title: Nitric acid

text: Nitric acid is a corrosive acid and a powerful oxidizing agent. The major hazard posed by it is chemical burns, as it carries out acid hydrolysis with proteins (amide) and fats (ester), which consequently decomposes living tissue (e.g. skin and flesh). Concentrated nitric acid stains human skin yellow due to its reaction with the keratin. These yellow stains turn orange when neutralized. Systemic effects are unlikely, and the substance is not considered a carcinogen or mutagen.


title: Nitric acid

text: The standard first-aid treatment for acid spills on the skin is, as for other corrosive agents, irrigation with large quantities of water. Washing is continued for at least 10–15 minutes to cool the tissue surrounding the acid burn and to prevent secondary damage. Contaminated clothing is removed immediately and the underlying skin washed thoroughly.


title: Nitric acid

text: Nitric acid is first attested in pseudo-Geber's "De inventione veritatis" ("On the Discovery of Truth") (after c. 1300). It was also described by works attributed to Albert the Great and Ramon Lull, who prepared it by distilling a mixture containing niter and green vitriol and called it "eau forte" (aqua fortis).


title: Nitric acid

text: In the 17th century, Johann Rudolf Glauber devised a process to obtain nitric acid by distilling potassium nitrate with sulfuric acid. In 1776 Antoine Lavoisier cited Joseph Priestley's work to point out that it can be converted from nitric oxide (which he calls "nitrous air"), "combined with an approximately equal volume of the purest part of common air, and with a considerable quantity of water." In 1785 Henry Cavendish determined its precise composition and showed that it could be synthesized by passing a stream of electric sparks through moist air. In 1806, Humphry Davy reported the results of extensive distilled water electrolysis experiments concluding that nitric acid was produced at the anode from dissolved atmospheric nitrogen gas. He used a high voltage battery and non-reactive electrodes and vessels such as gold electrode cones that doubled as vessels bridged by damp asbestos.


title: Nitric acid

text: The industrial production of nitric acid from atmospheric air began in 1905 with the Birkeland–Eyde process, also known as the arc process. This process is based upon the oxidation of atmospheric nitrogen by atmospheric oxygen to nitric oxide with a very high temperature electric arc. Yields of up to approximately 4–5% nitric oxide were obtained at 3000 °C, and less at lower temperatures. The nitric oxide was cooled and oxidized by the remaining atmospheric oxygen to nitrogen dioxide, and this was subsequently absorbed in water in a series of packed column or plate column absorption towers to produce dilute nitric acid. The first towers bubbled the nitrogen dioxide through water and non-reactive quartz fragments. About 20% of the produced oxides of nitrogen remained unreacted so the final towers contained an alkali solution to neutralize the rest. The process was very energy intensive and was rapidly displaced by the Ostwald process once cheap ammonia became available.


title: Nitric acid

text: Another early production method was invented by French engineer Albert Nodon around 1913. His method produced nitric acid from electrolysis of calcium nitrate converted by bacteria from nitrogenous matter in peat bogs. An earthenware pot surrounded by limestone was sunk into the peat and staked with tarred lumber to make a compartment for the carbon anode around which the nitric acid is formed. Nitric acid was pumped out from an earthenware pipe that was sunk down to the bottom of the pot. Fresh water was pumped into the top through another earthenware pipe to replace the fluid removed. The interior was filled with coke. Cast iron cathodes were sunk into the peat surrounding it. Resistance was about 3 ohms per cubic meter and the power supplied was around 10 volts. Production from one deposit was 800 tons per year.


title: Nitric acid

text: Once the Haber process for the efficient production of ammonia was introduced in 1913, nitric acid production from ammonia using the Ostwald process overtook production from the Birkeland–Eyde process. This method of production is still in use today.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: Unstoppable is a 2010 American disaster action thriller film directed and produced by Tony Scott and starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. It is based on the real-life CSX 8888 incident, telling the story of a runaway freight train and the two men who attempt to stop it. It was the last film Tony Scott directed before his death in 2012.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: The film was released in the United States and Canada on November 12, 2010. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $167 million against a production budget between $85–100 million. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Sound Editing at the 83rd Academy Awards, but lost to "Inception".


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: While two yard hostlers are moving a mixed-freight Allegheny and West Virginia Railroad (AWVR) train at Fuller Yard in northern Pennsylvania, Dewey, the engineer, realizes that a trailing-point switch ahead is not correctly aligned and leaves the cab of lead locomotive 777 to change it, after setting the throttle to idle. However, the throttle pops out of idle into full throttle notch 8 before he can get back on the now-accelerating locomotive, leaving the train unattended going south down the mainline.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: Believing the train is coasting, Dewey calls yardmaster Connie Hooper, who orders lead welder Ned Oldham to get ahead of the train in his pickup truck and switch it off the main track, but when he finds that the train has already passed where it was expected to be, they realize it is running on full power. Connie alerts Oscar Galvin, VP of Train Operations, and contacts local, county, and state police, asking them to block all level crossings, while Ned continues to chase 777 in his truck. Federal Railroad Administration inspector Scott Werner, while visiting Fuller Yard to meet with students on the Railroad Safety Campaign excursion train (RSC 2002), warns that eight of 777's 39 freight cars contain highly toxic and flammable molten phenol, which would cause a major disaster if the train should derail in a populated area. News of the runaway soon draws ongoing media coverage.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: Connie suggests they purposely derail the train while it passes through unpopulated farmland. Galvin dismisses her opinion, believing he can save the railroad money by lashing the train behind two locomotives helmed by veteran engineer Judd Stewart, slowing it down enough for employee and former U.S. Marine Ryan Scott to descend from a helicopter to the control cab of 777. However, Ryan is knocked unconscious during the attempt when 777 suddenly lunges forward as he touches down, sending him crashing into trailing locomotive 767's windshield. When Stewart attempts to divert 777 to a siding, he is unable to slow it down and is killed when his locomotives derail at a switch and the diesel fuel ignites and explodes, engulfing the lash-up diesels in a huge fireball. Realizing that 777 will derail on the Stanton Curve, an elevated portion of track in the heavily populated Southern Pennsylvania town of Stanton, Galvin decides to derail the runaway just north of the smaller town of Arklow.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: Meanwhile, veteran AWVR railroad engineer Frank Barnes and conductor Will Colson, a new hire preoccupied with a restraining order from his wife Darcy, are pulling 25 cars with locomotive 1206 on the same line going north out of Brewster Yard in Southern Pennsylvania. Ordered onto a siding off the mainline, they narrowly manage to pull into a RIP track before 777 races by, smashing through their last boxcar. Frank observes that 777's last car has an open coupler and proposes that they travel in reverse and attempt to couple their engine to the runaway, then use 1206's brakes to slow down 777 before it reaches the Stanton Curve. Will uncouples 1206 from their own cars, while Frank reports his plan to Connie and Galvin, warning that Galvin's idea of using portable derailers will not work given 777's momentum. Galvin threatens to fire Frank, who informs Galvin that he has already received a forced, half-benefits, early-retirement notice. Galvin threatens to fire Will as well, but both Frank and Will ignore him and pursue 777.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: As 777 approaches the portable derailers, police sharpshooters first attempt to engage the engine's fuel cutoff button by shooting at it, but are unsuccessful. As Frank predicted, the train barrels through the derailers unhindered, to Galvin's dumbfounded disbelief and horror. Knowing that Frank's plan is their only remaining chance at preventing a cataclysmic disaster, Connie and Werner fully support him and take over control of the situation from Galvin. Meanwhile, Darcy learns from her sister about Will's involvement in the chase, while Frank's daughters learn of their father's involvement from television news coverage at the Hooters where they both work.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: Frank and Will catch up to 777's trailing hopper car and attempt to engage the coupler, accidentally blowing the seal on the car and spraying grain onto 1206. When the locking pin will not engage, Will kicks it into place, but his foot gets crushed in the process. Will hobbles back to 1206's cab, and Frank tries to slow 777 with the independent brakes, but 777's momentum proves to be too powerful. Will stays in the cab to work the dynamic brakes and throttle while Frank works his way along the top of 777's cars in a risky attempt to engage the handbrakes on each car. Eventually, 1206's brakes burn out due to the traction motors being overworked and the train starts gaining speed again. Using the independent air brake, Will coordinates the brake timing with Frank, and they manage to reduce speed enough to clear the Stanton Curve (B & O Railroad Viaduct), just barely, with the train tipping but righting itself. As 777 picks up speed, Frank finds his path to 777's cab blocked. Ned arrives in his truck with a police escort on a road parallel to the tracks. Will jumps onto the bed of Ned's truck, and Ned races to the front of 777, where Will leaps onto the locomotive, reduces the throttle to idle, and applies the brakes, finally allowing them to bring the runaway train to a safe stop. Ned and first responders pull up next to the now stopped 777, and Will's injured foot is treated by the paramedics. Darcy arrives with hers and Will's son and reunites with him. Connie arrives shortly thereafter to congratulate them and Ned while Ned is handling the press conference with another AWVR representative, surrounded by friends, family, and vehicles from first responders and news outlets.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: Frank, Will, and Ned are hailed as heroes. Before the closing credits, it's revealed that Frank was promoted and later retires with full benefits. Will is happily married to Darcy (who is currently expecting their second child), recovers from his injuries, and continues working with AWVR. Connie is promoted to Galvin's VP position, while it’s implied Galvin was fired for his poor handling of the incident, costing the railroad money and equipment and causing Stewart’s death. Ryan makes a full recovery, and Dewey, who is held responsible for causing the situation, is fired from his job and goes on to work in the fast-food industry.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: "Unstoppable" suffered various production challenges before filming could commence, including casting, schedule, location, and budgetary concerns.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: In August 2004, Mark Bomback was hired by 20th Century Fox to write the screenplay "Runaway Train". Robert Schwentke signed on to direct "Runaway Train" in August 2005, with plans to begin shooting in early 2006. In June 2007, Martin Campbell was in negotiations to replace Schwentke as director of the film, now titled "Unstoppable". Campbell was attached until March 2009, when Tony Scott came on board as director. In April, both Denzel Washington and Chris Pine were attached to the project.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: The original budget had been trimmed from $107 million to $100 million, but Fox wanted to reduce it to the low $90 million range, asking Scott to cut his salary from $9 million to $6 million and wanting Washington to shave $4 million off his $20 million fee. Washington declined and, although attached since April, formally withdrew from the project in July, citing lost patience with the film's lack of a start date. Fox made a modified offer as enticement, and he returned to the project two weeks later.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: Production was headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the fictional "Allegheny and West Virginia Railroad" depicted in the movie is headquartered. Filming took place in a broad area around there including the Ohio cities of Martins Ferry, Bellaire, Mingo Junction, Steubenville, and Brewster, and in the Pennsylvania cities of Pittsburgh, Emporium, Milesburg, Tyrone, Julian, Unionville, Port Matilda, Bradford, Monaca, Eldred, Mill Hall, Turtlepoint, Port Allegany, and Carnegie, and also in Portville, New York and Olean, New York. The film is the most expensive ever to be shot in Western Pennsylvania.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: The Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad's Buffalo Line was used for two months during daylight, while the railroad ran its regular freight service at night. The real-life bridge and elevated curve in the climactic scene is the B & O Railroad Viaduct between Bellaire, Ohio and Benwood, West Virginia.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: A two-day filming session took place at the Hooters restaurant in Wilkins Township, a Pittsburgh suburb, featuring 10 Hooters Girls from across the United States. Other interior scenes were shot at 31st Street Studios (then the Mogul Media Studios) on 31st Street in Pittsburgh. Principal photography began on August 31, 2009, for a release on November 12, 2010.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: The locomotives used in the movie were borrowed from three railroads: the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP), the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (W&LE), and the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad (SWP).


