Onward

Onward

Onward is a 2020 American computer-animated urban fantasy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film is directed by Dan Scanlon, produced by Kori Rae from a screenplay written by Scanlon, Jason Headley and Keith Bunin, and stars the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Octavia Spencer. Set in a suburban fantasy world, the film follows two elf brothers who set out on a quest to find a spell that will bring back their deceased father.[5]

It was released in the United States on March 6, 2020.

Plot

In a world inhabited by mythical creatures, magic is commonplace and its wielders are greatly respected. However, due to the difficulty of mastering it as well as technological advances over the years, the use of magic eventually becomes all but extinct.

In a time equivalent to the modern day in the town of New Mushroomton live two teenage elves: Iandore "Ian" Lightfoot, lacking in self-confidence for want of a father figure, and Barley Lightfoot, Ian's older brother and a passionate role-playing and historical fanatic who longs to go on a proper adventure.

On Ian's sixteenth birthday, he and Barley receive a gift from their father Wilden who died of a severe illness shortly before Ian's birth: a magical staff, alongside a letter, a rare phoenix gem, and a guide to a "visitation spell" that can resurrect Wilden for a single day. Barley attempts to incant the spell to no avail, but Ian succeeds in doing so later that night. Due to Barley's interference, the spell is interrupted and only the lower half of Wilden's body is physically reformed. Resolving to fix their mistake, the brothers leave on a quest to acquire another phoenix gem in order to reattempt the spell. Their mother Laurel finds the boys gone soon after and leaves to find them.

Ian and Barley's first stop is the Manticore's Tavern, named for and run by a fearless adventurer who possesses a map to a phoenix gem. The tavern has become a mundane family restaurant and the Manticore Corey is its uptight manager. In an argument with the boys over the map, Corey realizes what she's become and drives the customers out accidentally setting fire to the premises — and the map — in the process leaving the brothers with one clue on a kids' menu: Raven's Point.

Laurel later arrives at the scene and befriends Corey who becomes tamed. Corey warns the mother that the brothers' journey may lead to the awakening of a vicious beast, and that a special broadsword is needed.

Laurel and Corey head to a shop where the broadsword is stored. The storeowner Greckle is selling the sword for such a sum that Laurel can't afford. Although the mother states that it's an emergency, Greckle remains the same. Corey disables Greckle with her tail, before they take away the sword.

Ian and Barley head to a mountainous area and follow the directions pointed by the beaks of the bird statues which lead to an underground river. For several minutes, riding in the river is smooth until they are met by dangers like arrows and flooding.

After surviving the troubles in the underground river, Ian and Barley reach the surface which, to their surprise, is their hometown. Thinking that the journey is a wild goose chase, Ian vents frustration at Barley before walking away with their father. Barley, nontheless carries on in the mission before coming across an old fountain. Barley places a flower-shaped rock, which they found along the way, onto a hole in the fountain which fit perfectly. To the older brother's amazement, the gem they are looking for unravels which he takes causing a nearby dragon sculpture to come to life, which then starts wreaking havoc. Ian tries to fend off the sculpture with the staff, but the dragon is too strong.

Help, however, comes for the brothers when Laurel comes flying with Corey, and wielding the broadsword. After the mother and Ian impaled the sculpture twice, it explodes and is completely subdued. When the dust clears, Ian is trapped in rubble, but is able to see their father standing next to Barley yards away. Ian uses his magic to finally complete their father's body. Barley and the father have a brief chat. Barley and the father hug each other before the father fades into thin air. Although he never gets to meet his father face to face, Ian is contented that they get to be with him in the journey.

Voice cast

Tom Holland as Ian Lightfoot,[6][7] a teenaged elf who is Barley's brother and Laurel and Wilden's son.

Chris Pratt as Barley Lightfoot,[6][7] Ian's brother, and Laurel and Wilden's son who longs for a magical quest.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Laurel Lightfoot,[6][7][8] the widowed mother of Ian and Barley.

Octavia Spencer as Corey, a manticore restaurant owner who Ian and Barley go to for help on their quest.

Mel Rodriguez as Colt Bronco, a centaur police officer and Laurel's new boyfriend.[9]

Kyle Bornheimer as Wilden Lightfoot, Ian and Barley's late father and Laurel's late husband.[10]

Lena Waithe as Specter, a cyclops police officer.[9][11][12]

Ali Wong as Gore, a faun police officer.[9]

Grey Griffin as Dewdrop, a pixie and the leader of the Pixie Dusters biker gang.

Tracey Ullman as Grecklin, a pawn shop owner.[10]

Wilmer Valderrama as Gaxton, a college friend of Wilden.[10]

George Psarras as Avel, a cop.[10]

John Ratzenberger as Construction Worker Felix, a construction worker.[10]

Dave Foley[10]

Production

Development

In July 2017, Pixar announced a "suburban fantasy world" film at the D23 Expo, with Scanlon directing and Rae producing.[5] The film's inspired by Scanlon's father's death when Scanlon and his brother were younger, and their relationship. He decided to write the story after hearing an audio clip of his father.[13] On December 12, 2018, the title was revealed.[14] In 2019, Headley and Bunin were hired to rewrite the screenplay.

Casting

On December 12, 2018, Holland, Pratt, Louis-Dreyfus and Spencer were announced as starring in the film.[15] While having recorded most of their lines separately, Holland and Pratt did some of their recording sessions together since, according to Scanlon, "they've worked together before and hung out together".[16] According to Rae, Holland and Pratt improvised some of their lines while recording together.[17] On December 17, 2019, Wong, Waithe and Rodriguez joined the cast of the film.[9] On February 18, 2020, Valderrama, Ullman, Bornheimer, Foley, Psarras and Ratzenberger were revealed to have been cast on the film

نوتينغهام فورست

نوتينغهام فورست (بالإنجليزية: .Nottingham Forest F.C) هو نادي كرة قدم إنجليزي يلعب في الدوري الإنجليزي الدرجة الأولى، تأسس عام 1865، و يقع ملعب الفريق في مدينة نوتنغهام. و قد حصل الفريق على دوري أبطال أوروبا مرتين، في عام 1979 و1980. يلعب مبارياته رسمية على ملعبه سيتي غراوند الذي افتتخ في 1898، و يتسع ل 30,576 متفرج
سيتي غراوند (بالإنجليزية:City Ground) هو ملعب كرة قدم في نوتينغهام بمقاطعة نوتنغهامشير بإنجلترا، ويطل على نهر الترينت. أنشأ الملعب في عام 1898 بتكلفة بلغت 5 آلاف مليون جنيه إسترليني بذلك الوقت، وهو الملعب الرسمي لنادي نوتينغهام فورست منذ افتتاحه في عام 1898، يتسع الملعب إلى 30576 متفرج. مما يجعله في المركز الرابع و العشرين من قائمة أكبر الملاعب كرة قدم في إنجلترا.

الإنجازات
محلياً
الدوري الإنجليزي الدرجة الأولى:
الفائز (مرة): 1977–78.
الوصيف (مرتين): 1966–67، 1978–79.
دوري الدرجة الثانية الإنجليزي:
الفائز (3 مرات): 1906–07، 1921–22، 1997–98.
الوصيف (مرتين): 1956–57، 1993–94.
دوري الدرجة الثالثة:
الفائز (مرة): 1950–51.
الوصيف (مرة): 2007–08.
كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي لكرة القدم:
الفائز (مرتين): 1898، 1959.
الوصيف (مرة): 1991.
كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية المحترفة:
الفائز (4 مرات): 1978، 1979، 1989، 1990.
الوصيف (مرتين): 1980، 1992.
درع الاتحاد الإنجليزي لكرة القدم:
الفائز (مرة): 1978.
الوصيف (مرة): 1959.
بطولة ويمبلي الدولية:
الفائز (مرة واحدة): 1988
أوروبا أوروبياً
دوري أبطال أوروبا:
الفائز (مرتين): 1979، 1980.
كأس السوبر الأوروبي:
الفائز (مرة): 1979.
الوصيف (مرة): 1980.
كأس الإنتركونتيننتال:
الوصيف (مرة): 1980.

Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest Football Club, often referred to as Forest, is a professional football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Founded in 1865, Forest are now considered the oldest football league club in England after the relegation of Notts County to the National League in 2019.[3] Since 1898 Forest have played their home matches at the City Ground. They currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.

Forest have won one League title, two FA Cups, four League Cups, one FA Charity Shield, two European Cups, and one UEFA Super Cup. The club has competed in the top two tiers of English football since their admission to the Football League, except for five seasons spent in the third tier. Their most successful period was under the management of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

In Clough's last decade at the club, Forest won the 1989 and 1990 League Cups and were losing finalists in the 1991 FA Cup Final, before relegation from the Premier League in 1993. Upon an immediate return Forest finished third in the Premier League in 1995, before the club suffered relegation again in 1997 and, after a brief return, once more in 1999. Forest have not been back in the Premier League since.

Forest contest the Nottingham derby with city rivals Notts County, however as Forest have predominantly played in higher leagues than their neighbours fixtures between the two clubs have been rare in recent history. As such their main rivalry is with Derby County, and matches between the two clubs are known as the East Midlands derby.

19th century

In 1865 a group of shinty players met at the Clinton Arms on Nottingham's Shakespeare Street. J. S. Scrimshaw's proposal to play association football instead was agreed and Nottingham Forest Football Club was formed. It was agreed at the same meeting that the club would purchase twelve tasselled caps coloured 'Garibaldi Red' (named after the leader of the Italian 'Redshirts' fighters). Thus the club's official colours were established. Forest's first ever official game was played against Notts County taking place on 22 March 1866.[4]

In their early years Forest were a multi-sports club. As well as their roots in bandy and shinty, Forest's baseball club were British champions in 1899.[5] Forest's charitable approach helped clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion to form. In 1886, Forest donated a set of football kits to help Arsenal establish themselves – the North London team still wear red. Forest also donated shirts to Everton and helped secure a site to play on for Brighton.

