Name	Network Ten
Logofile	NetworkTen.svg
Logosize	100px
Logoalt	Network Ten Logo
Launch	1 August 1964
Picture format	576i (16:9 SDTV)
Slogan	Seriously Good TV
Country	Australia
Language	English
Sister names	One Eleven
Broadcast area	Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth
Digital areas	Tasmania, Darwin, Mildura
Owner	Ten Network Holdings
Web	ten.com.au
Share	22.2% Nationally
Share as of	2009 Ratings Year
Share source	2009 ratings
Terr serv 1	Analogue
Terr chan 1	Normally tuned to 10
Terr serv 2	SD Digital
Terr chan 2	Channel 10
Sat serv 1	Foxtel
Sat chan 1	Channel 110
Sat serv 2	Austar
Sat chan 2	Channel 010
Cable serv 1	Foxtel
Cable chan 1	Channel 110
Cable serv 2	Optus TV
Cable chan 2	Channel 110

Network Ten (commonly known as Channel Ten or simply Ten), is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country. Ten consistently rates third amongst all channels in Australia's five largest cities, behind the Seven Network and Nine Network.

History

Origins

From the introduction of TV in 1956 up until 1965 there were only two commercial television networks in Australia, the Nine Network and the Seven Network, and the public broadcaster the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. However, in the early 1960s, the federal government began canvassing the idea of licensing a third commercial television station in each city. This decision was seen by some as a way for the government to defuse growing public dissatisfaction with the dominance of imported overseas programming and the paucity of local content.

Structurally, the Australian television industry was closely modelled on the two-tiered system that had been in place in Australian radio since the late 1930s. One tier consisted of a network of publicly funded television stations run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which was funded by government budget allocation and (until 1972) by fees from television viewer licences. The second tier consisted of the commercial networks and independent stations owned by private operators, whose income came from selling advertising time.

Founded in 1965, the new television network was initially dubbed the "Independent Television System" or ITS, but in 1970 adopted the title The 0–10 Network which reflected the names of the first two stations in the group. In the early 1990s, Ten also referred to itself by the backronym "The Entertainment Network" in network promotions.

ATV-0 in Melbourne opened on 1 August 1964, and was owned by the Ansett transport and media group, which at the time owned one of Australia's two domestic airlines. TEN-10 in Sydney, which opened on 5 April 1965, was originally owned by United Telecasters Sydney Ltd (UTSL), who also in July that year opened TVQ-0 in Brisbane. Also opened that month was SAS-10, serving the city of Adelaide in South Australia.

1970s

Over the next few years more stations opened in other capitals and regional centres, and gradually these new stations affiliated with the 0–10 Network. But the Seven Network and the Nine Network were already well entrenched, and for its first five years the 0–10 Network led a hand-to-mouth existence. By the beginning of the 1970s the network was in a precarious financial position and there were predictions that it would fail.

The network's salvation came thanks to the adult soap opera serial Number 96, which premiered in March 1972 on the very night "Australian TV lost its virginity". The series broke new ground for Australian television and captured the imagination of viewers like few programs before or since. For the next three years it was consistently Australia's top-rating television program and, not surprisingly, its huge popularity attracted advertisers to Ten en masse, with the result that its revenue exploded from just $1 million in 1971 to more than $10 million in 1972.

However, the pattern of ratings dominance was already set, and since the mid-1960s there has been little deviation from the prevalent rankings, with the Nine Network typically in first place, the Seven Network second, Network Ten third and ABC TV fourth.

The gradual evolution of Network Ten into its current form has its origins in the ongoing attempts by media mogul Rupert Murdoch to acquire a prized commercial television licence in Australia's largest capital city market, Sydney. This began when Murdoch's News Ltd purchased the Wollongong station WIN Television in the early 1960s, around the same time he bought Festival Records. In 1977, frustrated by regulatory blocks that prevented him from expanding into the Sydney market, Murdoch sold WIN Television and purchased a 46% share in Ten Sydney.

In 1979, Murdoch made an unsuccessful takeover bid for the Melbourne-based Herald and Weekly Times media group. Although the bid failed, he gained a 50% stake in Ansett, which thus gave him control of Channel 0 in Melbourne. When Murdoch became an American citizen in 1985 so that he could expand his media empire in the United States, Australia's media ownership laws obliged him to dispose of the flagship television stations, which were sold to Northern Star, an offshoot of the Westfield Group conglomerate controlled by property tycoon Frank Lowy.

1980s

On 20 January 1980, the 0–10 Network became known as Network Ten to reflect ATV-0's transition to ATV-10 – although the Brisbane station continued to broadcast as TVQ-0 until 10 September 1988. On 27 December 1987, Adelaide's SAS-10 gave ADS-7 the affiliation rights of Network Ten, and became known as ADS-10.

Northern Star was badly hit by the stock market crash of 1987, having overcapitalised on the Network Ten acquisition, and in 1989 Westfield sold Network Ten to a consortium led by Charles Curran and former television journalist Steve Cosser.

1988 finally saw the launch of NEW-10 in Perth after the introduction of satellite facilities made it economical for the network to broadcast to Western Australia.

In 1989, Ten's ratings were in decline, so on 23 July 1989, recently recruited network boss Bob Shanks relaunched Network Ten as 10 TV Australia and introduced several new programs, including four new prime time game shows. However, by the end of 1989 the ratings had failed to improve and most of the new programs were canceled, except for its Eyewitness News newscasts, Neighbours and E Street.

1990s

In 1990, both Network Ten and the Seven Network filed for receivership. In 1992, the network's flagship stations were sold to the Canadian-based CanWest media group, which held a controlling stake in the network until 2009. Ten also has an affiliate broadcasting agreement with Southern Cross Broadcasting, which owns numerous regional stations in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania.

Network Ten was nearly folded into the Seven Network in the early 1990s, but due to the lobbying power of billionaire Kerry Packer, former owner of the Nine Network, this was successfully resisted.

2000s

Network Ten enjoyed its best year since the 1970s in 2004, at one stage threatening to overtake Channel Seven as the second-runner to the long-leading Channel Nine. However ratings for Network Ten have been average, always finishing 3rd in every ratings year since 2000.

In 2005, it was revealed that Canwest was in discussions with newspaper publisher John Fairfax Holdings about a possible sale of the network, after the federal government had indicated it may consider relaxing Australia's media cross-ownership laws. Previously, newspaper owners could not own television stations in the same city. Fairfax owned the Seven Network until the mid 1980s, and has been looking for a way back into television for a long time.

On 21 August 2005, the network celebrated its 40th birthday with a two-hour highlights package called Ten: Seriously 40 hosted by Bert Newton and Rove McManus.

From 2006 to 2008, Ten was the official broadcaster of the Sydney New Year's Eve Fireworks. The rights have since returned to the Nine Network from 2009.

Along with the Seven Network, Network Ten paid A$780 million for the rights to the Australian Football League. Some media commentators, however, believe the figure may have been overpriced given the fact that both Seven and Ten struggled to onsell games to Pay TV provider Foxtel. Ten eventually brokered a deal that saw Foxtel gain the rights to 4 live games each round, as well as replay rights for all games, shown on their Fox Sports One channel. Foxtel will pay an estimated $50 million a year for these rights.

On 7 August 2007, Network Ten and Foxtel officially signed a new agreement allowing Ten's digital signal to be transmitted via Foxtel’s cable and satellite services. Prior to this, Network Ten was only transmitted via cable on Foxtel in an analogue format and Austar in Std Digital via Mystar. Similarly in October 2007, Network Ten and Optus announced that Ten's digital signal would be available on its cable network from 1 December 2007.

On 14 September 2007, Network Ten officially announced Ten HD, the first new commercial television channel in metropolitan areas of Australia since 1988. On 16 December 2007, Ten HD was officially launched with the high-definition movie, Black Hawk Down. Ten HD ceased broadcasting on 25 March 2009 to be replaced by a sports-only High Definition channel, One HD.

On 24 September 2009, Canwest announced that it was selling its 50.1% stake in Ten Network Holdings for A$680 million dollars, in order to pay down its significant debt. As a result, Canwest most recently filed for bankruptcy.

2010s

On 26 August 2010, Ten confirmed that it would be launching its third digital channel, entitled Eleven, 11 January 2011. The network indicated that Eleven would be aimed toward a "distinctly youthful" audience between the ages of 13 and 29, with programs such as Neighbours and The Simpsons migrating to the new channel. As part of its plans, Ten said that it was planning a joint venture with the international distributor CBS Studios International to provide content for the new channel.

Southern Cross Ten, a regional affiliate of the network, is upgrading its broadcast operations in preparation for the arrival of the new channel.

On 20 October 2010, four years after he sold shares in PBL Media to private equity firm CVC Asia Pacific, James Packer made a bid for Network TEN shares. He purchased 16 per cent of TEN through his traditional investment bank, UBS.

Ten began the new year in 2011 with the introduction of its third digital channel Eleven on 11 January with the Late Late Show at 11am.

Programming

Ten's current Australian programming lineup consists of television shows including: The Circle, The 7PM Project, Ready Steady Cook, The Biggest Loser, Bondi Rescue, Before the Game, Rush, Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation, Recruits, MasterChef Australia, Bondi Vet, Totally Wild, Toasted TV, Video Hits, Good News Week, Outback 8 and Offspring.

Network Ten relies heavily on its CBS and Fox output deals. The Simpsons has been a staple of the network for over two decades, with repeat episodes screening every day at 6:00 pm. Other overseas programming on Ten includes; Futurama, House, Late Show with David Letterman, Law & Order, , , , Medium, Malcolm in the Middle, The X-Files, NCIS, NUMB3RS, Supernatural, , The Office, Rules of Engagement, Californication, Dexter, One Tree Hill, The Good Wife, Cops, The Cleveland Show. Lie to Me, Accidentally on Purpose, The Bold and the Beautiful, Burn Notice, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Judge Judy, Glee, White Collar, Merlin, Undercover Boss and Modern Family. Ten have also announced The Deep End for 2010.

Network Ten currently broadcasts feature films from 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures as a result of their studio output deals.

The network also broadcasts catalogue titles from Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures produced prior to 2007 and Universal Pictures produced prior to 2008. The broadcast rights to more recent titles from Columbia/Sony and Universal now belong to the Nine Network and the Seven Network, respectively.

News & Current Affairs

Network Ten's news service is called Ten News. It produces the following bulletins/programs; Ten Early News, Ten Morning News, Ten News at Five, 6PM with George Negus, Ten Evening News, The 7PM Project, Ten Late News, Sports Tonight, and Meet The Press.

In November 2006, Network Ten struck a deal with CBS, reportedly worth $6 Million a year. This allows Network Ten the rights to air all CBS News footage, as well as access to its 60 Minutes, Dr. Phil, Late Show with David Letterman and 48 Hours programs. This deal occurred after CBS's talks with the Nine Network broke down, with Nine refusing to pay $8 million a year to continue its 40-year deal with CBS. Ten in turn struck a cheaper deal, and has onsold CBS's 60 Minutes stories to Nine.

