{|class="Infobox" align="right" | |- | |} Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.

Political affair

Political affair may refer to the illicit or scandalous activities of public, such as the Watergate affair, or to a legally constituted government department, for example, the United Nations Department of Political Affairs.

Romantic affair

A romantic affair, also called an affair of the heart, may refer to sexual liaisons among unwed parties, or to various forms of nonmonogamy. Unlike a casual relationship, which is a physical and emotional relationship between two people who may have sex without expecting a more formal romantic relationship, an affair is by its nature romantic.

Affair may also describe part of an agreement within an open marriage or open relationship, such as swinging, dating, or polyamory, in which some forms of sex with one's non-primary partner(s) are permitted and other forms are not. Participants in open relationships, including unmarried couples and polyamorous families, may consider sanctioned affairs the norm, but when a non-sanctioned affair occurs, it is described as infidelity and may be experienced as adultery, or a betrayal both of trust and integrity, even though to most people it would not be considered "illicit."

When a romantic affair lacks both overt and covert sexual behaviour and yet exhibits intense or enduring emotional intimacy it may be referred to as an emotional affair, platonic love, or a romantic friendship.

== Extramarital affair== Extramarital affairs are relationships outside of marriage where an illicit romantic or sexual relationship or a romantic friendship or passionate attachment occurs.

An extramarital affair that continues in one form or another for years, even as one of the partners to that affair passes through marriage, divorce and remarriage, could be considered the primary relationship and the marriages secondary to it. This may be serial polygamy or other forms of nonmonogamy.

The ability to pursue serial and clandestine extramarital affairs whilst safeguarding the secrets and conflict of interest inherent in the practice, requires skill in deception and duplicitous negotiation. Even to hide one affair requires a degree of skill or malicious gaslighting. All these behaviours are more usually called lying.

Deception can be defined as the "covert manipulation of perception to alter thoughts, feeling, or beliefs". The presence of deception may indicate the degree to which the deceiver has breached fundamental conditions of fidelity, of reciprocal vulnerability and of transparency. Sometimes these are explicit or assumed pre-conditions of a committed intimate relationships.

Individuals having affairs with married men or women can be prosecuted for adultery in some jurisdictions and can be sued by the jilted spouses in others. As of 2009, eight U.S. states permitted such alienation of affections lawsuits.

Online affair

The appearance of computer-mediated communication introduces a new type of communication and consequently a new type of an Affair. There are various kinds of computer-mediated communication that differ in some significant aspects: one-to-one or group communication formats, interrelating with anonymous or identified people, and communicating in synchronous or asynchronous formats. Online affairs combine features of close and remote relationships.

Ben Ze'ef argues that an online affair is a unique kind of affair - termed 'detached attachment', or in short 'detachment' - that includes opposing features whose presence in a face-to-face affair would be paradoxical. Like direct, face-to-face affairs, online affairs can be spontaneous and casual and show intensive personal involvement. However, online affairs can also be more of a planned discourse than spontaneous talk; like written letters, online messages can be stored and thus have permanent presence, which is absent from face-to-face affairs.

People participating in online affairs may be strangers to each other in the sense that they have never actually met each other. However, they are also close to each other since they share intimate information. In online affairs, people try to enjoy the benefits of both close and remote affairs, while avoiding their flaws. People enjoy the highly valued products of close affairs while paying the low cost of remote affairs. As one woman wrote: 'He constantly told me that he can not provide me with what I would want and I would always respond with: "I'm not asking anything from you, but simply enjoy your company".

Famous affairs

Affair of the diamond necklace

Nelson-Hamilton Affair

Cunningham-Agee Affair

Harden-Eulenburg Affair

Hemings-Jefferson Affair

Dreyfus affair

Haijby affair

Iran-Contra Affair

Iris Robinson Scandal

Lavon Affair

The Lewinsky Scandal (Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky)

Lillehammer affair

Stevenson-Lloyd George Affair

The Makropulos Affair (play and opera)

Munsinger Affair

Petrov Affair

Petticoat affair

Profumo Affair

Ryan Giggs' affair with Imogen Thomas

Sokal Affair

Spiegel Affair

The Thomas Crown Affair

Spitzer Scandal

John F. Kennedy's affair with Marilyn Monroe

Robert F. Kennedy's affair with Marilyn Monroe

John Edwards affair

Mark Sanford affair

Scott Peterson's affair with Amber Frey

Tiger Woods' affairs

Further reading

Schmitt, D. P., ''et al.'' (2004). Patterns and universals of mate poaching across 53 nations: The effects of sex, culture, and personality on romantically attracting another person's partner. ''Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86,'' 560-584.

References

External links

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, On marital infidelity and the prospects for healing in the relationship

Extramarital Affair

Extramarital Affair Discussion forum

Extramarital dating site

Category:Politics by issue Category:Sexual fidelity Category:Marriage Category:Intimate relationships

bg:Афера da:Affære de:Liebesbeziehung eo:Amafero nl:Buitenechtelijke relatie ru:Афера zh:緋聞

name	Simon Cowell
background	non_performing_personnel
birth name	Simon Phillip Cowell
birth date	October 07, 1959
birth place	Lambeth, London, England
origin	Elstree, Hertfordshire, England
occupation	A&R; executive, television producer, entrepreneur, television personality
years active	1979–present
label	EMIE&S; MusicFanfare RecordsBMGS RecordsSony Music EntertainmentSyco
associated acts	Westlife, Sinitta, Leon Jackson, Jai McDowall, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Sonia, Five, Robson & Jerome, Ultimate Kaos, WWF Wrestlers, Zig and Zag, Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, Joe McElderry, Shayne Ward, Il Divo, Susan Boyle, Paul Potts, JLS
notable instruments	}}

Simon Phillip Cowell (born 7 October 1959) is an English A&R; executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as ''Pop Idol'', ''The X Factor'', ''Britain's Got Talent'' and ''American Idol''. He is also the owner of the television production and music publishing house Syco.

As a judge, Cowell is known for his blunt and often controversial criticisms, insults and wisecracks about contestants and their abilities. He is also known for combining activities in the television and music industries, having promoted singles and records for various artists, including television personalities. He was most recently featured on the seventh series of ''The X Factor'' and the fifth series of ''Britain's Got Talent''. In September 2011, he will feature as a judge on the first season of the American version of ''The X Factor''.

In 2010, the British magazine ''New Statesman'' listed Cowell at number 41 in a list of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures 2010".

Early life

Cowell was born in Lambeth, London and brought up in Elstree, Hertfordshire. His father, Eric Philip Cowell (1918–1999), was an estate agent developer and music industry executive; his mother, Julie Brett (née Josie Dalglish), is a former ballet dancer and socialite. Cowell's paternal grandparents, Joseph Cowell and Esther Malinsky, were English Jews, and his maternal grandfather was Scottish. He has one brother and three half-brothers; younger brother Nicholas Cowell, half-brother John Cowell, half-brother Tony Cowell and half-brother Michael Cowell. Michael is the oldest, followed by John, Tony, Simon and Nicholas respectively.

Cowell attended Radlett Preparatory School and the independent Dover College as did his brother, but left after taking GCE O levels. He passed in English Language and Literature and then attended Windsor Technical College where he gained another GCE in Sociology. At the age of 17, he dated model Paula Hamilton. Cowell took a few menial jobs—including, according to Tony, working as a runner on Stanley Kubrick's ''The Shining''—but did not get along well with colleagues and bosses, until his father who was executive at the recording giant EMI Music Publishing, managed to get him a job in the mail room.

Career

Cowell's father's connections originally got him rehired as the assistant to an A&R; man. From there onwards, Simon worked his way up and eventually got promoted to a music publishing position but left during the early 1980s to form E&S; Music with his boss at EMI, Ellis Rich (later Chairman of the Performing Right Society). The company had several hit records at one point with five singles in the UK top 40. The offices were in a converted gentleman's washroom in the NCP car park on Brewer Street in London's Soho district. Cowell left by mutual agreement a few years later. He worked for Iain Burton, manager of choreographer Arlene Phillips, co-founder of dance group Hot Gossip and of nascent independent record label Fanfare Records. Cowell worked with Burton for eight years at Fanfare where he achieved his first real success in the music industry, becoming a partner and building Fanfare into a highly successful 'indie' pop label. Fanfare had numerous top ten hits with various pop artists and particularly Sinitta, selling more than 500,000 copies of her debut single "So Macho", and more than 500,000 copies of her album ''Rondo Veneziano''. Next in 1984, Cowell and Burton met up with Pete Waterman for the first time.

Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman formed the songwriting and record producing trio known as Stock Aitken Waterman. Stock Aitken Waterman helped Fanfare during the second half of the 1980s producing several hit singles for Sinitta and licensing ''The Hit Factory'' SAW Compilation Albums to Fanfare. Next in 1989, Fanfare's parent, Public Company, found itself in difficulties, forcing Fanfare into the hands of BMG, and an in-debt Cowell was forced to move back in with his parents. Later that year, he became an A&R; consultant for BMG.

Subsequently, Cowell signed up a number of acts to ''S-Records'' that became successful, including Curiosity Killed the Cat, Sonia, Five, Westlife, Robson & Jerome, and Ultimate Kaos. He also released several novelty recordings featuring the likes of wrestlers of the World Wrestling Entertainment, Teletubbies, Zig and Zag and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, that were huge successes. Cowell set up another label, Syco Music, in 2002 which later became part of Columbia Records and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Artists such as Leona Lewis, Il Divo and contestants from ''The X Factor'' and ''America's Got Talent'' are released on Syco. Cowell explained, "There has to come a point when I will step down from being on camera and remain behind the scenes because you can't keep doing this forever...I think by [the end of my contract] that the public will be sick to death of me anyway and it will be time to go."

In 2006, Cowell signed to two more record-breaking deals. In the USA, he agreed to remain as a judge on ''American Idol'', earning £20 million (US$33 million) per season for another five years. He also has a deal with FOX which allows his production company to broadcast ''Got Talent'' and ''American Inventor'' on other networks, but he may not appear on them. In the UK, he signed a "golden handcuffs" deal with ITV, worth approximately £6.5 million a year for three years, which gave ITV rights to his talent show ''The X Factor'', a British singing talent show, and ''Grease Is the Word'', a musical talent show to find the stars of a ''Grease'' production in London's West End. In late 2005, he signed a new contract to remain working for Sony BMG.

In 2010, Cowell finalised a deal which secures the long-term business future of Syco with Sony Music Entertainment. The deal will also see him launching a US version of X Factor on 21 September 2011.

''Idol'' franchise and ''Il Divo''

Cowell was given the role of judge on the first series of Pop Idol by then ITV Controller of Entertainment Claudia Rosencrantz in 2001, he was then judge on the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002. With his notoriously critical reputation, Cowell is likened to TV personalities, such as Judge Judy, and ''Weakest Link'''s Anne Robinson. Though comparable to Anne Robinson, Cowell has expressed his dislike for her and has commented in an interview, "I hate her and I hate her show because it's just an act". Cowell's prominence grew, fed by his signature phrase, "I don't mean to be rude, but ...", inevitably followed by an unsparingly blunt appraisal of the contestant's talents, personality, or even physical appearance. A lot of these one-liners were the product of coaching that Cowell received from noted publicist Max Clifford. Cowell also appeared on the one-off ''World Idol'' programme in 2003, where it became clear that each country's version of the ''Idol'' had attempted to come up with its own "Simon Cowell" type personality. In 2003, Cowell placed No 33 on Channel 4's list of the all-time 100 Worst Britons. Cowell's S Records signed the top two finishers of the first season of ''Pop Idol'', Will Young and Gareth Gates, both of whom went on to have No 1 UK hits. Efforts begun in 2001 materialised in 2004, when Cowell returned to his group manufacturing roots with his latest brainchild, the internationally successful operatic pop group Il Divo, consisting of three opera singers and one pop singer of four different nationalities. Inspired by the success of Il Divo, Simon created a child version, Angelis, beating competition from many similar groups emerging at Christmas 2006.

On 11 January 2010, Cowell's exit from ''American Idol'' was made official. The 2010 season was Cowell's last on the show. It was also announced that Fox has acquired the rights to an American version of Cowell's popular British show, ''The X Factor'', which is slated to begin production in autumn 2011.

''The X Factor''

In 2004, with Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, Cowell was a judge on the first series of the British television music competition ''The X Factor'', which he created using his production company, Syco. ''The X Factor'' was an instant success with the viewers and will begin its eighth series in 2011.

Leona Lewis, the winner of the third series of ''The X Factor'', was signed to Cowell's label Syco and has gone on to become an international star, with number one singles and album sales around the world. Cowell returned for a fourth series on 18 August 2007 alongside Osbourne, Walsh and new judge, Dannii Minogue. Walsh had previously been sacked from the judging panel by Cowell for the fourth series, and was subsequently replaced by Brian Friedman, who was a judge on ''Grease Is the Word''. Walsh was later brought back a week into the auditions by Cowell when he and Osbourne realised that they missed Walsh and that without him, there was no chemistry between the judges. Cowell returned for the fifth series in 2008, with Walsh, Minogue and new judge Cheryl Cole, as Sharon Osbourne decided to quit before the show began.

''The X Factor'' has been confirmed to return to Australian television in 2010 on the Seven Network with Kyle Sandilands, Ronan Keating, Guy Sebastian and Natalie Imbruglia as judges. Matthew Newton will host the show. Auditions will begin in May 2010.

Cowell will also launch the U.S. version of ''The X Factor'' in September 2011 on American broadcaster Fox. It was announced that he would be a judge both on the UK and US editions of the show, which will air at similar times of the year, but MTV officially reported on 17 April 2011 that this was not true; Cowell will no longer be a judge in the UK version., but instead will be an enormous presence backstage.

In October 2010, Cowell signed new three-year deals with ITV for both ''Britain's Got Talent'' and ''The X Factor''.

''Got Talent'' franchise

Following the success of the ''Idol'' and ''X-Factor'' franchises, Cowell, his company Syco, and its business partners developed a talent show format open to performers of any kind, not only singers, but also dancers, instrumentalists, magicians, comedians, novelty acts, and so on. The origins of the ''Got Talent'' format can be traced to the British show ''Opportunity Knocks'', which began as a radio programme in the 1940s and later transferred to television, where it was an ITV staple for several decades. Looking further back, ''Opportunity Knocks'' had its roots in the variety show traditions of British music hall and American vaudeville.

Cowell is the executive producer of ''America's Got Talent'', which debuted in June 2006, along with Fremantle producers of the ''Idol'' series, but he does not appear on the show due to the terms of his ''American Idol'' contract. The show was a huge success for NBC, drawing around 12 million viewers a week, and beating ''So You Think You Can Dance'' on FOX (produced by rival and ''Idol'' creator Simon Fuller).

''Britain's Got Talent'' debuted on ITV in June 2007. Cowell appears as a judge alongside Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan. The show was a ratings success and second and third seasons followed in 2008 and 2009. The third series featured a publicity coup when Susan Boyle made a global media impact with her regional audition performance comparable to that of any previous talent show series winner.

''American Inventor''

On 16 March 2006, Simon Cowell's next competition show, ''American Inventor'', debuted on ABC. Fledgling entrepreneurs from across the United States competed to see who could come up with the best new product concept. The 2006 winner, Janusz Liberkowski, received $1 million and the opportunity to develop his idea into a business. The show returned one more time in 2007 for a second season.

''Celebrity Duets''

In 2006, Cowell executive-produced ''Celebrity Duets'', which was described as "an Idol show for Hollywood superstars." The show was hosted by Wayne Brady, and its judges were Marie Osmond, Little Richard and David Foster.

''Grease Is the Word''

Cowell was also the executive producer of ''Grease Is the Word'' for ITV. This show set out to find performers to play Danny and Sandy in the 2007 West End revival of Grease. It was hosted by Zoe Ball and judged by Britons David Ian and Sinitta and Americans David Gest and Brian Friedman. The musical theatre casting concept had already been introduced by the BBC with the ratings hit ''How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?'', but Cowell's show was not the hoped for success. He himself said, "It has been slaughtered by the critics – and rightly so. It is far too similar to our other formats."

