dancing with the stars - About the Show

Season 12 is a wrap and what a season it was! Before the dazzling finale, we were treated to many weeks of shoes flying, stars crying, pros stumbling and an ever-changing leaderboard! The hits kept coming (as did the misses) as the stars rehearsed hard and danced harder in pursuit of the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy.
Right out of the gate there were strong performances like Kirstie Alley's Cha Cha and Ralph Macchio's Foxtrot in Week One. Some routines were deemed not-so-hot, as 'Psycho' Mike Catherwood and Lacey Schwimmer found out as the first couple sent home. Hey, someone had to go, right?
Wendy Williams and Tony Dovolani's low scores put them on the short list for elimination and, sure enough, they were the next sent packing. Boxing champ Sugar Ray Leonard was knocked out (with Anna Trebunsakaya) in Week Four. Although Petra Nemcova may be a survivor, she and Dmitry Chaplin didn't survive Week Five.
In Week Six, wrestling superstar Chris Jericho brought some surprisingly elegant moves to the ballroom, but his Tango wasn't tough enough to keep him from being sent home fifth this season. Kendra Wilkinson followed him out the door the next week.
This left us with our Final Five: Chelsea Kane, Hines Ward, Kirstie Alley, Ralph Macchio and Romeo. Even though Romeo's dancing saw great improvement, he received his walking papers in Week Eight. And in Week Nine, we said goodbye to Karate Kid Ralph Macchio. And then there were three.
Chelsea Kane, Hines Ward and Kirstie Alley worked hard to make it to the finals. Chelsea suffered stinging commentary from the judges at times, but always remained upbeat and focused. Hines seemed to do well each and every week. Even if he didn't, you'd never have known it because of that infectious smile. And even though Kirstie suffered every mishap imaginable, she was stronger than ever heading into the finale. When all the judging and voting was done, it was Hines Ward and Kym Johnson who danced away with the Mirror Ball Trophy as the champs of Season 12. Congrats to them both!
As you already know, the best place for all things Dancing is right here at ABC.com. In season, you can always join the Live Chat party during Monday night's show. Get the latest star and pro Tweets, buy a T-shirt supporting your favorite DWTS team, watch the dances everyone is talking about in our "Show Stoppers Gallery," take fun polls and trivia quizzes and catch up on the latest news. And you can always supports your favorite pros and stars on our team pages.
Another Dancing season delivered more drama, passion and excitement than ever before. Check out the photo galleries or go to the video page to relive all the magic and excitement of Season 12 of Dancing With the Stars!

squash (sports)

Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. Squash is recognized by the IOC and remains in contention for incorporation in a future Olympic programme.
The game was formerly called squash racquets, a reference to the "squashable" soft ball used in the game (compared with the fatter ball used in its parent game racquets (or rackets; see below).

Squash developed from at least five other sports involving racquets, gloves, and balls having roots in the early 12th century in France.^[1] It is stated that “Squash, with its element of hitting balls against walls, was for entertainment. For example, boys and girls slapped their balls in narrow alleys and streets”.^[1] Religious institutions in France, such as monasteries, developed a similar game. Monks used gloves that were webbed to hit balls against a fishing net strung across the middle of the courtyards of the monasteries.^[1] This developed the early “racquets” used in tennis and squash. Then in late fifteenth century, tennis was developed and spread to other European nations. The next major development of squash took place in England where the game of "racquets" was developed in Fleet Prison, a debtor’s prison.^[1] Similar to tennis, it involved racquets and balls, but instead of hitting over a net as in tennis, players hit a non-squeezable ball against walls. A variation of rackets that also led to the formation of squash was called fives, similar to handball. Fives was essentially the game of racquets, without racquets. (The ball was hit with the hand.)^[1] It is played against a wall or walls.


These games gained popularity in schools, and squash itself was developed at Harrow School in England.^[2] The first courts built at this school were rather dangerous because they were near water pipes, buttresses, chimneys, and ledges. The school soon built four outside courts. Natural rubber was the material of choice for the ball. Students modified their racquets to have a smaller reach to play in these cramped conditions.^[1]
The racquets have changed in much the same way as those used in tennis. Squash rackets used to be made out of laminated timber.^[3] In the 1980s, construction shifted to lighter, carbon-based materials (such as graphite) with small additions of such components as Kevlar, boron and titanium. Natural "gut" strings were replaced with synthetic strings.^[3]
In the 20th century the game increased in popularity with various schools, clubs and even private citizens building squash courts, but with no set dimensions. The first squash court in North America appeared at St. Paul's School in New Hampshire in 1884. In 1904 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the earliest national association of squash in the world was formed as the United States Squash Racquets Association, (USSRA), now known as US-Squash. In April 1907 the Tennis, Rackets & Fives Association set up a sub committee to set standards for squash. Then the sport soon formed, combining the three sports together called “Squash”. It was not until 1923 that the Royal Automobile Club hosted a meeting to further discuss the rules and regulations and another five years elapsed before the Squash Rackets Association was formed to set standards for squash in Great Britain.^[1]
The sport spread to America and Canada, and eventually around the globe. Players such as F.D. Amr Bey of Egypt dominated the courts in the 1930s, Geoff Hunt of Australia dominated the game during the 1960s and 1970s, winning a record eight British Opens at the time. During the 1980s and 1990s Jahangir Khan of Pakistan won the British Open a record of ten times and Jansher Khan of Pakistan won the World Open a record of eight times.^[2] No list of squash champions is complete without referencing the legendary Pakistani Hashim Khan, winner of 7 British Open championships, and his son, Sharif Khan, winner of 12 North American Open titles. Hashim is considered one of the best athletes of all times and is the patriarch of a sports dynasty, consisting of himself, his brother, Azam, nephews Mohibullah and Gul, sons Sharif, Gulmast, Aziz, Liaquat Ali, and Salim Khan - all of whom are squash champions in their own right. Jansher Khan, although sharing the same last name, is not considered part of the "Khan Dynasty" of squash as he is not related to Hashim Khan

Watch X-Men: First Class Movie Online Here | Download X-Men: First Class Movie

 

Plot : X-Men: First Class explores the early life, the becoming of X-Men. It is a prequel to the first three movies in the X-Men series. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr donned the names they are known by now – Professor X and Magneto, respectively – they were two young minds like all of us, discovering their powers like none of us. The X-men: First Class video showcases the movie as an interesting piece of art. Before the contentiousness hits their relationship, Professor X and Magneto were sidekicks, inseparable cronies. They used to work together; their work involved brooking with Mutants of various kinds. They were saviors of the world; they were allies making their way together, before the hiatus ate though their relationship like a termite. It set the war, the perpetual war in motion with both sides gaining strength as they moved on. The fine thread with which the director, Matthew Vaughan, has sewn the plot gives one an adrenaline rush. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence have delivered a brilliant performance, which makes it a must-watch.

X-Men: First Class Movie is Directed By : Matthew Vaughn

Starring : Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, Kevin Bacon, James McAvoy, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult, Ray Wise, Jason Flemyng

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