Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
name	Thomas Andrews Drake
birth date	April 22, 1957
birth place	Louisiana
occupation	former senior official of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA)
nationality	American
citizenship	United States
education	B.A.M.A.M.P.A
alma mater	University of MarylandUniversity of ArizonaWalden University
awards	MilitaryAir Force Commendation MedalAir MedalMeritorious Service MedalCivilianRidenhour prize
website	http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Tom-Drake/128268337206799 }}

Thomas Andrews Drake (born 1957) is a former senior official of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), decorated United States Air Force and United States Navy veteran, computer software expert, linguist, management and leadership specialist, and whistleblower. In 2010 the government alleged that he 'mishandled' documents, one of the few such Espionage Act cases in U.S. history. His defenders claim that he was instead being persecuted for challenging the Trailblazer Project. He is the 2011 recipient of the Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling.

On June 9, 2011, all 10 original charges against him were dropped. He rejected several deals because he refused to "plea bargain with the truth". He eventually pleaded to one misdemeanor count for unauthorized computer access; a representative of the Government Accountability Project, who helped represent him, called it an act of "Civil Disobedience"

Biography

His father was a World War II veteran and his mother a secretary for Pearl S. Buck. He entered the U.S. Air Force in 1979. He became an Airborne Voice Processing Specialist, with a fluency in German, and went on ELINT (electronic intelligence) missions. He left the Air Force in 1989. He was also in the U.S. Navy, where he analyzed intelligence for the National Military Joint Intelligence Center. According to the Washington Post, he also at one time worked with the CIA. In 1989 he began work as an NSA contractor, evaluating software. He worked on projects like JACKPOT and LIBRARIAN. He became an expert in the quality-testing of software and worked on a system for measuring the quality of computer code at the NSA. He also continued his academic studies.

In 2000 Drake was employed as a software systems quality specialist and management and information technology consultant for Columbia, Maryland, based Costal Research & Technology Inc. (CRTI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Alexandria, Virginia, based Computer Systems Management, Inc.(CSMI). In late 2001 he went to work at the NSA as a full time employee at the Signals Intelligence Directorate at Fort Meade, Maryland. In 2002, he became a Technical Director for Software Engineering Implementation within the Cryptologic Systems and Professional Health Office. In 2003, Drake became a Process Portfolio Manager within NSA's newly formed Directorate of Engineering. He held a Top Secret security clearance. During the congressional investigations into 9/11, he testified about NSA failures. In 2006 he was transferred to the National Defense University, where he became the NSA Chair and an Assistant Professor of Behavioral Sciences within the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF) He was forced to leave the NDU in 2008 and resigned from the NSA in the same year. He then went to work at Strayer University but was forced from that job after his indictment of April 2010. He found work at an Apple store. He then founded Knowpari Systems, a consulting firm.

In 2011, Drake was awarded the Ridenhour Prize for Truth Telling.

Whistleblowing on Trailblazer, and government response

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the NSA required new tools to collect intelligence from the growing flood of information pouring out of the new digital networks like the internet. Drake become involved in the internal NSA debate between two of these tools, the Trailblazer Project and the ThinThread project. He became part of the "minority" that favored ThinThread for several reasons, including its theoretical ability to protect privacy while gathering intelligence. Trailblazer, on the other hand, not only violated privacy, in violation of the Fourth Amendment, USSID 18, and other laws and regulations, it also required billions of dollars, dwarfing the cost of Thinthread. Drake eventually became "disillusioned, then indignant" regarding the problems he saw at the agency. Circa 2000 NSA head Michael Hayden chose Trailblazer over Thinthread; Thinthread was cancelled and Trailblazer ramped up, eventually employing IBM, SAIC, Boeing, CSC, and others.

Drake worked his way through the legal processes that are prescribed for government employees who believe that questionable activities are taking place in their departments. In accordance with Whistleblower protection laws such as the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, Drake complained internally to the designated authorities: to his bosses, the NSA Inspector General, the Defense Department Inspector General, and both the House and Senate Congressional intelligence committees.

