: ''This article is about the American TNT channel and its international offshoots. For other television services named "TNT", see TNT (disambiguation).''

name	TNT
logofile	Turner_Network_Television.png
logoalt	TNT's US logo
logosize	100px
slogan	''We Know Drama''
launch	October 3, 1988
owner	Turner Broadcasting System|Turner Broadcasting System, Inc]].Warner Bros. Entertainment(Time Warner)
headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
sister names	TBS, Cartoon Network, TCM, CNN, HLN, truTV, WPCH
web	TNT.tv
terr avail	Not Available
sat serv 1	DirecTV
sat chan 1	Channel 245 (SD/HD) Channel 1245 (VOD)
sat serv 2	Dish Network
sat chan 2	Channel 138 (SD/HD)Channel 9420 (HDTV)
sat serv 3	Dish Network Mexico
sat chan 3	channel 602 (970 HD)
sat serv 4	C-Band
sat chan 4	Galaxy 14-Channel 17
sat serv 5	SKY México Mexico and Central America/Brazil
sat chan 5	Channel 415/60
sat serv 6	Digital+ Spain
sat chan 6	Channel 45
sat serv 7	D-Smart Turkey
sat chan 7	Channel 21
sat serv 8	Sky Deutschland Germany
sat chan 8	Channel 130
sat serv 9	Kabel Deutschland Germany
sat chan 9	Channel 320 and 928
cable serv 1	On most cable systems
cable chan 1	Check local listings
cable serv 2	Verizon FiOS
cable chan 2	Channel 51 (SD) Channel 551 (HD)
adsl serv 1	AT&T; U-Verse
adsl chan 1	Channel 108 (SD) Channel 1108 (HD)
dummy parameter	|

Turner Network Television (TNT) is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner. Since 2007, TNT has re-launched local versions of the channel in Spain, Germany and Turkey with more European countries in the pipeline.

History

1980s

TNT, as a cable service, was launched with a showing of the 1939 classic movie ''Gone with the Wind'' (to which Ted Turner had acquired the rights), on October 3, 1988. It was chosen because, it was said, it was Turner's favorite movie – it would also be the first program on sister channel Turner Classic Movies in 1994. Incidentally, the film had been premiered in Atlanta, Turner's hometown and the headquarters of Turner Broadcasting, as well as being the setting for ''Gone With the Wind''.

TNT was, at least initially, a vehicle for older movies and television shows, but slowly began to add original programming and newer reruns. When TNT began broadcasting pre-1986 MGM films, it caused a controversy when they began colorizing many black and white classics.

1990s

In 1990, it obtained partial rights to the ''Sunday Night Football'' package for the National Football League, which it retained until 1997. The ''NFL on TNT'' consisted of three or four preseason games annually and of regular-season telecasts of the first half of each season. As has always been the case for cable broadcasts, TNT distributed their feed to local television stations in the market of the teams playing.

Starting in 1995, TNT was also the home of ''WCW Monday Nitro'', the flagship show of the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, once regularly the highest rated weekly program on cable. The program defeated ''Monday Night Raw'', the flagship show of the then-World Wrestling Federation, for 83 straight weeks until 1998.

It was also known for its late night programming, such as ''MonsterVision'', which showcased B movies (including a Godzilla marathon at the end of every month), with occasional guest hosts Penn and Teller. ''MonsterVision'' eventually found a permanent host in cult personality and drive in movie aficionado Joe Bob Briggs. Every Saturday night, from 1995 to 2000, he would host a pair of horror films (such as ''Friday the 13th Part 2'' and ''Wes Craven's New Nightmare'') provide a running commentary, trivia, off-color jokes and a drive-in total. Also included in his host segments were jokes at the expense of Turner Network Television's Standards & Practices department for heavy censorship of the featured movies. This running joke culminated in a ''Friday the 13th'' all-night marathon during Halloween of 1998, where it was implied that Ted Turner was out to kill him.

Up until 1998, TNT would also show cartoons from the Turner library, such as ''The Flintstones'', ''Scooby Doo'', the DePatie-Freleng ''Pink Panther'' cartoons, ''Dexter's Laboratory'', ''The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest'', among many others on a block called "TNT Toons". ''The Rudy and Gogo World Famous Cartoon Show'' was also a TNT original show featuring classic Warner Bros., MGM, and Popeye shorts, hosted by marionettes and a nanny goat. Cartoons are now exclusively on Cartoon Network and Boomerang.

In the 1990s, TNT scheduled a lineup of shows for weekday afternoons including ''Due South'', ''Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'', ''Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', ''Babylon 5'', and ''Ellen''. In 1998, TNT took over production of the fifth and final season of ''Babylon 5'' from the defunct Prime Time Entertainment Network. In 1999, TNT produced the ''Babylon 5'' spinoff series ''Crusade'' but it was canceled before it ever aired, when TNT decided science fiction did not fit their brand identity.

During 2001, TNT had its then most successful original series, ''Witchblade'', which ran for two seasons, ending its run in 2002.

"We Know Drama" era

On June 12, 2001, TNT relaunched itself, with a new logo (by Trollbäck + Company) and a new slogan, ''"We Know Drama"'', which emphasized the channel's new focus on programming with drama and energy, such as sports and network TV dramas like ''Angel'', ''Law & Order'', ''Charmed'', ''NYPD Blue'', ''ER'', ''Without a Trace'', ''Alias'', ''Judging Amy'', ''Las Vegas'' and ''Cold Case''. It is in direct contrast to sister channel TBS, which shows more comedy related programming, and by extension Cartoon Network, which showed exclusively animated programming at the time (it still has a predominately animated schedule). In addition, NASCAR coverage moved to TNT from TBS starting in the 2001 season, as Ted Turner believed that it would fit more with TNT's new look and theme than TBS.

