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Mr.Picard

The Sir Patrick Stewart Topic

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Didn't he dump his wife of many years and marry a young hottie once he got famous? I thought I read that.

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He did file for a divorce twice in his life. That one is true. The other stuff, no. I won't go into any sort of details because this concerns his personal life, and I think this is his business and no one else's. Might just be me, but I don't think gossip stuff is relevant in any way, and I generally refuse to discuss it because it leads to nothing whatsoever. So, I'll be staying out of this one, sorry. :)

Edited by Mrs.Picard

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He did file for a divorce twice in his life. That one is true. The other stuff, no. I won't go into any sort of details because this concerns his personal life, and I think this is his business and no one else's. Might just be me, but I don't think gossip stuff is relevant in any way, and I generally refuse to discuss it because it leads to nothing whatsoever. So, I'll be staying out of this one, sorry. :roflmao:

 

I agree with you, I think this post is much more ejoyable looking at the positive things he is doing. :)

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Thanks Bethlehem! It's not that I don't make posts if he does something I don't agree with or find cringe-worthy, it's not up to me to be the judge of his actions - for example, I did report about his argument with James Corden even though I thought it was cringeworthy for BOTH of them - but that was on a public stage in front of an audience and thus for everyone to see. Had he had this argument in private and had I heard about it from one of my sources, I would not have said anything. I hear a lot of things about him, but I think it is my responsibility as a fan to select those things that are "for public discussion" and to keep those that are not to myself. He has other, more progressive fans who somehow think they have the right to gather and discuss his personal life in public and in every painstaking detail and to bash him mercilessly because he does not live up to THEIR expectations - I am not one of them. I've made it a habit of mine not to discuss his personal life unless HE chooses to do so in an interview, or, as in the case above, unless HE takes his children with him and into the spotlight. I am happy if Daniel or Sophie or both show up with him and I am happy to post pictures of these events (or rather, links to those pictures most of the time), but if I happened to come across paparazzi shots that showed him with his children during a private lunch in a restaurant or something, I would not post these pics or mention them in any way. (Mostly because I know he HATES it when someone takes pictures of him when he's eating, lol.)

Edited by Mrs.Picard

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Your reporting of Patrick Stewart's many activities is greatly appreciated and adds to this site in my opinion. Thanks for all your work posting links, photo's, etc!

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Thank you, guys - I'm glad that I seem to have found the right balance when it comes to the news I report! :)

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BREAKING NEWS:

 

Sir Patrick has been nominated for an Emmy award for his performance in Hamlet!

 

Hamlet (Great Performances) • PBS • production of Illuminations and Royal

Shakespeare Company for BBC in association with Thirteen for WNET.org and NHK

Patrick Stewart as Ghost / Claudius

 

 

Full list is over here.

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Cool! It would be great to see him win an emmy for his Shakespearean expertise!

 

Looking at the picture you have posted of Patrick sporting a full beard, has he ever grown a really long beard, like he had in the final TNG episode? Also, has he ever had to grow a mustache, or beard for a particular role that you are aware of? Just curious!

Edited by trekz

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Cool! It would be great to see him win an emmy for his Shakespearean expertise!

 

Looking at the picture you have posted of Patrick sporting a full beard, has he ever grown a really long beard, like he had in the final TNG episode? Also, has he ever had to grow a mustache, or beard for a particular role that you are aware of? Just curious!

 

I'm not that hopeful... he has been nominated for an Emmy before and he never won. They seem to hate him somehow. :)

 

Sir Patrick generally seems to prefer no beard - unless a role requires one in his opinion, which happens quite frequently. He grew a mustache that everyone hated for Macbeth...

 

 

40536099.jpg

 

 

and a full beard for his role as Claudius in Hamlet, for example:

 

 

clauq.jpg

 

 

He tends to shave the various beards right after the final performance of the various plays, though, so, he really only grows the beards for just that one special purpose. I've never seen him with a beard just for fun (which does not mean that he never did this, of course, lol). As for the TNG beard - I think that one was faked from the beginning. I don't think he'd walk around with a beard like that. It's a bit too long. :roflmao:

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Yeah, I can see the hate for that mustache ...

