name	Rachael Ray
birth name	Rachael Domenica Ray
birth date	August 25, 1968
birth place	Glens Falls, New York, U.S.
occupation	Television personality, author, celebrity chef
years active	2001–present
spouse	John Cusimano (2005 - present)
website	http://www.rachaelray.com }}

Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American television personality, celebrity chef and author. She hosts the syndicated talk and lifestyle program ''Rachael Ray'' and three Food Network series, ''30 Minute Meals'', ''Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels'' and ''$40 a Day''. Ray wrote cookbooks based on the ''30 Minute Meals'' concept, and launched a magazine, ''Every Day with Rachael Ray'', in 2006. Ray's television shows have won two ''Daytime Emmy Awards''.

Personal life

Ray was born in Glens Falls, New York. Her parents are Elsa Scuderi, an Italian (Sicilian) American and James Ray, who is of French, Scottish and Welsh descent. She was raised on Cape Cod, Massachusetts where her family owned four restaurants. When Ray was 8, her family moved to Lake George, New York. Her mother managed restaurants in upstate New York.

In 1995 Ray moved to New York City. One of her first jobs there was at the candy counter at Macy's, where she eventually managed the fresh foods department. She later helped open a New York City market. Moving back to upstate New York, Ray managed Mister Brown's Pub at The Sagamore, a hotel on Lake George. From there, she became a buyer at Cowan & Lobel, a gourmet market in Albany. Ray credits the concept of ''30 Minute Meals'' to her experience working at the store, where she met people who were reluctant to cook. She taught a course in which she showed how to make meals in less than thirty minutes. With the success of her "30 Minute Meals" classes, WRGB (the local CBS TV affiliate) asked her to appear in a weekly segment on their newscasts. This, along with a public radio appearance and the publication of her first book, led to a ''Today'' show spot and her first Food Network contract in 2001.

On September 24, 2005, in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, Ray married John Cusimano, a lawyer and lead singer of the rock band The Cringe. She owns homes in Lake Luzerne, New York, and Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

Career

Cooking

Ray teaches simple recipes that she says can be completed in 30 minutes or less, although critics claim that her concept does not include preparation.

Ray says that her Sicilian maternal grandfather, Emmanuel Scuderi, and her Cajun ancestry serve as a strong influence on her cooking. She uses ingredients such as fresh herbs, garlic and chicken stock to boost flavors. She believes that measuring "takes away from the creative, hands-on process of cooking" and instead favors approximations such as "half a palmful". To critics of her shortcut techniques, Ray responds, "I have no formal anything. I'm completely unqualified for any job I've ever had." She acknowledges that she cannot bake because it requires measured ingredients, that she cannot make coffee, and that she burns bread under the broiler.

On her television programs, she has used catchphrases such as "E-V-O-O" (extra-virgin olive oil), "yum-o," "G.B." (garbage bowl), "Oh my gravy!", "entréetizer" (entrée-sized appetizer), "stoup" (cross between a soup and stew), and "choup" (thicker than a soup but thinner than a chowder). In 2007, ''The Oxford American College Dictionary'' announced the addition of the term ''EVOO,'' short for ''e''xtra-''v''irgin ''o''live ''o''il, which Ray had helped to popularize, and credited her with coining the phrase.

The set of ''30 Minute Meals'' uses a yellow Model 61C Chambers stove from the 1950s, notable for its top-opening broiler, super-insulated oven, and unique Thermowell.

On November 12, 2006, Ray and Mario Batali defeated the team of Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis on an episode of ''Iron Chef America'' during which cranberries were the secret ingredient. On March 18, 2007, Food Network debuted a Rachael Ray episode of its special ''Chefography'' series, on which she stated that "the worst day of [her] life" was ''Iron Chef America'', admitting to being anxious about it for weeks before. She also told commentator Alton Brown that she was "a cook, not a chef."

Television

In 2005, Ray signed a deal with Oprah Winfrey and King World Productions to host a syndicated daytime TV talk show. The show, ''Rachael Ray'', premiered on September 18, 2006. Recurrent appearances on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' were used to fuel the launch, much as Dr. Phil's show was spun off based on his own frequent visits to ''Oprah''. The show tapes in New York City. In coordination with the syndication announcement, Ray said, "People know me for my love of food, but I have so much more I want to share."

Ray has appeared on ''The View'', ''The Today Show'', ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', ''The Late Show with David Letterman'', ''Nightline'', ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', ''Larry King Live'', ''Cake Boss'' and the ''Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''.

For ''Sesame Street''’s 38th season, Ray appeared in an episode to present "pumpernickel" as the word of the day.

On January 12, 2008, Ray's television series ''Rachael's Vacation'' premiered on the Food Network. The show is a five-part food travelogue shot in various European countries.

In 2008 Ray became a producer of a Latin cooking show on the Food Network called ''Viva Daisy!''. The show starred Daisy Martínez.

In August 2009, Ray appeared as herself on ''Million Dollar Password (US game show)'' for charity for Yum-O! and her own charity for animal rescue with Regis Philbin.

Ray also appeared on the hidden camera show ''I Get That a Lot'', pretending to be an employee at a dry cleaners.

In September 2010, a new show, her first new cooking show in eight years, ''Rachael Ray's Week In a Day'' began airing on the Cooking Channel.

Magazines

In 2003, she posed for the men's magazine ''FHM''. A writer for ''The New York Times'' wrote, "The shots feature Ray in short-shorts with an exposed midriff, licking chocolate off a big wooden spoon, eating a strawberry and sitting in a sink, laughing as suds cascade down her thighs." In a March 2009 interview with ''Nightline'' co-anchor Cynthia McFadden, Ray defended her decision to pose in the magazine.

The Reader's Digest Association launched Ray's eponymous magazine, ''Every Day with Rachael Ray'' on October 25, 2005. The magazine featured seven issues in 2006, and increased to ten issues in 2007.

Product endorsements

In November 2006, Ray became a spokeswoman for Nabisco crackers. She appears in commercials and on boxes for the many Nabisco products. Many boxes with Ray's picture have her recipes.

In February 2007, WestPoint Home launched sheets, blankets, and coverlets designed by Ray. Within six months, WestPoint expanded Ray's bed and bath line to include the "Moppine", a two-in-one dish towel/oven mitt, as Ray is often seen with a kitchen towel over her shoulder that doubles for her as an ersatz mitt.

In March 2007, the Dunkin' Donuts company announced Ray as its celebrity endorser, mainly of its coffee, since she had denied being able to make coffee herself. As part of a promotional campaign, Ray describes the company's coffee as "fantabulous." Celebrity chef and Travel Channel personality Anthony Bourdain, however, disparagingly referred to Ray's affiliation with Dunkin' Donuts as "evil," and went on to compare it to "endorsing crack for kids."

In May 2007, Ray's recipes were made available on AT&T; cellular phones via the "Rachael Ray Recipes on the Run" feature.

In July 2008, Rachael Ray Nutrish pet food was introduced. The dog foods are created from recipes that Ray developed for her pit bull, Isaboo. All proceeds from the sale of these products go to Rachael's Rescue, a charity founded by Ray to help at-risk animals.

Awards and recognition

2004, ranked #92 on "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2004".

2006, ranked #71 on "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2006".

2006, ''30 Minute Meals'' received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Service Show. Ray was also nominated for Outstanding Service Show Host.

2006, named one of ''Time'' magazine's 100 most influential people. She was nominated by fellow Food Network star Mario Batali. 2006, according to ''Forbes'' magazine, Ray earned about $6 million June 2005-June 2006. from her books and television shows (excluding her new series, ''Rachael Ray'').

February 21, 2007, Ray announced on her show that a wax creation was made of her and that this wax figure will be on display at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in New York City.

2007, nominated for Daytime Emmy Award, Outstanding Talk Show Host.

April 2007, Ray launched a charity, "The Yum-O! Organization", with help from Bill Clinton, to help children eat healthier. June 2008, ''The Rachael Ray Show'' received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment. June 2008, according to ''Forbes'' magazine, Ray earned about $18 million June 2007-June 2008 June 2009, according to ''Forbes'' magazine, Ray earned about $15 million in the year ending June 2009, as well as naming her as the 79th most powerful celebrity in the world. August 2009, ''The Rachael Ray Show'' received a second Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment.

Charity work

In 2006, Rachael Ray launched a nonprofit organization called Yum-O! The mission of Yum-O! is to “empower kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. This is achieved by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids, and funding cooking education”.

Bibliography

''30 Minute Meals'' - (1999)

''Rachael Ray's Open House Cookbook'' - (2000)

''Comfort Foods'' - (2001)

''Veggie Meals'' - (2001)

''30-Minute Meals 2'' - (2003)

''Get Togethers: Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals'' - (2003)

''Cooking Rocks!: Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals for Kids'' - (2004)

''$40 a Day: Best Eats in Town'' - (2004)

''Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals: Cooking 'Round the Clock'' - (2004)

''Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals for Kids: Cooking Rocks!'' - (2004)

''Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals : Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes'' - (2005)

''Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners'' - (2005)

''Rachael Ray 2, 4, 6, 8: Great Meals for Couples or Crowds'' - (2006)

''Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals'' - (2006)

''Rachael Ray: Just In Time'' - (2007)

''Yum-O! The Family Cookbook'' - (2008)

''Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book'' - (2008)

''Rachael Ray's Book Of 10: More Than 300 Recipes To Cook Every Day'' - (2009)

''Rachael Ray's Look and Cook'' - (2010)

References

External links

Rachael Ray's official site

Category:1968 births Category:American food writers Category:American people of French descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American people of Sicilian descent Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American television chefs Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Food Network chefs Category:Living people Category:People from Barnstable County, Massachusetts Category:People from Warren County, New York

ar:رايتشل راي de:Rachael Ray es:Rachael Ray fa:ریچل ری fr:Rachael Ray gl:Rachael Ray mk:Рејчел Реј no:Rachael Ray simple:Rachael Ray fi:Rachael Ray sv:Rachael Ray

Name	Hulk Hogan
Names	The Super DestroyerSterling GoldenHulk HoganHulk MachineHollywood Hulk HoganHollywood HoganMr. AmericaTerry BoulderThunderlips
Height
Weight
Birth date	August 11, 1953
Birth place	Augusta, Georgia
Billed	Venice Beach, CaliforniaWashington, D.C. (as Mr. America)Hollywood, California (as Hollywood Hogan)
Resides	Tampa, Florida
Trainer	Hiro Matsuda
Debut	August 10, 1977
Website	www.HulkHogan.com }}

Terry Gene Bollea (born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

Hogan had mainstream popularity in the mid 1980s through the early 1990s as the all-American character Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF—now the WWE), and was notable in the mid-to-late 1990s as "Hollywood" Hogan, the villainous nWo leader, in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Following WCW's fold, he made a brief return to WWE in the early 2000s, revising his heroic character by combining elements of his two most famous personas.

Hogan was later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. He is a 12-time world heavyweight champion being a six-time WWF/WWE Champion, six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, as well as a former WWE World Tag Team Champion with Edge. He was also the winner of the Royal Rumble in 1990 and 1991 and the first to win two Royal Rumbles in a row. In his first reign as WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Hogan held the title for 469 days from July 17, 1994 to October 29, 1995. It is the longest reign of all time for this championship.

Early life

Bollea, who is of Italian, French and Panamanian heritage, is the son of Peter Bollea, a construction foreman, and his wife Ruth, a homemaker and dance teacher. Hogan was raised in Tampa, Florida. As a boy, he was a pitcher in Little League Baseball. He began watching professional wrestling at 16 years old. While in high school, he revered Dusty Rhodes, and he regularly attended cards at the Tampa Sportatorium. It was at one of those wrestling cards where he first turned his attention towards "Superstar" Billy Graham and looked to him for inspiration; since he first saw Graham on TV, Hogan wanted to match his "inhuman" look. Hogan was also a skilled musician, spending ten years playing bass guitar in several Florida-based rock bands. After music gigs began to get in the way of his time in college, Hogan decided to drop out of the University of South Florida before receiving any degree. During his spare time, Hogan would work out at Hector's Gym in the Tampa Bay area and eventually became strong enough to do big lifting. Eventually, Hogan and two local musicians formed a band called Ruckus in 1976. The band soon became a local sensation in the Tampa Bay region.

Many of the wrestlers who competed in the Florida territory at that time visited the bars where Ruckus was performing. Among those attending his performances were Jack and Gerald Brisco, two brothers who wrestled together as a tag team in the Florida region. Impressed by Hogan's physical stature, the Brisco brothers asked Hiro Matsuda—the man who trained wrestlers working for Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF)—to make him a potential trainee. In 1976, the two brothers asked Hogan to try wrestling. Having been a wrestling fan since childhood, Hogan eventually agreed. At first, however, Mike Graham, the son of CWF promoter Eddie Graham, refused to put Hogan in the ring; according to Hogan, he met Graham while in high school and the two didn't get along. However, after Hogan quit Ruckus and started telling people in town that he was going to be a wrestler, Mike Graham finally agreed to accept the Brisco Brothers' offer, confronted Hogan and informed him that he would meet with Hiro Matsuda to begin a training session the following day. According to Hogan, during their first training session, Matsuda sarcastically asked him, "So you want to be a wrestler?" and purposely broke Hogan's leg.

Professional wrestling career

Early years (1977–1979)

In the summer of 1977, after over a year of training with Matsuda, the Brisco brothers dropped by Matsuda's gym to see Hogan. During this visit, Jack Brisco handed Hogan a pair of wrestling boots and informed him that he was scheduled to wrestle his first match the following week. In his professional wrestling debut, Eddie Graham booked him against Brian Blair in Fort Myers, Florida on August 10, 1977 in Championship Wrestling from Florida. A short time later, Bollea donned a mask and assumed the persona of "The Super Destroyer," a hooded character first played by Don Jardine and subsequently used by other wrestlers. Hogan, however, eventually could no longer work with Hiro Matsuda, whom he felt was an overbearing trainer, and left Championship Wrestling From Florida. After declining an offer to wrestle for the Kansas City circuit, Hogan took a hiatus from wrestling and managed a private club in Cocoa Beach, Florida-known as the Anchor Club-. for a man named Whitey Bridges. Eventually, Whitey and Hogan became close friends, and decided to open a gym together; the gym would be known as Whitey and Terry's Olympic gym. Soon after, Hogan's friend Ed Leslie (later known as Brutus Beefcake) came down to Cocoa Beach to help Hogan and Bridges manage both the Anchor Club and the Whitey and Terry's Olympic Gym. On his spare time, he and Beefcake would work out in the gym together, and eventually, Beefcake developed a muscular physique; Hogan was impressed by Beefcake's physical stature and become convinced that the two of them should wrestle together as tag team partners. Depressed and yearning to return to wrestling, Hogan called Superstar Billy Graham in 1978 with hopes that Graham could find him a job wrestling outside of Florida; Graham agreed and Hogan soon joined Louie Tillet's Alabama territory. Hogan also convinced Beefcake, who had yet to become a wrestler, to come with him and promised to teach him everything he knew about the sport.

In Alabama, he and Beefcake wrestled as Terry and Ed Boulder, the Boulder Brothers. These early matches as a tag team with the surname Boulder being used by both men prompted a rumor among wrestling fans unaware of the inner workings of the sport that Hogan and Beefcake were brothers, as few people actually knew their real names outside of immediate friends, family, and of course the various promoters the two worked for. After wrestling a show for Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) in Memphis, Jerry Jarrett, the promoter for the (CWA), approached Hogan and Beefcake and offered them a job in his promotion for $800.00 a week; this was far more than the $175.00 a week they would make working for Tillet. Hogan and Beefcake accepted this offer and left Tillet's territory. During his time in Memphis, Hogan appeared on a local talk show, where he sat beside Lou Ferrigno, star of the television series ''The Incredible Hulk''. The host commented how Terry, who stood 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) and weighed 295 pounds with 24 inch biceps, actually dwarfed "the Hulk." As a result, Bollea began performing as Terry "The Hulk" Boulder and sometimes wrestled as Sterling Golden.