On January 1, 2003, "TNT Plus" began broadcasting as a substitute for TNT, although it does not appear this was ever reflected in the channel's on-air identity. The apparent sole purpose of its establishment was to force rate renegotiations to help pay for TNT's new NBA and NASCAR contracts, well before the channel's rates were scheduled to come up for renewal with most cable and satellite providers. In theory, TNT Plus was to have been the sole carrier of Turner's NBA and NASCAR coverage from that point forward, while any providers still carrying the original TNT would have seen replacement programming instead. Although it appears that Comcast did not immediately sign on for TNT Plus, there is no evidence of Turner actually pulling sports programming from the "original" TNT.

In 2004, TNT became the first Turner channel to begin broadcasting in high definition. TNT is also one of the Turner-owned channels which now shows the classic 1939 film ''The Wizard of Oz''.

On 7 December 2008, TNT unveiled a newly stylized update of its logo, mainly in shiny silver (onscreen during programming and on the TNT website) but sometimes in gold. The campaign will continue to use the channel's tagline "We Know Drama" but with more of a focus on its original series and its plan to have three nights of original primetime programming starting in 2009.

On 6 November 2009, TNT announced that it had obtained exclusive syndication rights for ''The Mentalist'' and would begin airing old episodes of the series starting in the fall of 2011.

TNT HD

TNT HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of TNT. TNT HD is criticized for its practice of airing a significant amount of 4:3 standard definition content stretched to 16:9 through a nonlinear process similar to the "panorama" setting on many HDTVs that some viewers have nicknamed Stretch-o-Vision; though other simulcasted HD cable channels have also fallen into this practice, TNT is usually cited since it was one of the first channels with an HD simulcast. The nonlinear stretching process leaves objects in the center of the screen with approximately their original aspect ratio; objects at the left and right edges are distorted. In addition to true HD content at 16:9, TNT HD also airs unstretched upconverted standard definition content in its original aspect ratio.

Widescreen movies

Below a list of some of the movies TNT HD provides in a non-stretched widescreen format and airs frequently. Movies will be noted if they were aired in their original aspect ratio (OAR).

''The Grudge'' (provided in OAR)

''Jerry Maguire'' (provided in OAR)

''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring''

''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers''

''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''

''Titanic'' (provided in OAR)

''Forrest Gump''

Programming

Drama

TNT's success with original series includes the critically acclaimed ''The Closer'', ad-supported cable's #1 series of all time; ''Saving Grace'', which averages more than 5 million viewers along with ''Leverage''; and ''Raising the Bar'', which set a new ad-supported cable viewership record when it premiered on Labor Day 2008 (but has recently been canceled). ''Hawthorne'' premiered in the summer of 2009 to 3.85 million viewers, while ''Dark Blue'' premiered to under 3 million viewers. The channel also picked up ''Southland'' after it was canceled by NBC. In 2010, TNT premiered three new dramas; the light-hearted ''Men of a Certain Age'', cop drama ''Memphis Beat'', and police procedural ''Rizzoli & Isles''. ''Rizzoli & Isles'' premiered in July 2010 and set a new ad-supported cable viewership record for a series premiere.

Syndicated series and films

TNT is home to several syndicated television series including ''Bones'', ''CSI: NY'', ''Numb3rs'', ''Charmed'', ''Law & Order'', Angel, ''Las Vegas'', ''Cold Case'' (ending its run on September 30, 2011), and ''Supernatural seasons 1-6''.

TNT also owns cable television rights to various films, which are generally dramatic in scope (with comedic films airing on TBS), including action, science fiction, and war dramas (it has uncut broadcast rights to ''Saving Private Ryan'', for example).

On August 10, 2011, It was announced that ''Smallville'' would join the line-up on October 3, 2011.

Sports

TNT Sports (under the Turner Sports division) mainly consists of National Basketball Association games and NASCAR races. ''The NBA on TNT'' (with studio hosts Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley) dates back to 1988 and has aired, either by itself or in combination with a similar package on TBS Superstation, ever since. It is considered one of the best studio shows on television. NASCAR came to TNT in 2001, carried over from TBS by their shared parent company. From 2001 to 2006, the race package was split with NBC; as of 2007, it stands alone, with six races telecast annually. Currently, TNT has the cable rights to the first two rounds of two of golf's major championships, The British Open and The PGA Championship.

TNT will air Major League Baseball postseason games in the event TBS' MLB coverage has a scheduling conflict (e.g. the end of one game overruns into the start time of another game).

TNT inherited the telecast of the 2001 UAW-GM Quality 500 NASCAR race at Lowe's Motor Speedway from NBC due to the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom.

TNT's coverage of the 2009 NBA playoffs earned the highest first-round ratings ever for a cable television channel.

Beginning with the 2011 season TNT will begin broadcasting college football games. This marks the first time since 2006 that Turner Sports has produced college football telecasts, and the first time since 1997 that any football coverage has aired on TNT.

NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on TNT

On April 22, 2010, a monumental 14 year 10.8 billion dollar agreement was reached with Turner Broadcasting to receive joint broadcast rights along with CBS for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. Starting with the 2011 tournament, in addition to CBS, TNT along with its sister networks TBS and truTV, will carry the first and second round games of the tournament as well as regional semifinal games. Beginning in 2016 CBS and TBS will alternate coverage of the Final Four weekend and broadcast of the championship game.

