Luc Besson, a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. He directed or produced the films Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988), and Nikita (1990), all using a distinctive style dubbed Cinéma du look by critics

Luc Besson is a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. He directed or produced the films Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988), and Nikita (1990), all using a distinctive style dubbed Cinéma du look by critics. Besson has been nominated for a César Award for Best Director and Best Picture for his films Léon: The Professional and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. He won Best Director and Best French Director for his sci-fi action film The Fifth Element (1997). He wrote and directed the 2014 sci-fi thriller film Lucy.

In 1980, he founded his own production company, called Les Films du Loup, and later Les Films du Dauphin (fr). This was superseded in 2000 by his co-founding EuropaCorp film company with his longtime collaborator, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam (fr). As writer, director, and/or producer, Besson has so far been involved in the creation of more than 50 films.

Out of boredom, Besson started writing stories, including the background to what he later developed as The Fifth Element (1997), one of his most popular movies.The film is inspired by the French comic books which Besson read as a teenager. He reportedly worked on the first drafts of Le Grand Bleu while still in his teens. Besson directed and co-wrote the screenplay of this science fiction thriller with the screenwriter, Robert Mark Kamen.
At 18, Besson returned to his birthplace of Paris. There he took odd jobs in film to get a feel for the industry. He worked as an assistant to directors including Claude Faraldo and Patrick Grandperret. Besson directed three short films, a commissioned documentary, and several commercials.
After this, he moved to the United States for three years, but returned to Paris, where he formed his own production company. He first named it Les Films du Loup, but changed it to Les Films du Dauphin. In the early 1980s, Besson met Éric Serra and asked him to compose the score for his first short film, L'Avant dernier. He later used Serra as a composer for other films of his.
Since the late 20th century, Besson has written and produced numerous action movies, including the Taxi (1998–2007) and The Transporter (2002–2008) series, and the Jet Li films Kiss of the Dragon and Unleashed/Danny the Dog. His English-language films Taken, Taken 2 and Taken 3, all starring Liam Neeson, have been major successes, with Taken 2 becoming the largest-grossing export French film. Besson produced the promotional movie for the Paris bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Besson won Best Director and Best French Director for his film The Fifth Element (1997). he was nominated for Best Director and Best Picture César Awards for his films Léon: The Professional (1994) and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999).
French actor Jean Reno has appeared in several films by Besson, including Le dernier combat (1985), Subway, The Big Blue (1988), Nikita (1990), and Léon: The Professional (1994).

James Spader, an American actor best known for portraying eccentric characters. Spader stars in the NBC series The Blacklist. He portrays Raymond "Red" Reddington, one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives

James Todd Spader (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying eccentric characters in films such as the drama Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), the action science fiction film Stargate (1994), the controversial psychological thriller Crash (1996), the erotic romance Secretary (2002), and the blockbuster superhero film Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
His best-known television roles are those of attorney Alan Shore in The Practice and its spin-off Boston Legal (for which he won three Emmy Awards), and Robert California in the comedy-mockumentary The Office. He currently stars as high-profile criminal-turned-FBI-informant Raymond "Red" Reddington in the NBC crime drama The Blacklist, for which he has earned two Golden Globe Award nominations.

