Network name	UPNUnited Paramount Network
Network logo
Country	United States
Network type	Defunct broadcast television network
Available	United States, Canada
Owner	Chris-Craft Television (1995-1996)Chris-Craft Television/Viacom (1996-2000)Viacom (2000-2006)CBS Corporation (2006)
Launch date	January 16, 1995
Closure date	September 15, 2006
Founder	United Television & Paramount Pictures
Replaced by names	The CW Television Network

United Paramount Network (UPN) was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which through the Paramount Television Group produced most of the network's series. It was later owned by CBS Corporation. Its first night of broadcasting was on January 16, 1995. UPN shut down on September 15, 2006, and merged with The WB, which was shut down two days later, to form The CW Television Network.

History

Origins (1949–1993)

Paramount Pictures (the "P" in UPN) has played a pivotal role in the development of network television; it was a partner in the DuMont Television Network, and the Paramount Theaters chain, spun off from the corporate/studio parent, was an early, important component of the ABC television network's survival in the 1950s. The Paramount Television Network was launched in 1949, but dissolved in the 1950s.

In the wake of the successful Universal Studios ad hoc syndicated package Operation Prime Time, which featured first a miniseries adaptation of John Jakes' novel The Bastard and went on to several more productions, Paramount had earlier contemplated its own television network with the Paramount Television Service. Set to launch in early 1978, its programming would have consisted of only one night a week. Thirty "Movies of the Week" would have followed on Saturday nights. When the decision was made to transform Phase II into , plans for the new Paramount network were scrapped, though Paramount would contribute some programs to Operation Prime Time, such as the mini-series A Woman Called Golda, and the weekly pop music program, Solid Gold.

Paramount, and its eventual parent Viacom, did not try to forget about the possibility. Independent stations, even more than network affiliates, were feeling the growing pressure of audience erosion to cable television in the 1980s and 1990s, and there were unaffiliated commercial stations in most of the major markets, at least, even after the foundation of Fox in 1986. Meanwhile, Paramount, long successful in syndication with repeats of , found itself with several first-run syndicated series by the turn of the 1990s, in Entertainment Tonight, The Arsenio Hall Show, , War of the Worlds, , and .

In 1993, Warner Bros. and Chris-Craft Industries went into a joint venture to distribute programming via a prime time programming block, which grew into its own network, the Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN). PTEN can be seen as the ancestor of what would become UPN and The WB, since Chris-Craft later became a partner in UPN, while Warner Bros. launched The WB, at roughly the same time (which slowly eroded PTEN into a mere programming block that was eventually cancelled in 1997), before both merged to form The CW Television Network in September 2006.

Launch (1994–2000)

Paramount had formed Paramount Stations Group when it purchased the TVX Group, which owned several independent stations in major markets. This was not unlike of the purchase of the Metromedia stations by News Corporation 10 years earlier, which were used as the nuclei for Fox. In another parallel, 20th Century Fox had long been a powerhouse in television syndication. All indicators suggested that Paramount was about to launch a network of its own. In late 1994, Paramount announced formation of the United Paramount Network. The new network was a joint venture between Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries. The "U" in UPN came from United Television, a Chris-Craft subsidiary. Both companies owned independent stations in several large cities in the United States. Chris-Craft owned the network. The new network launched on January 16, 1995; a few months earlier, Paramount had been bought by Viacom. The next year, 50 percent of the network was sold to Viacom.

To promote its launch of UPN, on January 16, a promo was aired on independent stations when they would become UPN affiliates, beginning around December 1994. The promo featured a bride, opera singers, and a rock composer composing the drums. To promote this, images of Paramount Television programming through the years such as Laverne & Shirley, Taxi, and Happy Days with the lyrics: "Meet the 30 years of television right there on the screen, comedy and drama's different years". Then a narrator would talk about new shows on the then-new television network. It ends with that same person saying "What more do you need to know? Coming January 16, look for it.".

The first telecast, the two-hour pilot of , was an auspiciously widely viewed start; however, Voyager would never achieve such viewership levels again, nor would any of the series debuting on UPN's second night of broadcasting survive the season. In contrast, The WB debuted one week earlier, on January 11, with four series, only one of which, Muscle, would not survive its first season. The first comedy shows to debut were Platypus Man, starring Richard Jeni, and Pig Sty, with both shows airing Monday nights in the 9 PM hour. Both received mixed reviews and neither lasted long. Other early UPN programs included the action show Nowhere Man starring Bruce Greenwood, the action show Marker starring Richard Grieco, the comic western Legend starring Richard Dean Anderson, the science-fiction themed action show, The Sentinel, and Moesha, a sitcom starring Brandy Norwood. Of the network's early offerings, only Star Trek: Voyager, Moesha, and The Sentinel would last longer than one season.

Viacom era and decline (2000–2006)

In 2000, Paramount's parent company, Viacom, bought Chris-Craft's share stake to gain 100 percent control of the venture. Shortly afterward, Viacom dropped the "United" name for its new network, opting to change the official corporate name to the three-letter initials, "UPN". Viacom also aimed to relaunch UPN as Paramount Network, using a logo based on the famous Paramount Pictures mountain logo and the "P" triangle of the UPN logo, which already stood for Paramount, as the new network logo. This idea was abandoned after many affiliates protested, citing that the new branding might cause confusion and erode viewership. A few months before, Viacom bought CBS, thus creating CBS-UPN duopolies in Philadelphia (KYW-TV and WPSG), Boston (WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV), Miami (WFOR-TV and WBFS-TV), Dallas/Fort Worth (KTVT and KTXA), Detroit (WWJ-TV and WKBD-TV), and Pittsburgh (KDKA-TV and WNPA). It is said that Viacom's purchase of CBS was the "death knell" for the FCC's "no duopolies at all rule". Further transactions added San Francisco (KPIX-TV and KBHK), which was traded to Viacom/CBS by Fox, and Sacramento (KOVR and KMAX-TV) to the mix.

