title: Reston, Virginia

text: Reston is located in northern Fairfax County at . Neighboring communities are Great Falls to the north, Wolf Trap to the east, Franklin Farm, Floris, and McNair to the southwest, the town of Herndon to the west, and Dranesville to the northwest.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: According to the United States Census Bureau, the Reston CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.10%, is water.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Reston has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: As a part of Fairfax County, Reston is served by Fairfax County Public Schools and a number of private schools. Reston has one high school within its boundaries, South Lakes High School, which serves most of Reston. Adjacent to South Lakes High School is Reston's only middle school, Langston Hughes Middle School. Students who live in the far northern part of Reston attend Herndon High School.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: Reston has several higher education resources, including a satellite campus of NVCC (Northern Virginia Community College), the University of Phoenix – Northern Virginia campus, and Marymount University – Reston Center.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: Fairfax County Public Library operates the Reston Regional Library. Also located in Reston is the United States Geological Survey Library, a federal research library that is open to the public with over 3 million items, ranging from books and journals to maps and photographs, as well as field record notebooks.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: As of the census of 2000, there were 56,407 people, 23,320 households, and 14,481 families residing in the CDP, with a population density of 3,288.6 people per square mile (1,269.9/km). There were 24,210 housing units at an average density of 1,411.5/sq mi (545.0/km). Reston's racial composition was 73.62% White, 9.12% African American, 0.25% Native American, 9.62% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.12% from other races, and 3.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.10% of the population.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: There were 23,320 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.99.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: The median income for a household was $80,018, and the median income for a family was $94,061 (as of a 2007 estimate, these figures had risen to $93,417 and $130,221, respectively). The per capita income was $42,747. About 3.2% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: Reston has a high proportion of college-educated adults, with 66.7% having completed at least some college.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: Reston is an unincorporated area in Fairfax County; its schools, roads, and law enforcement services are provided by Fairfax County.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: Parks, recreation facilities, and common grounds, as well as the extensive trail system, are overseen by the Reston Association under the provisions of the Reston Deed, the community's basic governing document. A standard assessment is levied on each apartment or lot (for townhouses and houses). The Deed also allows for reduced assessments for those who "qualify for real estate tax reduction by Fairfax County Ordinance; (ii) their units are subsidized by the federal or state government; or (iii) their units are designed and used primarily for elderly congregate care or assisted living facilities and occupied by low or moderate income residents."


title: Reston, Virginia

text: Reston's individual clusters or neighborhoods have their own neighborhood associations which also levy assessments to cover grounds upkeep, snow removal, trash pick-up, and other maintenance. Each cluster has its own elected board of directors who report to the residents of that cluster.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: The majority of Reston lies within Virginia's 11th congressional district and is currently represented in Congress by Representative Gerry Connolly (D). A portion of Reston is in Virginia's 10th District and is represented by Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D). It is represented by Ken Plum (D) in the Virginia House of Delegates, and by Janet Howell (D) in the State Senate.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: While Reston has, from its inception, been an unincorporated area, several efforts have been made to achieve town status, primarily to gain more control over zoning and development decisions, which now are the purview of Fairfax County elected officials and staff. Robert Simon initially explored the option of incorporation as a town but was blocked by Fairfax County. Simon asserted to an interviewer that Fairfax officials informed him they would deny Reston access to Fairfax's water and sewer lines if he sought incorporation for his new community. In 1980, a group of Reston residents were successful in pushing for a referendum to incorporate Reston as a town, but the referendum failed in 1980 by a 2–1 margin. A similar initiative in 2005, which was publicly supported by Robert Simon, also failed.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: Reston is served primarily by the Washington, D.C. media market. The community lies within the local distribution area for two national newspapers, the "Washington Post" and the "Washington Times", as well as two local publications, the "Fairfax Times" and the "Reston Connection". All four also offer digital subscriptions. A third local paper, the "Observer," which covered Reston and nearby Herndon, closed in 2010 and transferred coverage to AOL's Patch service of local digital news sites, which launched a Reston site in August 2010. Website "Reston Now" provides daily local news coverage. In addition, multiple television and radio stations in the Washington metropolitan area provide coverage of local developments.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: A filovirus, at first suspected to be Ebola virus (EBOV), was discovered among crab-eating macaques ("Macaca fascicularis") within the Covance Primate Quarantine Unit in 1989. This attracted significant media attention, including the publication of the popular 1994 book "The Hot Zone (book)" and the subsequent development of the National Geographic Channel TV Series "The Hot Zone (television series)". The filovirus was found to be distinct from EBOV and to be nonpathogenic for humans. It was named after the community, and is now known as Reston virus (RESTV). Macaques found to be or suspected to be infected with RESTV were euthanized, and the facility was sterilized. The facility was located in an office park near Sunset Hills Road and Wiehle Avenue. It was eventually torn down, and a daycare was built in its place.


title: Reston, Virginia

text: Notable people who were born in and/or have lived in Reston include professional basketball player Grant Hill, track and field athlete and Olympian Alan Webb, speed skating Olympian Maame Biney, mystery writer Donna Andrews, musician Roy Buchanan, chess grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek and young pop singer and influencer Jacob Sartorius.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Armitage served as a U.S. Navy officer in three combat tours of duty in the Vietnam War as a riverine warfare advisor. After leaving active duty, he served in a number of civil-service roles under Republican administrations. He worked as an aide to Senator Bob Dole before serving in various posts in the Defense Department and State Department.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: During the Reagan administration, Armitage was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia and Pacific Affairs (1981–1983) and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (1983–1989). He served in the George H. W. Bush administration in various diplomatic posts, including Presidential Special Negotiator for the Philippines Military Bases Agreement, Special Mediator for Water in the Middle East, Special Emissary to King Hussein of Jordan during the Persian Gulf War, and director of U.S. aid to the post-Soviet states. He then worked in the private sector before joining the George W. Bush administration as Deputy Secretary of State, holding the post from March 2001 to February 2005.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Armitage's tenure at the State Department under Secretary Colin Powell became overshadowed by the Plame affair. Armitage acknowledged in 2006 that he inadvertently leaked Valerie Plame Wilson's identity as a CIA operative to columnist Robert Novak, who revealed her identity in a July 2003 column; Armitage said that this was a "terrible error on my part" and issued an apology.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Armitage was born in Boston, the son of Ruth H. and Leo Holmes Armitage. He graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School, in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1963. In 1967 he graduated from the United States Naval Academy.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: He served on a destroyer stationed off the coast of Vietnam during the Vietnam War before volunteering to serve what would eventually become three combat tours with the riverine/advisory forces for the Republic of Vietnam Navy. According to Captain Kiem Do, a Republic of Vietnam Navy officer who served with him in Vietnam, Armitage "seemed drawn like a moth to flame to the hotspots of the naval war: bedding down on the ground with Vietnamese commandos, sharing their rations and hot sauce, telling jokes in flawless Vietnamese". Instead of a Naval uniform, Armitage often dressed in native garb. He adopted a Vietnamese pseudonym, "Tran Phu", which loosely translated meant "rich Navy guy".


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Several associates who fought alongside Armitage and other politicians (including Ted Shackley) have since claimed that Armitage was associated with the CIA's clandestine Phoenix Program. Armitage has denied a role in Phoenix and has stated that at most, CIA officers would occasionally ask him for intelligence reports.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: In 1973, Armitage left active duty and joined the Defense Attaché Office, Saigon. Immediately prior to the fall of Saigon, he organized and led the removal of South Vietnamese naval assets and personnel from the country and out of the hands of the approaching North Vietnamese. Armitage told South Vietnamese naval officers to take their ships to a designated place in the ocean where they would be rescued by U.S. forces and their ships destroyed. When Armitage arrived at the designated location he found 30 South Vietnamese Navy ships and dozens of fishing boats and cargo ships with as many as 30,000 Vietnamese refugees. With transportation options limited for removing the floating city, Armitage, aboard the destroyer escort USS "Kirk", personally decided to lead the flotilla of ships over 1000 miles to shelter in Subic Bay, Philippines. This went against the wishes of both the Philippine and American governments. Nevertheless, Armitage personally arranged for food and water to be delivered by the U.S. Defense Department before negotiating with both governments for permission to dock in Subic Bay.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Armitage is the recipient of several military decorations, including a Bronze Star with Combat V, Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V and Navy Achievement Medal with Combat V.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Armitage served as an aide to Republican Senator Bob Dole. During the Reagan administration, he served from 1981 to 1983 as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Security Affairs for East Asia and the Pacific and became Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs on June 9, 1983, serving in that position for the next eight and a half years. Armitage was nominated by President George H. W. Bush in April 1989 to serve as Secretary of the Army under Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, but the nomination was withdrawn the following month at Armitage's request, who cited a desire to spent more time with his large family.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: During the Persian Gulf War, Bush appointed Armitage as a special emissary to King Hussein of Jordan. From March 1992 to May 1993, Armitage was posted to Europe to lead U.S. foreign aid efforts to the newly independent post-Soviet states, and held the personal rank of ambassador.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: After leaving the government, Armitage joined the private sector as director of US data aggregation firm ChoicePoint.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: In 1986, Armitage was named in an affidavit filed in a civil lawsuit by the Christic Institute as part of a conspiracy responsible for the La Penca bombing, and a number of other covert operations. The affidavit, by Christic's lead attorney Daniel Sheehan, alleged that Armitage was involved with heroin smuggling from southeast Asia to fund covert activities in South America. He and Ted Shackley were reported to be directly responsible for the Iran Contra Scandal.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Similar charges were made in a 1987 letter from the Burmese warlord Khun Sa to the U.S. Justice Department. The letter, which was transmitted by James "Bo" Gritz, accused Armitage of organizing heroin smuggling from the Golden Triangle in the 1960s and 70s. Upon returning to the United States with this information, a key witness was held by the CIA in Oklahoma for a period of time.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Armitage rebutted the charges from Sheehan and Khun Sa, observing that at dates he was said to be in Thailand, he was living in Washington D.C., working as an assistant to Senator Robert Dole.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: In 1988, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida dismissed the Christic suit, after finding it to be frivolous and ordered the Institute to pay $955,000 in attorneys fees and $79,500 in court costs. The ruling was subsequently upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: In 1998, Armitage signed a letter to President Bill Clinton urging Clinton to target the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime from power in Iraq. It stated that Saddam's massive violations of the cease-fire that had ended the First Gulf War has caused erosion of the Gulf War Coalition's containment policy. It also raised the possibility that Iraq, emboldened by Western inaction, might re-develop weapons of mass destruction.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: During the 2000 Presidential election campaign, he served as a foreign policy advisor to George W. Bush as part of a group led by Condoleezza Rice that called itself The Vulcans. The United States Senate confirmed him as Deputy Secretary of State on March 23, 2001; he was sworn in three days later. A close associate of Secretary of State Colin Powell, Armitage was regarded, along with Powell, as a moderate within the presidential administration of George W. Bush.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Armitage tendered his resignation on November 16, 2004 to accompany Powell, who announced his resignation as Secretary of State the day before. He left the post on February 22, 2005, when Robert Zoellick succeeded to the office.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: The Plame affair was a political scandal concerning the outing of Valerie Plame as a covert intelligence operative during the administration of President George W. Bush in 2003. An American syndicated columnist, Robert Novak, had learned of her employment by the CIA from Armitage, who was then working for the State Department, and Novak had publicly identified her as the source of a recommendation given to the President in the course of her duties. Plame had to resign from the CIA because her identity was no longer secret. A criminal investigation into the revelation produced no charges against Armitage but several charges against Scooter Libby, an assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney, for lying to the investigators about the matter. Libby was convicted but his jail sentence was ultimately commuted by Bush, and he was subsequently pardoned by President Donald Trump on April 13, 2018.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Armitage's defense that he had inadvertently made an off-hand remark during a probing interview with Novak, coupled with his candor and cooperation, was accepted, although the decision not to prosecute was not made until 2006. Meanwhile, the long and slow investigation played out in the press as a scandal, "the Plame Affair" or "Plamegate".


