left and right. At this point, I refuse to close any, only to open new ones. Whatever comes my way - as long as it's filled with joy and positivity - I want to give my talents to it. [...] I'm not interested in throwing tantrums any more." He elaborated further on an article with Billboard, acknowledging Bixler-Zavala's decision to depart TMV, effectively ending the over 20 year musical partnership between Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala for the foreseeable future. Rodríguez-López stated, "I was making a film and heard about it hours later; people were like, 'Are you OK?' I understand where he's coming from; I've known the guy for 22 years. I'll always respect and support any decision he makes. If that's how he wants it, I totally get it and I support it."


title: The Mars Volta

text: In August 2013, a collection of unreleased songs, demos, alternate versions, and in-studio jams roughly spanning from 2005 until the "Noctourniquet" sessions was leaked online. The source of these recordings still remains unknown.


title: The Mars Volta

text: In February 2014, several posts on the Comatorium message board by sources close to the band revealed that Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López have been meeting and speaking again, hinting at a possible Mars Volta reunion. The rumors were further fueled when Bixler-Zavala's wife Chrissie posted a picture on Instagram of her husband and Rodríguez-López holding Bixler's twin boys at a California beach. On April 9, a new project featuring Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala, Antemasque was announced; Antemasque also featured Flea on bass and Dave Elitch on drums.


title: The Mars Volta

text: On October 14, 2014, founding member Isaiah "Ikey" Owens was found dead in his hotel room while on tour in Mexico with Jack White. According to a representative, Owens died of a heart attack.


title: The Mars Volta

text: In an interview with "Rolling Stone" on July 11, 2016, when asked about a potential return of The Mars Volta, Rodriguez-Lopez stated, "At some point, we’d love to do [Mars Volta] again too, you know what I mean? There’s so much to do there as well." In February 2018, Bixler-Zavala confirmed on Twitter that The Mars Volta will "be back soon", but later clarified that At the Drive-In activity will take precedence for the immediate future. In May 2019, further tweeting from Bixler-Zavala suggested he and Rodríguez-López had been experimenting with new material.


title: The Mars Volta

text: On February 23, 2021, Hamburg based label Clouds Hill Group announced they had acquired rights to handle the band's discography, as well as Omar Rodriguez-Lopez' entire back catalogue, with official reissues of both discographies expected.


title: The Mars Volta

text: On March 4, 2021, Clouds Hill posted a video on Twitter titled 'COMING SOON', featuring audio from "De-Loused in the Comatorium", as well as alternate artwork of the album cover. This was later confirmed as the 18-LP box set of the band's entire discography titled "La Realidad de Los Sueños" ("The Reality of Dreams"), including unreleased material from the "De-Loused in the Comatorium" sessions titled "Landscape Tantrums". The set was released on April 23, 2021.


title: The Mars Volta

text: On June 18, 2022, the band revealed the coordinates to a location in Los Angeles, California, where fans were allowed to preview new music from the band via an art installation called "L'ytome Hodorxí Telesterion". This was followed up by the release of the single "Blacklight Shine" and a tour announcement, marking both their first new music and first live shows in ten years. The band released a follow-up single "Graveyard Love" on July 8. The band subsequently announced their first album in 10 years, "The Mars Volta", which was released on September 16.


title: The Mars Volta

text: The band's music includes elements from a wide variety of genres, including hardcore, psychedelic rock, and free jazz. Omar Rodríguez-López commented, "Progressive is not a dirty word for people to use about us. If you're not moving forward, you're stagnant. And that's no way to live." Almost the entire band's output was composed solely by Rodríguez-López, with lyrics and vocal melodies written by Cedric Bixler-Zavala. They cited artists/bands such as King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Can, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Larry Harlow, Miles Davis, Fela Kuti, Ennio Morricone, Throbbing Gristle, Talk Talk, Black Flag, Brainiac, Björk, Roni Size, Jaga Jazzist and Aphex Twin as their influences. According to Rodríguez-López, cinema also largely influences his songwriting: "Creating tension, creating flow, creating scenes, creating fast-paced scenes, creating minimal dialogue – it's one of our biggest influences".


