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311_8 | On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 36% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10.
Although Rickman and Grant were unanimously praised, many were indifferent to the film's bleak, subtle humor and episodic structure. Lisa Schwartzenbaum of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Rickman... is the most interesting thing going in this unwieldy muddle... There's a creepy allure to O'Hara, and it is his energy that moves the story along to its unsettling surprise ending." Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "This isn't a sentimental slice of British eccentricity, or a gentle glance at amateur theatricals and the oddballs who inhabit them... Instead, it's a sour, unpleasant experience that gives us every reason not to become involved. Newell, who directed Four Weddings with such a light touch and such fondness, leaves the impression here that he doesn't like his characters and doesn't mind if we don't, either." |
311_9 | Janet Maslin of The New York Times, however, felt that it captured "Mr. Grant as the clever, versatile character actor he was then becoming, rather than the international dreamboat he is today... [the film] isn't overly concerned with making its stars look good. Mr. Grant wears a monocle, has nicotine-stained fingers and appears in one scene looking dissolute and vomit-stained... As it turns out, a public relations blackout is only the least of this admirable film's problems. Its Liverpool accents are thickly impenetrable. And Ms. Bainbridge's book is elliptical to begin with, which guarantees that some of its fine points will be lost in translation. Mr. Newell directs his actors beautifully, but the screenplay by Charles Wood echoes Ms. Bainbridge in letting important information fly by obliquely. So listen closely. This is a dark, eccentric film that both requires and rewards keen attention." |
311_10 | Similarly, Joel Pearce of DVD Verdict commented that "An Awfully Big Adventure is disappointing, but not because it's a bad movie... In fact, it's a good movie that's been the victim of extremely bad marketing... Hugh Grant is at his sleazy, sardonic best... Some elements of the film are too subtle, so it takes a while to figure out what's really going on."
Alan Rickman later said that he felt the film suffered comparisons to Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Honours
Crystal Globe - Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Czech Republic (nominated)
Actress of the Year (Georgina Cates) - London Film Critics Circle (nominated)
References
External links |
311_11 | 1995 films
1995 LGBT-related films
British films
British comedy-drama films
British coming-of-age films
British independent films
British LGBT-related films
1990s English-language films
Films about actors
Films based on British novels
Films set in 1947
Films set in Liverpool
Films directed by Mike Newell
Incest in film
Juvenile sexuality in films |
312_0 | "Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, originally released in December 1984 on CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side on Epic Records with "Everything She Wants" in the UK. Described as a "high watermark of mid-80s British synthpop songcraft", it was written and produced by George Michael, and has been covered by many artists since its original release. |
312_1 | Upon its initial release in 1984, "Last Christmas" spent five consecutive weeks at number two in the UK Singles Chart—it was held off the top spot at Christmas by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (on which Michael also performed). After many chart runs in subsequent years, which included three more weeks at number two, and which saw the recording become part of RCA Records' catalogue, the song finally reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on New Year's Day 2021 (chart week ending date 7 January 2021), more than 36 years after its initial release. In doing so, it became the fifth UK number one single for the duo and surpassed Tony Christie's almost 16 year-long record for the longest time a single has taken to top the UK Singles Chart after its initial release with "(Is This The Way To) Amarillo?" in March 2005, which had itself taken 33 years 4 months to top the chart (with Peter Kay, though credited, only actually appearing in the video). Prior to it reaching number |
312_2 | one, "Last Christmas" had for many years held the record as the highest-selling single never to top the charts by the Official Charts Company (OCC) with 1.9 million copies sold (not including streams). This record is now held by "Moves like Jagger" by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera. The tune reached number one in the UK after it was streamed 9.2 million times in the last week of 2020 and sold 1,555 downloads, resulting in a total of 40,149 combined sales. |
312_3 | Outside the United Kingdom, the song topped the charts in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Slovenia, and Sweden and peaked within the top ten of the charts in several countries including Australia and the United States. Wham! donated all of their royalties to relief efforts for the Ethiopian famine. In a UK-wide poll in December 2012, it was voted eighth on the ITV television special The Nation's Favourite Christmas Song and was voted most popular song of the 1980s in Channel 5's Christmas 2020 countdown Britain's Favourite 80's Songs. It was the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the UK until it was overtaken by "Fairytale of New York" in 2015.
Background and composition
The song has a tempo of 107 beats per minute. It is written in the key of D♭ Major.
Development |
312_4 | "Last Christmas" had its beginnings in 1984, while George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were visiting Michael's parents. It was written by Michael in his childhood bedroom. Michael played Ridgeley the introduction and chorus melody to "Last Christmas", which Ridgeley later called "a moment of wonder".
Recording
The song was recorded in August 1984, at Advision Studios, London, England. George Michael wrote, performed, produced and played every single instrument on the track. With a LinnDrum drum machine, a Roland Juno-60 synth and sleigh bells, they began recording the song in the summer, Michael having "plastered [the studio] in Christmas decorations to set the mood". The only other people in the studio were engineer Chris Porter and two assistants. According to Porter, lyrically "you've got the happiness of the rhythm track, but against that you've got the sadness of the unrequited love".
Chart performance
United Kingdom |
312_5 | Wham! already had two number one singles on the UK Singles Chart during 1984, and news that they were planning a Christmas single meant that a battle for the coveted Christmas number one spot in Britain seemed set to be between Wham! and the year's other big act, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, who had achieved a third No. 1 in early December with "The Power of Love". However, the Band Aid single written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, produced the No. 1 single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", while Wham!'s offering peaked at No. 2 for much of the period. Wham! donated all "Last Christmas/Everything She Wants" royalties to the Ethiopian famine. |
312_6 | In subsequent years, the song entered the UK top 40 on 15 occasions, reaching the top 10 no less than 6 times (including a run of 5 consecutive years between 2016 and 2020). In 1985 and 2017 it equalled its best ever chart position of number two, before finally topping the charts on 1 January 2021, 36 years after its original 1984 release. In the process, "Last Christmas" achieved the chart record for the longest time taken for a single to peak at the top of the UK Singles Chart after its first release, a feat that had previously been held by "(Is This The Way To) Amarillo? by Tony Christie, which topped the chart in March 2005, 33 years and 4 months after its initial release in November 1971. |
312_7 | Coincidentally with the sudden death of George Michael on December 25, 2016, "Last Christmas" reach number 7 on the UK Singles Chart for 5 weeks (8 December 2016 - 5 January 2017). On January 8, 2021, "Last Christmas" became the very first record to disappear completely from number one spot, exiting the Official Charts Company Top 100 chart with no placing on the chart (week ending 14 January 2021). As "Last Christmas" replaced "Don't Stop Me Eatin'" by LadBaby, which had dropped down the singles chart to number 78 on January 1, it was the first time in chart history that two back-to-back number ones had disappeared not only from the BBC Radio 1 Top 40, but the Top 75 as well
"Last Christmas" had sold over 1.90 million copies, being at that time the biggest-selling single in UK chart history not to reach number one, and the 10th best-selling UK single overall. It was certified quadruple platinum in December 2021. |
312_8 | In December 2019, it peaked at No. 1 on both the UK Official Vinyl Singles Chart and on the Official Video Streaming Chart. The following week, the song set a new UK chart record and was streamed 17.1 million times, the most number of plays in a week. It became the UK's best-selling vinyl single release in 2019.
Other territories
In Germany, the song is the most successful Christmas single of all time, having spent 153 weeks on the German Singles Chart and attained a peak position of number one on 24 December 2021. It has charted every year since 1997. In January 2008, the song fell from No. 4 to No. 64 there, also making it the biggest fall out of the top 10 on the singles chart. |
312_9 | The single was originally released in two different formats in Japan with different cover art, a 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl (Long version) both with "Credit Card Baby" as their B-side. The former entered the top 20 of the Oricon Singles Chart peaking at No. 15, while the latter reached No. 47. The single was released in 1993 on CD single in the country and peaked at No. 17, selling nearly 40,000 copies that week. It was reissued in November 2001 and 2004 as a 2-track CD with the single edit and the "Pudding Mix".