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: On November 15, 2005, journalist Bob Woodward of "The Washington Post" revealed in an article that "a government official with no axe to grind" leaked to him the identity of outed CIA officer Valerie Plame in mid-June 2003. According to an April 2006 "Vanity Fair" article (published March 14, 2006), former "Washington Post" executive editor Ben Bradlee said in an interview "that Armitage is the likely source is a fair assumption", though Bradlee later told the "Post" that he "[did] not recall making that precise statement" in the interview. The following year, on March 2, 2006, bloggers discovered that "Richard Armitage" fit the spacing on a redacted court document, suggesting he was a source for the Plame leak. In August 2006, the Associated Press published a story that revealed Armitage met with Bob Woodward in mid-June 2003. The information came from official State Department calendars provided to the Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Robert Novak, in an August 27, 2006 appearance on "Meet the Press", stated that although he still would not release the name of his source, he felt it was long overdue that the source reveal himself. He had reason to think that the source might do that. Armitage had reportedly been a cooperative and key witness in the investigation. According to "The Washington Note", Armitage had testified before the grand jury three times.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Press reports continued to mount and pressure to build. On August 29, 2006, Neil A. Lewis of "The New York Times" reported that Armitage was the "initial and primary source" for columnist Robert Novak's July 14, 2003 article, which named Plame as a CIA "operative" and which triggered the CIA leak investigation. On August 30, 2006, CNN reported that Armitage had been confirmed "by sources" as leaking Wilson's CIA role in a "casual conversation" with Robert Novak. "The New York Times", quoting "people familiar with his actions", reported that Armitage was unaware of Wilson's undercover status when he spoke to Novak. In the September 4, 2006 issue of "Newsweek" magazine, in an article titled "The Man Who Said Too Much", journalist Michael Isikoff, quoting a source "directly familiar with the conversation who asked not to be identified because of legal sensitivities", reported that Armitage was the "primary" source for Novak's piece outing Plame. Armitage allegedly mentioned Wilson's CIA role to Novak in a July 8, 2003 interview after learning about her status from a State Department memo which made no reference to her undercover status. Isikoff also reported that Armitage had also told Bob Woodward of Plame's identity in June 2003, and that special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald investigated Armitage's role "aggressively", but did not charge Armitage with a crime because he "found no evidence that Armitage knew of Plame's covert CIA status when he talked to Novak and Woodward".


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: On September 7, 2006, Armitage admitted to being the source in the CIA leak. Armitage claims that Fitzgerald had originally asked him not to discuss publicly his role in the matter, but that on September 5 Armitage asked Fitzgerald if he could reveal his role to the public, and Fitzgerald consented. The "Times" claims that White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales was informed that Armitage was involved on October 2, 2003, but asked not to be told details. Fitzgerald began his grand jury investigation three months later knowing Armitage was a leaker (as did Attorney General John Ashcroft before turning over the investigation).


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: On March 6, 2007, a jury convicted Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, of "obstruction of justice, giving false statements to the FBI and perjuring himself, charges embodied in four of the five counts of the indictment".


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: On July 2, 2007, President Bush issued a grant of executive clemency that commuted the prison term imposed on Lewis Libby. In a review of "Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War", by Michael Isikoff and David Corn, which hit bookstores in early September 2006, Novak wrote: "I don't know precisely how Isikoff flushed out Armitage [as Novak's original source], but "Hubris" clearly points to two sources: Washington lobbyist Kenneth Duberstein, Armitage's political adviser, and William Taft IV, who was the State Department legal adviser when Armitage was deputy secretary".


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, in an interview with CBS News "60 Minutes" on September 21, 2006, alleged that Armitage called an Inter-Services Intelligence general immediately after the September 11, 2001 attacks and threatened to "bomb the country [Pakistan] back to the Stone Age" unless they supported the U.S.-led fight against Islamic terrorism. Presently, Musharraf has refused to provide details, commenting that he is unable to provide details due to restrictions by the publisher (Simon & Schuster) of his book "". President Bush, on the other hand, has mentioned that he only became aware of these comments as late as September 2006, when he read them in the newspapers. Armitage confirmed he had held a conversation with the Pakistani general to whom Musharraf had sourced the comments, but stated he had not used a threat of military action couched in such terms, as he was not authorized to do so.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: In October 2006, Armitage lobbied—on behalf of the L-3 Communications Corporation, a company providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance products—some key people in Taiwanese political circles regarding the possible sale of P-3C marine patrol aircraft to the ROC military. Those who received his personal letter included Premier Su Tseng-chang, President of the Legislative Yuan Wang Jin-pyng, and opposition People First Party leader James Soong.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Armitage stated in the letter that he wished the Taiwan government would reconsider the purchase from Lockheed Martin, the dealer the United States government had designated. Instead, he hoped that the right to negotiate the purchase should be made through an open and fair bidding process.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: The letter was made public by PFP Legislators on October 24, 2006, in a Legislative Yuan session discussing the military purchases.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: In a 2009 interview, Armitage said that waterboarding, a tactic used by the CIA during the George W. Bush administration on suspected terrorists in 2002 and 2003, was torture, but that he did not believe CIA officials should be prosecuted for ordering its use. Armitage said that he did not know about the CIA torture program while he was Deputy Secretary of State, and that "I hope, had I known about it at the time I was serving, I would've had the courage to resign."


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Armitage has served on a number of boards for corporations and nonprofits. Since January 1, 2010, Armitage has been a Member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the American-Turkish Council, a Washington-based association dedicated to the promotion of business, military and foreign policy relationship between Turkey and the United States. Armitage was a member of the America Abroad Media advisory board until 2014, and the board of ConocoPhillips until May 2018. He also was the chairman of the Project 2049 Institute until January 2020.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: In the 2016 presidential election, Armitage was one of many Republicans who endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and opposed Republican Donald Trump.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: In 2020, Armitage, along with over 130 other former Republican national security officials, signed a statement that asserted that President Trump was unfit to serve another term, and "To that end, we are firmly convinced that it is in the best interest of our nation that Vice President Joe Biden be elected as the next President of the United States, and we will vote for him."


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Armitage received an Honorary Doctorate from Keio University in 2017. The program is the Richard Lee Armitage Commemorative Program: Building New Foundations for the Robust Japan-United States Relationship.


title: Richard Armitage (government official)

text: Armitage and his wife Laura have eight children. He is fluent in Vietnamese and well versed in many other languages. He is an avid powerlifter and loves to play basketball. He was also a football linebacker at the United States Naval Academy and a teammate of Roger Staubach. He graduated in 1967. His grandson is actor Iain Armitage, from his daughter Lee.


title: Stevie Ray

text: Lash Steven Huffman (born August 22, 1958) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Stevie Ray. Stevie Ray is best known for his seven-year tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1993 to 2000, where he was one-half of the tag team Harlem Heat, with his younger brother Booker T. Huffman, better known as Booker T. They won the WCW World Tag Team Championship record ten times.


title: Stevie Ray

text: Huffman is also a one-time WCW World Television Champion. Among other events, he headlined the Fall Brawl 1993 and 1998 pay-per-views.


title: Stevie Ray

text: Lash Huffman started wrestling in 1989 as Super Collider on the independent circuit in Texas. In Ivan Putski's Western Wrestling Alliance, he first started feuding with his brother, Booker (who was G.I. Bro at the time) under the ring name Jive Soul Bro. He began teaming with his brother as Stevie Ray (named after a combination of musical artists Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles) in a tag team called The Ebony Experience for the Global Wrestling Federation, which was on ESPN. They were faces and feuded with the "Blackbirds" of Iceman King Parsons and Brickhouse Brown. They won the GWF Tag Team Championship three times. Stevie Ray then went on to win the GWF North American Heavyweight Championship in 1993.


title: Stevie Ray

text: In August 1993, they went to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and changed their team name to Harlem Heat. Initially Lash was known as Kane while Booker became Kole. They were then billed from Harlem. They became heels and were on Harley Race and Col. Rob Parker's team in the War Games at Fall Brawl on September 19, 1993, with Vader and Sid Vicious against Sting, Davey Boy Smith, Dustin Rhodes and The Shockmaster. They lost the match when Shockmaster forced Booker (Kole) to submit. In 1994, they got Sister Sherri as their manager and changed their names back to Booker T and Stevie Ray. They feuded with Stars and Stripes (The Patriot and Buff Bagwell) and won the WCW Tag Team Titles for the first time.


