Benjamin Peter "Ben" Shephard, also known as "Sheps" (born Wednesday 11 December 1974) is an English television presenter who currently works for Sky Sports. His most recognised work is with the now defunct breakfast station GMTV as well as various roles within ITV.

Personal life[link]

Shephard attended Chigwell School in Essex, and went on to achieve a 2:1 BA Hons degree from the University of Birmingham in Dance, Drama & Theatre Arts.^[1] A West Ham United supporter, he has also received honours in both rugby and football.^[2]

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Film[link]

Radio[link]

Video games[link]

Move from GMTV to Sky Sports[link]

On 30 June 2010, he announced his departure from GMTV two months earlier than planned in order to spend time with his family and do some charity work across Britain^[10] On 27 July, he announced he is signing a new contract with Sky Sports. He will work on live football and co-present Goals On Sunday in a deal worth a reported £495,000 a year^[11] On 30 July, he presented his final GMTV show. On 8 August 2010, he started doing work for Sky Sports on the show Goals on Sunday whilst doing a number of new projects with ITV.^[12][13]

Misc/Charity work[link]

In 2006, 2008,^[14] 2010, and 2012, he played for England in Soccer Aid on ITV along with Robbie Williams, Bradley Walsh, Ralf Little, and Paddy McGuinness.

He boxed against Lemar after training with Ricky Hatton and Andy Mayo at Mayo's Gym, He won by decision after 3 rounds, this for Sport Relief on BBC One.

In February 2009, Shephard become the Guinness World Record Holder for tossing the most pancakes in one minute as part of a challenge on Channel 4's The Paul O'Grady Show. He flipped his pancake 108 times, however he was beaten the next day on Blue Peter by Aldo Zilli, who flipped his 117 times.

In early 2009 Ben climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief. Joining him on the climb were Girls Aloud members Cheryl Cole and Kimberley Walsh, Fearne Cotton, Gary Barlow, Alesha Dixon, Ronan Keating, Denise Van Outen and Chris Moyles

On 26 May 2009, he appeared in an episode of Gok's Fashion Fix on Channel 4, where he controversially admitted to the fact that he doesn't wear underpants; However, he confessed to Metro in March 2010 that it was only a joke^[15]

He made a guest appearance in the Harry Potter movie the Half Blood Prince in which Ben plays the role of a father of four children in the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes shop. He is noticeable (behind a beard and moustache) just before Ron acknowledges his new love interest^[16]

On 19 January 2010, he made a guest appearance on the ITV daytime programme Loose Women, where he revealed his commando business to the women under the table to avoid controversy; only to confirm in March that his "Going commando" business was only a joke^[15]

On 11 June 2010, he went to South Africa to provide World Cup coverage for GMTV, and remained there until England were knocked out of the competition

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Ben Shephard at the Internet Movie Database
• Ben Shephard at Sky Sports

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2010)

Ben Shepherd
Shepherd performing with Soundgarden in July 2011.
Background information
Birth name	Hunter Benedict Shepherd
Born	(1968-09-20) September 20, 1968 (age 43) Okinawa, Japan
Origin	Seattle, Washington, United States
Genres	Alternative metal, grunge, alternative rock, heavy metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Bass, guitar, vocals, drums
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Sub Pop, A&M, Burn Burn Burn
Associated acts	Soundgarden, Hater, Wellwater Conspiracy, The Desert Sessions, Mark Lanegan

Ben Shepherd (born Hunter Benedict Shepherd, on September 20, 1968) is an American musician, two-time Grammy Award Winner best known for playing bass in the grunge band Soundgarden from 1990 until the band's 1997 break-up. A Soundgarden reunion was announced on January 1, 2010, with Shepherd rejoining the band.^[1]

Early life[link]

Shepherd was born on an American military base in Okinawa, Japan. His family moved to Texas, then settled in Bainbridge Island, Washington, where Shepherd grew up, playing in numerous punk-rock bands with friends before he was a teenager. After graduating high school, he worked as a carpenter and a laborer. He became involved in the grunge scene when he worked as a roadie for Nirvana and played in Tic Dolly Row with Chad Channing. He was being considered for the open guitarist slot (after Jason Everman was fired) in Nirvana when he joined Soundgarden.

He first auditioned for the role of bassist in Soundgarden in 1989, immediately after Hiro Yamamoto left, but was turned down because he could not play the songs well enough. Jason Everman was hired as the band's new bassist, but for unknown reasons, was fired immediately after Soundgarden completed their promotional tour in mid-1990. Shepherd was then hired.

Soundgarden (1990–1997)[link]

In addition to his role as bass player, Shepherd's role as a singer and songwriter increased during his tenure with Soundgarden. On his first recording with the band, the studio album Badmotorfinger, Shepherd took part in writing the following songs: "Slaves & Bulldozers" (music, co-written), "Jesus Christ Pose" (music, co-written), "Face Pollution" (music), and "Somewhere" (music and lyrics).

