Generation (from the Latin ''generāre'', meaning "to beget"), also known as procreation in biological sciences, is the act of producing offspring. In a more general sense, it can also refer to the act of creating something inanimate such as ideas, sound, electrical generation using technology or cryptographic code generation.

A generation can refer to stages of successive improvement in the development of a technology such as the internal combustion engine, or successive iterations of products with planned obsolescence, such as video game consoles or mobile phones.

In biology, the process by which populations of organisms pass on advantageous traits from generation to generation is known as evolution.

Familial generation

It is important to distinguish between familial and cultural generations. Some define a familial generation as the average time between a mother's first offspring and her daughter's first offspring. For much of human history the average generation length has been determined socially by the average age of women at first birth, about 16 years. This is due to the place it holds in the family unit economics of committing resources towards raising of children, and necessitating greater productivity from the parents, usually the male. With greater industrialisation and demand for cheap female labour, urbanisation, delayed first pregnancy, a greater uncertainty in relationship stability have all contributed to the increase of the generation length through the late-18th to the late-20th centuries. These changes can be attributed to both societal level factors, such as GDP and state policy, and related individual level variables, particularly a woman's educational attainment. In developed nations the average familial generation length is in the high 20s and has even reached 30 years in some nations. As of 2008, the average generation length in the United States was 25 years, up 3.6 years since 1970. Germany saw the largest increase in generation length over that time period, from 24 years in 1970 to 30 years in 2008. Conversely, generation length has changed little and remains in the low 20s in less developed nations.

Cultural generation

Cultural generations are cohorts of people who were born in the same date range and share similar cultural experience. The idea of a cultural generation, in the sense that it is used today gained currency in the 19th century. Prior to that the concept "generation" had generally referred to family relationships, not broader social groupings. In 1863, French lexicographer Emile Littré had defined a generation as, "all men living more or less at the same time."

However, as the 19th century wore on, several trends promoted a new idea of generations, of a society divided into different categories of people based on age. These trends were all related to the process of modernisation, industrialisation, or westernisation, which had been changing the face of Europe since the mid-eighteenth century. One was a change in mentality about time and social change. The increasing prevalence of enlightenment ideas encouraged the idea that society and life were changeable, and that civilization could progress. This encouraged the equation of youth with social renewal and change. Political rhetoric in the 19th century often focused on the renewing power of youth influenced by movements such as Young Italy, Young Germany, Sturm und Drang, the German Youth Movement, and other romantic movements. By the end of the 19th century European intellectuals were disposed toward thinking of the world in generational terms, and in terms of youth rebellion and emancipation.

Two important contributing factors to the change in mentality were the change in the economic structure of society. Because of the rapid social and economic change, young men particularly were less beholden to their fathers and family authority than they had been. Greater social and economic mobility allowed them to flout their authority to a much greater extent than had traditionally been possible. Additionally, the skills and wisdom of fathers were often less valuable than they had been due to technological and social change. During this time, the period of time between childhood and adulthood, usually spent at university or in military service, was also increased for many people entering white collar jobs. This category of people was very influential in spreading the ideas of youthful renewal.

Another important factor was the break-down of traditional social and regional identifications. The spread of nationalism and many of the factors that created it (a national press, linguistic homogenisation, public education, suppression of local particularities) encouraged a broader sense of belonging, beyond local affiliations. People thought of themselves increasingly as part of a society, and this encouraged identification with groups beyond the local.

Auguste Comte was the first philosopher to make a serious attempt to systematically study generations. In ''Cours de philosophie positive'' Comte suggested that social change is determined by generational change and in particular conflict between successive generations. As the members of a given generation age, their "instinct of social conservation" becomes stronger, which inevitably and necessarily brings them into conflict with the "normal attribute of youth"— innovation. Other important theorists of the 19th century were John Stuart Mill and Wilhelm Dilthey.

Karl Mannheim was a seminal figure in the study of generations. He suggested that there had been a division into two primary schools of study of generations until that time: positivists, such as Comte who measured social change in fifteen to thirty year life spans, which he argued reduced history to “a chronological table.” The other school, the “romantic-historical” was represented by Dilthey and Martin Heidegger. This school emphasised the individual qualitative experience at the expense of social context.

Mannheim emphasised that the rapidity of social change in youth was crucial to the formation of generations, and that not every generation would come to see itself as distinct. In periods of rapid social change a generation would be much more likely to develop a cohesive character. He also believed that a number of distinct sub-generations could exist.

Jose Ortega y Gasset was another influential generational theorist of the 20th century.

Since then, generations have been defined in many different ways, by different people. Generational claims can often overlap and conflict. Often generational identification has a strongly political implication or connotation.

List of generations

Western world

The Lost Generation, primarily known as the ''Generation of 1914'' in Europe, is a term originating with Gertrude Stein to describe those who fought in World War I.

The Greatest Generation, also known as the ''G.I. Generation'', is the generation that includes the veterans who fought in World War II. They were born from around 1901 to 1924, coming of age during the Great Depression. Journalist Tom Brokaw dubbed this the Greatest Generation in a book of the same name.

The Silent Generation born 1925 to 1945, is the generation that includes those who were too young to join the service during World War II. Many had fathers who served in World War I. Generally recognized as the children of the Great Depression, this event during their formative years had a profound impact on them.

The Baby Boom Generation is the generation that was born following World War II, from 1946 up to 1964, a time that was marked by an increase in birth rates. The baby boom has been described variously as a "shockwave" and as "the pig in the python." By the sheer force of its numbers, the boomers were a demographic bulge which remodeled society as it passed through it. In general, baby boomers are associated with a rejection or redefinition of traditional values; however, many commentators have disputed the extent of that rejection, noting the widespread continuity of values with older and younger generations. In Europe and North America boomers are widely associated with privilege, as many grew up in a time of affluence. One of the features of Boomers was that they tended to think of themselves as a special generation, very different from those that had come before them. In the 1960s, as the relatively large numbers of young people became teenagers and young adults, they, and those around them, created a very specific rhetoric around their cohort, and the change they were bringing about.

Generation X is the generation generally defined as those born after the baby boom ended. While there is no universally agreed upon time frame, the term generally includes people born from the latter 1960s through the late 1970s to early 80s, usually not later than 1982. The term had also been used in different times and places for various different subcultures or countercultures since the 1950s.

Generation Y, the Millennial Generation (or Millennials), Generation Next, Net Generation, Echo Boomers, describes the next generation. As there are no precise dates for when the Millennial generation starts and ends, commentators have used birth dates ranging somewhere from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s. Experts differ on the start date of Generation Y. William Strauss and Neil Howe use the start year as 1982, and end years around the turn of the millennium, while others use start years that are earlier or later than 1982, and end years that in the mid to late 1990s or early 2000s.

Generation Z, also known as Generation I, or Internet Generation, and Generation Text, and dubbed Generation @ by New York columnist Rory Winston and the "Digital Natives" by Marc Prensky and is the following generation. The earliest birth is generally dated in the early 1990s.

Eastern world

In China, the Post-80s (Chinese: 八零后世代 or 八零后) (born-after-1980 generation) (also sometimes called China's Generation Y) are those who were born between the year 1980 to 1989 in urban areas of Mainland China. These people are also called "Little Emperors" (or at least the first to be called so) because of the People's Republic of China's one-child policy. Growing up in modern China, China’s Gen Y has been characterised by its optimism for the future, newfound excitement for consumerism and entrepreneurship and acceptance of its historic role in transforming modern China into an economic superpower. Other Chinese generations are also named in a similar fashion, with Post-90s (Chinese: 九零后) referring to modern teenagers and college students.

