document_title: Baikal–Amur Mainline

question_text: when was the baikal-amur mainline (bam) railroad completed in the russian domain

question_tokens: when was the baikal-amur mainline ( bam ) railroad completed in the russian domain

text: Baikal–Amur Mainline

text: Route[edit]

text: The BAM departs from the Trans-Siberian railway at Tayshet, then crosses the Angara River  at Bratsk and the Lena River at Ust-Kut, proceeds past Severobaikalsk at the northern tip of Lake Baikal, past Tynda and Khani, crosses the Amur River at Komsomolsk-on-Amur and finally reaches the Pacific Ocean at Sovetskaya Gavan. There are 21 tunnels along the line, with a total length of 47 km (29 mi). There are also more than 4,200 bridges, with a total length of over 400 km (about 260 miles).[2]

text: Of the whole route, only the western Tayshet-Taksimo sector of 1,469 km (913 mi) is electrified.  The route is largely single-track, although the reservation is wide enough for double-tracking for its full length, in the case of eventual duplication. The unusual thing about the railway is that it is electrified with a 27.5 kV, 50 Hz catenary minimum height at 6.5 metres above top of the rails to suit double-stacking under the overhead wires on the Russian gauge tracks, which requires rolling stock to be modified for service on the railway.

text: At Tynda the route is crossed by the Amur–Yakutsk Mainline, which runs north to Neryungri and Tommot, with an extension to Yakutsk opened in 2014, and now extension to Magadan under construction.  The original section of the AYaM connecting the Trans-Siberian at Bamovskaya with the BAM at Tynda is also referred to as the "Little BAM".

text: During the winter the passenger trains go from Moscow past Tayshet and Tynda to Neryungri and Tommot and there are also a daily trains from Tynda to Komsomolsk-on-Amur and from Komsomolsk-on-Amur to Sovetskaya Gavan on the Pacific Ocean via Vanino("Vladivostok-Sovetskaya Gavan" train №351Э).Travel time from Tayshet to Tynda is 48 hours.[3]Travel time from Tynda to Komsomolsk-on-Amur is 36 hours.[3]Travel time from Komsomolsk-on-Amur to Sovetskaya Gavan is 13 hours.[3]

text: History[edit]

text: Early plans and start of construction[edit]

text: The route of the present-day BAM first came under consideration in the 1880s as an option for the eastern section of the planned Trans-Siberian railway.

text: In the 1930s labor-camp inmates, in particular from the Bamlag camp of the Gulag system,  built the section from Tayshet to Bratsk. In a confusing transfer of names, the label BAM applied from 1933 to 1935 to the project to double-track the Trans-Siberian east of Lake Baikal, constructing largely using forced labor.[4]

text:
1945 saw the finalisation of plans for upgrading the BAM for diesel or electric instead of steam traction, and for the heavier axle-loads of eight-axle oil tankers to carry new-found oil[5]
from Western Siberia. The upgrading required 25 years and 3,000 surveyors and designers, although much of the redesign work (particularly as regards the central section) took place between 1967 and 1974.[4]

text: Construction project of the century[edit]

text: In March 1974, Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev proposed that the BAM would be one of the two major projects in the Tenth Five Year Plan (1976–80).[4] He famously stated that "BAM will be constructed with clean hands only!" and firmly rejected the suggestion to again use prison labor. A few weeks later he challenged the Young Communist League (Komsomol) to join in "the construction project of the century".[1] 17th Komsomol congress (held in April 1974) announced BAM a Komsomol shock construction project, created the central Komsomol headquarters of BAM construction, and appointed Dmitry Filippov the chief of the headquarters.

text: By the end of 1974 perhaps 50,000 young people of the 156,000 young people who applied had moved to the BAM service area. In 1975 and 1976 28 new settlements were inaugurated, and 70 new bridges including the Amur and Lena bridges were erected. And while 110 miles (180 km) of track was laid, the tracklaying rate would have needed to nearly triple to meet the 1983 deadline.[4]

text: In September 1984, a "golden spike" was hammered into place, connecting the eastern and western sections of the BAM. The Western media was not invited to attend this historic event as Soviet officials did not want any comments about the line's operational status. In reality, only one third of the BAM's track was fully operational for civilians, due to military reasons.[6]

text: The BAM was again declared complete in 1991. By then, the total cost to build the line was US$14 billion.

text: Crisis[edit]

text: Beginning in the mid-1980s, the BAM-project attracted increasing criticism for bad planning. Infrastructure and basic services like running water were often not in place when workers arrived.  At least 60 boomtowns developed around the route, but nowadays a lot of these places are deserted ghost towns and unemployment in the area is high. The building of the BAM has also been criticised for its complete lack of environmental protection.[7]

text: When Soviet Union was dissolved, numerous mining and industrial projects in the region were cancelled, and the BAM was greatly underutilized until the late 1990s, running at a large operational deficit.[citation needed]

text: In 1996, the BAM as a single operational body was dissolved, with the western section from Tayshet to Khani becoming the East Siberian Railway, the rest transferred to the management of the Far Eastern Railway.[citation needed]

text: Current situation and future prospects[edit]

text: A major improvement was the opening of the 15,343-meter (9.534 mi) Severomuysky Tunnel on December 5, 2003.  It is up to 1.5 kilometres (nearly 1 mile) deep. Construction took 27 years to complete.  Prior to this, the corresponding route segment was 54 km (34 mi) long, with heavy slopes necessitating the use of auxiliary bank engine locomotives.

text: With the resources boom of recent years and improving economic conditions in Russia, use of the line is increasing.  Plans exist for the development of mining areas such as Udokanskoye and Chineyskoye near Novaya Chara, as well as one of Eurasia's largest coal deposits at Elginskoye (Elga) in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia).  In connection with this, a number of branch lines have been built or are under construction.

text: In January 2012 the Russian mining company Mechel  completed the construction of the 320-kilometre-long branch line to Elginskoye, branching from the BAM station Ulak, west of the Zeya River crossing in northwestern Amur Oblast.[8][9] The branch line connects the Elginskoye coal mine to the Russian railroad network.

