Name	United States of America
Article	the
Nickname	The Stars and Stripes; Red, White and Blue; Old Glory; The Star Spangled Banner
Use	111111
Proportion	10:19
Adoption	June 14, 1777 (original 13-star version) July 4, 1960 (current 50-star version)
Design	Thirteen horizontal stripes alternating red and white; in the canton, 50 white stars on a blue field
Type	National }}

The national flag of the United States of America (or the American flag) consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the "union") bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The fifty stars on the flag represent the 50 states and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy and became the first states in the Union. Nicknames for the flag include the "Stars and Stripes", "Old Glory," and "The Star-Spangled Banner" (also the name of the national anthem).

Iconic meaning

The modern meaning of the flag, was forged in December 1861, when Major Robert Anderson, acting without orders, moved the American garrison from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, in defiance of the power of the new Confederate States of America. Goodheart argues this was the opening move of the Civil War, and the flag was used throughout the North to symbolize American nationalism and rejection of secessionism. :Before that day, the flag had served mostly as a military ensign or a convenient marking of American territory, flown from forts, embassies, and ships, and displayed on special occasions like the Fourth of July. But in the weeks after Major Anderson's surprising stand, it became something different. Suddenly the Stars and Stripes flew – as it does today, and especially as it did after September 11 – from houses, from storefronts, from churches; above the village greens and college quads. For the first time American flags were mass-produced rather than individually stitched and even so, manufacturers could not keep up with demand. As the long winter of 1861 turned into spring, that old flag meant something new. The abstraction of the Union cause was transfigured into a physical thing: strips of cloth that millions of people would fight for, and many thousands die for.

The flag of the United States is one of the nation's most widely recognized symbols. Within the United States, flags are frequently displayed not only on public buildings but on private residences. The flag is a common motif on decals for car windows, and clothing ornaments such as badges and lapel pins. Throughout the world the flag has been used in public discourse to refer to the United States, not only as a nation, state, government, and set of policies, but also as a set of ideals.

The flag has become a powerful symbol of Americanism, and is proudly flown on many occasions, with giant outdoor flags used by retail outlets to draw customers. Desecration of the flag is considered a public outrage, but remains protected as freedom of speech. In worldwide comparison, Testi (2010) notes that the United States is not unique in adoring its banner, for in Scandinavian countries their flags are also "beloved, domesticated, commercialized and sacralized objects"

Design

Specifications

The basic design of the current flag is specified by ; outlines the addition of new stars to represent new states. The specification gives the following values:

Hoist (width) of the flag: ''A'' = 1.0

Fly (length) of the flag: ''B'' = 1.9

Hoist (width) of the Union: ''C'' = 0.5385 (''A'' × 7/13, spanning seven stripes)

Fly (length) of the Union: ''D'' = 0.76 (''B'' × 2/5, two fifths of the flag length)

''E'' = ''F'' = 0.0538 (''C''/10, One tenth of the width of the Union)

''G'' = ''H'' = 0.0633 (''D''/12, One twelfth of the length of the Union)

Diameter of star: ''K'' = 0.0616

Width of stripe: ''L'' = 0.0769 (''A''/13, One thirteenth of the flag width)

These specifications are contained in an executive order which, strictly speaking, governs only flags made for or by the U.S. federal government. In practice, most U.S. national flags available for sale to the public have a different length-to-width ratio; common sizes are or (flag ratio 1.5), or (1.6), or or (1.667). Even flags flown over the U.S. Capitol for sale to the public through Representatives or Senators are provided in these sizes. Flags that are made to the prescribed 1.9 ratio are often referred to as "G-spec" (for "government specification") flags.

Colors

The exact red, white, and blue colors to be used in the flag are specified with reference to the CAUS Standard Color Reference of America, 10th edition. Specifically, the colors are "White", "Old Glory Red", and "Old Glory Blue". The CIE coordinates for the colors of the 9th edition of the Standard Color Card were formally specified in ''JOSA'' in 1946. These colors form the standard for cloth, and there is no perfect way to convert them to RGB for display on screen or CMYK for printing. The "relative" coordinates in the following table were found by scaling the luminous reflectance relative to the flag’s "white".

! style="text-align:center;" ! style="text-align:center;" 1.000 .000 .132 1.000 .233 .851

+ Official Colors

rowspan="3" style="text-align:center; padding-left:.7em; padding-right:.7em;"

Name

Absolute

Relative

CIELAB ''D''65

! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"

CIELAB ''D''50

sRGB

! style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"

''L''* !! style="text-align:center;"

! style="text-align:center;"

''L''* !! style="text-align:center;"

''G'' !! style="text-align:center;"

''B'' !! style="text-align:center;"| 8-bit hex

''M'' !! style="text-align:center;"

''Y'' !! style="text-align:center;"| ''K''

88.7

−0.2

5.4

style="text-align:left;"

2.5Y

8.8/0.7

style="background:#fff;"

100.0

0.0

1.000

|

1.000

#FFFFFF

.000

|

.000

.000

style="text-align:left;"

33.9

51.2

style="text-align:left;"

5.5R

3.3/11.1

style="background:#b22234;"

39.9

57.3

.698

|

.203

#B22234

.196

|

.757

.118

style="text-align:left;"

23.2

13.1

style="text-align:left;"

8.2PB

2.3/6.1

style="background:#3c3b6e;"

26.9

11.5

.234

|

.430

#3C3B6E

.886

|

.243

.122

As with the design, the official colors are only officially required for flags produced for the U.S. federal government, and other colors are often used for mass-market flags, printed reproductions, and other products intended to evoke flag colors. The practice of using more saturated colors than the official cloth is not new. As Taylor, Knoche, and Granville wrote in 1950: "The color of the official wool bunting [of the blue field] is a very dark blue, but printed reproductions of the flag, as well as merchandise supposed to match the flag, present the color as a deep blue much brighter than the official wool."

Sometimes, Pantone Matching System (PMS) approximations to the flag colors are used. One set was given on the website of the U.S. embassy in London as early as 1998; the website of the U.S. embassy in Stockholm claimed in 2001 that those had been suggested by Pantone, and that the U.S. Government Printing Office preferred a different set. A third red was suggested by a California Military Department document in 2002. In 2001, the Texas legislature specified that the colors of the Texas flag should be "(1) the same colors used in the United States flag; and (2) defined as numbers 193 (red) and 281 (dark blue) of the Pantone Matching System."

! style="text-align:center;" ! style="text-align:center;" 1.000 .000 .076 1.000 .149 .906 .048 1.000 .172 .863 .051 1.000

+ Pantone Approximations	style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"	Source	PMS		CIELAB ''D''50			sRGB				GRACoL 2006
''L''* !! style="text-align:center;"	''G'' !! style="text-align:center;"	''B'' !! style="text-align:center;"| 8-bit hex			''M'' !! style="text-align:center;"	''Y'' !! style="text-align:center;"| ''K''
			100.0	0.0	0.0	1.000	|	1.000	#FFFFFF	.000	|	.000	.000
style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"	,London			42.1	64.4	.756	|	.238	#C1133D	.165	|	.678	.063
style="text-align:left;"	281 C		15.4	7.0	.000	|	.388	#002663	1.000	|	.388	.231
style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"	U.S. Emb.,Stockholm			44.1	67.8	.800	|	.185	#CC0C2F	.122	|	.796	.035
style="text-align:left;"	288 C		18.0	7.6	.000	|	.466	#002C77	1.000	|	.357	.141
style="text-align:left;"				41.1	64.2	.745	|	.203	#BE0D34	.169	|	.749	.074

The 49- and 50-star unions

When Alaska and Hawaii were being considered for statehood in the 1950s, more than 1,500 designs were spontaneously submitted to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Although some of them were 49-star versions, the vast majority were 50-star proposals. At least three of these designs were identical to the present design of the 50-star flag. At the time, credit was given by the executive department to the United States Army Institute of Heraldry for the design.

Of these proposals, one created by 17-year-old Robert G. Heft in 1958 as a school project has received the most publicity. His mother was a seamstress, but refused to do any of the work for him. He originally received a B- for the project. After discussing the grade with his teacher, it was agreed (somewhat jokingly) that if the flag was accepted by Congress, the grade would be reconsidered. Heft's flag design was chosen and adopted by presidential proclamation after Alaska and before Hawaii was admitted into the union in 1959. Both the 49- and 50-star flags were each flown for the first time ever at Fort McHenry on the Fourth of July one year apart, 1959 and 1960 respectively.

Decoration

Traditionally, the flag may be decorated with golden fringe surrounding the perimeter of the flag as long as it does not deface the flag proper. Ceremonial displays of the flag, such as those in parades or on indoor posts, often use fringe to enhance the beauty of the flag. The first recorded use of fringe on a flag dates from 1835, and the Army used it officially in 1895. No specific law governs the legality of fringe, but a 1925 opinion of the attorney general addresses the use of fringe (and the number of stars) "...is at the discretion of the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy..." as quoted from footnote in previous volumes of Title 4 of the United States Code law books and is a source for claims that such a flag is a military ensign not civilian. However, according to the Army Institute of Heraldry, which has official custody of the flag designs and makes any change ordered, there are no implications of symbolism in the use of fringe. Several federal courts have upheld this conclusion. Traditionally, the Army and Air Force use a fringed National Color for parade, color guard and indoor display, while the Sea Services (Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard) use a fringeless National Color for all uses.

Display and use

The flag is customarily flown all year-round at most public buildings, and it is not unusual to find private houses flying full-size flags. Some private use is year-round, but becomes widespread on civic holidays like Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Presidents' Day, Flag Day, and on Independence Day. On Memorial Day it is common to place small flags by war memorials and next to the graves of U.S. war veterans. Also on Memorial Day it is common to fly the flag at half staff, until noon, in remembrance of those who lost their lives fighting in U.S. wars.

Flag etiquette

The United States Flag Code outlines certain guidelines for the use, display, and disposal of the flag. For example, the flag should never be dipped to any person or thing, unless it is the ensign responding to a salute from a ship of a foreign nation. (This tradition may come from the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, where countries were asked to dip their flag to King Edward VII: the American flag bearer did not. Team captain Martin Sheridan is famously quoted as saying "this flag dips to no earthly king", though the true provenance of this quotation is unclear.)

The flag should never be allowed to touch the ground and, if flown at night, must be illuminated. If the edges become tattered through wear, the flag should be repaired or replaced. When a flag is so tattered that it can no longer serve as a symbol of the United States, it should be destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning. The American Legion and other organizations regularly conduct flag retirement ceremonies, often on Flag Day, June 14. It is a common myth that if a flag touches the ground or becomes soiled, it must be burned as well. While a flag that is currently touching the ground and a soiled flag are unfit for display, neither situation is permanent and thus the flag does not need to be burned if the unfit situation is remedied.

Significantly, the Flag Code prohibits using the flag "for any advertising purpose" and also states that the flag "should not be embroidered, printed, or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use". Both of these codes are generally ignored, almost always without comment.

One of the most commonly ignored and misunderstood aspects of the Flag Code is section 8. "The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery." Section 3 of the Flag Code defines a flag for the purposes of the code. It clarifies the definition to include any picture or representation of the flag purporting to be of the flag of the United States of America. Therefore T-shirts, or other apparel made of or containing a representation of the flag are in violation of the code.

Although the Flag Code is U.S. federal law, it is only binding on government institutions displaying the flag: there is no penalty for a private citizen or group failing to comply with the Flag Code and it is not widely enforced—indeed, punitive enforcement would conflict with the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Passage of the proposed Flag Desecration Amendment would overrule legal precedent that has been established.

Display on vehicles and uniforms

When the flag is affixed to the side of a vehicle, it should be oriented so that the union is towards the front. This is done to give the impression that the flag is blowing backwards from its hoist as the vehicle moves forward. Therefore, U.S. flag decals on the right sides of vehicles may appear to be "reversed", with the union to the observer's right instead of left as more commonly seen.

On U.S. military uniforms, flag patches are oriented the same way, that is, on the right shoulder with the union toward the front. This rule dates back to the Army's early history, when both mounted cavalry and infantry units would designate a standard bearer, who carried the Colors into battle. As he charged, his forward motion caused the flag to stream back. Since the Stars and Stripes are mounted with the canton closest to the pole, that section stayed to the right, while the stripes flew to the left.

Other organizations that wear flag patches on their uniforms can have the flag facing in either direction. The uniform of the Boy Scouts of America, for example, has the stripes facing front, the reverse of the military style.

Postage stamps

The flag did not appear on U.S. postal stamp issues until the Battle of White Plains Issue was released in 1926, depicting the flag with a circle of 13 stars. The 48-star flag first appeared on the General Pulaski issue of 1931 however the depiction there is noticeable at best. The first U.S. postage stamp to feature the flag as the sole subject was issued July 4, 1957, pictured ''(top)''.

Places of continuous display

By presidential proclamation, acts of Congress, and custom, U.S. flags are displayed continuously at certain locations.

Replicas of the Star Spangled Banner Flag (15 stars, 15 stripes) are flown at two sites in Baltimore, Maryland: Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine and Flag House Square. Marine Corps War Memorial (Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima), Arlington, Virginia Lexington, Massachusetts Town Green The White House, Washington, D.C. Fifty U.S. flags are displayed continuously at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. At U.S. Customs and Border Protection Ports of Entry that are continuously open. A Civil War era flag (for the year 1863) flies above Pennsylvania Hall (Old Dorm) at Gettysburg College. This building, occupied by both sides at various points of the Battle of Gettysburg, served as a lookout and battlefield hospital. Grounds of the National Memorial Arch in Valley Forge NHP, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

By custom, at the Maryland home, birthplace, and grave of Francis Scott Key; at the Worcester, Massachusetts, war memorial; at the plaza in Taos, New Mexico (since 1861); at the United States Capitol (since 1918); and at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood, South Dakota.