In South Korea, generational cohorts are often defined around the democratization of the country, with various schemes suggested including names such as the "democratization generation", 386 generation (also called the "June 3, 1987 generation"), that witnessed the June uprising, the "April 19 generation" (that struggled against the Syngman Rhee regime in 1960), the "June 3 generation" (that struggled against the normalization treaty with Japan in 1964), the "1969 generation" (that struggled against the constitutional revision allowing three presidential terms), and the ''shinsedae'' ("new") generation. In India, generations tend to follow a pattern similar to the broad western model, although there are still major differences, especially in the older generations. According to one interpretation, Indian independence in 1947 marked a generational shift in India. People born in the 1930s and 1940s tended to be loyal to the new state and tended to adhere to "traditional" divisions of society. Indian "boomers", those born after independence and into the early 1960s, tended to link success to leaving India and were more suspicious of traditional societal institutions. Events such as the Indian Emergency made them more sceptical of government. Generation X saw an improvement in India's economy and they are more comfortable with diverse perspectives. Generation Y continues this pattern.

(From section "Post-80s in Hong Kong" of Post-80s) Post-80s in Hong Kong and the after-eighty generation in mainland China are for the most part different. The term Post-80s (八十後) came into use in Hong Kong between 2009 and 2010, particularly during the course of the opposition to the Guangzhou-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, during which a group of young activists came to the forefront of the Hong Kong political scene. They are said to be "post-materialist" in outlook, and they are particularly vocal in issues such as urban development, culture and heritage, and political reform. Their campaigns include the fight for the preservation of Lee Tung Street, the Star Ferry Pier and the Queen's Pier, Choi Yuen Tsuen Village, real political reform (on June 23), and a citizen-oriented Kowloon West Art district. Their discourse mainly develops around themes such as anti-colonialism, sustainable development, and democracy.

Other generations

The term ''generation'' is sometimes applied to a cultural movement, or more narrowly defined group than an entire demographic. Some examples include:

The Beat Generation, a popular American cultural movement that most social scholars say laid the foundation of the pro-active American counterculture of the 1960s. It consisted of Americans born between the two world wars who came of age in the rise of the automobile era, and the surrounding accessibility they brought to the culturally diverse, yet geographically broad and separated nation. The Beat Generation is between the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers.

The Hip Hop Generation, another popular American cultural movement describing a musical and cultural phenomenon that from humble beginnings had an international impact. Coined by author Bakari Kitwana, it describes a generation of people, regardless of race, who came of age in post-segregation America. Kitwana establishes the years 1965-1984, which includes Generation X and Generation Y.

The Stolen Generation, children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Federal and State government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments between approximately 1869 and 1969.

See also

Generationism

Intergenerationality

Generational accounting

Intergenerational equity

Strauss-Howe generational theory

Stolen Generations

Generation Gap

External links

Generations and Population

Resources on the Generations

References

William Strauss and Neil Howe (1991) ''Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584-2069,'' ISBN 0-688-11912-3

Category:Demographics Category:Cultural generations

ar:جيل be-x-old:Пакаленьне ca:Generació cs:Generace de:Generation es:Generación eo:Generacio fr:Génération (sociologie) ko:세대 io:Generaciono it:Generazione he:דור lv:Paaudze nl:Generatie (sociologie) new:तलैमुऱै (सन् १९९८या संकिपा) ja:世代 no:Generasjon ru:Поколение simple:Generation sk:Generácia (pokolenie ľudí) sr:Генерација (биологија) fi:Sukupolvi sv:Generation ta:தலைமுறை

Coordinates	29°57′53″N90°4′14″N
name	Bob Sinclar
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Christophe Le Friant
alias	The Mighty Bop, Reminiscence Quartet, Yellow Productions
born	May 10, 1969
origin	Douarnenez, France
instrument	Turntables
genre	French house
occupation	Producer, DJ
years active	1987–present
label	Yellow ProductionsMinistry of Sound Australia
associated acts	Africanism All Stars
website	www.bobsinclar.com
notable instruments	}}

Bob Sinclar, originally spelled "Sinclair" - (born Christophe Le Friant, 10 May 1969 in Douarnenez, France), is a French record producer, House music DJ, remixer and owner of the label Yellow Productions.

Career history

Sinclar started DJing in 1987, when he was 17 years old, specialising in funk and hip-hop music, named ''"Chris The French Kiss"''. His first club hit was "Gym Tonic", which was co-produced by Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk, featuring vocals illegally taken from a Jane Fonda fitness tape.

Le Friant is known for popularising the "French touch" of house music with heavy use of sampled and filtered disco strings. His track "I Feel For You", a tribute to French musician Cerrone, from his second album ''Champs Elysées'', hit #9 in the UK Top 40. On track "Darlin'", he worked with vocalist James "D-Train" Williams.

Le Friant has also worked under other pseudonyms. Under the aliases The Mighty Bop and ''Reminiscence Quartet'', he has dabbled in hip-hop and acid jazz. He also created the ''Africanism'' project, where an ensemble of artists produce house music with a combination of Latin, jazz, African and tribal flavours.

In 2005, he scored a worldwide hit with the single "Love Generation", that reached #1 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Mexico. The song was a huge success throughout Europe, peaking #2 in Netherlands and it stayed 39 weeks in the Belgian Ultratop Singles chart. It made the top fifteen in several other countries such as Argentina, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

It became one of the official anthems for the 2006 FIFA World Cup held in Germany. The follow-up hit was "World, Hold On", that features Steve Edwards and also managed to chart in the top ten in most European countries. "Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now)" followed on 22 August 2006. The remix of "World, Hold on" by E-Smoove was nominated for a Grammy in 2007 in the category of Remixed Recording. Also, "World, Hold On" topped in Billboard's as Number One Hot Dance Club Play Single of 2006, beating Madonna and Christina Aguilera. The fourth single of the album Western Dream, called "Tennessee" was supposed to be released in April 2007, but has been cancelled due to the rumour of a new album being released.

On May 21, 2007, he released the ''Soundz of Freedom'' album. The remix of "Rock This Party" reached number 1 in the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. His latest album, ''Born in 69'', was released on 7 May 2009. The first single of the album is ''Lala Song''.

In 2010, Bob Sinclar released ''Made In Jamaïca''. The album contains two additional new songs "I Wanna" featuring Shaggy and "Rainbow of Love", and also features his best greatest hits such as "Love Generation", "Give A Lil' Love" among others but in a reggae musical style. The album is nominated for "Best Reggae Album" for the 53rd Grammy Awards. This is Bob Sinclar's second Grammy nomination.

In summer 2011 Sinclar had a hit throughout Europe with the remix of Raffaella Carrà's song ''A far l'amore comincia tu'' (''You start making love''), renamed ''Far l'amore'' (''Making Love'').

