name	The Viper Room
location	8852 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, California 90069
type	nightclub
genre	rock
opened	1993
website	http://www.viperroom.com }}

The Viper Room is a nightclub located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. It was opened in 1993 and was partly owned by actor Johnny Depp until 2004. The club is infamous as the site where actor River Phoenix died of a drug overdose on Halloween morning in 1993.

Even following Phoenix’s death, the club remained a hangout for Hollywood’s most popular young actors. Regulars included Jennifer Aniston and Sean Penn. Adam Duritz, the lead singer of Counting Crows, worked as a Viper Room bartender in late 1994 – early 1995 to escape his newfound fame.

At Depp's request, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed at the club's opening night.

In the 1983 film ''Valley Girl'', the building (then housing a nightclub called The Central) was used for scenes featuring the new-wave band the Plimsouls. In Oliver Stone’s film ''The Doors'' (1991), the building was used as a filming location for scenes depicting the London Fog, also of West Hollywood. London Fog was a lesser-known nightclub next to the Whisky a Go Go where the Doors had their first regular gig for four months in early 1966.

The Viper Room is also featured in the 2004 documentary ''DiG!'' when members of the band the Brian Jonestown Massacre began brawling with each other on stage while performing.

As part of the settlement of a lawsuit involving the disappearance of co-owner Anthony Fox in 2001, Depp relinquished his ownership of the Viper Room in 2004. Until early 2008, the club was owned by Darin Feinstein, Bevan Cooney, and Blackhawk Capital Partners, Inc. The club is currently partly owned by Harry Morton, President and CEO of Pink Taco, the son of Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Peter Morton and Darin Feinstein. Morton plans to turn the gritty Sunset Strip club into a global franchise by opening several live music venues throughout the world, all of which will bear the name "The Viper Room".

A nightclub located in Cincinnati, Ohio, was formerly called "The Viper Room". The club changed its name to "The Poison Room" on January 1, 2006, after they were told by the West Hollywood Viper Room to stop using the name. Another "Viper Room" in Portland, Oregon, has also been told to stop using the name under threat of a trademark lawsuit, with owner Darin Feinstein claiming "Every dollar they make is the result of using our name." Additionally, there is a legal brothel in Brisbane, Australia called 'The Viper Room'. There is also a nightclub in Stockholm, Sweden, "as well as one in Harrogate, UK, and one in Vienna, Austria, similarly named." Until February 2009 there was a nightclub with the same name in Melbourne, Australia; it was closed down due to a spate of violent incidents that included two shootings as well as license breaches and the arrest of a co-owner on drug charges. On April 16, 2011, a nightclub named "The Viper Room" opened its doors in the city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. The club is named after the club in Hollywood and is decorated in the same style as the US club.

See also

Rainbow Bar and Grill

Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco

The Roxy Theatre

Whisky a Go Go

Sunset Strip

References

External links

Viper Room official website

Yelp website for The Viper Room (West Hollywood)

Category:West Hollywood, California Category:Landmarks in Los Angeles, California Category:Nightclubs in California Category:1993 establishments in the United States

da:The Viper Room de:Viper Room fr:Viper Room pl:Viper Room ru:Viper Room fi:The Viper Room

background	solo_singer
birth name	Thomas Earl Petty
alias	Charlie T. Wilbury, JrMuddy Wilbury
birth date	October 20, 1950
origin	Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
instrument	Guitar, vocals, harmonica, piano, percussion, bass, organ, harpsichord, drums
genre	Rock and roll, roots rock, heartland rock, Southern rock, blues-rock, country
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician
years active	1976–present
label	Shelter, Backstreet, MCA, Warner Bros., American, Reprise Records
associated acts	Mudcrutch, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Traveling Wilburys, Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Grateful Dead
website
notable instruments	Rickenbacker 660/12Vox Mark IIIGibson DoveFender Stratocaster }}

Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty (born October 20, 1950) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T. Wilbury, Jr. and Muddy Wilbury.

He has recorded a number of hit singles with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist, many of which remain heavily played on adult contemporary and classic rock radio. His music, notably his hits, has become popular among younger generations as he continues to host sold-out shows. Throughout his career, Petty and his collaborators have sold 60 million albums.

Childhood and early life

Tom Petty was born and raised in Gainesville, Florida, and attended Gainesville High School. His interest in rock and roll music began at age 10 when he met Elvis Presley. In the summer of 1961, his uncle was working on the set of Presley's film ''Follow That Dream'' in nearby Ocala, Florida and invited Petty to come down and watch the shoot. He instantly became an Elvis Presley fan and soon traded his Wham-O slingshot for a box of Elvis 45s. In a 2006 interview on the National Public Radio program ''Fresh Air'', Petty said that he knew he wanted to be in a band the moment he saw The Beatles on ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. One of his first guitar teachers was Don Felder, a fellow Gainesville resident, who would later join the Eagles. As a young man, Petty worked briefly on the grounds crew for the University of Florida, but never attended as a student. An Ogeechee lime tree that he planted while employed at the University is now called the Tom Petty tree.

Petty also overcame a difficult relationship with his father, who found it hard to accept that his son was "a mild-mannered kid who was interested in the arts" and subjected him to verbal and physical abuse on a regular basis. Petty was extremely close to his mother, and remains close to his brother Bruce.

Recording career

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976–Present)

Shortly after forming his musical aspirations, Petty started a band known as the Epics, later to evolve into Mudcrutch. Although the band, which featured future Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, were popular in Gainesville, their recordings went unnoticed by a mainstream audience, although their only single, "Depot Street", remains popular amongst fans. The original Mudcrutch included guitarist Danny Roberts who was later replaced by bass guitarist Charlie Souza.

After Mudcrutch split up, Petty reluctantly agreed to pursue a solo career. Tench decided to form his own group, whose sound Petty appreciated. Eventually, Petty and Campbell collaborated with Tench and fellow members Ron Blair and Stan Lynch, resulting in the first line-up of the Heartbreakers. Their first album, simply titled ''Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers'', gained minute popularity amongst American audiences, achieving more success in Britain. The single "Breakdown" was re-released in 1977 and peaked at #40 in early 1978 after the band toured in the United Kingdom in support of Nils Lofgren. The debut album was released by Shelter Records, which at that time was distributed by ABC Records.

Their second album, ''You're Gonna Get It!'', marked the band's first Top 40 album and featured the singles "I Need to Know" and "Listen To Her Heart". Their third album, ''Damn the Torpedoes'', quickly went platinum, selling nearly two million copies; it includes their breakthrough singles "Don't Do Me Like That", "Here Comes My Girl" and "Refugee".

In September 1979, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed at a Musicians United for Safe Energy concert at Madison Square Garden in New York. Their rendition of "Cry To Me" was featured on the resulting No Nukes album.

1981's ''Hard Promises'' became a top-ten hit, going platinum and spawning the hit single "The Waiting". The album also featured Petty's first duet, "Insider" with Stevie Nicks.

Bass player Ron Blair quit the group, and was replaced on the fifth album (1982's ''Long After Dark'') by Howie Epstein; the resulting line-up would last until 1994. In 1985, the band participated in Live Aid, playing four songs at Philadelphia's John F. Kennedy Stadium. ''Southern Accents'' was also released in 1985. This album included the hit single "Don't Come Around Here No More", which was produced by Dave Stewart. The song's video featured Petty dressed as the Mad Hatter, mocking and chasing Alice from the book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'', then cutting and eating her as if she were a cake. The ensuing tour led to the live album ''Pack Up the Plantation: Live!'' and to an invitation from Bob Dylan; Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers joined him on his True Confessions tour and also played some dates with the Grateful Dead in 1986 and 1987. Also in 1987, the group released ''Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)'' which includes "Jammin' Me" which Petty wrote with Dylan.

Traveling Wilburys, solo career, and "return" to the Heartbreakers (1988–1991)

In 1988, Petty became a founding member of the Traveling Wilburys, along with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. The band's first song, "Handle With Care", was intended as a B-side of one of Harrison's singles, but was judged too good for that purpose and the group decided to record a full album, ''Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1''. A second Wilburys album, incongruously titled ''Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3'' and recorded without the recently deceased Orbison, followed in 1990. The album was named Vol. 3 as a response to a series of bootlegged studio sessions being sold as Travelling Wilburys Vol. 2. In recent years, Petty has begun to incorporate Travelling Wilburys songs into his live shows, consistently playing "Handle With Care" in shows from 2003–2006, and for his 2008 tour making "End of the Line" a staple of the setlist.

In 1989, Petty released ''Full Moon Fever'', which featured hits "I Won't Back Down", "Free Fallin'" and "Runnin' Down a Dream". It was nominally his first solo album, although several Heartbreakers and other well-known musicians participated: Mike Campbell co-produced the album with Petty and Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra, and backing musicians included Campbell, Lynne, and fellow Wilburys Roy Orbison and George Harrison (Ringo Starr appears on drums in the video for "I Won't Back Down", but they were actually performed by Phil Jones). Since all the original Traveling Wilburys except Bob Dylan participated on the album, it is sometimes considered the unofficial Traveling Wilbury's "Volume Two".

Petty & the Heartbreakers reformed in 1991 and released ''Into the Great Wide Open'', which was co-produced by Lynne and included the hit singles "Learning To Fly" and "Into The Great Wide Open", the latter featuring Johnny Depp, Gabrielle Anwar, Faye Dunaway, and Matt LeBlanc in the video.

