US or U.S. usually refers to the United States, a country in North America.

US, U.S. or us may also refer to:

Language

we, us is the objective case of we in English

Geography

Us, Val-d'Oise, France

Education

University of Salford, a university in the UK

University of Salzburg, a university in Austria

University of Seville, a university in Spain

Université de Sherbrooke, a university in Canada

University School, a private all-boys day school in Hunting Valley, Ohio, United States

University of Sussex, a university in the UK

Music

''Us'' (Peter Gabriel album)

''Us'' (Mull Historical Society album)

''Us'' (Brother Ali album)

"Us" (Regina Spektor song)

''Us'', a 1974 album by Maceo Parker

"Us", a song by Ice Cube from ''Death Certificate''

"Us", a song by Céline Dion from ''Let's Talk About Love''

"US", a song by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks from ''Pig Lib''

Urban Symphony, an Estonian music group

Other uses

U.S., used in legal citations to refer to the United States Reports

Union of Russia and Belarus

US Airways' IATA designator

''Us Weekly'', an American celebrity magazine

''Us'' (TV movie)

.us, Internet TLD of the United States of America

''US'', Ultrasonic, Ultrasound

See also

µs, microsecond

United Services Club or ''US Club'', a golf club in Mumbai

United States (disambiguation)

Uz (disambiguation)

ca:Us de:US es:Us (desambiguación) eo:Us fr:US ko:US id:US it:US lv:US lt:US nl:US ja:US pl:Us pt:US ro:US ru:US (значения) fi:Us sv:US zh-yue:Us zh:US (消歧義)

A television program (television programme in the United Kingdom, Ireland and many Commonwealth countries), also called television show (in the United States), is a segment of content, which is intended to be broadcast on television. It is the product of a television production—or the filmmaking process. It may be a one-time broadcast or part of a periodically recurring series.

A television series that is predetermined to be broadcast as a set number of programs is usually called a miniseries or serial (although the latter term also has other meanings). A short-run of a series lasting less than a year is known as a ''season''—though in the United Kingdom and (some of) the rest of the PAL countries, the term ''series'' is used. This season, or series, usually consists of 12 to 26 installments in the United States, but in the UK there is no defined length. The US-industry practice tends to favor longer seasons than those of some other countries.

A single program of a series is called an episode. A one-time broadcast may be called a "special", or particularly in the UK a "special episode". A television movie ("made-for-TV movie"), or in the UK a television film, is a film that is initially broadcast on television rather than released in cinemas or direct-to-video, although many successful TV movies are later released on DVD.

A program can be either recorded—as on video tape or other various electronic media forms—or considered live television.

Program content

The content of television programs may be factual—as in documentary, news, and reality television, or fictional—as in comedies and dramas. It may be topical—as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television movies, or historical—as in the case of many documentaries and fictional series. They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows.

A drama program usually features a set of actors in a somewhat familiar setting. The program follows their lives and their adventures. With the exception of soap operas, many shows especially before the 1980s, remained static without story arcs, the main characters and the premise changed little. If some change happened to the characters lives during the episode, it was usually undone by the end. (Because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order.) Since the 1980s, there are many series that feature progressive change to the plot, the characters, or both.

Common television program periods include regular broadcasts (like news), series (usually seasonal and ongoing with a duration of only a few episodes to many seasons), or miniseries, which is an extended film, usually with a small predetermined number of episodes and a set plot and timeline. Miniseries usually range from about 3 to 10 hours in length. In the UK, the term "miniseries" is only usually used in reference to imported programmes, and such short-run series are usually called "serials".

Older American television shows began with a title sequence showing opening credits at the bottom lower third of the screen during the beginning, and included closing credits at the end of the show. However, beginning in the 1990s some shows began with a "cold open", followed by a title sequence and a commercial break. Many serial-type shows begin with a "Previously on..." (such as the series ''24'') introduction before the new episode. And, to save time, some shows omit the title sequence altogether, folding the names normally featured there into the opening credits. The title sequence has not been completely eliminated, however, as many major television series still use them.