In May 1979, Bollea had an early shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which at the time was generally recognized as the highest honor in wrestling. In June 1979, Bollea won his first wrestling championship, the NWA Southeast Heavyweight Championship, recognized in Alabama and Tennessee when he defeated Ox Baker.

World Wrestling Federation (1979–1980)

Later that year, former NWA World Champion Terry Funk introduced Bollea to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) chief Vincent J. McMahon, who was impressed with his charisma and physical stature. McMahon, who wanted to use an Irish name, gave Bollea the last name Hogan. At this time, Hogan wrestled Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship, and he started his first big feud with André the Giant, which culminated in a match with André at Shea Stadium in August 1980. Hulk Hogan claims in his autobiography that he and André the Giant were the reason for the Shea gate. However, Sammartino/Zbyszko sold out everywhere they wrestled leading up the show. Hogan and Andre wrestled in White Plains, New York, drawing 1,200 in a building that held 3,500 as the main event before they wrestled at Shea. During his initial heel run in the WWF, Hogan was paired with "Classy" Freddie Blassie, a wrestler-turned-manager.

New Japan Pro Wrestling (1980–1983)

A great deal of Hogan's early success was achieved in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Japanese wrestling fans were in awe of the gargantuan blond American and nicknamed him "Ichiban" (which translates to "Number One"). Hogan first appeared in Japan on May 13, 1980, while he was still with the WWF. He toured the country from time to time over the next few years, facing a wide variety of opponents ranging from Tatsumi Fujinami to Abdullah the Butcher. When competing in Japan, Hogan used a vastly different repertoire of wrestling moves, relying on more technical, traditional wrestling holds and maneuvers as opposed to the power-based, brawling style U.S. fans became accustomed to seeing from him. Another difference is that Hogan used a running forearm lariat (called the "Axe Bomber") as his finisher in Japan, as opposed to the running leg drop that has been his traditional finisher in America. On June 2, 1983, Hogan became the first International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) tournament winner (although he held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt, this was not the beginning of the actual championship), defeating Japanese wrestling icon Antonio Inoki by knockout in the finals of a 10-man tournament featuring top talent from throughout the world. Hogan and Inoki also worked as partners in Japan, winning the prestigious MSG Tag League tournament two years in a row: in 1982 and 1983. Hogan's popularity in Japan was so great, he even recorded an album there—a forerunner to the World Wrestling Federation's "Rock 'n' Wrestling" of the mid 1980s.

American Wrestling Association (1981–1983)

After filming his scene for ''Rocky III'', against McMahon's wishes, Hogan made his debut in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), owned by Verne Gagne. Hogan started his AWA run as a heel, taking on "Luscious" Johnny Valiant as his manager, before handing the AWA title over to him. Hogan, unwilling to give up his life as a bachelor just for the world title of the AWA, continued to turn down the belt. Shortly after these attempts to woo Hogan into giving Gagne more of a share of his profits and booking in Japan and attempts to bring him into the Gagne family, Hogan was lured back to the Northeast by Vincent K. McMahon, who had just recently purchased the WWF from his ailing father. Hogan claimed that Gagne, aware that Hogan was leaving AWA for the WWF offered the Iron Sheik a substantial amount to break Hogan's leg during a match. The Sheik refused to do it.

Over twenty years later, just prior to Hulk Hogan's WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2005, the revived AWA, under the authority of owner Dale Gagne (real last name: Gagner), relented and acknowledged the legitimacy of Hogan's two title wins over Nick Bockwinkel, making him a two-time AWA champion. This resolution, however, has been regarded as apocryphal to most as the resurrected AWA is generally regarded as an entirely different body than the Verne Gagne–owned AWA of old. As recently as the release of the DVD ''The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA'', interviews between Hogan and the Gagnes show that there is still animosity between both parties, indicating the unlikelihood Hogan's AWA title reign would have been retroactively instated under the original ownership. The WWE won a lawsuit against Dale Gagner, due to trademark infringement, which declared Gagne's claims to ownership of the AWA false, and as such rendered the resolution moot, as WWE only recognizes twelve American world titles being attributed to Hulk Hogan, and the AWA World Title is not among that number.

Return to World Wrestling Federation (1983–1993)

The Birth of Hulkamania

After purchasing the World Wrestling Federation from his father in 1982, Vincent K. McMahon (i.e., Vince McMahon) had plans to expand the territory into a nationwide promotion, and he handpicked Hulk Hogan to be the company's showpiece attraction due to his charisma and name recognition. Hogan made his return to the WWF at a television taping in St. Louis, Missouri on December 27, 1983 defeating Bill Dixon.

On the January 7, 1984 edition of ''Championship Wrestling'', Hogan confirmed his face status for the WWF fans by saving Bob Backlund from a three-way assault. Hogan's turn was explained simply by Backlund: "He's changed his ways. He's a great man. He's told me he's not gonna have Blassie around". The storyline shortcut was necessary because less than three weeks later on January 23, Hogan won his first WWF Championship, pinning The Iron Sheik (who had Blassie in his corner) in Madison Square Garden. The storyline accompanying the victory was that Hogan was a "last minute" replacement for the Sheik's original opponent Bob Backlund, and became the champion by way of being the first man to escape the camel clutch (the Iron Sheik's finishing move). The backstage story was that the WWF Champion Bob Backlund had refused to put Hogan over for the title, demanding that any wrestler he lost the belt to have a legitimate wrestling background. As a consequence, The Iron Sheik won the title from Backlund first and then dropped it to Hogan.

Immediately after the title win, commentator Gorilla Monsoon proclaimed "Hulkamania is here!" Hogan frequently referred to his fans as "Hulkamaniacs" in his interviews and introduced his three "demandments": training, saying prayers, and eating vitamins. Eventually, a fourth demandment (believing in oneself) was added during his feud with Earthquake in 1990. Hogan's ring gear developed a characteristic yellow-and-red color scheme; his ring entrances involved him ritualistically ripping his shirt off his body, flexing, and listening for audience cheers in an exaggerated manner. The majority of Hogan's matches during this time involved him wrestling heels who had been booked as unstoppable monsters, using a format which became near-routine: Hogan would deliver steady offense, but eventually lose momentum, seemingly nearing defeat. He would then experience a sudden second wind, fighting back while "feeding" off the energy of the audience, becoming impervious to attack—a process described as "hulking up". His signature maneuvers—pointing at the opponent (which would later be accompanied by a loud "YOU!" from the audience), shaking his finger to scold him, three punches, an Irish Whip, the big boot and running leg drop—would follow and ensure him a victory. That finishing sequence would occasionally change depending on the storyline and opponent; for instance, with "Giant" wrestlers, the sequence might involve a body slam.

Over the next year, Hulk Hogan became the face of pro wrestling as McMahon pushed the WWF into a pop culture enterprise with The Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection on MTV, drawing record houses, pay-per-view buyrates, and television ratings in the process. The centerpiece attraction for the first WrestleMania on March 31, 1985, Hogan teamed with legit friend Mr. T to defeat his archrival "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. On the first edition of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'', Hogan successfully defended the WWF title against Cowboy Bob Orton in a match which Hogan won by a disqualification.

Hogan was named the most requested celebrity of the 1980s for the Make-a-Wish Foundation children's charity. He was featured on the covers of ''Sports Illustrated'', ''TV Guide'', and ''People'' magazines, while also appearing on ''The Tonight Show'' and having his own CBS Saturday morning cartoon titled ''Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling''. Hogan, as the premier WWF icon, headlined eight of the first nine WrestleMania events. He also co-hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' on March 30, 1985 during this lucrative run. AT&T; reported that his 900 number information line was the single biggest 900 number from 1991 to 1993. Hogan operated the 900 number through his stint in WWF and then recreated it when he joined World Championship Wrestling.

First title reign (1984–1988)

On the October 5, 1985 edition of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'', he successfully defended the title against Nikolai Volkoff in a flag match. He met long-time rival Roddy Piper in a WWF title match at the Wrestling Classic pay-per-view (PPV) event. Hogan retained the title by disqualification after Bob Orton interfered and hit Hogan with his cast. Hogan had many challengers in the way as the new year began. Throughout 1986, Hogan made successful title defenses against challengers such as Terry Funk, "The Magnificent" Don Muraco, King Kong Bundy (in a steel cage match at WrestleMania 2), Paul Orndorff, and Hercules Hernandez.

In the fall of 1986, Hogan occasionally wrestled in tag matches with The Machines as Hulk Machine under a mask copied from New Japan Pro Wrestling gimmick "Super Strong Machine." At WrestleMania III in 1987, Hogan was booked to defend the title against André the Giant, who had been the sport's premier star and was pushed as undefeated for the previous two decades. A new storyline was introduced in early 1987; Hogan was presented a trophy for being the WWF Champion for three consecutive years. André the Giant, a good friend came out to congratulate him. Shortly afterward, André was presented a slightly smaller trophy for being "undefeated in the WWF for 15 years." Hogan came out to congratulate André, who walked out in the midst of Hogan's speech. Then, on an edition of ''Piper's Pit'', Hogan was confronted by Bobby Heenan, who announced that André was his new protégé, and Andre challenged Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III. At WrestleMania III, Hogan successfully defended the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against André the Giant. During the match, Hogan bodyslammed the 520-pound Frenchman and won the match after a leg drop.

Hogan remained WWF Champion for four years and 13 days (1,474 days). In front of 33 million viewers, however, Hogan finally lost the belt to André on the February 5 edition of ''The Main Event'' after a convoluted scam involving "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and Earl Hebner (who assumed the place of his twin brother Dave Hebner, who was the match's appointed referee). After André delivered a belly to belly suplex on Hogan, Hebner counted the pin while Hogan's left shoulder was clearly off the mat. After the match, André handed the title over to DiBiase to complete their business deal. As a result, the WWF Championship was vacated for the first time in its 25-year history. At WrestleMania IV, Hogan participated in a tournament for the vacant WWF title to regain it and faced André in the tournament quarter-finals but their match resulted in a double disqualification. Later that night in the main event, Hogan interfered and helped "Macho Man" Randy Savage defeat Ted DiBiase to win the title.

The Mega Powers (1988–1989)

Together, Hogan, Savage, and manager Miss Elizabeth formed a partnership known as The Mega Powers. After Savage became WWF Champion at WrestleMania IV, they feuded with The Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and André the Giant) and defeated them at the main event of the first SummerSlam. The Mega Powers, however, soon imploded from within in 1989, due to Savage's burgeoning jealousy of Hogan and his paranoid suspicions that Hogan and Elizabeth were "more than friends". Dissension was furthered at the Royal Rumble, when Hogan accidentally eliminated Savage from the Royal Rumble match. The duo broke up while wrestling The Twin Towers on the February 3, 1989 edition of ''The Main Event''. During the match, Savage accidentally collided with Miss Elizabeth. Hogan took her backstage to receive medical attention, while temporarily abandoning Savage. When he returned to the ring, Savage slapped Hogan and left the ring, where Hogan eventually won the match by himself. After the match, Savage attacked Hogan backstage, which started a feud between the two. Their feud culminated in Hogan beating Savage for his second WWF Championship at WrestleMania V.

Later title reigns (1989–1992)

Hogan's second run lasted a year, during which time he starred in the movie ''No Holds Barred''. The film was the inspiration of a feud with Hogan's co-star Tom Lister, Jr., who appeared at wrestling events as his movie character, Zeus. Zeus was a monster heel who was "jealous" over Hogan's higher billing and wanted revenge. Hogan, however, was easily able to defeat Zeus in a series of matches across the country during late 1989, beginning with a tag team match at SummerSlam, in which Hogan and Brutus Beefcake topped Zeus and Savage. Hogan and Beefcake defeated Zeus and Savage in a rematch at the No Holds Barred pay-per-view to end the feud.

Hogan's second title run was briefly interrupted in January 1989 when he was defeated via submission by Dino Bravo after Hogan couldn't break Bravo's bearhug hold. Hogan attempted to "Hulk Up" and turn the match around, but Bravo wouldn't release the hold, and Hogan became unconscious, forcing the ref to call the match. A silenced crowd watched Bravo grab the championship belt no sooner than an announcement was made that Hogan was determined the winner, by way of disqualification, therefore retaining his title and championship. An infuriated Bravo was quoted, "Last I checked, a bearhug was a legal move. The better and stronger wrestler just got cheated." The Wrestler magazine covered the story in their February 1989 issue with Bravo's hold on Hogan on the front cover with the title, "The Man That Hulk Hogan Cannot Beat." Also during his second run, Hogan won the 1990 Royal Rumble match. He dropped the title to Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior in a title versus title match at WrestleMania VI on April 1, 1990.

Hogan soon became embroiled in a heated feud with the 470-pound Earthquake, who had crushed Hogan's ribs in a sneak attack on ''The Brother Love Show'' in May 1990. On television, announcers explained that Hogan's injuries and his WrestleMania VI loss to Warrior both took such a huge toll on his fighting spirit that he wanted to retire. Viewers were asked to write letters to Hogan and send postcards asking for his return (they got a postcard-sized picture in return, autographed by Hogan, as a "thank-you"). Hogan returned by SummerSlam 1990 and for several months, dominated Earthquake in a series of matches across the country. His defeat of this overwhelmingly large foe caused Hogan to add a fourth demandment: believing in yourself. He would also be known as "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan. Hogan then became the first wrestler to win two Royal Rumble matches in a row, as he won the 1991 Royal Rumble match.

At WrestleMania VII, Hogan stood up for the USA against Sgt. Slaughter, defeating him for his third WWF Championship. In the fall of 1991, Hogan was challenged by Ric Flair, the former NWA champion who recently arrived in the WWF. The feud remained unresolved, as Hogan lost the WWF title to The Undertaker at Survivor Series, and he won it back at This Tuesday in Texas six days later. Flair had interfered in both matches and due to the resulting controversy, the title was again declared vacant.

The WWF Championship was decided at the 1992 Royal Rumble in the Royal Rumble match. Hogan failed to regain the championship as he was eliminated by friend Sid Justice and in turn caused Sid to be eliminated, leaving Ric Flair the winner and new champion. Hogan and Sid patched things up and teamed together on the February 8, 1992 edition of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' against Flair and Undertaker but during the match Sid abandoned Hogan, starting their feud. At WrestleMania VIII, Hogan defeated Sid via disqualification due to interference by Sid's manager Harvey Wippleman. Hogan was then attacked by Papa Shango and was saved by the returning Ultimate Warrior.

At this time, news sources began to allege that Dr. George Zahorian, a doctor for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, had been selling steroids illegally to wrestlers in general and Hogan in particular. Hogan appeared on an episode of ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' to deny the allegations. Due to intense public scrutiny, Hogan took a leave of absence from the company.