Before leaving MCA Records, Tom and the Heartbreakers got together to record, live in the studio, two new songs for a "Greatest Hits" package. "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air". This was Stan Lynch's last recorded performance with The Heartbreakers. Tom commented "He left right after the session without really saying goodbye." The package went on to sell over ten million copies, therefore receiving diamond certification by the RIAA.

Move to Warner Bros. Records (1991–present)

In 1989, while still under contract to MCA, Petty secretly signed a lucrative deal with Warner Bros. Records, to which the Traveling Wilburys had been signed. His first album on his new label, 1994's ''Wildflowers'' (Petty's 2nd of 3 solo albums), included the singles "You Don't Know How It Feels", "You Wreck Me," "It's Good to Be King" and "A Higher Place". The album, produced by Rick Rubin, sold over three million copies in the U.S.

In 1996, Petty, with the Heartbreakers, released a soundtrack to the movie ''She's the One'', starring Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston (see ''Songs and Music from "She's the One"''). The album's singles were "Walls (Circus)" (featuring Lindsey Buckingham), "Climb that Hill" and a song written by Lucinda Williams, "Change the Locks." The album also included a cover of "Asshole," a song by Beck. The same year, the band accompanied Johnny Cash on ''Unchained'', for which Cash would win a Grammy for Best Country Album (Cash would later cover Petty's "I Won't Back Down" on ''American III: Solitary Man'').

thumb|left|Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performing live in Indianapolis, June 23, 2006.In 1999, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers released their last album with Rubin at the helm, ''Echo''. Two songs were released as singles in the U.S., "Room at the Top" and "Free Girl Now". The album reached number 10 in the U.S. album charts.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers played "I Won't Back Down" at the America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concert for victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The following year, they played "Taxman", "I Need You", and "Handle With Care" (joined for the last by Jeff Lynne, Dhani Harrison, and Jim Keltner) at the ''Concert for George'' in honor of Petty's friend and former bandmate George Harrison.

2002's ''The Last DJ'' included several attacks on the music industry, criticizing it for greed, watering down music, and releasing pop music made by scantily-clad young women and reached number 9 on the U.S. charts. Tom has commented though that he didn't like being called "bitter" by the media and that ''The Last DJ'' is full of hope, if you look for it.

In 2005, Petty began hosting his own show "Buried Treasure" on XM Radio, on which he shares selections from his personal record collection.

In February 2006, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers agreed to be the headline act at the fifth annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Following that announcement came the itinerary for Tom & the Heartbreakers' "30th Anniversary Tour". Special guests included Stevie Nicks, Pearl Jam, The Allman Brothers, Trey Anastasio, The Derek Trucks Band, and The Black Crowes (who also opened for Petty on their 2005 Summer Tour). Stevie Nicks would join Tom and the Heartbreakers on stage for renditions of "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" and "Insider," and "I Need to Know" where Nicks took the lead vocal spot. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam also joined Tom and the Heartbreakers on stage at some shows where Vedder sang the lead on "The Waiting" (which is available on the ''Runnin' Down a Dream'' package: bonus features) and a verse in the concert-closer "American Girl".

In July 2006, Petty released a new solo album titled ''Highway Companion'', which included the hit "Saving Grace". It debuted at number 4 on the ''Billboard 200'', becoming Petty's highest chart position since the introduction of the Nielsen SoundScan system for tracking album sales in 1991. ''Highway Companion'' was briefly promoted on the "30th Anniversary Tour" with the Heartbreakers in 2006 with performances of "Saving Grace", "Square One", "Down South," and "Flirting with Time".

In 2006, the American Broadcasting Company hired Petty to do the music for its National Basketball Association playoffs coverage.

During the summer of 2007, Petty reunited with his old bandmates Tom Leadon and Randall Marsh along with Heartbreakers Benmont Tench & Mike Campbell to reform his pre-Heartbreakers band Mudcrutch. The band originally formed in 1967 in Gainesville, Florida before relocating to California where they released one single in 1974 before breaking up. The quintet recorded this self titled new album of fourteen songs that was released on April 29, 2008 (on iTunes, an additional song "Special Place" was available if the album was pre-ordered). The band supported the album with a brief tour of California in the spring of 2008.

In 2007, artists as diverse as Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Norah Jones, Lenny Kravitz and Paul McCartney paid tribute to Fats Domino on the double-CD covers set ''Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino''. The album's sales helped buy instruments for students in New Orleans public schools and they contributed to the building of a community center in the city’s Hurricane Katrina-damaged Ninth Ward. Tom and the Heartbreakers’ contributed a critically acclaimed cover of “I'm Walkin'" to the package.

In January 2008, it was announced that the band would be embarking on a North American Tour which was set to start on May 30 following the appearance at Super Bowl XLII. Steve Winwood served as the opening act, who joined Petty and the Heartbreakers on stage at select shows, starting on June 6, 2008 in Philadelphia, PA. Winwood's Spencer Davis Group hit "Gimme Some Loving" was performed and occasionally his Blind Faith hit "Can't Find My Way Home" was performed before it.

On February 3, 2008, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers performed during the halftime-show of Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium. During the halftime-show they played "American Girl", "I Won't Back Down", "Free Fallin'", and "Runnin' Down a Dream", in that order. 'I Won't Back Down' was used in the closing credits of the coverage on BBC2.

''The Live Anthology'' is the most-recently announced project of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Its announcement comes nearly a year after Petty's last record, ''Extended Play Live'', by Mudcrutch.

In November 2009, Petty told ''Rolling Stone'' that he is working on a new album with the Heartbreakers, saying "It's blues-based. Some of the tunes are longer, more jam-y kind of music. A couple of tracks really sound like the Allman Brothers — not the songs but the atmosphere of the band." In February 2010, Petty announced a new Heartbreakers Album, ''Mojo'' to be released on June 15, 2010. This will be followed by a North American Summer Tour beginning on June 1, 2010. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers also appeared as musical guests on the season finale of Saturday Night Live on May 15, 2010.

Petty and his band the Heartbreakers celebrated their 30th anniversary with a tour in 2006, though Petty has occasionally released solo work, such as 2006's ''Highway Companion'', on which he performed most of the backing instrumentation. Members of the Heartbreakers have played on each of his solo albums and the band has always backed him when touring in support of those albums. He has also toured with Mudcrutch in order to promote their debut album.

Petty has been managed by Tony Dimitriades since 1976. On February 3, 2008, Petty and the Heartbreakers performed at the Super Bowl XLII Halftime show.

Acting

Petty's first appearance in film took place in 1978, when he had a cameo in ''FM''. He later had a small part in 1987's ''Made in Heaven'', and appeared in several episodes of ''It's Garry Shandling's Show'' between 1987 and 1990, playing himself as one of Garry Shandling's neighbors. Petty was also featured in Shandling's other show, ''The Larry Sanders Show'', as one of the show-within-the-show's final guests. In the episode, Petty gets bumped from the show and nearly comes to blows with Greg Kinnear.

Petty appeared in the 1997 movie ''The Postman'', directed by and starring Kevin Costner, as The Bridge City Mayor (from the dialogue it is implied that he is playing a future version of himself).

In 2002, he appeared on ''The Simpsons'' in the episode "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation". In it, he spoofed himself as a "tutor" to Homer Simpson on the art of lyric writing, composing a brief song about a drunk girl driving down the road while concerned with the state of public schools. Later in the episode, he loses a toe during a riot.

Petty had a recurring role as the voice of Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt in the animated show ''King of the Hill''.

In 2008, Petty made a guest appearance as himself in the Comedy Central show Lil Bush's season 2 finale. He is asked to write a song for Bush and his cronies. At the end, he is shown riding off into the sunset in a flying car alongside Iggy Pop, who is a regular voice actor on the series. Petty thus joined various musical guest stars on the show, including Iggy, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters, and Anthony Kiedis and Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Awards and accolades

In 1994, ''You Got Lucky'', a Tom Petty tribute album featuring such bands as Everclear and Silkworm was released.

In April 1996, Petty received the UCLA's George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement. The next month, Petty won the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' Golden Note Award.

In 1999 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their contribution to the recording industry.

In 2002, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On December 6, 2005, Petty received the Billboard Century Award for his lifetime achievements. The same year, ''Conversations with Tom Petty'', an oral history/biography composed of interviews conducted in 2004 and 2005 with Petty by music journalist Paul Zollo, was published (ISBN 1-84449-815-8).

On September 21, 2006, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers received the keys to the city of Gainesville, Florida, where he and his bandmates either lived or grew up. From July 2006 until 2007 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio featured an exhibit of Tom Petty items. Much of the content was donated by Petty himself during a visit to his home by some of the Hall's curatorial staff.

Peter Bogdanovich's documentary film on Petty's career entitled ''Runnin' Down A Dream'' premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 14, 2007.

Views on artistic control

Petty is known as a staunch guardian of his creative control and artistic freedom. In 1979, he was dragged into a legal dispute when ABC Records was sold to MCA Records. He refused to be transferred to another record label without his consent. In May 1979, he filed for bankruptcy and was signed to the new MCA subsidiary Backstreet Records.

