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Robot Chicken

Robot Chicken is an American adult stop motion-animated sketch comedy television series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The writers, most prominently Green, also provide many of the voices. Senreich, Douglas Goldstein, and Tom Root were formerly writers for the popular action figure hobbyist magazine ToyFare. Robot Chicken has won two Annie Awards and six Emmy Awards.

Production history

Robot Chicken was conceptually preceded by "Twisted ToyFare Theatre", a humorous photo comic strip appearing in ToyFare: The Toy Magazine. Matthew Senreich, an editor for ToyFare, got in touch with actor Seth Green when the former learned that the latter had made action figures of castmates from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and asked to photograph them. Months later, Green asked Senreich to collaborate on an animated short for Late Night with Conan O'Brien, featuring toy versions of himself and O'Brien. This led to the 12-episode stop-motion series Sweet J Presents on the Sony website Screenblast.com in 2001. Conan O'Brien is voiced by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane in the first episode ("Conan's Big Fun").

Continuing the concept of the web series, the show creators pitched Robot Chicken as a television series, the name being inspired by a dish on the menu at a West Hollywood Chinese restaurant, Kung Pao Bistro, where Green and Senreich had dined (other ideas for the series' name included Junk in the Trunk, The Deep End, and Toyz in the Attic; some of these would be reworked into episode titles for the first season.). Some television networks and sketch shows rejected the series, including Comedy Central, MADtv, Saturday Night Live, and even Cartoon Network. However, someone at that network passed the pitch along to its nighttime programming block, Adult Swim, around the same time that Seth MacFarlane (various voices, 2005–2022) told Green and Senreich to pitch the show to the channel. On February 20, 2005, the series premiered on Adult Swim.

The show was created, written, and produced by Green and Senreich and produced by ShadowMachine Films (Seasons 1–5) and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios in association with Stoop!d Monkey, Williams Street, Sony Pictures Digital (Seasons 1–5) and Sony Pictures Television (Seasons 6–10). The show mocks popular culture, referencing toys, movies, television, games, popular fads, and more obscure references like anime cartoons and older television programs, much in the same vein as comedy sketch shows like Saturday Night Live. It employs stop-motion animation of toys, action figures, claymation, and various other objects, such as tongue depressors, The Game of Life pegs, and popsicle sticks.

One particular motif involves the idea of fantastical characters being placed in a more realistic world or situation (such as Stretch Armstrong requiring a corn syrup transplant after losing his abilities because of aging, Optimus Prime performing a prostate cancer PSA for the humans, and Godzilla having problems in the bedroom). The program aired a 30-minute episode dedicated to Star Wars that premiered June 17, 2007, in the US, featuring the voices of Star Wars notables George Lucas, Mark Hamill (from a previous episode), Billy Dee Williams, and Ahmed Best. The Star Wars episode was nominated for a 2008 Emmy Award as Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour).

The series was renewed for a 20-episode third season, which ran from August 12, 2007, to October 5, 2008. After an eight-month hiatus during the third season, the show returned on September 7, 2008, to air the remaining 5 episodes. The series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on December 7, 2008, and ended on December 6, 2009. In early 2010, the show was renewed for a fifth and sixth season (40 more episodes total). Season five premiered on December 12, 2010. The second group of episodes began broadcasting on October 23, 2011. The 100th episode aired on January 15, 2012. In May 2012, Adult Swim announced they were picking up a sixth season of Robot Chicken, which began airing in September 2012. The seventh season premiered on April 13, 2014. Season eight premiered on October 25, 2015. Season nine premiered on December 10, 2017. Season 10 premiered on September 29, 2019, containing the 200th episode. Season 11 premiered on September 6, 2021.

Following the 2020 cancellation of The Venture Bros., it became Adult Swim's longest running series, until it was surpassed by Aqua Teen Hunger Force after its renewal in 2023.

Despite not having released new episodes since 2022, Matthew Senreich claims that Robot Chicken is "still going".

Format

The sketch series has an iconic opening sequence involving a mad scientist and a chicken set to theme music by Les Claypool of Primus. On a dark and stormy night, the scientist finds a chicken that has been the victim of roadkill, and takes it back to his laboratory to refashion into a cyborg. Midway through the opening sequence, the titular chicken turns his laser eye towards the camera and the title appears, just as Les Claypool cries (a line from Frankenstein), "It's alive!" The Mad Scientist then straps the re-animated Robot Chicken into a chair, uses calipers to hold his eyes open and forces him to watch a grid of television monitors showing different content (akin to imagery from A Clockwork Orange). The sketches are interspersed with static, resembling the act of channel surfing.

While the sketches lampoon various aspects of pop culture quite randomly, they frequently parody DC Comics superheroes as well as many other franchises. Original characters include the Nerd, the Humping Robot, and the show's creators as themselves (often facing potential cancellation at the end of a season), as well as the Mad Scientist and the Robot Chicken.

Alternate opening sequences and related sketches
In the episode "1987", Michael Ian Black claims in the "Best Robot Chicken Ever" sketch that the opening sequence tells the viewers that they are the chicken, being forced to watch the skits. The frame story of the Robot Chicken and the Mad Scientist would not continue beyond the opening sequence until the 100th episode, entitled "Fight Club Paradise", when the chicken finally makes his escape and later kills the Mad Scientist when he takes his hen wife in response, fighting and killing several characters from previous skits (most of them being implied to be the Mad Scientist's henchmen) in the process.

Beginning in the sixth season (after the events of the show's 100th episode), the opening sequence features a role reversal. The Robot Chicken comes upon the body of the Mad Scientist, which has been decapitated. He turns him into a cyborg with a laser eye (this time blue instead of red, reflected by a title background color change). The chicken then straps the scientist to the same chair he was strapped to and forces him to watch the same TV monitors while the chicken and his wife share a kiss. In the seventh-season episode "Chipotle Miserables", the Mad Scientist's son rips out his father's remaining eye to open a door controlled by an optical biometric reader, then creates a posse of reanimated cyborg animals, as well as a cyborg homeless person. The posse then proceeds to kidnap all five then-living US presidents: Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. The Robot Chicken and the now-reformed Mad Scientist team up to rescue the presidents, after which, the Mad Scientist punishes his son by forcing him to watch the TV monitors and the Robot Chicken flies away, free.

Beginning in the eighth season, a new opening sequence features the Robot Chicken frozen in a block of ice under snow, being uncovered by robots. Taken to a futuristic laboratory, the Robot Chicken is taken out of suspended animation by a masked scientist, revealed to be a descendant of the Mad Scientist who first reanimated the Robot Chicken. The descendant mad scientist then proceeds to force the Robot Chicken to watch a wall of projected images with different shows. In an extended version (seen in the season 8 episode "Garbage Sushi" and the season 9 episode "3 2 1 2 333, 222, 3...66?"), the sequence begins with a destroyed Statue of Liberty buried in snow (a reference to Planet of the Apes) when two drones are flying together until one scans the frozen Robot Chicken.

In the ninth-season finale, the Nerd dies from a cliff-jump stunt in an attempt to get the show renewed. Beginning in the tenth season, a new opening sequence features the Nerd being turned into a cyborg by both the Robot Chicken and the Mad Scientist and being forced to watch the skits while they high five. The letters "TEN" in the title are highlighted to mark the show reaching ten seasons. In the 200th episode, as the title is shown, David Lynch shouts "Robot Chicken!" in an off-screen voice.

In the eleventh season, a new opening sequence features the Mad Scientist launching the Robot Chicken off a space station in a capsule. The capsule then crashes on the ground where the Robot Chicken meets another cyborg chicken, only in an elderly state (alluding to 2001: A Space Odyssey). The monolith-shaped TVs in the house show a baby Robot Chicken floating through space. Starting with the episode "May Cause a Whole Lotta Scabs", an extended version (set in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio) begins with a tribe of hominids watching the skits on the TVs while a hominid version of the Nerd bites a remote control to turn on the TV monitors. Suddenly, a hominid tries to take the remote, but the hominid Nerd kills it and gets the remote back, segueing into the opening sequence.