Spader's first major film role was in the film Endless Love (1981), and his first starring role was in Tuff Turf (1985). However, he did not rise to stardom until 1986, when he played the rich, arrogant playboy Steff in Pretty in Pink. He co-starred in Mannequin (1987) and the film adaptation of Less Than Zero (1987), in which he played a drug dealer named Rip. Supporting roles in films such as Baby Boom (1987) and Wall Street (1987) followed until his breakthrough in Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), in which he played a sexual voyeur who complicates the lives of three Baton Rouge, Louisiana residents. For this performance, he received the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival.^[7]
Spader's roles in the early 1990s included a young, affluent widower opposite Susan Sarandon in the romantic drama White Palace (1990), Rob Lowe in the Noir drama Bad Influence (1990), John Cusack's best friend in the drama True Colors (1991), and a poker-playing drifter in The Music of Chance (1993). In 1994, he starred as Egyptologist Daniel Jackson in the sci-fi film Stargate. In 1996, he played car accident fetishist James Ballard in the controversial Canadian film Crash and assassin Lee Woods in 2 Days in the Valley. In 1997, Spader guest starred in the Seinfeld episode "The Apology", as an angry recovering alcoholic who refuses to apologize to George for making fun of him. In 2000, he played a drug-addicted detective tracking down a serial killer in The Watcher. In 2002, he starred as a sadistic boss in Secretary.
From 2004 to 2008, Spader starred as Alan Shore in the series Boston Legal, in which he reprised his role from the television series The Practice. He won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2004 for his portrayal on The Practice and won it again in 2005 and 2007 for Boston Legal.^[7][8][9] With the 2005 win, he became one of only a few actors to win an Emmy award while playing the same character in two different series. Even rarer, he won a second consecutive Emmy while playing the same character in two different series. He also won the Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical for Boston Legal in 2006.^[7]
In October 2006, Spader narrated "China Revealed", the first episode of Discovery Channel's documentary series Discovery Atlas. He has also done the voice-over in several television commercials for Acura.^[10] He starred in Race, a play written and directed by David Mamet, which opened on December 6, 2009 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway.^[11] The show closed on August 21, 2010 after 297 performances.^[12] In March 2011, he was named to star in the film By Virtue Fall, written and to be directed by Sheldon Turner. As of June 2011, the movie was in pre-production.^[13]
Spader guest starred as Robert California in "Search Committee", the season 7 finale of The Office. On June 27, 2011, it was announced that he would join the cast on a permanent basis.^[14] He planned to stay only through the eighth season, and while the original plan was just to do the guest appearance, executive producer Paul Lieberstein said: "those two scenes became a season".^[15]
Spader stars in the NBC series The Blacklist, which premiered on NBC September 23, 2013. He portrays Raymond "Red" Reddington, one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives. He also played villainous robot Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).

Nathalie Tauziat, a French former professional tennis player. She was the runner-up in women's singles at the 1998 Wimbledon Championships

Nathalie Tauziat (born 17 October 1967) is a French former professional tennis player.^[1] She was the runner-up in women's singles at the 1998 Wimbledon Championships. Her career-high singles ranking was third in 2000. She currently coaches Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu.

Tauziat turned professional in 1984. She won her first singles title in 1990. She reached her only Grand Slam singles final at the 1998 Wimbledon Championships, beating Haruka Inoue, Iva Majoli, Julie Halard-Decugis, Samantha Smith, Lindsay Davenport and Natasha Zvereva before losing to Jana Novotná. Her appearance in this final was the first by a Frenchwoman since Suzanne Lenglen in 1925.
Tauziat was runner-up with partner Kimberly Po in the 2001 US Open women's doubles final, losing to the team of Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs. She and partner Alexandra Fusai were doubles runners-up at the 1997 and 1998 Chase Championships. She was also part of the 1997 French Fed Cup team, which won its first title in the history of the competition.
Tauziat reached her career-high singles ranking of World No. 3 at the age of 32 years and 6 months in the spring of 2000, making her the oldest woman to debut in the top three and the fourth oldest to be ranked in the top three. She retired from the WTA Tour tennis circuit after the 2003 French Open, after having played only doubles in 2002 and 2003. Tauziat won 8 singles titles and 25 doubles titles during her career.
She wrote a book with the title "Les Dessous du tennis féminin" (published in 2001 in French) in which she gave her insights about life on the women's professional tennis circuit. In 2004 Tauziat received a state honour – le chevalier de la Légion d'honneur – from French President Jacques Chirac for her contributions to international tennis. She was an official WTA tour mentor to French tennis player Marion Bartoli beginning in 2003.

Shaquille O'Neal, a retired American professional basketball player and former rapper. He was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA.

