document_title: American Dad!

question_text: who does seth macfarlane play on american dad

question_tokens: who does seth macfarlane play on american dad

text: American Dad!

text: Premise[edit]

text: The series focuses on the eccentric upper middle class Smith family in the fictional community of Langley Falls, Virginia and their three housemates:[3] Father, husband, CIA Agent, Republican, and breadwinner Stan; his wife and homemaker/housewife, Francine; their liberal, hippie, college-aged daughter, Hayley; and their dorky high-school-aged son, Steve. There are three additional main characters, including Hayley's boyfriend and later husband, Jeff Fischer; the family's unusual goldfish, Klaus, who has the brain of an East German athlete; and Roger, the alien, who is a deceitful, self-serving master of disguise.[14][15] Stan's boss Avery Bullock, the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, is a recurring character.

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Voice cast[edit]

text:
Cast members

Seth MacFarlane

Wendy Schaal

Scott Grimes

Rachael MacFarlane

Dee Bradley Baker

Jeff Fischer

Patrick Stewart

Stan Smith, Roger

Francine Smith

Steve Smith

Hayley Smith

Klaus Heissler

Jeff Fischer

Deputy Director Avery Bullock

text: The voice actors are not assembled as a group when performing the lines of their characters; rather, each of the voice actors perform their lines privately. The voice actors have stated that because of their personalities and tendency to goof off when together as a group, they would never get anything completed if they performed their lines collectively.[16]

text: Main characters[edit]

text:
American Dad! centers on the absurd circumstances, adventures and domestic life of its title character
Stan Smith, his immediate family, and their three housemates. Adding to all the ridiculousness and absurdity are the various personality traits of all the show's eccentric main characters, listed as follows:

text:
Seth MacFarlane voices Stan Smith (father/husband) and Roger (alien)
Wendy Schaal voices Francine Smith (wife/mother)
Scott Grimes voices Steve Smith (Stan and Francine's son)
Rachael MacFarlane voices Hayley Smith (Stan and Francine's daughter)
Dee Bradley Baker voices Klaus Heissler (the Smiths' man-in-a-fish-body pet)
Jeff Fischer voices Jeff Fischer (Hayley's boyfriend then husband)
Patrick Stewart voices Deputy Director Avery Bullock (Stan's Boss)

text: Production[edit]

text: Early seasons and comparison with Family Guy and All in the Family[edit]

text: When asked what first spurred the idea for American Dad! Seth MacFarlane answered, "It was right after the [2000] election, and me [sic] and co-creator Matt Weitzman were so frustrated with the Bush administration that we would just spend days bitching and complaining, and we figured we should channel this into something creative and hopefully profitable."[7][10] In early February 2005, Barker stated, "About a year and a half ago, Seth called and asked if Matt and I would be interested in working on a show about a right-wing CIA agent and his liberal daughter. It was right up our alley, and everything just fell into place."[5][10][17] On September 14, 2003, Variety reported that Fox Broadcasting had ordered a pilot presentation of the then tentatively titled American Dad! and "If greenlit, American Dad! could launch as early as fall 2004." At the time, Fox was aiming to develop a new lineup of adult animated sitcoms.[18]

text: American Dad! had a mid-season debut. Its first episode, titled "Pilot", was originally shown directly following Super Bowl XXXIX on February 6, 2005. The rest of the first season, however, would not launch until May 1, 2005, on Fox's Animation Domination lineup which had its debut on that date.[6][9][19] Initially, it was a replacement for the originally failed series Family Guy (1999–2002). American Dad! was originally intended to be Fox's answer to the hordes of fans left behind from the original failure of MacFarlane's previous animated venture.[2] Just three short months after American Dad!'s debut however, Family Guy was revived, leaving American Dad! with a formidable expectation: whether the series could distinguish itself from its counterpart and succeed on its own merits.[2] Instead of taking over creative direction of the series, MacFarlane left the job largely in the hands of Barker and Weitzman so as to distinguish American Dad![7]

text: In its early going, American Dad! brought in strong ratings but fought an uphill battle in gaining widespread acceptance and approval from viewers and critics alike.[10] The popularity of MacFarlane and his involvement with Family Guy have led to foregone conclusions and prejudices against American Dad! as a rip-off of the predecessor[10] and some critics had already written off American Dad! prior to its birth as nothing more than a pale imitation of Family Guy and MacFarlane's attempts to get his old show back on the air.[9] One example, prior to the American Dad! series debut, a writer of The Washington Post published a piece that reads "But those same executives have also given MacFarlane a whole new animated half-hour to play with in the disappointing American Dad! The new series officially premieres in May but has a sneak preview tomorrow night in the coveted post-Super Bowl time period ... The look and pace of American Dad! is the same as Family Guy."[20]

text: In actuality, however, the program's beginnings take cues from the TV series All in the Family, almost a farcical animated version of the live action sitcom.[21][22] Both shows make use of political satire, bigotry, ludicrous expressions of Conservatism from their paternal main character (Stan likened to Archie Bunker), and sensible expressions of Liberalism from their daughter character (Hayley likened to Gloria Stivic). Moreover, the daughter in both series each have a Liberal hippie boyfriend turned husband (Jeff likened to Michael Stivic) of whom the daughter's Conservative father is antagonistic towards. Also in both, the daughter lives in her parents' home with her boyfriend turned husband as a housemate. American Dad! in its original form was even said to have been inspired by All in the Family.[21][23]

text: Development of a specific identity[edit]

text: In American Dad!'s initial seasons MacFarlane was described as focusing more attention on his coexisting obligation of Family Guy. This was to the extent that American Dad! was completely secondary to him, and he did not understand the show. Because he was not getting the show at the time, he was described as "just going along for the ride." Likewise, the rest of the show's creators Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman were also trying to figure out the show and where it was going.[9][10]

text: After American Dad!'s initial couple of seasons and as it progressed, the show began to increasingly develop its very own distinct approach and identity, becoming more and more distinguished from all other programs on the air. Standing out from its counterparts increasingly with each passing season, the series has been described as eventually becoming the weirdest show in network prime time. It has been characterized as serving up distinguishing blasts of surrealism.[9] As the series progressed, MacFarlane realized that Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman were on to something uniquely appealing; moreover, he realized they were on to something that sharply contrasted from Family Guy, which audiences appreciated.[9][10]

text: After the show's first several seasons, MacFarlane not only came to fully understand and appreciate American Dad!'s value but also came to consider himself a huge fan of the series. Taking note of his Twitter followers increased fanaticism and excitement over American Dad! and the "Roger" character, MacFarlane began putting considerable amounts of his time and efforts into the series, more so in the last several seasons than ever before (this observation made in fall 2012).[9] In describing American Dad! comedy styles, Barker noted that it is not as reference-laden as Family Guy or South Park. He added that American Dad!'s humor more frequently derives from "the human condition and emotions that everyone can relate to: ego, the feds, etc. And for that reason, I think our humor is a little more evergreen."[24]

text: Developing plot lines and scripts[edit]

text: On developing scripts for American Dad! episodes, co-creator Mike Barker revealed that he and the rest of the show's staff never know when and from where plot line ideas will emerge. "Just as an example," Barker explained, "All About Steve" is an episode where Stan wants his son to be more of a jock and more like he was when he was his age. That whole episode came about from one of our writers Dave Hemingson coming into our office, telling us he just visited the dentist and he may need to get braces. And the idea of a grown man with braces appealed to us, and we just decided what if we put Stan in braces, and he understands for the first time what it's like to feel like a geek."[25]

text: During the 2012–13 season, Barker revealed that much of his inspiration for American Dad! plots has come through listening to music. Barker's revelation to use music as a muse for his American Dad! writing came from attending the 2008 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. During that event, he watched the rock band My Morning Jacket perform a four-hour set in the rain and realized from the experience that he could generate ideas for American Dad! by tapping into music: "From that point on, I realized that music should be playing a bigger role in my writing", Barker told the Louisville Courier-Journal. "Writing is hard for me, and when you hear music that inspires good ideas, you're really grateful."[26] The Beginning of the show's main theme "Good Morning USA" uses the beginning introduction to "Stars and Stripes Forever".