Characters
While Robot Chicken uses a variety of notable people and fictional characters in its sketches, it also has original characters created exclusively for the show.
 * Robot Chicken (vocal effects provided by Seth Green) is the show's titular character (although his name is only simply as the "Chicken" according to a maid in the 100th episode). He is a cyborg chicken with a red laser eye. First seen as a roadkill chicken on Highway 9W while he originally lived on Old Man McLauchlin's farm, the Mad Scientist revives him as a cyborg and experiments on him by forcing him to watch sketches on numerous TV monitors. In the 100th episode, he gets freed by a maid and later kills his creator after he kidnaps his wife. He later revives the Mad Scientist as a cyborg and reverses the roles, forcing him to watch sketches.
 * Cluckerella (vocal effects provided by Seth Green) is the Robot Chicken's wife. She wears a dress and has blonde hair and red lipstick. She gets kidnapped by the Mad Scientist during the 100th episode, causing the Robot Chicken to go to the lab and kill him to rescue her. In the season 7 finale, it is revealed that Cluckerella has left him.
 * The Mad Scientist (voiced by Les Claypool for the laughter and line in the opening and David Lynch for the speaking voice from season 10 onwards) is a scientist who revived the Robot Chicken. He has wild white hair and a diabolical grin. His real name is revealed to be Fritz Huhnmörder (German for "chicken murderer") in the season 3 episode "Werewolf vs. Unicorn". He was killed by the Robot Chicken after the events of the 100th episode only for him to be revived as a cyborg in the sixth season's opening sequence. The Robot Chicken then gets his revenge by forcing the Mad Scientist to watch the same sketches that he had been previously forced to watch. In the season 10 episode "Fila Ogden in: Maggie's Got a Full Load" with the Saturday Night Live-styled opening, the Mad Scientist's nickname is Rick Sanchez, named after another Adult Swim mad scientist character due to his resemblance to the same character. He actually has five kids, in which they include his crazed son, a teenage daughter who is goth, an eight-year-old daughter, and infant twins: a boy named Damien, and a girl named Rhiannon. Additionally, he also has a wife named Kathrine. It also reveals that the Mad Scientist's birthday is on January 21.
 * Mad Scientist's Son (voiced by Zachary Levi) is the Mad Scientist's 32-year-old twisted son, who steals his cyborg-making tools as part of a plot to kidnap all living US presidents for ransom. However, he ends up being defeated by the Robot Chicken and the Mad Scientist, who then forces him to watch the sketches as punishment. According to the script of the season 7 finale, his real name is revealed to be Tony Huhnmörder-Anderson.
 * The Nerd (voiced by Seth Green) is a 26-year-old nerdy man (although that's debatable since he still goes to high school and lives with his parents) with square-framed glasses who lisps. He appears in many episodes and often ends up in wild situations in famous media. Although his name was mentioned as "Gary" in the season 1 episode "Joint Point", recent Adult Swim commercials for some later episodes give his name as "Arthur Kensington, Jr.". He dies in the season 9 finale only for him to get revived as a cyborg in the tenth season's opening sequence. Despite his transformation into a cyborg, sometime in between the season 10 finale and the season 11 premiere, he was finally restored to normal.
 * Bitch Pudding (voiced by Katee Sackhoff) is a fictitious addition to the Strawberry Shortcake universe. Bitch Pudding is a foul-mouthed, crass and violent 18-year-old woman and a former resident of Pastryville who has a penchant for insulting, tormenting, and sometimes even killing others. In her debut appearance in the season 4 episode "P.S. Yes, in That Way", she seems to be 8 years old for early episodes, but in later episodes to show her as a young adult when she gets a growth spurt. In season 7, she became the first of the series' recurring characters to have their own first single storyline special, titled the "Bitch Pudding Special".
 * Unicorn (voiced by George Lowe) is a white homosexual unicorn who is a complete pervert. In his debut appearance in the season 2 episode "Suck It", he appears before the Nerd, who had just daydreamed about unicorns being real. When his magic horn is polished, it gives "magical unicorn mayonnaise".
 * Mo-Larr: Eternian Dentist (voiced by Michael Ian Black) is a fictional addition to the cast for the show's Masters of the Universe parodies. Mo-Larr is the resident dentist of Eternia. He is willing to resort to drastic measures in order to perform his dental work on unwilling patients such as Skeletor, even going so far as to ensnare Beast Man in dental floss and stick a dental drill into Grizzlor's eye. His real name is revealed to be Moe Larrstein in the season 5 episode "Terms of Endaredevil".
 * Composite Santa Claus (voiced by Christian Slater) is a genocidal monster who is half Santa Claus, half snowman, and is based on Composite Superman. In the season 4 episode "In a DVD Factory", his backstory is revealed: he was created by a diabolical scientist from the combined DNA of Santa and Frosty the Snowman. After he awakens, he shoots the scientist and his two assistants with an automatic rifle, killing the latter two, and goes on a rampage, waging war on all non-Gentile religions. Whenever he is defeated, he refers to the method or substance used as his "only weakness".
 * Little Drummer Boy (voiced by Seth Green) is an anime-style drummer whose drums can summon demons when beaten.
 * Humping Robot is a mute robot looking for love, who is first seen humping a washing machine in the season 1 episode "Atta Toy". He has also been seen humping church bells, jukeboxes, and slot machines, among other metallic objects. In the season 3 episode "Werewolf vs. Unicorn", he is revealed to be a father of his unknown robotic family, according to the gravestone of him.
 * Sunshine Cowboy is a mute cowboy in a summer vacation outfit that is shot every time he appears on screen.
 * Pablo Rodríguez is a mute Mexican test pilot who is rebuilt into a cyborg after hitting a cactus while riding a donkey in Mexico, which happened when he made a dynamic leap over a border fence. He is nicknamed "The Six Million Peso Man", a parody of The Six Million Dollar Man.
 * MC Broccoli (voiced by Breckin Meyer) is an anthropomorphic broccoli who is a rapper.
 * Daniel a.k.a. "Gyro-Robo" (voiced by Seth Green) is a negative-minded teenage nerd who hosts a web series (entitled the "Gyro-Robo News Hour") where he complains about inaccuracies in media – and not even Robot Chicken is immune from his criticism. He masturbates frequently and is often targeted by the local bully, Munson.
 * Munson (voiced by Breckin Meyer) is a jerkish teenager who bullies nerds, especially Daniel.
 * Gary the Stormtrooper (voiced by Donald Faison) is a fictional addition to the cast for the show's Star Wars parodies. Gary is a clumsy, bit incompetent and well-meaning 29-year-old stormtrooper who usually messes things up due to his clumsiness. Despite that, he is able to make his work right. In the special Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II, he is revealed to be a married family man who lives with his wife Beverly (voiced by Rachael Leigh Cook) and his young daughter Jessica (voiced by Adrianne Palicki), who according to his wife, hardly ever sees him due to his work; but is making efforts to be involved more in her life. In the special Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III, it is also revealed that his family lives on Alderaan.
 * Aliens (voiced by Seth Green, Breckin Meyer, Adam Talbott, Mark Hamill, Patrick Pinney, and Patrick Stewart) are a race of wacky grey aliens who have a tendency to bungle their plans and efforts, usually resulting in them letting out a frustrated scream of "Dammit, dammit, dammit!"
 * Bloopers Host (voiced by Jamie Kaler) is the host of the "Bloopers!" sketches, which parodies the early years of America's Funniest Home Videos, substituting home videos for humorous television and film outtakes (although home videos have been shown on two occasions, the latter of which are from his own life). At the end of almost every sketch he appears in, he commits suicide in various ways, including hanging himself, swallowing whiskey and pills, putting a toaster in a bathtub, and suffocating himself with a plastic bag.
 * Gummy Bear (voiced by Michelle Trachtenberg) is an anthropomorphic gummy bear who is doomed to scream in pain from stepping on a bear trap. In her debut appearance in the season 3 episode "Tapping a Hero", she doesn't mind the taste of her own leg after she bites it off to free herself only to step on another bear trap again.
 * Creature (voiced by Breckin Meyer and Seth Green) is a parody of the character of the same name from Creature from the Black Lagoon. In his debut appearance in the season 4 episode "We Are a Humble Factory", he attempts to make his own cereal after learning about Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry but it fails.

Main cast
Main and major recurring actors / writers are:

 * Jordan Allen-Dutton
 * Candace Bailey
 * Carlee Baker
 * Abraham Benrubi
 * Rachel Bloom
 * Alex Borstein
 * Leah Ann Cevoli
 * Rachael Leigh Cook
 * Dave Coulier
 * Hugh Davidson
 * Mikey Day
 * Madison Dylan
 * Eden Espinosa
 * Donald Faison
 * Shelby Fero
 * Tamara Garfield
 * Sarah Michelle Gellar
 * Doug Goldstein
 * Ginnifer Goodwin
 * Melissa Goodwin Shepherd
 * Clare Grant
 * Seth Green
 * Jim Hanks
 * Jamie Kaler
 * Mila Kunis
 * Jordan Ladd
 * Jamie Loftus
 * Seth MacFarlane
 * Breckin Meyer
 * Dan Milano
 * Chad Morgan
 * Tom Root
 * Katee Sackhoff
 * Matthew Senreich
 * Tom Sheppard
 * Kevin Shinick
 * Adam Talbott
 * Erik Weiner
 * Zeb Wells
 * Victor Yerrid

Celebrity guest stars
Among those celebrities that have contributed to this show are:

 * Scott Adsit
 * Malin Akerman
 * Jason Alexander
 * Laz Alonso
 * Utkarsh Ambudkar
 * Genevieve Angelson
 * Gillian Anderson
 * Eric Andre
 * Fred Armisen
 * Sean Astin
 * Kevin Bacon
 * Elizabeth Banks
 * Jonathan Banks
 * Jessica Barden
 * Dante Basco
 * Brec Bassinger
 * Sean Bean
 * Stephanie Beatriz
 * Samantha Bee
 * Zazie Beetz
 * Drake Bell
 * Kristen Bell
 * Lake Bell
 * Melissa Benoist
 * Paris Berelc
 * Jon Bernthal
 * Ahmed Best
 * Leslie Bibb
 * Wayne Brady
 * Jordana Brewster
 * Alison Brie
 * Christie Brinkley
 * Clancy Brown
 * Sterling K. Brown
 * Eugene Byrd
 * Sarah Callies
 * Anna Camp
 * Bruce Campbell
 * Bobby Cannavale
 * Linda Cardellini
 * D'Arcy Carden
 * Jennifer Carpenter
 * Aya Cash
 * David Castañeda
 * Tom Cavanagh
 * Lacey Chabert
 * Sarah Chalke
 * Kyle Chandler
 * Michael Chiklis
 * Emmanuelle Chriqui
 * Cree Cicchino
 * Emilia Clarke
 * Jemaine Clement
 * Sian Clifford
 * Lauren Cohan
 * Rob Corddry
 * Abbie Cornish
 * David Costabile
 * Bryan Cranston
 * Chace Crawford
 * Affion Crockett
 * Jon Cryer
 * Macaulay Culkin
 * Kieran Culkin
 * Brett Dalton
 * Hugh Dancy
 * Anthony Daniels
 * Keith David
 * Chelsea Davison
 * Rosario Dawson
 * Felicia Day
 * Alexis Denisof
 * Kat Dennings
 * Deirdre Devlin
 * Chris Diamantopoulos
 * Johnny Doran
 * Clark Duke
 * John Early
 * Ashley Eckstein
 * Sam Elliott
 * Tom Ellis
 * Chris Evans
 * Luke Evans
 * Elle Fanning
 * David Faustino
 * Lynn Favin
 * Jon Favreau
 * Nat Faxon
 * Barbie Ferreira
 * Jennifer Field
 * Nathan Fillion
 * Jordan Fisher
 * Chrissie Fit
 * Dan Fogler
 * Dave Foley
 * Ben Foster
 * Midori Francis
 * Martin Freeman
 * Will Friedle
 * Karen Fukuhara
 * Brittany Furlan
 * Ralph Garman
 * Julia Garner
 * Karen Gillan
 * Elizabeth Gillies
 * Betty Gilpin
 * Nikki Glaser
 * Ayla Glass
 * Donald Glover
 * Whoopi Goldberg
 * Brett Goldstein
 * Ginger Gonzaga
 * Topher Grace
 * Kat Graham
 * Spencer Grammer
 * Judy Greer
 * Greg Grunberg
 * Carla Gugino
 * Anna Gunn
 * Sean Gunn
 * Danai Gurira
 * Meredith Hagner
 * Kathryn Hahn
 * Alison Haislip
 * Mark Hamill
 * Jon Hamm
 * Doc Hammer
 * Emily Hampshire
 * Colin Hanks
 * Alyson Hannigan
 * Tunisia Hardison
 * Chris Hardwick
 * Jared Harris
 * Neil Patrick Harris
 * Melissa Joan Hart
 * Justin Hartley
 * David Hasselhoff
 * Ethan Hawke
 * Jon Heder
 * Tricia Helfer
 * Christina Hendricks
 * Larry Herron
 * Tom Hiddleston
 * Megan Hilty
 * Michael Hogan
 * Boyd Holbrook
 * Tom Hollander
 * Anders Holm
 * Tom Hopper
 * Nicholas Hoult
 * Kelly Hu
 * Madison Hu
 * Vanessa Hudgens
 * Ernie Hudson
 * Sarah Hyland
 * Jason Isaacs
 * Christopher Jackson
 * Gillian Jacobs
 * Lennie James
 * Jameela Jamil
 * Allison Janney
 * Ken Jeong
 * Scarlett Johansson
 * Rashida Jones
 * Chelsea Kane
 * Sung Kang
 * Robert Kazinsky
 * Echo Kellum
 * Minka Kelly
 * Ellie Kemper
 * Keegan-Michael Key
 * Taran Killam
 * Jaime King
 * Chandler Kinney
 * Wayne Knight
 * Christine Ko
 * John Krasinski
 * Diane Kruger
 * Ashton Kutcher
 * Sam Kwasman
 * Elizabeth Lail
 * J. Lee
 * Ki Hong Lee
 * Peyton Elizabeth Lee
 * Thomas Lennon
 * Zachary Levi
 * Matthew Lillard
 * Andrew Lincoln
 * Peyton List
 * Christopher Lloyd
 * Joe Lo Truglio
 * Lisa Loeb
 * Caity Lotz
 * Whitney Loveall
 * Camilla Luddington
 * Justine Lupe
 * David Lynch
 * Jane Lynch
 * Ralph Macchio
 * Lee Majors
 * Ally Maki
 * Howie Mandel
 * Jason Mantzoukas
 * William Mapother
 * Kate Mara
 * Ross Marquand
 * James Marsden
 * Tatiana Maslany
 * Anndi McAfee
 * Melissa McBride
 * Josh McDermitt
 * Malcolm McDowell
 * Harmony McElligott
 * John C. McGinley
 * Joel McHale
 * Stephen Merchant
 * Chris Messina
 * RJ Mitte
 * Katy Mixon
 * Alfred Molina
 * Toby Leonard Moore
 * Jeffrey Dean Morgan
 * Annie Murphy
 * Isaiah Mustafa
 * Leonardo Nam
 * Kayvan Novak
 * Conan O'Brien
 * Sophie Oda
 * Sandra Oh
 * Masi Oka
 * John Oliver
 * Olivia Olson
 * Okieriete Onaodowan
 * Timothy Omundson
 * Haley Joel Osment
 * Patton Oswalt
 * David Oyelowo
 * Lee Pace
 * Natalie Palamides
 * Adrianne Palicki
 * Keke Palmer
 * Hayden Panettiere
 * Jessica Pare
 * Randall Park
 * Chris Parnell
 * Aaron Paul
 * Josh Peck
 * Jordan Peele
 * Simon Pegg
 * Tahmoh Penikett
 * Ron Perlman
 * Jay Pharoah
 * Ryan Phillippe
 * Chris Pine
 * Scott Porter
 * Parker Posey
 * Glen Powell
 * Freddie Prinze Jr.
 * Danny Pudi
 * Zachary Quinto
 * Daniel Radcliffe
 * Efren Ramirez
 * Emmy Raver-Lampman
 * Norman Reedus
 * Jeremy Renner
 * Paul Reubens
 * Giovanni Ribisi
 * Andy Richter
 * Chandler Riggs
 * Jason Ritter
 * Krysten Ritter
 * Phoebe Robinson
 * Gina Rodriguez
 * Saoirse Ronan
 * Michael Rooker
 * Stephen Root
 * Michael Rosenbaum
 * Tim Roth
 * Paul Rudd
 * Debra Jo Rupp
 * Jeri Ryan
 * Nichole Sakura
 * Bashir Salahuddin
 * Meredith Salenger
 * Will Sasso
 * Fred Savage
 * Paul Scheer
 * Liev Schreiber
 * Ben Schwartz
 * Adam Scott
 * Jill Scott
 * Amy Sedaris
 * Rhea Seehorn
 * Christian Serratos
 * Ignacio Serricchio
 * Mehar Sethi
 * David Shaughnessy
 * Alia Shawkat
 * Robert Sheehan
 * Dax Shepard
 * Eden Sher
 * Sarah Silverman
 * J. K. Simmons
 * Timothy Simons
 * Tiya Sircar
 * Jeremy Sisto
 * Christian Slater
 * Amy Smart
 * Robert Smigel
 * Kurtwood Smith
 * Lindsay Smith
 * J. B. Smoove
 * Sarah Snook
 * Brenda Song
 * Brent Spiner
 * Sadie Stanley
 * Martin Starr
 * Mary Steenburgen
 * Mindy Sterling
 * Jon Stewart
 * Patrick Stewart
 * Emma Stone
 * Jason Sudeikis
 * Sydney Sweeney
 * Catherine Taber
 * George Takei
 * Jill Talley
 * Chelsea Tavares
 * Bex Taylor-Klaus
 * Aimee Teegarden
 * Charlize Theron
 * Josh Thompson
 * Lea Thompson
 * Billy Bob Thornton
 * Chelsea Tavares
 * Ashley Tisdale
 * Stanley Tucci
 * Alan Tudyk
 * Aisha Tyler
 * Skeet Ulrich
 * Jessie Usher
 * Wilmer Valderrama
 * James Van Der Beek
 * Carice van Houten
 * Milana Vayntrub
 * Milo Ventimiglia
 * Sydney Viengluang
 * Patrick Warburton
 * Michaela Watkins
 * Ming-Na Wen
 * Merritt Wever
 * Wil Wheaton
 * Mae Whitman
 * Olivia Wilde
 * Billy Dee Williams
 * Gary Williams
 * Harland Williams
 * Maisie Williams
 * Henry Winkler
 * Michael Winslow
 * Ariel Winter
 * Sam Witwer
 * James Wolk
 * Elijah Wood
 * Evan Rachel Wood
 * Matthew Wood
 * Shannon Woodward
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic
 * Steven Yeun
 * William Zabka
 * Arif Zahir
 * Billy Zane

Other voice actors
Besides the celebrities above, many famous voice actors work on this series including:

 * Dee Bradley Baker
 * Michael Benyaer
 * Bob Bergen
 * Steve Blum
 * Kimberly Brooks
 * Charlet Chung
 * Greg Cipes
 * Grey DeLisle
 * John DiMaggio
 * Benjamin Diskin
 * Bill Farmer
 * Keith Ferguson
 * Todd Haberkorn
 * Mike Henry
 * Roger Jackson
 * Neil Kaplan
 * David Kaye
 * Tom Kenny
 * Matthew King
 * Maurice LaMarche
 * Phil LaMarr
 * George Lowe
 * Rachael MacFarlane
 * Chris McCulloch
 * Matthew Mercer
 * Jim Meskimen
 * Piotr Michael
 * Sumalee Montano
 * Minae Noji
 * Rob Paulsen
 * Patrick Pinney
 * Rachel Ramras
 * Adam Reed
 * Kevin Richardson
 * Justin Roiland
 * Dana Snyder
 * Stephen Stanton
 * Tara Strong
 * Cree Summer
 * Fred Tatasciore
 * Courtenay Taylor
 * Hynden Walch
 * Frank Welker
 * Billy West

Syndication
All Robot Chicken episodes from seasons 1-11 are available on Max. The show is streamed censored on the service until Season 5.

The show aired on TBS for a short time in October 2014.

Advertising
Robot Chicken has partnered with various brands to produce television advertisements, including KFC in 2015, Burger King in 2017, and most recently, Kellogg's Pop-Tarts in 2023.

Home media
Revolver Entertainment have released the first four seasons and all three Star Wars specials on DVD in the United Kingdom. A box set including the first 3 seasons and a box set including all three Star Wars specials have also been released. Madman Entertainment has released the first 9 seasons of Robot Chicken and specials on DVD in Australia and New Zealand.

Adult Swim released Robot Chicken: The Complete Series for digital purchase on iTunes and Vudu in July 2023.

International broadcast
The series airs in the United Kingdom and Ireland as part of E4's Adult Swim block, in Canada on Adult Swim (previously Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block from 2006 to 2019) and also in Quebec on Télétoon's Télétoon la nuit block, in Australia on The Comedy Channel's Adult Swim block, in Russia on 2x2's Adult Swim block, in Germany on WarnerTV Comedy's Adult Swim block (previously TNT Serie's Adult Swim block from 2009 to 2017), and in Latin America on the I.Sat Adult Swim block (after the Adult Swim block was canceled from Cartoon Network Latin America in 2008). Many of the show's sketches from Sweet J Presents were redone for Robot Chicken.

title: Robot Chicken


text:
User:GiveBlood

Hi. My name is Philip. I'm interested in worker's rights, fair trade, comic books, music, religion, and cooking.

I've been fine tweaking grammar and few other small things on Wikipedia for a long time, but I just very recently made a username. If anyone wants to show me the ropes, I would appreciate that.

On July 4, 2005, I created my first article, a stub on Walter Schreifels.

On July 27, 2005, I started work on what I plan to be an extensive series of articles about several breweries, starting with The Shipyard.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User:GiveBlood


text:
Prelinger Archives

The Prelinger Archives is a collection of films relating to U.S. cultural history, the evolution of the American landscape, everyday life, and social history. It was in New York City from 1982 to 2002 and is now in San Francisco.

History
The Archives were founded by Rick Prelinger in 1982 to preserve what he calls "ephemeral" films: films sponsored by corporations and organizations, educational films, and amateur and home movies. Typically, ephemeral films were produced to fulfill specific purposes at specific times, and many exist today only by chance or accident. About 65% of the Archive's holdings are in the public domain because their copyrights have expired, or because they were U.S. productions that were published without proper copyright notice.

Criteria
The stated goal of the Prelinger Archives is to "collect, preserve, and facilitate access to films of historic significance that haven't been collected elsewhere".

By 2001, it had acquired 60,000 completed films of varying lengths and over 30,000 cans of unedited film. In 2002, the Library of Congress acquired the physical films held in the Archives as of that date. The Archives made two subsequent donations to Library of Congress totalling some 65,000 cans of film, primarily industrial and educational titles. As of spring 2015, the Archives holds about 8,000 films in videotape and digital form, approximately 14,000 home movies, and 1,000 industrial and sponsored films acquired since 2002.

Compared to many other moving-image archives, Prelinger Archives provides a relatively high level of public access to its collections. Over 8,500 public domain films are available for download and unrestricted reuse on the Internet at the Internet Archive. All the films in the archives can be licensed for production use through Getty Images.