text: It is also intended that the BAM should become an alternative route for container transport between Europe and the Pacific, although the single-track nature of most of the route and the lack of suitable connections at the eastern end currently stand in the way.  Currently under discussion is the construction of a bridge or tunnel under the Strait of Tartary to Sakhalin Island, with the possibility of the further construction of a bridge or tunnel from Sakhalin to Japan.  A tunnel from the mainland to Sakhalin was previously begun under Joseph Stalin, but was abandoned after his death.  A second attempt in 2003 was also postponed during construction.  Current economic conditions make the short-term completion of the tunnel doubtful, although Russian president Dmitry Medvedev announced in November 2008 his support for a revival of this project.[10]

text: The BAM now also attracts the interest of Western railway enthusiasts, with some tourist activity on the line.[2]

text: Also, the BAM itself extension from Komsomolsk-on-Amur to Magadan (Okhotsk coastal route), full length electrification, full length track doubling, and double-stacking under the overhead wires on the Russian gauge tracks (with well cars to make 6.15m height) are proposed. The future BAM passenger rolling stocks which include:

text:
Bilevel carriages with low doors,
Shinkansen-based Russian gauge EMUs with low doors,
Talgo wide-bodyshell trainsets, and
Talgo AVRIL Russian gauge trainsets.

text: Along the BAM[edit]

text: Tayshet to Lake Baikal 1064 km: 0: Tayshet: about 300 km east of Krasnoyarsk, Trans-Siberian Railway, M53 highway to Irkutsk.  129: Sosnovye Rodniki: timber port. Chuna River 142: Chuna. 269: Vikhorevka: railway administration. 282: Anzebi: 20 km spur line to Bratsk town. About 330: Bratsk Dam: Railway runs across the top of the dam. 463: Vidim. 546: Sredneilimskaya on the Ust-Ilimsk reservoir. 554: Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky: mining town. 575: Khrebetovaya: branch line north to Ust-Ilimsk (see branches below); enter Lena basin. Kuta River. 715: Ust-Kut: port on the Lena River where goods are loaded onto boats for transport north. End of the line until 1974. 736: Lena Vostochnaya: east of the Lena, start of the BAM proper from 1974. Line tends east southeast. 786: Zvyozdnaya: first new town built on the BAM. 890: Kirenga: 12 km east is the larger town of Magistralnyy. Kirenga River and bridge. 931: Ul'kan: on the Ulkan branch of the Kirenga. 1005: Delbichenda: last stop before the 6.7 km Baikal Mountain Tunnel (between 1979 and 1984 there was a 15 km bypass over the mountain). 1014: Daben. 1064: Lake Baikal.[2]

text: Lake Baikal to Tynda 1300 km: 1064: Severobaykalsk. Four small tunnels along the lake. 1104: Nizhneangarsk; leave Lake Baikal, northeast up the valley of the Upper Angara River. 1257: Novy Uoyan: there is talk of building a railroad south from here to the Trans-Siberian. Enter Severomuysk Mountains. Much permafrost from here to Tynda. 1385–1400: Severomuysky Tunnel: 15.7 km long, very difficult construction. Exit mountain. Scenic section with mountains to north and south. Much fog. 1484: Taksimo: end of electrified section. Muya River. 1548: Shivery: leave Buryat Republic. Vitim River. 1577: Kuanda: official 'completion' of the BAM was celebrated here in September 1984. Valley into mountains. 1664: Kodar: Kodar mountains, 1.9 km tunnel. 1734: Novaya Chara. 1879: Khani: the only BAM town in the Sakha Republic. Northernmost point on the line. Line turns south-southeast along the Olyokma River. Enter Amur basin. 2364: Tynda.

text: Tynda to Komsomolsk 1473 km: 2364: Tynda:  Branch railway and highway north to Yakutsk, little BAM south to the Trans-Siberian. 2704: Bridge over Zeya Reservoir. Line heads southeast. 3205: Bureya River bridge. 3315: Novy Urgal: Branch south to Trans-Siberian. 3403: east to Dusse-Alin Tunnel. Northeast up the Amgun River. 3633: Postyshevo: east. 3697: Evoron Lake. southeast to 3837: Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

text: Komsomolsk to Sovetskaya Gavan 486 km. This section was completed by prisoners during World War II, except for the 19 km section east of Komsomolsk which was completed in 1974. Komsomolsk. 1734m Amur River Bridge. 0: Pivan (new numbering system). 51: Selikhin: Branch. 95–340: Sikhote Alin Mountains. 403: Mongokhto 441: Vanino: port, train ferry to Sakhalin Island, practical end of passenger service. 467: Sovetskaya Gavan: naval base.

text: In April 2008 the state-owned Bamtonnelstroy corporation started work on the new 3.91 km single-track Kuznetsovsky Tunnel to bypass an older tunnel built in 1943–1945.[11] It was opened in December 2012. The old tunnel had difficult gradients; building the new tunnel relieved a bottleneck on the BAM.[12] The 59.8 bn roubles (about $1.93 bn) project included 20 km of new track. In 2010, Yakunin had said, the stretch between Komsomolsk and Sovetskaya Gavan was the weakest link on the BAM, which, he said, could be carrying 100 million tons of freight a year in 2050.[13]

text: Branches[edit]

text:
575: Khrebtovaya to Ust-Ilimsk, 214 km: Opened in 1970, it runs northeast to serve the Ust-Ilimsk Dam.
1257: Novy Uoyan: possible start of line south on east side to Lake Baikal.
2364: Tynda to the Trans-Siberian at Bamovskaya,180 km (the 'Little BAM'): This branch was built by prisoners in 1933–37, torn up in 1942 and its rails shipped to the front and rebuilt in 1972–75.
2364: Tynda to Yakutsk: see Amur–Yakutsk Mainline.
3315: Novy Urgal to the Trans-Siberian at Izvestovskaya,328 km: In the Bureya River basin, it was built mostly by Japanese POWs. There is a 32 km branch north from Novy Urgal to the Chegdomyn coal fields.
3837: Komsomolsk south to Khabarovsk, 374 km; on east side (flood plain) of the Amur. 99 km south: Lake Bolon.
51 (line km restart at Komsomolsk): Selikhin to Cherny Mys, 122 km: north along the Amur. Built 1950–53, it was planned to extend this to a tunnel to Sakhalin Island. There is talk of restarting it.

