The Blockbuster Entertainment Awards was a film awards ceremony, founded by Blockbuster Entertainment, Inc. , that ran from 1995 until 2001, and ended with the decision to cancel the 2002 awards following concerns after the September 11 attacks . They were produced each year by Ken Ehrlich .
59-676: The awards were first held on June 3, 1995, at the Pantages Theatre and broadcast on June 6. The idea for the awards show came from Blockbuster marketing executive Brian Woods, who worked on the project for about two years. Blockbuster reportedly saw creating the awards as a way of promoting both the company and also the performers whose records and films were sold in their stores. We wanted to have entertainers who are truly public favorites, like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone or Jean-Claude Van Damme , people who do big box office and big business in home video, but are not in
118-613: A Musicians' Village in New Orleans. The Musicians' Village includes Habitat-constructed homes, with an Ellis Marsalis Center for Music , as the area's centerpiece. The Habitat-built homes provide musicians, and anyone else who qualifies, the opportunity to buy decent, affordable housing. In 2012, Connick and Marsalis received the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards . On April 16, 1994, Connick married former Victoria's Secret model Jill Goodacre , who
177-659: A Gold & Platinum Music Video—Long Form awards from the RIAA in November 2005. An animated holiday special, The Happy Elf aired on NBC in December 2005; Connick was the composer, the narrator, and one of the executive producers. The show was released on DVD soon afterwards. The holiday special was based on his original song The Happy Elf , from his 2003 album Harry for the Holidays . Another album from Marsalis Music
236-400: A Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Album; he toured performing songs from the album, holding matinees. At the performances each parent in attendance had to be accompanied by a child. In 2002, he received a U.S. patent 6,348,648 for a "system and method for coordinating music display among players in an orchestra." Connick appeared as Grace Adler's boyfriend and later husband, Leo Markus on
295-557: A Man Loves a Woman Demi Moore , Disclosure Whoopi Goldberg , Sister Act 2 Jodie Foster , Maverick Angela Bassett , What's Love Got To Do With It Cameron Diaz , The Mask Harrison Ford , The Fugitive Harrison Ford , Clear and Present Danger Tom Hanks , Philadelphia Tom Hanks , Forrest Gump Jim Carrey , Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Jim Carrey , The Mask Jim Carrey , Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Tim Allen , The Santa Clause Speed Forrest Gump Rookie of
354-692: A film directed by William Friedkin , is a psychological thriller filmed in 2005 starring Connick, Ashley Judd , and Michael Shannon. The film was released in 2007. He starred in the Broadway revival of The Pajama Game , produced by the Roundabout Theater Company , along with Michael McKean and Kelli O'Hara , at the American Airlines Theatre in 2006. It ran from February 23 to June 17, 2006; five benefit performances ran rom June 13 to 17. Connick's performance
413-501: A four-episode arc of NBC's long-running legal drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as new Executive ADA, David Haden , a prosecutor who is assigned a case with Detective Olivia Benson ( Mariska Hargitay ). On June 11, 2013, Connick released a new album of all original music titled Every Man Should Know . Connick debuted the title track live on the May 2, 2013, episode of American Idol and appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
472-583: A judge on the revival of Australian Idol in 2023. The following musicians have toured as the Harry Connick Jr. Big Band since its inception in 1990 : Connick, a New Orleans native, is a founder of the Krewe of Orpheus which is a music-based New Orleans krewe . Its name is derived from Orpheus of classical mythology. The Krewe of Orpheus has parades on St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street in New Orleans on Lundi Gras (Fat Monday)—, which
531-475: A prosecutor, Connick Sr. also had a career performing weekly gigs at French Quarter Clubs. Connick and his sister, Suzanna, were raised in the Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans. Harry Connick began learning to play keyboards at age three, playing publicly at age five, and recording with a local jazz band when he was ten. At nine years old, Connick performed Beethoven 's Piano Concerto No. 3 Opus 37 with
