Zheng Shang-Chi, also known as the Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in Special Marvel Edition #15 in the Bronze Age of Comic Books, and starring in his own solo title until 1983. Described as the greatest martial artist alive, Shang-Chi has been trained since birth to be the ultimate fighter with a specialization in various unarmed and weaponry-based wushu styles, including the use of the gùn, nunchaku, and jian. Shang-Chi later assumes leadership of the Five Weapons Society and acquires the Ten Rings weapons.
Salvation Mountain is a hillside visionary environment created by local resident Leonard Knight (1931–2014) in the California Desert area of Imperial County, north of Calipatria, northeast of Niland, near the Slab City squatter/art commune, and several miles from the Salton Sea.
KBZT is a commercial radio station licensed to San Diego, California. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station broadcasts an alternative rock format. Its studios are located in San Diego's Stonecrest area, and the transmitter is located in La Jolla.
Benedict Wong is an English actor. He began his career on stage before starring in the film Dirty Pretty Things (2003), which earned him a British Independent Film Award nomination, and the BBC sitcom 15 Storeys High (2002–2004). This was followed by roles in the films On a Clear Day (2005), Sunshine, Grow Your Own, and Moon (2009), and the CBBC series Spirit Warriors (2010).
Cardiac Kidz was an American punk band from San Diego, California, United States, active from the late 1970s through the early 1980s. In 1979, the Cardiac Kidz released two 7" vinyl records; a 45 rpm disc, "Get Out / Find Yourself A Way" and a 331⁄3 rpm EP called, Playground.
David Alvarez is an American politician who is a member of the California State Assembly from the 80th district, which includes Chula Vista, National City, and parts of southern San Diego. A member of the Democratic Party, Alvarez previously served as a member of the San Diego City Council from the 8th district from 2010 to 2018 and was the Democratic nominee in the 2013–2014 San Diego mayoral special election.
Matthew de la Peña is an American writer of children's books who specializes in novels for young adults. He won the Newbery Medal in 2016 for his book Last Stop on Market Street.
Nora Lum, known professionally as Awkwafina, is an American actress, rapper, and comedian. She rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song "My Vag" became popular on YouTube. She then released her debut album, Yellow Ranger (2014), and appeared on the MTV comedy series Girl Code (2014–2015). She expanded to films with supporting roles in the comedies Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), Ocean's 8 (2018), Crazy Rich Asians (2018), and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). For her starring role as a grieving young woman in The Farewell (2019), Awkwafina won a Golden Globe Award.
Rings of Saturn is an American Deathcore band from the Bay Area, California. The band was formed in 2009 and was originally just a studio project. However, after gaining a wide popularity and signing to Unique Leader Records, the band formed a full line-up and became a full-time touring band. Rings of Saturn's music features a highly technical style, heavily influenced by themes of alien life and outer space. They have released six full-length albums, with their third, Lugal Ki En, released in 2014 and peaking at 126 on the American Billboard 200 chart while their fourth, Ultu Ulla was released in 2017 and peaked at 76 on the Billboard 200, making it the band's highest peak to date. Gidim was released in October 2019.
Destin Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his films Short Term 12 (2013), The Glass Castle (2017), Just Mercy (2019) and the Marvel Studios film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
Simu Liu is a Canadian actor. He is known for portraying Shang-Chi in the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He also played Jung Kim in the CBC Television sitcom Kim's Convenience. He received nominations at the ACTRA Awards and Canadian Screen Awards for his work in Blood and Water.
SACRA/PROFANA is a California-based chamber choir founded in 2009. They are noted for their eclectic and unorthodox approach to choral repertoire, and for appearing as the onstage choir for fifty consecutive performances of The Hunchback of Notre Dame during its American premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2014.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton from a screenplay he wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham, and stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi alongside Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Yuen Wah, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung. In the film, Shang-Chi is forced to confront his past when his father Wenwu (Leung), the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization, draws Shang-Chi and his sister Xialing (Zhang) into a search for a mythical village.
The Ten Rings is a fictional organization in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It is a clandestine criminal organization founded one thousand years ago by Xu Wenwu, an immortal warlord, and named after his mystical ten rings. An original creation for the MCU, the group's name is an homage to the Mandarin's ten cosmic rings in the Marvel Comics.
Xu Shang-Chi is a fictional character portrayed by Simu Liu in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) multimedia franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. In the franchise, Shang-Chi is the son of Ying Li and Wenwu, the founder and first leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization. Trained to be a highly skilled martial artist and assassin by his father, alongside his sister Xialing, Shang-Chi left the Ten Rings for a normal life in San Francisco, only to be drawn back into the world he left behind when Wenwu seeks him out.
The soundtrack for the 2021 American superhero film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, based on the Marvel Comics character Shang-Chi and produced by Marvel Studios, consists of an original score composed by Joel P. West and a soundtrack album on which Sean Miyashiro and 88rising serve as executive producers that features original songs performed by various artists. The film score was released by Marvel Music and Hollywood Records on September 1, 2021, while the soundtrack album was released by Marvel Music, Hollywood Records, and Interscope Records on September 3, 2021, with four singles from the soundtrack released in August 2021.
Andrew Lanham is an American film screenwriter best known for his collaborations with Destin Daniel Cretton, including The Shack (2017), The Glass Castle (2017), Just Mercy (2019), and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
Willie Lee Morrow was an American barber, businessman and inventor, who worked in the African American haircare industry. He was noted for inventing the Afro pick and developing the forerunner to the Jheri curl hairstyle.
Pacific Records is an American, San Diego, California based music label founded in 2003 as an independent record label and music publisher. Amongst the labels releases are albums by O-Town, Slack Key Ohana and the Guitar Legends television special soundtracks. Helmed by CEO Brian Witkin, a San Diego-based entertainment attorney, the seeds of Pacific Records were planted in 1999, with the opening of Real2Reel Records, at first in his parents' home before relocating in November 2004 to a shop located inside all-ages music venue "The Epicentre" in San Diego's Mira Mesa neighborhood. The shop initially began releasing music under the Real2Reel name, but soon changed to Pacific Records. While the shop closed in June 2007, Pacific Records continued as a label. Witkin signed both local and national talent from the beginning, including San Diego's Get Back Loretta and Virginia based, Life's Only Lesson. A short time after, the imprint was acquired by Wingnut Media Group, Inc, based in Del Mar, California, soon transferred to Georgi Entertainment, LLC. In 2009 Witkin purchased the company back under the holding company New Pacific Group, currently, Pacific Records, Inc. The label includes in house recording studios, engineering marketing and distribution.