While television series appearing on TV networks are usually commissioned by the networks themselves, their producers earn greater revenue when the program is sold into syndication. With the rise of the DVD home video format, box sets containing entire seasons or the complete run of a program have become a significant revenue source as well. Many of the prime-time comedy shows and Saturday morning cartoons were digitally remastered for United States television around mid-May 2008, as there will be more original and reissued DVD sets of television programs containing either entire seasons or complete series to come.

Television has changed throughout the years, from wholesome family sitcoms and dramas of years ago, to the reality shows of today. When watching television became popular in the mid-20th century, the whole family watched one set together. Also, many channels have deviated from their original programming focus throughout the years because of channel drift.

Most television networks throughout the world are 'commercial', dependent on selling advertising time or acquiring sponsors, broadcasting executives' main concern over their programming is on audience size or ''eyeballs''. Once the number of 'free to air' stations was restricted by the availability of channel frequencies, but cable TV (outside the USA, satellite television) technology has allowed an expansion in the number of channels available to viewers (sometimes at premium rates) in a much more competitive environment.

Genres

Scripted entertainment

Animated

Award shows (partially scripted)

Drama—which includes:

* Action-adventure or Thriller

* Comedy-drama

* Family drama

* Legal drama

* Medical drama

* Police procedural

* Political drama

* Science-fiction / Fantasy / Horror / Supernatural drama

* Serial drama

* Soap opera

* Teen drama

Miniseries and Television movies

Comedy

* Mockumentary

* Satire

* Situation comedy

* Sketch comedy

Unscripted entertainment

Game shows

Reality

Talk shows

Informational

Infomercials—paid advertising which are up to an hour long

News programs

documentaries

news magazine shows—dealing with current affairs

Development

United States

A person decides to create a new television ''series''. The show's creator develops the show's elements, consisting of the concept, the characters, the crew, and various actors (in some cases, "big-name" actors). They will then offer ("pitch") it to the various networks in an attempt to find one that is interested in the series and order a prototype first episode of the series, known as a ''pilot''.

To create the pilot, the structure and team of the whole series needs to be put together. If the network likes the pilot, they will "pick up" the show for their next ''season'' (UK: ''series''). Sometimes they will save it for "midseason" or request rewrites and further review (known in the industry as "Development hell"). And other times they will ''pass'' entirely, leaving the show's creator forced to "shop it around" to other networks. Many shows never make it past the pilot stage.

If the show is picked up, a "run" of episodes is ordered. Usually only 13 episodes are ordered at first, although a series will typically last for at least 22 episodes (the last nine episodes sometimes being known as the "back nine", borrowing the colloquial golf term).

The show hires a "stable" of writers, who usually work in parallel: the first writer works on the first episode, the second on the second episode, and so forth. When all of the writers have been used, the assignment of episodes continues starting with the first writer again. On other shows, however, the writers work as a team. Sometimes they will develop story ideas individually, and pitch them to the show's creator, who then folds them together into a script and rewrites them.

United Kingdom

In contrast to the US model illustrated above, the UK procedure is operated on a sometimes similar, but much smaller scale.

The method of "team writing" is employed on some longer dramatic series (usually running up to a maximum of around 13 episodes). The idea for such a programme may be generated "in-house" by one of the networks; it could originate from an independent production company; it will sometimes be a product of both. For example, the BBC's long-running soap opera ''EastEnders'' is wholly a BBC production, whereas its popular drama ''Life on Mars'' was developed by Kudos in association with the broadcaster.

However, there are still a significant number of programmes (usually sitcoms) that are built around just one or two writers and a small, close-knit production team. These are "pitched" in the traditional way, but since the creator(s) will handle all the writing requirements, there will be a run of six or seven episodes per series once approval has been given. Many of the most popular British comedies have been made this way, including ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (albeit with an exclusive team of six writer-performers), ''Fawlty Towers'', ''Blackadder'' and ''The Office''.

Production

The executive producer, often the show's creator, is in charge of running the show. They pick the crew and help cast the actors, approve and sometimes write series plots (some even write or direct major episodes). Various other producers help to ensure that the show runs smoothly.