''Rock Rivals''

Cowell collaborated with UK production company Shed Media to produce 2008 ITV drama series ''Rock Rivals'', which is based on an ''X Factor'' type show.

Other activities

Cowell has been involved in charity work for many years. He supports children from The Association Of Children's Hospices and invites them backstage to the screenings of ''The X Factor''. When he can, he stops by some of the hospices to visit the children. He also supports animal rights and has appeared in a video for PETA in which he reminds drivers of the cruelty to animals that can occur when their pets are locked in cars in the summer. In view of his charitable works, particularly the production of the charity single ''Everybody Hurts'' in aid of victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, as well as his services to the music industry, there was considerable media speculation as to whether Cowell would receive a knighthood in the Queen's 2010 Birthday Honours, a proposal allegedly put forward by former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Cowell stated that he believed his chances of receiving the honour were "zero" following what he described as being a "royal row"; ultimately Cowell did not receive an honour in the list.

In December 2003, Cowell published his autobiography titled ''I Don't Mean to be Rude, but...''. In it, he told the whole story of his childhood, his years working in music and experiences on ''Pop Idol'', ''Pop Stars Rivals'', and ''American Idol'', and finally, his tips for being successful as a pop star.

Cowell has appeared as a guest voice in an episode of ''The Simpsons'' ("Smart and Smarter"), in which he gets beaten up by Homer Simpson (while criticising Homer's punches). His voice was also heard on an episode of ''Family Guy'' ("Lois Kills Stewie"), in which he told Stewie that his singing was so awful that he should be dead. He made an MTV Movie Award-winning cameo appearance as himself in ''Scary Movie 3'', where he sits in judgment during a battle rap (and subsequently gets killed by gunfire for criticising the rappers). He also appears in the DVD version of ''Shrek 2'' as a judge in ''Far Far Away Idol'', and also provided the voice.

He appeared on an episode of ''Who Wants to be a Millionaire?'' (the original British version) and ''Saturday Night Live'' in 2004. Cowell has also guest-starred (filling in for Regis Philbin) in the popular talk show ''Live with Regis and Kelly'' during ''American Idol'''s finalist week in early 2006. Cowell was once the fastest "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" on BBC's motoring show ''Top Gear'', driving a Suzuki Liana around the show's test track in a time of 1:47.1. When ''Top Gear'' retired the Liana along with its rankings after the eighth series, Cowell was the eighth fastest overall and the third fastest non-professional driver. On 11 November 2007 Cowell yet again appeared on Top Gear, achieving a time of 1:45.9 thus putting him ahead of Gordon Ramsay and back at the top of the table. Cowell introduced entertainer Dick Clark at the 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards. He was seen on ''Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' where he donated £25,000 for a fun fair ticket. Cowell has also appeared on the MTV shows Cribs and Punk'd. On Punk'd, Ryan Seacrest and Randy Jackson set him up to believe his $400,000 Rolls Royce was stolen and had caused an accident by using a nearly identical car.

Cowell was chosen as the first subject of the re-launched ''This Is Your Life'' in an episode broadcast on 2 June 2007. He was presented with the Red Book by Sir Trevor McDonald while presenting ''American Idol''.

On 1 July 2007 Cowell appeared alongside Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest as a speaker at the Concert For Diana, held at Wembley Stadium.

Simon Cowell was a partner in the Royal Ascot Racing Club, a thoroughbred horse racing syndicate which owned the 2005 Epsom Derby winner, Motivator.

In May 2010, he portrayed himself again, in another episode of ''The Simpsons'', "Judge Me Tender".

In December 2010, he was added as a new entry to the latest edition of ''Who's Who''.

Personal life

In late 2002, Cowell started dating longtime friend Terri Seymour. In November 2008, ''TV Guide'' reported that Cowell and Seymour had since broken up.

Cowell is the godfather of pop singer Sinitta's adopted children.

Upon his appearance on ''Top Gear'', it was revealed that Cowell pays more than £21.7m per year in income tax, suggesting that his taxable income is over £54.25m per year with income tax at the time approximately 40%. (NB: UK Income Tax 40% for earnings over £34,600). Cowell was estimated to have a fortune of £200 million in the ''Sunday Times Rich List'' of 2011, making him the sixth richest person in the British music industry.

Cowell has admitted to using Botox.

Cowell has a $22 million, home in Beverly Hills.

In May 2009, in the ''Daily Mail'' tabloid newspaper, Cowell revealed that he is often plagued by "dark moods and miserable thoughts". He claims that he has considered seeking therapy for this, stating that it would be a 'long session'.

Cowell became engaged to make up artist Mezhgan Hussainy in February 2010. They met on the set of ''American Idol''.

Cowell endorsed David Cameron to be Prime Minister and claimed that he has the 'substance and the stomach to navigate us through difficult times'. In the aftermath of the election, it was reported that he had fallen out with fellow X Factor judge Cheryl Cole (who had declared her support for Labour and Gordon Brown) in a telephone conversation about politics.

References

External links

Simon Cowell at itv.com/xfactor

Simon Cowell for PETA

Simon Cowell on World Top 100 A&R; Chart

New York Times: How a Hit Almost Failed Its Own Audition

Reviews and short bio of Simon Cowell

Playboy Interview: Simon Cowell, February 2007

Interview, HitQuarters Oct 2001

2011 radio interview with Simon Cowell

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background	solo_singer
birth name	Paula Julie Abdul
birth date	June 19, 1962
origin	San Fernando, California, United States
occupation	Singer, songwriter, choreographer, dancer, television personality, actress
years active	1978–present
genre	Pop, R&B;
label	Virgin (1987–1996) Mercury (1997) Concord (2008) Filament (2009–present)
website	}}

Paula Julie Abdul (; born June 19, 1962) is an American recording artist, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.

In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B; hits in the late-1980s and early-1990s. Her six number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 tie her for fifth among the female solo performers who have reached #1 there. She won a Grammy for "Best Music Video - Short Form" for "Opposites Attract" and twice won the "Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography".

After her initial period of success, she suffered a series of setbacks in her professional and personal life, until she found renewed fame and success in the 2000s as a judge on the television series, ''American Idol'', for eight years, before departing from the show. Abdul had moved on to another television series, CBS's ''Live to Dance'', which debuted in January 2011. The series has since been canceled. Following her judging role in ''Live to Dance'', Abdul moved to the American version of ''The X Factor'' with her former ''American Idol'' co-judge Simon Cowell which will premiere in September 2011.

Early life

Abdul's father, Harry Abdul, a Syrian Jew, was born in Aleppo, Syria, raised in Brazil, and subsequently emigrated to the United States; Abdul's mother, Lorraine M. (née Rykiss), a Canadian Jew, is originally from Minnedosa, Manitoba with ancestors from Russia and Ukraine, and Abdul derives Canadian citizenship through her. She has a sister named Wendy, who is 7 years her senior. In 1980, she graduated from Van Nuys High School and was voted girl with the funniest laugh.

An avid dancer, Abdul was inspired towards a show business career by Gene Kelly in the classic film ''Singin' in the Rain'' as well as Debbie Allen, Fred Astaire, and Bob Fosse.

Abdul began taking dance lessons at an early age in ballet, Jazz, and Tap. She attended Van Nuys High School, where she was a cheerleader and an honor student. At 15, she received a scholarship to a dance camp near Palm Springs, and in 1978 appeared in a low-budget Independent musical film, ''Junior High School.''

Abdul studied broadcasting at the California State University at Northridge. During her freshman year, she was selected from a pool of 700 candidates for the cheerleading squad of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team—the famed Laker Girls. Within three months, she became head choreographer. Six months later, she left the university to focus on her choreography and dancing career.

Career

1982-1986: Dance and choreography era

Abdul was discovered by The Jacksons, after a few of the band members had watched her while attending a Los Angeles Lakers game. She was signed to do the choreography for the video to their single "Torture". "My only problem was how to tell the Jacksons how to dance," Abdul later recalled. "Imagine me telling them what routines to do. I was young, I was scared. I'm not quite sure how I got through that." The success of the choreography in the video led to Abdul's career of choreographer in music videos. It was also due to the success of the video that Abdul was chosen to be the choreographer for the Jacksons' ''Victory'' tour.

