name	The Guardian
director	Andrew Davis
producer	Armyan BernsteinLowell D. BlankZanne Devine
writer	Ron L. Brinkerhoff
starring	Kevin CostnerAshton KutcherMelissa SagemillerClancy Brown
music	Trevor Rabin
cinematography	Stephen St. John
editing	Thomas J. NordbergDennis Virkler
studio	Beacon Communications
distributor	Touchstone Pictures
released	September 29, 2006
runtime	139 minutes
country	United States
language	English
budget	$80 million
gross	$94,973,540 }}

''The Guardian'' is a 2006 action-adventure drama film starring Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher, and Melissa Sagemiller. The film was released on September 29, 2006, and was directed by Andrew Davis, director of ''The Fugitive''. The setting for the film is the United States Coast Guard and their Aviation Survival Technician (AST) program.

Plot

The plot follows Ben Randall (Kevin Costner) and Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher) at the United States Coast Guard's Aviation Survival Technician (AST) Program. Randall is the top rescue swimmer who continues to work against regulation past the age of 40. Fischer is a hot-shot candidate for AST who was ranked as a top competitive swimmer in high school with scholarships to every Ivy league college and university but opted to enlist in the Coast Guard. The film's title is introduced by a mythic tale: people lost at sea often claim they feel a presence lifting them to the surface, breathing life into their bodies while they are waiting for help to arrive. They call this presence "The Guardian."

Ben, who has been juggling his home life and work as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, is confronted by his wife asking for a separation due to his frequent time at work. During the argument, he receives a page for an immediate rescue. Out at sea, he loses his rescue team in an HH-60J Jayhawk helicopter mishap, and while waiting in a survival raft, his best friend, Chief Petty Officer Carl Billings (Omari Hardwick), dies due to injury, cold, and shock. Additionally, Ben had placed a victim into the helicopter's rescue basket who was abruptly pulled under with the sinking helicopter and was never seen again. Shaken, he is forced to either retire or to teach at a Coast Guard training school to recompose in which he reluctantly chooses the latter. Here, Jake arrives as a hopeful AST candidate at "A" school. Ben is considered a legend with a countless number of saves.

Ben goes against protocol as an instructor and teaches, while Jake is the usual arrogant, but good-hearted student. During the training, Jake meets a local schoolteacher, Emily Thomas, and begins a "casual" relationship, as they both know his time there is limited. Once the initial, grueling weeks of training are over, and more than half of the students dropped (the school's Commandant almost boasts of an attrition rate of more than 50%), detailed instruction begins at the academy. After sleeping at his girlfriend’s house, Jake arrives late to class and is confronted by the waiting Ben. Unexpectedly, Jake is not dropped, although he is punished for his tardiness. Ben tries to force Jake into quitting, but he later sees his persistence and dedication. Meeting Emily in a bar, Jake tells her about him beating all of his instructor's, Ben Randall, records. However, Maggie the barkeep (Bonnie Bramlett), an old friend of Ben's, tells Jake of an unbreakable record: On a rescue at a ship fire (The Aegis), Ben worked tirelessly to save all the victims. With one man left and a broken winch, Randall held the man by his fingertips for the entire flight to land, resulting in extensive injuries to his hand and shoulder, a record that could never be broken. Jake is humbled.

That night, Jake and Emily are at her house and Jake proposes they go on a date. Emily denies the date with Jake to stick to their "casual relationship" but later gives in to the date and they sleep together again. Later, during instruction, Jake's friend Charlie Hodge is unable to cope with panicked victims in the water and is afraid of failing school, so Jake takes him out for a drink before his date with Emily to cheer him up. After ending up in a Navy bar, they get involved in a fight and land in jail, leaving Jake's girlfriend stood up. Jake arrives back at base beaten and bandaged where he takes the blame entirely.

Ben confronts Jake as to why he left his prospects as a competitive swimmer to join the AST program, and tells Jake what he learned about Jake's past: on a late night out, Jake, the designated driver, got into an accidental automobile crash, resulting in the deaths of his high school relay team. After a moment of sorrow, Ben and Jake share common ground, now they both know how it feels like to be the only survivor. Jake asks what Ben’s real number of saves is; no answer is given. Instruction is nearing completion and Jake takes to the role of leader during exercises. At graduation only a handful of the original candidates remain. Emily comes to see her boyfriend graduate, but the two must say goodbye because Jake is leaving town. Jake and Emily find saying goodbye to each other overwhelming by sharing a hug and kiss, then they slowly walk away from each other.

Jake is assigned to CG Air Station Kodiak, Alaska for protection of the Bering Sea, Randall’s post and the same post Jake wants to be assigned to in the first place. On a mission together they are sent to rescue two kayakers trapped in a cave. Fischer enters the cave and lights a flare. This brings back painful memories as Ben flashes back to his crew's disaster. After rescuing the first victim Jake returns to find Ben locked up unable to move. Ben's victim had hit a log and had a head laceration, which reminded him of the night he lost his crew. Jake continues to rescue both the second victim and Ben. At this point Ben realizes he cannot continue. Against his commander's wishes he retires. Jake again asks Ben what the number is. Twenty-two is the answer, the number of people Ben couldn't save, the only number he kept track of. Finding his wife’s house, Ben goes in to apologize. He gives her the divorce papers and his wedding ring while they both act remorseful. Ben reveals that he has retired and slowly makes his way out. Ben returns to station to clear his office when he hears the radio chatter of a rescuer needed. Jake is to be sent to rescue four sailors trapped on a sinking vessel.

Three seamen are rescued while the ship's captain is trapped in the hull. While Jake refuses to leave the captain, the chopper leaves to refuel. Finally freeing the captain, the door to the room is sealed shut by water and debris. Trapped in the room the hull begins to fill with seawater. Moreover, waves hit the vessel, causing the captain to hit his head against a pipe.

In addition, an oxygen tank falls on the captain's body, killing him in the process. Ben Randall is the only rescue swimmer available to save Jake. He promptly begins to gather his gear. On scene, Ben is lowered onto the vessel. Getting snagged on the mast he is forced to unhook and climb down. At this point Jake has very little breathing room. Finding the sealed door, the water is released and Jake is freed. Back on deck they both hook to the rescue cable. Halfway up, the winch jams and the cable begins to unravel. Ben, realizing it can't hold both of them, unhooks and tries to fall. Jake catches and will not let him go, holding onto him by his glove simply saying "I won't let go". Ben understandingly replies "I know" and unstraps his glove, plummeting from a fatal height into the ocean. Desperate to go in, Jake is not allowed, as the only cable they have is broken and are afraid to lose Jake as well; the spotlights never see Ben resurface.

In the epilogue, Jake narrates the final part of the movie, wondering what happened to Ben, as opinions differ. Yet, when he saves an unknown sailor from the deep, the sailor swears that with him was a man who "never let go," saying that he would wait for help. It ends with Jake commenting on how there is a man who lives under the sea, a fisher for men. They call him "The Guardian".

In the film's final scene, Jake interrupts Emily at her elementary school. She asks "What are you doing here?", and Jake answers "I lied to you—I can't do casual". There, Emily kisses Jake happily.