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (born March 6, 1972), nicknamed Shaq), is a retired American professional basketball player and former rapper who is currently an analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Listed at 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall^[1] and weighing 325 pounds (147 kg), he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. O'Neal played for six teams throughout his 19-year NBA career.
Following his career at Louisiana State University, O'Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the best centers in the league, winning Rookie of the Year in 1992–93 and later leading his team to the 1995 NBA Finals. After four years with the Magic, O'Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. They won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Amid tension between O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, and his fourth NBA championship followed in 2006. Midway through the 2007–2008 season he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. After a season-and-a-half with the Suns, O'Neal was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009–10 season.^[2] O'Neal played for the Boston Celtics in the 2010–11 season before retiring.
O'Neal's individual accolades include the 1999–2000 MVP award, the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, two scoring titles, 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections. He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000); the other players are Willis Reed in 1970 and Michael Jordan in 1996 and 1998. He ranks 7th all-time in points scored, 5th in field goals, 13th in rebounds, and 7th in blocks. Largely due to his ability to dunk the basketball, O'Neal also ranks 3rd all-time in field goal percentage (58.2%).^[4] O'Neal was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

Sabine Lisicki, a German professional tennis player that holds the world record for the fastest serve by a female tennis player. She clocked a 131.0 mph (210.8 km/h) serve during her first-round encounter against Ana Ivanovic at the 2014 Bank of the West Classic

Sabine Katharina Lisicki (born 22 September 1989) is a German professional tennis player. She turned professional in 2006 and her breakthrough came in 2009 when she reached the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships and won her first WTA title, the Family Circle Cup, against Caroline Wozniacki. In March 2010, she suffered an ankle injury at the Indian Wells Masters that kept her out of competition for five months and saw her fall out of the top 200.
Lisicki rebounded in 2011 and won the Aegon Classic before entering the Wimbledon Championships as a wildcard and going on to reach the semifinals, where she lost to Maria Sharapova. In doing so she became only the second woman in Wimbledon history to make it to the semifinals while entering the tournament as a wildcard.^[1] She followed that two months later by winning her third WTA tournament, the Texas Open. In 2012, she achieved her highest career world ranking, 12th, and again reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. Again, in 2012 she suffered from another ankle injury that prevented her from having better results on tour. Lisicki reached the final of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, losing to Marion Bartoli. The following year, she reached another quarterfinal at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships and won her first title in three years when she won the 2014 Hong Kong Tennis Open.
In doubles, Lisicki won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in 2011 with Samantha Stosur and in 2013 with Mona Barthel and the 2014 Sony Open with coach Martina Hingis. She also reached the doubles final at Wimbledon in 2011 with Stosur and came fourth in the mixed doubles event at the 2012 London Olympics with Christopher Kas.
Lisicki currently holds the world record for the fastest serve by a female tennis player. She clocked a 131.0 mph (210.8 km/h) serve during her first-round encounter against Ana Ivanovic at the 2014 Bank of the West Classic.

Scott Stapp, an American singer, songwriter, and musician, known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of hard rock bands Creed

Anthony Scott Flippen (born August 8, 1973), also known as Scott Stapp, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician, known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of hard rock bands Creed and Art of Anarchy. He also has two solo albums: The Great Divide (2005) and Proof of Life (2013).
Stapp has received several accolades, including a Grammy Award for Creed's song "With Arms Wide Open" and numerous RIAA certifications. In 2006, Hit Parader ranked Stapp as the 68th greatest heavy metal vocalist of all time.