In 1878–79 season Forest entered the FA Cup for the first time. Forest beat Notts County 3–1 in the first round at Beeston Cricket Ground before eventually losing 2–1 to Old Etonians in the semi-final.[4]

Forest's application was rejected to join the Football League at its formation in 1888.[4] Forest instead joined the Football Alliance in 1889.

They won the competition in 1892 before then entering the Football League.[4] That season they reached and lost in an FA Cup semi-final for the fourth time to date. This time it was to West Bromwich Albion after a replay.

Forest's first FA Cup semi-final win was at the fifth attempt, the 1897–98 FA Cup 2–0 replay win against Southampton. The first game was drawn 1–1. Derby County beat Forest 5–0 five days before the final. Six of the cup final side were rested in that league game.[4] In that 1898 FA Cup Final at Crystal Palace before 62,000 fans, Willie Wragg passed a 19th minute free kick to Arthur Capes. Capes shot through the defensive wall to score. Derby equalised with a free kick headed home by Steve Bloomer off the underside of the cross bar after 31 minutes. In the 42nd minute Jack Fryer was unable to hold a Charlie Richards shot giving Capes a tap in for his second goal. Wragg's injury meant Forest had to change their line up with Capes dropping back to midfield. In the 86th minute John Boag headed away a corner by Forest. John McPherson moved in to collect shooting low into the goal to win 3–1.[6]

First half of 20th century

Forest lost FA Cup semi-finals in 1900 and 1902. They finished fourth in the 1900–01 Football League followed with fifth place the season after. The club then started to slide down the table. Forest were relegated for the first time in 1905–06. Grenville Morris had his first of five seasons as the club's highest scorer en route to becoming the all-time club highest goalscorer with 213 goals.

Promotion as champions was immediate in 1906–07. They were relegated a second time to the Second Division in 1911 and had to seek re-election in 1914 after finishing bottom of that tier. As World War One approached they were in serious financial trouble. The outbreak of The Great War along with the benevolence of the committee members mitigated the club going under.[4]

In 1919, the Football League First Division was to be expanded from twenty clubs to twenty-two in time for the 1919–20 Football League: Forest were one of eight clubs to campaign for entry but received only three votes. Arsenal and Chelsea gained the two additional top tier slots.[7]

In a turnaround from the first six seasons struggling back in the Second Division, Forest were promoted as champions in 1921–22. They survived each of the first two seasons back in the top flight by one position. In the third season after promotion they were relegated as the division's bottom club in 1924–25. They remained in the second tier until relegation in 1949 to the Football League Third Division.

Re-emergence then decline (1950–74)

They were quickly promoted back two years later as champions having scored a record 110 goals in the 1950–51 season. They regained First Division status in 1957.[4]

Johnny Quigley's solitary 1958–59 FA Cup semi-final goal beat Aston Villa. Billy Walker's Forest beat Luton Town 2–1 in the 1959 FA Cup Final. Like in 1898 Forest had lost heavily to their opponents only weeks earlier in the league.[4] Stewart Imlach crossed for a 10th-minute opener by Roy Dwight (the cousin of Reg Dwight better known as Elton John). Tommy Wilson had Forest 2–0 up after 14 minutes. The game had an unusually large number of stoppages due to injury, particularly to Forest players. This was put down to the lush nature of the Wembley turf. The most notable of these stoppages was Dwight breaking his leg in a 33rd minute tackle with Brendan McNally. Forest had been on top until that point. Luton though gradually took control of the match with Dave Pacey scoring midway through the second half. Forest were reduced to nine fit men with ten minutes remaining when Bill Whare crippled with cramp became little more than a spectator. Despite late Allan Brown and Billy Bingham chances Chick Thomson conceded no further goals for Forest to beat the Wembley 1950s 'hoodoo' (where one team was hampered by losing a player through injury).[8] Club record appearance holder Bobby McKinlay played in the final winning team captained by Jack Burkitt.

By this time Forest had replaced Notts County as the biggest club in Nottingham. Johnny Carey assembled a team including Joe Baker and Ian Storey-Moore that for a long spell went largely unchanged in challenging for the 1966–67 Football League title. They beat title rivals Manchester United 4–1 at the City Ground on 1 October.[9] The 3–0 win against Aston Villa on 15 April had Forest second in the table a point behind United.[10] Injuries eventually took effect meaning Forest had to settle for being League Runners-up and losing in the FA Cup semi-final to Dave Mackay's Tottenham Hotspur.[4]

The 1966/67 season's success seemed an opportunity to build upon with crowds of 40,000 virtually guaranteed at the time. Instead a mixture at the club of poor football management, the unique committee structure and proud amateurism meant decline after the 66/67 peak. Despite Peter Cormack being in the team Forest were relegated from the top flight in 1972. Matt Gillies' October 1972 managerial departure was followed by short managerial reigns by Dave Mackay and Allan Brown.[4] A 0–2 Boxing Day home defeat by Notts County prompted the committee (Forest had no board of directors then) to sack Brown.

Brian Clough and Peter Taylor (1975–82)

Brian Clough became manager of Nottingham Forest on 6 January 1975 twelve weeks after the end of his 44-day tenure as manager of Leeds United.[11] Clough brought Jimmy Gordon to be his club trainer as Gordon had been for him at Derby County and Leeds United.[12] Scottish centre-forward Neil Martin scored the only goal beating Tottenham Hotspur in Clough's FA Cup third round replay first game in charge.[13]

Ian Bowyer was already at Forest and had won domestic and European trophies with Manchester City. Clough signed Scots duo John McGovern and John O'Hare in February who both were part of Clough's Derby County 1971–72 Football League title win. He signed Colin Barrett in March initially on loan. Clough brought John Robertson and Martin O'Neill back into the fold after they had requested transfers under Brown.[4] Viv Anderson had previously debuted for the first team and became a regular under Clough.[14] The young Tony Woodcock was at Forest but was then unrated by Clough and was to be loaned to Lincoln City.[15] Forest were 13th in English football's second tier when Clough joined. They finished that season 16th. Forest signed Frank Clark in July of that close season on a free transfer.[16] The season after Forest finished eighth in Clough's 1975–76 Football League first full season in charge.[11] It was in this season McGovern became long standing club captain taking over from a game in which Bob 'Sammy' Chapman and Liam O'Kane were both injured.[17]

Peter Taylor on 16 July 1976 rejoined Clough becoming his Assistant Manager as he had been when winning the league at Derby.[11] Taylor included being the club's talent spotter in his role. After assessing the players Taylor told Clough "that was a feat by you to finish eighth in the Second Division because some of them are only Third Division players".[18] Taylor berated John Robertson for allowing himself to become overweight and disillusioned. He got Robertson on a diet and training regime that would help him become a European Cup winner.[19] Taylor turned Woodcock from a reserve midfielder into a 42 cap England striker.[20] In September 1976 he bought striker Peter Withe to Forest for £43,000, selling him to Newcastle United for £250,000 two years later.[21] Withe was replaced in the starting team by Garry Birtles who Taylor had scouted playing for non-league Long Eaton United. Birtles also went on to represent England.[22] In October 1976 Brian Clough acting on Peter Taylor's advice signed Larry Lloyd for £60,000 after an initial loan period.

Together Clough and Taylor took Forest to new heights. The first trophy of the Clough and Taylor reign was the 1976–77 Anglo-Scottish Cup. Forest beat Orient 5–1 on aggregate in the two-legged final played in December 1976.[11] Clough valued winning a derided trophy as the club's first silverware since 1959. He said, "Those who said it was a nothing trophy were absolutely crackers. We'd won something, and it made all the difference."[23]

On 7 May 1977, Alan Moore's own goal meant Forest in their last league game of the season beat Millwall 1–0 at the City Ground.[24] This kept Forest in the third promotion spot in the league table and dependent on Bolton Wanderers dropping points in three games in hand in the fight for third place.[25] On 14 May Kenny Hibbitt's goal from his rehearsed free kick routine with Willie Carr gave Wolves a 1–0 win at Bolton.[17][26] Bolton's defeat reached the Forest team mid-air en route to an end of season break in Mallorca.[17] Forest's third place promotion from the 1976–77 Football League Second Division was the fifth-lowest points tally of any promoted team in history, 52[4][11] (two points for a win in England until 1981).