He also kept in contact with Diane S. Roark, a staffer for the Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee of the U.S. Congress (the House committee responsible for oversight of the executive branch's intelligence activities). Roark was the "staff expert" on the NSA's budget; they had met in 2000.

In September 2002, Roark and three ex-NSA members, Binney, Wiebe, and Loomis, filed a DoD Inspector General report regarding problems at NSA, including Trailblazer. Drake was a major source for the report, and gave information to DoD during its investigation of the matter. Roark also went to her boss at the House committee, Porter Goss. She also attempted to contact William Rehnquist, a Supreme Court justice. She got no response from either.

By 2003, the NSA IG had declared Trailblazer an expensive failure. It cost more than 1 billion dollars.

In 2004, the DoD IG produced a final report of its investigation that had been prompted by Roark & the others in 2002. The report basically agreed with their assertions and found very serious flaws at NSA. For a time, the NSA was even banned from starting projects over a certain size, for fear it would waste the money. However, there were no plans to release this DoD IG report to the public at the time.

Jane Mayer, in her New Yorker article of 2011, writes that Drake felt the NSA was committing serious crimes against the American people; on a level worse than what president Nixon had done in the 1970s. He reviewed the laws regarding disclosure of information, and decided that if he revealed unclassified information to a reporter, then the worst thing that would happen to him was probably that he would be fired.

In November, 2005, Drake contacted Siobhan Gorman, of ''The Baltimore Sun'' newspaper. Drake began communicating with Gorman, sending her emails through hushmail and discussing various topics. He claims that he was very careful not to give her sensitive or classified information; it was one of the basic ground rules he set out at the beginning of their communication. This communication occurred circa 2006. Gorman wrote several articles about waste, fraud, and abuse at the NSA, including articles on Trailblazer. She received an award from the Society of Professional Journalists for her series exposing government wrongdoing. Judge Richard Bennett later ruled that "there is no evidence that Reporter A relied upon any allegedly classified information found in Mr. Drake's house in her articles".

2007 FBI raids

In July 2007, armed FBI agents raided the homes of Roark, Binney, and Wiebe, the same people who had filed the complaint with the DoD Inspector General in 2002. Binney claims they pointed guns at his wife and himself. Wiebe said it reminded him of the Soviet Union. None of these people were charged with any crimes. In November 2007, there was a raid on Drake's residence. His computers, documents, and books were confiscated. He was never charged with giving any sensitive information to anyone; the charge actually brought against him is for 'retaining' information (). The FBI tried to get Roark to testify against Drake; she refused. Reporter Gorman was not contacted by the FBI.

Drake initially cooperated with the investigation, telling the FBI about the alleged illegality of the NSA's activities. The government created a 'draft indictment' of Drake, prepared by prosecutor Steven Tyrrell. It listed charges as "disclosing classified information to a newspaper reporter and for conspiracy". Diane Roark, Binney, Wiebe, and Loomis (the complainants to the DoD IG in 2002) were also allegedly listed as "unindicted co-conspirators". In 2009 a new prosecutor came on the case, William Welch II, and changed the indictment. Some charges were removed, as was any naming of 'co-conspirators'. The new case only contained charges against Drake.

Prosecutors wanted Drake to plead guilty, but he refused. He believed that he was innocent of the charges against him. The government wanted him to help prosecute the other whistleblowers. He refused this as well. He later explained his motivations to the Ridenhour Prizes organization:

Indictment

In April 2010, Drake was indicted by a Baltimore, Maryland, grand jury on the following charges: Willful Retention of National Defense Information (5 counts)

*( 793(e) is a modification of the Espionage Act of 1917 made under the McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950 )

Obstructing justice (1 count) Making a False Statement (4 counts)

The indictment contains many other allegations; most of them do not relate to the actual charges against him. He was not specifically charged with unauthorized disclosure of classified information, nor was he charged at all under , the "SIGINT" statute. The indictment gives details about his communications with Roark and with Gorman, but he is not charged with any crime directly relating to those communications. The indictment also did not list the names of Gorman or Roark, but they were confirmed by reporters (i.e. Hosenball of ''Newsweek''). Roark's lawyer has claimed the indictment contains a "mischaracterization of the facts" about the relationship between her client and Drake. Roark herself later spoke out in support of Drake and the other whistleblowers of the Trailblazer project.

