The Wayback Machine - http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com:80/exact/TheGuardian
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Euro 2012: Italy - an animated history - the Guardian
Guardian open journalism: Three Little Pigs advert - the Guardian
The Guardian - Trailer
Euro 2012: Ireland - an animated history - the Guardian
Introducing the 'fluid piano'
The No Money Man
Linton Kwesi Johnson performs If I Woz A Tap Natch Poet
'Legend of the Guardians' Trailer HD
Rise of the Guardians: Official Trailer
Rise of the Guardians Trailer
The Guardian
The Guardian Best for Brown Eyes makeup tutorial

Theguardian

Make changes yourself !



Euro 2012: Italy - an animated history - the Guardian
  • Order:
  • Published: 11 Jun 2012
  • Duration: 2:33
  • Updated: 23 Jun 2012
Author: TheGuardian
The next international side to get their animated history potted is Italy, the team who missed the first World Cup finals, but made up for it by winning the next two
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/Euro 2012: Italy - an animated history - the Guardian
Guardian open journalism: Three Little Pigs advert - the Guardian
  • Order:
  • Published: 29 Feb 2012
  • Duration: 2:02
  • Updated: 23 Jun 2012
Author: TheGuardian
This advert for the Guardian's open journalism, screened for the first time on 29 February 2012, imagines how we might cover the story of the three little pigs in print and online. Follow the story from the paper's front page headline, through a social media discussion and finally to an unexpected conclusion
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/Guardian open journalism: Three Little Pigs advert - the Guardian
The Guardian - Trailer
  • Order:
  • Published: 08 Oct 2007
  • Duration: 2:31
  • Updated: 21 Jun 2012
Author: JackTheLifeGuard
On of the best movies I ever had seen. With Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher.
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/The Guardian - Trailer
Euro 2012: Ireland - an animated history - the Guardian
  • Order:
  • Published: 01 Jun 2012
  • Duration: 3:08
  • Updated: 21 Jun 2012
Author: TheGuardian
James Richardson turns his animated attention to the Republic of Ireland, charting their successes; becoming the first non-UK team to beat England at home, their first appearance at an international finals at Euro '88 (with the addition of Jack Charlton), and meeting the Pope in 1990
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/Euro 2012: Ireland - an animated history - the Guardian
Introducing the 'fluid piano'
  • Order:
  • Published: 23 Nov 2009
  • Duration: 4:20
  • Updated: 24 Jun 2012
Author: TheGuardian
Mark Brown talks to Geoff Smith, whose reinvention of the piano allows players to alter the tuning of notes either before or during a performance
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/Introducing the 'fluid piano'
The No Money Man
  • Order:
  • Published: 08 Feb 2010
  • Duration: 8:08
  • Updated: 22 Jun 2012
Author: TheGuardian
Jon Henley spends the day in Bath with Mark Boyle, who last year decided to stop spending money b
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/The No Money Man
Linton Kwesi Johnson performs If I Woz A Tap Natch Poet
  • Order:
  • Published: 06 Jan 2009
  • Duration: 2:42
  • Updated: 22 Jun 2012
Author: TheGuardian
The celebrated Jamaican dub poet performs a very wry statement of ambition at Brixton library
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/Linton Kwesi Johnson performs If I Woz A Tap Natch Poet
'Legend of the Guardians' Trailer HD
  • Order:
  • Published: 04 Mar 2010
  • Duration: 2:18
  • Updated: 23 Jun 2012
Author: hollywoodstreams
For more info on 'Legend of the Guardians' visit: www.hollywood.com
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/'Legend of the Guardians' Trailer HD
Rise of the Guardians: Official Trailer
  • Order:
  • Published: 28 Mar 2012
  • Duration: 2:30
  • Updated: 24 Jun 2012
Author: DreamworksAnimation
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS TRAILER Website: bit.ly Facebook: on.fb.me iPhone/iPad App: bit.ly Join your beloved childhood legends as they join forces to protect the children of the world in DreamWorks Animation's RISE OF THE GUARDIANS. Legends Unite on November 21st! US Release: November 21, 2012 Starring: Chris Pine (Jack Frost), Alec Baldwin (North), Hugh Jackman (Bunnymund), Isla Fisher (Tooth Fairy), Jude Law (Pitch) Director: Peter Ramsey
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/Rise of the Guardians: Official Trailer
Rise of the Guardians Trailer
  • Order:
  • Published: 28 Mar 2012
  • Duration: 2:30
  • Updated: 24 Jun 2012
Author: FilmsActuTrailers
Rise of the Guardians Trailer (Dreamworks 2012). an epic and magical adventure that tells the story of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost - legendary characters with previously unknown extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children everywhere... Legends Unite ! Rise of the Guardians Trailer, directed Peter Ramsey coming to theaters November 21st, 2012
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/Rise of the Guardians Trailer
The Guardian
  • Order:
  • Published: 31 Dec 2011
  • Duration: 3:51
  • Updated: 24 Jun 2012
Author: NeroGeist
A boy wanders through the forest and finds his true potential. Animation done by NeroGeist The song used in this animation is called "Shadows" Composed by Lindsey Stirling. Her song can be downloaded on her site right here! www.lindseystirlingviolin.com While your at it, Subscribe to her Youtube channel as well! She's has some awesome movies that you should totally see! www.youtube.com She also has Facebook too: www.facebook.com Like me on Facebook as well! www.facebook.com For more of my animations, check me out on Newgrounds! nerogeist.newgrounds.com Hope you enjoy the vid! And have a Happy New Year! :D
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/The Guardian
The Guardian Best for Brown Eyes makeup tutorial
  • Order:
  • Published: 04 Mar 2009
  • Duration: 11:03
  • Updated: 19 Jun 2012
Author: panacea81
Hia everyone, I want to use this space to tell you all how much I appreciate the fact that you continue to watch my videos and I get lots of emails when I am gone for a while asking where i am. That is the best feeling ever. The products used in these exclusive Guardian videos are all listed on the Guardian website. As you may know my website is live and there are lots of contact emails available. Please choose one and send your requests, looks,personal,press or distribution enquiries. Take care everyone and see you all soon for loads more videos of all kinds :)
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/The Guardian Best for Brown Eyes makeup tutorial
Rise of the Guardians - Official Trailer #1 - Alec Baldwin MOVIE (2012) HD
  • Order:
  • Published: 28 Mar 2012
  • Duration: 2:30
  • Updated: 24 Jun 2012
Author: movieclipsTRAILERS
Subscribe to TRAILERS: bit.ly Rise of the Guardians - Official Trailer #1 - Alec Baldwin MOVIE (2012) HD When an evil spirit hatches a plot to take over the world, the immortal Guardians join forces to protect the hopes, beliefs, and imagination of children all over the world. movieclips "rise of the guardians trailer" "Rise of the guardians HD" "rise of the guardians" animated HD "chris pine" "isla fisher" "hugh jackman" "alec baldwin" "jude law" "dakota goyo" animated "new trailers" "santa claus" "Christmas movie" "holiday movie" Christmas reindeer "easter bunny" "tooth fairy" "alexandre desplat" "guillermo del toro"
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/Rise of the Guardians - Official Trailer #1 - Alec Baldwin MOVIE (2012) HD
Rise of the Guardians - Official Trailer (HD)
  • Order:
  • Published: 28 Mar 2012
  • Duration: 2:30
  • Updated: 23 Jun 2012
Author: joblomovienetwork
www.joblo.com - Rise of the Guardians - Official Trailer RISE OF THE GUARDIANS is an epic and magical adventure that tells the story of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost - legendary characters with previously unknown extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children everywhere. Like Rise of the Guardians on Facebook www.facebook.com Visit the Official Rise of the Guardians Website: www.riseoftheguardians.com Director: Peter Ramsey Writers: William Joyce (book), William Joyce Stars: Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin and Isla Fisher In Theatres: November 21, 2012 Copyright @ Dreamworks Animation
http://web.archive.org./web/20120627042555/http://wn.com/Rise of the Guardians - Official Trailer (HD)
  • Euro 2012: Italy - an animated history - the Guardian...2:33
  • Guardian open journalism: Three Little Pigs advert - the Guardian...2:02
  • The Guardian - Trailer...2:31
  • Euro 2012: Ireland - an animated history - the Guardian...3:08
  • Introducing the 'fluid piano'...4:20
  • The No Money Man...8:08
  • Linton Kwesi Johnson performs If I Woz A Tap Natch Poet...2:42
  • 'Legend of the Guardians' Trailer HD...2:18
  • Rise of the Guardians: Official Trailer...2:30
  • Rise of the Guardians Trailer...2:30
  • The Guardian...3:51
  • The Guardian Best for Brown Eyes makeup tutorial...11:03
  • Rise of the Guardians - Official Trailer #1 - Alec Baldwin MOVIE (2012) HD...2:30
  • Rise of the Guardians - Official Trailer (HD)...2:30
The next international side to get their animated history potted is Italy, the team who missed the first World Cup finals, but made up for it by winning the next two
2:33
Euro 2012: Italy - an an­i­mat­ed his­to­ry - the Guardian
The next in­ter­na­tion­al side to get their an­i­mat­ed his­to­ry pot­ted is Italy, the team who mi...
pub­lished: 11 Jun 2012
au­thor: The­Guardian
2:02
Guardian open jour­nal­ism: Three Lit­tle Pigs ad­vert - the Guardian
This ad­vert for the Guardian's open jour­nal­ism, screened for the first time on 29 Febr...
pub­lished: 29 Feb 2012
au­thor: The­Guardian
2:31
The Guardian - Trail­er
On of the best movies I ever had seen. With Kevin Cost­ner and Ash­ton Kutch­er....
pub­lished: 08 Oct 2007
3:08
Euro 2012: Ire­land - an an­i­mat­ed his­to­ry - the Guardian
James Richard­son turns his an­i­mat­ed at­ten­tion to the Re­pub­lic of Ire­land, chart­ing their s...
pub­lished: 01 Jun 2012
au­thor: The­Guardian
4:20
In­tro­duc­ing the 'fluid piano'
Mark Brown talks to Geoff Smith, whose rein­ven­tion of the piano al­lows play­ers to alter th...
pub­lished: 23 Nov 2009
au­thor: The­Guardian
8:08
The No Money Man
Jon Hen­ley spends the day in Bath with Mark Boyle, who last year de­cid­ed to stop spend­ing ...
pub­lished: 08 Feb 2010
au­thor: The­Guardian
2:42
Lin­ton Kwesi John­son per­forms If I Woz A Tap Natch Poet
The cel­e­brat­ed Ja­maican dub poet per­forms a very wry state­ment of am­bi­tion at Brix­ton libr...
pub­lished: 06 Jan 2009
au­thor: The­Guardian
2:18
'Leg­end of the Guardians' Trail­er HD
For more info on 'Leg­end of the Guardians' visit: www.​hollywood.​com...
pub­lished: 04 Mar 2010
2:30
Rise of the Guardians: Of­fi­cial Trail­er
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS TRAIL­ER Web­site: bit.​ly Face­book: on.​fb.​me iPhone/iPad App: bit.​ly J...
pub­lished: 28 Mar 2012
2:30
Rise of the Guardians Trail­er
Rise of the Guardians Trail­er (Dream­works 2012). an epic and mag­i­cal ad­ven­ture that tells ...
pub­lished: 28 Mar 2012
3:51
The Guardian
A boy wan­ders through the for­est and finds his true po­ten­tial. An­i­ma­tion done by Nero­Geist...
pub­lished: 31 Dec 2011
au­thor: Nero­Geist
11:03
The Guardian Best for Brown Eyes make­up tu­to­ri­al
Hia ev­ery­one, I want to use this space to tell you all how much I ap­pre­ci­ate the fact that...
pub­lished: 04 Mar 2009
au­thor: panacea81
2:30
Rise of the Guardians - Of­fi­cial Trail­er #1 - Alec Bald­win MOVIE (2012) HD
Sub­scribe to TRAIL­ERS: bit.​ly Rise of the Guardians - Of­fi­cial Trail­er #1 - Alec Bald­win M...
pub­lished: 28 Mar 2012
2:30
Rise of the Guardians - Of­fi­cial Trail­er (HD)
www.​joblo.​com - Rise of the Guardians - Of­fi­cial Trail­er RISE OF THE GUARDIANS is an epic ...
pub­lished: 28 Mar 2012
7:21
The Guardian Leg­end - NES Game­play
Game info/dis­cus­sion at nesgui.​de | "Guardian Leg­end, The" (NES), pub­lished by B...
pub­lished: 09 Jul 2007
au­thor: nes­guide
2:06
SOPA "ex­plained" by The Guardian
Will 2012 see the end of the in­ter­net as we know it? The House Ju­di­cia­ry com­mit­tee tried t...
pub­lished: 24 Dec 2011
2:02
The Guardian - Three Lit­tle Pigs "Open Jour­nal­ism" Com­mer­cial (HD)
British news­pa­per The Guardian has launched a new media cam­paign, kick­ing off with a telev...
pub­lished: 01 Mar 2012
8:02
Miike Snow per­form "Sylvia"
Filmed live at the Scala, ex­clu­sive­ly for Music Week­ly, Miike Snow per­form their sin­gle &#...
pub­lished: 22 Feb 2010
au­thor: The­Guardian
7:42
The Guardian Sound­track - The Guardian Suite
For my friend, Anne! Re­mem­ber to add &fmt=18 at the end of the URL to get a bet­ter qua...
pub­lished: 27 Apr 2008
au­thor: Tyleet85
3:56
Tony Ben­nett on record­ing with Amy Wine­house for his new album of duets
The 84-year old singer an­nounces a date at the Lon­don Pal­la­di­um and re­veals more about his...
pub­lished: 11 Jul 2011
au­thor: The­Guardian
2:02
The Guardian ad­vert 2012 , 3 lit­tle pigs and the big bad wolf
flexdesigns.​co.​uk - http The 2012 ad­vert by the Guardian news­pa­per where the 3 lit­tle pigs...
pub­lished: 01 Mar 2012
au­thor: nathaniel6677
2:02
The Guardian - Open Jour­nal­ism (Three Lit­tle Pigs ad­vert)
POS­SI­BLY THE BEST COM­MER­CIAL EVER. "This ad­vert for the Guardian's open jour­nalis...
pub­lished: 09 Mar 2012
  • The Examiner "America was created mainly by the surplus poor of Europe, reinforced by a small group who were just Europamude, tired of Europe. These people arrived in a country where the indigenous culture was simply the enemy, and was in the process of being ruthlessly annihilated, and where nature too, was the...
  • Canberra Times Click to play video Return to video Video settings Please Log in to update your video settings Video will begin in 5 seconds. Don't play Play now More video Recommended Click to play video First Apple computer up for auction Click to play video LinkedIn passwords leaked online Click to play video...
  • Crunch E3 2012 Galaxy S III HTC One The New iPad Engadget Distro News Hubs Galleries Videos Podcasts The Recap Authors Store FOLLOW US ON TWITTER SUBSCRIBE ABOUT / FAQ TIP US Cellphones, Software, Tablet PCs, Condition One immerses iPads and iPhones in 180-degree video, shakes up dreary apps (video)...
  • more news on: Theguardian
    Linton Kwesi Johnson at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2008

    Linton Kwesi Johnson (aka LKJ) (born 24 August 1952, Chapelton, Jamaica) is a UK-based dub poet. He became the second living poet, and the only black poet, to be published in the Penguin Modern Classics series.[1] His performance poetry involves the recitation of his own verse in Jamaican Patois over dub-reggae, usually written in collaboration with renowned British reggae producer/artist Dennis Bovell. His middle name, "Kwesi", is Ghanaian.

    Johnson studied for a degree in sociology at Goldsmiths College in New Cross, London (graduating in 1973),[2] which currently holds his personal papers in its archives; in 2004 he became an Honorary Visiting Professor of Middlesex University in London. In 2005 he was awarded a silver Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica for distinguished eminence in the field of poetry.[3]

    While still at school Johnson joined the British Black Panther Movement,[3] helped to organise a poetry workshop within the movement, and developed his work with Rasta Love, a group of poets and drummers.

    Contents

    Poetry[link]

    Most of Johnson's poetry is political, dealing mainly with the experiences of being an African-Caribbean in Britain, "Writing was a political act and poetry was a cultural weapon...",[4] he told an interviewer in 2008. However, he has also written about other issues, such as British foreign policy or the death of anti-racist marcher Blair Peach. His most celebrated poems were written during the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The poems contain graphic accounts of the racist police brutality occurring at the time (cf. Sonny's Lettah). Johnson's poetry makes clever use of the unstandardised transcription of Jamaican Patois.

    Johnson's poems first appeared in the journal Race Today, which published his first collection of poetry, Voices of the Living and the Dead, in 1974.[2] Dread Beat An' Blood, his second collection, was published in 1975 by Bogle-L'Ouverture.[3]

    A collection of his poems has been published as Mi Revalueshanary Fren by Penguin Modern Classics. Johnson is one of only three poets to be published by Penguin Modern Classics while still alive.

    Other writing[link]

    Johnson wrote for New Musical Express, Melody Maker, and Black Music in the 1970s, and served as writer in residence for the London Borough of Lambeth.[2]

    Music[link]

    LKJ on stage in Cardiff 1980

    Johnson's best-known albums include his debut Dread Beat an' Blood, Forces of Victory, Bass Culture and Making History. Across these albums are spread classics of the dub poetry school of performance – and, indeed, of reggae itself – such as "Dread Beat An' Blood", "Sonny's Lettah", "Inglan Is A Bitch", "Independent Intavenshan" and "All Wi Doin Is Defendin". His poem Di Great Insohreckshan is his response to the 1981 Brixton riots.[4] The work was the subject of a BBC Radio 4 program in 2007.

    Johnson's work, allied to the Jamaican "toasting" tradition, is regarded as an essential precursor of rap.

    Johnson's record label LKJ Records is home to other reggae artists, some of whom made up The Dub Band, with whom Johnson mostly recorded, and other Dub Poets, such as Jean "Binta" Breeze. Past releases on the label include recordings by Mikey Smith.[2]

    Of late, Johnson has only performed live on an intermittent basis, perhaps as a result of modern reggae's shift towards the more spontaneous and rapid-fire performers of ragga or dancehall.

    Discography[link]

    • Live in Paris with the Dennis Bovell Dub Band – Wrasse, 2004 ().
    • Live in Paris – Wrasse, 2004.
    • Straight to Inglan's Head – Universal, 2003 (Compilation).
    • LKJ in Dub: Volume 3 – LKJ Records, 2002.
    • More Time – LKJ Records, 1999.
    • Independent Intavenshan – Island, 1998 (Compilation).
    • A Cappella Live – LKJ Records, 1996.
    • LKJ Presents – LKJ Records, 1996.
    • LKJ in Dub: Volume 2 – LKJ Records, 1992.
    • Tings An' Times – LKJ Records, 1991.
    • Dub Poetry – Mango, 1985 (Compilation).
    • LKJ Live in Concert with the Dub Band – LKJ Records, 1985.
    • Reggae Greats – Mango, 1984.
    • Making History – Island, 1983.
    • LKJ in Dub – Island, 1980.
    • The Best of Linton Kwesi Johnson – Epic, 1980 (Compilation).
    • Bass Culture – Island, 1980.
    • Forces of Victory – Island, 1979.
    • Dread Beat an' Blood – Virgin, 1978. (As Poet And The Roots.)

    References[link]

    1. ^ http://www.meppublishers.com/online/caribbean-beat/archive/index.php?id=cb62-1-68
    2. ^ a b c d Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, pp. 147-8.
    3. ^ a b c Forbes; Peter (2002). "comtemporarywriters.com". Linton Kwesi Johnson. Archived from the original on 13 May 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5gkBz9hdD. Retrieved 13 May 2009. 
    4. ^ a b Wroe, Nicholas (8 Mar 2008). "The Guardian" (in English). Archived from the original on 13 May 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5gkAzHBsJ. Retrieved 13 May 2009. 