As with filmmaking or other electronic media production, production of an individual episode can be divided into three parts. These are:

Pre-production

Pre-production begins when a script is approved. A director is chosen to plan the episode's final look.

Pre-production tasks include storyboarding, construction of sets, props, and costumes, casting guest stars, budgeting, acquiring resources like lighting, special effects, stunts, etc. Once the show is planned, it must then be scheduled; scenes are often filmed out of sequence, guest actors or even regulars may only be available at certain times. Sometimes the principal photography of different episodes must be done at the same time, complicating the schedule (a guest star might shoot scenes from two episodes on the same afternoon). Complex scenes are translated from storyboard to animatics to further clarify the action. Scripts are adjusted to meet altering requirements.

Some shows have a small stable of directors, but also usually rely on outside directors. Given the time constraints of broadcasting, a single show might have two or three episodes in pre-production, one or two episodes in principal photography, and a few more in various stages of post-production. The task of directing is complex enough that a single director can usually not work on more than one episode or show at a time, hence the need for multiple directors.

Principal photography

Principal photography is the actual filming of the episode. Director, actors and crew will gather at a television studio or on location for filming or videoing a scene. A scene is further divided into shots, which should be planned during pre-production. Depending on scheduling, a scene may be shot in non-sequential order of the story. Conversations may be filmed twice from different camera angles, often using stand-ins, so one actor might perform all their lines in one set of shots, and then the other side of the conversation will be filmed from the opposite perspective. To complete a production on time, a second unit may be filming a different scene on another set or location at the same time, using a different set of actors, an assistant director, and a second unit crew. A director of photography supervises the lighting of each shot to ensure consistency.

Post production

Once principal photography is complete, producers coordinate tasks to begin the video editing. Visual and digital video effects are added to the film; this is often outsourced to companies specializing in these areas. Often music is performed with the conductor using the film as a time reference (other musical elements may be previously recorded). An editor cuts the various pieces of film together, adds the musical score and effects, determines scene transitions, and assembles the completed show.

Distribution

After production, the show is turned over to the television network, which sends it out to its affiliate stations, which broadcast it in the specified broadcast programming time slot. If the Nielsen ratings are good, the show is kept alive as long as possible. If not, the show is usually canceled. The show's creators are then left to shop around remaining episodes, and the possibility of future episodes, to other networks. On especially successful series, the producers sometimes call a halt to a series on their own like ''Seinfeld'', ''The Cosby Show'', ''Corner Gas'', and ''M*A*S*H'' and end it with a concluding episode, which sometimes is a big series finale.

On rare occasions, a series that has not attracted particularly high ratings and has been canceled can be given a reprieve if DVD sales have been particularly strong. This has happened in the cases of ''Family Guy'' in the US and ''Peep Show'' in the UK.

If the show is popular or lucrative, and a number of episodes (usually 100 episodes or more) are made, it goes into broadcast syndication (in the USA) where broadcast to the program rights are then resold.

== == The terminology used to define a set of episodes produced by a television series varies from country to country.

North American usage

The term "series", in North American usage, refers to a connected set of television program episodes that run under the same title, possibly spanning many seasons. A new series is often ordered (funded) for just the first 10 to 13 episodes, to gauge the audience interest. If it is "picked up", the season is completed to the regular 20 to 26 episodes. The term "midseason replacement" usually refers to an inexpensive short-run (10–13 episode) show designed to take the place of an original series which failed to garner an audience and has not been picked up. The term "series finale" can lead to confusion outside of North America. A series finale means that the show will no longer be produced, and thus will be the final episode for that series (in the UK, it would mean the end of a season).

In North America the term "television season" is used inconsistently. A "full season" typically runs from September through May, with a hiatus between December and February. This broadcast programming schedule typically includes 20 to 26 episodes. A full season is sometimes split into two separate units (confusingly also termed seasons) with one before and one after the hiatus. These smaller "seasons" usually contain half the number of episodes (10–13).

More recently these shorter seasons have been referred to as ".5" or half seasons, where the run of shows between September and December is labeled "Season N", and the second run between February and May labeled "Season N.5". This is typically done to increase DVD sales of the show. The distributor will release the first half of the season in stores just before the second half first airs, in order to increase interest in the season's second half. Examples of this would be the science fiction remake ''Battlestar Galactica'', its prequel ''Caprica'', ABC's ''FlashForward'', and NBC's ''Heroes''.

