Fiddler on the Roof

Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905.

Fiddler on the Roof was originally entitled Tevye. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Milkman) and other tales by Sholem Aleichem which he wrote in Yiddish and published in 1894. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and religious traditions while the world and civilization around him change rapidly. He must cope with both the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters — each daughter's choice of husband moves progressively further and further away from established custom — and with the edict of the Tsar that upends his village.

The musical's title stems from a painting by Marc Chagall, one of many surreal paintings he created of Eastern European Jewish life, often including a fiddler. The Fiddler is a metaphor for survival, through tradition and joyfulness, in a life of uncertainty and imbalance.

The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, was the first musical to surpass the 3,000 performance mark, and it held the record for longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed its run. The production earned $1,574 for every dollar invested in it.

The show was highly acclaimed. It was nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning nine, including Best Musical, score, book, direction and choreography. It spawned four Broadway revivals, a successful 1971 film adaptation, and has enjoyed enduring international popularity. Joseph Stein, who wrote the book for Fiddler, created a version of the show called Fiddler on the Roof, Jr. for elementary and middle schools that cuts out a few of the scenes, including the dream sequence.

SYNOPSIS

Act I

As a lone fiddler stands on a roof playing a tune, Tevye, the philosophical village milkman, explains the customs of the Jewish people and their lives in the Russian shtetl of Anatevka, where life is as precarious as that of a fiddler on a roof ("Tradition"). At Tevye's home, everyone is busy preparing for the Sabbath meal. His sharp-tongued wife, Golde, orders their five daughters, Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava, Sprintze, and Bielke, about their tasks.

Yente, the village matchmaker, arrives to tell Golde that Lazar Wolf, the town's wealthy butcher, a widower of Tevye's age, wants to wed Tzeitel, their eldest daughter. Tevye must be persuaded to meet Lazar to arrange the marriage. The two middle daughters, Hodel and Chava, speculate excitedly about what their mother and the matchmaker were talking about, but the eldest daughter Tzeitel warns them not be so hasty. They are poor, so their parents will have no choice but to take whatever husband Yente brings ("Matchmaker"). Tzeitel is not eager to have a match found for her, as she is already in love with the tailor, Motel Kamzoil, her friend since childhood.

Tevye's horse is lame, and he must pull the cart himself. He asks God, who it would hurt "If I Were a Rich Man?" The men of the village confront Tevye, as he is late delivering their milk and cheese. Avram, the bookseller, has news from the outside world about pogroms and expulsions. A student from Kiev, Perchik, newly arrived in town, hears their conversation and scolds them for doing nothing more than talk. The men dismiss Perchik as a radical, but Tevye takes a liking to him and invites him home, offering him room and board in exchange for tutoring his two youngest daughters. Motel also joins the family for dinner. Golde tells Tevye to meet Lazar after the Sabbath but does not tell him why, knowing that Tevye does not like Lazar. Tzeitel is afraid that Yente will find her a husband before Motel asks Tevye for her hand. Motel is very shy and afraid of Tevye's temper, and tradition says that a matchmaker arranges marriages. Motel, who is poor, is saving up for a sewing machine and wants to buy it before he approaches Tevye. The family gathers around for the "Sabbath Prayer."

After the Sabbath, Tevye goes to meet Lazar at Mordcha's inn, where many of the villagers are drinking, including a group of non-Jews. Teyve assumes incorrectly that Lazar wants to buy his milk cow. After the misunderstanding is cleared up, Tevye agrees to let Lazar marry Tzeitel – with a rich man, he knows that his daughter will never starve. All join in the celebration of Lazar's good fortune. The Russian youths at the inn join in the celebration and show off their dancing skills ("To Life"). Outside the inn, Tevye bumps into the Russian Constable, who has jurisdiction over the Jews in the town. The Constable warns him that there is going to be a "demonstration" in the coming weeks (a euphemism for a minor pogrom). The Constable has sympathy for the Jewish community but is powerless to prevent the violence.

The next morning, a hungover Tevye delivers the news to the family that he has agreed that Tzeitel will marry Lazar Wolf. Golde is overjoyed, but Tzeitel is horrified and pleads with Tevye not to make her marry Lazar. Motel arrives and gathers the courage to tell Tevye that he and Tzeitel gave each other a pledge to marry. Tevye is outraged at this breach of tradition, but Motel argues that even a poor tailor is entitled to some happiness. Tevye is impressed when the formerly-unassertive young tailor stands up for himself. He relents ("Tevye's Monologue") but worries about how to break the news to Golde. An overjoyed Motel celebrates with Tzeitel ("Miracle of Miracles").

Tevye is struck with inspiration: he tells Golde that he has had a dream in which Golde's Grandmother Tzeitel returned from the grave to bless the marriage of her namesake, Tzeitel, but to Motel, not to Lazar. In the dream, Lazar's late (but fearsome) wife, Fruma Sarah, also rises from the grave to warn, in graphic terms, of severe retribution if Tzeitel marries Lazar ("Tevye's Dream"). Frightened, Golde agrees that Tzeitel must marry Motel. While returning from town, Tevye's middle daughter, the bookish Chava, is teased and intimidated by some Russian youths, but one of them, Fyedka, protects her, dismissing the others. He offers Chava the loan of a book, and a secret relationship begins.

The wedding day of Tzeitel and Motel arrives, and all the Jews join to celebrate ("Sunrise, Sunset") and dance ("The Wedding Dance"). Lazar gives a fine gift, but he and Tevye argue over the broken agreement. Perchik ends the tiff by breaking another tradition: he crosses the barrier between the men and women and dances with Tevye's daughter Hodel. The celebration ends abruptly when a group of Russians rides into the village to perform the "demonstration". They disrupt the party, damaging the wedding gifts and wounding Perchik, who attempts to fight back, and wreaking more destruction in the village. Ever practical, Tevye advises everyone to clean up the mess.

Act II

Months later, Perchik tells Hodel he must return to Kiev to work for the revolution. He proposes marriage, admitting that he loves her, and says that he will send for her. She agrees ("Now I Have Everything"). They tell Tevye that they are engaged, and he is appalled that they are flouting tradition by making their own match, especially as Perchik is leaving. When he forbids the marriage, Perchik and Hodel inform him that they do not seek his permission, only his blessing. After some soul searching, Tevye finally relents – the world is changing, and he must change with it ("Tevye's Rebuttal").

Tevye explains these events to an astonished Golde. "Love", he says, "it's the new style." Tevye asks Golde, "Do You Love Me?" After 25 years of living and struggling together and raising five daughters, she admits that she does. Other events are moving apace. Yente tells Tzeitel that she saw Chava with Fyedka. News spreads quickly in Anatevka ("The Rumor"). Perchik has been arrested and exiled to Siberia, and Hodel is determined to join him there. At the railway station, she explains to her father that her home is with her beloved wherever he may be, yet she will always love her family ("Far from the Home I Love").

Weeks pass, and Chava finally gathers the courage to ask Tevye to allow her marriage to Fyedka. Again Tevye reaches deep into his soul, but marriage outside the Jewish faith is a line that he cannot cross. He forbids Chava ever to speak to Fyedka again. When Golde brings the news that Chava has eloped with Fyedka, Tevye wonders where he went wrong ("Chava Sequence"). Chava returns and tries to reason with him, but he refuses to speak to her and tells the rest of the family to consider her dead. Meanwhile, rumors are spreading of the Russians forcing Jewish villagers to leave their villages. While the villagers are gathered, the Constable arrives to tell everyone that they have three days to pack up and leave the town. In shock, they reminisce about the miserable town, and how hard it will be to leave what has for so long been their home ("Anatevka").

As the Jews leave Anatevka, Chava and Fyedka stop to tell her family that they too are leaving. Her mother and sisters are afraid to talk to her with Tevye present. Although Tevye does not speak directly to Chava, he mutters, "God be with you." As Tevye and his family leave the village for America, the fiddler begins to play. Tevye beckons with a nod, and the fiddler follows them out of the village.

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24

24 is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American television series. Broadcast by Fox Network in the USA and syndicated worldwide, the show first aired on November 6, 2001, with an initial thirteen episodes. In January 2007, 24 was made available online to US viewers through Fox on Demand. It is set in the fictional U.S. government Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU).

24 is presented in real time, with each season depicting a 24-hour period in the life of Jack Bauer, who works with the U.S. Government as it fights threats on her soil. Bauer is often in the field for the fictional Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) as they try to safeguard the nation from terrorist threats. Based in Los Angeles, the show also follows the actions of other CTU agents, government officials and terrorists associated with the plot.

After leading actor Kiefer Sutherland won a Golden Globe for his role in the first 10 episodes, the ratings of the show increased, leading FOX to order the second half of the season. There have been six seasons of 24 produced. On May 15, 2007, it was confirmed that FOX has ordered seventh and eighth seasons, with the seventh planned to begin airing in January 2008. A motion picture based on the show has been written and was scheduled to be filmed in 2007 for a 2008 release but plans for production were put on hold to focus on the TV series.

ELEMENTS

Real Time

24 is a thriller that is shown in "real-time," with each minute of airtime corresponding to a minute in the lives of the characters. Commercial breaks are placed at times when non-essential plot is taking place (i.e. characters driving somewhere will begin when a commercial break starts and arrive at their destination at the end of the commercial break.) This allows for the show to actually occur in real time without compromising action.

