Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of ''Lepus'': the hispid hare (''Caprolagus hispidus''), and three species known as red rock hares (''Pronolagus'' spp.).

Hares are very fast-moving. The European brown hare (''Lepus europaeus'') can run at speeds of up to 72 km/h (45 mph). They live solitarily or in pairs, while a "drove" is the collective noun for a group of hares. Their bodies are capable of absorbing the g-force produced while running at extreme speeds or while escaping predators.

A common type of hare in Arctic North America is the snowshoe hare, replaced further south by the black-tailed jackrabbit, white-tailed jackrabbit, and other species.

Normally a shy animal, the European brown hare changes its behaviour in spring, when hares can be seen in broad daylight chasing one another around meadows; this appears to be competition between males to attain dominance (and hence more access to breeding females). During this spring frenzy, hares can be seen "boxing"; one hare striking another with its paws (probably the origin of the term "mad as a March hare"). For a long time it had been thought that this was inter-male competition, but closer observation has revealed that it is usually a female hitting a male to prevent copulation.

Differences from rabbits

Hares do not bear their young below ground in a burrow as do other leporids, but rather in a shallow depression or flattened nest of grass called a form. Hares are adapted to the lack of physical protection, relative to that afforded by a burrow, by being born fully furred and with eyes open. They are hence able to fend for themselves soon after birth; they are precocial. By contrast, the related rabbits and cottontail rabbits are altricial, having young that are born blind and hairless.

All rabbits (except the cottontail rabbits) live underground in burrows or warrens, while hares (and cottontail rabbits) live in simple nests above the ground, and usually do not live in groups. Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with longer ears, and have black markings on their fur. Hares have not been domesticated, while rabbits are kept as house pets. There is a domestic pet known as the "Belgian hare", but this is a rabbit that has been selectively bred to resemble a hare.

The hare's diet is similar to the rabbit's. They are both in the order Lagomorpha.

Hares have jointed, or kinetic, skulls, unique among mammals.

Classification

There are 32 species listed: Genus ''Lepus''

* Subgenus ''Macrotolagus''

** Antelope jackrabbit, ''Lepus alleni''

* Subgenus ''Poecilolagus''

** Snowshoe hare, ''Lepus americanus''

* Subgenus ''Lepus''

** Arctic hare, ''Lepus arcticus''

** Alaskan hare, ''Lepus othus''

** Mountain hare, ''Lepus timidus''

* Subgenus ''Proeulagus''

** Black-tailed jackrabbit, ''Lepus californicus''

** White-sided jackrabbit, ''Lepus callotis''

** Cape hare, ''Lepus capensis''

** Tehuantepec jackrabbit, ''Lepus flavigularis''

** Black jackrabbit, ''Lepus insularis''

** Scrub hare, ''Lepus saxatilis''

** Desert hare, ''Lepus tibetanus''

** Tolai hare, ''Lepus tolai''

* Subgenus ''Eulagos''

** Broom hare, ''Lepus castroviejoi''

** Yunnan hare, ''Lepus comus''

** Korean hare, ''Lepus coreanus''

* Corsican hare, ''Lepus corsicanus''

** European hare, ''Lepus europaeus''

** Granada hare, ''Lepus granatensis''

** Manchurian hare, ''Lepus mandschuricus''

** Woolly hare, ''Lepus oiostolus''

** Ethiopian highland hare, ''Lepus starcki''

** White-tailed jackrabbit, ''Lepus townsendii''

* Subgenus ''Sabanalagus''

** Ethiopian hare, ''Lepus fagani''

** African savanna hare, ''Lepus microtis''

* Subgenus ''Indolagus''

** Hainan hare, ''Lepus hainanus''

** Indian hare, ''Lepus nigricollis''

** Burmese hare, ''Lepus peguensis''

* Subgenus ''Sinolagus''

** Chinese hare, ''Lepus sinensis''

* Subgenus ''Tarimolagus''

** Yarkand hare, ''Lepus yarkandensis''

* Subgenus ''incertae sedis''

** Japanese hare, ''Lepus brachyurus''

** Abyssinian hare, ''Lepus habessinicus''

As food

Hares and rabbits are plentiful in many areas, adapt to a wide variety of conditions, and reproduce quickly, so hunting is often less regulated than for other varieties of game. In rural areas of North America and particularly in pioneer times, they were a common source of meat. However, because of their extremely low fat content, they are a poor choice as a survival food.

Hares can be prepared in the same manner as rabbits—commonly roasted or taken apart for breading and frying.

''Hasenpfeffer'' (also spelled Hasenfeffer) is a traditional German stew made from marinated rabbit or hare. ''Pfeffer'' is not only the name of a spice, but also of a dish where the animal's blood is used as a gelling agent for the sauce. Wine or vinegar is also a prominent ingredient, to lend a sourness to the recipe.

Jugged hare (known as ''civet de lièvre'' in France), is a whole hare, cut into pieces, marinated, and cooked with red wine and juniper berries in a tall jug that stands in a pan of water. It traditionally is served with the hare's blood (or the blood is added right at the very end of the cooking process) and port wine.

Jugged hare is described in the influential 18th century cookbook, ''The Art of Cookery'' by Hannah Glasse, with a recipe titled, "A Jugged Hare," that begins, "Cut it into little pieces, lard them here and there...." The recipe goes on to describe cooking the pieces of hare in water in a jug that it set within a bath of boiling water to cook for three hours. Beginning in the nineteenth century, Glasse has been widely credited with having started the recipe with the words "First, catch your hare," as in this citation. This attribution is apocryphal.

However, having a freshly caught, or shot, hare enables one to obtain its blood. A freshly killed hare is prepared for jugging by removing its entrails and then hanging it in a larder by its hind legs, which causes the blood to accumulate in the chest cavity. One method of preserving the blood after draining it from the hare (since the hare itself is usually hung for a week or more) is to mix it with red wine vinegar to prevent it coagulating, and then to store it in a freezer.

Many other British cookbooks from before the middle of the 20th century have recipes for jugged hare. Merle and Reitch have this to say about jugged hare, for example: :The best part of the hare, when roasted, is the loin and the thick part of the hind leg; the other parts are only fit for stewing, hashing, or jugging. It is usual to roast a hare first, and to stew or jug the portion which is not eaten the first day. [...] :''To Jug A Hare.'' This mode of cooking a hare is very desirable when there is any doubt as to its age, as an old hare, which would be otherwise uneatable, may be made into an agreeable dish. [...]

In 2006, a survey of 2021 people for the television channel UKTV Food found that only 1.6% of the people under 25 recognized jugged hare by name. 7 of 10 stated they would refuse to eat jugged hare if it were served at the house of a friend or a relative.

The hare (and in recent times, the rabbit) is a staple of Maltese cuisine. The dish was presented to the island's Grandmasters of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta as well as Renaissance Inquisitors resident on the island, several of whom went on to become pope.

According to Jewish tradition, the hare is among mammals deemed not kosher, and therefore not eaten by observant Jews.

In England, a now rarely-served dish is potted hare. The hare meat is cooked, then covered in at least one inch (preferably more) of butter. The butter is a preservative, the dish can stored for up to several months. It is served cold, often on bread or as an appetizer.

Folklore and mythology

The hare in African folk tales is a trickster; some of the stories about the hare were retold among African slaves in America, and are the basis of the Brer Rabbit stories. The hare appears in English folklore in the saying "as mad as a March hare" and in the legend of the White Hare that alternatively tells of a witch who takes the form of a white hare and goes out looking for prey at night or of the spirit of a broken-hearted maiden who cannot rest and who haunts her unfaithful lover. In Irish folklore, the hare is often associated with Sidh (Fairy) or other pagan elements. In these stories characters who harm hares often suffer dreadful consequences.

Many cultures, including the Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican, see a hare in the pattern of dark patches in the moon (see Moon_rabbit); this tradition forms the basis of the Angelo Branduardi song "The Hare in the Moon" The constellation Lepus represents a hare.

One of Aesop's fables tells the story of ''The Tortoise and the Hare''.

Famous hares in fiction

Three hares

A study in 2004 followed the history and migration of a symbolic image of three hares with conjoined ears. In this image, three hares are seen chasing each other in a circle with their heads near its centre. While each of the animals appears to have two ears, only three ears are depicted. The ears form a triangle at the centre of the circle and each is shared by two of the hares. The image has been traced from Christian churches in the English county of Devon right back along the Silk Road to China, via western and eastern Europe and the Middle East. It is possible that before its appearance in China, it was first depicted in the Middle East before being reimported centuries later. Its use is associated with Christian, Jewish, Islamic and Buddhist sites stretching back to about AD 600.

Place names

The hare has given rise to local place names, as they can often be observed in favoured localities. An example in Scotland is 'Murchland', the Scots word for a hare being 'murchen'.

See also

Lagomorpha

Moon gazing hare

==References==

Further reading

Windling, Terri. ''The Symbolism of Rabbits and Hares''.

William George Black, F.S.A.Scot. "The Hare in Folk-lore" ''The Folk-Lore Journal''. Volume 1, 1883.

External links

The Three Hares Project

BBC Living World section about hares

an:Liebre ang:Hara ar:قواع bar:Echte Håsn br:Gad bg:Зайци ca:Llebre cs:Zajíc cy:Ysgyfarnog da:Hare de:Echte Hasen nv:Gahtsoh et:Jänes el:Λαγός myv:Нумоло es:Lepus eo:Leporo eu:Erbi (animalia) fr:Lièvre ga:Giorria gl:Lebre hi:खरहा io:Leporo id:Terwelu it:Lepus (genere) he:ארנבת jv:Truwèlu mrj:Морен lbe:Бюрх la:Lepus lt:Kiškiai li:Echte haoze hu:Lepus mt:Liebru ms:Kelinci mdf:Нумол nah:Cihtli nl:Echte hazen ja:ノウサギ属 no:Harer mhr:Мераҥ pl:Lepus pt:Lebre qu:Liwri ru:Зайцы (род) sah:Куобахтар уустара sco:Maukin sq:Lepuri simple:Hare sk:Zajac sl:Pravi zajec sv:Harar (släkte) te:చెవుల పిల్లి th:กระต่ายแจ๊ก uk:Заєць wa:Live (biesse) vls:Hoaze zh:野兔

name	Maddy Prior
background	solo_singer
birth date	August 14, 1947
origin	Blackpool, Lancashire, England
instrument	Vocals
genre	Folk rock, Electric Folk, Folk
occupation	Singer, Dancer
years active	1967–present
label	Park
associated acts	Steeleye SpanMaddy Prior and Tim HartBrass MonkeySilly SistersThe Carnival Band
website	}}

Maddy Prior (born Madeleine E. Prior 14 August 1947, Blackpool, England) is an English folk singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span.

Early life

Born in Blackpool, Prior moved in her teens to St Albans, where she befriended the young Donovan Leitch and Mac MacLeod. She later formed a duo with MacLeod called Mac & Maddy. She became a roadie for visiting American musicians, including Reverend Gary Davis. They gave her useful advice about singing British folk songs instead of American songs.

Maddy's father

Maddy's father, Allan Prior, was co-creator of the police drama ''Z-Cars''. Allan Prior also wrote ''Stookie'', a 6-part series for television, about a boy with his arm in a sling. Maddy sang the title song, which was released as a single in 1985. It reappeared on the Steeleye Span album ''A Rare Collection 1972 - 1996''.

Singing career

In 1966 she began performing with Tim Hart, another St Albans resident, and together they recorded two albums before becoming founding members of Steeleye Span in 1969. They were the backbone of the group until the early 1980s when ill-health forced Hart into semi-retirement. Apart from the tambourine and spoons, Prior doesn't play an instrument, but she always gives a sprightly performance of her individual dances. In 1974 Ralph McTell wrote "Maddy Dances" in her honour, included on his album "Easy".

Prior married bassist Rick Kemp, though they have since divorced. The singer Rose Kemp is their daughter.

Prior has recorded session work, albums of her own songs and eclectic styles from medieval, through electric folk, -Steeleye Span & Maddie Prior found fame on television with a regular programme Electric Folk - prog-rock and traditional songs, including session work on Mike Oldfield's ''Incantations''. She left Steeleye Span in 1997 but returned in 2002. The 1999 album "The Journey" was recorded in 1995, when Maddy was still in the band but not released until four years later. She was also one half of the duo Silly Sisters, which helped to boost June Tabor's career.

Since 2003, Prior has run and hosted an Arts Centre called Stones Barn in Cumbria. Working with fellow singers and performers like Abbie Lathe and daughter Rose Kemp, Maddy has offered residential courses focusing on singing, meditation, cookery and performance. Other events, hosted by other teachers, include classical Indian dances, painting and drumming. Maddy campaigns on behalf of the charity Cancer Research UK.

Recent tours and albums

Prior took to the road with The Carnival Band in May 2007 for their "Music for Tavern and Chapel" tour. They celebrated the 300th anniversary of one of the key influences on their work, Charles Wesley. She made a guest appearance with The Levellers at the Solfest Festival in Cumbria in August 2007. On recent albums Troy Donockley has been a co-producer.

Steeleye Span tours throughout Eastern US, Australia, & the UK beginning September 2009.

In December 2007 the album "Ringing The Changes" was issued. It is a collection of songs written by the band. In 2008 Prior appeared at the BBC's "Electric Proms".

A short tour with The Carnival Band in November and December, featuring carols and seasonal music, has become a regular fixture for Prior in recent years.

Awards

In 2001 Prior was awarded the MBE for services to folk music.

Discography

With Steeleye Span

Prior was on all the Steeleye Span albums from ''Hark! The Village Wait'' (1970) to ''Time'' (1996). She then returned for ''Present--The Very Best of Steeleye Span'' (2002) and subsequent albums.