In early 1981, the upcoming Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album, which would become ''Hard Promises'', was slated to be the next MCA release with the new list price of $9.98, following Steely Dan's ''Gaucho'' and the Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra ''Xanadu'' soundtrack. This so-called "superstar pricing" was $1.00 more than the usual list price of $8.98. Petty voiced his objections to the price hike in the press and the issue became a popular cause among music fans. Non-delivery of the album and naming it ''Eight Ninety-Eight'' were considered, but eventually MCA decided against the price increase.

In 1987, Petty sued tire company B.F. Goodrich for $1 million for using a song very similar to his song "Mary's New Car" in a TV commercial. The ad agency that produced the commercial had previously sought permission to use Petty's song but was refused. A judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting further use of the ad and the suit was later settled out of court.

Some have claimed that the Red Hot Chili Peppers single "Dani California", released in May 2006, is very similar to Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance". Petty told Rolling Stone, "I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent there. And a lot of rock 'n' roll songs sound alike. Ask Chuck Berry. The Strokes took 'American Girl' [for their song 'Last Nite'], and I saw an interview with them where they actually admitted it. That made me laugh out loud. I was like, 'OK, good for you' ... If someone took my song note for note and stole it maliciously, then maybe [I'd sue]. But I don't believe in lawsuits much. I think there are enough frivolous lawsuits in this country without people fighting over pop songs."

Personal life

His first marriage, to Jane Benyo, lasted 22 years from March 26, 1974 to September 9, 1996. He spent most of those years working, on the road or in the studio. They have two daughters. Adria is a film director and AnnaKim Violette an artist. Since June 3, 2001 he has been married to Dana York, whom he first met years earlier when she came to one of his concerts. Petty has a stepson from York's first marriage named Dylan.

On May 17, 1987, an arsonist set fire to Petty's house in Encino, California. The fire caused $1 million in damage but firefighters were able to salvage the basement recording studio and the original tapes stored there, as well as his Gibson Dove acoustic guitar. His signature gray top hat, however, was destroyed. Petty later rebuilt the house with fireproof materials.

Musical equipment

Petty owns and has used a number of guitars over the years. From 1976-1982, his main instrument was a sunburst 1964 Fender Stratocaster. He has also used a number of Rickenbacker guitars from 1979 onward, notably a 1965 Rose Morris 1993 and 1987 reissue of the Rose Morris 1997, a 1967 360/12 and 1989 660/12TP. The Rickenbacker 660/12TP was designed by Petty (specifically the neck) and featured his signature from 1991 to 1997. Other electrics currently used on tour include a Gretsch Tennessean, two 1960s Fender Telecasters and a Gibson Firebird.

For acoustic guitars, Petty has had a signature C.F. Martin HD-40, and has written virtually all of his songs on a Gibson Dove acoustic saved from his 1987 house fire. He currently uses a Gibson J-200 in a natural finish and a late '70s Guild D25 12-string acoustic.

Petty's current amplifer setup features 2 Fender Vibro-King 60 watt combos.

Heartbreakers lineup

! 1976–1982		* Tom Petty - singing	Mike Campbell - lead guitar	Ron Blair - bass guitar, backing vocalist>backing vocals	* Benmont Tench - piano, keyboards, backing vocals	* Stan Lynch - drum kit
! 1982–1991		* Tom Petty - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals	, mandolin, Hammered dulcimer>dulcimer	* Howie Epstein - bass guitar, backing vocals, lap steel guitar, rhythm guitar, mandolin	* Benmont Tench - piano, keyboards, backing vocals	* Stan Lynch - drums, percussion, backing vocals, lead vocals
! 1991–1994		* Tom Petty - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, harmonica, backing vocals	* Mike Campbell - lead guitar, lap steel guitar, mandolin	* Scott Thurston - rhythm guitar, harmonica, keyboards, backing vocals	* Howie Epstein - bass guitar, backing vocals, lap steel guitar, rhythm guitar, mandolin	* Benmont Tench - piano, keyboards, backing vocals	* Stan Lynch - drums, percussion, backing vocals, lead vocals
! 1994–2002		* Tom Petty - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals	* Mike Campbell - lead guitar, mandolin, Marxophone, lead vocals	* Scott Thurston - rhythm guitar, harmonica, backing vocals, lead vocals	* Howie Epstein - bass guitar, backing vocals, lap steel guitar	* Benmont Tench - piano, keyboards, backing vocals	* Steve Ferrone - drums, percussion
! 2002–present		* Tom Petty - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, percussion, backing vocals	* Mike Campbell - lead guitar, mandolin, Marxophone	* Scott Thurston - rhythm guitar, harmonica, lap steel guitar, ukelele, backing vocals, lead vocals	* Ron Blair - bass guitar, backing vocals	* Benmont Tench - piano, keyboards, backing vocals	* Steve Ferrone - drums, percussion

Discography

See also

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

List of best-selling music artists

References

External links

Official Fan Club

Tom Petty at Myspace

Tom Petty at YouTube

Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:American male singers Category:Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers members Category:Traveling Wilburys members Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Rhythm guitarists Category:Musicians from Florida Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musical groups from Gainesville, Florida

ca:Tom Petty cs:Tom Petty da:Tom Petty de:Tom Petty es:Tom Petty fa:تام پتی fr:Tom Petty hr:Tom Petty id:Tom Petty it:Tom Petty he:טום פטי lt:Tom Petty nl:Tom Petty ja:トム・ペティ no:Tom Petty pl:Tom Petty pt:Tom Petty ru:Петти, Том fi:Tom Petty sv:Tom Petty uk:Петті Том

name	The Veronicas
background	group_or_band
origin	Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
genre	Alternative rock, electro rock, electro, pop punk, rock
years active	1999–present
label	Warner Music (2004-)Sire (2004–)Rhino (2007–)London (2004–2007)Pony Canyon (2008)
associated acts	Michael Paynter
website	Official website
current members	Jessica OrigliassoLisa Origliasso George "Jungle George" Sherman
past members	Ethan Roberts Josh Paul Robert J. Guariglia Vik Foxx Paulie }}

The Veronicas are an electrorock pop-punk band based in Australia. Twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso formed the band in 1999 in Brisbane. They have their own line of clothing which was released in 2007.

They have released two studio albums, the first being ''The Secret Life of...'' in 2005. It peaked at #2 on the Australian charts and gained an ARIA certification of four times platinum, for 280,000+ sales. ''The Secret Life of...'' spawned five singles, including three top ten singles in Australia.

The Veronicas released their second album ''Hook Me Up'' in 2007; it peaked at #2 on the Australian charts and earning a certification of two times platinum. The album has had four Australian top ten singles released from it to date. The album's title track, "Hook Me Up", was The Veronicas' first number one single in Australia.

Background

In 2004, Lisa Origliasso and Jessica Origliasso were introduced to the Music Director of The Bell Hughes Music Group (BHMG), Hayden Bell. After producing some demo recordings with the twins, Bell invited them to sign a publishing agreement with Excalibur Productions (a subsidiary of BHMG). In the process, Bell helped facilitate their progression in musical style from acoustic pop to the more rhythmic rock pop approach that is now their trademark. On the strength of these demos, Bell took them to meet the executives at Engine Room (a subsidiary of PBL (Packer) Group) and they were immediately signed to a production deal. To further develop their song writing skills, Bell connected them with several internationally acclaimed songwriters and producers including Clif Magness (who has written with Avril Lavigne), Billy Steinberg (Madonna, Cyndi Lauper), Max Martin (Britney Spears, Katy Perry, P!nk), Eric Nova, Dead Mono and Vince DeGiorgio, where they created a catalogue of over 50 songs.

Meetings were then arranged with Warner Bros. Records in the USA. Seymour Stein and senior executives recognised that Bell had indeed discovered and developed a musical talent, signing them quickly to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records/Sire America, for a reported sum of 2 million dollars.

Band name

Regarding how they chose their name, Jess Origliasso stated: "The name is something we thought about for a short time and we wanted it to be a girl's name, but we didn't want it to be 'the Jesses.' We were very conscious of not wanting to make it a twin thing, because we don't think that's really cool." "We didn't want it to be called 'the Lisas,' either," singer Lisa Origliasso added. "So one day we saw the movie ''Heathers'', and there's a line where Christian Slater asks, 'Are you a Heather?' and Winona Ryder's character [Veronica] answers, 'No, I'm a Veronica,' and so we went with that, because she was this kind of cool, unique chick with an attitude."

However, some believe that Archie Comics character Veronica Lodge had some influence on the naming, including people at Archie Comics themselves, who launched legal action against the group for trademark infringement, in an attempt to stop them from using the name. Archie comics had asked Warner Music Group to hand over all publicity rights and to pay US$200 million in damages. Of this amount $20 million was for damages and $180 million as a penalty against Warner. In a statement with ''New York Times'' Michael I. Silberkleit, chairman of Archie Comics Publications, Inc. stated,

''The importance is the image of Archie, which everybody knows is good, clean, wholesome stuff,[...] Preventing unauthorized use of the name will protect both the characters and customers who have paid for licensing rights[...]"

A settlement was reached that included a cross-promotion deal, including an appearance in an issue of Veronica Lodge's comic book. The issue (#167) featured a card with a code allowing a free download of their single "4ever" in MP3 form. A few months later, ''Archie and Friends'' (#100) featured The Archies meeting The Veronicas. The next issue of ''Archie and Friends'' (#101) also featured The Veronicas, with Archie as their biggest fan.

Music career

2005–2007: ''The Secret Life of...''

