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2003
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Ahmadou Kourouma
Ahmadou Kourouma (November 24, 1927 – December 11, 2003) was an Ivorian novelist.
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Alija Izetbegović
Alija Izetbegović (Bosnian, in Cyrillic: Алија Изетбеговић; ) (8 August 1925 – 19 October 2003) was a Bosniak activist, lawyer, author, philosopher and politician, who, in 1990, became the first president of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served in this role until 1996, when he became a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving until 2000. He was also the author of several books, most notably Islam Between East and West and the Islamic Declaration.
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Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson (August 25, 1927 – September 28, 2003) was a World No. 1 American sportswoman who became the first African-American woman to be a competitor on the world tennis tour and the first to win a Grand Slam title in 1956. She is sometimes referred to as "the Jackie Robinson of tennis" for breaking the color barrier. Gibson was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
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Anita Mui
Anita Mui Yim-fong (10 October 1963 - 30 December 2003) was a popular Hong Kong singer and actress. She was also the younger sister of Hong Kong singer, Ann Mui. During her prime years she made major contributions to the cantopop music scene, while receiving numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout most of her career, and was generally regarded as a cantopop diva. Mui once held a sell-out concert at Hammersmith, London, England, where she was dubbed the "Madonna of Asia". That title has stayed with her throughout her career, and has been used as a comparison for both Eastern and Western media.
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Anna Lindh
Ylva Anna Maria Lindh (19 June 1957 – 11 September 2003) was a Swedish Social Democratic politician who served as Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1998 until her assassination in 2003. She previously served as Minister for the Environment from 1994 to 1998. Anna Lindh was married to Bo Holmberg, the Governor of Södermanland, with whom she had two sons.
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Armand Borel
Armand Borel (21 May 1923 –11 August 2003) was a Swiss mathematician, born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and was a permanent professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, United States from 1957 to 1993. He worked in algebraic topology, in the theory of Lie groups, and was one of the creators of the contemporary theory of linear algebraic groups.
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Azie Taylor Morton
Azie Taylor Morton (February 1, 1936 – December 7, 2003) served as Treasurer of the United States during the Carter administration (September 12, 1977 to January 20, 1981). She remains the only African American to hold that office. Her signature was printed on U.S. currency during her tenure; this is an honor she shared with four African American men.
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Barry White
Barry Eugene White ( – ) was an American record producer and singer-songwriter.
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Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
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Benny Carter
Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King. In 1958, he performed with Billie Holiday at the legendary Monterey Jazz Festival.
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Bernard Dowiyogo
HE Bernard Annen Auwen Dowiyogo (February 14, 1946 – March 9, 2003) was President of the Republic of Nauru.
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Bernard Katz
Sir Bernard Katz, FRS (26 March 1911 – 20 April 2003) was a German-born biophysicist, noted for his work on nerve biochemistry. He shared the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 1970 with Julius Axelrod and Ulf von Euler. He was knighted in 1970.
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Bertram Brockhouse
Bertram Neville Brockhouse, CC, FRSC (July 15, 1918 – October 13, 2003) was a Canadian physicist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics (1994, shared with Clifford Shull) "for pioneering contributions to the development of neutron scattering techniques for studies of condensed matter", in particular "for the development of neutron spectroscopy".
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Bill Shoemaker
William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey.
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Blas Ople
Blas Fajardo Ople (; February 3, 1927–December 14, 2003) was a Filipino journalist and politician who held several high-ranking positions in the executive and legislative branches of the Philippine government, including as Senate President from 1999 to 2000, and as Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 2002 until his death. Perceived as a leftist-nationalist at the onset of his career in public service, Ople was, in his final years, a vocal supporter for allowing a limited United States military presence in the Philippines, and for American initiatives in the War on Terror including the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
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Bob Monkhouse
Robert Alan Monkhouse, OBE (1 June 1928 – 29 December 2003) was an English entertainer. He was a successful comedy writer, comedian and actor and was also well known on British television as a presenter and game show host. Monkhouse was famous for his quick ad-lib and one-liner jokes.
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Brian Douglas Wells
Brian Douglas Wells (November 15, 1956 – August 28, 2003) was an American pizza delivery man who was killed by a time bomb fastened to his neck, purportedly under coercion from the maker of the bomb. After he was apprehended by the police for robbing a bank, the bomb exploded. The bizarre affair was subject to much attention in the mass media.
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Brian Trueman
Brian Trueman (born 16 May 1932, Manchester, England) is a British writer and broadcaster known mainly for his work with the animation studio Cosgrove Hall. He wrote and/or narrated many fondly remembered children's cartoon series, mostly during the 1970s and 1980s, including:-
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Buddy Hackett
Buddy Hackett (August 31, 1924 – June 30, 2003) was an American comedian and actor. In his later life, he and his wife set up the Singita Animal Sanctuary in the San Fernando Valley, California.
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Canaan Banana
Canaan Sodindo Banana (5 March 1936 10 November 2003) served as the first President of Zimbabwe from 18 April 1980 until 31 December 1987. A Methodist minister, he held the largely ceremonial office of the presidency while his eventual successor, Robert Mugabe, served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.
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Carl F. H. Henry
Carl Ferdinand Howard Henry (January 22, 1913 – December 7, 2003) was an American evangelical Christian theologian who served as the first editor-in-chief of the magazine Christianity Today, established to serve as a scholarly voice for evangelical Christianity and a challenge to the liberal Christian Century.
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Carlo Urbani
Carlo Urbani (Castelplanio, Italy October 19, 1956 – Bangkok, Thailand March 29, 2003) was an Italian physician and the first to identify severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) as a new and dangerously contagious disease. His early warning to the World Health Organization (WHO) touched off a massive response that probably helped save the lives of millions of people around the world.
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Carlos Roberto Reina
Carlos Roberto Reina Idiáquez (March 13, 1926 - August 19, 2003) was a politician of the Liberal Party of Honduras, and President of Honduras from January 27, 1994 to January 27, 1998.
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Carol Shields
Carol Ann Shields, CC, OM, FRSC, MA (née Warner) (June 2, 1935 – July 16, 2003) was an American-born Canadian author. She is best known for her 1993 novel The Stone Diaries, which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as the Governor General's Award in Canada.
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Cecil Howard Green
Cecil Howard Green (August 6, 1900 – April 11, 2003) was a British-born American geophysicist who trained at the University of British Columbia and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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Cecile de Brunhoff
Cecile de Brunhoff (née Sabourand) (October 16, 1903 – April 7, 2003) was a French storyteller and the co-creator of the Babar stories. Cecile de Brunhoff was also a classically trained pianist.
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Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson (November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor best known for his "tough guy" image, who starred in such classic films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Mr. Majestyk, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series. He was most often cast in the role of a police officer or gunfighter, often in revenge plot lines.
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Chechnya
The Chechen Republic (; , Chechenskaya Respublika; , Noxçiyn Respublika), or, informally, Chechnya (; ; , Noxçiyçö), sometimes referred to as Ichkeria, Chechnia, Chechenia or Noxçiyn, is a federal subject of Russia. It is located in southeastern part of Europe, in the Northern Caucasus mountains, in the North Caucasian Federal District. As of 1 January 2010, the population was 1,267,740 (according to Russian State statistics).
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Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek (; but see names below) (October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975) was a political and military leader of 20th century China.
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Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell (; born April 5, 1937) is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State (2001–2005), serving under President George W. Bush. He was the first African American appointed to that position. During his military career, Powell also served as National Security Advisor (1987–1989), as Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command (1989) and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993), holding the latter position during the Gulf War. He was the first, and so far the only, African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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Compay Segundo
Compay Segundo (Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz, Siboney, Cuba 18 November 1907 – Havana, 13 July 2003) was a Cuban trova guitarist, singer and composer.
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Curt Hennig
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig (March 28, 1958 – February 10, 2003), also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler who wrestled for, among other promotions, the American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He was the son of wrestler Larry "The Axe" Hennig.
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Daijiro Kato
Daijiro Kato Japanese: 加藤 大治郎; Katō Daijirō; (July 4, 1976 - April 20, 2003) was a Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and the 2001 World Champion in the 250cc class.
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Dan Snyder
Daniel Snyder (February 23, 1978 - October 5, 2003) was a professional Canadian ice hockey player. He played as a centre in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta Thrashers. Following a single-vehicle accident, in which he was a passenger, Snyder fell into a coma as a result of his injuries, he died six days later of septic shock.
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Daniel Morcombe
Daniel Morcombe (born 19 December 1989) was a 13-year-old Australian boy who was the victim of a presumed abduction in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, on December 7, 2003. Morcombe has yet to be found despite regular media coverage about his disappearance since 2003 and a massive reward.
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Dave Dudley
Dave Dudley (May 3, 1928 – December 22, 2003) was an American country music singer, who was best-known for his truck-driving country anthems of the 1960s and 1970s, and his semi-slurred baritone. His signature song was "Six Days on the Road," and he is also remembered for "Vietnam Blues," "Truck Drivin' Son-of-a-Gun," and "Me and ol' C.B.". Other recordings included Dudley's duet with Tom T. Hall, "Day Drinking," and his own Top 10 hit, "Fireball Rolled A Seven," supposedly based on the career and death of Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts.
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David Bale
David Howard Bale (September 2, 1941 – December 30, 2003) was a South African-born entrepreneur and an environmentalist animal rights activist, perhaps best known as the husband of journalist, political and social activist, and Women's Movement leader Gloria Steinem and the father of actor Christian Bale.
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David Bieber
David Francis Bieber (born February 3, 1966) also known under the alias Nathan Wayne Coleman is an American convicted murderer. A fugitive from the United States, he murdered PC Ian Broadhurst and attempted to murder PCs Neil Roper and James Banks on 26 December 2003 in Leeds, England, sparking a nationwide search before he was captured. He was given a life sentence and the trial judge recommended that he should never be released.
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David Brinkley
David McClure Brinkley (July 10, 1920 – June 11, 2003) was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997.
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David Dacko
David Dacko (March 24, 1930 – November 20, 2003) was the first President of the Central African Republic (CAR), from August 14, 1960 to January 1, 1966, and the third president of the CAR from September 21, 1979 to September 1, 1981. Even after being removed from power twice by coups d'état, Dacko continued to be a very active politician and presidential candidate with a loyal group of supporters. Dacko was thus an important political figure in CAR politics for a period of over half a century.
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David Hemmings
David Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English film actor and director, whose most famous role was the photographer in Blowup. In his later acting career, he was known for his distinctive eyebrows and gravelly voice.
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Dean Amadon
Dean Amadon (June 5, 1912 – January 12, 2003) was an American ornithologist and an authority on birds of prey.
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Denis Quilley
Denis Clifford Quilley OBE (26 December 1927 - 5 October 2003) was an English theatre, television and film actor who was long associated with the Royal National Theatre.
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Denis Thatcher
Major Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet, MBE, TD (10 May 1915 – 26 June 2003) was a British businessman, and the husband of the former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. He was born in Lewisham, London, England, the elder child of a New Zealand-born British businessman, Thomas Herbert (Jack) Thatcher, and his wife (Lilian) Kathleen, née Bird. , he is the most recent person outside the Royal Family to be awarded an hereditary title.
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Dinsdale Landen
Dinsdale James Landen (4 September 1932 — 29 December 2003) was a British actor known mainly for his television appearances.
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Donald O'Connor
Donald David Dixon Ronald O’Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer, and actor who came to fame in a series of movies in which he co-starred alternately with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. Perhaps his most famous performance was as Gene Kelly's friend and colleague in ''Singin' in the Rain'' (1952).
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Donald Regan
Donald Thomas Regan (; December 21, 1918 – June 10, 2003) was the 66th United States Secretary of the Treasury, from 1981 to 1985, and Chief of Staff from 1985 to 1987 in the Ronald Reagan Administration, where he advocated "Reaganomics" and tax cuts to create jobs and stimulate production. Regan was criticized for his Prime Ministerial style of working, for his involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair, and for his frequent disagreements with Ronald Reagan's wife, First Lady Nancy Reagan.
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Dorothy Fay
Dorothy Fay (April 4, 1915 – November 5, 2003) was an American actress.
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Dorothy Loudon
Dorothy Loudon (September 17, 1933 – November 15, 2003) was an American comedy actress and singer. She won the 1977 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Miss Hannigan in Annie.
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Earl Hindman
Earl John Hindman (October 20, 1942 – December 29, 2003) was an American actor, best-known for his role as the kindly neighbor (whose lower face was always hidden from sight from the television viewer) Wilson W. Wilson Jr. on the television sitcom Home Improvement (1991–1999).
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Earl King
''This article is about the musical artist. For the Earl King convicted of murdering a ship's officer, see Earl King, Ernest Ramsay, and Frank Conner''
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Ed Devereaux
Ed Devereaux (27 August 1925 - 17 December 2003) was an Australian actor, who lived in the UK for many years. He was best known for playing the part of "Matt Hammond" in the Australian children's television series Skippy. He was also involved in the series behind the scenes: Devereaux directed The Veteran (1969), for which he received much critical acclaim. He also wrote the script. Devereaux based the story of Double Trouble on an idea conceived by his children, wrote the screenplay of Summer Storm and wrote the script of The Mine.
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Edgar de Evia
Edgar Domingo Evia y Joutard, known professionally as Edgar de Evia (July 30, 1910 – February 10, 2003), was a Mexican-born American photographer.
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Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze (, ; , Eduard Amvrosiyevich Shevardnadze; born 25 January 1927 / 28 is written in papers) served as the second President of Georgia from 1995 until he resigned on 23 November 2003 as a consequence of the bloodless Rose Revolution. Prior to his presidency, he served under Mikhail Gorbachev as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Shevardnadze's political skills earned him the nickname of tetri melia (white fox).
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Edward Said
Edward Wadie Saïd ( , ; 1 November 1935 – 25 September 2003) was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and advocate for Palestinian rights. He was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and a founding figure in postcolonialism. Robert Fisk described him as the Palestinians' "most powerful political voice."
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Edward Teller
Edward Teller (January 15, 1908 – September 9, 2003) was a Hungarian-born American theoretical physicist, known colloquially as "the father of the hydrogen bomb," even though he did not care for the title.
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Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003) was an American soul music singer. Starr is most famous for his Norman Whitfield produced singles of the 1970s, most notably the number one hit "War".
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Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan (; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American director, described as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history". He also produced, and wrote screenplays and novels. Born in the Ottoman Empire to Anatolian Greek parents, they emigrated to New York when he was four. After two years studying acting at Yale, he acted professionally for eight years before becoming a stage and film director. Kazan co-founded the influential Group Theater in 1932 and Actors Studio in 1947, and together with Lee Strasberg, introduced Method acting to the American stage and cinema as a new form of self-expression and psychological "realism". Having been an actor himself for eight years, he brought sensitivity and understanding of the acting process, and was later considered the ideal "actor's director".
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Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity. His primary instrument was the guitar, but he was also proficient at piano, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica. Smith had a distinctive vocal style characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery" and use of multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies.
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Eric Rudolph
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Eugene Istomin
Eugene George Istomin (November 26, 1925 – October 10, 2003) was an American pianist.
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Fernand Fonssagrives
Fernand Fonssagrives (June 8, 1910 - April 23, 2003) born near Paris, France he was a photographer known for his 'beauty photography' in the early 1940s, and as the first husband of the model Lisa Fonssagrives. He died in 2003 at Little Rock, Arkansas.
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Franco Corelli
Franco Corelli (8 April 1921 – 29 October 2003) was an Italian tenor who had a major international opera career between 1951 and 1976. Associated in particular with the spinto and dramatic tenor roles of the Italian repertory, he was celebrated universally for his powerhouse voice, brilliant top notes, vibrant timbre, passionate singing and remarkable performances. Dubbed the "Prince of tenors", Corelli possessed handsome features and a charismatic stage presence which endeared him to audiences. He had a long and fruitful partnership with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City between 1961 and 1975. He also appeared on the stages of most of the major opera houses in Europe and with opera companies throughout North America.
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Franco Modigliani
Franco Modigliani (June 18, 1918 – September 25, 2003) was an Italian American economist at the MIT Sloan School of Management and MIT Department of Economics, and winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 1985.
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Frank O'Bannon
'''Frank Lewis O'Bannon''' (January 30, 1930-September 13, 2003) was an American politician who was the 47th Governor of Indiana from 1997 until his death in 2003.
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Fred Rogers
Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American educator, Presbyterian minister, songwriter, and television host. Rogers was most famous for creating and hosting ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (1968-2001).
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Freddie Blassie
Frederick "Fred" Blassie (February 8, 1918 – June 2, 2003), better known as "Classy" Freddie Blassie, was an American professional wrestling villain and manager born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a master at antagonizing the crowd, and inspired legendary animosity. He was also a one-time NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champion (later known as the NWA Wildside Heavyweight Championship). And is also a 1 time NWA Southern Florida Champion.
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Gary Ridgway
Gary Leon Ridgway (born February 18, 1949), known as the Green River Killer, is an American serial killer. Ridgway murdered numerous women in Washington during the 1980s and 1990s. He strangled them, mostly with his arm, but he would also use ligatures. After strangling the women, he would dump their bodies throughout King County.
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George Plimpton
George Ames Plimpton (18 March 1927 – 25 September 2003) was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.
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George Roper
This is an article about the British comedian. For information on the British sitcom character, see Man About the House.
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George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (; born July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut) was the 43rd President of the United States, serving from 2001 to 2009, and the 46th Governor of Texas, serving from 1995 to 2000.
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Gertrude Ederle
MedalCountry|the
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Gordon Jump
Alexander Gordon Jump (April 1, 1932 – September 22, 2003) was an American actor best known as the clueless radio station manager Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson in the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati and the incompetent "Piece of Chalief Tinkler" in the sitcom Soap. He also played the "Maytag Repairman" in commercials for Maytag brand appliances, from 1989 until his retirement from the role in July 2003.
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Gray Davis
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American Democratic politician who served as California's 37th Governor from 1999 until being recalled in 2003. Prior to serving as Governor, Davis served as Chief of Staff to Governor Jerry Brown (1975–1981), California State Assemblyman (1983–1987), California State Controller (1987–1995), and the 44th Lieutenant Governor of California (1995–1999). Davis holds a B.A. in history from Stanford University and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service as a Captain in the Vietnam War.
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Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.
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Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor.
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Hal Clement
Harry Clement Stubbs (May 30, 1922 – October 29, 2003) better known by the pen name Hal Clement, was an American science fiction writer and a leader of the hard science fiction subgenre.
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Hans Hotter
Hans Hotter (19 January 1909, Offenbach am Main, Hesse – 6 December 2003) was a German operatic bass-baritone, admired internationally after World War II for the power, beauty, and intelligence of his singing, especially in Wagner operas. He was extremely tall and his appearance was striking because of his high, narrow face, wide mouth, and big, aquiline nose. His voice and diction were equally recognisable.
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Harry Goz
Harry Goz (June 23, 1932 – September 6, 2003) was an American musical theater actor and voice actor.
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Harry Stonecipher
Harry C. Stonecipher (born May 16, 1936, Robbins, Tennessee)
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Helmut Rahn
Helmut Rahn, known as Der Boss (The Boss), (16 August 1929 in Essen – 14 August 2003) was a German football player. He became a legend for having scored the winning goal in the final game of the 1954 FIFA World Cup (West Germany 3 - Hungary 2).
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Henryk Jablonski
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Herbie Mann
Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003)[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink;=HERBIE|MANN&sql;=11:wifexqy5ld6e~T1 Allmusic biography] , better known as Herbie Mann, was a Jewish American jazz flutist and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophones and clarinets (including bass clarinet), but Mann was among the first jazz musicians to specialize on the flute and was perhaps jazz music's preeminent flutist during the 1960s.
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Heydar Aliyev
Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev (, ; May 10, 1923 – December 12, 2003), also spelled as Heidar Aliev, Geidar Aliev, Haydar Aliyev, Geydar Aliyev was the third President of Azerbaijan for the New Azerbaijan Party from June 1993 to October 2003, when his son Ilham Aliyev succeeded him.
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Hope Lange
Hope Elise Ross Lange (November 28, 1933 – December 19, 2003) was an American stage, film, and television actress.
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Howard Fast
Howard Melvin Fast (November 11, 1914 – March 12, 2003) was an American novelist and television writer. Fast also wrote under the pen names E. V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson.
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Hu Jintao
'''
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Hugh Kenner
William Hugh Kenner (January 7, 1923 – November 24, 2003), was a Canadian literary scholar, critic and professor.
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Hume Cronyn
Hume Blake Cronyn, OC (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian actor of stage and screen, who enjoyed a long career, often appearing professionally alongside his second wife, Jessica Tandy.
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Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada (c.1925 – 16 August 2003) was the military dictator and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles, in 1946, and eventually held the rank of Major General and Commander of the Ugandan Army prior to taking power in the military coup of January 1971, deposing Milton Obote. He later promoted himself to Field Marshal while he was the head of state.
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Iggy Katona
Egnatius "Iggy" Katona (August 16, 1916, Toledo, Ohio – December 4, 2003, Daytona Beach, Florida) was an American stock car racer from Willis, Michigan. He is most famous for his performance in the ARCA series in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, where he won six championships and a series record 79 races. Other ARCA records held by Katona include most starts (630), oldest race winner (57 years old, Daytona International Speedway, 1974) and most consecutive seasons with a win (19, from 1953–1971)
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Ilya Prigogine
Ilya, Viscount Prigogine (, Ilya Romanovich Prigozhin) (25 January 1917 – 28 May 2003) was a Russian-born naturalized Belgian physical chemist and Nobel Laureate noted for his work on dissipative structures, complex systems, and irreversibility.
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Imperio Argentina
Magdalena Nile del Río (December 26, 1906 – August 22, 2003) was a professional singer and movie actress who was better known as Imperio Argentina. Although born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she became a citizen of Spain.
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Irv Kupcinet
Irv Kupcinet (July 31, 1912 – November 10, 2003) was an American newspaper columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and a broadcast personality based in Chicago, Illinois. He was popularly known by the nickname "Kup".
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Jack Dyer
John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM (13 November 1913 – 23 August 2003), always known as Jack Dyer, was one of the colossal figures of Australian rules football during two distinct careers, firstly as a player and coach of the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1931 and 1952, and later in the broadcast media for more than four decades.
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Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin (born August 17, 1926, in Yangzhou, Jiangsu) is the "core of the third generation" of Communist Party of China leaders, serving as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004.
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Jim Cairns
James Ford "J. F." Cairns (4 October 191412 October 2003), Australian politician, was prominent in the Labor movement through the 1960s and 1970s, and was briefly Deputy Prime Minister in the Whitlam government. He is best remembered as a leader of the movement against Australian involvement in the Vietnam War, for his affair with Junie Morosi and for his later renunciation of conventional politics. He was also a prominent economist, and a prolific writer on economic and social issues.
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Jim Siedow
Jim Nash Siedow (June 12, 1920 - November 20, 2003) was an American actor, best known for his role of Drayton "The Cook" Sawyer in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2".
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Jimmy Knepper
James M. (Jimmy) Knepper (November 22, 1927 – June 14, 2003) was an American jazz trombonist.
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John Gregg (UDA)
John Gregg (1957 - 1 February 2003) (nicknamed "Grugg") was a senior member of the UDA/UFF Loyalist organization in Northern Ireland. He was considered a "hawk" in Loyalist circles.
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John Gregory Dunne
John Gregory Dunne (May 25, 1932 – December 30, 2003) was an American novelist, screenwriter and literary critic.
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John Maxwell Coetzee
http://wn.com/John_Maxwell_Coetzee -
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (born 31 May 1938) is a former Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State of the United Kingdom. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament between 1970 and 2010. In the 1994 leadership election he stood for both Leader and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, winning election to the latter office. He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister after Labour's victory in the 1997 election, with an expanded brief as Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
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John Ritter
actor
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John Schlesinger
John Richard Schlesinger, CBE (16 February 1926 – 25 July 2003) was an English film and stage director and actor.
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John Serry, Sr.
John Serry Sr. (Giovanni Serrapica January 29, 1915 - September 14, 2003) was an accomplished concert accordionist virtuoso, arranger, composer, organist and educator who performed on the CBS Radio and CBS Television networks. As a concert artist and soloist he elevated the use of the accordion within a full range of professional orchestral ensembles for over four decades during the early twentieth century.
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Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash (February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003), born J. R. Cash, was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Although he is primarily remembered as a country music artist, his songs and sound spanned many other genres including rockabilly and rock and roll—especially early in his career—as well as blues, folk, and gospel. Late in his career, Cash covered songs by several rock artists, among them the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails and the synthpop band Depeche Mode.
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Johnny Paycheck
Johnny Paycheck was the stage name of Donald Eugene Lytle (May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003), a country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member most famous for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It". He achieved his greatest success in the 1970s as a major force in country music's "Outlaw Movement" popularized by artists such as Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver and Merle Haggard. In the 1980s, his music career suffered from his problems with drugs, alcohol, and legal difficulties. He served a prison sentence in the early 1990s but his declining health effectively ended his career in early 2000.
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Jonathan Brandis
Jonathan Gregory Brandis (April 13, 1976 – November 12, 2003) was an American actor, director, and screenwriter.
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Jorge Oteiza
Jorge Oteiza Enbil (October 21, 1908 – April 9, 2003), was a Spanish sculptor, painter, designer and writer, renowned for being one of the main theorists on Spanish modern art.
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June Carter Cash
Valerie June Carter Cash (June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003) was a singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash. She played the guitar, banjo, harmonica, and autoharp and acted in several films and television shows.
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Kaiser Matanzima
Kaiser Matanzima (15 June 1915 - June 15 2003) was a former leader of the Transkei in South Africa.
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Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress of film, stage, and television. A film icon, in 1999, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the greatest female star in the history of American cinema.
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Kathleen Winsor
Kathleen Winsor (October 16, 1919 - May 26, 2003) was an American author, best known for the romance novel Forever Amber.
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Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (; born 17 October 1979 in Espoo), nicknamed Iceman, and occasionally described as "the fastest driver on the planet", is a Finnish World Rally Championship and former Formula One driver. After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he now competes in the World Rally Championship for the Citroën Junior Team.
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Lady Louise Windsor
The Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Windsor (born 8 November 2003) is a member of the British Royal Family. She is the elder child of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. The youngest granddaughter and second-youngest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh, Lady Louise is 9th in line to the throne and at the time of her birth was 8th.
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Larry Doby
Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Doby (December 13, 1923 – June 18, 2003) was an American professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball.
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Larry Hovis
Larry Hovis (February 20, 1936 – September 9, 2003) was an American singer and actor best known for playing a fictional prisoner of war on the 1960s television sitcom ''Hogan's Heroes''.
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Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 - 8 September 2003) was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will), a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party. Riefenstahl's prominence in the Third Reich along with her personal friendship with Adolf Hitler thwarted her film career following Germany's defeat in World War II, after which she was arrested but released without any charges.
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Leon Uris
Leon Marcus Uris (August 3, 1924 – June 21, 2003) was an American novelist, known for his historical fiction and the deep research that went into his novels. His two bestselling books were Exodus, published in 1958, and Trinity, in 1976.
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Leopoldo Galtieri
Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri Castelli (July 15, 1926January 12, 2003) was an Argentine general and President of Argentina from December 22, 1981 to June 18, 1982, during the last military dictatorship (known officially as the National Reorganization Process). The death squad Intelligence Battalion 601 directly reported to him. He was removed from power soon after the British retook the Falklands Islands, whose invasion he had ordered.
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Leslie Cheung
Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing (12 September 1956 – 1 April 2003), nicknamed elder brother (哥哥), was a film actor and musician from Hong Kong. Cheung was considered as "one of the founding fathers of Cantopop", and "combining a hugely successful film and music career".
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Lester Maddox
Lester Garfield Maddox (September 30, 1915 – June 25, 2003) was an American Democratic Party politician who was the 75th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1967 to 1971.
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Lewis Platt
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Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition Sinfonia for voices and orchestra and his series of numbered solo pieces titled Sequenza) and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.
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Ludwig Bölkow
Ludwig Bölkow (June 30, 1912 – July 25, 2003) was one of the aeronautical pioneers of Germany.
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Mahathir Mohamad
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Marc-Vivien Foé
Marc-Vivien Foé (1 May 1975 – 26 June 2003) was a Cameroonian international footballer, who played in midfield for both club and country. With success in the French League, and stints in the English Premier League, his sudden death, while in the middle of an international competitive fixture, came as a shock to the worldwide footballing community. He was posthumously decorated with the Commander of the National Order of Valour.
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Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, (née Roberts; born 13 October 1925) served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. Thatcher is the only woman to have held either post.
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Marie Trintignant
Marie Trintignant (21 January 1962 – 1 August 2003) was a French actress.
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Martha Stewart
Martha Helen Stewart (née Kostyra; born August 3, 1941) is an American business magnate, television host, author, and magazine publisher. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising. Stewart's syndicated talk show, Martha, is broadcast throughout the world, she has written numerous bestselling books, and she is the publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine.
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Maurice Blanchot
Maurice Blanchot (September 22, 1907, Devrouze, Saône-et-Loire – February 20, 2003) was a French writer, philosopher, and literary theorist. His work had a strong influence on later post-structuralist theorists such as Jacques Derrida.
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Michael Jeter
Michael Jeter (August 26, 1952 – March 30, 2003) was an American actor.
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Michael Kamen
Michael Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician.
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Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher (; born 3 January 1969 in Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a Formula One racing driver currently driving for Mercedes GP. Most famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and according to the official Formula One website is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen"; he holds many of the formula's driver records including most championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most races won in a single season – 2004. In 2002 he became the only driver in Formula 1 history to finish in the top three in every race.
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Mihkel Mathiesen
Mihkel Mathiesen (27 October 1918 – 28 November 2003) was an Estonian statesman.
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Mike Lockwood
Michael John Lockwood (August 25, 1971 – November 6, 2003) was an American professional wrestler best known for his time with World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) under the ring name Crash Holly or simply Crash. His gimmick was that of a crafty hardcore fighter who, against all odds, managed to work his way out of the most volatile and tricky situations, thus being named "The Houdini of Hardcore".
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Milton G. Henschel
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Mirza Tahir Ahmad
Mirza Tahir Ahmad (Urdu: ) (December 18, 1928 – April 19, 2003) was Khalifatul Masih IV, Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. He was elected to this office on 10 June 1982, the day after the death of his predecessor, Mirza Nasir Ahmad. He was the son of Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, the second Caliph and was the half-brother of Mirza Nasir Ahmad, the third Caliph. He graduated from Jamia Ahmadiyya (Theological Academy) at Rabwah, followed by higher education in Lahore at the University of Punjab, and London at the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies. In 1974 he was also nominated as a member of the Ahmadiyya delegation which appeared in the Parliament of Pakistan to defend the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
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Morgan Spurlock
Morgan Valentine Spurlock (born November 7, 1970) is an American documentary filmmaker, television producer, screenwriter and journalist, best known for the documentary film Super Size Me, in which he demonstrated negative health effects of McDonald's food by eating nothing but meals from McDonald's three times a day, every day, for 30 days. Spurlock was the executive producer and star of the reality television series 30 Days. In 2007, Spurlock was placed within the Top 10 "Best Journalists of the World" by Time magazine.
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N!xau
http://wn.com/N!xau -
Neil Postman
Neil Postman (March 8, 1931 - October 5, 2003) was an American author, media theorist and cultural critic, who is best known by the general public for his 1985 book about television, Amusing Ourselves to Death. For more than forty years, he was associated with New York University. Postman was a humanist, who believed that "new technology can never substitute for human values."
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Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), better known by her stage name Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist. Although she disliked being categorized, Simone is most associated with jazz music. Simone originally aspired to become a classical pianist, but her work covers an eclectic variety of musical styles that include classical, jazz, blues, soul, folk, R&B;, gospel, and pop. Her vocal style is characterized by intense passion, a loose vibrato, and a slightly androgynous timbre, in part due to her unusually low vocal range which veered between the alto and tenor ranges (occasionally even reaching baritone lows). Also known as The High Priestess of Soul, she paid great attention to the musical expression of emotions. Within one album or concert she could fluctuate between exuberant happiness and tragic melancholy. These fluctuations also characterized her own personality and personal life, amplified by bipolar disorder with which she was diagnosed in the mid-1960s, something not widely known until after her death in 2003, though she wrote of it openly in her autobiography published in 1992. According to Nadine Cohodas, Simone's biographer, Ms. Simone was first diagnosed with multiple personality disorder and later with schizophrenia.
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Noel Redding
Noel Redding (25 December 1945 — 11 May 2003) was an English rock and roll guitarist best known as the bassist for The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
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Orville Freeman
Orville Lothrop Freeman (May 9, 1918 February 20, 2003) was an American Democratic politician who served as the 29th Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1955 to January 2, 1961, and as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1961 to 1969 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He was one of the founding members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and strongly influential in the merger of the pre-DFL Minnesota Democratic and Farmer-Labor Parties. Freeman nominated Kennedy for President at the national Democratic Party convention.
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Otto Graham
Otto Everett Graham, Jr. (December 6, 1921 – December 17, 2003) was a professional American football and basketball player who played for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League, as well as the Rochester Royals in the National Basketball League.