Cast

Many of the supporting actors, including ASTC instructors, helicopter pilots, and support personnel, are actual U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers, pilots, and ground personnel. Several characters, including Kutcher's, identify themselves as Airman. An Airman is the enlisted rating of a Coast Guardsman who is undesignated and/or currently undergoing training in an aviation related field. Similar ratings within the Coast Guard are those of Seaman and Fireman.

One of the students was Mark Gangloff, an Olympic swimmer who received a gold medal in the Athens Olympic Games. *Clancy Brown "reprises" his role in ''The Guardian'' as another "Captain Hadley" — in the film adaptation of Stephen King's ''The Shawshank Redemption'', Brown played the chief of the prison's guards as Captain Byron Hadley.

Kevin Costner as Senior Chief Aviation Survival Technician Ben Randall

Ashton Kutcher as Airman/Petty Officer 3rd Class Jake Fischer

Neal McDonough as Chief Aviation Survival Technician Jack Skinner

Melissa Sagemiller as Emily Thomas

Clancy Brown as Captain William Hadley

Brian Geraghty as Aviation Survival Technician Third Class Billy Hodge

Sela Ward as Helen Randall

Omari Hardwick as Carl Billings

Michael Rady as Zingaro

Peter Gail as Airman Danny Doran

Shelby Fenner as Airman Cate Lindsey

Damon Lipari as Bennett/Damon Bennett

Bonnie Bramlett as Maggie McGlone

John Heard as Captain Frank Larson

Dulé Hill as Airman Ken Weatherly

Brian Patrick Wade as Mitch Lyons

Joe Arquette as Co-Pilot Antunez

Andrew Schanno as Pilot Henry Mitchell

Tilky Jones as Tilky Flint

Daniel Molthen as Richard Wakefield

Bryce Cass as Manny

Chicago Catz as the bar band

Production

The production company hired local contractors to build a massive indoor wave pool for production.

Following the series of hurricanes in the southern United States in 2005, production moved to Shreveport, Louisiana. Some of the "base" scenes were filmed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana, and also at Camp Minden in Minden, Louisiana.

The film was revised after Hurricane Katrina, with the addition of several comments on the storm and the rescues following. The end credits are replete with "glory" shots of U.S. Coast Guard helicopters conducting rescues in the greater New Orleans area. The DVD contains a special feature on U.S. Coast Guard rescue operations, especially in the aftermath of Katrina.

Some of the scenes that were supposed to be filmed in Kodiak, Alaska were filmed at CG Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, instead. 60,000 pounds of ice were needed on the set.

The training pool used in the movie was LSU-Shreveport's natatorium.

The 3D fluid effects (ocean surfaces, cresting waves, splashes, bow-spray, boat wakes, rain) were created by Flash Film Works in Hollywood with the expertise of Mark Stasiuk (RealFlow expert) at Fusion CI Studios in Los Angeles.

Historical relevance

The mishap where Randall loses his crew is loosely based on an actual U.S. Coast Guard aviation mishap in Alaska. The aircraft was an HH-3F Pelican (USCG variant of the Jolly Green Giant) instead of the HH-60J Jayhawk (USCG variant of the Blackhawk/Seahawk) pictured in the movie.

Release

Box office

The film earned $18 million on its opening weekend, and almost $95 million worldwide by January 4, 2007.

Critical reception

''The Guardian'' received average reviews: Rotten Tomatoes currently has it at 37% rotten (141 reviews: 52 fresh, 89 rotten) while Metacritic rates it a 53/100 based on 29 reviews. Stephen Hunter pans it in ''The Washington Post'', calling it "a good little film" for the first hour then it "begins to overload its frail reed of a structure with giant sloppages of cliches from other movies, some so bad it's almost comical", concluding that the movie "veers off into slobbery touchy-feeliness, and the tone becomes mock-religious, almost liturgical." Wesley Morris of ''The Boston Globe'' called it "dutiful but dull." For ''The New York Times'', A.O. Scott notes that participation by actual members of the Coast Guard "lends an air of authenticity" and concludes "[i]t’s not a great movie, but it’s certainly one of the finest Coast Guard pictures you’re likely to see anytime soon." In a ''Variety'' review, Joe Leydon says the movie is "overlong but [the] involving drama has obvious cross-generational appeal." Ed Blank in ''The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'' acknowledges there is plenty to snipe at yet also adds ''The Guardian'' "regurgitates formulaic elements in a way that pays off repeatedly and potently."

Home media

Alternate ending

In an alternate ending found on the DVD, Randall survives. As he unhooks and tries to fall, Jake again grabs him and vows not to let go. Instead of unstrapping his glove, Randall lets the cable pull them up and it breaks just as they get into the helicopter. This ending was added because some of the writers were worried that the original ending was too strong for viewers. Nonetheless, it was scrapped when Disney chairman, Dick Cook, applauded the original ending.

Soundtrack

name	The Guardian
type	Soundtrack
artist	Various artists
cover	The Guardian OST.jpg
released	September 12, 2006
genre	Pop, Rock
length	50:29
label	Hollywood Records
next album	}}

The soundtrack was released on September 12, 2006. The soundtrack uses a variety of music genres, including R&B;, Country music, Rock and Soul blues.

;Track listing

References

External links

(DVD)

The real stories of fatal Coast Guard aviation accidents

The Guardian at Gery.pl — Film (pl)

Photos from the premiere of ''The Guardian'' at Yahoo Movies

''The Guardian'' full production notes

Category:2006 films Category:2000s action films Category:2000s drama films Category:American action films Category:American adventure films Category:American drama films Category:English-language films Category:Adventure drama films Category:Aviation films Category:United States Coast Guard Aviation Category:Touchstone Pictures films Category:Films shot in Alaska Category:Films shot in Oregon Category:Films shot in North Carolina Category:Films shot in California Category:Films shot in Louisiana

bg:Спасителен отряд (филм, 2006) de:Jede Sekunde zählt – The Guardian es:The Guardian (película de 2006) fr:Coast Guards it:The Guardian - Salvataggio in mare hu:Hullámtörők nl:The Guardian (film) ja:守護神 (映画) no:The Guardian (2006 film) pl:Patrol (film) pt:The Guardian (filme) ru:Спасатель (фильм, 2006) fi:Meripelastaja sv:The Guardian (film) tr:Koruyucu (film)

name	Ashton Kutcher
birth name	Christopher Ashton Kutcher
birth date	February 07, 1978
birth place	Cedar Rapids, Iowa, US
occupation	Actor, producer, former fashion model, comedian, television host
yearsactive	1998–present
spouse	Demi Moore (m. 2005–present)
website	}}

Christopher Ashton Kutcher (; born February 7, 1978), best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom ''That '70s Show''. He also created, produced and hosted ''Punk'd'', and played lead roles in the Hollywood films ''Dude, Where's My Car?'', ''Just Married'', ''The Butterfly Effect'', ''The Guardian'', and ''What Happens in Vegas''. He is also the producer and co-creator of the supernatural TV show ''Room 401'' and the reality TV show ''Beauty and the Geek''. It was announced in May 2011 that Kutcher would replace Charlie Sheen in the hit CBS sitcom ''Two and a Half Men''.