title: Stevie Ray

text: From there, they feuded with The Nasty Boys (Jerry Sags and Brian Knobs) and got into a feud with Col. Parker's "Stud Stable" of Dick Slater and Bunkhouse Buck where Parker and Sherri were carrying on a love affair. During this time, Stevie and Booker lost the titles to the Nasty Boys, regained them, then lost them to Slater and Buck and regained them again. They eventually gained Parker as a manager as he abandoned Slater and Buck to be with Sherri. Harlem Heat won the WCW World Tag Team Championship three times in 1995, trading the titles with The American Males (Bagwell and Scotty Riggs) in the early fall. They had brief feuds with Lex Luger and Sting, trading the titles back and forth in early 1996 and The Road Warriors before starting a long feud with Rick and Scott Steiner in 1996.


title: Stevie Ray

text: In October, they lost their titles to The Outsiders, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, when Nash used Parker's cane to attack Stevie. They would then fire the Colonel, beat him up, turn face, and enter into a brief feud against Parker's newest team The Amazing French Canadians, a feud they would win. In 1997 they feuded with Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock), The Steiners and the New World Order. In the summer of 1997, they fired Sherri and added a new manager, Jacqueline. They were briefly put out of action by the nWo and returned to feud with The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian).


title: Stevie Ray

text: As 1998 started to roll around, Stevie had to take some time off from WCW from January to June. Meanwhile, Booker T would go on to win WCW World Television Championship. Through the association with his brother, he would gain his only singles title in WCW, as when Booker took time off with an injury as Television Champion from July to October, Stevie got a "power of attorney" to defend the belt for Booker. He then engaged in a short feud with Chavo Guerrero Jr. over the right to defend the belt before dropping it to Chris Jericho afterwards. By June 1998, Stevie Ray had returned to the ring, and the powerful gang-like faction of the nWo had been split into two: Hollywood Hogan's nWo Hollywood and Kevin Nash's nWo Wolfpac. Stevie Ray would be offered a spot in nWo Hollywood, but was hesitant at first. He would join the "black & white" in August, effectively turning him heel. Although this would make Stevie Ray known for using dirty tactics and a strength-in-numbers mentality, his brother, Booker, showed little resentment and respected Stevie Ray's decision to be a part of the nWo, and they were able to peacefully co-exist. Meanwhile, Booker was steadily gaining popularity as a face, climbing the ranks of the WCW roster and winning championship titles.


title: Stevie Ray

text: During his tenure with the nWo, Stevie Ray would tag team with the likes of Horace Hogan and Scott Norton as well as performing in singles competition, often with Vincent at ringside. Alongside Hollywood Hogan and Bret Hart, he also participated in the War Games of Fall Brawl 1998. The slapjack became known as Stevie Ray's trademark weapon which he would frequently use to knock an opponent unconscious, typically when the referee was distracted. By early 1999, both nWo factions had fused back together, but members of nWo Hollywood started bickering over who the leader of the sub-faction was. Hollywood Hogan began telling various members in private that he had granted them official leadership, causing confusion and friction between members. Not long after, Stevie Ray won the leadership role in a 4-man battle royal on the April 5, 1999 episode of "WCW Monday Nitro", defeating Horace Hogan, Brian Adams, and Vincent.


title: Stevie Ray

text: As tension grew between members of nWo Hollywood, Stevie Ray started helping Booker T during his matches. As Booker was getting ganged up on in July, the two reunited Harlem Heat. They began feuding with Barry and Kendall Windham as well as The Jersey Triad of Diamond Dallas Page, Chris Kanyon and Bam Bam Bigelow. They went on to win the Tag Titles three more times, making them 10 time champions.


title: Stevie Ray

text: By late 1999, a female bodybuilder named Midnight had joined Harlem Heat. Stevie resented her help and started disputing with Booker over her. He eventually challenged Midnight in a match that would decide whether or not she would stay with Harlem Heat. After being defeated with a surprise small package, Stevie Ray would turn on both Booker and Midnight to form Harlem Heat, Inc. with Big T, Kash and J. Biggs. They won the rights to the Harlem Heat name in a match with Big T against Booker on February 20, 2000 at SuperBrawl X.


title: Stevie Ray

text: In May, Stevie split from Big T, Kash and Biggs (who all left WCW) and helped Booker T out of a jam. He then retired from in-ring competition to become a color commentator for "WCW Thunder". As a commentator, Stevie referred to all of the women as "yaks" and coined his catchphrase "Suckas gots to know!" He also provided in-depth analysis from a wrestler's point of view during matches and constantly criticized wrestlers for mistakes made in the ring. For example, he would often say that a wrestler "should have went [sic] for the cover!" or "needed to hook the leg!" and this advice earned him the nickname, "Straightshootin'" Stevie Ray. Stevie came back for one more WCW match (a title vs. career match) for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Scott Steiner on the November 27, 2000 edition of WCW Monday Nitro, which he lost. A few months later, WCW was bought by the WWF in March 2001. Stevie did not want to go to WWF.


title: Stevie Ray

text: After WCW was bought by WWF, Stevie Ray wrestled a few matches for WWA against Jerry Lawler, and Buff Bagwell in 2001, and Ernest Miller in 2002, retiring later that year.


title: Stevie Ray

text: In 2005, Stevie Ray and Booker T opened the "Booker T and Stevie Ray Pro Wrestling Academy" in Houston, Texas. In April 2013, Stevie Ray inducted Booker T into the WWE Hall of Fame. On February 21, 2015, Booker T and Stevie Ray reunited as Harlem Heat for one last match at Booker T's promotion, Reality of Wrestling's "The Final Heat" event, where they defeated the Heavenly Bodies for the ROW Tag Team Championship. On March 14, the titles were vacated. On May 16, 2015 Ray won the WildKat Heavyweight Championship defeating Shane Taylor. He dropped to title back to Taylor on November 14, 2015. In 2015 Ray was added to "WWE 2K16" as DLC. On March 30, 2016, Stevie Ray debuted a new weekly radio talk show, "Straight Shooting with Stevie Ray" which airs on KCOH radio 92.9 FM HD2 every Wednesday. He is also the host of the podcast "Stand Up for Greatness". Ray's last match was at Reality of Wrestling on August 12, 2017 teaming with Abel Andrew Jackson as they lost to Ernest Miller and Ryan Davidson.


title: Lake freighter

text: Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that operate on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships.


title: Lake freighter

text: Since the late 19th century, lakers have carried bulk cargoes of materials such as limestone, iron ore, grain, coal, or salt from the mines and fields of the upper Great Lakes to the populous industrial areas farther east. The 63 commercial ports handled 173 million tons of cargo in 2006. Because of winter ice on the lakes, the navigation season is not usually year-round. The Soo Locks and Welland Canal close from mid-January to late March, when most boats are laid up for maintenance. Crew members spend these months ashore.


title: Lake freighter

text: Depending on their application, lakers may also be referred to by their types, such as "oreboats" or "ironboats" (primarily for iron ore), "straight deckers" (no self-unloading gear), "bulkers" (carry bulk cargo), "sternenders" (all cabins aft), "self unloaders" (with self- unloading gear), "longboats" (for their slender appearance), or "lakeboats", among others.


title: Lake freighter

text: In the mid-20th century, 300 lakers worked the lakes, but by the early 21st century, there were fewer than 140 active lakers. , which sank in 1975, became widely known as the most recent and largest major vessel to be wrecked on the Great Lakes.


title: Lake freighter

text: By way of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, smaller lakers have access to the Atlantic Ocean, and some ocean-going vessels have access to the lakes. Visiting ocean-going vessels are called "salties". Many modern ocean-going vessels are too large for the relatively small locks on the Saint Lawrence Seaway, so large salties cannot travel farther inland than Montreal, Quebec.


title: Lake freighter

text: Because one of the Soo Locks is larger than any Seaway lock, salties that can pass through the Seaway may travel anywhere in the Great Lakes. Conversely, the largest lakers are confined to the upper lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie) because they are too large to use the Seaway locks, beginning at the Welland Canal that bypasses the Niagara River.


title: Lake freighter

text: Because of their deeper draft and the lower buoyancy of fresh water, salties may accept partial loads on the Great Lakes, "topping off" upon exiting the Seaway.


title: Lake freighter

text: Lakers are generally bulk carriers; that is, they carry cargoes of rock, ore, salt or grain in large contiguous holds, not packed in containers. The earlier ships required rail cars unloading on ore docks and unloading machinery at the receiving docks, but modern lakers are self unloaders, allowing them to unload faster and in more ports.


title: Lake freighter

text: The most common cargoes on the Great Lakes are taconite, limestone, grain, salt, coal, cement, gypsum, sand, slag, and potash. Much of the cargo supplies the steel mills of the auto industry, centered around the Great Lakes because of the ease of transport. Other destinations include coal-fired power plants, highway department salt domes, and stone docks, where limestone is unloaded for the construction industry. U.S.-flagged freighters carried the largest portion of the trade, accounting for two-thirds of all cargo by weight. U.S. hulls carried most of the iron, limestone and cement, while Canadian boats carried most of the potash, and almost all of the salt and grain moved on the lakes.


title: Lake freighter

text: Destination harbors, ship sizes and legal restrictions greatly affect the pattern of haulage. Large U.S. ships hauled most of the iron ore on the lakes (79%) from U.S. mines to U.S. mills. This reflects the requirement of the Jones Act, as well as the industry using large volumes of material while being concentrated in a few large harbor locations. Salt and Canadian grain can be hauled to numerous smaller ports of either country on smaller, mostly Canadian, ships, which can also enter the St. Lawrence Seaway with the Canadian ports of Montreal and Quebec City.