At the time of UPN's launch, the network's flagship station was WWOR-TV in New York City, owned by Chris-Craft. Even after Chris-Craft sold its share of the network to Viacom, WWOR was still commonly regarded as the flagship station since it had long been common practice to accord this status to a network's New York station. For this reason, some cast doubt on UPN's future after Fox bought most of Chris-Craft's television holdings. Several UPN stations were part of the deal, including WWOR and West Coast flagship KCOP-TV in Los Angeles. Fox later bought the third-largest UPN affiliate, WPWR-TV in Chicago. After Chris-Craft sold its stake in UPN, the network's largest owned-and-operated station was WPSG in Philadelphia.

In 2001, UPN acquired Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Roswell for their final seasons from network rival The WB in a public bidding war between the two with producing studio 20th Century Fox Television. UPN eventually outbid The WB for the shows and aired them together on Tuesday nights until Roswell ended its run in 2002 and Buffy the following year in 2003. New shows began to breathe life into the network starting in fall 2003 with America's Next Top Model and Will Smith's All of Us, in fall 2004 with Veronica Mars, and in fall 2005 with Chris Rock's Everybody Hates Chris.

When Viacom split into two companies at the end of 2005, its over-the-air broadcasting interests, including UPN, became part of CBS Corporation.

UPN quietly went off the air on September 15, 2006; WWE SmackDown was the last official program (although some affiliates aired the optional weekend encore block), ending its existence after 11 years. However, UPN affiliates owned by Fox Television Stations Group ended all ties to the network on August 31, 2006. Before that, within days of the new network's announcement, Fox-owned UPN affiliates stopped using the UPN branding and dropped all advertisement for UPN. As a result UPN did not air its last two weeks of programming in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and six other media markets in which Fox owned the UPN station, also due in part to then upstart Fox owned MyNetworkTV, which was set to debut September 5, 2006 on those stations. With the exception of WWE SmackDown, all programming during the final three months were reruns. SmackDown!, however, was aired in those markets on WB stations owned by Tribune, which have since become CW stations.

After the network's official closure, UPN's website was redirected to The CW website, and then CBS's website.

Executive management

Lucie Salhany was the first CEO, from the network's launch in 1995 until 1997.

Dean Valentine was CEO from 1997 to 2001.

Tom Nunan was President, Entertainment from 1997 to 2001.

Adam Ware was Chief Operating Officer from 1999 to 2002.

Dawn Ostroff was President, Entertainment from 2002 to 2006.

It was estimated in 2003 that UPN was viewable by 85.98% of all households, reaching 91,689,290 houses in the United States. In contrast, The WB was viewable in 91.66% of homes. This is mainly because The WB had The WB 100+ Station Group, of group of cable-only stations in markets below the top 100, and UPN did not have such a service. Despite this, WNFM-TV in Southwest Florida became a UPN affiliate in 1998. UPN had approximately 143 full-power owned-and-operated or primary affiliate stations in the U.S. and another 65 stations aired some UPN programming as secondary affiliates.

Programming

Most of UPN's programming through the years was produced by Paramount Television or a sister company (such as Viacom Productions, Spelling Television, or CBS Productions).

The first official UPN network programming was the series . The first comedy shows to debut were Platypus Man, starring Richard Jeni, and Pig Sty, with both shows airing Monday nights in the 9 PM hour. Both received mixed reviews and neither lasted long. Other early UPN programs included the action show Nowhere Man starring Bruce Greenwood, the action show Marker starring Richard Grieco, the comic western Legend starring Richard Dean Anderson, the science-fiction themed action show, The Sentinel, and Moesha, a sitcom starring Brandy Norwood. Of the network's first few seasons, only Star Trek: Voyager, Moesha, and The Sentinel would last longer than one season.

UPN bought Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 20th Century Fox in 2001 when The WB chose not to renew it when the license fees skyrocketed. Buffy continued on UPN for two more seasons.

UPN also bought the rights to broadcast television shows Clueless (formerly on ABC), The Hughleys (formerly on ABC), and Roswell (formerly on The WB). The former show was produced by Paramount Television, while the latter two were produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

After Voyager's 7-season run came to an end, UPN began broadcasting the newest Star Trek spin-off, .

The network also produced some special programs, including the Iron Chef USA program during Christmas 2001. UPN also showed WWE's SmackDown! show, America's Next Top Model, Girlfriends, The Parkers (a spin-off from Moesha), Veronica Mars, and Everybody Hates Chris. In the summer of 2005, UPN aired R U the Girl, in which R&B; group TLC searched for a woman to join them on a new song.

In its later years, as part of the network's desire to maintain its own unique identity with its own unique shows, UPN had a policy of "not picking up other networks' scraps", which was a strong argument when fan pressure was generated in 2004 for them to pick up Angel, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer which had been dropped from The WB.

UPN aired only one regular network sports event program: the much-hyped XFL in 2001, as part of a package from co-creator Vince McMahon which also included what was then WWF SmackDown! UPN had planned to air a second season of XFL in 2002, but it also demanded a reduction in the airtime of SmackDown! by 30 minutes. McMahon did not agree to the change and the XFL folded just after that.

Like The WB, UPN never aired a national newscast.

Children's programming

In its last three seasons, UPN was one of only two of the major broadcast networks (Pax TV (now Ion Television) was the other) not to air a children's programming block on weekend mornings. When UPN launched in 1995, the station aired cartoons on weekends; the lineup was known as UPN Kids. In 1998, UPN went a different way with its children's program block by airing reruns of the syndicated Sweet Valley High and a new series, Breaker High on weekdays and weekends aiming the programs at teenagers. As opposed to ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and WB stations, some UPN affiliates aired the weekend children's program block on Sunday mornings instead of Saturdays.