Sport

In 2002, Ten acquired partial broadcast rights for Saturday afternoon and Saturday night games in the Australian Football League, the elite Australian rules football competition, displacing the Seven Network which had held the rights for more than 40 years. The deal also assigned the exclusive rights for finals broadcasting to Network Ten. Ten subsequently placed a successful bid to jointly broadcast the game from 2007 to 2011, jointly with Seven.

Ten has continued to broadcast the Saturday component of the competition. However, unlike the previous deal Ten will not hold the exclusive rights to the finals series. Instead, the networks will share the broadcasting of the finals series and will alternate the broadcast of the grand final. In years when Ten does not televise the Grand Final (2008 and 2010), it will show the Brownlow Medal presentation.

Network Ten broadcast the AFL and the Rugby World Cup 2007 in the 1080i High Definition format. As of 2008, AFL matches have been shown in prime time in all capital cities except Sydney, which receives the telecast usually after 10:30pm unless the Sydney Swans are playing. Previously, all AFL matches were replayed into the Brisbane and Sydney markets, usually after 10:30pm unless the Brisbane Lions or Sydney Swans were playing. In 2007, all of the finals Network Ten were assigned to were shown live into both markets although neither the Lions or Swans were participating, thus putting it head to head with the NRL finals which were aired on the Nine Network. Before 2005, all finals were delayed into both markets unless their teams were playing.

Ten used to air the National Rugby League (NRL) (then New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) in the 1980s and early 1990s, but the Nine Network took over the rights.

Network Ten also used to air the National Basketball League (NBL) during the mid-90s, but after delegating games to extremely late night time slots the network eventually ended its broadcasting. In March 2010 however, it was announced that Ten and One HD would show NBL games for the next 5 years. Starting with 2 games per week, and raising to 5 per week in the 2014/15 season. It was also revealed that they would show Boomers and Opals games.

Network Ten used to air WWF RAW, WWF Superstars and WWF Pay Per Views on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights between 1995 and 1999, but this ended when Foxtel bought the rights to air the shows. Originally WWF programming was aired on a week delay when broadcasting of the programming started in 1995. Until 1998, WWF Superstars was changed to a 6 month delay due to financial reasons with the exception of WWF RAW and WWF Pay per views.

In 2003, Network Ten started broadcasting the Formula One World Championship. In 2007 they also started showing coverage of the qualification on tape delay early on Sunday mornings in most states. In 2008, Ten introduced live coverage of race day on its HD channel, Ten HD (Now ONE HD). All races from the French Grand Prix onwards have been shown live on Ten HD (Now ONE HD). As a result, standard definition coverage has enjoyed less focus and now airs at a later time. Network Ten holds the rights to Formula One until the end of 2010.

Network Ten broadcasts major sporting events including; the Formula 1, AFL Premiership Season and Finals (In conjunction with the Seven Network and Foxtel), Moto GP World Championship, NASCAR (TEN HD from 2008), and the Red Bull Air Race World Series. Ten also holds the rights to the 2007 Rugby World Cup and the US Masters golf tournament.

As well as this, Network Ten, in joint partnership with subscription television provider Foxtel, has broadcast rights for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

First time realising the need to broadcast cricket in Australia to increase viewership, Network Ten bought the broadcast rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL) Cricket, which started on 18 April 2008. The network will broadcast the event annually for the next 5 years although there is some doubt that the Australian contracted national players will be available for the tournament.

Ten's current Sports channel ONE HD, mainly AFL, netball & other sports.

Availability

Network Ten is simulcast in analogue, standard definition and formerly in 1080i high definition. Ten is broadcast in metropolitan areas via Network Ten owned-and-operated stations, these include TEN Sydney, ATV Melbourne, TVQ Brisbane, ADS Adelaide, and NEW Perth. Channel Ten programming is also carried into other areas of regional Australia by various affiliate networks and stations including Southern Cross Ten, Southern Cross Television, Tasmanian Digital Television, Mildura Digital Television, Darwin Digital Television, Ten West and WIN Television. In addition to this, Network Ten is retransmitted via Foxtel, Optus and Austar Digital cable and satellite pay television services.

Just prior to the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Network Ten broadcast , a documentary that examined conspiracy theories about the terrorist attacks. Federal Labor politician Michael Danby demanded that the programming director of the station be sacked.

Network Ten were highly criticised for their broadcast of the 2006 New Year's Eve celebrations, mostly for the sexual innuendo witnessed between high-profile musician John Foreman and Matthew Newton, who is TV legend Bert's son. Many other complaints were received, particularly in regards to the use of explicit language and crude humour (including a "pashing contest"). This was the first year Ten broadcast the celebrations and fireworks, with Nine Network previously broadcasting the event since 1995.

On 8 October 2008, The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found Network Ten guilty of breaching the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice by using subliminal advertising during the broadcast of the 2007 ARIA Music Awards on 28 October 2007. Network Ten had inserted single frames (lasting 1/25th of a second) into the program broadcast. This was exposed on ABC's Media Watch program.

Logos

From 1964 to 1983-84, Network Ten's four stations had different logos to identify themselves, plus two official network-wide logos from 1965 to 1981. By 1984, ATV-10, SAS-10 and TEN-10 had the circle with the word TEN in capital letters, inspired by TVQ-0 Brisbane's 1983 TV0 logo, with the word TV inside a circle. By January 1988, these all changed to the X TEN logo, except in Perth's NEW-10, which was launched in May, and Brisbane, which adopted the logo in September when TVQ changed channels from 0 to 10, all in the same year. The following year, it was changed into the 10 TV Australia logo, and by 1991 into the TEN logo of today.

References

External links

Corporate Site

Official YouTube channel

Category:Australian television networks Category:Television channels and stations established in 1964

Name	Michael Weatherly
Caption	On the set of NCIS in 2008
Birthname	Michael Manning Weatherly, Jr.
Birthdate	July 08, 1968
Birthplace	New York City, United States
Occupation	Actor
Yearsactive	1991 – present
Spouse	Amelia Heinle (1995–97; divorced) 1 child: August Manning WeatherlyBojana Jankovic (2009–present)
Domesticpartner	Jessica Alba (2001–03)

Michael Manning Weatherly, Jr. (born July 8, 1968) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo on the television series NCIS, and Logan Cale on the television series Dark Angel.

Early life

Weatherly was born in New York City on July 8, 1968, and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, by parents Patricia, a hospital administrator, and Michael Manning Weatherly, Sr. He left his college to pursue acting. He also had a great passion for music, and played in a band while pursuing his acting career. He graduated from Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts, in 1986. Subsequently, he spent some time at the American University of Paris.

Career

Weatherly began his professional acting career with a minor television role on The Cosby Show as Theo Huxtable's roommate.

He then obtained the role of Cooper Alden on Loving and later, The City, which he would portray from 1992 until 1996.

With various guest spots on television he moved to Los Angeles. After moving, he landed a role as a series regular on the FOX television series Significant Others, with Jennifer Garner. The show only lasted six episodes. He then met director Whit Stillman, who cast him in the 1998 film The Last Days of Disco as Hap, opposite Chloë Sevigny.

He began his movie acting career in 1997 with Meet Wally Sparks, as Dean Sparks. In 2000, he had a role in Cabin by the Lake. This was followed by a role in the independent film Trigger Happy (2001) opposite Rosario Dawson.

He starred in Dark Angel for the two seasons it was on the air. This role earned him three award nominations, two Saturn awards for Best supporting actor on Television in 2001 and 2002, and one Teen Choice award for choice actor in 2001. During filming, Weatherly began a relationship with fellow co-star Jessica Alba, leading to an engagement in 2002, which was later broken off.

Since 2003, Weatherly has starred as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo on the CBS TV show NCIS.

He was a guest presenter at the Australian Logie Awards of 2007 on 6 May 2007 and was a guest on Rove Live. He also starred in the 2004 television film The Mystery of Natalie Wood, as Robert Wagner. Robert Wagner would later gueststar in the 150th episode of NCIS as the father of Michael's character, Tony DiNozzo.

Personal life

Weatherly married actress Amelia Heinle, who plays Victoria Newman on The Young and the Restless in 1995. On January 10, 1996, Heinle gave birth to the couple's son, August Manning Weatherly, in New York City. The couple divorced in 1997.

In 2001, Weatherly became engaged to his Dark Angel co-star Jessica Alba, but the couple broke up in 2003. In September 2009, Weatherly married internist Bojana Jankovic.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Saturn Awards

2001: Nominated, "Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series" – Dark Angel

2002: Nominated, "Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series" – Dark Angel

Soap Opera Digest Awards

1994: Nominated, "Hottest Male Star" – Loving

1995: Nominated, "Outstanding Younger Lead Actor" – Loving

Teen Choice Awards

2001: Nominated, "Choice TV Actor" – Dark Angel

References

External links

Michael Weatherly at Hollywood.com

Category:1968 births Category:Actors from Connecticut Category:Actors from New York Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American University of Paris alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Fairfield County, Connecticut Category:People from New York City

Name	Kelly Clarkson
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kelly Brianne Clarkson
Background	solo_singer
Born	April 24, 1982Fort Worth, Texas
Origin	Burleson, Texas, United States
Genre	Pop rock, pop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress
Instrument	Vocals, guitar
Years active	2002–present
Label	RCA Records
Url	www.KellyOfficial.com

Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson rose to fame after winning the first season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later represent the United States in the World Idol competition in 2003.

Clarkson has released four albums to date under RCA Records: her double-platinum debut album Thankful (2003), her multi-platinum second album Breakaway (2004) (which has won two Grammy Awards), My December (2007), and her latest album All I Ever Wanted (2009) (which was nominated for a Grammy Award). Her albums have sold over 10.5 million copies in the United States. Clarkson is the only American Idol contestant to have reached number one in the UK. She claimed number one on March 1, 2009, when "My Life Would Suck Without You" debuted number one on downloads alone. Clarkson is also ranked on the top 200 album sellers of the Nielsen SoundScan era at number 187.

Eleven of Clarkson's singles became Top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Her single, "My Life Would Suck Without You", advanced from No. 97 to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in its first week of release, breaking the record for the largest leap to the top position in chart history.

Clarkson has toured extensively worldwide as a solo act. Performing in other versions of American Idol such as Pop Idol, Swedish Idol, Canadian Idol and Australian Idol. After Clarkson's appearance on the CMT Crossroads and her duet version of "Because of You" (2007) with Reba McEntire, they co-headlined the 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour (2008). Billboard named Clarkson the "most successful American Idol of all time", factoring in album sales, singles sales, and radio plays. Billboard ranked Clarkson the #14 artist of the 2000-10 decade.

According to Nielsen SoundScan, Clarkson is the highest-selling Idol winner worldwide, with around 36 million singles and 23 million albums sold around the world.

Early life

Kelly Brianne Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up in the small town of Burleson, a suburb of Fort Worth. She is the third and youngest child of Jeanne Rose, a first grade teacher, and Stephen Michael Clarkson. Clarkson's siblings include her older brother and sister, Jason and Alyssa. When Clarkson was six years old, her parents divorced after seventeen years of marriage. The family settled in Burleson, where Clarkson's mother married her second husband, Jimmy Taylor.

