title: Victor Newman

text: Diane (Maura West), who had returned to Genoa City, reconnects with Victor and they remarry, however, it is annulled shortly after she finds him sleeping with Nikki and Victor learns of her affair with Tucker McCall (Stephen Nichols) and Jack. Afterward, Victor sends Nikki to a rehabilitation center for her alcoholism. Diane is murdered in August 2011, with Victor as a suspect. Nikki in fact murdered Diane in self-defense, causing Victor to falsely confess to murdering her to protect Nikki. While in jail, Victor marries his former daughter-in-law, Sharon Newman (Sharon Case), to push Nikki away, however when the entire murder plot is revealed, Nikki is not charged and Victor is freed. Victor and Sharon's marriage is annulled and he reunites with Nikki, however, she leaves him when some of his past schemes involving Victoria's marriage are exposed. To gain control of the cosmetics line Beauty of Nature, Victor slept with Genevieve Atkinson (Genie Francis). When Nikki reunites with Jack, Victor develops a genuine romance with Sharon to spite her. They marry a second time, however he disappears from town shortly after and Sharon believed he was abandoning her. She burned their prenuptial agreement and took over Newman Enterprises, while Jack and Tucker were buying up its stocks. While away, Victor had lost his memory and was working as a dock worker in Los Angeles; he was demanding better working conditions and the other workers planned to have him killed in an explosion, as a result, Genoa City believed Victor had died, but he returned shortly after. Upon his return, he annuls his marriage to Sharon and reunites with Nikki, just before Jack announces he is taking over Newman Enterprises, firing all of the Newman family and instating Adam. However, due to his addiction to pain killers, Jack gave up control of the company, leaving it to Adam.


title: Victor Newman

text: Victor and Nikki finally remarry in March 2013 just before she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. At their wedding, an assassin attempts to shoot Victor, but Adam takes the bullet and nearly dies for his father. As a result, he offers Victor the position of co-CEO at Newman, and they begin working together. However, their partnership ends several months later when Victor discovers that Adam's silent partner used to take Newman private again was Jack. Victor fears that Adam and Jack have been scheming to take back the company for themselves without Victor. In retaliating, Victor, who now owns Chancellor Industries according to Katherine Chancellor's will, has all major Newman clients sign to Chancellor, as Victor leaves Newman worthless so he could build up Chancellor. Adam signs over his shares in Newman over to Victor, who plans to merge Chancellor Industries with Newman. Nikki then reveals she gave birth to another son decades earlier before she was with Victor, revealed to be Dylan McAvoy (Steve Burton). A subsidiary of the newly merged conglomerate, named Bonaventure Industries, later produced an illegal speed drug that Summer Newman (Hunter King) ended up overdosing on. Jack reported Victor to the FDA and he and his company were put under investigation. Dylan's supposed father and Nikki's former lover Ian Ward (Ray Wise) then arrives in town and causes pandemonium, to which Victor tries to get him out of town. It was later revealed that Victor had hired a lookalike to his granddaughter Cassie, named Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes), to haunt Sharon and learn a supposed secret she has. When his scheme is revealed, Nick and Sharon shun him and Nikki decides to move out for a while, but she and Victor later reunite. Victor and Nikki later learn that Ian is incapable of fathering children, leading to confusion. It is later revealed that Paul Williams (Doug Davidson), Nikki's ex-lover and longtime friend, is in fact Dylan's father, causing tension in Victor and Nikki's marriage, which continues when Victor goes to extensive lengths to awaken Phyllis (Gina Tognoni) from a coma to find out more information on Sharon's supposed secret. Nikki falls off the wagon and begins drinking again; she leaves Victor and refuses to take him back. Victor also sells Chancellor Industries back to Jill (Jess Walton), leaving the rest of the Newman family confused as to why he gave Chancellor up so easily.


title: Victor Newman

text: In 2015, Victor has Jack kidnapped and replaced by a lookalike, who turns out to be a Peruvian drug lord named Marco Annicelli, all for him to take over Jabot Cosmetics and merge it with Newman, becoming Newman Abbott Enterprises. Meanwhile, Victor and his children discover that Nikki has fallen off the wagon; they convince her to quit drinking again and she and Victor end up reuniting. Jack makes his way back to Genoa City just as Victor learns that Marco is dangerous; he plans on shooting Marco dead in the park, but it is actually Jack who he ends up shooting, who had finally returned to confront him. Jack ends up falling comatose while Victor frantically tries to get rid of Marco, who continues to masquerade around town. When Jack awakens, he reluctantly agrees to help Victor get Marco out of town and back in prison, which they end up doing successfully. With the real Jack back in Genoa City, the Newman Abbott merger comes to an end and both companies return to their separate states. Meanwhile, Adam, who had returned to town under the false identity of Gabriel Bingham, had teamed up with Ian (who had escaped prison) to create a computer virus to destroy Newman Enterprises for separate revenge on both their parts; the virus was known as the Paragon project, which later led to the revelation that "Gabriel" is in fact Adam. He agrees to stop Paragon, but Ian makes no such promise; on Halloween, when a party was being thrown in the Newman Enterprises ballroom, Ian is responsible for the building catching fire and a great panic ensuing. As a result, Ashley and Billy (Burgess Jenkins) offer to share office space at Jabot with Newman while the Newman building is being repaired, but Victor refuses to trust them. It is later revealed that Billy revived Paragon as an act of revenge against Victor, leading to Jack firing him and Victor filing a lawsuit against Jabot.


title: Victor Newman

text: Chris Jancelewicz of "The Huffington Post" described Victor as "the very definition of daytime TV icon" and noted that, "Even people who have never seen an episode in their lives know his name, his face, and his powerful low voice." In the early 1990s, he was described as a . He is credited as being one of the soap opera world's leading stars. Jamey Giddens of Zap2it considers Braeden the soap opera's leading male. Tommy Garrett of "Highlight Hollywood" stated that Braeden "is known in the industry as the biggest daytime leading man of all time". In 1993, Nancy Reichardt of "The Los Angeles Times" stated: "Victor Newman is one of those characters. When Eric Braeden first came on the show in the role, Victor was a villain, and what a villain! His portrayal proved so dynamic that this "minor" plot point has been ignored over the years. Today, Braeden is one of the show's leading men. The character has never lost his edge, but his knife-wielding days are long forgotten."


title: Victor Newman

text: In 1997, The Museum of Television and Radio wrote that with the arrival of the character, who was an "enigmatic stranger popular with women", "the show's revived tableau was complete", saying it was an "amazingly seamless transition" and praised William J. Bell for the character's introduction. Deanna Barnert of MSN Entertainment wrote of Braeden's tenure: "Eric Braeden first signed onto "The Young and the Restless" in 1980 for a mini-stint as a baddy, but stayed on to change the game in Genoa City forever, becoming one of daytime's most recognizable forces on and off screen." In 2010, Global News wrote that, "From the early days of "The Young and the Restless", Victor Newman has been a symbol of power in Genoa City."


title: Victor Newman

text: Braeden's biography at "Yahoo!" notes that upon his casting as the ruthless businessman Victor, he "clicked with both the audience and the creative powers, and has been one of the series leading men for close to two decades". Kim Muraro of "LimeLife" stated that instead of his originally planned three-month stay at the series, he "has become one of the most iconic characters in daytime TV". Garrett, writing from "Canyon News", wrote: "[Braeden] plays the mastermind mogul with real gusto. His innate acting skills are as legendary as his distinguished career. This week, we saw Braeden play ruthless, conniving and ultimately a loving father." "Good News Weekly" wrote: "There are some men that are larger than life. There are some men that transcend the TV screen. There are some men that touch the lives of millions of viewers. Victor Newman is one of those men." In 2005, Lynette Rice of "Entertainment Weekly" wrote that Braeden has transformed the character into a "global phenom". "BuddyTV" noted the storyline where Victor locked his wife Julia's lover in a bomb shelter as "the turning point" in the character's life, making him a villain.


title: Victor Newman

text: The character of Victor has been used as a spokesperson for the Canadian discount store Zellers and appeared in an advert for it. The commercials aired in November 1998. In the adverts, Victor breaks the proverbial fourth wall, and begins speaking to the Zellers shopper on the other side of the television screen, praising her admirable combination of style and thrift. He steps closer and squashes his nose against the camera lens. According to the website StrategyOnline, the promotional ad campaign for Zellers featuring Victor proved to be the most popular installment to date as of May 1999; the staff of StrategyOnline wrote that the campaign "has garnered considerable praise in the marketing community – and small wonder. Not only does it perform the considerable task of balancing an affordability message with strong branding, it does so in a category seldom noted for the quality of strategic thinking that goes into its advertising."


title: Victor Newman

text: Victor's pairing with Nikki has received positive reviews from critics throughout the years; "The News & Advance" cited Victor and Nikki with other romances considered "epic" of the early supercouple era. Global News wrote of their long-standing relationship, "Victor is the consummate womanizer and has been a part of many relationships over the years. Nonetheless, his heart belongs to one woman alone, the stunning Nikki Reed. Despite true love and good intention, the relationship between Victor and Nikki has always been troubled by poor timing and miscommunication." In 1990, "The Washington Times" wrote that, "Victor Newman's sudden marriage to Ashley Abbott fooled us all." In 1995, "Sports Illustrated" wrote of Victor's marriage to Hope, saying a "man with that much power could have married anyone, but he fell in love with a blind woman. Not for what she is, but who she's about." In 2002, "Entertainment Weekly" wrote that the soap opera was "keeping it real" with Victor and Nikki's third wedding. Upon their fourth wedding in 2013, the magazine stated: "Say what you will about Victor (and we’ve all said a "lot"), but the ol’ boy definitely knows who is best for him — Nikki."


