|
Miss Trunchbull
Agatha Trunchbull, also known as Miss Trunchbull or simply The Trunchbull, the fictional headmistress of Crunchem Hall Primary School (or Elementary School), is the main antagonist in Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel ''Matilda'' and its spinoffs: the 1996 film ''Matilda'' (played by Pam Ferris), the 2011 musical ''Matilda'' (played by Bertie Carvel) and the 2022 film '' Matilda the Musical'' (played by Emma Thompson). She is said to look "more like a rather eccentric and bloodthirsty follower of the stag-hounds than the headmistress of a nice school for children". Miss Trunchbull is depicted as an unwholesome role model, a fierce tyrannical monster who "frightened the life out of pupils and teachers alike", notorious for her cruel and wildly idiosyncratic discipline: trivial misdeeds (including simply wearing pigtails) incurring punishments up to potentially-fatal physical discipline. Fictional character biography Miss Trunchbull's contempt for children is so great that she denies ever ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pam Ferris
Pamela Ferris (born 11 May 1948) is a Welsh actress. She has starred in numerous British television series, including ''Connie'' (1985), '' The Darling Buds of May'' (1991–1993), '' Where the Heart Is'' (1997–2000), ''Rosemary & Thyme'' (2003–2006), and ''Call the Midwife'' (2012–2016). For her role as Peggy Snow in ''Where the Heart Is'' she was nominated three times for Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards. In film, Ferris played Miss Agatha Trunchbull in ''Matilda'' (1996), Aunt Marge in ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' (2004), Miriam in '' Children of Men'' (2006), Mrs. Bevan in ''Nativity!'' (2009), voiced Mrs. Bennett / Aunty Betty in '' Ethel & Ernest'' (2016) and played Mrs. Faulkner in ''Tolkien'' (2019). In theatre, her performance as Phoebe Rice in '' The Entertainer'' at The Old Vic in London saw her nominated for the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role. Early life Ferris was born on 11 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghost
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to realistic, lifelike forms. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known as necromancy, or in spiritism as a ''séance''. Other terms associated with it are apparition, haunt, phantom, poltergeist, shade, specter or spectre, spirit, spook, wraith, demon, and ghoul. The belief in the existence of an afterlife, as well as manifestations of the spirits of the dead, is widespread, dating back to animism or ancestor worship in pre-literate cultures. Certain religious practices—funeral rites, exorcisms, and some practices of spiritualism and ritual magic—are specifically designed to rest the spirits of the dead. Ghosts are generally described as solitary, human-like essences, though stories of ghostly armies and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Sieber
Christopher Luverne Sieber (born February 18, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles Kevin Burke in ''Two of a Kind (American TV series)'' and Agatha Trunchbull in ''Matilda the Musical''. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Sir Dennis Galahad in ''Spamalot'', and Lord Farquaad in ''Shrek the Musical'', Early life Sieber was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Fred and Caron Sieber. He is the middle child of three. Mike, his older brother, was a swimmer, and his younger brother, Marc, was in drama alongside him. He is a 1988 graduate of Forest Lake Area High School in Forest Lake, Minnesota, and was inducted into the Forest Lake Schools Hall of Fame in June 2011. After graduating, Sieber went to New York City to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Career Stage Sieber made his off-Broadway debut in a production of the musical '' A Christmas Carol'' in 1994. Sieber has appeared in seve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shrek The Musical
''Shrek The Musical'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film ''Shrek'', along with elements of its sequels: ''Shrek 2'', ''Shrek Forever After'' and William Steig's 1990 book ''Shrek!''. After a trial run in Seattle, the original Broadway production opened in December 2008 and closed after a run of over 12 months in January 2010. It was followed by a tour of the United States which opened in 2010, and a re-vamped West End production from June 2011 to February 2013. A high definition filming of the Broadway production, shot by RadicalMedia, was released on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download on October 15, 2013 in North America and December 2, 2013 in the United Kingdom. The digital version of the film was made available on Netflix beginning in December 2013. History Development Lindsay-Abaire and Jason Moore (director) began working on the show in 2002, with Tesori joining the team ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Two Of A Kind (American TV Series)
''Two of a Kind'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC as part of the network's TGIF line-up, starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in their first television series since ''Full House'' ended in 1995. The show aired from September 25, 1998 to July 9, 1999. The series was produced by Griffard/Adler Productions, Dualstar Productions, and Miller-Boyett-Warren Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. It was the last series to be produced by Miller-Boyett Productions prior to the company's initial shutdown in 1999. Premise Kevin Burke (Christopher Sieber) is a college professor and widower father living in Chicago, Illinois, who believes there is a scientific explanation for everything except how to control his scheming 11, then 12-year-old daughters. Mary-Kate and Ashley Burke (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) are twin sisters, who are complete opposites; Mary-Kate is a tomboy whose biggest interest is perfecting her jumpshot and curveball and whose worst subject in s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC Online
BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, the children's sites CBBC (TV channel), CBBC and CBeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize and BBC Own It, Own It. The BBC has had an online presence supporting its TV and radio programmes and web-only initiatives since April 1994, but did not launch officially until 28 April 1997, following government approval to fund it by Television licensing in the United Kingdom, TV licence fee revenue as a service in its own right. Throughout its history, the online plans of the BBC have been subject to competition and complaint from its commercial rivals, which has resulted in various public consultations and government reviews to investigate their claims that its large presence and public funding distorts the UK market. The website has gone t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC News Online
BBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. It is one of the most popular news websites, with 1.2 billion website visits in April 2021, as well as being used by 60% of the UK's internet users for news. The website contains international news coverage, as well as British, entertainment, science, and political news. Many reports are accompanied by audio and video from the BBC's television and radio news services, while the latest TV and radio bulletins are also available to view or listen to on the site together with other current affairs programmes. BBC News Online is closely linked to its sister department website, that of BBC Sport. Both sites follow similar layout and content options and respective journalists work alongside each other. Location information provided by users is also shared with the website of BBC Weather to provide local content. From 1998 to 2001 the site was named best news website at t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Faina Melnik
Faina Grigorievna Melnik (russian: Фаина Григорьевна Велева-Мельник, uk, Фаїна Григорівна Мельник (''Faina Hryhorivna Melnyk''); 9 June 1945 – 16 December 2016) was a Soviet discus thrower, a 1972 Summer Olympics champion in the discus event. During her career she set 11 world records. Career Melnik was Jewish, and was born in Bakota, Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine. At the 1972 Summer Olympics, she broke the Olympic record three times, and set a world record at 66.62 metres. She had already broken the world record, at the 1971 European Athletics Championships, representing the then Soviet Union. In 1976 she had her best ever discus throw of 70.50 m, but finished only fourth at the 1976 Summer Olympics. At those Olympics she also competed in the shot put and finished tenth. She failed to reach the final in the discus event at the 1980 Games. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online news coverage. The service maintains 50 foreign news bureaus with more than 250 correspondents around the world. Deborah Turness has been the CEO of news and current affairs since September 2022. In 2019, it was reported in an Ofcom report that the BBC spent £136m on news during the period April 2018 to March 2019. BBC News' domestic, global and online news divisions are housed within the largest live newsroom in Europe, in Broadcasting House in central London. Parliamentary coverage is produced and broadcast from studios in London. Through BBC English Regions, the BBC also has regional centres across England and national news c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newt
A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aquatic salamanders are considered newts, however. More than 100 known species of newts are found in North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental life stages: aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile (eft), and adult. Adult newts have lizard-like bodies and return to the water every year to breed, otherwise living in humid, cover-rich land habitats. Newts are threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation and pollution. Several species are endangered, and at least one species, the Yunnan lake newt, has become extinct recently. Etymology The Old English name of the animal was , (of unknown origin), resulting in Middle English ; this word was transformed irregularly into , , or . The initial "n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gobstopper
Gobstoppers, also known as jawbreakers in the United States, are a type of hard candy. They are usually round, and usually range from across; though gobstoppers can be up to in diameter. The term ''gobstopper'' derives from "gob", which is slang in the United Kingdom and Ireland for mouth. The sweet was a favourite among British schoolboys in the first half of the twentieth century—author Roald Dahl, who wrote about a jar of gobstoppers featuring in the prank he played in his local sweet shop in 1924, also referred to them in his fictional Everlasting Gobstopper which was featured in his 1964 children's novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''. Gobstoppers usually consist of a number of layers, each layer dissolving to reveal a differently coloured (and sometimes differently flavoured) layer, before dissolving completely. Gobstoppers are too hard to bite without risking dental damage (hence the name "jawbreaker"). Gobstoppers have been sold in traditional sweet shops fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
11 High Street, Llandaff
11 High Street, also known as 'Mrs Pratchett's' sweet shop, is a two-storey residential building in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. The owner, Mrs Han Lau, had turned it into a Chinese restaurant around 2009, calling it The Great Wall. Mrs Lau later converted it into the present day holiday let. The building is not a listed building, unlike others in High Street, such as St Andrew, St Cross, 6 High Street and 19 High Street. The building is best known for where the ''The Great Mouse Plot of 1923'' occurred, where Roald Dahl and four other school-boys played a prank on the sweet shop owner, by putting a dead mouse in a gobstopper jar. At the time of the prank the shop was owned by Catherine Morgan, although in his book '' Boy: Tales of Childhood'' her pseudonym is Mrs Pratchett, and the shop was 'Mrs Pratchett's sweet shop'. The sweet shop inspired Dahl's stories such as ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'', ''The Twits'' and ''Matilda''. In September 2009 a blue plaque was unveiled ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.svg "Click for more on -> BBC News Online")
