Name	Terry Gross
Caption	Terry Gross at the Georgia Tech Ferst Center for the Arts, in Atlanta, November 2006
Ethnicity	Jewish
Show	Fresh Air
Station	WHYY-FM, NPR
Country	U.S.
Web	Official Website

Terry Gross (born 1951) is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview format radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed throughout the United States by National Public Radio.

Gross has won praise over the years for her low-key and friendly yet often probing interview style and for the diversity of her guests. She has a reputation for researching her guests' work, largely the night before an interview, often asking them unexpected questions about their early career.

Life and career

Gross grew up in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York in a Jewish family. She earned a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master's in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She began a teaching career, but said that she was "totally unequipped" for the job, and was fired after only six weeks.

Gross began her radio career in 1973 at WBFO, a public radio station in Buffalo, New York, where she had been volunteering. In 1975, she moved to WHYY-FM in Philadelphia to host and produce Fresh Air, which was a local interview program at the time. In 1985, Fresh Air with Terry Gross went national, being distributed weekly by NPR. It became a daily program two years later.

She also starred as a guest-voice on The Simpsons as herself.

Interview style

The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that Gross's interviews are "a remarkable blend of empathy, warmth, genuine curiosity, and sharp intelligence." Gross prides herself on preparation; prior to interviewing guests, she reads their books, watches their movies, and/or listens to their CDs. The Boston Phoenix opined that "Terry Gross…is almost certainly the best cultural interviewer in America, and one of the best all-around interviewers, period. Her smart, thoughtful questioning pushes her guests in unlikely directions. Her interviews are revelatory in a way other people's seldom are." An October 8, 2003 interview with Fox News television host Bill O'Reilly, who walked out of the interview because of what he considered were biased questions, creating a media controversy fed by the ongoing presidential campaign. Toward the end of the interview, O'Reilly asked Gross if she had been as tough on Al Franken, who had appeared on the program two weeks before O'Reilly. Gross responded, "No, I wasn't...we had a different interview." Gross was later criticized by then NPR ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin for "an interview that was, in the end, unfair to O'Reilly" and that "it felt as though Terry Gross was indeed 'carrying Al Franken's water.'" Dvorkin described Gross's interviewing tactic of reading a quote critical of O'Reilly after he had walked out of the room as "unethical and unfair". Gross was later supported by an NPR colleague, Mike Pesca, who contended that O'Reilly did have the opportunity to respond to a criticism that Gross read to O'Reilly leveled by People magazine but that he defaulted by prematurely abandoning the interview. A February 9, 2005, interview of Lynne Cheney, conservative author and wife of then-Vice President Dick Cheney. The initial focus of the interview was on Cheney's latest history book, but Gross moved on to questions about Cheney's lesbian daughter Mary and her opinion of the Bush administration's opposition to same-sex marriage. Cheney declined to comment on her daughter's sexuality, but repeatedly stated her opposition to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, which was being endorsed by President Bush. Cheney declined to discuss the matter further. Later, when Gross brought the interview back to issues of gay rights, Cheney again refused to comment. According to producers, Cheney had been warned that Gross would be asking about politics and current events.

Personal life

Gross was married early on in her life, but was in divorce proceedings by the time she started her radio career in 1973. She is now married to Francis Davis, jazz critic of the Village Voice. The couple have no children. In an interview with B. D. Wong, Gross said this is a deliberate choice on their part.

Gross wrote in the introduction to All I Did Was Ask: Conversations With Writers, Actors, Musicians, and Artists that she is sometimes asked whether she is a lesbian, due to her short haircut as well as the number of Fresh Air guests from the entertainment industry; the passage included one memorable instance where a guest at a social occasion speculated on Gross' sexual orientation to Gross' own mother-in-law.

2007 Literarian Award, National Book Foundation

2008 WHYY National Book Foundation Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community

Bibliography

Audio collections

(1998) Fresh Air: On Stage & Screen (cassette)

(2000) Fresh Air on Stage and Screen Vol 2 (CD)

(2004) Fresh Air Laughs with Terry Gross [UNABRIDGED] (CD)

References

External links

NPR biography

in 1997

Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:American broadcast news analysts Category:American talk radio hosts Category:National Public Radio personalities Category:Peabody Award winners Category:People from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn Category:University at Buffalo alumni

Name	Don DeLillo
Birthdate	November 20, 1936
Birthplace	New York City
Occupation	Novelist
Notableworks	White Noise, Libra, Mao II, Underworld, Falling Man
Movement	Postmodern
Nationality	United States
Influences	Thomas Pynchon, Norman Mailer, William Gaddis, Malcolm Lowry, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, John Dos Passos, Vladimir Nabokov, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Franz Kafka, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Henry James, Flannery O'Connor
Influenced	Bret Easton Ellis, David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Franzen, Chuck Palahniuk, Jonathan Lethem, Tao Lin

Don DeLillo (born November 20, 1936) is an American author, playwright, and occasional essayist whose work paints a detailed portrait of American life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. DeLillo's novels have tackled subjects as diverse as television, nuclear war, sports, the complexities of language, performance art, the Cold War, mathematics, the advent of the digital age, and global terrorism. He currently lives near New York City in the suburb of Bronxville.

Early life

DeLillo was born on November 20, 1936 and grew up in a working-class Italian Catholic family in an Italian-American neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City, not far from Arthur Avenue. Reflecting on his childhood in The Bronx, DeLillo later described how he was "...always out in the street. As a little boy I whiled away most of my time pretending to be a baseball announcer on the radio. I could think up games for hours at a time. There were eleven of us in a small house, but the close quarters were never a problem. I didn't know things any other way. We always spoke English and Italian all mixed up together. My grandmother, who lived in America for fifty years, never learned English."

As a teenager, DeLillo wasn't interested in writing until taking a summer job as a parking attendant, where hours spent waiting and watching over vehicles led to a reading habit. In a 2010 interview with The Australian, DeLillo reflected on this period by saying "I had a personal golden age of reading, in my 20s and my early 30s, and then my writing began to take up so much time". Among the writers DeLillo read and was inspired by in this period were James Joyce, William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, and Ernest Hemingway, who was a major influence on DeLillo's earliest attempts at writing in his late teens.

After graduating from Fordham University in the Bronx with a bachelor's degree in Communication Arts in 1958, DeLillo took a job in advertising because he couldn't get one in publishing. He worked for five years as a copywriter at the agency of Ogilvy & Mather on Fifth Avenue at East 48th Street, before he quit in 1964. DeLillo published his first short story, "The River Jordan", in Epoch, the literary magazine of Cornell University, in 1960 and began to work on his first novel in 1966. Discussing the beginning of his writing career, DeLillo said, "I did some short stories at that time, but very infrequently. I quit my job just to quit. I didn't quit my job to write fiction. I just didn't want to work anymore." Reflecting on his relatively late start in writing fiction in 1993, DeLillo said "I wish I had started earlier, but evidently I wasn’t ready. First, I lacked ambition. I may have had novels in my head but very little on paper and no personal goals, no burning desire to achieve some end. Second, I didn’t have a sense of what it takes to be a serious writer. It took me a long time to develop this."

Novels of the 1970s

DeLillo's inaugural decade of novel writing has been his most productive to date, resulting in the writing and publication of six novels in eight years between 1971-1978.

Americana was followed in rapid succession by the American college football/nuclear war black comedy End Zone (1972) and the rock and roll satire Great Jones Street (1973), which DeLillo later felt was "...one of the books I wish I’d done differently. It should be tighter, and probably a little funnier." and has been cited by DeLillo as both one of the most difficult books to write and his personal favorite of his own novels.

Following this early attempt at a major long novel, DeLillo ended the decade with two shorter works. Players (1977) concerned the lives of a young yuppie couple as they get involved with a cell of domestic terrorists, and Running Dog (1978), written in a brief four month streak, he took three years who had first tracked DeLillo down for an interview while he was in Greece in 1979 (on that occasion, DeLillo had handed LeClair a business card with his name printed on it and beneath that the message "I don't want to talk about it.") The influence and impact of White Noise can be seen in the writing of such authors as David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Lethem, Jonathan Franzen, Dave Eggers, Martin Amis, Zadie Smith and Richard Powers (who provides an introduction to the 25th Anniversary edition of the novel). declared the book to be an affront to America and "an act of literary vandalism and bad citizenship." Underworld went on to become DeLillo's most acclaimed novel to date, achieving mainstream success and earning nominations for the National Book Award, the New York Times Best Books of the Year award in 1997, and a second Pulitzer Prize for Fiction nomination in 1998. The novel went on to win the 1998 American Book Award, the 1999 Jerusalem Prize, and both the William Dean Howells Medal and "Riccardo Bacchelli" International Award in 2000. It was a runner-up in The New York Times' survey of the best American fiction of the last 25 years (announced in May, 2006). White Noise and Libra were also recognized by the anonymous jury of contemporary writers.

DeLillo has subsequently expressed surprise at the success of the novel. In 2007, he candidly remarked: "When I finished with Underworld, I didn't really have any all-too-great hopes, to be honest. It's some pretty complicated stuff: 800 pages, more than 100 different characters -- who's going to be interested in that?"

DeLillo returned with what would turn out to be his final novel of the decade with Falling Man in May, 2007. The novel concerned the impact on one family of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, "...an intimate story which is encompassed by a global event."

On June 9, 2009 it was announced that DeLillo's next novel, his fifteenth, had been completed and was set for publication. Titled Point Omega, the brief plot description released revealed that the new short novel concerns: "A young filmmaker [who] visits the desert home of a secret war advisor in the hopes of making a documentary. The situation is complicated by the arrival of the older man's daughter, and the narrative takes a dark turn." The first confirmed extract from Point Omega was made available on the Simon and Schuster website on December 10, 2009.

On July 24, 2009, Entertainment Weekly announced:

Director David Cronenberg (A History of Violence, Naked Lunch) will write a screenplay adaptation of Don DeLillo's 2003 novel Cosmopolis, with "a view to eventually direct,"

This would be the first direct adaptation for the screen of a DeLillo novel, although both Libra and Underworld have previously been optioned for screen treatments and DeLillo himself has written an original screenplay for the film Game 6. On January 13, 2010, The Canadian Press revealed the latest update on the adaptation:

Cronenberg...said he's finished writing the big-screen adaptation of Don DeLillo's provocative 2003 novel "Cosmopolis."

