Events

211 – Publius Septimius Geta, co-emperor of Rome, is lured to come without his bodyguards to meet his brother Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Caracalla), to discuss a possible reconciliation. When he arrives the Praetorian Guard murders him and he dies in the arms of his mother Julia Domna.

324 – Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor.

1154 – Henry II of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey.

1490 – Anne, Duchess of Brittany, is married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor by proxy.

1606 – The Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery depart England carrying settlers who found, at Jamestown, Virginia, the first of the thirteen colonies that became the United States.

1776 – Thomas Paine publishes one of a series of pamphlets in the Pennsylvania Journal titled The American Crisis.

1777 – American Revolutionary War: George Washington's Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

1796 – French Revolutionary Wars: Two British frigates under Commodore Horatio Nelson and two Spanish frigates under Commodore Don Jacobo Stuart engage in battle off the coast of Murcia.

1828 – Nullification Crisis: Vice President of the United States John C. Calhoun pens the South Carolina Exposition and Protest, protesting the Tariff of 1828.

1900 – Hopetoun Blunder: The first Governor-General of Australia John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun, appointed Sir William Lyne as premier of the new state New South Wales, but he was unable to persuade other colonial politicians to join his government and was forced to resign.

1907 – A group of 239 coal miners die during a mine explosion in Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania.

1912 – William H. Van Schaick, captain of the steamship General Slocum which caught fire and killed over 1,000 people, is pardoned by U.S. President William Howard Taft after three-and-a-half-years in Sing Sing prison.

1916 – World War I: Battle of Verdun – On the Western Front, the French Army successfully holds off the German Army and drives it back to its starting position.

1920 – King Constantine I is restored as King of the Hellenes after the death of his son Alexander I of Greece and a plebiscite.

1924 – The last Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is sold in London, England.

1932 – BBC World Service begins broadcasting as the BBC Empire Service

1941 – World War II: Adolf Hitler becomes Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the German Army.

1941 – World War II: Limpet mines placed by Italian divers sink the and in Alexandria harbour.

1946 – Start of the First Indochina War.

1956 – Irish-born physician John Bodkin Adams is arrested in connection with the suspicious deaths of more than 160 patients. Eventually he is convicted only of minor charges.

1961 – India annexes Daman and Diu, part of Portuguese India.

1963 – Zanzibar gains independence from the United Kingdom as a constitutional monarchy, under Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah.

1964 – The South Vietnamese military junta of Nguyen Khanh dissolved the High National Council and arrested some of the members.

1967 – Prime Minister of Australia Harold Holt is officially presumed dead.

1972 – Apollo program: The last manned lunar flight, Apollo 17, crewed by Eugene Cernan, Ron Evans and Harrison Schmitt, returns to Earth.

1975 – John Paul Stevens is appointed a justice of The United States Supreme Court.

1981 – Sixteen lives are lost when the Penlee lifeboat goes to the aid of the stricken coaster Union Star in heavy seas.

1983 – The original FIFA World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, is stolen from the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro.

1984 – The Sino-British Joint Declaration, stating that the People's Republic of China would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and the United Kingdom would restore Hong Kong to China with effect from July 1, 1997 is signed in Beijing by Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher.

1986 – Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union, releases Andrei Sakharov and his wife from internal exile in Gorky.

1995 – The United States Government restores federal recognition to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indian tribe.

1997 – SilkAir Flight 185 crashes into the Musi River, near Palembang in Indonesia, killing 104.

1998 – Lewinsky scandal: The United States House of Representatives forwards articles I and III of impeachment against President Bill Clinton to the Senate.

2000 – The Leninist Guerrilla Units wing of the Communist Labour Party of Turkey/Leninist attack a Nationalist Movement Party office in Istanbul, killing one person and injuring three.

2001 – A record high barometric pressure of 1085.6 hPa (32.06 inHg) is recorded at Tosontsengel, Khövsgöl Province, Mongolia.

2001 – Argentine economic crisis: December 2001 riots – Riots erupt in Buenos Aires.

Births

1554 – Philip William, Prince of Orange (d. 1618)

1587 – Dorothea Sophia, Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg (d. 1645)

1683 – Philip V of Spain (d. 1746)

1699 – William Bowyer, English printer (d. 1777)

1714 – John Winthrop, American astronomer (d. 1779)

1778 – Princess Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, daughter of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI (d. 1851)

1784 – Marcus Morton, 16th and 18th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1864)

1796 – Breton de los Herreros, Spanish playwright (d. 1873)

1813 – Thomas Andrews, Irish chemist (d. 1885)

1817 – James J. Archer, Confederate general (d. 1864)

1820 – Mary Livermore, American journalist and women's rights advocate (d. 1905)

1831 – Bernice Pauahi Bishop, Hawaiian philanthropist (d. 1884)

1852 – Albert Abraham Michelson, Prussian-born American physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1931)

1853 – Charles Fitzpatrick, Canadian politician, lieutenant-governor of Quebec (d. 1942)

1861 – Italo Svevo, Italian author (d. 1928)

1865 – Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress (d. 1932)

1875 – Carter Woodson, American historian and author, founder of Black History Month (d. 1950

1888 – Fritz Reiner, Hungarian-born American conductor (d. 1963)

1894 – Ford Frick, American baseball commissioner (d. 1978)

1895 – Werner Dankwort, German diplomat (d. 1986)

1895 – Ingeborg Refling Hagen, Norwegian author and teacher (d. 1989)

1899 – Martin Luther King, Sr., American Baptist minister and father of Civil Rights activist, Martin Luther King, Jr. (d. 1984)

1901 – Rudolf Hell, German inventor (d. 2002)

1902 – Sir Ralph Richardson, English actor (d. 1983)

1903 – George Davis Snell, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (d. 1996)

1905 – Irving Kahn, American financial analyst and investor

1906 – Leonid Brezhnev, leader of the Soviet Union (d. 1982)

1907 – Jimmy McLarnin, former Welterweight Champion (d. 2004)

1909 – W.A. Criswell, American (Baptist) preacher (d. 2002)

1910 – Jean Genet, French writer (d. 1986)

1915 – Édith Piaf, French singer and actress (d. 1963)

1916 – Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, German political scientist (d. 2010)

1916 – Roy Ward Baker, English film director (d. 2010)

1918 – Professor Longhair, American blues musician (d. 1980)

1920 – Little Jimmy Dickens, American country singer

1920 – David Susskind, American TV talk show host (d. 1987)

1922 – Eamonn Andrews, Irish-born television presenter (d. 1987)

1923 – Gordon Jackson, Scottish actor (d. 1990)

1924 – Carlo Chiti, Italian race car engineer (d. 1994)

1924 – Doug Harvey, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1989)

1924 – Gary Morton, American comic; widower of Lucille Ball (d. 1999)

1924 – Edmund Purdom, English actor (d. 2009)

1925 – Tankred Dorst, German dramatist

1925 – Robert B. Sherman, American songwriter

1925 – William Schutz, American psychologist (d. 2002)

1926 – Bobby Layne, American football player (d. 1986)

1926 – Herb Stempel, American game show contestant

1927 – James Booth, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2005)

1928 – Nathan Oliveira, American artist (d. 2010)

1929 – Bob Brookmeyer, American jazz musician

1929 – Howard Sackler, American screenwriter (d. 1982)

1932 – Salvador Elizondo, Mexican writer

1933 – Kevan Gosper, Australian athlete

1933 – Cicely Tyson, American actress

1934 – Rudi Carrell, Dutch entertainer (d. 2006)

1934 – Al Kaline, American baseball player

1934 – Casper R. Taylor, Jr., American politician

1934 – Pratibha Patil, Indian politician

1935 – Barbara Bostock, American actress

1935 – Bobby Timmons, American jazz pianist (d. 1974)

1936 – Marian McKnight, American beauty pageant contestant (Miss America 1957)

1940 – Phil Ochs, American folk singer (d. 1976)

1941 – Maurice White, American singer and songwriter (Earth, Wind & Fire)

1941 – Lee Myung-bak, South Korean politician

1942 – Rufus, French actor

1943 – Ross M. Lence, American political scientist (d. 2006)

1943 – General James L. Jones, American military figure

1944 – William Christie, American-born French musician (Les Arts Florissants)

1944 – Mitchell Feigenbaum, American mathematical physicist

1944 – Richard Leakey, Kenyan paleontologist, conservationist and politician

1944 – Alvin Lee, English singer and musician (Ten Years After)

1944 – Tim Reid, American actor

1944 – Zal Yanovsky, Canadian guitarist (The Lovin' Spoonful) (d. 2002)

1945 – Elaine Joyce, American actress

1946 – Rosemary Conley, English businesswoman, author and broadcaster

1946 – Robert Urich, American actor (d. 2002)

1947 – Jimmy Bain, Scottish musician

1947 – Charlie Van Dyke, American actor and radio disc jockey

1948 – Ken Brown, Canadian ice hockey player

1949 – Nancy Kyes, American actress

1949 – Sebastian, Danish musician

1951 – Alan Rouse, British mountaineer (d. 1986)

1952 – Walter Murphy, American composer, pianist and arranger

1955 – Lincoln Hall, Australian mountaineer

1955 – Rob Portman, American politician, senator elect from Ohio

1956 – Tom Lawless, American baseball player

1956 – Phil Harris, American fisherman (Deadliest Catch) (d. 2010)

1957 – Cyril Collard, French film director (d. 1993)

1957 – John Gulager, American film director

1957 – Kevin McHale, American basketball player

1958 – Limahl, English singer (Kajagoogoo)

1958 – Steven Isserlis, English cellist

1959 – Ivan Vallejo, Ecuadorian mountaineer

1960 – Mike Lookinland, American actor

1960 – Michelangelo Signorile, American writer

1960 – Derrick Jensen, American author and activist

1961 – Eric Allin Cornell, American physicist, Nobel laureate

1961 – Matthew Waterhouse, English actor

1961 – Reggie White, American football player (d. 2004)

1962 – Gary Fleder, American film director

1962 – Jill Talley, American actress

1963 – Jennifer Beals, American actress

1963 – Til Schweiger, German actor

1964 – Arvydas Sabonis, Lithuanian basketball player

1964 – Béatrice Dalle, French actress

1965 – Chito Martínez, Belizean baseball player

1965 – Jessica Steen, American actress

1966 – Chuckii Booker, American singer, musician and producer

1966 – Robert MacNaughton, American stage and screen actor

1966 – Alberto Tomba, Italian alpine skier

1966 – Eric Weinrich, American ice hockey player

1967 – Criss Angel, American illusionist

1967 – Frankie Lam, Hong Kong actor

1969 – Richard Hammond, English television presenter

1969 – Tom Gugliotta, American basketball player

1969 – Kristy Swanson, American actress

1969 – Villano IV, Mexican professional wrestler

1971 – Tyson Beckford, American model

1971 – Liz Cho, American television reporter

1971 – Amy Locane, American actress

1972 – Alyssa Milano, American actress

1972 – Rosa Blasi, American actress

1972 – Warren Sapp, American football player

1973 – Takashi Sorimachi, Japanese actor

1973 – Zulfiya Zabirova, Russian cyclist

1974 – Mikko Paananen, Finnish bassist (HIM)

1974 – Joe Jurevicius, American football player

1974 – Felipe Lopez, Dominican basketball player

1974 – Jake Plummer, American football player

1974 – Ricky Ponting, Australian cricketer

1975 – Russell Branyan, American baseball player

1975 – Michiel van den Bos, Dutch composer

1975 – Jon Smith, British writer

1975 – Olivier Tebily, Ivorian footballer

1977 – Jorge Garbajosa, Spanish basketball player

1978 – Patrick Casey, American screenwriter and actor

1979 – Kevin Devine, American musician

1979 – Paola Rey, Colombian actress

1980 – Iman Ali, Pakistani model and actress

1980 – Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor

1980 – Chris Haslam, Canadian skateboarder and bassist (Kobra Triangle)

1980 – Marla Sokoloff, American actress

1982 – Maurice Williams, American basketball player

1982 – Tero Pitkamaki, Finnish javelin thrower

1983 – Casey Crescenzo, American Rock Artist

1983 – Matt Stajan, Canadian ice hockey player

1984 – Ian Kennedy, Baseball player

1985 – Gary Cahill, English footballer

1985 – Neil Kilkenny, English-born Australian footballer

1985 – Lady Sovereign, English musician

1986 – Ryan Babel, Dutch footballer

1987 – Karim Benzema, French footballer

1988 – Peter Winn, English footballer

1988 – Paulina Gretzky, American singer and model

1988 – Alexis Sánchez, Chilean footballer

1989 – Valdimar Bergstað, Icelandic horse rider

1991 – Declan Galbraith, English singer

1992 – Iker Muniain, Spanish/Basque footballer

Deaths

211 – Publius Septimius Geta – Roman Emperor (b. 189)

401 – Pope Anastasius I

1111 – Al-Ghazali, Islamic philosopher (b. 1058)

1075 – Edith of Wessex, wife of Edward the Confessor

1327 – Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy

1370 – Pope Urban V (b. 1310)

1737 – James Sobieski, Crown Prince of Poland (b. 1667)

1741 – Vitus Bering, Danish-born explorer (b. 1681)

1745 – Jean-Baptiste van Loo, French painter (b. 1684)

1749 – Francesco Antonio Bonporti, Italian priest and composer (b. 1672)

1751 – Louise of Great Britain, wife of Frederick V of Denmark (b. 1724)

1807 – Friedrich Melchior, baron von Grimm, German writer (b. 1723)

1813 – James McGill, Scottish-born Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1744)

1814 – Joseph Bramah, British inventor and locksmith (b. 1748)

1819 – Sir Thomas Fremantle, British naval officer and politician (b. 1765)

1848 – Emily Brontë, English author (b. 1818)

1878 – Bayard Taylor, American author and poet (b. 1825)

1915 – Alois Alzheimer, German neuroscientist (b. 1864)

1927 – Ashfaqulla Khan, Indian Revolutionary (b. 1900)

1932 – Yoon Bong-Gil, Korean activist (b. 1908)

1933 – George Jackson Churchward, British locomotive engineer. (b. 1857)

1938 – Stephen Warfield Gambrill, American politician (b. 1873)

1939 – Hans Langsdorff, German naval officer (b. 1894)

1944 – Khedive Abbas II of Egypt (b. 1874)

1944 – Rudolph Karstadt, German entrepreneur (b. 1856)

1946 – Paul Langevin, French physicist (b. 1872)

1953 – Robert Millikan, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1868)

1968 – Norman Thomas, American socialist (b. 1884)

1982 – Dwight Macdonald, American social critic (b. 1906)

1984 – Joy Ridderhof, American missionary (b. 1903)

1986 – V. C. Andrews, American author (b. 1923)

1989 – Stella Gibbons, English author (b. 1902)

1991 – Joe Cole, American rock music roadie (b. 1961)

1993 – Michael Clarke, American drummer (The Byrds) (b. 1946)

1996 – Marcello Mastroianni, Italian actor (b. 1924)

1997 – Masaru Ibuka, Japanese industrialist (Sony) (b. 1908)

1997 – Jimmy Rogers, American blues guitarist (b. 1924)

1998 – Mel Fisher, American treasure hunter (b. 1922)

1998 – Antonio Ordóñez, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1932)

1999 – Desmond Llewelyn, Welsh actor (b. 1914)

2000 – Rob Buck, American guitarist (10,000 Maniacs) (b. 1958)

2000 – Milt Hinton, American jazz double bassist (b. 1910)

2000 – John Lindsay, American politician (b. 1921)

2000 – Pops Staples, American singer (The Staple Singers) (b. 1915)

2000 – David Dewayne Johnson, American convicted murderer (b. 1963)

2001 – Marcel Mule, French saxophonist (b. 1901)

2002 – Arthur Rowley, English footballer (b. 1926)

2003 – Peter Carter-Ruck, English lawyer (b. 1914)

2003 – Hope Lange, American actress (b. 1933)

2003 – Les Tremayne, English-born American actor (b. 1913)

2004 – Herbert C. Brown, English-born American chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1912)

2004 – Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano (b. 1922)

2005 – Keith Duckworth, English mechanical engineer (Cosworth) (b. 1933)

2005 – Vincent Gigante, American mafioso (b. 1927)

2008 – James Bevel, American civil rights activist (b. 1936)

2008 – Kenny Cox, American jazz musician (b. 1940)

2008 – Dock Ellis, American baseball pitcher (b. 1945)

2008 – Carol Chomsky, American linguist (b. 1930)

2009 – Hossein-Ali Montazeri, Iranian dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah (b. 1922)

2009 – Kim Peek, American prodigious savant and inspiration for the 1988 film Rain Man (b. 1951)

2010 – Trudy Pitts, American jazz organist, pianist, and vocalist (b. 1932)

2010 – Anthony Howard, English Journalist (b. 1934)

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:

*O Radix

*Pope Anastasius I

Liberation day (Goa)

Opalia (Roman Empire)

United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation (International)

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

----

Category:Days of the year Category:December

Caption	Jim Carrey at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
Birth name	James Eugene Carrey
Birth date	January 17, 1962
Birth place	Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Actor, comedian
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	(divorced) (divorced)
Partner	Jenny McCarthy (2005–2010)
Website	JimCarrey.com

James Eugene "Jim" Carrey (born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. Carrey began stand-up comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario. After gaining prominence in 1981, he began working at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles where he was soon noticed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who immediately signed him to open his tour performances. Carrey, long interested in film and television, developed a close friendship with comedian Damon Wayans, which landed him a role in the sketch comedy hit In Living Color, in which he portrayed various characters during the show's 1990 season. Having had little success in television movies and several low-budget films, Carrey was cast as the title character in which premiered in February, 1994 making more than $72 million domestically. The film spawned a sequel, (1995), in which he reprised the role of Ventura. These higher-profile roles eventually led to his being cast as Stanley Ipkiss in The Mask (1994) for which he gained a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, and as Lloyd Christmas in the comedy film Dumb and Dumber (1994).