Actual show run time without commercials is about 45 minutes, as is typical for hour long television shows on many commercial stations. However, the effect only works if episodes are shown with commercial breaks during the show (which, for example, is uncommon for public television stations in Europe), and then only if these are inserted at the right points in time and have the exact right length, which may not fit in with the normal programming of a commercial station.

Watched continually each season would take approximately 18 hours to finish. This real-time nature is emphasized by an on-screen digital clock appearing before and after commercial breaks, with a distinct beeping noise for each second, alternating between C and D tones. This time corresponds to the in-universe time of the show. The characters will often place time windows (such as the common "within the hour") on certain events such as terrorist threats, thus strongly hinting that the attack/event will occur before the end of the episode.

The action switches between different locations tracing parallel adventures of different characters involved in the same overarching plot. As a result, there may be long sections of unseen narrative for each character; in that case, a character may only be seen for a portion of an episode's overall running time.

Storytelling and Visual Style

24 employs fast-paced and complex plots.

A recurring theme of 24 has characters faced with the decision of whether or not to let something tragic happen for the sake of a greater good. In Season 2, a Dept. of Defense staffer has the chance to warn CTU of an imminent attack on their building, but argues that doing so would put the culprits on alert and thus cause a valuable trail to go cold. A similar situation occurs in Season 5, when terrorists plan to release a canister of nerve gas inside a busy shopping mall. In Season 3, the President and CTU agents must choose between the life of a high-ranking CTU official and the imminent threat of further attacks, while Season 4 is notable for a scene in which two men — one of whom possesses crucial information about a nuclear missile strike, and the other is the husband of a major character — lie dying in an emergency room, creating the ethical dilemma of whom to save. In addition, the sitting President often has to deal with a similar quandary. For example, in Season 6, President Wayne Palmer asks Jack Bauer to sacrifice himself in exchange for the location of a known terrorist.

The first season began and ended at midnight, leading to the situation that the main characters had to go almost two days without sleep. Later seasons have tended to use a less punishing time window, starting in the morning or early afternoon.

For the first two seasons, 24 frequently used split-screen action to follow multiple plots, although from Season 3 onward this was scaled back somewhat and confined mostly to phone conversations and shots leading into and out of commercial breaks.

Counter Terrorist Unit

Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) is a fictional elite branch of the CIA and similar to the real-life FBI/NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force and the CIA Counterterrorist Center's Special Activities Division. Its headquarters are in Washington, D.C. with satellite operations in major cities where threats are likely. CTU's primary mission is to disrupt and destroy foreign and domestic terror cells hostile to the United States, as well as protect it from terrorist attacks. With an office in nearly every major city, CTU also has a role in creating security policy and fighting groups of organized crime that fund terrorism. Although CTU is fictional, a similar department, the National Counterterrorism Center, was set up by the government.

CTU offices are run by a Director, also called the Special Agent in Charge, to whom the Director of Field Operations and the Chief of Staff report. Departments within a CTU office include Communications ("Comm"), Logistics, and Tactical ("Field Ops"). Communications and Logistics personnel report directly to the Chief of Staff, whereas Tactical personnel are deployed into Tactical Teams ("Tac Teams") by the Director of Field Operations.

The Los Angeles CTU Field Office houses several areas. The first floor contains the Situation Room, as well as the main communications complex and command center, often referred to as "The Floor." On the second floor is the Director's office and Field Ops office. Situated elsewhere in the building are the Information Technology department (I.T.), an in-house Medical clinic, Meteorology department, several Holding Rooms used for interrogation and confinement, and Tech Rooms, which contain the bulk of the physical computer hardware used by CTU.

The CTU offices within a region report to a Divisional Office, overseen by the Division Director. Divisional offices cover a larger amount of territory in their jurisdiction. Finally, the Divisional office and all other offices report to a District Headquarters, overseen by a Regional Director. This title implies that each District Headquarters has jurisdiction over an entire region of the United States. However, in Season 1, the reverse was implied: the District Director, George Mason, reported to District Manager Richard Walsh (who was killed in the second episode), and then Ryan Chappelle, the Regional Director from Division. However, in the Season 2 finale, Chappelle referred to a Mr. Vaughn, the District Director, as his superior.

CTU often suffers setbacks for the sake of plot. Despite the high-profile and high-risk nature of its duties, it is frequently infiltrated by double agents, and several times has been attacked or seized by terrorist forces.

According to recent rumors about the upcoming seventh season, which takes place three years after the events of season six, CTU has been disbanded by the government. The season will take place in New York and Washington.

**wikipedia.org

Lost is an American serial drama television series that follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a passenger jet flying between Australia and the United States crashes somewhere in the South Pacific. Each episode typically features a primary storyline on the island as well as a secondary storyline from another point in a character's life. The show was created by Damon Lindelof, J. J. Abrams and Jeffrey Lieber, and is filmed primarily on location in Oahu, Hawaii. The pilot episode was first broadcast on September 22, 2004. Since then, three seasons have aired. The show is produced by ABC Studios, Bad Robot Productions and Grass Skirt Productions and airs on the ABC Network in the United States. Its incidental music is composed by Michael Giacchino. The current executive producers are Abrams, Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, Jack Bender, Jeff Pinkner and Bryan Burk. Because of its large ensemble cast and the cost of filming in Hawaii, the series is one of the most expensive on television.

A critical and popular success, Lost garnered an average of 15.5 million viewers per episode on ABC during its first year, and won numerous industry awards including the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2005, Best American Import at the British Academy Television Awards, also in 2005, and the Golden Globe for Best Drama in 2006.

Reflecting its devoted fan base, the show has become a staple of American popular culture with references to the story and its elements appearing in other television shows,[6] commercials, comic books, webcomics, humor magazines and song lyrics. The show's fictional universe has also been explored through tie-in novels, board and video games, and an alternate reality game, The Lost Experience.

In May 2007 it was announced that Lost will continue for its fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons, concluding with the 117th produced episode in May 2010. These three final seasons will consist of 16 episodes each, running weekly in the spring uninterrupted by repeats.


SEASON 1

Season 1 began in the United States on September 22, 2004 and featured 24 episodes that were aired on Wednesdays at 8:00. A plane crash strands the surviving passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 on a seemingly deserted tropical island, forcing the group of strangers to work together to stay alive. Their survival is threatened by mysterious entities including polar bears, an unseen creature that roams the jungle, and the island's malevolent inhabitants known as the "Others." They encounter a Frenchwoman who was shipwrecked on the island over 16 years earlier and find a mysterious metal hatch buried in the ground. An attempt is made to leave the island on a raft.

SEASON 2

Season 2 featured 23 episodes that were aired in the United States and Canada on Wednesdays at 9:00 starting September 21, 2005. Most of the story, which continues 45 days after the crash, focuses on the growing conflict between the survivors and the Others, with the continued clash between faith and science being thematic in certain episodes. While some mysteries are resolved, new questions are raised. New characters are introduced, including the tail-section survivors and other island inhabitants. More island mythologies and insights into the survivors' pasts are divulged. The hatch is explored and the existence of The DHARMA Initiative and its benefactor, the Hanso Foundation, are revealed. As the truth about the mysterious Others begins to unfold, one of the crash survivors betrays the other castaways, and the cause of the plane crash is revealed.

SEASON 3

Season 3 featured 22 episodes that were seen in the United States and Canada beginning on October 4, 2006 and on following Wednesdays at 9:00 pm. The series returned from hiatus on February 7, 2007 and was aired at 10:00 pm. The story continues 67 days after the crash. New crash survivors and Others are introduced, as the crash survivors learn about the Others and their history on the island. One of The Others and a new island inhabitant join the survivors while a survivor defects to The Others. A war between The Others and the survivors comes to a head, and the survivors make contact with a rescue team.

SEASON 4

Season 4 will feature 16 episodes that will be broadcast in the United States and Canada from February to May, 2008. In this season, the episodes will be shown consecutively without repeats. More of the Island's secrets will be revealed as the castaways continue to seek rescue after making contact with a freighter. Season 4 will feature both flash-forwards and flashbacks. Production began on August 17th.

FUTURE SEASONS AND END DATE

On May 7, 2007, ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson announced that Lost will end during the 2009–2010 season with a "highly anticipated and shocking finale." "We felt that this was the only way to give [Lost] a proper creative conclusion," McPherson said. Beginning with the 2007–2008 television season, the final 48 episodes of Lost will be aired as three seasons with sixteen episodes each. Thus, Lost will conclude with its sixth season. These seasons are to be aired uninterrupted in the first half of those years.

The announcement by ABC was called "bold and unprecedented" by Lost's executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Lindelof and Cuse also stated that they "always envisioned Lost as a show with a beginning, middle, and end," and that by announcing when the show would end that viewers would "have the security of knowing that the story will play out as we've intended." Co-creator J.J. Abrams also praised the decision, remarking, "It is the right choice for the series and its viewers. It takes real foresight and guts to make a call like this. I applaud ABC and Touchstone for making this happen."

**wikipedia.org

MELROSE PLACE

Melrose Place is an American primetime soap opera that ran between 1992 and 1999, created by Darren Star for the FOX network. In late 2004 the network SOAPnet began repeating the show.