"Everyone's happy with the script," he said, noting they haven't cast it yet.

"It's a project I'm very fond of," added Cronenberg. "It's a terrific book and plans are in the works to make that movie.

DeLillo ended the decade by making an unexpected appearance at a PEN event on the steps of the New York City Public Library, 5th Ave and 42nd St in support of Chinese dissident writer Liu Xiaobo, who was sentenced to eleven years in prison for "inciting subversion of state power" on December 31, 2009.

Novels of the 2010s

DeLillo published Point Omega as his fifteenth novel under his own name in February 2010. According to DeLillo, the novel considers an idea from "...the writing of the Jesuit thinker and paleontologist [Pierre] Teilhard de Chardin."

In a January 29, 2010 interview with the Wall Street Journal, DeLillo discussed Point Omega, his views of writing and his plans for the future at great length. When asked about why his recent novels had been shorter, DeLillo replied, "Each book tells me what it wants or what it is, and I'd be perfectly content to write another long novel. It just has to happen."

Plays

Since 1979, in addition to his novels and occasional essays, DeLillo has been active as a playwright. To date, DeLillo has written five major plays: The Engineer of Moonlight (1979), The Day Room (1986), Valparaiso (1999), Love Lies Bleeding (2006), and, most recently, The Word For Snow (2007). Stage adaptations have also been written for DeLillo's novel's Libra and Mao II.

Themes and criticism

DeLillo is widely considered by modern critics to be one of the central figures of literary postmodernism. He has said the primary influences on his work and development are "abstract expressionism, foreign films, and jazz." Many of DeLillo's books (notably White Noise) satirize academia and explore postmodern themes of rampant consumerism, novelty intellectualism, underground conspiracies, the disintegration and re-integration of the family, and the promise of rebirth through violence. In several of his novels, DeLillo explores the idea of the increasing visibility and effectiveness of terrorists as societal actors and, consequently, the displacement of what he views to be artists', and particularly novelists', traditional role in facilitating social discourse (Players, Mao II, Falling Man). Another perpetual theme in DeLillo's books is the saturation of mass media and its role in forming simulacra which serve to remove an event from its context and alter or drain its inherent meaning (see the highway shooter in Underworld, the televised disasters longed for in White Noise, the planes in Falling Man, the evolving story of the interviewee in Valparaiso). The psychology of crowds and the capitulation of individuals to group identity is a theme DeLillo examines in several of his novels, especially in the prologue to Underworld, Mao II, and Falling Man. In a 1993 interview with Maria Nadotti, DeLillo explained

Many younger English-language authors such as Bret Easton Ellis, Jonathan Franzen and David Foster Wallace have cited DeLillo as an influence. Literary critic Harold Bloom named him as one of the four major American novelists of his time, along with Thomas Pynchon, Philip Roth, and Cormac McCarthy, though he questions the classification of DeLillo as a "postmodern novelist." Asked if he approves of this designation, DeLillo has responded: "I don't react. But I'd prefer not to be labeled. I'm a novelist, period. An American novelist."

Critics of DeLillo allege that his novels are overly stylized and intellectually shallow. Bruce Bawer famously condemned DeLillo's novels insisting they weren't actually novels at all but "tracts, designed to batter us, again and again, with a single idea: that life in America today is boring, benumbing, dehumanized...It's better, DeLillo seems to say in one novel after another, to be a marauding murderous maniac—and therefore a human—than to sit still for America as it is, with its air conditioners, assembly lines, television sets, supermarkets, synthetic fabrics, and credit cards." George Will proclaimed the study of Lee Harvey Oswald in Libra as "sandbox existentialism" and "an act of literary vandalism and bad citizenship."

References in popular culture

Paul Auster dedicated his books In the Country of Last Things and Leviathan to his friend Don DeLillo.

Ryan Boudinot and Neal Pollack contributed humor pieces to the journal McSweeney's satirizing DeLillo. A fictionalized DeLillo blogs for The Onion.

Conor Oberst begins his song "Gold Mine Gutted" with "It was Don DeLillo, whiskey, me, and a blinking midnight clock."

Rhett Miller references Underworld in his song "World Inside a World" saying, "I read it in DeLillo, like he'd written it for me."

The band The Airborne Toxic Event takes its name from a chemical gas leak of the same name in DeLillo's White Noise.

Too Much Joy's song "Sort of Haunted House" from Mutiny is inspired by DeLillo; similarly, Too Much Joy spin-off band, Wonderlick, takes its name from an intentional misspelling of the name of the protagonist from Great Jones Street.

David Foster Wallace claimed DeLillo, and Cynthia Ozick, as two of his great living writers of the English language.

In the 2009 film The Proposal, the Canadian-born editor in chief of a New York publisher risks deportation to meet DeLillo at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

References

8. Jacobs, Timothy. “Don DeLillo.” ''Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia''. Ed. Peter Knight. Oxford: ABC-CLIO Press, 2003. 219-220.

External links

DeLillo 'Featured Authors' page at NY Times

DeLillo Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin

Literary Encyclopedia Biography

Category:1936 births Category:American dramatists and playwrights Category:American novelists Category:American satirists Category:Copywriters Category:Fordham University alumni Category:American writers of Italian descent Category:Living people Category:Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Category:People from the Bronx Category:Postmodernists

Name	Artie Lange
Caption	Lange in September 2006
Birth name	Arthur Steven Lange, Jr.
Birth date	October 11, 1967
Subject	Personal life, self-deprecation, human sexuality, pop culture, Italian American culture, professional sports, recreational drug use, drinking culture
Influences	Howard Stern, John Belushi, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Woody Allen, Bill Murray, Jackie Gleason, Peter Sellers, David Letterman, Shitty Comedians, Richard Lewis
Website	www.artie-lange.com

Arthur Steven "Artie" Lange, Jr. (born October 11, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, radio personality, and author. Lange is most notable for replacing Jackie Martling on The Howard Stern Show, and for being an original cast member of the sketch comedy series MADtv. Lange co-wrote a book with Anthony Bozza titled Too Fat to Fish. It was released on November 11, 2008, and debuted at number one on the New York Times best-seller list on November 21, 2008.

Early life and education

Lange was born in Livingston Township, New Jersey and was raised in Union Township. His family identify themselves as Italian-American. His mother Judy (née Caprio) worked as a secretary while his father, Arthur Sr., was a general contractor. His sister Stacy is a fashion designer. Two weeks after Lange's birth, his father went on trial for counterfeiting money but was spared jail time out of the court's sympathy for his young son. During a segment of The Howard Stern Show, Lange provided a blood sample that was taken to a laboratory for DNA testing. The results indicated that Lange was 25 percent American Indian. Lange said that his father's background was a "grey area".

Lange excelled in baseball during his high school years, becoming an All County third baseman. He spent his free time working with his father. On October 18, 1985, his father fell from a ladder and broke his back, becoming quadriplegic. Money soon became an issue within his family, and celebrities were contacted to donate items for them to auction. Howard Stern was the only one to respond and sent them an autographed jacket. His father died from an infection on February 1, 1990, four-and-a-half years after the accident.

In August 1985, Lange was arrested for attempted bank robbery. He claimed he was trying to flirt with the teller by passing her a note that said he was armed and demanded $50,000. The teller took it seriously, triggering a silent alarm. He was charged with disorderly conduct and entered community service in March 1986. As part of his probation, Lange attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting from March to June 1987 as well as Seton Hall University for a short time. From February 1991 to September 1992, he stayed in New Jersey and took up work as a longshoreman at Port Newark to help support his family. He eventually quit his job at the port to focus on his comedy career. While searching for such work, Lange's regular form of employment was driving a taxi in New York City.

Career

Early comedy career and MADtv (1987–1997)

On July 12, 1987, at 19 years of age, Lange performed his first stand-up comedy routine at The Improv in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. Lange was taken by William Morris Agency, where he met Peter Principato, his manager of ten years.

In May 1995, Lange flew to Los Angeles to shoot the television pilot for MADtv, a sketch comedy show that was picked up by Fox. Lange, who moved to the west coast in July, landed a role as one of the eight original cast members from 8,000 comics who were screened. Lange attributed his hiring to the fact that he fit the John Belushi mold that was popular in sketch comedy. His most popular recurring character on the show was "That's My White Mama". However, his stint with the show came to an end when cast and crew members attempted to have an intervention for him after a cocaine binge. Lange fled the studio, running through streets and backyards with his co-workers chasing after him. The chase ended in a supermarket, where he was arrested. Lange attempted to punch one of the police officers. He was sentenced to time served and probation. Producers of MADtv persuaded him to enter rehabilitation in March 1997. Lange checked into Honesty House, a rehab center in Stirling, New Jersey, for two months. His contract was not renewed for a third season. Lange made cameo appearances during the fifth and tenth seasons, including the final episode on May 16, 2009. He also appeared on Saturday Night Live, MADtv's rival show, on the same day in a nonspeaking role.

Dirty Work and The Norm Show (1998–2001)

After Lange served a short jail term and a drug rehabilitation program, comedian Norm MacDonald, impressed by Lange's work on Mad TV, offered him a part in the 1998 movie Dirty Work. Lange credits MacDonald and director Bob Saget with rejuvenating his comedy career, leading to several more film appearances and a lucrative television development deal. He then joined the cast of MacDonald's sitcom The Norm Show during its second season, staying until its cancellation the following year. Lange has since described this period as a personal high point but a creative low point: He enjoyed being paid $35,000 an episode, sleeping late, and being in healthy physical shape as well as working amongst the cast, particularly with MacDonald, and Laurie Metcalf; however, he disliked the show itself, referring to the material as "ridiculously lame, easy jokes."

The Howard Stern Show (2001)

Lange was introduced to The Howard Stern Show by his father in 1982. After the cancellation of The Norm Show in April, Lange sat in for a number of shows between May and October before beginning full time on October 26, 2001. Since Lange joined the show, Stern has often teased him for his eating habits, gambling, drinking, drug use, and sleeping at work. Stern also makes a point to praise Lange's comedic talents. Lange had grown up listening to the show and was a fan to the point of being able to recall obscure details from years before on a regular basis. Stern and his staff have commented that Lange's life is a sort of perpetual adolescence: His mother delivers food parcels and cleans his apartment while he continually gorges himself on pizza, pancakes, and other fattening foods and goes on drunken binges.