Clarkson's family struggled financially, and after her parents divorced, music became her refuge. Clarkson attended Pauline G Hughes Middle School and Burleson High School. She wanted to become a marine biologist but changed her mind after seeing the movie Jaws. In seventh grade, a teacher (Mrs. Cynthia Glenn) overheard her singing in a hallway and asked her to audition for the school choir; Clarkson told the teacher that she had never received professional vocal training.

In high school, Clarkson performed in musicals such as Annie Get Your Gun, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Brigadoon. She sang at her high school talent show, after which an audience member shared some inspiring words with her: "God has given you this gift. You've got to sing. You're destined to sing." Clarkson continued singing and soon started classical training, hoping that music would be her ticket to a college scholarship.

Upon high school graduation, Clarkson was offered full scholarships to The University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, and Berklee, but decided against college because she had "already written so much music and wanted to try it on her own," and she figured "you're never too old to go to college." Choking back tears, Clarkson performed the ballad "A Moment Like This", the song written for the winner of American Idol, which would subsequently appear on her debut album, Thankful. When released as a single in October 2002, it set a record on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when it rose from number 52 to number one. This achievement was largely due to the impact from Idol as the CD single managed to sell 236,000 copies in its first week of sales in the U.S.; it spent five weeks at number one in Canada.

American Idol season 1 performances and results

{|class="wikitable" !Week # !Theme !Song choice !Original artist !Order # !Result |- |Audition |N/A |"Express Yourself "At Last" |MadonnaEtta James |rowspan="4"|N/A |rowspan="5"|Advanced |- |Top 121 |Hollywood round 1 |"Respect" |Aretha Franklin |- |Top 65 |Hollywood round 2 |"I Say a Little Prayer" |Dionne Warwick |- |Top 45 |Hollywood round 3 |"Save The Best For Last" |Vanessa L. Williams |- |Top 30 |Semifinal/Group 2 |"Respect" |Aretha Franklin |9 |- |Top 10 |Motown |"You're All I Need to Get By" ||Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell |8 |rowspan="7"|Safe |- |Top 8 |1960s |"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" |rowspan="2"|Aretha Franklin |rowspan="2"|5 |- |Top 7 |1970s |"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" |- |Top 6 |Big Band |"Stuff Like That There" |Betty Hutton |6 |- |Top 5 |Burt Bacharach Love Songs |"Walk On By" |Dionne Warwick |1 |- |Top 4 |1980s1990s |"It's Raining Men""I Surrender" |The Weather GirlsCeline Dion |37 |- |Top 3 |Judges' ChoiceIdol's Choice |"Without You""Think Twice" |BadfingerCeline Dion |36 |- |cTop 2 |Finale |"A Moment Like This""Respect""Before Your Love" |Kelly ClarksonAretha FranklinKelly Clarkson |246 |Winner |}

World Idol performance and results

Lincoln Memorial on September 11, 2002 following her win on American Idol.]] In December 2003, a competition titled World Idol was held at the Pop Idol stage in London, gathering the winners of the first seasons of Idol series around the world. Clarkson was contractually obligated to participate, and placed second behind Norwegian Idol Kurt Nilsen. She performed Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman". She left immediately after the competition, later explaining to fans that she was not feeling well.

2003–04: Thankful

Shortly following the completion of the first season of American Idol, Clarkson was accused of working with a record company. American Idol's rules stated that a contestant was not allowed to compete on the program if they had been linked to a record company. However, she was cleared of all allegations, as she only had a contract in order to conduct demonstration work.

Following the release of "A Moment Like This", Clarkson's full-length debut album Thankful was released in North America by RCA Records on April 15, 2003. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA for sales of two million copies on December 8, 2003 and platinum by the CRIA for sales of 100,000 copies on February 10, 2004. Thankful peaked at number forty-one on the UK albums chart and at number 33 on the Australian albums chart.

Reviews for the album were generally favorable. However, several critics noted that her early achievement was established due to her performances on American Idol. Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the album for its vocal ability: "throughout this record, [Clarkson] makes it seem effortless and charming. She can croon, she can belt out a song, she can be sexy and sassy while still being graceful and as wholesome as the girl next door". Rachel Kipp of JS Online criticized Clarkson for not having the same personality on Thankful that she had on American Idol, and wrote: "on American Idol, Clarkson showcased a great voice and an endearing, 'aw-shucks' personality. That personality is missing on Thankful, and there lies the album's greatest fault". Kipp blamed the producers behind the album for not allowing Clarkson to be herself. Clarkson covered Danielle Brisebois' "Just Missed the Train" on the album.

"Miss Independent" was released as the second single from Thankful. It reached the top ten of the U.S. and Canadian singles charts, and earned Clarkson a 2004 Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance". When the single was released in the United Kingdom and Australia, it reached the top ten of the charts. "Low", the third single from Thankful, reached number two in Canada, but it was unable to make the top 40 of the U.S. chart. The final single, "The Trouble with Love Is", was not released in Canada, and it failed to chart in the U.S.. Clarkson attributed the under performance of both releases to poor management and relieved her manager Simon Fuller, who she felt was not completely focused on her career.

2004–06: Breakaway

Distancing herself from her American Idol image, Clarkson took more creative control with her second studio album Breakaway, and developed a more rock-oriented image. Clarkson co-wrote six of the songs with songwriters such as former Evanescence band members Ben Moody, David Hodges and producer Max Martin; the title track was co-written by punk-pop singer Avril Lavigne.

Breakaway was released by RCA Records on November 30, 2004. The album debuted within the U.S. top five and Canadian top ten, but sales were initially low in comparison to Thankful. The singles from Breakaway were very successful, and the album become only the fourth album in history to stay in the Billboard 200 top 20 for a consecutive year, as well as being certified six times platinum in the U.S. in late 2007 and five times platinum in Canada in May, 2006. In Australia, the album reached number two and spent 52 weeks in the top ten and was certified six times platinum. Breakaway spent 103 weeks on the Billboard 200, and was the tenth best selling album of 2006 in the U.S..

Breakaway received different responses from critics; Rolling Stone commented that "on Kelly Clarkson's second album, ... she embraces her rock side rather than the pop pageantry that put her on top of the American Idol heap". TeenInk noted the strength of her vocals on Breakaway, and praised the change from pop music to contemporary rock: "[Clarkson] retains the incredible power and beauty of her voice while switching to rock". Stylus magazine also enjoyed Clarkson's foray into rock music, however, she was called out because of her American Idol image, which reviewer Charles Merwin believed she had yet to lose. He praised the non-singles and wrote that they "maintain a quality high". Allmusic called the album "a nice, low-key relief". , Australia.|thumb|left]] "Breakaway" served as the original song for (2004) and achieved considerable success across the world; it became Clarkson's third top-ten single in the U.S. and fourth top-ten single in Canada. It reached number ten in Australia, and number 22 in the UK. The second single, "Since U Been Gone", which was produced by Max Martin, became the most successful release from the album. It reached number two in the U.S. and the top five across the world. It also earned Clarkson her first Grammy Award for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance"; she won a second award for "Best Pop Vocal Album".

The third and fourth single releases, "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and "Because of You", also followed with chart success. The video for "Because of You" won the 2006 MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video, her second consecutive win in that category (following "Since U Been Gone"). Clarkson was the most-played artist of 2006 on American radio, despite releasing only one single in the entire year, "Walk Away" (the fifth single from Breakaway). She was also the most radio-broadcasted artist of 2006 in Australia and "Because of You" was the third most broadcast song of the same year, despite being released in 2005.

In 2005, Clarkson made a performance during the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend as part of the festivities leading up to the All-Star Game Later that year, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons She also performed that spring as part of the 2005 NCAA Final Four festivities in St. Louis, Missouri.

Clarkson performed during the festivities of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. In mid 2006, Clarkson lent Ford Motor Co. a song titled "Go", written by Clarkson and Rhett Lawrence ("Miss Independent"). The song was used in the company's advertising campaign in 2006, "Bold Moves" and the song, along with its music video, was made available free at Ford's AddictedtoKelly.com website (now defunct).

2006–08: My December

During her tour in Europe in 2006, Clarkson began writing songs for her third album, My December. The first single from My December was "Never Again", which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number eight. Clarkson released "Sober" as the second single. She returned to American Idol for the season 6 finale, performing "Never Again" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry during a Beatles medley.

Clarkson parted with her management, The Firm, in June 2007, amid low radio airplay for "Never Again" and low ticket sales for her then-upcoming tour. Clarkson would then sign with Starstruck Entertainment, run by Narvel Blackstock — the husband of Reba McEntire – on July 2, 2007. The same month, Live Nation announced that the tour—her first nationwide arena tour—had been canceled due to underwhelming ticket sales, to be rescheduled after the release of the My December album at smaller, more intimate concert environments. Clarkson reinstated plans to tour the U.S. during 2007, with a much smaller tour than the one she canceled in June. She began her My December Tour in October 2007 in venues significantly smaller than those previously booked. The August 2007 issue of Blender included a feature on Clarkson and her new album, as well as her music label woes.

My December was released in the U.S. on June 26, 2007. The album debuted at number two in the U.S. with 291,000 albums sold, a slightly higher debut than Clarkson's previous album, Breakaway, which debuted at number three. In Canada, the album was awarded a platinum certification for shipments of more than 100,000 copies. My December was certified platinum in December 2007 by the RIAA. It has sold more than three million copies worldwide.

In April 2007, Clarkson appeared on Idol Gives Back charity show aimed at raising money for tackling poverty, hunger and AIDS in Africa, as well as the Hurrican Katrina appeal. Clarkson noted that she was in a dispute with her record label bosses and executives as to which song to perform on the event; Clarkson refusing to perform her new single "Never Again" viewing it as simple self-promotion through a charitable event. She is quoted as saying,

She opted to perform Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain". After the performance, the audience who watched Clarkson perform live gave her a standing ovation. American Idol judge Simon Cowell described her as "incredible", saying, "When you let her [Clarkson] come back on the show it makes everybody else look like an amateur." On July 7, 2007, Clarkson performed on the American leg of Live Earth. Clarkson was the celebrity coach for Canadian Idol during its Top 5 week of the fifth season, aired on the CTV network on August 20, and she performed on the results show the next night. Clarkson also performed at the 2007 NFL opening kickoff where she sang the national anthem and songs from My December. Clarkson also performed in the halftime show for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets game on Thanksgiving Day.

In addition to her roles as spokeswoman for the acne treatment Proactiv as well as Vitaminwater, Clarkson partnered with NASCAR for the 2007 season. She appeared in televised advertising spots, performed at pre-race concerts, promoted NASCAR Day, and appeared at the Champions' Banquet in December. In April 2008, Clarkson participated in a Papal Youth Rally at the campus of St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie in Yonkers, New York performing a mini-concert for those in attendance. This was the Papal Visit of Pope Benedict XVI. She performed Schubert's "Ave Maria" for the Pope later in the day following the Pope's speech. Clarkson, raised a Baptist, was said to be honored by the invitation and appreciative of the rosary given to her and her band by the Pope, who were invited over by the Pope immediately following the performance for the rosary honor.

