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The Rival Sirens: Performance and Identity on Handel's Operatic Stage
by Suzanne AspdenThe tale of the onstage fight between prima donnas Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni is notorious, appearing in music histories to this day, but it is a fiction. Starting from this misunderstanding, The Rival Sirens suggests that the rivalry fostered between the singers in 1720s London was in large part a social construction, one conditioned by local theatrical context and audience expectations, and heightened by manipulations of plot and music. This book offers readings of operas by Handel and Bononcini as performance events, inflected by the audience's perceptions of singer persona and contemporary theatrical and cultural contexts. Through examining the case of these two women, Suzanne Aspden demonstrates that the personae of star performers, as well as their voices, were of crucial importance in determining the shape of an opera during the early part of the eighteenth century.
The River: A Love Story, a New Life in the Country, and One Idyllic Year With Otters
by Philippa ForresterWhen TV presenter Philippa Forrester first met Charlie, a wildlife cameraman, she thought he was a show-off - and he thought she was arrogant. The second time, despite being hungry, thirsty and trapped in torrential rain aboard the world's most uncomfortable boat, they fell in love. This is the story of their move out of London, deep into the heart of the English countryside. When they impulsively buy an old mill-worker's cottage, they are entranced by its river, teeming with kingfishers, mink and water fowl. But they are overjoyed when they spot an animal long thought to have abandoned the area: an otter, swimming happily past their house. Inspired, they decide to make a film about the otters on their doorstep ... at the same time as having a baby, setting up house, and pursuing their careers. Unsurprisingly, things turn out to be easier said than done.Written with endless charm and real affection, featuring a cast of memorable characters, The River is packed with hilarious stories spanning floods, chicken keeping and wildlife watching. The result is sheer delight.
Riverdish: The Unauthorized Case Files of Riverdale
by Ryan Bloomquist Samantha GoldFrom the hosts of the Riverdish podcast, the unauthorized case files from the world of the CW’s teen drama sensation Riverdale.For Archie Andrews, Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones, and Betty Cooper, high school is more than just pep rallies and milkshakes. Based on the beloved characters from the Archie Comics, Riverdale is a dark, addictive, campy teen thriller that devilishly mixes adolescent angst with corruption, politics, serial killers, gang wars, and twisted secrets. The emotional exploits of Archie, Veronica, Jughead, Betty, and their friends and foes have riveted fans across generations and catapulted the teen drama series into an iconic cultural phenomenon spawning internet discussion groups and podcasts. One such podcast is Riverdish, hosted by the adoring and enthusiastic Ryan and Sam, and they have taken it upon themselves to complete the complicated and necessary task of creating the essential unauthorized case files on Riverdale's twisted web of lies, crimes and mysteries.Featuring case files on Riverdale’s beloved ensemble cast of Archie, Veronica, Jughead, Betty and their friends and foes, Riverdish offers up comprehensive breakdowns of the many mysteries and crimes that plague the town of Riverdale, paired with laugh-out-loud commentary and photos from behind-the-scenes of the show. Tackling everything from The Black Hood to Jingle Jangle to the Southside Serpents to bogus FBI agents and everything and everyone in between, Riverdish is an insightful and hilarious sendup of the case files that the authorities should use to track the many twists and turns of the show. With a deep knowledge of and appreciation for the show and all that makes it iconic, Riverdish dissects and celebrates the dramatic and thrilling darkness of Riverdale.
Riverview Amusement Park (Images of America)
by Dolores HaughEvery summer from 1904 to 1967, for 63 years, Riverview--the world's largest amusement park--opened its gates to millions of people from all walks of life. For three generations, the Schmidt's family park offered rides, shows, food, and music to men, women, and especially children. Riverview survived depressions, two World Wars, labor disputes, Prohibition, and a World's Fair that threatened to take a great deal of its business. Riverview Amusement Park tells the story of Riverview's growth from 22 acres and three rides to 140 acres and more than 100 attractions. Through an extensive collection of never-before published images, author Dolores Haugh chronicles the tale of this impressive chapter of Chicago history. Known as the "Roller Coaster Capital of America," Riverview remained a Chicago landmark until it was unexpectedly closed in 1967.