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: Four GE AC4400CWs leased from CP were used to depict the locomotives used on the runaway train, 777 and trailing unit 767. CP 9777 and 9758 played 777 and 767 in early scenes, and CP 9782 and 9751 were given a damaged look for later scenes. These four locomotives were repainted to standard colors in early 2010 by Canadian Pacific following the filming, but the black and yellow warning stripes from the AWVR livery painted on the plows of each locomotive were left untouched (except for 9777's plow) and remained visible on the locomotives.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: Most of the other AWVR locomotives seen in the film, including chase locomotive 1206, and the locomotive consist used in an attempt to stop the train, 7375 and 7346, were played by EMD SD40-2s leased from W&LE. 1206 was depicted by three different SD40-2s: W&LE 6353 and 6354, and a third unit that was bought from scrap and modified for cab shots. 6353 and 6354 were returned to the W&LE and painted black to resume service, but 6354's windshield remains jutted forward from the AWVR livery. Judd Stewart's locomotive consist 7375 and 7346 were played by W&LE 6352 and 6351, which also played two locomotive "extras" (5624 and 5580), wearing the same grey livery with different running numbers. The Railroad Safety Campaign excursion train locomotive (RSC 2002) was played by a SWP EMD GP11 rebuilt from an EMD GP9. The two passenger coaches carrying schoolchildren were provided by the Orrville Railroad Heritage Society in Orrville, Ohio.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: "Unstoppable" was inspired by the 2001 CSX 8888 incident, in which a runaway train ultimately traveled through northwest Ohio. Led by CSX Transportation SD40-2 #8888, the train left Stanley Yard in Walbridge, Ohio with no one at the controls, after the hostler got out of the slow-moving train to correct a misaligned switch, mistakenly believing he had properly set the train's dynamic braking system, much as his counterpart (Dewey) in the film mistakenly believed he had properly set the locomotive's throttle (in the CSX incident, the locomotive had an older-style throttle stand where the same lever controlled both the throttle and the dynamic brakes; in fact, putting on "full throttle" and "full brakes" both involved advancing the same lever to the highest position after switching to a different operating mode. Thus if the engineer failed to properly switch modes, it was easy to accidentally apply full throttle instead of full brake, or vice-versa.)


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: Two of the train's tank cars contained thousands of gallons of molten phenol, a toxic ingredient used in glues, paints, and dyes. The chemical is very dangerous; it is highly corrosive to the skin, eyes, lungs, and nasal tract. Attempts to derail it using a portable derailer failed, and police had tried to engage the red fuel cutoff button by shooting at it; after having three shots mistakenly hit the red fuel cap, this ultimately had no effect because the button must be pressed for several seconds before the engine would be starved of fuel and shut down. For two hours, the train traveled at speeds up to until the crew of a second locomotive, CSX #8392, coupled onto the runaway and slowly applied its brakes. Once the runaway was slowed down to , CSX trainmaster Jon Hosfeld ran alongside the train, and climbed aboard, shutting down the locomotive. The train was stopped at the Ohio State Route 31 crossing, just south-southeast of Kenton, Ohio. No one was seriously injured in the incident.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: RSC 2002 was inspired by a CSX Operation Lifesaver passenger train, which was turning around at Stanley Yard and was preparing to head back south after having traveled north from Columbus to Walbridge using the same track CSX 8888 was now on. CSX ended up having to bus the safety train's 120 passengers back to the cities at which they had boarded, including Bowling Green, Findlay, and Kenton.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: When the film was released, the Toledo "Blade" compared the events of the film to the real-life incident. "It's predictably exaggerated and dramatized to make it more entertaining," wrote David Patch, "but close enough to the real thing to support the 'Inspired by True Events' announcement that flashes across the screen at its start." He notes that the dead man switch would probably have worked in real life despite the unconnected brake hoses, unless the locomotive, or independent brakes, were already applied. As explained in the movie, the dead man's switch failed because the only available brakes were the independent brakes, which were quickly worn through, similar to CSX 8888. The film exaggerates the possible damage the phenol could have caused in a fire, and he found it incredible that the fictional AWVR freely disseminated information such as employees' names and images and the cause of the runaway to the media. In the real instance, he writes, the cause of the runaway was not disclosed until months later when the National Transportation Safety Board released its report, and CSX never made public the name of the engineer whose error caused the runaway, nor what disciplinary action was taken.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: The film score was composed by Harry Gregson-Williams and the soundtrack album was released on December 7, 2010.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: A trailer was released online on August 6, 2010. The film went on general release on November 12, 2010.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 87% certified fresh based on 193 reviews, with an average rating of 6.92/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "As fast, loud, and relentless as the train at the center of the story, "Unstoppable" is perfect popcorn entertainment—and director Tony Scott's best movie in years." Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: Film critic Roger Ebert rated the film three and a half stars out of four, remarking in his review, "In terms of sheer craftsmanship, this is a superb film." In "The New York Times", Manohla Dargis praised the film's visual style, saying that Scott "creates an unexpectedly rich world of chugging, rushing trains slicing across equally beautiful industrial and natural landscapes."


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: "The Globe and Mail" in Toronto was more measured. While the film's action scenes "have the greasy punch of a three-minute heavy-metal guitar solo", its critic felt the characters were weak. It called the film "an opportunistic political allegory about an economy that's out of control and industries that are weakened by layoffs, under-staffing, and corporate callousness."


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: Director Quentin Tarantino highlighted the film in a January 2020 episode of the "Rewatchables" podcast, and included it in his list of the ten best of the decade. In June 2021, he named it one of his favorite "Director's Final Films". Christopher Nolan also praised the film (particularly its use of suspense), citing it as an influence for his film "Dunkirk".


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: "Unstoppable" was expected to take in about the same amount of money as the previous year's "The Taking of Pelham 123", another Tony Scott film involving an out-of-control train starring Denzel Washington. "Pelham" took in $23.4 million during its opening weekend in the United States and Canada. "Unstoppable" had a strong opening night on Friday November 12, 2010, coming in ahead of "Megamind" with a gross of $8.1 million. However, "Megamind" won the weekend, earning $30 million to "Unstoppable"s $23.9 million. "Unstoppable" performed slightly better than "The Taking of Pelham 123" did in its opening weekend. As of April 2011, the film had earned $167,805,466 worldwide.


title: Unstoppable (2010 film)

text: The film was nominated in the Best Sound Editing (Mark Stoeckinger) category at the 83rd Academy Awards and nominated for Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie – Action.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: The Firm is a 1993 American legal thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Hal Holbrook, David Strathairn and Gary Busey in a critically acclaimed role. The film is based on the 1991 novel "The Firm" by author John Grisham. "The Firm" was one of two films released in 1993 that were adapted from a Grisham novel, the other being "The Pelican Brief".