    External links[link]

    http://wn.com/Linton_Kwesi_Johnson



    Demetri Martin

    Demetri Martin at Northeastern University on April 11, 2007
    Born (1973-05-25) May 25, 1973 (age 39)
    New York City, New York, United States
    Nationality American
    Years active Since 2002
    Genres Observational comedy, surreal humor, musical comedy, wit/wordplay, sketch comedy
    Subject(s) Everyday Life, American Culture, Random Subjects
    Influences Steven Wright, Eddie Izzard, Emo Philips, Mitch Hedberg, Socrates
    Notable works and roles  · Demetri Martin. Person.
     · Correspondent on The Daily Show
     · Himself/Various on Important Things with Demetri Martin
     · Elliot Tiber in Taking Woodstock (2009)
    Website www.demetrimartin.com

    Demetri Martin (born May 25, 1973) is an American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer and humorist. Martin is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, contributor on The Daily Show and for his Comedy Central show Important Things with Demetri Martin.

    Contents

    Early life[link]

    Demetri Martin was born to a Greek American family[1] in New York City, New York, and grew up in Toms River, New Jersey. He is the son of Lillian, a nutritionist, and Dean C. Martin, now deceased, a Greek Orthodox priest.[2] Martin graduated from Yale University in 1995. Although he was accepted into Harvard Law School, he went to New York University School of Law after he received a full scholarship.[3]

    Career[link]

    In 2001, Martin caught his first big break in stand-up comedy when he appeared on Comedy Central's stand-up showcase Premium Blend. At the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe he won the Perrier award with his show If I....[4] The show was turned into a British television special in 2004. From 2003 to 2004, Martin wrote for Late Night with Conan O'Brien.[5] In 2004, Martin had his own Comedy Central Presents stand-up special. His special was divided into three parts. In the first, he performed in traditional stand-up comedy fashion. In the second segment, he used humorous drawings as visual aids, which would serve either as the punchline or a background. During the third segment, he played a guitar and put on a pseudo-play where he would strum his guitar while alternating between playing harmonica and talking; some of his comedian friends dressed as fairies and dragons acted according to the story he was telling, detailing the magical land where his jokes came from. Martin's mother and grandmother also appeared.

    Since late 2005, he has been credited as a contributor on The Daily Show, on which he has appeared as the named "Senior Youth Correspondent" and on which he hosts a segment called "Trendspotting". He has used this segment to talk about so-called hip trends among youth such as hookahs, wine, guerilla marketing and Xbox 360. A piece about social networking featured his profile on MySpace.[6] On March 22, 2007, Demetri made another appearance on The Daily Show, talking about the Viacom lawsuit against Google and YouTube.

    He has recorded a comedy CD/DVD titled These Are Jokes, which was released on September 26, 2006. This album also features Saturday Night Live member Will Forte and stand-up comedian Leo Allen.

    Martin returned to The Daily Show on March 22, 2006, as the new Youth Correspondent, calling his segment "Professional Important News with Demetri Martin". In 2007, he starred in a Fountains of Wayne music video for "Someone to Love" as Seth Shapiro, a character in the song. He also starred in the video for the Travis single "Selfish Jean", in which he wears multiple t-shirts with lyrics written on them.

    On September 2, 2007, Martin appeared on the season finale of the HBO series Flight of the Conchords. He appeared as a keytar player named Demetri.[7]

    He also had a part in the movie The Rocker (2008) starring Rainn Wilson. Martin played the part of the videographer when the band in the movie was making their first music video.

    In 2009, he hosted and starred in his own television show called Important Things With Demetri Martin on Comedy Central. Later in June, it was announced his show had been renewed for a second season.[8] The second season premiered, again on Comedy Central, on February 4, 2010. Martin has stated that Important Things will not return for a third season.

    Prior to completing work on his second season, Martin starred in the comedy-drama film Taking Woodstock (2009), directed by Ang Lee, which premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. In the film Martin plays Elliot Tiber, a closeted gay artist who has given up his ambitions in the city to move upstate and help his old-world Jewish family run their Catskill Mountains motel. The film is based on the book written by Tiber.

    On April 25, 2011, Martin released his first book, titled This Is a Book by Demetri Martin.

    Martin was slated to portray Paul DePodesta as Oakland Athletics assistant GM to Billy Beane in the 2011 movie Moneyball, however was dropped and Jonah Hill took his place in the movie.

    Plans[link]

    Martin sold his movie concept Will to DreamWorks; he is expected to play a key supporting role.[9] He will play the lead in the film Moon People, a pitch that he sold to Columbia Pictures.

    Martin also signed a blind script deal with CBS in October 2010 to produce, write, and star in his own television series.[10]

    After CBS was shown the pilot for the series, they decided not to air it.[11]

    On August 11, 2011, Fox ordered a presentation of a new animated show they might air.[citation needed]

    [edit] If I

    If I is a Perrier Comedy Award-winning comedy one-man show written and performed by Demetri Martin at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[12] It was also aired on British television as a special. The show is an autobiographical examination of Martin's life, as seen through various definitions of the word "if."

    The title of the special comes from a lengthy palindromic poem that Martin wrote; the words "if I" are at the center of the poem.[13]

    Comedic style[link]

    Martin is known for being an unconventional stand-up comic. He uses one-liners and drawings on a "large pad", as well as accompanying his jokes with music on either guitar, harmonica, piano, keyboard, glockenspiel, toy bells, ukulele, or tambourine, sometimes all at once.[14] He has cited comedian Steven Wright as an important influence (both use deadpan one-liners in their acts) and he is also a fan of Bill Cosby.[15]

    Personal life[link]

    According to a July 2011 interview on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, Demetri had a short-lived marriage to a girl he knew from high school. They began dating after high school and got married when he was in NYU Law School and she was attending NYU Medical School. He was aged 25 and in the end of his marriage when his stand-up career began.[3]

    He is extremely allergic to nuts and peanuts.[16]

    Martin moved to Santa Monica, California in 2009.[17]

    Filmography[link]

    Filmography and television work[link]

    Year Title Role Notes
    2002 Analyze That Personal Assistant credited as "Demitri Martin"
    2003 If I Himself British television special, also writer
    2004 12:21 Himself short film, also writer
    2004 Late Night with Conan O'Brien Himself 1 episode, series writer
    2007 "Someone to Love" Seth Shapiro Fountains of Wayne music video
    2007 Flight of the Conchords Demetri Season 1, Episode 12
    2008 The Rocker Kip (a music video producer)
    2009 Paper Heart Himself
    2009 Post Grad Ad Exec
    2009 Taking Woodstock Elliot Tiber
    2009–2010 Important Things with Demetri Martin Himself / Various writer, series creator, executive producer, and composer
    2011 Take Me Home Tonight Carlos
    2011 Contagion Dr. David Eisenberg
    2011 Conan Himself guest

    Written works[link]

    Awards and nominations[link]

    Year Award For Category Result Other notes
    2003 Perrier Comedy Award If I Won At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
    2004 Emmy Awards Late Night with Conan O'Brien Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Program Nominated Shared with Mike Sweeney (head writer), Chris Albers, Jose Arroyo, Andy Blitz, Kevin Dorff, Daniel J. Goor, Michael Gordon, Brian Kiley, Michael Koman, Brian McCann, Guy Nicolucci, Conan O'Brien, Allison Silverman, Robert Smigel, Brian Stack, Andrew Weinberg
    2005 Writers Guild of America Award Late Night with Conan O'Brien Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) - Series Won Shared with Mike Sweeney (head writer), Chris Albers, Jose Arroyo, Andy Blitz, Kevin Dorff, Daniel J. Goor, Michael Gordon, Brian Kiley, Michael Koman, Brian McCann, Guy Nicolucci, Conan O'Brien, Allison Silverman, Robert Smigel, Brian Stack, Andrew Weinberg
    2006 Barry Award Dr. Earnest Parrot Presents Demetri Martin Won Award for best show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

    References[link]

    1. ^ "Demetri Martin: The joker in the pack". The Independent (London). August 17, 2004. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/demetri-martin-the-joker-in-the-pack-556879.html. 
    2. ^
    3. ^ a b "WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 195 - Demetri Martin". Wtfpod.com. http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_195_-_demetri_martin. Retrieved 2012-06-01. 
    4. ^ Martin, Demetri (May 25, 2004). "Diary: A Weeklong Electronic Journal". Slate. http://www.slate.com/id/2101150/entry/2101158/. Retrieved February 24, 2007. 
    5. ^ "Demetri Martin Bio". Comedy Central. http://www.comedycentral.com/comedians/browse/m/demetri_martin.jhtml. Retrieved March 7, 2008. 
    6. ^ "News Team: Demetri Martin". The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central. http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/news_team/contributors/demetri_martin.jhtml. Retrieved February 24, 2007. 
    7. ^ "The Flight of the Conchords" The Third Conchord (2007) - Full cast and crew
    8. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (June 2, 2009). "Another 'Important' Season for Demetri Martin". The New York Times. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/another-important-season-for-demetri-martin/. Retrieved May 1, 2010. 
    9. ^ Gardner, Chris (March 27, 2006). "'Will' Fills D'Works Bill". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117940457.html?categoryid=1948&cs=1. Retrieved February 24, 2007. 
    10. ^ "Demetri Martin To Star, Write, Produce Own CBS Show". October 19, 2010. http://demetrimartin.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/demetri-martin-to-star-write-produce-own-cbs-show/. 
    11. ^ "Demetri Martin's CBS Show Not Happening". March 11, 2011. http://demetrimartin.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/demetri-martins-cbs-show-not-happening/. 
    12. ^ Boztas, Senay (August 24, 2003). "Martin Lands Perrier Award". The Sunday Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article883269.ece. Retrieved May 12, 2009. 
    13. ^ "Festival: It's All Geek to Me". The Sunday Times (London). August 17, 2003. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article872984.ece. 
    14. ^ "Comedian Demetri Martin's 'Important' TV Show Fails at Funny". The Daily Texan. February 20, 2009. http://www.dailytexanonline.com/1.1370449-1.1370449. Retrieved January 25, 2010. [dead link]
    15. ^ Huang, Keith (May 5, 2005). "Word Games". Gelf. http://www.gelfmagazine.com/mt/archives/word_games.html. Retrieved February 24, 2007. 
    16. ^ "Will Ferrell Rider". The Smoking Gun. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/will-ferrell-rider?page=2. Retrieved 2012-06-01. 
    17. ^

    External links[link]

    http://wn.com/Demetri_Martin



    Tony Bennett

    Tony Bennett performing in 2003
    Background information
    Birth name Anthony Dominick Benedetto
    Born (1926-08-03) August 3, 1926 (age 85)
    Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, United States
    Genres Traditional pop
    Jazz
    Occupations Singer
    Years active 1949–present
    Labels Columbia
    MGM
    Improv
    Legacy Recordings
    Website Official website

    Anthony Dominick Benedetto, better known as Tony Bennett (born August 3, 1926), is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a serious and accomplished painter, having created works — under the name Benedetto — that are on permanent public display in several institutions. He is the founder of Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in New York City.

    Raised in New York City, Bennett began singing at an early age. He fought in the final stages of World War II as an infantryman with the U.S. Army in the European Theatre. Afterwards, he developed his singing technique, signed with Columbia Records, and had his first number one popular song with "Because of You" in 1951. Several top hits such as "Rags to Riches" followed in the early 1950s. Bennett then further refined his approach to encompass jazz singing. He reached an artistic peak in the late 1950s with albums such as The Beat of My Heart and Basie Swings, Bennett Sings. In 1962, Bennett recorded his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco". His career and his personal life then suffered an extended downturn during the height of the rock music era.

    Bennett staged a remarkable comeback in the late 1980s and 1990s, putting out gold record albums again and expanding his audience to the MTV Generation while keeping his musical style intact. He remains a popular and critically praised recording artist and concert performer in the 2010s. Bennett has won 17 Grammy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award, presented in 2001) and two Emmy Awards, and has been named an NEA Jazz Master and a Kennedy Center Honoree. He has sold over 50 million records worldwide.

    Contents

    Early life[link]

    Anthony Benedetto was born in Astoria, Queens, New York City, one of three children of Anna (née Suraci) and John Benedetto.[1] His father was a grocer who in 1906 had emigrated from Podàrgoni, a rural eastern district of the southern Italian city of Reggio Calabria, and his mother was a seamstress who had been born in the U.S. shortly after her parents also emigrated from the Calabria region in 1899.[1] Other relatives came over as well as part of the mass migration of Italians to America.[1] With a father who was ailing and unable to work, Anthony, older brother John Jr., and younger sister Mary grew up in poverty.[2] John Benedetto Sr. instilled in his son a love of art and literature and a compassion for human suffering,[3] but died when Anthony was 10 years old.[2] The experience of growing up in the Great Depression and a distaste for the effects of the Hoover Administration would make the child a lifelong Democrat.[4]

    Young "Tony" Benedetto grew up listening to Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Judy Garland and Bing Crosby as well as jazz artists such as Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden and Joe Venuti. His Uncle Dick was a tap dancer in vaudeville, giving him an early window into show business,[5] and his Uncle Frank was the Queens borough library commissioner.[6] By age 10 he was already singing, and performed at the opening of the Triborough Bridge,[7] standing next to Mayor Fiorello La Guardia who patted him on the head.[6] Drawing was another early passion of his;[2] he became known as the class caricaturist at P.S. 141 and anticipated a career in commercial art.[8] He began singing for money at age 13, performing as a singing waiter in several Italian restaurants around his native Queens.[8][9]

    He attended New York's High School of Industrial Art where he studied painting and music[10] and would later appreciate their emphasis on proper technique.[11] But he dropped out at age 16 to help support his family.[12] He worked as a copy boy and runner for the Associated Press in Manhattan[13][14] and in several other low-skilled, low-paying jobs.[15] But mostly he set his sights on a professional singing career, returning to performing as a singing waiter, playing and winning amateur nights all around the city, and having a successful engagement at a Paramus, New Jersey nightclub.[9][15]

    World War II and after[link]

    Benedetto was drafted into the United States Army in November 1944, during the final stages of World War II.[2][16] He did basic training at Fort Dix and Fort Robinson as part of becoming an infantry rifleman.[17] Benedetto ran afoul of a sergeant from the South who disliked the Italian from New York City and heavy doses of KP duty or BAR cleaning resulted.[17] Processed through the huge Le Havre replacement depot, in January 1945, he was assigned as a replacement infantryman to the 255th Infantry Regiment of the 63rd Infantry Division, a unit filling in for the heavy losses suffered in the Battle of the Bulge.[18] He moved across France, and later, into Germany.[2] As March 1945 began, he joined the front line and what he would later describe as a "front-row seat in hell."[18]

    As the German Army was pushed back to their homeland, Benedetto and his company saw bitter fighting in cold winter conditions, often hunkering down in foxholes as German 88 mm guns fired on them.[19] At the end of March, they crossed the Rhine and entered Germany, engaging in dangerous house-to-house, town-after-town fighting to clean out German soldiers;[19] during the first week of April, they crossed the Kocher River, and by the end of the month reached the Danube.[20] During his time in combat, Benedetto narrowly escaped death several times.[2] The experience made him a pacifist;[2] he would later write, "Anybody who thinks that war is romantic obviously hasn't gone through one,"[18] and later say, "It was a nightmare that's permanent. I just said, 'This is not life. This is not life.'"[21] At the war's conclusion he was involved in the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp near Landsberg,[2] where some American prisoners of war from the 63rd Division had also been held.[20]

    Benedetto stayed in Germany as part of the occupying force, but was assigned to an informal Special Services band unit that would entertain nearby American forces.[2] His dining with a black friend from high school – at a time when the Army was still racially segregated – led to his being demoted and reassigned to Graves Registration Service duties.[22] Subsequently, he sang with the 314th Army Special Services Band under the stage name Joe Bari[23] (a name he had started using before the war, chosen after the city and province in Italy and as a partial anagram of his family origins in Calabria).[24] He played with many musicians who would have post-war careers.[23]

    Upon his discharge from the Army and return to the States in 1946, Benedetto studied at the American Theatre Wing on the GI Bill.[7] He was taught the bel canto singing discipline,[25] which would keep his voice in good shape for his entire career. He continued to perform wherever he could, including while waiting tables.[2] Based upon a suggestion from a teacher at American Theatre Wing, he developed an unusual approach that involved imitating, as he sang, the style and phrasing of other musicians — such as that of Stan Getz's saxophone and Art Tatum's piano — helping him to improvise as he interpreted a song.[12][26] He made a few recordings as Bari in 1949 for small Leslie Records, but they failed to sell.[27]

    In 1949, Pearl Bailey recognized Benedetto's talent and asked him to open for her in Greenwich Village.[9] She had invited Bob Hope to the show. Hope decided to take Benedetto on the road with him, and simplified his name to Tony Bennett.[27] In 1950, Bennett cut a demo of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and was signed to the major Columbia Records label by Mitch Miller.[7]

    First successes[link]

    Warned by Miller not to imitate Frank Sinatra[5] (who was just then leaving Columbia), Bennett began his career as a crooner singing commercial pop tunes. His first big hit was "Because of You", a ballad produced by Miller with a lush orchestral arrangement from Percy Faith. It started out gaining popularity on jukeboxes, then reached #1 on the pop charts in 1951 and stayed there for 10 weeks,[28] selling over a million copies.[27] This was followed to the top of the charts later that year[28] by a similarly-styled rendition of Hank Williams's "Cold, Cold Heart", which helped introduce Williams and country music in general to a wider, more national audience.[29] The Miller and Faith tandem continued to work on all of Bennett's early hits. Bennett's recording of "Blue Velvet" was also very popular and attracted screaming teenaged fans at concerts at the famed Paramount Theater in New York (Bennett did seven shows a day, starting at 10:30 a.m.)[30] and elsewhere.

    A third #1 came in 1953 with "Rags to Riches". Unlike Bennett's other early hits, this was an up-tempo big band number with a bold, brassy sound and a double tango in the instrumental break; it topped the charts for eight weeks.[28] Later that year the producers of the upcoming Broadway musical Kismet had Bennett record "Stranger in Paradise" as a way of promoting the show during a New York newspaper strike.[31] The song reached the top, the show was a hit, and Bennett began a long practice of recording show tunes.[31] "Stranger in Paradise" was also a #1 hit in the United Kingdom a year and a half later[32] and started Bennett's career as an international artist.

