name	Thomas W. Sneddon, Jr.
occupation	33rd District Attorney of Santa Barbara County (retired)
birth date	1941,
birth place	Los Angeles
years active	1983-2010
spouse	Pamela Sneddon
children	9 children (1 set of twins), 6 grandchildren
nationality	American }}

Thomas W. Sneddon Jr. (born 1941 in Los Angeles) was the district attorney of Santa Barbara County, California. He had 22 years experience as a District Attorney and 35 years experience in prosecution. He is best known for prosecuting child molestation charges against entertainer Michael Jackson in 2005 – a trial that ended in Jackson being acquitted.

Biographical Information

Thomas Sneddon grew up in California. In 1963 Sneddon graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where he was on the boxing team; and in 1966 from UCLA Law School, where he met his wife.

From 1967-1969, during the Vietnam War, Tom Sneddon was in the U.S. Army.

From November 1969 until May 1977 Tom Sneddon served as a Deputy District Attorney in Santa Barbara County. In 1977, he was promoted to the position of Supervisor of Criminal Operations.

On January 3, 1983, Tom Sneddon became the 33rd District Attorney of Santa Barbara County and has been re-elected without opposition for 5 terms. As of 2010 he has retired from the DA’s office.

A father of 9 children, Tom Sneddon has a track record of being involved in children and family issues. He was Chair of the Committee for Child Support Enforcement since its inception in 1991. He was presented with a "Director's Award" in 1995 by the California Family Support Council. A year later he was appointed co-chair of the National District Attorney's Child Support Committee and invited by the US Attorney General Janet Reno to be a member of the Presidential Commission's Federal Task Force to review and enhance federal criminal prosecutions for failure to pay child support.

Prosecution of Michael Jackson

He is most notable for twice investigating Michael Jackson on child sexual abuse allegations in 1993 and 2005. The first criminal investigation was closed with no charges. Jackson settled a related civil suit with a civil settlement of over $15 million to the plaintiff Jordan Chandler. Chandler ceased cooperating with investigators after 2 grand juries returned a refusal to indict Jackson. The second set of allegations against Jackson resulted in a long trial which ended on June 13, 2005 with Jackson being acquitted.

References

External links

National District Attorneys Association Profile

Category:Living people Category:People from Santa Barbara County, California Category:District attorneys Category:Michael Jackson Category:1941 births Category:University of Notre Dame alumni Category:University of California, Los Angeles School of Law alumni Category:American military personnel of the Vietnam War

de:Tom Sneddon ja:トム・スネドン pt:Tom Sneddon

alt	A mid-twenties African American man wearing a sequined military jacket and dark sunglasses. He is walking while waving his right hand, which is adorned with a white glove. His left hand is bare.
background	solo_singer
birth name	Michael Joseph Jackson
alias	Michael Joe Jackson, MJ, King of Pop
birth date	August 29, 1958
birth place	Gary, Indiana, U.S.
death date	June 25, 2009
death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
instrument	vocals, guitar, drums, percussion, keyboards
genre	R&B;, pop, rock, soul, dance, funk, disco, new jack swing
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, composer, dancer, choreographer, record producer, actor, businessman, philanthropist
years active	1964–2009
label	Motown, Epic, Legacy
associated acts	The Jackson 5
relatives	Janet Jackson (sister)
website	130pxMichael Jackson's signature }}

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Often referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5, then the Jacksons in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B;, pop and rock artists.

Jackson's 1982 album ''Thriller'' is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including ''Off the Wall'' (1979), ''Bad'' (1987), ''Dangerous'' (1991), and ''HIStory'' (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which have made him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music.

Life and career

Early life and The Jackson 5 (1958–1975)

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, the eighth of ten children in an African American working-class family who lived in a small 3-room house in Gary, Indiana, an industrial city near Chicago. His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovah's Witness, and his father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, was a steel mill worker who performed with an R&B; band called The Falcons. Jackson had three sisters: Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy. A sixth brother, Brandon, died shortly after birth.