Early life

Kutcher was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Larry Kutcher, a factory worker, and Diane (née Finnegan), a Procter & Gamble employee. Kutcher was raised in a conservative Roman Catholic family, with an older sister, Tausha, and a fraternal twin, Michael, who had a heart transplant when the brothers were young children. Kutcher attended Washington High School in Cedar Rapids for his freshman year before his family moved to Homestead, Iowa, where he attended Clear Creek Amana High School. In a 2010 interview on ''Late Night with David Letterman'', Kutcher claimed to be an all-state linebacker who averaged 15 tackles per game in high school. According to a former coach, however, Kutcher played sparingly as a wide receiver on a team that won only two games in his entire high school football career. Kutcher also appeared in school plays.

Kutcher's brother's cardiomyopathy caused his home life to become increasingly stressful. He has stated that "I didn't want to come home and find more bad news about my brother" and "kept myself so busy that I didn't allow myself to feel". Kutcher admitted that during adolescence, he contemplated committing suicide. At thirteen, he attempted to jump from a Cedar Rapids hospital balcony, with his father intervening in the incident. Kutcher's home life worsened as his parents divorced when he was sixteen. During his senior year, he broke into his high school at midnight with his cousin in an attempt to steal money; he was arrested leaving the scene. Kutcher was convicted of third-degree burglary and sentenced to three years' probation and 180 hours of community service. Kutcher stated that although the experience "straightened him out", he lost his girlfriend and anticipated college scholarships, and he was ostracized at school and in his community.

Kutcher enrolled at the University of Iowa in August 1996, where his planned major was biochemical engineering, motivated by the desire to find a cure for his brother's heart ailment. At college, Kutcher was kicked out of his apartment for being too "noisy" and "wild". Kutcher stated, "I thought I knew everything but I didn't have a clue. I was partying, and I woke up many mornings not knowing what I had done the night before. I played way too hard. I am amazed I am not dead." To earn money for his tuition, Kutcher worked as a college summer hire in the cereal department for the General Mills plant in Cedar Rapids, and sometimes donated blood for money. During his time at UI he was approached by a scout at a bar called "The Airliner" in Iowa City and was recruited to enter the "Fresh Faces of Iowa" modeling competition. After placing first, he dropped out of college and won a trip to New York City to the International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) Convention. Following his stay in New York City, Kutcher returned to Cedar Rapids before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.

Career

Modeling career

After participating as a modeling contestant in an IMTA competition (losing to Josh Duhamel) in 1998, Kutcher signed with the Next modeling agency in New York, appeared in ads for Calvin Klein, modeled in Paris and Milan, and appeared in a Pizza Hut commercial.

Television and film career

After some success in modeling, Kutcher moved to Los Angeles and, after his first audition, was cast as Michael Kelso in the television series ''That '70s Show'', which debuted in 1998 and ended in 2006. Kutcher was cast in a series of film roles; although he auditioned but was not cast for the role of Danny Walker in ''Pearl Harbor'' (2001), (role went to Josh Hartnett), he starred in several comedy films, including ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' (2000), ''Just Married'' (2003), and ''Guess Who'' (2005). He briefly appeared in the 2003 family film, ''Cheaper By The Dozen'', playing a self-obsessed actor. His 2004 film ''The Butterfly Effect'' was an unusually dramatic role for Kutcher, playing a conflicted young man who fell in love with a girl named Kayleigh; the film received mixed to negative reviews, but was a box-office success.

In 2003, Kutcher produced and starred in his own series on MTV's ''Punk'd'' as the host. The series involved various hidden camera tricks performed on celebrities. Kutcher is also an executive producer of the reality television shows ''Beauty and the Geek'', ''Adventures in Hollyhood'' (based around the rap group Three 6 Mafia), and ''The Real Wedding Crashers'' and the game show ''Opportunity Knocks''. Many of his production credits, including ''Punk'd'', come through Katalyst Films, a production company he runs with partner Jason Goldberg.

Because of scheduling conflicts with the filming of ''The Guardian'', Ashton was forced not to renew his contract for the eighth and final season of ''That 70s Show'', although he did appear in the first four episodes of it (credited as a special guest star) and returned for the show's series finale.

Kutcher produced and starred in the 2010 action comedy, ''Killers'', in which he played a hitman.

In May 2011, Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen on ''Two and a Half Men''. Kutcher's contract, which is for one year is believed to be worth nearly $20 million.

Other work

Kutcher was part of the management team for Ooma, a tech start-up launched in September 2007. Ooma is in the Voice over Internet Protocol business and Ashton's role was as Creative Director. He was spearheading a marketing campaign and producing viral videos to promote this service. Kutcher has also created an interactive arm of Katalyst called Katalyst Media with his partner from Katalyst Films, Jason Goldberg. Their first site is the animated cartoon ''Blah Girls''. Ooma revamped its sales and marketing strategy with a new management team in the summer of 2008, replacing Ashton Kutcher as their creative director. Rich Buchanan, from Sling Media, became Ooma's Chief Marketing Officer.

He currently advertises for Nikon cameras. In July 2011, Brazilian fashion label Colcci hired Kutcher and Alessandra Ambrosio to feature in a steamy denim advertisement.

Personal life

In 2003, Kutcher began dating actress Demi Moore. Moore and Kutcher married on September 24, 2005, in a private ceremony conducted by a Rabbi of the Kabbalah Center; the wedding was attended by about 150 close friends and family of the couple, including Bruce Willis, Moore's ex-husband. In October 2010, Kutcher and Moore met with co-director of the Kabbalah Center Rabbi Yehuda Berg in Israel.

Kutcher has invested in an Italian restaurant, ''Dolce'' (other owners include Danny Masterson and Wilmer Valderrama) and a Japanese-themed restaurant named ''Geisha House'' located in Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York.

Kutcher is a self-described fiscal conservative and social liberal. He is a student of Kabbalah; his co-star, Natalie Portman, stated in 2011 that Kutcher "has taught me more about Judaism than I think I have ever learned from anyone else".

On September 17, 2008, Kutcher was named the assistant coach for the freshman football team at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles. However, he was unable to return in 2009 because he was filming ''Spread''.

Twitter presence

On April 16, 2009, Kutcher ("aplusk") became the first user of Twitter to have more than 1,000,000 followers, beating CNN in the "Million followers contest". Kutcher announced via Twitter that he would be donating $100,000 to a charity to fight malaria. However, there have been several reports that Twitter manipulated the contest's results by preventing users from "unfollowing" Kutcher or CNN.

Controversy

In April 2011, Kutcher and wife Demi Moore began a public service announcement campaign claiming that "Real Men" do not engage the services of child prostitutes who are the victims of human trafficking. Kutcher's claims that 100,000 - 300,000 American children were sold in to sexual slavery were criticized by newspaper the ''Village Voice'', which gave evidence refuting the claims. Kutcher represented a study referring to minors 'at risk' for sexual exploitation as referring to children actually being prostituted. Experts estimate the true numbers to be in the hundreds, not the hundreds of thousands. Kutcher reacted to the criticism by accusing the ''Village Voice'' of promoting child prostitution and using Twitter to request that ''Village Voice'' advertisers including American Airlines, Disney and Domino's Pizza withdraw their advertising from the publication.