In 1999, UPN made a deal with Disney to air select programming from ABC's Disney's One Saturday Morning block (now ABC Kids) in place of the teen series. The new lineup would be called Disney's One Too. Recess and Sabrina, the Animated Series were among the programming on the original lineup. Many UPN affiliates were already airing the syndicated Disney Afternoon block anyway. The Disney cartoons therefore were no longer syndicated but now aired on UPN stations. The block was reinstated to two hours. In some markets it ran weekday mornings, while in other markets it aired weekday afternoons. In 2002, moved to the lineup from Fox Kids. This was due to Disney's acquisition of Fox's children's programming department (then known as Jetix until 2009, now known as Disney XD) as well as the Fox Family Channel, now renamed ABC Family.

After eight years of airing children's programming, UPN dropped out of the kids program business in September 2003 when Disney's contract with UPN came to an end. Reasons included U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) restrictions on quantity of advertising on children's programs, the content of such advertising, the fact syndicators were moving their most popular product to cable only, and the growth of cable channels directed at children (which have fewer advertising restrictions). As of January 2006, UPN had no plans of returning kids programming to the network, but it became a moot point due to its merger with The WB creating The CW. When The CW launched, they carried over the Kids' WB (now Toonzai) Saturday morning lineup from The WB.

Some Fox stations decided to carry over Fox's 4kids.tv block to a UPN, WB, or independent station, so the Fox affiliate could air general entertainment or local news programming on Saturday mornings. WFLD Fox 32 in Chicago, for example, moved the 4Kids TV schedule to co-owned UPN (now MyNetworkTV) affiliate WPWR-TV Channel 50, while Channel 32 airs news and different children's programming in place of the shows. Also, some UPN stations aired a block of cartoon programming from DIC Entertainment (such as Trollz and Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century) which was designed to meet the minimal three hours of E/I programming required by the FCC, and usually airs either six days a week for a half-hour each day, or in three hour-long blocks throughout the week.

Television movies

During the late 1990s, UPN produced a number of television movies branded "Blockbuster Shockwave Cinema," in conjunction with sponsor (and sister company) Blockbuster Video. Almost all were science fiction films.

From UPN's inception until 2000, the network also offered a hosted movie series called the UPN Movie Trailer to their stations. The show featured mostly older Hollywood action and comedy films, often those made by Paramount Pictures. Movie Trailer was discontinued in 2000 to give stations that opted for them room for a second weekend run of Star Trek: Enterprise and America's Next Top Model (and later, Veronica Mars). There were also three Paramount-branded blocks on the company's owned-and-operated stations ("O&Os;") only: Paramount Teleplex as the main brand for movies at any given timeslot, Paramount Prime Movie for primetime features, and the Paramount Late Movie on late nights.

Shows that almost aired on UPN

According to Simon Cowell's biography and Bill Carter's book Desperate Networks, UPN was offered American Idol before FOX and turned it down.

As part of the contract for picking up Buffy the Vampire Slayer, UPN was obligated to pick up Angel if it was cancelled by The WB while UPN was still airing Buffy. However, Angel was axed by The WB the year after Buffy went off UPN. Despite a large fan campaign, UPN declined to pick up the show.

Firefly was offered to UPN after being cancelled, but was declined. Malcolm in the Middle was originally developed for UPN before being picked up by FOX.

Talkshow with Spike Feresten was reportedly to air on UPN; it debuted on FOX one day after UPN's closure.

According to The TV IV, nine new scripts for the third season of The Critic were written for UPN.

Station standardization

When it was launched, UPN began having most of its stations branded as "UPN" or "Paramount," then the channel number, with the call signs nearby. By the late 1990s, the call signs were minimized to be just barely readable to meet FCC requirements, and the stations were simply known as "UPN", then channel number or city (e.g., WPWR-TV in Chicago had been referred to as "UPN Chicago" and WWOR-TV in New York was referred to as "UPN 9" until The CW merger was announced in late January 2006). But most UPN O&Os; under CBS branded it by network and city according to the CBS Mandate. For example, KBCW in San Francisco was branded "UPN Bay Area," WKBD in Detroit was branded "UPN Detroit" and WUPL in New Orleans was branded "UPN New Orleans."

However, that didn't always apply, as WSBK-TV in Boston was branded "UPN 38" and KMAX-TV in Sacramento was branded "UPN 31," for example. WPCW Channel 19 in Pittsburgh (formerly WNPA) originally branded itself as "UPN 19", but changed over to "UPN Pittsburgh" soon after the UPN logo change, making it one of the few that had carried both standardization styles. Many non-O&O; UPN affiliates followed the same branding scheme; for example KFVE in Honolulu, during its UPN affiliation, used the brand "UPN Hawaii".

This would be a continuation of the trend for networks to do such naming schemes, originated at Fox (and even earlier at CBC in Canada), especially at CBS, who uses the CBS Mandate on almost all of their O&O; stations. The WB, NBC and ABC also do similar naming schemes, but not to that extreme.

However, while the traditional "Big Three" don't require their affiliates to have such naming schemes (though some affiliates choose to adopt it anyway) and only on their O&O;'s is the style required, UPN mandated it on all stations (as Fox currently does), though The WB did not. In one case, though, WCGV in Milwaukee branded as Channel 24 from 1998-2001 with no UPN imagery. The station had disaffiliated from the network in 1998 for eight months (previously it was "UPN 24") in a compensation dispute.

See also

The CW Television Network

List of programs broadcast by UPN

List of United States over-the-air television networks

List of former UPN affiliates

Weekday cartoon

2006 United States broadcast TV realignment

UPN Kids

Notes

External links

The Evolution of UPN, WB, Fox, PBS, and PAX

An ad promoting UPN on RetroJunk.com

Category:UPN television network Category:The CW Television Network Category:CBS Corporation subsidiaries Category:Television channels and stations established in 1995 Category:Television channels and stations disestablished in 2006 Category:Defunct American television networks Category:Joint ventures

Name	Greg Vaughan
Birth date	June 15, 1973
Birth place	Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Birthname	James Gregory Vaughn Jr.
Yearsactive	1996-present
Spouse	Touriya Haoud (2006-present) 2 children

James Gregory Vaughan, Jr (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor.