Jackson had a troubled relationship with his father, Joe. In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B; Album, Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B; Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". That year, he also won Billboard Year-End for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance, also for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Jackson again won at the American Music Awards in 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B; Album and Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist. Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt ''Off the Wall'' should have made a much bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.

''Thriller'' and ''Motown 25'' (1982–83)

In 1982, Jackson contributed the song "Someone In the Dark" to the storybook for the film ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''; the record won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1984. In the same year he won another seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards (including the Award of Merit, the youngest artist to win it), making him the most awarded in one night for both award shows. The album topped the ''Billboard'' 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." ''Thriller'' was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. The album won also another Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical in 1984, awarding Bruce Swedien for his work. Thanks to the ''Bad'' album, Bruce Swedien and Humberto Gatica won one Grammy in 1988 for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and Michael Jackson won one Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form for "Leave Me Alone" in 1989. ''HIStory'' received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. However, the sales for ''Invincible'' were lower than those of his previous releases, due in part to a lack of promotion, no supporting world tour and the label dispute. The album also came out at a bad time for the music industry in general. Jackson rehearsed in Los Angeles in the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of choreographer Kenny Ortega. Most of these rehearsals took place at the Staples Center, which was owned by AEG. With ''Thriller'', Christopher Connelly of ''Rolling Stone'' commented that Jackson developed his long association with the subliminal theme of paranoia and darker imagery. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted this is evident on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". In "Billie Jean", Jackson sings about an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered a child of hers. In "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against gossip and the media. "Beat It" decried gang violence in an homage to ''West Side Story'', and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece, according to Huey. He also observed that the title track "Thriller" began Jackson's interest with the theme of the supernatural, a topic he revisited in subsequent years. In 1985, Jackson co-wrote the charity anthem "We Are the World"; humanitarian themes later became a recurring theme in his lyrics and public persona.

In ''Bad'', Jackson's concept of the predatory lover can be seen on the rock song "Dirty Diana". The lead single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a traditional love ballad, while "Man in the Mirror" is an anthemic ballad of confession and resolution. "Smooth Criminal" was an evocation of bloody assault, rape and likely murder. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that ''Dangerous'' presents Jackson as a very paradoxical individual. He comments the album is more diverse than his previous ''Bad'', as it appeals to an urban audience while also attracting the middle class with anthems like "Heal the World". The first half of the record is dedicated to new jack swing, including songs like "Jam" and "Remember the Time". The album is Jackson's first where social ills become a primary theme; "Why You Wanna Trip on Me", for example, protests against world hunger, AIDS, homelessness and drugs. ''Dangerous'' contains sexually charged efforts such as the multifaceted love song, "In the Closet". The title track continues the theme of the predatory lover and compulsive desire. The second half includes introspective, pop-gospel anthems such as "Will You Be There", "Heal the World" and "Keep the Faith"; these songs show Jackson opening up about various personal struggles and worries. In the ballad "Gone Too Soon", Jackson gives tribute to his friend Ryan White and the plight of those with AIDS.

''HIStory'' creates an atmosphere of paranoia. Its content focuses on the hardships and public struggles Jackson went through just prior to its production. In the new jack swing-funk-rock efforts "Scream" and "Tabloid Junkie", along with the R&B; ballad "You Are Not Alone", Jackson retaliates against the injustice and isolation he feels, and directs much of his anger at the media. In the introspective ballad "Stranger in Moscow", Jackson laments over his "fall from grace", while songs like "Earth Song", "Childhood", "Little Susie" and "Smile" are all operatic pop pieces. In the track "D.S.", Jackson launched a verbal attack against Tom Sneddon. He describes Sneddon as an antisocial, white supremacist who wanted to "get my ass, dead or alive". Of the song, Sneddon said, "I have not—shall we say—done him the honor of listening to it, but I've been told that it ends with the sound of a gunshot". ''Invincible'' found Jackson working heavily with producer Rodney Jerkins. It is a record made up of urban soul like "Cry" and "The Lost Children", ballads such as "Speechless", "Break of Dawn" and "Butterflies" and mixes hip-hop, pop and R&B; in "2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker" and "Invincible".