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Paul Getty
Sir John Paul Getty, KBE (September 7, 1932 – April 17, 2003) was a wealthy American-born British philanthropist and book collector. He was the son of Jean Paul Getty, Sr. (1892–1976), one of the richest men in the world at the time, and his wife Anne Rork.
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Paul Lauterbur
Paul Christian Lauterbur (May 6, 1929 – March 27, 2007) was an American chemist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2003 with Peter Mansfield for his work which made the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) possible.
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Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin, Jr., is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
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Pen Hadow
Rupert Nigel Pendrill Hadow known as Pen Hadow, (born on the 26 February 1962), is a British polar adventurer and author. In 2003 he became the first person to walk the 478 miles, solo and unsupported, from the northern coast of Canada to the North Pole.
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Penny Singleton
Penny Singleton (September 15, 1908 – November 12, 2003) was an American film actress.
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Pervez Musharraf
General (ret) Pervez Musharraf (lang-ur|) (born 11 August 1943), NI(M), Tamgha-e-Basalat award, is a Pakistani politician and military figure who served as the tenth President of Pakistan (2001–2008) and the Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army (1998–2007).
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Peter Agre
Peter Agre (pronounced "ahg-ray") (born January 29, 1949) American medical doctor, professor, and molecular biologist who was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (which he shared with Roderick MacKinnon) for his discovery of aquaporins. Aquaporins are water-channel proteins that move water molecules through the cell membrane. In February 2009, Peter Agre was inducted as the 163rd president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the nation's largest scientific organization.
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Peter Mansfield
Sir Peter Mansfield, FRS, (born 9 October 1933), is a British physicist who was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries concerning magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The Nobel Prize was shared with Paul Lauterbur, who also contributed to the development of MRI. Sir Peter is a professor at the University of Nottingham.
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Peter Stone
Peter Hess Stone (February 27, 1930 – April 26, 2003) was an American writer for theater, television and movies.
http://wn.com/Peter_Stone -
PetroChina
PetroChina Company Limited (, ) (, , ) is a Chinese oil company and is the listed arm of state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), headquartered in Dongcheng District, Beijing. It is China's biggest oil producer, and is the world's most valuable company by market value as of September 28th 2010. Traded in Hong Kong and New York, the mainland enterprise announced its plans to issue stock in Shanghai in November 2007, and following its debut on the Shanghai index, its market value tripled, making PetroChina the first company to reach a trillion dollar market capitalization.
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Phil Condit
http://wn.com/Phil_Condit -
Qusay Hussein
Qusay Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti () (or Qusai) (May 17, 1966 – July 22, 2003) was the second son of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. He was appointed as his father's heir apparent in 2000.
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Ray Lewis (runner)
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Richard Neustadt
Dr. Richard Elliott Neustadt (June 26, 1919 – October 31, 2003) was an American political scientist specializing in the United States presidency. He also served as advisor to several presidents.
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Richard Wollheim
Richard Arthur Wollheim (5 May 1923 – 4 November 2003) was a British philosopher noted for original work on mind and emotions, especially as related to the visual arts, specifically, painting. Wollheim served as the president of the British Society of Aesthetics from 1992 onwards until his death in 2003.
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Rie Mastenbroek
Hendrika "Rie" Wilhelmina Mastenbroek (26 February 1919 – 6 November 2003) was a Dutch swimmer and a triple Olympic champion.
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Rik Van Steenbergen
Rik Van Steenbergen (Arendonk, 9 September 1924 – Antwerp, 15 May 2003) was a Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best among the great number of successful Belgian cyclists.
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Road Warrior Hawk
Michael James Hegstrand (September 12, 1957 – October 19, 2003) was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors (WCW) or The Legion of Doom (WWF), with Road Warrior Animal.
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Robert Addie
Robert Alastair Addie (10 February 1960 – 20 November 2003) was an English actor who was best known for playing Sir Guy of Gisbourne in the television series Robin of Sherwood.
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Robert F. Engle
Robert Fry Engle III (born November 10, 1942) is an American economist and the winner of the 2003 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, sharing the award with Clive Granger, "for methods of analyzing economic time series with time-varying volatility (ARCH)".
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Robert Novak
Robert David Sanders "Bob" Novak (February 26, 1931 – August 18, 2009) was a syndicated columnist, journalist, television personality, author, and conservative political commentator. After working for two newspapers before serving for the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he became a reporter for the Associated Press and then for The Wall Street Journal. He teamed up with Rowland Evans in 1963 to start Inside Report, which became the longest running syndicated political column in U.S. history and ran in hundreds of papers. They also started the Evans-Novak Political Report, a notable biweekly newsletter, in 1967.
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Robert Stack
Robert Langford Modini Stack (January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American actor. In addition to acting in more than 40 films, he also appeared on the television series The Untouchables and later served as the host of Unsolved Mysteries.
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Robert Stanfield
Robert Lorne Stanfield, PC, QC (April 11, 1914 – December 16, 2003) was the 17th Premier of Nova Scotia and leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He is sometimes referred to as "the greatest prime minister Canada never had", and earned the nickname "Honest Bob". As one of Canada's most distinguished and respected statesmen, he was one of several people granted the style "Right Honourable" who were not so entitled by virtue of an office held.
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Robert Strassburg
Robert Strassburg (August 30, 1915 - October 25, 2003) - was a
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Roberto Bolaño
Roberto Bolaño Ávalos () (April 28, 1953 – July 15, 2003) was a Chilean novelist and poet. In 1999 he won the Rómulo Gallegos Prize for his novel Los detectives salvajes (The Savage Detectives), and in 2008 he was posthumously awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction for his novel 2666, which was described by board member Marcela Valdes as a "work so rich and dazzling that it will surely draw readers and scholars for ages."
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Roderick MacKinnon
Roderick MacKinnon (born 19 February 1956) is a professor of Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics at Rockefeller University who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with Peter Agre in 2003 for his work on the structure and operation of ion channels.
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Roman Lyashenko
Roman Lyashenko (May 1, 1979 – July 6, 2003) was a Russian ice hockey player.
http://wn.com/Roman_Lyashenko -
Ron Ziegler
Ronald Louis "Ron" Ziegler (May 12, 1939 – February 10, 2003) was White House Press Secretary and Assistant to the President during United States President Richard Nixon's administration.
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Rosalyn Tureck
Rosalyn Tureck (December 14, 1914July 17, 2003) was an American pianist and harpsichordist who was particularly associated with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. She was born in Chicago, Illinois.
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Rudolf Kingslake
Rudolf Kingslake (1903–2003) was an eminent academician, lens designer, and engineer.
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Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III (; born January 12, 1951) is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in conservative politics and conservatism in the United States. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United States. Limbaugh signed an 8 year, $400 million contract extension with Clear Channel in 2008 that pays him $50 million a year.
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Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (Arabic: ; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the President of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutionary Ba'ath Party, which espoused secular pan-Arabism, economic modernization, and Arab socialism, Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup that brought the party to long-term power.
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Sam Phillips
Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003), better known as Sam Phillips, was an American record producer who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s. He was a producer, label owner, and talent scout throughout the '40s and '50s. He is most notably attributed with the discoveries of Howlin' Wolf, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, and is associated with several other noteworthy rhythm and blues and rock and roll stars of the period.
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Sertab Erener
Sertab Erener (born 4 December 1964 in Istanbul) is a Turkish pop music singer and also a cross-over soprano with a vocal range that extends to high F. She is one of the most successful female Turkish pop singers in her homeland, and is considered one of the divas of Turkish pop music. In Europe, she is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with her hit song "Everyway That I Can", although she has had many other achievements outside Turkey.
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Shawn Lane
Shawn Lane (March 21, 1963 – September 26, 2003) was an American musician. Although piano was his first instrument, he quickly became a noted player in underground guitar circles and joined Black Oak Arkansas when he was just fourteen years old.
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Sheb Wooley
Shelby F. "Sheb" Wooley (April 10, 1921 – September 16, 2003) was a character actor and singer, best known for his 1958 million selling novelty hit "The Purple People Eater". He played Ben Miller, brother of Frank Miller in the film High Noon, and also had a co-starring role in the television program Rawhide.
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Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi ( - Ŝirin Ebādi; born 21 June 1947) is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Centre for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran. On October 10, 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's, children's, and refugee rights. She was the first ever Iranian, and the first Muslim woman to have received the prize.
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Soham murders
The Soham murders was a high profile murder case in August 2002 of two ten-year-old girls in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England. The victims were Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The convicted killer was a local school caretaker, Ian Huntley.
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Soong May-ling
Soong May-ling or Soong Mei-ling, also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek (; March 5, 1898 – October 23, 2003) was a First Lady of the Republic of China, the wife of former President Chiang Kai-shek. She was a politician and painter. The youngest and the last surviving of the three Soong sisters, she played a prominent role in the politics of the Republic of China and was the sister in law of the leader of the Republic of China preceding her husband, Sun Yat-Sen.
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Spider Jorgensen
John Donald Jorgensen (November 3, 1919 - November 6, 2003) was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1947 through 1951 for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1947-50) and New York Giants (1950-51). Jorgensen batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Folsom, California.
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Strom Thurmond
James Strom Thurmond (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who served as the 103rd Governor of South Carolina and as a United States Senator. He also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party (Dixiecrat) candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 electoral votes. Thurmond later represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to April 1956 and November 1956 to January 2003, at first as a Democrat and after 1964 as a Republican, switching parties as the conservative base shifted.
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Stu Hart
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003) was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart. Along with Bret and Owen, Hart's trainees included future world champions Chris Jericho, Edge, Christian and Chris Benoit.
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T. Y. Lin
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Terry Frost
Sir Terry Frost RA (born Terence Ernest Manitou Frost) (13 October 1915 – 1 September 2003) was an English artist noted for his abstracts.
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Tex Schramm
Texas Earnest Schramm, Jr. (June 2, 1920 - July 15, 2003) was the original president and general manager of the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys franchise. Schramm became the head of the Dallas Cowboys when the former expansion team started operations in 1960. He was also an NFL visionary and innovator in many areas.
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Timothy Treadwell
Timothy Treadwell (April 29, 1957 – October 5, 2003) was an American bear enthusiast, environmentalist, amateur naturalist, eco-warrior and documentary film maker. He lived among the coastal grizzly bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska, USA, for approximately 13 months. At the end of his 13th month in the park in 2003, he and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard were killed and eaten by grizzly bears. Treadwell's life, work and death were the subject of the 2005 documentary film by Werner Herzog titled Grizzly Man.
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Uday Hussein
Uday Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti (18 June 1964 – 22 July 2003), () was the elder son of Saddam Hussein and his first wife, Sajida Talfah. He was the older brother of Qusay Hussein. Uday was for several years seen as the heir apparent of his father; however, Uday lost this after his erratic behavior and troubled relationship with his father and brother. Following the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, he was killed at age 39 by a secretive combined Special Forces Task Force (Task Force 20) during a brief gunfight in Mosul.
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Valerie Plame
Valerie Elise Plame Wilson (born April 19, 1963), known as Valerie Plame, Valerie E. Wilson, and Valerie Plame Wilson, is a former United States CIA Operations Officer and the wife of former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV.
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Veikko Hakulinen
MedalCountry|
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Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (; born 7 October 1952) served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when president Boris Yeltsin resigned in a surprising move, and then Putin won the 2000 presidential election. In 2004 he was re-elected for a second term lasting until 7 May 2008.
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Vladimir Vasicek
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Warren Spahn
Warren Edward Spahn (April 23, 1921 – November 24, 2003) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for 21 seasons, all in the National League. He won 20 games each in 13 seasons, including a 23-7 record when he was age 42. Spahn was the 1957 Cy Young Award winner, and was the runner-up three times, all during the period when just one award was given. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, with 83% of the total vote. (His eligibility was delayed, under the rules of the time, by 2 years of token minor league play.)
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Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon (January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his strange, sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.
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Wendy Hiller
Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller DBE (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English film and stage actress, who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly sixty years. Despite many notable film performances, she chose to remain primarily a stage actress.
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William Steig
William Steig (November 14, 1907 – October 3, 2003) was a prolific American cartoonist, sculptor and, later in life, an author of popular children's literature. Most noted for the books Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, ''Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto'', he also created the character Shrek, who inspired the popular movie series.
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Wim van Est
Willem van Est (March 25, 1923 – 1 May 2003) was a Dutch cyclist. He is best known for being the first Dutch cyclist to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France of 1951 and for falling into a ravine while wearing it.
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Winston Graham
Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE (30 June 1908 – 10 July 2003) was an English novelist, best known for the Poldark series of historical novels.
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Yevgeny Matveyev
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Yuri Senkevich
Yuri Aleksandrovich Senkevich () (March 4, 1937 in Choibalsan, Mongolia – September 25, 2003 in Moscow, Russia) was a Soviet doctor, scientist. He is Candidate of Sciences. He became famous in the USSR and worldwide for his participation in the Ra Expedition, in which he sailed together with Thor Heyerdahl.
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Zahra Kazemi
Zahra "Ziba" Kazemi-Ahmadabadi (زهرا کاظمی احمدآبادی in Persian) (1949 – July 11, 2003) was an Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer, residing in Montreal, Canada, who died in the custody of Iranian officials following her arrest.
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Zoran Đinđić
Zoran Đinđić, Ph.D. (often Zoran Djindjić, Cyrillic Зоран Ђинђић, ; 1 August 1952 – 12 March 2003) was a Serbian Prime minister, Mayor of Belgrade, long-time opposition politician and a philosopher by profession.
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Éva Janikovszky
Éva Janikovszky (Szeged, April 23, 1926 – Budapest, July 14, 2003) was a famous Hungarian writer.
http://wn.com/Éva_Janikovszky
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Abuja
Abuja is the capital city of the West African nation of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos, the previous capital. As of the 2006 census, the Federal Capital Territory has a population of 778,567. On 1 October 2010, two car bombs exploded in the city during celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of the nation's independence.
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Alcântara, Maranhão
Alcântara is a Brazilian city in the state of Maranhão. The city has a population of 22,359 (2005), and is 30 km away from the state's capital, São Luís.
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Algeria
Algeria (Arabic: , al-Jazā’ir, Berber: Dzayer, French: Algérie), officially the '''People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria'''), is a country in North Africa. In terms of land area, it is the largest country on the Mediterranean Sea, the second largest on the African continent after Sudan, and the eleventh-largest country in the world.
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Americas
The Americas, or America, (, , , , , , ) are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World, comprising the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. The plural form the Americas is often used in English, as the singular America is ambiguous: America is more commonly used to refer to the United States of America. The Americas cover 8.3% of the Earth's total surface area (28.4% of its land area) and contain about 13.5% of the human population (about 900 million people).
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Antarctica
Antarctica
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Aurora, Nebraska
Aurora is a city in Hamilton County, Nebraska in the United States of America. The population was 4,225 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hamilton County.
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Australia
{{Infobox country
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Baghdad
Baghdad (, , ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is coterminous. Having a population estimated between 7 and 7.5 million, it is the largest city in Iraq and the second largest city in the Arab World (after Cairo, Egypt).
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Bam, Iran
Bam is a city in Kerman Province of Iran. The city is the center of Bam County. The modern Iranian city of Bam surrounds the Bam citadel. Before the 2003 earthquake the official population count of the city was roughly 43,000. There are various opinions about the date and reasons for the foundation of the citadel. Some people believe that Bam city was founded during the Parthian Empire. Economically and commercially, Bam occupied a very important place in the region and was famed for its textiles and clothes. Ibn Hawqal (943–977), the Arab traveller and geographer, wrote of Bam in his book Surat-ul-`ard (The Earth-figure):
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Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital, largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (, pronounced ), or กรุงเทพฯ Krung Thep (, meaning "city of angels" for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It came to the forefront of Siam when it was given the status as the capital city in 1768 after the burning of Ayutthaya. However, the current Rattanakosin Kingdom did not begin until 1782 when the capital was moved across the river by Rama I after the death of King Taksin. The Rattanakosin capital is now more formally called "Phra Nakhon" (), pertaining to the ancient boundaries in the metropolis' core and the name Bangkok now incorporates the urban build-up since the 18th century which has its own public administration and governor.
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Belgrade
Belgrade (Serbian: Београд, Beograd - ) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. With a population of 1,630,000 (official estimate 2007), Belgrade is the fourth largest city in Southeastern Europe, after Istanbul, Athens and Bucharest. Its name in Serbian translates to White city.
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Birmingham
Birmingham ( , locally ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. It is the most populous British city outside London with a population of 1,028,700 (2009 estimate), and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the United Kingdom's second most populous Urban Area with a population of 2,284,093 (2001 census). Birmingham's metropolitan area, which includes surrounding towns to which it is closely tied through commuting, is also the United Kingdom's second most populous with a population of 3,683,000.
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Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham (, ) is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to an estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2007, Birmingham had a population of about 229,800. The Birmingham Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2009, had a population of about 1,212,848. The Birmingham Metropolitan Area contains about one-quarter of the entire population of Alabama.
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Boumerdès
Boumerdès (Kabyle: Bumerdes) is the capital city of Boumerdès Province, Algeria. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea. It had a population of 28,500 in 1998 and 15,000 in 1987.
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Brazil
Brazil (; , ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (, ), is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population. It is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas and the largest lusophone country in the world.
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British Columbia
British Columbia (B.C.) (, C.-B.) is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ("Splendour without Diminishment"). Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858. In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.
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Brogdale
Brogdale is a hamlet in Kent, England, located beside the M2 motorway south of Faversham. It is one of several hamlets making up the civil parish of Ospringe and is in the Borough of Swale.
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California
California (pronounced ) is the most populous state in the United States and the third-largest by land area, after Alaska and Texas. California is also the most populous sub-national entity in North America. It's on the U.S. West Coast, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and by the states of Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, Baja California, Mexico, to the south. Its 5 largest cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, and Long Beach, with Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose each having at least 1 million residents. Like many populous states, California's capital, Sacramento is smaller than the state's largest city, Los Angeles. The state is home to the nation's 2nd- and 6th-largest census statistical areas and 8 of the nation's 50 most populous cities. California has a varied climate and geography and a multi-cultural population.
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Cambodia
The "Kingdom of Cambodia" "Royaume du Cambodge" (official name), also known as Cambodia, derived from Sanskrit Kambujadesa ()), is a country in Southeast Asia that borders Thailand to the west and northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. The geography of Cambodia is dominated by rivers and a lake namely: The Mekong River (Upper and Lower) (Khmer: ទន្លេមេគង្គ Tonlé Mékong Pronounced: Tonlé Mékung = Mother Water River), Sab River Tonlé Sap (Khmer: ទន្លេសាប Pronounced: Tonlé Sab = Fresh Water River), Bassac River Tonlé Bassac (Khmer: ទន្លេបាសាក់ Pronounced: Tonlé Bassuck = ?)
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Canada
Canada () is a country in North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area. Canada's common border with the United States to the south and northwest is the longest in the world.
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Canberra, Australia
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Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River. It is part of a region known as the Space Coast, and is the site of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Since many U.S. spacecraft are launched from both the station and the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, the terms "Cape Canaveral," "Canaveral" or even "The Cape" have become metonyms that refer to both as the launch site of spacecraft. In homage to its spacefaring heritage, the Florida Public Service Commission allocated "321" as the telephone area code for Cape Canaveral and surrounding counties.
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Casablanca
Casablanca (Arabic: الدار البيضاء "ad-Dār al-Bayḍāʼ", original name in Amazigh: Anfa /) is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.
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Cedar Fire
The Cedar Fire was a human-caused wildfire which burned out of control through a large area of Southern California in October 2003. Driven by Santa Ana Winds, the fire burned 2,820 buildings (including 2,232 homes) and had killed 15 people including one firefighter before being contained on November 3, making it the largest fire in recorded California history. The Cedar Fire was one of 15 fires throughout Southern California that month, including the Old Fire, which became known as the "2003 Firestorm" and the "Fire Siege of 2003."
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Chechnya
The Chechen Republic (; , Chechenskaya Respublika; , Noxçiyn Respublika), or, informally, Chechnya (; ; , Noxçiyçö), sometimes referred to as Ichkeria, Chechnia, Chechenia or Noxçiyn, is a federal subject of Russia. It is located in southeastern part of Europe, in the Northern Caucasus mountains, in the North Caucasian Federal District. As of 1 January 2010, the population was 1,267,740 (according to Russian State statistics).
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Ciudad Perdida
Ciudad Perdida (Spanish for "Lost City") is the archaeological site of an ancient city in Sierra Nevada, Colombia. It is believed to have been founded about 800 A.D., some 650 years earlier than Machu Picchu. This location is also known as Buritaca and the Native Americans call it Teyuna.
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Colombia
Colombia (), officially the Republic of Colombia (, ), is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Colombia also shares maritime borders with Venezuela, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. With a population of over 45 million people, Colombia has the 29th largest population in the world and the second largest in South America, after Brazil. Colombia has the fourth largest Spanish-speaking population in the world after Mexico, the United States, and Spain.
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Corsica
Corsica (, ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia.
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Daegu subway fire
The Daegu subway fire of February 18, 2003 killed at least 198 people and injured at least 147. An arsonist set fire to a train stopped at the Jungangno Station of the Daegu Metropolitan Subway in Daegu, South Korea. The fire then spread to a second train which had entered the station from the opposite direction.
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England
England () is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
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Eupatoria
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Faversham
Faversham () is a market town and civil parish in the Swale borough of Kent, England. It is roughly equidistant between Sittingbourne and Canterbury. The parish of Faversham (Feversham) includes an ancient sea port, and lies east of London, off the London-to-Dover A2 road, east north east of Maidstone and west of Canterbury.
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FBI
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Florida
Florida () is a state of the United States. It is located in the Southeastern United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. Much of the state's land mass is a large peninsula with the Gulf of Mexico to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Caribbean to the south. Florida was admitted as the 27th U.S. state in 1845, after a three hundred year period of European colonization.
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France
{{Infobox Country
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Georgia (country)
Georgia (, sak’art’velo ; ) is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Situated at the juncture of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the east by Azerbaijan. Georgia covers a territory of 69,700 km² and its population is more than 4.6 million. Georgia's constitution is that of a representative democracy, organized as a unitary, semi-presidential republic. It is currently a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Community of Democratic Choice, the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development, and the Asian Development Bank. The country aspires to join NATO and the European Union.
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Glasgow
Glasgow ( (); (pronounced )) is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands. A person from Glasgow is known as a Glaswegian, which is also the name of the local dialect.
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Greece
Greece (; , Elláda, ; , Hellás, ), also known as Hellas and officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Ellīnikī́ Dīmokratía, ), is a country in southeastern Europe. Situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula, Greece has land borders with Albania, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of mainland Greece, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the tenth longest coastline in the world at in length, featuring a vast number of islands (approximately 1400, of which 227 are inhabited), including Crete, the Dodecanese, the Cyclades, and the Ionian Islands among others. Eighty percent of Greece consists of mountains, of which Mount Olympus is the highest at .
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Hanoi, Vietnam
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Heathrow Airport
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India
India (), officially the Republic of India ( ; see also official names of India), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.18 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Mainland India is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east; and it is bordered by Pakistan to the west; Bhutan, the People's Republic of China and Nepal to the north; and Bangladesh and Burma to the east. In the Indian Ocean, mainland India and the Lakshadweep Islands are in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, while India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share maritime border with Thailand and the Indonesian island of Sumatra in the Andaman Sea. India has a coastline of .
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Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: Ιόνια νησιά, Ionia nisia; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , Ionioi Nēsoi; ) are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese, i.e. "the Seven Islands" ({{lang-el|, Heptanēsa, or , Heptanēsos; ), but the group includes many smaller islands as well as the seven principal ones. The seven are, from north to south:
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Iran
Iran ( ), officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Central Eurasia and Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was also known to the western world as Persia. Both Persia and Iran are used interchangeably in cultural contexts; however, Iran is the name used officially in political contexts.
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Iraq
Iraq ( or , Arabic: ), officially the Republic of Iraq (Arabic:
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Irvine, California
Irvine () is an incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the 45 square mile (115 km2) city has a population of about 217,686 as of January 1, 2010. It has annexed in the past an undeveloped area to the north, and has also annexed the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, most of which is planned to be converted into the Orange County Great Park.
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Israel
Israel (, ''Yisrā'el; , Isrā'īl), officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: , Medīnat Yisrā'el; , Dawlat Isrā'īl''), is a parliamentary republic in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, Egypt and Gaza on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel is the world's only predominantly Jewish state, and is defined as A Jewish and Democratic State by the Israeli government.
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Istanbul
Istanbul (), historically known as Constantinople(See Names of Istanbul for further information) is the largest city in Turkey and 5th largest city proper in the world with a population of 12.8 million, also making it the second largest metropolitan area in Europe by population, and the largest metropolitan city proper. Istanbul is also a megacity, as well as the cultural, economic, and financial centre of Turkey. The city covers 39 districts of the Istanbul province. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural harbour known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) sides of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents. Istanbul is a designated alpha world city.
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Italy
Italy (; ), officially the Italian Republic (), is a country located in south-central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia — the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea — and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, whilst Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.4 million inhabitants, it is the sixth most populous country in Europe, and the twenty-third most populous in the world.
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Japan
Japan (日本 Nihon or Nippon), officially the State of Japan ( or Nihon-koku), is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin" (because it lies to the east of nearby countries), which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
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Johannesburg
Johannesburg (, ) also known as Jozi, '''Jo'burg or eGoli''', is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa.. The city is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world, and is also the world's largest city not situated on a river, lake, or coastline.
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Kai County
Kai County () is a county of Chongqing Municipality in China.
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Kent
Kent (), originally Cantia, is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of Medway. Kent has a nominal border with France halfway through the Channel Tunnel. Maidstone is its county town and historically Rochester and Canterbury have been accorded city status, though only the latter still holds it.
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Latvia
Latvia (; ), officially the Republic of Latvia () is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia (343 km), to the south by Lithuania (588 km), to the east by the Russian Federation (276 km), and to the southeast by Belarus (141 km). Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden. The territory of Latvia covers and it has a temperate seasonal climate.
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Leeds
Leeds () is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city had a population of (). Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial heart of the West Yorkshire Urban Area, which at the 2001 census had a population of 1.5 million, and the Leeds city region, an economic area with Leeds at its core, had a population of 2.9 million. Leeds is the UK's largest centre for business, legal, and financial services outside London, and according to the most recent Office for National Statistics estimates, Leeds is the fastest growing city in the UK.
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Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2008 Census, the nation is home to 3,476,608 people and covers .
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Libya
Libya ( ; Libyan vernacular: Lībya ; Amazigh: ), officially the '''Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya ( , also translated as Socialist People's Libyan Arab Great Jamahiriya'''), is a country located in North Africa. Bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya lies between Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west.
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Lockerbie
Lockerbie () is a town in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately 75 miles from Glasgow, and from the English border. It is a small town, with a population of just 4,009 at the 2001 census.
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London
London () is the capital of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who called it Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
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London Bridge Tower
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Madrid
Madrid (Spanish , English ) is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million (as of December 2009); the entire population of the metropolitan area (urban area and suburbs) is calculated to be nearly 6 million. It is the third-most populous municipality in the European Union after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third-most populous in the European Union after Paris and London. The city spans a total of 698 km² (234 sq mi).
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Malaysia
Malaysia (pronounced or ) is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of . The country is separated by the South China Sea into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo (also known as West and East Malaysia respectively). Malaysia shares land borders with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei and has maritime boundaries with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population as of 2009 stood at over 28 million.
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Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts () is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of 6.6 million lives in the Boston metropolitan area. The eastern half of the state consists of urban, suburban, and rural areas, while Western Massachusetts is mostly rural. Massachusetts is the most populous of the six New England states and ranks third among U.S. states in GDP per capita.
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Mexico
Mexico, (pronounced ; ), officially known as the United Mexican States (), is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost 2 million square kilometres (over 760,000 sq mi), Mexico is the fifth-largest country in the Americas by total area and the 14th largest independent nation in the world. With an estimated population of 111 million, it is the 11th most populous country and the most populous Hispanophone country on Earth. Mexico is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a Federal District, the capital city.
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Miami
Miami ( or ) is a major city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida, and the eighth-most populous county in the United States, with a population of 2,500,625. The 42nd largest city in the United States, with a population of 433,136, it is the principal, central and most populous city of the South Florida metropolitan area. According to United Nations estimates, the Miami Urbanized Area was the fifth most populous urbanized area in the U.S. in 2000 with a population of 4,919,036, but in 2008 that number increased to 5,232,342, making it the fourth-largest urbanized area in the United States, behind New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
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Morocco
Morocco (, al-Maġrib; Berber: Amerruk / Murakuc; French: Maroc), officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية, al-Mamlakah al-Maġribiyya), is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of nearly 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², including the disputed Western Sahara which is mainly under Moroccan administration. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Spain to the north (a water border through the Strait and land borders with three small Spanish-controlled exclaves, Ceuta, Melilla, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera), Algeria to the east, and Mauritania to the south.
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Moscow
Moscow ( or ; ; see also ) is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a global city. Moscow is the most populous city on the continent of Europe and the seventh largest city proper in the world, a megacity. The population of Moscow (as of 1 January 2010) is 10,563,038.
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Mumbai
Mumbai (; , ', ), previously known as Bombay' (), is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the second most populous city in the world, with a population of approximately 14 million. The official language of Mumbai is Marathi. But many other languages are also widely used, particularly the Mumbaiian Hindi''. Along with the neighbouring urban areas, including the cities of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it is one of the most populous urban regions in the world. Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. As of 2009, Mumbai was named an Alpha world city. Mumbai is also the richest city in India, and has the highest GDP of any city in South or Central Asia.
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Nasiriya
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NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO ( ; ), also called the "(North) Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. The NATO headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium, and the organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.
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New Hampshire
New Hampshire () is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. New Hampshire ranks 44th in land area, 46th in total area of the 50 states, and 41st in population.
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Nigeria
Nigeria (), officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean. The three largest and most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. In terms of religion Nigeria is roughly split half and half between Muslims and Christians with a very small minority who practice traditional religion.
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North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets the Earth's surface. It should not be confused with the North Magnetic Pole.
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Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland (, Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west. At the time of the 2001 UK Census, its population was 1,685,000, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the population of the United Kingdom.
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Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia (pronounced ; ) is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the second-smallest province in Canada with an area of . As of 2009, the population is 940,397, which makes Nova Scotia the second-most-densely populated province.
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Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court. The Crown Court sitting at the Central Criminal Court deals with major criminal cases from Greater London and, in exceptional cases, from other parts of England. Part of the present building stands on the site of the medieval Newgate Gaol, on Old Bailey, a road which follows the line of the City of London's fortified wall (or bailey). It lies between Holborn Circus and St Paul's Cathedral.
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Pakistan
{{Infobox country
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Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. On Wednesday 21 December 1988, the aircraft flying this route—a Boeing 747-121 named Clipper Maid of the Seas—was destroyed by a bomb, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members. Eleven people in Lockerbie, in southern Scotland, were killed as large sections of the plane fell in and around the town, bringing total fatalities to 270. As a result, the event has been named by the media as the Lockerbie Bombing.
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Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh (, another Romanization: Phnum Pénh. literally: "Mountain Full" or more loosely "Full Mountain") is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic activities. Phnom Penh has grown to become the industrial, commercial, cultural, tourist and historical center of Cambodia.
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Prague
Prague (; , see also ) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Nicknames for Prague have included: Praga mater urbium/Praha matka měst ("Prague – Mother of Cities") in Latin/Czech, Stověžatá Praha ("City of a Hundred Spires") in Czech and Zlaté město/Goldene Stadt ("Golden City") in Czech/German.
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Qatar
Qatar ( ; ; local pronunciation: ), also known as the State of Qatar or locally , is an Arab country, known officially as an emirate, in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south; otherwise, the Persian Gulf surrounds the state. A strait of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island nation of Bahrain.
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Reading, Berkshire
Reading ( ) is the largest town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London. For ceremonial purposes it is in the Royal County of Berkshire and has served as the county town since 1867.
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Red Square
Red Square (, Krásnaya plóshchad’) is a city square in Moscow. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod. As major streets of Moscow radiate from here in all directions, being promoted to major highways outside the city, Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow and all of Russia.
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Republic of China
The Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia located off the east coast of mainland China. Subject to an ongoing dispute with the People's Republic of China (PRC) that has left it with limited formal diplomatic relations, the government of the Republic of China currently governs the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor islands. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south.
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Riga
Riga (, ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia, a major industrial, commercial, cultural and financial centre of the Baltics, and an important seaport, situated on the mouth of the Daugava. With 706,413 inhabitants (2010) it is the largest city of the Baltic states and third-largest in the Baltic region, behind Saint Petersburg and Stockholm (counting residents within the city limits). Riga's territory covers and lies between above sea level, on a flat and sandy plain.
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Riyadh
Riyadh ( ar-Riyāḍ, lit: The Gardens) is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Nejd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 4,854,000 people, and the urban center of a region with a population of close to 7 million people. The city is divided into 15 municipal districts, managed by Riyadh Municipality headed by the mayor of Riyadh, and the Riyadh Development Authority, chaired by the Governor of Riyadh Province, Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz. The current mayor of Riyadh is Abdul Aziz ibn Ayyaf Al Migrin, appointed in 1998.