As a result of the success, "Last Christmas" is the eighth best-selling single of all time in Japan released by a non-Japanese act, with total physical sales of 683,000 units. |
312_10 | In the Netherlands, the song never reached No. 1, peaking at No. 2 in January 1985 (behind Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?"). In the Dutch Singles Top 100 (one of three charts in the Netherlands that claims to be the "official" chart, but it is the only one that is not broadcast and remains unpublished except on its own official web page), the song has now entered on 16 different occasions, including every year since 2006. Its highest position after 1984 was No. 4 (during the 2016 and 2018 Christmas season). In the Dutch Mega Top 50 (which was first published in 1993), the song re-appeared in 1997, 2000, 2007, 2008, and 2013. |
312_11 | "Last Christmas" was not released commercially as a single in the United States until November 2014, when it was made available on 12" vinyl as a Record Store Day exclusive. Since then, the song has re-entered the Billboard Holiday Songs Chart on a regular basis, peaking at No. 3 on 7 December 2019.
In Deleware a special remix of "last christmas" is used for all radio play, it is similar to the original but different enough that it should not be counted for any holiday games involving accidental listening. |
312_12 | As of 25 November 2016, total US sales of the digital track stand at 751,000 downloads according to Nielsen SoundScan, placing it 10th on the list of all-time best-selling Christmas/holiday digital singles in US SoundScan history. The song debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the chart dated 7 January 2017, after George Michael died.
In December 2018, the song re-entered the Hot 100, reaching No. 25 in January 2019, and then a new peak of No. 11 in the first issue of 2020. On the issue dated 2 January 2021, "Last Christmas" reached number nine on the Hot 100, its first foray into the top 10 and returning Wham! to the top 10 after a 35-year break. The following year, on the issue dated 1 January 2022, the song reached number seven. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it was certified double platinum in December 2019 and has sold 2 million digital units. |
312_13 | In December 2017, 28 December 2018 and December 2019 "Last Christmas" reached No. 1 in the Swedish singles chart.
Music video
The video to "Last Christmas" directed by Andrew Morahan, shows Wham! members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley accompanying girlfriends to see friends at an unspecified ski resort cottage: the cable-car that can be seen in two shots is from Saas-Fee, Switzerland, where the video was filmed. It becomes clear early on that the character of Ridgeley's girlfriend (played by model Kathy Hill) was previously in a relationship with Michael and that the song is aimed at her. She can be spotted throughout the video by the fact that she is usually wearing red, but everyone else is wearing more muted colors. |
312_14 | There is a brief flashback to a prior Christmas, showing Michael's character presenting Kathy Hill's character with a jewelled brooch. In the present time, Ridgeley is wearing the brooch, suggesting that Hill gave the same gift (perhaps by regifting it) to her new love after she and Michael parted ways. When Hill wears the brooch after receiving it from Michael's character, it is "right side up", and when Ridgeley's character wears it, he wears it "upside down". On numerous occasions, Michael presents a thoughtful expression, suggesting his conflicting emotions. As Michael is decorating the Christmas tree some decoration falls to the floor where Michael's ex-girlfriend is sitting and the ex-couple shares a few seconds of a knowing look at each other. |
312_15 | Her seeming indifference to Ridgeley's open displays of affection makes the viewer wonder if Ridgeley's heart is the next to be broken. At the end of the video, everyone leaves the cottage and when the group get out of the cable-car, they are all properly "paired off" with Michael and his new girlfriend looking happy.
The video also featured the duo's erstwhile backing singers Pepsi and Shirlie.
It has since been rescanned in 4K definition from the original 35mm film. The music video, originally shot on film, was released on 13 December 2019 in 4K Ultra HD resolution. The music video's original film director Andy Morahan found the original 35mm rushes and worked closely with teams at Cinelab London and VFX artist Russ Shaw at Nice Biscuits post production to recreate the video using the higher-resolution film.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
Release history |
312_16 | Note: When released in 1984 "Last Christmas" and "Everything She Wants" were a double A-side. In some countries, the longer edit (4:34) of "Last Christmas" from 1984 was used on side two of the second 12-inch.
The only difference between the 1988 and 1989 reissues is the text (Christmas '88" and Christmas '89") on the back of the record.
In other media
The film Last Christmas (2019) prominently features the music of George Michael, including this song and a previously unreleased track.
The song is featured in the video game Just Dance 2017 as a duet between two dancers, one of whom is dressed as Santa Claus. |
312_17 | Plagiarism allegations
On behalf of the writers of the song "Can't Smile Without You", made popular by Barry Manilow, publishing company Dick James Music sued Michael for plagiarism in the mid-1980s, claiming that "Last Christmas" lifted its melody from the former. The case was dismissed when a musicologist presented 60-odd songs from the past century that had a comparable chord sequence and melody.
Whigfield version |
312_18 | In the UK, the following single planned after "Close to You" was "Big Time"; however, it was suggested that Whigfield should record a version of "Last Christmas" to go with the release of "Big Time", as a double A-side single. The single was also released as a double A-side single in Germany with "Close to You". In other countries, "Last Christmas" was released on its own with various remixes. The single reached number 21 in the UK, which was Whigfield's final release on Systematic Records. It also features on various Special Edition versions of her debut album Whigfield and also on Whigfield II. The EP was released on 10 November 1995 in Australia. A UK single was released on 3 December 1995. |
312_19 | Whigfield's cover of "Last Christmas" was a moderate success in Europe. It managed to climb into the Top 10 in both Denmark and Spain, peaking at number
6 and 5. Additionally, it was a Top 20 hit in Finland and a Top 30 hit in Ireland, Scotland and the United Kingdom. In the latter, the single was released as a double single with "Big Time". It peaked at number 21 in its first week at the UK Singles Chart, on 10 December 1995. It was also a Top 40 hit in Belgium, as well as on the European Hot 100 Singles, where the song reached number 38.
The music video for Whigfield's cover was directed by Italian director Giacomo De Simone. It features Whigfield performing the song in a winter landscape.
Track listing
Charts (Whigfield)
Ashley Tisdale version |
312_20 | "Last Christmas" was recorded in 2006 for Warner Bros. Records by Ashley Tisdale. The song was released to US radios on 11 November 2006 and as a digital download on 21 November 2006. This song was the first single released by Ashley Tisdale in her deal with Warner Bros. Records and became her official first holiday single. Tisdale performed the single in 2007 on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Christmas in Rockefeller Center, and in 2009 in the Citadel Outlets of Los Angeles, California. The song was one of the B-sides on the European CD singles of Tisdale's first single "Be Good to Me" and Tisdale's second single "He Said She Said", from the album Headstrong. The song has been included on several compilation albums, including Disney Channel Holiday and A Very Special Christmas 7.
Crazy Frog version |
312_21 | "Last Christmas" was covered in 2006 by Crazy Frog and released as a Christmas single. In Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and France, "Last Christmas" was released 12 months before in other countries.
Cascada version
"Last Christmas" was recorded in 2007 by Cascada. It was released on iTunes in November 2007. The single had only a digital release but six days later, it was released on the single "What Hurts the Most" which was the first single from their second album. It was also released as part of their Christmas album, It's Christmas Time. In the UK, despite it being a B-side track, the song is regularly played throughout music channels during the festive season.
* Based on downloads alone, but did chart at number 10, as it was the B-side to "What Hurts the Most". |
312_22 | {|class="wikitable sortable"
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! Chart (2010)
! style="text-align:center;"| Peakposition
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| US [[Dance/Electronic Digital Songs|Dance/Electronic Digital Songs Sales (Billboard)]]
| style="text-align:center;"|43
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Glee cast version
The song was covered by the cast of Glee, led by Lea Michele, Cory Monteith with Amber Riley, and was released in 2009 exclusively on iTunes as a charity single, then in 2010 on Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first time a cover version of the song appeared on the chart.