2008–10: All I Ever Wanted

Clarkson's fourth album, All I Ever Wanted, was released on March 10, 2009. During recording of the album, Clarkson worked closely with producer-songwriters Ryan Tedder, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Howard Benson, among others. In its first week of sales, it sold 255,000 copies in the U.S., debuting at number one on the Billboard 200; it stayed at number one for two weeks. All I Ever Wanted received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Pop Vocal Album". Clarkson was placed eighth on Billboard Magazine's Top Female Artists of 2009 and ninth on Billboard Magazine's Top Hot Artists of 2000s. She was ranked second on Billboard Magazine's Best of 2000s: Pop Song Artist, behind Pink.

The first single from All I Ever Wanted, "My Life Would Suck Without You", entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 97 and rose to number one the following week; this broke the record for the largest leap to the top spot, formerly held by Britney Spears' "Womanizer". It was Clarkson's first number one on the UK singles chart. The album's second single, "I Do Not Hook Up", peaked at number 20 in the U.S., and the third single, "Already Gone", reached number thirteen. The fourth single was "All I Ever Wanted". Clarkson performed as one of many guests for the return of VH1 Divas in September 2009.

Clarkson was announced as one of the VH1 Save the Music Foundation ambassadors for 2009–2010. She began her 32-date All I Ever Wanted tour in October, following a string of summer concerts around the United States. Clarkson toured all over the world with the album, reaching territories such as Europe, South Africa, Oceania and Asia.The fall tour shows were performed in arena/theater type venues, with the summer tour being performed in outdoor amphitheatres. Her Indonesia show was initially sponsored by tobacco company Djarum, but after complaints from some fans and anti-tobacco groups, the promoter removed the sponsor. The tour ended in May 2010 in China.

2010–present: Fifth studio album

In November 2009, Clarkson gave an interview to MTV.com saying that she was currently writing songs for her fifth studio album, and hoped for a late 2010 release. After numerous posts made by Clarkson via Twitter, she stated that Howard Benson is producing possible songs for the record. Benson produced songs for Clarkson’s previous album All I Ever Wanted. Clarkson announced via Twitter that her fifth album will probably be released in the beginning of 2011, she believes that the lead single will be out in January 2011 and that two duets may be on the album. Then on October 23, she tweeted she was working with Greg Kurstin. In December 2010, Clarkson debuted a new song entitled "You Still Won't Know What It's Like" at A Night for Hope in Nashville. On 13 January, Clarkson revealed through Facebook that her 5th studio album was supposedly to be released in March.

Collaborations

Clarkson performed "What Hurts the Most" with Rascal Flatts at the ACM Awards in 2006 and returned again to sing a duet with Reba McEntire in 2007. This was her second performance on a country music award show, even though she is in the pop/rock genre. Along with her performance with Rascal Flatts, Clarkson also performed "Cigarettes", with the country duo The Wreckers during one of their shows in Texas.

Building on her country music status, Clarkson and Reba McEntire, who first met after Clarkson won the first season of American Idol, recorded an hour-long CMT Crossroads special at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium on February 22, 2007. It aired on CMT and Palladia (then known as MHD) on June 24, 2007. Previously, Clarkson was a performer on CMT's Giants: Reba McEntire. where she sang McEntire's hit song "Why Haven't I Heard From You", introduced Dolly Parton, and later also sang Reba's hit "Does He Love You" with Martina McBride. Clarkson also appeared on an episode of McEntire's sitcom Reba, that aired on January 14, 2007.

At the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 16, 2007, Clarkson and McEntire sang a duet of Clarkson's own 2005 single, "Because of You", which also became the lead single from McEntire's album of all-star duets. The music video for this version of the song later debuted on June 20, 2007. This collaboration with McEntire earned Clarkson a CMA Award nomination for "Musical Event of the Year" in 2007 and a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Country Collaboration With Vocal" in 2008. Additionally, the song was featured on Now That's What I Call Country, which was released in August 2008.

Clarkson was a surprise guest at the 2007 CMA Music Festival in Nashville on June 7, 2007, where she performed "Does He Love You" and "Because of You" with Reba McEntire during the internationally-renowned annual event. The performance of "Because of You" was taped and aired as part of the "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night To Rock" television special that aired on ABC on July 23, 2007.

On January 17, 2008, Clarkson embarked on the 2 Worlds, 2 Voices Tour 2008, a co-headlining tour with Reba McEntire.

On May 18, 2008, Clarkson performed on stage at the Academy of Country Music Awards All-Star Jam with Reba McEntire and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks and Dunn. The All-Star jam is the final event of the week taking place immediately after the awards show. Clarkson was not announced ahead of time for an appearance.

On August 23, 2010, it was announced that Clarkson had recorded a duet called "Don't You Wanna Stay" with country star Jason Aldean for Aldean's upcoming album, My Kinda Party. They performed the song at the 2010 CMA Awards on November 10, 2010.

Film career

Soon after the first season of American Idol ended, Clarkson starred with Idol runner-up Justin Guarini in the movie From Justin to Kelly (2003). The film was poorly received by critics and grossed only $5 million at the North American box office, less than half its reported budget. Clarkson has mentioned in interviews that she is shocked when people send her scripts after From Justin to Kelly, often citing contractual obligation as her sole reason for involvement in the film. Clarkson was quoted telling People, "I knew when I read the script it was going to be real, real bad, but when I won, I signed that piece of paper and I could not get out of it." The script was written by Kim Fuller, Simon Fuller's brother.

She played Brenda Lee in the television drama American Dreams and appeared in the sitcom Reba. She also participated in sketch comedy on MADtv (2002) and Saturday Night Live (2005).

Musicianship and artistry

Clarkson's vocal talents and abilities have been met with praise from critics and celebrities alike. On an interview with Good Morning America, Simon Cowell was asked of the then six American Idol winners, who he thought had the best voice. Cowell immediately answered that Clarkson did "by a mile", noting that she was "up there" with other great singers such as Celine Dion.

Reflecting back on Clarkson's performance during the Idol Gives Back special, Jeff Beck described Clarkson as having a "soul voice" that "demands attention".

After attending a rehearsal for American Idol's season six finale (in which Clarkson was scheduled to perform), Blender magazine described Clarkson's voice as follows:

Arion Berger of Rolling Stone has said of Clarkson that "her high notes are sweet and pillowy, her growl is bone-shaking and sexy, and her midrange is amazingly confident for a pop posy whose career is tied for eternity to the whims of her American Idol overlords."

Dr. Luke, a songwriter and producer of some of Clarkson's hits stated that "She has powerful lungs. She's like the Lance Armstrong of vocal cords."

Discography

Thankful (2003)

Breakaway (2004)

My December (2007)

All I Ever Wanted (2009)

Filmography

(acting roles only) {|class="wikitable" |- style="text-align:center;" ! style="background:#b0c4de;" | Year ! style="background:#b0c4de;" | Title ! style="background:#b0c4de;" | Role ! style="background:#b0c4de;" | Episode ! style="background:#b0c4de;" | Awards |- |rowspan=4|2002 ||Sabrina the Teenage Witch ||rowspan=2| as an extra (uncredited) || || |- |That '80s Show || "Valentine's Day" (S1, Ep2) || |- |Issues 101 ||Crystal (as an extra) || Theatrical Film || |- |MADtv ||Herself / Skits || Season 8, Ep 1 || |- |rowspan=2|2003 ||From Justin to Kelly ||Kelly Taylor|| Theatrical Film || Nominated - Razzie Award for Worst ActressNominated - Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (with Justin Guarini) |- |rowspan=2| American Dreams ||rowspan=2| Brenda Lee || "And Promises To Keep" || |- |rowspan=2|2004 || "Tidings of Comfort and Joy" || |- |King of the Hill ||Herself / Dawn|| || |- | rowspan=2|2005 || Saturday Night Live ||Herself / Skits / Musical Guest|| Host – Jason Bateman || |- |Damage Control ||Herself||Season 1, Ep. 1 || |- |2007 ||Reba ||Kelly|| "As We Forgive Those" || |- |2009 || Saturday Night Live ||Herself / Musical Guest|| Host – Tracy Morgan || |}

Tours

Awards

References

Footnotes

Further reading

Jenkins, Debi. A profile of Kelly Clarkson—From Burleson, Texas to American Idol (2003). Local Celebrity. Retrieved February 11, 2006.

"Hooman interviews Kelly". KLLC Radio Alice 97.3. May 25, 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2006. ("[Clarkson's] parents were together for seventeen years, and then all of a sudden, something went wrong".) Phares, Heather. [ "Kelly—Biography"]. Allmusic. Retrieved February 11, 2006.

Lamb, Bill. "Kelly Clarkson—Profile". About.com. Retrieved February 11, 2006.

Phares, Heather. "Kelly Clarkson—Biography". Yahoo LAUNCHcast. Retrieved February 11, 2006.

International charting information. Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved February 12, 2006.

Kelly Gets Cocky. Idol winner fires Simon Fuller. PopSugar.com. Blog Archives. Retrieved February 25, 2006.

. E! Online. [Some films defy criticism.] Retrieved May 4, 2006.

Croatto, Pete. From Justin to Kelly. [Watching From Justin to Kelly, one question looms over the entire production: Why was this movie made?] Retrieved May 4, 2006.

External links

RCA Records — Kelly Clarkson

KellyClarkson.com — Official Fan club

Category:1982 births Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Actors from Texas Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American people of Greek descent Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American Idol winners Category:American pop singers Category:American record producers Category:American Christians Category:Baptists from the United States Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Texas Category:People from Fort Worth, Texas Category:RCA Records artists Category:English-language singers

Jensen Ross Ackles (born March 1, 1978) is an American actor. He is notable for his television roles as Eric Brady in Days of our Lives which earned him several Daytime Emmy Award nominations, as Alec/X5-494 in Dark Angel, and as Jason Teague in Smallville. Ackles now appears as Dean Winchester on the CW television series Supernatural.

Early life

Ackles was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Donna Joan (née Shaffer) and Alan Roger Ackles, an actor. Ackles has a brother, Joshua, who is three years older, and sister, Mackenzie, who is seven years younger. He is of English, Irish and Scottish ancestry. He had planned to study sports medicine at Texas Tech University and become a physical therapist but instead moved to Los Angeles to start his acting career.

Career

After modelling on and off since the age of 4, Ackles began to concentrate on an acting career in 1996. He appeared in several guest roles on Mr. Rhodes, Sweet Valley High, and Cybill before joining the cast of the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives as Eric Brady in 1997. He won a 1998 Soap Opera Digest Award for Best Male Newcomer and went on to be nominated three times (in 1998, 1999, and 2000) for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Days of our Lives.

