document_title: American Ninja Warrior

question_text: who won usa vs the world ninja warrior 2018

question_tokens: who won usa vs the world ninja warrior 2018

text: American Ninja Warrior

text: Series overview[edit]

text: American Ninja Warrior succeeded G4's American Ninja Challenge as the qualifying route for Americans to enter Sasuke. Beginning with the fourth season in 2012, regional finalists and wild card competitors competed on a nearly identical Mount Midoriyama course in Las Vegas, Nevada, rather than traveling to Japan to compete on Sasuke.

text:
Season

Duration

Winner's prize

Finals venue

Last Ninja(s) Standing

Host

Co-host

Sideline reporter

Premiere

Finale

1

December 12, 2009

December 19, 2009

N/A

Sasuke 23

Levi Meeuwenberg

Blair Herter

Alison Haislip

N/A

2

December 8, 2010

December 23, 2010

$250,000[7]

Sasuke 26

David Campbell

Matt Iseman

Jimmy Smith

Alison Haislip

3

July 31, 2011

August 21, 2011

$500,000[a]

Sasuke 27

4

May 20, 2012

July 23, 2012

$500,000

Mount Midoriyama(Las Vegas Strip)

Brent Steffensen

Jonny Moseley

Angela Sun

5

July 1, 2013

September 16, 2013

Brian Arnold

Akbar Gbaja-Biamila

Jenn Brown

6

May 26, 2014

September 8, 2014

Joe Moravsky

7

May 25, 2015

September 14, 2015

$1,000,000

Geoff Britten

Kristine Leahy

Isaac Caldiero

8

June 1, 2016

September 12, 2016

Drew Drechsel

9

June 12, 2017

September 18, 2017

Joe Moravsky

10

May 30, 2018

September 10, 2018

TBD

text: Jump up ^ The prize was an endorsement deal with K-Swiss worth $500,000.

tag: ol

text: Hosts and co-hosts[edit]

text: American Ninja Warrior was originally hosted by G4's American television personality Blair Herter, and actress and former television correspondent Alison Haislip. In the second season, American actor, comedian, and television host Matt Iseman joined the show, replacing Herter.[8] Additionally, Jimmy Smith was brought in as a co-host, while Haislip was the sideline reporter. The panel remained the same throughout season three.

text: For season four, skier Jonny Moseley was brought in as the new co-host, replacing Smith.[9] American journalist, sportscaster, and documentary filmmaker Angela Sun replaced Haislip.

text: For season five, two newcomers were added. Sports analyst and former NFL football player Akbar Gbaja-Biamila replaced Moseley, while ESPN sportscaster and model Jenn Brown replaced Sun as sideline reporter.[10] The season five panel remained the same through the sixth season.

text: For season seven, CBS Sports reporter Kristine Leahy joined the show as the new sideline reporter, replacing Brown.[11] The roster has stayed the same as of season ten, consisting of Iseman, Gbaja-Biamila, and Leahy.[12]

text: Format[edit]

text: Potential contestants go through a series of steps before possibly becoming an "American Ninja Warrior". Over 3,500 athletes have attempted to conquer Mount Midoriyama and become one since the series began in 2009.

text: Contestant eligibility[edit]

text: There are some requirements contestants must meet before participating at a regional qualifier. Contestants must be legal residents of the United States and be in decent physical shape. There is no upper age limit, though participants must be at least 19 years old (21 years old during the first nine seasons). Contestants must fill out a 20-page questionnaire and make a video about themselves.[13] The required length of the video has differed over the years. Submission video length requirements have varied from 2 to 8 minutes, depending on the season.[14][15]

text: 1,000 people applied to compete in season one,[16] 5,000 people in season six,[17] 50,000 in season seven[16], 70,000 in season eight,[18] and 77,000 in season nine.[19] Producers then select 100 contestants from the thousands of applicants to participate in each regional qualifier. They also select 20 to 30 "walk-ons" who may wait weeks camping outside to get a chance on the course.[16]

text: City qualifying and finals[edit]

text: In each city qualifier course, the competitors that the producers have selected compete on an obstacle course consisting of six obstacles. Descriptions of each obstacle in each course are provided by the sideline reporter at the beginning of an episode.

text: At the beginning of each run, a buzzer sounds off, allowing a competitor to begin the course. A timer begins simultaneously. The first obstacle on any city qualifying course is the quintuple steps or floating steps, in which competitors must run across. This is followed by four different obstacles that test a competitors balance, upper-body strength and grip. These five obstacles are built above water. If a competitor falls into the water or touches it, their run ends immediately and the timer records their time.

text: Until season nine, the sixth and final obstacle was the 14'6" warped wall, in which competitors are given three chances to reach the top. In season ten, the  18-foot "Mega Wall" was introduced adjacent to the warped wall. Competitors have only one attempt to reach the top of the Mega Wall, and if successful, will win $10,000. However, if unsuccessful, the competitor will only get one attempt at the warped wall. Competitors are given the choice of which to climb.

text: At the top of both walls, there is a buzzer a competitor presses which stops the timer and records their time, ending their run on the course. The top 30 competitors who go the farthest the fastest advance to the city finals course. Since season nine, the top five women also advance to the city finals, regardless if they finished in the top 30.

text: City finals courses are the follow-up to each city qualifying course. They contain four new obstacles, in addition to the six obstacles featured in the city qualifying course. These four obstacles are all placed after the original six obstacles. As of season ten, two of the original six obstacles are replaced with new obstacles for the city finals course.

text: The top 15 competitors who go the farthest the fastest from each city finals course move on to compete on the National Finals course. As of season nine, the top two women in each city finals course also move on to compete on the National Finals course, even if they do not finish in the top 15. Small prizes ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 are awarded to first, second, and third finishers who complete the city finals course.[20]

text: Qualifying and finals courses are filmed back-to-back, usually over two nights. Obstacles are designed and produced in the five months prior to an episode taping, with 3–4 new ones per city. In season eight, 18 obstacles were debuted.[21]

text: City timeline[edit]

text:
City

Season

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Los Angeles, CA

Miami, FL

Dallas, TX

Denver, CO

Baltimore, MD

St. Louis, MO

Kansas City, MO

Houston, TX

Orlando, FL

Pittsburgh, PA

San Pedro, CA

Atlanta, GA

Indianapolis, IN

Oklahoma City, OK

Philadelphia, PA

San Antonio, TX

Daytona Beach, FL

Cleveland, OH

Minneapolis, MN

text: Finals[edit]

text: The National Finals takes place at "Mount Midoriyama", the final course for American Ninja Warrior. Located on the Las Vegas Strip, it consists of four stages, each containing various obstacles of increasing difficulty. Competitors must complete all of the 23 obstacles. Should they complete the first three stages, competitors will advance to Stage 4, where competitors attempt to climb the 75-foot rope climb, known as Mount Midoriyama, in 30 seconds or less.[22] Should a competitor achieve Total Victory, he or she receives a money prize of $500,000 from season four to season six, and $1,000,000 from season seven. Beginning in season eight, if multiple competitors complete stage 4, the competitors split the prize money, although in prior years the fastest competitor would receive the full amount.[20]

text:
Stage 1 consists of obstacles that test the competitors' agility and speed. The first stage is timed, and only the competitors who successfully complete it within the time limit of 2:30 will advance to Stage 2.
Stage 2 consists of obstacles that test the competitors' strength and speed. Competitors must complete challenges that strain their upper-body strength (such as the Salmon Ladder) without running out of time. Just as in the first stage, only the competitors who successfully finish within the time limit of 4:00 move on to Stage 3.
Stage 3 consists of obstacles that test the competitors' upper body and grip strength. It is the only stage in Mt. Midoriyama that has no time limit. Like Stages 1 and 2, only the competitors who successfully complete Stage 3 move on.
Stage 4 of Mt. Midoriyama is a 75-foot rope climb. Competitors must complete the rope climb and hit the buzzer in under 30 seconds.

text: Season synopses[edit]

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text: Season 1 (2009)[edit]

text: The first season of American Ninja Warrior was held in Los Angeles, where hundreds of competitors came to challenge themselves against the course and qualify for a shot at making it to Japan to compete in Sasuke 23 later in the year. The special premiered on December 12, 2009, on G4 TV and was hosted by G4's Blair Herter and Alison Haislip. Notable competitors this season included freerunners Levi Meeuwenberg and Brian Orosco, mixed martial artist Jason "Mayhem" Miller, and Hollywood stuntman Rich King. Along with competitors on every season, Lorin Ball, Brian Kretsch, Ryan Stratis, and David Campbell.

text: Out of the ten Americans who qualified to compete at Mount Midori in Japan, only Rich King, Levi Meeuwenberg and Brian Orosco successfully completed Stage 1. The majority of the American Ninja Warrior competitors ran out of time or failed the obstacles. Levi Meeuwenberg was the only American competitor to complete Stage 2. The sole American competitor on Stage 3 fell on the "Shin-Cliffhanger" and his run came to an end.[23]

text: Season 2 (2010)[edit]

text: The second season premiered on December 8, 2010, on G4, and concluded on December 23, 2010 after 10 episodes. The city qualifiers were held near the beach in Venice, California, where 300 competitors took on the qualifiers course. 30 competitors advanced to the city finals course. The top 15 competitors in the city finals course then moved on to participate in "Ninja Warrior Boot Camp" in Simi Valley, where they competed in a series of team challenges for five days. The 10 finalists then moved on to compete in the season finale as part of Sasuke 26 in Japan. Five competitors completed Stage 1, while four competitors completed Stage 2. No competitor made it beyond Stage 3.[24] David Campbell was the Last Ninja Standing, having gone the farthest the fastest among the American competitors in Sasuke 26.[8]

text: Season 3 (2011)[edit]

text: The third season began airing on July 31, 2011, on G4 and concluded with the finale airing on August 22, 2011, as a two-hour primetime special on NBC.[25][26] Tryouts took place in May 2011 at Venice Beach, California. After the tryouts, the top 15 competitors competed in Ninja Warrior Boot Camp with the top 10 moving on to Japan for the finals of the competition as a part of Sasuke 27 and a chance at becoming the first American to conquer the course and win a $500,000 endorsement deal with K-Swiss. No competitors made it beyond Stage 3.