text: In particular, Barker has credited music from Wax Fang for his inspiration in writing certain American Dad! plots. Said Barker, "There's just something so inherently cinematic about Wax Fang's music. [Scott] Carney's voice is stunningly clear and dramatic. And his lyrics are specific enough to build stories around while staying flexible enough for different interpretations." Barker added that through listening to the Wax Fang track Majestic, he was able to come up with major plot elements for the episode "Lost in Space" (this episode features the Wax Fang songs Majestic and At Sea).[27]

text: Barker has stated that once he and the rest of the show's staff get the idea for the plot line, they spend a couple of weeks in a room with all the screenwriters. There, they break the story and make sure that each act of the two act breaks are strong. As another procedure, Barker stated that they make a point of twisting the story in such a way so as to make audiences come back for more after the commercial break.[25]

text: "The final process," Barker explained, "is sending a screenwriter out to write the script. The screenwriter gets two weeks to write the script. The script then comes back." Barker explained that they then all edit and rewrite it, "hopefully keeping as much of the first draft as we can and punching the jokes and making sure all the motivations are there, and then we take it to the table and read it."[25]

text: In February 2005, Barker stated that as creative directors, all decisions made about the plot line and direction of the series go through himself and Weitzman. He explained that the show had reflected their point of view since the beginning. Barker has also credited the program's other staff beyond himself, Weitzman, and MacFarlane, remarking "We couldn't have made it all happen without them." At the time, it was noted that the series had a staff of 17 writers, which was described as "a big undertaking."[21]

text: When Barker was asked what his favorite part was of the American Dad! pre-production process, he answered, "I like the story breaking process, personally—coming up with the stories. To me, that's the most gratifying."[25]

text: Barker and Matt Weitzman have stated that they are accustomed to feeling scruples with adding certain material into the plots, but always follow this up by going ahead with incorporating the material anyway. They added that their goal is to create laughs combined with groans and going over the line.[28]

text: Animated scenes[edit]

text: MacFarlane played a lead role in the animated character designs for American Dad!.[21]

text: In describing the characters' appearances, Weitzman remarked "It's all very bright, very easy on the eyes."[5][17]

text: In explaining the animated side of the job, Barker stated, "Fifty or so animators from the Fox animation group are involved. A lot is done in-house: poses, models, props, all storyboards and timing."[21]

text: Also as reported in February 2005, animation for American Dad! is colored and detailed overseas. Sunwoo Entertainment of Korea was said to handle that end of the pre-production process.[21]

text: Editing, completion, and deadlines[edit]

text: Barker has explained that because American Dad! creators are working in animation as opposed to live action, they have the ability to redraw and rewrite up until the show is aired.

text: However, Barker has also stated, "It's really hard to accept anything less than perfect when you start to get wrapped up in this process of being able to constantly make changes. Eventually you have to kind of bring down the hammer at the color stage and live with what you've got."

text: Barker has explained that, ultimately, the creation process of an American Dad! episode is completed upon the producers' say-so, not anyone else's.[25]

text: When American Dad! co-creator Matt Weitzman was asked what his favorite part was of the show's pre-production process, he answered, "I probably enjoy the editing process a lot. I think I like the fine tuning of things and making things happen just so. Making the episode just kind of pop in its own subtle ways."[25]

text: American Dad! creators have revealed to working significantly in advance of newly broadcast episodes. As many as 20 to 42 unaired episodes are typically ready for finishing touches. Barker explained that a key to this system is making sure that the writing is timeless, as opposed to topical and contemporary. He added that if any material within the script deals with contemporary issues, the creators have to hope that they're also contemporary issues two years down the line. When asked whether or not this method has ever brought on difficulties, Barker answered in the affirmative and explained:

text: In discussing the creation of American Dad! and animated sitcoms in general, MacFarlane has stated:

text: Conversely, Barker has stated:

text: Setting[edit]

text: The Smith family and their two housemates reside on Cherry Street in the fictional suburb of Langley Falls, Virginia.[29] The Smiths and their two housemates live in a large, two-story residence with a basement and an attic. In addition, the Smith house is apparently enhanced with numerous secret rooms, facilities, and large habitats, these unorthodox attachments usually only seen once for each (i.e., the episodes "Of Ice and Men", "Bush Comes to Dinner", "The Missing Kink", "The Full Cognitive Redaction of Avery Bullock by the Coward Stan Smith", etc.).[30] The house is also shown to be filled with many pitfall traps, one of which is filled with alligators and another named by Stan as the "Pit of No Return."[31][32] Greg and Terry are a gay couple that live across the street from the Smiths. Within the neighborhood, they are portrayed as running a neater and tidier home than the Smiths. Greg and Terry are also the local news anchor for W-ANG-TV. Also in the area is the high school attended by Steve, Pearl Bailey High School.[33]

text: Plot techniques[edit]

text: Farces[edit]

text: American Dad! has commonly made use of farces as most of the predicaments that befall the main characters have escalated into the extremes, to the point of getting outrageously out-of-hand.[3][34][35] For example, in the episode "Home Wrecker", Stan and Francine's marital harmony breaks down from a difference of opinion on remodeling the house. It gets to the point where they divide the house in two, each decorating their half of the house in their desired fashion. Not satisfied with this however, they both attempt to drive the other out of the home and eventually erect a colossal block wall, dividing the two halves of the house. The rest of the family members are forced to spend one holiday after the next alternating between Fran's and Stan's place (the sides of the house treated as distinct homes). As another example, in the episode "Stan's Food Restaurant", Stan asks for Roger's help in starting a restaurant. As things progress, Roger makes heavy changes in the layout, eventually kicking Stan out of the project. Stan retaliates by opening another restaurant next door, which becomes a smashing success. Roger responds by blowing up Stan's restaurant but destroying his own in the process. Stan threatens to kill Roger, but backs down after Roger pulls a gun on him and tells him to relax.[35]

text: Surreal humor[edit]

text: American Dad! plots are generally teeming with surrealism and nonsensical elements.[36] Many of the occurrences, circumstances, and behaviors are unrestrainedly preposterous, senseless, and illogical.[3][37]

text: As further examples of surrealism on American Dad!—in the episode "Hurricane!", a ferocious bear pauses in his attack, lowers his eyelids halfway, and repeatedly shakes his head horizontally, shaming Stan for missing him in a harpoon shot and instead spearing Francine into a wall; in the episode "Why Can't We Be Friends?", the hallways of the Smith house transform into dark and dangerous ghetto alleyways for every time Roger ambushed, stole money from, and even tried to forcibly rape Jeff Fischer;[38] in the episode "The Missing Kink", Steve and family fish Klaus are shown competing in a one-on-one basketball game between each other, the score nearly tied at 11 to 10; also in the "Missing Kink" episode, the Smith house is shown to consist of a never-before-seen underworld to which various friends and acquaintances of the Smiths party and frolic; in the episode "The Full Cognitive Redaction of Avery Bullock by the Coward Stan Smith", Stan has a never-before-seen secret control room hidden underground just beside the house. The control room door's exterior side is camouflaged with the grass surrounding it. The room is filled with highly advanced, state-of-the-art equipment. Access to the control room is achieved through a handprint reading device that extends from the ground when Stan extends his arm/hand at it; etc.[36][37]

text: Non sequitur[edit]

text: Among one of the many forms of surreal humor and nonsense elements that have been used by American Dad! is the non sequitur. This arises when the show's focus becomes sidetracked by entirely unknown and unrelated characters in circumstances that are irrelevant to the episode's main plot. Typically when this happens, it is after the show has maintained focus on its main characters for much of the episode; following this, the scenes randomly lose focus and become deeply wrapped up into the lives of never-before-seen characters who are non-central to the plot. A prime example of this is in the episode "Homeland Insecurity". As opposed to scenes focusing on main characters, attention is redirected deep into the lives of unknown characters who gain possession of Roger's transforming feces turned gold. As another example, in the episode "The Missing Kink", the show's focus is sporadically sidetracked with brief scenes revolving around the life of a drug abusing bird and Francine's inexplicable ability to both understand and communicate with the bird's chirping.[36][39]

text: Plot twists and unexpected elements[edit]

text: The series has abounded with random, unexpected occurrences and surprise plot twists as result of the characters and the very makeup of the program.[40] For example, in the episode "The Full Cognitive Redaction of Avery Bullock by the Coward Stan Smith", Steve refers to Roger for help in dealing with a school bully. Because Steve is able to correctly predict Roger's original game plan of handling the situation himself under an alter ego, Roger throws him a curveball: he not only hires someone else, Stelio Kontos (from the episode "Bully for Steve"), to handle the matter but hires him to bully Steve in combination with Steve's original bully. As another example, in the episode "The Vacation Goo", Francine becomes frustrated that she cannot get the family together for Sunday night dinner. For family time, Stan suggests a vacation, and the Smiths have a great time in Maui as a family. This is up until Roger shuts down the mechanism Francine and the kids are all attached to so as to believe they are all on vacation. Francine and the kids then learn that Stan has been programming a pseudo-vacation every year in a contraption dubbed "the goo chambers". After learning of this, Francine demands they go on a real vacation. Twice they appear to do so, first skiing, then to Italy, until it is ultimately revealed that they are in the "goo chambers" all along, with Steve and then Hayley having programmed the vacations, respectively. In the episode "Spelling Bee My Baby", Steve deliberately misspells his words in a spelling bee so as to express his love for Akiko (who is also competing), instead spelling random Tyler Perry/Madea films.[40]