RKO Radio Pictures
by Richard B. JewellOne of the "Big Five" studios of Hollywood's golden age, RKO is remembered today primarily for the famous films it produced, from King Kong and Citizen Kane to the Astaire-Rogers musicals. But its own story also provides a fascinating case study of film industry management during one of the most vexing periods in American social history. RKO Radio Pictures: A Titan is Born offers a vivid history of a thirty-year roller coaster of unstable finances, management battles, and artistic gambles. Richard Jewell has used unparalleled access to studio documents generally unavailable to scholars to produce the first business history of RKO, exploring its decision-making processes and illuminating the complex interplay between art and commerce during the heyday of the studio system. Behind the blockbuster films and the glamorous stars, the story of RKO often contained more drama than any of the movies it ever produced.
The Road Back Home: A Northern Childhood
by Sid Waddell'I had not lived in the former pit village of Lynemouth since 1961 but the winding road north from Newcastle will always be the same nostalgic highway, each twist charged with vivid memories and powerful emotions...'So begins a story full of wonderful humour, emotional candour and hardy tales of tough times - a quietly epic family saga set amid the pit villages of the North East . It stretches from the 1920s, before Sid's parents had even met, to the final closing of the mine and his mother's death in 1999.Sid paints a picture of a colourful, tight knit community full of good times and hard work, god-fearing women and hard-drinking men. Always dominating the skyline is Auld Betty, the pit head that took the men away each day and, with a prayer, brought them back each evening. Amongst the unforgettable cast of his extended family and friends, we follow the Waddells' attempts to stay afloat and provide a better future and possible escape for youngsters like Sid.
The Road Movie: In Search of Meaning (Short Cuts)
by Neil ArcherThough often seen as one of America's native cinematic genres, the road movie has lent itself to diverse international contexts and inspired a host of filmmakers. As analyzed in this study, from its most familiar origins in Hollywood the road movie has become a global film practice, whether as a vehicle for exploring the relationship between various national contexts and American cinema, as a means of narrating different national and continental histories, or as a form of individual filmmaking expression. Beginning with key films from Depression-era Hollywood and the New Hollywood of the late 1960s and then considering its wider effect on world cinemas, this volume maps the development and adaptability of an enduring genre, studying iconic films along the way.
Road Rash
by Mark Huntley ParsonsA teenage drummer finds out what life is really like on tour with a rock band in this funny, funky, bittersweet debut YA novel. For anyone who loved Almost Famous or This Is Spinal Tap.After being dropped from one band, 17-year-old drummer Zach gets a chance to go on tour with a much better band. It feels like sweet redemption, but this is one rocky road trip. . . . Zach's in control on the drums, driving the band, keeping things moving at the right pace. But when the show is over, his timing is all off. The jealousies and rivalries within his new group keep him off-balance. The awesome original song he recorded backfires. And the girl he left back home is suddenly talking about this other guy . . . Mark Parsons has written a fast-paced, feel-good novel about a boy finding his place in the world, in a band, and in the music. Zach is a character teens will stand up and cheer for as he lands the perfect gig, and the perfect girl. From the Hardcover edition.
The Road to Romance and Ruin: Teen Films and Youth Culture (Routledge Library Editions: Cinema)
by Jon LewisThis book analyses the teen film as the rare medium able to represent the otherwise chaotic and conflicting experience of youth. The author focuses on six major issues: alienation, deviance and delinquency, sex and gender, the politics of consumption, the apolitics of youth(ful) rebellion, and regression into nostalgia. Despite the many differences within the genre, this book sees all teen films as focused on a single social concern: the breakdown of traditional forms of authority – school, church, family. Working with the theories of such diverse scholars as Kenneth Keniston, Bruno Bettelheim, Erik Erikson, Theodor Adorno, Simon Frith, and Dick Hebdige, the author draws an innovative and flexible model of a cultural history of youth. Originally published in 1992.