Vocal style

Jackson sang from childhood, and over time his voice and vocal style changed noticeably. Between 1971 and 1975, Jackson's voice descended from boy soprano to high tenor. Jackson first used a technique called the "vocal hiccup" in 1973, starting with the song "It's Too Late to Change the Time" from The Jackson 5's ''G.I.T.: Get It Together'' album. Jackson did not use the hiccup technique— somewhat like a gulping for air or gasping— fully until the recording of ''Off the Wall'': it can be seen in full force in the "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" promotional video. With the arrival of ''Off the Wall'' in the late 1970s, Jackson's abilities as a vocalist were well regarded. At the time, ''Rolling Stone'' compared his vocals to the "breathless, dreamy stutter" of Stevie Wonder. Their analysis was also that "Jackson's feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful. It slides smoothly into a startling falsetto that's used very daringly". 1982 saw the release of ''Thriller'', and ''Rolling Stone'' was of the opinion that Jackson was then singing in a "fully adult voice" that was "tinged by sadness".

A distinctive deliberate mispronunciation of "come on", used frequently by Jackson, occasionally spelled "cha'mone" or "shamone", is also a staple in impressions and caricatures of him. The turn of the 1990s saw the release of the introspective album ''Dangerous''. ''The New York Times'' noted that on some tracks, "he gulps for breath, his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a desperate whisper, hissing through clenched teeth" and he had a "wretched tone". When singing of brotherhood or self-esteem the musician would return to "smooth" vocals. When commenting on ''Invincible'', ''Rolling Stone'' were of the opinion that—at the age of 43—Jackson still performed "exquisitely voiced rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal harmonies". Nelson George summed up Jackson's vocals by stating "The grace, the aggression, the growling, the natural boyishness, the falsetto, the smoothness—that combination of elements mark him as a major vocalist".

Music videos and choreography

Referred to as the King of Music Videos, Steve Huey of Allmusic observed how Jackson transformed the music video into an art form and a promotional tool through complex story lines, dance routines, special effects and famous cameo appearances; simultaneously breaking down racial barriers. Before ''Thriller'', Jackson struggled to receive coverage on MTV, allegedly because he was African American. Pressure from CBS Records persuaded MTV to start showing "Billie Jean" and later "Beat It", leading to a lengthy partnership with Jackson, also helping other black music artists gain recognition. MTV employees deny any racism in their coverage, or pressure to change their stance. MTV maintains that they played rock music, regardless of race. The popularity of his videos on MTV helped to put the relatively young channel "on the map"; MTV's focus shifted in favor of pop and R&B.; His performance on ''Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever'' changed the scope of live stage show; "That Jackson lip-synced 'Billie Jean' is, in itself, not extraordinary, but the fact that it did not change the impact of the performance is extraordinary; whether the performance was live or lip-synced made no difference to the audience" thus creating an era in which artists re-create the spectacle of music video imagery on stage. Short films like ''Thriller'' largely remained unique to Jackson, while the group dance sequence in "Beat It" has frequently been imitated. The choreography in ''Thriller'' has become a part of global pop culture, replicated everywhere from Indian films to prisons in the Philippines. The ''Thriller'' short film marked an increase in scale for music videos, and has been named the most successful music video ever by the ''Guinness World Records''.

In the 19-minute music video for "Bad"—directed by Martin Scorsese—Jackson began using sexual imagery and choreography not previously seen in his work. He occasionally grabbed or touched his chest, torso and crotch. When asked by Oprah in the 1993 interview about why he grabbed his crotch, he replied, "I think it happens subliminally" and he described it as something that was not planned, but rather, as something that was compelled by the music. "Bad" garnered a mixed reception from both fans and critics; ''Time'' magazine described it as "infamous". The video also featured Wesley Snipes; in the future Jackson's videos would often feature famous cameo roles.

}} ;Bibliography

George, Nelson (2004). ''Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection'' booklet. Sony BMG.

