Aslan, the Great Lion, is the central character of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books. He is also the only character to appear in all seven books of the series.
He is depicted as a talking lion, the King of Beasts, son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea; a wise, compassionate, magical authority (both temporal and spiritual); mysterious and benevolent guide to the human children who visit; guardian and saviour of Narnia. The author, C. S. Lewis, described Aslan as an alternative version of Christ, that is, as the form in which Christ might have appeared in a fantasy world.
Aslan is Turkish for "lion" and was also used as a title by Seljuq and Ottoman rulers.
Throughout the series, it is stated that Aslan is "not a tame lion," since, despite his gentle and loving nature, he is powerful and can be dangerous. He has many followers, which include vast numbers of Talking Beasts, Centaurs, Fauns, Dryads, Dwarfs, Satyrs, Naiads, Hamadryads, Mermaids, Silvans, Unicorns, and Winged Horses. Lewis often capitalises the word lion, since, at least partially, he represents Jesus.
Reza Aslan (Persian رضا اصلان, born May 3, 1972) is an Iranian-American activist, a nationally acclaimed writer of religions. He is on the faculty at the University of California, Riverside, and is a contributing editor for The Daily Beast. His books include the international bestseller, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, which has been translated into thirteen languages, and named one of the 100 most important books of the last decade. He is also the author of How to Win a Cosmic War, published in paperback as Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in a Globalized Age. He is also editor of Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East, published by W. W. Norton, and co-editor with Aaron Hahn-Tapper of Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities, published by Palgrave Macmillan. Dr. Reza Aslan is CEO of Aslan Media Inc., whose holdings include BoomGen Studios, the first ever motion picture studio entirely focused on entertainment content about the Greater Middle East and its globally dispersed communities. His non-profit organization, Aslan Media Initiatives (AslanMedia.com), uses social-media technology to provide news and information about the Middle East to young people all over the world.
William "Bill" Maher, Jr. ( /ˈmɑːr/; born January 20, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian, television host, political commentator, author, and actor. Before his current role as the host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar late-night talk show called Politically Incorrect originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC.
Maher is known for his political satire and sociopolitical commentary, which targets a wide swath of topics including religion, politics, bureaucracies of many kinds, political correctness, the mass media, greed among people and persons in positions of high political and social power, and the lack of intellectual curiosity in the electorate. He supports the legalization of marijuana and same-sex marriage, and serves on the board of PETA. He is also a critic of religion and is an advisory board member of Project Reason, a foundation to promote scientific knowledge and secular values within society. In 2005, Maher ranked at number 38 on Comedy Central's 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time. Bill Maher received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star on September 14, 2010.
Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (born Piers Stefan O'Meara; 30 March 1965), known professionally as Piers Morgan, is a British journalist and television presenter. He is editorial director of First News, a national newspaper for children.
Morgan branched into television mainly as a presenter, but has become best known as a judge or contestant in reality television programmes. In the UK, he was a judge on Britain's Got Talent. Morgan is best known in the United States as a judge on the show America's Got Talent, and as the winner of The Celebrity Apprentice. On 17 January 2011, he began hosting Piers Morgan Tonight for CNN in the timeslot previously occupied by Larry King Live after the retirement of host Larry King.
Morgan has authored eight books, including three volumes of memoirs.
Piers Morgan was born on 30 March 1965, in Guildford, Surrey, England, to Eamon Vincent O'Meara, a dentist, of Dorking, Surrey, and Gabrielle Georgina Sybille (née Oliver). His father died when he was one year old; his mother subsequently remarried. He has three older siblings. His ancestry includes Irish, Portuguese, Scottish, and English. Morgan was raised Catholic. Named Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan by his stepfather, Morgan attended an independent school called Cumnor House from the ages of seven to thirteen, and then Chailey School, a comprehensive secondary school in Chailey, near Lewes, East Sussex, followed by Lewes Priory School for VI form. Morgan studied Journalism at Harlow College. After a brief career at Lloyds of London, he joined the Surrey and South London Newspaper Group in 1985, where he worked as a reporter on the South London News, and the Streatham and Tooting News. Morgan was recruited (he says headhunted by editor Kelvin MacKenzie) to join The Sun newspaper, specifically to work on the Bizarre column.
Plot
Quantum Theory is the story of Chelsea and Roe, two brilliant, snarky women of science, who develop a prototype with the power to alter reality... until it's snatched from under them by LDI, a ruthless and powerful defense contractor. With reality itself under the control of a corporate military superpower, can Chelsea and Roe take back their technology and their world?