text: The BAM road[edit]

text: Running approximately alongside the railway track is the BAM road, a railway service track.  It is said to be in a very poor state, with collapsed bridges, dangerous river crossings, severe potholes and "unrelenting energy-sapping bogs".  The road is passable only by the most extreme off-road vehicles and adventure motorcycles. In 2009, a group of three experienced motorcycle riders took a whole month to travel from Komsomolsk (in the east) to Lake Baikal.[14][15]

text: Honors[edit]

text: Main belt asteroid 2031 BAM, discovered in 1969 by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Chernykh, is named in honor of the builders of the BAM.[16]

text: Gallery[edit]

text:
Railway station at Tynda

Railway station at Vikhorevka

Railway station at Fevralsk

Old station building at Tayshet


document_title: Telenet (Belgium)

question_text: when did telenet launched its first telecom products

root

text: Telenet (Belgium)

text: Internet[edit]

text: Telenet has offered its residential service since 1997 under the brand name Telenet Internet through the combination of its broadband cable network, which passes some 2.4 million homes in Flanders and a part of the Brussels region. All of the networks through which Telenet offers residential services in Flanders have been upgraded to a two way digital hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) standard, and Telenet has direct relationships with all of its Internet and telephony customers.

tag: p

text: Its main competitors on the cable broadband Internet market are Numericable and VOO in the Brussels region, and Belgacom, the leader of the Belgian DSL market in the Flanders and Brussels regions.

text: Telenet also offers voice, data and Internet services to its business customers under the brand name Telenet Solutions through its optical fiber backbone, by its acquisition of Codenet, which covers all of Belgium and Luxembourg.

text: Through its acquisition of Sinfilo, Telenet acquired a large network of Wi-Fi hotspots in addition to its cable Internet service.

text: In December 2016, Telenet submitted a proposal for the acquisition of SFR Belux from Altice, which has been authorized June 20th 2017.

text: Hosting services[edit]

text: In January 2008, Telenet acquired Hostbasket, Belgium's largest hosting company, to offer services appropriate for organisations and companies. Hostbasket offers "classic hosting" (domain names, shared webhosting, online backup, antivirus,...), infrastructure solutions (dedicated servers, co-location) and applications (hosted Exchange, hosted SharePoint, hosted CRM, ...).

text: Telephony[edit]

text: Fixed telephony[edit]

text: Since 1998, Telenet has offered fixed telephony using its cable network under the brand name Telenet Freephone. In 2008, it has more than 600,000 customers.[2] Its main competitors on the Belgian fixed telephone market are Numericable and VOO in Brussels, using optic fibre. Its other main competitor is Proximus, leader of the Belgian DSL market.

text: It has released FreePhone Mobile in November 2011. This is a free option which allows its customers to call all mobile lines for free during the morning and evenings. An extra option called FreePhone Mobile 24 is available as well. This allows customers to call mobile lines all day.

text: Mobile telephony[edit]

text: Since July 2006, Telenet Mobile offers mobile telephony services as a full MVNO, using the Mobistar MNO-network (Orange). Today[when?] it has more than 80,000 customers. It competes with the mobile network operators Proximus, owned by the Belgian state owned telecommunications company Proximus Group.

text: In 2009, Telenet acquired the Belgian retail store network of BelCompany from the Dutch Macintosh Retail Group.

text: In 2011 Telenet and Voo formed a new company, Telenet Tecteo BidCo, to participate in the auction for obtaining the fourth 3G license on the Belgian market. As there were no other bidding parties they obtained this license for €71.5 million.

text: In 2015 Telenet acquired the mobile operator Base from its previous owner KPN for €1.325 billion.

text: Television[edit]

text: Cable television[edit]

text: Telenet launched Telenet Digital TV interactive television on its cable television network on September 3, 2005.

text: Since 2012-2013 cable customers need not pay an extra subscription to receive digital TV, but they must purchase or rent a set-top box in order to view the digital TV channels and to use the interactive services based on the Multimedia Home Platform.

text: Telenet also rolled out high definition television services during 2008.

text: In July 2008 Telenet reached an agreement with Interkabel's INDI regarding the acquisition of its 800,000 cable TV customers.

text: Its main competitors on the Belgian digital television market (DVB-C) are Numericable and VOO in the Brussels region. Other competitors are Belgacom TV IPTV and TV Vlaanderen Digitaal (DVB-S), owned by Belgacom and an Airbridge Investments -Providence Equity Partners consortium, in the Flanders and Brussels regions.

text: Telenet and North American digital media & broadcasting company Vice Media both launched a local version of US TV channel Viceland (itself owned by Vice) in Belgium on 2 March 2017.

text: Set-top boxes[edit]

text: The Digibox (standard high definition set-top box) and Digicorder (high definition personal video recorder) are made by Advanced Digital Broadcast.

text: Pay TV[edit]

text: Telenet also offers several premium TV channel packs including:

text:
Play (including premium channels, Stingray Music and a timeshifting service)
Play More (including PRIME and other premium channels)
Play Sports (Also available as Pay-per-view)
BeTV
Ciné+ (Brussels Only)
Option FR (Flanders Only)
Passion XL

tag: ul

text: Digital Terrestrial Television: Teletenne[edit]

text: On 21 June 2012, Telenet launched its pay TV digital terrestrial television based on DVB-T technology, called Teletenne. The service has been closed down in 2014 due to low success.[3]

text: Ownership[edit]

text: Liberty Global own a 57.8% stake in Telenet.