Joe McElderry version
British singer Joe McElderry covered the song in 2011. This version was released as a single on 19 December 2011, an EP was also released digitally in Ireland on 4 November 2011, and in the UK on 7 November 2011. Joe McElderry's version is taken from his third studio album, Classic Christmas, released 28 November 2011. 7th Heaven Remix & Production have done a remix for the song. |
312_23 | A short music video was made using footage which was filmed for the Classic Christmass album advertising, it features McElderry outside in the snow, collecting logs and taking them to a large house preparing for a Christmas party, a similar video was made for McElderry's version of "O Come All Ye Faithful". The advert and both videos were directed by Steve Lucker.
Ariana Grande version
"Last Christmas" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande. The song serves as the lead single from Grande's Christmas Kisses. It was released on 19 November 2013 in the iTunes Store.
Grande's cover draws primarily from pop music, contemporary R&B and soul and also includes newly written lyrics in place of some of the originals. The verses have been described as "bouncier" than the original melody.
Carly Rae Jepsen version |
312_24 | "Last Christmas" was covered by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen in 2015 and was released to digital retailers on 20 November 2015 through 604 Records (in Canada) and Interscope Records and School Boy Records (internationally). Jepsen's rendition was praised by critics for combining stylistic elements similar to the original with modern production. She performed the song live at the annual NBC television special Christmas in Rockefeller Center airing on 2 December 2015, and on the episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden airing on 16 December 2015. |
312_25 | Bianca Gracie of Idolator described the song as "quintessential Carly" for highlighting Jepsen's unique vocals and synth production and wrote that her cover will "charm your... socks off". Nolan Feeney of Time echoed those sentiments, noting that "Last Christmas" is "the kind of brokenhearted yet warm and sweet song [Jepsen] excels at". Jackson McHenry of Vulture applauded Jepsen for her straightforward approach to the song and avoiding the "vocal gymnastics" that bog down some Christmas covers.
A more critical review came from music blog Popcrush, who deemed the cover overproduced, saying "The slick production is a disservice to both Carly's vocals and the original's emotional heft.". |
312_26 | Other notable cover versions
Billie Piper originally recorded a cover of the song as a B-side of her single "She Wants You". It was released as CD single in limited areas of Europe, charting at #47 in Sweden. The single was also released as a promotional vinyl single in the UK, limited to 500 copies and therefore could not chart there.
Jimmy Eat World covered "Last Christmas" as a bonus track on the Deluxe Edition of 2001's Bleed American.
Taylor Swift, on her 2007 EP The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection (peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in January 2008).
JLS, on the final of The X Factor on 13 December 2008.
The Puppini Sisters, on their 2010 album Christmas with The Puppini Sisters.
Hilary Duff covered the song for her debut album, Santa Claus Lane. This version peaked at number 68 on the South Korean Gaon Chart in 2012.
Electric Six, produced by Fall On Your Sword in 2013.
Helene Fischer and Ricky Martin, on Fischer's 2015 album Weihnachten. |
312_27 | Postmodern Jukebox, as a 2015 single featuring Sara Niemietz, Christina Gatti and Ariana Savalas singing Andrews Sisters style harmonies and Melinda Sullivan performing a tap dance solo.
Rita Ora, in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on 11 December 2017. It was later included on the album The Sound of Christmas: Live & Exclusive at the BBC'', released on 30 November 2018.
Former Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke, on 16 November 2018.
James TW's version peaked number 38 on Sverigetopplistan, the official Swedish Singles Chart. |
312_28 | See also
List of songs which have spent the most weeks on the UK Singles Chart
Whamageddon
References |
312_29 | Songs written by George Michael
Song recordings produced by George Michael
1984 singles
1995 singles
1999 singles
2006 singles
2009 singles
2011 singles
2013 singles
2015 singles
Aid songs for Africa
Wham! songs
Ashley Tisdale songs
Billie Piper songs
The Collective (band) songs
Crazy Frog songs
Kimberley Locke songs
Oricon International Singles Chart number-one singles
Number-one singles in Austria
Number-one singles in Denmark
Number-one singles in Germany
Number-one singles in Iceland
Number-one singles in Sweden
British Christmas songs
Jimmy Eat World songs
Ariana Grande songs
Taylor Swift songs
Gwen Stefani songs
Carly Rae Jepsen songs
Kids United songs
1984 songs
Republic Records singles
Columbia Records singles
Epic Records singles
Innocent Records singles
Warner Records singles
Ministry of Sound singles
All Around the World Productions singles
Decca Records singles
604 Records singles
Interscope Records singles
School Boy Records singles |
312_30 | Songs involved in plagiarism controversies
Music videos directed by Giacomo De Simone
UK Singles Chart number-one singles |
313_0 | Le Talisman is a ballet in 4 Acts and 7 Scenes, with choreography by Marius Petipa, and music by Riccardo Drigo. Libretto by Konstantin Augustovich Tarnovsky and Marius Petipa. It was premièred on at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia This ballet gave rise to the so-called Talisman Pas de Deux, which is today danced by many ballet companies.
Roles and original cast
Revivals/restagings |
313_1 | Revival by Marius Petipa for the Imperial Ballet, with Drigo revising his score. First presented on at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre.
Revival by Nikolai Legat (based on Petipa's original choreography) for the Imperial Ballet, with Drigo revising and reorchestrating his original score. First presented on at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre.
Revival by Luigi Tornelli for the ballet of La Scala under the title Le Porte-bonheur. First presented at La Scala, Milan, Italy on 18 July 1908.
Revival by Paul Chalmer and Ileana Citaristi for the Balletto del Teatro Filarmonico (a.k.a. the Arena Ballet). First presented on March 14, 1997, at the Teatro Verdi di Padova in Padua, Italy. Principal Dancers - Carla Fracci (as Niriti), Alessandro Molin (as Vayou, the Wind God), and Stephane Fournial (as Nouriddin).
Notes |
313_2 | This ballet took place in ancient India, and was a rather mediocre success upon its première. The principal attraction of the balletomanes and critics was Drigo's score, which caused a sensation, and even prompted Petipa to exclaim "I should have had the orchestra play on stage and the dancers perform in the pit!". The artist Alexander Benois told in his memoirs (titled Mémoirs) of his extreme delight with Drigo's score, which he said inspired a "short infatuation" in him as a young student at the Saint Petersburg State University - "It was Drigo's simple and charming music that had attracted both Valetchka (Walter Nouvelle - member of Mir iskusstva) and me to Petipa's 'The Talisman'. In fact we had been so delighted with it at the première that our noisy approval had attracted the attention, and seemed to shock, the then rather popular St. Petersburg General Governor Grösser ... he turned round (from his permanent seat in the front row stalls), affecting a severe expression, and |
313_3 | shook his finger at us. My enthusiasm was so great, however, that I could not stop applauding and even felt compelled to exclaim "Mais puisque, Excellence, c'est un chef d'œuvre!" - upon which his Excellency deigned to bestow on me a fatherly smile." |
313_4 | Petipa's revival of 1895 was a resounding success, and even proved to be more popular among the St. Petersburg public than his and Lev Ivanov's legendary revival of Swan Lake, which was presented for the first time earlier that same year.
Nikolai Legat's revival of 1909, for which Drigo completely refurbished his original score, was very successful. The first performance was given in honor of the thirteenth wedding anniversary of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who attended the première with the whole of the Imperial Family. The audience also included many members of the St. Petersburg nobility. Legat's revival remained in the repertory of the Imperial Ballet until just before the October revolution of 1917. |
313_5 | In 1997, the choreographer Paul Chalmer staged a revival of The Talisman for the Arena Ballet of Verona, Italy. It was mounted in order to coincide with a conference held in honor of the 150th anniversary of Riccardo Drigo's birth, and was also performed in his hometown of Padua. |
313_6 | The Talisman pas de deux
In 1955 the Balletmaster Pyotr Gusev of the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet (the former Imperial Ballet) compiled various pieces of music from Petipa's The Talisman and created what is known today as The Talisman Pas de Deux, which in recent times has been included in the repertory of many ballet companies around the world.