Ackles departed Days of our Lives in 2000 and went on to appear in the mini-series Blonde, about the life of Marilyn Monroe. He also auditioned for the role of the young Clark Kent on Smallville, a role offered to actor Tom Welling instead. Next he appeared in a guest role on the James Cameron television series Dark Angel on Fox in 2001 as serial killer Ben/X5-493, the "brother" of main character Max/X5-452 (played by Jessica Alba). His character died in the episode, but Ackles returned to the show as a series regular in the second season as Ben's sane clone, Alec/X5-494. He remained with the show until its cancellation in 2002. co-star Jared Padalecki in 2008]]

Ackles worked steadily throughout 2003. He joined the cast of the WB's hit show Dawson's Creek during its final season, playing CJ, Jen Lindley's lover. Afterward, Ackles filmed several episodes of the unaired series Still Life for Fox before it was abruptly dropped. He also had a small role in the 2004 short film The Plight of Clownana. Ackles was the producer's first choice to play Eliza Dushku's love interest on the second season of Tru Calling, Ackles turned down the role, which was then offered to Eric Christian Olsen and the character's name was changed to "Jensen" because the producers of Tru Calling liked Ackles' name. Ackles returned to Vancouver (where Dark Angel was filmed) in 2004 to become a regular on Smallville playing the assistant football coach Jason Teague, who was also the newest romantic interest for Lana Lang (played by Kristin Kreuk). He also had a lead role in the 2005 film Devour in which Ackles' father, actor Alan Ackles, also had a role playing the father of Ackles' character, Jake Gray.

Most recently, Ackles joined the cast of the CW horror/drama series Supernatural in 2005, where he stars as Dean Winchester. Dean and his brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) drive throughout the United States hunting paranormal predators, sometimes with their father, (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). The sixth season began broadcast on September 24, 2010.

In the summer of 2007, Ackles took on the role of Priestly in the independent comedy Ten Inch Hero. The film began hitting the film festival circuit in early 2007 and Ackles received high praise for his comedic timing in the role. In February 2009, the film was released on DVD exclusively by Blockbuster Home Video. He also appeared on stage from June 5–10, 2007 with Lou Diamond Phillips in A Few Good Men at Casa Mañana Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas, as Lt. Daniel Kaffee. Ackles received strong praise for his work in this role, which was also his professional theatre debut.

In the summer of 2008, Ackles was cast in the remake of the cult film My Bloody Valentine 3D, which opened nationwide on January 16, 2009.

In summer of 2010, Ackles lent his voice as the Red Hood (Jason Todd) for the animated film, , which was released to DVD and Blu-Ray on July 27.

In October 22, 2010, Disney Interactive Studios announced that he will be voicing a character named Gibson in the video game, , which was released on December 7, 2010.

Personal life

After dating actress, model, and gymnast Danneel Harris for three years, and becoming engaged in November 2009, they married in Dallas, Texas on May 15, 2010.

Filmography

References

External links

Category:Actors from Texas Category:American film actors Category:American male models Category:American soap opera actors Category:American television actors Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:People from Dallas, Texas Category:1978 births Category:Living people

Caption	Lynch at the Glee premiere party, May 11, 2009
Birth date	July 14, 1960
Birth place	Dolton, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, comedian, singer
Years active	1981–present
Spouse	She was raised in an Irish Catholic family and attended Thornridge High School. Since then, she has starred in a series of films including Role Models, , Alvin & the Chipmunks, , Space Chimps, The Rocker, The Hammer, Another Cinderella Story, , and Spring Breakdown.
Colwidth	30em

External links

PlanetOut interview

AfterEllen.com interview with Jane Lynch

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Illinois Category:American comedians Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Cornell University alumni Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Illinois State University alumni Category:Lesbian actors Category:LGBT comedians Category:LGBT television personalities Category:LGBT people from the United States Category:LGBT Christians Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Cook County, Illinois Category:Women comedians Category:Second City alumni

Caption	Favre with the Vikings in October 2009
Width	200
Currentteam	Minnesota Vikings
Currentnumber	4
Currentpositionplain	Quarterback
Birthdate	October 10, 1969
Birthplace	Gulfport, Mississippi
Heightft	6
Heightin	2
Weight	222
College	Southern Mississippi
Draftyear	1991
Draftround	2
Draftpick	33
Debutyear	1991
Debutteam	Atlanta Falcons
Pastteams
Status	Active
Highlights
Statweek	17
Statseason	2010
Statlabel1	Pass attempts
Statvalue1	10,169
Statlabel2	Pass completions
Statvalue2	6,300
Statlabel3	Percentage
Statvalue3	62.0
Statlabel4	TD-INT
Statvalue4	508–336
Statlabel5	Yards
Statvalue5	71,838
Statlabel6	QB Rating
Statvalue6	86.0
Nfl	FAV540222

Brett Lorenzo Favre (; born October 10, 1969) is an American football quarterback. He is a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons (1991), Green Bay Packers (1992–2007), New York Jets (2008) and Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010). Favre is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 70,000 yards, the only quarterback to throw over 500 touchdowns, the only quarterback to throw over 300 interceptions, and the only quarterback to have over 10,000 pass attempts.

Favre started at the quarterback position for the University of Southern Mississippi for four years before being selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft by Atlanta (33rd overall). He was traded to Green Bay on February 10, 1992, for the 19th pick in the 1992 NFL Draft.

Favre became the Packers' starting quarterback in the fourth game of the 1992 season, and started every game through the 2007 season. He was traded to the New York Jets and started at quarterback for the 2008 season before signing with the Vikings on August 18, 2009 as their starting quarterback. He made an NFL record 297 consecutive starts (321 including playoffs).

He is the only player to win the AP Most Valuable Player three consecutive times (1995–97). He has led teams to eight division championships (1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009), five NFC Championship Games (1995, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2009), and two Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowl XXXI, Super Bowl XXXII), winning one (Super Bowl XXXI).

He holds many NFL records, including most career touchdown passes, most career passing yards, most career pass completions, most career pass attempts, most career interceptions thrown, most starts, most consecutive starts, most consecutive starts by a QB, most career victories as a starting quarterback, most sacked, and most fumbles.

Early years

Favre was born in Gulfport, Mississippi to Irvin (b. January 5, 1945 in Pass Christian, Mississippi – d. December 21, 2003 in Kiln, Mississippi) and Bonita (b. September 27, 1944 in Pass Christian, Mississippi) Favre, and raised in the small town of Kiln. Both his parents were schoolteachers in the Hancock County School District. He is of French and Choctaw ancestry; one of his paternal grandparents was a Native American affiliated with the Choctaw. He was the second of four children and attended Hancock North Central High School where he played baseball and football. Favre started for the Hancock North Central baseball team as an eighth-grader and earned five varsity letters. He played quarterback, lineman, strong safety, placekicker and punter in a primarily option, run-oriented offense coached by his father, Irvin Favre, who was the head coach of the team.

Irvin Favre said he knew his son had a great arm but also knew that the school was blessed with good running backs. As a result, in the three years Brett was on the team, his father ran the wishbone, a run-oriented offense. Favre rarely threw more than five passes in a game.

College career

After high school, Southern Mississippi offered Favre a scholarship (the only one he received). Southern Miss wanted him to play defensive back, but Favre wanted to play quarterback instead. Favre began his freshman year as the seventh-string quarterback and took over the starting position in the second half of the third game of the year against Tulane on September 19, 1987. Favre, despite suffering a hangover from the night before and vomiting during warm-ups, led the Golden Eagles to a come-from-behind victory with two touchdown passes.

On July 14, 1990, before the start of Favre's senior year at Southern Miss, he was involved in a near-fatal car accident. When going around a bend a few tenths of a mile from his parents' house, Favre lost control of his car, which flipped three times and came to rest against a tree. It was only after one of his brothers smashed a car window with a golf club that Favre could be evacuated to the hospital. In the ambulance, his mother was sitting with him. "All I kept asking [her] was 'Will I be able to play football again?'" Favre recalled later. Doctors would later remove of Favre's small intestine. Six weeks after this incident, on September 8, Favre led Southern Miss to a comeback victory over Alabama. Alabama coach Gene Stallings said, "You can call it a miracle or a legend or whatever you want to. I just know that on that day, Brett Favre was larger than life."

Favre continues to hold various Southern Miss football records. As of the end of the 2009 season, he held the career individual record in the following categories: most plays, most total yards gained, most passing yards gained, most completions made, and most passing attempts made. He had held the record for the most touchdowns scored (52), but it was later tied by quarterback Lee Roberts, who played for the school from 1995–98. Favre had 15 games over his career where he compiled more than 200 passing yards, making him the fourth all–time school leader in that category. Of those 15 games, five were 300-yard games, the most compiled by any of the school's quarterbacks. Additionally, he was the seasonal leader in total passing and total offense in all four of his seasons at Southern Miss.

Favre earned a teaching degree with an emphasis in special education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons (1991)

Favre was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round, 33rd overall in the 1991 NFL Draft. On July 19, 1991, Favre agreed to a three-year, $1.4 million contract with a reported signing bonus of $350,000. Atlanta coach Jerry Glanville did not approve of the drafting of Favre, saying it would take a plane crash for him to put Favre into the game. Favre's first pass in an NFL regular season game resulted in an interception returned for a touchdown. He only attempted four passes in his career at Atlanta, was intercepted twice, and completed none of them. Brett took one other snap, which resulted in a sack for an eleven yard loss.

Green Bay Packers (1992–2007)

Brett Favre played 16 seasons in Green Bay. During his time in Green Bay, Favre was the first NFL player to win three consecutive AP MVP awards. The only player to win four AP MVP Awards is Peyton Manning.

Beginnings (1992–1994)

In the second game of the 1992 season, the Packers played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers were leading 17–0 at halftime when head coach Mike Holmgren benched starting quarterback Don Majkowski and Favre played the second half. On his first regular season play as a Packer, Favre threw a pass that was deflected and caught by himself. Favre was tackled and the completion went for −7 yards. The Packers lost the game 31–3, chalking up only 106 yards passing.

In the third game of the 1992 season, Majkowski injured a ligament in his ankle against the Cincinnati Bengals, an injury severe enough that he would be out for four weeks. Favre replaced Majkowski for the remainder of the contest. Favre fumbled four times during the course of the game, However, down 23–17 with 1:07 left in the game, the Packers started an offensive series on their own 8 yard line. Still at the quarterback position, Favre completed a 42 yard pass to Sterling Sharpe. Three plays later, Favre threw the game–winning touchdown pass to Kitrick Taylor with 13 seconds remaining.

The following season Favre helped the Packers to their first playoff berth since 1982 and was named to his second Pro Bowl. After the season Favre became a free agent. General manager Ron Wolf negotiated Favre into a five-year, $19 million contract.

The Packers finished the 1994 season 9–7, advancing them to the playoffs in back to back years, a feat they had not accomplished since the Vince Lombardi era.