Abdul choreographed videos for several singers throughout the 1980s, including many videos for Janet Jackson during her ''Control'' era. In 1995, Abdul released a dance workout video entitled ''Paula Abdul's Get Up and Dance!'' (re-released on DVD in 2003), a fast-paced, hip-hop style workout. In 1998, she released a second video called ''Cardio Dance'' (re-released on DVD in 2000). In December 2005, Abdul launched a cheerleading/fitness/dance DVD series called ''Cardio Cheer,'' which is marketed to children and teenage girls involved with cheerleading and dance.

In film, Abdul choreographed sequences for the giant keyboard scene involving Tom Hanks’s character in ''Big.'' Further credits include ''Coming to America'', ''Action Jackson'', ''Jerry Maguire'', ''The Running Man'', ''American Beauty'', ''Can't Buy Me Love'', and Oliver Stone's ''The Doors''. Television credits include ''The Tracey Ullman Show,'' American Music Awards, the Academy Awards, and several commercials, such as The King's touchdown celebration, as seen in a string of popular Burger King television commercials that aired during the 2005–2006 NFL season.

1987-1994: ''Forever Your Girl'' and ''Spellbound''

In 1987, Abdul used her savings to make a singing demo. Although her voice was relatively untrained, her exceptional dancing proved marketable to the visually oriented, MTV-driven, pop music industry. She was a tireless worker, and relied on input from her vocal coach and producers to improve her sound.

In 1988, Abdul released her pop debut album, ''Forever Your Girl''. The album took 62 weeks to hit #1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart—the longest an album has been on the market before hitting #1—and spent 10 weeks there. The album eventually became multi-platinum in the spring and summer of 1989, and it spawned five American Top Three singles, four of them #1s (three in 1989 and one in 1990): "Straight Up", "Forever Your Girl", "Cold Hearted", and "Opposites Attract". A remix album, ''Shut Up and Dance'', was also released and reached #7 on Billboard's album chart, becoming one of the most successful remix albums to date. The Grammy award-winning video for "Opposites Attract" featured an animated cat named MC Skat Kat.

At the 33rd Grammy Awards, Abdul won her first Grammy for Best Music Video for "Opposites Attract", She was also nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her song "Straight Up" but it lost to Bonnie Raitt's "Nick of Time".

In the early 1990s, Yvette Marine, backing vocalist on ''Forever Your Girl'', claimed that she sang "co-lead vocals" on the album and sued Paula and Virgin Records for compensation. After one month of court proceedings, Abdul and Virgin won the case.

Abdul's follow-up album, 1991's ''Spellbound,'' contained another string of hits, and sold 7 million copies worldwide. The first single from ''Spellbound'' was the ballad, "Rush, Rush," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five consecutive weeks, and was noted for its music video and ''Rebel Without a Cause'' motif featuring Keanu Reeves in the James Dean role. "Promise of a New Day", the second release from the album, also hit No. 1, and was followed by the Top 10 hit "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" and two Top 20 hits: "Vibeology" and "Will You Marry Me?". The album, ''Spellbound'', retained much of the dance-oriented formula heard on her debut album. The track "U" was written for Paula by Prince.

Abdul promoted the album through the "Under My Spell Tour", which was named by an MTV contest for fans. This tour was nearly cancelled due to an accident during rehearsals. The tour began on schedule and ran from October 1991 to the summer of 1992. In 1991, Abdul embraced advertising and starred in a popular Diet Coke commercial in which she danced with a digital image of her idol, a young Gene Kelly.

Abdul was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December of 1991.

1995-2001: ''Head over Heels'' and a music hiatus

By 1995, Paula Abdul had recovered from her battle with the eating disorder bulimia nervosa and prepared to return to the spotlight with her new album ''Head over Heels''. The first single off the album, "My Love Is for Real" featured a fusion of R&B; and traditional Middle Eastern instruments, and was performed with Yemeni-Israeli singer Ofra Haza. Its accompanying ''Lawrence of Arabia''-inspired music video was played in theaters across the world as a preface to the film ''Clueless''. The single was a hit in the clubs (peaking at #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart), and made it to #28 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.

The second single, "Crazy Cool", peaked at #13 on the dance charts. "Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up" was the album's third and final single. To date, ''Head over Heels'' has sold 3 million copies worldwide.

In January 1997, Abdul starred in the ABC television movie ''Touched by Evil,'' playing a businesswoman who discovers that her boyfriend is a serial rapist. Also that year, Abdul co-wrote the song "Spinning Around" with songwriter and producer Kara DioGuardi, who became a fellow judge on ''American Idol'' in 2009. "Spinning Around" was a dance-pop track intended to be the lead single on Abdul's follow-up album to ''Head over Heels''. But the album never materialized, and "Spinning Around" was instead given to Kylie Minogue. The song was highly successful, reaching #1 in numerous countries.

While Abdul took a break from the music industry, she remained busy behind the scenes. Abdul served as the choreographer for several film and theater productions, including the 1998 musical ''Reefer Madness'' and the cheerleading scenes in the 1999 film ''American Beauty'' (she had previously also choreographed the 1991 film ''The Doors''). Abdul also co-produced a 2001 pilot episode of ''Skirts'', a dramatic series that would have aired on MTV about a high-school cheerleading squad; Abdul was also set to appear as the head coach. The pilot never aired.

In 2000, Abdul’s ''Paula Abdul: Greatest Hits'' CD was released by Virgin Records (with whom Abdul was already no longer affiliated). It included all her hit singles and other noteworthy tracks. The song "Bend Time Back 'Round" had previously been heard only on the 1992 soundtrack for the hit television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210''.

2002-2009: ''American Idol''

thumb|right|upright|Paula Abdul at the 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards In 2002, Abdul appeared as one of three judges for the reality television music competition show ''American Idol''. Abdul, along with fellow judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson (joined by Kara DioGuardi in 2009) were to evaluate the talent of a large group of young amateur singers, eliminate most of them in various audition rounds, and then judge the finalists as American television viewers voted on which finalists would continue to each successive round, until all but the winner were eliminated. Abdul won praise as a sympathetic and compassionate judge. She seemed especially kind compared to fellow judge Simon Cowell, who was often blunt in his appraisals of the contestants' performances. When she realized that Cowell's over-the-top judging style was heartbreaking for many young contestants, Abdul was so horrified that she considered leaving the show. Although their differences often resulted in extremely heated on-air exchanges and confrontations, Cowell says he played a major role in convincing Abdul not to leave the show.

While serving as a judge on "American Idol," Abdul accepted a second assignment as reporter for ''Entertainment Tonight''.

In March 2006, Fox announced that Abdul had signed to stay on ''American Idol'' as a judge for at least three more years. Later that year, fellow ''American Idol'' judge Simon Cowell invited her to be a guest judge at some of the early auditions for the third series of his similar UK talent show ''The X Factor''. Abdul was present at the initial audition of the eventual winner, Leona Lewis.

The week of May 14 to May 18, 2007 (the week before the season 6 finale), Abdul broke her nose when she tried to "avoid tripping over her pet chihuahua." She was present at the May 22 performance and the May 23 finale.

In 2008, it was reported she was to be working on a new album.

Abdul's ''American Idol'' wardrobe often includes a number of necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings that she designs, and she often gives show contestants custom-designed jewelry. In 2007, Paula Abdul Jewelry launched its nationwide consumer debut on QVC, with the tagline "fashion jewelry designed with heart and soul." Paula's first QVC appearance resulted in 15 sellouts of her first jewelry collection involving more than 34,000 pieces. In an interview with the ''Los Angeles Times'' on July 18, 2009, Paula's manager David Sonenberg told the newspaper that, "Very sadly, it does not appear that she’s going to be back on ‘Idol’." This came about as a result of stalled negotiations between Paula and the show. On August 4, 2009, after numerous contract negotiations, Abdul confirmed that she would not be returning to ''Idol'' for its ninth season. ''The Times'' cited reports Abdul had been earning as much as $5 million per season and that she was reportedly seeking as much as $20 million to return.

