Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors.

It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point to point (P2P), point to multipoint, or mesh wireless links. Though almost all video cameras fit this definition, the term is most often applied to those used for surveillance in areas that may need monitoring such as banks, casinos, airports, military installations, and convenience stores. Videotelephony is seldom called "CCTV" but the use of video in distance education, where it is an important tool, is often so called.

In industrial plants, CCTV equipment may be used to observe parts of a process from a central control room, for example when the environment is not suitable for humans. CCTV systems may operate continuously or only as required to monitor a particular event. A more advanced form of CCTV, utilizing Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), provides recording for possibly many years, with a variety of quality and performance options and extra features (such as motion-detection and email alerts). More recently, decentralized IP-based CCTV cameras, some equipped with megapixel sensors, support recording directly to network-attached storage devices, or internal flash for completely stand-alone operation.

Surveillance of the public using CCTV is particularly common in the United Kingdom, where there are reportedly more cameras per person than in any other country in the world. There and elsewhere, its increasing use has triggered a debate about security versus privacy.

History

The first CCTV system was installed by Siemens AG at Test Stand VII in Peenemünde, Germany in 1942, for observing the launch of V-2 rockets. The noted German engineer Walter Bruch was responsible for the design and installation of the system.

In the U.S. the first commercial closed-circuit television system became available in 1949, called Vericon. Very little is known about Vericon except it was advertised as not requiring a government permit.

CCTV recording systems are still often used at modern launch sites to record the flight of the rockets, in order to find the possible causes of malfunctions, while larger rockets are often fitted with CCTV allowing pictures of stage separation to be transmitted back to earth by radio link.

In September 1968, Olean, New York was the first city in the United States to install video cameras along its main business street in an effort to fight crime. The use of closed-circuit TV cameras piping images into the Olean Police Department propelled Olean to the forefront of crime-fighting technology.

The use of CCTV later on became very common in banks and stores to discourage theft, by recording evidence of criminal activity. Their use further popularised the concept. The first place to use CCTV in the United Kingdom was King's Lynn, Norfolk.

In recent decades, especially with general crime fears growing in the 1990s and 2000s, public space use of surveillance cameras has taken off, especially in some countries such as the United Kingdom.

Uses

Crime prevention and prevalence

Experiments in the UK during the 1970s and 1980s (including outdoor CCTV in Bournemouth in 1985), led to several larger trial programs later that decade.

These were deemed successful in the government report "CCTV: Looking Out For You", issued by the Home Office in 1994, and paved the way for a massive increase in the number of CCTV systems installed. Today, systems cover most town and city centres, and many stations, car-parks and estates.

A more recent analysis by Northeastern University and the University of Cambridge, "Public Area CCTV and Crime Prevention: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," examined 44 different studies that collectively surveyed areas from the United Kingdom to U.S. cities such as Cincinnati and New York. The analysis found that: 1) Surveillance systems were most effective in parking lots, where their use resulted in a 51% decrease in crime; 2) Public transportation areas saw a 23% decrease in crimes; 3) Systems in public settings were the least effective, with just a 7% decrease in crimes overall. When sorted by country, however, systems in the United Kingdom accounted for the majority of the decrease; the drop in other areas was insignificant.

The exact number of CCTV cameras in the UK is not known for certain because there is no requirement to register CCTV cameras. However, research published in CCTV Image magazine estimates that the number of cameras in the UK is 1.85 million. The number is based on extrapolating from a comprehensive survey of public and private cameras within the Cheshire Constabulary jurisdiction. This works out as an average of one camera for every 32 people in the UK, although the density of cameras varies from place to place to such a degree as to make this figure almost meaningless. The Cheshire report also claims that the average person on a typical day would be seen by 70 CCTV cameras, although many of these sightings would be brief glimpses from cameras in shops.

The Cheshire figure is regarded as more dependable than a previous study by Michael McCahill and Clive Norris of UrbanEye published in 2002. Based on a small sample in Putney High Street, McCahill and Norris estimated the number of surveillance cameras in private premises in London at around 500,000 and the total number of cameras in the UK at around 4,200,000. According to their estimate the UK has one camera for every 14 people. Although it has been acknowledged for several years that the methodology behind this figure is somewhat dubious, it has continued to be quoted in the absence of a better figure.

The CCTV User Group estimates that there are around 1.5 million CCTV cameras in city centres, stations, airports, major retail areas and so forth. This figure does not include the smaller surveillance systems such as those that may be found in local corner shops and is therefore broadly in line with the Cheshire report.

Research conducted by the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research and based on a survey of all Scottish local authorities, identified that there are over 2,200 public space CCTV cameras in Scotland.

There is little evidence that CCTV deters crime; in fact, there is considerable evidence that it does not. According to a Liberal Democrat analysis, in London "Police are no more likely to catch offenders in areas with hundreds of cameras than in those with hardly any." A 2008 Report by UK. Police Chiefs concluded that only 3% of crimes were solved by CCTV. In London, a Metropolitan Police report showed that in 2008 only one crime was solved per 1000 cameras. There are valid reasons for including CCTV as a component of a physical security program, but deterrence is not one of them.