MVPs and Super Bowl seasons (1995–1997)

In 1995, Favre won the first of his three AP MVP awards. Favre led the Packers to an 11–5 record, Green Bay's best record in nearly thirty years. Favre passed for a career high of 4,413 yards, 38 touchdowns, and recorded a quarterback rating of 99.5, which was the highest of his career until he recorded a rating of 107.2 during the 2009 season. The Packers advanced to the NFC Championship Game after upsetting the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Game. The Packers lost the NFC Championship game to the Dallas Cowboys, marking the third year in a row the Packers season was ended by the Cowboys in the playoffs. Favre helped the Packers advance farther in the playoffs than any other Packer team since 1967, the season the Packers won Super Bowl II.

While being treated for various injuries, Brett Favre developed an addiction to vicodin, which became publicly known when he suffered a seizure during a hospital visit. Amid an NFL investigation, he went public to avoid any rumors about his condition. In May 1996, he went into treatment and remained in rehabilitation for 46 days. Had he chosen not to go, the NFL would have imposed a $900,000 fine. Favre led the Packers to their best season in 30 years in the 1996 season, winning his second consecutive MVP award in the process. The Packers led the NFL in points scored as well as fewest points scored against. Green Bay tied the Denver Broncos for the NFL's best regular season record, 13–3, defeated the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field in the playoffs. The Packers advanced to Super Bowl XXXI at the Louisiana Superdome, a short drive from Favre's hometown.

In Super Bowl XXXI, Favre completed 14 of 27 passes for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns. On the second play of the game, Favre threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to receiver Andre Rison. Favre also completed an 81-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman in the second quarter (then a Super Bowl record). Favre rushed for 12 yards and another touchdown, as the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI over the New England Patriots, 35–21. In their 19 games of the season, the Packers had a turnover ratio of plus 24, and outscored their opponents 100–48 in the playoffs.

Mid-career (1998–2002)

defense during the 2004 season.]] The Packers dominance in the NFC ended when they lost to the San Francisco 49ers in a wild card playoff game in 1998. Favre had rallied the team with a touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman with 1:56 remaining in the game to put the Packers up 27–23. However, Steve Young responded with a touchdown of his own to Terrell Owens with three seconds remaining to end the Packers season. Favre and the Packers failed for the first time since 1994 to at least reach the NFC championship game.

In the regular season finale of 2001, Favre was the target of minor controversy when, in a game against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium, he was sacked by the Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. It was Strahan's lone sack of the game and gave him the NFL's single–season sack record of 22.5, which topped Mark Gastineau's record of 22 set in 1984. Some analysts, such as Mike Freeman of The New York Times, expressed the opinion that Favre allowed himself to be sacked in order to allow Strahan to set the record.

On March 1, 2001, Favre signed a "lifetime" contract extension, which technically was a 10-year contract extension worth around $100 million.

Favre and the Packers continued posting positive results through the next few seasons. Through the 2004 season, the Packers had the longest streak of non-losing seasons (13) in the NFL, despite an 8–8 record under coach Ray Rhodes, a 9–7 season under coach Mike Sherman, and no playoff berths in either 1999 or 2000. The streak ended in 2005, with the Packers finishing 4–12 overall.

Later career & personal tragedies (2003–2006)

One day after his father died of a heart attack or stroke, Favre decided to play in a December 22, 2003, Monday Night Football game against the Oakland Raiders. The Packers traveled to Oakland where Favre passed for four touchdowns in the first half and 399 total yards in a 41–7 victory over the Raiders on international television (even receiving applause from "Raider Nation"). He completed 73.3% of his passes and finished the game with a passer rating of 154.9 – the highest of Favre's career and just 3.4 points shy of perfect. Afterwards, Favre said, "I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play. I love him so much and I love this game. It's meant a great deal to me, to my dad, to my family, and I didn't expect this kind of performance. But I know he was watching tonight." He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. He then went to his father's funeral in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Favre won an ESPY Award for his Monday Night Football performance.

A notable game in the 2004 season in which Favre and the Packers finished 10–6 was against the New York Giants. During the game, Favre suffered a concussion. He did not receive medical clearance to re-enter the game. Despite the concussion, Favre threw a 28-yard touchdown to Javon Walker on a fourth down play. Afterwards it was reported that Favre did not remember throwing the touchdown pass.

After the death of his father, a series of events related to Favre's family were reported in the media. In October 2004, ten months after the death of Favre's father, his brother-in-law, Casey Tynes, was killed in an all-terrain vehicle accident on Favre's Mississippi property.

Soon after in 2004, Favre's wife, Deanna Favre, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following aggressive treatment through 2004, she recovered. She created The Deanna Favre Hope Foundation which supports breast cancer education and women's breast imaging and diagnosis services for all women, including those who are medically underserved. Brett and Deanna's property in Hattiesburg, Mississippi was also extensively damaged by the storm. Favre elected to continue to play in the 2005 season.

For the 2005 season, the Packers, despite throwing for over 3,000 yards for a record 14th consecutive time, Favre had a below average season with only 20 touchdown passes and a league-leading 29 interceptions. The loss of guards Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle to free agency along with key injuries to Javon Walker, Ahman Green, Bubba Franks, among others, hampered Favre and the team. His passer rating was 70.9, 31st in the NFL and the worst single season rating of his career. After the disappointing season, many speculated that Favre would retire. However, on April 26, 2006, Favre announced that he would remain with the team for the 2006 season. Despite earlier comments that the 2006 season would be his last, Favre announced in a press conference on May 6, 2006, that he had not ruled out the possibility of returning beyond the 2006 season.

In the 2006 season, Favre suffered his first career shutout against the Chicago Bears. Later in the season, the New England Patriots shut out the Packers in a game where he was injured before halftime and could not complete the game. On September 24, 2006, he became just the second quarterback in NFL history to record 400 touchdown passes (Dan Marino being the first). He connected with rookie wide receiver Greg Jennings on a 5-yard pass that Jennings turned into a 75-yard touchdown play during a win against the Detroit Lions. He also became the first player ever to complete 5,000 passes in his career. On December 31, 2006, the Packers played their last game of the season, winning 26–7 against the Chicago Bears. It was his 22nd career win versus the Bears, moving him to an all-time record of 22–8.

Milestone season (2007)

On February 26, 2007, Brett Favre underwent minor arthroscopic ankle surgery in Green Bay, Wisconsin to remove a buildup of bone spurs in his left ankle.

's touchdown pass record on September 30, 2007, at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome]] Favre began the 2007 season trailing in a number of career NFL passing records. On September 16, 2007, Favre and the Packers defeated the New York Giants to give Favre his record setting 149th win, passing John Elway. On September 30, Favre threw a 16 yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings in a game against the Vikings. This was his 421st NFL touchdown pass, and set a new all time record, surpassing Dan Marino's 420.

On November 4, 2007, after the Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 33–22, Favre became only the 3rd quarterback to have defeated all thirty-one other current NFL teams. He joined Peyton Manning and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to do this, just the week after the two of them achieved the accomplishment. On Thanksgiving 2007, Favre led the Packers to a 37–26 win over the Lions, and brought the Packers to a 10–1 record. He won the Galloping Gobbler award, given by the broadcasters at Fox to the game MVP. Favre threw three touchdown passes for his 63rd career game with at least three touchdowns, surpassing Marino's former record of 62.

Favre led the Packers to a 13–3 regular season record, the NFC North championship, and the second seed in the NFC playoffs. Prior to the Packers' playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, Favre stated his desire to continue playing football for another season. In the Divisional Playoffs, Favre threw three touchdowns as the Packers cruised to a 42–20 victory over the Seahawks at a snowy Lambeau Field. The Packers' season ended the following week when they suffered a 23–20 overtime loss in the NFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. Negotiating sub-zero temperatures, Favre amassed 236 passing yards and two touchdowns, but also threw an interception in overtime that set up the Giants' game-winning field goal. Favre's 90-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver in the second quarter was the longest pass in Packers playoff history, and it extended Favre's NFL record for consecutive postseason games with a touchdown pass to 18. Favre stated after the game that he would make a decision more quickly than he has in the past regarding whether he would return for another season.

Favre's milestone 2007 season culminated with his selection to the 2008 Pro Bowl as the starting quarterback for the NFC, but an ankle injury forced him to withdraw.

Retirements and returns (2008)

Beginning near the end of the 2006 season, word began to surface that Favre was considering retirement. In fact, playing in Soldier Field against the arch-rival Bears in the season finale, Favre was given a standing ovation in the closing seconds of the Packer victory as a show of respect from Chicago fans to their longtime nemesis. Moments later at the postgame interview, he gave a tearful interview with an NBC Sports correspondent, where he admitted his future was still questionable. However, after much debate, he returned for 2007, during which his future was once again in doubt and an oft-discussed topic, with many in the media speculating that if the Packers made the Super Bowl, Favre would indeed retire and hand the reins to the unproven but talented Aaron Rodgers, who was drafted two years earlier as Favre's heir-apparent. Ultimately, the Packers fell in the NFC Championship to the New York Giants (who in turn upset the heavily favored New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII).

Finally, On March 4, 2008, Favre formally announced his retirement. Although Favre stated that he had been willing to play another year, he felt that another season would only be successful if he led his team to another Super Bowl victory. He added the chances for a Super Bowl win were small, and that he wasn't up for the challenge. At his press conference, Favre openly wept about leaving the NFL. He stated that his decision, regardless of what was being said in the media, had nothing to do with what the Packers did or didn't do. He said, seemingly contradictory to Cook's statements, that his decision to retire was based on the fact that he didn't want to play anymore. He said during the conference, "I know I can play, but I don't think I want to. And that's really what it comes down to." On July 11, 2008, Favre sent a letter to the Packers asking for his unconditional release to allow him to play for another NFL team. Packers general manager Ted Thompson announced he would not grant Favre an unconditional release and reaffirmed the organization's commitment to Aaron Rodgers as its new quarterback. Complicating matters was Favre's unique contract giving him the leverage to void any potential trade by not reporting to the camp of the team he might be traded to if the Packers elect to go that route.

Favre spoke publicly for the first time about his potential comeback in a July 14, 2008, interview with Greta Van Susteren on the Fox News Channel's On the Record with Greta Van Susteren. In the interview, Favre said he was "guilty of retiring early," that he was "never fully committed" to retirement, and that he was pressured by the Packers to make a decision before the NFL Draft and the start of the free agent signing period. Favre disputed the notion that he doesn't want to play for Green Bay and said that while he understands the organization has decided to move on, they should now allow him to do the same. He made clear that he would not return to the Packers as a backup and reiterated his desire to be released rather than traded, which would allow him the freedom to play for a competitive team. Favre also accused the Packers of being dishonest, wishing the team would have been straightforward with him and the public.

In the second part of the interview, which aired on July 15, Favre expressed his frustration with Packer management, spoke of his sympathy for successor Aaron Rodgers' predicament, and affirmed he is 100 percent committed to playing football in 2008.

FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer reported on July 16, 2008, that the Packers filed tampering charges against the Minnesota Vikings with the league office, alleging improper communication between Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Favre, although one source suggested that Favre may have been in contact with Vikings head coach Brad Childress. After an investigation, Commissioner Roger Goodell ruled there had been no violation of tampering rules.