title: The Mars Volta

text: Many artists and bands have cited The Mars Volta as an influence, including Mastodon, Lizzo, Protest the Hero, Nick Hipa of As I Lay Dying, The Fall of Troy, Danny Marino of The Agonist, Tor Oddmund Suhrke of Leprous, Jonathan Nido of The Ocean, Mutiny on the Bounty, The Old Dead Tree, Canvas Solaris and Syriak of Unexpect.


title: The Mars Volta

text: A number of other artists have been quoted expressing admiration for their work such as Neil Peart of Rush, Tool, Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, James Hetfield of Metallica, Holger Czukay of Can Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, and Kanye West.


title: The Mars Volta

text: According to the liner notes for "Amputechture", "The Bedlam in Goliath", "Octahedron" and "Noctourniquet": "The partnership between Omar Rodríguez-López & Cedric Bixler-Zavala is The Mars Volta. These compositions are then performed by The Mars Volta Group."


title: Teyana Taylor

text: Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Shumpert ( Taylor; born December 10, 1990) is an American singer, actress, dancer and choreographer. In 2005, she signed a record deal with Pharrell Williams' Star Trak Entertainment imprint. Afterwards, she choreographed the music video for "Ring the Alarm" by Beyoncé. Taylor would then appear on MTV's "My Super Sweet 16", prior to the 2008 release of her debut single "Google Me". Soon after, she landed uncredited guest features on the songs "Dark Fantasy" and "Hell of a Life" by Kanye West, from his album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" (2010).


title: Teyana Taylor

text: In 2011, Taylor starred as Sabrina in the Tyler Perry film "Madea's Big Happy Family". After asking to be released from her recording contract with Star Trak, she signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music label through Def Jam; and appeared on the Good Music compilation album "Cruel Summer" (2012), which reached number two on the "Billboard" 200 chart. In 2014, Taylor released her debut album "VII"; and has followed it with the release of the studio albums "K.T.S.E." (2018), and "The Album" (2020), the latter of which reached the top ten on the "Billboard" 200 chart.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: As an actress, Taylor has acted in the VH1 television series "The Breaks", Lee Daniels' "Star", and the Amazon Prime Video film "Coming 2 America". Additionally, she starred in the VH1 reality television show "Teyana and Iman", alongside her husband, basketball player Iman Shumpert. Taylor has collaborated with musicians such as Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and Missy Elliott, and has co-written records for artists, including Usher, Chris Brown, and Omarion.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: Taylor was born on December 10, 1990, to Nikki Taylor and Tito Smith, in Harlem, New York City. She is of African and Trinidadian descent. Taylor is her mother's only child while her father has two sons and another daughter from a different relationship. Her mother raised her and is currently her manager.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: In September 2006, 15-year-old Teyana Taylor was credited as the choreographer on the music video for American entertainer Beyoncé's hit single, "Ring the Alarm". In January 2007, Taylor signed a deal to join American recording artist and record producer Pharrell Williams' Star Trak Entertainment label, through Interscope Records. In February 2007, Taylor first came into the public's awareness through her episode on MTV's "My Super Sweet Sixteen", a show depicting over-the-top birthday parties for rich teenagers. In 2007, Taylor appeared in the music video for Jay-Z's single, "Blue Magic", where she can be seen dancing and popping.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: In February 2008, Taylor released her commercial debut single, called "Google Me". The song was released as the lead single for her debut full-length project, which is her debut mixtape, titled "From a Planet Called Harlem". The tape, released August 16, 2009, features production from Jazze Pha, Pharrell, Mad Scientist, Frost, Shondre and Hit-Boy, among others. The tape also features "a mix of throwback break beats, futuristic boom bap, and melodic renderings is the perfect backdrop for the starlet's musical mayhem." "Google Me" reached at number 90 on the US "Billboard" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The tape was also released for free download, billed as "the mixtape before her debut album".