text: Sponsorship[edit]

text: Telenet is the principal sponsor of the Belgian football club KV Mechelen and a secondary sponsor of Club Brugge, another Belgian football club, and the Belgian Fidea Cycling Team. Both football clubs are active in the Belgian Pro League. Telenet is a title sponsor of the Telenet UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup from the 2016–2017 season.[4]


document_title: Harry Shearer

question_text: who does otto's voice on the simpsons

question_tokens: who does otto 's voice on the simpsons

text: Harry Shearer

text: Early life[edit]

text: Shearer was born December 23, 1943 in Los Angeles, the son of Dora Warren (née Kohn) (d. 2008), a bookkeeper, and Mack Shearer.[2] His parents were Jewish immigrants from Austria and Poland.[3][4] Starting when Shearer was four years old, he had a piano teacher whose daughter worked as a child actress. The piano teacher later decided to make a career change and become a children's agent, as she knew people in the business through her daughter's work. The teacher asked Shearer's parents for permission to take him to an audition. Several months later, she called Shearer's parents and told them that she had gotten Shearer an audition for the radio show The Jack Benny Program. Shearer received the role when he was seven years old.[5] He described Jack Benny as "very warm and approachable [...] He was a guy who dug the idea of other people on the show getting laughs, which sort of spoiled me for other people in comedy."[6] Shearer said in an interview that one person who "took him under his wing" and was one of his best friends during his early days in show business was voice actor Mel Blanc, who voiced many animated characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Barney Rubble.[7] Shearer made his film debut in the 1953 film Abbott and Costello Go to Mars, in which he only had a small part. Later that year, he made his first big film performance in The Robe.[6] Throughout his childhood and teenage years he worked in television, film, and radio.[6] In 1957, Shearer played the precursor to the Eddie Haskell character in the pilot episode of the television series Leave It to Beaver. After the filming, Shearer's parents said they did not want him to be a regular in a series. Instead they wanted him to just do occasional work so that he could have a normal childhood. Shearer and his parents made the decision not to accept the role in the series if it was picked up by a television network.[6]

text: Shearer attended UCLA as a political science major in the early 1960s and decided to quit show business to become a "serious person".[5] However, he says this lasted approximately a month, and he joined the staff of the Daily Bruin, UCLA's school newspaper, during his first year.[5] and as editor of the college humor magazine (Satyr) including the June 1964 parody, Preyboy [8] He also worked as a newscaster at KRLA, a top 40 radio station in Pasadena, during this period. According to Shearer, after graduating, he had "a very serious agenda going on, and it was 'Stay Out of the Draft'."[5] He attended graduate school at Harvard University for one year and worked at the state legislature in Sacramento. In 1967 and 1968, he was a high school teacher, teaching English and social studies. He left teaching following "disagreements with the administration."[5]

text: From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member of The Credibility Gap, a radio comedy group that included David Lander, Richard Beebe and Michael McKean.[9] The group consisted of "a bunch of newsmen" at KRLA 1110, "the number two station" in Los Angeles.[6] They wanted to do more than just straight news, so they hired comedians who were talented vocalists. Shearer heard about it from a friend so he brought over a tape to the station and nervously gave it to the receptionist. By the time he got home, there was a message on his answering machine asking, "Can you come to work tomorrow?"[6] The group's radio show was canceled in 1970 by KRLA and in 1971 by KPPC-FM, so they started performing in various clubs and concert venues.[5] While at KRLA, Shearer also interviewed Creedence Clearwater Revival for the Pop Chronicles music documentary.[10] In 1973, Shearer appeared as Jim Houseafire on How Time Flys, an album by The Firesign Theatre's David Ossman. The Credibility Gap broke up 1976 when Lander and McKean left to perform in the sitcom Laverne & Shirley.[5] Shearer started working with Albert Brooks, producing one of Brooks' albums and co-writing the film Real Life. Shearer also started writing for Martin Mull's television series Fernwood 2 Night.[5] In the mid-1970s, he started working with Rob Reiner on a pilot for ABC. The show, which starred Christopher Guest, Tom Leopold and McKean, was not picked up.[5]

text: Career[edit]

text: Saturday Night Live[edit]

text: In August 1979, Shearer was hired as a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live, one of the first additions to the cast,[6] and an unofficial replacement for John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, who were both leaving the show.[11] Al Franken recommended Shearer to Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels.[12] Shearer describes his experience on the show as a "living hell" and "not a real pleasant place to work."[11] He did not get along well with the other writers and cast members and states that he was not included with the cast in the opening montage (although he was added to the montage for latter episodes of the 1979-80 season) and that Lorne Michaels had told the rest of the cast that he was just a writer.[13] Michaels left Saturday Night Live at the end of the fifth season, taking the entire cast with him.[14] Shearer told new executive producer Jean Doumanian that he was "not a fan of Lorne's" and offered to stay with the show if he was given the chance to overhaul the program and bring in experienced comedians, like Christopher Guest. However, Doumanian turned him down, so he decided to leave with the rest of the cast.[15]

text:
When I left, Dick [Ebersol] issued a press release, saying "creative differences." And the first person who called me for a comment on it read me that and I blurted out, "Yeah, I was creative and they were different."