title: Lake freighter

text: The largest vessels on the lakes are the 1000-footers (300 m). These vessels are between long, wide and of hull depth. They can carry as much as of bulk cargo although their loading is dependent on lake water levels especially in the channels and ports. A dozen of these ships were built between 1976 and 1981, and all remain in service today. The most powerful is , which carried two Enterprise DMRV-16-4 diesel engines driving twin propellers and was rated at , making her the most powerful lake boat on the Seaway. This allowed a top speed of . MV "Edwin H. Gott" was repowered in 2011 with two MaK/Caterpillar 8M43C engines, each rated at , and other laker freighters have been repowered as well. is the largest boat on the lakes, at and capable of loading 68,000 tons of bulk cargo.


title: Lake freighter

text: "Stewart J. Cort" was the first 1000-footer to be put into service on the lakes and also the only one built in the traditional wheelhouse-forward Great Lakes style (although all accommodations are forward, and the stern deckhouse is occupied by self unloading equipment and the engines). "Stewart J. Cort" started life in Mississippi as "Hull 1173", consisting of only the bow and stern sections (and appropriately nicknamed "Stubby"). From there, she was sailed to Erie, Pennsylvania, where she was cut in half and an additional 800+ feet of hull were added. Another interesting 1000-footer is "Presque Isle", an integrated tug and barge combination. "Presque Isle" is the largest tug / barge composite in the world.


title: Lake freighter

text: All of the 1000-footers are U.S. vessels. The Canadian fleet needs to travel to and from its major cities along the St. Lawrence Seaway, so the largest length for the Canadian vessels is (Seawaymax-size). The reason for this standard length is the Welland Canal, which bypasses the Niagara Falls. The locks here are roughly long, which limits the maximum length of the vessels for safety reasons.


title: Lake freighter

text: Another reason for the lack of larger Canadian vessels is legislative in nature. Larger ships on the lakes are generally used to transport American-mined ore bound for American mills. Because of the Jones Act, Canadian ships cannot carry ore from American mines to American mills; ergo larger Canadian ships are not needed.


title: Lake freighter

text: More common are lake boats in the classes, because of the limitations of the Welland Canal. These vessels vary greatly in configuration and cargo capacity, being capable of hauling between 10,000 and 40,000 tons per trip depending on the individual boat. These smaller boats can serve smaller harbors around the lakes which have irregular need for their services. The latest major vessel built for bulk cargoes on the lakes is the articulated tug/barge combination "Ken Boothe Sr./Lakes Contender". The 740-foot barge "Lakes Contender" and the tug "Ken Boothe Sr." entered service in 2012.


title: Lake freighter

text: Because these vessels must traverse the locks of the Great Lakes Waterway, they all have features in common, and their appearance differs from similarly sized ocean-going freighters. For instance, they are narrower and generally longer. An early variation of the type (designed by Alexander McDougall and built from 1887 through 1898) was the "whaleback" design, which featured significant tumblehome in the sides of the hull and a rounded bow, looking rather like the back of a whale. Whereas the superstructure of an ordinary freighter had the bridge in the center of the vessel, beginning in the late 1800s lake freighters typically had the bridge and associated superstructure at the bow. Traditionally they had a second island, over the engine room in the stern. These dual-cabin boats were constructed between 1869 and 1974. "R. J. Hackett" premiered the style, and the second "Algosoo" was the final vessel designed this way. More recently built lakers, like CSL "Niagara", have a single large superstructure island at the stern.


title: Lake freighter

text: Vessel speeds are not as important on the lakes as on the ocean. Ports are often closer together than in ocean trade, so cargo capacity is more important than speed. Lake vessels are designed with the greatest block coefficient to maximize the vessel's size in the locks within the Great Lakes/St Lawrence Seaway system. Therefore, ship designers have favored bluff bows over streamlined bows. After World War II, several ocean freighters and tankers were transported to the Great Lakes and converted to bulk carriers as a way to acquire ships cheaply. Several of them continue to sail today (e.g., "Lee A. Tregurtha" and a few others).


title: Lake freighter

text: Another distinguishing feature of lake vessels versus ocean vessels is the cargo hatch configuration. On the lake vessels, the hatches are traditionally spaced apart. This configuration was needed to match the hatches to the loading facilities. At the turn of the 19th century, most ore loading facilities had loading chutes spaced every . The ship designers used this pattern for their hatch configuration. This pattern continues today, even with modern lake vessels, therefore a lake vessel has many more hatches than an ocean vessel of equal length.


title: Lake freighter

text: The largest deep lock at the Soo Locks is Poe Lock which is long and wide. Because of size restrictions, there are currently thirty vessels on the lakes that can only pass between Lake Superior and Lake Huron using Poe Lock, although none approaches the lock's size. Many lakers are restricted to the Great Lakes, being unable to navigate the St Lawrence Seaway whose locks allow a maximum vessel size of in length and in breadth. The shallow draft imposed by the rivers (the controlling depths of in the St. Marys River and in Lake St. Clair) restricts the cargo capacity of lakers, but that is partially recovered by their extra length and box design. Since Great Lakes waves do not achieve the great length or period of ocean waves, particularly compared to the waves' height, ships are in less danger of being suspended between two waves and breaking, so the ratio between the ship's length, beam and its depth can be larger than that of an ocean-going ship. The lake vessels generally have a 10:1 length to beam ratio, whereas ocean vessels are typically 7:1. The dimensions of the locks is the determining factor in lake vessel construction.


title: Lake freighter

text: Since the fresh water lakes are less corrosive to ships than the salt water of the oceans, many of the lakers remain in service for long periods, and the fleet has a much higher average age than the ocean-going fleet. The average lifespan of a laker is 40–50 years. Until 2014, , built in 1906 as "William P. Snyder" (), was the oldest ship in active duty on the lakes. She was managed by Port City Steamship and owned by St. Mary's Cement, a subsidiary of Votorantim Cimentos. "E. M. Ford" had one of the longest careers, having been built in 1898 (as "Presque Isle" – ) and still sailing the lakes 98 years later in 1996. In 2007, she was still afloat as a stationary transfer vessel at a riverside cement silo in Saginaw. She went to the scrap yard in November 2010 at Purvis Marine in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. , built in 1904, last sailed in 1985 and in 2007 served in the same capacity as "E. M. Ford" at a cement silo in Superior, Wisconsin. Several decorated World War II veteran ships are still in active, although civilian, use such as the tankers "Chiwawa" and "Neshanic (scrapped 2018)", now the bulk freighters "Lee A. Tregurtha" and "American Victory", respectively, and the Landing Craft Tank 203, now the working vessel "Outer Island".


title: Lake freighter

text: Some shipping companies are building new freighters to ply the waters of the Great Lakes. The following are new freighters in use or will be launched for use in the Great Lakes:


title: Lake freighter

text: The Great Lakes have a long history of shipwreck, groundings, storms and collisions. From the 1679 sinking of "Le Griffon" with its cargo of furs to the 1975 loss of "Edmund Fitzgerald", thousands of ships and thousands of lives have been lost, and many involved vessels in the cargo trade. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum uses the approximate figures of 6,000 ships and 30,000 lives lost. David D. Swayze has compiled a list which details over 4,750 well-documented shipwrecks, mostly of commercial vessels and a list of known names of over 5,000 victims of those sinkings. Maritime historian Mark Thompson reports that based on nautical records, nearly 6,000 shipwrecks on the Great Lakes occurred between 1878 and 1994, with about a quarter of those being listed as total losses with a total of 1,166 lives lost.


title: Lake freighter

text: The salties "Prins Willem V" and "Monrovia" also sank in the Great Lakes during the 1950s; both in collisions with other ships. The saltie "Francisco Morazan" was a total loss after running aground off South Manitou Island on November 29, 1960. Another saltie "Nordmeer" grounded on Thunder Bay Island Shoal in November 1966, but before it could be refloated, it was further damaged in the same storm that sank the "Morrell" and was declared a total loss.


title: Lake freighter

text: Ships on the lakes have been involved in many lesser incidents. Lakers have been subject to frequent groundings in ports and channels because of varying lake levels and silting, collisions with objects (such as the 1993 collision of the "Indiana Harbor" with the Lansing Shoals Light Station), icing in during winter trips and shipboard fires (including the unusual case in 2001 where a drawbridge ran into the Canadian grain carrier "Windoc" causing a fire). To prevent collisions and groundings, the Great Lakes are well-served with lighthouses and lights, and floating navigation aids. The U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard maintain stations around the Great Lakes including icebreakers and rescue helicopters. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies maintain the harbors and seaways to limit groundings by dredging and seawalling.


title: Lake freighter

text: November was the traditional last month of shipping before the winter layup (and lake freeze-up). During November, much of the worst weather of the navigation season occurs which has resulted in a disproportionate number of accidents. One study shows that over half of all strandings and one-third of all vessels lost to foundering between 1900–1950 were lost during November.


title: Lake freighter

text: The most famous laker was (popularized by Gordon Lightfoot's song "The Wreck of the "Edmund Fitzgerald"" in 1976), which sank on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. "Edmund Fitzgerald" was the first boat with a length of and was the flagship of the Columbia Steamship Division of Oglebay Norton Co. MV "Stewart J. Cort" was the first of the oreboats.


title: Lake freighter

text: The first laker with self-unloading equipment was "Hennepin" (formerly "George H. Dyer") a small wooden laker that was refitted with the equipment in 1902. The first laker built as a self-unloader was "Wyandotte" launched in 1908. Before these, all boats were unloaded with shoreside equipment. Self-unloading equipment worked well for cargoes that could "flow" out of the holds onto belts, such as coal and limestone. It did not work well for grain, which flowed too readily and would spill off the conveyors, or iron ore, which would not flow well and would hang up in the hold. Because the predominant cargo for lakers was iron ore, self-unloaders did not become common until higher grade ores were depleted and taconite pellets were developed in the 1970s.


title: Lake freighter

text: Steam power first appeared in the 1860s and became the standard source of power for over a century. The Canadian grainboat "Feux Follets" of 1967 was the last laker to be built with a steam turbine and thus was the last steamer built on the lakes. Ford Motor Company's and of 1924 were the first lakeboats with diesel engines. Diesel powerplants did not become standard until the 1970s. The last active ships of 1920s vintage, and the oldest ships still operating in non-specialized bulk trades is the motor vessels "Maumee" of Lower Lakes Transportation. She was built as "William G Clyde" for US Steel. "S. T. Crapo", inactive since 1996, was built to haul cement for Huron Cement Co. back in 1927 and was the second ship of that design, the first being "John G Boardman" of the same company. "S. T. Crapo" was the last coal burning freighter on the Great Lakes.


