Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian actress. A graduate of York University in 2001 with a BFA in theatre, she is known for her starring roles in comedy and drama films as well as her work in television and theater. Her accolades include nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2026, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a leading actress, her films have grossed over $3.4 billion worldwide. McAdams made her Hollywood film debut in the comedy The Hot Chick in 2002. She rose to fame in 2004 with her portrayal of Regina George in the comedy Mean Girls and with the romantic drama The Notebook. In 2005, she starred in the romantic comedy Wedding Crashers, the psychological thriller Red Eye, and the comedy-drama The Family Stone. She was hailed by the media as Hollywood's new "it girl", and received a nomination for the BAFTA Rising Star Award. After a hiatus, McAdams gained further prominence starring in the films The Time Traveler's Wife (2009), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Morning Glory (2010), Midnight in Paris (2011), The Vow (2012), and About Time (2013). For her portrayal of journalist Sacha Pfeiffer in the drama Spotlight (2015), she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This was followed by roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Doctor Strange (2016) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), the romantic drama Disobedience (2017), the comedies Game Night (2018) and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020), the comedy-drama Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023), and the horror-thriller Send Help (2026). On television, she starred in the second season of the HBO anthology crime drama series True Detective (2015), earning a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Movie nomination. She made her Broadway debut playing a struggling single mother in Amy Herzog's play Mary Jane (2024) for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.

John's Book of Alleged Dances (1994) is a composition by John Adams for string quartet and recorded prepared piano. Commissioned and premiered by the Kronos Quartet, the first performance took place November 19, 1994, at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, California. John Adams has said that the dances are alleged because, "the steps for them had yet to be invented." The composition is approximately 35 minutes in length and is composed of ten humorously titled "dances" that may be played in any order. The movement titles are as follows: "Judah to Ocean" "Toot Nipple" "Dogjam" "Pavane: She's So Fine" "Rag the Bone" "Habanera" "Stubble Crotchet" "Hammer & Chisel" "Alligator Escalator" "Ständchen: The Little Serenade" "Judah to Ocean" is a reference to the San Francisco Muni N Judah light rail line. Selections from John's Book of Alleged Dances have been set by a number of choreographers, including Paul Taylor.

Road Movies is a 1995 minimalist composition for violin and piano by the American composer John Adams.

Shaker Loops is a 1978 composition by American composer John Adams, originally written for string septet. The original "modular" score, published by Associated Music Publisher, has since been withdrawn and replaced by a 1983 string orchestra version. This version was first performed in April of that year at Alice Tully Hall, New York, by the American Composers Orchestra, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. The string orchestra version can be played either by a septet of soloists or by a string orchestra of any size, where the violins are divided into 3 parts throughout. The work is in four movements.

The Doric String Quartet is a string quartet based in the UK. It was formed in 1998. As of 2024, the members are Maia Cabeza and Ying Xue on violin, Emma Wernig on viola and John Myerscough on cello. Past members include Alex Redington (violin; 1998–2024), Hélène Clément (viola; 2013–2024), Jonathan Stone (violin; 1998–2018), Simon Tandree (viola; 2004–2013) and Chris Brown (viola; 1998–2004). In 2008, the quartet won first prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition and second prize at the "Premio Paolo Borciani" International String Quartet Competition. Their repertoire includes Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Bartók, Janáček, Korngold and Britten, as well as the work of contemporary composers such as John Adams, Thomas Adès and Brett Dean. They have given premieres of works by Dean, Peter Maxwell Davies and Donnacha Dennehy. The Doric is Teaching Quartet in Association with the Royal Academy of Music (from 2015) and artistic director of the Mendelssohn on Mull Festival (from 2018). They have recorded for Chandos since 2009.