—Harry Shearer[16]

tag: div

text: In 1984, while promoting the film This Is Spinal Tap, Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean had a performance on Saturday Night Live. All three members were offered the chance to join to the show in the 1984–1985 season. Shearer accepted because he was treated well by the producers and he thought the backstage environment had improved[11] but later stated that he "didn't realize that guests are treated better than the regulars."[17] Guest also accepted the offer while McKean rejected it, although he would join the cast in 1994. Dick Ebersol, who replaced Lorne Michaels as the show's producer, said that Shearer was "a gifted performer but a pain in the butt. He's just so demanding on the preciseness of things and he's very, very hard on the working people. He's just a nightmare-to-deal-with person."[18] In January 1985, Shearer left the show for good,[11] partially because he felt he was not being used enough.[16] Martin Short said Shearer "wanted to be creative and Dick [Ebersol] wanted something else. [...] I think he felt his voice wasn't getting represented on the show. When he wouldn't get that chance, it made him very upset."[19]

text: Spinal Tap[edit]

text: Shearer co-created, co-wrote and co-starred in Rob Reiner's 1984 film This Is Spinal Tap.[6] Shearer, Reiner, Michael McKean and Christopher Guest received a deal to write a first draft of a screenplay for a company called Marble Arch. They decided that the film could not be written and instead filmed a 20-minute demo of what they wanted to do.[11] It was eventually greenlighted by Norman Lear and Jerry Perenchio at Embassy Pictures.[11] The film satirizes the wild personal behavior and musical pretensions of hard rock and heavy metal bands, as well as the hagiographic tendencies of rockumentaries of the time. The three core members of the band Spinal Tap—David St. Hubbins, Derek Smalls and Nigel Tufnel—were portrayed by McKean, Shearer and Guest respectively. The three actors play their musical instruments and speak with mock English accents throughout the film. There was no script, although there was a written breakdown of most of the scenes, and many of the lines were ad-libbed.[11] It was filmed in 25 days.[11]

text: Shearer said in an interview that "The animating impulse was to do rock 'n' roll right. The four of us had been around rock 'n' roll and we were just amazed by how relentlessly the movies got it wrong. Because we were funny people it was going to be a funny film, but we wanted to get it right."[2] When they tried to sell it to various Hollywood studios, they were told that the film would not work. The group kept saying, "No, this is a story that's pretty familiar to people. We're not introducing them to anything they don't really know," so Shearer thought it would at least have some resonance with the public.[6] The film was only a modest success upon its initial release but found greater success, and a cult following, after its video release. In 2000, the film was ranked 29th on the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 comedy movies in American cinema[20] and it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[21]

text: Shearer, Guest and McKean have since worked on several projects as their Spinal Tap characters. They released three albums: This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Break Like the Wind (1992) and Back From The Dead (2009).[22] In 1992, Spinal Tap appeared in an episode of The Simpsons called "The Otto Show".[23] The band has played several concerts, including at Live Earth in London on July 7, 2007. In anticipation of the show, Rob Reiner directed a short film entitled Spinal Tap.[24] In 2009, the band released Back from the Dead to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the release of the film.[25] The album features re-recorded versions of songs featured in This Is Spinal Tap and its soundtrack, and five new songs.[26][27] The band performed a one date "world tour" at London's Wembley Arena on June 30, 2009. The Folksmen, a mock band featured in the film A Mighty Wind that is also made up of characters played by Shearer, McKean and Guest – was the opening act for the show.[28]

text: The Simpsons[edit]

text: Shearer is also known for his prolific work as a voice actor on The Simpsons. Matt Groening, the creator of the show, was a fan of Shearer's work, while Shearer was a fan of a column Groening used to write.[29] Shearer was asked if he wanted to be in the series, but he was initially reluctant because he thought the recording sessions would be too much trouble.[29] He felt voice acting was "not a lot of fun" because traditionally, voice actors record their parts separately.[7] He was told that the actors would record their lines together[7] and after three calls, executive producer James L. Brooks managed to convince Shearer to join the cast.[2] Shearer's first impression of The Simpsons was that it was funny. Shearer, who thought it was a "pretty cool" way to work, found it peculiar that the members of the cast were adamant about not being known to the public as the people behind the voices.[6]

text: Shearer provides voices for Principal Skinner, Kent Brockman, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, Dr. Hibbert, Lenny Leonard, Otto Mann, Rainier Wolfcastle, Scratchy, Kang, Dr. Marvin Monroe, Judge Snyder and many others.[30] He has described all of his regular characters' voices as "easy to slip into. [...] I wouldn't do them if they weren't easy."[29] Shearer modeled Mr. Burns's voice on the two actors Lionel Barrymore and Ronald Reagan.[31] Shearer says that Burns is the most difficult character for him to voice because it is rough on his vocal cords and he often needs to drink tea and honey to soothe his voice.[32] He describes Burns as his favorite character, saying he "like[s] Mr. Burns because he is pure evil. A lot of evil people make the mistake of diluting it. Never adulterate your evil."[33] Shearer is also the voice of Burns' assistant Smithers, and is able to perform dialogue between the two characters in one take. In the episode "Bart's Inner Child", Harry Shearer said "wow" in the voice of Otto, which was then used when Otto was seen jumping on a trampoline.[34] Ned Flanders had been meant to be just a neighbor that Homer was jealous of, but because Shearer used "such a sweet voice" for him, Flanders was broadened to become a Christian and a sweet guy that someone would prefer to live next to over Homer.[35] Dr. Marvin Monroe's voice was based on psychiatrist David Viscott.[36] Monroe has been retired since the seventh season because voicing the character strained Shearer's throat.[37]

text: In 2004, Shearer criticized what he perceived as the show's declining quality: "I rate the last three seasons as among the worst, so season four looks very good to me now."[38] Shearer has also been vocal about "The Principal and the Pauper" (season nine, 1997) one of the most controversial episodes of The Simpsons. Many fans and critics reacted negatively to the revelation that Principal Seymour Skinner, a recurring character since the first season, was an impostor. The episode has been criticized by both Shearer and Groening. In a 2001 interview, Shearer recalled that after reading the script, he told the writers, "That's so wrong. You're taking something that an audience has built eight years or nine years of investment in and just tossed it in the trash can for no good reason, for a story we've done before with other characters. It's so arbitrary and gratuitous, and it's disrespectful to the audience."[39] Due to scheduling and availability conflicts, Shearer decided not to participate in The Simpsons Ride, which opened in 2008, so none of his characters have vocal parts and many do not appear in the ride at all.[40] In a 2010 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Shearer alluded that the reason he was not part of the ride was because he would not be getting paid for it.[41]