Return, pursuit of the WWF Championship and departure (1993–1994)

Hogan returned to the WWF in February 1993, helping out his friend Brutus Beefcake in his feud with Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster), and officially renaming themselves The Mega-Maniacs. At WrestleMania IX, Hogan and Beefcake took on Money Inc. for the WWF Tag Team Championship. However, Hogan thought he was too big of a star to be a tag champion and instead wanted the world title. So Hogan and Vince McMahon came up with the plan that Hogan and Brutus would be disqualified in their match. Later that night, Hogan won his fifth WWF Championship by pinning Yokozuna only moments after Yokozuna had defeated Bret Hart. McMahon then planned that Hogan and Bret Hart would eventually fight in a big match at Summerslam 1993 in which Hogan would drop the title to Hart, Hogan didn't want to drop the title in a clean victory to another face and wanted to lose the title to the heel Yokozuna. At the first annual King of the Ring pay-per-view on June 13, 1993, Hogan defended the championship against the former champion, Yokozuna, in his first title defense since defeating Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX. Yokozuna kicked out of Hogan's signature leg drop and scored the pinfall after Hogan was blinded by a fireball shot by a "Japanese photographer"(actually a disguised Harvey Wippleman), This was Hogans idea as he did not want Yokozuna to gain a clean victory over him. The victorious Yokozuna proceeded to give Hogan a Banzai Drop. This would be Hogan's last WWF pay-per-view appearance until 2002, as both he and Jimmy Hart were preparing to leave the promotion. Hogan would continue his feud on the international house show circuit with Yokozuna until August 1993. After that, Hogan would sit out the rest of his contract which expired later that year.

In 1994, Hogan, having received immunity from prosecution, testified in the trial of Vince McMahon relating to shipments of steroids received from Dr. Zahorian by both parties. Under oath, Hogan admitted that he had used anabolic steroids since 1976 to gain size and weight, but that Vince McMahon had neither sold him the drugs, nor ordered him to take them. The evidence given by Hogan proved extremely costly to the government's case against McMahon. Due to this and jurisdictional issues, McMahon was found not guilty.

Return to New Japan Pro Wrestling (1993–1994)

On May 3, 1993, Hulk Hogan returned to NJPW as WWF Champion, defeating IWGP Heavyweight Champion The Great Muta in a dream match at Wrestling Dontaku. Hogan would wrestle against Muta again, under his real name, Keiji Mutoh on September 26, 1993. Hogan would also wrestle The Hell Raisers with Muta and Masahiro Chono as his partners. His last match in Japan was on January 4, 1994 at Battlefield, when he defeated Tatsumi Fujinami.

World Championship Wrestling (1994–2000)

Early run (1994–1996)

After Hogan left the WWF in the summer of 1993, he split his time working on movies, television, wrestling in Japan, and spending time with his family. In June 1994, Hogan signed with Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and began appearing on television the next month. Hogan won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in his debut match, defeating Ric Flair in a 'dream' match at Bash at the Beach. After overcoming the likes of Flair, The Butcher (former partner Brutus Beefcake), Vader, and the Dungeon of Doom for the next fifteen months (the longest reign of all time for this championship), Hogan dropped the belt to The Giant at Halloween Havoc 1995 via DQ. Following the controversial loss (which was due to a "contract clause"), the WCW title became vacant.

In early 1996, Hogan continued his feud with The Giant, before teaming with Randy Savage in a feud with the Alliance to End Hulkamania. After coming out victorious from his feuds, Hogan began to only appear occasionally on WCW programming.

New World Order (1996–1998)

At Bash at the Beach in 1996, during a six man tag team match pitting The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) against WCW loyalists, Hogan interfered on behalf of Nash and Hall, attacking Randy Savage, thereby turning heel for the first time in over ten years. After the match, Hogan delivered a promo, accosting the fans and WCW for underappreciating his talent and drawing power, and announcing the formation of the New World Order (nWo). The new stable gained prominence in the following weeks and months. Hogan grew a beard alongside his famous mustache and dyed it black, traded his red and yellow garb in for black and white clothing, often detailed with lightning bolts, and renamed himself Hollywood Hulk Hogan (often shortened to Hollywood Hogan). Hogan returned to WCW programming eight days after his heel turn.

Hogan won his second WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Hog Wild, defeating The Giant for the title. He spray painted "nWo" across the title belt, scribbled across the nameplate, and referred to the title as the "nWo title" during this and any other time he held the title while in the nWo. Hogan then started a feud with Lex Luger after Luger and The Giant defeated Hogan and Dennis Rodman in a tag team match at Bash at the Beach.

On the August 4, 1997 edition of ''Nitro'', Hogan lost the WCW title to Luger by submission. Five days later, at Road Wild, Hogan defeated Luger to regain the WCW title and begin his third WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan then lost the belt to Sting in a match at Starrcade. In the match, WCW's newly-contracted Bret Hart accused referee Nick Patrick of fast-counting a victory for Hogan and had the match restarted—with himself as referee. Sting later won by submission. After a rematch the following night, where Sting controversially retained the title, the WCW Championship became vacant. Sting then went on to win the vacant title against Hogan at SuperBrawl VIII.

Hogan then developed a rivalry with former friend (and recent nWo recruit) Randy Savage, who had just cost Hogan the title match at SuperBrawl by hitting him with a spray can. The heat culminated in a steel cage match at Uncensored, which ended in a no contest. Savage took the World Championship from Sting at Spring Stampede, while Hogan teamed with Kevin Nash to take on Roddy Piper and The Giant in the first-ever Bat match. Hogan betrayed Nash by hitting him with the bat and then challenged Savage the following night for his championship. In the no disqualification match for Savage's newly won title, Nash entered the ring and powerbombed Hogan as retribution for the attack the previous night. Bret Hart interfered moments later and turned heel by jumping in to attack Savage and preserve the victory for Hogan, who won his fourth WCW World Heavyweight Championship. However, Nash's attack on him signified a split of the nWo into two separate factions- Hogan's became nWo Hollywood and Nash's became nWo Wolfpac- that would feud with each other for the remainder of the year.

Hogan defended the title until July of that year, when WCW booked him in a match against newcomer and then WCW United States Champion Bill Goldberg, who had yet to lose a match in the company. Late in the match, Hogan was distracted by Karl Malone, and Goldberg pinned Hogan to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

Hogan spent the rest of 1998 wrestling celebrity matches. His second tag team match with Dennis Rodman pitted them against Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone at Bash at the Beach and at Road Wild, he and Eric Bischoff lost to Page and Jay Leno thanks to interference from Kevin Eubanks, who leveled Bischoff with a Diamond Cutter. Hogan also had a rematch with the Ultimate Warrior at Halloween Havoc, where his nephew Horace aided his victory. On the Thanksgiving episode of ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', Hogan officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling, as well as his candidacy for President of the United States. Campaign footage aired on ''Nitro'' of Hogan and Bischoff holding a press conference, making it appear legitimate. In the long run, however, both announcements were false and merely done as a publicity stunt attempting to draw some of the hype of Jesse Ventura's Minnesota gubernatorial win back to him.

After some time off from WCW, Hogan returned on the January 4, 1999 edition of ''Nitro'' to challenge Kevin Nash for the WCW title. Hogan won the match for his fifth WCW World Heavyweight Championship, but many people found the change to be "scandalous". As a result, the warring factions of the nWo reunited into one group, which began feuding with Bill Goldberg and The Four Horsemen.

Conflicts with Vince Russo and departure (1999–2000)

He then lost the title to Ric Flair at Uncensored in a Steel Cage First Blood match. A heavily bleeding Flair won via pinfall in a match refereed by Charles Robinson. During that match, however, Hogan began to show some signs that a face turn was imminent, showing off some old tactics like his "Hulking up" no-sell. The turn would have to wait, however, as Hogan was severely injured in a Texas Tornado match for the world championship featuring him, Sting, Diamond Dallas Page, and Flair at Spring Stampede

On the July 12 edition of ''Nitro'', Hogan made his grand return as a full-fledged face and accepted a challenge from Savage, who had gained the world title at Bash at the Beach the night before in a tag team match by pinning Kevin Nash. Thanks to interference from Nash, Hogan defeated Savage to win his sixth and final WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Nash turned on him the next week, however, and the two began a feud that would last until the next pay-per-view.

On August 9, 1999, he started the night dressed in the typical black and white, but after a backstage scene with his son, Hogan came out dressed in the traditional red and yellow for his main-event 6-man tag team match. He then defeated Nash in a retirement match at Road Wild to retain his title. Injuries and frustrations were mounting up however, and he was absent from television from October 1999 to February 2000. In his book ''Hollywood Hulk Hogan'', Bollea said that he was asked to take time off by newly hired head of creative booking Vince Russo and was not told when he would be brought back at the time. Despite some reservations, he agreed to do so. On October 24 at Halloween Havoc, Hogan was to face Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship (which he had lost to Sting at Fall Brawl the previous month, when Sting beat Hogan by cheating and had turned heel in the process). Hogan, however, came to the ring in street clothes, laid down for the pin, and left the ring.

Soon after his return in February 2000, at Bash at the Beach on July 9, Hogan was involved in a controversial, legit incident with Vince Russo. Hogan was scheduled to wrestle Jeff Jarrett for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Before the match, there was a dispute between Hogan and Russo. Unbeknownst to Hogan, Russo told Jarrett to lie down in the middle of the ring and asked Hogan to pin him straight away. A visibly confused Hogan complied with a foot on Jarrett's chest after getting on the microphone and telling Russo, "''Is this your idea, Russo...? That's why this company is in the damn shape it's in, because of bullshit like this!''" Russo responded by coming out and angrily proclaiming "I can guarantee you that this is the last time you will ever see that piece of shit in a WCW stadium!" This is also when the public discovered, through Russo, the "creative control" clause that Hogan had, which meant that Hogan was able to control what would happen with his own character and be able to do so without anyone else being able to tell him no. This has been a common complaint about Hogan, since he has been known to request such clauses in his contracts (even in WWE) because it is believed by many that he uses them to be able to "bury" others that would prove to be a threat to his legacy (which also might lead to the belief that the on-air criticisms that Bobby Heenan and then later Mark Madden made about him were not kayfabe even though the two usually were heel commentators, with Madden saying "Amen!" when Russo said that Hogan would not be back in WCW after that night). In his Bash at the Beach shoot promo, Russo said that he was arguing with Hogan all day prior to the event in the back because he wanted to use the clause in the Jarrett match, saying, "That means that, in the middle of this ring, when [Hogan] knew it was bullshit, he beats Jeff Jarrett!"

Since Hogan refused to job to Jarrett, a new WCW World Heavyweight Championship was created, setting the stage for a title match between Booker T and Jeff Jarrett later that night. Whether or not the whole incident was a shoot or a work was hotly debated. As a result, Hogan filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Russo soon after, which was eventually dismissed in 2002. Russo claims the whole thing was a work, and Hogan claims that Russo made it a shoot. Eric Bischoff agreed with Hogan's side of the story when he wrote that Hogan winning and leaving with the title was a work, and that he and Hogan celebrated after the event over the success of the angle, but that Russo coming out to fire Hogan was an unplanned shoot which led to the lawsuit filed by Hogan.

In the months following the eventual demise of WCW in March 2001, Hogan underwent surgery on his knees in order for him to wrestle again. As a test, Hogan worked a match in Orlando, Florida for the Xcitement Wrestling Federation promotion run by his longtime handler Jimmy Hart. Hogan defeated Curt Hennig in this match and felt healthy enough to accept an offer to return to the WWF in February 2002.

Return to World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2002–2003)

Hollywood Hogan and Undisputed Champion (2002)

At No Way Out in 2002, Hogan returned to the company that had made him a pop culture icon. Returning as leader of the original nWo with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, the three got into a confrontation with The Rock and cost Stone Cold Steve Austin a chance at becoming the Undisputed WWF Champion against Chris Jericho in the main event. The nWo feuded with both Austin and The Rock, and Hogan accepted The Rock's challenge to a match at WrestleMania X8. At the event, Hogan asked Hall and Nash not to interfere, wanting to defeat The Rock by himself. Despite the fact that Hogan was supposed to be the heel in the match, the crowd favored Hogan throughout it; this effectively turned him face. The Rock cleanly won the contest but befriended Hogan at the end of the bout and helped him fight off Hall and Nash, who were upset by Hogan's conciliatory attitude. After the match, Hogan was a definite face again, siding with The Rock, though he continued wearing black and white tights for a few weeks after WrestleMania X8 until he resumed wearing his signature red and yellow tights. During this period, the "Hulk Rules" logo of the '80s was redone with the text "Hulk ''Still'' Rules." Hulk wore the original "Hulk Rules" attire 12 years earlier, when he headlined WrestleMania VI at the same arena, in the SkyDome. For a time, he was still known as "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, notably keeping the Hollywood Hogan style blond mustache with black beard while wearing Hulkamania-like red and yellow tights and using the Voodoo Child theme music he used in WCW. On April 4, Hogan feuded with Triple H and defeated him for his sixth and final WWF (Undisputed) Championship at Backlash, thus becoming the last ever WWF champion before the initials dispute against the World Wildlife Fund For Nature. On May 19 at Judgment Day, he lost the belt to The Undertaker. After losing a Number One Contenders match for the Undisputed Championship to Triple H on June 6, Hogan began feuding with Kurt Angle resulting in a match between the two at the King of the Ring, which Angle won by submission.

On the July 4, 2002 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Hogan teamed with Edge to defeat Billy and Chuck and capture the WWE World Tag Team Championship for the first time. They celebrated by waving the American flag as the overjoyed audience sang along to Hogan's theme song "Real American." They later dropped the titles to The Un-Americans (Lance Storm and Christian), at Vengeance. In August 2002, Hogan was used in an angle with Brock Lesnar, culminating in a main event singles match. Lesnar won by submission (the match was called after Hogan became unconscious from a bear hug hold). Lesnar became only the second WWE Superstar to defeat Hogan by submission (after Kurt Angle), and the first to defeat Hogan by having the match called. Following the match, Lesnar continued to beat on Hogan, leaving him bloody and unconscious in the ring in what many fans recall as the worst beating Hogan ever received of his career. As a result of Lesnar's assault, Hogan went on hiatus and was not able to return until early 2003, shaving off his black beard and dropping "Hollywood" from his name in his return. He battled The Rock (who had turned heel) once again at No Way Out and defeated Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XIX in a match billed as "20 years in the making."

Mr. America and departure (2003)

Later, he had a run as the masked Mr. America. The persona was supposed to be Hulk Hogan in disguise, wearing a mask. He used Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme music and used all of Hogan's signature gestures, moves, and phrases. He was the subject of a storyline that took place after Hulk Hogan was forced by Vince McMahon to sit out the rest of his contract. After Hogan won at WrestleMania XIX, McMahon was frustrated with him and wanted Hulkamania to die. A WWE pre-debut push took place with mysterious Mr. America promos airing for weeks during ''SmackDown!''. There was also on-screen discussion on ''SmackDown!'' between then General Manager Stephanie McMahon and other players concerning her hiring Mr. America "sight unseen." On May 1, Mr. America debuted on ''SmackDown!'' on a ''Piper's Pit'' segment. McMahon appeared and claimed that Mr. America was Hulk Hogan in disguise; Mr. America shot back by saying, "I am not Hulk Hogan, brother!" (lampooning Hogan's use of "brother" in his promos). The feud continued through the month of May, with a singles match between Mr. America and Hogan's old rival Roddy Piper at Judgment Day. McMahon tried desperately to prove that Mr. America was indeed Hulk Hogan but failed at all attempts. Mr. America even passed a lie detector test.