The Veronicas performed at the 2005 NRL Grand Final days before their debut album, entitled ''The Secret Life of...'', was released in Australia on 17 October 2005, entering the ARIA Album charts at the position of #7. Since then, it has peaked at #2 and gone 4x Platinum. Due to the success of the album, five singles were released in Australia: "4ever", "Everything I'm Not", "When It All Falls Apart", "Revolution" and "Leave Me Alone".

''The Secret Life of the Veronicas'' spent a year in the ARIA album charts without leaving the top 40. In September 2006, the album was nominated for three ARIA awards including; "Best Pop Release", "Highest Selling Album" and "Best Breakthrough Album". They won "Best Pop Release" but lost the other two to other nominees. The girls also performed their 2nd single "Everything I'm Not" on the night. The album was released in the US on 14 February 2006; it debuted at #133 on Billboard 200 and #3 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. Only two singles were released in the United States off the album. A special DVD was released with the US version as a limited edition exclusive. The limited edition included two extra songs and videos, and was only available online. However, copies have been found to have been shipped to several stores in Australia as well. Other releases in the US include ''Sessions@AOL'' which features their songs "Heavily Broken" and "Revolution" live in the AOL studios, also released was ''The Veronicas: Mtv.com Live EP'' which also features live performances of their songs including a new song, entitled "Stay".

The album has also had success in other countries such as New Zealand where it debuted at #5, #75 on the Dutch Album Charts and #11 in Belgium. Due to their chart success in Belgium, they won the award for Best International New Artist at the TMF Awards of 2006. "When It All Falls Apart" spent a record of 17 weeks of MTV Asia's Pop 10 Chart, in which 7 of them were at the number 1 spot. The song was recorded in Simlish and is featured in the ''Sims 2'' expansion pack Seasons.

Lisa and Jessica are the faces of Choice Calvin Klein and Australian hair product company nu:u. ''Blender'' magazine named included them in their list of hottest women in rock in 2006. The sisters sang the title song on the short-lived television show ''Related'' which had featured songs from their debut album. They appeared in an episode that aired 6 February 2006. In March 2006, their debut single "4ever" was featured in the Amanda Bynes comedy ''She's the Man''. It was featured in the promotional television spots, the film itself and the soundtrack. Their song "Revolution" appeared in another Amanda Bynes film, "Sydney White", in 2007.

The girls also appeared on ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' episode "The Suite Life Goes Hollywood" as guest stars and performed their song "Cry". The twins have also created a fashion line called "The Veronicas for Target" which was released in stores on 25 August 2007 in Australia.

On 2 December 2006 The Veronicas released a CD/DVD, entitled ''Exposed... The Secret Life of The Veronicas'' in Australia which features live performances from their Australian 2006 Revolution Tour and a DVD featuring parts of the sisters' live performances throughout 2005–2006, including footage that had previously not been seen, and their music videos. The album debuted at #6 on the ARIA DVD Charts accrediting platinum in its first week. The second week it rose to its peak of #3 and was accredited Double Platinum.

2007–2009: ''Hook Me Up''

In 2007, the Veronicas began work on their second album. The album was written and recorded in Los Angeles with Toby Gad, Billy Steinberg and John Feldmann.

''Hook Me Up'' was released in Australia on 3 November 2007. The album debuted at number two on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart with sales of 9,531 copies in its first week, and was certified Gold. It has since gone 2x platinum. The album became the twenty-eighth highest selling album in Australia for 2007. ''Hook Me Up'' was released in the UK on 12 October 2009 and has peaked at number thirty-five.

The lead single from the album, "Hook Me Up", was added to Australian radio on 27 August 2007, but was physically released on 22 September 2007. It debuted at number five, eventually reaching number one after seven weeks on the ARIA Singles Chart, making it their first number one hit in Australia.

"Untouched" was the first single to be released from their album in the United States, Canada, Europe and New Zealand. The song reached number 2 in Australia eventually reaching platinum accredation. The song became their first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 first debuting at number sixty-two and eventually peaking at number seventeen making it their first top twenty hit in the United States. They became the first Australian artists to have a single Certified Platinum in the U.S. with over 1,000,000 paid downloads. It was also their debut single in the UK, peaking at number eight and in Ireland peaking at number one, their first international number-one single

Their third and fourth singles "This Love" and "Take Me on the Floor" were both top ten hits hits in Australia and were both certified Gold. "Take Me on the Floor" was released as their second single in the U.S. but only peaked at number eighty-one. On 11 October, their fifth single, "Popular" was released digitally in Australia. It has only gained heavy airplay and peaked at #11 on the Australian Airplay Chart.

Their debut single "4ever" was rereleased as their second single in the UK and Ireland on 21 September 2009 and has peaked at number 17 in the UK and twenty in Ireland.

In support of the album, The Veronicas embarked on their third Australian tour The Hook Me Up Tour in 2007. The tour, which began on 30 November and concluded on 12 December, was held in eight major cities around Australia.

On 16 October 2008 The Veronicas announced their second tour for the album, Revenge Is Sweeter tour, which was their first tour to extend into New Zealand, United States, Canada, UK and Japan beginning on 13 February 2009 in Newcastle, Australia and ending on 25 September 2009 in Manchester, UK as well as a European promotional tour which included France, Germany and Italy. As part of their tour in Japan they released a two disc compilation album called ''The Veronicas Complete'' featuring all their songs from their first and second albums as well as three bonus tracks on 18 March 2009. On September 2008 the nominees for the 22nd annual ARIA Awards were announced, with The Veronicas receiving four nominations. Hook Me Up received 2 nominations for ''Best Pop Release'' and ''Highest Selling Album'' and Untouched and Hook Me Up (single) received a nomination for ''Highest Selling Single'' each. The Veronicas performed their hit single "Untouched" at the event, but left with no awards.

2010–present: Third studio album

Writing for their third studio album had begun in December 2009, and recording in January 2010. The album, which cites influences by classical music, classical rock and pop genres, will be their first release in over three years. Jessica Origliasso stated that the album will be inspired by artists The Subways, The Dead Weather, Mazzy Star, Ladytron and Peaches. Lisa and Jessica Origliasso have described the album as "[...] a little different from [...] the last two records" and "[...] a pop record [with] different undertones." The song peaked at number nineteen on the ARIA Charts. They also revealed in February 2011 that they had recorded backing vocals for Cherie Currie's new album. Additionally The Veronicas recorded a cover version of the song "Grown-Up Christmas List", by singer Amy Grant, for the Christmas compilation album ''The Spirit of Christmas 2010''.

Philanthropy

In 2006, The Veronicas joined Steve Irwin's Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, a charity that deals with the protection of animals and their natural environments. The band was also featured in an Australian public service announcement campaign against music piracy targeting schools, labeled ''Australian Music In Tune''. Other successful Australian artists included were Powderfinger, Jimmy Barnes and Silverchair.

Work for this charity has included a texting competition to reach two-thousand text messages in the hopes of raising one thousand dollars. In January 2009, it was announced Jess would pose nude for PETA after getting attention from a member of the organization.

Lisa also marched alongside Drew Barrymore, Pete Wentz, Janice Dickinson and other celebrities in support of gay marriage in California at a May 2009 march in Los Angeles protesting the 26 May 2009 decision of the California Supreme Court ruling upholding Proposition 8. They also joined a "Wear it with Pride" campaign to reform same-sex laws in Australia for the 85 legislative changes made in 2010 to overturn discrimination against same-sex couples and their families. The campaign involved them wearing numbered T-shirts representing each legislative change. In 2010 Lisa and Jessica were honoured as Wildlife Warriors of the year for their efforts in publicizing animal protection and conservation on a worldwide scale.

Products and endorsements

The Veronicas range of endorsements have included Australian hair products Nu:U and were also chosen to be the faces of the fall 2005 promotional campaign for Choice Calvin Klein range. In 2006 they entered into a co-marketing deal with shoe brand Keds for their first US tour. The deal included web promotions and in-store acoustic performances at selected stores. On 27 January 2010 they announced via twitter that they had signed a deal with cosmetic brand ''Flirt!'', a division of Estée Lauder, to be the faces of their "Rock-n-Rebel" fragrance. They became ambassadors for the fragrance with the deal to including a multi-million dollar promotion during mid-2010 which also included giving make-up tips via the Rock-n-Rebel website and judged a beauty contest where young women were asked to submit photos of their "ultimate rock star style".

On 25 August 2007, The Veronicas launched their self-titled fashion line at Target Miranda store and is available in stores around Australia. According to the girls the fashion line was created to reflect their style which had been sought after by their younger fans and what they would like to see younger girls wear. Aimed at seven-fourteen year old girls Lisa described the fashion line as "[...]punk princess, mixed with rock 'n' roll," and Jess described it as "[...] princess and cute." The colours used for their fashion line include black and white and also features cherries, pirate motifs and love heart details. The current clothing range includes day-wear and pyjamas.