Taylor secretly followed Kenny Burns concluding Burns's reputation as a hard drinker and gambler was exaggerated. Taylor sanctioned his £150,000 July signing. Burns become FWA Footballer of the Year in 1977–78 after being moved from centre-forward to centre-back.[27][28] Forest started their return to the top league campaign with a 3–1 win at Everton. Three further wins in league and cup followed without conceding a goal. Then came five early September goals conceded in losing 3–0 at Arsenal and beating Wolves 3–2 at home.[29] Peter Shilton then signed for a record fee for a goalkeeper of £325,000. Taylor reasoned: "Shilton wins you matches."[30] 20-year-old John Middleton was first team goalkeeper pre-Shilton. Middleton later in the month went in part exchange with £25,000 to Derby County for Archie Gemmill transferring to Forest.[31] Gemmill was another Scottish former 1972 Derby title winner.[27][32]

Forest lost only three of their first 16 league games the last of which was at Leeds United on 19 November 1977. They lost only one further game all season, the 11 March FA Cup sixth round defeat at West Bromwich Albion.[29] Forest won the 1977–78 Football League seven-points ahead of runners-up Liverpool. Forest became one of the few teams (and the most recent team to date) to win the First Division title the season after winning promotion from the Second Division.[nb 1][33][34] This made Clough the third of four managers to win the English league championship with two different clubs.[nb 2] Forest conceded just 24 goals in 42 league games.[30] They beat Liverpool 1–0 in the 1978 Football League Cup Final replay despite cup-tied Shilton, Gemmill and December signing David Needham missing out.[35] Chris Woods chalked up two clean sheets in the final covering Shilton's League Cup absence. McGovern missed the replay through injury, meaning Burns lifted the trophy as deputising captain. Robertson's penalty was the only goal of the game.[23][36]

Forest started season 1978–79 by beating Ipswich Town 5–0 for an FA Charity Shield record winning margin.[11] In the 1978–79 European Cup they were drawn to play the trophy winners of the past two seasons, Liverpool. Home goals by Birtles and Barrett put Forest through 2–0 on aggregate.[37] 26-year-old Barrett suffered a serious leg injury ten days later against Middlesbrough that ultimately ended his professional career two years later. On 9 December 1978, Liverpool ended Forest's 42 match unbeaten league run dating back to November the year before.[11] The unbeaten run was the equivalent of a whole season surpassing the previous record of 35 games held by Burnley in 1920/21.[38] The record stood until surpassed by Arsenal in August 2004, a month before Clough's death. Arsenal played 49 league games without defeat.[39]

In February 1979, Taylor authorised the English game's first £1 million transfer signing Trevor Francis from Birmingham City.[40] In the European Cup semi-final first leg at home against 1. FC Köln, Forest were two goals behind after 20 minutes, then scored three to edge ahead before Köln equalised to start the German second leg ahead on the away goals rule. Ian Bowyer's goal in Germany put Forest through. Günter Netzer asked afterwards, "Who is this McGovern? I have never heard of him, yet he ran the game." Forest beat Malmö 1–0 in Munich's Olympiastadion in the 1979 European Cup Final; Francis, on his European debut, scored with a back post header from Robertson's cross. Forest beat Southampton in the final 3–2 to retain the League Cup; Birtles scored twice as did Woodcock once. Forest finished second in the 1978–79 Football League, eight points behind Liverpool

Forest declined to play in the home and away 1979 Intercontinental Cup against Paraguay's Club Olimpia. Forest beat F.C. Barcelona 2–1 on aggregate in the 1979 European Super Cup in January and February 1980, Charlie George scoring the only goal in the home first leg, while Burns scored an equaliser in the return in Spain.[41] In the 1979-80 Football League Cup Forest reached a third successive final. A defensive mix up between Needham and Shilton let Wolves' Andy Gray tap in to an empty net. Forest passed up numerous chances, losing 1–0.[42] In the 1979–80 European Cup quarter-final, Forest won 3–1 at Dinamo Berlin to overturn a 1–0 home defeat. In the semi-final they beat Ajax 2–1 on aggregate. They beat Hamburg 1–0 in the 1980 European Cup Final at Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium to retain the trophy; Robertson scored after exchanging passes with Birtles.[43] Forest finished fifth in the 1979-80 Football League.

In the 1980–81 European Cup first round, Forest lost 2–0 on aggregate to 1–0 defeats home and away by CSKA Sofia.[44] McGovern subsequently said the double defeat by CSKA affected the team's self-confidence, in that they had lost out to modestly talented opponents.[17] Forest lost the 1980 European Super Cup on away goals after a 2–2 aggregate draw against Valencia; Bowyer scored both Forest goals in the home first leg.[45] On 11 February 1981, Forest lost 1–0 in the 1980 Intercontinental Cup against Uruguayan side, Club Nacional de Football. The match was played for the first time at the neutral venue National Stadium in Tokyo before 62,000 fans.[46]

The league and European Cup winning squad was broken up to capitalise on player sale value. Clough and Taylor both later said this was a mistake.[12] The rebuilt side comprising youngsters and signings such as Ian Wallace, Raimondo Ponte and Justin Fashanu did not challenge for trophies. Taylor said in 1982,[47]

For many weeks now I don't believe I've been doing justice to the partnership and I certainly haven't been doing justice to Nottingham Forest the way I felt. And consequently after a great deal of thought, there was no option. I wanted to take an early retirement. That's exactly what I've done.

John McGovern and Peter Shilton transferred and Jimmy Gordon retired in the same close season.[12]

Clough without Taylor (1982–93)

Anderlecht beat Forest in the 1983–84 UEFA Cup semi-finals in controversial circumstances. Several contentious refereeing decisions went against Forest. Over a decade later it emerged that before the match the referee Guruceta Muro received a £27,000 "loan" from Anderlecht's chairman Constant Vanden Stock.[48] UEFA subsequently in 1997 banned Anderlecht for one year from European competition for this misdemeanour. Muro died in a car crash in 1987.[49]

Forest beat Sheffield Wednesday on penalties in the Football League Centenary Tournament final in April 1988 after drawing 0–0.[50] Forest finished third in the league in 1988 and made the 1987-88 FA Cup semi-finals. Stuart Pearce won the first of his five successive selections for the PFA Team of the Year.

On 18 January 1989 Clough joined the fray of a City Ground pitch invasion by hitting two of his own team's fans when on the pitch. The football authorities responded with a fine and touchline ban for Clough.[51] Forest beat QPR 5–2 in that 1988-89 Football League Cup tie.[52]

Forest beat Everton 4–3 after extra time in the 1989 Full Members Cup final. They came back to beat Luton Town 3–1 in the 1989 Football League Cup Final. Nigel Clough scored two and Neil Webb one. Forest chased a unique cup treble but tragedy struck a week after the League Cup win. Forest and Liverpool met for the second season in a row in the FA Cup semi-finals. The Hillsborough disaster claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans. The match was abandoned after six minutes. When the emotion laden rescheduled game took place Forest struggled as Liverpool won 3–1. Forest finished third in the First Division for a second successive year. However they were unable to compete in the UEFA Cup. The 1985 post Heysel Stadium Disaster UEFA competition ban on English clubs still had one season to run. Des Walker won the first of his four successive selections for the PFA Team of the Year.

Nigel Jemson scored as Forest beat Oldham Athletic 1–0 to retain the League Cup in 1990.

Brian Clough reached his only FA Cup final in 1991 after countless replays and postponements in the 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds. Pearce put Forest ahead after 16 minutes direct from a free kick against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. Spurs won 2–1 after an extra time own goal by Walker. Roy Keane declared himself fit to play in the final and was selected in preference to Steve Hodge. Keane later admitted he was not fit to play and that was why he had such an insignificant role in the final.[53] English clubs were re-admitted to Europe for the 1990–91 season. English places in the competition were initially limited. 1990 League Cup winners Forest were not included. The only UEFA Cup place that season went to league runners-up Aston Villa.

In the summer of 1991 Millwall's league top scorer Teddy Sheringham set Forest's record signing fee at £2.1 million. In that 1991–92 season Forest beat Southampton 3–2 after extra time in the Full Members Cup Final. Brian McClair's solitary Manchester United goal beat Forest in the 1992 Football League Cup Final. Forest had played in seven domestic cup finals at Wembley in five seasons winning five of the finals. Forest finished eighth in the league that season to earn a place in the new FA Premier League.

Walker transferred in summer 1992 to Sampdoria. On 16 August 1992 Forest beat Liverpool 1–0 at home in the first ever televised live premier league game. Sheringham scored the only goal against Liverpool. Sheringham transferred a week later to Tottenham. Forest's form slumped meaning Brian Clough's 18-year managerial reign ended in May 1993 with Forest relegated from the inaugural Premier League.[54] The final game of that season was away at Ipswich. Forest lost 2–1 with his son, Nigel, scoring the last goal of Clough's era.[4] Relegation was followed by Keane's £3.75 million British record fee transfer to Manchester United.

Frank Clark (1993–1996)

Frank Clark from Forest's 1979 European Cup winning team returned to the club in May 1993 succeeding Brian Clough as manager. Clark's previous greatest management success was promotion from the Fourth Division with Leyton Orient in 1989. Clark convinced Stuart Pearce to remain at the club and also signed Stan Collymore, Lars Bohinen and Colin Cooper. Clark brought immediate return to the Premier League when the club finished Division One runners-up at the end of the 1993–94 season.[55]

Forest finished third in 1994–95[56] and qualified for the UEFA Cup – their first entry to European competition in the post-Heysel era. Collymore then transferred in the 1995–96 close season to Liverpool for a national record fee of £8.5million. Forest reached the 1995-96 UEFA Cup quarter-finals, the furthest an English team reached in UEFA competition that season. They finished ninth in the league.

The 1996–97 season quickly became a relegation battle. Clark left the club in December.[57]

Stuart Pearce and Dave Bassett (1997–1999)

34-year-old captain Stuart Pearce was installed as player-manager on a temporary basis just before Christmas in 1996 and he inspired a brief upturn in the club's fortunes. However, in March 1997 he was replaced on a permanent basis by Dave Bassett and left the club that summer after 12 years.[58] Forest were unable to avoid relegation and finished the season in bottom place.[59] They won promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt, being crowned Division One champions in 1997–98.[60] Bassett was sacked in January 1999, with Ron Atkinson replacing him.[61][62]

Into the 21st century below the top-flight (1999–2012)

Ron Atkinson was unable to prevent Forest from once again slipping back into Division One, and announced his retirement from football management when Forest's relegation was confirmed on 24 April 1999, with three weeks of the Premier League seasons still to play.