The Talisman Pas de Deux includes music from another composer as well – the male variation was taken by Gusev from Cesare Pugni's score for Petipa's The Pharaoh's Daughter, which is still included in the Pas de Deux today.
Libretto
Prologue — In the clouds
The gods and spirits descend to meet the Goddess Amravati, Queen of the heavens (Valse des esprits). She is in despair, and is asked why. She replies "It is today, in accordance with my immortal husband's wishes, that my daughter, the goddess Niriti, must descend to earth, and perhaps may never return." |
313_7 | Music heralds the entrance of Niriti (Entrée de Niriti). She runs to embrace her mother, and is then informed that the time has come for her to visit the earth. "But why must I visit the earth?" Niriti asks. "To test your heart against the temptations of earthly love," replies Amravati, "and should you fail, you will forfeit your right to immortality." "Must I go alone?" asks Niriti. "No," replies the goddess; "I have chosen a fine companion for you."
Vayou, the god of the wind, flies overhead, bringing a storm in his wake (Le vent de Vayou). He bows to the Queen and begs pardon for his tardiness; "A group of mortals dared to attempt to learn the secrets of the poles," he says, "for which I was forced to sink their ships." |
313_8 | Queen Amravati hands Vayou her golden mace, which makes him ruler of the spirits and of all the elements. She then takes a star from her crown and gives it to Niriti. "This talisman shall protect you against all danger which may befall you." The Goddess adds, "However, should she lose it, you shall never return to the heavens again." "But," enquires Niriti, "surely the mace shall force the talisman to be returned to me." "No," replies Amravati, "a talisman lost by a maiden of the air must be freely returned to her by whatever mortal may come to possess it."
Amravati bids her daughter farewell. Niriti and Vayou descend to the earth.
Act I — The hut of the old weaver Kadoor |
313_9 | Nal is working busily at his loom so that he may meet Nirilya, his betrothed. He is then distracted by a sun-beam which dazzles his eyes so that he decides to cover the window with his cloak. As he goes toward it his beloved Nirilya appears. He begs her to enter, but she refuses. Nal, annoyed, returns to his work. Nirilya creeps behind him and covers his eyes with her hands.
Enter Kadoor, accompanied by his friends and relatives. The lovers are embarrassed. The weaver tells them that they have nothing to be ashamed of, for they are to be married on the following day. He reminds them of their friends who have come to wish them happiness. The young people begin dancing while the old weaver and some of his guests decorate the hut with flowers and garlands (Danse des amis de Nirilya et Nal). |
313_10 | Towards the conclusion of their dances a handsome youth appears - Noureddin, the young Maharajah of Lahore. He has lost his way while hunting and asks for shelter for the night. Kadoor welcomes the visitor and places refreshments before him. Noureddin begs the young people to continue their dancing, so Nirilya and Nal perform a joyous dance to the delight of the young Maharajah (Danse orientale), who gives Nirilya a necklace and Nal a purse of gold. Then, feeling tired, Noureddin asks to be shown to his room. The guests leave and darkness falls. There is distant thunder and lightning.
Enter Niriti and Vayou (Premières sensations). Niriti enquires where they are. Vayou asks her to remain while he goes to explore. Feeling tired from their travels, Niriti lies down and falls asleep. |
313_11 | Noureddin comes out of his room, rubbing his eyes, having been disturbed by a strange noise. He catches sight of the sleeping Niriti, and is amazed by her beauty. Niriti awakens. Frightened by the stranger she attempts to flee, but Noureddin holds her firm and demands a kiss. Struggling violently, she calls to Vayou for help. Suddenly Vayou appears and seizes Niriti while brandishing the golden mace. There is a violent gust of wind and Niriti and Vayou disappear. During the escape, the talisman falls from Niriti's head. Noureddin searches vainly for Niriti and discovers the talisman. Convinced that he has met his true love, he swears to find the beautiful girl.
Enter King Akdar and his daughter, the Princess Damayanti, attended by a magnificent retinue. The King expresses his delight at seeing Noureddin, as his daughter, to whom Noureddin is betrothed, had been troubled by his disappearance. The company now departs, and the King requests that Noureddin follow them. |
313_12 | Niriti and Vayou reappear, followed by spirits of the earth. They search anxiously for the talisman, but in vain.
Act II — The gardens of King Akdar's magnificent palace in Dehli
Servants are completing the preparations for the feast which will prelude the wedding of the Princess Damayanti and Noureddin. Enter King Akdar and his daughter, who seat themselves upon the throne. They are attended by rajahs, bayadères, eunuchs and the Princess's attendants. Noureddin enters, followed by his bodyguard Djemil and several of his guards.
The festival begins with various diversions (Danse nautch, Danse de l’hindoustan), with Noureddin and the Princess Damayanti performing a dance together in which the young Maharajah is haunted by visions of Niriti (Grand pas d’action). At the end the chief eunuch announces that the feast is ready in the great hall of the palace. Noureddin lingers behind. He cannot forget the beautiful girl he encountered in Kadoor's hut. |
313_13 | Moonlight filters into the garden. As Noureddin begins to leave to attend the feast a rose-bush springs from the ground and bars his way. Other bushes appear and from each emerges a rose in human form. From the center rose-bush comes Niriti in the guise of the Goddess of the Flowers, and from each side appear the spirits of the earth. With bewitching glances they ask him to give up the talisman, but when Noureddin refuses they vanish. Niriti and her retinue of flowers perform dances to entice Noureddin into giving up the talisman (Grand ballabile — La Rose de Bengale), but to no avail. Niriti and her retinue disappear. |
313_14 | Fanfares announcing King Akdar are heard. "Come!" cries the King, "the priests are waiting to perform the wedding ceremony.". Noureddin, unable to forget Niriti, confesses that he loves another and must refuse the Princess Damayanti's hand. The Princess then faints into the arms of her attendants and the enraged King draws his sword; his guards follows suit. At that moment Noureddin's guards place themselves in a posture defense to protect him. A terrible struggle is imminent when flames rise from the earth and separate the antagonists. Vayou has devised this to save Noureddin so that he may return Niriti her talisman.
Niriti appears in the fountain and, unseen, wafts him a passionate kiss. Her heart has been melted by his indomitable love.
Act III, tableau 1 — A bazaar on the banks of the river Ganges |
313_15 | It is market-day and the bazaar is crowded with types of the numerous races of India. Noureddin enters with his troops on his way back to Lahore. He calls a halt and lies down to rest. The talisman can be seen glittering from his breast. At a sign from one of the slave-dealers dancing begins (Danse des montagnards de l’Himalaya, Pas Katchack).
Enter Vayou and Niriti, who are disguised as a Brahim and his slave. Vayou presents Niriti to the crowd wrapped in a long veil (Danse sous le voile). Recognising Noureddin, they decide to steal the talisman, but Noureddin recognises Niriti, who tries to hide among the crowd. Noureddin pursues her but is stopped by Vayou, who reproaches him for annoying his slave. "Will you sell me your slave?" asks Noureddin. "Yes," replies the Brahmin, "in exchange for the talisman on your breast." Noureddin refuses. Vayou and the supposed slave depart. |
313_16 | Noureddin is now suspicious that the talisman should be preferred to the wealth he could have offered and feels that there is some mystery connected to it. He wonders if the slave-owner's tongue might be loosened with wine and, calling his bodyguard Djemil, whispers his orders.
Niriti and Vayou return. Noureddin goes to them and asks the Brahmin to taste a new European drink: perhaps it may help them come to an understanding. Vayou drinks and, finding the drink greatly to his taste, continually asks for his glass to be refilled. Thus, Vayou becomes increasingly communicative and confides that his slave is really the Goddess Amravati's daughter, and so long as Noureddin possesses the talisman, Niriti must remain on earth. To emphasize his word his Vayou strikes the table with his golden mace, which snaps in two. He continues to drink until he falls to the ground (Scène dansante — L’ivresse de Vayou). |
313_17 | Noureddin orders the bodyguard Djemil to seize Niriti, who desperately calls for Vayou to help her. He awakes but, stupefied with wine, is helpless. Niriti is led away.