590-415: A psychiatrist (played by Sigourney Weaver ). The following year, he released his second funk album, Star Turtle , which did not sell as well as previous albums, although it did reach No. 38 on the charts. However, he appeared in the most successful movie of 1996, Independence Day , with Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum . For his 1997 release To See You , Connick recorded original love songs, touring
649-518: A special song exclusively for the movie. Shot in Austin, Texas , Angels Sing features actor/musicians Connie Britton , Lyle Lovett , and Kris Kristofferson and is directed by Tim McCanlies , who previously worked with Connick in The Iron Giant . A one-hour weekday daytime talk show starring Connick called Harry debuted on September 12, 2016. The series ran until May 23, 2018. Connick
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#1732772163720708-579: A tail gunner in the World War II film Memphis Belle (1990). He played a serial killer in Copycat (1995) before being cast as a fighter pilot in the blockbuster Independence Day (1996). Connick's first role as a leading man was in Hope Floats (1998) with Sandra Bullock . He also lent his voice to the animated cult classic The Iron Giant (1999). His first thriller film since Copycat
767-600: Is Stellar Award winner and Grammy nominated artist Kim Burrell of Houston . Chris Gray of the Houston Press said, "... when Harry Connick Jr. assembled a symphony orchestra for Pope Benedict XVI 's appearance at Yankee Stadium in 2008, he wanted Burrell on vocals" The film New in Town starring Connick and Renée Zellweger began filming in January 2008; it was released in January 2009. Connick's album Your Songs
826-680: Is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and former television host. As of 2019, he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America , with 16 million in certified sales. He has had seven top 20 U.S. albums, and ten number-one U.S. jazz albums, earning more number-one albums than any other artist in U.S. jazz chart history as of 2009. Connick's best-selling album in
885-608: Is originally from Texas, at the St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans . She is the daughter of sculptor Glenna Goodacre , originally from Lubbock , and now Santa Fe, New Mexico . The song "Jill", on the album Blue Light, Red Light (1991) is about Goodacre. They have three daughters, Georgia Tatum (born 1996), Sarah Kate (born 1997), and Charlotte (born 2002). As of 2023 all the daughters are living in Australia. The family has lived in both New Orleans and New Canaan, Connecticut . Connick
944-672: Is the day before Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). On September 2, 2005, Connick helped organize and appeared in the NBC -sponsored live telethon concert, A Concert for Hurricane Relief , for relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina . He spent several days touring the city to draw attention to the plight of citizens stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and other places. At the concert he paired with host Matt Lauer and entertainers including Tim McGraw , Faith Hill , Kanye West , Mike Myers , and John Goodman . On September 6, 2005, Connick
1003-494: The Godfather III soundtrack , was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award in 1991. In a year of recognition, he was also nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Performance in a Variety Special for his PBS special Swingin' Out Live , which was also released as a video. In October 1991, he released his third consecutive multi-platinum album, Blue Light, Red Light , on which he wrote and arranged
1062-576: The Backstreet Boys both received two awards. The 7th and final Blockbuster Entertainment Awards were held on April 10, 2001, at the Shrine Auditorium. Approximately 4.5 million people watched the awards on television. Stevie Nicks , Sheryl Crow , Joe , Mystikal , LeAnn Rimes and Ricky Martin performed live at the event. In November 2001, after having run for seven consecutive years, Blockbuster announced they were canceling
1121-413: The NBC sitcom Will & Grace from 2002 to 2006. In July 2003, Connick released his first instrumental album in fifteen years, Other Hours Connick on Piano Volume 1 . It was released on Branford Marsalis ' new label Marsalis Music leading to a short tour of nightclubs and small theaters. Connick appeared in the film Basic . In October 2003, he released his second Christmas album, Harry for
1180-505: The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and under the tutelage of Ellis Marsalis Jr. and James Booker . Connick attended Jesuit High School , Isidore Newman School , Lakeview School, and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts ; they are all in New Orleans. After an unsuccessful attempt studying jazz at Loyola University New Orleans as well as giving recitals in the classical and jazz piano programs at Loyola, he left