text: Story arc use[edit]

text: Another technique used by American Dad! is the story arc. On several occasions, a circumstance expands and progresses across a collection of episodes.[3][17] As an example, one of Hayley's temporary breakups with Jeff expanded across a string of episodes, in which she instead temporarily dated a black man in a koala body, Reginald Koala—known for his very urban mannerisms and behaviors. As another example, since the 9th season episode "Naked to the Limit, One More Time", Jeff Fischer has been absent from the Smith house and planet Earth altogether. In that episode, Jeff is blindsided when Roger hurls him into a spaceship. This spacecraft belongs to Roger's race of aliens and was intended to return him back to his birth planet; however, Roger remains behind after casting Jeff into the spaceship. The spaceship immediately takes off and Jeff is not seen until several episodes later, the episode "Lost in Space". During episodes that aired between the two aforementioned episodes, allusions to the ongoing plot line are made. For example, in the episode "Spelling Bee My Baby", Hayley is shown holding out hope for Jeff's return. In the episode, Roger and Stan attempt to rush Hayley through her grieving process so she will be willing to be their tennis official.[3][41] In the episode "The Longest Distance Relationship" Jeff gets in touch with Hayley via a radio and ultimately tells her not to wait for him and to move on with her life. This story arc is finally resolved in the episode "Holy Shit, Jeff's Back!", Jeff supposedly returns to Earth but it turns out to be an alien called Zebleer masquerading as Jeff and the real Jeff has been dissected, however Jeff's brain is transplanted into Zebleer's body allowing the real Jeff to live, after which Stan and Hayley's memories are wiped, leaving them unaware that Jeff is no longer entirely human. This plot point is continued at the end of "Bahama Mama", where Roger mentions Jeff cannot get Hayley pregnant because he has an alien body, so he agrees to rebirth Jeff in "Roger's Baby". By the end of the episode, Jeff is human again and with Hayley on Earth.

text: In discussing the cartoon's distinguishing story arc element, co-creator Mike Barker explained:

text: Black comedy[edit]

text: Much of the wit used in American Dad! has come in the form of black comedy as many of the predicaments and circumstances have made fun of the characters in life-threatening, disastrous, terrifying, and traumatic situations.[42] As an example, the episode "A Ward Show" is chock full of suicide and murder: Roger became Steve's legal guardian and responded to him getting picked on at school by rigging the teachers' cars with explosives and killing them all. Later on in the episode while Principal Lewis was driving his vehicle with Steve as the passenger, he informed Steve that he was about to drive off the Grand Canyon in a murder-suicide. This culminated in Roger saving the day, his love supernaturally allowing the car to fly once Principal Lewis drove off the Canyon; however, another vehicle with a random white man and a black boy in it (opposite of Principal Lewis, a black man and Steve, a white boy) had also, coincidentally enough, driven off the opposite side of the Grand Canyon in a murder-suicide attempt. This resulted in a midair collision between the car with Principal Lewis and Steve in it and the car with the white man and black boy in it.[42] Another example, in the episode "Da Flippity Flop", Roger leaves a long series of harassing answering machine messages for Steve, trying to get him to sign up for his gym. In these messages, Roger is also heard snapping on various people, killing three individuals from reckless driving, landing himself in court, and subsequently becoming irate and shooting up numerous people at the city courthouse for being scolded to turn off his mobile phone.[43]

text: Episodes[edit]

text: Season number discrepancies and episode misreports[edit]

text: Season number discrepancies[edit]

text: There are multiple conflicting reports and models as to the number of seasons American Dad! has had.[10]

text: (A): One of the reports upholds a one-season-fewer numbering model: Under this arrangement, season 1 is a combination of both the first 7 episodes and the following 16 episodes, despite the separation of these two episode collections by a summer hiatus. Under this system, season 1 is uncharacteristically longer in contrast to the rest of the show's seasons, consisting of 23 episodes.[44][45]

text: (B): The other report upholds a one-season-more numbering model: Under this arrangement, season 1 ended after the program's first 7 episodes leading into the summer hiatus. Season 2 then picked up when the following 16 episodes began that fall. Under this system, season 1 is uncharacteristically shorter in contrast to the rest of the show's seasons, consisting of only 7 episodes.[46]

text: Commentary from American Dad! co-creators Matt Weitzman and Mike Barker has largely been consistent with (A): on September 28, 2012, the two were interviewed and reported that they had 20 episodes completed for the then imminent "2012–13 eighth season," and were in the process of doing early work on the show's "2013–14 ninth season."[47] During the show's life on Fox however, the network contradicted that arrangement as it presented information on the show's now former website in the form of (B): in listing all episodes from the 2012–13 season, Fox reported each as existing as part of the show's "ninth season."[48] In addition, Fox contradicted its own American Dad! website, also supporting the one-season-fewer numbering scheme: Fox Flash, which is the publicity center for Fox, labeled the 2012–13 broadcasts as the "eighth season."[49] Websites releasing the show's season-based ratings have also used the one-season-fewer numbering method.

text: Episode misreporting by Fox[edit]

text: It is evident that Fox either miscounts American Dad! episodes or at least intentionally discounts one episode of the series. This was established in Fox advertisements for the episode "Lost in Space." The episode was promoted by Fox as American Dad!'s 150th episode. Subsequently, numerous mainstream media reports also labeled the episode as the 150th.[50][51][52] In actuality, however, it was the show's 151st episode while the episode "The Full Cognitive Redaction of Avery Bullock by the Coward Stan Smith" was the 150th episode of the series. In addition, Fox has misreported the "Lost in Space" episode as the revealing of Roger's birth planet. In actuality, the setting of this episode is a spaceship owned by members of Roger's alien race. To date, Roger's birth planet has yet to be revealed.[53]

text: Adjustments in on-air presentation, production and broadcasts[edit]

text: The unaired precursory pilot[edit]

text: While the series premiere of American Dad! is entitled "Pilot", "Pilot" is not the show's actual pilot presentation. The actual pilot is a 6-minute version of the first 6 minutes in the series premiere. This precursory pilot was used by MacFarlane, Barker and Weitzman to sell American Dad! to Fox and was never aired along with the rest of the series. While much of the dialogue and general scenery were simply redone between the precursory pilot and the following series premiere, there are sharp distinctions between the two. Differences also exist between the precursory pilot and the official series as a whole. Most of these are in pictorial technique. For example, scenes from the pilot are drawn in a rougher, more cursory fashion with weaker coloration than scenes from the official series. Most prominently, Steve's physical design and outfit in the predecessor greatly contrast from his official design and outfit. In addition, Steve is voiced by Ricky Blitt in the precursory pilot but by Scott Grimes in the official series. There are also variations in Steve's personality.[54][55]

text: Characterization[edit]

text: Early episodes of the series featured political banter between the conservative Stan and liberal Hayley. However, the creators learned quickly that this had only "a limited shelf life" and did not provide them as much as they originally thought it would. Said co-creator Matt Weitzman, "There are times when we still have that kind of dynamic between them, but not nearly what it was in the first season. And I think the show, honestly, has grown and benefited from it, because that would have gotten boring after a while."[9]

text: Roger was enhanced by being provided with a running gag of alternate disguises and freedom to exist outside of the Smith house. The show's original concept basically portrayed him as being similar to Alf, having him sit in the house all day while commenting on life. The creators, however, have stated that the character was far too much fun to keep restricted to the house, and having him interact with different people provided for lots of material. The creators have further appreciated the direction of Roger for the fact that he almost serves as a different guest star for each episode what with his many alter egos. The show's staff believe this element of the show highlights MacFarlane's versatility as he voices Roger and his countless alter egos.[9]

