name	BET
logosize	200px
logofile	BET Logo.svg
logoalt	BET logo
logo2	BET logo since January 2005
launch	January 25, 1980
picture format	480i (SDTV)1080i (HDTV)1080p (Dish Network)
owner	BET Networks (Viacom)
slogan	It's My Thing (former, still used for BET International)Home Of The Revolution (current)
country	United States
headquarters	Washington, D.C.
sister names	BET GospelBET Hip-HopCentric
web
sat serv 1	Bell TV (Canada)
sat chan 1	Channel 576
sat serv 2	DirecTV (USA)
sat chan 2	Channel 329 (SD/HD)Channel 1329 (VOD)
sat serv 3	Dish Network (USA)
sat chan 3	Channel 124 (SD/HD)
sat serv 4	Shaw Direct (Canada)
sat chan 4	Channel 582
sat serv 5	Sky (UK/Ireland)
sat chan 5	Channel 191 (198 +1)
sat serv 6	Freesat (UK)
sat chan 6	Channel 140 (141 +1)
sat serv 7	TopTV South Africa
sat chan 7	Channel 190
cable serv 1	Verizon FiOS
cable chan 1	Channel 270 (SD) 770 (HD)
cable serv 2	AT&T; U-verse
cable chan 2	Channel 155 (SD) 1155 (HD)
cable serv 3	Vidéotron(Canada)
cable chan 3	Channel 124
cable serv 4	Available on most cable systems
cable chan 4	Check local cable listings for specific channel numbers
cable serv 5	Comcast HD
cable chan 5	Channel 777
iptv serv 1	Bell Fibe TV (Canada)
iptv chan 1	Channel 576 }}

Black Entertainment Television (BET, part of BET Networks) is a Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences and is the leading provider of African-American cultural and entertainment-based programming. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its founder, Robert L. Johnson. Most programming of the network comprises mainstream rap and R&B; music videos and urban-oriented movies and series.

Its programming began with a wide scope of comedy, music, public affairs, and news programming: ComicView; Video Soul with Donnie Simpson, Video Vibrations, Softones, Unreal/Planet Groove/Caribbean Rhythms, Jam Zone/Cita's World; Teen Summit; and BET News with Ed Gordon (journalist), Lead Story, BET Tonight with Tavis Smiley, and BET Nightly News. In 2000 it began to be heavily focused on music and completely cut it news division.

Its urban music programming show 106 & Park debuted then. Taped before a live audience, the hosts count down the top videos requested by viewers and inviting rap and R&B; artists to promote their music. Additionally, the channel shows syndicated television series, original programs, and some public affairs programs. On Sunday mornings, BET broadcasts a lineup of network-produced Christian programming and gospel music; other, non-affiliated Christian programs are also shown during the early morning hours daily. BET has been the target of criticism and protests for broadcasting videos and programs accused of promoting immorality and stereotypes.

History

After stepping down as a lobbyist for the cable industry, Freeport, Illinois, native Robert L. Johnson decided to launch his own cable television network. Johnson would soon acquire a loan for $15,000, and earned a $500,000 investment from John Malone to start the network. BET began broadcasting on January 25, 1980. Initially, the network lineup consisted of music videos and reruns of popular black sitcoms.

BET launched a news program, BET News, in 1988, with Ed Gordon as the anchor. Gordon would later host other programs and specials on BET, such as Black Men Speak Out: The Aftermath, related to the 1992 Los Angeles riots and a recurring interview show Conversations with Ed Gordon. In 1996, the talk show BET Tonight debuted with Tavis Smiley as host; in 2001, Ed Gordon replaced Tavis Smiley. In 2002, as part of a reorganization focusing on entertainment productions, BET cut its news staff and canceled BET Tonight along with other public affairs shows hosted by Gordon, Lead Story and Teen Summit. From 2001 to July 29, 2005, BET had a daily evening news program BET Nightly News, hosted by Michelle Miller and Jacque Reid.

In 1991, the network became the first black-controlled company on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2003, the network was no longer a black owned business when it was bought by media conglomerate Viacom for $3 billion. In 2005, Johnson retired from the network, turning over his titles as President and Chief Executive Officer to Debra L. Lee, a former Vice President.

Following the death of civil rights leader Coretta Scott King in 2006, BET broadcast its regularly scheduled music video programming rather than cover King's funeral live as CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and BET competitors TV One and Black Family Channel were. The BET website streamed the funeral live; BET broadcast taped, 60-second reports periodically from the funeral by senior news correspondent Andre Showell. Michael Lewellen, BET's senior vice president for corporate communications, defended the decision: "We weighed a number of different options. In the end, we chose to offer a different kind of experience for BET viewers." Lewellen also said that BET received around "two dozen" phone calls and "a handful" of emails criticizing BET for not showing the King funeral live. On the evening of the funeral day (February 7, 2006), BET broadcast tribute special Coretta Scott King: Married to the Mission and repeated it the following Sunday, February 12. Showell hosted a program featuring highlights of the funeral, Coretta Scott King: Celebrating Her Spirit, that broadcast that same day. In its 2007 convention, the National Association of Black Journalists gave BET its Thumbs Down Award for not broadcasting King's funeral live.