Creed: 1993–2004; 2009–2012

Stapp is a founding member and lead vocalist of the American hard rock band Creed. After developing a friendship with an acquaintance, his future band mate Mark Tremonti at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Stapp reunited with Tremonti while both attended Florida State University, and they quickly developed a friendship based on their mutual passion for music. Stapp formed Creed with Tremonti in 1993 with fellow members Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips joining as bassist and drummer, respectively. Rhythm guitarist Brian Brasher was also briefly a member from 1993 until 1995. While often criticized and parodied, Creed is recognized by many as one of the major acts of the post-grunge movement of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The band released its debut album My Own Prison in 1997 to mainstream success, selling over six million copies.^[5] Four singles were released from the album: "My Own Prison", "Torn", "What's This Life For", and "One". Each of these songs reached No. 1 on Billboard'a Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, becoming the first band to do so with a debut album.^[5] The album was then followed in 1999 by Human Clay, which was an immediate success and certified diamond and eleven times platinum by the RIAA.^[5] Existing tension between Stapp and Marshall began to increase during this time, leading Marshall to ultimately leave the band to pursue other interests. He was temporarily replaced by touring bassist Brett Hestla,^[6] with Tremonti handling the bass parts in the studio. After a tour, the band released another multi-platinum selling album, Weathered, in 2001.^[7] The tour to support this record was overwhelmingly successful but ended with a considerably controversial concert in Chicago that ultimately led to the band's breakup.^[8] The band announced that they had disbanded in 2004, citing tension between Stapp and the other members.^[9] Creed released its Greatest Hits in November 2004.
After months of speculation, despite early claims from Tremonti that Creed would never return,^[10] it was announced that Creed had reunited with plans for a tour and a new album.^[11] The record, Full Circle, was released in October 2009. Creed supported the album by touring throughout North and South America, Canada, Europe, and Australia during the summers of 2009 and 2010.^[12] A fifth Creed album was expected in late 2011 or early 2012 according to Tremonti,^[13] but never did materialize.
In March 2012, Stapp reconvened with his Creed band mates to rehearse for their "2 Nights" tour, during which the band performed its first two albums, My Own Prison and Human Clay, back to back in their entirety.^[14] It was announced that Stapp and Mark Tremonti would enter the studio to start recording new songs in June,^[15] but no progress was made.
In October 2013, Stapp noted in an interview that extensive work was done on the new album throughout 2011 and 2012. However, the project was suddenly abandoned, and Stapp stated he was unaware as to why. Stapp also hinted that the relationship between himself and Tremonti had once again broken down, leaving the future of the band uncertain.^[16] In December 2013, Stapp elaborated on this, saying Tremonti is dictating to him what he wants the band's creative direction to be, and that Stapp does not want to work with him "under those circumstances".^[17] In January 2014, Stapp once again confirmed in an interview the personal and creative differences between him and Tremonti, stating that future material by the band looks unlikely to happen at the moment, and that he is concentrating on his solo career.^[18] Despite these differences, Stapp has maintained that the band is still together, if inactive, saying that "There's no real time table, we're still a band."^[19][20] He's also said that he's always open to continuing to work on a new album when the time is right and if everyone can agree to continue.^[18] However, in October 2014, Mark Tremonti said flatly that the band has "no plans at the moment" to reform for another album or tour.