title: Lake freighter

text: The classic design of cabins fore-and-aft with open decks over the hold started with the long "R. J. Hackett", designed and built by Elihu Peck in 1869. The first iron-hulled laker was "Brunswick", launched at Detroit in 1881. "Brunswick" sank after a collision later that year and was apparently little known. Many follow the lead of the contemporary Cleveland press and credit as the first iron-hulled laker, launched in 1882. "Onoko"s higher center section did become a standard for later lakers. At , "Onoko" was the first bulk carrier to hold the unofficial title of "Queen of the Lakes" (longest vessel on the lakes). (1927–1958 ) held the title for 22 years, longer than any other laker of the classic design. "Carl D. Bradley" is also known for breaking her back and foundering in a Lake Michigan storm in 1958. There were only two survivors.


title: Lake freighter

text: Currently the title of "Queen of the Lakes" is held by the modern stern-ender "Paul R. Tregurtha". Launched in 1981 as "William J. Delancy", and measuring , "Paul R. Tregurtha" has held the title since her launch. "Wilfred Sykes" (1949 – ) is considered to be the first of the modern lakers, and when converted to a self-unloader in 1975 was the first to have the equipment mounted aft. Since then all self-unloading equipment has been mounted aft. "Algoisle" (formerly "Silver Isle") (1962 – ) was the first modern laker built with all cabins aft (a "stern-ender"), following the lead of ocean-going bulk carriers and reprising a century old form used by little river steam barges and the whalebacks. "Stewart J. Cort" (1971) was the first 1,000-footer and the only "footer" built in the classic cabins-fore-and-aft style. (1974–2015 ) was the last laker built in the classic style.


title: Lake freighter

text: Also of note is the steamer , widely known for her artistic design and being the only remaining straight-decked (without self unloading machinery) freighter still in active service on the US side of the Great Lakes (the only other US straight decker still listed is "John Sherwin", has not sailed since 1981 and is currently docked in Detour, Michigan after conversion to a self-unloader and repowering was halted in November 2008). In the summer of 2006, "Edward L. Ryerson" was fitted out and put into service following a long-term lay-up that began in 1998. "Edward L. Ryerson" was often used as a museum boat for tours. She was put back into service because of a lack of reliable hulls on the lakes, and a need for more tonnage. (The Canadian fleet retains a number of active straight-deckers for use in transporting grain, which is not well suited for self-unloading equipment. Most US grain is currently transported by rail.)


title: Lake freighter

text: Serving as the setting of the movie version of David Mamet's play "Lakeboat," the Canadian straight decker "Seaway Queen", formerly owned by Upper Lakes Shipping and since scrapped (see below), temporarily flew a U.S. flag and displayed Chicago as her homeport for some shots.


title: Lake freighter

text: , a laker built in 1925 and a former flagship for the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, has been turned into a maritime museum and is open to the public in Cleveland in the North Coast Harbor.


title: Lake freighter

text: was named for the president of U.S. Steel at the time of her launching and served as the flagship of US Steel's Great Lakes fleet from her launch in 1938 to 1975. She was the first laker to incorporate welding in its design and is open for tours at the Great Lakes Floating Maritime Museum in Duluth, Minnesota. Another museum ship, , is the last surviving ship of the "whaleback" design, and is a museum in Superior, Wisconsin, which was the location of the American Steel Barge Company, where the whalebacks were built. McDougall Duluth Shipbuilding Company built lakers in Duluth.


title: Lake freighter

text: was built in 1917 and served the National Steel Corporation, the Republic Steel Corporation, and Wilson Transit Co. during her 1917–1966 working life. She became a museum ship on the waterfront of the 'American Soo', east of the Soo Locks, in 1968. She holds many relics of the sinking of including two of "Edmund Fitzgerald"s mauled lifeboats.


title: Lake freighter

text: is a former Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company vessel that sailed from 1911 to 1980. She was originally owned by the Shenango Furnace Company, but renamed the "Willis B. Boyer" under Cleveland Cliffs ownership. "Col. James M. Schoonmaker" was the largest bulk freighter in the world when commissioned. In one of the most ambitious Great Lakes ship restorations to date, "Col. James M. Schoonmaker" was re-christened July 1, 2011, on the 100th anniversary of the ship's launching in Toledo. She was open to the public for many years as a museum at International Park in Toledo, Ohio but was moved October 27, 2012, to a location downriver, next to the new home of the National Museum of the Great Lakes. She reopened to the public in Spring 2014, when the museum opened.


title: Lake freighter

text: "Lewis G. Harriman"s bow and bow superstructure are preserved here. "Lewis G. Harriman", launched as the purpose-built cement steamer "John W. Boardman", was scrapped but the bow was saved as a DeTour residence. Recently restored to the Boardman colors.


title: Lake freighter

text: "Benson Ford" was named after Henry Ford's grandson, and was the flagship of the Ford Motor Company (1924). The forward cabin is now located on a cliff on South Bass Island in Lake Erie, where it was moved in 1986 by Frank J. Sullivan and Lydia Sullivan from Cleveland, Ohio. It is a private museum residence owned by Bryan Kasper of Sandusky, Ohio since 1999. It has been featured in many magazines and national television shows such as HGtv's "Extreme Homes" and Travel Channel's "Extreme Vacation Homes".


title: Lake freighter

text: SS "Ridgetown" was partially sunk as a breakwater (with stack and cabins intact) near Toronto at Port Credit. It was built in 1905 and is one of the oldest surviving hulls on the lake. Its silhouette provides an example of the appearance of early 1900s lake freighters.


title: Lake freighter

text: The pilot house of "William Clay Ford" is part of the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle. The pilot house is open for tours and overlooks the Detroit River.


title: Lake freighter

text: Several other lakers nearly became museums, but were scrapped for lack of funding, political opposition, and other causes.


title: William Schallert

text: William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 – May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" (1957–1959), "Death Valley Days" (1955–1962), and "The Patty Duke Show" (1963–1966).


title: William Schallert

text: William Schallert was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Edwin Francis Schallert, a longtime drama critic for the "Los Angeles Times", and Elza Emily Schallert (née Baumgarten), a magazine writer and radio host. He began acting while a student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) but left to become an Army Air Corps fighter pilot in World War II. He returned to UCLA after the war and graduated in 1946. In 1946, he helped found the Circle Theatre with Sydney Chaplin and several fellow students. In 1948, Schallert was directed by Sydney's father, Charlie Chaplin, in a staging of W. Somerset Maugham's "Rain". In 1949, Schallert served as the reciter in a concert performance of Arnold Schoenberg's "Ode to Napoleon" in celebration of the composer's 75th birthday.


title: William Schallert

text: Schallert appeared in supporting roles on numerous television programs starting in the early 1950s, including four episodes (and three different characters) in "Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre" between 1958 and 1961. He was in three episodes of "The Rifleman" and four episodes of "Gunsmoke" : season 3, episode 16 "Twelfth Night" in 1957, season 4, episode 16 "Gypsum Hills Feud" in 1958, and as Col. Grant in season 7, episode 27 "Wagon Girls" in 1962, and banker Ezra Thorpe in "The Money Store" season 14, episode 14. Schallert portrayed farmer Sam Becker in a 1961 episode of "The Andy Griffith Show", whose newborn son is delivered by Andy. He appeared in "The Partridge Family" as a very humble folk-singing guitar player in "Stage Fright" in 1971. He appeared three times as Major Karl Richmond on NBC's "Steve Canyon", starring Dean Fredericks in the title role.


title: William Schallert

text: Schallert also appeared in several films. He had roles in "The Man from Planet X" (1951) with Robert Clarke, "The Tarnished Angels" (1958) with Robert Stack, "Blue Denim" (1959) with Brandon deWilde, "Pillow Talk" (1959) with Doris Day and Rock Hudson, "In The Heat Of The Night" (1967) with Sidney Poitier, "Speedway" (1968) with Elvis Presley, "The Jerk" (1979) with Steve Martin, "Teachers" (1984) with Nick Nolte, and "Innerspace" (1987), in which he played Martin Short's doctor. Schallert was a founding member of the Circle Players at The Circle Theatre, started in 1946, now known as El Centro Theatre.


title: William Schallert

text: Among eight appearances on the syndicated western anthology series "Death Valley Days", Schallert in 1955 portrayed American Civil War General Jesse Lee Reno in the episode "Reno." In the story line, two veterans of the Mexican War who served under Reno (played by Frank Griffin and Stanley Clements) honor him with the naming of the second-largest city in Nevada. He appeared as Sam Clemens in a 1962 episode, "The $275,000 Sack of Flour." He appeared in an episode of the TV series In The Heat of The Night, where he portrays a husband who kills his terminally ill wife, as Carl Tibbets, owner of a book store in Sparta. Thus he appeared in both the 1967 film as the mayor and the 1992 episode of the TV show.


title: William Schallert

text: Schallert starred in "Philbert", an innovative 1964 television pilot for ABC, which combined live-action camera work and animation. It was created by Warner Bros. animator Friz Freleng and directed by Richard Donner. ABC backed out of the series shortly before full production was to begin, although the completed pilot was released in theaters by Warner Brothers as a short subject.


title: William Schallert

text: Schallert was probably best known as Martin Lane on "The Patty Duke Show". He also appeared as a wise teacher, Mr. Leander Pomfritt, on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" and as "The Admiral" on "Get Smart". On the two former shows he worked opposite actress Jean Byron. Schallert made three guest appearances on CBS's "Perry Mason" between 1957 and 1962, including the role of Donald Graves in the series' fifth episode "The Case of the Sulky Girl," as Dr. Bradbury in the 1961 episode "The Case of the Misguided Missile," and as Len Dykes in the 1962 episode "The Case of the Melancholy Marksman." He played the role of Nilz Baris in the "" episode "The Trouble with Tribbles"; and much later he portrayed Varani, a Bajoran musician, in the "" episode "."