title: Victor Newman

text: On Victor's rivalry with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), Allison Waldman of AOL TV said: "After all, their characters' on screen feud has been the stuff of soap legend. Victor and Jack have shared wives, corporations, but mostly, unabashed hatred. They despise each other." Additionally, Waldman wrote: "Braeden's contribution to the show these past three decades really cannot be understated. He's been a driving force as Victor primarily because he's a villain who's not quite pure evil. He has a heart and on occasion shows a vulnerability that makes him likable and even sympathetic" but "like a big jungle cat, he is not one to be tamed. That's why at any point, Victor can turn on someone he once professed to love [...] See, that's Victor. He makes viewers crazy with his actions, but he's so dynamic and interesting, that you can't stop watching him. Thank you, Eric Braeden. You are Victor and you have made him completely compelling for 30 years." In another article, Waldman called Braeden one of the biggest stars in the soap opera business. Victor has adopted several nicknames on the show that have carried into the media. This includes "The Mustache" and "The Dark Night".


title: Victor Newman

text: When asked during the same interview why he believed Victor had so much commercial appeal, Braeden responded: "I really don't know. I've always been a very emotional actor, in other words, the only criterion I go by when I film scenes is to make them as believable and real as possible. Maybe it's that. Maybe – and I'm not sure if there's any truth to this – but people can perhaps sense that I've seen a lot in my life. I've been through a lot, and maybe for that reason I can feel empathy."


title: Victor Newman

text: Tommy Garrett of "Highlight Hollywood" also compared his performance to his portrayal of John Jacob Astor IV in the 1997 film "Titanic", stating that the performances are "equally enthralling". A writer from "The Age" describes Victor's voice as "gravel". Toby Goldstein of "The Orlando Sentinel" stated that Victor is one of the characters contributing to the soap opera's longtime popularity. Shelley Fralic of the "Winnipeg Free Press" named Braeden along with Susan Lucci (who portrayed Erica Kane on "All My Children") to be the soap opera genre's biggest icons. Fralic stated that he is the "eye of the Genoa City hurricane" and that "the thought of Y&R without Victor Newman – his character is recovering from a heart transplant and was going to "disappear" to Belgium for rehabilitation – is hard to imagine, rather like "Dallas" without J.R. Ewing, or "The Sopranos" without Tony."


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB)—formerly known as the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB), and originally as the State, War, and Navy Building—is a U.S. government building situated just west of the White House in the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. Maintained by the General Services Administration, it is currently occupied by the Executive Office of the President, including the Office of the Vice President of the United States. In 1999, it was named for former president and general Dwight D. Eisenhower.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: Located on 17th Street NW, between Pennsylvania Avenue and State Place, and West Executive Drive, the building was commissioned by President Ulysses S. Grant. It was built between 1871 and 1888, on the site of the original 1800 War/State/Navy Building and the White House stables, in the French Second Empire style.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: As its first name suggests, it was initially built to house three departments. It was for years the world's largest office building, with 566 rooms and about of floor space, until it was surpassed by The Pentagon in 1943. While the building's elaborate style received substantial criticism when it was first completed, it has since been designated as a National Historic Landmark.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: The first executive offices were constructed between 1799 and 1820 on the former site of the Washington Jockey Club, flanking the White House. In 1869, following the Civil War, Congress appointed a commission to select a site and submit plan and cost estimates for a new State Department Building, with possible arrangements to house the War and Navy departments.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: The building, originally called the State, War, and Navy Building because it housed these three departments, was built between 1871 and 1888 in the French Second Empire style.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: It was designed by Alfred B. Mullett, Supervising Architect of the Department of Treasury, which had responsibility for federal buildings. Patterned after French Second Empire architecture that clashed sharply with the neoclassical style of the other Federal buildings in the city, it was generally regarded with scorn and disdain. Writer Mark Twain referred to this building as "the ugliest building in America." President Harry S. Truman called it "the greatest monstrosity in America." Historian Henry Adams called it Mullett's “architectural infant asylum.” Mullett later resigned. Beset by financial difficulties, litigation, and illness, in 1890 he committed suicide.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: The exterior granite was cut and polished on the island of Vinalhaven, Maine, under a contract with Bodwell Granite Company. Much of the interior was designed by Richard von Ezdorf, using fireproof cast-iron structural and decorative elements. These included massive skylights above each of the major stairwells, and doorknobs with cast patterns indicating which of the original three occupying departments (State, Navy, or War) occupied a particular space. The total cost to construct the building was $10,038,482 when construction ended in 1888, after 17 years.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: The original tenants quickly outgrew the building and finally vacated it completely in the late 1930s. Becoming known as the Old Executive Office Building, it housed staff members of the Executive Office of the President. The building was considered inefficient and was nearly demolished in 1957. In 1969, the building was designated as a National Historic Landmark.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: In 1981, plans began to restore all the "secretary of" suites. The main office of the Secretary of the Navy was restored in 1987 and is now used as the ceremonial office of the vice president. Shortly after September 11, 2001, the 17th Street side of the building was vacated and has since been modernized. The building continues to house various agencies that compose the president's executive office, such as the Office of the Vice President, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Security Council. Its most public function is that of the Vice President's Ceremonial Office, which is used chiefly for special meetings and press conferences.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: Many celebrated national figures have participated in historical events that have taken place within the Old Executive Office Building. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush all had offices in this building before becoming president. It has housed 16 Secretaries of the Navy, 21 Secretaries of War, and 24 Secretaries of State. Sir Winston Churchill once walked its corridors and Japanese emissaries met there with Secretary of State Cordell Hull after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: Presidents have occupied space in the EEOB as well. Herbert Hoover worked out of the Secretary of the Navy's office for a few months following a fire in the Oval Office on Christmas Eve 1929. President Dwight D. Eisenhower held the first televised presidential news conference in the building's Indian Treaty Room (Room 474) on January 19, 1955. President Richard Nixon maintained a private "hideaway" office in room 180 of the EEOB during his presidency, from where he preferred to work, using the Oval Office only for ceremonial occasions.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was the first in a succession of vice presidents who have had offices in the building. The first wife of a vice president to have an office in the building was Marilyn Quayle, wife of Dan Quayle, vice president to George H.W. Bush.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: The Old Executive Office Building was renamed the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building when President Bill Clinton approved legislation changing the name on November 9, 1999. President George W. Bush participated in a rededication ceremony on May 7, 2002.


title: Eisenhower Executive Office Building

text: A small fire on December 19, 2007, damaged an office of the vice-president's staff and included the VP ceremonial office. According to media reporting, the office of the vice president's Political Director, Amy Whitelaw, was heavily damaged in the fire.


title: Cockaigne

text: Cockaigne or Cockayne is a land of plenty in medieval myth, an imaginary place of extreme luxury and ease where physical comforts and pleasures are always immediately at hand and where the harshness of medieval peasant life does not exist. Specifically, in poems like "The Land of Cockaigne", it is a land of contraries, where all the restrictions of society are defied (abbots beaten by their monks), sexual liberty is open (nuns flipped over to show their bottoms), and food is plentiful (skies that rain cheese). Writing about Cockaigne was commonplace in Goliard verse. It represented both wish fulfillment and resentment at scarcity and the strictures of asceticism.


title: Cockaigne

text: While the first recorded uses of the word are the Latin "Cucaniensis" and the Middle English "Cokaygne", one line of reasoning has the name tracing to Middle French "(pays de) cocaigne" "(land of) plenty", ultimately adapted or derived from a word for a small sweet cake sold to children at a fair. In Ireland, it was mentioned in the "Kildare Poems", composed c. 1350. In Italian, the same place is called "Paese della Cuccagna"; the Flemish-Belgian equivalent is "Luilekkerland" ("relaxed luscious, delicious land"), translated from the Middle-Belgian word "Cockaengen", and the German equivalent is "Schlaraffenland". In Spanish, an equivalent place is named "Jauja", after a rich mining region of the Andes, and "País de Cucaña" ("fools' paradise") may also signify such a place. From Swedish dialect "lubber" ("fat lazy fellow") comes "Lubberland", popularized in the ballad "An Invitation to Lubberland".


title: Cockaigne

text: In the 1820s, the name "Cockaigne" came to be applied jocularly to London as the land of Cockneys ("Cockney" from a "cock's egg", an implausible creature; see also basilisk), though the two are not linguistically connected otherwise. The composer Edward Elgar used the word "Cockaigne" for his concert overture and suite evoking the people of London, "Cockaigne (In London Town)", Op. 40 (1901).


title: Cockaigne

text: The Dutch villages of Kockengen and Koekange may be named after Cockaigne, though this has been disputed. The surname Cockayne also derives from the mythical land, and was originally a nickname for an idle dreamer.


title: Cockaigne

text: Like Atlantis and El Dorado, the land of Cockaigne was a utopia. It was a fictional place where, in a parody of paradise, idleness and gluttony were the principal occupations. In "Specimens of Early English Poets" (1790), George Ellis printed a 13th-century French poem called "The Land of Cockaigne" where "the houses were made of barley sugar and cakes, the streets were paved with pastry, and the shops supplied goods for nothing".


title: Cockaigne

text: Cockaigne was a "medieval peasant’s dream, offering relief from backbreaking labor and the daily struggle for meager food."


title: Cockaigne

text: A Neapolitan tradition, extended to other Latin culture countries, is the Cockaigne pole (Italian: cuccagna; Spanish: cucaña), a horizontal or vertical pole with a prize (like a ham) at one end. The pole is covered with grease or soap and planted during a festival. Then, daring people try to climb the slippery pole to get the prize. The crowd laughs at the often failed attempts to hold on to the pole.


title: Paul Molitor

text: Paul Leo Molitor (born August 22, 1956), nicknamed "Molly" and "the Ignitor", is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and former manager of the Minnesota Twins, who is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. During his 21-year baseball career, he played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1992), Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1995), and Minnesota Twins (1996–1998). He was known for his exceptional hitting and speed. He made seven All-Star Game appearances, and was the World Series MVP in 1993. Molitor currently ranks tenth on the all-time MLB career hits list with 3,319. He is one of only five players in history with 3,000+ hits, a lifetime .300+ batting average and 500+ career stolen bases.