1239-500: The Shrine Auditorium . Approximately 6.5 million people watched the awards on television. Harry Connick, Jr. described his nomination for Best Actor for the critically panned film Hope Floats as "absolutely insane". The 6th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards were held on May 9, 2000 at the Shrine Auditorium, and for the first time presented awards for video games in addition to music and film. Christina Aguilera and
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#17327721637201298-523: The 64th annual GRAMMY awards. Harry joined the cast of Annie Live! as Sir Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks - opposite Taraji P. Henson 's devious Miss Hannigan. The live production aired December 2, 2021, on NBC and also coincided with the release of the Annie Live! Cast Album – the original soundtrack of the NBC television event. On 28 September 2022, Australia's Seven Network announced Connick Jr. would be
1357-570: The Holidays ; it went gold and reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. He also had a television special on NBC featuring Whoopi Goldberg , Nathan Lane , Marc Anthony , and Kim Burrell . Only You , his seventeenth album for Columbia Records, was released in February 2004. A collection of 1950s and 1960s ballads, Only You , was in the top ten on both sides of the Atlantic and
1416-572: The May 4, 2010, episode of American Idol season 9 , where he acted as a mentor for the top 5 finalists. He appeared again the next night on May 5 to perform "And I Love Her". In 2011, he appeared in the family film Dolphin Tale as Dr. Clay Haskett and in its 2014 sequel . On January 6, 2012, NBC president Robert Greenblatt announced at the Television Critics Association winter press tour that Connick had been cast in
1475-721: The New Orleans Symphony Orchestra (now the Louisiana Philharmonic ). Later he played a duet with Eubie Blake at the Royal Orleans Esplanade Lounge in New Orleans. The song was " I'm Just Wild About Harry ". It was recorded for a Japanese documentary called Jazz Around the World . The clip was also shown in a Bravo special called Worlds of Harry Connick, Junior. in 1999. His musical talents were developed at
1534-537: The Pantages Theatre. Over 11 million votes were cast, which made it the largest publicly voted awards presentation in history at the time. The 4th Annual Blockbuster Entertainment Awards were held on March 10, 1998, at the Pantages Theatre. Once again over 11 million votes were cast. Live performances at the awards included Boyz II Men , Garth Brooks , Mariah Carey and Savage Garden . The 5th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards were held on June 16, 1999 at
1593-581: The September 11 attacks, and that when they did air, their ratings were 22% lower than the previous year. 1st Blockbuster Entertainment Awards The 1st Blockbuster Entertainment Awards were held on June 3, 1995 at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. The awards originally had categories for both video and theatrical releases. Below is a complete list of winners. Sandra Bullock , Speed Sandra Bullock , Speed Meg Ryan , When
1652-714: The United Kingdom in 1994, an effort that did not please some of his fans, who were expecting a jazz crooner. Connick also went on a tour of the People's Republic of China in 1995, playing at the Shanghai Center Theatre. The performance was televised live in China for what became known as the Shanghai Gumbo special. In his third film Copycat (1995), Connick played a serial killer who terrorizes
1711-790: The United States and Europe with a full symphony orchestra backing him and his piano in each city. As part of his tour, he played at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo , Norway, with his final concert of that tour in Paris being recorded for a Valentine's Day special on PBS in 1998. He also continued his film career, starring in Excess Baggage (1997) opposite Alicia Silverstone and Benicio del Toro . In May 1998, he had his first leading role in director Forest Whitaker 's Hope Floats , with Sandra Bullock being
1770-496: The United States is his Christmas album When My Heart Finds Christmas (1993). His highest-charting album is Only You (2004), which reached No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 6 in Britain . He has won three Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards . He played Leo Markus , the husband of Grace Adler (played by Debra Messing ) on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace from 2002 to 2006. Connick began his acting career playing