title: Teyana Taylor

text: In August 2010, Taylor, ventured her career into acting, appearing in the sequel of "Stomp the Yard", titled "". She also appeared on the debut episode of "House of Glam" on Oxygen, which aired in October 2010.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: In 2010, just hours before Kanye West's fifth album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", had to be turned in, West called Taylor to the studio to look at some of her fashion pieces. While in the studio, Taylor was determined to make the appearance on West's fifth album. She purposefully hummed along with the tracks he played for her, to get his attention. He eventually asked her to put her vocals on a few tracks, notably "Dark Fantasy" and "Hell of a Life". Upon recalling the experience of recording "Dark Fantasy", Taylor stated that "at the time it was pretty empty, just verses." She remembers that West "put [her] in another room by [herself] and said, 'Go'." Taylor came back with the "intro and chorus," and "did all the scratches and the cuts [herself]." She admitted that she was nervous upon letting West hear her contributions to the tracks, trying to cover her nervousness by stating that she "hadn't been in the studio for so long."


title: Teyana Taylor

text: In 2010, Taylor contributed on one of the GOOD Music's GOOD Friday tracks, titled "Christmas In Harlem". The track was released as a shortened version of the single to the iTunes Store on December 17, 2010, which features guest appearances from American rappers Cyhi the Prynce and West. In 2010, Taylor, alongside fellow American rapper Bow Wow, were offered their roles for Tyler Perry's play-turned-film "Madea's Big Happy Family", the fifth installment in Perry's series, which was released on April 22, 2011. Taylor delved back into music and was featured on the hook of the single, called "Party Tonight", alongside these fellow rappers Randyn Julius, Jim Jones and Cam'ron. Randyn Julius was later enlisted for Junior Reid to do his part to the remix to the track.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: In January 2012, it was announced Taylor would be granted her release from the contract with Interscope and Star Trak. Taylor stated that she and Star Trak founder Pharrell Williams, have remained amicable since the end of their business relationship. She has credited him as a "big brother" and sees her early signing to Star Trak as a "blessing." Taylor has stated on many occasions that her release from the label was necessary because she wanted to have a level of independence in the music industry. In an interview with DJ Skee, Taylor mentioned that "when [she] was signed for six years, [she] felt like she couldn't do [anything]," and that she "couldn't prove to [her] fans that [she] had the talent" and "couldn't sing from [her] heart."


title: Teyana Taylor

text: As an independent artist at the time of her release, she had begun preparing her second release, a mixtape titled "The Misunderstanding of Teyana Taylor". The mixtape drew influences from 1990s R&B legends like Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige. The tape was released in the first half of 2012, and was preceded by the release of "Make Your Move" (feat. Wale) and "D.U.I." (feat. Jadakiss & Fabolous), which was released on February 25, 2012. More positive reviews of the latter track note that "The Harlem songstress channels Janet Jackson as she glides over the smooth Hit-Boy-produced beat with her airy vocals, while fellow New Yorkers Fabolous and Jadakiss ride shotgun".


title: Teyana Taylor

text: After taking some time to find herself as an independent artist, Taylor signed a joint-venture deal with Kanye West's label GOOD Music and The Island Def Jam Music Group, on June 14, 2012. As part of GOOD Music, Taylor appears on the GOOD Music compilation album "Cruel Summer", released September 18, 2012. She provides vocals for the opening track "To the World", with Kanye West and R. Kelly, provides the hook and chorus for "Sin City", which also features John Legend, Cyhi the Prynce, Malik Yusef and Travis Scott, and also duets with John Legend on a song titled "Bliss". Taylor and Legend's duet on the album was highly praised, with Erika Ramirez of "Billboard" noting that "Taylor's beautifully brash voice ... illuminates in the electric-guitar heavy, Hudson Mohawke-produced 'Bliss'."