Former England captain David Platt succeeded Atkinson and spent approximately £12 million on players in the space of two seasons, including the Italian veterans Moreno Mannini, Salvatore Matrecano and Gianluca Petrachi.[63] However, Forest could only finish 14th in Platt's first season and 11th in his second. He departed in July 2001 to manage the England U21 side and was succeeded by youth team manager Paul Hart

Now faced with huge debts, which reduced Forest's ability to sign new players, they finished 16th in Hart's first season in charge.[65] By December 2001, Forest were reported as losing over £100,000 every week,[66] and their financial outlook was worsened by the collapse of ITV Digital, which left Forest and many other Football League clubs in severe financial difficulties.[67] Despite the off-field difficulties, Forest finished 2002–03 in sixth place[68] and qualified for the play-offs, where they lost to Sheffield United in the semi-finals. A poor league run the following season, following the loss of several key players, led to the sacking of Hart in February 2004 with Forest in danger of relegation.[69] The decision was unpopular with certain quarters of the fanbase and Hart was described as a 'scapegoat'.[70]

Joe Kinnear was subsequently appointed and led the club to a secure 14th place in the final league table.[71] The 2004–05 season saw Forest drop into the relegation zone once more, leading to Kinnear's resignation in December 2004.[72] Mick Harford took temporary charge of Forest over Christmas, before Gary Megson was appointed in the new year. Megson had already won two promotions to the Premier League with his previous club West Bromwich Albion, having arrived at the club when they were in danger of going down to Division Two, but failed to stave off relegation as the club ended the season second from bottom in 23rd place,[73] becoming the first European Cup-winners ever to fall into their domestic third division.[74]

In Forest's first season in the English third tier in 54 years, a 3–0 defeat at Oldham Athletic[75] in February 2006 led to the departure of Megson by "mutual consent" leaving the club mid-table only four points above the relegation zone.[76] Frank Barlow and Ian McParland took temporary charge for the remainder of the 2005–06 season, engineering a six-match winning run and remaining unbeaten in ten games, the most notable result a 7–1 win over Swindon Town.[77] Forest took 28 points from a possible 39 under the two, narrowly missing out on a play-off place, as they finished in 7th place.[78]

Colin Calderwood, previously of Northampton Town, was appointed as Forest's new manager in May 2006. He was their 12th new manager to be appointed since the retirement of Brian Clough 13 years earlier, and went on to become Forest's longest-serving manager since Frank Clark. The Calderwood era was ultimately one of rebuilding, and included the club's first promotion in a decade. In his first season, he led the club to the play-offs, having squandered a 7-point lead at the top of League One which had been amassed by November 2006. Forest eventually succumbed to a shock 5–4 aggregate defeat in the semi-finals against Yeovil Town; they had taken a 2–0 lead in the first leg at Huish Park, but were then beaten 5–2 on their own soil by the Somerset club.[79] Calderwood achieved automatic promotion in his second year at the club, following an impressive run which saw Forest win six out of their last seven games of the season, culminating in a dramatic final 3–2 win against Yeovil at the City Ground. Forest kept a league record of 24 clean sheets out of 46 games, proving to be the foundation for their return to the second tier of English football and leaving them just one more promotion away from a return to the Premier League.

However, Calderwood's side struggled to adapt to life in the Championship in the 2008–09 campaign and having been unable to steer Forest out of the relegation zone, Calderwood was sacked following a Boxing Day 4–2 defeat to the Championship's bottom club Doncaster Rovers.[80]

Under the temporary stewardship of John Pemberton, Forest finally climbed out of the relegation zone, having beaten Norwich City 3–2.[81] Billy Davies, who had taken Forest's local rivals Derby County into the Premier League two seasons earlier, was confirmed as the new manager on 1 January 2009[82] and watched Pemberton's side beat Manchester City 3–0 away in the FA Cup,[83] prior to taking official charge. Under Davies, Forest stretched their unbeaten record in all competitions following Calderwood's sacking to six matches, including five wins. He also helped them avoid relegation as they finished 19th in the Championship,[84] securing survival with one game to go.

Forest spent most of the 2009–10 campaign in a top-three position, putting together an unbeaten run of 19 league games, winning 12 home league games in a row (a club record for successive home wins in a single season), going unbeaten away from home from the beginning of the season until 30 January 2010 (a run spanning 13 games) whilst also claiming memorable home victories over local rivals Derby County and Leicester City. The club finished third, missing out on automatic promotion, and in the two-legged play-off semi-final were beaten by Blackpool, 2–1 away and 4–3 in the home leg, the club's first defeat at home since losing to the same opposition in September 2009.

The 2010–11 season saw Forest finish in sixth place in the Championship table with 75 points,[85] putting them into a play-off campaign for the fourth time in the space of eight years. Promotion was yet again to elude Forest, as they were beaten over two legs by eventual play-off final winners Swansea City. Having drawn the first leg 0–0 at the City Ground,[86] they were eventually beaten 3–1 in the second leg.[87]

In June 2011, Billy Davies had his contract terminated,[88][89] and was replaced as manager by Steve McClaren, who signed a three-year contract.[90][91] Forest started the 2011–12 season with several poor results and after a 5–1 defeat away to Burnley, David Pleat and Bill Beswick left the club's coaching setup.[92] Less than a week later, following a home defeat to Birmingham City, McClaren resigned, and chairman Nigel Doughty announced that he intended to resign at the end of the season.[92] In October 2011, Nottingham Forest underwent several changes. These changes included the appointment of Frank Clark as new chairman of the club and also that of Steve Cotterill, replacing the recently departed Steve McClaren.[93]

Nigel Doughty, owner and previous chairman of the club, died on 4 February 2012, having been involved with the club since the late 1990s, with many estimating his total contribution as being in the region of £100 million.[citation needed]

The Al-Hasawi era (2012–2017)

The Al-Hasawi family, from Kuwait, purchased the club and became the new owners in July 2012. The Al-Hasawi family told press that they had a long-term vision for the club based around a 3–5-year plan, and after interviewing several potential new managers, appointed Sean O'Driscoll, formerly the manager at Doncaster Rovers and Crawley Town, as the manager on 19 July 2012 after a second round of talks with the then Crawley man. He was known for playing an attractive brand of passing football (which had taken Doncaster Rovers into the league's second tier for the first time since the 1950s) and what football fans would consider the Forest way.[94] O'Driscoll had spent five months at the City Ground as Coach under Steve Cotterill in the 2011–12 season before taking over at Crawley. After taking over at Crawley, O'Driscoll never took charge of a single competitive game.

By 15 December 2012, after the team's 0–0 draw away to Brighton, Forest sat in ninth position with 33 points, just three points off the play-off positions. The Al-Hasawi's 3–5-year plan had turned into a push for the play-offs in their first season as the owners. On the same weekend, the club announced that Omar Al-Hasawi had stepped down due to personal reasons and Fawaz Al-Hasawi, the majority shareholder with 75% had taken the position,[95] with his brother Abdulaziz Al-Hasawi holding a 20% share and his cousin Omar Al-Hasawi holding a 5% share.

On Boxing Day 2012, manager Sean O'Driscoll was sacked following a 4–2 victory over Leeds United with the club stating their intentions of a change ahead of the January transfer window and hopes of appointing a manager with Premiership experience.[96] The man to replace O'Driscoll was Alex McLeish.[97] The move was criticised by some members of the Forest fan base.[citation needed] Chief executive Mark Arthur as well as scout Keith Burt and club ambassador Frank Clark were dismissed in January 2013.[98] On 5 February 2013, Forest and Alex McLeish had parted company by mutual agreement, just 40 days after McLeish took charge of the club.[99] Forest supporters and pundits alike registered their concern for the state of the club,[94] with journalist Pat Murphy describing the situation as a "shambles".[100]

Two days after McLeish's departure, the club re-appointed Billy Davies as manager, having been sacked as the team's manager twenty months previously.[101] His first match in charge was a draw,[102] followed by a run of 10 undefeated games. In March 2014, the club terminated Davies's employment, following a 5–0 defeat by Derby County.[103] Neil Warnock turned down the job as Forest manager on the day Davies was sacked. After initially rejecting the job in March 2014,[104] fans favourite Stuart Pearce was named the man to replace Billy Davies, taking over from caretaker manager Gary Brazil. He signed a two-year contract commencing on 1 July 2014. Pearce led Forest to an unbeaten start to the season but failed to keep up the form. He was sacked in February 2015 and replaced by another former Forest player, Dougie Freedman.

Another mid-table finish meant that Forest began the 2015–16 season still in the Championship and now in their 17th season away from the Premier League. On 13 March 2016, Freedman was sacked, following a 3–0 defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday.[105] Paul Williams was then appointed as temporary manager as Nottingham Forest searched for their new manager. Finally, following months of speculation the former US Boulogne, Valenciennes FC, Real Sociedad, and Stade Rennais head coach Philippe Montanier was appointed on a two-year contract on 27 June 2016, but was sacked after fewer than seven months in charge. Mark Warburton was named as the club's new manager on 14 March 2017. Forest narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the 2016–17 season, where a 3–0 home victory against Ipswich ensured their safety at the expense of Blackburn.[106]

Evangelos Marinakis (2017– )

On 18 May 2017 it was confirmed that Evangelos Marinakis had completed his takeover of Nottingham Forest,[107] bringing an end to Al-Hasawi's reign as Forest owner. Incumbent manager Mark Warburton was sacked on 31 December 2017 following a 1–0 home defeat to struggling Sunderland, with a record of one win in seven.[108] He was replaced by Spaniard Aitor Karanka, who arrived on 8 January 2018, immediately after caretaker manager Gary Brazil had masterminded a 4–2 home win over FA Cup holders Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup.[109] Karanka made 10 new signings during the January transfer window.[110] Following a 17th-place finish in the Championship for the 2017–18 season, Karanka made 14 new signings during the summer transfer window and the following season results improved.[111] However, despite a strong league position, Karanka left his position on 11 January 2019 after having been asked to be released from his contract.[112] He was replaced with former Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill four days later.[113] However, O'Neill was sacked in June after reportedly falling out with some of the senior first team players. He was replaced with Sabri Lamouchi on the same day.[114]

Club identity

Crest and colours

Nottingham Forest have worn red since the club's foundation in 1865. At the meeting in the Clinton Arms which established Nottingham Forest as a football club, the committee also passed a resolution that the team colours should be 'Garibaldi red'.[115] This decision was made in honour of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian patriot who was the leader of the redshirts volunteers. At this time, clubs identified themselves more by their headgear than their shirts and a dozen red caps with tassels were duly purchased, making Forest the first club to 'officially' wear red, a colour that has since been adopted by a significant number of others. Forest is the reason behind Arsenal's choice of red, having donated a full set of red kits following Arsenal's foundation in 1886. Forest's tour of South America in 1905 inspired Argentine club Independiente to adopt red as their club colour, after club's President Arístides Langone described the tourists as looking like diablos rojos ("red devils"), which would become Independiente's nickname.[116]

The first club crest used by Forest was the city arms of Nottingham, which was first used on kits in 1947.[117] The current club badge was introduced in 1974.[117] The logo has been reported as being the brainchild of manager Brian Clough.[118] However, he did not arrive at the club until the year after. Forest have two stars above the club badge to commemorate the European Cup victories in 1979 and 1980.[119] There was a competition, announced in March 1973,[120] to design a new Forest badge, and the winning design was by Trent Polytechnic graphic design lecturer David Lewis. To maintain anonymity, David Lewis entered his design using his mother's maiden name. The reason being that one of the five judges was his head of department, Mr. W. Payne, the Associate Head of the Graphics Department.[121] David Lewis also designed the Nottinghamshire County Council logo.

