World Celebrities Sexy Video

Rielle Hunter

2012-02-23T22:32:00.000-08:00

Rielle Hunter

Rielle Hunter ( /riːˈɛl/ ree-el; born Lisa Jo Druck on March 20, 1964, also known as Lisa Hunter,[1] Lisa Jo Hunter,[1] and Rielle Jaya James Druck)[2] is an American actress and film producer. She is known for having had an affair with and conceiving a child with 2004 Democratic Party vice-presidential nominee John Edwards.[3][4] She is said to be the basis of a character in a Jay McInerney novel.[5][6] and she was an early adopter of YouTube as a means of distributing political viral marketing.[7] Her father was implicated in a horse insurance fraud scandal, which involved the intentional killing of her horse when she was a teenager.

Family and early life

Druck was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[9] Her parents, James Druck (1934–1990) and Gwen Druck, owned Eagle Nest Farm in Ocala, Florida, where they raised show horses. They had four daughters. James Druck was a wealthy lawyer with his own private airplane, who specialized in defending insurance companies.[10]
Druck went to St. John Lutheran School[11] and North Marion High School in Ocala.[12] After high school, Druck attended the University of Tampa, but she transferred after 2 years to the University of Florida. In her junior year she withdrew from UF to move to New York City to pursue an acting career.[13][14]
[edit]Horse murders and Henry the Hawk

Main article: Horse murders
According to ABC News, Lisa Druck was "a prize-winning equestrian when her father was implicated" in the horse murders scandal, "an ugly plot to electrocute horses for insurance money".[15] The convicted criminal and FBI informant Tommy "The Sandman" Burns stated that James Druck was involved in the 1982 insurance fraud death of Lisa's show jumper Henry the Hawk. Gwen and James Druck divorced that same year; Lisa was 17 years old at the time.[16][17] James Druck was never charged, and he died of cancer in New York City in 1990.[11][15][18]
[edit]Literary inspiration

"Brat Pack" novelist Jay McInerney said that his former girlfriend Hunter is the basis for the lead character Alison Poole in the 1988 novel Story of My Life. McInerney described their relationship and Hunter's role as the inspiration for the character in an interview in 2005.[19][20][21] McInerney also said that he chose to write about her and her friends because he was both "intrigued and appalled" by their behavior.[19][20][21][22][23]
There was open speculation that Story of My Life was a roman à clef novel when it first appeared; to New York Magazine's questions "Is it real? Did it happen?" McInerney replied, "I'm anticipating some of that kind of speculation, but I'm utterly confident of not having any lawsuits on my hands. The book is a fully imagined work of fiction. On the other hand, it's not to say that I didn't make use of [pause] … That's why I live in New York. Mine is not an autonomous imagination."[24]
In 2008, McInerney incorporated the John Edwards affair into the Allison Poole followup story "Penelope on the Pond" in his collections The Last Bachelor and How It Ended.[25]
[edit]Marriage and name change

Lisa Druck married attorney Alexander M. "Kip" Hunter III (born April 14, 1959) in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on August 3, 1991,[26] and they moved from New York to establish a new home in Beverly Hills, California. She changed her name to Rielle Hunter in 1994.[26][27]
Rielle Hunter filed for divorce in October 1999,[26] which was finalized September 1, 2000.[14][14][26]
[edit]Acting, film, and video career

During the 1980s and 1990s, as Lisa Hunter and Lisa Jo Hunter, she appeared in several films, including Ricochet (1991) in which she portrayed a reporter.[1]
According to People, during this same period, while she was married to Alexander Hunter, her husband "financed the production of a play for her – a coming-of-age story about a group of tough 30-something New Yorkers [...] titled Savage in Limbo," which co-starred Elizabeth Dennehy.[28]
In 2000, as Rielle Hunter, she wrote, acted in, and produced a comedy short called Billy Bob and Them, which starred Wolfgang Bodison. At that time her production company was called R Hunter Films.[29]
In 2002, Hunter appeared as a contestant on the GSN series Lingo (episode #1061, hosted by Chuck Woolery), on which she and her partner together won $500.[30]
[edit]Midline Groove Productions
In July 2006, Hunter formed the production company Midline Groove Productions LLC with her partner Mimi Godfrey Hockman. This company, which was based in South Orange, NJ, produced campaign promotional videos for John Edwards. The series of ads, "Inspiring Politics: A Webisode Series Following John Edwards," was broadcast on the worldwide web rather than through conventional television. According to the Associated Press, Edwards' One America Committee paid Midline Groove Productions $100,000 on July 6, 2006, five days after Hunter incorporated the firm in Delaware. The committee later made two subsequent payments totaling $14,461, the final one on April 1, 2007.[31] In all, Midline Groove filmed and produced four of these short videos; the shortest was 2½ minutes long.[32]
Hunter's videos were uploaded to YouTube. Recognition of the innovative nature of the series was given by BusinessWeek magazine, which included one of the episodes in a 2006 feature on new developments in web video. Catherine Holoran, writing for the magazine, noted that the Hunter videos had effectively announced the presidential candidacy of Edwards ten days before he released the information to the mainstream media. Holoran stated that Hunter's series marked a "tipping point" in the history of web video which "sent the message that online video [... is ...] a serious medium, ready to contend with traditional media for audiences and ad dollars." [33] In 2008, Maria Russo, the reviewer of websites for the Los Angeles Times, also mentioned that Hunter had been among the earliest adopters of You Tube for viral marketing purposes, and was the first filmmaker who exploited that venue for political campaign marketing.[34]
[edit]Involvement with John Edwards

Main article: John Edwards extramarital affair
In 2006, Hunter had pitched the idea of a series of short informal campaign videos to Democrat John Edwards when she met him at a bar in New York, where he was attending a business meeting.[35] The Edwards campaign soon hired her to produce a series of promotional videos portraying behind-the-scenes life on the campaign trail and Hunter filmed and produced four of these short videos for the 2008 presidential campaign of John Edwards.[35][36][37][38][39]
In October 2007, The National Enquirer, a US tabloid, cited claims by an anonymous source that Edwards had engaged in an extramarital affair with Hunter during Edwards's 2008 presidential campaign and that Hunter was pregnant. After a report by the National Enquirer on December 19, 2007, Hunter announced she was pregnant with the child of Andrew Young, a married man who is a former staffer for John Edwards' presidential campaign. Young, his wife Cheri, and their young children were living outside of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at the time in the same "Governor's Club" complex where Hunter was renting.[26] Soon afterward, the Youngs and Hunter moved to California.[40]
On February 27, 2008, Hunter, at age 43,[41] gave birth to a daughter in Santa Barbara, California, but did not list the child's father's name on the birth certificate.[26] She gave her own name as "Rielle Jaya James Druck" on her daughter's birth certificate, but gave the child the surname "Hunter".[2]
In July 2008, The National Enquirer claimed that Edwards was the father of Hunter's child.[42] On August 8, Edwards admitted the affair, but denied that he was the father of Hunter's child and stated that he was willing to take a paternity test.[43][44] The Washington Post reported that Robert Gordon (Hunter's attorney) stated that she had refused to allow a DNA test to establish paternity "now or in the future."[45] However, Hunter's sister had publicly asked Edwards to take a paternity test to verify whether the child is his or not.[46]
On August 12, 2008, a friend of Hunter's, Pigeon O'Brien, told CBS News that Edwards had lied about the time line of the affair. She claimed that the affair began in February 2006, six months before Edwards hired Hunter, and said that the affair was not a brief liaison, but a mutual, committed relationship based on love, or so Edwards led Hunter to believe.[47] On August 13, 2008, Hunter's sister, Roxanne Druck Marshall, personally apologized to John Edwards's wife Elizabeth for her sister's behavior. She also claimed that Edwards had lied in his confession because, she claimed, the affair had been ongoing.[48]
On January 21, 2010, Edwards admitted publicly that he is the father of Hunter's daughter Quinn.

Cissy Houston

2012-02-23T22:11:00.000-08:00

Cissy Houston

Emily "Cissy" Houston (born September 30, 1933) is a Grammy Award–winning American soul and gospel singer. She led a successful career as a backup singer for such artists as Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, Wishbone Ash and Aretha Franklin, and is now primarily a solo artist. She is mother to the late singer and actress Whitney Houston and aunt of Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick.

Family and childhood

[edit]Early life
Houston was born in Newark, New Jersey to Nitcholas and Delia Mae Drinkard (née McCaskill) who had seven older children: sons William, Hansom, Nicky, and Larry, and daughters Lee, Marie and Anne. [1]
Houston's father Nitcholas Drinkard was born to a part Dutch, part African-American, mother Susan Bell Drinkard (née Fuller)[2] and a Native American father John Drinkard, Jr.[1] The Drinkards owned a substantial amount of farmland in Blakely, Georgia during a time when it was unusual for blacks to own large portions of land. The asset was gradually depleted as small portions of the land was sold, over time, to resolve the continued legal troubles of a close relative. [2]
After Houston's three oldest siblings were born, the family relocated to New Jersey during the Second Great Migration. [2] Emphasis was placed on education and church while her father encouraged Houston and her sibling to sing.[2] In 1938 when Houston was 5 years old her mother, Delia, suffered a stroke and died of cerebral hemorrhage three years later. Cissy and her siblings went to live with her older sister Lee and her family. Her father later died of stomach cancer in 1951 when Houston was 18.[3][4][2]
[edit]Marriage and children
In 1955, Houston married Freddie Garland and had a son, Gary Garland.[5] The Garlands divorced soon after. In 1959, she married Army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr.[6][7] The couple had a son Michael Houston and a daughter Whitney Houston (1963–2012).[8][9]
Houston has six grandchildren.[10]
[edit]Career

[edit]The Drinkard Singers
Houston's singing career began in 1938 when she joined her sister Anne and brothers Larry and Nicky in the gospel singing group the Drinkard Four. Houston's sister, Lee (who would later become the mother of singers Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick), later joined the group along with Ann Moss and Marie Epps, and the group was renamed The Drinkard Singers. Houston and the Drinkard Singers regularly performed at New Hope Baptist Church and later recorded a live album for RCA called A Joyful Noise.[11]
[edit]Sweet Inspirations
In 1963, then about to give birth to daughter Whitney Houston, she formed the Sweet Inspirations with Doris Troy and niece Dee Dee Warwick. Later, under contract to Atlantic Records, Sylvia Shemwell, Estelle Brown and Myrna Smith form the line-up.
During the mid-1960s, the Sweet Inspirations provided backup vocals for a variety of artists, including Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Lou Rawls, The Drifters, Dusty Springfield and Houston's niece Dionne Warwick. They appeared on Van Morrison's single Brown Eyed Girl. Houston performed the operatic soprano melody on the Aretha Franklin hit, Ain't No Way.[12]
In 1967, The Sweet Inspirations sang background vocals for The Jimi Hendrix Experience on the track The Burning of the Midnight Lamp.[13]
In 1969 they were hired to sing backing vocals for Elvis Presley in Las Vegas on his return to live performances during July and August 1969. Presley often introduced them at shows by saying, "They really live up to their name ladies & gentleman, The Sweet Inspirations!" [14] Many of these performances can be heard on the All Shook Up and Live In Las Vegas live records.[15]
Performing with Elvis Presley was Houston's final gig with The Sweet Inspirations. As her children were growing bigger, she decided to stop touring and focus on her career as a recording artist.[16]
[edit]Solo career
In 1969, Houston signed a recording contract with Commonwealth United Records and recorded her solo debut Presenting Cissy Houston which was released in 1970.[17] It contained several well received singles, including covers of "I'll Be There" and "Be My Baby".
After her contract was sold to Janus Records, Houston recorded several more singles in the early 1970s and another album, which included the original recording of Jim Weatherly's "Midnight Train to Georgia", later a number one hit for Gladys Knight & The Pips. Houston later blamed poor promotion for the failure of her earlier version.
In 1977, Houston was signed by Private Stock, working with arranger/producer Michael Zager on three albums. The second included her big disco hit "Think It Over", which climbed to #32 on the Billboard R&B chart and just missed the Hot 100 in 1979. She represented USA at the World Popular Song Festival in 1979 with a track called "You're the Fire", landing second place and winning the "Most Outstanding Performance Award". This also appeared on her 1980 disco-flavored album, "Step Aside for a Lady", again produced by Michael Zager, but released on Columbia (on EMI in the UK).
[edit]Session musician
Houston's cross genre singing style has kept her highly in demand as a session musician with some of the world's most successful recording artists.
She sang back-up on Bette Midler's 1972 debut album, The Divine Miss M. In 1974 she sang back-up on Linda Ronstadt's Heart Like A Wheel, an album that topped Billboards Pop and Country Album Charts in early 1975.
In 1971, Houston was featured on three tracks on Burt Bacharach's solo record: Mexican Divorce, All Kinds of People and One Less bell to Answer.
During 1975 and 1976, she worked with jazz flute-player Herbie Mann on two Atlantic albums Waterbed and Surprises featuring on three tracks "Violet Don't Be Blue", JJ Cale's "Cajun Moon" and "Easter Rising".
In addition to her work as choirmaster at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, NJ, Cissy performed frequently at clubs in NYC including Mikell's, Sweetwaters, Seventh Avenue South, and Fat Tuesday from the late 1970s through the 1980s.
Whitney Houston, her daughter and backup singer, increasingly sang solos with Cissy's band, including the Streisand hit Evergreen. They would collaborate on Ain't No Way (originally a Cissy Houston and Aretha Franklin vehicle), on which Cissy sang "Cissy" and Whitney "Aretha".
Whitney's "coming-out" performance took place at Sweetwaters,[18] whereupon she was signed by Clive Davis for Arista Records.
In 1985, the small UK independent label Glitter released a single, With You I Could Have It All and Whatcha Gonna Do About Our Love. The 12-inch single featured both a ballad and a dance version of the song.
[edit]Gospel soloist and duets
In 1996 Houston received the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album for Face to Face, an album that contained a Gospel version of "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)".
In 1996 she also contributed one song to the gospel soundtrack album for the film The Preacher's Wife, which starred her daughter Whitney Houston.
In 1998 she won her second Grammy for her album He Leadeth Me.
She has also continued to record infrequent secular material and in 1987, Houston and her daughter Whitney recorded a duet titled "I Know Him So Well", a cover of the original by Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige from the Broadway show, Chess. This song also became a single in early 1989 as the 6th and last single release (in selected European countries) from Whitney's album Whitney. In 1992 she teamed up with Chuck Jackson for an album of solo and duet recordings entitled I'll Take Care of You.
In 2006, she recorded the song "Family First" with niece Dionne Warwick and daughter Whitney Houston for the soundtrack to the movie Daddy's Little Girls.
In 2010 Cissy attended the third annual BET Honors on behalf of her daughter Whitney, who received the entertainment award.
[edit]New Hope Baptist Church Youth Inspirational Choir
For more than fifty years, Houston has led the 200 member Youth Inspirational Choir at the New Hope Baptist Church.[19]
[edit]Discography

Linda Bollea

2011-12-10T06:33:00.000-08:00

Linda Bollea

Linda Marie Hogan now Linda Bollea (born 1959), reality tv star and ex wife of professional
wrestler Hulk Hogan

Wrestling-Online.com - Linda Bollea speaks for the first time on GMA following the divorce

Matt Lauer

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Matt Lauer

Matthew Todd "Matt" Lauer (born December 30, 1957)[1] is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997.[1] He was previously a news anchor in New York[2] and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond.[2] He was also host of PM Magazine (or "Evening Magazine" 1980-1986)[2] and worked for ESPN in the 1980s as a sideline reporter.[2] In the early 1990s, Lauer hosted segments of HBO Entertainment News.

Carey Mulligan

2011-12-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

Carey Mulligan

Carey Hannah Mulligan[1] (born 28 May 1985)[2] is an English actress. She made her film debut as Kitty Bennet in Pride & Prejudice (2005). She had roles in numerous British programmes and, in 2007, made her Broadway debut in The Seagull to critical acclaim.
In 2009, she gained widespread recognition for playing the lead role of Jenny in An Education, winning a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and also being nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for her performance. She went on to star in such dramatic films as The Greatest, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Never Let Me Go, Drive and Shame.

2. Carey Mulligan 2011.10.18 - Craig Ferguson [HD]

Jessica Chastain

2011-11-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

Jessica Chastain

Nikki Reed

2011-11-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

Nikki Reed

Nicole Houston McDonald (born May 17, 1988)[2], best known as Nikki Reed, is an American film and television actress, and screenwriter. She became known in 2003, after the release of the film Thirteen, for which she co-wrote the screenplay. Reed has since appeared in several films, including Lords of Dogtown and Mini's First Time. She also portrays Rosalie Hale in The Twilight Saga.

Nikki Reed Asks You to Give a Shit

Nikki Reed Interview - The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Nikki Reed & Kellan Lutz On The Today Show (November 20th 2009)

New Moon - Rachelle LeFevre, Nikki Reed, and Kellan Lutz

The Twilight Saga Time Capsule Demo ft. Nikki Reed Official 2011 [HD]

Nikki Reed's Favorite Scene -- Twilight Movie Premiere

Biography

This section reads like a news release, or is otherwise written in an overly promotional tone. Please help by either rewriting this article from a neutral point of view or by moving this article to Wikinews. When appropriate, blatant advertising may be marked for speedy deletion with {{db-spam}}. (June 2009)
[edit]Early life and education
Reed was born in West Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of Cheryl Houston, a beautician, and Seth Reed, a set designer. She has an older brother, Nathan August Reed. Reed's father is Jewish and her mother is of Cherokee and Italian descent; Reed was raised without religion,[3] though she has described herself as "Jewish"[4] and grew up around Judaism (her brother had a Bar Mitzvah).[5][6]
Reed has stated that her early home life was "complicated." Her parents divorced when she was two, and she grew up with her mother.[7]
After Thirteen's success, Reed returned to Alexander Hamilton High School, but dropped out again after a year. She cited her experiences involving "mothers who were sneaking into the school at lunchtime to confront and harass her about the film" as the reason for her departure.[7] Reed was subsequently home-schooled, and she eventually received her high-school diploma.[7]
[edit]Career
Reed and director Catherine Hardwicke finished the script for the semi-autobiographical film Thirteen in six days, a relatively short time for a Hollywood script to be written. Producers asked Reed to play a role in the film because they had trouble casting it, considering it an "uncomfortable" role for most young actresses.[7] The film, starring Evan Rachel Wood, was released in 2003 with positive reviews, giving Reed some recognition in Hollywood as both an actress and a screenwriter. Following the film's release, Reed also appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and hosted a number of award shows, including the Young Hollywood Awards (2003) and the Independent Spirit Awards Nomination Show, followed by the West Independent Spirits Awards, both in 2004.
Reed has continued to portray sexually promiscuous teenagers, including her character in Lords of Dogtown, also directed by Hardwicke. In early 2006, she appeared on the series The O.C., playing Sadie, a new love interest for the character Ryan Atwood. Reed noted she disagreed with the "trendy and shallow things" that The O.C. promoted, and that she appeared in the series only on the advice of her agents. Coincidentally, Reed appeared on The O.C. at the same time as later Twilight co-stars Cam Gigandet and Jackson Rathbone.[8] Reed later commented that her decision to avoid appearances on television or in mainstream cinema was naïve. She explained that her avoidance was due to the thought that if it wasn’t an independent film, it wasn’t right for her.[9]
One of her most distinctive roles was in Mini's First Time, which received a limited release in the United States on July 14, 2006. In the film, Reed played a teenager who, through seduction, involves her stepfather in a plot to murder her mother. Reed has noted that her character does not "understand the weight of consequence," and that she enjoyed playing someone who she describes as "crass" and having a "trucker's mouth."[10] Reed's character participates in explicit sex scenes, which had to be filmed from the point of view of Reed's back, as she was 16 at the time and thus legally unable to film her scenes in a more explicit manner.[7]
Reed wrote another script set in New Zealand between the 1960s and the 1980s. Reed has noted that she feels she is a versatile actress, but feels typecast in roles of "sexy bad girls," noting that producers often tell her that she is too "sexy" for a particular part.[7]

Nikki Reed and Elizabeth Reaser at 2010 MTV Movie Awards.
On February 12, 2008, it was announced that Reed would portray Rosalie Hale in the film adaption of Twilight, which was directed by Catherine Hardwicke. In June 2008, Reed wrote a letter to her fans, thanking them for supporting her through the controversy that surrounded her, a brunette, being cast as Rosalie (described as a blonde).[11]
During a radio interview with Big O and Dukes of WJFK 1067, Jason Mewes stated that he is doing a movie called K-11 with Reed and Kristen Stewart, also of Twilight.[12] The film, directed by Stewart's mother, takes place in a dorm of the Los Angeles County Jail, and was to feature both Stewart and Reed as male characters.[13][14] However, after being asked about the project in an interview, Reed expressed that she is no longer part of the K-11 project.[15]. In 2003, she received her first award, an Nantucket Film Festival Award for 'Best Screenplay' for the movie 'Thirteen' which she shared with Catherine Hardwicke. In 2010, she also received an award for 'Superstar In The Making' at the Young Hollywood Awards.
In November 2009, Reed directed a music video for her good friend Sage while in London. Reed stated that they didn't have much time, or money, but it's something she is very proud of.[16][17] Reed also intends to direct a music video for the independent rock band 100 Monkeys,[18] which is fronted by her Twilight costar, Jackson Rathbone.
In July 2010, Reed joined the lady assassin action-drama Catch .44 alongside Bruce Willis, Forest Whitaker and Malin Akerman.[19]
In November 2010, it was announced, that Reed will star alongside Hayden Panettiere in the film Downers Grove, a movie adaptation of Michael Hornberg's novel.[20] The story is about a high school senior from the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, who is paranoid about a curse at her school that causes someone in the graduating class to die in a bizarre way before the year's end. The screenplay was written by Bret Easton Ellis, the novelist behind such works as The Rules of Attraction and American Psycho.[21]
[edit]Personal life
Reed met singer-songwriter and season 10 American Idol contestant Paul McDonald on the red carpet at the premiere of Red Riding Hood in March 2011. The moment they met was broadcast on an American Idol episode as part of a segment that showed the contestants attending the premiere.[22] The pair soon began dating,[23] and moved in together not long after.[24] At the MTV Movie Awards on June 5, 2011, Reed was photographed wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring.[25] Later that month, McDonald confirmed in an interview that they were engaged.[26] The couple married on October 16, 2011 in Malibu.[27]
She is close friends with her Twilight co-stars, particularly Jackson Rathbone.[28] Reed is also close friends with Spy Kids actress Alexa Vega, who was Reed's maid of honour in her wedding.[29]
In June 2010, Reed launched an official website that features a blog, where she discusses a variety of subjects, both personal and professional.[30] Nikki Reed announced on her blog that she officially joined social networking websites Twitter and Facebook on August 25, 2011.[31] Reed is also on the website Whosay, an invite-only service that enables celebrities to provide authenticated content to their fans.[32]
[edit]Activism

Reed has teamed up with Staples and Do Something for their 3rd Annual School Supply Drive in the summer of 2011[33] . She also did a public service announcement for Do Something 101. In August 2011, Reed filmed public service announcement for Give-a-Shit.org, a charity focused spreading awareness and getting people to care about world issues[34].
[edit]Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
Film
2003 Thirteen Evie Zamora also Screenwriter
2005 Man of God Zane Berg
2005 Lords of Dogtown Kathy Alva
2005 American Gun Tally
2006 Mini's First Time Minerva "Mini" Drogues
2007 Cherry Crush Shay Bettencourt
2008 Twilight Rosalie Hale
2008 Familiar Strangers Allison
2009 The Twilight Saga: New Moon Rosalie Hale
2009 Last Day of Summer Stefanie also Executive Producer
Premiered October 24: Hollywood Film Festival
2010 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Rosalie Hale
2010 Chain Letter Jessica "Jessie" Campbell
2010 Privileged Lauren Carrington Awaiting release
2011 Catch .44 Kara Post-production
2011 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 Rosalie Hale
2012 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Rosalie Hale Post-production
2012 Downers Grove Tracy Rumoured
Year Title Role Notes
Television
2006 The O.C. Sadie Campbell guest role, 6 episodes
"The Heavy Lifting"
"The Road Warrior"
"The Journey"
"The Undertow"
"The Secrets and Lies"
"The Day After Tomorrow"
2006 Justice Molly Larusa guest role, 1 episode
"Addicts"
2007 Reaper Andi Prendergast un-aired pilot only
Music video
Year Title Artist Notes
2005 Just Feel Better Santana featuring Steven Tyler
[edit]Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Notes Result
List of awards and nominations
2003 Nantucket Film Festival – Screenplay Award Best Feature Screenplay Thirteen Shared with Catherine Hardwicke Won
2003 Young Hollywood Awards One to Watch – Female Thirteen Won
2003 Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards Best Original Screenplay Thirteen Shared with Catherine Hardwicke Nominated
2004 Independent Spirit Award Best First Screenplay Thirteen Shared with Catherine Hardwicke Nominated
2004 Independent Spirit Award Best Debut Performance Thirteen Won
2004 Prism Award Best Performance in a Theatrical Feature Film Thirteen Nominated
2004 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award Best Original Screenplay Thirteen Shared with Catherine Hardwicke Nominated
2004 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award Breakout Performance – Behind the Camera Thirteen Nominated
2004 Satellite Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Thirteen Shared with Evan Rachel Wood Nominated
2004 Satellite Award Best Original Screenplay Thirteen Shared with Catherine Hardwicke Nominated
2006 Solstice Film Festival Award Best Actress Mini's First Time Won
2008 Delray Beach Film Festival Award Best Ensemble Familiar Strangers Shared with Cast Won
2008 Method Fest Independent Film Festival Award Best Ensemble Familiar Strangers Shared with Cast Won
2009 Teen Choice Award Choice Fresh Face – Female Twilight Nominated
2009 Scream Award Best Ensemble Twilight Shared with Cast Nominated
2010 Young Hollywood Awards Superstar in the Making The Twilight Saga: New Moon Won
2010 Teen Choice Award Most Fanatic Fans The Twilight Saga: New Moon Shared with Cast Won
2011 Teen Choice Award Choice Favorite Vampire The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Nominated
References from Wikipedia.com

Owen Wilson

2011-10-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

Owen Wilson

Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor and writer, known for his roles in the films The Haunting, The Royal Tenenbaums, Zoolander, Meet the Parents, Wedding Crashers, You, Me and Dupree, Bottle Rocket, the Cars series, The Darjeeling Limited, Marley & Me, Midnight in Paris, and Drillbit Taylor.

The Best of Wedding Crashers - Funny Scenes

Owen Wilson Kate Hudson on Rove Live

Early life

Wilson was born in Dallas, to photographer Laura Cunningham Wilson and Robert Andrew Wilson, an advertising executive and operator of a public television station. He has an older brother, Andrew, and a younger brother, Luke. Both brothers were also involved in filmmaking.[3] His family, originally from Massachusetts, is Irish American and Catholic.[4] Wilson attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English.[5]
[edit]Career

Wilson debuted as an actor in the role of "Dignan" in the Wes Anderson film Bottle Rocket, which he co-wrote with Anderson. He also worked with Anderson as a creative collaborator on his next two directorial efforts, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, for which they were nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Wilson subsequently landed a role in The Cable Guy, directed by Ben Stiller, an early admirer of Bottle Rocket. After minor appearances in action films like Anaconda, Armageddon and The Haunting, Wilson appeared in two dramatic roles: supporting actor in Permanent Midnight, which starred Stiller as a drug-addicted TV writer; and the lead role as a serial killer in The Minus Man, in which future girlfriend, singer Sheryl Crow was a co-star. He also made a cameo in the Girl Skateboards video Yeah Right! in 2003.

Wilson at the London premiere of You, Me and Dupree, 2006
Wilson got his big break with the 2000 comedy action hit Shanghai Noon, starring opposite Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan. The film grossed nearly US$100 million worldwide. His fame continued to rise after starring alongside Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell in the 2001 film Zoolander.
Gene Hackman took notice of Wilson's performance in Shanghai Noon and recommended Wilson to co-star in the 2001 action film Behind Enemy Lines. Also in 2001, Wilson and Anderson collaborated on their third film, The Royal Tenenbaums, which was a financial and critical success. The comedy featured an all-star cast, including Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny Glover, Seymour Cassel and brother Luke. Owen Wilson had a memorable supporting role in the film as Eli Cash, a drug-addled bon vivant who becomes a literary celebrity. It earned the writing team an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Wilson returned to the buddy-comedy genre in 2002 with the action comedy I Spy, co-starring Eddie Murphy. This big-screen remake of the television series flopped at the box office. He then reunited with Chan to make Shanghai Knights (2003) and the film remake of the television series Starsky & Hutch (2004). Due to his busy schedule as an actor and an ongoing sinus condition, Wilson was unavailable to collaborate on the script for Wes Anderson's fourth feature, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. The 2004 film was ultimately co-written by filmmaker Noah Baumbach. However, Wilson did star in the film as Bill Murray's would-be son, Ned Plimpton; a role written specifically for Wilson.[6] In 2004 Wilson worked with his brother Luke Wilson in the 2004 film Around the World in 80 Days as the Wright brothers.