Act III, tableau II — Some ancient ruins at night
Niriti is brought in by the bodyguard Djemil and placed before Noureddin, who orders his men to keep strict watch. Niriti then beseeches Noureddin to restore her talisman. He replies that he cannot, for if he does she shall return to heaven, and he loves her too much to allow it (La danse à l’amour). She admits that he speaks the truth, but implores him to help her return to heaven and her mother. |
313_18 | Noureddin refuses because he wishes for her to remain on earth and be his wife and queen, but Niriti refuses. Noureddin pleads on his knees, but again she refuses. He then reminds her that she is in his power and has no choice but to cede to his wishes. Niriti then plucks a dagger from Noureddin's belt and threatens to stab herself. He quickly wrests the weapon from her and, furious that she should hold his love for her so lightly, snatches the talisman from his breast and throws it at her feet. There is a deafening clap of thunder.
Act III, tableau III — At the top of the stage is seen the heavens, at the bottom, the ancient ruins |
313_19 | The Goddess Amravati awaits Niriti's return. Niriti, clasping her talisman, is about to ascend when she resolves to bid Noureddin farewell. Seeing his eyes filled with tears she is overcome with sadness herself. She begins to wonder whether celestial delights can equal the earthly happiness which Noureddin offers, and which she is about to sacrifice. She wavers, then drops the talisman and throws herself into Noureddin's arms.
Apotheosis
The talisman ascends to heaven. Seated on her throne, the Goddess Amravati is surrounded by gods and other heavenly spirits.
Résumé of dances
Prologue
Valse des esprits
Entrée de Niriti
Le vent de Vayou
Act I
Danse des amis de Nirilya et Nal
Danse orientale
Premières sensations
Act II
Danse nautch
Danse de l’hindoustan
Grand pas d’action
Andante
Variation I
Variation II
Coda
Grand ballabile — La Rose de Bengale
Adage
Valse des bijoux
Pizzicato
Grand coda |
313_20 | Act III
Danse des montagnards de l’Himalaya
Pas Katchack
Danse sous le voile
Scène dansante — L’ivresse de Vayou
La danse à l’amour
Gallery
Ballets by Marius Petipa
1889 ballet premieres
Ballets by Riccardo Drigo
Ballets by Konstantin Augustovich Tarnovsky
Ballets premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre |
314_0 | CHRO-TV, VHF analogue channel 5, is a CTV 2 owned-and-operated television station licensed to Pembroke, Ontario, Canada, serving the capital city of Ottawa as well as Anglo-Quebecers in the neighbouring city of Gatineau, Quebec. Owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc., it is part of a twinstick with Ottawa-licensed CTV owned-and-operated station CJOH-DT (channel 13). Both stations share studios—alongside Bell's Ottawa radio properties—at the Market Media Mall building on George Street in downtown Ottawa's ByWard Market, while CHRO-TV's transmitter is located on TV Tower Road near Pembroke. The station operates a digital-only rebroadcaster in Ottawa, CHRO-DT-43 (virtual channel 43, UHF channel 35), with transmitter in the city's Herbert Corners section. |
314_1 | History
The station first went on the air on August 19, 1961 as CHOV-TV, a CBC Television affiliate owned by Gordon Archibald Ottawa Valley Broadcasting, the owner of AM radio station CHOV. Workers of the station unionized and a labour dispute began. A financial crisis in 1976 led to the station going dark for six days in August of that year. Ottawa Valley sold the station to J. Conrad Lavigne in 1977. Lavigne adopted the CHRO-TV callsign, and opened a sales office for the station in Ottawa. Lavigne's company subsequently became part of the MCTV system in 1980. While most of the MCTV stations used "MCTV", rather than their call letters, as their on-air branding, CHRO continued to use its call sign, although it used the same logo and programming schedule as the other MCTV stations. |
314_2 | In 1986, MCTV filed an application to expand the service by disaffiliating from the CBC and adding a transmitter and broadcasting facilities in Ottawa, although the application process instead resulted in Baton Broadcasting being given a license to launch a new independent station in Ottawa. Standard Broadcasting, the owners of existing Ottawa television station CJOH-TV, responded to the potential new competition by selling CJOH to Baton, who then surrendered the new independent license. As a result, Mid-Canada submitted a revived application in 1989, but the application was withdrawn after Northern Cable, the owner of the MCTV system, underwent an ownership change to be financed by selling off its broadcasting assets. |
314_3 | In 1990, Baton Broadcasting acquired the MCTV stations. Because CHRO was carried by cable television companies in the Ottawa market, this was deemed an ownership conflict for Baton, which already owned Ottawa's CJOH, and would therefore have a de facto twinstick in competition with the CBC's CBOT-TV (channel 4). However, the station's carriage in Ottawa was also deemed essential to its survival, since Pembroke was too small a market to support the station on its own. Therefore, CHRO disaffiliated from the CBC, and became a CTV affiliate. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) also ordered strict controls on CHRO's programming, so that Baton could not gain unfair audience advantage in Ottawa by airing shows at different times on CHRO and CJOH. Baton eventually became the sole corporate proprietor of CTV.
As The New RO |
314_4 | In 1997, CHRO was one of several stations transferred to CHUM Limited in exchange for the ATV stations in Atlantic Canada. (Ironically, CHUM had been one of the applicants for the independent license that eventually went to Baton in the late 1980s; they would've launched a station similar to CITY-TV in Toronto, and even produced a pitch film. CITY itself would set up an Ottawa re-transmitter in 1996.) CHRO did not have an over-the-air transmitter in Ottawa until it came under CHUM's ownership. 10 months being acquired by CHUM, on September 7, 1998, CHRO was rebranded to "The New RO" and joined the NewNet system. |
314_5 | During its first two years under NewNet affiliation, CHRO began moving their operations away from their original Pembroke studios. They initially operated from a small studio at 10 Kimway Avenue, near CJOH's broadcast facility on Merivale Road. In October 2000, the station moved to a brand-new media complex, dubbed the CHUM MarketMediaMall, in Ottawa's historic ByWard Market neighborhood at 87 George Street. In addition to a Speaker's Corner video booth, the facility also housed CHUM's Ottawa-area radio stations (CKKL-FM, CJMJ-FM, CFRA and CFGO). |
314_6 | In February 2005, CHUM announced plans to consolidate the master control departments for CHRO, CKVR-DT, CFPL-DT, CHWI-DT and CKNX-TV at 299 Queen Street West in Toronto, and to consolidate the traffic and programming departments at CFPL in London, resulting in the loss of approximately 19 staff members from CHRO. On June 3, 2005, at approximately 10:30 a.m., the Pembroke master control signal came to an end, as the new consolidated master control took to air.
As A-Channel Ottawa
The station was renamed A-Channel on August 2, 2005, along with the rest of the NewNet system, and began using the same logo as the rest of the system as well. |
314_7 | On July 12, 2006, CTV owner Bell Globemedia (now Bell Media) announced plans to purchase CHUM Limited for C$1.7 billion, with plans to divest itself of the A-Channel and Access Alberta stations. On the same date, CHRO cancelled its noon-hour lifestyles program and its 12:30 p.m. weekday newscast, citing low ratings and declining advertising revenues. Anchors James Hendricks and Dave Gross were also let go. A plan was announced to almost fully automate the station's news production system, which would see a few dozen staff members laid off by the start of the new year. |
314_8 | On April 9, 2007, Rogers Media announced an agreement to purchase all of the A-Channel stations including CHRO, SexTV: The Channel, Canadian Learning Television and Access Alberta. The deal was contingent on full approval by the CRTC of the CTVglobemedia takeover of CHUM. With CRTC approval being contingent on the sale of the Citytv stations instead, Rogers bought the Citytv stations and CTV kept the A-Channel stations. The takeover transaction was completed on June 22. |
314_9 | With the CHUM acquisition, CTV became the only English-language private television broadcaster offering Ottawa news coverage; it owns both CHRO and CJOH-TV, which compete only with the CBC's CBOT in offering local news. The CRTC's decision to allow the joint ownership of CJOH and CHRO appeared to contradict its own rationale for forcing CTV to sell the Citytv stations, specifically that a single company could not own two stations, in the same language, based in the same large urban centre – however, even before CTV confirmed it would keep CHRO, the twinstick was approved by the CRTC on the basis of CHRO's financial situation and the stations' prior common ownership (until 1997).