Solo albums

''Woman in the Wings'' (1978) - with Jethro Tull

''Changing Winds'' (1978)

''Hooked on Winning'' (1982)

''Going for Glory'' (1983)

''Happy Families'' (as 'Maddy Prior and Rick Kemp') (1990)

''Year'' (1993)

''Memento'' (best of) (1995)

''Flesh and Blood'' (1997)

''Ravenchild'' (1999)

''Ballads and Candles'' (2000)

''Arthur the King'' (2001)

''Bib and Tuck'' (2002) - As 'Maddy Prior And The Girls' with Abbie Lathe and Rose Kemp

''Lionhearts'' (2003)

''Under the Covers'' (2005) - As 'Maddy + Girls' with Abbie Lathe and Claudia Gibson

''The Quest'' (2007) (CD + DVD)

''Seven for Old England'' (2008)

Compilation

''Collections 1995 - 2005'' (2005)

Tim Hart and Maddy Prior

''Folk Songs of Olde England'' vol 1 (1968)

''Folk Songs of Olde England'' vol 2 (1968)

''Summer Solstice'' (1971)

Maddy Prior and June Tabor

''Silly Sisters'' (1976)

''No More To The Dance'' (1988)

Maddy Prior, John Kirkpatrick and Sydney Carter

''Lovely in the Dances'' (1981)

Maddy Prior and The Carnival Band

''A Tapestry of Carols'' (1986)

''Sing Lustily And With Good Courage'' (1990)

''Carols and Capers'' (1991)

''Hang Up Sorrow and Care'' (1995)

''Carols at Christmas'' (1996)

''Gold Frankincense and Myrrh'' (2001)

''An Evening of Carols and Capers'' (2006)

''Paradise Found'' (2007)

''Ringing the Changes'' (2007)

Maddy Prior and Martin Carthy

''Beat the Retreat'' (1994) Maddy Prior and Martin Carthy perform two songs, "Farewell, Farewell", and "The Great Valerio" on this Richard Thompson tribute album.

Maddy Prior singles

''Rollercoaster/ I Told You So'' (1978)

''Baggy Pants/ Woman in the Wings'' (1978)

''Just the Two of Us/ Acappella Stella'' (1979)

''Wake up England/ Paradise'' (1980)

''The King/ Ringing Down the Years'' (1980) (with Dave Cousins/Strawbs)

''To Face/ Half Listening'' (1982)

''Deep in the Darkest Night/ Western Movies'' (1983)

''Stookie/ Incidental Music From "Stookie"'' (1985)

''Happy Families/ Who's Sorry Now?'' (1990)

''I Saw Three Ships/ Quem Pastores/ Monsieur Charpentier's Christmas Swing'' (1991) (with the Carnival Band)

''I Saw Three Ships (Dance Doctor's Christmas Re-Mix)/ The Boar's Head/ Poor Little Jesus'' (1992)

''All Around My Hat'' (1996) (with Status Quo)

''Forgiveness'' (2000) (with Jennifer Cutting All-Stars)

''Gaudete/ Greenwood Side/ Gaudete (extended mix)'' (2001) (with Keltic Fusion; Maddy's voice is sampled)

''Stuff'' (2007) (with the Carnival Band and Terry Jones)

DVDs

''Ballads and Candles'' (2004)

''An Evening of Carols and Capers'' (2005)

''Looking For a Grail Legend'' (2007) (documentary)

As a session or guest singer

She appeared on these albums:

Shirley Collins: ''No Roses'' (1971)

Jack The Lad: ''It's Jack The Lad'' (1974)

Ralph McTell: ''Streets...'' (1975)

Jethro Tull: ''Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!'' (1976)

Wizz Jones: ''Magical Flight'' (1977)

Mandalaband: ''The Eye of Wendor: Prophecies'' (1978) on the track ''Like the Wind''

Mike Oldfield: ''Incantations'' (1978)

Mike Oldfield: ''Exposed'' (1979) live album, re-released in 2005 on DVD-Video

Tim Hart and Friends: ''My Very Favourite Nursery Rhymes'' (1981)

Tim Hart and Friends: ''The Drunken Sailor and other Kids Favourites'' (1983)

Swan Arcade: ''Diving for Pearls'' (1986)

Frankie Armstrong: ''Till The Grass O'Ergrew The Corn'' (1996)

Rev Hammer's Freeborn John: The Story of John Lilburne-The Leader of the Levellers (1997)

Jennifer Cutting: ''Ocean: Songs for the Night Sea Journey'' (2005)

Rev Hammer - Freeborn John Live (2007)

Television

BBC Wildlife on One: Shadow of the Hare 12 April 1993

References

External links

Official site

Stones Barn

Park Records, Maddy Prior's Record Label

The Carnival Band

* Category:English female singers Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Blackpool Category:Steeleye Span members Category:Electric folk musicians Category:English folk singers

cs:Maddy Prior de:Maddy Prior fr:Maddy Prior nl:Maddy Prior ru:Прайор, Мэдди sv:Maddy Prior

name	Bugs Bunny
first
latest	''The Looney Tunes Show'' (2011)
creator	}}

}}}} | nickname = Bugs | species = Rabbit or hare(see below) | gender = Male | significantother = Lola BunnyHoney Bunny (former) | voice = Mel Blanc, (1938–1989)Jeff Bergman (1990–1993; 2011–)(see below) }}

Bugs Bunny is a fictional animated character who starred in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated films produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions, which became Warner Bros. Cartoons in 1944. Bugs starred in 167 shorts during the Golden Age of American animation, and cameoed in many others, including few appearances in non-animated films. He is an anthropomorphic hare or rabbit.

According to ''Bugs Bunny: 50 Years and Only One Grey Hare'', he was born on July 27, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York in a warren under Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In reality, he was created by many animators and staff, including Tex Avery, who directed ''A Wild Hare'', Bugs' debut role, and Robert McKimson, who created the definitive "Bugs Bunny" character design. According to Mel Blanc, the character's original voice actor, Bugs has a Flatbush accent. Bugs has had numerous catchphrases, the most prominent being a casual "Eh... What's up, doc?", usually said while chewing a carrot.

He is the most prominent of the Looney Tunes characters as his calm, flippant insouciance endeared him to American audiences during and after World War II. He is also a mascot of the Looney Tunes, as well as Warner Bros. in general.

History

Happy Rabbit

thumb|left|550px|A depiction of Bugs Bunny's evolution through the years.A rabbit (named as "Happy Rabbit") with some of the personality of Bugs, though looking very different, first appears in the cartoon short ''Porky's Hare Hunt'', released on April 30, 1938. Co-directed by Ben "Bugs" Hardaway and an uncredited Cal Dalton (who was responsible for the initial design of Happy), this short has an almost identical plot to Tex Avery's 1937 cartoon ''Porky's Duck Hunt'', which had introduced Daffy Duck. Porky Pig is again cast as a hunter tracking a silly prey less interested in escape than in driving his pursuer insane. The latter short replaces the little black duck with a small white rabbit. Happy introduces himself with the odd expression "Jiggers, fellers", and Mel Blanc gave Happy a voice and laugh almost like that he would later use for Woody Woodpecker. This cartoon also first uses the famous Groucho Marx line, "Of course you realize, this means war!" This rabbit was so popular with its audience that the Schlesinger staff decided to use it again.

Happy appears again in 1939's ''Prest-O Change-O'', directed by Chuck Jones, where he is the pet rabbit of unseen character Sham-Fu the Magician. Two dogs, fleeing the local dogcatcher, enter his absent master's house. Happy harasses them, but is ultimately bested by the bigger of the two dogs.

His third appearance is in another 1939 cartoon, ''Hare-um Scare-um'', directed by Dalton and Hardaway. This short, the first where he is depicted as a gray bunny instead of a white one, is also notable for Happy's first singing role. Charlie Thorson, lead animator on the short, gave the character a name. He had written "Bugs' Bunny" on the model sheet that he drew for Hardaway, implying that he considered the rabbit model sheet to be Hardaway's property. In promotional material for the short, including a surviving 1939 presskit, the name on the model sheet was altered to become the rabbit's own name: "Bugs" Bunny (quotation marks only used at the very beginning). In his later years, Mel Blanc stated that a proposed name was "Happy Rabbit". Oddly, "Happy" was only used in reference to Bugs Hardaway. In the cartoon ''Hare-um Scare-um'', a newspaper headline reads, "Happy Hardaway".

In Chuck Jones' ''Elmer's Candid Camera'' Happy first meets Elmer Fudd. This rabbit looks more like the present-day Bugs, taller and with a similar face. This rabbit, however, speaks with a rural drawl. The early version of Elmer is also different from the present-day one, much fatter and taller, although Arthur Q. Bryan's voice is the same as it would be later. In Robert Clampett's 1940 ''Patient Porky'', a similar rabbit appears to trick the audience into thinking that 750 rabbits have been born.

Bugs Bunny emerges

''A Wild Hare'', directed by Tex Avery and released on July 27, 1940, is the first cartoon where both Elmer Fudd and Bugs are shown in their fully developed forms as hunter and tormentor. In this cartoon Mel Blanc first uses what would become Bugs' standard voice; this cartoon also marks the first time that Bugs uses his catchphrase, "What's up, Doc?" Animation historian Joe Adamson counts ''A Wild Hare'' as the first "official" Bugs Bunny short.

Bugs's second appearance, in Jones' ''Elmer's Pet Rabbit'', introduces the audience to the name Bugs Bunny, which until then had only been used among the Termite Terrace employees. It was also the first short where he received billing under his now-famous name, but the card, "featuring Bugs Bunny", was just slapped on the end of the completed short's opening titles when ''A Wild Hare'' proved an unexpected success. The rabbit here is in look and voice identical to the one in Jones' earlier ''Elmer's Candid Camera''.

Bugs in his ''Wild Hare'' likeness appeared in five more shorts during 1941. ''Tortoise Beats Hare'', directed by Tex Avery, features the first appearance of Cecil Turtle; ''Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt'', is the first Bugs Bunny short directed by Friz Freleng; ''All This and Rabbit Stew'', directed by Avery, has Bugs tracked by a little African-American hunter (based heavily on racial stereotypes); ''The Heckling Hare'' was the final Bugs short Avery worked on before being fired (Avery and producer Schlesinger vehemently disagreed over the ending gag of The Heckling Hare, and Avery refused to compromise his creative principles) and leaving for MGM; and ''Wabbit Twouble'', the first Bugs short directed by Robert Clampett. ''Wabbit Twouble'' was also the first of five Bugs shorts to feature a chubbier remodel of Elmer Fudd, a short-lived attempt to have Fudd more closely resemble his voice actor, comedian Arthur Q. Bryan.

World War II

By 1942, Bugs had become the number one star of ''Merrie Melodies''. The series had originally been intended only for one-shot characters in shorts after several early attempts to introduce characters (Foxy, Goopy Geer and Piggy) failed under Harman–Ising. (In 1937, under Schlesinger, it had started introducing newer characters.) Bugs' 1942 shorts included Friz Freleng's ''The Wabbit Who Came to Supper'', and the Robert Clampett shorts ''The Wacky Wabbit'' and ''Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid'' (which introduced Beaky Buzzard). ''Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid'' shows a slight redesign of Bugs, with less-prominent front teeth and a rounder head. The character was reworked by Robert McKimson, then an animator in Robert Clampett's unit. The redesign at first was only used in the shorts created by Clampett's unit, but in time it would be taken up by the other directors, with Freleng and Frank Tashlin the first. When McKimson was himself promoted to director, he created yet another version, with more slanted eyes, longer teeth and a much larger mouth. He used this version until 1949 (as did Art Davis for the one Bugs Bunny cartoon he directed) when he started using the version he had designed for Clampett. Jones would come up with his own slight modification, and the voice had slight variations between the units.

Other 1942 Bugs shorts included Chuck Jones' ''Hold the Lion, Please'', Freleng's ''Fresh Hare'' and ''The Hare-Brained Hypnotist'' (which restores Elmer Fudd to his previous size), and Jones' ''Case of the Missing Hare''. Bugs also made cameos in Tex Avery's final Warner Bros. short, ''Crazy Cruise'', and stars in the two-minute United States war bonds commercial film ''Any Bonds Today''.

Bugs became more popular during World War II because of his free and easy attitude, and began receiving special star billing in his cartoons by 1943. By that time Warner Bros. had become the most profitable cartoon studio in the United States. In company with cartoon studios such as Disney and Famous Studios, Warners put its characters against Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and the Japanese. The 1944 short ''Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips'' features Bugs at odds with a group of Japanese soldiers. This cartoon has since been pulled from distribution due to its racial stereotypes of Japanese people. He also faces off against Herman Goering and Hitler in ''Herr Meets Hare'', which introduced his well-known reference to Albuquerque as he mistakenly winds up in the Black Forest of 'Joimany' instead of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Since Bugs' debut in ''A Wild Hare'', he had appeared only in color ''Merrie Melodie'' cartoons (making him one of the few recurring characters created for that series in the Leon Schlesinger era prior to the full conversion to color), alongside Elmer's prototype Egghead, Inki, Sniffles, and Elmer himself—who was heard but not seen in the 1942 ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon ''Nutty News'', and made his first formal appearance in that series in 1943's ''To Duck or Not to Duck''. While he made a cameo appearance in the 1943 Porky and Daffy cartoon ''Porky Pig's Feat'' this was his only appearance in a black-and-white ''Looney Tune'' cartoon. He did not star in a cartoon in the ''Looney Tunes'' series until that series made its complete conversion to only color cartoons beginning with 1944 releases. ''Buckaroo Bugs'' was Bugs' first cartoon in the ''Looney Tunes'' series, and was also the last Warner Bros. cartoon to credit Leon Schlesinger.