In 2007, the network expanded into other BET-related digital cable networks: Centric, BET Hip-Hop, and BET Gospel. BET also launched a batch of original programming, including reality shows Baldwin Hills and Hell Date, competition show Sunday Best, and town hall-style discussion show Hip Hop vs. America. BET also Network President of Entertainment, Reginald Hudlin, resigned on September 11, 2008. He was then replaced by Stephen Hill, who is also Executive Vice President of Music Programming and Talent.

The New York Times reported that the Reverend Delman L. Coates and his organization Enough is Enough led protests every weekend outside the residences of BET executives against what they claim are negative stereotypes of black people perpetuated by BET music videos. Enough is Enough backed an April 2008 report titled The Rap on Rap by the Parents Television Council that claimed that BET rap programming, which they believed contained gratuitous sexual, violent, and profane content, was targeting children and teens.

BET announced in March 2010 that Gordon would return to the network to host "a variety of news programs and specials."

In a 2010 interview, BET co-founder Sheila Johnson said she herself is "ashamed" of what the network has become. “I don’t watch it. I suggest to my kids that they don't watch it," she said. “When we started BET, it was going to be the Ebony magazine on television. We had public affairs programming. We had news... I had a show called Teen Summit, we had a large variety of programming, but the problem is that then the video revolution started up... And then something started happening, and I didn't like it at all. And I remember during those days we would sit up and watch these videos and decide which ones were going on and which ones were not. We got a lot of backlash from recording artists...and we had to start showing them. I didn’t like the way women were being portrayed in these videos.”

Criticism

Public Enemy rapper Chuck D, journalist George Curry, writer Keith Boykin, comic book creator Christopher Priest, filmmaker Spike Lee, Syracuse University professor of finance Dr. Boyce Watkins and cartoonist Aaron McGruder (who, in addition to numerous critical references throughout his series, The Boondocks, made a particular episode criticizing the channel), all have protested BET's programming and actions. As a result, BET heavily censors suggestive content from the videos that it airs, often with entire verses and scenes removed from certain rap videos. Furthermore, scholars within the African-American community maintain that BET perpetuates and justifies racism by affecting the interpersonal beliefs others may generalize about African Americans, and also by affecting the psyche of its young viewers through its bombardment of negative images of African Americans.

Sister networks

The spin off channel WETJ, (originally called WET On Jazz, and later wET Jazz), aired from 1996 until the fall of 2009. Programs on it included My Two Cents with Keith Boykin, Bryonn Bain, Crystal McCreary Anthony and Staceyann Chin, The Best Shorts hosted by Abiola Abrams, Living the Life of Marley about Ky-Mani Marley, My Model is Better Than Your Model with Eva Pigford and The Turn On hosted by Charlotte Burley. On September 28, 2009 WETJ was Centric. It features music, movies, reality shows and specials for adults. It is confirmed to show reruns of Soul Train and on November 29, The Soul Train Awards made a return. The network also operate two digital music channels, WET Gospel and WET Hip-Hop.

Competitors

BET's huge success, and the controversy over its content, has spawned a few smaller competitors aiming toward the African-American market. Rivals NUE TV (New Urban Entertainment Television) and Black Family Channel (formerly MBC) had little success. After the failure of NUE TV, Radio One again attempted a network: TV One in 2004. TV One has thrived and succeeded, mostly by eschewing BET's music-based programming for more family-oriented fare and programming for older and wealthier African Americans. BET continues to be mostly watched by the youth. A possible new arrival to Internet TV and broadcasting, The African American Channel, is making an attempt to enter the picture. Broadcasting and Cable magazine pointed out that The African American Channel could become a competitor of BET and others such as Black Family Channel and TV One in the not-so-distant future. In 2008, rapper Master P, who claims to have a "great relationship with BET", announced the launch of Better Black Television, which he intended to meet "consumer demand for family friendly hip-hop content".

International

BET International

WET UK first transmitted on Videotron (now known as Virgin Media) and several other cable networks from 1993 up until 1996.

In May 2007 by Ofcom, BET International Inc was given a license to re-broadcast in the United Kingdom. BET International is the first international version of the channel and is available in Europe, Africa and the Middle East through satellite providers.

WET is available on Sky channel 191 after launching on Wednesday February 27, 2008 and on Freesat channel 140 after launching on August 8, 2008. BET+1 is also available on Sky channel 198 and Freesat channel 141, and is Free-to-air. BET International shows a mix of content from the main BET channel and locally produced shows. An exclusive HD version of the channel was made to show the BET Awards 2009 on Freesat EPG 142

WET is additionally an associate member of the Caribbean Cable Cooperative.