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Russia
Russia (; ), also officially known as the Russian Federation (), is a state in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk and the United States by the Bering Strait. At , Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than a ninth of the Earth's land area. Russia is also the ninth most populous nation with 142 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning 9 time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources. It has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.
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San Diego County
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Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky pronounced [suhn-duhs-kee, san-] is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east.
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Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (), commonly known as Saudi Arabia, occasionally spelled '''Sa'udi Arabia''', is the largest Arab country of the Middle East. It is bordered by Jordan and Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Persian Gulf lies to the northeast and the Red Sea to its west. It has an estimated population of 28 million, and its size is approximately . The kingdom is sometimes called "The Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest places in Islam. The two mosques are Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca) and Masjid Al-Nabawi (in Medina). The current kingdom was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud, whose efforts began in 1902 when he captured the Al-Saud’s ancestral home of Riyadh, and culminated in 1932 with the proclamation and recognition of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, though its national origins go back as far as 1744 with the establishment of the First Saudi State. Saudi Arabia's government takes the form of an Islamic absolute monarchy. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly expressed concern about the state of human rights in Saudi Arabia.
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Scotland
Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland includes over 790 islands including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.
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Serbia
Serbia (pronounced: ), officially the Republic of Serbia (), is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central- and Southeastern Europe, covering the southern lowlands of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans. Serbia borders Hungary to the north; Romania and Bulgaria to the east; the Republic of Macedonia to the south; and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro to the west; its border with Albania is disputed. Serbia's capital city, Belgrade, is among the most populous in Southeastern Europe.
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Seville
Seville ( ; see also ) is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as sevillanos (feminine form: sevillanas) or hispalenses, following the Roman name of the city, Hispalis. The population of the city of Seville was 703,206 as of 2009 (INE), ranking as the fourth largest city of Spain. The population of the metropolitan area (urban area plus satellite towns) was 1,493,416 as of 2009 (INE estimate).
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Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands ) is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of 28,400 square kilometres (10,965 sq mi). The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal. The nation of the Solomon Islands is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
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South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; while Lesotho is an independent country wholly surrounded by South African territory.
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Spain
Spain ( ; , ), officially the Kingdom of Spain (), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.
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Stockholm
Stockholm () is the capital and the largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag (parliament), and the official residence of the Swedish monarch as well as the prime minister. Since 1980, the monarch has resided at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm and uses the Royal Palace of Stockholm as his workplace and official residence. As of 2009, the Stockholm metropolitan area is home to approximately 22% of Sweden's population. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden with a population of 829,417 in the municipality (2009), 1.25 million in the urban area (2005), and 2 million in the 6650 km² large metropolitan area (2009).
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Sudan
Sudan (), officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest country in Africa and the Arab world, and tenth largest in the world by area. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east,Kenya and Uganda to the southeast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west and Libya to the northwest. The world's longest river, the Nile, divides the country between east and west sides.
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Sweden
Sweden (pronounced , ), officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: ), is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and water borders with Denmark, Germany, and Poland to the south, and Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia to the east. Sweden is also connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.
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Switzerland
Switzerland (, , , ), officially the Swiss Confederation (Confoederatio Helvetica in Latin, hence its ISO country codes CH and CHE), is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
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Syria
Syria ( ; ' or '), officially the Syrian Arab Republic (), is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
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Texas
Texas () is the second-largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.
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Texas A&M; University
Texas A&M; University, often referred to as A&M; or TAMU, is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas. It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M; University System. The seventh-largest university in the United States, A&M; enrolls over 49,000 students in ten academic colleges. Texas A&M;'s designation as a land, sea, and space grant institution reflects a broad range of research with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research. The school ranks in the top 20 American research institutes in terms of funding and has made notable contributions to such fields as animal cloning and petroleum engineering.
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Thailand
Thailand ( or ; Ratcha Anachak Thai, ), formerly Siam (, ), is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest.
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the Kremlin
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Tikrit
Tikrit (تكريت, Tikrīt also transliterated as Takrit or Tekrit) is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river (at 34.61°N, 43.68°E). The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate .
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Turkey
Turkey (), known officially as the Republic of Turkey (), is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between Eastern Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a country and sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island nation, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border with another sovereign state, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. Great Britain is linked to continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel.
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United States
The United States of America (also referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and Pacific.
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Vancouver
Vancouver () is a coastal city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is named for British Captain George Vancouver, who explored the area in the 1790s. The name Vancouver itself originates from the Dutch "van Coevorden", denoting somebody from Coevorden, a city in the Netherlands.
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Vienna
Vienna (; ; ) is the capital of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million (2.3 million within the metropolitan area, more than 25% of Austria's population), and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by population in the European Union. Vienna is host to many major international organizations such as the United Nations and OPEC.
http://wn.com/Vienna
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C2C - DMC DJ team World Champions 2003 set @C2Cdjs (EP coming January 2012)
FACEBOOK : on.fb.me / TWITTER @C2Cdjs C2C 4 times in a row DMC dj team world champions 2003/2004/2005/2006 EP Coming DEC 2011 - ALBUM COMING 2012
http://wn.com/C2C__DMC_DJ_team_World_Champions_2003_set_@C2Cdjs_EP_coming_January_2012
Sertab Erener-Everyway That I Can
Eurovision Song Contest Riga 2003
http://wn.com/Sertab_Erener-Everyway_That_I_Can
Bad Santa
The story of two conmen who go on a road trip to malls dressed as Santa and his elf. Rather than spreading good cheer, the duo's motive is to rob each establishment, a strategy that becomes complicated when they encounter an 8-year-old who teaches them the true meaning of Christmas. 2003 Miramax Film Corp. All Rights Reserved.
http://wn.com/Bad_Santa
50 Cent - Old 2003 Ferrari
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:41
- Published: 03 Feb 2011
- Uploaded: 25 Jan 2012
- Author: 50CentMusic
Check out this new heat from 50 Cent!! 50 Cent - Old 2003 Ferrari www.facebook.com www.twitter.com www.youtube.com www.youtube.com www.sleekby50.com www.facebook.com www.twitter.com
http://wn.com/50_Cent__Old_2003_Ferrari
Mystic River
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 137:55
- Published: 03 Oct 2011
- Uploaded: 17 Jan 2012
- Author: warnervoduk
Directed by Clint Eastwood, the mysterious drama Mystic River is based on the novel by Dennis Lehane and adapted by screenwriter Brian Helgeland. Set in an Irish neighborhood in Boston, Jimmy, Sean, and Dave are three childhood friends who are reunited after a brutal murder takes place. Reformed convict Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn) and his devoted wife Annabeth (Laura Linney) find out that their teenage daughter Katie (Emmy Rossum) has been beaten and killed. Jimmy's old friend Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon) is the homicide detective assigned to the case, along with partner Whitey Powers (Laurence Fishburne). Jimmy also gets his relatives, the Savage brothers (Adam Nelson and Robert Wahlberg), to conduct an investigation of their own. Jimmy and Sean both start to suspect their old pal, Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins), who lives a quiet life with his wife Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden) but harbors some disturbing secrets. Clint Eastwood won a Golden Coach for Mystic River at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.
http://wn.com/Mystic_River
Love Actually (2003) - Official Trailer
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:31
- Published: 12 Feb 2011
- Uploaded: 27 Jan 2012
- Author: thecultbox
Yeah, it's those British Xmas comedy-romance films that just make the perfect choice for a private screening at home. Featuring an exceptional mega cast of top British actors, "Love Actually" follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England. Released on 2003 Directed by: Richard Curtis Starring: Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, Martine McCutcheon, Sienna Guillory, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth
http://wn.com/Love_Actually_2003__Official_Trailer
Britney Spears VMA 2003 feat Madonna Christina Aguilera and Missy Eliot (HD 1080p)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:29
- Published: 28 Aug 2010
- Uploaded: 27 Jan 2012
- Author: ForTheRecordHD
VMAS 2003 (HD 1080p)
http://wn.com/Britney_Spears_VMA_2003_feat_Madonna_Christina_Aguilera_and_Missy_Eliot_HD_1080p
The Chemical Brothers - The Test (2003 - Remaster)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:06
- Published: 22 Jul 2011
- Uploaded: 27 Jan 2012
- Author: ChemicalBrothersVEVO
Music video by The Chemical Brothers performing The Test (2003 - Remaster). Digital Remaster (P) 2003 The copyright in this audiovisual recording is owned by Virgin Records Ltd
http://wn.com/The_Chemical_Brothers__The_Test_2003__Remaster
Gigli
Small-time street hood Gigli (Ben Affleck) has a reputation for big-time screw-ups. Ricki (Jennifer Lopez) is a tough gal gangster. When they're paired together on an assignment that careens wildlyout of control, will they find a way to work through their personal differences and work out their mutual attraction? Directed by Martin Brest (Scent of a Woman), GIGLI is a high-octane romantic comedy that packs serious heat! MPAA Rating: R © 2003 Revolution Studios Distribution Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
http://wn.com/Gigli
Britney Spears Madonna Christina Aguilera & Missy Elliot LIVE VMA 2003
http://wn.com/Britney_Spears_Madonna_Christina_Aguilera_Missy_Elliot_LIVE_VMA_2003
Open Water
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 79:38
- Published: 22 Oct 2011
- Uploaded: 08 Dec 2011
- Author: LionsgateUKMovies
15 miles from land. One million square miles of ocean. No one knows they're missing.Daniel and Susan are about to embark on the dive of a lifetime - an underwater tour of the Caribbean. But when the couple surface, the dive boat is nowhere to be seen. Cold and miles from land, Daniel and Susan soon discover they're not alone... as isolation and terror set in, the fight for survival is on. While they turn to each other for support Daniel and Susan can't help but fear for their lives, and being to question their fate at the hands of their tormentors... 2004 Plunge Pictures, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
http://wn.com/Open_Water
2003 Tennis Masters Cup - Final: Federer vs Agassi Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:00
- Published: 21 Apr 2011
- Uploaded: 14 Jan 2012
- Author: tennistubetv
The match was divided in two parts because of a rain delay. For some reason this also lead to some sync issues in the second part, sorry for that.
http://wn.com/2003_Tennis_Masters_Cup__Final_Federer_vs_Agassi_Highlights
Macworld SF 2003 part 1
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:32
- Published: 18 Sep 2006
- Uploaded: 17 Jan 2012
- Author: iggypopped
If you could only ever see one Macworld keynote with Steve Jobs, this would be it. In the final half hour of this Macworld, Mr. Jobs was at the top of his game with the audience completely eating out of his hand. Apple had the technology introductions to back it up too: the world's first 17in widescreen notebook, the first full featured 12in notebook, first ever introduction of 802.11g, first ever backlit keyboard, first introduction of firewire 800. With each introduction the audience goes crazy, and Steve continues to bring them out with perfect salesman timing. This segment begins right after he just got done introducing Keynote for the first time as well, and he gave everyone in the audience a free copy. They were primed. This 3 part video should serve instructionally for anyone who ever aspired to giving a great presentation. No doubt, Steve Jobs is the master at this, and as I said earlier, this may be his greatest Keynote ever. part 2: www.youtube.com part 3: www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/Macworld_SF_2003_part_1
Wrong.Turn - 2003.Dvd.Quality - Full.Movie
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 80:50
- Published: 17 Nov 2011
- Uploaded: 27 Jan 2012
- Author: TheWhopperTinger
Hope you enjoyed this video & I do highly appreciate; likes, comments and shares and especially favourites and subscriptions! Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com my Kingdom Rush videos: CHECK THEM OUT! www.youtube.com www.youtube.com www.youtube.com www.youtube.com www.youtube.com www.youtube.com...
http://wn.com/WrongTurn__2003DvdQuality__FullMovie
Identity
Ten strangers marooned at a desolate motel begin to die one by one. 2003 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://wn.com/Identity
Walt Disney's & Salvador Dali - Destino 2003 (HD 1080p)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:32
- Published: 07 Jul 2011
- Uploaded: 28 Jan 2012
- Author: JOnas3MokaQ
The film tells the story of Chronos, the personification of time and the inability to realize his desire to love for a mortal. The scenes blend a series of surreal paintings of Dali with dancing and metamorphosis. The target production began in 1945, 58 years before its completion and was a collaboration between Walt Disney and the Spanish surrealist painter, Salvador Dalí. Salvador Dali and Walt Disney Destiny was produced by Dali and John Hench for 8 months between 1945 and 1946. Dali, at the time, Hench described as a "ghostly figure" who knew better than Dali or the secrets of the Disney film. For some time, the project remained a secret. The work of painter Salvador Dali was to prepare a six-minute sequence combining animation with live dancers and special effects for a movie in the same format of "Fantasia." Dali in the studio working on The Disney characters are fighting against time, the giant sundial that emerges from the great stone face of Jupiter and that determines the fate of all human novels. Dalí and Hench were creating a new animation technique, the cinematic equivalent of "paranoid critique" of Dali. Method inspired by the work of Freud on the subconscious and the inclusion of hidden and double images. Dalí said: "Entertainment highlights the art, its possibilities are endless." The plot of the film was described by. Dalí as "A magical display of the problem of life in the labyrinth of time." Walt Disney said it was "A simple story about a young girl in <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/Walt_Disney's_Salvador_Dali__Destino_2003_HD_1080p
Salvador Dali - Destino. Walt Disney (2003) HD1080
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:32
- Published: 18 Jan 2011
- Uploaded: 28 Jan 2012
- Author: nomerodin1
ru.wikipedia.org
http://wn.com/Salvador_Dali__Destino_Walt_Disney_2003_HD1080
Steve Jobs rare interview (2003)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:44
- Published: 06 Oct 2011
- Uploaded: 27 Jan 2012
- Author: ThailandEducation
Steve Jobs and Pixar: How it started Did you know that Steve Jobs helped develop the computer animation film studio Pixar? In a "60 Minutes" interview in 2003, Jobs opened up about how it all started. Steve Jobs and the Beatles Steve Jobs explained why he modeled his business after the Beatles in a 2003 "60 Minutes" interview. Jobs said that "great things in business are never done by one person." Jobs: I was basically fired from Apple In a rare 2003 interview, Steve Jobs talked about leaving Apple at the age of 30 and told "60 Minutes" what he considered to be his biggest strength and weakness. What drove Steve Jobs? In a rare 2003 interview, Steve Jobs talked about how collaborating on products that have the ability to influence people's experiences and the world was what motivated him.
http://wn.com/Steve_Jobs_rare_interview_2003
Levity
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 99:13
- Published: 15 Sep 2011
- Uploaded: 08 Dec 2011
- Author: LionsgateUKMovies
Manual Jordan has done his time. The parole board has declared him fit for release. But he'd prefer to stay in jail. Manual killed a man. Not even a man, a young kid helping out in a convenience store. Ever since, Abner Easley has stared down at Manual from the wall of his cell, a yellowing newspaper portrait of a young life cut short. Now Manual is out. He is changed, unrecognisable, but he is drawn irresistibly to the city where he committed his crime. What is he looking for? Forgiveness? Redemption?
http://wn.com/Levity
Evan's Unique Broadcast - Bruce Almighty (6/9) Movie CLIP (2003) HD
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:51
- Published: 01 Jun 2011
- Uploaded: 27 Jan 2012
- Author: movieclips
Bruce Almighty Clip j.mp click to subscribe - Bruce (Jim Carrey) uses his new powers to sabotage Evan's (Steve Carell) broadcast. TM & © Universal (2011) Cast: Tony Bennett, Tom Beyer, Michael Bofshever, Steve Carell, Jim Carrey, Colby French, Max Grodénchik, Manny Suárez, William Thomas Jr., Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Bell, Carrie Quinn Dolin Director: Tom Shadyac MOVIECLIPS YouTube Channel: j.mp Join our Facebook page: j.mp Follow us on Twitter: j.mp Buy Movie: amzn.to More Movie Clips: j.mp Producer: James D. Brubaker, Janet L. Wattles, Jim Carrey, Mark O'Keefe, Roger Birnbaum, Steve Koren, Steve Oedekerk, Tom Shadyac Screenwriter: Mark O'Keefe, Steve Koren, Steve Oedekerk Film Description: After a bad day at work, a man suddenly gets a new job -- as the world's new Heavenly Father -- in this comedy. Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a television reporter working in Buffalo, NY, who has been growing increasingly dissatisfied with his existence, and after an especially bad day, he flies into a rage and curses God for making his life miserable. To Bruce's great surprise, the Supreme Being Himself (Morgan Freeman) appears, and tries to convince Bruce of the enormity of his task. Bruce, however, isn't buying it, so God gives him a chance to find out what he's up against; God bestows all of his powers on Bruce for a week, to see how he'd handle things. At first, Bruce has a great time bending the world around him to his will, much to the puzzlement of his girlfriend, Grace <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/Evan's_Unique_Broadcast__Bruce_Almighty_6/9_Movie_CLIP_2003_HD
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird (Live 2003) Full version - best audio
Live concert in Nashville, Tennessee (2003). It was during their Vicious Cycle Tour, and marked the band's 30 years of rock 'n roll. "Free Bird" was first featured on the band's debut album in 1973. Released as a single in November 1974, it became the band's second Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1975, where it peaked at #19. A live version of the song also reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977, peaking at #38. Free Bird also achieved the #3 spot on Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos. The lyrical portion of the song was written early in the group's history. Roadie Billy Powell was discovered as a keyboardist for the band when he played the intro piece to "Free Bird" at a high school prom. Lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant noted his talent and invited him to join. Allen Collins's then-girlfriend, Kathy, whom he later married, asked him, "If I leave here tomorrow would you still remember me?" Collins jotted the question down and it eventually became the opening line of "Free Bird". Slide guitar Gary Rossington played a Gibson SG and used a glass Coricidin bottle for a slide on this song to emulate one of his heroes, Duane Allman. This was the only song he used a guitar other than a Les Paul on. He also stuck a nail-like piece of metal under the strings near the nut to raise the action of the guitar when playing slide. The guitar's B string was tuned down to a G during this song. Rossington currently uses two G strings tuned to G instead of tuning <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/Lynyrd_Skynyrd__Free_Bird_Live_2003_Full_version__best_audio
Volkswagen Touareg, 2003, Moab.
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 18:07
- Published: 12 May 2007
- Uploaded: 17 Jan 2012
- Author: AutoNetwork
Visit www.autonetwork.com for the largest collection of new car introductions. "It's Just Like Being There." VW's initial launch of the Touareg got off to a very slow start with our airplane attempting some off-roading of its own at Moab, an off-roaders paradise. See what this SUV can really do if you had the nerves.
http://wn.com/Volkswagen_Touareg,_2003,_Moab
Duran Duran - Ordinary World
Music video by Duran Duran performing Ordinary World (2003 Digital Remaster).
http://wn.com/Duran_Duran__Ordinary_World
AP / B. K. Bangash
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AP / Jacques Brinon
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Creative Commons
photo: AP / Kirsty Wigglesworth
05 Mar 2012
AFP - The chief executive of the League Managers' Association on Monday criticised Chelsea for sacking Andre Villas-Boas, warning that the London club is becoming an "embarrassment" to the Premier...
photo: AP / Antonio Calanni
05 Mar 2012
London – Roman Abramovich could be set to make his peace with Jose Mourinho after the former Chelsea boss was installed among the favourites to take charge at Stamford Bridge next season...
photo: AP / Alaa al-Marjani
05 Mar 2012
Gunmen have killed up to 27 members of Iraq's security forces in attacks on checkpoints in the Iraqi city of Haditha. Police sources in Haditha told Al Jazeera on Monday that the attacks had...
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Two men convicted of killing a California, Pa., man almost a decade ago again asserted their innocence before being sentenced Friday in Washinton County Court to life terms. John Bronson Jr., 55, of California,...(size: 1.4Kb)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Two men convicted of killing a California, Pa., man almost a decade ago again asserted their innocence before being sentenced Friday in Washinton County Court to life terms. John Bronson Jr., 55, of California,...(size: 1.4Kb)
Fitch Affirms Senior Note & Upgrades Subordinate Note of Nelnet Student Loan Trust, Series 2003-1
29 Feb 2012
Business Wire
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings affirms the senior notes issued by Nelnet Student Loan Trust series 2003-1 at 'AAAsf', and upgrades the subordinate notes to 'AAsf' from 'A+sf'. The Rating Outlook on the senior notes, which is tied to the sovereign rating of the U.S. government, remains...(size: 6.9Kb)
Business Wire
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings affirms the ratings on N-45 First CMBS Issuer Corporation, Series 2003-1 as follows: --$46.6 million class A-2 at 'AAAsf'; --$8.4 million lass B at 'AAAsf'; --$16.8 million class C at 'AAAsf'; --$19.6 million class D at 'Asf'; --$14 million class E at...(size: 6.8Kb)
The Examiner
Demi Moore, 49, allegedly serves up jealo-shots for Cameron Diaz, 39, in time for Madonna's post-posh Oscars party. Has Madonna's annual post-affair-event turned scar-ageddon? As far as readers can view, the party list dropped Cameron Diaz like she was hot. Who needs Madonna's...(size: 11.8Kb)
Home prices index hits lowest since 2003
28 Feb 2012
Palm Beach Post
JUPITER — Watching his new-look Miami Marlins work out together for the first time Sunday, owner Jeffrey Loria didn't offer any bold mandates or lofty predictions on how the team should finish. But after orchestrating the busiest off-season in franchise history, he made his intentions clear...(size: 3.1Kb)
Business Wire
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings has affirmed 10 classes and downgraded three classes of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Capital Inc. commercial mortgage pass-through certificates, series 2003-TOP9. A detailed list of rating actions follows at the end of this release. The downgrades reflect an...(size: 8.0Kb)
__NOTOC__
2003 (MMIII) was a common year that started on a Wednesday, according to the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2003rd year of the Common Era or the ''Anno Domini'' designation; the 3rd year of the 3rd millennium and of the 21st century; and the 4th of the 2000s decade.
International Year of Freshwater.
European Disability Year.
January 1 – Pascal Couchepin becomes President of the Confederation in Switzerland.
January 5 – Police arrest seven suspects in connection with Wood Green ricin plot.
January 8 – US Airways Express Flight 5481 crashes at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, killing all 21 people aboard.
January 16 – ''STS-107'': Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on its last flight.
January 18 – The Canberra Bushfires in Canberra, Australia, kill 4 people.
January 23 – The last signal is received from NASA's Pioneer 10 spacecraft, some 7.5 billion miles from Earth.
January 25 – An international group of volunteers leaves London for Baghdad to act as voluntary human shields, hoping to avert a U.S. invasion.
January 29 – 2003 Phnom Penh riots: In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the Thai Embassy is burned and commercial properties of Thai businesses are vandalized.
February 1
* At the conclusion of the ''STS-107'' mission, the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disintegrates during reentry over Texas, killing all 7 astronauts onboard.
* In Northern Ireland, Protestant Ulster Defence Association Belfast leader John Gregg is killed by a loyalist faction.
* Morgan Spurlock begins his 30-day McDonald's diet.
February 5 – Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell addresses the UN Security Council on Iraq.
February 9
* The Cricket World Cup begins in South Africa.
* BBC Choice closes for the final time at 12:30 a.m., being replaced with BBC Three at 7 p.m.
* War in Darfur begins.
February 15 – Global protests against Iraq war: More than 10 million people protest in over 600 cities worldwide, the largest to take place before a war occurs.
February 18 – An arsonist destroys a train in Daegu, South Korea, killing more than 190.
February 20 – The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island claims the lives of 100 people.
February 26 – An American businessman is admitted to the Vietnam France Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam with the first identified case of SARS. WHO doctor Carlo Urbani reports the unusual, highly contagious disease to WHO. Both the businessman and doctor later die of the disease.
March 12
* Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Ðindic is assassinated in Belgrade.
* The WHO issues a global alert on SARS.
March 13 – Human evolution: The journal ''Nature'' reports that 350,000-year-old upright-walking human footprints had been found in Italy.
March 15 – Hu Jintao becomes President of the People's Republic of China, replacing Jiang Zemin.
March 18 - FBI agents raid the corporate headquarters of HealthSouth Corporation in Birmingham, Alabama, on suspicion of massive corporate fraud led by the company's top executives.
March 19 – Iraq War begins with the invasion of Iraq by the U.S. and allied forces.
March 23 – The 2003 Cricket World Cup ends as Australia beats India by 125 runs in Johannesburg, South Africa.
April 3
* A passenger bus hits a remote-controlled land mine in the Chechen capital, killing at least 8.
* U.S. forces seize control of Saddam International Airport, changing the airport's name to Baghdad International Airport.
April 7 – Syracuse wins the college basketball National Championship.
April 9 – U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein.
April 14 – The Human Genome Project is completed, with 99% of the human genome sequenced to 99.99% accuracy.
April 17 – The Stevens Report concludes that members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and British Army cooperated with the Ulster Defence Association in the killings of Catholics in Northern Ireland.
April 29 – The United States announces the withdrawal of troops stationed in Saudi Arabia, and the redeployment of some at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
May 1 – U. S. president George W. Bush lands on the aircraft carrier USS ''Abraham Lincoln'', where he gives a speech announcing the end of major combat in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. A banner behind him declares "Mission Accomplished".
May 2 – The Monkeyman superhero hoax begins in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK.
May 3 – The Old Man of the Mountain, a rock formation in New Hampshire, crumbles after heavy rain.
May 4–May 10 – A major severe weather outbreak spawns more tornadoes than any week in U.S. history; 393 tornadoes are reported in 19 states.
May 4 – Top Thrill Dragster opens in Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio as the world's tallest, fastest roller coaster.
May 11 – Benvenuto Cellini's ''Saliera'' is stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
May 12
* A suicide truck-bomb attack kills at least 60 at a government compound in northern Chechnya.
* In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26 people are killed in the Riyadh Compound Bombings.
May 14 – A female suicide bomber blows up explosives strapped to her waist in a crowd of thousands of Muslim pilgrims, killing at least 18 people in Chechnya.
May 15 – The date predicted by Pana-Wave Laboratory, a Japanese cult, on which a close encounter with an unknown planet would result in the extinction of most of humankind.
May 16 – In Casablanca, Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 injured in the Casablanca terrorist attacks.
May 17 – Arsenal beats Southampton 1–0 to win the FA Cup.
May 19
* Pen Hadow becomes the first person to walk alone, without any outside help, from Canada to the North Pole.
* The Indonesian military begins an operation in Aceh province.
May 21
* F.C. Porto defeats Celtic 3–2 (AET) in the UEFA Cup Final in Seville, Spain.
* An earthquake in the Boumerdès region of northern Algeria kills 2,200.
May 22 – The Sheffield Winter Gardens are officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
May 23 – Dewey, the first deer cloned by scientists at Texas A&M; University, is born.
May 24 – Sertab Erener wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 for Turkey with the song ''Every Way That I Can'', in Riga, Latvia.
May 25 – After docking in Miami at 05:00, the ''SS Norway'' (old ''SS France'') is severely damaged by a boiler explosion at 06:30, that kills 7, and injures 17 crew members. A few weeks later it is announced by NCL that she will never sail again as a commercial ocean liner.
May 26 – A draft of the proposed European Constitution is unveiled.
May 28 – Prometea, the first horse cloned by Italian scientists, is born.
May 28 – AC Milan defeats fellow Italian rival Juventus 3–2 on penalties after a scoreless tie to win the UEFA Champions League, their sixth European title.
May 31 – Eric Rudolph, suspected in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in 1996, is captured in Murphy, North Carolina.
June 1
* The 29th G8 summit opens in Évian-les-Bains, France, to tight security and tens of thousands of protesters.
* The People's Republic of China begins filling the lake behind the massive Three Gorges Dam, raising the water level near the dam over 100 metres.
June 4 – Martha Stewart and her broker are indicted for using privileged investment information and then obstructing a federal investigation. Stewart also resigns as chairperson and chief executive officer of ''Martha Stewart Living''.
June 5 – A female suicide bomber detonates a bomb near a bus carrying soldiers and civilians to a military airfield in Mozdok, a major staging point for Russian troops in Chechnya, killing at least 16.
June 22 – The largest hailstone ever recorded falls in Aurora, Nebraska.
June 23 – ''Grutter v. Bollinger'': The Supreme Court of the United States upholds affirmative action in university admissions.
June 26 – ''Lawrence v. Texas'': The U.S. Supreme Court declares sodomy laws unconstitutional.
June 29 – A balcony collapse in Chicago kills 13.
June 30 – In Irvine, California, Joseph Hunter Parker kills 2 Albertsons employees with a sword, before being shot to death by the police.
July 1 – 500,000 Hong Kong people march to protest Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23, which controversially redefines treason.
July 2 – At the International Olympic Committee session in Prague, Vancouver, British Columbia is declared the host city for the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010.
July 5
* SARS is declared to be contained by WHO.
* A double suicide bombing at a Moscow rock concert kills the attackers and 15 other people.
July 6 – The 70-meter Eupatoria Planetary Radar sends a METI message Cosmic Call 2 to 5 stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, 55 Cancri, HD 10307 and 47 Ursae Majoris, that will arrive at these stars in 2036, 2040, 2044, 2044 and 2049 respectively
July 7
* Corsica voters reject a referendum for increased autonomy from France by a very narrow margin.
* Canon Jeffrey John, the first would-be gay bishop in the Church of England, withdraws his acceptance of the post of The Bishop of Reading after discussions with church leaders.
July 8 – Sudan Airways Flight 39, with 117 people on board, crashes in Sudan; the only survivor is a 2-year-old child.
July 10 – A Russian security agent dies in Moscow, while trying to defuse a bomb a woman had tried to carry into a cafe on central Moscow's main street.
July 14 – CIA leak scandal: ''Washington Post'' columnist Robert Novak publishes the name of Valerie Plame, blowing her cover as a CIA operative.
July 18
* The Convention on the Future of Europe finishes its work and proposes the first European Constitution.
* The body of David Kelly, a scientist at the Ministry of Defence, is found a few miles from his home, leading to the Hutton inquiry.
July 21 – Eleven Support towers on Kinzua Bridge collapse after being hit by an F-1 tornado.
July 22 – Uday and Qusay Hussein, sons of Saddam Hussein, are killed by the U.S. military in Iraq, after being tipped off by an informant.
July 23 – Operation Warrior Sweep is the first major military deployment of the Afghan National Army.
July 24 – The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, Operation Helpem Fren, led by Australia, begins.
July 26 – The electorate of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma approves a new constitution redesignating the tribe "Cherokee Nation" without "of Oklahoma" and specifically disenfranchising the Cherokee Freedmen.
July 30 – The last Volkswagen Type 1 rolls off its production line in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico.
August 1 – A suicide bomber rams a truck filled with explosives into a military hospital near Chechnya, killing 50 people, including Russian troops wounded in Chechnya.
August 2 – The United Nations authorizes an international peacekeeping force for Liberia.
August 10 – The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK; 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) at Brogdale near Faversham in Kent.
August 11
* NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
* Jemaah Islamiah leader Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, is arrested in Bangkok, Thailand.
* A heat wave in Paris causes temperatures up to 44 °C (112 °F).
August 14
* A widespread power outage affects the northeastern United States and South-Central Canada.
* A 6.4 Richter scale earthquake occurs near the Greek Ionian island of Lefkada; 24 are injured.
August 15 – Oil price increases since 2003: Global oil production begins a 4-year plateau (and subsequent decline) in the face of rising demand, causing new price increases.
August 16 – The 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park Fire spreads quickly on the outskirts of Kelowna, British Columbia, threatening to engulf the largest town in British Columbia's interior.
August 22 – A rocket explosion kills 21 at the Brazilian rocket complex in Alcântara, Brazil, due to the premature ignition of a solid rocket booster.
August 25
* Two bomb blasts in Mumbai, India kill 52.
* The Spitzer Space Telescope was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, during Delta II.
August 27 – Perihelic Opposition: Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in over 50,000 years.
August 28
* Bank robber Brian Douglas Wells is killed when a time bomb around his neck explodes, allegedly in an act of betrayal by his co-conspirators.
* An electricity blackout cuts off power to around 500,000 people living in southeast England and brings 60% of London's underground rail network to a halt.
September 3 – The Hubble Space Telescope starts Hubble Ultra Deep Field.
September 4 – Europe's busiest shopping centre, the Bullring in Birmingham, is officially opened by Sir Albert Bore.
September 10
* Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh is stabbed in a Stockholm department store and dies the next day.
* Estonia approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
September 14 – Sweden rejects adopting the Euro in a referendum.
September 15 – The ELN kidnaps 8 foreign tourists in the Ciudad Perdida in Colombia; they demand a human rights investigation and release the last hostages 3 months later.
September 16 – Two suicide bombers drive an explosive-filled truck into a government security services building near Chechnya, killing 3 and injuring 25.
September 18 – Hurricane Isabel makes landfall as a Category 2 Hurricane on North Carolina's Outer Banks. It directly kills 16 people in the Mid–Atlantic area.
September 27 – Smart 1, a European Space Agency satellite, is launched from French Guiana.