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: Released on June 30, 1993, the film was a major commercial success, grossing $270.2 million against a budget of $42 million, making it the highest grossing film adapted from a Grisham novel and the highest-grossing R-rated film of 1993, and received positive reviews for the performances (particularly from Cruise and Hunter), although the screenplay received some criticism. Holly Hunter was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance, while Dave Grusin was nominated for Best Original Score.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: Mitch McDeere, about to graduate near the top of his class from Harvard Law School, accepts a generous job offer from Bendini, Lambert & Locke, a boutique law firm in Memphis, Tennessee. Mitch and his wife Abby move to Memphis, and he studies to pass the Tennessee bar exam. Senior partner Avery Tolar mentors Mitch and introduces him to the firm's professional culture, which demands strict loyalty, confidentiality, and a willingness to charge exceptional fees. Mitch is seduced by the money and perks – including a house, a brand new Mercedes-Benz, and his student loans paid off – but Abby is suspicious of the firm's interference with employees’ families.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: Mitch passes the bar exam and begins working long hours, straining his marriage. Working closely with Avery, Mitch learns that most of the firm's work involves helping wealthy clients hide money in off-shore shell corporations and other dubious tax-avoidance schemes. During a working trip to the Cayman Islands, Mitch hears a client state that the firm's Chicago clients break people's legs, and finds suspicious documents in a locked closet at Avery's vacation house relating to four of the firm's associates who died under suspicious circumstances. Meanwhile, a local prostitute seduces Mitch, as prearranged by the firm's security chief, Bill DeVasher, who then uses photos of the tryst to blackmail Mitch into silence about the firm's activities, threatening to send the photos to Mitch's wife Abby. This prompts Mitch to hire a private investigator, Eddie Lomax, to investigate the associates' mysterious death, but soon after starting to work on the case, Lomax is fatally shot in his office by two hit-men, a murder that his secretary Tammy witnesses while hiding under the desk.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: Mitch is approached by FBI agents who reveal that BL&L's biggest client is the Morolto crime family of the Chicago Outfit. Most of the firm is complicit in a massive tax fraud and money laundering scheme. The dead associates had learned the truth and were killed on the firm's orders, as was Lomax. The FBI warns Mitch that his house, car, and office are bugged and pressures him to provide evidence against the firm and the Moroltos. Mitch agrees to cooperate in return for $1.5 million and the release of his brother Ray, who is serving time in an Arkansas prison. The FBI orders Ray's release, planning to return him to prison once Mitch hands over the incriminating files, and gives him half the money. Mitch confesses his one-night stand in the Caymans to Abby, who prepares to leave him.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: When a client complains about billing for several hours of extra fees, Mitch realizes that mailing clients these padded bills is mail fraud, exposing the firm to RICO charges. He secretly copies the firm's billing records with help from Tammy, but needs files from Avery's house in the Caymans. Avery invites Abby to come with him to the Caymans and she declines, but he reveals his Caymans schedule has changed, threatening Mitch's plans. Telling Tammy not to inform Mitch, Abby flies to the Caymans to seduce and drug Avery. The firm's phone tap picks up Abby's warning to Tammy, and DeVasher sends his hitmen to the Caymans. After Abby and Tammy steal, copy, and return the files, a drowsy Avery tells Abby that the firm had arranged for the Caymans prostitute on the beach to seduce Mitch. Avery warns Abby to leave and is later murdered by DeVasher's hitmen, who make it look like he drowned in the bathtub.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: Mitch's plans are jeopardized when a prison guard on the Moroltos' payroll alerts DeVasher after Ray is transferred to FBI custody without the usual formalities. Fleeing from DeVasher and his hitman, Mitch enters a building where DeVasher inadvertently shoots the hitman dead before Mitch blindsides and beats him unconscious. Mitch meets with the Moroltos, presenting himself as a loyal attorney looking out for his clients' interests. He claims that his contact with the FBI and his copying of files were an attempt to expose the firm's illegal over-billing, and asks the Moroltos for permission to turn over their billing invoices to help the FBI's case against the firm. Revealing that he has made his own copies, Mitch assures them that as long as he is alive, any information he has about their legal affairs is safe under attorney–client privilege. Guaranteeing Mitch's safety, the Moroltos reluctantly let him give the FBI the evidence it needs to prosecute the firm. Since the Moroltos were not tied to the mail fraud operations and attorney–client privilege does not apply when a lawyer knows about ongoing criminal activity, Mitch is able to continue his legal career, and reconciles with Abby.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: The FBI is furious that Mitch bailed the Moroltos out, but Mitch reminds them that the evidence he provided falls under RICO's jurisdiction and can all but guarantee every senior member of the firm going to prison for decades. The film ends as the McDeeres return to Boston, driving the same well-used car in which they arrived in Memphis, while Ray, having been given the $750,000 Mitch obtained from the FBI by Tammy, enjoys his new life in the Caymans.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: Principal photography took place from November 9, 1992 to March 20, 1993 and though it was primarily filmed in Memphis, Tennessee, some scenes were filmed in Marion, Arkansas and the Cayman Islands.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: Gene Hackman's name did not appear on the film's release poster. Hackman joined the film late, when it was already well into production, because the producers had originally wanted to change the gender of the character and cast Meryl Streep, until author John Grisham objected and Hackman was eventually cast. Tom Cruise's deal with Paramount already stated that only his name could appear above the title. Hackman also wanted his name to appear above the title, but when this was refused he asked for his name to be removed completely from the poster. Hackman's name does appear in the beginning or end credits.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: The film accords with the book in most respects, but the ending is significantly different. Mitch does not end up in the Caribbean, as in the book; he and Abby simply get into their car and drive back to Boston.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: A more fundamental difference from the book is the motives and manner in which Mitch solves his predicament. In the book, Mitch acknowledges to himself that he is breaking the attorney–client privilege by copying information and giving it to the FBI. In most US states this privilege only applies to crimes that have already been committed. The privilege does not apply if a lawyer knows that his client either is committing or will commit a crime. However, it is important to note that the attorney-client privilege is one of an evidentiary nature relating specifically to information sought during pretrial discovery or at trial. This is distinguished from an attorney's duty of confidentiality, which prohibits (with exceptions including, for example, if a client is engaged in conduct that will certainly lead to physical harm against another) disclosure of communications made between the attorney and client. Additionally, Mitch must disclose information about his legitimate clients as well. Accepting that he will likely not be allowed to practice law anywhere again, he swindles $10 million from the firm, along with receiving $1 million of a promised $2 million from the FBI for his cooperation. After an extended manhunt involving the police, the firm's lawyers, and hired thugs from the Morolto family, Mitch escapes with Abby (and his brother Ray) to the Cayman Islands. Before fleeing, he leaves behind detailed records of the firm's illegal activities, as well as a recorded deposition. Mitch's information gives federal prosecutors enough evidence to indict half of the firm's active lawyers right away, as well as several retired partners. The documents also provide the FBI with circumstantial evidence of the firm's involvement in money laundering and tax fraud, and thus probable cause for a search warrant for the firm's building and files. This additional evidence is enough to smash both the firm and the Morolto family with a massive RICO indictment.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: In the film, apparently in order to preserve the protagonist's personal integrity, Mitch exposes a systematic overbilling scheme by the firm, thus driving a wedge between the Moroltos (who in essence become complicit with Mitch) and their law firm (in the book, overbilling only received a brief mention). He receives a smaller amount of money from the FBI, which he gives to Ray, allowing him to disappear. Rather than capitalizing on his circumstances by stealing money from the firm, as in the book, the movie's McDeere ends up battered and bruised, but with his integrity and professional ethics intact. Mitch also makes the FBI have to work in order to bring down the firm by having to argue that each instance of excessive billing is a federal offense (by virtue of the excessive bills being sent through the mail). The volume and frequency meet the criteria for RICO, thereby enabling the FBI to effectively put the firm out of business by seizing its property and equipment and freezing its bank accounts. From here the Moroltos would then need to find another law firm willing to take them on as clients, and if they couldn't, charges for non-lodgment of tax returns could be brought. Since Mitch is exposing only illegal activity, he is able to retain his law license.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: Avery Tolar was originally Avery Tolleson; the latest version of the novel uses the film's surname. Tolar is portrayed as a sort of reluctant villain in the film, while in the novel he has no such moral conflicts.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: Mitch's confession to Abby about his sexual infidelity was also unique to the film. In the novel, McDeere never tells Abby about his infidelity. In the book, Abby's not knowing about Mitch's infidelity is a major "suspense" piece. Mitch comes home one evening and finds an envelope addressed to Abby, that has "Photos – Do Not Bend" written on it. The photos were surreptitiously given to DeVasher by Art Germain. Mitch thinks it is the pictures he was shown of his infidelity overseas. Abby is in the bedroom when he sees the open package. He enters the bedroom and learns that Abby opened the package, but it was empty. Mitch realizes DeVasher is toying with him, and this incident in the book causes Mitch to cooperate with the FBI. In the film, Mitch's confession prompts Abby to seriously consider leaving him, but she ultimately helps him bring down the firm.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: Also, in the book, Eddie's old secretary, Tammy, seduces and drugs Avery. In the movie, however, it is Abby who seduces Avery. This also changes the character development because in the movie Abby is portrayed as risking herself for Mitch. In the book, Abby is simply an accomplice to Tammy.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: The film was released while Grisham was at the height of his popularity. That week, Grisham and Michael Crichton evenly divided the top six paperback spots on "The New York Times" Best Seller list. It opened on June 30, 1993 in 2,393 theatres, and landed at #1 at the box office, grossing $25.4 million over the 4th of July weekend. It remained in the #1 spot at the box office for 3 weeks. After 12 weeks in theatres, the film was a huge success, making over $158 million domestically and $111 million internationally ($270 million worldwide). Additionally, it was the largest grossing R-rated movie of 1993 and of any film based on a Grisham novel.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: The film earned two Academy Award nominations including Best Supporting Actress for Holly Hunter (losing to Anna Paquin for "The Piano", though she did win an Oscar at that year's ceremony for Best Actress in the same film as Paquin) and Best Original Score for Dave Grusin (losing to John Williams for "Schindler's List").


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 58 reviews, with an average of 6.20/10. The site's critics consensus states: ""The Firm" is a big studio thriller that amusingly tears apart the last of 1980s boardroom culture and the false securities it represented." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: Roger Ebert gave "The Firm" three stars out of four, remarking: "The movie is virtually an anthology of good small character performances. [...] The large gallery of characters makes "The Firm" into a convincing canvas [... but] with a screenplay that developed the story more clearly, this might have been a superior movie, instead of just a good one with some fine performances."


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: The film earned some negative reviews as well, notably from James Berardinelli, who said that "[v]ery little of what made the written version so enjoyable has been successfully translated to the screen, and what we're left with instead is an overly-long [and] pedantic thriller." Grisham enjoyed the film, remarking: "I thought [Tom Cruise] did a good job. He played the innocent young associate very well."