Upcoming series/pilots

Dallas - A continuation of the original 1978 Dallas series, set to star Larry Hagman reprising his role as J. R. Ewing. On July 8, 2011, TNT greenlighted the series with a 10-episode order, which will premiere in summer 2012. Major Crimes - A spinoff of TNT's The Closer starring Mary McDonnell as Captain Sharon Raydor. On May 18, 2011, TNT announced that ''Major Crimes'' had been picked up for a 10-episode season, which will premiere in summer 2012. Perception - A new crime drama series starring Eric McCormack as Dr Geoffrey Pierce, a neurologist who works with the FBI to solve major crimes. On March 22, 2011, TNT greenlighted the series with a 10-episode order, which will premiere in summer 2012. American Flesh: Examination of social, political, racial, and sexual issues during the Golden Age of Porn in Southern California. Cast: Holly Hunter. The Command - An elite squad of detectives are handpicked to served in Borough Command, where they are assigned the most high profile cases. Enigma - A modern day Sherlock Holmes type series. From CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker. Gateway - Set in the late 1860s, the series tells the story of two brothers as they try to build a new life after the Civil War in a town called Gateway. Scent of the Missing - The show revolves around the working life of a Search & Rescue Officer and her dog.

Seconds of Our Lives: Life in suburbia (a la ''American Beauty'', ''Far From Heaven'', and ''The Ice Storm''). Written by Todd Haynes and Burr Steers.

Snatched - Described as a new take on the late 90's series Relic Hunter, ''Snatched'' revolves around the daily life of a woman in her mid-thirties as she performs her day job of collecting priceless ancient artifacts, while also attempting to maintain a normal personal life. Untitled Mitch Alborn Project - This series follows the exploits of the station manager of a Detroit radio station. Untitled Shaun Cassidy Project - A family centred drama about a southern family who must adapt when they take in their recently widowed daughter-in-law and grandson. Untitled Jay Cocks Project - Based on the Tess Monaghan book series by Laura Lippman, the series centres on a former reporter turned Private Investigator. Untitled Eric Garcia Project - The series revolve around a police clerk, who's overactive imagination is used to help solve crime. Untitled John Wells Project - Set in the Pacific Mid-West, the series revolves around a family of cops as they investigate the paranormal on-goings in a small town.

International

European, Australian, Latin American, Spanish and Asian versions of TNT were launched in the 1990s but were exclusively dedicated to movies, mainly from the MGM and Warner Brothers archives (The UK and Scandinavian TNT did show WCW Monday Nitro on Friday nights just four days after its US broadcast, and the Latin American version aired a children's block called "Magic Box").In the lates 2000s spanish version focused on movies and tv series. The European, Australian and Asian versions of the channel eventually became Turner Classic Movies. The most known signal broadcast from TNT in Europe was(and still is) the signal feed in France, and used similar graphics to what the US signal feed was using at the time. Spanish version its ficused on movies and tv series

TCM is still operating and broadcasts MGM and Warner Brothers films like the old TNT used to. There is now also a TCM 2 in the United Kingdom which broadcasts films from MGM and Warner Brothers also.

Germany

In January 2009, a version of TNT launched in Germany as TNT Serie. The channel shows the German premiere of ''30 Rock'' and ''Friday Night Lights'', as well a wide variety of old and recent American drama and comedy, including ''Murder, She Wrote'', ''Northern Exposure'', ''Monk'', ''Third Watch'', ''Rescue Me'', ''Six Feet Under'', ''Seinfeld'', ''ER'', ''The King of Queens'', ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', ''Caroline in the City'', ''Boardwalk Empire'', ''Game of Thrones'' and ''Falling Skies''. Shows on TNT Serie are broadcast with two audio channels, one with the original English soundtrack and one with a German-dubbed soundtrack.

In June 2009, the German version of TCM was relaunched as "TNT Film". After Boomerang (2006), Cartoon Network and TCM (both 2007) TNT Serie is the fourth German Turner channel.

As of fall 2010, both "TNT Serie" and "TNT Film" are also available in HD as "TNT Serie HD" and "TNT Film HD".

Spain

TNT came back to the Spanish market in summer 2007, when it launched exclusively on pay TV platform Digital+ becoming the 6th Turner channel available in Spain after Turner Classic Movies, Turner Classic Movies Clásico (launched alongside the new TNT), Cartoon Network, Boomerang and CNN+, a joint-venture between Turner Broadcasting and the Spanish Sogecable. , TNT is available on several cable operartors: D+, ono, telecable...

TNT España its divided in two blocks, Movies and TV Series, airing TV shows such as: Saturday Night Lights, The Vampire Diaries, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Falling Skies, Robot Chicken, Ricky Gervais show and Shameless (UK version). The schedule is completed with special events: concerts, Grammies ceremony... TNT España was the first channel which produced a TV series for a pay/cable channel in Spain.

Turkey

A local version of TNT in Turkey launched in January 2008 as film channel and 24 January 2011 be entertainment channel.