Cameras have also been installed on public transport in the hope of deterring crime, and in mobile police surveillance vans, often with automatic number plate recognition. In some cases CCTV cameras have become a target of attacks themselves.

On July 22, 2005, Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by police at Stockwell tube station. According to brother Giovani Menezes, "The film showed that Jean did not have suspicious behaviour" .

Because of the bombing attempts the previous day, some of the tapes had been supposedly removed from CCTV cameras for study, and they were not functional. An ongoing change to DVR-based technology may in future stop similar problems occurring.

In October 2009, an "Internet Eyes" website was announced which would pay members of the public to view CCTV camera images from their homes and report any crimes they witnessed. The site aimed to add "more eyes" to cameras which might be insufficiently monitored, but civil liberties campaigners criticized the idea as "a distasteful and a worrying development".

Hacking and video art

Hackers and guerrilla artists have exposed the vulnerabilities of the video systems in an act dubbed "video sniffing" They have crossed feeds, uploaded their own video feeds and used the video footage for artistic purposes.

Industrial processes

Industrial processes that take place under conditions dangerous for humans are today often supervised by CCTV. These are mainly processes in the chemical industry, the interior of reactors or facilities for manufacture of nuclear fuel. Special cameras for some of these purposes include line-scan cameras and thermographic cameras which allow operators to measure the temperature of the processes. The usage of CCTV in such processes is sometimes required by law.

Traffic monitoring

Many cities and motorway networks have extensive traffic-monitoring systems, using closed-circuit television to detect congestion and notice accidents. Many of these cameras however, are owned by private companies and transmit data to drivers' GPS systems.

The UK. Highways Agency has a publicly-owned CCTV network of over 1,200 cameras covering the English motorway and trunk road network. These cameras are primarily used to monitor traffic conditions and are not used as speed cameras. With the addition of fixed cameras for the Active Traffic Management system, the number of cameras on the Highways Agency's CCTV network is likely to increase significantly over the next few years.

The London congestion charge is enforced by cameras positioned at the boundaries of and inside the congestion charge zone, which automatically read the license plates of cars. If the driver does not pay the charge then a fine will be imposed. Similar systems are being developed as a means of locating cars reported stolen.

Other surveillance cameras serve as traffic enforcement cameras.

Transport safety

A CCTV system may be installed where an operator of a machine cannot directly observe people who may be injured by some unexpected machine operation. For example, on a subway train, CCTV cameras may allow the operator to confirm that people are clear of doors before closing them and starting the train.

Operators of an amusement park ride may use a CCTV system to observe that people are not endangered by starting the ride. A CCTV camera and dashboard monitor can make reversing a vehicle safer, if it allows the driver to observe objects or people not otherwise visible.

Outside the U.K.

The use of CCTV in the United States is less common, though increasing, and generally meets stronger opposition. In 1998, 3,000 CCTV systems were in use in New York City. There are more than 10,000 CCTV systems in Chicago.

In the last few years particularly, the percentage of people in the U.S. having installed a security-camera system has increased dramatically. Global Security Solutions with the help of Zone Tech Systems first announced the launch of IP surveillance in the U.S. security industry by partnering up with Axis Communications (an IP pioneer). Today's CCTV market has transformed the shift towards IP-based security products and systems.

In Latin America, the CCTV market is growing rapidly with the increase of property crime.

Criminal use

Criminals may use surveillance cameras, for example a hidden camera at an ATM to capture people's PINs without their knowledge. The devices are small enough not to be noticed, and are placed where they can monitor the keypad of the machine as people enter their PINs. Images may be transmitted wirelessly to the criminal.

Privacy

Opponents of CCTV point out the loss of privacy of the people under surveillance, and the negative impact of surveillance on civil liberties. Furthermore, they argue that CCTV displaces crime, rather than reducing it. Critics often dub CCTV as "Big Brother surveillance", a reference to George Orwell's novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', which featured a two-way telescreen in every home through which The Party would monitor the populace. Civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch have published several research papers into CCTV systems. In December 2009, they released a report documenting council controlled CCTV cameras.

More positive views of CCTV cameras have argued that the cameras are not intruding into people's privacy, as they are not surveiling private, but ''public'' space, where an individual's right to privacy can reasonably be weighed against the intended benefits of surveilance. However, both the United States Supreme Court in Katz vs. The United States and anti-surveillance activists have held that there is a right to privacy in public areas.

Questions are also raised about illegal access to CCTV recordings. The Data Protection Act 1998 in the United Kingdom led to legal restrictions on the uses of CCTV recordings, and also mandated their registration with the Data Protection Agency. In 2004, the successor to the Data Protection Agency, the Information Commissioner's Office clarified that this required registration of all CCTV systems with the Commissioner, and prompt deletion of archived recordings. However, subsequent case law (Durant vs. FSA) has limited the scope of the protection provided by this law, and not all CCTV systems are currently regulated. Private sector personnel in the UK who operate or monitor CCTV devices or systems are now considered security guards and have been made subject to state licensing.