The Road to Roses: Heartbreak, Hope, and Finding Strength When Life Doesn't Go as Planned
by Desiree Hartsock SiegfriedWhen Desiree Hartsock was offered the opportunity to star on The Bachelorette, she thought she was finally getting the life she always longed for. Yet her reality TV dreams gave way to rough roads of unexpected twists, public scrutiny, and rejection. Now for the first time, Desiree reveals in this rivetingly honest book how she found her resilience and love after all--and you can too. Desiree Hartsock was living paycheck to paycheck and freshly--not to mention painfully--single when she first stepped onto the set of The Bachelor. Then when she was selected to star as The Bachelorette, she thought surely this turn of events promised a second chance. Yet Desiree's debut on the world stage also meant facing the critics, as viewers judged her every word and action. She was devastated when Brooks broke up with her and the entire world observed her humiliation. But what the world didn't see was the comeback journey that followed. The Road to Roses reveals: The emotional journey behind the events that played out on cameraThe mindset changes that kept Desiree open to love and trust even after heartbreak, that ultimately led her to choosing her husbandAnd the off-camera journey of the lessons Desiree learned, like how to always fail forward, stay true to yourself, and trusting that despite the external pressures, God loves us just as we areFor anyone who is looking at the pieces of their lives and losing hope that they can be put back together again, The Road to Roses offers an authentic guide for finding your grit to keep going and make yourself proud no matter what pressures you face. Whether your heart has been broken, your dream has been put on hold, or your character is being put under pressure, following Desiree's journey will give you courage to stay strong in your own.
The Road to You (Wildflower #2)
by Alecia WhitakerBright lights...screaming fans...cute roadies...country music sensation Bird Barrett has officially arrived.Next up on the road to stardom, Bird's heading out on tour. Between opening for one of the biggest acts in country music and meeting a passionate young photographer who's working as part of the backstage crew, the weeks pass by in an exciting blur. It might even be enough to distract Bird from the way things ended--or never quite started--with Adam Dean.When the tour wraps, though, it's back to reality. The label is eager for a new hit song, but the sudden fame, complete with a media-fueled rivalry with another country music starlet, has Bird questioning her priorities. Before she can pour her heart into her music, she'll need to figure out where it truly lies. Filled with sweet country music spirit, Wildflower is a series you just can't get out of your head.
Road Trip to Nowhere: Hollywood Encounters the Counterculture
by Jon LewisHow a new generation of counterculture talent changed the landscape of Hollywood, the film industry, and celebrity culture. By 1967, the commercial and political impact on Hollywood of the sixties counterculture had become impossible to ignore. The studios were in bad shape, still contending with a generation-long box office slump and struggling to get young people into the habit of going to the movies. Road Trip to Nowhere examines a ten-year span (from 1967 to 1976) rife with uneasy encounters between artists caught up in the counterculture and a corporate establishment still clinging to a studio system on the brink of collapse. Out of this tumultuous period many among the young and talented walked away from celebrity, turning down the best job Hollywood—and America—had on offer: movie star. Road Trip to Nowhere elaborates a primary-sourced history of movie production culture, examining the lives of a number of talented actors who got wrapped up in the politics and lifestyles of the counterculture. Thoroughly put off by celebrity culture, actors like Dennis Hopper, Christopher Jones, Jean Seberg, and others rejected the aspirational backstory and inevitable material trappings of success, much to the chagrin of the studios and directors who backed them. In Road Trip to Nowhere, film historian Jon Lewis details dramatic encounters on movie sets and in corporate boardrooms, on the job and on the streets, and in doing so offers an entertaining and rigorous historical account of an out-of-touch Hollywood establishment and the counterculture workforce they would never come to understand.
The Road Years: A Memoir, Continued . . .