title: Paul Molitor

text: Molitor grew up in Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota before beginning his MLB career. Molitor served as a coach for the Seattle Mariners and the Twins after his retirement as a player. In 2004, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, becoming one of the first players enshrined after spending a significant portion of his career as a designated hitter. He was a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. On November 3, 2014, Molitor was announced as the 13th manager of the Minnesota Twins. He managed the team for four seasons, and was fired in October 2018.


title: Paul Molitor

text: Molitor was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After graduating from Cretin High School, he was selected in the 28th round of the 1974 MLB draft as a pitcher by the St. Louis Cardinals. He opted instead to attend college at the University of Minnesota, where he was a three-year starter for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Molitor earned All-American honors as a shortstop for his sophomore year. Between his sophomore and junior seasons, Molitor suffered a broken jaw. With his jaw wired shut for eight weeks, Molitor lost .


title: Paul Molitor

text: After his junior year in college, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Molitor in the first round, with the third overall selection, in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Brewers and began his professional career with the Class A Burlington Bees of the Midwest League. In 64 games with Burlington, Molitor hit for a .346 batting average, 8 home runs, 50 runs batted in (RBI) and 14 stolen bases.


title: Paul Molitor

text: Molitor began as a shortstop, then moved to second base when Robin Yount returned from a brief injury. He made his MLB debut in 1978, playing in 125 games and hitting .273 with six home runs, 45 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. In 1981, he spent time at center field and right field to avoid the injuries associated with infield play. Molitor was moved to third base before the 1982 season. Molitor was part of a young Milwaukee Brewers team that lost the 1982 World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. Molitor batted .355 during the series. In Game 1, he had five hits, a World Series record. During the 1982 season, he hit .302 and led the American League (AL) with 136 runs scored. On May 12, he hit three home runs against the Royals in a 9-7 loss.


title: Paul Molitor

text: Molitor struggled with injuries for much of his early career, being placed on the disabled list six times between 1980 and 1986. In 1984, Molitor struggled with elbow problems, played in only 13 games and ultimately underwent surgery in an attempt to salvage his career. He played in 140 games in 1985, hitting .297 with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs. He followed that with a .281 average, 9 home runs and 55 RBI in 1986. That year he suffered a hamstring injury, returned for a few days, then reinjured it. He played in 105 games that season.


title: Paul Molitor

text: Molitor attracted national media attention in 1987 during his 39-game hitting streak. Near the end of the streak, columnist Mike Downey wrote that "the amazing thing about Paul Molitor's recent bat-o-rama is not that he has hit in 33 straight games but that he has played in 33 straight games." The streak ended with Molitor in the on-deck circle when Rick Manning got a game-ending hit to beat the Cleveland Indians on August 26, 1987. Fans booed Manning for driving in the winning run and thus depriving Molitor of one last chance to reach 40 games. The streak stands as the fifth-longest in modern-day baseball history, and remains the longest since Pete Rose's 44-game hit streak in 1978.


title: Paul Molitor

text: Although Molitor wanted to remain with Milwaukee when he became a free agent after the 1992 season, the franchise offered him a one-year contract with a $900,000 pay cut (to $2.5 million), while the Toronto Blue Jays offered a three-year, $13 million deal (equivalent to $ million in ), leading to his signing with the Blue Jays. Agent Ron Simon said, "I was also talking with Milwaukee, but it became clear to us that Milwaukee didn't have the same kind of interest in signing Molitor, perhaps because of their financial situation."


title: Paul Molitor

text: Molitor quickly became an offensive juggernaut. In 1993, Molitor led the AL in plate appearances (725) and hits (211) and hit .332 with 22 home runs and 111 RBI. Returning to the playoffs for the first time since 1982, he was a key part of the Blue Jays' second World Championship. Molitor hit 2 doubles, 2 triples, and 2 home runs in the Series, earning the World Series MVP Award and tied a World Series record by batting .500 (12-for-24) in the six-game series. In addition, after playing as a DH all season, Molitor played Game 3 of the World Series at first base and Games 4 and 5 at third base in the games played at Philadelphia.


title: Paul Molitor

text: In 1994, a strike-shortened season, Molitor hit .341 and led the AL in games played (115) and singles (107). He also stole 20 bases that season without ever being caught, one short of Kevin McReynolds' 1988 major league record of 21. Molitor's average dropped to .270 in 1995, his lowest mark in more than ten years.


title: Paul Molitor

text: He left the Blue Jays after the season, and joined his hometown Minnesota Twins for the final three seasons of his career, where he acquired his 3,000th hit. He was the first player to reach the 3,000 hits plateau with a triple. Molitor was relishing the opportunity to play with Twins superstar Kirby Puckett, but Puckett developed career-ending glaucoma during spring training in 1996 and never played again. In 1996, Molitor became the second 40-year-old, after Hall of Famer Sam Rice, to have a 200-hit season, leading the league with 225, while also leading the league in singles with 167. Molitor also remains the last MLB player to drive in 100 or more runs in a season while hitting fewer than 10 home runs (9 HR, 113 RBIs).


title: Paul Molitor

text: Molitor hit .305 in 1997, his twelfth season to finish with a batting average higher than .300. In 1998, he hit .281 with 4 home runs, 69 RBI and 9 stolen bases. Other than his very brief 1984 season, the 1998 season was the first in Molitor's career in which he did not reach double-digit stolen base totals. He retired in December, saying, "My heart tells me I've done what I can do on the field and in this game", Molitor said. "I'm happy to leave it playing my last season in a Twins uniform... Now I'm going to redirect my efforts to find out what else the future holds."


title: Paul Molitor

text: After retiring as a player, Molitor remained with the Twins as a bench coach for three seasons. He was considered a leading candidate to manage the team when Tom Kelly retired after 2001, but he declined in part because the Twins were still being targeted for potential contraction. Molitor was a hitting coach with the Mariners in 2004. He then spent the 2005 to 2013 seasons in the Twins organization as a minor league baserunning and fielding instructor. Molitor joined the Twins coaching staff in 2014 to oversee baserunning, bunting, infield instruction, and positioning.


title: Paul Molitor

text: The Twins hired Molitor to fill their manager vacancy for the 2015 season, and introduced him in a press conference on November 4, 2014.


title: Paul Molitor

text: At the end of the 2017 season, the Twins announced that Molitor would receive a three-year contract extension through 2020. Molitor was rewarded for his efforts in leading the Twins back to the postseason after losing 103 games the season prior, the first team in history to achieve this feat, by being named American League Manager of the Year in November 2017. He became only the second person to be elected to the Hall of Fame as a player and win the Manager of the Year Award behind Frank Robinson, who was named AL Manager of the Year in 1989 while managing the Baltimore Orioles.


title: Paul Molitor

text: On October 2, 2018, the Twins fired Molitor as manager, but expressed that they had interest in having him continue to maintain a role with the team in some capacity. He finished with a record of 305 wins and 343 losses in 648 games. Molitor later rejoined the Twins' as a special assistant, with roving instructor duties for the team's minor league affiliates.


title: Paul Molitor

text: Molitor's lifetime statistics include 2,683 games played, 1,782 runs scored, 3,319 hits, 605 doubles, 114 triples, 234 home runs, 1,307 runs batted in, 1,094 walks, a .306 batting average, and 504 stolen bases. His 3,319 hits rank him ninth all-time. In addition, he batted .368 in five postseason series, and was an all-star seven times. Molitor recorded these statistics while missing nearly 500 games due to various injuries throughout his career. In 1999, Molitor ranked No. 99 on "The Sporting News"' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and he was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Molitor was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.


title: Paul Molitor

text: On June 11, 1999, the Brewers retired Molitor's uniform number 4. During the ceremony at Milwaukee County Stadium, Molitor announced that if he went into the Hall of Fame, he would do so as a Brewer. On January 6, 2004, he was elected to the Hall in his first year of eligibility, with 85.2% of the votes. True to his word, he joined Robin Yount as the only Hall of Famers to be depicted on their plaques with Brewers caps. At the time of his induction, Molitor was the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners.


title: Paul Molitor

text: Molitor is one of five players in major league history with at least 3,000 hits, a .300 lifetime batting average, and 500 stolen bases. The other four are Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Eddie Collins and Ichiro Suzuki. Only Ichiro and Molitor played beyond 1930. Molitor is the only player ever to accomplish those feats and hit at least 200 home runs. Molitor is also the first player in World Series history to have at least two home runs, two doubles, and two triples in one series (1993). He is a member of an exclusive club, hitting .300 or better in full seasons across three decades (1970s, 80s, and 90s). He hit better than .300 a dozen times in his career. Including Game 1 of the 1982 World Series, he recorded eight 5-hit games and four 200+ hit seasons in his 21 year major league career.


title: Paul Molitor

text: As of 2021, Molitor is the last Major League player to execute the rare feat of stealing home plate at least ten times over the course of a career.


title: Paul Molitor

text: During the early years of his career, Molitor began using cocaine and marijuana. During the trial of a drug dealer in 1984, Molitor admitted that he had used drugs. Many years later, he said, "There are things you're not so proud of — failures, mistakes, dabbling in drugs, a young ballplayer in the party scene. Part of it was peer pressure. I was young and single, and hung around with the wrong people. ... You learn from it. You find a positive in it. It makes you appreciate the things that are good." He claims to have stopped using drugs in 1981, and has since visited schools to lecture about the dangers of drug use.