A 2007 report by the UK's Information Commissioner's Office, highlighted the need for the public to be made more aware of the "creeping encroachment" into their civil liberties created by the growing use of surveillance apparatus. A year prior to the report Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, warned that Britain was "sleepwalking into a surveillance society".

In 2007, the UK watchdog CameraWatch claimed that the majority of CCTV cameras in the UK are operated illegally or are in breach of privacy guidelines. In response, the Information Commissioner's Office denied the claim adding that any reported abuses of the Data Protection Act are swiftly investigated.

In the United States, there are no such data-protection mechanisms. It has been questioned whether CCTV evidence is allowable under the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits "unreasonable searches and seizures". The courts have generally not taken this view.

In Canada, the use of video surveillance has grown very rapidly. In Ontario, both the ''municipal'' and ''provincial'' versions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act outline very specific guidelines that control how ''images'' and ''information'' can be gathered by this method and/or released.

Technological developments

Computer controlled analytics and identification

Today’s High-definition CCTV cameras have many computer controlled technologies that allow them to identify, track, and categorize objects in their field of view.

Video Content Analysis (VCA) is the capability of automatically analyzing video to detect and determine temporal events not based on a single image. As such, it can be seen as the automated equivalent of the biological visual cortex.

A system using VCA can recognize changes in the environment and even identify and compare objects in the database using size, speed, and sometimes color. The camera’s actions can be programmed based on what it is “seeing”. For example; an alarm can be issued if an object has moved in a certain area, or if a painting is missing from a wall, and if someone has spray painted the lens.

VCA analytics can also be used to detect unusual patterns in a videos environment. The system can be set to detect anomalies in a crowd of people, for instance a person moving in the opposite direction in airports where passengers are only supposed to walk in one direction out of a plane or in a subway where people are not supposed to exit through the entrances.

VCA also has the ability to track people on a map by calculating their position from the images. It is then possible to link many cameras and track a person through an entire building or area. This can allow a person to be followed without having to analyze many hours of film. Currently the cameras have difficulty identifying individuals from video alone, but if connected to a key-card system, identities can be established and displayed as a tag over their heads on the video.

There is also a significant difference in where the VCA technology is placed, either the data is being processed within the cameras (on the edge) or by a centralized server. Both technologies have their pros and cons.

Facial recognition system Is a computer application for automatically identifying or verifying a person from a digital image or a video frame from a video source. One of the ways to do this is by comparing selected facial features from the image and a facial database.

The combination of CCTV and facial recognition has been tried as a form of mass surveillance, but has been ineffective because of the low discriminating power of facial recognition technology and the very high number of false positives generated. This type of system has been proposed to compare faces at airports and seaports with those of suspected terrorists or other undesirable entrants.

Computerized monitoring of CCTV images is under development, so that a human CCTV operator does not have to endlessly look at all the screens, allowing an operator to observe many more CCTV cameras. These systems do not observe people directly. Instead, they track their behavior by looking for particular types of body-movement behavior, or particular types of clothing or baggage.

To many, the development of CCTV in public areas, linked to computer databases of people's pictures and identity, presents a serious breach of civil liberties. Critics fear the possibility that one would not be able to meet anonymously in a public place or drive and walk anonymously around a city. Demonstrations or assemblies in public places could be affected as the state would be able to collate lists of those leading them, taking part, or even just talking with protesters in the street.

Retention, storage and preservation

Most CCTV systems record and store digital video and images to a Digital Video Recorder or in the case of IP cameras directly to a server, either on-site or offsite.

The amount of data stored and the retention period of the video or pictures are subject to compression ratios, images stored per second, image size and duration of image retention before being overwritten.

Recordings are usually kept for a preset amount of time and then automatically archived, overwritten or deleted. The amount of time the videos are kept allow retrieval and review in the event a crime was committed or the information needs to be studied for any number of reasons.

Closed-circuit digital photography (CCDP)

A development in the world of CCTV (October 2005) is in the use of megapixel digital still cameras that can take 1600 x 1200 pixel resolution images of the camera scene either on a time lapse or motion-detection basis. Images taken with a digital still camera have higher resolution than those taken with a typical video camera. Relatively low-cost digital still cameras can be used for CCTV purposes, using CCDP software that controls the camera from the PC.

Images of the camera scene are transferred automatically to a computer every few seconds. Images may be monitored remotely if the computer is connected to a network.

Combinations of PIR activated floodlights with 1.3Mpix and better digital cameras are now appearing. They save the images to a flash-memory card which is inserted into a slot on the device. The flash card can be removed for viewing on a computer if ever an incident happens. They are not intended for live viewing, but are a very simple and cheap "install and forget" approach to this issue.