title: Teyana Taylor

text: In addition to being featured on the GOOD Music compilation "Cruel Summer", Taylor soon began the process of recording her major-label debut album, to be released eventually through GOOD Music and The Island Def Jam Music Group. On July 27, 2014, via Twitter, Taylor announced the title of her debut studio album to be "VII" and revealed it would be released on November 4, through Def Jam and GOOD Music. The album debuted at number 19 on the "Billboard" 200, selling 16,000 copies in the United States in its first week.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: Taylor was set to be a judge on the eighth season of the American competitive dance reality television series, "America's Best Dance Crew", which aired its first episode on July 29, 2015, on MTV. On August 25, Taylor released "The Cassette Tape 1994", paying tribute to the iconic 90s sound and includes many samples from 90s hits.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: On June 17, 2016, Taylor released her single "Freak On", featuring guest vocals from Chris Brown and production by DJ Mustard. It samples "Freak Like Me" by Adina Howard. Taylor announced that it would be the lead single from her upcoming second studio album. On August 28, 2016, at the MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West released the world premiere of the music video for his single, "Fade", which features Taylor performing a dance routine, in a likeness to the 1983 film "Flashdance". The video, directed by Eli Russell Linnetz, features Taylor dancing throughout a gymnasium and there is also an appearance by her husband, Iman Shumpert.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: Taylor's album "K.T.S.E.", an acronym for "keep that same energy," was the last of G.O.O.D. Music's seven-song album rollout and was released on June 22, 2018. An updated version of the album was supposed to be released, but Taylor announced that plans were canceled for it.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: Taylor released a collaboration single with fellow R&B singer Kehlani called "Morning" in November 2019. On December 6, 2019, Taylor released the single "We Got Love". On May 7, 2020, Taylor announced that her third studio album is titled "The Album" and would be released sometime in June 2020. It was released on June 19, with the 23-track album featuring guest appearances by Erykah Badu, Kehlani, Lauryn Hill, Future, Rick Ross, Quavo, and Missy Elliott. The album was awarded 3.5/5 stars by The Forty-Five, saying "The Album" "finds the veteran performer firmly reclaiming her own narrative". It debuted at number 8 on the "Billboard" 200, earning Taylor her first top 10 album.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: On December 4, 2020, Taylor seemingly announced her retirement from making music via her Instagram page. A few days later, she explained the post was directed at her record label as she continued clarifying her frustration with their lack of support, "Baby, I gotta do it for my mental health. I have to do it for my emotional health. I have to do it for my kids, so I can stay alive for my kids. Until I'm free, until I can get [Def Jam] to release me, yes I want to retire." She later stated much of the frustration leading to retirement could be traced back to her label undervaluing her, but she would not be retiring for good.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: In 2013, Taylor signed a deal to design and release two pairs of sneakers with Adidas. The first pair released were the Harlem GLC's which hit stores February 16 the same year. According to Adidas Global Director of Entertainment and Influence Marketing, Jonathan Wexler, Taylor currently holds the record for fastest selling sneakers in Adidas Originals history. She is currently focused on designing and releasing her second pair of sneakers with the brand. In March 2017, Teyana Taylor launched her "Fade 2 Fit" Workout Program, a ninety-day workout which centers around dance and fitness routines. The inspiration for this program and the incorporated dance elements come from her work in the music video for Kanye West's "Fade". She also released a line of workout apparel, also called Fade2Fit. In May 2019, Taylor featured and directed the music video for Lil Durk's remix of Home Body in his new album Signed to the Streets 3.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: In 2022, Taylor competed in season seven of "The Masked Singer" as "Firefly" of Team Good. Her performance of Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody" had to be cut short when she started coughing due to a mask malfunction and had to be taken to an on-site medical staff to be treated causing "Ram" of Team Bad to be sent on to do his performance. After recovering, Taylor resumed the performance of the song. During the finals, Taylor was declared the winner where it was also mentioned that her husband Iman Shumpert had recently won season 30 of "Dancing with the Stars". At 31 years old, she became the youngest winner in the show's history.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: In 2015, after she went into early labor, her husband Iman Shumpert assisted in her delivery of their baby girl.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: On September 20, 2016, on "The Wendy Williams Show", Taylor revealed that she and Shumpert had "maybe" married secretly, but the couple did not actually wed until October 1, 2016, approximately two weeks after the interview.