In 1993, Shepherd and Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron formed a side-project band called Hater. Shepherd sang vocals and played guitar in Hater, in addition to writing several songs on the band's first release, a self-titled album. A second album called The 2nd was recorded in 1995 after Superunknown tour's end, but was not released until 2005, ten years late. During the lengthy hiatus, Shepherd found time to complete the tracks that would become The 2nd between his collaborations with Wellwater Conspiracy (another side-project with Matt Cameron and John McBain) and several other artists. Shepherd was the lead vocalist on the first Wellwater Conspiracy album, Declaration of Conformity.

In 1994, Soundgarden released Superunknown, which featured Shepherd compositions "Half" and "Head Down". "Head Down" was heavily influenced by The Beatles, while "Half" was marked by an Indian flavor and was the first song on a Soundgarden album for which Shepherd sang lead vocals.

In 1996, Soundgarden released Down on the Upside, in which six of the sixteen album tracks were lyrically and/or musically composed by Shepherd. The tracks were: "Zero Chance" (music), "Dusty" (music), "Ty Cobb" (music), "Never Named" (music) "Switch Opens" (music) and "An Unkind" (music and lyrics). Shepherd once said he penned the music for "Never Named" at the age of sixteen. "Ty Cobb" was the first song Shepherd wrote that was made a single.

In 1997, soon after the release of Down on the Upside, the band broke up due to a clash of artistic differences between Kim Thayil and Chris Cornell. After completing many other projects, some being alongside Soundgarden's drummer, Matt Cameron, Soundgarden announced its reformation in February, 2010. Later that year, and into 2011, Ben played and plays with Soundgarden again as their bassist.

After Soundgarden (1997–present)[link]

In late 1997, Shepherd was part of the first, now rare, Desert Sessions collaboration (Volumes 1 & 2), on which he played bass.

In 1998, he quit Wellwater Conspiracy for unknown reasons. Matt Cameron took over lead vocals.

In 1999, he played bass on Mark Lanegan's album I'll Take Care of You.

In 2001, he co-wrote the song Blues For D ^[2] on Mark Lanegan's album Field Songs. He was also one of the largest instrumental contributors on this album alongside Mike Johnson.

In 2005, Shepherd formed a new band, Unkmongoni (the band's name was what Tarzan used to yell to the animals to run and be free), but the band no longer appears to be together. In that same year, the second Hater album, The 2nd, was released.^[1]

Shepherd has one daughter named Ione. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington and has a house on Bainbridge Island. Shepherd is also the partial owner of an upscale Seattle bar called Hazelwood.^[3]

In an August 2010 interview with Spin Magazine, Shepherd stated that he was "totally broke" and was sleeping on friends' couches.^[4]

In a February 2011 interview, Kim Thayil stated Ben Shepherd recorded a solo album that was never released.

Shepherd appeared as a special guest on The Mother's Anger 2011 concept album "Escape/Revolution" (Auntnest Music), playing bass on two tracks "Up In Smoke" and "Screwed".

Soundgarden Reunion (2010)[link]

On January 1, 2010, Chris Cornell confirmed that Soundgarden would re-unite again.

On February 15, 2011, it was announced on Soundgarden's homepage that they had written new material and hoped to release a new album at some point in 2011.

″ Over the past few months, we've been busy jamming, writing and hanging out together – exploring the creative aspect of being Soundgarden. It feels great. We have some cool new songs that we are going to record very soon. Thank you for all of the support! Loudest Love, Ben, Chris, Kim and Matt ″

On April 14, 2011, Soundgarden announced a summer tour consisting of four dates all in July with more dates to come. Three days later, Kim Thayil explained that the new album would sound quite different as the band did not want to "make another grunge or metal record". On April 29, 2011, drummer Matt Cameron told MTV that the album would be finished by "the end of May".However, Thayil told Reuters.com in May 2011 that it may not surface until 2012. He explained, "If we were to say, 'Let's get this record out by the fall', I think it would put a lot of pressure on us and the quality would at some point suffer. And the more we enjoy it, the more our fans should end up enjoying it."

Discography[link]

[edit] 600 School

• Live recording (circa 1982)

[edit] March of Crimes

• Fairweather Friend demo (recorded circa 1984)

[edit] Tic Dolly Row

• Live recording (1987)

[edit] Soundgarden

• Badmotorfinger (1991)
• Superunknown (1994)
• Songs from the Superunknown (1995)
• Down on the Upside (1996)
• A-Sides (1997)
• Telephantasm (2010)
• Live on I-5 (2011)

[edit] Hater

• Hater (1993)
• Hempilation: Freedom Is NORML (1995)
• The 2nd (2005)

[edit] Wellwater Conspiracy

• Declaration of Conformity (1997)

[edit] With Mark Lanegan

• Field Songs

Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Bass, Piano, Vocals, Lap Steel Guitar (Wrote track 10: "Blues for D") (2001)

Solo project[link]

In the summer of 2010, Ben finished recording his latest solo project. It started out as an acoustic project, before morphing into a very electrified concept album in the end. The album was recorded by Dave French, at a few different studios including CHAOS in (Georgetown), The Studio With No Name (Interbay). The album was finished, mixed/mastered at Robert Lang Studios by Adam Kasper and contains a recording of frog ribbits. The album name yet to be revealed.