text: Season 4 (2012)[edit]

text: The fourth season of American Ninja Warrior began airing on May 20, 2012, on both G4 and NBC. There were six regional competitions held in three locations: Venice Beach (Southwest and Northwest), Dallas (Midwest and Midsouth), and Miami (Northeast and Southeast), that determined the 100 competitors to participate in the qualifying rounds. The winner of the ANW season four competition would receive $500,000 and the coveted "American Ninja Warrior" title. The season finale, held in Las Vegas, was the first time that Mount Midori was held on U.S. soil. Submission videos for American Ninja Warrior season 4 had been collected since January 25, 2012.[27]

text: The entire format was changed as well – regional qualifiers in different parts of the country were aired, and the Mt. Midori course was recreated just off the Las Vegas Strip for the national finals. The regional qualifiers would narrow down its selections down to 30 contestants who finished its qualifying course in the fastest time as well as the contestants who finished the furthest the fastest. Qualifying obstacles would include common Stage 1 obstacles such as the Quintuple steps and the Warped wall, but its contents would change from city to city. The 30 contestants were then cut in half in the regional finals where the course would extend to include common Stage 2 and Stage 3 obstacles such as the Salmon Ladder, Cliffhanger and Body Prop. The 100 contestants who qualified (including wild cards) earned tickets to Las Vegas to challenge Mt. Midori. Brent Steffensen was the first American to defeat the Ultimate Cliffhanger on Stage 3, and he made it the farthest that season, falling on the Hang Climb. He was the only competitor to reach Stage 3 in this competition.

text: Season 5 (2013)[edit]

text: The fifth season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on June 30, 2013, on G4 with subsequent shows airing on NBC and G4.[28] Notably, the sideboard advertising along the course listed Esquire Network as the broadcaster as the fifth season was to premiere after G4's transition to Esquire on April 22, 2013. The network switch was eventually delayed to September 23, 2013, and Esquire took over Style Network's channel space instead. Because of this, additional reruns of the season aired on Saturday nights on NBC through the summer to maintain ratings momentum due to G4's lame duck status, with ANW being their only new program since they wound down all their original programming in January 2013. The success of the NBC re-airings led to the series being considered for NBC's main summer schedule for the next season.

text: Regional competitions were held in Venice Beach, Baltimore, Miami, and Denver. Tryouts for the season began in February 2013[29] and ended with the last of the regional rounds taking place the following May.[30] The finale was once again held in Las Vegas. No one defeated Stage 3, but Brian Arnold fell on the last obstacle, the Flying Bar, making him the farthest-going American on the Mount Midori course since Kane Kosugi reached the final stage on Sasuke 8.

text: Season 6 (2014)[edit]

text: The sixth season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on May 26, 2014, on NBC with subsequent shows airing on Monday nights at 9:00 pm EST[31] and Tuesday nights at 8:00 pm EST on Esquire Network.[32] Regional competitions were held at Venice Beach, Dallas, St. Louis, Miami, and Denver. The season finale was again held in Las Vegas, the permanent home of the U.S. version of Mount Midori. Notable competitors this season included The Biggest Loser personal trainer Kim Lyons, U.S. Olympic gymnasts Jonathan Horton and Terin Humphrey, among others. Female competitor Kacy Catanzaro became the first female to make it up the "Warped Wall" in the Dallas Qualifiers. Later in the Dallas Finals, she became the first woman to complete that finals course, in 8 minutes, 59 seconds. Again, no competitor achieved "total victory". Kacy's run has over ten million views. Joe Moravsky, the "Weatherman", made it farther than anyone on season six, falling on the Hang Climb, where Brent Steffensen failed two years ago.

text: Season 7 (2015)[edit]

text: The seventh season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on NBC on May 25, 2015. This season's grand prize was increased from $500,000 to $1,000,000. Qualifying and finals courses were held in Venice Beach, Kansas City, Houston, Orlando, Pittsburgh, as well as a special military-only course in San Pedro. Stage 1 had a total of 38 finishers including Brent Steffensen and Dustin McKinney. In Stage 2, 30 of the 38 competitors failed. Only eight were remaining in Stage 3 including Drew Dreschel, Abel Gonzalez, Isaac Caldiero, Ian Dory, Jeremiah Morgan, Kevin Bull, Joe Moravsky and Geoff Britten. Only two competitors finished the course: Isaac Caldiero and Geoff Britten. It was the first time that any American had finished Stage 3. The season concluded with a victory: Geoff Britten was the first to complete Stage 4 with a second remaining; however, Isaac Caldiero achieved the Stage 4 rope climb in a faster time and was awarded the grand prize of $1,000,000 and the title of "American Ninja Warrior". Geoff Britten was the first Ninja to complete all six courses in a single season.

text: Season 8 (2016)[edit]

text: Season eight of American Ninja Warrior began on June 1, 2016, on NBC, with encore episodes airing the following day on Esquire Network. Regional competitions were held in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, and Philadelphia, with 28 new obstacles. Over 40 percent more women registered for season eight compared to the previous season. Additionally, prize money for possible Stage 4 winners would now be split equally among competitors who complete the rope climb in under 30 seconds.[20]

text: In Philadelphia's city finals, no competitors completed the finals course, a first in American Ninja Warrior history. In Stage 1 of the National Finals, many veterans of the show such as Geoff Britten and Brent Steffensen were eliminated early, while Jessie Graff became the first woman to complete Stage 1, placing fifth.[33] Tyler Yamauchi became the shortest person ever to complete the Jumping Spider obstacle at 5'1". Only 17 competitors successfully completed Stage 1, the lowest in ANW history.[33] On Stage 2, all athletes were eliminated except Drew Drechsel and Daniel Gil. During Stage 3, both Drechsel and Gil could not complete the course. Gil fell on the Ultimate Cliffhanger, while Drechsel went the farthest, but fell on the Hang Climb. Contrary to season seven's multiple winners, no season eight competitor made it past Stage 3.

text: Season 9 (2017)[edit]

text: Season  nine of American Ninja Warrior began on June 12, 2017, on NBC; Esquire Network ended operations fifteen days later on June 27, thus encore episodes shifted over to NBCSN on non-event nights with this season. The premiere was preceded by a special episode, "Celebrity Ninja Warrior" on May 25, 2017, the U.S. Red Nose Day, which was followed by a "USA vs. the World" special on June 4. New for season nine, the top five women in each city qualifying course qualified for the city finals course, and the top two women in each city finals qualified for national finals, regardless of their placement overall. Also this season, fans were given the opportunity to design their own obstacles through ANW Obstacle Design Challenge and seven fan-submitted obstacles have been featured on the show.

text: In the national finals, a record 41 competitors successfully completed Stage 1, including Allyssa Beird, the second woman to complete Stage 1. On Stage 2, all athletes were eliminated except Joe Moravsky, Sean Bryan and  Najee Richardson. During Stage 3, none of the three could complete the course. Richardson and Bryan fell on the Ultimate Cliffhanger, while Moravsky went the farthest, but failed Time Bomb. As in season eight, no competitor was able to complete Stage 3.

text: Season 10 (2018)[edit]

text: Season ten of American Ninja Warrior began airing on May 30, 2018, with new changes including a $10,000 bonus for clearing the new 18-foot Mega Wall and $100,000 prize money for the "Last Ninja Standing".

text: ANW specials[edit]

text: USA vs. The World[edit]

text:
Special

Air date

Champions

Runner-up

3rd Place

4th Place

Hosts

Sideline reporter

USA vs. Japan

January 13, 2014

Team USA

Team Japan

N/A

N/A

Matt Iseman

Akbar Gbaja-Biamila

Jenn Brown

USA vs. The World

September 15, 2014

Team Europe

Team USA

Team Japan

N/A

January 31, 2016

Team USA

Team Europe

Team Japan

N/A

Kristine Leahy

June 4, 2017

Team USA

Team Europe

Team Latin America

N/A

March 11, 2018

Team Europe

Team USA

Team Latin America

Team Asia

text: NBC has aired a series of 5 specials in which ANW fan favorites compete in a team against teams of competitors from regions across the world, including Japan, Europe, Latin America, and most recently, Asia. The competitors race on the same course used in the ANW finals.

text: The first special was entitled USA vs. Japan, while the rest have been named USA vs. The World. The inaugural competition was aired on January 13, 2014, and was won by Team USA. The second special aired on September 15, 2014, and was won by Team Europe. The third special aired on January 31, 2016, and was won by Team USA. The fourth international competition was aired on June 4, 2017, and was again won by Team USA. The most recent special aired on March 11, 2018, and was won by Team Europe.

text: All of the specials have been hosted by Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila. The first two included sideline reporter Jenn Brown. Since the 2016 special, Kristine Leahy has sideline reported.

text: All-Stars[edit]

text: On May 29, 2016, prior to the premiere of season eight, NBC aired a two-hour all-star special in which hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila chose their own all-star teams composed of three veterans, one rookie, and one woman. Teams competed on stages two, three, and four of the regular season finals course, Mt. Midoriyama, as well as competitions on a supersized course by testing their skills in competitions on the giant pegboard, 40-foot Salmon Ladder, Flying Shelf Grab, and Jump Hang, concluding with a race to the top of the "Mega" Warped Wall.[34]

text: The all-star winners were Team Akbar who won the team competition, beating Team Matt 5-3. Additionally, competitor Joe Moravsky completed Stage 2 in a record time of 1:08:52.[35]

text: On February 20, 2017, NBC aired a second two-hour all-star special. Like the previous year's competition, ANW hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila chose their own all-star teams, this year composed of one veteran, one breakout star, and one woman. Team Matt featured Chris Wilczewski, Najee Richardson, and Jesse "Flex" Lebreck. Team Akbar featured Grant McCartney, Neil "Crazy" Craver, and Meagan Martin. Also, sideline interviewer Kristine Leahy got to pick her own team, which consisted of Jessie Graff, Flip Rodriguez, and Nicholas Coolridge. Teams competed as a relay race to finish sections of stages one, two, and three of the regular season finals course, Mt. Midoriyama. Next, was the skills competition on a supersized course where individual contestants tested their skills in competition on the 75-feet tall Endless Invisible Ladder, the 4-story high Super Salmon Ladder, Supersonic Shelf Grab, Striding Steps, and the Mega Wall, which is now 20 feet high.