Canada

WET became available in Canada in October 1997 on most cable and satellite carriers. The Canadian feed is the same as the American feed, though sitcoms and films with rights belonging to other parties in Canada are replaced with a block of music videos without a BET logo appearing on-screen.

In November 2009, the CRTC approved the Canadian version of BET in the English and French feeds. The channel will be launched in the near future and the American service will be removed somewhat from the list of eligible foreign channels to be broadcast in Canada.

BET Awards

The BET Awards is an awards ceremony established by BET in 2001. The awards celebrates the achievements of African Americans in music, acting, sports and other fields of entertainment throughout the year. Usually held in Los Angeles (since 2002), it is also presented annually and broadcast live on BET. At times the live airing proves problematic because of its content. On June 27, 2010, the awards ceremony celebrated its 10-year anniversary.

BET Interactive

In 2006, BET Interactive, LLC became a subsidiary of BET. BET also has a digital group including BET.com, BET on Blast, BET on Demand and BET mobile.

Original series

See also

BET Gospel

BET Awards

BET Hip Hop Awards

Centric

Rip The Runway

The BET Honors

Blackbuster movies

List of BET VJs/personalities

TV One

References

Further reading

BET.COM

BET Shows Official Site

Category:Companies established in 1979 Category:Television channels and stations established in 1983 Category:English-language television stations in the United States Category:Companies based in Washington, D.C. Category:Music video networks Category:African-American television Category:Viacom subsidiaries

de:Black Entertainment Television fr:Black Entertainment Television it:Black Entertainment Television mk:Black Entertainment Television ja:ブラック・エンターテインメント・テレビジョン om:BET pl:Black Entertainment Television pt:Black Entertainment Television simple:Black Entertainment Television sv:Black Entertainment Television tr:Black Entertainment Television zh:黑人娛樂電視台

name	Zac Efron
birth name	Zachary David Alexander Efron
birth date	October 18, 1987
birth place	San Luis Obispo, California
occupation	Actor, singer
yearsactive	2002–present }}

Zachary David Alexander "Zac" Efron (born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and became known to young audiences after his roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray. In 2007, before the release of High School Musical 2, Rolling Stone declared him the "poster boy for tweenyboppers" and featured him in their late August 2007 issue. Efron has since starred in the films 17 Again, Me and Orson Welles, and Charlie St. Cloud, and is due to star in New Year's Eve and The Lucky One.

Early life

Background

Efron was born in San Luis Obispo, California, and later moved to Arroyo Grande, California. His father, David Efron, is an electrical engineer at a power station, and his mother, Starla Baskett, is a former secretary who worked at the same power plant. Efron has a younger brother, Dylan, and had, as he described it, a "normal childhood" in a middle class family. He is an agnostic, having never been religious. His surname, "Efron", means "lark" in Hebrew (his paternal grandfather was Jewish).

Efron has said that he would "flip out" if he got a "B" and not an "A" in school, and has also described himself as having been a class clown. His father encouraged him to begin acting when he was 11 years old. Efron subsequently appeared in theater productions at his high school, worked in the theater The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville, and began taking singing lessons. He performed in shows such as Gypsy; Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up; Little Shop of Horrors; and The Music Man. He was recommended to an agent in Los Angeles by his drama teacher, Robyn Metchik (the mother of actors Aaron Michael Metchik and Asher Metchik). Efron was later signed to the Creative Artists Agency.

Education

Efron graduated from Arroyo Grande High School in 2006 and was then accepted into the University of Southern California, but has deferred his enrollment to work on film projects. He also attended Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, a community college located in Santa Maria, California, which provided him with the opportunity to perform as a "young player" during the years of 2000 and 2001.

Career

Early work

In 2002, Efron began to appear in guest roles on several television series, including Firefly, ER, and The Guardian. He portrayed Cameron Bale on the now-cancelled WB series Summerland. Originally introduced as a recurring character, Efron became a regular cast member on the show in the second season in 2004, starring opposite the likes of Kay Panabaker, Lori Loughlin and Jesse McCartney. Since appearing in Summerland, he has also had guest roles on the shows CSI: Miami, NCIS, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and The Replacements. In 2003, Efron starred in the Lifetime original television movie Miracle Run. He played Steven Morgan, one of two autistic twins. For his performance, he was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie, Mini-series or Special — Supporting Young Actor. In 2005, he played a main character in Hope Partlow's music video for her song "Sick Inside." Also in 2005, he played horse-loving Patrick McCardle in The Derby Stallion, where his character wants to beat the town bully at the steeple chase race.