title: Paul Molitor

text: Molitor married Linda Kaplan in 1981, and before their 2003 divorce it was revealed he had fathered a son in an extramarital affair with Joanna Andreou and was paying child support. During his legal separation from Linda, he fathered another child with the woman who would become his second wife, Destini; they later had a third child together. During his Hall of Fame induction speech, Molitor mentioned his difficult family relationships; the divorce from Linda caused such hard feelings that his ex-wife and daughter almost did not attend his induction ceremony.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: Charles Michael Schwab (February 18, 1862 – September 18, 1939) was an American steel magnate. Under his leadership, Bethlehem Steel became the second-largest steel maker in the United States, and one of the most important heavy manufacturers in the world.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: Charles M. Schwab was born in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania on February 18, 1862, the son of Pauline (née Farabaugh) and John Anthony Schwab. All four of his grandparents were Roman Catholic immigrants from Germany. Schwab was raised in Loretto, Pennsylvania, which he considered his hometown. His father, John, operated a livery stable in Loretto and also served as a mail-carrier. Schwab graduated from Saint Francis University in Loretto in 1877.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: Schwab began his career as an engineer in Andrew Carnegie's steelworks, starting as a stake-driver in the engineering corps of the Edgar Thomson Steel Works and Furnaces in Braddock, Pennsylvania. He was promoted often, including to the positions of general superintendent of Homestead Works in 1887, and general superintendent of the Edgar Thomson Steel Works in 1890. In 1897, at only 35 years of age, he became president of the Carnegie Steel Company. In 1901, he helped negotiate the secret sale of Carnegie Steel to a group of New York–based financiers led by J. P. Morgan. After the buyout, Schwab became the first president of the United States Steel Corporation, the company formed out of Carnegie's former holdings.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: After several clashes with Morgan and fellow US Steel executive Elbert Gary, Schwab left USS in 1903 to run the Bethlehem Shipbuilding and Steel Company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The company had gained shipyards in California, Delaware, and New Jersey through its brief but fortunate involvement as one of the few solvent enterprises in United States Shipbuilding Company. Under his leadership (and that of Eugene Grace), it became the largest independent steel producer in the world. A major part of Bethlehem Steel's success was the development of the H-beam, a precursor of today's ubiquitous I-beam. Schwab was interested in mass-producing the wide flange steel beam, but that was a risky venture that required raising capital and building a large new plant, all to make a product whose ability to sell was unproven. In his most famous remark, Schwab told his secretary, "I've thought the whole thing over, and if we are going bust, we will go bust big."


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: In 1908, Bethlehem Steel began making the beam, which revolutionized building construction and contributed to the age of the skyscraper. Its success helped make Bethlehem Steel the second-largest steel company in the world. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was incorporated, virtually as a company town, by uniting four previous villages. In 1910, Schwab broke the Bethlehem Steel strike by calling out the newly formed Pennsylvania State Police. Schwab successfully kept labor unions out of Bethlehem Steel throughout his tenure, although Bethlehem Steel unionized in 1941, two years after his death.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: In 1911, Bethlehem Steel formed a company soccer team known as Bethlehem Steel F.C. In 1914 Schwab took the team professional. Until its demise in 1930, the team won eight league championships, six American Cups and five National Challenge Cups. It was considered among the greatest soccer teams in U.S. history. The company disbanded the team as a result of financial losses incurred during the internecine 1928–1929 "Soccer Wars" between American Soccer League and United States Football Association and the onset of the Great Depression in 1929.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: During the first years of World War I, Bethlehem Steel had a virtual monopoly in contracts to supply the Allies with certain kinds of munitions. Schwab made many visits to Europe in connection with the manufacture and supply of munitions to the Allied governments, during this period. He circumvented American neutrality laws by funneling goods through Canada.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: On April 16, 1918, Schwab became director general of Emergency Fleet Corporation, a board granted by Congress with master authority over all shipbuilding in the United States. He was appointed over Charles Piez, the former general manager of the corporation. President Wilson had specifically asked Schwab to assume this responsibility. Schwab's biggest change to the shipbuilding effort was to abandon the cost plus profit contracting system that had been in place up to that time and begin issuing fixed-price contracts. After America's entry into the war, he was accused of profiteering but was later acquitted.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: Schwab was considered to be a risk taker and was highly controversial; Thomas Edison once famously called him the "master hustler". Schwab's lucrative contract providing steel to the Trans-Siberian Railroad came after he provided a $200,000 "gift" to the mistress of the Grand Duke Alexis Aleksandrovich.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: His innovative ways of dealing with his staff are given a mention in Dale Carnegie's most famous work, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" (1936). In 1928, Schwab was awarded the Bessemer Gold Medal for "outstanding services to the steel industry". In 1932, he was awarded the Melchett Medal by the British Institute of Fuel In 1982, Schwab was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame. In 2011, Schwab was inducted into the inaugural class of the American Metal Market Hall of Fame for his lifelong work in the U.S. steel industry.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: Schwab married Emma Eurana Dinkey (1859–1939) on May 1, 1883. Mrs. Schwab had lived in Weatherly, Pennsylvania, and donated $85,000 to build a school there.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: Schwab eventually became very wealthy. He moved to New York City's Upper West Side, which at the time was considered the "wrong" side of Central Park, where he built "Riverside", the most ambitious private house ever built in New York. The $7 million 75-room house, designed by French architect Maurice Hebert, combined details from three French chateaux on a full city block. After Schwab's death, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia turned down a proposal to make Riverside the official mayoral residence, deeming it too grandiose. It was eventually razed and replaced by an apartment block.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: Schwab also owned a 44-room summer estate on 1,000 acres (4 km) in Loretto, Pennsylvania, called "" (German for 'evergreen'). The house featured opulent gardens and a nine-hole golf course. Rather than raze the existing house, Schwab had the mansion moved on rollers to a new location to make room for the new mansion. Schwab's estate sold Immergrün after his death, and it is now Mount Assisi Friary owned by the Franciscan friars (Third Order Regular) who administer the adjacent Saint Francis University. The golf course, now known as “Immergrun Golf Club”, designed in 1917 by Donald Ross, is owned and operated by the university.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: The gardens feature a cascading fountain modeled after features at Versailles and include sculptures by Paul Manship, known for the Prometheus sculpture at Rockefeller Center NYC.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: Schwab became notorious for his "fast lane" lifestyle including opulent parties, high-stakes gambling, and a string of extramarital affairs producing at least one child out of wedlock. The affairs and the out-of-wedlock child soured his relationship with his wife. He became an international celebrity when he "broke the bank" at Monte Carlo, and traveled in a $100,000 private rail car named "Loretto". Even before the Great Depression, he had already spent most of his fortune, estimated at between $25 million and $40 million. Adjusted for inflation in the first decade of the 21st century, that equates to between $500 million and $800 million.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: The stock market crash of 1929 finished off what years of wanton spending had started. He spent his last years in a small apartment. He could no longer afford the taxes on "Riverside", and it was seized by creditors. He had offered to sell the mansion at a huge loss but there were no buyers. At his death ten years later, Schwab's holdings in Bethlehem Steel were virtually worthless, and he was over $300,000 in debt. Had he lived a few more years, he would have seen his fortunes restored when Bethlehem Steel was flooded with orders for war materiel. Schwab had no children by Eurana Dinkey, but had one daughter by a mistress.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: A bust-length portrait of Schwab painted in 1903 by Swiss-born American artist Adolfo Müller-Ury (1862–1947) was formerly in the Jessica Dragonette Collection at the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming at Laramie, but has been donated to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Müller-Ury also painted his nephew and namesake Charles M. Schwab (son of his brother Joseph) as a boy in a sailor suit around the same date.


title: Charles M. Schwab

text: Schwab's wife died on January 12, 1939. Schwab died later that year on September 18, 1939, of heart disease at his apartment on Park Avenue in New York City. His funeral was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral and about 2,000 people were estimated to line the streets of the procession. Al Smith, John D. Rockefeller Jr., and Charles Evans Hughes were in attendance at his funeral. He was originally interred at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York but his remains were moved on April 29, 1940 to a private mausoleum at the Saint Michael Catholic Church Cemetery in Loretto, Pennsylvania.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: Klaatu () was a Canadian rock group formed in 1973 by the duo of John Woloschuk and Dee Long. They named themselves after an ambassador, Klaatu, from an extraterrestrial confederation who visits Earth with his companion robot Gort in the film "The Day the Earth Stood Still". After recording two non-charting singles, the band added drummer Terry Draper to the line-up; this trio constituted Klaatu throughout the rest of the band's recording career.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: In Canada, the band is remembered for several hits, including "California Jam" (1974), "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" (1976) and "Knee Deep in Love" (1980). In the U.S. "Calling Occupants" backed with "Sub-Rosa Subway" was a minor double-sided hit and their only chart entry, peaking at No. 62 in 1977.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: Internationally, the group's pop-influenced style of progressive rock has led to them being known as the "Canadian Beatles".


title: Klaatu (band)

text: Klaatu has variously been described by critics and journalists as progressive rock, psychedelic pop, pop rock, space rock and progressive pop.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: The band's combination of pop and progressive/art rock has often been compared to the Beatles, the guitar-rock of Queen, the electronic music of Wendy Carlos, the light pop sound of 10cc, and the orchestrated ballads of the Moody Blues. British music magazine "Shindig!" praised the band's "otherworldly brand of progressive pop". Publications such as "Pitchfork" have described the group as the "Canadian Beatles".