UK and Australia usage

In the United Kingdom, on the ABC in Australia and in other countries, these sets of episodes are referred to as a series.

Australian television does not follow ''seasons'' in the way that US television does. So there is no "Fall Season" or "Fall schedule", for example. In Australia, a batch of episodes will still sometimes be called a "season" as per American terminology, although the UK term "series" is also used. For many years popular night time dramas in Australia would run much of the year, and would only go into recess over the summer period (December–February) where ratings are not taken. Therefore popular dramas would usually run February–November each year. This schedule was used in the 1970s for popular dramas including ''Number 96''. ''Neighbours'' and other dramas continue this routine as at 2010. Australian situation comedy series usually have seasons of about 13 episodes, and might premiere at any month between February and November.

British shows have tended toward shorter series in recent years. For example, the first series of long-running science fiction show ''Doctor Who'' in 1963 featured forty-two 25-minute episodes, which had been reduced gradually to fourteen 25-minute episodes in 1989. The revival of ''Doctor Who'' has comprised thirteen 45-minute installments. However, there are some series in the UK that have a larger number of episodes, for example ''Waterloo Road'' started with 8–12 episodes but from series three onward, it increased to 20 episodes, and season seven will contain 30 episodes. Recently, American non-cable networks have also begun to experiment with shorter seasons for some programs, particularly reality shows such as ''Survivor''. However, they often air two seasons per year, resulting in roughly the same number of episodes per year as a drama.

This is a reduction from the 1950s, in which many American shows (e.g., ''The Twilight Zone'') had between 29 and 39 episodes per season. Actual storytelling time within a commercial television hour has also gradually reduced over the years, from 50 minutes out of every 60 to the current 44 (and even less on some networks), beginning in the early 21st century.

Japanese usage

The Japanese have sometimes subdivided television series and dramas into , from the French term "cours" for "course", which is a three-month period usually of 13 episodes. Each ''kūru'' generally has its own opening and ending image sequence and song, recordings of which are often sold. The number of episodes permitted per season ranges from three to 65. (See also Japanese television programs.)

In the United States, in general, dramas usually last 44 minutes (an hour with advertisements), while sitcoms last 22 (30 with advertisements). However, with the rise of cable networks, especially pay ones, series and episode lengths have been changing, with 55–60 minutes per episode, and shorter seasons overall.

See also

:Category:Television schedules (by country and year)

List of animated television series

List of television programs by name in alphabetical order

Lists of television programs

Network programming (television)

Radio programming

Television advertisement

External links

FCC

Category:History of television

ar:برامج تلفزيون bs:Televizijske serije bg:Телевизионно предаване cs:Televizní program cy:Rhaglen deledu de:Rundfunkprogramm el:Τηλεοπτικό πρόγραμμα es:Programa de televisión eu:Telebista-saio fa:برنامه تلویزیونی fr:Émission de télévision ko:텔레비전 프로그램 id:Acara televisi is:Sjónvarpsþáttur it:Programmazione televisiva he:תוכנית טלוויזיה kk:Трансляция hu:Televíziós sorozat mk:Телевизиска програма ms:Rancangan televisyen nah:Īxiptlayōltzintli nl:Televisieprogramma ja:テレビ番組 no:Fjernsynsprogram pl:Program telewizyjny (audycja) pt:Programa de televisão ru:Телевизионная программа simple:Television programme fi:Televisio-ohjelma sv:TV-program th:รายการโทรทัศน์ uk:Програма (телерадіопрограма) yi:טעלעוויזיע פראגראם zh:电视节目

The View may refer to:

''The View'' (U.S. TV series), an American morning talk and variety show

''The View'' (Irish TV series), an Irish television arts programme

The View (band), a Scottish indie rock band from Dundee

"The View", a song from the Seattle-based indie rock band Modest Mouse's album, ''Good News For People Who Love Bad News''