Spenser Confidential

Spenser Confidential

Spenser Confidential is a 2020 American comedy-thriller film directed by Peter Berg and with a screenplay by Sean O'Keefe and Brian Helgeland. It is very loosely based on the novel Wonderland by Ace Atkins, and uses the names of characters created by Robert B. Parker. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Alan Arkin, Iliza Shlesinger, Bokeem Woodbine, Cassie Ventura, Donald Cerrone, Marc Maron, and introducing Austin Post and marks the fifth collaboration between Wahlberg and Berg after Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day, and Mile 22.

The film was released on March 6, 2020, by Netflix.
Plot
When two Boston police officers are murdered on the day that Spenser, an ex-cop, is released from prison, he teams up with his no-nonsense new roommate, Hawk, to investigate and take down the guilty parties. The complexities of the plot revolve around Spenser's refusal to walk away from an unjust killing (one murder was of the police captain he himself suspected of malpractice five years prior, and whom he attacked, landing him in jail). He is hated by many of the film's key characters - prison inmates and cops (mainly, corrupt ones).

The film unfolds in South Boston, where rising property prices and a casino project on the former Wonderland dog track, fuel greed and police involvement in selling drugs to obtain a share of the project. Spenser takes down corrupt police, through determination and an odd alliance with ex-con Hawk and their elderly boxing trainer, Henry. His dog, Pearl and ex girlfriend, Cissy, provide comedic elements.

Cast
Mark Wahlberg as Detective Spenser
Winston Duke as Hawk
Alan Arkin as Henry Cimoli
Iliza Shlesinger as Cissy Davis
Bokeem Woodbine as Driscoll
Marc Maron as Wayne Cosgrove
Austin Post as Squeeb
Cassie as Elise
James DuMont as Bentwood
Michael Gaston as Captain John Boylan
Colleen Camp as Mara
Rebecca Gibel as Mrs. Boylan
Big Shug as. W. Lintz
Donald Cerrone as Big Boy
Justus Carney as Liquor Store Worker
Christopher Gerard Weigel as Hipster
Production
On June 26, 2018, it was announced that Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg would collaborate for the fifth time on the film adaptation of Wonderland, one of the novel series written by Ace Atkins based on the Robert B. Parker's character Spenser, which would be streamed by Netflix. The script, by Sean O'Keefe, is a very loose adaptation of the novel. The characters in the film do not reflect the characters in the novel beyond the names used. Nothing else about them is reflected in the novel or the original works by Robert B. Parker. [1][2] The film was produced by Neal H. Moritz through his Original Film along with Stephen Levinson and Wahlberg, and Berg through his Film 44.[3] In October 2018, Winston Duke joined the cast to play Hawk.[4] That same month, Post Malone, Alan Arkin, Iliza Shlesinger, Bokeem Woodbine James DuMont, Marc Maron and Michael Gaston joined the cast of the film.[5][6] In November 2018, Colleen Camp joined the cast of the film.[7]

Filming began in late 2018 in, Boston.[8] The residence of character Cimoli (with whom Spenser is staying) was filmed in the Jones Hill neighborhood of Boston, on the street where actor Wahlberg lived during his teenage years.[9]

Music
The film score was composed by Steve Jablonsky, who has worked with director Peter Berg on previous films. The soundtrack was released by BMG.

Release
The film was released by Netflix on March 6, 2020.

Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 4.61/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "While the buddy cops at the center of Spenser Confidential are plenty affable, the comedy never arrives as this half-hearted vehicle goes purely through the motions."[10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews"

Six Nations

Six Nations

The Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations[n 1] for sponsorship reasons) is

an annual international rugby union competition between the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. The current champions are Wales, who won the 2019 tournament.

The Six Nations is the successor to the Home Nations Championship (1883–1909 and 1932–39), played between teams from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, which was the first international rugby union tournament.[2] With the addition of France, this became the Five Nations Championship (1910–31 and 1947–99), which in turn became the Six Nations Championship with the addition of Italy.

Wales hold the overall record, with 39 victories (27 outright and 12 shared) to England's 38 (10 shared victories). England hold the record for outright wins with 28. Since the Six Nations era started in 2000, only Italy and Scotland have failed to win the Six Nations title.
History and expansion
The tournament was first played in 1883 as the Home Nations Championship among the four Home Nations — England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. However, England was excluded from the 1888 and 1889 tournaments due to their refusal to join the International Rugby Football Board. The tournament then became the Five Nations Championship in 1910 with the addition of France. The tournament was expanded in 2000 to become the Six Nations Championship with the addition of Italy.

Following the relative success of the Tier 2 nations in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, there were calls by Octavian Morariu, the president of Rugby Europe, to let Georgia and Romania join the Six Nations due to their consistent success in the European Nations Cup and ability to compete in the Rugby World Cup.[3][4]

Format
The tournament begins on the first weekend in February and culminates with Super Saturday on the second or third Saturday in March. The format of the Championship is simple: each team plays every other team once (making a total of 15 matches), with home ground advantage alternating from one year to the next. Prior to the 2017 tournament, two points were awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. Unlike many other rugby union competitions the bonus point system had not previously been used.

On 30 November 2016, the Six Nations Committee announced that a bonus point system would be trialled in the 2017 Championship. The system is similar to the one used in most rugby championships (0 points for a loss, 2 for a draw, 4 for a win, 1 for scoring four or more tries in a match, and 1 for losing by 7 points or fewer), with the only difference being that a Grand Slam winner will be given 3 extra points to ensure they finish top of the table.

Prior to 1994, teams equal on match points shared the championship. Since then, ties have been broken by considering the points difference (total points scored minus total points conceded) of the teams. The rules of the championship further provide that if teams tie on both match points and points difference, the team that scored the most tries wins the championship. Were this decider to be a tie, the tying teams would share the championship.[5] To date, however, match points and points difference have been sufficient to decide the championship.

Also, the team that finishes at the bottom of the league table is said to have won the Wooden Spoon, although no actual trophy is given to the team. A team that has lost all five matches is said to have been whitewashed. Since the inaugural Six Nations tournament in 2000, only England and Ireland have avoided the Wooden Spoon award. Italy are the holders of the most Wooden Spoon awards in the Six Nations era with 14, and have been whitewashed nine times. However, each of the other five nations has accumulated more than that through competing in previous eras.

Trophies
Championship Trophy
The winners of the Six Nations are presented with the Championship Trophy.[6] This was originally conceived by the Earl of Westmorland, and was first presented to the winners of the 1993 championship, France. It is a sterling silver trophy, designed by James Brent-Ward and made by a team of eight silversmiths from the London firm William Comyns.

It has 15 side panels representing the 15 members of the team and with three handles to represent the three officials (referee and two touch judges). The cup has a capacity of 3.75 litres – sufficient for five bottles of champagne. Within the mahogany base is a concealed drawer which contains six alternative finials, each a silver replica of one of the team emblems, which can be screwed on the detachable lid.

A new trophy was introduced for the 2015 Championship.[7] The new trophy was designed and crafted by Thomas Lyte silversmiths and replaces the 1993 edition, which is being retired as it represented the nations that took part in the Five Nations Championship. Ireland were the last team to win the old trophy, and coincidentally, the first team to win the new one.[8]

Grand Slam and Triple Crown
A team that wins all its games wins the 'Grand Slam'.

The Triple Crown may only be won by one of the Home Nations of England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, when one nation wins all three of their matches against the others. The Triple Crown dates back to the original Home Nations Championship, but the physical Triple Crown Trophy has been awarded only since 2006, when the Royal Bank of Scotland (the primary sponsor of the competition) commissioned Hamilton & Inches to design and create a dedicated Triple Crown Trophy. It has since been won four times by Ireland, three times by Wales and twice by England.

Post Malone

Post Malone

Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995),[1] known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his introspective songwriting and laconic vocal style, Post has gained acclaim for bending a range of genres including hip hop, pop, country, and rock. He first attained recognition in 2015 following the release of his debut single "White Iverson".[3] He subsequently signed a recording contract with Republic Records.[4]

Post's debut album Stoney (2016), which was trap and cloud rap focused, was a commercial success and featured the hit single "Congratulations".[5] In 2018, the album broke the record for most weeks on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart after it reached its 77th week on the chart.[6] Post's second album Beerbongs & Bentleys (2018) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and broke several streaming records upon release.[6] Featuring the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Rockstar" and "Psycho", it was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2018 Grammy Awards.