Slover Mountain (Colton Liberty Flag), in Colton, California. July 4, 1917 to circa. 1952 & 1997 to present.

At the ceremonial South Pole as one of the 12 flags representing the signatory countries of the original Antarctic Treaty.

Particular days for display

The flag should especially be displayed at full staff on the following days:

January: 1 (New Year's Day) 3rd. Monday of the month (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday) and 20 (Inauguration Day, once every four years)

February: 12 (Lincoln's birthday) and the third Monday (Presidents' Day, originally Washington's birthday which is the 22nd)

May: Third Saturday (Armed Forces Day) and last Monday (Memorial Day; half-staff until noon)

June: 14 (Flag Day)

July: 4 (Independence Day)

September: First Monday (Labor Day), 17th (Constitution Day)

October: Second Monday (Columbus Day) and 27 (Navy Day)

November: 11 (Veterans Day) and fourth Thursday (Thanksgiving Day)

and such other days as may be proclaimed by the President of the United States; the birthdays of states (date of admission); and on state holidays.

Display at half-staff

The flag is displayed at half-staff (half-mast in naval usage) as a sign of respect or mourning. Nationwide, this action is proclaimed by the president; state-wide or territory-wide, the proclamation is made by the governor. In addition, there is no prohibition against municipal governments, private businesses or citizens flying the flag at half-staff as a local sign of respect and mourning. However, many flag enthusiasts feel this type of practice has somewhat diminished the meaning of the original intent of lowering the flag to honor those who held high positions in federal or state offices. President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first proclamation on March 1, 1954, standardizing the dates and time periods for flying the flag at half-staff from all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels; other congressional resolutions and presidential proclamations ensued. However, they are only guidelines to all other entities: typically followed at state and local government facilities, and encouraged of private businesses and citizens.

To properly fly the flag at half-staff, one should first briefly hoist it top of the staff, then lower it to the half-staff position, halfway between the top and bottom of the staff. Similarly, when the flag is to be lowered from half-staff, it should be first briefly hoisted to the top of the staff.

Federal guidelines state the flag should be flown at half-staff at the following dates/times: May 15 – Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless it is the third Saturday in May, Armed Forces Day, full-staff all day

Last Monday in May – Memorial Day (until noon)

July 27 – Korean War Veterans Day (expired 2003 − reinstated 2009) September 11 – Patriot Day First Sunday in October – Start of Fire Prevention Week. December 7 – National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

For 30 days – Death of a president or former president

For 10 days – Death of a vice president, Supreme Court chief justice/retired chief justice, or speaker of the House of Representatives.

From death until the day of interment – Supreme Court associate justice, member of the Cabinet, former vice president, president ''pro-tempore'' of the Senate, or the majority and minority leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives. Also for federal facilities within a state or territory, for the governor.

On the day after the death – Senators, members of Congress, territorial delegates or the resident commissioner of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico

Further, the flag is always flown at half-staff at three locations in the United States. These locations are The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; Arlington Cemetery; and the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

Folding for storage

Though not part of the official Flag Code, according to military custom, flags should be folded into a triangular shape when not in use. To properly fold the flag:

#Begin by holding it waist-high with another person so that its surface is parallel to the ground. #Fold the lower half of the stripe section lengthwise over the field of stars, holding the bottom and top edges securely. #Fold the flag again lengthwise with the blue field on the outside. #Make a rectangular fold then a triangular fold by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to meet the open top edge of the flag, starting the fold from the left side over to the right. #Turn the outer end point inward, parallel to the open edge, to form a second triangle. #The triangular folding is continued until the entire length of the flag is folded in this manner (usually thirteen triangular folds, as shown at right). On the final fold, any remnant that does not neatly fold into a triangle (or in the case of exactly even folds, the last triangle) is tucked into the previous fold. #When the flag is completely folded, only a triangular blue field of stars should be visible.

Religious themes

Some people believe that each fold of the flag also carries a symbolic meaning, but there is no authority for their belief. The ceremony was taught to soldiers but after protests at the overt religious themes, the Pentagon withdrew it.

The American Legion, a private organization of veterans, has made its own religious interpretation.

! Fold	! Meaning
Fold One	Life on Earth
Fold Two
Fold Three	The veteran who gave a portion of his life for the defense of the United States
Fold Four	Humanity's Weaker Nature and the American's reliance on God during both peacetime and wartime
Fold Five	Tribute to our Country
Fold Six	The state of the American's heart
Fold Seven	The United States Armed Forces
Fold Eight
Fold Nine	A tribute to Motherhood
Fold Ten	A tribute to Fatherhood
Fold Eleven	The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Jewish citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Fold Twelve	The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christianity in the United States

When the flag is completely folded, the stars point upwards, which remind the American of his national motto, "[[In God We Trust". After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a bicorne, reminding the American of the soldiers who served under General George Washington, and the sailors and Marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States.

Use in funerals

Traditionally, the flag of the United States plays a role in military funerals, and occasionally in those over other civil servants (such as the President). A burial flag is draped over the deceased's casket as a pall during services. Just prior to the casket being lowered into the ground, the flag is ceremonially folded and presented to the deceased's next of kin as a token of respect. If the soldier was enlisted during wartime, and given an Honor Guard at the funeral ceremony, cartridges from the gun salute are gathered and placed into the folded flag.

History

The design of the flag has been modified 26 times since it was first adopted in 1777. The 48-star version went unchanged for 47 years until the 49-star version became official on July 4, 1959. The 50-star flag was ordered by President Eisenhower on August 21, 1959.

First flag

At the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, the United States had no official national flag. The Grand Union Flag has historically been referred to as the "First National Flag"; although it has never had any official status, it was used early in the American Revolutionary War by George Washington and formed the basis for the design of the first official U.S. flag. It closely resembles the British East India Company flag of the same era that was used from 1707, and an argument dating to Sir Charles Fawcett in 1937 holds that the Company flag indeed inspired the design., in addition to Buckminster Fuller's mention of it in his book, ''Critical Path''. However, the Company flag could have from 9 to 13 stripes, and was not allowed to be flown outside the Indian Ocean. Both flags could have been easily constructed by adding white stripes to a British Red Ensign, a common flag throughout Britain and its colonies.

Another theory holds that the red-and-white stripe—and later, stars-and-stripes—motif of the flag may have been based on the Washington family coat of arms, first used to identify the family in the twelfth century, when one of George Washington's ancestors took possession of Washington Old Hall, then in County Durham (now part of Sunderland), north-east England, which consisted of a shield "''argent'', two ''bars gules'', above, three ''mullets gules''" (a white shield with two red bars below three red stars).

Another theory is based on the family coat of arms of Richard Amerike, a merchant whose surname is disputed to the naming of America. According to the American Flag Research Center in Massachusetts the heraldic origin of the American flag is not positively known; archives in the British Library confirm that the Stars and Stripes was the coat of arms of the Ap Merike family – and that they pre-date Washington's connection with the continent by 300 years.

The Flag Resolution of 1777

On June 14, 1777, the Marine Committee of the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: "Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation." Flag Day is now observed on June 14 of each year. A false tradition holds that the new flag was first hoisted in June 1777 by the Continental Army at the Middlebrook encampment.

The 1777 resolution was most probably meant to define a naval ensign, rather than a national flag. It appears between other resolutions from the Marine Committee. On May 10, 1779, Secretary of the Board of War Richard Peters expressed concern "it is not yet settled what is the Standard of the United States."

The Flag Resolution did not specify any particular arrangement, number of points, nor orientation for the stars. The pictured flag shows 13 outwardly-oriented five-pointed stars arranged in a circle, the so-called Betsy Ross flag. Although the Betsy Ross legend is controversial, the design is among the oldest of any U.S. flags. Popular designs at the time were varied and most were individually crafted rather than mass-produced. Other examples of 13-star arrangements can be found on the Francis Hopkinson flag, the Cowpens flag, and the Brandywine flag. Given the scant archaeological and written evidence, it is unknown which design was the most popular at that time.

Despite the 1777 resolution, a number of flags only loosely based on the prescribed design were used in the early years of American independence. One example may have been the Guilford Court House Flag, traditionally believed to have been carried by the American troops at the Battle of Guilford Court House in 1781.

The origin of the stars and stripes design is inadequately documented. The apocryphal story credits Betsy Ross for sewing the first flag from a pencil sketch handed to her by George Washington. No evidence for this exists; indeed, nearly a century had passed before Ross' grandson, William Canby, first publicly suggested it. Another woman, Rebecca Young, has also been credited as having made the first flag by later generations of her family. Rebecca Young's daughter was Mary Pickersgill, who made the Star Spangled Banner Flag.

It is likely that Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, designed the 1777 flag while he was the Chairman of the Continental Navy Board's Middle Department, sometime between his appointment to that position in November 1776 and the time that the flag resolution was adopted in June 1777. This contradicts the Betsy Ross legend, which suggests that she sewed the first Stars and Stripes flag by request of the government in the Spring of 1776. Hopkinson was the only person to have made such a claim during his own lifetime, when he sent a bill to Congress for his work. He asked for a "Quarter Cask of the Public Wine" as payment initially. The payment was not made, however, because it was determined he had already received a salary as a member of Congress, and he was not the only person to have contributed to the design. No one else contested his claim at the time.

Later flag acts

In 1795, the number of stars and stripes was increased from 13 to 15 (to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky as states of the union). For a time the flag was not changed when subsequent states were admitted, probably because it was thought that this would cause too much clutter. It was the 15-star, 15-stripe flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner", now the national anthem.

On April 4, 1818, a plan was passed by Congress at the suggestion of U.S. Naval Captain Samuel C. Reid in which the flag was changed to have 20 stars, with a new star to be added when each new state was admitted, but the number of stripes would be reduced to 13 so as to honor the original colonies. The act specified that new flag designs should become official on the first July 4 (Independence Day) following admission of one or more new states. The most recent change, from 49 stars to 50, occurred in 1960 when the present design was chosen, after Hawaii gained statehood in August 1959. Before that, the admission of Alaska in January 1959 prompted the debut of a short-lived 49-star flag.

As of July 4, 2011, the 50-star flag has become the longest rendition in use.

The "Flower Flag" arrives in Asia

The U.S. flag was brought to the city of Canton (Guǎngzhōu) in China in 1785 by the merchant ship ''Empress of China'', which carried a cargo of ginseng. There it gained the designation "Flower Flag" (). According to author and U.S. Naval officer George H. Preble:

], the flower-flag country, and an American, Fah-kay-gawk-yun [花旗國人], flower flag country man, — a more complimentary designation than that of red-headed barbarian, the name first bestowed on the Dutch.}}

In the above quote, the Chinese words are written phonetically based on spoken Cantonese. The names given were common usage in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Other Asian nations have equivalent terms for America, for example ("Flower Flag"). Chinese nowadays refer to the United States as . ''Měi'' is short for ''Měilìjiān'' (a Chinese pronunciation of "America") and "guó" means "country," so this name is unrelated to the flag.

The U.S. flag took its first trip around the world in 1787–90 on board the ''Columbia''. William Driver, who coined the phrase Old Glory, took the U.S. flag around the world in 1831–32. The flag attracted the notice of Japanese when an oversized version was carried to Yokohama by the steamer ''Great Republic'' as part of a round-the-world journey in 1871.

Historical progression of designs

In the following table depicting the 28 various designs of the United States flag, the star patterns for the flags are merely the ''usual'' patterns, often associated with the United States Navy. Canton designs, prior to the proclamation of the 48-star flag, had no official arrangement of the stars. Furthermore, the exact ''colors'' of the flag were not standardized until 1934.

Future of the flag

There are political movements supporting statehood in Puerto Rico (by the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico) and the District of Columbia, among other areas. A 51st state will require a new design to accommodate the additional star.

Similar national flags

The flag of Bikini Atoll is symbolic of the islanders' belief that a great debt is still owed to the people of Bikini because in 1954 the United States government detonated a thermonuclear bomb on the island as part of the Castle Bravo test.

The flag of Liberia bears a close resemblance, showing the ex-American-slave origin of the country. The Liberian flag has 11 similar red and white stripes, which stand for the 11 signers of the declaration there, as well as a blue square with only a single large white star for the union.

The flag of Malaysia also has a striking resemblance, with red and white stripes (14 total), and a blue canton, but displaying instead of stars a star and crescent emblem. This is due, however, to the great influence of the British East India Company, rather than the later United States flag. Also quite similar is the flag of the Federation of Malaya, a predecessor to current day Malaysia.

Article sections

Colors, standards and guidons: United States

Flag desecration: United States

Associated persons

Francis Bellamy (1855–1931), creator of the Pledge of Allegiance

William Driver (1803–1886), who owned and named "Old Glory"

Charles Fawcett, British historian who suggested the design is based on the flag of the British East India Company

Thomas E. Franklin (1966–present), photographer of ''Ground Zero Spirit'', better known as ''Raising the Flag at Ground Zero''

Christopher Gadsden (1724–1805), after whom the Gadsden flag is named

Robert G. Heft (1941–2009), a designer of the current flag's canton

Francis Hopkinson (1737–1791), designer (according to some historians)

Jasper Johns (1930–), painter of ''Flag'' (1954–55), inspired by a dream of the flag

John Paul Jones (1747–1792), who claimed to have first raised the Grand Union Flag aboard the ''Alfred'' in 1775

Francis Scott Key (1779–1843), writer of "The Star-Spangled Banner"

Mary Young Pickersgill (1776–1857), maker of the banner hoisted over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore

Katha Pollitt (1949–present), author of a controversial essay on post-9/11 America and her refusal to fly a U.S. flag

George H. Preble (1816–1885), author of ''History of the American Flag'' (1872) and photographer of the Fort McHenry flag

Joe Rosenthal (1911–2006), photographer of ''Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima''

Betsy Ross (1752–1836), creator of the first stars and stripes flag (according to legend)

George Washington (1732–1799), who (according to legend) first sketched the stars and stripes design and on whose family arms the design may be based

References

Bibliography

Allentown Art Museum. ''The American Flag in the Art of Our Country.'' Allentown Art Museum, 1976.