Prelinger Archives currently focuses principally on collecting home movies and amateur film, and has approximately 30,000 items as of Fall 2023.

title: Prelinger Archives


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Heritage Park Historical Village

Heritage Park Historical Village is a living history museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on 127 acre of parkland on the banks of the Glenmore Reservoir, in the city's southwestern quadrant. The Historical Village part of the park is open 7 days a week (10-5) from the Canadian May long weekend through to the September Labour Day long weekend, and then weekends from Labour Day through to Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in mid October. Gasoline Alley Museum and the Railway Café are open year-round. As one of Canada's largest living history museums, it is one of the city's most visited tourist attractions. Exhibits span western Canadian history from the 1860s to the 1950s. Many of the buildings are historical and were transported to the park to be placed on display. Others are re-creations of actual buildings. Most of the structures are furnished and decorated with genuine artifacts. Staff dress in historic costume, and antique automobiles and horse-drawn vehicles service the site. Calgary Transit provides regular shuttle service from Heritage C-Train station. The park opened on July 1, 1964.

Park structure
The park is divided into four distinct areas reflecting different time periods in Western Canadian history: the Hudson's Bay Company Fur Trading Fort, c. 1864; the Pre-Railway Settlement Village, c. 1880; the Railway Prairie Town, c. 1910; and Heritage Plaza (opened 2009), depicting the 1920s to 1950s.

Exhibits

Heritage Park has over 100 exhibits including: Many of the exhibit spaces (e.g. hotel, barns, Gasoline alley, upper floors of buildings) are used year-round (including when the park is not open to the public) for special events such as weddings, corporate meetings, company barbecues, fundraisers, etc.
 * A passenger train, drawn by one of the park's two working steam locomotives, that takes visitors around the park on a closed loop railway. Starting in 2023 the a car has been added to the train that allows for access to visitors with mobility issues (i.e. special stairs and ramps). The loop includes 3 original (relocated) CPR stations where visitors can embark/disembark the train.
 * A Railway Roundhouse built in 1981, which has an operational turntable and houses various railway equipment and restored passenger cars.
 * A streetcar from Calgary's former streetcar system, Calgary Street Railway, that shuttles passengers to and from the parking lot. This was taken out of service in 2006 in preparation for the park's expansion, and returned to service in May 2010, taking passengers from the parking lot to the newly built CPR replica station and front gate.
 * A 1964 re-creation of a lake paddle steamer, S.S. Moyie, which visitors can ride around the Glenmore Reservoir. Starting in 2023 the newly rebuilt dock for the S.S. Moyie includes apparatus to allow for better access by visitors with mobility issues.
 * The Railway Prairie Town with numerous buildings, each an example of some of the types of buildings might be found in a typical town (full of furniture and other artifacts as they would have appeared), including: working smithy, bakery, hotel, grain elevator, fire station, post office, bank, mason's lodge, lumber supplier, church, prairie school, billiard hall, newspaper office and printing press, Chinese laundry, residential hospital, town hall, Northwest Canadian Mounted Police detachment office, theatre, and other shops and restaurants.
 * The Pre-Railway Settlement Village with farm house and typical farm buildings, animal paddocks and a planting field. There are also living examples of some of the livestock that could be found in such a place (i.e. draft horses, cattle, mules, chickens, sheep, pigs, turkeys, etc.) but it is not a petting zoo.
 * An antique midway that features working historical amusement park rides
 * The First Nations Encampment representing the Indigenous peoples in southern Alberta in the 19th century
 * Horse-drawn wagons
 * A Hudson's Bay Company trading fort
 * The 1913 Little Synagogue on the Prairie
 * An exhibition space (first opened in 2022) called Innovation Crossing which overlooks Glenmore Reservoir. It contains a  collection of immersive displays helping visitor guests to learn about energy, its place in our world and what the future of energy transition looks like.
 * the 2 story Gasoline Alley Museum showcasing the park's extensive antique gasoline pump, antique car and memorabilia collection
 * Heritage Plaza, located in front of the park gates, contains Haskayne Mercantile Block, Selkirk Grille restaurant (in the same building as Gasoline Alley), the Railway Café, the Railway Interpretative Centre, and a central park area. It was opened in 2009 and admission is free in this area of the park.
 * The Bissett Wetlands (used in various school programs) are located east of the Heritage Park parking lot near the park entrance.

Expansion
In March 2009, Heritage Park opened a major new expansion, Heritage Plaza. The addition features several new buildings depicting a larger 1930s and 1940s western Canadian town. Within Heritage Plaza, Gasoline Alley Museum and the Railway Café are open year-round, unlike the rest of the park, which is seasonal. The attractions added in the 2009 expansion included:
 * a new year-round Gasoline Alley Museum
 * an orientation/visitor's centre (within a replica railway station)
 * a 1930s town square (which includes shops, and food services)
 * a re-creation of a CPR railway station restaurant
 * The Famous 5 Center of Canadian Women - A replica of Nellie McClung's Calgary home which tells the story of influential women in Canadian history
 * a large new parking area for visitors.

Special Events
Heritage Park additionally puts on a number of special events throughout the year. Some of these special events occur during the summer season when the park is open for general admission and many of the events occur outside of the summer season. The following is a list of some of these special events:
 * Sunday Brunches throughout the year.
 * High Tea events throughout the year.
 * Special after hours night time "Ghost Tours" at various times throughout the year.
 * Day out with Thomas. Two weekends of events with Thomas the Tank Engine and related characters. A fully size Thomas the Tank Engine (the face of which moves and talks) is coupled to the front of the park's steam train and passenger cars (and people ride the train). Part of a North America tour that Mattel Toys puts on each year. Other full size Thomas characters walk the park. People can ride the train. Many other events with Thomas themes and a fully array of Thomas Mattel products for sale.
 * Festival of Quilts. Anyone who has hand made a quilt in the last year may submit it for display during this event. 100s of quilts are displayed throughout the park.
 * School Patrol Day. The kids who man the crossing guard school patrol at 100s of schools across Calgary come to enjoy the park. They are hosted by dozens of representatives from Calgary's police, fire and ambulance services along with numerous volunteers from Alberta Motor Association and Heritage Park's volunteer group.
 * Alberta Days. A free day at the park for all Albertans with all the usual park amenities plus some extra ones just for the day.
 * Carnivale. An adult evening of circus type entertainment, food and arcade fun.
 * Railway days. One weekend at the park with a special focus on railway themes. The demonstration of the use of 2 steam engines together in a double header formation. Model railroads displays from local clubs.
 * Ghouls Night Out. Most buildings and grounds are transformed with special Halloween themed displays and decorations. Special Halloween activities for kids at many locations. Special theatrical displays throughout the park with a Halloween theme.
 * Once Upon A Christmas. Many buildings and grounds are transformed with special Christmas themed displays and decorations. Select park buildings are open for various special activities and displays. Special Christmas shopping retail options set up throughout the park.

Governance, Charitable Status & Funding
Heritage Park Historical Village is a charitable institution governed by The Heritage Park Society. The Society was incorporated on December 10, 1963. The land that Heritage Park is located on is owned by the City of Calgary. The Heritage Park Foundation Board, incorporated on March 17, 1976, is responsible for the stewardship of the Park's endowment funds and is elected by up to 200 members of the Heritage Park Foundation. Most (if not all) of Heritage Park's exhibits and buildings have been funded by donations by corporations and individuals and through grants from various levels of government. Heritage Park's annual operating budget is funded partially by ticket sales and partially by government grants, donations, and endowment funds.

Heritage Park employs a core group of full time year round employees and then hires a large number of seasonal employees for the summer season. Heritage Park also relies on a large group of volunteers from the community who assist in various ways throughout the park.

title: Heritage Park Historical Village


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Ricky Hatton

Richard John Hatton (born 6 October 1978) is a British former professional boxer who competed between 1997 and 2012, and has since worked as a boxing promoter and trainer. During his boxing career he held multiple world championships in the light-welterweight division, and one at welterweight. In 2005 he was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine, the Boxing Writers Association of America, and ESPN.

In 2000, Hatton won the British light-welterweight title, followed by the World Boxing Union (WBU) title the following year; he made a record fifteen successful defences of the latter from 2001 to 2004. He reached the pinnacle of his career in 2005 by defeating Kostya Tszyu for the International Boxing Federation (IBF), Ring and lineal titles. This was followed up later that year with a victory over Carlos Maussa to claim the World Boxing Association (WBA) title (Super version), thereby becoming a unified light-welterweight world champion.

Making his welterweight debut in 2006, Hatton won a tough fight against WBA champion Luis Collazo to win a world title in his second weight class. A return to light-welterweight in 2007 saw him win the vacant IBF title for a second time, as well as the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title. In the same year, Hatton had his career first defeat against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an attempt to win the World Boxing Council (WBC), Ring and lineal welterweight titles. This defeat took a severe toll on Hatton's wellbeing, as did a second defeat in 2009 when he lost his IBO, Ring and lineal light-welterweight titles to Manny Pacquiao.

After Hatton's career was put on a long hiatus, rumours of a comeback continued to circulate the media over the next several years. In 2011, Hatton announced his retirement from the sport, but in 2012, more than three years after his last fight, he confirmed his comeback. A loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko in his first match back prompted Hatton to immediately announce his final retirement.

Hatton has been lauded as one of the most beloved and popular British boxers of all time, with a raucous fan base that travelled in their tens of thousands across the Atlantic to support him. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024.

Early life
Born in Stockport, Hatton grew up in a pub on the Hattersley council estate in Hyde, Greater Manchester. He first trained at the Sale West ABC (Racecourse Estate). He was educated at Hattersley High School. His grandfather and his father both played football for Rochdale and Hatton had a trial for the youth team. He found a local boxing club in Hyde to train at. His entrance music is the Manchester City club song "Blue Moon", as performed by the band "Supra." Aged 14, Hatton was taken by his uncles Ged and Paul to Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium to watch the second fight between Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank. He joined the family carpet business on leaving school, but after he cut four of his fingers with a Stanley knife, his father made him a salesman to prevent him from losing his fingers.

Amateur career
Hatton had a short amateur career, in which he won seven British titles and represented his country at the 1996 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships. His elimination in the semi-finals caused controversy. Four of the five judges awarded the contest to Hatton, but under the scoring rules Hatton was defeated as the fifth judge gave the match to Hatton's opponent by 16 points. The judge was later found to have accepted a bribe, and disillusioned with the amateur governing bodies, Hatton turned professional, aged 18. Hatton was based at Billy "The Preacher" Graham's gym in Moss Side, where fellow boxers included Carl Thompson and Michael Gomez.