Show History And Description

A spinoff from Beverly Hills 90210 (though not featuring any permanent cast members crossing over), Melrose Place is a small apartment block in the West Hollywood district of Los Angeles where several young singles and the occasional couple reside. In the story, 90210 teenager Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) pursues one resident, the hunky, brooding carpenter Jake Hanson (Grant Show), but she returns to her zip code when she realizes they are from different worlds.

During the first season, the show was a relatively earnest serial drama focused on how young people come to Los Angeles to realize their dreams. Michael (Thomas Calabro) and Jane Mancini (Josie Bissett) were originally the stable couple in the apartment building, with Michael a sympathetic doctor and Jane a budding fashion designer. Their neighbors were flatmates Alison (Courtney Thorne-Smith) and Billy (Andrew Shue), who later began a love affair, and Matt Fielding (Doug Savant), a gay man who had no love life whatsoever during the first season. Other original cast members were Rhonda (Vanessa A. Williams), an African-American aerobics instructor, and blonde, budding starlet Sandy Harling (Amy Locane). Sandy was written out after 13 episodes. Rhonda was removed after the first season. Early in the show's run, photographer Jo Reynolds (Daphne Zuniga) arrived from New York to escape her alcoholic husband. Initially tough, Jo would eventually soften some and enjoy an on-again, off-again romance with Jake. Producers were faced with mediocre ratings and attempted to revamp the series during the first season. This was achieved mainly through the first-season arrival of former Dynasty vixen and T.J. Hooker alumna Heather Locklear as the opinionated and assertive Amanda Woodward. Initially intended as a high-profile guest, Amanda was retained on the series on a permanent basis, but Locklear kept her "Special Guest Star" billing throughout the show's run. Amanda soon bought the apartment building, became a vice-president for the company where she and fellow resident Alison worked, and had affairs with many of the male characters, starting with Billy. During the first season, the show became less of an episodic series, and more of a soap opera with ongoing, interwoven stories. Michael Mancini started cheating on Jane with the originally genial but lonesome Dr. Kimberly Shaw (Marcia Cross). Towards the end of season one, Jane saw Michael's true colors and decided to divorce him. Amanda suffered a tubal pregnancy with Billy's child around the time Alison's ex-boyfriend Keith became dangerous.

Michael later divorced Jane and got engaged to Kimberly, and then had a fling with Jane's irresponsible sister Sydney (Laura Leighton). This established Michael as the beleaguered cad and schemer he would remain until the end of the show. Like Michael, Sydney was presented as somewhat a chaotic schemer, often outwitted and double-crossed by others she was attempting to trick, though her insecurity issues would keep her as a sympathetic character despite her ill-conceived motives. Sydney's various blunders forced her into various ill-advised career moves including briefly working as a stripper and as a prostitute. The storylines began to heat up when a drunken Michael crashed his car, sending him and Kimberly tumbling down a ravine. Kimberly's angry, grieving mother sent word that her critically injured daughter had died in a medical facility in Ohio. Michael eluded potential manslaughter charges after Matt faked Michael's blood alcohol test results from the crash, and Sydney used this information to blackmail Michael into marrying her. Her plan was foiled when Kimberly re-appeared, alive and well, revealing that her mother had lied to keep Michael away. Kimberly returned as a more ruthless, dangerous unstable individual, with her sanity negatively affected by brain surgery and her accident. Alison's relationship with Billy remained a rollercoaster ride after she was ultimately the sole reason why Keith committed suicide. Jo continued her career as a photographer and dove into a romance with high school flame Reed Carter, who was at the time fixing up his boat while harbouring drugs. Jo eventually found the hidden drugs, and saw Reed's darkside when he took her hostage and sailed away into the ocean. Jo soon escaped and, in an act of self-defense, shot Reed. The murder continued to haunt Jo, and she soon found out that she was pregnant with Reed's child. Amanda and Jake had an on-off relationship with each other at the time, he was also busy opening up a bike shop, which subsequently burnt down. Jake offered to be the father of Jo's baby, but she declined. Billy and Allison decided to get married, and after many visits to her parents home, Allison discovered she was a victim of sexual abuse as a child, but this did not dawn on her until her wedding day. While Jane was busy running a fashion designing industry, Kimberly planned to kill Michael, but failed with each attempt. In the season cliffhanger, an unidentified blonde assailant runs down Michael in Jane's car, and Jane is arrested for attempted murder.

By far one of the most popular seasons adored by fans, the third season saw Michael's attempted murder pin the blame on an innocent Jane and Sydney, and Michael suffered amnesia for the course of a handful of episodes, it was during this spout of memory loss that Kimberely told him everything, and removed her wig to present a gruesome scar. Alison had fled her wedding to Billy and resided with her sister, Meredith, briefly, also a victim of her Father's abuse. Jo's pregnancy took a turn for the worse when Reed's parents, the Carters, fought Jo for legal custody of her unborn child. It was during Jo's custody nightmare that Jane tracked Sydney and Jane's boyfriend Chris down to Las Vegas alongside Kimberly and Michael; Kimberly and Michael had a shotgun wedding after reconciling previously, and Kimberly soon discovered that she was unable to have children because of the car accident, sparking her hatred for Michael once more. Jo was tied up in legal fees and Kimberly agreed to help her with a chaotic scheme, pretending the child would be stillborn while she could move away with her son Austin. The Carters custody settlement would be even more complicated by Kimberly's gambit to steal the baby away from Jo. After faking the infant's death, Kimberly stole Jo's child and Michael assisted Jo in getting Austin back. Kimberly then assisted the Carters in recovering the infant. After a near-fatal shoot-out with Reed's parents, Jo begrudgingly gave her child up for adoption in order to protect it from the chaotic power play between her and the Carters. Billy, fed-up after Alison's personality change, became attracted to a new associate at D&D named Brooke Kristin Davis. Meanwhile, Alison was battling alcoholism and met a new love-interest at AA. Producers decided to add Jack Wagner to the cast as the charismatic and corrupt Dr. Peter Burns, who began a fling with Amanda and also tried to kill her on the operating table. Sydney became involved with a cult alongside Traci Lords' character Rikki. Jake and Jane rescued Syndey from the cult and later sparked a brief romance. Throughout season three, Kimberly's sanity began to slip, and she spiraled into a more serious psychotic break with each episode. Kimberly later made a collage of the Melrose residents with their eyes gouged out, which Sydney discovered as she trailed Kimberly for traces of her insanity. Jo entered a relationship with Jake's brother, who later beat her. Towards the end of season three, Brooke tried to distance Alison from Billy with various schemes, and later married Billy in a ceremony that Alison almost stopped. After her failed attempt to win back Billy, Alison fell off the wagon. Kimberly took Sydney hostage and planned to blow up the complex, which she succeeded in doing in one of the most famous scenes of Melrose Place, however, due to a bombing event taking place in that same year (May 1995) the actual bombing did not take place until the beginning of season four.

Jake had numerous relationships with Melrose Place residents, including most of the female regulars (Sandy, Jo, Amanda, Sydney, Jane, Alison). He bought a bike shop, which burned down, and later bought Shooters, the Melrose gang's primary hangout spot for the first five seasons. Matt would have the fewest love affairs of any character in the series. In contrast with the numerous and steamy love scenes of all the other characters, Matt's sole kissing scene with a man was censored by FOX.

Alison and Billy were roommates before they were lovers, but they broke up, reconciled and planned a wedding set in the building's courtyard. But Alison fled their wedding after flashing back to childhood sexual abuse. Alison subsequently struggled with alcoholism and Billy, fed up, married rich brat Brooke (Kristin Davis), and the three wound up working at D&D together. Alison eventually married Brooke's father Hayley (Perry King), and Brooke and Hayley interfered with each other's marriages. Hayley eventually discovered he was financially ruined and, during a trip with Alison, he drowned after falling from his yacht while drunk. Billy broke up with Brooke, leading to her suicide attempt, followed by her accidental drowning in the building's swimming pool.

In 1995, Jack Wagner, known for his role as Frisco Jones on General Hospital, arrived as the charismatic and corrupt Dr. Peter Burns. Peter tormented Amanda, nearly killing her on the operating table before he was arrested. But for all his crimes, Peter was the first man to be the equal of ice queen Amanda. Sensing the chemistry, producers quickly made Wagner a contract player, and Amanda/Peter would remain a popular on-again, off-again couple for the remainder of the series.

These storylines, along with Amanda's catty one-liners, sexy-but-tough wardrobe and man-stealing helped make Melrose a guilty pleasure for many millions of viewers around the world. Within a few seasons, Amanda had hooked up with every male character (except the gay Matt Fielding) from the first five seasons. Many highly dramatic cliffhanger situations were also included in the series. The show's popularity led to a rash of similar nighttime serials about sexy, powerful women, such as Models, Inc., Savannah, Pacific Palisades, Central Park West and Sex and the City, which featured former Melrose Place cast member Kristin Davis.

Kimberly endured as the love/hate of Michael's life and a formidable villain to all for several seasons, being Amanda's one compitent adversary until Lexi appeared later in the series. Kimberly's antics provided many jolts to the audience, such as her pulling off her wig to study her shaved, scarred head in the bathroom mirror; having her wig torn off in view of hospital staff by Matt; struggling to contain multiple personalities; learning combat skills at an intense survivalist camp; constructing a photo collage of Melrose Place residents with their eyes gouged out; and detonating four bombs in the apartment complex in the third-season cliffhanger.