Favre formally filed for reinstatement with the NFL on July 29, 2008, and his petition was granted by Commissioner Goodell, effective August 4, 2008. Favre then flew to Green Bay to report to Packers training camp. After a lengthy meeting with head coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson, however, both sides agreed it was time for Favre and the organization to part ways. McCarthy sensed Favre was not in "the right mind-set" to resume playing for the Packers, while Favre felt that his relationship with Packer management had deteriorated to the point that a return to the team would be untenable. the Packers traded Favre to the Jets on August 7, 2008, in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2009 draft with performance escalation. Favre's season with the Jets started well; in week four of the 2008 season, he threw six touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals, a personal best and one fewer than the NFL record. This performance led to him being selected as the FedEx Air Player of the Week. By Week 12, the Jets had compiled an 8–3 record, including a win over the previously undefeated Tennessee Titans. However, the Jets lost four of the last five games of the season, including the final game against the Miami Dolphins, who had acquired Chad Pennington after he was released from the Jets to make room for Favre. In those five games, Favre threw eight interceptions and only two touchdown passes, bringing his season total to twenty-two of each. Favre had complained of shoulder pain and had an MRI performed on December 29, 2008, which revealed a torn biceps tendon in his right shoulder. After the 2008 season had ended, in mid January 2009, Favre told Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum, "it may be time to look in a different direction" regarding the quarterback position. On February 11, 2009, Favre informed the Jets that he was retiring after 18 seasons. He remained property of the New York Jets organization, until April 28, 2009, when the Jets released Favre from his contract, thus allowing him to sign anywhere he wanted. By May 2009, he was officially cut from the Jets Reserve/Retired list. In September 2009, Favre again made Jets news, as the NFL learned that the Jets were aware that Favre injured his arm in the eleventh game of the 2008 season, and fined the Jets $125,000 for not reporting the injury in any of the Jets' five final games.

Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010)

during the 2009 season.]]

Amid speculation that Favre would once again attempt a comeback, it was reported in May 2009, that Favre had undergone arthroscopic surgery to complete a tear in his proximal biceps tendon. (Because the biceps muscle has two attachments, the muscle remains functional and is often less painful when an injured tendon is cut.) On June 15, 2009, Favre stated he was considering playing again, most likely with the Minnesota Vikings. On July 28, Brett Favre informed Vikings officials that he would remain retired. On the morning of August 18, 2009, WCCO-TV, a CBS affiliate in Minneapolis, Minnesota reported that Favre would sign with the Minnesota Vikings later in the day. ESPN.com later reported the same news, as Favre would sign a contract with the Vikings pending a physical. Favre officially signed with the Minnesota Vikings on August 18, 2009.

During Week 2, on September 20, Favre surpassed former Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall for consecutive starts at one position, with 291.

On September 27, in the Vikings' Week 3 game against the San Francisco 49ers, Favre threw a Hail Mary pass that was caught for a 32-yard touchdown by wide receiver Greg Lewis with 2 seconds left, resulting in a 27–24 come from behind victory. The play later won the 2010 ESPY award for Best Play.

On October 5, with a 30–23 victory over his former team the Green Bay Packers, which he was with for 16 seasons, Favre became the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat every one of the league's 32 franchises since the NFL first expanded to 32 franchises in 2002. This Monday night game between Minnesota and Green Bay was the most-viewed television program, sports or otherwise, in the history of cable television. The game drew a 15.3 rating and had 21.8 million viewers.

With week five's win against the St. Louis Rams, Favre started the 2009 season 5–0, which was a personal best in his career. That same game, he also recorded the second reception of his career. His first catch was in 1992, his first NFL completion. Then, he outdid himself by going to 6–0 after defeating the Baltimore Ravens.

On November 1, Favre returned to Green Bay to play his former team. After receiving boos from fans in the stadium he called home for 16 years, Favre went on to complete 17 of 28 passes for 244 yards. His four touchdown passes in this game tied Dan Marino's career record of 21 four-touchdown games. Favre and the Vikings claimed a 38–26 victory to improve to 7–1. The game drew a 17.4 rating and 29.8 million viewers, higher than Game 4 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies.

On November 22, Favre threw four touchdowns in the 35–9 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, taking the Vikings to 9–1. Brett's four touchdown passes in this game surpassed Dan Marino's previous record, taking it to 22 four-touchdown games. Favre completed 22 of his 25 throws for a career-high 88 percent. His previous career high was 85.2 percent against Detroit on Sept. 20.

On November 29, Favre threw three TD passes and posted a passer rating of 112.5 in a 36–10 home win against the Chicago Bears. It was his 282nd consecutive regular-season game, tying Jim Marshall's record for most consecutive games played by a position player.

After starting 10–1, the Vikings lost three of their next four games, with losses to the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, and Carolina Panthers and a win against the Cincinnati Bengals. During the Carolina game, Minnesota head coach Brad Childress told Favre that he was considering benching Favre to protect him and Favre disagreed.

On December 29, 2009, Favre was named to his 11th Pro Bowl behind Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints). He racked the third most votes behind Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.

Favre led the Vikings to a 34–3 win in their first playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys, throwing four touchdown passes and no interceptions. It was his first-ever playoff win against the Cowboys, following three playoff losses when he was the quarterback of the Packers. Favre also became the first quarterback to win a playoff game at the age of 40. In celebration, Favre rallied his teammates in the locker room to sing "Pants on the Ground", a humorous song first performed during an American Idol audition.

Favre and the Vikings subsequently lost in the NFC Championship game in overtime against the New Orleans Saints. Favre's final throw against the Saints resulted in an interception which effectively ended any chance of a Vikings victory in regulation. Despite the loss, Favre set playoff records for pass completions and passing yards previously held by Joe Montana.

On April 30, 2010, Favre informed ESPN's Ed Werder that he was informed by renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews that his ankle injury that he suffered in the 2009 NFC Championship Game had not healed and would require surgery to repair it if he wanted to play for a twentieth season in the league and will now face the prospect of having surgery or retire. He issued this statement, saying: "This decision would be easy if not for my teammates and the fans and the entire Vikings staff. One year truly felt like 10 – much like Green Bay for many years. That's what I was missing in my heart I suppose, a sense of belonging."

On Tuesday, August 3, 2010, NBC Sports reported the confirmation of Brett Favre returning to the Minnesota Vikings. An announcement was given on August 17, 2010 confirming his return to the team. Favre started the Vikings' second preseason game at San Francisco on August 22.

On October 11, 2010, Brett Favre achieved two milestones. He threw for his 500th touchdown and 70,000th yard against the New York Jets. Despite his two milestones, Brett Favre had three turnovers and his Vikings lost 20–29.

On November 7, 2010, in a game against the Arizona Cardinals, Favre threw for a career high 446 yards while rallying the Vikings from a 14-point 4th quarter deficit. The Vikings eventually won in overtime, 27–24.

On December 2nd, 2010, in a game against the Buffalo Bills, Favre was hit by Bills Linebacker Arthur Moats while making a throw, causing him to sustain a sprain of his AC Joint in his shoulder. Favre missed the rest of the game and was replaced by Tarvaris Jackson who led the Vikings to victory despite throwing 3 interceptions.

On December 13, 2010, due to his sprained shoulder, Brett Favre was marked inactive for the game against the New York Giants ending his consecutive regular season start streak at 297. Favre started a total of 321 games including post-season appearances.

On December 20th, 2010 while playing the Chicago Bears outside at TCF Bank Stadium due to the collapse of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Favre sustained a concussion after being sacked by Bears defensive end Corey Wootton.

On January 2, 2011, Favre was unable to play due to his inability to pass NFL mandated post concussion tests. Favre announced after the game that he intends to retire from professional football.

Career achievements

Honors and awards

3× Associated Press Most Valuable Player (MVP) (1995, 1996, and 1997; the last shared with Barry Sanders). 11× Pro Bowl selection. 6× First- or Second-team All-Pro selection. Named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.

Records and milestones

Favre owns a number of NFL records. Favre also owns a number of team records, having printed his name into almost every passing category in the annals of Green Bay Packers history.

Favre is the only quarterback to have led a team to victory over all thirty-two teams in the league since the NFL expanded to 32 franchises in 2002.

Favre is one of four quarterbacks to lead the league in touchdown passes four times. The others are Johnny Unitas, Len Dawson, and Steve Young.

Consecutive starts streak

Since first being named the starter of the Green Bay Packers before playing the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 27, 1992, Brett Favre had never missed a game spanning over eighteen and one half consecutive seasons. He is currently in first place for the most consecutive starts by a quarterback in the NFL and one of only six quarterbacks to have started over 100 consecutive games in NFL history. He failed to finish a game due to injury on only eight occasions since taking control of the Packers as quarterback. Since the beginning of Favre's consecutive start streak, 238 other quarterbacks have started in the NFL, 12 of them being back-ups to Favre at one point.

In 2009, Favre surpassed Jim Marshall for starts at any position with his record-breaking 271st start as a quarterback as the Vikings played the Lions. His streak ended at 297, with the last start in the streak coming on December 5, 2010. Favre was unable to start the Vikings' December 13 game against the New York Giants due to a shoulder injury, despite the game being delayed for a day because of the collapse of the Metrodome roof.