 

The beard looks ok tho.

 

Yeah that TNG beard does look a bit long and could be hot for filming in a vineyard ... :)

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Well he knew it wasn't his best idea... even Brent Spiner made fun of it and called it a "silly mustache" during a convention conversation the two of them had, so... lol. But he felt it necessary to have for his role as Macbeth. He also has a mustache in the movies Masterminds and Gunmen if I remember correctly. Oh and in Let It Be Me as well, I think. Oh and in LA Story. lol

 

I like him whatever he has, mustache, beard, whatever, it doesn't matter - but from a purely "which one looks better" point of view I'd say I prefer him without any sort of beard. A long beard like the "All Good Things..." one would be a bit too much, though, even for my relaxed view on this subject. :)

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There is now an official opening date for Sir Patrick's new play on Broadway:

 

Dates have been set for the upcoming Broadway revival of David Mamet's A Life in the Theatre at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Neil Pepe will direct the production.

 

Previews will begin on September 21; the show will open officially on October 12, and the limited engagement is scheduled to end on January 2.

 

(Source & More)

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It is Sir Patrick's (and Jean-Luc's) birthday today! Sir Patrick is 70 years old today. :)

 

birthday.png

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The birthday boy speaks!

 

 

Mirfield's Sir Patrick 'dazed but delighted' at 70

 

 

Sir Patrick Stewart, Mirfield's most famous son, is marking his 70th birthday by returning to his home turf. The Star Trek and X-Men actor is taking part in graduation ceremonies at Huddersfield University where he is in his second term as Chancellor. Sir Patrick, who was knighted in June, admits he has recently been back to visit his old haunts in Mirfield. He says his birthday is a chance to celebrate and reflect: "I'm a bit dazed by it all, frankly, but delighted."

 

Born in Mirfield on 13 July 1940, Sir Patrick has come a long way since first treading the boards when he was still a child. As a star of stage and screen both in Britain and in Hollywood he is certainly one of the world's most famous actors. Despite his stardom he says his West Yorkshire roots are incredibly important to him and that is why he is spending his birthday at Huddersfield University.

 

He says: "The University does figure very significantly in my life. When, seven years ago, I was asked if I would be prepared to consider the job of Chancellor there I was still living in Los Angeles. I was homesick and wanting to find a good reason to relocate back to England. It was the tipping-point for me. I came back and found that it gave me a chance to put something back into my local community."

 

Those who only know Sir Patrick for his most famous film and TV roles might be surprised to discover that his early years in Mirfield were quite tough.

 

He remembers: "It was a very typical West Riding working class childhood and it was fine. These days people say, 'It must have seemed awful when you were growing up'. But, of course, you didn't know any different and everybody else was living in the same way. It was hand-to-mouth with my mother and me literally hiding behind the sofa when the rent collector came to the door."

 

Culminating in receiving his knighthood from the Queen in June 2010, Sir Patrick says his return from the glitz and glamour of life in Los Angeles has seen him enjoying "the best years of my life".

 

However, he admits his decision to come back to Britain was not without a few pre-performance nerves.

 

He says: "The first thing I did here was Anthony and Cleopatra with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I remember standing behind the scenery on the press night writing the reviews in my head. They went along the lines of, 'Who does he think he is?' But it has not turned out like that."

 

His life has not been without its risks, says Sir Patrick. Whether it was heading across the Atlantic to play Captain Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation or coming back to tread the boards in Britain, he says he has faced some difficult decisions.

 

He explains: "They have all been gambles, in a sense. But without risk, without having a shot at something and not knowing whether you can pull it off or not, I find it stimulating in a strange kind of way. That's what keeps me feeling youthful and certainly not feeling 70. I was 40 a couple of weeks ago, that's how it feels!"