Among his most notable civilian shorts during this period are Bob Clampett's ''Tortoise Wins by a Hare'' (a sequel to 1941's ''Tortoise Beats Hare''); ''A Corny Concerto'' (a spoof of Disney's ''Fantasia''); ''Falling Hare''; ''What's Cookin' Doc?''; Chuck Jones' ''Superman'' parody ''Super-Rabbit''; and Freleng's ''Little Red Riding Rabbit''. The 1944 short ''Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears'' introduces Jones' The Three Bears characters.

At the end of the cartoon ''Super-Rabbit'', Bugs appears wearing a United States Marine Corps dress blue uniform. As a result, the Marine Corps made Bugs an honorary Marine Master Sergeant. From 1943 to 1946, Bugs was the official mascot of Kingman Army Airfield, Kingman, Arizona, where thousands of aerial gunners were trained during World War II. Some notable trainees included Clark Gable and Charles Bronson. Bugs also served as the mascot for 530 Squadron of the 380th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force, U.S. Air Force, which was attached to the Royal Australian Air Force and operated out of Australia's Northern Territory from 1943 to 1945, flying B-24 Liberator bombers. Bugs riding an air delivered torpedo served as the squadron logo for Marine Torpedo/Bomber Squadron 242 in the Second World War.

In 1944, Bugs Bunny made a cameo appearance in ''Jasper Goes Hunting'', a short produced by rival studio Paramount Pictures. In this cameo (animated by Robert McKimson, with Mel Blanc providing the voice), Bugs pops out of a rabbit hole, saying his usual catchphrase; Bugs then says, "I must be in the wrong picture" and then goes back in the hole. He also appears in the 1947 Arthur Davis cartoon ''The Goofy Gophers''

The post-war era

After World War II Bugs appeared in numerous cartoon shorts in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series, making his last appearance in the theatrical cartoons in 1964 with ''False Hare''. He was directed by Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson, Arthur Davis and Chuck Jones and appeared in feature films, including ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' (which features the first-ever meeting between Bugs and his box-office rival Mickey Mouse), ''Space Jam'', and the 2003 movie ''Looney Tunes: Back in Action.''

The Bugs Bunny short ''Knighty Knight Bugs'' (1958), in which a medieval Bugs Bunny trades blows with Yosemite Sam and his fire-breathing dragon (which has a cold), won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) of 1958. Three of Chuck Jones' Bugs Bunny shorts — ''Rabbit Fire'', ''Rabbit Seasoning'', and ''Duck! Rabbit, Duck!'' — comprise what is often referred to as the "Duck Season/Rabbit Season" trilogy. Jones' 1957 classic, ''What's Opera, Doc?'', cast Bugs and Elmer in a parody of Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen''. It has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, the first cartoon short to receive this honor.

In the fall of 1960, ABC debuted the prime-time television program ''The Bugs Bunny Show''. This show packaged many of the post-1948 Warners shorts with newly animated wraparounds. After two seasons, it was moved from its evening slot to reruns on Saturday mornings. ''The Bugs Bunny Show'' changed format and exact title frequently, but remained on network television for 40 years. The packaging was later completely different, with each short simply presented on its own, title and all, though some clips from the new bridging material were sometimes used as filler.

After the classic cartoon era

After Mel Blanc died in 1989, Jeff Bergman, Greg Burson, Billy West, and Joe Alaskey became the new voices of Bugs Bunny and many of the other Looney Tunes, each taking turns doing Bugs' voice for various projects over the years.

Bugs has made appearances in animated specials for network television, mostly composed of classic cartoons with bridging material added, including ''How Bugs Bunny Won the West'', and ''The Bugs Bunny Mystery Special''. ''Bugs Bunny's Busting Out All Over'' (1980) contained no vintage clips and featured the first new Bugs Bunny cartoons in 16 years. It opened with "Portrait Of The Artist As a Young Bunny", which features a flashback of Bugs as a child thwarting a young Elmer Fudd, while its third and closing short was "Spaced Out Bunny", with Bugs being kidnapped by Marvin the Martian to be a playmate for Hugo, an Abominable Snowman-like character. (A new Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner short filled out the half hour.) Compilation films included the independently produced ''Bugs Bunny: Superstar'', using the vintage shorts then owned by United Artists; as well as Warner Bros. efforts ''The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie'', ''The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie'', ''Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island'', ''Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales'' and ''Daffy Duck's Quackbusters''. He also made guest appearances in episodes of the 1990s television program ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' as the principal of Acme Looniversity and the mentor of Babs and Buster Bunny, and would later make occasional guest cameos on spinoffs ''Taz-Mania'' and ''Animaniacs''. He appears in the beginning of ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'', where he tries to ride the opening Warner Bros logo, but is interrupted by Daffy Duck.

Bugs has had several comic book series over the years. Western Publishing had the license for all the Warner Brothers cartoons, and produced Bugs Bunny comics first for Dell Comics, then later for their own Gold Key Comics. Dell published 58 issues and several specials from 1952 to 1962. Gold Key continued for another 133 issues. DC Comics, the sister/subsidiary company of Warner Bros., has published several comics titles since 1994 that Bugs has appeared in. Notable among these was the 2000 four-issue miniseries ''Superman & Bugs Bunny'', written by Mark Evanier and drawn by Joe Staton. This depicted a crossover between DC's superheroes and the Warner cartoon characters.

Like SpongeBob for Nickelodeon and Mickey Mouse (a Disney character), Bugs has served as the mascot for Warner Bros. Entertainment and its various divisions. He and Mickey are the first cartoon characters to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In the 1988 animated/live action movie ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', Bugs was shown as one of the inhabitants of Toontown. However, since the film was being produced by Disney, Warner Bros. would only allow the use of their biggest star if he got an equal amount of screen time as Disney's biggest star, Mickey Mouse. Because of this, both characters are always together in frame when onscreen. For the same reasons, Bugs never calls Mickey by his name, only referring to him as "Doc," while Mickey calls him "Bugs."

Bugs Bunny was featured in ''The Earth Day Special'' showing his displeasure on how man started mistreating the environment. He was voiced by Jeff Bergman who also voiced Porky Pig and Tweety.

Bugs Bunny came back to the silver screen in ''Box Office Bunny'' in 1990. This was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon short since 1964 to be released to theaters, and it was created for the Bugs Bunny 50th anniversary celebration. It was followed in 1991 by ''(Blooper) Bunny,'' a short that has gained a cult following among some animation fans for its edgy humor.

Bugs made an appearance in the 1990 drug prevention video ''Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.'' This special is notable for being the first time that somebody other than Mel Blanc voiced Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. (In this video, both characters were voiced by Jeff Bergman.)

In 1997, Bugs appeared on a U.S. postage stamp, the first cartoon to be so honored, beating the iconic Mickey Mouse. The stamp is number seven on the list of the ten most popular U.S. stamps, as calculated by the number of stamps purchased but not used. The introduction of Bugs onto a stamp was controversial at the time, as it was seen as a step toward the 'commercialization' of stamp art. The postal service rejected many designs, and went with a postal-themed drawing. Avery Dennison printed the Bugs Bunny stamp sheet, which featured "a special ten-stamp design and was the first self-adhesive souvenir sheet issued by the U.S. Postal Service."

A younger version of Bugs is the main character of ''Baby Looney Tunes,'' which debuted on Cartoon Network in 2002. In the action comedy ''Loonatics Unleashed'', his definite descendant Ace Bunny is the leader of the Loonatics team and seems to have inherited his ancestor's Brooklyn accent and comic wit. Strangely, Bugs was one of the few Looney Tunes characters who never appeared in the 2003 Duck Dodgers series.

Bugs has appeared in numerous video games, including the ''Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle'' series, ''Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout'', ''Bugs Bunny: Rabbit Rampage'' and the similar ''Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble'', ''Looney Tunes B-Ball'', ''Space Jam'', ''Looney Tunes Racing'', ''Looney Tunes: Space Race'', ''Bugs Bunny Lost in Time'', and its sequel, ''Bugs Bunny and Taz Time Busters'', and ''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' and the new video game ''Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal''.

On August 13, 2010, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that they are planning a live-action/CG-animated combo feature film based on the Looney Tunes character.

Return to television

Bugs Bunny and the rest of the ''Looney Tunes'' gang returned to Cartoon Network in 2011 in a brand new show called ''The Looney Tunes Show'', with Jeff Bergman returning to voice both Bugs and Daffy Duck. This series will also feature the characters singing original songs as well. The show debuted on May 3, 2011. A large difference between Bugs and Daffy's friendship in the show is that, whereas Bugs would hardly mind Daffy's flaws in the original cartoons, in the show Bugs is often and openly annoyed at Daffy's antics, sometimes to the point of aggression when Daffy becomes too obnoxious. He also dated Lola Bunny once, but found her to be "crazy" and a bit too talkative. Unlike the original cartoons, Bugs lives in a regular home, which he shares with Daffy. To earn income, Bugs earns money for having invented the Carrot Peeler.

Bugs also appeared in the ''MAD'' episode "Hops", where he appeared at the party.

Personality and catchphrases

– it's actually a big put-on. Let's face it Doc. I've read the script and I al­ready know how it turns out. |Bob Clampett on Bugs Bunny, written in first person.}} Bugs has feuded with Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Willoughby the Dog, Marvin the Martian, Beaky Buzzard, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tasmanian Devil, Cecil Turtle, Charlie Dog, Witch Hazel, Rocky and Mugsy, Wile E. Coyote, the Crusher, Gremlin, Big Bad Wolf, Count Blood Count and a host of others. Bugs almost always wins these conflicts, a plot pattern which recurs in ''Looney Tunes'' films directed by Chuck Jones. Concerned that viewers would lose sympathy for an aggressive protagonist who always won, Jones arranged for Bugs to be bullied, cheated, or threatened by the antagonists while minding his own business, justifying his subsequent antics as retaliation or self-defense. He's also been known to break the fourth wall by "communicating" with the audience, either by explaining the situation (e.g. "Be with you in a minute, folks!"), describing someone to the audience (e.g. "Feisty, ain't they?"), clueing in on the story (e.g. "That happens to him all during the picture, folks."), explaining that one of his antagonists' actions have pushed him to the breaking point ("Of course you know, this means war."), etc.

Bugs will usually try to placate the antagonist and avoid conflict, but when an antagonist pushes him too far, Bugs may address the audience and invoke his catchphrase "Of course you realize this means ''war!''" before he retaliates, and the retaliation will be devastating. This line was taken from Groucho Marx and others in the 1933 film ''Duck Soup'' and was also used in the 1935 Marx film ''A Night at the Opera''. Bugs would pay homage to Groucho in other ways, such as occasionally adopting his stooped walk or leering eyebrow-raising (in ''Hair-Raising Hare'', for example) or sometimes with a direct impersonation (as in ''Slick Hare'').

Other directors, such as Friz Freleng, characterized Bugs as altruistic. When Bugs meets other successful characters (such as Cecil Turtle in ''Tortoise Beats Hare'', or, in World War II, the Gremlin of ''Falling Hare''), his overconfidence becomes a disadvantage. Most of Bugs' antagonists are extremely dim-witted, and Bugs is easily able to outwit and torment them, though on occasion they will manage to get the best of Bugs. Daffy Duck, who is considerably more intelligent, is unaffected by Bugs' usual schemes, and the two usually end up fighting a battle of wits, though Bugs is still the superior.

During the 1940s, Bugs was immature and wild, but starting in the 1950s his personality matured and his attitude was less frenetic. Though often shown as highly mischievous and violent, Bugs is never actually malicious, and only acts as such in self-defense against his aggressors; the only two cartoons where Bugs ever served as an antagonist were Buckaroo Bugs and Duck Amuck; the latter cartoon depicts him as far more sadistic than usual, as he becomes the cartoonist and abuses his newfound divine powers to torture Daffy.

Bugs Bunny's nonchalant carrot-chewing standing position, as explained by Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and Bob Clampett, originated in a scene in the film ''It Happened One Night'', in which Clark Gable's character leans against a fence, eating carrots rapidly and talking with his mouth full to Claudette Colbert's character. This scene was well known while the film was popular, and viewers at the time likely recognized Bugs Bunny's behavior as satire.

The carrot-chewing scenes are generally followed by Bugs Bunny's most well-known catchphrase, "What's up, Doc?", which was written by director Tex Avery for his first Bugs Bunny short, 1940s ''A Wild Hare''. Avery explained later that it was a common expression in his native Texas and that he did not think much of the phrase. When the short was first screened in theaters, the "What's up, Doc?" scene generated a tremendously positive audience reaction. As a result, the scene became a recurring element in subsequent films and cartoons. The phrase was sometimes modified for a situation. For example, Bugs says "What's up, dogs?" to the antagonists in ''A Hare Grows in Manhattan'', "What's up, Duke?" to the knight in ''Knight-mare Hare'' and "What's up, prune-face?" to the aged Elmer in ''The Old Grey Hare''. He might also greet Daffy with "What's up, Duck?" He used one variation, "What's all the hub-bub, bub?" only once, in ''Falling Hare.'' Another variation is used in ''Looney Tunes: Back In Action'' when he greets a lightsaber-wielding Marvin the Martian saying "What's up, Darth?"

Several Chuck Jones shorts in the late 1940s and 1950s depict Bugs travelling via cross-country (and, in some cases, intercontinental) tunnel-digging, ending up in places as varied as Mexico (''Bully for Bugs'', 1953), the Himalayas (''The Abominable Snow Rabbit'', 1960) and Antarctica (''Frigid Hare'', 1949) all because he "shoulda taken that left toin at Albukoikee." He first utters that phrase in ''Herr Meets Hare'' (1945), when he emerges in the Black Forest, a cartoon seldom seen today due to its blatantly topical subject matter. When Hermann Göring says to Bugs, "There is no Las Vegas in 'Chermany'" and takes a potshot at Bugs, Bugs dives into his hole and says, "Joimany! Yipe!", as Bugs realizes he's behind enemy lines. The confused response to his "left toin" comment also followed a pattern. For example, when he tunnels into Scotland in 1948's ''My Bunny Lies over the Sea'', while thinking he's heading for the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California, it provides another chance for an ethnic stereotype: "Therrre's no La Brrrea Tarrr Pits in Scotland!" (to which Bugs responds, "Uh...what's up, Mac-doc?"). A couple of late-1950s shorts of this ilk also featured Daffy Duck travelling with Bugs ("Since when is Pismo Beach inside a cave?!").