The 'Willfull retention' charges are regarding five documents allegedly 'related to the national defense' that were found at Drake's residence. The five documents in question are referred to as "What a Success", "the Regular Meetings", "Volume is our Friend", "Trial and Testing", and "Collections Sites". "What a Success" was declassified a few months after Drake was indicted. "Regular Meetings" was marked "UNCLASSIFIED" and posted on NSANet but prosecution argues the defendant should have known it was really classified. Drake's team also argued that the latter 3 of the 5 documents were part of a collection of thousands of unclassified papers related to the DoD Inspector General Report (mentioned above). Defense argues this means the defendant brought home the material accidentally, not 'willfully'.

The obstruction charge is related to allegedly deleting documents while knowing the FBI was investigating leaks to the media, and that it was contemplating investigating leaks to the aforementioned reporter. The false statements charge come out of the FBI's questioning of Drake without a lawyer present, in the initial stages of the investigation when he was cooperating with them. One count is for alleged statements made by him regarding whether he had willfully taken certain documents home. Another count is for allegedly lying about allegedly giving classified information to Gorman. Drake's defenders point out that the government's own expert has found that he did not destroy any evidence. They also point out that he was careful not to give any classified information to Gorman, and that many of the documents in question were 'retroactively classified' after they were seized from his home by the FBI.

Offices involved in the indictment included the DOJ Public Integrity Section, DOJ Criminal Division, DOJ National Security Division, the FBI, and the NSA Office of Security & Counterintelligence. Drake is being represented by James Wyda and Deborah Boardman, federal public defenders.

Drake is a client of the Government Accountability Project, a whistleblower non-profit. Jesselyn Radack, director of Homeland Security and Human Rights for GAP, worked with Drake. Author James Bamford was a consultant for Drake's defense as well.

Government prosecutor William M. Welch II (previously charged with contempt and removed from the Ted Stevens case) is the government's Senior Litigation Counsel on the case. John P Pearson of the DOJ Public Integrity Section is the government's Trial Attorney. Lanny A. Breuer is overseeing the prosecution.

Judge Richard D. Bennett is handling the case. Trial is scheduled for June 2011.

The Drake case has been written about in the ''Washington Post'', the ''New York Times'', Agence France-Press, Newsweek.com, ''Wired'', the Washingtonian.com, the Federation of American Scientists' Secrecy News, Politico, and elsewhere. Jesselyn Radack, of the Government Accountability Project, has also discussed the case.

Court proceedings

In the spring of 2011, the prosecution made several moves to restrict the normally open proceedings of a jury trial in a United States courtroom, as reported by Gerstein at Politico and others. This is done per the Classified Information Procedures Act, which attempts in theory to prevent the release of classified information during open trials. The prosecution also motioned to use the controversial 'silent witness rule', in which exhibits are hidden from the public by the use of 'code words' in court. The government has only attempted to use the rule a handful of times; its legality has been challenged under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments. The government also motioned to restrict cross-examination of witnesses, to restrict jurors from reading the Siobhan Gorman ''Baltimore Sun'' articles about problems with NSA and Trailblazer, and to prevent the defense from making arguments or introducing evidence to the courtroom about whistleblowing or overclassification.

The prosecution also attempted (successfully) to seal two exhibits the defense had published in one of their public court filings, which listed various documents the prosecution would try to use at trial.

The prosecution has also argued that the CIPA applies to non-classified information and has attempted to redact unclassified information at trial.