Closed-circuit digital photography (CCDP) is more suited for capturing and saving recorded photographs, whereas closed-circuit television (CCTV) is more suitable for live-monitoring purposes.

IP cameras

A growing branch in CCTV is ''internet protocol'' cameras (IP cameras). IP cameras use the Internet Protocol (IP) used by most Local Area Networks (LANs) to transmit video across data networks in digital form. IP can optionally be transmitted across the public internet, allowing users to view their camera(s) through any internet connection available through a computer or a 3G phone. For professional or public infrastructure security applications, IP video is restricted to within a private network or VPN.

Networking CCTV cameras

The city of Chicago operates a networked video surveillance system which combines CCTV video feeds of government agencies with those of the private sector, installed in city buses, businesses, public schools, subway stations, housing projects etc. Even home owners are able to contribute footage. It is estimated to incorporate the video feeds of a total of 15,000 cameras.

The system is used by Chicago's Office of Emergency Management in case of an emergency call: it detects the caller's location and instantly displays the real-time video feed of the nearest security camera to the operator, not requiring any user intervention. While the system is far too vast to allow complete real-time monitoring, it stores the video data for later usage in order to provide possible evidence in criminal cases.

London also has a network of CCTV systems that allows multiple authorities to view and control CCTV cameras in real time. The system allows authorities including the Metropolitan Police Service, Transport for London and a number of London boroughs to share CCTV images between them. It uses a network protocol called Television Network Protocol to allow access to many more cameras than each individual system owner could afford to run and maintain.

The Glynn County Police Department uses a wireless mesh-networked system of portable battery-powered tripods for live megapixel video surveillance and central monitoring of tactical police situations. The systems can be used either on a stand-alone basis with secure communications to nearby police laptops, or within a larger mesh system with multiple tripods feeding video back to the command vehicle via wireless, and to police headquarters via 3G.

Integrated systems

Integrated systems allow users to connect remotely from the internet and view what their cameras are viewing remotely, similar to that of IP cameras. In one incident, a lady from Boynton Beach, Florida was able to watch her house get robbed and contacted police directly from her office at work.

Wireless security cameras

Many consumers are turning to wireless security cameras for home surveillance also. Wireless cameras do not require a video cable for video/audio transmission, simply a cable for power. Wireless cameras are also easy and inexpensive to install. Previous generations of wireless security cameras relied on analog technology; modern wireless cameras use digital technology which delivers crisper audio, sharper video, and a secure and interference-free signal.

CCTV camera vandalism

Unless physically protected, CCTV cameras have been found to be vulnerable against a variety of (mostly illegal) tactics:

Some people will deliberately destroy cameras. Some cameras can come with Dust-Tight, Pressurized, Explosion proof, and bullet-resistant housings.

Spraying substances over the lens can make the image too blurry to be read.

Lasers can blind or damage them. However, since most lasers are monochromatic, color filters can reduce the effect of laser pointers. However, filters will also impair image quality and overall light sensitivity of cameras (see laser safety article for details on issues with filters). Also, complete protection from infrared, red, green, blue and UV lasers would require use of completely black filters, rendering the camera useless.

See also

Bugging

Closed-circuit television camera

Documentary practice

Eye in the sky (camera)

Fake security camera

Information Awareness Office

IP camera

Physical security

Police

Privacy International

Proprietary DVR

Security Operations Center

Security smoke

Sousveillance (inverse surveillance)

Surveillance

Telescreen

The Convention on Modern Liberty

TV Network Protocol

Video analytics

Videotelephony

References

External links

Space Shuttle External Tank and Solid Rocket Booster Camera Systems

UK Government pro-CCTV campaign

Assessing the Impact of CCTV, a UK Home office study on the effectiveness of closed-circuit television

The Register story: Face recognition useless for crowd surveillance

CCTV Guidance notes from the UK Information Commissioner's Office

CBC Digital Archives - The Long Lens of the Law

The Urbaneye Project on CCTV in Europe

CCTV:Constant Cameras Track Violators National Institute of Justice Journal 249 (2003). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

Public Space CCTV in Scotland: Results of a National Survey of Scotland's Local Authorities

Opinion on Video Surveillance in Public Places by Public Authorities and the Protection of Human Rights and Opinion on Video Surveillance by Private Operators in the Public and Private Spheres and by Public Authorities in the Private Sphere and the Protection of Human Rights, Venice Commission, 2007