    Once the rock and roll era began in 1955, the dynamic of the music industry changed and it became harder and harder for existing pop singers to do well commercially.[7] Nevertheless, Bennett continued to enjoy success, placing eight songs in the Billboard Top 40 during the latter part of the 1950s, with "In the Middle of an Island" reaching the highest at #9 in 1957.[33]

    For a month in August–September 1956, Bennett hosted a NBC Saturday night television variety show, called The Tony Bennett Show, as a summer replacement for The Perry Como Show.[34] Patti Page and Julius La Rosa had in turn hosted the two previous months, and they all shared the same singers, dancers, and orchestra.[34] In 1959, Bennett would again fill in for The Perry Como Show, this time alongside Teresa Brewer and Jaye P. Morgan as co-hosts of the summer-long Perry Presents.[35]

    A growing artistry[link]

    In 1954, the guitarist Chuck Wayne became Bennett's musical director.[36] Bennett released his first long-playing album in 1955, Cloud 7. The album was billed as featuring Wayne and showed Benett's leanings towards jazz. In 1957, Ralph Sharon became Bennett's pianist and musical director,[37] replacing Wayne. Sharon told Bennett that a career singing "sweet saccharine songs like 'Blue Velvet'" wouldn't last long, and encouraged Bennett to focus even more on his jazz inclinations.[5]

    The result was the 1957 album The Beat of My Heart. It used well-known jazz musicians such as Herbie Mann and Nat Adderley, with a strong emphasis on percussion from the likes of Art Blakey, Jo Jones, Latin star Candido Camero, and Chico Hamilton. The album was both popular and critically praised.[5][38] Bennett followed this by working with the Count Basie Orchestra, becoming the first male pop vocalist to sing with Basie's band.[5] The albums Basie Swings, Bennett Sings (1958) and In Person! (1959) were the well-regarded fruits of this collaboration, with "Chicago" being one of the standout songs.[5][7]

    Bennett also built up the quality, and therefore, the reputation of his nightclub act; in this he was following the path of Sinatra and other top jazz and standards singers of this era.[7] In June 1962, Bennett staged a highly-promoted concert performance at Carnegie Hall, using a stellar line-up of musicians including Al Cohn, Kenny Burrell, and Candido, as well as the Ralph Sharon Trio. The concert featured 44 songs, including favorites like "I've Got the World on a String" and "The Best Is Yet To Come". It was a big success, further cementing Bennett's reputation as a star both at home and abroad.[5][39] Bennett also appeared on television, and in October 1962 he sang on the first night of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.[40]

    Also in 1962, Bennett released the song "I Left My Heart in San Francisco". Although this reached only #19 on the Billboard Hot 100,[33] it spent close to a year on various other charts and increased Bennett's exposure.[7][39] The album of the same title was a top 5 hit and both the single and album achieved gold record status.[7] The song won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Solo Vocal Performance. Over the years, this would become known as Bennett's signature song.[10][25] In 2001, it was ranked 23rd on an RIAA/NEA list of the most historically significant Songs of the 20th Century.

    "For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business. He excites me when I watch him. He moves me. He's the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more."

    Frank Sinatra, in a 1965 Life magazine interview[25]

    Bennett's following album, I Wanna Be Around (1963), was also a top-5 success,[7] with the title track and "The Good Life" each reaching the top 20 of the pop singles chart[33] along with the top 10 of the Adult Contemporary chart.[41]

    The next year brought The Beatles and the British Invasion, and with them still more musical and cultural attention to rock and less to pop, standards, and jazz. Over the next couple of years Bennett had minor hits with several albums and singles based on show tunes – his last top-40 single was the #34 "If I Ruled the World" from Pickwick in 1965[33] – but his commercial fortunes were clearly starting to decline. An attempt to break into acting with a role in the poorly received 1966 film The Oscar met with middling reviews for Bennett; he did not enjoy the experience and did not seek further roles.[42][43]

    A firm believer in the American Civil Rights movement,[25] Bennett participated in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.[44] Years later he would continue this commitment by refusing to perform in apartheid South Africa.[10]

    Years of struggle[link]

    Ralph Sharon and Bennett parted ways in 1965.[37] There was great pressure on singers such as Lena Horne and Barbra Streisand to record "contemporary" rock songs, and in this vein Columbia Records' Clive Davis suggested that Bennett do the same.[7] Bennett was very reluctant, and when he tried, the results pleased no one. This was exemplified by Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today! (1970),[7] before which Bennett became physically ill at the thought of recording.[45] It featured misguided attempts at Beatles and other current songs and a ludicrous psychedelic art cover.[45][46]

    Years later Bennett would recall his dismay at being asked to do contemporary material, comparing it to when his mother was forced to produce a cheap dress.[47] By 1972, he had departed Columbia for the Verve division of MGM Records (Philips in the UK) and had relocated for a stint in London, where he hosted a television show from the Talk of the Town nightclub in conjunction with Thames Television, Tony Bennett from the Talk of the Town.[48][49][50] With his new label he tried a variety of approaches, including some more Beatles material, but found no renewed commercial success, and in a couple more years he was without a recording contract.[7][51]

    Taking matters into his own hands, Bennett started his own record company, Improv.[7] He cut some songs that would later become favorites, such as "What is This Thing Called Love?", and made two well-regarded albums with jazz pianist Bill Evans, The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album (1975) and Together Again (1976),[39] but Improv lacked a distribution arrangement with a major label and by 1977, it was out of business.[7][52]

    As the decade neared its end, Bennett had no recording contract, no manager, and was not performing many concerts outside of Las Vegas.[12] His second marriage was failing (they would completely separate in 1979, but not officially divorce until 2007).[53] He had developed a drug addiction, was living beyond his means, and had the Internal Revenue Service trying to seize his Los Angeles home.[12][52]

    Turnaround[link]

    After a near-fatal cocaine overdose in 1979, Bennett called his sons Danny and Dae for help. "Look, I'm lost here," he told them. "It seems like people don't want to hear the music I make."[12]

    Danny Bennett, an aspiring musician himself, also came to a realization. The band Danny and his brother had started, Quacky Duck and His Barnyard Friends, had foundered and Danny's musical abilities were limited. However, he had discovered during this time that he did have a head for business. His father, on the other hand, had tremendous musical talent but was having trouble sustaining a career from it and had little financial sense. Danny signed on as his father's manager.[52]

    Danny got his father's expenses under control, moved him back to New York, and began booking him in colleges and small theaters to get him away from a "Vegas" image.[12][52] After some effort, a successful plan to pay back the IRS debt was put into place.[52] In 1979, Tony Bennett had also reunited with Ralph Sharon as his pianist and musical director.[37] By 1986, Tony Bennett was re-signed to Columbia Records, this time with creative control, and released The Art of Excellence. This became his first album to reach the charts since 1972.[7]

    An unexpected audience[link]

    Danny Bennett felt that younger audiences who were unfamiliar with Tony Bennett would respond to his music if given a chance.[54] No changes to Tony's formal appearance, singing style, musical accompaniment (The Ralph Sharon Trio or an orchestra), or song choice (generally the Great American Songbook) were necessary or desirable.[7][55] Accordingly, Danny began regularly to book his father on Late Night with David Letterman, a show with a younger, hip audience.[54] This was subsequently followed by appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Simpsons, Muppets Tonight, and various MTV programs.[10][12] In 1993, Bennett played a series of benefit concerts organized by alternative rock radio stations around the country.[54] The plan worked; as Tony later remembered, "I realized that young people had never heard those songs. Cole Porter, Gershwin – they were like, 'Who wrote that?' To them, it was different. If you're different, you stand out."[12]

    During this time, Bennett continued to record, first putting out the acclaimed look back Astoria: Portrait of the Artist (1990), then emphasizing themed albums such as the Sinatra homage Perfectly Frank (1992) and the Fred Astaire tribute Steppin' Out (1993). The latter two both achieved gold status and won Grammys for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance (Bennett's first Grammys since 1962) and further established Bennett as the inheritor of the mantle of a classic American great.[54]

    As Bennett was seen at MTV Video Music Awards shows side-by-side with the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Flavor Flav, and as his "Steppin' Out With My Baby" video received MTV airplay,[54] it was clear that, as The New York Times said, "Tony Bennett has not just bridged the generation gap, he has demolished it. He has solidly connected with a younger crowd weaned on rock. And there have been no compromises."[56]

    The new audience reached its height with Bennett's appearance in 1994 on MTV Unplugged.[52] (He quipped famously on the show, "I've been unplugged my whole career.") Featuring guest appearances by rock and country stars Elvis Costello and k.d. lang (both of whom had an affinity for the standards genre), the show attracted a considerable audience and much media attention.[54] The resulting MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett album went platinum and, besides taking the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance Grammy award for the third straight year, also won the top Grammy prize of Album of the Year.[5][57] At age 68, Tony Bennett had come all the way back.

    Painting[link]

    Tony Bennett's career as a painter, done under his real surname of Benedetto, has also flourished.[58][59] He followed up his childhood interest with serious training, work, and museum visits throughout his life. He sketches or paints every day, even of views out of hotel windows when he is on tour.[57]

    He has exhibited his work in numerous galleries around the world.[57] He was chosen as the official artist for the 2001 Kentucky Derby, and was commissioned by the United Nations to do two paintings, including one for their 50th anniversary.[57] His painting "Homage to Hockney" (for his friend David Hockney, painted after Hockney drew him) is on permanent display at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio.[58] His "Boy on Sailboat, Sydney Bay" is in the permanent collection at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park in New York, as is his "Central Park" at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.[57] His paintings and drawings have been featured in ARTnews and other magazines, and sell for as much as $80,000 apiece.[10][52] Many of his works were published in the art book Tony Bennett: What My Heart Has Seen in 1996. In 2007, another book involving his paintings, Tony Bennett in the Studio: A Life of Art & Music, became a best-seller among art books.[30]

    No retirement[link]

    Since his comeback, Bennett has financially prospered; by 1999, his assets were worth $15 to 20 million.[52] He had no intention of retiring, saying "If you study the masters – Picasso, Jack Benny, Fred Astaire – right up to the day they died, they were performing. If you are creative, you get busier as you get older."[52] Indeed, Bennett has continued to record and tour steadily, doing 100 to 200 shows a year.[10][52] In concert Bennett often makes a point of singing one song (usually "Fly Me to the Moon") without any microphone or amplification, demonstrating his skills at vocal projection.[55][60][61] One show, Tony Bennett's Wonderful World: Live From San Francisco, was made into a PBS special. Bennett also created the idea behind, and starred in the first episode of, the A&E Network's popular Live By Request series, for which he won an Emmy Award.[52][57] In addition to numerous television guest performances, Bennett has had cameo appearances as himself in films such as The Scout, Analyze This, and Bruce Almighty. In 1998 he made an unlikely but successful appearance at a mud-soaked Glastonbury in an immaculate white suit and tie.[62] Bennett also published The Good Life: The Autobiography of Tony Bennett in 1998.[57]

    A series of albums, often based on themes (such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, blues, or duets), has met with good acceptance; Bennett has won eight more Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance or Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Grammys in the subsequent years, most recently for the year 2011. Bennett has sold over 50 million records worldwide during his career.[57]

    President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush pose with the Kennedy Center honorees: actress Julie Harris, actor Robert Redford, singer Tina Turner, ballet dancer Suzanne Farrell and Tony Bennett. December 4, 2005, at a reception in the Blue Room at the White House.
    Bennett greets Stevie Wonder at the White House on February 25, 2009.

    Accolades came to Bennett. For his contribution to the recording industry, Tony Bennett was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street.[63] Bennett was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997, was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001, and received a lifetime achievement award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) in 2002.[64] In 2002, Q magazine named Tony Bennett in their list of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die".[65] On December 4, 2005, Bennett was the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor.[57] Later, a theatrical musical revue of his songs, called I Left My Heart: A Salute to the Music of Tony Bennett was created and featured some of his best-known songs such as "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", "Because of You", and "Wonderful".[66] The following year, Bennett was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.[67]

    Bennett frequently donates his time to charitable causes, to the extent that he is sometimes nicknamed "Tony Benefit".[68] In April 2002, he joined Michael Jackson, Chris Tucker and former President Bill Clinton in a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee at New York's Apollo Theater.[69] He has also recorded public service announcements for Civitan International.[70] Bennett and Susan Crow founded Exploring the Arts, a charitable organization dedicated to creating, promoting, and supporting arts education. At the same time they founded (and named after Bennett's friend) the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Queens, a public high school dedicated to teaching the performing arts, which opened in 2001 and would have a very high graduation rate.[2]

    Danny Bennett continues to be Tony's manager while Dae Bennett is a recording engineer who has worked on a number of Tony's projects and who has opened Bennett Studios in Englewood, New Jersey. Tony's younger daughter Antonia is an aspiring jazz singer.[12]

    In August 2006, Bennett turned eighty years old. The birthday itself was an occasion for publicity, which then extended through the rest of the following year. Duets: An American Classic reached the highest place ever on the albums chart for an album by Bennett[7] and garnered two Grammy Awards; concerts were given, including a high-profile one for New York radio station WLTW-FM; a performance was done with Christina Aguilera and a comedy sketch was made with affectionate Bennett impressionist Alec Baldwin on Saturday Night Live; a Thanksgiving-time, Rob Marshall-directed television special Tony Bennett: An American Classic on NBC, which would win multiple Emmy Awards;[30] receipt of the Billboard Century Award;[57] and guest-mentoring on American Idol season 6 as well as performing during its finale. He received the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' Humanitarian Award. Bennett was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2006,[57] the highest honor that the United States bestows upon jazz musicians.

    The year 2008 saw Bennett making two appearances on "New York State of Mind" with Billy Joel at the final concerts given at Shea Stadium, and in October releasing the album A Swingin' Christmas with The Count Basie Big Band, for which he made a number of promotional appearances at holiday time. In 2009, Bennett performed at the conclusion of the final Macworld Conference & Expo for Apple Inc., singing the "The Best Is Yet to Come" and "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" to a standing ovation,[71][72] and later making his Jazz Fest debut in New Orleans.[73] In February 2010, Bennett was one of over 70 artists singing on "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti", a charity single in aid of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[74] In October he performed "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" at AT&T Park before the third inning of Game 1 of the 2010 World Series and sang "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch. Days later he sang "America the Beautiful" at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington, D.C.

    Regarding his choices in music, Bennett reiterated his artistic stance in a 2010 interview:

    "I'm not staying contemporary for the big record companies, I don't follow the latest fashions. I never sing a song that's badly written. In the 1920s and '30s, there was a renaissance in music that was the equivalent of the artistic Renaissance. Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer and others just created the best songs that had ever been written. These are classics, and finally they're not being treated as light entertainment. This is classical music."[75]

    In September 2011, Bennett appeared on The Howard Stern Show and named American military actions in the Middle East as the root cause of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.[21] He stated, "To start a war in Iraq was a tremendous, tremendous mistake internationally", before asking, "But who are the terrorists? Are we the terrorists or are they the terrorists? Two wrongs don’t make a right." He disagreed with Stern's premise that the 9/11 attacks led to U.S. military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying, "They flew the plane in, but we caused it."[76] Bennett also claimed that former President George W. Bush personally told him at the Kennedy Center in December 2005 that he felt he had made a mistake invading Iraq, to which a Bush spokesperson replied, "This account is flatly wrong."[77] Following bad press resulting from his remarks, Bennett clarified his position, writing: "There is simply no excuse for terrorism and the murder of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims of the 9/11 attacks on our country. My life experiences, ranging from the Battle of the Bulge to marching with Martin Luther King, made me a life-long humanist and pacifist, and reinforced my belief that violence begets violence and that war is the lowest form of human behavior."[78]

    In September 2011, Bennett released Duets II, a follow-up to his first collaboration album, in conjunction with his 85th birthday. The album's pairing with Amy Winehouse on "Body and Soul" — reportedly the last recording she made before her death[79] — charted on the lower reaches of the Billboard Hot 100, making Bennett the oldest living artist to appear there, as well as the artist with the greatest span of appearances.[80] The single did well in Europe, where it reached the top 15 in several countries. The album then debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making Bennett the oldest living artist to reach that top spot, as well as marking the first time he had reached it himself.[81] A model of Koss headphones, the Tony Bennett Signature Edition (TBSE1), was created for this milestone[82] (Bennett having been one of the early adopters of the Koss product back in the 1960s).[83] In November 2011, Columbia released Tony Bennett – The Complete Collection, a 73 CD plus 3 DVD set, which although not absolutely "complete", finally brought forth many albums that had not had a previous CD release, as well as some unreleased material and rarities.[49][84] In December 2011, Bennett appeared at the Royal Variety Performance in Salford in the presence of HRH Princess Anne.[85] In the wake of the premature deaths of Winehouse and Whitney Houston, Bennett called for the legalization of drugs in February 2012.[86]

    Personal life[link]

    On February 12, 1952,[87] Bennett married Ohio art student and jazz fan Patricia Beech, whom he had met the previous year after a nightclub performance in Cleveland.[27] Two thousand female fans dressed in black gathered outside the ceremony at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral in mock mourning.[10] Bennett and Beech had two sons, D'Andrea (Danny, born around 1954) and Daegal (Dae, born around 1955).[88] They separated in 1965, their marriage a victim of Bennett's spending too much time on the road, among other factors.[10] In 1971, their divorce became official. Bennett became involved with aspiring actress Sandra Grant while filming The Oscar in 1965, and on December 29, 1971 they married.[87][88] They had two daughters, Joanna (born around 1969) and Antonia (born 1974), and moved to Los Angeles.[88]

    In the late 1980s, Bennett entered into a long-term romantic relationship with Susan Crow (born 1966),[89] a former New York City schoolteacher.[12][90] On June 21, 2007, Bennett married Susan in a private civil ceremony in New York that was witnessed by former Governor Mario Cuomo.[90][91]

    Awards and recognition[link]

    Bennett performing at a Library of Congress event, May 2003

    Bennett has won sixteen Grammy Awards and has also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,[92][93] as follows (years shown are the year in which the ceremony was held and the award was given, not the year in which the recording was released):

    Bennett has won two Emmy Awards,[94] as follows (years shown are the year in which the ceremony was held and the award was given, not the year in which the program aired):

    Bennett has gained other notable recognition:

    Works[link]

    Discography[link]

    Bennett has released over 70 albums during his career, with almost all being for Columbia Records. The biggest selling of these in the U.S. have been I Left My Heart in San Francisco, MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett, and Duets: An American Classic, all of which went platinum for shipping one million copies.[96] Eight other albums of his have gone gold in the U.S., including several compilations.[96] Bennett has also charted over 30 singles during his career, with his biggest hits all occurring during the early 1950s and none charting between 1968 and 2010.