Featured musicians include:

• Ben Shepherd - Guitar, Bass guitar, Vocals, Mandolin, Drums
• Matt Cameron - Drums, percussion
• Matt Chamberlain - Drums, percussion
• Joseph Braley - Drums, percussion
• Greg Gilmore - Drums, percussion
• Klaus - Winds (Sax)

References[link]

Sandra Bullock
Bullock at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011
Born	Sandra Annette Bullock (1964-07-26) July 26, 1964 (age 47) Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, comedian, producer
Years active	1985–present
Spouse	Jesse G. James (2005–2010)
Children	1
Parents	John Bullock Helga Meyer (deceased)

Sandra Annette Bullock ( /ˈbʊlək/; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. In the new millennium she appeared in such films as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House, and Crash, the third of which received critical acclaim. In 2007, she was ranked as the 14th richest female celebrity with an estimated fortune of US$85 million.^[1] In 2009, Bullock starred in two of the more financially successful films of her career, The Proposal^[2] and The Blind Side.^[3] Bullock was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, and the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side. She is listed in the 2012 edition of the Guinness Book Of World Records as the highest-paid actress, with $56 million.^[4]

Early life[link]

Sandra Annette Bullock was born in Arlington, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Her father, John W. Bullock (born 1925), was a United States Army employee and part-time voice coach from Birmingham, Alabama, and her mother, Helga D. Meyer (1942–2000), was a German opera singer and voice teacher.^[5][6][7] Bullock's maternal grandfather was a rocket scientist from Nuremberg, Germany. John Bullock, then in charge of the Army's Military Postal Service in Europe, was stationed in Nuremberg when he met his wife. They married in Germany, soon moving to Arlington, where John Bullock worked with the Army Materiel Command, before becoming a contractor for The Pentagon.^[8][9]

Bullock frequently accompanied her mother on her opera tours throughout Europe. She spent time in Salzburg and Nuremberg, where she stayed with her aunt and grandmother and became fluent in German. Bullock studied ballet and vocal arts as a child, taking small parts in her mother's opera productions.^[5] She sang in the operas children's choir at the Staatstheater Nürnberg.^[10]

Bullock attended Washington-Lee High School, where she was a cheerleader and performed in high school theater productions. After she graduated in 1982, she entered East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. However, she dropped out in her fourth year in spring of 1986, just three credits short of graduating, to become an actress. She moved to Manhattan and supported herself as a bartender, cocktail waitress, and coat checker. She later completed her coursework and graduated from East Carolina University.^[11]

Acting[link]

This section includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (December 2010)

Bullock at the 2010 SAG Awards red carpet.

While in New York, Bullock took acting classes with Sanford Meisner.^{[citation needed]} She appeared in several student films, and later landed a role in an Off-Broadway play No Time Flat. Director Alan J. Levi was impressed by Bullock's performance and offered her a part in the TV movie Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1989). Afterward, she was cast in a series of small roles in several independent films as well as in the lead role of the short-lived NBC television version of the film Working Girl (1990). She later appeared in several films, such as Love Potion No. 9 (1992), The Thing Called Love (1993) and Fire on the Amazon. A prominent supporting role in the science-fiction/action movie Demolition Man (1993) led to her breakthrough performance in Speed the following year. She became a movie star in the late 1990s, carrying a string of successes, including While You Were Sleeping, and Miss Congeniality in 2000. Bullock received $11 million for Speed 2: Cruise Control, which she agreed to star in for financial backing for her own project, Hope Floats,^[12] and has revealed she regrets making the sequel.^[13] She later received $17.5 million for Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous.^{[citation needed]}

Bullock was selected as one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1996 and 1999, and was also ranked #58 in Empire magazine's Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time list. She was presented with the 2002 Raúl Juliá Award for Excellence^[14] for her efforts, as the executive producer of the sitcom George Lopez, in helping expand career openings for Hispanic talent in the media and entertainment industry. She also made several appearances on the show as Accident Amy, an accident-prone employee at the factory Lopez's character manages. In 2002, she starred opposite Hugh Grant in Two Weeks Notice and in the film Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

In 2004, Bullock had a supporting role in the film Crash. She received positive reviews for her performance, with some critics suggesting that it was the best performance of her career.^[15] In 2005, she was a co-recipient of the Women in Film Crystal Award.

In 2008, Sandra Bullock was announced as "the face" of prestigious cosmetic brand Artistry.