In 2018, Post collaborated with Swae Lee on the song "Sunflower" for the soundtrack to the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100. He later inaugurated his own festival, Posty Fest, which took place at Dos Equis Pavilion on October 28 and featured Travis Scott alongside him as the headliners.[7] His third album Hollywood's Bleeding, released in late 2019, explored more into indie pop and rock.[8] It became his second number-one album on the Billboard 200 and featured the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Circles".[9]

Post has sold over 65 million records in the US alone.[10] He received a Diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for "Congratulations".[11] His accolades include three American Music Awards, a Billboard Music Award, and an MTV Video Music Award. Additionally, he has received six Grammy Award nominations during his career

Early life

Austin Richard Post was born on July 4, 1995,[1] in Syracuse, New York.[13][14] He was raised by his father, Rich Post, and his stepmother, Jodie. His father had been a DJ in his youth and introduced Post to many different genres of music including hip-hop, country, and rock.[15] When Post was nine years old,[16] he and his family moved to Grapevine, Texas, after his father became the manager of concessions for the Dallas Cowboys.[17][18] Post began to play the guitar and auditioned for the band Crown the Empire in 2010, but was rejected after his guitar strings broke during the audition. He credited his initial interest in learning guitar to the popular video game Guitar Hero.[19]

Post has always had a love for emo music, and appeared for a DJ set at Emo Nite in Los Angeles in June 2017, playing My Chemical Romance at the event.[20] According to Post, his very first foray into professional music began when he was in a heavy metal band.[21] Soon after, he says he transitioned to softer rock as well as hip-hop, before beginning to experiment on FL Studio.[22]

Career

2011–2017: Career beginnings and Stoney

According to Post, he chose "Post Malone" as his stage name when he was 14 or 15.[23] The name was rumored to be a reference to the professional basketball player Karl Malone,[24] but Post later explained that "Post" is his last name, and he used a "rap name generator" to get "Malone".[25] At 16, using Audacity, Post created his first mixtape, Young and After Them Riches.[26] He showed it to some of his classmates at Grapevine High School.[19][27] He was voted "Most Likely to Become Famous" by his classmates as a senior in high school. He worked at a Chicken Express as a teenager.[19]

He enrolled in Tarrant County College but dropped out.[28] After leaving college, Post moved to Los Angeles, California, with his longtime friend Jason Probst, a professional game streamer.[29][30][31]

After moving to LA, Post, Probst, and several other producers and artists formed the music group BLCKVRD and recorded music together.[32] Several members of the group, including Post, moved into a house in San Fernando Valley together. While living in San Fernando Valley, Austin met 1st Down of FKi. He met 1st and Rich from FKi and Rex Kudo who produced several of Post's tracks, including "White Iverson".[13] Post recorded the song two days after writing it.[27] The lyrics of "White Iverson" allude to Basketball Hall of Fame player Allen Iverson.[33][34][24] In February 2015, upon completion, it was uploaded to Post's SoundCloud account.[35] On July 19, 2015, Post released a music video for "White Iverson". The single received praise from Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa.[19][36][37] However, the song was notoriously mocked by Earl Sweatshirt

After hitting one million views within a month of releasing "White Iverson", Post quickly garnered attention from record labels.[34] In August 2015, he signed a recording contract with Republic Records.[41][42] Post subsequently worked with a number of prominent rappers such as 50 Cent, Young Thug, and Kanye West, among others.[43][44] In August 2015, he performed at Kylie Jenner's 18th birthday party,[45] where he met Kanye West, who enjoyed his music, leading to him collaborating with Post on his single "Fade" from his album The Life of Pablo.[46] Post later began his friendship with Canadian singer and songwriter Justin Bieber, which led to Post being an opening act for Bieber's Purpose World Tour.[47][48] On April 20, 2016, Post premiered his new single, "Go Flex" on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show.[49]

On May 12, 2016, he released his first full-length project, a mixtape, titled August 26th,[50] the title of which was a reference to the release date of his debut album. On June 9, 2016, Post made his national television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing "Go Flex".[51]

In June 2016, XXL editor-in-chief Vanessa Satten revealed Post Malone was considered for XXL's "2016 Freshmen Class" magazine cover, but she was "told by his camp that he wasn't paying attention to hip hop so much. He was going in more of a rock/pop/country direction."[52] However, Post denied these claims, explaining that his latest mixtape as well as his upcoming album were both hip-hop.[53] In August 2016, Post issued an apology for his album, Stoney, being late.[54] It was available for pre-order on November 4, and was finally released on December 9. Post later went on to call the album "mediocre",[17] despite the success of the single "Congratulations" featuring Quavo, Post's first top-ten song on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eight.[55][56] Stoney also featured the top 100 hits "I Fall Apart", and "Deja Vu", featuring Bieber, with the album later being certified double platinum by the RIAA in October 2017.[57]

2017–2018: Beerbongs & Bentleys

In February 2017, Post revealed the title of his next project, Beerbongs & Bentleys,[58] and was set to be released in December, before eventually being pushed back to 2018.[59] In September, Post released the first single from the album, "Rockstar", featuring 21 Savage. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and held the spot for eight consecutive weeks,[60] later prompting Rolling Stone to call him "one of the most popular musicians in the country" in 2017. In November, Malone released the official music video for "Rockstar", directed by Emil Nava.[61][62][63][64]

On February 20, 2018, Post previewed his new song with Ty Dolla Sign titled "Psycho."[65] "Psycho" was released on February 23, 2018,[66] and a tour with 21 Savage was announced.[67] The song debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Post's third entry in the top 10.[68] On April 5, 2018, Malone stated that Beerbongs & Bentleys will be released on April 27, 2018.[69] The same day, he also premiered the song "Stay" during the Bud Lite Dive Bar show in Nashville.[70] Upon release, Beerbongs & Bentleys broke the first day streaming records on Spotify, with 78.7 million streams worldwide.[71] It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 moving 461,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, with 153,000 coming from pure sales. The album was also certified platinum by the RIAA after four days[72] and spawned three top 10 songs and six top 20 songs.[73]

2018–present: Hollywood's Bleeding

In an interview with Billboard in May 2018, Post's manager announced that Post was planning to start his own record label and film production company[74] and Post later won Top Rap Song at the Billboard Music Awards for "Rockstar" featuring 21 Savage.[75] Post confirmed in June 2018 that he was writing his third album,[76] and confirmed that a festival will be taking place, organized by him, titled "Posty Fest" in Dallas, Texas on October 28. Post promised a "blockbuster" lineup with headliners like Travis Scott.[77]

In August, Post broke Michael Jackson's 34-year-old record for most weeks on Billboard's Top R&B and Hip-Hop Albums chart with Stoney reaching its 77th week compared to the 76 weeks that Thriller spent on the chart.[6] A collaboration album with Mac Miller was also teased in August 2018.[78] During his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he previewed his song "Sunflower", a collaboration with Swae Lee, from the soundtrack to the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.[79][80] In November 2018, it was confirmed Post was recording his third album in his Utah home.[81]

Post has been nominated for 4 awards at the 61st Grammy Awards for his album Beerbongs & Bentleys including awards for Album of the Year and Record of the Year. He performed with Red Hot Chili Peppers at the awards show on February 10, 2019.[82][83] In July 2019, Post Malone released the single "Goodbyes" featuring Young Thug, and also announced the Runaway Tour with Swae Lee as the opener.[84] On August 5, Post shared a snippet of an unreleased track "Circles" on YouTube. He then performed the song at his second annual Bud Light: Dive Bar concert and confirmed that the official song would be released the following week.[85] That same day and on July 25, 2019, at Cheyenne Frontier Days. He released the song on August 30, 2019.[86] He confirmed that his upcoming third studio album will be released on September 6, 2019.[87][88] On August 26, 2019, Post announced on Twitter that his third album is called Hollywood's Bleeding and would be released on September 6, 2019.[89][86] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 489,000 album-equivalent units first week.

Musical style

Post's music is mainly hip hop[90][91] and pop,[92][91] while he incorporates elements of trap,[93] pop-rap,[94] country,[90][95] rock,[96] R&B[90] and cloud rap.[97] Post's music has been described as a "melting pot of the country, grunge, hip-hop and R&B"[90] and Post himself has been described as versatile.[98] His vocal style has been described as laconic.[99] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times described Post as "an artist who toes the line between singing and rapping, and hip-hop and spooky electric folk".[100] Malone himself has called his music "genre-less".