Personal life

Vaughan is the son of James Gregory Vaughan, Sr. and Barbara Ann Alt. Greg has Greek & Native American ancestry.

Vaughan was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up in Mesquite, Texas. His grandparents were also a big part of his life, and lived in the small town of Fredericksburg, Texas, just outside of Austin. He spent summers in the country, and worked at his grandparents' restaurant, bussing tables.

Vaughan married Dutch model Touriya Haoud on June 4, 2006. On May 4, 2007, Touriya gave birth to a son named Jathan James Vaughan. On January 19, 2010, Touriya gave birth to their second son, Cavan Thomas Vaughan.

Career

The actor and former male fashion model has starred in soap operas such as The Young and the Restless and General Hospital. His best known role to date is that of the adult Lucky Spencer in the latter, which he has played from 2003 to October, 2009.

At age 16, while getting a haircut he learned of a "Back to School" modeling competition, and sent in some snapshots. He was selected as a finalist but did not win. However, the winner encouraged Vaughan to pursue modeling, and Vaughan signed up with a modeling agency.

Shortly after graduating from Mesquite High School, he was invited to Milan, Italy, where he modeled for designer Giorgio Armani for two and a half months. More campaigns soon followed, with designers such as Gianni Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, Banana Republic, and Ralph Lauren.

While modeling in Miami, Vaughan started to become dissatisfied with the modeling life, and decided to relocate and pursue his dream of becoming an actor, in which he then moved to Los Angeles. His first role was on Baywatch, as well as on the pilot for a 1996 Aaron Spelling series, Malibu Shores, that lead to his future appearances on Beverly Hills, 90210 and was a cast regular for the second season of Charmed.

Vaughn announced on September 28, 2009 that he wouldn't be playing the role of Lucky Spencer on General Hospital any longer. On October 27, 2009, Jonathan Jackson reprised his role he left in 1999.

Filmography

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center" ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- |rowspan=3|1996||Malibu Shores ||Josh Walker || |- |Baywatch || Teenager ||1 episode |- |Beverly Hills, 90210 ||Cliff Yeager ||6 episodes, 1996-1997 |- |rowspan=3|1997||No Small Ways||unknown|| |- |||Michael|| |- |Buffy the Vampire Slayer ||Richard Anderson ||1 episode |- |rowspan=5|1998||The Love Boat - The Next Wave||Tom ||1 episode |- | ||Kebral ||1 episode |- | ||Tyrus || |- |Stuart Bliss ||Magazine Stand Cashier||asGreg Vaughan |- |Pacific Blue||Trent Spence ||1 episode |- |rowspan=4|1999||Legacy || Tom Stanton ||1 episode |- | Student Affairs ||Jason || |- |Charmed||Dan Gordon ||18 episodes, 1999-2000 |- |Casualty||Jack Phillips ||1 episode |- |2000||Nash Bridges ||Josh Avery ||1 episode |- |rowspan=5|2002|| Sabrina, the Teenage Witch ||Peter||1 episode |- |Glory Days||Lawyer||1 episode |- |Will & Grace||Cute Guy||1 episode |- |For Mature Audiences Only||Sam|| |- |The Young and the Restless||Diego Guittierez #2||2002-2003 |- |rowspan=2|2003||General Hospital ||Lucky Spencer #3||February 26, 2003 – October 20, 2009 |- | ''Still Standing||Trevor||1 episode |- |rowspan=3|2010||Sebastian||Dr. David Zigler ||filming |- | ''90210||Kai ||3 episodes |- | The Closer || Officer Wagner || airs in December |}

References

External links

Unofficial Greg Vaughan Website

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:American male models Category:American soap opera actors Category:Actors from Texas

Name	Nana Visitor
Caption	Visitor at STICCon XVIII, 2004
Birth name	Nana Tucker
Birth date	July 26, 1957
Birth place	New York, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1976 – present
Spouse	Alexander Siddig (1997–2001)

Nana Visitor (born July 26, 1957), born Nana Tucker, is an American actress, best known for playing Kira Nerys in the television series (DS9) and Jean Ritter in the television series Wildfire.

Early life

Nana Tucker was born in New York City, the daughter of Nenette Charisse, a ballet teacher, and Robert Tucker, a choreographer; she is a niece of actress/dancer Cyd Charisse.

Career

Visitor began her acting career in the 1970s on the Broadway stage in such productions as My One and Only. Her film debut (billed as Nana Tucker) came in the 1977 film, The Sentinel. On television, Visitor co-starred in the short-lived 1976 sitcom, Ivan the Terrible and from 1978 to 1982 had short-lived regular roles on three soap operas: Ryan's Hope, The Doctors, and One Life to Live.

In 1984, she appeared in Season 2, Episode 3 of Hunter. In 1985, Visitor made an appearance in the TV series MacGyver, in the season one episode "Hellfire" as Laura Farren, and in the season two episode "DOA: MacGyver" as Carol Varnay. In 1986 she appeared in "Hills of Fire", a fourth season episode of Knight Rider. In 1988 she made a guest appearance on the TV series Night Court as a lost mental patient. That same year she made a guest appearance on the TV series In the Heat of the Night as the owner of the Sparta newspaper. Prior to obtaining the role of Kira on , Visitor co-starred with Sandra Bullock in a short-lived sitcom Working Girl, which was based on the feature film of the same name, and co-starred in a failed television pilot for a series based upon the comic strip character, The Spirit. After DS9 ended, she had a recurring role as villain Dr. Elizabeth Renfro on the TV series Dark Angel and starred as Roxie Hart in the touring and Broadway companies of the musical Chicago to favorable reviews. Visitor's run as Roxie on Broadway was interrupted by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but shows resumed on September 15, 2001. Visitor was then cast as Jean Ritter on the ABC Family series Wildfire, which premiered on June 20, 2005. She appeared as a guest star in the Battlestar Galactica episode "Faith" in 2008.