Breakthrough

In 2006, Efron starred in the Disney Channel original movie High School Musical as Troy Bolton, a popular student and captain of the basketball team. The film, which he initially made with "low expectations", helped Efron gain recognition among teenage audiences as both an actor and a singer, even though his singing voice was overdubbed. As a result, he placed as high as #4 on the IMDBPro's STARMeter for the week of January 29, 2006. In August 2006, Efron won a Teen Choice Award in the Breakout Star and the TV — Choice Chemistry categories, shared with Vanessa Hudgens. The film's cast, along with Efron, toured Sydney, Australia, London, England, and other locations to promote the film.

Shortly after High School Musical aired, on February 4, 2006, Efron debuted with two simultaneous charted songs on Billboard Hot 100 from the film: "Get'cha Head in the Game" and "Breaking Free", a duet with Hudgens. On the following week's chart, Efron had five simultaneous song credits from High School Musical: "Get'cha Head in the Game", "Start of Something New", "What I've Been Looking For: Reprise", "We're All in This Together" and "Breaking Free." "We're All in This Together" was credited to the whole High School Musical cast. "Breaking Free", at the time, made the fastest climb in the history of the Billboard charts, from #86 to #4 between the two weeks; the record was beaten by Beyoncé and Shakira's "Beautiful Liar". Efron also appeared in the 2006 Disney Channel Games as captain of the Red Team.

Efron's singing talents were disputed when it was revealed that Drew Seeley's voice was blended with his on the soundtrack of High School Musical. An August 23, 2007 interview in Rolling Stone magazine revealed that he had been cast in High School Musical after the songs were written, and the songs (written for a tenor) were somewhat out of his baritone vocal range.

2007 – present

On April 7, 2007, Efron appeared in an episode of Punk'd. Efron also starred in the music video for Vanessa Hudgens's single "Say OK", in which he played her love interest. The video aired on March 16, 2007 on the Disney Channel. That year, he was named one of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in 2007. A picture and short profile of him was in the section "Coming of Age". In it, he related how he was always the shortest kid in school (as of August 2007, he was 5'8") and was teased for the "huge gap" in his teeth.

In 2006, Efron was cast as Link Larkin in a film version of Hairspray released on July 20, 2007. Efron performed all of his own vocals in the role, which was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, from September 5 to December 2, 2006. He cut and dyed his hair dark brown and gained about 15 pounds for the role. His performance and the film received positive reviews. Efron was not able to perform with his fellow castmates in High School Musical: The Concert because of commitments on the film Hairspray. Drew Seeley took over for him. High School Musical 2 was released in August 2007. Additionally, Lycos reported searches for Efron surged by 81%. The film set a new record, becoming the most watched basic cable program in U.S. history, with 17.2 million viewers. Efron also appeared on the cover of the August 2007 edition of Rolling Stone. The article about him revealed that he hoped to someday play an action hero. Efron presented the 2007 Teen Choice Award for "Favorite Movie" along with Queen Latifah, and later that year, he co-hosted the Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards with The Veronicas on October 10 in Sydney.

In early 2008, Efron was cast in the lead role in the film Me and Orson Welles. Based on Robert Kaplow's novel of the same name, the story, set in 1937 New York, tells of a teenager hired to star in Orson Welles' production of Julius Caesar, where he becomes attracted to a career-driven production assistant. The film was shot in the Isle of Man, London and New York, during February — April 2008. It was introduced to North America via the Toronto Film Festival on September 5, 6, and 11, 2008 and was released in 2009. Efron was also scheduled to star in Paramount's musical remake of the film Footloose, and has said that he would like to add his "own little bit of flair" to the role originated by Kevin Bacon. In March 2009, he dropped out of the film. Efron was quoted as saying that while it was a promising gig, he left the project because he "was looking for a new challenge, and this was another musical."

Efron reprised his role in High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which was theatrically released on October 24, 2008. His next role was in 2009's 17 Again, a high school-set comedy-drama produced by Adam Shankman and based on a pitch by Jason Filardi; the plot involved an adult who is transformed into a 17-year old (played by Efron).

On April 8, 2009, Efron's participation in a comedic short video entitled "Zac Efron's Pool Party" for the website Funny Or Die was released for public viewing. On April 11, 2009, Efron hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live. In early June 2009 it was confirmed that Efron would be making a guest appearance during the sixth season of HBO's comedy series Entourage.

Efron starred in a series of advertisements, along with Kristen Bell and Sean Combs, promoting the 2010 MTV Movie Awards and the host, Aziz Ansari. In 2009, he signed on to play title character in the movie Charlie St. Cloud. The film was released on July 30, 2010.

Efron was second on Peoples 2011 Most Beautiful list.

Upcoming roles

Efron is slated to star in the title role of the live-action adaptation of the Jonny Quest cartoons. Additional projects include Einstein Theory and an adaptation of Fire, by Image Comics. On February 11, 2011, it was reported that Efron will star in the action romance Charlie Countryman. He is also set to star in and produce the American remake of Swedish crime film Easy Money.