Category:Applications of computer vision Category:Assistive technology Category:Crime prevention Category:Law enforcement techniques Category:Public safety Category:Security engineering Category:Security technology Category:Surveillance Category:Video Category:Warning systems

ca:Circuit tancat de televisió cs:Kamerový systém de:Videoüberwachungsanlage es:Circuito cerrado de televisión fa:سیستم تصاویر مداربسته fr:Vidéosurveillance ko:폐쇄 회로 텔레비전 hr:Video nadzor id:Televisi sirkuit tertutup it:Televisione a circuito chiuso he:טלוויזיה במעגל סגור ms:Televisyen litar tertutup nl:Cameratoezicht ja:監視カメラ no:Kameraovervåking pl:Telewizja przemysłowa pt:Circuito fechado de televisão ru:Видеонаблюдение simple:Closed-circuit television sk:Priemyselná televízia fi:Valvontakamera sv:Kameraövervakning ta:மூடிய-மின்சுற்று தொலைக்காட்சி th:กล้องโทรทัศน์วงจรปิด tr:Kapalı devre televizyon uk:Відеоспостереження vi:Camera an ninh zh:閉路電視

Name	Maxi Priest
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Max Alfred Elliott
Born	June 10, 1961Lewisham, London, England
Instrument	Vocals
Genre	Reggae, Reggae fusion, Lovers rock
Occupation	Singer, Songwriter
Years active	1982-present
Associated acts	UB40
Label	CharismaVirginEMI
Performed with	Shabba Ranks, Shaggy, Sly & Robbie
Website	maxipriest.com }}

Max Alfred "Maxi" Priest (born 10 June 1961) is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with a R&B; influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion, and became one of the first international successes who regularly dabbled in the genre as well as being one of the most successful reggae fusion acts of all-time.

Career

Maxi Priest, the second youngest of ninety-nine children, was born in Lewisham, London. His parents moved to England from Jamaica to provide more opportunity for their family and he grew up listening to gospel, reggae, R&B;, and pop music. His music is sometimes closer to R&B;, and pop, than to reggae music itself. His uncle, Jacob Miller, a reggae icon, was the frontman in the popular reggae group Inner Circle and his son, Ryan Elliott, was a member of the boy band Ultimate Kaos.

Priest's musical career began with him singing on the South London reggae soundsystem Saxon Studio International, after which some independent single releases followed. His first major album was the self-titled ''Maxi Priest'' (1988) which, along with his cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World", established him as one of the top British reggae singers.

He is one of only two British reggae acts (along with UB40) to have an American Billboard number one: "Close to You" in 1990. A duet with Roberta Flack, "Set the Night to Music", reached the American Top Ten in 1991. His duet with Shaggy in 1996, "That Girl", was also a hit in the United States, peaking at number twenty.

In the latter half of his recording career, Priest has favoured working alongside other artists, both established and up-and-coming. He has worked with Sly & Robbie, Shaggy, Beres Hammond, Jazzie B, Apache Indian, Roberta Flack, Shurwayne Winchester, Shabba Ranks and Lee Ritenour.

It was reported in some newspapers in the Birmingham area, including the Birmingham Mail on 13 March 2008, that Priest would be replacing Ali Campbell as the new lead singer of UB40, and that he had recorded a cover of Bob Marley’s "I Shot the Sheriff" with the band, based on information from "an unnamed source close to the band." Priest had joined UB40 on tour in 2007, culminating in sell out shows at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Solihull in December. Another local newspaper, the ''Express & Star'' that had reported that Priest would be the new UB40 frontman, included a statement from band spokesman Gerard Franklyn which contradicted the claim, stating "Maxi is collaborating with the band to record material but he won't be the new lead singer, that will be Duncan Campbell, the brother of Ali and Robin Campbell. He will only be appearing with them for this new recording."

Discography

Albums

''Intentions'' (1986) #96 UK

''Maxi Priest'' (1988) #108 US; #25 UK

''Bonafide'' (1990) #47 U.S.; #11 UK

''Fe Real'' (1992) #191 U.S.; #60 UK

''Man with the Fun'' (1996) #108 US

''CombiNation'' (1999)

''2 the Max'' (2005)

''Refused'' (2007)

Compilations

''Best of Me'' (1991) #23 UK

''Collection'' (2000)

Singles

! Year	! Song	Billboard Hot 100>US Hot 100	Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs>US R&B;	Adult Contemporary (chart)>US AC	! UK Singles Chart	! Album
	"Strollin' On"	align="center"
align="center"
align="center"
	''Intentions''
"In the Springtime"	align="center"
align="center"
align="center"
	''You're Safe''
"Crazy Love"	align="center"
align="center"
align="center"
	"Let Me Know"	align="center"
align="center"
align="center"
"Woman in You"	align="center"
align="center"
align="center"
align="center"
"Some Guys Have All the Luck"	align="center"
align="center"
align="center"
align="center"
	"Human Work of Art"	align="center"
align="center"
align="center"
"Just a Little Bit Longer"			align="center"
	"Space in My Heart"	align="center"
	align="center"
align="center"
"Set the Night to Music" (with Roberta Flack)				align="center"
''Set the Night to Music'' (Roberta Flack)
1992	"Groovin' in the Midnight"			align="center"
1993	"One More Chance"	align="center"
	align="center"
				align="center"
"Watching the World Go By"	align="center"
align="center"
align="center"
2009	"2 Play feat Maxi Priest - That's what the girls like (Sam Young & Jack Black Mix)"	align="center"
align="center"
align="center"
align="center"