Filmography

! Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
1998–2006	''That '70s Show''	Michael Kelso	Seasons 1-7 (Regular); Season 8 (Recurring) 180 episodes
1999		Louie
	''Down to You''	Jim Morrison
''Reindeer Games''	College Kid
''Dude, Where's My Car?''	Jesse Montgomery III
	''Just Shoot Me!''	Dean Cassidy	1 episode
	George Durham
2002	''Grounded for Life''	Cousin Scott	1 episode
2003–2007	''Punk'd''	Himself/Host
	''Just Married''	Tom Leezak
''My Boss's Daughter''	Tom Stansfield
	Hank	Supporting role
2004	''The Butterfly Effect''	Evan Treborn	Main role
		Simon Green
''A Lot Like Love''	Oliver Martin
''Robot Chicken''	Various	Voice
		Fisher
	Jake Fischer
	Elliot	Voice
	''Miss Guided''	Beaux	1 episode
''What Happens in Vegas''	Jack Fuller	Lead role
		Nikki	Main role
''Personal Effects''	Walter	Main role
		Reed Bennet	Main role
	Spencer Aimes	Main role
		Adam Franklin	Main role
	Randy	Supporting role
	''Two and a Half Men''		Main roleSeason 9

As a producer

! Year	! Title	! Episodes	! Notes
2003–2007	''Punk'd''	69 episodes	Executive producer/host
2003	''My Boss's Daughter''		Co-producer
	''The Butterfly Effect''		Executive producer
''You've Got a Friend''	8 episodes	Executive producer
2005–2008	''Beauty and the Geek''	48 episodes	Executive producer
	''Adventures in Hollyhood''	8 episodes	Executive producer
''Miss Guided''	7 episodes	Executive producer
''Game Show in My Head''		Executive producer
''The Real Wedding Crashers''	7 episodes	Executive producer
''Room 401''	8 episodes	Executive producer
2008	''Pop Fiction''		Executive producer
2008–2009			TV series (Executive producer)
			Executive producer
''The Beautiful Life''	5 episodes
2005	''A Lot Like Love''
2010			Executive producer

Awards

Young Artist Award

* 1999 – Best Performance in a TV Series - Young Ensemble for ''That '70 Show'' (shared with Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, Wilmer Valderrama and Danny Masterson)- Nominated

Kid's Choice Awards

* 2004 – Favorite Movie Actor for ''Just Married'', ''My Boss's Daughter'' and ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' – Nominated

* 2004 – Favorite Television Actor for ''That '70s Show'' and ''Punk'd'' – Winner

* 2005 – Favorite TV Actor for ''That '70s Show'' and ''Punk'd'' – Nominated

* 2006 – Favorite TV Actor for ''That '70s Show'' - Nominated

* 2007 – Favorite Voice in a Cartoon for ''Open Season'' – Nominated

People's Choice Awards

* 2010 – Favorite Web Celeb – Winner

Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award

* 2000 – Sierra Award Best Male Newcomer for ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' – Nominated

MTV Movie Awards

* 2001 – Breakthrough Male Performance for ''Dude, Where's My Car?'' – Nominated

* 2011 – Best Comedic Performance for ''No Strings Attached'' – Pending

Teen Choice Awards

* 2003 – Choice Reality Hunk for ''Punk'd'' - Winner

* 2003 – Choice TV Reality/Variety Host for ''Punk'd''- Winner

* 2003 – Choice TV Actor - Comedy for ''That '70s Show'' - Winner

* 2004 – Choice TV Personality - Winner

* 2004 – Choice Reality/Variety TV Star - Male for ''Punk'd'' - Winner

* 2004 – Choice TV Actor - Comedy for ''That '70s Show'' - Winner

* 2004 – Choice Movie Hissy Fit for ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' - Nominated

* 2004 – Choice Movie Liplock ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' (shared with Piper Perabo) - Nominated

* 2005 – Choice: TV Male Personality for ''Punk'd'' – Winner

* 2005 – Choice TV Actor: Comedy for ''That '70s Show'' - Winner

* 2005 – Choice Movie Actor: Comedy for ''Guess Who'' and ''A Lot Like Love'' - Nominated

* 2005 – Choice Movie Rockstar Moment for ''A Lot Like Love'' - Winner

* 2007 – Choice Movie Actor: Drama for ''The Guardian'' - Nominated

* 2008 – Choice: Movie Actor Romantic Comedy for ''What Happens In Vegas'' – Winner

* 2010 – Choice: Movie Actor Romantic Comedy for ''Valentine's Day'' – Winner

* 2011 – Choice: Movie Actor Romantic Comedy for ''No Strings Attached'' – Winner

Golden Raspberry Awards

* 2003 - Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple for ''Just Married'' (shared with Brittany Murphy) and ''My boss's Daughter'' (shared with Tara Reid) - Nominated

*2004 - Razzie Award for Worst Actor for ''Cheaper By The Dozen,'' ''Just Married'' and ''My Boss's Daughter'' - Nominated

* 2010 - Razzie Award for Worst Actor for ''Killers'' – Winner

References

External links

Category:1978 births Category:Actors from Iowa Category:American film actors Category:American male models Category:American television actors Category:American television producers Category:American voice actors Category:Living people Category:Male pageant winners Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Cedar Rapids, Iowa Category:Pranksters Category:Twin people from the United States Category:University of Iowa alumni

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name	Amy Winehouse
alt	Amy Winehouse at the Eurockéennes festival in France (2007)
background	solo_singer
birth name	Amy Jade Winehouse
birth date	September 14, 1983
birth place	Southgate, London, UK
death date	July 23, 2011
death place	Camden, London, UK
genre	Soul, R&B;, jazz
instrument	Vocals, guitar
occupation	Singer, songwriter
years active	1998–2011
label	Island, Lioness, Universal Republic (U.S.)
website	}}

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

On 14 February 2007, she won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. She won the Ivor Novello Award three times, one in 2004 for Best Contemporary Song (musically and lyrically) for "Stronger Than Me", one in 2007 for Best Contemporary Song for "Rehab", and one in 2008 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Love Is a Losing Game", among other distinctions. The album is the biggest seller of the 2000s in the United Kingdom. Winehouse is credited as an influence in the rise in popularity of female musicians and soul music, and also for revitalising British music.

Winehouse was found dead on 23 July 2011, at her home in London. Police have said that the cause of her death is "as yet unexplained" and that the death was "non-suspicious". Winehouse's family and friends attended her funeral on 26 July 2011. In August 2011 her album ''Back to Black'' became the UK's best selling album of the 21st century.

Early life

Winehouse was born in the Southgate area of North London to a Jewish family, with Russian ancestry on her mother's side, who influenced her interest in jazz. Winehouse was the daughter of Mitchell (Mitch) Winehouse, a taxi driver, and Janis Winehouse (''née'' Seaton), a pharmacist. Her grandmother had once been engaged to Ronnie Scott. Her brother, Alex, is four years older. Mitch often sang Frank Sinatra songs to young Amy, who also took to a constant habit of singing to the point that teachers found it difficult keeping her quiet in class. Winehouse's parents separated when she was nine.