Between 1996 and 1999, Carrey continued his success after earning lead roles in several highly popular films including The Cable Guy (1996), Liar Liar (1997), in which he was nominated for another Golden Globe Award and in the critically acclaimed films The Truman Show and Man on the Moon, in 1998 and 1999, respectively. Both films earned Carrey Golden Globe awards. Since earning both awards — the only two in his three-decade career— Carrey continued to star in highly acclaimed comedy films, including How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) where he played the title character, Bruce Almighty (2003) where he portrayed the role of unlucky TV reporter Bruce Nolan, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), and Yes Man (2008). Carrey has also taken on more serious roles including Joel Barish in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) alongside Kate Winslet and Kirsten Dunst, which earned him another Golden Globe nomination, and Steven Jay Russell in I Love You Phillip Morris (2010) alongside Ewan McGregor.

Early life

Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, the son of Kathleen (née Oram), a homemaker, and Percy Carrey, a musician and accountant. He has three older siblings, John, Patricia, and Rita. He was raised Roman Catholic. His mother was of Scottish descent and his father was of French Canadian ancestry (the family's original surname was Carré). After his family moved to Scarborough, Ontario when Carrey was 14 years old, he attended Blessed Trinity Catholic School, in North York, for two years, enrolled at Agincourt Collegiate Institute for another year, then briefly attended Northview Heights Secondary School for the remainder of his high school career (altogether, he spent three years in Grade 10).

Carrey lived in Burlington, Ontario for eight years and attended Aldershot High School, where he once opened for 1980s new wave band Spoons. In a Hamilton Spectator interview (February 2007), Carrey remarked, "If my career in show business hadn't panned out I would probably be working today in Hamilton, Ontario at the Dofasco steel mill." When looking across the Burlington Bay toward Hamilton, he could see the mills and thought, "Those were where the great jobs were." At this point, he already had experience working in a science testing facility in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Career

Comedy

In 1979, under the management of Leatrice Spevack, Carrey started doing stand-up comedy at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, where he rose to become a headliner in February 1981, shortly after his 19th birthday. One reviewer in the Toronto Star raved that Carrey was "a genuine star coming to life." In the early 1980s, Carrey moved to Los Angeles and started working at The Comedy Store, where he was noticed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who signed the young comedian to open Dangerfield's tour performances.

Carrey then turned his attention to the film and television industries, auditioning to be a cast member for the 1980–1981 season of NBC's Saturday Night Live. Carrey was not selected for the position (although he did host the show in May 1996, and again in January 2011). Joel Schumacher had him audition for a role in D.C. Cab, though in the end, nothing ever came of it. His first lead role on television was Skip Tarkenton, a young animation producer on NBC's short-lived The Duck Factory, airing from April 12, 1984, to July 11, 1984, and offering a behind-the-scenes look at the crew that produced a children's cartoon.

Carrey continued working in smaller film and television roles, which led to a friendship with fellow comedian Damon Wayans, who co-starred with Carrey as an extraterrestrial in 1989's Earth Girls Are Easy. When Wayans' brother Keenen began developing a sketch comedy show for Fox called In Living Color, Carrey was hired as a cast member, whose unusual characters included masochistic, accident-prone safety inspector Fire Marshall Bill, and masculine female bodybuilder Vera de Milo.

Film

Carrey made his film debut in Rubberface (1983), which was released as Introducing...Janet. Later that year, he won the leading role in Damian Lee's Canadian skiing comedy Copper Mountain, which included his impersonation of Sammy Davis Jr. Since the film had a less than one hour runtime consisting largely of musical performances by Rita Coolidge and Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins, it was not considered a genuine feature film. Two years later, in 1985, Carrey saw his first major starring role in the dark comedy Once Bitten, in the role of Mark Kendall, a teen virgin pursued by a 400-year old female vampire (played by Lauren Hutton). After supporting roles in films such as Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), and The Dead Pool (1988), Carrey did not experience true stardom until starring in the 1994 comedy , which premiered only months before In Living Color ended. Ace Ventura was panned by critics, and earned Carrey a 1995 Golden Raspberry Award nomination as Worst New Star. But the film was as embraced by fans as it was derided by critics. The Ventura character became a pop icon, and the film made Carrey a superstar. It was a huge commercial success, as were his two other starring roles from that year: The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. In 1995, Carrey appeared as the Riddler in Batman Forever and reprised his role as Ace Ventura in . Both films were successful at the box office and earned Carrey multi-million-dollar paychecks. Carrey earned $20 million for his next film, The Cable Guy (directed by Ben Stiller), a record sum for a comedy actor. The cult film did not do well with critics, but Carrey quickly rebounded with the successful Liar Liar, a return to his trademark comedy style. Carrey took a slight pay cut to play a more serious role to star in the critically-praised science-fiction dramedy The Truman Show (1998), a change of pace that led to forecasts of Academy Award nominations. Although the movie was nominated for three other awards, Carrey did not personally receive a nomination, leading him to joke that "it's an honor just to be nominated...oh no," during his appearance on the Oscar telecast. However, Carrey did win a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama and an MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance. That same year, Carrey appeared as a fictionalized version of himself on the final episode of Garry Shandling's The Larry Sanders Show, in which he deliberately ripped into Shandling's character. In 1999, Carrey won the role of comedian Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon. Despite critical acclaim, he was not nominated for an Academy Award, but again won a Best Actor Golden Globe award for the second consecutive year. In 2000, Carrey reteamed with the Farrelly Brothers, who had directed him in Dumb and Dumber, in their comedy, Me, Myself & Irene, about a state trooper with multiple personalities who romances a woman played by Renée Zellweger. The film grossed $24 million on its opening weekend and $90 million by the end of its domestic run.

In 2003, Carrey reteamed with Tom Shadyac for the financially successful comedy Bruce Almighty. Earning over $242 million in the U.S. and over $484 million worldwide, this film became the second highest grossing live-action comedy of all time. His performance in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in 2004 earned high praise from critics, who again predicted that Carrey would receive an Oscar nomination; the film did win for Best Original Screenplay, and co-star Kate Winslet received an Oscar nomination for her performance. (Carrey was also nominated for a sixth Golden Globe for his performance). In 2004, he played the villainous Count Olaf in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, which was based on the popular children's novels of the same name. In 2005, Carrey starred in a remake of Fun with Dick and Jane, playing Dick, a husband who becomes a bank robber after he loses his job. In 2007, Carrey reunited with Joel Schumacher, director of Batman Forever, for The Number 23, a psychological thriller co-starring Virginia Madsen and Danny Huston. In the film, Carrey plays a man who becomes obsessed with the number 23, after finding a book about a man with the same obsession. Carrey has stated that he finds the prospect of reprising a character to be considerably less enticing than taking on a new role. The only time he has reprised a role was with Ace Ventura. (Sequels to Bruce Almighty, , and The Mask have all been released without Carrey's involvement.)

Personal life

He attended a Presbyterian Church with his family in the early 1990s. He is a fan of death metal band Cannibal Corpse, who made a cameo appearance in , at his request for the band to be featured in the film. in Toronto since 1998.

He went public about his bouts with depression in a November 2004 interview on 60 Minutes. Carrey has also launched public awareness campaigns, by way of internet videos which shed light on the political repression in Burma; especially that of Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, whom he describes as a personal hero. Carrey is a great admirer and friend of Eckhart Tolle, and in June 2009, Carrey gave an introduction for Tolle when together they headlined the first conference of the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment.

In Los Angeles on February 27, 2010, Carrey announced via his Twitter account that he had become a grandfather when his daughter Jane gave birth to her first child with musician husband Alex Santana, who performs in the band Blood Money under the stage name Nitro. He announced that his grandson's name was Jackson Riley Santana.

Relationships

Carrey has been married twice, first to former actress and Comedy Store waitress Melissa Womer on March 28, 1987; the two were officially divorced in late 1995. Their only child, a daughter named Jane Erin Carrey, was born on September 6, 1987, in Los Angeles County. After his separation from Womer in 1994, Carrey began dating his Dumb and Dumber co-star Lauren Holly. They were married on September 23, 1996; the marriage lasted less than a year. Carrey dated actress Renée Zellweger, whom he met on the set of Me, Myself & Irene, but their relationship ended with a broken engagement in December 2000.

In the May 2006 issue of Playboy Magazine (p. 48), it was mentioned that he was dating model Anine Bing. In December 2005, Carrey began dating actress/model Jenny McCarthy. They did not make their relationship public until June 2006. She announced on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 2, 2008, that the two were then living together, but had no plans to marry; as they do not need a "piece of paper." In April 2010, Carrey and McCarthy ended their near five-year relationship.

Anti-vaccine campaign

With former partner Jenny McCarthy, Carrey has become a vocal opponent of childhood MMR vaccination, not only writing in the Huffington Post but also using his celebrity status to obstruct a childhood vaccination scheme. His opposition to vaccination is contrary to the scientific consensus that no evidence links the vaccine to the development of autism, and that the vaccine's benefits greatly outweigh its risks.

Filmography

Film

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1980 | The Sex and Violence Family Hour | Various roles | |- | 1981 | All in Good Taste | Ralph Parker | |- | 1983 | Copper Mountain | Bobby Todd | |- | 1984 | Finders Keepers | Lane Bidlekoff | |- | 1985 | Once Bitten | Mark Kendall | |- | 1986 | Peggy Sue Got Married | Walter Getz | |- | 1988 | The Dead Pool | Johnny Squares | |- |rowspan="2" | 1989 | Pink Cadillac | Comedian | |- | Earth Girls Are Easy | Wiploc | |- | 1991 | High Strung | Death | |- | 1992 | The Itsy Bitsy Spider | The Exterminator | (voice only) |- |rowspan="3" | 1994 | | Ace Ventura | Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Comedy, On VideoBlockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Male Newcomer, On VideoKids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorLondon Critics Circle Film Award for Newcomer of the Year (also for The Mask)Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance |- | The Mask | The Mask/Stanley Ipkiss | London Critics Circle Film Award for Newcomer of the Year (also for )Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence (shared with Cameron Diaz) |- | Dumb and Dumber | Lloyd Christmas | MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceMTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Lauren Holly)Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo (shared with Jeff Daniels) |- |rowspan="2" | 1995 | Batman Forever | Riddler/Edward Nygma | Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Villain |- | | Ace Ventura | Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorMTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceMTV Movie Award for Best Male PerformancePeople's Choice Award for Favorite Actor in a Comedy MovieNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Sophie Okonedo)Nominated - American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor (Leading Role) |- | 1996 | The Cable Guy | Ernie "Chip" Douglas | Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorMTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceMTV Movie Award for Best VillainNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Matthew Broderick) |- | 1997 | Liar Liar | Fletcher Reede | Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - ComedyMTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor |- |rowspan="2" | 1998 | The Truman Show | Truman Burbank | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture DramaMTV Movie Award for Best Male PerformanceMovieGuide Award: Grace AwardNominated - Saturn Award for Best ActorNominated - American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor (Leading Role)Nominated - Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - DramaNominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorNominated - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor |- | Simon Birch | Adult Joe Wenteworth | |- | 1999 | Man on the Moon | Andy Kaufman/Tony Clifton | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyBoston Society of Film Critics Award for Best ActorNominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading RoleNominated - Satellite Award for Best Actor, Musical or Comedy FilmNominated - American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor (Leading Role)Nominated - Canadian Comedy Award for Film - Male PerformanceNominated - London Critics Circle Film Award for Actor of the Year (also for How the Grinch Stole Christmas)Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Male PerformanceNominated - Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor |- |rowspan="2" | 2000 | Me, Myself & Irene | Officer Charlie Baileygates/Hank | Teen Choice Award for Wipeout Scene of the SummerNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated - Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Comedy/Romance |- | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | The Grinch | MTV Movie Award for Best VillainPeople's Choice Award for Favorite Star in a Motion Picture ComedyKids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorTeen Choice Award for Choice Hissy FitBlockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - ComedyNominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated - Saturn Award for Best ActorNominated - Canadian Comedy Award for Film - Pretty Funny Male PerformanceNominated - Empire Award for Best ActorNominated - London Critics Circle Film Award for Actor of the Year (also for Man on the Moon) |- | 2001 | The Majestic | Peter Appleton | |- |rowspan="2" | 2003 | Bruce Almighty | Bruce Nolan | Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorTeen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor - ComedyMTV Movie Award, Mexico, for Most Divine Miracle in a MovieNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Jennifer Aniston)Nominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Chemistry (shared with Morgan Freeman) |- | Pecan Pie | Man on Bed |Short film |- |rowspan="2" | 2004 | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | Joel Barish | San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorNominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated - Saturn Award for Best ActorNominated - BAFTA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading RoleNominated - People's Choice Award for Favorite Leading ManNominated - People's Choice Award for Favorite On-Screen Chemistry (shared with Kate Winslet)Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actor, Musical or Comedy FilmNominated - Empire Award for Best ActorNominated - Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor |- | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | Count Olaf | Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Bad GuyPeople's Choice Award for Favorite Funny Male StarNominated - MTV Movie Award for Best VillainNominated - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Action/Adventure/ThrillerNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liar |- | 2005 | Fun with Dick and Jane | Dick Harper | Nominated - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Actor: Comedy |- | 2007 | The Number 23 | Walter Sparrow/Det. Fingerling | Nominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: Horror/ ThrillerNominated - Razzie Award for Worst Actor |- |rowspan="2" | 2008 | Horton Hears a Who! | Horton | (voice only)Nominated - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie |- | Yes Man | Carl Allen | MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformancePeople's Choice Award for Favorite Funny Male StarNominated - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie ActorNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor: ComedyNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Hissy FitNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Rockstar Moment |- | 2009 | A Christmas Carol | Ebenezer ScroogeGhost of Christmas PastGhost of Christmas PresentGhost of Christmas Yet to Come | Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie |- | 2010 | I Love You Phillip Morris | Steven Jay Russell | |- | 2011 | Mr. Popper's Penguins | Mr. Popper | filming |}

Television

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1980 | The All-Night Show | Various voices | (voice only) |- | 1981 | Rubberface | Tony Moroni | Television movie |- | 1984 | Buffalo Bill | Jerry Lewis Impersonator | Television series (uncredited) |- | 1984 | The Duck Factory | Skip Tarkenton | Television series |- | 1989 | | Brad Peters | Television movie |- | 1990 | In Living Color | Various roles | Television series |- | 1992 | Doing Time on Maple Drive | Tim Carter | Television movie |- | 1994 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast | himself | Television series (one episode) |}

Other accolades

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Organization ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Award ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Result |- |2001 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Motion Picture Star in a Comedy | |- |2003 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Comedian | |- |2004 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Comedian | |- |rowspan=2| 2005 | People's Choice Awards | Favourite Funny Male Star | |- | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Comedian | |- |2006 | MTV Movie Awards | MTV Generation Award | |- |2009 | People's Choice Awards | Favourite Funny Male Star | |- |}

See also

Better U Foundation

References

External links

Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Ontario Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Canadian comedians Category:Canadian expatriate actors in the United States Category:Canadian film actors Category:Canadian immigrants to the United States Category:Canadian impressionists (entertainers) Category:Canadian people of Scottish descent Category:Canadian Presbyterians Category:Canadian Roman Catholics Category:Canadian stand-up comedians Category:Canadian television actors Category:Canadian vegetarians Category:Canadian voice actors Category:Franco-Ontarian people

Category:People from Burlington, Ontario Category:People from Newmarket, Ontario Category:People from Scarborough, Ontario

Caption	Galifianakis in Austin, Texas, March 19, 2009
Birth name	Zacharius Knight Galifianakis
Birth date	October 01, 1969
Birth place	Wilkesboro, North Carolina, United States
Death date
Medium	Stand-up, film, television, music
Nationality	American
Active	1996–present
Genre	Observational comedy, musical comedy
Notable work	Tru CallingThe HangoverG-ForceDue Date

Zacharius Knight "Zach" Galifianakis ( ; born October 1, 1969) is a Greek-American stand-up comedian and actor, known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special. While initially more of an "underground" comedian, he has garnered mainstream attention for his role in the Todd Phillips-directed comedy film The Hangover.