Beer League and substance abuse (2005–2008)

In early June 2005, Lange missed four days of shows, prompting concerns of a possible relapse into substance abuse. The situation climaxed in Lange's behaving strangely and belligerently on the air. On July 27, he infamously sneered at Stern and the staff, "Artie's gotta do what Artie's gotta do!" Lange then missed the next two days, writing off his absence as due to stress from doing the radio show and filming his comedy film Artie Lange's Beer League. The truth for his absence was revealed in a spontaneous revelation on September 21, 2006, in which Lange acknowledged that he had regularly snorted heroin. He discussed past episodes of heroin use beginning when he was a standup comedian and continuing until Beer League was set to begin shooting. Lange expressed his disdain for his assistant of nearly two years because of recent money issues. Later in the broadcast, Lange returned to apologize and tender his resignation, which Stern accepted.

On April 21, 2008, Lange returned to the Howard Stern Show following a scheduled one-week vacation hiatus for the cast members. He apologized and took full responsibility for his behavior. It was revealed that Sirius was allowing him to continue, but that another infraction would end his employment. Additionally, Lange explained that despite their on-air confrontation, he and Teddy will maintain their working relationship.

Too Fat to Fish and Jack and Coke (2008–09)

On November 11, 2008, Lange's first book, Too Fat to Fish, was released. The book is a collection of narrative episodes from Lange's life, from his childhood to his recent USO trip to Afghanistan in July 2008. The foreword is written by Howard Stern. The book debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list under hardcover nonfiction. The softcover edition was released in June 2009 with a change to the back cover from the hardcover edition and includes a bonus chapter.

On November 17, 2009, Lange released his first-ever CD, titled "Jack and Coke," via Shout! Factory. The 80-minute set was recorded live in New York City.

Personal life

Lange frequently discussed his on-again/off-again relationship with longtime girlfriend Dana Sironi of New Jersey after they began dating in early spring 2002. Most of the couple's problems stemmed from Lange's lifestyle. In mid 2006, Lange declared that the couple had officially broken up, citing his heroin abuse as the primary reason. However, Lange announced on an early November 2006 Stern Show that they were again together to some extent, but that the situation was a mystery even to him. The couple broke up in early 2007 but began dating again in December 2007. On January 29, 2008, Vinnie Favale from The Late Show with David Letterman accidentally emailed her the itinerary for the night of Lange's appearance. The email contained the details of the reservations Favale made for Lange and three women at a hotel. The long-suffering couple have since parted ways. However, Dana accompanied Lange to an appearance on the Letterman show in March 2009.

Lange remains very close to his family, which includes his sister Stacey, a successful corporate fashion designer, and his mother, Judy, who retired in March 2007 from a secretarial career. He was raised Catholic; however, he has said that, like Howard Stern, he sincerely doubts the existence of God but is "afraid" to identify himself as an atheist in the event that he is wrong.

Politically, he has said he does not consider himself to be a "liberal," though he is pro-choice, a supporter of gay rights (despite his notorious penchant for gay jokes), and a supporter of unions owing to his former career as a longshoreman. He has called President George W. Bush a "dolt" and supported John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008. He initially supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq but has since changed his mind. When documentarian Michael Moore visited The Howard Stern Show in 2007, Lange told him that he had changed some of his political opinions because of Moore's films.

His favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces. He considers George Carlin to be the all-time greatest comedian and said, "It's easy to follow the funniest guy ever" when he appeared after Carlin as a guest during his first talk show appearance, on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. He has been critical of the "unbelievably positive press" given to comedians such as Jon Stewart and Ricky Gervais, feeling that their acclaim approaches hyperbole, while acknowledging their talents.

On June 15, 2009, Lange made a controversial appearance on HBO's Joe Buck Live. Lange made several obscene and derogatory comments directed towards homosexuals and even to Joe Buck himself. At one point Ross Greenburg, HBO Sports President, said Lange "bordered on bad taste" with his "mean-spirited" tone. However, on the June 16, 2009, Howard Stern Show, Artie claimed Greenburg told him, "If [fellow panelists] Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis get boring, you go nuts." His attitude and remarks caused Joe Buck to thank Artie for being on the first and last taping of his show. Lange apologized for his behavior soon after the show aired. HBO also issued a formal apology. Though Buck himself called it a "disaster," he made it clear that he was not as offended as the press originally thought. The incident made TIME's list of "Top 10 Awkward Moments of 2009." Lange made a cameo appearance in the second episode of the show that aired on September 22, 2009.

Health

During a Howard Stern Show weight loss competition, Lange was the only contestant to gain weight. He has been asked to appear on Celebrity Fit Club for each of the show's four seasons but has declined every time because of his commitment to "The Stern Show."

In May 2004, Las Vegas station KLAS-TV reported him dead. At the time of the announcement, they were on the air doing a live show from Las Vegas, which made the call that much greater as they brought up the TV sound to the live Stern show feed for all who had attended the show that day to hear. The story turned out to be a prank executed by Stern Show regular caller Captain Janks.

The website artielangedeathwatch.com was started to predict when Lange would die if he continues this lifestyle. Before discontinuing updates, the site projected that he would die at age 53. The site resulted in Lange's being turned down for special life insurance when the company came across it. During the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner in 2006, octogenarian Betty White quipped that she would outlive Lange.

After his break up with Sironi, Lange gained well over ; on March 3, 2008, it was determined on The Howard Stern Show that he had reached . When Artie turned 40 in October 2007, he admitted that he weighed 305 pounds.

Also in September 2007, Lange gave details of his experiences with sleep apnea. Lange claims that he has awoken in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and has fallen asleep while sitting on the toilet.

Lange was tested by Jon Hein for Type-2 diabetes on October 24 on The Howard Stern Show and discovered that his blood sugar was 238. The next day on the show, Lange stated that his mother took him to see a doctor and that he was tested for diabetes. The tests came back negative, and he said his blood pressure was normal. The doctor, however, was very concerned with the speed with which Lange had gained so much weight and suggested that he go on a diet to save his heart. After this incident, Lange began a moderate diet. Staff members commented that he looked "less bloated."

On November 1, 2007, Lange revealed on the air that he had taken a tablet of Subutex and was feeling slightly high. Howard insisted it was because of his new diet. Less than an hour after feeling the effects of Subutex, Lange threw two objects, one of which was a CD case, in a fit of rage at cast member Sal the Stockbroker; the two were not on speaking terms after a heated argument the day before involving Richard Christy. Lange became frustrated after Sal and Richard attempted to amend the situation with an apology he found to be "phony." Lange soon afterwards apologized to Sal, admitting that he overreacted and "crossed a line [he] never thought [he] would," and made up with Sal and Richard one week later, on November 8.

A picture from the previous day of Lange holding a McDonald's bag and drink was revealed on the November 7, 2007, show. Lange called in sick the next day, blaming his "diet" for his illness, but the cast teased him anyway.

On August 6, 2008, Lange claimed to have begun an intensive outpatient rehab program after missing the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget. On the August 11 airing of the show, Lange admitted to having been back on heroin for the previous seven weeks. He stated that he had gotten drunk playing pool and was offered the heroin by someone at the pool-hall. Comedian Richard Lewis recommended a therapist to Lange.

Lange missed work on December 2 and 3, 2008, owing to self-described "general discomfort" and "painful vomiting," causing concern that he was relapsing in his heroin addiction. On December 4, Lange said his doctor believed the symptoms may have been the manifestation of a bleeding ulcer.

On the December 8, 2008 show, Lange admitted that he lied about intensive outpatient rehab and had only gone to the therapist twice, not even making it through the end of the second session. This resulted in the now familiar fear that he was back in trouble with heroin, pills, and/or alcohol.

On the June 17, 2009, episode of The Adam Carolla Podcast, Lange revealed that he had been sober for two and a half months, had lost 45 pounds, and hoped to lose 45 more.

On the August 10, 2009 broadcast of The Howard Stern Show, Stern noticed Lange's weight loss. Lange then confirmed that his current weight was 230 lb. and that he wished to continue in his endeavor to lose more weight. Lange stated that he stands about 5 feet 8 inches tall.

2010 suicide attempt

On January 2, 2010, Lange attempted suicide by repeatedly stabbing himself in the abdomen with a 13-inch kitchen knife. He was found on the floor of his home by his mother and taken to Jersey City Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. Lange was released the following week. Sirius stated that Lange would be welcomed back onto The Howard Stern Show following his recovery.

Lange returned to the comedy stage for the first time on September 27, eight months after his suicide attempt, performing two nights at Comedy Cellar in New York. He mentioned being in a psychiatric ward since the incident.

Filmography

Roles lost

Lange auditioned for the role of Milton in Mike Judge's film Office Space, and again for the role of Judge Hank "The Hangman" BMW in Mike Judge's film Idiocracy, he lost both roles to Stephen Root. Lange auditioned for Paul Giamatti's role in Man on the Moon. He also auditioned for the role of Nick Volpe (Wass Stevens was ultimately cast) in the 2008 film The Wrestler. During a December 18, 2008 call to The Howard Stern Show, director Darren Aronofsky, a stand-up comedy fan, stated he was impressed by Lange's acting but felt his celebrity would be distracting to the audience; Stern, who said it was his favorite movie of the year, agreed with this assessment.

See also

Howard 100

Sirius Satellite Radio

References

;Notes ;Bibliography

External links

Official sites

Artie Lange - Too Fat To Fish

Official Bios of Stern Show Cast, Including Artie

Interviews

Artie Lange interview on Rock 'n Roll Ghost

in 2006 in 2008

Artie Lange interview on the Best Damn Sports Show Podcast

Others

Video of Artie at Woodstock '94 - An amateur video taken of a young Lange attending Woodstock '94, he appears approximately one minute in with a cigarette up his nose, jokingly asking the cameraman for pot.