Personal life

Efron owns an apartment in Los Angeles, California. On January 15, 2008, he was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for an emergency appendectomy. Efron was also on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2008, as number 92 with an estimated earning of $5.8 million from June 2007 to June 2008. As of April 5, 2009, his personal wealth equaled about $10 million. People magazine said in 2007 that Efron and Vanessa Hudgens began dating in 2005 during the filming of High School Musical, although Us magazine said, after the two broke up in December 2010, that they "met in 2005 while making the first High School Musical flick, and became a romantic item about two years later."

Filmography

+ Films	Year	Title	Role
2003	Melinda's World	Stuart Wasser
2003		Pete Laemke
2004	Miracle Run	Steven Morgan
2004	Triple Play	Harry Fuller
2005		Patrick McCardle
2006	If You Lived Here, You'd be Home Now	Cody
2006	High School Musical	Troy Bolton
2007		Link Larkin
2007	High School Musical 2	Troy Bolton
2008	High School Musical 3: Senior Year	Troy Bolton
2009		Mike O'Donnell (teen)
2009	Me and Orson Welles	Richard Samuels
2010		Charlie St. Cloud
2011		Paul
2012		Logan Thibault
2012		Ted
2012		TBA

+ Television	Year	Title	Role	Episode
2002		Young Simon Tam
2003		Luke Tomello	"Without Consent"
2003		Bobby Neville	"Dear Abby"
2005		Cameron Bale	16 episodes
2005	CSI: Miami	Seth Dawson
2005		Davey Hunkerhoff	"Davey Hunkerhoff / Ratted Out"
2006		Pizza Delivery Guy	"Pilot"
2006		Trevor	"Odd Couples"
2006		Danny	"Deception"
2008	Robot Chicken	Billy Joel	"Tell My Mom"
2009	Robot Chicken	Harry Potter	"I Love Her"
2009	Saturday Night Live	Himself	2 episodes
2009		Himself	"Security Briefs"
2010	Robot Chicken	Anakin Skywalker	"Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III"

Awards and Nominations

! Year !! Award !! Category !! Work !! Result
2005	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special - Supporting Young Actor	Miracle Run
		Choice TV: Chemistry (shared with Vanessa Hudgens)		rowspan="3"
Choice TV: Breakout Star
	Movie Star - Male	Himself
	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special (Comedy or Drama) - Leading Young Actor	High School Musical
Young Hollywood Awards	One to Watch		rowspan="6"
Teen Choice Awards	Choice Other: Hottie - Male
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards	Fave Movie Star
Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards	Best TV Actor	High School Musical
Family Television Awards	Best Actor	High School Musical 2
Satellite Awards	Best Original Song (shared with Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky and Elijah Kelley)	Come So Far (So Far to Go)
	TV Star - Male	Himself
		Best Song (shared with Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky and Elijah Kelley)	Come So Far (So Far to Go)
	rowspan="2"	rowspan="3"
Palm Springs International Film Festival
		You Can't Stop the Beat
Favorite Star under 35	Himself	rowspan="4"
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Grammy Awards		rowspan="2"
Empire Awards
MTV Movie Awards	Breakthrough Performance
ASTRA Awards	Favourite International Personality or Actor	High School Musical 2	rowspan="3"
	Choice Other: Male Hottie
Choice Other: Red Carpet Fashion Icon - Male
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards	Fave Movie Star	rowspan="4"
	TV Star
		Breakthrough Performer of the Year
	Best Male Performance
Best Kiss (shared with Vanessa Hudgens)	rowspan="2"
	Choice Movie: Liplock (shared Vanessa Hudgens)
Choice Movie: Actor - Music/Dance
Choice Music: Album - Soundtrack (shared with High School Musical 3: Senior Year Cast)	High School Musical 3: Senior Year (soundtrack)
Choice Movie: Actor - Comedy	rowspan="5"	rowspan="3"
Choice Movie: Rockstar Moment
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards	Fave Movie Star
	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Movie Actor	rowspan="5"
MTV Movie Awards	Best Male Performance
	Choice Summer: Movie Actor
Choice Other: Male Hottie
Choice Other: Smile
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards	Cutest Couple (shared with Vanessa Hudgens)	rowspan="3"
	Best TV Star - Male
	People's Choice Awards''	Favorite Movie Star Under 25	rowspan="2"
MTV Movie Awards	Best Male Performance
Teen Choice Awards	Choice Other: Red Carpet Fashion - Icon	Himself

Discography

Soundtracks

Hairspray (2007)

High School Musical 2 (2007)

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)