text: The all-star winners were Team Kristine, who won the team relay race competition, beating Team Matt and last year's champions Team Akbar. Their highlight of the night was completing Stage 3 in a record time of 5:30:62, making this the POM Wonderful Run of the Night.

text: On May 17, 2018, NBC aired a third two-hour all-star special. Like the last two seasons' competition, ANW hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, along with Kristine Leahy, chose their own all-star teams, composed of two male veterans, and one female veteran. The reigning champs, Team Kristine (gray/pink) featured: Jessie Graff, Flip Rodriguez, and J.J. Woods. Team Matt (blue) featured: Jamie Rahn, Lance Pekus, and Jesse LaBreck. However, Team Akbar featured first-time all-stars: Allyssa Beird, Jon Alexis Jr., and Tyler Yamauchi.

text: For the first half of the special, the athletes competed individuality, earning "skills medals". First was the "Skills Competition", which consisted of who can make it up the Super Salmon Ladder, 4 stories high and 35 rungs in the fastest time. Winner: Sean Bryan (19.39). And a test of how far the all-star ninjas can fly on the Wicked Wingnuts obstacle. Winner: Drew Drechsel (20 feet). They tested their upper body strength by racing head-to-head on the Thunderbolt. Winner: Jamie Rahn. Then, it was a speed and balance challenge on the Striding Steps. Winner: Jake Murray (28.76) This year, ANW debuted a new obstacle, the Mega Spider Climb, where the eight women all-stars raced side-by-side 80 feet up to the top of the Stage 4 tower. Winner: Jessie Graff, who won the tournament-style Stage 4 competition in a time of 24:03, making this the POM Wonderful Run of the Night.

text: The second half showcased the team competition: Stage 1 featured a relay race through the obstacles course. First racer goes through Snake Run, Propeller Bar and Double Dipper. Next racer tackles the Jumping Spider, Parkour Run and the Warped Wall. And the anchor runs through the Domino Pipes, and the Flying Squirrel. The other two teams compete on Stage 2 for the other spot in the finals. Team Kristine won Stage 1 and got a bye into Stage 3. Stage 2 featured the Giant Ring Swing, Criss Cross Salmon Ladder, Wave Runner, Swing Surfer, Wingnut Alley and the Wall Flip. Team Matt won and moved onto Stage 3, which featured Floating Boards, Key Lock Hang, the Nail Clipper, Ultimate Cliffhanger, the Body Prop, Peg Cloud, the Time Bomb and the Floating Bar.

text: The all-star winners were once again Team Kristine, who won the team relay race competition with a time of 6:12.06, beating Team Matt by only 5 seconds (6:17.96).

text: Celebrity Ninja Warrior for Red Nose Day[edit]

text: Celebrity Ninja Warrior  features celebrities competing on the American Ninja Warrior course while being coached by ANW favorites.[36]

text: NBC announced a special entitled Celebrity Ninja Warrior for Red Nose Day which aired on May 25, 2017. The course featured modified obstacles: Floating Steps, Cannonball Drop, Fly Wheels, Block Run, Battering Ram, and the Warped Wall. After completing the course, Stephen Amell also completed the Salmon Ladder (which he performed in a scene on Arrow) and unsuccessfully attempted a new obstacle, the Swinging Pegboard; Amell's run was named the M&M's "Run of the Night."

text: For every obstacle the celebrities completed, M&M's and The Rockefeller Foundation pledged to donate $5,000 to Red Nose Day.

text:
Celebrities

Coaches

Stephen Amell

Kacy Catanzaro

Derek Hough

Daniel Gil

Erika Christensen

David Flip Rodriguez

Natalie Morales

Grant McCartney

Nikki Glaser

Jessie Graff

Jeff Dye

Meagan Martin

Mena Suvari

Natalie Duran

Nick Swisher

Drew Dreschel

Ashton Eaton

Kevin Bull

text: In March 2018, NBC announced a second Celebrity Ninja Warrior special will aired during a three-hour U.S. Red Nose Day special on May 24, 2018.[37] On April 2, 2018, the celebrities competing were announced.[38] Like last year' competition, ANW hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, who ran the course this year, were the hosts, along with special correspondent, actress Zooey Deschanel and sideline reporter Kristine Leahy. The course featured six modified obstacles: Floating Steps, Grab Bag, Spinning Bridge, Flying Shelf Grab, Doorknob Drop, and the 14 1/2-foot Warped Wall.

text: Each obstacle a celebrity completed raised $5,000 for Red Nose Day; earning up to $30,000 for finishing the whole course. A total of $185,000 was raised, courtesy of Comcast.

text:
Celebrities

Coaches

Akbar Gbaja-Biamila

Kevin Bull

Ne-Yo

Drew Dreschel

Colton Dunn

Natalie Duran

Derek Hough

Meagan Martin

Nikki Bella

Grant McCartney

Scott Evans

Flip Rodriguez

Nastia Liukin

Barclay Stockett

Gregg Sulkin

Maggie Thorne

text: ANW competitors in other competitions[edit]

text: This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Following the inception of American Ninja Warrior, ANW competitors have also continued to enter other obstacle course competitions around the world, including Sasuke:

text: Drew Dreschel won the Sasuke ASEAN Open Cup in 2014 in Kuala Lumpur and has advanced to Stage 3 at Sasuke six straight times (Sasuke 30-35).

text: Brent Steffensen advanced to Stage 3 at Sasuke 32, going out on the Ultra Crazy Cliffhanger.

text: Kacy Catanzaro also competed in Sasuke 32 and replicated her ANW feat of being the first woman up the Warped Wall but timed out on the Lumberjack Climb, the last obstacle of Stage 1.

text: Jessie Graff competed in Sasuke 34 alongside Dreschel and became only the second woman to complete Stage 1 (the first being Super Sentai stuntwoman Chie Nishimura (neé Tanabe) back in Sasuke 2 in 1998). She then became the first woman to complete Stage 2 and advanced all the way to the Ultra Crazy Cliffhanger in Stage 3.

text: David Campbell competed in Sasuke Vietnam 2, the Vietnamese version of the show, in 2016. He completed the Vietnamese Mount Midoriyama at that edition of Sasuke Vietnam,[39] unofficially becoming the third American to achieve "Total Victory" after Britten and Caldiero. It has been confirmed that Campbell will compete in Sasuke Vietnam 4 once again in 2018.

text: Spin-offs[edit]

text: Ninja vs. Ninja[edit]

text: On October 9, 2015, Esquire Network announced a spin-off of American Ninja Warrior which would feature 24 three-person teams (two men and one woman) of popular ANW alumni, initially titled Team Ninja Warrior. The teams compete head-to-head against each other, running the course simultaneously, thus creating a new live duel dynamic (including crossing points where the two competitors can affect the other's progress.) The two teams with the fastest times advance to the finale where one team will be crowned the winners and receive a cash prize. Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila host alongside actor and journalist, Alex Curry.[40][41][42] The series is Esquire Network's most-watched program in the channel's history.[43]

text: On May 31, 2016, Esquire Network ordered a sixteen-episode second season that also included a five-episode special college edition that had college-aged competitors go head-to-head against rival schools.[43] On March 6, 2017, it was announced that Team Ninja Warrior will be moving to sibling cable channel USA Network as Esquire Network winds down its linear channel operations and relaunches as an online only service. The show's second season premiered proper on April 18.[44]. Ahead of its third season, the show was also re-titled American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja.

text: American Ninja Warrior Junior[edit]

text:
American Ninja Warrior JuniorGenre
Sports entertainmentSports competitionPresented by

Matt Iseman
Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
Laurie Hernandez
Country of origin
United StatesOriginal language(s)
EnglishProductionExecutive producer(s)

Arthur Smith
Kent Weed
Matt Cahoon
Camera setup
Multiple-cameraProduction company(s)
A. Smith & Co. ProductionsDistributor
NBCUniversal Television DistributionReleaseOriginal network
Universal KidsPicture format
HDTV (1080i)External links
Website
Production website

text: On May 2, 2018, the second spin-off of American Ninja Warrior, entitled American Ninja Warrior Junior, was announced. Set to premiere on Universal Kids on October 13, 2018, Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila will reprise their roles from ANW as hosts, with Olympic 2016 gold medalist Laurie Hernandez joining as co-host, guiding competitors in head-to-head challenges. The series will feature 200 kids age 9–14 competing along a course of miniature, kid-friendly ANW obstacles such as the warped wall. Similar to ANW, males and females will run along the same course. However, they will be divided into three age groups: 9–10, 11–12 and 13–14,[45] with each category coached by fan-favorite athletes: Drew Dreschel, Kevin Bull, Natalie Duran,  Meagan Martin, Najee Richardson, and Barclay Stockett[46].

text: Reception[edit]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
Year

Award

Category

Nominee

Result

ref

2015

Kids' Choice Awards

Favorite Reality Show

American Ninja Warrior

Nominated

[47]

2016

People's Choice Awards

Favorite Competition TV Show

American Ninja Warrior

Nominated

[48]

Primetime Emmy Awards

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program

American Ninja Warrior

Nominated

[49]

2017

Kids' Choice Awards

Favorite Reality Show

American Ninja Warrior

Nominated

Primetime Emmy Awards

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program

American Ninja Warrior

Nominated

[50]

2018

Primetime Emmy Awards

American Ninja Warrior

Pending

[51]

text: U.S. Nielsen ratings[edit]

text:
Season

Time slot (ET)

Episodes

Premiered

Ended

Network

TV season

Season averages (Live + SD)

Most-watched episode (millions)

Date

Premiere viewers(millions)

Date

Finale viewers(millions)

Viewers (millions)

18–49 rating

1

Saturday 6:00 pm

8

December 12, 2009

N/A

December 19, 2009

N/A

G4

2009–10

N/A

N/A

N/A

2

Wednesday 8:00 pm

10

December 8, 2010

N/A

December 23, 2010

N/A

2010–11

N/A

N/A

N/A

3

Sunday 9:00 pm

10

July 31, 2011

0.38[52]

August 21, 2011

0.25[53][a]

2011

0.30

0.1

0.38[52]

4

Monday 9:00 pm

9

May 20, 2012

6.20[55]

July 23, 2012

4.87[55]

NBCG4

2012

5.11[55]

1.9[55]

6.78[55]

5

Monday 8:00 pm

12

July 1, 2013

5.04[56]

September 16, 2013

4.04[56]

2013

5.15[56]