Discography

Studio albums

''The Secret Life of...'' (2005)

''Hook Me Up'' (2007)

Awards and nominations

Tours

Revenge Is Sweeter tour (2009)

References

External links

Official website

Official Website

Category:ARIA Award winners Category:Musical groups established in 2004 Category:Girl groups Category:Identical twins Category:Australian singers of Italian descent Category:People from Brisbane Category:Pop punk singers Category:Queensland musical groups Category:Sibling duos Category:Sicilian Australians Category:Australian vegans Category:Sibling musical duos Category:Twin people from Australia

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{{infobox person | name

Paris Hilton | image ParisHiltonFeb2011.jpg | image_size 200px | caption | birth_name Paris Whitney Hilton | birth_date February 17, 1981 | birth_place New York City, New York, U.S. | occupation businesswoman, Socialite, model, fashion designer | years_active 1993, 2000–present | religion Roman Catholic | website Official site | hair Blonde | eyes blue contact lenses, naturally brown | height | weight | parents Richard Howard HiltonKathy Hilton | siblings Nicky Hilton, Barron Hilton, and Conrad }}

Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American businesswoman, heiress, socialite, and media personality. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton (founder of Hilton Hotels). Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series ''The Simple Life'' alongside fellow socialite and childhood best friend Nicole Richie. She is also known for her 2004 tongue-in-cheek autobiography, several minor film roles (most notably her role in the horror film ''House of Wax'' in 2005), her 2006 music album ''Paris'', and her work in modeling.

In recent years Hilton is perhaps most known for starring in a number of her own produced reality shows such as Paris Hilton's My New BFF which was filmed in Los Angeles and aired in 2008 and which also resulted in a second season. The show proved to be a success and was branched out to Paris Hilton's British Best Friend filmed in London, UK and Paris Hilton’s Dubai BFF filmed in Dubai in the UAE. All seasons were broadcasted on MTV. In 2011, Oxygen Channel gave the go-ahead to air Hilton's reality series The World According to Paris following Hilton's everyday life.

As a result of several legal incidents, Hilton served a widely publicized sentence in a Los Angeles County jail in 2007. She is an example of the modern phenomenon of the 'celebutante', the celebrity who rises to fame not because of their talent or work but because of their inherited wealth and controversial lifestyle. Despite the controversies, Hilton's various product lines have been successful with stores in 31 countries. In 2011, Hilton was named "Billion Dollar Entrepreneur" by Variety magazine and was featured on the cover.

Early life

Hilton was born in New York City, New York, to Kathy (née Avanzino), a socialite and actress, and Richard Hilton, a businessman. She was raised Roman Catholic and still attends church. She is the oldest of four children: she has one sister, Nicholai Olivia "Nicky" Hilton (b. 1983) and two brothers, Barron Nicholas Hilton II (b. 1989) and Conrad Hughes Hilton III (b. 1994). Hilton is of Norwegian, German, English, Scottish, Irish, and Italian ancestry. She is a niece of two child stars of the 1970s, Kim and Kyle Richards.

Hilton moved between numerous exclusive homes in her youth, including a suite in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, Beverly Hills, and the Hamptons. As a child she was good friends with other socialites, including Nicole Richie and Kim Kardashian.

Education

Paris Hilton attended her freshman year of high school at the Marywood-Palm Valley School in Rancho Mirage, California from 1995-1996. Then in 1996, when Paris was 14, her family moved to the East Coast. In New York, she briefly attended Convent of the Sacred Heart (while Lady Gaga was a student there) in 1996 before transferring again to the Dwight School. Hilton then spent one year (likely beginning in the fall of 1997, when she was 16), at least part of which was in the spring of 1998, when she was 17, at the Provo Canyon School, a school for emotionally troubled teens. She then attended the Canterbury Boarding School, in New Milford, Connecticut from the fall of 1998 to February 1999 for her junior year, where she was a member of the ice hockey team. In February 1999, the month she turned 18, she was expelled from Canterbury for violating school rules, as she frequently had limos retrieve her from the school to take her to events in New York and New Jersey. After being expelled from Canterbury, she returned to the Dwight School before dropping out a few months later as a high school junior. She later earned her GED.

Career

2001–present: Modeling

Hilton began modeling as a child, initially at charity events. When she was 19, she signed with Donald Trump's modeling agency, T Management. Hilton has also worked with Ford Models in New York, Models 1 Agency in London, Nous Model Management in Los Angeles, and Premier Model Management in London. She has appeared in numerous advertising campaigns, including Iceberg Vodka, GUESS, Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Dior, and Marciano. In 2001, Hilton began to develop a reputation as a socialite, being identified as "New York's leading It Girl" whose fame was beginning to "extend beyond the New York tabloids". She has appeared in several magazines, including the April 2004 issue of ''Maxim''. She also made an uncredited appearance in the Brüno segment in the "Law and Order" episode of the HBO series of ''Da Ali G Show''.

2003–present: Acting

Hilton has made cameo appearances in several films, notably ''Zoolander'', ''Wonderland'', and ''The Cat In The Hat''. She co-starred with socialite counterpart Nicole Richie in the Fox reality series ''The Simple Life'', which premiered on December 2, 2003. ''The Simple Life'' ran for three seasons on Fox. The show was cancelled by Fox after a dispute between Hilton and Richie, but it was subsequently aired by E! Entertainment Television for the fourth and fifth seasons. Despite talks of a sixth season, the series finished its run at the end of the fifth season. Hilton next starred in an MTV reality series titled ''Paris Hilton's My New BFF'', about her search for a new best friend. The series premiered on September 30, 2008.

On October 1, 2010 the Oxygen Channel gave the go-ahead to a new reality show called "The World According to Paris". The show follows Hilton in her everyday life, and premiered in June 2011.

She landed minor and supporting roles in the feature films ''Nine Lives'', ''Raising Helen'', ''The Hillz'', and ''House of Wax''. Her role as Paige Edwards in ''House of Wax'' won the Teen Choice Award for "Best Scream" and earned her a nomination for "Choice Breakout Performance  – Female". (It also won her the 2005 Razzie for "Worst Supporting Actress" at the 2005 Golden Raspberry Awards.) She also earned a nomination for "Best Frightened Performance" at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards. She landed her first lead roles in 2006 with the straight-to-DVD releases ''National Lampoon's Pledge This!'' and ''Bottoms Up''. She plays the Hottie in the box office bomb romantic comedy ''The Hottie and the Nottie'', released in 2008. She also had a minor cameo appearance as herself in ''An American Carol''.

More recently, Hilton plays Amber Sweet, the surgery- and painkiller-addicted daughter of a biotech magnate in the goth/rock musical ''Repo! The Genetic Opera''. Critics have responded positively to her performance in the film, in which she sings and acts. In an interview ''Repo!'' director Darren Lynn Bousman revealed that he had originally refused to audition Hilton for the role of Amber Sweet. "I broke down," says Bousman, "and I met with her, and immediately she charmed everyone in the room." In the same interview, Bousman also revealed that Hilton was so keen to get the part that she had the script smuggled in to her during her much publicized stint in a Los Angeles jail, and used her time inside to work on her role.

Hilton has also guest-starred in episodes of the popular TV-show ''The O.C.'', ''The George Lopez Show'', ''Las Vegas'', ''American Dreams'', ''Dogg After Dark'', and ''Veronica Mars''. Furthermore, she appeared in several music videos, including "It Girl" by John Oates and "Just Lose It" by Eminem. Planning is underway for an eponymous cartoon series following the animated life of Hilton, her sister Nicky, and her dog Tinkerbell, which began filming in September 2007. In April 2008, she guest starred on the ''My Name is Earl'' episode "I Won't Die with a Little Help from My Friends". On January 29, 2009, ''Paris Hilton's British Best Friend'', began airing on ITV2 in England. The second season of ''Paris Hilton's My New BFF'' premiered on June 2, 2009. In June 2009, Hilton shot "Paris Hilton's Dubai BFF". Runner-up of the British series Kat McKenzie died on July 3, 2009 of a suspected overdose.

Hilton guest-starred in the fifth episode of ''Supernatural'''s fifth season. "Paris Hilton is playing a demonic creature that takes the form of... Paris Hilton," creator and executive producer Eric Kripke said in a statement. "It'll be a fun, irreverent episode and we here at ''Supernatural'' are thrilled that Paris agreed to do it."

Hilton guest-starred in an episode of ''I Get That a Lot'' in 2010, on CBS, as a gas station attendant.

2004–present: Singing

Hilton founded Heiress Records, a sub-label of Warner Bros. Records, in 2004 and released her self-titled debut album, ''Paris'', under that label on August 22, 2006. Although the album reached number six on the ''Billboard'' 200 for a week, its total sales volume has been low – but the first single "Stars Are Blind" was a top ten hit in 17 countries. ''Allmusic'' commented that the album was "more fun than anything released by Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson, and a lot fresher, too." As a whole, critical reception was mixed. Paris Hilton can also be heard singing on the soundtrack to the musical ''Repo! The Genetic Opera''. In an interview, the director, Darren Lynn Bousman, praised her vocal skills. When talking about Hiltons' vocal audition process for the role, Bouseman said, "We gave her some music and said, 'You have one day to come back and perform this.' She came back the next day, memorized everything, was pitch-perfect, I mean she was awesome."

On July 16, 2007, Hilton confirmed that she was working on a new album with producer Scott Storch. In a recent interview with MTV, Hilton decided that her second album is going to be a dance album. She stated that she "loves Bob Sinclar" and wants to create dance-music vibe. Hilton has installed a professional recording studio in her house to work on the album. On September 30, 2008, Hilton premiered her song "My BFF" on KIIS-FM with host Ryan Seacrest. It is the first single from her as yet untitled second studio album and the theme song of her show ''Paris Hilton's My New BFF''. Hilton stated that she finished working on the album. A second song "Paris For President" was released along with a music video late October 2008.