title: Klaatu (band)

text: The band, initially a studio-only duo of Woloschuk and Long, released the singles "Anus of Uranus/Sub-Rosa Subway" and "Dr. Marvello/For You Girl" on GRT Records, in 1973, before being taken under the wing of Daffodil Records and its president Frank Davies. With Terry Draper added to the line-up, the singles "California Jam" and "True Life Hero" followed. These early singles credited Dee Long as a writer of several tunes; the others (including "Sub-Rosa Subway", "Dr. Marvello" and the hit single "California Jam") were credited to "Chip Dale," a collective pseudonym for Woloschuk and frequent co-writer Dino Tome. "California Jam" hit the Canadian Top 40, peaking at No. 36, and Klaatu, though they played no live dates, promoted their music by making a television appearance in Canada on the Keith Hampshire-hosted show "Music Machine". By 1975, Davies, along with producer Terry Brown, landed the band a deal with Capitol Records in the United States.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: Their first album, "" (named "Klaatu" in the US as Capitol Records' executives found the original title too obscure), was released in September 1976, in North America. The band elected to include no photos, no individual musician credits, and no biographical information in the album package; all songs were simply listed as being written and published by "Klaatu." (Note that this collective writing credit covered songs earlier credited solely to Long or to the team of Woloschuk and Tome – even though Tome was not actually a member of Klaatu.) The album was met with moderately positive reviews but by Christmas of that year, sales had stalled.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: But then, in 1977 an article published in the "Providence Journal" written by journalist Steve Smith, speculated that "3:47 EST" could actually be a release by a secretly reunited Beatles recording under a pseudonym, leading to widespread rumours. These rumours were fueled by a number of factors, including the fact that their album was released by Capitol Records (also the Beatles' label), the lack of artist and producer credits or photographs in the album packaging, Klaatu's avoidance of public performances, and the fact that the group's vocal and musical style was reminiscent of the Beatles. In addition, Ringo Starr's 1974 album "Goodnight Vienna" had featured cover art with Starr appearing in place of the character Klaatu from the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still". The album as a whole had a Beatlesque sound, particularly in the song "Sub-Rosa Subway." The rumor turned into a global phenomenon with Beatles fans being fed "clues" by radio stations and print media alike. Subsequent to the Beatles rumor, the songs "Sub-Rosa Subway" and "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" became minor hits for Klaatu in 1977. "Calling Occupants" was covered by the Carpenters that same year, becoming a Top 40 hit worldwide.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: While all this was happening, Klaatu were in England, recording their second album. They were somewhat aware of the situation with regard to the rumors, but did not take them entirely seriously – possibly because the UK's "New Musical Express" famously published an article on the Beatles-as-Klaatu theory under the title "Deaf Idiot Journalist Starts Beatle Rumour." Meanwhile, Capitol Records (who controlled the Beatles' music in the U.S.) tried to make as much of the rumors as possible, by issuing ambiguously worded statements that failed to make the band's identity entirely clear. The rumor was disproved when Dwight Douglas, program director at WWDC in Washington, D.C., checked the records at the U.S. Copyright Office and uncovered the band members' real names.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: The band's second album "Hope", released in 1977, included orchestral contributions by the London Symphony Orchestra. "Sir Army Suit", their third album, is notable for the track "Silly Boys", which contains the entire lyrical portion of their single "Hanus of Uranus" – a song later re-recorded as "Anus of Uranus" for their first album – backwards-masked interspersed between the "Silly Boys" lyrics. For both these releases, the band continued their policy of not including any individual names of band members in the credits, nor did they play any live shows or make any public appearances to promote these albums.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: In 1977, Al Guest and Jean Mathieson of Rainbow Animation were commissioned by Capitol Records to create an animated music video of the song "A Routine Day". This video ran on "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" and subsequently played as a short in Los Angeles on the same bill as "Animal House".


title: Klaatu (band)

text: Following that, Guest and Mathieson got permission from Capitol Records to create a vehicle for Klaatu's songs. They wrote and directed a half-hour television special they titled "Happy New Year Planet Earth", hoping that it would get yearly broadcasts as an alternative to Christmas specials. New Year's Eve was Mathieson's birthday. Again the group Klaatu was photographed and rotoscoped, with an astronaut wraparound created to connect the six Klaatu songs. Although the project was completed, Guest and Mathieson were dropped by their Canadian film investment group and wound up financing it themselves. They never released it.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: In 2005, the group permitted the film to be screened in its uncompleted state at the KlaatuKon convention in Toronto. The unfinished animations were later released as part of the 2013 Sir Army Suit bonus disc.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: Upon the release of their fourth studio album, "Endangered Species," in 1980, the band for the first time included their individual names in the album package, and the songs were now credited to their individual writers. (Subsequent re-issues of earlier Klaatu material, as well as newly published Klaatu sheet music, also gave credit to the actual songwriters of each track, rather than a collective credit.)


title: Klaatu (band)

text: Although forced by Capitol to record "Endangered Species" in Los Angeles using established studio musicians to shore up the group's commercial chances, the album was a critical and commercial flop. The album's poor showing resulted in Capitol Records dropping the group. Now lacking a record label, Long and Draper temporarily formed a classic rock cover band with Freddy Coutts, John Jones, and John Bojicic, called FUNN, who played extensively around Toronto.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: Klaatu was eventually signed by Capitol's Canadian division, EMI Canada, and released their final album, "Magentalane", in 1981. This album saw the group returning to their brand of Beatles-influenced pop/rock. As a contractual obligation to Capitol-EMI in Canada, the band was forced to play their first-ever live dates and tour most of Canada to promote "Magentalane". From November 1981, the group expanded to a sextet, enlisting Gary McCracken (drums), Mike Gingrich (bass) and Gerald O'Brien (keyboards) for live performances. However, in April 1982 Dee Long – never fond of performing live, by most accounts – quit the group. Although Woloschuk and Draper carried on performing for a few more months - with Terry Watkinson replacing a departing O'Brien and Marty Morin taking McCracken's chair - Klaatu officially disbanded in August of the same year.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: The trio very briefly reunited in 1988 at George Martin's Air Studios in London with John Jones to record a single, "Woman", though no one was particularly happy with the results as the song was written by someone outside of the band (Paul Vincent Gunia) for the German TV series "Tatort". Initially Long had wanted to merely use the Klaatu name, but could not get the rest of the band's approval without their involvement. The single was released only in West Germany and did not chart, making it an extremely rare item in the Klaatu catalogue; Draper confirmed that the song was considered for a few rarities compilations, but all three band members had agreed to not include the track.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: A second reunion had been attempted in 1991 to tie together with a proposed compilation release, but plans fell through after a disagreement with their distributor, BEI.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: The three former members of Klaatu reunited on May 7, 2005, for a brief – and mostly acoustic – performance at Toronto's KlaatuKon. The set list consisted of "At the End of the Rainbow," "I Don't Wanna Go Home," "Cherie," "Magentalane," "All Good Things", and "Little Neutrino".


title: Klaatu (band)

text: Klaatu's albums were released on CD format rather late, and up until the 2000s several companies, including Capitol Records, released the albums with incorrect track orders. Finally, Bullseye Records, with the help of the band itself, released the albums in their original track listings. Bullseye also released a tribute album to Klaatu, "Around the Universe in Eighty Minutes".


title: Klaatu (band)

text: In 2005, Bullseye Records released a 2-CD collection entitled "Sun Set", which compiled a number of rarities, demos, rare early singles, and other odds and ends recorded during the group's career. Perhaps most interesting was the original version of "Hope" which had been delivered to Capitol Records, including the complete contributions made by the London Symphony Orchestra, which had largely been removed from the version which was eventually released. The set also included a 40-page booklet including interviews with all of the former members of the band.


title: Klaatu (band)

text: Bullseye Records of Canada also released "Raarities" in 2005; oddly enough, this collection was originally released only in a vinyl LP format. A CD version, titled "Solology," including the "Raarities" LP as well as concert recordings, was released in March 2009. "Raarities" probably appeals more to the group's hardcore fans since most of the material on the record consists of alternate mixes and single versions, as opposed to "Sun Set", which focused on unreleased material and the alternate version of "Hope".


title: Klaatu (band)

text: On March 15, 2011, Klaatu announced the creation of their new record label, Klaatunes Records. The band also created an official website to go along with the new label. The label's premiere was a re-release of 2009's "Solology." The band has so far remastered their first three albums "", "Hope" and "Sir Army Suit".


title: Semivowel

text: In phonetics and phonology, a semivowel, glide or semiconsonant is a sound that is phonetically similar to a vowel sound but functions as the syllable boundary, rather than as the nucleus of a syllable. Examples of semivowels in English are the consonants "y" and "w", in "yes" and "west", respectively. Written in IPA, "y" and "w" are near to the vowels "ee" and "oo" in "seen" and "moon," written in IPA. The term "glide" may alternatively refer to any type of transitional sound, not necessarily a semivowel.


title: Semivowel

text: Semivowels form a subclass of approximants. Although "semivowel" and "approximant" are sometimes treated as synonymous, most authors use the term "semivowel" for a more restricted set; there is no universally agreed-upon definition, and the exact details may vary from author to author. For example, do not consider the labiodental approximant to be a semivowel, while proposes that it should be considered one.


title: Semivowel

text: In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the diacritic attached to non-syllabic vowel letters is an inverted breve placed below the symbol representing the vowel: . When there is no room for the tack under a symbol, it may be written above, using . Before 1989, non-syllabicity was represented by , which now stands for extra-shortness.


title: Semivowel

text: Additionally, there are dedicated symbols for four semivowels that correspond to the four close cardinal vowel sounds:


title: Semivowel

text: The pharyngeal approximant is also equivalent to the semivowel articulation of the open back unrounded vowel .


title: Semivowel

text: In addition, some authors consider the rhotic approximants , to be semivowels corresponding to R-colored vowels such as . As mentioned above, the labiodental approximant is considered a semivowel in some treatments. An unrounded central semivowel, (or ), equivalent to , is uncommon, though rounded (or ), equivalent to , is found in Swedish and Norwegian.


title: Semivowel

text: Semivowels, by definition, contrast with vowels by being non-syllabic. In addition, they are usually shorter than vowels. In languages as diverse as Amharic, Yoruba, and Zuni, semivowels are produced with a narrower constriction in the vocal tract than their corresponding vowels. Nevertheless, semivowels may be phonemically equivalent with vowels. For example, the English word "fly" can be considered either as an open syllable ending in a diphthong or as a closed syllable ending in a consonant .


title: Semivowel

text: It is unusual for a language to contrast a semivowel and a diphthong containing an equivalent vowel, but Romanian contrasts the diphthong with , a perceptually similar approximant-vowel sequence. The diphthong is analyzed as a single segment, and the approximant-vowel sequence is analyzed as two separate segments.