Wilson in May 2007
Wilson partnered with Vince Vaughn in the 2005 Wedding Crashers which grossed over $200 million in the US alone. Also in 2005, Owen collaborated with his brothers by appearing in The Wendell Baker Story, written by brother Luke, directed by Luke and brother Andrew.[7] In 2006, Wilson provided the voice of Lightning McQueen in the Disney/Pixar film Cars, starred in You, Me and Dupree with Kate Hudson, and appeared with Stiller in Night at the Museum as Jedediah, the cowboy, an uncredited role.
Wilson has appeared in ten films with Stiller (a long-time friend) to date: The Cable Guy (1996), Permanent Midnight (1998), Meet the Parents (2000), Zoolander (2001), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Starsky & Hutch (2004), Meet the Fockers (2004), Night at the Museum (2006), and the sequels Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) and Little Fockers (2010).
Wilson appeared in another Wes Anderson film, The Darjeeling Limited, which screened at the 45th annual New York Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival and opened September 30, 2007, co-starring Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody.[8] Wilson next starred in the Judd Apatow comedy, Drillbit Taylor, released in March 2008. He appeared in a film adaptation of John Grogan's best-selling memoir, Marley & Me (2008), co-starring Jennifer Aniston.[9]
The Darjeeling Limited, starring Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman was selected for a DVD and Blu-ray release by The Criterion Collection in October 2010.[10]
Wilson provided the voice for the Whackbat Coach Skip in Wes Anderson's version of Fantastic Mr. Fox. He starred in the film The Big Year, an adaptation of Mark Obmascik's book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession.[11] The film was released in October 2011 from 20th Century Fox and co-starred Jack Black, JoBeth Williams, Steve Martin, and Rashida Jones.
Wilson is a member of the comedic acting brotherhood colloquially known as the Frat Pack. His films have grossed more than $2.25 billion domestically (United States and Canada), with an average of $75 million per film. Wilson made a guest appearance on the NBC comedy Community with fellow Frat Pack member Jack Black.[citation needed]
Most recently, Wilson starred as a nostalgic writer in the romantic comedy Midnight in Paris. Written and directed by Woody Allen, the film has become Allen's highest grossing film at the box office[12] and was also well received by critics.[13]
[edit]Personal life

The 2002 release of the album C'mon C'mon by former girlfriend Sheryl Crow features the song Safe and Sound which is dedicated to Wilson in the liner notes and is said to be an autobiographical account of Wilson's and Crow's relationship.
On August 26, 2007, Wilson was taken to St. John's Health Center amid reports of a suicide attempt. He was later transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.[14] His lawyer later confirmed that he had been undergoing treatment for depression.[15] A few days later, Wilson withdrew from starring in Tropic Thunder, produced by and starring his friend and frequent collaborator Ben Stiller.[16] Following the suicide attempt, Wilson had participated in limited publicity and promotion for his films.[17]
On January 10, 2011, Wilson's representative announced that Wilson and his girlfriend, Jade Duell, were expecting a baby.[18] Just four days later, on January 14, it was confirmed that Duell had given birth in Hawaii to a baby boy, Robert Ford Wilson.[19][20]
[edit]Channels

2011: Luke Large's Voiced in The Large Family's New Epidsode in 2011 in Season 3 in The Large Family.
[edit]Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1996 Bottle Rocket Dignan Also Executive Producer/Writer
Also appeared in the short of the same name
The Cable Guy Robin's Date
1997 Anaconda Gary Dixon
1998 Armageddon Oscar Choice
Rushmore – (None) Executive Producer/Writer
Permanent Midnight Nicky
1999 Heat Vision and Jack Heat Vision Voice Only
Television film
The Haunting Luke Sanderson
Breakfast of Champions Monte Rapid
The Minus Man Vann Siegert
2000 Meet the Parents Kevin Rawley
Shanghai Noon Roy O'Bannon
2001 Behind Enemy Lines Lt. Chris Burnett
The Royal Tenenbaums Eli Cash Also Executive Producer/Writer
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
Zoolander Hansel McDonald Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo
2002 I Spy Alex Scott
2003 Shanghai Knights Roy O'Bannon Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo
Yeah Right! Himself
2004 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Ned Plimpton Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Meet the Fockers Kevin Rawley
Around the World in 80 Days Wilbur Wright
Starsky & Hutch Ken Hutchinson MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo
The Big Bounce Jack Ryan
2005 The Wendell Baker Story Neil King
Wedding Crashers John Beckwith MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance
2006 Night at the Museum Jedediah Uncredited
You, Me and Dupree Randolph Dupree Also Producer
Cars Lightning McQueen Voice Only
2007 The Darjeeling Limited Francis Whitman
2008 Drillbit Taylor Drillbit Taylor
Over Her Dead Body Guy on Phone Uncredited cameo
Marley & Me John Grogan
2009 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Jedediah
Fantastic Mr. Fox Coach Skip Voice Only
2010 How Do You Know Matty Reynolds
Little Fockers Kevin Rawley
Marmaduke Marmaduke Voice Only
2011 Hall Pass Rick
Cars 2 Lightning McQueen Voice Only
MAD Jason, Baby Edward, Various
Midnight in Paris Gil
Turkeys Reggie Voice Only
The Big Year Kenny Bostick
Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales Lightning McQueen Voice Only/Season 3

References from Wikipedia.com

Kendall Jenner bikini

2011-10-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

Kendall Jenner bikini

Rachel Uchitel

2011-10-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

Rachel Uchitel

Rachel Uchitel (born January 29, 1975) is an American nightclub manager, hostess and TV correspondent. She first encountered publicity when, following the September 11, 2001, attacks, a photo of her holding a picture of her fiancé, who worked in the World Trade Center, was published by the New York Post and circulated worldwide. She made headlines again in 2010 as one of golfer Tiger Woods' mistresses as well as for an affair with actor David Boreanaz. In 2010 she appeared in the fourth season of the American reality television series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which depicted her struggle with addiction.

Rachel Uchitel Saved David Boreanaz's Marriage

Rachel Uchitel Gets Married

Rachel Uchitel outside of CNN talks about Dr Drew and Celebrity Rehab

Rachel Uchitel Interview

Early life

Uchitel is the granddaughter of Maurice Uchitel, a Ukrainian American restaurant and nightclub owner in the 1950s and 1960s, including the El Morocco club.[2][3]
When Uchitel was 15, her father died, reportedly from an overdose of cocaine, which according to her, required her to mature quickly, and which she claims was one of the incidents in her life that led to her own addictions later.[4]
She graduated from Millbrook School in 1992 and from the University of New Hampshire in 1996 with a degree in psychology.[5] She spent five years after college as a news producer in New York for Bloomberg Television.[6][7]
[edit]Career

Uchitel managed the VIP section of "some of the most successful clubs in New York",[8] and was a special correspondent on nightlife for Extra.[9] In 2005–6, she was the VIP hostess at Tao in Las Vegas.[10][11][12]
In 2005, Uchitel moved to Las Vegas and became a host at the Tao Nightclub which is operated by Jason Strauss.[7][13] As of 2009, she still lived in Las Vegas but was "too old for being a VIP host anymore".[13] In a November 2010 interview with UK's Daily Mail, Rachel announced she had applied for a license as a private detective.[14]
[edit]Media appearances
In May 2010 it was reported that Uchitel would pose for Playboy magazine, though no information has yet been released on when the photo shoot will be published.[15][16]
Uchitel was a cast member in the fourth season of the VH1 reality television program Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which documents notable persons being treated for substance abuse.[17] Dr. Drew Pinsky, who normally is not involved with casting for the series,[18] reportedly visited Uchitel personally in order to convince her to be cast on the show, for which she was paid $500,000 to appear, which is double the amount initially offered to her by producers.[19] The season premiered in December 2010 and ran until January 2011. During the course of filming, Uchitel spoke of how her father's death when she was 15, the loss of her fiance in the September 11 attacks, and her tendency to impulsively enter into relationships contributed to her addiction.[4] Following her treatment by Pinsky, Uchitel entered a sober living facility in Malibu, California, though she left the facility with Pinsky's permission to visit the World Trade Center site, where she met with other 9/11 families.[20]
[edit]Personal life

[edit]Early relationships
Uchitel had been engaged to James Andrew O'Grady, an investment banker, who was killed in the September 11 attacks of the World Trade Center.[7][21] A few days later, she appeared on the front page of the New York Post holding a picture of O'Grady, which was republished worldwide.[6][22][23][24] Uchitel and her fiance's family subsequently debated the disposition of his estate.[21][25] In 2004, Uchitel married Wall Street trader and childhood friend Steven Ehrenkranz.[7][26] Their marriage lasted four months.[27]
[edit]Relationships with celebrities
In late 2009, The National Enquirer published a story that alleged that Uchitel had had an affair with Tiger Woods at the Australian Masters,[28] which she denied.[29] She later scheduled a news conference to discuss Woods' alleged affairs, but she and her attorney Gloria Allred cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".[30][31] For years, all reports about Woods' alleged affairs had been denied until Uchitel came forward with her story.[32]
In 2010, Uchitel was photographed by the National Enquirer entering Tiger Woods' room while in Australia.[13][28][32][33] It has been estimated that Uchitel was the highest paid VIP hostess,[13] and according to Lisa Bloom, was given a cash settlement to cancel a news conference.[31] Uchitel was "in the spotlight"[34] before her alleged affair with Woods as she was the "face of tragedy"[12] when published photos of her clutching her dead fiance's picture surfaced after September 11, 2001.[12][34] She has evolved from a "9/11 symbol"[35] to a media celebrity due to another alleged affair with David Boreanaz.[26][35] Uchitel received an apology from The View after Joy Behar called her a hooker.
In May 2010, The Huffington Post released text messages alleging she had also had an affair with David Boreanaz.[39] Uchitel initially stated that she was not involved with Boreanaz,[40] but later admitted to the affair.
On her May 14, 2010[44] appearance on TMZ Live, Uchitel discussed Boreanaz and "her new life as the most famous mistress on the planet."[44] She denied extorting him over their alleged affair although her attorney, Gloria Allred, stated Boreanaz had deceived Uchitel.[45] Allred represented Veronica Siwik-Daniels, who is another alleged mistress of Woods, aka "Joslyn James".[46] A scheduled news conference featuring Uchitel and Allred was canceled due to the arrival of "Mr. Green" or a cash settlement according to CBS News legal analyst (and Allred's daughter) Lisa Bloom.[31]

References from Wikipedia.com

Hank Williams Jr.

2011-10-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hank Williams Jr.

Demi Moore

2011-10-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

Demi Moore

Demi Guynes Kutcher ( /dəˈmiː/ də-mee; born November 11, 1962 as Demi Gene Guynes), known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the soap opera General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St. Elmo's Fire (1985), and in the early 1990s, became one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood with her successes in Ghost (1990), A Few Good Men (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993), and Disclosure (1994).
Moore took her professional name from her first husband, musician Freddy Moore, and is the mother of three daughters from her marriage to actor Bruce Willis. She has been married to actor Ashton Kutcher since 2005.

Demi Moore is standing by her man

Alicia Keys, Jennifer Aniston & Demi Moore - Good Morning America - October 6, 2011

Demi Moore - Striptease

Demi Moore sexy

Early life

Moore was born Demi Gene Guynes in Roswell, New Mexico. As a child, she had a difficult and unstable home life. Her biological father, Charles Harmon, left her mother, Virginia King (November 27, 1943 – July 2, 1998), after a two-month marriage, before Moore was born. As a result, Moore had the surname of her stepfather, Danny Guynes (March 9, 1943 – October 1980 by suicide), on her birth certificate. Danny Guynes frequently changed jobs; as a result, the family moved a total of forty times. Moore has two younger half-brothers: James Craig Harmon (paternal) and Morgan Guynes (maternal, born 1967). Her parents were alcoholics who often fought and beat each other. Moore was cross-eyed as a child and wore an eye patch in an attempt to correct the problem until it was ultimately corrected by two surgeries. She also suffered from kidney dysfunction.[2]
Moore's family settled in Los Angeles in 1976. She attended Fairfax High School in Hollywood, where her schoolmates included Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, bassist Michael Balzary (aka Flea) and actor Timothy Hutton. When Moore was 16, her friend Nastassja Kinski persuaded her to drop out of school to become an actress.[2]
[edit]Career

Moore at the Academy Awards in 1989
After training with John Casablancas, the founder of Elite Model Management, Moore made her film debut in the 1982 3-D science fiction/horror film, Parasite, which was a hit on the drive-in circuit, ultimately grossing $7 million.[3] However, Moore was not widely known until she played the part of Jackie Templeton on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital, from 1982 to 1983. Moore also had an uncredited cameo at the end of the 1982 spoof Young Doctors in Love.
In the mid-1980s, Moore appeared in the youth-oriented films St. Elmo's Fire, Blame It on Rio and About Last Night..., and she was often listed as one of the Brat Pack, a name the media dubbed a certain group of top young actors at the time. In 1988, she starred in The Seventh Sign directed by Carl Schultz. After the commercial success of Ghost, Moore was given more prominent roles in A Few Good Men, Indecent Proposal, Disclosure, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame for which she was the first actress to reach the $10 million salary mark.

Moore at the Huffington Post Pre-Inaugural Ball, 2009.
During the early 1990s, she was the highest paid actress in Hollywood. She never surpassed the success of Ghost, and had a string of less successful films like The Scarlet Letter, The Juror, Striptease, and G.I. Jane. Moore's Passion of Mind co-star Joss Ackland lambasted her by describing her as being "not very bright or talented",[4] although he worked with her again on Flawless in 2008. At the same time, she produced and starred in a TV mini-series called If These Walls Could Talk, written by Nancy Savoca. A three-part series on abortion, Savoca directed two segments, including the one in which Moore played a single woman in the 1950s seeking a back-alley abortion. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress for that role.
Moore was a founding "celebrity investor" in the Planet Hollywood chain of international theme restaurants (modeled after the Hard Rock Cafe and launched in New York on October 22, 1991) along with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and then-husband Bruce Willis.
After a break from her acting career, Moore returned to the screen as the villain of the 2003 film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. In 2006, she appeared in Bobby which featured an all-star cast, including her husband Ashton Kutcher, although they did not appear in any scenes together. She later starred in the thriller film Mr. Brooks, which was released on June 1, 2007. She appeared in Jon Bon Jovi's longform video "Destination Anywhere" as Janie.[5]
In 2006, Moore became the new face for the Helena Rubinstein brand of cosmetics.[6]
[edit]Vanity Fair controversy

August 1991 Vanity Fair More Demi Moore cover
See also: More Demi Moore and Demi's Birthday Suit
In August 1991, Moore appeared nude on the cover of Vanity Fair under the title More Demi Moore. Annie Leibovitz shot the picture while Moore was seven months pregnant with her daughter Scout LaRue, intending to portray "anti-Hollywood, anti-glitz" attitude.[7] The cover sparked an intense controversy for Vanity Fair and Moore. It was widely discussed on television, radio, and in newspaper articles.[8] The frankness of Leibovitz's portrayal of a pregnant sex symbol led to divided opinions, ranging from complaints of sexual objectification to celebrations of the photograph as a symbol of empowerment.[9]
The photograph was subject to numerous parodies, including the Spy magazine version, which placed Moore's then husband Bruce Willis' head on her body. In Leibovitz v. Paramount Pictures Corp., Leibovitz sued over one parody featuring Leslie Nielsen, made to promote the 1994 film Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult. In the parody, the model's body was attached to what is described as "the guilty and smirking face" of Nielsen. The teaser said "Due this March".[10] The case was dismissed in 1996 because the parody relied "for its comic effect on the contrast between the original".[10] In November 2009, the Moroccan magazine Femmes du Maroc emulated the infamous pose with Moroccan news reporter Nadia Larguet, causing controversy in the majority Muslim nation.[11] In August 1992, Moore would again appear nude on the cover of Vanity Fair, modeling for the world's leading body painting artist, Joanne Gair in Demi's Birthday Suit.[12][13] The painting is widely considered to be the best-known example of modern body painting artwork.[14]
[edit]Personal life

Moore and Kutcher in September 2008
In 1980, at the age of 18, she married singer Freddy Moore, who is 12 years her senior, adopting his surname.[15] The marriage lasted for four years. In 1987, Moore met and married actor Bruce Willis.[16] They had three daughters together: Rumer Glenn Willis (born August 16, 1988), Scout LaRue Willis (born July 20, 1991), and Tallulah Belle Willis (born February 3, 1994).[16] Moore and Willis divorced in 2000.[16]
In 2005, Moore wed actor Ashton Kutcher after dating for two years.[citation needed]

Demi Moore during a press meet in Nepal in 2011
Moore's primary residence is in Hailey, Idaho, near the famous Sun Valley resort, although she spends much time in the Los Angeles area with Kutcher. She also owns a waterfront mansion on Sebago Lake, Maine. She is a practicing follower of the Philip Berg's Kabbalah Centre religion, and initiated Kutcher into the faith, having said that she "didn’t grow up Jewish, but ... would say that [she has] been more exposed to the deeper meanings of particular rituals than any of [her] friends that did."[17] Contrary to popular belief, Moore claims she has never been a raw foodist and dispelled the vegan rumors by eating a hamburger in a recent Mario Testino photo shoot.[18]
Moore legally changed her last name to Kutcher two years after marrying Kutcher. However, she continues to use Moore in her professional life.[19][20][21] According to the New York Times, Moore is "the world's most high-profile doll collector," and among her favorites is the Gene Marshall fashion doll.[22]
[edit]Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1981 Choices Corri
1982 Parasite Patricia Welles
1983 Young Doctors in Love New Intern Uncredited
1984 No Small Affair Laura Victor
Blame It on Rio Nicole 'Nikki' Hollis
1985 St. Elmo's Fire Jules
1986 Wisdom Karen Simmons
One Crazy Summer Cassandra Eldridge
About Last Night... Debbie
1988 The Seventh Sign Abby Quinn
The New Homeowner's Guide to Happiness Short film
1989 We're No Angels Molly
1990 Ghost Molly Jensen Saturn Award for Best Actress
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1991 The Butcher's Wife Marina Lemke
Mortal Thoughts Cynthia Kellogg
Nothing But Trouble Diane Lightson
1992 A Few Good Men LCDR JoAnne Galloway Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance.
1993 Indecent Proposal Diana Murphy MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss with Woody Harrelson
Nomination – MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Female.
1994 Disclosure Meredith Johnson Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Female
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
1995 Now and Then older Samantha
The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Female
1996 Beavis and Butt-head Do America Dallas Grimes (voice)
Striptease Erin Grant
The Hunchback of Notre Dame Esmeralda (voice)
The Juror Annie Laird
1997 Deconstructing Harry Helen/Harry's Character
G.I. Jane LT Jordan O'Neil Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Fight with Viggo Mortensen
Destination Anywhere: The Film Jenny Short film
2000 Passion of Mind Martha Marie/'Marty' Talridge
2002 The Hunchback of Notre Dame II Esmeralda (voice) Straight-to-DVD
Nomination – "Best Animated Character Performance" at the DVD Exclusive Awards
2003 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Madison Lee Nomination – MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
Nomination – "Sexiest She-Villain" (Villana más Sexy) at the MTV Movie Awards México
2006 Half Light Rachel Carlson Limited release.
Bobby Virginia Fallon Hollywood Film Award for "Ensemble of the year" at the Hollywood Film Festival
Nominated – "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture" at the 13th Screen Actors Guild Awards
2007 Flawless Laura Quinn Limited release
Mr. Brooks Detective Tracy Atwood
2008 Streak Director Directorial debut
2010 Happy Tears Laura
The Joneses Kate Jones
Bunraku Alexandra
2011 Margin Call Sarah Robertson
LOL: Laughing Out Loud Annie Post-Production
[edit]Television
Year Title Role Notes
1982–83 General Hospital Jackie Templeton
1984 The Master Holly Trumbull 1 episode
Bedroom Nancy Comedy series
1989 Moonlighting Woman in Elevator Uncredited
1990 Tales from the Crypt Cathy Marno 1 episode, "Dead Right"
1991 Master Ninja Holly Trumbull TV movie
1996 If These Walls Could Talk Claire Donnelly TV movie.
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Movie
1997 Ellen The Sample Lady 1 episode "The Puppy Episode: Part 2"
2003 Will and Grace Sissy (The Babysitter) Sitcom

References from Wikipedia.com

Nancy Shevell

2011-10-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

Nancy Shevell

Paul McCartney had numerous relationships during his early life in Liverpool, and during his time with The Beatles. He was engaged to Dot Rhone, actress Jane Asher, and married three times, to Linda McCartney, Heather Mills and Nancy Shevell.
McCartney had a three-year relationship with Dot Rhone in Liverpool, buying her a gold ring in Hamburg. In London, McCartney had a five-year relationship with Asher, living in her parents' house for three years. He wrote several songs at the Ashers' house, including "Yesterday". Asher inspired other songs, such as "And I Love Her", "You Won't See Me" and "I'm Looking Through You". On 25 December 1967 they announced their engagement, but separated in early 1968. McCartney met American photographer Linda Eastman in a club in London while still with Asher. They met again at the launch party for the Sgt. Pepper album. In May 1968, McCartney met Eastman again in New York, and they were married on 12 March 1969. They had three children together, and remained married until her death from breast cancer in 1998.
McCartney appeared publicly beside Heather Mills at a party in January 2000, to celebrate her 32nd birthday. On 11 June 2002, they were married at Castle Leslie in Glaslough, Ireland. They had one child, Beatrice, in 2003, but were living apart by May 2006. In July 2006, British newspapers announced that McCartney had petitioned for divorce. On 17 March 2008, the financial terms of the divorce were finalised, which awarded Mills £24.3 million ($38.5 million). McCartney has been dating Nancy Shevell since November 2007, who is a member of the board of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, as well as vice president of a family-owned New England Motor Freight. It was announced on 6 May 2011 that the two had become engaged, and they married in London on 9 October 2011.

PAUL MCCARTNEY: 'set to wed' Nancy Shevell this weekend

Sir Paul McCartney marries Nancy Shevell

'Love Me Do' - Paul McCartney gets engaged to Nancy Shevell

Paul McCartney & Nancy Shevell

Evan Rachel Wood

2011-10-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

Evan Rachel Wood

Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again. She made her debut as a leading film actress in Little Secrets (2002) and became well known after her transition to a more adult-oriented Golden Globe-nominated role in the teen drama film Thirteen (2003).
Wood continued acting mostly in independent films, including Pretty Persuasion (2005), Down in the Valley (2006), Running with Scissors (2006), and in the big studio production Across the Universe (2007). Wood's acting has drawn critical praise, and she has been described by The Guardian newspaper as being "wise beyond her years" and as "one of the best actresses of her generation."[3] Wood was in a relationship with singer Marilyn Manson, to whom she was engaged until August 2010.

NYLON TV + EVAN RACHEL WOOD

True Blood: Evan Rachel Wood in Season 2 Finale

Evan Rachel Wood Down In The Valley

Evan Rachel Wood: Flaunt Magazine

Early life and family

Evan Rachel Wood was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her father, Ira David Wood III, is a locally prominent actor, singer, theater director, and playwright who is the Executive Director of a local regional theatre company called Theatre in the Park. Her mother, Sara Lynn Moore (born March 6, 1958), is an actress, director, and acting coach.[3] Wood's brother, Ira David Wood IV, is also an actor; she has another brother, Dana. Her paternal aunt, Carol Winstead Wood, is a Hollywood production designer.[5]
Wood and her brothers were actively involved in Theatre in the Park while growing up, including an appearance by her in the 1987 production of her father's internationally renowned musical comedy adaptation of A Christmas Carol when she was just a few months old.[6] Subsequently, she played the Ghost of Christmas Past in several productions at the theater, and she later starred as Helen Keller alongside her mother (who played Annie Sullivan) in a production of The Miracle Worker, under her father's direction.[7][8]
[edit]Career

[edit]Early Works: 1994–2000
Wood began her career appearing in several made-for-television films from 1994 onward, also playing an occasional role in the television series American Gothic. In 1996, Wood's parents separated and later divorced, and Wood moved with her mother to her mother's native Los Angeles County, California.[3][9] After a one-season role on the television drama Profiler, Wood was cast in the supporting role of Jessie Sammler on the television show Once and Again.
Wood's first major screen role was in the low-budget 1998 film Digging to China, which also starred Kevin Bacon and Mary Stuart Masterson. The film won the Children's Jury Award at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival.[10] Wood remembers the role as initially being hard, but notes that it "eventually led to her decision that acting is something she might never want to stop doing."[3] She also had a role in Practical Magic, a family fantasy film directed by Griffin Dunne and starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, that same year.
[edit]2001–2005

Evan Rachel Wood in 2005
Wood made her teenage debut as a leading film actress in 2002's Little Secrets, directed by Blair Treu, where she played aspiring 14-year-old concert violinist Emily Lindstrom. For that role, she was nominated for Best Leading Young Actress at the Young Artist Awards.[11] That same year, Wood played a supporting role in the Andrew Niccol-directed science fiction satirical drama film, S1m0ne, which starred Al Pacino.
Wood's breakthrough movie role followed with the 2003 film Thirteen. She played the role of Tracy Louise Freeland, one of two young teens who sink into a downward spiral of hard drugs, sex, and petty crime. Her performance was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as Best Actress - Drama and for a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for Best Actress. During the time of Thirteen's release, Vanity Fair named Wood as one of the It Girls of Hollywood, and she appeared, along with the other actresses, on the magazine's July 2003 cover.[12] A supporting role opposite Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones in Ron Howard's The Missing, in which she played the kidnapped daughter, Lilly Gilkeson, in a Searchers-style western, followed the same year. Also in 2003 she played the part of Nora Easton in the episode "Got Murder?" of TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
In 2005, Wood appeared in the Mike Binder-directed The Upside of Anger, opposite Kevin Costner and Joan Allen, a well-reviewed film in which Wood played Lavender "Popeye" Wolfmeyer, one of four sisters dealing with their father's absence. Her character also narrated the film.[3]
Wood's next two starring roles were in dark independent films. In the 2005 Grand Jury Prize Sundance Film Festival nominee Pretty Persuasion, a black comedy/satirical focusing on themes of sexual harassment and discrimination in schools and attitudes about females in media and society, Wood played Kimberly Joyce, a villainous, sexually active high-schooler. One critic commented, "Wood does flip cynicism with such precise, easy rhythms and with such obvious pleasure in naughtiness that she's impossible to hate."[13]
In Down in the Valley, which was directed by David Jacobson, Wood's character, Tobe, falls in love with an older man, a cowboy who is at odds with modern society (Edward Norton). Of her performance, it was written that "Wood conveys every bit of the adamant certainty and aching vulnerability inherent in late adolescence."[14] Wood has commented on her choice of sexually themed roles, saying that she is not aiming for the "shock factor" in her film choices.[3]
In 2005, Wood starred in the music videos for Bright Eyes' "At the Bottom of Everything" and Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends".
[edit]2006–present