Statistics

Brett Favre's professional statistics: {|class="wikitable" |- !colspan="4" style="background:#e7e3e7;"|Regular Season !colspan="18" style="background:#e7e3e7;"|Passing !colspan="6" style="background:#e7e3e7;"|Rushing |- !YEAR !TEAM !GP !GS !CMP !ATT !CMP% !YDS !TD !INT !LNG !20+ !40+ !SK !SKY !YPA !YPG !TD% !INT% !RATE !W !L !ATT !YDS !AVG !TD !LNG !1ST |- |1991||ATL||2||0||0||4||0.0||0||0||2||—||0||0||1||11||0.0||0.0||0.0||50.0||0.0||0||0||0||0||0.0||0||0||0 |- |1992||GB||15||13||302||471||64.1||3,227||18||13||76T||30||9||34||208||6.9||215.1||3.8||2.8||85.3||8||5||47||198||4.2||1||19||11 |- |1993||GB||16||16||318||522||60.9||3,303||19||24||66T||37||5||30||199||6.3||206.4||3.6||4.6||72.2||9||7||58||216||3.7||1||27||13 |- |1994||GB||16||16||363||582||62.4||3,882||33||14||49||44||4||31||188||6.7||242.6||5.7||2.4||90.7||9||7||42||202||4.8||2||36T||14 |- |1995||GB||16||16||359||570||63.0||4,413||38||13||99T||59||5||33||217||7.7||275.8||6.7||2.3||99.5||11||5||39||181||4.6||3||40||17 |- |1996||GB||16||16||325||543||59.9||3,899||39||13||80T||49||11||40||241||7.2||243.7||7.2||2.4||95.8||13||3||49||136||2.8||2||23||18 |- |1997||GB||16||16||304||513||59.3||3,867||35||16||74||61||9||25||176||7.5||241.7||6.8||3.1||92.6||13||3||58||187||3.2||1||16||16 |- |1998||GB||16||16||347||551||63.0||4,212||31||23||84T||47||9||38||223||7.6||263.2||5.6||4.2||87.8||11||5||40||133||3.3||1||35||13 |- |1999||GB||16||16||341||595||57.3||4,091||22||23||74T||52||11||35||223||6.9||255.7||3.7||3.9||74.7||8||8||28||142||5.1||0||20||11 |- |2000||GB||16||16||338||580||58.3||3,812||20||16||67T||41||7||33||236||6.6||238.2||3.4||2.8||78.0||9||7||27||108||4.0||0||18||7 |- |2001||GB||16||16||314||510||61.6||3,921||32||15||67T||53||13||22||151||7.7||245.1||6.3||2.9||94.1||12||4||38||56||1.5||1||14||5 |- |2002||GB||16||16||341||551||61.9||3,658||27||16||85T||39||7||26||188||6.6||228.6||4.9||2.9||85.6||12||4||25||73||2.9||0||17||6 |- |2003||GB||16||16||308||471||65.4||3,361||32||21||66T||42||7||19||137||7.1||210.1||6.8||4.5||90.4||10||6||18||15||0.8||0||7||3 |- |2004||GB||16||16||346||540||64.1||4,088||30||17||79T||50||12||12||93||7.6||255.5||5.6||3.1||92.4||10||6||16||36||2.3||0||17||2 |- |2005||GB||16||16||372||607||61.3||3,881||20||29||59||40||7||24||170||6.4||242.6||3.3||4.8||70.9||4||12||18||62||3.4||0||20||4 |- |2006||GB||16||16||343||613||56.0||3,885||18||18||82T||49||8||21||134||6.3||242.8||2.9||2.9||72.7||8||8||23||29||1.3||1||14||4 |- |2007||GB||16||16||356||535||66.5||4,155||28||15||82T||49||16||15||93||7.8||259.7||5.2||2.8||95.7||13||3||29||12||0.4||0||21||3 |- |2008||NYJ||16||16||343||522||65.7||3,472||22||22||56T||40||7||30||213||6.7||217.0||4.2||4.2||81.0||9||7||21||43||2.0||1||27||4 |- |2009||MIN||16||16||363||531||68.4||4,202||33||7||63||48||11||34||247||7.9||259.1||5.8||1.4||107.2||12||4||9||7||0.8||0||4||1 |- |2010||MIN||13||13||217||358||60.6||2,509||11||19||53T||38||1||22||139||7.0||193.0||3.1||5.3||69.9||5||8||17||8||0.5||0||10||1 |- !colspan="2"|20 Seasons||302||298||6,300||10,169||62.0||71,838||508||336||99||872||161||525||3,487||7.1||237.9||5.0||3.3||86.0||186||112||602||1,844||3.1||14||40||153 |}

Personal life

Favre married Deanna Tynes on July 14, 1996. They are members of the Roman Catholic Church. Together, they have two daughters, Brittany (born 1989) and Breleigh (born 1999). A grandson, Parker Brett, was born to Brittany on April 2, 2010. The NFL has stated that it knew of no other grandfathers among current NFL players.

Favre's mother, Bonita, helps manage his holdings in agriculture and real estate, handle his endorsements and appearances and oversee his charity work. Brett and Bonita Favre released a book in 2004 titled Favre (ISBN 978-1-59071-036-4) which discusses their personal family and Green Bay Packers family, including the Monday Night Football game that followed the death of Brett's father Irvin Favre.

Favre established the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation in 1996. In conjunction with his annual golf tournament, celebrity softball game and fundraising dinners, the foundation has donated more than $2 million to charities in his home state of Mississippi as well as to those in his adopted state of Wisconsin.

The Favre family also owns and operates the Brett Favre's Steakhouse, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Favre made a cameo appearance in the 1998 romantic comedy film There's Something About Mary as Cameron Diaz's character's love interest.

Favre is a spokesperson for many products, including Snapper Inc., Wrangler Jeans and Sears. In the Sears ads, Favre pokes fun at himself for his constant waffling between retirement and continuing his playing career by debating whether or not to buy a plasma screen TV, saying "I'll take it... Nah, I don't know". In another ad he has a conversation with a Blue Crew associate who says of the TV, "some guys just can't make up their minds" to which Favre replies "Yeah, I hate those guys." In a Hyundai commercial with a similar theme, he accepts the 2020 NFL MVP award, with fully gray hair, saying "When you're playing at 50, and you're older than the fans, coaches, and owners, well... I should probably retire after this... But I don't know."

Allegations of misconduct

On October 8, 2010, the NFL began investigating Favre for allegedly sexting and leaving inappropriate voice messages for Jets "Gameday host" Jenn Sterger during the 2008 season. The investigation was in response to the voicemail recordings and photos posted by the website Deadspin the day before. In late October 2010, Favre was rumored to have admitted to NFL officials investigating the allegations that he indeed left the voicemail messages on Jenn Sterger's phone, but denied sending photos. On December 29, 2010, Favre was found not to be in violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy, but was fined $50,000 for failing to cooperate with the investigation.

Favre was temporarily banned by the NFL from drinking alcohol after he admitted he was addicted to Vicodin and spent 46 days at a drug rehab clinic before the 1996 season.

Notes and references

External links

Minnesota Vikings bio

Brett Favre Video on NFL.com

Brett Favre Video on ESPN Video Archive

Brett Favre Video & Audio on Boston.com

Brett Favre Video on FoxSports Video Archive

Brett Favre: The NFL's Greatest Gunslinger – slideshow by Life magazine

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American people of French descent Category:American people of Choctaw descent Category:Atlanta Falcons players Category:Green Bay Packers players Category:Minnesota Vikings players Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players Category:American football quarterbacks Category:Native American sportspeople Category:New York Jets players Category:People from Gulfport, Mississippi Category:People from Hancock County, Mississippi Category:People from Hattiesburg, Mississippi Category:Players of American football from Mississippi Category:Southern Miss Golden Eagles football players

Currentnumber	15
Currentposition	Quarterback
Birthdate	January 09, 1934
Birthplace	Montgomery, Alabama
Heightft	6
Heightin	1
Weight	197
Debutyear	1956
Debutteam	Green Bay Packers
Finalteam	Green Bay Packers
Finalyear	1971
Hof	200
College	Alabama
Draftyear	1956
Draftround	17
Draftpick	200
Pastteams
Pastcoaching
Statseason	1971
Statlabel1	Pass attempts
Statvalue1	3,149
Statlabel2	Pass completions
Statvalue2	1,808
Statlabel3	Percentage
Statvalue3	57.4
Statlabel4	TD-INT
Statvalue4	152–138
Statlabel5	Passing yards
Statvalue5	24,718
Statlabel6	QB Rating
Statvalue6	80.5
Nfl	STA653568

Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr (born January 9, 1934 in Montgomery, Alabama) is a former professional football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and the Most Valuable Player of the first two Super Bowls. He earned four Pro Bowl selections and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

Packers quarterback

Starr was selected in the 17th round of the 1956 NFL Draft, the 200th overall pick, out of Alabama.

He is one of five Green Bay Packers to have his number (15) retired by the team. The others are Tony Canadeo (3), Don Hutson (14), Ray Nitschke (66), and Reggie White (92). Of the five, only Starr is still living.

Starr was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981.

Starr has an NFL award named after him. The Bart Starr Award is given annually, by a panel of judges, to an NFL player of outstanding character.

Head coaching record

Player Statistics - Regular season

{| border=0 cellspacing=1 cellpadding=0 style="text-align:right; text-indent:1em;" |+ align=bottom | |- style="background-color: #9999dd;" ! rowspan=2 | Year !! colspan=5 | Passing !! !! colspan=4 | Rushing |- style="background-color: #9999dd;" ! Att !! Comp !! Yds !! TD !! Int !! !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! TD |- style="background-color: #ffffff;" | 1956 || 44 || 24 || 325 || 2 || 3 || || 5 || 35 || 7.0 || 0 |- style="background-color: #ddddff" | 1957 || 215 || 117 || 1,489 || 8 || 10 || || 31 || 98 || 3.1 || 3 |- style="background-color: #ffffff;" | 1958 || 157 || 78 || 875 || 3 || 12 || || 25 || 113 || 4.5 || 1 |- style="background-color: #ddddff" | 1959 || 134 || 70 || 972 || 6 || 7 || || 16 || 83 || 5.2 || 0 |- style="background-color: #ffffff;" | 1960 || 172 || 98 || 1,358 || 4 || 8 || || 7 || 12 || 1.7 || 0 |- style="background-color: #ddddff" | 1961 || 295 || 172 || 2,418 || 16 || 16 || || 12 || 56 || 4.7 || 1 |- style="background-color: #ffffff;" | 1962 || 285 || 178 || 2,438 || 12 || 9 || || 21 || 72 || 3.4 || 1 |- style="background-color: #ddddff" | 1963 || 244 || 132 || 1,855 || 15 || 10 || || 13 || 116 || 8.9 || 0 |- style="background-color: #ffffff;" | 1964 || 272 || 163 || 2,144 || 15 || 4 || || 24 || 165 || 6.9 || 3 |- style="background-color: #ddddff" | 1965 || 251 || 140 || 2,055 || 16 || 9 || || 18 || 169 || 9.4 || 1 |- style="background-color: #ffffff;" | 1966 || 251 || 166 || 2,257 || 14 || 3 || || 21 || 104 || 5.0 || 2 |- style="background-color: #ddddff" | 1967 || 210 || 115 || 1,823 || 9 || 17 || || 21 || 90 || 4.3 || 0 |- style="background-color: #ffffff;" | 1968 || 171 || 109 || 1,617 || 15 || 8 || || 11 || 62 || 5.6 || 1 |- style="background-color: #ddddff" | 1969 || 148 || 92 || 1,161 || 9 || 6 || || 7 || 60 || 8.6 || 4 |- style="background-color: #ffffff;" | 1970 || 255 || 140 || 1,645 || 8 || 13 || || 12 || 62 || 5.2 || 1 |- style="background-color: #ddddff" | 1971 || 45 || 24 || 286 || 0 || 3 || || 3 || 11 || 3.7 || 1 |- valign=top style="font-weight:bold; background-color: #9999dd;" | Total || 3,149 || 1,808 || 24,718 || 152 || 138 || || 247 || 1,308 || 5.3 || 15 |}

References

External links

Pro Football Hall of Fame - Bart Starr

Bart Starr statistics

Pro Football Hall of Fame - 1956 NFL Draft

Sports Ilustrated - magazine covers - (4)

Rawhide Boys Ranch

Pictures of Bart Starr football cards

Category:1934 births Category:Living people Category:Alabama Crimson Tide football players Category:American football quarterbacks Category:Green Bay Packers coaches Category:Green Bay Packers head coaches Category:Green Bay Packers players Category:People from Montgomery, Alabama Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Category:Military brats Category:National Football League announcers Category:National Football League head coaches Category:National Football League players with retired numbers Category:Super Bowl MVPs Category:University of Alabama alumni Category:University of Alabama people Category:Western Conference Pro Bowl players