    Books[link]

    See also[link]

    Bibliography[link]

    References[link]

    1. ^ a b c Evanier, All the Things You Are, pp. 19-23.
    2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Robert Sullivan (2007-09-24). "Tony Bennett: The musician and the artist". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20939793/. Retrieved 2008-05-13. 
    3. ^ Evanier, All the Things You Are, pp. 24–25.
    4. ^ Brady, James (2008-07-10). "'Why I'm A Democrat'". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/09/democrats-book-media-oped-cx_jb_0710brady.html. Retrieved 2011-09-22. 
    5. ^ a b c d e f g h Greg Fitzgerald (producer) (c. 2001). "Tony Bennett". Jazz Profiles. NPR. http://www.npr.org/programs/jazzprofiles/archive/bennett.html. Retrieved 2005-06-11. 
    6. ^ a b Evanier, All the Things You Are, p. 27.
    7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q William Ruhlmann. "Tony Bennett: Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p6095. Retrieved 2005-06-11. 
    8. ^ a b Evanier, All the Things You Are, pp. 33–34.
    9. ^ a b c Deborah Apton (2007-09-27). "Nightline Playlist: Tony Bennett". ABC News. http://www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Playlist/story?id=3659051. Retrieved 2008-05-13. 
    10. ^ a b c d e f g h "He keeps coming back like a song". Good Housekeeping. April 1995. Archived from the original on 2005-04-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20050422180045/http://www.rosemaryclooney.com/goodhousekeeping95.html. Retrieved 2005-06-15. 
    11. ^ Evanier, All the Things You Are, pp. 35–36.
    12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j John Lewis (July–August 2003). "Tony Bennett". AARP The Magazine. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20090212034140/http://www.aarpmagazine.org/entertainment/Articles/a2003-06-18-bennett.html. Retrieved 2007-10-22. 
    13. ^ "Celebrity Circuit: The Graduate". CBS News. 2005-08-08. http://www.cbsnews.com/elements/2005/08/08/in_depth_showbiz/photoessay765550_0_15_photo.shtml. Retrieved 2009-02-15. 
    14. ^ Thrills, Adrian (2008-12-18). "Tony Bennett is still flying high on the good life". London: Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-1097852/Tony-Bennett-flying-high-good-life.html. Retrieved 2008-02-15. 
    15. ^ a b Evanier, All the Things You Are, pp. 39–40.
    16. ^ Bennett, The Good Life, p. 51.
    17. ^ a b Bennett, The Good Life, pp. 52–53.
    18. ^ a b c Bennett, The Good Life, pp. 54–56.
    19. ^ a b Bennett, The Good Life, pp. 57–59.
    20. ^ a b Bennett, The Good Life, pp. 60–61.
    21. ^ a b Canova, Brian (2011-09-19). "Tony Bennett on 9/11 Attacks: 'They Flew the Plane in, But We Caused It'". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/tony-bennett-on-911-attacks-they-flew-the-plane-in-but-we-caused-it/. Retrieved 2011-10-01. 
    22. ^ "Tony Bennett". Tavis Smiley. PBS. September 29, 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-12-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20071228094530/http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200609/20060929_bennett.html. Retrieved 2008-01-06. 
    23. ^ a b Bennett, The Good Life, pp. 71, 74, 77.
    24. ^ Bennett, The Good Life, p. 48.
    25. ^ a b c d Lynn Elber (September 5, 2007). "Clint Eastwood tells Tony Bennett's story for 'American Masters'". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20080616163645/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/09/05/entertainment/e143756D28.DTL. Retrieved 2008-01-15. 
    26. ^ "The One Show: 04/07/2011". The One Show. BBC. 2011-07-04. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b012cr6v/The_One_Show_04_07_2011/. 
    27. ^ a b c d Joe Mosbrook (November 28, 2001). "Tony Bennett's Cleveland Connections". Jazzed in Cleveland. WMV Web News Cleveland. http://www.cleveland.oh.us/wmv_news/jazz66.htm. Retrieved 2005-06-15. 
    28. ^ a b c The Essential Tony Bennett (CD foldout). Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings. 2002. C2K 86634. 
    29. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hank Williams: Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p138231. Retrieved 2008-12-17. 
    30. ^ a b c Todd Leopold (2007-10-18). "Tony Bennett remains true to standards". CNN.com. http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/18/tony.bennett/. Retrieved 2007-10-21. 
    31. ^ a b Bennett, The Good Life, pp. 124–125.
    32. ^ Cossar, Neil (2005). This Day in Music: An Everyday Record of 10,000 Musical Facts. Sterling Publishing. ISBN 1-84340-298-X.  8 May page.
    33. ^ a b c d Whitburn, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, p. 35.
    34. ^ a b Brooks and Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, p. 1407.
    35. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: A Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (Revised ed.). Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.  p. 653.
    36. ^ "Chuck Wayne". billcrowbass.com. 1997. http://www.billcrowbass.com/chuck_wayne.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-26. 
    37. ^ a b c William Ruhlmann. "Ralph Sharon: Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p9640. Retrieved 2005-06-14. 
    38. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "The Beat of My Heart: Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r60481. Retrieved 2008-12-28. 
    39. ^ a b c Giddins, Gary (2001-11-18). "A Long-Distance Legend Who's Lapped the Field". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E7D71138F93BA25752C1A9679C8B63. 
    40. ^ Simon, Ron (2008-12-22). "Under the Tree: A Present that Captured History". The Paley Center for Media. http://www.paleycenter.org/under-the-tree-a-present-that-captured-history. Retrieved 2008-12-28. 
    41. ^ "Tony Bennett: Charts & Awards: Billboard Singles". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p6095. Retrieved 2008-01-15. 
    42. ^ Crowther, Bosley (1966-03-05). "Screen 'Oscar' Arrives". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F40C13F93E5F16738DDDAC0894DB405B868AF1D3. 
    43. ^ Bennett, The Good Life, p. 186.
    44. ^ "Selma-to-Montgomery 1965 Voting Rights March". Alabama Moments in American History. Alabama Department of Archives & History. http://www.alabamamoments.state.al.us/sec59det.html. Retrieved 2005-06-15. 
    45. ^ a b Friedwald, Jazz Singing, p. 397.
    46. ^ "Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today". Frank's Vinyl Museum. http://www.franklarosa.com/vinyl/Exhibit.jsp?AlbumID=2. Retrieved 2005-06-11. 
    47. ^ Bennett, The Good Life, p. 33.
    48. ^ Tony Bennett at the Talk of the Town TV series
    49. ^ a b Tamarkin, Jeff (2011-08-31). "Columbia/Legacy Releasing 'Tony Bennett – The Complete Collection'". JazzTimes. http://jazztimes.com/articles/28381-columbia-legacy-releasing-tony-bennett-the-complete-collection. Retrieved 2012-03-24. 
    50. ^ Evanier, All the Things You Are, pp. 194–195.
    51. ^ Evanier, All the Things You Are, p. 200.
    52. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Fabrikant, Geraldine (1999-05-02). "Talking Money With: Tony Bennett: His Heart's in San Francisco, His Money in His Son's Hands". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01EED6113DF931A35756C0A96F958260. 
    53. ^ "Didn't Leave Heart With Tony". New York Post. September 26, 2007. http://www.nypost.com/seven/09262007/gossip/pagesix/pagesix.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
    54. ^ a b c d e f Marchese, John (1994-05-01). "When He Croons, Slackers Listen". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E5D91F31F932A35756C0A962958260. 
    55. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (1993-10-21). "A Pop Master Delivers A Parade of Hits From Before Rock". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE6DA1439F932A15753C1A965958260. 
    56. ^ John J. O'Connor (June 1, 1994). "Tony Bennett and MTV: Talk About Bedfellows". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F05EEDB103BF932A35755C0A962958260. Retrieved 2005-06-14. 
    57. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends". American Masters. PBS. 2007-09-12. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/tony-bennett/the-music-never-ends/79/. Retrieved 2008-11-18. 
    58. ^ a b "Biography of Tony Bennett". John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entity_id=14581&source_type=A. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
    59. ^ "Tony Bennett". Dick Kleinman Fine Art. http://www.dickkleinmanfineart.com/Artists/Bennett/Bennett.htm. Retrieved 2005-06-14. 
    60. ^ Macdonald, Patrick (1991-09-02). "A Touch Of Class From Tony Bennett". The Seattle Times. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19910902&slug=1303324. 
    61. ^ Sinclair, David (2007-05-01). "Tony Bennett". London: The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/live_reviews/article1728917.ece. Retrieved 2008-11-18. 
    62. ^ "History – 1998". Glastonbury Festival. http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/history/1998/. Retrieved 2011-07-23. 
    63. ^ a b "Hollywood Icons: Tony Bennett". Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. http://www.tibp.com/cgi-bin/foxweb.dll/wlx/dir/wlxdirectory?cc=WOFAME. Retrieved 2009-12-29. 
    64. ^ a b "Tony Bennett To Be Presented With The ASCAP Pied Piper Award At The 19th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards". Market Wire. April 2002. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pwwi/is_200204/ai_mark03040822. Retrieved 2008-12-29. 
    65. ^ "A Selection of Lists from Q Magazine". rocklistmusic.co.uk. September 2002. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlistspage2.html#Die%E2%80%A6. Retrieved 2008-12-29. 
    66. ^ "I Left My Heart, A Salute to the Music of Tony Bennett". Summer Wind Productions. http://www.summerwindproductions.com/bennett/index.html. Retrieved 2008-12-29. 
    67. ^ a b "Inductees". Long Island Music Hall of Fame. http://www.limusichalloffame.org/inductees_00.html. Retrieved 2008-12-29. 
    68. ^ "SIF to Honor Bennett & Giancamilli". Order Sons of Italy in America. 1999-05-13. Archived from the original on March 17, 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20050317143921/http://www.osia.org/public/newsroom/pr05_13_99.asp. Retrieved 2005-06-15. 
    69. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2002-04-25). "Michael Jackson Sings For Bill Clinton In Harlem". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1453591/20020425/jackson_michael.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-12-29. 
    70. ^ "Radio & TV Public Service Announcements". Civitan International. http://www.civitan.com/template.php?id=72. Retrieved 2008-12-29. 
    71. ^ Hattersley, Mark (2009-01-06). "Apple: "The Best Is Yet To Come"". Macworld. http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=24226. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
    72. ^ Fleishman, Glenn (2009-01-07). "Apple's blah final appearance at Macworld no Jobs fest". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008597402_macanalysis07.html. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
    73. ^ Wyckoff, Geraldine (2009-04-27). "Jazz Fest - Second Weekend". The Louisiana Weekly. http://www.louisianaweekly.com/news.php?viewStory=1240. Retrieved 2009-05-02. [dead link]
    74. ^ Duke, Alan (2010-02-02). "Stars gather for 'We Are the World' recording". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/01/haiti.we.are.the.world/?hpt=Sbin. Retrieved 2010-02-07. 
    75. ^ Clodfelter, Tim (2010-09-05). "Tony Bennett says a key to his continued success is being true to the audience". Winston-Salem Journal. 
    76. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/tony-bennett-on-911-attacks-they-flew-the-plane-in-but-we-caused-it/
    77. ^ Kenneally, Tim (2011-09-21). "Tony Bennett 'Flat Wrong' About Iraq War Claim, Bush Spokesman Says". Reuters. The Wrap. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/21/idUS21632756720110921. Retrieved 2011-10-01. 
    78. ^ Schneider, Marc (2011-09-21). "Tony Bennett Goes on Apology Tour for 9/11 Comments". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/tony-bennett-oldest-living-artist-ever-on-1005362002.story#/news/tony-bennett-goes-on-apology-tour-for-9-1005362582.story. Retrieved 2011-09-26. 
    79. ^ Burger, David (2011-09-25). "Amy Winehouse the highlight of Tony Bennett's 'Duets II'". The Salt Lake Tribune. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment/52583885-81/duets-winehouse-amy-tony.html.csp. Retrieved 2011-09-26. 
    80. ^ Trust, Gary (2011-09-21). "Tony Bennett Oldest Living Artist Ever On Hot 100". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/tony-bennett-oldest-living-artist-ever-on-1005362002.story#/column/chartbeat/tony-bennett-oldest-living-artist-ever-on-1005362002.story. Retrieved 2011-09-26. 
    81. ^ Caulfield, Keith (2011-09-28). "Tony Bennett, 85, Achieves First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/news/tony-bennett-85-achieves-first-no-1-album-1005373552.story. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
    82. ^ "Koss TBSE1". Koss Corporation. http://www.koss.com/en/products/headphones/full_size_headphones/TBSE1__TBSE1_Full_Size_Headphone. Retrieved 2012-03-10. 
    83. ^ Chilsen, Jim (1998-06-21). "Koss finds success". Record-Journal. Associated Press (Meriden, Connecticut): p. E1. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4bxbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=S1INAAAAIBAJ&pg=1228,3829683. 
    84. ^ Friedwald, Will. "Tony Bennett – The Complete Collection [B&N Exclusive"]. Barnes & Noble. http://music.barnesandnoble.com/Tony-Bennett-The-Complete-Collection/Tony-Bennett/e/886978746023. Retrieved 2012-03-24. 
    85. ^ "Salford's Lowry hosts Royal Variety Performance". BBC News. 2011-12-05. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-16037436. 
    86. ^ Harris, Beth (2012-02-14). "Legalize drugs, Bennett suggests". The Chronicle Herald. Associated Press (Halifax). http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/62656-legalize-drugs-bennett-suggests. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
    87. ^ a b Sheri & Bob Stritof. "Tony Bennett and Susan Crow Marriage Profile". About.com. http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/p/tonybennett.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-24. 
    88. ^ a b c Helligar, Jeremy (1998-11-23). "Tony Bennett". People. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20126853,00.html. Retrieved 2008-12-04. 
    89. ^ "Tony Bennett and Susan Crow Marriage Profile". Marriage.about.com. http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/p/tonybennett.htm. Retrieved 2012-05-03. 
    90. ^ a b Huver, Scott (2007-06-29). "Tony Bennett, Wife Plan Italian Honeymoon". People. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20044183,00.html. Retrieved 2010-04-18. 
    91. ^ Ulrica Wihlborg (2007-06-22). "Tony Bennett Marries His (Very) Longtime Love". People. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20043508,00.html. Retrieved 2007-06-23. 
    92. ^ "Grammy Award Winners". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 2009-02-15. http://web.archive.org/web/20090215191102/http://grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx. Retrieved 2009-02-19.  Search database for "Tony Bennett".
    93. ^ "Lifetime Achievement Award". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20090212143148/http://grammy.com/Recording%5FAcademy/Awards/Lifetime%5FAwards/. Retrieved 2009-02-19.  Gives Lifetime Achievement Award, not included in searchable database.
    94. ^ "Advanced Primetime Awards Search". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. http://cdn.emmys.tv/awards/awardsearch.php. Retrieved 2009-02-19.  Search database for "Tony Bennett".
    95. ^ Hutchins, Ryan (2011-06-06). "Tony Bennett, Queen Latifah among 2011 N.J. Hall of Fame inductees". The Newark Star Ledger. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/nj_hall_of_fame_inducts_class.html. Retrieved 2012-02-04. 
    96. ^ a b "Gold and Platinum: Search Results". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.org/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS. Retrieved 2009-02-23. 

    External links[link]

    http://wn.com/Tony_Bennett



    Amy Winehouse
    Amy Winehouse at the Eurockéennes festival in France (2007)
    Amy Winehouse at the Eurockéennes festival in France (2007)
    Background information
    Birth name Amy Jade Winehouse
    Born (1983-09-14)14 September 1983
    Southgate, London, UK
    Died 23 July 2011(2011-07-23) (aged 27)
    Camden, London, UK
    Genres Soul, R&B, jazz, blues
    Occupations Singer, songwriter, composer, arranger
    Instruments Vocals, guitar, drums
    Years active 1993–2011
    Labels Island, Lioness, Universal Republic (U.S.)
    Associated acts Dionne Bromfield, Mark Ronson, Tony Bennett, Nas, Zalon, Tyler James, Paul Weller, The Rolling Stones, Lily Allen
    Website www.amywinehouse.com

    Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals[1] and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz.[2] Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album, Back to Black, led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made Winehouse the first British female to win five Grammys,[3][4] including three of the "Big Four": Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

    In 2007 she won a Brit Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. She won the Ivor Novello Award three times: once in 2004 for Best Contemporary Song (musically and lyrically) for "Stronger Than Me", once in 2007 for Best Contemporary Song for "Rehab", and once in 2008 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Love Is a Losing Game".

    Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning on 23 July 2011. Her album Back to Black subsequently became the UK's best selling album of the 21st century.[5] In 2012, Winehouse was listed at number 26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women In Music.[6]

    Contents

    Early life[link]

    Amy Winehouse was born in the Southgate area of North London to a Jewish family, with some Russian ancestry on her mother's side[7][8] who also influenced her interest in jazz.[9] Her father, Mitchell "Mitch" Winehouse, was a taxi driver, her mother, Janis Winehouse (née Seaton),[10] a pharmacist.[11] Her grandmother, Cynthia, was a singer[12] and she had an older brother, Alex (born 1979).[13] Mitch often sang Frank Sinatra songs to young Amy, who also took to a constant habit of singing to the point that teachers found it difficult keeping her quiet in class.[14] Winehouse's parents separated when she was nine.[15]

    When Winehouse was nine years old, her grandmother Cynthia suggested she attend the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School for furthering her vocal education.[16] She attended the Earnshaw school for four years and founded a short-lived rap group called Sweet 'n' Sour with Juliette Ashby, her childhood friend[17] before seeking full-time training at Sylvia Young Theatre School; however, Winehouse was allegedly expelled at 14 for "not applying herself" and also for piercing her nose.[13][18] (Sylvia Young herself has denied this – "She changed schools at 15 – I've heard it said she was expelled; she wasn't. I'd never have expelled Amy.")[19] She also appeared in an episode of The Fast Show, 1997, with other children from the Sylvia Young School[20] and later attended The Mount School, Mill Hill, the BRIT School in Selhurst, Croydon, Southgate School and then Ashmole School.[21][22][23][24]

    Music career[link]

    Early career[link]

    After toying around with her brother Alex's guitar, Winehouse received her first guitar when she was 13 and began writing music a year later. Soon after, she began working for a living, including, at one time, as an entertainment journalist for the World Entertainment News Network, in addition to singing with local group the Bolsha Band.[13][25] In July 2000 she became the featured female vocalist with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra; her influences were to include Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington.[26] Her boyfriend at the time, soul singer Tyler James, sent her demo tape to an A&R person.[9] Winehouse signed to Simon Fuller's 19 Management in 2002. While being developed by the management company, she was kept as a recording industry secret.[27] Her future A&R representative at Island/Universal, Darcus Beese, heard of her by accident when the manager of The Lewinson Brothers showed him some productions of his clients, which featured Winehouse as key vocalist. When he asked who the singer was, the manager told him he was not allowed to say. Having decided that he wanted to sign her, it took several months of asking around for Beese to eventually discover who the singer was. However, Winehouse had already recorded a number of songs and signed a publishing deal with EMI by this time. Incidentally, she formed a working relationship with producer Salaam Remi through these record publishers.[27]

    Beese introduced Winehouse to his boss, Nick Gatfield, and the Island head shared his enthusiasm in signing the young artist. Winehouse was signed to Island/Universal, as rival interest in Winehouse had started to build to include representatives of EMI and Virgin starting to make moves. Beese told HitQuarters that he felt the reason behind the excitement, over an artist who was an atypical pop star for the time, was due to a backlash against reality TV music shows, which included audiences starved for fresh, genuine young talent.[27]

    Winehouse's greatest love was 1960s girl groups.[28] Her stylist, Alex Foden, borrowed her "instantly recognisable" beehive hairdo (a weave[29][30]) and she borrowed her Cleopatra makeup from The Ronettes.[28] Her imitation was so successful, as the Village Voice reports: "Ronnie Spector—who, it could be argued, all but invented Winehouse's style in the first place when she took the stage at the Brooklyn Fox Theater with her fellow Ronettes more than 40 years ago—was so taken aback at a picture of Winehouse in the New York Post that she exclaimed, "I don't know her, I never met her, and when I saw that pic, I thought, 'That's me!' But then I found out, no, it's Amy! I didn't have on my glasses."[31]

    New York Times reporter, Guy Trebay, discussed the multiplicity of influences on Winehouse's style. Trebay noted: "her stylish husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, may have influenced her look." Additionally, Trebay observes:

    She was a 5-foot-3 almanac of visual reference, most famously to Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes, but also to the white British soul singer Mari Wilson, less famous for her sound than her beehive; to the punk god Johnny Thunders...; to the fierce council-house chicks... (see: Dior and Chanel runways, 2007 and 2008); to the rat-combed biker molls photographed by the Swiss photographer Karlheinz Weinberger in the 1960s; to a lineage of bad girls, extending from Cleopatra to Louise Brooks’s Lulu and including Salt-n-Pepa, to irresistible man traps that always seemed to come to the same unfortunate end.[32]

    [edit] Major label success and Frank

    Performing at the Bowery Ballroom, New York City in 2007

    Winehouse's debut album, Frank, was released on 20 October 2003. Produced mainly by Salaam Remi, many songs were influenced by jazz and, apart from two covers, every song was co-written by Winehouse. The album received positive reviews[33][34] with compliments over the "cool, critical gaze" in its lyrics[2] and brought comparisons of her voice to Sarah Vaughan,[35] Macy Gray and others.[2]

    The album entered the upper levels of the UK album chart in 2004 when it was nominated for BRIT Awards in the categories of "British Female Solo Artist" and "British Urban Act". It went on to achieve platinum sales.[36] Later in 2004 she won the Ivor Novello (songwriting) Award for Best Contemporary Song, alongside Salaam Remi, with her contribution to the first single, "Stronger Than Me".[37] The album also made the short list for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize. In the same year she performed at the Glastonbury Festival, the V Festival, the Montreal International Jazz Festival (7 July 2004, at the Club Soda), and on the Jazzworld stage. After the release of the album, Winehouse commented that she was "only 80 percent behind [the] album" because of the inclusion by her record label of certain songs and mixes she disliked.[9] Additional singles from the album were "Take the Box", "In My Bed"/"You Sent Me Flying" and "Pumps"/"Help Yourself".