Amateur highlights

 * ABA national junior champion (class C) – light-welterweight (1994)
 * ABA national junior champion (class A) – light-welterweight (1995, 1996)
 * ABA national junior champion (class B) – light-welterweight (1997)
 * ABA national champion – light-welterweight (1997)

Early career
Hatton made his professional debut on 11 September 1997 against Colin McAuley in Widnes at Kingsway Leisure Centre. Hatton won by a technical knockout (TKO) in first round, while in his second fight he boxed at Madison Square Garden in New York, as part of the undercard to Naseem Hamed vs. Kevin Kelley. Soon he was fighting on the undercard of contests involving major British boxers, such as the two WBO cruiserweight title fights between Carl Thompson and Chris Eubank in 1998. In 1999 the British Boxing Writers' Club named Hatton their Young Boxer of the Year. His first international title came in May 1999, when he defeated Dillon Carew for the WBO inter-continental light-welterweight title.

Hatton's next four fights after gaining the WBO inter-continental belt were all won within four rounds. He then gained the WBA Inter-Continental title following a unification bout against Giuseppe Lauri. The following month he fought Jon Thaxton for the vacant British title. Despite sustaining a cut over his left eye in the first round, Hatton continued for the full twelve rounds and won on points, the first time in his career that he had been taken beyond six rounds. As the cut was his fourth above the same eye, Hatton had plastic surgery on his eyebrow that November, with a view to a world title shot in the spring. Hatton claimed the vacant WBU title in March 2001, having sent opponent Tony Pep to the canvas three times in the process.

Hatton vs. Tszyu
On 5 June 2005, Hatton defeated IBF and The Ring champion Kostya Tszyu, then widely regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world by a TKO after the Australian failed to answer the bell for the twelfth round. Hatton was a heavy underdog for this fight and the victory announced his entry to the upper echelons of the world boxing scene. Prior to the fight, the majority of boxing critics had given Hatton little or no chance and this victory was regarded as one of the best victories by an English boxer in the last 20 years.

Light Welterweight Unification
On 26 November 2005, Hatton won the WBA light-welterweight title when he defeated Carlos Maussa in the ninth round of a unification bout. In December, Hatton was named the 2005 Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year.

Hatton relinquished his IBF title on 29 March 2006 after refusing to fulfil a mandatory defence against number one contender Naoufel Ben Rabah because he intended to move up to the welterweight division. Hatton signed a three-fight contract with Dennis Hobson's fight academy after splitting from long time promoter Frank Warren. The three fights would take place in the United States.

Hatton vs. Collazo
Hatton moved up a division to meet American Luis Collazo for the WBA welterweight title which took place on 13 May 2006. Hatton won the WBA title from Collazo but struggled. Hatton started well, knocking Collazo down in the very first few seconds of the first round, but it turned out to be one of the toughest fights of his career, with some boxing analysts claiming Collazo won the fight, although many thought Hatton had done enough early on to secure victory, with the knockdown a pivotal point in the fight.

Hatton vs. Urango
Hatton's first fight back at light-welterweight was against then IBF light-welterweight champion Juan Urango for his title and the vacant IBO title on 20 January 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hatton's promoter, Dennis Hobson, stated that the impetus for moving back down was to set up a fight with José Luis Castillo, a fighter who nearly beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. at lightweight in 2002. Hatton ended up winning a twelve-round unanimous decision (UD) against Urango to re-capture the IBF light-welterweight title. He won all but one round on all three judges' scorecards. Castillo, who was on the undercard, also won, setting up their long-awaited fight.

Hatton vs. Castillo
Hatton was forced to relinquish his IBF title again on 10 February to be able to fight Castillo. The fight was held on 23 June 2007, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada. In round four, Hatton landed a "perfect" left hook to the liver, which put Castillo to the canvas. Hatton later claimed that four of Castillo's ribs were broken with this one punch. Unable to stand up, Castillo was counted out for the first time in his career.

Hatton vs. Mayweather Jr.
Hatton agreed to terms on 27 July for an 8 December 2007 welterweight fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. which was considered to be the biggest welterweight fight since the 1999 clash between Oscar De La Hoya and Puerto Rican legend Tito Trinidad. The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas was announced as the venue on 17 August 2007. The fight was agreed to less than three months after Mayweather had said he planned to retire following a victory over Oscar De La Hoya. Hatton was able to bring the fight to Mayweather in the early rounds. In the 1st round, Hatton caught Mayweather with a left jab which knocked Mayweather off balance. His constant pressure appeared to make Mayweather uncomfortable at first. In the third round, Mayweather landed a right that cut Hatton above the right eye. In round six, referee Joe Cortez took a point away from Hatton after he appeared to hit Mayweather on the back of the head while Mayweather was rested between the ropes. However, the punch was revealed to have hit the rope rather than Mayweather's head, but Hatton was warned for punching behind the head on numerous occasions before the deduction. Hatton became angry at the referee's decision to deduct a point and turned his back on him. Hatton later claimed he was angered by the referee, which caused him to lose his calm and contributed to his downfall. Hatton was able to hold his own until round eight, when Mayweather began to adapt to Hatton and started counterattacking. Mayweather knocked Hatton down to the mat in round ten. Hatton got up, but Mayweather quickly resumed his attack, resulting in Joe Cortez putting a stop to the fight and Hatton's corner threw in the towel. Official scorecards read 88–82, 89–81, and 89–81 at the time of stoppage, all in favour of Mayweather. The fight received large amounts of publicity, with both fighters promoting the fight heavily.

Hatton vs. Lazcano
On 24 May 2008, Hatton beat Mexican Juan Lazcano by UD with scores of 120–110, 118–110, and 120–108, in front of his home crowd of 55,000 (a post-World War II record for a boxing match in Britain), at City of Manchester Stadium to retain The Ring and IBO light-welterweight titles. Hatton did well when he boxed and controlled the range, utilising his jab and dominating a lot of the early exchanges. In round eight, Hatton absorbed a left hook to the chin that wobbled him. In round ten, Hatton was hurt again by a left hook. Despite that, Hatton outworked Lazcano to win at least ten of the rounds.

Hatton vs. Malignaggi
Hatton fought Paulie Malignaggi of the United States at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on 22 November 2008 for Hatton's The Ring light-welterweight title. He was trained for the fight by Floyd Mayweather Sr. Hatton dominated for all of the fight and defeated Malignaggi by eleventh-round TKO when Malignaggi's trainer, Buddy McGirt, threw in the towel 48 seconds into the round.

Hatton vs. Pacquiao
Hatton fought Manny Pacquiao on 2 May 2009 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight was at light-welterweight, which was the sixth weight category Pacquiao has fought at and is the weight at which Hatton was previously undefeated. Pacquiao defeated Hatton in the second round by a KO victory after knocking Hatton down twice in the first round, and then a final time in the second round. Following the loss to Pacquiao, Hatton put his career on hiatus. After more than a year out of action, in a June 2010 interview with Gulfnews.com, the British boxer seemed uninterested in coming to the ring again. He stated: "Boxing started off as a habit and it ended up giving me some money and making me a little bit of a better person. But I don't think I will have a fight again. But you can never say never as I have not announced officially that I won't be boxing. At the moment I don't have any fire in the belly for a fight or to get myself to a gym." However, Hatton also added: "But it has been only 13 months and I am only 31, so never count me out."

Hatton has also voiced suspicion that Pacquiao may be using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Hatton said he should have made the same blood testing demand as Floyd Mayweather Jr., whose fight against Pacquiao fell through in early 2010. However, the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) cited a medical analysis which supported Pacquiao's decision to abstain from blood testing similar to that demanded by Mayweather, stating that drawing blood close to a fight may cause "hematomas, infections or other injuries." Hatton also admitted that he underestimated Pacquiao and that "it could be that he is just a great fighter who has improved."

Hatton vs. Senchenko
On 14 September 2012, Hatton confirmed he would return to professional boxing with a fight against an unnamed opponent scheduled to take place in November that year. Tickets for the comeback sold out in two days, before the opponent or undercard were announced. His opponent was later revealed to be Vyacheslav Senchenko. Having reached a maximum weight of nearly 15 stone (95 kg), in the months leading up to his comeback, Hatton's bodyweight decreased by nearly half his fighting weight.

Hatton started the fight the stronger of the pair, but did not time his shots well. Senchenko used his superior reach to land jabs, and gained the upper hand as the fight progressed. In the ninth round, a left hook to the body sent Hatton to the floor. Knocked down by the type of punch previously viewed as his own signature, Hatton was counted out by the referee. It was the third time Hatton had been stopped, taking his overall record to 45 wins and 3 defeats. He announced his final retirement from the ring immediately afterwards, saying "I needed one more fight to see if I had still got it – and I haven't. I found out tonight it isn't there no more."

Outside the ring
Hatton is a passionate supporter of Manchester City, with strong links to the club via his father and grandfather, who are both former players. Hatton also once had a trial at City for the youth team. His entrance music was the club's song "Blue Moon" as performed by the band "Supra".

Regarding his nickname, Hatton said, "I've always been a fan of Tommy Hearns, and everybody associates that that's where I got it from, but everybody's a Tommy Hearns fan. I got the nickname the first day I walked in the gym. I was 10 years old and put a pair of gloves on and started walloping the bag, and my amateur coach said, "Look at him, look how evil he is. He's a little Hitman."

Hatton is sometimes referred to by boxing fans as "Ricky Fatton" because he was known to allow himself to weigh as much as 175 to 180 pounds (35 to 40 pounds over his fight weight) when not in training for a fight. Ever since Hatton turned professional, he always opted to eat a full English breakfast before fights – his favourite place in Hyde is The Butty Box in Mottram Road, where he was interviewed by Gabby Logan for Inside Sport; and is known to drink Guinness on Thursday night when he plays darts for the New Inn. Experts used his ill-balanced diet, akin to Jake LaMotta's ballooning up between fights, to explain his poor performances in later fights and his nature to tire towards the end of fights. Hatton appeared on ITV1's daytime show Loose Women in August 2007, stating that the reason he put on weight between fights was because "I have a lot on my plate at the moment."

Hatton appeared on the Friday Night with Jonathan Ross show in March 2007. When the host, Ross, placed some pads on his hands and gave Hatton gloves to hit them with, he knocked a pad clean off Ross's hand with a powerful left hook. Interviewed on ITV1's Parkinson on 13 October 2007, at the beginning of the interview, Hatton handed Michael Parkinson a custom made pair of boxing shorts with 'Mike' and 'Parky' written on them. The shorts had the Barnsley emblem on them and were coloured red and blue, Barnsley Football Club's colours, because Parkinson supports Barnsley. While talking about Floyd Mayweather's arrogance, Hatton said "if there was such a thing as re-incarnation, Floyd would come back as himself."

Hatton received the MBE for services to sport in the 2007 New Year Honours.