Herbert Ridgeway Collins. ''Threads of History: Americana Recorded on Cloth 1775 to the Present.'' Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979.

Grace Rogers Cooper. ''Thirteen-star Flags: Keys to Identification.'' Smithsonian Institution Press, 1973.

David D. Crouthers. ''Flags of American History.'' Hammond, 1978.

Louise Lawrence Devine. ''The Story of Our Flag.'' Rand McNally, 1960.

William Rea Furlong, Byron McCandless, and Harold D. Langley. ''So Proudly We Hail: The History of the United States Flag.'' Smithsonian Institution Press, 1981.

Scot M. Guenter, ''The American Flag, 1777–1924: Cultural Shifts from Creation to Codification.'' Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. 1990. online

Kevin Keim & Peter Keim. ''A Grand Old Flag: A History of the United States through its Flags''. DK Publishing. 2007. ISBN 978-0-7566-2847-5.

Marc Leepson, ''Flag: An American Biography''. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, 2005.

David Roger Manwaring. ''Render Unto Caesar: The Flag-Salute Controversy.'' University of Chicago Press, 1962.

Boleslaw Mastai and Marie-Louise D'Otrange Mastai. ''The Stars and the Stripes: The American Flag as Art and as History from the Birth of the Republic to the Present.'' Knopf, 1973.

Milo Milton Quaife. ''The Flag of the United States.'' 1942.

Milo Milton Quaife, Melvin J. Weig, and Roy Applebaum. ''The History of the United States Flag, from the Revolution to the Present, Including a Guide to Its Use and Display.'' Harper, 1961.

Albert M. Rosenblatt. "Flag Desecration Statutes: History and Analysis," ''Washington University Law Quarterly'' 1972: 193–237.

Leonard A. Stevens. ''Salute! The Case of The Bible vs. The Flag.'' Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1973.

Arnaldo Testi. ''Capture the Flag: The Stars and Stripes in American History'' (New York University Press; 2010) 192 pages. A European perspective on the symbolism and political, social, and cultural significance of the flag.

External links

Official American Flag Etiquette

A mathematician figures out the best way to jam an extra star onto the American flag. – By Chris Wilson – Slate Magazine

Star power: 200 years of change (USA TODAY)

The Stars and Stripes in Action — slideshow by ''Life magazine''

The Thirteen Stars and Stripes-A Survey of 18th Century Images of the US Flag

U.S. Flag Etiquette (ushistory.org)

U.S. Flag etiquette (americanflags.org)

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding the flag

Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Facts About the United States Flag (citation needs to be updated)

The Flag Code—U.S. Code Home: Title 4, Flag and Seal, Seat of Government, and the States—Chapter 1, The Flag

* Provides details about the design of the flag, treatment of the flag, the pledge of allegiance, etc.

Executive Order No. 10798, with specifications and regulations for the current flag

Is the American Flag Alive?

Flag of the United States of America

Civil Air Patrol – Flag Folding (YouTube) (Video on the proper folding of the United States flag)

Photo gallery: Inside an American flag manufacturing plan

Category:National symbols of the United States United States

af:Vlag van die Verenigde State am:የአሜሪካ ሰንደቅ ዓላማ ar:علم الولايات المتحدة ast:Bandera de los Estaos Xuníos d'América az:ABŞ bayrağı zh-min-nan:Bí-kok kok-kî be:Сцяг ЗША bs:Zastava Sjedinjenih Američkih Država br:Banniel ar Stadoù-Unanet bg:Национално знаме на Съединените американски щати ca:Bandera dels Estats Units cs:Vlajka Spojených států amerických cy:Baner yr Unol Daleithiau da:USA's flag de:Flagge der Vereinigten Staaten et:Ameerika Ühendriikide lipp el:Σημαία των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών es:Bandera de los Estados Unidos eo:Flago de Usono eu:Ameriketako Estatu Batuetako bandera fa:پرچم ایالات متحده آمریکا fo:Flagg Sambandsríkið Amerika fr:Drapeau des États-Unis fy:Flagge fan de Feriene Steaten ko:미국의 국기 hy:ԱՄՆ դրոշ hi:संयुक्त राज्य का ध्वज hr:Zastava Sjedinjenih Američkih Država bpy:তিলপারাষ্ট্রর ফিরালহান id:Bendera Amerika Serikat is:Fáni Bandaríkjanna it:Bandiera degli Stati Uniti d'America he:דגל ארצות הברית ka:აშშ-ის დროშა la:Vexillum Civitatum Foederatarum Americae lv:Amerikas Savienoto Valstu karogs lt:JAV vėliava hu:Az Amerikai Egyesült Államok zászlaja mk:Знаме на Соединетите Американски Држави mr:अमेरिकेचा ध्वज ms:Bendera Amerika Syarikat nah:Īpān Tlacetilīlli Tlahtohcāyōtl nl:Vlag van de Verenigde Staten ja:アメリカ合衆国の国旗 no:USAs flagg nn:Det amerikanske flagget pl:Flaga Stanów Zjednoczonych pt:Bandeira dos Estados Unidos ro:Drapelul Statelor Unite ale Americii ru:Флаг Соединённых Штатов sco:Banner o the Unitit States sq:Flamuri i Shteteve të Bashkuara simple:Flag of the United States sk:Vlajka Spojených štátov sr:Застава Сједињених Америчких Држава sh:Zastava Sjedinjenih Američkih Država fi:Yhdysvaltain lippu sv:USA:s flagga th:ธงชาติสหรัฐอเมริกา tr:Amerika Birleşik Devletleri bayrağı uk:Прапор США vi:Quốc kỳ Hoa Kỳ yo:Àsìá ilẹ̀ àwọn Ìpínlẹ̀ Aṣọ̀kan Amẹ́ríkà zh:美国国旗

name	Robin Williams
birth name	Robin McLaurin Williams
birth date	July 21, 1951
birth place	Chicago, Illinois, United States
medium	Stand-up, film, television
nationality	American
active	1972–present
genre	Character comedy, physical comedy, improvisational comedy, satire/political satire, observational comedy, blue comedy
influences	Richard Pryor, Jonathan Winters, George Carlin, Chuck Jones
influenced	Conan O'Brien, Frank Caliendo, Dat Phan, Jo Koy
spouse	Valerie Velardi (1978–88; 1 child) Marsha Garces Williams (1989–2011; 2 children)
website	RobinWilliams.com

Robin McLaurin Williams (born July 21, 1951) is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series ''Mork and Mindy'', and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1997 film ''Good Will Hunting''. He has also won two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Grammy Awards.

Early life

Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Laura McLaurin (née Smith, 1922–2001), was a former model from New Orleans, Louisiana. His father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams (September 10, 1906 – October 18, 1987), was a senior executive at Ford Motorship in charge of the Midwest area. His maternal great-great-grandfather was senator and Mississippi governor Anselm J. McLaurin. Williams is of English, Welsh, Irish, and French ancestry. He was raised in the Episcopal Church (his mother practiced Christian Science). He grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he was a student at the Detroit Country Day School, and later moved to Woodacre, Marin County, California, where he attended the public Redwood High School. Williams studied at Claremont McKenna College (then called Claremont Men's College) for four years. He has two half-brothers: Todd (who died August 14, 2007) and McLaurin.

Williams has described himself as a quiet child whose first imitation was of his grandmother to his mother. He did not overcome his shyness until he became involved with his high-school drama department.

In 1973, Williams was one of only 20 students accepted into the freshman class at the Juilliard School, and one of only two students to be accepted by John Houseman into the Advanced Program at the school that year, the other being Christopher Reeve. In his dialects class, Williams had no trouble mastering all dialects quickly. Williams left Juilliard in 1976.

Television career

After appearing in the cast of the short-lived ''The Richard Pryor Show'' on NBC, Williams was cast by Garry Marshall as the alien Mork in the hit TV series ''Happy Days''. As Mork, Williams improvised much of his dialogue and physical comedy, speaking in a high, nasal voice. Mork's appearance was so popular with viewers that it led to a spin-off hit television sitcom, ''Mork and Mindy'', which ran from 1978 to 1982; the show was written to accommodate Williams' improvisations. Although playing the same character as in his appearance in ''Happy Days'', the show was set in the present day, in Boulder, Colorado, instead of the late '50s in Milwaukee. Mork was an extremely popular character, featured on posters, coloring books, lunchboxes, and other merchandise.

Starting in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, Williams began to reach a wider audience with his standup comedy, including three HBO comedy specials, ''Off The Wall'' (1978), ''An Evening with Robin Williams'' (1982), and ''Robin Williams: Live at the Met'' (1986). Also in 1986, Williams reached an ever wider audience to exhibit his style at the 58th Academy Awards show.

His stand-up work has been a consistent thread through his career, as is seen by the success of his one-man show (and subsequent DVD) ''Robin Williams: Live on Broadway'' (2002). He was voted 13th on Comedy Central's list "100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time" in 2004.

After some encouragement from his friend Whoopi Goldberg, he was set to make a guest appearance in the 1991 ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode, "A Matter of Time", but he had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict; Matt Frewer took his place as a time-traveling con man, Professor Berlingoff Rasmussen. Williams, along with Billy Crystal, appeared in a cameo together at the beginning of an episode of the third season of ''Friends''. Both Williams and Crystal's parts weren't originally in the script. They were apparently in the building where the show was shooting and were asked to improvise their lines.

Williams appeared on an episode of the American version of ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' (Season 3, Episode 9: November 16, 2000). During a game of "Scenes from a Hat", the scene "What Robin Williams is thinking right now" was drawn, and Williams stated "I have a career. What the hell am I doing here?" On December 4, 2010, he appeared with Robert De Niro on SNL in the sketch ''What Up with That''.

Movie roles

Most of Williams' acting career has been in film, although he has given some performances on stage as well (notably as Estragon in a production of ''Waiting for Godot'' with Steve Martin). His performance in ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987) resulted in Williams being nominated for an Academy Award. Many of his roles have been comedies tinged with pathos.

His role as the Genie in the animated film ''Aladdin'' (1992) was instrumental in establishing the importance of star power in voice actor casting. Williams also used his voice talents in ''Fern Gully'', as the holographic Dr. Know in the 2001 film ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence'', in the 2005 animated film ''Robots'', the 2006 Academy Award-winning ''Happy Feet'', and an uncredited vocal performance in the film ''Everyone's Hero''. Furthermore, he was the voice of The Timekeeper, a former attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort about a time-traveling robot who encounters Jules Verne and brings him to the future.

In 1998, he won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role as a psychologist in ''Good Will Hunting''. Williams has also starred in dramatic films, which earned him two subsequent Academy Award nominations: First for playing an English teacher in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989), and later for playing a troubled homeless man in ''The Fisher King'' (1991); that same year, he played an adult Peter Pan in the movie ''Hook''. Other acclaimed dramatic films include ''Awakenings'' (1990) and ''What Dreams May Come'' (1998). In the 2002 film ''Insomnia'', Williams portrays a writer/killer on the run from a sleep-deprived Los Angeles policeman (played by Al Pacino) in rural Alaska. And also in 2002, in the psychological thriller ''One Hour Photo'', Williams played an emotionally disturbed photo development technician who becomes obsessed with a family for whom he has developed pictures for a long time. In 2006 Williams starred in ''The Night Listener'', a thriller about a radio show host who realizes he has developed a friendship with a child who may or may not exist.

He is known for his improvisational skills and impersonations. His performances frequently involve impromptu humor designed and delivered in rapid-fire succession while on stage. According to the ''Aladdin'' DVD commentary, most of his dialogue as the Genie was improvised.

In 2006, he starred in five movies including ''Man of the Year'' and was the Surprise Guest at the 2006 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. He appeared on an episode of ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' that aired on January 30, 2006.

At one point, he was in the running to play the Riddler in ''Batman Forever'' until director Tim Burton dropped the project. Earlier, Williams had been a strong contender to play the Joker in ''Batman''. He had expressed interest in assuming the role in ''The Dark Knight'', the sequel to 2005's ''Batman Begins'', although the part of the Joker was played by Heath Ledger, who went on to win, posthumously, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

He was portrayed by Chris Diamantopoulos in the made-for-TV biopic ''Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Mork & Mindy'' (2005), documenting the actor's arrival in Hollywood as a struggling comedian.

Disputes with Disney

In gratitude for his success with the Disney/Touchstone film ''Good Morning, Vietnam'', Robin Williams voiced the Genie in the Disney animated film ''Aladdin'' for SAG scale pay ($75,000), on condition that his name or image not be used for marketing, and his (supporting) character not take more than 25% of space on advertising artwork, since ''Toys'' was scheduled for release one month after ''Aladdin'''s debut. The studio went back on the deal on both counts, especially in poster art by having the Genie in 25% of the image, but having other major and supporting characters portrayed considerably smaller. Disney's Hyperion book, ''Aladdin: The Making Of An Animated Film'', listed both of Williams' characters "The Peddler" and "The Genie" ahead of main characters, but was forced to refer to him only as "the actor signed to play the Genie".

Williams and Disney had a bitter falling-out, and as a result Dan Castellaneta voiced the Genie in ''The Return of Jafar'', the ''Aladdin'' animated television series, and had recorded his voice for ''Aladdin and the King of Thieves.'' When Jeffrey Katzenberg was fired from Disney and replaced by former 20th Century Fox production head Joe Roth (whose last act for Fox was greenlighting Williams' film ''Mrs. Doubtfire''), Roth arranged for a public apology to Williams by Disney. Williams agreed to perform in Hollywood Pictures' ''Jack'', directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and even agreed to voice the Genie again for the ''King Of Thieves'' sequel (for considerably more than scale), replacing all of Castellaneta's dialogue.