Mr. America's last WWE appearance was on the June 26 edition of ''SmackDown!'' when The Big Show and The World's Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas) defeated the team of Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and Mr. America in a six-man tag team match when Show pinned Mr. America. After the show went off the air, Mr. America unmasked to show the fans that he was indeed Hulk Hogan, putting his finger to his lips telling the fans to keep quiet about his secret. The next week, Hogan quit WWE due to frustration with the creative team. On the July 3 edition of ''SmackDown!'', Vince McMahon showed the footage of Mr. America unmasking as Hogan and "fired" him, although Hogan had already quit in real life. The Mr. America gimmick came under fire briefly from Marvel Comics, who anointed it a rip-off of Captain America, citing costume similarity; the single star on the mask was also a trademark on Captain America's chest piece. This was also adding fuel to the fire over the rights to use the Hulk Hogan name because of Marvel's ownership of the Incredible Hulk character. Because of these problems, WWE was forced to edit out all references to the "Hulk Hogan" name, including pictures which featured Hogan wearing memorabilia that said "Hulk" (a majority of them) and started to refer to Hogan under the "Hollywood Hogan" name he used in WCW. It was later revealed that Hogan was unhappy with the payoffs for his matches after his comeback under the Mr. America gimmick. Vince decided to terminate Hogan's contract, and Hogan left WWE in 2003.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003)

Shortly after Hogan left WWE, TNA Wrestling began making overtures to Hogan, culminating in Jeff Jarrett, co-founder of TNA and then NWA World Heavyweight champion, launching an on-air attack on Hogan in Japan in October 2003. The attack was supposed to be a precursor to Hogan battling Jarrett for the NWA title at TNA's first three-hour pay-per-view. However, due to recurring knee and hip problems, Hogan did not appear in TNA. Still, the incident has been shown several times on TNA broadcasts, and was included in the TNA DVD ''TNA's Fifty Greatest Moments''.

Return to WWE (2005–2007)

In 2005, weeks before WrestleMania 21, it was announced on all WWE programming that Hogan would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. On April 2, Hogan was inducted by actor and friend Sylvester Stallone. Hogan was applauded for several minutes before he was able to make a speech. When he paused during his speech, the crowd chanted "One More Match! One More Match!" The fans also chanted "Austin, Hogan" (referring to a Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan match); Hogan responded "that may be a good match someday". At WrestleMania 21 on April 3, Hogan came out to rescue Eugene, who was being attacked by Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari. Some of the build-up to Hogan's induction into the Hall of Fame and preparation for this angle were shown on the first season of ''Hogan Knows Best''.

The next night on ''Raw'', Hassan and Daivari came out to confront and assault fan favorite Shawn Michaels. The following week, Michaels approached ''Raw'' General Manager Eric Bischoff demanding a handicap match with Hassan and Daivari. Bischoff refused but told Michaels if he found a partner he would be granted a tag team match. Michaels then made a plea for Hulk Hogan to come back and team with him. On the April 18 episode of ''Raw'', Hassan again led an attack on Michaels until Hogan appeared, and saved Michaels and accepted his offer. At Backlash 2005, Hassan and Daivari lost to Hogan and Michaels.

Hogan then appeared on July 4 edition of ''Raw'' as the special guest of Carlito on his talk-show segment ''Carlito's Cabana''. After being asked questions by Carlito concerning his daughter Brooke Hogan, Hogan proceeded to attack Carlito. This was then followed up by an appearance of Kurt Angle, who made comments about Brooke, which further upset Hogan. Hogan was eventually double teamed by Carlito and Angle but was saved by Shawn Michaels. Later that night, Michaels and Hogan defeated Carlito and Kurt Angle in a tag match. During the post match celebration, Michaels delivered Sweet Chin Music to Hogan and walked off. The following week on ''Raw'', Michaels appeared on ''Piper's Pit'' and challenged Hogan to face him one-on-one for the first time. Hogan appeared on ''Raw'' one week later and accepted the challenge. The match took place at SummerSlam. The "Legend vs. Icon" storyline was the main event for the Raw brand going into SummerSlam. The match went back and forth, with two referees getting knocked out and Michaels using a steel chair to try to gain an advantage. Even after Michaels hit his Sweet Chin Music, Hogan still kicked out and mounted some offense against Michaels, finally hitting him with the legdrop and scoring the victory. Michaels extended his hand to him, telling him that he "had to find out for himself," and Hogan and Michaels shook hands. Michaels left the ring to allow Hogan to celebrate with the crowd.

Prior to WrestleMania 22, Hogan inducted friend and former announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund into the WWE Hall of Fame. Hogan returned on the July 15, 2006 edition of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' with his daughter Brooke. During the show, Randy Orton flirted (kayfabe, as he was engaged with his girlfriend, now wife Sam Speno) with Hogan's daughter, and later attacked Hogan in the parking lot and hit the RKO onto the trunk of Hogan's car. He later challenged Hulk to a match at SummerSlam, which Hogan won. In regards to the public reaction to Summerslam, and his treatment as an employee, he said:

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He also spoke extensively on his payment, and his concerns of not being a top priority to Vince McMahon, despite the fact that he felt he was the company's biggest draw:

Hogan's last WWE appearance to date occurred on December 10, 2007 on the ''WWE Raw'' 15th anniversary. He saved Hornswoggle from being attacked by The Great Khali.

Memphis Wrestling and PMG Clash of Legends (2007)

After a brief fall out with McMahon and WWE, Hogan was lured to Memphis Wrestling with the proposal of wrestling Jerry "The King" Lawler. The match had been promoted on Memphis Wrestling Prime Time for several months. On April 12, 2007, however, Lawler announced in a news conference that WWE had barred him from wrestling Hogan on the basis that NBC performers (including Lawler, on the basis of co-hosting the NBC-owned USA Network's ''WWE Raw'' and his appearances on the biannual WWE ''Saturday Night's Main Event'') are contractually prohibited from appearing on VH1, the channel on which ''Hogan Knows Best'' airs. The situation resulted in a lawsuit being filed against WWE by event promoter Corey Maclin. Lawler was replaced with Paul Wight. Hulk Hogan defeated Wight at PMG Clash of Legends on April 27, 2007 when he picked up and bodyslammed Wight and pinned him following his signature Leg Drop.

Return to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2009–present)

Debut and Dixie Carter's business partner (2009–2010)

On October 27, 2009 it was announced on TNAwrestling.com that Hulk Hogan had signed a contract to join TNA on a full time basis where, partnered with Eric Bischoff, he would partner with TNA President, Dixie Carter. The footage of his signing and the press conference in the Madison Square Garden following it were featured on the October 29 episode of ''TNA Impact!''. His role remained uncertain.

On November 21, 24, 26, and 28, Hogan performed with a group of wrestlers including Spartan-3000, Heidenreich, Eugene, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Orlando Jordan across Australia in a tour titled ''Hulkamania: Let the Battle Begin''. The main event of each show was a rematch between Hogan and Ric Flair—the wrestler who defeated Hogan more times than any other. Hogan defeated Flair in all four matches, bringing his career record against Flair from 2–8 to 6–8. It was the first time Hogan had performed in Australia.

On December 5, 2009, Hogan announced on UFC's The Ultimate Fighter that he would be making his official TNA debut on January 4, 2010, in a special live three hour Monday night edition of ''TNA Impact!'' to compete with WWE's Monday Night Raw (which featured the return of Bret Hart) Carter revealed Hogan's role in the company in an interview with The UK Sun stating when his job came to question, "he is involved with everything from looking at the talent to how we shoot the show". On the January 4, 2010 ''Impact!'', Hogan debuted after a motorcade arrival reuniting briefly with former nWo partners Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman, the latter two of whom made their returns to the company. He, however, refused to join them for a full-fledged reunion of their group claiming, "it's a different time", and stuck to his business relations with Bischoff, who made his appearance to declare that, the two of them would "flip the company upside down" and everyone would have to earn their spot. Hogan also encountered TNA Founder, Jeff Jarrett on the broadcast, appearing via video wall and interrupting Jarrett's company success speech, stating that Carter was instrumental to the company's survival, and that just like the rest, Jarrett would have to (kayfabe) earn his spot in TNA.

At TNA Genesis on January 17, Hogan and Bischoff revealed a newly renovated TNA Impact! Zone, and reintroduced the traditional four sided ring, opposing the six sided ring TNA had in use. On the February 18 edition of ''Impact!'' Hogan took Abyss under his wing, and during this sequence, gave him his Hall of Fame ring and claimed it would make him a "god of wrestling". The following week Hogan announced that he would be making his in-ring TNA debut on the March 8 live Monday night edition of ''Impact!'' teaming with Abyss to face A.J. Styles and Ric Flair. That night, Hogan and Abyss defeated Styles and Flair, when Abyss scored a pinfall over Styles. Afterwards, the returning Jeff Hardy saved Hogan and Abyss from a beat down at the hands of Styles, Flair and Desmond Wolfe. This proceeded in later weeks to become a Team Flair versus Team Hogan situation, whereas Jarrett and the debuting Rob Van Dam joined Team Hogan and Beer Money and Sting, who rekindled his feud with Hogan with an attack, joined Team Flair. At Lockdown Team Hogan (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam) defeated Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode and James Storm) in a Lethal Lockdown match.

Heel turn, Immortal (2010–present)

On the June 17 edition of ''Impact!'' Hogan's alliance with Abyss came to an abrupt end, when Abyss turned heel. Abyss later claimed that he was controlled by some entity, that was coming to TNA. The next months Hogan worked with Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe against Sting and Kevin Nash, who claimed that they knew that Hogan and Bischoff were up to something. During this time Abyss went on a rampage, attacking Rob Van Dam to the point that he was forced to vacate the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and eventually put his hands on TNA president Dixie Carter, which led to her signing the paperwork, presented by Bischoff, that would have Abyss fired from TNA following his match with Van Dam at Bound for Glory. Hogan was set to wrestle with Jarrett and Joe against Sting, Nash and D'Angelo Dinero at Bound for Glory, but was forced to miss the event due to a back surgery. However, he would make a surprise appearance at the end of the event, turning heel, helping Jeff Hardy win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship and aligning himself with Hardy, Bischoff, Abyss and Jarrett. This is also Hogan's first working as a heel since he reunited with the NWO in the WWE. On the following edition of ''Impact!'' it was revealed that Bischoff had tricked Carter and the paperwork she had signed a week earlier, were not to release Abyss, but to turn the company over to him and Hogan. Meanwhile, Bischoff's and Hogan's new stable, now known as Immortal, formed an alliance with Ric Flair's Fortune. Dixie Carter returned on the November 25 edition of ''Reaction'', informing Hogan and Bischoff that a judge had filed an injunction against the two on her behalf over not having signatory authority, indefinitely suspending Hogan from TNA. During his time away from TNA, Hogan underwent a potentially career–ending spinal fusion surgery on December 21, 2010. Hogan returned to TNA on the March 3, 2011, edition of ''Impact!'', declaring himself as the new owner of TNA, having won the court battle against Dixie Carter. In April, Hogan began hinting at a possible return to the ring to face the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Sting. On the May 12 edition of the newly renamed ''Impact Wrestling'', Hogan lost control of the program to Mick Foley, who revealed himself as the Network consultant, who had been causing problems for Immortal ever since Hogan and Bischoff took over the company, however, this angle was aborted just three weeks later, when Foley left the promotion..

At Hardcore Justice Hogan came to the ring with a steel chair. Angle took the chair from Hogan and used it on Sting to win the TNA Title; turning heel in the process. On the following Impact Wrestling! taping Angle divulged that it was Hogan who informed Kurt that Dixie Carter had kept from him Jeff Jarrett's affair with Karen and as a result will destroy all young superstars. Walking up the ramp Angle was confronted by Sting but Hogan came from behind to start beating down Sting, where Kurt and Hogan then hugged; signifying an alliance between the two men.

CWI (2011)

On August 20, 2011 Hulk Hogan appeared as a face during a 6 man tag match which featured the Nasty Boys, Scott Steiner, Bushwhacker Luke, Tatanka, and Brutus Beefcake. Hulk Hogan distracted Steiner long enough for Tatanka to steal a pin. Hogan celebrated with Tatanka, Luke, and Beefcake after the match.

Other media

Hulk Hogan's crossover popularity led to several television and movie roles. Early in his career Bollea played the part of Thunderlips in ''Rocky III'' (1982). He also appeared in ''No Holds Barred'' (1989), before starring in the family films ''Suburban Commando'' (1991), ''Mr. Nanny'' (1993), ''Santa with Muscles'' (1996), and ''3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain'' (1998). He starred in his own television series, ''Thunder in Paradise'', in 1994. He is the star of ''The Ultimate Weapon'' (1997), in which Brutus Beefcake also appears in a cameo.

Bollea also starred in a pair of television movies, originally intended as a pilot for an ongoing series for TNT, produced by Eric Bischoff. The movies, ''Shadow Warriors: Assault on Devil's Island'' and ''Shadow Warriors: Hunt for The Death Merchant'', starred Hogan alongside Carl Weathers and Shannon Tweed as a freelance mercenary team. In 1995, he appeared on TBN's ''Kids Against Crime''.

Bollea made cameo appearances in ''Muppets from Space'', ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (the theatrical cut) and ''Spy Hard'' as himself. Hogan was offered the role of Zeus in ''Little Hercules in 3D'' on an episode of ''Hogan Knows Best'' and was shown during the filming of the movie. He also had a cameo at the end of the movie ''Little Monsters''. Hogan also made two appearances on ''The A-Team'' (in 1985 and 1986), and along with Roddy Piper, Hogan lent his voice for a few episodes of the stop-motion animation skit show, ''Robot Chicken''. Nick's favorite animated show, Captain Planet, was another popular stop for Hogan's recognizable voice. He was the voice of BP, Sly Sludge's evil sidekick. His famous catchphrase was "You're gonna pay at the pump, brother!" He also had a vital role in the two-part episode of ''Suddenly Susan'' in 1999. In 2001, Hogan guest-starred on an episode of ''Walker, Texas Ranger'', playing a reformed criminal now operating a Christian Community Center and helping Walker steer teenagers away from gangs.

Bollea hosted the comeback series of ''American Gladiators'' on NBC in 2008. He also hosted and judged the short-lived reality show, ''Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling''. Hogan had a special entitled ''Finding Hulk Hogan'' on A&E; on November 17, 2010.

''Hogan Knows Best''

On July 10, 2005, VH1 premiered a new reality show titled ''Hogan Knows Best'' which centers around Hulk Hogan, his then-wife Linda, and their children Brooke and Nick. Set in their home in Clearwater, Florida, the show follows the family in their efforts to fulfill the dreams of their children while still maintaining their sense of closeness. At the show's onset, 16-year-old Brooke is trying to break into the music industry while younger brother Nick (age 14) goes through a series of career aspirations including his failure to become a professional race car driver and following in his dad's footsteps as a pro wrestler.

As of July 2008, ''Hogan Knows Best'' transferred its focus into a new show called ''Brooke Knows Best'' which focuses on his daughter's move into a new apartment to continue her pursuit of a music career.

Music and radio

Bollea released a music CD, ''Hulk Rules'', as Hulk Hogan and The Wrestling Boot Band. Also, Green Jellÿ released a single, a duet with Hogan, performing Gary Glitter's classic song "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)". He has also made cameos in several music videos. From her self-named show, ''Dolly'' the music video for Dolly Parton's wrestling-themed love song "Headlock on my Heart" features Hogan as "Starlight Starbright". On the show, Parton mentioned that the tabloid Weekly World News had "reported" that she had written a song about her love for a wrestler, and said "if you read in the Weekly World News, it must be true!" In the music video "Pressure" by Belly ft. Ginuwine, Bollea and his daughter Brooke both made brief cameo appearances.

Bollea is a regular guest on Bubba the Love Sponge's radio show. He also served as the best man at Bubba's January 2007 wedding. On Monday March 12, 2010, Bollea hosted his own radio show, titled ''Hogan Uncensored'', on Sirius Satellite Radio's Howard 101.

Endorsements and business ventures

Food industry

Hulk Hogan's ''Pastamania'' was a restaurant in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. It was created and financed by Hogan. It opened on the Labor Day weekend of 1995 and was later heavily hyped on World Championship Wrestling's live flagship show ''WCW Monday Nitro'', which actually premiered that September from the mall. The restaurant, which remained in operation for less than a year, featured such dishes as "Hulk-U's" and "Hulk-A-Roos".