Charted songs

Year	Single	Peak chart positions				Album
		! style="width:35px;"	! style="width:35px;"	! style="width:35px;"	! style="width:35px;"
		—	—	96	—
style="text-align:left;"	6	6	20	20
	46	35	65	—
	31	28	26	86
style="text-align:left;"	—	95	89	—
	34	31	40	—
	65	46	55	—
	style="text-align:left;"	68	41	41	92
style="text-align:left;"	108	—	—	96
style="text-align:left;"	119	—	—	—
	98	—	—	84
	101	—	—	72

References

External links

Zac Efron at TV Guide

Category:1987 births Category:Actors from California Category:American agnostics Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American film actors Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:American television actors Category:Arroyo Grande, California Category:Living people Category:People from San Luis Obispo, California

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Name	Heavy D
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Dwight Myers
Birth date	May 24, 1967
Origin	Mount Vernon, New York
Genre	Hip hop, New Jack Swing, R&B;
Occupation	Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Actor
Years active	1986–present
Label	Uptown, MCA
Associated acts	Heavy D & the Boyz }}

Dwight Myers (born May 24, 1967), better known as Heavy D, is a Jamaican American actor, rapper, singer and former leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a hip hop group which included G-Whiz (Glen Parrish), "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon), and Eddie F (born Edward Ferrell). The group maintained a sizable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s. He has recently ventured into reggae music and can now be described as a reggae fusion artist.

Biography

Myers was born on May 24, 1967 in Jamaica. His family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, when he was a young child.

Heavy D & the Boyz were the first group signed to Uptown Records; their debut, Living Large, was released in 1987. The album was a commercial success, though Big Tyme was a breakthrough that included four hits. Trouble T. Roy died at age 22 in a fall on July 15, 1990, in Indianapolis. Dixon's passing led to a tribute on the follow-up platinum album, Peaceful Journey. Pete Rock & CL Smooth created a tribute to Trouble T. Roy called "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" which is regarded as a hip-hop classic.

Heavy D & the Boyz gained even more fame by singing the theme song for the television program In Living Color and also MADtv, and Heavy D performed the rap on Michael Jackson's hit single "Jam." However, the group's next album, Blue Funk, was not marketed as well as their previous albums, but is widely viewed as an underrated gem. Heavy D then began focusing on his acting, appearing in the television shows A Different World, Roc and Living Single before returning the music charts with Nuttin' But Love. After appearing in the off-Broadway play Riff Raff at Circle Repertory Company, Heavy D returned to recording with the hit Waterbed Hev. In 2005, the Will Smith movie Hitch played the song "Now That We Found Love" during the ending scene where a wedding party does a line dance, and gave Heavy D & the Boyz a lot of exposure, sending many viewers to the web to find out more about the song and the group.

He then appeared in the film Life, before being in the cast of the television show Boston Public. In 2002, Heavy D had a supporting role as an FBI agent alongside Omar Epps in the movie adaptation of Dave Barry's novel Big Trouble. In 2003 he starred in the supporting cast for the sit-com The Tracy Morgan Show as Bernard. In 1997, Heavy D collaborated with B.B. King on his duets album Deuces Wild rapping in the song "Keep It Coming." He also has a small role in the 1999 Oscar-nominated movie The Cider House Rules. In 2005, Heavy D appeared as Sid in the hit Fox drama Bones, as the owner and bartender at Wong Fu's. In 2006, he appeared in the motion picture, Step Up, as Omar. Heavy D also appeared as Bo-Kane in the 1995 film New Jersey Drive. Heavy D has now released a new reggae album via iTunes, called Vibes.

Heavy D was referred to in the song "Juicy" by the Notorious B.I.G. and in " Da Girls They Love Me" by underground rapper R.A. the Rugged Man. He also appears as the bouncer in the music video for "One More Chance" by Notorious B.I.G. In the song "Choppa on Da Back Seat" by Lil Wyte he says that " I got Heavy D Tied up on my couch, Face down with a rifle wound bleeding out his mouth".

Heavy D also played a part in the film "Big Trouble" as an FBI agent.

Discography

Living Large (1987)

Big Tyme (1989)

Peaceful Journey (1991)

Blue Funk (1993)

Nuttin' But Love (1994)

Waterbed Hev (1997)

Heavy (1999)

Vibes (2008)

Love Opus (2011)

References

External links

Category:American hip hop record producers Category:Rappers from New York City Category:American rappers of Jamaican descent Category:Reggae fusion artists Category:People from Westchester County, New York Category:MCA Records artists Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:American film actors Category:American television actors

da:Heavy D & The Boyz de:Heavy D. & the Boyz es:Heavy D fr:Heavy D it:Heavy D & the Boyz

name	Joe Budden
background	solo_singer
birth name	Joseph Budden
alias
born	August 31, 1980 (age 31)
origin	Jersey City, New Jersey
label	E1Shady Records
genre	Hip hop
occupation	Rapper
years active	2002 – present
website	Official website
associated acts	Slaughterhouse, Fabolous, Emanny, Stack Bundles }}

Joe Budden is an American rapper from Jersey City, New Jersey.