Review of "Too Fat To Fish"

Artie Lange video channel

Howard Stern Wikia A Howard Stern Wikia Project

Category:1967 births Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:Actors who attempted suicide Category:American agnostics Category:American film actors Category:American radio personalities Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American television personalities Category:American television writers Category:American people of Native American descent Category:Comedians who attempted suicide Category:Former Roman Catholics Category:American actors of Italian descent Category:Living people Category:People from Hudson County, New Jersey Category:People from Union County, New Jersey

Name	Mike Birbiglia
Birth name	Michael Birbiglia
Birth date	June 20, 1978| birth_place = Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, United States
Name	Birbiglia, Mike
Date of birth	1978-06-20
Place of birth	Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, United States

Category:American comedy musicians Category:American stand-up comedians Category:Georgetown University alumni Category:American people of Italian descent Category:People from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts Category:St. Mark's School alumni Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:This American Life personalities

Name	Gene Simmons
Birth name	Chaim Witz [‏, ]
Stage name	Gene Simmons or The Demon
Born	August 25, 1949Haifa, Israel
Background	solo_singer
Occupation	Musician, songwriter, producer, actor, entrepreneur
Genre	Heavy metal, hard rock, glam metal
Instrument	Bass, Vocals, Guitar
Voice type	Bass
Associated acts	Kiss, Wicked Lester
Years active	1963–present
Url	Official Gene Simmons Website
Notable instruments	Cort Signature GS-1Gene Simmons Signature model}}

Gene Simmons (born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American rock bassist, singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and businessman. He is well known as "The Demon", the bassist in the hard rock band Kiss, a group he co-founded in the early 1970s.

Early life and career

Simmons was born Chaim Witz [‏, ] in Tirat Carmel, Haifa, Israel in 1949, and immigrated to Jackson Heights, Queens in New York City at the age of eight, with his mother Flóra Klein — a Jewish-Hungarian immigrant (who was born in Jánd, a village in Hungary). Florence and her brother, Larry Klein, were the only two members of her family to survive the Holocaust. His Hungarian-born father, Feri Witz, did not accompany them to the U.S. After arriving in the U.S., young Chaim Witz took the name Eugene Klein (later Gene Klein), Klein being his mother's maiden name. In the late 1960s, he changed his name to Gene Simmons, after legendary rockabilly performer Jumpin' Gene Simmons.

Simmons became involved with his first band, Lynx, then renamed The Missing Links, when he was a teenager. Eventually, he disbanded The Missing Links to form The Long Island Sounds, the name being a play on words relating to the estuary separating Long Island from Westchester County, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. While he played in these bands, he kept up odd jobs on the side to make more money, including trading used comic books. As "Gene Klein" he had become a member of science fiction fandom (coincidentally, the eye section of his "Demon" makeup with KISS would come from the wing design of comic book character Black Bolt), and during the 1966-1969 era published several science fiction fanzines; titles included Sirruish, Id, Cosmos (which eventually merged with Stilletto to become Cosmos-Stilletto and then Faun), Tinderbox, Sci-Fi Showcase, Mantis and Adventure. He also contributed to other fanzines, of which the best known is probably BeABohema.

Simmons attended Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, New York. He then joined a new band, Bullfrog Bheer, and the band recorded a demo, "Leeta"; this was later included on the Kiss box set. Simmons formed the rock band Wicked Lester in the early 1970s with Stanley Harvey Eisen (now known as Paul Stanley) and recorded one album, which was never released. Dissatisfied with Wicked Lester's sound and look, Simmons and Stanley attempted to fire their band members; they were met with resistance, and they quit Wicked Lester, walking away from their record deal with Epic Records. They decided to form the ultimate rock band, and started looking for a drummer. Simmons and Stanley found an ad placed by Peter Criscoula, known as Peter Criss, who was playing clubs in Brooklyn at the time; they joined and started out as a trio. Paul Frehley, better known as Ace Frehley, responded to an ad they put in The Village Voice for a lead guitar player, and soon joined them. Kiss released its self-titled debut album in February 1974. Stanley quickly took on the role of lead performer on stage, while Simmons became the driving force behind what became an extensive Kiss merchandising franchise. In 1983, while Kiss's fame was waning, the members took off their trademark make-up and enjoyed a resurgence in popularity that continued into the 1990s. The band hosted their own fan conventions throughout 1995, and fan feedback about the original Kiss members reunion influenced the highly successful 1996-1997 Alive Worldwide reunion tour. In 1998, the band released Psycho Circus, the first album in almost 20 years by the original line-up. Since then, the original line-up has once again dissolved, with Tommy Thayer replacing Ace Frehley on lead guitar and Eric Singer (who performed with Kiss from 1992 up through 1996) replacing Peter Criss on drums.

Equipment

Gene Simmons has used various bass guitars during his career including:

Axe Bass (Kramer or other brands, like Jackson)

Punisher Bass (Made by a lot of brands, as seen, B.C Rich or Jackson)

Spector Gene Simmons Signature

Pedulla Basses (mainly in the 1980s and early 1990s)

Gibson Grabber (mainly in Kiss' early years)

Gibson Ripper ( mainly in Kiss' early years )

Cort Guitars Signature GS-1 Bass

He uses Ampeg SVT CL Series amps with 8x10 cabinets. In 2010 Gene Simmons collaborated with Cort Guitars to make a his own signature bass line called the GS-AXE-2.

Personal life

Simmons, who has never been married, currently lives in Beverly Hills, California with longtime partner, former Playboy Playmate and actress, Shannon Tweed. They have two children: a son, Nick Simmons (born January 22, 1989), and a daughter, Sophie Simmons (born July 7, 1992). He formerly has had live-in relationships with Cher and Diana Ross. Simmons has also described himself as a supporter of the foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration. He supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, writing on his website: "I'm ashamed to be surrounded by people calling themselves liberal who are, in my opinion, spitting on the graves of brave American soldiers who gave their life to fight a war that wasn't theirs...in a country they've never been to... simply to liberate the people therein". In a follow-up, Simmons explained his position and wrote about his love and support for the United States: "I wasn't born here. But I have a love for this country and its people that knows no bounds. I will forever be grateful to America for going into World War II, when it had nothing to gain, in a country that was far away... and rescued my mother from the Nazi German concentration camps. She is alive and I am alive because of America. And, if you have a problem with America, you have a problem with me".

In a November 2010 episode of the CNN news commentary program ParkerSpitzer, Simmons stated that he regrets voting for Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election. He criticized the 2009 health care reform measure, and Simmons also remarked about Obama that he "couldn't find somebody, in retrospect, more unqualified." He said as well, "I want the government out of my life".

Controversies

In a February 4, 2002 interview on the NPR radio show Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Simmons said to Gross regarding his claim to have bedded about 4,600 women: "If you want to welcome me with open arms, I'm afraid you're also going to have to welcome me with open legs" (paraphrasing The Who's hit song "You Better You Bet"). To this Gross replied, "That's a really obnoxious thing to say." Simmons refused to grant permission to NPR to make the interview available online on the network's website. However, the interview is available online and appears in print in Gross's book All I Did Was Ask (ISBN 1-4013-0010-3). Some unauthorized transcripts are also available. NPR re-broadcast part of the interview on Fresh Air on Aug 31, 2007. Simmons's bandmate and Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley has frequently used the phrase "... welcomed us with open arms and open legs", and similar wording, in onstage patter through many years of Kiss concerts. In 2004, during an interview in Melbourne, Australia, Simmons described Islam as a "vile culture" wherein women had fewer rights than dogs. He described Islam as a threat, claiming that Muslims wanted to leave the Middle East and supplant non-Muslims in other parts of the world by force. The Muslim community took offense, with Australian Muslim of the Year, Susan Carland, asserting that Simmons' stereotyping of Muslims was inaccurate and that she never walked behind her husband as Simmons stated all Muslim women were required to do. Simmons later said on his website that he was talking specifically about Muslim extremists. In 2005, Simmons was sued by a former lover, Georgeann Walsh Ward, who alleged that she had been "defamed" in the VH1 documentary When Kiss Ruled the World, which she claimed portrayed her as an "unchaste woman" and implied that she had been merely a groupie rather than a committed girlfriend of Simmons. Ward insisted that she had been involved in an "exclusive monogamous relationship" with Simmons since before Kiss was formed. The suit was settled as of June 29, 2006. In 2010, anonymous members of the Internet forum 4chan launched a denial-of-service attack on Gene Simmons's website, effectively made the site unavailable as part of Operation Payback. When the site came back up, a threat against the attackers was posted on the website saying "First, they will be punished. Second, they might find their little butts in jail, right next to someone who's been there for years and is looking for a new girl friend [sic]." Shortly after, the website was again rendered unavailable, with 4chan users claiming responsibility. No arrests were made in the case.

Film and television work

Simmons has been the creative force behind such television projects as:

My Dad the Rock Star, a cartoon by the Canadian animation company Nelvana, about the mild mannered son of a Gene Simmons-like rock star.

Mr. Romance, a show created and hosted by Simmons on the Oxygen cable television channel.

Rock School, a reality show in which Simmons tries to make a rock band out of a group of students of Christ's Hospital School in the first season, and in the second, a group of kids from a comprehensive school in Lowestoft.

Gene Simmons Family Jewels, a reality show documenting the personal lives of Simmons, his girlfriend and his son and daughter.

On March 9, 2010, Simmons and Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley and E! Entertainment announced that they have finalized a production and development deal to create an as-yet-untitled comedic half-hour kids' television series.

Simmons appeared as a psychic working at the Mystic Journey Bookstore in Venice, California on the American hidden camera prank TV series I Get That a Lot.