 

Before performing his duties at Huddersfield University on his birthday, Sir Patrick says he recently took a nostalgic trip to his old stomping ground in Mirfield.

 

He says: "I took a little drive around my neighbourhood. It gave me goosebumps. I went past the house I was born in and lived in for 15 years - a one-up one-down in a yard. What was extraordinary was that distances and measurements have shrunk! I always thought the street I lived on was a long, steep street - it's not. It's very short and not that steep at all."

 

And Sir Patrick says once his 70th birthday is out of the way he will again be revisiting his childhood days.

 

He explains: "My life back then is very vivid to me and I've started writing a little about it. I'll be going back there in my head a great deal in the coming few years."

 

 

(Source)

 

 

If you want to have a look at pictures of him from yesterday's University of Huddersfield graduation ceremony, click here and scroll a bit to the right.

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Superstar Sir Patrick Stewart celebrates his 70th birthday at Huddersfield University with Andy Booth and Lee Clark

 

 

 

 

He might be a Hollywood mega star but Sir Patrick Stewart chose to celebrate his 70th birthday right here in Huddersfield. Sir Patrick, an avid Huddersfield Town fan, toasted his landmark birthday with former Terriers players Andy Booth and Trevor Cherry and the club’s manager Lee Clark, in a party at Huddersfield University.

 

And Sir Patrick, who is chancellor of the university, admitted: “It’s been the best birthday ever”.

 

The X-Men and Star Trek actor said: “When I was an eight-year-old boy I would go to watch Town with my uncle at the old ground on Leeds Road and sit on the terraces.

 

“If some-one had told me then that Town players and managers would be coming to my birthday I wouldn’t have believed them. I had a long chat with Lee about the coming season. I didn’t give him any tips – I’ll leave that to the experts.”

 

Sir Patrick, well-known for playing Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek, said he was still coming to terms with reaching 70.

 

He said: “Seventy is just ridiculous. I don’t think I’m 70, there must have been a computer glitch somewhere. I don’t know what happened, it feels like only a few days ago I was celebrating my 40th. I think not acknowledging that I’m getting old helps keep me young. I still love my job and I love it more than ever have now because I love being on stage.”

 

Sir Patrick said he was too old to be holding grudges against people after a recent spat with comedian James Corden on the podium of the Glamour Awards.

 

He said: “The ironic thing is that I’m a big fan of James Corden, but as my daughter would say it all went a bit pear-shaped – I don’t quite know what happened. My humour and his humour sort of collided and I wasn’t aware that he was so upset about it. I had had a wonderful night and I was trying to be entertaining. There are no grudges, none whatsoever.”

 

Sir Patrick spent most of his birthday on Tuesday hosting degree ceremonies in St Peter’s Hall.

 

He said: “The students were so lively and happy. Quite a few of them wished me happy birthday which was very nice. At the end of the final ceremony the organ started playing Happy Birthday. And then we had this amazing dinner and lots of my relatives came including my brother and his wife and my nieces and nephews.”

 

Students Rachel Barnes and Louise Austin made Sir Patrick gifts.

 

The 70-year-old said: “I was given a waistcoat which is just exquisite and I will certainly be wearing it. And a beautiful abstract painting which will go very well with what I have at home. I collect paintings, I love art, it’s a very important part of my life.”

 

Sir Patrick’s next project is a Broadway show called Life in the Theatre, by David Mamet, in which he will play the main role. He said being based in New York would give him a chance to see more of his partner Sunny Ozell, a jazz singer in her 30s, who lives there.

 

Sir Patrick, who lives in California, said: “We have been together for two-and-a-half years but it has been a bit of a transatlantic relationship. She is a singer from Nevada. We met in a restaurant and then she came to see me in Macbeth and it just went from there.” Today Sir Patrick is jetting off to China to promote foreign study at Huddersfield University.