Early life

Budden was born in Spanish Harlem, but lived in Queens until he was 12 and from there moved to Jersey City, New Jersey. He is one of five boys (one older brother and three younger brothers - two are twin brothers). Budden heard music in his home (his father is a multi-instrumentalist) and on the streets while he grew up.

Career

In the year 2003, Budden released his debut solo studio album, Joe Budden. It included Budden's 2003 Grammy-nominated summer hit "Pump It Up", and was also featured in the soundtrack for the movie 2 Fast 2 Furious and the video games Def Jam Vendetta & Def Jam Fight for NY. The song "Focus" was also featured in the game and Joe Budden was also a character. Its second single was "Fire" featuring Busta Rhymes, which was in the movie Mean Girls. The song "Drop Drop" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Cradle 2 the Grave. Joe has hinted in many songs that he was a recovering drug addict and has reaffirmed his position several times through multiple outlets.

After his debut album, Budden's sophomore release titled ‘The Growth’ was hampered due to the label's problems with Joe and his Def Jam seniors not happy with the direction of his music. The production of the album appeared to end up in a development hell and was ultimately not released. Continued disagreements between Budden and Def Jam forced the two sides to part ways. However, Budden managed to release the first and second installments of his Mood Muzik mixtape series while on Def Jam, and the series has been met with critical acclaim.

In December 2007 Budden signed a multi-album deal with Amalgam Digital and released his independent debut Padded Room as well as Mood Muzik 3: The Album, Halfway House, and Escape Route.

Joe Budden reached out to Crooked I, Royce da 5'9", Joell Ortiz and Nino Bless for a track titled "Slaughterhouse" on one of his Amalgam Digital releases, Halfway House. Based on the reception of the track, they decided to form a group, minus Nino Bless, and named it after the first song they made together. They released numerous songs throughout early 2009, leading up to their self-titled album, which was released through E1 on August 11, 2009. The album features production from Alchemist, DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter, Streetrunner, plus guest appearances from Pharoahe Monch, K. Young, and The New Royales. The group signed with Shady Records on January 12, 2011.

Personal life

Many of Joe Budden's relationships with women have been in the spotlight, most notably his 5 year relationship with model Tahiry. He has also dated model Esther Baxter. He is the ex-boyfriend of Somaya Reece, a cast member of VH1's Love & Hip Hop.

Budden has a son from a previous relationship. In 2010, he was wanted by New Jersey police in relation to unpaid child support payments.

Budden has also been in the spotlight for his numerous controversies with other rappers including Game, Prodigy, Saigon, Ransom, and an incident involving several members of the Wu-Tang Clan.

Discography

;Studio albums

Joe Budden (2003)

Padded Room (2009)

;Digital albums

Mood Muzik 3.5 (2007)

Halfway House (2008)

Escape Route (2009)

Mood Muzik 4.5: The Worst Is Yet To Come (2011)

;with Slaughterhouse

2009: Slaughterhouse

2011: "Slaughterhouse (EP)"

;Official mixtapes

2004: Mood Muzik: The Worst Of Joe Budden

2005: Mood Muzik 2: Can It Get Any Worse?

2007: Mood Muzik 3: For Better or for Worse

2010: Mood Muzik 4: A Turn 4 The Worst

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

*2004, Best Male Rap Solo Performance: "Pump It Up" (nominated).

Other awards

*2003 Vibe Next Award (winner).

*United Kingdom, MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Award for "Clubbin" with Marques Houston (nominated).

*United Kingdom, MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Award for Best Rap Performance (nominated).

*2004 Black Reel Award for Best Song from a Movie for "Pump It Up" in 2 Fast 2 Furious (nominated).

References

External links

Official website

Joe Budden on Twitter

Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:Def Jam Recordings artists Category:TVT Records artists Category:People from Jersey City, New Jersey Category:Rappers from New Jersey Category:Underground rappers Category:1980 births

da:Joe Budden de:Joe Budden es:Joe Budden fr:Joe Budden ko:조 버든 it:Joe Budden he:ג'ו באדן nl:Joe Budden ja:ジョー・バドゥン no:Joe Budden pl:Joe Budden fi:Joe Budden sv:Joe Budden tr:Joe Budden

name	Joell Ortiz
background	solo_singer
birth date	July 06, 1980
origin	Brooklyn, New York, United States
genre	Hip hop
years active	1999 - present
label	SRC, Universal Motown, Shady Records
associated acts	Slaughterhouse, Immortal Technique, Big Noyd, Ras Kass, Battles, Eminem
website	www.joellortiz.com
notable instruments	}}