Wood at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2007
In September 2006, Wood received Premiere magazine's "Spotlight Award for Emerging Talent."[15] Also in 2006, she was described by The Guardian as being "wise beyond her years" and as "one of the best actresses of her generation."[3]
Later in 2006, Wood appeared with an all-star ensemble cast as Natalie Finch in the Golden Globe-nominated 2006 comedy-drama film Running with Scissors. Directed by Ryan Murphy and starring Annette Bening, the film was based on the memoir by Augusten Burroughs, which is a semi-autobiographical account of Burroughs' childhood in a dysfunctional family. Wood was awarded the 2007 Cannes Film Festival Chopard Trophy for Female Revelation for her performance.[16]
Wood had roles in two films released in September 2007. King of California, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival,[17] a story of a bipolar jazz musician (Michael Douglas) and his long-suffering teenage daughter, Miranda (Wood), who are reunited after his two-year stay in a mental institution and who embark on a quixotic search for Spanish treasure. One review praised Wood's performance as "excellent".[18]
Across the Universe, a Julie Taymor-directed musical that was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award and was set in Liverpool, New York City, and Vietnam, focused on the tribulations of several characters during the counter-cultural revolution of the 1960s. It was set to the songs of The Beatles. Wood, who has described the music of The Beatles as a major part of her life, played Lucy, who develops a relationship with Jude (Jim Sturgess).[19] The film featured her singing musical numbers and she describes the role as her favorite, calling director Julie Taymor "one of the most amazing directors out there."[20] One critic wrote that "Wood brings much-needed emotional depth."[21]
Wood provided the voice of an alien named Mala, a mechanically inclined free-thinker, in Battle for Terra, a 2008 computer-animated science fiction film about a peaceful alien planet that faces destruction from colonization by the displaced remainder of the human race. The film won the 2008 Grand Prize at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. The film showed at the San Francisco International Film Festival, where she received an award at the Midnight Awards along with Elijah Wood.[22]
Wood starred in 2008's Vadim Perelman-directed The Life Before Her Eyes, based on the Laura Kasischke novel of the same name, about the friendship of two teens of opposite character who are involved in a Columbine-like shooting incident at their school and are forced to make an impossible choice. Wood played the younger version of Uma Thurman's character, Diana. One critic cited her performance as "hands-down extraordinary".[23] Wood stated that she intended the film to be the last one in which she played a teenager.[24]
In the same year, she also co-starred in director Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler,[25] winner of the Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, about Randy "Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke), a professional wrestler from the 1980s who is forced to retire after a heart attack threatens to kill him the next time he wrestles. Wood played Stephanie, Randy "Ram" Robinson's estranged daughter. Of her performance, one critic wrote, "Once her character stops stonewalling her father and hears him out, Wood provides a fine foil for Rourke in their turbulent scenes together."[26]
Wood has a role in Woody Allen's Whatever Works,[27] which premiered at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. She plays the young wife of Larry David's[28] character. In May 2009, she played Juliet in six fundraising performances of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the Theater In The Park.[29] The production was directed by her brother, who also starred.
Wood had a recurring role in the second and third seasons of the HBO supernatural drama series, True Blood, from 2009 to 2011 as Sophie-Anne Leclerq. She appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.[30] Wood had a role in the film The Conspirator, which premiered at Ford's Theatre in Washington D. C. in April, 2011, directed by Robert Redford (about the conspiracy surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln).
[edit]In production
Wood has been attached to play writer Anne Brontë in the film Brontë, the title character in Flora Plum[31] and will be involved in the film Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll.[9][24] Variety reported in May 2010 that Wood and Marilyn Manson were attached to star in a slasher film entitled Splatter Sisters.[32]
[edit]Personal life

Wood and Marilyn Manson arriving at a concert location in Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 2007
Wood has described her religion as Jewish (her mother is a convert to Judaism and her father is Christian).[33][34][35] She briefly attended Cary Elementary, a public school in Cary, North Carolina. She was home-schooled and received her high school diploma at age 15.[36] Wood has a black belt in taekwondo.[37] In her early teens, she was described as "the sad, introverted teen", on which she commented: "It's just a type I enjoy playing. But I don't want to be typecast as the misery chick for the rest of my career. I guess I have to watch out for that."[38]
Wood has described herself as being "laid-back" and "not a party girl", citing her choice to stay away from what is considered a typical Hollywood lifestyle.[3] In 2006, Wood, who was described by The Guardian as an "Anglophile", dated her "Wake Me Up When September Ends" music video co-star, English actor Jamie Bell.[3][24] She is also a friend of actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt.[3] In 2007, Wood's relationship with Marilyn Manson became public. The two met at a party at the Chateau Marmont Hotel; Wood has stated that she was attracted to Manson's frequent use of black eye liner and once described their relationship as "healthy and loving."[39] Two portraits of Wood, painted by Manson, have been exhibited at the Celebritarian Corporation Gallery of Fine Art. Wood is also the inspiration behind Manson's song "Heart-Shaped Glasses", and she appeared with Manson in the song's music video. Manson has said that Wood's appearance in the film was the highest-paid music video role ever.[24] In November 2008, Wood issued a statement saying "Manson and I both decided to take some time apart so we could concentrate on work."[40]
After a short time together again in 2009, both Manson and Wood stated that they wanted to take a break and focus on their careers.[41] In December 2009, Manson announced that he and Wood had gotten back together.[42] It was reported in early January 2010 that the couple was engaged to be married.[43] On August 17, 2010, People magazine reported that the couple had ended their engagement earlier that month.[44]
In April 2011, Wood came out as bisexual in an interview with Esquire.[45]
[edit]Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Digging to China Harriet Frankovitz limited release
Practical Magic Kylie Owens Nominated — Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress
Profiler Chloe Waters 6 Episodes
Nominated — Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Supporting Young Actress
1999 Down Will Come Baby Robin Garr TV Film
Nominated — YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Mini-Series/Made for TV Film
1999–2002 Once and Again Jessie Sammler 55 Episodes
Young Artist Award for Best Ensemble in a TV Series (Drama or Comedy)
Nominated — YoungStar Award for Best Young Actress/Performance in a Drama TV Series
2002 Little Secrets Emily Lindstrom Nominated — Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress
S1m0ne Lainey Christian
The West Wing Hogan Cregg 1 Episode
2003 C.S.I. Nora Easton Got Murder? - Season 3, Episode 12
The Missing Lily Gilkeson Nominated — Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress
Thirteen Tracy Louise Freeland Bratislava International Film Festival Award for Acting
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Youth in Film
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Breakout Performance - On Screen
Prism Award for Best Performance in a Theatrical Feature Film
Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Young Performer
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Female Performance
Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role - Female
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
2005 Pretty Persuasion Kimberly Joyce limited release
The Upside of Anger Lavender 'Popeye' Wolfmeyer
2006 Running with Scissors Natalie Finch
Down in the Valley October "Tobe" limited release
Asterix and the Vikings Abba (English Dub) limited release
Shark Bait Cordelia (Voice) Also known as The Reef
2007 King of California Miranda
Across the Universe Lucy Carrigan
Battle for Terra Mala (Voice)
The Life Before Her Eyes Young Diana limited release
2008 The Wrestler Stephanie Ramzinski Nominated — Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
2009 Whatever Works Melodie
2009–2011 True Blood Sophie-Anne Leclerq 6 episodes
2011 The Conspirator Anna Surratt
Mildred Pierce Veda Pierce HBO Miniseries
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
The Ides of March Molly Stearns

References from Wikipedia.com

Diane Cilento

2011-10-07T21:33:00.001-07:00

Diane Cilento

Dinara Safina

2011-10-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

Dinara Safina

Dinara Mikhailovna Safina (Russian: Динара Михайловна Сафина), born April 27, 1986 in Moscow, is a former Russian professional tennis player of Tatar background. Safina's career high ranking is World No. 1.
Safina was runner up in singles at the 2008 French Open, 2009 Australian Open, and the 2009 French Open, falling to Ana Ivanović, Serena Williams, and Svetlana Kuznetsova, respectively. She has had success at Grand Slam events in women's doubles by winning the 2007 US Open with Nathalie Dechy. She also won the Olympic silver medal in women's singles at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
She is the younger sister of former World No. 1 men's player Marat Safin. She and her brother are the first brother-sister tandem in tennis history to both achieve No.1 rankings.

Kim Clijsters vs Dinara Safina 2011 Highlights

BNP Paribas Open 2011 - Dinara Safina autographing for ball kids

Marion Bartoli v Dinara Safina full match

Dinara Safina practices, Australian Open 2011

Biography

[edit]Playing style
Safina's game is built on her powerful groundstrokes which are hit heavy and deep. Her forehand is the side where she hits more winners. Her backhand hits accurately and can open up the court. She also produces a high number of unforced errors. For her height, her serve has been considered lacking in power and precision. It is inconsistent, thus delivering a high number of double faults. This is often attributed to an unusually high, and therefore inconsistent ball toss. Safina's best surface is clay, while grass courts are her weakest surface. Through the years, she has struggled with the mental aspect of tennis. Her groundstrokes often turn erratic when she struggles with her mental game.
[edit]Early life
Safina was born in Moscow, Russia to ethnic Tatar parents. Her mother, Rauza Islanova, was her trainer when she was younger;[3][4] while her father is director of the Spartak tennis club in Moscow.[5] Her brother Marat is a former world No. 1 on the ATP Tour. Speaking of growing up in such a successful tennis family, Safina stated: "Being the little sister in such a big tennis family is not an easy situation. Maybe that's why it took me longer to develop. My father is very competitive, but my parents didn't put pressure on me. I wanted to find my identity. I wanted to be something by myself, like being a big player by myself. So at the beginning I was putting too much pressure on myself. But then gradually I found myself, and I learned how to do better with that situation."[6] At age 8, Safina and her family moved to Valencia, Spain, and as a result Safina speaks fluent Spanish as well as Russian and English.[7]
Previously, Safina was coached by Glen Schaap,[8] former coach of Anna Chakvetadze and Nadia Petrova,[9] and Željko Krajan, who worked with her during her rise to No. 1 in 2009.[6] From May 2010, she begun working with Gastón Etlis.[10] Their partnership ended after several months and since February 2011 she has been working with Davide Sanguinetti.
Safina's idols growing up were Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport.[11] More recently, she has stated that she idolises Rafael Nadal.[12] Safina states that she has few friends on the Tour, saying: "I'm not really looking for some friends because I have my team. I travel with my coach and my fitness coach. So, with both of them, I have enough. I don't need anyone else."[6]
[edit]Tennis career

[edit]2002–04
Safina made her debut in the main draw of a WTA Tour tournament in May 2002, on clay at Estoril, where she lost in the semifinals.[11] She won her first title of her career in Sopot, defeating two seeds – including World No. 24 Patty Schnyder – en route to the final, which she won when opponent Henrieta Nagyová retired during the second set.[13] In doing so, she became the youngest Tour champion in four years and the first qualifier to win a title in three years.[11] She entered the top 100 on the world rankings as a result of this win.[13] Later that year, Safina made her debut at a Grand Slam, losing in the second round of the US Open to top seed and eventual champion Serena Williams 6–0, 6–1.[14] In October, in Moscow, she defeated a top 20 player for the first time, World No. 14 Silvia Farina Elia. She finished the season as World No. 68.[15]
Safina won her second title over Katarina Srebotnik at Palermo in July 2003.[16] She lost in the first round in her debuts at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, although she reached the fourth round at the US Open before losing to second seed and eventual champion Justine Henin.[17] She also made the quarterfinals in Doha,[18] Sopot[19] and Shanghai.[20] She beat world No. 11 Magdalena Maleeva in Moscow, her best win at that point.[21] She finished the season as World No. 54.[22]

Safina at the 2006 Australian Open.
At the 2004 Australian Open, Safina defeated a seed at a Grand Slam for the first time, upsetting 27th seed Amanda Coetzer in the second round before losing to second seed Kim Clijsters in the third round. However, she failed to make an impact at any of the other Grand Slams, losing in the second round of the French Open and the first round of both Wimbledon and the US Open, although she pushed eventual runner-up Elena Dementieva to three sets in the latter. She made the third final of her career and first off of clay in October at Luxembourg, losing to Alicia Molik.[23] She finished the season as World No. 44, her first time finishing in the world's top 50.
[edit]2005–07
Safina continued to climb the rankings in 2005. At the Australian Open, she lost in the second round to Amélie Mauresmo. However, she defeated Mauresmo in the final in Paris three weeks later, in order to win the third title of her career.[24] This marked her first win over a player ranked in the top 5. Following her win, Safina remarked: "You can't imagine how happy I am. I can't find words to explain how I feel right now. It's by far the best day of my career. I played well, took my chances and beat a Top 5 player. It's just too much in one day."[21]
Safina won her second title of 2005 in May at Prague, defeating Zuzana Ondrášková in the final.[25] However, she then lost in the first round of the French Open to Virginie Razzano. She won a match at Wimbledon for the first time, eventually losing in the third round to top seed Lindsay Davenport.
After losing in the first round of the US Open to Maria Elena Camerin, Safina made three semifinals in the fall – in Luxembourg, the Tier I Moscow and Hasselt. In Moscow, she defeated World No. 1 Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals 1–6, 6–4, 7–5, her first victory over a number one player.[26] She also played a key role in Russia's victory against France in the Fed Cup, parterning Elena Dementieva to win the doubles rubber.[27] Speaking in 2008, Safina stated: "that was a great experience in my life [...] it also boosted my confidence because I showed I could play well even with the [French] crowd against me."[6] Safina finished the year ranked World No. 20, by far her highest finish.
Safina started 2006 by losing in the second round of the Australian Open to Sofia Arvidsson. The highlight of the remainder of the spring hardcourt season was a run to the quarterfinals in Indian Wells, defeating fifth seed Anastasia Myskina before losing to Martina Hingis. On clay, Safina reached her first final at a Tier I tournament in Rome, defeating top 10 players Kim Clijsters, Elena Dementieva, and Svetlana Kuznetsova, before being beaten by Hingis 6–2, 7–5.[28]
At the French Open, Safina made the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. In the fourth round, she beat fourth-seeded Maria Sharapova 7–5, 2–6, 7–5.[29] In the third set, she trailed 1–5 and was down a match point but won after almost 2½ hours of play. She went on to lose to Kuznetsova in the next round.[30] To kick off the grass court season, she reached her first grass court final at 's-Hertogenbosch, losing to Michaëlla Krajicek.[31] She then lost in the third round of Wimbledon, losing to Ana Ivanović.
The highlight of Safina's summer hardcourt season was a run to the semifinals of the Tier I Montreal, before ultimately losing to Ivanović. During the US Open, she again reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal, this time losing to top seed Amélie Mauresmo. She met with greater success in doubles, where she reached the final with partner Katarina Srebotnik. Safina reached the top ten on the singles rankings for the first time in the fall. She finished the season just outside it, at World No. 11.

Safina at the 2007 Australian Open.
Safina won her first tournament of 2007, in Gold Coast, defeating Martina Hingis in the final. Following the match, Hingis praised Safina, saying that "everyone should watch her because she's gonna be maybe even better than her brother", and that she has "more will and desire" than Safin.[32] She also won the doubles title at the tournament. She then lost in the third round of the Australian Open to Li Na.[33]
Safina reached her second final of the year at the Tier I Charleston in April, after retirements from Tatiana Golovin and Vera Zvonareva in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively.[34] In the final, she lost to Jelena Janković 6–2, 6–2. After reaching the quarterfinals at both Berlin and Rome, Safina lost to Serena Williams in the fourth round of the French Open. During May, she moved up to World No. 9, the highest ranking of her career at the time.
On grass, Safina lost in three sets to Janković in the semifinal of 's-Hertogenbosch 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(6), having had a match point in the tiebreaker. Following that loss, she was upset by Akiko Morigami in the second round of Wimbledon.
Safina lost in the fourth round of the US Open to World No. 1 and eventual champion Justine Henin.[35] At the tournament, she partnered Nathalie Dechy to win the women's doubles title, her first Grand Slam title.[36] In October, Safina achieved only her second win over a player ranked in the top 10 that season, defeating World No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze en route to the semifinals of Moscow. She finished the season as World No. 16.
[edit]2008–09
Safina started 2008 poorly, winning just 11 of her first 21 matches. Her best result in singles play during this period was a run to the quarterfinals of Miami, defeating Lindsay Davenport in the fourth round. Safina has admitted that she was considering quitting tennis during this period.[37] Meanwhile, she won doubles titles in Gold Coast, partnering Ágnes Szávay; and in Indian Wells, partnering Elena Vesnina.
In May, at the clay-court event in Berlin, Safina defeated World No. 1 Justine Henin in the third round 5–7, 6–3, 6–1, having never beaten Henin before. This would prove to be Henin's final match before her retirement the following week. Safina went on to defeat Serena Williams for the first time in the quarterfinals 2–6, 6–1, 7–6(5), ending Williams's 17-match winning streak. She then defeated Elena Dementieva in the final to win the first Tier I title of her career. Safina retrospectively called the tournament "the key to her tennis life".[38] As the 13th seed at the French Open, Safina defeated new World No. 1 Maria Sharapova 6–7(6), 7–6(5), 6–2, having saved a match point at 5–3 down in the second set.[39] In the quarterfinals, Safina defeated Dementieva 4–6, 7–6(5), 6–0, after again saving match points at 5–2 down in the second set.[40] Then, in her first Grand Slam semifinal, Safina defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova,[41] before being defeated by Ana Ivanović in the final.[42] Her results at this tournament caused her ranking to rise to World No. 9.

Safina at the Qatar Telecom German Open (Berlin)
On grass, Safina lost in the final of 's-Hertogenbosch to Tamarine Tanasugarn.[43] At Wimbledon, Safina lost in the third round to Israeli Shahar Pe'er 7–5, 6–7, 8–6 in 3 hours, 25 minutes. She had saved a match point in the second set and served for the match in the third set at 5–4, but experienced cramp towards the end of the match.[44]
At Los Angeles in July, Safina defeated top-seeded Jelena Janković in the semifinals before claiming her second title of the year by defeating Flavia Pennetta in the final.[45] The following week, Safina won the Tier I Montreal, defeating Dominika Cibulková in the final. This marked the first time in her career that she had won titles at back-to-back tournaments,[46] and it moved her up to World No. 6, her highest career ranking at the time. She also won the US Open Series as a result of this victory.[47]
Representing Russia at the Beijing Olympics, Safina defeated World No. 1 Jelena Janković in the quarterfinals in three sets, making her the first player in the history of the WTA Tour to defeat three different reigning World No. 1 players in the same year.[48] In the semifinals, she defeated Li Na in straight sets. In the gold medal match, Safina lost to Dementieva in three sets while serving 17 double faults.[49] She went into the US Open as one of five women who could have taken the World No. 1 ranking, depending on their results in this tournament. However, she lost in the semifinals to the eventual champion Serena Williams. After this tournament, her ranking rose to a career high of World No. 5.
Safina won her third Tier I title of the year and fourth title overall in Tokyo in September, defeating Kuznetsova in the final.[50] This win moved her ranking to a new career-high of World No. 3, before later briefly becoming the World No. 2 in October. She qualified for the year-ending WTA Tour Championships for the first time in her career, but she lost all three of her round robin matches. She finished the year ranked World No. 3, the first time she had finished a year in the world's top 10.
Safina began 2009 by representing Russia with her brother Marat Safin in the Hopman Cup. They lost to the Slovakian team in the final.[51]
Safina played her first WTA Tour tournament of the season in Sydney, where she lost in the final to Elena Dementieva.[52] At the Australian Open, Safina defeated Alizé Cornet in the fourth round 6–2, 2–6, 7–5 after having been down 5–2 and facing two match points in the third set.[53] Safina defeated the Australian wild card entry Jelena Dokić in the quarterfinals and Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals to reach the second Grand Slam final of her career.[54] She lost to Serena Williams in the final in 59 minutes.[55] Had Safina won the tournament, she would have assumed the World No. 1 ranking.[56] After losing early in Dubai to Virginie Razzano,[57] Safina went on to the Premier Mandatory Indian Wells, where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Victoria Azarenka.[58] Safina would have replaced Serena Williams as the World No. 1 player had she reached the final of this tournament.[58] At another mandatory event, Miami, Safina lost in the third round to Australia's Samantha Stosur.[59]
On April 20, Safina became the 19th player, and second Russian after Maria Sharapova, to be ranked World No. 1 by the WTA Tour.[60] Safina and her brother Marat Safin are the first ever brother-sister World No. 1 pair, with Safin having been ranked World No. 1 by the ATP earlier in his career.[2]
Safina started the clay season with fresh determination to win a Grand Slam.[61] Playing in her first tournament as the World No. 1, Safina lost in the final of the indoor clay court event in Stuttgart to Svetlana Kuznetsova.[62] The following week in Rome, Safina defeated Venus Williams in the semifinals,[63] and Kuznetsova in the final.[64] Safina then advanced to the final at the inaugural mandatory Madrid event, where she defeated Caroline Wozniacki to win her second consecutive title.[65] As the top seed and overwhelming favourite[66] at the French Open, Safina dropped just five games in advancing to the quarterfinals.[67] She eventually advanced to her third Grand Slam final and second straight French Open final,[68] where she lost to Kuznetsova in straight sets. Safina double faulted on match point and she[69] stated after the match that she put "too much pressure" on herself.[70]
At Wimbledon, Safina advanced to the fourth round for the first time, where she defeated 2006 champion Amélie Mauresmo.[71] She went on to reach the semifinals before losing to Venus Williams 6–1, 6–0, marking the fewest games won by a reigning World No. 1.[72] Due to this her performance invoked criticism about her status as the No. 1 player in particular from the new Wimbledon champion and World No. 2, Serena Williams who openly mocked her credibility as the top player..[73][74]
After winning a small tournament in Portorož,[75] Safina failed to defend her title in Los Angeles.[76] Despite this, she became the first player to qualify for the WTA Tour Championships.[77] The following week in Cincinnati, Safina advanced to her eighth final of the season,[78] losing to former World No. 1 Jelena Janković.[79] Safina was the top seed at the 2009 U.S. Open, but lost in the third round to Petra Kvitová. Safina later complained about the decision to move the match from Arthur Ashe Stadium to Louis Armstrong Stadium.[80]
Following back-to-back second round losses in Tokyo and Beijing, Safina lost the No. 1 rank to Serena Williams. She regained it two weeks later on October 26.[81] At the WTA Tour Championships, she had a chance to end the season as No. 1 for the first time in her career, but retired due to a back injury in her first round robin match, which she claimed had been bothering her for three months.[82]
[edit]2010

Dinara Safina serving at the 2010 Stuttgart Porsche Cup.
Safina started 2010 by losing in the quarterfinals to Elena Dementieva in Sydney.[83] At the Australian Open, she reached the fourth round where she retired with a back injury[84] which also forced her to withdraw from tournaments in Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami.
In her return to competitive tennis for the clay season, Safina lost in the quarterfinals of Stuttgart to Shahar Pe'er. She struggled through the rest of the clay season, losing her opening matches in Rome, Madrid and the French Open, causing her ranking to drop to No. 20. She later withdrew from Wimbledon after being dealt her fifth straight loss at a warm-up tournament in 's-Hertogenbosch.
She began the US Open Series at the 2010 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, where Safina was given a wildcard. She played veteran Kimiko Date Krumm in the first round. Safina lost to the Japanese veteran again in three sets, this time 4–6, 7–6(0), 6–2.
In the first round of the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open in San Diego, California, Safina ended her 6 match losing streak when she defeated Alona Bondarenko 6–1, 7–6(2) in the first round. She then fell to Agnieszka Radwańska in the second round.
Safina's next tournament was at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her first opponent was Italian Roberta Vinci whom she beat in a rocky, double–fault filled match 7–5, 6–4. In the second round, she was pitched against Kim Clijsters, whom she defeated last year at this tournament, in Kim's first match since Wimbledon. Safina fell 7–5, 6–4. Due to her inability to defend her points from 2009, she has most recently dropped from World No. 35 to World No. 70. However at the Rogers Cup tour in Montreal she showed signs that she is once again determined to battle her way back to the elite with impressive wins over World No. 36 Andrea Petkovic 6–3, 6–3 and World No. 21 Nadia Petrova 7–5, 4–6, 6–4 to reach the third round, where she lost to 6th seed Francesca Schiavone 6–4, 6–3. Safina took her revenge by beating the Italian in the first round of the 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, but lost to Maria Kirilenko in the quarterfinals. At the 2010 US Open, Safina was eliminated in the first round 6–3, 6–4 by the Slovak Daniela Hantuchová, whom she had just beaten in New Haven.
Safina accepted a wildcard from the Hansol Korea Open, where she defeated qualifier Simona Halep in the first round. She then went on to beat third seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko, in straight sets. But she then fell to Czech Klára Zakopalová in the quarterfinals, after failing to convert on a set point in the first set. Safina was unseeded coming in to the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, she faced Julia Georges of Germany in the first round, but lost in three sets 6–1, 5–7, 6–2 despite mounting a comeback in the second set to even the match one set apiece. At the China Open , Safina lost to fellow Russian player Vera Zvonareva in the first round, 6–4, 7–6(6).
[edit]2011
Unseeded at the 2011 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, Safina played well but was defeated in three sets 6–3, 6–7, 6–1 by in-form defending champion and No.2 seed Yanina Wickmayer in the first round. Wishing to bounce back from her loss in her first match of the year, Safina competed in the 2011 Moorilla Hobart International, facing Marion Bartoli in the first round. She lost again, managing to win only one game, 0–6, 1–6. Unseeded at the Australian Open, she was beaten by Kim Clijsters 0–6, 0–6 in the first round. She was the first former No.1 player ever—man or woman—to receive a "double bagel" 6–0, 6–0 at a Grand Slam tournament since the start of the Open Era. As a result, her ranking dropped to number 117 in the world, the first time she was out of the top 100 since 2002.
At the 2011 Malaysian Open, Dinara was able to end her 6-match losing streak with her first win since September 2010, defeating Han Xinyun 6–2, 6–0 and taking the last 11 games of the match. Then she lost against Safarova in singles, but she won her ninth career title in doubles, paired with Galina Voskoboeva. Safina next competed at BNP Paribas Open, and her improved form continued with a run to the fourth round, including wins over 26th seed Daniela Hantuchová, 7–6(2), 6–4 and world No. 4 Samantha Stosur, 7–6(2), 6–4. Her run came to an end against Maria Sharapova in the fourth round, where she won only two games. Safina returned to the top 100 for her performance at the tournament. Safina will not compete for the rest of 2011 with her persistent back injury of a stress fracture on L5S1[85] not getting any better.
[edit]Retirement
Safina has retired from professional tennis, as announced by her brother and former world number 1 Marat Safin, in 7 October, 2011. "Dinara (Safina) has decided to end her career," Safin said. "She has taken the decision relatively well. She considers it just to be the end of a period in her life." Safin said the main reason for his 25-year-old sister's retirement was a chronic back injury. "Everything is all right with her health. She feels good in everyday life, but (the back injury means) she simply can't play tennis professionally any more."[86]
[edit]Singles performance timeline

To help interpret the performance table, the legend below explains what each abbreviation and color coded box represents in the performance timeline.

Reference from Wikipedia.com

Terrell Owens

2011-10-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

Terrell Owens

Terrell Owens ( /ˈtɛrəl/; born on December 7, 1973) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens has been one of the dominant receivers of his era. He holds or shares several NFL records, and features in the all-time top-5 in several receiving categories, including yards and touchdowns.
As productive as he has been, Owens has been equally controversial, creating firestorms with almost every team he has played for as a professional. Owens played college football and basketball at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and was selected in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Owens was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 after a spat with 49ers front office members. Two years later, he was released and signed to another large pact by the Dallas Cowboys, only to be given his unconditional release on March 4, 2009. Owens has also played for the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Popularly known by his initials, T.O., Owens is as renowned for his flamboyant touchdown celebrations and public persona as he is for his prodigious talent on the field. His actions on and off the field have led to many league fines, as well as frequent penalties for his team.