Bugs Bunny has some similarities to figures from mythology and folklore, such as Br'er Rabbit, Nanabozho, or Anansi, and might be seen as a modern trickster (for example, he repeatedly uses cross-dressing mischievously). Unlike most cartoon characters, however, Bugs Bunny is rarely defeated in his own games of trickery. One exception to this is the short ''Hare Brush'', in which Elmer Fudd ultimately carries the day at the end; however, critics note that in this short, Elmer and Bugs assume each other's personalities—through mental illness and hypnosis, respectively—and it is only by becoming Bugs that Elmer can win. However, Bugs was beaten at his own game. In the short ''Duck Amuck'' he torments Daffy Duck as the unseen animator, ending with his line, "Ain't I a stinker?" Bugs feels the same wrath of an unseen animator in the short ''Rabbit Rampage'' where he is in turn tormented by Elmer Fudd. At the end of the clip Elmer gleefully exclaims, 'Well, I finally got even with that scwewy wabbit!"

Although it was usually Porky Pig who brought the WB cartoons to a close with his stuttering, "That's all, folks!", Bugs would occasionally appear, bursting through a drum just as Porky did, but munching a carrot and saying in his Bronx-Brooklyn accent, "And dat's de end!"

The name "Bugs" or "Bugsy" as an old-fashioned nickname means "crazy" (or "loopy"). Several famous people from the first half of the twentieth century had that nickname. It is now out of fashion as a nickname, but survives in 1950s–1960s expressions like "you're bugging me", as in "you're driving me crazy".

Bugs wears white gloves, which he is rarely seen without, although he may remove one and use it for slapping an opponent to predicate a duel. Another glove-less example is the episode ''Long-Haired Hare'', where Bugs pretends to be the famed conductor Leopold Stokowski and instructs opera star "Giovanni Jones" to sing and to hold a high note. As Giovanni Jones is turning red with the strain, Bugs slips his left hand out of its glove, leaving the glove hovering in the air in order to command Jones to continue to hold the high note. Bugs then nips down to the mail drop to order, and then to receive, a pair of ear defenders. Bugs puts on the ear defenders and then zips back into the amphitheater and reinserts his hand into his glove as singer Jones is writhing on the stage, still holding that same high note.

Bugs Bunny is also a master of disguise: he can wear any disguise that he wants to confuse his enemies: in ''Bowery Bugs'' he uses diverse disguises: fakir, gentleman, woman, baker and finally policeman. This ability of disguise makes Bugs famous because we can recognize him while at the same time realizing that his enemies are stumped. Bugs has a certain preference for the female disguise: Taz, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam were fooled by this sexy bunny (woman) and in ''Hare Trimmed'', Sam discovers the real face of "Granny" (Bugs's disguise) in the church where they attempt to get married. For all the gullible victims of all these disguises, however, for some reason, Daffy Duck and Cecil Turtle are among those who are never fooled.

Bugs Bunny may also have some mystical potential. In ''Knight-mare Hare'' he was able to return to his bunny form (after being transformed into a donkey) by removing his donkey form as if it were a suit. Merlin of Monroe (the wizard) was unable to do the same thing. Later Bugs Bunny defeated the Count Blood Count in a magical spell duel. However, the story was a dream and Bugs Bunny's victory over Count Blood Count was a result of his intellect, not innate magical power.

Rabbit or hare?

The animators throughout Bugs' history have treated the terms rabbit and hare as synonymous. Taxonomically, they are not synonymous, being somewhat similar but observably different types of lagomorphs. Hares have much longer ears than rabbits, so Bugs might seem to be of the hare family, yet rabbits live in burrows, as Bugs is seen to do. Many more of the cartoon titles include the word "hare" rather than "rabbit," as "hare" lends itself easily to puns ("hair," "air," etc.) although Elmer Fudd has always referred to Bugs as a "wabbit".

Within the cartoons, although the term "hare" comes up sometimes, again typically as a pun—for example, Bugs drinking "hare tonic" to "stop falling hare" or being doused with "hare restorer" to bring him back from invisibility—Bugs as well as his antagonists most often refer to the character as a "rabbit." The word "bunny" is of no help in answering this question, as it is a synonym for both young hares and young rabbits.

In Nike commercials with Michael Jordan, Bugs had been referred to as "''Hare'' Jordan."

The opening and closing

In the opening of many of the Bugs Bunny cartoons, the ''Merrie Melodies'' and ''Looney Tunes'' irises contain Bugs Bunny's head after the Warner Bros. shield (generally from 1944 and 1949 onward). Others have Bugs Bunny relaxing on top of the Warner Bros. shield: He chews on his carrot, looks angrily at the camera and pulls down the next logo (''Merrie Melodies'' or ''Looney Tunes'') like a window shade (generally on cartoons between 1945 until early 1949). Then he lifts it back up, to now be seen lying on his own name, which then fades into the title of the specific short. In some other cases, the title card sometimes fades to him, already on his name and chewing his carrot then fade to the name of the short. At the finish of ''Hare Tonic'' and ''Baseball Bugs'', Bugs breaks out of a drum (like ''Porky Pig'') and says, "And that's the end". Also, at the end of ''Box Office Bunny'', right after Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd run out through the Looney Tunes "That's All Folks!" sequence, Bugs later comes in through the rings and says, "And that's all, folks!". He did the ending for the last time at the end of ''Space Jam'' but this time saying "Well, that's all, folks!".

Voice actors

The following are the many voice actors who have voiced the character Bugs Bunny over the last seventy-one years:

;Mel Blanc :Mel Blanc voiced the character for 49 years, from Bugs' debut in ''A Wild Hare'' (1940) until Blanc's death in 1989. Blanc described the voice as a combination of Bronx and Brooklyn accents; however, Tex Avery claimed that he asked Blanc to give the character not a New York accent ''per se'', but a voice like that of actor Frank McHugh, who frequently appeared in supporting roles in the 1930s and whose voice might be described as New York Irish. In Bugs' second cartoon ''Elmer's Pet Rabbit'', Blanc created a completely new voice for Bugs, which sounded like a Jimmy Stewart impression, but the directors decided the previous voice was better. Though his best-known character was the carrot-chomping rabbit, munching on the carrots interrupted the dialogue. Various substitutes, such as celery, were tried, but none of them ''sounded'' like a carrot. So for the sake of expedience, he would munch and then spit the carrot bits into a spittoon rather than swallowing them, and continue with the dialogue. One often-repeated story, possibly originating from ''Bugs Bunny: Superstar'', is that Blanc was allergic to carrots and ''had'' to spit them out to minimize any allergic reaction — but his autobiography makes no such claim. In fact, in a 1984 interview with Tim Lawson, co-author of ''The Magic Behind The Voices: A Who's Who of Cartoon Voice Actors'' (University Press of Mississippi, 2004), Blanc emphatically denied being allergic to carrots.

;Jeff Bergman :Jeff Bergman was the first to voice Bugs Bunny (and several other Looney Tunes characters) after Blanc died in 1989. He got the job by impressing Warner Bros. higher-ups with a tape of himself re-creating the voices of several of Blanc's characters, including Bugs. He had rigged the tape player so that he could use a switch to instantly toggle back and forth between the original recording of Blanc and Bergman's recording of the same lines. Upon doing this, it was almost impossible for the producers to tell which voice was Blanc's and which voice was Bergman; thus his vocal ability was established and his career launched.

:Bergman first voiced Bugs during the 1990 Academy Awards and then in ''Box Office Bunny'', a 4-minute ''Looney Tunes'' short released in 1990 to commemorate Bugs' fiftieth anniversary. Bergman would next voice Bugs in the 1991 short ''(Blooper) Bunny'', a Greg Ford-directed cartoon produced to coincide with Bugs' 51st and a half anniversary. However, the short never received its intended theatrical release and was shelved for years, until Cartoon Network rediscovered it and broadcast it on their channel several years later. ''(Blooper) Bunny'' has since garnered a cult following among animation fans for its use of edgy humor. Other works for which Bergman provided Bugs' voice include ''Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers'' (an obvious parody of the 1950s sci-fi classic ''Invasion of the Body Snatchers''), ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' (a popular television program of the early nineties that featured the classic ''Looney Tunes'' characters as mentors to their younger counterparts) in the first season, and ''Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue'' (a television special exposing children to dangers of illegal drugs). Bergman would continue to do the voice of Bugs Bunny until 1993, apparently due to him having difficulty moving to Los Angeles at the time. In 2011, Bergman has returned to voice Bugs for Cartoon Network's new series, ''The Looney Tunes Show''.

;Greg Burson :Greg Burson first voiced Bugs Bunny in later episodes of ''Tiny Toon Adventures''. He was then given the responsibility of voicing Bugs in 1995's ''Carrotblanca'', a well-received 8-minute ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon originally shown in cinemas alongside ''The Amazing Panda Adventure'' (US) and ''The Pebble and the Penguin'' (non-US); it has since been released on video packaged with older ''Looney Tunes'' cartoons and was even included in the special edition DVD release of ''Casablanca'', of which it is both a parody and an homage. Burson next voiced Bugs in the 1996 short ''From Hare to Eternity''; the film is notable for being dedicated to the memory of the then-just deceased Friz Freleng, and for being the final ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon that Chuck Jones directed. Burson also provided Bugs' voice in ''The Bugs and Daffy Show'', which ran on Cartoon Network from 1996 to 2003. He died in 2008.

;Billy West :Billy West has been in television since the late 1980s. His first role was for the 1988 revived version of Bob Clampett's ''Beany and Cecil''. West's breakthrough role then came almost immediately, as the voice of Stimpy and later Ren in John Kricfalusi's ''Ren & Stimpy''. West has since been the voice talent for close to 120 different characters, including some of the most iconic animated figures in television history. Perhaps West's most notable film work came in the 1996 film ''Space Jam''. Starring alongside Michael Jordan, West provided the voice of both Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. West would go on to reprise the roles of Bugs in subsequent ''Looney Tunes'' productions, including his cameos on ''Histeria!'', also he made a cameo appearance on ''Kid vs. Kat'' in "Class Act", the Kids' WB! promotional spots, and the 2006 Christmas-themed special ''Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas'' and the DVD compilations "Reality Check" and "Stranger Than Fiction", along with several ''Looney Tunes''-centric CDs, cartoons, and video games.

;Joe Alaskey :Joe Alaskey, like Jeff Bergman, is well-known for his ability to successfully impersonate many ''Looney Tunes'' characters. In fact, Alaskey voiced Yosemite Sam in ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', as original voice actor Mel Blanc had found it too hard on his vocal cords (which makes Sam one of the few voices created by Blanc to be voiced by someone else during his lifetime). Alaskey's first performance as Bugs Bunny came in the 2003 feature film ''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'', although he had tested performing the role in a few earlier projects, such as ''Tweety's High-Flying Adventure''. While still best known for providing the voice of Daffy Duck, Alaskey has also gone on to do Bugs' voice in several subsequent productions, including ''Daffy Duck for President'' (which was released on ''The Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2'' and dedicated to then-just deceased Chuck Jones) and several recent video games and Looney Tunes cartoons, including ''Hare and Loathing in Las Vegas''.

;Samuel Vincent :Samuel Vincent served as the voice of Bugs in the Cartoon Network TV series ''Baby Looney Tunes''.

;Noel Blanc :Noel Blanc, Mel Blanc's son, voiced Bugs for the ''Tiny Toons'' special ''It's a Wonderful Tiny Toon Christmas Special''. The elder Blanc claimed in his later years that Noel substituted for Mel in various cartoon studios, including doing Bugs at Warner Bros., while he was recovering from a near-fatal car wreck. Noel can also be seen doing Bugs' voice with his father in the documentary on the making of the film ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''.

Cameos

Bugs Bunny has had cameo appearances in ten cartoons, including two ''Private SNAFU'' shorts.

''Daffy Doodles'' (1946)

''Patient Porky'' (1940)

''Crazy Cruise'' (1942)

''Porky Pig's Feat'' (1943, Bugs's only appearance in a black-and-white Looney Tunes short)

''Jasper Goes Hunting'' (1944, for Paramount)

''Odor-able Kitty'' (1945)

''The Goofy Gophers'' (1947, with a sped-up voice)

''The Lion's Busy'' (1950)

''Duck Amuck'' (1953)

''Justice League: The New Frontier'' (2008, voiced by Joe Alaskey, as one of the forms of The Martian Manhunter)

Current popularity

In 2002, ''TV Guide'' compiled a list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time as part of the magazine's 50th anniversary. Bugs Bunny was given the honor of number 1. In a CNN broadcast on July 31, 2002, a ''TV Guide'' editor talked about the group that created the list. The editor also explained why Bugs pulled top billing: "His stock...has never gone down...Bugs is the best example...of the smart-aleck American comic. He not only is a great cartoon character, he's a great comedian. He was written well. He was drawn beautifully. He has thrilled and made many generations laugh. He is tops." Additionally, in ''Animal Planet'''s ''50 Greatest Movie Animals'' (2004), Bugs was named #3, behind Mickey Mouse and Toto. In 2005 Bugs Bunny was voted the 10th greatest cartoon in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Cartoons behind ''The Simpsons'', ''Tom and Jerry'', ''South Park'', ''Toy Story'', ''Family Guy'', ''Shrek'', ''The Lion King'', ''Spirited Away'' and ''The Incredibles''.