 

He said he wasn’t sure if he’d be recognised over there. He said: “I went to Fiji and I remember thinking – this is great, I can just be there and do what I like and just be a private person. But just as I was getting off the boat this policeman came rushing over to me and he was a Star Trek fan!”

 

 

(Source)

 

 

If you want to see more Huddersfield ceremony pics, this time pictures taken on his birthday, click here and scroll a bit to the right.

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Haha yes, quite a few people have told me they love the fact that he was born in July, lol.

 

 

New article, written by Sir Patrick himself!

 

 

Patrick Stewart: Our creative dreams have to be kindled here in Yorkshire

 

 

 

AS I celebrate my 70th birthday this week, I think back to the early parts of my career in West Yorkshire and how I ended up where I am today.

 

There is no doubt Yorkshire is a very different place now. Back in the '50s, hoping to work in theatre or the movies was barely seen as an option. These days many young people set out from school, college and university with that in mind and, while never easy, it is seen as a credible option.



From the '60s onwards, we had the regional powerhouses of ITV opening up many opportunities for people throughout England but as new technologies have arrived, viewer numbers have fallen and commercial channels have faced difficult times.

 

ITV has had to withdraw from many regions and the media industry continues to be overwhelmingly based in the South-East of England. This is something many of us have tried to address over the last 10 years.

 

Screen Yorkshire, of which I am Patron, has run a whole programme of activity over the last four years to support and develop the small media businesses in the region, attract more national and international productions to film in Yorkshire, train and develop new talent looking to build a career in Yorkshire and to grow a serious reputation as a region which can offer film and TV production everything it needs.

 

We have a stunning array of locations within easy travel distance, we have skilled and experienced crew and facilities and we have a long history of great drama production originating in Yorkshire. We've had an excellent few years in the region.

 

Just think about the dramas we've seen on our screens that filmed here – Lost in Austen, Red Riding, Unforgiven, Wuthering Heights, Married Single Other, Five Days – along with films such as This is England, The Damned United and Brideshead Revisited. We've had Baftas and Bollywood.

 

We've also become a region known for new industries such as digital media and games. Three of the world's top 100 games development studios are based here – global franchises such as adventure game, Broken Sword, and Grand Theft Auto (for handheld devices) were developed right here, in York and Leeds.

 

As Chancellor of Huddersfield University, I have seen how new courses in these areas have flourished and we now have an in-house games development studio – Canal Studios – based within the university where students get real life experience in commercial games development.

 

We have some great companies throughout the region which have put Yorkshire on the map – it is now seen as an exciting, creative and dynamic place in the industry. We have Warp Films in Sheffield – one of the UK's most cutting-edge independent film studios. This was a business started in a garden shed which now employs more than 50 crew on each production.

 

We have True North in Leeds – a business started by three people in a bedroom – now employing an average of 70 people. Creative businesses walk the fine line between commerce and art and don't often get that balance right. But with small amounts of support these industries can ensure this country continues to be one of the world's major creative hubs.

 

Across the world now, we are seeing nations, regions, states, counties all competing to attract film and TV production and build their home-grown creative industries. They do this by establishing film and television commissions to support and attract these industries. They offer tax breaks, production finance funds and subsidised studios.

 

We've seen this in film and TV for a while now as it is a mobile industry which needs different locations and studio sets. Film and TV productions bring many benefits to a region – jobs, inward investment, a training ground for new talent. To take a Yorkshire example, Screen Yorkshire invested £100,000 in each Red Riding film, which in return spent nearly a million pounds in the region per film on crew, facilities, locations.

 

The success of the films also meant the investment was returned to re-invest. It would have been great to have more support for regional production when I started my career. However, we're also seeing more incentives offered now in the games industry as well, with Canada offering major tax breaks in some of its states to entice games development studios to set up there.

 

The UK continues to lead in these industries – it has the second largest film industry in the world by value and we are in the top five for games development. The creative and digital industries are seen by all political parties and by many governments across the world as industries that could lead to growth. I hope this stays the case despite the difficult times ahead.