Sinclar is now working on a dance track with British pop songstress Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Discography

Singles

; as ''The Mighty Bop''

1994 "Les Jazz Electroniques EP"

1995 "Messe Pour Les Temps"

1996 "Ult Violett Sounds EP"

1998 "Feelin' Good"

2002 "I Go Crazy"

2003 "Lady", with Duncan Roy

; as ''Africanism''

2000 "Bisou Sucré"

2000 "Do It", with Eddie Amador

2001 "Kazet"

2002 "Viel Ou La"

2004 "Amour Kéfé"

2004 "Kalimbo"

2004 "Steel Storm", with Ladysmith Black Mambazo

2005 "Summer Moon", with David Guetta

2006 "Hard", with The Hard Boys

2007 "Meu Carnaval", with Rolando Faria

; as ''Bob Sinclar'' : ''most tracks are co-produced by Cutee B

1996 "A Space Funk Project"

1996 "A Space Funk Project II"

1997 "Eu Só Quero um Xodó", with Salomé de Bahia

1998 "Gym Tonic", with Thomas Bangalter

1998 "My Only Love", with Lee Genesis — #56 UK

1998 "Super Funky Brake's Vol. I"

1998 "The Ghetto"

1998 "Ultimate Funk"

2000 "I Feel for You", with Cerrone's Angels — #9 UK, #33 ITA

2000 "Darlin'", with James "D. Train" Williams — #46 UK

2000 "Greetings from Champs Elysées EP" — #125 UK

2001 "Freedom", with Gene Van Buren — #79 UK

2001 "Ich Rocke"

2001 "Save Our Soul"

2002 "The Beat Goes On", with Linda Lee Hopkins — #33 UK

2003 "Kiss My Eyes", with Camille Lefort — #67 UK, #22 US Hot Dance Club Play

2003 "Prego", with Eddie Amador

2003 "Slave Nation"

2004 "Sexy Dancer", with Cerrone's Angels

2004 "Wonderful World", with Ron Carroll

2004 "You Could Be My Lover", with Linda Lee Hopkins

2005 "Love Generation", with Gary Pine — #1 US Hot Dance Club Play Singles, #2 NL, #3 FR, #3 ITA, #1 AUS, #1 GER, #12 UK, #8 RU, #1 CZ, #11 US Hot Dance Airplay

2006 "Generación del Amor" (Spanish Version) — #1 ESP

2006 "World, Hold On (Children of the Sky)", with Steve Edwards — #1 ESP, #1 US Hot Dance Club Play Singles, #2 FR, #4 RU, #5 NL, #8 CZ, #9 UK, #10 US Hot Dance Airplay, #19 AUS, #48 US Pop Airplay

2006 "Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now)", with Dollarman and Big Ali — #2 US Hot Dance Club Play, #3 FR, #3 UK, #11 CZ, #7 AUS

2007 "Tennessee", with Farell Lennon — #21 ITA, #27 CZ

2007 "Everybody Movin'", with Ron Carroll — #3 GER, #1 ESP

2007 "Give a Lil' Love" — #10 ITA , #19 PL, #27 ESP

2007 "Sound of Freedom", with Gary Pine and Dollarman — #14 UK, #1 UK Indie, #24 CZ

2007 "What I Want", with Fireball #52 UK

2007 "Together", with Steve Edwards — #63 PL, #4 ROM

2008 "4 Minutes" (Space Funk Remix)

2008 "W.W.W. (What a Wonderful World)", with Axwell, The Chicago Superstars & Ron Carroll

2008 "New New New", with Cutee B, Dollarman & Big Ali

2009 "Lala Song", with Wonder Mike & Master Gee from Sugarhill Gang — #6 ITA

2009 "Love You No More", with Shabba Ranks

2010 "I Wanna", with Shaggy & Sahara (Andrea and Costi Ionita)

2010 "Tik Tok", with Sean Paul

2010 "Rainbow of Love", with Ben Onono

2011 "Far l'amore", with Raffaella Carrà — #6 ITA, #7 BE (Wallonia), #7 ESP, #15 BE (Flanders), #16 CH, #16 NL, #23 AT, #41 FR

Hit singles

{|class="wikitable" !align="center" rowspan="2"|Year !align="center" rowspan="2"|Single !align="center" colspan="10"|Chart positions !align="center" rowspan="2"|Album |- !align="center" valign="middle" width="40"|UK !align="center" valign="middle" width="40"|MEX !align="center" valign="middle" width="40"|SPA !align="center" valign="middle" width="40"|FRA !align="center" valign="middle" width="40"|ITA !align="center" valign="middle" width="40"|AUS !align="center" valign="middle" width="40"|GER !align="center" valign="middle" width="40"|NL !align="center" valign="middle" width="40"|BEL !align="center" valign="middle" width="40"|Europe |- |rowspan=1 align="center" valign="middle"|1999 |align="left" valign="middle"|"My Only Love" (featuring Lee Genesis) |align="center" valign="middle"|56 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|78 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" |''Paradise'' |- |rowspan=1 align="center" valign="middle"|2000 |align="left" valign="middle"|"I Feel for You" |align="center" valign="middle"|9 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|14 |align="center" valign="middle"|44 |align="center" valign="middle"|33 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|94 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" rowspan=2|''Champs Elysées'' |- |rowspan=1 align="center" valign="middle"|2001 |align="left" valign="middle"|"Darlin'" (featuring vs. Cutee B., James "D-Train" Williams) |align="center" valign="middle"|46 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|40 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |- |rowspan=2 align="center" valign="middle"|2003 |align="left" valign="middle"|"Kiss My Eyes" |align="center" valign="middle"|67 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|34 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|17 |align="center" valign="middle"|67 |align="center" rowspan=2|''III'' |- |align="left" valign="middle"|"The Beat Goes On" |align="center" valign="middle"|33 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|22 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|25 |align="center" valign="middle"|32 |- |rowspan=1 align="center" valign="middle"|2005 |align="left" valign="middle"|"Love Generation" (featuring Gary Pine) |align="center" valign="middle"|12 |align="center" valign="middle"|2 |align="center" valign="middle"|6 |align="center" valign="middle"|3 |align="center" valign="middle"|9 |align="center" valign="middle"|1 |align="center" valign="middle"|1 |align="center" valign="middle"|2 |align="center" valign="middle"|1 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" rowspan=7|''Western Dream'' |- |rowspan=3 align="center" valign="middle"|2006 |align="left" valign="middle"|"World, Hold On (Children of the Sky)" (featuring Steve Edwards) |align="center" valign="middle"|9 |align="center" valign="middle"|2 |align="center" valign="middle"|1 |align="center" valign="middle"|2 |align="center" valign="middle"|4 |align="center" valign="middle"|19 |align="center" valign="middle"|19 |align="center" valign="middle"|5 |align="center" valign="middle"|3 |align="center" valign="middle"|4 |- |align="left" valign="middle"|"Hard" (with The Hard Boys) |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|27 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |- |align="left" valign="middle"|"Rock This Party (Everybody Dance Now)" (featuring Cutee B, Dollarman and Big Ali) |align="center" valign="middle"|3 |align="center" valign="middle"|3 |align="center" valign="middle"|1 |align="center" valign="middle"|3 |align="center" valign="middle"|11 |align="center" valign="middle"|6 |align="center" valign="middle"|18 |align="center" valign="middle"|9 |align="center" valign="middle"|1 |align="center" valign="middle"|3 |- |rowspan=8 align="center" valign="middle"|2007 |align="left" valign="middle"|"Tennessee" (featuring Farrell Lennon) |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|21 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|25 |align="center" valign="middle"|104 |- |align="left" valign="middle"|"Everybody Movin'" (featuring Ron Carroll and Mz Toni) |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|1 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |- |align="left" valign="middle"|"Give a Lil' Love" (featuring Duane Harden and Gary Pine) |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|2 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|10 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|86 |- |align="left" valign="middle"|"Sound of Freedom" (featuring Cutee B., Gary Pine and Dollarman) |align="center" valign="middle"|9 |align="center" valign="middle"|4 |align="center" valign="middle"|3 |align="center" valign="middle"|6 |align="center" valign="middle"|7 |align="center" valign="middle"|22 |align="center" valign="middle"|44 |align="center" valign="middle"|11 |align="center" valign="middle"|9 |align="center" valign="middle"|20 |align="center"|''Soundz of Freedom'' |- |align="left" valign="middle"|"Meu Carnaval" (presents Africanism, featuring Rolando Faria) |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|11 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="left"|non album single |- |align="left" valign="middle"|"Together" (featuring Steve Edwards) |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|1 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|8 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|7 |align="center" valign="middle"|21 |align="center" valign="middle"|90 |align="left"|''Soundz of Freedom'' |- |align="left" valign="middle"|"The Rhythm of the Night" (vs Habakus Whistle, featuring Corona) |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|13 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="left"|non album single |- |align="left" valign="middle"|"What I Want" (pres. Fireball) |align="center" valign="middle"|52 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|1 |align="center" valign="middle"|6 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|7 |align="center" valign="middle"|8 |align="center" valign="middle"|34 |align="left"|''Soundz of Freedom'' |- |rowspan=1 align="center" valign="middle"|2008 |align="left" valign="middle"|"What a Wonderful World" (vs Axwell, The Chicago Superstars and Ron Carroll) |align="center" valign="middle"|48 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|1 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|47 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|12 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" rowspan=3|''Born in 69'' |- |rowspan=2 align="center" valign="middle"|2009 |align="left" valign="middle"|"Lala Song" (with Wonder Mike and Master Gee from Sugarhill Gang) |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|26 |align="center" valign="middle"|90 |align="center" valign="middle"|6 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|55 |align="center" valign="middle"|5 |align="center" valign="middle"|9 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |- |align="left" valign="middle"|"Love You No More" (featuring Shabba Ranks) |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|34 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |- |rowspan=2 align="center" valign="middle"|2010 |align="left" valign="middle"|"I Wanna" (featuring Shaggy and Sahara) |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|87 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|24 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="left"|''Made In Jamaïca'' |- |align="left" valign="middle"|"Tik Tok" (featuring Sean Paul) |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|37 |align="center" valign="middle"|50 |align="center" valign="middle"|18 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="left"| |- |align="center" valign="middle"|2011 |align="left" valign="middle"|"Far L'Amore" (featuring Raffaella Carrà) |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|7 |align="center" valign="middle"|33 |align="center" valign="middle"|6 |align="center" valign="middle"|- |align="center" valign="middle"|64 |align="center" valign="middle"|16 |align="center" valign="middle"|15 |align="center" valign="middle"|70 |align="left"| |- |}