When Williams re-teamed with ''Doubtfire'' director Chris Columbus for 1999's ''Bicentennial Man'', Disney asked that the budget be cut by approximately $20 million, and when the film was released on Christmas Day, it flopped at the box office. Williams blamed Disney's marketing and the loss of content the film had suffered due to the budget cuts. As a result, Williams was again on bad terms with Disney, and Castellaneta was once again recruited to replace him as Genie in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series and the ''House of Mouse'' TV series. The DVD release for ''Aladdin'' has no involvement whatsoever from Williams in the bonus materials, although some of his original recording sessions can be seen.

Robin Williams has recently made peace with the Walt Disney Company and in 2009 agreed to be inducted into the Disney Hall of Fame, designated as a Disney Legend.

Stand-up career

Williams has done a number of stand-up comedy tours since the early 1970s. Some of his most notable tours include ''An Evening With Robin Williams'' (1982), ''Robin Williams: At The Met'' (1986) and ''Robin Williams LIVE on Broadway'' (2002). The latter broke many long-held records for a comedy show. In some cases, tickets were sold out within thirty minutes of going on sale.

After a six year break, in August 2008 Williams announced a brand new 26-city tour titled "Weapons of Self Destruction". He was quoted as saying that this was his last chance to make cracks at the expense of the current Bush Administration, but by the time the show was staged only a few minutes covered that subject. The tour started at the end of September 2009, finishing in New York on December 3, and was the subject of an HBO special on December 8, 2009.

Accusations of plagiarism

Williams was accused of stealing material from other comics to the extent that David Brenner claims that he confronted Williams personally and threatened him with bodily harm if he heard Williams utter another one of his jokes.

Theater career

In theatre, Williams has headed his own one-man show, ''Robin Williams: Live on Broadway'', that played at The Broadway Theatre in July 2002. He made his Broadway acting debut in Rajiv Joseph's ''Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo'', which opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on March 31, 2011. He previously appeared opposite Steve Martin at Lincoln Center in an Off-Broadway production of ''Waiting for Godot''.

Personal life

Robin Williams' first marriage was to Valerie Velardi on June 4, 1978, with whom he has one child, Zachary Pym (Zak) (born April 11, 1983). During Williams' first marriage, he was involved in an extramarital relationship with Michelle Tish Carter, a cocktail waitress whom he met in 1984. She sued him in 1986, claiming that he did not tell her he was infected with the herpes simplex virus before he embarked on a sexual relationship with her in the mid-1980s, during which, she said, he transmitted the virus to her. The case was settled out of court. Williams and Velardi divorced in 1988.

On April 30, 1989, he married Marsha Garces, his son's nanny who was already several months pregnant with his child. They have two children, Zelda Rae (born July 31, 1989) and Cody Alan (born November 25, 1991). However, in March 2008, Garces filed for divorce from Williams, citing irreconcilable differences.

On August 20, 2007, Williams' elder brother, Robert Todd Williams, died of complications from heart surgery performed a month earlier.

Williams is a member of the Episcopal Church. He has described his denomination in a comedy routine as "Catholic Lite – same rituals, half the guilt."

While studying at Juilliard, Williams befriended Christopher Reeve. They had several classes together in which they were the only students, and they remained good friends for the rest of Reeve's life. Williams visited Reeve after the horse riding accident that rendered him a quadriplegic, and cheered him up by pretending to be an eccentric Russian doctor (similar to his role in ''Nine Months''). Williams claimed that he was there to perform a colonoscopy. Reeve stated that he laughed for the first time since the accident and knew that life was going to be okay.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Williams had an addiction to cocaine; he has stated that he has since quit. Williams was a close friend of and frequent partier alongside John Belushi. He says the death of his friend and the birth of his son prompted him to quit drugs: "Was it a wake-up call? Oh yeah, on a huge level. The grand jury helped too."

On August 9, 2006, Williams checked himself in to a substance-abuse rehabilitation center (located in Newberg, Oregon), later admitting that he was an alcoholic. His publicist delivered the announcement:

After 20 years of sobriety, Robin Williams found himself drinking again and has decided to take proactive measures to deal with this for his own well-being and the well-being of his family. He asks that you respect him and his family's privacy during this time. He looks forward to returning to work this fall to support his upcoming film releases.

Williams was hospitalized in March 2009 due to heart problems. He postponed his one-man tour in order to undergo surgery to replace his aortic valve. The surgery was successfully completed on March 13, 2009, at the Cleveland Clinic.

Other interests

Williams is an avid enthusiast of games, even naming both his children after game characters. He named his daughter after Princess Zelda from ''The Legend of Zelda'' action-adventure game series. They both have even been featured in an advert for the Nintendo 3DS remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111044-New-Zelda-Ad-Stars-Robin-Williams-and-his-Daughter-Zelda On this note, his son may have been named after Cody from the beat 'em up game ''Final Fight''. He also enjoys pen-and-paper role-playing games and online video games, recently playing ''Warcraft 3'', ''Day of Defeat'', ''Half-Life'', and the first-person shooter ''Battlefield 2'' as a sniper. He was also previously a fan of the ''Wizardry'' series of role-playing video games.

On January 6, 2006, he performed live at Consumer Electronics Show during Google's keynote. In the 2006 E3, on the invitation of Will Wright, he demonstrated the creature editor of ''Spore'' while simultaneously commenting on the creature's look: "This will actually make a platypus look good." He also complimented the game's versatility, comparing it to ''Populous'' and ''Black & White''. Later that year, he was one of several celebrities to participate in the Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day.

A fan of professional road cycling, he was a regular on the US Postal and Discovery Channel Pro Cycling team bus and hotels during the years Lance Armstrong dominated the Tour de France. He owns over 50 bicycles.

He also enjoys rugby union and is a big fan of former All Black, Jonah Lomu.

Williams is a supporter of eco-friendly vehicles. He currently drives a Toyota Prius, and is on the waiting list for an Aptera 2 Series electric vehicle.

Williams has recently announced that he would love to play The Riddler in the next installment to the ''Batman'' films by director Christopher Nolan, though Nolan has stated that The Riddler will not be featured in the film.

Charity work

Williams and his former wife, Marsha, founded the Windfall Foundation, a philanthropic organization to raise money for many different charities. Williams devotes much of his energy to charity work, including the ''Comic Relief'' fundraising efforts (the program is hosted by himself, Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg). In December 1999, he sang in French on the BBC-inspired music video of international celebrities doing a cover of the Rolling Stones' "It's Only Rock & Roll" for the charity Children's Promise.

In response to the 2010 Canterbury Earthquake, Williams donated all proceeds of his "Weapons of Self Destruction" Christchurch performance to helping rebuild the New Zealand city. Half the proceeds were donated to the Red Cross and half to the mayoral building fund with the words "I hope this donation will go some way to helping the extensive rebuilding effort in the city." Williams has performed with the USO for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Filmography

+ Film credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1977	''Can I Do It 'Till I Need Glasses?''	Himself
1980		Popeye
1982	''''
1983		Donald Quinelle
1984	''Moscow on the Hudson''	Vladimir Ivanov	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1986		Tommy Wilhelm
1986	''Club Paradise''	Jack Moniker
1986	''''	Jack Dundee
1987	''Good Morning, Vietnam''	Adrian Cronauer
1988	''''	King of the Moon
1988	''Portrait of a White Marriage''	Air Conditioning Salesman	Uncredited
1988	''Rabbit Ears: Pecos Bill''	Narrator	Voice
1989	''Dead Poets Society''	John Keating
1989	''I'm from Hollywood''	Himself
1990	''Cadillac Man''	Joey O'Brien
1990	''Awakenings''	Dr. Malcolm Sayer
1990	''Back to Neverland''	Himself
1991	''Dead Again''	Doctor Cozy Carlisle
1991	''''	Parry
1991		Peter Banning/Peter Pan
1991	''Rabbit Ears: The Fool and the Flying Ship''	Narrator	Voice
1992		Leslie Zevo	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
1992		Genie, merchant
1992	''''	The Timekeeper
1992	''FernGully: The Last Rainforest''	Batty Koda	Voice
1992	''Shakes the Clown''	Mime Class Instructor
1993	''Mrs. Doubtfire''	Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire
1993		Hector
1994	''In Search of Dr. Seuss''	Father
1995		Alan Parrish
1995	''To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar''	John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
1995	''Nine Months''	Dr. Kosevich
1996	''Aladdin and the King of Thieves''	Genie	Voice
1996		Osric
1996		The Professor
1996		Jack Powell
1996	''''	Armand Goldman
1997	''Good Will Hunting''	Sean Maguire
1997		Professor Philip Brainard
1997	''Deconstructing Harry''	Mel/Harry's Character
1997		Dale Putley
1998
1998	''Junket Whore''	Himself
1998		Chris Nielsen
1999		Andrew Martin
1999	''Jakob the Liar''	Jakob Heym/Narrator
1999	''Get Bruce''	Himself
2000	''Model Behavior''	Faremain
2001	''A.I. Artificial Intelligence''	Dr. Know	Voice
2002	''''	Hans Hänkie
2002		Walter Finch	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
2002	''Death to Smoochy''	'Rainbow' Randolph Smiley
2002	''One Hour Photo''	Seymour 'Sy' Parrish
2004		Charlie Boyd/The Priest
2004	''House of D''	Pappass
2004	''''	Alan W. Hakman
2005	''''	Paul Barnell
2005		Fender
2005	''''	Himself
2006		Tom Dobbs
2006	''Night at the Museum''	Theodore Roosevelt
2006	''Happy Feet''	Ramon/Lovelace	Voice
2006	''Everyone's Hero''	Napoleon Cross	Voice
2006		Bob Munro
2006	''''	Gabriel Noone
2007	''License to Wed''	Reverend Frank
2007	''August Rush''	Maxwell "Wizard" Wallace
2009		Holden
2009	''World's Greatest Dad''	Lance Clayton
2009	''Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian''	Theodore Roosevelt
2009		Dan Rayburn
2011	''Happy Feet 2''	Ramon, Lovelace	Voice; filming

+ Television credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1977	''''	Himself
1977
1977	''Eight is Enough''		Episode: "The Return of Auntie V"
1978	''Happy Days''		Episode: "My Favorite Orkan" (There are two versions of this episode. One with the original ending where events were all a dream of Richie Cunningham's and another that sets up the Mork and Mindy spin-off series. Williams appears in both versions.)
1978	''America 2-Night''	Jason Shine	Episodes: "Jason Shine" and "Olfactory Distosis Telethon"
1978–1982	''Mork & Mindy''
1979	''Happy Days''		Episode: "Mork Returns"
1979			Episode: "Random's Arrival"
1981	''Saturday Night Live''	Himself	Host/Various
1982	''''	Himself	Episode: #1.1
1982	''Faerie Tale Theatre''	Frog/Prince Robin	Episode: "Tale of the Frog Prince"
1982		Various	Episode: "Jane Eyrehead"
1984	''Saturday Night Live''	Himself	Host/Various
1984	''Pryor's Place	Gaby	Episode: "Sax Education"
1986	''Saturday Night Live''	Himself	Host/Various
1986	''The Max Headroom Show''	Himself	Episode: "Max Headroom's Giant Christmas Turkey"
1988	''Saturday Night Live''	Himself	Host/Various
1988	''Wogan''	Himself
1991	''Wogan''	Himself
1991	''''	The Kiwi	Voice (Credited as Sudy Nim)
1992	''''	Himself	Episode: "Hank's Contract"
1994	''Homicide: Life on the Streets''	Robert Ellison
1994	''Live & Kicking''	Himself
1994	''''	Himself	Episode: "Montana"
1994	''Nyhetsmorgon''	Himself	Episode: "Filmen 'Mrs. Doubtfire' svensk premiär"
1994	''In the Wild''	Himself	Episode: "In the Wild: Dolphins with Robin Williams"
1995	''Primer Plano''	Himself
1996	''American Masters''	Himself	Episode: "Take Two: Mike Nichols and Elaine May"
1996	''Primer Plano''
1996	''HBO First Look	Himself	Episode: "Fathers Day"
1997	''Friends''	Tomas	Uncredited
1998	''Nyhetsmorgon''	Himself/Sean Maguire	Episode: "Filmen 'Good Will Hunting
1998	''Hollywood Squares''	Himself	Guest appearance
1998	''Noel's House Party''	Himself	Episode: #8.10
1999	''L.A. Doctors''	Hugo Kinsley	Episode: "Just Duet"
2000		Himself	Episode: #3.9
2002	''Comedy Central Canned Ham''	Himself	Episode: "Death to Smoochy"
2002	''Leute heute''	Himself
2002	''Supermarket Sweep''	Himself
2003	''Player$''	Himself	Episodes: "E3 03, Playa", "Players Halloweenie Televizzie"
2003	''Freedoom: A History of Us''	Josiah Quincy/Ulysses S. Grant/Missouri Farmer/Wilbur Wright/Orville Wright	Episodes: "Wake Up America", "A War to End Slavery", "Liberty for All", and "Safe for Democracy"
2003	''Life With Bonnie''	Kevin Powalski	Episode: "Psychic"
2004	''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''	Himself
2005	''Just For Laughs''	Himself
2006	''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''	Himself
2006	''Mind of Mencia''	Himself	Episode: "That's F**king Historical"
2006	''Getaway''	Himself	Episode: #15.15
2008		Ivan "Bob" Poppanoff the "Russian Idol"/Himself	Episodes: "Idol Gives Back" and "Live Results Show: One Contestant Eliminated"
2008	''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''	Merrit Rook
2009	''SpongeBob SquarePants''	Himself	Episode: "Truth or Square"
2009	''TV Land Moguls''	Himself	Episode: "The 80s"
2010	''Alan Carr Chatty Man''	Himself
2010	''Pentagon Channel''	Himself	"Promotional Advertisement for the Pentagon Channel"
2011		Himself	Episode: "What Drugs Do To Our Bodies?"