Keywords: conspiracy, female-driven, gay, heist, heroine, quantum-theory, reality-bending, role-model, smart, super-science
Make it possible.
Meet the quantum mechanics.
What could go wrong?
Plot
Laura and Mark have been together for 10 years and she has always supported him in his shallow pop-singing career. However, Laura has her talent measured, and it appears she is packed with it! Laura's career takes off while Mark's is dangerously close to the abyss. Mark then discovers that the equipment used for measuring talent can also be used for stealing it. He is now heading towards stardom again - but also serious trouble!
Plot
Carl Fitzgerald is down-on-his-luck until he meets Sophie, a beautiful Greek girl. He gets a job as a cook, but accidentally kills fellow worker Mustafa. He turns to his unscrupulous best friend for help and together they attempt to dispose of the body.
Keywords: australia, black-comedy, independent-film
Carl's life is a minefield. Dave's in charge of damage control.
Sophie Papafogos: We all thought you were a poof.
Dave: Was that you?::Carl 'Cookie' Fitzgerald: No.::Dave: Must've been me. Sorry.
Carl 'Cookie' Fitzgerald: I've met this girl, this gorgeous, greek girl... Sophie. And she looks like one of them 60s filmstars.::Dave: Gina Lollobrigida?::Carl 'Cookie' Fitzgerald: That's right! Gina Lollobrigida.::Dave: How old is she?::Carl 'Cookie' Fitzgerald: She's beautiful, really beautiful.::Dave: How old is she?::Carl 'Cookie' Fitzgerald: She likes me.::Dave: How old is she, Carl?::Carl 'Cookie' Fitzgerald: She's... 19, Dave. And... I think I'm in love.::Dave: Take it easy, mate. Last time you were in love you got married.
Dave: So when did you meet her?::Carl 'Cookie' Fitzgerald: Yesterday.::Dave: Oh, it's fairly serious, then.
June: You're hopeless, Carl. Hopeless. When are you gonna grow up?
Mrs. Fitzgerald: You'd want to eat more fruit. You look... blocked up.
Mrs. Fitzgerald: Did you find your magazines?::Carl 'Cookie' Fitzgerald: I only read them for the interviews, mother.
Sophie Papafogos: Whatcha doing?::Carl 'Cookie' Fitzgerald: Nothing much. Just sittin' around... thinking about you.
Mrs. Fitzgerald: She's exceedingly common I can imagine!
Cousin Con: I knew this was gonna happen!::Sophie Papafogos: Shut up!
Plot
On October 6, 1970 while boarding an international flight out of Istanbul Airport, American 'Billy Hayes (I)' (qv) is caught attempting to smuggle 2 kilos of hashish out of the country, the drugs strapped to his body. He is told that he will be released if he cooperates with the authorities in identifying the person who actually sold him the hash. Billy's troubles really begin when after that assistance, he makes a run for it and is recaptured. He is initially sentenced to just over four years for possession, with no time for the more harsh crime of smuggling. The prison environment is inhospitable in every sense, with a sadistic prison guard named Hamidou ruling the prison, he who relishes the mental and physical torture he inflicts on the prisoners for whatever reason. Told to trust no one, Billy does befriend a few of the other inmates, namely fellow American Jimmy Booth (in for stealing two candlesticks from a mosque), a Swede named Erich, and one of the senior prisoners having already served seven years, an Englishman named Max, the latter two also in for hash related charges. One prisoner not befriended is Rifki, who wields power in the prison as the unofficial eyes and ears for the guards. As Billy, his family and his girlfriend Susan attempt through legal and diplomatic channels for Billy's release, Max tells him that the only way out is to "catch the midnight express" aka escape, which is what Jimmy is continually trying to do. When Billy's situation changes, he becomes more desperate in every sense of the word. It seems as if Billy has only two options: to let the prison ultimately figuratively then literally kill him, or to somehow regain control of his life through whatever means available.
Keywords: 1970s, accidental-killing, actual-animal-killed, airplane, airport, airport-security, american-consulate, anger, animal-cruelty, ankara-turkey
A story of triumph.
Busted for drugs and condemned to the nightmarish hell of a Turkish prison, there was only one escape [Australia Theatrical]
Everybody gave up on Billy Hayes -- except Billy.
Walk into the incredible true experience of Billy Hayes, and bring all the courage you can!
Ahmet: Where are you going? Why don't you walk the wheel with us? What is the matter my American friend? What has upset you? Oh! I know. The bad machine doesn't know that he's a bad machine. You still don't believe it. You still don't believe you're a bad machine? To know yourself is to know God, my friend. The factory knows, that's why they put you here. You'll see... You'll find out... In time, you'll know.