 

Our industries are going to have to face up to less publicly-funded support, as are all industries.

 

However, let us not lose the opportunity, we are a leader in this field, our culture and history supports our creative talents. Let's hope that between industry and government we can find new models of support that continue to keep the UK at the forefront of the creative industries. With modern technologies, there are even more reason the benefits of these industries can be spread across the UK and why the talents of every region in the UK can be tapped into.

 

The BBC have realised this with their Media City Development in Salford – a major opportunity for Yorkshire's creative businesses right on our door step. So let's ensure that little boy in Mirfield can dream to work in the media without having to head down the M1.

 

 

(Source)

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Sir Patrick Stewart swaps the stage for the station

 

 

ACTOR Sir Patrick Stewart swapped the stage and screen for a fire station. The Mirfield-born star, best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, dropped into the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service HQ as part of his role as Chancellor of Huddersfield University. He watched a graduation ceremony of Young Firefighters from Moor End Technology College and presented them with certificates. He also met staff who take the 999 calls and took a ride in a fire engine.

 

Sir Patrick said: “When I lived in Mirfield I didn’t live too far away from the fire station and it was always a thrill seeing them go out. I pretended to be an adventurous person and a space hero, but I have always had the greatest respect for those who are doing heroic work for real. The best thing about visiting West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was the people, personalities, the generosity and welcome I received. I was also very impressed with the Young Firefighters. What a great idea this scheme is.”

 

Craig McIntosh, West Yorkshire Assistant Chief Fire Officer said: “We were delighted to welcome Sir Patrick to our headquarters and give him an insight into the work we do.”

 

 

(Source)

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An article (and a picture) about Sir Patrick's visit to China!

 

 

'Theater is my life'

 

 

 

A hush falls over the crowd. The bespectacled Beijing technology and drama students who dominate the audience lose their normal fidgetiness and stare slack jawed at a bald man. He is speaking exceptionally slowly, a compliment to the Received Pronunciation which trained away his Mirfield (Yorkshire) accent. They really went and did it. They beamed him in. Sir Patrick Stewart has the room in his palm.

 

"For all artists, certainly all actors, the most important thing is getting a job. Unlike some arts like writing and painting, which you can do alone, an actor acting alone in a room is not an actor. He's a fool," he tells us. "I was blessed because the repertory movement was very strong; every company had a different play every week, or two or three or four a week."

 

 

Not a role model

 

Despite the enthusiasm of the fans and his hosts, Stewart speaks in the same measured tones that have secured his leading roles in the past. Although the voice and presence are that of famous leaders, he lacks the same conviction and arrogance, opting for a more modest approach.

 

"I cannot emphasize enough to students that I should not be seen as a role model. When I meet young people the first thing I say to them is complete your studies and graduate!" he says. "I was not an academic student. I did not fail my exams. I went walking in the hills surrounding my hometown instead of sweating over exam papers with my friends. As I looked down on the roof of the school where I should have been sitting the exam, I felt a great sense of relief that I wasn't there," he explains. It's intended as a warning, but he seems far too content with the memory for it to be taken as such.

 

Despite the golden age for theater that Stewart evolved into, by 19 he had completed his transformation into the trademark baldness that defines him today. A daunting prospect for a young man and his love life, but not one that the actor couldn't turn to his advantage. Cheeky smile on his face, he says: "It proved to be an asset professionally. I got my first most important acting job with a three weekly repertory company because I knew two things about the boss. He was a good teacher and I needed to learn and he was mean with money. So when I went to audition I wore a hairpiece. I did one piece with it and did another without and said look, two actors for the price of one." He pauses. "It didn't harm my romantic life either."

 

 

Provocative series

 

A nasal young American wants to know whether Patrick, er Sir Patrick had… um… ever thought about the impact of Star Trek [The Next Generation] on the... uh… science community. Familiar territory. Stewart knows this road like the bridge of the Enterprise.