Albums

; as ''Bob Sinclar''

1998 ''Paradise''

2000 ''Champs Elysées''

2001 ''Cerrone by Bob Sinclar'' (Compilation of Cerrone remixes)

2003 ''III''

2004 ''Enjoy''

2005 ''In The House'' (Various Artists Mix CD)

2006 ''Western Dream''

2007 ''Soundz of Freedom''

2007 ''Bob Sinclar: Live at the Playboy Mansion''

2008 ''Dancefloor FG Winter 2008 (Mixed by Bob Sinclar)

2008 ''DJ Bob Sinclar 08''

2009 ''Born in 69''

2010 ''Made in Jamaica''

; as ''The Mighty Bop'' (with Alain Ho)

1995 ''La Vague Sensorielle''

1995 ''The Mighty Bop Meets DJ Cam & La Funk Mob'', with DJ Cam and La Funk Mob

1996 ''Autres Voix, Autres Blues''

2000 ''Spin My Hits''

2002 ''The Mighty Bop''

; as ''Reminiscence Quartet'' (with Alain Ho and Sébastien Tellier)

1994 ''Ritmo Brasileiro''

1995 ''Psycodelico''

1999 ''More Psycodelico''

; as ''Yellow Productions'' (with Alain Ho and Cutee B.)

1994 ''A Finest Fusion Of Black Tempo''

; as ''Africanism'' (see all members on discogs.com)

2001 ''Africanism Allstars Vol. I'', as Africanism

2004 ''Africanism Allstars Vol. II'', as Africanism

2005 ''Africanism Allstars Vol. III'', as Africanism

2006 ''Africanism Allstars Vol. IV'', as Africanism

See also

List of number-one dance hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

External links

; Main sites

Bob Sinclar — official site

Bob Sinclar — Twitter official site

Bob Sinclar — MySpace official site

Bob Sinclar discography at Discogs

; Interviews & features

Interview with Bob Sinclar

Bob Sinclar on The Mag

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:People from Douarnenez Category:French house musicians Category:Club DJs Category:French DJs Category:Remixers

br:Bob Sinclar bg:Боб Синклер ca:Bob Sinclar cs:Bob Sinclar da:Bob Sinclar de:Bob Sinclar et:Bob Sinclar es:Bob Sinclar fa:باب سینکلر fr:Bob Sinclar gl:Bob Sinclar hr:Bob Sinclar id:Bob Sinclar is:Bob Sinclar it:Bob Sinclar ka:ბობ სინკლერი nl:Bob Sinclar no:Bob Sinclar pl:Bob Sinclar pt:Bob Sinclar sk:Bob Sinclar sl:Bob Sinclar sr:Боб Синклер fi:Bob Sinclar sv:Bob Sinclar tr:Bob Sinclar uk:Боб Сінклер

Coordinates	29°57′53″N90°4′14″N
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

Category:1958 births Category:2009 deaths Category:African American dancers Category:African American male singers Category:African American record producers Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:American beatboxers Category:American businesspeople Category:American child singers Category:American choreographers Category:American dance musicians Category:American dancers Category:American disco musicians Category:American male singers Category:American boogie musicians Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American rock singers Category:American soul singers Category:American tenors Category:American vegetarians Category:Boy sopranos Category:Brit Award winners Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Category:Drug-related deaths in California Category:English-language singers Category:Epic Records artists Category:Expatriates in Bahrain Category:Former Jehovah's Witnesses Category:Grammy Award winners Michael Jackson Category:Manslaughter victims Category:Motown artists Category:Musicians from Indiana Category:People acquitted of sex crimes Category:People from Gary, Indiana Category:People from Santa Barbara County, California Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Songwriters from Indiana Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Michael Jackson Category:World Music Awards winners Category:People charged with child sexual abuse Category:Grammy Legend Award

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Coordinates	29°57′53″N90°4′14″N
name	David Letterman
pseudonym	Earl Hofert
birth date	April 12, 1947
birth place	Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
medium	Stand-up, talk show
nationality	American
genre	Observational comedy, surreal humor, deadpan
subject	Self-deprecation, everyday life
influences	Steve Allen, Johnny Carson, Jack Paar, Paul Dixon
influenced	Jimmy Kimmel, Jim Gaffigan, Jon Stewart, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon
website	CBS.com/latenight/lateshow
active	1974–present
domesticpartner	Regina Lasko (1986-2009)
spouse	Michelle Cook (1969–1977)Regina Lasko (2009–present)
Religion	Lutheran
notable work	Host of ''Late Night with David Letterman'' (NBC)Host of ''Late Show with David Letterman'' (CBS)
signature	David Letterman Autograph.svg

}} David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, ''Late Show with David Letterman'', broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman'' on NBC. Letterman recently surpassed friend and mentor Johnny Carson for having the longest late-night hosting career in the United States.