text: There have been three versions of the "Steve" character, the creators having twice made considerable adjustments to his design. Steve's initial design ended up being a one-off execution limited to the unaired precursory pilot (not to be confused with the series premiere, entitled "Pilot"). By the season premiere, Scott Grimes had begun voicing Steve, and his design was made taller, more filled out, and less geeky. After early seasons of the series, Steve was remodeled again. This time he was made softer, more emotional, cuter and more endearing, creating a sharper contrast to his father Stan's ruggedness and machismo.[56]

text: Between the eighth and ninth seasons there were significant changes in the show's writing staff. Mike Barker mentions (with one-season-less numbering) "We lost some animators, and we lost a lot of writers. Season eight, our writing staff is about 65–70 percent new."[9]

text: Network relocation from Fox to TBS[edit]

text: On July 16, 2013, it was announced that American Dad! had been cancelled by Fox. Shortly thereafter, however, the cable station TBS picked up the show for a 15-episode 11th season, slated to premiere on October 20, 2014.[57][58] Currently, TBS airs reruns of American Dad! in syndication.[59] The tenth season was initially to be the final one on Fox; however, on July 20, 2014, it was announced that Fox had three unaired episodes left for broadcast. Two of the three aired back-to-back on September 14, 2014, and the final one aired on September 21, 2014. Reports from Fox seemed to imply that these three episodes constituted a season of their own, season 10. Among multiple discrepant reports from TBS however, one indicated that the three episodes were the beginning of the 11th season to resume on their network.[60] TBS actually debuted their first episode through social media websites YouTube and Facebook on October 13, 2014. However, the October 20, 2014 date still applies to the television debut.[61]

text: On the show's network relocation, Mike Barker has stated, "It's going to be the same American Dad!, just in a different place." Barker also joked that the network relocation was to execute a Tyler Perry crossover they [Barker and American Dad! production staff] had long aspired to.[62] In reality, the purpose of the network relocation was Fox's move away from the "Animation Domination" format to make room for live action sitcoms like Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It may also have been due to the arrival of a new animated series from Family Guy writer Mark Hentemann and executive produced by American Dad! creator Seth MacFarlane called Bordertown.

text: Mike Barker's exit[edit]

text: On November 4, 2013, it was announced that Mike Barker had departed American Dad![63] Barker had served for ten seasons as the show's co-creator/executive and producer/co-showrunner. Matt Weitzman is now serving as the show's sole showrunner. The news came as early production for season 11 commenced. As of November 2013, the show's production crew was developing its first four episodes for season 11, slated to begin airing on October 20, 2014 when American Dad! moved to TBS. Barker remained under an overall contract with 20th Century Fox Television.[64][65]

text: Following Mike Barker's exit, Brian Boyle replaced him as the showrunner for the television series.[66]

text: Reception[edit]

text: In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that American Dad! is popular in the Northeastern United States, Mid Atlantic, as well as the Great Lakes Region, however it "is not popular in Utah or much of the South".[67]

text: Series premiere[edit]

text: Until season 12 when American Dad! moved to TBS, all but one episode originally aired on Animation Domination. The program's series premiere is the only episode that pre-dates the Animation Domination lineup. In addition, American Dad!'s series premiere predated the rest of the first season by roughly three months. The series premiere episode, "Pilot", aired directly following Fox's broadcast of Super Bowl XXXIX on February 6, 2005. The episode aired alongside The Simpsons and pulled in 15 million viewers,[68] with 23 million viewers overall.[69] Both Animation Domination and the rest of the show's first season commenced on May 1, 2005. The show returned with the episode "Threat Levels", obtaining 9.47 million viewers, after the season premiere/revival of Family Guy.[70]

text: TBS ratings[edit]

text: On November 18, 2014, it was reported that the show's outstanding performance in cable had quickly moved TBS to order another season of the series, bringing the show to 13 seasons.[71][72]

text: Nielsen ratings[edit]

text:
Season

No. ofepisodes

Timeslot (ET)

Network

First aired

Last aired

Overall ratings

Date

Premiere viewers(in millions)

Date

Finale viewers(in millions)

Rank

Viewers(in millions)

1

2004–05

7

Sunday at 11:15 pm (Episode 1)Sunday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 2-7)

FOX

February 6, 2005

15.10[73]

June 19, 2005

6.55[74]

67[75]

8.49[75]

2

2005–06

16

Sunday at 9:30 pm

September 11, 2005

7.83[76]

May 14, 2006

6.86[77]

97[78]

7.16[78]

3

2006–07

19

Sunday at 8:30 pm (Episodes 1-10)Sunday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 11-19)

September 10, 2006

8.93[79]

May 20, 2007

7.62[80]

79[81]

7.6[81]

4

2007–08

16

Sunday 9:30 PM

September 30, 2007

6.07[82]

May 18, 2008

5.64[83]

105[84]

6.6[84]

5

2008–09

20

September 28, 2008

6.89[85]

May 17, 2009

5.64[86]

96[87]

5.5[87]

6

2009–10

18

September 27, 2009

7.12[88]

May 16, 2010

5.82[89]

84[90]

5.9[90]

7

2010–11

19

Sunday 9:30 PM (2010)Sunday 7:30 PM (2011)

October 3, 2010

6.16[91]

May 22, 2011

3.57[92]

111[93]

4.07[93]

8

2011–12

18

Sunday 9:30 PM

September 25, 2011

5.83[94]

May 13, 2012

4.13[95]

110[96]

5.47[96]

9

2012–13

19

September 30, 2012

5.25[97]

May 12, 2013[98]

4.01[99]

84[100]

5.24[100]

10

2013–14

20

Sunday at 9:30 pm (Episodes 1-11)Sunday at 7:30 pm (Episodes 12-20)

September 29, 2013

4.32[101]

May 18, 2014

2.36

89

5.14

11

2014–15

3

Sunday 9:00 PM (Episode 1)Sunday 9:30 PM (Episodes 2-3)

September 14, 2014

2.62

September 21, 2014

3.03

TBA

2.77

12

2014–15

15

Monday at 9:00 pm

TBS

October 20, 2014

1.09

June 1, 2015

1.113[102]

TBA

1.118

13

2015–16

22

Monday at 8:30 pm[103]

January 25, 2016[103]

1.04

June 27, 2016

0.98[104]

TBA

TBA

14

2016–17

TBA

November 7, 2016[105]

1.00[106]

TBA

TBA

TBA

TBA

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
Year

Award

Category

Recipients and nominees

Outcome

2005

Teen Choice Awards[107]

Choice Summer Series

American Dad!

Nominated

Teen Choice Awards[107]

Choice V-Cast

American Dad!

Nominated

2006

Golden Reel Award[108]

Best Sound Editing in Television Animated

American Dad! for episode "Homeland Insecurity" (1.6)

Nominated

Teen Choice Awards[107]

Choice TV: Animated Show

American Dad!

Nominated

2007

Annie Awards[108]

Best Writing in an Animated Television Production

Dan Vebber for episode "The American Dad After School Special" (2.2)

Nominated

GLAAD Media Award[108]

Outstanding Individual Episode

For episode "Lincoln Lover" (2.4)

Nominated

Golden Reel Award[108]

Best Sound Editing in Television Animated

American Dad! for episode "Dungeon and Wagons" (2.5)

Nominated

2008

Teen Choice Award[108]

Choice TV: Animated Show

American Dad!

Nominated

2009

Prism Award[108]

Comedy Episode

For episode "Spring Break-Up" (3.16)

Nominated

Primetime Emmy Awards[109]

Outstanding Animated Program

American Dad! for episode "1600 Candles" (4.1)

Nominated

Teen Choice Awards[110]

Choice TV: Animated Show

American Dad!

Nominated

2010

Annie Awards[108]

Directing in a Television Production

Pam Cooke and Jansen Lee for episode "Brains, Brains & Automobiles" (5.4)

Nominated

Artios[108]

Outstanding Achievement in Casting

Linda Lamontagne

Nominated

Teen Choice Awards[111]

Choice TV: Animated Show

American Dad!

Nominated

2011

Teen Choice Awards[112]

Choice TV: Animated Show

American Dad!

Nominated

2012

Primetime Emmy Awards[113]

Outstanding Animated Program

American Dad! for episode "Hot Water" (7.1)

Nominated

POPrepublic.tv IT LIST AWARDSM[114]

Favourite International TV Show

American Dad!

Nominated

2013

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers[115]

Top Television Series

American Dad!

Won

2015

People's Choice Awards[116]

Favorite Animated TV Show

American Dad!