Visitor had a small role as Pamela Voorhees in the 2009 Friday the 13th reboot. She has also lent her voice in a few guest appearances on the show Family Guy, such as Rita in the episode "Brian's Got a Brand New Bag" and as the voice of the Enterprise in "Extra Large Medium".

Visitor appeared as a guest on the fifth episode of the series Doogie Howser, M.D. as Charmagne, a rock star who has a throat nodule removed at Doogie's hospital.

Personal life

Visitor became pregnant by her Deep Space Nine co-star Alexander Siddig (formerly Siddig el-Fadil) in 1996, and the pregnancy was incorporated into a DS9 storyline, beginning in the fourth season episode "", which premiered in June 1996. She gave birth to her son, Django El Tahir El Siddig, during production of the episode "", though her character would remain pregnant until the fifth season episode "The Begotten", which premiered in January 1997. Visitor and Siddig eventually married, but they divorced in 2001.

References

External links

Category:1957 births Category:American film actors Category:American soap opera actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City

Name	Kate Mulgrew
Caption	Mulgrew at the 2009 Metropolitan Opera premiere
Birth name	Katherine Kiernan Maria Mulgrew
Birth date	April 29, 1955
Birth place	Dubuque, Iowa, U.S.
Spouse	Robert H. Egan(1982–1993) Tim Hagan (1999 - present)
Website	http://www.totallykate.com/

Katherine Kiernan Maria "Kate" Mulgrew (born April 29, 1955) is an American actress, most famous for her roles on as Captain Kathryn Janeway and Ryan's Hope as Mary Ryan. She has performed in multiple television shows, theatre productions and movies, she has also earned multiple awards for her acting, including an Obie Award, a Golden Satellite Award and a Saturn Award. She has also been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. She is also an active member of the Alzheimer's Association National Advisory Council and the voice of Cleveland's Metro Health System.

Early life

Mulgrew was born in 1955 in Dubuque, Iowa, to Thomas James "T.J." Mulgrew II, a contractor, and Joan Virginia Mulgrew (née Kiernan), an artist and painter, both Catholics of Irish descent. Kate Mulgrew is the second oldest of eight siblings. She attended Walhert High School in Dubuque. Aged 17, she was accepted at the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting in conjunction with New York University in New York City. Mulgrew left NYU after her junior year, receiving her Associate of Arts degree in 1976.

Career

Her early career included portraying Mary Ryan for two years on the ABC soap Ryan's Hope (1975) She became a fan favorite and is still associated with the show long after its cancellation. Mulgrew remains friends with former co-star Ilene Kristen and presented a special Soap Opera Digest Award to Ryan's Hope creator Claire Labine in 1995. While in Ryan's Hope she also played the role of "Emily" in the American Shakespeare Theatre production of Our Town in Stratford, Connecticut. In 1979, she began playing Kate Columbo in Mrs. Columbo, a series created specifically for her.

In 1993, Mulgrew separated from her husband, Robert H. Egan, with whom she had been married for 12 years. In 1995, the divorce became final, and she was on the verge of having to sell her house and move into an apartment in Westwood when she was called to take the part of Captain Kathryn Janeway in . Geneviève Bujold, who had been cast in the role, left two days into filming, stating that a television series work schedule was too demanding. Mulgrew made history in the Star Trek franchise when she became the first female captain as a series regular in a leading role. Voyager was the first show broadcast on the new UPN channel and also the only television show on UPN to run for seven seasons, making it the network's longest running show, and the only show left over from its first year. Mulgrew won the Saturn Award for "Best TV Actress" in 1998 for her performances as Janeway.

Mulgrew also voiced the character of Janeway in the PS2 and PC game and . PC Gamer UK rated the game 93% and fans consider this game to be one of the best Trek games of all time.

During Voyager she also played the role of Titania in the animated series, Gargoyles and Victoria Riddler in Riddler's Moon, a made for TV movie. Mulgrew is also one of six Star Trek actors to lend their voice to Star Trek: Captain's Chair, reprising her role as Captain Kathryn Janeway. The others five actors were Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, George Takei, Avery Brooks and Majel Barrett.

Star Trek: Voyager

Mulgrew originally auditioned for the role of the captain, named Nicole Janeway, when Star Trek: Voyager was being cast. She initially sent in a videotaped audition, which she made in New York City in August 1994. However she was unhappy with this audition and auditioned in person a few weeks later. On that same day, Genevieve Bujold was selected to play Janeway over Mulgrew. But Bujold left the role after only two days of filming, due to the demanding production schedule. Mulgrew was the runner-up between the two actresses and eventually was assigned to replace Bujold. After taking the part, she requested the name be changed from Nicole to Kathryn and the producers agreed. Voyager co-creator and executive producer Jeri Taylor states that Mulgrew "had an ineffable quality that put her ahead of the pack. She has proven to be a remarkably accurate choice".

About her years on Voyager, Mulgrew said:

"I'm proud of it. It was difficult; it was hard work. I'm proud of the work because I think I made some little difference in women in science. I grew to really love Star Trek: Voyager, and out of a cast of 9, I've made 3 great friends, I managed to raise 2 children. I think, "It's good. I used myself well." Speaking about the best and worst part about playing a Star Trek captain, she said: "The best thing was simply the privilege and the challenge of being able to take a shot at the first female captain, transcending stereotypes that I was very familiar with. I was able to do that in front of millions of viewers. That was a remarkable experience - and it continues to resonate. The downside of that is also that it continues to resonate, and threatens to eclipse all else in one's long career if one does not up the ante and stay at it, in a way that may not ordinarily be necessary. I have to work at changing and constantly reinventing myself in a way that probably would not have happened had Star Trek not come along. I knew that going in, and I think that all of the perks attached to this journey have been really inexpressively great. So the negatives are small."