    [edit] International success and Back to Black

    In contrast to her jazz-influenced former album, Winehouse's focus shifted to the girl groups of the 1950s and 1960s. Winehouse hired New York singer Sharon Jones's longtime band, the Dap-Kings to back her up in the studio and on tour.[38] In May 2006 Winehouse's demonstration tracks such as "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab" appeared on Mark Ronson's New York radio show on East Village Radio. These were some of the first new songs played on the radio after the release of "Pumps" and both were slated to appear on her second album. The 11-track album was produced entirely by Salaam Remi and Ronson, with the production credits being split between them. Ronson said in a 2010 interview that he liked working with Winehouse because she was blunt when she did not like his work.[39] Promotion of Back to Black soon began and, in early October 2006 Winehouse's official website was relaunched with a new layout and clips of previously unreleased songs.[36] Back to Black was released in the UK on 30 October 2006. It went to number one on the UK Albums Chart numerous times, and entered at number seven on the Billboard 200 in the US. It was the best-selling album in the UK of 2007, selling 1.85 million copies over the course of the year.[40]

    The album spawned a number of singles. The first single released from the album was the Ronson-produced "Rehab". The song reached the top ten in the UK and the US.[41] Time magazine named "Rehab" the Best Song of 2007. Writer Josh Tyrangiel praised Winehouse for her confidence, saying, "What she is is mouthy, funny, sultry, and quite possibly crazy" and "It's impossible not to be seduced by her originality. Combine it with production by Mark Ronson that references four decades worth of soul music without once ripping it off, and you've got the best song of 2007."[42] The album's second single and lead single in the US, "You Know I'm No Good", was released in January 2007 with a remix featuring rap vocals by Ghostface Killah. It ultimately reached number 18 on the UK singles chart. The title track, "Back to Black", was released in the UK in April 2007 and peaked at number 25, but was more successful across mainland Europe.[43] "Tears Dry on Their Own", "Love Is a Losing Game" and "Just Friends" were also released as singles, but failed to achieve the same level of success.[44]

    A deluxe edition of Back to Black was also released on 5 November 2007 in the UK. The bonus disc features B-sides, rare, and live tracks, as well as "Valerie". Winehouse's debut DVD I Told You I Was Trouble: Live in London was released the same day in the UK and 13 November in the US. It includes a live set recorded at London's Shepherds Bush Empire and a 50-minute documentary charting the singer's career over the previous four years.[45] Frank was released in the United States on 20 November 2007 to positive reviews.[46][47] The album debuted at number 61 on the Billboard 200 chart.[48]

    In addition to her own album she collaborated with other artists on singles. Winehouse was a vocalist on the song "Valerie" on Ronson's solo album Version. The song peaked at number two in the UK, upon its October single release. The song was nominated for a 2008 Brit Award for "Best British Single".[49][50][51] Her work with ex-Sugababe Mutya Buena, "B Boy Baby", was released on 17 December 2007. It served as the fourth single from Buena's solo debut album, Real Girl.[52]

    Continued success and acclaim[link]

    Winehouse performing at Eurockéennes in 2007

    By year's end Winehouse had garnered numerous accolades and awards. The singer won 2008 Grammy Awards in the categories of Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the single "Rehab", while her album Back to Black was nominated for Album of the Year and won the Best Pop Vocal Album award.[53][54] Producer Mark Ronson's work with her won the award in the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical category.[55] The singer also earned a Grammy in the Best New Artist category. This earned Winehouse an entry in the 2009 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for Most Grammy Awards won by a British Female Act.[56] She performed "You Know I’m No Good" and "Rehab" at the awards ceremony via satellite, as her visa approval came through too late for her to travel to the US. She said "This is for London because Camden town ain't burning down", in reference to the Camden Market fire.[57] After the Grammy Awards, the album's sales increased catapulting Back to Black to number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 after initially peaking at number seven.[58] On 13 January 2008, Back to Black held the number one position on the Billboard Pan European charts for the third straight week.[59] In January 2008 Universal Music International said it believed that there was a correlation between number of albums sold and the extensive media coverage the singer had received.[60]

    Performing at Eurockéennes in Belfort, Territoire de Belfort, France on 29 June 2007

    A special deluxe edition of Back to Black topped the UK album charts on 2 March 2008. The original edition of the album resided at the number 30 position, in its 68th week on the charts, while "Frank" charted at number 35.[61] By 12 March the album had sold a total of 2,467,575 copies, 318,350 of those in the previous 10 weeks, putting the album on the UK's top 10 best-selling albums of the 21st century for the first time.[62] On 7 April, Back to Black was residing at the top position on the pan-European charts for the sixth consecutive and thirteenth aggregate week.[63] Back to Black was the world's seventh biggest selling album for 2008.[64] These sales helped keep Universal Music's recorded music division from dropping to levels experienced by the overall music market.[65]

    At the 2008 Ivor Novello Awards, Winehouse became the first artist to receive two nominations for the top award, best song, musically and lyrically. She won the award for "Love Is a Losing Game" and was nominated for "You Know I'm No Good".[66] "Rehab", a Novello winner for best contemporary song in 2006, also received a 2008 nomination for best-selling British song.[67] Winehouse was nominated for a MTV Europe Award in the Act of The Year category.[68] Amy Winehouse – The Girl Done Good: A Documentary Review, a 78-minute DVD, was released on 14 April 2008. The documentary features interviews with those who knew her at a young age, helped her gain success, jazz music experts, as well as music and pop culture specialists.[69][70] A clip of Winehouse's music was included in the "Roots and Influences" area that looked at connections between different artists at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC, which opened in December 2008. One thread started with Billie Holiday continued with Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige and finished with Winehouse.[71] In a poll of United States residents conducted for VisitBritain by Harris Interactive that was released in March 2009, one fifth of those polled indicated they had listened to Winehouse's music during the previous year.[72] Winehouse performed with Rhythms del Mundo on their cover of the Sam Cooke song "Cupid" for an Artists Project Earth benefit album that was released on 13 July 2009.[73][74]

    On the week of July 26, after Winehouse's death, Frank, Back To Black, and the Back To Black EP re-entered the Billboard 200 at number 57, number 9, and number 152 respectively with the album climbing to number 4 the following week.[75][76] Back To Black also topped the Billboard Digital Albums chart on the same week and was the second best seller at iTunes.[77] "Rehab" re-entered and topped the Billboard Digital Songs chart as well, selling up to 38,000 more digital downloads.[78] As of August 2011 "Back to Black" was the best selling album in the United Kingdom in the 21st Century.[79]

    Final projects[link]

    Winehouse and Mark Ronson contributed a cover of Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" to the Quincy Jones tribute album Q Soul Bossa Nostra released 9 November 2010.[80] Winehouse and drummer ?uestlove of the Roots had agreed to form a group. Winehouse's problems obtaining a visa delayed the still unnamed group from working together. Producer Salaam Remi had already created some material with Winehouse as part of the project.[81] According to a newspaper report, Universal Music pressed her regarding new material in 2008. According to that same report Winehouse as of 2 September had not been near a recording studio. It was noted that she had touring obligations during the summer and also that if an album was quickly recorded, it would be at least a year before an album could be released.[65] In late October Winehouse's spokesman was quoted as saying that Winehouse had not been given a deadline to complete her third album, for which she was learning to play drums.[82]

    During her 2009 stay in Saint Lucia, Winehouse worked on new music with producer Salaam Remi. Island claimed that a new album would be due in 2010; Island co-president Darcus Beese said, "I've heard a couple of song demos that have absolutely floored me".[83] In July 2010 Winehouse was quoted as saying her next album would be released no later than January 2011, saying "It’s going to be very much the same as my second album, where there's a lot of jukebox stuff and songs that are... just jukebox, really." Mark Ronson said in July 2010 that he had not started to record the album.[84]

    Winehouse's last recording was a duet with American singer Tony Bennett for his latest album, Duets II, which was released on 20 September 2011.[85] Their single from the album, "Body and Soul," was released on 14 September 2011 on MTV and VH1 to commemorate what would have been her 28th birthday. Her father, Mitch Winehouse, launched The Amy Winehouse Foundation with the goal of raising awareness and support for organizations that help vulnerable, young adults with problems such as addiction. Proceeds from "Body and Soul" will benefit The Amy Winehouse Foundation.[86] The song received the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards on 12 February 2012.[87] Winehouse's father, Mitch Winehouse, picked up the award at the awards ceremony with his wife Janis, saying, "We shouldn't be here. Our darling daughter should be here. These are the cards that we're dealt."[88]

    When interviewed by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show on 29 September 2011, Bennett stated that in hindsight, he believed Amy:

    was in trouble at that time because she had a couple of engagements that she didn't keep up. But what people didn't realize at that time, that she really knew, and in fact I didn't even know it when we were making the record, and now looking at the whole thing; she knew that she was in a lot of trouble; that she wasn't going to live. And it wasn't drugs. It was alcohol toward the end. . . . It was such a sad thing because . . . she was the only singer that really sang what I call the 'right way' because she was a great jazz-pop singer. . . . She was really a great jazz singer. A true jazz singer. And I regret that because that's the 'right way' to sing.[89]

    An album of previously unreleased material, entitled Lioness: Hidden Treasures, was released on 6 December 2011.[90]

    Artistry[link]

    Influence[link]

    British singer Adele has credited Winehouse's success in the United States for making her and fellow British singer Duffy's journey to the United States "a bit smoother".[91] American singer Lady Gaga credited Winehouse with paving the way for her rise to the top of the charts. She appeared to be using a metaphorical analogy to explain that Winehouse made it easier for unconventional women to have mainstream pop success.[92] Raphael Saadiq, Anthony Hamilton, and John Legend said "Amy Winehouse was produced by people who wanted to create a marketing coup. The positive side is that it reacquainted an audience with this music and played an introductory role for others. This reinvigorated the genre by overcoming the vintage aspect".[93]

    After the release of Back to Black, record companies sought out female artists with a similar sound and fearless and experimental female musicians in general. Adele and Duffy were the second wave of artists with a sound similar to Winehouse's. A third wave of female musicians that has emerged since the album was released are led by VV Brown, Florence and the Machine, La Roux and Little Boots.[94] In February 2010 rapper Jay-Z credited Winehouse with revitalising British music, saying, "There's a strong push coming out of London right now, which is great. It's been coming ever since I guess Amy (Winehouse). I mean always, but I think Amy, this resurgence was ushered in by Amy."[95] In March 2011 the New York Daily News ran an article attributing the continuing wave of British female artists that have been successful in the United States to Winehouse and her absence. Spin magazine music editor Charles Aaron was quoted as saying "Amy Winehouse was the Nirvana moment for all these women," "They can all be traced back to her in terms of attitude, musical styles or fashion". According to Keith Caulfield, chart manager for Billboard, "Because of Amy, or the lack thereof, the marketplace was able to get singers like Adele and Duffy," "Now those ladies have brought on the new ones, like Eliza Doolittle, Rumer and Ellie."[96]

    Live performances[link]

    Shoulder high portrait of woman in her twenties
    Winehouse in Berlin in 2007

    Winehouse toured in conjunction with the Back to Black album's release. She performed headlining gigs in September and November 2006, including one of the Little Noise Sessions charity concerts at the Union Chapel, Islington. On 31 December 2006, Winehouse appeared on Jools Holland's Annual Hootenanny and performed a cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" along with Paul Weller and Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. She also performed Toots & the Maytals' "Monkey Man". She began a run of another 14 gigs beginning in February 2007. At his request, Bruce Willis introduced Winehouse before her performance of "Rehab" at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards. Winehouse made awards organizers nervous when she went on a Las Vegas jaunt in the hours before the show.[97] During the summer of 2007, Winehouse performed at various festivals, including UK's Glastonbury Festival,[98] Chicago's Lollapalooza festival, Rock Werchter and Baltimore's Virgin Music Festival.

    Winehouse's tour, however, did not go as well. In November 2007 the opening night of a 17-date tour was marred by booing and walkouts at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. A music critic for the Birmingham Mail said it was "one of the saddest nights of my life...I saw a supremely talented artist reduced to tears, stumbling around the stage and, unforgivably, swearing at the audience."[99] Other concerts ended similarly, with, for example, fans at her Hammersmith Apollo performance saying that she "looked highly intoxicated throughout",[100] until she announced on 27 November 2007, that her performances and public appearances were cancelled for the remainder of 2007, citing doctor advice to take a complete rest. A statement issued by concert promoter Live Nation blamed "the rigours involved in touring and the intense emotional strain that Amy has been under in recent weeks" for the decision.[101]

    On 20 February 2008, Winehouse performed at the 2008 BRIT Awards, performing "Valerie" with Mark Ronson, followed by "Love Is a Losing Game". She urged the crowd to "make some noise for my Blake."[102] In Paris she performed what was described as a "well-executed 40 minute" set at the opening of a Fendi boutique.[103] Although her father, manager and various members of her touring team reportedly tried to dissuade her, Winehouse performed at the Rock in Rio Lisboa festival in Portugal in May 2008.[16] Although the set was plagued by a late arrival and problems with her voice, the crowd warmed to her. In addition to her own material she performed two Specials covers.[104] Winehouse performed at Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday Party concert at London's Hyde Park on the 27 June,[105] and the next day at the Glastonbury Festival.[106] On 12 July at the Oxegen Festival she performed a well-received 50 minute set[107] which was followed the next day by a 14 song set at T in the Park.[108] On 16 August she played at the Staffordshire leg of the V Festival, and the following day played the Chelmsford leg of the festival. Organizers said that Winehouse attracted the biggest crowds of the festival. Audience reaction was reported as mixed.[109] On 6 September she was the headliner at Bestival. She performed what was described as a polished set which ended with her storming off the stage. Her hour late arrival caused her set to be cut off at the halfway point due to a curfew.[110]

    Amy Winehouse with her band backstage, 16 March 2009

    In May 2009 Winehouse returned to performing at a jazz festival in Saint Lucia amid torrential downpours and technical difficulties. During her hour long set it was reported she was unsteady on her feet and had trouble remembering lyrics. She apologised to the crowd for being "bored" and ended her set by walking off the stage in the middle of a song.[111][112] To a cheering crowd on 23 August at the V festival, Winehouse sang with The Specials on their songs "You're Wondering Now" and "Ghost Town".[113]

    In July 2010 she performed "Valerie" with Mark Ronson at a movie premiere. She sang lead but forgot some of the song's lyrics.[84] In October Winehouse performed a four song set to promote her fashion line. In December 2010 Winehouse played a 40 minute concert at a Russian oligarch's party in Moscow. Guests included other Russian tycoons and Russian show business stars. The tycoon hand picked the songs she played.[114]

    During January 2011, she played five dates in Brazil, with opening acts of Janelle Monáe and Mayer Hawthorne.[115][116] On 11 February 2011, Winehouse cut short a performance in Dubai following booing from the audience. Winehouse was reported to be tired, distracted and "tipsy" during the performance.[117]

    On 18 June 2011, Winehouse started her 12-leg 2011 European tour in Belgrade. Local media described her performance as a scandal and disaster, and she was booed off the stage due to her apparently being too drunk to perform. It was reported that she was unable to remember the city she was in, the lyrics of her songs or – when trying to introduce them – the names of the members of her band.[118][119] The local press also claimed that Winehouse was forced to perform by her bodyguards, who didn't allow her to leave the stage when she tried to do so.[120] She then pulled out of performances in Istanbul and Athens which had been scheduled for the following week.[121] On 21 June it was announced that she had cancelled all shows of her European tour and would be given "as long as it takes" to sort herself out.[122]

    Winehouse's last public appearance took place at Camden's Roundhouse, London on 20 July 2011, when she made a surprise guest appearance on stage to support her goddaughter, Dionne Bromfield, who was singing "Mama Said" with The Wanted.[123]

    Club nights[link]

    On 10 July 2008, Winehouse launched her own club night, Snakehips at the Monarch, in the Camden Monarch venue in London. Although billed as a DJ battle between her and another DJ, she stayed behind the decks swaying as another person actually played 1960s music.[124] She appeared at another Snakehips event at the Monarch on the night of 11 September. After reportedly arriving two hours late, she spun music and played a short acoustic set.[125]

    Other ventures[link]

    Winehouse joined a campaign to stop a block of flats being built beside the George Tavern, a famous London East End music venue. Campaign supporters feared the residential development would end the spot's lucrative sideline as a film and photo location, on which it relies to survive.[126] As part of a breast cancer awareness campaign, Winehouse appeared in a revealing photograph for the April 2008 issue of Easy Living magazine.[127] Winehouse had an estimated £10m fortune, tying her for tenth place in the 2008 Sunday Times listing of the wealth of musicians under age 30.[128] The following year her fortune had dropped to an estimated £5m.[129] Her finances are run by Mitch and Janis Winehouse.[130] It was reported she earned about £1m singing at two private parties during Paris Fashion Week.[131] as well as another £1m to perform at a Moscow Art Gallery for Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.[132] Winehouse loaned a vintage dress used in her video for "Tears Dry on Their Own" as well as a DVD to the British Music Experience, a new museum dedicated to the history of British pop music.[133] The museum, located in The O2, opened on 9 March 2009.[134][135]

    In January 2009, Winehouse announced that she was launching her own record label. The first act on her Lioness Records is Winehouse's 13-year-old goddaughter, Dionne Bromfield. Her first album, featuring covers of classic soul records, was released on 12 October 2009.[136] Winehouse is the backing singer on several tracks on the album and she performed backing vocals for Bromfield on the television programme Strictly Come Dancing on 10 October.[137]

    Winehouse and her family are the subject of a 2009 documentary shot by Daphne Barak titled Saving Amy.[138] Winehouse entered into a joint venture in 2009 with EMI to launch a range of wrapping paper and gift cards containing song lyrics from her album Back to Black.[139] On 8 January 2010, a television documentary, My Daughter Amy, aired on Channel 4.[140] Saving Amy was released as a paperback book in January 2010.[141]

    Winehouse collaborated on a 17 piece fashion collection with the Fred Perry label. It was released for sale in October 2010. According to Fred Perry's marketing director "We had three major design meetings where she was closely involved in product style selection and the application of fabric, colour and styling details,” and gave "crucial input on proportion, colour and fit”. The collection consists of "vintage-inspired looks including Capri pants, a bowling dress, a trench coat, pencil skirts, a longline argyle sweater and a pink-and-black checkerboard-printed collared shirt".[142][143] At the behest her family three forthcoming collections up to and including autumn/winter 2012 that she had designed prior to her death will be released.[144]

    Personal life[link]

    With the paparazzi taking photographs of her wherever they could, Winehouse obtained an injunction against a leading paparazzi agency (Big Pictures) under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, the resultant court order banning them from following her.[145] Photographers were also banned from following her within 100 metres of her home and photographing Winehouse in her home or the home of her friends and family. According to a newspaper report, sources close to the singer said legal action was taken out of concern for the safety of Winehouse and those close to her.[145]

    Relationships[link]

    Winehouse dated chef-musician Alex Clare (sometimes referred to as Alex Claire) in 2006, while on the outs with her on-off boyfriend and future husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. Clare famously sold his story to the News of the World, which published it under the headline “Bondage Crazed Amy Just Can’t Beehive in Bed”.[146][147]