References

External links

Official website

Fansite

Maxi Priest at Wenig-LaMonica Associates

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:British reggae musicians Category:Converts to the Rastafari movement Category:English male singers Category:English people of Jamaican descent Category:English Rastafarians Category:Charisma Records artists Category:Virgin Records artists Category:Lovers rock musicians Category:People from Lewisham Category:Reggae fusion artists Category:UB40 members

da:Maxi Priest de:Maxi Priest fr:Maxi Priest id:Maxi Priest nl:Maxi Priest ja:マキシ・プリースト no:Maxi Priest pl:Maxi Priest pt:Maxi Priest simple:Maxi Priest tr:Maxi Priest

name	Alex Clare
background	solo_singer
birth name	Alexander G Claire
birth date
birth place	london
genre	Dubstep
origin	London, England
instrument	Vocals, guitar, drums, keyboard, ukelele, harmonica
occupation	Singer, songwriter
label	Island
associated acts	Diplo, Switch
website	}}

Alex Clare, formely known as Alexander G. Muertos (and sometimes referred to as Alex Claire), is a British singer-songwriter composer from London, UK. His debut album, ''The Lateness of the Hour'', is scheduled for release in the UK 11 July 2011 on Island Records. Produced by Switch and Diplo.

Biography

Clare played in several bands in London and had a brief career as a cook before he started writing music. He dated Amy Winehouse for one year in 2006, while Winehouse was 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”.

One of Clare's self-written songs ended up with record label Island Records and two weeks after he signed his first recording contract. The debut album from Alex Clare, ''The Lateness of the Hour'', produced by Diplo and Switch is to be released in the UK on 11 July 2011. The first single from the album was "Up All Night", followed by "Too Close" and "Treading Water".

On 19 May 2011, Reggie Yates made Alex Clare's cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" his "song of the day".

On 20 May 2011, Dutch radio station 3FM announced single "Too Close" to be winner of '3FM's Megahit Award.

On 21 June 2011, Clare performed at the Queens' College May Ball.

On 12 July 2011, Clare's debut album, ''The Lateness of the Hour'', was released. ''The Tune'' gave the album a 3.8 out of 5, citing its diversity and "the engulfing soundscapes ... full of rich moments".

On 14 August 2011, Alex Clare performed at the Summer Well festival in Buftea,Romania.

Discography

Studio albums

''The Lateness of the Hour'' (2011) (UK chart peak: #159)

Singles

"Up All Night"

"Too Close"

"Treading Water" (20 May 2011)

Music videos

"Too Close"

"Up All Night"

"Relax My Beloved"

"Treading Water"

References

Category:People from London Category:Dubstep musicians

nl:Alex Clare

Name	Brad Caleb Kane
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Bradley Caleb Kane
Genre	Pop, Soft Rock
Years active	1984–present
Website	Brad Caleb Kane's MySpace
Past members	}}

Bradley Caleb Kane is a singer, actor, and writer.

Career

Kane began to act when he was three years old, with a small role in the movie ''Six Weeks''. At the age of eight, he obtained the role of one of the four chorus boys in the Broadway musical ''Evita''. He was in that production for four months before changing to Stephen Sondheim's ''Sunday in the Park with George'', in which he acted alongside such stars as Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin. At the age of eleven, Kane participated in the "Very Special Arts" festival, a series of benefit concerts for disabled children's charities, which gave him an opportunity to sing for then First Lady Nancy Reagan in the White House and at the Kennedy Center. Kane has appeared in many commercials and has been appeared in such programs as ''Law & Order'', ''One Life to Live'', ''Guiding Light'', ''Search for Tomorrow'', and ''Plaza Sésamo''. He has also been a host on the Nickelodeon series ''Rated K Update'' and has been the assistant conductor of an interview program called ''Girl Talk'' In theatre, his credits include the role of the young Lucius in the Public Theater's production of ''Titus Andronicus'', and two roles in James Lapine's Lincoln Center production of ''The Winter's Tale''.

He provided the singing voice of the character Aladdin in the 1992 film of the same name, as well as its sequels. In 1993, he played Arpad Laszlo in the Broadway revival of ''She Loves Me''. He also played Tucker Wells in the season three episode "The Prom" of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', and provided Jonathan Levinson's singing voice in the episode "Superstar".

On September 11, 2005, Kane was invited to a ceremony at Hong Kong Disneyland, the night before the theme park's opening. He performed the song "A Whole New World" from ''Aladdin'' with Cantopop star Joey Yung.

As Caleb Kane, he released the song "This Close", which was played on the movie ''Devil's Pond''. Then in 2004, he released his website with a message board to promote his album "This Day In History" with the first single "Go Mad", released in March 2006. Caleb has two versions of the video of this single, and also another promotional video for "In Your Own Way", a song that was played on the show ''The Black Donnellys''.