Bullock later appeared in The Lake House, a romantic drama also starring her Speed co-star, Keanu Reeves; it was released on June 16, 2006. Because their film characters are separated throughout the film (due to the plot revolving around time travel), Bullock and Reeves were only on set together for two weeks during filming.^[16] The same year, Bullock appeared in Infamous, playing author Harper Lee. Bullock also starred in Premonition with Julian McMahon, which was released in March 2007.^[17] 2009 proved to be especially good for Bullock, giving the actress two record highs in her career, as earlier in the year she released The Proposal, with co-star Ryan Reynolds, a huge hit that took in more than $314 million at the box office worldwide, making it her most successful picture to date.^[18]

In November 2009, Bullock starred in The Blind Side, which opened at #2 behind New Moon with $34.2 million, making it her highest opening weekend ever. The Blind Side is unique in that it had a 17.6% increase at the box office its second weekend, and it took the top spot of the box office in its third weekend. The movie cost $29 million to make according to the Box Office Mojo. It has grossed over $309 million to date, making it her domestic highest grossing film and the first movie in history to pass the $200 million mark with only one top-billed female star.^[19][20] She won the award for Best Actress at the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance in The Blind Side.^[21] Bullock had initially turned down the role three times due to a discomfort with portraying a devout Christian.^[22] Winning the "Oscar" also gave her another unique distinction — since she won two "Razzies" the day before, for her performance in All About Steve, she is the only performer ever to have been named both "Best" and "Worst" for the same year.^[23] Sandra was asked to return her 2009 "Worst Actress of the Year" Razzie award; however, this wasn't because of a change of heart for Bullock's performance but because Bullock personally accepted her Razzie and accidentally took the original one-of-a-kind prototype Razzie, as opposed to the cheap trinket normally handed out to celebrities.^[24]

Recognition[link]

Sandra Bullock's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

As of 2009, Bullock's films have grossed over $3.1 billion worldwide.^[25] According to The Numbers, her total domestic gross stands at $1.7 billion, placing her among the Top 100 Stars at the Box Office.^[26]

Critics, while praising her screen persona,^[27] have been less receptive to her films. As of the 2009 release of The Proposal, Mark Kermode said she's made only three "good" films in her career—Speed, While You Were Sleeping, and Crash, and says "she's funny, she's gorgeous, it's impossible not to love her and yet she makes rotten film after rotten film after rotten film."^[28] As of December 2009, Bullock has appeared on three Entertainment Weekly covers. She was selected by People Magazine as its "Woman of the Year" for 2010.^[29] She was ranked #12 on People's Most Beautiful 2011 list.^[30]

Entrepreneurship[link]

Bullock runs her own production company, Fortis Films. Bullock was an executive producer of The George Lopez Show, which garnered a lucrative syndication deal that banked her some $10 million (co-produced with Robert Borden). Bullock tried to produce a film based on F.X. Toole's short story, Million-Dollar Baby, but could not interest the studios in a female boxing drama. The story was eventually adapted and directed by Clint Eastwood as the Oscar-winning film, Million Dollar Baby (2004). Bullock's production company, Fortis Films, also produced All About Steve, which was released in September 2009. Her father, John Bullock, is the company's CEO,^[31] and her sister, Gesine Bullock-Prado, is the former president.

Since November 2006, Bullock founded a popular Austin, Texas restaurant, Bess Bistro.^[32] She later opened another business across the street in a building she extensively renovated downtown called Walton's Fancy and Staple^[33] a bakery, upscale restaurant and floral shop that also offers services such as event planning.

Personal life[link]

Relationships and children[link]

Bullock was once engaged to actor Tate Donovan, whom she met while filming Love Potion No. 9; their relationship lasted four years. She previously dated football player Troy Aikman, Austin musician Bob Schneider (for two years), and actors Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Gosling.^[34][35]

Bullock married motorcycle builder and Monster Garage host Jesse James on July 16, 2005. They first met when Bullock arranged for her ten-year-old godson to meet James as a Christmas present.

In November 2009, Bullock and James entered into a custody battle with James' second ex-wife, former pornographic actress Janine Lindemulder, with whom James had a child. Bullock and James subsequently won full legal custody of James' five-year-old daughter.^[36]

Bullock at the 2010 Golden Raspberry Awards accepting her Razzie for "Worst Actress" for All About Steve

In March 2010, a scandal arose when several women claimed to have had affairs with James during his marriage to Bullock.^[37][38][39] Bullock cancelled European promotional appearances for The Blind Side citing "unforeseen personal reasons".^[40][41] On March 18, 2010, James responded to the rumors of infidelity by issuing a public apology to Bullock. He stated, "The vast majority of the allegations reported are untrue and unfounded" and "Beyond that, I will not dignify these private matters with any further public comment."^[42] James declared that "There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me", and asked that his wife and children one day "find it in their hearts to forgive me" for their current "pain and embarrassment".^[42] James’ publicist subsequently announced on March 30, 2010, that James had checked into a rehab facility "to deal with personal issues" and "save his marriage" to Bullock.^[43] However on April 28, 2010, it was reported that Bullock had filed for divorce^[44] on April 23 in Austin.^[45] Their divorce was finalized on June 28, 2010, with "conflict of personalities" cited as the reason.^[46]