On August 18, 2009, it was reported that Abdul was negotiating to return to ''Idol'' after not taking part in season nine of ''Dancing with the Stars''. Two days later, Abdul's manager said that there were not any talks with Fox, but they were not ruling anything out.

Abdul claimed her departure from ''Idol'' was not about money, but that she had to stand on principle.

On September 9, 2009 Ellen DeGeneres was confirmed as Abdul's successor for ''Idol''.

2007-2011: Post-''Idol'' projects

Paula Abdul's second greatest-hits CD, ''Greatest Hits: Straight Up!'', was released by Virgin Records on May 8, 2007. Virgin Records also released the music videos to all six of Abdul's #1 singles to iTunes. Meanwhile, Bravo began airing the reality television series ''Hey Paula,'' which followed Abdul through her day-to-day life. The series was produced by Scott Sternberg Productions and debuted on June 28, 2007. Abdul's behavior as depicted on the show was described as 'erratic' by comedian Rosie O'Donnell and decried by numerous fans and critics. The show aired for only one season.

In January 2008, Abdul returned to the music charts for the first time in nearly 13 years with the single "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," the first track on the album ''Randy Jackson's Music Club Vol 1''. The song debuted on ''On Air with Ryan Seacrest''., and Abdul performed it during the pre-game show for Super Bowl XLII. "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" was a modest comeback hit for Abdul, peaking at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100, #11 on iTunes and #2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. She also made a brief guest appearance in season 3 episode 1 of the British television Comedy-Drama ''Hotel Babylon'', which aired in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2008.

In January 2009, Abdul hosted "RAH!," a 90-minute cheerleading competition on MTV. "RAH!" featured five collegiate squads competing in a series of challenges with Abdul crowning one the winner. In May 2009, Abdul debuted her latest song "I'm Just Here for the Music" (originally an unreleased song from Kylie Minogue's ninth album Body Language) on the Ryan Seacrest Radio KIIS-FM show and performed the single on the ''American Idol'' results show. "I'm Just Here for the Music" reached #87 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Abdul's 15th song to appear on the chart.

Paula Abdul has remained busy since leaving ''American Idol''. She hosted "VH1 Divas Live" in September 2009, and opened the show by performing a medley of #1 hits, including "Straight Up", "Cold Hearted", "Opposites Attract", and "Forever Your Girl." Also on the program, Paula poked fun at her ''American Idol'' replacement Ellen DeGeneres.

In 2009 and 2010, Abdul appeared in several episodes of Lifetime Television's hit series ''Drop Dead Diva,'' a comedy about a shallow model whose soul resurfaces in the body of a brilliant, plus-size and recently deceased attorney, Jane. On the show, Abdul played herself as "Judge Paula," a figment of Jane’s subconscious.

In November 2010, Abdul launched and co-founded AuditionBooth.com, a website that allows aspiring talents to connect with casting directors, producers, and managers.

Abdul kicked off 2011 by serving as lead judge, executive producer, creative partner, mentor and coach on CBS' new dancing competition, ''Live to Dance'' (formerly ''Got to Dance'') Abdul said that unlike ''American Idol'', her new show is less about "competition" and more about "celebration." After its first season of seven weekly shows, it was cancelled by CBS.

2011-present: ''The X Factor''

On May 7, 2011, it was announced that Abdul would join Simon Cowell on the first season of the American version of ''The X Factor''. The judging panel will consist of Abdul, Cowell, music executive L.A. Reid and former Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger. The series will premiere on 21 September 2011.

Personal life

Marriages and relationships

Abdul was married to Emilio Estevez from 1992-1994. Another short lived marriage for Paula Abdul was to clothing designer Brad Beckerman in 1996. They divorced in 1998 citing irreconcilable differences.

On Valentine's Day 2006, Abdul appeared on ''Dr. Phil'' as part of a prime time special on love and relationships. She was set up on two dates and Phil McGraw gave her advice.

In mid July 2007, Abdul announced that she had begun dating J.T. Torregiani, a restaurant owner 12 years her junior. She told Access Hollywood: "''He is a good guy. Things are looking upwards. It's looking good right now. I wasn't even looking for someone and that's what usually happens.''" Paula and JT broke up in June 2008, citing their hectic work schedules.

Religion

Paula practices Judaism and is proud of her heritage. She once stated, "My father is a Syrian Jew whose family immigrated to Brazil. My mother is Canadian with Jewish roots. My dream is to come to Israel for a real holiday." In November 2006, Israeli Tourist Minister Isaac Herzog invited her to Israel, Abdul responding with a hug, adding, "I will come; you have helped me make a dream come true."

Legal issues

On December 20, 2004, Abdul was driving her Mercedes on an L.A.-area freeway when she changed lanes and hit another vehicle. The driver and passenger snapped a photograph with a cell phone camera and wrote down the license plate number of the car, which was traced to Abdul. On March 24, 2005, Abdul was fined $900 and given 24 months of informal probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor hit-and-run driving in Los Angeles. In addition to the fines, she was ordered to pay $775 for damage to the other car.

On April 4, 2006, Abdul filed a report at a Hollywood police station claiming she had been a victim of battery at a private party at about 1 a.m. April 2, according to L.A.P.D. spokesman police Lt. Paul Vernon. "According to Abdul, the man at the party argued with her, grabbed her by the arm and threw her against a wall," Vernon said. "She said she had sustained a concussion and spinal injuries."

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

In April 2005, Abdul revealed that she suffers from a rare neurological disorder called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (CRPS) that causes chronic pain.

Activism

Paula is also a dog lover who raised awareness about National Guide Dog Month in May 2009 and she is teaming up with Dick Van Patten to help people with blindness to have more independence through the help of guide dogs. She does not wear real fur.

Controversies

Corey Clark

In May 2005, ABC's news magazine ''Primetime Live'' reported claims by Season 2 ''American Idol'' contestant Corey Clark that he and Abdul had an affair during that season, and that she had coached him on how to succeed in the competition. The fact that Clark came forward at a time when he was marketing a CD and trying to get a book deal was seen as suspicious by some, but Clark maintains that his career was being prejudiced because of his relationship with Abdul and that is why he came forward with the information to clear his name. For the most part, Abdul refused to comment on Clark's allegations. Simon Cowell came to Abdul's defense, calling Corey Clark a creep and stating “It was just somebody using her to get a lot of publicity for an appalling record, full stop. At the height of the debacle, Abdul appeared in a ''Saturday Night Live'' skit, making light of the situation. While Fox launched an investigation, Abdul received numerous calls of support from celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Kelly Ripa; Barbara Walters even addressed the camera during an episode of ABC's ''The View'' to say she was sad to be part of an operation that would report Clark's flimsy tabloid claims under the guise of a news story. In August 2005, the Fox network confirmed that she would be returning to the show, as the investigation had found "insufficient evidence that the communications between Mr. Clark and Ms. Abdul in any way aided his performance."

Substance abuse allegations

Substance abuse allegations arose as the result of what some described as "erratic behavior" by Abdul during episodes of ''American Idol.'' After reading these allegations on message boards, Abdul told ''People'' magazine in April 2005 that she suffered from chronic pain for years following a "cheerleading accident" at age 17 and was diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) in November 2004. Abdul says she is now pain-free following treatment, including the anti-inflammatory medication Enbrel.

Allegations arose again in January 2007 when videos circulated on the Internet of Abdul appearing to sway in her chair and slur her speech during a set of interviews. Abdul's publicist attributed this to fatigue and technical difficulties during the recording of the interviews. It was revealed on the Bravo show ''Hey Paula'', which had followed Abdul with a video camera prior to the interviews, that Abdul had not been sleeping, perhaps suffering from some mild form of insomnia.

In February 2007, Abdul told ''Us Weekly'' that she had never been drunk or used illegal drugs and called the allegations "lies."

In a March 2007 appearance on the ''Late Show with David Letterman,'' Abdul joked that her scrutinized behavior was caused by her being "abducted by aliens."