Further reading

External links

Michael Jackson Live: Best Pics – slideshow by ''Life magazine''

Michael Jackson at MTV

FBI file on Michael Jackson

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name	Geraldo Rivera
birthname	Gerald Michael Riviera
birth date	July 04, 1943
birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
occupation	Television presenter, journalist, writer, defense attorney
years active	1970–present
family	Cruz "Allen" Rivera and Lillie "Lillian" Friedman, Sharon Rivera, Wilfredo Rivera, and two other siblings (See "Notable Relatives"); Austin and Olivia Rivera (children of Craig and Cordelia Bowe Rivera), and five children
spouse	Linda Coblentz (1965-1969; divorced)Edith Bucket Vonnegut (December 14, 1971-1975; divorced)Sherryl Raymond (December 31, 1976-1984; divorced)C.C. Dyer (July 11, 1987-2000; divorced)Erica Michelle Levy (since August 10, 2003)
children	Gabriel Miguel (b. July 1979; by Sherryl Raymond)Cruz Grant (b. 1987)Isabella Holmes (b. November 7, 1992; by C.C. Dyer) Simone Cruickshank (b. September 24, 1994; by C.C. Dyer)Solita Liliana (b. August 2, 2005; by Erica Levy)
relatives	Craig Rivera, Cordelia Bowe Rivera; Irene Rivera Hurst (professor at Hofstra University)
ethnicity	Hispanic, Jewish
religion	Reform Judaism; married to Erica Levy at Central Synagogue
credits	''Geraldo at Large'' ''Geraldo''
url	http://www.foxnews.com/geraldo }}

Geraldo Rivera (born Gerald Michael Riviera; July 4, 1943) is an American attorney, journalist, writer, reporter, and former talk show host. Rivera hosts the newsmagazine program ''Geraldo at Large'' and appears regularly on Fox News Channel.

Early life

Rivera was born at Beth Israel Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Lillian (née) Friedman, a waitress, and the late Cruz "Allen" Rivera (October 1, 1915 - November 1987), a restaurant worker and cab driver. Rivera's father was Puerto Rican of Spanish ancestry and his mother is of Ashkenazi Russian Jewish descent. He was raised "mostly Jewish" and had a Bar Mitzvah. He grew up in Brooklyn and West Babylon, New York. He has four siblings: Wilfredo, Sharon, Irene, and Craig.

Rivera is an alumnus of University of Arizona, where he played varsity lacrosse as goalie. From September 1961 to May 1963, he attended the State University of New York Maritime College, where he was a member of the rowing team. He received his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1969, did postgraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania that same year, and briefly attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism during the summer of 1970.

After a brief career in law enforcement where he served the New York City Police Department as an investigator, Rivera returned to law and became a lawyer for a New York Puerto Rican activist group, the Young Lords, and attracted the attention of WABC-TV news director Al Primo when he was interviewed about the group's occupation of a East Harlem church in 1969. Primo offered Rivera a job as a reporter but was unhappy with the first name "Gerald" (he wanted something more identifiably Latin) so they agreed to go with the pronunciation used by the Puerto Rican side of Rivera's family: Geraldo. He is a member of Tau Delta Phi fraternity.

Career

Early stages

Geraldo Rivera was hired by WABC-TV in 1970 as a reporter for ''Eyewitness News''. In 1972, he garnered national attention and won a Peabody Award for his report on the neglect and abuse of mentally retarded patients at Staten Island's Willowbrook State School and began to appear on ABC national programs such as ''20/20'' and ''Nightline''. After John Lennon watched Rivera's report on the patients at Willowbrook, he and Rivera formed a benefit concert called "One to One" (released in 1986 as ''Live in New York City''.) Rivera reported Lennon's murder on ''Nightline'' on December 8, 1980. Rivera also appeared in ''The U.S. vs. John Lennon'', a movie about Lennon and Yoko Ono's lives in New York City. It was released in 2007.

Around this time, Rivera also began hosting ABC's ''Good Night America''. The show featured the famous refrain from Arlo Guthrie's hit "City Of New Orleans" (written by Steve Goodman) as the theme. An episode of the program aired in 1975 showed the first national telecast of the historic Zapruder Film.