Bullock announced on April 28, 2010, that she had proceeded with plans to adopt a baby boy born in January 2010 in New Orleans.^[47] Bullock and James had begun an initial adoption process four years earlier. The child began living with them in January 2010, but they chose to keep the news private until after the Oscars in March 2010. However, given the couple's separation and then divorce, Bullock continued the adoption of the baby, named Louis Bardo Bullock, as a single parent.^[47]

Vehicular accidents[link]

On December 20, 2000, Bullock and another passenger survived the crash of a chartered business jet during an attempted night landing at Jackson Hole Airport. The pilots were unable to activate the runway lights due to having out-of-date approach plates, but continued the landing. The aircraft landed in the airport's graded safety area between the runway and parallel taxiway and hit a snowbank. The accident caused a separation of the nose cone and landing gear, partial separation of the right wing, and a bend in the left wing.^[48]

On April 18, 2008, while Bullock was in Massachusetts shooting the film The Proposal, she and her then-husband were in an SUV that was hit head-on (driver's side offset) at moderate speed by a drunken driver. Vehicle damage was not major and there were no injuries.^[49]

Legal matters[link]

In October 2004, Bullock won a multimillion-dollar judgment against Benny Daneshjou, the builder of her Lake Austin, Texas home; the jury ruled the house was uninhabitable. It has since been torn down and rebuilt.^[50]

Stalking[link]

On April 22, 2007, Marcia Diana Valentine was found lying outside James and Bullock's Southern California home in Orange County. When James confronted the woman, she ran to her 2004 silver Mercedes, got behind the wheel, and tried to run over James. The woman is said to be an obsessed fan of Sandra Bullock.^[51] The woman was charged with one felony count each of aggravated assault and stalking, while Bullock obtained a restraining order to bar Valentine from "contacting or coming near her home, family or work for three years."^[52] Valentine pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault and stalking.^[53] Valentine was subsequently convicted of stalking and was sentenced to three years of probation.^[54]

Charity work[link]

Bullock has been a public supporter of the American Red Cross, having donated $1 million to the organization at least four times. Her first public donation of that amount was to the Red Cross's Liberty Disaster Relief Fund. Three years later, she sent money in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis.^[55] In 2010, she donated $1 million to relief efforts in Haiti following the Haiti earthquake, and again donated the same amount following the 2011 Japan Earthquake.^[56]

Along with other stars, Bullock did a PSA urging people to sign a petition for clean-up efforts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.^[57]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sandra Bullock

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sandra Bullock

• Sandra Bullock at the Internet Movie Database
• Sandra Bullock at Yahoo! Movies
• Sandra Bullock: 2010's Triumphs – slideshow by Life magazine

Leanne Wilson (born 1980) is a British television actress.

Wilson grew up in Hertfordshire with her younger brother Matt, and sister, Olivia. She attended the Knights Templar School in Baldock, Hertfordshire. As a girl Wilson was determined to be an actress, and she attended drama classes in the evenings and at weekends at the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London.

Her big break came as Jess Brown in the Canadian sci-fi series Tracker, appearing in 8 episodes between 2001-2. She appeared in 20 episodes of the BBC day-time medical drama series Doctors in 2001, but her best known role is that of Claire Guildford in 90 episodes of the BBC One medical drama Casualty. She appeared in the BBC's Stars in Fast Cars as herself in 2005, presented an award at the Disney Awards and made a couple of appearances on GMTV. After leaving Casualty Wilson guest starred in Channel 4's comedy series Peep Show in 2007. She has also appeared in numerous commercials and is currently pursuing her acting career in Los Angeles.

She appeared in the films Is Harry on the Boat? in 2000, and The Holiday in 2006. Wilson married her partner Keith Whallett in 2006.

Wilson was voted into 70th place in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World in 2005.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009 Wilson appeared in 18 episodes of the comedy TV series Workshop. She has filmed a pilot for a new sitcom called T.V or Not T.V, is shooting an episode of The Anthony Falcon Show and has appeared in Better Off Ted (2010) for NBC/FOX and House (2011).^[1]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Fansite

Olly Murs
Murs performing on the X Factor live tour
Background information
Birth name	Oliver Stanley Murs
Born	(1984-05-14) 14 May 1984 (age 28) Witham, Essex, England
Genres	Pop, reggae fusion, ska, dance, soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, presenter, choreographer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, drums
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Epic (2009–present) Syco (2009–present)
Associated acts	The X Factor 2009 finalists
Website	ollymurs.com

Oliver "Olly" Stanley Murs^[1] (born 14 May 1984 in Witham, Essex, England)^[2] is an English singer-songwriter, musician and TV presenter. Murs rose to fame after being the runner-up on the sixth series of The X Factor. He is currently signed to Epic Records and Syco Music.