In several interviews given in the late 2000s, Paula claimed to have been left in debilitating pain after a 1992 car accident and a 1993 plane crash that required 15 spinal surgeries and which left her dependent on pain medication for years.

In May 2009, ''Ladies' Home Journal'' posted an article on its Web site that said Abdul told them she attended the La Costa Resort and Spa the previous year to recover from physical dependence on prescription pain medications. The medications, prescribed due to injuries and her RSD diagnosis, included a pain patch, nerve medication, and a muscle relaxant. According to the article, Abdul said the medications made her "get weird" at times and that she suffered from physical withdrawal symptoms during her recovery.

Later that same week, though, in an interview with Detroit radio station WKQI, Abdul rejected the article's accuracy. She told the radio station she never checked into a rehab clinic and never had a drug abuse problem.

Tours

The Club MTV Tour

The Under My Spell Tour

Discography

;Studio Albums

1988: ''Forever Your Girl''

1991: ''Spellbound''

1995: ''Head over Heels''

Filmography

Film and television ''Can't Buy Me Love (film) ''Touched By Evil'' ''The Waiting Game'' ''The Wayans Bros.'' ''American Idol'' ''That's So Raven'' ''Romy and Michele: In the Beginning'' ''The X Factor (UK)'' ''Hey Paula (TV series) ''RAH ''Hotel Babylon'' ''Drop Dead Diva'' ''Live to Dance'' ''The X Factor (U.S.)''

Year	!! Role !! Notes
1978	''Junior High School''	Sherry
1987	Can't Buy Me Love'' ||	Dancer	Uncredited
rowspan="2">1997	|	Elle Collier	TV Movie
''Muppets Tonight''	Herself
rowspan="2"	1998	|	Amy Fuentes	TV Movie
''Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)	Sabrina, the Teenage Witch''	Herself
rowspan="3"	1999	|	Sasha	1 Episode
''Mr. Rock 'n' Roll: The Alan Freed Story''	Denise Walton
''Family Guy''	Herself
2002–2009	|	Judge	Guest Appearance Finale 2010	2003 Zoe's Dance Moves Herself
2004	|	Undercover Judge	1 Episode
rowspan="3"	2005	|	Herself	TV Movie
''Less Than Perfect''	Kathleen
''Robots (film)	Robots''	Watch
2006	|	Guest Judge	3 Episodes
2007	Hey Paula'' ||	Herself	7 Episodes, also Executive Producer
rowspan="2"	2009	Paula Abdul's Cheerleading Bowl	Herself
''Brüno (film)	Brüno''	Herself
2008	|	Herself	Guest star
2009– present	|	Herself	4 episodes
2011	|	Judge
2011-present	|	Judge

As choreographer

Year !! Film !! Notes
1983	Private School (film)>Private School''
1986	''A Smoky Mountain Christmas''
rowspan="3"	1987	The Tracey Ullman Show'' >
''Can't Buy Me Love (film)	Can't Buy Me Love''
''The Running Man (film)	The Running Man''
	''Action Jackson''
''Big''
''Coming To America''
	''She's Out of Control''
''Dance To Win''
''The Karate Kid, Part III''
1990	17th American Music Awards'' >
1991	The Doors (film)>The Doors''
1996	''Jerry Maguire''
1999	American Beauty (film)>American Beauty''
2001	Black Knight (film)>Black Knight''
2002	''The Master of Disguise''

Awards and honours

1989 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for ''The Tracey Ullman Show''

1990 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for ''The 17th Annual American Music Awards''

1991 Grammy Award for Best Music Video

star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

See also

List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)

List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart

List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart

List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)

List of number-one hits (United States)

References

External links

Category:1962 births Category:American cheerleaders Category:American choreographers Category:American dance musicians Category:American dancers Category:American film actors Category:American Idol participants Category:American music journalists Category:American musicians of Russian descent Category:American musicians of Ukrainian descent Category:American people of Syrian-Jewish descent Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American television actors Category:American television producers Category:Concord Records artists Category:Emmy Award winners Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Idol series judges Category:Living people Category:Musicians from California Category:People from the San Fernando Valley Category:The X Factor judges Category:The X Factor (UK) Category:Van Nuys High School alumni Category:Virgin Records artists Category:Jewish American musicians Category:Jewish singers

ar:باولا عبدول az:Paula Abdul bg:Пола Абдул cs:Paula Abdulová da:Paula Abdul de:Paula Abdul et:Paula Abdul es:Paula Abdul eo:Paula Abdul fa:پائولا عبدل fr:Paula Abdul gl:Paula Abdul ko:폴라 압둘 hr:Paula Abdul id:Paula Abdul it:Paula Abdul he:פאולה עבדול jv:Paula Abdul kn:ಪೌಲಾ ಅಬ್ದುಲ್‌ sw:Paula Abdul lv:Pola Abdula nl:Paula Abdul ja:ポーラ・アブドゥル no:Paula Abdul pl:Paula Abdul pt:Paula Abdul ro:Paula Abdul ru:Абдул, Пола scn:Paula Abdul simple:Paula Abdul sk:Paula Abdulová fi:Paula Abdul sv:Paula Abdul th:พอลลา อับดุล tr:Paula Abdul uk:Пола Абдул vi:Paula Abdul zh:寶拉·阿巴杜

Lee Jung aka J. Lee (born Lee Jung Hee, , on October 24, 1981) is a South Korean singer and actor. He made his debut as a member of 7 Dayz; Lee has since become a solo singer. Although his last album has underperformed, he has continued his popularity by becoming a mainstay on KBS's ''Heroine 6'', becoming part of the "Gag Team 3" with Shin Jung Hwan from Country Kko Kko and Kim Jong Min from Koyote.

In January 2007, Lee claimed that another singer used his voice to debut. He stated that he heard his recording being used by another artist by viewing the performance on television. He previously thought the song was going to be his debut song to launch his singing career. "Lee Jung lipsynch singer" went on to become most searched keyword at one point.

He joined the Korean marines on October 12, 2008.

Discography

7 Dayz

''Vol. 1 - Lee Jung'' released 2003.

''Vol. 2 - Look at Me'' released 2004.

''Vol. 3 - Rebirth of Regent'' released 2006.

''Vol. 4 - Fourth Force'' released June 2008

''Let's Dance'' released 2011 (under the name J. Lee by Medialine and Best Music)

Television and Movie appearances

''Nonstop 5'': (논스톱 5)

''X-man'' (First appearance ''X-man'' #16 - August 21, 2004)

''Love Letter'' (First appearance ''Love Letter'' Season 3 Episode 2 June 10, 2006)

''The Legend of Seven Cutter'' (2006)

''Unstoppable Marriage'' (2007)

References

Category:1981 births Category:K-pop singers Category:Living people Category:South Korean actors Category:South Korean male singers Category:South Korean pop singers

tl:Lee Jung

name	Jessica Simpson
background	solo_singer
birth name	Jessica Ann Simpson
birth date	July 10, 1980
birth place	Abilene, Texas, United States
genre	Pop, dance, country, R&B;
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress, fashion designer
years active	1993–present
label	Columbia, Epic, Columbia Nashville, Eleveneleven, Primary Wave
associated acts	Nick Lachey, Ashlee Simpson, 98 Degrees, John Mayer, Tony Romo
url	}}

Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, television personality and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and beauty products, and designed fragrances, shoes, and handbags for women. She has devoted time to philanthropic efforts including Operation Smile and a USO-hosted tour for troops stationed overseas.

She has achieved seven ''Billboard'' Top 40 hits, three gold and two multi-platinum Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified studio albums, four of which have reached the top 10 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. Simpson starred with her then-husband Nick Lachey in the MTV reality show ''Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica''. She ventured into the country music market in 2008 and released ''Do You Know''.

Early life

Jessica Ann Simpson was born in Abilene, Texas, as the daughter of Tina Ann (née Drew), a homemaker, and Joe Truett Simpson, a minister and psychologist. She has a younger sister Ashlee, who is also a singer. As a child, Simpson began singing at her local Baptist church. At age twelve, she unsuccessfully auditioned for ''The Mickey Mouse Club''. While attending J.J. Pearce High School, she signed to Proclaim Records, a minor Gospel music record label. She recorded an album, ''Jessica'', but Proclaim went bankrupt and the album was never officially released except for a small pressing funded by her grandmother. This small pressing gained her minor attention and she gave concerts with other acts such as Kirk Franklin, God's Property, and CeCe Winans. Simpson left high school at age sixteen (she later earned her GED), and after Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola heard ''Jessica'', she was signed to the label.