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: The film was released on VHS in December 1993, with the cassettes were specially made of blue plastic. The DVD was released on May 23, 2000. The special features include only the teaser and theatrical trailers. A Blu-ray edition was released on September 11, 2012.


title: The Firm (1993 film)

text: In April 2011 Entertainment One announced that a sequel to "The Firm" was being produced with Sony Pictures Television and Paramount Pictures. The series picked up the story of Mitch and his family ten years after the events of the novel and film. The first season was 22 episodes long and began production in Canada in July 2011. In May 2011, NBC confirmed that they had acquired the U.S. broadcast rights to the show and that they planned to début it in January 2012. The show was cancelled after its first season.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Flavio Briatore (; born 12 April 1950) is an Italian businessman. He started his career as a restaurant manager and insurance salesman in Italy. Briatore was convicted in Italy on several fraud charges in the 1980s, receiving two prison sentences, though the convictions were later extinguished by an amnesty. Briatore set up a number of successful Benetton franchises as a fugitive in the Virgin Islands and the United States. In 1990, he was promoted by Luciano Benetton to manage the Benetton Formula One racing team, which became Renault F1 in 2002. From 2007 to 2011, he was part-owner and chairman of London's Queens Park Rangers F.C. In September 2009, Briatore was forced to resign from the ING Renault F1 team due to his involvement in race fixing at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. After the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) conducted its own investigation, Briatore was banned indefinitely from any events sanctioned by the FIA, although this ban was later overturned by a French Tribunal de Grande Instance.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore was born in Verzuolo near Cuneo in the Maritime Alps to a family of elementary school teachers. After twice failing public (state) school, he attended a private (independent) school, receiving a diploma with the lowest grades in Land Surveying at Fassino di Busca high school. Briatore found early work as a ski instructor and restaurant manager. He opened a restaurant named "Tribüla", which was Briatore's nickname. The restaurant was unsuccessful and had to close due to excessive debt.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: In the 1970s, he moved to Cuneo and became an assistant to businessman Attilio Dutto, owner of the Paramatti Vernici paint company. Dutto was killed on 21 March 1979 in a car bomb attack by an unknown perpetrator.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore moved to Milan and worked for Finanziaria Generale Italia at the Italian stock exchange. During this period, he met Luciano Benetton, founder of the Benetton clothing company.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore was convicted of multiple counts of fraud in the 1980s, receiving two prison sentences. In 1984, a court in Bergamo found him guilty of various counts of fraud and he was fined and sentenced to one year and six months in prison. The sentence was subsequently reduced to one year by a court of appeal in 1988. In 1986, in Milan, Briatore was sentenced to three years for fraud and conspiracy for his role in a team of confidence tricksters who, over a number of years, set up rigged gambling games using fake playing cards. The judges described these as elaborate confidence tricks, in which victims were invited to dinner and then "ensnared" in rigged games that involved a cast of fictional characters and realised enormous profits for their perpetrators. After an appeal in 1987, the sentence was reduced to one year and two months. To avoid imprisonment, Briatore lived as a fugitive in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands. He never went to prison and returned to the EU after both convictions were extinguished by amnesty. In 2010, a Turin court ordered Briatore rehabilitated, which by Italian Criminal Code results in the extinction "of any criminal effect of the conviction".


title: Flavio Briatore

text: During Briatore's fugitive status, he maintained close relations with Benetton and opened some Benetton stores in the Virgin Islands. When Benetton opened his first five stores in the United States in 1979, he appointed Briatore as director of the group's American operations. Thanks to Benetton's methods of franchising, the chain experienced a brief boom in popularity in the US, where, by 1989, there were 800 Benetton stores. Briatore, having taken a cut of each franchising agreement, became very wealthy. As store owners began to complain of competition from other Benetton stores, the number of stores decreased to 200 and Briatore began to look for a new business. In 1999, the "Corriere della Sera" wrongfully reported that he had been arrested in Nairobi on suspicion of fraud relating to real estate in Kenya, but further to a libel claim brought by Briatore against the newspaper, this allegation proved to be untrue and Briatore was compensated.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore attended his first Formula One race, the Australian Grand Prix, in , having in the past proclaimed his lack of interest in the sport. Luciano Benetton appointed him commercial director of his Formula One team, Benetton Formula Ltd. (formerly Toleman), and when he fired the team management shortly thereafter, Briatore was promoted to managing director and set about turning Benetton into a competitive team.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: He hired and quickly fired engineer John Barnard and lured young driver Michael Schumacher from the Jordan team after his first F1 race in . "The Times" observed that Briatore knew Schumacher could be the best and built a team around him at Benetton Schumacher went on to win at Spa in and again at Estoril in before claiming the World Drivers' Championship in and . The Benetton team won the World Constructors' Championship in 1995.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: During the season, Briatore's Benetton team came under allegations of cheating, resulting in fines and a two-race ban for Schumacher.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Late in , Briatore purchased the ailing Ligier team thereby acquiring its Renault engine supply. He passed operational management of Ligier to Tom Walkinshaw and took on complete management of Benetton. When Schumacher and a number of key technical staffers departed for Ferrari in , the Benetton team slipped to the middle of the grid.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore purchased a share of the Minardi team in , but after failing to sell it to British American Tobacco as he had hoped, he sold out to fellow owners Giancarlo Minardi and Gabriele Rumi. In , Benetton replaced Briatore with David Richards.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: From to , he led the company Supertec, supplying Mecachrome-built Renault engines to Williams and BAR in 1999, Arrows in 2000, and under the brand name "Playlife" for Benetton in both 1999 and 2000.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: In 2000, Renault announced its plans to return to Formula One with the purchase of the Benetton Formula team. Briatore returned as managing director and team principal, replacing Rocco Benetton. The team raced as Benetton-Renault in 2001 before becoming Renault F1 in 2002.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore has a reputation as a talent-scout and probably his greatest 'find' has been Fernando Alonso. Briatore met with the teenage Spaniard in 1999. As his manager, Briatore secured him a race drive with Minardi in 2001 and promoted him to test-driver for Renault in 2002.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: In 2003, Briatore fired race-driver Jenson Button and replaced him with Alonso. When he replaced Button the outcry was huge but Briatore stated, "time will tell if I am wrong".


title: Flavio Briatore

text: With Alonso, Renault won both the driver's and constructor's championships in 2005 and 2006. However, Alonso turned his back on Briatore to sign for rivals McLaren for 2007.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore also acted as manager for Mark Webber, Jarno Trulli, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Heikki Kovalainen. Despite winning the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix, Trulli was dropped from Renault by Briatore and replaced by Giancarlo Fisichella.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: In April 2006, Renault F1's new president Alain Dassas stated that having a contract with Briatore for 2007 was 'a key factor' in securing the company's commitment to the sport, "and we will do everything to ensure Flavio stays". Briatore was duly confirmed on 6 September 2006 as staying at Renault for the 2007 and 2008 seasons.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore replaced Alonso with Kovalainen for 2007, saying "with Kovalainen, I hope to find the anti-Alonso".


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Allegations were made during November 2007 by the FIA against the Renault F1 team regarding information they were found to have in their possession concerning the 2006 and 2007 McLaren F1 cars. These allegations were the subject of an FIA investigation, with an FIA hearing taking place on 6 December 2007. Renault were found guilty of breaching the same regulation as McLaren (see F1 espionage scandal), but were not punished. Despite this guilty verdict, Briatore hit back at McLaren's Ron Dennis, saying "here is a team that acquired an advantage illegally. Just read the regulations: for intellectual property theft the punishment is exclusion... Ron Dennis… was the one who protested us on the mass damper. He is not the immaculate saint he pretends to be on his statements".


title: Flavio Briatore

text: In August 2009, Briatore was heavily criticised by Nelson Piquet Jr., the son of three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet, after Piquet Jr. was removed from the Renault team. On his personal website, Piquet Jr. called Briatore his "executioner". In an interview with "Autosport" magazine, Piquet Jr. said that Briatore "is ignorant about Formula 1". Piquet Jr. criticised Briatore for his ego and for his poor sense of race tactics.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore resigned as team principal of Renault due to a race fixing scandal. The controversy centred on an early crash involving Nelson Piquet Jr.'s car during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix of 28 September 2008, when he was still driving for Renault. At the time, Piquet Jr. described the crash as a simple mistake; however, shortly after his acrimonious departure from Renault and criticism of Briatore nearly a year later in August 2009, allegations surfaced that he had deliberately crashed to help Renault teammate Fernando Alonso, who went on to win the race. After a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) investigation, on 4 September 2009 Renault were charged with conspiracy and race fixing, and were due to face the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on 21 September 2009. In return for immunity from punishment, Piquet Jr. had reportedly stated to the FIA that he had been asked to crash by Briatore and Renault chief engineer Pat Symonds. On 11 September, following leaks of Piquet Jr.'s evidence, Renault and Briatore stated they would take legal action against Piquet Jr. for making false allegations. However, five days later, Renault announced they would not contest the charges and that Briatore and Symonds had left the team. The day after the Renault announcement, Renault confirmed Briatore had resigned from the team, while Briatore himself stated of his departure that "I was just trying to save the team", "It's my duty. That's the reason I've finished." The team issued the following official statement:


title: Flavio Briatore

text: At the same hearing, the FIA banned Briatore from FIA-sanctioned events indefinitely. The FIA also stated that it would not renew any superlicence granted to Briatore-managed drivers, effectively barring him from managing drivers who participate in any competition that is under the FIA's authority. The FIA stated that it was coming down hard on Briatore because he denied his involvement despite overwhelming evidence and that Renault's actions were serious enough to merit being thrown out of F1. However, since Renault took swift action by forcing Briatore and Symonds to resign once the affair came to light, the FIA effectively placed the team on two years' probation. If Renault committed a comparable offence between 2009 and 2011, it was to be indefinitely banned from F1. British newspaper "The Daily Mirror" described the ban as the harshest sanction ever imposed on an individual in the history of motorsport.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore later said he was "distraught" at the FIA's action and sued the FIA in French courts to clear his name. On 5 January 2010, the Tribunal de Grande Instance overturned the ban and granted him €15,000 in compensation. The tribunal declared in particular that "the decision of the World Council was presided over by the FIA president, who was well known to be in conflict with Briatore, with Mr Mosley having played a leading role in launching the inquiry and its investigation in violation of the principle of separation of the power of the bodies". The FIA announced that it would appeal the decision issued by the French court, but the two parties reached an out-of-court settlement the following April.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: In an interview with "Gazzetta dello Sport", Briatore said that he is sure that he will not return to Formula One, despite having his ban overturned.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore has always spoken out about his desires to see F1 provide better entertainment. In 1994, he said: "All the team owners are orientated towards the technical side rather than the entertainment side, and this is a big fault. Every meeting that I go to, people are talking about pistons and suspensions. Nobody goes to a race to see that kind of thing… People come to see Schumacher and Senna racing each other."