by Rick MercerRick Mercer is back—again!—with the eagerly awaited sequel to his bestselling memoirAt the end of his memoir Talking to Canadians, Rick Mercer was poised to make the biggest leap yet in his extraordinary career. Having overcome a serious lack of promise as a schoolboy and risen through the showbiz ranks—as an aspiring actor, star of a surprisingly successful one-man show about the Meech Lake Accord, co-founder of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, creator and star of the dark-comedy sitcom Made in Canada—he was about to tackle his biggest opportunity yet. The Road Years picks up the story at that exciting point, with the greenlighting of what would become Rick Mercer Report. Plans for the show, of course, included political satire and Rick&’s patented rants. But Rick and his partner, Gerald Lunz, were also determined to do something that comedy tends to avoid as too challenging: they would emphasize the positive. Rick would travel from coast to coast to coast in search of everything that&’s best about Canada, especially its people. He found a lot to celebrate, naturally, and was rewarded with a huge audience and a run of 15 seasons. The Road Years tells the inside story of that stupendous success. A time when Rick was heading to another town—or military base, sports centre, national park—to try dogsledding, chainsaw carving, and bear tagging; hang from a harness (a lot); ride the &“Train of Death;&” plus countless other joyous and/or reckless assignments. Added to the mix were encounters with the country&’s great. Every living prime minister. Rock and roll royalty from Rush to Randy Bachman. Olympians and Paralympians. A skinny-dipping Bob Rae. And Jann Arden, of course, who gets a chapter to herself. Along the way he even found the time to visit several countries in Africa and co-found and champion the charity Spread the Net, which has gone on to protect the lives of millions. Join the celebration, and revive a wealth of happy memories, with what is Rick Mercer&’s funniest, most fascinating book yet.
Roadshow, A Landscape With Drums
by Neil Peart"In this unique travelogue, Peart leverages his considerable literary penmanship to describe the joys and rigors of a rock tour as well as his impressions of the politics, social mores, and cultural heterogeneity he encounters across states and nations. As Peart travels for his art, he perfectly describes the art of travel."
The Roaring Silence: A Life
by David RevillComposer John Cage is often described as the most influential musician of the last half-century. He has defined - and continues to define - our whole concept of "avant-garde", not just in music but increasingly as writer and visual artist. "The Roaring Silence" is the first full-length biography of Cage. It documents his life in unrivalled detail, interweaving a close account of the evolution of his work with an exploration of his aesthetic, political and philosophical ideas. David Revil maintains that Cage's extraordinary productivity and versatility are best understood in the light of his inner development. His life, work and ideas have clarified, refined and reinforced one another, and thereby Cage has made himself what he is. While never assuming specialist knowledge, this book discusses all of Cage's works in depth and sets them in the context of his compositional, theoretical and personal development. Also included are the most comprehensive worklist, discography and bibliography available to date, as well as many previously unpublished photographs. The author draws judiciously on extensive library and archive material, and on exclusive interviews and conversations with Cage and many of his friends and associates. The result is a true-to-life and true-to-form appreciation of a genuine original, of interest not only to the serious researcher and the musician but to everyone interested in the cultural influences that have shaped, and are shaping 20th century thought.
The Roaring Silence: John Cage: A Life
by David RevillJohn Cage has been described as the most important composer of our time. He combined classical European training with Eastern spirituality to produce an American amalgam of such vitality and originality that it continues to define what we mean by avant-garde. His influence has touched generations of artists, including Philip Glass, David Byrne, and his longtime collaborator Merce Cunningham. His work and ideas have influenced not only the world of music but also dance, painting, printmaking, video art, and poetry.The Roaring Silence documents his life in unrivaled detail, interweaving a close account of the evolution of his work with an exploration of his aesthetic and philosophical ideas, while placing these in the greater perspective of American life and letters. Paying due attention to Cage's inventions, such as the prepared piano, and his pioneering use of indeterminate notation and chance operations in composition (utilizing the I Ching), David Revill also illuminates Cage the performer, printmaker, watercolorist, expert amateur mycologist, game show celebrity, political anarchist, and social activist.Arnold Schoenberg once called Cage "not a composer, but an inventor--of genius." This revised edition presents never-before-seen correspondence between Cage and other luminaries of his day, as well as new analysis into his legacy. The Roaring Silence celebrates the life and work of this true American original.