Discography

''Reality...What a Concept'' (1979)

''Throbbing Python of Love'' (1983)

''A Night at The Met'' (1986)

''Pecos Bill'' (1988)

''Live 2002'' (2002)

''Weapons of Self Destruction'' (2010)

Williams appeared in the music video of Bobby McFerrin's hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy".

He made a cameo in Cobra Starship's Video "You Make Me Feel..." along with his daughter, Zelda Williams.

References

"Road Trip with Robin"

"Robin Williams mimic ends 'fraud'" (BBC News)

"Robin Williams' impersonator stopped" (AskMen.com)

"Robin Williams Enters Rehab", August 9, 2006 (Access Hollywood)

Lovece, Frank, ''New York Newsday'' (April 27, 2006)

Bibliography

External links

Robin Williams – official website

Category:1951 births Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from Chicago, Illinois Category:American comedians of Irish descent Category:American Episcopalians Category:American film actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of French descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Audio book narrators Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Juilliard School alumni Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Marin County, California Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:Saturn Award winners

ar:روبن ويليامز an:Robin Williams az:Robin Uilyams zh-min-nan:Robin Williams bs:Robin Williams bg:Робин Уилямс ca:Robin Williams cs:Robin Williams cy:Robin Williams (actor) da:Robin Williams de:Robin Williams el:Ρόμπιν Ουίλιαμς es:Robin Williams eo:Robin Williams eu:Robin Williams fa:رابین ویلیامز fr:Robin Williams ga:Robin Williams gl:Robin Williams ko:로빈 윌리엄스 hr:Robin Williams io:Robin Williams id:Robin Williams it:Robin Williams he:רובין ויליאמס ka:რობინ უილიამსი sw:Robin Williams la:Robertinus Williams lt:Robin Williams hu:Robin Williams nl:Robin Williams ja:ロビン・ウィリアムズ no:Robin Williams nn:Robin Williams pl:Robin Williams pt:Robin Williams ro:Robin Williams ru:Уильямс, Робин sq:Robin Williams simple:Robin Williams sr:Робин Вилијамс sh:Robin Williams fi:Robin Williams sv:Robin Williams tl:Robin Williams th:โรบิน วิลเลียมส์ tr:Robin Williams uk:Робін Вільямс vi:Robin Williams yo:Robin Williams zh:羅賓·威廉斯

name	Cat Power
background	solo_singer
birth name	Charlyn Marie Marshall
alias	Chan Marshall
born	January 21, 1972Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
instrument	Vocal, guitar, piano
genre	Indie rock, folk rock
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress and musician
years active	1992–present
label	Runt, Matador, Smells Like, Plain
associated acts	Beck, Steve Shelley, Appaloosa
partner	Vincent Gallo(1993-1995)
website	www.catpowerjukebox.com
past members	}}

Charlyn Marie Marshall (born January 21, 1972), also known as Chan Marshall or by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer/songwriter and actress. She has appeared in three films, including ''My Blueberry Nights''.

Biography

Chan Marshall was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Marshall's father, Charlie, was a blues musician and itinerant pianist. Her childhood involved much upheaval, with Marshall living throughout the Southern United States (Greensboro, North Carolina; Bartlett, Tennessee; and Georgia and South Carolina), back and forth between parents and her grandmother. In interviews she has openly discussed her childhood and stated that the constant traveling prepared her for the touring life of a professional musician.

After dropping out of high school, she started performing under the name Cat Power while in Atlanta, backed by musicians Glen Thrasher, Marc Moore, Damon Moore and Fletcher Liegerot. She took the Cat Power name after a Caterpillar ad that read: "Cat Diesel Power". While in Atlanta, Marshall played her first live shows as support to her friends' bands, including Magic Bone and Opal Foxx Quartet. Due to her close relationships with the various people involved, she has stated that her involvement in music at this time was primarily a social interest rather than an artistic one. She also stated in a 2007 interview for Soft Focus that the music itself was more experimental and that playing shows was often an opportunity for her and her friends to get drunk and take drugs.

Music career

Early years: 1992–1999

In 1992 she moved to New York City with Glen Thrasher. It was Thrasher who introduced her to New York's free-jazz and experimental music scene. In particular she cites a concert by Anthony Braxton with giving her the confidence to perform in public. Her first New York show was at a warehouse in Brooklyn and she has described her early New York shows as "more improvisational." One of her shows during this period was as the support act to Man or Astro-man? and consisted of her playing a two-string guitar and singing the word "no" for fifteen minutes. Around this time she made the acquaintance of God Is My Co-Pilot, a relationship that resulted in them releasing her first single "Headlights" in a limited run of 500 copies on their Making of Americans label.

In 1994 she opened for Liz Phair in New York. In attendance were Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and Tim Foljahn of Two Dollar Guitar, who encouraged her to record, and played on her first two albums, 1995's ''Dear Sir'' and 1996's ''Myra Lee'', the latter taking its name from Marshall's mother. Both albums were recorded in New York on the same day in December 1994 and display a lack of conventional song structures. In 1996 she was signed to Matador Records and, along with Foljahn and Shelley, recorded her third album, ''What Would the Community Think'', which spawned a single and music video, "Nude as the News".

In late 1996, following a three-month tour co-headlining with the band Guv'ner in support of the release of ''What Would the Community Think'', Marshall disappeared from the music scene, initially working as a baby sitter in Portland, Oregon and then moving to a farmhouse in Prosperity, South Carolina with then boyfriend Bill Callahan. The plan was to permanently retire from public performance but during a sleepless night resulting from a nightmare, Marshall wrote several new songs. These songs would make up the bulk of ''Moon Pix''. The record was recorded at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne in eleven days with backing musicians Mick Turner and Jim White of the Dirty Three. The album was well-received by critics, and gained her recognition in the indie rock scene. However, during subsequent tours Marshall states that she had grown tired of her own material. This resulted in a series of shows during 1999 where Marshall provided musical accompaniment to the silent movie ''The Passion of Joan of Arc''. The shows combined original material and many covers, many of which would later see release on ''The Covers Record'', a collection of cover songs recorded at various sessions in 1998 and 1999. A selection of covers that didn't make it on to the album were recorded at Peel Acres, home of the British DJ John Peel. The session was broadcast on his BBC Radio 1 show and featured Marshall's own interpretations of Bob Dylan's "Hard Times in New York Town" and Oasis's "Wonderwall", amongst others.

Personal struggles: 2000–2006

By the start of the decade, Marshall's live performances had become erratic and unpredictable, with ''The New Yorker'' suggesting, "It is foolhardy to describe a Cat Power event as a concert," citing "rambling confessions" and "[talking] to a friend's baby from the stage." Marshall later attributed this period to a drinking problem, telling ''HARP'' magazine in 2006 "I didn't know I was messed up."

In 2003 she resumed releasing original material with ''You Are Free'', which featured guest musicians such as Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, and the Dirty Three's Warren Ellis. A music video directed by Brett Vapnek was released for the song "He War."

2004 saw the release of the DVD ''Speaking for Trees'', which featured a continuous, nearly 2-hour static shot of Marshall performing in a woodland. The set was accompanied by an audio CD containing the eighteen-minute song "Willie Deadwilder," featuring M. Ward on guitar. Also that year Marshall lent her vocals to the track "I've Been Thinking" from the Handsome Boy Modeling School album, ''White People''. Marshall toured through 2005, including an Australian tour supporting Nick Cave and an appearance at the Patti Smith-curated Meltdown festival. The shows largely consisted of material that would appear on her next album. In 2005, Marshall was featured on the song "Great Waves" from Dirty Three's album ''Cinder''.

''The Greatest'' was released in January 2006. This was not a greatest hits record but rather the Matador Records-arranged collaboration with Al Green's guitarist Teenie Hodges and other musicians. Following its release, Marshall cancelled previously arranged live shows in North America and Europe. She was struggling with a relationship with a young Miami investment banker. Ultimately, Marshall used the hiatus to recover from what she described as a "psychotic break," brought on by mental exhaustion and alcohol abuse, which had left her feeling suicidal. As part of her recovery, she was admitted to the psychiatric ward at Miami's Mount Sinai Medical Center but left after a week, stating "being in there wasn't me." She later likened the experience to "a pit of hell." Marshall gave a first person account of her breakdown in an interview for the November 2006 issue of ''Spin''.

She returned to live performance in April 2006, playing with the Memphis Rhythm Band and as a solo performer, including a performance at a Bob Dylan tribute concert in New York, a fund raiser for the charity ''Music for Youth''.

Critical and commercial success: 2007–present

Marshall put together a new band in Winter 2006 with whom she toured and recorded throughout 2007. The Dirty Delta Blues Band features Judah Bauer (from Blues Explosion), Gregg Foreman (The Delta 72), Erik Paparazzi (Lizard Music), and Jim White (from Dirty Three). Also in 2007, she became the first female solo act to win the Shortlist Music Prize when ''The Greatest'' was voted album of the year in June. Earlier in the year she was nominated in the Best International Female Solo Artist category at the annual Brit Awards. The Dirty Delta Blues band recorded an album of covers called ''Jukebox'' which was released on January 22, 2008, on Matador Records.

In September 2008, Marshall and members of the Dirty Delta Blues (Erik Paparazzi & Gregg Foreman) recorded their version of David Bowie's Space Oddity for a Lincoln car commercial.

On December 9, 2008, an EP entitled ''Dark End of the Street'' was released by Matador. The release consists of left-over cover songs from the Jukebox sessions.

A live version of the gospel song Amazing Grace – culled from a performance with the Dirty Delta Blues band – was released on the charity compilation ''Dark Was the Night''. Released by independent British label 4AD on 17 February 2009, the set benefited the Red Hot Organization, an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS.

In an article from ''Spin'', Marshall says of her next proper studio LP, "I'm producing it. One song is called "Leopard," I used to sing it when I was 26. There's another song, a spiritual song called "Mountaintops." And there's a really sweet song called "Funny Things" that's like a little kid's tap-dance song about having special secret thoughts: "Funny things in your dreams/Can you whisper talk to me?" And then there's "Silent Machine," which I actually wrote a long time ago. There's another song called "Oh Time." It's about my ex and it's about forgiveness. My friend Susanna always cries when I play it."

In an October 2010 interview with ''Rolling Stone'', Marshall confirmed her work on an upcoming album, stating "I'm trying to play all the instruments myself. There's an inspiration [on the record] of being furious about wanting to achieve your goal. I was inspired by being disappointed in myself that I'd just been holding a microphone and [...] that I hadn't been playing an instrument." In a January 2011 interview with Wilfred Brandt of TwoThousand.com.au, Marshall hinted that new material may not see release until as late as summer 2012, stating "[...] I would like to continue what I'm doing [professionally], but I'd also like to not divert from what I've been creating in my personal life. I don't wanna jeopardize being a mom by working. Because in my work, I have to 'go', y'know?"

Collaborations and contributions

Around this time, Marshall collaborated with Mick Collins (of The Dirtbombs) on a recording of Ludwig Rellstab's poem "Auf Dem Strom" for the film ''Wayne County Ramblin'''. Marshall sang the poem in German, though she does not speak the language.

Since returning to the stage Marshall has contributed guest vocals to several albums. She performed a duet with model Karen Elson on an English cover of Serge Gainsbourg's "Je t'aime... moi non plus" for the tribute album ''Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited''. She also sang lead vocal on the Ensemble track "Disown, Delete" and reworked "Revelations" with Yoko Ono for Ono's 2007 album ''Yes, I'm a Witch''. She also performed guest vocals for Faithless and El-P. She also duets on the Dexter Romweber Duo song "Love Letters".

In 2007, Marshall contributed songs to the soundtrack of Ethan Hawke's movie ''The Hottest State'', recording with Jesse Harris and Terry Manning, and the Academy Award-winning film ''Juno''.

In early 2008, she collaborated with Beck and producer Danger Mouse on the album ''Modern Guilt''. She contributed backing vocals to two tracks, "Orphans" and "Walls". The album was released in July of that year.

Chan Marshall provides backup vocals on Marianne Faithfull's cover of "Hold On, Hold On" by Neko Case on the 2009 album ''Easy Come Easy Go.'' In 2011 she also featured as guest on "Tonight You Belong To Me" on Eddie Vedder's ''Ukulele Songs''.

Other work

In October 2006 she became the celebrity spokesperson for a line of jewelry from Chanel, beginning a series of non musical activities that continued into the following year during downtime between touring and recording commitments. In 2007 her voice could be heard in commercials for Cingular, De Beers, and Lincoln in the United States and Garnier in the United Kingdom. Previously Marshall had done advertisements for GAP. She had a small role in the 2007 film My Blueberry Nights opposite Jude Law. She also appeared in Doug Aitken's MOMA installation ''Sleepwalkers'', which followed the nocturnal lives of five city dwellers. Marshall can be seen as a postal worker living in New York, performing with other notable participants such as Tilda Swinton.

Performance style

Marshall’s live shows have been known for their unpolished nature, with songs beginning and ending abruptly or blending into one another without clear transitions. She has also cut short performances without explanation. On some occasions this has been put down to her suffering from stage fright and the influence of alcohol. Marshall has admitted abusing alcohol in the past; in a 2006 interview with ''The New York Times'', she declared herself to be sober, which she defined as having had "seven drinks in seven months."