    She married Fielder-Civil (born August 1978), a former video production assistant,[148][149] on 18 May 2007, in Miami Beach, Florida. Fielder-Civil was a "dropout" of Bourne Grammar School, who moved to London at aged 16 from his native Lincolnshire.[16] In a June 2007 interview, Winehouse admitted she could sometimes be violent toward him after she had been drinking, saying "if he says one thing I don't like then I'll chin him".[150] In August 2007, they were photographed, bloodied and bruised, in the streets of London after an alleged fight, although she contended her injuries were self-inflicted.[151] American men's campaigner Glenn Sacks condemned Winehouse for what he called her "bragging" about abusing her husband, saying that "a male abuser would have been locked up, stigmatised, and vilified".[152]

    Winehouse's parents and in-laws publicly reported their numerous concerns, citing fears that the two might commit suicide, with Fielder-Civil's father encouraging fans to boycott her music.[153] Fielder-Civil was quoted in a British tabloid as saying he introduced her to crack cocaine and heroin.[154] During a visit with Mitch Winehouse at the prison in July 2008, Fielder-Civil reportedly said that they would cut themselves to ease the pain of withdrawal.[16]

    From 21 July 2008 to 25 February 2009, Fielder-Civil was imprisoned following his guilty plea on charges of trying to pervert the course of justice as well as a charge of grievous bodily harm with intent.[155][156][157] The incident, in July 2007, involved an assault on a pub landlord that resulted in a broken cheek.[158] According to the prosecution the landlord accepted £200,000 as part of a deal to "effectively throw the [court] case and not turn up". The prosecution testified that the money used to pay off the landlord belonged to Winehouse,[159] but that Winehouse pulled out of a meeting with the men involved in the plot, because she had to attend an awards ceremony.[160]

    Winehouse was spotted with aspiring actor Josh Bowman on holiday in Saint Lucia in early January 2009, saying she was "in love again, and I don't need drugs."[161] She commented that the "whole marriage was based on doing drugs" and that "for the time being I've just forgotten I'm even married."[161] On 12 January, Winehouse's spokesman confirmed that "papers have been received" for what Fielder-Civil's solicitor has said are divorce proceedings based on a claim of adultery.[162][163] On 25 February, Blake Fielder-Civil was quoted as saying that he planned to continue divorce proceedings to give himself a drug-free fresh start.[157] In March, Winehouse was quoted in a magazine as saying, "I still love Blake and I want him to move into my new house with me – that was my plan all along ... I won't let him divorce me. He's the male version of me and we're perfect for each other."[164] Uncontested,[165] the divorce was granted on 16 July 2009 and became final on 28 August 2009.[165] Upon his request Fielder-Civil received no money in the settlement.[166] She dated director Reg Traviss for approximately two years before her death.[167]

    Substance abuse and mental health issues[link]

    Winehouse's battles with substance abuse were the subject of much media attention. In 2005, she went through a period of drinking, heavy drug use, violent mood swings and weight loss.[16] People who saw her during the end of that year and early 2006 reported a rebound that coincided with the writing of Back to Black.[16] Her family believes that the mid-2006 death of her grandmother, who was a stabilising influence, set her off into addiction.[16] In August 2007, Winehouse cancelled a number of shows in the UK and Europe, citing exhaustion and ill health. She was hospitalised during this period for what was reported as an overdose of heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and alcohol.[168] In various interviews, she admitted to having such problems with self-harm, depression and eating disorders.[13][169]

    Winehouse told a magazine that the drugs were to blame for her hospitalisation and that "I really thought that it was over for me then."[170] Soon after, Winehouse's father commented that when he had made public statements regarding her problems, he was using the media because it seemed the only way to get through to her.[171] In an interview with The Album Chart Show on British television, Winehouse said she was manic depressive and not alcoholic, adding that that sounded like "an alcoholic in denial".[172] A U.S. reporter writes that Winehouse was a "victim of mental illness in a society that doesn't understand or respond to mental illness with great effectiveness".[173]

    On 2 December 2007, images of the singer outside her home in the early morning hours, barefoot and wearing only a bra and jeans, appeared on the internet and in tabloid newspapers. In a statement, her spokesman blamed paparazzi harassment for the incident.[174] The spokesman reported that the singer was in a physician-supervised programme and was channelling her difficulties by writing a lot of music.[175] The British tabloid The Sun posted a video of a woman, alleged to be Winehouse, apparently smoking crack cocaine and speaking of having taken ecstasy and valium. Winehouse's father moved in with her,[176] and Island Records, her record label, announced the abandonment of plans for an American promotion campaign on her behalf.[177] In late January 2008, Winehouse reportedly entered a rehabilitation facility for a two-week treatment program.[178]

    On 23 January 2008, the video was passed on to the Metropolitan Police,[177] who questioned her on 5 February.[179] No charges were brought. On 26 March 2008, Winehouse's spokesman said she was "doing well" and denied a published report in a British tabloid that consideration was being given to having her return to rehab.[180] Her record company reportedly believed that her recovery remained fragile.[181] By late April 2008, her erratic behaviour, including an allegation of assault, caused fear that her drug rehabilitation efforts have been unsuccessful,[182] leading to efforts by Winehouse's father and manager to seek assistance in having her sectioned.[183] Her dishevelled appearance during and after a scheduled club night in September sparked new rumours of a relapse. Photographers were quoted as saying she appeared to have cuts on her legs and arms.[125]

    According to Winehouse's physician Winehouse quit illegal substances in 2008.[184] In an October 2010 interview, Winehouse speaking of her decision to quit drugs said "I literally woke up one day and was like, 'I don’t want to do this any more”.[185] Drinking alcohol emerged as a problem with Winehouse abstaining for a few weeks then lapsing.[184] The physician said that Winehouse was treated with Librium for alcohol withdrawal and anxiety, and underwent psychologist and a psychiatrist reviews in 2010, but refused psychological therapy.[184]

    Violence and legal difficulties[link]

    In 2006, Winehouse admitted punching a fan in the face for criticising her having taken Blake Fielder-Civil as a husband. She then attacked her spouse as he attempted to calm her down, kneeing him in the crotch.[186]

    In October 2007, Winehouse and her then-husband were arrested in Bergen, Norway for possession of seven grams of marijuana. The couple were later released and fined 3850 kroner (around £350).[187] Winehouse first appealed the fines, claiming she was "duped" into confessing,[187][188] but later dropped the appeal.[189]

    On 26 April 2008, Winehouse was cautioned after she admitted to police she slapped a 38 year-old man in the face, a "common assault" offence. She voluntarily turned herself in and was held overnight. Police said, at her arrival she was "in no fit state" to be interviewed.[190] Winehouse was arrested on 7 May 2008 on suspicion of possessing drugs after a video of her apparently smoking crack cocaine was passed to the police in January,[191] but was released on bail a few hours later because they could not confirm, from the video, what she was smoking.[168][192] The Crown Prosecution Service considered charging her with possessing a controlled drug and allowing her premises to be used for the supply by others of a controlled drug, but she was cleared when the service could not establish that the substance in the video was a controlled drug.[193] In reaction to the decision, former police commander John O’Connor said it is an "absolute scandal that nothing could be done" about Winehouse "cocking a snook at the law".[194] Some members of Parliament also reacted negatively.[194][195] Two London residents were subsequently charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and ecstasy to Winehouse.[196] One of the pair was sentenced to two years in prison on 13 December 2008, while the other received a two-year community order.[197]

    On 5 March 2009, Winehouse was arrested and charged with common assault following a claim by a woman that Winehouse hit her in the eye at a September 2008 Prince's Trust charity ball.[198] At the same time, she was reported to have spat at the English socialite Pippa Middleton and to have headbutted a photographer.[199] Winehouse's spokesperson announced the singer cancelled a scheduled United States Coachella Festival appearance in "light of current legal issues".[200] Swearing in under her legal name of Amy Jade Civil, Winehouse appeared in court on 17 March to enter her plea of not guilty.[201] On 23 July her assault trial began with prosecutor Lyall Thompson charging that Winehouse acted with "deliberate and unjustifiable violence" while appearing to be under the influence of alcohol or another substance. The woman, Sharene Flash, testified that Winehouse "punched me forcefully in my right eye. She used a fist, her right one.” Winehouse testified that she did not punch Flash, but tried to push Flash away from her because she was scared of Flash. Winehouse cited her worry that Flash would sell her story to a tabloid, Flash's height advantage, and Flash's "rude" behaviour as reasons for her fear of Flash.[202][203] On the 24 July, District Judge Timothy Workman ruled that Winehouse was not guilty of the charge. Workman cited the facts that all but two of the witnesses were intoxicated at the time of the incident and that medical evidence did not show "the sort of injury that often occurs when there is a forceful punch to the eye".[204]

    On 19 December 2009, Winehouse was arrested again on charges of common assault, plus another charge of public order offence. Winehouse assaulted the front-of-house manager of the Milton Keynes Theatre after he asked her to move from her seat.[205] On 20 January 2010, she admitted common assault and disorderly behaviour. She was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 court costs and £100 compensation to the man she attacked.[206]

    Respiratory problems[link]

    On 23 June 2008, Winehouse's publicist corrected earlier misstatements by Mitch Winehouse that his daughter had early stage emphysema, instead claiming she had signs of what could lead to early-stage emphysema.[207] Mitch Winehouse had also stated that his daughter's lungs were operating at 70 percent capacity and that she had an irregular heartbeat. Mitch Winehouse said that these problems had been caused by her chain smoking crack cocaine. The singer’s father also reported that doctors had warned Winehouse that, if she continued smoking crack cocaine, she would have to wear an oxygen mask and would eventually die.[208] In a radio interview, Mitch Winehouse said the singer was responding "fabulously" to treatment, which included being covered with nicotine patches.[209] British Lung Foundation spokesman Keith Prowse noted this type of condition could be managed with treatment. Prowse also said the condition was not normal for a person her age but "heavy smoking and inhaling other substances like drugs can age the lungs prematurely".[210] Norman H. Edelman of the American Lung Association explained that if she stopped smoking, her lung functions would decline at the rate of a normal person, but continued smoking would lead to a more rapid decline in lung function.[211] Photographs of the singer with a cigarette in her mouth, taken 23 June 2008, were widely published.[212]

    Winehouse was released from The London Clinic 24 hours after returning from a temporary leave to perform at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday and at a concert in Glastonbury, and continued receiving treatment as an outpatient.[213] In July 2008, Winehouse stated that she had been diagnosed with "some areas of emphysema" and said she is getting herself together by "eating loads of healthy food, sleeping loads, playing my guitar, making music and writing letters to my husband every day".[214] She also kept a vertical tanning bed in her apartment.[30] Winehouse began precautionary testing on her lungs and chest on 25 October 2008[215] at the London Clinic for what was reported as a chest infection. Winehouse was in and out of the facility and was granted permission to set her own schedule regarding home leave.[82] She returned to the hospital on 23 November 2008 for a reported reaction to her medication.[216]

    Death[link]

    Tributes outside Amy Winehouse's home at Camden Square on the evening of her death on 23 July 2011

    Winehouse's bodyguard said that he arrived at her residence three days before her death and felt she was somewhat intoxicated. He observed moderate drinking over the next few days. He observed her "laughing, listening to music and watching TV at 2 am the day of her death". According to the bodyguard at 10 am he observed her lying on her bed and tried unsuccessfully to rouse her. This did not raise much suspicion because she usually slept late after a night out. According to the bodyguard shortly after 3 pm he checked on her again and observed her lying in the same position as before leading to a further check in which he concluded she was not breathing and had no pulse. He claimed he subsequently called emergency services.[184] At 3:54 pm BST on 23 July 2011, two ambulances were called to Winehouse's home in Camden, London.[217][218] Winehouse was pronounced dead at the scene.[219] Shortly afterwards, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that she had died.[220][221] After her death was announced, media and camera crews appeared, as crowds gathered near Winehouse’s residence to pay their respects. Forensic investigators entered the flat as police cordoned off the street outside. Police recovered one small and two large bottles of vodka from her room.[184]

    A coroner's inquest reached a verdict of misadventure. The report released on 26 October 2011 explained that Winehouse's blood alcohol content was 416 mg per decilitre at the time of her death, more than five times the legal drink-drive limit. According to the coroner, "The unintended consequences of such potentially fatal levels was her sudden death."[184][222]

    Romanian singers Rona Hartner, Paula Seling, Nico and Maria Radu performing at a memorial Amy Winehouse concert in Bucharest on 23 October 2011.

    Winehouse's record label, Universal Republic, released a statement that read in part: "We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist and performer."[223][224] Many musical artists have since paid tribute to Winehouse including U2, M.I.A., Lady Gaga, Mutya Buena, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, Keisha Buchanan, Rihanna, George Michael, Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Courtney Love,[225] and the American punk rock band Green Day, who wrote a song in her tribute titled "Amy."[226] Family and friends attended Winehouse's funeral on 26 July 2011 at Edgwarebury Lane cemetery in north London.[227][228][229] Her mother and father, Janis and Mitch Winehouse, close friend Kelly Osbourne, producer Mark Ronson and her boyfriend Reg Traviss were among those in attendance at the private service led by Rabbi Frank Hellner.[227][228] Her father delivered the eulogy, saying "Goodnight, my angel, sleep tight. Mummy and Daddy love you ever so much."[227] Carole King's "So Far Away" closed the service with mourners singing along.[230] She was later cremated at Golders Green Crematorium.[231] The family planned to sit a two-day shiva.[231] Winehouse's parents set up a foundation in her name, to help those affected by drug addiction.[232]

    Controversy[link]

    Knee high portrait of woman in her twenties wearing a short gathered skirt, light gray dress and dark cardigan
    Winehouse in 2007

    Winehouse's dichotomous public image of critical and commercial success versus personal turmoil proved to be controversial. The New Statesman called Winehouse "a filthy-mouthed, down-to-earth diva,"[233] while Newsweek called her "a perfect storm of sex kitten, raw talent and poor impulse control."[234] Karen Heller with The Philadelphia Inquirer summarised the maelstrom this way:

    She's only 24 with six Grammy nods, crashing headfirst into success and despair, with a codependent husband in jail, exhibitionist parents with questionable judgement, and the paparazzi documenting her emotional and physical distress. Meanwhile, a haute designer Karl Lagerfeld appropriates her dishevelled style and eating issues to market to the elite while proclaiming her the new Bardot.[235]

    By 2008, her continued drug problems threatened her career. Even as Nick Gatfield, the president of Island Records, toyed with the idea of releasing Winehouse "to deal with her problems", he remarked on her talent, saying, "It’s a reflection of her status [in the U.S.] that when you flick through the TV coverage [of the Grammys] it’s her image they use."[177] Post-Grammys, some questioned whether Winehouse should have been honoured with the awards given her recent personal and drug problems,[236][237][238] including Natalie Cole, who introduced Winehouse at the ceremony. Cole (who battled her own substance-abuse problems while winning a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1975[239]) remarked, "I think the girl is talented, gifted, but it's not right for her to be able to have her cake and eat it too. She needs to get herself together."[239] In an opinion newspaper commentary, Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said that the alleged drug habits of Winehouse and other celebrities send a bad message "to others who are vulnerable to addiction" and undermine the efforts of other celebrities trying to raise awareness of problems in Africa, now that more cocaine used in Europe passes through Africa.[240] Winehouse's spokesperson called Costa a "ludicrous man" and noted that "Amy has never given a quote about drugs or flaunted it in any way. She's had some problems and is trying to get better. The U.N. should get its own house in order."[241] Following Winehouse's death William Bennett a former director of the United States Office of National Drug Control Policy criticised the Grammy Awards nominating committee along similar lines.[242] Graeme Pearson, the former head of Scotland's drug enforcement agency, criticised Winehouse and Kate Moss for making going to rehab a badge of honour, thus giving the false impression that quitting drugs is easy, because many cannot afford to go to clinics.[243]

    Winehouse became a staple in popularity polls due not to her musical contributions, but her lifestyle. The 2008 NME Awards nominated Winehouse in the categories of "Villain of the Year", "Best Solo Artist", and "Best Music DVD"; Winehouse won for "Worst Dressed Performer".[244][245] In its third annual list, Glamour magazine named Winehouse the third worst dressed British Woman.[246] Winehouse was ranked number two on Richard Blackwell's 48th annual "Ten Worst Dressed Women" list, behind Victoria Beckham.[247] In an April 2008 poll conducted by Sky News, Winehouse was named the second greatest "ultimate heroine" by the UK population at large, topping the voting for that category of those polled under 25 years old.[248] Psychologist Donna Dawson commented that the results demonstrate women like Winehouse who have "a certain sense of vulnerability or have had to fight against some adversity in their lives” receive recognition.[248] Winehouse was voted the second most hated personality in the United Kingdom in a poll conducted one month later by Marketing magazine.[249]

    Speaking at a discussion entitled Winehouse or White House?: Do we go too big on showbiz news? Jeff Zycinski, head of BBC Radio Scotland, said the BBC and media in general were complicit in the destruction of celebrities like Winehouse. He said that public interest in the singer's lifestyle does not make her lifestyle newsworthy. Rod McKenzie editor of the BBC Radio One program Newsbeat replied that "If you play [Amy Winehouse's] music to a certain demographic, those same people want to know what's happening in her private life. If you don't cover it, you're insulting young license fee payers."[250] The British artist M.I.A. was quoted in The Guardian in 2007 as saying she found Winehouse "really interesting", saying "I once saw her in the street and she was really out of it, so I guess she is really living it out. I think Amy's thing is feeling really weird about what she does and dealing with that."[251] British singer and songwriter Lily Allen was quoted in a Scottish newspaper as saying

    I know Amy Winehouse very well. And she is very different to what people portray her as being. Yes, she does get out of her mind on drugs sometimes, but she is also a very clever, intelligent, witty, funny person who can hold it together. You just don't see that side.[252]

    Artistic impressions[link]

    London's Mall Galleries opened an exhibition in May 2008 that included a sculpture of Winehouse, entitled Excess. The piece, created by Guy Portelli, had a miniature of the singer lying on top of a cracked champagne bottle, with a pool of spilled liquid underneath. The body was covered with what appeared to be tiny pills, while one outstretched hand held a glass.[253] Another piece, a print entitled "Celebrity 1" by artist Charlotte Suckling, was exhibited in the same exhibition.[253] A wax sculpture of Winehouse went on display at the London Madame Tussauds on 23 July 2008. The singer did not attend the unveiling, although her parents did.[254] A sculpture by Marco Perego, entitled "The Only Good Rock Star Is a Dead Rock Star", that depicts Winehouse lying in a pool of blood with an apple and a bullet hole in her head after being shot by American novelist and beat poet William S. Burroughs (in a recreation of the accidental killing of his wife Joan Vollmer),[255] was scheduled to go on display in New York’s Half Gallery on 14 November 2008. The sale price for the sculpture is listed at US $100,000. Perego said of the sculpture "Rock stars are the sacrificial animals of society." Winehouse’s spokesperson said "It’s a funny kind of tribute. The artist seems in thrall to a tabloid persona that is not the real Amy. People often use her image to sell their work."[255]

    Discography[link]

    Studio albums:
    Posthumous albums:

    Awards and nominations[link]

    Among the awards and recognitions for Frank, Winehouse earned an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song ("Stronger Than Me"),[256] a BRIT Award nomination for Best Female Solo Artist,[257] and an inclusion in Robert Dimery's 2006 book, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[258] Back to Black produced numerous nominations, including two BRIT Awards (Best Female Solo Artist and Best British Album), six Grammy Awards (including five wins),[3] four Ivor Novello Awards, four MTV Europe Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, three World Music Awards, and was nominated for the Mercury Prize (Album of the Year) and a MOBO Awards (Best UK Female). During her career, Winehouse received 23 awards from 60 nominations. In February 2012, Winehouse was listed at number 26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women In Music.[6]

    See also[link]

    References[link]

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    4. ^ Winehouse, Alex (13 February 2008). "Amy Winehouse's brother on her return to form". The Times.
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    258. ^ Dimery, Robert (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Tristan de Lancey; Universe Publishing

    Further reading[link]

    General
    Books

    External links[link]

    http://wn.com/Amy_Winehouse



    Lara Croft
    File:Lara Croft.png
    Lara Croft, as she appears in a promotional render from Tomb Raider: Anniversary
    Series Tomb Raider series
    First game Tomb Raider (1996)
    Created by Toby Gard
    Voiced by Shelley Blond (1996)
    Judith Gibbins (1997–1998)
    Jonell Elliott (1999–2003)
    Keeley Hawes (2006–2010)
    Minnie Driver (animated series)
    Motion capture Heidi Moneymaker (2008)
    Portrayed by Angelina Jolie (films)

    Lara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix (previously Eidos Interactive) video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventuress who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world. Created by Toby Gard during his employment at UK developer Core Design, the character first appeared in the 1996 video game Tomb Raider. The character has also appeared in video game sequels, printed adaptations, a series of animated short films, feature films (portrayed by Angelina Jolie), and merchandise related to the series. Official promotion of the character includes a brand of apparel and accessories, action figures, and model portrayals. Croft has also been licensed for third-party promotion, including television and print advertisements, music-related appearances, and as a spokesmodel.