For her second studio album, she has confirmed six tracks: "Jailhouse Baby", "Platinum Blonde", "Crave" and "My BFF", "Paris For President", and "Girl Tax", "My BFF" and "Paris For President" were released in 2008 as the first two singles. In November 2008, Hilton talked with ''Entertainment Weekly'' backstage at the American Music Awards and she told them that she has finished her second album, and "wrote all the songs". The album is featuring production by Mike Green who worked with the bands Paramore and The Matches. In December 2008, she was looking for a label to release her album, she told ''Entertainment Weekly''. "I'm not sure which label I'm doing it with," she said. "I'm figuring it out right now." Later that month she stated her intention to release her album under her own record label Heiress Records.

2004–06: Writing

In the autumn of 2004, Hilton released an autobiographical book, ''Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose'', co-written by Merle Ginsberg, which includes full color photographs of her and her advice on life as an heiress. Hilton reportedly received a $100,000 advance payment for this book. Some in the media panned the writing as amateurish, and the book was parodied by Robert Mundell on ''The Late Show with David Letterman''. The book became a ''New York Times'' bestseller. Hilton followed it up with a designer diary, also with Ginsberg, called ''Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me''.

In September 2009, Hilton's quote: "Dress cute wherever you go, life is too short to blend in" has been added to The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. On

Celebrity status

She denied proclaiming herself as the "iconic blonde of the decade" such as Diana, Princess of Wales, and Marilyn Monroe in the May 2007 issue of ''Harper's Bazaar''. She appeared in the 2007 ''Guinness World Records'' as the world's "Most Overrated Celebrity". In a poll conducted by the Associated Press and AOL, Hilton was voted the second "Worst Celebrity Role Model of 2006", behind Britney Spears. According to a 2011 poll conducted by Ipsos, Hilton is the most unpopular celebrity among Americans, with 60% of the responders having an unfavorable opinion on her. Critics suggest that Hilton epitomizes the title of famous for being famous; echoing that sentiment, the Associated Press conducted what they called an experiment in February 2007, trying not to report on Hilton for a whole week. Hilton has often appeared in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women poll, ranking at #34 in 2006, #23 in 2005 and #59 in 2004.

2008 parody Presidential campaign

Paris Hilton had originally endorsed then-Senator Hillary Clinton for President during the Democratic primaries, but upon Clinton's loss of the nomination, Paris decided that she wasn't going to vote at all in the 2008 United States Presidential election. However, on August 6, 2008 Hilton appeared in a 1 minute 50 second long video online, ''"Paris Hilton Responds to McCain Ad"'', directed by Adam McKay and posted on the Funny or Die website. The video featured Hilton in a parody advertisement, and was made in response to a television campaign advert ''"Celeb"'', by the 2008 John McCain presidential campaign. In ''Celeb'', McCain briefly compared his rival Barack Obama to that of celebrities such as Hilton and Britney Spears, going on to question his readiness to lead and criticize his energy policy.

In what ''The Washington Post'' opined "might just be her best acting role yet," Hilton appears in the video wearing a leopard print swimsuit. She starts out by suggesting that her personal mention by McCain means that she must now be a candidate in the presidential race, and goes on to mock McCain, and critique the expected qualities and lifestyle of a celebrity in comparison to that of a US president. In a 30 second segment, in the style of an academic speaker, Hilton compares and contrasts the policies of McCain and Obama for solving the US energy crisis, and goes on to propose a 'compromise solution' combining elements of both.

The video received 7 million views in two days garnering worldwide press coverage, and drew both written and verbal media response from both campaigns. The merits and drawbacks of the 'Paris compromise solution' with regard to energy policy, as well as its contrast to the adversarial political campaigns, generated multiple comments from US political commentators, as well as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Michael Burgess.

Continuing the spoof campaign, in October Hilton featured in a second parody video posted on Funny or Die, the 2 minute 20 second long ''"Paris Hilton Gets Presidential with Martin Sheen"'', alongside Hollywood actor Martin Sheen, with his son, actor Charlie Sheen, appearing in a cameo role. Hilton, heavily made up and in a green evening dress, interviews Martin Sheen in a kitchen, discussing various political issues, seeking his advice from his days playing a fictional President on ''The West Wing''.

Products and endorsements

Hilton helped design a collection of purses for Japanese label Samantha Thavasa, and also a jewelry line for Amazon.com.

In 2004, Hilton was involved in the creation of a perfume line by Parlux Fragrances. Originally set to be a small release, high demand led to a wider release before December 2004. The launch was followed by a 47 percent increase in sales of Parlux products, predominantly due to sales of the Hilton-branded perfume. After the success of Hilton's perfume, Parlux Fragrances released several more perfumes with her name, including fragrances for men. Hilton launched a new fragrance in October 2007, called ''Can Can''. This is her fourth women's fragrance after ''Paris Hilton'', ''Just Me'', and ''Heiress''. During the month of November 2008, Hilton released her fifth fragrance for women called, ''Fairy Dust''. In July 2009, her sixth fragrance for women ''Siren'' was launched.

In January 2007, Hilton released the DreamCatchers line of hair extensions in partnership with Hair Tech International. In early August 2007, Hilton signed a licensing agreement with Antebi for a signature footwear line, "Paris Hilton Footwear", featuring stilettos, platforms, flats, wedges, and a sports collection, expected to reach stores in 2008. In mid August 2007, Hilton launched a line of tops, dresses, coats, and jeans at Kitson boutique in Los Angeles.

In 2005, Hilton lent her name to a chain of nightclubs owned by Fred Khalilian and known as ''Club Paris''. This association ended in January 2007 after she had failed to attend several scheduled promotional appearances.

In December 2007, Hilton posed nude, covered in gold paint, to promote "Rich Prosecco", a canned version of an Italian sparkling wine. She also traveled to Germany to promote the drink, appearing in various print ads for the product.

In February 2010, Hilton participated in an advertising campaign for the launch of the Brazilian beer Devassa Bem Loura, whose slogan in English roughly translates to "very blonde bitch". As part of the campaign, Hilton joined the brewery's float in the carnival of Rio de Janeiro. Despite the buzz caused by Hilton in Rio de Janeiro, Devassa beer had captured just 0.2% of the market at the end of 2010

Personal life

Hilton loves small dogs, and lives with a Yorkshire Terrier and a female Chihuahua named Tinkerbell among many other pets. Hilton is frequently seen carrying Tinkerbell (dubbed an "accessory dog") at social events and functions, and in all five seasons of television reality show ''The Simple Life''. In 2004, Tinkerbell "authored" a memoir, ''The Tinkerbell Hilton Diaries''. On August 12, 2004, Tinkerbell went missing after Hilton's apartment was burgled, and a $5,000 reward was offered for her safe return. She was found six days later. By December 1, 2004, Tinkerbell was again spotted with Hilton at various events. Hilton has also purchased a male Chihuahua on July 25, 2007 from Pets of Bel Air in Los Angeles. Hilton's love for man's best friend led her to create an apparel line for dogs called Little Lily by Paris Hilton, with some of the proceeds going to benefit animal rescue. "I have 17 dogs and I like to dress them, so I started designing this clothing line and it's really cute, like dresses and jeans — everything you can imagine for humans, but for dogs," she said in an interview during Super Bowl XLII festivities. Hilton's love for her dogs led to the rumor that she wanted to be frozen with them at the Cryonics Institute, but Hilton denied the rumor on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''.

On January 22, 2007, Hilton's private life was thrust into the media spotlight with the launch of ParisExposed.com, a website that features images of personal documents, video, and other material allegedly obtained when the contents of a storage locker rented by Hilton was auctioned off due to lack of a $208 payment. The website began charging online access to this material and received 1.2 million visitors in just over 40 hours. Among the contents were medications, diaries, photographs, contracts and love letters, as well as a video of her shot by Joe Francis of Girls Gone Wild. On February 3, 2007 Hilton obtained a temporary injunction against ParisExposed.com, closing down the website.

On February 5, 2007, CNN's ''Anderson Cooper 360'' discussed footage obtained from the ParisExposed.com website which features Hilton using the ethnic slurs "niggers", "chink", "Jappy" and the derogatory term "faggot".

In an interview with Larry King on June 28, 2007, Hilton stated that she is a practicing Roman Catholic, adding that after serving time in jail she started reading the Bible again and goes to mass on a regular basis.

Relationships

Hilton was engaged to fashion model Jason Shaw from mid-2002 to early 2003. In 2003–2004 she had a relationship with singer Nick Carter. Later she was engaged to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, from May 29, 2005 to November 2005. Thereafter, she began dating another Greek shipping heir, Stavros Niarchos III, before breaking up in May 2006. In early 2008, she was spotted with Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden and in May, Hilton announced her intention to marry Madden during an interview with television talk-show host David Letterman. The two broke up in November 2008, and "remain very good friends". She began dating ''The Hills'' star Doug Reinhardt in February 2009; Hilton has also referred to her intention to marry Reinhardt, saying "He's gonna be my husband." The couple broke up in June 2009, only to get back together again in August of the same year. On April 13, 2010, Hilton reportedly split from Reinhardt because she was worried he was just using her to further his career. Shortly after splitting from Reinhardt, Hilton started dating Cy Waits, entrepreneur and co-owner of Tryst Nightclub and XS Nightclub in Las Vegas.. Hilton expressed that she would like to marry Cy, stating: "“I can see myself marrying him. We are so happy!”.. In late June 2011, Hilton revealed that the couple had split up and remained close friends.