After Elvis Presley died in 1977, various media mistakenly reported that he had died from a heart attack. Rivera then investigated Presley's prescription drug records and concluded that he had died from multiple drug intake. His conclusion caused Tennessee medical authorities to later revoke the medical license of Dr. George C. Nichopoulos, for overprescribing.

In October 1985, ABC's Roone Arledge refused to air a report done by Sylvia Chase, for ''20/20'' on the relationship between Marilyn Monroe and John and Robert Kennedy. Rivera publicly criticized Arledge's journalistic integrity, claiming that Arledge's friendship with the Kennedy family (for example, Pierre Salinger, a former Kennedy aide, worked for ABC News at the time) had caused him to spike the story; as a result, Rivera was fired. Sylvia Chase quit ''20/20'', although she returned to ABC News many years later. It has never aired.

In April 1986, Rivera hosted the syndicated special ''The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault'', an ill-conceived adventure where Rivera excavated what he had been told was the site of Al Capone's buried treasure trove. Rivera broadcast live as the site was excavated, fully expecting to find a store of the former gangster's wealth. The show was heavily advertised, particularly on Chicago's WGN television station. A medical examiner was brought along for the excavation in case any dead bodies were excavated. The show was on air for several hours, displacing regularly scheduled programming, as Rivera's team penetrated the vault he was sure would yield the famed loot. Ultimately, the vault was found to contain a few broken bottles. Rivera held one of these bottles aloft for the camera and excitedly stated that it had once contained "bootleg moonshine gin".

Talk shows and specials

In 1987, Rivera began producing and hosting the daytime talk show ''Geraldo'', which ran for 11 years. The show featured controversial guests and theatricality, which led to the characterization of his show as "Trash TV" by ''Newsweek'' and two United States senators. One of the early shows was titled "Men in Lace Panties and the Women Who Love Them". His nose was broken in a well-publicized brawl during a 1988 show, involving white supremacists, anti-racist skinheads, black activists, and Jewish activists.

In 1987, he hosted the first of a series of prime time special reports dealing with an alleged epidemic of Satanic ritual abuse. He stated: :"Estimates are that there are over 1 million Satanists in this country ... The majority of them are linked in a highly organized, very secretive network. From small towns to large cities, they have attracted police and FBI attention to their Satanic sexual child abuse, child pornography and grisly Satanic murders. The odds are that this is happening in your town."

More credible estimates are about 10,000 adult members of religious Satanic churches, temples and grottos as well as 10,000 solitary practitioners of Satanism; Rivera's claims of ritualistic abuse, conspiracy and criminal activity remain unsubstantiated.

In 1994, he began hosting nightly discussion of the news on CNBC called ''Rivera Live'' while continuing to host ''Geraldo''. The show was portrayed in the final episode of ''Seinfeld'', with Rivera as himself reporting on the lengthy trial of the show's four main characters.

Later, he would take his talk show in a different direction, moving it from "Trash TV" to a more subdued, serious show, and changed its name from ''Geraldo'' to ''The Geraldo Rivera Show''. By this time, however, the show had run its course, and was cancelled in 1998.

In 1997, Rivera contracted with NBC to work as a reporter for six years for $30 million, including hosting ''Rivera Live'' on CNBC. During 1998 and 1999, he extensively covered the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

Fox News to present

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he accepted a pay cut and went to work for the Fox News Channel as a war correspondent in November 2001. Rivera's brother Craig accompanied him as a cameraman on assignments in Afghanistan.

In 2001, during the War in Afghanistan, Rivera was derided for a report in which he claimed to be at the scene of a friendly fire incident; it was later revealed he was actually 300 miles away. Rivera blamed a minor misunderstanding for the discrepancy.

Controversy arose in early 2003, while Rivera was traveling with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq. During a Fox News broadcast, Rivera began to disclose an upcoming operation, even going so far as to draw a map in the sand for his audience. The military immediately issued a firm denunciation of his actions, saying it put the operation at risk, and nearly expelled Rivera from Iraq. Two days later, he announced that he would be reporting on the Iraq conflict from Kuwait.