1.6[56]

5.81[56]

6

Monday 9:00 pm

14

May 26, 2014

4.65[57]

September 8, 2014

5.21[57]

NBCEsquire

2014

5.33[57]

1.8[57]

5.83[57]

7

Monday 8:00 pm

15

May 25, 2015

5.87[58]

September 14, 2015

6.17[58]

2015

6.54[58]

1.9[58]

7.32[58]

8

13

June 1, 2016

6.35[59]

September 12, 2016

5.88[59]

2016

6.28[59]

1.8[59]

7.01[59]

9

15

June 12, 2017

5.36[60]

September 18, 2017

5.96[61]

NBCUSA

2017

5.86[62]

1.4[62]

6.47[62]

10

Monday 9:00 pm

15

May 30, 2018

5.35[63]

September 10, 2018

TBD

2018

TBD

TBD

TBD

text: Jump up ^ The finale broadcast was aired on NBC the next day as a special, with 4.10 million viewers.[54] The viewership number represents the G4 broadcast only.

text: International broadcasts[edit]

text: In Australia and New Zealand, the show is broadcast on SBS2 (2013–2017), 9Go! (2018), TV3 and Four. On April 25, 2016, it was announced Canadian broadcaster CTV picked up American Ninja Warrior for its 2016 summer broadcast schedule.[64] In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the show is broadcast on Challenge. In Israel, the show is broadcast on Yes Action. In 2016 Croatian RTL started broadcasting the show. The show is also shown in Finland on Sub-TV. In the Netherlands the show was first broadcast in 2017 on SBS 6, where their own Ninja Warrior NL has been broadcast.


document_title: To the nines

question_text: where the phrase dressed to the nines come from

root

text: To the nines

text: "To the nines" is an English idiom meaning "to perfection" or "to the highest degree" or to dress "buoyantly and high class". In modern English usage, the phrase most commonly appears as "dressed to the nines" or "dressed up to the nines".[1][2]

tag: p

text: Origin[edit]

text: The phrase is said to be Scots in origin.[2] The earliest written example of the phrase is from the 1719 Epistle to Ramsay by the Scottish poet William Hamilton:[3]

text:
The bonny Lines therein thou sent me,
How to the nines they did content me.

text: Robert Burns' "Poem on Pastoral Poetry", published posthumously in 1800, also uses the phrase:[citation needed]

text:
Thou paints auld nature to the nines,
In thy sweet Caledonian lines.

text: The phrase may have originally been associated with the Nine Worthies or the nine Muses. A poem from a 17th century collection of works by John Rawlet contains the following lines:[3]

text:
The learned tribe whose works the World do bless,
Finish those works in some recess;
Both the Philosopher and Divine,
And Poets most who still make their address
In private to the Nine.


document_title: Fred Hollows

question_text: when did fred hollows get australian of the year

text: Fred Hollows

text: Early life[edit]

text: Fred Hollows was one of a family of four boys; the others being Colin, John and Maurice. All were born in Dunedin, New Zealand, to Joseph and Clarice (Marshall) Hollows. The family lived in Dunedin for the first seven years of his life.[1] He had one year of informal primary schooling at North East Valley Primary School and began attending Palmerston North Boys' High School when he was 13. Hollows received his BA degree from Victoria University of Wellington. He briefly studied at a seminary, but decided against a life in the clergy. After observing the doctors at a mental hospital during some charity work, he instead enrolled at Otago Medical School.

text: While living in Dunedin he was an active member of the New Zealand Alpine Club and made several first ascents of mountains in the Mount Aspiring/Tititea region of Central Otago. In 1951 Edmund Hillary was on a test run for Everest, and was backpacking up the Tasman Glacier towards Malte Brun Hut; all five were carrying loads of 70 lb (32 kg) or more. He was met by a young man (Hollows) who came bounding down to meet me and offered to carry my load up to the hut. No one had ever offered to carry my load before, but it was too good an offer to refuse. I handed my pack over and saw his legs buckle slightly at the knees. [2]

text: Hollows was a member of the Communist Party of New Zealand during the 1950s and 1960s.[3]

text: Hollows was married twice: in 1958 to Mary Skiller, who died in 1975, and in 1980 to Gabi O'Sullivan.

text: Hollows was originally a New Zealand citizen. He declined the award of honorary Officer of the Order of Australia in 1985. He adopted Australian citizenship in 1989 and was named Australian of the Year in 1990.[4] He accepted the substantive award of Companion of the Order of Australia in 1991.

text: Medical career[edit]

text: In 1961, he went to Moorfields Eye Hospital in England to study ophthalmology. He then did post-graduate work in Wales before moving in 1965 to Australia, where he became associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. From 1965–1992 he chaired the ophthalmology division overseeing the teaching departments at the University of New South Wales, and the Prince of Wales and Prince Henry hospitals.

text: Early in the 1970s, Hollows worked with the Gurindji people at Wave Hill in the Northern Territory and then with the people around Bourke and other isolated New South Wales towns, stations and Aboriginal communities. He became especially concerned with the high number of Aboriginal people who had eye disorders, particularly trachoma. In July 1971, with Mum (Shirl) Smith and others, he set up the Aboriginal Medical Service in suburban Redfern in Sydney, and subsequently assisted in the establishment of medical services for Aboriginal People throughout Australia.[5]

text: He was responsible for organising the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists to establish the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program (the "Trachoma Program") 1976–1978, with funding by the Federal Government.[6] Hollows himself spent three years visiting Aboriginal communities to provide eye care and carry out a survey of eye defects. More than 460 Aboriginal communities were visited, and 62,000 Aboriginal people were examined, leading to 27,000 being treated for trachoma and 1,000 operations being carried out.[7]

text: Overseas work[edit]

text: His visits to Nepal in 1985, Eritrea in 1987, and Vietnam in 1991 resulted in training programs to train local technicians to perform eye surgery.[8][9] Hollows organised intraocular lens laboratories in Eritrea and Nepal to manufacture and provide lenses at cost, which was about A$10 (approximately US$7.50) each. Both laboratories started production after his death, in 1993.[10]

text: The Fred Hollows Foundation was launched as an Australian charitable foundation in Sydney on 3 September 1992 to continue the work of Fred Hollows in providing eye care for the underprivileged and poor, and to improve the health of indigenous Australians.[citation needed] The Foundation has also registered as a charity organisation in the United Kingdom where Fred did much of his training, and in his country of birth, New Zealand.

text: Opinions regarding HIV/AIDS[edit]

text: In 1992, Hollows spoke at the Alice Springs National Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Conference, and argued that some areas of the AIDS campaign were being inadequately dealt with at the time. According to The Australian's Martin Thomas, Hollows stated that some homosexuals were "recklessly spreading the virus"; therefore, the safe sex campaign was an inadequate way of dealing with the issue. To contain the disease, Hollows argued that promiscuity needed to be addressed. Hollows observed the spread of AIDS in contemporary African communities and he was concerned that AIDS would spread as vehemently through Aboriginal communities.[11][12]

text: Death[edit]

text: Hollows died in Sydney, Australia in 1993 at the age of 63. The cause of his death was metastatic renal cancer primarily affecting his lungs and brain. He had been diagnosed with the disease six years earlier, in 1987. Upon his death the Chief Minister of the ACT, Rosemary Follett, described Hollows to her parliamentary colleagues as "an egalitarian and a self-named anarcho-syndicalist who wanted to see an end to the economic disparity which exists between the First and Third Worlds and who believed in no power higher than the best expressions of the human spirit found in personal and social relationships."[13]

text: Hollows was given a state funeral service at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, though he was an atheist,[14] and, in accordance with his wishes, was interred in Bourke, where he had worked in the early 1970s.[15] He was survived by his wife Gabi Hollows (an Australian Living Treasure), and children Tanya, Ben, Cam, Emma, Anna-Louise, Ruth and Rosa.

text: A reserve near his old home in the Sydney suburb of Randwick was named Fred Hollows Reserve in 1993.

text: Recognition and awards[edit]

text:
1981: Advance Australia Award for Aboriginal eye care.
1985: was a consultant to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
1985: offered appointment as an honorary Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia but he refused to accept the award because he was appalled at what he regarded as blatant lack of interest by the government in eye care for Aboriginal people. However, he went on to become an Australian citizen on 26 April 1989.
1990: received Human Rights Medal
1990: named Australian of the Year
1990: received a second Advance Australia Award, for Medicine and Overseas Aid
1991: named Humanist of the Year[16]
1991: named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International
1991: received Honorary Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Science, University of New South Wales
1991: appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
1991: awarded Honorary Doctorate of Science, Macquarie University
1991: named the first honorary citizen of Eritrea
1992: received Honorary Doctorate, Queensland University of Technology
1993: received Albert Schweitzer Award of Distinction, Chapman University, USA
1993: received Rotary International's highest honour, the Rotary Award for World Understanding.
1993: received the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists Medal for his years of distinguished meritorious and selfless service – presented to him the night before he died.
1993: posthumously named a Melvin Jones Fellow of Lions Clubs International.
1993: Fred Hollows Reserve in Hollow's hometown of Randwick, Sydney established to preserve a natural rainforest gully and save it from future development.
2004: entered into the 'Hall of Fame' at the inaugural NSW Aboriginal Health Awards, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution and achievement to Indigenous health in Australia".
2005: an operating theatre was named after him at Canberra Eye Hospital, ACT, Australia.
2005: named one of "New Zealand's Top 100 History Makers" by Prime Television New Zealand.
2006: named one of the "100 most influential Australians" by The Bulletin magazine.[17]
2010: featured on $1 Coin from the Royal Australian Mint as part of the Inspirational Australians Series.[18][19]
2016: The street in a new, developing sub-section in his birthplace Dunedin, called Three Hills, was named Fred Hollows Way, in memory.[20]
2017: Sydney Ferries' Emerald-class ferry named Fred Hollows.[21]

tag: ul


document_title: Christmas with the Kranks

question_text: who played santa claus in christmas with the kranks

text: Christmas with the Kranks

text: Plot[edit]

text: After Riverside, Illinois couple Luther (Tim Allen) and Nora Krank (Jamie Lee Curtis) see their daughter, Blair (Julie Gonzalo), depart for a Peace Corps assignment in Peru on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, empty nest syndrome sets in. Luther calculates the couple spent $6,132 during the previous year's holiday season and, not looking forward to celebrating Christmas without their daughter, he suggests they invest the money usually spent on decorations, gifts, and entertainment and treat themselves to a ten-day Caribbean cruise instead. Skeptical at first, Nora finally agrees under the condition that they still give a donation to the church and Children's Hospital. Luther tries to refuse but finally agrees and they begin planning the trip.