title: William Schallert

text: Schallert played the role of Carson Drew in the television series "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" (1977–1979), featuring Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy Drew. In addition to his onscreen performances, Schallert did voice-over work for numerous television and radio commercials over the years. Among these was a recurring role as "Milton the Toaster" in animated commercials for Kellogg's Pop-Tarts. He had the distinction of appearing in both the original film version of "In the Heat of the Night" (1967) and the later NBC TV version in 1992. In 2004, "TV Guide" recognized Schallert's portrayal of Martin Lane on "The Patty Duke Show" as No. 39 on its list of "50 Greatest TV Dads."


title: William Schallert

text: Schallert served as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) from 1979 to 1981, and afterwards remained active in SAG projects, including serving as a trustee of the SAG Pension and Health Plans since 1983, and of the Motion Picture and Television Fund since 1977. (His former co-star and television daughter, Patty Duke, also served as SAG president from 1985 to 1988.) During Schallert's tenure as SAG president, he founded the Committee for Performers with Disabilities, and in 1993 he was awarded the Ralph Morgan Award for service to the Guild.


title: William Schallert

text: Schallert continued to work steadily as an actor in later life, appearing in a 2007 episode of "How I Met Your Mother", the HBO television film "Recount" (2008) as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, and the HBO series "True Blood" and his distinctive voice brought him work for commercial and animation voiceovers. Appearances in 2009 included a guest role on "Desperate Housewives" on March 15, in which he played the role of a small newspaper editor; he also appeared in an episode of "According to Jim". More recently, he appeared in the January 21, 2010, pilot episode of "The Deep End" on ABC as a retiring CEO with Alzheimer's disease. He also made an appearance on "Medium" on the February 5, 2010, episode and a cameo on the June 26, 2011, season premiere of "True Blood" as the mayor of Bon Temps. He played Max Devore in the A&E adaptation of "Bag of Bones".


title: William Schallert

text: In 2010, Schallert made a series of public service announcement videos with Patty Duke and other castmates from "The Patty Duke Show" for the Social Security Administration, which can be found at www.ssa.gov. His last television appearance came in 2014 on an episode of the sitcom "2 Broke Girls".


title: William Schallert

text: In a 2014 interview, Schallert said that he was suffering from peripheral neuropathy, forcing him to wear leg braces while effectively "confining" him to a wheelchair. He said about his condition and the leg braces: "They help me stay balanced if I use a walker, but it’s just easier to get around in a wheelchair." While not ruling out working on stage in the future, he said: "Working in film or TV would be too difficult now. Besides, I did my share!"


title: William Schallert

text: Schallert was married to actress Leah Waggner (born Rosemarie Diann Waggner) from 1949 until her death in 2015. She appeared with him in various shows, including episodes of "The Patty Duke Show" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show." They had four sons: William Joseph, Jr. (born in 1949), Edwin G. (born in 1952), Mark M. (born in 1954), and Brendan C. Schallert (born in 1961).


title: William Schallert

text: Schallert died on May 8, 2016, at his home in Pacific Palisades at the age of 93, six weeks after the death of his on-screen daughter Patty Duke, on March 29.


title: Dolos (mythology)

text: In Greek mythology, Dolos or Dolus (Ancient Greek: Δόλος "Deception") is the spirit of trickery. He is also a master at cunning deception, craftiness, and treachery. Dolos is an apprentice of the Titan Prometheus and a companion of the "Pseudea" (Lies). His female counterpart is Apate, who is the goddess of fraud and deception. His Roman equivalent is Mendacius. There are even some stories of Dolos tricking gods into lies.


title: Dolos (mythology)

text: Dolus was either the son of the primordial deities Gaia (Earth) and Aether (Air) or Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx (Night).


title: Dolos (mythology)

text: From Aether (Air) and Terra/ Gaia (Earth) [were born]: Dolor (Pain), Dolus (Guile), Ira/ Lyssa (Anger), Luctus/ Penthus (Lamentation), Mendacium/ Pseudologoi (Lies), Jusjurandum/ Horcus (Oath), Ultio/ Poine (Vengeance), Intemperantia (Intemperance), Altercatio/ Amphillogiai (Altercation), Oblivio/ Lethe (Forgetfulness), Socordia/ Aergia (Sloth), Timor/ Phobos (Fear), Superbia (Arrogance), Incestum (Sacrilege), Pugna/ Hysminai (Combat).


title: Dolos (mythology)

text: Their [Aether and Hemera's] brothers and sisters, whom the ancient genealogists name Amor/ Eros (Love), Dolus (Guile), Metus/ Deimos (Fear), Labor/ Ponus (Toil), Invidentia/ Nemesis (Envy), Fatum/ Moros (Fate), Senectus/ Geras (Old Age), Mors/ Thanatos (Death), Tenebrae/ Keres (Darkness), Miseria/ Oizys (Misery), Querella/ Momus (Complaint), Gratia/ Philotes (Favour), Fraus/ Apate (Fraud), Pertinacia (Obstinacy), the Parcae/ Moirai (Fates), the Hesperides, the Somnia/ Oneiroi (Dreams): all of these are fabled to be the children of Erebus (Darkness) and Nox/ Nyx (Night).


title: Dolos (mythology)

text: Dolos became known for his skill when he attempted to make a fraudulent copy statue of Aletheia (Veritas), in order to trick people into thinking they were seeing the real statue. He ran out of the clay he was using to create the statue, and had to leave the feet unfinished as he quaked in fear while his skill-master looked over his attempt at deceitfulness. To his surprise, Prometheus was rather amazed at the similarity between the statues, so Dolos then became a master at his crafty and tricky ways.Prometheus, that potter who gave shape to our new generation, decided one day to sculpt the form of Veritas (Truth) [Aletheia], using all his skill so that she would be able to regulate people's behaviour. As he was working, an unexpected summons from mighty Jupiter [Zeus] called him away. Prometheus left cunning Dolus (Trickery) in charge of his workshop, Dolus had recently become one of the god's apprentices. Fired by ambition, Dolus (Trickery) used the time at his disposal to fashion with his sly fingers a figure of the same size and appearance as Veritas (Truth) [Aletheia] with identical features. When he had almost completed the piece, which was truly remarkable, he ran out of clay to use for her feet. The master returned, so Dolus (Trickery) quickly sat down in his seat, quaking with fear. Prometheus was amazed at the similarity of the two statues and wanted it to seem as if all the credit were due to his own skill. Therefore, he put both statues in the kiln and when they had been thoroughly baked, he infused them both with life: sacred Veritas (Truth) walked with measured steps, while her unfinished twin stood stuck in her tracks. That forgery, that product of subterfuge, thus acquired the name of Mendacium [Pseudologos, Falsehood], and I readily agree with people who say that she has no feet: every once in a while something that is false can start off successfully, but with time Veritas (Truth) is sure to prevail.


title: Uttama Villain

text: Uttama Villain () is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by Ramesh Aravind and written by Kamal Haasan. The film was presented by N. Lingusamy in association with Kamal Haasan and produced by S. Chandrahasan for Raaj Kamal Films International and N. Subash Chandrabose for Thirupathi Brothers Film Media. It features an ensemble cast that includes Kamal Hassan, K. Viswanath, K. Balachander, Jayaram, Andrea Jeremiah, Pooja Kumar, Nassar, Parvathy Thiruvothu and Urvashi in prominent roles. This is the posthumous film of actor and director, K. Balachander following his death in December 2014.


title: Uttama Villain

text: It follows Superstar Manoranjan (Kamal Haasan), who is affected by brain tumour, learns that he has only a short time to live and approaches his mentor, director Margadarisi (K. Balachander) to direct his next project — a folklore-ish comedy about a man who keeps cheating death and his role in saving a kingdom. Meanwhile, he has to sort out his personal lives, which involves an estranged son and a daughter from the love of his life.


title: Uttama Villain

text: The project was materialised in late 2013, and the film's principal photography commenced on 3 March 2014. Filming which took place in Chennai, Bengaluru and Turkey was completed on 9 August 2014. The cinematography was handled by Shamdat and Vijay Shankar did the editing work. The music is composed by Ghibran, in his first collaboration with Kamal Haasan, the soundtrack album received high praise upon its release.


title: Uttama Villain

text: "Uttama Villain", after many postponements, was scheduled to release on 1 May 2015, but was released a day later, after sorting out the disputes between financiers and producers. The film received outstanding reviews from critics. While it performed well overseas, it underperformed at the Indian box-office. Despite the fact that it became a commercial failure, the film received several awards from International Film Festivals.


title: Uttama Villain

text: Manoranjan is a leading film star who is immensely popular among his fans but is beset with several personal problems. 25 years back, he had been forced to marry Varalakshmi, the daughter of noted film director Poornachandra Rao, despite being in a relationship with a woman named Yamini (not shown on-screen). He is an alcoholic and his teenage son Manohar despises him. He has a daughter Manonmani who was born out of wedlock to Yamini and was raised by Yamini's husband Jacob Zachariah after Yamini's death. She also despises Manoranjan. He has been diagnosed with advanced stage brain cancer and has only a few more months to live, which is unknown to anyone including his own family. He is treated by his family doctor Dr. Arpana, with whom he has an extramarital affair.


title: Uttama Villain

text: One day, Manoranjan decides to withdraw from a film produced by Poornachandra Rao and instead act in a film produced by himself and directed by Margadarsi, who was his mentor. They both had fallen out when Manoranjan married Varalakshmi and started acting in films directed and produced by Poornachandra Rao, who is Margadarsi's rival. Despite their personal differences, Manoranjan wants Margadarsi to be the director of his last film before he dies. Margadarsi initially refuses to direct Manoranjan, but when he hears from Arpana about Manoranjan's terminal illness, he becomes moved and accepts to direct Manoranjan. When Poornachandra Rao and Varalakshmi find out about Manoranjan's plan, they become enraged and leave his house along with Manohar. Undaunted, Manoranjan proceeds with his film.