Recently, Marshall's performance style has been said to be much more enthusiastic and professional. An article in ''Salon'' called ''The Greatest'' "polished and sweetly upbeat", stating that Marshall was "delivering onstage". In the article, Marshall states that her newfound musical collaborators and sobriety are largely responsible for her increased confidence onstage.

Discography

''Dear Sir'' (1995)

''Myra Lee'' (1996)

''What Would the Community Think'' (1996)

''Moon Pix'' (1998)

''The Covers Record'' (2000)

''You Are Free'' (2003)

''The Greatest'' (2006)

''Jukebox'' (2008)

Filmography

! Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
2007	''Sleepwalkers''	Dancer working as a FedEx Clerk	Short Credited as Chan Marshall
2007	''My Blueberry Nights''	Katya	Credited as Chan Marshall
2009	''American Widow''	Singing Woman	Main Role

References

External links

Cat Power Music at The Greatest

Category:American alternative rock musicians Category:American female singers Category:American pianists Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American female guitarists Category:Female rock singers Category:Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:People from Greensboro, North Carolina

da:Cat Power de:Cat Power es:Cat Power fr:Cat Power ko:캣 파워 it:Cat Power hu:Cat Power nl:Cat Power ja:キャット・パワー no:Cat Power pl:Cat Power pt:Cat Power ro:Cat Power ru:Cat Power fi:Cat Power sv:Cat Power zh:貓女魔力

name	Shaun Micallef
birth name	Shaun Patrick Micallef
birth date	July 18, 1962
birth place	Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
medium	Television, radio, books, internet
nationality	Australian
active	1987-present
genre	Sketch comedy, surrealism, dadaism
subject	humour
influences	The Goons, Peter Sellers, Marx Brothers, S. J. Perelman, James Thurber, Spike Milligan, Barry Humphries, Frank Muir, Monty Python, Woody Allen
influenced	Sammy J
spouse	Leandra (1988-present) 3 children
notable work	''The Micallef P(r)ogram(me)''''Welcher & Welcher''''Micallef Tonight''''Newstopia''''Thank God You're Here''''Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation''
footnotes	}}

Shaun Patrick Micallef (born 18 July 1962) is an Australian comedian, actor and writer. After ten years of working in insurance law as a solicitor in Adelaide, Micallef moved to Melbourne to pursue a full-time comedy career in 1993. He first gained recognition as a cast member of the sketch comedy show ''Full Frontal'', which in turn led to a number of television roles including his own sketch show, ''The Micallef P(r)ogram(me)'', the sitcom ''Welcher & Welcher'' and the variety show ''Micallef Tonight''. He also fronted the satirical news comedy series ''Newstopia'' on SBS and currently hosts the game show ''Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation'' on Network Ten.

In addition to his television work Micallef has appeared on stage, most notably in the Australian production of Boeing Boeing, and radio as the co-host of Melbourne station Vega 91.5 FM's morning program. He is also a published author; his book ''Smithereens'' was released in 2004, and re-released in January 2011. His other book, a novella by the name of ''Preincarnate'', was released in 2010.

Personal life

Micallef was born in Adelaide, South Australia and is of Maltese and Irish descent. His father worked for a company that sold parts for Volvos and his mother was employed at the Bank of Adelaide. As a child he lived in Clovelly Park and attended St Bernadette's School in St. Marys then St Joseph’s Catholic School in Mitchell Park (now Sacred Heart College Middle School) before moving on to Sacred Heart Senior College where he was the College Captain. He studied law at the University of Adelaide, where he was frequently involved in comedy revues, often involving Francis Greenslade and Gary McCaffrie, with whom he continues to work. He was a practising solicitor for ten years in the field of insurance law before making the decision to move to Melbourne and pursue a full-time career in comedy in 1993. He currently lives in Williamstown, Victoria with his wife Leandra (whom he married in 1988) and their three sons. He relates the story that while working as a solicitor, he talked so much about making a career change and becoming a comedian that his wife gave him an ultimatum. She circled a date in the near future on a calendar and told Shaun to quit his job and become a comedian by that date, or never talk about it again.

Career

Early theatre

In 1972, having three younger sisters taking ballet classes, ten year old Micallef was often asked to help out when a dance routine required a boy. The following year he auditioned for the Bunyip Children's Theatre and over the next four years participated in plays that they performed in the Scott Theatre during school holidays. In 1976 he doubled for Humphrey B. Bear for personal appearances.

Television and film

Following early TV appearances on ''Theatre Sports'' (1987) and ''The Big Gig'' (1989), in early 1993 Micallef was offered a job writing for the ''Jimeoin'' show which was soon followed by an offer to also write for the sketch comedy show ''Full Frontal'' where six months later he took on the role as co-producer with Gary McCaffrie. In 1994, Micallef became a full time cast member of ''Full Frontal'', where he became well-known for characters such as Milo Kerrigan, Nobby Doldrums and a send-up of Italian male model Fabio. Micallef recalls that the show was a good introduction to television comedy because, with an ensemble cast, its success did not hinge on his performance and he had more freedom to make and learn from mistakes. However, he was frustrated with the lack of control he had over his work in the series as well as the repetition of characters and gags.

Micallef's role on ''Full Frontal'' led to a 1996 special ''Shaun Micallef's World Around Him'' and three seasons of the two-time Logie Award-winning ABC series ''The Micallef Program'' (1998–2001), which he co-wrote and produced with long-time writing partner Gary McCaffrie. Since the series' end he has created and starred in two short-lived television series—the sitcom ''Welcher & Welcher'' (2003) and the variety show ''Micallef Tonight'' (2003)—and devised a series of telemovies, ''BlackJack'' (2003–present).

He has also had acting roles on the television series ''SeaChange'' (2000), ''Through My Eyes'' (2004) and "Offspring" (2010), and supporting roles in the films ''Bad Eggs'' (2003), ''The Honourable Wally Norman'' (2003), ''The Extra'' (2005), ''Aquamarine'' (2006), and The King (2007). In 2006, Micallef was a recurring guest on the Network Ten Improvisational theatre show ''Thank God You're Here''.

In 2007, along with partners McCaffrie and Michael Ward, Micallef developed the satirical comedy program ''Newstopia'', which he hosted. The show began airing 10 October 2007 on SBS, and in August 2008 it was announced that a third series had been commissioned. In 2009, Micallef joined the Ten Network and is now hosting "Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation", which has been a hit on Australian television screens.

Other work

In September 2005, Micallef began hosting the breakfast show on Melbourne radio station Vega 91.5 FM, ''Shaun, Beverley and Denise'', with comedian Denise Scott and television presenter Beverley O'Connor. In July 2006, comedian Dave O'Neil took over as host and the show was renamed ''Dave and Denise with Shaun Micallef''. Micallef left the network on 23 November 2007.

He has also released a book, ''Smithereens'', which was published in 2004 and contains a collection of prose, poetry and plays. Micallef describes it as a collection of "all sorts of bits and pieces I have written".

Mainstream popularity

With Micallef's 2009 move to the Ten Network's Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation, a sudden and unprecedented rise in his popularity within the Australian mainstream has been observed. His contract with the program marks his first long-term position in a commercial network and has raised his profile in commercial television. The extent of this has been demonstrated with celebrity appearances on Rove McManus' ''Rove'' and ''Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?'', and on ''9am with David & Kim''. In 2010, he was voted most popular presenter at the Annual Logie Awards.

List of works

Films

''The King'' (2007) - Colin Bednall

''Aquamarine'' (2006) - Storm Banks

''The Extra'' (2005) - Paul Ridley

''Bad Eggs'' (2003) - Premier Cray

''The Honourable Wally Norman'' (2003) - Ken Oats

''The 13th House'' (2003) - Sir

''Silly Billy Don't Touch That!'' (Unknown)

Television

''Laid'' (2011–present) - G-Bomb

''A Quiet Word With ...'' (2011) - Himself (guest)

''Offspring'' (2010) - Lachlan

''Shaun Micallef's New Year's Rave'' - Host

''Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?''

''Chaser's War on Everything'' (2009) - Himself (guest in the Rudd song sketch)

''Rove'' (2009) - Himself (guest)

''Melbourne International Comedy Festival'' (2009) - Host

''Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation'' (2009–present) - Host

''Good News Week'' (2009) - Himself (Guest)

''Spicks and Specks'' (2008) - Himself (guest)

''Newstopia'' (2007–2008) - Himself

''Dogstar'' (2007) - Narrator

''Thank God You're Here'' (2006–present) - Various (semi-regular guest)

''The Shambles'' (2006) - (guest cameo)

''Through My Eyes'' (2005) - Jack Winneke

''BlackJack'' (2003–2007) (writer)

''Micallef Tonight'' (2003) - Himself (also writer)

''Welcher & Welcher'' (2003) - Quentin Welcher (also writer/producer)

''SeaChange'' (2000) - Warwick Munro

''The Micallef Program'' (1998–2001) - Various (also writer/producer)

''Shaun Micallef's World Around Him'' (1996) - Various (also writer/producer)

''The Glynn Nicholas Show'' (1996) (writer)

''Full Frontal'' (1994–1996) - Various (also writer/producer)

''Jimeoin'' (1994) - Various (also writer)

''The Big Gig'' (1989) (writer)

Theatre

''Boeing Boeing'' (2008) - Bernard

''Good Evening - Sketches from Dudley Moore and Peter Cook'' (2010)

Radio shows

''Dave and Denise with Shaun Micallef'' on Vega 91.5 FM (2005–2007)

''Hamish & Andy'' on Fox FM (a guest twice)

''Pete and Myf'' (with ''Newstopia'' writer Richard Marsland on Triple M (guest two times)

''Get This'' appeared on the final show in the first hour

Books

''Preincarnate'' (2010)

''Smithereens'' (2004)

Music

''His Generation'' (2009)

Awards

2008: Won Aria Award Best Comedy Release - ''The Expurgated Micallef Tonight: The Very Best of Shaun Micallef's Short-Lived but Brilliant Tonight Show''

2010: Won Most Popular Presenter and nominated for the Gold Logie at the Logie Awards for his role on Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation.

References

External links

Unofficial Shaun Micallef Fansite

Unofficial Shaun Micallef Fansite

Category:1962 births Category:Australian comedians Category:Australian film actors Category:Australian lawyers Category:Australian television presenters Category:Living people Category:Australian people of Maltese descent Category:People from Adelaide Category:Comedians from Melbourne Category:University of Adelaide alumni Category:ARIA Award winners Category:Australian culture Category:People from Williamstown, Victoria

ga:Shaun Micallef

Name	Kyle Thomas Busch
Birth date	May 02, 1985
birth place	Las Vegas, Nevada
cup car team	18 – Joe Gibbs Racing
previous year	2010
prev cup pos	8th
best cup pos	5th – 2007
cup wins	23
cup top tens	114
cup poles	8
first cup race	2004 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 (Las Vegas)
first cup win	2005 Sony HD 500 (California)
last cup win	2011 Pure Michigan 400 (Michigan)
busch car team	18– Joe Gibbs Racing
prev busch year	2010
prev busch pos	3rd
best busch pos	1st – 2009
first busch race	2003 Carquest Auto Parts 300 (Charlotte)
first busch win	2004 Funai 250 (Richmond)
last busch win	2011 Food City 250 (Bristol )
busch wins	50
busch top tens	140
busch poles	23
truck car team	18– Kyle Busch Motorsports
first truck race	2001 Power Stroke Diesel 200 (Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis)
first truck win	2005 Quaker Steak and Lube 200 (Charlotte)
last truck win	2011 UNOH 225 (Kentucky)
prev truck year	2010
prev truck pos	14th
best truck pos	14th – 2008/2010
truck wins	29
truck top tens	73
truck poles	12
awards	2004 Busch Series Rookie of the Year2005 NEXTEL Cup Series Rookie of the Year 2008 Southern 500 Winner 2009 Nationwide Series Champion
updated	July 16, 2011 }}

Kyle Thomas Busch aka:"Rowdy" or "Shrub" (born May 2, 1985) is an American NASCAR driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No. 18 Dollar General Toyota Tundra for his own team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

He currently holds the modern-era record for most race wins in a season across the top three NASCAR series with twenty-four wins, which he accomplished in 2010. On August 21, 2010, Busch became the first driver to win in all three of NASCAR's top three touring series in the same weekend (Bristol). Busch became the first driver in Nationwide series history to lead more than 10,000 laps. Busch also holds the record for the most NASCAR Nationwide Series wins with 50, surpassing Mark Martin's 49.

Busch is also only the second driver to ever win on his birthday, winning the 2009 Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway, which was run on his 24th birthday. Cale Yarborough was the first.

Kyle Busch married Samantha Sarcinella on December 31, 2010 in Chicago. Sarcinella is a native of St. John, Indiana and a graduate of Purdue University.

He is the younger brother of 2004 Nextel Cup Series champion Kurt Busch.

Early life

Kyle Busch's first driving lessons came at the age of 6 when he drove around the cul-de-sac of his family's Las Vegas neighborhood in a makeshift go-kart. Although he was too small to reach the throttle, Busch still was able to pick up the basics from his father Tom, who controlled the gas pedal as his young son steered the kart. Throughout his childhood, Busch spent many hours as an apprentice to his father and older brother Kurt in the family garage learning to build and repair race cars. By the age of 10, he was a full-fledged mechanic and served as crew chief of his older brother's dwarf car team.

In 1998, shortly after his 13th birthday, Busch's driving career officially began. From 1999 through 2001, Busch earned more than 65 wins in legends car racing as he racked up two track championships at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's "Bullring" before moving to late models. He captured 10 victories in late model competition at the Bullring in 2001.