Personal life

Galifianakis was born in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Galifianakis was raised in his father's Greek Orthodox faith. He has two siblings, a younger sister, Merritt, and an older brother, Greg. His uncle, Nick Galifianakis, was a congressman from North Carolina between 1967 and 1973.

Galifianakis attended Wilkes Central High School, and subsequently North Carolina State University, where he majored in communication.

He is currently in a relationship with Quinn Lundberg, co-founder of the charity Growing Voices.

He is a fan of Eckhart Tolle.

Career

Early work

Galifianakis' career began on television in 1996, when he played the recurring role of a stoner named Billy in the short-lived sitcom Boston Common. Then he joined Saturday Night Live as a writer but only lasted two weeks. Galifianakis co-starred in the film Out Cold and had small roles in Corky Romano, Below, Bubble Boy, Heartbreakers, Into the Wild, Super High Me, Little Fish Strange Pond, and Largo

Galifianakis hosted his own late night variety show on VH1 in 2002 called Late World with Zack Galifianakis. It featured many of his friends and regular performers from the LA comedy and music venue Largo where he appeared frequently during this time period. One episode featured Largo regulars Jon Brion and Rhett Miller as musical guests. He had his own episode of Comedy Central Presents, which first aired in September 2001. It included a stand-up routine, a segment with a piano, and concluding with an a cappella group (The Night Owls, introduced as his "12 ex-girlfriends") singing "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles while he made jokes. In 2002, he was the host of his own talk show called Late World with Zach. His next television role was as a coroner named Davis in the Fox drama Tru Calling, which lasted from 2003 to 2005. He also completed the pilot Speed Freaks for Comedy Central.

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis

Galifianakis has a series of videos on the Funny or Die website titled "Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis" where he conducts interviews with popular celebrities between two potted ferns. He has interviewed Jimmy Kimmel, Michael Cera, Jon Hamm, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Bradley Cooper, Conan O'Brien (with a brief appearance by Andy Richter), Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Sean Penn and Bruce Willis. His interview style consists of typical interview questions, bizarre non sequiturs and inappropriate and sometimes sexual questions and comments, at one point attempting to tickle Michael Cera and forcing Cera to tickle him.

Mainstream performances: 2009–present

Galifianakis co-starred in the comedy The Hangover and earned the MTV Movie Award for the Best Comedic Performance. Following The Hangover's release, Galifianakis was prominently advertised in subsequent films that featured him in supporting roles. These included G-Force, Youth in Revolt, and the Oscar nominated film Up in the Air.

Galifianakis is currently a member of the regular cast playing a supporting role in the HBO series Bored to Death. He hosted Saturday Night Live on March 6, 2010, during the show's 35th season, during which he shaved his beard mid-show for a sketch, and then closed the show wearing a fake beard.

In 2010, he starred in several films, including Dinner for Schmucks, It's Kind of a Funny Story, and Due Date.

Galifianakis will appear in the sequel to The Hangover. In October 2010, it was reported that Galifianakis may have prevented Mel Gibson from making a cameo appearance in The Hangover Part II.

On October 29, 2010, while debating marijuana legalization on the show HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Galifianakis appeared to have smoked a marijuana joint on live television which host Bill Maher denied in an interview with Wolf Blitzer during an episode of "The Situation Room".

Filmography

{|class="wikitable sortable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Film ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Notes |- | rowspan="2"| 1999 | The King and Me | Pizza boy | |- | Flushed | Pathetic guy | |- | rowspan="4"| 2001 | Heartbreakers | Bill | |- | Bubble Boy | Bus stop man | |- | Corky Romano | Dexter | |- | Out Cold | Luke | |- | 2002 | Below | Weird Wally | |- | 2003–2005 | Tru Calling | Davis | Television |- | 2004 | Zach & Avery of Fergus | Homeless man | |- | rowspan="2"| 2006 | The Pity Card | Zach | |- | Dog Bites Man | Alan Finger | Television |- | 2007 | Into the Wild | Kevin | |- | rowspan="2"| 2008 | What Happens in Vegas | Dave the Bear | |- | Visioneers | George | |- | rowspan="7"| 2009 | Gigantic | Homeless guy | |- | The Hangover | Alan Garner | MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated – Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance |- | American Dad | Heavyset Man and Norman | Voice only |- | G-Force | Ben | |- | Bored to Death | Ray | Television |- | Up in the Air | Steve | |- | | Hermit | Straight to DVD |- | rowspan="4"| 2010 | Youth in Revolt | Jerry | Frenemy

|- |Dinner for Schmucks | Therman Murch | |- | It's Kind of a Funny Story | Bobby | |- | Due Date | Ethan Tremblay/Ethan Chase | |- | 2011 | | Alan Garner | Filming |}

References

External links

Official web site, with biography and photos

in 2010

Interview from Brian M. Palmer

Interview with Zach at VerbicideMagazine.com

Category:1969 births Category:Actors from North Carolina Category:American actors Category:American comedians Category:American comedy musicians Category:American film actors Category:American people of Greek descent Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American television writers

Category:North Carolina State University alumni Category:People from Wilkes County, North Carolina Category:Living people Category:Comedians

Img alt	A mid-twenties African American man wearing a sequined military jacket and dark sunglasses. He is walking while waving his right hand, which is adorned with a white glove. His left hand is bare.
Landscape	no
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Michael Joe Jackson
Alias	Michael Joseph Jackson, Michael Jackson, King of Pop
Born	August 29, 1958Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Died	June 25, 2009Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Instrument	Vocals, Piano, Drums, Beatbox, Guitar, Bass Guitar
Genre	R&B;, pop rock, electronic
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer, composer, musician, dancer, choreographer, actor, author, businessman, philanthropist
Years active	1964–2009
Label	Motown, Epic, Legacy
Associated acts	The Jackson 5
Url

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, dancer, singer-songwriter, and philanthropist. Referred to as the King of Pop, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The eighth child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in the mid-1960s, and began his solo career in 1971.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs including "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced numerous hip hop, pop, contemporary R&B; and rock artists.

Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which have made him one of the most-awarded recording artist in the history of music. He was also a notable humanitarian and philanthropist, donating and raising hundreds of millions of dollars for beneficial causes and supporting more than 39 charities.

Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships and behavior, have generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled out of court and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury ruled him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his concert series This Is It, Jackson died on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. Before his death, Jackson had reportedly been administered drugs such as propofol and lorazepam. The Los Angeles County Coroner declared his death a homicide, and his personal physician pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and as many as one billion people around the world reportedly watched his public memorial service on live television. In March 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a US$250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death. His first posthumous album of new material, simply titled Michael, was released on December 14, 2010.

Life and career

Early life and The Jackson 5 (1958–1975)

, showing floral tributes after his death.]] Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, the eighth of ten children in an African American working-class family, in Gary, Indiana, an industrial suburb of Chicago. His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovah's Witness, and his father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, was a steel mill worker who performed with an R&B; band called The Falcons. Jackson had three sisters: Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy. A sixth brother, Brandon, died shortly after birth.

Jackson had a troubled relationship with his father, Joe. Jackson stated that he was physically and emotionally abused during incessant rehearsals, though he also credited his father's strict discipline with playing a large role in his success. Jackson first spoke openly about his childhood abuse in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, broadcast in February 1993. He admitted that he had often cried from loneliness and he would vomit on the sight of his father. Jackson's father was also said to have verbally abused Jackson, saying that he had a fat nose on numerous occasions. In fact, Michael Jackson's deep dissatisfaction with his appearance, his nightmares and chronic sleep problems, his tendency to remain hyper-compliant especially with his father, and to remain child-like throughout his adult life are in many ways consistent with the effects of this chronic maltreatment he endured as a young child. Childhood abuse is also known to impair neurobiological development (i.e. impairing the brain circuitry involved in addiction, motivation and incentive) causing increased susceptibility to drug addiction, which he struggled with; in addition to increased susceptibility by the psychological factor of emotional pain relief.

In an interview with Martin Bashir, later included in the 2003 broadcast of Living with Michael Jackson, Jackson acknowledged that his father hurt him when he was a child, but was nonetheless a "genius", as he admitted his father's strict discipline played a huge role in his success. When Bashir dismissed the positive remark and continued asking about beatings, Jackson put his hand over his face and objected to the questions. He recalled that Joseph sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed, and that "if you didn't do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you".

In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine. Jackson later began performing backup vocals and dancing. When he was eight, Jackson began sharing the lead vocals with his older brother Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to The Jackson 5.

The Jackson 5 recorded several songs, including "Big Boy", for the local record label Steeltown in 1967, before signing with Motown Records in 1968. The group set a chart record when its first four singles ("I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There") peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Move to Epic and Off the Wall (1975–1981)

In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records They continued to tour internationally, releasing six more albums between 1976 and 1984, during which Jackson was the lead songwriter, writing hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", "This Place Hotel," and "Can You Feel It". In 1979, Jackson broke his nose during a complex dance routine. His subsequent rhinoplasty was not a complete success; he complained of breathing difficulties that would affect his career. He was referred to Dr. Steven Hoefflin, who performed Jackson's second rhinoplasty and subsequent operations.

Jones and Jackson produced the Off the Wall album together. Songwriters for the album included Jackson, Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney. Released in 1979, it was the first solo album to generate four U.S. top 10 hits, including the chart-topping singles "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You". It reached number three on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold over copies worldwide. In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B; Album, Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B; Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". That year, he also won Billboard Year-End for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance, also for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Jackson again won at the American Music Awards in 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B; Album and Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist. Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a much bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.

Thriller and Motown 25 (1982–83)

In 1982, Jackson contributed the song "Someone In the Dark" to the storybook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; the record won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1984. In the same year he won another seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards (including the Award of Merit, the youngest artist to win it), making him the most awarded in one night for both award shows. These awards were thanks to the Thriller album, released in late 1982, which was the 1983's best-selling album worldwide and became the best-selling album of all time in the United States, as well as the best-selling album of all time worldwide, selling an estimated copies so far. The album topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." Thriller was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. The album won also another Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical in 1984, awarding Bruce Swedien for his work. Jackson's attorney John Branca noted that Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point: approximately $2 for every album sold. He was also making record-breaking profits from sales of his recordings. The videocassette of the documentary The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller sold over 350,000 copies in a few months. The era saw the arrival of novelties like dolls modeled after Michael Jackson, which appeared in stores in May 1984 at a price of $12. Biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli writes that, "Thriller stopped selling like a leisure item—like a magazine, a toy, tickets to a hit movie—and started selling like a household staple." In 1985, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Longform.

Time described Jackson's influence at that point as "Star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too".

In March 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for a legendary live performance which was taped for a television special. The show aired on May 16, 1983, to an audience of viewers, and featured the Jacksons and a number of other Motown stars. It is best remembered for Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean". Wearing a distinctive black sequin jacket and golf glove decorated with rhinestones, he debuted his signature dance move, the moonwalk, which former Soul Train dancer and Shalamar member, Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years before. The Jacksons' performance drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and The Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times later wrote, "The moonwalk that he made famous is an apt metaphor for his dance style. How does he do it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as he glides while the other bends and seems to walk requires perfect timing."

Pepsi, "We Are the World" and business career (1984–85)

and first lady Nancy Reagan, 1984]]

On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi Cola commercial, overseen by executive Phil Dusenberry, from ad agency BBDO and Pepsi's Worldwide Creative Director, Alan Pottasch at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. In front of a full house of fans during a simulated concert, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire. He suffered second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide the scars on his scalp, and he also had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter. Dusenberry later recounted the episode in his memoir, Then We Set His Hair on Fire: Insights and Accidents from a Hall of Fame Career in Advertising.

On May 14, 1984, Jackson was invited to the White House to receive an award from President Ronald Reagan for his support of charities that helped people overcome alcohol and drug abuse. Jackson won eight awards during the Grammys that year. Unlike later albums, Thriller did not have an official tour to promote it, but the 1984 Victory Tour, headlined by The Jacksons, showcased much of Jackson's new solo material to more than two million Americans. He donated all the funds (around ) raised from the Victory Tour to charity. He also co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World" in 1985 with Lionel Richie, which was released worldwide to aid the poor in the U.S. and Africa. It became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with nearly 30 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief. In 1986, "We Are the World" won four Grammys (one for Jackson for Song of the Year). American Music Award directors removed the charity song from the competition because they felt it would be inappropriate, but recognised it with two special honors (one for the creation of the song and one for the USA for Africa idea). They are the only AMAs that Jackson won as non-solo artist.

In 1984, ATV Music Publishing, which had the copyrights to nearly 4000 songs, including the Northern Songs catalog that contained the majority of the Lennon/McCartney compositions recorded by The Beatles, was put up for sale by Robert Holmes à Court. Jackson had become interested in owning music catalogs after working with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s: Jackson had learned McCartney made approximately $40 million a year from other people's songs. In 1981, McCartney was offered the ATV music catalog for £20 million ($40 million USD). According to McCartney, he contacted Yoko Ono about making a joint purchase by splitting the cost equally at £10 million each, but Ono thought they could buy it for £5 million each. Also, an attorney for McCartney assured Jackson's attorney, John Branca, that McCartney was not interested in bidding: McCartney reportedly said "It's too pricey" According to J. Randy Taraborrelli's biography, in 1986, Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo and lupus; the vitiligo partially lightened his skin, and the lupus was in remission; both illnesses made him sensitive to sunlight. The treatments he used for his condition further lightened his skin tone, and, with the application of pancake makeup to even out blotches, he could appear very pale. Jackson was also diagnosed with vitiligo in his autopsy. Several surgeons speculated that he had undergone various nasal surgeries, a forehead lift, thinned lips, and cheekbone surgery—although Jackson denied this and insisted that he only had surgery on his nose. Jackson claimed that he had only two rhinoplasties and no other surgery on his face, although at one point he mentioned having a dimple created in his chin. Jackson lost weight in the early 1980s because of a change in diet and a desire for "a dancer's body". Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy and speculated that he was suffering from anorexia nervosa; periods of weight loss would become a recurring problem later in life.

During the course of his treatment, Jackson made two close friends: his dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, and Klein's nurse Debbie Rowe. Rowe eventually became Jackson's second wife and the mother of his two eldest children. Long before becoming romantically involved with her, Jackson relied heavily on Rowe for emotional support. He also relied heavily on Klein, for medical and business advice.