text: The Kranks are amazed to discover they are considered pariahs as a result of their decision. Luther's co-workers think he has become Ebenezer Scrooge when he gives all his employees letters that state about his Christmas boycott, local stationer Aubie is distressed to lose the couple's order for their engraved greeting cards and Christmas Eve party invitations, the Boy Scout troop is upset and angered when the Kranks refuse to purchase one of their Christmas trees to help the scouts make enough money for a camporee, and the police are stunned to discover they won't be buying this year's calendar from them. Most vocal in their objections are neighbors Vic Frohmeyer (Dan Aykroyd) and Walt Scheel (M. Emmet Walsh). Vic, who's the unelected leader of the street, organizes a campaign to force the Kranks to decorate their home so Hemlock Street won't lose the coveted award for best decorations. Vic has political and bureaucratic connections in Chicago. Walt doesn't seem to like Luther, so his efforts are primarily personal. However, it is revealed that Walt's wife Bev is suffering from cancer, perhaps dampening his holiday spirits. Children picket, led by Vic's son Spike (Erik Per Sullivan), neighbors constantly call, and Christmas carolers try to revive the Kranks' holiday spirit by singing on their lawn, which Luther stops by freezing his front lawn. Even the newspaper gets into the act by publishing a front page story complete with a photograph of the unlit Krank house and states that the Kranks' street has lost the prize and won sixth place because of how Luther and Nora refused to decorate their house. Still, Luther and Nora continue to stand their ground.

text: The two are in the process of packing on Christmas Eve morning when they receive a call from Blair, who announces she's at Miami International Airport, en route home with her Peruvian fiancé as a surprise for her parents. She's anxious to introduce Enrique to her family's holiday traditions, and when she asks if they're having their usual party that night, a panicked Nora says yes. Comic chaos ensues as the couple finds themselves trying to decorate the house and coordinate a party with only twelve hours to spare before their daughter and future son-in-law arrive.

text: While Nora scrambles to find food, especially Blair's favorite honey glazed ham, Luther goes to buy a tree from the Boy Scouts but they only have one worthless non-green tree left since their sales went big and rapid. Luther decides to give a donation by giving them money but taking the tree in the process; he then rejects it by throwing it in his backyard. While Spike leads a picket at the Kranks', Luther arranges to borrow the tree of neighbor Wes Trogdon who is going away for a week with his kids and wife to close relatives being given the warning that he is not to break one ornament or damage it. Luther and Spike try to transport it across the street on Spike's Radio Flyer wagon, only for the neighbors to confuse this to be Luther stealing the family's Christmas tree and end up being called for the police to arrest him for theft. Spike comes to Luther's rescue by showing the neighbors and officers that Luther has Trogdon's keys and thus was given permission to borrow the tree. Nora comes home enraged at Luther for making the borrowed Christmas tree a "Disaster" and how she had to buy "Smoked Trout" to replace the honey ham (which was crushed by a truck). Once it is established why Luther is trying frantically to decorate his home, the neighbors, led by Vic, come out full force to help him and Nora ready it for Blair. Blair calls to say she landed from Miami; despite this, she is sent by a police transport to their house thus leaving her still unaware of the chaos.

text: After subtly giving everybody, including Blair and Enrique, a half-hearted toast, Luther tries to convince Nora to accept the cruise when she confronts him for the toast, but she refuses, disgusted that he isn't happy Blair is home. Having a change of heart, Luther sadly slips out of the house and goes across the street to the Scheel home. Bev's cancer, once in remission, has returned and, knowing this may be their last holiday together, Luther insists they take the cruise in place of him and Nora, going so far as to offer to take care of their hated cat, Muffles, so they can go. At first Walt and Bev decline, but ultimately decide to accept his generosity; as a result, Luther, whose holiday spirit has been renewed, realizes skipping Christmas wasn't as good an idea as he had originally thought.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Tim Allen as Luther Krank
Jamie Lee Curtis as Nora Krank, Luther's wife
Dan Aykroyd as Vic Frohmeyer, the Kranks' domineering neighbor
Dava Hulsey as Amanda Frohmeyer, the doting wife of Vic and loving mother of Spike.
Julie Gonzalo as Blair Krank, the Kranks' daughter
M. Emmet Walsh as Walt Scheel, the Kranks' obnoxious neighbor
Elizabeth Franz as Bev Scheel, Walt's ailing wife
Erik Per Sullivan as Spike Frohmeyer, Vic's kid
Cheech Marin as Officer Salino
Jake Busey as Officer Treen, Salino's partner
Austin Pendleton as Marty, an umbrella salesman who is actually Santa Claus
Tom Poston as Father Zabriskie, a priest
Kim Rhodes as Julie, Luther's employee
Arden Myrin as Daisy
René Lavan as Enrique Decardenal, Blair's fiance
Patrick Breen as Aubie, a stationier
Caroline Rhea as Candi, a friend of Nora's
Felicity Huffman as Merry, a friend of Nora's
Kevin Chamberlin as Duke Scanlon, a Boy Scout leader

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: Joe Roth knew about John Grisham's Skipping Christmas before it was even published in 2001. He was asked by Grisham to read the book in galley form, assuming he could direct a movie based on it. Roth recalls: "It turns out he was right. Even while I was reading it, all I could think was that this would make a great Christmas movie. It had humor, it had wonderful characters and it had heart." It was a huge change for him as he, who previously directed thrillers, would now do work for a film lighter in tone and style. With the rights of the book received and the May 2000 founding of Revolution Studios, he stated that "as a start-up company, there was a great deal of work to do in order to get up and running."[2]

text: Later, filmmaker Chris Columbus, who also bought the rights to Skipping Christmas and had written a screenplay, called Roth about directing the adaption. As Roth explains: "Naturally, I thought he was going to direct it. But he said, 'No, you should direct it.' It turns out I was getting ready to direct another project. But when I read Chris's script, I knew I had to at least try to direct it. I promised myself that if I could get the right cast in place, I would do it." Producer Michael Barnathan said, "Joe read the script on a Sunday, bought it on Monday, decided he wanted to direct it on Tuesday and by Friday had cast Tim [Allen] and Jamie Lee [Curtis]. The following Monday morning we started pre-production."[2]

text: Setting[edit]

text: Christmas with the Kranks takes place mostly in the Kranks's neighborhood of Hemlock Street in Riverside, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, over the course of four weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. Production designer Garreth Stover originally looked for locations with the right weather conditions and suburban ambience for Hemlock Street, as described specifically in Columbus's script of the film. He was scouting from the metropolitan area of Chicago to Minnesota, but due to the extreme conditions of this part of the United States at the time, the filmmakers felt it was better to set up the neighborhood in an empty location instead of finding one.[2]

text: When looking for a place to build the set 15 weeks before filming began, Stover chose a parking lot of a former Boeing aircraft factory in Downey, California, about 15 miles away from downtown Los Angeles and in the midst of Downey Studios. The rest of the first three weeks were spent on designing the houses with assistance from construction coordinator David Elliott. In the next 12 weeks, hundreds of carpenters, plasterers and painters working built had built what would become the largest exterior set ever for a movie, being more than 700 feet long and including 16 houses. What Stover called "the core five" were the houses of the Kranks, the Frohmeyers, the Scheels, the Beckers and Trogdons, which he claimed had "full ground floors that are dressed and you can see into." He also said that the second floor of the Kranks' was built on a soundstage. Producer Michael Barnathan claimed that the set would later be available for other movies, TV series and commercials to use.[2]However, due to health complaints from the locals over toxic residues from factory period and lack of profit, the studio closed in 2012 and was razed to build a mall.[3]

text: Costumes[edit]

text: Susie DeSanto handled the costume design of Christmas with the Kranks. According to DeSanto, "I was looking for a project that was really textural, and maybe a bit nostalgic. I saw Christmas With the Kranks like a Christmas card, a beautiful Christmas memory of how we wish the holiday to be. So a lot of the fabrics I chose were not so much high-tech bright colors, but wools, plaids and mixing patterns. Joe [Roth] was specific about what he wanted, but within that, he allowed me a great deal of freedom to express myself.”[2]

text: DeSanto viewed that all the characters in Christmas with the Kranks would wear dresses that are supposed to serve as their "accents" rather than overtly defining them. Luther Krank is seen wearing the same-colored shirt and suit at work all the time, and according to DeSanto, this "tells that Luther’s a punch-the-clock kind of guy, so the whole idea of skipping Christmas and going off on a tropical vacation is completely averse to anything he’s ever done." She described Nora as "tasteful and kind of folksy, a middle-American woman approaching middle age. In our first meeting, Jamie Lee Curtis was totally prepared. She wanted to look like a real Midwestern woman who lives in the suburbs of Chicago and is as obsessed with Christmas as everyone around her. Nora dresses for the seasons and I found out by speaking to people at Marshall Field’s in Chicago that the Christmas sweater is a big deal. And Jamie wears it so well.” As for Vic Frohmeyer, she saw him as "a sort of commander-in-chief of the neighborhood, so I wanted something with a bit of a military flair. Since he’s also a college professor, we cut the pattern from a general’s jacket and made it professorial by using a vintage tweed mixed with corduroy.”[2]

text: Music[edit]

text: The soundtrack features many holiday standards, including "Jingle Bell Rock" by Brenda Lee; "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Billy May & His Orchestra with vocal by Alvin Stoller; "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by Eddie Dunstedter; "White Christmas" by Dean Martin; "Frosty the Snowman" by Steve Van Zandt; "Blue Christmas" by Elvis Presley; and "The Christmas Song" by Ella Fitzgerald.