Shows

Açıl Susam Açıl (Comedy-Live Dating Show)

Dest-i izdivaç (Live Dating Show)

Arım Balım Peteğim (Women)

Frame Türkiye (Realty Show)

Aklın Yolu Bir (Realty Show)

Kolej Günlüğü (Coming Soon) (Teen Drama)

Kırmızı Halı (Gossip Show)

Şahin ve Çetesi (Daily Series)

Dadı (Comedy Series)

Sihirli Annem (Kids Series)

Hülya Avşar Show (Talk Show)

Gizli Saklı (Gossip Show)

Dedikodu (Gossip Show)

Ender Saraç ile Sağlıklı Yaşam (Health Show)

Monk

The Mentalist

Fringe

Dirty Sexy Money

House

Satellite parameters

Satellite : Turksat 3A

Frequency : 11.804

Polarization : Vertical

Symbol Rate : 24.444

Language : Turkish, English, Turkish Subtitles

References

External links

TNT HD

The Futon Critic

Category:Turner Television networks Category:Time Warner Category:American television networks * Category:Television channels and stations established in 1988 Category:English-language television stations in the United States

ca:Turner Network Television cy:Turner Network Television de:Turner Network Television es:Turner Network Television fr:Turner Network Television it:TNT (rete televisiva) lv:Turner Network Television nl:TNT (televisiezender) ja:ターナー・ネットワーク・テレビジョン no:TNT (TV) pt:Turner Network Television ru:Turner Network Television fi:Turner Network Television sv:Turner Network Television tl:Turner Network Television th:เทอร์เนอร์เน็ตเวิร์กเทเลวิชัน tr:TNT (Türkiye)

name	Dwight Howard
height ft	6 | height_in 11 | weight_lb 265
team	Orlando Magic
number	12
position	Center
birth date	December 08, 1985
birth place	Atlanta, Georgia
high school	Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy
nationality	American
draft round	1
draft pick	1
draft year	2004
draft team	Orlando Magic
career start	2004
years1	–present | team1 Orlando Magic
highlights	3× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (–) 5× NBA All-Star (2007–2011) 4× All-NBA First Team (–) All-NBA Third Team () 3× NBA All-Defensive First Team (–) NBA All-Defensive Second Team () NBA Slam Dunk Champion (2008) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2005) Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2004) }}

Dwight David Howard (born December 8, 1985) is an American basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Howard, who usually plays center but can also play power forward, had an outstanding high school career at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. He chose to forgo college and entered the 2004 NBA Draft, and was selected first overall by the Magic. A five-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA team selection, four-time All-Defensive member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Howard has been ranked consistently as one of the best in the league in rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and free throw attempts, and has set numerous franchise and league records. He has led the Magic to three division titles and one conference title, and he was the winner of the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. In the 2008 Olympics, he was the starting center for Team USA, which went on to win the gold medal.

Before he was drafted in 2004, Howard said that he wanted to use his NBA career and Christian faith to "raise the name of God within the league and throughout the world". In November 2009, he was named one of the 10 finalists for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service, which awards athletes for their charitable work.

Early life

Howard was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Dwight Sr. and Sheryl Howard and into a family with strong athletic connections. His father is a Georgia State Trooper and serves as Athletic Director of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, a private academy with one of the best high school basketball programs in the country, while his mother played on the inaugural women's basketball team at Morris Brown College. A devout Christian since his youth, Howard became serious about basketball around the age of nine; when in the eighth grade, he resolved to be selected as the number one pick in the NBA Draft one day. Despite his large frame, Howard was quick and versatile enough to play the guard position. He elected to attend Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy for high school, and in his four years he played mostly as power forward, averaging 16.6 points per game (ppg), 13.4 rebounds per game (rpg) and 6.3 blocks per game in 129 appearances. As a senior, Howard led his team to the 2004 state title. He averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game. That same year, Howard was widely recognized as the best American high school basketball player, and he was awarded the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award, the Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year Award, Gatorade National Player of the Year and the McDonald's National High School Player of the Year honor. He was also co-MVP (with J. R. Smith) of the McDonald's High School All-American Game that year.

NBA career

Early years

Following his high school successes, Howard chose to forego college and declared for the 2004 NBA Draft—a decision partly inspired by his idol Kevin Garnett who had done the same in 1995—where the Orlando Magic selected him first overall over UConn junior Emeka Okafor. He took the number 12 for his jersey, in part because it was the reverse of Garnett's 21 when he played for Minnesota. Howard joined a depleted Magic squad that had finished with only 21 victories the previous season; further, the club had just lost perennial NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady. Howard, however, made an immediate impact. He finished his rookie season with an average of 12.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg, setting several NBA records in the process. He became the youngest player in NBA history to average a double double in the regular season. He also became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 10.0 rebounds in a season and youngest NBA player ever to record at least 20 rebounds in a game. Howard's importance to the Magic was highlighted when he became the first player in NBA history directly out of high school to start all 82 games during his rookie season. For his efforts, he was selected to play in the 2005 NBA Rookie Challenge, and was unanimously selected to the All-Rookie Team. He also finished third to fellow center Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats and guard Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls for the Rookie of the Year award.

Howard reported to camp for his second NBA campaign having added 20 pounds of muscle during the off-season. Orlando coach Brian Hill—responsible for grooming former Magic superstar Shaquille O'Neal—decided that Howard should be converted into a full-fledged center. Hill identified two areas where Howard needed to improve: his post-up game, and his defense. He exerted extra pressure on Howard, saying that the Magic would need him to emerge as a force in the middle before the team had a chance at the playoffs. Even though the big man played tentatively at times, he was able to build on his strong rookie year with an impressive sophomore season. On November 15, 2005, in a home game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Howard scored 21 points and 20 rebounds, becoming the youngest player ever to score 20 or more points and gather 20 or more rebounds in the same game. He was selected to play on the Sophomore Team in the 2006 Rookie Challenge during the All-Star break, and on April 15, 2006, he recorded a career-high 26 rebounds against the Philadelphia 76ers; his 28 points in that game also brought him close to an NBA rarity, a 30–30 game. Overall, he averaged 15.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, ranking second in the NBA in rebounds per game, offensive rebounds, and double doubles; and sixth in field goal percentage. Despite Howard's improvement, the Magic finished the season with a 36–46 win-loss record and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season since Howard's arrival.