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Twelve years later his feelings were much the same: "The people in charge should be businessmen, as they are in Hollywood, not ex-engineers. Nothing costs more, and delivers less entertainment, than hidden technology. And that’s what engineers love most of all."


title: Flavio Briatore

text: In 2007, he even went so far as to suggest that Grands Prix be split into two separate races as in the GP2 series.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: On 20 March 2014 he said it was wrong to let the car manufacturers succeed in their push for the all-new regulations, featuring 'greener' engines that use less fuel. "They delegated the writing of rules to engineers who do not care about the fans or entertainment, If Formula One does not change again in the near future, then the audience will be lost. Look at the comments on the internet, in blogs, on Twitter – they did not like the Australian Grand Prix. It was an indecipherable and depressing show. This is unacceptable and now we have chaos" said Briatore.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: On 12 June 2014 he said: "I do not like this new Formula One. It's not our Formula 1." "He pointed a finger at cars that "do not make a noise", drivers having to "save fuel" and "fake overtaking". He added: "It is no longer a sport of gladiators, it is a sport of accountants."


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore has developed a diverse portfolio of business interests outside Formula 1, many of which revolve around fashion.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: He created the brand in 1998 and owns a club in Sardinia; in August 2012, he opened another Billionaire club in Marbella under that name along with an haute couture line, Billionaire Italian Couture. In addition to that, he opened Cipriani's restaurant in Mayfair, London, in 2004 and until 2007 owned 48.9% of the pharmaceuticals company . He also operates a Tuscan beach club and Lion in the Sun, a holiday resort in Kenya.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore is a beneficiary of Autumn Sailing Ltd, which purchased the super yacht "Force Blue" from Home Shopping Network investor Roy Speer for £68.2m. She was given a refitted interior designed by Celeste dell'Anna and a blue exterior. The yacht was then chartered by a number of individuals including Briatore, who named it as the most extravagant present he had ever bought himself. In 2010, the yacht was seized by officers investigating a tax fraud over its charter status and VAT on fuel. The Italian Supreme Court ruled that there were no issues with the seizure, though the yacht itself was released


title: Flavio Briatore

text: In 2007 Briatore was linked to a takeover of English Championship football club Queens Park Rangers (QPR) from a Monaco-based consortium led by Gianni Paladini. On 1 September 2007 it was officially announced that Briatore (along with Bernie Ecclestone and Lakshmi Mittal) had bought the club. On 7 November 2007, Briatore completed his takeover of QPR together with Ecclestone. He served as the club's chairman.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: In December 2007, Briatore and Ecclestone were joined as co-owners of QPR by multi-billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, who bought 20% of the club.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Following Briatore's ban from FIA, the Football League requested that FIA provide details of its investigation. The Football League could force Briatore out of QPR under rules that stipulate a club owner must be a "fit and proper person". The Football League also has the power to ban owners who have been banned from another sporting organisation. The Football League board discussed the matter on 8 October 2009 and declared that they would be awaiting a response from Briatore to various questions before commenting further. It was announced that he had stepped down from the post effective 19 February 2010.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: When interviewed about the QPR experience at an Italian chat show he stated "I will never invest in a Football Club again, it's only ever a good idea if you're very rich and looking for ways to waste your money. In two years you'll be very poor and won't have that problem anymore"


title: Flavio Briatore

text: In 1998, he became engaged to supermodel Naomi Campbell; they were involved in an on-again-off-again relationship until their separation in 2003. Campbell now considers Briatore her "mentor".


title: Flavio Briatore

text: In March 2003, Briatore began dating supermodel Heidi Klum. In December she announced her pregnancy. Soon after, the two split and Klum began dating the musician Seal. Klum gave birth to Leni Klum in May 2004 in New York City. According to Klum, Briatore is not involved in Leni's life; she has stated emphatically that "Seal is Leni's father". In 2009, Briatore allowed Seal to adopt his daughter and change her name.


title: Flavio Briatore

text: Briatore married the 'Wonderbra' model Elisabetta Gregoraci on 14 June 2008. Gregoraci gave birth to their son in Nice, France in 2010.


title: Breaking Bad (season 2)

text: The second season of the American television drama series "Breaking Bad" premiered on March 8, 2009 and concluded on May 31, 2009. It consisted of 13 episodes, each running approximately 47 minutes in length. AMC broadcast the second season on Sundays at 10:00 pm in the United States. The complete second season was released on Region 1 DVD and Region A Blu-ray on March 16, 2010.


title: Breaking Bad (season 2)

text: The titles of the first, fourth, tenth, and thirteenth episodes form a sentence that reveals an event that takes place in the season finale (Seven Thirty-Seven Down Over ABQ).


title: Breaking Bad (season 2)

text: The writers of "Breaking Bad" planned the storyline for the entire season in advance of filming and knew how the season would end right from the beginning. That differed from subsequent seasons, in which the writers did not have a complete plan and developed the storyline as the episodes progressed. Series creator Vince Gilligan said of season two, "That came about through many, many hours of beating our heads against the wall—very laborious work, which is probably why we haven't repeated that formula since."


title: Breaking Bad (season 2)

text: The original score for "Breaking Bad" was composed by Dave Porter. The show also uses music from other recording artists with music supervision by Thomas Golubić. Selected songs from Season 2 are featured on the "Breaking Bad" soundtrack available through iTunes and Amazon.


title: Breaking Bad (season 2)

text: The second season was released on DVD in Region 1 and Blu-ray in Region A on March 16, 2010. It was released on DVD in Region 2 on July 26, 2010 and in Region 4 on February 8, 2010.


title: Breaking Bad (season 2)

text: The second season of "Breaking Bad" received very positive reviews from critics, scoring 84 out of 100 on Metacritic. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 97% based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 9.16/10. The site's critics consensus reads: ""Breaking Bad" continues to soar, thanks to its artsy style and suspenseful thrills." "Entertainment Weekly" critic Ken Tucker stated ""Bad" is a superlatively fresh metaphor for a middle-age crisis: It took cancer and lawbreaking to jolt Walt out of his suburban stupor, to experience life again—to take chances, risk danger, do things he didn't think himself capable of doing. None of this would work, of course, without Emmy winner Cranston's ferocious, funny selflessness as an actor. For all its bleakness and darkness, there's a glowing exhilaration about this series: It's a feel-good show about feeling really bad." "San Francisco Chronicle"'s Tim Goodman claimed "The first three episodes of Season 2 that AMC sent out continue that level of achievement with no evident missteps. In fact, it looks as if Gilligan's bold vision for "Breaking Bad", now duly rewarded against all odds, has invigorated everyone involved in the project. You can sense its maturity and rising ambition in each episode." Horror novelist Stephen King lauded the series, comparing it to "Twin Peaks" and "Blue Velvet". Alan Sepinwall of "The Star-Ledger" praised the season, calling it "brilliant". He lauded the sound design as well as the cinematography, enjoying the "emphasis of beautiful desert vistas and disturbing tableaux". He also compared the series to "The Sopranos," more specifically on the similarity of Walter White and Tony Soprano and their respective reactions to similar situations. David Hinckley of the "New York Daily News" praised Cranston's performance of Walter White calling him "one of the best played characters on television".


title: Breaking Bad (season 2)

text: The second season received numerous awards and nominations, including five Primetime Emmy Award nominations with two wins. Bryan Cranston won his second consecutive award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Lynne Willingham won her second consecutive award for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series for "ABQ". The series received its first nomination for Outstanding Drama Series, Aaron Paul received his first nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and Michael Slovis was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography for a One Hour Series for "ABQ".


title: Breaking Bad (season 2)

text: Cranston won the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama, with the series being nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Drama. Cranston won his second consecutive Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series, with the series winning the award for Best Drama Series. Aaron Paul won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television, with the series winning the award for Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series. The series received two Writers Guild of America Award nominations, for Best Drama Series, and John Shiban for Best Episodic Drama for "Phoenix".


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Akshaye Khanna (born 28 March 1975) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. He is the son of actor Vinod Khanna. He has won numerous awards in his career including two Filmfare Awards, three Screen Awards and two IIFA Awards in varied acting categories.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: After studying in Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute in Mumbai, he made his acting debut in 1997 with the film "Himalay Putra". His next release, J. P. Dutta's war drama "Border" (1997) emerged as a critical and commercial success, earning him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut and a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Khanna rose to prominence with starring roles in the musical romantic drama "Taal" (1999), the comedy drama "Dil Chahta Hai" (2001) which won him a Best Supporting Actor at Filmfare, the romantic thriller "Humraaz" (2002), for which he was nominated in the Best Negative Role category, the romantic comedies "Hungama" (2003) and "Hulchul" (2004), the murder mystery "36 China Town" (2006), the action thriller "Race" (2008) and the heist comedy "Tees Maar Khan" (2010), and he also acted in the comedy film "No Problem" (2010) and he continued to draw praise for his performances in the 1999 romance "Dahek", the 2002 psychological thriller "Deewangee", the 2007 biographical drama "Gandhi, My Father" and the 2010 action thriller film "Aakrosh".