Early career

At the age of 16, Busch began competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (now Camping World Truck Series) for Roush Racing as a replacement for Nathan Haseleu and Chuck Hossfeld, who were released midway in the 2001 season. He made his debut at Indianapolis Raceway Park, impressing many people with a 9th place finish. In his second race at Chicago Motor Speedway, he was leading with less than 20 laps to go and was on his way to winning the race, until his truck ran out of fuel with 12 laps to go.

Busch was the fastest in practice for a 2001 Craftsman Truck Series race at California Speedway in Fontana, CA, when he was ejected from the track by CART officials because the American Racing Wheels 200 was part of a CART weekend featuring the Marlboro 500 CART FedEx Championship Series event. Marlboro threw Busch out of the garage because of an interpretation of the Master Settlement Agreement of 1998, prohibiting people under 18 years of age in participating in events sponsored by tobacco companies. He earned two top-10 finishes in six starts in the #99 Eldon Ford F-150 in what had been scheduled to be a full-season campaign for 2002.

Six weeks after the incident, NASCAR imposed a minimum age of 18 years starting in 2002 to prevent future incidents from happening again, because Winston was the premier series sponsor at the time. When the age requirements were put in place, Busch switched from NASCAR to the American Speed Association (ASA) series, finishing 8th in points.

In 2002, Busch graduated a year early with honors from Durango High School in Las Vegas, Nevada to focus on his driving career. That same year, he made his debut in the ARCA RE/MAX Series at Lowe's Motor Speedway, finishing twelfth in the #22 WP Motorsports Chevrolet.

In 2003, Busch signed a driver development contract with Hendrick Motorsports, and drove seven ARCA races in their #87 ditech entry. He won his first two races at Nashville Superspeedway and Kentucky Speedway, and won his most recent ARCA race the following year at Daytona.

He is often nicknamed "Shrub", since he is the younger brother of NASCAR driver Kurt Busch and a small bush is called a shrub.

NASCAR career

2003–2007

Upon turning 18, Busch partnered with Hendrick Motorsports to run six NASCAR Busch Series races at selected tracks, running the #87 Ditech.com Chevrolet Monte Carlo for NEMCO Motorsports. During his seat time in that ride, Busch finished a Busch Series career-high second in his first NASCAR Busch Series race at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in May 2003.

Busch's first full-time season began in 2004, as he competed in the Lowe's car vacated by Brian Vickers, who had moved up to the NEXTEL Cup series. Busch clinched Rookie of the Year honors in the series, receiving his first top-10 finish of the season at the second race in Rockingham, won his first pole of the season in the fifth race, and claimed his first victory at the Richmond International Raceway at the Funai 250 in May. Busch went on to claim five wins in 2004, making him the record holder of most races won by a driver in their rookie season, and finished second to Martin Truex, Jr. in the overall points. Busch also qualified for six Nextel Cup races out of nine attempts in 2004 in the #84 Carquest Chevrolet for Hendrick, his highest finish being 24th at California Speedway.

After the announcement that long time Hendrick NEXTEL Cup series driver Terry Labonte would be running a limited schedule in 2005 and 2006, Busch was picked to take over the #5 Kellogg's/Carquest Auto Parts Chevrolet Monte Carlo, crew chiefed by Alan Gustafson. He won his first career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race on September 4 in the Sony HD 500 at California Speedway, driving for Rick Hendrick. At the end of the season Busch won the 2005 Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year with 2 wins and a 20th place points finish. The earlier win at Fontana made Busch eligible to become a part of the 20 NASCAR Triple Threats, a group of drivers who have won a race in NASCAR's top three divisions. At the time, he was the youngest-ever winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, at 20 years, 125 days, a mark that has since been eclipsed by current teammate Joey Logano. He also became the youngest pole sitter in NEXTEL Cup history after winning the pole for the 2005 Auto Club 500.

Busch returned to the Craftsman Truck Series in 2005 for a limited number of races in Billy Ballew Motorsports's Chevrolets, winning his first career truck series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 20, 2005, becoming the youngest driver to win a Truck Series race, at 20 years 19 days. He would also win the truck race at Dover International Speedway, and the fall race in Atlanta Motor Speedway, both 200-mile races. In addition, he ran a limited schedule in the Busch Series driving the #5 and #57 for Hendrick. He won at Lowe's Motor Speedway; but did not qualify for the race at Texas Motor Speedway, a track he had won the pole at one year earlier.

In 2006, he took the victory in the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway, and qualified for the Chase for the Cup during the last race before the 2006 Chase at Richmond International Raceway, in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, where he finished second after leading the most laps. He entered the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup fourth in Cup points. Busch started the first race of the Chase mid-pack in the 43 car field at the New Hampshire International Speedway but got caught up in an incident on lap four when he and the #66 Best Buy Chevrolet of Jeff Green made contact, knocking his front suspension out of line, and eventually spun out and wrecked the car. Busch followed up the next week at Dover International Speedway with an initially strong run before an engine failure took him out of the race. Busch then went to the Kansas Speedway and led several laps before being caught for speeding on pit road and finished in the bottom half of the top-ten. He finished the season in tenth place in the 2006 NEXTEL Cup standings, 448 points behind champion Jimmie Johnson. His winnings for the 2006 season sum up to $5,537,337. Busch is currently the youngest driver to make the NASCAR NEXTEL Chase for the Cup.

Busch repeated his Lowe's victory in 2006 in a truck painted to resemble the Rowdy Burns car from Days of Thunder, in a tribute to Bobby Hamilton (who was the stunt driver for the character), who was in the midst of a cancer battle which would later take his life. In addition, he ran nearly the entire 2006 season in the #5 Lowe's/Shop-Vac Chevy, winning one race and finishing seventh in points despite skipping one race.

Busch became the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver to win in NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow at the 2007 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. He also scored Hendrick Motorsports their 200th NASCAR win (in all series), and also scored Chevrolet's 600th NASCAR victory, the first by the Chevrolet Impala since Wendell Scott's 1963 win in Jacksonville, Florida. At the Aaron's 312 Busch Race at Talladega, Busch went on a wild ride down the backstretch when he got turned into teammate Casey Mears' car by Tony Stewart. The car spun towards the outside wall and flipped onto its roof. The car then slid down the track and hit the turn 3 grass, flipping side over side. The car flipped a total of seven times, but Busch walked away unscathed. In the Nextel All-Star Challenge at the Lowe's Motor Speedway, he and older brother Kurt Busch got together, knocking them both out of the race. In June 2007, Busch announced his plans to leave Hendrick Motorsports after the 2007 season. The two sides had been working on a contract extension but eventually agreed mutually to part ways. It was announced the same day that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would be replacing him at Hendrick Motorsports. However, days later Busch stated that he had no idea he was going to be released. It was announced two months later that Busch had chosen Joe Gibbs Racing for his team in the 2008 season. He replaced J. J. Yeley in the #18 Toyota Camry, with M&M;'s coming over from Yates Racing as the primary sponsor. In the Busch Series, he ran nineteen races and won four times, garnering a sixteenth-place points finish. He also made eleven starts in the Craftsman Truck Series for Billy Ballew in the #51 Flanders Beef Patties truck, winning 3 times.

2008–Present

Busch's tenure with Gibbs started off with leading the most laps (86) in the 50th Annual Daytona 500 before finishing 4th. He followed that with another 4th place finish in the Auto Club 500. As a result, he took the lead in the points standings for the first time in his career. Busch led 173 of the 325 laps and won the Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. It was the 5th career win for Busch, and the first Sprint Cup points race victory for Toyota.

On August 23 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards tapped Busch's rear bumper on lap 470/500 to take the lead Busch had owned for most of the race. After the race, Busch pulled alongside to bump into Edwards repeatedly, to "let him know I didn't appreciate the way he passed me." Edwards responded by spinning out Busch. The following week, NASCAR announced that both Edwards and Busch were being placed on probation for the off-track argument.

Busch's hopes for his first championship were dashed by two consecutive DNF's at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway, wiping out his 20-point lead and dropping him to 12th in points. However, Busch ralled back with top fives and gained two more spots to close out his first season with JGR 10th in points. Busch had a career-high eight wins and twenty-one top-tens that season.

Busch also ran 30 Nationwide races, and along with Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Tony Stewart helped win the 2008 Nationwide series Owners Championship for Joe Gibbs Racing for the number 20 car. He ran in the series for three different teams and in 4 different numbers, running Braun Racing's number 32 with Beringer and Dollar General sponsorship, the 92 Toyota with Zippo BLU sponsorship for D'Hondt Motorsports in the Zippo 200, and for Joe Gibbs Racing in the number 18 with sponsorship from Interstate Batteries, DLP, Z-Line Designs and Southern Farm Bureau Insurance and the number 20 with Doosan Infracore, Farm Bureau and Z-Line as sponsors.

Busch accumulated 4 poles, 20 top tens and 18 top fives in his partial season, and won 10 races which tied the Nationwide series record for most wins in a season with Sam Ard, who had accomplished the feat some 24 years earlier. In the Craftsman Truck Series, Busch finished second in the Chevy Silverado 250 at Daytona International Speedway, and followed it up a week later with a win in the San Bernardino County 200 at the newly named Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Two weeks later at Atlanta, he raced to another win in the American Commercial Lines 200. Busch acquired his 2nd Craftsman Truck Series pole in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. His 3rd win of the 2008 truck series season was at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday, August 20, 2008.

On February 12 2009, Busch won the second Gatorade Duel at Daytona. This was the first qualifying race win for Busch, allowing him to start fourth in the 51st Daytona 500. Busch led 88 laps, leading the most for the second year in a row. However, he was taken out on lap 125 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned into Brian Vickers' car, starting a chain reaction crash that sent Vickers into Busch's car, wrecking it, and several other lead lap cars. The following week, Busch made NASCAR history, becoming the first person in the history of the sport to win races in two of NASCAR's touring series in the same day by winning the San Bernardino County 200 in the afternoon and the Stater Brothers 300 in the evening. The next week, he won the 2009 Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in his hometown. After the race, he and his brother exchanged a long, passionate hug, perhaps signaling the end of their feud. Darrell Waltrip was quoted as saying it was the "sweetest thing he had ever seen". Busch was the first to win three Cup races in 2009, collecting his third win at Richmond International Raceway. With his win in the 2009 Crown Royal Presents the Russ Friedman 400, Busch joined Cale Yarborough as the only drivers to win on their birthday.

Busch was involved in a violent wreck at the end of the 2009 Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway. While leading on the final lap, only yards from the finish line, Tony Stewart and Busch made contact, sending Busch spinning hard into the outside wall, his car nearly flipping over, which was then hit by Kasey Kahne, sending the car up on its nose. Busch took another hard hit in the driver's side from teammate Joey Logano before spinning to a stop in the infield. Stewart won the race. Busch would finsh 5th at Richmond, but he missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup by 8 points. Brian Vickers would get the last spot.

In the Nationwide Series on November 21, 2009, Kyle Busch won both the Nationwide Series finale and his first NASCAR Championship, becoming the first driver since Sam Ard in 1983 to win the season finale and the championship in the same year. Busch finished the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series season with 9 wins, 25 top 5's, and 30 top 10's.

Busch's 2009 season in the newly-renamed Camping World Truck Series started off much like the 2008 season had. Finishing second in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway to Todd Bodine, as they had finished in 2008, Busch then dominated the San Bernardino County 200 a week later at Auto Club Speedway, winning the pole and leading 95 of 100 laps. Bodine finished second – again, the same as the two had finished in this race the year before. The following race, the American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Busch again won the pole, and overcame an ill-handling truck as well as transmission problems to take the lead in the closing laps. Busch was able to hold off Kevin Harvick to win the race for the second year in a row. It was his fourth win in five Truck Series starts at Atlanta.

On December 11, 2009, Kyle Busch announced the formation of Kyle Busch Motorsports that will field two teams in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2010. KBM will have two truck teams running in the series. The #18 Toyota Tundra was to be driven by Busch part time, with the remainder of races to be driven by Brian Ickler. The second truck, the #56 Toyota Tundra, was to be driven by Tayler Malsam. However, after both Ickler and Malsam accepted jobs to drive in the Nationwide Series, and while suffering financial troubles due to lack of sponsorship, Busch withdrew the #56 from competition and has hired various drivers such as Johnny Benson and Kasey Kahne as well as Brian Ickler to fill in on #18 when Busch wasn't driving it himself.

On August 21, 2010, Kyle Busch became the first driver in NASCAR history to win all 3 NASCAR tour events in one weekend. This was achieved at Bristol with a win for the Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide Series, and the Sprint Cup Series. Busch started 19th in his Doublemint Toyota. He worked his way to the front, but Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart led him until a caution came out. Stewart checked up, allowing Tony Raines in the #37 car to hit his rear bumper, losing him the lead and the race. On the restart, Busch passed Johnson for the lead, but soon after Johnson was turned into the wall by Juan Pablo Montoya. Kyle Busch continued on to win the race leading the most laps and setting yet another record. Now Kyle is one of the most dominant forces in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Series. In the Nationwide series he won 11 races in 2010, breaking the all-time record for most Nationwide Series wins in a season previously held by Sam Ard with 10. On October 30, 2010, Busch scored a controversial victory in the Camping World Truck Series Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway, which saw Busch's truck wiggle below the track's double-yellow "out-of-bounds" line as Busch made the winning pass on second-place finisher Aric Almirola at the finish line.

For 2011, Busch's Speedweeks started off on a low note, as he crashed out of the Budweiser Shootout along with teammate Joey Logano. Busch also raced in all 3 NASCAR events at Daytona, finishing 5th in the Truck Race, 7th in the Nationwide race, and 8th in the Daytona 500. The next week at Phoenix, Busch dominated the Truck race and led every single lap in the Bashas' Supermarkets 200. Kyle Would also Sweep the weekend at Bristol in the Nationwide and Cup Series on the March 19th and March 20 Race Weekend at Thunder Valley. On April 30, 2011, Kyle won at Richmond International Raceway, capturing his 2nd win in the 2011 season. Following an on-track incident with Kevin Harvick during and after the Southern 500 at Darlington Speedway, Kyle was fined $25,000 and put on probation for 4 races (plus the All-Star Race).