The third season cliffhanger does not end with the explosion, however; the ending was quickly altered due to the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building a month prior (April 1995). After Kimberly plants the bombs, the residents of Melrose Place rush out to the courtyard, and the episode ends with Kimberly pushing the detonator button as she warns the residents that, "this isn't what it looks like...it's worse". The four explosions destroy half the apartment complex, killing one person and maiming another in an incendiary fourth-season opener.

By the fifth season, the series seemed to have peaked, with Amanda softening and Kimberly's long-running reign of terror finally running out of steam, and there was a growing consensus that the show could no longer shock or entertain viewers as it once had. Producers promised the fifth season would include more character development and less convoluted plot twists. After a season finale where Jo vacillated over leaving L.A. to join her new lover in Bosnia, the new season quickly explained that the now-absent Jo had indeed left town. Alison started a relationship with Jake, while Billy begins to pursue newcomer Samantha (Brooke Langton). A slate of other characters was introduced, such as hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold Megan (Kelly Rutherford), restaurateur Kyle (Rob Estes), his vengeful, lush-lipped wife (and Peter's sister-in-law), Taylor (Lisa Rinna), and Michael's bratty sister Jennifer (Alyssa Milano). After a brief tryst with Sydney, Kyle soon took up with Amanda and, as ratings began to falter, Amanda morphed from vixen to victim, being rescued or assaulted or teary-eyed on a frequent basis.

This season also saw many enduring characters leave the series. Alison fooled Jake into thinking she had fallen off the wagon so that he would reunite with the mother of his long-lost child, and the two left town separately. After dominating storylines for several seasons Kimberly quietly died of a brain aneurysm. And at the end of the season, Samantha's jailbird father accidentally killed Sydney by running her down in a car at her wedding to Craig (David Charvet).

By the time Matt left Melrose Place at the beginning of the sixth season, he remarked that he wanted to say goodbye but "there's no one left." Indeed, more characters had to be introduced to revive the series, including violent Dr. Brett Cooper (Linden Ashby) and his seductive ex-wife, Lexi Sterling (Jamie Luner). The focal point of the season was the troubled relationship between Kyle and Amanda, who returned to her nasty ways after creating her own advertising agency. By the end of the season (the show's shortest), Craig had committed suicide and the characters of Billy, Sam, Taylor, Jennifer, and Coop departed Melrose Place.

As the seventh and final season began, residents learn that Matt, who had moved away a year earlier for career purposes, was killed in a car accident on the way to a reunion dinner at Kyle's supper club. The reisdents also learned that Matt had kept a journal of all their secrets and each of them schemed to get their hands on it. This was the driving force behind the stories for this season. The most notable story was that of the relationship between (Amanda Woodward) and (Eve Cleary Burns). Bissett returned to the series as Jane in 1998 in a move to halt the series' downward spiral, and storylines centered on her early relationship with Michael. New characters were hurriedly drafted into the series: Ryan McBride (John Haymes Newton) and Eve Cleary (Rena Sofer), had difficulty gaining a following during this period of cast instability. Overall, the series seemed unable to handle the high number of cast changes in such a short time, and its popularity never recovered.

Amanda remained a leading character through the end of the series. Lexi Sterling (Jamie Luner) underwent a benevolent transformation from the rich, Daddy's girl to a scheming but popular super-bitch who succeeded in purchasing the Melrose Place building from Amanda and started a new agency, Sterling-Conway, which drives Amanda out of business. Meanwhile, the show paired the long-suffering Jane with Kyle (the actors were real-life spouses) and returned to the coupling of Amanda and Peter. By early 1999 FOX decided that the ratings erosion as well as the extremely high production costs—it was said that they could have filmed an entire pilot just on Heather Locklear's salary—warranted cancellation. In the end, Amanda and Peter faked there deaths after purchasing an island that the two lived upon alone, deciding to bear children to occupy their time.

**Wikipedia.org

CHARMED

Charmed is an American television series that ran for eight seasons on The WB. It was produced by Aaron Spelling and is about three sisters who are the world's most powerful good witches, known throughout the supernatural community as "The Charmed Ones" but known to everyone else as the Halliwells. Each sister possesses unique magical powers that grow and evolve over the course of their lives. The Charmed Ones live together in a manor and use their supernatural abilities to battle the warlocks, demons and other evil forces that populate San Francisco, California.

The show was the last in its generation of supernatural-themed shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Roswell. It is also noted for its mixture of multiple genres (from horror and fantasy to comedy and even soap), as well as continuing after a number of archetypal jump the shark moments, most famously the departure of one of the leading actresses at the end of season three. It also had the highest rated debut (until the debut of Smallville at 8.40 million), for the WB Television Network, with 7.70 million viewers tuning in for the series premiere, "Something Wicca This Way Comes".

On January 15, 2006, with the airing of "Payback's a Witch", Charmed became the longest running show with all-female leads, surpassing Laverne & Shirley. The series ended its run on May 21, 2006 in the US.The Charmed series finale, "Forever Charmed", pulled in a season high of 4.49 million viewers.

The theme song for Charmed is called "How Soon Is Now?" by Love Spit Love, which was originally recorded by The Smiths and previously used in the film The Craft.



PREMISE
The story of Charmed begins with the three Halliwell sisters — Prue, Piper and Phoebe — coming together six months after the death of their grandmother. Moving back into the family Manor in San Francisco, the youngest sister, Phoebe, discovers an old book — the Book of Shadows — in the attic. Reading an incantation from it, she unwittingly sets in motion events that fulfill an ancient prophecy. Strange and harrowing occurrences begin which eventually leads the sisters to realize that they are witches.

They discover that not only do they possess supernatural powers, but also come from a long line of powerful witches. The first in the line, Melinda Warren, who possessed three powers; the power to move things with her mind, to freeze time, and to see into the future, was burned at the stake in the Salem Witch Trials. However, before she died, Melinda prophesied that each coming generation of Warren (later Halliwell) witches would grow stronger and stronger, culminating in the arrival of three sisters -- the strongest good witches the world had ever seen; the three sisters would form The Power of Three, the most powerful magical force ever.

Prue Halliwell, the oldest sister, develops the power of telekinesis and can move things with her mind. Her telekinesis was triggered by anger, and was first channeled through her eyes. She was later able to channel her telekineses through her hands like her ancestor Brianna and her Grams (she first does this in season one's episode, "Out of Sight"). She later gains the power of astral projection, where she can make a "copy" of herself appear wherever she desires by projecting her consciousness, while her physical body is left standing there unconscious. In the season three episode, "Primrose Empath", one of the last times she is shown using her astral projection power, she was able to project her "clone", while her physical body stayed conscious. Her power of astral projection developed (in season two's episode, "Ms. Hellfire") from her power of telekinesis when she felt an overwhelming need to be in two places at once.

Piper, the middle child, receives the power to freeze or stop time or objects, Temporal Stasis (Time Freeze) also known as Molecular Immobilization. At first, Piper's control of her powers was very weak. Her range was not very far, and she could not keep demons and objects frozen for very long. As her powers grew, she was able to expand her range. She was able freeze entire rooms, or direct her freezing powers only at certain objects or people without freezing everyone and everything. She could also later keep demons or people frozen while unfreezing only certain body parts such as demon heads which came in handy when she was questioning them. Piper could also keep people frozen for very long periods of time without her having to be in the room to "hold the freeze". It is later revealed that her power to freeze worked at a molecular level in which she is able to slow molecules down to the point where the object she is directing her powers at is frozen. This power later evolves so that instead of slowing molecules down to freeze them, she is able to speed them up and blow things and objects up; this was called Molecular Combustion. Her freezing powers were triggered by fear, panic and surprise, while her exploding powers (before she had full control of them) were triggered by anger.

Phoebe, the youngest sister, receives the passive power of premonition, which allows her to see see future events (and later past events as well). Her power is triggered through touching people or objects, as well as if the psychic residue of an area is strong enough. Her powers of premonition later grew stronger in which she was able to feel the emotions in her premonition; such as when she felt her mother drowning when she received a premonition of the past in season two's "P3 H2O". This ability to feel the emotions within her premonitions could have been a foretelling of her soon to come empathic powers. In season five's episode, "The Eyes Have It", after not having had any premonitions in months due to her being overworked and overstressed, she seeks out the help of Gypsies to help unblock her powers. She gets a "super premonition", in which she is able to astral project herself into the future within her premonition, and her ability to feel what happens grows so that when she was hurt in her vision, her present self was also physically harmed. This type of premonition has only occurred very rarely; she has also been able to astral project her present self into the future and have a conversation with her future self. Phoebe at times, has also been able to share and pass on certain premonitions she has had with others who also have the gift of premonition. Phoebe also eventually obtains the active power to levitate, which is useful when used in combination with her martial arts skills. Her power of levitation is first seen in season three's premiere episode, "The Honeymoon's Over". Her empathic powers develop late in the series, allowing her to read others' emotions and affect the supernatural powers of other beings whose powers are tied to their emotions, allowing her to "rebound" and channel the attacks and powers of certain demons, as well as the Valkyries seen in "Valhalley of the Dolls (Part 2)".