Stephan Remmler, lead singer of german band Trio, famous in the 80s

Stephan Remmler (* 25. Oktober 1946 in Witten) ist ein deutscher Sänger, Komponist und Musikproduzent. Bekannt wurde er als Sänger der Gruppe Trio, die mit dem Lied Da Da Da 1982 einen Welthit erzielte.
Remmler wuchs als Sohn eines Diplomaten in Bremerhaven auf. In den 1960er Jahren sang er in der Beat-Band „Just Us“, in der auch Kralle Krawinkel Gitarre spielte. „Just Us“ gastierte unter anderem 14 Tage im Hamburger Star Club.
In den 1970er Jahren trat Stephan Remmler unter dem Pseudonym „Rex Carter“ als Schlagersänger auf. Danach wurde er Hauptschullehrer in Bevern (Landkreis Holzminden) und Musikdozent an der Universität Oldenburg.
1979 gründete Remmler zusammen mit Kralle Krawinkel und Peter Behrens die Gruppe Trio und war deren Texter und Sänger. Mit Trio erzielte er den Welthit Da Da Da ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht aha aha aha und hatte mit weiteren Titeln zumindest in Deutschland im Zuge der Neuen Deutschen Welle beachtlichen Erfolg: Anna – Lassmichrein Lassmichraus, Herz ist Trumpf oder Bum bum konnten sich jeweils in den deutschen Top 10 platzieren.
In einer kreativen Pause bei Trio (1984) veröffentlichte er als „Stephan & Nina“ gemeinsam mit der neunjährigen Angela Smecca die Single Feuerwerk (auch international auf Englisch, Spanisch, Französisch und Italienisch) und spielte den Erzähler in dem klassischen Werk Peter und der Wolf unter der Leitung von John Williams.
Nachdem sich Trio 1986 aufgelöst hatte, begann Remmler eine Solokarriere. Er schrieb seine Lieder nun fast ausnahmslos allein und produzierte im Alleingang. Gleich die erste Single seiner Solokarriere Keine Sterne in Athen war seine kommerziell erfolgreichste. Die zweite Single Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei wurde unerwartet zu einem Karnevalsschlager. Beide Singles erreichten den dritten Platz der deutschen Singlecharts. An diese Erfolge konnte er seither nicht mehr anknüpfen. Die englische Version von Keine Sterne in Athen (I Don’t Go to U. S. A.) erreichte auf den Philippinen die Nummer 1.
In der Folge veröffentlichte er eine Reihe von Alben, von denen sich nur noch sein zweites Album Lotto (1988) in den Charts platzieren konnte. Ab 1989 zog sich Remmler eine Zeitlang weitgehend aus dem Musikgeschäft zurück, da er nunmehr Vater geworden war und sich verstärkt seinem Familienleben widmete. Daher folgten zunächst eine Best-Of-Kompilation 10 Jahre bei der Stange, die neben den Hits seiner Solokarriere auch einige Titel aus seiner Zeit mit Trio enthielt. 1991 folgte ein Album mit Coverversionen von Freddy Quinn. Ein für 1992 angekündigtes neues Album mit Eigenkompositionen namens BarbarellaMortadellaohneTeller wurde kurzfristig zurückgezogen und erschien 1993 in überarbeiteter Form unter dem Namen Vamos. Zu diesem Album absolvierte Remmler seine zweite und gleichzeitig bislang letzte Deutschlandtournee. Aufnahmen von der Tour veröffentlichte Remmler auf seinem Live-Album HÜH! 1994 verkörperte er den Kratermann im Musical Tabaluga von Peter Maffay. Nach einem Wechsel der Plattenfirma zu MCA Records folgte noch ein weiteres Studio-Album Amnesia. Im Anschluss zog sich Remmler für etwa zehn Jahre ins Privatleben zurück.
2003 komponierte und produzierte er gemeinsam mit seinen drei Söhnen Cecil, Jonni und Lauro ein Album. Das Album selbst blieb unveröffentlicht, da die Formation kurzfristig ihren Plattenvertrag verlor. Zwei vorab erschienene Singles, darunter Everybody Cha Cha, erreichten jedoch in Deutschland hohe Chartpositionen. Remmlers Söhne absolvierten in diesem Rahmen eine Reihe von TV-Terminen, bei denen ihr Vater sie zwar im Hintergrund begleitete, selbst aber nicht vor die Kameras trat.
2006 entschloss sich Remmler zur Veröffentlichung eines neuen Soloalbums. Als Plattenfirma wählte er das eher kleine Label der befreundeten Inga Humpe „it.sounds“. Das Album 1, 2, 3, 4 …, das Remmler gemeinsam mit seinem ältesten Sohn Cecil produziert hatte, konnte sich auf den hinteren Plätzen der deutschen Albumcharts platzieren.
Im Jahre 2007 komponierte er mit Cecil den Soundtrack zu dem Film Vollidiot nach dem Buch von Tommy Jaud, der im April 2007 in die Kinos kam.^[1] Remmler veröffentlichte in diesem Zuge zusammen mit Nena und Oliver Pocher, der in dem Film die Hauptrolle spielt, die Single Ich kann nix dafür. Bei diesem Lied handelt es sich um eine deutsche Version des Liedes Young Folks von Peter Bjorn and John, für das Remmler einen deutschen Text schrieb und auch sang. Das Lied erreichte die Top 10 der deutschen Singlecharts.
Seither arbeitet Remmler nur noch vereinzelt bei musikalischen Projekten mit. 2010 trat er bei MTV Unplugged als Gast des Berliner Rappers Sido auf. Beide sangen zusammen das Lied Da da da. Dasselbe Lied veröffentlichte er in Zusammenarbeit mit Señor Coconut. 2014 wirkte Remmler bei einer Version von Keine Sterne in Athen der Band LaBrassBanda auf deren Album Kiah Royal mit und trat auch im offiziellen Video auf.^[2] 2010 las er die Hörbuchversion von Keith Richards’ Autobiografie Life.
2015 erschien Remmlers Kinderbuch Heinrich, Schweinrich und die fliegenden Krokodile.