In late August 2010, Murs released his debut single "Please Don't Let Me Go", which debuted at number one on the UK Singles Charts, becoming Murs' second number one single after releasing "You Are Not Alone" with the other series 6 finalists. "Please Don't Let Me Go" received a Silver certification by the BPI. He released his second single from his debut album "Thinking of Me" which charted at number four on the UK Singles Charts, however the single also got a Silver certification by the BPI. "Heart Skips a Beat" was released and became his third number-one hit. Murs' second single from his follow up album In Case You Didn't Know, "Dance with Me Tonight", became his fourth to reach number one.

In November 2010, Murs released his self-titled debut album, which entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, with the biggest week one album sales for a debut album in 2010, with over 108,000 albums sold. The album went on to sell over 600,000 copies, and was certificated double platinum by the BPI. In November 2011, Murs released his second album, In Case You Didn't Know. The album entered the charts at number one, and has spawned two number one singles. In May 2011, it was announced that Murs would return to The X Factor to co-present spin-off show The Xtra Factor with Caroline Flack. It was also confirmed that Murs would present a Celebrity Club Classic show on Heart FM. He also has an active Twitter account with over 2 million followers as of May 2012.

Biography[link]

Oliver Stanley Murs was born to Vicki-Lynn Murs and Pete Murs.^[3][4] He has a twin brother, Ben Murs (Olly is the older twin) and a sister, Fay Murs and is of Latvian descent.^[3] He attended Howbridge Junior School in Witham and Notley High School in Braintree, Essex^[5] where he was a striker in the school's football team. He is a supporter of Manchester United,^[6] and played semi-professionally for Witham Town. He gave up his football career following an injury.^[7] Prior to The X Factor, Murs worked as a recruitment consultant at Prime Appointments in Witham. He also appeared on the TV show Deal or No Deal where he won £10. He later appeared on a celebrity special of Deal or No Deal in 2012, and he won 50p for the charity he is a patron of, Brainwave.^[8] Murs has played in Soccer Aid for charity early in 2010, and is going to play again in May 2012, before heading off to the US to support One Direction on their US tour.^[9][10]

Music career[link]

[edit] 2009–2010: The X Factor

In 2009 he performed "Superstition" in his first audition and Simon Cowell said it was "the easiest yes I've ever given". On the first live show he sang "She's the One" and on the second, "A Fool in Love", a performance which Cowell described as being "in a different league." For week three he took on "Bewitched". Walsh commented that he was the "dark horse of the competition," and Cole said he was "coming into his own each week." He frequently employed dance moves in his performance including his trademark "Olly wiggle."^[11] In week 4 he sang "Come Together" and again received positive comments, with Walsh predicting, "I think you're in the final three," and Cowell saying he was "progressing better than just about everybody."^[12] In week 5 he performed "Twist and Shout" and in week 6 "Don't Stop Me Now", after which he was labelled by Minogue as, "absolutely the best performer we have on the show by far."^[13]

After a performance of "Fastlove", he was in the bottom two in week 7, with John & Edward. Cowell and Cheryl Cole decided to send John & Edward home, but Louis Walsh voted against Murs. Dannii Minogue then decided against taking the judges' vote to deadlock and sent home John & Edward. When the voting statistics were later released on itv.com, they revealed that if Minogue had voted to save John & Edward and taken it to deadlock, Murs would have been sent home on popular vote, as John & Edward gained 10.7% of the popular vote against just 9.8% to Murs. In the semi-finals Murs had to miss the wedding of his brother. The ceremony took place just 16 miles from the show's studio, but mentor Cowell was against letting him off for a few hours on the crucial semi-final day.^[14] He sang "Can You Feel It" and "We Can Work It Out" in the semi-final and ended up as one of the three finalists, breaking down in tears upon hearing the result.^[15]

In the final on 12 December, he repeated his audition song, "Superstition", following which Cowell said putting him in the final 12 was "the best risk I have ever taken in my life". Murs then sang with Robbie Williams on a duet of "Angels", in which Williams fluffed his lines as he walked on stage to join Murs and came in at the wrong time, singing the second line of the song, but was helped by Murs to find the right spot.^[16] There was then a repeat performance of his week 2 song "Fool in Love". Murs qualified for the final two and first sang a repeat performance of "Twist and Shout", following which Walsh commented, "You're a born, born showman and no matter what happens tonight you're going to have a great career in music." In his final performance on the show he performed the winner's song, "The Climb", finishing it in tears.^[17] He was told by Cole, "You absolutely tore it from your soul. I've never heard you sing like that. I thought it was a beautiful version of the song."^[18] He lost the final to Joe McElderry the next day and finished as the runner-up.^[19]

