Stephen Fry

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I just finished reading his novel "Making History," which, while not brilliant, was pretty entertaining and imaginative and had some well-developed ideas. I know he's an actor too, I've seen Gosford Park and probably a couple of other things he's been in. But he's not a huge presence in the US, so tell me more about Stephen Fry.
Also I seem to remember him "disappearing" at some point, like no one knew where he was. Am I totally making this up, or did this happen?

St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:05 (nineteen years ago) link

Yes he went AWOL - popped across the channel infact - during the run of a play he was starring in; he'd got bad reviews, was pretty low anyway and couldn't handle the criticism. He claimed to feel suicidal. Very apologetic when he returned.

de, Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:09 (nineteen years ago) link

he was a very, very good jeeves in the tv version of the wodehouse stories.

lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:09 (nineteen years ago) link

Used to be in partnership with Hugh Laurie, both of whom came of of Cambridge uni with people like Emma Thompson in the early 80s. They made a horrible film called 'Peter's Friends' in 1992 about themselves. But in the 80s they all did interesting stuff alongside more shouty alt.comedy people like Ben Elton in eg 'Blackadder'. Fry was in no. 2 and had a major part in no. 4. In the Nineties he tried to do more 'serious' stuff (as well as countless radio/tv ad voiceovers) and when he got bad reviews as a stage actor he absconded. Recently he's become a kind of 'national treasure'.

ENRQ (Enrique), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:11 (nineteen years ago) link

His best role to date has been as the insane General Melchitt in 'Blackadder Goes Forth'.

Wooden (Wooden), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:12 (nineteen years ago) link

A Bit Of Fry & Laurie - BBC sketch show, four seasons and a pilot between 1987 and 1995, is probably the best comedy prog of its type of all time.

Some folks still hold dear his appearance on Clive Anderson in 1992 or so where he proclaimed his love of My Bloody Valentine.

Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:19 (nineteen years ago) link

!!!

Enrique (Enrique), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:20 (nineteen years ago) link

"Some folks still hold dear his appearance on Clive Anderson in 1992 or so where he proclaimed his love of My Bloody Valentine"

And EMF!!!

metalmickey, Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:20 (nineteen years ago) link

Also:
Directed 'Bright Young Things', a rather frothy adaptation of Waugh's 'Vile Bodies'. Regularly appears on the Radio 4 programme 'Just a Minute'. Played Oscar Wilde very well, but I agree that Jeeves is his finest hour. You can read about the first part of his life in 'Moab is my Washpot'.

Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:21 (nineteen years ago) link

Has anyone else read any of his novels?

St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:22 (nineteen years ago) link

He was born to play Oscar Wilde but the script was abysmal.

I wouldn't turn Jennifer Ehle down for anyone...

metalmickey, Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:24 (nineteen years ago) link

All the appearances mentioned above are indeed top class, but my favourite Fry moment is in Blackadder Back and Forth (the millenium one-off). He's a Roman general. He says "baa-aa-aa-aa-us". He is wearing a very short skirt and gigantic undergarments. This doesn't tell you much if you haven't seen it, but I remembered it and it made me smile.

beanz (beanz), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:25 (nineteen years ago) link

He was also very good as the host of the BAFTA awards which they showed on BBC America.

Did read 'Moab is my Washpot' but none of the others.

Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:25 (nineteen years ago) link

I've read The Liar and The Hippopotamus. I don't think his novelist hat is the one that suits him best. But there's a good collection of essays, columns, radio bits, reviews etc called Paperweight.

Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:26 (nineteen years ago) link

The Liar is very good I think. I remember The Hippopotamus being entertaining, but only read it once, long ago.

ledge (ledge), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:27 (nineteen years ago) link

i liked vile bodies quite a bit, although it seemed to get extremely mixed reactions.

lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:35 (nineteen years ago) link

QI has the worst theme music ever.
he is incredibly rude on 'just a minute', but gets away with it cos of them big words he uses.

zappi (joni), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:36 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh god don't even mention QI. If ever there was a reason to be thankful for geting rid of the tv, that's it...

Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:40 (nineteen years ago) link

When I saw Spiderman 2 I thought Alfred Molina kinda looked like a more fat-headed, bug eyed version of him. I think the only films of his I've seen are Wilde and Gosford Park. I didn't know he was a writer, pretty decent actor though. I'll have to check his books out.

oh and after checking IMDb, I've also seen IQ and Spice World years ago but don't remember him in those. He also narrates the Harry Potter films apparently.

AaronHz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:48 (nineteen years ago) link

'Blackadder' and 'A Bit of Fry and Laurie' are easily his best work.

Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:50 (nineteen years ago) link

He also seems to have been in A Fish Called Wanda, but I don't remember him there either.

AaronHz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:51 (nineteen years ago) link

Alfred Molina is a much better actor than Fry though Fry is a much better comic.

Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:52 (nineteen years ago) link

And he reads the audio book versions of Harry Potter too.

Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 14:52 (nineteen years ago) link

some time in jail for absconding with credit cards on the eve of his exams i seem to recall. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Fry

he also had the third apple mac in england (douglas adams had the first two)

koogs (koogs), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 15:01 (nineteen years ago) link

The only other place I'd remembered seeing Molina was Raiders of the Lost Ark. I know he was in some PT Anderson stuff but again, can't place him there.

AaronHz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 15:04 (nineteen years ago) link

I've read the hippopotamus. It establishes the link between wanking and poetry very effectively IMO.

de, Tuesday, 3 August 2004 15:09 (nineteen years ago) link

Alfred Molina also plays the nerdy dude who fucks up everything in Species by banging the alien chick.

Homosexual II (Homosexual II), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 15:11 (nineteen years ago) link

I love QI! Except for the contributions of Rich Hall, and some others

de, Tuesday, 3 August 2004 15:12 (nineteen years ago) link

See, Rich Hall saves QI for me. Hmmmm.

If you are reading any of Fry's books, don't bother with The Star's Tennis Balls. It's basically the Count of Monte Cristo rewritten by Stephen Fry. Pointless then. The rest are well worth a read.

As Archel recommended upthread, Paperweight is the essential guide to Fry's work though. I seem to have three copies of it (and I know I lent another to someone and never got it back) - my mum keeps thinking I don't have it and keeps buying it for me at car boot sales.

ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 15:59 (nineteen years ago) link

Star's = Stars', by the way.

ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 16:00 (nineteen years ago) link


i've linked this before but:

http://www.geocities.com/mmemym/

the complete online FRY + LAURIE scripts.

like *where* is the dvd?!!!

"reader..i *married* him...now if that isn't balls,
kindly fax me a definition of what is."

piscesboy, Tuesday, 3 August 2004 16:06 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh, lord, he's my big gay secret boyfriend. Love the novels, love what TV I've seen, love the movies. He did a talk at the Seattle Intl. Film Festival after premiere of "Bright Young Things" - very funny, smart, etc.

Layna Andersen (Layna Andersen), Tuesday, 3 August 2004 17:29 (nineteen years ago) link

His Radio 4 series from 1988, "Saturday Night Fry", with appearances from Laurie, Thompson, Broadbent and others is absolutely the best thing he has ever been involved with. All six of them should be floating around on slsk - seek, find, fall about.

You can tell that Chris Morris was listening too.

Venga, Tuesday, 3 August 2004 18:58 (nineteen years ago) link

Fry's signature gag: "I stooped to pick a buttercup. Why anyone would leave buttocks lying around I'll never know"

Catchphrase: "Man-on-man Action"

Bumfluff, Tuesday, 3 August 2004 19:20 (nineteen years ago) link

I love him. "Paperweight" is just superb - I even bought another copy off eBay after giving mine to someone who I thought needed to read it. He's not a great novelist, sadly, though "Making History" works pretty well - and "Moab is my Washpot" is a brilliant autobiography. I hope there's a follow-up in the works. He's a wonderful essayist/journalist, and one of the best commentators we've got.

I'm slightly surprised this thread is so positive. Surprised and delighted.

Markelby (Mark C), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 09:55 (nineteen years ago) link

One of my favourites, definitely. A Bit of Fry and Laurie was exceptional, and demands a DVD release forthwith.

Which Describes How You're Feeling All the Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 10:05 (nineteen years ago) link

yeah 'moab...' is ace, ditto 'the liar'.
he did a *fantastic* speech once at the start
of a lighthouse charity 'hysteria' gig which was
one of the best things i ever did hear.
i must check out 'saturday night fry'!

piscesboy, Wednesday, 4 August 2004 10:06 (nineteen years ago) link

i actually liked peters friends, when i saw it, which was 3 am on the tube, well written, chaotic, sad and tragic in that sort of common way, fry was v. good in it.

anthony, Wednesday, 4 August 2004 10:06 (nineteen years ago) link

does anyone know anything about the adaptation of tom browns school days btw ?

anthony, Wednesday, 4 August 2004 10:07 (nineteen years ago) link

Emma Thompson used to test Fry's homosexuality/celibacy at university by only spending time in his company if she was naked. Those crazy Oxbridge kids.

Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 10:08 (nineteen years ago) link

The Spies sketches were classic.

He absconded to, of all places, Bruges. I wonder which shops he visited while he was there... ;-)

He's also the best guest there has been to date on Room 101 - Laura and I watched it when it first went out (2000?) and we ended up fervently cheering, applauding and agreeing with just about everything he said.

Also his contributions to the Viv Stanshall doc that was on BBC2 last Friday night were absolutely OTM.

Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 4 August 2004 10:10 (nineteen years ago) link

three years pass...

It is Stephen Fry's 50th birthday this weekend, so this weekend sees a Stephen Fry theme on BBC4. Documentary about him, some Fry and Laurie, an episode of Blackadder, Wilde, some programmes he chose himself.

ailsa, Friday, 17 August 2007 19:58 (sixteen years ago) link

Fry's documentary about borderline personality disorder is outstanding

Elvis Telecom, Friday, 17 August 2007 20:07 (sixteen years ago) link

I wish I had BBC4. I love Stephen Fry.

accentmonkey, Friday, 17 August 2007 20:08 (sixteen years ago) link

Mostly thus far amazing for Emma Thompson's top diva outfit and seeing Hugh Laurie not being Greg House. Am flicking between this and BB.

Can you get that BBC iPlayer thing, Trish? You might get to see it on that?

ailsa, Friday, 17 August 2007 20:10 (sixteen years ago) link

I wish I had a way to see that docu! It ain't on Netflix.

I think Mr. Fry should be House's new doctor underling next season and they can just sit around one upping each other, but in American accents.

Abbott, Friday, 17 August 2007 20:55 (sixteen years ago) link

The doc on BBC4 is not the manic depression thing, it is just people talking about what a top chap he is, though the depression documentary (one of the best things I have ever seen on TV) has been talked about. It's actually a kind of tossy "woah, Stephen Fry is teh grebt" luvvie-fest which I'm very bored with. Though he totally deserves it, as the nearest thing I can think of to a national treasure.

Woah, the depression doc is being repeated on Wednesday and Thursday. Anyone who hasn't seen it, cannot recommend it highly enough.

ailsa, Friday, 17 August 2007 21:02 (sixteen years ago) link

Kenneth Branagh looks like Charlie Brooker these days

Dom Passantino, Friday, 17 August 2007 21:02 (sixteen years ago) link

They do not show this awesome docu of my beloved Fry + my personal condition here in the states. *sad*

Abbott, Friday, 17 August 2007 21:09 (sixteen years ago) link

have you tried ukn0v4? (degoogleproofed, obv?)

ailsa, Friday, 17 August 2007 21:10 (sixteen years ago) link

I was also surprised because older ilx threads tend to be nastier and douchier.

Robert Adam Gilmour, Wednesday, 7 January 2015 16:05 (nine years ago) link

He seemed rather less ubiquitous and set into the annoying Learned National Treasure Shall Tell You Things You Plebs Don't Know role ten years ago, before Twitter and only one series into QI.

I still somewhat like him, but I had the chance to go to a work "do" he was at in Autumn and decided I couldn't be bothered, which would have surprised my younger self.

club mate martyr (a passing spacecadet), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 16:20 (nine years ago) link

I was in hyde park v early in the morning late last year and he was out jogging - well he was walking in jogging gear, hands on hips, looking absolutely *fucked*. was the image of someone in the early stages of getting fit who has overreached themselves. I say this as someone who has been on laughably overoptimistic "runs" myself but the muscles of his face looked aghast at what he was doing.

did remind of the time I saw andrew Neil absolutely BOXING his bike up the slight incline on Rotten Row once. Guy was busting a ventricle. rug surprisingly stable.

Fizzles, Wednesday, 7 January 2015 19:30 (nine years ago) link

Ugh I first heard about this on a NZ news website and the headline was 'Stephen Fry to marry younger lover'. They called him his 'lover' through the whole article.

https://media.zenfs.com/en-US/video/video.snl.com/SNL_1198_05_Lovers.png

the farakhan of gg (DJP), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 19:41 (nine years ago) link

lol

jello my future biafriend (roxymuzak), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 19:43 (nine years ago) link

that thing on Neil's head is a inefficacious hair transplant rather than a rug, surely? xp

soref, Wednesday, 7 January 2015 19:44 (nine years ago) link

im not sure it isnt paint

jello my future biafriend (roxymuzak), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 19:46 (nine years ago) link

yes - I think that's right in fact.

http://www.independent.co.uk/migration_catalog/article6139038.ece/alternates/w620/pixndill.jpeg

Stephen Fry and Younger Lover, yesterday.