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

Music career

Early career

After toying with her brother's guitar, Winehouse received her first guitar when she was 13, and began writing music a year later. She began working soon after, including as a showbiz journalist for the World Entertainment News Network, in addition to singing with local group the Bolsha Band. Her boyfriend at the time, soul singer Tyler James, sent her demo tape to an A&R; person. Her future A&R; representative at Island/Universal, Darcus Beese, heard her by accident when the manager of The Lewinson Brothers showed him some productions of his clients on which Winehouse featured as vocalist. When he asked who the singer was the manager told him he was not allowed to say. Having decided that he wanted to sign her it took several months of asking around for Beese to eventually discover who the singer was. By this time Winehouse had already recorded a number of songs and signed a publishing deal with EMI. Through the publishers she formed a working relationship with the producer Salaam Remi.

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

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

''The New York Times'' reporter, Guy Trebay, discussed the multiplicity of influences on Winehouse's style. Trebay notes: "her stylish husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, may have influenced her look." Additionally, Trebay observes: :She was a 5-foot-3 almanac of visual reference, most famously to Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes, but also to the white British soul singer Mari Wilson, less famous for her sound than her beehive; to the punk god Johnny Thunders...; to the fierce council-house chicks... (see: Dior and Chanel runways, 2007 and 2008); to the rat-combed biker molls photographed by the Swiss photographer Karlheinz Weinberger in the 1960s; to a lineage of bad girls extending from Cleopatra to Louise Brooks’s Lulu to Salt-n-Pepa, irresistible man traps who always seem to come to the same unfortunate end.

Major label success and ''Frank''

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

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

International success and ''Back to Black''

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

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

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

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

Continued success and acclaim

By year's end, Winehouse had garnered numerous accolades and awards. The singer won 2008 Grammy Awards in the categories of Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the single "Rehab", while her album ''Back to Black'' was nominated for Album of the Year and won the Best Pop Vocal Album award. Producer Mark Ronson's work with her won the award in the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical category. The singer also earned a Grammy in the Best New Artist category. This earned Winehouse an entry in the 2009 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for Most Grammy Awards won by a British Female Act. She performed "You Know I’m No Good" and "Rehab" at the awards ceremony via satellite, as her visa approval came through too late for her to travel to the US. She said "This is for London because Camden town is burning down", in reference to the Camden Market fire. After the Grammy Awards, the album's sales increased catapulting ''Back to Black'' to number two on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 after initially peaking at number seven. On 13 January 2008, ''Back to Black'' held the number one position on the ''Billboard'' Pan European charts for the third straight week. In January 2008, Universal Music International said it believed that there was a correlation between number of albums sold and the extensive media coverage the singer had received.

thumb|left|Performing at Eurockéennes in Belfort, Territoire de Belfort, France on 29 June 2007 A special deluxe edition of ''Back to Black'' topped the UK album charts on 2 March 2008. The original edition of the album resided at the number 30 position, in its 68th week on the charts, while "Frank" charted at number 35. By 12 March, the album had sold a total of 2,467,575 copies, 318,350 of those in the previous 10 weeks, putting the album on the UK's top 10 best-selling albums of the 21st century for the first time. On 7 April, ''Back to Black'' was residing at the top position on the pan-European charts for the sixth consecutive and thirteenth aggregate week. ''Back to Black'' was the world's seventh biggest selling album for 2008. These sales helped keep Universal Music's recorded music division from dropping to levels experienced by the overall music market.

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

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

Final projects

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

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

American singer Tony Bennett recorded a song with Winehouse for his forthcoming album, ''Duets II'', which is scheduled for release on 20 September 2011. Following her death Winehouse's spokesperson said the singer left behind “plenty” of material but no discussions had taken place in regards to releasing it. It is uncertain how far along she had gotten in the recording process. The proceeds from the single will go to a charity set up in Winehouse's name.

Artistry

Influence

British singer Adele has credited Winehouse's success in the United States for making her and fellow British singer Duffy's journey to the United States "a bit smoother". American singer Lady Gaga credited Winehouse with paving the way for her rise to the top of the charts. She appeared to be using a metaphorical analogy to explain that Winehouse made it easier for unconventional women to have mainstream pop success. The "Winehouse phenomenon" has been credited by Sebastian Danchin, author of ''Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Soul'', with kick-starting a revival of soul music that has been ongoing since 2000. Danchin quoting Raphael Saadiq, Anthony Hamilton, and John Legend said "Amy Winehouse was produced by people who wanted to create a marketing coup. The positive side is that it reacquainted an audience with this music and played an introductory role for others. This reinvigorated the genre by overcoming the vintage aspect".

The release of ''Back to Black'' and the emergence of Lily Allen has been credited by ''The Sunday Times'' as directly creating the market for the media proclaimed "the year of the women" in 2009 which has seen five female artists nominated for the Mercury Prize. After the album was released, record companies sought out female artists with a similar sound and fearless and experimental female musicians in general. Adele and Duffy were the second wave of artists with a sound similar to Winehouse's. A third wave of female musicians that has emerged since the album was released are led by VV Brown, Florence and the Machine, La Roux and Little Boots. In February 2010, rapper Jay-Z credited Winehouse with revitalising British music, saying, "There's a strong push coming out of London right now, which is great. It's been coming ever since I guess Amy (Winehouse). I mean always, but I think Amy, this resurgence was ushered in by Amy." In March 2011 the ''New York Daily News'' ran an article attributing the continuing wave of British female artists that have been successful in the United States to Winehouse and her absence. ''Spin'' magazine music editor Charles Aaron was quoted as saying "Amy Winehouse was the Nirvana moment for all these women," "They can all be traced back to her in terms of attitude, musical styles or fashion". According to Keith Caulfield, chart manager for ''Billboard'', "Because of Amy, or the lack thereof, the marketplace was able to get singers like Adele and Duffy," "Now those ladies have brought on the new ones, like Eliza Doolittle, Rumer and Ellie."

Live performances

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Club nights

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

Other ventures

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

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

Winehouse and her family are the subject of a 2009 documentary shot by Daphne Barak titled ''Saving Amy''.

Winehouse entered into a joint venture in 2009 with EMI to launch a range of wrapping paper and gift cards containing song lyrics from her album ''Back to Black''.

On 8 January 2010, a television documentary, ''My Daughter Amy'', aired on Channel 4.

''Saving Amy'' was released as a paperback book in January 2010.

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

Personal life

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

Relationships

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

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

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

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

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

Substance abuse and mental health issues

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

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

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

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

In an interview released in June 2009, Winehouse's father said the singer was in a drug replacement programme. He said she was gradually recovering but that heavy drinking was causing "slight backward steps". A documentary shot early in 2009 shows Winehouse apparently intoxicated according to a newspaper report. Pictures published by a magazine in July 2009 upon her return to the United Kingdom from her extended stay in Saint Lucia appeared to show that Winehouse had gained weight and that her complexion was improved. In an October 2010 interview, Winehouse said she had been drug-free for three years, saying "I literally woke up one day and was like, 'I don’t want to do this any more.'”

Winehouse entered the Priory Clinic on 25 May 2011, where she stayed for one week.