As A Ottawa
The station was rebranded as A on August 11, 2008, along with the rest of the A-Channel system. The A soft launch began earlier in June 2008 in CHRO-TV's press materials and local newscasts. |
314_10 | Due to a major fire that destroyed the longtime studios of sister CTV station CJOH-TV on Merivale Road in Nepean on February 7, 2010, CJOH integrated its operations with CHRO into the latter station's studios at 87 George Street in Ottawa's ByWard Market (which was already occupied by CHRO). As a result, CJOH's newscasts began to be produced from the facility, becoming the first time since the studios had any nighttime newscasts since the cancellation of CHRO's A News broadcasts in 2009.
As CTV Two/CTV 2 Ottawa
On May 30, 2011, Bell Media announced that the A television system would be rebranded as CTV Two, with CHRO switching its branding from "A Ottawa" to "CTV Two Ottawa". The official relaunch to CTV Two took place on August 29, 2011. In addition, CHRO's morning show, A Morning was renamed CTV Morning Live. In addition, CHRO started broadcasting in high definition as part of the relaunched system on August 31, 2011. |
314_11 | Past programming
Ottawa Senators Hockey (20 regular-season games a year of the Canadian capital city's NHL team, which were usually, but not always, broadcast on Thursday evenings) – with Dean Brown as play-by-play announcer and Gord Wilson as commentator. Games were broadcast through the 2007–08 season, after which games were moved back exclusively to Sportsnet East, and later TSN5 (also owned by CHRO parent company Bell Media)
Bob TV
Majic 100 Top 20 Countdown
Speaker's Corner Ottawa
News operation
CHRO presently broadcasts 22 hours of locally produced newscasts each week, all consisting of four hours each weekday and two hours on Saturdays of a local version of CTV's local morning news program franchise CTV Morning Live. |
314_12 | Over the course of 1998, new graphics and presentation elements were added to the existing newscast that had been produced in Pembroke, and several reporters were forced out. By the summer, the only on-air staff in Pembroke were four anchors; the entire reporting staff was based in Ottawa. On September 7, coinciding with the change to The New RO, CHRO relaunched its news as NewsSixOttawa. The station dismissed Cathy Cox, who had been the lead anchor in Pembroke for seven years. The new Ottawa-based anchor team consisted of Caroline Redekopp and former CKVR anchor Robert Maxwell, with Ken Evraire on sports, former Weather Channel anchor Elissa Lansdell on weather and entertainment, and weekend anchor James Hendricks covering traffic and crime from the assignment desk. Cyndi Edwards hosted the New RO at Noon, which featured a mix of news, lifestyle and entertainment reports. Reporter Sandra Blaikie, who joined CHRO in 2000, took over from Caroline Redekopp after her departure in 2002. |
314_13 | James Hendricks—by now the 11 p.m. anchor—replaced Robert Maxwell after his resignation in autumn 2003. Hendricks also continued to anchor the late news until Cory Atkins (late of CFRN-TV Edmonton) signed on to be the new 11 p.m. anchor in April 2004. |
314_14 | In January 2007, CHRO began producing its newscasts with a new system called "Ross Overdrive" – an automated production system that replaced the need for a switcher, VTR operator, graphics operator and many other staffers. Some 25 staffers were affected by the change, which had been announced some six months earlier.
On March 3, 2009, CTVglobemedia cancelled almost all of CHRO's local news programming except for A Morning, laying off 34 Ottawa employees. CTVglobemedia cited the current recession as a reason for cancelling the local news programming. In contrast, the A stations in Victoria, Barrie and London kept their evening newscasts but instead, had their morning shows cancelled; this was likely because CTV's CJOH-TV also owned by CTVglobemedia (now Bell Media) already produces higher-rated evening newscasts serving the Ottawa market. |
314_15 | In order to comply with the station's CRTC-mandated local programming expectation of 23.5 hours per week, the morning show was extended to four hours a day on weekdays, with a two-hour Saturday edition added as well (CHRO also continues two one-hour weekend music video programs co-branded with local Bell Media Radio stations). Some high-profile CHRO personalities such as Sandra Blaikie, Tony Grace and Bill Welychka were moved to the extended morning show following the March 2009 layoffs. In December 2009, anchor Sandra Blaikie left the station to pursue other interests outside broadcasting, because of the uncertain future of local television in Canada. In September 2010, late evening anchor and national reporter Tony Grace left the station to assume the 6:00 p.m. anchor position at CKVR in Barrie. In August 2011, Bill Welychka was let go from CHRO. In early September 2011, national reporter Jennifer Madigan left the station as all CTV Two stations began using CTV National News |
314_16 | resources for national and international stories. |
314_17 | Technical information
Subchannel
Analogue-to-digital conversion
On August 31, 2011, when Canadian television stations in CRTC-designated mandatory markets transitioned from analogue to digital broadcasts, CHRO's Ottawa transmitter, CHRO-TV-43, ceased analog transmissions and began broadcasting in digital on its former analogue allocation of UHF channel 43. CHRO's main transmitter in Pembroke is not yet required to switch to digital, since the CRTC did not designate Pembroke as a mandatory market.
Spectrum reallocation
As part of the 2016 United States wireless spectrum auction, channels 38 through 51 were removed from television broadcasting in the United States and Canada. CHRO-DT-43 was reassigned from channel 43 to channel 35. The change was completed on July 3, 2020. The station uses PSIP to still display its virtual channel as 43.1.
Notes
References
External links
CTV Morning Live Ottawa
CTV Ottawa |
314_18 | HRO-TV
HRO-TV
HRO-TV
Television channels and stations established in 1961
Pembroke, Ontario
National Hockey League over-the-air television broadcasters
1961 establishments in Ontario |
315_0 | The Green Lama is a fictional pulp magazine hero of the 1940s, created by American author Kendell Foster Crossen. He is commonly portrayed as a powerful Buddhist Lama, dressing in green robes with a red scarf and using his powerful skill set to fight crime. Slightly different versions of the same character also appeared in comic books and on the radio. Unlike many contemporary characters from smaller publishers, The Green Lama character is not in the public domain, as the author "wisely retained all rights to his creation".