Didier Drogba, an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team

Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at Chelsea, for whom he has scored more goals than any other foreign player and is currently the club's fourth highest goal scorer of all time. He has been named African Footballer of the Year twice, winning the accolade in 2006 and 2009.
After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his professional debut aged 18 for Ligue 2 club Le Mans, and signed his first professional contract aged 21. After finishing the 2002–03 season with 17 goals in 34 appearances for Ligue 1 side Guingamp, he moved to Olympique de Marseille, where he finished as the third highest scorer in the 2003–04 season with 19 goals and helped the club reach the 2004 UEFA Cup Final.
In the summer of 2004, Drogba moved to Premier League club Chelsea for a club record £24 million fee, making him the most expensive Ivorian player in history. In his debut season he helped the club win their first league title in 50 years, and a year later he won another Premier League title. In March 2012, he became the first African player to score 100 Premier League goals,^[6] and also became the only player in history to score in four separate FA Cup finals the same year, when he scored in Chelsea's win over Liverpool in the 2012 final.^[7] He also played in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, in which he scored an 88th-minute equaliser and the winning penalty in the deciding shoot-out against Bayern Munich.^[8] After spending 6 months with Shanghai Shenhua in China, and one and a half seasons with Turkish club Galatasaray where he scored the winning goal in the final of the 2013 Turkish Super Cup, Drogba returned to Chelsea in July 2014.^[9][10] With a career record of scoring 10 goals in 10 finals winning 10 trophies at club level, Drogba has been referred to as the "ultimate big game player."^[11][12]
An Ivory Coast international between 2002 and 2014, Drogba captained the national team from 2006 until his retirement from the Ivory Coast team and is the nation's all-time top goalscorer with 65 goals^[5] from 104 appearances.^[13] He led the Ivory Coast to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, their first appearance in the tournament, and also scored their first goal. He later captained the Ivory Coast at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.^[14] He was part of the Ivory Coast teams that reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2012, but were beaten on penalties on both occasions. On 8 August 2014, he announced his retirement from international football.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra, an American progressive rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill. Washington Post referred to them as "an arena-rock juggernaut" and described their music as "Pink Floyd meets Yes and The Who at Radio City Music Hall."

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American progressive rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. The band gained in popularity when they began touring in 1999 after completing their second album, The Christmas Attic the year previous. In 2007, the Washington Post referred to them as "an arena-rock juggernaut" and described their music as "Pink Floyd meets Yes and The Who at Radio City Music Hall."^[4] TSO has sold more than 10 million concert tickets and over 10 million albums.^[5][6] The band has released a series of rock operas: Christmas Eve and Other Stories, The Christmas Attic, Beethoven's Last Night, The Lost Christmas Eve , their two-disc Night Castle and Letters From the Labyrinth. Trans-Siberian Orchestra is also known for their extensive charity work and elaborate concerts, which include a string section, a light show, lasers, "enough pyro to be seen from the international space station",^[7] moving trusses, video screens, and effects synchronized to music.^[8]
Both Billboard Magazine and Pollstar have ranked them as one of the top ten ticket-selling bands in the first decade of the new millennium.^[9][10] Their path to success was unusual in that TSO is the first major rock band to go straight to theaters and arenas, having never played at a club, never having an opening act and never being an opening act.^[11] In 2013, TSO kicked off their European tour with a performance on New Year's Eve 2013-14 in front of over 1 million fans at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. "A daring feat in which the band played three shows across two continents in 27 hours."^[12] The show was broadcast live to millions more on German television.