    Core Design handled initial development of the character and the series. Inspired by pop artist Neneh Cherry and comic book character Tank Girl, Gard designed Lara Croft to counter stereotypical female characters. The company modified the character for subsequent titles, which included graphical improvements and gameplay additions. American developer Crystal Dynamics took over the series after the 2003 sequel Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness was received poorly. The new developer rebooted the character along with the video game series. Crystal Dynamics focused on making the character more believable. The company altered her physical proportions, and gave her additional ways of interacting with game environments. Croft has been voiced by four actresses in the video game series: Shelley Blond, Judith Gibbins, Jonell Elliott and Keeley Hawes, plus an unannounced voice actress for the tenth game, scheduled for release in early 2013.

    Critics consider Lara Croft a significant game character in popular culture. She holds six Guinness World Records, has a strong fan following, and is among the first video game characters to be successfully adapted to film.[1] The character's debut was well-received by the video game industry, but her popularity slowly declined until the series' redesign in 2006. While the rebooted games were generally well-received, Croft's redesign was met with mixed responses. A second reboot is planned for Q1 2013. Lara Croft is also considered a sex symbol, one of the earliest in the industry to achieve widespread attention. The character's influence in the industry has been a point of contention among critics; viewpoints range from a positive agent of change in video games to a negative role model for young girls.

    Contents

    Description[link]

    Lara Croft is depicted as an athletic woman; she has brown eyes and hair, frequently kept in a plait or ponytail. The character's classic costume is a turquoise sleeveless tank top, light brown shorts, calf-high boots, and long white socks. Accessories include fingerless gloves, a backpack, a utility belt with holsters on either side, and two pistols. The video game sequels introduced new outfits designed for different environments, such as underwater and cold weather. In the later games, Croft wears a crop top, camouflage pants and black or light brown shirts. When exploring, she often carries two pistols, but has used other weaponry throughout the series. Lara Croft is fluent in several languages.[2][3][4]

    Game manuals describe the character as the Wimbledon, London-born daughter of the fictional Lord Richard Croft. She was raised as an aristocrat and betrothed to the fictitious Earl of Farringdon. Lara Croft attended the Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun and a Swiss finishing school. A plane crash left the character stranded in the Himalayas for two weeks; the experience spurred her to shun her former life and seek other adventures around the world. Croft wrote books and other published works based on her exploits as a mercenary, big-game hunter, and master thief.[5][6] The story was later changed to include her mother in the plane crash. While searching for shelter against the elements, Lara Croft witnesses her mother vanish after tampering with an ancient sword. Her father disappears in search of his wife.[7][8]

    Appearances[link]

    In video games[link]

    Lara Croft primarily appears in the Tomb Raider video game series published by Square Enix Europe (previously Eidos Interactive). The action-adventure games feature the protagonist travelling the world in search of rare objects and mystical artifacts.[9] Croft first appeared in the 1996 video game Tomb Raider, in which she competes against a rival archaeologist in search of an Atlantean artifact.[9][10] Tomb Raider II (1997) centres on the search for the Dagger of Xian, which is sought by thieves. Tomb Raider III (1998) focuses on meteorite fragments that endow humans with supernatural powers. In Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (1999), the first depiction of a young Croft, she is accompanied by her mentor, Werner Von Croy.[9] Lara searches for artefacts associated with the Egyptian god Horus, and later encounters Von Croy as an antagonist.[9][11] In Tomb Raider Chronicles (2000), most of the game relates adventures told via flashbacks.[6] The first portable game, Tomb Raider (2000), was released on the Game Boy Color, and follows the character's search for the Nightmare Stone.[9] A second Game Boy Color title, Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword (2001), sees Lara Croft facing off against a cult.[12] The next portable game, Tomb Raider: The Prophecy (2002), was released on the Game Boy Advance, and focuses on three magical stones.[13] Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (2003) was released on home platforms, centring on the murder of Professor Von Croy.[14]

    Eidos rebooted the series with Tomb Raider: Legend (2006), which focuses on Lara Croft's search for Excalibur and her mother, altering the character's backstory as part of the redesign. Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007), a remake of the first game in the series, carried over design elements from Legend.[8] Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008) continues the plot introduced in Legend. The story centres on Croft's search for information about her mother's disappearance. In the process she learns of the existence of Thor's hammer, Mjölnir.[15][16] Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (2010) is a downloadable game that is set in a Central American jungle, and features an ancient warrior who works with Lara Croft.[17]

    In other adaptations[link]

    Beginning in 1997, the character regularly appeared in comics by Top Cow Productions. Lara Croft first appeared in a crossover in Sara Pezzini's Witchblade, and later starred in her own comic book series in 1999.[18] The series began with Dan Jurgens as the writer, featuring artwork by Andy Park and Jon Sibal.[19] The stories were unrelated to the video games until issue 32 of the Tomb Raider series, which adapted Angel of Darkness's plot.[18] The series ran for 50 issues in addition to special issues.[20] Other printed adaptations are Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Amulet of Power, a 2003 novel written by Mike Resnick; Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Lost Cult, a 2004 novel written by E. E. Knight; and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Man of Bronze, a 2005 novel written by James Alan Gardner.[21][22][23]

    Lara Croft has appeared in two motion pictures. The first, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, was released in 2001, and follows Croft as she encounters the Illuminati, a group searching for a relic able to control time.[24] The film depicted Croft's backstory differently from the version in the early games. In the films, Lara Croft's mother died in a plane crash and her father disappeared in Cambodia; in the games, both parents are alive. A similar backstory was adopted in 2006 in Legend.[25] The sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, depicts Croft in search of Pandora's box in competition with a Chinese crime syndicate.[26] Development for a third movie was announced in 2009.[27][28] Producer Graham King plans to release the film in 2013.[29] GameTap released Re\Visioned: Tomb Raider Animated Series in 2007 via the GameTap TV section of its website. The web series is a collection of ten short animated films that features re-imagined versions of Croft by well-known animators, comic book artists, and writers, including Jim Lee, Warren Ellis, and Peter Chung.[30][31] Episodes ranged from five to seven and half minutes in length, featuring Minnie Driver as Croft.[30][32] The creative staff was given considerable freedom to re-interpret the character; they did not consult the video game designers, but were given a guide listing acceptable and unacceptable practices.[32][33]

    Development history[link]

    A woman in a black dress stands with her head turned to the right.
    Swedish pop artist Neneh Cherry was an early inspiration to Lara Croft's creation.

    Core Design, a subsidiary of Eidos,[Note 1] created Lara Croft as the lead protagonist of its video game Tomb Raider, which began development in 1993.[34] Lead graphic artist Toby Gard went through about five designs before arriving at the character's final appearance.[35] He initially envisioned a male lead character with a whip and a hat. Core Design co-founder Jeremy Smith characterized the design as derivative of Indiana Jones, and asked for more originality.[36] Gard decided that a female character would work better from a design standpoint.[35] He also claimed a desire to counter stereotypical female characters, which he has characterized as "bimbos" or "dominatrix" types.[37] Smith was sceptical of a female lead at first because few contemporary games featured them.[38] He came to regard a female lead as a great hook and put faith in Gard's idea.[8][38] Inspired by pop artist Neneh Cherry and comic book character Tank Girl, Gard experimented with different designs, including a muscular woman and a Nazi-like militant.[8][39] He settled on a tough South American woman with a braid named Laura Cruz.[8] Eidos management preferred a more "UK friendly" name, and selected Lara Croft from similar-sounding British names found in an English telephone directory.[8][36] Along with the name change, the character's backstory was altered to incorporate a British origin.[8][34]

    Gard was keen to animate the character realistically, an aspect he felt the industry at the time had disregarded.[35] He sacrificed quick animations in favour of more fluid movement, believing that players would empathize with the character more easily.[5][35] In the first Tomb Raider, Croft's three-dimensional (3D) character model is made of around 230 polygons.[38] The graphical limits at the time required the removal of the character's braid from the model; it was added to the model for subsequent iterations.[8] While adjusting the character model, Gard accidentally increased the breasts' dimensions by 150 percent. After seeing the increase, the rest of the creative team argued to keep the change.[8][34] Core Design hired Shelley Blond to voice Croft after the game entered the beta phase of development.[8] Gard left Core Design after completing Tomb Raider, citing a lack of creative freedom and control over marketing decisions related to the ideas he developed (especially Lara Croft).[5][8][40]

    Core Design improved and modified the character with each instalment.[3][4] Developers for Tomb Raider II increased the number of polygons in the character's model and added more realistic curves to its design.[3][41] Other changes included new outfits and manoeuvres.[41] Core Design reportedly planned to implement crawling as a new gameplay option, but the option did not appear until Tomb Raider III.[41][42] Actress Judith Gibbins took over voice acting responsibilities and stayed on through the third game.[8] For Tomb Raider III, the developers increased the number of polygons in Croft's 3D model to about 300, and introduced more abilities to the gameplay.[4][38] Core Design wanted to reintroduce the character to players in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation and included a flashback scenario with a younger Lara. The developers expanded the character's set of moves threefold to allow more interaction with the environment, like swinging on ropes and kicking open doors.[43] The character model was altered to feature more realistic proportions, and Jonell Elliott replaced Gibbins as the voice of Lara Croft.[3][8] By the time development for The Last Revelation began, Core Design had worked on the series constantly for four years and the staff felt they had exhausted their creativeness. Feeling the series lacked innovation, Core Design decided to kill the character and depicted Croft trapped by a cave-in during the final scenes of the game.[8]

    The next title, Tomb Raider Chronicles, depicted the late Lara Croft via her friends' flashbacks.[8] The game introduced stealth attacks, which would carry over to the next game, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness.[4] While the original development team worked on Chronicles, Core Design assigned a new team to develop Angel of Darkness for the PlayStation 2.[8] Anticipating innovative changes from next generation consoles, Adrian Smith—co-founder of Core Design—wanted to reinvent the character to keep pace with the updated technology.[44] Core Design conducted market research, including fan polls, to aid in Angel of Darkness's development. The development team felt it could not alter the character and instead opted to place her in a situation different from previous games.[45] The PlayStation 2 hardware allowed for more manoeuvres and a more detailed character model; the number of polygons in Croft's model increased to 4,400.[46][47] The team sought to add more melee manoeuvres to better match Lara Croft's portrayal as an expert fighter in her backstory.[8] Movement control was switched from the directional pad to the analog control stick to provide more precision.[46] After the original team finished Chronicles, it joined the development of Angel of Darkness. Excess content, missed production deadlines, and Eidos's desire to time the game's launch to coincide with the release of the 2003 Tomb Raider film resulted in a poorly designed game; Croft was brought back to life without explanation and the character controls lacked precision.[8][48]

    Developer switch to Crystal Dynamics[link]

    A short-haired man with a beard standing in front of an advertisement poster. The man wears glasses and a light brown jacket over a brown top.
    Toby Gard, Lara Croft's original designer, left Core Design in 1997, but returned to work with Crystal Dynamics as a consultant.

    Angel of Darkness was received poorly, prompting Eidos—fearing financial troubles[Note 2] from another unsuccessful game—to give development duties for future titles to Crystal Dynamics, another Eidos subsidiary.[48][49] The Legacy of Kain development team began work on a new title (Tomb Raider: Legend), and Toby Gard returned to work as a consultant.[8][47] The development team reassessed the brand value of the franchise and its protagonist. Chip Blundell, Eidos's vice-president of brand management, commented that the designers understood that fans saw the character and brand as their own, rather than Eidos's.[48] With that in mind, the team retooled the franchise and character to emphasize aspects of the original game that made them unique.[48][50] The storyline intended for a trilogy of games that started with Angel of Darkness was abandoned and a new plot was created for Legend.[48]

    Crystal Dynamics focused on believability rather than realism to re-develop the character, posing decisions around the question, "What could Lara do?", and giving her action more freedom.[51] The designers updated Lara Croft's move set to make her movements appear more fluid and continuous. The animations were also updated so the character could better interact with environmental objects.[47] The developers introduced a feature that causes the character's skin and clothing to appear wet after swimming and dirty after rolling on the ground.[47][52] Responding to criticism directed at the character controls in Angel of Darkness, Crystal Dynamics redesigned the character's control scheme to provide what it felt was the best third-person action experience.[48] The developers also introduced close-quarter melee manoeuvres.[53] Crystal Dynamics updated the character model to add more realism, but retained past design elements.[47][52] The polygon count increased to over 9,800. More attention was paid to the character's lip synching and facial expressions to allow for dynamic emotional responses to in-game events.[47] In redesigning the character's appearance, Crystal Dynamics updated Croft's hairstyle, wardrobe, and accessories. Her shirt was changed to a V-neck, her body was given more muscle tone, and her hair braid was switched to a pony tail.[3][4][48] The voice actor for Lara Croft was initially rumoured to be Rachel Weisz, but the role was eventually given to Keeley Hawes.[8][54][55] Crystal Dynamics retained the design changes for the next game, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, a remake of the first game.[8][56] The designers aimed to portray Croft with more emotional depth, and focused on the character's desire to achieve the end goal of the game, culminating in killing one of the antagonists. The developers used the death to evoke guilt in Croft afterward and illustrate that shooting a person should be a difficult choice.[57]

    A blond haired woman in a white dress facing right with a large group of people in the background.
    From 2006 to 2010, Keeley Hawes performed voice work in four Tomb Raider games, more than any of her predecessors.

    Tomb Raider: Underworld continued the plot line established in Legend.[4] Crystal Dynamics used new technology to improve the character for seventh generation consoles, focusing on improving realism. The dirt accumulation and water cleansing mechanic from Legend was altered to be a real-time mechanic that can involve the entire game environment.[4][58][59] To achieve a more natural appearance, the developers added spherical harmonics to provide indirect lighting to in-game objects like Lara Croft.[59] Crystal Dynamics made the character model more complex and detailed than previous instalments, featuring more texture layers that determine the appearance of shadows and reflective light on it, and using skeletal animation to portray believable movement.[58] The number of polygons in the model increased to 32,000.[60] The developers enhanced Croft's facial model by increasing the number of polygons, bones used in the animation skeleton, and graphical shaders in the face to add more detail and expressive capabilities. The hair was created as a real-time cloth simulation to further add realism to its shape and movement. The developers kept Croft's hair tied back because they felt a real person would not want it flying around while performing dangerous manoeuvres.[58] The character's body size was increased and breast size reduced to portray more realistic proportions.[4]

    The developers tried to redefine Lara Croft's actions by questioning what they felt the character was capable of.[61] While previous games used hand-animated movement for the character, Underworld introduced motion capture-based animation to display more fluid, realistic movement and facial expressions.[4][59][62] Stuntwoman and Olympic Gold medalist Heidi Moneymaker was the motion capture actress, and advised the designers on practical movements.[4] Animators adjusted and blended the recorded animation to create seamless transitions between the separate moves and their simultaneous combinations.[61][63] The blends and additional animations give the character more flexible movement.[58] Actions were overlapped to allow for multitasking, such as aiming at two separate targets and shooting with one hand while the other holds an object collected from the environment.[53][61] Other additions include more melee attacks, as well as contextual offensive and climbing manoeuvres.[61][64] Crystal Dynamics sought to make the visual appearance of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions identical, although the systems use different techniques to achieve this.[58] In response to Underworld's lackluster sales figures, Eidos reportedly considered altering the character's appearance to appeal more to female fans.[65]

    Publisher switch to Square Enix[link]

    Japanese game company Square Enix acquired Eidos in April 2009, restructuring Eidos into Square Enix Europe.[66][67] Crystal Dynamics remained the developer of the Tomb Raider games.[68] Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light introduced co-operative gameplay to the series, a move that brand director Karl Stewart said was meant to "show [Lara] as a more humanistic character" by placing her in a situation that differed from previous instalments. The game uses the same technology featured in the studio's past Tomb Raider games.[17] Despite the changes implemented in the titles, Crystal Dynamics believed that the series required further reinvention to stay relevant.[69][70]

    After crafting the biography, our goal was to make her as believable and relatable as possible. We wanted to make a girl that felt familiar, but still has a special quality about her. Something about the way her eyes look and the expression on her face makes you want to care for her. That was our number one goal. We wanted to have empathy for Lara, and at the same time show the inner strength that made clear she was going to become a hero.