title: Semivowel

text: In addition to phonological justifications for the distinction (such as the diphthong alternating with in singular-plural pairs), there are phonetic differences between the pair:


title: Semivowel

text: Although a phonological parallel exists between and , the production and perception of phonetic contrasts between the two is much weaker, likely because of lower lexical load for , which is limited largely to loanwords from French, and speakers' difficulty in maintaining contrasts between two back rounded semivowels in comparison to front ones.


title: Semivowel

text: According to the standard definitions, semivowels (such as ) contrast with fricatives (such as ) in that fricatives produce turbulence, but semivowels do not. In discussing Spanish, Martínez Celdrán suggests setting up a third category of "spirant approximant", contrasting both with semivowel approximants and with fricatives. Though the spirant approximant is more constricted (having a lower F2 amplitude), longer, and unspecified for rounding ("viuda" 'widow' vs. "ayuda" 'help'), the distributional overlap is limited. The spirant approximant can only appear in the syllable onset (including word-initially, where the semivowel never appears). The two overlap in distribution after and : "enyesar" ('to plaster') "aniego" ('flood') and although there is dialectal and idiolectal variation, speakers may also exhibit other near-minimal pairs like "abyecto" ('abject') vs. "abierto" ('opened'). One potential minimal pair (depending on dialect) is "ya visto" ('already seen') vs. "y ha visto" ('and he has seen').


title: Semivowel

text: Again, it is not present in all dialects. Other dialects differ in either merging the two or enhancing the contrast by moving the former to another place of articulation (), like in Rioplatense Spanish.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: After Akina Nakamori won "Star Tanjō!" on her third attempt, she made her debut in 1982 with the single "Slow Motion." Recorded in Los Angeles, the single was released on 1 May 1982 and sold 174,000 copies, reaching No. 30 on the Oricon charts. The second single, "Shōjo A" was nearly banned for its risque lyrics. This single fared better and peaked at No. 5, selling 396,000 copies. Her next single, a ballad titled "Second Love" proved to be her best-selling single. It debuted at No. 2 but reached No. 1 the following week, staying at the top for nine weeks. It sold 766,000 copies then, and to date has sold almost one million. In addition to the single releases, Nakamori also released two albums titled "Prologue" and "Variation" that year, which sold 453,000 and 743,000 copies respectively.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: The following year, Nakamori released three singles, two studio albums, and her first best-of album. The singles were "½ no Shinwa", which sold 573,000 copies and debuted at #1, making it her best-selling single of that year; "Twilight (Yūgure Dayori)", released in May, which sold 430,000 copies and debuted at #2; and "Kinku", her last single of that year, which debuted at #1 and sold 511,000 copies. All three albums, "Fantasy", "New Akina Etranger" and "Best Akina Memoires" hit No. 1. Nakamori made the first of her seven official performances on the NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen on 31 December 1983, the 34th edition of the show. She made a special guest appearance at the 65th (2014) edition performing live from the U.S recording studio while recording for her upcoming new album.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: In 1984, Nakamori released "Kita Wing", which sold 614,000 copies and debuted at number 2 and remained at that position for 6 weeks. "Kita Wing" is also rumored to be Momoe Yamaguchi's favorite Nakamori Song. Yamaguchi is Nakamori's idol. Her next single "Southern Wind" brought her back to the number 1 spot, though it sold less than its predecessor at 544,000 copies. "Jukkai (1984)" proved to be another number 1 for her, selling 611,000 copies. The 9th single, "Kazari ja Nai no yo Namida wa" proved to be a turning point in Akina Nakamori's career as the song is considered difficult to sing with fast lyrics. It debuted at number 1 and sold 625,000 copies. Many in Japan cite this song and her 1986 single, "Desire (Jōnetsu)", as Nakamori's signature song. Her two album releases of that year, "Anniversary" and "Possibility" both fared well and hit No. 1.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: Nakamori kicked off 1985 with "Meu amor é...," which debuted #1 with 631,000 copies sold ultimately and also winning Nakamori the Grand Prix award at the 27th Japan Record Awards. She became the youngest person at the time (20) to be given the award. Originally, the single was to be titled "Akaitori Nigeta" (The red bird flies away), but the producers felt that the lyrics were not Samba-ish enough. "Meu amor é..." was the result of the newly penned lyrics. "Akaitori Nigeta" was released as a 12-inch single instead, making the No.1 spot as well. It also contained the remixed b-side Babylon and sold 354,000 overall. She then released "Sand Beige (Sabaku e)" which sold 461,000 copies and debuted at number 1. Her next single, "Solitude" also debuted at number 1 and sold 336,000 copies.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: She also released two albums in 1985. Firstly, "Bitter and Sweet", which contained the album version of the earlier hit of "Kazari ja Nai no yo Namida wa" and "BABYLON." It sold 556,000 copies and debuted at number 1 again. Her next album, "D404ME", only had a remix version of the hit single "Meu amor é..." among other new songs and sold 651,000 copies, debuting at number 1.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: In 1986, Nakamori's first single of that year, "Desire (Jōnetsu)" marked a more mature style of singing and song choice. It was the theme song of the Pioneer Private commercial and was awarded the Grand Prix at the 28th Japan Record Awards in 1986. She became the youngest winner of two consecutive years. It sold 516,000 copies and debuted at number 1. Her next single "Gypsy Queen" was a calmer song than "Desire (Jōnetsu)" and sold 358,000 copies, debuting at number 1. The single "Fin" followed, and sold 318,000 copies, debuting at number 1.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: To commemorate her first four years in the business, Nakamori released her first "BEST" album. It sold 766,000 copies and debuted at number 1. Nakamori then released "Fushigi", a concept album with echoing singing and obscure musical arrangement. It was a shock for the mainly conservative Japanese public, and thus sold 464,000 copies, nearly 200,000 less than "Crimson", an album composed in entirety by only women, which sold 601,000 copies. Both debuted at number 1, but "Fushigi" stayed at number 1 for only three weeks while "Crimson" topped the charts for four.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: In 1987, she released "Tango Noir," which sold 348,000 copies and debuted at number 1. Even though sales of singles were declining, "Tango Noir" still became the second best-selling single in 1987. Her next single was "Blonde", a Japanese-language version of "The Look That Kills" from her English-language album "Cross My Palm". It sold 301,000 copies and added to her No.1 singles. Her most critically acclaimed single of that year was a heartfelt ballad called "Nanpasen," an emotionally draining song that many people attributed to her rocky relationship with her then-boyfriend, Masahiko Kondō and the death of Kondō's mother. It sold 431,000 copies and debuted at number 1.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: She released only one album in 1987, an unsuccessful English debut album titled "Cross My Palm". Reasons for its unsuccess include Nakamori's heavily accented English and lack of promotion in the U.S. Nonetheless, it was a hit in Japan, selling 343,000 copies and debuting at number 1.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On March 3, 1988, Nakamori released album "Stock". Three singles were released in 1988, "Al-Mauj", "Tattoo" and "I Missed the Shock." The first two debuted at No. 1.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: In 1989, Nakamori only released one single due to her mental health at the time. "Liar" became her 20th No. 1 single. The single was rumored to reflect her feelings about Kondō. It came as a shock to the public when news of her attempted suicide in Kondō's apartment broke in July 1989, after he called off their engagement. She was found and hospitalized. After her physical recovery, she retreated from the public eye for a while.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: Her return to the music scene in 1990 was met with skepticism and curiosity, propelling the single "Dear Friend" to No. 1. Nakamori once claimed that "Dear Friend" is perhaps her only happy song. Nevertheless, she reverted to melancholic, jilted love songs that ultimately did not go well with the public's taste. Her next single "Mizu ni Sashita Hana" became her 21st Oricon #1 single, but she could not reach the top position again after that. In the autumn of 1990, she was slated to release a new studio album "Gaze," which would include singles "Mizu ni Sashita Hana" and ten more songs written by writer Eikyo Kyo. Due to issues with the record label, soon after her two-day live concert "Yume," Nakamori left Warner Pioneer and the album remained unreleased.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: In 1991 and 1992, Nakamori ventured into acting with varying success. Kome Kome Club's 1992 single "Kimi ga Iru Dake de," which sold over 2.89 million copies, was the theme song of Japanese television drama "Sugao no Mamade," in which she played a role.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: In 1993, she transferred to the record company "MCA Records" and signed under the label "MCA Victor". On 21 May 1993, she released her 27th single "Everlasting Love", written and produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Two years had passed since the release of her previous single "Futari Shizuka: "Tenkawa Densetsu Satsujin Jiken" yori". According to the recording producer, Nakamori distanced herself from her casual style, and, along with her new music production staff, aimed more for a contemporary style with this release. The single debuted at number 10 on the Oricon Weekly Single charts and charted for 5 weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 24 March 1994, Nakamori had a double release for her 28th single: her first cover single "Kataomoi", originally performed by Mie Nakao, and her first cover album "Utahime". The double A-side track "Aibu" was written by Tetsuya Komuro. This track is widely popular among fans, and Nakamori has performed it very often during live tours. Plans were made to release "Aibu" as a single, but it was decided that the start-up single would be "Everlasting Love." The single debuted at number 17 on the Oricon Weekly Single charts and charted for 8 weeks. The main producer of the cover album "Utahime" was Nakamori herself, and the main arranger was Akira Senju. The album debuted at number 5 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for 9 weeks. In 2002, a re-mastered version of the album was released through Universal Music.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 13 April 1994, Nakamori played a role as the first suspect on the TV Series "Furuhata Ninzaburō" in the episode titled "The Shoujo Manga Murderer".