Terrell Owens|| Bengals 2011||HD||

Terrell Owens vs. Donovan McNabb

Terrell Owens Highlights

SportsCentury - Terrell Owens

Terrell Owens Bengals Highlights (HD)

Terrell Owens on the Chiseled workout show

Early life

Terrell Owens was born to LC Russel and Marilyn Heard in Alexander City, Alabama. When Terrell was very young his parents split and he moved in with his mother and grandmother. He grew up with three other siblings and was raised by his mother and grandmother. He enjoyed watching football, especially his favorite player, Jerry Rice. However, Owens’ grandmother initially forbade him from playing sports until high school. Owens attended Benjamin Russell High School, where he excelled in football, baseball, and basketball and later became one of the best receivers in the league.[4]
[edit]Family

Terrell Owens became a father to Terique Owens on September 25, 1999. Owens' second son, Atlin Owens, was still a toddler as of 2009. Atlin was asked to model for Famous Stars and Straps (FSAS) Spring ‘09 clothing line.[5] Owens also has a daughter, Kylee Owens. On February 27 and 28, 2010, Owens tweeted that he was spending time with his daughter and posted pictures of the two of them. He has a second daughter named Dasha.[6][7]
[edit]College career

While enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Owens played basketball and ran track. Owens had the opportunity to play at the 1995 NCAA Basketball Tournament. Outside of basketball, Owens also played football. While playing in college, Owens wore the #80 jersey to honor his idol, Jerry Rice.[8] He was not a distinguished athlete at first, but managed to make a breakthrough after becoming a starter during his sophomore year. Owens caught 38 passes for 724 yards and eight touchdowns during his sophomore year, and 34 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns during his junior year. Owens faced double coverage every week during his senior year, and was limited to 43 receptions for 667 yards and one touchdown. Owens previously held the single season receptions record at Chattanooga until it was broken in 2007 by Alonzo Nix. He also participated in the Senior Bowl, a college all-star game played by college seniors, in preparation for the NFL Draft.
[edit]Professional career

[edit]San Francisco 49ers
Based as much on his size and speed as on his demonstrated ability, the NFL's San Francisco 49ers drafted Owens in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Owens played his first professional game against the New Orleans Saints, where he served as a member of the 49ers' special teams. His first catches were recorded against the Carolina Panthers on September 22, 1996 (two catches for a net six yards). Against the Atlanta Falcons a week later Owens had a 17-yard kick return and one catch for 26 yards. His first touchdown came on October 20 against the Cincinnati Bengals; in the fourth quarter he caught a 45-yard touchdown throw from Steve Young that tied a game eventually won by the Niners 28-21.
In the 1997 NFL season, Owens became a big name for the 49ers when Jerry Rice went down early in the season with a torn ACL. He and quarterback Steve Young helped the 49ers win 13 games that season; Owens finished with 936 receiving yards and eight touchdowns; he added a touchdown in San Francisco's playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings.
1998 was another 12-4 season for the Niners and the first 1,000-yard year for Owens, as he caught 67 balls for 1,097 yards and fourteen touchdowns; he even had a rushing touchdown in October against the Rams. In the Wildcard playoff game the Niners faced the Green Bay Packers, who'd beaten them five straight times, three of them playoff games. Owens struggled, dropping a number of passes due to being briefly blinded by late-afternoon sun. Despite this Steve Young kept throwing to Owens and he redeemed himself by catching the game-winning touchdown (immortalized by the impassioned game call of Niners radio play-by-play announcer Joe Starkey) for a 30-27 comeback victory.
The following season was a disaster for San Francisco, as Steve Young was lost for the season in a 24-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals. The Niners fell from grace after a 3-1 start to a 4-12 finish; Owens in that season had 60 catches for 754 yards and four touchdowns. Young retired after the 1999 season after he was unable to pass medical tests due to a concussion sustained that season, and Jeff Garcia was named the 49ers' starting quarterback. In 2000, the 49ers only managed to win six games. However, Owens had a record-breaking day on December 17, 2000 with 20 catches for 283 yards in a 17-0 Niners win over the Chicago Bears. This single-game reception total surpassed the 50-year-old mark held by Tom Fears (which has since been surpassed by Brandon Marshall on December 13, 2009). Owens finished the year with 1,451 receiving yards and thirteen touchdowns.
The 2001 49ers managed to compile a 12-4 record but were defeated by the Packers led by Brett Favre in a wild-card playoff game. Owens finished with sixteen touchdowns catches (exactly half the 32 thrown by Jeff Garcia) and 1,412 receiving yards. The Niners followed up in 2002 with a 10-6 record and their 17th NFC West title; in this season Owens had 100 catches for 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Niners hosted the New York Giants in the Wildcard playoff round, and after falling behind 38-14 the Niners erupted to 25 unanswered points; Owens had two touchdown catches and caught two 2-point conversions in the Niners' 39-38 win. However they were shot down 31-6 against the soon to be Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who held Owens to only four catches for 35 yards.
Coach Steve Mariucci was fired and former Seahawks coach Dennis Erickson took over. The ensuing season in 2003 proved subpar as the Niners finished 7-9. It was here that Owens decided to leave. Immediately after breaking off all ties to the team, Owens appeared in an interview for Playboy magazine, where he created controversy after insinuating that Garcia was homosexual.[9]
Although Owens was eager to leave the 49ers, the 49ers asserted that Owens' previous agent, David Joseph, had missed the deadline to void the final years of his contract with the team. The NFLPA and Owens disputed this assertion, contending that the deadline referred to by the 49ers was not the applicable deadline. On March 4, 2004, San Francisco, believing it still held Owens' rights, attempted to trade Owens to the Baltimore Ravens for a second round pick in the 2004 draft. However, Owens challenged the 49ers' right to make the deal. Owens assumed that he would become a free agent on March 3, and did not believe that the earlier deadline was applicable. Hence, he negotiated with other teams in advance of his expected free agency, and reached a contract agreement with the Philadelphia Eagles, whose fan base strongly supported Owens in his desire to play for the team. The NFLPA filed a grievance on his behalf.
Before an arbitrator could make a ruling on Owens' grievance, the NFL and the three teams involved in the controversy reached a settlement on March 16, 2004. The Ravens got their second-round pick back from San Francisco, and the 49ers in turn received a conditional fifth-round pick and defensive end Brandon Whiting from the Eagles in exchange for the rights to Owens. Owens' contract with the Eagles was reported to be worth $49 million for seven years, including a $10 million signing bonus.
In September 2004, Terrell Owens released a purported autobiography: Catch This! Going Deep with the NFL's Sharpest Weapon. The 288-page book was ghostwritten by Stephen Singular.
[edit]Philadelphia Eagles
The 2004 season got off to a great start for the Eagles, who started 7-0 and 13-1, as well as for Owens, who averaged a touchdown catch per game before his injury. Owens gained a tremendous amount of popularity throughout the league, especially among the Eagles' fan base. On December 19, 2004, Owens sustained a severely sprained ankle and a fractured fibula when Dallas Cowboys safety Roy Williams took him down with a horse-collar tackle; Owens' injury was one of the major reasons that the horse-collar tackle was later prohibited. With the Eagles heading to Super Bowl XXXIX, Owens shocked the media by announcing he would play no matter what, even though team doctors stated that his injury would take several more weeks to heal. Owens' trainer, James "Buddy" Primm, helped bring Owens back much sooner with the use of Micro Current and a hyperbaric chamber. Skeptics were silenced when Owens started the game and played well; the result was nine receptions and 122 yards, though the Eagles still lost to the New England Patriots. After the game, Owens criticized the media by saying that a player like Brett Favre would have been praised for such bravery.
On April 2005, Owens announced that he had hired a new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and indicated that he would seek to have his contract with the Eagles renegotiated. Owens made $9 million in 2004 (most of which being bonus money as his base salary was only $660,000),[10] and was slated to make $4.5 million in 2005. This two year amount did not place Owens in the top 10 paid wide receivers playing. He also made a comment to the effect that he "wasn't the guy who got tired in the Super Bowl"; the remark, thought by most to be directed at quarterback Donovan McNabb, caused a controversy between them to heat up. Owens has always claimed the remark was not directed towards McNabb, but in regard to his obsessive diet and workout programs. On July 1, Owens' relationship with the Eagles became even more tense after Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and club president Joe Banner denied Owens permission to play basketball in a summer league under the auspices of the NBA's Sacramento Kings.[11]
Owens' contract controversy heated up as training camp drew nearer. Owens, with the negotiating help of Rosenhaus, continued to lobby for a new contract. Owens and Rosenhaus met with Eagles head coach Andy Reid and president Joe Banner, but no agreement was reached (this was in line with the Eagles' policy against contract renegotiations). Owens threatened to hold out of training camp until a deal was reached, but reported to camp on time. When the 2005 football season began, Owens was in the second year of a seven-year, $49 million contract. However, the contract was heavily back-loaded, and while the $49 million figure was routinely touted by the sports media as an example of Owens' greed, the money guaranteed to him was under the annual average for a top-tier wide receiver. During this time Terrell gained his record.
During the season, Owens continued to voice his displeasure. After more remarks about Eagles management and Donovan McNabb, Owens was suspended four games without pay and then deactivated for the rest of the season. (See Controversy Section.) The next season, Owens was released by the Philadelphia Eagles franchise and eventually signed with the Dallas Cowboys.
[edit]Dallas Cowboys

Owens as a Cowboy in August 2007.
On March 14, 2006, the Philadelphia Eagles released Owens.[12] Four days later, on March 18, 2006, Jerry Jones announced that the Dallas Cowboys had signed Owens to a 3 year, $25 million deal, including a $5 million signing bonus, with a $5 million first year salary.
Owens returned to the field during the Cowboys' 2006 season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the game ended in a Jaguars victory, Owens recorded 8 receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown. The following week, Owens damaged one of his finger bones, and was forced to leave the game. It was later determined that Owens would require surgery to correct the injury, and require anywhere from two to four weeks to recuperate. Days after Owens promised his fans he would return to play against Philadelphia Eagles, he overdosed on his medication (See Controversy Section). After a bye week giving him time to recuperate, Owens played in the following game against the Tennessee Titans, where he accounted for 88 receiving yards as well as three touchdowns.
The following week, Owens made his highly anticipated return to Philadelphia, where he played his former teammate, Donovan McNabb. Upon his return, Owens was met by a hail of angry cheers and taunts, including chants of "O.D." throughout the game.[13] In fact, when Owens dropped a pass during the pregame warmups, the Eagles fans cheered. Despite pregame talk about a weak Eagles secondary, Owens struggled throughout the game. Owens had three catches for 45 yards, while the Cowboys went on to lose, 38–24.
After the game, according to a report from a stadium employee at Lincoln Financial Field, Owens ran into the locker room following the 38–24 loss and launched into a tirade, yelling and asking why the Cowboys bothered signing him in the offseason, indicating that they should have thrown the ball towards him more.[14] Owens later confirmed this in a post-practice interview. After the Cowboys defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 38-28, owner Jerry Jones revealed that Owens had injured a tendon on one of his fingers (the same finger that he broke in an unrelated incident a few weeks earlier). The doctors recommended season-ending surgery, but Owens elected to risk permanent damage to his finger and decided to wait until the end of the season to repair the damage. "There's no question about what he's willing to do for his team", Jones said.[15]
Owens led the league in regular season with thirteen touchdown receptions.[16] On March 1, 2007, he underwent surgery twice to repair his right ring finger.[17]
In the 2007 season, Owens and the Cowboys began to live up to their potential. On November 18, Owens set a new career-high and tied a franchise record, with four touchdown catches against the Washington Redskins. With his TD catch against Green Bay on November 29, Owens became the first player in NFL history with at least 1 touchdown catch and six receptions in seven straight games. Also with this win, the Cowboys clinched a playoff berth for the second consecutive season, making this the third time Owens would participate in back-to-back postseasons. Owens was one of the starting wide receivers to represent the NFC in the Pro Bowl along with Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. On January 9, Owens made the All-Pro team along with teammates Jason Witten and DeMarcus Ware. On December 22 in a week 16 game against the Carolina Panthers, Owens caught his 15th touchdown catch of the season to set a new Cowboy-record for touchdown catches in a season. During this game, however, Owens suffered a high ankle sprain after making a catch in the second quarter, which kept him out of the rest of the regular season. Owens was leading the league in receiving yards and was 2nd in receiving touchdowns at the time. He finished the season with 81 receptions, 15 touchdowns, and 1355 receiving yards, as the team finished 13-3 and clinched the NFC's top seed.
Owens returned for the divisional playoff game against the Giants, where he caught four passes for 49 yards and a touchdown. The Cowboys lost the game, however, 21-17 and Owens broke down crying during the post game press conference in a now-infamous incident.
In the 2008 Pro Bowl, Owens caught 7 passes for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns in an NFC win. Despite his efforts, Minnesota Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson was named MVP.
In the Cowboys second game of the season, the last Monday Night game at Texas Stadium, Owens passed Cris Carter to move to second in touchdowns behind former teammate Jerry Rice.
The Cowboys released Owens on March 4, 2009.[18] Owens later said that Jerry Jones had assured him that he would be remaining with the team and that he was blindsided by his release.[19]
[edit]Buffalo Bills
On March 8, 2009, the Buffalo Bills signed Owens to a 1-year, $6.5 million contract.[20] Owens had his first catch with the Bills when he had a 27-yard play on a 3rd-and-1 in the 25-24 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. With that catch, he passed former Bills receiver Andre Reed on the all-time Top 20 career leaders list for pass receptions.[21] Owens debuted with 2 catches for 45 yards in the game. Owens caught his first TD pass with Buffalo in a 33-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 20, 2009. Owens had his best game with the Bills in a 15-18 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Owens had 9 receptions for 197 yards and a touchdown. Owens and Ryan Fitzpatrick set a Bill's record for longest TD reception when Fitzpatrick connected with Owens for a 98 yard TD. The 98 yard TD reception is Owens' longest TD reception. He also became the oldest player to have a TD reception of 76+ yards (35 years, 350 days).
Owens became the sixth player to reach 1,000 receptions in a career. He accomplished this during a game against the Atlanta Falcons from an 8-yard pass from Brian Brohm.

Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens before a game against the New England Patriots on September 12, 2010.
[edit]Cincinnati Bengals
On July 27, 2010, Owens signed a one year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. It was reportedly worth two million dollars, with another two million dollars possible from bonuses. He joined Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco, both of whom lobbied for the Bengals to sign Owens. He received his old number, #81, given to him by free-agent acquisition wide receiver Antonio Bryant in exchange for an undisclosed sum of money to be donated to a charity of Bryant's choice.
Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 4, he had a spectacular game with 10 receptions, 222 yards and a touchdown of 78 yards on the day. On December 21, Terrell Owens was placed on the Injured Reserve, for the first time in his 15 year career.[22] He still managed to lead all Bengals' receivers (including Ochocinco) with receptions, yards and touchdowns for the season. However the Bengals decided to head in a new direction by trading Ochocinco, allowing Palmer to retire (though he still has yet to officially retire) and not re-signing Owens for the 2011 season.[23]
[edit]Controversy

[edit]Controversy with Eagles
During his weekly Philadelphia sports radio show on WIP (AM) prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys, Owens stated if he could return to the 2004 off-season he would not have signed with the Eagles. After the Dallas game, in which the Eagles were badly beaten, Owens was seen by Philadelphia Daily News reporters wearing a Michael Irvin throwback football jersey on the way to the Eagles airplane flight. Irvin was a hall-of-fame wide receiver for the Cowboys during the '90s when the Cowboys-Eagles rivalry was perhaps the most intense. Ironically, as a 49er Owens had drawn the ire of Cowboys fans when he celebrated a touchdown by dancing on the midfield logo at Texas Stadium.
As a result, Owens' appearance in the jersey was seen as provocative in the Philadelphia press and by many fans. According to sources and Andy Reid's post-game press conference, none of Owens' teammates or coaches challenged him. The following Friday, on Owens' radio show, he stated he did not care what the fans thought of him wearing the jersey and that he would wear what he chooses.
On November 3, 2005, Hugh Douglas, former Philadelphia Eagles Defensive End, acting as an ambassador for team management, started to have an argument with Owens in front of the team in the locker room before practice. This soon led to a short fight between the two.[24]
That afternoon Owens made a number of controversial statements during an ESPN interview. In the interview, Owens voiced his frustrations of the Eagles not recognizing his 100th career TD. He referred to the Eagles as a classless organization for the way they behaved. The Eagles have since stated that the Club does not recognize individual achievements.
When asked whether or not he agreed with a comment made by ESPN analyst Michael Irvin, Owens agreed to the statement, saying that he thought the Eagles would be undefeated if Brett Favre were on the team instead of Donovan McNabb. Owens went on to expand on the point, calling Brett Favre a warrior. Many people took offense at this, since it appeared as though Owens was claiming that McNabb, who was playing with a sports hernia among other injuries, was not a warrior. This interview effectively ended Owens' career in Philadelphia.
During his weekly news conference the following day, Eagles head coach Andy Reid said that Owens had been suspended for four games—starting with the 17-10 loss to the Washington Redskins on November 6—for conduct detrimental to the team. The four games represented the maximum amount of time that a player could be suspended without pay for such conduct under NFL rules. After Owens served his suspension, the Eagles deactivated him from their roster for the remainder of the season, so that they wouldn't be forced to release him and let him sign on with another team.[25]
On November 8, Owens and his agent Drew Rosenhaus held a news conference at Owens' Moorestown Township, New Jersey residence on Landing Court.[26] Terrell apologized to the team (including Donovan McNabb) and the fans. After Owens read his statement, Rosenhaus answered questions from reporters. However, Rosenhaus answered many questions, such as "What have you done for T.O. besides get him suspended?" with a "next question." He blamed the media for Owens' current employment status. In his autobiography, "T.O.", Owens did state that most of the apology was forced upon him and not sincere.
On the grounds that deactivation cannot be used as a means of punishment, the NFLPA and Owens appealed the Eagles punishment to an arbitrator. On November 23, 2005, Terrell Owens' season was effectively ended after arbitrator Richard Bloch ruled that the Eagles were justified in suspending him for four games and that they did not have to activate him after the suspension (the Eagles would deactivate him game by game, with pay, for the final five games of the season, but that so long as he was paid, he was not technically suspended). The NFLPA subsequently said they would make sure Bloch never arbitrated with them again.
[edit]Desperate Housewives skit
On November 15, 2004, Owens, wearing a Philadelphia Eagles uniform, appeared with popular TV actress Nicollette Sheridan (of the ABC series Desperate Housewives, in character as Edie Britt) in an introductory skit which opened that evening's Monday Night Football telecast, in which Owens and the Eagles played the Cowboys at Texas Stadium. Some observers (especially then-Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy) condemned the skit as being sexually suggestive because of Sheridan removing a towel (see video[27]), and ABC later apologized for airing it. However, on March 14, 2005, the Federal Communications Commission ruled that the skit did not violate decency standards, because it contained no outright nudity or foul language.
[edit]2006 Hydrocodone overdose
Some media outlets in Dallas reported on the morning of September 27, 2006 that Owens had tried to kill himself by intentionally ingesting an overdose of hydrocodone, a pain medication.[28] A police report filed on the night of September 26[29] seemed to confirm the attempt, saying that Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, found him unresponsive with an empty bottle of pain killers, pried two pills from his mouth, and called 9-1-1, after which an ambulance transported him four blocks from his Deep Ellum condo to Baylor University Medical Center. The event became a national news sensation but was soon overshadowed by the Platte Canyon High School Shooting which had occurred only hours later.
According to the police report, Owens and Etheredge both said he was depressed, and Owens answered "yes" when asked whether he had intended to harm himself. Owens' publicist, however, refuted the report, stating that Owens had suffered an allergic reaction to the medication combined with a dietary supplement. ESPN reported that about half the police report was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose."[30]
Owens left the hospital later on September 27. At a news conference after his release, Owens denied having made a suicide attempt, stating that he expected to join the team for practice the next morning. He stated that he was "not depressed" and was "very happy to be here", and denied that doctors had pumped his stomach, calling speculation to that effect "definitely untrue."[31] The press conference took place after Owens had run routes and caught passes with the Cowboys at the team's practice facility in Valley Ranch.
Owens' publicist lashed out at the police and said they took advantage of him. Notably, Owens himself made no such statements, and at his press conference praised both the police and medical personnel who treated him.[32] Then on Thursday, September 28, the Dallas Police Department reported the incident to be an "accidental overdose" and ended their investigation.[33]
[edit]Spitting incident
After the December 16, 2006 game against the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall claimed that Owens spit in his face after a play early in the game. Game officials and reporters were unaware of the incident and Owens was not asked about it until his post-game interview with the NFL Network, when he confirmed it.[34] Owens said, "I got frustrated and I apologize for that. It was a situation where he kept hugging me and getting in my face. He had a lot of words, I didn't. I just wanted to come and prove I’m not a guy to be schemed with." Hall said that he lost all respect for Owens.[35] The NFL fined Owens $35,000 for the incident.[36] Within a week of the incident, Deion Sanders served as a mediator for Owens and Hall, and the two reportedly "made up."
[edit]Bill Parcells retirement
On May 15, 2007, to begin the Dallas Cowboys' spring mini-camp under new head coach Wade Phillips, Owens was questioned by ESPN about what he learned during his one-season experience with former head coach Bill Parcells. Owens was reported to have said, "Nothing, really."[37] Afterwards, Owens and other teammates had high praise for Phillips, seeming to forget about Parcells quickly. "Everybody knows he's a laid-back coach, obviously a little different than Bill. ... I don't think you have to be a disciplinarian to get your point across", Owens said. "I think having a new head coach is good for everybody. It's a little bit more relaxed. I think you can tell that by the atmosphere in the locker room. I don't think I just have to really spell it out for you, but I think it's very evident."
[edit]Touchdown celebrations

Owens is known for his flamboyant celebrations after scoring touchdowns, some of which have resulted in fines by the NFL front office.
[edit]Celebrations for San Francisco
While playing the Atlanta Falcons on January 9, 1999, Owens caught a long touchdown pass and proceeded to mimic the "dirty bird", the Falcons’ signature touchdown dance with Owens performing a slashing of the throat gesture at the end of the dance.
On September 24, 2000 in Dallas, Terrell Owens showed off his excitement after his two touchdown catches by running from the end zone to midfield and celebrating on the Dallas Cowboys' famous star logo. The second time Owens made a trip to the star, then Cowboys safety George Teague hit him during the celebration. Teague would be ejected for his actions, while Owens was suspended for a week by his head coach. The celebration and subsequent hit were named one of the ten most memorable moments in the history of Texas Stadium by ESPN in 2008, and is ironic given his later stint in Dallas.
During a Monday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks on October 14, 2002, Owens pulled a Sharpie marker out of his sock to sign the football he caught to score a touchdown, and then gave the ball to the financial adviser of Shawn Springs, who was covering Owens on the play. He was criticized by Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren for the stunt, but was not fined, although the league quickly adopted a new rule banning players from carrying "foreign objects" with them on the field.[38][39] Steve Sabol of NFL Films praised the stunt by noting the Niners (who won the game 28-21 as Owens had six catches for 84 yards and two scores) improved their passing game following the stunt.
On December 15, 2002, in a home game against the Green Bay Packers, Owens scored a touchdown and ran to a row of cheerleaders beyond the end zone. He reached out and asked to borrow two pompoms from a 49ers cheerleader, which he then playfully shook, doing his own brief spontaneous routine before dropping them to the ground.
On November 17, 2003, the 49ers hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Monday night game. Owens wore a wristband with the words "The Answer" emblazoned on it. Eight minutes into the game, he caught a 61-yard touchdown pass from Tim Rattay, and pointed to the wristband to draw attention to it. After the game (won by San Francisco 30-14), Owens was asked by a reporter the significance of the slogan on the wristband, and he replied: "Because I am The Answer." "The Answer" is the widely known[weasel words] nickname of NBA guard Allen Iverson.
On December 14, 2003, Owens scored a touchdown in a loss at Cincinnati, ran to a snow pile at the edge of the field, and threw snow at the fans.
[edit]Celebrations for Philadelphia
The "Bird Dance", "The Bird" or "Wing Flap" became T.O.'s trademark dance with the Eagles. T.O. did the "Bird Dance" frequently during the 2004 season after a big play or TD. His touchdown celebration was first imitated in the Eagles' first loss of the season at Pittsburgh. After scoring on a reverse, Hines Ward imitated T.O.'s "Bird Dance." After playing the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, New England players did a version of the "Bird Dance" with their celebrations.
He imitated and mocked the trademark pre-game ritual dance of Baltimore Ravens Ray Lewis after scoring a touchdown while playing against the Ravens in the 2004 season.
After catching a touchdown from Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb during a game in Cleveland, Owens ran through the end zone and threw the football at a sign that said, "T.O. has B.O.." After scoring another touchdown, he tore down a sign that said, "Takes One to Know One", a reference to a prior incident where he implied that Jeff Garcia (the Browns' starting quarterback at the time) was homosexual.
After scoring his 100th career touchdown in Philadelphia, he pulled a towel from his waist, folded it over his arm, and then placed the football in the palm of his hand, holding it over his shoulder and pretending to serve it up to the opposing team like a waiter would present a meal.
After scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears on October 3, 2004, Owens celebrated by doing six sit-ups in the end zone, one for each touchdown he had scored at that point in the 2004-2005 season.
[edit]Celebrations for Dallas
After catching a touchdown against the Washington Redskins on November 5, 2006, Owens pretended to take a nap, using the football as a pillow. This was in part response to media reports during the week that he fell asleep during team meetings. The Cowboys were penalized 15 yards for "excessive celebration".
On the Thanksgiving Day game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 23, 2006, Owens, after catching a pass for a touchdown, dropped the ball in an oversized Salvation Army Red Kettle, donating the ball to the Salvation Army. (Since 1997, the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game halftime show has traditionally started the Salvation Army's Red Kettle Christmas Campaign.) About the touchdown celebration, Owens was quoted as saying, "That was my donation. I hope it's worth as much as the fine."[40]
On December 16, 2006, Owens first introduced his trademark "T.O." symbol with his arms after scoring his second touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons. It has since become a frequent celebration after Owens scores.
On September 16, 2007, Owens mocked Bill Belichick after catching a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins, by hiding behind a field goal post and holding the football to his face in a video camera fashion, as if secretly spying and filming the game. The Cowboys were penalized 15 yards for "excessive celebration".[41] On September 19, 2007, the league fined Owens $7,500 for the celebration. According to Owens, he was only fined because he used the ball as a prop.
On November 4, 2007, against his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, Owens flapped his wings, mimicking the dance he did while with the Eagles. This, coupled with Owens' tumultuous stay with the Eagles and his subsequent tenure with the Cowboys (an Eagles division rival), earned the boos of the crowd. After the game, Owens was quoted as saying, "There's a lot of love in those boos."[42]
On November 30, 2007, Owens celebrated a touchdown on Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers by jumping on the wall behind the endzone, grabbing a fan's popcorn, and dumping it into his helmet.
On September 7, 2008, Owens celebrated his first touchdown of the 2008 NFL Season against the Cleveland Browns by preparing himself like an Olympic sprinter ready to explode out of the blocks. Fox Sports play by play man Joe Buck suggested the celebration may be homage to the Olympics and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. The Cowboys were penalized 15 yards for "excessive celebration."
On September 15, 2008 in a Monday Night home game against the Eagles, T.O. scored a touchdown and ducked his head down before he got into the endzone as if mimicking a sprinter's shoulder dip at the end of a race.
[edit]Professional statistics

Year Team G GS Rec Yards AVG LG TD
1996 San Francisco 49ers 16 10 35 520 14.9 46t 4
1997 San Francisco 49ers 16 15 60 936 15.6 56t 8
1998 San Francisco 49ers 16 10 67 1,097 16.4 79t 14
1999 San Francisco 49ers 14 14 60 754 12.6 36 4
2000 San Francisco 49ers 14 13 97 1,451 15.0 69t 13
2001 San Francisco 49ers 16 16 93 1,412 15.4 60t 16
2002 San Francisco 49ers 14 14 100 1,300 13.0 76t 13
2003 San Francisco 49ers 15 15 80 1,102 13.8 75t 9
2004 Philadelphia Eagles 14 14 77 1,200 15.6 59t 14
2005 Philadelphia Eagles 7 7 47 763 16.2 91t 6
2006 Dallas Cowboys 16 15 85 1,180 13.9 56t 13
2007 Dallas Cowboys 15 15 81 1,355 16.7 52t 15
2008 Dallas Cowboys 16 16 69 1,052 15.2 75t 10
2009 Buffalo Bills 16 16 55 829 15.1 98t 5
2010 Cincinnati Bengals 14 11 72 983 13.7 78t 9
Tot. (15 years) 214 198 1078 15,934 14.8 98t 153
[edit]NFL records and career notables