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: The film received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 5% based on 123 reviews, with the site's critical consensus reading, "A mirthless movie as fresh as last year's fruit cake, Christmas with the Kranks is a coarse, garish comedy that promotes conformity."[4] On Metacritic the film has a score of 22 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[5]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Christmas with the Kranks was released on DVD and VHS on March 8, 2005.

text: Box office[edit]

text: The film was a box office success. On its opening weekend, it earned $21,570,867 on 3,393 screens, ranking #3 behind National Treasure and The Incredibles. It eventually grossed $96,572,480 worldwide.[1]


document_title: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

question_text: when does call of duty infinite warfare take place

text: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

text: Gameplay

text: Campaign

text: Similar to the previous games in the series, Infinite Warfare is a first-person shooter. As the game introduces a new setting, outer space, new gameplay mechanics, such as zero-gravity environments, are included.[3][4][5] Players are equipped with a boost pack, and a grappling hook, which allow players to move in these zero-gravity environments easily. As the game is set in space, players can visit different planets, satellites and asteroids in the solar system.[6]

text: Assuming control of Captain Nick Reyes, a Tier 1 Special Operations pilot, players engage in aerial combat with enemies using his transforming fighter, the Jackal.[7] Aerial combat is not on-rail, as players can freely control the Jackal without much limitations. According to Infinity Ward, both space combat, and the franchise's signature "boot-on-the-ground" gameplay are the game's key focuses,[8] Transition between space combat and boots-on-the-ground combat is seamless with no loading screen.[9]

text: Players gain access to Retribution, a central hub world. In Retribution, players can view their progression, and start main campaign missions, and secondary quests called "Ship Assaults" which gives them cosmetic and customization items, upgrades to the Jackal, as well as new story details.[10][11] Reyes also has a wrist computer, which allows him to hack into enemies' gadgets and machines such as robots. It can also be used to call in reinforcements at some campaign scenarios.[6] The game also features two new difficulty modes, Specialist and #YOLO, unlockable after initial completion of the campaign. In the former mode, health regeneration does not occur without Nano Shots, and weapons can be shot out from players' hands. Reyes' movement would be hindered if his legs are shot by enemies. In the latter mode, which also implements the same features from Specialist, when players die, they need to restart the game rather than restarting from checkpoints.[12]

text: Multiplayer

text: Infinite Warfare introduces a major overhaul to the class system called the "Combat Rigs". Similar to the Specialist system in Black Ops III, there are six rigs in total, including Warfighter, Merc, FTL, Stryker, Phantom and Synaptic. All of which have different payloads, weapons, abilities and playstyles. For example, the Synaptic rig is designed for players who prefer to run and gun, while the Phantom rig is suited for players who want to play stealthily. Players can also gain access to several persistent perks, known as "Traits", which give players advantages in combat situations. Additionally, the game retains the chain-based momentum movement system of Black Ops III, allowing players to perform thrust jumps, sliding, and wallrunning.[13]

text: The game features hundreds of both primary and secondary weapons. Players can gain access to several types of weapons, including traditional ballistic weapons and melee weapons, futuristic energy weapons, and different kinds of grenades, such as the Seeker Grenade and the Black Hole Grenade. Players can add attachments on them to enhance their efficiency. The game also introduces a new weapon crafting system. In a multiplayer match, players earn "Salvage" points, which can be consumed to purchase Prototype Weapons, variants of existing in-game weapons. For each gun, there are four types of prototypes, classified into four groups, namely Common, Rare, Legendary and Epic. All of which grant players gameplay advantages known as the "Gun Perks".[14] Scorestreaks return in Infinite Warfare for players who have earned sufficient points in a match. Scoresteaks offer players perks such as the ability to deploy UAV and counter-UAV, and the ability to summon a R-C8 robot, an armored robot designed to defend the player and kill other opponents.[15]

text: Zombies

text: The game also features a cooperative multiplayer Zombies mode, which has its own gameplay mechanics and story, separate from the campaign.[8] The mode is designed to be more accessible to new players, with new features such as sharing points and teambuy doors, as well as keeping the core gameplay of the mode intact, such as perks and power-ups. A new feature, Fate and Fortune Cards, is introduced similarly to the Gobblegums in Call of Duty: Black Ops III; the cards offer temporary boosts in-game to the players, but unlike Gobblegums they are activated through point earning, and players can select any of the five cards they have equipped at any time. After initial use of five cards, players can refill their card deck for a price up to two times in a match. Unlike the campaign and multiplayer modes, Zombies is not themed in space combat, and retains the normal movement system.

text: Plot

text: Campaign

text: Characters and settings

text: Infinite Warfare is set in the distant future, after Earth has been stripped of its natural resources as a result of population growth and industrial expansion, prompting the nations of the world to unite and form the United Nations Space Alliance (UNSA), a political organization that handles matters related to trade, travel, land claims and all efforts relating to human space colonization. The residents of Earth rely on colonies established elsewhere in the Solar System in order to mine planets and asteroids for resources. The value of these outposts, however, attracts militant radicals who seek to control them; an action which could place the countries of Earth in a very unfavorable position. In response, the UNSA is defended by the Solar Associated Treaty Organization (SATO), a coordinated military structure that defends Earth and the UNSA's holdings.[11] However, prior to the events of the game, a new hostile faction emerges, known as the Settlement Defense Front (SDF), which consists of insurgents that broke away from the United Nations Space Alliance during a war of secession. Following years of a troubled stalemate with the Front, relations have deteriorated to a point where the entire Solar System is poised on the brink of war. By the events of the game, the Settlement Defense Front declares war on the UNSA and launches a surprise attack on Geneva, severely weakening SATO's forces on Earth.

text: As the newly appointed captain of the UNSA Warship Retribution, Commander Nick Reyes (Brian Bloom), a Tier 1 Special Operations pilot of the Special Combat Air Recon (SCAR), is tasked to lead a crew to defeat the Settlement Defense Front on Earth, as well as journey to outer space and across other planets in the system using space-based fighter craft, referred to as Jackals, to stop the Front from taking over the entire Solar System.[11] Assisting Reyes in the fight against the SDF are his mentor Admiral Fredrick Raines (John Marshall Jones), Reyes' wingman Lieutenant Nora Salter (Jamie Gray Hyder), his robot sidekick E3N "Ethan" (Jeffrey Nordling), and the SATO Marines including Staff Sergeant Usef Omar (David Harewood), Corporal Sean Brooks (Jason Barry) and Private Todd Kashima (Eric Ladin). Other notable allies include Retribution Navigator Victor "Gator" Diallo (Omid Abtahi), Tigris warship captain Maureen Ferran (Claudia Christian), and Retribution Chief Engineer Audrey "Mac" MaCallum (Claudia Black). Facing Reyes and his allies in battle is the commander of the starship Olympus Mons, and leader of the SDF, Rear Admiral Salen Kotch (Kit Harington), and his senior commander Akeel Min Riah (Jim Pirri).[16] UFC fighter Conor McGregor makes a cameo appearance as SDF Captain Bradley Fillion, while Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton appears as Retribution Electro-technical Officer Carl Hamilton.

text: Plot

text: A UNSA special forces team is sent to a secret UNSA weapons research facility on Europa to investigate a SDF attack and recover a prototype weapon before initiating the facility's self-destruct. The team is able to destroy the facility, but fails to recover the weapon and are captured by the SDF, where they are subsequently executed by one of the SDF's main commanders, Admiral Kotch.

text: On Earth, Reyes warns Admiral Raines that the SDF attack is tantamount to a declaration of war and that the UNSA should be preparing a counterattack. However, Admiral Raines explains that the UNSA's leaders do not want to escalate the situation, especially during the Fleet Week celebrations where the entire UNSA fleet gathers at Geneva. During the celebrations, he links up with his wingman Salter as well as his new robotic subordinate E3N "Ethan". Suddenly, the UNSA's AATIS defense cannons begin to open fire on the UNSA fleet, decimating many ships as an SDF assault force invades Geneva. Reyes manages to fight his way to the AATIS control tower, where he manages to shut down the AATIS cannons and apprehend Riah, the SDF spy responsible for sabotaging them. Reyes then accompanies the surviving UNSA ships into orbit where they destroy the attacking SDF fleet. The SDF's flagship, the Olympus Mons, suddenly arrives and destroys more UNSA ships before it is forced to retreat, leaving only two operational UNSA ships: the carrier Retribution and the destroyer Tigris.

text: Upon landing on the Retribution, Reyes learns that both the ship's captain and the executive officer were killed in battle, leaving him as the highest-ranking officer of the ship and its de facto captain. Admiral Raines promotes Reyes to commander and then tasks him retaking the cargo port on the Moon from the SDF. After successfully liberating the Moon, Reyes is given the mission to delay the SDF for as long as possible until the UNSA can rebuild its fleet. At this point, Reyes can embark on a number of optional missions to attack key SDF targets. Eventually, Reyes manages to destroy a strategic refueling tower on Titan, crippling the SDF's fuel supply. He is then sent to investigate a disturbance at an asteroid mining station near Mercury, only to find it was a diversion while the SDF destroys the Tigris, leaving the Retribution as the sole remaining UNSA ship. Learning that Riah is carrying a beacon meant to signal the main SDF fleet to invade Earth, Reyes devises a plan to use the beacon to lure the SDF fleet right into the still operational AATIS guns. Unfortunately, the plan goes awry when Riah escapes, destroys the AATIS guns, and kills himself to trigger the beacon. The main SDF arrives and the Olympus Mons destroys UNSA headquarters, killing Admiral Raines.

text: With no other options, Reyes decides to use the opportunity to board and commandeer the Olympus Mons. He manages to battle his way to the bridge and kill Admiral Kotch. He then has the Olympus Mons travel back to Mars, where he intends to use the ship to destroy the SDF's orbital shipyard and cripple their fleet in return. While the Olympus Mons and Retribution manage to destroy many SDF ships, the Olympus Mons suffers too much damage to use its weapons so Reyes orders it to ram the shipyard. Unfortunately, the Retribution also suffers damage and drifts into Olympus Mons flight path, forcing Reyes to order the ship to divert. Both warships crash onto the surface of Mars with the shipyard still intact.

text: Realizing that there's no way for them to get back to Earth alive, Reyes rallies the survivors of the Retribution crew and leads them on one final, desperate assault on the shipyard. Most of the surviving crew are killed in the fighting, but Salter manages to commandeer an SDF destroyer. However, its weapons are disabled and the mooring clamps are locked. Ethan sacrifices himself to destroy the moorings while Reyes activates the destroyer's weapons and orders Salter to destroy the station, despite him being on it. Salter reluctantly opens fire, ejecting Reyes into space. His last sight is seeing the SDF shipyard explode before he is killed by flying shrapnel.