Art Garfunkel, an American singer, poet and actor. He partnered in his earlier years with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel

Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, poet and actor. He partnered in his earlier years with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel.
Highlights of his solo music career include a top 10 hit, three top 20 hits, six top 40 hits, 14 Adult Contemporary top 30 singles, five Adult Contemporary number ones, two UK number ones and a People's Choice Award. Through his solo and collaborative work, Garfunkel has earned six Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award.^[1] In 1990, he and former musical partner Paul Simon were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Garfunkel was born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, the son of Rose (née Pearlman) and Jacob "Jack" Garfunkel, a traveling salesman. Art is a middle child with two brothers; the older named Jules and the younger named Jerome. Jacob's parents had originally immigrated to America at the turn of the century, and chose to settle in Manhattan. Before his career in sales, Jacob worked as an actor in Dayton, Ohio.^[2][3][4][5] Garfunkel is Jewish;^[6] his paternal grandparents emigrated from Iași in Romania. His maternal cousin is Lou Pearlman,^[7][8][9] founder of 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.
According to the Across America DVD, Garfunkel's love for singing originated in the first grade. "When we were lined up in size order, and after everyone else had left, I'd stay behind and enjoy the echo sound of the stairwell tiles and sing 'Unchained Melody' and 'You'll Never Walk Alone', learning to love this goose-bumps song from the tender age of five." Later, Garfunkel's father bought him a wire recorder and from then on, Garfunkel spent his afternoons singing, recording, and playing it back, so he could listen for flaws and learn how to improve.

Joe Cocker, an English singer and musician. He was known for his gritty voice, spasmodic body movement in performance, and definitive versions of popular songs

John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer and musician. He was known for his gritty voice, spasmodic body movement in performance, and definitive versions of popular songs.
Cocker's cover of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" reached number one in the UK in 1968. He performed the song live at Woodstock in 1969, and at the Party at the Palace concert for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2002. His version also became the theme song for the TV series The Wonder Years. His 1974 cover of "You Are So Beautiful", reached number five in the US. Cocker was the recipient of several awards, including a 1983 Grammy Award for his US number one "Up Where We Belong", a duet with Jennifer Warnes.
In 1993 Cocker was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male, in 2007 was awarded a bronze Sheffield Legends plaque in his hometown, and in 2008 he received an OBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music.^[1][2] Cocker was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list.

Mark Knopfler, a British singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Dire Straits

Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded with his younger brother, David Knopfler, in 1977.
Since Dire Straits d^[1] He has composed and produced film scores for eight films, including Local Hero (1983), Cal (1984), The Princess Bride (1987), and Wag the Dog (1997).^[2]
isbanded in 1995, Knopfler has recorded and produced eight solo albums, and, as with his previous band, produced many hit songs.
In addition to his work with Dire Straits and as a solo artist and composer, Knopfler has recorded and performed with many prominent musicians, including Chet Atkins, Chris Botti, John Anderson, the Chieftains, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Bryan Ferry, George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Jools Holland, Sonny Landreth, Phil Lynott, Van Morrison, Steely Dan, Sting, and James Taylor, sometimes working as a session musician. He has produced albums for Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Randy Newman.
Knopfler is a fingerstyle guitarist and was ranked 27th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.^[3] Knopfler and Dire Straits have sold in excess of 120 million albums to date.^[4][5] A four-time Grammy Award winner, Knopfler is the recipient of the Edison Award, the Steiger Award and the Ivor Novello Award, as well as holding three honorary doctorate degrees in music from universities in the United Kingdom.