Roasting in Hell's Kitchen: Temper Tantrums, F Words, and the Pursuit of Perfection
by Gordon RamsayEveryone thinks they know the real Gordon Ramsay: rude, loud, pathologically driven, stubborn as hellFor the first time, Ramsay tells the full inside story of his life and how he became the world's most famous and infamous chef: his difficult childhood, his brother's heroin addiction, his failed first career as a soccer player, his fanatical pursuit of gastronomic perfection and his TV persona—all of the things that made him the celebrated culinary talent and media powerhouse that he is today. In Roasting in Hell's Kitchen Ramsay talks frankly about his tough and emotional childhood, including his father's alcoholism and violence and their effect on his relationships with his mother and siblings. His rootless upbringing saw him moving from house to house and town to town followed by the authorities and debtors as his father lurched from one failed job to another. He recounts his short-circuited career as a soccer player, when he was signed by Scotland's premier club at the age of fifteen but then, just two years later, dropped out when injury dashed his hopes. Ramsay searched for another vocation and, much to his father's disgust, went into catering, which his father felt was meant for “poofs.”He trained under some of the most famous and talented chefs in Europe, working to exacting standards and under extreme conditions that would sometimes erupt in physical violence. But he thrived, with his exquisite palate, incredible vision and relentless work ethic. Dish by dish, restaurant by restaurant, he gradually built a Michelin-starred empire.A candid, eye-opening look into the extraordinary life and mind of an elite and unique restaurateur and chef, Roasting in Hell's Kitchen will change your perception not only of Gordon Ramsay but of the world of cuisine.
Rob Delaney: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage.
by Rob DelaneyWho is that hairy guy in the green Speedo? Rob Delaney is a father, a husband, a comedian, a writer. He is the author of an endless stream of beautiful, insane jokes on Twitter. He is sober. He is sometimes brave. He speaks French. He loves women with abundant pubic hair and saggy naturals. He has bungee jumped off of the Manhattan Bridge. He enjoys antagonizing political figures. He listens to metal while he works out. He likes to fart. He broke into an abandoned mental hospital with his mother. He played Sir Lancelot in Camelot. He has battled depression. He is funny as s***. He cleans up well. He is friends with Margaret Atwood. He is lucky to be alive. Read these hilarious and heartbreaking true stories and learn how Rob came to be the man he is today.Praise for Rob Delaney "A book as funny, sincere, weird, wet, and wonderful as Rob Delaney himself."--Jimmy Kimmel "Rob Delaney has done it again! Actually, this is his first book, so he has not 'done it again.' Actually, this book is so good, I doubt he will be able to do it again. He's peaked."--Judd Apatow"Rob's transition from tweets to book is like a gold medal sprinter winning the marathon the next day. I am jealous and angry."--Seth Meyers"WARNING: This book may cause involuntary seepage. Some funny, funny, funny, funny s*** from the most dangerous man on Twitter. The fact that he's just as funny in long form makes me want to vomit with envy."--Anthony Bourdain"All it takes to be as funny as Rob Delaney is luck, good timing, deep compassion, reckless imaginative agility, a flawless grasp of the inner workings of language, and criminally vast quantities of mojo. What a jerk."--Teju Cole, author of Open CityFrom the Hardcover edition.
Rob Delaney: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage.
by Rob DelaneyRob Delaney is a father, a husband, a comedian, a writer. He is the author of an endless stream of beautiful, insane jokes on Twitter. He is sober. He is sometimes brave. He speaks French. He has bungee-jumped off the Manhattan Bridge. He enjoys antagonizing political figures, powerful retailers and the Kardashians. He listens to metal while he works out. He broke into an abandoned mental hospital with his mother. He played Sir Lancelot in Camelot. He has battled depression. He is funny as s***. He cleans up well. He and Margaret Atwood have a thing going on Twitter. He is lucky to be alive.
Rob Delaney: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage.
by Rob DelaneyRob Delaney is a father, a husband, a comedian, a writer. He is the author of an endless stream of beautiful, insane jokes on Twitter. He is sober. He is sometimes brave. He speaks French. He has bungee-jumped off the Manhattan Bridge. He enjoys antagonizing political figures, powerful retailers and the Kardashians. He listens to metal while he works out. He broke into an abandoned mental hospital with his mother. He played Sir Lancelot in Camelot. He has battled depression. He is funny as s***. He cleans up well. He and Margaret Atwood have a thing going on Twitter. He is lucky to be alive.