''The View'' (album), 2003 EP by Canadian indie band Immaculate Machine

''The View'' (Eureka Farm album), 1999 album by American indie band Eureka Farm

de:The View fr:The View nl:The View sv:The View

Coordinates	40°27′12″N175°50′27″N
name	Kevin Nealon
birth date	November 18, 1953
birth place	St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
origin	Bridgeport, Connecticut
medium	Stand-up, television, film
nationality	American
active	1984–present
genre	Satire/political satire/news satire, observational comedy
subject	American politics, American culture, current events, pop culture, mass media/news media, everyday life, marriage
spouse	Linda Dupree (1989–2002)Susan Yeagley (2005–present) 1 child
notable work	Weekend Update anchor on ''Saturday Night Live''Gary Potter in ''Happy Gilmore''Doug Wilson in ''Weeds''Glenn Martin in ''Glenn Martin, DDS''
website	}}

Kevin Nealon (; born November 18, 1953) is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series ''Weeds'', and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on ''Glenn Martin, DDS''.

Early life

Nealon was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Kathleen and Emmett Nealon, an aircraft company executive. A few months after he was born, the family moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut. He graduated from St. Joseph High School (Trumbull, Connecticut) in 1971 and then graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing from Sacred Heart University (and worked in a variety of part-time jobs while doing stand-up comedy).

Career

Nealon debuted on network television doing a stand-up routine for ''The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson'' in 1984. In 1986, ''Saturday Night Live'' recruited his friend Dana Carvey, and Carvey in turn recommended Nealon. Both joined the cast that year, and Nealon became a full-time performer in the 1987-1988 season, and remained for nine seasons.

Nealon's ''SNL'' characters include Mr. Subliminal (or Subliminal Message Man), Franz (of Hans and Franz) along with Dana Carvey, Mr. No Depth Perception, the anchor of Weekend Update (where his catchphrase was "That's news to me"), and many others.

In 1991, he starred in the holiday movie, ''All I Want for Christmas''. More recently Nealon has appeared in the movies ''Happy Gilmore'', ''Anger Management'', ''Little Nicky'', ''Daddy Day Care'', ''Good Boy!'' and ''Grandma's Boy''. In fall 2005, he appeared in an episode of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', where he played himself (Season 5, Episode 4).

Nealon had a recurring television role on the 2002-06 CBS comedy ''Still Standing'' playing Ted Halverson, the Millers' competitive and religious neighbor. He has also appeared as a patient in a mental institution on the first season of ''Monk''. "Deja Vu" is an episode of ''The Outer Limits'' television show. It first aired on 9 July 1999, during the fifth season. Nealon played Dr. Mark Crest. Nealon has an ongoing supporting role as Doug Wilson on the show ''Weeds'' on Showtime.

In 1994, Nealon hosted the 13 part series ''Amazing America'' on the Discovery Channel.

In 2002, Nealon Hosted The Conspiracy Zone on The New TNN for 26 episodes plus an unaired pilot.

Nealon appeared as a couples counselor on the sitcom, ''3rd Rock From The Sun''. He had a small cameo appearance in the 2008 film ''Get Smart''.

Nealon also hosted the ''World's Funniest Commercials'' on TBS. In a performance similar to Bob Saget, Nealon tells corny jokes in between each funny commercial. In 2008, a book authored by Nealon chronicling his experiences during his wife's pregnancy called ''Yes, You're Pregnant, But What About Me?'' was released.

Nealon played Stuart Pearson in the adventure comedy movie ''Aliens in the Attic''. Shooting took place in Auckland, New Zealand.

Personal life

Nealon married actress Susan Yeagley on September 3, 2005 in Bellagio, Italy. Yeagley gave birth to their first child, son Gable Ness Nealon, on January 29, 2007 in Santa Monica, California.

Nealon is an old boy for Connecticut Yankees RFC.

On February 22, 2006, Nealon contributed a story to the ''New York Times'' about being wiretapped by Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano, who has been indicted on racketeering and conspiracy charges. It was also revealed in a separate court case on February 27, 2006, that investigators working for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus may also have targeted Nealon for wiretapping.

He has been a vegetarian for 18 years due to animal cruelty and the health benefits. He lives in the Los Angeles area.