Pulps
Original pulps
The Green Lama first appeared in a short novel entitled The Green Lama in the April 1940 issue of Double Detective magazine. The novel was written by Kendell Foster Crossen using the pseudonym of "Richard Foster". Writing in 1976, Crossen recalled that the character was created because the publishers of Double Detective, the Frank Munsey company, wanted a competitor for The Shadow, which was published by their rivals Street & Smith. |
315_1 | The character, partially inspired by explorer Theos "the White Lama" Bernard, was originally conceived as "The Gray Lama", but tests of the cover art proved to be unsatisfactory, so the color was changed to green. The Green Lama proved to be successful (though not as successful as The Shadow), and Crossen continued to produce Green Lama stories for Double Detective regularly up until March 1943, for a total of 14 stories. |
315_2 | Although appearing in a detective fiction magazine, the Green Lama tales can be considered science fiction or supernatural fantasy in that the Green Lama and other characters are possessed of superhuman powers and super-science weapons. The Green Lama is an alias of Jethro Dumont, a rich resident of New York City, born July 25, 1913, to millionaires John Pierre Dumont and Janet Lansing. He received his A.B. from Harvard University, M.A. from Oxford, and Ph.D. from the Sorbonne; he also attended Drepung College in Tibet. He inherited his father’s fortune, estimated at ten million dollars, when his parents were both killed in an accident while he was still at Harvard; he then spent ten years in Tibet studying to be a lama (a Buddhist Spiritual Teacher), acquiring many mystical powers in the process. He returned to America intending to spread the doctrines of Tibetan Buddhism (to relieve suffering by removing ignorance), but realized that he could accomplish more by fighting crime, since |
315_3 | Americans were not ready to receive spiritual teachings. He never carried a gun, believing that "this would make me no better than those I fight". Dumont was also endowed with superhuman powers acquired through his scientific knowledge of radioactive salts. Dumont had two main alter egos: the crime-fighting Green Lama and the Buddhist priest Dr. Pali. Additional alter egos included the adventurer "Hugh Gilmore". |
315_4 | Among the Green Lama's associates were a Tibetan lama named Tsarong, the college-educated reformed gangster Gary Brown, the post-debutante Evangl Stewart (who would go on to marry Gary), radiologist Dr. Harrison Valco, New York City police detective John Caraway, actor Ken Clayton, Montana-born actress Jean Farrell, and magician Theodor Harrin. The Green Lama was also frequently assisted by a mysterious woman known as "Magga", whose true identity was never revealed. Crossen's pseudonym "Richard Foster" was also established as a character and friend of Jethro Dumont.
The first six stories have been reprinted in the pulp reprint fanzine High Adventure. Altus Press has reprinted the entire series in three volumes. |
315_5 | Official continuity of Green Lama pulp stories
1923–1933
"The Case of the Final Column" by Adam Lance Garcia (flashbacks)
"The Green Lama: Unbound" by Adam Lance Garcia (flashbacks)
"Black Bat / The Green Lama: Homecoming" by Adam Lance Garcia
"Shiva Endangered" by Kevin Noel Olson
"Eye of the Beholder" by Adam Lance Garcia
1935
"Case of the Crimson Hand" by Kendell Foster Crossen
"Croesus of Murder" by Kendell Foster Crossen
1936
"Babies for Sale" by Kendell Foster Crossen
"Wave of Death" by Kendell Foster Crossen
1937
"The Man Who Wasn’t There" by Kendell Foster Crossen
"Death’s Head Face" by Kendell Foster Crossen
1938
"The Green Lama: Horror in Clay" by Adam Lance Garcia
"The Case of the Clown Who Laughed" by Kendell Foster Crossen
"The Case of the Invisible Enemy" by Kendell Foster Crossen
"The Case of the Mad Magi" by Kendell Foster Crossen
"The Case of the Vanishing Ships" by Kendell Foster Crossen
"The Case of the Fugitive Fingerprints" by Kendell Foster Crossen |
315_6 | "The Green Lama: Scions" by Adam Lance Garcia
"The Case of the Crooked Cane" by Kendell Foster Crossen
"The Case of the Hollywood Ghost" by Kendell Foster Crossen
1939
"The Case of the Beardless Corpse" by Kendell Foster Crossen
"The Case of the Final Column" by Adam Lance Garcia (Altus Press)
"The Green Lama: Unbound" by Adam Lance Garcia
"The Green Lama: Dæmon’s Kiss" by Adam Lance Garcia
"The Green Lama: Crimson Circle" by Adam Lance Garcia |
315_7 | Modern pulps
In 2009, Airship 27 Productions and publisher Cornerstone Book Publishers began releasing a series of new pulp anthologies and novels. These new stories treat the original pulps as a vague history, though they slightly shift the time period from the early 1940s to the late 1930s and portray the Lama as younger and less experienced.
While the books were produced without the Crossen Estate, neither the authors nor the publisher were aware of the estate's claim at the time. The book was produced in good faith under the belief that the character was in the Public Domain, with no intention to infringe on any unknown rights. One of the stories, set in 1939, sought to portray the origin of the Green Lama. The other stories, while perhaps preceding the pulps in narrative order, would likely be set in the 1940s, possibly preceding the first publication in April 1940. |
315_8 | Volume 1
The first new Green Lama anthology was released on August 14, 2009. The anthology, edited by Ron Fortier, featured three new stories—two short stories, and one novella—written by Kevin Noel Olson, W. Peter Miller, and Adam L. Garcia, respectively. Olson's story, "Shiva Endangered", tells one of the Lama's first adventures in Tibet and introduces the McGuffin known as the Jade Tablet (a copy of the legendary Emerald Tablet) and explains the origins of the Lama's powers. Garcia's novella, "Horror in Clay", is set years later in New York, shortly after Crossen's story "Death's Head Face", and pits the Lama and friends against a golem, as well as continuing the narrative of the Jade Tablet and tying the Green Lama into the Cthulhu mythos. Finally, Miller's short, "The Studio Specter", is set in L.A., soon after the events of "Horror in Clay", and tells the story of a Phantom-like villain terrorizing a film studio. |
315_9 | "Horror in Clay", the cover art by Mike Fyles, and Jay Piscopo's interior artwork from this volume were nominated for 2009 Pulp Factory Awards.
Volume 2: Green Lama: Unbound
The Green Lama's first full-length novel in nearly 70 years, Green Lama: Unbound, was released July 28, 2010. Written by Adam L. Garcia, it displayed interior and cover art by Mike Fyles. The novel takes place roughly six months after "Studio Specter" and shortly after the last original pulp story, "Beardless Corpse". Continuing the Jade Tablet storyline established in "Shiva Enangered" and "Horror in Clay", Unbound pitted the Green Lama against Lovecraft's Great Old Ones and Cthulhu, as well as featured—for the first time ever—details of Dumont's ten years in Tibet. |
315_10 | In 2011, the book, Garcia, and Fyles were nominated for several awards including Best Novel, Best Interior Art, and Best Exterior Art in the Pulp Factory Awards; as well as Best Book, Best Cover Art, Best Interior, Best Pulp Revival, and Best Author in the 2011 Pulp Ark Awards. It won for Best Pulp Revival in the Pulp Ark Awards, and Best Pulp Novel and Best Interior Art in the Pulp Factory Awards.
Airship 27
Green Lama: Mystic Warrior
Airship 27 released Green Lama-Mystic Warrior in 2013, with two original stories from Volume One and two new stories. A second edition came out in 2014. The stories and authors in this volume are "Shiva Endangered" by Kevin Noel Olson, "The Menace of the Black Ring" by Nick Ahlhelm, "The Studio Specter" by W Peter Miller, and "The Case of the Hairless Ones" by Robert Craig, with cover art by Isaac L. Nacilla and interior illustrations by Neil Foster. |
315_11 | Moonstone Publishers
When it was established that the Green Lama was not in the public domain, Garcia moved his books to Moonstone. Along with new work, Garcia's stories "Horror in Clay" and "Unbound" were authorized to be reissued in expanded releases. Garcia has also produced short stories crossing over the Green Lama with other pulp heroes.
Green Lama: Scions
Taking place shortly after "Horror in Clay", Dumont and his associates fight a malevolent force that arrived in New York aboard a cruise ship filled with people murdered at their own hands.
Green Lama: Daemon's Kiss
A short story featured in Moonstone's "Of Monsters and Men" anthology, the Green Lama and his associates fight a succubus outside a rural hotel. Features original "widescreen" art by Mike Fyles. |
315_12 | Green Lama: Crimson Circle
A second novel, Green Lama: Crimson Circle, also by Garcia and Fyles, came out in 2015. The story is a sequel to the very first Green Lama pulp story, "Case of the Crimson Hand", while continuing the plot threads left hanging at the end of Unbound. The short comic "Green Lama and the Death Dealers" by Garcia and Fyles, bridges the gap between Unbound and Crimson Circle. A third novel is also written named Green Lama: Redemption. |
315_13 | Altus Press
In addition to reprinting the original pulp stories in 2011 and 2012, Altus Press included a new short story in their third volume, "Green Lama and the Case of the Final Column", by Garcia and Fyles that ties the original pulps and new pulps stories together. "The Final Column" is set immediately after "The Case of the Beardless Corpse", shortly before the events of Green Lama: Unbound, and lays the groundwork for several plot points in Unbound and the Crimson Circle. It also features Crossen's pseudonym "Richard Foster" as a principal character.