Film appearances

Selected television guest appearances

{| class="wikitable" border="1" |- ! Year ! Show ! Episode ! Role ! Bandmates ! Miscellaneous |- | 1974 | The Mike Douglas Show | June 11, 1974 | Himself | Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley | Kiss' first national television appearance, performed "Firehouse" |- | 1976 | The Paul Lynde Halloween Special |October 29, 1976 |Himself | Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley | The band performed "Detroit Rock City" and "King of the Night Time World", Peter Criss performed "Beth" |- | 1985 | Miami Vice | "Prodigal Son" | Newton Blade | | |- | 1997 | Action League Now! | "Rock-A-Big-Baby" | Toy version of himself | Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley | Performed "Rock and Roll All Nite" |- | 1998 | MADtv | October 31, 1998 (#406) | Himself | Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley. | Halloween special; performed in five sketches |- | 2001 | Family Guy | "A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas" | Animated version of himself | Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley | |- | 2002 | Family Guy | "Road to Europe" | Animated version of himself | Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley | |- | 2001 | Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? | May 27, 2001 | Himself | | Won $32,000 |- | 2002 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | September 6, 2002 | Himself | | |- | 2003 | King of the Hill | "Reborn to Be Wild" | Jessie | | |- | 2004 | Third Watch | "Higher Calling" | Donald Mann | | |- | 2004 | Third Watch | "Monsters" | Donald Mann | | |- | 2004 | Third Watch | "More Monsters" | Donald Mann | | |- | 2005 | American Idol | "Auditions: New Orleans" | Himself- guest judge | | |- | 2005 | Family Guy | "Don't Make Me Over" | Animated version of himself/ Prisoner #3 | | |- | 2005 | Mind of Mencia | Episode #1.7 | Himself | | |- | 2006 | The View | August 1, 2006 | Himself |2006 |Gene Simmons Family Jewels |- | 2007 | SpongeBob SquarePants | "The Battle of Bikini Bottom" | Sea Monster | | |- | 2007 | Shrink Rap | "Gene Simmons" | Himself | | UK's More4 show |- | 2008 | Entertainment Tonight | January 2, 2008 | Himself | | |- | 2008 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | January 18, 2008 | Himself | | |- | 2008 | Rachael Ray | March 11, 2008 | Himself | | |- | 2008 | Criss Angel Mindfreak | "Mindfreaking with the Stars" | Himself | | |- | 2008 | Ugly Betty | "The Kids Are Alright" | Himself | | |- | 2008 | Ugly Betty | "A Thousand Words by Friday" | Himself | | |- | 2008 | Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader? | Episode #3.9 | Himself | | Won $500,000 for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation charity |- | 2008 | The Celebrity Apprentice | First three episodes | Himself | | Fired in the third episode |- | 2008 | Jingles | | Celebrity judge | | Mark Burnett reality show |- 2009 Glenn Martin DDS Glenn Gary, Glenn Martin | 2009 | American Idol The magazine lasted five issues before being discontinued.

Further reading

Kiss and Make-Up, Gene Simmons (ISBN 0-609-81002-2)

Sex Money Kiss, Gene Simmons (ISBN 1-893224-86-4)

Kiss: The Early Years, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley (ISBN 0-609-81028-6)

Kiss: Behind the Mask, David Leaf and Ken Sharp (ISBN 0-446-96524-6)

Ladies of the Night: A Historical and Personal Perspective on the Oldest Profession in the World, Gene Simmons (ISBN 1-59777-501-0)

References

External links

Official website

Category:1949 births Category:American baritones Category:American bloggers Category:American heavy metal bass guitarists Category:American heavy metal singers Category:American Jews Category:American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Category:American male singers Category:American record producers Category:American rock singers Category:American voice actors Category:Children of Holocaust survivors Category:Israeli immigrants to the United States Category:Israeli Jews Category:Jewish American musicians Category:Jewish singers Category:Kiss (band) members Category:Living people Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Staten Island Category:Science fiction fans Category:Singers from New York City Category:The Apprentice (U.S. TV series) contestants

Name	Stephen Colbert
Caption	Stephen Colbert at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in 2010.
Birth name	Stephen Tyrone Colbert
Birth date	May 13, 1964
Birth place	Washington, D.C., United States
Medium	Theatre, Television, Film, Books
Nationality	American
Active	1984–present
Genre	Sketch comedy, Improvisational comedy, Character comedy, Political satire/News satire
Subject	American culture, Popular culture, , Mass media/News media, American politics, American conservatism, The Christian Right, Political Punditry, Egomania, Xenophobia, Anti-Intellectualism, Sexuality
Influences	Don Novello, Bill Cosby, George Carlin, Dean Martin, Jon Stewart, Steve Martin Bill O'Reilly
Influenced	Rob Corddry, Ed Helms,
Spouse	Evelyn McGee-Colbert (3 children)
Notable work	Chuck Noblet inStrangers with CandyStephen Colbert inThe Daily Show andThe Colbert ReportWriter,I Am America (And So Can You!)Co-writer,America (The Book)Phil Ken Sebben and Myron Reducto in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at LawProfessor Richard Impossible in The Venture Bros.
Signature	Stephen Colbert Signature.svg
Website	http://www.colbertnation.com/

}} Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( or His book I Am America (And So Can You!) was No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Early life

Colbert was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, on James Island, the youngest of eleven children in an Irish Catholic family. Colbert and his siblings, in order from oldest to youngest, are James ("Jimmy"), Edward ("Eddie"), Mary, William ("Billy"), Margo, Thomas ("Tommy"), Jay, Elizabeth ("Lulu"), Paul, Peter, and Stephen.

Many of his ancestors immigrated to North America from Ireland in the 1800s before and during the Great Famine.

His father, James William Colbert, Jr., was the vice president for academic affairs at the Medical University of South Carolina. His mother, Lorna Colbert (née Tuck), was a homemaker. In interviews, Colbert describes his parents as devout people who also strongly value intellectualism and taught their children that it was possible to question the Church and still be Catholic. The emphasis his family placed on intelligence and his observation of negative stereotypes of Southerners led Colbert to train himself to suppress his Southern accent while he was still quite young. As a child, he observed that Southerners were often depicted as being less intelligent than other characters on scripted television; to avoid that stereotype, he taught himself to imitate the speech of American news anchors.

Colbert sometimes comedically claims his surname is French, but his family is actually of Irish and distant German descent. Originally, the name was pronounced in English; Stephen Colbert's father, James, wanted to pronounce the name , but maintained the pronunciation out of respect for his own father. However, James offered his children the option to pronounce the name whichever way they preferred.

On September 11, 1974, when Colbert was ten years old, his father and two of his brothers, Peter and Paul, were killed in the crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 while it was attempting to land in Charlotte, North Carolina. They were en route to enroll the two boys at Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut. Shortly thereafter, Lorna Colbert relocated the family downtown to the more urban environment of East Bay Street in Charleston. By his own account, Colbert found the transition difficult and did not easily make new friends in his new neighborhood. He developed a love of science fiction and fantasy novels, especially the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, of which he remains an avid fan. During his adolescence, he also developed an intense interest in fantasy role-playing games, especially Dungeons & Dragons, a pastime which he later characterized as an early experience in acting and improvisation. When he was younger, he had hoped to study marine biology, but surgery intended to repair a severely perforated eardrum caused him inner ear damage. The damage was severe enough that he was unable to pursue a career that would involve scuba diving. The damage also left him deaf in his right ear. For a while, he was uncertain whether he would attend college, but ultimately he applied and was accepted to Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, where a friend had also enrolled. There he continued to participate in plays while studying mainly philosophy;—but the trio became close friends while touring together, discovering that they shared a similar comic sensibility. and was nominated for five CableACE Awards in 1995, in categories including best writing, performance, and comedy series.

Following the cancellation of Exit 57, Colbert worked for six months as a cast member and writer on The Dana Carvey Show, alongside former Second City cast mate Steve Carell, as well as Robert Smigel, Charlie Kaufman, Louis C.K., and Dino Stamatopoulos, among others. The series, described by one reviewer as "kamikaze satire" in "borderline-questionable taste", had sponsors pull out after its first episode aired, and was canceled after seven episodes. Colbert then worked briefly as a freelance writer for Saturday Night Live with Robert Smigel. Smigel also brought his animated sketch The Ambiguously Gay Duo to SNL from The Dana Carvey Show; Colbert provided the voice of Ace on both series, opposite Steve Carell as Gary. Needing money, he also worked as a script consultant for VH1 and MTV, before taking a job filming humorous correspondent segments for Good Morning America.

Strangers with Candy

During the same time frame, Colbert worked again with Sedaris and Dinello to develop a new comedy series for Comedy Central, Strangers with Candy. Comedy Central picked up the series in 1998 after Colbert had already begun working on The Daily Show. As a result he accepted a reduced role, filming only around twenty Daily Show segments a year while he worked on the new series. Colbert served as a main writer alongside Sedaris and Dinello, as well as portraying Jerri's strict but uninformed history teacher, Chuck Noblet, seen throughout the series dispensing inaccurate information to his classes. Colbert has likened this to the character he played on The Daily Show and later The Colbert Report, claiming that he has a very specific niche in portraying "poorly informed, high-status idiot" characters. Colbert reprised his role for a film adaptation, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005 and had a limited release in 2006. The film received mixed reviews. Colbert also co-wrote the screenplay with Sedaris and Dinello.

The Daily Show

]] Stephen Colbert joined the cast of Comedy Central's parody-news series The Daily Show in 1997, when the show was in its second season. Originally one of four correspondents who filmed segments from remote locations in the style of network news field reporters, Colbert was referred to as "the new guy" on-air for his first two years on the show, during which time Craig Kilborn served as host. When Kilborn left the show prior to the 1999 season, Jon Stewart took over hosting duties, also serving as a writer and co-executive producer. From this point, the series gradually began to take on a more political tone and increase in popularity, particularly in the latter part of the 2000 U.S. presidential election season. The roles of the show's correspondents were expanded to include more in-studio segments, as well as international reports which were almost always done in the studio with the aid of a greenscreen. Colbert developed a correspondent character for his pieces on the series. Colbert has described his correspondent character as "a fool who has spent a lot of his life playing not the fool"—one who is able to cover it at least well enough to deal with the subjects that he deals with". in which both characters were expected to debate a selected topic but instead would unleash their anger at one another. Colbert commonly hosted "This Week in God", a report on topics in the news pertaining to religion, presented with the help of the "God Machine". Colbert filed reports from the floor of the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention as a part of The Daily Show's award-winning coverage of the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Presidential elections; many from the latter were included as part of their DVD release. In several episodes of The Daily Show, Colbert filled in as anchor in the absence of Jon Stewart, including the full week of March 3, 2002, when Stewart was scheduled to host Saturday Night Live. After Colbert left the show, Rob Corddry took over "This Week in God" segments, although a recorded sample of Colbert's voice is still used as the sound effect for the God Machine. Later episodes of The Daily Show have reused older Colbert segments under the label "Klassic Kolbert". Colbert won three Emmys as a writer of The Daily Show in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

The Colbert Report

Since October 17, 2005, Colbert has hosted his own television show, The Colbert Report, a Daily Show spin-off which parodies the conventions of television news broadcasting, Colbert hosts the show in-character as a blustery right-wing pundit, generally considered to be an extension of his character on The Daily Show. Conceived by co-creators Stewart, Colbert, and Ben Karlin in part as an opportunity to explore "the character-driven news", the series focuses less on the day-to-day news style of the Daily Show, instead frequently concentrating on the foibles of the host-character himself.