His first album, ''This Day in History'', was released on July 1, 2008.

On June 7, 2011, it was announced that he will be penning a new script for a reboot film of the Marvel Comics character, Daredevil. It is tentatively going to be an adaptation of the Frank Miller story, Born Again.

Discography

Albums

''This Day in History'' (July 1, 2008)

Digital Albums

"Go Mad"

"In Your Own Way"

''Selections''

Other Albums

''The Artist Lounge Album''

''Ahead of the Curve''

Filmography

''The Flamingo Kid'' (1984)

''Aladdin'' (1992) (singing voice)

''The Return Of Jafar'' (1994) (singing voice)

''Aladdin and the King of Thieves'' (1995) (singing voice)

''Starship Troopers'' (1997)

''Daredevil (unnamed film)'' (TBA) (writer)

TV series

''ABC Funfit'' (1985)

''Sunday in the Park with George'' (1986)

''If It's Tuesday, It Still Must Be Belgium'' (1987)

''Rated K Update'' (1988)

''Law & Order'' (1991)

''Olsen Twins Mother's Day Special'' (1993)

''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1999)

''Crash'' (2008–2009)

''Fringe'' (2008–2010)

References

External links

Category:American actors Category:American male singers Category:Living people

fr:Brad Kane it:Brad Kane

name	Jennette McCurdy
background	solo_singer
birth name	Jennette Michelle Faye McCurdy
birth date	June 26, 1992
origin	Garden Grove, California, U.S.
instrument	Vocals, guitar, keyboard
genre	Country
occupation	Actress, singer, songwriter
years active	2000–present (actress)2008–present (singer)
label	Your Tyme, Capitol Nashville
website	jennettemccurdy.com
notable instruments	}}

Jennette Michelle Faye McCurdy (born June 26, 1992) is an American film and television actress and country pop singer-songwriter. She is best known for her role as Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon sitcom ''iCarly''. She has also appeared in a number of notable television series, including True Jackson VP, ''Zoey 101'', ''Malcolm in the Middle'', ''Will & Grace'', ''Strong Medicine'', ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''The Inside'' and ''Judging Amy''.

Early life

McCurdy was born in Garden Grove, California, and she has three older brothers. She gained interest in acting after watching Harrison Ford in ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'' right after her mother recovered from breast cancer.

Career

She started her acting career in 2000 at the age of eight on ''MADtv''. Since then she appeared in several television series, including ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''Malcolm in the Middle'', ''Lincoln Heights'', ''Will & Grace'', ''Penguins of Madagascar'', ''Zoey 101'', ''True Jackson, VP'', ''Law and Order SVU'', ''Medium'', ''Judging Amy'', ''The Inside'', ''Karen Sisco'', ''Over There'' and ''Close to Home''. In 2003, she had the chance to act with her inspiration, Harrison Ford in the movie ''Hollywood Homicide''. In 2005, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Television Series - Guest Starring Young Actress for her performance in ''Strong Medicine'' as Hailey Campos. She has also appeared in several commercials such as one for Sprint and another commercial for crossing the road safely.

Since 2007, she has a starring role in the Nickelodeon TV series ''iCarly'' opposite Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor, as Carly Shay's best friend Sam Puckett. In 2008 she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her work on ''iCarly'', and for her performance as Dory Sorenson in the TV movie ''The Last Day of Summer''. She was nominated for a 2009 Teen Choice Award, in the ''Favorite TV Sidekick'' category for her work on ''iCarly''. She also was cast to the role of Bertha in ''Fred: The Movie'', a movie based on a YouTube series about Fred Figglehorn.

Music

In June 2008, she announced on her official web site that she was working on her debut album. The first single, "So Close", was released on March 10, 2009. The second single, "Homeless Heart", a cover of a song from Amanda Stott, was released on May 19. The song was released in honor of McCurdy's recently deceased friend Cody Waters, who died at the age of 9 from brain cancer, and 20% of the proceeds were donated to the Cody Waters Foundation. She met Cody Waters through St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Both were released under the Your Tymes music label. After the single "So Close" was released in March 2009, McCurdy announced that her debut album would be released on June 30, 2009. By the time June ended, no album had been released and on July 6, 2009, McCurdy announced she had signed a deal with Capitol Records Nashville.

On April 16, 2010, samples of select songs from McCurdy's upcoming debut country album were released to the public. Those songs were "Not That Far Away", "Never Let Me Down", "Break Your Heart", "Better", "Stronger", and "Put Your Arms Around Someone". The songs were released early in order for fans to vote for which one they believed should be McCurdy's first single. "Not That Far Away" won, and was released to country radio on May 24, 2010 and iTunes on June 1. She released an EP on August 16/August 17 , 2010 which added other songs including "Stronger", "Put Your Arms Around Someone", "Break Your Heart" and "Me with You". It has also been stated that another of her songs, "Stronger" was released later on NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 35 on August 31, 2010.