, here in the early stages of the disease]] Jackson became the subject of increasingly sensational reports. In 1986, the tabloids ran a story claiming that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow the aging process; he was pictured lying down in a glass box. Although the claim was untrue, according to tabloid reports that are widely cited, Jackson had disseminated the fabricated story himself. When Jackson bought a chimpanzee called Bubbles from a laboratory, he was reported to be increasingly detached from reality. It was reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph Merrick (the "elephant man") and although untrue, Jackson did not deny the story. These reports became embedded in the public consciousness, inspiring the nickname "Wacko Jacko," which Jackson came to despise. Responding to the gossip, Jackson remarked to Taraborrelli:

Jackson collaborated with Francis Ford Coppola on the 17-minute 3-D film Captain EO, which debuted in September 1986 at both the original Disneyland and at EPCOT in Florida, and in March 1987 at Tokyo Disneyland. The $30 million movie was a popular attraction at all three parks. A Captain EO attraction was later featured at Euro Disneyland after that park opened in 1992. All four parks' Captain EO installations stayed open well into the 1990s: Paris' installation was the last one to close, in 1998. The attraction would later return to Disneyland after Jackson's death in 2010.

In 1987, Jackson disassociated himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses, in response to their disapproval of the Thriller video. With the industry expecting another major hit, Jackson's first album in five years, Bad (1987), was highly anticipated. It did not top Thriller as a commercial or artistic triumph, but Bad was still a substantial success in its own right.

The Bad album spawned seven hit singles in the U.S., five of which ("I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana") reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. This was a record for most number one Hot 100 singles from any one album, including Thriller. Although the title track's video was arguably derivative of the video for the earlier single "Beat It", the "Bad" video still proved to be one of Jackson's iconic moments. It was a gritty but colorful epic set against the backdrop of the New York City Subway system, with costuming and choreography inspired by West Side Story. As of 2008, the album had sold 30 million copies worldwide. Thanks to the Bad album, Bruce Swedien and Humberto Gatica won one Grammy in 1988 for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and Michael Jackson won one Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form for "Leave Me Alone" in 1989. In 1988, "Bad" won an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B; Single.

The Bad World Tour began on September 12 that year, finishing on January 14, 1989. Jackson broke a Guinness World Record when 504,000 people attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium. He performed a total of 123 concerts to an audience of 4.4 million people. The Bad Tour turned out to be the last of Jackson's concert tours to include shows in the continental United States, although later tours did make it to Hawaii.

Autobiography, changing appearance and Neverland (1988–1990)

"]] In 1988, Jackson released his first and only autobiography, Moonwalk, which took four years to complete and sold 200,000 copies. Jackson wrote about his childhood, The Jackson 5, and the abuse he had suffered. He also wrote about his facial appearance, saying he had had two rhinoplastic surgeries and a dimple created in his chin. The musician then released a film called Moonwalker, which featured live footage and short films that starred Jackson and Joe Pesci. The film was originally intended to be released to theaters but due to financial issues, the film was released direct to video. It debuted atop the Billboard Top Music Video Cassette chart, staying there for 22 weeks. It was eventually knocked off the top spot by Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues. In 1989, his annual earnings from album sales, endorsements, and concerts was estimated at $125 million for that year alone. The nickname was popularized by Elizabeth Taylor when she presented him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989, proclaiming him "the true king of pop, rock and soul." President George H. W. Bush designated him the White House's "Artist of the Decade". From 1985 to 1990, he donated $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund, and all of the profits from his single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity. Jackson's live rendition of "You Were There" at Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th birthday celebration received an Emmy nomination. displacing Neil Diamond's renewal contract with Columbia Records. He released his eighth album Dangerous in 1991. As of 2008, Dangerous had shipped seven million copies in the U.S. and had sold 32 million copies worldwide. The Dangerous album was co-produced by Teddy Riley, one of the pioneers of "new jack swing" which convinced Michael to feature a rapper on his album for the first time, the act worked and it turned out to be the best-selling album associated with that movement. In the United States, the album's first single "Black or White" was its biggest hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining there for seven weeks, with similar chart performances worldwide. In 1993, Jackson performed the song at the Soul Train Awards in a chair, saying he had suffered an injury in rehearsals. In the UK and other parts of Europe, "Heal the World" was the biggest hit from the album; it sold 450,000 copies in the UK and spent five weeks at number two in 1992. He sold the broadcast rights to his Dangerous world tour to HBO for $20 million, a record-breaking deal that still stands.

Following the illness and death of Ryan White, Jackson helped draw public attention to HIV/AIDS, something that was still controversial at the time. He publicly pleaded with the Clinton Administration at Bill Clinton's Inaugural Gala to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research. In a high-profile visit to Africa, Jackson visited several countries, among them Gabon and Egypt. His first stop to Gabon was greeted with a sizable and enthusiastic reception of more than 100,000 people, some of them carrying signs that read, "Welcome Home Michael."

First child sexual abuse allegations and first marriage (1993–94)

Jackson gave a 90-minute interview to Oprah Winfrey in February 1993, his second television interview since 1979. He grimaced when speaking of his childhood abuse at the hands of his father; he believed he had missed out on much of his childhood years, admitting that he often cried from loneliness. He denied tabloid rumors that he had bought the bones of the Elephant Man, slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, or bleached his skin, stating for the first time that he had vitiligo. The interview was watched by an American audience of 90 million. Dangerous re-entered the album chart in the top 10, more than a year after its original release. The Chandler family demanded payment from Jackson, and the singer initially refused. Jordan Chandler eventually told the police that Jackson had sexually abused him. Dr. Chandler was tape-recorded discussing his intention to pursue charges, saying, "If I go through with this, I win big-time. There's no way I lose. I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever ... Michael's career will be over". Jordan's mother was, however, adamant that there had been no wrongdoing on Jackson's part. a fact confirmed in his autopsy. His friends said he never recovered from the humiliation of the strip search. The investigation was inconclusive and no charges were ever filed. Jackson described the search in an emotional public statement, and proclaimed his innocence. On January 1, 1994, Jackson's insurance carrier settled with the Chandlers out of court for $22 million. A Santa Barbara County grand jury and a Los Angeles County grand jury disbanded on May 2, 1994 without indicting Jackson. After which time the Chandlers stopped co-operating with the criminal investigation around July 6, 1994. The out-of-court settlement's documentation specifically stated Jackson admitted no wrongdoing and no liability; the Chandlers and their family lawyer Larry Feldman signed it without contest. The Chandlers' lawyer Mr. Feldman also explicitly stated "nobody bought anybody's silence". A decade after the fact, during the second round of child abuse allegations, Jackson's lawyers would file a memo stating that the 1994 settlement was done without his consent. According to a friend of Presley's, "their adult friendship began in November 1992 in L.A." They stayed in contact every day over the telephone. As the child molestation accusations became public, Jackson became dependent on Presley for emotional support; she was concerned about his faltering health and addiction to drugs. Presley explained, "I believed he didn't do anything wrong and that he was wrongly accused and yes I started falling for him. I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it." She eventually persuaded him to settle the allegations out of court and go into rehabilitation to recover. At the time, the tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a ploy to prop up Jackson's public image. The marriage lasted less than two years and ended with an amicable divorce settlement. In a 2010 interview with Oprah, Presley admitted that they spent four more years after the divorce "getting back together and breaking up", until she decided to stop.

HIStory, second marriage and fatherhood (1995–99)

In 1995, Jackson merged his ATV Music catalog with Sony's music publishing division creating Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Jackson retained half-ownership of the company, earned $95 million upfront as well as the rights to even more songs. He then released the double album . The first disc, HIStory Begins, was a 15-track greatest hits album, and was later reissued as in 2001, while the second disc, HIStory Continues, contained 15 new songs. The album debuted at number one on the charts and has been certified for seven million shipments in the US. It is the best-selling multiple-disc album of all-time, with 20 million copies (40 million units) sold worldwide. HIStory received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. "You Are Not Alone" was the second single released from HIStory; it holds the Guinness World Record for the first song ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Earth Song" was the third single released from HIStory, and topped the UK singles chart for six weeks over Christmas 1995; it sold a million copies, making it Jackson's most successful single in the UK. In 1996, Jackson won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form for "Scream" and an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist.

The album was promoted with the successful HIStory World Tour. The tour began on September 7, 1996, and finished on October 15, 1997. Jackson performed 82 concerts in 58 cities to over 4.5 million fans, and grossed up a total of . The show, which visited five continents and 35 countries, became Jackson's most successful in terms of audience figures. During the tour, Jackson married his longtime friend Deborah Jeanne Rowe, a dermatology nurse, in an impromptu ceremony in Sydney, Australia. Rowe was approximately six months pregnant with the couple's first child at the time. Originally, Rowe and Jackson had no plans to marry, but Jackson's mother Katherine persuaded them to do so. Michael Joseph Jackson Jr (commonly known as Prince) was born on February 13, 1997; his sister Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson was born a year later on April 3, 1998. The couple divorced in 1999, and Jackson got full custody of the children. The divorce was relatively amicable, but a subsequent custody suit was not settled until 2006. It reached number one in the UK, as did the title track. In the US, the album was certified platinum, but only reached number 24. Later that month, Jackson organized a set of "Michael Jackson & Friends" benefit concerts in Germany and Korea. Other artists involved included Slash, The Scorpions, Boyz II Men, Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey, A. R. Rahman, Prabhu Deva Sundaram, Shobana, Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti. The proceeds went to the "Nelson Mandela Children's Fund", the Red Cross and UNESCO.

Label dispute, Invincible and third child (2000–03)

At the turn of the century, the American Music Awards honored Jackson as Artist of the '80s. Throughout 2000 and 2001, Jackson worked in the studio with Teddy Riley and Rodney Jerkins, as well as other collaborators. These sessions would result in the album Invincible, released in October 2001. Invincible was Jackson's first full-length album in six years, and it would be the last album of new material he released while still alive. The release of the album was preceded by a dispute between Jackson and his record label, Sony Music Entertainment. Jackson had expected the licenses to the masters of his albums to revert to him sometime in the early 2000s. Once he had the licenses, he would be able to promote the material however he pleased and he would also be able to keep all the profits. However, due to various clauses in the contract, the revert date turned out to be many years away. Jackson discovered that the attorney who represented him in the deal was also representing Sony. After 9/11, Jackson helped organize the benefit concert at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The concert took place on October 21, 2001, and included performances from dozens of major artists, including Jackson, who performed his song "What More Can I Give" as the finale. However, the sales for Invincible were lower than those of his previous releases, due in part to a lack of promotion, no supporting world tour and the label dispute. The album also came out at a bad time for the music industry in general. He charged that Mottola had called his colleague Irv Gotti a "fat nigger". Sony refused to renew Jackson's contract, and claimed that a promotional campaign had failed because Jackson refused to tour in the United States.

In 2002, Michael Jackson won his 22nd American Music Award for Artist of the Century. In the same year, Jackson's third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (nicknamed "Blanket") was born. The mother's identity is unknown, but Jackson has said the child was the result of artificial insemination from a surrogate mother and his own sperm. On November 20 of that year, Jackson brought his newborn son onto the balcony of his room at the Hotel Adlon in Berlin, as fans stood below, holding him in his right arm, with a cloth loosely draped over the baby's face. The baby was briefly extended over a railing, four stories above ground level, causing widespread criticism in the media. Jackson later apologized for the incident, calling it "a terrible mistake". Sony released Number Ones, a compilation of Jackson's hits on CD and DVD. In the US, the album was certified triple platinum by the RIAA; in the UK it was certified six times platinum for shipments of at least units.

Second child sexual abuse allegations and acquittal (2003–05)

Beginning in May 2002, Jackson allowed a documentary film crew, led by British TV personality Martin Bashir, to follow him around just about everywhere he went. Bashir's film crew was with Jackson during the "baby-dangling incident" in Berlin. The program was broadcast in March 2003 as Living with Michael Jackson, and painted an extraordinarily unflattering portrait of the singer.

In a particularly controversial scene, Jackson was seen holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with a young boy. As soon as the documentary aired, the Santa Barbara county attorney's office began a criminal investigation. Jackson was arrested in November 2003, and was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent in relation to the 13 year old boy shown in the film. After the trial, in a highly publicized relocation he moved to the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain, as a guest of Sheikh Abdullah.

Final years (2006–09)

, 2006]] In March 2006, the main house at the Neverland Ranch was closed as a cost-cutting measure. There were numerous reports around that time that Jackson was having financial problems. Jackson had been deliquent on his repayments of a $270 million loan secured against his music publishing holdings, even though those holdings were reportedly making him as much as a year. Bank of America sold the debt to Fortress Investments. Sony reportedly proposed a restructuring deal which would give them a future option to buy half of Jackson's stake in their jointly owned publishing company (leaving Jackson with a 25% stake). Jackson did not have a recording contract in place with Sony or any other major record label at the time.

In the spring of 2006, there was an announcement that Jackson had signed a contract with a Bahrain-based startup called Two Seas Records. However, nothing ever came of that deal, and the CEO of Two Seas, Guy Holmes, later stated that the deal had never been finalized. Throughout 2006, Sony repackaged 20 singles from the 1980s and 1990s as the series, which subsequently became a boxed set. Most of those singles returned to the charts as a result. In September 2006, Jackson and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe confirmed reports that they had settled their long-running child custody suit. The terms were never made public. Jackson continued to be the custodial parent of the couple's two children. In October 2006, Fox News entertainment reporter Roger Friedman said that Jackson had been recording at a studio in rural Westmeath, Ireland. It was not known at the time what Jackson might be working on, or who might be paying for the sessions, since his publicist had recently issued a statement claiming that he had left Two Seas.

In November 2006, Jackson invited an Access Hollywood camera crew into the studio in Westmeath, and MSNBC broke the story that he was working on a new album, produced by will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. Jackson returned to the United States after Christmas 2006 to attend James Brown's funeral in Augusta, Georgia. He gave one of the eulogies, saying that "James Brown is my greatest inspiration." In the spring of 2007, Jackson and Sony teamed up to buy yet another music publishing company: Famous Music LLC, formerly owned by Viacom. This deal gave him the rights to songs by Eminem, Shakira and Beck, among others. Jackson recorded extensively during this period in New York with songwriter and producer will.i.am and also in Las Vegas with producers Akon and RedOne. In March 2007, Jackson gave a brief interview to the Associated Press in Tokyo, where he said, "I've been in the entertainment industry since I was 6 years old, and as Charles Dickens would say, 'It's been the best of times, the worst of times.' But I would not change my career ... While some have made deliberate attempts to hurt me, I take it in stride because I have a loving family, a strong faith and wonderful friends and fans who have, and continue, to support me."

In September 2007 Jackson was reportedly still working with will.i.am, but the album was apparently never completed. However, in 2008, Jackson and Sony released Thriller 25 to mark the 25th anniversary of the original Thriller. This album featured the previously unreleased song "For All Time" (an outtake from the original sessions) as well as remixes, where Jackson collaborated with younger artists who had been inspired by his work. Two of the remixes were released as singles with only modest success: "The Girl Is Mine 2008" (with will.i.am) and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" (with Akon). The first single was based on an early demo version, without Paul McCartney. The album itself was a hit, however. In anticipation of Jackson's 50th birthday, Sony BMG released a series of greatest-hits albums called King of Pop. Slightly different versions were released in various countries, based on polls of local fans. King of Pop reached the top 10 in most countries where it was issued, and also sold well as an import in other countries (such as the United States.)

In the fall of 2008, Fortress Investments threatened to foreclose on Neverland Ranch, which Jackson used as collateral for loans running into many tens of millions of dollars. However, Fortress opted to sell Jackson's debts to Colony Capital LLC. In November, Jackson transferred Neverland Ranch's title to Sycamore Valley Ranch Company LLC, which was a joint venture between Jackson and Colony Capital LLC. This deal cleared Jackson's debt, and he reportedly even gained an extra from the venture. At the time of his death, Jackson still owned a stake in Neverland/Sycamore Valley, but it is unknown how large that stake was. In September 2008, Jackson entered negotiations with Julien's Auction House to display and auction a large collection of memorabilia amounting to approximately 1,390 lots. The auction was scheduled to take place between April 22 and April 25. An exhibition of the lots opened as scheduled on April 14, but the actual auction was eventually cancelled at Jackson's request.