In 2005, Rivera engaged in a feud with ''The New York Times'' over their allegations that he pushed aside a member of a rescue team in order to be filmed "assisting" a woman in a wheelchair down some steps in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The ensuing controversy caused Rivera to appear on television and demand a retraction from the ''Times''. He further threatened to sue the paper if one was not provided.

In 2008, Rivera came out with a book called ''HisPanic: Why Americans fear Hispanics in the U.S.''. Rivera himself is part Hispanic, his father coming from Puerto Rico.

On September 12, 2008, during the Fox News coverage of Hurricane Ike, Rivera was knocked over by the storm surge debris while reporting live in Galveston near the 17 foot high sea wall.

On November 10, 2010, Oprah Winfrey invited Rivera, along with former talk show hosts Phil Donahue, Sally Jessy Raphael, Ricki Lake and Montel Williams as guests on her show. This was the first time that she had fellow talkers appear together since their programs left the air.

Stephen Colbert has frequently lampooned Rivera on ''The Colbert Report'', especially calling attention to his mustache. He has explained in interviews that Rivera was one of the inspirations for the "man with a mission" facet of Colbert's right-wing pundit character. "That's the heart of [Rivera's] persona: that he ''really is'' changing the world with every interview he does — just slowly, syllable by syllable, he is changing the great ship of human destiny with his will toward justice." Colbert's character, in turn, "thinks, 'We're gonna bust things wide open with this report,' when in fact he never has an idea of what he's talking about." Rivera has since appeared on the show.

While hosting his show on Fox News on the night of May 1, 2011, Rivera broke the news that Osama bin Laden was killed by American special forces at 10:40 p.m. EDT. When the news broke, Rivera proudly proclaimed "this is the greatest night of my career".

Personal life

Rivera has been married to five women: Linda Coblentz (1965–1969), Edith Bucket Vonnegut (1971–1975), Sherryl Raymond (1976–1984), C.C. Dyer (1987–2000), and Erica Levy (since 2003).

He has five children: Gabriel (b. 1979), with Sherryl Raymond; Cruz (b. 1987), mother unnamed; Isabella (b. 1992) and Simone (b. 1994), with C.C. Dyer; and Sol Liliana (b. 2005), with Erica Levy.

Rivera has been a resident of Edgewater, New Jersey. He had previously resided in Middletown Township, New Jersey.

Rivera is an active sailor. He is owner/skipper of the boat Voyager and sailed in the Marion-Bermuda race (June 2011).

Author

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans

References

External links

Official website

"Geraldo Rivera Official Statement Regarding Embedment Controversy", 4 April 2003 - Rivera tells the story of his Iraq "Map in the Sand" (archive)

"Pentagon Says Geraldo Rivera Will Be Removed From Iraq" - ''The New York Times'', April 1, 2003

Geraldo Rivera's Influence on the Satanic Ritual Abuse and Recovered Memory Hoaxes - from religioustolerance.org

Urban Legend about Geraldo Rivera's name being changed from Jerry Rivers - from snopes.com

Category:1943 births Category:American Jews Category:New York lawyers Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Brooklyn Law School alumni Category:Crimes involving Satanism or the occult Category:Jewish actors Category:Living people Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from Edgewater, New Jersey Category:People from Manhattan Category:People from Middletown Township, New Jersey Category:People from Suffolk County, New York Category:American journalists of Puerto Rican descent

Category:American people of Russian descent Category:American people of Spanish descent Category:University of Arizona alumni Category:American television reporters and correspondents Category:Fox News Channel people

de:Geraldo Rivera et:Geraldo Rivera fr:Geraldo Rivera he:הרלדו ריביירה nl:Geraldo Rivera sv:Geraldo Rivera

name	Martin Bashir
birth date	January 19, 1963
birth place	South London, England, United Kingdom
occupation	JournalistAnchor
years active	1986–present
religion	Christian
agent	}}

Martin Bashir (born 19 January 1963) is a British journalist and media personality, currently with NBC News as a contributor for its ''Dateline'' program, and an afternoon anchor for MSNBC, hosting ''Martin Bashir''. He was previously an anchor for ABC's ''Nightline'' and is known for his interviews with Diana, Princess of Wales, Pastor Rob Bell and interviews of pop singer Michael Jackson.