Nominated

2016

People's Choice Awards[117]

Nominated

2017

People's Choice Awards[118]

Nominated

Primetime Emmy Awards[119]

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance

Dee Bradley Baker for "Fight and Flight"

Nominated

2018

Primetime Emmy Awards[120]

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance

Seth MacFarlane for "The Talented Mr. Dingleberry"

Nominated

text: Other media[edit]

text: Home media[edit]

text:
DVD Name
Release dates
Ep #
BBFC/IFCO/ACB rating
Additional information

Region 1
Region 2
Region 4

Volume One
April 25, 2006
April 24, 2006
May 24, 2006
13
12/15/M
This 3-disc box set includes all 7 episodes of Season 1 and the first 6 episodes of Season 2 ("Pilot" through "Stan of Arabia: Part 2"). Special features include commentaries, featurettes, and animatics. It was renamed 'Season 1' for regions 2 and 4. When a compilation comprising Volumes 1–3 was released in the UK, 'Season 1' was renamed to 'Volume 1' much like its US counterpart.

Volume Two
May 15, 2007
May 28, 2007
May 21, 2007
19
12/15/M
This 3-disc box set includes the remaining 10 episodes from Season 2 and the first 9 episodes from Season 3 ("Stannie Get Your Gun" through "The Best Christmas Story Never"). Special features include commentaries on all episodes, featurettes, multi-angle scene studies, and deleted scenes. An uncensored audio track is also available on the episode "Tears of a Clooney".

Volume Three
April 15, 2008
May 12, 2008
May 14, 2008
18
15/15/M
This 3-disc box set includes the remaining 10 episodes from Season 3 and 8 of the first 9 episodes from Season 4 ("Bush Comes to Dinner" through "Frannie 911"), though "The Most Adequate Christmas Ever" does not appear on the DVD.[121] Special features include commentaries on all episodes, unrated audio, a table read, and deleted scenes.[122]

Volume Four
April 28, 2009
April 20, 2009
November 18, 2009
14
15/15/M
This 3-disc box set includes the remaining 8 episodes of Season 4 (including "The Most Adequate Christmas Ever") and the first 6 episodes of Season 5. Special features include commentaries on every episode, storyboards/animatics, multi-angle scene studios, deleted scenes, and optional censored audio. On the Region 2 DVD release, a typo was made on the back cover.*

Volume Five
June 15, 2010
June 14, 2010
November 3, 2010
14
15/15/M
This 3-disc boxset includes the remaining 14 episodes from Season 5. Special features include commentaries on all episodes, deleted scenes, and a Power Hour Drinking Game.

Volume Six
April 19, 2011
June 27, 2011
July 13, 2011[123]
18
15/15/M
This 3-disc box set includes all 18 episodes from Season 6. Special features include commentaries on selected episodes, deleted scenes, and the making of the episode "Rapture's Delight".[124]

Volume Seven
April 17, 2012
May 14, 2012[125]
May 16, 2012
19
15/15/M
This 3-disc box set includes all 19 episodes from Season 7, along with commentaries on select episodes, deleted scenes, American Dad! at Comic-Con 2010, and "I ❤ Sir Patrick Stewart".

Volume Eight
September 24, 2013[126]
August 5, 2013[127]
August 21, 2013
18
15/15/M
This 3-disc box set includes all 18 episodes of Season 8, along with commentaries on select episodes, deleted scenes, and "Stan's Booty Dance".

Volume Nine
July 1, 2014
October 6, 2014[128]
September 3, 2014
19
15/15/M
This 3-disc box set includes all 19 episodes of Season 9. The Region 1 version is an Amazon exclusive being manufactured on demand on DVD-R by CreateSpace.

Volume Ten
May 21, 2015[129]
October 17, 2016[130]
January 6, 2016
20
15/15/M
This 3-disc box set contains all 20 episodes from Season 10. The Region 1 version is an Amazon exclusive being manufactured on demand on DVD-R by CreateSpace.

Volume Eleven

December 13, 2016

November 14, 2016[131]

November 30, 2016
18
15/15/M
This 3-disc box set contains all three episodes from Season 11 and all 15 episodes from Season 12. The Region 1 version is an Amazon exclusive being manufactured on demand on DVD-R by CreateSpace.

Volume Twelve

November 7, 2017

November 13, 2017

22
15/15/M
This 3-disc box set contains all 22 episodes from Season 13. The Region 1 version is an Amazon exclusive being manufactured on demand on DVD-R by CreateSpace.

text:
The Volume One release was retitled Season One for the Region 2 and 4 releases, however the subsequent releases retained the Volume titles.
On the packaging for the Season 1 release on Region 2 DVD, there was no mention of audio commentaries or some of the bonus features, leading many to mistakenly believe they had been omitted from the release.
The Region 2 and 4 DVDs do not have censored audio tracks on any episodes; however, Volume 3 has so-called "uncensored tracks" on the set (probably an error from the transfer because the tracks are already automatically uncensored on the set).
The Volume 4 DVD release blurb contained information on the episode "Phantom of the Telethon", which was instead featured on Volume 5.
On Volume 6, despite claims of being uncensored, the bleeps from "Home Adrone", "My Morning Straitjacket", and "G-String Circus" are not removed.
Volume 9 features all episodes from Season 9, but features the poster from Season 10's "Poltergasm".

text: Potential film adaptation[edit]

text: At Comic-Con 2013 on July 20, Mike Barker revealed that an American Dad! movie—centering on Roger and set on his birth planet—may take place in the future. Barker did not announce any specifics as it relates to the nature and type of film he and the rest of the show's creators had in mind for the series; however, he strongly suggested that a movie is where the show's staff and creators would like to take things. Barker further hinted that an American Dad! movie may already even be in the works and partially written. No further information about the movie was released following Barker's exit from the series in November 2013.[62]

text: Crossovers with other animated sitcoms[edit]

text: American Dad! characters have appeared on other animated sitcoms and vice versa. To date, all of American Dad!'s crossovers have involved two other animated programs. The other two animated programs were also created by Seth MacFarlane: Family Guy (the crossover episode "Bigfat" also consisted of King of the Hill characters), and the cancelled series The Cleveland Show.

text: On December 8, 2013, Bart Simpson made a cameo appearance in the American Dad! season 10 episode, "Faking Bad". Though unofficial, this marked the first ever Simpsons/American Dad! crossover.[132] "The Simpsons Guy" marked the second Simpsons/American Dad! crossover with Roger Smith appearing in Kang and Kodos' spaceship.

text: Online Gambling[edit]

text: Playtech signed on for the development of a 40-line branded slot game based on Fox Broadcasting Company's animated sitcom, American Dad. Released online in May 2017, Stan Smith, Francine, Hayley, Klaus and Roger are featured along with special game bonuses including re-spins, free spins and 'Wheels and the Legman'.[133]


document_title: Comprehensive school

question_text: when was the first comprehensive school opened in england

root

text: Comprehensive school

text: Context[edit]

text: Comprehensive schools provide an entitlement curriculum to all children, without selection whether due to financial considerations or attainment. A consequence of that is a wider ranging curriculum, including practical subjects such as design and technology and vocational learning, which were less common or non-existent in grammar schools. Providing post-16 education cost-effectively becomes more challenging for smaller comprehensive schools, because of the number of courses needed to cover a broader curriculum with comparatively fewer students. This is why schools have tended to get larger and also why many local authorities have organised secondary education into 11–16 schools, with the post-16 provision provided by sixth form colleges and further education colleges. Comprehensive schools do not select their intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, but there are demographic reasons why the attainment profiles of different schools vary considerably. In addition, government initiatives such as the City Technology Colleges and Specialist schools programmes have made the comprehensive ideal less certain.

tag: p

text:
In these schools children could be selected on the basis of curriculum aptitude related to the school's specialism even though the schools do take quotas from each quartile of the attainment range to ensure they were not selective by attainment. A problem with this is whether the quotas should be taken from a normal distribution or from the specific distribution of attainment in the immediate catchment area. In the selective school system, which survives in several parts of the United Kingdom, admission is dependent on selection criteria, most commonly a cognitive test or tests. Although comprehensive schools were introduced to England and Wales in 1965, there are 164 selective grammar schools that are still in operation.[citation needed] (though this is a small number compared to approximately 3500 state secondary schools in England).
Most comprehensives are secondary schools for children between the ages of 11 to 16, but in a few areas there are comprehensive middle schools, and in some places the secondary level is divided into two, for students aged 11 to 14 and those aged 14 to 18, roughly corresponding to the US middle school (or junior high school) and high school, respectively. With the advent of key stages in the National Curriculum some local authorities reverted from the Middle School system to 11–16 and 11–18 schools so that the transition between schools corresponds to the end of one key stage and the start of another.

