Coordinates: 31°38′N 8°0′W / 31.633°N 8°W / 31.633; -8
Marrakech or Marrakesh (Berber: ⵎⴻⵕⵕⴰⴽⴻⵛ Merrakec or Murakuc, Arabic: مراكش Murrākuš, local pronunciation: Mərrakəš), known as the "Ochre City", with a population of over 1,000,000 inhabitants is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history. The city of Marrakesh is the capital of the mid-southwestern economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, near the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, being also the third largest city in Morocco according to the 2004 census.
Like many Moroccan cities, the city of Marrakesh comprises both an old fortified city (the medina) and modern neighborhoods, the most prominent of which is Gueliz, for a total population of 794,620 and 1,063,415 in the metropolitan area (2004 census). It is served by Ménara International Airport (IATA code: RAK) and a rail link to Casablanca and the north.
Marrakesh has the largest traditional Berber market (souk) in Morocco and also has one of the busiest squares in Africa and the world, Djemaa el Fna. The square bustles with acrobats, story-tellers, water sellers, dancers and musicians. By night food stalls open in the square turning it into a huge busy open-air restaurant.
Michael Brian Young (born October 19, 1976 in Covina, California) is a Major League Baseball All Star designated hitter and utility infielder for the Texas Rangers.
Young has also played a significant number of games at second base, shortstop, and third base over the course of his career. In 2005, he was the AL batting champion. In 2011, he played a number of games at first base also.
Young attended Bishop Amat Memorial High School followed by the University of California, Santa Barbara, to which he later donated money to refurbish the school's baseball field.
Young was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 25th round of the 1994 Major League Baseball Draft but did not sign. He attended the University of California at Santa Barbara. He did sign three years later, when the Toronto Blue Jays selected him in the fifth round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft.
Young was traded in 2000 with pitcher Darwin Cubillán to the Rangers for Esteban Loaiza.
In 2002, Young placed 2nd in fielding with a .988 fielding percentage. In 2003, Young was 3rd in the league in hits with 204, and led all second baseman with a batting average of .306. Young had a fielding percentage of .987. At the end of the 2003 season, Young moved to shortstop after the Alex Rodriguez trade, to make room for Alfonso Soriano.
Gad Elmaleh (born April 19, 1971) is a French-Moroccan stand-up comedian and actor. His latest show is called Papa est en haut (Dad is upstairs). He has starred in several feature films, including Coco, Hors de prix, La Doublure and Midnight in Paris.
Elmaleh was born in Casablanca, Morocco. He is Jewish and was brought up in a mixed cultural background, speaking Moroccan Arabic and French. He earned his Baccalaureate in Morocco at Lycee Lyautey in Casablanca before he studied political science in Montreal for four years, then moved to Paris to study drama.
His first one-man show Décalages, performed at the "Palais des glaces" in 1997, was autobiographical.[citation needed]
Elmaleh's first contact with cinema was the full-length film, Salut cousin ! by Merzak Allouache. He later appeared in L'homme est une femme comme les autres and Train de Vie.
His fame further increased with the success of his second one-man show, La Vie Normale, and the film La Vérité si je mens ! 2 (2000) in which he played the role of "Dov", the seducer. The character of "Chouchou" in La Vie Normale was reproduced in the comedy Chouchou (2002), directed by Merzak Allouache and also starring Alain Chabat; the film drew large audiences.[citation needed]. He then did his debut as a singer in "it's kiz my life", a popular song in a non-existing language. The music video was directed by J.G Biggs and shot in the famous Parisian Hôtel Costes.
Jamel Debbouze (Arabic: جمال دبّوز; born 18 June 1975) is a French and Moroccan actor, comedian, and producer.
Debbouze was born in Paris, France, but his family, from Taza, moved back to Morocco the following year. They returned in 1979 and settled in Trappes in 1983, in the Paris region, where Debbouze spent the rest of his childhood. He is the eldest of his siblings: Mohamed, Hayat, Karim, Rachid and Nawel Debbouze.
On 17 January 1990, at the train station in Trappes, he was struck by a passing train travelling at 150 km/h. He lost the use of his right arm, while another young man, Jean-Paul Admette, the son of the singer from Reunion Michel Admette, died. Debbouze was sued by the victim’s family for manslaughter but the case was dismissed by lack of proof, most of the witnesses retracting. In December 2004, while he was going to perform on a Reunion stage, Debbouze cancelled, claiming illness, while Michel Admette’s parents had organized a demonstration against his arrival.
In 1995, he was spotted by the bosses of Radio Nova, Jacques Massadian and Jean-François Bizot, who made him famous (Jacques Massadian would become his manager). He debuted on Radio Nova, with a film review show, Le Cinéma de Jamel and on television around 1996-1997 on cable channel Paris Première, in a TV show co-produced by Radio Nova and the channel. He took Le Cinéma de Jamel to television on Canal+ in 1998. On the same channel, he contributed to another show, H, along Éric Judor and Ramzy Bedia.