title: Uttama Villain

text: Manoranjan's film with Margadarsi is titled "Uttama Villain". It is a fantasy comedy film which tells the story of a street artist named Uttaman who has dodged death several times and hence is believed to be immortal. With the help of a princess named Karpagavalli, he works to defeat the evil Muttharasan, who is obsessed to gain Karpagavalli and the whole Theeyam empire. During the shooting of the film, Manoranjan's condition worsens, and he is hospitalised several times. Margadarsi convinces Manoranjan to inform his family about his condition. This leads to a rapprochement with Poornachandra Rao (and also between Margadarsi and Poornachandra Rao) and a father-son bonding with Manohar. Varalakshmi, on the other hand, suffers a heart attack on hearing the news, though she soon recovers. She apologises to Manoranjan for her actions to forcibly separate him from Yamini so that she could marry him. Later, Manoranjan finds out that a letter he had written to Yamini shortly after they had separated, had not been delivered to her. When Manonmani reads this letter, which tells about Manoranjan's support for Yamini's decision to not undergo an abortion despite being pregnant out of wedlock, her hatred towards her biological father turns to love and she finally accepts him as her father.


title: Uttama Villain

text: After completing the shooting of "Uttama Villain", Manoranjan becomes very sick, suffering from delirium as well as slurred speech and movement, and faints. He is immediately rushed to the hospital. Margadarsi completes editing the film and plays it in the hospital. The people present in the hospital, including all the loved ones of Manoranjan, enjoy the film, which ends with Uttaman killing Muttharasan in a stage drama (Iraniya Naadagam), thus dodging death yet again. However, in real life, Arpana informs Manohar and Manonmani that Manoranjan had died.


title: Uttama Villain

text: The film ends with a screening of "Uttama Villain" in a theatre, which is enjoyed by the audience and becomes a hit.


title: Uttama Villain

text: Ghibran, Subbu Arumugam, Shamdat and Vijai Shankar make cameo appearances as themselves, working as technicians on the film in the film. Rajesh M. Selva, the first assistant director, appears as a spy in the film.


title: Uttama Villain

text: In early 2013, director-producer N. Lingusamy made an official statement confirming that Kamal Haasan had agreed to direct and feature in a film to be produced by the production house, Thirrupathi Brothers. The actor had handed Lingusamy three scripts with the pair chose the most commercially viable option, with the early working title of the film being "Bitter Chocolate". In June 2013, the project was retitled "Uttama Villain", with Kamal Haasan himself writing the script for the film, while Crazy Mohan was involved in early discussions for the film's dialogues. Eventually, Kamal Haasan wanted to do Uttama Villain as a full-fledged comedy film after the production of "Vishwaroopam" (2013), due to Haasan's commitments of acting in comedy films soon after he finishes an experimental film, with the controversies he faced during the release of "Vishwaroopam" being added as one of the factors.


title: Uttama Villain

text: Yuvan Shankar Raja was signed on to compose the film's music, after being the first choice for Haasan's Vishwaroopam, when Selvaraghavan handled the direction duties for the film. Reports also incorrectly suggested that Rajesh was added to the scripting team for the film. In July 2013, Ramesh Aravind took over the task of directing the film from Kamal Haasan, for whom the film became his directorial debut in Tamil, after previously directed films in Kannada. However, it was not being the first film; his proposed directorial debut was titled "KG" (2004) with Haasan which was shelved after Haasan's commitments with "Mumbai Xpress" (2005). In February 2014, Ghibran was announced as the film's music composer instead of Yuvan Shankar Raja. Sanu John Varghese and Mahesh Narayanan was initially reported to be the film's cinematographer and editor respectively after working with Haasan in "Vishwaroopam". However, Haasan chose Shamdat Sainudeen and Vijay Shankar as the director of photography and editor of the project respectively and Gautami was selected to handle the costume designing for the film. According to Ramesh Aravind, Kamal Haasan wrote the majority of the dialogue and that Crazy Mohan's input and suggestions were recorded.


title: Uttama Villain

text: Kamal Haasan was reported to play two roles for the film: one being a 21st-century cinema superstar named Manoranjan and an 8th-century drama actor named Uthaman. Kajal Aggarwal was initially reported to have signed on to play the lead female role, though her manager later confirmed that she was not approached and that her dates were already allotted for other projects. Similarly, Santhanam was also reported to play comedian in the film but the actor denied such claims. Asin and Deepika Padukone were also reported by the media to be cast in the lead female role, though neither reports materialised. The team later held discussions with actresses Divya Spandana and Lekha Washington for roles in the film, though neither were signed. A month prior to shoot, three female lead characters were touted to appear in the film, with the names of Kajal Aggarwal (who initially refused the film), Tamannaah and Trisha Krishnan were surfaced.


title: Uttama Villain

text: In a turn of events, the team chose Pooja Kumar and Andrea Jeremiah as the female leads, whom earlier worked with Haasan in "Vishwaroopam", and Parvathy Thiruvothu was also offered for the third female lead role. Pooja played the role of a non-Tamil-speaking modern-day actress, who was offered a character that spoke classical Tamil. Pooja also performed 3 song sequences in the film, unlike in "Vishwaroopam" (2013), where she had no song sequences. Kamal Haasan's daughter Shruti Haasan was considered for the role of his on-screen daughter in the film but her unavailability meant that the team chose to pick a new actress instead. Another actress Parvathy Nair was added to the cast after impressing the team in an audition and was select to be paired opposite Ashwin, a debutant who plays Kamal Haasan's son in the film. Actors Sarath Kumar and Vivek were reported to have been added to the preliminary cast, but the actors later noted the news as untrue.


title: Uttama Villain

text: In January 2014, noted director K. Balachander was selected to play a pivotal role in the film and sported a beard for his character. He was reported to play Manoranjan's mentor Margadarshi, who guided him to this status of superstardom, ironically Balachander was also Haasan's real-life mentor. Producer Lingusamy himself was reported to be playing a role in the venture, after being seen sporting a new look during the making of his directorial project "Anjaan" (2014). Director K. Viswanath also joined the film's cast as did Jayaram, and the pair began filming scenes in March 2014. Anant Mahadevan, who featured in "Vishwaroopam" (2013), was given the role of the manager of Kamal Haasan's character in the film. More details about the film were shown in mid-March with a detailed cast and character list released to the media. In May 2014, actor Nassar was signed for a supporting role. In July 2014, director Chitra Lakshmanan joined the team to play a small role in the film. Actress Abhirami was selected to dub for Pooja Kumar in the film. Ramesh Aravind himself was to make a cameo appearance in the film, but the director did not reveal much about it and kept his decision under wraps. Following the death of K. Balachander, the team released the film as a homage to the late director.


title: Uttama Villain

text: In mid-February 2014, the team carried out make up tests involving Kamal Haasan in Bangalore with a photo shoot being held with the actor. Following this, the first teaser of the film unveiled on 1 March 2014 with the title and logo design. A series of posters were also unveiled by the film's team on the following days and the principal photography began on 3 March 2014. The team then shot for two weeks in Bangalore, before moving on to film sequences in Chennai with Gautami joining the team as a costume designer. In early April, parts of the film were shot in Madhya Pradesh before the team returned to Bangalore to film scenes involving Parvathy Nair and Ashwin. Further scenes involving Kamal Haasan in the role of a star actor were filmed at a shopping mall in Bangalore, with several hundred onlookers used as extras. Posters from a fictional film in the plot, "Veera Vilaiyaatu", were put up around the mall by the film's art direction team.


title: Uttama Villain

text: After initially planning a trip to Australia to film the songs from the soundtrack for a week, the team later opted to fly to Turkey instead. Many scenes in the film, including a song featuring Kamal Haasan and Pooja Kumar was consequently shot in Istanbul. The cast performed night rehearsals to perfect their expressions and dialogues. The portions featuring Kamal Haasan as an aging superstar were completed with the shoot of the song, followed by the 21st century portions which were completed by mid-May 2014. In between, Kamal Haasan took a break from the shoot to attend the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and to inaugurate the Indian Pavilion there. Another schedule was started on 21 May 2014 in Madhya Pradesh and then at a private studio in Chennai, with the team filming scenes that take place in the 8th century. Actor Nasser joined the film playing the antagonist and also has a dual role in the film. In early June 2014, Andrea had completed her portions in the film.


title: Uttama Villain

text: Kamal Haasan sustained a small muscle pull during the film's shooting and was advised a day's rest. However, he attended an award ceremony following his commitments to be a part of it and the makers released the teaser of the film on the same event. The majority of the film's portions were shot by the end of July, with only patchwork and dubbing left. A 10-minute climax sequence of the film was shot during the schedule which was touted to be a "spellbinding experience for moviegoers". On 9 August 2014, Ramesh Aravind confirmed on his Twitter account that the shooting of the film had been completed at the Chennai Film Institute with a song sequence which would feature in the 8th century segment of the film.


title: Uttama Villain

text: The soundtrack and film score was composed by Ghibran in his maiden collaboration with Kamal Haasan. Ghibran signed the project along with Haasan's "Vishwaroopam II", but as the film's production was delayed, he has signed for the actor's other two projects: "Papanasam" and "Thoongaa Vanam". Kamal Hassan bought musical instruments from Bali, Indonesia for recording songs in a mythical segment in the film because the instruments sounded both Indian and exotic and both Ghibran and Hassan wanted the music to be creative. According to Ghibran, traditional tunes were mixed with orchestral symphony backgrounds and were fused with Villu Paatu and Theyyam. Ghibran also said that he and Kamal Haasan decided to not use instruments traditionally used in period films such as tabla, ghatam and dholak. The composer further told that Kamal Hassan had sung in three songs and might sing in a few more. Ghibran had spent a year-and-a-half on the score.


title: Uttama Villain

text: The music album of "Uttama Villain" was released on 1 March 2015 after multiple postponements. The album which featured 17 tracks including seven themes from the score, with lyrics written by Haasan, Viveka and Subbu Arumugam, was released on a mobile application instead of conventional CDs, as a first-of-its-kind approach. The soundtrack release coincided with a promotional launch event held at Chennai Trade Centre on 1 March 2015, with prominent celebrities along with the film's cast and crew being present. The audio launch of the film took place on 29 March 2015.