[to the Turkish court]::Billy Hayes: For a nation of pigs, it sures is funny you don't eat'em! Jesus Christ forgave the bastards, but I can't! I hate! I hate you! I hate your nation! And I hate your people! And I fuck your sons and daughters because they're pigs! You're a pig! You're all pigs.
[to the Turkish court]::Billy Hayes: I just wish for once that you could be in my shoes, Mr. Prosecutor, and then you would know something that you don't know: mercy! That the concept of a society is based on the quality of that mercy; its sense of fair play; its sense of justice! But I guess that's like asking a bear to shit in the toilet.
Max: The best thing to do is to get your ass out of here. Best way that you can.::Billy Hayes: Yeah, but how?::Max: Catch the midnight express.::Billy Hayes: But what's that?::Max: [laughs] Well it's not a train. It's a prison word for... escape. But it doesn't stop around here.
Jimmy: The second way out, I need you guy's help, and that's under.::Billy Hayes: You mean tunnel? Are you serious?::Max: This is Shagmahr prison, not Stalag 17.::Jimmy: Well that's where you're wrong fuckface, 'cause it's already built!
Billy Hayes: [voiceover] To the Turks, everything is "shurla burla", which means "like this, like that". You never know what will happen. All foreigners are "ayip", they're considered dirty. So is homosexuality, it's a big crime here, but most of them do it every chance they get. There are about thousand things that are "ayip", for instance, you can stab or shoot somebody below the waist but not above because that's intent to kill. So everyone runs around stabbing everyone else in the ass. That's what they call Turkish revenge. I know it must all sound crazy to you, but this place is crazy.
Jimmy: So... Billy, what are you in for? Hash?::Billy Hayes: Yeah.::Jimmy: Where'd they get you?::Billy Hayes: The airport... trying to get home.::Jimmy: You go through customs?::Billy Hayes: Yeah, I was busted right at the plane.::Jimmy: Aw, man that's heavy. That's very heavy.::Erich: It's bad if they get you for smuggling, but if they make it posession, the sentance is lighter. The best thing for you to do, Billy, is try to make bail. If you make bail, you're free. You can easily get yourself a fake passport on the black market, or get yourself across the border into Greece.::Jimmy: Dream on, Erich. They'll never grant bail to foreigners whom may be a flight risk.::Erich: But if you argue in court about you being innocent...::Jimmy: This ain't the good ol' USA! This is Turkey, man! It's a fuckin' accident here if you're innocent! There ain't nobody here that is innocent!
Billy Hayes: What is a crime? What is punishment? It seems to vary from time to time and place to place. What's legal today is suddenly illegal tomorrow because society says it's so, and what's illegal yesterday is suddenly legal because everybody's doin' it, and you can't put everybody in jail. I'm not saying this is right or wrong. I'm just saying that's the way it is. But I've spent 3 1/2 years of my life in your prison, and I think I've paid for my error, and if it's your decision today to sentence me to more years, then I... [he becomes overcome with anger]
[first lines]::[Susan makes her way through a line at an airline checkpoint]::Susan: Excuse me... Excuse me... Excuse me... Excuse me.::[she reaches Billy in line]::Susan: Nervous?::Billy Hayes: No.::Susan: Geez, I hate flying.::Billy Hayes: It's something I ate. I think I've been poisoned.::Susan: Or you're just excited about getting home.::Billy Hayes: No, I think it's the baklavas.::Susan: I told you not to eat 'em.::Billy Hayes: Look, I gotta go to the john again. You go on through and I'll catch up to you, OK?::Susan: So I'll wait.::Billy Hayes: No, go. I'll... I'll catch up to you. I'll... I'll only be a minute. OK? OK?::Susan: OK.
Mr. Hayes: All right, Billy. I know it sounds tought, but we are going to get you out! I promise you. I don't want you to get stupid and pull anything. They can play with your sentence. All right. Now, I'm putting 500 dollars in the bank. Anything you need, you write. There's food here. There's candy. And there's writing paper. Books. Cigarettes. Soap. Toothbrush. [Empties bag onto table, slams it down] I've been writing insurance policies for 30 goddamn years and now I've got to see my own son - Jesus. Jesus! Billy, if I could be where you are... I'd be there.::Billy Hayes: I love you, Dad. [Guards take him away]::Mr. Hayes: [to Hamidou] You take good care of my boy, you hear? Or I'll have your fuckin' head, you Turkish bastard!