In an interview on both the ''The Tonight Show'' and ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', Bollea claimed that the George Foreman Grill was originally offered to him, but he failed to respond in time. George Foreman was called and he chose to endorse the grill instead of a blender which became the Hulk Hogan Thunder Mixer. This claim was validated on an episode of ''Hogan Knows Best'', in which his wife Linda and the family are worried about Hogan's wrestling career and plead with him to take up a career in marketing. Hulk explains about turning down the Foreman grill, and his choice to invest in the shake-mixer instead, saying that whenever he thinks about investing in something "big," he thinks about what happened with the grill and the shake-mixer. However, he has since endorsed a similar product known as "The Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill."

In 2006, Bollea unveiled his own energy drink, Hogan Energy, distributed by Socko Energy. It was featured in an episode of ''Hogan Knows Best''. His name and likeness are also applied to a line of microwavable hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and chicken sandwiches sold at Wal-Mart called "Hulkster Burgers".

In September 2008, Bollea's net worth was revealed to be over $30 million.

Other

During an interview with ''The Sun'' in 2007, Bollea claimed to be planning his own federation to compete against Vince McMahon. Bollea says he has raised $40 million of the $80–$100 million goal and his venture is something that will eventually revolutionize the sport of professional wrestling.

In October 2007, Bollea transferred all trademarks referring to himself to his liability company named "Hogan Holdings Limited". The trademarks include Hulk Hogan, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Hulkster, Hogan Knows Grillin, Hulkamania.com, and Hulkapedia.com.

In April 2008, Bollea announced that he would be lending his license to video game developer Gameloft to create "Hulkamania Wrestling" for mobile phones. Hogan stated in a press release that the game would be "true to [his] experiences in wrestling" and use his classic wrestling moves like the Doublehand Choke Lift and Strong Clothesline. As of 2010, Hogan stars alongside Troy Aikman in commercials for Rent-A-Center. On March 24, 2011, Hogan made a special appearance on ''American Idol'', giving a big surprise to wrestling fans Paul McDonald and James Durbin.

On 15 October 2010, Endemol Games UK (a subsidiary of media production group Endemol UK) announced a partnership with Bischoff Hervey Entertainment to produce "Hulk Hogan's Hulkamania", an online gambling game featuring video footage of Hogan.

Personal life

On December 18, 1983, Bollea married Linda Claridge (born August 24, 1959). They have a daughter Brooke (born May 5, 1988) and a son Nick (born July 27, 1990). Bollea made his personal life the centerpiece of the television show ''Hogan Knows Best'', which includes his wife and two children.

Bollea's 17 year old son Nick was indicted as an adult on November 7, 2007 on four criminal charges. The charges stemmed from an August car accident that seriously injured the passenger in Nick's car, John Graziano. Nick pleaded no contest and was sentenced to eight months in prison on May 9, 2008.

According to an interview in ''The National Enquirer'', Christiane Plante revealed that she had an affair with Hogan in 2007 while the Hogan family was shooting ''Hogan Knows Best''. Plante was 33 years old at the time and had worked with Brooke Hogan on her 2006 album. On November 20, 2007, Linda filed for divorce in Pinellas County, Florida. Hulk told ''St. Petersburg Times'' that he was unaware of the filing when the paper called for a comment. The Graziano family's lawyer believed the divorce might have been an attempt to divide the family's assets from a planned civil suit against the Bolleas regarding their son, Nick. After filing for divorce, Linda (48 at the time) began dating Charlie Hill (19 at the time). Hill was a student at Brooke and Nick's high school, one grade above Nick and one grade below Brooke. In November 2008, Linda revealed to the public that she made the decision to end her marriage after finding out about Hulk Hogan's affair.

Bollea was honored as the 2008 King of the Krewe of Bacchus, a New Orleans carnival organization. Hogan visited the Children's Hospital of New Orleans and rode in the parade where he threw doubloons with his likeness. Hogan received the honor in part because meeting Hogan is one of the most requested "wishes" of the terminally ill children benefited by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Bollea lived with his daughter, Brooke, who starred in the now-cancelled VH1 reality series, ''Brooke Knows Best''. Bollea has suffered numerous health problems, particularly with his back since retiring as a wrestler following the years of heavy weight training and jolting as a wrestler.

On October 27, 2009, St. Martin's Press released Bollea's autobiography, ''My Life Outside the Ring.'' Bollea has continued to stay in the news, due to his revelation that he considered suicide in 2007, shortly after his wife filed for divorce. Hogan credits Laila Ali, co-star on ''American Gladiators'', with preventing him from committing suicide.

Bollea has been in a relationship with Jennifer McDaniel since early 2008. The two were engaged in November 2009 and married on December 14, 2010, in Clearwater, Florida.

In 2011, A&E; released a 1-hour documentary about the problems of Hogan, his comeback to (and problems with) TNA and his current life problems.

Hogan became a distributor for multi-level marketing company ViSalus Sciences after looking for business opportunities outside of wrestling.

Filmography

''No Holds Barred (1989 film) ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' ''Suburban Commando'' ''Mr. Nanny'' ''The Secret Agent Club'' ''The Ultimate Weapon'' ''McCinsey's Island'' ''Assault on Death Mountain'' ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' ''Little Hercules'' ''Gnomeo and Juliet''

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Film	Role	Notes
1982	''Rocky III''	Thunderlips
1989	No Holds Barred'' ||	Rip
1990	|	Himself
1991	|	Shep Ramsey
rowspan=2	1993	|	Sean Armstrong
''Thunder in Paradise''	Randolph J. ''Hurricane'' Spencer
rowspan=2		1994	Thunder in Paradise>Thunder in Paradise II''
''Thunder in Paradise		Thunder in Paradise (TV)''
1995		Thunder in Paradise>Thunder in Paradise III''
rowspan=3	1996	|	Ray Chase
''Spy Hard''	Steele's other Tag-Team Member
''Santa with Muscles''	Blake
rowspan=2	1997	|	Cutter
''Assault on Devil's Island''	Mike McBride
rowspan=2	1998	|	Joe McGrai
''3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain''	Dave Dragon
rowspan=2	1999	|	Mike McBride
''Muppets from Space''	Himself
2001	|	Boomer Knight	List of Walker, Texas Ranger episodes>Division Street
2009	|	Zeus
rowspan=2	2011	|	Terrafirminator V.O.	Voice
''Black River''	Marcus Demchak

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Axe Bomber'' (Crooked arm lariat)

''Atomic Leg Drop'' (Running leg drop)

Signature moves

Atomic drop

Big boot

Body slam

Clothesline

Multiple punches, with theatrics

Raking the opponent's eyes or back

Managers

"Classy" Freddie Blassie

Miss Elizabeth

"The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart

Nicknames

"(The) Hulkster"

"The Hulk"

"The Immortal"

"Hollywood"

* The Unstoppable Force

Entrance themes

* American Wrestling Association

** "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor

* World Championship Wrestling

** "American Made" by The Wrestling Boot Band (1994–1996, 1999–2000)

** "Rockhouse" by Frank Shelley (used while a part of the New World Order; 1996–1999)

** "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1997–1999)

** "Kevin Nash/Wolfpac Theme" (used while a part of the nWo wolfpac elite; 1999)

* Xcitement Wrestling Federation

** "American Made" by The Wrestling Boot Band (2001)

* World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

** "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor (1984–1986)

** "Hulk Hogan's Theme" by Jim Steinman (1985)

** "Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa (1985)

** "Real American" by Rick Derringer (1986–1993,2002,2003,2005–2007)

** "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (2002–2003)

* Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

** "nWo Original Theme" (Rockhouse Remix) by Frank Shelly (2010–present)

*"Immortal Theme" by Dale Oliver (used while a part of Immortal; 2010–present)

Championships and accomplishments

New Japan Pro Wrestling

IWGP League Tournament (1983)

* MSG Tag League Tournament (1982, 1983)—with Antonio Inoki

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum

*Class of 2003

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

* PWI Comeback of the Year (1994, 2002)

* PWI Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Paul Orndorff

* PWI Match of the Year (1985) with Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff at WrestleMania

* PWI Match of the Year (1988) vs. André the Giant at The Main Event

* PWI Match of the Year (1990) vs. The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI

* PWI Match of the Year (2002) vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8

* PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1996, 1998)

PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1983, 1999)

* PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1985, 1989, 1990)

* PWI Wrestler of the Year (1987, 1991, 1994)

PWI ranked him #1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1991

PWI ranked him #1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003

PWI ranked him #57 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the "PWI Years" with Randy Savage in 2003

Southeastern Championship Wrestling

NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship ''(Northern Division)'' (1 time)

* NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship ''(Southern Division)'' (2 times)

Tokyo Sports Grand Prix

Match of the Year (1991) vs. Genichiro Tenryu on December 12, 1991

Most Outstanding Forienger (1983)

World Championship Wrestling

WCW World Heavyweight Championship (6 times)

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment

WWE World Tag Team Championship (1 time)—with Edge

WWF/E Championship (6 times)

Royal Rumble (1990, 1991)

WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

* Feud of the Year (1986) vs. Paul Orndorff

* Most Charismatic (1985–1987, 1989–1991)

* Most Overrated (1985–1987, 1994–1998)

* Worst Worked Match of the Year (1987) vs. André the Giant at WrestleMania III

* Worst Worked Match of the Year (1996) with Randy Savage vs. Arn Anderson, Meng, The Barbarian, Ric Flair, Kevin Sullivan, Z-Gangsta, and The Ultimate Solution in a Towers of Doom match at Uncensored

* Worst Worked Match of the Year (1997) vs. Roddy Piper at SuperBrawl VII

* Worst Worked Match of the Year (1998) vs. The Warrior at Halloween Havoc

* Worst Feud of the Year (1991) vs. Sgt. Slaughter

* Worst Feud of the Year (1995) vs. The Dungeon of Doom

* Worst Feud of the Year (1998) vs. The Warrior

* Worst Feud of the Year (2000) vs. Billy Kidman

* Best Babyface (1982–1991)

* Least Favorite Wrestler (1985, 1986, 1991, 1994–1999)

* Worst Wrestler (1997)

* Most Embarrassing Wrestler (1995, 1996, 1998–2000)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

Hogan's last reign was as Undisputed WWF Champion. The title was renamed the WWE Undisputed Championship on May 6, 2002 after World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. settled a lawsuit with the World Wide Fund for Nature, and became simply World Wrestling Entertainment.}}

Notes

References

External links

HulkHogan.com (Official website)

Professional wrestling record for Hulk Hogan from The Internet Wrestling Database

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Profile

WWE Hall of Fame Profile

TNA Profile

Official Twitter

Hulk Hogan Possibly Returning to WWE at The Wrestling Cafe

Category:1953 births Category:Actors from Florida Category:Actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:American film actors Category:American people of French descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American people of Panamanian descent Category:American professional wrestlers Category:Living people Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Augusta, Georgia Category:People from Miami, Florida Category:People from Tampa, Florida Category:Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Category:University of South Florida alumni Category:WWE Hall of Fame Category:People associated with Direct Sales

ar:هولك هوجان an:Hulk Hogan bar:Terrence Bollea bg:Хълк Хоган ca:Hulk Hogan cs:Hulk Hogan cy:Hulk Hogan da:Hulk Hogan de:Hulk Hogan es:Hulk Hogan eu:Hulk Hogan fa:هالک هوگان fr:Hulk Hogan gl:Hulk Hogan ko:헐크 호건 hy:Հալկ Հոգան hi:हल्क होगन it:Hulk Hogan he:האלק הוגאן hu:Hulk Hogan ml:ഹൾക്ക് ഹോഗൻ ms:Hulk Hogan nl:Hulk Hogan ja:ハルク・ホーガン no:Hulk Hogan pl:Hulk Hogan pt:Hulk Hogan ro:Hulk Hogan ru:Халк Хоган simple:Hulk Hogan sr:Халк Хоган fi:Hulk Hogan sv:Hulk Hogan te:హల్క్ హొగన్ th:ฮัลค์ โฮแกน tr:Hulk Hogan vi:Hulk Hogan

Birth name	Driton Dovolani
Birth date	July 17, 1973
Birth place	Debar, Yugoslavia
Occupation	Dancer
Url	Official website }}

Driton "Tony" Dovolani (born July 17, 1973) is an Albanian American professional ballroom dancer, instructor and judge based in New York City. He is known for his involvement in the American version of ''Dancing with the Stars'' on ABC. Dovolani also portrayed a Latin bad boy in the hit film ''Shall We Dance?'' and spent time coaching actress Jennifer Lopez. When not dancing, he enjoys spending time at home with his wife, daughters and son.

Early life

Dovolani was born in the city of Debar in the former Yugoslavia, but was sent to Kosovo as a young boy. He reportedly began folk dancing at the age of three. At the age of 15, his entire family moved to the United States. He got the opportunity to attend classes at a Fred Astaire Dance Academy.

''Dancing with the Stars''

Dovolani was partnered with professional wrestler Stacy Keibler in Season 2, where they made it to the finals and finished in 3rd place. In Season 3, he was partnered with country music star Sara Evans. Midway through the season, Evans withdrew from the competition due to personal reasons. He returned to the ballroom on March 19 for Season 4, this time partnered with talk show host Leeza Gibbons. They were the third couple eliminated from the competition and came in 9th place.

He competed in Season 5, partnered with actress Jane Seymour. They were the seventh couple eliminated from the competition and finished in 6th place. In Season 6, his partner was Broadway actress Marissa Jaret Winokur. They were eliminated in the semi-finals and finished in 4th place. Dovolani competed in Season 7 of ''Dancing with the Stars'' with actress Susan Lucci of ''All My Children'' as his partner. They were eliminated in Week 7 and came in 6th place.

In the eighth season, he was originally paired with Nancy O'Dell of ''Access Hollywood''. However, on March 5 she withdrew from the competition due to a torn meniscus sustained during pre-season practice. With only two days to practice, Melissa Rycroft, fresh off her ''The Bachelor'' appearance, stepped in and became his new celebrity partner. They made it to the finals and took 3rd place in the competition.

In the ninth season, he was partnered with former model and entrepreneur Kathy Ireland. They were the third couple to be eliminated, finishing in 14th place. For Season Ten, Tony was partnered with former reality star Kate Gosselin from ''Jon and Kate Plus 8''/''Kate Plus 8''. They were the fourth couple eliminated, finishing in 8th place. For the eleventh season, he was partnered with ''The Hills'' star Audrina Patridge. They were the sixth couple eliminated, finishing in 7th place. For Season 12, his partner was talk show host Wendy Williams. They were the second couple eliminated, finishing in tenth place.