On 15 December, two days after the final, it was reported that Cowell was going to offer Murs a record deal in early 2010.^[20] Following his defeat, Murs was reportedly texted by duet partner Robbie Williams and invited to visit him in his Los Angeles mansion and participate in the forthcoming Soccer Aid, organised by Williams.^[6] Olly performed in the X Factor tour, alongside Joe McElderry, John & Edward, Stacey Soloman Lucie Jones and several other finalists. It was later revealed on The Xtra Factor that Murs was predicted by all the judges and presenters (except Minogue who said Nicole Jackson and Cole who said Miss Frank as a second choice) as the favourite to win the series at the Boot Camp stage.^[21][22] As with all other finalists save the winner, Murs began gigging around the country following the end of the show.^[23] A fight broke out at one New Year's Eve gig in London prompted by enthusiastic fans.^[24] He was also booked to appear at the engagement party of model Danielle Lloyd.^[25] Footage of Murs appearing on Deal or No Deal was later featured in an edition of the BBC's Almost Famous on 2 January 2010.^[26]

[edit] 2010–2011: Major label success and Olly Murs

Rumours began that Murs would record a debut album almost immediately after the final, where he finished in second place to Joe McElderry. After the rumours broke out, Murs announced he signed a joint record deal between Epic Records and Syco Music in February 2010.^[27] It was announced that Murs began working with John Shanks and Eg White.^[28] It was later confirmed that Roy Stride, Trevor Horn, Wayne Hector and Matty Benbrook would have involvement on the album which he collaborated with to make the "best possible songs".^[29] More writers and producers were confirmed to be working with Murs in the studio including; Phil Thornalley, Martin Brammer, Samuel Preston, Mark Taylor.^[30] and Chris Difford^[30] Professor Green was due to appear on the album, however, the duet fell through before recording was completed. "Heart on My Sleeve" is a cover of the song originally recorded by American Idol finalist Michael Johns.

Murs confirmed the first single from the album to be titled "Please Don't Let Me Go", which was released on 27 August 2010 following the circulation of the accompanying music video.^[31] The song was written by Murs himself and with other songwriters, Claude Kelly and Steve Robson; the single was also produced by Future Cut.^[28] The song is about a minor relationship Murs was in where he ended up feeling something for the other person. Murs commented: "Sadly she kept giving me the impression that she didn't like me as much, and ultimately it didn't work out, so that's where the idea of me singing 'Please Don't Let Me Go' came from."^[32] The song was described as "a lovely summery reggae-tinged pop tune that bobs along in a thoroughly hummable and not un-Will Young-like fashion" and said that the music video "is just as quintessentially pleasant".^[33] During the release, Murs was told not to get his hopes up for a number-one due to Katy Perry releasing "Teenage Dream" the same day. On 5 September 2010, the single entered the UK Singles Charts at number 1 beating Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream". The song was released with the B-side track, entitled "This One's for the Girls" also entered the UK Singles Charts, debuting at number 69, was written for all of his female fans.

His debut album was released in November 2010;^[34] which was a self-titled album, Olly Murs. The album's tracking list was revealed on 15 October 2010.^[35] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, with the biggest week one album sales for a debut album in 2010, with over 108,000 albums sold.^[36] The album also charted on the Irish Albums Chart where it found itself peaking at number eleven. The second single was "Thinking of Me",^[37] written by Murs, Steve Robson and Hector, and co-produced by Future Cut and Steve Robson.^[38] It was released on 19 November 2010,^[37] prior to the album's release.^[30] It was reported that Professor Green would feature on the single,^[39] however, the duet fell through before it was completed.^[40] The single was added to BBC Radio 1's C Playlist on 3 November 2010. Murs performed the single for the first time on The X Factor. Upon the release the single charted at number four on the UK Singles Charts and thirteen on the Irish Singles Charts. On 13 November Murs turned the Christmas lights on in Paisley and he also turned on the Christmas lights near his hometown in Chelmsford, Essex. Renfrew Council was criticised in the media for the £15,000 fee that Murs was paid to turn on the lights, after announcing that they were axing 500 jobs.^[41] Olly has now started his 2011 UK Tour starting in Rhyl, Wales on the 26th April.