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Following a 4-year hiatus since his last release, "Gali Gali Chor Hai" (2012), Khanna made his comeback with moderately successful films, as the antagonist in the action-comedy film "Dishoom" and as an investigative cop in two thrillers, the crime film "Mom" and the murder mystery "Ittefaq" (both 2017).


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Akshaye Khanna was born on 28 March 1975 as the second son of Hindi actor and politician Vinod Khanna (1946-2017).


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: His mother Geetanjali Taleyarkhan was born into a Parsi family of lawyers and businessmen, she passed away in 2018.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: He attended Bombay International School, Babulnath. He then did his 11th & 12th from Lawrence School, Lovedale, Ooty. In an interview, he said that he was better at sports than studies.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Khanna made his acting debut with Pankaj Parashar's romantic drama "Himalay Putra" (1997), co-starring his father Vinod, Hema Malini, Satish Shah, Johny Lever, Danny Denzongpa, and Amrish Puri. His performance earned him a Screen Award for Best Male Debut, but the film underperformed at the box office despite mostly positive reviews.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Later that year, Khanna starred in J. P. Dutta's war drama "Border" alongside Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, and Jackie Shroff. Set during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the film was about the events of the Battle of Longewala and saw Khanna play the real-life role of Dharamvir Singh Bhan, a commander who is also a part of the battle. The film generated positive reviews and eventually proved to be the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of 1997. "Border" won 4 Filmfare Awards, including a Best Male Debut trophy for Khanna, in addition to a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the same ceremony.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Khanna's final release of 1997 was the romance "Mohabbat", in which he starred alongside Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Kapoor. The film received negative critical reception and was commercially unsuccessful.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: The following year, Khanna starred opposite Jyothika in Priyadarshan's romantic drama "Doli Saja Ke Rakhna" (1998), in which he portrayed a rich person who falls in love with Jyota's character. In the same year, Khanna starred opposite Urmila Matondkar in Raj N. Sippy's drama "Kudrat".


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Khanna's first release of 1999 came opposite Aishwarya Rai in Rishi Kapoor's directorial debut—the musical romance "Aa Ab Laut Chalen". It was a below average in India but performed well at the overseas. His next film appearance was in Shrikant Sharma's romance "Laawaris" opposite Manisha Koirala. The film received positive reviews, but fared poorly at the box office.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Khanna next starred opposite Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor in Subhash Ghai's musical romantic drama "Taal", in which he played Manav Mehta, the son of a wealthy rich man who falls in love with a poor aspiring singer played by Rai. The film was highly anticipated by critics and proved to be the third highest-earning feature film of 1999, becoming his first commercial success since "Border". Khanna's final film that year was Lateef Binnu's star-crossed romance "Dahek" in which he featured opposite Sonali Bendre as a Hindu boy who falls in love with a Muslim girl played by Bendre. The film proved to be a box office disappointment.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: After a two-year absence from full-time acting, Khanna appeared in Farhan Akhtar's coming-of-age comedy-drama "Dil Chahta Hai" (2001) alongside Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni and Dimple Kapadia. Set in Mumbai, it focuses on a major period of transition in the lives of three young friends. Khanna featured as one of the friends named Siddharth Sinha, a quiet and reticent boy. The feature generated highly positive reviews, with critical acclaim directed to the three leads' performances, and emerged as a major commercial success. "Dil Chahta Hai" won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and seven Filmfare Awards, including a Best Supporting Actor trophy for Khanna.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Abbas–Mustan's romantic thriller "Humraaz" (2002), co-starring Bobby Deol and Ameesha Patel, was Khanna's next film release. He played the main antagonist Karan Malhotra, a convincing con-artist whose girlfriend (played by Patel) marries a rich man (played by Deol) to secure his wealth, but eventually falls in love with him. "Humraaz" proved to be a major commercial success, and Khanna's performance drew critical praise. He won the IIFA Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role and received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. That year, he also starred as a lawyer in Anees Bazmee's thriller "Deewangee" alongside Ajay Devgn and Urmila Matondkar, a financial failure for which he was nominated for the Screen Award for Best Actor.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: In 2003, Khanna starred as an electronic salesman in Priyadarshan's romantic comedy "Hungama", co-starring Rimi Sen, Paresh Rawal, and Aftab Shivdasani. The feature became a box office hit with earnings of despite a mixed critical reception. He next reunited with J. P. Dutta to film "LOC Kargil", a war drama based on the events of the Kargil War fought between India and Pakistan. Khanna played the real-life character of Balwan Singh, an Indian army officer who is a part of the war.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Khanna's first release of 2004 was Milan Luthria's action thriller "Deewaar", in which he played Gaurav Kaul, the son of an Indian army officer who sets out on a journey to find his missing father. Co-starring Amitabh Bachchan, Amrita Rao, and Sanjay Dutt, it received critical acclaim but failed to fare well at the box office.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: In the same year, Khanna reteamed with Priyadarshan in the romantic comedy "Hulchul", in which he was paired opposite Kareena Kapoor. The film proved to be a box-office hit.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: After a year-long absence, Khanna appeared in three films in 2006—the first of which was Satish Kaushik's comedy-drama "Shaadi Se Pehle", co-starring Suniel Shetty, Aftab Shivdasani, Ayesha Takia and Mallika Sherawat. Khanna's next role was in "36 China Town", a murder-mystery comedy adapted from the American film "Once Upon a Crime" and co-starring Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor. Directed by Abbas–Mustan, the film featured him as a police officer, and proved to be a financial success with earnings of over worldwide.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Khanna's final film release that year was Dharmesh Darshan's romantic comedy "Aap Ki Khatir" alongside Priyanka Chopra, Ameesha Patel, Suniel Shetty, and Anupam Kher. It proved to be one of the year's biggest flops.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: In 2007, Akshaye Khanna acted in Nikkhil Advani's ensemble drama "", a romantic comedy consisting of six chapters. He was featured in the first and second chapter opposite Ayesha Takia. The film received negative reviews from critics and emerged as a major commercial disappointment.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: His next appearance was in Abbas–Mustan's love-saga "Naqaab", in which he starred as Vicky Malhotra, an unemployed film personality, alongside Bobby Deol and Urvashi Sharma. The feature received positive reviews from audiences but turned out to be an average grosser.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Khanna then took a leading role in Feroz Abbas Khan's adaptation of the novel "Mahatma vs Gandhi", entitled "Gandhi, My Father", co-starring Darshan Jariwala, Bhumika Chawla, and Shefali Shah. The feature explores the relationship between freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi (played by Jariwala) and his eldest son Harilal Gandhi (played by Khanna). Though the film underperformed at the box office, his performance was praised, with several critics regarding it as one of his finest performances, and earned him a second Best Actor nomination at Screen Awards.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: In his final release of that year, Khanna teamed with Anil Mehta for the dance film "Aaja Nachle", co-starring Madhuri Dixit, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kunal Kapoor, and Jugal Hansraj, which underperformed at the box office.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Khanna's performance in the Abbas–Mustan-directed action thriller "Race" (2008) marked a turning point in his career. Cast alongside Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, and Bipasha Basu, Khanna garnered praise for his portrayal of the main antagonist Rajiv Singh, an alcoholic person who plots to kill his half brother (played by Khan) to secure his wealth. "Race", despite receiving negative reviews, proved to be one of the highest-grossing films of that year with a worldwide revenue of over , becoming Khanna's highest-grossing release to that point, and his performance earned him Best Performance in a Negative Role awards at major award functions, including IIFA and Screen. The success of the film established Khanna as one of the reliable actors of the Hindi film industry. For his final release of 2008, he reunited with Priyadarshan in the comedy "Mere Baap Pehle Aap", co-starring Paresh Rawal, Genelia D'Souza, and Archana Puran Singh.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Khanna's only release in 2009 was Neeraj Vora's romantic comedy "Shortkut", in which he starred alongside Amrita Rao and Arshad Warsi, playing the character of Shekhar, an assistant director who hopes to be a writer and director too. The feature garnered negative reviews from critics and bombed at the box office. The following year, he featured in three commercial failures—the first of which was Priyadarshan's action thriller "Aakrosh". The film (co-starring Ajay Devgn, Paresh Rawal, Bipasha Basu, and Reemma Sen) featured Khanna as a CBI officer. He next appeared in Anees Bazmee's comedy "No Problem", co-starring Anil Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Kangana Ranaut, Sanjay Dutt, and Sushmita Sen. Khanna's final film of that year was "Tees Maar Khan", a slapstick comedy directed by Farah Khan and co-starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. Khanna's role was that of a popular but greedy actor. The film was a semi-hit. at the box office, his performance earned him a nomination for the Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Male.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: In 2012, Khanna starred in "Gali Gali Chor Hai", an ensemble romantic comedy directed by Rumi Jaffrey and co-starring Shriya Saran and Mugdha Godse. It saw him portray the main protagonist Bharat Narayan, a simple kind-hearted person. Despite hype, "Gali Gali Mein Chor Hai" received mixed to negative reviews from critics and proved to be a major financial failure. Khanna then took a long sabbatical of four years from film acting.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Khanna made his comeback to Bollywood in 2016 with the action cop comedy "Dishoom", in which he starred alongside Varun Dhawan, John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez, Saqib Saleem, and Tarun Khanna, playing the role of the main antagonist Wagah, a bookie who targets a top batsman (played by Saleem). The feature received mixed reviews from critics, but emerged as one of his most successful, earning over worldwide.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: Ravi Udayawar's crime thriller "Mom" was Khanna's first release of 2017. Co-starring with Sridevi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sajal Ali, and Adnan Siddiqui, he received critical appreciation for his performance as Matthew, a CBI officer. The film narrated the story of a vigilante (played by Sridevi) who sets out to avenge the rape of her step-daughter (played by Ali). The feature garnered positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Sridevi's performance. With a global revenue of over , it emerged as a financial success and Khanna's biggest success of his career. Later that year, he starred as an investigative cop in Abhay Chopra's murder-mystery "Ittefaq"—a remake of the 1969 film of the same name. Co-starring Sonakshi Sinha and Sidharth Malhotra, it proved to be an average grosser.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: In 2019, Khanna starred in Section 375. After a long self imposed exile, Akshaye Khanna back in Lead Role in Section 375 and gained Nomination for the 65th Filmfare Award Best Actor Critics and nomination for Best Actor Critics in Star Screen Awards also.