title: Teyana Taylor

text: On June 12, 2020, Taylor confirmed her second pregnancy in her music video for her 2020 single "Wake Up Love".


title: Kat Von D

text: Katherine von Drachenberg (born March 8, 1982), known professionally as Kat Von D, is a Mexican-born American tattoo artist, model, entrepreneur and recording artist. She is best known for her work as a tattoo artist on the TLC reality television show "LA Ink", which premiered in the United States on August 7, 2007, and ran for four seasons. She is also known for being the former head of Kat Von D Beauty (renamed KVD Vegan Beauty). In May 2021, Kat Von D released her first single "Exorcism" from her album "Love Made Me Do It".


title: Kat Von D

text: Katherine von Drachenberg was born in Montemorelos, Nuevo León, Mexico. Her parents, René and Sylvia, both of whom were missionaries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, were born in Argentina, and are respectively of German, Italian, Spanish, and Indigenous descent. Von D has a sister, Karoline and a brother, Michael. She moved with her family to the Inland Empire at age four and grew up in Colton, California. Von D was classically trained in piano beginning at age six.


title: Kat Von D

text: Von D credits her grandmother, Clara von Drachenberg, as an inspiration for her in music and art, and the culture of San Bernardino County as a major influence on her tattoo art and style. She began listening to the Ramones, Misfits, and other punk rock bands at the age of 12. She got her first tattoo at 14 and quit school at 16 to become a tattoo artist.


title: Kat Von D

text: When she was 15, Von D was sent to Provo Canyon School for six months, where she says she suffered abuse. Provo Canyon School is the same boarding school that Paris Hilton attended; Hilton has also alleged that she was abused while attending this school.


title: Kat Von D

text: Von D appeared in two seasons of "Miami Ink", the reality TV show taped at 305 Ink in Miami for the cable network TLC. She was offered the place on the show after fellow artist Darren Brass broke his elbow, preventing him from tattooing. While on the show, she had a falling out with Ami James, which led to her decision to leave the shop and the show.


title: Kat Von D

text: She subsequently acquired her own TLC series, "LA Ink", which chronicled her work at her tattoo shop, High Voltage Tattoo, in Hollywood, California. On the show, she broke the Guinness World Record of most tattoos given by a single person in 24 hours, with a total of 400. Accomplished in December 2007, it involved a Von D-designed logo for the city of Los Angeles, with proceeds going to the children's-blindness charity Vitamin Angels. "LA Ink" ran four seasons, ending September 15, 2011; TLC announced the cancellation on August 18, 2011. Von D has publicly said that the cancellation was because she chose not to continue doing the show.


title: Kat Von D

text: Her first book, "High Voltage Tattoo", compiling her artworks and tattoos, with a foreword by Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx, was released in January 2009 and reached #6 on "The New York Times" Best Seller list. Von D described the book as "not an autobiography, you know, 'cause I'm too young to do that. But this is just kind of like a picture-driven outline of my career as an artist. So, you see everything from my drawings when I was six to tattoos that have never before been seen." Her second book, "The Tattoo Chronicles", an illustrated diary following a year in her life, was released October 26, 2010, and reached #3 on "The New York Times" "Hardcover Advice & Misc." best-seller list.


title: Kat Von D

text: In 2008, Von D created and launched a make-up line for Sephora. She has released new collections every year and has expanded her line to include fragrances. In 2012, through Sephora, her New American Beauty Art Tour benefitted the Art of Elysium charitable organization. In June 2016, she announced that all products in the line would be reformulated to be vegan. In August 2016, the line released a limited-edition lipstick named Project Chimps, with 20% of sales being donated to Project Chimps, an organization dedicated to providing care for retired research chimpanzees.