Bugs has also had an effect on "live" movie acting. During an interview for ''Inside the Actors Studio'', comedian Dave Chappelle cited him as one of his earliest influences, praising voice actor Mel Blanc.

According to Time Warner, Bugs Bunny became the current official mascot for Six Flags theme parks beginning with their 45th anniversary.

Awards

Academy Awards

''Knighty Knight Bugs'' (1958)

Academy Award nominations

''A Wild Hare'' (1940)

''Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt'' (1941)

See also

''Looney Tunes''

''Merrie Melodies''

''List of Bugs Bunny cartoons''

''List of Looney Tunes feature-length films''

''The Golden Age of American animation''

References

Bibliography

External links

Warner Bros. Studios

Category:Corporate mascots Category:DC Comics titles Category:Dell Comics titles Category:Fictional anthropomorphic characters Category:Fictional characters from New York City Category:Fictional hares and rabbits Category:Gold Key Comics titles Category:Honorary United States Marines Category:Looney Tunes characters Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1940

ar:باغز باني bn:বাগস বানি bar:Bugs Bunny bs:Duško Dugouško bg:Бъгс Бъни ca:Bugs Bunny da:Snurre Snup de:Bugs Bunny es:Bugs Bunny eu:Bugs Bunny fa:باگز بانی fr:Bugs Bunny gl:Bugs Bunny hr:Zekoslav Mrkva id:Bugs Bunny it:Bugs Bunny he:באגס באני jv:Bugs Bunny pam:Bugs Bunny sw:Bugs Bunny hu:Tapsi Hapsi ms:Bugs Bunny ro:Bugs Bunny nah:Bugs Bunny nl:Bugs Bunny ja:バッグス・バニー no:Snurre Sprett pl:Królik Bugs pt:Bugs Bunny ru:Багз Банни sq:Bugs Bunny simple:Bugs Bunny sr:Душко Дугоушко fi:Väiski Vemmelsääri sv:Snurre Sprätt th:บักส์ บันนี tr:Bugs Bunny zh:賓尼兔

name	Asha Bhosle
background	solo_singer
birth name	Asha Mangeshkar
born	September 08, 1933Sangli, Bombay Presidency, British India
genre	Pop, folk, Indian classical music
occupation	Singer, playback singer
years active	1943–present }}

Asha Bhosle () (born September 8, 1933) is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and highly regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a much wider repertoire. Her career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over 1000 Bollywood movies. She has recorded many private albums and has participated in numerous concerts in India and abroad. Bhosle is the sister of playback singer Lata Mangeshkar.

Renowned for her voice range and often credited for her versatility, Bhosle's work includes film music, pop, ghazals, bhajans, traditional Indian Classical music, folk songs, qawwalis, Rabindra Sangeets and Nazrul Geetis. She has sung Hindi, Assamese, Urdu, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Kannada, English, Russian, Czech, Nepali, Malay, Sinhala and Malayalam.

In 2006, Asha Bhosle stated that she had sung over 12,000 songs, a figure repeated by several other sources. The World Records Academy, an international organization which certifies world records, recognized her as the "Most Recorded Artist" in the world, in September 2009. The Government of India honoured her with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008.

Biography

Asha Bhosle was born in the small hamlet of Goar in Sangli, Bombay Presidency (now in Maharashtra), into the musical family of Master Deenanath Mangeshkar, who belongs to Gomantak Maratha Samaj. Her father was a theater actor and classical singer. When she was nine years old, her father died. The family moved from Pune to Kolhapur and then to Mumbai. She and her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar began singing and acting in films to support their family. She sang her first film song ''Chala Chala Nav Bala'' for the Marathi movie ''Majha Bal'' (1943). The music for the film was composed by Datta Dawjekar. She made her Hindi film debut when she sang the song ''Saawan Aaya'' for Hansraj Behl's ''Chunariya'' (1948). Her first solo Hindi film song was for the movie ''Raat Ki Raani'' (1949).

At the age of 16, she eloped with 31-year-old Ganpatrao Bhosle, marrying him against her family's wishes. Ganpatrao was Lata's personal secretary. The marriage failed miserably. Her husband and in-laws mistreated her. After a few years of marriage, Asha was turned out (around 1960) by a suspicious Ganpatrao and she went to her maternal home with two children and pregnant with her third child. She continued to sing in films to earn money.

At that time, prominent playback singers like Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum and Lata Mangeshkar monopolized the singing for the female lead and the big films, whilst Asha used to get the assignments they refused: singing for the bad girls and vamps, or songs in the second-grade movies. In the 1950s, she sang more songs than most playback singers in Bollywood (not counting Lata). Most of these were in low budget B or C-grade films. Her earliest songs were composed by A R Qureshi, Sajjad Hussain and Ghulam Mohammed, most of which failed to do well. Singing in Dilip Kumar-starrer ''Sangdil'' (1952), composed by Sajjad Hussain, she got reasonable recognition. Consequently, film director Bimal Roy gave her a chance to sing in ''Parineeta'' (1953). Raj Kapoor signed her to sing ''Nanhe Munne Bachche'' with Mohammed Rafi in ''Boot Polish'' (1954), which gained popularity.

O. P. Nayyar gave Asha a break in C.I.D. (1956). She first achieved success in B. R. Chopra's ''Naya Daur'' (1957), composed by him. Her duets with Rafi like ''Maang ke saath tumhara'', ''Saathi haath badhana'' and ''Uden jab jab zulfein teri'', penned by Sahir Ludhianvi earned her recognition. It was the first time that she had got to sing all the songs for the lead actress. B R Chopra recognized her talent and got her to sing in many of his later films including ''Waqt'', ''Gumraah'', Humraaz, ''Aadmi Aur Insaan'' and ''Dhund''. Nayyar's collaboration with Bhosle also produced many hits. Gradually, she established herself and received patronage of composers such as Sachin Dev Burman and Ravi. Bhosle and Nayyar had a professional and personal parting of ways in the 1970s.

In 1966, Asha's performance in the duets from music director R D Burman's first successful movie, ''Teesri Manzil'' won popular acclaim. When Asha first listened to the tune of the song ''Aaja Aaja'', she had felt that she would not be able to sing the Western dance number. R D Burman offered to change the music. She was offended a bit and took it as a challenge to sing the song. After rehearsing for 10 days, when she finally sang the song, an impressed R D Burman handed her a 100-rupee note. ''Aaja Aaja'' and other songs of the film, ''O Haseena Zulfonwali'' and ''O Mere Sona Re'' (all three duets with Rafi, another popular Bollywood singer), became rage of the day. Shammi Kapoor, the actor of the movie, once said – "If I did not have Mohammad Rafi to sing for me, I would have got Asha Bhosle to do the job". Asha's collaboration with R D Burman resulted in numerous hits and a marriage. In 1960s and 1970s, she became the voice of Bollywood's dancer, Helen. It is said that Helen would attend her recording sessions so that she could understand the song better and plan dance steps accordingly. Some of the most popular Asha Bhosle-Helen numbers are ''Piya Tu Ab To Aaja'' (''Caravan''), ''O Haseena Zulfon Wali'' (''Teesri Manzil''), and ''Yeh Mera Dil'' (''Don'').

By the 1980s, Asha Bhosle had been stereotyped as a "cabaret singer" and a "pop crooner". In Rekha-starrer ''Umrao Jaan'', she proved her versatility by singing ghazals like ''Dil cheez kya hai'', ''In aankhon ki masti ke'', ''Ye kya jagah hai doston'' and ''Justju jiski thi''. The film's music director Khayyam, had lowered her pitch by half a note. Asha herself was surprised that she could sing so differently. The ghazals won her the first National Award of her career. A few years later, she won another National Award for the song ''Mera Kuchh Saamaan'' from ''Ijaazat'' (1987).

In 1995, the 62-year-old sung for actress Urmila Matondkar in the movie ''Rangeela''. The soundtrack featured songs like ''Tanha Tanha'' and ''Rangeela Re'' sung by her, and composed by music director A. R. Rahman, who went on to record many more songs with her.

In 2005, 72-year-old Asha's numbers for the Tamil film ''Chandramukhi'' and the pop song ''Lucky Lips'' for Salman Khan-starrer ''Lucky'' were chartbusters. Some of the other popular Tamil songs sung by her are ''Oh! Butterfly'', ''September Maadham'' and ''Vennila Vennila''.

In October 2004, ''The Very Best of Asha Bhosle, The Queen of Bollywood'', a compilation album of songs recorded by Bhosle for albums and Bollywood films that were released between 1966 & 2003, was released.

It has been 70 years since Asha Bhosle began singing for movies, but in 2011, she will finally star in her first film "Maaee." The movie will begin filming in April and is scheduled to premiere in June.

Partnership with music directors

;O.P. Nayyar

Music director O. P. Nayyar's association with Asha is part of Bollywood lore. He was the composer who first gave Asha her own identity. Many people have speculated about a romantic relationship between the two.

Nayyar first met Asha in 1952, at the music recording of ''Chham Chhama Chham''. He first called her for a film called ''Mangu'' (1954), and gave her a big break in ''CID'' (1956). However, it was the success of ''Naya Daur'' (1957), that made the duo very popular. After 1959, she was emotionally and professionally involved with Nayyar.

The team of O.P. Nayyar and Asha Bhosle is best remembered for their breezy and sometimes sirenish songs. Some good examples of their sensuous numbers are ''Aaiye meherbaan'' picturised on Madhubala (''Howrah Bridge'', 1958) and ''Yeh hai reshmi zulfon ka andhera'' picturised on Mumtaz (''Mere Sanam'', 1965). They also recorded songs for many hit movies like ''Tumsa Nahin Dekha'' (1957), ''Howrah Bridge'' (1958), ''Ek Musafir Ek Hasina'' (1962), ''Kashmir Ki Kali'' (1964), ''Aao huzur tumko'' (''Kismat'') and ''Jaaiye aap kahan'' (''Mere Sanam''). O.P. Nayyar used the Asha Bhosle-Mohammad Rafi duo for his most popular duets such as ''Ude jab jab zulfein teri'' (''Naya Daur''), ''Main pyaar ka rahi hoon'' (''Ek Musafir Ek Haseena''), ''Deewana Hua Baadal'' and ''Ishaaron hi isharon mein'' (''Kashmir Ki Kali'').

Asha recorded her last song for O.P. Nayyar in the movie ''Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye'' (1974). The solo number ''Chain se'' got many awards, but it was not included in the movie.

They split on August 5, 1972. It is not clear what made them part their ways. On being asked the reason for their parting, O P Nayyar once said, "I know astrology very well. I knew that one day I had to part with her. Something also happened, that upset me, so I left her." Nevertheless, he also said "...now that I am seventy-six, I can say that the most important person in my life was Asha Bhosle. She was the best person I ever met."

The parting of Asha Bhosle and O.P. Nayyar was bitter, and probably therefore she has hesitated to give Nayyar his due. While talking about O.P. Nayyar in an interview with The Times of India, she once remarked - "Whichever composer gave me work, it was because my voice was suited to his music at that point. No ''one'' musician did me any favor by asking me to sing for him." She gives the credit for her first big break to B. R. Chopra, the producer of ''Naya Daur''.

;Khayyam Another music director who recognized Asha's talent early was Khayyam. Their partnership dates back to his first movie ''Biwi'' (1948). Khayyam gave her some good assignments in the 1950s, including ''Dard'' and ''Phir Subah Hogi''. But the team is chiefly remembered for the songs of ''Umrao Jaan''.

;Ravi Music composer Ravi considered Asha one of his favorite singers. She sang for his first movie ''Vachan'' (1955). The melodious lullaby from the movie, ''Chandamama door ke'' became an overnight hit among young mothers in India. Ravi got her to sing bhajans for the movies ''Gharana'', ''Grihasti'', ''Kajal'' and ''Phool Aur Patthar'', at a time when most of the composers remembered her only when they needed to record B-grade songs picturized on the vamps or the side-heroines. Ravi and Asha recorded a variety of songs, including the popular funny duet with Kishore Kumar - ''C A T...Cat maane billi'' (''Dilli Ka Thug''). The bhajan ''Tora man darpan'' (''Kajal'') is considered one of Asha's best songs.

They also recorded songs for many popular movies like ''Waqt'', ''Chaudhvin Ka Chand'', ''Gumrah'', ''Bahu Beti'', ''China Town'', ''Aadmi Aur Insaan'', ''Dhund'' and ''Humraaz''. For ''Chaudhvin Ka Chand'', Ravi wanted Geeta Dutt (the wife of actor and producer Guru Dutt) to sing the songs. But when she backed out, Guru Dutt insisted that Asha sing the songs.

;Sachin Dev Burman One of Bollywood's most famous composers, Sachin Dev Burman and his favorite singer, Lata Mangeshkar, were not on good terms from 1957 to 1962. During this period, S D Burman used Asha as his lead female voice. She and Burman gave many hit songs in movies such as ''Kaala Pani'', ''Kaala Bazaar'', ''Insaan Jaag Utha'', ''Lajwanti'', ''Sujata'' and ''Teen Deviyaan'' (1965). They recorded many songs together after 1962 as well. Most famous of these songs were Asha's duets with Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar. The song ''Ab ke baras'' in Bimal Roy's Bandini (1963) consolidated her position as a lead singer. The seductive song ''Raat Akeli Hai'' from Jewel Thief (1967), picturised on Tanuja, became very popular.

;Rahul Dev Burman (Pancham) Asha first met Rahul Dev Burman (a.k.a. "Pancham") when she was the mother of two and he was in 10th grade having dropped out to pursue music. Their partnership was first noticed in ''Teesri Manzil'' (1966). She went on to record a variety of songs with him - cabarets, rock, disco, ghazals and Indian classical music.