Howard took another step forward as the franchise player for Orlando in the 2006–07 season, and for the third consecutive season he played in all 82 regular season games. On February 1, 2007, he received his first NBA All-Star selection as a reserve on the Eastern Conference squad for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. Howard finished the game with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Less than a week later, he recorded a career-high 32 points against the Toronto Raptors. A highlight was his game-winning alley-oop off an inbound at the buzzer against the San Antonio Spurs at Amway Arena on February 9. As the push for playoff spots intensified, Howard was instrumental, recording another career-high 35 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 14, 2007. Under his leadership, the Magic qualified for the 2007 NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2003 as the number eight seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the Magic were swept by the eventual Eastern Conference finalist Detroit Pistons in the first round. Howard averaged 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, and finished first in the NBA in total rebounds, second in field goal percentage, and ninth in blocks. He was further recognized as one of the best players in the league when he was named to the All-NBA Third Team at the end of the 2006–07 campaign.

Leader of consecutive division champions

Howard continued posting impressive numbers in the 2007–08 season; with free agent Rashard Lewis added to the ranks alongisde Hedo Türkoğlu to provide an extra offensive spark, this was the Magic's best season yet. Howard's strong and consistent play ensured that he was named as a starter for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, and by the time the mid-season break arrived, he was leading the league in double doubles (he concluded the season with a league-high 69) and had recorded 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game on five occasions (eight by the season's end). On February 16, 2008, he won the 2008 NBA slam dunk contest by receiving 78% of the fan's votes via text messaging or online voting; in that contest, he performed a series of innovative dunks said to have rejuvenated the contest, including donning a Superman cape for one of the dunks. Howard led the Magic to their first division title in 12 years and to the third seed for the 2008 NBA Playoffs, and in the first-round match-up against the Toronto Raptors, Howard's dominance (three 20 point/20 rebound games) and point guard Jameer Nelson's strong play ensured that Orlando prevailed over five games. Howard's series total of 91 rebounds was also greater than the total rebounds collected by the entire Toronto frontcourt. In the next round against the Pistons, the Magic lost the first two road games before Howard's 20 point/12 rebound performance in Game 3 salvaged a home win. In that same week, the center was named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time, and subsequently, the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Detroit played without their star point guard Chauncey Billups for Games 4 and 5, but Orlando was unable to capitalize on that and lost the series 4–1 to the veteran playoffs team.

The 2008–09 campaign began well for Howard. Ten games into the season, the center was leading the league in blocks per game (4.2) and even recorded his first triple-double: 30 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks. At the halfway point of the season, Howard was leading the league in rebounds and blocks, and was among the league leaders in field goal percentage. He garnered a record 3.1 million votes to earn the starting berth on the Eastern Conference team for the 2009 NBA All-Star game. On March 25, 2009, Howard led Orlando to its second straight Southeast Division title with 11 games of the regular season left to play, and eventually the third seed for the 2009 NBA Playoffs with a 59–23 record. On April 21, 2009, he became the youngest player ever to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, achieving a goal he had set for himself before the start of the season. The Magic went into the playoffs without its injured starting point guard Jameer Nelson, and in the first round against the 76ers, Howard recorded 24 points and 24 rebounds in Game 5 to give Orlando a 3–2 lead, before the Magic closed out the series in six games. On May 6, 2009, the center was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, and a week later, to the All-NBA First Team. In the second round of the playoffs against the defending champions Boston, the Magic blew a lead in Game 5 and Howard publicly questioned coach Stan Van Gundy's tactics and said that he should be given the ball more; in Game 6, the center posted 23 points and 22 rebounds to force the series into seven games. The Magic went on to defeat Boston, and then defeated Cleveland—which was led by league MVP LeBron James—4–2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Howard had a playoffs career-high 40 points to go with his 14 rebounds in the deciding Game 6, leading Orlando to its first NBA Finals in 14 years. The Los Angeles Lakers took the first two home games to establish a 2–0 lead in the Finals, before a home win by the Magic brought the score to 2–1. In Game 4, despite Howard putting up 21 rebounds and a Finals-record of 9 blocks in a game, the Magic lost in overtime. The Lakers went on to win Game 5, and the NBA Finals.

The Magic went into the 2009–10 season with one major roster change: Türkoğlu departed for the Toronto Raptors, while eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter arrived from the New Jersey Nets. As with the previous two seasons, the Magic got off to a strong start, winning 17 of their first 21 games, setting a franchise record in the process. He also picked up two Conference Player of the Week awards. On January 21, 2010, Howard was named as the starting center for the East in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. Not long after the Magic completed the regular season with 59 wins and their third consecutive division title, Howard won the Defensive Player of the Year Award for the second straight year. He became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in blocks and rebounds in the same season twice—and for two years in a row. During the playoffs, the Magic defeated both Charlotte and Atlanta 4 games to none, in the first and second rounds respectively. In reaching the Conference Finals again, the Magic faced Boston—who had upset Cleveland in the Semifinals—Orlando lost the first three games, took the next two, but finally succumbed in Game 6.

Several teams in the Eastern Conference underwent significant roster changes to present a bigger challenge to Howard's Magic in the 2010–11 season: LeBron James and Chris Bosh teamed up with Dwyane Wade in Miami; Carlos Boozer was added to the Chicago Bulls; the aging Boston Celtics acquired Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal; and Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony joined New York. On Orlando's end, Türkoğlu returned, Carter and Jason Richardson of the Phoenix Suns swapped teams, as did Lewis and Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards. The Magic won 52 games in the regular season, and were seeded 4th in the Eastern Conference. Despite Howard posting career-highs in points and shooting percentages, the Magic lost to their first-round opponents in the playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks.