Fizzles, Wednesday, 7 January 2015 19:48 (nine years ago) link

A paper here had the headline "Stephen Fry 'engaged'" which was p irritating (theyve changed it since).

Yes! 'Engaged' was in quotation marks in the NZ headline also. But to be fair I think it was probably a cut and paste from the UK article, that NZ site is so crap.

franny glasshole (franny glass), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 19:55 (nine years ago) link

People are falling over themselves to say how this isn'tweird but it i s a bit and its weirder because they only met a few months ago and have, allegedly, only been going out since November.

― Acting Crazy (Instrumental) (jed_), Tuesday, January 6, 2015 6:59 PM

well, we've been waiting for years for gays to be as venal as the rest of humanity.

guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 20:04 (nine years ago) link

Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden sure are off to a sweet start in 2015. The two "were married [Monday] evening in an intimate ceremony at their home in Los Angeles," their rep confirms exclusively to PEOPLE.

"We couldn't be happier to begin our new journey together surrounded by our closest family and friends," the couple tell PEOPLE.

The pair, who have been dating since May, got engaged just before Christmas.

"Getting married is the next step when you are totally in love and comfortable with someone," a source tells PEOPLE. "Cameron has found true happiness."

LIKE If you are against racism (omar little), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 20:08 (nine years ago) link

That is a super weird couple too.

Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 20:56 (nine years ago) link

wait... the dude Cameron Diaz married is BENJI MADDEN??????

this is delightfully hilarious

the farakhan of gg (DJP), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 20:59 (nine years ago) link

YES

Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 21:27 (nine years ago) link

"Getting married is the next step when you are totally in love and comfortable with someone," a source tells PEOPLE

glad they protected this daring whistleblower's identity

bob seger's silver bullet gland (sic), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 21:28 (nine years ago) link

an ex gf who (braggin but just sayin) looked like Cameron left me for a guy that looked a lot like that.

local eire man (darraghmac), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 21:30 (nine years ago) link

I'd post it to her fb but I fear unappreciation

local eire man (darraghmac), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 21:30 (nine years ago) link

I did some link hopping and now I realize that Cameron Diaz and Nicole Richie are now sisters-in-law

today has contained unexpected delights

the farakhan of gg (DJP), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 21:36 (nine years ago) link

how LA is that guy

TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 21:41 (nine years ago) link

an ex gf who (braggin but just sayin) looked like Cameron left me for a guy that looked a lot like that.

I had those trainers 15 years ago too

we are such unappreciated trendsetters

club mate martyr (a passing spacecadet), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 21:43 (nine years ago) link

an ex gf who (braggin but just sayin) looked like Cameron left me for a guy that looked a lot like that.

was being inattentive and thought you meant d cameron rather than cameron d and lol'd q hard.

Fizzles, Wednesday, 7 January 2015 21:43 (nine years ago) link

pls

local eire man (darraghmac), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 21:46 (nine years ago) link

sexy d cameron obv

Fizzles, Wednesday, 7 January 2015 21:47 (nine years ago) link

Best ever humblebrag

Acting Crazy (Instrumental) (jed_), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 21:59 (nine years ago) link

no way, i had an ex who looked just like kate humble who left me for a guy that looked a lot like melvyn bragg

Ottbot jr (NickB), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 22:04 (nine years ago) link

gonna go pop the collar on my denim vest made out of leather, brb

TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 7 January 2015 22:07 (nine years ago) link

Wait why are we talking about cameron diaz in a Stephen Fry thread.

I checked Snoops , and it is for real (Trayce), Thursday, 8 January 2015 00:48 (nine years ago) link

she married some guy from KFC ads

bob seger's silver bullet gland (sic), Thursday, 8 January 2015 01:01 (nine years ago) link

why do ppl keep marrying benji madden wtf

i still like stephen fry, love QI lots and lots. is there a reason for him falling out of favor?

difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 8 January 2015 06:21 (nine years ago) link

mainly extreme overexposure

bob seger's silver bullet gland (sic), Thursday, 8 January 2015 06:32 (nine years ago) link

partly his ubiquity, VG. (as a friend of mine said, when we were watching the cricket and got a close up of his Holiness - 'Fucking Stephen Fry! Again! Fuck off!')

Much bruited 'National Treasure' status doesn't help anyone - your mundane pronouncements. He didn't ask for that status of course, but perhaps he could pronounce a little less.

also there's a bit of bien pensant right-on-ness that can look smug, and I wonder whether that with the periodic bouts of very public frailty is a bad look for some people.

finally, for me, i find that whole QI comedy circuit totally fucking awful, and the general chumminess that's exuded to be nauseating.

