IGN rated the game a 8.9 out of 10 and said ""Smackdown 2", if it's the last wrestling game on the PlayStation (which is likely), is a fine high note to go out on - no WWF fan is liable to be disappointed by what they get when they pick it up, as they undoubtedly will.”
GameSpot gave the game a 8.9 out of 10 and stated "While it isn't that much different from the last "SmackDown!", "SmackDown! 2" makes enough incremental changes and upgrades to be significant in its own right."
Houghton Estate
Houghton Estate (often simply called Houghton) is a rich suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located north-east of the city center. Houghton Estate has been informally divided into two areas: "Upper Houghton", and "Lower Houghton". The most famous resident of Houghton Estate was Nelson Mandela. Mandela died here.
The Sound of Music Live
The Sound of Music Live! was a live television production of the musical "The Sound of Music". It was telecast on NBC Thursday evening December 5, 2013 between 8 and 11 p.m. ET.
The production starred Carrie Underwood as Maria von Trapp. Others in the cast included Stephen Moyer as Georg von Trapp, Audra McDonald as Mother Abbess, Laura Benanti as Elsa Schrader, and Christian Borle as Max Detweiler.
The production was based on the original 1959 Broadway musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, rather than the 1965 movie adaptation starring Julie Andrews.
Critics said that Underwood sang well, but she received poor reviews for her acting. The "New York Times" wrote that Underwood's "bloodless performance put a damper on the night" and described her as "sleepwalking". The greatest praise was given to Laura Benanti as Elsa Schrader who was said to have "had all the sparkle and mischief that Ms. Underwood, as Maria, lacked." The "Times" closed their review with, "It was a live performance of a legendary musical that felt muted and a little sad."
Ben Breedlove
Benjamin Daniel Breedlove (August 8, 1993 – December 25, 2011) was an American Internet personality. He was from Austin, Texas. He was known for his blogs on YouTube.
At an early age, Breedlove had been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). It is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes thick. Often, only one part of the heart is thicker than the other parts. The thickening can make it harder for blood to leave the heart, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood. It also can make it harder for the heart to relax and fill with blood.
On the night of December 25, 2011, he died of cardiac arrest at the age of 18.
Stan Tracey
Stanley William "Stan" Tracey CBE (30 December 1926 – 6 December 2013) was a British jazz pianist and composer. He was most influenced by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Tracey's best known recording is a suite (1965) inspired by Dylan Thomas's radio drama "Under Milk Wood".
Tracey died from prostate cancer on 6 December 2013, aged 86. He was survived by two children.
Machete Kills
Machete Kills is a 2013 action movie. The movie is the sequel to "Machete". It is about a man named Machete who fights for the rights of immigrants. Danny Trejo plays Machete Cortez. Amber Heard plays Blanca Vasquez and Miss San Antonio. Michelle Rodriguez plays Luz/She. The movie received negative reviews. It did not make much money.
Danny Wells
Jack Westelman or Danny Wells (April 7, 1941 – November 28, 2013) was a Canadian-American actor and composer. He was known for his role as Charlie the bartender on "The Jeffersons". He also portrayed Luigi in "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!".
Wells died on November 28, 2013 in Toronto, Ontario, aged 72.
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom starring Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford. It is about an African-American couple who live in New York City. The series was first broadcast on T.A.T. Communications Company, from January 18, 1975 to July 2, 1985. It is one of the longest-running television series in television history.
Christopher Evan Welch
Christopher Evan Welch (September 28, 1965 – December 2, 2013) was an American actor of Broadway, movie, and television. One of his last movie appearances was in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" (2012).
Welch died of lung cancer on December 2, 2013, aged 48, at a hospital in Santa Monica, California.
Barry Jackson
Barry Jackson (29 March 1938 – 5 December 2013) was an English movie and television actor. His movie roles include "Ryan's Daughter", "Barry Lyndon", "Aces High", "The Raging Moon", "Mr. Love", "Toscanini in His Own Words", and "Wimbledon".
He died in London on 5 December 2013 from a stroke, aged 75.
Fred Bassetti
Fred Bassetti FAIA, (January 31, 1917 – December 5, 2013) was an American architect, teacher, and a prime contributor to the regional approach to Modern architecture during the 1940s-1990’s. His architectural legacy includes some of the Seattle area's more recognizable buildings and spaces. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) described his role as a regional architect and activist as having made significant contributions to “the shape of Seattle and the Northwest, and on the profession of architecture.”
Colin Wilson
Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English novelist and writer. Wilson also wrote widely on true crime and criminology, mysticism, the paranormal, and other topics. In all, there are over 120 books, including some fiction. He preferred to call his philosophy new existentialism or phenomenological existentialism.
Wilson was interested in metaphysics and the occult. In 1971, he wrote a nonfiction book named "The Occult: A History". In it, he talked about the beliefs of Aleister Crowley, George Gurdieff, Helena Blavatsky, Kabbalah, primitive magic, Franz Mesmer, Grigori Rasputin, and Paracelsus. He also wrote a biography of Crowley, "Aleister Crowley: The Nature of the Beast". He also wrote biographies on other visionaries in spirituality and psychology. Some were about George Gurdjieff, Carl Jung, and Wilhelm Reich.
Wilson suffered a stroke in June 2012 and lost his ability to speak. He died in December 2013, aged 82.
This was the book which made his name. It was really a work of literary criticism, but was also about social philosophy. It was based mainly on the work of Dostoyevsky, Camus and Satre, all of whom featured characters who were lost, outsiders, alienated from society.
Gollancz published the 24-year-old Wilson's "The Outsider" in 1956. The book became a best-seller and helped popularise existentialism in Britain. It has never been out-of-print since publication day and has been translated into over thirty languages (including Russian and Chinese).
Wilson's writing on crime is quite extensive and commercially successful. He wrote several books about serial killers and murderers.
Rob Cohen
Robert "Rob" Cohen (born March 12, 1949) is an American movie director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for directing the entire "Fast and Furious" movie series. He also directed "A Small Circle of Friends", "", "Dragonheart", "Daylight", and "xXx".
Jack Daniel
Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel (September 5, 1850 – October 10, 1911) was an American distiller and the founder of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey.
Daniel died from an infectious case of blood poisoning at Lynchburg in 1911. The infection allegedly set up originally in a toe, which Daniel injured in kicking his safe in anger when he could not get it open early one morning at work. He always had trouble remembering the combination.
C. V. Raman