text: Some time later, the UNSA honors Reyes and the Retribution crew's heroic sacrifice, stating that their destruction of the SDF shipyard was a decisive victory. Salter, who is one of the four survivors from the Retribution, salutes a war memorial in Geneva listing the names of all of the UNSA soldiers who died in the conflict, including Reyes.

text: During the credits, the posthumous recorded messages of some of the deceased Retribution crew may be heard.

text: Zombies

text: Characters

text: Infinite Warfare Zombies stars Ike Barinholtz, Jay Pharoah, Seth Green and Sasheer Zamata as the main protagonists of the story: Aaron "A.J." Jordaniels, Andre Wright, Poindexter Zittermann and Sally Simpson. They initially appear as aspiring actors, who are trapped inside a series of horror films by director Willard Wyler (Paul Reubens), where they play out the role of the films' archetype characters. Throughout the season, the actors encounter various celebrity actors who are also trapped in each film, including: David Hasselhoff, Kevin Smith, Pam Grier, and Cassandra Peterson who reprises her role as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Jason Mewes has a minor voiceover role as himself, while Fred Tatasciore provides the voice of the demon Mephistopheles.

text: Plot

text: Some times before the events of the game, horror film director Willard Wyler lost his wife Alexandra to an incurable disease, causing a rift between him and his daughter Winona. At some point, Wyler made a deal with the demonic Mephistopheles, and unwillingly became a slave to him, forced to collect souls by sending them into alternate dimensions formed from his films, leading them to their deaths by the monsters of his creation. Over time, Wyler felt guilt for condemning countless victims, including Winona, to their doom, and secretly formed a plan to recruit actors who could enter his films and fight back, freeing Wyler from his prison and defeating Mephistopheles.

text: After decades of elusive retirement, Wyler prepares for his comeback into the movie business. He invites four aspiring actors: A.J., Andre, Poindexter and Sally, to his theater for an audition, but unbeknownst to them, he intends to trap the four inside one of his own movies, "Zombies in Spaceland". The four actors find themselves in an 80's theme park, dressed as the archetypes of the era. As the four try to survive the oncoming zombie horde, they find unexpected help from famous actor David Hasselhoff, who has also been trapped in this movie for an unknown amount of time as his Knight Rider character Michael Knight. With Hasselhoff's aid, the four actors manage to fend off the undead, much to Wyler's chagrin, and discover a piece of an artifact known as the Soul Key. As the actors attempt to escape, they instead find themselves in another one of Wyler's films, "Rave in the Redwoods", set in a 90's campsite in the Redwood National and State Parks, where they go up against hordes of undead raver teenagers and sasquatches. As the actors traverse across the campsite, they encounter director Kevin Smith, who has also been trapped here for an amount of time with his friend Jason Mewes, who died prior to the actors' arrival in the film at the hands of the chainsaw-wielding Slasher who lurks the campsite. The actors help Kevin recover his memory, and convince him to help them escape the film. However, the group soon uncovers through the memories that Jason, along with various other victims associated with Wyler, was killed by Kevin who was unknowingly the Slasher all along. Kevin, as he fully recovers his memories, is forced to transform into the Slasher to kill the actors, but is defeated.

text: The actors retrieve the second piece of the Soul Key, and are immediately warped into Wyler's third film, "Shaolin Shuffle", set in the backdrop of a '70s New York City. The group, now dressed in 70s' apparel, find help from actress Pam Grier, who assists them in fighting Wyler's zombie horde, as well as gives them special martial arts skills and training. The group encounter Arthur McIntosh, a failed businessman who after consuming a mysterious chemical became the Rat King, capable of controlling sewer rats at his will. The actors and Grier battle McIntosh and manage to kill him, while also retrieving the third piece of the Soul Key. The four actors are then teleported into Wyler's fourth film, "Attack of the Radioactive Thing", set in a 1950s beach area affected by a radioactive experiment. The actors encounter horror film hostess Elvira, who is also trapped inside this film, and proceed to assist her in her plan to foil Wyler's scheme. Together, they battle against a combined force of zombies as well as mutant crab-frog fusions and a giant radioactive beast dubbed Crogzilla. The crew assemble a nuclear bomb and detonate it inside the Crogzilla's belly, blowing it to bits. They then retrieve the fourth piece of the Soul Key inside the Crogzilla's eye.

text: The four actors are then teleported into the final film, "The Beast from Beyond", as they arrive at a futuristic military station on an ice planet, where they battle against the Cryptid aliens from the Extinction series, as well as a mixture of zombies from the previous four films. After fighting against a herd of Cryptids, the four retrieve the final piece of the Soul Key, and are seemingly teleported back to Wyler's theater, where he joyfully greets them. Without letting him explain himself, the four actors furiously send Wyler back into the Spaceland movie using his own method, but ultimately realize they have become slaves to the demon Mephistopheles in Wyler's place. Mephistopheles himself appears in front of the four actors, and threatens to consume their souls; the four then arm themselves for a final battle against the demon. After seemingly winning against him, the four are teleported back to the theater, but still find themselves unable to escape. In reality, it is revealed that they are already trapped inside the Soul Jar, which contains pocket universes representing the theater as well as each of Wyler's films. Meanwhile, Wyler enlists Hasselhoff's help in Spaceland once more in an attempt to escape the movie. He reunites with the four actors and reconciles with them as all five begin to plot their next move.

text: Development and release

text:
I want people to play our new game and say, 'Wow, I haven't seen [Call of Duty] change that much since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

— Jacob Minkoff, a design director at Infinity Ward

tag: div

text: In 2014, Activision announced a three-year development cycle for the Call of Duty series, in which Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and Treyarch would take turns in releasing a Call of Duty video game every year so as to extend each game's development time.[17] Infinite Warfare is the third and the last game in the first cycle, and it is the first video game developed by Infinity Ward since 2013's Call of Duty: Ghosts.[8] Development for the game dates as far back as 2014.[18] According to Infinity Ward, the development team added lots of new ideas to the game, and put emphasis on the game's storytelling.[19] The team chose space as the game's setting as they believed that it can introduce new environments to players. To make the game more realistic, Infinity Ward had consulted several military experts.[9] The team also wants to start an Infinite Warfare sub-series.[20]

text: Reveal

text: In February 2016, Activision announced that Infinity Ward would be the lead developer of 2016's Call of Duty game.[21] Infinite Warfare was officially confirmed by Activision when they announced that the company would not have a booth at E3 2016, and that their products would be shown through their partner, Sony Interactive Entertainment.[22] Activision teased the game with a video, titled "Know Your Enemy", and a new ending for Black Ops III's "Nuk3town" map, which shows a giant airship on top of the map.[23][24] The game was leaked via PlayStation Store on April 26, and the first trailer was revealed unofficially via Hulu prior to the game's official announcement.[25][26]

text: In May 2016, Activision released the official announcement trailer for the game, a week after they trademarked the name of the game.[8][27] The trailer of the game was officially revealed through a live-stream on Twitch.[28] As part of the reveal, Activision ran a social media game using a Facebook chat bot, which tasks the player to decode a message.[29] A remastered version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, entitled Modern Warfare Remastered, was released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC alongside Infinite Warfare, only available with the purchase of either the Legacy, Digital Deluxe or Legacy Pro edition of Infinite Warfare.[30] The first public piece of gameplay for the Infinite Warfare campaign was revealed as a trailer during the Sony press conference at E3 2016.[31][32] A gameplay video of the "Black Sky" campaign mission was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con on July 21, 2016. Also revealed was the "Terminal" map pre-order bonus for customers who pre-ordered Infinite Warfare.[33]

text: In August 2016, Activision sent mysterious metal packages to YouTubers in the Call of Duty community. Each came with a combination lock and a countdown timer. A code was sent to all recipients to open the boxes once the timer reached 1 minute.[34] Each box contained a variety of 80's-themed apparel, plus a cassette player and a VHS tape, which contained the reveal trailer for Zombies in Spaceland.[35] An HD version of the trailer was released hours after, along with a reveal of the game's new mechanics, as well as the "Zombies in Spaceland" bonus preorder pack, which contains a weapon camouflage, an animated player card, as well as a "Fate and Fortune Card Pack" for use in the Zombies mode.[36] The official reveal of Infinite Warfare's multiplayer mode took place during the Call of Duty XP 2016 convention, which was held in early September 2016.[37][38]

text: Multiplayer beta

text: A multiplayer beta for people who pre-ordered the PlayStation 4 version of the game began on October 14. An Xbox One beta began on October 21, and the PC version did not have a beta.[39] The beta concluded on October 24.[39]

text: Downloadable content

text: Players who purchased the season pass, whether it be separately or with certain special editions of the game, were to receive all four DLC packs for Infinite Warfare, released in four different waves during 2017, for a slightly discounted price (compared to that of all DLC packs purchased separately). Season pass holders were to also receive 1,000 Salvage credits, the game's in-game currency, and 10 rare quality supply drops at the game's launch.[40] The first DLC pack, named Sabotage, was available to PS4 players on January 31, 2017, and to Xbox One and PC players on March 2, 2017.[41] The pack includes the new Zombies map Rave in the Redwoods, as well as four new multiplayer maps: Noir, Renaissance, Neon, and Dominion (remade from the MW2 map Afghan).[41] The second map pack, Continuum, was released on PS4 on April 18, 2017, and on Xbox One and PC on May 18, 2017; the map pack includes four MP maps: Turista, Scrap, Archive, Excess (a remake of the MW2 map Rust), and one Zombies map, Shaolin Shuffle. The third map pack, Absolution, was released on PS4 on July 6, 2017, and on Xbox One and PC on August 8, 2017; the map pack features the Zombies map Attack of the Radioactive Thing and four MP maps: Permafrost, Fore, Bermuda and Ember (a remake of the MW3 map Resistance). The final map pack, Retribution, will be released on PS4 on September 12, 2017, and features the final Zombies episode The Beast from Beyond, as well as four MP maps: Carnage, Altitude, Depot 22 and Heartland (a remake of the Ghosts map Warhawk).