text: In principle, comprehensive schools were conceived as "neighbourhood" schools for all students in a specified catchment area.

text: History[edit]

text: England and Wales[edit]

text: The first comprehensives were set up after the Second World War. In 1946, for example, Walworth School was one of five 'experimental' comprehensive schools set up by the London County Council[1] Another early comprehensive school was Holyhead County School in Anglesey in 1949.[2][3] Coventry opened two Comprehensive School in 1954 by combining Grammar Schools and Secondary Modern Schools. These were Caludon Castle and Woodlands. Another early example was Tividale Comprehensive School in Tipton. The first, purpose-built comprehensive in the North of England was Colne Valley High School near Huddersfield in 1956.

text: The largest expansion of comprehensive schools resulted from a policy decision taken in 1965 by Anthony Crosland, Secretary of State for Education in the 1964–1970 Labour government. The policy decision was implemented by Circular 10/65, an instruction to local education authorities to plan for conversion. Students sat the 11+ examination in their last year of primary education and were sent to one of a secondary modern, secondary technical or grammar school depending on their perceived ability. Secondary technical schools were never widely implemented and for 20 years there was a virtual bipartite system which saw fierce competition for the available grammar school places, which varied between 15% and 25% of total secondary places, depending on location.[citation needed]

text: In 1970 Margaret Thatcher, the Secretary of State for Education in the new Conservative government, ended the compulsion on local authorities to convert, however, many local authorities were so far down the path that it would have been prohibitively expensive to attempt to reverse the process, and more comprehensive schools were established under Thatcher than any other education secretary.

text: By 1975 the majority of local authorities in England and Wales had abandoned the 11-Plus examination and moved to a comprehensive system. Over that 10-year period many secondary modern schools and grammar schools were amalgamated to form large neighbourhood comprehensives, whilst a number of new schools were built to accommodate a growing school population. By the mid-1970s the system had been almost fully implemented, with virtually no secondary modern schools remaining. Many grammar schools were either closed or changed to comprehensive status. Some local authorities, including Sandwell and Dudley in the West Midlands, changed all of its state secondary schools to comprehensive schools during the 1970s.

text: In 1976 the future Labour prime minister James Callaghan launched what became known as the 'great debate' on the education system. He went on to list the areas he felt needed closest scrutiny: the case for a core curriculum, the validity and use of informal teaching methods, the role of school inspection and the future of the examination system. Comprehensive school remains the most common type of state secondary school in England, and the only type in Wales. They account for around 90% of pupils, or 64% if one does not count schools with low-level selection. This figure varies by region.

text: Since the 1988 Education Reform Act, parents have a right to choose which school their child should go to or whether to not send them to school at all and to home educate them instead. The concept of "school choice" introduces the idea of competition between state schools, a fundamental change to the original "neighbourhood comprehensive" model, and is partly intended as a means by which schools that are perceived to be inferior are forced either to improve or, if hardly anyone wants to go there, to close down. Government policy is currently promoting 'specialisation' whereby parents choose a secondary school appropriate for their child's interests and skills. Most initiatives focus on parental choice and information, implementing a pseudo-market incentive to encourage better schools. This logic has underpinned the controversial league tables of school performance.

text: Scotland[edit]

text: Scotland has a very different educational system from England and Wales, though also based on comprehensive education. It has different ages of transfer, different examinations and a different philosophy of choice and provision. All publicly funded primary and secondary schools are comprehensive. The Scottish Government has rejected plans for specialist schools as of 2005.

text: Northern Ireland[edit]

text: Education in Northern Ireland differs slightly from systems used elsewhere in the United Kingdom, but it is more similar to that used in England and Wales than it is to Scotland.

text: Australia[edit]

text: When the first comprehensive schools appeared in the 1950s, the Australian Government started to transition to comprehensive schooling which has been expanding and improving ever since. Prior to the transition into comprehensive schooling systems, primary and secondary state schools regularly measured students' academic merit based on their performance in public examinations.[4] The state of Western Australia was the first to replace many multilateral school systems, proceeding with Queensland, and finally South Australia and Victoria.[5]

text: The Australian education system is organised through three compulsory school types. Students commence their education in Primary school, which runs for seven or eight years, starting at kindergarten through to Year 6 or 7. The next is Secondary school which runs for three or four years, from Year 7 or 8 to Year 10. Finally, Senior Secondary school which runs for two years, completing Years 11 and 12.[6] Each school tier follows a comprehensive curriculum that is categorised into sequences for each Year-level. The Year-level follows specific sequence content and achievement for each subject, which can be interrelated through cross-curricula.[7] In order for students to complete and graduate each tier-level of schooling, they need to complete the subject sequences of content and achievement. Once students have completed Year 12, they may choose to enter into Tertiary education. The two-tier Tertiary education system in Australia includes both higher education (i.e.: University, College, other Institutions) and vocational education and training (VET). Higher education works off of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)[8] and prepares Australians for an academic route that may take them into the theoretical and philosophical lenses of their career options.


document_title: World of Dance (TV series)

question_text: who won world of dance competition last year

text: World of Dance (TV series)

text: Premise[edit]

text: Format changes[edit]

text: While the format for season 2 remained relatively unchanged, there were a few slight alterations. Season 2 received a 16-episode order.[2], six more than the ten-episode first season. Additionally, this season, a fourth category, Junior Team, was added for acts under 18 with 5 or more members. The qualifier rounds are cut down from a two minutes to an one-minute routine. The Duels are cut down from two minutes to a ´80 seconds´-routine. The top three highest-scoring acts in The Cut from each division will move on to the Divisional Final, in last season it was just the top two.

text: Show concept[edit]

text: In preparation for season two, handpicked competitors, being talented in any styles of dancing, from qualifying events around the nation and thousands of online submissions, are divided into four  divisions: Junior (groups of 1-4, under 18), Upper (groups of 1-4, 18 and older), Junior Team (groups of 5+, under 18) and Upper Team (groups of 5+, 18 and older). In some cases dancers who didn't apply were directly contacted by the producers or their agents.

text: The elimination process of the contestants are in four rounds:

text:
The Qualifiers - The contestants have to qualify with at least 80 points to make it to The Duels.
The Duels - The contestants choose their opponent starting with the highest scorer from the qualifiers. If the number of contestants in a division is uneven, the last duel will be competed by the three remaining opponents that were unpicked previously. The winner of the dual is the contestant/s with the highest score who then move on to The Cut.
The Cut - Mentors are assigned to each division to prepare the contestants for their performances. The top three scoring acts in each division move on to The Division Finals.
The Division Finals - The mentors still support the contestants from each division. The top scoring act in each division will become division champion and move on to The World Final. [3]

tag: ol

text: In The World Final all four division champions will compete for the $1,000,000 USD grand prize. It is expected that the concept of last season is copied; every contestant will perform twice in two separate rounds. The average score of both rounds by each contestant will make their final score. The contestant(s) with the highest final score will be crowned World of Dance champion 2018 and will win the $1,000,000 USD grand prize.

text: Scoring[edit]

text: The judges are scoring in 5 categories. Each category is worth 20 points, with a perfect score of 100:

text:
Performance (20 points):
Effort: How many different elements put into the routine. What is the whole effort to dance the performance by the act.
Personality: How characters and personality put into the performance, in the sense of acting to stimulate emotions by the audience, telling a story or framing pictures.
Technique  (20 points):
Transitions: How smooth and elegant the transitions from move to move were without lacking a performance moment.
Cleanness: How synchronized, ordered by a pattern, precise and committed the movements were within the act.
Execution: How flawless the execution of the performance by the act was to the performance song.
Choreography  (20 points):
Difficulty: How difficult it was to perform the figures and movements by the act from judges point of view.
Musicality: How well pictures, figures and movements were choreographed to the sound and beat of the performance song.
Tricks: Are unexpected show elements included by properties, clothing or the bodies of the dancers and how well was it done.
Creativity  (20 points):
Originality: How unique and interesting was the performance.
Artistic Choices: What styles of dancing were shown and merged. How well was it done regarding basic dance styles and style culture, e.g. costumes, shoes. The performance song is an artistic choice as well. How well did it fit to the performance.
Dynamics: How energizing and powerful the performance was and how much action was on stage.
Presentation  (20 points):
Crowd Appeal: How the crowd around the show stage reacted to the performance.
Impact: How memorable and worth talking about it later the performance was.