Comic books
Golden Age comics
Prize Comics
The Green Lama's first comic book appearance was in issue #7 of Crestwood Publications' Prize Comics (December 1940). The character continued to appear in the title for 27 issues (through 1943). All stories were written by Ken Crossen, with art by Mac Raboy and others. In Prize Comics #24, he teamed up with Black Owl, Dr. Frost, and Yank and Doodle to take down Frankenstein's Monster. |
315_14 | This version of the character bears considerable similarities to his pulp counterpart, most notably his costume design, but was more of a sorcerer with the ability to travel through time, resurrect the dead and often battled Lucifer's minions. There were also minor changes to his supporting cast such as Jean "Parker" and the inclusion of a character known as Tashi Shog (a Tibetan liturgic wish meaning "May prosperity be").
According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, the Green Lama "fights Yellow Peril racketeers, the Nazi femme fatale Baroness von Elsa, the ghostly Pharod, snake cultists, the Nazi agent Harlequin, and especially the occultist Professor Voodoo, 'two legged beast of prey' who surpasses 'in cunning and cruelty all the forces of evil'". |
315_15 | Spark Publications
He then moved to his own title, The Green Lama (Spark Publications), published by Kendell Foster Crossen, which lasted for eight issues from December 1944 to March 1946. This iteration character of the Green Lama was somewhat different from his previous versions (for example, having the power of flight and wearing a skin-tight costume), although the scripts were still written by Kendell Foster Crossen, who had created the earlier pulp version of the character.
Reprints of the Green Lama stories from the eight-issue Spark series are available in two hardcover archive volumes produced by Dark Horse Comics in 2008.
Modern comics |
315_16 | AC Comics
Over the last 20 years, the publisher AC Comics has been virtually the only source for the original Golden Age material featuring the Green Lama, and intermittently used the character in their long-running, original series Femforce. In 2004, writer/artist James Ritchey III started production on a two-part graphic novella, entitled Green Lama: Man of Strength, revamping the version from the Spark Publications era. Billing the story in interviews as a "Superhero Mystical Murder Mystery involving Reincarnation", Ritchey never completed the art for part two, due to illness—so it was shelved for three years.
Green Lama: Man of Strength #1 shipped through Diamond Distributors on April 5, 2008, after a requested a one-month delay from Diamond, due to their frowning upon smaller independents having two similar titles shipped simultaneously. The second issue came out in 2009. |
315_17 | Dynamite Comics
The Green Lama is currently one of several Golden Age characters appearing in the Dynamite Entertainment comic book series Project Superpowers, by writer Jim Krueger and artist Alex Ross. This version of the Green Lama is vaguely a continuation of his Spark Publications iteration, though his powers have evolved to be more nature-based. The character has been used without authorization of the Crossen Estate.
Moonstone
Moonstone Publishers are new publishers of back-up comic stories based on the pulp version of the character under its "Return of the Originals" banner. These shorts are written by Mike W. Barr. Moonstone has released in 2013 a new novel of the character, The Green Lama: Scions, written by Adam Lance Garcia.
In other media
Web comics and fiction
Green Lama is one of several Golden Age comic characters to make an appearance in Tales of the Living Legends, a webcomic featuring Golden Age art and rewritten stories. |
315_18 | The Green Lama plays a key role as a supporting character in the fiction blog, Flyover City.
Radio
More than three years after the demise of his comic book, the Green Lama was resurrected for a short-lived CBS radio series that ran for 11 episodes from June 5 to August 20, 1949, with the character's voice provided by Paul Frees. This version of the Green Lama was also written by creator Kendell Foster Crossen, along with several co-writers.
Television
CBS Television considered producing a television version of the Green Lama for the 1950 season. The proposal never got the green light.
Aerial performance
On January 6, 2012, the Green Lama came to life in an aerial performance at the Rubin Museum of Art as part of its "Hero, Villain, Yeti" exhibit. It was written by Adam Lance Garcia, based on his short story "Case of the Final Column", and performed by New-York-based Cirquetacular. |
315_19 | Buddhist element
The Green Lama stories display a sympathetic and relatively knowledgeable portrayal of Buddhism, both in the text of the stories and in numerous footnotes. From Crossen's own comments, in his foreword to Robert Weinberg's 1976 reprint of the first Green Lama story, it is clear that this was not proselytism on his part, but simply because he wanted to create a Tibetan Buddhist character and then read everything he could find on the subject.
The most frequent reference to Buddhism in the stories is the use of the Sanskrit mantra "Om mani padme hum" (usually translated as "Om, the jewel on the lotus"), which would indeed be used by Tibetan monks. However, the majority of other references to Buddhism in the stories, while accurate, relate to the Theravada form of Buddhism rather than the Tibetan form, with frequent use of Pali words such as "Magga", "Nibbana", and "Dhamma", rather than the Sanskrit equivalents that would be used in Tibetan Buddhism. |
315_20 | See also
Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt – a similar concept also from the mid-20th century
References
External links
Official Green Lama Website
A Hero History of the Green Lama
Double Detective cover scans
The Green Lama radio programs in the public domain at Archive.org
Green Lama serial at Tales of the Living Legends
Male characters in literature
Literary characters introduced in 1940
Buddhism in fiction
Characters in pulp fiction
Crestwood Publications characters
Dynamite Entertainment characters
Fantasy radio programs
Golden Age superheroes
Radio characters introduced in 1949
Radio superheroes
Fictional Buddhist monks
Buddhism in comics |
316_0 | Asia League Ice Hockey (; ) or ALIH (AL) is an association which operates a professional ice hockey league based in North and East Asia, with teams from Japan, Russia, and South Korea. The league is headquartered in Japan. At the end of the playoffs every year the winner is awarded the Championship Trophy.
The league was formed in 2003 due to declining popularity in the Japan Ice Hockey League and the folding of the Korean Ice Hockey League. It was formed with the goal of promoting hockey and developing players' skills. The league initially comprised five teams in two countries. It expanded to highs of four countries (2004–05 season) and nine teams (2005–06 season) and it comprised eight teams from three countries in the 2013–14 season. Prior to the 2014–15 season a team from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, HC Sakhalin, was affiliated to the league. |
316_1 | The league draws most of its players from the home countries of its teams. However, the league allows each team a certain number of foreign imports on their roster.
History |
316_2 | 2003–2008
The league was formed after the collapse of the Korean ice hockey league and dissolution of the Japanese league. It was started with the goal of promoting hockey in Asia as well as helping the various participating countries develop their hockey programs and increase their showing in the Olympics. The first season was a shortened season of only five teams, and played as a tournament rather than a regular season. Four Japanese teams and a Korean team participated. The tournament lasted just two months and each team played four games, two at home and two away, against each other. Due to the shortened tournament format, there were no playoffs and the winner was declared from the point tally. The Nippon Paper Cranes won the tournament with 39 points. and Joel Prpic from Kokudo was the assist and points leader with 25 assists and 33 points. Ryan Haruo Kuwabara, of the Cranes, was the scoring leader with 15 goals. |
316_3 | The 2004–05 season was the first full season for the league, and was seen by some to be the inaugural season. Before the season began, there was already interest by the National Hockey League (NHL) in China's hockey program. In addition to the five teams which took part in the tournament the year before, the league added Golden Amur from Russia as well as Harbin and Qiqihar from China. The first season had a schedule of 42 games. Teams played each other six times during the season. In December 2004 there was speculation by the South Korean media that North Korea could potentially field a team in the league, but that never materialized. The league also had an all-star game which took place on 22 and 23 January 2005 in Kushiro. The league was broken up into two teams, the Blue Orion and Red Antares. Fans voted on their favorite players and coaches. The most popular vote was for the forward position on the Blue Orion which received over 45,000 votes. Masatoshi Ito received the most votes |
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