Following the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250, pit reporter Ray Dunlap tweeted, “Hot news from the track. Grandpa Childress put a whipping on Kyle Busch in the truck garage". Dunlap mistakenly referred to him as "kubu", which is Twitter shorthand for Kurt Busch, who was not involved.

It is believed that Kyle Busch's post-race bump of Joey Coulter, who drove the #22 Richard Childress Racing-owned Chevrolet Silverado, was in response to Coulter passing Busch on the final lap. About 30 minutes after the race, witnesses say that Childress came up to Busch, put him in a head lock and started punching him. Busch, who was still on probation at the time of the incident, did not violate his probation. Childress, however, was fined $150,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until December 31, 2011. Busch said in an interview that he did not hit Coulter's truck intentionally and that it was a congratulatory bump. He also said that he would pay Childress for the damage on Coulter's truck.

On August 21, 2011, Busch won the Pure Michigan 400 for his 4th victory of the 2011 season and became the first man to clinch a spot in the Chase. Jeff Gordon was the class of the field late, but after a late race debris caution, Busch beat Gordon and Matt Kenseth out of the pits and held off Jimmie Johnson for the win.

On August 26, 2011 Kyle Busch won the Nationwide Series at Bristol Motor Speedway surpassing Mark Martin for the most Nationwide series wins ever, with 50, and also simultaneously became the first driver to win three consecutive races at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Nationwide Series. He also won this race in one of the closest finishes in series history, as he won the race by 0.019 seconds over teammate Joey Logano.

2011 Results

Sprint Cup Series

2011 PreSeason Races
! #	! Date	! Race	! Track	! Start	! Finish	! Points
	02/12/2011	Budweiser Shootout	Daytona International Speedway	21st	16th	—
	02/17/2011	Gatorade Duel – Race 2	Daytona International Speedway	13th	4th	—
2011 Regular Season – Races 1 – 26
! #	! Date	! Race	! Track	! Start	! Finish	! Points
1	02/20/2011	Daytona 500	Daytona International Speedway	10th	8th	7th
2	02/27/2011	Subway Fresh Fit 500	Phoenix International Raceway	4th	2nd	1st
3	03/06/2011	Kobalt Tools 400	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	5th	38th	14th
4	03/20/2011	Jeff Byrd 500 Presented by Food City	Bristol Motor Speedway	12th	1st	6th
5	03/27/2011	Auto Club 400	Auto Club Speedway	8th	3rd	4th
6	04/03/2011	Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500	Martinsville Speedway	11th	3rd	1st
7	04/09/2011	Samsung Mobile 500	Texas Motor Raceway	11th	16th	2nd
8	04/17/2011	Aaron's 499	Talladega Superspeedway	34th	35th	6th
9	04/30/2011	Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400	Richmond International Raceway	20th	1st	3rd
10	05/07/2011	Showtime Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	14th	11th	3rd
11	05/15/2011	Fedex 400 Benefitting Autism Speaks	Dover International Speedway	7th	4th	3rd
	05/21/2011	Sprint All-Star Race	Charlotte Motor Speedway	1st	2nd	—
12	05/29/2011	Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway	21st	32nd	5th
13	06/05/2011	STP 400	Kansas Speedway	3rd	12th	5th
14	06/12/2011	Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500	Pocono Speedway	34th	3rd	5th
15	06/19/2011	Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400	Michigan International Speedway	24th	3rd	4th
16	06/26/2011	Toyota / Save Mart 350	Infineon Raceway	19th	11th	5th
17	07/02/2011	Coke Zero 400	Daytona International Speedway	38th	5th	3rd
18	07/09/2011	Quaker State 400	Kentucky Speedway	1st	1st	1st
19	07/17/2011	Lenox Industrial Tools 301	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	19th	'''36th	5th
20	07/31/2011	Brickyard 400	Indianapolis Motor Raceway	29th	10th	4th
21	08/07/2011	Pennsylvania 500	Pocono Raceway	11th	2nd	3rd
22	08/14/2011	Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen	Watkins Glen International	1st	3rd	1st
23	08/21/2011	Pure Michigan 400	Michigan International Speedway	17th	1st	1st
24	08/27/2011	Irwin Tools Night Race	Bristol Motor Speedway	-	-	-
25	09/04/2011	AdvoCare 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	-	-	-
26	09/10/2011	Air Guard 400	Richmond International Raceway	-	-	-
2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup – Races 27 – 36
! #	! Date	! Race	! Track	! Start	! Finish	! Points
27	09/18/2011	Geico 400	Chicagoland Speedway	-	-	-
28	09/25/2011	Sylvania 300	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	-	-	-
29	10/02/2011	AAA 400	Dover International Speedway	-	-	-
30	10/09/2011	Hollywood Casino 400	Kansas Speedway	-	-	-
31	10/15/2011	Bank of America 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway	-	-	-
32	10/23/2011	AMP Energy 500	Talladega Superspeedway	-	-	-
33	10/30/2011	Tums Bring It On 500	Martinsville Speedway	-	-	-
34	11/06/2011	AAA Texas 500	Texas Motor Speedway	-	-	-
35	11/13/2011	Kobalt Tools 500	Phoenix International Speedway	-	-	-
36	11/20/2011	Ford 400	Homestead-Miami Speedway	-	-	-

Nationwide Series

2011 Season – Races 1 – 34
! #	! Date	! Race	! Track	! Start	! Finish
1	02/19/2011	Drive4COPD 300	Daytona International Speedway	8th	7th
2	02/26/2011	Bashas' Supermarkets 200	Phoenix International Raceway	1st	1st
3	03/05/2011	Sam's Town 300	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	2nd	30th
4	03/19/2011	Scotts EZ Seed 300	Bristol Motor Speedway	5th	1st
5	03/26/2011	Royal Purple 300	Auto Club Speedway	7th	1st
6	04/08/2011	O'Reilly Auto Parts 300	Texas Motor Speedway	8th	34th
7	04/16/2011	Aaron's 312	Talladega Superspeedway	22nd	1st
8	04/23/2011	Nashville 300	Nashville Superspeedway	6th	2nd
9	04/29/2011	Bubba Burger 250	Richmond International Raceway	DNA	DNA
10	05/06/2011	Royal Purple 200	Darlington Raceway	1st	1st
11	05/14/2011	5-Hour Energy 200	Dover International Speedway	13th	2nd
12	05/22/2011	Iowa John Deere Dealers 250	Iowa Speedway	DNA	DNA
13	05/28/2011	Top Gear 300	Charlotte Motor Speedway	4th	3rd
14	06/04/2011	STP 300	Chicagoland Speedway	DNA	DNA
15	06/18/2011	Michigan 250	Michigan International Speedway	12th	3rd
16	06/25/2011	Bucyrus 200	Road America	DNA	DNA
17	07/01/2011	Subway Jalapeño 250	Daytona International Speedway	14th	4th
18	07/08/2011	Feed the Children 300	Kentucky Speedway	41st	3rd
19	07/16/2011	New England 200	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	5th	1st
20	07/23/2011	Federated Auto Parts 300	Nashville Superspeedway	-	-
21	07/30/2011	Kroger 200	Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis	-	-
22	08/06/2011	U.S. Cellular 250	Iowa Speedway	-	-
23	08/13/2011	Zippo 200	Watkins Glen International	-	-
24	08/20/2011	NAPA Auto Parts 200	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve	-	-
25	08/26/2011	Food City 250	Bristol Motor Speedway	-	-
26	09/03/2011	Great Clips 300	Atlanta Motor Speedway	-	-
27	09/09/2011	Virginia 529 College Savings 250	Richmond International Raceway	-	-
28	09/17/2011	Dollar General 300	Chicagoland Speedway	-	-
29	10/01/2011	OneMain Financial 200	Dover International Speedway	-	-
30	10/08/2011	Kansas Lottery 300	Kansas Speedway	-	-
31	10/14/2011	Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage	Charlotte Motor Speedway	-	-
32	11/05/2011	O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge	Texas Motor Speedway	-	-
33	11/12/2011	Wypall 200	Phoenix International Raceway	-	-
34	11/19/2011	Ford 300	Homestead-Miami Speedway	-	-

DNA means the driver did not attempt the race

Camping World Truck Series

2011 Season – Races 1 – 25
! #	! Date	! Race	! Track	! Start	! Finish
1	02/18/2011	NextEra Energy Resources 250	Daytona International Speedway	21st	5th
2	02/25/2011	Lucas Oil 150	Phoenix International Raceway	3rd	1st
3	03/12/2011	Too Tough To Tame 200	Darlington Raceway	DNA	DNA
4	04/02/2011	Kroger 250	Martinsville Speedway	5th	2nd
5	04/22/2011	Bully Hill Vineyards 200	Nashville Superspeedway	1st	1st
6	05/13/2011	Lucas Oil 200	Dover International Speedway	3rd	1st
7	05/20/2011	North Carolina Education Lottery 200	Charlotte Motor Speedway	6th	1st
8	06/04/2011	O'Reilly Auto Parts 250	Kansas Speedway	11th	6th
9	06/10/2011	WinStar World Casino 400	Texas Motor Speedway	DNA	DNA
10	07/07/2011	Kentucky 225	Kentucky Speedway	8th	1st
11	07/16/2011	Iowa 200	Iowa Speedway	DNA	DNA
12	07/22/2011	Nashville 200	Nashville Superspeedway	-	-
13	07/29/2011	Indianapolis 200	Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis	-	-
14	08/06/2011	Pocono Mountains 125	Pocono Raceway	-	-
15	08/20/2011	VFW 200	Michigan International Speedway	-	-
16	08/24/2011	O'Reilly Auto Parts 200	Bristol Motor Speedway	-	-
17	09/02/2011	Atlanta 200	Atlanta Motor Speedway	-	-
18	09/16/2011	Chicago 225	Chicagoland Speedway	-	-
19	09/24/2011	F.W. Webb 175	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	-	-
20	10/01/2011	Kentucky 225	Kentucky Speedway	-	-
21	10/15/2011	Smith's 350	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	-	-
22	10/22/2011	Talladega 250	Talladega Superspeedway	-	-
23	10/29/2011	Kroger 200	Martinsville Speedway	-	-
24	11/04/2011	WinStar World Casino 350K	Texas Motor Speedway	-	-
25	11/18/2011	Ford 200	Homestead-Miami Speedway	-	-

DNA means the driver did not attempt the race

Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics

Races 6 36 36 36 36 36 36 23 245

Year	|	Wins	Poles	Top 5	Top 10	DNF	Avg. Finish	Avg. Start	Winnings	Season Rank	Team(s)
	2004	|	0	0	0	0	4	35.2	27.2	$394,489	52nd	Hendrick Motorsports
	2005	|	2	1	9	13	8	21.0	18.6	$4,730,471	20th	Hendrick Motorsports
	2006	|	1	1	10	18	2	15.5	14.9	$6,077,337	10th	Hendrick Motorsports
	2007	|	1	0	11	20	2	14.1	15.0	$6,475,098	5th	Hendrick Motorsports
	2008	|	8	2	17	21	2	12.5	11.9	$8,276,725	10th	Joe Gibbs Racing
	2009	|	4	1	9	13	2	15.4	12.2	$6,945,752	13th	Joe Gibbs Racing
	2010	|	3	2	10	18	3	14.0	15.8	$7,447,367	8th	Joe Gibbs Racing
	2011	|	4	1	13	15	3	10.5	15.3	$3,982,665	1st	Joe Gibbs Racing
colspan="11" style="background:grey; height:5px;"
Totals	|	23	8	79	118	25	15.4	15.1	$44,329,904

(Data current as of August 22nd, 2011)

Formula One

Busch was one of three American drivers under consideration to drive for the US-based Formula One team US F1, along with Alexander Rossi and Jonathan Summerton before the team folded due to economic issues. Busch was supposed to have a test drive in Toyota F1 car at the end of 2008 season, but could not make it in the end because of Nationwide Series banquet.

Kyle Busch Foundation

According to the KBFoundation Mission Statement, The Kyle Busch Foundation is dedicated to providing essential tools for less fortunate children throughout the country. KBF will concentrate its efforts on assisting organizations in fostering a safe environment for children to live, learn and challenge themselves as well as seeing that day to day needs are met. His foundation sponsors his #51 late model which is driven by Alex Haase. Busch also has personal sponsorship deals in place with NOS Energy Drink and Electric Visual, with both appearing on his late model at one time or another.

During the 2008 season, Busch announced the "Kyle's Miles" program, inviting consumers to go to www.dogsrule.com. Kyle's Miles is a team-up with Pedigree to help dogs in shelters and breed rescue organizations.

Legal Troubles

On May 24, 2011, Busch was cited for reckless driving and speeding in Troutman, North Carolina, driving 128 MPH in a 45 MPH zone.He claims he got carried away test driving a Lexus LFA and issued a public apology.

On August 23, 2011, Busch received a $1,000 fine and had his license suspended for 45 days after he pleaded guilty to speeding. Busch also will have to serve 30 hours of community service and serve 1 year of unsupervised probation.

References

External links

Samantha Busch's Agent is Domenick Nati

Kyle Busch's Official Website

Category:1985 births Category:American Speed Association drivers Category:ARCA drivers Category:Hendrick Motorsports drivers Category:Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Category:Living people Category:NASCAR drivers Category:NASCAR Nationwide Series champions Category:NASCAR owners Category:NASCAR Rookies of the Year Category:People from the Las Vegas metropolitan area Category:Racecar drivers from Nevada Category:Roush Racing drivers

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