After the tragic and unexpected death of Prue, it is revealed that the sisters have a younger half-sister named Paige, born to their mother Patty and Sam, her Whitelighter, a guardian angel for witches. As this type of relationship was forbidden and unheard of at the time, they gave the baby to Sister Agnes, a nun, and the Matthews family later adopted her. Her birth parents requested only that her first name begin with 'P', to continue the tradition. From her Whitelighter father, Paige inherits the power to "orb". At first, Paige could only orb out momentarily and reappear in the same spot, this was triggered by fear and surprise. She later was able to orb wherever she wanted. For the prophecy of the three Charmed Ones with three powerful and distinct powers to stay true, the third sister was to have the power of telekinesis. Being half witch and half whitelighter, this also has an effect on the powers she inherits from Patty: instead of telekinesis like Prue's, Paige is able to move an object by calling for it; the object in question will then orb to her or to any location she wishes. Though this power requires the use of verbal commands, she has been able to do so silently when in a state of enhanced power, and in a few other instances. This power is called telekinetic orbing. In Season 5, Paige reveals that she also has other Whitelighter powers, such as glamouring. Halfway through Season 8, Paige develops more of her Whitelighter side by being able to heal and locate charges by sensing them.

A central theme throughout the shows run is the sisters' struggle to balance their normal lives with their supernatural responsibilities. The burden of keeping their destinies a secret from the outside world has repeatedly created tensions in their friendships, workplaces, and romantic relationships. Only a few know their secret and help them on a regular basis. The most important is Leo Wyatt, a Whitelighter assigned by the Elders to guide and protect the sisters. Leo means a great deal to the sisters both professionally and personally: he heals their wounds, advises them collectively and individually, and mediates between them and the enigmatic Elders. He also becomes the love of Piper's life, her husband and father of her children. Others who keep the Charmed Ones' secret over the years include policemen Andy Trudeau and Darryl Morris, tormented half-demon Cole Turner, the mysterious time-traveler Chris Perry, sisters Christy and Billie Jenkins, Paige's husband Henry Mitchell and the many other creatures in the magical community.


**Wikipedia.org

the west wing

The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast from 1999 to 2006. It was produced/written by Sorkin (for the first four seasons) and also produced by Thomas Schlamme. After season four it was produced by John Wells. The series is set in the West Wing of the White House, the location of the Oval Office and offices of presidential senior staff, during the fictional Democratic administration of Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen).

The West Wing was produced by Warner Bros. Television. It first aired on NBC in 1999, and has been broadcast by many networks in dozens of other countries. The series ended its seven-year run on May 14, 2006.

The show received positive reviews from critics, political science professors, and former White House staffers. In total, The West Wing won two Golden Globe Awards and 26 Emmy Awards, a tie with Hill Street Blues for the most Emmy Awards ever won by a television drama series. Included in this record-equalling haul were four straight awards for Outstanding Drama Series (2000–2003). The show's popularity waned in later years, but it remained popular among high-income viewers, a key demographic for the show and its advertisers.

Plot

The West Wing, like many serial dramas, stretches storylines over several episodes or entire seasons. In addition to these larger storylines, each episode also contains smaller arcs which usually begin and end within an episode. Plot synopses, both for individual episodes and overall seasons, are included with a list of The West Wing episodes.

Most episodes follow President Bartlet and his staff through particular legislative or political issues. Plots can range from behind-closed-doors negotiating with Congress ("Five Votes Down") to personal issues like sex ("Pilot", "Take Out The Trash Day") and personal drug use (a major plotline throughout the first and second seasons). The typical episode loosely follows the president and his staff through their day, generally following several plots connected by some idea or theme. A large, fully connected set of the White House allows the producers to create shots with very few cuts and long, continuous master shots of staff members walking and talking through the hallways. These "walks-and-talks" became a trademark of the show.

In the first season, the administration is in the middle of its first year and is still having trouble settling in and making progress on legislative issues. The second season brings scandal as the White House is rocked by allegations of criminal conduct and the president must decide whether he will run for a second term. The third and fourth seasons take an in-depth look at the campaign trail and the specter of both foreign and domestic terrorism. In the fifth season, the president begins to encounter more issues on the foreign front, while at home he must face off with the newly elected Speaker of the House over the future of the federal budget. The sixth season chronicles the quest to replace Bartlet in the next election, following the primary campaign of several candidates from both parties. In the seventh season, the president must face a leak of confidential information from inside the White House, while the Democratic and Republican candidates battle to replace him in the general election.

**wikipedia.org

JUST GOT BACK FROM VACATION

men in trees

Men in Trees is a romantic television dramedy series starring Anne Heche. The series is centered around relationship coach Marin Frist's misadventures upon relocation to the fictional town of Elmo, Alaska. The premise shows at least superficial similarities to the HBO television series Sex and the City (on which series creator Jenny Bicks was a co-executive producer), which also featured a romantically-oriented, female writer. The protagonist's apparent "fish-out-of-water" feeling in a remote, small, Alaskan town can be likened to CBS's Northern Exposure. The protagonists in both series are New Yorkers thrust into small town Alaska societies. Filming for the series is based in Squamish, British Columbia, home of Quest University Canada.

On March 21, 2007, it was announced that ABC has renewed Men in Trees for a second season. According to creator Jenny Bicks, ABC has relocated the show back to its original Friday night timeslot of 9:00/8:00c following 20/20, instead of the timeslot announced at the 2007 Upfronts. However, the slot change has yet to be confirmed by ABC. Episodes of the first season not yet shown on ABC which may be shown as part of the second season were shown in New Zealand on the TV2 network in June and July 2007, and will screen on ABC in late September or early October.

**wikipedia.org

law and order

Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf. It has been broadcast on NBC since its debut on September 13, 1990. Set in New York City, the series follows the professional and to a lesser extent the personal lives of several police officers and prosecutors who represent the public interest in the criminal justice system. The characters frequently encounter dilemmas and frustrations as cases go through the stages of investigation, arrest, negotiation and trial. Matters are rarely resolved easily, or for the people involved, satisfactorily.

The success of the series has led to the creation of additional shows under the Law & Order franchise. It is the longest-running primetime drama currently on American television.

FORMAT

The program generally follows a two-tiered format, with the first portion of each episode devoted to the investigation of a crime and the second portion depicting its prosecution. The format is almost identical to a 1960's series titled Arrest and Trial, although the similarities are considered to be coincidental. Law & Order creator Dick Wolf was reportedly unaware of them when he created his series. Most Law & Order episodes are self-contained, with only a few exceptions over the many years of production.

The following statement, narrated by Steven Zirnkilton, is spoken at the beginning of nearly every episode:

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories.
The cold open or lead-in segment of the show usually shows a slice of New York life (walking a dog in Manhattan, jogging in Central Park, etc.) apparently unrelated to the main story until the (usually non-recurring) characters in the scene suddenly discover, witness, or become victims of a crime (most often, murder). Careful attention to these opening segments often reveals subtle connections or hints foreshadowing key aspects of the case. The scene immediately cuts to the police making a preliminary examination of the crime scene in which the featured detectives make their first observations and theories followed by a witty comment or two before the title sequence begins.

The police are represented in the show by the police lieutenant of Manhattan's 27th precinct and two homicide detectives, a senior partner and a junior partner. The detectives move to investigate the crime, collect evidence and interview witnesses, reporting regularly to the lieutenant. The evidence eventually leads to the arrest of one or more suspects. The matter is then taken over by the prosecutors of the Manhattan District Attorney's office, comprised of the district attorney, the executive assistant district attorney and an assistant prosecutor. Together they discuss deals, prepare the witnesses and evidence and conduct the people's case in the trial. Both the detectives and prosecutors work with the medical examiner's office, the crime lab and psychiatrists from the police and district attorney offices.

The prosecution portion of Law & Order is unusual in that it shows more legal proceedings than just a trial. The second half almost always opens with an arraignment and then proceeds to trial preparation. However the show does on occasion deviate from this format and centers on either indictment proceedings before a Grand Jury, a motion hearing, or an allocution upon entering a plea of guilty, usually in consideration for a plea bargain. It is very uncommon for legal dramas to show Grand Jury proceedings. This format is usually seen once or twice per season, with a trial being the norm. Grand Jury episodes focus on the difficulty of obtaining an indictment for a particular accused and often end with a guilty plea and allocution to wrap up the show quickly.

The plots often have a resemblance to actual cases, such as in the 1998 episode "Tabloid", in which a woman is killed in an auto accident after being pursued by a gossip reporter. This followed the similar death of Princess Diana the previous summer. This "ripped from the headlines" nature can also be seen in the opening credit sequence which flows from newspaper headlines, print copy, and photographs into photographs of the actors that evolve from newspaper halftones into high resolution photos. Promotional advertisements of episodes with especially close parallels to real-life cases often use the actual phrase "ripped from the headlines," although a text disclaimer within the actual episode emphasizes that the story and its characters are fictional. The format lends itself to exploring different outcomes or motives that similar events could have had under other circumstances.

Because of the nature of the format, the detectives rarely encounter a simple murder where the perpetrator does little to hide his guilt (which is actually very common). Instead, the detectives often have few or no good clues to start with — they may not even know the identity of the victim — and must chase down several dead ends before finding a strong suspect. Towards the middle of a show, the police begin working with the prosecutors to make the arrest, and an arraignment scene is usually shown. The police may appear again to testify in court or arrest a subsequent suspect, but most investigation in the second segment is done by the assistant DAs, who always consult with the District Attorney for advice on the case.