The concept for The Report was first seen in a series of Daily Show segments which advertised the then-fictional series as a joke. It was later developed by Stewart's Busboy Productions and pitched to Comedy Central, which greenlighted the program; Comedy Central had already been searching for a way to extend the successful Daily Show franchise beyond a half hour. The series opened to strong ratings, averaging 1.2 million viewers nightly during its first week on the air. Comedy Central signed a long-term contract for The Colbert Report within its first month on the air, when it immediately established itself among the network's highest-rated shows.

Much of Colbert's personal life is reflected in his character on The Colbert Report. With the extended exposure of the character on the show, he often references his interest in and knowledge of Catholicism, science fiction, and The Lord of the Rings, as well as using real facts to create his character's history. His alternate persona was also raised in South Carolina, is the youngest of 11 siblings, and is married. The actual Colbert's career history in acting and comedy, however, is often downplayed.

2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

On Saturday, April 29, 2006, Stephen Colbert was the featured entertainer for the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. Standing a few yards from U.S. President George W. Bush—in front of an audience the Associated Press called a "Who's Who of power and celebrity"—Colbert delivered a searing routine targeting the president and the media. In his politically conservative character from The Colbert Report, Colbert satirized the George W. Bush Administration and the White House press corps with such lines as:

}}

Colbert received a chilly response from the audience. His jokes were often met with silence and muttering, apart from the enthusiastic laughter of a few in the audience. The major media outlets paid little attention to it initially. Washington Post columnist Dan Froomkin and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism professor Todd Gitlin claimed that this was because Colbert's routine was as critical of the media as it was of Bush. Richard Cohen, also writing for The Washington Post, responded that the routine was not funny. The video of Colbert's performance became an internet and media sensation, while, in the week following the speech, ratings for The Colbert Report rose by 37% to average just under 1.5 million total viewers per episode. In Time magazine James Poniewozik called it "the political-cultural touchstone issue of 2006". Writing six months later, New York Times columnist Frank Rich referred to Colbert's speech as a "cultural primary" and called it the "defining moment" of the 2006 midterm elections. The performance earned Colbert the "Gutsiest Move" Award on Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards on June 13, 2007.

2008 presidential bid

Under his fictional persona in The Colbert Report, Colbert dropped hints of a potential presidential run throughout 2007, with speculation intensifying following the release of his book, I Am America (And So Can You!), which was rumored to be a sign that he was indeed testing the waters for a future bid for the White House. On October 16, 2007, he announced his candidacy on his show, stating his intention to run both on the Republican and Democratic platforms, but only as a "favorite son" in his native South Carolina. He later abandoned plans to run as a Republican due to the $35,000 fee required to file for the South Carolina primary, however he continued to seek a place on the Democratic ballot and on October 28, 2007, campaigned in the South Carolina state capital of Columbia, where he was presented with the key to the city by Mayor Bob Coble.

After announcing his presidential ticket, he asked his viewers to cast their votes by donating to DonorsChoose.org, an online charity connecting individuals to classrooms in need. Colbert's promotion inspired $68,000 in donations to South Carolina classrooms, which benefited over 14,000 low-income students. Colbert teamed up with DonorsChoose.org again in 2008 by asking supporters of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to do the same. As a lead-up to the Pennsylvania primary, he created a "straw poll that makes a difference", where people could donate to Pennsylvania classroom projects in honor of their favorite candidate. Colbert viewers donated $185,000 to projects reaching 43,000 students in Pennsylvania public schools.

On November 1, 2007, the South Carolina Democratic Party executive council voted 13–3 to refuse Colbert's application onto the ballot. “The general sense of the council was that he wasn't a serious candidate and that was why he wasn't selected to be on the ballot", stated John Werner, the party's director. In addition, he was declared "not viable", as he was only running in one state. Several days later he announced that he was dropping out of the race, saying that he did not wish to put the country through an agonizing Supreme Court battle. CNN has reported that Obama supporters pressured the South Carolina Democratic Executive Council to keep Colbert off the ballot. One anonymous member of the council told CNN that former State Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum had placed pressure on them to refuse Colbert's application despite his steady rise in polls.

Though Colbert's real-life presidential campaign had ended, current Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada established in an interview on The Colbert Report that Colbert's campaign was still going strong in the fictional Marvel Universe, citing the cover art of a then-recent issue of The Amazing Spider-Man which featured a Colbert campaign billboard in the background. Background appearances of Colbert campaign ads continued to appear in Marvel Comics publications, as recently as August 2008's Secret Invasion #5 (which also features a cameo of an alien Skrull posing as Colbert). In October 2008, Colbert made an extended 8-page appearance webslinging with Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man issue #573.

2010 Congressional testimony

On September 24, 2010, Colbert testified in character before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Security. He was invited by committee chairwoman Zoe Lofgren to describe his experience participating in the United Farm Workers' "Take Our Jobs" program, where he spent a day working alongside migrant workers in upstate New York. At the end of his often-humorous testimony, Colbert broke character in responding to a question from Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, and explained why he cares about the plight of migrant workers:

Republican committee member Steve King and Democrat John Conyers questioned whether it was appropriate for the comedian to appear before Congress, citing the waste of taxpayer money. Conyers asked him to leave the hearing.

Conservative pundits took aim at his Congress testimony not long after.

2010 Washington D.C. rallies

in 2010]] In September 2010, following Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally, a campaign developed that called for Colbert to hold his own rally at the Lincoln Memorial. On September 10, 2010 episode of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report Stewart and Colbert made preannouncements of a future event. On September 16, 2010, Stewart and Colbert announced competing rallies on the Washington, DC Mall on October 30, 2010, Stewart's "Rally to Restore Sanity", and Colbert's "March to Keep Fear Alive". Both were eventually merged into the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.

Other work

Stephen Colbert is co-author of the satirical text-and-picture novel Wigfield: The Can Do Town That Just May Not, which was published in 2003 by Hyperion Books. The novel was a collaboration between Colbert, Amy Sedaris, and Paul Dinello, and tells the story of a small town threatened by the impending destruction of a massive dam. The narrative is presented as a series of fictional interviews with the town's residents, accompanied by photos. The three authors toured performing an adaptation of Wigfield on stage the same year the book was released. Colbert appeared in a small supporting role in the 2005 film adaptation of Bewitched. He has made guest appearances on the television series Curb Your Enthusiasm, Spin City, and , and on the improvisational comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. He voiced the characters of Reducto and Phil Ken Sebben in the Adult Swim's Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law but left the show in 2005 to work on The Colbert Report. His characters were both killed, though he returned to voice Phil for the series finale. Colbert also has provided voices for Cartoon Network's The Venture Bros., Comedy Central's Crank Yankers, and American Dad!, as well as for Canadian animated comedy series The Wrong Coast. He appeared as Homer Simpson's life coach, Colby Krause, in the Simpsons episode "He Loves to Fly and He D'ohs". .]] Colbert filled in for Sam Seder on the second episode of The Majority Report on Air America Radio, and has also done reports for The Al Franken Show. He appeared on a track on Wig in a Box, a tribute album for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Colbert read the part of Leopold Bloom in Bloomsday on Broadway XXIV: Love Literature Language Lust: Leopold's Women Bloom on June 16, 2005 at Symphony Space in New York City.

Colbert has released one book associated with The Colbert Report, I Am America (And So Can You!). It was released on October 7, 2007 by Grand Central Publishing. Grand Central Publishing is the successor to Warner Books, which published America (The Book), written by The Daily Show staff. The book contains similar political satire, but was written primarily by Colbert himself rather than as a collaboration with his Colbert Report writing staff.

On November 23, 2008, his Christmas special, , aired on Comedy Central. It was released on DVD in November 2008.

In January 2010, Colbert was named the assistant sports psychologist for the US Olympic speed skating team at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He was also invited to be part of NBC's 2010 Winter Olympics coverage team by Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports.

Personal life

Although, by his own account, he was not particularly political before joining the cast of The Daily Show, Colbert has described himself as a Democrat according to a 2004 interview. In an interview at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard Institute of Politics, he stated that he has "no problems with Republicans, just Republican policies". He is also a practicing Roman Catholic,

Colbert lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with his wife Evelyn McGee-Colbert, who appeared with him in an episode of Strangers with Candy as his mother. She also had an uncredited cameo as a nurse in the series pilot, along with a credited one (as his wife, Clair) in the Strangers with Candy movie. McGee-Colbert actually met Jon Stewart, later a good friend of Colbert, before she met her husband in 1990. McGee-Colbert is the daughter of a prominent Charleston civil litigator Joseph McGee, of the firm Buist Moore Smythe McGee. The couple have three children: Madeleine, Peter, and John, all of whom have appeared on The Daily Show. Colbert prefers, however, that his children not watch his show, The Colbert Report, saying, "Kids can't understand irony or sarcasm, and I don't want them to perceive me as insincere". On December 9, 2006, Merriam-Webster also announced that it selected truthiness as its Word of the Year for 2006. Votes were accepted on their website, and according to poll results, truthiness won by a five-to-one margin.

In June 2006, after speaking at the school's commencement ceremony, Colbert received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from Knox College. Time named Stephen Colbert as one of the 100 most influential people in 2006 and Colbert was named Person of the Year by the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado on March 3, 2007 and was also given the Speaker of the Year Award by The Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) on March 24, 2007 for his "drive to expose the rhetorical shortcomings of contemporary political discourse".

Colbert was named the 2nd Sexiest TV News Anchor in September 2006 by Maxim Online, next to Mélissa Theuriau of France and was the only man featured on the list. In November 2006, he was named a "sexy surprise" by People in the Sexiest Man Alive honors and in the December 2006 issue of GQ he was named one of GQ's "Men of the Year".

He was nominated for a TCA Award for The Colbert Report by the Television Critics Association in 2006 and also received two Peabody Awards for his work on and . In February 2007, Ben & Jerry's unveiled a new ice cream flavor in honor of Colbert, named Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream. Colbert waited until Easter to sample the ice cream because he "gave up sweets for Lent". Colbert will donate all proceeds to charity through the new Stephen Colbert AmeriCone Dream Fund, which will distribute the money to various causes.

After the Saginaw Spirit defeated the Oshawa Generals in Ontario Junior League Hockey, Oshawa Mayor John Gray declared March 20, 2007 (the mayor's own birthday) Stephen Colbert Day, honoring a previous bet with Stephen. At the event, Mayor Gray referred to the publicity the bet brought the city, remarking, "This is the way to lose a bet".