Career

1999–01: ''Sweet Kisses'' and ''Irresistible''

Simpson released her first single, "I Wanna Love You Forever", which peaked at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1999, and reached the top ten in ten countries. Soon afterwards, her major label debut album ''Sweet Kisses'' was released. To support the album, Simpson toured with Ricky Martin and with boy band 98 Degrees.

Meanwhile, Simpson's album ''Sweet Kisses'' had gone double platinum, helped by the follow-up singles "Where You Are" and "I Think I'm In Love With You", which were both released in 2000. The latter became Simpson's biggest radio hit at that point, and was her first release of an uptempo single. Her debut album sold 2 million copies in US. Columbia Records officials reportedly decided Simpson needed a change for her second album. The following year, when Simpson came to record her second album, executives pressured her to have a much more sexy image.

In 2000, Simpson started recording the follow-up to ''Sweet Kisses'', with what Columbia considered more radio-friendly, up-tempo tracks. The album, titled ''Irresistible'', was released in mid-2001 on the heels of the title-track first single. "The title track" became one of the biggest hits of her career; it peaked at number fifteen on the Hot 100 and stayed in the chart for twenty weeks. It managed to reach the top forty in some other countries it charted.

''Irresistible'' debuted at number 6 in June 2001 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, with 127,000 copies sold in its first week. It was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling or shipments of 500,000 copies or more. ''Irresistible'' has sold 850,000 copies in the US, to date. In order to support the album, Simpson went on her first headlining tour, called the ''DreamChaser Tour'', in mid-August, but due to the September 11, 2001 attacks could not complete the planned dates.

2002–05: Newlyweds, ''In this Skin'' and film career

During the summer of 2003, the reality show, ''Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica'', starring Simpson and her then-new husband Nick Lachey began airing on MTV. Simpson's third album, ''In This Skin'', was released in August 2003 to coincide with the series premiere of ''Newlyweds''.

The show quickly became a pop culture phenomenon and is credited with making her a household name, even among those who did not follow pop music or MTV. "I never knew that just doing the show would give me that pedestal to step on," Simpson told ''Blender'' magazine, in a March 2004 feature.

''In This Skin'', debuted at number ten on the ''Billboard'' 200 , with sales of 64,000 in its first week. But, it rebounded after a special collectors' edition was released in April 2004, and subsequently reached a peak of number 2. It contained the song "Sweetest Sin", which barely even made an impact on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. However, the album did contain the hit singles "With You" (No. 14, 2004) and a cover of the Berlin song "Take My Breath Away" (No. 20, 2004), and a lesser hit, a cover of the Robbie Williams song "Angels", which charted just outside the Billboard Hot 100. In December 2004, the album was certified three times multi-Platinum by the RIAA. According to Simpson's biography, the album has sold 4 million copies in US, to date.

The couple starred in the television special ''The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour,'' which aired in 2004 and was compared to ''The Sonny & Cher Show''. In 2005, ''Newlyweds'' won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Reality Show before wrapping shortly after.

In late 2004, Simpson released her first Christmas album titled ''Rejoyce: The Christmas Album'' . It peaked at number fourteen on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and was later certified gold by the RIAA. Simpson appeared on ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' soundtrack, releasing "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", a cover of the 1966 Nancy Sinatra. The song peaked at number fourteen on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Song from a Movie, in 2006. The song's video featured Simpson as Daisy Duke. It contains scenes of her flirting and singing in a bar and then later washing the ''General Lee'' car, wearing a skin-tight, revealing pink bikini. In some countries the video was banned for its overtly sexual content. Simpson received criticism from a Christian group calling itself "The Resistance", for the sexualized image she used in the music video for "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'". In response, Simpson stated, "It didn't really surprise me because I grew up with a lot of that backlash. That's why I didn't end up going into the Christian music industry. I think that if they're really good Christians the judgment wouldn't be there."

In the summer of 2005, Simpson made her first appearance in a motion picture as Daisy Duke in the movie version of the television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. The film was No. 1 at the box office its opening weekend, and grossed $30.7 million on 3,785 screens. It also had an adjusted-dollar rank of No. 14 all-time for August releases. The film eventually collected $110.5 million worldwide, although it was much less financially successful outside the U.S.

2006–07: ''A Public Affair'' and ''Employee of the Month''

In 2006, Simpson returned to the recording studio, switching labels from Columbia to Epic Records. On 29 August 2006, she released her fifth studio album ''A Public Affair''. The album debuted at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with 101,000 copies sold in its first week. The album sold 300,000 copies in the US, a low figure compared to her previous albums. The first single from the album, bearing the same name "A Public Affair", debuted at number thirty-nine, her highest debut after "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", and reached a peak of number fourteen on the Hot 100. It also hit number 1 on the Hot Dance Club Play, becoming Simpson's first number one single on the chart. Internationally, it reached the top ten in Canada and Ireland. The video featured appearances by actresses Eva Longoria and Christina Applegate, singer Christina Milian, Maria Menounos, Andy Dick, and Ryan Seacrest.

Simpson's second film, ''Employee of the Month'', was released October 6, 2006. With poor reviews, the film took in $11.8 million in its opening weekend, debuting at number 4 just behind ''Open Season''. In December 2006, while performing a tribute to Dolly Parton at the Kennedy Center Awards, she botched the lyrics, getting flustered in front of a crowd that included prominent persons such as Steven Spielberg, Shania Twain, and President George W. Bush. Though Simpson was given the chance to redo the song for cameras, her portion was edited out of the CBS broadcast.

In December 2007, Simpson co-starred with Luke Wilson in her third film, ''Blonde Ambition''. The film opened in eight theaters in Texas (the home state of both Simpson and Wilson), and earned US $6,422. It was released on DVD in January 2008. ''Blonde Ambition'' fared better overseas, where it grossed $253,008 in the Ukraine its opening weekend.

2008–09: Move to country and ''Do You Know''

In September 2007, Simpson's father Joe Simpson stated to ''People'' magazine that Simpson was considering doing a country album. Joe Simpson told ''People'' that she is "talking about doing a country record and going back to her roots, being from Texas."

"Come On Over", first leaked onto the internet on May 27, 2008. Shortly after country radio stations around the country began giving the single radio play. In the United States, "Come on Over" became the most-added song to country radio for the week of June 6, 2008, debuting at number forty-one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart. It broke a record held by Miranda Lambert ("Me and Charlie Talking") and Brad Cotter ("I Meant To") for highest-debuting first chart entry by a solo artist; both artists debuted at number forty-two on that same chart. The video for the first single, "Come On Over", premiered on Simpson's official website in July 2008. The single peaked at number eighteen on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs. Prior to the albums release, Simpson performed at select state fairs and visited various country music radio stations in order to promote the album. The country album, entitled ''Do You Know'', was released on September 9, 2008. It debuted at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart in both the US and Canada, giving Simpson her first number 1 album of her career. She opened for Rascal Flatts on their "Bob That Head Tour" from January 17 through March 14, 2009.

Simpson's next movie, ''Major Movie Star'' (later renamed ''Private Valentine: Blonde and Dangerous'') was released straight to DVD on February 3, 2009. On April 7, 2009 Simpson's rep confirmed with US Weekly that she and label Sony Nashville were parting ways.

2010–present: Return to Reality TV and ''Happy Christmas''

Simpson's VH1 documentary series, ''The Price of Beauty'', began airing in March 2010. The series followed Simpson around the world, introducing viewers to the different perceptions of beauty in different cultures. The premiere episode attracted one million viewers, but Simpson revealed that the series would return in 2011 with a format change. Initially, Simpson planned to release a new studio album that would end her contract with her label, Epic Records. However, a greatest hits compilation, ''Playlist: The Very Best of Jessica Simpson'', was released in late October instead. Simpson's second holiday album, ''Happy Christmas'', released under Ellen Degeneres' new label hit shelves in November. The album featured production from Tricky Stewart and The-Dream and was promoted with a television special on PBS, ''Jessica Simpson: Happy Christmas''.