Violence and legal difficulties

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

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

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

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

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

Respiratory problems

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

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

Death

During his eulogy, Mitch Winehouse who was in New York at the time of his daughters death said that his daughter had gone to a routine appointment at her doctor's the night before her death. According to her father's account of events following the appointment, she went home then sang and played the drums into the early hours of her last day before being told to keep it down by her security guard. Mitch Winehouse further stated that the security guard checked on her at about 8am and saw her apparently asleep, but when he made his second check in the afternoon he realized that Winehouse had died. At 3:54 pm BST on 23 July 2011, two ambulances were called to Winehouse's home in Camden, London. Winehouse was pronounced dead at the scene. Shortly afterwards, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that she had died. After her death was announced, media and camera crews appeared, as crowds gathered near Winehouse’s residence to pay their respects. Forensic investigators entered the flat as police cordoned off the street outside.

Winehouse's record label, Universal Republic, released a statement that read in part: "We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist and performer." Many musical artists have since paid tribute to Winehouse including U2, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, George Michael, Adele, Kelly Clarkson, and Courtney Love.

Family and friends attended Winehouse's funeral on 26 July 2011 at Edgwarebury Lane cemetery in north London. Her mother and father, Janis and Mitch Winehouse, close friend Kelly Osbourne, producer Mark Ronson and her boyfriend Reg Traviss were among those in attendance at the private service led by Rabbi Frank Hellner. Her father delivered the eulogy, saying "Goodnight, my angel, sleep tight. Mummy and Daddy love you ever so much." Carole King's "So Far Away" closed the service with mourners singing along. She was later cremated at Golders Green Crematorium. The family planned to sit a two-day shiva. Winehouse's parents intend to set up a foundation in her name, to help those affected by drug addiction.

A post mortem was carried out on 25 July. The results were inconclusive and no cause of death could be established. The coroner stated that a "Section 20" postmortem had been done on Winehouse, which implies that the coroner believes "there is reasonable cause to suspect that a person has died a violent or unnatural death or in any other way which would require an inquest." An inquest was adjourned until 26 October, and results of further toxicology tests took about four weeks.

On August 23, the Winehouse family released a short statement about the results of toxicology tests returned to them by authorities: there were "no illegal drugs" and "alcohol was present" in Winehouse's system at the time of her death, but a cause of death still could not be determined. The statement concluded, "The family would like to thank the police and coroner for their continuing thorough investigations and for keeping them informed throughout the process. They await the outcome of the inquest in October."

Controversy

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

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

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

Winehouse became a staple in popularity polls. The 2008 NME Awards nominated Winehouse in the categories of "Villain of the Year", "Best Solo Artist", and "Best Music DVD"; Winehouse won for "Worst Dressed Performer". In its third annual list, ''Glamour'' magazine named Winehouse the third worst dressed British Woman. Winehouse was ranked number two on Richard Blackwell's 48th annual "Ten Worst Dressed Women" list, behind Victoria Beckham. In an April 2008 poll conducted by Sky News, Winehouse was named the second greatest "ultimate heroine" by the UK population at large, topping the voting for that category of those polled under 25 years old. Psychologist Donna Dawson commented that the results demonstrate women like Winehouse who have "a certain sense of vulnerability or have had to fight against some adversity in their lives” receive recognition. Winehouse was voted the second most hated personality in the United Kingdom in a poll conducted one month later by ''Marketing'' magazine.

June 2008 brought a report that Winehouse, singing a disparaging chant about blacks, the disabled, and homosexuals, and containing racial epithets about Pakistanis and Indians, was taped by her husband Fielder-Civil, despite assurances to her that he was not filming. Winehouse denied allegations that she was a racist, saying "I don't want to play anything down, but I'm the least racist person going." Winehouse added that the film was taken during "really, really happy times." Speaking at a discussion entitled ''Winehouse or White House?: Do we go too big on showbiz news?'' Jeff Zycinski, head of BBC Radio Scotland, said the BBC and media in general were complicit in the destruction of celebrities like Winehouse. He said that public interest in the singer's lifestyle does not make her lifestyle newsworthy. Rod McKenzie editor of the BBC Radio One program ''Newsbeat'' replied that "If you play [Amy Winehouse's] music to a certain demographic, those same people want to know what's happening in her private life. If you don't cover it, you're insulting young license fee payers." The British artist M.I.A., credited with paving the way for Winehouse and Lily Allen to emerge during her absence, was quoted in ''The Guardian'' in 2007 as saying she found Winehouse "really interesting" continuing "I once saw her in the street and she was really out of it, so I guess she is really living it out. I think Amy's thing is feeling really weird about what she does and dealing with that." British singer and songwriter Lily Allen was quoted in a Scottish newspaper as saying

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

Artistic impressions

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

Discography

''Frank'' (2003)

''Back to Black'' (2006)

Awards and nominations

Among the awards and recognitions for ''Frank'', Winehouse earned an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song ("Stronger Than Me"), a BRIT Award nomination for Best Female Solo Artist, and an inclusion in Robert Dimery's 2006 book, ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''. ''Back to Black'' produced numerous nominations, including two from the BRIT Awards (Best Female Solo Artist and Best British Album), six from the Grammy Awards (including five wins), four from the Ivor Novello Awards, four from the MTV Europe Music Awards, three from the MTV Video Music Awards, three from the World Music Awards, and one each from the Mercury Prize (Album of the Year) and MOBO Awards (Best UK Female). During her career, Winehouse received 23 awards from 60 nominations.

See also

27 Club

References

Further reading

;General

Lewis, Pete. "A Blues & Soul Classic Interview With Amy Winehouse Before 'Rehab'" ''Blues & Soul''. April 2004 (reprinted February 2008).

Anderman, Joan. "Of course she should go to rehab." ''Boston Globe''. 15 December 2007.

Gould, Lara; Bull, Sarah; & Satherly, Jessica. "Sordid final hours of a troubled star: Amy Winehouse had 'bought ecstasy, cocaine and ketamine' on the night before tragic death". ''Daily Mail''. 24 July 2011.

Grimwood, Ben. CollegeNews.com. 29 November 2007.

Gundersen, Edna. "Amy Winehouse's sobering transformation could hurt her musical credibility." ''USA TODAY''. 28 January 2008.

Hill, Emily. "Amy Winehouse: her own woman." ''The Guardian''. 31 July 2008

Pareles, Jon. "In Real Time, Amy Winehouse’s Deeper Descent." ''New York Times'' 24 January 2008.

Rosen, Jody. "Dark Star." ''Slate''. 12 February 2008.

Smith, Joan. "There's nothing poetic about Amy's self-destruction" ''The Independent''. 26 June 2008.

The Smoking Gun. BACKSTAGE RIDER: Divas: Amy Winehouse 12 May 2006.

Tyrangiel, Josh. "Trouble Woman." ''TIME''. 24 January 2008.

Vernon, Polly Amy Winehouse: Unplugged ''Harper's Bazaar'' October 2010

July 2009 Mitch Winehouse interview with ''Daily Mirror'' covering a variety of her personal issues

;Books

Barak, Daphne. ''Saving Amy''. New Holland Publishers, 25 January 2010. ISBN 9781847736703

Johnstone, Nick. ''Amy Amy Amy: The Amy Winehouse Story''. Omnibus Press, 1 April 2008. ISBN 9780825636028.