Performances

Season 2 - With celebrity partner: Stacy Kiebler 27.7

rowspan="2"	Week #
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	2		Rumba/ "I'm like a Bird"		9		10		10		Safe
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	4		Foxtrot/"Cold, Cold Heart"		8		9		9		Safe
	5		Samba/"Bootylicious"		10		10		10		Safe
	6		Jive/"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"		10		10		10		Safe
	7		Quickstep/"You Can't Hurry Love"Cha-Cha-Cha/"Since U Been Gone"		99		99		910		Safe
	8		Jive/"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"Freestyle/"Stayin' Alive"Samba/"Livin' La Vida Loca"		10810		10910		10910

Season 3 - With celebrity partner: Sara Evans 21.0

rowspan="2"	Week #
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
			style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	3		Jive/ "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"		8		9		8
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"

Season 4 - With celebrity partner: Leeza Gibbons 19.0

rowspan="2"	Week #
	1		Foxtrot/ "Strangers in the Night"		5		5		5		No Elimination
	2		Mambo/ "Independent Woman Part I"		7		7		7		Safe
	3		Tango/ "Jealousy"		8		8		8
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"

Season 5 - With celebrity partner: Jane Seymour

rowspan="2"	Week #
	1		Foxtrot/ "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love"		8		8		8		Safe
	2		Mambo/ "Cuban Pete"		7		7		7		Safe
	3		Tango/ "Perfida"		9		9		9		Safe
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	5		Rumba/ "Breathe Again"		8		9		9		Bottom Two
	6		Jive/ "Modern Love"		8		7		7
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Quickstep/ "I Walk the Line"Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Venus"

Season 6 - With celebrity partner: Marissa Jaret Winokur

rowspan="2"	Week #
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Low"
	2		Quickstep/ "Flip, Flop and Fly"		7		7		7		Safe
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Jive/ "Girlfriend"
	4		Paso Doble/ "My Family is My Life"		8		8		8		Safe
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	7		Tango/ "Champagne Tango"Rumba/ "Quando, Quando, Quando"		99		98		98		Safe
	8		Foxtrot/ "New York, New York"Mambo/ "Ritmo de Chunga"		98		88		89		Safe
	9		Quickstep/ "Around the World"Rumba/ "Just the Two of Us"		98		99		89

Season 7 - With celebrity partner: Susan Lucci

rowspan="2"	Week #
	1		Cha-Cha-Cha/ "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"Quickstep/ "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen"		57		57		58		Safe
	2		Rumba/ "Waiting on the World to Change"		7		7		7		Safe
	3		Jive/ "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"		7		7		7		Safe
	4		Tango/ "La Bohemia"		8		8		8		Safe
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Hustle/ "Upside Down"
	6		Mambo/ "Si Señor!..."		8		8		7		Bottom Two
	7		Paso Doble/ "The Ride"		8		8		8

Season 8 - With celebrity partner: Melissa Rycroft

rowspan="2"	Week #
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Salsa/ "The Cup of Life"
	3		Foxtrot/ "Recipe for Love"		9		9		9		Safe
	4		Lindy Hop/ "Brown Derby Jump"		10		9		10		Safe
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	6		Rumba/ "If I Were a Boy"		9		9		9		Safe
	7		Argentine Tango/ "Mi Confesión"		10		9		10		Safe
	8		Jive/ "We Got the Beat"		7		7		7		Bottom Two
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	10		Quickstep/ "I Got Rhythm"Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Save the Last Dance for Me"		99		109		99		Bottom Two
	11		Paso Doble/ "So What"Freestyle/ "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" Samba/ "Jaleo"		10910		9910		10910

Season 9 - With celebrity partner: Kathy Ireland

rowspan="2"	Week #
	1		Salsa/ "Mambo Gonzon"		6		5		5		Bottom Three
	2		Quickstep/ "Shall We Dance?"		6		6		6

Season 10 - With celebrity partner: Kate Gosselin

rowspan="2"	Week #
	1		Viennese Waltz/ "She's Always a Woman"		6		5		5		No Elimination
	2		Jive/ "I'm Still Standing"		5		5		5		Safe
	3		Paso Doble/ "Paparazzi"		5		5		5		Safe
	4		Tango/ "For Your Entertainment"		46		56		56		Safe
	5		Foxtrot/ "Don't You (Forget About Me)"		5		5		5

Season 11 - With celebrity partner: Audrina Patridge

rowspan="2"	Week #
	1		Cha-Cha-Cha/ "California Gurls"		6		7		6		Safe
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
	6		Paso Doble/"Another One Bites the Dust"		8		8		8

Season 12 - With celebrity partner: Wendy Williams

rowspan="2"	Week #
	1		Cha-Cha-Cha/ "I'm Every Woman"		5		4		5		No Elimination
	2		Quickstep/ "Do Your Thing"		6		5		6
	style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"

Dancing

Ballroom dancing is all about the woman, according to Dovolani. He believes the man is meant to be the frame for the picture of beauty as presented by the woman.

Dovolani and his partner Elena Grinenko have recently retired from competing in the American rhythm division. Prior to his partnership with Elena, he danced with Inna Ivanenko and Lisa Regal.

Achievements

2006 nominated for an Emmy for outstanding choreography for Dancing with the Stars for episode #208 (Dance: Jive).

2006 PBS ''America's Ballroom Challenge'' Rhythm Champion

2006 Emerald Ball Open Professional American Rhythm Champion

2006 United States Open Rhythm Champion with Elena Grinenko

2006 World Rhythm Champion with Elena Grinenko

2005 Ohio Star Ball American Rhythm Champion

2005 United States Open Rhythm Champion with Inna Ivanenko

2005 World Rhythm Champion with Inna Ivanenko

Outside of dancing

Tony and Len Goodman appear along with Mary Murphy in an infomercial for the Core Rhythms workout system.

Dovolani and fellow dancers Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Elena Grinenko have created a website called the Ballroom Dance Channel. It is to help bring awareness to dancing. Dovolani and best friend Chmerkovskiy can often be found interviewing each other. The website is called ballroomdancechannel.com

Dovolani is the driving force behind the Superstars of Ballroom Dance Camp, an opportunity for people to learn from celebrity Pros from hit television shows. www.superstarsofballroom.com

Personal life

Tony is married to wife Lina, and the couple have a four-year-old daughter named Luana. Twins, son Adrian and daughter Ariana were born on September 8, 2008. Tony was in the middle of rehearsals for the season of Dancing with the Stars with partner Susan Lucci when he got the call that Lina had gone into labor.

See also

Dancesport World Champions (rhythm)

U.S. National Dancesport Champions (Professional Rhythm)

Dancing with the Stars (US TV series)

Notes

References

External links

Tony Dovolani Official Website

Dancing with the Stars Biography

Tony Dovolani information at Fred Astaire.com

Tony Dovolani Official MySpace Page

Ballroom Dance Channel

Ballroom Dance Channel Social

Superstars of Ballroom

Category:American people of Albanian descent Category:Living people Category:Kosovar emigrants to the United States Category:1973 births Category:American ballroom dancers Category:People from Pristina Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States

pl:Tony Dovolani

name	Tina Fey
birth name	Elizabeth Stamatina Fey
birth date	May 18, 1970
birth place	Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
occupation	Actress, comedian, writer, producer
years active	1994–present
spouse	Jeff Richmond (2001-present)
children	2 }}

Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''), the NBC comedy series ''30 Rock'', and films such as ''Mean Girls'' (2004), ''Baby Mama'' (2008), and ''Date Night'' (2010).

Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the Chicago-based improvisational comedy group The Second City. She later joined ''SNL'' as a writer, later becoming head writer and a performer, known for her position as co-anchor in the ''Weekend Update'' segment. In 2004 she adapted the screenplay ''Mean Girls'' in which she also co-starred. After leaving ''SNL'' in 2006, she created the television series ''30 Rock'', a situation comedy loosely based on her experiences at ''SNL''. In the series, Fey portrays the head writer of a fictional sketch comedy series. In 2008, she starred in the comedy film ''Baby Mama'', alongside former ''SNL'' co-star Amy Poehler. Fey next appeared in the 2010 comedy films ''Date Night'' and ''Megamind''.

She has received seven Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards. She was singled out as the performer who had the greatest impact on culture and entertainment in 2008 by the Associated Press, which gave her its AP Entertainer of the Year award for her satirical portrayal of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in a guest appearance on ''SNL''. In 2010, Fey was the recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the youngest-ever winner of the award.

Early life

Fey was born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, a township just west of Philadelphia. She is the daughter of Zenobia "Jeanne" (née Xenakes) – a brokerage employee of Greek descent – and Donald Fey, a university grant proposal-writer of German and Scottish descent. She has a brother, who is eight years older, named Peter.

Fey was exposed to comedy early. She recalls:

She also grew up watching ''Second City Television'' (''SCTV'') and cites Catherine O'Hara as a role model.

Fey attended Cardington Elementary School and Beverly Hills Middle School in Upper Darby. By middle school, she knew she was interested in comedy, even doing an independent-study project on the subject in eighth grade. Fey attended Upper Darby High School, where she was an honor student, a member of the choir, drama club, and tennis team, and co-editor of the school's newspaper. She also anonymously wrote the newspaper's satirical column, ''The Acorn''. Following her graduation in 1988, Fey enrolled at the University of Virginia, where she studied playwriting and acting. She graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama.

Career

Early career

After graduating, Fey originally had plans to do graduate work in drama at DePaul University in Chicago, but she "just got this feeling like it wasn't going to work out ...[that] they were going to take my money and then cut me from the program." She moved to Chicago anyway, knowing about the improvisational comedy troupe, The Second City. She took night classes at Second City, and had a day job working at the front desk of a YMCA facility in Evanston to pay for her classes. Once her Second City training began, she immersed herself in the "cult of improvisation", becoming, as she described it later, "like one of those athletes trying to get into the Olympics. It was all about blind focus. I was so sure that I was doing exactly what I'd been put on this earth to do, and I would have done anything to make it onto that stage. Not because of ''SNL'', but because I wanted to devote my life to improv. I would have been perfectly happy to stay at Second City forever."

In 1994, she joined the cast of The Second City, where she performed eight shows a week, for two years. She was also in the revues ''Citizen Gates'' (1996) and ''Paradigm Lost'' (1997), where she performed alongside Scott Adsit, Kevin Dorff, Rachel Dratch, Jenna Jolovitz, and Jim Zulevic. Improvisation became an important influence on her initial understanding of what it means to be an actress, as she noted in an interview for ''The Believer'' in November 2003:

While in Chicago, Fey also made what she later described as an "amateurish" attempt at stand-up comedy. She also performed at the ImprovOlympic theater.

''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006)

While performing shows with the Second City in 1997, Fey submitted several scripts to NBC's variety show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''), at the request of its head writer Adam McKay, a former performer at Second City. She was hired as a writer for ''SNL'' following a meeting with ''SNL'' creator Lorne Michaels, and moved to New York. Fey told ''The New Yorker'', "I’d had my eye on the show forever, the way other kids have their eye on Derek Jeter." Originally, Fey "struggled" at ''SNL''. Her first sketch to air starred Chris Farley in a Sally Jessy Raphael satire. Fey went on to write a series of parodies, including one of ABC's morning talk show ''The View''. She co-wrote the "Sully and Denise" sketches with Rachel Dratch, who plays one of the teens.

Fey played an extra in one of the episodes in 1998, and after watching herself, decided to diet and lost 30 pounds. She told ''The New York Times'', "I was a completely normal weight. But I was here in New York City, I had money and I couldn't buy any clothes. After I lost weight, there was interest in putting me on camera." In 1999, McKay stepped down as head writer, which led Michaels to approach Fey for the position. She became ''SNL'''s first female head writer, a milestone she downplays.

In 2000, Fey began performing in sketches, and she and Jimmy Fallon became co-anchors of ''SNL's Weekend Update'' segment. Fey said she did not ask to audition, but that Michaels approached her. Michaels explained that there was "chemistry" between Fey and Fallon. Michaels, however, revealed that choosing Fey was "kind of risky" at the time. Her role in ''Weekend Update'' was well-received by critics. Ken Tucker of ''Entertainment Weekly'' wrote: "...Fey delivers such blow darts – poison filled jokes written in long, precisely parsed sentences unprecedented in ''Update'' history – with such a bright, sunny countenance makes her all the more devilishly delightful." Dennis Miller, a former cast member of ''SNL'' and anchor of ''Weekend Update'', was pleased with Fey as one of the anchors for the segment: "...Fey might be the best ''Weekend Update'' anchor who ever did it. She writes the funniest jokes". Robert Bianco of ''USA Today'', however, commented that he was "not enamored" of the pairing.

In 2001, Fey and the writing staff won a Writers Guild of America Award for ''SNL'''s 25th anniversary special. The following year at the 2002 Emmy Awards ceremony, she and the writing team won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program.

The pairing of Fey and Fallon ended in May 2004 when Fallon last appeared as a cast member. He was replaced by Amy Poehler. It was the first time that two women co-anchored ''Weekend Update''. Fey revealed that she "hired" Poehler as her co-host for the segment. The reception to the teaming of Fey and Poehler was positive, with Rachel Sklar of the ''Chicago Tribune'' noting that the pairing "has been a hilarious, pitch-perfect success as they play off each other with quick one-liners and deadpan delivery".

The 2005–2006 season was her last; she thereafter departed to develop ''30 Rock''.

''30 Rock'' (2006–present)

In 2002, Fey suggested a pilot episode for a situation comedy about a cable news network to NBC, who rejected it. The pilot was reworked to revolve around an ''SNL'' style series, and was accepted by NBC. She signed a contract with NBC in May 2003, which allowed her to remain in her ''SNL'' head writer position at least through the 2004–2005 television season. As part of the contract, Fey was to develop a primetime project to be produced by Broadway Video and NBC Universal. She began developing the pilot project under the working title ''Untitled Tina Fey Project''. The pilot, directed by Adam Bernstein, centered on the head writer of a variety show and how she managed her relationships with the show's volatile star and its executive producer. In October 2006, the pilot aired on NBC as ''30 Rock''. Although the episode received generally favorable reviews, it finished third in its timeslot.

The network renewed the series for a second season, which began in October 2007. The show's third season premiered on October 30, 2008. The premiere episode set records for the highest ratings of the series. In January 2009, NBC renewed ''30 Rock'' for the 2009–2010 season.

In 2007, Fey received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. The show itself won the 2007 Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. In 2008, she won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and Emmy awards all in the category for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. The following year, Fey again won the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award in the same categories, and was nominated for an Emmy Award. In early 2010, Fey received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress, and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Lead Actress. ''30 Rock'' was renewed for the 2010–2011 season in March 2010. It will return for the 2011-2012 season, though due to Fey's pregnancy with her second child, the season premiere will be delayed until midseason.

Impersonation of Sarah Palin

From September to November 2008, Fey made frequent guest appearances on ''SNL'' to perform a series of parodies of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. On the 34th season premiere episode, aired September 13, 2008, Fey imitated Palin in a sketch, alongside Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton. Their repartee included Clinton needling Palin about her "Tina Fey glasses". The sketch quickly became NBC.com's most-watched viral video ever, with 5.7 million views by the following Wednesday. Fey reprised this role on the October 4 show, on the October 18 show where she was joined by the real Sarah Palin, and on the November 1 show where she was joined by John McCain and his wife Cindy. The October 18 show had the best ratings of any ''SNL'' show since 1994. The following year Fey won an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her impersonation of Palin. Fey returned to ''SNL'' in April 2010, and reprised her impression of Palin in one sketch titled "Sarah Palin Network". Fey once again did her impression of Palin when she hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' on May 8, 2011.

In December 2009, ''Entertainment Weekly'' put her impersonation on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, writing, "Fey's freakishly spot-on ''SNL'' impersonation of the wannabe VP (and her ability to strike a balance between comedy and cruelty) made for truly transcendent television."

Other work

In 2000, Fey partnered with fellow ''SNL'' cast member Rachel Dratch in the Off Broadway two-woman show ''Dratch & Fey'' at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City. The production was well received by critics. Tim Townsend of ''The Wall Street Journal'' in review of ''Dratch & Fey'', wrote that the fun part of watching them perform was "seeing how comfortable they are with each other". He concluded that the production "isn't about two women being funny. [...] Dratch and Fey are just funny. Period." One of the ''SNL'' sketches, "Sully and Denise", originated at Second City in Chicago.