title: Akshaye Khanna

text: In 2021, ZEE5 roped in Khanna, to play the lead in "". He played a special task force officer in the film.


title: Ginger Gonzaga

text: Ginger Gonzaga (born May 17, 1983) is an American comedian and actress. She plays Nikki Ramos, best friend of Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk in the Disney+ series "".


title: Ginger Gonzaga

text: Gonzaga grew up in Modesto, California, where she attended Beyer High School. Her mother is Dutch and her father Filipino. She went to the University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Santa Barbara, where she majored in political science. Gonzaga graduated a year early to train at The Groundlings school, and went on to study improv at Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade.


title: Ginger Gonzaga

text: Gonzaga hosted Hulu's comedic daily pop culture recap show "The Morning After". She was a regular on ABC's "Mixology", which ran for thirteen episodes. She has also appeared in numerous other television shows, including "Togetherness", "I'm Dying Up Here", "Wrecked", "Kidding", and "Room 104".


title: Ginger Gonzaga

text: She portrays "the Angry Young Congresswoman" Anabela Ysidro-Campos, also known as simply AYC, a character based on Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in the 2020 satirical space comedy "Space Force". In January 2021, she was cast in the Disney+ streaming series "" for Marvel Studios, playing Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk's best friend, Nikki.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: La Toya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956) is an American singer and television personality. The fifth child and middle daughter of the Jackson family, Jackson first gained recognition on the family's variety television series, "The Jacksons", on CBS between 1976 and 1977. Thereafter, she saw success as a solo recording artist under multiple record labels in the 1980s and 1990s, including Polydor, Sony Music and RCA, where she released nine studio albums over the course of 15 years. Her most successful releases in the United States were her self-titled debut album (1980) and the 1984 single "Heart Don't Lie". Jackson's other songs include "If You Feel the Funk", "Bet'cha Gonna Need My Lovin'", "Hot Potato", "You're Gonna Get Rocked!", and "Sexbox". Another one of Jackson's songs, "Just Say No" from her fifth album was composed for US first lady Nancy Reagan and Reagan administration’s anti-drug campaign.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: She is a two time New York Times best selling author. Jackson posed for "Playboy" magazine in 1989 and again in 1991 to promote her New York Times Best Seller "". In 1992, Jackson signed a contract with the Moulin Rouge to star in the successful Paris revue, Formidable.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: Despite subsequent musical success, Jackson's recording career began its decline in the 1990s as a result of her controversial marriage to entertainment manager Jack Gordon, whom she divorced in 1997. After a period of public seclusion, she returned to the music industry in 2004 with the singles "Just Wanna Dance", "Home", and "Free the World", which saw success on the Hot Dance Club Play chart in the United States. In 2011, she was a contestant on the fourth installment of "The Celebrity Apprentice" and released an extended play, "Starting Over", which is her most recent release to date, called, as well, as her best-selling autobiography.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: From 2013 to 2014, Jackson appeared in her own reality television series on the Oprah Winfrey Network, "Life with La Toya", which aired for two seasons.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: Born on her sister Rebbie's 6th birthday on May 29, 1956 at St Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana, La Toya Jackson is the fifth of ten children born to Joe and Katherine Jackson and the middle female child between Rebbie and Janet. Growing up, La Toya tended to be shy. After her mother became a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses in 1965, La Toya, along with the rest of her siblings followed. She would spend some of her time alongside her mother preaching door-to-door. "Every morning, Michael and I witnessed, knocking on doors around Los Angeles, spreading the word of Jehovah." By 1972, at sixteen, La Toya joined her brothers in the spotlight with a tap dancing routine when her father arranged for them to perform shows in Las Vegas, among other cities. La Toya attended the Cal-Prep school in Encino, Los Angeles, CA and graduated in 1974. Jackson aspired to be an attorney specializing in business law. She attended college for a short time before her father insisted that she pursue a career in show business like the rest of the family.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In 1976 and 1977, La Toya and her sisters Rebbie and Janet appeared in all twelve episodes of "The Jacksons"—a CBS-TV variety program, with their brothers Jackie, Tito, Marlon, Michael, and Randy. Along with their brothers (minus Jermaine, who stayed at Motown and left the family group when his brothers moved to Epic Records), La Toya and her sisters sang, danced, and performed skits. In 1978 during the filming of "The Wiz", La Toya traveled with her brother Michael (who was cast as the Scarecrow), to New York. Sharing an apartment, it was the first time either of them had lived elsewhere as adults. Close siblings, Michael and La Toya, would not move out of the family's Encino, Los Angeles, California home until they were 27 and 31 respectively. Her dates during this period included Diana Ross' brother Chico and a young David Gest. Jackson also dated Bobby DeBarge and was the inspiration for Switch's 1979 hit "I Call Your Name".


title: La Toya Jackson

text: Under Joe Jackson's tutelage Rebbie, La Toya and Janet formed a short-lived musical group. However, they never performed live and soon separated because of creative differences about the act's future direction. Consequently, no related material was ever released by the trio. The next year, La Toya began work on her first solo album.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In 1980, Jackson released her self-titled debut album. In order to distinguish herself from her famous brothers, The Jacksons, La Toya only wanted her first name on the album. "I begged just to have it 'La Toya'. But my father said, 'It's your last name. You got to use it.' But I wanted to see what I could do as an individual." The first single "If You Feel the Funk", became a modest hit, climbing into the Top 40 of the US R&B chart. Her second single, "Night Time Lover", was produced by younger brother Michael, who provided backing vocals and co-wrote the song with La Toya. In turn, she provided the opening scream on her brothers', The Jacksons, 1980 hit, "This Place Hotel" as well as backing vocals on brother Michael's 1983 solo hit "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)".


title: La Toya Jackson

text: The "La Toya Jackson" album peaked at #116 on the US "Billboard" 200, #26 on the "Billboard" R&B album chart, and #178 on the UK Top 200, making it her highest placing album.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In 1981, Jackson released a follow-up album, "My Special Love", which generated two singles, "Stay the Night" and "I Don't Want You to Go".


title: La Toya Jackson

text: 1984 saw the release of Jackson's critically acclaimed album "Heart Don't Lie." Jackson scored her biggest "Billboard" Hot 100 hit with the title track, which peaked at number 56. Other singles from this album were "Bet'cha Gonna Need My Lovin'", "Hot Potato", and a cover of Prince's "Private Joy." Jackson and Amir Bayyan co-wrote "Reggae Nights" for "Heart Don't Lie" but the track did not make the cut. Jimmy Cliff's recording of the song was a hit and was nominated for a Grammy. Cliff commissioned Jackson to write two more songs: "Brown Eyes" and "American Sweet."


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In 1984, Jackson capitalized on her rising popularity by licensing her name to a fashion line; "David Laurenz for La Toya." According to her three-year contract with the suede and leather-maker Jackson agreed to only wear David Laurenz items during her public appearances. Apparel in the collection included Jackson's signature leather headbands. Jackson starred in television and print advertisements for Nikon cameras and the following year she became the spokesmodel for cosmetics firm Mahogany Image and launched her own eponymous fragrance, "La Toya".


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In 1985, Jackson participated on the single "We Are the World", an appeal for famine relief in Ethiopia. That same year Jackson featured in anti-drug music video "Stop the Madness".


title: La Toya Jackson

text: Her 1985 single "Baby Sister" was a notable success, as it received one of five Outstanding Song Awards at the sixteenth annual World Popular Song Festival in Japan. "Baby Sister" was included on the 1986 album "Imagination", released just before Jackson's record label, Private-I, went bankrupt resulting in poor promotion. Jackson went on to record two duets; "Oops, Oh No!" with Cerrone, and "Yes, I'm Ready" with artist Jed. In 1987 Jackson was featured as a special guest at Minako Honda's "DISPA (Disco Party)" concert, joining in for the song, "Funkytown".


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In 1987, Jack Gordon was hired to co-manage La Toya by her father, Joseph. He later took over her management completely. Under Gordon's management, Jackson's public image became increasingly sexualized. Katherine Jackson recalled her shock seeing La Toya dance in a suggestive manner in 1988 for the first time in her autobiography "My Family, The Jacksons": "she'd been so conservative that she'd once dropped a friend who had begun wearing low-cut tops and skirts with slits in them." Katherine believed that Gordon was distancing La Toya from her family so he could "become the dominating influence in her life." Around this time Jackson was disfellowshipped by the Jehovah's Witnesses. Defying her father, Jackson made a stormy exit from the family's Encino compound to take up residence in New York City. In late 1988, Jackson released the album "La Toya", which featured the singles "You're Gonna Get Rocked!" and "(Ain't Nobody Loves You) Like I Do". The album also included a track titled "Just Say No", which was written for the Reagan administration's anti-drug campaign. The album included four tracks produced by Full Force, and three by Stock Aitken Waterman. The album was the first one Jackson released after changing her management.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In March 1989, Jackson posed topless for "Playboy" magazine. Jackson saw the pictorial as a declaration of independence from her conservative upbringing and "to show my parents they couldn't dictate to me any more—that I control my life." She posed again in "Playboy" in November 1991 to promote her autobiography and subsequently acted in a 1994 video for the magazine, becoming one of the first celebrities to have a "Playboy" video released. She later said that she initially refused to pose for the second spread and for the video, however, Gordon beat her into submission.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In 1989, Jackson began recording her sixth album "Bad Girl". That year Jackson staged a live pay-per-view concert, "A Sizzling Spectacular!", from Bally's theatre in Reno. Jackson's set list included songs from "La Toya" and "Bad Girl". The show featured special guest star Edgar Winter.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: On September 5, 1989, after her "Sizzling Spectacular" concert in Nevada, Gordon and Jackson were married. Jackson later claimed she had been forcibly married, with Gordon claiming it was for her own protection against kidnapping by her family. La Toya Jackson states that this was both unplanned and against her wishes. According to Jackson, "I told him, 'No way, Jack! I can't marry you. You know what marriage means to me. I've never been in love; I don't even date... It's not right. I don't love you. I don't have feelings for you.'" Jackson told "Ebony" magazine the marriage was "strictly in name only. It has never been consummated." Six months into the marriage, Jackson asked Gordon for an annulment when in Rome, Italy. In response, Gordon repeatedly bashed her head against the corner of the hotel room table saying that he would never let her go. Paparazzi subsequently photographed Jackson with black eyes, which Gordon claimed were caused by an intruder. From this point forward, Jackson lost all contact with her family and wrote an autobiography, "", which accused her father of physical abuse.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: For roughly the next decade Gordon controlled Jackson with threats, lies, and routine domestic violence. According to Jackson, "When he hit me, the first time I was in shock, I just recalled my ear ringing, just ringing so hard." Gordon confiscated Jackson's passport, transferred her bank accounts into his name, hired bodyguards to watch La Toya constantly and banned her from speaking to or seeing her family, monitoring her every phone call. La Toya's father Joseph stated in his book "The Jacksons" that he believed Gordon brainwashed La Toya and made her fearful of her own family. Katherine also believed that La Toya had been brainwashed while Gordon claimed that Katherine had tried to kill her daughter. Sister Janet concurred with her parents saying at the time, "I think this guy who is with her has brainwashed her and made her like this... He keeps her away from the family, and now he's brainwashed her so much she keeps herself away from us."