text: Until 1998, Shearer was paid $30,000 per episode. During a pay dispute in 1998, Fox threatened to replace the six main voice actors with new actors, going as far as preparing for casting of new voices.[42] The dispute, however, was resolved and Shearer received $125,000 per episode until 2004, when the voice actors demanded that they be paid $360,000 an episode.[42] The dispute was resolved a month later,[43] and Shearer's pay rose to $250,000 per episode.[44] After salary re-negotiations in 2008, the voice actors received $400,000 per episode.[45] Three years later, with Fox threatening to cancel the series unless production costs were cut, Shearer and the other cast members accepted a 30 percent pay cut, down to just over $300,000 per episode.[46] On May 13, 2015, Shearer announced he was leaving the show. After the other voice actors signed a contract for the same pay, Shearer refused, stating it was not enough. Al Jean made a statement from the producers saying "the show must go on," but did not elaborate on what might happen to the characters Shearer voiced.[47] On July 7, 2015, Shearer agreed to continue with the show, on the same terms as the other voice actors.[48]

text: Le Show and radio work[edit]

text:
"Because I don't do stand-up, radio has always been my equivalent, a place to stay in connection with the public and force myself to write every week and come up with new characters. Plus it's a medium that – having grown up with it and putting myself to sleep with a radio under my pillow [as a kid] – I love. No matter what picture you want to create in the listener's mind, a few minutes of work gets it done."

—Harry Shearer[49]

text: Since 1983, Shearer has been the host of the public radio comedy/music program Le Show. The program is a hodgepodge of satirical news commentary, music, and sketch comedy that takes aim at the "mega morons of the mighty media".[50] It is carried on many National Public Radio and other public radio stations throughout the United States.[51] Since the merger of SIRIUS and XM satellite radio services the program is no longer available on either.[52] The show has also been made available as a podcast on iTunes[53] and by WWNO. On the weekly program Shearer alternates between DJing, reading and commenting on the news of the day after the manner of Mort Sahl, and performing original (mostly political) comedy sketches and songs. In 2008, Shearer released a music CD called Songs of the Bushmen, consisting of his satirical numbers about former President George W. Bush on Le Show.[2] Shearer says he criticizes both Republicans and Democrats equally, and also says that "the iron law of doing comedy about politics is you make fun of whoever is running the place"[54] and that "everyone else is just running around talking. They are the ones who are actually doing something, changing people's lives for better or for worse. Other people the media calls 'satirists' don't work that way."[55]

text: Since encountering satellite news feeds when he worked on Saturday Night Live, Shearer has been fascinated with the contents of the video that does not air. Shearer refers to these clips as found objects. "I thought, wow, there is just an unending supply of this material, and it's wonderful and fascinating and funny and sometimes haunting – but it's always good," said Shearer.[56] He collects this material and uses it on Le Show[57][58] and on his website.[59] In 2008, he assembled video clips of newsmakers from this collection into an art installation titled "The Silent Echo Chamber" which was exhibited at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut.[56] The exhibit was also displayed in 2009 at Institut Valencià d'Art Modern (IVAM) in Valencia, Spain[60][61] and in 2010 at the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center.[62]

text: In 2006 Shearer appeared with Brian Hayes in four episodes of the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Not Today, Thank You, playing Nostrils, a man so ugly he cannot stand to be in his own presence.[63] He was originally scheduled to appear in all six episodes but had to withdraw from recording two due to a problem with his work permit.[64] On June 19, 2008, it was announced that Shearer would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the radio category.[65] The date of the ceremony where his star will be put in place has yet to be announced.[66]

text: Further career[edit]

text: In 2002, Shearer directed his first feature film Teddy Bears' Picnic, which he also wrote. The plot is based on Bohemian Grove, which hosts a three-week encampment of some of the most powerful men in the world. The film was not well received by critics. It garnered a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with all 19 reviews being determined as negative[67] and received a rating of 32 out of 100 (signifying "generally negative reviews") on Metacritic from 10 reviews.[68] In 2003, he co-wrote J. Edgar! The Musical with Tom Leopold, which spoofed J. Edgar Hoover's relationship with Clyde Tolson.[69] It premiered at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado and starred Kelsey Grammer and John Goodman.[70]

text: In 2003, Shearer, Guest and McKean starred in the folk music mockumentary A Mighty Wind, portraying a band called The Folksmen. The film was written by Guest and Eugene Levy, and directed by Guest.[6] Shearer had a major role in the Guest-directed parody of Oscar politicking For Your Consideration in 2006. He played Victor Allan Miller, a veteran actor who is convinced that he is going to be nominated for an Academy Award.[71] He also appeared as a news anchor in Godzilla with fellow The Simpsons cast members Hank Azaria and Nancy Cartwright.[72] His other film appearances include The Right Stuff, Portrait of a White Marriage, The Fisher King, The Truman Show, EdTV and Small Soldiers.[73]

text: Shearer has also worked as a columnist for the Los Angeles Times Magazine, but decided that it "became such a waste of time to bother with it."[55] His columns have also been published in Slate and Newsweek.[74] Since May 2005 he has been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post.[73] Shearer has written three books. Man Bites Town, published in 1993, is a collection of columns that he wrote for The Los Angeles Times between 1989 and 1992.[39] Published in 1999, It's the Stupidity, Stupid analyzed the hatred some people had for then-President Bill Clinton.[75] Shearer believes that Clinton became disliked because he had an affair with "the least powerful, least credentialed women cleared into his official compound."[39] His most recent book is Not Enough Indians, his first novel. Published in 2006, it is a comic novel about Native Americans and gambling.[73] Without the "pleasures of collaboration" and "spontaneity and improvisation which characterize his other projects", Not Enough Indians was a "struggle" for Shearer to write. He said that "the only fun thing about it was having written it. It was lonely, I had no deal for it and it took six years to do. It was a profoundly disturbing act of self-discipline."[2]