NBA honors, awards and achievements

Howard has amassed several NBA and franchise records and awards during his NBA career. He has led the league in rebounds per game three times, blocks per game twice, and double-doubles twice. He is also the youngest player in NBA history to reach one, two, three, four, five, six and seven thousand career rebounds, and the youngest player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding and blocks. Following Howard's season, he became the first ever NBA player to lead the league in total rebounds for five consecutive seasons. He surpassed Wilt Chamberlain's record of four from —, and again from —. He became the first player to lead the league in rebounding and blocks in consecutive seasons, and was also the first player to ever lead the league in rebounding, blocks, and field goal percentage in the same season. On April 18, 2011, Howard won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award, becoming the first player in league history to have won the award in three consecutive seasons.

:''Correct through regular season''

Regular season

Led the league

|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Orlando | 82 || 82 || 32.6 || .520 || .000 || .671 || 10.0 || .9 || .9 || 1.7 || 12.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Orlando | 82 || 81 || 36.8 || .531 || .000 || .595 || 12.5 || 1.5 || .8 || 1.4 || 15.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Orlando |82 || 82 || 36.9 || .603 || .500 || .586 || 12.3 || 1.9 || .9 || 1.9 || 17.6 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Orlando | 82 || 82 || 37.7 || .599 || .000 || .590 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 14.2 || 1.3 || .9 || 2.2 || 20.7 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Orlando | 79 || 79 || 35.7 || .572 || .000 || .594 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 13.8|| 1.4 || 1.0 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 2.9|| 20.6 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Orlando | 82 || 82 || 34.7 || bgcolor="CFECEC"|.612|| .000 || .592 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 13.2 || 1.8 || .9 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 2.8 || 18.3 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Orlando | 78 || 78 || 37.5 || .593 || .000 || .596 || 14.1 || 1.4 || 1.4 || 2.4 || 22.9 |-class="sortbottom" | align="left" colspan=2| Career | 567 || 566 || 36.0 || .578 || .038 || .598 || 12.9 || 1.5 || 1.0 || 2.2 || 18.2 |-class="sortbottom" | align="left" colspan=2| All-Star | 5 || 4 || 25.4 || .674 || .167 || .444 || 8.4 || 1.2 || 1.0 || 1.6 || 14.2

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2007 | align="left" | Orlando | 4 || 4 || 41.8 || .548 || .000 || .455 || 14.8 || 1.8 || .5 || 1.0 || 15.3 |- | align="left" | 2008 | align="left" | Orlando | 10 || 10 || 42.1 || .581 || .000 || .542 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 15.8|| .9 || .8 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 3.4 || 18.9 |- | align="left" | 2009 | align="left" | Orlando | 23 || 23 || 39.3 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| .601|| .000 || .636 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 15.3 || 1.9 || .9 || 2.6 || 20.3 |- | align="left" | 2010 | align="left" | Orlando | 14 || 14 || 35.5 || .614 || .000 || .519 || 11.1 || 1.4 || .8 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 3.5|| 18.1 |- | align="left" | 2011 | align="left" | Orlando | 6 || 6 || 42.8 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| .630|| .000 ||.682 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 15.5 || 0.5 || .7 || 1.8 || 27.0 |-class="sortbottom" | align="left" colspan=2| Career | 57 || 57 || 39.4 || .600 || .000 || .588 || 14.4 || 1.4 || .8 || 2.8 || 19.9

United States national team

}} Howard was named on 5 March 2006 to the 2006–2008 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program. As the team's regular starting center, he helped lead the team to a 5–0 record during its pre-World Championship tour, and subsequently helped the team win the bronze medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. During the FIBA Americas Championship 2007, Howard was on the team which won its first nine games en route to qualifying for the finals and a spot for the 2008 Olympics. He started in eight of those nine games, averaging 8.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg and led the team in shooting .778 from the field. In the finals, he made all seven of his shots and scored 20 points as the USA defeated Argentina to win the gold medal.

On June 23, 2008, Howard was named as one of the members of the 12-man squad representing the United States in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. With Howard starting as center, Team USA won all of its games en route to the gold medal, breaking their drought of gold medals dating back to the 2000 Olympics. Howard averaged 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in the tournament.

Player profile

Howard is considered the "franchise player" of the Magic. He is the NBA's leading rebounder (also leading the league in 2007–08 and 2008–09); to illustrate, in a game against the Golden State Warriors on January 10, 2007, his 25 rebounds for the Magic outnumbered the total number of boards grabbed by the starting five of the Warriors. Howard's rebounding is in part facilitated by his extraordinary athleticism; his vertical leap is estimated at almost 40 inches, rare for a player of his size (6'11", 265 pounds). He demonstrated this skill memorably in the 2007 Slam Dunk Contest during the NBA All-Star Weekend, during which he completed an alley oop dunk from teammate Jameer Nelson and slapped a sticker onto the backboard which reached . The sticker showed an image of his own smiling face with a handwritten "All things through Christ Phil: 4:13," a paraphrase of Philippians 4:13. As of April 2011, Howard's career average of 12.9 rebounds per game (in the regular season) ranks 13th in NBA history. The center has also remained largely injury-free in his NBA career, playing in 351 consecutive games before missing his first game.

Howard's abilities and powerful physique have drawn attention from fellow NBA All-Stars. Tim Duncan once remarked in 2007: "[Howard] is so developed... He has so much promise and I am glad that I will be out of the league when he is peaking." Kevin Garnett echoed those sentiments: "[Howard] is a freak of nature, man... I was nowhere near that physically talented. I wasn't that gifted, as far as body and physical presence." Subsequent to a game in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, Philadelphia 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala said: "It's like he can guard two guys at once. He can guard his guy and the guy coming off the pick-and-roll, which is almost impossible to do... If he gets any more athletic or jumps any higher, they're going to have to change the rules." As early as December 2007, ESPN writer David Thorpe declared Howard to be the most dominant center in the NBA.