title: Kat Von D

text: Her makeup line received controversy after the release of a lipstick called "Selektion," because the word is considered controversial and inappropriate in the word's native Germany, where it was a term used for Nazis who decided which individuals would be chosen to either be put to work or death upon arrival to concentration camps during World War II. The fallout led to the lipstick being renamed "Beloved". The choice of "Selektion" drew attention to other perceived insensitive acts; "The Forward" called her "anti-Jew." Von D fell under criticism again when she named a lipstick "Celebutard", Sephora quickly pulled the lipstick from their stores and issued an apology.


title: Kat Von D

text: Von D is the creator of the MusInk Tattoo Convention and Music Festival, which began in 2008. Musink is an all ages tattoo, music, and art festival located in Southern California.


title: Kat Von D

text: On September 2, 2010, Von D opened the art gallery and boutique Wonderland Gallery in the space next door to High Voltage Tattoo. She launched the clothing lines KVD Los Angeles and Kat Von D Los Angeles in the US and Canada in fall 2011, with the latter expanding internationally the following year.


title: Kat Von D

text: Von D provided the female vocals to the song "Rosary Blue" on "X", a 2012 studio album by the Finnish gothic rock band The 69 Eyes. In August 2013, she tweeted that Dave Grohl and producer Danny Lohner had finished two tracks of an album she had talked about recording as early as 2011.


title: Kat Von D

text: In 2016 she recorded vocals for the electronic music duo, Prayers, on the song "Black Leather", and appeared in the band's video for the song.


title: Kat Von D

text: In 2018, she collaborated with Rooney Mara, Sia, Sadie Sink and Joaquin Phoenix to narrate Chris Delforce's animal rights documentary "Dominion". For her contribution to the documentary, she was granted the 2018 Award of Excellence for Narration by Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards.


title: Kat Von D

text: Von D makes guest appearance on three songs on the 2018 album "Alive in New Light" by IAMX. She also appeared on synthwave band "Gunship" album Dark All Day in the song "Black Blood, Red Kiss".


title: Kat Von D

text: On January 16, 2020, Von D announced she had sold her namesake beauty brand to its parent company, Kendo Brands (a subsidiary of LVMH). The brand will be rebranded as "KVD Vegan Beauty". According to the company the letters KVD now stand for "Kindness, Vegan Beauty, and Discovery (and Doing Good)". This was followed by another rebrand on Tuesday 2 March 2021 to "KVD Beauty" where KVD stands for "Kara", "Veritas", "Decora". This translates to "Value", "Truth" and "Beauty" respectively.


title: Kat Von D

text: In October 2021, she announced that she would be closing High Voltage on December 1 and moving with her family to Indiana.


title: Kat Von D

text: In July 2007, Von D decided to stop drinking after her usage of alcohol started to threaten her work. Von D recalled that "getting sober was not easy for me...I still clearly remember the physical pain from withdrawals, the profound desire to die, and the overwhelming sense of loneliness I felt that day that I decided to quit."


title: Kat Von D

text: Von D has tattooed herself with the emblems of the bands HIM, Misfits, Turbonegro, ZZ Top, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Kent, Slayer, Mike Got Spiked and "Slutallica", a modified Metallica logo. She appeared in the music video of HIM's "Killing Loneliness", Alkaline Trio's "Help Me", GUNSHIP's "Black Blood Red Kiss", and "Black Leather" by Cholo Goth band Prayers. Other musical artists that Von D lists among her favorites include Lemmy Kilmister, The Mars Volta and Selena.


title: Kat Von D

text: Von D is vegan, and her makeup line is cruelty-free. In 2016, she received Farm Sanctuary's "Compassion in Action Award" for her work on behalf of animal rights.