Newkey-Burden, Chas. ''Amy Winehouse: The Biography''. John Blake Publishing, 7 April 2008. ISBN 1844545636.

External links

[ Amy Winehouse] at the All Music Guide

Amy Winehouse collected news and commentary at ''The New York Times''

New York Times fashion retrospective

Slide Show at ''Rolling Stone''

Videos at Island Records on YouTube

Official Video Of Amy Winehouse performing 'Back To Black' Live and Acoustic at SXSW

Documentary 'The Girl Done Good' free stream

Category:1983 births Category:2011 deaths Category:Amy Winehouse Category:Alumni of the Sylvia Young Theatre School Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Blue-eyed soul singers Category:BRIT Award winners Category:English contraltos Category:English female guitarists Category:English-language singers Category:English jazz guitarists Category:English jazz singers Category:English Jews Category:English people convicted of assault Category:English people of Russian descent Category:English rhythm and blues singers Category:English soul singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Jazz-blues musicians Category:Jewish singers Category:Neo soul singers Category:People educated at the BRIT School Category:People from Camden (district) Category:People from Southgate, London Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers Category:Republic Records artists Category:Singers from London Category:Torch singers Category:Vocal jazz musicians Category:Women in jazz Category:World Music Awards winners

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name	Simon Baker
birth name	Simon Baker
birth date	July 30, 1969
birth place	Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
occupation	Actor
years active	1987–present
spouse	Rebecca Rigg (1998–present); 3 children}}

Simon Baker (born 30 July 1969) is an Australian actor. Since 2008, he has starred in the CBS television series ''The Mentalist''.

Early life

Simon Baker was born to a high-school English teacher, Elizabeth Labberton, and a groundskeeper/mechanic, Barry Baker, on 30 July 1969, in Launceston, Tasmania. He was raised Roman Catholic. His parents divorced while he was still young. His mother later married Tom Denny, a butcher. Simon Baker also has a sister, currently a doctor in Australia, and one younger half brother. By 1972, they had moved from Launceston to Ballina, New South Wales, hoping to secure better paying jobs. In 1986, he graduated from Ballina High School after completing his primary school education at St. Francis Xavier Primary School, also in Ballina.

Acting career

Baker began acting on Australian television during the late 1980s using the name "Simon Baker Denny". He first appeared in music video clips for Melissa Tkautz ("Read My Lips") and Australian dance outfit Euphoria ("Love You Right") in 1991 before appearing in the successful series ''E Street'', ''Home and Away'' and ''Heartbreak High''. Baker relocated to the United States, where he was briefly known by his stepfather's surname (i.e., Simon Baker-Denny or Simon Denny).

He was cast in a small part in ''L.A. Confidential'', which led to further opportunities in supporting roles in films. In 1998 he starred in a small, independent film by filmmaker Stephen Grynberg titled "Love from Ground Zero", and in 1999 appeared in Ang Lee's ''Ride with the Devil''. In 2000 he played Michael Scott in Adam Collis ''Sunset Strip''. He also played an astronaut in ''Red Planet'' with Val Kilmer, Carrie Anne Moss and Benjamin Bratt. He played the male lead in the television series ''The Guardian'' for three seasons beginning in 2001, and also appeared in ''The Affair of the Necklace''. He played a distressed husband in 2004's ''Book of Love''. In 2005, he starred as an altruistic hero in George A. Romero's ''Land of the Dead''.

In 2006, he played Brian Kelly in the film ''Something New'', writer Christian Thompson in ''The Devil Wears Prada'', and had a leading role as Jeff in the short-lived television series ''Smith''. That following year, he was cast as Roderick Blank in ''Sex and Death 101''.

In 2008, Baker received the lead role in the CBS television series ''The Mentalist'', in which he portrays Patrick Jane, a consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation. In 2009, Baker was nominated for an Emmy for his work in ''The Mentalist''. In late 2009, Baker was also nominated for his second Golden Globe award (first for ''The Mentalist'') and first SAG award for his work. Baker portrayed Howard Hendricks in the American thriller film ''The Killer Inside Me''.

Other activities

On 6 June 2010, he played in a charity football match for The Rest of The World team versus England on ITV's Soccer Aid 2010, coming on as a substitute in the second half. The match went to a penalty shootout; Baker took a penalty which was saved by England celebrity goalkeeper, Jamie Theakston. The Rest of the World went on to win the shoot out and the match for the first time since the tournament started.

Personal life

In 1998, Baker married Australian actress Rebecca Rigg. They have three children: Stella Breeze (born 8 August 1993), Claude Blue (born 1998), and Harry Friday (born 19 September 2001). Fellow Australian, actress Nicole Kidman is godmother to Harry while actress Naomi Watts is godmother to Claude. Baker and his family resided in Malibu, California, before moving back to Sydney. He also has a godson named Mo. Baker returned to Los Angeles to appear on ''Smith'', and later on ''The Mentalist''.

In January 2009 Baker told Parade Magazine that he and his wife were interested in becoming American citizens. That February, Baker appeared on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' and said that he was applying to become an American citizen. As of August 2010 Simon Baker is officially a US citizen, however he still retains his Australian citizenship. On the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' on 23 September 2009, Baker spoke of his mother's job as a store security guard before she became a drama teacher after he got into acting.

He and his sons are fans of the Parramatta Eels in the Australian NRL.

His name first appeared in ''Who's Who in Australia'' in the 2011 edition.

Filmography

+ List of film credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1997		Matt Reynolds	credited as Simon Baker Denny
1997		Stephen Barnes
1998		Kenny
1998		Junior Armstrong
1998	''Love from Ground Zero''	Eric
1999		George Clyde
2000		Michael Scott
2000		Chip Pettengill
2001	''''	Rétaux de Villette
2004		David Walker
2005	''''	Max Rourke
2005	''Land of the Dead''	Riley
2006		Brian Kelly
2006	''''
2007	''Sex and Death 101''	Roderick Blank
2007	''''	Roger Thornberry	Short film
2009	''''	Malcolm Slaight
2009		Jack Bishop
2009	''Women in Trouble''	Travis McPherson
2010	''''	Howard Hendricks
2011	''Margin Call''	Jared Cohen

+ List of television credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1987			CHCH-TV Television film
1989		Uncredited extra	Episode: "Only Sin Deep"
1992–93	''E Street''	Constable Sam Farrell	Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent
1994	''Which Way to the War''	Pvt Stan Hawke	Episode: "Pilot"
1994	''Home and Away''	James Healy
1995	''Naked''
1995–96	''Heartbreak High''	Mr. Thomas 'Tom' Saunders	Season 3: Episodes 80–89
1996	''Naked: Stories of Men''	Gabriel	Episode: "Blind-Side Breakaway"
1996		Paul Steadman	Season 1: Episode 3
1999	''Secret Men's Business''	Andy Greville
2001–04	''''	Nick Fallin
2006–07		Jeff Breen	Seven episodes
2008–present	''''	Patrick Jane