This section may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (January 2011)
NFL records
Currently, the only player in NFL history to score a receiving TD against all 32 NFL teams
Currently, the only player in NFL history to score 2 TDs against all 32 NFL teams
Oldest player to have a TD reception of 98+ yards (35 years, 350 days)
Oldest player to have a TD reception of 78+ yards (36 years, 300 days)
Oldest player to have a 200 yard receiving game (36 years, 300 days)
Consecutive Seasons with at least 6 or more touchdowns, 2000-2010 (11) - tied with Marvin Harrison 1996-2006, Jerry Rice 1986-1996, Cris Carter 1991-2001, Tim Brown 1991-2001, Don Hutson 1935-1945
Consecutive Seasons with at least 5 or more touchdown receptions, 2000-2010 (11) - tied with Marvin Harrison 1996-2006, Jerry Rice 1986-1996, Cris Carter 1991-2001, Tim Brown 1991-2001, Don Hutson 1935-1945
Consecutive Seasons with at least 5 or more touchdowns, 2000-2010 (11) - tied with Marvin Harrison 1996-2006, Jerry Rice 1986-1996, Cris Carter 1991-2001, Tim Brown 1991-2001, Don Hutson 1935-1945
Consecutive seasons with at least 4 touchdown receptions, 1996-2010 (15)
Consecutive seasons with at least 4 touchdowns, 1996-2010 (15)
Consecutive seasons with at least 3 touchdown receptions, 1996-2010 (15)
Consecutive seasons with at least 3 touchdowns, 1996-2010 (15)
Consecutive seasons with at least 500 receiving yards, 1996-2010 (15)
Consecutive seasons with at least 750 receiving yards, 1997-2010 (14)
Consecutive seasons with at least 40 receptions, 1997-2010 (14)
Consecutive seasons with at least 35 receptions, 1996-2010 (15) - tied with Art Monk 1980-1994
One of six players to have at least 2 receptions of 90+ yards (John Taylor, Mike Quick, Gaynell Tinsley, Steve Watson, and Willard Dewveall)
Career notables
5th player to reach 150 touchdowns
6th player to reach 1,000 career receptions, 6th player to reach 100 touchdown receptions, 6th player to reach 14,000 receiving yards
3rd player to reach 150 touchdown receptions, 3rd player to reach 15,000 receiving yards
Through 15 seasons, has 156 total touchdowns (153 receiving), 15,934 receiving yards, 1,078 receptions, 39 rushing attempts, 251 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 5 kickoff returns, 23 kickoff return yards, 2 fumble recoveries, 13 fumble return yards, and 3 two point conversions
Averaged one touchdown per game in 2001, 2004, and 2007[43]
Has had nine 1,000 yard seasons, including five consecutive (2000–2004)[43]
Reached 100 catches in only 14 games in 2002[43]
Led League in receiving touchdowns in 2001, 2002, and 2006[44]
Tied for second all-time in receiving touchdowns with Randy Moss and behind Jerry Rice
Second all-time in receiving yards behind Jerry Rice.
Fifth all-time in receptions behind Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, Cris Carter, and Tim Brown.
Second all-time in seasons with 13+ touchdown receptions with 7, behind Jerry Rice, who has 8.
Tied for second all-time in seasons with 50+ receptions with 13 (Andre Reed and Tony Gonzalez), behind Jerry Rice, who has 17.
[edit]Other work

Owens is depicted in a photographic work by contemporary African-American artist Hank Willis Thomas entitled Liberation of T.O.: Ain't no way I'm go'n in back ta'work fa'massa in dat darn field (2004). The work was featured in "Frequency", the Studio Museum in Harlem's 2006 exhibition of emerging artists.[45]
Owens rapped in a single titled "I'm Back", available for download on his website.[46]
Outside of his football career, Owens also appeared in various commercials, television shows, and films. Owens played himself, as a wide receiver wearing #82 for the fictional Miami Sharks, in the 1999 film Any Given Sunday.[47] In 2003 he appeared in a commercial for the ESPY Awards where he caught a home run ball from Barry Bonds in McCovey Cove.[48] Owens appeared in an episode of Punk'd, starring Ashton Kutcher, which is based on his November 19, 2005 suspension.[49]
In 2006, Owens wrote Little T Learns to Share, a children's book which encourages children to share.
Owens appeared in the 2008 NBA All-Star celebrity game (wearing number 81) and scored 18 points including a dunk, the first in the game. He also became the MVP of the game, despite showing up in the middle of the second quarter missing about 12 minutes. His team was down by as much as 10 before he came but ended up winning, 51-50.
In August 2008, Owens was featured in the pilot episode of the web series FACETIME, on My Damn Channel. He and Three 6 Mafia interview each other in the episode.[50]
In September 2008, Terrell Owens became the co-host of "Inside The Huddle", a one-hour player commentary show along with wide receiver Sam Hurd. The show was broadcast on KRLD-FM - 105.3 FM The Fan, a radio station in Dallas, and regionally on Time Warner Cable, ESPN2, and Video on Demand service.
He starred in a summer 2009 reality show on VH1, dubbed The T.O. Show; the show followed Owens and his "best friends and publicists" as they re-evaluated Owens' personal life.[51]
Owens appeared in the NBA All-Star celebrity game again in 2009 scoring 17 points including two alley-oops, to secure his second consecutive MVP award.[52]
In June 2009, Owens starred in ABC's reincarnation of The Superstars, a sports competition show from the 70s where celebrities are paired with professional athletes. The first episode is rumored to have ended in controversy, as evidenced by a leaked clip of partner supermodel Joanna Krupa calling Owens a "prima donna".[53]
As a one-time rating sweeps week stunt, Owens replaced WKBW-TV sports anchor Jeff Russo for their 6:00 p.m. newscast on May 18, 2009.[54]
Owens also has a breakfast cereal named after him called Terrell Owens T.O.'s Cereal.
[edit]The Superstars
On January 6, 2009, Variety reported that Juma Entertainment and Blue Entertainment Sports TV would produce a six-week series on ABC starting on June 23, 2009 featuring pairing of celebrities and athletes with one pair being eliminated each week. Principal location filming took place in the Bahamas. Owens was one of the athletes of the show paired with supermodel Joanna Krupa.
The show did nothing to help the reputation of T.O. The pair was the main attraction of the first few weeks of the competition. The show featured Joanna Krupa displeased with the performance of her teammate Owens. This occurs in the first episode, during an elimination competition involving the obstacle course in which Mr. Owens gets tangled in the cargo net obstacle and loses a race. Owens/Krupa then go into a final race to determine who goes home. Although Owens performed better this time, Cortese stayed close enough behind him that Krupa was unable to outrace Leslie and Owens/Krupa were the first team eliminated from the competition. Krupa continued to vent her frustration and disappointment in Owens' performance well after the race was over, stating that she expected better results from such a well-known athlete. They had lost a kayak race earlier. A better performance in any of the events (the duathlon, in which they finished middle-of-the-pack, two kayak races that they lost, and two obstacle course races that they lost) would have permitted them to stay in the competition. However, there was no explanation as to why Owens/Krupa with their fourth-place finish (20 points ahead of two teams that tied for fifth place) were even in a "tiebreak" situation to begin with, and the show was also silent on what tiebreaker separated the two fifth-place teams, sending one to the obstacle course automatically while putting the other in a "rubber match" kayak race against Owens/Krupa who clearly finished 20 points ahead of the fifth-place teams in the standings.
In the second episode, a team disbanded due to injury and Owens and Krupa were allowed back on the show to compete in their place. Jennifer Capriati and Dan Cortese withdrew from the competition due to injury that they sustained during the show.
The Owens and Krupa team left the show on the third episode. T.O. decided to bow out and report to Buffalo camp, citing his responsibility to his team, teammates, and Buffalo fans. He was further criticized and cursed by his partner for being a bad teammate.
[edit]The T.O. Show
In the summer of 2009 VH1 premiered The T.O. Show, which followed Terrell Owens in his personal life off the football field. The show has proven to be a ratings hit with season 1 averaged 1.5 million viewers and on September 9, 2009, VH1 announced that the show has been picked up for a second season.[55] The series will resume production after Owens’ 2009 football season with the Buffalo Bills. He will again be faced with a professional dilemma: deciding to continue with the Bills or searching for another football team. There is also talk about pursuing ventures following the completion of his football career and following his romantic interests. Kita Williams and Monique Jackson, the other stars of the show and Terrell’s marketing and publicity experts, also return to the series providing guidance in both his personal and professional lives. As Jeff Olde the EVP of Original Programming and Production at VH1 stated, “Terrell has been a great asset to the VH1 team and we’re thrilled to have him back for another season. He is a compelling figure to watch both on and off the field and we hope to continue to watch his life evolve beyond football for many seasons to come.” On the show, Owens also expressed interest in pursuing an acting career.

References from Wikipedia.com

Alicia Sacramone

2011-10-06T04:10:00.000-07:00

Alicia Sacramone

Alicia Marie Sacramone (pronounced /əˈliːʃə ˌsækrəˈmoʊni/; born December 3, 1987) is an American artistic gymnast.
Sacramone began gymnastics at the age of eight, began competing in the elite ranks in 2002 and joined the U.S. national team in 2003. At US National Championships from 2004 to 2008, she won twelve medals, including four golds on vault and two golds on floor exercise. At World Championships from 2005 to 2007, she won seven medals, including a floor exercise gold in 2005 and a team gold in 2007. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she won a team silver medal. In 2010, Sacramone made a comeback by winning the National Championship on Vault. Later in 2010 at the World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, she won the World Title on Vault as well.[2] Her gold gave her a total of nine medals overall, joining Shannon Miller and Nastia Liukin as the U.S. athletes with the most medals at the gymnastics world championships.
Sacramone has become noteworthy for supportive leadership of her teammates as well as outspoken remarks in interviews.

Girl's Guide: Alicia Sacramone

Alicia Sacramone - Floor Exercise - 2008 Olympic Trials - Day 2

2008 Olympic Trials Fluff - Alicia Sacramone

[HD] Alicia Sacramone - Floor (VISA Champonships 2011) Day 2

Alicia Sacramone's new vault - Front handspring double twist

Alicia Sacramone on prepping for the 2011 VISA Championships

Personal life

Sacramone was born on December 3, 1987 in Boston, Massachusetts[1][5] to parents Fred, an orthodontist, and Gail Sacramone.[6] She is of Italian descent.[7] Sacramone has an older brother, Jonathan, who is 27 years old.[6] She graduated from Winchester High School in 2006.[8]
Alicia began dating Denver Broncos quarterback, Brady Quinn, in November 2009. [9] As of July 2011, Quinn and Sacramone are still together, being that he came to see her warm up for the 2011 US CoverGirl Classic in Chicago, Illinois.
[edit]Early career

Sacramone began studying dance at the age of three[7] and started training gymnastics five years later, at age eight, in 1996.[6][10] She began her gymnastics career with Romanian coaches Mihai and Silvia Brestyan at Gymnastics and More club and continued to train with them after they opened their own training facility in Ashland. The Brestyans continue to serve as Sacramone's coaches.[5][11]
Sacramone entered the elite ranks in 2002, placing seventh in the all-around and sixth on the vault in the junior division at that year's U.S. Classic competition. At the 2002 U.S. National Championships, she placed 22nd, but achieved a seventh place finish on the balance beam.[12] Her results improved immensely the next year, when she placed 14th in the all-around and won a bronze medal on the vault at the 2003 U.S. Nationals, earning a spot on the U.S. National gymnastics team. Sacramone also participated in her first international competition in 2003, the Massilia Cup in France, where she placed fourth on the floor exercise and ninth on vault.
[edit]Senior career

[edit]2004
In 2004, Sacramone earned a spot on the US team for the Pacific Alliance Championships in Hawaii. She contributed several scores to help the team to a gold medal finish and won the individual vault title. Sacramone's strong performances caught the attention of the media, who began to consider her a legitimate contender for the American team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.[7][13]
However, at the 2004 U.S. Nationals, an error-filled performance dashed Sacramone's hopes of an Olympic berth. Although she tied with Mohini Bhardwaj for the silver medal on the vault,[14] she finished in 19th place overall and did not qualify to the Olympic Trials. She also suffered an injury to her back and required time off to recover.[4][7]
Sacramone continued competing in late 2004 as a member of the U.S. national team, and was assigned to several international meets, including the Pan American Individual Event Championships, where she won the vault and floor exercise titles.[15] At the World Cup Finals in Birmingham, England, Sacramone attracted media attention again when she upset reigning Olympic vault champion Monica Roşu to take first place on the event.
[edit]2005–2006
At the 2005 U.S. National Championships, Sacramone won the individual titles on floor and vault, scoring a 9.9 on the latter event, and placed third on the balance beam and fourth in the all-around. She was named to the American team for the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, where she won a gold medal on floor and placed third on the vault. She also defended her World Cup vault title successfully in 2005, winning the event at both the World Cup qualifier in Ghent and the finals in Paris.[5]
Sacramone continued to compete for the U.S. team in 2006, participating in the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus, where she won a silver medal with the American squad and an individual silver on the vault. She defended her vault and floor titles at that year's U.S. Nationals.[5]
In September 2006, Sacramone enrolled in Brown University and joined the school's gymnastics team. During the 2006–2007 season, she juggled a full NCAA competition schedule with her elite training at Brestyan's. She was the first female American gymnast since Kelly Garrison in the late 1980s to combine full-time university studies and NCAA competition with elite gymnastics.[16]
During Sacramone's first year with the Brown Bears, she broke the school's records for the highest scores in the all-around, vault and floor exercise. She was named ECAC Rookie of the Year[17] and swept the Ivy League Classic, becoming the first gymnast to win all five events and posting the highest all-around total ever recorded at the competition.[18] She qualified as an individual on the floor exercise for the NCAA National Championships, the second Brown gymnast ever to do so, but did not advance beyond the preliminary round.[17]
[edit]2007
At the 2007 U.S. National Championships, Sacramone competed on three events, choosing to skip the uneven bars. She defended her title on the vault, placed second on the floor exercise and third on the balance beam. Following Nationals, Sacramone was named to the American team for the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.[19]
During the qualifying round at the World Championships, Sacramone performed well, qualifying for event finals in floor and vault and contributing to the top qualifying position of the American team. Sacramone also posted a score on beam that would have been high enough to qualify her to the beam event final. However, due to the FIG rule only allowing two athletes per country to participate in each event final, and due to the fact that team mates Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson qualified ahead of her with higher scores, Sacramone was unable to compete for a beam medal. For the team final, Sacramone competed on vault, beam, and floor, earning 15.750, 15.600 and 15.325 respectively. When the American team faltered after a difficult beam rotation, in which two gymnasts made major errors, Sacramone gathered the team for a pep talk to refocus them for floor.[4][20] The American team earned 184.400 points overall which was good enough to secure the gold medal ahead of the Chinese and Romanians.[21][22]
In event finals, Sacramone received a bronze medal for her vault performance and a silver on floor behind teammate Shawn Johnson.[23] She was visibly upset by her performances, and fought back tears after floor and during the flower and medal ceremonies.[24]
Both the Brestyans and the U.S. National Team Coordinator, Marta Karolyi, suggested that Sacramone forgo NCAA competition during the 2007–2008 season to concentrate on her preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[16] In September 2007, Sacramone announced that she was "turning pro" and signed with an agent, forfeiting her remaining NCAA eligibility.[10]
[edit]2008 pre-Olympics

Alicia Sacramone at "Frosted Pink With a Twist", San Diego, California, 14 September 2008
In the 2007–2008 academic year, Sacramone continued to work with the Brown Bears gymnastics team as a volunteer assistant coach. She remained a student at Brown, concentrated in sociology, but took the spring 2008 semester off to prepare for the Olympics.[25][26][27]
Sacramone competed well at the 2008 U.S. National Championships in Boston and the Olympic Trials in Philadelphia. On July 19, she was named to the 2008 Olympic Team for Beijing.[28]
[edit]2008 Summer Olympics
At the Olympics, Sacramone performed on three events in both the qualifying and team final rounds of competition. In the team final, Sacramone posted a 15.675 score on vault but fell on both floor and beam, incurring 1.70 points in deductions.[29][30]
In the day following the Olympic team finals, Sacramone was largely blamed for the American team's silver medal placement, and was the subject of negative commentary in media reports.[31][32] Sacramone herself took responsibility for the results, noting, "It's kinda hard not to blame myself."[32] However, analysts in the gymnastics community, including University of Georgia head coach Suzanne Yoculan, former Olympian John Roethlisberger and International Gymnast editor Paul Ziert, noted that the American team started the competition at a difficult point deficit to the Chinese and that mathematically, Sacramone could not have been personally or exclusively responsible for the U.S. team's results.[30][33][34] Sacramone also received support from the American team. In one interview, team mate Bridget Sloan stated, "We've all made mistakes. It's just really hard to see her go and leave these Olympics knowing that she thinks it's her fault. It is definitely not and we've all been encouraging her very much."[35]
Individually, Sacramone placed third overall on vault in the preliminary round of competition and qualified to the individual event final on that event. In the vault final, Sacramone placed fourth [36] behind Hong Un Jong , Oksana Chusovitina and Cheng Fei (somewhat controversially, since Cheng fell on her second vault). She also placed fourth overall on beam in preliminaries behind Li Shanshan of China and teammates Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, but did not advance to the event finals due to the "two per country" rule.[37]
[edit]2008 temporary retirement
In interviews, Sacramone alluded to retiring after the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[38] She confirmed her retirement in February 2009 during an interview at a Boston Bruins ice hockey game.[39]
[edit]2009-2010 return to training and competition
On August 6, 2009, Sacramone announced her return to training for elite competition.[40] Her return was slowed, however, after having shoulder surgery earlier that year.
On 24 July 2010, Sacramone competed in the CoverGirl Classic. She placed first in both beam and vault, not competing on floor or bars. Her return to competitive form was judged dramatically successful by meet commentators[41] and she was named USA Today's "Athlete of the Week".[42]
Sacramone competed in the U.S. National Championships in August, performing only vault and balance beam. She placed first on vault (her fifth national title on that apparatus) and second on balance beam. She was also named Sportsperson of the Year.[43]
At the World Championships in October, Sacramone won a gold medal on the vault and a silver medal in the team competition. She now has nine world medals, tying her with Shannon Miller and Nastia Liukin for the most world medals by an American female gymnast.[44]
[edit]2011
In July 2011, Sacramone added floor exercise to her competitive repertoire at the CoverGirl Classic in Chicago, Illinois. Competing on three events, Sacramone won gold on vault, tied for gold on beam with gymnast Jordyn Wieber of Michigan, and won the bronze on floor (13.9).[45]
At August's 2011 Nationals in St. Paul, Minnesota, Sacramone won the balance beam title with a two-night score of 30.1.[46] She placed second to gymnast McKayla Maroney on vault (30.6),[47] and she tied with gymnast Hallie Mossett for eighth place on floor exercise (27.35).[48]
After participating in two selection camps at the Karolyi Ranch in New Waverly, Texas, Sacramone was named to the 2011 U.S. women's world championships gymnastics team.[49]
[edit]Other activities

In June 2008, Sacramone and her team mates Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin became the first female athletes ever to be signed as CoverGirl spokesmodels.[50] Sacramone is also a member of Team 24 Fitness and serves as a spokeswoman for the fitness company.[51] In 2009, she also appeared in a Gatorade commercial that spoofed Monty Python and the Holy Grail as "Alicia, The Girl Who Made Horse Trotting Noises."[52]
During the summer of 2009, Sacramone briefly stayed in Los Angeles, California and she designed for Tank Farm, a men's fashion company.[40][53] She has discussed her intent to return to college in the media,[39] but announced in August 2009 that she was not intending to return to Brown University. In an interview with Inside Gymnastics Magazine, she stated, "“I plan to continue school [but] I’m looking into transferring somewhere in Boston,” she explains. “Brown is a great school and I loved it, but it was just not the best atmosphere for me; maybe a little too liberal. It was a great two years and I learned a lot about myself and from the professors and coaches there. I’m looking at Boston University, Boston College and Harvard. I want to weigh my options before I make an ultimate decision, but I would love to transfer to Harvard. I think that would be pretty much ideal."[40]
[edit]Competitive history

Year Event AA Team VT BB UB FX
2002 U.S. National Championships (junior) 22 7
2003 U.S. National Championships 14 4 3rd
2004 U.S. National Championships 19 2nd
Pacific Alliance Championships 1st 1st
World Cup Ghent 1st 4
World Cup Birmingham 1st
2005 U.S. National Championships 4 1st 3rd 1st
World Championships 3rd 1st
World Cup Ghent 1st 1st
World Cup Paris 1st 6
American Cup 1st 2nd
2006 U.S. National Championships 5 1st 6 8 1st
World Championships 2nd 2nd
World Cup Ghent 2nd
2007 U.S. National Championships 1st 3rd 3rd
World Championships 1st 3rd 2nd
2008 U.S. National Championships 1st 3rd 2nd
U.S. Olympic Trials 1st 5 5
Olympic Games 2nd 4
2010 U.S. National Championships 1st 2nd
World Championships 2nd 1st 5
[edit]Floor music

2002: "Jazz Machine" - Black Machine
2003–2004: "Explosive" by Bond (band)
2005: "Que Locura" by Christian Reyes
2006–2008: "Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre)" by the Gotan Project[54]
2011: 300 Violin Orchestra by Jorge Quintero and "Heart of Courage" by Two Steps from Hell
References from Wikipedia.com

Judy Greer

2011-10-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Judy Greer

Judy Greer (born Judith Laura Evans; July 20, 1975) is an American actress, known for portraying a string of female characters, including Kitty Sanchez on the Fox series Arrested Development and Cheryl on the animated comedy series Archer. Greer has had a supporting role in a number of romantic comedy films, including The Wedding Planner, 13 Going on 30, 27 Dresses and Love and Other Drugs.
She is engaged to her boyfriend, Dean Johnsen, after dating one year. They have been engaged since June of 2011.

Craig Ferguson -_- Judy Greer - 2011.09.30

Judy Greer on David Letterman. (2011.03.03)

4-18-11 Judy Greer loves The NBA & Admits To Being Good Luck Charm on Lopez Tonight

Judy Greer interviewed about 'Mad Love' and 'Archer'

Archer - Season 3 Comic-Con Exclusive: Judy Greer

Judy Greer, Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard, Robert Forster, Nick Krause, Amara ... The Descendants Movie Trailer Official (HD)

Judy Greer on David Letterman HD

Early life

Judy Greer was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Redford Township and Livonia. Greer attended Churchill High School in Livonia.[2] Greer graduated from the Theater School at DePaul University in 1997.[3]
[edit]Career

Greer had a recurring role on the Fox comedy series Arrested Development (2003–2006), playing Kitty Sanchez in 10 episodes total and appearing in each of the series' three seasons. In an August 2009 interview, Greer said that she is most recognized for this role.[4]
She had supporting roles in Jawbreaker (1999), The Wedding Planner (2001), 13 Going on 30 (2004), The Village (2004), Elizabethtown (2005), 27 Dresses (2008), and Love Happens (2009).
Greer has made guest appearances on Just Shoot Me! (2003), CSI: Miami (2005), My Name Is Earl (2006), Two and a Half Men (2007), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2007), Californication (2007–2008), ER (2009), House (2009), Modern Family (2010), The Big Bang Theory (2010), How I Met Your Mother (2010), and Warren the Ape (2010). She took on a starring role in the ABC sitcom Miss Guided (2008), but it was canceled in its first season. She also starred in the indie satire Visioneers (2008).
In April 2008, Greer appeared as a yoga instructor in the "Get a Mac" ad series alongside John Hodgman and Justin Long.[citation needed]
Greer starred in a CBS sitcom entitled Mad Love, which premiered in February 2011 as a midseason replacement 2010–2011.[5] The show was canceled.
Greer is also a voice actor, voicing the character of Cheryl on the animated comedy series Archer, a character which has been compared to her role on Arrested Development,[6] and the character of Wendy Park on the stop-motion animated sitcom Glenn Martin, DDS.[4]
In August 2011, it was announced that Greer will portray Bridget Schmidt, Walden Schmidt (Ashton Kutcher)'s soon-to-be ex wife on Two and a Half Men. She played Myra, a love interest for Charlie Sheen's character, Charlie Harper, on two episodes of the show in 2007.[7]
[edit]Filmography

Judy Greer at Comic-Con International in 2010
Film
Year Film Role Notes
1998 Stricken Cynthia
Kissing a Fool Andrea
1999 Jawbreaker Fern Mayo/Vylette
Three Kings Cathy Daitch
The Big Split Tracy
2000 What Planet Are You From? Rebecca
The Specials Deadly Girl
What Women Want Erin
Sunset Strip Waitress
2001 The Wedding Planner Penny
2002 Adaptation. Alice the Waitress
The Cat Returns Yuki (voice - English version)
2003 The Hebrew Hammer Esther Bloomenbergensteinenthal
I Love Your Work Samantha
2004 13 Going on 30 Lucy Wyman
The Village Kitty Walker
LolliLove Judy
2005 The Amateurs Ellie
Cursed Joanie
The Great New Wonderful Allison
In Memory of My Father Judy
Elizabethtown Heather Baylor
Full Disclosure Brinn
2006 American Dreamz Accordo
The TV Set Alice
2007 The Key Man Karen
The Go-Getter Better Than Toast
The Grand Sharon Andrews
2008 27 Dresses Casey
Visioneers Michelle
2009 Wig Dr. Almay
Love Happens Marty
2010 Barry Munday Ginger Farley
Marmaduke Debbie Winslow
Peep World Laura (post-production)
Love and Other Drugs Cindy
Henry's Crime Debbie (post-production)
Television
Year Show Role Notes
1997 Early Edition Cindy the Pâtissière Episode: "Angels and Devils"
1999 Love & Money Puff Conklin
Maggie Winters Tawny Episode: "Girls Night Out"
2001 Silicon Follies
2002 Family Guy Various voices Episode: "Family Guy Viewer Mail #1"
2003 Other People's Business
Just Shoot Me! Bridget Episode: "Rivals in Romance"
2003–2005 Arrested Development Kitty Sanchez 10 episodes
2004 Nevermind Nirvana Elizabeth
2005 CSI: Miami Pamela Warren Episode: "Shootout"
2006 Love Monkey Brandy "Bran" Lowenstein 8 episodes
My Name Is Earl Maggie Lester - The Bearded Lady Episode: "Sticks & Stones"
2007 Two and a Half Men Aunt Myra Episode: "Aunt Myra Doesn't Pee a Lot"
Episode: "Smooth as a Ken Doll"
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Ingrid 'Fatty Mcgoo' Nelson Episode: "The Aluminum Monster vs. Fatty McGoo"
Californication Trixie Episode: "California Son"
Episode: "No Way to Treat a Lady"
WordGirl Desiree Dewey (voice)
2008 Miss Guided Becky Freeley 7 episodes
Suburban Shootout Rebecca
2009 House MD Morgan Episode: "Here Kitty"
ER Tildie Mulligan Episode: "T-Minus-6"
Maneater Gravy Miniseries
2009-present Glenn Martin, DDS Wendy Park (voice)
Archer Cheryl (voice)
2010 Modern Family Denise Episode: "Truth Be Told"
The Big Bang Theory Dr. Elizabeth Plimpton Episode: "The Plimpton Stimulation"
How I Met Your Mother Royce Episode: "The Wedding Bride"
2011 Mad Love Connie Grabowski 13 episodes
Californication Trixie (reprise) Episode: "The Last Supper"
2011 Two and a Half Men Bridget Schmidt 2 Episodes

References from Wikipedia.com

Cheryl Burke

2011-10-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

Cheryl Burke

Cheryl Stephanie Burke (born May 3, 1984) is a professional dancer. She is best known for being the first two-time champion of ABC's American version of Dancing with the Stars.

Cheryl Burke and Mark Ballas Dance the Cha-Cha for a Cause

Cheryl Burke: I Was Never "Overweight"

Cheryl Burke on Loveline

Cheryl Burke Talks New Cast of "Dancing With The Stars" on Lopez Tonight

Cheryl Burke's Dancing Flings?

Rob Kardashian & Cheryl Burke - Foxtrot

Early life

Burke grew up in Atherton, California. Her father is of Irish and Russian descent and her mother is Filipino.[1] Her family dances for recreation and has a dance floor at home. At age four, she began taking ballet lessons and performing locally. She then began ballroom dancing and decided to change her focus. She trained in both standard ballroom and Latin dances. She began competing at age 13. Cheryl attended Menlo-Atherton High School, graduated in 2002. In fall of 2007 Cheryl was awarded the key to the city from the mayor of Atherton at her old high school.
[edit]Dancing with the Stars

Burke won her first championship with 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey in the second season. She won her second championship with retired football star Emmitt Smith in the third season.
Burke returned to the ballroom on March 19, 2007 for Season 4, partnered with actor Ian Ziering. Burke and Ziering were eliminated in the semi-finals on May 15, 2007.