While many sports pundits have been rating Howard as one of the top young prospects in the NBA since 2006, Howard has some weaknesses in his game. Offensively, his shooting range remains limited; he is also mistake-prone, having led the NBA in total number of turnovers in the 2006–07 season. Like many centers, he has a low free throw conversion percentage. As a result, he is often a target of the Hack-a-Shaq defense and is annually among the league leaders in free throw attempts. During the 2007–08 regular season, Howard led the NBA with 897 free throw attempts while shooting only 59% from the free throw line. Also in that season, outside of layups and dunks, his shooting percentage was only 31.6%. In the 2008–09 season, he led the NBA again with 849 free throw attempts and in 2009–10, he was second in the NBA with 816.

Personal life

Before he was drafted in 2004, Howard said that he wanted to use his NBA career and Christian faith to "raise the name of God within the league and throughout the world". He has stated he believes in reaching out to his community and fans and thus contributes substantially in the field of philanthropy. An avid listener of Gospel music, he attends the Fellowship of Faith Church when he is back home in Atlanta and is involved and active with the youth programs at the church. Together with his parents, Howard also established the Dwight D. Howard Foundation Inc. in 2004. The Foundation provides scholarships for students who want to attend his alma mater, Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, and grants to Lovell Elementary School and Memorial Middle School in Orlando, Florida. The Foundation also organizes summer basketball camps for boys and girls, and together with high school and college coaches and players, fellow NBA players are invited to be on hand at the camp. For his contributions in the Central Florida community, Howard received in 2005 the Rich and Helen De Vos Community Enrichment Award. Within the NBA itself, Howard has participated in several NBA "Read to Achieve" assemblies encouraging children to make reading a priority. In November 2009, the center was named one of the 10 finalists for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service, which awards athletes for their charitable work.

Elsewhere, Howard appeared as a special guest on an episode of the ABC series ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' that aired 2 April 2006, in which Ty Pennington and his team built a new home and ministry offices for Sadie Holmes, who operates a social services ministry in the Orlando area.

Howard and Royce Reed, a former dancer for the team, have a son, Braylon.

See also

List of career achievements by Dwight Howard

List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders

List of National Basketball Association season rebounding leaders

List of National Basketball Association season blocks leaders

List of National Basketball Association players with most blocks in a game

Notes

External links

Dwight Howard Official Site

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American basketball players Category:American Christians Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Centers (basketball) Category:Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year Category:Male basketball centers Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:National Basketball Association high school draftees Category:NBA Slam Dunk Contest champions Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Orlando Magic draft picks Category:Orlando Magic players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award winners Category:Olympic medalists in basketball

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name	Christian Kane
birth date	June 27, 1974
birth place	Dallas, Texas
occupation	Actor, singer/songwriter
years active	1997-present
website	www.christiankane.com
spouse	}}

Christian Kane (born June 27, 1974) is an American actor and singer/songwriter of Native American descent. He currently stars as Eliot Spencer on the TNT series ''Leverage''. He is best known for his roles in the television shows ''Angel'' and ''Into the West'', and the movies ''Just Married'' and ''Secondhand Lions''.

He is the lead singer of the country-southern rock band Kane; their album, ''The House Rules'', was released on December 7, 2010. The first single from the album, also titled "The House Rules", debuted at number 54 on the ''Billboard'' Country Songs chart.

Early life

Kane was born in Dallas, Texas. He is of Native American descent and is a cousin of country singer Branden Hart. His parents participated in, and met at, the rodeo. The family moved around the South and Midwest, because his father was in the oil business, and finally settled in Norman, Oklahoma when Kane was in 8th grade. While growing up in Texas and Oklahoma Kane was a wrestler and played American Football (as a strong safety) . He studied Art History at the University of Oklahoma, but decided he wanted to be an actor and headed to Los Angeles before finishing the degree. In LA he worked at a talent management company where he delivered scripts in exchange for being sent on auditions.

Career

Acting

Kane landed his first acting role in 1997, as one of the leads in MGM's television series ''Fame L.A.'', in the series he played a country singer who moved to Los Angeles from Kansas. His television roles have included a recurring role in Joss Whedon’s ''Angel'' as the lawyer Lindsey MacDonald, the Jerry Bruckheimer produced series ''Close to Home'' on CBS, the TNT television film ''Crossfire Trail'' in which he appeared alongside Tom Selleck, and he played the role of Abe Wheeler in the Steven Spielberg produced miniseries ''Into the West''.

Kane’s appearances on the big screen include the 20th Century Fox film ''Just Married'' and New Line Cinema's ''Secondhand Lions'', as the younger version of Robert Duvall's Hub McCann, he has a scar on his upper lip from an injury he received while filming the movie. He also appeared in ''Taxi'', ''Life or Something Like It'', the Peter Berg directed ''Friday Night Lights'', and the Warner Bros. baseball film ''Summer Catch''. In 2007 Kane was featured in the Carrie Underwood music video "So Small", playing the role of one of the three converging stories. In 2009 he appeared in the psychological thriller ''Hide'', in which he played the lead role of Billy, and ''The Donner Party'' which is based on the true story of the Donner Party. In 2010 he starred in the romantic drama ''Not Since You''.

Since late 2008 he appears on the TNT television series ''Leverage'', which will return for its fifth season next summer. Kane does his own stunts and fights as Eliot Spencer, a retrieval specialist who teams up with four other specialists to undo the injustices perpetrated upon the helpless.