Post-Star Trek

After Voyager came to the end of the full seven seasons, Mulgrew went back to theatre and starred in a one-woman play called Tea at Five, a monologue reminiscence based on Katharine Hepburn's memoir Me: Stories of My Life. Tea at Five was a critical success and Mulgrew received two awards, one from Carbonell (Best actress) and the other from Broadway.com (Audience Award for Favorite Solo Performance). In 2006, Mulgrew performed in The Exonerated at the Riverside Studios located in London, England. In the spring of 2007, she appeared in the NBC television series The Black Donnellys as Helen Donnelly which lasted for 1 season. She also performed the lead role in an off Broadway production called Our Leading Lady by Charles Busch in which she picked up a nomination from the Drama League due to her performance.

In 2007, Mulgrew played Clytemnestra in New York for Charles L. Mee's Iphigenia 2.0. She won the Obie Award for outstanding performance. In June 2008, Mulgrew appeared in Equus on Broadway, playing Hesther Saloman, a public official who is empathetic toward the play's central character. The play opened on September 5, 2008 for a strictly limited 22-week engagement through February 8, 2009.

Also in 2008, Mulgrew filmed the 30 minute courtroom drama "The Response" which is based on actual transcripts of the Guantanamo Bay tribunals, it was researched and fully vetted in conjunction with the University Of Maryland School of Law and was shot in 3 days and all the crew and cast agreed to defer their salaries so it could be made. Mulgrew plays Colonel Sims. According to The Response website they are currently looking at ways to distribute the film.

In 2009, Mulgrew returned to television in the NBC medical series, Mercy playing the recurring role of "Jeannie Flanagan" (the mother of the show's lead, Veronica). Due for release in 2010, is The Best and the Brightest, a comedy based in the world of New York City's elite private kindergartens. Mulgrew will play "The Player's wife" and in development is The Incredible Story of Joyce McKinney and the Manacled Mormon.

In a message to her fans on her official website she said, "I am looking for a play and hope that it will come to me before I become irritated. But I realize, even in this wish, that I have been a little spoiled as an actress and that in the waiting there is a kind of lovely discipline."

This fall, Kate Mulgrew will star as Cleopatra in William Shakepeare's Antony and Cleopatra at Hartford Stage. Performances begin October 7.

Personal life

In 1999, Mulgrew married politician Tim Hagan, a former Ohio gubernatorial candidate and a current commissioner of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Mulgrew's mother Joan introduced them and he proposed to Mulgrew on the set of Star Trek: Voyager. Mulgrew has two sons, Ian Thomas and Alexander "Alec" James, from her first marriage to Robert H. Egan as well as two stepdaughters, Marie and Eleanor, from her marriage to Hagan.

Mulgrew is also a member of the National Advisory Committee of the Alzheimer's Association. Mulgrew's mother, Joan Mulgrew, died on July 27, 2006, after a long battle with the disease. According to a Women's Health TV show report, in 2002, Kate Mulgrew had raised over $2 million for the association.

As well as being a member of the National Advisory Committee she is also an opponent of abortion as well as capital punishment. She received an award from Feminists for Life, a pro-life feminist group. She is quoted as saying "Execution as punishment is barbaric and unnecessary", "Life is sacred to me on all levels" and "Abortion does not compute with my philosophy." More recently Mulgrew has become the voice of MetroHealth in Cleveland, Ohio.

Filmography

Television programs

Films

Theatre

Video games

Awards

References

External links

Totally Kate, Mulgrew's official website.

October 18, 2009

Category:1955 births Category:Actors from Iowa Category:American film actors Category:American pacifists Category:American soap opera actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Living people Category:People from Dubuque, Iowa

Name	John Tobias
Birth place	Chicago
Birth date	August 24, 1969
Years	1991 - present

John Tobias (born August 24, 1969 in Chicago) is an American comic book artist, graphic designer and video game designer. Along with Ed Boon he is one of the creators of the groundbreaking Mortal Kombat fighting game series.

Tobias was an artist for The Real Ghostbusters comic book series before joining Midway Games. He worked on the original arcade version of Smash TV before finding success with Mortal Kombat.

He was credited with developing the detailed Mortal Kombat storylines and designing many of the characters. Following its arcade debut in 1992, the MK franchise exploded into an overwhelming phenomenon and merchandising bonanza, spawning a host of additional games, as well as two movies, toy and apparel lines, a comic book series, and a 1996 live tour, among others.

By the end of the 1990s, however, the MK series, due to a few disappointing releases and the ill-received 1997 film (the sequel to the successful 1995 original), hit a low ebb. John Tobias, along with other prominent Midway staff members such as Dave Michicich and Josh Tsui, left Midway in 1999 and formed Studio Gigante in 2000.

, published by Microsoft Game Studios, was the first game Studio Gigante created, followed by WWE WrestleMania 21. Studio Gigante ceased operations in 2005 and Tobias now works as a consultant in the games industry.

Despite being one of the original creators of the MK series, Tobias is not mentioned in commentary or descriptions in the "making of" documentaries for Deadly Alliance and Deception, but was referred to as "Four people who made Mortal Kombat 1". However, he can be seen in the commentaries for Mortal Kombat 3 in the Midway Arcade Treasures 2 collection. In July 2008 it was reported that he would be illustrating a pack-in comic with special editions of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.

References

External links

Category:1969 births Category:American comics artists Category:American graphic designers Category:American video game designers Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Living people Category:Mortal Kombat

Name	Chris Rock
Caption	Rock at the Israeli premiere of , on November 22, 2008.
Birth name	Christopher Julius Rock III
Birth date	February 07, 1965
Birth place	Andrews, South Carolina, U.S.
Origin	Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York
Medium	Stand-up comedy, television, film
Nationality	American
Active	1984–present
Genre	Black humor, musical comedy, observational comedy, political satire, satire
Subject	African-American culture, American politics, , human sexuality, marriage, pop culture, race relations, racism
Influences	Bill Cosby, Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory, Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Pigmeat Markham, Woody Allen, Eddie Murphy, Sam Kinison, George Carlin, Mort Sahl, Bill Hicks
Influenced	Dave Chappelle, George Lopez
Spouse	Malaak Compton-Rock (November 23, 1996 – present; 2 children)
Website	www.chrisrock.com

}} Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central. He was also voted in the UK as the 9th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups in 2007, and again in the updated 2010 list as the 8th greatest stand-up comic.