text: Shearer has released five solo comedy albums: It Must Have Been Something I Said (1994), Dropping Anchors (2006), Songs Pointed and Pointless (2007), Songs of the Bushmen (2008) and Greed and Fear (2010).[76] His most recent CD, Greed and Fear is mainly about Wall Street economic issues, rather than politics like his previous albums. Shearer decided to make the album when he"started getting amused by the language of the economic meltdown – when 'toxic assets' suddenly became 'troubled assets,' going from something poisoning the system to just a bunch of delinquent youth with dirty faces that needed not removal from the system but just...understanding."[77] In May 2006, Shearer received an honorary doctorate from Goucher College.[78]

text: The Big Uneasy[edit]

text: Shearer is the director of The Big Uneasy (2010), a documentary film about the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. Narrated by actor John Goodman, the film describes levee failures and catastrophic flooding in the New Orleans metropolitan area, and includes extended interviews with former LSU professor Ivor Van Heerden, Robert Bea, an engineering professor at the University of California at Berkeley, and Maria Garzino, an engineer and contract specialist for the Los Angeles district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The film is critical of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its management of flood protection projects in Southern Louisiana.[79][80][81][82][83] Shearer draws on numerous technical experts to maintain that Hurricane Katrina's "...tragic floods creating widespread damage were caused by manmade errors in engineering and judgment."[84] Shearer's film currently has a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on twenty-three reviews by approved critics.[83]

text: Personal life[edit]

text: Shearer married Penelope Nichols in 1974. They divorced in 1977. He has been married to singer-songwriter Judith Owen since 1993.[2] In 2005, the couple launched their own record label called Courgette Records.[85] Shearer has homes in Santa Monica, California, the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, and London. He first went to New Orleans in 1988 and has attended every New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival since.[86]

text: Shearer often speaks and writes about the failure of the Federal levee system which flooded New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, belittling the coverage of it in the mainstream media[87] and criticizing the role of the United States Army Corps of Engineers.[88][89] Prior to the DVD release of his film, The Big Uneasy, Shearer would hold screenings of the film at different venues and take questions from audience members.[79]

text: Filmography[edit]

text: Film[edit]

text:
Year
Film
Role
Notes

1953
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
Boy
Uncredited

The Robe
David
Uncredited

1977
American Raspberry
Trucker's friend

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Captain Khurgee (voice)
Uncredited

Cracking Up
Various characters
Credited as part of "The Credibility Gap"

1979
Real Life
Pete
Also co-writer

The Concorde ... Airport '79
Jeffrey Marx (voice)
Uncredited

The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh
Murray Sports

1980
Animalympics
Keen Hacksaw/Mayor of Animal Olympic Island/Burnt Woody/Mark Spritz (voice)
TV film

Loose Shoes
Narrator

One Trick Pony
Bernie Wepner

1983
The Right Stuff
NASA Recruiter

1984
This Is Spinal Tap
Derek Smalls
Also co-writer, composer and musician

1987
Flicks
Narrator

1988
Plain Clothes
Simon Feck

My Stepmother Is an Alien
Voice of Carl Sagan

1990
Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School
Announcer
Short film

1991
Blood and Concrete: A Love Story
Sammy Rhodes

Oscar
Guido Finucci

Pure Luck
Monosoff

The Fisher King
Ben Starr

1992
A League of Their Own
Newsreel announcer

1993
Wayne's World 2
Handsome Dan

1994
I'll Do Anything
Audience Research Captain

Little Giants
Announcer Littbarski

Speechless
Chuck

1997
My Best Friend's Wedding
Jonathan P.F. Ritt

Waiting for Guffman
N/A
Composer

1998
Godzilla
Charles Caiman

Almost Heroes
Narrator

The Truman Show
Mike Michaelson

Small Soldiers
Punch-It (voice)

1999
EDtv
Moderator

Encounter in the Third Dimension
Narrator

Dick
G. Gordon Liddy

2000
Catching Up with Marty DiBergi
Derek Smalls
Short film

Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big
Additional voice

2001
Haiku Tunnel
Orientation leader

Out There
Dr. Gerard

Haunted Castle

Mr. D
Mephisto

2002
Teddy Bears' Picnic
Joey Lavin
Also writer, director and executive producer

2003
A Mighty Wind
Mark Shubb

2005
Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School
Promo announcer

Chicken Little
Dog announcer (voice)

2006
For Your Consideration
Victor Allan Miller

2007
A Couple of White Chicks at the Hairdresser
Marc Gavin

The Simpsons Movie
Various characters (voice)

2010
The Big Uneasy
Narrator
Also director and producer

2011
Flood Streets
Dr. Keeley
Also executive producer

2016
Mascots
Competition Announcer (voice)

2017
Father Figures
Gene
Post-production

tag: table

text: Television[edit]

text:
Year
Series
Role
Notes

1953, 1955
The Jack Benny Program
Jack Benny, as a child

Episode 4.2: "Jack as a Child"
Episode 5.12: "Jack Takes the Beavers to the Fair"

1955
The Donald O'Connor Show
Himself
Episode 1.7

1955
It's a Great Life
Terry
Episode 2.4: "The Paper Drive"

1955
Death Valley Days
Unnamed character
Episode 4.2: "The Valencia Cake"

1956
Private Secretary
Chuckie Wills, shoeshine boy
Episode 4.16: "The Little Caesar of Bleecker Street"

1957
General Electric Theater
Timmy
Episode 5.28: "Cab Driver"

Leave It to Beaver
Frankie Bennett
Pilot: "It's a Small World"

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Street Kid
Episode 2.31: "The Night the World Ended"

1976
Serpico
Hippy
TV film/Pilot: "The Deadly Game"

1976–82
Laverne & Shirley
Various characters
Appeared in six episodes; also co-wrote episode 1.12: "Hi, Neighbor"

1977
Fernwood 2 Night

Writer

1978
America 2-Night

Writer

1979
Stockard Channing in Just Friends
Saul
Episode: "The Ziegenfuss Force"

1979
The T.V. Show
Various characters
Pilot; also writer, producer and composer

1979–80, 1984–85
Saturday Night Live
Various characters
Appeared in 32 episodes; also co-wrote 39 episodes