Letterman is also a television and film producer. His company Worldwide Pants produces his show as well as its network follow-up ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''. Worldwide Pants has also produced several prime-time comedies, the most successful of which was ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', currently in syndication.

In 1996, David Letterman was ranked #45 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

Early life and career

Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. His father, Harry Joseph Letterman (April 1915 – February 1973), was a florist of British descent; his mother Dorothy Letterman (''née'' Hofert, now Dorothy Mengering), a Presbyterian church secretary of German descent, is an occasional figure on the show, usually at holidays and birthdays.

Letterman lived on the north side of Indianapolis (Broad Ripple area), not far from Speedway, IN, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he enjoyed collecting model cars, including racers. In 2000, he told an interviewer for ''Esquire'' that, while growing up, he admired his father's ability to tell jokes and be the life of the party. Harry Joseph Letterman survived a heart attack at age 36, when David was a young boy. The fear of losing his father was constantly with Letterman as he grew up. The elder Letterman died of a second heart attack at age 57.

Letterman attended his hometown's Broad Ripple High School at the same time as Marilyn Tucker Quayle (wife of the former Vice President) and worked as a stock boy at the local Atlas supermarket. According to the ''Ball State Daily News'', he originally had wanted to attend Indiana University, but his grades weren't good enough, so he decided to attend Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana. He is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and he graduated from what was then the Department of Radio and Television, in 1969. A self-described average student, Letterman endowed a scholarship for what he called "C students" at Ball State.

Though he registered for the draft and passed his physical after graduating from college, he was not drafted for service in Vietnam due to receiving a draft lottery number of 352 (out of 365).

Letterman began his broadcasting career as an announcer and newscaster at the college's student-run radio station—WBST—a 10-watt campus station which now is part of Indiana Public Radio. He was fired for treating classical music with irreverence.

Letterman then became involved with the founding of another campus station—WAGO-AM 570 (now WWHI, 91.3).

Letterman credits Paul Dixon—host of the ''Paul Dixon Show'', a Cincinnati-based talk show also shown in Indianapolis while Letterman was growing up—for inspiring his choice of career: :"I was just out of college [in 1969], and I really didn't know what I wanted to do. And then all of a sudden I saw him doing it [on TV]. And I thought: That's really what I want to do!"

Weatherman

Letterman began his career as a radio talk show host on WNTS (AM), and on Indianapolis television station WLWI (now called WTHR) as a local anchor and weatherman. He received some attention for his unpredictable on-air behavior, which included congratulating a tropical storm for being upgraded to a hurricane and predicting hail stones "the size of canned hams." He would also occasionally report the weather and the day's very high and low temps for fictitious cities ("Eight inches of snow in Bingree and surrounding areas.") while on another occasion saying that a state border had been erased. ("From space you can see the border between Indiana and Ohio has been erased. I'm not in favor of this.") He also starred in a local kiddie show, made wisecracks as host of a late night TV show called "Freeze-Dried Movies" (he once acted out a scene from "Godzilla" using plastic dinosaurs), and hosted a talk show that aired early on Saturday mornings called "Clover Power," in which he interviewed 4-H members about their projects.

In 1971, Letterman appeared as a pit road reporter for ABC Sports' tape-delayed coverage of the Indianapolis 500. David is initially introduced as Chris Economaki in his job as a corner reporter. He interviews Mario Andretti who has just crashed out of the race and asks him a question about traffic on the course.

Move to Los Angeles

In 1975, encouraged by his then-wife Michelle and several of his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers, Letterman moved to Los Angeles, California, with hope of becoming a comedy writer. He started off by writing material for comedian Jimmie Walker. He also began performing stand-up comedy at The Comedy Store, a proving ground for unknown comics.

Letterman appeared in the summer of 1977 on the short-lived ''Starland Vocal Band Show''. He has since joked about how fortunate he was that nobody would ever see his performance on the program (due to its low ratings).

Letterman had a stint as a cast member on Mary Tyler Moore's variety show, ''Mary''; a guest appearance on ''Mork & Mindy'' (as a parody of EST leader Werner Erhard); and appearances on game shows such as ''The $20,000 Pyramid'', ''The Gong Show'', ''Password Plus'' and ''Liar's Club''. He also hosted a 1977 pilot for a game show entitled ''The Riddlers'' that was never picked up. He was also screen tested for the lead role in ''Airplane!'', a role that eventually went to Robert Hays.

His dry, sarcastic humor caught the attention of scouts for ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', and Letterman was soon a regular guest on the show. Letterman became a favorite of Carson's and was a regular guest host for the show beginning in 1978. Letterman credits Carson as the person who influenced his career the most.

NBC

Morning show

On June 23, 1980, Letterman was given his own morning comedy show on NBC, ''The David Letterman Show''. It was originally 90 minutes long, but was shortened to 60 minutes in August 1980. The show was a critical success, winning two Emmy Awards, but was a ratings disappointment and was canceled in October 1980.

''Late Night with David Letterman''

NBC kept Letterman under contract to try him in a different time slot. ''Late Night with David Letterman'' debuted February 1, 1982; the first guest on the first show was Bill Murray. Murray also guested on January 31, 2012 - 30 years later. The show ran Monday through Thursday at 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time, immediately following ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (a Friday night broadcast was added in June 1987. It was seen as being edgy and unpredictable, and soon developed a cult following (particularly among college students). Letterman's reputation as an acerbic interviewer was borne out in verbal sparring matches with Cher (who even called him an asshole on the show), Shirley MacLaine, Charles Grodin, and Madonna. The show also featured comedy segments and running characters, in a style heavily influenced by the 1950s and '60s programs of Steve Allen. Although Ernie Kovacs is often cited as an influence on the show, Letterman has denied this.

The show often featured quirky, genre-mocking regular features, including "Stupid Pet Tricks", dropping various objects off the roof of a five-story building, demonstrations of unorthodox clothing (such as suits made of Alka-Seltzer, Velcro and suet), a recurring Top 10 list, the Monkey-Cam (and the Audience Cam), and a facetious letter-answering segment. The Top 10 list, several "Film[s] by My Dog Bob" in which a camera was mounted on Letterman's own dog (often with comic results), Stupid Human Tricks, Small Town News, and Stupid Pet Tricks (which had its origins on Letterman's morning show) all eventually moved with Letterman to CBS.

Other memorable moments included Letterman using a bullhorn to interrupt a live interview on ''The Today Show'', announcing that he was the NBC president while not wearing any pants; interrupting Al Roker on WNBC-TV's broadcast of ''Live at Five'' by walking into their studio (which occupied the same floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza as Letterman's studio); and staging "elevator races", complete with commentary by NBC Sports' Bob Costas. In one infamous appearance, in 1982, Andy Kaufman (who was already wearing a neck brace) appeared to be slapped and knocked to the ground by professional wrestler Jerry Lawler (though Lawler and Kaufman's friend Bob Zmuda later revealed that the event was staged.) In another memorable exchange, sex expert Dr. Ruth Westheimer included cucumbers in a list of handy sex objects that women could find at home. The following night, guest Ted Koppel asked Letterman "May I insert something here?" and Dave responded "OK, as long as it's not a cucumber."