1829-587: The Year The Lion King Sylvester Stallone Brian Grazer Mariah Carey Kenny G The Eagles Eric Clapton Anita Baker Luther Vandross Boyz II Men Sheryl Crow Ace of Base Alan Jackson Reba McEntire Beastie Boys Green Day Boyz II Men - II The Lion King Harry Connick, Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967)
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1888-596: The award for Best Action / Adventure / Thriller Actress in Video for the film Speed , when she was named the winner for the same film in the theatrical category, and "literally didn't know whether she was coming on or going off the stage." The second Blockbuster Entertainment Awards were held on March 6, 1996 at the Pantages Theatre . Kelsey Grammer hosted the awards. As Blockbuster was owned by Viacom , who also owned Paramount Pictures , MTV , Big Ticket Television and Worldvision Enterprises , producer Ken Ehrlich stated
1947-514: The awards "bent over backward" to avoid any connections with Paramount, in order to give the awards more credibility. Paramount productions were nominated for only 5 of the 49 nominations, though coverage of the awards switched from CBS to the United Paramount Network . Unlike the first awards, which were taped and aired later, the 2nd awards were aired live. The 3rd Blockbuster Entertainment Awards were held on March 11, 1997, at
2006-500: The awards following concerns after the September 11 attacks , stating: "Due to the uncertainty of the times, we can't predict consumer response to our show, nor audience behavior—especially media viewing habits—all of which are being affected by world events." Blockbuster stated their decision to cancel the awards was influenced by the fact that the 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards had to be rescheduled twice following security concerns after
2065-520: The awards on television. The music and video industry "turned out in full force" for the event, which was hosted by Cindy Crawford and William Baldwin . Celebrities attending included Bill Pullman , George Clooney , Kurt Russell , Steve Martin , Jennifer Tilly , Melanie Griffith , Danny Glover , Alfre Woodard , and David Spade . Jim Carrey , who won three awards, was one of the few winners who thanked voters for his award, stating: "I'm thankful for this award, even if you rented my tapes just to show
2124-670: The city. He lived at the 92nd Street YMHA in New York City while he was a student at Hunter College and the Manhattan School of Music . There he met Columbia Records executive George Butler, who persuaded him to sign with the label. His first record, Harry Connick Jr. , was mainly an album of instrumental standards. He soon acquired a reputation in jazz because of his regular performances at various high-profile New York City venues. His next album, 20 , featured vocals and added to his success. Connick's reputation
2183-433: The female lead. In 1999 he released Come By Me , his first album of big band music in eight years, and embarked on a world tour, visiting the United States, Europe, Japan , and Australia . In addition, he provided the voice of Dean McCoppin in the animated film The Iron Giant . Connick wrote the score for Susan Stroman 's Broadway musical Thou Shalt Not , based on Émile Zola 's novel Thérèse Raquin which
2242-554: The following week to discuss his new project. A 2013 US summer tour was announced in support of the album. Connick returned to American Idol to mentor the top four of season 12 . He performed "Every Man Should Know" on the results show the following night. Connick was on the judging panel for seasons 13 , 14 and 15 of American Idol , airing in 2014 to 2016. Angels Sing , a family Christmas movie released in November 2013 by Lionsgate , afforded Connick an onscreen collaboration with fellow musician Willie Nelson . The two wrote
2301-491: The foreseeable future likely to be nominated for an Academy Award. CBS signed a contract to screen the awards in late 1994, and Ken Ehrlich was hired to produce the show. Winners were determined by votes cast by customers in Blockbuster stores. The ballot consisted of the year's three top-grossing films, videos, and music albums in 33 categories. Over 1.5 million votes were cast and approximately 10 million people watched
2360-581: The guy behind the counter that you rent more than porn videos." Eileen Fitzpatrick of Billboard magazine stated that the awards show was "surprisingly entertaining", and applauded Blockbuster for "raising the status of home video". Fitzpatrick questioned the idea of handing out awards for films in both theatrical and video releases, saying it did not make much sense, as almost all films nominated had been out on video for several months. This caused confusion for recipients, many of whom did not understand what award they were getting. Sandra Bullock had just received