Burke in 2008
Burke participated in a 38-city Dancing with the Stars Tour from December 19, 2006 to February 11, 2007. She also joined the second summer tour, which visited 24 cities between June 20, 2007 in Austin, Texas and July 24, 2007 in Vancouver, Canada. Her celebrity partner for both tours was Drew Lachey.
Burke competed on Season 5. Her partner was Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton. They were the third couple eliminated from the competition on October 9, 2007.[2]
Burke participated with both Lachey & Newton in the Dancing with the Stars winter tour that kicked off December 18, 2007 in Seattle, Washington. The tour wrapped in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 10, 2008.[3]
Burke competed on Season 6 and was partnered with actor Cristián de la Fuente. They trained at Palm Beach, Florida's "Paramount Ballroom," which is owned by former U.S. Nine-Dance Champion Alec Lazo.[4] They made it to the finals and on May 20, 2008, Cheryl and Cristián placed 3rd in the Season 6 competition.
Burke returned to the show for Season 7 with partner Maurice Greene. They were eliminated in Week 8 on November 11, 2008 and came in 5th place.
Burke returned to the show's eighth season, in which she was paired with actor Gilles Marini. They were the runners-up for the season, losing to Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas.
On August 17, 2009, it was announced that Burke would compete on the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars with partner Tom DeLay (former U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader). On October 6, 2009, Burke and DeLay withdrew from the competition because DeLay had stress fractures in both feet.[5]
In season ten Burke was partnered with Chad Ochocinco. They were eliminated in the semi-finals and came in fourth place.
Rick Fox was partnered with Burke in the show's eleventh season. They were voted off in the seventh week of the competition and came in 6th place.
For the 12th Season, Burke was partnered with wrestler Chris Jericho. They were voted off in the sixth week of the competition.
Season Partner Place
1 None N/A
2 Drew Lachey 1st
3 Emmitt Smith 1st
4 Ian Ziering 4th
5 Wayne Newton 10th
6 Cristián de la Fuente 3rd
7 Maurice Greene 5th
8 Gilles Marini 2nd
9 Tom DeLay 13th
10 Chad Ochocinco 4th
11 Rick Fox 6th
12 Chris Jericho 7th
13 Rob Kardashian
[edit]Performances
Season 2: Celebrity Partner Drew Lachey Average: 27.7 Placed: 1st:
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Cha-cha-cha/ "She Bangs" 8 8 8 Safe
2 Quickstep/ "Neutron Dance" 9 9 9 Safe
3 Jive/ "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" 9 9 9 Safe
4 Paso Doble/ "Thriller" 9 9 10 Safe
5 Samba/ "Dirrty" 9 9 9 Safe
6 Tango/ "Shut Up"
Viennese Waltz/ "Fallin'" 10
No 10
Scores 10
Given Safe
7
Semi-finals Foxtrot/ "It Had to Be You"
Rumba/ "Total Eclipse of the Heart" 9
10 9
9 8
10 Safe
8
Finals Paso Doble/ "Thriller"
Freestyle/ "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)"
Jive/ "Hound Dog" 10
10
9 10
10
9 10
10
9 WON

Season 3: Celebrity Partner Emmitt Smith Average: 26.8 Placed: 1st:
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Cha-cha-cha/ "Son of a Preacher Man" 8 8 8 Safe
2 Quickstep/ "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" 8 8 8 Safe
3 Tango/ "Simply Irresistible" 7 6 6 Safe
4 Paso Doble/ "España Cañí" 8 8 8 Safe
5 Samba/ "Cha Cha[disambiguation needed]" 9 9 9 Safe
6 Jive/ "Lewis Boogie Blues"
Disco/ "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" 8
No 8
Scores 9
Given No Elimination
7 Waltz/ "Hushabye Mountain"
Mambo/ "Que Bueno Baila Usted" 10
10 9
10 9
9 Safe
8 Foxtrot/ "Witchcraft"
Rumba/ "Spooky" 8
9 8
10 9
10 Safe
9
Semi-finals Waltz/ "At This Moment"
Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Dance to the Music" 9
10 10
10 10
10 Bottom Two
10
Finals Samba/ "Sir Duke"
Mambo/ "Que Bueno Baila Usted"
Freestyle/ "U Can't Touch This" 10
10
10 10
10
10 10
10
9 WON

Season 4: Celebrity Partner Ian Ziering Average: 24.8 Placed: 4th:
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Cha-cha-cha/ "Mony Mony" 7 7 7 Safe
2 Quickstep/ "Don't Get Me Wrong" 7 8 7 Safe
3 Jive/ "Hard Headed Woman" 8 8 8 Safe
4 Waltz/ "He Was Beautiful" 7 9 8 Safe
5 Samba/ "Dance Like This" 8 8 8 Safe
6 Paso Doble/ "Waiting for Tonight"
Swing/ "Rock This Town" 8
No 8
Scores 8
Given Safe
7 Tango/ "Holding Out for a Hero"
Mambo/ "Gimme the Light" 9
9 9
9 9
9 Safe
8 Foxtrot/ "Baby, It's Cold Outside"
Rumba/ "Imagine" 8
8 7
8 7
9 Safe
9
Semi-finals Tango/ "Maneater"
Jive/ "All Shook Up" 9
10 10
10 9
10 Eliminated

Season 5: Celebrity Partner Wayne Newton Average: 17.3 Placed: 10th:
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Cha-cha-cha/ "You're the First, You're the Last, You're my Everything" 6 7 6 Safe
2 Quickstep/ "Viva Las Vegas" 5 5 5 Bottom Two
3 Tango/ "La Cumparsita" 6 6 6 Eliminated

Season 6: Celebrity Partner Cristián de la Fuente Average: 25.2 Placed: 3rd:
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Cha-cha-cha/ "Bang Bang" 7 7 7 No Elimination
2 Quickstep/ "Americano" 7 6 7 Last To Be Called Safe
3 Jive/ "Don't Stop Me Now" 8 8 9 Safe
4 Paso Doble/ "La Virgen de la Macarena" 9 8 9 Safe
5 Rumba/ "If You're Not the One" 7 8 8 Bottom Two
6 Foxtrot/ "Come Fly with Me"
Country Western/"Cotton-Eyed Joe" 9
No 9
Scores 9
Given Safe
7 Viennese Waltz/ "I'll Make Love to You"
Samba/ "Sobe Son" 8
7 8
7 9
7 Safe
8 Tango/ "Beat It"
Mambo/ "Saca Tu Mujer" 10
10 9
9 9
10 Safe
9
Semi-finals Viennese Waltz/ "Satellite"
Samba/ "Sweetheart From Venezuela" 9
10 9
9 9
10 Last To Be Called Safe
10
Finals Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Dancing on the Ceiling"
Freestyle/ "Suavemente" 8
9 9
8 9
9 Third Place

Season 7: Celebrity Partner Maurice Greene Average: 22.9 Placed: 5th:
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Foxtrot/ "Doing it to Death" 6 6 6 Safe
1 Mambo/ "I Do the Jerk" 7 7 7 Safe
2 Rumba/ "Mercy Mercy Me" 7 6 6 Safe
3 Jive/ "Rock Around the Clock" 8 8 8 Safe
4 Samba/ "That's the Way (I Like It)" 6 7 7 Safe
5 Salsa/ "Everything I Can't Have" 9 9 9 Safe
6 Viennese Waltz/ "Gravity"
"Old School Hip Hop"/ "It Takes Two" 7
No 7
Scores 7
Given Safe
7 Cha-cha-cha/ "Cupid Shuffle"
Paso Doble/ "Rocks" 8
10 9
9 8
10 Safe
8 Quickstep/ "Puttin' on the Ritz"
Paso Doble/ "Let It Rock" 8
8 8
8 8
8 Eliminated

Season 8: Celebrity Partner Gilles Marini Average: 28.1 Placed: 2nd:
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Cha-cha-cha/ "Addicted to Love" 8 8 8 Safe
2 Quickstep/ "Kryptonite" 9 9 9 Safe
3 Samba/ "El Matador" 9 9 9 Safe
4 Argentine Tango/ "Assassin's Tango" 10 10 10 Safe
5 Paso Doble/ "Habanera[disambiguation needed]" 10 9 10 Safe
6 Jive/ "Dance, Dance" 9 8 9 Safe
7 Viennese Waltz/ "I Go to Sleep" 9 9 9 Safe
8 Lindy Hop/ "Go Daddy-O"
Tango/ "Womanizer" 9
9 9
9 9
10 Safe
9 Foxtrot/ "Fever"
Rumba/ "Sexual Healing" 10
9 9
9 10
9 Safe
10
Semi-finals Waltz/ "Come Away with Me"
Salsa/ "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" 10
10 10
10 10
10 Safe
11
Finals Paso Doble/ "So What"
Freestyle/ "Flashdance (What a Feeling)"
Argentine Tango/ "Assassin's Tango" 10
9
10 10
10
10 10
9
10 Second Place

Season 9: Celebrity Partner Tom DeLay Average: 16.3 Placed: 13th:
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/"Wild Thing" 6 5 5 Safe
1 Viennese Waltz Relay/"I'm Your Man" -- 4 -- Safe
2 Tango/"Por una Cabeza" 6 6 6 Safe
3 Samba/"Why Can't We Be Friends?" 6 4 5 Withdrew

Season 10: Celebrity Partner Chad Ochocinco Average: 22.2 Placed: 4th
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/"It's Just Begun" 6 6 6 No Elimination
2 Foxtrot/"100 Years" 6 5 5 Safe
3 Paso Doble/"Cancion Del Mariachi" 7 6 7 Safe
4 Rumba/"Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" 7 6 8 Technique Score
4 Performance Score 8 7 8 Safe
5 Quickstep/"The Bare Necessities" 6 6 6 Safe
6 Argentine Tango/"El Sonido De La Milonga" 8 8 8 Safe
7 Viennese Waltz/"Sparks" 8 9 8 Safe
7 Cha-Cha-Cha/"Telephone" 9 9 9 Safe
8 Tango/"Sweet Dreams" 7 7 7 --
8 60s' Jive/"Love Man 8 8 8 Last To Be Called Safe
9 semi-final Waltz/"If You Don't Know Me By Now" 9 9 9 --
9 semi-final Samba/"Alejandro 8 8 9 Eliminated

Season 11: Celebrity Partner Rick Fox Average: 22.3 (as of October 4, 2010) Placed: 6th: Week 4 - Double Score Showdown - Technique/Performance score
Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Viennese Waltz/"Crazy" 8 7 7 Safe
2 Jive/"Tush" 7 7 7 Safe
3 Samba/"Whine Up" 8 8 8 Safe
4 Argentine Tango/"Violentango" 6/6 7/7 6/7 Safe
5 Rumba/"Hills Street Blues" Theme 8 8 8 Last To Be called safe
6 Tango/"You Really Got Me" 8 8 8 Safe
7 Quickstep/"Hey Pachuco" 10/9 9 9 Eliminated

Season 12: Celebrity Partner Chris Jericho Average: 22.3 Placed: 7th
Week # Dance/Song/Musician(s) Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/"Should I Stay or Should I Go" 7 6 6 No Elimination
2 Quickstep/"I Got Rhythm" 8 7 8 Safe
3 Rumba/"Let It Be" 7 7 7 Last To Be Called Safe
4 Paso Doble/"In the Hall of the Mountain King" 8 7 8 Safe
5 Viennese Waltz/"America The Beautiful" 9 8 9 Last To Be Called Safe
6 Tango/"Don't Stop Believin" 7 8 7 Eliminated

[edit]Acting

Burke had a guest role on the Disney Channel series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, in the episode "Loosely Ballroom" along with fellow Dancing professionals Louis van Amstel, Ashly DelGrosso, and Lacey Schwimmer. She portrays Shannon, a nurse attending to the ensemble cast during a dance contest at the series setting, The Tipton Hotel. In the final round of the competition, Burke's character volunteers to replace an ill competitor. She and her partner go on to win the competition.
In November 2009, US Magazine magazine announced that Burke is in talks to star as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway during the hiatus from Dancing With the Stars.[6]
[edit]Awards and honors

2005 World Cup Professional Rising Star Latin Champion
2005 San Francisco Latin Champion
2005 Ohio Star Ball Rising Star Latin Champion
UK Championships
4th in U.S. in the "Under 21s."
Dancing with the Stars (season 2) champion with Drew Lachey
Dancing with the Stars champion Season 3 with Emmitt Smith
Two-time nominee: Prime Time Emmy 2006, Outstanding Choreography for Paso Doble and Outstanding Choreography for Freestyle; Burke is the youngest nominee to ever receive nominations in that category. (1)
On October 20, 2007, Cheryl won the Role Model Award at the 7th Annual Filipino/American Library Gala.
On the 2008 Asian Excellence Awards, she won the Viewer's Choice award for Favorite T.V. Personality.
[edit]Molestation

In 2011, she released her autobiography, Dancing Lessons, describing how she, at age 6, was molested by a handyman helping her family, who repeatedly fondled her. She believed it was wrong but wanted to gain the affection of the person. The molester was sentenced to 22 years in prison and was recently released. Burke said that she is fearful of the person.[7]

References from Wikipedia.com

Princess Charlene

2011-10-04T02:42:00.000-07:00

Princess Charlene

Charlene, Princess of Monaco (French: Charlène; née Charlene Lynette Wittstock; born 25 January 1978), is the wife of Albert II, Prince of Monaco. She is also a former South African Olympic swimmer.
Charlene is the daughter of Michael and Lynette Wittstock. She was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to a family of German, English and Irish descent. Her family relocated to the Transvaal, South Africa, in 1989. She represented South Africa at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, with her team finishing fifth in the Women's 4x100 m Medley. She retired from competitive swimming in 2007.
Charlene met Prince Albert in 2000 at a swimming event in Monaco. They were first seen together in 2006, and she has accompanied Prince Albert on many of his official duties since then. They announced their engagement in June 2010 and were married on 1 July 2011.

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco leaving the Bouquet after the Wedding 2.7.2011

Best moments from Monaco's royal wedding

Albert pays tribute to Charlene at wedding finale

Prince Albert Balcony Speech + Civil Wedding Ceremony - Monaco Royal Wedding 2011 | FashionTV

Princess Charlene in Cape Town

Princess Charlene's Wedding Gown

Early life

Charlene was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.[2] She is the daughter of Michael Kenneth Wittstock (born 1946),[3] a sales manager, and Lynette Wittstock (née Humberstone, born 1957), a former competitive diver and swimming coach.[4][5] Charlene has two younger brothers: Gareth (born 1980), a computer technician, and Sean (born 1983), a sales representative.[4] Her family relocated to South Africa in 1989 when she was 11 years old.[2] Charlene attended Tom Newby Primary school in Benoni, near Johannesburg, from 1988 to 1991.[6]
The Wittstock family is of German origin; Charlene's great-great-grandparents Martin Gottlieb Wittstock and Louise Wittstock emigrated to South Africa from the Pomeranian village of Zerrenthin in northern Germany in 1861 to escape hardship. In South Africa the Wittstocks worked as handymen and unsuccessfully hunted for diamonds.[7] Gottlieb's son Heinrich Carl Wittstock would marry Olive Florence Caldwell, of English origin. Their son Dudley Kenneth Wittstock, Charlene's paternal grandfather, married Sylvia Fagan Nicolson, also of English origin.[8]
Michael Wittstock said in April 2011 that he was considering moving the family from Benoni to Monaco because of South Africa's crime rate.[9]
[edit]Swimming career

Monegasque Princely Family
HSH The Prince
HSH The Princess
HRH The Princess of Hanover
HSH Princess Stéphanie
v · d · e
Charlene was a member of the South African women's 4×100 m medley team at the 2000 Summer Olympics, which finished fifth. She finished sixth at the 2002 FINA Short Course World Championships for the 200 m breaststroke. She left her Durban-based team (the Seagulls) to join the Tuks Swimming Club at the High Performance Centre at the University of Pretoria.[10] She was never enrolled for any academic courses at the University of Pretoria and therefore never graduated from the University; the Club sponsored her by providing her with free access to their pools, free coaching, accommodations, and gymnasium access.
She decided to leave Pretoria in January 2005 and returned to Durban; she then went to the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal, where she joined a former Tuks swimming coach, Brannislav Ivkovic. On 13 April 2007 Charlene regained her title as South Africa’s 50 m women’s backstroke champion when she completed the 50 m backstroke final at the Telkom SA National Aquatic Championships in 30:16 seconds, to finish third behind Australia’s Sophie Edington and Brazil’s Fabíola Molina.
She has won several national titles over the years. She planned to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in China, which she said would be her swansong, but she did not qualify.[11] Previously she had been out of competitive swimming for 18 months with a shoulder injury. Charlene said she would be swimming in Europe in the near future, hoping to better her times. "I have a year left of competitive swimming, and I just want to be the best I can be in that time. After that I want to get involved in charity work, and development work with athletes' commissions."[11] She has recently commented that her swimming days are behind her, enabling her to concentrate on her role as Princess of Monaco.
[edit]Special Olympics ambassador

On Friday, 27 May at an Amber Lounge charity fashion show during the 2011 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Special Olympics announced that Charlene has become a global ambassador for the movement, charged with promoting respect and inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities to a worldwide audience.[12] Charlene has said that the Special Olympics movement is close to her heart because, as a former athlete, she values its role in "using the power of sport to change lives".
[edit]Marriage

Main article: Wedding of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Charlene Wittstock
Charlene met Albert II, Prince of Monaco, in 2000 at the Mare Nostrum swimming meet in Monaco.[4][13] They were first seen together at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics.[2] Charlene moved in with Albert in 2006.[13] She accompanied him to the weddings of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, in 2010, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, in 2011.

Dual Cypher of Charlene and her husband
On 23 June 2010, the palace announced the engagement of Charlene and the Prince.[14][15][16][17] Charlene, who was raised a Protestant, converted to Roman Catholicism, even though this is not a requirement of the Constitution of Monaco.[18] The future princess was also instructed in the French language and the Monégasque dialect, and became familiar with European court protocol.
The wedding was originally scheduled for 8 and 9 July 2011 but was moved forward to prevent a conflict with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in Durban on 5–9 July. The couple had invited members of the IOC, including president Jacques Rogge, to their wedding.[19] The couple plan to attend the IOC meeting; hence Charlene's first foreign visit as Princess will be to her childhood home, South Africa.[19]
During the week before the wedding, the palace was forced to deny reports that Charlene had been getting cold feet.[2][20] French weekly L'Express reported that Charlene tried to leave Monaco on Tuesday, 28 June, after rumours surfaced that Albert had fathered a third illegitimate child.[21] The report claimed Monaco police intercepted her at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport and confiscated her passport,[22] and that it took "intense convincing" by Albert and palace officials for her to stay.[23] The palace called the stories "ugly rumours" born out of jealousy.[21]
The couple were married in a civil ceremony on 1 July 2011 at the Throne Room in the Prince's Palace.[2] The Nuptial Mass on 2 July was a lavish affair.[2] Only days after the beginning of the couple's honeymoon in South Africa, several newspapers from Spain, Britain and elsewhere reported that Charlene and Albert were not staying at the same hotel, but were in fact booked in different hotels several miles apart. These reports fueled rumours about the couple's marital crisis that was sparked off even before their wedding.[24][25][26]
[edit]Titles and styles

25 January 1978 – 1 July 2011: Miss Charlene Lynette Wittstock
1 July 2011 – present: Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco
On her marriage, Charlene became Princess consort of Monaco and gained the title and style of Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco; the last to hold the title was the Prince's mother, Grace Kelly.[27]
[edit]Ancestry

[show]Ancestors of Charlene, Princess of Monaco[8]

References from Wikipedia.com

Jessie J

2011-10-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Jessie J

Jessica Ellen Cornish (born on 27 March 1988), better known by her stage name Jessie J, is an English recording artist currently signed to Island Records. She began her career as a songwriter for artists including Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus. Her debut single, "Do It Like a Dude", was released in November 2010 and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Charts. Follow-up single "Price Tag" reached number one in the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand, and reached the top 10 in nineteen other countries. Her debut album, Who You Are, was released in February 2011 and charted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. In February 2011, Jessie J won a BRIT Award, Critics' Choice.

Jessie J - Price Tag ft. B.o.B

Jessie J - Do It Like A Dude (Explicit)

Jessie J - Who's Laughing Now

Jessie J - Nobody's Perfect

Jessie J - Who You Are

Jessie J - Who You Are (Boombox Series)

Jessie J - Nobody's Perfect (VEVO LIFT Presents)

Early life

Jessie J was born Jessica Ellen Cornish in Redbridge, London and was educated at Mayfield High School in the London Borough of Redbridge. She attended Colin's Performing Arts School and as an eleven year old was cast in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End production of Whistle Down the Wind. Jessie has two sisters, who are five and seven years older than her, who were both head girls at school.
Unlike her academic sisters, Cornish has stated she was "never really that good at anything". She said "At school they were like 'oh, you're a Cornish girl' and they kind of expected me to be the same as my sisters. Give me something to draw or an outfit to pick for someone, or hair, make-up, acting, write a song, I'm fine with it, but anything to do with sums – it was never my thing." She also said she never based her intelligence on her exam results.[4] She also said she was always good at singing and it was her "thing." However, she got banished from the school choir, for being too loud. She stated "I was in it for a day and some of the adults were moaning that their kids were upset that I was too good. I was 11. Can you imagine? I was heartbroken."[4]
At the age of 16 she began studying at the BRIT School, and joined a girl group at the age of 17, titled "Soul Deep".[5] She graduated in the class of 2006 along with singers Adele and Leona Lewis.
Jessie J doesn't drink alcohol or smoke owing to existing medical conditions. Jessie said: "At 11 I was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. I had wires put in my shoulder, and heart to try and zap it to a normal rhythm, but it didn't really work. Then, at 18, I suffered a minor stroke. It was scary, but I'm fine now. Having bad health has made me realize I can't take anything for granted and I must look after my body." In early 2011, she suffered from a panic attack on stage, after she was forced to perform in the dark. "I did a gig recently and had a panic attack on stage," she told NOW. "The night was called 'Black Out' and I had to perform in the dark. I asked them to turn on the lights and they didn't. I was onstage in pitch black and, because I couldn't see anything, I started to panic. It was awful."[6]
Music career

2006–2009: Career beginnings
She was signed to Gut Records, recording an album for the label, but the company went bankrupt before any material was released.[3][5] Jessie J then found success as a songwriter, gaining a Sony ATV publishing contract.[7] She was also the support act for Cyndi Lauper during Lauper's UK dates of her 2008 Bring Ya To The Brink tour (Cyndi also went as far as inviting Jessie to join her on stage later for the performances of Girls Just Want To Have Fun). Jessie began her career when she started to pen lyrics for the artists such as Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus.[8][9] The biggest single she wrote was the Miley Cyrus song "Party in the U.S.A.".
Jessie first came to the attention of Lava Records when her publisher at Sony/ATV, Rich Christina, sent Lava president Jason Flom a link to her Myspace page, which the record executive loved.[10] After seeing an impressive U.S. showcase, Lava was, along with several other labels, keen to sign the artist but progress was hampered by her management's insistence on, what Flom called, a "crazy deal", and their refusal to let Jessie speak to any labels directly.[10] Later in the year a change in management to Sarah Stennett and Nadia Khan of Crown Music allowed record deal negotiations to take place. Jessie eventually signed with Lava as part of a joint venture with Universal Republic.[10]
2010–present: Who You Are
She began recording her studio debut album, in 2006; On Twitter Jessie J confirmed that the album took six years to finish and complete and after six years, Jessie confirmed that the album was completely finished 19 January 2011.[11][12] While the album was in process, she confirmed "Big White Room" would be included in the album. She revealed that this song was written from an experience she had when she was just 11 years old although she wrote the song at 17, in hospital, where a ward mate of hers, a little boy died.[13] The album title track, "Who You Are" is one of Jessie J's proudest creations, saying the song is a "positive role model for young people" so she says; "I always say that I'm half-artist, half-therapist"[13]

Jessie J performing at concert in New York City in 2011.
In late 2010, Jessie J released her first single, "Do It Like a Dude" which was co-written with George Astasio, Jason Pebworth, Jon Shave, Kyle Abrahams and Peter Ighile. Originally, she wrote the song with Rihanna in mind because "Rude Boy" was released at the time, partly inspiring the song. She then sent the song to her label, Island Records, before sending it to Rihanna's management. Island then insisted the song become Jessie J's first single, since they thought it was 'amazing'.[14] She wishes to perform the song with Rihanna at one point.[15] The single gained positive reception from critics.[16] The single charted at number two on the UK Singles Charts, being held off the top-spot by Bruno Mars with "Grenade". Her follow-up single "Price Tag" was released in late January 2011. This was written by Jessie J herself, Lukasz Gottwald, Claude Kelly, and Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. Upon the release of the single it went straight to the top of the charts charting at number one. It remained at number one for two weeks, however was knocked off the top spot by school friend, Adele with "Someone Like You". "Price Tag" was released in the United States on 1 February 2011. The single has since peaked at 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.[17] The single has since charted at number-one in New Zealand and Ireland. "Price Tag" is also the most successful online video J has released. As of October 2011, the video has generated over 148 million views on the video sharing site youtube and the VEVO service, making it the 22nd most viewed music video of all time.[18][19] Her first American television appearance was as the musical guest on the 12 March 2011 episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live.[20]
On 25 February 2011, her debut album, Who You Are, was released.[21] Due to high demand and interest from fans for the album, the release date was pushed ahead by a month, from its original 28 March 2011 release date.[21] The album first entered the charts on 6 March 2011 where it charted on the UK Album Charts at number two. The album charted into the top ten in a number of countries. However, the album missed the top ten by one place in April 2011, when it reached number 11 in the United States.[22] With the success of Who You Are in North America, J went on tour as the opening act for fellow Capitol artist Katy Perry's California Dreams Tour in 2011. After the release she went on to release a third single from the album, "Nobody's Perfect" which she labelled the song as one of her favourite songs on the album.[23] MTV reported that the single is, so far, only confirmed for release in the United Kingdom.[24] Jessie J spoke about the song and said that "It's one of the most honest and raw songs on there... Every time I sing it I relive the moment that I wrote it about. I think it's important to expose your flaws in music as well as your positives. As it says, nobody's perfect. I'm definitely not!"[24] At Glastonbury Festival 2011 Jessie J performed "Price Tag" with a young girl from the audience called Shae White. Shae is now lined up to appear at an audition of Britain's Got Talent after receiving wide praise from the press, including BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley.[25]
On 10 August 2011, Jessie J revealed that her album's fourth single would be "Who's Laughing Now", which came the same day as the music video's release on the VEVO service. On 16 August 2011, she revealed on her official Twitter account that a song called "Domino" would serve as her second US single.[26] The Dr. Luke-produced track was sent to mainstream radio on 6 September 2011.[27]
David Guetta reportedly held back the release of his fifth studio album album, Nothing but the Beat when a last minute collaboration offer came in from Jessie J. He said of the track that they collaborate on, "Repeat", "The album can't go without this track".[28] Jessie J served as the house artist at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, performing several of her original songs along with covers around commercial breaks.[29] James Morrison's newest album, 'The Awakening' will feature a collaboration with Jessie J called 'Up'
At Judges Houses for the X Factor, Jessie joined Tulisa Contostavlos in Mykonos to assist her in choosing her 4 finalists for The X Factor Live Shows 2011.
Personal life

Jessie J performing at the 2011 The Big Chill, sitting on the "gilded throne" she used for performances while her foot was broken.
Jessie J has confirmed she is bisexual.[30]
On 12 June 2011 at the Capital Radio Summertime Ball, she ruptured several tendons in her foot during rehearsals, and performed her set the following day while sitting on a gilded throne.[31] For her appearance at Glastonbury Festival 2011 on 25 June 2011, she performed on the throne again, claiming her physician had told her not to perform with her broken foot which would take six weeks to heal.[32] Jessie J was scheduled to play at several festivals throughout the summer, however it was reported on 1 July 2011 that she would not be able to attend T in the Park, T4 On The Beach, Wembley:Orange, iTunes Festival, Lovebox and Oxegen due to the injuries to her foot. Jessie J personally tweeted before surgery; "Keep making nervous jokes with the doctor and he keeps looking at me blankly. Which is making me laugh even more. It's getting serious. I just took my nose stud out." Tweeting after the surgery, she wrote: "Can't keep tweeting. Still very dizzy and being sick. But I'm OK, I got through it." Her record label released an official statement on 30 June 2011 that under strict orders from her doctor, she will not be able to perform for a number of weeks so she can heal and recuperate properly.[33] She returned to the concert circuit in late August, including sets at the V Festival[34] and The Big Chill. For the 2011 VMA's she was still in a cast and using the throne to keep off of it.
After weeks of speculation, Jessie J confirmed on 2 August 2011 that she would be shaving her hair off for charity in 2012. Speaking via her official Twitter account she said: “It’s hair, It will grow back. Even if it takes 2 years, if it saves lives it’s worth it. Even if its 1 life that’s something.”[35]
Discography

Main article: Jessie J discography
Who You Are (2011)
Awards and nominations

Year Organisation Award Result
2010 BBC Sound of 2011 Sound of 2011 Won
2011 MTV Brand New 2011 Next Big Thing Nominated
2011 BRIT Awards Critics' Choice Won
2011 Urban Music Awards Artist of the Year Pending
Best Album for Who You Are Pending
Best Female Artist Pending
Best Single for "Nobody's Perfect" Pending
2011 Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize British Pop Single for "Do It Like A Dude" Nominated
2011 Glamour Awards Woman of Tomorrow Won
2011 BT Digital Music Awards Best Newcomer Won
Best Video for "Price Tag" Nominated
Best Female Artist Won
Best Song for "Price Tag" Won
2011 MOBO Awards Best Newcomer Pending
Best Video for "Do It Like a Dude" Pending
Best UK Act Pending
Best Song for "Do It Like a Dude" Pending
Best Album for Who You Are Pending
2011 Capital FM Awards Best Role Model In Pop Won
Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2011 Fave Song for "Price Tag" Pending
BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards Best British Single for "Price Tag" Pending
Best Album for Who You Are Pending
Best British Music Act Pending
2011 Q Awards Best Female Artist Pending
Best Video for "Do It Like a Dude" Pending
Best Breakought Artist Pending
2011 MTV Europe Music Awards Best New Act Pending
Best Push Act Pending
Best UK and Ireland Act Pending
2011 Stonewall Awards Entertainer of the Year Pending
References from Wikipedia.com

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

2011-10-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (born February 17, 1981) is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films. He is known for his roles in the 2009 indie (500) Days of Summer (for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination) and the 2010 sci-fi film Inception, and for starring in the 2011 drama 50/50. Beginning in commercials as a young child, he made his film debut in 1992's Beethoven. Gordon-Levitt subsequently co-starred in the television sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001) as the young Tommy Solomon. After a hiatus during which he attended Columbia University, Gordon-Levitt left television for film acting, appearing in various independent films, beginning with the 2001 film Manic, followed by critically acclaimed performances in 2004's Mysterious Skin, 2005's Brick, and 2007's The Lookout. He runs an online collaborative production company titled HitRECord.

JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT is HESHER

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Lithium (Nirvana Cover)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing "Bad Romance" (SitC)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Interview on David Letterman - INCEPTION - July 14, 2010

50/50 - Seth Rogen & Joseph Gordon-Levitt Introduce Trailer

Early life

Gordon-Levitt was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Sherman Oaks. His family is Jewish, though "not strictly religious",[2] and his parents were among the founders of the Progressive Jewish Alliance.[3][4][5] His father, Dennis Levitt, was once the news director for the Pacifica Radio station, KPFK-FM.[6][7] His mother, Jane Gordon, ran for the United States Congress in California during the 1970s for the Peace and Freedom Party; she met Dennis Levitt while she was working as the program guide editor for KPFK-FM.[6] Gordon-Levitt's maternal grandfather, Michael Gordon, was a Hollywood film director between the 1940s and 1970s, known for helming the 1959 Doris Day/Rock Hudson film Pillow Talk.[6] Gordon-Levitt had an older brother, Dan, who was a photographer and fire spinner;[8] he was born in 1974 and died in October 2010.[9][10]
Gordon-Levitt joined a musical theater group at the age of four and played the Scarecrow in a production of The Wizard of Oz.[6] Subsequently, he was approached by an agent and began appearing on television and in commercials for Sunny Jim peanut butter, Cocoa Puffs, Pop-Tarts, and Kinney Shoes.[6]
[edit]Career

[edit]Early acting work
Gordon-Levitt began his acting career at the age of six, appearing in several late 1980s made-for-television films. In 1996, Gordon-Levitt began playing Tommy Solomon on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, a role that made him a popular TV personality and for which he is most well-known.[6] The San Francisco Chronicle noted the coincidence that Gordon-Levitt was a "Jewish kid playing an extraterrestrial pretending to be a Jewish kid".[11] Gordon-Levitt was attending Van Nuys High School while acting on the show.[12] During the 1990s, he was frequently featured in teenage magazines, something he resented.[6] He has also said that during this time period, he did not enjoy being recognized in public, saying that he "hates celebrity".[11] During its final season, Gordon-Levitt left the show as a regular character and became a recurring character.
Gordon-Levitt starred in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, a modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, and voiced Jim Hawkins in Treasure Planet (2002), a Disney adaption of the novel Treasure Island.[13]
In 2000, he began attending Columbia University.[6][14] He studied history, literature, and French poetry in General Studies.[6] He became an avid and self-confirmed Francophile and a French speaker.[6] He said that moving to New York City from his hometown "forced" him to grow as a person.[11] He dropped out in 2004 to concentrate on acting again.[6]
[edit]Later acting work
Gordon-Levitt has said that he made a conscious decision to "be in good movies" after returning to acting.[14] His films include 2001's drama Manic, which was set in a mental institution, Mysterious Skin (2004), in which he played a gay prostitute and child sexual abuse victim, and Brick (2005), a modern-day film noir set at a high school, in which he had the lead role of Brendan Frye, a teen who becomes involved in an underground drug ring while investigating a murder. Brick received positive reviews, with The Minnesota Daily's critic commenting that Gordon-Levitt played the character "beautifully", "true to film's style", "unfeeling but not disenchanted", and "sexy in the most ambiguous way."[14][15] Another reviewer described the performance as "astounding".[16] He also starred opposite Steve Sandvoss as a young judgmental missionary in Latter Days (2003), a film that centers on a sexually confused Mormon missionary (Sandvoss) who falls for his gay neighbor. He had roles in Havoc and Shadowboxer.[17]
His next role was in 2007's The Lookout, in which he played Chris Pratt, a janitor involved in a bank heist. In reviewing the film, The Philadelphia Inquirer described Gordon-Levitt as a "surprisingly formidable, and formidably surprising, leading man",[18] while New York magazine stated that he is a "major tabula rasa actor ... a minimalist", and that his character worked because he "doesn't seize the space ... by what he takes away from the character."[19] The San Francisco Chronicle specified that he "embodies, more than performs, a character's inner life."[11] His 2008 films include Killshot, in which he played a hoodlum partnered with a hired killer played by Mickey Rourke, and Stop-Loss, directed by Kimberly Peirce and revolving around American soldiers returning from the Iraq War.[14]
Gordon-Levitt played a lead role opposite Zooey Deschanel in (500) Days of Summer, a well-received 2009 release about the deconstruction of a relationship.[17] His performance, described as "the real key" to what makes the film work, credits him with using "his usual spell in subtle gradations."[20] Variety's Todd McCarthy praised his performance, saying he "expressively alternates between enthusiasm and forlorn disappointment in the manner Jack Lemmon could".[21] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said the movie "hits you like a blast of pure romantic oxygen" and credited both lead actors for playing "it for real, with a grasp of subtlety and feeling that goes beyond the call of breezy duty."[22] He was subsequently nominated for a Golden Globe Award.[23]
He later played villain Cobra Commander in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.[24] On November 21, 2009, he hosted Saturday Night Live.[25] In 2010, replacing James Franco,[26] he starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Christopher Nolan's science fiction thriller Inception, which received favorable reviews.[17] He played the role of the "Point Man" Arthur, Dom Cobb's (DiCaprio) partner and the person responsible for researching the team's targets.
He will play the younger version of Bruce Willis's character in the time-traveling thriller Looper.[27] In 2011, he began filming Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, in which he plays John Blake, "a Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon."[28] Steven Spielberg cast him to play Robert Todd Lincoln in the 2012 film Lincoln.[29]
[edit]Directing and producing
Gordon-Levitt's first film as director, the 24 minute-long Sparks, an adaptation of a short story by Elmore Leonard, was selected for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival as part of a new program for short films.[30] In 2010, he directed another short film, Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo.[31] It premiered at two houses during the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.[31]
He was one of the many producers of the Broadway show Slava's Snowshow.[32]
[edit]hitRECord

Gordon-Levitt has owned hitRECord.org, an online collaborative production company that shares its profits with contributing artists, since 2004.[33][34] At its onset, it hosted six videos and short films.[35]
Beginning in 2009, he opened the website to host films by others. In a 2007 interview in Salon, he described the website as "[an] alternative outlet of where [he] get[s] to be a little less professional and just freak out a little bit."[36] The site has since expanded with more than 10,000 participants collaborating to make songs, images, stories, and short films. According to a 2010 article in Details magazine, Gordon-Levitt oversees the site from a bank of computers in his home studio.[8]
RECollection, the first anthology of work from hitRECord, was released in 2011 as a book/CD/DVD package.[37][38]
[edit]Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1992 Beethoven Student #1
1992 A River Runs Through It Young Norman Young Artist Award for Best Actor Under Ten in a Motion Picture
1994 Holy Matrimony Zeke
1994 Roadflower Rich Lerolland
1994 Angels in the Outfield Roger Bomman Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor
1996 The Juror Oliver Laird
1998 Sweet Jane Tony
1998 Halloween H20: 20 Years Later Jimmy Howell
1999 10 Things I Hate About You Cameron James Nominated – YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy Film
2000 Picking Up the Pieces Flaco
2001 Manic Lyle Jensen Released in 2003
2002 Treasure Planet Jim Hawkins Animated film; voice role
2003 Latter Days Elder Paul Ryder
2004 Mysterious Skin Neil McCormick Golden Space Needle Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Gotham Breakthrough Award
2005 Brick Brendan Frye
2005 Havoc Sam
2005 Shadowboxer Dr. Don
2007 The Lookout Chris Pratt
2008 Stop-Loss Tommy Burgess
2008 Miracle at St. Anna Tim Boyle
2008 The Brothers Bloom Bar Patron Uncredited Cameo
2008 Killshot Richie Nix
2009 Big Breaks Todd Sterling
2009 (500) Days of Summer Tom Hansen Nominated – Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor[39]
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy[40]
Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead[41]
Nominated – People's Choice Award for Favorite Breakout Movie Actor[42]
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Romantic Comedy[43]
2009 Uncertainty Bobby
2009 Women in Trouble Bert Rodriguez
2009 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Cobra Commander Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Villain[43]
2010 Hesher Hesher
2010 Morgan M. Morgansen's Date with Destiny Morgan M. Morgansen/Narrator Short film, also director and editor
2010 Elektra Luxx Bert Rodriguez
2010 Morgan and Destiny's Eleventeenth Date: The Zeppelin Zoo Morgan M. Morgansen/Narrator Short film, also director and editor.
2010 Inception Arthur Spike TV's Scream Award for Best Supporting Actor
Spike TV's Scream Award for Fight Scene of the Year[44]
2011 50/50 Adam Hollywood Film Festival Award for Breakthrough Actor
2012 Premium Rush Wilee Post-production
2012 The Dark Knight Rises John Blake Filming
2012 Looper Joe Filming
2012 Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln Filming
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1988 Stranger on My Land Rounder
1988 Family Ties Dougie Episodes: "Sign of the Times"; "Father, Can You Spare a Dime?"
1989 Settle the Score Justin
1990 Murder, She Wrote Boy #1 Episode: "Shear Madness"
1991 Dark Shadows Daniel/David Collins Series regular
1991 Changes Matthew "Matt" Hallam
1991 Hi Honey - I'm Dead Josh Stadler
1991 Plymouth Simon
1991 China Beach Archie Winslow, Age 9 Episode: "Quest"
1991 Quantum Leap Kyle Episode: "Permanent Wave"
Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series
1991 L.A. Law Episode: "Lose the Law"
1992–1993 The Powers That Be Pierce Van Horne Series regular
Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a New Television Series
1993 Partners
1993 Gregory K a.k.a. Switching Parents Gregory Kingsley
1993 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Zack Lawson Episode: "The Secret"
1993–1995 Roseanne George Episodes: "Daughters and Other Strangers"; "I Pray the Lord My Stove to Keep"; "Follow the Son"; "Single Married Female
1995 The Great Elephant Escape Matthew
1996–2001 3rd Rock from the Sun Tommy Solomon Series regular
YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series (1997, 1998)
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1997, 1998, 1999)
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actor (1999)
Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Comedy – Supporting Young Actor (1997)
1998 That '70s Show Buddy Morgan Episode: "Eric's Buddy"
2000 The Outer Limits Zach Episode: "Something About Harry"
2000 Forever Lulu Martin Ellsworth
2005 Numb3rs Scott Reynolds Episode: "Sacrifice"

References from Wikipedia.com

Bret Michaels

2011-10-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

Bret Michaels

Bret Michaels (born Bret Michael Sychak, March 15, 1963) is an American musician, actor, director, screenwriter, producer and reality television personality. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist of the glam metal band Poison. Besides his career as lead singer, he has several solo albums to his credit, as well as one chart single. He appeared in the VH1 reality show Rock of Love with Bret Michaels and its sequels, and as a judge on the talent show Nashville Star. He was the winning contestant on NBC's reality show Celebrity Apprentice 3.

Bret Michaels & the B*M*B rock Alexandria, VA on Sept. 7, 2011

Bret Michaels Rock Melbourne, Australia!

Bret Michaels & the B*M*B rock Philadelphia, PA on Sept. 18, 2011

Bret Michaels - All i ever needed

Bret Michaels - Raine

Bret Michaels & the B*M*B rock Ridgefield, CT on Sept. 15, 2011

Bret Michaels - Riding Against The Wind

Early life

Michaels was born Bret Michael Sychak, to Wally and Marjorie Sychak, north of Pittsburgh in the city of Butler, Pennsylvania.[1] He has two sisters, Michelle and Nicole.[2] He claims that his parents had originally intended for him to have the middle name "Maverick", after the title character in the popular James Garner TV Western series Maverick.[3] He is of Carpatho-Rusyn descent.[4]
At the age of six he fell ill, and during a three-week stay in the hospital, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.[5]
[edit]Music career

Michaels began playing the guitar as a teenager. With drummer Rikki Rockett, bass player Bobby Dall and guitarist Matt Smith, he formed the band Paris, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania in 1983. After playing the Pennsylvania bar circuit, in early 1984 they moved to Los Angeles to seek fame on the Sunset Boulevard scene, eventually changing their name to Poison.[5] That same year he met 16-year-old Tracy Lewis, who would become both his girlfriend, and the muse for one of his most memorable songs. Eventually Matt Smith tired of the band's struggle to find fame, and returned home. He was replaced with C.C. DeVille, who would become both Michaels' friend and a source of conflict.[5]
[edit]1980s – 1990s
Local publicity about the band eventually led to a record deal with Enigma Records, and their first album, Look What the Cat Dragged In. It did not see great success until 1987, when Michaels convinced the band to film a video for their song, "Talk Dirty to Me." The album went platinum, and the band became famous.[6] In March of that year, however, Michaels collapsed onstage due to his diabetes. Responding to rumors that he was a drug addict, he announced publicly that he was a diabetic.[5]
1987 also saw the dissolution of his relationship with Lewis, who felt that fame had changed him. Though Michaels contends that Lewis was unfaithful to him, Lewis (now Lewis Crosby) insists that it was Michaels who was unfaithful. Michaels was inspired by the breakup to write "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", explaining that the rose represented his fame and success, whereas the loss of his relationship represented the thorn. The song was released as a power ballad single in December 1988, and is regarded as "the ultimate 80s anthem about heartbreak."[5]
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s Poison became one of the biggest glam metal bands in the world, recording their second album, the multi-platinum selling Open Up and Say... Ahh!, and their third album, the multi-platinum selling Flesh & Blood. However, their lives were characterized by the escalating tension between Michaels and DeVille that derived from their mutual drug use, which came to a head during their 1990/91 "Flesh and Blood" world tour. Also cited is the spectacle of DeVille's behavior during the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. After getting into a fistfight with Michaels, DeVille left the band, and descended further into addiction. Poison went on with new guitarist Richie Kotzen recording the album Native Tongue and then with guitarist Blues Saraceno recording the album Crack a Smile... and More!. In the mid 1990s, after a night of partying, Michaels came close to dying when he crashed his Ferrari into a telephone pole. He incurred serious injury, including broken ribs, a disfigured nose and lost teeth.[5] In 1999, reunited with original guitarist C.C. Deville, Poison went on a successful greatest hits reunion tour. In the next decade Bret Michaels would split his time between Poison and a successful solo career.
[edit]2000s
Michaels recorded his first solo album in 1998 A Letter from Death Row, the soundtrack to the same-titled movie he directed, wrote, and starred in. In 2003, he released the studio album Songs of Life which featured the singles "Raine" (dedicated to his daughter) and "Bittersweet". Michaels also released his first solo music video for the single "Raine".
Michaels served as a judge during the 2005 season of reality television singing competition Nashville Star and released a country rock album in the same year called Freedom of Sound which featured the singles "Right Now, Right Here", "Open Road" which Michaels performed live on the show and the hit single "All I Ever Needed" (featuring Jessica Andrews), which also included a music video.
Michaels released a best of album called Rock My World in June 2008 which featured music from his reality television series Rock of Love including the new singles "Go That Far" (Rock of Love theme), "Fallen" and "Start Again", the first 2 also featuring music videos with clips from the series. The album charted at #40 on the Billboard 200, #4 on the Top Independent Albums, #4 on the Top Hard Rock Albums and #16 on the Top Rock Albums chart.[7] In December 2008, Michaels released a single version of "Driven" (rock mix) which also featured a music video with preview clips for Rock of Love Bus and he also re released the "Fallen" single with acoustic, piano and demo versions included.[8]
Michaels released a 30-minute DVD from Time Life in 2008 called Hard & Heavy Confidential featuring Bret Michaels which included acoustic versions of "All I Ever Needed", "Driven", "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and "Something to Believe In", it also included in depth interviews.[9] The DVD was included in the Hard & Heavy cd/DVD collection from (Time Life) advertised on TV by Bret Michaels. The same 4 acoustic performances were also released on CD which was titled "Bret Michaels Acoustic Sessions."[10]
In March 2010, Michaels released a new single called "Nothing to Lose" from his upcoming new studio album, Custom Built. The song featured the guest vocals of Miley Cyrus. In April 2010, he released the second single "Lie to Me" and in May 2010 released the third single, "Wasted Time". Michaels performed on the American Idol season 9 finale on May 26 against his doctor's recommendation. Michaels also performed a duet of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" with Miley Cyrus on the June 18, 2010 episode Good Morning America.[11]
On July 6, 2010, Michaels released his new album Custom Built, which along with its three singles, includes the song "Riding Against the Wind", which is the theme song for his new reality TV series Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It. The album is Michaels highest charting solo album to date peaking at #1 on both the Top Independent Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums chart and also charting at #4 on the Top Rock Albums and #14 on the Billboard 200.[12]
On August 4, 2010, Michaels appeared in the fifth season of America's Got Talent and performed "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", accompanying himself on acoustic folk guitar.
Despite not being released as a single, a music video was produced for "Riding Against the Wind" a song from Michaels' latest album "Custom Built" that also doubles as the theme song for his new VH1 reality show Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It. The music video was released on October 7, 2010, exclusively at Billboard's and contains footage from the series, which officially premieres on VH1 on October 18, 2010.[13] Michaels also released a music video for the cover of Sublime's song "What I Got", which is the fourth single from "Custom Built". The music video is a special tribute to his fans and was released on Thanksgiving.[14]
[edit]Rock of Love

Michaels starred in the reality television dating competition series Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, the first season of which premiered in July 2007.[15][16] Jes Rickleff was the winner of Season One. However, she announced during the October 2007 reunion show that she and Michaels were not right for each other and told runner-up Heather he was all hers and that he should have chosen Heather. The first season was released on DVD in early 2008.
The show's second season premiered on January 13, 2008. On April 13, 2008, Michaels selected Ambre Lake as his "Rock of Love". After the show the two maintained a relationship, but parted ways after just a few months due to personal commitments, but they remain good friends.[17]
A third season, Rock of Love Bus, premiered on January 4, 2009. which was a series high for VH1,[18] Michaels chose Penthouse Pet Taya Parker as the winner. When asked about a fourth season of Rock of Love, Michaels said "Now they want me to come back for a fourth 'Rock of Love.' I feel that it should be something that changes up, but I still want that fun element. What you see is what you get with me."[19]
[edit]Other television and film appearances

Michaels and actor Charlie Sheen established a film production company, Sheen/Michaels Entertainment, which produced the movie A Letter from Death Row (1998), which Michaels wrote, directed and starred in, and for which he released a soundtrack album. They also produced No Code of Conduct that same year, which Michaels also directed and acted in. Their company also produced the feature film Free Money, starring Marlon Brando and Mira Sorvino, and the surfer movie In God's Hands in which Michaels also had a small acting role.
Michaels appeared in the CBS sitcom Yes, Dear, Season 1, Episode 6, titled Greg's Big Day, first aired 6 November 2000. He also appeared as himself in three episodes of The Chris Isaak Show from 2001 to 2004.
On May 1, 2008, Michaels appeared on a special celebrity edition of Don't Forget the Lyrics!, on which he raised $200,000 to donate to charity.[20]
Michaels appeared on the 2009 Tony Awards, during which a he was struck in the head by a set piece. He subsequently sued the event's organizers, claiming that the collision led to his 2010 brain hemorrhage. The suit is currently pending.[21]
In 2010, Michaels was the winning contestant on the NBC reality television series Celebrity Apprentice 3 on NBC.[22]
Michaels stars in a series named Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It, which depicts his life at home with his daughters and their mother.[23] Filming of the series began before Michaels' health troubles, and filming was suspended after his hospitalization.[23] VH1 aired a preview of the series on May 31, 2010, and the series aired in fall 2010.[24]
Michaels hosted the Miss Universe 2010 pageant along with Natalie Morales on August 23, 2010.[25]
[edit]In other media

Bret Michaels (center) singing "Talk Dirty to Me" in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
Michaels was portrayed as a guest singer in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, which features him singing "Go That Far" from his solo career, and Poison's "Talk Dirty to Me".
[edit]Charity work

Michaels and his band visited troops at Al Asad Air Base on October 6, 2007, while on a tour of U.S. bases in Iraq in support of Armed Forces Entertainment.[26]
He earned $640,000 for the American Diabetes Association for competing in and ultimately winning the Celebrity Apprentice 3.
[edit]Personal life

Michaels has two daughters with Kristi Lynn Gibson. Raine Elizabeth Sychak was born in May 2000,[5] and Jorja Bleu Sychak was born in May 2005. They live in Scottsdale, Arizona.[27] Michaels' fear that Raine was "borderline diabetic" was a recurring element during Michaels' tenure on The Celebrity Apprentice 3, on which he appeared to raise money for the American Diabetes Association. Raine herself appeared on the season finale of that program on May 23, 2010, when her father won that season.[28]
While filming the finale of his reality show, Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It, Michaels proposed to Kristi Gibson, the mother of his two children and his on-again, off-again companion of 16 years.[29] The finale aired December 20, 2010.[30]
Bret Michaels was involved with Pamela Anderson. An abridged version of an explicit sex tape the couple made appeared on the Internet in 1998[5][31] and was released on DVD on September 7, 2005, by Metro Studios.
Michaels is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League and the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League.[32] He has a personalized guitar bearing the Steelers' logo, and played the national anthem at Three Rivers Stadium.[33] His favorite player was Jack Lambert, and Michaels has been a member of fan club "Lambert's Lunatics."[34]
[edit]Health

On April 12, 2010, Michaels was rushed to the hospital after suffering intense stomach pains, and an emergency appendectomy was performed.[35] On April 21[36] or April 22, 2010,[37][38] (sources differ), Michaels was again rushed to the hospital, this time with an "excruciating" headache. Doctors discovered that he had suffered a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage. He was in critical condition,[39][40] and while some reports suggested that his condition had stabilized,[41] others later stated that this was premature.[42] On April 28, Michael's representatives reported that he was conscious and speaking, albeit slowly, for the first time since he was hospitalized.[43]
In a news conference on May 5, 2010, Dr. Joseph Zabramski said Michaels has been released from the hospital and that "He's just one of those lucky people" and that "he'll make a complete recovery".[44]
On May 20, 2010, it was reported on his official website[45] that Michaels has been "readmitted to the hospital this week after suffering numbness on the left side of his body". While conducting diagnostic tests it was found that Michaels has a "patent foramen ovale (PFO), a hole in the heart."[45] It was further reported that his condition is "operable and treatable" and his doctors believe they "have diagnosed the problem that caused the transient ischemic attack (TIA) or warning stroke", but that they "feel it is highly unlikely this is connected to the brain hemorrhage he suffered just a few weeks earlier".[45]
[edit]Discography

For a discography as a member of Poison, see Poison discography.
[edit]Studio albums
Year Album details Peak chart positions
US
[12] US Rock
[46] US Indie
[47] US Hard Rock
[48] CAN
2003 Songs of Life
Release date: April 22, 2003
Label: Poor Boy Records
— — — — —
2005 Freedom of Sound
Release date: January 1, 2005
Label: Poor Boy Records
— — — — —
2010 Custom Built
Release date: July 6, 2010
Label: Poor Boy Records
14 4 1 1 44
2011 Get Your Rock On[49]
To be released: 2011
Label: Poor Boy Records
To be released
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
[edit]Compilation albums
Year Album details Peak chart
positions
US
[12] US Rock
[46] US Indie
[47] US Hard Rock
[48]
2001 Ballads, Blues & Stories
Release date: 2001
Label: Poor Boy Records
— — — —
2008 Rock My World
Release date: June 3, 2008
Label: VH1 Classics Records
40 16 4 4
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
[edit]Soundtrack albums
Year Album details
1998 A Letter from Death Row
Release date: August 25, 1998
Label: Ugl Records
[edit]Extended plays
Year Album details
2000 Country Demos[50]
Release date: 2000
Label:
2008 Bret Michaels: Acoustic Sessions
Release date: 2008
Label: Time/Life Music
[edit]Singles
Year Single Peak positions Album
US Country
1998 "A Letter from Death Row" — A Letter from Death Row
"Party Rock Band" (with C.C. DeVille) —
2003 "Raine" — Songs of Life
"Bittersweet" —
2004 "All I Ever Needed" (with Jessica Andrews) 45 Freedom of Sound
"Right Now, Right Here" —
2005 "Open Road" —
2007 "Go That Far" (Rock of Love theme) — Rock My World
"Fallen" —
2008 "Start Again" —
"Driven" (rock mix) —
2010 "Nothing to Lose" (with Miley Cyrus) — Custom Built
"Lie to Me" —
"Wasted Time" —
"What I Got" —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
[edit]Filmography

Film and television
Year Title Role
1994 Burke's Law TV series, 1 episode
1994 In God's Hands
1998 A Letter from Death Row
1998 The World's Greatest Magic 5
1998 No Code of Conduct
1999 High Tension, Low Budget Documentary (The Making of a Letter from Death Row)
1999 Martial Law TV series, 1 episode
1999 Behind the Music: Poison
2002 The Making of Bret Michaels Documentary
2003 Yes, Dear TV series
2005 Nashville Star TV series, season 3
2007 Rock of Love with Bret Michaels TV series
2008 Rock of Love 2 TV series
2008 Don't Forget The Lyrics Fox TV
2008 Ellen-Fox Shows February 14, 2008
2008 Saturday Night Live
2009 Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels TV series
2008 VH1's "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs Host (5-part special; December 2008 – January 2009)
2009 E True Hollywood Story: Bret Michaels
2009 The Penguins of Madagascar singing "Wheels of Thunder" in Little Zoo Coupe
2009 Behind the Music: Bret Michaels
2009 American Pie Presents: The Book of Love as himself
2010 The Celebrity Apprentice as himself
2010 Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It as himself
[edit]Music videos
Year Song Director Notes
2003 "Raine" Shane Stanley
2003 "Menace to Society" Live montage video
2005 "All I Ever Needed" Christie Cook 2nd version with Iraq footage released in 2008
2008 "Go That Far" (Rock of Love theme)" Shane Stanley 3 versions – with Rock of Love clips, with live clips and standard with no clips
2008 "Fallen" Shane Stanley 2 versions – with and without Rock of Love clips
2008 "Driven (Rock Mix)" Shane Stanley cut and uncut versions
2010 "Riding Against the Wind" (Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It Theme) Shane Stanley
2010 "What I Got" Bret Michaels

Reference from Wikipedia.com

Sting

2011-10-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

Sting

Sting (born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner on 2 October 1951), CBE, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, activist, actor and philanthropist. Prior to starting his solo career, he was the principal songwriter, lead singer and bassist of the rock band The Police.
Sting has varied his musical style throughout his career, incorporating distinct elements of jazz, reggae, classical, new age, and worldbeat into his music. As a solo musician and member of The Police, Sting has received sixteen Grammy Awards for his work, receiving his first Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1981, and an Oscar nomination for the best song. He is a member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Sting - Shape of my Heart

Sting - Desert Rose

Sting - Fields Of Gold

Sting - When We Dance (Blue Screen Version)

Sting:'I Want to Sing Another 25 Years'

Sting - Englishman In New York

Sting - Shape Of My Heart

Early life

Sting was born in Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne, England,[2] the eldest of four children born to Audrey (née Cowell), a hairdresser, and Ernest Matthew Sumner, a milkman and engineer.[3] His siblings were Philip, Angela and Anita. Young Gordon would often assist his father with the early-morning milk-delivery rounds and his "best friend" was an old Spanish guitar with five rusty strings which had been left behind by an uncle who had emigrated to Canada.[4]
He attended St. Cuthbert's Grammar School, which later became St. Cuthbert's High School, in Newcastle upon Tyne. He would often sneak into nightclubs like the Club-A-Go-Go, where he would watch acts such as Cream and Jimi Hendrix, artists who would later influence his own music. After jobs as a bus conductor, a construction labourer, and a tax officer, he attended Northern Counties College of Education, (which later became part of Northumbria University) from 1971 to 1974 and qualified as a teacher.[5] He then worked as a schoolteacher at St. Paul's Middle School in Cramlington for two years.
Sting performed in jazz bands on evenings, weekends, and during breaks from college and from teaching. He played with local jazz bands such as the Phoenix Jazzmen, the Newcastle Big Band, and Last Exit. He gained his nickname after he performed wearing a black and yellow sweater with hooped stripes while onstage with the Phoenix Jazzmen. Bandleader Gordon Solomon[6] thought that the sweater made him look like a bee, which prompted the nickname "Sting".[7] When addressed as "Gordon" by a journalist at a press conference filmed in the movie Bring on the Night, he jokingly stated, "My children call me Sting, my mother calls me Sting, who is this Gordon character?"[8]
[edit]Musical career

[edit]The Police
Main article: The Police
In January 1977, Sting moved from Newcastle to London, and soon thereafter he joined Stewart Copeland and Henry Padovani (who was soon replaced by Andy Summers) to form the New Wave band The Police. Between 1978 and 1983, they released five chart-topping albums and won six Grammy Awards. Although their initial sound was punk inspired, The Police soon switched to reggae-tinged rock and minimalist pop. Their last album, Synchronicity, which included their most successful song, "Every Breath You Take", was released in 1983. According to Sting, who appeared in the documentary Last Play at Shea, he decided to leave The Police while onstage during the 18 August 1983 concert at Shea Stadium because he felt that playing that venue was "Everest".[9] While never formally breaking up, after Synchronicity the group agreed to concentrate on solo projects. As the years went by, the band members, particularly Sting, dismissed the possibility of reforming. In 2007, however, the band reformed and undertook a world tour.
[edit]Early solo work
In September 1981, Sting made his first live solo appearance, performing on all four nights of the fourth Amnesty International benefit The Secret Policeman's Other Ball at the invitation of producer Martin Lewis. He performed solo versions of "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle". He also led an all-star band (dubbed "The Secret Police") on his own arrangement of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released". The band and chorus included Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Phil Collins, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, all of whom except Beck later worked together on Live Aid. His performances were featured prominently in the album and movie of the show and drew critical attention to his work. Sting's participation in The Secret Policeman's Other Ball was the beginning of his growing involvement in raising money and consciousness for political and social causes. In 1982 he released a solo single, "Spread a Little Happiness" from the film version of the Dennis Potter television play Brimstone and Treacle. The song was a re-interpretation of a song from the 1920s musical Mr. Cinders by Vivian Ellis, and was a surprise Top 20 hit in the UK.
[edit]1980s
His first solo album, 1985's The Dream of the Blue Turtles, featured a cast of jazz musicians, including Kenny Kirkland, Darryl Jones, Omar Hakim, and Branford Marsalis. It included the hit singles "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free", "Fortress Around Your Heart", "Love Is the Seventh Wave", and "Russians", the last of which was based on a theme from the Lieutenant Kijé Suite.[10] Within a year, the album reached Triple Platinum. This album would garner Sting a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. The film Bring on the Night, directed by Michael Apted, documented the formation of the band and its first concert in France.