''Late Show with David Letterman''

In 1992, Johnny Carson retired, and many fans believed that Letterman would become host of ''The Tonight Show''. When NBC instead gave the job to Jay Leno, Letterman departed NBC to host his own late-night show on CBS, opposite ''The Tonight Show'' at 11:30 p.m., called the ''Late Show with David Letterman''. The new show debuted on August 30, 1993 and was taped at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater, where Ed Sullivan taped his eponymous variety series from 1948 to 1971. For Letterman's arrival, CBS spent $8 million in renovations. In addition to that cost, CBS also signed Letterman to a lucrative three-year, $14 million/year contract, doubling his ''Late Night'' salary. The total cost for everything (renovations, negotiation right paid to NBC, signing Letterman, announcer Bill Wendell, Shaffer, the writers and the band) was over $140 million.

But while the expectation was that Letterman would retain his unique style and sense of humor with the move, ''Late Show'' was not an exact replica of his old NBC program. Recognizing the more formal mood (and wider audience) of his new time slot and studio, Letterman eschewed his trademark blazer with khaki pants and white sneakers wardrobe combination in favor of expensive shoes, tailored suits and light-colored socks. The monologue was lengthened and Paul Shaffer and the "World's Most Dangerous Band" followed Letterman to CBS, but they added a brass section and were rebranded the "CBS Orchestra" as a short monologue and a small band were mandated by Carson while Letterman occupied the 12:30 slot. Additionally, because of intellectual property disagreements, Letterman was unable to import many of his ''Late Night'' segments verbatim, but he sidestepped this problem by simply renaming them (the "Top Ten List" became the "Late Show Top Ten", "Viewer Mail" became the "CBS Mailbag", etc.)

Popularity

The main competitor of ''The Late Show'' is NBC's ''The Tonight Show'', which was hosted by Jay Leno for nearly 16 years, but from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, was hosted by Conan O'Brien. In 1993 and 1994, ''The Late Show'' consistently gained higher ratings than ''Tonight''. But in 1995, ratings dipped and Leno's show consistently beat Letterman's in the ratings from the time that Hugh Grant came on Leno's show after Grant's arrest for soliciting a prostitute. ; Leno typically attracted about 5 million nightly viewers between 1999 and 2009. ''The Late Show'' lost nearly half its audience during its competition with Leno, attracting 7.1 million viewers nightly in its 1993–94 season and about 3.8 million per night as of Leno's departure in 2009. In the final months of his first stint as host of ''The Tonight Show'', Leno beat Letterman in the ratings by a 1.3 million viewer margin (5.2 million to 3.9 million), and ''Nightline'' and ''The Late Show'' were virtually tied. Once O'Brien took over ''Tonight'', however, Letterman closed the gap in the ratings. O'Brien initially drove the median age of ''Tonight Show'' viewers from 55 to 45, with most older viewers opting to watch ''The Late Show'' instead.

Following Leno's return to ''The Tonight Show'', however, Leno has regained his lead.

Letterman's shows have garnered both critical and industry praise, receiving 67 Emmy Award nominations, winning 12 times in his first 20 years in late night television. From 1993–2009, Letterman ranked higher than Leno in the annual Harris Poll of ''Nation's Favorite TV Personality'' 12 times. For example, in 2003 and 2004 Letterman ranked second in that poll, behind only Oprah Winfrey, a year that Leno was ranked fifth. Leno was higher than Letterman on that poll three times during the same period, in 1998, 2007, and 2008.

Hosting the Academy Awards

On March 27, 1995, Letterman acted as the host for the 67th Academy Awards ceremony. Critics blasted Letterman for what they deemed a poor hosting of the Oscars, noting that his irreverent style undermined the traditional importance and glamor of the event. In a joke about their unusual names (inspired by a similar joke by Woody Allen), he started off by introducing Uma Thurman to Oprah Winfrey, and then both of them to Keanu Reeves: "Oprah...Uma. Uma...Oprah," "Have you kids met Keanu?" This and many of his other jokes fell flat. Although Letterman attracted the highest ratings to the annual telecast since 1983, many felt that the bad publicity garnered by Letterman's hosting caused a decline in the ''Late Show'''s ratings.

Letterman recycled the apparent debacle into a long-running gag. On his first show after the Oscars, he joked, "Looking back, I had no idea that thing was being televised." He lampooned his stint two years later, during Billy Crystal's opening Oscar skit, which also parodied the plane-crashing scenes from that year's chief nominated film, ''The English Patient''.

For years afterward, Letterman recounted his hosting the Oscars, although the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continued to hold Letterman in high regard and they had invited him to host the Oscars again. On September 7, 2010, he made an appearance on the premiere of the 14th season of ''The View'', and confirmed that he had been considered for hosting again.

Heart surgery hiatus

On January 14, 2000, a routine check-up revealed that an artery in Letterman's heart was severely obstructed. He was rushed to emergency surgery for a quintuple bypass.

During the initial weeks of his recovery, reruns of the ''Late Show'' were shown and introduced by friends of Letterman including Drew Barrymore, including Dr. O. Wayne Isom and physician Louis Aronne, who frequently appears on the show. In a show of emotion, Letterman was nearly in tears as he thanked the health care team with the words "These are the people who saved my life!" The episode earned an Emmy nomination. For a number of episodes, Letterman continued to crack jokes about his bypass, including saying, "Bypass surgery: it's when doctors surgically create new blood flow to your heart. A bypass is what happened to me when I didn't get ''The Tonight Show!'' It's a whole different thing." In a later running gag he lobbied his home state of Indiana to rename the freeway circling Indianapolis (I-465) "The David Letterman Bypass." He also featured a montage of faux news coverage of his bypass surgery, which included a clip of Dave's heart for sale on the Home Shopping Network. Letterman became friends with his doctors and nurses. In 2008, a ''Rolling Stone'' interview stated "he hosted a doctor and nurse who'd helped perform the emergency quintuple-bypass heart surgery that saved his life in 2000. 'These are people who were complete strangers when they opened my chest,' he says. 'And now, eight years later, they're among my best friends.' "

Additionally, Letterman invited the band Foo Fighters to play "Everlong", introducing them as "my favorite band, playing my favorite song." During a later Foo Fighters appearance, Letterman said that Foo Fighters had been in the middle of a South American tour which they canceled to come play on his comeback episode.

Letterman again handed over the reins of the show to several guest hosts (including Bill Cosby, Brad Garrett, Elvis Costello, John McEnroe, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Bonnie Hunt, Luke Wilson and bandleader Paul Shaffer) in February 2003, when he was diagnosed with a severe case of shingles. Later that year, Letterman made regular use of guest hosts—including Tom Arnold and Kelsey Grammer—for new shows broadcast on Fridays. In March 2007, Adam Sandler—who had been scheduled to be the lead guest—served as a guest host while Letterman was ill with a stomach virus.

Re-signing with CBS

In March 2002, as Letterman's contract with CBS neared expiration, ABC offered him the time slot for long-running news program ''Nightline'' with Ted Koppel. Letterman was interested as he believed he could never match Leno's ratings at CBS due to Letterman's complaint of weaker lead-ins from the network's late local news programs, but was reluctant to replace Koppel. Letterman addressed his decision to re-sign on the air, stating that he was content at CBS and that he had great respect for Koppel.