Early life

Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. A few years later, they relocated and settled in the working-class area of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. His mother, Rosalie (née Tingman), was a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped; his father, Julius Rock, was a former truck driver and newspaper deliveryman. Julius died in 1988 after ulcer surgery. His younger brothers Tony, Kenny and Jordan are also in the entertainment business. His older half-brother, Charles, died in 2006 due to a long struggle with alcoholism. Rock has said that he was influenced by the performing style of his paternal grandfather, Allen Rock, a preacher.

Rock was bused to schools in predominately white neighborhoods of Brooklyn where he endured bullying and beatings from white students. As he got older, the bullying became worse and Rock's parents pulled him out of James Madison High School. His routine, which featured commentaries on race in America, stirred up a great deal of controversy. Rock won two Emmy Awards for that special. Adding to his popularity was his much-publicized role as a commentator for Comedy Central's Politically Incorrect during the 1996 Presidential elections Rock also was the voice for the "Lil Penny" puppet who was the alter ego to basketball star Penny Hardaway in a series of Nike shoe commercials from 1994–1998, and hosted the '97 MTV Video Music Awards.

Rock later had two more HBO comedy specials: Bigger & Blacker in 1999, and Never Scared in 2004. Articles relating to both specials called Rock "the funniest man in America" in Time and Entertainment Weekly. HBO also aired his talk show, The Chris Rock Show, which gained critical acclaim for Rock's interviews with celebrities and politicians. The show won an Emmy for writing. His television work has won him a total of three Emmy Awards and 15 nominations.

Film and television

It was not until the success of his stand-up act in the late 1990s that Rock began receiving major parts in films. These include roles in Dogma, Beverly Hills Ninja, Lethal Weapon 4, Nurse Betty, The Longest Yard, Bad Company, and a starring role in Down to Earth. Rock has also increasingly worked behind the camera, both as a writer and director of Head of State and I Think I Love My Wife. In the fall of 2005, the UPN television network premiered a comedy series called Everybody Hates Chris, based on Rock's school days, of which he is the executive producer and narrator. The show has garnered both critical and ratings success. The series was nominated for a 2006 Golden Globe for Best TV Series (Musical or Comedy), a 2006 People's Choice Award for Favorite New Television Comedy, and two 2006 Emmy Awards for costuming and cinematography.

Following the release of his first documentary, 2009's Good Hair, Rock is working on a documentary about debt called Credit is the Devil.

Academy Awards

In early 2005, Rock hosted the 77th Academy Awards ceremony. The decision to have Rock host the awards was seen by some as a chance to bring an "edge" to the ceremony, and to make it more relevant or appealing to younger audiences. Jokingly, Rock opened by saying "Welcome to the 77th and LAST Academy Awards!" During one segment Rock asked, "Who is this guy?" in reference to actor Jude Law seemingly appearing in every movie Rock had seen that year and implied Law was a low-rent Tom Cruise (he made a joke about filmmakers rushing production when unable to get the actors they want: "If you want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law, wait [to make the film]!"). Subsequently, a defensive Sean Penn took the stage to present and said, "In answer to our host's question, Jude Law is one of our finest young actors." (At the time, Penn and Law were shooting All the King's Men.) Law was not the only actor that Rock poked fun at that evening, however—he turned the joke on himself at one point, saying, "If you want Denzel [Washington] and all you can get is me, wait!" Older Oscar officials were reportedly displeased with Rock's performance, which did not elevate ratings for the ceremony. Rock was also criticized for referring to the Oscars as "idiotic", and asserting that heterosexual men do not watch them, in an interview prior to Oscar night.

Music videos

Rock's first music video was for his song "Your Mother's Got a Big Head" from his album Born Suspect. Rock also made videos for his songs "Champagne" from Roll With the New and "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)" from Bigger & Blacker. Chris Rock also directed and appeared in the music video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Hump de Bump".

Rock appeared in the Big Daddy Kane music video "Smooth Operator" as a guy getting his hair cut.

He also appeared in Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down", one of the many celebrities seen lip-synching the song.

Stage plays

In October 2010, The New York Times reported that Rock will be performing on Broadway in Stephen Adly Guirgis' play The Motherfucker with the Hat in the spring of 2011. Other cast members will include Bobby Cannavale and Annabella Sciorra.

The comedian has also expressed discomfort with the notion that success in standup comedy—or, indeed, in any aspect of the entertainment industry—should oblige him to serve as a role model. In this position, he finds himself directly at odds with one of his comic idols, Bill Cosby. Cosby has reprimanded Rock both explicitly—for his famous/notorious Niggas vs. Black People track —and implicitly, for heavy use of the word "nigger." Rock has not wavered from a position explored in his 1996 Roll With The New show, and reiterated in his 1997 memoir: "Why does the public expect entertainers to behave better than everybody else? It's ridiculous...Of course, this is just for black entertainers. You don't see anyone telling Jerry Seinfeld he's a good role model. Because everyone expects whites to behave themselves...Nowadays, you've got to be an entertainer and a leader. It's too much." Often the subject of tabloids, when asked about paparazzi and the other negative aspects of fame, Rock says he accepts the bad with the good: "You can't be happy that fire cooks your food and be mad it burns your fingertips."

At the London Live Earth concert on July 7, 2007, which was broadcast live on the BBC, before introducing the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rock called the crowd "motherfuckers" and "shit" after a brief sigh when he said he was joking. Due to the broadcast being at 5:45pm Rock was immediately cut off, and the BBC made several apologies for his use of the word "motherfucker".