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 2 September 1994, Nakamori released her 29th single "Yoru no Doko ka de (Night Shift)", written by Tsugutoshi Gotō. The single was promoted as the ending theme for Nippon Television Network System news program "NNN Kyou Dekigoto" and the B-side track "Rose Bud" was promoted as the ending theme for Fuji TV talk program "Shingo to Shinsuke no Abunai Hanashi". The single debuted at number 14 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts and charted for 7 weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 22 September 1993, Nakamori released her 15th studio album "Unbalance+Balance". Four years had passed since the release of her previous studio album "Cruise". The production of the album started in spring 1992 in the United States, before Nakamori moved to her new recording company. The album consists of two previously released singles' B-side tracks, "Not Crazy to Me" and "Aibu". "Not Crazy to Me" had a renewed arrangement. Two of the album tracks were written by Nakamori herself. The album tracks "Eien no Tobira" and "Kagerou" are melodically the same, however, they have completely different lyrics and themes. The idea was realized thanks to Nakamori's proposal to change the arrangement. The album debuted at number 4 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for 9 weeks. In 2002, through Universal Music, Nakamori released a re-mastered album with the renewed title "Unbalance+Balance +6". This version of the album included six more additional tracks, singles, and their b-side tracks released between 1993 and 1994.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 5 October 1994, she released her 30th single "Gekka" written by Shuugou Kajiwara. The single was promoted as a commercial song for Miki Corporation's Boutique Joy. In this single Nakamori returned to a more traditional melody, similar to her previous single "Futari Shizuka," albeit with a more dramatic melody and difficult vibrato. The single debuted at number 8 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts and charted for 7 weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: Between 1 and 5 December 1994, she held a special live titled "Utahime Parco Theatre Live" in the "Parco Theatre." It was her first live show in two years. The set-list consists of songs from two previously released albums, "Utahime" and "Unbalance+Balance" with a small number of previously released hits. DVD footage of the performance was released on 24 March 1995.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 21 June 1995, she released her 31st single "Genshi, Onna wa Taiyō Datta", written by Neko Oikawa. Akina stated she wanted to record a summer-like, up-tempo song because her previous singles were quiet ballads. The single debuted at number 15 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts and charted for 5 weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 21 July 1995, Nakamori released her 16th studio album "La Alteración" which included previously released singles with new arrangements. In Spanish, "alteracion" means "change." As in her previous studio album, Nakamori was in charge of the main production of the album. The album jacket was shot in Morocco. The album debuted at number 7 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for 8 weeks. In 2002, Nakamori released a re-mastered album with the renewed title "La Alteración +4" through Universal Music. This version of the album included four more additional tracks, two singles, and the b-side tracks released in 1995.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 1 November 1995, Nakamori released her 32nd single "Tokyo Rose", produced by Brian Setzer, who played guitar on the recording. It was her first single in the rockabilly genre. The single debuted at number 32 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts and charted for 4 weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 6 December 1995, Nakamori released a compilation album "True Album Akina 95 Best". It was her first compilation album released under the label, MCA Victor. The compilation album was divided into a 3-CD set: "World Disc," "Wild Disc," and "Whisper Disc," with 7 tracks included on each CD. Nakamori was the main producer of the album. The album consisted of re-arranged hits released in the '80s and various singles and album tracks released during the first half of the '90s. "Wild Disc" included the new unreleased song "Shangrilla," exclusively recorded for that album. The album debuted at number 16 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for 7 weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: Between 12 and 16 December 1995, Nakamori held a special concert titled "Nakamori Akina True Live" in Hyogo's Kobe International House and Kanagawa's Pacifico Yokohama. She performed songs from her albums "La Alteración" and "True Album Akina 95 Best". The live footage was never released as a regular DVD; however, it was included in the limited edition of her compilation album "Utahime Densetsu: 90s Best."


title: Akina Nakamori

text: In April 1996, she appeared on the first broadcast of the Japanese variety program SMAP×SMAP, performing "Kazari ja Nai no yo Namida wa," "Tattoo," "Ganbarimashou" and "Desire" with the band Smap.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 7 August 1996, Nakamori released her 33rd single "" written by Toshihiko Takamizawa Tetsuya Komuro. It was Nakamori and Komuro's second collaboration since the single "Aibu". Komuro finished the composition around May and the recording in June. The B-side did not include new songs, instead including a remixed version of the lead track. The single debuted at number 14 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts and charted for 7 weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 18 December 1996, Nakamori released the mini album "Vamp," her first mini-album since the release of mini-album "Wonder" in 1988. Nakamori was once again the album producer. The mini-album consisted of four songs that weren't included in any studio album and appeared only once before in the first press edition of the compilation album "Utahime Densetsu: 90s Best". Before the album's release, she performed all four songs in her second dinner tour show "1996 Xmas Dinner Show," held between 5 and 26 December. The album debuted at number 30 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for 5 weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 21 February 1997, she released her 34th single "Appetite", written by Seriko Natsuno and U-ki. It was released as the lead single to her upcoming studio album. For Nakamori, it was one of the most difficult melodies to practice. The single debuted at number 46 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts and charted for 4 weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 21 March 1997, Nakamori released her 17th studio album "Shaker". Nakamori was once again the album producer. The album consisted of two previously released singles with new arrangements. In the newspaper Asahi Shinbun, Nakamori explained that the album's melody crosses from digital into acoustic sounds and that she had carefully chosen songs that she could sing in her key. The album debuted at number 14 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for 5 weeks. It was her final release under the MCA Victor label. In 2002, a re-mastered album with the renewed title "Shaker +3" was released under Universal Music. This version of the album included three additional tracks, singles with the original arrangement, and one b-side track. Between 3 May and 21 June 1997, she held a live tour titled "Felicidad," her first tour in almost 9 years. The DVD footage was released on 22 September 1997 through Universal Music. After the tour, she officially left MCA Records.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: In 1998, Nakamori moved to the "Gauss Entertainment" record label. In January, she played a main role in the Japanese television drama "Tsumetai Tsuki". It was her first main role since "Sugao no Mama de". She also performed the theme song "Kisei (Never Forget)", written by Yasuhiro Suzu. The single was released on 11 February. Nakamori stated that the balance between low and high pitches was difficult for her to sing. The single debuted at 19 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts and sold 94k copies. The B-side track was a remastered version of the previous album track "Tsuki ga Aoku", which was released on the studio album "Shaker".


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 21 May 1998, Nakamori released her thirty-sixth single "Kon'ya, Nagareboshi", written by Keiko Utsumi. The single debuted at number 66 on the Oricon Single Weekly Charts. The B-side track "Arashi no Nakade" was written by the Russian singer Origa. It was one of her worst-selling singles throughout her two-decade career.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 17 June 1998, Nakamori released her eighteenth studio album "Spoon". The album included two previously released promotional singles. Five out of eleven songs were arranged by Ikurou Fujiwara. In the album booklet, Nakamori is credited as the main producer of the album. The album debuted at number 17 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for three weeks. Between 21 June and 17 July, Akina held the national live tour "Spoon Tour". The video footage was never released on DVD as of 2019.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 23 September 1998, she released her 37th single "Tomadoi" written by Juni. "Tomadoi" was selected as the theme song for the Japanese television drama "39Sai no Aki". B-side track "Good-bye tears" was also chosen as the theme song for a Japanese television drama, "Shichinin no OL Sommelier", in which Akina played a minor role. The single debuted at number forty on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 3 and 4 November 1998, she held a special live show "Symphonic Concert '98 with Symphonic A Orchestra".


title: Akina Nakamori

text: In January 1999, Nakamori played a main role in the television drama "Border Hanzai Shinri Sōsa File". She also performed the theme song "Ophelia", written by Shimano Satoshi, which was released as a single on 21 January 1999. The title "Ophelia" comes from Shakespeares's famous play "Hamlet". In this single, Nakamori tried to interpret the character Ofelia's sadness in lyrics; however, she also wanted to sing to all people who were suffering from pain and sadness. The B-Side track was an alternative version of Ofelia under the title "To Be", which was sung in English. The single debuted at number 29 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts and charted for 8 weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: The chief of the Gauss Entertainment recording label, Kazuhiro Chiba, caused issues throughout Nakamori's stay with the label: in late 1998, it was announced that a special birthday event would be held in July 1999, however, this was canceled without warning and the 8000-yen refund took about one year. In early December, at a special press conference, Chiba stated that Nakamori was a "troublemaker, who shouldn't exist in the music industry." The cancellation of her contract was announced at the end of the press conference. The cancellation was to take place in December.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 21 December 1999, Nakamori's final single with Gauss Entertainment, "Trust Me" (written by Kazuhiro Hara) and her 19th studio album, "Will", were released. "Trust Me" debuted at number 57 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts. It is Akina's worst-selling single as of 2019. The B-side track "Yuki no Hana", subtitled "White X'mas", was a rearranged version of a previously released studio album track. Some fans regard the studio album "Will" as a compilation album from the Gauss label. It included two previously released singles and remixes of previously released album tracks and Gauss singles. The album track "Tsuki no Hohoemi" was chosen as a theme song for the video game series "Wizardry". The original soundtrack of "Wizardry Digmuil" included the acoustic and orchestral versions of this song, both written by Ikurou Fujiwara. The album had only three new songs. On Nakamori's official website, the album is not even listed in the list of original studio albums. The album was produced by Gauss's director, Kazuhiro Chiba. The album debuted at number 52 on the Oricon Weekly Album charts and charted for one week.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: In 2000, Nakamori signed a temporary contract with the music production company Koubouraku and established a private office called Faith (nowadays known as a Nakamori fan club, Faithway). Between 18 May and 27 June 2000, she held a national acoustic tour "Akina Nakamori 2000: 21 Seiki he". It was her first national tour in two years. Video footage of the tour was included in the limited edition version of her compilation album "All Time Best: Original", released in 2014.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 31 May 2001, Nakamori released the single "It's Brand New Day", written by Adya. It was her first time releasing a single in two years, and her first R&B song. The single was released under the indies label @ease. The single was released at first as a digital single via the music stream website Music@nifty, then as a standard CD three months later.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: Between 6 June and 13 July, she held a national tour titled "All About Akina 20th Anniversary It's Brand New Day." It was her national tour in a year. On 27 September, the whole show was released on DVD under the Tokuma Japan Communications record label. The live footage was recorded on 22 June at Tokyo International Forum.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: 2002 marked 20 years since Nakamori debuted. Nakamori switched management from Koubouroku to the private office Faith, and transferred to her current record label, Universal Music. To celebrate her first release under her new recording company, she released a cover album titled "" on 20 March 2002. In the album booklet, she was credited as the album's main producer. The album debuted at number 10 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts. It was her first album to debut in the top 10 on the Oricon Charts since her 1995 studio album "La Alteración".