text: In addition to map packs, Infinite Warfare also feature announcer voice packs, replacing the regular voice over in multiplayer with other voices. A voice pack called "UK Special Forces" was released for free to all players, featuring the voice of actor Craig Fairbrass (also known for his role as Gaz in Modern Warfare, Ghost in Modern Warfare 2, Wallcroft in Modern Warfare 3, and Tee in Infinite Warfare). Other voice packs feature various celebrities, including rapper Method Man, YouTuber Ozzy Man Reviews, and comedian Ken Jeong.

text: Reception

text:
Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator
Score

Metacritic
(PC) 73/100[42]
(PS4) 77/100[43]
(XONE) 78/100[44]

Review scores

Publication
Score

Destructoid
7/10[45]

EGM
7/10[46]

Game Informer
9/10[47]

Game Revolution
[48]

GameSpot
8/10[49]

GamesRadar+
[50]

Giant Bomb
[51]

IGN
7.7/10[52]

PC Gamer (US)
48/100[53]

Polygon
8.5/10[54]

VideoGamer.com
9/10[55]

tag: table

text: Pre-release

text: Upon release of the initial trailer, the game was heavily criticized by the community for being too futuristic. The consensus held was that this had stemmed from frustration with the current direction of the franchise, as consecutive installments released in the past few years had been set in future settings and narratives.[56][57] In response to the criticism, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg stated that he knew "that there are people in our community who are nostalgic for the boots-on-the-ground-style gameplay... [but]... we also have millions of people in our community who want to have new innovative experiences in the game each year and Infinite Warfare is going to deliver that." He also claimed that Call of Duty: Black Ops II, whose trailer also received multiple dislikes, would go on to become the best-selling Call of Duty game at the time.[58] As of November 25, 2016[ref], the trailer has received more than 3.5 million dislikes and is the second most disliked video on YouTube.[59][60][61]

text: Despite its pre-release criticism, Infinite Warfare was named Best Shooter at E3 by Game Informer.[62] At the 2016 Game Critics Awards for the best of E3, the game was nominated for Best Action Game,[63] but lost to rival game Battlefield 1.[64]

text: Post-release

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2016)

text: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare received "generally favorable" reviews for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, while the PC version received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[42][43][44]

text: Joab Gilroy of IGN gave the game a 7.7 out of 10 stating; "Despite its shift to interplanetary combat, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is a generally fun but inessential shooter." Brett Phillps of Trusted Reviews awarded Infinite Warfare 4 and a half out of 5 stars, reasoning; "A solid campaign and the excellent “Zombies” mode will see people stick around for a good while, but it won’t be long before buyers of the Legacy Edition switch over to Modern Warfare Remastered for good."[65]

text: The single-player campaign received praise. Critics deemed it an improvement over Black Ops III's campaign. Gilroy, however, had a more mixed response, citing that "2016 has been one of the best years for single-player shooter campaigns of the past decade. We’ve seen Doom, Titanfall 2, Gears of War 4, Battlefield 1, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided… and they're all better than Infinite Warfare's campaign. It's not for want of something to differentiate it. It should be awesome... but it’s mostly slow and plodding, and by the time the pace picks up there’s not enough game left to wash the disappointment of the first two-thirds out of your mouth. Infinite Warfare's campaign shows improvement over [Call of Duty: Ghosts], but not much." Phillps on the other hand, felt that the campaign was more enjoyable than Black Ops III, reasoning "While the Call of Duty series has become synonymous with intense and addictive multiplayer, it’s a pleasant surprise that the quality of the single player campaigns has steadily improved in recent years, which continues in Infinite Warfare."

text: The multiplayer drew the most criticism due to its lack of innovation. Phillps expressed his disappointed to the multiplayer stating; "I’m genuinely saddened that Infinite Warfare's multiplayer doesn’t stack up to previous entries, as every year I look forward to jumping back into Call of Duty and spending a good few months shooting up stuff [...]"

text: Sales

text: Infinite Warfare sold 1.8 million copies in its first week and became the top selling title on the UK sales charts.[66] However, overall sales were down 50% compared to 2015's Call of Duty: Black Ops III.[67][68][69] Activision was reported to be expecting sales to be down due to the fact that Infinite Warfare was going to be a "new sub-series" and that the Black Ops name carried brand weight with it.[70][71] Despite it, Infinite Warfare was the top-selling game in the US of November 2016.[72][73] Activision reported in February 2017 that the game missed their sales expectations with one of the reasons cited being that the game "didn't resonate with fans".[74]

text: The PlayStation 4 version sold 105,764 copies within its first week on sale in Japan, making it the bestselling game of the week in the country.[75]

text: Accolades

text:
Year
Award
Category
Result
Ref

2016
Game Critics Awards 2016
Best Action Game
Nominated
[76][77]

2017
15th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project
Nominated
[78]

Outstanding Animated Performance in an Episode or Real-Time Project


document_title: E. L. James

question_text: where did el james get the idea for fifty shades of grey

text: E. L. James

text: Early life[edit]

text: Erika Mitchell was born on 7 March 1963 in London, England, to a Chilean mother and a Scottish father who was a BBC cameraman.[10][11] She was brought up in Buckinghamshire.[10]

text: James was educated at the independent Pipers Corner School and at Wycombe High School, a state grammar school for girls in the town of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, followed by the University of Kent in South East England where she studied History.[10]

text: Career[edit]

text: After leaving university, James became a studio manager’s assistant at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield. She married Niall Leonard, a screenwriter, in 1987, and they have two teenage sons. As of 2012 they reside in Brentford, west London.[10][12]

text: Fifty Shades trilogy[edit]

text: James says the idea for the Fifty Shades trilogy began as a response to the vampire novel series Twilight. In late 2008 James saw the movie Twilight, and then became intensely absorbed with the novels that the movie was based on. She read the novels several times over in a period of a few days, and then, for the first time in her life, sat down to write a book: basically a sequel to the Twilight novels. Between January and August 2009 she wrote two such books in quick succession. She says she then discovered the phenomenon of fan fiction, and this inspired her to publish her novels as Kindle books under the pen name "Snowqueens Icedragon". Beginning in August 2009 she then began to write the Fifty Shades books.[12][13]

text: James has spoken of her shock at the success of the books. "The explosion of interest has taken me completely by surprise" she said.[14] James has described the Fifty Shades trilogy as "my midlife crisis, writ large. All my fantasies in there, and that's it."[15] She did not start to write until January 2009, as she revealed while still active on FanFiction.Net: "I started writing in January 2009 after I finished the Twilight saga, and I haven't stopped since. I discovered Fan Fiction in August 2009. Since then I have written my two fics and plan on doing at least one more. After that... who knows?"[16] In August 2013, sales of the trilogy saw James top the Forbes' list of the highest-earning authors[17] with earnings of $95m which included $5m for the film rights to Fifty Shades of Grey.[18] On 1 June 2015 James announced the upcoming release of Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian, which was released into stores on 18 June 2015. Fifty Shades Darker as Told by Christian Grey is set for a 2017 release.[19]

text: Charity work[edit]

text: James was one of the British celebrities, including Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch and Rachel Riley, to design and sign her own card for the UK children's charity Thomas Coram Foundation for Children.[20] The campaign was launched by crafting company Stampin’ Up! UK and the cards were auctioned on eBay during May 2014.[20]

text: Awards and honours[edit]

text:
2012 Time 100 by Time magazine, "The 100 Most Influential People in the World"[21]
2012 Publishers Weekly "Publishing Person of the Year".[22][23]
2012 National Book Award (UK), "Popular Fiction Book of the Year", Fifty Shades of Grey[24]
2012 National Book Award (UK), "Book of the Year", Fifty Shades of Grey[25]

text: Bibliography[edit]

text:
Fifty Shades of Grey (2011)
Fifty Shades Darker (2012)
Fifty Shades Freed (2012)
Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian (2015)
Darker: Fifty Shades Darker as Told by Christian (2017)

text: Filmography[edit]

text:
Year
Title
Note(s)

2015
Fifty Shades of Grey
Producer

2017
Fifty Shades Darker
Producer

2018
Fifty Shades Freed
Producer


document_title: NHS trust

question_text: how many nhs trusts are there in england

text: NHS trust

text: Nature of a trust[edit]

text: NHS trusts were established under the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 and were set up in five waves. Each one was established by a Statutory Instrument.

text: The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is chaired by a non-executive director. There were about 2,200 non-executives across 470 organisations in the NHS in England in 2015.[1] Non-executive directors are recruited by open advertisement. All trusts (Foundation trusts and those which have yet to reach foundation trust status) are regulated by NHS Improvement. Board members are, from November 2014, subject to a Fit and proper person test.

text: All trust boards are required to have an audit committee consisting only of non-executive directors, on which the chair may not sit. This committee is entrusted not only with supervision of financial audit, but of systems of corporate governance within the trust. Hospital board members have a duty to act on signals of poor performance on quality and safety data, and yet many of the papers presented to them have been found to be lacking good data visualisations.[2]

text: Future development[edit]

text: In September 2015 Jeremy Hunt was reported as saying “I think we do have too many trusts as independent organisations" in a context where mergers between trusts and the establishment of chains of hospitals were being discussed.[3] Subsequently Simon Stevens made it clear that he did not expect the remaining NHS trusts to become Foundation Trusts, saying "We are frankly kidding ourselves if we think the non-FTs are going to pass the kinds of criteria that have been set by Monitor."[4]

text: Types[edit]

text: There are several types of NHS trusts:[5]

text:
NHS hospital trust (also known as an acute trust), which provides secondary care services
NHS mental health trust
NHS ambulance services trust
Community Health NHS Trust

text: Over time the distinction between different types has eroded, and both hospital and mental health trusts have taken on responsibility for various community services. Sustainability and transformation plans all propose to move services out of hospitals into the community and the hospital trusts are generally planning to follow these initiatives.

text: Foundation trusts[edit]

text: Foundation trust status may be applied for by the above categories of NHS trust. Successive governments have announced that all NHS Trusts should become NHS Foundation Trusts, and deadlines have been set for this transformation, which have repeatedly been missed.[citation needed]

text: Former types[edit]

text:
NHS primary care trust (PCT) (abolished 1 April 2013), which provided primary care services, public health functions and commissioned secondary care services
NHS care trust (abolished 1 April 2013), provided/commissioned health and social care services, usually with responsibilities of both a PCT and a local authority

text: Other types of NHS organisation[edit]

text: Special health authorities[edit]

text: NHS special health authority, organised on a national basis, dealing with NHS-wide issues