Personal life

Rock has been married to Malaak Compton-Rock since November 23, 1996. She is the founder and executive director of StyleWorks, a non-profit, full-service salon that provides free services for women leaving welfare and entering the workforce.

In November 2006, the entertainment news website TMZ.com reported that Rock was filing for divorce after nearly ten years of marriage to Malaak. Two weeks later, however, TMZ reported that Rock had not filed divorce papers, and that it appeared that the couple had been able to work out their differences and stay together. In response to the reports, the Rocks released a statement to the press denouncing them as "untrue rumors and lies". DNA testing proved that Rock was not the child's father.

Rock resides in Alpine, New Jersey.

In 2008, Rock's family history was profiled on the PBS series African American Lives 2. A DNA test showed that he is descended from the Udeme people of northern Cameroon. Rock's great-great-grandfather Julius Caesar Tingman was a slave for 21 years before serving as part of the United States Colored Troops until 1866; Tingman fought in the American Civil War. During the 1940s, Rock's grandfather Alan Rock moved from South Carolina to New York City to become a taxicab driver and preacher.

Work

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Film ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- |1987 |Beverly Hills Cop II |Playboy Mansion Valet | |- |1988 |Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen |Himself |Direct-to-video Concert film |- |1988 |I'm Gonna Git You Sucka |Rib Joint Customer | |- |1989 |Who Is Chris Rock? |Himself |Documentary Short |- |1991 |New Jack City |Pookie | |- |1992 |Boomerang |Bony T | |- |1993 |CB4 |Albert Brown/M.C. Gusto |Also wrote story, screenplay and was co-producer |- |1995 |The Immortals |Deke Anthony | |- |1995 |Panther |Yuck Mouth | |- |1996 |Sgt. Bilko |1st Lt. Oster | |- |1997 |Beverly Hills Ninja |Joey Washington | |- |1998 |Dr. Dolittle |Rodney |Voice |- |1998 |Lethal Weapon 4 |Detective Lee Butters | |- |1999 |Torrance Rises |Himself |Documentary short |- |1999 |Dogma |Rufus | |- |2000 |Nurse Betty |Wesley | |- |2001 |Down to Earth |Lance Barton |Also co-writer and executive producer |- |2001 | |Mecha Comedian |Voice/cameo |- |2001 |Pootie Tang |JB/Radio DJ/Pootie's Father |Also producer |- |2001 |Osmosis Jones |Osmosis Jones |Voice |- |2001 |Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back |Chaka Luther King |Cameo |- |2002 |Bad Company |Jake Hayes/Kevin Pope/Michael Turner | |- |2002 |Comedian |Himself |Documentary |- |2003 |Pauly Shore Is Dead |Himself |Cameo |- |2003 |Head of State |Mays Gilliam |Also director, producer and co-writer |- |2004 |The N-Word |Himself |Documentary |- |2004 |Paparazzi |Pizza Delivery Guy |Cameo |- |2005 |The Aristocrats |Himself |Documentary |- |2005 |Madagascar |Marty |voice |- |2005 |The Longest Yard |Farrell Caretaker | |- |2007 |I Think I Love My Wife |Richard Marcus Cooper |Also director and co-writer |- |2007 |Bee Movie |Mooseblood the Mosquito |Voice |- |2008 |You Don't Mess with the Zohan |Taxi Driver |Cameo |- |2008 | |Marty and other zebras |Voice |- |2009 |Good Hair |Himself |Documentary |- |2010 |Death at a Funeral |Aaron |Also producer, Remake of the 2007 film of the same name |- |2010 |Grown Ups |Kurt McKenzie | |}

Discography

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Album ! colspan="2"| Peak positions ! rowspan="2"| Certifications |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="30"| U.S. ! width="30"| U.S.R&B; |- |1991 |Born Suspect |align="center"|– |align="center"|– | |- |1997 |Roll with the New |align="center"|93 |align="center"|41 | |- |1999 |Bigger & Blacker |align="center"|44 |align="center"|26 | |- |2004 |Never Scared |align="center"|– |align="center"|– | |}

Television

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Television ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- |1987 |Uptown Comedy Express |Himself |HBO special |- |1987 |Miami Vice |Carson |Episode: Missing Hours |- |1990–1993 |Saturday Night Live |Various |Cast member |- |1993–1994 |In Living Color |Various |Recurring |- |1994 | |Himself |HBO special |- |1995 |The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air |Maurice/Jasmine |Episode: "Get a Job" |- |1996–1998 |The Moxy Show |Flea |Uncredited voice role |- |1996 |Martin |Valentino |Episode: "The Love Jones Connection" |- |1996 | |Carver |Episode: "" |- |1996 | |Himself |HBO special |- |1996 |Politically Incorrect |Himself |Correspondent |- |1997 |MTV Music Video Awards |Himself |Host |- |1997–2000 |The Chris Rock Show |Himself |Cast member, writer |- |1998 |King of the Hill |Roger "Booda" Sack |Episode: "Traffic Jam" |- |1999 |MTV Music Video Awards |Himself |Host |- |1999 |Bigger & Blacker |Himself |HBO special |- |2003 |MTV Music Video Awards |Himself |HBO special |- |2004 |77th Academy Awards |Himself |Host |- |2004 |Never Scared |Himself |HBO special |- |2005–2009 |Everybody Hates Chris |Narrator |Creator |- |2008 | |Himself |HBO special |}

Books

Rock This! (Hyperion Books, 1997) – ISBN 0786862890

Tours

Bring the Pain (1996)

Bigger & Blacker (1999)

Black Ambition (2003–2004)

No Apologies (2007–2008)

Notes

External links

Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:Actors from South Carolina Category:African American comedians Category:African American film actors Category:African American film directors Category:African American screenwriters Category:American music video directors Category:American people of Cameroonian descent Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American voice actors Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:People from Alpine, New Jersey Category:People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Category:People from Georgetown County, South Carolina Category:Comedians