In the 1970s, Asha and Pancham's youthful Western songs took Bollywood music by storm - the raunchy cabaret ''Piya tu ab to aaja'' (''Caravan'', picturized on Helen), the rebellious ''Dum Maro Dum'' ('' Hare Rama Hare Krishna'', 1971), the sexy ''Duniya mein'' (''Apna Desh'', 1972) and the romantic ''Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne'' (''Yaadon Ki Baaraat'', 1973). Pancham also recorded many hit duets with Asha and Kishore Kumar such as ''Jaane jaan'' (''Jawani Diwani'') and ''Bhali bhali si ek soorat'' (''Buddha Mil Gaya'').

In 1980s, Pancham and Asha recorded subtle numbers for films like ''Ijaazat'' (1987)- ''Mera kuch saaman'', ''Khaali haath shaam aayi hai'' and ''Katra Katra''. They also recorded the popular duet ''O Maria'' (''Saagar'').

Asha used to call R D Burman "Bubs". She married him in 1980. Their partnership lasted until his death.

R D Burman made her sing some of the most legendary songs in Bengali language as well, namely ''Mohuyae Jomechhe Aaj mou go'',''Chokhe Chokhe kotha bolo'' ''Chokhhe naame brishti''(Bengali version of ''Jaane Kya Baat hai''), ''Baanshi sune ki ghore thaka jaye'',''Sondhya Belae tumi aami'' and ''Aaj Gungun gun gunje amar'' (Bengali version of ''Pyaar Deewana hota hai'').

;Ilaiyaraaja Prolific south Indian film composer Ilaiyaraaja began employing Asha's vocals in the early 1980s, their earliest collaboration being for the film ''Moondram Pirai'' (1982) (remade in Hindi as ''Sadma'' in 1983). Their association continued, mostly through the latter half of the 1980s and early 1990s. Another notable song from this period is ''Shenbagamae'' (''Enga Ooru Paattukkaaran'', 1987, Tamil). In 2000, Asha sung the theme song for Kamal Haasan's political film ''Hey Ram''. The song, ''Nee Partha Parvai'' (''Janmon Ki Jwala'' in Hindi) (or Aparna's Theme), was a duet with singer Hariharan.

;A. R. Rahman A. R. Rahman is credited with Asha's 'comeback' with ''Rangeela'' (1994). Songs like ''Tanha Tanha'' and ''Rangeela Re'' were chartbusters. She and Rahman went on to record more hits like ''Mujhe Rang De'' (''Thakshak''), ''Radha Kaise Na Jale'' (''Lagaan'', duet with Udit Narayan), ''Kahin Aag Lage'' (''Taal''), ''O Bhanware'' (''Daud'', duet with K. J. Yesudas), ''Venilla Venilla'' (''Iruvar'',1999) and ''Dhuan Dhuan'' (''Meenaxi'',2004).

;Jaidev When S D Burman's assistant Jaidev started giving music independently, he got Asha to sing some of his songs as well. They worked in ''Hum Dono'' (1961), ''Mujhe Jeene Do'' (1963), ''Do Boond Pani'' (1971) and other movies. In 1971, the pair released an LP of eight non-film devotional songs and ghazals called ''An Unforgettable Treat''. Asha considered Jaidev a close friend who stood by her when she was struggling personally and professionally. Upon his death in 1987, she released a compilation album of lesser-known songs he had composed for her, called ''Suranjali''.

;Shankar-Jaikishan Shankar-Jaikishan worked relatively little with Asha. However, the trio produced quite a few hits including the seductive ''Parde mein rehne do'' (''Shikar'', 1968). Asha got her second Filmfare Award for the song. She also sang ''Zindagi ek safar hai suhaana'' (''Andaz'') for Shankar-Jaikishan, in which she tried to yodel like Kishore Kumar, whose version of the song is more better known. When Raj Kapoor was not on speaking terms with Lata Mangeshkar, Asha got to sing the songs of Mera Naam Joker (1970), composed by Shankar-Jaikishan.

;Anu Malik Composer Anu Malik and Asha have recorded many hit songs together, including songs for his first movie ''Sohni Mahiwal'' (1984). Their most popular songs include ''Filhaal'' (''Filhaal'') and ''Kitabein bahut si'' (''Baazigar'') among others. The four lines sung by Asha in Malik's ''Jab dil mile'' (''Yaadein'') stood out among voices of Sukhwinder Singh, Udit Narayan and Sunidhi Chauhan. Asha had also sung for Anu's father Sardar Malik in the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in ''Saranga'' (1960).

;Other Composers Madan Mohan recorded a number of songs with Asha, including the popular folk number ''Jhumka Gira Re'' from ''Mera Saaya'' (1966). In ''Chhoti Si Baat'' (1975), Asha sang the ''Jaaneman Jaaneman'' number with K. J. Yesudas for Salil Chowdhury. Salil's 1956 movie ''Jagte Raho'' also had a number recorded by Asha, ''Thandi Thandi Saawan ki Phuhaar''. Another Asha patron is the young composer Sandeep Chowta, who got her to sing ''Kambakht Ishq'', a duet with Sonu Nigam for the movie ''Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya''(2001). The song gained major popularity among the Indian youth.

Asha has worked with Lata-patrons like Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Naushad, Ravindra Jain, N Dutta and Hemant Kumar. When Naushad was asked to sum up the essential difference between Lata and Asha, he said that Asha "lacks certain something which Lata, and Lata alone has". Later he accepted in an interview, "May be I said it because I then had a closed ear on Asha". Naushad, later in his life, also admitted that he has been unfair to Asha. Asha has also worked with other noted Bollywood composers like Jatin-Lalit, Bappi Lahiri, Kalyanji-Anandji, Usha Khanna, Chitragupt, and Roshan.

Non-Bollywood music

Private albums

In a rare feat, noted lyricist Gulzar, music director R.D. Burman and Asha Bhosle, came together in 1987, to create a double album, titled, ''Dil Padosi Hai'', which was released on September 8, 1987. In 1995, Asha underwent the ''gatha bandan'' (thread-tying) ceremony with Hindustani classical music maestro Ali Akbar Khan to learn a classical repertoire held within the Maihar ''gharana'' (stylistic school of Indian classical music), as handed down to Khan by his father Allauddin Khan (the guru of Ravi Shankar). Later, Asha and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan recorded eleven fixed compositions (or ''bandish''es) in California for ''Legacy'', a private album that earned them a Grammy Award nomination.

In 1990s, Asha experimented with remixed R D Burman songs. She was criticized by many, including Khayyam for tampering with old melodies. Nevertheless, albums like ''Rahul And I'' became quite popular. In 1997, Asha did a private Indipop album ''Janam Samjha Karo'' with Leslie Lewis. The album was hugely popular and won her many awards including the 1997 MTV Award.

Asha had been once asked by director B R Ishaara to compose music for one of his films, but she had politely declined. In 2002, she turned music composer with the album ''Aap Ki Asha'', an eight-song music and video album. The lyrics were written by Majrooh Sultanpuri (his last lyrics). The album was released by Sachin Tendulkar on May 21, 2001 at a lavish party in Mumbai. The album received mixed reviews.

Asha had spotted Pakistani singer Adnan Sami's talent when he was about 10 years old. At that time, she was performing in London, with R D Burman. It was she who had asked him to pursue his interests in music seriously. When Adnan grew up and became a professional musician, Asha sang the title duet with him for his best-selling album ''Kabhi to nazar milao''. The two came together again in the album ''Barse Badal''. The album comprises eight songs, based on Indian Classical music. She contributed the song ''Yun Na Thi'' to the recording ''Womad Talking Book Volume Four: An Introduction to Asia 1'' on Womad Records.

Asha has sung ghazals for many albums like ''Meraj-E-Ghazal'', ''Aabshar-E-Ghazal'' and ''Kashish''. In 2005, Asha released a self-titled album as a tribute to the four ghazal maestros - Mehdi Hassan, Ghulam Ali, Farida Khanum and Jagjit Singh. The album features eight of her favorite ghazals like Farida Khanum’s ''Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo'', Ghulam Ali’s ''Chupke Chupke'', ''Aawargi'' and ''Dil Mein Ek Lahar'', Jagjit Singh’s ''Ahista Ahista'' and Mehdi Hassan’s ''Ranjish Hi Sahi'', ''Rafta Rafta'' and ''Mujhe Tum Nazar Se''. These classic ghazals were recreated with modern sounds by musician Pandit Somesh Mathur. The album was aimed at the younger generation, who, according to Asha, are "turned off" by the traditional sounds of tabla and sarangi.

Numerous compilations of Asha's songs have been released as well. To commemorate her 60th birthday, EMI India released three cassettes: ''Bala Main Bairagan Hoongi'' (devotional songs), ''The Golden Collection: Memorable Ghazals'' (non-film ghazals by composers such as Ghulam Ali, R D Burman and Nazar Hussain), and ''The Golden Collection: The Ever Versatile Asha Bhosle'' (44 popular film songs).

In 2006, she recorded an album ''Asha and Friends'', singing duets, with film actors Sanjay Dutt and Urmila Matondkar and famous cricket player Brett Lee, with whom she sang, You're the One for Me (''Haan Main Tumhara Hoon''). All these songs composed by Shamir Tandon were shot on video by journalist turned director S Ramachandran.

Concerts and collaborations with foreign artists

In 1980s and 1990s, Asha went globe-trotting, staging concerts in Canada, Dubai, UK, U.S. and many other countries. In 1989, during a world tour, she performed in 13 US cities in 20 days. Immediately after this, she had an already sold-out concert scheduled in Stockholm, Sweden. Due to the stressful schedule, Asha suffered a massive attack of colitis, together with fever, cough and weakness. In Stockholm, a pre-concert crisis meeting was called, attended by Asha's son (and manager) Anand and the sponsors. It was decided that the orchestra will play many instrumental tracks, the accompanying singers like Suresh Wadkar will shoulder the load, and Asha will make a small appearance. But Asha rejected all such proposals, and sang at the concert with great difficulty, in a not-so-good voice. Her first set of six Bollywood songs did not receive any response from the audience, which consisted mostly of Indian and Pakistani expats. Before the start of the second set of songs, a fan in the crowd requested her to sing a Marathi song. Asha obliged and sang ''Naach-naachuni ati mi damale'' ("I'm very tired of this endless dancing"). When the song ended, the auditorium erupted with claps and the encores started. After the concert, Asha was in bed for a month, recuperating from overexertion. In October 2002, she did a concert with Sudesh Bhosle and others, in London, for "Help the Aged" to help raise funds for the elderly in India. In 2007 she toured the USA, Canada, and West Indies in a tour called "The Incredibles". In this tour, she was accompanied by singers Sonu Nigam, Kunal Ganjawala and Kailash Kher. This tour, originally scheduled for only 12 concerts, went on to hold more than 20.

In the mid-1980s, Asha sang with Boy George (''Bow down mister'') and Stephen Lauscombe. In 1997, she sang a love song with the boy band Code Red, at the age of 64. She also recorded the song ''The Way you Dream'' (One Giant Leap, ) with Michael Stipe that was used in the English movie, ''Bulletproof Monk''. The song was also released on the album 1 Giant Leap for 2002.

In 1997, the British band Cornershop paid tribute to Asha with their song ''Brimful of Asha'', an international hit which was later remixed by Fatboy Slim. In 2001, the CD single of Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like A Bird" included a "Nellie vs. Asha Remix" created by Digital Cutup Lounge.

In 2003, British opera pop singer Sarah Brightman sampled her song "Dil Cheez Kya Hai" on her album ''Harem''. It was used as the intro for her song "You Take My Breath Away".

In 2005, American string quartet Kronos Quartet re-recorded R D Burman compositions like ''Chura Liya'', ''Piya Tu'', ''Mera Kuchh Saaman'' among others and got Asha to sing them. Despite her age, she recorded three to four songs in a day, leaving the quartet members stupefied. On August 23, 2005, ''You've stolen my heart - Songs From R D Burman's Bollywood'' was released in US. The album was nominated for Grammy Awards 2006 in the category of "Best Contemporary World Music Album". In the 1990s, a friend had introduced David Harrington of Kronos Quartet to the song ''Aaj ki raat''. Harrington was mesmerised, and the song ended up on the album ''Kronos Caravan''.

Also in 2005, The Black Eyed Peas sampled her songs "Ae Naujawan Sab Kuchh Yahan" (''Apradh'', 1972) and "Yeh Mera Dil Pyaar Ka Diwana" (''Don'', 1978) in their hit single "Don't Phunk with My Heart". In late 2006, Asha collaborated with Australian test cricket star, Brett Lee. The single, You're the One for Me, debuted at number 4 on the charts and reached a peak position of number 2.

In 2006 Asha recorded one song for the soundtrack of Pakistani movie ''Mein Ek Din Laut Kay Aaaonga''. She sang the song, titled ''Dil Key Taar Bajey'', with famous Pakistani pop singer Jawad Ahmed. It was aired as part of the film's promotional campaign and became very popular, featuring on top music charts.

Personal life

Asha's house is situated in Prabhukunj Apt on Peddar Road area of South Mumbai. She has three children and five grandchildren. The eldest of her three children, Hemant Bhosle (named after Hemant Kumar), spent most of his early years as a pilot and quit to have a brief career as a music director. Asha's daughter Varsha worked as a columnist for ''The Sunday Observer'' and ''Rediff''. Asha's youngest child, Anand Bhosle, has studied business and film direction. He manages Asha's career. Her grandson, Chaitanya (Chintu) Bhosle (Hemant's son) is a part of the world of music. He is a member of India's first & only boy band, "A Band of Boys". Her sisters Lata and Usha Mangeshkar are playback singers. Her other, sister Meena Mangeshkar and brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar are music directors.