Government arguments

The government claimed the "newspaper articles are unduly prejudicial. The only purpose for the admission of these newspaper articles is to put NSA on trial." It also believed that it "does not have to prove that defendant intended to harm the country" under the specific part of the Espionage Act that Drake is charged with; . As for the 'overclassification' defense, the government has argued that it is 'confusing to the jury' and irrelevant to the charges. The government argues the whistle-blower defense is irrelevant to the charges as well.

Final Disposition

In early June, shortly after the broadcast of a ''60 Minutes'' episode on the Drake case, the government dropped all of the charges against Drake and agreed not to seek any jail time in return for Drake's agreement to plead guilty to a misdemeanor of misusing the agency’s computer system. Drake was sentenced to one year of probation and community service.

At the July sentencing hearing the judge, Richard D. Bennett of the Federal District Court, issued some harsh words for the government, saying that it was "unconscionable" to charge a defendant with a list of serious crimes that could have resulted in 35 years in prison only to drop all of the major charges on the eve of trial. The judge also rejected the government's request for a large fine noting that Drake had been financially devastated, losing his $154,600 job at the NSA and his pension. Drake is now working at an Apple Store in the D.C. area.

The Espionage Act and Whistleblowing

Drake is one of four individuals in the history of the United States who has been charged specifically with "willfull retention" of "national defense" information under . Most prosecutions are for 'delivery' of classified information to a third party - something that Mr Drake was not charged with. This particular portion of the Espionage Act was created in 1950 during the Second Red Scare, as part of the McCarran Internal Security Act. Anthony Russo and Daniel Ellsberg were the first to be prosecuted for the 'retention' of what came to be known as the Pentagon Papers (which he gave to the ''New York Times'', eventually resulting in another landmark Espionage Act case in 1971, New York Times Co. v. United States). The prosecution of Russo and Ellsberg was dismissed in 1972 because of government misconduct. The second prosecution was of Samuel Loring Morison in 1985, a Navy analyst who sold satellite photographs to Jane's Defense Weekly; he was later pardoned by President Bill Clinton. The third was the AIPAC case in 2005 (United States v. Franklin, Rosen, and Weissman).

See also

Warrantless Wiretap whistleblowers

*Russ Tice (NSA)

*Thomas Tamm (NSA)

*Mark Klein (AT&T;)

Espionage Act of 1917

*McCarran Internal Security Act, 1950, created 18 USC 793(e), the main charge against Drake

*Stephen Jin-Woo Kim (State Department, alleged disclosure to Fox News's James Rosen, 2010)

*Jeffrey Alexander Sterling (CIA, alleged disclosure to James Rosen used in ''State of War'', 2010)

Right to a fair trial, Confrontation Clause

State secrets privilege, Classified Information Procedures Act, Silent witness rule

Right to free speech, Right to petition, Chilling Effect, Prior restraint

Whistleblower Protection Act

Wen Ho Lee

External links

USA v. Thomas A. Drake: Selected Case Files, from the Federation of American Scientists

Save Tom Drake websites:

*Save Tom Drake, Facebook page

*Save Tom Drake, Twitter page

Drake's speech at the Ridenhour award ceremony (through Save Tome Drake facebook link)

Thomas Drake speaking after sentencing, Baltimore Sun website, 2011

Measuring Software Quality: A Case Study, IEEE Computer (journal), Nov. 1996, Thomas Drake

No Jail Time in Trial Over N.S.A. Leak, New York Times website, July 15, 2011

Notes

Category:American whistleblowers Category:National Security Agency people Category:Living people Category:1957 births

de:Thomas Andrews Drake

Thomas Andrews may refer to:

Thomas Andrews (regicide) (died 1659), English financier who supported the parliament cause during the English Civil War

Thomas Andrews (metallurgist) (died 1871), British metallurgist of international renown

Thomas Andrews (scientist) (1813–1885), Irish chemist and physicist

Thomas Andrews (shipbuilder) (1873–1912), shipbuilder of the RMS ''Titanic''