Post cites Bob Dylan, in whom he became interested around the age of 15, as an influence on his music, calling him "a genius" and "a god" though his music has been called "about as far away from Rock n' Roll as you can get."[101] He called "Subterranean Homesick Blues" the "first rap song". He has a tattoo of Dylan as well.[17] Post has cited Kurt Cobain and Johnny Cash as key influences too.[102] Post has also cited 50 Cent, whom he called a legend,[103] Kanye West and Key! as influences.[104]

Controversies

Post has been called a "culture vulture" multiple times by different publications and on social media[105][106] for "appropriating" African-American culture.[107][108][109] California rapper Lil B wrote on Twitter in October 2017: "Post Malone is slowly turning into a white dude! Lol he's pushing it, give it a few years he gon be full country and hate blacks lol", with Post replying in an interview, claiming that his white skin has been "used against him."[110] In January 2018, Post went on an intoxicated rant against people who describe him as a culture vulture.[111][112] In an interview with GQ several days later, Post said "there's a struggle being a white rapper."[113]

In a November 2017 interview with Polish media outlet NewOnce, Post said that modern hip-hop music lacks "people talking about real shit" and added that "if you're looking to think about life, don't listen to hip-hop."[104][114] He received social media backlash for his comments, including from fellow rappers such as Lil B and Vince Staples.[115][116] Post later appeared in a video on Twitter, saying that the reason for his comments was that it was a "beer-tasting" interview,[117] and going on to say that he loves hip-hop.[118][119] NewOnce, however, denied that claim, stating that Post barely drank at all during the interview.[120]

Personal life

Post currently lives in Los Angeles, California.[121] He also has a multimillion-dollar 13,000-square-foot home in northern Utah.[122] Post's old home in San Fernando Valley, California, was robbed on September 1, 2018.[123] Post was in a three-year-long relationship with Ashlen Diaz, ending in November 2018.[81]

On August 21, 2018, Post boarded a plane leaving Teterboro Airport and was scheduled to land in London Luton Airport. At 10:50 am, the tires blew out on takeoff and the plane was rerouted to Stewart International Airport for an emergency landing.[124] The plane landed safely at 3:50 pm.[125] Once the plane had landed, Post tweeted about the incident, writing "i landed guys. thank you for your prayers. can't believe how many people wished death on me on this website. fuck you. but not today."[126]

Post was involved in a car crash on September 8, 2018. Post's white Rolls-Royce was driving through Santa Monica in the early morning when it collided with another car at 3:30 am. Although no one was severely injured in the incident, several people were treated for minor injuries.[127]

Tattoos

Post has a number of tattoos that he inked himself and has also inked tattoos on several friends and acquaintances.[128] His first tattoo was of the Playboy Bunny. He has tattoos on his hands and fingers of artists who have influenced him. In recognition of the Second Amendment,[129] he has a tattoo on his triceps of a snake coiled around a rifle. The face of deceased rapper Lil Peep is tattooed on his arm.[130]

Post also has a number of face tattoos, including a line of barbed wire across his forehead, two playing cards, a smiley face, a Playboy bunny and a heart,[131] the words "Stay Away" tattooed above his right eyebrow,[132] "always" and "tired" under both of his eyes,[133] "STONEY" below his chin and a sword on the right side of his face.[134][135] Malone's most recently made face tattoos includes a bloody buzzsaw and a gauntlet.[136]

Political views

Post has a tattoo of U.S. president John F. Kennedy on his arm, and has said that Kennedy was "the only President to speak out against the crazy corruption stuff that's going on in our government nowadays."[137] In December 2016, Post stated that if asked to perform at the inauguration of Donald Trump he would not have been opposed,[138] though he stated that neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton were fit for President of the United States and expressed his support of Bernie Sanders during the election cycle.[138]

Post later expressed a dislike for Trump in a November 2017 interview for Rolling Stone. In the same interview, he revealed that he has a large collection of guns and believes it is an American right to own and operate guns. Post also expressed a strong interest in conspiracy theories when he said, "There's crazy shit that goes on that we can't explain."[19] During a trip to Canada, Post was interviewed and when asked what the "biggest lie is", he replied "The biggest lie in the world is the U.S. government. It's a fucking reality show and I think there's gonna be a lot of weird shit that happens within our generation that really changes the way of the world

Amber Rudd

Amber Rudd

Amber Augusta Rudd (born 1 August 1963) is a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2018 to 2019. She was first elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye in 2010, representing the Conservative Party, and stood down from parliament in 2019.

She identifies herself as a one-nation conservative,[2] and has been associated with both socially liberal and socially conservative policies, having pursued a number of tough policies regarding immigration.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Rudd was born in Marylebone and studied History at the University of Edinburgh School of History, Classics and Archaeology. Rudd worked as an investment banker before being elected to the House of Commons for Hastings and Rye in East Sussex in 2010, defeating incumbent Labour MP Michael Foster. Rudd served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from 2015 to 2016 in the Cameron Government, where she worked on renewable energy resources and climate change mitigation. She previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Energy and Climate Change from 2014 to 2015.

She was appointed Home Secretary in the May government on 13 July 2016, and given the additional role of Minister for Women and Equalities in January 2018. Rudd was the third female Home Secretary, the fifth woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State and the fastest-rising politician to a Great Office of State since the Second World War.[9] She resigned as Home Secretary in April 2018 in connection with the Windrush deportation scandal.[10][11]

On 16 November 2018, Rudd was appointed Work and Pensions Secretary by Prime Minister Theresa May, succeeding Esther McVey. She was re-appointed by Boris Johnson on 24 July 2019 and succeeded Penny Mordaunt in her previous portfolio as Minister for Women and Equalities. On 7 September Rudd resigned from his cabinet and resigned the Conservative whip in Parliament, to protest Johnson's policy on Brexit and his decision to expel 21 Tory MPs.[1] She announced on 30 October that she would be standing down as an MP at the next general election.[12]

Early life and career

Rudd was born on 1 August 1963[13] in Marylebone, London,[14][15] the fourth child of stockbroker Tony Rudd[16][17] (1924–2017) and magistrate Ethne Fitzgerald (1929–2008), daughter of Maurice Fitzgerald QC (grandson of the judge and Liberal politician John FitzGerald, Baron FitzGerald of Kilmarnock)[18] and Christine (daughter of Augustus Bradhurst).[19][20][21] Tony Rudd and Ethne Fitzgerald were married for 56 years.[22] Through her mother, Rudd is a direct descendant of King Charles II and his mistress Barbara Palmer, and a tenth cousin once removed of the Queen.[23][24][25] Her elder brother Roland is a public relations executive, and was a prominent Labour supporter.[26][27]

She was educated at New Hall School, Cheltenham Ladies' College, an independent school in Gloucestershire,[28] and from 1979 to 1981 at Queen's College, London,[29] an independent day school for girls in London, followed by Edinburgh University where she read History. After graduating from university, she joined J.P. Morgan & Co., working in both London and New York.

Rudd became a director of the investment company Lawnstone Limited at the age of 24 in January 1988, taking over from her sister and brother-in-law.[30] Lawnstone became involved with Zinc Corporation, which was taken over by Monticello in 1999, before going into liquidation in 2001.

Rudd was a co-director of Monticello between 1999 and 2000, but the company was liquidated in 2003.[31] Craig Murray has reported that Monticello “attracted many hundreds of investors... despite never appearing actually to do anything except pay its directors. Trawling through its documents at Companies House, I find it difficult to conclude that it was ever anything other than a share ramping scheme. After just over a year of existence it went bankrupt with over £1.2 million of debts and no important assets.[32]

Between 1998 and 2000, she was also a director of two companies based in the Bahamas, Advanced Asset Allocation Fund and Advanced Asset Allocation Management.[33][34]

Rudd helped to find extras for the film Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), for which she was credited as the "aristocracy co-ordinator", and appeared briefly in one of the church scenes in the film.[26][35]

Parliamentary career

After she had stood at the 2005 general election as the Conservative candidate for the Labour-held seat of Liverpool Garston, Rudd's name was added to the Conservative A-List. Following her selection to contest the Hastings and Rye constituency in 2006, she moved to the Old Town in 2007.[35] In the May 2010 general election, she was elected as the MP for Hastings and Rye with a majority of 1,993 votes. Shortly afterward she was elected to serve as a Conservative member on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.

Rudd is vice-chair of the Parliamentary committee on female genital mutilation,[36] which has campaigned against FGM and called for tougher legal penalties in the area. She has championed the cause of sex equality as chairperson of the All-party parliamentary group for Sex Equality,[37] which published a report on women in work. Rudd chaired a cross-party enquiry into unplanned pregnancies, which called for statutory sex-and-relationships education in all secondary schools.[38] She has also called for a higher proportion of women in Cabinet.[39]

In September 2012, she was made Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne.[40] In October 2013, she became an assistant government whip. In July 2014, Rudd was appointed Minister for the Department for Energy and Climate Change.[41][42]

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

Following the 2015 general election, where she held her seat with an increased majority, she was promoted as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.[43][44] In May 2015, she was appointed as a member of the Privy Council.[45]

In March 2015, she published England's first fuel poverty strategy in more than a decade, pledging to improve the Energy Performance Certificate of all fuel poor homes to Band C by 2030. She also passed legislation requiring energy suppliers to provide a £140 discount to certain vulnerable consumers over the winter and install energy efficiency measures.[46]

In November 2015, she proposed that the UK's remaining coal-fired power stations would be shut by 2025 with their use restricted by 2023. "We need to build a new energy infrastructure, fit for the 21st century."[47]

In July 2015, Craig Bennett of Friends of the Earth accused Rudd of hypocrisy in claiming to want to address climate change while at the same time, in his view, "dismantling an architecture of low-carbon policies carefully put together with cross-party agreement over the course of two parliaments". Rudd replied that "[Government] support must help technologies eventually stand on their own two feet, not encourage a permanent reliance on subsidy."[48][49]

Rudd participated in ITV's Brexit referendum debate regarding the European Union. She campaigned for the Remain side alongside Nicola Sturgeon and Angela Eagle. They faced Gisela Stuart, Boris Johnson and Andrea Leadsom.