Asha is an excellent cook and cooking is her favorite hobby. She often gets flooded with requests by Bollywood celebrities for ''kadai ghosht'' and ''biryani'' dishes and has rarely turned down a request. In fact, her ''paya curry'', ''Goan fish curry'' and ''dal'' are very popular with the Kapoor family of Bollywood. Once, when asked in a ''Times of India'' interview, what if her singing career had not taken off, she said "I would have become a cook. I'd have cooked in four houses and made money."

Asha is a successful restaurateur and runs restaurants in Dubai and Kuwait, called Asha's. Asha's offers traditional north-western Indian cuisine. It has a presence in the Wafi City development in Dubai, as well as three restaurants in Kuwait, at The Avenues Mall, the Marina Mall and a brand new third outlet at the Spoons Complex. Other restaurants can be found in Abu Dhabi's Khaldiya Mall, Doha's Villagio and Bahrain's City Center Mall, with future outposts planned for Dubai's Mall of the Emirates and Cairo, Egypt. Asha Bhosle has a 20% stake in the business. Asha is not involved in day-to-day running of the restaurant which is looked after by the Wafi Group. She takes care of the kitchen and the décor. She personally trained the chefs for almost six months. According to a December 2004 report in the Menu Magazine, Russell Scott, a former head of Harry Ramsden's (the fish and chips chain), secured the UK rights to the Asha's brand and planned to open up to 40 restaurants over the next five years. As part of her chain of restaurants, Asha has recently opened a new restaurant in Birmingham, UK.

Asha's fashion statement is white saree with sparkling embroidery, pearls around her neck and a touch of diamonds. Harrington said "The first time I met Ashaji she was dressed in the most beautiful sari with diamonds and looked very regal. Then I looked down and saw that she was wearing tennis shoes! I thought I love this woman."

Asha is a good mimicry artist as well. At a concert at World Trade Center in Dubai on April 22, 2004, she mimicked the song ''Kabhi To Nazar Milaao'' in the voices of Noor Jehan, Lata Mangeshkar and Ghulam Ali.

Nowadays, apart from singing and her restaurant, Asha is also working on her autobiography.

Rivalry with Lata Mangeshkar

Asha's sibling rivalry with Lata Mangeshkar is often talked about, in spite of their insistence that these are just tales. As young children, they were very close. As a child, Lata used to carry Asha all the time. They were so inseparable that when Lata went to school she would take Asha with her. One day the teacher protested and said that they cannot have two students on one fee. Lata refused to return to school without Asha and quit her studies.

Lata considered Asha's act of eloping with her lover as irresponsible, leaving her alone to sing and earn for the family. This led to tensions between them. Asha herself accepted in an interview — "It was a love marriage and Lata ''didi'' did not speak to me for a long time. She disapproved of the alliance." At one time, their relationship was very adversarial and there have been periods of non-communication.

In her initial days in the industry, Asha always played second fiddle to her elder sister. Some say that Lata had once criticised Asha's relationship with O. P. Nayyar. This widened the rift between the two sisters and O P Nayyar also decided that he would never work with Lata. O.P. Nayyar had once revealed "Asha and Lata, staying in opposite flats at Bombay's Peddar Road, had a common maidservant. Now this maidservant had merely to come and tell the younger sister that Lata had just recorded something wonderful for Asha to lose her vocal poise. Such was her Lata phobia that it took me some months to convince Asha that she had a voice individualistic enough to evolve a singing style all of her own." Asha once said that she has worked for years to create a voice and a style that was different from Lata, so that she could carve her own niche and not be banished to live in her sister's shadow.

Asha and Lata have also sung together. Their first duet was for the film ''Daman'' (1951). Some of their songs include ''Man Bhawan Ke Ghar aye'' (''Chori Chori'', 1956), ''Sakhi ri sun bole papihaa us paar'' (''Miss Mary'', 1957), ''O chaand jahaan woh jaaye'' (''Sharada'', 1957), ''Mere Mehboob Mein Kya Nahi'' (''Mere Mehboob'', 1963), ''Ai kash kisi deewane ko'' (''Aaye Din Bahar Ke'', 1966), ''Main Chali Main Chali'' (''Padosan'', 1968), ''Chhap tilak sab'' (''Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki'', 1978), and ''Man kyun behka'' (''Utsav'', 1984). While singing, Lata used to hold her notebook in her right hand, while Asha held hers in the left hand. This meant Lata had her face away from Asha, making it difficult for them to "anticipate" each other.

The movie ''Saaz'', was supposedly based on Lata and Asha's rivalry. Asha said about the movie — "To have two women in long plaits, take a couple of incidents and exaggerate them into a 3-hour film is such a waste of time." In the last few years, Asha and Lata have often been seen in public, enjoying each other's company. In an interview with ''The Times of India'', Asha once said - "I remember, sometimes both of us would be at a function and some industry types would ignore me and interact only with her, as if to prove their loyalty. Later, didi and I would have a good laugh!"

Awards

;Filmfare awards Asha Bhosle has won seven Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards of 18 nominations. She won her first two awards in 1967 and 1968. (Mangeshkar asked not to be considered for the award nominations after 1969 to promote new talent). After receiving the award in 1979, Bhosle emulated her elder sister and requested that her name not be considered for the nominations hereafter. Despite this, Bhosle is the most frequent winner of this award to date, tying with Alka Yagnik. She was later given a ''Special Award'' for ''Rangeela'' in 1996, and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. Following is the list of her Filmfare Awards:

Filmfare Best Female Playback Award:

1968: "Garibon ki Suno" (''Dus Lakh'', 1966)

1969: "Parde Mein Rehne Do" (''Shikar'', 1968)

1972: "Piya Tu Ab To Aaja" (''Caravan'', 1971)

1973: "Dum Maro Dum" (''Hare Rama Hare Krishna'', 1972)

1974: "Hone Lagi Hain Raat" (''Naina'', 1973)

1975: "Chain Se Humko Kabhi" (''Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye'', 1974)

1979: "Yeh Mera Dil" (''Don'', 1978)

Other Awards:

1996 - Special Award (''Rangeela'', 1995)

2001 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

;National Film Awards Asha has won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer twice:

1981: ''Dil Cheez Kya Hai'' (''Umrao Jaan'')

1986: ''Mera Kuch Samaan'' (''Ijaazat'')

;Other awards Asha has won numerous other awards, including: 1987: Nightingale Of Asia Award (from the Indo–Pak Association, UK). 1989: Lata Mangeshkar Award (Government of Madhya Pradesh). 1997: Screen Videocon Award (for the album ''Jaanam Samajha Karo''). 1997: MTV Award (for the album ''Jaanam Samajha Karo''). 1997: Channel V Award (for the album ''Jaanam Samjha Karo''). 1998: Dayawati Modi Award.

1999: Lata Mangeshkar Award (Government of Maharashtra)

2000: Singer of the Millennium (Dubai).

2000: Zee Gold Bollywood Award (for ''Mujhe Rang De'' from ''Thakshak'').

2001: MTV Award (for ''Kambakht Ishq'').

2002: BBC Lifetime Achievement Award (presented by the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair).

2002: Zee Cine Award for Best Playback Singer - Female (for ''Radha Kaise Na Jale'' from ''Lagaan'').

2002: Zee Cine Special Award for Hall of Fame.

2002: Screen Videocon Award (for ''Radha Kaise Na Jale'' from ''Lagaan'').

2002: Sansui Movie Award (for ''Radha Kaise Na Jale'' from ''Lagaan'').

2003: Swaralaya Yesudas Award for outstanding contributions to Indian music. 2004: ''Living Legend Award'' by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 2005: MTV Immies, Best Female Pop Act for ''Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo''. 2005: Most Stylish People in Music.

;Honours and recognitions

In 1997, Asha became the first Indian singer to be nominated for the Grammy Award, for ''Legacy'', an album with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

She has received seventeen Maharashtra State Awards.

She received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 for her outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.

She holds honorary doctorates from the University of Amravati and University of Jalgaon in Literature.

She has received ''The Freddie Mercury Award'' for Outstanding Achievement in Arts.

The Birmingham Film Festival paid her a special tribute in November 2002.

She was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India. She was among top 20 music icons of the past 50 years.

Footnotes and references

Further reading

External links

Asha Bhosle: The Voice Of Bollywood And More - audio report by ''NPR''

Category:1933 births Category:Living people Category:Bengali-language singers Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Category:English-language singers Category:Female guitarists Category:Gujarati-language singers Category:Hindi-language singers Category:Indian female singers Category:Indian film singers Category:Indian guitarists Category:Kollywood playback singers Category:Marathi-language singers Category:Marathi playback singers Category:Nepali-language singers Category:People from Maharashtra Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan Category:Russian-language singers Category:Tamil-language singers

bn:আশা ভোঁসলে de:Asha Bhosle es:Asha Bhosle fr:Asha Bhosle gu:આશા ભોંસલે hi:आशा भोंसले id:Asha Bhosle it:Asha Bhosle kn:ಆಶಾ ಭೋಂಸ್ಲೆ ml:ആശാ ഭോസ്‌ലേ mr:आशा भोसले ne:आशा भोसले pnb:آشا بھوسلے ru:Бхосле, Аша fi:Asha Bhosle sv:Asha Bhosle ta:ஆஷா போஸ்லே te:ఆశా భోస్లే

name	Vic Reeves
birth name	James Roderick Moir
birth date	January 24, 1959
birth place	Leeds, England
medium	Actor, writer, comedian, artist, singer, presenter
active	1989–present
genre	Surreal humour
influences	Monty Python, Spike Milligan, Malcolm Hardee, Eric Morecambe, David Spade
influenced	Charlie Higson, Jack Whitehall, Noel Fielding, Matt Lucas and David Walliams, Harry Hill
spouse	Sarah Vincent (1990-1999) (two children) Nancy Sorrell (2003 to date) (two children)
footnotes	}}

James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer (see Vic and Bob). He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour.

In 2003, he and Bob Mortimer were listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In a 2005 poll to find ''The Comedian's Comedian'', Reeves and Mortimer were voted the 9th greatest comedy act ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

Personal life

Early life

James Roderick Moir was born in Leeds, the son of James Neill (1926–2004) and Audrey Moir (née Leigh). At the age of five, he moved to Darlington with his parents and younger sister Lois. He attended Heathfield Nursery and went on to the nearby secondary school, Eastbourne Comprehensive in Darlington.

Marriage

Moir has four children; the eldest two are Alice Vincent Moir (born May 1993) and Louis Vincent Moir (born July 1997 in York), by his first wife Sarah Vincent, whom he married in 1990. They divorced in 1999.

He met his second wife, Nancy Sorrell, in 2001, and the couple married on 25 January 2003. Sorrell gave birth to twin girls Elizabeth and Nell at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent on 25 May 2006.

He now lives in Lenham, near Maidstone. He is a keen amateur birdwatcher. In August 2006 he attended the National Crabbing Competition at Walberswick in Suffolk along with Sorrell and their twin daughters.

Moir buried his classic Austin A40 Somerset in his back garden, as shown on the BBC's 1997 ''Omnibus'' documentary - ''A Film Of Reeves & Mortimer''. He went on Mr and Mrs with Nancy Sorrell

Career

After school, Moir undertook an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering, before moving to London and becoming a factory inspector.

He also formed the Fashionable Five, a group of five friends (including Jack Dent, who ran the original Fan Club) who would follow bands like The Enid and Free onto stage, and perform pranks (including Moir pretending to have a brass hand, and following a Terry Scott lookalike around Darlington town centre in single file formation). Eventually, they formed their own band. Reeves had an early breakthrough with the help of comedian Malcolm Hardee.

In 1983, he began a part-time course at a local art college, developed his love of painting and eventually persuaded a local art gallery to stage an exhibition of his unique work. Although still primarily known as a comedian, he is also gaining a reputation as an artist. His drawings and paintings have been used in his television shows and form a major part of his 1999 book, ''Sun Boiled Onions''.

As Vic Reeves

As well as working and performing in bands, in London, Moir also joined the alternative comedy circuit under many different guises. These included a loudmouth American called Jim Bell, a beat poet called Mister Mystery and, eventually, "The North-East’s Top Light Entertainer" - Vic Reeves. His stage show ''Vic Reeves Big Night Out'' began life as a regular Thursday night gig at Goldsmith’s Tavern, New Cross. Here he met Bob Mortimer, a solicitor who attended the show and enjoyed it so much that he soon began to participate. His television debut came in December 1986 on Channel 4 Television's The Tube in a comedy game show segment called "Square Celebrities", suspended by a wire to ask the "celebrities" questions. His next appearance was on the short-lived chat/comedy show One Hour with Jonathan Ross in a game show segment known as ''Knock Down Ginger''. His growing TV profile led to ''Big Night Out'' being given a slot on Channel 4 the following year. It was about this time that Vic and Bob rented a back room at Jools Holland's office/recording studio in Westcombe Park, Greenwich where they would spend hours writing material.

Reeves continued to work alongside Bob Mortimer as a comedy duo in ''The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer'', ''Shooting Stars'', and ''Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer'', some of which also featured future cast members of ''The Fast Show'' and ''Little Britain''.

Reeves is one of the few comedians to have had a number one hit record in the UK Singles Chart, which he did in company with The Wonder Stuff, singing "Dizzy" (previously a number one hit for Tommy Roe). The single's B-side was the original composition "Oh! Mr. Hairdresser", recorded with The Images of Cream and supposedly featuring Bob Mortimer on mandolin. He had also released a version of ''Born Free'', which was critically acclaimed and also reached the top ten. A third single during the same period, ''Abide With Me'', had little success. All three tracks appeared on his album, ''I Will Cure You'', released in 1991. In 1995, Reeves collaborated with EMF, covering The Monkees hit "I'm a Believer". Before finding fame, Reeves appeared in the Shakin' Stevens video promo for "What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For".