In 2008, he started hosting his own live chat show called Ricky Speaks, on Nuts TV. His father, Ray Hatton, said, "We had a conversation with a third party asking whether, if we were approached by the Mayweather team, would a possible rematch be on the cards." Ray Hatton added, "Really, at the moment we're looking at Manny Pacquiao. It's very nice for Ricky to still be in such a big league."

Although negotiations stalled at some points, Hatton fought the number one pound-for-pound fighter, Manny Pacquiao, on 2 May 2009.

Hatton hosted the 9 November 2009 edition of WWE Raw at the Sheffield Arena, defeating professional wrestler Chavo Guerrero in a match.

On 13 September 2010, Hatton was admitted to a rehabilitation facility, The Priory, in Roehampton, London, England, for substance abuse to tackle a drink and depression problem. He was caught on camera apparently snorting class A drugs, lines of cocaine, in a Manchester hotel room. Doctors said they were more worried about his depression and alcohol abuse than drug use. Hatton sought medical help two weeks prior after news emerged about a night out where he drank 11 pints of Guinness, vodka and sambuca during the night out with Emma Bowe, 29, the Irish national senior women's boxing champion.

In September 2023, it was announced that Hatton would be competing in the sixteenth series of the ITV1 skating competition Dancing on Ice in 2024.

Family
Hatton's mother, Carol, still works on the carpet stall on Glossop Market in the Peak District. His father Ray was his manager, and manages Hatton's brother and fellow boxer Matthew Hatton. Hatton and his girlfriend, Jennifer Dooley, lived in his house, the "Heartbreak Hotel", named after his favourite artist, Elvis, in Hyde.

Hatton has a son, Campbell, conceived after a short reconciliation with ex-girlfriend Claire. Hatton set up a trust fund to make sure his son was always provided for and sees him every day. Campbell has followed in the footsteps of his father, Ricky, by pursuing a career in professional boxing. He is currently trained by Ricky's brother, Matthew Hatton.

On 12 September 2010, the Sunday tabloid News of the World published a front-page story alleging Hatton has been a regular cocaine user with accompanying pictures showing the boxer apparently using the drug. Hatton was said to be "devastated" following the story.

Charity
Hatton is a supporter of The Village News, Haughton Green's local children's newspaper made by children in aid of charity. Hatton supported them at a charity auction by appearing and signing boxing gloves, with the evening raising £1,600. Hatton was also recently a special guest speaker for The Toby Henderson Trust at a sportsmans' dinner at the Gosforth Marriott Hotel. Thanks to Hatton's help via donations and a highly successful auction, a lot of money was raised for the Centre for First Initiatives in Crosby Liverpool.

In 2013, Hatton became the patron of Manchester-based homeless charity Barnabus.

Fans
Hatton has attracted many fans who were very vocal in their support during fights. The main chant was a modified version of the Christmas song "Winter Wonderland", with the lyrics changed to promote Hatton.

Hatton fans also liked to taunt opponents by singing "Who Are Ya?", a popular English football chant. Along with Floyd Mayweather, Hatton is referenced by New York rapper GZA on the track "Paper Plate" of his 2008 album, Pro Tools.

Hatton Promotions
Hatton has his own boxing promotions that has boxers Anthony Upton, Sonny Upton, Paul Upton, Lucas Browne, Cameron Hammond, Damien Hooper, Zhanat Zhakiyanov, Adam Etches, Matty Askin, Scott Jenkins Sergey Rabchenko and Ryan Burnett. On 11 February 2017 Zhanat Zhakiyanov became the first fighter under Hatton Promotions, as well as trained by Hatton, to become world champion when he defeated Rau'shee Warren by split decision (SD) to win the WBA bantamweight title.

Training career
Hatton is a boxing manager and trainer. He is the trainer of Nathan Gorman, the great nephew of Bartley Gorman King of Gypsies, Zhanat Zhakiyanov as well as Irish champion Paul Upton. Hatton is also the trainer of Tommy Fury, the younger brother of Tyson Fury, and was in the corner of Tyson for his fight against Deontay Wilder in 2018. On 1 December 2023, Hatton guided Chloe Watson to a unanimous decision win over Justine Lallemand to claim the vacant European female flyweight title.

title: Ricky Hatton


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Alejandro Velasco Astete

Alejandro Velasco Astete (September 23, 1897 in Cusco – September 28, 1925) was a Peruvian pilot, most recognizable for being the first man to fly over the Andes. He was 28 years old upon his death.

Starting in Lima, Velasco succeeded in crossing the Andes and arrived in Cusco on August 31, 1925. His next flight on September 28 took him to Puno where many spectators had gathered. When he tried landing without hitting them, the plane crashed. Velasco died soon after that, and was pronounced dead on September 28, 1925.

The Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco and a street near the airport have been named after him.

title: Alejandro Velasco Astete


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Madagascar ericoid thickets

The Madagascar ericoid thickets is a montane shrubland ecoregion, found at higher altitudes on Madagascar's four major mountains.

Geography
The ecoregion covers the area above 1800 m elevation on (from north to south) Tsaratanana (2,876 m), Marojejy (2,133 m), Ankaratra (2,643 m), and Andringitra Massif (2,658 m). The ericoid thickets are surrounded at lower elevations by the Madagascar subhumid forests ecoregion. The total area of the ecoregion is 1,300 km2. On Tsaratanana the thickets are higher up, starting above 2,500m. There are smaller areas of thicket in Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve in the north and Andohahela National Park to the south.

Flora
The main plant community is thickets. The thickets are composed of evergreen woody shrubs and low trees, which form a single, often impenetrable stratum never more than 6 meters tall. The shrubs and trees typically have an ericoid habit, with short, twisted stems and ericoid, cupressoid, or myrtilloid leaves.

Characteristic shrubs of the ericoid thickets are from the plant families Asteraceae (species of Psiadia, Helichrysum, Stoebe, and Stenocline), Ericaceae (species of Erica, Agauria, and Vaccinium), Rhamnaceae (Phylica), and Rubiaceae. Low trees, widely-spaced, rise a little higher than the shrub canopy. Native trees include Agauria salicifolia, Ilex mitis, Neocussonia bojeri, Razafimandimbisonia minor, Dodonaea madagascariensis, Tambourissa gracilis, Podocarpus rostratus, Vitex humbertii, Faurea forficuliflora, Pittosporum sp., and several species of Pterophylla. Other plants include the arborescent monocots Dracaena reflexa and Pandanus alpestris. Lichens, mosses, grasses, sedges, and species of Impatiens inhabit the ground layer. Epiphytic mosses and lichens, along with a few small orchids, grow plentifully on the branches of shrubs and trees.

The thickets are home a large number of endemic plants, many of whose closest relatives live in South Africa and the highlands of East Africa. Andringitra alone is home to 150 vascular endemics, including 25 species of orchid. The palm Dypsis acuminum is endemic to the Manongarivo Massif.

In much of the ecoregion, secondary grassland, established by regular livestock grazing and burning, has almost entirely replaced the original thicket vegetation. The most common grasses on Ankaratra's secondary grasslands are Pentameris natalensis, P. humbertii, Andropogon trichozygus, Anthoxanthum madagascariense, Digitaria ankaratrensis, Agrostis elliotii, Merxmuellera macowanii, Brachypodium perrieri, Poa madecassa, P. ankaratrensis, and Festuca camusiana. Secondary grassland species are also found in mountain bogs.

Fauna
These high points of Madagascar are home to less diverse animal life than on the lower slopes, but with a high proportion of endemics. The area was not thoroughly researched until the 1990s. There are at least ten species of endemic and near-endemic reptiles including the dwarf gecko Lygodactylus arnoulti.

Threats and preservation
The thickets are vulnerable to fire, and many have been converted to cattle pasture. The widespread conversion of thickets to secondary grasslands may be relatively recent. In 1777 Ankaratra was reported covered with forest. Until the end of the 19th century Andringitra's thickets were a refuge from trouble for local people and their flocks. Ankaratra's and Andringitra's thickets were mostly converted to pasture in the 20th century.

Andringitra, Tsaratanana, and Marojejy are all protected areas, and Andringitra's thickets have partially recovered since it was protected.

32.1% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include Marojejy National Park, Tsaratanana Strict Nature Reserve, Andringitra National Park, and Rainforests of the Atsinanana World Heritage Site.

title: Madagascar ericoid thickets


text:
Talk:Moon magic

Untitled
This page was voted on for deletion at Votes for deletion/Moon Magic. dbenbenn | talk 02:39, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)

title: Talk:Moon magic


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/MPs elected in the UK general election, 1885

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was keep. Joyous 19:05, Feb 26, 2005 (UTC)

MPs elected in the UK general election, 1885
This article was given for clean-up but as it stands it isn't even an article, its just a name with two dates and the start of an incomplete list. I'm also not sure whether a list of MPs elected in the general election of 1885 is really relevant, and I don't think theres much chance of this being expanded on. -- Hedley 02:40, Feb 20 2005
 * If someone wants to start a wikiproject developing these lists and working on them for all years general elections were held in the UK, then I would vote to keep. I'm not starting such a project, and don't really want to encourage one. This article is useless, and even if it were complete, without a real effort to do a series of these it would be a meaningless experiment. Delete . -R. fiend 07:32, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep now. Hopefully it will be completed before too long. And hopefully in the future these pages will be worked on by those who intend to do it right, not someone who feels like tossing a single name onto a page haphazardly. -R. fiend 18:02, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Concur, Delete. Radiant! 09:12, Feb 20, 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Valid, notable, encyclopedic, useful, interesting, historically verifiable content. Stop the campaign of deletion-cruft.--Centauri 12:00, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep and leave for expansion. Part of a series, certainly relevant for WP. sjorford →•← 12:14, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep Dan100 12:54, Feb 20, 2005 (UTC)
 * Just adding that, as it stands this article is completely empty bar one name. Is it worth keeping unless something is done to it? Hedley 13:31, Feb 20, 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. Plenty of effort has been put into lists for other elections, and I dare say this one will be attended to one day. Wincoote 07:25, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Very weak keep. Completely useless in its current form, but could be expanded. Articles should not exist in this form. Carrp | Talk 16:14, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. James F. (talk) 17:02, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep. I've added a few more and put it into the format of the ten other pages in the series. Mtiedemann 13:57, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * In this new form I am now for keeping this, it has now been turned into meaningful content as opposed to a name with nothing else as it was before. -- Hedley 17:43, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep - good to see it is expanding. Warofdreams 13:10, 23 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Keep, though it might be better to have a page on the election results instead on simply on the successful candidates. CJCurrie 02:32, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.


text:
Ettore DeGrazia

Ettore "Ted" DeGrazia (June 14, 1909 – September 17, 1982) was an American impressionist, painter, sculptor, composer, actor, director, designer, architect, jeweler, and lithographer. Described as "the world's most reproduced artist", DeGrazia is known for his colorful images of Native American children of the American Southwest and other Western scenes. DeGrazia also painted several series of exhibitions like the Papago Legends, Padre Kino, Cabeza de Vaca.