In March 2009, Jackson held a press conference at London's O₂ Arena and announced a series of comeback concerts titled This Is It. The shows would be Jackson's first major series of concerts since the HIStory World Tour finished in 1997. Jackson suggested possible retirement after the shows; he said it would be his "final curtain call". The initial plan was for 10 concerts in London, followed by shows in Paris, New York City and Mumbai. Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live, stated that the first 10 dates alone would earn the singer approximately . The London residency was increased to 50 dates after record breaking ticket sales: over one million were sold in less than two hours. Jackson rehearsed in Los Angeles in the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of choreographer Kenny Ortega. Most of these rehearsals took place at the Staples Center, which was owned by AEG. The concerts would have commenced on July 13, 2009, and finished on March 6, 2010. Less than three weeks before the first show was due to begin in London and with all concerts being sold out, Jackson died after suffering cardiac arrest. Sometime before his death, it was widely stated that he was starting a clothing line with Christian Audigier. However, due to Jackson's untimely death, the current status of the label remains unknown.

Jackson's first posthumous single was a song entitled "This Is It" which Jackson cowrote in the 1980s with Paul Anka. It was not on the set lists for the concerts, and the recording was based on an old demo tape. The surviving brothers reunited in the studio for the first time since 1989 to record backing vocals. On October 28, 2009, a documentary film about the rehearsals entitled Michael Jackson's This Is It was released. Even though it ran for a limited two-week engagement, it became the highest grossing documentary or concert movie of all time, with earnings of more than worldwide. Jackson's estate received 90% of the profits. The film was accompanied by a compilation album of the same name. Two versions of the new song appear on the album, which also featured original masters of Jackson's hits in the order in which they appear in the movie, along with a bonus disc with previously unreleased versions of more Jackson hits as well as a spoken word poem entitled "Planet Earth". At the 2009 American Music Awards Jackson won four posthumous awards, two for him and two for his album Number Ones, bringing his total American Music Awards total to 26. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics received a 911 call at 12:22 (PDT, 19:22 UTC), arriving three minutes later at Jackson's location. He was reportedly not breathing and CPR was performed. Resuscitation efforts continued en route to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and for an hour after arriving there at 1:13 (20:13 UTC). He was pronounced dead at 2:26 local time (21:26 UTC). Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief. Google initially believed that the input from millions of people searching for "Michael Jackson" meant that the search engine was under attack. Twitter reported a crash, as did Wikipedia at PDT ( EDT). The Wikimedia Foundation reported nearly a million visitors to Jackson's biography within one hour, probably the most visitors in a one-hour period to any article in Wikipedia's history. AOL Instant Messenger collapsed for 40 minutes. AOL called it a "seminal moment in Internet history", adding, "We've never seen anything like it in terms of scope or depth."

Around 15% of Twitter posts—or 5,000 per minute—reportedly mentioned Jackson after the news broke, compared to the 5% recalled as having mentioned the Iranian elections or the flu pandemic that had made headlines earlier in the year. MTV and Black Entertainment Television (BET) aired marathons of Jackson's music videos. Jackson specials aired on multiple television stations around the world. The British soap opera EastEnders added a last-minute scene, in which one character tells another about the news, to the June 26 episode. Jackson was the topic of every front-page headline in the daily British tabloid The Sun for about two weeks following his death. During the same period, the three major U.S. networks' evening newscasts—ABC World News, CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News—devoted 34% of their broadcast time to him. Magazines including Time published commemorative editions. A scene that had featured Jackson's sister La Toya was cut from the film Brüno out of respect toward Jackson's family.

Jackson's memorial was held on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, preceded by a private family service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park's Hall of Liberty. Jackson's casket was present during the memorial but no information was released about the final disposition of the body. While some unofficial reports claimed a worldwide audience as high as one billion people, the U.S. audience was estimated by Nielsen to be 31.1 million, an amount comparable to the estimated that watched the 2004 burial of former president Ronald Reagan, and the estimated Americans who watched the 1997 funeral for Princess Diana.

Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, John Mayer, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Jermaine Jackson, and Shaheen Jafargholi performed at the event. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson gave eulogies, while Queen Latifah read, "We had him," a poem written for the occasion by Maya Angelou. The Reverend Al Sharpton received a standing ovation with cheers when he told Jackson's children, "Wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with. But he dealt with it anyway." Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris Katherine, cried as she told the crowd, "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine ... I just wanted to say I love him ... so much." Reverend Lucious Smith provided a closing prayer. On August 24, several news outlets quoted anonymous sources as stating that the Los Angeles coroner had decided to treat Jackson's death as a homicide; this was later confirmed by the coroner on August 28. At the time of death, Jackson had been administered propofol, lorazepam and midazolam. Law enforcement officials conducted a manslaughter investigation of his personal physician, Conrad Murray. On February 8, 2010, Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter by prosecutors in Los Angeles. Jackson was entombed on September 3, 2009, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

On June 25, 2010, the first anniversary of Jackson's death, fans came to Los Angeles to pay their tribute to him. They visited Jackson’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and his family’s home, as well as Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Many of the fans were carrying sunflowers and other tribute items to drop off at the sites. Members of the Jackson family and close friends arrived to pay their respects. Katherine returned to Gary, Indiana to unveil a granite monument constructed in the front yard of the family home. The memorial continued with a candlelight vigil and a special performance of "We Are the World." On June 26, there was a protest march in front of the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division at the old Parker Center building and a petition with thousands of signatures demanding justice was delivered. The Jackson Family Foundation in conjunction with Voiceplate presented "Forever Michael", an event bringing together Jackson family members, celebrities, fans, supporters and the community to celebrate and honor his legacy. A portion of the proceeds ere presented to some of Jackson's favorite charities. Katherine also introduced her new book "Never Can Say Goodbye."

Death aftermath

After his death, Jackson became the best-selling artist of 2009 in the United States selling over 8.2 million albums and had sold albums worldwide in the 12 months that followed his death. Following this surge in sales, Sony announced that they had extended their relationship with his material. The distribution rights held by Sony Music were due to expire in 2015. On March 16, 2010, Sony Music Entertainment, in a move spearheaded by its Columbia/Epic Label Group division, signed a new deal with the Jackson estate to extend their distribution rights to his back catalogue until at least 2017, as well as to obtain permission to release ten new albums with previously unreleased material and new collections of released work. On November 4, 2010 Sony announced the release of Michael, the first posthumous album set to be released on December 14, with the promotional single released to the radios on November 8, entitled "Breaking News". The deal was unprecedented in the music industry as it is the most expensive music contract pertaining to a single artist in history; it reportedly involved Sony Music paying for the deal, with the Jackson estate getting the full sum as well as its share of royalties for all works released. Video game developer Ubisoft announced it would release a new dancing-and-singing game featuring Michael Jackson for the 2010 holiday season. The game entitled will be among the first to use Kinect and PlayStation Move, the respective motion-detecting camera systems for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 due out later that year. Cirque du Soleil announced on 3 November 2010 that it would launch "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour" in October 2011 in Montreal. The 90-minute US$57M production will combine Jackson's iconic musical oeuvre and choreography with the Cirque's signature artistry, dance and aerial displays involving 65 artists. The tour was written and directed by Jamie King and centers on Jackson's "inspirational Giving Tree - the wellspring of creativity where his love of music and dance, fairy tale and magic, and the fragile beauty of nature are unlocked."

Artistry

Influences

Jackson's music took root in R&B;, pop and soul. He had been influenced by the work of contemporary musicians such as Little Richard, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Diana Ross, David Ruffin, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis, Jr., The Isley Brothers, and the Bee Gees. While Little Richard had a substantial influence on Jackson, James Brown was Jackson's greatest inspiration. In reference to Brown, Jackson declared: "Ever since I was a small child, no more than like six years old, my mother would wake me no matter what time it was, if I was sleeping, no matter what I was doing, to watch the television to see the master at work. And when I saw him move, I was mesmerized. I had never seen a performer perform like James Brown, and right then and there I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life because of James Brown."

The young Michael Jackson owed his vocal technique in large part to Diana Ross. In October 1969, it was decided that Jackson would live with Ross. Not only a mother figure to him, she was often observed in rehearsal as an accomplished performer. He later expressed: "I got to know her well. She taught me so much. I used to just sit in the corner and watch the way she moved. She was art in motion. I studied the way she moved, the way she sang – just the way she was." He told her: "I want to be just like you, Diana." She said: "You just be yourself." But Jackson owed part of his enduring style—especially his use of the oooh interjection—to Ross. From a young age, Jackson often punctuated his verses with a sudden exclamation of oooh. Diana Ross had used this effect on many of the songs recorded with The Supremes.

Musical themes and genres

Unlike many artists, Jackson did not write his songs on paper. Instead he would dictate into a sound recorder, and when recording he would sing the lyrics from memory. In most of his songs, such as "Billie Jean", "Who Is It", and "Tabloid Junkie", he would beatbox and imitate the instruments using his voice instead of playing the actual instruments, along with other sounds. Jackson noted that it is easier to sing a drum line, or sing a bass, instead of playing a drum line or a bass with an instrument. Several critics have said that Jackson's distinct voice is able to replace any instrument convincingly. Steve Huey of Allmusic said that, throughout his solo career, Jackson's versatility allowed him to experiment with various themes and genres. In "Billie Jean", Jackson sings about an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered a child of hers. "Beat It" decried gang violence in an homage to West Side Story, and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece, according to Huey. The lead single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a traditional love ballad, while "Man in the Mirror" is an anthemic ballad of confession and resolution. He comments the album is more diverse than his previous Bad, as it appeals to an urban audience while also attracting the middle class with anthems like "Heal the World". Dangerous contains sexually charged efforts such as the multifaceted love song, "In the Closet".

HIStory creates an atmosphere of paranoia. Its content focuses on the hardships and public struggles Jackson went through just prior to its production. In the new jack swing-funk-rock efforts "Scream" and "Tabloid Junkie", along with the R&B; ballad "You Are Not Alone", Jackson retaliates against the injustice and isolation he feels, and directs much of his anger at the media. In the introspective ballad "Stranger in Moscow", Jackson laments over his "fall from grace", while songs like "Earth Song", "Childhood", "Little Susie" and "Smile" are all operatic pop pieces. Invincible found Jackson working heavily with producer Rodney Jerkins. It is a record made up of urban soul like "Cry" and "The Lost Children", ballads such as "Speechless", "Break of Dawn" and "Butterflies" and mixes Hip-Hop, Pop and R&B; in "2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker" and "Invincible".

Vocal style

Jackson sang from childhood, and over time his voice and vocal style changed noticeably. Between 1971 and 1975, Jackson's voice descended from boy soprano to high tenor. Jackson first used a technique called the "vocal hiccup" in 1973, starting with the song "It's Too Late to Change the Time" from The Jackson 5's album. Jackson did not use the hiccup technique— somewhat like a gulping for air or gasping— fully until the recording of Off the Wall: it can be seen in full force in the "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" promotional video. 1982 saw the release of Thriller, and Rolling Stone was of the opinion that Jackson was then singing in a "fully adult voice" that was "tinged by sadness". It contains many features of Jackson's vocal style, including the vocal hiccup he is known for.}}

A distinctive deliberate mispronunciation of "come on", used frequently by Jackson, occasionally spelt "cha'mone" or "shamone", is also a staple in impressions and caricatures of him. The turn of the 1990s saw the release of the introspective album Dangerous. The New York Times noted that on some tracks, "he gulps for breath, his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a desperate whisper, hissing through clenched teeth" and he had a "wretched tone". Nelson George summed up Jackson's vocals by stating "The grace, the aggression, the growling, the natural boyishness, the falsetto, the smoothness—that combination of elements mark him as a major vocalist".

Music videos and choreography

Referred to as the King of Music Videos, Steve Huey of Allmusic observed how Jackson transformed the music video into an art form and a promotional tool through complex story lines, dance routines, special effects and famous cameo appearances; simultaneously breaking down racial barriers. Before Thriller, Jackson struggled to receive coverage on MTV, allegedly because he was African American. Pressure from CBS Records persuaded MTV to start showing "Billie Jean" and later "Beat It", leading to a lengthy partnership with Jackson, also helping other black music artists gain recognition. MTV employees deny any racism in their coverage, or pressure to change their stance. MTV maintains that they played rock music, regardless of race. The popularity of his videos on MTV helped to put the relatively young channel "on the map"; MTV's focus shifted in favor of pop and R&B.; His performance on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever changed the scope of live stage show; "That Jackson lip-synced 'Billie Jean' is, in itself, not extraordinary, but the fact that it did not change the impact of the performance is extraordinary; whether the performance was live or lip-synced made no difference to the audience" thus creating an era in which artists re-create the spectacle of music video imagery on stage. Short films like Thriller largely remained unique to Jackson, while the group dance sequence in "Beat It" has frequently been imitated. The choreography in Thriller has become a part of global pop culture, replicated everywhere from Indian films to prisons in the Philippines. The Thriller short film marked an increase in scale for music videos, and has been named the most successful music video ever by the Guinness World Records. For "Smooth Criminal", Jackson experimented with an innovative "anti-gravity lean" in his performances. The maneuver required special shoes for which he was granted U.S. Patent No. 5,255,452. Although the music video for "Leave Me Alone" was not officially released in the US, in 1989, it was nominated for four Billboard Music Video Awards, winning three; the same year it won a Golden Lion Award for the quality of the special effects used in its production. In 1990, "Leave Me Alone" won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form.

The MTV Video Vanguard Artist of the Decade Award was given to Jackson to celebrate his accomplishments in the art form in the 1980s; the following year the award was renamed in his honor. "Black or White" was accompanied by a controversial music video, which, on November 14, 1991, simultaneously premiered in 27 countries with an estimated audience of 500 million people, the largest viewing ever for a music video. Along with Jackson, it featured Macaulay Culkin, Peggy Lipton and George Wendt. It helped usher in morphing as an important technology in music videos.

"Remember the Time" was an elaborate production, and became one of his longest videos at over nine minutes. Set in ancient Egypt, it featured groundbreaking visual effects and appearances by Eddie Murphy, Iman and Magic Johnson, along with a distinct complex dance routine. The video for "In the Closet" was Jackson's most sexually provocative piece. It featured supermodel Naomi Campbell in a courtship dance with Jackson. The video was banned in South Africa because of its imagery. The song and its accompanying video are a response to the backlash Jackson received from the media after being accused of child molestation in 1993. A year later, it won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form; shortly afterwards Guinness World Records listed it as the most expensive music video ever made at a cost of $7 million.

"Earth Song" was accompanied by an expensive and well-received music video that gained a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video, Short Form in 1997. The video had an environmental theme, showing images of animal cruelty, deforestation, pollution and war. Using special effects, time is reversed so that life returns, wars end, and the forests re-grow. Released in 1997 and premiering at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, Michael Jackson's Ghosts was a short film written by Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston. The video for Ghosts is over 38 minutes long and holds the Guinness World Record as the world's longest music video.

Legacy and influence

, set in 1984]] Jackson throughout his career transformed the art of the music video and paved the way for modern pop music. Daily Telegraph writer Tom Utley described Jackson in 2003 as "extremely important" and a "genius." For much of his career, he had an "unparalleled" level of worldwide influence over the younger generation through his musical and humanitarian contributions. Mariah Carey, Usher, Green Day, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake,

Allmusic's Steve Huey describes Jackson as "an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the skills to dominate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility and loads of sheer star power".

Shortly after Jackson's death, on June 25, 2009, MTV briefly returned to its original music video format to celebrate and pay tribute to his work. The channel aired many hours of Jackson's music videos, accompanied by live news specials featuring reactions from MTV personalities and other celebrities. The temporary shift in MTV's programming culminated the following week in the channel's live coverage of Jackson's memorial service. At the memorial service on July 7, 2009, founder of Motown Records Berry Gordy proclaimed Jackson as "the greatest entertainer that ever lived."