September 28 – A power failure affects all of Italy except Sardinia, cutting service to more than 56 million people.
September 29 – Hurricane Juan lands at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada as a category 2 storm, killing 2 directly and 5 indirectly.
October 5 – Israeli warplanes strike inside Syrian territory.
October 7 – 2003 California recall: Voters recall Governor Gray Davis from office and elect actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to succeed him.
October 10 – Facing an investigation surrounding allegations of illegal drug use, American right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh publicly admits that he is addicted to prescription pain killers, and will seek treatment.
October 12 – Michael Schumacher wins the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship in Suzuka, Japan, beating Kimi Räikkönen to the title.
October 15
* China launches Shenzhou 5, their first manned space mission.
* The 2003 Staten Island Ferry crash kills 11 after one of its ferries slams into a pier.
October 17 – Bolivian President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada is ousted from office, ending the bolivian gas conflict, and flees to the United States.
October 24 – The Concorde makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of airliner supersonic travel to a close, at least for the time being.
October 25
* The Cedar Fire begins in San Diego County, burning 280,000 acres (1,100 km²), 2,232 homes and killing 14.
* The Florida Marlins defeat the New York Yankees to win their second World Series title.
October 31 – Mahathir Mohamad resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia after 22 years in power.
November 5 – Gary Ridgway, The "Green River Killer", confesses to murdering 48 women.
November 9 – A lunar eclipse is seen in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Central Asia.
November 12 – Occupation of Iraq: In Nasiriya, Iraq, at least 23 people, among them the first Italian casualties of the 2003 Iraq war, are killed in a suicide bomb attack on an Italian police base.
November 15 – Two car bombs explode simultaneously in Istanbul, Turkey, targeting 2 synagogues, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 300; Al-Qaida claims responsibility. Zack Macki turns 12 Years old
November 18
* U.S. President George W. Bush makes a state visit to London in the midst of massive protests.
* The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, rules anti-same-sex marriage laws unconstitutional in Massachusetts.
November 19 – At the end of a long public inquiry, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, John Prescott, gives planning approval to London Bridge Tower, set to become the tallest building in Europe.
November 20 – Several bombs explode in Istanbul, Turkey, destroying the Turkish head office of HSBC and the British consulate.
November 22 – 2003 Rugby World Cup: England defeats Australia 20–17 after extra time.
November 23
* The Georgian Rose Revolution ends in overwhelming victory; president Eduard Shevardnadze resigns following weeks of mass protests over fraudulent elections.
* A total solar eclipse is seen over Antarctica.
November 24 – The High Court in Glasgow imposes a minimum sentence of 27 years for Al Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
December 1
* The use of hand-held cell phones while driving is made illegal in the United Kingdom.
* Boeing chairman and CEO Phil Condit resigns unexpectedly. He is replaced by Lewis Platt as non-executive chairman and Harry Stonecipher as president and CEO.
December 5
* A suicide bombing on a commuter train in southern Russia kills 44 people. President Vladimir Putin condemns the attack as a bid to destabilize the country 2 days before parliamentary elections.
* The eighteenth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting opens in Abuja, Nigeria.
December 7
* Parliamentary elections are held in Russia.
* Australian schoolboy Daniel Morcombe disappears from a bus stop on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the country's highest profile mysteries.
December 8 – The Aso Rock Declaration is issued at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, outlining the Commonwealth's priority objectives.
December 9 – A female suicide bomber detonates outside Moscow's National Hotel, across from the Kremlin and Red Square, killing 5 bystanders.
December 12
* Paul Martin becomes the 21st Prime Minister of Canada.
* Olympic Airlines, Greece's new flag carrier, is launched.
December 13 – Saddam Hussein, former President of Iraq, is captured in Tikrit by the U.S. 4th Infantry Division.
December 16 – The United Kingdom announces plans to build a new runway at Stansted Airport in Essex and a short-haul runway at Heathrow Airport, sparking anger from environmental groups.
December 18 – The Soham Murder Trial ends at the Old Bailey in London, with Ian Huntley found guilty of two counts of murder. His girlfriend Maxine Carr is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
December 20 – Libya admits to building a nuclear bomb.
December 22
* An earthquake in California kills 2.
* Parmalat is first accused of falsifying accounts to the tune of USD $5 billion, later admitted by founder Calisto Tanzi; observers call it "Europe's Enron".
December 23
* A PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field explosion in Guoqiao, Kai County, Chongqing, China kills 234.
* WTO becomes a specialized agency of the United Nations.
December 24
* A BSE (mad cow disease) outbreak in Washington State is announced. Several countries including Brazil, Australia and Taiwan ban the import of beef from the United States.
* At the request of the U.S. Embassy in Paris, the French Government orders Air France to cancel several flights between France and the U.S. in response to terrorist concerns.
* The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. on Christmas Eve inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station.
December 25
* Beagle 2 is scheduled to land on Mars, but nothing is heard from the lander.
* President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan escapes the second assassination attempt in 2 weeks.
December 26 – A massive earthquake devastates southeastern Iran; over 40,000 people are reported killed in the city of Bam.
December 31
* David Bieber is arrested on suspicion of the Boxing Day police shootings in Leeds.
* British Airways Flight 223, a Boeing 747-400 flying from London Heathrow to Washington Dulles, is escorted into Dulles Airport by F-16 fighter jets after intelligence reports of terrorists trying to board the jet and use it in a terrorist attack.
November 8 – Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of Earl and Countess of Wessex
December 7 – Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, daughter of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands
January 8 – Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (b. 1925)
January 11
* Maurice Pialat, French actor and director (b. 1925)
* Richard Simmons, American actor (b. 1913)
January 12
* Dean Amadon, American ornithologist (b. 1912)
* Leopoldo Galtieri, Argentine dictator (b. 1926)
* Maurice Gibb, British rock musician (''Bee Gees'') (b. 1949)
January 15 – Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (b. 1915)
January 17 – Richard Crenna, American actor (''Marooned'') (b. 1926)
January 20 – Al Hirschfeld, American cartoonist (b. 1903)
January 23 – Nell Carter, African-American singer and actress (b. 1948)
January 24 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian auto executive (b. 1921)
January 26
* Valeriy Brumel, Russian athlete (b. 1942)
* Hugh Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton, English historian (b. 1917)
January 27 – Henryk Jablonski, former President of Poland (b. 1909)
January 29 – Frank Moss, American politician (b. 1911)
February 1
* Michael P. Anderson, American astronaut (b. 1959)
* David M. Brown, American astronaut (b. 1956)
* Kalpana Chawla, American astronaut (b. 1961)
* Laurel Clark, American astronaut (b. 1961)
* Rick Husband, American astronaut (b. 1957)
* William McCool, American astronaut (b. 1961)
February 2 – Lou Harrison, American composer (b. 1917)
February 10
* Edgar de Evia, American photographer (b. 1910)
* Ron Ziegler, American White House Press Secretary (b. 1939)
* Curt Hennig, American wrestler (b. 1959)
February 19 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer (b. 1938)
February 20
* Maurice Blanchot, French philosopher and writer (b. 1907)
* Orville Freeman, American politician (b. 1918)
February 27 – Fred Rogers, American children's television host (b. 1928)
February 28
* Fidel Sánchez Hernández, President of El Salvador (b. 1917)
* Rudolf Kingslake, British lens designer and engineer (b. 1903)
March 2
* Yevgeny Matveyev, Russian actor and film director (b. 1922)
* Hank Ballard, American musician (b. 1927)
March 9 – Bernard Dowiyogo, President of Nauru (b. 1946)
March 12
* Zoran Đinđić, Serbian prime minister (b. 1952)
* Howard Fast, American novelist (b. 1914)
March 22 – Milton G. Henschel, American Jehovah's Witnesses leader (b. 1920)
March 26 – Daniel Patrick Moynihan, American politician (b. 1926)
March 29 – Carlo Urbani, Italian physician (b. 1956)
March 30 – Michael Jeter, American actor (b. 1952)
April 1 – Leslie Cheung, Hong Kong singer and actor (b. 1956)
April 2 – Edwin Starr, American soul singer (b. 1942)
April 7 – Cecile de Brunhoff, French storyteller (b. 1903)
April 9 – Jorge Oteiza, Spanish painter (b. 1908)
April 11 – Cecil Howard Green, British-born geophysicist and businessman (b. 1900)
April 17
* Robert Atkins, American nutritionist (b. 1930)
* Paul Getty, American-born philanthropist (b. 1932)
* Earl King, American musician (b. 1934)
April 19 – Mirza Tahir Ahmad, British-born Muslim leader (b. 1928)
April 20
* Ruth Hale, American playwright and actress (b. 1908)
* Bernard Katz, German-born biophysicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1911)
* Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (b. 1976)
April 21 – Nina Simone, American singer (b. 1933)
April 23 – Fernand Fonssagrives, French photographer (b. 1910)
April 26 – Peter Stone, American writer (b. 1930)
April 30 – Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist (b. 1923)
May 11 – Noel Redding, English musician (b. 1946)
May 12 – Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French UN High Commissioner for Refugees (b. 1933)
May 14
* Wendy Hiller, English actress (b. 1912)
* Robert Stack, American actor (b. 1919)
May 15
* June Carter Cash, American singer (b. 1929)
* Rik Van Steenbergen, Belgian cyclist (b. 1924)
May 26 – Kathleen Winsor, American writer (b. 1919)
May 27 – Luciano Berio, Italian composer (b. 1925)
May 28
* Ilya Prigogine, Russian-born physicist and chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b. 1917)
* Martha Scott, American actress (b. 1912)
June 2
* Burke Marshall, American lawyer and politician (b. 1922)
* Freddie Blassie, American professional wrestler and manager (b. 1918)
June 10
* Donald Regan, American Treasury Secretary (b. 1918)
* Bernard Williams, English philosopher (b. 1929)
June 11 – David Brinkley, American television reporter (b. 1920)
June 12 – Gregory Peck, American actor (b. 1916)
June 14 – Jimmy Knepper, American musician (b. 1927)
June 15
* Hume Cronyn, Canadian actor (b. 1911)
* Kaiser Matanzima, President of Transkei bantustan (b. 1915)
June 18 – Larry Doby, American baseball player (b. 1923)
June 21 – Leon Uris, American writer (b. 1924)
June 25 – Lester Maddox, American politician (b. 1915)
June 26
* Denis Thatcher, British husband of Margaret Thatcher (b. 1915)
* Strom Thurmond, American politician (b. 1902)
* Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroon footballer (b. 1975)
June 29 – Katharine Hepburn, American actress (b. 1907)
June 30 – Buddy Hackett, American comedian and actor (b. 1924)
July 1
* Herbie Mann, American jazz flautist (b. 1930)
* N!xau, Namibian actor (b. 1944)
* George Roper, British comedian (b. 1934)
July 4 – Barry White, American singer (b. 1944)
July 5 – Roman Lyashenko, Russian hockey player (b. 1979)
July 7 – Buddy Ebsen, American actor (b. 1908)
July 10
* Winston Graham, English writer (b. 1908)
* Hartley Shawcross, Baron Shawcross, British chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials (b. 1902)
July 11 – Zahra Kazemi, Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer. (b. 1949)
July 12 – Benny Carter, American musician (b. 1907)
July 13 – Compay Segundo, Cuban musician (Buena Vista Social Club) (b. 1907)
July 14 – Éva Janikovszky, Hungarian novelist (b. 1926)
July 15
* Roberto Bolaño, Chilean writer (b. 1953)
* Tex Schramm, American football team president and general manager (b. 1920)
July 16
* Celia Cruz, Cuban singer (b. 1924)
* Carol Shields, American-born writer (b. 1935)
July 17 – Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichordist (b. 1914)
July 22
* Uday Hussein, son of Saddam Hussein (b. 1964)
* Qusay Hussein, son of Saddam Hussein (b. 1966)
July 25
* Ludwig Bölkow, German aeronautical engineer (b. 1912)
* John Schlesinger, English film director (b. 1926)
July 27 – Bob Hope, English-born American comedian (b. 1903)
July 30 – Sam Phillips, American record producer (b. 1923)
August 1 – Marie Trintignant, French actress (b. 1962)
August 4
* Frederick Chapman Robbins, American pediatrician and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
* Brian Trueman, English musician (b. 1930)
August 9 – Gregory Hines, American dancer and actor (b. 1946)
August 11 – Armand Borel, Swiss mathematician (b. 1923)
August 14 – Helmut Rahn, German footballer (b. 1929)
August 16 – Idi Amin, Ugandan dictator (b. 1924)
August 19
* Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Brazilian diplomat (b. 1948)
* Carlos Roberto Reina, President of Honduras (b. 1926)
August 22 – Imperio Argentina, Argentinian singer and actress (b. 1906)
August 23 – Jack Dyer, Australian football player, coach, and commentator (b. 1913)
August 29 – Vladimir Vasicek, Czech painter (b. 1919)
August 30 – Charles Bronson, American actor (b. 1921)
September 1
* Terry Frost, English artist (b. 1915)
* John Gould, American humorist, essayist, and columnist (b. 1908)
September 6 – Harry Goz, American actor (b. 1932)
September 7 – Warren Zevon, American singer (b. 1947)
September 8 – Leni Riefenstahl, German film director (b. 1902)
September 9
* Larry Hovis, American actor (b. 1936)
* Edward Teller, Hungarian-born physicist (b. 1908)
September 11
* Anna Lindh, Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1957)
* John Ritter, American actor (b. 1948)
September 12 – Johnny Cash, American singer and guitarist (b. 1932)
September 13 – Frank O'Bannon, American politician (b. 1930)
September 14 – John Serry, Sr., American musician (b. 1915)
September 17 – Sheb Wooley, American actor and singer (b. 1921)
September 22 – Gordon Jump, American actor (b. 1932)
September 23 – Yuri Senkevich, Russian TV anchorman (b. 1937)
September 24 – Edward Said, Palestinian-born literary critic (b. 1935)
September 25
* Franco Modigliani, Italian-born economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
* George Plimpton, American writer and actor (b. 1927)
September 26
* Robert Palmer, English singer (b. 1949)
* Shawn Lane, American musician (b. 1963)
September 27 – Donald O'Connor, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1925)
September 28
* Althea Gibson, American tennis player (b. 1927)
* Elia Kazan, Greek-American director (b. 1909)
October 3 – William Steig, American cartoonist (b. 1907)
October 5
* Timothy Treadwell, American environmentalist and filmmaker (b. 1957)
* Denis Quilley, British actor (b. 1927)
* Dan Snyder, Canadian hockey player (b. 1978)
* Neil Postman, American educator, media theorist, and cultural critic (b. 1931)
October 10 – Eugene Istomin, American pianist (b. 1925)
October 12
* Jim Cairns, Australian politician (b. 1914)
* Bill Shoemaker, American jockey (b. 1931)
October 13 – Bertram Brockhouse, Canadian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
October 16
* László Papp, Hungarian boxer (b. 1926)
* Stu Hart, Canadian wrestling promoter (b. 1915)
October 19
* Alija Izetbegović, Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (b. 1925)
* Michael Hegstrand American wrestler (b. 1957)
October 20 – Jack Elam, American actor (b. 1918)
October 21 – Elliott Smith, American musician (b. 1969)
October 23 – Soong May-ling, Chinese wife of Chiang Kai-shek (b. 1898)
October 24 – Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish cross-country skier (b. 1925)
October 25
* Pandurang Shastri Athavale, Indian philosopher and social reformer (b. 1920)
* Robert Strassburg, American composer (b. 1915)
October 29
* Hal Clement, American writer (b. 1922)
* Franco Corelli, Italian opera tenor (b. 1921)
October 31 – Richard Neustadt, American political historian (b. 1919)
November 3 – Spider Jorgensen, American baseball player and coach (b. 1919)
November 4 – Richard Wollheim, British philosopher (b. 1923)
November 5 – Dorothy Fay, American actress (b. 1915)
November 6
* Rie Mastenbroek, Dutch swimmer (b. 1919)
* Mike Lockwood American wrestler (b. 1971)
November 9 – Art Carney, American actor (b. 1918)
November 10
* Canaan Banana, first President of Zimbabwe (b. 1936)
* Irv Kupcinet, American columnist and television personality (b. 1912)
November 12
* Jonathan Brandis, American actor (b. 1976)
* Penny Singleton, American actress (b. 1908)
November 15 Zack Macki turns 12
* Ray Lewis, Canadian runner (b. 1910)
* T. Y. Lin, Chinese-born civil engineer (b. 1912)
* Dorothy Loudon, American actress (b. 1933)
November 18 – Michael Kamen, American composer (b. 1948)
November 20
* Robert Addie, British actor (b. 1960)
* David Dacko, first President of the Central African Republic (b. 1930)
* Jim Siedow, American actor (b. 1920)
November 24
* Hugh Kenner, Canadian literary critic (b. 1922)
* Warren Spahn, American baseball player (b. 1921)
November 26
* Abed Hamed Mowhoush, Iraqi general
* Stefan Wul, French writer (b. 1922)
November 28 – Mihkel Mathiesen, Estonian statesman (b. 1918)
November 30 – Gertrude Ederle, American swimmer (b. 1906)
December 3 – David Hemmings, English actor (b. 1941)
December 4 – Iggy Katona, American race car driver (b. 1916)
December 6
* Hans Hotter, German opera and ''Lieder'' bass-baritone singer (b. 1909)
* Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, President of Guatemala (b. 1918)
December 7
* Carl F. H. Henry, American theologian and publisher (b. 1913)
* Azie Taylor Morton, U.S. Treasurer (b. 1936)
December 8 – Rubén González, Cuban pianist (Buena Vista Social Club) (b. 1919)
December 9 – Paul Simon, U.S. Senator from Illinois (b. 1928)
December 11 – Ahmadou Kourouma, Ivorian writer (b. 1927)
December 12 – Heydar Aliyev, former President of Azerbaijan (b. 1923)
December 14
* Jeanne Crain, American actress (b. 1925)
* Blas Ople, Filipino politician (b. 1927)
December 15 – George Fisher, American political cartoonist (b. 1923)
December 16
* Robert Stanfield, Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1914)
* Gary Stewart, American singer (b. 1945)
December 17
* Ed Devereaux, Australian actor (b. 1925)
* Otto Graham, American football player (b. 1921)
December 19
* Hope Lange, American actress (b.1933)
* Roger Conant, American herpetologist (b.1909)
December 22 – Dave Dudley, American singer (b. 1928)
December 27 – Alan Bates, English actor (b. 1934)
December 29
* Earl Hindman, American actor (b. 1942)
* Dinsdale Landen, English actor (b. 1932)
* Bob Monkhouse, English comedian and game show host (b. 1928)
December 30
* David Bale, South African–born activist (b. 1941)
* John Gregory Dunne, American writer (b. 1932)
* Anita Mui, Hong Kong singer (b. 1963)
December 31 – Arthur R. von Hippel, German-born physicist (b. 1898)
Chemistry – Peter Agre, Roderick MacKinnon
Economics – Robert F. Engle, Clive W. J. Granger
Literature – John Maxwell Coetzee
Peace – Shirin Ebadi
Physics – Alexei Alexeevich Abrikosov, Vitaly Lazarevich Ginzburg, Anthony James Leggett
Physiology or Medicine – Paul Lauterbur, Peter Mansfield
2003 Year in Review – comprehensive listing of 2003 reviews and lists
2003 Year-End Google Zeitgeist – Google's Yearly List of Major Events and Top Searches for 2003
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| Coordinates | °′″N°′″N |
|---|---|
| Name | 50 Cent |
| Background | solo_singer |
| Alias | 5-0 |
| Birth name | Curtis James Jackson III |
| Origin | South Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States |
| Birth date | July 06, 1975 |
| Birth place | South Jamaica, Queens, New York, United States |
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Occupation | Rapper, Businessman, Actor |
| Years active | 1997 – present |
| Label | Shady, Aftermath, Interscope |
| Associated acts | G-Unit, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Sha Money XL, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo |
| Website | }} |
Born in South Jamaica, Queens, Jackson began drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. After leaving drug dealing to pursue a rap career, he was shot at and struck by nine bullets during an incident in 2000. After releasing his album ''Guess Who's Back?'' in 2002, Jackson was discovered by rapper Eminem and signed to Interscope Records. With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre, who produced his first major commercial successes, Jackson became one of the world's highest selling rappers. In 2003, he founded the record label G-Unit Records, which signed several successful rappers such as Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.
Jackson has engaged in feuds with other rappers including Ja Rule, Nas, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Cam'ron, Puff Daddy, Rick Ross, and former G-Unit members The Game and Young Buck. He has also pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film ''Get Rich or Die Tryin''' in 2005, the Iraq War film ''Home of the Brave'' in 2006, and ''Righteous Kill'' in 2008. 50 Cent was ranked as the sixth best artist of the 2000s by ''Billboard'' magazine. The magazine also ranked him as the fourth top male artist and as the third top rapper behind Eminem and Nelly. ''Billboard'' magazine also ranked him as the sixth best and most successful Hot 100 Artist of the 2000s and as the number one rap artist of the 2000s. ''Billboard'' ranked his album ''Get Rich or Die Tryin''' as the twelfth best album of the 2000s and his album ''The Massacre'' as the 37th best album of the 2000s. As of September 2011, 50 Cent is working on his fifth studio album, which is set to be released in 2012.
Early life
Curtis Jackson III grew up in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, in New York City. He grew up without a father and was raised by his mother, Sabrina, who gave birth to him at the age of fifteen.Sabrina, a cocaine dealer, raised Jackson until the age of twelve, when she was killed in 1988. Twenty-seven at the time, she became unconscious after someone drugged her drink. She was then left for dead after the gas in her apartment was turned on and the windows shut closed.
After her death, Jackson moved into his grandparents' house with his eight aunts and uncles. He recalls, "My grandmother told me, 'Your mother's not coming home. She's not gonna come back to pick you up. You're gonna stay with us now.' That's when I started adjusting to the streets a little bit".
Jackson began boxing around the age of eleven.
At fourteen, a neighbor opened a boxing gym for local kids.
"When I wasn't killing time in school, I was sparring in the gym or selling crack on the strip", he recalled. In the mid 1980s, he competed in the Junior Olympics as an amateur boxer. He recounts, "I was competitive in the ring and hip-hop is competitive too... I think rappers condition themselves like boxers, so they all kind of feel like they're the champ". At the age of twelve, Jackson began dealing narcotics when his grandparents thought he was at after-school programs. He also took guns and drug money to school. In the tenth grade, he was caught by metal detectors at Andrew Jackson High School. He later stated, "I was embarrassed that I got arrested like that... After I got arrested I stopped hiding it. I was telling my grandmother [openly], 'I sell drugs.'"
Following time spent in a correctional boot camp, Jackson adopted the nickname "50 Cent" as a metaphor for "change". The name was derived from Kelvin Martin, a 1980s Brooklyn robber known as "50 Cent". Jackson chose the name "because it says everything I want it to say. I'm the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means".
Music career
1996–2000: Early career
Jackson started rapping in a friend's basement where he used turntables to record over instrumentals. In 1996, a friend introduced him to Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC who was organizing his label Jam Master Jay Records.Jay taught him how to count bars, write choruses, structure songs, and how to make a record. Jackson's first official appearance was on a song titled "React" with the group Onyx on their 1998 album ''Shut 'Em Down''. He credited Jam Master Jay as an influence who helped him improve his ability to write hooks. Jay produced Jackson's first album; however, it was never released.
In 1999, after leaving Jam Master Jay, the platinum-selling producers Trackmasters took notice of Jackson and signed him to Columbia Records. They sent him to a studio in Upstate New York where he produced thirty-six songs in two weeks. Eighteen were included on his unofficially released album, ''Power of the Dollar'' in 2000. He also started the now-defunct Hollow Point Entertainment with former G-Unit affiliate Bang 'Em Smurf.
Jackson's popularity started to increase after the successful but controversial underground single, "How to Rob", which he wrote in half an hour while in a car on the way to a studio. The track comically explains how he would rob famous artists. He explained the reasoning behind song's content as, "There's a hundred artists on that label, you gotta separate yourself from that group and make yourself relevant". Rappers Jay-Z, Kurupt, Sticky Fingaz, Big Pun, DMX, Wyclef Jean and the Wu-Tang Clan replied to the song and Nas, who received the track positively, invited Jackson to travel on a promotional tour for his ''Nastradamus'' album. The song was intended to be released with "Thug Love" featuring Destiny's Child, but two days before he was scheduled to film the "Thug Love" music video, Jackson was shot and confined to a hospital due to his injuries.
2000–01: Shooting
On May 24, 2000, Jackson was attacked by a gunman, alleged to be Darryl "Hommo" Baum, outside his grandmother's former home in South Jamaica, Queens. He went into a friend's car, but was asked to return to the house to get jewelry.His son was in the house, while his grandmother was in the front yard. Upon returning to the back seat of the car and already seated, another car pulled up nearby. An assailant then walked up to Jackson's left side with a 9mm handgun and fired nine shots at close range. He was shot nine times: in the hand (a round hit his right thumb, to where the bullet passed through and out his little finger), arm, hip, both legs, chest, and his face (his left cheek). The face wound resulted in a swollen tongue, the loss of a wisdom tooth, and a small slur in his voice. His friend also sustained a gunshot wound to the hand. They were driven to the hospital where Jackson spent thirteen days.
Baum, the alleged shooter, was killed three weeks later.
Baum was also Mike Tyson's close friend and bodyguard.
Jackson recalled the incident saying, "It happens so fast that you don't even get a chance to shoot back.... I was scared the whole time.... I was looking in the rear-view mirror like, 'Oh @#!*% , somebody shot me in the face! It burns, burns, burns.'" In his autobiography, ''From Pieces to Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens'', he wrote, "After I got shot nine times at close range and didn't die, I started to think that I must have a purpose in life... How much more damage could that shell have done? Give me an inch in this direction or that one, and I'm gone". He used a walker for the first six weeks and fully recovered after five months. When he left the hospital, he stayed in the Poconos with his then-girlfriend and son. His workout regime helped him attain his muscular physique.
While in the hospital, Jackson signed a publishing deal with Columbia Records. However, he was dropped from the label and "blacklisted" in the recording industry because of his song "Ghetto Qu'ran".
Unable to find a studio to work with in the U.S, he traveled to Canada. Along with his business partner Sha Money XL, he recorded over thirty songs for mixtapes, with the purpose of building a reputation.
According to Shady Records A&R; Marc Labelle in an interview with HitQuarters, Jackson shrewdly used the mixtape circuit to his own advantage saying, "He took all the hottest beats from every artist and flipped them with better hooks. They then got into all the markets on the mixtapes and all the mixtape DJs were messing with them." Jackson's popularity rose and in 2002, he released material independently on the mixtape, ''Guess Who's Back?''. Beginning to attract interest, and now backed by G-Unit, Jackson continued to release music including ''50 Cent Is the Future''. The mixtape revisited material by Jay-Z and Raphael Saadiq.
2002–2009: Rise to fame
In 2002, Eminem listened to a copy of Jackson's ''Guess Who's Back?'' CD. He received the CD through Jackson's attorney, who was working with Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg. Impressed with the album, Eminem invited Jackson to fly to Los Angeles, where he was introduced to Dr. Dre. After signing a $1 million record deal, Jackson released the mixtape, ''No Mercy, No Fear''. It featured one new track, "Wanksta", which was put on Eminem's ''8 Mile'' soundtrack. He was also signed to Chris Lighty's Violator Management and Sha Money XL's Money Management Group.In February 2003, Jackson released his commercial debut album, ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'''. Allmusic described it as "probably the most hyped debut album by a rap artist in about a decade". ''Rolling Stone'' noted the album for its "dark synth grooves, buzzy keyboards and a persistently funky bounce" with Jackson complementing the production in "an unflappable, laid-back flow".
It debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 872,000 copies in the first four days. The lead single, "In da Club", which ''The Source'' noted for its "blaring horns, funky organs, guitar riffs and sparse hand claps", broke a ''Billboard'' record as the most listened-to song in radio history within a week.
Interscope granted Jackson his own label, G-Unit Records in 2003. He signed Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Young Buck as the established members of G-Unit. The Game was later signed under a joint venture with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment.
In March 2005, Jackson's second commercial album, ''The Massacre'', sold 1.14 million copies in the first four days-the highest in an abbreviated sales cycle- and peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 for six weeks.
He became the first solo artist to have three singles on the ''Billboard'' top five in the same week with "Candy Shop", "Disco Inferno", and "How We Do". ''Rolling Stone'' noted that "50's secret weapon is his singing voice - the deceptively amateur-sounding tenor croon that he deploys on almost every chorus".
After The Game's departure, Jackson signed singer Olivia and rap veterans Mobb Deep to G-Unit Records. Spider Loc, M.O.P., 40 Glocc and Young Hot Rod later joined the label. Jackson expressed interest in working with rappers outside of G-Unit, such as Lil' Scrappy of BME, LL Cool J from Def Jam, Mase from Bad Boy, and Freeway of Roc-A-Fella, some of whom he recorded with. In September 2007, he released his third album ''Curtis'', which was inspired by his life before ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'''. It debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 691,000 units in the first week, behind Kanye West's ''Graduation'', whom he had a sales competition with, as both albums were released on the same day.
He confirmed on TRL on September 10, 2008 that his fourth studio album, ''Before I Self Destruct'', will be "done and released in November".
On May 18, 2009, Jackson released a song entitled "Ok, You're Right". The song was produced by Dr. Dre and was included in ''Before I Self Destruct''.
In Fall 2009, 50 Cent appeared in the new season of VH1's Behind The Music.
On September 3, 2009 months upon the release of his "Before I Self Destruct" album 50 Cent posted a video for the Soundkillers' Phoenix produced track "Flight 187" which introduced his mixtape, the 50th LAW, and was also featured as a bonus track on his iTunes release of Before I Self Destruct. The song ignited speculation that there was tension between rapper 50 Cent and Jay Z for Jackson's comments in the song.
2010 – present
In an interview with the British entertainment website ContactMusic, 50 Cent announced that he was working on a dance album named ''Black Magic''. 50 Cent said he was inspired by the European nightclubs. "First they played hip-hop which suddenly changed to uptempo songs, known as Eurodance". He went on The Invitation Tour in the summer of 2010, in support of ''Before I Self Destruct'' album, and the then shelved ''Black Magic'' album. He "recorded 20 songs to a whole different album concept" before he put those to the side and did something different.50 Cent revealed that he wanted his new album to have the same "aggression" as his debut record, ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'''.
He later tweeted that the album was "80 percent done", and stated that fans can expect the album in the summer of 2011; however, the album has been delayed to 2012 at the earliest, due to tensions and disagreements at Interscope Records, Later 50 Cent said that he will release his album in November 2011 and it has also been confirmed that "Black Magic" will not be the album's title. 50 Cent has already confirmed that Eminem will appear on the album, but he also confirmed that he has been working with new producers such as Boi-1da and Alex da Kid. Cardiak, who produced Lloyd Banks' “Start It Up”, also confirmed that he had produced a song for the upcoming album.
DJ Whoo Kid confirmed in an interview that 50 Cent was filming a new movie with Robert DeNiro in New Orleans.
50 Cent released the first song from his fifth studio album, titled "Outlaw", to the Internet on June 16, 2011.
The single was produced by Cardiak.
It was released to iTunes on July 19, 2011, although 50 Cent confirmed through his Twitter account that the song was not the album's first single.
50 Cent is set to release a book titled ''Playground''.
Unlike his previous literary efforts — which focus on his life story and the rules of power — this time he's aiming at a teen audience with a semi-autobiographical novel about bullying. According to a statement from the book's publisher, the first-person novel is slated for release in January 2012 and will tell the story of a 13-year-old schoolyard bully "who finds redemption as he faces what he's done."
50 Cent has promised to deliver his fifth studio album album over the past few years, but the LP may be delayed until 2012. In a series of tweets, 50 Cent explained that him and his label Interscope Records aren’t on the same page on how to roll out the album and that he’s delaying its release until they see eye to eye.
50 Cent later suggested that his album will be releasing in November 2011, along with his headphone line ''SMS by 50''.
50 Cent spoke to MTV in relation to the possibility of leaving Interscope Records. "I don't know," 50 told MTV News when asked if he would ink back with Interscope once his five-album deal was fulfilled. "It will all be clear in the negotiations following me turning this actual album in. And, of course, the performance and how they actually treat the work will determine whether you still want to stay in that position or not."
On June 20, 2011, 50 Cent announced that he will release an LP titled ''Before I Self Destruct II''. The announced sequel to his 2009 LP is suggested to be released after his fifth studio album.
On June 26, 2011, 50 Cent planned to shoot a music video for the lead single from his fifth studio album titled ''I'm On It''. However, the music video never surfaced.
50 Cent spoke to Shade45 in relation guest appearances for his fifth studio album. "I did four songs in Detroit with Eminem. I did two with Just Blaze, a Boi-1da joint, and I did something with Alex da Kid. We made two that are definite singles and the other two are the kinds of records that we been making, more aimed at my core audience, more aggressive, more of a different kind of energy to it."
In September 2011, 50 Cent released a song titled "Street King Energy Track #7" in attempt to promote his charitable energy drink ''Street King''.