1981
Likely Stories, Vol. 1
Various characters
TV film; also co-wrote

1982
Million Dollar Infield
Jack Savage
TV film

1985
The History of White People in America
Rabbi
TV film; also director

1986
Viva Shaf Vegas
Rabbi
TV film; also director, writer and executive producer

The History of White People in America: Volume II
Rabbi
TV film; also director

Spitting Image: Down And Out In The White House
Additional voice
Pilot/TV special

ALF
Larry / President (voice)
Episode: "Pennsylvania 6-5000"

1987
Spitting Image: The Ronnie and Nancy Show
Additional voice
TV special

Down and Out with Donald Duck
Additional voices
TV special

1988
Portrait of a White Marriage
Unnamed character
TV film; also director

Miami Vice
FBI Agent Timothy Anderson
Episode 4.12: "The Cows of October"

Merrill Markoe's Guide to Glamorous Living
Unnamed character
TV special

1989–present
The Simpsons
Ned Flanders, Charles Montgomery Burns, Waylon Smithers, Principal Skinner, Reverend Lovejoy and various other characters
Longest-running role; also wrote episode: "Trust but Clarify"

1990
The Golden Girls
George H. W. Bush (voice)
Episode 5.26: "The President's Coming! The President's Coming! Part 2"

Hometown Boy Makes Good
Unnamed character (voice)
TV film

Murphy Brown
Chris Bishop
Episode 3.1: "The 390th Broadcast"

1991
Sunday Best
Various characters

1993
Dream On
Steve
Episode 4.6: "Home Sweet Homeboy"

L.A. Law
Gordon Huyck
Episode 8.6: "Safe Sex"

Animaniacs
Ned Flat (voice)
Episode 1.40: "Fair Game/Puppet Rulers"

1994
Ellen
Ted
Episode 2.9: "The Trainer"

1995
Sliders
Radio DJ (voice)
Episode 1.1: "Pilot"; uncredited

Friends
Dr. Baldharar
Episode 1.21: "The One with the Fake Monica"

The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show
Mr. Blackwell
TV special

Frontline
Larry Hadges
Episode 2.10: "Changing the Face of Current Affairs"

1996
State of the Union: Undressed
Newt Gingrich
TV special

Chicago Hope
Nowhere man
Episode 3.7: "A Time to Kill"

1997
Tracey Takes On...
Ronald Littleman
Episode 2.12: "Race Relations"

ER
John Smythe
Episode 3.19: "Calling Dr. Hathaway"

The Visitor
Louis Faraday
Episode 1.1: "Fear of Flying"

1998
George & Leo
Unnamed character
Episode 1.17: "The Poker Game"

1999
Seven Days
Walter Landis
Episode 1.19: "EBE's"

Just Shoot Me!
Larry Fenwick
Episode 4.1: "A Divorce to Remember"

1999–2001
Jack & Jill
Dr. Wilfred Madison
Appeared in four episodes

2000–01
Dawson's Creek
Principal Peskin
Episodes 4.8: "The Unusual Suspects" and 4.22: "The Graduate"

2001
That's Life
Dean
Episode 2.9: "Oh, Baby!"

2002
The Agency
The President
Episode 1.14: "The Gauntlet"

2003
MADtv
Mark Shubb
Episode 8.21

2012
Nixon's the One
Richard Nixon
TV special

2014
Family Guy
Lenny Leonard
Episode 13.1: "The Simpsons Guy" [uncredited]

The Kumars
Himself
Sky1 Sitcom

Outnumbered
Mr Johnson
Episode: "Communication Skills"

text: Music video[edit]

text:
Year
Song
Role
Artist

1990
"Do the Bartman"
Seymour Skinner
Nancy Cartwright

text: Video games[edit]

text:
Year
Game
Role

1996
Blazing Dragons
Sir Burnevere, Sir George's Valet

1996
The Simpsons Cartoon Studio
Various characters

1997
Virtual Springfield
Various characters

1998
StarCraft
Science Vessel

2001
The Simpsons Wrestling
Various characters

2001
The Simpsons: Road Rage
Various characters

2002
The Simpsons Skateboarding
Various characters

2003
The Simpsons: Hit & Run
Various characters

2005
Chicken Little
Dog announcer

2007
The Simpsons Game
Various characters

2012
The Simpsons: Tapped Out
Various characters

text: Discography[edit]

text:
Album
Release
Label

It Must Have Been Something I Said
1994
Rhino

Dropping Anchors
2006
Courgette

Songs Pointed and Pointless
2007
Courgette

Songs of the Bushmen
2008
Courgette

Greed and Fear
2010
Courgette

text: Bibliography[edit]

text:
Shearer, Harry (1993). Man Bites Town. St Martins Press. ISBN 0-312-08842-6.
Shearer, Harry (1999). It's the Stupidity, Stupid : Why (Some) People Hate Clinton and Why the Rest of Us Have to Watch. Ballantine Books/Library of Contemporary Thought. ISBN 0-345-43401-3.
Shearer, Harry (2006). Not Enough Indians. Justin, Charles and Company. ISBN 1-932112-46-4.

text: Awards[edit]

text: Shearer was the last of the six regular voice actors from The Simpsons to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.[90] His win came for the season 25 episode "Four Regrettings and a Funeral".

text:
Year
Award
Category
Series/album
Result
Ref.

1978
Primetime Emmy Award
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series
America 2Night
Nominated
[91]

1980
Primetime Emmy Award
Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program
Saturday Night Live
Nominated
[91]

2008
Grammy Award
Best Comedy Album
Songs Pointed and Pointless
Nominated
[92]

2009
Grammy Award
Best Comedy Album
Songs of the Bushmen
Nominated
[56]

2009
Primetime Emmy Award
Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
The Simpsons: "The Burns and the Bees"
Nominated
[93]

2010
Grammy Award
Best Comedy Album
Back from the Dead (with Spinal Tap)
Nominated
[94]

2014
Primetime Emmy Award
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance
The Simpsons: "Four Regrettings and a Funeral"
Won
[95]