Home Secretary

When Theresa May became Prime Minister in July 2016, Rudd was appointed Home Secretary, thus becoming the fifth woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State, after Margaret Thatcher, Margaret Beckett, Jacqui Smith and May herself.[50]

In October 2016, she negated calls for Australian citizens to obtain easier access to live and work in the United Kingdom following the UK's departure from the European Union, which were supported by UK Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary Boris Johnson, and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.[51] Rudd also dismissed the idea that a free movement zone between British and Australian citizens - a measure supported by former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott - would be established upon leaving the European Union, stating "there are no plans to increase immigration from Australia...so I wouldn't envisage any change".[52]

She was reappointed as Home Secretary after the 2017 general election, in which she retained her seat at Hastings and Rye by 346 votes.[53]

In August 2017, Rudd replied to an email hoaxer posing as the recently appointed Downing Street Director of Communications, Robbie Gibb, revealing that "positive announcements" were imminent. The hoaxer used Rudd's public domain parliamentary email address but she replied using her private email, which is not secure.[54]

In September 2017 on The Andrew Marr Show, Rudd accused Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson of trying to undermine the Prime Minister, Theresa May, calling him a 'back-seat driver'. She said to Andrew Marr: "I don't want him (Boris) managing the Brexit process."[55]

On 3 October 2017, during the Conservative Party Conference, it was reported that Rudd had hired Tory pollster Lynton Crosby to help her increase her majority in Hastings and Rye, amid speculation that she was planning to launch a bid for leadership of the party.[56][57]

On 29 April 2018, Rudd resigned as Home Secretary after misleading the Home Affairs Select Committee on deportation targets.[58][59] Later in the same day, Sajid Javid was appointed as Home Secretary.[10]

In September 2018, during an interview on BBC Two's Politics Live, Rudd was asked if she planned a comeback, to which she replied that she was "not without ambition".[60]

Internet crackdown

In October 2017, Rudd announced a move by the Tory government to crack down on what British citizens are permitted to view on the internet. Piloted as part of a campaign against "radicalisation", Rudd stated that the government would be tightening the law so that UK citizens repeatedly reading certain forbidden internet content could face up to 15 years in jail for looking at the websites. Rudd stated "I want to make sure those who view despicable terrorist content online, including jihadi websites, far-right propaganda and bomb-making instructions, face the full force of the law.”[61][62]

Rise in violent crime

Rudd denied seeing a Home Office report saying cuts to the police force likely were a factor in rising violent crime. A section of the report states: "Since 2012–13, weighted crime demand on the police has risen, largely due to growth in recorded sex offences. At the same time officers’ numbers have fallen by 5% since 2014. So resources dedicated to serious violence have come under pressure and charge rates have dropped. This may have encouraged offenders. [It is] unlikely to be the factor that triggered the shift in serious violence, but may be an underlying driver that has allowed the rise to continue". Rudd had denied that falling police numbers contributed to increased crime. Yvette Cooper wrote, "This is shocking. Surely Home Office officials sent the document to Home Sec, to junior ministers and to special advisors? Cant imagine a department withholding from decision makers the evidence & analysis it did for a new strategy. Something has gone very wrong in Home Office".[63]

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

On 16 November 2018, Rudd returned to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions following the resignation of Esther McVey over opposition to Theresa May's Draft Withdrawal Agreement and the Brexit negotiations. As Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Rudd had to take on Sarah Newton's responsibilities as Minister for Disabled People following her resignation.[64]

Brexit

Ahead of the 2016 Brexit referendum, Rudd supported the UK remaining in the EU.[65] From late 2018, Rudd said that a second referendum over Brexit might be appropriate. Rudd said, 'Parliament has to reach a majority on how it's going to leave the European Union. If it fails to do so, then I can see the argument for taking it back to the people again, much as it would distress many of my colleagues.'[66]

While in then Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet, Rudd opposed no-deal Brexit commenting in March 2019 that it could cause 'generational damage' to the economy. However she withdrew her opposition to no-deal Brexit to retain her cabinet position in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's cabinet in July of that year.[67][68] In June, Rudd described the prorogation of parliament in order to deliver Brexit as a 'ridiculous suggestion', and that it was 'outrageous to consider proroguing Parliament. We're not Stuart kings'.[69][70]

On 7 September 2019 Rudd resigned from the cabinet and surrendered the Conservative whip (became an independent MP). She cited her reason for resigning as she felt that the government's main objective was a no-deal Brexit over leaving with a deal.[71]

Local issues

Rudd has been involved in the campaign for the Hastings fishing fleet. Her maiden speech advocated wholesale reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).[72]

Rudd campaigned successfully for the construction of the Hastings to Bexhill Link Road. In early 2013, the Government gave the road the go-ahead for construction after ten years of campaigning.[73] Rudd is now spearheading a campaign called Complete The Link to see the final stage of the road get funding for construction.[74] She has supported electrification of the Marshlink Line from Hastings to Ashford International, which could result in extending High Speed 1 and providing a high speed rail link from the constituency to Central London.[75]

In April 2013, a profile of Rudd that appeared in the Financial Times[35] reported her referring to "people who are on benefits, who prefer to be on benefits by the seaside... moving down here to have easier access to friends and drugs and drink." She responded by stating that "I am incredibly optimistic about Hastings. I described the well-known problems that Hastings has to the Financial Times but I also talked about the incredible investment in the town, the fact that unemployment is going down and that there are many positive things to say about it."[76]

Standing down as MP

On 30 October 2019, Rudd announced in the Evening Standard that she would stand down as an MP at the upcoming general election. She said she was "not finished with politics" but would not be defending her seat.[12]

Political controversies

Windrush scandal

In April 2018, it was reported that the British government had threatened the children of immigrants of the "Windrush generation" who arrived before 1973 with deportation if they could not prove their right to remain in the UK[77]—however, the relevant documentation had been destroyed. Rudd apologised for the "appalling" treatment of the Windrush generation,[78] but faced calls to resign from senior figures in the Labour Party.[79] On 23 April 2018, Rudd announced that fees and language tests for citizenship applicants would be waived and compensation given to those affected amidst continued calls for her to resign.[80]

Rudd first denied there were targets for the removal of immigrants.[81] Later, she maintained that she had not known of targets. Later still, The Guardian published leaked evidence that Rudd had known about targets: "The six-page memo, passed to the Guardian, says the department has set 'a target of achieving 12,800 enforced returns in 2017–18' and indicates that 'we have exceeded our target of assisted returns'. It adds that progress has been made on a 'path towards the 10% increased performance on enforced returns, which we promised the Home Secretary earlier this year'". The revelation contradicted Rudd's public pronouncements concerning what she was aware of the targets for enforcing the removal of immigrants.[82] The New Statesman said that the leaked memo gave, "in specific detail the targets set by the Home Office for the number of people to be removed from the United Kingdom. It suggests that Rudd misled MPs on at least one occasion. When questioned by Chair Yvette Cooper MP, she told the Home Affairs Select Committee that the Home Office had no targets for removals, then that she was unaware of these targets and that they would be scrapped. Now it emerges that she saw the relevant targets herself."[83] Diane Abbott called for Rudd's resignation.[84] In response, Rudd tweeted that she had not seen the memo "although it was copied to my office as many documents are", and said that she would make a further statement to the House of Commons.[85]

On 29 April 2018, Rudd resigned as Home Secretary,[86][87] stating in her letter of resignation that she had "inadvertently misled the Home Affairs Select Committee [...] on the issue of illegal immigration".[88] In September 2018, during an interview on BBC Two's Politics Live, Rudd said that she had little choice but to resign given the "justifiable outrage" at the Government's handling of the Windrush generation.[60]

Failure to declare conflict of interest

During her time as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she was expected to make a final decision on the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, Rudd was criticised for not declaring a conflict of interest arising from her brother Roland's role as chairman and founder of Finsbury; his lobbying firm represented a company that had a £100 million construction contract for the power plant, and the Register of Members' Financial Interests had recently introduced a new category of "family members engaged in lobbying".[89]

Orgreave

In October 2016, Rudd decided not to open an inquiry into the events at Orgreave during the 1984 miners' strike, saying that there was "not a sufficient basis for me to instigate either a statutory inquiry or an independent review".[90] She failed to appear in Parliament to defend her decision, and was accused of having "cruelly misled" campaigners for justice in what they saw as her "bitter betrayal".[91]

Plan to compel companies to disclose foreign workers

At the 2016 party conference, Rudd suggested that companies should be forced to disclose how many foreign workers they employ.[92] The proposal was revealed as a key plank of a government drive to reduce net migration and encourage businesses to hire British staff. However, senior figures in the business world warned the plan would be a "complete anathema" to responsible employers, would be divisive, and would damage the UK economy because foreign workers were hired to fill gaps in skills that British staff could not provide.[93]

Labour responded by saying that the plan would "fan the flames of xenophobia and hatred in our communities" and the SNP described it as "the most disgraceful display of reactionary right-wing politics in living memory".[92]

The plan was criticised as racist, forcing Rudd to deny that she was racist[94] and the plans were later dropped.[95]

Unlawful detention and deportation of asylum seekers

In August 2017, an emergency High Court hearing was held to examine Rudd's four-week delay in releasing an asylum seeker, who had been tortured in a Libyan prison, from a UK detention centre.[96] Concern was expressed that the Home Secretary failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the delay in releasing the man from detention. Rudd also failed to provide a barrister for this proceeding and was instead represented by a government solicitor, a move which the presiding judge described as "inconceivable".[97]

In September 2017, The Guardian reported that Rudd had authorised the deportation of Samim Bigzad to Kabul, in breach of an earlier ruling banning her from doing so owing to the ongoing threat to his life from the Taliban.[98] A High Court Judge found Rudd to be in contempt of court on three counts, after she ignored orders to return him to the UK.[98][99][100] An unnamed immigration barrister advised the Independent newspaper that Rudd could be given a custodial sentence for defying the High Court's instructions.[101] Bigzad was later returned to London.[102]

Comments about Diane Abbott

In a radio interview in March 2019, Amber Rudd referred to Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott as "a coloured woman" whilst criticizing racist and misogynistic attacks against Abbott.[103] Responding in a tweet, Abbott said the term was "an outdated, offensive and revealing choice of words". Rudd apologised for the remarks, calling it "clumsy language".[104]

Personal life

Rudd married the writer and critic A. A. Gill in 1990 and they had two children, including the journalist Flora Gill.[105][106] The couple separated in 1995, after Gill entered into a long-term relationship with journalist Nicola Formby.[107] Gill and Rudd later divorced.[105] Rudd was formerly in a relationship with fellow Conservative MP Kwasi Kwarteng.[108]

Rudd is a trustee of the Snowdon Trust, an organisation that helps young disabled people access education.[109] Rudd has been a director of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize since 2003, an annual award for a first-time female playwright in the English language. She also served as a governor of The St Leonards Academy in Hastings.