    Brian Horton, senior art director of Crystal Dynamics, on the second reboot[70]

    In late 2010, Square Enix announced a franchise reboot titled Tomb Raider; the new Lara Croft would be a darker, grittier reimagining of the character.[70][71] In examining the character, Crystal Dynamics concluded that Croft's largest failing was her "Teflon coating", and that it needed a more human version that players would care about.[70] The studio sought a new voice actress, trialling dozens of relatively unknown performers.[72] The second reboot focuses on the origin of the character, and as a result, changes the previous back story. Staff opted to first work on the character's biography rather than cosmetic aspects. Crystal Dynamics sought to avoid the embellished physique of past renditions and pushed for realistic proportions. In redesigning the character's appearance, the designers began with simple concepts and added features that it felt made Lara Croft iconic: a ponytail, "M-shaped" lips, and the spatial relationship between her eyes, mouth, and nose. The company also changed the character's wardrobe, focusing on what it believed was more functional and practical. In designing the outfits, staff aimed to create a look that was "relevant" and "youthful", but not too "trendy" or "hip". To gauge the redesign, Crystal Dynamics conducted eye tracking studies on subjects who viewed the new version and previous ones.[70]

    Similar to Underworld, the new Tomb Raider will feature motion capture-based animation. In an effort to present realism and emotion in the character, Crystal Dynamics captured face and voice performances to accompany the body performances. The company plans to revamp Croft's in-game combat abilities. Crystal Dynamics aims to make the "combat fresh to the franchise, competitive amongst [similar games], and relevant to the story." Among the changes is the implementation of a free aiming system. The studio reasoned that such a system would cause players to be more invested in the action by fostering a "raw, brutal, and desperate" style. Global brand director Karl Stewart stated that such desperation relates to the updated character's inexperience with violence. He further commented that Lara Croft is thrust into a situation where she is forced to kill, which will be a traumatic and defining moment for her. [70]

    Promotion and merchandising[link]

    Eidos's German branch and the KMF agency handled marketing for Lara Croft.[73] Eidos marketing manager David Burton oversaw marketing efforts, which attempted to portray the character as attractive and pleasant. However, interaction with the press, especially those in Europe, resulted in less clothing depicted in promotional images.[5] Concerned with diluting Croft's personality, Eidos avoided products it felt did not fit the character.[73] Ian Livingstone, Eidos's product acquisition director, commented that the company declines most merchandising proposals. He stated that Eidos primarily focused on game development and viewed such promotion outside video games as exposure for the character.[74] Following Square Enix's acquisition, Eidos's marketing duties were transferred to the Square Enix Europe subsidiary.[66][67] As part of the second reboot, Crystal Dynamics planned to align all products, promotions, and media ventures with its new version of the character.[70]

    Lara Croft has appeared on the cover of multiple video game magazines.[75][76][77][78] The character has also been featured on the cover of non-video game publications such as British style magazine The Face, American news magazines Time and Newsweek, German magazine Focus, and the front page of British newspaper the Financial Times.[8][34][79][80] Eidos licensed the character for third party advertisements, including television ads for Visa, Lucozade drinks, G4 TV, Brigitte magazine, and SEAT cars.[4][8][34][79][43] Retro Gamer staff attributes Croft's "iconic" status in part to the Lucozade commercials, calling them one of the most memorable advertisements to use video game elements.[81] Picture advertisements appeared on the sides of double-decker buses and walls of subway stations.[80] Irish rock band U2 commissioned custom renders for video footage displayed on stage in its 1997 PopMart tour.[34][80][82] German punk band Die Ärzte's 1998 music video for "Men are pigs" (German: "Männer sind Schweine") also features Croft. Music groups have dedicated songs to the character, culminating in the release of the album A Tribute to Lara Croft. Bands and artists including Depeche Mode, Moby, Faith No More, Jimi Tenor, and Apollo 440 donated their songs for the album.[82] In conjunction with the release of the 2001 film adaptation, Eidos licensed Lara Croft free-of-charge to the Gordonstoun boarding school for a commercial. The school approached Eidos about use of the character. Eidos allowed the one-time licence due to Core Design's inclusion of Gordonstoun in Croft's fictional biography without the school's permission.[83][84] Near the end of 2006, Lara Croft became the spokesmodel for the Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation of Minden, Nevada as part of its Sun Smart Teen Program. The foundation felt that the character personified the benefits of a healthy body, and that young teenagers could relate to Croft.[85]

    Lara Croft's likeness has been a model for merchandise. The first action figures were produced by Toy Biz, based on the video game version of the character.[6][80] Playmates Toys released a series of action figures that depict Croft in different outfits and accessories from the video games, later producing figures modelled after Jolie for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.[6][86][87] Graphic designer Marc Klinnert of Studio OXMOX released 16 scale model kits of the character, and later built a full scale version.[88] Arcade: The Videogame Magazine and PlayStation Magazine promoted life-size Croft statues as contest prizes.[5][89] Spurred by a rumour that Eidos provided Lara Croft autographs, fans wrote to the company to obtain them. The quantity prompted Eidos to quickly produce autographed cards to meet demand.[73] Tomb Raider: Underworld themes and wallpapers featuring the character were released for the PlayStation 3.[90] Xbox Live Marketplace released Xbox 360 avatars in conjunction with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.[91] Eidos released a brand of Lara Croft apparel and accessories, marketed under the label "LARA©". The line included wallets, watches, bathrobes, and Zippo lighters.[92] Other third-party apparel are hiking boots, backpacks, leather jackets, and thermoses.[6] Croft's likeness has also appeared on French postage stamps, PlayStation memory cards, and trading cards as part of a collectible card game.[6][8][93][94] In October 1997, Eidos held an art exhibition titled "Lara Goes Art" in Hamburg, Germany to promote Tomb Raider II. The exhibit featured selected artwork of the character submitted by artists and fans. Pieces included oil and airbrushed paintings, photo-stories, and Klinnert's model; SZM Studios provided the computer-generated footage it had created for Die Ärzte's music video and the Brigitte magazine television commercial.[95][96]

    Model portrayal[link]

    Many models have portrayed Lara Croft for promotional appearances, earning the character a Guinness World Record for the "most official real life stand-ins".[34]

    Eidos hired several models to portray Lara Croft at publicity events, promotions, trade shows, and photo shoots.[8][97] Nathalie Cook was the first model, portraying the character from 1996 to 1997. Cook was followed by British actress Rhona Mitra from 1997 to 1998. Eidos then updated the Croft costume to match its video game depiction.[97] Core Design reportedly restricted Mitra's dialogue as the character at trade shows and out of costume. French model Vanessa Demouy succeeded Mitra for a brief time until fashion model Nell McAndrew took over the role at the 1998 Electronic Entertainment Expo.[6] McAndrew portrayed Croft from 1998 until 1999, when Eidos fired her for posing in Playboy, which used the character and Tomb Raider franchise to promote the McAndrew's issue without Eidos's approval.[97] Core Design was granted an injunction against the magazine to protect the character's image; Playboy was ordered to place stickers on the cover of the issue to conceal the reference to Tomb Raider.[98] Eidos later donated McAndrew's Tomb Raider costume to a UNICEF charity auction.[99]

    Lara Weller followed McAndrew from 1999 to 2000. Subsequent models were Lucy Clarkson from 2000 to 2002 and Jill de Jong, who wore a new costume based on Lara Croft's new appearance in Angel of Darkness from 2002 to 2004. Karima Adebibe became the model from 2006 to 2008, and wore a costume based on the updated version of Croft in Legend.[97] She was the first model Eidos allowed to portray Lara Croft outside posing for photography. To prepare for the role, Adebibe trained in areas the character was expected to excel in like combat, motorcycling, elocution, and conduct.[100] Gymnast Alison Carroll, succeeded Adebibe in 2008 and featured apparel based on the character's appearance in Underworld.[97] Similar to Adebibe, Carroll received special training—Special Air Service (SAS) survival, weapons, and archaeology—to fill the role.[101] Crystal Dynamics discontinued the use of models as part of the franchise's second reboot.[70] The number of models prompted Guinness World Records to award the character an official record for the "most official real life stand-ins" in 2008.[34]

    Film portrayal[link]

    A brown haired woman stands in front of a wall with framed pictures and papers. She wears a light grey jacket over a white top.
    Film actress Angelina Jolie considered her role as Lara Croft a "big responsibility", citing fans' high expectations.[34]

    Paramount Pictures acquired the film rights for Tomb Raider in 1998.[79] Producer Lloyd Levin stated that the film makers tried to capture the essence of the video game elements rather than duplicate them. Acknowledging the character's "huge fan base" and recognizable appearance, director Simon West sought an actress with acting ability as well as physical attributes similar to Croft.[102] Paramount also received input from developer Core Design on casting.[38] Rumoured actresses included Pamela Anderson, Demi Moore, Jeri Ryan, and Carla Pivonski.[79] Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie was eventually cast to play Lara Croft. She had not been a fan of the character, but considered the role as a "big responsibility", citing anxiety about fans' high expectations.[34][86] Producer Lawrence Gordon felt she was a perfect fit for the role. Jolie braided her hair and used minimal padding to increase her bust a cup size to 36D for the role.[102][103] She felt that Croft's video game proportions were unrealistic, and wanted to avoid showing such proportions to young girls. Jolie trained rigorously for the action scenes required for the role, occasionally sustaining injuries.[102] Her training focused on practising the physical skills necessary to perform the film's stunts.[86] The difficulty of the training and injuries discouraged her, but she continued working through production. Jolie also encountered difficulties when working the guns, bungee jumping, and manoeuvring with the braid.[102] West had not anticipated that Jolie would do her own stunts, and was impressed, as was stunt coordinator Simon Crane, by the effort she put into them.[102][86]

    Angelina Jolie reprised her role for a sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.[26] Directed by Jan de Bont, the 2003 film focused more on the character's development.[104] De Bont praised Jolie's understanding of Lara Croft, as well as the character's strength, saying he "hates women in distress." Producer Levin commented that the film staff tried to handle the character properly, and consulted with the video game developers on what would be appropriate.[45] Despite the second film's poor reception, Paramount remained open to releasing a third.[103][105] Jolie was still optioned to play the character in a third film as late as 2007, though she had commented in 2004 that she had no intention of reprising the role again.[106][29] Development for a third movie was announced in 2009, with Dan Lin as the producer. However, a new actress is currently being sought to play the title character. Lin intends to reboot the film series with a young Croft in an origin story.[27][28] In 2011, Olivia Wilde denied rumors that she would play the role, but still expressed interest.[107] Producer Graham King plans to release the film in 2013.[29]

    Cultural impact[link]

    Lara Croft's 1996 debut is often cited as a catalyst for more female leads in video games.[47][108][109] Kaiser Hwang of PlayStation Magazine commented that she "brought girl power" to video games.[52] IGN argued that Croft helped redefine gender in video games by providing a different interpretation of what women could do.[110] Several publications have used her as the standard to which later female video game characters have been compared.[111][112][113] Video game publications like PlayStation Magazine, IGN, Edge, and PlayStation: The Official Magazine have labelled the character a video game and cultural icon.[8][62][64][114][115] Jeremy Smith credits Croft with exposing the Tomb Raider games and video games in general to a wider audience.[80] Computer and Video Games commented that Croft's appearance on the cover of The Face signalled a change in the perception of video games from "geeky" to mainstream.[4] The character is honoured in the British city Derby, previous home to Core Design. In 2007, Radleigh Homes placed a blue plaque for Croft at the site of Core Design's former offices, now a block of flats.[116] The Derby City Council opened a public vote in 2009 to name its new ring road. The winning choice, with 89% of over 27,000 votes, was "Lara Croft Way", and opened in July 2010.[117][118][119]

    Yahoo! Movies and IGN credit Jolie's role in the first Tomb Raider film with significantly raising her profile and propelling her to international super-stardom, respectively.[120][121] Jolie commented that young children would ask her to sign objects as Lara Croft.[86] After filming for the first movie at the Cambodian temple Ta Prohm, the local inhabitants called it the "Angelina Jolie Temple" and local restaurants served Jolie's favorite alcoholic beverage advertised as "Tomb Raider cocktails".[122] IGN's Jesse Schedeen described Croft as one of few characters to receive a decent videogame-to-movie adaptation.[123] By 2008, the first Tomb Raider movie was the highest-grossing video game movie and the largest opening ever for a movie headlined by a woman.[34][124] It became the second highest-grossing video game movie in 2010, after the release of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.[125]

    Reception[link]

    Lara Croft's introduction was widely regarded as an innovation in the video game market,[4][126][127][128] with Rob Smith of PlayStation: The Official Magazine describing her as a video game icon of that generation of games.[62] IGN credited a rise in PlayStation sales in part to Croft's debut on the system,[8] and PlayStation Magazine attributed the first title's success to the character.[129] Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine stated alternatively that Tomb Raider's PlayStation success propelled the character to prominence, making her a mascot for the system.[130] PlayStation Magazine credits coverage in the Financial Times in 1997 as the starting point of the character's mainstream attention.[80] As years progressed, Lara Croft's popularity declined due to a string of poorly received video game sequels.[50][114] The Angel of Darkness is often cited as the character's low point.[4][56][131] IGN editor Colin Moriarty stated that while she began as an intelligent and strong female character, her games grew bland and Lara Croft became more like a "virtual blow-up doll".[132]

    Crystal Dynamics' rendition of Croft in Legend garnered wide, though not universal, praise; many publications described the portrayal as a successful reboot. Game Informer named Lara Croft the number six top video game hero of 2006, citing the character's successful reprise in popularity.[133] The magazine cited the character's alterations in Legend as the reason for her resurgent success.[65][131] Chris Slate of PlayStation Magazine lauded the character changes in Legend, commenting that "Lara is finally back". He praised Eidos's decision to switch developers and Crystal Dynamics' contributions, especially the character's new gameplay manoeuvres and updated appearance.[134] Others, like Schedeen and GamePro's Patrick Shaw, felt that the makeover did not improve the character.[123][135][136] Fans also disapproved of the changes, especially the switch from the braid.[4]

    Dr. Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University described Lara Croft as a psychological tabula rasa.[5] Richard Rouse of Midway Games attributed the character's appeal to a loosely defined personality, which permits players to imprint their own onto her.[137] Jeremy Smith stated that the minimal personality allows players to form a relationship with the character. Burton added that Croft is perceived differently around the world. French demographics focus on her sex appeal, while German and British audiences are drawn to her aggressiveness and aloofness, respectively.[5] Fansites dedicated to Lara Croft appeared on the internet in several languages after the release of Tomb Raider, and contained official and fan-created images of Croft, model photographs, and fan fiction starring the character.[138] More than 100 such sites were present by the end of 1998.[5] By 2000, search engine HotBot yielded around 4,700 pages for a search of the character's name. Admirers discussed rumours related to Lara Croft via usenet newsgroups and ICQ chats.[138] Enthusiasts also collected merchandise and paraphernalia, submitted fan art to video game magazines, participated in Croft cosplay, and obtained tattoos depicting the character.[139][140][141][142] One admirer rode a bike over 500 miles (800 km) from Amsterdam to Derby wearing Lara Croft brand clothing to meet the developers, who welcomed him after learning of the trip.[4]

    Lara Croft holds a Guinness World Record as the "most recognized female video game character",[34][143] and received a star on the Walk of Game in San Francisco, California.[144][145] Game Informer commented that the character is well liked around the world, particularly in England.[43] Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine described Croft as "one of today's premier videogame and movie heroes", and Play magazine described her as "3D gaming's first female superstar".[18][146] Hartas called Croft one of the most famous game women, praising her independence.[147] Karen Jones of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine described the character as "one of the biggest stars on the PlayStation".[45] In 1998, PlayStation Magazine commented that Lara Croft was one of the most memorable characters on the PlayStation console, and echoed a similar statement in 2004.[148][149] Time magazine writer Chris Taylor called her "the foundation of one of the most successful franchises in video-game history."[127]

    Sex symbol[link]

    Lara Croft has become a sex symbol for video games, despite Toby Gard's intentions for her to be sexy "only because of her power".[37] Time magazine's Kristina Dell considered her the first sex symbol of video games.[150] Schedeen stated that Croft is among the first video game icons to be accepted as a mainstream sex symbol.[123] Robert Ashley of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine described Lara Croft as the first video game character openly thought of as sexy, and attributed the appearance of similar 3D characters to her.[151] Publications like Play, GameTrailers, and PlayStation Magazine listed big breasts as one of the character's most famous attributes.[114][152][153][154] After interviewing players in 1998, Griffiths commented that players regularly mention Croft's breasts when discussing her.[5] In 2008, the character was first and second on two UGO Networks lists of hottest video game characters.[155][156] GameDaily placed Lara Croft number one on a similar list that same year,[157] and PlayStation: The Official Magazine awarded her honorable mention for Game Babe of the Year.[158] Croft has appeared in several issues of Play's Girls of Gaming special and PlayStation Magazine's Swimsuit special.[58][152][159][160][161] Layouts portray the character partially nude, in bikinis, and in revealing cocktail dresses,[8][162] though Tomb Raider: Underworld's creative director Eric Lindstrom criticized such poses as out of character.[58] He further stated that they conflict with Croft's popular strengths, and felt that fans respond more strongly to images of the character dressed more conservatively than to ones with provocative poses.[58] PlayStation Magazine's staff agreed, commenting that better use of the character's sex appeal would please fans more.[49]

    Male players have performed in-game actions to make Lara Croft repeatedly say phrases and view closer camera angles of her bust, while pornography featuring the character has been distributed via the internet.[80][163][164] After the first game's release, rumours appeared on the internet about a cheat code to remove the character's clothes. Despite Core Design's denial of such a code, the rumour persisted, fueled by manipulated nude images.[139][165] The rumour lingered by the time Legend was released.[134][139][166] PlayStation Magazine featured an April Fool's parody of Croft and the rumoured code referred to as "Nude Raider".[167] Fans developed software patches to remove Lara Croft's clothing in the personal computer game releases.[163][166][168][169]

    It was a defining moment for me as I watched her strut seductively across my screen and into the sex symbol status that would turn the gaming world on its head. Fast-forward eight years through the evolution of next-gen hardware, multimillion-dollar budgets, and massive acceptance of games in pop culture. Still, Lara Croft continues to personify an ongoing culture clash over gender, sexuality, empowerment, and objectification.

    Writer Zoe Flowers on Lara Croft's icon status in 2005[170]

    Reaction from groups have been mixed. The journal Leonardo noted some feminists' negative reaction to her design; though males were identifying with their feminine side through Croft, she reinforced unrealistic ideals about the female body.[171] Australian feminist scholar Germaine Greer criticized her as an embodiment of male fantasies.[172] PlayStation Magazine staff commented that Croft could be seen as either a role model for young independent girls or the embodiment of a male adolescent fantasy,[173] though later stated that the character does little to attract female demographics and was obviously designed with a male audience in mind.[80] The editors also criticized Core Design's hypocritical attempts to downplay the character's sex appeal in public statements while releasing advertisements that prominently featured Lara Croft's sexuality.[49] Graphic artist Heather Gibson attributed the "sexism" to participation from Eidos's marketing department.[5]

    Author Mark Cohen attributed Lara Croft's eroticism among male fans to the character's appearance and a male protective instinct. German psychologist Oscar Holzberg described the protective behaviour as the result of the opportunity to act as a hero in virtual worlds and a fear of powerful, emancipated women.[174] Jonathan Smith of Arcade: The Videogame Magazine similarly noted that male players often see themselves as "chivalrous protectors" while playing the game.[5] Holzberg further stated that the lower psychological investment inherent to virtual characters is more comfortable for males. Cohen affirmed that despite blatant male appeal, Croft garnered a serious female audience. Eidos estimated by 2000, female consumers comprised 20–25 percent of Tomb Raider game purchases.[174] Jeremy Smith argued that the series attracted more female players to video gaming, especially in Japan. Smith believed that Croft does not alienate prospective female players, representing an emancipated heroine and not simply an attractive character.[80][174] According to Adrian Smith, the character was also popular with younger demographics that did not view her sexually.[127] Cohen reasoned that Croft differs from other erotic characters and attractive leads, as the Tomb Raider games also feature rich action, impressive graphics, and intelligent puzzles; other such characters were unsuccessful because the game content was lacking.[174] Amy Hennig of developer Naughty Dog and Griffiths echoed similar statements.[5][170] GamesRadar editor Justin Toweel nonetheless commented that he couldn't imagine a Tomb Raider game without a sexualized female lead.[175]

    Griffith described Lara Croft as a flawed female influence. He stated that though the character is a step in the right direction, too many women view her as a "crudely realised male fantasy figure".[5] Women in the video game industry describe the character as both a positive and negative influence. Ismini Roby of WomenGamers.com commented that Croft was not a sexist influence in 1996, attributed to the lack of prominent female characters in video games at the time. She stated that the over-sexualized appearance was overlooked because the character was a "breath of fresh air". However, Roby felt that though Lara Croft's proportions have become more realistic, the character's personality was diluted by the developer's actions to appeal to a male audience. LesbianGamers.com's Tracy Whitelaw called the character a dichotomy, stating that though Croft is viewed as "idealized" with an "unattainable body", the character was a great stride for the propagation of female characters as video game protagonists.[176]

    See also[link]

    Notes[link]

    1. ^ In 1994, CentreGold acquired Core Design. Two years later, Eidos acquired CentreGold.
    2. ^ In 2004, Eidos sought another company to acquire it due to poor financial health. SCi acquired Eidos the following year.

    References[link]

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