McCurdy's second single under ''Capitol Records Nashville'', "Generation Love" was released as a digital download on March 22, 2011. This song was released to radio April 25, 2011.

Philanthropy

In addition to supporting the Cody Waters Foundation, McCurdy was active in campaigns such as stopping child soldiers (she is in the Invisible Children Inc. group) and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. McCurdy did a PSA for Safe Kids USA which is aired on Nickelodeon and TeenNick.

McCurdy currently serves as a StarPower Ambassador for Starlight Children’s Foundation, encouraging other young people to commit their time, energy and resources to help other kids and working with Starlight to brighten the lives of seriously ill children.

Personal life

On June 11, 2011, McCurdy composed and published an article titled "Off-Camera, My Mom's Fight With Cancer" to the Wall Street Journal, which describes, in detail, her mother Debra's on-going battle with cancer and how her family is coping with the situation. The article also features tips on living with such a situation, given out by McCurdy herself to anyone interested.

Discography

;Studio albums

Title	Details	Peak chartpositions
		! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"
''Jennette McCurdy''		* Release date: To be announced	* Label: Capitol Nashville	Compact disc>CD, music download	-	-

;Extended plays

Title	Details	Peak chartpositions
		! style="width:40px;"	! style="width:40px;"
''Not That Far Away''		* Release date: August 17, 2010	* Label: Capitol Nashville	* Formats: Music download	32	3

;Singles

Year	Single	Peak position	Album
		! style="width:55px;"
2010		58
2011		44

;Music videos

! Year	! Song	! Director
2010	"Not That Far Away"
2011	"Generation Love"

Filmography

; Film ''My Daughter's Tears'' ''Hollywood Homicide'' ''Taylor Simmons'' ''Breaking Dawn'' ''Tiger Cruise'' ''See Anthony Run'' ''Against Type'' '''' ''Proving Ground: From the Adventures of Captain Redlocks'' ''iGo to Japan'' ''Minor Details'' ''Fred: The Movie'' ''Best Player'' ''The Goree Girls''

Year	Notes
2001	''Shadow Fury''	Anna Markov
2002	|	Mary Fields
2003	|	Van Family Daughter
2003	|	Amanda Simmons
2004	|	The Little Girl
2004	|	Kiley Dolan	TV movie
2005	|	Lucy	Short film
2006	|	Meredith	TV movie
2007	|	Dory Sorenson	TV movie
2008	|	Aria Krait
2008	|	Sam Puckett	TV movie
2009	|	Mia
2010	|	Bertha	TV movie
2011	|	Christina "Prodigy" Saunders	TV movie
2011	|	Billie Crow	Musical Film

; Television

''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''Malcolm in the Middle'' ''Karen Sisco'' ''Strong Medicine'' ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' ''Medium (TV series) ''Judging Amy'' ''Malcolm in the Middle'' '''' ''Over There'' ''Zoey 101'' ''Will & Grace'' ''Close to Home (TV series) ''Lincoln Heights (TV series) ''iCarly'' ''True Jackson, VP'' '''' ''Glenn Martin, DDS''

Year	Notes
2000	''MADtv''	Cassidy Gifford
2002	C.S.I.'' ||	Jackie Trent	Episode: "Cats in the Cradle"
2003	|	Daisy (Female Dewey)	Episodes: "If Boys Were Girls"
2004	|	Josie Boyle	Episode: "No One's Girl"
2004	|	Hailey Campos	Episode: "Selective Breeding"
2005	|	Holly Purcell	Episode: "Contagious"
2005	Medium'' ||	Sara Crewson	Episode: "Coded"
2005	|	Amber Reid	Episode: "My Name is Amy Gray"
2005	|	Penelope	Episode: "Buseys Take a Hostage"
2005	|	Madison St. Clair	Episode: "Everything Nice"
2005	|	Lynne	Episode: "Situation Normal"
2005	|	Trisha Kirby	List of Zoey 101 episodes#Season 2: 2005–2006>Bad Girl"
2006	|	Lisa	Episode: "Von Trapped"
2006	Close to Home'' ||	Stacy Johnson	Episode: "Escape"
2007	Lincoln Heights'' ||	Beckie	Episode: "Betrayal" Episode: "Tricks and Treats"Episode: "House Arrest"
2007 to present	|	Sam Puckett
2008 to 2010	|	List of True Jackson, VP characters>Pinky Turzo	Episode: "[[List of True Jackson, VP episodes#Season 1: 2008 - 2009
2010	|	Becky	Episode: "Badger Pride"
2010	|	Mazy	Episode: "Courtney's Pony"

Awards

"Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama), Supporting Young Actress" Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards

Year !! Award !! Category !! Motive !! Result
2009	Young Artist Award	|	''iCarly''
2011	Kids' Choice Awards ||	"Favorite TV Sidekick"	''iCarly''

References

External links

Category:1992 births Category:Actors from California Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American country singers Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Garden Grove, California

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