Childhood
Ettore DeGrazia was born to Italian immigrants, on June 14, 1909, in Morenci, Arizona Territory (later the state of Arizona in 1912). The DeGrazia's family immigrated in 1898 from the Italian regions of Calabria and Campania. His parents, Salvador Domenico De Grazia and Lucia Gagliardi, were strong people who worked very hard for their family of seven children. His father and uncles were copper miners in Morenci.

DeGrazia's graduation from Morenci High School was delayed until the age of 23. The family moved back to Italy in 1920. The move was a result of the Morenci Mines closing that same year. DeGrazia's father took his family to the only home they had – Italy.

The family moved back to America in 1925 when the Morenci mines reopened. This is when DeGrazia paints his very first painting: 'Indian Faces.' It was a crude, cracked canvas piece, which DeGrazia admitted was not very good. In primary school, his teachers had trouble pronouncing his name, Ettore, so they nicknamed him Ted. He has been called that ever since. Because of the move to Italy, DeGrazia had forgotten how to speak English and as a result, he was put in first grade at the age of sixteen. He had to work his way through elementary school, Junior high, and high school. After graduation in 1932, DeGrazia worked the mines with his family. It was then he realized he did not want to live life as a miner. He said that he couldn't live without the sun light – and in the early mining days of Morenci there was no open pit mine. The miners went underground before the sun rose, and came out when the sun went down.

"I had a full beard and was twenty-three when I graduated from high school, into a world hit by the depression. I knew I would be underground all of my life if I didn't succeed at something else."

Education
With almost no possessions, DeGrazia caught a ride, and headed for Tucson. With fifteen dollars in his pocket, he enrolled at the University of Arizona in 1933. He played his trumpet at night, and landscaped at the University of Arizona during the day, in order to pay for his classes. He studied music and received his first bachelor's degree in Art Education. His second bachelor's degree was in Fine Arts. DeGrazia would eventually go back to school to earn a master's degree in Art Education in 1945.

In 1936, DeGrazia met Alexandra Diamos while attending classes at the University of Arizona, and that same year, they married. Her father was a business man who owned many of the largest movie theatres in Southern Arizona. One of his businesses was the Lyric theatre, located in Bisbee, Arizona. Alexandra and DeGrazia moved to Bisbee where he managed his father-in-law's theatre. The couple had three children Lucia De Grazia, Nicholas Domenic, and Kathleen Louise.

Although DeGrazia was making a living, he was not happy with this work. Any money he could save went towards art supplies. Any extra time he had went to his art. He was searching, trying to find his own style. In 1941, Arizona Highways magazine began to publish DeGrazia's images. He met many other famous, and soon-to-be famous, artists. In 1942, DeGrazia traveled to Mexico City where he met Diego Rivera, Mexico's master muralist. Rivera was taken with DeGrazia's artistic talent and agreed to take him on as an apprentice. DeGrazia assisted Rivera with murals at the Palacio Nacional and the Hospital de Jesus. DeGrazia also worked with José Clemente Orozco during this apprenticeship. The two Mexican masters sponsored an exhibition of DeGrazia's paintings at the Palace of Fine Art in Mexico City during 1942. During this period, America was enforcing the draft for WWII. Rivera wrote a letter to the United States government attempting to buy time for DeGrazia in order for him to complete his apprenticeship and keep him out of the military.

"September 2, 1942

To Whom It May Concern:

This will introduce Mr. DeGrazia of Arizona, a young artist of promising future who wishes to come to Mexico to study the technique of frescoes. Because his work interests me I am willing to take him to work under me. I will appreciate a military leave of some sixty or ninety days from the selective service board, or whatever is necessary to enable him to come. He will work under me personally in my present project which I am executing at the National Palace of Mexico City.

This favor may be a contribution to the culture of our united nations. In appreciation of whatever can be done, I remain,

Sincerely,

Diego Rivera"

The two artists sponsored an exhibit of his paintings at Palacio de Bellas Artes in 1942, and DeGrazia was also featured in Mexico City's Hoy Magazine. This was to be DeGrazia's first big exhibition.

DeGrazia returned to the University of Arizona, studying under Katherine Kitt. In 1944, DeGrazia was hired by Lou Witzeman, editor and chief at the University of Arizona, for a mural project in exchange for the cost of art supplies for the project. Witzeman gave him the freedom to paint whatever subject he wanted in a portion of the Old Main building located in the center of campus. Since this mural painting took place two years after his apprenticeship under Diego Rivera, DeGrazia chose to paint a politically based mural. The mural was titled, "Power of the Press."

A writer for the Arizona Daily Wildcat newspaper wrote an article in regards to this mural. "Bottles of paint, turpentine and tequila surround an artist lying on his back atop scaffolding. It is the spring of 1944 and American GIs are overseas fighting the axis powers. The artist strokes his brush on the wall about two stories tall and 15 feet wide until a mural begins to emerge. Night after night, the painter pieces together his puzzle. The colors are dark, as are the images. Skeletons, mortarboards, books and the apocalypse fill the cinder block canvas." His mural depicted "skulls topped with mortarboards peer(ing) at an open hand holding the flame of knowledge reaching out of a pile of books. The skulls represent people searching for knowledge. A figure, half-machine half-skeleton, resides atop the four horses of the apocalypse, trampling over the mask of happiness. The mask of tragedy remains untouched. The figure holds the World in its right hand; from its shoulder hangs a long sheet simple titled "News." In the far-left corner stand six skeletons donning graduating robes ... starving professors hang by their necks from the fingertips of a skeletal hand as the four horseman gallop over snakes slithering through books."

Art career: early years

DeGrazia remembered well the criticism he received in those early days from people who thought his art wasn't any good. Individuals did not like how DeGrazia followed his own rules in regards to art. On one occasion, DeGrazia was sitting in Rosita's Mexican restaurant (located next to his gallery) and a man walked in and shouted to him from across the room. He said," Hey! You DeGrazia?!" DeGrazia did not reply, and kept talking with his friend. The man, who obviously did not like DeGrazia, strode over to DeGrazia's table and interrupted him. He said to DeGrazia, "You're that guy who thinks you can paint on whatever you want, right? – No rules, you just do whatever you want!" DeGrazia still did not say anything. There was a basket of tortillas on the table, so DeGrazia took one out and began to paint it. When he finished, he took his brush and he autographed the angry man's clean, white shirt. Before the man stormed out, cursing at DeGrazia, the only thing DeGrazia said to him was, "Now I have painted on everything." The man did not bother to take his original tortilla painting with him, so DeGrazia kept it and it is also on display at the Gallery In the Sun.

In 1946 DeGrazia and Alexandra were divorced. One year later, DeGrazia married Marion Sheret in a small chapel, deep in the jungles of Mexico. With his marriage to Marion, the door was opened to establish his greatest achievement, the Gallery In the Sun.

By the late forties, the city of Tucson began encroaching on DeGrazia's gallery. He felt cramped with so many people moving to Tucson and he wanted to escape its growth. In 1949, he bought 10 acres of land in the Santa Catalina Foothills, north of Tucson. At this time there was no electricity, water, or services. All supplies that they needed had to be transported from Tucson. They cooked their food in an old wood-burning stove and took showers outside with water from a bucket. Little by little, construction companies began to bulldoze the big saguaro cacti around him to build homes, businesses, and even a country club. This saddened DeGrazia.

Art career: later years
Once DeGrazia had his home and his Little Gallery he was then free to start work on his dream gallery, the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun. DeGrazia built the Mission in the Sun, his home, and his original 'Little Gallery' (was original gallery on property) near the corner of Swan and Skyline roads. The DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun was finished being built in 1965, and with the aid of Yaqui and Tohono O'odham friends. This main gallery houses thirteen separate galleries of original artwork. During this time, DeGrazia never stopped painting. In the early 1950s he started seriously working on ceramics. This is when he perfected his copper-based glaze. NBC studios recorded a newsreel, called 'Watch the World,' where they filmed DeGrazia and Marion making these ceramics.

DeGrazia's wife, Marion, recalled this time as "all work and no play." "The only time for relaxation away from the studio was on the trail in the Superstition Mountains, while prospecting for gold, or with the Indians in Arizona and Mexico. When invited to have a show in Cannes France, he refused to go. The only place he wanted to be was in Indian country." DeGrazia explains himself, "because I was born in the southwest, and live there, I live it with a passion. The state has a harsh temperament as though it were alive. It is rough, colorless, and silent. And yet, you feel a gentleness, see beauty, and color in a storm, the skies roar, the cactus of the desert in its prickly silence bursts forth for a moment of exquisite beauty."

Some of his more famous friends included Lee Garmes, Vincent Price, Iron Eyes Cody, Namara Traviata, Alan Hale, Jr., Navajo artists Harrison and Robert Chee, Lee Marvin, Thomas Hart Benton, Olaf Wieghorst, Sammi Smith, Jack Van Ryder, Pete Martinez, Ross Santee, and Broderick Crawford of the t.v. series Highway Patrol.

In 1960, DeGrazia got his big break. UNICEF requested permission to use his image of Los Ninos, an oil painting, to produce greeting cards. Many millions were sold worldwide, giving DeGrazia the title as most reproduced artist in the world. During this time, DeGrazia's popularity and success exploded.

In 1976, DeGrazia engaged in a protest against the Federal Inheritance Tax. The artist claimed the U.S. Internal Revenue Service rulings made him "a millionaire on paper, but my heirs will have to pay taxes for which there is no money." In his well-publicized protest, DeGrazia rode horseback into the Superstition Mountains and burned about 100 of his paintings, an estimated worth of 1.5 million dollars at the time.

The only way for DeGrazia to avoid this huge government taxation was for him to make his Gallery In the Sun a non-profit foundation. In this way he was able to keep his collection intact and also his fortune.

In 1982, DeGrazia died of cancer on September 17, at the age of 73. His beloved Gallery In the Sun has been listed on the National Historic Registry as a historic district, in 2006.

title: Ettore DeGrazia


text:
Bande à part (radio station)

Bande à part was the name of a website, a radio show on Radio-Canada and Sirius Satellite Radio station in Canada, active from 1996 to 2013, that were devoted primarily to French Canadian arts and music.

Operated by the Société Radio-Canada (SRC), Bande à part was the French counterpart to CBC Radio 3. Bande à part also broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 87. Some of its content also aired as a late-night program on Espace musique, and the service produced a weekly podcast and several Internet radio streams, each devoted to a particular genre of music.

