Problem: Background: Ernest Edward "Ernie" Kovacs (January 23, 1919 - January 13, 1962) was an American comedian, actor, and writer. Kovacs's visually experimental and often spontaneous comedic style influenced numerous television comedy programs for years after his death. Many individuals and shows, such as Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, Saturday Night Live, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Jim Henson, Max Headroom, Chevy Chase, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Captain Kangaroo, Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Dave Garroway, Uncle Floyd, and many others have credited Kovacs as an influence. Chevy Chase thanked Kovacs during his acceptance speech for his Emmy award for Saturday Night Live.
Context: He also did several television specials, including the famous Silent Show (1957), featuring his character, Eugene, the first all-pantomime prime-time network program. After the end of the Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis partnership, NBC offered Lewis the opportunity to host his own 90-minute color television special. Lewis opted to use only 60 minutes, leaving the network 30 minutes to fill; no one wanted this time slot, but Kovacs was willing to have it. The program contained no spoken dialogue and contained only sound effects and music. Featuring Kovacs as the mute, Charlie Chaplin-like character "Eugene", the program contained surreal sight gags. Kovacs developed the Eugene character during the autumn of 1956 when hosting the television series The Tonight Show. Expectations were high for the Lewis program, but it was Kovacs's special that received the most attention; Kovacs received his first movie offer, had a cover story in Life magazine, and received the Sylvania Award that year. In 1961, Kovacs and his co-director, Joe Behar, were recipients of the Directors Guild of America Award for a second version of this program broadcast by the American Broadcasting Company network.  A series of monthly half-hour specials for ABC during 1961-62 is often considered his best television work. Produced on videotape using new editing and special effects techniques, it won a 1962 Emmy Award. Kovacs and co-director Behar also won the Directors Guild of America award for an Ernie Kovacs Special based on the earlier silent "Eugene" program. Kovacs's last ABC special was broadcast posthumously, on January 23, 1962.  The Dutch Masters cigar company became well known during the late 1950s and early 1960s for its sponsorship of various television projects of Ernie Kovacs. The company allowed Kovacs total creative control in the creation of their television commercials for his programs and specials. He produced a series of non-speaking television commercials for Dutch Masters during the run of his television series Take A Good Look which was praised by both television critics and viewers.  While praised by critics, Kovacs rarely had a highly rated show. The Museum of Broadcast Communications says, "It is doubtful that Ernie Kovacs would find a place on television today. He was too zany, too unrestrained, too undisciplined. Perhaps Jack Gould of The New York Times said it best for Ernie Kovacs: 'The fun was in trying'."  Other shows had greater success while using elements of Kovacs's style. George Schlatter, producer of the later television series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, was married to actress Jolene Brand, who had appeared in Kovacs's comic troupes over the years and had been a frequent participant in his pioneering sketches. Laugh-In made frequent use of the quick blackout gags and surreal humor that marked many Kovacs projects. Another link was a young NBC staffer, Bill Wendell, Kovacs's usual announcer and sometimes a sketch participant. From 1980-1995, Wendell was the announcer for David Letterman, whose show and style of humor were greatly influenced by Kovacs.
Question: What tv specials was he on?
Answer: the famous Silent Show (

Problem: Background: Mana (Spanish: "manna") is a Mexican Rock band from Guadalajara, Jalisco. The group's current line-up consists of vocalist/guitarist Fher Olvera, drummer Alex Gonzalez, guitarist Sergio Vallin, and bassist Juan Calleros. Mana has earned four Grammy Awards, eight Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards Latin America, six Premios Juventud awards, nineteen Billboard Latin Music Awards and fifteen Premios Lo Nuestro awards.
Context: In 1991, they added two new members to the group, Ivan Gonzalez on keyboards and Cesar "Vampiro" Lopez on guitar. Ulises Calleros no longer performed with the group, but became one of their managers. On 27 October 1992, the band released ?Donde Jugaran Los Ninos?, an album that spawned several hits (including "Vivir Sin Aire," "Oye Mi Amor," and "De Pies a Cabeza"). The record sold over 3 million copies worldwide and became the best selling Spanish-language rock album of all time. The band undertook an international tour with 268 concerts in 17 countries.  In 1994, Lopez and Ivan Gonzalez left the group due to musical and personal disputes. Fher Olvera and Alex Gonzalez felt that their departure offered an opportunity to reinvent the group's sound, and searched throughout Mexico, Spain and Argentina to find a new guitarist. In the meantime, Mana released the live album Mana en Vivo before choosing Mexican guitarist Sergio Vallin to replace Lopez. In 1995, the band recorded a Spanish version of Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain" for the tribute album Encomium.  On 25 April 1995, the group released Cuando los Angeles Lloran. The album was noted for its stylistic departure from the band's previous work, which saw the group experimenting with funk and soul music genres. Olvera explained shortly after the release of the album, "Basically, we're still the same Mana, but we're going through a funky, soulish stage. We want to have some fun and be a little louder." The initial reaction to Cuando los Angeles Lloran was mixed and the first single, the funk-influenced "Dejame Entrar", failed to reach the top ten on the Mexican Singles Chart. However, the album later caught on and sold 500,000 copies in the United States alone within five months of release.
Question: How well was the band doing?
Answer:
The record sold over 3 million copies worldwide and became the best selling Spanish-language rock album of all time.