1 and 4 for me anyway, but as I say, I think 2 and 3 may play a part.

Fizzles, Thursday, 8 January 2015 06:35 (nine years ago) link

er, 'your mundane pronouncements won't usually live up to that title, causing people to question it'

Fizzles, Thursday, 8 January 2015 06:36 (nine years ago) link

gotcha. i can understand that!

difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 8 January 2015 06:37 (nine years ago) link

Read and enjoyed The Liar probably back in high school, he's great as Jeeves, and I thought the documentary on his bipolar diagnosis was quite touching. Haven't really followed recent activities which is probably for the best, I still have generally positive feelings toward him.

JoeStork, Thursday, 8 January 2015 06:51 (nine years ago) link

QI is fucking horrible, fizzles otm

There's a wiki page "list of common misconceptions" or something you can spend 10 minutes reading that & it will spare you these awful, awful men guffawing their way through "Alan says the obvious answer and then a noise happens" for 1000 series

bife claro (wins), Thursday, 8 January 2015 06:53 (nine years ago) link

Also fry has said some horrible ignorant shit about women

I like him more than I did a few years ago prob cause I ignore him more successfully

bife claro (wins), Thursday, 8 January 2015 06:55 (nine years ago) link

He had Sue Perkins on QI as a panelist and called her Mel. And then wanted to crawl under the desk and die. The sort of thing he'd have really slated someone for doing..

Awwwww

Mark G, Thursday, 8 January 2015 07:59 (nine years ago) link

Always feel that QI is where the BBC mission to 'educate, inform and entertain' (or whatever shape those Reithian ideals took) goes seriously off the rails although I suppose that was always wacky - ideally there shouldn't be any joins you can see.

When you watch a programme you shouldn't be aware you are necessarily being educated or entertained.

xyzzzz__, Thursday, 8 January 2015 11:07 (nine years ago) link

really? Not Entertained?

Mark G, Thursday, 8 January 2015 11:19 (nine years ago) link

Yes - we'll always look to something similar in future. It closes out any other possibilities of what entertainment could mean.

xyzzzz__, Thursday, 8 January 2015 11:24 (nine years ago) link

I barely know who Fry is, but this Benji Madden person is just fiction, right?

touch of a love-starved cobra (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 8 January 2015 12:45 (nine years ago) link

Don't think he's is much good as Jeeves actually. The interpretation of the Jeeves and Wooster characters and relationship is totally off in their version. Fry's Jeeves is supercilious and smug and Jeeves is not like that.

everything, Thursday, 8 January 2015 18:29 (nine years ago) link

jeeves is described as smug and supercilious all the time

jello my future biafriend (roxymuzak), Thursday, 8 January 2015 18:59 (nine years ago) link

by bertie tho - so he prob isnt actually like that tbh. i dont really see fry's interp as supercilious tho. i feel like hes subtle when he acts above bertie, but thats how the character is written too - those caustic "indeed sir"s

jello my future biafriend (roxymuzak), Thursday, 8 January 2015 19:08 (nine years ago) link

i think he's good as jeeves but when i read the books i usually imagine a slightly older, graver, less twinkly jeeves. laurie's wooster is definitive imo, almost to an annoying extent (hard for me not to hear his voice when i read wodehouse).

(The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Thursday, 8 January 2015 19:32 (nine years ago) link

Jeeves is not described as smug or supercilious - by Bertie or anyone else.

everything, Thursday, 8 January 2015 19:33 (nine years ago) link

Alarmed that somebody early in the thread thinks Rich Hall ruins QI whenever he appears. But he's usually the funniest person in whatever show he's in.

I do get a bit tired of some aspects of QI but I think it has less annoyances than a lot of the other panel shows. It's pretty good for whenever I'm feeling too shit or lazy to do anything else, I never go out of my way to watch it but I usually enjoy it.

I liked Fry's programmes on language, homophobia and bi-polar condition. The homophobia one (2 episodes) had some really uncomfortable moments and I thought he was very gutsy and admirable in it.

Robert Adam Gilmour, Thursday, 8 January 2015 19:44 (nine years ago) link

to each his own age gap, but his spouse should at least get an adult haircut.

http://www.towleroad.com/2015/01/stephen-frys-marriage-to-partner-draws-conservative-backlash-1.html

touch of a love-starved cobra (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 20 January 2015 18:20 (nine years ago) link

truth

difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 21 January 2015 00:59 (nine years ago) link


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