In 2010, two university librarians found that Jackson's influence extended into academia, and was detectable in scholarly literature pertaining to a range of subject matter. The two researchers combed through various scholars' writings, and compiled an annotated bibliography of those writings that appeared to meet at least one of several criteria. Among these criteria were appearance in a peer-reviewed journal, and the provision of insight into the nature of "popular icons including Jackson". The bibliography located references to Jackson in research reports concerning music, popular culture, and an array of other topics. The bibliographers identified as their most peculiar finding an argument that certain aspects of chemistry can be effectively taught by altering and imitating elements of Jackson's singing. One of the research librarians later reflected that "the fact that someone would take a Michael Jackson song and co-opt it as a means to convey chemistry concepts just shows the pervasiveness of Jackson's influence".

Honors and awards

, Hollywood in Universal City, California.]]

Michael Jackson was inducted onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1980 as member of the The Jacksons and in 1984 as solo artist. Throughout his career he received numerous honors and awards, including the World Music Awards' Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium, the American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award and the Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award. He was a double-inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and later as a solo artist in 2001. Jackson was also inducted in several other hall of fames, including Vocal Group Hall of Fame (as The Jackson 5 member) in 1999, Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and Hit Parade Hall of Fame (with his brothers) in 2009. In 2010, Jackson was inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. His awards include many Guinness World Records (eight in 2006 alone), 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), 26 American Music Awards (24 only as a solo artist, including the "Artist of the Century", but not the poll of "Artist of the '80s")—more than any artist—, 13 number one singles in the US in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and estimated sales of up to 750 million records worldwide, making him the world's best selling male solo pop artist. On December 29, 2009, the American Film Institute recognized Jackson's passing as a "moment of significance" saying, "Michael Jackson's sudden death in June at age 50 was notable for the worldwide outpouring of grief and the unprecedented global eulogy of his posthumous concert rehearsal movie This Is It." Michael Jackson also received a Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from the United Negro College Fund and also an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Fisk University.

Lifetime earnings

His total lifetime earnings from royalties on his solo recordings and music videos, revenue from concerts and endorsements have been estimated at $500 million; some analysts have speculated that his music catalog holdings could be worth billions of dollars. This speculation however is contradicted by financial documents obtained by the Associated Press, which showed that as of March 31, 2007, Jackson's 50 percent stake in the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalog (his most prized asset) was worth $390.6 million and Michael Jackson's net worth was . Billboard has estimated that Jackson has generated at least in revenue in the year following his death.

Discography

Got to Be There (1972)

Ben (1972)

Music & Me (1973)

Forever, Michael (1975)

Off the Wall (1979)

Thriller (1982)

Bad (1987)

Dangerous (1991)

(1995)

Invincible (2001)

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Year!!Film!!Role!!Director |- style="text-align:center;" ||1978||The Wiz||Scarecrow|| |- style="text-align:center;" ||1986||Captain EO||Captain EO|| |- style="text-align:center;" ||1988||Moonwalker||Himself|| |- style="text-align:center;" ||1997||Michael Jackson's Ghosts||Maestro/Mayor/Ghoul/Skeleton|| |- style="text-align:center;" ||2002||Men in Black II||Agent M (cameo)|| |- style="text-align:center;" ||2004||Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls||Agent MJ (cameo)|| |- style="text-align:center;" ||2009||Michael Jackson's This Is It||Himself|| |}

Tours

Bad World Tour (1987–89)

Dangerous World Tour (1992–93)

HIStory World Tour (1996–97)

This Is It (2009–10) (cancelled)

See also

Honorific nicknames in popular music

List of best-selling music artists

List of best-selling music artists in the United States

List of unreleased Michael Jackson material

Notes

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

Michael Jackson Hip Hop influence & samples

Michael Jackson Live: Best Pics - slideshow by Life magazine

Michael Jackson sample map, depicting the influence Jackson's work has had on other users.

Category:1958 births Category:1960s singers Category:1970s singers Category:1980s singers Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2009 deaths Category:African American dancers Category:African American music Category:African American non-fiction writers Category:African American poets Category:African American record producers Category:African American rock singers Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:American businesspeople Category:American child singers Category:American choreographers Category:American dance musicians Category:American disco musicians Category:American expatriates in Ireland Category:American humanitarians Category:American male singers Category:American philanthropists Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American soul singers Category:American vegetarians Category:Beatboxers Category:Boy sopranos Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Category:Drug-related deaths in California Category:English-language singers Category:Epic Records artists Category:Former Jehovah's Witnesses Category:Grammy Award winners Michael Jackson Category:Motown artists Category:Musicians from Indiana Category:People from Gary, Indiana Category:People from Santa Barbara County, California Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Songwriters from Indiana Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Michael Jackson Category:World Music Awards winners Category:World record holders

Name	Marc Faber
Birth date	February 28, 1946
Alma mater	University of Zurich
Occupation	Investment analyst
Nationality

Marc Faber, born February 28, 1946, is an investment analyst and entrepreneur.

Background

Faber was born in Zürich and schooled in Geneva, Switzerland, where he raced for the Swiss National Ski Team. He studied Economics at the University of Zurich and, at the age of 24, obtained a Ph.D. degree in Economics magna cum laude. Faber is best known for the Gloom Boom & Doom Report newsletter and its related web site featuring "Dance of Death" paintings created by Kaspar Meglinger.

During the 1970s Faber worked for White Weld & Company Limited in New York City, Zürich, and Hong Kong. He moved to Hong Kong in 1973. He was a managing director at Drexel Burnham Lambert Ltd Hong Kong from the beginning of 1978 until the firm's collapse in 1990. In 1990, he set up his own business, Marc Faber Limited. Faber now resides in Chiangmai, Thailand, though he keeps a small office in Hong Kong.

Faber has a reputation for being a contrarian investor and has been called "Doctor Doom" for a number of years. He was the subject of a book written by Nury Vittachi in 1998 entitled Doctor Doom - Riding the Millennial Storm - Marc Faber's Path to Profit in the Financial Crisis. Faber has become a frequent speaker in various forums and makes numerous appearances on television around the world including various CNBC and Bloomberg outlets, as well as on internet venues like Jim Puplava's internet radio show. He has also been a participant of the Barron's Roundtable.

Marc Faber Ltd.

Faber's company, Marc Faber Limited, acts as an investment advisor concentrating on value investments with tremendous upside often based on contrarian investment philosophies. Faber also invests and acts as a fund manager to private wealthy clients. Faber is a regular speaker on the investment circuit, often quoted in the financial press for his non-conformist viewpoint and alternative investment philosophies. His current — if eccentric — tag-line is: 'buy a $100 US bond and frame it to teach your children about inflation by watching the US bond value diminish to almost nothing over the next 20 years'.

Faber is famous for advising his clients to get out of the stock market one week before the October 1987 crash. However Faber said that this prediction was "accidental".

He lost money shorting US stocks in 1999 although his call was later vindicated. He admits that market timing is very difficult. Nevertheless his market advice since 2000 is quite accurate. Faber predicted the rise of oil, precious metals, other commodities, emerging markets and especially China in his book Tomorrow's Gold: Asia's Age of Discovery. He also correctly predicted the slide of the U.S. dollar since 2002 and the 5/06 and 2/07 mini-corrections. He stated that there are few value investments available, except for farmland and real estate in some emerging markets like Russia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. In December 2008, Faber said, "I think a recovery will not come in the next couple of years, maybe in five, ten years' time" On March 9 2009, Faber correctly predicted a U.S. stock market bottom but incorrectly stated that the rally would last only six months.

Writings

Faber writes the monthly investment newsletter The Gloom Boom & Doom Report which is subject to charge. He has also authored several books.

Dr. Faber has been a regular contributor to several leading publications around the world in the past, among them Forbes and International Wealth which is a sister publication of the Financial Times. He has contributed regularly to several websites such as Financial Intelligence, Asian Bond Portal, Die Welt, Finanzen, Boerse, AME Info, Swiss Radio, Apple Hong Kong and Taiwan, Quamnet, Winners, Wealth and Oriental Daily. He has also written occasionally for the International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal, and Borsa e Finanza.

Funds

Marc Faber serves as director or advisor of a number of investment funds that focus on emerging and frontier markets, including Leopard Capital’s Leopard Cambodia Fund and Leopard Sri Lanka Fund.

References

External links

Marc Faber interview on Bloomberg September 2007 before rate cut decision

Faber's website

Comprehensive Interview w/ Marc Faber (Bloomberg TV)

Bloomberg interview

Financial Sense News Hour Jim Puplava Ask the Experts

Video of a wide ranging discussion of the US Dollar, credit crunch and emerging markets on CNBC Oct. 22, 2007

interview with RTL Z 16-03-2010

Video of a June 2008 Bloomberg News interview critical of Fed chairman and entitled: Marc Faber Says Oil, Stocks, Real Estate Are Overvalued

Dr. Doom: Short Treasuries, Buy Hard Assets — 29 December 2008 interview

Tomorrow's Gold

Marc Faber Newsletters of Note

Investment Hocus Pocus

A Modern History of Investment Booms

Marc Faber blog

Category:Austrian School economists Category:1946 births Category:Drexel Burnham Lambert Category:Living people Category:Swiss businesspeople Category:Hedge fund managers

Name	Jeff Hardy
Names	GalaxionGladiator (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). before gaining notoriety in the tag team division, partly due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches.
Image1	Hardy vs Jericho.jpg
Image1 cap	Hardy performing a Swanton Bomb on Chris Jericho in 2002.
Image2	Jeff Hardy performs Whisper in the Wind.jpg
Image2 cap	Hardy performing the Whisper in the Wind on Edge
Image3	Poetryinmotion.jpg
Image3 cap	Hardy performing Poetry in Motion on Billy Gunn at WrestleMania X8.
Image4	Jeffhardyentrancepyrophilly.JPG
Image4 cap	Hardy's ring entrance pyrotechnics

Finishing moves

Reverse of Fate (Inverted facelock neckbreaker slam) – OMEGA;

Twist of Fate / Twist of Hate (TNA; 2010–present) (Front facelock dropped either into a cutter – WWE/ TNA or a stunner – TNA; 2004–2006)

Diving clothesline from off a barricade

Double leg drop to the opponent's groin or midsection (Rope aided corner dropkick)

Mule kick

Plancha

Positioned at the top rope or on another ladder, Hardy performs a diving leg drop after leapfrogging over a ladder (TNA / WWE)

"The Legend Thriller"

Entrance themes

"Loaded" by Zack Tempest (WWF / WWE; 1999–2003, 2006–2008)

"Tourniquet" by Marilyn Manson (ROH; 2003)

"Modest" by Peroxwhygen (WWE; 2008–2009)

"Another" by Jeff Hardy and Dale Oliver (TNA; 2010–present)

Championships and accomplishments

National Championship Wrestling

NCW Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times) – with Matt Hardy

New Frontier Wrestling Association

NFWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Comeback of the Year (2007)

PWI Match of the Year (2000) with Matt Hardy vs. The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian in a Triangle Ladder match at WrestleMania 2000

PWI Match of the Year (2001) with Matt Hardy vs. The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at WrestleMania X-Seven

PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2008, 2009)

PWI Tag Team of the Year (2000) with Matt Hardy

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

TNA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

WWE Championship (1 time)

Terri Invitational Tournament

*Slammy Award for Extreme Moment of the Year (2009) Jumping from ladder onto CM Punk at SummerSlam

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Best Flying Wrestler (2000)

*Feud of the Year (2009) vs. CM Punk

Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2008) Hardy attacked in stairwell before Survivor Series

¹The titles have been vacant since 1999 due to the Hardy Boys signing contracts with the WWF and have been declared inactive until they defend the titles again.

Notes

References

External links

TNA Wrestling profile

Professional wrestling record for Jeff Hardy from The Internet Wrestling Database

The Hardy Show

Slam! Sports bio and story archive

Online World of Wrestling profile

Category:1977 births Category:American musicians Category:American poets Category:American professional wrestlers Category:American sculptors Category:Artists from North Carolina Category:Living people Category:People from Raleigh, North Carolina

Name	Declan Galbraith
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Declan John Galbraith
Born	December 19, 1991
Origin	Hoo St Werburgh, Kent, England
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
Genre	Pop
Occupation	Singer
Years active	2002–present
Label	Starwatch Music (2006 - 2008) EMI (2002–2006)
Url	Official website

Declan John Galbraith (born 19 December 1991, Hoo St Werburgh, Kent) is an English singer of Irish and Scottish origin.

Early influence

When Galbraith was small, his grandfather, who played several instruments in a band, took Galbraith to Fleadhs (concerts) he was participating in, and the mix of Scottish and Irish musical traditions. Declan knew that he wanted to be a singer when he saw his grandfather in his band.

Musical career

Galbraith's talent was publicly acknowledged for the first time when at just 7 years old. Declan used to have help swerve at GSW, a waterpump company. He insisted on performing spontaneously at the annual Rochester Dickens Festival, a two-day extravaganza where people were invited to dress up in Victorian costumes to celebrate the life and times of the famous author Charles Dickens and his links with their town. Galbraith, dressed up as a chimney sweep, started singing and the crowd went wild. Soon after this he started to enter local talent contests and within a year he had won 15 titles and more than £1,000.00.

As a result of his success in the talent shows, the major recording companies soon heard about Galbraith and he was signed to his first recording contract in England. His first recording was "Walking in the Air", which was released on a special Christmas Hits album, also featuring Westlife, Elton John and Elvis Presley. Galbraith loves to sing to live audiences and among some of his most memorable performances are, the Queen's Jubilee at St Paul's Cathedral, when he sang "Amazing Grace" accompanied by the St Paul's Choir and an unforgettable experience when singing in front of more than 22,000 people at an Elton John concert.

His first self-titled album, Declan, with Irish traditional songs and some specially written material became a big success and charted in the U.K. and Ireland. Within the year of release, it had soon sold 200,000 copies in Germany.

Another big success came during a nationwide tour of Young Voices concerts when breaking the Guinness World Record. It was at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast in December 2002 when he sang live with some 10,000 children and was also simultaneously linked, by radio and satellite, with more than 80,000 children in their schools all over the UK, who accompanied him in achieving the world’s largest choral sing.

Galbraith's talent and reputation came to the attention of media mogul Haim Saban and his music President, Ron Kenan, who signed Galbraith to Saban Music Group's new record label. They have chosen Germany to be the very first territory in the world to launch their first produced album, via the Starwatch Music label.

Galbraith amicably parted company with his management in Feb 2010. He's currently battling major contractual issues that prevent any releases in the time being. Galbraith is said to be returning to full time education, which he had to partly give up when he was 14 years old, due to his musical obligations.

In July 2010, it was announced on his official forum that he has joined up with the Route 66 theatre show casts to tour England from July to September 2010.

Fame

Although Galbraith is a British citizen and singer, he is more famous and well-known abroad, especially in China, whereas his songs were chosen as part of the Chinese education curriculum for learning English. Galbraith's songs are used to help Chinese children learn English as his songs are easy to remember and suitable for children. In May 2008, Galbraith undertook a successful two cities tour in China, the cities included were Beijing and ShenZhen.

Discography

Albums

Declan (2002)

Thank You (2006)

You and Me (2007)

Singles

"Tell Me Why" (2002)

"Love of My Life" (2007)

"Ego You" (2007)

Covers

"Tears in Heaven" (2006)

"Love of My Life" (2007)

References

External links

Declan Galbraith FOD members on Facebook

Declan Galbraith Official Website

Declan Galbraith Official Forum

Category:English child singers Category:English male singers Category:English people of Irish descent Category:English people of Scottish descent Category:English television actors Category:1991 births Category:Living people

Name	Dave Matthews
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	David John Matthews
Born	January 09, 1967Johannesburg, Transvaal Province, South Africa
Origin	Charlottesville, Virginia,United States
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano, accordion
Genre	Rock, pop, alternative rock
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, actor
Years active	1989–present
Label	RCA, Sony BMG
Associated acts	Tribe of Heaven, Dave Matthews Band, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Dave Matthews & Friends
Religion	Agnostic
Url	www.DaveMatthewsBand.com

David John "Dave" Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is a South African-born American musician and actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. He performs with acoustic guitar and favors rhythm rather than solos in his playing.