Early life

Bashir was born in Wandsworth, South London to parents of Pakistani origin and grew up in Wandsworth. He was educated at the state comprehensive Wandsworth School for Boys and King Alfred's College of Higher Education, Winchester (since 2004 the University of Winchester), studying English and History from 1982–1985, and at King's College London. He is fluent in English, Urdu and Hindi. Although he was born to a Muslim family, he has identified himself as a "committed Christian."

Career

He started work as a journalist in 1986. He worked for the BBC until 1999 on programmes including ''Songs of Praise'', ''Public Eye'' and ''Panorama'' and then he joined ITV, working on special documentary programmes and features for ''Tonight with Trevor McDonald''.

Bashir came to wide prominence in 1995 when he interviewed (for the BBC's ''Panorama'' programme) Diana, Princess of Wales about her failed marriage to the Prince of Wales. Since then he has conducted interviews with, among others, Louise Woodward, the five suspects in the Stephen Lawrence case, Michael Barrymore, Jeffrey Archer, Major Charles Ingram, and Joanne Lees.

Bashir was employed by ABC and co-presented their current affairs show ''Nightline''. Along with Cynthia McFadden and Terry Moran, he took over ''Nightline'' from Ted Koppel in 2005 following the famous news anchor's final broadcast.

In August 2010 Bashir left ABC for NBC and MSNBC where he will serve as a contributor for Dateline and an afternoon anchor for MSNBC.

Bashir had a role as himself in the comedy film ''Mike Bassett: England Manager''.

Michael Jackson interviews

In 2003, Bashir conducted a series of interviews with pop singer Michael Jackson, as part of a documentary for ITV. Following the broadcast, which was viewed by 14 million in the UK and 38 million in the US, several media personalities accused Bashir of yellow journalism, claiming that he deliberately doctored the recordings in order to paint Jackson in an unflattering light, as well as emphasising the allegations of child molestation made against Jackson. ''The New York Times'' called Bashir's journalism style "callous self-interest masked as sympathy."

In response, Jackson and his personal cameraman released a rebuttal interview, which showed Bashir complimenting Jackson for the "spiritual" quality of the Neverland Ranch, thus contradicting the journalist's previous statements that it was a "dangerous place" for children. Bashir also describes Jackson as a wonderful father and says that Jackson's relationship with his children "almost makes him weep".

Dieter Wiesner, the pop star's manager from 1996 to 2003, stated about the influence of Bashir's documentary on Michael Jackson: }}

Bashir later said of Jackson during ABC's coverage of his death, }}

2012 U.S. presidential campaign

In 2011, Bashir stated on MSNBC that, according to his interpretation of the United States Flag Code, it was illegal for Sarah Palin to use the flag for advertising purposes on her vehicle, as it was not a campaign bus but a "cash bus".

However, The United States Flag Code establishes ''advisory'' rules for display and care of the flag of the United States. It is Chapter 1 of Title 4 of the United States Code (4 U.S.C. § 1 et seq). This is a U.S. federal law, but there is ''no penalty'' for failure to comply with it and it is not widely enforced — indeed, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that punitive enforcement would conflict with the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

References

External links

Profile and Martin Bashir show at ''MSNBC''

Category:1963 births Category:English television journalists Category:English Christians Category:British reporters and correspondents Category:Living people Category:People from Wandsworth Category:English people of Pakistani descent Category:Pakistani Christians Category:Alumni of the University of Winchester Category:Alumni of King's College London

de:Martin Bashir fa:مارتین بشیر fr:Martin Bashir it:Martin Bashir nl:Martin Bashir ja:マーティン・バシール pl:Martin Bashir pt:Martin Bashir fi:Martin Bashir