The format includes not delving too much into the private lives of the recurring characters. Some personal information is given, but it is usually incidental, such as conversation that goes on during the course of an episode. In contrast to many other detective shows (Perry Mason and Matlock, for example), the protagonists of Law & Order do not always win their cases; episodes frequently finish without full resolution. Sometimes the true facts of the crime are left ambiguous to the audience. Sometimes the case against the offender is won, but justice still seems lacking. Often the viewer identifies with the defendant and wonders whether punishment under the law is even appropriate. For example, in the first-season episode "Subterranean Homeboy Blues", a woman shoots 2 black teenagers, who she claims were going to attack her. In a 1990 episode, "The Reaper's Helper", an HIV-positive man is found dead and it is revealed that he asked a friend to kill him, to avoid developing full-blown AIDS. At the time, there were few effective treatments for HIV infection.

Another show staple usually occurs during either a confession to police or at trial, or a 'rationalization' by the defendant's actions at trial, guilt notwithstanding. The dramatic moment, sometimes jerking tears and pulling heartstrings, is always accompanied by dramatic music, building to a point. Whether it is given as an account of the crime by a witness or a trial confession by the defendant, it drives home the raw humanity of the event, sometimes drawing sympathy for the defendant.

**wikipedia.org

supernatural

Supernatural is an American paranormal drama television series, filmed in Canada, that debuted on September 13 2005 on the WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup, where the second season premiered on September 28 2006, and the third season is set to premiere on October 4 2007.

The show follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, who travel across the country in a black 1967 Chevy Impala investigating and combatting paranormal events and other unexplained occurrences, many of them based on American urban legends and folklore as well as classic supernatural creatures such as vampires, werewolves and ghosts.

Eric Kripke cites Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and American Gods as influences on Supernatural, along with Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey.

On May 15, 2007 Supernatural was officially renewed for a full third season of 22 episodes.


SEASON 1

When Sam Winchester was an infant and his brother Dean was only four years old, their mother, Mary, was murdered on November 2, 1983 (All Souls' Day). Her husband, John, saw blood dripping onto Sam's cradle, looked up, and found his wife pinned to the ceiling, her midsection sliced open. A moment later, she burst into flames. John told Dean to take baby Sam outside and tried to make a desperate and futile attempt to save his wife while the house was consumed by flames.

After a psychic told John that something of the supernatural was responsible for Mary's death, he became obsessed with finding and destroying the thing that killed his wife and in the process trained his sons to recognize and defend themselves against paranormal entities. At a young age, both Sam and Dean became resourceful sleuths and experienced fighters assisting their father in his quest to destroy dangerous creatures and find the demon that had killed their mother. However, Sam rebelled against the lifestyle his father chose for him, eventually having a falling out with his father and leaving to live a "normal" life. He attended Stanford University on a full scholarship and lived with his girlfriend, Jessica Moore, in an apartment near campus. But when Dean, after two years of estrangement, appears one night on Sam's doorstep during the autumn of his senior year, bearing the news that their father has gone missing while on a "hunting trip". Sam reluctantly agrees to help Dean in the search.

The brothers trace John to Jericho, California, where they find more clues about their father's possible location and help solve the ghost murder mystery their father had been working on before he disappeared. After all was said and done however and John was yet to be found, Sam declines his brother's invitation to continue the search and conduct more hunts, opting instead to return to his life with Jessica. Unfortunately, shortly after arriving back in his apartment, he finds her pinned to the bedroom ceiling, bleeding from the abdomen. As Sam watches helplessly she bursts into flames and dies in the same manner as his mother, twenty-two years to the day afterwards. Dean rescues his brother from the burning apartment, and the bereaved Sam decides to join Dean in the search for their father who may have answers about the demon who killed his mother and his girlfriend. In Dean's 1967 Chevy Impala, the Winchester brothers pick up John's trail, traveling the back roads and small towns of the continental United States in the process.

Eventually the brothers locate their father, and he reveals the extent of his knowledge of the demon that killed Mary, and his intention to kill it. At first he opposes the boys' involvement because he fears losing them, but eventually he yields. Together, the Winchesters search for a special weapon: The Colt, which was created during the Alamo and Halley's Comet for a demon hunter, and has the ability to destroy any being with one bullet. All three Winchesters, after recovering the Colt from a band of vampires, band together and start to hunt the demon in earnest. However, due to a series of catastrophic events (beginning with John's capture), they are eventually overpowered by the demon, who, while possessing John, nearly tortures Dean to death before Sam is able to free himself and shoot it in the leg with the Colt. Sam tries to rush Dean and John to the hospital, but a demon possessed truck driver plows into the Impala, totaling it and leaving all three Winchesters incapacitated.

SEASON 2

At the beginning of season two, the trio are rescued via MEDEVAC and taken to the hospital, but due to his extended injures caused by both the demon's torture and the car accident, Dean is comatose. John summons the demon to make a deal and trades the gun and his own life for Dean's.

Both Dean and Sam struggle to cope with John's death while trying to continue their job. As they continue to hunt any supernatural spirit they find, they come across many people that share the same story as Sam, a mother who mysteriously dies in their nurseries when they were 6 months old. These "special children" each discovered recently that they have some sort of psychic power. In the light of these revelations, Dean reveals to Sam that their father (just before giving his life to the demon) had told Dean he had to save Sam or be forced to kill him. Various revelations occur throughout the rest of the season that lead the pair to believe these psychics are being trained to participate in an army that the demon will lead in a coming apocalypse.

After several months of "by-the-book" jobs, Sam disappears while ordering food at a diner. He awakens in a ghost town with four other psychics, two of whom he had met in prior episodes (Ava from Hunted and Andy from Simon Said). There, in a dream, the demon reveals to Sam he has brought all of them to the town to compete against one another and the winner (the only one left alive) would become the leader of the demon's army, which the demon was still working to assemble. The two innocent psychics are killed, before Ava (who has killed Andy by summoning a murderous demon) is revealed to be a demonic familiar herself. Jake, an Army soldier who claims he was abducted from Afghanistan, kills Ava by snapping her neck after taking her by surprise. Dean has been frantically trying to locate his brother, discovering the Roadhouse has been burned to the ground, leaving Ash dead and Ellen missing. With the help of Andy, who can "beam information" directly into people's brains, Bobby discerns where Sam and the others are (a haunted ghost town in rural, fictional "Cold Oak, South Dakota"). Upon their arrival, Dean and Bobby watch in horror as Sam is stabbed in the back by the only other survivor, Jake. Sam dies in Dean's arms.

In the season finale, Dean, distraught and unable to cope with the loss of his brother, believes that he has let Sam down. His mind made up, Dean sets off without Bobby, leaving Sam's body behind. He makes a deal with the demon at the crossroads, his soul for Sam's. The demon agrees and brings Sam back from the dead. However, she tells Dean that she will only give him one more year to live, and if he tries in any way to prevent his death, Sam will drop dead on the spot. When Dean returns, he finds his brother alive and well and unaware of all that has happened. After everything Dean went through knowing that his father had died for him, he wants to protect Sam and decides not to tell his brother that Jake had killed him.

Ellen, who was away when the roadhouse burned down, finds Bobby, Dean, and Sam and shows them a map that Ash had prepared just before his death. They discover that an elaborate gate was constructed by Samuel Colt to bar an entrance from hell. The demon tells Jake that he must open the gate and that the colt is the key. The whole group arrives to stop Jake, who is beyond surprised to see Sam and insists that he killed him. Jake gets the gate open but is shot to death by Sam.

The demon returns and taunts Dean with the possibility that the Sam that Dean has had resurrected may not be "one hundred percent pure Sam." He then attempts to kill Dean. However, John Winchester, who has escaped from hell, manages to save his son. Dean shoots and kills the demon with the last remaining bullet in The Colt, and John's soul departs, no longer condemned to hell. Bobby and Ellen are able to close the gate, but not before hundreds of souls and demons escape. Sam is suspicious and wants to know why Jake insisted that he had killed him. Dean is then forced to reveal the deal he had made at the crossroads, and Sam, who is upset over the sacrifice Dean has made, promises to save him.

**wikipedia.org

brothers and sisters

Brothers & Sisters is an American Emmy Award-nominated television drama series, centered around the California-based Walker family and their lives. The show premiered on ABC on September 24, 2006 after Desperate Housewives and airs Sundays at 10 P.M. The acting ensemble includes two-time Oscar-winning actress Sally Field, Golden Globe-winning actress Calista Flockhart and Emmy-nominated and Oscar-nominated actress Rachel Griffiths.

On March 21, 2007, it was announced that ABC had renewed Brothers & Sisters for a second season.


SEASON 1

Episode 1: Patriarchy Original Air Date: 24 September 2006

Kitty Walker returns home to California after having been estranged from her mother for three years. Meanwhile, William Walker brings Sarah into the family business, where she soon discovers some glaring financial discrepancies that could undermine the Walker family's way of life.


Episode 2: An Act of Will Original Air Date: 1 October 2006

After William's burial, secrets come to light: Sarah informs Tommy and Saul that Ojai Foods is in financial troubles and Justin finds out about his father's affair with the mysterious Holly Harper... Kitty starts her job at Red, White & Blue.