Music

In 1997 Christian Kane met Steve Carlson, who had taken over his old job. They started writing songs together and in 1998 they formed the Southern rock band Kane. They have toured the U.S. as well as England and Germany. The band has self-released two albums. Their debut, the self-titled ''Kane'', in 2000 and in 2004 they released a recording of a live acoustic set called ''Live in London''.

The band consists of Christian Kane (lead vocals, guitar), Steve Carlson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Jason Southard (lead guitar), Will Amend (bass guitar), and Ryan Baker (drums) and is signed to independent record label Bigger Picture Group (Zac Brown Band, Big Kenny, The Harters). Their label debut is called ''The House Rules'' and was released on December 7, 2010. It debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers album chart and number 25 on the Country Albums chart. The album was produced by Bob Ezrin and Jimmie Lee Sloas.

The first single from the album, also titled "The House Rules" debuted at number 54 on the ''Billboard'' Country Songs chart and was the 7th most added song on Mediabase Country stations on its official impact date. The video for the single was directed by Timothy Hutton and premiered on CMT's ''Big New Music Weekend'' on October 1, 2010.

Christian Kane is also signed to a songwriting deal with EMI Music Publishing, and writes much of his own material. Trace Adkins released a song written by Kane called "Happy Man" on his 2010 album ''Cowboy's Back in Town''. Kane's co-writing efforts include songs written with Blair Daly, Brett James, David Lee Murphy, Casey Beathard, and Jerrod Niemann. "Thinking of You", a song he co-wrote with Blair Daly, featured in episode 3X06, "The Studio Job", of ''Leverage''.

Filmography

Actor

Title	Role
''Fame L.A.'' (1997) TV series	Ryan "Flyboy" Legget
''Rescue 77'' (1999) TV series	Wick Lobo
''EDtv'' (1999)	P.A.
''Angel (TV series)	Angel'' (1999–2001, 2003–2004) TV series	Lindsey McDonald
''The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy'' (2000)	Idaho Guy
''Love Song (2000 film)	Love Song'' (2000)	Billy Ryan Gallo
''Dawson's Creek'' (2001) TV series	Nick Taylor
''Crossfire Trail (film)	Crossfire Trail'' (2001)	John Thomas "J.T." Langston
''Summer Catch'' (2001)	Dale Robin
''Life or Something Like It'' (2002)	Cal Cooper
''The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron'' (2003)	Brian Cruver
''Just Married'' (2003)	Peter Prentiss
''Secondhand Lions'' (2003)	Young Hub
''The Plight of Clownana'' (2004)	Christian
''Las Vegas (TV series)	Las Vegas'' (2004) TV series	Bob
''Taxi (2004 film)	Taxi'' (2004)	Agent Mullins
''Friday Night Lights (film)	Friday Night Lights'' (2004)	Brian
''Into the West (miniseries)	Into the West'' (2005) TV mini-series	Abe Wheeler
''Her Minor Thing'' (2005)	Paul
''Keep Your Distance'' (2005)	Sean Voight
''24: The Game'' (2006) Video Game	Peter Madsen
''Close to Home (TV series)	Close to Home'' (2005–2006) TV series	Jack Chase
''Four Sheets to the Wind'' (2006)	David
''Hide (film)	Hide'' (2008)	Billy
''Leverage (TV series)	Leverage'' (2008–present) TV Series	Eliot Spencer
''Not Since You'' (2008)	Ryan
''Good Day For It'' (2010)	Dale Acton
''Minuteman'' (2010)	Peacemaker

Soundtrack

Title	Song(s) Featured
''Angel (TV series)	Angel'' (2001)	"L.A. Song"
''Life or Something Like It'' (2002)	"Sweet Carolina Rain" (as KANE)
''The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron'' TV (2003)	"More Than I Deserve" (as KANE)
''Just Married'' (2003)	"The Chase" (as KANE)
''Leverage (TV series)	Leverage'' -- "The Two Horse Job" (2008)	"More Than I Deserve" (as KANE)
''NASCAR 09'' (2009)	"The House Rules" (as Christian Kane)
''Keep Your Distance'' (2005)	"Right In Front Of You" (as Sean Voight/KANE)
''Leverage (TV series)	Leverage'' -- "The Studio Job" (2010)	"Thinking of You"

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"
''Kane''		* Release date: 2000	* Label: self-released	Compact disc>CD	—	—	—
''The House Rules''		* Release date: December 7, 2010	* Label: Bigger Picture Music Group	* Formats: CD, music download	25	178	1

Extended plays

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"
''Christian Kane''		* Release date: March 9, 2010	* Label: Bigger Picture Music Group	* Formats: CD, music download	28	159	5

Live albums

Title	Album details
''Live in London''		* Release date: 2004	* Label: self-released	* Formats: CD

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions	Album
		! width="50"
2010	"The House Rules"	49
2011	"Let Me Go"A	58

^A Current single.

Music videos

! Year	Video	! Director
2010	"The House Rules"	Timothy Hutton
2011	"Let Me Go"	Roman White

References

External links

Christian Kane Official Facebook

Christian Kane Official Myspace

Christian Kane Official Twitter

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Texas Category:American country singers Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Columbia Records artists Category:People from Dallas, Texas Category:People from Norman, Oklahoma Category:American people of Cherokee descent Category:Bigger Picture Music Group artists

ca:Christian Kane de:Christian Kane es:Christian Kane fr:Christian Kane it:Christian Kane nl:Christian Kane pl:Christian Kane pt:Christian Kane ru:Кейн, Кристиан