2419-461: The songs, and writing and orchestrating the arrangements, he assembled and conducted the orchestra which features his longtime touring band with additional horns and a full string section. Along with his album, Connick announced his return to Broadway on September 16, 2019, with Harry Connick Jr. — A Celebration of Cole Porter , a multimedia celebration of the Cole Porter songbook. The production
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2478-530: The songs, played every instrument, and sang every part. In addition to the familiar, traditional songs, Connick wrote and recorded new tracks that tell the story of his experience coping during lockdown and feeling the full spectrum of emotions that came with it. Both the album cover and the music videos for “Amazing Grace” and “Alone With My Faith” were conceived and directed by Harry's daughter Georgia Connick. Alone With My Faith earned Connick his 16th career GRAMMY nomination for Best Roots Gospel Album as part of
2537-715: The songs. Also in October 1991, he starred in Little Man Tate , directed by Jodie Foster , playing the friend of a child prodigy who goes to college. In November 1992, Connick released 25 , a solo piano collection of standards that again went platinum. He also re-released the album Eleven . Connick contributed "A Wink and a Smile" to the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack, released in 1993. His multi-platinum album of holiday songs, When My Heart Finds Christmas ,
2596-781: The soundtrack. Connick made his screen debut in Memphis Belle (1990), based on a true story about a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crew in World War II. In that year, he began a two-year world tour. In addition, he released two albums in July 1990: the instrumental jazz trio album Lofty's Roach Souffle and a big-band album of mostly original songs titled We Are in Love , which also went double platinum. We Are in Love earned him his second consecutive Grammy for Best Jazz Male Vocal. " Promise Me You'll Remember ", his contribution to
2655-464: The track "Ash Wednesday" for the Grammy awards in 2008. Chanson du Vieux Carré was released simultaneously with the album Oh, My NOLA . He toured North America and Europe in 2007, and toured Asia and Australia in 2008 as part of his My New Orleans Tour . Connick wrote two songs and did the arrangements for Kelli O'Hara 's album which was released in May 2008; he also sang a duet on the recording. He
2714-555: Was Basic (2003) with John Travolta . Additionally, he played a violent ex-husband in Bug , and was in two romantic comedies: P.S. I Love You (2007), and New in Town (2009) with Renée Zellweger . He was the leading man. In 2011, he appeared in the family film Dolphin Tale as Dr. Clay Haskett and in its 2014 sequel . Harry Connick Jr. was born and raised in New Orleans . His mother, Anita Frances Livingston (née Levy),
2773-538: Was a lawyer and judge in New Orleans. His father, Harry Connick Sr. (1926–2024), was the district attorney of Orleans Parish from 1973 to 2003. He has an older sister named Suzanna. His parents also owned a record store. Connick's father was a Roman Catholic of Northern Irish descent, while his mother, who died of ovarian cancer when he was 13 years old, was Jewish and from New York; his part-Jewish heritage would later inspire him to play Jewish doctor Leo on Will & Grace . In addition to his career as
2832-603: Was certified gold in the United States in March 2004. The Only You big band toured the U.S., Australia, with a few stops in Asia. Harry for the Holidays was certified platinum in November 2004. A music DVD Harry Connick Jr.—"Only You" in Concert was released in March 2004, after it had first aired as a Great Performances special on PBS . The special won him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction. The DVD received
2891-467: Was conceived and directed by Connick himself with the addition of theatrical and film elements accompanied by a company of dancers and an onstage orchestra. Harry released his new album Alone With My Faith on March 19, 2021. With the Coronavirus pandemic casting a long shadow in 2020, Connick retreated to his home studio during the lockdown and emerged with an album of new music. He arranged all of
2950-554: Was growing, and director Rob Reiner asked him to provide a soundtrack for his romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally... (1989), starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal . The soundtrack consisted of several standards , including " It Had to Be You ", " Let's Call the Whole Thing Off " and " Don't Get Around Much Anymore ". The soundtrack earned double-platinum status in the United States. Connick won his first Grammy Award for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance for his work on