Sting performing in 1985
Also in 1985, he sang the introduction and chorus to "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits (he was given co-writer status because he reused his melody from The Police hit "Don't Stand So Close to Me" for his vocal parts). He performed this song with Dire Straits at the Live Aid Concert at Wembley Stadium.[11] He also provided a short guest vocal performance on the Miles Davis album You're Under Arrest. He also sang backing vocals on Arcadia's single "The Promise", and on two songs from Phil Collins' album No Jacket Required. He also contributed a version of "Mack the Knife" to the Hal Willner-produced tribute album Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill. In 1984 he performed "Do They Know It's Christmas?", with Band Aid for the relief of poverty in Africa.
Sting released ...Nothing Like the Sun in 1987, including the hit songs "We'll Be Together", "Fragile", "Englishman in New York", and "Be Still My Beating Heart", dedicated to his mother, who had recently died. It eventually went Double Platinum. The song "The Secret Marriage" from this album was adapted from a melody by German composer Hanns Eisler, and "Englishman In New York" was about the eccentric writer Quentin Crisp. The album's title is taken from William Shakespeare's Sonnet 130.
Soon thereafter, in February 1988, he released Nada como el sol, a selection of five songs from Sun sung (by Sting himself) in Spanish and Portuguese. He was also involved in two other recordings in the late 1980s, the first in 1987 with jazz arranger Gil Evans, who placed Sting in a big band setting for a live album of Sting's songs (the CD was not released in the U.S.), and the second on Frank Zappa's 1988 Broadway the Hard Way album, where Sting performs an unusual arrangement of "Murder By Numbers", set to the tune "Stolen Moments" by jazz composer Oliver Nelson, and "dedicated" to fundamentalist evangelist Jimmy Swaggart. October 1988 saw the release of Igor Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale with the London Sinfonietta conducted by Kent Nagano. It featured Vanessa Redgrave, Sir Ian McKellen and Sting in the role of the soldier.
[edit]1990s
His 1991 album The Soul Cages was dedicated to his recently deceased father and included the Top 10 song "All This Time", which reached #5 on the U.S. Pop chart, and the Grammy-winning "The Soul Cages". The album eventually went Platinum. The following year, he married Trudie Styler and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in music from Northumbria University. In 1991, Sting appeared onTwo Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin, an album dedicated to the singer/songwriter duo. Sting performed "Come Down in Time", for the album which also features other popular artists and their renditions of John/Taupin Songs. The album was released on 22 October 1991 by Polydor. Also in 1991, a recording of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf was made by Deutsche Grammophon, narrated by Sting, and played by Claudio Abbado and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. This was also used as the soundtrack to the television special Peter and the Wolf: A Prokofiev Fantasy. In 1993, he released the album Ten Summoner's Tales, which went Triple Platinum in just over a year. Ten Summoner's Tales was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 1993 and nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1994. The title is a wordplay on his surname, Sumner, and The Summoner's Tale, one of The Canterbury Tales. The single "Fields of Gold" had moderate success on radio airways. Concurrent video albums were released to support Soul Cages (a live concert) and Ten Summoner's Tales (recorded during the recording sessions for the album).
In May 1993, he released a cover of his own Police song from the Ghost in the Machine album, "Demolition Man", for the Demolition Man film. Together with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, Sting performed the chart-topping song "All for Love" for the film The Three Musketeers. The song stayed at the top of the U.S. charts for five weeks and went Platinum; it is to date Sting's only song from his post-Police career to top the U.S. charts. In February, he won two more Grammy Awards and was nominated for three more. The Berklee College of Music gave him his second honorary doctorate of music degree in May. In November, he released a greatest hits compilation called Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting, which eventually was certified Double Platinum. That same year, he was featured in a duet with Vanessa Williams on the song "Sister Moon," which appeared on her album The Sweetest Days.
His 1996 album, Mercury Falling debuted strongly with the single "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot", but it dropped quickly on the charts. He reached the Top 40 with two singles the same year with "You Still Touch Me" (June) and "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" (December) (which became a country music hit the next year in a version recorded with American country singer Toby Keith). During this period, Sting was also recording music for the upcoming Disney film Kingdom of the Sun, which went on to be reworked into The Emperor's New Groove. The film went through drastic overhauls and plot changes, many of which were documented by Sting's wife, Trudie Styler. She captured the moment he was called by Disney who then informed him that his songs would not be used in the final film. The story was put into a final product: The Sweatbox, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Disney currently holds the rights to the film and will not grant its release. That same year Sting also released a little-known CD-ROM called All This Time, which provided music, commentary and custom computer features describing Sting and his music from his perspective.
Also in 1996, he provided some vocals for the Tina Turner single "On Silent Wings" as a part of her Wildest Dreams album. In the same year, his performance with the Brazilian composer/artist Tom Jobim in the song "How Insensitive" was featured in the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio produced by the Red Hot Organization. Sting has also cooperated with Greek popular singer George Dalaras, giving a common concert in Athens. "Moonlight", a rare jazz performance by Sting for the 1995 remake of Sabrina, written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman and John Williams, was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television.
In 1997, Sting performed "I'll Be Missing You" with Puff Daddy at the 1997 MTV Music Awards in tribute of the late Notorious B.I.G..
[edit]2000s
The Emperor's New Groove soundtrack was released with complete songs from the previous version of the film, which included Rascal Flatts and Shawn Colvin. The final single used to promote the film was "My Funny Friend and Me". Sting's September 1999 album Brand New Day included the Top 40 hits "Brand New Day" and "Desert Rose". The album went Triple Platinum by January 2001. In 2000, he won Grammy Awards for Brand New Day and the song of the same name. At the awards ceremony, he performed "Desert Rose" with his collaborator on the album version, Cheb Mami. For his performance, the Arab-American Institute Foundation gave him the Khalil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Award. However, Sting was criticized for appearing in a Jaguar advertisement using "Desert Rose" as its backing track, particularly as he was a notable environmentalist.
In February 2001 he won another Grammy Award for his rendition of "She Walks This Earth (Soberana Rosa)" on A Love Affair: The Music Of Ivan Lins. His song "After The Rain Has Fallen" made it into the Top 40. His next project was to record a live album at his Tuscan villa, which was to be released as a CD and DVD, as well as being simulcast in its entirety on the internet. The CD and DVD were to be entitled On such a night and was intended to feature re-workings of Sting favourites such as "Roxanne" and "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free." The concert, scheduled for 11 September 2001, was altered in various ways due to the terrorist attacks in America that day. The webcast was shut down after one song (a reworked version of "Fragile"), after which Sting let it be up to the audience whether or not to continue with the show. Eventually they decided to go through with the concert, and the resultant album and DVD was released in November under a different title, ...All This Time. Both are dedicated "to all those who lost their lives on that day". He performed a special arrangement of "Fragile" with Yo-Yo Ma and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In 2002 he won a Golden Globe Award for the song "Until..." from the film Kate and Leopold. Written and performed by him, "Until..." was also nominated for Academy Award for Best Song. In June he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In the summer, Sting was awarded the British honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). In 2003 he released Sacred Love, a studio album featuring collaborations with hip-hop artist Mary J. Blige and sitar performer Anoushka Shankar. He and Blige won a Grammy for their duet, "Whenever I Say Your Name". The song is based on Johann Sebastian Bach’s Praeambulum 1 C-Major (BWV 924) from the Klavierbuechlein fuer Wilhelm Friedemann Bach though Sting gave little comment on this adaptation.[12] The album did not have the hit singles like his previous releases. The first single, "Send Your Love" reached only #30 and reviews were mixed. However, the album did reach platinum status by January 2004.
His autobiography Broken Music was published in October. He embarked on a Sacred Love tour in 2004 with performances by Annie Lennox. Sting went on the Broken Music tour, touring smaller venues, with a four piece band starting in Los Angeles on 28 March 2005 and ending this "College Tour" on 14 May 2005. Sting appears as a guest on the 2005 Monkey Business CD by American hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas, adding vocals to the track "Union" which makes heavy use of samples from his Englishman in New York. Continuing with his involvement in Live Aid, he appeared at Live 8 in July 2005. During 2006, Sting collaborated with Roberto Livi in producing a Spanish language version of his cult classic "Fragile" entitled "Fragilidad" on the album Rhythms Del Mundo by Latino recording legends "The Buena Vista Sound" (previously known as the Buena Vista Social Club) available via www.apeuk.org.

Sting with The Police at Madison Square Garden, New York, 1 August 2007
In October 2006, he released an album, to mixed reviews, entitled Songs from the Labyrinth featuring the music of John Dowland (an Elizabethan-era composer) and accompaniment from Bosnian lute player Edin Karamazov. Sting’s musical interpretation of this English Renaissance composer and his cooperation with Edin Karamazov brought him significant recognition in classical music circles.[13] As a part of the promotion of this album, he appeared on the fifth episode of Studio 60 during which he performed a segment of Dowland's "Come Again" as well as his own "Fields of Gold" in the arrangement for voice and two archlutes. Reports surfaced in early 2007 that Sting would reunite with his former Police band mates for a 30th anniversary tour. These rumours were confirmed by posts on the popular fanzine Stingus and on various other news websites such as De Standaard, Yahoo! etc. In May 2007, Deutsche Grammophon released the opera Welcome to the Voice (composer Steve Nieve), with Sting portraying Dyonisos.
On 11 February 2007, he reunited with the other members of the Police as the introductory act for the 2007 Grammy Awards, singing "Roxanne", and subsequently announced The Police Reunion Tour, the first concert of which was held in Vancouver on 28 May 2007 for 22,000 fans at one of two nearly sold-out concerts. The Police toured for more than a year, beginning with North America and eventually crossing over to Europe, South America, Australia & New Zealand and Japan. The last concert was at Madison Square Garden on 7 August 2008, during which his three daughters appeared with him onstage. He also works with his sound engineer Ian Newton, and Newton's daughter, Jenny Newton, a singer.[citation needed] Toronto documentary producer Vanessa Dylyn, who was producing a film called The Musical Brain, featuring neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, approached Sting about participating in the film. Sting was interested in the experience of having his brain scanned by fMRI while different types of music were played to him. The film was financed by CTV in Canada and National Geographic International (broadcast internationally as My Music Brain). Sting was also featured in Levitin's second book, The World in Six Songs, where several of his songs (including "Russians") are discussed.
He is featured as a playable character in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour.[14]
"Brand New Day" was the final song of the night for the Neighborhood Ball, one of ten inaugural balls honouring President Barack Obama on Inauguration Day, 20 January 2009. Sting was joined by Stevie Wonder on harmonica.
According to an article posted on his official website, Sting entered the studio in early February 2009 to begin work on a new album If on a Winter's Night...,[15] released on October 2009.[16] Initial reviews by fans that had access to early promotional copies were mixed, and some questioned Sting's artistic direction with this album.[17]
In October 2009, Sting played a concert in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for an arts and cultural festival. Despite claiming he thought the concert was sponsored by UNICEF, he faced criticism in the press for receiving a payment of between one and two million pounds from Uzbek president, Islam Karimov, for the performance. Karimov is accused by the UN and Amnesty of human rights abuses and UNICEF stated they had no connection with the event.[18] In addition to this the role of British diplomacy in general and this matter is discussed in this article by Eurasianet.org.[19]
[edit]2010s

Sting, Budapest, 30 June 2011
On 4 March 2010, Sting performed at the Meydan Racecourse launch in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,[20] with an estimated sell-out crowd of 16,000.
On 31 December 2010, he performed in Kiev, Ukraine on a New Year show on the popular TV channel Inter.
In the first half of 2011, Sting continued his Symphonicity Tour, touring South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South America and Europe.
Two gigs were played on 15 and 19 February 2011 sponsored by AMEX with Dominic Miller (g), Sting (b, voc), Vinnie Colaiuta (dr), David Sancious (k) in the lineup.
He has recorded a song called "Power's Out" with Nicole Scherzinger (lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls). The song, originally recorded in 2007, was to have been included on Scherzinger's shelved album Her Name Is Nicole. The song was released on Scherzinger's 2011 debut album Killer Love.
He has recorded a new version of the song "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" as a duet with Glee actor/singer Matthew Morrison, which will appear on his eponymous debut album.[21]
[edit]Acting

Sting occasionally has ventured into acting. Film and television roles include:
The Ace Face, the King of The Mods, a.k.a. The Bell Boy in the movie adaptation of The Who album Quadrophenia (1979)
Radio On : Just Like Eddie (1980)
The angel Helith in the BBC TV film Artemis 81 (1981)
Martin Taylor, a drifter in Brimstone and Treacle (1982)
Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in the movie Dune (1984)
Steerpike in two BBC Radio 4 broadcasts based on the Mervyn Peake novels: Titus Groan and Gormenghast (1984)
Mick, a black-marketeer in Plenty (1985)
Baron Frankenstein in The Bride (1985)
A "heroic officer" in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
Finney, a nightclub owner in Stormy Monday (1988)
Daniel, a British gentleman in Julia and Julia (1988)
Billy Idol in a Saturday Night Live sketch (1991)
Himself on The Simpsons episode "Radio Bart" (1992)
Himself on The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer Episode 5 (1995)
Fledge in The Grotesque (1995), in which he appears nude
Himself in The Larry Sanders Show episode "Where Is the Love?" (1996)
J.D., Eddie's father and owner of a bar, in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Himself in Ally McBeal season four episode "Cloudy Skies, Chance of Parade" (2001)
Himself in Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out (2006)
Himself in Studio 60 on Sunset Strip 2006
Himself on the Vicar of Dibley Comic Relief special (2007)
Himself in Bee Movie (2007)
Himself, mistaken by Tom Baker for Stomp, the lead singer of "The Cops" in Little Britain USA (2008) He plays his own song, "Fields of Gold"
Himself in Brüno (2009)
Himself in Still Bill (2009)
Himself in Do It Again (2010)
Sting narrated the American premiere of the musical Yanomamo (1983), by Peter Rose and Anne Conlon, outlining problems that existed in the Amazon rainforest. This was made into a film and later broadcast as Song of the Forest. He also provided the voice of Zarm on the 1990s television show Captain Planet and the Planeteers. In 1989 he starred as Macheath (Mack the Knife) in John Dexter's Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera. Sting also appeared as himself in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour.
[edit]Activism

Sting's first involvement in the human rights cause came in September 1981 when he was invited by producer Martin Lewis to participate in the fourth Amnesty International gala The Secret Policeman's Other Ball following the example set at the 1979 show by Pete Townshend.[22] Sting performed two of his Police compositions as a soloist – "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle"' – appearing on all four nights of the show at the Theatre Royal in London. Sting also led an impromptu super-group of other musicians (dubbed The Secret Police) performing at the show including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Phil Collins, Donovan, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in the show's grand finale – Sting's own reggae-tinged arrangement of Bob Dylan's I Shall Be Released. The event was the first time that Sting had worked with Geldof, Collins and Ure – an association that developed further with 1984's Band Aid and 1985's Live Aid. Sting's performance at the Secret Policeman's Other Ball – his first live appearances as a solo performer – was prominently featured on the album of the show (being its lead tracks) and in the feature film of the show.
His association with Amnesty continued throughout the 1980s and beyond and he was a pioneering participant in many of Amnesty's Human Rights Concerts - a series of music events and tours staged by the US Section of Amnesty International between 1986-1998.
In June 1986, Sting reunited with the Police for the last three shows of Amnesty's six-date A Conspiracy of Hope concerts of the US. The day after the final concert, he was interviewed on NBC's Today Show about the origins of his support for Amnesty International and he stated: "I've been a member of Amnesty and a support member for five years, due to an entertainment event called The Secret Policeman's Ball and before that I did not know about Amnesty, I did not know about its work, I did not know about torture in the world." [23] Also in 1986, Sting contributed a haunting song made famous by Billie Holiday, "Strange Fruit," to a fund-raising compilation album entitled Conspiracy of Hope: Honouring Amnesty International's 25th Anniversary.
A high point in his many contributions to the human rights cause came in 1988, when he joined a team of other major musicians – including Peter Gabriel and Bruce Springsteen – assembled under the banner of Amnesty International for the six-week Human Rights Now! world tour commemorating the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Sting had first shown his interest in social and political issues in his 1980 Police song "Driven to Tears", an angry indictment of apathy in the face of world hunger. Sting took part in Bob Geldof's "Feed The World" project in December 1984. Sting sang on "Do They Know It's Christmas?" – the single recorded by Geldof's super-group "Band Aid" that eventually led to the Live Aid concert in July 1985, in which Sting also took part, performing with Branford Marsalis, Phil Collins and Dire Straits.
In 1988, he released the single "They Dance Alone" which chronicled the plight of the mothers, wives and daughters of the "disappeared", the political opponents of the regime killed by the Pinochet Government in Chile. Unable to publicly voice their grievances to the government about their missing loved ones, for fear that they would "go missing" too, the women of Chile would pin photos of their "disappeared" relatives on their clothing, and dance in silent outrage against the government in public places.[24] Later, Sting would perform the song on stage in Chile and Argentina, dancing with some of those same women. He has said it was one of the most moving moments in his life.
With his wife Trudie Styler and Raoni Metuktire, a Kayapó Indian leader in Brazil, Sting founded the Rainforest Foundation Fund to help save the rainforests and protect the rights of the indigenous peoples living there. In 1989 he flew to the Altamira Gathering to give a press conference offering his support while promoting his charity.[25] His support for these causes continues to this day, and includes an annual benefit concert held at New York's Carnegie Hall with Billy Joel, Elton John, James Taylor and other music superstars. A species of Colombian tree frog, Dendropsophus stingi, was named after him in recognition of his "commitment and efforts to save the rain forest".[26]
On 21 October 1991, Sting joined Don Henley and Billy Joel at New York's Madison Square Garden for a benefit rock show, The Concert for Walden Woods.
On 15 September 1997, Sting joined Sir Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Sir Elton John, Phil Collins and Mark Knopfler at London's Royal Albert Hall for Music For Montserrat, a benefit concert for the Caribbean island that had recently been devastated by an eruption from a volcano. Sting and his wife Trudie Styler were awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience award in Sherborn, Massachusetts on 30 June 2000. Singer/song writer, documentary film producers for their commitment to the environment through the establishment of the Rainforest Foundation; to human rights in China through the documentary film on Tiananmen Square; and to peace and social justice through the powerful gift of song.[27]
In September 2001, Sting also took part in the post-9/11 rock telethon America: A Tribute to Heroes singing "Fragile" to help raise money for the families of the victims of terror attacks in the United States. Sting lost a close friend in the collapse of New York's World Trade Center towers.
In February 2005, Sting performed at the Leeuwin Estate Concert Series in Western Australia, with the concert raising $4 million for the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.[28][29][30]
On 2 July 2005, Sting performed a complete set at the Live 8 concert, the follow-up to 1985's Live Aid concert.
In 2007, Sting joined Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland and played the closing set at the Live Earth concert at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Joined by John Mayer and Kanye West, Sting and the Police fittingly ended the show singing "Message in a Bottle," as the event was dubbed "The SOS Concert."
In 2008 Sting contributed to a music album called Songs for Tibet, to support Tibet and the current Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso.[31]
On 22 January 2010, Sting performed "Driven to Tears" during the global telethon Hope for Haiti Now.[32] On 25 April 2010, he performed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. during the 40th anniversary celebration of Earth Day.[33]
In 2011, Sting was among more than 30 signatories to an open letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron calling for the "immediate decriminalisation of drug possession" if a policy review shows it has failed. Sting was quoted: "Giving young people criminal records for minor drug possession serves little purpose - it is time to think of more imaginative ways of addressing drug use in our society."[34]
On 4 July 2011, Sting canceled a concert appearance scheduled for the Astana Day Festival in Astana, Kazakhstan. Amnesty International convinced him to cancel the appearance, due to concerns over the rights of Kazakh oil and gas workers and their families.
[edit]Personal life

Sting at Madison Square Garden in New York City on 1 August 2007.
Sting married actress Frances Tomelty from Northern Ireland, on 1 May 1976. Before they divorced in 1984, the couple had two children: Joseph (born 23 November 1976) and Fuchsia Catherine (a.k.a. "Kate", born 17 April 1982). Joe Sumner is a member of the band Fiction Plane. In 1980 Sting became a tax exile[35][36][37] and moved to Galway in Ireland. In 1982, shortly after the birth of his second child, Sting separated from Tomelty and began living with actress (and later film producer) Trudie Styler. The couple eventually married on 20 August 1992. Sting and Styler have four children: Bridget Michael (a.k.a. "Mickey", born 19 January 1984), Jake (born 24 May 1985), Eliot Pauline (nicknamed "Coco", born 30 July 1990), and Giacomo Luke (born 17 December 1995). Coco is the current singer and founder of the London based group I Blame Coco. Both of Sting's parents died from cancer in 1987. He did not, however, attend either funeral stating that the media fuss would be disrespectful to his parents.[38] 1995 found Sting preparing for a court appearance against his former accountant who had misappropriated several million pounds of his money.[39] Sting owns several homes worldwide, including Elizabethan manor house Lake House and its 60 acre country estate near Salisbury, Wiltshire; a country cottage in the Lake District; a New York City apartment; a beach house in Malibu; a 600-acre (2.4 km2) estate in Tuscany; and two properties in London: an apartment on The Mall, an 18th-century terrace house in Highgate.[40] He also owns homes in the Caribbean, including one in the upscale community of Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic. Sting was estimated to have a fortune of £180 million in the Sunday Times Rich List of 2011, making him one of the 10 richest people in the British music industry.[41]

Kasparov and Sting, Times Square, New York.
To keep physically fit, for years Sting ran five miles (8 km) a day and performed aerobics. He participated in running races at Parliament Hill and charity runs similar to the British 10K. Around 1990 he met Danny Paradise who introduced him to yoga, and he later began practising regularly. His practice consisted primarily of an Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga series, though now he practices many other forms. He wrote a foreword to the book,[42] written by Ganga White in 2007.
An avid chess player, Sting played Garry Kasparov in an exhibition game in 2000, along with four fellow bandmates: Dominic Miller, Jason Rebello, Chris Botti, and Russ Irwin. Kasparov beat all five simultaneously within 50 minutes.[43] Sting has incorporated some aspects of vegetarianism into his diet, but now he eats meat that he raises.[44]
In 1969 Sting read the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake and became a passionate fan. He later bought the film rights to the books, and also named household pets, a race horse, his publishing company, and even one of his daughters (Fuchsia) after characters from the books.[45]
[edit]Beliefs
Sting has declared himself a Hindu in an e-mail interview with Hindustan Times ahead of his concerts in India in aid of Tsunami victims: "I would not consider myself a Christian any longer. My beliefs are much wider than that. I don't believe God is necessarily a Catholic or Islamic or anything else...it's a much larger concept than that..."[46]
In an exclusive to Malvika Nanda of HT City, Sting revealed that he feels like a Hindu: "In a sense I am more of a Hindu ... I like the Hindu religion more than anything else at the moment."[47] "I have become addicted to India," reveals Sting, adding that he would like to spend the rest of his life discovering the country.
[edit]Discography

Main article: Sting discography
See also: The Police discography
Year Title Billboard album 200[48] UK Top 100[49] RIAA[50] BPI[51]
1985 The Dream of the Blue Turtles 2 3 3x Platinum 2x Platinum
1987 ...Nothing Like the Sun 9 1 2x Platinum Platinum
1991 The Soul Cages 2 1 Platinum Gold
1993 Ten Summoner's Tales 2 2 3x Platinum 2x Platinum
1996 Mercury Falling 5 4 Platinum Platinum
1999 Brand New Day 9 5 3x Platinum Platinum
2003 Sacred Love 3 3 Platinum Silver
2006 Songs from the Labyrinth 25 24 — —
2009 If on a Winter's Night... 6 15 Gold —
2010 Symphonicities 6 30
[edit]Bibliography

2009 The Words and Music of Sting, Christopher Gable, Praeger, ISBN 978-0-275-99360-3
2007 Lyrics by – Sting, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-1-84737-167-6
2003 Autobiography Broken Music, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-7434-5081-7
2005 Biography Sting and I, James Berryman, John Blake, ISBN 1-84454-107-X
2000 Authorised biography A Sting in the Tale, James Berryman, Mirage Publishing, ISBN 1-902578-13-9
1998 Biography Sting – Demolition Man, Christopher Sandford, Little, Brown and Company, ISBN 0-316-64372-6
[edit]Awards and nominations

Source from Wikipedia.com