Early life

Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the third of four children born to Americans John and Valerie Matthews. At two years old, Matthews' family moved to Yorktown Heights in Westchester County, New York, where his father, a physicist, started working for IBM.

In 1974, the family moved to Cambridge, England, for a year before returning to New York, where his father died from lung cancer in 1977. Biographer Nevin Martell argues that Dave's father's death may be an impetus for his "carpe diem" lyrics. At some point while residing in New York, Matthews attended his first concert when his mother took him to a performance by Pete Seeger. The family moved back to Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1977. A Quaker (and consequently pacifist), Matthews left South Africa to avoid service.

Matthews moved to New York in 1986 where he worked for IBM for a short time, then joined his mother in Charlottesville, Virginia, the same year, a town Matthews' family had lived in before he was born. This eventually led to his first professional musical gig at a modern dance performance by the Miki Liszt Dance Company'', based at McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, singing "Meaningful Love", composed by John D'earth and Dawn Thompson. In 1991 he hatched the idea to form his own band.

In 1994, Matthews' older sister, Anne, who lived in South Africa, was murdered by her husband, who subsequently committed suicide, on or around January 27 of that year. The event had a drastic effect on Matthews' outlook on life and was referenced in a few of his songs (such as "Shotgun.") On January 29, 1994, he performed with Tim Reynolds at The Wetlands in New York where he dedicated that performance "to her memory". Dave Matthews Band's Under the Table and Dreaming, released later that year, was dedicated to her. Later that year he released a solo album, "Some Devil", which went platinum; its single, "Gravedigger", won a Grammy Award in 2004. To support the album, Matthews toured with a group of musicians (most of whom performed on "Some Devil") under the name Dave Matthews & Friends.

Matthews is also a close friend of Béla Fleck. Matthews appears as a guest vocalist on Béla Fleck and the Flecktones' 1998 release Left of Cool and both Fleck and Flecktones bassist Victor Wooten have made numerous appearances both live and studio with DMB (e.g. Wooten soloed in the second part of The Maker, and also in #41 on the 1998 live album Live in Chicago). The Flecktones also opened for DMB on several tours. Matthews performed a duet with Emmylou Harris on "My Antonia" on her 2000 album, Red Dirt Girl. They also appeared together on the musical television show CMT Crossroads, where the two performed Matthews' "Gravedigger" and the folk song "Long Black Veil".

Dave performed a cover of Neil Young's "The Needle and the Damage Done" at the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute honoring recording artist Neil Young on January 29, 2010

Acting

Before he was known as a musician, Matthews was an amateur actor, appearing onstage in several productions at Charlottesville's Offstage Theatre and Live Arts theater in the early 1990s; the role for which he is best remembered is as a used car salesman in Offstage Theatre's "Just Say No," directed by John Quinn, co-starring Kylie Sicher . Dave Matthews has also acted in four feature films. He played Will Coleman in the 2003 adaptation of the novel Where the Red Fern Grows. In 2005 he played in Because of Winn-Dixie as Otis, a man who works at a pet store and plays guitar. In 2007, Matthews appeared briefly in the movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, where he plays a homosexual salesman. In 2008, he appeared in another Adam Sandler movie, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, as a racist redneck character named James. He also had a significant role in Lake City with Sissy Spacek and Troy Garity, in which he portrays the character "Red." He is also in three upcoming movies, The Other Side with Giovanni Ribisi and Jason Lee, In The Woods, starring Debra Winger and Terrence Howard and the Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It.

In 2007, Matthews guest starred in the Fox drama series House in the episode "Half-Wit". He played a piano-playing musical savant who ended up having half of his brain removed in order to recover from his epilepsy, but at the expense of his musical abilities. Matthews had a piano double for the complex pieces, but played the simpler pieces himself. In the Season One episode of "House" -"Love Hurts"- the song "Some Devil" can be heard playing at the end. In another episode, one of the tracks from Stand Up, "You Might Die Trying" was played ("House M.D", Season Five -"Not Cancer"-) .

The fifth time Matthews appeared as musical guest on Saturday Night Live in November 2009 (which was also the fourth time the Dave Matthews Band appeared on the show), he made an appearance as Ozzy Osbourne in a skit called "The Mellow Show." Bill Hader impersonated Matthews in the same skit. With 5 official guest appearances on SNL, Matthews is officially a member of the "Five-Timers Club".

Matthews was also a cast member and performer in the popular music documentary Before the Music Dies.

Personal life

Matthews married longtime partner Jennifer Ashley Harper in 2000. The couple has twin daughters, Stella Busina and Grace Anne, born on August 15, 2001 and a son, August Oliver, born on June 19, 2007. As of the late 2000s, they reside in Seattle, Washington In a 2001 interview, Matthews stated that he was agnostic.

Charity

Matthews has been active in charity work, both on his own and with his bandmates. He has performed benefit concerts for music education, Hurricane Katrina victims, farmers, and victims of the Virginia Tech shooting. The band's charitable organization, the Bama Works Fund is administered by the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, benefiting charitable programs in the region.

In 2008 he participated in a music album called Songs for Tibet, together with a number of other celebrities as an initiative to support Tibet and Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. Dave Matthews Band also donated to the Piedmont Park Conservancy, giving a portion of the profits to the park.

Matthews also participated in a special program for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. He performed a duet with Neil Young.

Also, On February 12, 2010, a short five-track album was released by the Dave Matthews Band entitled The Haiti Relief Project, with all proceeds benefitting the relief funds for the earthquake victims.

Matthews is on the board of directors of FarmAid, an organization created by Willie Nelson to help family farmers. Joining Matthews on the board are Neil Young, John Mellencamp, and Willie Nelson.

In 2000 Reuters reported that a cancer hoax chain letter was being circulated online that promised that anyone who forwarded the chain letter would be rewarded by being sent Matthews AOL screen name.

Politics

Although his music has often explored political and social issues, Matthews refrained from public campaigning for Presidential candidates until 2004. He cast his support strongly with Democratic nominee John Kerry, performing at political events including the Vote for Change tour.

Matthews also supported Barack Obama for President in 2008, both in the primaries and in the general election. On April 6, 2008, he and Tim Reynolds played a concert titled "Change Rocks" at Indiana University to encourage students to register to vote. The tickets were distributed by the Obama campaign. Questions regarding his citizenship were answered by advertisements and videos on YouTube, where he says he is a "real American" and a "real Virginian," stating that "real Virginians get out and vote." Even though he was recently bereaved by the loss of band co-founder and saxophonist, LeRoi Moore on August 19, 2008, he and Tim Reynolds played for DNC delegates on Sunday, August 24 at Red Rocks, and again with Reynolds at the Virginia Commonwealth University, on October 26, 2008, among other places. Matthews has often supported environmental initiatives, such as biofuel availability and the fight against global climate change. On September 21, 2009, Matthews stated that some of President Barack Obama's harsher critics were motivated by his race, and stated that he "sees it [racism] everywhere" in the United States.

Lawsuit

On August 25, 2004, Dave Matthews Band was sued by the state of Illinois for dumping raw sewage from the band's tour bus over a bridge into the Chicago River on August 8, 2004, though the band was not on the bus at the time of the incident. The dumping of up to 800 pounds of human waste into the river, in addition to violating water pollution laws, also descended upon more than 100 people in a boat on a tour of Chicago architecture. The band settled the suit by paying $200,000 to an environmental fund. As a part of the settlement, for five years, the band was required to log every location, date, and time their tour buses' septic tanks were emptied. The bus driver, Stefan Wohl, was sentenced to probation and community service, and was fired by the band.

Past and present equipment

Past Equipment

Martin DM3MD Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar serial numbers 1, 2 and 3

Martin HD-28V Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar

Martin D-35 Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar

Martin D12-28 Steel 12-String Acoustic Guitar

Taylor 714 Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar Taylor 914c 6-String Acoustic Guitar w/Florentine Cutaway (Drop D Tuning) (Don't Drink The Water, Crush, Shake Me Like A Monkey, Seven, Break Free)

Discography

Studio albums

Some Devil (2003)

Imagine We Were (2005) – as Tribe of Heaven; originally recorded in 1989

Live albums

Live at Luther College (1999) – with Tim Reynolds

Live at Radio City (2007) – with Tim Reynolds

Live in Las Vegas (2010) – with Tim Reynolds

Singles

Other charted songs

Guest singles

^A "I'm Alive" charted as an album cut in 2008 before being released as a single in 2009

Collaborations

"Tomorrow Never Knows" (2010), off the Herbie Hancock album "The Imagine Project''

"You Should Know Me", "Oh, Bangladesh" & "And He Slayed Her" (2010) off the Liz Phair album Funstyle

"Caveman" & "Road" (2009) off the Danny Barnes album "Pizza Box"

"Fat Man In The Bathtub" (2008) off the Little Feat album "Little Feat & Friends: Join The Band"

"I'm Alive" (2008) off the Kenny Chesney album Lucky Old Sun

"Mamma Boulet" (2008) off the Dave Grant album "Bubbalon by Bass"

"Tremendous Brunettes" (2007) off the Mike Doughty album Haughty Melodic

"Work It Out" (2006) off the Jurassic 5 album Feedback

"Sing Along" (2003) off the Blue Man Group album The Complex with music video

"Love Is The Only Way" (2006) off the Robert Randolph and the Family Band album Colorblind

"Joyful girl"(2002) off the Soulive album - Next

"Iwoya" (2002) off the Angelique Kidjo album Black Ivory Soul

"For You"(2002) off the We Were Soldiers soundtrack with Johnny Cash

"My Antonia", (2000), off the (Emmylou Harris studio album) Red Dirt Girl, where Dave duets with Emmylou on her composition

"Love of My Life" (1999) & "Rain Down On Me" (2010), off the Santana album Supernatural

"Communication" & "Trouble and Strife" (1998), off the Béla Fleck and the Flecktones album Left of Cool

"Eleanor" (1994), off the Shannon Worrell album Three Wishes

Awards

Grammys

1997: Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group – "So Much to Say", Dave Matthews Band

2004: Best Male Rock Vocal Performance – "Gravedigger", Dave Matthews

ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards

Most Performed Song from a Motion Picture – "Where Are You Going" (for Mr. Deeds)

Honorary degrees

Dave Matthews was awarded D.M.A. honoris causa by Haverford College on May 15, 2005; see here for his commencement speech.

Guitar

2002: Orville Gibson Award for Best Acoustic Guitarist

See also

List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

References

External links

The Warehouse: The Official Dave Matthews Band Fan Association

Charlie Rose Interview

Interview

Category:1967 births Category:American agnostics Category:American humanitarians Category:American male singers Category:American Quakers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singers Category:American people of British descent Category:Dave Matthews Band members Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Old Stithians Category:People from Charlottesville, Virginia Category:People from Johannesburg Category:People from Yorktown, New York Category:South African immigrants to the United States Category:South African people of British descent Category:Musicians from Virginia

Name	Akon
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Badara Akon Thiam
Born	April 16, 1973St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Origin	Dakar, Senegal
Genre	R&B;, hip hop, pop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer
Years active	1996–present
Label	Universal, SRC, Konvict, UpFront, Kon Live
Associated acts	T-Pain, Kardinal Offishall, Colby O'Donis, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Sway DaSafo, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie
Url

Akon (born Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Badara Akon Thiam), (), (born April 16, 1973) is a Senegalese-American R&B; singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and businessman.

He grosses over 30 million dollars a year according to Forbes. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first single from his debut album Trouble. His second album, Konvicted, earned him a Grammy Award nomination of the single "Smack That". He has since founded two record labels, Konvict Muzik and Kon Live Distribution.

Akon often sings hooks for other artists and is currently credited with over 300 guest appearances and 45 Billboard Hot 100 songs. He has worked with numerous performers such as Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Quincy Jones, Eminem and Whitney Houston. He is the first solo artist to hold both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice. He has had 6 Grammy Awards nominations and has produced many hits for artists such as Lady Gaga, Colby O'Donis and Leona Lewis. Lady Gaga and T-Pain are two artists who were given their chance at fame by Akon. He has also released a song called "Beautiful" featuring Colby O'Donis and Kardinal Offishall which is in his hit album named Freedom which he released in 2008 and also "Right Now (Na Na Na)" in the same album.

Early life

As the son of Senegalese percussionist Mor Thiam, Akon was raised in a musical setting and taught to play several instruments including the djembe. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., so that he would not have to go through the immigration process. However, Akon lived in Dakar, Senegal, splitting time between America and Senegal until he was in high school, when he settled permanently in Newark, NJ.

Akon has claimed in interviews that his full name is Aliaune Damala Akon Thiam and he is Muslim, he has never drunk alcohol or smoked due to his faith, although there is some ambiguity and debate about Akon's legal name and birth date. Akon is usually credited as Aliaune Thiam. In addition to the longer form, Akon's full name has been reported both as Aliaune Badara Thiam and Alioune Badara Thiam and About.com claims that this middle name has never been independently verified.

In regards to his birth date, Akon is very protective of it, which is the reason many media outlets have reported incorrect dates. However, legal documents released by The Smoking Gun list Akon's name as Aliaune Damala Thiam and his date of birth as April 16, 1973.

Music career

2003–05: Discovery and Trouble

Akon's alleged three years in jail saw him begin to recognize his music abilities and develop an appreciation for his musical background. Music mogul Devyne Stephens, president of Upfront Megatainment first heard about Akon when the rapper Lil' Zane brought him along to Stephens' rehearsal hall, a place that at the time saw talents such as Usher and TLC being developed. The relationship between Stephens and Akon began as a friendship and mentorship, with the young artist regularly stopping by to ask for advice, but when Akon lost his deal with Elektra Stephens signed him to his production company and began grooming him professionally. The songs Akon recorded with Stephens were brought to the attention of Universal's imprint SRC Records.

In 2005, he released the single "Lonely" (which samples Bobby Vinton's "Mr. Lonely"). The song reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Australia, the UK and Germany. His album also climbed to number one in the UK in April, 2005. When music channel The Box had a top ten weekly chart, which was calculated by the amount of video requests, Akon's "Lonely" became the longest running single on the top of the chart, spanning over fifteen weeks. Akon then released another single featuring with a New Zealand rapper, Savage with the single Moonshine, which had become a success in both New Zealand and Australia, becoming number one in the New Zealand charts. In 2005, He made his first critically acclaimed guest appearance on Young Jeezy's debut album, , with the song "Soul Survivor." In December the same year his manager, Robert Montanez was killed in a shooting after a dispute in New Jersey.

2006–07: Konvicted

Akon's second album, Konvicted was released on November 14, 2006. It included collaborations with Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Styles P. The first single "Smack That" featuring Eminem was released in August 2006 and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks. "I Wanna Love You," (featuring Snoop Dogg) was the second single released in September, it would go on to earn Akon his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, and Snoop's second. "I Wanna Love You" topped the U.S. charts for two consecutive weeks. In January 2007, a third single "Don't Matter" which earned him his first solo number one and second consecutive Hot 100 chart topper was released. "Mama Africa" was released as a European single in July 2007, making it the fourth overall single from the album reaching just 47 in the UK. To coincide with the release of the Platinum (deluxe) edition of the album "Sorry, Blame It on Me" was the album's fifth single, debuted in August 2007 on the Hot 100 at number seven. The deluxe version was fully released on August 28, 2007. The final single was confirmed by Akon to be "Never Took the Time." Konvicted debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 286,000 copies in its first week. After only six weeks, Konvicted sold more than one million records in the U.S. and more than 1.3 million worldwide. The album was certified platinum after seven weeks, and after sixteen weeks it was certified double platinum. It stayed in the top twenty of the Billboard 200 for 28 consecutive weeks and peaked at number two on four different occasions. On November 20, 2007, the RIAA certified the album ‘triple platinum’ with 3 million units sold in the US. It has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.

On October 5, 2006, Akon broke a record on the Hot 100, as he achieved the largest climb in the chart's 48-year-history with "Smack That" jumping from number 95 to 7. The leap was fueled by its number six debut on Hot Digital Songs with 67,000 downloads. The record has since been broken several times. In December 2006, Akon's "Smack That" was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Justin Timberlake and T.I.'s "My Love".