He is an avid golfer and poker player and also plays banjo and guitar.

Activism

Nealon and his ex-wife Linda Dupree (who played one of the mud wrestlers fighting John Candy in ''Stripes'') had been active in the animal rights movement, supporting fundraising events for the Amanda Foundation, Farm Sanctuary, the Washington Wildlife Protection Association, The Ark Trust's Genesis Awards and also Meat Out.

In 2001, Nealon played on ''Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'' for his charity. The final question he faced, worth $125,000, was about Barbie dolls. He used his 50:50 and Phone-A-Friend, but he answered the question wrong, walking away with $32,000.

Filmography

''Saturday Night Live'' (TV series) .... Various (174 episodes, 1986–1995)

''Roxanne'' (1987) .... Drunk guy

''All I Want for Christmas'' (1991) .... Tony Boer

''Coneheads'' (1993) .... Senator

''The Larry Sanders Show'' (TV Series) .... Himself (1996)

''Champs'' (TV series) .... Marty Heslov (12 episodes, 1996)

''Happy Gilmore'' (1996) .... Potter

''Hiller and Diller'' (1997) TV series .... Ted Hiller (1997–1998)

''The Wedding Singer'' (1998) .... Mr. Simms

''Dharma & Greg'' (TV series) .... Mr. Clayborn (2 episodes, 1998–1999)

''3rd Rock From the Sun'' (TV series) .... Dennis Caslow (1 episode, 1999)

''Little Nicky'' (2000) .... Gatekeeper

''Joe Dirt'' (2001) .... Greasy Mechanic

''Eight Crazy Nights'' (2002) .... Mayor (voice)

''The Master of Disguise'' (2002) ....Man in Black Mark Ebay interview

''The Conspiracy Zone'' (2002) TV series .... Host (2 seasons)

''Monk (TV Series)'' (2002) John .... 1 episode,Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum

''Good Boy!'' (2003) .... Mr. Baker

''Daddy Day Care'' (2003) .... Bruce

''Anger Management'' (2003) .... Sam, Dave's Lawyer

''Still Standing'' (TV series) .... Ted Halverson (5 episodes, 2003–2006)

''Weeds'' (TV series: 2005–present).... Doug Wilson

''Grandma's Boy'' (2006) .... Mr. Cheezle

''World's Funniest Commercials'' (2008) .... Host

''Get Smart'' (2008) .... CIA Agent #2

''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' (2008) .... Kevin

''Remarkable Power'' (2008) .... Jack West

''Glenn Martin, DDS'' (2009) .... Glenn Martin

''Aliens in the Attic'' (2009) .... Stuart Pearson

''Just Go with It'' (2011) .... Adon

References

External links

Kevin Nealon official site

Interview from October 2007 in San Francisco comedy website

Category:1953 births Category:Actors from Connecticut Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American television writers Category:American voice actors Category:American vegetarians Category:Living people Category:Actors from Missouri Category:People from Bridgeport, Connecticut Category:People from St. Louis, Missouri Category:Poker commentators Category:Sacred Heart Pioneers football players

de:Kevin Nealon es:Kevin Nealon fr:Kevin Nealon id:Kevin Nealon it:Kevin Nealon nl:Kevin Nealon ja:ケヴィン・ニーロン pl:Kevin Nealon fi:Kevin Nealon sv:Kevin Nealon

Coordinates	40°27′12″N175°50′27″N
name	Aries Spears
birth date	April 03, 1975
birth place	Chicago, Illinois, US
years active	1987—
occupation	Actor, comedian }}

Aries Spears (born April 3, 1975) is an American actor and comedian. Spears is best known as one of the actors on Fox's sketch comedy series ''MADtv'', in which he was in 198 episodes, making him the second longest-serving original cast member on the show.

Early life

Aries Spears was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother Doris Spears is a jazz singer. Spears moved to New Jersey at age 11 and attended Arthur M. Judd Elementary School. He became a comedian at the age of 14, performing stand up in various comedy clubs in New York City. He was expelled for fighting during his sophomore year in North Brunswick Township High School in North Brunswick Township, at age 17. Spears started doing his own comedy routine around his hometown.