On September 28, 2011, it was confirmed that 50 Cent is shooting a music video for his lead single from his fifth studio album titled "Girls Go Wild", which features Jeremih.
On October 26, 2011, 50 Cent announced that his fifth studio album will be released in December 2011.
Other ventures
Jackson has established himself in a variety of fields. In November 2003, he signed a five-year deal with Reebok to distribute a "G-Unit Sneakers" line as part of his G-Unit Clothing Company. He provided the voice-over as the protagonist in the video game ''50 Cent: Bulletproof'', which was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and the PlayStation Portable.Its sequel, ''50 Cent: Blood on the Sand'', was released in early 2009. He worked with Glacéau to create a vitamin water drink called Formula 50. In 2007, Coca-Cola purchased Glacéau for US$4.1 billion. ''Forbes'' estimated Jackson, who owns a stake in the company, earned $100 million from the deal after taxes. He has teamed up with Right Guard to launch a body spray called Pure 50 RGX Body Spray and a condom line called Magic Stick Condoms, in which he planned to donate part of the proceeds to HIV awareness.
Jackson has signed a multi-year deal with Steiner Sports to sell his memorabilia.
In 2005, Jackson made a cameo appearance on ''The Simpsons'' episode "Pranksta Rap", in which he makes light of his legal troubles. The same year, he starred alongside Terrence Howard in the semi-autobiographical film ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'''. He starred in the 2006 film ''Home of the Brave'', as a soldier returning home from the Iraq War, traumatized after killing an Iraqi woman.
Jackson is working on a role as a fighter in an Angola State Prison in ''Spectacular Regret'' alongside Nicolas Cage, and starred opposite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in 2008's ''Righteous Kill'', a movie regarding a police death.
He also started the film production companies G-Unit Films in 2007 and Cheetah Vision in 2008.
In August 2007, Jackson announced plans to launch a dietary supplement company in conjunction with his movie ''Spectacular Regret''.
In August 2005, shortly before appearing in ''Get Rich or Die Tryin''', Jackson published an autobiography entitled ''From Pieces to Weight: Once upon a Time in Southside Queens''. In it, Jackson explores the cultural and economic forces that led him to sell cocaine and crack, details his entrepreneurship as a drug-dealer and then as a rapper, and reflects on his own ethos and on society.
On January 4, 2007, Jackson launched his G-Unit Books imprint at the Time Warner Building. He also co-wrote ''The Ski Mask Way'', a novel about a small-time drug dealer who attempts to rob his employers, which is to be turned into a film. Jackson said he read Robert Greene's ''The 33 Strategies of War'' and worked with the author on a book titled ''The 50th Law'', an urban take on ''The 48 Laws of Power''. In May 2008, Jackson met billionaire Patrice Motsepe to forge a joint venture selling 50 Cent-branded platinum.
In 2008, Jackson started a reality television show on MTV titled ''50 Cent: The Money and the Power''; the winning contestant, Ryan Mayberry, won a $100,000 investment from Jackson.
On September 8, 2009, he published his book ''The 50th Law''.
In 2010, Jackson's film company Cheetah Vision landed $200 million in funding.
In July 2011, 50 Cent revealed his initiative to provide food for millions of people in Africa by 2016. 50 Cent teamed up with Pure Growth Partners to launch a charitable energy drink called ''Street King'' that will help aid in combating world hunger. For every purchase of Street King, a portion of the sales will go to providing a daily meal to an underprivileged child around the world. The partnership coincides with Fiddy’s mission statement of feeding a billion people in Africa over the next five years.
“50 Cent and I share a common vision: To address the world’s problems through smart and sustainable business models,” said Chris Clark, the founder and CEO of Pure Growth Partners. “With the rampant starvation in Africa and hunger afflicting children worldwide, we need socially responsible businesses that affect real change now more than ever.”
50 concurs, stating, “I’m inspired by Clarke’s vision and innovative approaches to tackling serious issues. It’s our mission with Street King to really change children’s lives around the world.”
Jackson founded SMS Audio, selling headphones with the name Street by 50. He has pledged to donate a portion of the sales to charity.
Personal life
Jackson has a tattoo of "Marquise" with an axe on his right biceps. "The axe is 'cause I'm a warrior. I don't want him to be one, though," he explains. He also has "50", "Southside", and "Cold World" inscribed on his back because "I'm a product of that environment. It's on my back, though, so it's all behind me."
Family
On October 13, 1997, Jackson's then-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins gave birth to a son, Marquise Jackson.The birth of his son changed Jackson's outlook on life: "When my son came into my life, my priorities changed, because I wanted to have the relationship with him, that I didn't have with my father." He credited his son for inspiring his career and being "motivation to go in a different direction".
Politics
In 2005, Jackson expressed support for President George Walker Bush after rapper Kanye West criticized him for the slow response in assisting the Hurricane Katrina victims.If his felony convictions did not prevent him from voting, he claimed he would have voted for Bush.
He later stated that Bush "has less compassion than the average human. By all means, I don't aspire to be like George Bush."
Wealth
In 2007, Jackson was the second wealthiest performer in the rap industry, behind Jay-Z. He resides in Farmington, Connecticut, in the former mansion of ex-boxer Mike Tyson.He put the mansion for sale at $18.5 million to move closer to his son who lives in Long Island with his ex-girlfriend. On October 12, 2007, the Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut declared it "50 Cent Curtis Jackson Day". He was honored with a key to the city and an official proclamation.
One of his homes in New York purchased for 2.4 million dollars in January 2007 and at the center of a lawsuit between Jackson and ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins caught fire on May 30, 2008 while he was out of town filming for a movie in Louisiana.
In December 2008 Jackson told the Canadian press that he had been affected by the recession, losing several million dollars in the stock market as an investor. He also went on to say that he had been unable to sell his Connecticut mansion and pushed ''Before I Self-Destruct'' back because of the recent economic downturn.
Legal issues
On June 29, 1994, Jackson was arrested for helping to sell four vials of cocaine to an undercover police officer. He was arrested again three weeks later when police searched his home and found heroin, ten ounces of crack cocaine, and a starter gun.He was sentenced to three to nine years in prison, but managed to serve six months in a shock incarceration boot camp where he earned his GED. Jackson said that he did not use cocaine himself, he only sold it.
His ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins sued Jackson for $50 million, claiming that he said that he would take care of her for life; the suit, which includes 15 claims was later dismissed by a judge, calling it "an unfortunate tale of a love relationship gone sour."
50 Cent was sentenced to two years probation on July 22, 2005 from an incident in May 2004 when 50 Cent jumped into the audience after being hit with a water bottle. He was charged with three counts of assault and battery.
Lawsuits
On July 21, 2007, Jackson filed a $1 million lawsuit against advertising company Traffix Inc. of Pearl River, New York for using his image in a promotion which he claims threatens his safety.He became aware of the internet ad after one of his staff members saw it on a MySpace page. According to court documents, the ad features a cartoon image of the rapper and the message: "shoot the rapper and you will win $5000 or five ring tones guaranteed".
Though the ad did not use his name, the image allegedly intended to resemble him, suggesting he endorsed the ad.
The lawsuit calls it a "vile, tasteless and despicable" use of 50 Cent's image that "quite literally calls for violence against him". The lawsuit seeks for unspecified punitive damages and a permanent injunction against the use of his image without permission.
In November 2009, 50 Cent won in a lawsuit against Taco Bell over the fast food chain using his name to promote the brand without his permission.
Feuds
How to Rob
50 Cent said that he intended the single to be a joke, and not meant to disrespect anybody. Nevertheless, a number of rappers mentioned on the song responded on record.The comments made towards the Wu-Tang Clan were responded to on the Ghostface Killah album ''Supreme Clientele'' on a track called "Ghost Deini" and even more directly on a skit called "Clyde Smith" which included one of the Wu-Tang Clan members talking about how they intended to harm the rapper, which is identifiable as Raekwon when the track is sped up. A supposed diss song, "Who the Fuck Is 50 Cent", which circulated the web in the beginning of 2001 was rumored to be by the Clan, but was proven to be recorded by Polite of American Cream Team (Raekwon's then-side project).
Jay-Z also reacted to the comments in the track called "It's Hot (Some Like It Hot)", off the album ''Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter'':
"Go against Jigga yo' ass is dense I'm about a dollar, what the fuck is 50 Cents?"
Sticky Fingaz responded to the diss with the track "Jackin' for Beats."
"The real 50 from Brooklyn god bless he got outed You just a fake clown who front and rout about it."
Big Pun responds to this track on his album ''Yeeeah Baby'', in the song "My Turn."
"And to the 50 Cent Rapper, very funny – get your nut off, 'cuz in real life, we all know I'd blow your motherfucking head off...If I'm gonna write a song, it'll be about how I had to beat your mothafuckin' ass. And that'll be the name of the motherfucker: 'That's Why I Had To Beat Your Motherfucking Ass', featuring Tony Sunshine."
Kurupt responded on the diss track "Callin' Out Names."
"Now it's 50 mc's that ain't worth shit Get ya ass kicked 50 times, beat to 10 cent"
Wyclef Jean responded on the song "Low Income", from his 2000 album, ''The Ecleftic''.
"I stay so hungry that if 50 Cent came to rob me he'd be part of my charity."
The Inc.
Before signing with Interscope, Jackson engaged in a well-publicized dispute with rapper Ja Rule and his label The Inc.. Jackson claims that a friend robbed Ja Rule of his jewelry and that Ja Rule accused him of setting it up. However, Ja Rule claimed the conflict stemmed from a video shoot in Queens because Jackson did not like seeing him "getting so much love" from the neighborhood. In March 2000, while at The Hit Factory studio in New York, Jackson had an altercation with Murder Inc. associates. He was treated for three stitches after receiving a stab wound. Rapper Black Child claimed responsibility for the stabbing, saying he acted in self-defense because he thought someone reached for a gun.An affidavit by an IRS agent suggested that Murder Inc. had ties to Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, a New York drug lord who was suspected of being involved in the murder of Jam Master Jay and the shooting of Jackson. An excerpt of the affidavit read:
In an interview with MTV, Ja Rule acknowledged his defeat against 50 Cent and stated that his new album, The Mirror, will not be continuing any past feuds that he has engaged in. He said: There was a lot of things I wanted to say, and I didn't want there to be any bitter records on the album. Because I'm not bitter about anything that happened [in the past few years].
Fat Joe, Nas & Jadakiss
Before releasing ''The Massacre'', Jackson recorded a song "Piggy Bank", a response to Ja Rule's song "New York", which was leaked before the album's release. The song takes aim at rappers including Fat Joe, Nas, and Jadakiss. Fat Joe responded with a song, "My Fofo", accusing Jackson of taking steroids, hiding in his home, and being jealous of The Game. Jadakiss also responded with a song, "Checkmate", and said that Jackson was trying to "create a buzz for his new album". The "Piggy Bank" music video portrays animated caricatures of Jadakiss (as a Ninja turtle), Fat Joe (as King Hippo from ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out''), Nas (as a kid chasing a "milkshake" truck in a Superman costume), and The Game (as Mr. Potato Head). He also disses all of them on the beef version of his single "Window Shopper" Kelis, Nas's then-wife, responded to the song on her single "Bossy". Nas later responded with "Don't Body Ya Self (MC Burial)." Nas later dissed 50 on the song "Street Ridaz" on Game's mixtape "Brake Lights".
Sean Combs
Jackson spoke negatively about Bad Boy Entertainment mogul Sean Combs and recorded a song, "Hip-Hop", revealing the reasons behind his negative feelings: primarily, a contract dispute over Mase. In the song, he implied that Diddy knew about The Notorious B.I.G.'s murder and threatened to expose him through former associates. The feud was resolved, with both rappers appearing on MTV's ''TRL'' and ''Sucker Free'', respectively, stating that there were no longer problems. The feud reignited in 2010 with 50 Cent dissing Diddy, saying his music "sucks".
Cam'ron
On February 1, 2007, Cam'ron and Jackson had a live argument on ''The Angie Martinez Show'' on Hot 97 radio. Jackson commented that Koch Entertainment was a "graveyard", meaning major record labels would not work with their artists. Cam'ron then ridiculed the record sales of G-Unit members Lloyd Banks and Mobb Deep by stating that Jim Jones outsold their albums despite being signed to an independent label and that his group, The Diplomats, had a distribution deal from several labels. Both rappers released "diss" songs with videos on YouTube. Jackson suggested in "Funeral Music" that Cam'ron is no longer able to lead The Diplomats and that Jim Jones should take his place. Cam'ron responded with "Curtis" and "Curtis Pt. II", in which he makes fun of Jackson's appearance, calling him "a gorilla, with rabbit teeth". Jackson responded by releasing "Hold On" with Young Buck.
Game
Although he was close with The Game, before The Game released his debut album ''The Documentary'', they soon became at odds. After its release, Jackson felt The Game was disloyal for saying he did not want to participate in G-Unit's feuds with other rappers and even wanting to work with artists they were feuding with. He also claimed that he wrote six songs on the album and was not receiving proper credit for his work, which The Game denied.
Jackson later dismissed The Game from G-Unit on Hot 97 radio. After the announcement, The Game, who was a guest earlier in the evening, attempted to enter the building with his entourage. After being denied entry, one of his associates was shot in the leg during a confrontation with a group of men leaving the building. When the situation escalated, both rappers held a press conference to announce their reconciliation. Fans had mixed feelings as to whether the rappers created a publicity stunt to boost the sales of the albums they had just released. Nevertheless, even after the situation deflated, G-Unit criticized The Game's street credibility. The group denounced The Game and announced that they will not be featured on his albums. During a Summer Jam performance, The Game launched a boycott of G-Unit called "G-Unot".
After the performance at Summer Jam, The Game responded with "300 Bars and Runnin'", an extended "diss" aimed at G-Unit as well as members of Roc-A-Fella Records on the mixtape ''You Know What It Is Vol. 3''. Jackson responded through his "Piggy Bank" music video, which features The Game as a Mr. Potato Head doll and also parodies other rivals. Since then both groups continued to attack each other. The Game released two more mixtapes, ''Ghost Unit'' and a mixtape/DVD called ''Stop Snitchin, Stop Lyin''.
Jackson posted a cover of The Game's head on the body of a male stripper for "Hate It or Love It (G-Unit Radio Part 21)" mixtape, as a response to The Game displaying pictures of G-Unit dressed as Village People. Although he was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, The Game left the label and signed with Geffen Records to terminate his contractual obligations with G-Unit (although others claim Jackson pressured Dr. Dre to kick him off). G-Unit member Spider Loc had also began to insult The Game on various songs. In addition, The Game released "240 Bars (Spider Joke)" and "100 Bars (The Funeral)" both attacking G-Unit, Spider Loc and others. Jackson's response was "Not Rich, Still Lyin'" where he mocks The Game. Lloyd Banks replied to the Game on a Rap City freestyle booth session. The Game quickly released a "diss" record called "SoundScan" where The Game pokes fun at Lloyd Banks' album ''Rotten Apple'' falling thirteen spots on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and disappointing second week sales. Lloyd Banks replied on his mixtape ''Mo' Money In The Bank Pt. 5: Gang Green Season Continues'' with a song called "Showtime (The Game's Over)". Lloyd Banks states that Jackson wrote half of The Game's first album ''The Documentary'' and pokes fun at The Game's suicidal thoughts.
In October 2006, The Game extended a peace treaty to Jackson, which was not immediately replied to. However, a couple days later, on Power 106, he stated that the treaty was only offered for one day. On The Game's album, ''Doctor's Advocate'', he claims that the feud is over on a few of the songs.
In July 2009, The Game stated the beef was squashed with help from Michael Jackson and Diddy, and he apologized for his actions during the beef. Tony Yayo said that neither Jackson (50 Cent) or G-Unit would accept his apology. Since then, The Game continued his old "G-Unot" ways at live concerts. Jackson released "So Disrespectful" a diss song on ''Before I Self Destruct'' targeting Jay-Z, The Game and Young Buck. Game later responded with the song "Shake", poking fun of the music video for 50's single "Candy Shop", quote, "Me and 50 aint agreeing on shit so I had to (Shake) Aint no telling what he putting in that protein (Shake) Seen the candy shop video look at this nigga (Shake) And thats the same shit that made the nigga Young Buck (Shake)". He also takes shots at Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, in which he says, "I'm surprised that Lloyd Banks and Yayo didn't (Shake) Wasn't selling no records Jimmy Iovine said (Shake)". Game also dissed G-Unit several times on the song "400 Bars".
In September 2011, 50 Cent dissed Game on the song "Love, Hate, Love", in which Game responded to on his twitter, saying he was going to diss him back after his tour was finished, quote:
Rick Ross
In January 2009, Rick Ross started a feud with 50 Cent because he supposedly looked at him the wrong way at the BET Awards. However, Jackson told news sources that he did not even remember seeing Rick Ross there. In late January, a track entitled "Mafia Music" by Rick Ross, leaked onto the Internet. There were several lines that seem to diss Jackson. Days later, Jackson released "Officer Ricky (Go Head, Try Me)" in response to Rick Ross's disparaging remarks on his "Mafia Music" song. The next day Rick Ross appeared on Shade 45, and told Jackson to come up with something better in 24 hours.Before going to Venezuela, Jackson uploaded a video entitled "Warning Shot", where he warns Rick Ross: ''"I'ma fuck your life up for fun"''. In addition, Jackson released the first of a series of "Officer Ricky" cartoons. Early February, Jackson once again made a video which he uploaded to YouTube where he interviews "Tia", the mother of one of Rick Ross's children. She verifies his being a correctional officer and claims his whole persona is fake and fraudulent. On Thursday, February 5, 2009, The Game, who Jackson has a long-standing "beef" with, called up Seattle's KUBE 93 Radio Station. When asked about the beef between Jackson and Rick Ross, The Game sided with Jackson and said that things are not looking good for Rick Ross. However, he offered to help Rick Ross get out of this situation, stating ''"Rick Ross, holla at your boy, man,"'' and ''"50 eating you'', boy."
On his album ''Deeper Than Rap'', Ross references Jackson in the song "In Cold Blood". A video for the song was released that portrayed Jackson's mock funeral. Upon release, Ross stated that he has ended Jackson's career.
In an interview, Jackson said: "Rick Ross is Albert From CB4. You ever seen the movie? He's Albert," he added. "It never gets worse than this. You get a guy that was a correctional officer come out and base his entire career on writing material from a drug dealer's perspective such as "Freeway" Ricky Ross."
Lil Wayne
After hearing word that Lil Wayne had prepared a song for him after 50 made some unkind remarks, 50 lashed out at Wayne first on August 17, 2007 with the song "Part Time Lover". Wayne never really responded to the song, although a 50 Cent diss track called "Louisianimal" did leak much later on November 17, 2008. Jackson responded to Lil Wayne in January 2009 in a song entitled "Play This On The Radio". As of August 14, 2009, the controversy between Jackson and Lil Wayne seems to have ended after Jackson appeared and performed at Lil Wayne's America's Most Wanted Musical Festival stop in Anaheim, California.
Young Buck
After numerous rumors of a "beef" within G-Unit, Jackson officially dismissed Young Buck from the group, in 2008. He later assured that he was still signed with the label. Numerous slander songs then arose on the internet from both camps, with Young Buck appearing in a music video of former rival The Game. Jackson then leaked a taped phone conversation between himself and Young Buck, which showed one of the true reasons for the falling out; Jackson was owed money by the Southern rapper. Young Buck later stated the conversation took place over a year before the leak. The two camps have since released a multitude of songs against each other, with the feud settling down by 2009, with Young Buck stating he's been working on his latest album, which is still to be released under the G-Unit label.
Discography
Awards and nominations
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | ''50 Cent: The New Breed'' | Himself | Documentary DVD |
| 2005 | Marcus | Film debut | |
| 2006 | Jamal Aiken | Supporting Role | |
| ''Righteous Kill'' | Spider | Supporting Role | |
| Clarence | Supporting Role | ||
| ''50 Cent: The Money and the Power'' | Himself | TV series (one episode: "Choose Your Crew Wisely") | |
| ''Streets of Blood'' | Stan Johnson | ||
| Himself | TV series (Season 6, Episode 3: "One Car, Two Car, Red Car, Blue Car") | ||
| Thigo | |||
| ''Caught in the Crossfire'' | Tino | Executive producer | |
| Jimy | |||
| Rich | |||
| Lionel | Supporting Role | ||
| Himself | |||
| Black | Post-production | ||
| ''Blood Out'' | Hardwick | ||
| Sonny | |||
| ''All Things Fall Apart'' | Deon | ||
| Malo | |||
| – | Producer | ||
| Shamus Cocobolo | |||
| Pre-production |
Voice work
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| ''The Simpsons'' | Himself | TV series (one episode: "Pranksta Rap") | |
| ''50 Cent: Bulletproof'' | Himself | Video game, voice only | |
| ''50 Cent: Blood on the Sand'' | Himself | Video game, voice only | |
| ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2'' | Video game, voice only |
References
External links
* Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:African-American businesspeople Category:African American film actors Category:African-American film producers Category:African American rappers Category:African American record producers Category:Aftermath Entertainment artists Category:American investors Category:American music industry executives Category:American shooting survivors Category:American stock traders Category:American video game actors Category:Brit Award winners Category:Echo winners Category:Businesspeople from New York City Category:Grammy Award winners Category:G-Unit members Category:Hip hop singers Category:People convicted of drug offenses Category:People from Queens Category:Pseudonymous rappers Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Shady Records artists Category:Survivors of stabbing Category:Sony/ATV Music Publishing artists Category:World Music Awards winners
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| Coordinates | °′″N°′″N |
|---|---|
| years active | 1992–present |
| background | solo_singer |
| birth name | Britney Jean Spears |
| birth date | December 02, 1981 |
| birth place | |
| genre | Pop, dance |
| occupation | Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, record producer, author, fashion designer, video director |
| instrument | Vocals, piano |
| label | Jive |
| associated acts | InnosenseThe New Mickey Mouse Club |
| website | }} |
In 2001, she released her third studio album ''Britney'' and expanded her brand, playing the starring role in the film ''Crossroads''. She assumed creative control of her fourth studio album, ''In the Zone'' (2003), which yielded chart-topping singles "Me Against the Music", "Toxic" and "Everytime". After the release of two compilation albums, Spears experienced personal struggles and her career went under hiatus. Her fifth studio album, ''Blackout'', was released in 2007 and despite receiving little promotion, it spawned hits "Gimme More" and "Piece of Me". In 2008, her erratic behavior and hospitalizations caused her to be placed in a conservatorship. The same year, her sixth studio album ''Circus'' was released, with the global chart-topping lead single "Womanizer". She embarked on her highest-grossing global concert tour, The Circus Starring Britney Spears, in 2009. Her seventh studio album ''Femme Fatale'', released in 2011, has become the first of her albums to yield three top ten singles in the United States.
Spears has sold over 100 million records worldwide. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the eighth top-selling female artist in the United States, with 33 million certified albums. Spears is also recognized as the best-selling female artist of the first decade of the 21st century, as well as the fifth overall. She was ranked the 8th Artist of the 2000s by ''Billboard''. In June 2010, Spears was ranked sixth on ''Forbes'' list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world; she is also the third most mentioned musician on the internet, according to ''Forbes''.
Biography
1981–97: Early life and career beginnings
Britney Jean Spears was born on December 2, 1981, the second child of Lynne Irene (née Bridges) and James Parnell Spears. She is of English heritage through her maternal grandmother, who was born in London, and of distant Maltese descent. Her siblings are Bryan James and Jamie Lynn. At age three, she started to attend dance lessons in her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana, and was selected to perform a solo at the annual recital. During her childhood, she also attended gymnastics and voice lessons, and won many state-level competitions and children's talent shows. Spears made her local stage debut at age five, singing "What Child Is This?" at her kindergarten graduation. She said about her ambition as a child, "I was in my own world, [...] I found out what I'm supposed to do at an early age". At age eight, Spears and her mother Lynne traveled to Atlanta for an audition in the 1990s revival of ''The Mickey Mouse Club''. Casting director Matt Cassella rejected her for being too young to join the series at the time, but introduced her to Nancy Carson, a New York City talent agent. Carson was impressed with Spears's vocals and suggested enrolling her at the Professional Performing Arts School; shortly after, Lynne and her daughters moved to a sublet apartment in New York. Spears was hired for her first professional role as the understudy for the lead role of Tina Denmark in the Off-Broadway musical ''Ruthless!''. She also appeared as a contestant on the popular television show ''Star Search'', as well as being cast in a number of commercials. In December 1992, she was finally cast in ''The Mickey Mouse Club'', but returned to Kentwood after the show was canceled. She enrolled at Parklane Academy in nearby McComb, Mississippi. Although she made friends with most of her classmates, she compared the school to "the opening scene in ''Clueless'' with all the cliques. [...] I was so bored. I was the point guard on the basketball team. I had my boyfriend, and I went to homecoming and Christmas formal. But I wanted more."In June 1997, Spears was in talks with manager Lou Pearlman to join female pop group Innosense. Lynne asked family friend and entertainment lawyer Larry Rudolph for his opinion and submitted a tape of Spears singing over a Whitney Houston karaoke song along with some pictures. Rudolph decided he wanted to pitch her to record labels, therefore she needed a professional demo. He sent Spears an unused song from Toni Braxton; she rehearsed for a week and recorded her vocals in a studio with a sound engineer. Spears traveled to New York with the demo and met with executives from four labels, returning to Kentwood the same day. Three of the labels rejected her, arguing audiences wanted pop bands such as the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls, and "there wasn't going to be another Madonna, another Debbie Gibson, or another Tiffany." Two weeks later, executives from Jive Records returned calls to Rudolph. Senior vice president of A&R; Jeff Fenster stated about Spears's audition that "It's very rare to hear someone that age who can deliver emotional content and commercial appeal. [...] For any artist, the motivation—the 'eye of the tiger'— is extremely important. And Britney had that." They appointed her to work with producer Eric Foster White for a month, who reportedly shaped her voice from "lower and less poppy" delivery to "distinctively, unmistakably Britney." After hearing the recorded material, president Clive Calder ordered a full album. Spears had originally envisioned "Sheryl Crow music, but younger more adult contemporary" but felt all right with her label's appointment of producers, since "It made more sense to go pop, because I can dance to it—it's more me." She flew to Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, where half of the album was recorded from March to April 1998, with producers Max Martin, Denniz Pop and Rami Yacoub, among others.
1998–00: ''...Baby One More Time'' and ''Oops!... I Did It Again''
After Spears returned to the United States, she embarked on a shopping mall promotional tour to promote her forthcoming album. Her show was a four song set and she was accompanied by two back up dancers. Her first concert tour followed, as an opening act for 'N Sync. Her debut album, ''...Baby One More Time'', was released on January 1999. It debuted at number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified two-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America after a month. Worldwide, the album topped the charts in fifteen countries and sold over ten million copies in a year. It became the biggest selling album ever by a teenage artist. The title track was released as the lead single from the album. Originally, Jive Records wanted its music video to be animated; however, Spears rejected it, and suggested the final idea of a Catholic schoolgirl. The single sold 500,000 copies on its first day, and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, topping the chart for two consecutive weeks. "...Baby One More Time" later received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The title track also topped the singles chart for two weeks in the United Kingdom, and became the fastest-selling single ever by a female artist, shipping over 460,000 copies. It would later become the 25th most successful song of all time in British chart history. Spears is also the youngest female artist to have a million seller in the country. "(You Drive Me) Crazy" was released as the third single from the album. It became a top-ten hit worldwide and propelled ''...Baby One More Time'' to sell 26 million copies.The April 1999 cover of ''Rolling Stone'' featured Spears lying on her bed, clad with a bra, shorts and an open top. The American Family Association (AFA) referred to the shoot as "a disturbing mix of childhood innocence and adult sexuality" and called to "God-loving Americans to boycott stores selling Britney's albums." Spears responded to the outcry commenting, "What's the big deal? I have strong morals. [...] I'd do it again. I thought the pictures were fine. And I was tired of being compared to Debbie Gibson and all of this bubblegum pop all the time." Shortly before, Spears had announced publicly she would remain a virgin until marriage. On June 28, 1999, Spears began her first headlining ...Baby One More Time Tour in North America, which was positively received by critics, but generated some controversy due to her racy outfits. An extension of the tour, titled Crazy 2k, followed in March 2000. Spears premiered songs from her upcoming second album during the show. ''Oops!... I Did It Again'', her second studio album, was released in May 2000. It debuted at number one in the US, selling 1,3 million copies, breaking the SoundScan record for the highest debut sales by any solo artist. The album sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Rob Sheffield of ''Rolling Stone'' said that "the great thing about ''Oops!'' – under the cheese surface, Britney's demand for satisfaction is complex, fierce and downright scary, making her a true child of rock & roll tradition." The album's lead single, "Oops!... I Did It Again", peaked at the top of the charts in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and many other European nations. The album as well as the title track received Grammy nominations for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, respectively.
The same year, Spears embarked on the Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour, which grossed $40.5 million; she also released her first book, ''Britney Spears' Heart-to-Heart'', co-written with her mother. On September 7, 2000, Spears performed at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Halfway through the performance, she ripped off her black suit to reveal a sequined flesh-colored bodysuit, followed by heavy dance routine. It is noted by critics as the moment that Spears showed signs of becoming a more provocative performer. Amidst media speculation, Spears confirmed she was dating 'N Sync member Justin Timberlake.
2001–03: ''Britney'', ''Crossroads'' and ''In the Zone''
In February 2001, Spears signed a $7–8 million promotional deal with Pepsi, and released another book co-written with her mother, entitled ''A Mother’s Gift''. Her third studio album, ''Britney'', was released in November 2001. While on tour, she felt inspired by hip hop artists such as Jay-Z and The Neptunes and wanted to create a record with a funkier sound. The album debuted at number one in the ''Billboard'' 200 and reached top five positions in Australia, the United Kingdom and mainland Europe and sold over 12 million copies worldwide. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called ''Britney'' "the record where she strives to deepen her persona, making it more adult while still recognizably Britney. [...] It does sound like the work of a star who has now found and refined her voice, resulting in her best record yet." The album was honored with two Grammy nominations—Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Overprotected"— and was listed in 2008 as one of ''Entertainment Weekly'''s "100 Best Albums from the Past 25 Years". The album's first single, "I'm a Slave 4 U", became a top-ten hit worldwide.Spears's performance of the single at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards featured a caged tiger and a large albino python draped over her shoulders. It was harshly received by animal rights organization PETA, who claimed the animals were mistreated and scrapped plans for an anti-fur billboard that was to feature Spears. To support the album, Spears embarked on the Dream Within a Dream Tour. The show was critically praised for its technical innovations, the ''pièce de résistance'' being a water screen that pumped two tons of water into the stage. The tour grossed $43.7 million, becoming the second highest grossing tour of 2002 by a female artist, behind Cher's Farewell Tour. Her career success was highlighted by ''Forbes'' in 2002, as Spears was ranked the world's most powerful celebrity. Spears also landed her first starring role in ''Crossroads'', released in February 2002. Although the film was largely panned, most critics actually praised Spears's acting. ''Crossroads'', which had a $11 million budget, went on to gross over $57 million worldwide. In June 2002, Spears opened her first restaurant, Nyla, in New York City, but terminated her relationship in November, citing mismanagement and "management's failure to keep her fully apprised". In July 2002, Spears announced she would take a six month break from her career; however, she went back into the studio in October to record her new album. Spears's relationship with Justin Timberlake ended after three years. In December 2002, Timberlake released the song "Cry Me a River" as the second single from his solo debut album. The music video featured a Spears look-alike and fueled the rumors that she had been unfaithful to him. As a response, Spears wrote the ballad "Everytime" with her backing vocalist and friend Annet Artani. The same year, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst confirmed that he was in a relationship with Spears, only to deny it later. In a 2009 interview, he explained that "I just guess at the time it was taboo for a guy like me to be associated with a gal like her." Spears opened the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards with Christina Aguilera, performing "Like a Virgin". Halfway through they were joined by Madonna, with whom they both kissed. The incident was highly publicized.
Spears released her fourth studio album, ''In the Zone'', in November 2003. She assumed more creative control by writing and co-producing most of the material. ''Vibe'' called it "A supremely confident dance record that also illustrates Spears's development as a songwriter." NPR listed the album as one of "The 50 Most Important Recording of the Decade", adding that "the decade's history of impeccably crafted pop is written on her body of work." ''In the Zone'' sold over 609,000 copies in the United States and debuted at the top of the charts, making Spears the first female artist in the SoundScan era to have her first four studio albums to debut at number one. It also debuted at the top of the charts in France and the top ten in Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands. ''In the Zone'' sold over 10 million copies worldwide. The album produced the hit singles: "Me Against the Music", a collaboration with Madonna; "Toxic"—which won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording; "Everytime" and "Outrageous".