A 1994 pilot written by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson entitled ''The Honeymoon's Over'' was due to feature Chris Bell, a character from ''The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer''. The series was never commissioned. The same year, Reeves made a guest appearance on the Radio 1 series ''Shuttleworth's Showtime'', hosted by John Shuttleworth.

Between August 1998 and May 1999, Reeves and Mortimer presented the Channel X produced BBC Saturday night family game show ''Families at War'' alongside Alice Beer.

Reeves played Marty Hopkirk in the BBC's 2000–2001 thriller series ''Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)'' - a revival of the original 1960s series, with Mortimer as Randall, Emilia Fox as Jeannie and Tom Baker as Wyvern.

In 2000, he presented a series entitled, ''Vic Reeves Examines'' on UK Play. The programme featured celebrities such as Ricky Gervais, Johnny Vegas, Lauren Laverne and Emma Kennedy discussing a topic of their choice. The same year, Reeves presented a one-off radio show on BBC Radio 1, entitled ''Cock of the Wood''.

In 2004 he and Sorrell were both contestants in the fourth series of ''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!''. Along with Mortimer, he appeared in the series ''Catterick'' as several characters.

In September 2005 Reeves hosted a show for Virgin Radio called ''Vic Reeves Big Night In'' produced by Mark Augustyn, for a short period on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7.00pm.

In May 2006 he presented a programme on ITV Tyne Tees about Northeast comedy culture, ''It's Funny Up North with... Vic Reeves''.

Reeves presented a historical ten-part series, entitled ''Rogues Gallery'', which was shown on the Discovery Channel (UK) in 2005. In the series, he investigated, and portrayed Anne Bonny & Mary Read, Captain Kidd, Claude Duval, Jonathan Wild, Rob Roy, Colonel Blood, George Ransley, Deacon Brodie, Blackbeard and Dick Turpin. Nancy Sorrell also appeared in some episodes. Continuing in this vein, ''Vic Reeves' Pirates'' was shown on ITV West, and subsequently on The History Channel in 2007.

In 2007, Reeves hosted a show called ''Vic Reeves Investigates: Jack the Ripper''. Reeves, with the help of historians and leading experts, tried to discover who Jack the Ripper was. At the end of the show, he came to the conclusion that Jack the Ripper was Francis Tumblety.

He was the main presenter of ''Brainiac: Science Abuse'' during the fifth and sixth series, replacing Richard Hammond, who quit the show. The series began on 8 May 2007.

Beginning in June 2007, Reeves presented a BBC Radio 2 panel game called ''Does the Team Think…''.

In late 2007, Reeves appeared in a weekly radio-based sketch show on BBC Radio 2, entitled ''Vic Reeves' House Arrest''. The first episode was broadcast on 17 November 2007 and the series ran for six episodes. The show's premise was that Reeves had been put under house arrest for "a crime he didn't commit", and each episode consists of the various events that take place in and around his house on a particular day. Reeves' comedy partner Bob Mortimer plays his housecall-making hairdresser, Carl, while other performers include ''The Mighty Boosh'' star Noel Fielding as a local vagrant who comes to Reeves' door on a weekly basis looking for work, and Reeves' wife Nancy Sorrell in multiple roles.

On 20 February 2008, Reeves appeared onstage at the ''BRIT Awards'' to present the "Mastercard British Album" award to winners, Arctic Monkeys. He was visibly disorientated and event co-host Sharon Osbourne called him a "pissed bastard" and repeatedly told him to "piss off". There have been claims by ''The Sun'' newspaper that Reeves' addled state was due to his autocue failing. In ITV's Teletext music magazine Planet Sound interview, which took place half an hour after the show, Reeves stated that he was trying to read the autocue, and was pushed away by Osbourne whilst trying to do his job. He called Osbourne's behaviour "unacceptable". Planet Sound defended Reeves, saying "for the record" he was not drunk, and declared that there are better people to present live awards ceremonies than the Osbournes, such as Jonathan Ross.

On 27 February 2008, Reeves announced that he and Mortimer were working together on a new sitcom about super heroes who get their powers through a malfunctioning telegraph pole. He also reiterated his desire to bring back ''Shooting Stars'' for a 6th series. Along with his son, he is also featured in one edition of a factual TV series for Five, Dangerous Adventures For Boys, based on the best-selling book written by Conn and Hal Iggulden, The Dangerous Book for Boys.

In February 2009, Reeves appeared as presenter of the first episode of ''My Brilliant Britain'', one of the new television shows commissioned for UKTV People channel's relaunch as Blighty.

On 25 August 2009, Reeves appeared as a guest on the BBC One programme ''The One Show'' alongside Bob Mortimer

Series 6 of ''Shooting Stars'' began airing on 26 August 2009 with Reeves returning as co-host with Mortimer, along with Ulrika Jonsson and Jack Dee as team captains.

Reeves appeared as one of the guests in ''Reece Shearsmith's Haunted House'', a light-hearted radio discussion show which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in two parts, either side of Halloween. The first part aired on 29 October 2009 and the second on 5 November 2009.

Reeves also lends his voice to the Virgin Atlantic Airlines onboard safety video, alongside Dani Behr.

In May 2011, Reeves commemorated the Royal Wedding by painting 100 plates baring a picture he drew of William and Kate, with the slogan "Our future King and Queen, Bill and Cath." He also painted a vase, which bore a shirtless William. The plates were priced at £100GBP each.

In July 2011, Vic rejoined Bob for a selection of Youtube Improvised Comedy Sketches, in association with Fosters - They released their "Afternoon Delight" clips every weekday afternoon in July.

Television appearances

Reeves has appeared without Mortimer on a number of British television shows, primarily game shows, poll programs and charity telethons. These include:

BBC 2 ''Never Mind The Buzzcocks ''My Brilliant Britain'' ''Celebrity Come Dine With Me'' FiveBBC OneBBC TwoChallenge TVITV ''Would I Lie To You? (TV series) ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' ''Loose Women'' BBC OneBBC TwoITV2Channel 4HTVThe History ChannelSky OneFive (channel)Channel 4Sky OneCBBCBBC OneITV1Channel 4BBC TwoITV1Channel 4BBC Two ''QI'' ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' ''Turn Back Time (TV series)Tyne Tees TelevisionBBC TwoBBC TwoBBC OneBBC Two ''Richard & Judy'' ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' ''The South Bank Show'' BBC TwoSky OneDiscovery ChannelChannel 4Channel 4 ''I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'' BBC TwoBBC OneITV1BBC One Presenter ''Auction Man'' Living (channel) ''Celebrity Mastermind (TV series)BBC TwoBBC FourITV1 ''It's Your New Year's Eve Party'' ITV1BBC TwoChannel 4BBC OneChannel 4 ''Vic Reeves Examines'' BBC TwoBBC OneBBC OneBBC One ''Clive Anderson All Talk'' ''TFI Friday'' ''Children in Need'' ''British Comedy Awards 1993''

width=10%	Year(s)	Title	Channel	Role	No of Episodes	Notes
rowspan="1"	2011	''Eric and Ernie''	|	George Bartholomew, father of Eric Morecambe	1	Credited as Jim Moir
rowspan="1"	2010	|	BBC 2	Panelist - on Noel's team	1	Series 24 Episode 9
rowspan="1"	2009	|	Blighty (TV channel)>Blighty	presenter	1
rowspan="6"	2008	|	Channel 4	waiter / support for contestant Sorrell	1
''Dangerous Adventures For Boys''	|	Contestant (with son, Louis Moir)	1
''Hole in the Wall (UK game show)	Hole in the Wall''	|	Contestant (with Sorrell)	1
''The Culture Show Uncut''	|	Reporter	1
''Take It Or Leave It (game show)	Take It Or Leave It''	Challenge ||	Celebrity contestant (with Sorrell)	1
''2008 BRIT Awards''	|	Award presenter
2007–2008	Would I Lie To You?'' ||	BBC One	Panel member	2
2005–2008	|	Channel 4	Panel member	8
rowspan="17"	2007	|	ITV	Interviewee (with Sorrell)	1
''The One Show''	|	Interviewee	1
''Something for the Weekend (2000s BBC TV series)	Something for the Weekend''	|	Interviewee	1
''Deadline (reality TV series)	Deadline	|	Contestant (with Sorrell)	1
''Memoirs of a Cigarette''	|	Contributor	1
''Vic Reeves' Pirates''	|	Presenter	6
''Vic Reeves Investigates: Jack the Ripper''	|	Presenter
''Pirate Ship... Live''	Five ||	Presenter
''The Big Fat Quiz of the Year#The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz	The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz''	|	Guest appearance
''Brainiac: Science Abuse''	|	Presenter	21	Series 5 & 6
''Shaun the Sheep''	|	Theme tune "Shaun the Sheep - Life's a Treat"
''Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon (UK game show)	Gameshow Marathon''	|	Panel member	1	''Blankety Blank'' episode
''100 Greatest / 100 Worst	100 Greatest Stand Ups''	|	Contributor
''The Grumpy Guide to... Art''	|	Contributor		Grumpy Old Men (TV series)>Grumpy Old Men''
''Dale's Supermarket Sweep''	|	Contestant	1
''Law of the Playground''	|	Contributor	11
''The Truth About Food''	|	Contributor
2006–2007	|	BBC Two	Panel member	4
1998–2007	|	BBC Two	Panel member	2
rowspan="6"	2006	Turn Back Time ||	BBC Two	Interviewee	1
''It's Funny Up North with... Vic Reeves''	Tyne TeesITV1 ||	Presenter
''The Story of Light Entertainment''	|	Contributor	2
''Summer Exhibition''	|	Panel judge
''Comedy Connections - "Shooting Stars"''	|	Subject / Interviewee	1
''Jools Holland's Hootenanny (UK TV series)	Hootenanny''	|	Intervieweesinger
2004–2006	|	Channel 4	Interviewee	3
2002–2006	|	BBC One	Interviewee	2
rowspan="6"	2005	|	ITV1	Subject / Interviewee	1
''The Best & Worst of God''	|	Presenter
''Final Chance to Save''	|	Contributor
''Rogues Gallery''	Discovery Channel UK ||	Presenter	10
''The Death of Celebrity''	|	Contributor
''100 Greatest / 100 Worst	50 Greatest Comedy Sketches''	|	Contributor
rowspan="6"	2004	|	ITV1	Contestant (with Sorrell)	8
''Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)	Who Do You Think You Are?''	|	Subject	1
''Star Sale''	|	Contributor	1
''Hell's Kitchen (UK TV series)	Hell's Kitchen''	|	Boorish Customer	1
''BBC Breakfast	Breakfast''	|	Interviewee	1
''Vic's Chicks'' (BBC Three (via the Red Button (Digital Television)	red-button)	|	10 episodes
rowspan="2"	2003	|	BBC One
''Most Haunted''	LivingTV ||	Celebrity guest (with Sorrell)	1
rowspan="3"	2002	Mastermind'' ||	BBC Two	Contestant	1	Reeves' specialist subject was "Pirates"
''Surrealissimo - The Trial of Salvador Dali''	|	Paul Éluard
''These Things Take Time - The Story of The Smiths''	|	Voice of animated Morrissey
rowspan="6"	2001	|	BBC One	Contributor
''British Comedy Awards 2001''	|	Award presenter
''I Love the '90s''	|	Contributor	1	"I Love 1991" episode
''We Know Where You Live. Live!''	|	Performer		Four Yorkshiremen sketch
''Comic Relief (charity)#2001 event	Comic Relief: Say Pants to Poverty''	|	Presenter
''Top Ten''	|	Contributor	1	"Prog Rock" episode
rowspan="5"	2000	|	Play UK	Presenter	8
''Robot Wars (TV series)	Robot Wars''	|	Contestant	1
''Night of a Thousand Shows''	|
''Dale Winton	Dale's All Stars''	|	Interviewee	1
''This Is Your Life (UK TV series)	This Is Your Life''	|	Contributor	1	Episode for Tom Baker
1999	|	Channel 4	Interviewee	1
1996	|	Channel 4	Interviewee	2
1995	|	BBC One	Contributor
1993	|	ITV

Books

''For books on or by Reeves and Mortimer, see Vic and Bob#Books'' ''Vic Reeves' Vast Book of World Knowledge'' - a surreal encyclopaedia with text and artwork by Reeves. Atlantic Books, Released in October 2009.

''Vic Reeves Me:Moir (Volume One)'' - autobiography by Vic Reeves, Virgin Books, 2006

''Sunboiled Onions'' - diary, paintings and drawings by Vic Reeves, Penguin Books, 1999

Advertising

''For advertisements featuring both Reeves and Mortimer, see Vic and Bob#Advertising''

Reeves has appeared in television advertisements for a number of products, both with comedy partner Mortimer, and alone.

An advertisement for Guinness quoted Reeves as saying "88.2% of Statistics are made up on the spot"

He has done (solo) advertising work for a variety of products including MFI, Müller Light, First Direct, Churchill Insurance, Cadbury's Boost, Mars Bar, Fanta, Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Domestos bleach, Maryland Cookies, and he cross-dressed for a 2008 advertisement for 888 Holdings' Bingo website 888 Ladies.

Reeves also advertised Jools Holland's 2006 album ''Moving Out to the Country''.

See also

Vic and Bob

References

External links

Sky one Webpage about Vic Reeves Investigates: Jack the Ripper

Vic Reeves Pirates

Driving Ban For Comic Vic Reeves.

Vic Reeves' author page, Conville and Walsh.

Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:People from Leeds Category:People from Darlington Category:Alumni of Middlesex University Category:English radio personalities Category:English television presenters Category:English comedians Category:British radio DJs Category:Virgin Radio (UK) Category:Participants in British reality television series Category:I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here! contestants Category:English comedy writers Category:English autobiographers Category:English comedy musicians Category:English television actors

de:Vic Reeves fr:Vic Reeves nl:Vic Reeves pl:Vic Reeves