Career

Early film and TV roles

Spears' first television appearance was on Russell Simmons' ''Def Comedy Jam,'' followed by ''It's Showtime at the Apollo'' (1987). He moved to Los Angeles in 1992, landed a recurring role on ''A Different World'' (1993) and became a regular at The Comedy Store, The Improv and The Laugh Factory. His additional television credits include ''Crosstown Traffic'', ''The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.'' (1993) and ''Soul Train''.

By the age of 17, he landed a part in the movie ''Malcolm X''. Shortly thereafter, Spears was cast in a starring role opposite Glenn Frey in ''South of Sunset'' (1993). Spears' other movies include ''Home of Angels'' (1994), ''The Pest'' (1997), ''Jerry Maguire'' where he played Teepee, brother of Rod Tidwell (1996), ''Out-of-Sync'' (1995), and ''The Proud Family'' (2003).

''MADtv''

Aries Spears joined the cast of ''MADtv'' during its 3rd season in 1997, and left at the end of its 10th season in 2005, for a total of 8 seasons. During his stay, he created characters such as comedienne Belma Buttons (co-host of fictional BET show "Reality Check"), Dollar Bill Montgomery (a host of an urban parody of ''Politically Incorrect'' called "Real **********ing Talk with Dollar Bill Montgomery"), James Brown Jr. (co-host of ''Cabana Chat''), and controversial rapper Emcee Esher. He is well known for his impressions of African American celebrities, including rappers Jay-Z, LL Cool J, DMX, and Snoop Dogg .

After ''MADtv''

Spears appeared on a Season 2 episode of ''Mind of Mencia'', which parodied Jamie Foxx's role in Kanye West's music video for "Gold Digger." He also appeared in the 2006 movie ''Hood of Horror.'' Spears performed in the TV series ''The Underground'' and voiced the character Wizard Kelly in the animated television series ''The Proud Family.''

Spears appeared on the ''Covino and Rich'' radio talk show and criticized rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. He challenged Soulja Boy Tell 'Em to a rap battle, claiming he would win easily. Spears appeared in two episodes of Frank Caliendo's sketch comedy show ''Frank TV'' as Shaquille O'Neal.

Spears has signed with Fabb Vision Network, starring as host of his new show called 'The Underground', being shot in Columbus, Ohio. The show was due to start broadcasting in September 2010.

He appeared alongside comedians such as Cedric the Entertainer in the All Star Comedy Jam in 2009.

His 2011 stand-up comedy special, ''Hollywood, Look I'm Smiling'' was shown on Showtime.

Filmography

''Hood of Horror'' (2006) as Quon

''Jiminy Glick in Lalawood'' (2004) as Gunnar “MC GUN” Jorge

''Love Chronicles'' (2003) as Playa

''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001) as The Other Carson Daly

''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' (1998) as Redd Foxx

''The Pest'' (1997)

''Jerry Maguire'' (1996) as Tee Pee

''Out-of-Sync'' (1995) as Frank

''Home of Angels'' (1994) as Gang Leader

''Malcolm X'' (1992)

TV

''The Boondocks'' Episode: "Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy" (2010) as Lord Rufus Crabmiser

''CSI: Miami'' (2007) as Oscar Monahan (2 episodes)

''Lilo & Stitch: The Series'' (2005, 2007) as Wizard Kelly (2 episodes)

''The Underground'' (2006)

''MADtv'' (1997–2005) as Various

''The Proud Family'' (2001–2004) as Wizard Kelly / Sir-Paid-A-Lot / Li'l Wiz Jr.

''The Night B4 Christmas'' (2003, TV movie) as Elvin

''Crosstown Traffic'' (1995, TV movie) as Eddie

''The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.'' Episode: "Stagecoach" (1994) as Bobby Swan

''South of Sunset'' (1993) as Ziggy Duane

''A Different World'' (1993) as Ty (2 episodes)

References

External links

Category:1975 births Category:Actors from Chicago, Illinois Category:African American actors Category:African American comedians Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Living people Category:People from Middlesex County, New Jersey

de:Aries Spears sv:Aries Spears