The service was discontinued in May 2013, with its content and staff integrated into espace.mu, Radio-Canada's online music streaming service. Its space on Sirius XM was taken over by Sonica, an adult album alternative stream produced by CBC Music. At the same time, two new channels, Influence Franco and Attitude Franco, launched to broadcast artists who had been part of Bande à part's playlist. Several past staffers of the station went on to create parlabande.fm, an unaffiliated music blog which seeks to serve as a promotional venue for independent music in Quebec.

Roots
Like its counterpart CBC Radio 3, Bande à part had roots in radio programming that predated widespread use of either the internet or satellite radio. It originally aired as a national radio program devoted to francophone alternative music, airing from Radio-Canada's studios in Moncton.

In the late 1990s, the CBC announced tentative plans to open a third radio network, devoted to youth culture. Although the original radio network proposal was abandoned, the CBC launched Radio 3 as a pilot project through its new media division in 2000, and Bande à part followed in early 2001. In the fall of 2001, Bande à part also produced a short run television series, bandeapart.tv, for ARTV.

In 2004, Bande à part began airing on Espace musique in a weekend timeslot. The network launched its podcast in 2005, a few months after the debut of Radio 3's podcast.

Both Radio 3 and Bande à part became satellite radio stations with the launch of Sirius Canada in December 2005. The station aired on Sirius 93 from its launch until June 24, 2008, when it moved to Sirius 87 as part of a major realignment of the Sirius lineup.

Programming
Personalities associated with the network included Catherine Pogonat, Alexandre Bernard, Alexandre Courteau, Yuani Fragata, Élodie Gagnon, François Lemay, Natalie Poirier, Claude Rajotte and Tony Tremblay. Courteau, Fragata and Gagnon also made occasional appearances on Radio 3 as band interviewers or correspondents promoting the Quebec music scene for English listeners.

The network primarily aired francophone music, although some English Canadian and international music aired as well. The network aired a freeform mix of rock, pop, folk, hip hop, punk and electronic music — however, because Montreal has a particularly prominent electronic and post-rock music scene, Bande à part's playlist leaned somewhat more toward experimental genres than Radio 3's.

In January 2011, the network celebrated its tenth anniversary with a twelve-hour marathon broadcast featuring live performances by Mara Tremblay, Mononc' Serge, Xavier Caféïne and Jimmy Hunt.

Concerts
The network also sometimes sponsored concerts.

Tour Tournée in the winter of 2006, jointly sponsored by CBC Radio 3 and Bande à part, included bands such as Wintersleep, Two Hours Traffic, Konflit Dramatik, Hexes and Ohs, Great Aunt Ida, Shout Out Out Out Out, Novillero, Les Breastfeeders, SS Cardiacs, Les Dales Hawerchuk, Pony Up! and The Deadly Snakes. Each of the eight locations had a different lineup of predominantly local bands.

On March 24, 2006, the network staged a fifth anniversary show at the Spectrum in Montreal, featuring Les Dale Hawerchuk, Akido, Karkwa and Malajube.

On October 1, 2006, Radio 3 and Bande à part again jointly sponsored See Vous Play, a show in Toronto featuring Les Breastfeeders, Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton, Les Trois Accords and The Joel Plaskett Emergency.

On April 27, 2007, Bande à part and CBC Radio 3 jointly presented Quebec Scene, an Ottawa concert featuring The Stills, The Besnard Lakes, Karkwa and Mahjor Bidet.

Collaborative music projects
In 2007, the network was also involved in several collaborative music projects.

Vauvandalou
In 2007, Bande à part gathered a number of Quebec rock musicians for a one-off supergroup single. The group, Vauvandalou, consisted of Fred Fortin of Les Breastfeeders, Simon Proulx of Les Trois Accords, Jean-Philippe Fréchette of Navet Confit and Vincent Peake of Groovy Aardvark. The single, "0.99$", debuted on Bande à part's podcast, and its video debuted on SRC Television's Le Fric Show.

The band has not produced or released any further collaborations.

93 tours
In the fall of 2007, Bande à part worked with 27 unsigned hip hop musicians from Quebec to produce the compilation album 93 tours. Each of the album's nine tracks features different rappers collaborating with producers Mash, Boogat and DJ Horg. The album was distributed as a free download from Bande à part's website. Several of the musicians involved in the project went on to form the musical collective Alaclair Ensemble.

 * 1) Anodajay, Imposs, Samian and SP, "93 tours"
 * 2) Karim Ouellet and Maybe Watson, "Malice au pays des merveilles"
 * 3) Cheak 13, Confus and Paranoize, "Courir de gauche à droite"
 * 4) Dialekt, D-Track and Sola, "Hors du temps"
 * 5) Ale Dee, Koriass and Nino Malo, "Tout le monde descend"
 * 6) Malkay, Prolific and Tatou, "Mémoire"
 * 7) Dramatik, Boogat and Monk-E, "Résistance spirituelle"
 * 8) Webster, Eman and KenLo, "Mouvements"
 * 9) Dupuis, Radical and Shauit, "D'ici ou d'ailleurs"

title: Bande à part (radio station)


text:
Ambac

The Ambac Financial Group, Inc., generally known as Ambac (originally the American Municipal Bond Assurance Corporation), is an American holding company. Its subsidiaries provide financial guarantee products such as bond insurance to clients in both the public and private sectors globally. Ambac Assurance is a guarantor of public finance and structured finance obligations. Its common stock and common stock purchase warrants are listed on the NYSE under the symbols and  respectively. Ambac is regulated by the insurance commission of Wisconsin. It has its headquarters in Lower Manhattan, New York City.

Ambac Financial Group's subsidiaries include Ambac Assurance Corporation and Everspan Financial Insurance Company.

History and Credit ratings
Ambac, originally American Municipal Bond Assurance Corporation, was founded in 1971 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a subsidiary of MGIC Investment Corp. to insure the principal and interest of municipal bonds against default. In 1985, Citibank (the principal subsidiary of Citicorp) acquired majority control of Ambac Inc., parent company of AMBAC. Other investors, including Xerox Corp., Ambac management, and Stephens Inc., an investment banking firm, held the remaining equity. In 1989, Citibank gained sole ownership of the municipal bond insurer, purchasing the remaining shares it had not already secured from its former partners. Citibank, trying to exit the business initiated the IPO of Ambac in 1990 and sold all its remaining shares in the Company in February 1992. In 1997, the company changed its name to reflect its expansion into new areas of business. Ambac Inc. was renamed Ambac Financial Group, Inc. The municipal insurance subsidiary was renamed Ambac Assurance.

Ambac and other bond guarantors such as MBIA were hit hard by the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis and on January 18, 2008, its Fitch credit rating was lowered from AAA (the highest) to AA when its plans to raise two billion dollars in new capital failed. Moody's and S&P, however, chose to affirm Ambac's AAA with their agencies after it succeeded in raising $1.5 billion in new capital in March 2008. In early 2008, the spectre of the major bond guarantors failing to be able to pay off insurance claims on a trillion dollars of securities backed by sub-prime mortgages and other securitized debt led to attempts to shore them up with infusions of capital. On June 19, 2008, Moody's downgraded Ambac's credit rating three notches to Aa3.

Ambac's ratings continued to decline during 2008–2010. Moody's Investors Service lowered the rating of the senior unsecured debt of Ambac Financial Group Inc. (Ambac Financial) to C from Ca and placed the Caa2 insurance financial strength ratings (IFSR) of Ambac Assurance Corporation (AAC) on review for possible upgrade on 3/26/2010. On March 25, 2010, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services revised its counterparty credit, financial strength and financial enhancement ratings on Ambac Assurance Corp. (Ambac) to 'R' from 'CC'. An 'R' rating is a non-investment grade rating. On June 8, 2010, Ambac announced that it would likely seek a pre-packaged bankruptcy as it was unable to pay dividends from its bond insurance unit to the holding company. Since that time Ambac has dropped appreciably in share price to approximately 0.50 per share as of the end of August 2010.

Ambac missed an interest payment on its debt on November 1, 2010 and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on November 8, 2010. Ambac exited Chapter 11 on May 1, 2013, issuing 45 million new common shares and approximately 5 million new warrants to holders of allowed claims.

After serving as interim President and CEO, and then Executive Chairman in 2015, the Board formally appointed Tavakoli to the position of President and CEO in January 2016. Tavakoli helped lead a turnaround during his tenure that included "substantial progress" in areas such as "risk and loss analytics, operational efficiency, asset management, shareholder communication, and loss management, including our major loss recovery cases."

Tavakoli was succeeded by current CEO Claude LeBlanc in 2017.

With the leadership of Mr. LeBlanc, on February 12, 2018, Ambac Assurance's Segregated Account exited rehabilitation through a holistic restructuring transaction and is now paying all claims in full in cash.

In May 2020, Ambac Financial Group, Inc. has confirmed that Ambac Assurance has lodged a lawsuit for the District of Puerto Rico in the United States District Court against the Puerto Rico Financial Oversight & Management Board.

In December 2020 Ambac launched its new business strategy with the purchase of 80% of Xchange, a managing general underwriter. In February 2021, Ambac launched a specialty program insurance business, Everspan Group, which includes Everspan Indemnity Company, an excess and surplus lines carrier and Everspan Insurance Company, an admitted carrier.

title: Ambac


text:
Talk:District X

Location, location, location
I know Mutant Town is in New York, but is it in Manhattan? That's about to be very pertinent what with most of Manhattan being evacuated thanks to the Hulk...

Image
I'm looking at adding a cover image to this page, but news/rumor is that in the wake of House of M (June 2005) the series is to be cancelled, to be replaced by a new series called Mutopia-X.

More detail
What needs to be added are more detail on the first and second story-arcs, and info on the current (still to be completed) story.

Last Stand
Is this the place where Magneto recruited his mutant army in X3: The Last Stand. In last stand it was a slum with its own subculture and a large population of mutants — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.19.155.150 (talk) 08:41, 7 June 2011 (UTC)

A closer look at District X
House Of M: The Day After (2005) has a nice close look at 'Mutant Town'. Lots42 (talk) 14:57, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

Jokertown
District X is obviously borrowed from the Jokertown in Manhattan, from the 1980's onwards Wild Cards series, which is full of strange mutations, many of whom have some kind of powers.(84.236.152.71 (talk) 17:25, 29 May 2015 (UTC))

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

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External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 4 one external links on District X. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
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No reason for italic title
This article is about a fictional location. There is no reason for the title to appear in italics. Could someone please fix this? --Omnipaedista (talk) 19:26, 4 July 2017 (UTC)

title: Talk:District X