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: Jennifer Lopez, who executive produces the series and serves as a judge, felt that the series would be a return to her roots; Lopez had achieved early fame as a member of  In Living Color's dance crew, The Fly Girls. She explained that dance had been her "first form of artistic expression", and that the series "reminded me of all the reasons why I love dance and why I wanted to do this in the first place".[1]

text: The series premiere was originally scheduled for May 8, 2017 (as a lead-out for The Voice), but was pushed back to May 30, 2017 to serve as a lead-out for the season premiere of America's Got Talent.[4][5] On June 29, 2017, NBC renewed the series for a second season,[6] which will premiere on May 29, 2018—once again complimenting the next season of America's Got Talent.[7] In May 2018, prior to its season 2 premiere, World of Dance was renewed for a third season.[8]

text: Series overview[edit]

text:
Season

Duration

Episodes

Winner's prize

Finalists

Presenter

Judges

Premiere

Finale

Winner

Runner-up

Third place

1

May 30, 2017

August 8, 2017

10

$1,000,000

Les Twins

Eva Igo

Swing Latino

Jenna Dewan

Ne-Yo

Jennifer Lopez

Derek Hough

2

May 29, 2018

September 12, 2018

16

TBD

tag: table

text: International versions[edit]

text: There will be an upcoming Polish version of the show on Polsat titled World of Dance Polska.

text: There will also be an upcoming Filipino version of the show on ABS-CBN.

text: There will also be an upcoming Thailand version of the show on One31


document_title: Message in a Bottle (film)

question_text: where did message in a bottle take place

text: Message in a Bottle (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Theresa Osborne, a former reporter, works as a researcher for the Chicago Tribune. On a trip to Cape Cod, she finds a mysterious, intriguing and typed love letter in a bottle in the sand, addressed to Catherine. She is fascinated by it and shows it to her colleagues. They print it in their newspaper without the knowledge of Theresa and get numerous responses. One of the response contains an attached letter which was addressed to the same person and written in the same tone. Later, they receive another letter of the same kind from one of the readers which was not addressed to Catherine, but typed on the same notepad. Eventually, they track him down with the help of the typewriter and the notepad used. His name is Garrett Blake and he lives quietly on the Outer Banks of North Carolina near his father, Dodge.

text: Theresa goes to Outer Banks to research it further but when she meets him, they are attracted to each other and start becoming better acquainted.  She tries to tell him about the original purpose of her visit but fears that she might lose him and postpones it. Along with the literal distance between them — they live hundreds of miles apart — there is another problem: Garrett cannot quite forgive Catherine for dying and leaving him.

text: Theresa's career flourishes as the romantic "message in a bottle" tale is told in print, without naming names. Garrett makes a trip to Chicago to visit Theresa and her young son. They seem very happy together for a day, but Garrett sees his letters, becomes furious and starts to leave. But when Theresa reveals that there are three letters of the same kind, he becomes intrigued as he only wrote two of them and comes back to see another letter. The third letter, which was not addressed to Catherine, was actually written by Catherine; in that letter, she reveals her love, her knowledge of her impending death, and how she was content with her life with Garrett, however short it might be. Garrett leaves with the letter, leaving Theresa in tears.

text: Garrett moves on with his life and sets things straight with Catherine's family, who had been fighting with Garrett for the artworks of Catherine. He finishes his own personalized boat with the help of Catherine's brother and names it 'Catherine', and sends an invitation to Theresa to visit. When Theresa goes there, she witnesses the passionate speech of Garrett about his late wife Catherine and understands that he still is in love with his late wife, and leaves him saying that he is welcome to call her when he thinks he is ready to start a new life.

text: After that night, Garrett writes a letter to Catherine and puts it in a bottle and goes sailing. A storm breaks out and Garrett desperately tries to save a family from a sinking boat and succeeds to save two out of three; however, in the process, he himself drowns. Garrett's father Dodge calls Theresa and tells her about his death. Heartbroken, Theresa goes there to say goodbye; Dodge gives her a letter which was written by Garrett on the day of his death. In that letter, Garrett writes that he found someone else, who is as dear as Catherine to him and decides to start a new life with her, and asks for Catherine's blessings. Though devastated, Theresa comes back contented stating that though this experience left her sad, it also helped her to feel the most important thing (Garrett when he died) in life.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Kevin Costner as Garrett Blake
Robin Wright as Theresa Osborne
Paul Newman as Dodge Blake
Susan Brightbill as Catherine Land Blake
John Savage as Johnny Land
Illeana Douglas as Lina Paul
Robbie Coltrane as Charlie Toschi
Jesse James as Jason Osborne
Bethel Leslie as Marta Land
Tom Aldredge as Hank Land
Hayden Panettiere as Girl on Boat
Rosemary Murphy as Helen at the B&B

text: Production[edit]

text: Filming[edit]

text: The producers originally planned to film on Tangier Island, Virginia, but some members of the town council objected to the drinking, cursing and sex in the film and demanded script revisions in exchange for shooting permission, even though this turned out to be rated PG-13.

text: Warner Bros. then tried Martha's Vineyard near Chilmark, Massachusetts, but the Chilmark Conservation Commission turned down a request to build a temporary 3,000-square-foot (280 m2) house on stilts in the dunes near Chilmark Pond.[3]

text: Beach scenes were filmed at Popham Beach in Phippsburg, Maine.[4]

text: The fog-bound harbor near the end is New Harbor, Maine. None of the coastal scenes are the Outer Banks (the setting of the novel), which has neither rocks, bluffs, nor tall pines; nor does the Outer Banks have the roughly 10 foot tides indicated by the docks shown throughout the beginning of the film.  Carolina tides average about 5 feet.

text: Music[edit]

text: Irish music group Clannad wrote the song "What Will I Do" for the film. Singer Richard Marx also composed the song "One More Time", sung by Laura Pausini, which played during the credits.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Message in a Bottle has grossed $52,880,016 in North America and $66,000,000 in other territories for a worldwide total of $118,880,016.[2]

text: In its opening weekend, the film grossed $18,852,976, finishing first at the box office, knocking off Payback from the top box office ($17,719,502).[2]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: The film received negative reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 32% rating, based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2/10.[5] Metacritic reports a 39 out of 100 rating, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[6]

text: Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, praising the lead actors, particularly Newman "steals every scene he's in", but criticized the contrived ending.[7] Todd McCarthy from The Hollywood Reporter called it a "dreary, lachrymose and incredibly poky tear-jerker" but conceded it had a built in audience among those who put the book on the bestseller list.[8]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Year
Award
Category
Nominee(s)
Result

1999

Stinkers Bad Movie Awards

Worst Actor

Kevin Costner

Nominated

2000

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards[9][10]

Favorite Actor - Drama/Romance

Kevin Costner

Nominated

Favorite Actress - Drama/Romance

Robin Wright

Nominated

Favorite Supporting Actor - Drama/Romance

Paul Newman

Nominated

Favorite Supporting Actress - Drama/Romance

Illeana Douglas

Nominated

Golden Raspberry Awards[11]

Worst Actor

Kevin Costner

Nominated

text: Home media[edit]

text: Message in a Bottle was released on DVD on August 3, 1999.


document_title: Yamaha Blaster

question_text: what is the top speed of a yamaha blaster

text: Yamaha Blaster

text: Specification[edit]

text: Engine[edit]

text:
Stock: 200cc air-cooled 2 stroke
Carburetor: Mikuni 26 mm
Starting System: Rearward Kick start
Drive Train: RWD with sealed o-ring chain

text: Dimensions[edit]

text: Ground Clearance: 7,7 inches

text: Other[edit]

text: Lighting: 35W Halogen Multi-reflector Headlight & 21/5W Brake light

text: Top Speed 50-60 mph stock

text: The Yamaha Blaster's production was stopped in 2006 and its successor is the Yamaha Raptor 250, the Yamaha Raptor 250 is a beginner fourwheeler meant for people who aren't as experienced. While the Raptor is a newer model the Blaster is better if both models are driven by an experienced driver.


document_title: List of national anthem performers at the Super Bowl

question_text: who is singing national anthem at super bowl 2017

text: Performances[edit]

text:
No.
Year
Venue
Performer(s)[1]

I
1967
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, California
The Pride of Arizona, Michigan Marching Band, and UCLA choir

II
1968
Orange Bowl, Miami
GSU Tiger Marching Band

III
1969
Lloyd Geisler of the Washington National Symphony Orchestra[2]
An NFL.com reference ([1]) states that Anita Bryant performed the anthem, but NBC's broadcast of game, available from the Paley Center for Media's collection, shows that Geisler performed it.

