Diego

Diego is a Spanish masculine given name. It derives from a re-analysis of Sant Yago ("Saint Jacob"), viz. in reference to Saint James the Greater, re-analysed as San Diego.

In today's Spanish-speaking countries, Diego and Santiago are common as given names; Diego, Santiago and Sandiego are found as surnames. The forms Tiago, Thiago, Diago and Diogo are seen mostly in Portuguese speaking (Lusophone) countries.

History

The name is on record since the High Middle Ages (Diego de Acebo, d. 1207).

During the medieval era, the names "Sant Yago", "Diago" and "Diego" seem to have coexisted. "Sant Yago" is used, for example, in a letter by James II of Aragon dated 1300: "[...] maestro de la cavalleria de Sant Yago et de la dita orden [...]".

"Diago" is recorded, for example, in "Et fue a casa del Rey. e mostrolo a don diago que era adelantado del Rey" (Fuero de Burgos, c. 1240)

In the Renaissance era, the name was Latinized as Didacus (from Greek διδαχή (didache) "teaching").

"Diego" as a generic name or term for a Spaniard is documented from around 1615, and "dago" is used as such still in the 19th century. By the early 20th century, the term "dago" became an ethnic slur chiefly for Italian Americans, besides also for anyone of Hispanic or Portuguese descent.

The Voice (TV series)

The Voice is a reality television singing competition franchise. It is based on the reality singing competition The Voice of Holland, which was originally created by Dutch television producer John de Mol. Many other countries have adapted the format and began airing their own versions since 2011. It has become a rival to the Idols franchise and The X Factor.

History

John de Mol, creator of Big Brother, first created The Voice concept with Dutch singer Roel van Velzen. The show distinguishes itself as different from The X Factor and Idols as The Voice primarily focuses on singing ability and prowess of an artist alone.

On September 17, 2010, The Voice of Holland began to air on RTL 4 with Angela Groothuizen, Roel van Velzen, Nick & Simon, and Jeroen van der Boom as the mentor-judges (dubbed as "coaches") of the show. The show proved to be an instant success in the Netherlands.

The format was later sold to different countries.

Format

Contestants are aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. The show's format features four stages of competition. The first is the blind auditions, in which the four coaches, all noteworthy recording artists, listen to the contestants in chairs facing away from the stage so as to avoid seeing them. If a coach likes what they hear from that contestant, they press a button to rotate their chairs to signify that they are interested in working with that contestant. If more than one coach presses their button, the contestant chooses the coach he or she wants to work with. The blind auditions end when each coach has a set number of contestants to work with. Coaches will dedicate themselves to developing their singers mentally, musically and in some cases physically, giving them advice, and sharing the secrets of their success.

The Voice

The Voice may refer to:

Music

Albums

Songs

Radio and television

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is the lead character in a series of eight children's books written by P. L. Travers. Throughout the Mary Poppins series, which was published over the period 1934 to 1988, Mary Shepard was the illustrator. The books centre on a magical English nanny, Mary Poppins. She is blown by the East wind to Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane, London, and into the Banks's household to care for their children. Encounters with chimney sweeps, shopkeepers and various adventures follow until Mary Poppins abruptly leaves, i.e., "pops-out". Only the first three of the eight books feature Mary Poppins arriving and leaving. The later five books recount previously unrecorded adventures from her original three visits. As P. L. Travers explains in her introduction to Mary Poppins in the Park, "She cannot forever arrive and depart."

The books were adapted by Walt Disney in 1964 into a musical film titled Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. In 2004, Disney Theatrical, in collaboration with Cameron Mackintosh (who had previously acquired the stage rights from Travers) produced a stage musical also called Mary Poppins in the West End theatre. The stage musical was transferred to Broadway in 2006, where it ran until its closing on March 3, 2013. In 2013 the film Saving Mr. Banks depicted the making of the 1964 film.

Marco Borsato

Marco Roberto Borsato (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɑrkoː roːˈbɛrtoː bɔrˈsaːtoː]; born 22 December 1966) is a Dutch singer. He started performing in Italian before switching to Dutch in 1994. He has consistently been one of the most successful and biggest grossing artists in the Netherlands for the past twenty years.

Biography

Marco Roberto Borsato was born in the Wilhelmina Hospital in Alkmaar as the son of Roberto Borsato and Mary de Graaf. He has a brother, Armando, and a sister, Sylvana. The family moved to Italy, where the father started up a restaurant in Garda. Borsato spent a significant amount of time in Italy and speaks fluent Italian.

When Borsato was 12 years old he decided he wanted to be a sushi chef. Borsato, though brought up with Italian cuisine, felt a great love for this cuisine. When he was older he went to school during the week and worked in a restaurant during the weekends. During his conscription he was bound to the cavalery, where he was conscripted as a NCO. Success did not come over night after winning the Dutch Soundmixshow on 6 April 1990 with his rendition of Billy Vera's "At This Moment." During that time he was indeed working as a chef.