Awards and nominations

Australian Film Institute Awards

2000: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Telefeature or Mini-Series" – ''Secret Men's Business''

People's Choice Award

2009: won with complete cast "Best new series" – ''The Mentalist'' season 1

Emmy Awards

2009: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" – ''The Mentalist'' season 1

Family Television Awards

2002: Won, "Best Actor" – ''The Guardian''

Golden Globe Awards

2002: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Television Series" – ''The Guardian''

2009: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Television Series" – ''The Mentalist'' season 2

Screen Actors Guild Awards

2010: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series" – ''The Mentalist'' season 2

Logie Awards

1993: Won, "Most Popular New Talent" – ''E Street''

2004: Nominated, "Most Popular Overseas Star"

Prism Awards

2005: Nominated, "Best Performance in a Drama Series Storyline" – ''The Guardian''

References

External links

Simon Baker Australian Film Commission

Simon Baker interview ''The Guardian'' Femail Magazine

Simon Baker ''The Guardian'' The Age

Simon Baker interview ''Land of the Dead'' Femail Magazine

Category:1969 births Category:Australian expatriate actors in the United States Category:Australian film actors Category:Australian television actors Category:People educated at the National Institute of Dramatic Art Category:Living people Category:People from Launceston, Tasmania Category:People from New South Wales Category:People from Tasmania Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States

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alt	An African-American man sitting and wearing a tan suit
width	150
position	Point guard/shooting guard
height ft	6
height in	1
weight lbs	189
nationality	American
birth date	January 28, 1974
birth place	Covington, Tennessee
high school	Haywood (Brownsville, Tennessee)
college	Kentucky (1992–1996)
draft round	1
draft pick	16
draft year	1996
draft team	Charlotte Hornets
career start	1996
career end	2008
years1	|team1Charlotte Hornets
years2	–|team2Golden State Warriors
Years3	|team3Sacramento Kings
Years4	–|team4Phoenix Suns
Years5	–|team5 Boston Celtics
Years6	|team6Dallas Mavericks
Years7	–|team7Atlanta Hawks
Years8	|team8Detroit Pistons
Years9	2006–2007|team9Panathinaikos (Greece)
Years10	2008|team10Carolina Giants (Puerto Rico)
Cyears1	2009–2011|cteam1Kentucky Wildcats (NCAA) (assistant)
Cyears2	2011–present|cteam2New Mexico State Aggies (NCAA) (assistant)
awards	}}

Tony Lorenzo Delk (born January 28, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. He was team leader of the 1996 University of Kentucky Wildcats team that won the 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. After college, he played for seven NBA teams over ten seasons.

High school

Delk attended Haywood Junior High School and Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tennessee. During his 1992 senior year of high school, Delk was named "Mr. Basketball" in the state of Tennessee (TSSAA Class 3A Mr.Basketball 1992) and also to the Parade and McDonald's All-American Teams.

College career

As a sophomore at Kentucky, Delk was voted All-SEC 2nd Team by the coaches and All-SEC 3rd Team by the Associated Press, while also making the All-SEC Tournament Team for his outstanding play. Delk was named to the All-SEC 1st and All-NCAA Regional teams during the 1994-95 season. In the 1995-96 season, Delk was named to the All-American and All-SEC first teams and was named NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player. He also received SEC Player of the Year honors during the season. Delk joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity while at Kentucky.

College statistics

287 34 33 36 133

Season !! GamesPlayed !! Minutes !! FG !! FGA !! % !! 3PtFG !! 3PtFGA !! % !! FT !! FTA !! % !! Def !! Off !! TotalRebs !! Asst. !! St. !! BS !! F !! TO !! TotalPoints!! PPG !! APG !! SPG !! RPG
1992-93	30	|	47	104	45.2	18	51	35.3	24	33	72.7	38	19	57	22	17	3	24	19	136	4.5	.73	.57	1.9
1993-94	|	970	200	440	45.5	95	254	37.4	69	108	63.9	111	42	153	59	64	21	70	59	564	16.6	1.7	1.9	4.5
1994-95	|	960	207	433	47.8	77	197	39.1	60	89	67.4	77	33	110	65	53	9	67	51	551	16.7	1.97	1.6	3.3
1995-96	|	947	229	464	49.4	93	210	44.3	88	110	80	97	53	150	64	67	13	72	64	639	17.8	1.8	1.9	4.2
Total	|	''3164''	''683''	''1441''	47.4	''283''	''712''	39.7	''241''	''340''	70.9	''323''	''147''	''470''	''210''	''201''	''46''	''233''	''193''	1890	14.2	1.6	1.5	3.5

Playing career

thumb|right|Delk (right) guarded by Andrei Kirilenko in 2006. Tony Delk was picked 16th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He was traded by the Hornets along with Muggsy Bogues to the Golden State Warriors for B. J. Armstrong on November 7, 1997, where he played for two seasons before signing with the Sacramento Kings on August 16, 1999. He appeared in 46 games in 1999-00, subsequently joining the Phoenix Suns on August 1, 2000.

In a January 2, 2001 overtime game against his former Kings team, he scored a career-high 53 points on 20-for-27 field goal shooting. Delk was eventually dealt with Rodney Rogers to the Celtics, for Joe Johnson, Milt Palacio, and Randy Brown.

Prior to 2004-05, after a year with the Dallas Mavericks, Delk was again traded, this time to the Atlanta Hawks, along with Antoine Walker, in a deal for Jason Terry and Alan Henderson. Delk lasted one and a half seasons with the Hawks before being waived on February 25, 2006, signing with the Detroit Pistons on March 1, where he backed up point guard Chauncey Billups.

Delk finished his NBA career with averages of 9.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 1.9 APG as he, in August 2006, signed a contract with the Greek basketball team, Panathinaikos, in Athens. He won the Greek Cup, the Greek Championship and the European Championship with Panathinaikos, but was released in May 2007, citing compatibility issues. He announced his retirement from professional basketball in November 2007. In 2008, nonetheless, he played three games for the Gigantes of Carolina in the BSN, the professional basketball league of Puerto Rico. He retired, once again, and served as a technical assistant with the same team.

Coaching career

On April 16, 2009 it was announced that Delk would be returning to his alma mater along with his former college teammate Scott Padgett to serve on coach John Calipari's staff at the University of Kentucky. In July 2011, the New Mexico State Aggies basketball team hired him as an assistant coach to Marvin Menzies.

Personal life

Tony Delk is the president of the Taylor Delk Sickle Cell Foundation. The foundation is named after his daughter, who has sickle-cell disease.

References

External links

Tony Delk at Basketball-Reference.com

Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association "Mr. Basketball" List

Taylor Delk Sickle Cell Foundation

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American expatriate basketball people in Greece Category:Basketball players from Tennessee Category:Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Category:Atlanta Hawks players Category:Boston Celtics players Category:Charlotte Hornets draft picks Category:Charlotte Hornets players Category:Dallas Mavericks players Category:Detroit Pistons players Category:Golden State Warriors players Category:Panathinaikos B.C. players Category:Phoenix Suns players Category:Sacramento Kings players Category:People from Tipton County, Tennessee Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Shooting guards Category:New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball coaches Category:Baloncesto Superior Nacional players Category:Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball coaches

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