Joell Ortiz (born July 6, 1980) is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. One of the youngest Slaughterhouse members, Joell Ortiz was born to Puerto Rican parents. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York formerly signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label. He was featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of The Source Magazine and was also selected as Chairman's Choice in XXL Magazine. During the same time Joell also went on to win the 2004 EA Sports Battle which earned his song Mean Business a spot on the NBA Live 2005 soundtrack. The same year he was offered a contract to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label. The deal quickly went sour which caused Joell to start beef with Jermaine. Joell has since collaborated with KRS-One and Kool G. Rap. Joell released his street album called "The Brick: Bodega Chronicles" April 24, 2007 on Koch Records. The album was recorded while Joell was trying to get signed and going through some tough times personally. Even though he was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, Dr. Dre allowed him to release the street album on Koch Records. The Brick features productions from Showbiz, The Alchemist, Domingo, Ho Chi from Killahertz Productions, Lil’ Fame of M.O.P., Novel, and Moss, among others. Guest spots include Big Daddy Kane, Styles P, Big Noyd, M.O.P, Akon, Immortal Technique, Grafh, Ras Kass, Stimuli, and Novel. Joell Ortiz is 1/4 of Super Group Slaughterhouse who drop their highly anticipated EP entitled, Slaughterhouse EP on February 8, 2011.

Music career

The Brick (Bodega Chronicles)

Though signed to Aftermath, Ortiz released an album titled The Brick (Bodega Chronicles) April 24, 2007 on Koch Records. The Brick features production by Showbiz, Street Radio, and The Alchemist, among others. Guest artists include rappers Big Daddy Kane, Styles P, Big Noyd, Akon, Immortal Technique, Grafh, and Ras Kass.

Departure from Aftermath and joining Slaughterhouse

Ortiz parted ways with Aftermath Entertainment on April 15, 2008.

Joe Budden reached out to Crooked I, Royce Da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, and Nino Bless for a track titled "Slaughterhouse" on his digital release, Halfway House. Based on the reception of the track, they decided to form a super-group, minus Nino Bless, and named it after the first song they made together. They released numerous songs throughout early 2009, building a buzz for their self-titled album which was released through E1 on August 11, 2009. The album features production from Alchemist, DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter, Streetrunner, plus guest appearances from Pharoahe Monch, K-Young, and The New Royales. In 2010 the group signed to Shady Records and left E1 Entertainment.

A remix of Joell Ortiz' "Hip Hop" featuring Jadakiss and Saigon appeared on a fictitious urban radio station in the popular video game GTA IV.

Signing with SRC/Universal Motown and Free Agent

Ortiz started to have problems with E1 Entertainment and wanted to leave the label, but E1 would not let him. After almost a year, Ortiz finally left the label on November 5, 2010. In August 2010 Ortiz signed a deal with Steve Rifkind's label SRC Records and Universal Motown.

In an October 31, 2010 interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, Joell Ortiz discussed his relationship with Eminem and the flood of record labels that have flocked to sign him after his Free Agent album is released. He also spoke of Eminem's excitement at working with him.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Title	Peak chart positions					RIAA certification
		!width=40 align=center	!width=40 align=center	!width=40 align=center	!width=40 align=center	!width=40 align=center
		*Released: April 24, 2007	*Label: E1 Music
	align="left"	*Released: February 22, 2011	*Label: E1 Music

EP's

Farewell Summer EP (2010)

Collaboration albums

2009: Slaughterhouse (with Slaughterhouse)

2011: Slaughterhouse EP (with Slaughterhouse)

Mixtapes

Who The F*@k Is Joell Ortiz? (2004)

Covers The Classics (2009)

Road Kill (2009)

Defying The Predictable (with Novel) (2010)

''Pre-Agent(2010)

''life and times of Sebastian Rios ( comming soon 2011)

Singles

{|class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Song ! colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|U.S. !width="40"|U.S. R&B; !width="40"|U.S. Rap |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2007 | "Hip Hop" |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|The Brick: Bodega Chronicles |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2010 | "Call Me (She Said)" (featuring Novel) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=2|Free Agent |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2011 | "So Hard" (featuring Ana Yvette) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |- |}

Featured Singles

{|class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Song ! colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|U.S. !width="40"|U.S. R&B; !width="40"|U.S. Rap |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2011 | "We Keep It Rockin" (Maino featuring Swizz Beatz, Jim Jones, Jadakiss & Joell Ortiz) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|The Day After Tomorrow |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2011 | "Currency" (Emcee Composition featuring Joell Ortiz) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|Garden Statements |- |}

References

http://www.champmag.com/2010/12/17/video-joell-ortiz-talks-life-after-free-agents-w-champ-mag/

External links

Official website

Official Twitter

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Aftermath Entertainment artists Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:Hispanic and Latino American rappers Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Rappers from New York City

de:Joell Ortiz es:Joell Ortiz pl:Joell Ortiz tr:Joell Ortiz