On August 13, 2007, Fey made a guest appearance on the children's television series ''Sesame Street'', in the episode, "The Bookaneers". She appeared as a guest judge on the November 25, 2007 episode of the Food Network program ''Iron Chef America''. Fey has appeared in Disney's campaign "Year of a Million Dreams" as Tinker Bell, along with Mikhail Baryshnikov as Peter Pan and Gisele Bündchen as Wendy Darling. She has also done commercials for American Express credit card.

On February 23, 2008, Fey hosted the first episode of ''SNL'' after the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. For this appearance, she was nominated for an Emmy in the category of Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. Fey hosted ''SNL'' for a second time on April 10, 2010, and for her appearance she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

On April 5, 2011, her book, an autobiographical comedy entitled ''Bossypants'', was released. It received a positive review from ''the New York Times''.

Feature films

In 2002, Fey appeared in the surreal comedy ''Martin & Orloff''. She made her debut as writer and co-star of the 2004 teen comedy ''Mean Girls''. Characters and behaviors in the movie are based on Fey's high school life at Upper Darby High School and on the non-fiction book ''Queen Bees and Wannabes'' by Rosalind Wiseman. The cast includes other past cast members of ''SNL'' including Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, and Amy Poehler. The film received favorable reviews, and was a box office success, grossing $129 million worldwide.

In a 2004 interview, Fey expressed that she would like to write and direct movies in which she has small parts. In 2006, Fey worked on a movie script for Paramount Pictures, which was to feature Sacha Baron Cohen, by the name of ''Curly Oxide and Vic Thrill'', based loosely on the true story of a Hasidic rock musician. In 2007, she was cast in the animated comedy film ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters'' as the Aqua Teens' mother, a giant burrito.

Fey and former ''SNL'' castmate Amy Poehler starred in the 2008 comedy ''Baby Mama''. The movie was written and directed by Michael McCullers. The plot concerns Kate (Fey), a business woman, who wants a child but, discovering she has only a million-to-one chance of getting pregnant, decides to find a surrogate: Angie (Poehler), a white-trash schemer. ''Baby Mama'' received mixed reviews, but many critics enjoyed Fey's performance. Todd McCarthy of ''Variety'' wrote: "Fey is a delight to watch throughout. Able to convey Kate's intentions and feelings through the simple looks and inflections, she never melodramatizes her situation; nor does her efficient, perfectionist side become overbearing." The movie grossed over $64 million at the box office.

Fey's projects after 2008 include her lending her voice to the character Lisa in the English language version of the Japanese animated film ''Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea'' (titled ''Ponyo'' for its U.S. release). In 2009, she appeared in ''The Invention of Lying'', alongside Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, and Christopher Guest. Her next film role was in Shawn Levy's 2010 comedy ''Date Night'', a feature that focuses on a married couple, played by Fey and Steve Carell, who go on a date; however, the night goes awry for the two. Also in the same year, she voiced Roxanne Ritchie, a television reporter, in the DreamWorks animated film ''Megamind'' (2010). With a total worldwide gross of $321 million, ''Megamind'' is Fey's most commercially successful picture to date. It earned $173 million outside the U.S. and $148 million domestically.

In July 2010 it was announced that Fey will star in an upcoming comedy entitled ''Mommy & Me'' alongside Meryl Streep, who will play her mother. The film will be directed by Stanley Tucci.

In the media

Fey was ranked in the Hot 100 List at number 80 on ''Maxim'' magazine in 2002. She was named one of ''People'' magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2003, and one of ''People'' magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in 2007, 2008, and 2009. In 2007, she was included in ''People'''s 100 Most Beautiful issue. Also in 2007, Fey placed seventh on the Hot 100 List on AfterEllen.com. She repeated the appearance the following year, however, being voted as number one on the list.

In 2001, ''Entertainment Weekly'' named Fey as one of their Entertainers of the Year for her work on ''Weekend Update''. She again was named one of the magazine's Entertainers of the Year in 2007, and placed number two in 2008. In 2009, Fey was named as ''Entertainment Weekly'''s fifth individual in their 15 Entertainers of the 2000s list. The newspaper editors and broadcast producers of the Associated Press voted Fey the AP Entertainer of the Year as the performer who had the greatest impact on culture and entertainment in 2008, citing her impression of Sarah Palin on ''SNL''. She has appeared on ''Forbes''' annual Celebrity 100 list of the 100 most powerful celebrities in 2008, 2009, and 2010, at No. 99, No. 86, and No. 90 respectively.

In 2007, the ''New York Post'' included Fey in New York's 50 Most Powerful Women, ranking her at number 33. Fey was among the Time 100, a list of the 100 most influential people in the world, in 2007 and 2009, as selected annually by ''Time'' magazine. Fey's featured article for the 2009 list was written by ''30 Rock'' co-star, Alec Baldwin. She was selected by Barbara Walters as one of America's 10 Most Fascinating People of 2008.

Personal life

Fey is married to Jeff Richmond, composer on ''30 Rock''. They met at Chicago's Second City and dated for seven years before marrying in a Greek Orthodox ceremony on June 3, 2001. The couple have two daughters: Alice Zenobia Richmond (born September 10, 2005) and Penelope Athena Richmond (born August 10, 2011). Alice was born during Fey's tenure at ''SNL''. Fey returned to the show on October 22, saying "I had to get back to work. NBC has me under contract; the baby and I have only a verbal agreement." In April 2009, Fey and Richmond purchased a $3.4 million apartment in the Upper West Side in New York City.

Fey has a scar a few inches long on the left side of her chin and cheek. Responding to questions about its origin, Fey was quoted in the November 25, 2001, ''New York Times'' article as saying: "It's a childhood injury that was kind of grim. And it kind of bums my parents out for me to talk about it". Later, in an interview with Fey and Richmond in the January 2009 issue of ''Vanity Fair'', Richmond revealed the scar resulted from a slashing incident, which happened when she was five. Richmond said: "It was in, like, the front yard of her house, and somebody just came up, and she just thought somebody marked her with a pen." She has said she was reluctant to discuss the incident in part because "It's impossible to talk about it without somehow seemingly exploiting it." Fey favors the right (non-scar) side of her face when acting as her character Liz Lemon.

Her charity work includes support of Autism Speaks, an organization that sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, and the public. At the 64th Golden Globe Awards, Fey wore a blue puzzle piece pin to raise awareness for the organization. In April 2008, she participated in Night of Too Many Stars, a comedy show benefit for autism education.

Fey is also a supporter of Mercy Corps, a global relief and development organization, in their campaign to end world hunger. Fey narrated a video for Mercy Corps's Action Center in New York City, describing hunger as a symptom of many wider world problems. She also supports the Love Our Children USA organization, which fights violence against children, who named her among their Mothers Who Make a Difference in 2009. She is the 2009 national spokesperson for the Light the Night Walk, which benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

In June 2010, it was announced she would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.

Detailed works

+ As a writer
Year(s)	Title	Medium	Notes
1997–2006	''Saturday Night Live''	TV	Head writer 1999–2006
2004	''Mean Girls''	Film	Screenplay adapted from ''Queen Bees and Wannabes''
2006–present	''30 Rock''	TV	Episodes written:Season 1: (8/21) "Pilot", "The Aftermath", "Tracy Does Conan", "The Head and the Hair"‡, "Black Tie"‡, "Up All Night", "The C Word", "Hiatus"Season 2: (4/15) "SeinfeldVision", "Somebody to Love"‡, "MILF Island"‡, "Cooter"Season 3: (5) "Do-Over", "Christmas Special"‡, "St. Valentine's Day"‡, "The Bubble", "The Natural Order"‡Season 4: (4) "Season 4", "Secret Santa", "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter"‡, "I Do Do"Season 5: (3) "The Fabian Strategy", "Live Show"‡, "100"‡‡''denotes episode co-written.''
2011	Bossypants	Book

+ As an actress
Year(s)	Title	Medium	Role(s)	Notes
1998–2006, 2008, 2010, 2011	''Saturday Night Live''	TV	Multiple	Includes being a cast member from 1998 to 2006, host of ''Weekend Update'' (2000–2006), host in 2008, 2010, and 2011, and made five appearances impersonating Sarah Palin.
1999	''Upright Citizens Brigade''	TV	Kerri Downey	One episode
2002	''Martin & Orloff''	Film	Southern Woman
2004	''Mean Girls''	Film	Ms. Norbury	Features several colleagues from ''Saturday Night Live''
2006	''Artie Lange's Beer League''	Film	Gym Secretary
2006		Film	Herself	''SNL''s ''Weekend Update'' with Fey and Amy Poehler was featured in the movie
2006–present	''30 Rock''	TV	Liz Lemon	Main role
2007	''Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters''	Film	Giant Burrito
2008		Film	Kate Holbrook	Re-teams with Amy Poehler, colleague from ''SNL''
2009		Film	Lisa
2009	''''	Film	Shelley
2009	''SpongeBob's Truth or Square''	TV	Herself
2010	''Date Night''	Film	Claire Foster
2010	''Megamind''	Film	Roxanne Ritchi	Voice
2011	''Phineas and Ferb	TV	Annabelle	Voice

Awards and nominations

The following awards are categorized under the year they were announced (and not necessarily the year covered by the award ceremony).

! Year	! Award	! Category	! Work	! Result
2001	Emmy Award	Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program	''Saturday Night Live''
2001		Comedy/Variety series	''Saturday Night Live''
2001		Comedy/Variety special	''Saturday Night Live'': 25th Anniversary Special
2002	Emmy Award	Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program	''Saturday Night Live''
2002	WGA Award	Comedy/Variety series	''Saturday Night Live''
2003	Emmy Award	Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program	''Saturday Night Live''
2003	WGA Award	Comedy/Variety Series	''Saturday Night Live''
2003	WGA Award	Comedy/Variety Special	''Saturday Night Live'': NBC 75th Anniversary Special
2004	Teen Choice Award	Choice TV Actress: Comedy	''Saturday Night Live''
2005	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Funny Female Star
2005	Teen Choice Award	Choice Comedian
2005	WGA Award	Best Adapted Screenplay	''Mean Girls''
2007	Emmy Award	Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2007	Emmy Award	Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2007	Emmy Award	Writing for a Comedy Series	"Tracy Does Conan" for ''30 Rock''
2007	WGA Award	Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2007	WGA Award	New Series	''30 Rock''
2007	WGA Award	Comedy/Variety Special	''Saturday Night Live''
2008	Emmy Award	Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2008	Emmy Award	Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2008	Emmy Award	Writing for a Comedy Series
2008	Emmy Award	Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program	''Saturday Night Live''
2008	Golden Globe Award	Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy	''30 Rock''
2008	Golden Globe Award	Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy	''30 Rock''
2008	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Female Actor in a Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2008	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Ensemble in a Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2008	WGA Award	Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2009	Golden Globe Award	Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy	''30 Rock''
2009	Golden Globe Award	Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy	''30 Rock''
2009	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Female Actor in a Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2009	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Ensemble in a Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2009	WGA Award	Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2009	WGA Award	Episodic Comedy	"Cooter" for ''30 Rock''
2009	Emmy Award	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	Portrayal of Sarah Palin on ''Saturday Night Live''
2009	Emmy Award	Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2009	Emmy Award	Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2010	Golden Globe Award	Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy	''30 Rock''
2010	Golden Globe Award	Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy	''30 Rock''
2010	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Female Actor in a Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2010	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Ensemble in a Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2010	Emmy Award	Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2010	Emmy Award	Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2010	Emmy Award	Writing for a Comedy Series	"Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" for ''30 Rock''
2010	Emmy Award	Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program	''Saturday Night Live''
2010	Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actress: Comedy
2010	Mark Twain Prize for American Humor	American Humor
2011	Golden Globe Award	Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy	''30 Rock''
2011	Golden Globe Award	Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy	''30 Rock''
2011	The Comedy Awards	Best Actress in Film Comedy	''Date Night''
2011	Critics' Choice Television Award	Best Acting in a Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2011	Emmy Award	Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2011	Emmy Award	Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''30 Rock''
2011	Emmy Award	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	''Saturday Night Live''

References

Further reading

Baldwin, Kristen. "'Update' With Destiny." ''Entertainment Weekly''. May 2, 2002. Accessed July 14, 2009.

Smith, Kyle. "Leap of Fey." ''People Magazine''. May 3, 2004. Accessed July 14, 2009.

Schwartz, Missy. "The Smartest Girl in The Class." ''Entertainment Weekly''. May 7, 2004. Accessed July 14, 2009.

Ryder, Caroline. "A Conversation with Tina Fey." ''Women's Health Magazine''. March 2007. Accessed July 14, 2009.

Rys, Richard. "Exit Interview: Tina Fey." ''Philadelphia Magazine''. April 3, 2008. Accessed July 15, 2009.

Baldwin, Kristen. "Tina Fey: One Hot 'Mama'." ''Entertainment Weekly''. April 9, 2008. Accessed July 14, 2009.

Jacobs, A.J. "Tina Fey, Make Us Laugh." ''Esquire Magazine''. May 1, 2008. Accessed July 15, 2009.

Carnwath, Ally. "Queen of the jokers." ''The Guardian''. May 4, 2008. Accessed July 14, 2009.

Goodwin, Christopher. "And funny with it." ''The Guardian''. May 11, 2008. Accessed July 14, 2009.

Moran, Caitlin. "Tina Fey and Sarah Silverman: the new queens of comedy." ''The Times'' October 3, 2008. Accessed July 14, 2009.

Carter, Bill. "It’s Easy to Find Tina Fey on TV, but Not Her Show." ''The New York Times''. October 13, 2008. Accessed July 14, 2009.

Brown, Laura. "Tina Fey Rocks." ''Harper's Bazaar''. November 2009. Accessed October 7, 2009.

Pringle, Gill. "Tina Fey — From spoofer to movie stardom." ''The Independent''. March 19, 2010. Accessed March 19, 2010.

Walker-Mitchell, Donna. "Witty woman." ''The Sydney Morning Herald''. March 28, 2010. Accessed March 28, 2010.

External links

in 2008 in 2011

Tina Fey gives Wildwood a shout out on Letterman

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:People from Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania Category:Actors from Pennsylvania Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Greek descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American comedy writers Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American television producers Category:American television writers Category:American voice actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:ImprovOlympics Category:Mark Twain Prize recipients Category:Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:Parodies of Sarah Palin Category:People from New York City Category:Second City alumni Category:University of Virginia alumni Category:Writers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Writers Guild of America Award winners Category:Women comedians Category:Women television writers

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name	Martha Stewart
birth name	Martha Helen Kostyra
birth date	August 03, 1941
birth place	Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
ethnicity	Polish American
alma mater	Barnard College
occupation	Entrepreneur; television and magazine personality
networth	million (2011)
spouse	Andrew Stewart (1961–1989) (divorced)
signature	Martha Stewart signature.svg
website	Official website
children	Alexis Stewart (b. 1965)
relatives	Jude (b. 2011) (granddaughter) }}

Martha Stewart (née Kostyra; born August 3, 1941) is an American business magnate, media personality, author, magazine publisher. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising. Her 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.

In 2004, she was convicted of lying to investigators about a stock sale and served five months in a West Virginia federal prison. Although the media widely speculated that the situation would effectively be the end of her media empire, Stewart began a comeback campaign in 2005, with her company returning to profitability the following year.

Early life

Martha Stewart was born in Jersey City, New Jersey to middle-class Polish American parents, Edward "Eddie" Kostyra (c. 1912 – 1979) and Martha Ruszkowski Kostyra (b. September 16, 1914, Buffalo, New York – d. November 16, 2007, Norwalk, Connecticut). She lived in Jersey City until the age of 3, when her family moved to Nutley. She was raised in Nutley along with her five siblings. She took the name "Grace" for her confirmation name before graduating from Nutley High School.