IV
1970
Tulane Stadium, New Orleans
Al Hirt

V
1971
Orange Bowl, Miami
Tommy Loy (trumpet)

VI
1972
Tulane Stadium, New Orleans
U.S. Air Force Academy Chorale

VII
1973
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Little Angels (children's choir) of Chicago's Holy Angels Church

VIII
1974
Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas
Charley Pride

IX
1975
Tulane Stadium, New Orleans
GSU Tiger Marching Band (2)

X
1976
Orange Bowl, Miami
Tom Sullivan

XI
1977
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
None (Vikki Carr sang "America the Beautiful")

XII
1978
Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans
Phyllis Kelly of Northeast Louisiana University

XIII
1979
Orange Bowl, Miami
The Colgate Thirteen

XIV
1980
Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Cheryl Ladd

XV
1981
Superdome, New Orleans
Helen O'Connell

XVI
1982
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Diana Ross

XVII
1983
Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Leslie Easterbrook

XVIII
1984
Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Barry Manilow

XIX
1985
Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California
San Francisco Boys Chorus, San Francisco Girls Chorus, Piedmont Children's Chorus, and San Francisco Children's Chorus

XX
1986
Superdome, New Orleans
Wynton Marsalis (trumpet)

XXI
1987
Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Neil Diamond

XXII
1988
Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego
Herb Alpert (trumpet)

XXIII
1989
Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami
Billy Joel

XXIV
1990
Superdome, New Orleans
Aaron Neville

XXV
1991
Tampa Stadium, Tampa
Whitney Houston with The Florida Orchestra directed by Jahja Ling

XXVI
1992
Metrodome, Minneapolis
Harry Connick, Jr.
ASL (American Sign Language): Lori Hilary

XXVII
1993
Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Garth Brooks
ASL: Marlee Matlin

XXVIII
1994
Georgia Dome, Atlanta
Natalie Cole
ASL: Courtney Keel Foley

XXIX
1995
Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami
Kathie Lee Gifford
ASL: Heather Whitestone

XXX
1996
Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
Vanessa L. Williams
ASL: Mary Kim Titla

XXXI
1997
Superdome, New Orleans
Luther Vandross
ASL: Erika Rachael Schwarz

XXXII
1998
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
Jewel
ASL: Phyllis Frelich

XXXIII
1999
Pro Player Stadium, Miami
Cher
ASL: Speaking Hands

XXXIV
2000
Georgia Dome, Atlanta
Faith Hill
ASL: Briarlake Elementary School Signing Choir

XXXV
2001
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
Backstreet Boys
AASL: Tom Cooney

XXXVI
2002
Superdome, New Orleans
Mariah Carey
ASL: Joe Narcisse

XXXVII
2003
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
Dixie Chicks
ASL: Janet Maxwell

XXXVIII
2004
Reliant Stadium, Houston
Beyoncé
ASL: Suzanna Christy

XXXIX
2005
Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
Combined choirs of the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy (2), and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets
ASL: Wesley Tallent

XL
2006
Ford Field, Detroit
Aaron Neville (2) and Aretha Franklin,
Dr. John (piano accompaniment)
ASL: Angela LaGuardia

XLI
2007
Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Billy Joel (2)
ASL: Marlee Matlin (2)

XLII
2008
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Jordin Sparks
ASL: A Dreamer[3]

XLIII
2009
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Jennifer Hudson
ASL: Kristen Santos

XLIV
2010
Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens
Carrie Underwood
ASL: Kinesha Battles

XLV
2011
Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Christina Aguilera
ASL: Candice Villesca[4]

XLVI
2012
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Kelly Clarkson
ASL: Rachel Mazique[5]

XLVII
2013
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
Alicia Keys[6]
ASL: John Maucere[7]

XLVIII
2014
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Renée Fleming
ASL: Amber Zion

XLIX
2015
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona[8]
Idina Menzel
ASL: Treshelle Edmond[9]

50
2016
Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Lady Gaga
ASL: Marlee Matlin (3)[10]

LI
2017
NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Luke Bryan
ASL: Kriston Lee Pumphery[11].

LII
2018
U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Pink
ASL: Alexandria Wailes[12].

text: Multiple and hometown performances[edit]

text: Acts that have performed three times:

text: Marlee Matlin (ASL), (XXVII, XLI, and 50)

text: Acts that have performed two times:

text:
GSU Tiger Marching Band (II and IX)
Billy Joel (XXIII and XLI)
Aaron Neville (XXIV and XL)
U.S. Air Force Academy Chorale[13] (VI and XXXIX)

text: Singers that performed in or near their hometown metropolitan area:

text:
Beyoncé (XXXVIII, Houston)
Aretha Franklin (XL, Detroit)
Al Hirt (IV, New Orleans)
Aaron Neville (XXIV & XL, New Orleans)
Diana Ross (XVI, Detroit)
Jordin Sparks (XLII, Phoenix)

text: Notable performances[edit]

text: The performance by Whitney Houston at Super Bowl XXV in 1991, during the Gulf War, had been for many years regarded as one of the best renditions ever.[14][15][16][17][18][19] It was released as a single a few weeks later, appeared on the album Whitney: The Greatest Hits, and was re-released as a single in 2001 shortly after the September 11 attacks.

text: The 1992 performance marked the first time American Sign Language was used alongside the lead singer.

text: Faith Hill performed the anthem at Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000.[20] It became popular in country radio. Following the September 11 attacks, her version entered the country singles chart at number 35, despite not being released as an official single, and reentered the same chart at number 49 in July 2002.[citation needed]

text: At Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, in an emotional and groundbreaking performance, soprano Renée Fleming became the first opera singer to perform the national anthem,[21] scoring the highest ratings for a Fox Network program in its history, and the second-highest ratings for any television program in history.

text: Controversies[edit]

text: Just days after Super Bowl XXV, a report surfaced that Whitney Houston lip synced her performance. It was confirmed that she was actually singing into a dead microphone, but the performance heard in the stadium and on television was prerecorded.[22][14][15]

text: Since 1993, the NFL has required performers to supply a backup track.[14] This came after Garth Brooks walked out of the stadium prior to his XXVII performance. Only 45 minutes before kickoff, he refused to take the stage, due to a dispute with NBC. Brooks requested that the network premiere his new music video "We Shall Be Free" during the pregame. The network chose not to air the video, due to content some felt was disturbing imagery. Brooks had also refused to pre-record the anthem, which meant the league had nothing to play if he left. Television producers spotted Jon Bon Jovi in the grandstands, and were prepared to use him as a replacement. After last-minute negotiations, NBC agreed to air a clip of the video during the broadcast of the game,[23] and Brooks was coaxed back into the stadium and sang.[19]

text: Following the "wardrobe malfunction" controversy during Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, all scheduled performers for Super Bowl XXXIX were chosen under heavy scrutiny.[24] Game organizers decided not to use a popular music vocalist.[25] The combined choirs of the U.S. Military Academy, the Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets were invited to perform. This was the first time since the second inauguration of President Richard Nixon in 1973 that all four service academies sang together.[13][26]

text: Two days after Super Bowl XLIII, it was revealed that Jennifer Hudson also had lip synced.[14]

text: At the beginning of Super Bowl XLV, Christina Aguilera sang the lyrics incorrectly. Instead of singing "O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming", the pop star sang "What so proudly we watched at the twilight's last gleaming".[27][28] According to the New York Times, she also changed "gleaming" to "reaming".[29]

text: Other patriotic performances[edit]

text: The following Super Bowls featured other patriotic performances besides the national anthem. Since 2009, "America the Beautiful" is sung before the national anthem.[30]

text:
1969: Apollo 8 crew
1970: Apollo astronauts
1973: Apollo 17 crew

text:
1977: Vikki Carr (in place of the national anthem)
2001: Ray Charles
2002: Mary J. Blige, Marc Anthony and the Boston Pops Orchestra
2005: Alicia Keys and a tribute video to the recently deceased Ray Charles
2009: Faith Hill
2010: Queen Latifah
2011: Lea Michele
2012: Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert
2013: Jennifer Hudson with the Sandy Hook Elementary School Chorus[31][32]
2014: Queen Latifah with the New Jersey Youth Chorus
2015: John Legend [9]
2016: U.S. Armed Forces Chorus [33]
2017: Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones.[34]
2018: Leslie Odom Jr..[35].

text: 2003: Céline Dion