Colbert was honored for the Gutsiest Move on the Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards on June 13, 2007 for his performance at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. In August 2007, Virgin America named an airplane. "Air Colbert", in his honor. On October 28, 2007, Colbert received the key to the city of Columbia, South Carolina from Mayor Bob Coble.

On December 20, 2007 Colbert was named Celebrity of the Year by The Associated Press. On April 2, 2008 he received a Peabody Award for The Colbert Report, saying in response, "I proudly accept this award and begrudgingly forgive the Peabody Committee for taking three years to recognize greatness".

In 2008 Colbert won the Emmy award for writing again, this time as a writer for the Colbert Report. Colbert delivered the Class Day address to the graduating class of Princeton University on June 2, 2008, and accepted the Class of 2008 Understandable Vanity Award, consisting of a sketch of Colbert and a mirror. He also has been announced as the Person of the Year for the 12th annual Webby Awards.

In 2008, East Carolina University associate professor Jason Bond named a species of trapdoor spider Aptostichus stephencolberti in honor of Stephen Colbert. In January 2010, Colbert received the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for his album . He also announced the nominees for Song of the Year while toting a pre-released Apple iPad.

Filmography

Bibliography

Colbert, Dinello, Sedaris. Wigfield: The Can-Do Town That Just May Not (Hyperion, May 19, 2004) ISBN 0-7868-8696-X

I Am America (And So Can You!) (Grand Central Publishing, October 9, 2007) ISBN 0-446-58050-3

Discography

in 2008

References

External links

; General

The Colbert Report Official Site

Stephen Colbert Producer Profile for The 1 Second Film

Wikiality.com, a wiki dedicated to Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Report

Collected news and commentary at The New York Times

Stephen Colbert: His Many Faces - slideshow by Life magazine

; Audio/Video in 2008 in 2005 in 2006

Colbert interview transcript, 60 Minutes. (April 30, 2006)

Colbert in an open, hour-long interview and Q & A session arranged by Harvard's Institute of Politics. He speaks about the nature of his TV-show character and the interplay between wearing the mask and using it to make political points.

, (Transcript). (April 29, 2006)

A 2007 appearance at the Glamour magazine Women of the Year Awards to honor Nancy Pelosi.

Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from South Carolina Category:Actors from Washington, D.C. Category:American actors of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American comedians of Irish descent Category:American film actors Category:American media critics Category:American Roman Catholic writers Category:American satirists Category:American television actors Category:American television personalities Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American television writers Category:American voice actors Category:American writers of German descent Category:American writers of Irish descent Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hampden-Sydney College alumni Category:Northwestern University alumni Category:People from Charleston, South Carolina Category:People from Essex County, New Jersey Category:Second City alumni Category:South Carolina Democrats Category:United States presidential candidates, 2008 Category:Writers from South Carolina Category:Writers from Washington, D.C. Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American political pundits

Name	Jon Stewart
Caption	Stewart at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, October 30, 2010.
Alma mater	William & Mary
Birth name	Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz
Birth date	November 28, 1962
Birth place	New York City, New York, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film, books
Nationality	American
Active	1987–present
Genre	Satire/political satire/news satire, observational comedy
Subject	Mass media/news media/Media criticism, American politics, current events, religion, Jewish culture, race relations, human sexuality, self-deprecation
Influences	George Carlin, Woody Allen, David Letterman, Steve Martin, is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian. He is widely known as host of The Daily Show, a satirical news program that airs on Comedy Central.

In January 2005, CNN announced that it was canceling Crossfire. When asked about the cancellations, CNN/US' incoming President, Jonathan Klein, referenced Stewart's appearance on the show: "I think he made a good point about the noise level of these types of shows, which does nothing to illuminate the issues of the day." Soon after, Stewart quipped on The Daily Show that "I fought the law, and the law lost!"

When asked about his relationship with Tucker Carlson on CNN's Larry King Live in February 2008, Stewart said: "It became this idea that it was personal between the two of us, and it wasn't... If there's one thing I regret about that thing, it was probably the idea that it was personal, that there was something I was saying about Tucker to Tucker, but actually it was about the show."

On March 18, 2009, Carlson wrote a blog entry for The Daily Beast criticizing Stewart for his handling of the CNBC controversy (see below). In this article, Carlson discusses the CNN incident and claims Stewart remained backstage for at least "an hour" and "continued to lecture our staff", something Carlson described as "one of the weirdest things I have ever seen."

Criticism of CNBC

Stewart again became a viral internet phenomenon following a March 4, 2009, The Daily Show sequence. CNBC cancelled Rick Santelli's scheduled appearance but Stewart still ran a short segment showing CNBC giving bad investment advice.

Subsequent media coverage of exchanges between Jim Cramer, who had been featured heavily in the original segment, and Stewart, led to a highly anticipated face-to-face confrontation on The Daily Show. The episode received a large amount of media hype and became the second most-viewed episode of The Daily Show, trailing only the 2009 Inauguration Day episode. It had 2.3 million total viewers, and the next day, the show's website saw its highest day of traffic in 2009. Although Cramer acknowledged on the show that some of Stewart's criticisms of CNBC were valid and that they could "do better," he later said on the "Today" Show that Stewart's criticism of the media was "naïve and misleading."

Criticism of Fox News

For years, Stewart has regularly accused Fox News of distorting the news to fit a conservative agenda, at one point ridiculing the network as “the meanest sorority in the world.” In November 2009, Stewart called out Fox News for using some footage from a previous Tea Party rally during its report of a more recent one, making the later rally appear larger than it was. The show's anchor, Sean Hannity, apologized the following night. A month later, Stewart criticized Fox & Friends cohost Gretchen Carlson – a former Miss America and Stanford graduate – for claiming that she googled words such as "ignoramus" and "czar." Stewart believed that Carlson was dumbing herself down for "an audience who sees intellect as an elitist flaw.”

Stewart stepped up his criticism of Fox News in 2010; as of April 24, The Daily Show had 24 segments criticizing Fox News′ coverage. Moments later, Stewart defended his assertion: On April 30, 2009, Stewart apologized on his program, and stated he did not believe Truman was a war criminal: }}

Books

in New York.]]In 1998, Stewart released his first book, Naked Pictures of Famous People, a collection of humorous short stories and essays. The book reached The New York Times Best Seller List.

In 2004, Stewart and The Daily Show writing staff released , a mock high school history textbook offering insights into the unique American system of government, dissecting its institutions, explaining its history and processes, and satirizing such popular American political precepts as "one man, one vote", "government by the people," and "every vote counts." The book sold millions of copies upon its 2004 release and ended the year as a top fifteen best-seller.

Film and television acting

Although best known for his work on The Daily Show, Stewart has also had roles in several films and television series.

His first film role was a minor part in The First Wives Club but his scene was deleted. In 1995, Stewart signed a three-year deal with Miramax. He played romantic leads in the films Playing by Heart and Wishful Thinking. He also had supporting roles in the romantic comedy Since You've Been Gone and in the horror film The Faculty. Other films were planned for Stewart to write and star in, but they were never produced. Stewart has since maintained a relationship with Miramax founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein and continues to appear in films they have produced including Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Doogal and the documentary Wordplay.

He also appeared in Half Baked as an "enhancement smoker" and in Big Daddy as Adam Sandler's roommate; he has joked on the Daily Show and in the documentary The Aristocrats that to get the role he slept with Sandler. Stewart often makes fun of his appearances in the high-profile flop Death to Smoochy, in which he played a treacherous television executive, and the animated film Doogal, where he played a blue spring named Zeebad that shot a freeze ray from his mustache. In 2007, Stewart made a cameo appearance as himself in Evan Almighty, which starred former Daily Show correspondent Steve Carell. In the movie, Stewart was seen on a television screen in a fictional Daily Show episode poking fun at Carell's character for building an ark.

Stewart had a recurring role in The Larry Sanders Show in which he played himself as an occasional substitute and possible successor to late-night talk show host Larry Sanders (played by Garry Shandling). In 1998, Stewart hosted the television special, Elmopalooza, celebrating 30 years of Sesame Street. He has guest-starred on other sitcoms such as The Nanny, Dr Katz, Professional Therapist, Spin City, NewsRadio, American Dad, and The Simpsons. He has also made guest-appearances on the children's television series Between the Lions, Sesame Street and Jack's Big Music Show.

Producing

In the mid-1990s, Stewart launched his own production company named Busboy Productions. The name of the company is a reference to Stewart's previous job as a busboy. The company's production logo features the sound of a glass being knocked over followed by a voice whispering "Oops. Sorry." Stewart signed a deal with Miramax to develop projects through his company, but none of his ideas were ever produced. After Stewart's success as host and producer of The Daily Show, he revived Busboy Productions with Daily Show producers Ben Karlin and Rich Korson. In 2002, Busboy planned to produce a sitcom for NBC starring Stephen Colbert, but the show did not come to fruition.

In 2005, Comedy Central reached an agreement with Busboy to finance the production company. Comedy Central has a first-look agreement on all projects, then Busboy is free to shop them to other networks. The deal spawned the Daily Show spin-off The Colbert Report. Other projects include the sitcom pilot Three Strikes, the documentary Sportsfan, the series Important Things with Demetri Martin, and the film The Donor.

WGA strike of 2007–2008

Stewart was an important factor in the unionization of the writers for Comedy Central. The Daily Show writers were the first of Comedy Central's writers to be able to join the guild, after which other shows followed.

He supported the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, commenting on The Daily Show episode just before the strike in a sarcastic manner about how Comedy Central had made available all of the episodes for free on their website, but without advertising, and said 'go support our advertisers'. The show went on hiatus when the strike began, as did other late night talk shows. Upon Stewart's return to the show on January 7, 2008, he refused to use the title The Daily Show, stating that "The Daily Show" was the show made with all of the people responsible for the broadcast, including his writers. During the strike, he referred to his show as A Daily Show with Jon Stewart until the strike ended on February 13, 2008. Stewart, as well as several other late night talk shows, returned to TV early in January even though the strike was not over, because their stage crews and production teams were suffering much more than the writers from the financial crunch, and by that point had been out of work for two months.