3009-511: Was highly acclaimed; David Rooney wrote in Variety , "With his handsome wholesomeness and those mellifluous Sinatra-esque pipes, it's hard to imagine a leading man more tailor-made for this 1954 show." The Pajama Game cast recording was nominated for a Grammy, after being released as part of Connick's double disc album Harry on Broadway, Act I . He hosted The Weather Channel 's miniseries 100 Biggest Weather Moments which aired in 2007. He
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#17327721637203068-786: Was made the honorary chair of Habitat for Humanity 's Operation Home Delivery , a long-term rebuilding plan for families who survived Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast . His actions in New Orleans earned him a Jefferson Award for Public Service. Connick's album Oh, My NOLA , and Chanson du Vieux Carré were released in 2007; a tour called the My New Orleans Tour followed. Connick and Branford Marsalis devised an initiative to help restore New Orleans' musical heritage . Habitat for Humanity and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, working with Connick and Marsalis announced on December 6, 2005, plans for
3127-432: Was nominated for a Daytime Emmy as Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host for both years of the show. In January 2019, it was announced that Connick was hired by piano instruction software company Playground Sessions as a video instructor. On October 25, 2019, he released a new album of Cole Porter compositions rearranged by Connick himself, including “ Anything Goes ” and “ You Do Something To Me .” After selecting
3186-472: Was part of the documentary Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 , released in November 2007. He sat in playing piano on Bob French's 2007 album Marsalis Music Honors Series: Bob French . He appeared in the film P.S. I Love You , released in December 2007. The third album in the Connick on Piano series, Chanson du Vieux Carré was released in 2007, and Connick received two Grammy nominations for
3245-616: Was recorded in 2005, Occasion : Connick on Piano, Volume 2 , a duo album with Harry Connick Jr. on piano and Branford Marsalis on saxophone. A music DVD, A Duo Occasion was filmed at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival 2005 in Canada ; it was released in November 2005. He appeared in another episode of the Will & Grace sitcom in November 2005, he was in three more episodes in 2006. Bug ,
3304-460: Was released on CD, September 22, 2009. In contrast to Connick's previous albums, this album is a collaboration with a record company producer , the multiple Grammy Award winning music executive Clive Davis . Connick starred in the Broadway revival of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever , which opened at the St. James Theatre in November 2011 in previews. It closed in January 2012, after 29 previews and 57 performances. Connick appeared on
3363-407: Was the best-selling Christmas album in 1993. In 1994, Connick decided to branch out. He released She , an album of New Orleans funk that also went platinum. In addition, he released a song called "(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name" for the soundtrack of The Mask , starring Jim Carrey , which is his most successful single in the United States to date. Connick took his funk music on a tour of
3422-538: Was the featured singer at the Concert of Hope immediately preceding Pope Benedict XVI 's mass at Yankee Stadium in April 2008. He had the starring role of Dr. Dennis Slamon in the Lifetime television film Living Proof (2008). His third Christmas album, What a Night! , was released in November 2008. Connick has a vast knowledge of musical genres and vocalists, even gospel music. One of his favorite gospel artists
3481-736: Was written in 2000. The play premiered in 2001. His music and lyrics earned him a Tony Award nomination. He was also the narrator of the film My Dog Skip , released in that year. In March 2001, Connick starred in a television production of South Pacific with Glenn Close ; it was televised on the ABC network. He also starred in Mickey , a movie; John Grisham wrote the screenplay. In October 2001, he released two albums: Songs I Heard , featuring big band re-workings of children's show themes, and 30 , featuring Connick on piano with guest appearances by several musical artists. Songs I Heard won Connick
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