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 2 May 2002, Nakamori released her forty-first single "The Heat (Musica Fiesta)", written by Adya. It was also her first release under Universal Music. The B-side tracks were included in her studio album as instrumental recordings. In the media, the single was selected as the May ending theme for the TBS program "Wonderful". The single debuted at number 20 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: Three weeks later on 22 May 2002, Nakamori released her 20th studio album "Resonancia". It was her first album released under Universal Music and her first album in three years. In Spanish, "resonancia" means "sound." The main instrumental concept of the album was an R&B and Latin rhythm feeling. Uru is credited as the main producer of the album in the album booklet. The album included a re-arranged version of previous singles "It's Brand New Day" and "The Heat: Musica Fiesta". The main writer of the album was Adya. Japanese singer Ken Hirai provided backup vocals for one of the album tracks. The album debuted at number 15 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for four weeks. Between 27 May and 13 July she held a live tour, "Musica Fiesta Tour 2002".


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 4 December 2002 Nakamori released DVD footage of the "Musica Fiesta Live Tour" and a self-cover compilation album "Akina Nakamori: Utahime Double Decade". The album included self-covers with renewed arrangements and a lowered key to fit her current voice. The album debuted at number 8 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts. She performed the re-arranged version of "Kazarajanai no yo Namida wa" at NHK's 53rd Kōhaku Uta Gassen. It was Akina's first appearance in Kōhaku Uta Gassen after 14 years.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 30 April 2003, Nakamori released her forty-second single "Days", written by Tetsurō Oda. The song was chosen as the ending theme for TV Tokyo's television drama "Onnna to Ai to Mystery". The B-side track "Ruriiro no Chikyuu" (a cover of Seiko Matsuda's 1986 single) was the commercial song for Au and "Hana" was the theme song for NHK-BS1 television program "Chikyuu Walker". The single debuted at number 30 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts and charted for four weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 14 May 2003, Nakamori released her 21st studio album "I Hope So." The title of the album came from a conversation she had with her home-stay family regarding her English skills when she studied abroad in the United States for a month. In the album booklet, Satoshi Takebe is credited as the main producer and arranger of the album. Four album tracks were written by Nakamori herself. The album contains one previously released single. The album track "I hope so" was chosen as a commercial song for Japan Railways Group. This track later appeared as a b-side on the special single "Diva". The album was released in regular and limited editions; the limited edition included the music video for "Days". The album debuted at number 15 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: Starting one day after the album release, between 15 May and 13 July 2003, Nakamori held the live tour "Akina Nakamori Live Tour 2003 - I hope so -". On 17 December 2003, live footage of the tour was released as a DVD. The footage consisted of footage from the 11 July show, held at the Tokyo International Forum.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 12 May and 7 July 2004, she collaborated with Korean music producer Kim Hyung Seok on singles "Akai Hana" and "Hajimete Deatta Hi no Yōni". Both songs are Japanese-language covers of Korean singer Park Yong-ha's "Cheoeum Geu Nalcheoleom". This was her first time in 19 years to release a single with the same melody but different lyrics (Meu amor é.../Akaitori Nigeta). "Akai Hana" debuted at number 40 and "Hajimete Deatta Hi no Yō ni" debuted at number 50 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: Between 15 May and 13 July, she held the live tour "Akina Nakamori A-1 tour 2004" across 17 cities. As of 2019, there is no video footage.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 3 December 2004, Nakamori released her third cover album "Utahime 3: Finale". All album tracks were arranged by Akira Senju. The producer of the album was Nakamori herself. The album debuted at number 25 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: Between 7 and 17 July 2005, Nakamori held a special live tour "Akina Nakamori Special Live 2005 Empress at Club Ex". The live tour was divided into a mix of cover songs previously released on the "Utahime" cover album, and original tracks. DVD footage of this live tour was released on 11 January 2006 under Avex Trax.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 7 December 2005, Nakamori released her forty-fifth single "Rakka Ryūsui", written by Takashi Matsumoto and Kenji Hayashida. The B-side included a rock version of "Desire". In the media, the single was chosen as the theme song for the Japanese television drama "Tenka Souran". The single debuted at number 43 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts and charted for four weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: In January 2006, Nakamori released her second self-cover compilation album, "Best Finger 25th Anniversary Selection". The album included re-recorded songs and singles released between 2004 and 2005. In April 2006, she played a minor role in the television drama "Primadame". It was her first acting role in 7 years. She also performed the drama's theme song "Hana yo Odore", which was released on 17 May, written by Hitoshi Haba. The single cover jacket was an illustration done by Nakamori herself when she attended ballet lessons during her early childhood. The single charted at number 23 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts and charted for six weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 21 June 2006, Nakamori released her twenty-second studio album "Destination". It was her first studio album released in three years. In this album, she returned to the R&B music style for the first time since the Resonancia album in 2002. During fan meets, Nakamori herself stated that she doesn't dislike any of the songs in the album and recommends for everyone to listen to it. The album "Destination" consisted of two previously released singles with new album arrangements. Eight out of eleven songs were arranged by Yousuke Suzuki. Two tracks were written by Nakamori herself under the pen name "Miran:Miran". The album cover jacket was originally from the pamphlet of the "Femme Fatale" live tour from 1988. The album debuted at number 20 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for four weeks. Between 24 June and 8 August, she held the live tour "Akina Nakamori Live Tour 2006: The Last destination".


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 17 January 2007, Nakamori released footage from her live tour "The Last Destination" and her first cover compilation album "Utahime Best: 25th Anniversary". This compilation album consisted of cover songs that were released in the compilation album series "Utahime" and three new cover songs which were previously unreleased. The producer of the album was Nakamori herself. Fourteen of the sixteen songs were re-arranged by Akira Senju. For the album jacket, she wore a light dandelion fluff wig. The album was released in regular and limited editions; the limited edition included a DVD with video footage from several of Nakamori's recording sessions. The album debuted at number 10 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts. It was her first album in four years to debut in the Top 10.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 28 March 2007, Nakamori released the ballad compilation album "Ballad Best: 25th Anniversary Selection". The album was released as part of the celebration of her 25th debut anniversary. Album tracks consisted of previously released songs from past compilation albums along with one new song "Ano Natsu no Hi". However, the tracks "Solitude", "Nanpasen" and "Kisei: Never Forget" received completely new arrangements. The producer of the album was Nakamori herself. The album was released in regular and limited editions: the limited edition included a DVD digest of footage from her first live tour "Akina Milkyway '83 Haru no Kaze wo Kanjite". The album debuted at number 13 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for seven weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 27 June 2007, she released her first enka cover album "Enka". The album track selection was based on a fan survey held between 12 April and 15 May, in total more than 23k fans responded. The results were later announced on her page on the Universal Music site. Nine out of thirteen tracks were arranged by Akira Senju, who is credited along with Nakamori as a main producer of the album. The album was released in a regular edition, cassette tape and two limited editions: the first limited edition included DVD footage with music video clips from 2002 to 2007 and footage of Nakamori recording the album; the second limited edition included a bonus track in the first CD, and the second CD consisted of instrumental versions of Enka covers. There were two types of album jackets: the first and second limited edition had a bust-up photo of Nakamori with special makeup with a Japanese umbrella in the upper part of the jacket. The regular and cassette editions featured similar makeup; however, the hairstyle was different. The album debuted at number 10 on the Oricon Weekly Album chart and charted for twelve weeks. Later it was rewarded with the RIAJ Gold Disc and Japan Record Awards.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 27 February 2008, Nakamori released her first compilation album of her songs from the 90s, "Utahime Densetsu: 90s Best". The album consisted of songs released between 1991 and 1999. The album was released in regular and limited editions: while the regular edition had one disc with 13 tracks (a mix of singles and b-sides), the limited edition included four discs which consisted of three CDs with various album tracks and DVD footage of her special live show "Nakamori Akina True Live", filmed in 1995. The third disc included a previously unrecorded duet "Second Love" with the writer of the song, Takao Kisugi. The album debuted at number 33 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for three weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 19 November 2008, Nakamori performed a duet titled "Dramatic Airport "with Junichi Inagaki. The song was included in Inagaki's cover album "Otoko to Onna: Two hearts Two voices".


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 24 December 2008, she released a new cover album titled "". The album contains covers of folk songs released during the '70s. Among 200 songs which Nakamori considered, she chose eleven to record. The producer of the album was Yuuji Toriyama. The album was released in one regular edition and five limited editions with a different color jacket of an image of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol. The limited-edition A includes DVD footage of Nakamori recording the album. The album debuted at number 30 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for seven weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 24 June 2009, Nakamori released another cover album, "". The album consisted of kayōkyoku songs released between the 1960s and 1970s. Youichi Murata reprise his role as a sound arranger for the first time since her self-cover compilation album "Utahime Double Decade". The album was released in regular and limited editions: the limited edition included a DVD of recording footage of three of the album tracks. The album debuted at number 30 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts and charted for three weeks.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: On 29 July 2009, Nakamori released a music video clip DVD ("Clip 2002-2007 & more") and a second album in her folk song cover series, "". Toriyama reprised his role as the sound producer and main arranger. The album cover jacket was a caricature by Japanese caricaturist Kage. The album was released in regular and limited editions; the limited edition included DVD footage of Nakamori recording the album. The album debuted at number 33 on the Oricon Weekly Album Charts.


title: Akina Nakamori

text: Between 18 and 28 August 2009, Nakamori held another special live tour, titled "Akina Nakamori Special Live 2009 "Empress at Yokohama"". The live tour consisted of cover tracks which she released through her various cover albums. DVD footage of the live tour was released on 18 August 2010. As of 2019, it is her last tour.