The Writers Guild Strike of 2007–2008 was also responsible for a notable mock feud among Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Conan O'Brien in early 2008. Without writers to help fuel their witty banter, the three comedians concocted a crossover/rivalry in order to garner more viewers during the ratings slump. Stephen Colbert made the claim that because of "the Colbert bump", he was responsible for Mike Huckabee's success in the 2008 presidential race. Conan O'Brien claimed that he was responsible for Huckabee's success because not only had he made mention of him on his show, but also that he was responsible for Chuck Norris' success (Norris backed Huckabee). In response, Stewart claimed that he was responsible for the success of O'Brien, since Stewart had featured him on The Jon Stewart Show, and in turn the success of Huckabee. This resulted in a three-part comedic battle between the three pundits, with all three appearing on each other's shows. The feud ended on Late Night with Conan O'Brien with a mock brawl involving the three talk-show hosts.

Honors

Stewart and the rest of the members of The Daily Show have received two Peabody Awards for "" and "", covering the 2000 presidential election and the 2004 presidential election, respectively.

In the December 2003 New Years edition of Newsweek, Stewart was named the "Who's Next?" person for the coming year of 2004, with the magazine predicting he would emerge as an absolute sensation in that year. (The magazine said they were right at the end of that year.)

Entertainment Weekly named Stewart as its "Entertainer of the Year" for 2004.

In 2004, Stewart spoke at the commencement ceremonies at his alma mater, William and Mary, and received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree. Stewart was also the Class Day keynote speaker at Princeton University in 2004, and the 2008 Sacerdote Great Names speaker at Hamilton College.

In 2000, when he was labeled a "Democrat," he generally agreed, but described his political affiliation as "more socialist or independent" than Democratic.

Asteroid 116939 Jonstewart, discovered April 15, 2004, is named in his honor.

Stewart was also named one of the 2005 Time 100, an annual list of 100 of the most influential people of the year by Time Magazine.

In addition, Stewart and The Daily Show received the 2005 NCTE George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language.

Stewart was presented an Honorary All-America award by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) in 2006.

On April 21, 2009, President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made Stewart a chief.

On October 26, 2010, Stewart was named the Most Influential Man of 2010 by AskMen.com.

Grammy Awards

Stewart has hosted the Grammys twice, in 2001 and in 2002. In the middle of the 2001 broadcast – after laying a number of comedic duds – Stewart did what he encourages most public officials to do, and owned up to his bad hosting, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, I just want to say I feel your scorn and accept it." When Stewart returned to host the next year, his comedy was more successful. Joking about the performance of the song "Lady Marmalade", he said, "Our next performance is from the movie Moulin Rouge!, a film about a time when the whorehouses were about the music!" When the award winners for Album of the Year walked up on stage, many in number, Stewart quipped, "I don't know what you may have heard, but you were only supposed to go on stage if you worked on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, not if you heard it."

Oscars

On January 5, 2006, Stewart was officially announced as the host of the 78th Academy Awards, which were held March 5 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Responding to press questions at the time of his selection, Stewart remarked: "As a performer, I'm truly honored to be hosting the show. Although, as an avid watcher of the Oscars, I can't help but be a little disappointed with the choice. It appears to be another sad attempt to smoke out Billy Crystal." (According to The New York Times, Oscar producer Gil Cates knew Crystal was going to be performing 700 Sundays during the time period and was not able to host.) On the Monday before the Oscars, Stewart told Larry King that he was more "excited" than nervous about the job and joked that if he turned out a failure, he could be "bumped down to public access". When asked what the opening would be, the comedian chastised himself by comparing a Stewart opening to a "Gene Rayburn homage". Instead, the opening segment, preceding Stewart's monologue, featured several recent hosts "declining" to host the show.

Critical response to Stewart's performance was mixed. Roger Ebert compared him favorably to legendary Oscar host Johnny Carson. Other reviewers were less positive; Tom Shales of The Washington Post said that Stewart hosted with “smug humorlessness.” James Poniewozik of Time said that Stewart was a bad host, but a great “anti-host” in that he poked fun at parts of the broadcast that deserved it, which lent him a degree of authenticity with the non-Hollywood audience. Stewart and correspondent John Oliver later poked fun at his lackluster reception on The Daily Show's coverage of the 79th Academy Awards by saying that the "demon of last year's Oscars had finally been exorcised."

Stewart also hosted the 80th Academy Awards on February 24, 2008. Reception this time, however, was far more positive.

Personal life

In 2000, Stewart married Tracey McShane, his girlfriend of four years. The couple met on a blind date set up by a production assistant on Stewart's film, Wishful Thinking. On June 19, 2001, Stewart and his wife filed a joint name change application and legally changed both of their surnames to "Stewart." He proposed to his future wife through a personalized crossword puzzle created with the help of Will Shortz, the crossword editor at The New York Times. The couple had their first child, Nathan Thomas Stewart (named after Stewart's grandfather), They also have a cat named Stanley and two pit bull terriers, Monkey and Shamsky (named after former Major League Baseball player Art Shamsky).

Filmography

Bibliography

Naked Pictures of Famous People (Rob Weisbach Books, 1998) ISBN 0688171621

(Warner Books, September 2004) ISBN 0-446-53268-1

(Grand Central Publishing, 2010) ISBN 978-0446579223

References

External links

in 2010 in 2005 in 2004

Collected news and commentary at The New York Times

Category:1962 births Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:Actors from New York City Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American media critics Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American political pundits Category:American satirists Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television personalities Category:College of William & Mary alumni Category:Criticism of journalism Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish comedians Category:Living people Category:Male comedians Category:Peabody Award winners Category:People from Mercer County, New Jersey Category:People from New York City Category:New York Democrats Category:Thurber Prize for American Humor winners Category:William & Mary Tribe athletes

Name	Ira Glass
Birth date	March 03, 1959
Birth place	Baltimore, MD, United States
Show	This American Life
Station	WBEZ
Network	Public Radio International
Timeslot	Syndication
Style	Presenter
Country	United States
Web	Official website

Ira Glass (born March 3, 1959) is an American public radio personality, and host and producer of the radio and television show This American Life.

Early life

Glass was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Barry Glass, an accountant, and Shirley Glass, a psychologist and infidelity researcher. He attended Milford Mill High School in Baltimore County where he was active in student theater. He attended Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois, but transferred to Brown University, where he concentrated in semiotics and graduated in 1982.

Career

Radio broadcasting

Glass has worked in public radio for some 30 years. He began as an intern at National Public Radio. He was a reporter and host on several NPR programs, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Talk of the Nation. Glass wrote,

"The very first National Public Radio show that I worked on was Joe Frank's. I think I was influenced in a huge way... Before I saw Joe put together a show, I had never thought about radio as a place where you could tell a certain kind of story."

From November 1990 until September 1995, he co-hosted, with NPR producer Gary Covino a weekly, local program on Chicago Public Radio called The Wild Room. In 1993, Glass said,

“I like to think of it as the only show on public radio other than Car Talk that both Daniel Schorr [NPR news analyst] and Kurt Cobain [lead singer/guitarist of Nirvana] could listen to. I think it’s appropriate that the show [which aired on Friday evenings] is on a station that most people don’t listen to at a time when most people won’t hear it. And the fact that public radio never puts a new show on the air or takes any off is definitely to our advantage.”

During this time, he spent two years reporting on the Chicago Public School System—one year at a high school, and another at an elementary school. The largest finding of his investigations was that smaller class sizes would contribute to more success in impoverished, inner-city schools.

In 1995, the MacArthur Foundation approached Torey Malatia, general manager of Chicago Public Radio, with an offer of $150,000 to produce a show featuring local Chicago writers and performance artists. Malatia approached Glass who countered that he wanted to do a weekly program with a budget of $300,000. In 1998, Covino told the Chicago Reader, "The show he proposed was The Wild Room. He just didn't call it The Wild Room." Covino continued to produce The Wild Room until February 1996.

Glass invited David Sedaris to read his essays on NPR, which led to Sedaris's success as an independent author; Glass also produced Sedaris' commentaries on NPR.

Since 1995, he has hosted and produced This American Life, from WBEZ. The show was nationally syndicated in June 1996 by Public Radio International and has been national ever since. PRI was eager to take on the program even as NPR passed on the program.

It reaches over 1.7 million listeners on over 500 stations weekly, with an average listening time of 48 minutes. Glass can be heard in all but one episode.

On November 17, 2005, This American Life celebrated its 10th anniversary. The following week, as a special show celebrating the anniversary, the first episode, "New Beginnings", was re-broadcast. Prior to this, the first episode had never been aired outside of Chicago. When the first episode was broadcast in 1995, the show was known as Your Radio Playhouse. That first episode includes interviews with talk-show host Joe Franklin and Ira's mother, as well as stories by Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired, and filmmaker, performance artist Lawrence Steger.

In May 2009, the This American Life radio show was broadcast live to over 300 movie theaters.

2009 recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Radio.

Other works

While in high school, he wrote jokes for Baltimore radio personality Johnny Walker.

In September 1999, Ira collaborated on a comic book, Radio: An Illustrated Guide, with Jessica Abel. The book showcases how This American Life is produced, and how to produce your own radio program.

In 2006, he served as one of the executive producers of the feature film Unaccompanied Minors. It is based on the true story of what happened to This American Life contributing editor Susan Burton and her sister Betsy at an airport on the day before Christmas. Burton had already produced a segment on This American Life about the same experience before the story was adapted to film.

In October 2007, he published the anthology The New Kings of Nonfiction.

On March 22, 2007, Glass and company began airing a television version of This American Life as half-hour episodes on the Showtime network. During an interview with Patt Morrison on 89.3 KPCC, Southern California Public Radio, Glass said that he lost 30 lb (13.5 kg) for this venture. The show aired for thirteen episodes over two seasons, and ended in 2009 because of the heavy workload required to produce it.

Appearances

On April 25, 2008, Glass again appeared on The Late Show. On April 22, 2009, Glass appeared as the featured guest on The Colbert Report. He also was on TBTL on September 18, 2009. Glass served as the monologist for ASSSSCAT at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York on February 21, 2010. He appeared in a green motion capture suit in a John Hodgman segment on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Thursday, November 4, 2010.

References

See Also

Ira Flatow

External links

Official website

Ira Glass's Manifesto at the Transom.org

Ira Glass: Live and Uncut – Mother Jones interview. August 11, 1998

The Onion A/V Club's interview with Ira Glass, November 5, 2003

Category:American atheists Category:American radio personalities Category:American vegetarians Category:Brown University alumni Category:Radio personalities from Chicago, Illinois Category:National Public Radio personalities Category:People from Baltimore, Maryland Category:People from Wellesley, Massachusetts Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Public Radio International personalities Category:This American Life personalities Category:1959 births Category:Living people