Hilton told ''Live with Regis and Kelly'': "One-night stands are not for me. I think it's gross when you just give it up. Guys want you more, if you don't just hand it to them on a platter."

Sex tape

A homemade sex video of Hilton and then-boyfriend Rick Salomon was leaked on the Internet in 2003, later released as the DVD ''1 Night in Paris'' despite attempted legal action. It appeared a week prior to the premiere of ''The Simple Life''.

Bling Ring burglaries

Hilton was burglarized at least five times by the Bling Ring. In most cases they were only after cash and clothes. However, during their final burglary of her home, a participant usually not present as a member of the group stole around $2 million in jewelry from her, carrying it out in one of her Louis Vuitton bags. It was only after this theft that she informed police of having been burglarized.

Heiress

In December 2007, Hilton's grandfather, Barron Hilton, pledged 97 percent of his estate (the Hilton family fortune) to a charitable organization founded by his father, Conrad N. Hilton, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. As a result, the inheritance of his grandchildren is sharply diminished. An immediate pledge of $1.2 billion was made (the proceeds of the sale of Hilton Hotels Corporation), with a further $1.1 billion due after his death. He cited the actions of his father, Conrad N. Hilton, as the motivation for his pledge. Conrad, Barron's father, had left 97% of his estate to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundaton and Barron subsequently contested his father's will to win back a sizeable amount of the Hilton family fortune in a settlement. By leaving his estate to the Foundation, Barron is donating not only the fortune he has amassed on his own, but he is also returning the Hilton family fortune amassed by his father, Conrad, to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, where it would have gone over 30 years ago had Barron not contested his father's will. Barron said he is proud to follow his father's example.

Legal issues

In September 2006, Hilton was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol content of 0.08%, the level at which it is illegal to drive in California. Hilton's driving license was subsequently suspended in November 2006, and in January 2007 she pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge. Her punishment was 36 months' probation and fines of about $1,500.

On January 15, 2007, Hilton was pulled over for driving with a suspended license and signed a document acknowledging that she was not permitted to drive.

On February 27, 2007 Hilton was caught driving 70 mph in a 35 mph zone, again with a suspended license. She also did not have her headlights on even though it was after dark. Prosecutors in the office of the Los Angeles City Attorney charged that those actions, along with the failure to enroll in a court-ordered alcohol education program, constituted a violation of the terms of her probation.

On May 4, 2007 Hilton was sentenced by Judge Michael T. Sauer to 45 days in jail for violating her probation. Initially, Hilton planned to appeal the sentence, and supported an online petition asking California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for a pardon. The petition was created and organized on May 5, 2007 by Joshua Morales. In response, various opponents started a counter-petition to maintain the sentence. Both petitions attracted tens of thousands of signatures. Hilton later switched lawyers and dropped her plans to appeal.

Hilton was required to begin her jail term on June 5, 2007, and checked herself into the Century Regional Detention Facility, an all-female jail in Lynwood, California after attending the 2007 MTV Movie Awards on June 3, 2007. However Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca signed orders on June 7, reassigning Hilton to 40 days of home confinement with an electronic monitoring device due to an unspecified medical condition. Baca commented on the release saying, "My message to those who don't like celebrities is that punishing celebrities more than the average American is not justice," contesting that under normal circumstances, Hilton would not have served any time in jail, and he added that "The special treatment, in a sense, appears to be because of her celebrity status ... She got more time in jail". On the same day that Hilton was released from jail, Judge Michael Sauer summoned her to reappear in court the following morning (June 8) as the sentencing statement had explicitly said she would serve time in jail with "No work furlough. No work release. No electronic monitoring." At the hearing he declined to be briefed by Hilton's attorney in private chambers on the nature of her condition and sent her back to jail to serve out her original 45-day sentence. Upon hearing the sentence, Hilton shouted, "It's not right!" and started screaming, requesting to hug her mother who was present in the courtroom. Concern about Hilton's condition led to her being moved to the medical wing of the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, and she was moved back to the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood on June 13.

While in jail, Hilton was influenced by the clergyman minister Marty Angelo: Hilton referred to starting a "new beginning" during her interview with talk show host Larry King on June 28, 2007, two days after being released from jail, and quoted from Angelo's autobiography, entitled ''Once Life Matters: A New Beginning''. On June 9, 2007, Marty Angelo petitioned Sauer, asking to serve out the remainder of Hilton's jail sentence if the judge would release her to an alternative treatment program, but the petition was turned down.

On July 2, 2010, Hilton was accused of smoking marijuana at the 2010 FIFA World Cup game between Brazil and the Netherlands. She was escorted from the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium by local police, however the case was later dismissed for unknown reasons. Hilton's publicist, Dawn Miller, stated "I can confirm that the incident was a complete misunderstanding and it was actually another person in the group who did it".

On July 17, 2010, Hilton was detained and released after being caught in possession of cannabis at Figari airport, Corsica.

On August 28, 2010 she was arrested on suspicion of cocaine possession in Las Vegas. Initially her defence claimed that the handbag containing 0.8g of cocaine was not hers as "This purse in question was a high street brand – and by no means up to her high fashion standards.". Later she claimed some of the personal items (like cash and credit cards) from the bag acknowledging it was hers.

In order to avoid being convicted on felony, Hilton pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors on September 17, 2010. Under the terms of the plea bargain, she was sentenced to one year probation, 200 hours community service, $2,000 fine and ordered to complete a drug abuse program. Clark County District Attorney David Roger said that: "If she is arrested for anything besides a minor traffic violation she will spend a year in jail. There will be no discussion. The court will have no discretion."

On September 21, 2010, while travelling to a press conference in Tokyo to promote fashion and fragrance lines, Hilton and her sister Nicky were stopped by immigration officers at Narita Airport, Japan because of Hilton's conviction for drug possession a day earlier. Under Japan's strict anti-drug laws, all people sentenced for any drug crime are in general denied entry. Narita officials questioned Hilton "for hours" and Hilton and her sister were forced to sleep over at the airport-hotel. On September 22, Japanese authorities decided not to grant Hilton entry into the country and she was put on a plane back to the U.S. the same day. Other stops on their Asian promotion tour were cancelled, as countries like Indonesia and Malaysia have even tougher anti-drug laws.

Filmography

! Year	! Film	! Role	Notes
1993	''Wishman''	Girl on Beach
2000	''Sweetie Pie''
2001	''Zoolander''	Herself	Cameo
2002		Jo
2002	''QIK2JDG''	Strung-out Supermodel
2003	''L.A. Knights''	Sadie
2003		Barbie	Cameo role
2003	''''	Female Club-Goer	Cameo role
2004		Madison	TV series, 1 episode: "Things That Go Jump in the Night" (1.14)
2004	''Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!''	Heather
2004		Ashley	TV series, 1 episode: "Jason Tutors Max" (3.18)
2004	''''	Kate
2004	''''	Heather Smith
2004	''Raising Helen''	Amber
2004	''1 Night In Paris''	Herself	Pornographic film
2004	''Veronica Mars''	Caitlin Ford
2005	''American Dreams''	Barbara Eden	TV series, 1 episode: "California Dreamin'" (3.15)
2005		Paige Edwards	Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress
2006		Lisa Mancini
2006	''Pledge This!''	Victoria English
2008	''''	Cristabel Abbott	Golden Raspberry Award for Worst ActressGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Couple
2008	''Repo! The Genetic Opera''	Amber Sweet	Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress
2008	''''	Herself
2009	''Rex''	Paris	TV film
2009	''Pedal to the Metal''	Jane	In production
2009			TV series, 1 episode: "Fallen Idols" (5.5)
2010	''The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation''	Bella	ABC Family Film
2011	''The World According to Paris''	Herself	TV Series, debuted in United States on Oxygen (TV channel) in June 2011

Discography

''Paris'' (2006)

Bibliography

''Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose'', 2004, ISBN 0-7432-6664-1

''Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me'', 2005, ISBN 0-7432-8714-2

References

External links

Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century actors Category:21st-century women writers Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from New York City Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American businesspeople Category:American dance musicians Category:American female models Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American memoirists Category:American pop singers Category:American socialites Category:American women in business Category:American people of Norwegian descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American musicians of German descent Category:American musicians of Scottish descent Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People convicted of drug offenses Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area Category:People from New York City Category:Warner Bros. Records artists

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name	Kim Kardashian Humphries
birth name	Kimberly Noel Kardashian
birth date	October 21, 1980
birth place	Los Angeles, California, US
nationality	American
ethnicity	Armenian, Dutch, Scottish
net worth	$35million
years active	2007–present
known for	Reality show ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' and ''Kourtney and Kim Take New York''
occupation	Entrepreneur, actress, model, socialite
height
measurements	35D-26-40
spouse	Damon Thomas (2000-2004) Kris Humphries (2011-present)
parents	Robert Kardashian (father)Kris Jenner (mother)Bruce Jenner (stepfather)
relatives	Kourtney Kardashian (sister)Khloé Kardashian (sister)Robert Kardashian Jr. (brother)Kylie Jenner (half-sister)Kendall Jenner (half-sister)
website	http://kimkardashian.celebuzz.com/ }}

Kimberly "Kim" Kardashian Humphries (née Kimberly Noel Kardashian; October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, television personality, model, and actress. She is the daughter of late attorney Robert Kardashian, and is known for a sex tape with her former boyfriend Ray J as well as her E! reality series that she shares with her family, ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians''. Kardashian's prominence has increased as of January 2011 with the premiere of ''Kourtney and Kim Take New York'', the second spin-off of ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (the first being ''Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami''), debuting on E!, with the series following Kim and sister Kourtney Kardashian as they leave Los Angeles to open a third D-A-S-H store in New York City.