On December 4, 2006, CBS revealed that Letterman signed a new contract to host ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' through the fall of 2010. "I'm thrilled to be continuing on at CBS," said Letterman. "At my age you really don't want to have to learn a new commute." Letterman further joked about the subject by pulling up his right pants leg, revealing a tattoo, presumably temporary, of the ABC logo.

"Thirteen years ago, David Letterman put CBS late night on the map and in the process became one of the defining icons of our network," said Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation. "His presence on our air is an ongoing source of pride, and the creativity and imagination that the ''Late Show'' puts forth every night is an ongoing display of the highest quality entertainment. We are truly honored that one of the most revered and talented entertainers of our time will continue to call CBS 'home.'"

According to a 2007 article in ''Forbes'' magazine, Letterman earned $40 million a year. A 2009 article in ''The New York Times'', however, said his salary was estimated at $32 million per year. In June 2009, Letterman's Worldwide Pants and CBS reached agreement to continue the ''Late Show'' until at least August 2012. The previous contract had been set to expire in 2010, and the two-year extension is shorter than the typical three-year contract period negotiated in the past. Worldwide Pants agreed to lower its fee for the show, though it had remained a "solid moneymaker for CBS" under the previous contract.

On the February 3, 2011, edition of the ''Late Show'', during an interview with Howard Stern, Letterman said he would continue to do his talk show for "maybe two years, I think."

2007–2008 writers' strike

The Late Show went off air for eight weeks during the months of November and December because of the Writers Guild of America strike. Letterman's production company—Worldwide Pants—was the first company to make an individual agreement with the WGA, thus allowing his show to come back on air on January 2, 2008. On his first episode since being off air, he surprised the viewing audience with his newly grown beard, which signified solidarity with the strike. His beard was shaved off during the show on January 7, 2008.

Letterman and Carson

In spite of Johnny Carson's clear intention to pass his title to Letterman, NBC selected Jay Leno to host ''The Tonight Show'' after Carson's departure. Letterman maintained a close relationship with Carson through his break with NBC. Three years after he left for CBS, HBO produced a made-for-television movie called ''The Late Shift'', based on a book by ''New York Times'' reporter Bill Carter, chronicling the battle between Letterman and Leno for the coveted ''Tonight Show'' hosting spot. Letterman would mock the film for months afterward, specifically on how the actor playing him, John Michael Higgins, did not resemble him in the least.

Carson later made a few cameo appearances as a guest on Letterman's show. Carson's final television appearance came May 13, 1994, on a ''Late Show'' episode taped in Los Angeles, when he made a surprise appearance during a 'Top 10 list' segment. The audience went wild as Letterman stood up and proudly invited Carson to sit at his desk. The applause was so protracted that Carson was unable to say anything, and he finally returned backstage as the applause continued (it was later explained that Carson had laryngitis, though Carson can be heard talking to Letterman during his appearance).

In early 2005, it was revealed that Carson still kept up with current events and late-night TV right up to his death that year, and that he occasionally sent jokes to Letterman, who used these jokes in his monologue; according to CBS senior vice president Peter Lassally (a onetime producer for both men), Carson got "a big kick out of it." Letterman would do a characteristic Johnny Carson golf swing after delivering one of Carson's jokes. In a tribute to Carson, all of the opening monologue jokes during the first show following Carson's death were written by Carson.

Lassally also claimed that Carson had always believed Letterman, not Leno, to be his "rightful successor." Letterman also frequently employs some of Carson's trademark bits on his show, including "Carnac the Magnificent" (with Paul Shaffer as Carnac), "Stump the Band" and the "Week in Review."

Letterman and Oprah Winfrey

On September 10, 2007, Letterman made his first appearance on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He shared pictures of his son and live-in girlfriend. The so-called feud between Letterman and Winfrey apparently ended in 2005 when Winfrey appeared on CBS's ''Late Show with David Letterman'' on December 2, in an event Letterman jokingly referred to as "the Super Bowl of Love". Winfrey had previously appeared on Letterman's show when he was hosting NBC's ''Late Night'' on May 2, 1989.

Winfrey and Letterman also appeared together in a Late Show promo that aired during CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XLI in February 2007, with the two sitting next to each other on the couch watching the game. Since the game was played between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears, the Indianapolis-born Letterman wears a Peyton Manning jersey, while Winfrey—who tapes her show in Chicago—is in a Brian Urlacher jersey. Three years later, during CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, the two appeared again, this time with Winfrey sitting on a couch between Letterman and Jay Leno. The appearance was Letterman's idea: Leno flew to New York City in an NBC corporate jet, sneaking into the Ed Sullivan Theater during the ''Late Show'''s February 4 taping wearing a disguise, meeting Winfrey and Letterman at a living room set created in the theater's balcony where they taped their promo.

Response to Internet death threat

On August 17, 2011, it was reported that a Muslim militant had posted a death threat against Letterman on a website frequented by Al-Qaeda supporters, calling on American Muslims to kill Letterman for making a joke about the death of an Al-Qaeda leader killed in a drone strike in Pakistan in June 2011. In his show on August 22, Letterman joked about the threat, saying "State Department authorities are looking into this. They're not taking this lightly. They’re looking into it. They're questioning, they're interrogating, there's an electronic trail — but everybody knows it's Leno."

Appearances in other media

Letterman appeared in issue 239 of the Marvel comic book ''The Avengers'', in which the title characters are guests on ''Late Night''. A parody of Letterman, named "David Endochrine," is gassed to death along with his bandleader named "Paul" and their audience in Frank Miller's ''The Dark Knight Returns''.

Letterman appeared in the pilot episode of the short-lived 1986 series "Coach Toast", and he appears with a bag over his head as a guest on Bonnie Hunt's ca. 1993 sitcom ''The Building''. He also appears in The Simpsons, as himself in a couch gag when The Simpsons find themselves (and the couch) in "Late Night with David Letterman." He had a cameo in the feature film ''Cabin Boy'', with Chris Elliott, who worked as a writer on Letterman's show. In this and other appearances, Letterman is listed in the credits as "Earl Hofert", the name of Letterman's maternal grandfather. He also appeared as himself in the Howard Stern biopic Private Parts as well as the 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic ''Man on the Moon'', in a few episodes of Garry Shandling's 1990s TV series ''The Larry Sanders Show'' and in "The Abstinence", a 1996 episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. Letterman also made an uncredited appearance in the first episode of the third season of the sitcom The Nanny.

Letterman provided vocals for the Warren Zevon song "Hit Somebody" from ''My Ride's Here'', and provided the voice for Butt-head's father in the 1996 animated film ''Beavis and Butt-head Do America''.

In 2010, a documentary ''Dying to Do Letterman'' was released directed by Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina featuring Steve Mazan, a stand up comic, who has cancer and wants to appear on the Letterman Show. The film won Best Documentary and Jury Awards at the Cinequest Film Festival. Steve Mazan published a same-titled book (full title, ''Dying to Do Letterman: Turning Someday into Today'' about his own saga.