2004–07: Compilation albums, motherhood, personal struggles and ''Blackout''
On January 3, 2004, Spears married childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander at The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The marriage was annulled 55 hours later, stating that Spears "lacked understanding of her actions". She began The Onyx Hotel Tour in support of ''In the Zone'' in March 2004. On June 8, 2004, Spears fell and injured her left knee during the music video shoot for "Outrageous". She was taken immediately to a local hospital, where doctors performed an MRI scan and found floating cartilage. The following day, Spears underwent arthroscopic surgery. She was forced to remain six weeks with a thigh brace, followed by eight to twelve weeks of rehabilitation, which caused The Onyx Hotel Tour to be canceled. During 2004, Spears became involved in the Kabbalah Centre through her friendship with Madonna.In July 2004, she announced her engagement to American dancer Kevin Federline, whom she had met three months before. The romance received intense attention from the media, since Federline had recently broken up with actress Shar Jackson, who was still pregnant with their second child at the time. The initial stages of their relationship were chronicled in Spears's first reality show ''Britney & Kevin: Chaotic''. They held a wedding ceremony on September 18, 2004, but were not legally married until three weeks later on October 6 due to a delay finalizing the couple's prenuptial agreement. Shortly after, she released her first fragrance with Elizabeth Arden, ''Curious'', which broke the company's first-week gross for a perfume. In October 2004, Spears announced she would be taking another career break to start a family. ''Greatest Hits: My Prerogative'', her first greatest hits compilation album, was released in November 2004. Spears's cover version of Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative" was released as the lead single from the album, reaching the top of the charts in Finland, Ireland, Italy and Norway. The second single, "Do Somethin'", was a top ten hit in Australia, the United Kingdom and other countries of mainland Europe. Worldwide, ''Greatest Hits: My Prerogative'' sold over 5 million copies. In late 2004, Spears went on KIIS-FM radio in Los Angeles, CA to play a new demo titled "Mona Lisa." The demo was to be the first single from an upcoming album called the "Original Doll." However, Spears' label later cancelled the album for unknown reasons. Spears gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston Federline, on September 14, 2005.
In November 2005, she released her first remix compilation, ''B in the Mix: The Remixes'', which consists of eleven remixes. In February 2006, pictures surfaced of Spears driving with her son Sean, on her lap instead of in a car seat. Child advocates were horrified by the photos of her holding the wheel with one hand and Sean with the other. Spears claimed that the situation happened because of a frightening encounter with paparazzi, and that it was a mistake on her part. The following month, she guest-starred on the ''Will & Grace'' episode "Buy, Buy Baby" as closeted lesbian Amber Louise. She publicly announced she no longer studied Kabbalah in June 2006, explaining, "my baby is my religion." Two months later, Spears posed nude for the cover of ''Harper's Bazaar''. The picture was heavily compared to Demi Moore's August 1991 ''Vanity Fair'' cover. She gave birth to her second child, Jayden James Federline, on September 12, 2006. On November 7, 2006, Spears filed for divorce from Federline, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalized in July 2007, when the couple reached a global settlement and agreed to share joint custody of their children. Spears's aunt Sandra Bridges Covington, with whom she had been very close, died of ovarian cancer in January. On February 16, 2007, Spears stayed in a drug rehabilitation facility in Antigua for less than a day. The following night, she shaved her head with electric clippers at a hair salon in Tarzana, Los Angeles. She admitted herself to other treatment facilities during the following weeks. After completing a month-long program at Promises, she wrote on her website, "I truly hit rock bottom. Till this day I don't think that it was alcohol or depression. [...] was like a bad kid running around with ADD." In May 2007, she produced a series of promotional concerts at House of Blues venues, titled The M+M's Tour. Spears lost physical custody of her children to Federline on October 1, 2007. The reasons of the court ruling were not revealed to the public.
Her fifth studio album, ''Blackout'', was released in October 2007. It debuted at the top of charts in Canada and Ireland, number two in the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200,—held off from the top spot by Eagles's ''Long Road out of Eden''— France, Japan, Mexico and the United Kingdom and the top ten in Australia, Korea, New Zealand and many European nations. In the United States, Spears became the only female artist to have her first five studio albums debut at the two top slots of the chart. ''Blackout'' sold over 3.1 million copies worldwide. Peter Robinson of ''The Observer'' said that "Britney has delivered the best album of her career, raising the bar for modern pop music with an incendiary mix of Timbaland's ''Shock Value'' and her own back catalogue." Dennis Lim of ''Blender'' commented, "Spears’s fifth studio album is her most consistent, a seamlessly entertaining collection of bright, brash electropop." ''Blackout'' won Album of the Year at MTV Europe Music Awards 2008 and was listed as the fifth Best Pop Album of the Decade by ''The Times''. Spears performed the lead single "Gimme More" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. The performance was panned by many critics. David Willis of BBC stated her performance would "go down in the history books as being one of the worst to grace the MTV Awards". Despite the backlash, the single rocketed to worldwide success, peaking at number one in Canada and the top ten in almost every country it charted. The second single "Piece of Me" reached the top of the charts in Ireland and reached the top five in Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The third single "Break the Ice" was released the following year and had moderate success due to Spears not being able to promote it properly. In December 2007, Spears began a relationship with paparazzo Adnan Ghalib.
2008–10: Conservatorship and ''Circus''
On January 3, 2008, Spears refused to relinquish custody of her sons to Federline's representatives. She was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, after police that arrived at her house noted she appeared to be under the influence of an illicit substance. The following day, Spears's visitation rights were suspended at an emergency court hearing, and Federline was given sole physical and legal custody of the children. On January 31, 2008, Spears was committed to the psychiatric ward of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and put on 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold. The court placed her under temporary conservatorship of her father James Spears and attorney Andrew Wallet, giving them complete control of her assets. Spears was released on February 6, 2008. Her parents expressed disappointment and concern at the decision to release her. The following month, she guest-starred on the ''How I Met Your Mother'' episode "Ten Sessions" as receptionist Abby. She received positive reviews for her performance, as well as bringing the series its highest ratings ever. In July 2008, Spears regained some visitation rights after coming to an agreement with Federline and his counsel. On September 7, 2008, Spears opened the MTV Video Music Awards with a pre-taped comedy sketch with Jonah Hill and an introduction speech. She won Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Video of the Year for "Piece of Me". A 60-minute introspective documentary, ''Britney: For the Record'', was produced to chronicle Spears' return to the recording industry. Directed by Phil Griffin, ''For the Record'' was entirely shot in Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and New York City during the third quarter of 2008. Main shooting began on September 5, 2008, two days before Spears' appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards. ''For the Record'' was broadcast on MTV on November 30, 2008 to 5.6 million viewers for the two airings on the premiere night. MTV reported that Spears' documentary garnered on average, the highest rating in its Sunday night timeslot, in the network's history.Her sixth studio album ''Circus'', was released in December 2008. It received positive reviews from critics; according to the music review aggregation of Metacritic, it garnered an average score of 64/100. ''Circus'' debuted at number one in Canada, Czech Republic and the United States, and inside the top in many European nations. In the United States, Spears became the youngest female artist to have five albums debut at number one, earning a place in the ''Guinness Book of World Records''. She also became the only act in the Soundscan era to have four albums debut with 500,000 or more copies sold. ''Circus'' became one of the fastest-selling albums of the year, and has sold 4 million copies worldwide. Its lead single, "Womanizer", became her first number one in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 since "...Baby One More Time" and topped the charts in countries such as Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway and Sweden. It was also nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording. In January 2009, Spears and her father James obtained a restraining order against her former manager Sam Lufti, ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib and attorney Jon Eardley—all of whom, court documents claim, had been conspiring to gain control of Spears's affairs. The restraining order forbids Lutfi and Ghalib from contacting Spears or coming within 250 yards of her, her property or family members. Spears embarked on The Circus Starring Britney Spears in March 2009. With a gross of U.S. $131.8 million, it became the fifth highest grossing tour of the year.
She released her second greatest hits album, ''The Singles Collection'' in November 2009. "3" became her third number one single in the US, and was the first song to debut at the top of the charts in three years. Later that month, she released an application for iPhone and iPod Touch titled "It's Britney!". In May 2010, Spears's representatives confirmed she was dating her agent Jason Trawick, and that they had decided to end their professional relationship to focus on their personal relationship. Spears designed a limited edition clothing line for Candie's, which was released in stores in July 2010. On September 28, 2010, she made a cameo appearance on a Spears-themed tribute episode of American TV show ''Glee'', titled "Britney/Brittany". Spears approved of the episode, although her appearances received mixed reviews from critics. The episode drew ''Glee'''s second largest audience, as well as the show's highest ratings ever.
2011–present: ''Femme Fatale''
In March 2011, Spears released her seventh studio album ''Femme Fatale''. Max Martin and Dr. Luke executive produced the album and the album's first single "Hold It Against Me". The single debuted at number-one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. This gave Spears her fourth number-one single on the chart, and made her only the second artist in history to have two consecutive singles debut at number-one, after Mariah Carey. The album peaked at number one in the United States(selling 276,000 copies), Canada, and Australia, and peaked inside the top ten on nearly every other chart. The album's peak in the United States ties Britney with Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson for the third-most number ones among women. ''Femme Fatale'' has sold over 590,000 copies in the United States and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. The album received positive critical reviews after its release, receiving a score of 67 on Metacritic, her highest critical score since ''Oops!... I Did It Again,'' with many critics naming the album one of Spears's best. In April 2011, Spears appeared in a remix to the song "S&M;" by Rihanna after Rihanna asked her fans via Twitter who they wanted her to collaborate with. The song reached number one in the US in mid-April 2011, giving Britney her fifth number one on the chart. In early May, Spears' second single from ''Femme Fatale'', "Till The World Ends", reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and had ninety-eight million audience impressions on the ''Billboard'' chart, granting Spears the highest weekly audience of her 13-year chart career. ''Femme Fatale's'' third single "I Wanna Go" reached the top forty on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in June 2011. Among females in the last thirteen years, Spears now has the third-most top forty hits, with twenty-one. In August, the single managed to reach the top-ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, which is the first time for Spears to have three songs from one album in the top-ten. On the week ending September 24, 2011, "I Wanna Go" moved 2-1 on the mainstream top 40, becoming her sixth number-one on that chart (making her tied for third all-time) and her first number-one and third top-ten pop song for ''Femme Fatale.'' Spears now has the longest span of number ones on the mainstream top 40, with a length of twelve years, seven months, and four days.On March 2011, Spears announced that she would tour throughout the United States during summer 2011 The Femme Fatale Tour opened June 16 at the Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, California to positive reviews. Many critics noted that Spears sang more of the concert live in response to lip-synching accusations during The Circus Starring Britney Spears, and that the dancing is some of her best in years. The first ten US dates of the tour grossed $6.2 million, landing the fifty-fifth spot on Pollstar's Top 100 North American Tours list for the half-way point of the year. The tour will travel to Europe and South and Central America later in 2011. On August 12, Spears announced that her performances at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto will be taped to air on the EPIX television channel and for a DVD release, resulting in the doubling of traffic to EPIX social sites and 'Britney Spears' becoming a worldwide trending topic on Twitter. Her first televised concert since the Onyx Hotel Tour in 2004, the show, ''Britney Spears: Femme Fatale,'' was shot in 2D and 3D on August 13 and 14 and will premiere on Epix in November.
On June 15, 2011, it was announced by ''Billboard'' that the RCA/Jive Label Group would be splitting, with Jive Records going to a restructured Epic Records, and RCA Records staying intact. In August it was announced that Spears had officially joined the RCA's roster. During the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28 2011, MTV played tribute to Spears with a group of young female dancers that memorialised Britney's music videos, performances, and style. Following which, Spears accepted the MTV Video Vanguard Award from Lady Gaga, who said that "industry wouldn't be the same without [her]".
On September 9, 2011, Spears announced that her second remix album, ''B in the Mix: The Remixes Vol. 2'', will be released on October 11, along with the tracklist.
Musical style and performance
Following her debut, Spears was credited with leading the revival of teen pop in the late 1990s. ''The Daily Yomiuri'' reported that "[m]usic critics have hailed her as the most gifted teenage pop idol for many years, but Spears has set her sights a little higher-she is aiming for the level of superstardom that has been achieved by Madonna and Janet Jackson." ''Rolling Stone'' wrote: "Britney Spears carries on the classic archetype of the rock & roll teen queen, the dungaree doll, the angel baby who just has to make a scene." Rami Yacoub who co-produced Spears's debut album with lyricist Max Martin, commented, "I know from Denniz Pop and Max's previous productions, when we do songs, there's kind of a nasal thing. With N' Sync and the Backstreet Boys, we had to push for that mid-nasal voice. When Britney did that, she got this kind of raspy, sexy voice." Following the release of her debut album, Chuck Taylor of ''Billboard'' observed, "Spears has become a consummate performer, with snappy dance moves, a clearly real-albeit young-and funkdified voice ... "(You Drive Me) Crazy", her third single ... demonstrates Spears's own development, proving that the 17-year-old is finding her own vocal personality after so many months of steadfast practice." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic referred to her music as a "blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry." Spears later commented, "With ''...Baby One More Time'', I didn't get to show my voice off. The songs were great, but they weren't very challenging".''Oops!...I Did It Again'' and subsequent albums saw Spears working with several contemporary R&B; producers, leading to "a combination of bubblegum, urban soul, and raga." Her third studio album, ''Britney'' derived from the teen pop niche, "[r]hythmically and melodically ... sharper, tougher than what came before. What used to be unabashedly frothy has some disco grit, underpinned by Spears' spunky self-determination that helps sell hooks that are already catchier, by and large, than those that populated her previous two albums." Guy Blackman of ''The Age'' wrote that while few would care to listen to an entire Spears album, "[t]he thing about Spears, though, is that her biggest songs, no matter how committee-created or impossibly polished, have always been convincing because of her delivery, her commitment and her presence. For her mostly teenage fans, Spears expresses perfectly the conflicting urges of adolescence, the tension between chastity and sexual experience, between hedonism and responsibility, between confidence and vulnerability."
Her vocal ability has also been criticized, often drawing unfavorable comparison to her pop rival, Christina Aguilera Critic Allan Raible derides her overdependence in Circus on digital effects and the robotic effect it creates. "She’s never been a strong vocalist..." writes Raible, "Could she handle these songs with stripped down arrangements and no vocal effects? More importantly, would anyone want to hear her attempt such a performance? Does it matter? No. The focus is still image over substance." Her image and persona are also often contrasted to Christina Aguilera. David Browne of ''Entertainment Weekly'' observed "Christina Aguilera may flash skin and belly button, but in her music and manner, she's too eager not to offend — she's a good girl pretending to be bad. Spears, however, comes across as a bad girl acting good ... Spears' artificial-sweetener voice is much less interesting than the settings, yet that blandness is actually a relief compared with Aguilera's numbing vocal gymnastics. In contrast, Allmusic comments: "Like her peer Christina Aguilera, Britney equates maturity with transparent sexuality and the pounding sounds of nightclubs ... Where Christina comes across like a natural-born skank, Britney is the girl next door cutting loose at college, drinking and smoking and dancing and sexing just a little too recklessly, since this is the first time she ''can'' indulge herself. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine notes, "The disparity between Aguilera and Spears can't be measured solely by the timbre and octave range of their voices ... [Aguilera's] popularity has never reached the fever pitch of Britney's."
Like other dance-oriented pop stars, it has been widely reported that Spears lip-syncs in concert. Author Gary Giddins wrote in his book ''Natural selection: Gary Giddins on comedy, film, music, and books'' (2006) that "among many other performers accused of moving their lips while a machine does the labor are Britney Spears, Luciano Pavarotti, Shania Twain, Beyoncé, and Madonna." Rashod D. Ollison of ''The Baltimore Sun'' observes: "Many pop stars ... feel they have no choice but to seek vocal enhancement. Since the advent of MTV and other video music channels, pop audiences have been fed elaborate videos thick with jaw-dropping effects, awesome choreography, fabulous clothes, marvelous bodies. And the same level of perfection is expected to extend beyond the video set to the concert stage. So if Britney Spears, Janet Jackson or Madonna sounds shrill and flat without a backing track, fans won't pay up to $300 for a concert ticket." Giddins adds, "it was reported Britney Spears fans prefer her to lip-sync—despite her denials of doing so (contradicted by her own director)—because they expect flawless digitalization when they pay serious money for a concert."
In Australia, NSW Fair Trading Minister Virginia Judge has advised disclaimers be printed on any ticket for concerts which contain any prerecorded vocals. She commented: "There could have been some instances where people actually go and purchase a ticket thinking that they're going to have a live performance ... for some people that means that everything is live, it's fresh, it happens instantaneously, it's not something that's been pre-recorded. You want to make sure that they're actually paying for what they think they're getting." Noting on the prevalence of lip-syncing, ''Los Angeles Daily News'' reported "in the context of a Britney Spears concert, does it really matter? Like a Vegas revue show, you don't go to hear the music, you go for the somewhat-ridiculous spectacle of it all". Similarly, Aline Mendelsohn of the ''Orlando Sentinel'' remarked: "Let's get one thing straight: A Britney Spears concert is not about the music ... you have to remember that it's about the sight, not the sound." Critic Glenn Gamboa comments her concert tours are "like her life—a massive money-making venture designed to play up her talents and distract from her shortcomings with a mix of techno-tinged sex appeal and disco-flavored flash. And, like her life, it is, more or less, a success.
Influences
Throughout her career, Spears has drawn frequent comparisons to Madonna and Janet Jackson, in terms of vocals, choreography and stage presence, citing both as influences in her work. She has also named Michael Jackson as a source of inspiration. According to Spears: "I know when I was younger, I looked up to people... like, you know, Janet Jackson and Madonna. And they were major inspirations for me. But I also had my own identity and I knew who I was, you know." In the 2002 book ''Madonnastyle'' by Carol Clerk, she is quoted saying: "I have been a huge fan of Madonna since I was a little girl. She's the person that I've really looked up to. I would really, really like to be a legend like Madonna."Many critics have argued that Spears should not be considered in the same league of talent as Jackson or Madonna. Journalists Erika Montalvo and Jackie Sheppard of the ''Rocky Mountain Collegian'' observed "[s]ome may argue that Spears is not only a good recording artist but also an important cultural icon." However, in examining her level of skill as an artist, it is questioned that "[a]lthough she has been classified among female elites such as Janet Jackson and Madonna, what does Ms. Spears really have in common with these divas of rock?" Joan Anderman of ''The Boston Globe'' remarked that "[t]hirteen costume changes in 90 minutes won't bless her with Madonna's intelligence or cultural barometer. An army of cutting-edge R&B; producers won't supply her with Janet Jackson's sense of humor or sincere smile ... Britney's heroes aren't great singers. But they're real singers. Spears sounds robotic, nearly inhuman, on her records, so processed is her voice by digital pitch-shifters and synthesizers."
Reporter Ed Bumgardner commented her transition from teen pop start to adult sex symbol with her third studio album ''Britney'' "takes its cues from two other successful performers—Madonna and Janet Jackson—both of whom she brazenly rips off and both of whom, like Spears, are passable singers, at best." Critic Shane Harrison wrote: "From the minimalist thump and "Nasty" feel of "I'm a Slave 4 U" to the scattered quotes in "Boys", [''Britney''] feels like [Spears's] attempt at 'Control'."
Citing Jackson's resolve to incorporate personal and social issues into her work and Madonna's ability to constantly redefine the boundaries of socially acceptable material in the industry, Spears's catalog ultimately pales in comparison, because "[w]hile Jackson and Madonna wrote their own music about subjects of importance, [Spears's] music sounds like an upbeat version of either, 'I want to grow up but the media won't let me,' or 'Here kitty, kitty, I'm wearing my underwear outside of my leather pants'-type ballads." In contrast, Guy Blackman argues that although "no one would argue that Spears is some kind of pioneering pop auteur, there’s still a lot to like about her back catalogue. During her world-conquering peak, she was just about as cutting edge as you could get in the world of global pop superstardom. Spears didn’t just work with big names, she gave big names their names, and maintained her high currency in the world’s most fickle industry for years, when most aspiring starlets are lucky to manage months."
After meeting Spears face to face, Janet Jackson stated: "she said to me, 'I'm such a big fan; I really admire you.' That's so flattering. Everyone gets inspiration from some place. And it's awesome to see someone else coming up who's dancing and singing, and seeing how all these kids relate to her. A lot of people put it down, but what she does is a positive thing." Madonna's respect for Spears has also been a subject of observation. Santiago Fouz-Hernández and Freya Jarman-Ivens, authors of ''Madonna's drowned worlds: new approaches to her cultural transformations, 1983-2003'' (2004) note that the most well known cross-generational relationship exists between Spears and Madonna in which "the entertainment newsmedia almost became obsessed with their relationship of mutual admiration." The biographers also report "[s]ome observers of popular culture, however, feel that the comparisons between the two artist are meaningless and fail to recognize Madonna's unique contribution: Madonna was never 'just another pop star' whereas Britney can more easily be seen as a standard manufactured pop act."
Legacy
Spears became an international pop culture icon immediately after launching her recording career. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine wrote: "One of the most controversial and successful female vocalists of the 21st century," she "spearheaded the rise of post-millennial teen pop ... Spears early on cultivated a mixture of innocence and experience that broke the bank". She is listed by the ''Guinness World Records'' as having the "Best-selling album by a teenage solo artist" for her debut album ''...Baby One More Time'' which sold over thirteen million copies in the United States. Melissa Ruggieri of the ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' reported, "She's also marked for being the best-selling teenage artist. Before she turned 20 in 2001, Spears sold more than 37 million albums worldwide".Barbara Ellen of ''The Observer'' has reported: "Spears is famously one of the 'oldest' teenagers pop has ever produced, almost middle aged in terms of focus and determination. Many 19-year-olds haven't even started working by that age, whereas Britney, a former Mouseketeer, was that most unusual and volatile of American phenomena — a child with a full-time career. While other little girls were putting posters on their walls, Britney was wanting to be the poster on the wall. Whereas other children develop at their own pace, Britney was developing at a pace set by the ferociously competitive American entertainment industry". 'Britney Spears' was Yahoo!'s most popular search term between 2005 and 2008, and has been in a total of seven different years. Spears was named as Most Searched Person in the ''Guinness World Records'' book edition 2007 and 2009. Spears has also become a major influence among many new artists, including Kristinia DeBarge, Lady Gaga, Little Boots, Selena Gomez & the Scene, Pixie Lott and Miley Cyrus who has cited Spears as one of her biggest inspirations and has also referenced Spears in her hit song "Party in the U.S.A.". Spears' personal breakdown was also cited as an inspiration for Barry Manilow's album "''15 Minutes''".
In 2011, Adam Markovitz of ''Entertainment Weekly'' commented on the cultural significance of Spears' voice and music. "We don't ask a whole lot from Britney Spears as an entertainer...we'll still send her straight up the charts simply because she's Britney. She's an American institution, as deeply sacred and messed up as pro wrestling or the filibuster. Musically, though, Spears will always have to measure up to her own gold standards of pop euphony: the operatic slither of 2004's 'Toxic' and the candied funk of 2000's 'Oops!...I Did It Again.' Spears is no technical singer, that's for sure. But backed by Martin and Dr. Luke's wall of pound, her vocals melt into a mix of babytalk coo and coital panting that is, in its own overprocessed way, just as iconic and propulsive as Michael Jackson's yips or Eminem's snarls."
Bebo Norman wrote a song about Spears, called "Britney", which was released as a single. Boy band Busted also wrote a song about Spears called "Britney", which was on their debut album. She is also mentioned in P!nk's song "Don't Let Me Get Me". She was cited as the inspiration of Gwyneth Paltrow's character in the 2010 film ''Country Strong''. Richard Cheese called Britney Spears "a remarkable recording artist" and also went on to say that she was "versatile" and what the industry calls an "artist". ''People'' magazine and MTV reported that October 1, 2008, the Bronx's John Philip Sousa Middle School, named their music studio in honor of Britney Spears. Spears herself was present during the ceremony and donated $10,000 to the school's music program.
Discography
Tours
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
External links
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| Coordinates | °′″N°′″N |
|---|---|
| name | Christina Aguilera |
| background | solo_singer |
| birth name | Christina María Aguilera |
| alias | Xtina |
| birth date | December 18, 1980 |
| birth place | |
| origin | |
| genre | Pop, R&B;, soul, dance |
| occupation | Singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, television personality, actress |
| instrument | Vocals |
| years active | 1993–present |
| label | RCA |
| website | }} |
Christina María Aguilera (born December 18, 1980) is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the ''Star Search'' program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' from 1993–1994. Aguilera signed to RCA Records after recording "Reflection", the theme song for the animated film ''Mulan'' (1998).
In 1999, Aguilera came to prominence following her debut album ''Christina Aguilera'', which was a commercial success spawning three number one singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100—"Genie in a Bottle", "What a Girl Wants", and "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)." Her sophomore and her debut Latin-pop album, ''Mi Reflejo'' (2000), a Christmas third studio album, ''My Kind of Christmas'' (2000), and several collaborations followed which garnered Aguilera worldwide success, though she was displeased with her lack of input in her music and image. After parting from her management, Aguilera took creative control over her fourth studio album, ''Stripped'' (2002). The album's second single, "Beautiful," was a commercial success and helped the album's commercial performance amidst controversy over Aguilera's image. Aguilera followed up ''Stripped'' with the soul, jazz and blues inspired, ''Back to Basics'' (2006), released to positive critical acclaim. Four years later Aguilera released her sixth studio album, ''Bionic'' (2010), which incorporated aspects of R&B;, electropop, and synthpop and was met with mixed reviews and poor sales.
Aside from being known for her vocal ability, music videos and image, musically, she includes themes of dealing with public scrutiny, her childhood, and female empowerment in her music. Apart from her work in music, she has also dedicated much of her time as a philanthropist for charities, human rights and world issues which include her work as a UN ambassador for the World Food Programme. She made her feature film debut in the musical ''Burlesque'' (2010), earning Aguilera a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song. Aguilera's work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, four Grammy Awards and a Latin Grammy Award, amongst fifteen and three nominations respectively. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked her number fifty-eight on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, ranking as the youngest and only artist on the list under the age of thirty. She was ranked the 20th Artist of the 2000–09 decade by ''Billboard'' and is the second top selling single artist of the 2000s behind Madonna. Christina Aguilera has sold 50 million records worldwide making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Life and career
1980–98: Early life and career beginnings
Aguilera was born in Staten Island, New York, to Fausto Wagner Xavier Aguilera, a sergeant in the US Army at the time, and Shelly Loraine (née Fidler), a Spanish teacher. Aguilera's father was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and her mother is of German, Irish, Welsh, and Dutch ancestry. Her father was stationed at Earnest Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador and Japan. Aguilera lived with both her father and mother, up until their divorce when she was seven years old. Aguilera then lived with her mother, and her younger sister Rachel, at her grandmother's home in Rochester, Pennsylvania, a town outside Pittsburgh. According to both Aguilera and her mother, her father was very controlling, as well as physically and emotionally abusive. In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' Aguilera revealed, "there was so much domestic violence going on when I grew up with my dad travelling in the military. I think the reason that my drive was so strong and I was so passionate about music was because I grew up in an environment of domestic violence." She later sang about her difficult childhood in the songs "I'm OK" on ''Stripped'', and "Oh Mother" on ''Back to Basics''. Even though he has made several attempts to reconnect with her, Aguilera ruled out any chance of a reunion. Since then, her mother has married a paramedic named Jim Kearns, and has changed her name.As a child, Aguilera aspired to be a singer. She was known locally as "the little girl with the big voice", singing in local talent shows and competitions. She attended Marshall Middle School near Wexford and North Allegheny Intermediate High School. On March 15, 1990, she appeared on ''Star Search'' singing "A Sunday Kind of Love", but lost the competition at number 2. Soon after losing on ''Star Search'', she returned home and appeared on Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV's ''Wake Up With Larry Richert'' to perform the same song. Throughout her youth in Pittsburgh, Aguilera sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, Pittsburgh Steelers football and Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games, including during the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals. Her talent was kept a secret to avoid bullying of other children. Following her television appearances Aguilera experienced resentment and bullying including an incident in which her peers slashed the tires on her family's car. Following several incidents Aguilera was later home schooled. Aguilera recalls, "doing what I did and maybe being a little smaller, I was definitely picked on and bullied for the attention that I got. It was definitely unwanted attention and there was a lot of unfairness about it."
In 1991 Aguilera auditioned for a role on ''The Mickey Mouse Club''; however, she did not meet the age requirements. Two years later, she joined the cast, performing musical numbers and sketch comedy, until the show's cancellation in 1994. Her co-stars included Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell where they nicknamed her "the Diva" for her performance style and voice. At the age of fourteen, Aguilera recorded her first song, "All I Wanna Do", a hit duet with Japanese singer Keizo Nakanishi. In 1997, she represented the United States at the international Golden Stag Festival with a two-song set. Aguilera entered talent contests on "teen night" at the Pegasus Lounge, a gay and lesbian nightclub in Pittsburgh and later at Lilith Fair. In 1998, Aguilera sent in a demo of her singing Whitney Houston's "Run to You" to Disney who were looking for a singer to record the song "Reflection" for their animated feature film ''Mulan'' (1998). The demo caught the attention of producer and label executive Ron Fair who would later mentor her throughout her career and led to Aguilera earning a contract with RCA Records the same week. and over seventeen million copies worldwide. The album is also included in the Top 100 Albums of All Time list of The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) based on US sales. Released during the teen pop era of 1999 the album was well received by several critics, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of ''AllMusic'' writes that Aguilera's debut "remains firmly within the teen-oriented dance-pop genre, but done right." Concluding that the album is "lightweight in the best possible sense – breezy, fun, engaging, and enjoyable on each repeated listen. Out of the deluge of teen-pop albums in 1999, this feels like the best of the lot." Her debut single, "Genie in a Bottle" was an instant hit reaching No.1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and in several countries worldwide. Her follow-up singles "What a Girl Wants" and "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" topped the Hot 100 as well during 1999 and 2000 while "I Turn to You" reached number three. She is one of the few artists to have multiple No.1 singles from a debut album in ''Billboard'''s history. She made a cameo appearance on an episode of ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', performed on MTV's New Year's Special as MTV's first artist of the millennium, and the Super Bowl XXXIV halftime show. Aguilera wanted to display the range and audacity in her voice during the promotion of the album, and performed acoustic sets and appeared on television shows accompanied only by a piano. At the 42nd Grammy Awards Aguilera received a Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy nomination for "Genie in a Bottle" and despite earlier predictions, she won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
In 2000, Aguilera began recording her first Spanish-language album with producer Rudy Pérez in Miami. Later in 2000, Aguilera, first emphasized her Latin heritage by releasing her first Spanish album, ''Mi Reflejo'' on September 12, 2000. This album contained Spanish versions of songs from her English debut as well as new Spanish tracks. Though some criticized Aguilera for trying to cash in on the Latin music boom at the time. According to Pérez, Aguilera was only semi-fluent, while recording. She understood the language, because she has grown up with her father, who is a native of Ecuador. He added "Her Latin roots are undeniable". The album peaked at number twenty-seven on the ''Billboard'' 200 and went number one on the ''Billboard'' Latin charts for a record 20 weeks. In 2001, it won Aguilera a Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. The album went Gold in the U.S. She also won the World Music Award and ''Billboard'' award as the best selling Latin artist that year. Aguilera also released a Christmas album on October 24, 2000 called ''My Kind of Christmas'' and performed "The Christmas Song" at the White House that year. It peaked at number twenty-eight on the ''Billboard'' 200, and has been certified Platinum in the U.S. Aguilera was ''Billboard'''s top female artist for 2000.
Aguilera's first concert tour, Sears & Levis US Tour (also known as "Christina Aguilera: In Concert") began in the summer of 2000 in the US and ended early 2001 where she toured South America and Asia. A concert special aired on ABC titled ''My Reflection'' and was released to DVD and certified Gold in the US. Aguilera was rumored to have dated MTV VJ Carson Daly. Rumors of their relationship were fueled after the release of Eminem's song, "The Real Slim Shady" in which he also insinuated a romance between her and rocker Fred Durst. Aguilera responded saying the lyrics were "disgusting, offensive and, above all, not true." Their feud ended two years later backstage at the Video Music Awards after Aguilera presented the rapper an award onstage. She dated Puerto Rican dancer Jorge Santos. Santos appeared on her tour and music videos throughout 2000. They dated for nearly two years until the relationship ended on September 11, 2001. He remained her dancer well into 2002.
Ricky Martin asked Aguilera to duet with him on the track "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" from his album ''Sound Loaded''; released in 2001 as the album's second single. The single reached number one on the World Chart and top ten in several countries. In 2001, Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa, and Pink were chosen to remake Labelle's 1975 single "Lady Marmalade" for the film ''Moulin Rouge!'' and its soundtrack. The song peaked at number-one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for five weeks and was the most successful airplay-only single in history. It also reached number one in eleven other countries and earned all four performers a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Aguilera's appearance in the music video was compared to that of Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider. The video won two MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year in 2001, where Aguilera accepted the award saying, "I guess the big hair paid off."
That same year, the single "Just Be Free" emerged into record stores which was one of the demos Aguilera recorded when she was around fifteen years old. When RCA Records discovered the single, they advised fans not to purchase it. Months later, Warlock Records was set to release ''Just Be Free'', an album which contains the demo tracks. Aguilera filed a breach of contract and unfair competition suit against Warlock and the album's producers to block the release. Instead, the two parties came to a settlement to release the album. Aguilera lent out her name, likeness and image for an unspecified amount of damages. Many of the details of the lawsuit remain confidential. When the album was released in August 2001, it had a photograph of Aguilera when she was fifteen years old.