Kardashian has launched multiple fragrances, guest starred on numerous shows, competed on ABC's ''Dancing with the Stars'', and has had roles in movies such as ''Disaster Movie'' and ''Deep in the Valley''. In 2010, Kardashian, along with her sisters Kourtney and Khloé, released an autobiography, ''Kardashian Konfidential''.

Early life

Kardashian was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of late attorney Robert Kardashian and Kris Jenner (née Houghton). Her father was a third generation Armenian American and her mother is of Dutch and Scottish descent. Her paternal great-grandparents immigrated to Los Angeles from historic Armenia (then part of the Ottoman Empire, now in Turkey). Her last name in Armenian (spelled Քարտաշեան in Armenian) means "son of a stonemason." Although only half Armenian, she states that she "was raised with a huge Armenian influence, always hearing stories of Armenia, eating Armenian food and celebrating Armenian holidays".

Kardashian has two sisters, Kourtney and Khloé, and one brother, Robert. She has stepbrothers Burton Jenner, Brandon Jenner, and reality TV star Brody Jenner, step-sister Casey Jenner, and half-sisters Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner.

She attended Marymount High School. During high school, Kardashian worked at her father's music marketing firm, Movie Tunes.

Career

2007–present: Reality television

Kardashian first rose to fame in February 2007 when she starred in a sex tape with R&B; singer Ray J. In October 2007 she along with her two sisters, mother, brother, half-sisters, and stepfather starred in the E! television series, ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians''. The series has aired five seasons to date, with two spin-off series.

Her first acting role was in the television series ''Beyond the Break''. She then starred in the 2008 disaster film spoof ''Disaster Movie'' as Lisa. Kardashian appeared in the ''How I Met Your Mother'' episode "Benefits". She also appeared on the Season 3 premiere of the series ''90210'' with her sisters Khloé and Kourtney; they all played themselves. Kardashian was a guest hostess of WrestleMania XXIV and appeared as a guest judge during Cycle 13 of ''America's Next Top Model''. On December 16, 2009, Kardashian made a guest star appearance on CBS's ''CSI: NY'' with Vanessa Minnillo.

Kardashian was one of 13 participants on the seventh season of ''Dancing with the Stars''. She was partnered with Mark Ballas and was the third contestant voted off the show on September 30, 2008, finishing in 11th place overall.

2007–2010: Modeling and retail

Kardashian co-owns a clothing boutique called D-A-S-H with her sisters Kourtney and Khloé.

In December 2007, Kardashian posed nude for ''Playboy''. She has also featured in numerous international editions of ''FHM'', including the cover of the April 2010 Australian edition and the UK March 2011 edition. In February 2008, Bongo Jeans announced that Kardashian would be their face model. She also models for Balenciaga shoes, Carl's Jr. fast food, Sugar Factory lollipops, and various other products.

Kardashian released her own fragrance product in 2010.

In March 2009, Kardashian launched an endorsement with ''ShoeDazzle'' shopping, of which she is the co-founder and chief fashion stylist.. The following month on April 9, 2009, Kardashian released a workout DVD series, ''Fit In Your Jeans By Friday,'' with trainers Jennifer Galardi and Patrick Goudeau. In September 2009, Fusion Beauty and Seven Bar Foundation launched "Kiss Away Poverty", with Kardashian as the face of the campaign. For every LipFusion lipgloss sold, $1 went to the Foundation to fund women entrepreneurs in the US.

Famous Cupcakes, a Los Angeles bakery, created a vanilla cupcake mix for Kardashian. The cupcake flavor is called Va-Va-Va-Nilla.

Kardashian has also created jewelry along with her sisters, Khloé and Kourtney. They produced a collection for ''Virgins, Saints, and Angels'' in 2010.

Again with her sisters, Kardashian has released various clothing lines. One called K-Dash was to be sold on QVC in 2010, and in the same year they produced a range for Bebe. As of August 2011 they are creating another for Sears, called the ''Kardashian Kollection''.

In addition, Kardashian and her sisters created a sunless tanner called Kardashian Glamour Tan in 2010.

On July 1, 2010, the New York City branch of Madame Tussauds revealed a wax figure of Kardashian.

2010–present

Kardashian is the producer of ''The Spin Crowd'', a reality television show about ''Command PR'', a New York City public relations firm, run by Jonathan Cheban and Simon Huck. The show follows them as they settle into their new offices in Los Angeles. Kardashian is friends with both, specifically Cheban, and frequently appears on her reality shows. She also appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010. She also appeared in and was the subject and judge of a task on the ninth episode of Season 10 of ''The Apprentice'' in 2010; the two teams had to create an in-store display for her new perfume line, to be sold at Perfumania.

Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé wrote an autobiography entitled ''Kardashian Konfidential''. The book was released in stores on November 23, 2010.

In December 2010, Kardashian filmed a music video for a song titled "Jam (Turn It Up)," the video was directed by Hype Williams; Kanye West makes a cameo in the video. Kardashian premiered the song during a New Year's Eve party at TAO Las Vegas on December 31, 2010. The song was produced by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. Kardashian said that she was forced into doing the song by friends such as Ciara, Kanye West, and "Turn It Up" producer The-Dream. When asked if an album is in the works, Kardashian replied: "There's no album in the works or anything – just one song we did for ''Kourtney and Kim Take New York'', and a video Hype Williams directed, half of the proceeds we're giving away to a cancer foundation, because The-Dream's and one of my parents passed away from cancer. It's just all having fun – with a good cause". Jim Farber, writing for the ''Daily News'', called the song a "dead-brained piece of generic dance music, without a single distinguishing feature," and suggested that the single made Kardashian the "worst singer in the reality TV universe."

Kardashian's 2010 earnings were the highest of any other reality star at $6 million.

A mainstream UK national newspaper, ''The Guardian'', has commented on her ability to attract payments of up to US$10,000 from sponsors for each tweet that she broadcasts, noting that she is "an American reality TV star whose sole talent lies in her large rump".

Personal life

Relationships

In 2000, Kardashian married music producer Damon Thomas; their relationship ended in divorce in 2004. Subsequently she dated R&B; singer Ray J, NFL star Reggie Bush and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin. She was also seen with model Gabriel Aubry. Kardashian then began dating NBA player Kris Humphries of the New Jersey Nets; they married on August 20, 2011 in Montecito, California. Kardashian and Humphries made $17.9 million on nuptials.

Sex tape

In February 2007, a pornographic home video she made with singer Ray J was leaked. Vivid Entertainment bought the rights for $1 million and released the film as ''Kim Kardashian: Superstar'' on February 21. Kardashian sued Vivid for ownership of the tape. In late April 2007, Kardashian dropped the suit and settled with Vivid Entertainment for $5 million.

Cookie Diet lawsuit

Dr. Sanford Siegal, the creator of the Cookie Diet, sued Kardashian, claiming she defamed him on Twitter. According to Siegal, Kardashian tweeted in October that he was "falsely promoting" that she was on the cookie diet. Siegal filed a claim in a Florida state court claiming the statements are false and defamatory. He also alleges that Kardashian was on QuickTrim's payroll when she posted the tweet. Kardashian's tweet appears to stem from an article on CookieDiet.com, that named Kardashian as one of many celebrities who saw positive results on the diet. Kardashian sent a cease-and-desist order to Siegal, demanding the link be removed.

Activism

Kardashian has supported the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on numerous occasions and has encouraged Barack Obama and the United States government to consider its acknowledgement. On April 21, 2011, a few days before the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, she has written about the issue on her blog in an effort to put it under spotlight and has also sent a tweet to her fans urging its recognition.

On April 1, 2010, Kardashian joined Cyndi Lauper in the launch of her Give a Damn campaign to create a wider awareness of discrimination against the LGBT community as part of her True Colors Fund.

However, she has also been on the receiving end of activism. Animal rights organization PETA has criticized her for repeatedly wearing fur coats, and named her as one of the five worst people or organizations of 2010 when it came to animal welfare.

Filmography

2007–present: ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' as Herself

2008: ''Dancing with the Stars'' as Herself

2008: ''Disaster Movie'' as Calvin's girlfriend, Lisa Taylor

2009: ''CSI: NY'' as Debbie Fallon (1 episode)

2009: ''Deep in the Valley'' as Summa Eve

2009: ''How I Met Your Mother'' as herself (1 episode)

2009: ''Beyond the Break'' as Elle (4 episodes)

2010: ''90210'' as herself (season 3 premiere)

2011–present: ''Kourtney and Kim Take New York''

References

External links

Official website

Kardashians join forces with Australian designer at Mediasearch

Category:1980 births Category:American actors Category:American female models Category:American film actors Category:American people of Armenian descent Category:American people of Dutch descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American socialites Category:Businesspeople in fashion Category:Kardashian family Category:Living people Category:People from Los Angeles, California

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