2008–09: Freedom

Akon released his new album Freedom on December 2, which spawned four singles: "Right Now (Na Na Na)", "I'm So Paid" (featuring Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy), "Beautiful" (featuring Kardinal Offishall and Colby O'Donis) and "We Don't Care". "We Don't Care" has failed to chart significantly in many countries, only reaching 61 in the UK and 91 in Australia. After the unexpected death of The King Of Pop Michael Jackson, who Akon was working with in Jackson's last years, Akon released a tribute song called "Cry Out Of Joy". Akon & Michael Jackson were close friends near the end of Jackson's life.

Speaking of his relationship with Michael Jackson to noted UK R&B; writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning 'Blues & Soul' in October 2008, Akon stated: "Mike is the King Of Pop, and I think that it's a dream come true for ANY major artist/songwriter/producer to be able to work with the best in the business! You know, to work with someone like Mike – who's created opportunities, opened doors for so many people, and achieved so much in the music world, period – is just an experience which would be enough to take home for ANYONE! I mean, when I first flew up to Vegas and met him it was almost like we'd known each other for YEARS! LITERALLY! 'Cause musically we were on the same exact page! The chemistry was just INCREDIBLE! And, as a person, he was the most cool, humble dude I've ever met! I mean, we even actually got to go to the movies together – in broad daylight! Which was an experience in itself!"

David Guetta collaborated with Akon in Sexy Bitch, a first house track by Akon, and has been a "summer anthem" across the globe. Reaching #1 in more than 6 countries, and charting at 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 , it is featured on Guetta's One Love album. Which has made it his 19th Top 20 hit worldwide.

2010–present: Akonic

It was announced in late 2009 that Akon's fourth studio album, Akonic, was set for release in the first quarter of 2010. However, following managerial commitments to other artists, work on the album has not been completed. It was suggested that this would push the album's release back to 2011. However, this was proven false as the album will actually be released on November 29, 2010. Akon had also stated that the title of the album may change between now and that time, since originally it was titled "Stadium Music" or "Stadium". Two tracks from the album have been leaked onto the web - "Nosy Neighbour", which was suggested for the lead single, and "Party Animal", both of which have been produced by David Guetta. The album's lead single, "Angel", was released to US radio stations on September 14, 2010. and was released as a single on September 27, 2010.

Featured projects

In 2006, Akon started his new record label Kon Live Distribution under Interscope Records. His first signed artist was Ray Lavender.

He was featured on Gwen Stefani's latest album, The Sweet Escape. He made an appearance on the title track and second single, "The Sweet Escape." Akon produced the song. On December 10, 2006, Akon and Stefani appeared as musical guests on Saturday Night Live, however they did not perform the song as Stefani had not yet learned the lyrics. He performed the song live, however, on American Idol on March 28, 2007 due to Gwen Stefani's appearance as a coach the night before. "The Sweet Escape" has reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Akon collaborated with Chamillionaire on his mixtape, Mixtape Messiah 2, featuring on the track “Ridin' Overseas” which he also produced. The mixtape was available for download on Chamillionaire's website from December 24, 2006.

In 2006, after their 2005 Akon-produced single, "Soul Survivor," the duo of Akon and Young Jeezy said that there is a lot more to expect from them in the future. The pair announced there are currently plans for a collaborative album. Akon also appeared on Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's album Strength and Loyalty and Three 6 Mafia's eighth studio album, Last 2 Walk, We The Best by DJ Khaled, Fabolous's album, From Nothin' to Somethin', with 50 Cent on some tracks for Curtis, T.I.'s 5th album, T.I. vs. T.I.P., Mario's third solo album Go!, and produced with Daddy Yankee" in the song called "Bring It On" on the album called which was released on June 5, 2007.

On July 7, 2007 Akon performed at the American leg of Live Earth.

In November 2007, Akon recorded a remix of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" with Michael Jackson. In February 2008, the remix was released on the 25th anniversary rerelease of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Akon produced the track entitled "Echo" on Latin Boy band Menudo's latest album, released in the spring of 2008.

‘Konvict Music’ would be responsible for the re-release of Kat Deluna’s debut album 9 Lives (album) which would feature Akon on the single "Am I Dreaming."

In July 2008 a song called "Hold My Hand" circulated the internet. The song is an R&B; duet/collaboration between Michael Jackson and Akon, composed by Claude Kelly. There also exists another version featuring only Akon. It was not included in the track list for Freedom as Akon previously stated. During an interview with Tavis Smiley, Akon said that Jackson had planned on a high-profile release including a music video until the track had leaked. This is Jackson's last known song before he died on June 25, 2009. Recently, Akon has finished work on the song and it will included on the upcoming posthumous album, Michael. The song itself was released as a single on November 15, 2010.

Akon was also the executive producer of Kardinal Offishall's fourth solo album Not 4 Sale, released September 9, 2008. The promo single "Graveyard Shift" features Akon as does the first single "Dangerous", which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and won the award for Single of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards.

Akon co-wrote and recorded "Put It on My Tab" with New Kids on the Block for their 2008 reunion album The Block.

Akon co-wrote and produced Leona Lewis' hit record Forgive Me, off her debut album Spirit.

He is currently working with X Factor 2008 winner Alexandra Burke on her upcoming debut album.

Akon co-wrote Kon Live artist Lady Gaga's worldwide hit "Just Dance", which also featured Colby O'Donis, and which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 51st Grammy Awards.

Flo Rida’s new album R.O.O.T.S. features Akon on the track “Available”.

Akon has recorded a song with E-40 titled "Wake It Up" for E-40's album, The Ball Street Journal. Akon experiments with the auto-tune effect in the song.

Rap singer Nelly confirmed that Akon, Pharrell, and T-Pain have talked about forming a rap supergroup in 2009. Akon and Konvict Muzik are also producing hip hop/rock group Flipsyde's 2009 release, State of Survival, which will be released via Kon Live Distribution and Cherrytree Records. Akon worked with Whitney Houston for her 2009 comeback album I Look to You. He appears on the track "Like I Never Left".

In May 2009, Akon collaborated with Taiwanese artist 潘瑋柏 (Wilber Pan) and released another version of the song, Be With You.

Akon worked with bachata group Aventura and Reggaeton duo Wisin y Yandel on All Up 2 You the second single from Aventura's album The Last that dropped in June. The song received two nominations at the Premios Lo Nuestro 2010 for "Urban Song of the Year" and "Video Collaboration of the Year".

Akon recently signed Jayko, a Hispanic R&B; and Reggaeton artist, to his label and is working with him on his debut album titled "Marcando Territorio"

Sexy Bitch was released in July 2009, a collaboration with French DJ David Guetta.

In August 2009, Akon released another version of Beautiful featuring BoA, a popular and legendary Korean singer. However, this version was for the Japanese market.

Akon also sang in a song with Colby O'Donis called "What You Got".

In 2009 Akon collaborated with Pitbull on the single "Shut It Down" from the album "Rebelution".

Akon worked to help Matisyahu remix his single "One Day" on his album Light.

In 2010 Akon collaborated with up and coming pop singer JRandall on a song entitled ''oo la la" which premiered on JustJared.com on October 6.

In 2010 he is one of over 70 artists singing on "", a charity single in aid of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He also entered into the Indian market, working with composers Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani on the soundtrack to the Bollywood action film Ra.One.

Akon co-produced Natalia Kills' first single, Mirrors, from her forthcoming debut album, Perfectionist.

Other ventures

Television and film

Akon has confirmed that a reality television show is in the works. It will be called "My Brother's Keeper" and the point is that Akon's two nearly identical brothers will go around in Atlanta posing as him fooling people into thinking that it is in fact Akon. They will try to get VIP treatment, girls and free things. Akon has claimed that people have mistaken his brothers for him many times in Atlanta which is what the show is based on.

Akon is planning to work on a full-length movie titled Illegal Alien. The film is based on some of the events of his life and actor Mekhi Phifer is set to play him. Besides Akon confirmed in August 2007, in the interview with Polish website INTERIA.PL, that he works on a movie "Cocaine Cowboys," which tells the story of Jon Roberts, the main pilot of Medellin Cartel (Colombian drug traffickers). He was also featured on a Verizon Wireless commercial and singing Snitch along with Obie Trice on a episode named "Poppin' Tags."

On November 30, 2007, Akon entered the Big Brother house in Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 as a guest so the housemates can meet him for only 100 seconds. He also appeared on November 17, 2008 edition of WWE Raw, with Santino Marella citing him in his speech. Because of Santino's Italian Stereotyping, he mispronounced Akon's name to "Akorn".

On April 27, 2008, Akon appeared with Colby O'Donis in Dance on Sunset. On January 27, 2010, Akon performed on the Brazilian reality show Big Brother Brasil.

Fashion

In February 2007, Akon launched his clothing line, Konvict Clothing. It features urban streetwear including denim jeans, hoodies, t-shirts and hats. Aliaune is the upscale version, or high-end line, for males and females, which includes blazers, denim jeans and other items. Timothy Hodge appeared on MTV's Direct Effect alongside Akon while promotioning the Konvict clothing line.

Personal life

He has also been rumored to have three wives, however he has since revealed that he only has one, named Tomeka. Akon claims he has six children with three different women in an interview with Blender. Akon claims to have great relationships with all his children, and that he wishes to keep his family protected from the public eye. He also states that his religion made him a better person, and provides guidance to how he acts among others in life.

He also has his own charity for underprivileged children in Africa called Konfidence Foundation. Akon owns a diamond mine in South Africa and denies the existence of blood diamonds (also known as "conflict diamonds") saying, "I don't believe in conflict diamonds. That's just a movie. Think about it. Nobody thought or cared about conflict diamonds until 'Blood Diamond' was released." However, he has since stated that he does accept that blood diamonds exist, and that he is partial-owner of an African mine that is dedicated to avoiding use of blood diamonds while also donating profits to local communities.

"The Smoking Gun" reported in April 2008 that much of Akon's purported criminal and incarceration history has been dramatically embellished. In particular, Akon's claims to be part of an auto-theft ring and his claim to have spent three years in prison were challenged with court records and interviews with detectives involved in Akon's case. According to "The Smoking Gun's" article, Akon was not convicted of any crime and did not serve any time in prison from 1999 to 2002 as previously claimed. He stated that "The Smoking Gun's" attempt to “discredit” him “makes no sense as it is something he is trying to forget.” Akon retorted that he never spent 3 years in prison consecutively, but many shorter sentences that add up to three years, and cites that as the mis-understanding by The Smoking Gun's article.

Legal difficulties

In April 2007, Akon drew criticism for an onstage act which included simulated sex with Danah (Deena) Alleyne, a preacher's daughter aged 15 at the time, at a club in Trinidad and Tobago, as part of a fake contest, despite the club's claim to have a 21 years and over age limit. The incident was filmed by Akon's crew and later uploaded to the Internet. On April 20, 2007 local media, channel TV6, aired the video clip publicly. Amid criticism on the radio, television, and from the blogosphere, Verizon Wireless removed ringtones featuring Akon's songs. Verizon also decided not to sponsor The Sweet Escape Tour where Akon was to be the opening act for Gwen Stefani. However, Universal Music Group did not take action against Akon, but rather simply ordered the video clip be removed from video-sharing site YouTube due to copyright infringement. Conservative commentator and Parents Television Council founder Brent Bozell called this "corporate irresponsibility."

Political commentators Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham, and Bill O'Reilly criticized Akon for "degrading women." Malkin uploaded commentary about Akon to YouTube, using footage from music videos and the Trinidad concert, and Universal Music Group then forced its removal by issuing a DMCA takedown notice. The Electronic Frontier Foundation joined Malkin in contesting the removal as a misuse of copyright law, citing fair use. In May 2007, UMG rescinded its claim to the video, and the video returned to YouTube.

On June 3, 2007, at WSPK's KFEST concert at the Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, New York, a concert attendee threw an object towards Akon on stage. Akon asked the crowd to identify who threw the object and that he be brought on stage. Security staff grabbed the young man and took him up to the stage. Akon then pulled him up from the crowd and hoisted him across his shoulders. The singer then tossed the attendee back into the crowd from his shoulders. Video of the incident was reviewed by Fishkill police. Akon has claimed that the incident was staged and that he in fact used the act to set up for the next record.

Visa Issue

March 23, 2010 – Considering the allegations against the singer Akon, the Sri Lankan Government has decided not to issue him a visa to enter into Sri Lanka, the Government Information Department said a short while ago. The Jathika Bhikku Sansadaya (National Monks' Association) earlier today said that they vehemently protested the planned concert of Akon claiming that his music video insulted Buddhism.

Discography

Trouble (2004)

Konvicted (2006)

Freedom (2008)

Akonic (2011)

Awards and nominations

Name	Akon
Awards	1
Nominations	12
Americanw	1
Americann	3
Grammyn	5
Mtvvideon	4

Akon received four Grammy Award nominations in 2008, including Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "The Sweet Escape" with Gwen Stefani, Best R&B; Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Bartender" with T-Pain, Best Contemporary R&B; Album for Konvicted, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with "I Wanna Love You" with Snoop Dogg. The only award that Akon has received is Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist from the American Music Awards in 2007. Overall, Akon has received one award from twelve nominations.

American Music Awards

The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973. Akon has received one award from three nominations.

|- |rowspan="3"| ||rowspan="3"| Akon || Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist || |- | Artist of the Year || |- | Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist ||

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States. Akon has received five nominations.

|- | || "Smack That" (with Eminem) || Best Rap/Sung Collaboration || |- |rowspan="4"| || "The Sweet Escape" (with Gwen Stefani) || Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals || |- | "Bartender" (with T-Pain) || Best R&B; Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group || |- | Konvicted || Best Contemporary R&B; Album || |- | "I Wanna Love You" (with Snoop Dogg) || Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ||

MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1984 by MTV. Akon has received four nominations. Akon has the record for most nominations in the Most Earthshattering Collaboration category.

|- | || "Locked Up" || MTV2 Award || |- |rowspan="3"| || Akon || Male Artist of the Year || |- | "Smack That" (with Eminem) || Most Earthshattering Collaboration || |- | "The Sweet Escape" (with Gwen Stefani) || Most Earthshattering Collaboration ||

World Music Awards

In 2007 Akon won three World Music Awards:

(1) Best Selling R&B; Male Artist

(2) Best Selling African Artist

(3) Best Selling Internet Artist.

In 2008 Akon won:

(1) Best Selling African Artist

Note: Akon also won Artist Of The Year in 2007 by the Billboard Music Awards

Billboard Legacy

Made the Top Artists of the Year Chart in: 2009

Made the Billboard 200 Albums of the Year Chart in: 2009, 2007, 2005, 2004

Made the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Year Chart in: 2005, 2004

Premios Lo Nuestro

|- |rowspan="2"| 2010 || "All Up 2 You" (with Aventura and Wisin & Yandel) || Urban Song of the Year || |- | "All Up 2 You" (with Aventura and Wisin & Yandel) || Video Collaboration of the Year || |-

Tours

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania One-off Concert (2006).

Konvicted Tour (July to September 2007, then additional dates in 2008)

The Sweet Escape Tour with Gwen Stefani (April to July 2007)

The Good Girl Gone Bad Tour with Rihanna (Canadian-leg only, September – December 2008).

Konvict Muzik Tour with T-Pain, Australia only, October 26–27, 2009.

Brazilian Mini-Tour, (Brazil, January 2010)

References

External links

Official website

Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:African American singers Category:African American rappers Category:African American Muslims Category:American Muslims Category:American male singers Category:Dance musicians Category:Hip hop record producers Category:Hip hop singers Category:Musicians from New Jersey Category:Musicians from Missouri Category:Rappers from St. Louis, Missouri Category:People from Dakar Category:People from Newark, New Jersey Category:People from St. Louis, Missouri Category:American people of Senegalese descent Category:American hip hop record producers Category:Sony/ATV Music Publishing artists Category:World Music Awards winners Category:Living people Category:Senegalese expatriates in the United States Category:1973 births