Robbie
by Sean SmithRobert Peter Williams was a sixteen-year-old selling double glazing when he auditioned for a new boy band which became Take That. Twenty years later he is one of the most popular entertainers Britain has ever produced: he has recorded eight number one albums in the UK and he sold 1. 6 million tickets for his 2006 world tour in a day. The most successful artist in the history of The Brits, Robbie was given a Lifetime Achievement Award one day before his 36th birthday in 2010. The UK's leading celebrity biographer Sean Smith has followed Robbie's remarkable journey from the unpromising streets of Stoke-on-Trent to the millionaire's playground of Beverley Hills and discovered a vulnerable, funny, gifted and deeply complex man. Using new research and interviews, Sean Smith reveals there is far more to being Rob than just being Robbie Williams, superstar. Robbie's roller coaster story will astonish you. Sean Smith's heart-warming account of his life is the unmissable show business book of the year.
Robert Altman: The Oral Biography
by Mitchell ZuckoffThe late Robert Altman--visionary director, hard-partying hedonist, eccentric family man, Hollywood legend--comes roaring to life in this rollicking cinematic biography, told in a chorus of voices that can only be called Altmanesque.
Robert De Niro at Work: From Screenplay to Screen Performance (Palgrave Studies in Screenwriting)
by Adam Ganz Steven PriceRobert De Niro and the Working Screenplay is the first critical study to examine how Robert de Niro, perhaps the finest screen actor of his generation, works with screenplays to imagine, prepare and denote his performance. In categorising the various ways in which De Niro works with a screenplay, this book will re-examine the relationship between actor and text. This book considers the screenplay as above all a working document and a material object, present at every stage of the filmmaking process. The working screenplay goes through various iterations in development and exists in many versions on set, each adapted and personalised for the specific use of the individual and their role. As the archive reveals, nobody works more closely with the script than the actor, and no actor works more on a script than De Niro.
Robert Redford: The Biography
by Michael Feeney CallanThe long-anticipated biography of Robert Redford.Among the most widely admired Hollywood stars of his generation, Redford has appeared onstage and on-screen, in front of and behind the camera, earning Academy, Golden Globe, and a multitude of other awards and nominations for acting, directing, and producing, and for his contributions to the arts. His Sundance Film Festival transformed the world of filmmaking; his films defined a generation. America has come to know him as the Sundance Kid, Bob Woodward, Johnny Hooker, Jay Gatsby, and Roy Hobbs. But only now, with this revelatory biography, do we see the surprising and complex man beneath the Hollywood façade.From Redford's personal papers--journals, script notes, correspondence--and hundreds of hours of taped interviews, Michael Feeney Callan brings the legendary star into focus. Here is his scattered family background and restless childhood, his rocky start in acting, the death of his son, his star-making relationship with director Sydney Pollack, the creation of Sundance, his political activism, his artistic successes and failures, his friendships and romances. This is a candid, surprising portrait of a man whose iconic roles on-screen (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Natural) and directorial brilliance (Ordinary People, Quiz Show) have both defined and obscured one of the most celebrated, and, until now, least understood, public figures of our time.From the Hardcover edition.
Robert Taylor: Male Beauty, Masculinity, and Stardom in Hollywood
by Gillian KellyBecause of his lengthy screen resume that includes almost eighty appearances in such movies as Camille and Waterloo Bridge, as well as a marriage and divorce to actress Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Taylor was a central figure of Hollywood’s classical era. Despite this, he can be regarded as a “lost” star, an interesting contradiction given the continued success he enjoyed during his lifetime. In Robert Taylor: Male Beauty, Masculinity, and Stardom in Hollywood, author Gillian Kelly investigates the initial construction and subsequent developments of Taylor's star persona across his thirty-five-year career. By examining concepts of male beauty, men as object of the erotic gaze, white American masculinity, and the unusual longevity of a career initially based on looks, Kelly highlights how gender, masculinity, and male stars and the ageing process affected Taylor's career. Placing Taylor within the histories of both Hollywood’s classical era and mid-twentieth-century America, this study positions him firmly within the wider industrial, cultural, and socioeconomic contexts in which he worked. Kelly examines Taylor’s film and television work as well as ephemeral material, such as fan magazines, to assess how his on- and off-screen personas were created and developed over time. Taking a mostly chronological approach, Kelly places Taylor’s persona within specific historical moments in order to show the complex paradox of his image remaining consistently recognizable while also shifting seamlessly within the Hollywood industry. Furthermore, she explores Taylor’s importance to Hollywood cinema by demonstrating how a star persona like his can “fit” so well, and for so long, that it almost becomes invisible and, eventually, almost forgotten.