title: Uttama Villain

text: The soundtrack received high critical acclaim and Ghibran won accolades for his work in the film. Siddharth K. of "Sify" rated it 4.5 out of 5 and wrote, "Ghibran has grown leaps and bounds with this album and has indeed delivered his career-best...If anyone has any problems in recognizing the effort that has gone into this album, they need to get their musical buds examined. "Uttama Villain" is an album to be cherished by film buffs and is not for the typical frontbenchers". M. Suganth of "The Times of India" wrote, ""Uttama Villain" is that rare Tamil film album which doesn't merely push the envelope but has managed to create a new, different envelope". Vipin Nair of "Music Aloud" gave it a score of 9 out of 10, calling it "one hell of a soundtrack". A reviewer from "Behindwoods" gave it 3.75 out of 5 and stated it was "one of its kind gems in Tamil cinema music". Karthik Srinivasan of "Milliblog" called it "one of the most daring and inventive musical attempts in recent Tamil cinema history".


title: Uttama Villain

text: Kamal Haasan revealed that the film would release before "Vishwaroopam II", another film which featured him in the lead role. The film was initially touted to be released on 2 October 2014, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanthi, further also clashing with Hrithik Roshan-starrer "Bang Bang!" and Sivakarthikeyan's "Kakki Sattai". However, the director Ramesh Aravind clarified that the film involved extensive visual effects work to be done and that it would be completed in 10 weeks. Then, the release of 7 November 2014, which coincides Kamal Haasan's birthday also proved to be untrue. The film was then speculated to release on 20 February 2015, following information from a popular ticket booking website. The release was later pushed to April 2015.


title: Uttama Villain

text: In February 2015, Eros International which purchased the worldwide distribution rights of the film announced that the film will be released worldwide on 2 April 2015. Thirrupathi Brothers acquired the domestic theatrical rights while Raajkamal Films International handled the distribution for the overseas theatres. Studio Green bought the Tamil Nadu theatrical rights. The release was later pushed to 10 April 2015, coinciding the five-day Tamil New Year weekend; and trade analysts believed about the increase in footfalls, following school examinations which will be completed within the same date. However, due to the delay in completion of visual effects, the producers later postponed the film to 24 April and 1 May. Then the film was scheduled to release on 1 May 2015, which was confirmed by the producers. But, it was released on 2 May after sorting out issues between financiers and producers. The entire team attended the film's premiere at the Golden Cinemas in Dubai on 30 April 2015, a day before the Indian release.


title: Uttama Villain

text: Before the film's production, the first look and title logo of the film were released on 1 March 2014, depicting a Theyyam art form sketched on Haasan's face and few more posters were subsequently released. Thirrupathi Brothers attached the teaser trailer for the film along with Suriya starrer "Anjaan" (another film produced by the studio), at the 8th Vijay Awards held on 5 July 2014, and was simultaneously uploaded to YouTube. The film's trailer was supposed to be released on Pongal, but after being unofficially leaked through the internet on 13 January 2015, the trailer was launched the next day morning by the makers. The second trailer of the film was released at the film's audio launch event on 1 March 2015, and the third trailer was unveiled on 29 March 2015. Few more trailers were released, ahead of the film's release. Shortly after the film's release, the makers unveiled six deleted scenes of the film, which was well received.


title: Uttama Villain

text: Herotalkies.com (VS Ecommerce Ventures) legally released the film for audiences outside India in June 2015. Initially, the satellite rights were acquired by Jaya TV, but it was later sold to Zee Tamil.


title: Uttama Villain

text: There was speculation that the first look of the film was inspired from a photograph taken by French photographer Eric Lafforgue, but Kamal Hassan denied the allegations by saying, "Theyyam is more than a 1000-year-old art. The make-up was done by a good artist who is probably a third-generation practitioner of this art. My film has a Theyyam dance fusion with Tamil Nadu's Kooththu tradition". Admitting that the lighting might have had a few similarities to the photograph of the French photographer, he said that comparing the photo with his first look poster was like saying two lovers leaning on one another's chest looking in the same direction is a copy of the "Ek Duje Ke Liye" poster. He also stated that the poster did not depict a mask, but make-up painted on his face and that it took four hours to paint it.


title: Uttama Villain

text: Vishva Hindu Parishad's (VHP) Tamil Nadu wing called for banning the film's release, as they alleged that the lyrics of a song in the film had belittled a conversation between Prahalada and Hiranyakashipu, which offend the religious sentiments of Hindu people. They also criticised the makers for the objectionable portrayal of Lord Vishnu in a song. Furthermore, the Indian National League, a Muslim organisation also protested against the film citing that it may hurt religious sentiments.


title: Uttama Villain

text: Lingusamy sold the film's distribution rights to Eros International, in order to overcome the losses suffered by the failure of Suriya-starrer "Anjaan", and Studio Green agreed to market the film in Tamil Nadu. A few days before the film's release, producer and distributor R. Thangaraj of Thangam Cinemas, filed a petition to stay the release of the film, as producer has to pay , to settle down the losses. Thirrupathi Brothers had also borrowed from various local financiers, promising them films distribution areas. As per sources, the film was in deficit to the tune of nearly at the time of release. The financiers were unwilling to waive a part of the loan for a smooth release. The overseas release of the film happened as the rights for the overseas territory belonged to Raaj Kamal, while the Indian theatrical rights were with Thirrupathi Brothers.


title: Uttama Villain

text: Due to the disputes between financiers and producers, the film's release date which was scheduled for 1 May 2015, has been stalled. Theatres across TN had sold tickets in advance for the opening day, but most of the shows were been cancelled, which led to outrage and dismay with the film union and producers. Kamal Haasan, after the Dubai premiere on 30 April, flew back to India late on Friday, to sort out the issue along with trade bodies like Tamil Film Producers Council and Nadigar Sangam. After the dispute has been settled, the film opened in India on 2 May 2015.


title: Uttama Villain

text: M. Suganth, editor-in-chief of "The Times of India" rated the film three-and-a-half out of five, lauding it as one of the "rare films with a meta-narrative where the line between the real and the reel becomes hard to distinguish and further called it as glorious showcase for Kamal the writer as he superbly blends subtlety with slapstick and the emotional moments never descend into full-blown melodrama that turns all eyes misty throughout the film". A critic from "Behindwoods" also rated the film three-and-a-half out of five and felt it was an "excellent cinematic viewing experience" appreciating its "unique narrative". Siddharth K of "Sify" gave "Uttama Villain" four out of five stars and called it "a courageous film which breaks away from being a routine fare", describing it as "emotional as well as gripping". They also felt that "The sheer thrill of watching a film and not knowing what will happen next is one of the great pleasures offered by director Ramesh Aravind", summing it up as "a good example of an entertaining commercial film that didn't need to be lazy or senseless". Karthik Keramalu of "IBN Live" appreciated "Uttama Villain" majorly for three particular conversations that they placed among the best in Tamil cinema, concluding that it is "a film worthy of a eulogy speech and the grandeur is not spoilt in the name of commercialization".


title: Uttama Villain

text: S. Saraswathi of "Rediff.com" appreciated director Ramesh Aravind for the narrative "that skilfully alternates between fake and real which is seemingly similar situations is ingenious" and lauded the brilliance of Kamal Haasan, "the master performer for essaying two totally contrasting characters amazingly". They wrote that the film may not appeal to all due to its almost three hours length and slow screenplay, but still judged that it is "a film worth watching for stunning music and performance" and rating it three out of five. Saibal Chatterjee of "NDTV" lauded "Uttama Villain" as a "terrific take on superstardom and mortality, feeling it is a satire in parts when Manoranjan, played by Kamal Haasan comes to know that he has only a few days to live, so he decides to make a film in which he's immortal". Anupama Subramanian of "Deccan Chronicle" wrote that the movie lived up to expectations partially as the first half drags, but post interval picks up the momentum summing up as a Kamal show all the way, sparkling as an ego bloated Manoranjan and the simpleton Uttaman, concluding, "There are few shortcomings. Nevertheless Kamals’ amazing screen presence pulls an otherwise bit dragging film with a runtime of 2 hours and 52 minutes". Baradwaj Rangan in his review for "The Hindu" wrote, "Kamal Haasan's writing is so dense and allusive and overstuffed and layered and indulgent that it's always a question whether even the best actors and directors in the world can come up with the kind of wit and timing needed to fully make the transition from page to screen — in other words, the best Kamal Haasan movies are probably locked up inside his head, where they reside in the most perfect possible manner. But with some of the lightweight cast and crew, he's been working with of late, this material doesn't stand a chance".


title: Uttama Villain

text: A delay of one-and-a-half day in release affected the collections in India. The film suffered a huge loss and traders said that "Uttama Villain" lost approximately in India, whereas from Tamil Nadu alone the film lost and from the rest of India, the loss is , still the film collected from 170 shows in Chennai itself, while it has had a tremendous start at the US box office, earning in seven days from 98 screens. It earned from Malaysia, from Australia, from the UK and Ireland and from Canada box office. The film collected in United States in three days. The film collected in Malaysia, in Australia and in Canada. In Kerala, the film had a slow start collecting only from two days.


title: Uttama Villain

text: "Uttama Villain" collected from 316 shows in its second weekend and the film had 183 shows on weekdays raking up making the total collection in Chennai at and from US box office in two weeks beating Mani Ratnam's "O Kadhal Kanmani", from the US, from Canada, from the UK and Ireland, from Australia and from the Malaysian box office. The film also collected from various European markets and in the rest of the world Box Office.


title: Uttama Villain

text: The film's poor performance, led Thirrupathi Brothers, to a large financial tangle. Most of his upcoming projects were stalled and, the Sivakarthikeyan-starrer "Rajinimurugan", which was produced by Lingusamy, faced delays during its release, because of his settlement to Eros International, which also distributed the film, and the payment allotted by latter ballooned to , after the failure of "Uttama Villain".


title: Demi Lovato discography

text: American singer Demi Lovato has released eight studio albums, two video albums, two soundtrack albums, five extended plays (EPs), 44 singles (including 13 as a featured artist), 11 promotional singles. According to Recording Industry Association of America(RIAA), Lovato has achieved 31.5 million certified units. As of June 2021, she has sold 2.7 million albums and 23.8 million song downloads and her songs have registered 5.6 billion on-demand streams in the United States.