Episode 3: Affairs of State Original Air Date: 8 October 2006

Kitty and Warren continue to argue but end up in bed. Tommy and Sarah are at odds at Ojai Foods as Jonathan surprises Kitty in Los Angeles. At a Walker pool party Nora stuns the family and a shocked Holly that she knew about William's affair.


Episode 4: Family Portrait Original Air Date: 15 October 2006

Sarah and Joe both face a big challenge when they discover that something may be wrong with their daughter, Paige. Kitty finds herself torn between two men, Justin begins his new job, Kevin gets jealous after seeing Scotty with another guy, and Nora suspects that Saul has feelings for Holly.


Episode 5: Date Night Original Air Date: 22 October 2006

In an effort to move on from her husband's death, Nora goes on a date with David Morton - the carpenter, but things don't go quite as well as she had planned when they bump into Saul having dinner with Holly. Kitty decides to go on a very awkward double-date with Jonathan, Warren and intern Amber, and Kevin connects with Scotty on their date together. Elsewhere, Sarah is finding it difficult to deal with Paige's diabetes injections but Justin helps her overcome her fears.


Episode 6: For the Children Original Air Date: 29 October 2006

The Walker children all plot to get out of attending the yearly benefit Nora forces them to go to every year, with the excuse that the company can't afford the table. But Nora still guilt trips Sarah into writing a check for 35,000 dollars by telling her it's her one chance a year to have a perfect family night. Tommy finds that he is sterile - a devastating blow because he and Julia are trying to get pregnant. Joe accidentally lets it slip to Nora that the company is in trouble, and Nora goes on a mission to get information. Kitty asks Warren to go as her platonic date to the benefit, but he says he is seeing someone. Kevin asks Scotty to attend with him, but Scotty is working the event as a waiter and a fight ensues when Kevin offers to pay for him to attend instead. Justin asks his boss Tyler to attend with him but forgets to tell her to wear black. Sarah finally tells Kitty how bad the problems with the company are.


Episode 7: Northern Exposure Original Air Date: 5 November 2006

Needing the cash to help the business survive, the family decides to sell its ranch house. Nora sees this as a perfect opportunity for a final family get-together in a place of so many fond memories; the family disagrees.


Episode 8: Mistakes Were Made: Part 1 Original Air Date: 12 November 2006

Justin gets a letter from the US military requesting that he go back to Afghanistan. His resolve to stay clean is shaken by the letter which eventually leads him to overdose after getting fired by Tyler and the ending of their relationship. Kevin tries his hardest to win back Scotty but he keeps getting it wrong. Elsewhere, Nora prepares for a date with David and Sarah uncovers some shocking information which leads to the breaking of the password on William's locked accounts.


Episode 9: Mistakes Were Made: Part 2 Original Air Date: 19 November 2006

Nora continues to reminisce about the days immediately following 911 while Justin recovers from his OD. Kitty attempts to use influence with a Senator to get Justin out of the army. Tommy, Sarah and Kevin road trip to the Nevada desert to check on a piece of land that their father owned.


Episode 10: Light the Lights Original Air Date: 10 December 2006

Sarah, Tommy and Saul discover that Holly owns 1/3 of the Nevada land. They attempt to undermine her and buy her out for far less than the actual value of the property. Paige is concerned that God has not heard her prayers and cured her diabetes and thinks that getting in touch with her Jewish heritage might help. Nora goes overboard in teaching the young girl about Judaism and Hannukah. Witt offers Kitty a show revolving around her and tells her of his plans to phase Warren out. She considers accepting the Senator's job offer. Kevin represents Justin at a hearing attempting to get Justin a 3 month stay before reporting for duty.


Episode 11: Family Day Original Air Date: 7 January 2007

Holly - now a shareholder at Ojai Foods - tells Saul, Sarah and Tommy that she wants an office and a job. They are reluctant to do so but relent when Holly tells them she will sell her stock to competitors if they do not give in to her demand. Not to be undone, Nora comes to work as well. Sarah and Tommy decide to put the two together in one office. Holly proposes that Ojai buy a vineyard and start making wine. Kitty is still considering the job offer from Senator McCallister despite Kevin's opposition because of the Senator's stand on gay marriages. Sarah catches Gabe sneaking vodka out of the house and she and Joe disagree on how to handle the situation. Kitty eventually accepts the job from the Senator. Justin meanwhile is in rehab and all of these conflicts and frustrations pour out at Justin's group family therapy session.


Episode 12: Sexual Politics Original Air Date: 14 January 2007

Kitty contacts a dating service when everyone on the Senator's staff think she and McCallister are an item. Kevin meets an actor at the gym and the two really hit it off but confusion sets in when he tells Kevin he's not gay... but all the signals are saying he is. Sarah and Joe try to have a fun night out to put some laughter back in their marriage but parenthood calls. Julia's pregnancy makes her very easily aroused and Tommy, though delighted at first, soon begins having a difficult time keeping up with her. Nora tries Kitty's dating service as well and the results for both women have them deciding to swear off men and dating.


Episode 13: Something Ida This Way Comes Original Air Date: 21 January 2007

The family plans to throw Nora a surprise 60th birthday party but the surprise is on them when Nora and Saul's mother Ida arrives unannounced. The party will be a big bash with about 40 guests attending and lots of liquor but things start going wrong fast. Sarah, the chief planner comes down with the flu and is forced to delegate her responsibilities to Kevin, who doesn't want them. Tommy gets Justin out of rehab for the party but learns that in order for Justin to attend alcohol must be banned. Sarah had unknowingly ordered a Medieval theme instead of 'MidLevel' and her and Joe's sex tape makes an unwelcome debut at the party. Kitty asks the Senator to attend and he charms Nora and slowly begins making romantic headway with Kitty.


Episode 14: Valentine's Day Massacre Original Air Date: 11 February 2007

Nora has a Valentine's Day dinner with a friend and takes a risky ride that could land her in trouble. Kevin and Justin get back together with Scotty and Tyler. Whilst Senator McCallister and Kitty finaly act on there feelings for each other. Margot Kidder guest stars as Emily Craft.


Episode 15: Love Is Difficult Original Air Date: 18 February 2007

Some intel from the office staff may sway Kitty's vote about her future with Senator McCallister. Meanwhile, Sarah and Joe dive further into therapy (guest starring Joel Gray as Dr. Jude Bar-Shalom), and Tommy has a chance encounter with a distant relative that will change everything for the Walker family.


Episode 16: The Other Walker Original Air Date: 4 March 2007

News of William's and Holly's illegitimate daughter, Rebecca, shakes the Walker family to the core. Kevin causes an indirect coming-out for Chad, Justin breaks off with Tyler and a furious Holly declares war on Sarah and her family.


Episode 17: All in the Family Original Air Date: 1 April 2007

In an effort to restore life to normalcy, Nora invites her deceased husband's illegitimate daughter to a family dinner. Rebecca decides to go, much to her mother's shock. Kevin and Chad continue to have a roller-coaster relationship, which includes Kevin meeting with Chad's manager. Meanwhile, Senator McCallister introduces his kids to Kitty with some disastrous consequences.


Episode 18: Three Parties Original Air Date: 8 April 2007

Nora's romantic life takes an upturn when her troublemaking friend convinces her to take a chance with her professor. Meanwhile, Chad comes to terms with his sexuality at Kevin's expense and Justin steps up to protect his half-sister.


Episode 19: Game Night Original Air Date: 15 April 2007

The Walkers challenge their all-too-perfect lifelong nemesis family, the Jones, to a long overdue game night rematch and cautiously begin to embrace Rebecca as their sister. Meanwhile, Kitty soon regrets introducing Kevin to the Senator's brother.


Episode 20: Bad News Original Air Date: 29 April 2007

Sarah finds it very difficult to get past her husband's alleged indiscretions with another woman, and Kitty and Robert reach an impasse as the shock of the tragic accident sinks in.


Episode 21: Grapes of Wrath Original Air Date: 6 May 2007

A celebration of Tommy's new business venture turns to chaos, and Nora takes Holly to task when she gets just a bit too close.


Episode 22: Favorite Son Original Air Date: 13 May 2007

Tommy and Julia have to make a life and death decision for their newborn twins, while Sarah and Joe come to grips with the fate of their marriage, and an unlikely candidate helps Justin face his impending future as he prepares to leave his family to go off to war.


Episode 23: Matriarchy Original Air Date: 20 May 2007

As Justin counts the days and hours until his return to active duty in the army and readies himself to go to war, he reaches out to everyone in the family individually, trying to spend time with all of them. Nora plans an engagement party for Kitty, who announces her plans to move out of the house.

SEASON 2

Episode 1: Home Front Original Air Date: 30 September 2007

In the second season premiere, we return to the Walker family, who have a variety of different problems. Nora is now keeping a blog on Iraq. Meanwhile, a friend of Holly's flirts with Kevin, unaware that he's gay. Kitty is given advice on how to act now that she and the Senator are engaged.


Episode 2: An American Family Original Air Date: N/A

Justin returns home, seriously injured by an IED (bomb). The doctor informs Nora and Kitty that he'll never be the same, but Nora refuses to believe him. McCallister unhappily deals with Kitty putting her foot in her mouth. While on the way to the hospital, a police officer pulls them over for speeding but recognizes Kitty. Nora and Kevin pretend to be fellow proud Republicans so she lets them off with a warning. There is a military funeral for an unnamed soldier.