Although Aguilera's debut album was commercially successful, she was dissatisfied with the music and image her management had created for her. Aguilera was marketed as a bubblegum pop singer because of the genre's upward financial trend. She mentioned plans of her next album to have much more depth, both musically and lyrically. Aguilera's views of Steve Kurtz's influence in matters of the singer's creative direction, the role of being her exclusive personal manager and overscheduling had in part caused her to seek legal means of terminating their management contract. In October 2000, Aguilera filed a breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit against her manager Kurtz for improper, undue and inappropriate influence over her professional activities, as well as fraud. According to legal documents, Kurtz did not protect her rights and interests. Instead, he took action that was for his own interest, at the cost of hers. The lawsuit came about when Aguilera discovered Kurtz used more of her commissionable income than he was allotted, and had paid other managers to assist him. She also petitioned the California State Labor Commission to nullify the contract. She revealed while recording her then upcoming album, "I was being overworked. You find out that someone you thought was a friend is stealing money behind your back, and it's heartbreaking. I put faith in the people around me, and unfortunately, it bit me in the butt." Kurtz was terminated as her manager. After terminating Kurtz's services, Irving Azoff was hired as her new manager. Kurtz countersued later that month for breach of contract, claiming that the singer violated the same agreement she had sued to void. In the lawsuit, he included others close to Aguilera, alleging their intent to sabotage his business relationship with her. He also singled out Azoff for being in violation of the terms of Kurtz's contract.
2002–05: New image, ''Stripped'' and marriage
On October 29, 2002, Aguilera's fourth studio album, ''Stripped'', was released. The album sold more than 330,000 copies in the first week and peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200. Unlike her previous work, the album showcased Aguilera's raunchier side. The majority of ''Stripped'' was co-written by Aguilera (who had recently signed a global music publishing contract with BMG Music Publishing), and was influenced by many different subjects and music styles, including contemporary R&B;, gospel, soul, balladry, pop rock, and hip hop. The majority of the album was produced by Scott Storch and singer-songwriter Linda Perry who produced her more personal records. Rockwilder and singer Alicia Keys also contributed a track each. Upon initial release, the album was very well-received by critics, although Aguilera's vocals were overlooked as she began to cultivate a more sexually provocative image. After the release of the album, she took part in photoshoots for magazines, many of these photographs featured her nude or semi-nude. Her cover for ''Rolling Stone'', featured the singer only wearing boots and a well-placed electric guitar. It was during this time Aguilera referred to herself as "Xtina", even getting a tattoo of her nickname on the back of her neck and several piercings.Initially, the raunchy image had a negative effect on Aguilera in the U.S., especially after the release of her controversial "Dirrty" music video. It appeared at number ten on ''Billboard'''s year-end album chart and Aguilera was the top female artist for 2003. Kelly Clarkson's second single "Miss Independent" was co-written by Aguilera, having been half-finished for ''Stripped''.
Aguilera joined Justin Timberlake that June on the final leg of his international ''Justified'' tour, held in the US. This portion of the tour became a co-headliner called the Justified/Stripped Tour. In August, an overhead lighting grid collapsed from the ceiling of the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, causing major damage to the sound and video equipment below. Because the collapse occurred hours before the show, only a few stagehands were injured, but a few shows were cancelled or postponed. In the fourth quarter of that year, Aguilera continued to tour internationally without Timberlake, and changed the name of the tour to the Stripped World Tour. She also dyed her hair black. It was one of the top-grossing tours of that year, and sold out most of its venues. ''Rolling Stone'' readers named it the best tour of the year. That same year she hosted the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards and was a special guest performer with the Pussycat Dolls' dance troupe performing at the Roxy Theatre and Viper Room in Los Angeles. She also appeared on a ''Maxim'' spread alongside them, her second ''Maxim'' cover that year set record sales for the issue making it the top selling issue to date. By the end of the year she topped the annual ''Hot 100'' list saying, "we had fun working with certain clothes, or the lack thereof."
Aguilera's first DVD live-recording from a concert tour, ''Stripped Live in the U.K.'', was released in November 2004. In light of the tour's success, another U.S. tour was scheduled to begin in mid-2004 with a new theme. The tour however was scrapped because of the vocal cord injuries Aguilera suffered shortly before the tour's opening date. In a tribute to Madonna's performance at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards, Aguilera performed a kiss with the singer-actress at the 2003 edition of the ceremony in August. The incident occurred during the opening performance of Madonna's songs "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood" with fellow popstar Britney Spears. Also in 2004, she hosted a ''Saturday Night Live'' episode which included a ''Sex & The City'' skit where she portrayed Samantha Jones revealing to everyone she was a man the entire time.
Aguilera later decided to embrace a more mature image; this move was met with more praise than criticism, with articles using punch lines such as "From Crass to Class." She eventually dyed her hair cherry blonde and recorded a jingle, "Hello", for a Mercedes-Benz ad. Shortly after, she dyed her hair flaxen blonde and cut it short, and took on a Marilyn Monroe look; she is one of the main proponents (along with Dita Von Teese, Gwen Stefani, and Ashley Judd) in bringing back the 1920s–1940s Hollywood glamour look. In late summer 2004, Aguilera released two singles. The first, "Car Wash", was a remake of the Rose Royce disco song recorded as a collaboration with rapper Missy Elliott for the soundtrack to the film ''Shark Tale''. She voiced a small singing part in the film playing a Rastafarian jellyfish in the film's closing musical number. The second song was also a collaboration, but this time as a second single from one of Nelly's double-release albums, ''Sweat'', titled "Tilt Ya Head Back". Both singles failed commercially in the US, but did considerably better in other parts of the world. Aguilera collaborated with jazz artist Herbie Hancock on a cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" recorded for Hancock's album ''Possibilities'', released in August 2005. Aguilera and Hancock were later nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. She helped open the 50th Anniversary for Disneyland performing "When You Wish upon a Star", and she also collaborated with Andrea Bocelli on the song "Somos Novios" for his album ''Amore''. Aguilera began dating music marketing executive Jordan Bratman in 2002. Their engagement was announced in February 2005, and they married on November 19, 2005, in a Napa Valley estate.
2006–09: ''Back to Basics'', motherhood and greatest hits album
Aguilera's fifth studio album, ''Back to Basics'' was released August 15, 2006. The album debuted at No.1 in the US, the UK and eleven other countries. Aguilera described the double CD as "a throwback to the 20s, 30s, and 40s-style jazz, blues, and feel-good soul music, but with a modern twist." The album received generally positive reviews, although many critics commented on the album's length saying, "At one disc, this would have been nothing short of masterful." A review in ''AllMusic'' adds, "''Back to Basics'' also makes clear that ''Stripped'' was a necessary artistic move for Christina: she needed to get that out of her system in order to create her own style, one that is self-consciously stylized, stylish, and sexy." The critically acclaimed lead single "Ain't No Other Man" was a substantial success, reaching No.2 on the World Chart, No.6 in the US, and No.2 in the UK. Producers on the album included DJ Premier, Kwamé, Linda Perry, and Mark Ronson. The follow-up singles did very well in different regions, "Hurt" in Europe and "Candyman" in the Pacific. She co-directed both music videos, the former with Floria Sigismondi who directed her "Fighter" video, and the latter, "Candyman", with director/photographer Matthew Rolston which was inspired by The Andrews Sisters. ''Back to Basics'' has sold 4.5 million units worldwide, with over 1.7 million sold in the US.In late 2006 Aguilera collaborated with Sean "Diddy" Combs on a track, titled "Tell Me", from his album ''Press Play''. She also began the Back to Basics Tour in Europe followed by a 41-date North American tour in early 2007. After this, she toured Asia and Australia, where it was supposed to end on August 3, however she canceled her dates in Melbourne and her final two in Auckland due to an illness. Her extravagant arena tour included cabaret, three-ring circus and juke joint sets and 10 piece costumes designed by Roberto Cavalli. She released her concert DVD ''Back to Basics: Live and Down Under'' the following year. The tour grossed nearly 50 million by the end of the year in North America and an additional 40 million worldwide in her Europe and Australia dates, grossing almost 90 million by the end of the tour. It was the most successful US tour by a female in 2007.
At the 49th Grammy Awards, Aguilera again won the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Ain't No Other Man". She made a noteworthy performance at the ceremony paying tribute to James Brown with her rendition of his song "It's a Man's Man's Man's World". In January 2007, she was named the 19th richest woman in entertainment by ''Forbes'', with a net worth of US$60 million. Aguilera performed "Steppin' Out With My Baby" with Tony Bennett on his NBC special ''Tony Bennett: An American Classic'' and on ''Saturday Night Live''. They performed at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards where both specials received Emmys. "Steppin' Out" was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.
Aguilera confirmed she was pregnant on November 4, 2007, though Paris Hilton accidentally revealed her pregnancy several weeks prior during a party Aguilera hosted. She gave birth to her son, Max Liron Bratman, in Los Angeles early the following year and held a bris for him with Bratman, who is of Jewish descent, where the baby was circumcised in accordance with Jewish practice. Aguilera was reportedly paid $1.5 million by ''People'' for her son's baby pictures—the sixth most expensive celebrity baby photos ever taken.
In 2008 Aguilera appeared in the Martin Scorsese documentary ''Shine a Light'' which chronicles a two day Rolling Stones concert in New York City's Beacon Theatre. The film features Aguilera performing "Live With Me" alongside Mick Jagger. ''Shine a Light'' premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and was released worldwide on April 4, 2008. She also had brief cameo in the comedy film ''Get Him to the Greek'', and appeared as a guest judge on the sixth season of ''Project Runway'' on Lifetime Television. She and designer Bob Mackie were the inspiration for the challenge in which they had to design a stage outfit for Aguilera. To commemorate Aguilera's ten years in the music industry, RCA Records released, ''Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits'' on November 11, 2008 exclusively at Target stores in the US. The greatest hits included her first three number one singles, and other songs released from her previous three albums. "Lady Marmalade" and several Spanish singles from ''Mi Reflejo'' were included in the worldwide releases. The album's only single, "Keeps Gettin' Better", was premiered at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, and debuted and peaked at No.7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, her highest debut on the chart. Following the greatest hits, Aguilera took over a year hiatus in 2009 working on her then upcoming album and film. She was one of ''Billboard'''s Top 20 Artists of the Decade in their year-end charts.
2010–present: ''Bionic'', ''Burlesque'' and ''The Voice''
Aguilera's sixth studio album ''Bionic'' was released on June 8, 2010. The album's producers included Tricky Stewart, Samuel Dixon, Polow da Don, Le Tigre, Switch, Ester Dean, songwriters Sam Endicott, Sia Furler, Claude Kelly, Linda Perry and collaborations with M.I.A., Santigold, Nicki Minaj, and Peaches. The album's only two singles, "Not Myself Tonight" and "You Lost Me" peaked at No.1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play Charts but were unsuccessful elsewhere. ''Bionic'''s material consisted of many mainstream and pop records along with electronic and dance music. The album was released to mixed reviews from music critics, with Jon Pareles of ''The New York Times'' writing that the singer's new music direction "makes her sound as peer-pressured as a pop singer can be." Allison Stewart of ''The Washington Post'' described the album as being "noisy, robotic and overstuffed" adding that the disc's "greatest disappointments" is its "virtual abandonment" of Aguilera's voice. She concluded that Aguilera attempts "to do it all," which was to try to "revel in her newfound domesticity, to wrest her crown from Gaga and to reestablish her sex kitten bona fides." Dan Martin of the ''NME'' wrote, "Perhaps best of all is ‘Monday Morning.' Written with Santigold and The Bravery’s Sam Endicott, it’s a Day-Glo disco jam that sounds like Gwen Stefani doing "Borderline". Sales of ''Bionic'' were underwhelming in the US compared to her previous releases selling 110,000 copies in its first week landing at #3. The album has sold 280,000 units in the US to date. Shortly after the album's release, further promotion ended and a scheduled summer tour for the album was cancelled due to "inadequate rehearsal time". "You Lost Me" was her first single to not chart the Hot 100 while ''Bionic'' was her first English studio album not to receive a Grammy nomination. Aguilera later responded in an interview saying, "I was really proud of that record. I think there was a lot of promotion issues, coming from a standpoint of how everything resulted. Nothing is ever a setback. If anything, it just motivates you for what’s next."Aguilera confirmed news reports that she and Bratman had separated, saying in a statement, "Although Jordan and I are separated, our commitment to our son Max remains as strong as ever." Aguilera filed for divorce from Bratman on October 14, 2010, seeking joint legal and physical custody of their son, and specifying September 11, 2010 as the date of separation. They later reached a settlement agreement and custody deal, details of their agreement were private. Their divorce was finalized on April 15, 2011. The following month, Aguilera appeared as herself on the ''Entourage'' season seven finale as a client/friend of Ari Gold. On November 15, 2010, Aguilera received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
It was confirmed in 2009 that Aguilera would appear in her first feature film, the musical ''Burlesque'', released in November 2010. She portrayed a small town girl, Ali Rose, who finds love and success in a Los Angeles neo-burlesque club. Aguilera performed eight of the musical numbers on the film's soundtrack released on November 22, 2010 and co-wrote a number of the tracks working with producers and writers including Tricky Stewart, Sia Furler, Samuel Dixon, Linda Perry, Claude Kelly, Danja, and Ron Fair. The remaining two tracks were sung by Cher, who co-starred alongside Aguilera. Distributed by Screen Gems, the film was directed Steve Antin who also wrote the script. Antin wrote the role of Ali specifically for Aguilera. Aguilera's co-stars also included Cam Gigandet as her love interest, Eric Dane, Kristen Bell and Stanley Tucci. Several critics praised Aguilera's performance. A review in ''TIME'' states, "Aguilera might not be to your taste, or mine, but in terms of sheer power, she's impressive. If Ali were real, she'd have already been discovered on ''American Idol''." While ''Variety'' wrote, "Aguilera, while undeniably entertaining when her character is onstage, cannot spin the slight backstory into anything resembling a full-blooded person." Though ''Burlesque'' was released to mixed reviews from critics, the film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy and earned Aguilera, alongside co-writer Sia Furler and writer/producer Samuel Dixon, a nomination for Best Original Song for the track "Bound to You". ''Burlesque'' has grossed over $90 million worldwide.
Following the release of ''Burlesque'', Aguilera collaborated with rapper T.I. on the track, "Castle Walls" which is included on his album ''No Mercy''. Aguilera performed the U.S. national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner", during the Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011 and created embarrassment when she omitted a line of the anthem and messed up the song's lyrics. She later apologized, telling CNN that "I got so caught up in the moment of the song that I lost my place. I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through." The following week, Aguilera, alongside Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Yolanda Adams, and Florence Welch opened the 53rd Grammy Awards paying tribute to Aretha Franklin.
Aguilera began dating musician and production assistant, Matt Rutler who she met during the filming of ''Burlesque''. Her personal life was the subject of scrutiny and reports over out of control behavior, excessive drinking and a reported confrontation with her co-star Julianne Hough. On March 1, 2011, Aguilera was arrested for public intoxication in West Hollywood as her boyfriend was arrested for DWI. She was later released on bail and no charges were filed. Although the L.A. Sheriff's office stated Aguilera's mug shot would not be released to the public, ''E! News'' obtained the mug shot which circulated social networks and the media shortly after her release. Rutler's DWI charge was dismissed due to insufficient evidence, after his BAC at the time of arrest was determined to be at .06%, below the legal limit in the state of California.
Aguilera signed to be a part of the John de Mol created singing competition ''The Voice'' which debuted on NBC in April. Aguilera, alongside other musicians Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green serve as judges and coaches, with Carson Daly as the show's host. The show's first episode was released to positive reviews making its debut at number one on the American rating list chart, delivering the strongest ratings for a series premiere on a major network since ''Undercover Boss'' debuted after the Super Bowl in February 2010. The show became an instant hit for NBC following the its debut. Aguilera performed "Moves Like Jagger" on ''The Voice'' – the single with Maroon 5 on which she is featured, off their album, ''Hands All Over (Deluxe Edition)''. The song was an instant hit reaching No.3 in the UK, No.1 on the World Chart and earned Aguilera her fifth No.1 single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, a decade after her last No.1, "Lady Marmalade". This also marks the first time two former Best New Artist Grammy Award winners have collaborated on a Hot 100 hit.
In May 2011, Aguilera stated that she is recording a new studio album in an interview at ''Live with Regis and Kelly''. Aguilera told RTL: "It's going to be a very heartfelt, deep-rooted and introspective record for me" and that she's hoping for release in spring/summer 2012.
Artistry
Vocal ability
Aguilera is said to have the vocal range of a soprano, and has been referred to as the "voice of her generation" and a blue eyed soul singer. Aguilera also topped COVE's list of the 100 Best Pop Vocalists with a score of 50/50 and came fifth in MTV's 22 Greatest Voices in Music. Her rendition of "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" at the 49th Grammy Awards ranked third in the Grammy's Greatest Moments List behind Celine Dion's performance of "My Heart Will Go On" and Green Day's performance of "American Idiot". In an interview, Dion described Aguilera as "probably the best vocalist in the world." ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Aguilera at 58 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, the youngest singer on the list.Describing Aguilera's voice, singing teachers Phyllis Fulford and Michael Mailler said, "The low register is light and tired, the belting register is ample and full, but very scratchy because she screams; and head voice as well as whistle register are light, pure and bright. Her vocal range extends from G below middle C to C one octave above soprano high C (G3 – C7). She can belt to F one octave and a third above middle C (F5). She possesses a good-sized technical arsenal. Her trill is solid, she has a big mastery of melismas, and can sustain very long notes." ''Los Angeles Times'' writer Margaret Wappler adds Aguilera can deliver "a well-executed legato." However, countertenor Philippe Jaroussky said: "She has no breath support and often sing out of tune. People say she can cover four octave, but it's not true because below A3, the low notes are forced, unsupported, her belting voice is throaty and forced and for her highest notes she doesn't use head voice but falsetto or whistle register, they are disconnected registers. So, she can hit good notes only from A3 to B4. Her melismas are always show-off, they are almost never connected with the rhythm and the structure of the songs."
Since her debut in 1999 Aguilera has been compared to the likes of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. David Browne of ''The New York Times'' writes, "Aguilera has been one of the foremost practitioners of the overpowering, Category 5 vocal style known as melisma. Ms. Carey, Ms. Houston and Ms. Aguilera, to name its three main champions, are most associated with the period from the late ’80s through the late ’90s." A review in the ''Los Angeles Times'' compared Aguilera's vocal stylings to Barbra Streisand, Gladys Knight, and Aretha Franklin adding, "Aguilera's Streisand-esque tendencies are a good thing; they're helping her figure out how to become the "great singer" she's been dubbed since she released her first single, the wise-beyond-its-years "Genie in a Bottle", at 18." Although praised for her vocals, Aguilera has been labeled for oversinging in her songs and concerts. Longtime producer and writer, Linda Perry, commented on working on the record, "Beautiful", saying, "I tried to keep it straight. I told her to get rid of the finger waves. Every time she'd start going into "hoo-ha", I'd stop the tape. I'm like, 'You're doing it again.'" Perry ended up using the first take saying, "She had a hard time accepting that as the final track. It's not a perfect vocal – it's very raw. She knows her voice really well, and she knows what's going on. She can hear things that nobody else would catch."
Themes and musical style
The constant theme in Aguilera's music and lyrics is love, although she has written on other subjects including spirituality, female empowerment, and grief. Aguilera has also written about her childhood in two of her records which dealt with domestic abuse. In an interview Aguilera admitted she feels responsible to reveal her most vulnerable feelings and to share the darker sides of her life adding "People that can relate might not feel as alone in the circumstance." She has been noted to constantly changing her sound in her music and lyrical content. Originally marketed as a bubblegum pop singer during the late 90s pop scene, she quickly departed into a broad range of musical genres for her follow-up album ''Stripped''. A review states, "Clearly afflicted with Premature Serious Artist Syndrome, Aguilera wants to demonstrate the range of her interests – vampy soul, quasi-metal, piano-bar intimacy, quiet-storm R&B;, bounce-bounce hip-hop, and semi-exotic rock, all of it dutifully accomplished."The majority of the songs are characterized by Aguilera's loud vocals, though she has used breathy and soft vocals. Her 2006 release, ''Back to Basics'' included producer DJ Premier. ''The New York Times'' exclaims, "Her decision to work with the low-key DJ Premier was also a decision to snub some of the big-name producers on whom pop stars often rely." Aguilera has often cited that she prefers working with producers that are not in popular demand, saying "I don't necessarily go to the main people that are the No. 1 chart-toppers in music." The album included live instrumentation and samples of past jazz and soul records. Some tracks on the album included non-traditional forms of pop music such as swing jazz and big band, drawing comparisons to Madonna's ''I'm Breathless'' and the musical film ''Cabaret''. Her first feature film, ''Burlesque'', influenced by ''Cabaret'', featured mainstream producers Tricky Stewart and Danja on the soundtrack where several established songs were updated and worked into dance numbers, a style similar to 2001's ''Moulin Rouge!'' "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" was performed by Aguilera in the film, a musical number also performed by Nicole Kidman in ''Moulin Rouge!''
Influences
One of Aguilera's major influences and idol is blues singer Etta James, whose classic song "At Last" has been covered by Aguilera throughout her career. Aguilera says, "Etta is my all-time favorite singer. I've said it for the last seven years – since I had my first debut record out – in every interview. I mean, all of Etta's old songs, countless songs I could name, I grew up listening to." The majority of her album, ''Back to Basics'', pays tribute to James and other pop standard singers who many originated from the 1950s. In her early years she listened to vintage jazz, blues, and soul music. The album included an unreleased song, "Slow Down Baby", which sampled a Gladys Knight & the Pips song. A review in ''The Guardian'' declared, "Practically everything recorded before Aguilera was born blurs into one amorphous genre, which she categorises, somewhat inadequately, as "fun music". Aguilera has also named Madonna and Janet Jackson as two of her biggest influences "for being re-inventive and being brave as strong females, to explore whatever, even if they do get bad press. It's just like they were fearless." Her other musical influences include Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Nina Simone.Aguilera cites the musical ''The Sound of Music'' and its lead actress, Julie Andrews as an early inspiration for singing and performing. She mentioned the "Golden age of Hollywood" as another inspiration in which she says, "I'm referencing Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Carole Lombard, Greta Garbo, Veronica Lake". Ironically, her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located near Julie Andrews and is next to Greta Garbo. In her music video for "Ain't No Other Man" she plays her alter ego, "Baby Jane" in reference to the film ''Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?''. The film's stars included actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The third single off ''Back to Basics'', "Candyman" was inspired by the 1941 song, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by The Andrews Sisters which was played during World War II. She was also inspired by pin-up girls and several paintings by Alberto Vargas. Aguilera has expressed interest in cultural icons Nico, Blondie and artists Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. She has often worked with photographer and close friend, David LaChapelle who once worked with Warhol. Chapelle has shot many of Aguilera's music videos, magazine shoots and advertisements. She is also a fan of graffiti artist Banksy. In 2006 she purchased three of Banksy's works during a private art exhibition, one of them included a pornographic picture of Queen Victoria in a lesbian pose with a prostitute. She has mentioned in several interviews that she is a fan of actress Angelina Jolie, and her ''Burlesque'' co-star, Cher. Fashion has also been a part of Aguilera's music career and image which she has used as a form of expression during performances and music videos. In 2003 she became the muse and inspiration for Donatella Versace's 2003 fall line. Versace also designed pieces her tour the following year. Aguilera is also a fan of Roberto Cavalli, John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, and Alexander McQueen whose designs she has worn throughout her career.
Other ventures
In 2000, Aguilera was the face for make-up line ''Fetish'' where she worked in choosing colors and packaging for the line. She ended her contract the following year. Throughout her career Aguilera has endorsed several brands, including Skechers, Mercedes-Benz, Verizon Wireless, and soft drink giants Coca-Cola in 2001, and Pepsi in 2006. She became the muse and model for fashion house Versace appearing in a campaign for the 2003 fall line. In 2004 Aguilera earned £200,000GBP (about $300,000USD) for opening the summer sale at London's Harrods store which took in record breaking profits during the four week period. In 2005 she was reportedly paid $3.6 million to sing a three song set for Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko's wedding. Aguilera signed a contract with European cell phone operator Orange to promote the new Sony Ericsson Walkman phone during the 2006 World Cup. In 2010, Aguilera was paid $1 million by investor, Charles Brandes to perform at a private party.In 2008 jewelry designer Stephen Webster and close friend of Aguilera released "Shattered", a collection of sterling silver pieces, through Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. Aguilera, who inspired the collection, was featured as a Hitchcock heroine saying, "Working together on this campaign and collection has been an incredible experience. I am honored to be a part of it all." They reprised their work together for Webster's 2009 spring line. In 2011, Aguilera attended São Paulo Fashion Week to premiere her new line of clothing for Brazilian department store C&A; which launched in April.
Aguilera released two fragrances throughout Europe, the first one ''Xpose'', was released in late 2004 and sold relatively well. Through Procter and Gamble Aguilera released her signature fragrance, ''Simply Christina'' in 2007. In Christmas 2007, the fragrance became the number one perfume in the UK, and later in 2009 it became the 4th best selling perfume in the UK, and Germany where it topped sales for the year. The perfume won as the people's choice for favorite celebrity fragrance at the annual UK Fifi Awards 2008. She released her third fragrance, ''Inspire'', accompanied with a body care collection, on September 1, 2008. The perfume hit shelves in the US, Canada, Latin America, Asia and Northern and Eastern Europe. It was Aguilera's first fragrance released outside of Europe. Her worldwide ad campaign included a television ad shot by David LaChapelle and was released in the US through Macy's department stores. The release coincided with Macy's 150th anniversary which featured Aguilera in commemorative photos. She released her fourth fragrance ''By Night'' in October, which became the third best selling fragrance in the UK in 2009. Both “By Day“ and “By Night“ were nomitated for Best Perfume of the Year in the Broad Appeal category at the FIFI Awards 2011. In 2010 the range was further augmented by ''Royal Desire'' her fifth fragrance, which won a 2011 Glammy Award for best perfume by German magazine ''Glamour''. Aguilera announced she will be releasing a sixth fragrance later this year, ''Secret Potion''.
Philanthropy
Throughout her career, Aguilera has been involved with several charities. She signed a letter from PETA to the South Korean government asking that the country stop its alleged killing of dogs for food. During her 2007 tour she unknowingly wore a fur stole during the beginning of her tour, which designer Roberto Cavalli provided without informing Aguilera. After receiving a video from PETA Vice President Dan Mathews on the treatment of foxes, she replaced the stole with faux fur for the remainder of her tour. Aguilera was reportedly upset adding, "I only ever wear fake fur". In 2010 Aguilera auctioned off tickets for her upcoming tour for Christie's A Bid to Save the Earth. Proceeds benefit nonprofit environmental groups Conservation International, Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council, and The Central Park Conservancy. Aguilera also supports Defenders of Wildlife, Missing Kids, National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations, Women's Cancer Research Fund, and Cedars-Sinai Women's Cancer Research Institute. She has also worked alongside nonprofit organization Do Something saying, "Every individual has the power to inspire young people across the country." In 2010 she was nominated for a VH1 Do Something Award for her work with the organization and her efforts in the response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. She was featured in the campaign for photographer, Brie Childers with the goal of helping women of all ages, races and lifestyles feel beautiful and confident about themselves and the body and skin they were born with. Proceeds from benefit several women's charities nationwide. Aguilera is still a major contributor in her hometown of Pittsburgh contributing regularly to the Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. According to her official website, she toured the center and donated $200,000 to the shelter. She also has auctioned off front row seats and back stage passes for the Pittsburgh-based charity. She has continued her donations and visits to the shelter, and plans to open an additional one. She also supports the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Refuge UK. Since then she has worked with Lifetime Television's 'End violence against women' campaign. Her work there included a public service announcement which aired on the network and during her 2007 tour.Aguilera is a supporter of the LGBT community and is considered a gay icon by many. She was honored at the GLAAD Awards for using gay and transgender images in her music video for "Beautiful". When accepting the award Aguilera said, "My video captures the reality that gay and transgender people are beautiful, even though prejudice and discrimination against them still exists." In 2005 she appeared on a compilation album titled, ''Love Rocks'', proceeds benefit the Human Rights Campaign, an organization dedicated to fighting for equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. In 2008 she publicly spoke out against California's Proposition 8 which eliminates same-sex marriage in California saying, "Why you would put so much money behind something [aimed at] stopping from people loving each other and bonding together? I just don't understand it. It's hard for me to grasp. But I would've been out there with my rally sign as well." In 2011 Aguilera was honored at The Abbey, a gay club in West Hollywood, for her contributions to the gay community as the first honoree on their Gay Walk of Fame joining Dame Elizabeth Taylor in being immortalized forever.
Aguilera contributes in the fight against AIDS, by participating in AIDS Project Los Angeles' Artists Against AIDS "What's Going On?" cover project. In 2004, Aguilera became the new face for cosmetic company M·A·C and spokesperson for M·A·C AIDS Fund. Aguilera appeared in advertisements of the M·A·C's Viva Glam V lipstick and lipgloss, and was featured on ''Vanity Fair'' in recognition of her campaign work. In addition, Aguilera contributed to YouthAIDS by posing for a joint YouthAIDS and Aldo Shoes campaign for "Empowerment Tags" in Canada, the U.S. and the UK. She was featured with one of three ubiquitous slogans, "Speak No Evil?" and stated, "HIV is something that people don’t want to talk about, hear about, or face." Singer Elton John featured Aguilera in his charity book titled "Four Inches" benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Elton also hand-picked Aguilera, for his annual "Fashion Rocks" charity concert which accompanies music and fashion to benefit the fight against AIDS/HIV.
In the run-up to the 2004 United States presidential election, Aguilera was featured on billboards for the "Only You Can Silence Yourself" online voter registration drive run by the nonpartisan, non-profit campaign "Declare Yourself". In these political advertisements, shot by David LaChapelle, Aguilera was shown with her mouth sewn shut, to symbolize the effects of not voting. She appeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' to discuss the importance of voting. In late 2007 Aguilera became the spokesperson for "Rock the Vote" where she urged young people to vote in the 2008 presidential election. In partnership with "Rock the Vote", she appeared in a public service announcement which aired in summer 2008. The advert showed Aguilera with her son, Max Bratman, wrapped in an American flag, while singing "America the Beautiful".
In November 2005, all of her wedding gifts were submitted to various charities around the nation in support of Hurricane Katrina victims. That year she also performed at "Unite of the Stars" concert in aid of Unite Against Hunger in Johannesburg, South Africa and at the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund at the Coca-Cola Dome. In March 2007 Aguilera took part in a charity album (remaking Lennon's "Mother"), proceeds benefit Amnesty International's efforts to end genocide in Darfur. The album titled, ''Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur'', was released June 12, 2007 and featured various artists. In 2008 she headlined London's Africa Rising charity concert at Royal Albert Hall which raises awareness for finding substantial issues facing the continent. Later that year she appeared on the Turkish version of ''Deal or No Deal'' "Var mısın? Yok musun?" , where she won $180,000. Proceeds were donated to a charity program for orphans.
In 2009 Aguilera became the global spokesperson for World Hunger Relief appearing in advertisements, online campaigns and a public service announcement. Aguilera and her husband traveled to Guatemala with the World Food Programme to bring awareness to issues such as the high malnutrition rate in that country. She met with families of the villages and some of the beneficiaries of WFP's nutrition programs. Aguilera adds, "The people of WFP do such a great job helping hungry children and mothers. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful project." Since becoming a global spokeswoman Aguilera has helped raise over $22 million which helped provide over 90 million meals. She was honored at ''Variety'''s annual "Power of Women" luncheon in late 2009 alongside other women in entertainment for her contribution to philanthropic and charitable causes. In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Aguilera donated a signed Chrysler 300 which was auctioned for relief efforts. She was one of the many artists who appeared on the ''Hope for Haiti'' telethon on January 22, 2010, donations directly benefited Oxfam America, Partners In Health, Red Cross and UNICEF. She later appeared on a second public service announcement alongside sports icon Muhammad Ali to raise funds for the World Food Programme's efforts to bring food to survivors of the earthquake. Later that year Aguilera made her first visit to Haiti as an ambassador against hunger where she visited two schools in the town of Léogâne. During her time there she assisted in the ongoing efforts to help the badly damaged town where she served meals and highlighted reconstruction efforts in the country. That year, Aguilera was appointed UN ambassador for the WFP.