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In 1990, Jackson participated in the Sanremo Music Festival, entering "You and Me" an English-language version of "Verso l'ignoto" by siblings Marcella and . While "You and Me" did not win Best Song, it entered Italy's hit parade, peaking at number twenty-eight. That year Jackson signed on with German-based BCM Records and released the single "Why Don't You Want My Love?" Jackson recorded other material with BCM, but the label went bankrupt and album plans were scrapped. Jackson signed with Dino Records quickly thereafter. 1991 saw the release of "No Relations", an album with strong house and funk influences. This album featured Jackson's top twenty-five Netherlands hit "Sexbox".


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In 1992, Jackson signed a contract with the Moulin Rouge in Paris to star in her own revue, "Formidable". Jackson was to perform two shows a night, six nights a week. Jackson was the highest-paid performer in the cabaret's history, earning a reported $5 million. Though "Formidable" was successful, selling out on most nights, Jackson departed half-way into her year-long contract owing the nightclub $550,000 in damages.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In October 1992, while taping an "Exotic Club Tour" in Minneapolis Jackson approached sister Janet Jackson, also in town recording her fifth studio album with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, to ask for help in escaping Gordon. Janet struck La Toya, accusing her elder sister of recording their conversation.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In 1993 in their New York home, Gordon beat Jackson repeatedly with a heavy brass dining room chair, leaving Jackson with black eyes, swollen lip and chin "the size of a clenched fist", cuts requiring 12 mouth stitches and contusions on her face, arms, legs and back. Jackson lost consciousness during the beating, leading Gordon to believe she was dead. She recalled, "He called his friends and said, 'She's dead. I killed her,' because I was lying in a puddle of blood and I was out." Gordon was arrested but then released, claiming he beat Jackson in self-defense.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In December 1993, Gordon hastily arranged a press conference in Tel Aviv, where he had Jackson read a statement claiming to believe the sex abuse allegation against her younger brother Michael might be true. This was an abrupt reversal of her previous defense of Michael against the charges. Gordon claimed La Toya had proof which she was prepared to disclose for a fee of $500,000. A bidding war between US and UK tabloids began, but fell through when they realized that her revelations were not what she had claimed them to be. According to La Toya, Gordon threatened to have siblings Michael and Janet killed if she didn't follow his orders. In 1993, Jackson claimed her father Joe Jackson sexually abused her as a child.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: Under Gordon's management, Jackson's career declined with his booking of disreputable jobs such as spokesperson for the Psychic Friends Network. Because of Gordon's steady stream of publicity stunts and her media portrayal as the Jackson family "black sheep" La Toya had become a hate figure of sorts. By the mid-1990s Jackson's finances were in disarray and she was forced to file for bankruptcy in order to stave off claims of $550,000 in damages to the Moulin Rouge for ending her contract early. In 1993 Jackson held a concert at Poland's Sopot International Song Festival and released a step aerobics exercise video, "Step-Up Workout". In 1994, Jackson again worked for Playboy Entertainment, becoming one of the first celebrities to have a Celebrity Centerfold video. "" was released in the first quarter of 1994 and sold roughly 50,000 copies. Jackson later released two albums, one of country music, "From Nashville to You", and another of Motown hits, "Stop in the Name of Love", in the mid-1990s.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: When Jackson became aware that Gordon was planning to feature her in a pornographic film she decided she'd had enough. Jackson phoned brother Randy who flew to New York to help her escape while Gordon was out. Only days later, La Toya filed for divorce in Las Vegas and sued Gordon in civil court for years of abuse under the Violence Against Women Act. She changed her name from La Toya Jackson-Gordon to La Toya Jackson, thus dropping use of her former middle name Yvonne. La Toya Jackson ended her estrangement with the entire Jackson family and returned home to Hayvenhurst. Jackson forgave her parents for her stifled upbringing reasoning, "I've come to realize that as we get older, we grow and learn a lot more. And I think that my father and my mother, they raised children the best way they know how." According to La Toya, Michael knew that she was forced to attack him in the press against her will and he did not blame her. Jackson's last single of the 1990s was "Don't Break My Heart".


title: La Toya Jackson

text: After separating from Gordon, Jackson cloistered herself in her home and lived alone for the first time—the first six months she stated she never actually left her house due to being terrified of Gordon seeing her. Weary after her years of public scorn, she didn't know what to do with her life and was afraid to perform again. Jackson struggled to rebuild her confidence but was plagued with self-doubt, explaining, "I got to the point, [...] where—well, you know in the media they say things like, 'Oh, she can't sing. She has no talent. She can't dance.' I started believing that, and I was thinking, 'Oh my God'. And I started thinking, 'Oh gee, how could this happen to me?' How could I start believing this?" After this time she started to perform in Europe and South America occasionally to start making money to pay off the huge debts which Gordon had accumulated in her name while they were married. In the wake of the September 11 attacks Jackson was moved to compose "Free the World". She performed the song for friends to a positive reception. This spurred on Jackson to write more songs, ending up with a full album, "Startin' Over".


title: La Toya Jackson

text: Jackson publicly re-emerged on Larry King Live on March 9, 2003. Her appearance caused CNN's phone lines to stay busy for hours and was King's highest-rated show in three years. Jackson announced her first musical project in six years, "Startin' Over". "Startin' Over's" lead single was 2004's "Just Wanna Dance", released independently under her pseudonymous nickname "Toy" in order to avoid any prejudices DJs might hold against La Toya Jackson's name. The plan worked, with "Just Wanna Dance" reaching #13 on the US "Billboard" Hot Dance chart. "Free the World" was released later that year to similar success. Jackson's label, Ja-Tail Records secured a deal with Universal Music Group to distribute the album, which was delayed several times due to extenuating circumstances. The 2003 promotional copy of "Startin' Over" leaked online in 2006; however, Jackson's management revealed that the entire album was being re-recorded with an all-new track list and updated sound. That year Jackson became the spokeswoman for Australian malt beverage Star Ice's US launch.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: After Jack Gordon's death in 2005, Jackson was free to speak more openly about the control he had exerted over her life. She sent a security expert to eyewitness that Gordon had not faked his death a second time. In 2005 she appeared on ABC News to recant her previous allegations and defend brother Michael against new charges of child abuse. VH1 described Jackson as a role model having weathered various successes and setbacks.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: On January 10, 2007, the reality TV show "Armed & Famous" premiered on CBS starring Jackson and other celebrities. The program documented Jackson's basic training and service as a reserve police officer with the Muncie Police Department. Jackson maintains her badge by continuing to volunteer as a deputy. The show was eventually removed from the CBS lineup, due to its inability to compete with "American Idol". VH1 subsequently aired the remaining episodes. On the show, Jackson demonstrated her phobia of cats, after she began hysterically screaming and locked herself in a squad car. This fear, she revealed, was caused by a childhood memory in which a relative was attacked by a cat. She underwent on-screen therapy to try to relieve her of this phobia. A single called "Armed and Famous" was planned but the title was changed to "I Don't Play That" shortly before it was sent to radio stations, where it failed to take off, on January 29, 2007, due to CBS' cancellation of the show.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: In January 2009, Jackson was paid £103,000 to appear as a contestant on the sixth series of the British television program "Celebrity Big Brother". She was the second member of the Jackson family to be on the show, the first being her brother Jermaine in 2007. She was the fourth person evicted from the house.


title: La Toya Jackson

text: The final version of "Startin' Over" was completed in late 2008, just before Jackson joined the cast of "Celebrity Big Brother". A new lead single, "Love, Honor, and Obey", planned for a summer 2009 release, was put on hold because of the death of La Toya's younger brother Michael. Instead, "Home" was released on July 28, 2009 in Michael's memory with all proceeds going to AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of his favorite charities. La Toya Jackson was one of the first siblings present at Reagan-UCLA Medical Center on June 25, 2009, after brother Michael Jackson was pronounced dead after suffering cardiac arrest. She was named as the informant on and signed her brother's death certificate as Conrad Murray refused to sign the death certificate. Jackson requested a second autopsy to be carried out after noting suspicious medical paraphernalia in Michael's rented house, evasive behavior by his doctors, and discovering that $2 million in cash and jewels had gone missing. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled Jackson's death a homicide weeks later.