Episode 3: History Repeating Original Air Date: N/A

Justin has seriously injured his knee in the war. He tries to give a speech to his old high school, but ends up leaving abruptly, unable to go through with it. Kevin defends Scotty on a DUI claim (pro bono) and ends up getting it dismissed. Scotty asks Kevin out to dinner as a way of saying thanks. Julia has been diagnosed with cancer. Her parents arrive unexpectedly, and her father tells Tommy he's been neglecting Julia while he's off "playing winemaker." Though Tommy insists they are seeing the best specialists, her father remains unconvinced that it's enough--he says Julia calls them every night, sobbing.


Episode 4: States Of Union Original Air Date: N/A

Justin starts a speech at a local high school about his experience in Iraq, but walks off just as he starts. His refusal to take his medication worries Rebecca. Julia's parents arrive for an unannounced, prolonged visit. Tommy is torn between relief his wife is finally snapping out of her depression, and frustration that it's not because of him. Later, he takes a golf-loathing Saul with him to meet up with Julia's father. Despite Saul, the outing is a disaster; Ben rips into Tommy about his failure to help Julia's cancer. Tommy orders Ben to leave and Ben agrees to do so - but announces he's taking Julia with him.


Episode 5: Domestic Issues Original Air Date: N/A

It's Halloween. Kevin represents Sarah in her divorce proceedings with Joe. Because California is a community property state, assets are split evenly (meaning Joe gets half of Sarah's stock in Ojai). Everything seems to be going as planned but then Joe's lawyer throws down the gauntlet--Joe wants permanent majority custody of Paige and Cooper, Monday through Friday. Sarah is absolutely stunned (they had no prior notice of this demand); Kevin defends his sister against accusations that she is too overwhelmed with work and then quickly puts an end to the meeting. Later, we're at a courtroom hearing for temporary full custody. After Kevin notes that members of Sarah's extended family have all submitted letters concerning her parenting ability, the judge permits Sarah to make a personal statement. She tearfully says that she knows she's a good mother to both her children, and asks the judge to please not punish her for trying to both work and parent. The judge says he will contact the parties shortly with his decision. In other news, the entire family gathers in the Walker living room at night to watch McCallister debate his primary opponent. They discuss a litany of political issues, while the various Walkers react to the proceedings on TV. We learn that Kitty is pro-choice, but that Robert does not personally believe in abortion (due to religious beliefs) but thinks it should be left up to the states to decide. Robert takes heat for his allegedly liberal viewpoints, but he stands firm and tries to appeal to the center.

**wikipedia.org

life as we know it

Life As We Know It was an American television drama on the ABC network during the 2004-2005 season. It was created by Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah. The series was based on the novel Doing It by British writer Melvin Burgess.

Set at Woodrow Wilson High School in Seattle, Washington, Life As We Know Its lead was Dino Whitman (Sean Faris), a star ice hockey player. He had an uneasy relationship with his girlfriend, Jackie Bradford (Missy Peregrym), a soccer player. Jackie's best friend was Sue Miller (Jessica Lucas), a very competitive academic star. His best friends were Ben Connor (Jon Foster), who was carrying on an affair with a teacher, Monica Young (Marguerite Moreau); and Jonathan Fields (Chris Lowell), a nervous soul, especially about his girlfriend, Deborah Tynan (Kelly Osbourne). Jonathan was made even more nervous by Deborah's mother Mia (Sarah Strange), a nurse, sitting him down for a frank and graphic discussion about sex and its consequences.

Dino's parents' marriage fell apart after his mother had an affair with his hockey coach. His father, Michael, was played by D. B. Sweeney and his mother, Annie, was played by Lisa Darr. Coach Dave Scott was played by Martin Cummins.


CANCELLATION

It originally aired on Thursdays from 9 to 10 P.M., premiering on October 7, 2004. Pulled during November sweeps, the show was rerun on MTV to good ratings in November and December 2004 but ultimately was cancelled by ABC. The series, including two previously unaired episodes, was released on DVD in the United States in 2005.

Life As We Know It aired abroad after its American cancellation. In New Zealand, the show premiered in December 2005 on TV2, scheduled against America's Next Top Model. It replaced Veronica Mars, another American import, but was rescheduled after four episodes because of poor ratings. The remaining episodes were rescheduled from their prime-time slot (7:30pm Friday) to midnight Saturday morning then pushed back to 12:20am/12:25am Saturday morning as the episodes played out. As a final insult, the last two episodes were played in reverse order. TV2 repeated the series from the beginning during the third-quarter of 2006, just after midnight Thursday mornings, but again played the final two episodes in reverse order.
Life was also shown in the Philippines in the free cable channel Studio 23. While there were reruns after the initial showing, the last 2 DVD episodes weren't released. In Portugal it is shown on SIC Radical cable channel and is popular among teenagers and young adults. In Hong Kong, it is shown on TVB Pearl and in Asia, it is shown on STAR World.

Life was also shown in South Africa on M-Net (DStv Channel 3), a subscription funded channel. The show was broadcast in Prime Time and was incredibly popular. When the series 'ran out', M-Net received a large number of complaints from subscribers on their internet forums. Subsequently, the show was replayed in an 11:00 morning slot in early 2006. Life was also broadcast in 2005 on the M-Net Series channel (DStv Channel 36), a channel which is part of the DStv offering. This channel is broadcast via satellite to sub-Saharan Africa.

In Norway the show started airing in August 2006, but got cancelled after eight episodes. On December 5, 2006 the show began airing in Australia on the Seven Network at 10:30pm on Tuesday nights, around the beginning of the Summer non-ratings period. The Seven Network will run the series throughout the summer non-ratings period and show all 13 episodes. Currently it is allocated in the Friday 2:00am timeslot on channel 7. In Ireland RTE2 will show 2 episodes every Monday aprox. 2.30AM -started Jan 15, 2007. In Brazil the show was aired in Sony Entretainment Television at Tuesdays 7 p.m. during 2005.


**wikipedia.org

friday night lights

Friday Night Lights is an award winning American television serial drama adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book of the same name. The series details events surrounding the Dillon Panthers, a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas. The show uses a small-town backdrop to address many issues facing contemporary Middle America.

Produced by NBC Universal, Friday Night Lights initially received an order of 12 episodes and began airing on October 3, 2006 at 8:00pm on NBC. NBC increased this number on November 13, 2006 ordering a full season of 22 episodes. In addition to airing in the United States, the program is also broadcasted in Canada, The Philippines, Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, Iceland, Italy and the United Kingdom and is available from several online sources.

On May 10, 2007, NBC sources confirmed to TV Guide's Michael Ausiello that the network had renewed the show for a second season. This was confirmed by NBC on May 14, 2007 when it was announced that the show would change timeslots during the 2007/2008 season, airing, appropriately enough, on Friday nights at 10/9c. After a shakeup in NBC management the timeslot was adjusted so the show could air an hour earlier at 9/8c. Season 2 episodes are scheduled to begin airing on October 5, 2007.


PLOT

Friday Night Lights is the story of the Dillon Panthers, their Coach Eric Taylor and the fictional city of Dillon, TX, a town that lives and dies with every game their Panthers play. It is not a “sports show” in that the individual episodes tend to revolve around the personal lives of the Coach and his players and not around the actual playing of Football. Upcoming games are treated more like ever present specters in the background, influencing events while not being the focus of them.

Accordingly not every episode will show an actual game even though every game that is played by the Panthers is shown to some extent, often in cut scenes at the end of an episode.

The show puts special emphasis on dealing with social issues facing the various team members and their families. Episodes have addressed pertinent social issues such as infidelity, drug use, mental illness, racism, alcoholism and parental abandonment.

SEASON 1

Season one revolves around two main events, the ascension of Coach Eric Taylor to the position of head coach and the paralysis of star Quarterback Jason Street. These two events set off a chain reaction that leads the series through its first season, a season that largely revolves around a few basic themes.

The first of these themes is the overcoming of adversity. This is most evident in the juxtaposition of the team's new quarterback Matt Saracen and Jason Street who is now paralyzed from the waist down. Both these characters must struggle against seemingly insurmountable odds as Street learns to live without the use of his legs and Saracen must rise to be worthy of the position he has now inherited. Both struggle mightily against their respective challenges and their journeys largely parallel each other as each eventually conquers those challenges.

At the same time, a theme that repeats itself throughout the first season is the struggle Coach Taylor must face trying to balance the need to do the right thing with the need to appease a town whose hopes and dreams are inseparably intertwined with their high school football team. At several points Taylor must risk his team's success and consequently his job to do the right thing.

Finally, the first season's overarching theme is that even seemingly stereotypical people have unknown depth; once that depth is revealed people generally aren’t as different as they believe themselves to be. Nowhere is this made clearer than in one of the season’s most volatile relationships, that of “Smash” Williams with Tim Riggins. Williams is a driven athlete, obviously college bound, with a good family, while Riggins is an unfocused alcoholic with absentee parents and no prospects beyond high school. When the season opens both characters despise each other but as it progresses they become more and more dependent on each other eventually forming a friendship. In doing so they realize that they aren't as different as they had once thought.

Each character is touched in some way by this theme as most were introduced as stereotypes of a small Texas town in the Pilot. Gradually, as the season progressed, the audience began to see each character's depth and to discover the similarities among them.

**wikipedia.org