Other projects

Worldwide Pants

Letterman started his own production company—Worldwide Pants Incorporated—which produced his show and several others, including ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', ''The Late Late Show'', and several critically acclaimed, but short-lived television series for Bonnie Hunt. Worldwide Pants also produced the dramedy program ''Ed'', which aired on NBC from 2000–2004. It was Letterman's first association with NBC since he left the network in 1993. During ''Ed's'' run, the star, Tom Cavanagh, appeared as a guest on ''The Late Show'' several times.

In 2005, Worldwide Pants produced its first feature film, ''Strangers with Candy'', which was a prequel to the Comedy Central TV series of the same title. In 2007, Worldwide Pants produced the ABC comedy series, ''Knights of Prosperity''.

Worldwide Pants made significant news in December 2007 when it was announced that Letterman's company had independently negotiated its own contract with the Writers Guild of America, East, thus allowing Letterman, Craig Ferguson, and their writers to return to work, while the union continued its strike against production companies, networks and studios who had not reached an agreement.

Record company

In late April 2010, several music industry websites reported that Letterman started a record label named Clear Entertainment/C.E. Music and signed his first artist, Runner Runner. Lucy Walsh announced on her MySpace page that she has been signed by Letterman and Clear Entertainment/C.E. Music and is working on her album.

Rahal Letterman Racing

Rahal Letterman Racing (RLR) is an auto racing team that currently races in the American Le Mans Series, and part-time in the Indy Racing League. It is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and Letterman himself, and is based in Hilliard, Ohio. The team won the 2004 Indianapolis 500 with driver Buddy Rice. Letterman was a pit reporter for ABC in the 1971 Indianapolis 500.

American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming

American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming is Letterman's private foundation. Through it, Letterman has donated millions of dollars to charities and other non-profits in Indiana and Montana, celebrity-affiliated organizations such as Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, universities such as Ball State, and other organizations such as the American Cancer Society, Salvation Army, and Doctors Without Borders.

Personal life

Marriages and long-term relationships

In 1969, Letterman married Michelle Cook; the marriage ended by divorce in 1977. He also had a long-term relationship with former head writer and producer on ''Late Night'', Merrill Markoe. Markoe was the mind behind several ''Late Night'' staples, such as "Stupid Pet/Human Tricks".

Letterman has a son, Harry Joseph Letterman (born on November 3, 2003), with Regina Lasko. Harry is named after Letterman's father. In 2005, police discovered a plot to kidnap Harry Letterman and ransom him for $5 million. Kelly Frank, a house painter who had worked for Letterman, was charged in the conspiracy.

Letterman and Lasko, who had been together since 1986, wed on March 19, 2009, during a quiet courthouse civil ceremony in Choteau, Montana, where he purchased a ranch in 1999. Letterman announced the marriage during the taping of his March 23 show, shortly after congratulating Bruce Willis for getting married the previous week. Letterman told the audience he nearly missed the ceremony because his truck became stuck in mud two miles from their house. The family resides in North Salem, New York, on a estate.

Stalking incident

Beginning in May 1988, Letterman was stalked by Margaret Mary Ray, a woman suffering from schizophrenia. She once stole his Porsche, repeatedly broke into his house, and camped out on his tennis court. Her exploits drew national attention, and Letterman occasionally joked about her behavior in his show, although never mentioning her name. After she committed suicide in 1998, Letterman told the ''New York Times'' that he had had great compassion for her, and publicly expressed sympathy.

Extortion attempt and revelation of affairs

On his October 1, 2009, show, Letterman announced that he had been the victim of an extortion attempt by someone threatening to reveal that he had had sex with several of his female employees, confirming the relationships. He stated that three weeks earlier (on September 9, 2009) someone had left a package in his car with material he said he would write into a screenplay and a book if Letterman did not pay him $2 million. Letterman said that he contacted the Manhattan District Attorney's office, ultimately cooperating with them to conduct a sting operation involving giving the man a phony check. Subsequently, Robert J. "Joe" Halderman, a producer of the CBS true crime journalism series ''48 Hours'', was arrested after trying to deposit the check. He was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury and pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted grand larceny on October 2, 2009. Eventually, on March 9, 2010, he pleaded guilty to this same felony and served a 6-month jail sentence, followed by probation and community service.

A central figure in the case and one of the women Letterman had had a sexual relationship with was his longtime personal assistant Stephanie Birkitt who often appeared with him in his show. She had also worked for ''48 Hours''. Until a month prior to the revelations she had shared a residence with Halderman, who allegedly had copied her personal diary and used it, along with private emails, in the blackmail package.

On October 3, 2009, a former CBS employee, Holly Hester, announced that she and Letterman had engaged in a year-long "secret" affair in the early 1990s while she was his intern and a student at New York University.

In the days following the initial announcement of the affairs and the arrest, several prominent women, including Kathie Lee Gifford, co-host of NBC's ''Today Show'', and NBC news anchor Ann Curry questioned whether Letterman's affairs with subordinates created an unfair working environment. A spokesman for Worldwide Pants said that the company's sexual harassment policy did not prohibit sexual relationships between managers and employees. According to business news reporter Eve Tahmincioglu, "CBS suppliers are supposed to follow the company's business conduct policies" and the CBS 2008 Business Conduct Statement states that "If a consenting romantic or sexual relationship between a supervisor and a direct or indirect subordinate should develop, CBS requires the supervisor to disclose this information to his or her Company's Human Resources Department..."

On October 5, 2009, Letterman devoted a segment of his show to a public apology to his wife and staff. Three days later, Worldwide Pants announced that Birkitt had been placed on a "paid leave of absence" from the ''Late Show''. On October 15, CBS News announced that the company's Chief Investigative Correspondent, Armen Keteyian, had been assigned to conduct an "in-depth investigation" into Halderman's blackmail of Letterman.

Awards and honors

Awards

In his capacities as either a writer, producer, performer, or as part of a writing team, Letterman is among the most nominated people in Emmy Award history with 52 nominations, winning two Daytime Emmys and five Primetime Emmys since 1981. His nomination record is second only to producer Jac Venza, who holds the record for the most Emmy nominations for an individual (57). Letterman has been nominated every year since 1984, when he first appeared on late night television as the host of ''Late Night with David Letterman.'' Additionally, he has won four American Comedy Awards. Letterman was the first recipient of the Johnny Carson Award for Comedic Excellence at The Comedy Awards in 2011.

David Letterman Communication and Media Building

On September 7, 2007, Letterman visited his alma mater, Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, for the dedication of a communications facility named in his honor for his dedication to the university throughout his career as a comedian. The $21 million, David Letterman Communication and Media Building opened for the 2007 fall semester. It features state-of-the-art recording equipment and facilities. Thousands of Ball State students, faculty, and local residents welcomed Letterman back to Indiana. Letterman's emotional speech touched on his struggles as a college student and his late father, and also included the "top ten good things about having your name on a building", finishing with, "if reasonable people can put my name on a $21 million building, anything is possible."

At the same time, Letterman also received a Sagamore of the Wabash award given by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, which recognizes distinguished service to the state of Indiana.

References

External links

David Letterman's Feb. 24, 1978 appearance on ''90 Minutes Live''

Official ''Late Show'' biography

1999 article on Letterman from Salon.com

Tape of Letterman announcing affairs/extortion attempt on Late Show

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Ball State University alumni Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Indianapolis, Indiana television anchors Category:IndyCar Series team owners Category:People from Indianapolis, Indiana Category:Weather presenters

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