 

"It was the hardest work I've ever done. I once mixed cement for a champion bricklayer by hand. For me Star Trek [The Next Generation] was harder." He lists the years he worked on the series and the number of episodes. "All of us were very serious about the content of each episode. We wanted every episode to have some meaning for someone, psychologically, scientifically. We also wanted the things we said to be interesting, entertaining and provocative. We also had to make sure all our lines were grammatically correct, because Jonathan Frakes' [his Star Trek: The Next Generation co-star as first officer] father was an English teacher," he adds.

 

A serious looking youth from the academy of drama wants to talk acting. Stewart's hands move more confidently and expressively but the words don't seem so rote.

 

"I've recently made a sudden change in my career when I left Hollywood and went to the UK and I've focused exclusively on stage acting. All I wanted was the classics and Shakespeare and that was diminishing. I'd reached a point where I wasn't going to move on, I may have been sliding backwards," says Stewart. "An actor in a movie has little control over his craft. For me the most important aspect of what I do is first and foremost to entertain. If I am not entertaining an audience I should be prosecuted under the Trades Description Act."

 

He explains how important communication is when he acts. "When I walk on to a stage and begin to tell a story to a new group of people, some of whom may never have seen a play or been in a theater, all of us sharing our experiences, audiences are enjoying a one off unique experience."

 

He tells us of his recent roles in Macbeth and skims over the fact that he will be appearing in David Mamet's A Life in Theater on Broadway. As soon as he's ushered off stage, it's in the VIP room, flanked by two of the faculty from the University of Huddersfield (not far from his Yorkshire hometown) of which he is Chancellor, as an ever present reminder of the reason for his visit, namely to promote UK education on behalf of universities and the British Council.

 

 

Active campaigner

 

Although sitting in a comfortable armchair, there's definitely an aura of uncertainty as the actor is bombarded with questions about university rankings and the plight of Chinese students, so much so that at one point he smoothly hands over to Huddersfield's vice-chancellor to fend them off. With just a hint of rebellion though, Stewart had requested to be asked about the charity work that he's active in, a dangerous topic as a member of NGO Amnesty International.

 

"I'm very proud to be a member of Amnesty. I have been for 30 years. I became a member when I read a piece in the newspaper about some Greek actors who were arrested because they were performing a thousand year old play. I have been in recent years very active in Amnesty International USA. There I founded a scholarship for young people to do research into many different aspects of human rights issues. Now that I'm in the UK I have been very active in campaigns with regards to violence against women worldwide," he says. He has often spoken in the past about a troubled childhood and domestic violence, which he continues to reference today.

 

"I will continue with that work. But I'm here in China at the invitation of our partner universities to encourage students to come to the UK to study in Huddersfield University. In other words a major exchange of educational, practices, social manners and lifestyles. That includes issues like human rights. That's the focus of my work. And that's where it must remain today."

 

By the end of his brief visit to Beijing, the focus once again returned to showbiz, which brought a knowing glint to his eye. Someone had just asked why he returned to the stage after so long in film. The answer seems like something he has to say every day, but he chooses not to use his own words; instead performs those of another.

 

"I often think of the remark by Ingmar Bergman, the director who owned his own stage company. He said: 'I love the camera, but the theater is my life.'"

 

 

(Source AND PICTURE)

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I think stage acting lets him give more of himself to a role. I believe he loves that kind of commitment to his acting.

 

 

Yup, true. He can bring in something new to the role every evening on stage, whereas in front of a camera the whole stuff is done, shot, cut, next scene. (It's a bit different with a series, granted, which is why he spent so much time and effort in helping to develop the character of Jean-Luc Picard further instead of just letting himself be given new scripts every week and playing along with whatever they told him to do.) With a character that he plays on stage every evening he has more of an opportunity to really BECOME that character. To him, that's a quite interesting process, I guess.

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