At the age of 15, Stewart was featured in a television commercial for Unilever soap. Her next brush with fame came in 1961, when she became the occasional babysitter for the children of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Gil McDougald of the New York Yankees. The Mantles had four boys, all under the age of ten and Merlyn Mantle was overwhelmed. Martha would organize birthday parties and babysit for all four. "They would behave for Martha", declared Martha, and her domestic career thus began.

Stewart's mother taught her how to cook and sew. Later, she learned the processes of canning and preserving when she visited her grandparents' home in Buffalo, New York. Her father had a passion for gardening, and passed on much of his knowledge and expertise to his daughter. Stewart was also active in many extracurricular activities, such as the school newspaper and the Art Club. During this time, Stewart began a modeling career. She was hired and appeared in several television commercials and magazines, including one of Tareyton's famous "Smokers would rather fight than switch!" cigarette advertisements. Finishing with straight A's, she was awarded a partial scholarship to Barnard College in New York City.

Initially intending to major in chemistry, she switched to art and European History, and later architectural history. It was around this time that she met and later married Andrew Stewart, on July 1, 1961. She left Barnard but continued her moderately successful modeling career, while her husband finished his law degree at Yale Law School. She returned to Barnard a year later, to graduate with a double major in History and Architectural History. In 1965, her only child, daughter Alexis Stewart, was born.

Martha has been hit by lightning three times.

Career

At this time, Stewart began to hone and develop her business skills. In 1967, she became a stockbroker.

Andrew and she moved to Westport, Connecticut. They purchased and undertook a restoration of the 1805 farmhouse on Turkey Hill Road that would later become the model for the TV studio of the ''Martha Stewart Living'' show. Martha and her husband undertook the entire venture by themselves. During the project, Stewart's panache for restoring and decorating became apparent. In 1976, Stewart started a catering business in her basement with a friend from her modeling days, Norma Collier. The venture quickly became successful, but soured when Collier alleged that Stewart was difficult to work with, and was also taking catering jobs on the side. Stewart soon bought her portion of the business. Stewart was also hired as the manager of a gourmet food store, the Market Basket but after a disagreement with the owners at the mini-mall she was forced out and opened her own store. Andrew had become the president of prominent New York City publisher, Harry N. Abrams, Inc.. In 1977, he was responsible for releasing the English-language edition of ''The Secret Book of Gnomes'' series, by Dutch authors Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvliet, which quickly became a blockbuster success and was on The New York Times Best Seller list. He contracted Stewart's company to cater the book release party, where Stewart was introduced to Alan Mirken, head of Crown Publishing Group.

Mirken was impressed by Stewart's talent and later contacted her to develop a cookbook, featuring recipes and photos from the parties that Stewart hosted. The result was her first book, ''Entertaining'' (December 13, 1982), ghostwritten by Elizabeth Hawes. From there, word of her skills and business grew and ''Entertaining'' became a New York Times Best Seller, and the best-selling cookbook since Julia Child and Simone Beck's ''Mastering the Art of French Cooking'', released two decades earlier.

Following ''Entertaining'''s success, Stewart released many more books under the Clarkson Potter publishing imprint, including ''Martha Stewart's Quick Cook'' (1983), ''Martha Stewart's Hors D'oeuvres'' (1984), ''Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts'' (1985), ''Weddings'' (1987), ''The Wedding Planner'' (1988), ''Martha Stewart's Quick Cook Menus'' (1988), and ''Martha Stewart's Christmas'' (1989), among others. During this time, she also authored dozens of newspaper columns, magazine articles and other pieces on homemaking, and made numerous television appearances on programs such as ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' and ''Larry King Live''. Andrew and Martha Stewart divorced in 1989.

Later career

In 1990, she also signed with Time Publishing Ventures to develop a new magazine, ''Martha Stewart Living'', for which Stewart would serve as editor in chief. The first issue was released in late 1990 with an initial rate base of 250,000. Circulation would peak in 2002 at more than 2 million copies per issue. In 1993, she began a weekly half-hour service program based on her magazine, which was quickly expanded to a full hour, and later to a daily format, with half-hour episodes on weekends. Stewart also became a frequent contributor to CBS's ''The Early Show'', and starred in several prime time holiday specials on the CBS network.

On the cover of the May 1995 issue, ''New York Magazine'' declared her as "the definitive American woman of our time".

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

In September 1997, Stewart, along with the assistance of business partner Sharon Patrick, was able to secure funding to purchase the various television, print, and merchandising ventures related to the Martha Stewart brand, and consolidate them into a new company, named Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Stewart served as chairwoman, president, and CEO of the new company and Patrick became Chief Operations Officer. By organizing all of the brand's assets under one roof, Stewart felt she could promote synergy and have greater control of the brand's direction through the business's activities. That same month Stewart announced in ''Martha Stewart Living'' the launch of a companion website and a catalogue business, called Martha by Mail. The company also has a direct-to-consumer floral business.

On October 19, 1999, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia went public on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol MSO. The initial public offering was set at $18 per share, and rallied to $38 by the end of trading, making Stewart a billionaire on paper. The stock price slowly went down to $16 per share by February 2002. Stewart was then and continues to be the majority shareholder, with a commanding 96% control of voting power in the company.

Stock trading case and conviction

According to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Stewart avoided a loss of $45,673 by selling all 3,928 shares of her ImClone Systems stock on December 27, 2001, after receiving material, nonpublic information from Peter Bacanovic, who was Stewart's broker at Merrill Lynch. The day following her sale, the stock value fell 16%.

In the months that followed, Stewart drew heavy media scrutiny, including a ''Newsweek'' cover headlined "Martha's Mess". Notably, on June 25, 2002, CBS anchor Jane Clayson grilled Stewart on the air about ImClone during her regular segment on ''The Early Show''. Stewart continued chopping cabbage and famously quipped, "I just want to focus on my salad". On October 3, 2002, Stewart resigned her position, held for four months, on the board of directors of the New York Stock Exchange, following a deal prosecutors had made with Douglas Faneuil, an assistant to Bacanovic.

On June 4, 2003, Stewart was indicted by the government on nine counts, including charges of securities fraud and obstruction of justice. Stewart voluntarily stepped down as CEO and Chairwoman of MSLO, but stayed on as chief creative officer. She went on trial in January 2004. Prosecutors showed that Bacanovic had ordered his assistant to tell Stewart that the CEO of ImClone, Samuel D. Waksal, was selling all his shares in advance of an adverse Food and Drug Administration ruling. The FDA action was expected to cause ImClone shares to decline. After a highly publicized five-week jury trial that was the most closely watched of a wave of corporate fraud trials, Stewart was found guilty in March 2004 of conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and making false statements to federal investigators, and was sentenced in July 2004 to serve a five month term in a federal correctional facility and a two year period of supervised release (to include five months of electronic monitoring).

Bacanovic and Waksal were also convicted of federal charges and sentenced to prison terms. Stewart also paid a fine of $30,000.

In August 2006, the SEC announced that it had agreed to settle the related civil case against Stewart. Under the settlement, Stewart agreed to a five-year bar from serving as a director, CEO, CFO, or any other officer role responsible for preparing, auditing, or disclosing financial results of any public company. In June 2008, the UK Border Agency refused to grant her a visa to enter the United Kingdom because of her criminal conviction for obstructing justice. She had been planning to speak at the Royal Academy on fashion and leisure industry matters.

Incarceration

Stewart wanted to go to prison in Connecticut or Florida. She did not want to serve at Federal Prison Camp, Alderson in West Virginia, due to its remote location; in 2004, her lawyer said that the remoteness would make it difficult for Stewart's then-90 year old mother to visit. Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum recommended to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) that Stewart be given her first choice, Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury, or her second choice, Federal Correctional Complex, Coleman. However, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice said that the BOP would not send her to FCI Danbury because the news media could too easily access the facility. The bureau could not send Stewart to FCC Coleman because of complications from Hurricane Ivan; the Coleman complex filled because inmates from Federal Correctional Institution, Marianna were moved to Coleman. Therefore, the Federal Bureau of Prisons assigned Stewart to Alderson. The spokesperson said that he was concerned that the assignment to Alderson could be perceived as being vindictive. Alexis Stewart said that she believed that the BOP "may have made a point of sending her far away".

Cedarbaum ordered Stewart to report to her prison sentence before 2 pm on October 8, 2004. By September 27, 2004, Stewart received the BOP ID 55170-054. At about 6:15 am on October 8, 2004, she reported to FPC Alderson. Stewart said that her prison nickname was "M. Diddy". While in confinement, she took a job and became an informal liaison between the administration and her fellow inmates. The ''People'' special, ''Scandals! That Rocked America'', stated "Some expected America's goddess of domestic perfection to fall into terminal despair. Instead, with the drive that would make her a billionaire, Stewart took her lemon of a sentence and made lemonade. Heck, she made a lemon soufflé." Stewart was released from FPC Alderson at 12:30 am on March 4, 2005. She was then placed in a two year term of supervised release; during five of those months, she was placed in home confinement with electronic monitoring. Stewart served her home confinement at her residence in Bedford, New York. After her home confinement ended, but while her supervised release continued, she was required to remain employed and required to not associate with people with criminal records. In addition, during the supervised release, she was required to receive permission from federal officials if she was going to leave the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Current projects

Following her release from prison in March 2005, Stewart launched a highly publicized comeback, and was once again involved in ''Martha Stewart Living''. Offerings of her company's Martha Stewart Everyday line at Kmart were expanded to include a new line of ready-made home furnishings, and its mass market interior paint line became available at the larger Sears stores. However, the most heavily promoted aspect of her comeback was in television. Stewart returned to daytime television with ''The Martha Stewart Show'' and appeared in an adapted version of ''The Apprentice'' (called ''The Apprentice: Martha Stewart''). Both shows premiered in September 2005, and both were produced by Mark Burnett. ''The Martha Stewart Show'' is currently in its sixth season.

Her prime time ''Apprentice'' spin-off received poor ratings, which some attribute to popular dislike for the opportunistic tone of the network's massive promotional campaign and to NBC's slotting the show up against the hit drama ''Lost''. ''The Apprentice: Martha Stewart'' was not renewed for a second season.

In October 2005, Stewart also released a new book called ''The Martha Rules'' on starting and managing a new business, and a month later her company released ''Martha Stewart Baking Handbook''. In October 2006, Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook, a reference book about looking after your house, was published by Clarkson Potter. She also is a regular contributor of cooking, gardening, and crafts segments on NBC's ''Today'' show. Stewart's daily talk show was nominated in six categories for the 33rd Daytime Emmy Awards in 2006, including Best Host and Best Show. MSLO launched a line of houses that carry her name to be built by KB Home, initially in Cary, North Carolina and various other locations nationwide. The first homes, which were inspired by Stewart's homes in New York and Mount Desert Island in Maine, were completed in early 2006. Ultimately 650 homes are planned with prices from low $200,000 to mid-$400,000s. A line of paper-based crafts for EK Success is also in development. In September 2007, she launched an upscale line of homewares for Macy's, which was the largest brand launch in Macy's history. Appearing in commercials for the line, Stewart stated she has designed more than 2,000 items exclusively for Macy's. The line includes bedding, bath, cookware and dinnerware. In addition to television and merchandising, MSLO launched a 24-hour satellite radio channel with Sirius in November 2005, on which Stewart currently hosts a weekly call-in show.

Stewart also made a special appearance on the comedy-drama series, ''Ugly Betty'', in the November 16, 2006 episode "Four Thanksgivings and a Funeral", in which she gave her friend Wilhelmina Slater (played by Vanessa Williams) tips on how to prepare a turkey. Justin Suarez (played by Mark Indelicato) is a fan of Stewart.

In July 2006, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia announced a multi-year agreement with FLOR, Inc., the eco-friendly manufacturer of high-style modular floor coverings, to manufacture and market a new line of Martha Stewart-branded carpet tiles. The Martha Stewart Floor Designs by FLOR line debuted in 2007 with the distinctive design and color palette associated with the Martha Stewart brand. The agreement with FLOR was part of the Martha Stewart organization's growing home furnishings program, which includes a wide range of products such as furniture with Bernhardt, wall color with Lowe's, and floor coverings with FLOR.

On September 14, 2007, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia announced that it inked a partnership with E & J Gallo Winery to produce a wine brand with label "''Martha Stewart Vintage''" (for sale in 6 cities, January, at $15). 15,000 cases to be sold include: 2006 Sonoma County Chardonnay, 2005 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon and 2006 Sonoma County Merlot (for Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, North Carolina, Denver, Phoenix, and Portland, Oregon). Martha Stewart also signed a contract with Costco to offer frozen and fresh food (label - Kirkland Signature).

In July 2008, Craft items under the names "Martha Stewart Celebrate" and "Martha Stewart Create", two divisions of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, premiered in Wal-Mart stores. The deal came about in part due to the closing of more than 600 K-Mart stores in the U.S. In a move from broadcast television to cable, on January 26, 2010, Hallmark Channel and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia announced a multi-year strategic partnership. The award-winning, popular daytime series, "The Martha Stewart Show" would move to the Hallmark Channel in September 2010. Following the flagship program, Hallmark concluded it would air multi-hour blocks of exclusive MSLO developed programming. In 2011, she will have a new show titled "Martha Bakes" on the Hallmark Channel.

Personal life

At age 19, she married Andrew "Andy" Stewart, on July 1, 1961. She left Barnard College for a year after she married but later returned. Her daughter Alexis Stewart was born in 1965. In 1989, Martha and Andrew divorced. Stewart dated Sir Anthony Hopkins, but the relationship was short-lived since she decided to cut it short after seeing ''The Silence of the Lambs'', due to her being unable to avoid associating him with the character of Hannibal Lecter.

Stewart reportedly dated billionaire Charles Simonyi, who was an early employee of Microsoft and head of their software group, on-and-off for 15 years. She featured footage of him as a space tourist aboard Soyuz on her television show in 2007. They broke up around February 2008 and Simonyi, then age 60, suddenly married 28-year-old Lisa Persdotter on November 22, 2008. They are expecting a baby in early 2011.

Stewart is an avid animal lover. Her pets include champion show Chow Chow dogs, French Bulldogs, Himalayan cats, and Friesian horses, including her dark horse Rutger. Stewart also created a video on behalf of fur bearing animals after being approached by PETA while in jail. Stewart stated, "I used to wear real fur, but, like many others, I had a change of heart when I learned what actually happens to the animals".

Martha Kostyra, Stewart's mother, died at the age of 93 on November 16, 2007. Martha Kostyra, also called "Big Martha" by her family, had appeared on ''Martha Stewart Living'' numerous times.

Stewart currently resides in Katonah, New York, a hamlet of Bedford, New York. She also maintains a residence on Mount Desert Island in Seal Harbor, Maine, known as 'Skylands', the former summer estate of automobile designer and tycoon, Edsel Ford, with gardens designed by renowned landscape architect Jens Jensen (1922).

See also

''Martha'' (TV series)

''Martha Stewart Living''

''Martha, Inc.: The Story of Martha Stewart'', 2003 NBC TV movie

''Martha: Behind Bars'', 2005 TV movie

Further reading

References

External links

The Martha Blog - Martha Stewart's Official Blog

Martha Stewart on Twitter

Category:1941 births Category:Living people Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople Category:American people of Polish descent Category:American television personalities Category:American women in business Category:Barnard College alumni Category:Beekeepers Category:Connecticut Democrats Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:American magazine founders Category:American magazine publishers (people) Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People convicted of obstruction of justice Category:People from Jersey City, New Jersey Category:People from Nutley, New Jersey Category:People from Westchester County, New York Category:People from Westport, Connecticut Category:Financial scandals Category:21st-century American criminals Category:American white-collar criminals

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