Filmography
| +Films | Year | ! Title | ! Role | Notes |
| 2004 | ''Shark Tale'' | Herself | ||
| 2008 | ''Shine a Light (film)Shine a Light'' || | Herself | ||
| 2010 | ''Get Him to the Greek''| | Herself | Cameo appearance | |
| 2010 | ''Burlesque (film)Burlesque'' || | Ali Rose | Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song>Golden Globe for Best Original Song |
| +Television | Year | ! Title | ! Role | Notes |
| 1993–1995 | ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' | Herself/Various Roles | ||
| 1999 | ''Beverly Hills, 90210''| | Herself | "Let's Eat Cake" | |
| 2000–2006 | ''Saturday Night Live''| | Herself | Host, musical guest, 4 episodes | |
| 2009 | ''Project Runway''| | Herself | Guest Judge, "Sequins, Feathers and Fur, Oh My!" | |
| 2010 | ''Entourage (TV series)Entourage'' || | Herself | "Lose Yourself" | |
| 2011–present | ''The Voice (U.S. TV series)The Voice'' || | Herself | Coach and judgeReturning series |
Discography
Tours
;Headlining
See also
References
External links
Category:1980 births Category:American child singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American female singers Category:American feminists Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American music video directors Category:American people of Dutch descent Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American pop singers Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:BRIT Award winners Category:English-language singers Category:Feminist musicians Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Latin Grammy Award winners Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:Living people Category:Military brats Category:Mouseketeers Category:Musicians from New York City Category:Musicians from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:People from Staten Island Category:RCA Records artists Category:Sony BMG artists Category:Spanish-language singers Category:The Voice judges Category:World Music Awards winners
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This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Coordinates | °′″N°′″N |
|---|---|
| name | The Chemical Brothers |
| landscape | yes |
| background | group_or_band |
| alias | The 237 Turbo Nutters, The Dust Brothers, Chemical Ed & Chemical Tom |
| origin | London, United Kingdom |
| genre | Big beat, alternative dance, progressive house, breakbeat, trip hop |
| years active | 1991–present |
| label | Junior Boy's Own, Astralwerks, Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records, Ultra Records |
| website | TheChemicalBrothers.com |
| current members | Tom RowlandsEd Simons |
| past members | }} |
The Chemical Brothers are a Grammy award-winning British electronic music duo comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Originating in London in 1991, along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method and fellow acts, they were pioneers at bringing the big beat electronic dance genre to the forefront of pop culture.
History
Background (1984–1991)
Ed Simons was born in Herne Hill, South London, England, on 9 June 1970 to a barrister mother and a father who was not around much when Simons was growing up. Simons’ two main interests when he was young were aeroplanes and musicals. Simons attended two South London public schools, Alleyn's School and Dulwich College. During his school years, he developed a fondness for rare groove and Hip hop music, having frequented a club called The Mud Club from the age of 14. By the time he left school, his two main musical interests were two Manchester bands, New Order and The Smiths. After finishing school with 11 O levels and three A-levels, he continued on to study History, especially Late Medieval History, at the University of Manchester.Tom Rowlands, a childhood classmate of Simons', was born on 11 January 1971 in Kingston upon Thames, London. When Rowlands was very young, his family relocated to Henley-on-Thames. He later attended Reading Blue Coat School in Berkshire, during which time he became obsessed with Scotland, developing a fondness for the bagpipes in particular. In his early teens, his interest in music broadened to other genres. Initially, some of his favourites included the ''Oh What a Lovely War'' soundtrack, ''2-Tone'', the nascent Goth genre (Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim) and the electro sounds of artists such as Kraftwerk, New Order, Cabaret Voltaire and Heaven 17. He described the first Public Enemy album as the record that probably changed his life, and commented that "Miuzi Weighs a Ton" was one of the most amazing tracks he had ever heard. Rowlands also started collecting hip hop records by artists like Eric B and Schoolly D. Rowlands left school with similar accomplishments to Simons', achieving nine O levels and three A levels. For university, he followed Simons to Manchester primarily to immerse himself in its music scene in general and the Haçienda in particular.
Rowlands was also in a band called Ariel prior to meeting up with Simons. Ariel was formed in London by Rowlands and his friends Brendan Melck and Matt Berry. Their first single was "Sea of Beats". This was essentially a white label, before Philip Brown set up Echo Logik Records, their first promo was Bokadilo (ELR1201), Other songs, released on 12" included "Mustn't Grumble" (ELR1203) and their most well-known, "Rollercoaster" (ELR1202). After a year on Echo Logik they signed to the record label deConstruction. They insisted that they get a female singer and they recruited former Xpansions frontwoman Sally Ann Marsh, and after some disappointing songs like "Let It Slide" (Rowlands would later describe it as "a stinker") the band fell apart. One of the last things Ariel did was the song "T Baby" which was remixed by the pair.
Rowlands and Simons then started to DJ at a club called "Naked Under Leather", in the back of a pub, in 1992 under the alias of "The 237 Turbo Nutters" (named after the number of their house on Dickenson Road in Manchester and a reference to their Blackburn raving days). The pair would play hip hop, techno and house.
The Dust Brothers (1992–1994)
Rowlands and Simons called themselves The Dust Brothers, after the US production duo famous for their work with the Beastie Boys. After a while, they began to run out of suitable instrumental hip hop tracks to use, so they started to make their own. Using a Hitachi hi-fi system, a computer, a sampler and a keyboard, they recorded "Song To The Siren", which sampled This Mortal Coil. "Song To The Siren" was released on their own record label, called "Diamond Records" (after Ed's nickname). In October 1992, they pressed 500 white-label copies and took them to various dance record shops around London, but none would play it, saying that it was too slow (The track played at 111 BPM). They sent a copy to London DJ Andrew Weatherall, who made it a permanent fixture in his DJ sets. Weatherall also signed the band to his Junior Boy's Own label. In May 1993, Junior Boy's Own released 'Song To The Siren'.Around June 1993, the Dust Brothers did their first remixes. The first was "Packet Of Peace" for Justin Robertson's Lionrock outfit, followed by tracks for Leftfield, Republica and The Sandals. Late in 1993, The Dust Brothers completed work on their ''Fourteenth Century Sky'' EP, released in January 1994. It contained the ground-breaking "Chemical Beats", which epitomized the duo's genre-defining big beat sound, later taken up by Fatboy Slim and many more. The EP also contained "One Too Many Mornings", which for the first time showed the less intense, more chilled-out side of The Dust Brothers. Both "One Too Many Mornings" and "Chemical Beats" would later appear on their debut album. ''Fourteenth Century Sky'' was followed later in 1993 by the ''My Mercury Mouth EP''. "Chemical Beats" was also part of the soundtrack for the first edition of the Wipeout games series, having been featured in ''Wipeout'' for the PlayStation in 1995.
In October 1994, The Dust Brothers became resident DJs at the small, but hugely influential Heavenly Sunday Social Club at the Albany pub in London's Great Portland Street. The likes of Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, James Dean Bradfield and Tim Burgess were regular visitors. The Dust Brothers were subsequently asked to remix tracks by Manic Street Preachers and The Charlatans, plus Primal Scream's "Jailbird" and The Prodigy's "Voodoo People". These two remixes received television exposure, being playlisted by MTV Europe's "The Party Zone" in 1995. Early in 1994, The Dust Brothers were approached in the club one Sunday by Noel Gallagher, from Oasis, who at the time were becoming one of the most prominent guitar bands in Britain. Gallagher told the duo that he had a Balearic inspired track which he had written, which he would like the Dust Brothers to remix. However, over time, Gallagher changed his mind, and in the end the Brothers did not remix it. The track was "Wonderwall".
In March 1995, The Dust Brothers began their first international tour, which included the United States – where they played with Orbital and Underworld – then a series of European festivals. Also around this time, the original Dust Brothers threatened legal action over the use of their name, and so Rowlands and Simons had to decide on a new name quickly. They decided to then call themselves "The Chemical Brothers" after "Chemical Beats" (Simons' grandmother had suggested they call themselves "The Grit Brothers").
In June 1995, they released their fourth single, the first under their new identity. "Leave Home" was released on Junior Boy's Own, as a preview of the imminent debut album and became the band's first chart hit, peaking at No. 17. It stayed at number 17 for 8 weeks, the most weeks a record has stayed at the same place in the charts (apart from Number 1's).
''Exit Planet Dust'' (1995–1996)
In July 1995, The Chemical Brothers released their debut album ''Exit Planet Dust'' (the title inspired by their name change) on Freestyle Dust/Junior Boy's Own. It entered the UK charts at #9 and featured guest vocalist Beth Orton on the song "Alive Alone". It eventually went on to sell over a million copies worldwide, and was used on the soundtrack of the science fiction TV series pilot Virtuality. Shortly after its release, The Chemical Brothers signed to Virgin Records, to which they took their own offshoot label, Freestyle Dust. For their next single, in September 1995, they again used a guest vocalist, for the release of "Life Is Sweet", featuring their friend Tim Burgess, singer with The Charlatans. It reached #25 in the singles charts. The single was also ''Select'' Magazine's Single Of The Month for October. The release included a Daft Punk remix of "Life Is Sweet".In August 1995, the Chemical Brothers DJ'ed for Oasis at a Sheffield gig. The gig began to backfire when it became apparent that Liam Gallagher didn't seem to like any of the tracks they were spinning. The closest that they could come to pleasing him was the Happy Mondays' "Wrote For Luck". Gallagher proceeded to kick the Chemical Brothers off the turntables and procured a friend from The Verve to continue to DJ. He subsequently favoured psychedelic material to the displeasure of the crowd.
Around this period, The Stone Roses asked the Chemical Brothers to remix "Begging You", from their ''Second Coming'' album. After beginning work on a remix which they viewed as having potential, the Stone Roses changed their minds and the project was cancelled.
In October 1995, the duo returned to the Heavenly Sunday Social for a second and final run of DJ dates. They then became residents at the Heavenly Social on Saturdays at Turnmills. In November, The Chemical Brothers played the Astoria Theatre in London. At this time the Chems usually used a fusion of "Chemical Beats" and The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" as their encore. During the encore, however, Keith Flint from The Prodigy jumped up on stage to dance, wearing a t-shirt sporting the slogan "Occupation: mad bastard". A few from the crowd subsequently joined in. This resulted in a power cable being kicked loose, bringing the show to a temporary close. The Chemical Brothers confessed to not being too bothered; "because he's Keith from the Prodigy, and he can do whatever the fucking hell he likes" Rowlands said later. Just before Christmas, 1995, they played their biggest gig to date, with The Prodigy, at the Brixton Academy.
In January 1996, ''Exit Planet Dust'' went gold. The Chemical Brothers released their first new material in six months on Virgin, the "Loops Of Fury" EP. The four-track release was limited to 20,000 copies, but is now available for digital download. It entered the UK charts at #13. NME described the lead track as "splashing waves of synths across hard-hitting beats". The EP also contained a Dave Clarke remix of "Chemical Beats", and two other new tracks "Get Up On It Like This" and "(The Best Part Of) Breaking Up".
In February 1996, Select Magazine published a list of the 100 best albums of the 1990s thus far. ''Exit Planet Dust'' was listed at Number 39. In August 1996, The Chemical Brothers supported Oasis at Knebworth, where 125,000 people attended each of the two shows.
During the 1995 Glastonbury Festival, Rowlands and Simons had another conversation with Noel Gallagher. Gallagher told them how much he liked ''Exit Planet Dust'', and asked if he could sing on a future track, similar to the way Tim Burgess had worked on "Life Is Sweet". They didn't think much of the offer at the time, given how busy Gallagher would be with the release of Oasis' ''(What's the Story) Morning Glory?'', plus the complexities of dealing with each others' record companies. However, the duo later worked on a track which they thought would benefit from having a vocal on it. They sent Gallagher a tape of what they had done so far. He worked on it overnight, and left a message with them early the next morning that he was ready to record it. The track was called "Setting Sun" and was finally released in October 1996. It entered the UK charts at the top, giving the duo their first ever Number One single. "Setting Sun" was backed by a longer instrumental version, and also a new track "Buzz Tracks", which was not much more than a DJ tool. The three remaining Beatles' lawyers later wrote to the Chemical Brothers, mistakenly claiming that they had sampled "Tomorrow Never Knows". Virgin Records hired a musicologist to prove that they did not sample the classic 1960s psychedelic song.
Meanwhile, in 1996, ''Live at the Social Volume 1'' was released by Heavenly Records, which became The Chemical Brothers' first mix CD (excluding ''Xmas Dust Up'', a free album that came in a 1994 issue of NME). It was also the duo's first live album, and their only live album (excluding the EP ''Live 05'').
''Dig Your Own Hole'' (1997–1998)
In March 1997, the Brothers released the second track from their forthcoming album, to give the world a further taste of what to expect. "Block Rockin' Beats" went straight to #1 in the UK, possibly thanks, this time, to its Schoolly D vocal sample and re-working of the bassline from 23 Skidoo's single "Coup". The NME named it Single Of The Week and said "It throbs like your head might if you had just done a length underwater in a swimming pool full of amyl." It later won them a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.In the US at this time, "Setting Sun" was sitting at Number 80 in the Billboard Top 100, after selling around 80,000 copies, an uncommon achievement for a European "dance" act. Sales from ''Exit Planet Dust'' were also around 150,000.
On 7 April 1997 the Chemical Brothers released their second album, ''Dig Your Own Hole''. It was recorded at the band's own south London studio, with the title taken from graffiti on the wall outside. The album was well received, ''Mixmag'' rating it 10/10 and calling it "mad enough to be thrilling, slick enough for not even remotely trendy coffee tables".
During the summer of 1997, the Brothers toured extensively, particularly in the States. They also became residents at Tokyo's Liquid Rooms. In August, the Chemical Brothers achieved rapprochement with the US Dust Brothers, and asked them to remix the forthcoming single "Elektrobank". They themselves also became highly sought-after for remixes for other artists. Metallica asked the Brothers several times to remix "Enter Sandman", but were repeatedly turned down. In September, the next single from ''Dig Your Own Hole'', "Elektrobank" was released. In November, the pair played at Dublin's Point Theatre, with support from Carl Cox. They also began a US tour in Detroit.
At the end of the year, ''Dig Your Own Hole'''s final track, the nine minute-long "The Private Psychedelic Reel" gave rise to a limited-edition mini-EP of the same name. The b-side consisted of a live version of "Setting Sun", recorded at the Lowlands Festival, Netherlands on 24 August 1997. Also in December, following four sold-out US shows, The Chemical Brothers toured the UK, finishing with a sold-out gig at London's Brixton Academy.
In 1998, they concentrated more on DJ'ing, although some remixes did see the light of day, including "I Think I'm In Love" from Spiritualized. Both a vocal remix and an instrumental remix were included in the single release. Each came in at over seven-and-a-half minutes. Another remix completed by the Brothers was "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp", from Mercury Rev. This was another extension in the association between the two bands, since Mercury Rev's Jonathon Donahue contributed to "The Private Psychedelic Reel" on ''Dig Your Own Hole''.
In September 1998, a second mix album, ''Brothers Gonna Work It Out'', was released. It contains some of their own tracks and remixes, as well as songs from artists who have influenced their sound, such as Renegade Soundwave, Meat Beat Manifesto, Carlos "After Dark" Berrios, and Kenny 'Dope' Gonzales.
In May 1999, The Chemical Brothers played three UK dates in Manchester, Sheffield and Brighton, their first since December 1997. Also that month, they released their first new original material in two years, a track called "Hey Boy, Hey Girl". This was more house influenced than hip-hop. In interviews at the time, Rowlands and Simons indicated that the track was inspired by nights out at Sheffield club "Gatecrasher". The track was also one of their more commercially accessible tracks and went to number 3 in the UK charts.
''Surrender'' (1999)
The third album ''Surrender'' was released in June 1999. It featured vocals from Noel Gallagher, Mercury Rev's Jonathan Donahue and Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval. As "Hey Boy, Hey Girl" had suggested, the album was more house-oriented than the previous two. On one of the album's stand out tracks, "Out Of Control", New Order's Bernard Sumner supported by Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie provided vocals. It reached Number 1 in the UK album charts, and was widely praised in the print media. The Michel Gondry-directed music video for "Let Forever Be", which utilized ground-breaking video and film effects in its depiction of a young woman's nightmares, also received a lot of attention.Later that summer, The Brothers headlined the Glastonbury dance tent on the Friday night, followed by a UK tour which ended in December and included Homelands Scotland on 4 September. In November, "Out Of Control", featuring Sumner and Gillespie on vocals, was released as a single. The release also contained the Sasha remix. The final single from ''Surrender'', in February 2000, was the five track "Music: Response" EP, containing the title track and two remixes, plus Electronic Battle Weapon 4 named "Freak of the Week", and a track called "Enjoyed", which was essentially a remix of "Out Of Control" by the Brothers themselves.
A CD copy of ''Surrender'' was placed in the third ''Blue Peter'' time capsule, buried in January 2000. That same month, they appeared on Primal Scream's album ''Xtrmntr'' at track 11 with a remix.
''Come with Us'' (2000–2003)
In June 2000, Tom and Ed played the Pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival pulling in the largest audience ever seen in the Festival's history. In August 2000 they played to a large crowd at the main stage at Creamfields festival, Ireland. In December 2000, The Chemical Brothers aired one of their new tracks, "It Began in Afrika" at their New York DJ gigs, supporting U2.In 2001, they were quite active with releases and live performances. Early in the year, they began working on a fourth album, provisionally titled "Chemical Four". The first track which fans got a taste of was "It Began In Afrika", as previously played in their DJ set in New York. The track would make its live debut in California in April 2001, at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Another new track also got its public debut at Coachella, "Galaxy Bounce". As had become customary for their releases and experiments, "It Began In Afrika" was first pressed as a promo, as part of the "Electronic Battle Weapon" series. It received much airplay on dance music radio shows in the UK, and became more and more popular in clubs over the course of the summer. It also became one of the "anthems" in Ibiza as the summer progressed. It was given a full commercial single release in September, reaching #8 in the UK singles chart, even though no promotional video was made for the track.
Rowlands and Simons also remixed a track from Fatboy Slim's ''Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars'', entitled "Song For Shelter." This remix was released as a single on 3 September 2001 (one week before "It Began in Afrika") as the CD2 single for "Song for Shelter / Ya Mama". It reached #30 in the UK Singles Charts (sales were combined with the CD1 single).
The Chemical Brothers finished work on another album, ''Come with Us'', in October 2001. It featured collaborations with Richard Ashcroft ("The Test"), of The Verve, and long-time collaborator Beth Orton ("The State We're In"). The album was released in January 2002, preceded by a single, "Star Guitar", a melodic, Balearic Beat number, with a promotional video by Michel Gondry that featured passing scenery synchronized to the beat viewed through a train window. What would be the second track on the album, "It Began in Afrika", was released 10 September 2001 to be circulated around the clubbing scene where it was a popular hit. "Star Guitar" was also released as a DVD single, the pair's first.
The album, ''Come with Us'', was less well received than their previous albums, but nonetheless went straight in at #1 in the UK album charts in the first week of its release, selling 100,000 copies. In April, the title track from the album was released as a single with remixes by Fatboy Slim as part of a double-A sided release with "The Test".
During the summer of 2002, The Chemical Brothers traveled the festival circuit to promote the album. Later in 2002, they released two EPs, one specifically aimed at Japan and the other the US (entitled ''AmericanEP''). Both contained remixes, live versions and B-sides. Additionally, the band produced New Order's final non-album single "Here to Stay" and remixed the song as well.
One of their other major songs from this album was "Galaxy Bounce", which was popular and featured as the main title music for the Xbox game ''Project Gotham Racing'', it was also included on the soundtrack for the movie adaptation of Tomb Raider. "Star Guitar" was featured as a song on the PSP's Lumines II.
Two other songs, "Come with Us (Introduction)" and "Star Guitar (Title Screen)", were featured on a ''PS2'' racing game title ''WRC II: Extreme''. Both songs are instrumental.
The Song ''My Elastic Eye'' from the "Come With Us" album was played in the 2004 movie The Butterfly Effect'''' starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart.
Late 2002 and early 2003, saw Rowlands and Simons back in the studio, working on new material, including "The Golden Path", a collaboration with Wayne Coyne, the lead singer of The Flaming Lips. This was released in September 2003, at the same time as a "best of" album, entitled ''Singles 93-03'' marking ten years of The Chemical Brothers' releases. ''Singles 93-03'' included most, but not all, of their singles. A second new track, in addition to "The Golden Path", was included on the album, called "Get Yourself High". ''Singles 93-03'' was also released on DVD, whose extra features included selected live performances and interviews with Rowlands, Simons and many of their collaborators from throughout the period. "Get Yourself High", which featured Canadian rapper k-os on vocals, was released as a single in November 2003.
In late 2003 and 2004, The Chemical Brothers continued to work in the studio, on new material and a remix of "Slow" by Kylie Minogue. After being released on rare white label vinyl, it was subsequently given a commercial release in March on CD (on her next single "Red Blooded Woman") and on exclusive 12" vinyl picture disc (containing two other Kylie remixes). In Summer 2004 they returned to the festival circuit, including appearances at the Glastonbury Festival, Tokyo, Scotland and Ireland. They also visited South America for the second time (being the first time in 1999), arriving at Chile, Argentina and Brazil. It was during these sets that they played new material, including "Acid Children", which proved to be one of the most popular new tracks.
In September 2004 The Chemical Brothers released the "seventh Electronic Battle Weapon". "Electronic Battle Weapon 7" was being released as a one-sided promo-only 12", containing "Acid Children". A marked departure from the Chemical Brothers' previous musical endeavours, it featured a screeching 303 bassline and a distinctive vocal sample; a pitch-altered vocal sample proclaiming "You Are All My Children Now!", which is lifted from an old horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge. It was coupled with the projection of a sinister clown mouthing these same words at their live gigs.
The Electronic Battle Weapon series of promo releases have typically been newly recorded Chemical Brothers tracks, released on promo to allow DJs to test them in a club environment, and to gauge their popularity.
''Push the Button'' (2004–2006)
In 2004, The Chemical Brothers began work on ''Push the Button'', their fifth studio album, which features collaborations with Tim Burgess, Kele Okereke and Anwar Superstar, amongst others. The album was released on 24 January 2005."Galvanize", which features Q-Tip on vocals, was the first single to be taken from ''Push the Button'', and premiered exclusively on iTunes. The single was released on 17 January 2005, and entered the UK chart at #3. The second single "Believe" (featuring Kele Okereke from Bloc Party) failed to crack top 10, but still made it into the top 20, peaking at #18. "The Boxer", featuring Tim Burgess, became the duo's first single to fail to crack the top 40.
The album and single "Galvanize" won a Grammy in the Grammy Awards of 2006. One of the songs in this album, "The Big Jump" appears in the video game ''Burnout Revenge'', as well as ''Project Gotham Racing 3''. The track "Surface To Air" features a pulsing chord progression and bassline reminiscent of the intro to The Strokes song "The Modern Age".
An unofficial, remixed version of the album entitled "Flip the Switch" was released as a free download, along with the "Believe EP", six further remixes of "Believe".
In September 2006, the Chemical Brothers were revealed as the first musicians to be involved in Tate Tracks. Tate Modern invited various groups and songwriters to choose a work that inspired them from the gallery's collection of modern art and then write a track about it. The Chemical Brothers' submission, ''Rock Drill'', was inspired by the Jacob Epstein sculpture ''Torso in Metal from The Rock Drill'', and can be heard on headphones in front of the work in the gallery. From October 2006, it also became available to hear online at the Tate Tracks website.
''We Are the Night'' (2007–2009)
The Chemicals welcomed June 2006 with an announcement on their official forum stating that the duo had been working on fresh material, specifically an album, codenamed 'Chemical 6'. Simons also told everyone that the band would be playing select venues in the Summer 2007 season, specifying Rome, and also fabric in London. Simons is also quoted as saying that the duo are 'hoping to put a battle weapon out for the summer,', retrieved possibly referring to the 'Electronic Battle Weapon' series, which are somewhat experimental tracks the band occasionally release on white label.Electronic Battle Weapon 8 & 9 were debuted on Pete Tong's BBC Radio 1 show on 8 December 2006. The double sided vinyl was finally released just before The Chemical Brother's much anticipated New Year's Eve gig at the famous Turnmills in London. The vinyl had a limited edition release worldwide and has been received well by fans, DJs and critics alike. Electronic Battle Weapon 8 at about six and a half minutes is very distinct from the 'big acid' style that the earlier battle weapons adhered to. It is characterised by 'thundering dirty drums' with a rising synth line, and to many it is perceived as being one of the most euphoric tracks that the Chemicals have released. A version of this track features on the ''We Are The Night'' album and is entitled 'Saturate'. Electronic Battle Weapon 9 is typical Chemicals dancefloor track with their trademark vocoder vocals coupled with sirens and a basic 'tribal' melody.
At the same Turnmills gig, the Brothers also played a previously unreleased song at midnight to welcome 2007 which went down well with the crowd. This track eventually emerged as Burst Generator, found on the album ''We Are The Night''. Many are left wondering if the latest in the Electronic Battle Weapon series were simply one off genius pieces or signal a new direction they could take with the new album, perhaps swaying from their genre defining 'big beat' psychedelic albums of the past. The song was also the band's 100th released song.
On 21 March 2007, The Chemical Brothers officially announced their forthcoming album on MySpace. The new album entitled ''We Are the Night'', was released on 2 July 2007 in the United Kingdom and 17 July 2007 in the United States. The Chemicals cited a delay in the production of artwork for this delay. EMI subsequently released an online 'old-skool' The Chemical Brothers computer game as an apology. The track listing was released to the fans on the official mailing list on 10 April. The new album is heavily collaborated with the likes of Klaxons (on "All Rights Reversed"), Midlake (on "The Pills Won't Help You Now"), Ali Love (on "Do It Again") and Willy Mason (on "Battle Scars").
On 12 April 2007, Pete Tong again had the privilege of giving the world the very first preview of a Chemicals track. This time it was the first single "Do It Again" off their new album, aired on his BBC Radio 1 "In New Music We Trust" show. . The track is widely regarded as dance floor friendly, dominated by pop vocals and a minimalistic production approach. The track is regarded as a 'grower' after gaining mixed reviews after the first listen on Pete Tong's show, with its simplistic catchy vocals and electro beat. The official release of the single was 4 June (digital download) and 14 June (12", 7" and CD). The album went on general release in the UK on 2 July.
In September 2007, The Chemical Brothers played a free live gig in Trafalgar Square as part of the Becks Fusions event. All who attended were provided with 3D glasses to view the on-screen visual effects.
In 2008, The Chemical Brothers' music will also be featured in a movie adaption of Irvine Welsh's best-selling novel Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.
The Chemical Brothers supplied a new track for the Heroes Soundtrack titled "Keep My Composure".
''Further'' and motion picture soundtracks (2010–present)
On 30 March 2010, the band announced on their website that their seventh studio album will be titled ''Further'' and will be released 22 June, adding that it will be "the band's first to be released with corresponding films made specifically to match each of the 8 audio tracks." The films have been made with long-time visuals collaborators Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall. The album has been described as their most "psychedelic and melodic to date". Before the release of the album, the band played four shows in May at the London Roundhouse where they played the album and its accompanying films in its entirety. The films will feature on a special edition DVD and on the iTunes LP edition.Most reviews have been positive with BBC Music declaring that '...Synths are brutally manhandled and pushed to their limits across the eight tracks' with Ian Wade summarising that 'It’s better to continuously explode than fade away, or something. Really rather wonderful indeed...' The Irish Times also reported that 'This is a very impressive collection that is carried along with a stirring sense of velocity and momentum'. However, praise hasn't been unanimous for the LP, with the American rock magazine Spin giving it a rating of three out of five stars.
At the New York Comic Con, on 10 October 2010, English film director Joe Wright announced that the Chemical Brothers would be scoring the soundtrack to his upcoming film, ''Hanna''. Joe Wright, who had worked with the Chemical Brothers in the past as a member of the visual company Vegetable Vision, expressed his feelings on the score, stating that he was "very excited to finally... work with a more modern beat. There's a lot of bass, it's very loud." The soundtrack was released exclusively on iTunes on 15 March 2011. It will be released on CD on 4 July 2011.
Two weeks after the announcement regarding ''Hanna'', rumors began circulating that the Chemical Brothers had recorded part of the score for the movie ''Black Swan'', after a post in Ed Simon's twitter account. A second post on the Chemical Brothers own twitter account seemed to confirm this. On 22 November 2010, a ''Black Swan'' music video was released along with the movie trailer. This music video featured a different version of the track "Don't Think" and announced that the movie would feature new music from the Chemical Brothers, along with a handful of other artists. The next day, the names of the eight tracks not composed by Clint Mansell – ''Black Swan'''s main composer – were released, listing the Chemical Brothers as contributing three new songs for the movie. On 29 November, an exclusive video was posted on rollingstone.com, containing more footage of the alternate version of "Don't Think". Mansell's work was released the next day. No announcement has been made yet on whether the original tracks not by Mansell would be given a release or not.
Live
The Chemical Brothers are credited as being one of the few truly arena-sized electronic acts. Their live acts comprise large screens displaying psychedelic images, strobe lights and lasers that project over the crowd. There has been speculation over how much of their live gigs are pre-recorded, although they insist (on their official website FAQ) that they have a mere outline of track order and the rest is mixed live. This would seem to be confirmed by concertgoers who have seen gigs on consecutive nights and have posted notable differences between the sets played.The Brothers have also played at many major festivals, from Glastonbury to the Reading, the HFStival, and Leeds festival. They currently hold the record for most gigs performed in a year at the Brixton Academy. The brothers have infamously, despite their high status in the mainstream, never appeared on Top of the Pops, with the use of music videos to replace the performance, sometimes accompanied by a video apologising for their absence. In 1999, a live US tour video of "Hey Boy, Hey Girl" was shown, even though the song was not in the top 40 at the time, and also released other singles before then at the time.
In addition to performing their own music they also hold regular DJ nights where they mix other artist's tracks (in the style of ''Brothers Gonna Work It Out'').
As with their recorded albums, the Chemical Brothers are well known for their incorporation of guest vocalists into their live performances. Notable appearances in recent gigs have included Bernard Sumner of New Order, who sang on the original "Out of Control", Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, and Tim Burgess.
The duo also played at the launch event for the Wii video game console.
On the night of 1 September 2007, the Chemical Brothers played at the main stage of the Electric Picnic to a crowd of around 20,000. The Chemical Brothers appeared in Los Angeles on 29 September 2007, headlining the 13th Annual Nocturnal Wonderland Festival.
The duo was one of the head-liners for Roskilde Festival 2008 in Denmark. The festival is held from the 3rd-6 July and is the biggest festival in Northern Europe.
The Chemical Brothers played at London's Olympia Grand Hall on 30 August 2008. This was the first time any major band has played at Olympia's Grand Hall in over 10 years.
On 18 April 2009, the Chemical Brothers performed a DJ Set at the Coachella Festival, at which they premiered two previously unnamed new tracks. The tracks were the bonus track "Don't Think", and "Escape Velocity", both of which were later included on the album ''Further''.
On 8 February 2010, they confirmed their presence at Sónar Festival in Barcelona in June 2010. They also announced they would be performing another two nights at the London Roundhouse in Camden, on 20 and 21 May. Due to phenomenal demand, as tickets sold out within two minutes, they added a further two nights; 22 and 23 May.
On 3 September 2010, they performed at North Coast Music Festival in Chicago. The following day they performed at Electric Zoo festival in New York City.
4–14 March 2011, they headlined the Future Music Festival in 5 cities across Australia.
On 27 March 2011, they headlined Ultra Music Festival in Miami, FL and closed out the Main Stage for the weekend. They also were the closing performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Friday 15 April 2011. The Chemical Brothers will headline the UK dance festival Creamfields in Cheshire on 27 August 2011.
The band also played at the 'Other Stage' at Glastonbury Festival 2011 as that stage's lead headliners.
Logo
The typeface used to write the typical "The Chemical Brothers" logo is derived from Sho, designed by Karlgeorg Hoefer in 1992. The Chemical Brothers' original logo differs only in a few details from orthodox Sho, e.g. in the letters a and b. Mergenthaler Linotype Company holds the licence for this typeface.
Discography
Studio albums
Soundtrack albums
Main compilation albums
See also
References
External links
Category:British electronic music groups Category:British techno music groups Category:English dance music groups Category:English house music groups Category:Musical groups established in 1991 Category:1991 establishments in England Category:Club DJs Category:Remixers Category:Virgin Records artists Category:Astralwerks artists Category:Musical groups from Manchester Category:Celebrity duos Category:Breakbeat musicians Category:Electronic music duos Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:People educated at Alleyn's School
ca:The Chemical Brothers cs:The Chemical Brothers da:The Chemical Brothers de:The Chemical Brothers es:The Chemical Brothers fr:The Chemical Brothers ko:케미컬 브라더스 it:The Chemical Brothers ka:The Chemical Brothers lv:The Chemical Brothers lt:The Chemical Brothers hu:The Chemical Brothers mk:The Chemical Brothers nl:The Chemical Brothers ja:ケミカル・ブラザーズ no:The Chemical Brothers pl:The Chemical Brothers pt:The Chemical Brothers ro:The Chemical Brothers ru:The Chemical Brothers simple:The Chemical Brothers sk:The Chemical Brothers fi:The Chemical Brothers sv:The Chemical Brothers th:เดอะเคมิคอลบราเทอร์ส tr:The Chemical Brothers uk:The Chemical Brothers zh:化學兄弟This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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