In June 2011, it was announced that Simpson participated as a mentor in the new reality show on NBC's, "Fashion Star" with Elle McPherson.

Other projects

Cosmetics and clothing

'Jessica Simpson Dessert by Jessica Simpson' was launched in April, 2004 after co-founders, Randi Shinder and Simpson designed a line of edible perfume, lip gloss and other beauty products under the Dessert Beauty brand. A parallel line named Dessert Treats was launched the following year in February, 2005. The new line was marketed at a much younger audience.

Simpson and stylist Ken Pavés launched a line of hair and beauty products on the Home Shopping Network. Simpson also created the Jessica Simpson Collection in which she designs and markets a line of handbags and (primarily high-heeled) shoes and boots. The Jessica Simpson's Intimates began selling in major department stores and online shopping sites in spring 2009.

Simpson has launched a fragrance line. Her fragrance was made by Parlux Fragrances. Her debut perfume, Fancy, was launched in 2008. The success of Fancy spawned two more fragrances, Fancy Love and Fancy Nights.

Commercials

Simpson has made commercials for Pizza Hut, Proactiv Solution and a commercial with Ice Breakers with her sister Ashlee. In 2005, she started advertising Proactiv Solution, an over-the-counter acne medicine. In 2006, she premiered in another Pizza Hut commercial for the Super Bowl XL broadcast. She sang "These Bites Are Made For Poppin'," in reference to the song "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," to advertise the new Cheesy Bites Pizza. In 2007, the Super Bowl featured her third Pizza Hut commercial, which again promoted the Cheesy Bites Pizza. She has also advertised DirecTV in character as Daisy Duke.

Philanthropy

Simpson is Operation Smile's International Youth Ambassador.

In March 2007, Simpson donated a new Chrysler minivan to the Elim orphanage in Nuevo Laredo. Simpson won a Chrysler Crossfire sports car at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, but exchanged the $50,000 luxury car for a minivan so she could help the orphanage.

Criticism and controversy

Simpson endorsed George W. Bush for president in 2004, but was later said to have "snubbed" him by canceling an appearance at a 2006 Republican fundraiser in Washington, D.C.. Manager Joe Simpson said that even though he and Jessica are "big supporters" of the president, who had invited them, they felt it was inappropriate to attend a political fundraiser.

In June 2008, Simpson was seen with boyfriend Tony Romo wearing a shirt that said "Real Girls Eat Meat". It was seen as a slam at Romo's ex girlfriend Carrie Underwood, who is a vegetarian. PETA criticized Simpson, stating "Jessica Simpson's meaty wardrobe malfunction makes us thankful that no one is looking to her for food advice. Chicken-of-the-Sea, anyone? The woman who thought that Buffalo 'wings' came from buffaloes would benefit from some good veggie brain food."

On July 19, 2008, Simpson performed at the Country Thunder Festival in Wisconsin. She was booed by the crowd and received a poor reception from country music critics. She responded by saying, "I don’t know what your perception is of Jessica Simpson or what tabloid you buy, but I just want you to know that I’m just a girl from Texas; I’m just like you. I’m doing what I love and dating a boy."

Personal life

Marriage to Nick Lachey

She began dating 98 Degrees group member Nick Lachey in 1999. After dating for two years, the couple cooled their relationship. After the September 11 attacks, the couple reconciled. Simpson stated, "After 9/11, I knew that I never ever wanted to be away from Nick ever for the rest of my life." On October 26, 2002, Simpson married Nick Lachey. She famously announced she had remained a virgin until her marriage. In November 2005, after months of tabloid speculation, Simpson and Lachey announced they were separating. Simpson filed for divorce on December 16, 2005, citing "irreconcilable differences." The couple's divorce was publicized worldwide and was reportedly finalized on June 30, 2006.

Simpson told ''Jane'' magazine in October 2006 that she knew her marriage to Lachey was over when he refused to join her on a charity trip to Africa, even though it was on their third wedding anniversary.

The couple sold their Calabasas mansion, in which ''Newlyweds'' was filmed, to ''Malcolm in the Middle'' star Justin Berfield for an undisclosed amount. On February 6, 2007, the Associated Press reported that Simpson said she was stung when her ex-husband jumped back into dating after their high-profile breakup. "Oh, it hurt me," Simpson stated in an interview in the March 2007 issue of ''Elle''. "Two or three weeks later? Yeah, I'd say it kind of hurt me."

Other relationships

Simpson received increased publicity following her divorce, reportedly having romances with her ''Employee of the Month'' co-star Dane Cook and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine. Simpson also had an off-and-on relationship with musician John Mayer. Dating rumors started in August 2006 with a ''People'' magazine article, but kicked into high gear when Simpson and Mayer spent the New Year holiday together in New York City, both attending Christina Aguilera's New Year's Eve 2006 party. The couple eventually parted ways for good in May 2007.

In November 2007, Simpson began dating Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. The relationship was controversial among some Dallas Cowboys fans, as she was blamed when Romo had poor football performances. Some of the Cowboys' fans gave her the nickname "Yoko Romo" in comparison to Yoko Ono, who many Beatles fans blame for "ruining" John Lennon.

"If only Tony had called me and said, 'Terry, Jessica [Simpson] and I are going to go to Mexico,' I would've told him: 'You crazy? Don't do that! The paparazzi is going to find you, man. You're a star. She's a star. It's just going to happen,' " Bradshaw said in an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Even President Bush jokingly endorsed the "Jessica jinx" after the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl in 2008. During the traditional White House reception for the winning team, the president quipped, "We're going to send Jessica Simpson to the Democrat National Convention."

On July 13, 2009, ''People'' magazine reported that Romo and Simpson had ended their relationship.

In May 2010, Simpson began dating former NFL player Eric Johnson, who had separated from his wife Keri Johnson in October 2009 after five years of marriage. Johnson's divorce was finalized on October 7, 2010. On November 14, 2010, Simpson announced her engagement to Johnson.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
2002	''The Master of Disguise''	Herself	Cameo
2005		Daisy Duke	Film debut
2006		Amy Renfro
2007	''Blonde Ambition''	Katie Gregerstitch
	''The Love Guru''	Herself	Cameo
''Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous''	Private Megan Valentine

Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003—2005	''Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica''	Herself	Reality Television
	''Jessica''	Jessica Sampson	Pilot - Never broadcast ABC originally picked the series up in February 2004 but dropped the series in May 2004
The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour	Herself	Music/Sketch Comedy Special
Nick and Jessica's Family Christmas	Herself	Holiday Music Special
2010		Herself	Reality Television
2011	''Fashion Star''	Herself	Reality Television
Television guest appearances
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	''98 Degrees - My Everything''	Herself	"Music Video
2002			"Going to California" (episode 1, season 5)
	"Your Time Is Gonna Come" (episode 13, season 5)"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (episode 14, season 5)
''The Twilight Zone''	Miranda Evans
2007	''Willie Nelson - You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore''	Herself	"Music Video
2009	''I Get That a Lot''	Computer technician	Television special (1 episode)
		Herself	Season 7, Episode 5 (1 episode)
PBS Christmas Special	Herself	Television special

Discography

''Sweet Kisses'' (1999)

''Irresistible'' (2001)

''In This Skin'' (2003)

''Rejoyce: The Christmas Album'' (2004)

''A Public Affair'' (2006)

''Do You Know'' (2008)

''Happy Christmas'' (2010)

Tours

;Headlining

DreamChaser Tour (2001)

Reality Tour (2004)

;Co-headlining

MTV TRL Tour (2001)

;Opening act

Heat It Up Tour (98 Degrees) (2000)

Bob That Head Tour (Rascal Flatts) (2009)

Awards and nominations

References

Further reading

External links

Jessica Simpson's Official Website

Category:1980 births Category:Actors from Texas Category:American child singers Category:American Christians Category:American country singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American pop singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:Baptists from the United States Category:Epic Records artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Texas Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Abilene, Texas

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