[edit] 2011–2012: In Case You Didn't Know

It was rumoured in June 2011 that Murs had started working on his second studio album, which he later confirmed. Murs claimed that he would "take the album from a different approach", and claimed he would like to record a rap track, stating, "I'm secretly not a bad rapper, I really like to do a bit of beat boxing, Eminem is always a favourite, or maybe Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby" is a classic."^[42] Murs revealed that he will attempt to build himself a more of a "soulful" sound through writing the second album, and also expressed interest in recording with Robbie Williams after the two met on The X Factor Live Final.^[43] Murs confirmed in July 2011 that the lead single from the album would be called "Heart Skips a Beat", and it would feature up-and-coming Brithop Rap duo Rizzle Kicks.^[44] He described it as a "parallel" to the remainder of the album, calling it a "summer party song".^[43] The song premiered on The Chris Moyles Show on 7 July 2011 and has since been well received by fans.^[45] The video for the track was later released via Murs' official YouTube channel. Murs said that the song is one of his favourite tracks from the new album, stating, "I'm loving the tune at the moment. It's going down really, really well."^[44] "Heart Skips a Beat" later peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, marking his second number one. It later went on to peak at number one in Germany and Switzerland, also reaching top ten in numerous countries in Europe. In September 2011, Murs announced via Twitter that the second album would be entitled 'In Case You Didn't Know', taken from a song of the same name which appears on the album.^[46] On 14 October 2011, Murs released the audio of "Dance With Me Tonight", the album's second single, via his YouTube Channel. The track was released on 21 November 2011, again peaking at #1 on the UK Singles Chart. The album, In Case You Didn't Know was released a week later on 28 November 2011. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart, two on the Irish Charts, and in the top ten in Germany, Switzerland and Poland. Murs confirmed via his Twitter account in February 2012 that the album's third single would be "Oh My Goodness", and that it would be released on April 2. It peaked at #13 on the UK Singles Chart. The single is due for release across Europe in July. "I'm OK" will be released as the album's fourth and final single on 2 July 2012. A video for the track will be filmed during May, and will premiere on the first week in June.^[47]

2012-present: Third album[link]

In April 2012, it was revealed that Murs is in the process of writing his third studio album, which is slated for release in November 2012. Murs will once again be writing with Steve Robson and Claude Kelly, as well once again collaborating with Rizzle Kicks.^[48] A demo from the album sessions, "Stolen", leaked online on April 23. Murs will be embarking on a second arena tour in March 2013, touring in support of the album. Murs will be opening for British-Irish boy band One Direction on the North American leg of their Up All Night Tour, starting on May 29th in Toronto.^[49]

Other work[link]

On 28 October 2011, Murs was the first artist to be confirmed to play at Capital FM's Jinglebell Ball 2011.^[50] In November 2011, Murs won the award for "Best Male Artist" at the BT Digital Music Awards and the award for "Best Album" for "Olly Murs" at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards. On 10 November 2011, Murs turned on the Christmas Lights at the Bristol Shopping Mall. 7,000 fans attended, and Murs concluded his appearance with a performance of "Dance With Me Tonight", the first time he had performed the song live. On 2 December 2011, Murs appeared on The Late Late Toy Show with Ryan Tubridy, a popular television show in Ireland.^[51][52] On December 5 and 6, Murs supported Gary Barlow at Barlow's Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.^[53] On 1 February 2012, Murs began his twenty-two date arena tour, starting with an audience of 20,000 in Cardiff. In March 2012, it was confirmed that Murs would return to The X Factor to present the spin-off show, The Xtra Factor alongside Caroline Flack, for a second year running. ^[54] In March 2012, Murs performed at the 'Big Gig' event in Birmingham. On March 24, In aid of Sport Relief, Murs performed alongside Rizzle Kicks, Vida and JLS at a special charity concert, held at the 02 Arena in London. On April 16, Murs won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for "Favourite British Male Artist". On April 19, a three-part documentary trailing Murs throughout his UK Arena Tour, entitled Life on Murs, premiered on ITV2. It drew over half a million viewers. On April 22, he appeared on a celebrity edition of Deal or No Deal, where he won 50p for his chosen charity, Brainwave.^[55] He will return for a third appearance on the show in October 2012, when he will present the programme's 2000th edition, as regular host Noel Edmonds will be playing the game instead of hosting it.

Other work[link]

In February 2011 it was announced that Murs would participate in the BT Charity Trek, with other celebrities, as part of the 2011 Comic Relief Red Nose Day campaign. The celebrities spent five days in the Kaisut desert in north Kenya, covering 100 kilometres (62 mi) in temperatures up to 40°C.^[56] On 2 April 2011, Murs appeared in a celebrity version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and won £10,000 for charity.^[57][58] On 4 April 2011 for one week, Murs stood in for Comedy Dave Vitty on The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 while Vitty was rehearsing for Dancing on Ice.^{[citation needed]} In 2011, Murs appeared on CBBC's children's hidden camera show Remote Control Star.^{[citation needed]} At the end of May 2011, Murs presented a Celebrity Club Classics show on Heart FM. He went on to present a Celebrity Special over the Christmas Period in 2011.^{[citation needed]} On 31 May 2011 it was confirmed Olly would be co presenting the eighth series of The Xtra Factor alongside Caroline Flack.^[59] On Sunday 27th May 2012, Murs played for England in a charity match for Soccer Aid at Old Trafford. He represented England however was taken off in the first half due to a hamstring injury. England ended up winning the match in a 3-1 victory against the rest of the world.

Discography[link]

• Olly Murs (2010)
• In Case You Didn't Know (2011)

References[link]