Thomas Andrews (politician) (born 1953), American politician from Maine

Thomas Andrews (Australian politician) (1900–1974), Australian politician from Victoria

W. Thomas Andrews, Pennsylvania politician

Thomas G. Andrews, American historian

T. Coleman Andrews (1899–1983), accountant and independent candidate for President of the United States

Thomas Andrews (ironmaker) (1847–1907), English ironmaker and Fellow of the Royal Society

Tom Andrews may refer to:

Tom Andrews (American football) (born 1962), American NFL football player

Tom Andrews (poet) (1961–2001), American poet and critic

Tom Andrews (singer) (born 1993), UK singer signed with eleveneleven record label

Tommy Andrews may refer to:

Tommy Andrews (cricketer) (1890–1970), Australian cricketer

Tommy Andrews (NASCAR), NASCAR driver

See also

Thomas Andrew (disambiguation)

de:Thomas Andrews nl:Thomas Andrews gl:Thomas Andrews (homónimos) ja:トーマス・アンドリューズ nds:Thomas Andrews tr:Thomas Andrews

Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
name	Ellen DeGeneres
birth name	Ellen Lee DeGeneres
birth date	January 26, 1958
birth place	Metairie, Louisiana, United States
active	1981 – present
medium	Stand-up, television, film, books
nationality	American
subjects	Observational comedy, celebrity comedy, political comedy, family comedy, everyday life
influences	Steve Martin, Woody Allen, Bob Newhart, Johnny Carson
spouse	Portia de Rossi (2008–present)
domesticpartner	Anne Heche (1997–2000)Alexandra Hedison (2001–2004)

}}

Ellen Lee DeGeneres (; born January 26, 1958) is an American stand-up comedian, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''.

DeGeneres has hosted both the Academy Awards and the Primetime Emmys. As a film actress, she starred in ''Mr. Wrong'', appeared in ''EDtv'' and ''The Love Letter'', and provided the voice of Dory in the Disney-Pixar animated film ''Finding Nemo'', for which she was awarded a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, the first and only time a voice performance won a Saturn Award. She was a judge on ''American Idol'' for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season. She also starred in two television sitcoms, ''Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998 and ''The Ellen Show'' from 2001 to 2002. During the fourth season of ''Ellen'' in 1997, DeGeneres came out publicly as a lesbian in an appearance on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show''. Shortly afterwards, her character Ellen Morgan also came out to a therapist played by Winfrey, and the series went on to explore various LGBT issues including the coming out process. She has won thirteen Emmys and numerous other awards for her work and charitable efforts.

In November 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named her a Special Envoy for Global AIDS Awareness.

Early life and education

DeGeneres was raised in Metairie, Louisiana, the daughter of Elizabeth Jane DeGeneres (née Pfeffer), a speech therapist, and Elliott Everett DeGeneres, an insurance agent. She has one brother, Vance DeGeneres, who is a producer and musician. She is of French, English, German and Irish descent. DeGeneres was raised as a Christian Scientist until the age of thirteen. In 1973 DeGeneres's parents filed for separation and were divorced the following year. Shortly after, Betty Jane remarried Roy Gruessendorf, who worked as a salesman. Betty Jane and Ellen moved with Gruessendorf from the New Orleans area to Atlanta, Texas. Vance stayed with their birth father.

DeGeneres graduated from Atlanta High School in May 1976, after completing her first years of high school at Grace King High School in Metairie, Louisiana. She moved back to New Orleans to attend the University of New Orleans, where she majored in communication studies. After one semester, she left school to do clerical work in a law firm with her cousin Laura Gillen. She also held a job selling clothes at the chain store the Merry-Go-Round at the Lakeside Shopping Center. Other working experiences included J.C. Penney, being a waitress at TGI Friday's and another restaurant, a house painter, a hostess, and a bartender. She relates much of her childhood and career experiences in her comedic work.

Ancestry

On a February 9, 2011 episode of ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', DeGeneres told her studio audience via a letter from the New England Genealogical Society that she is Kate Middleton's 15th cousin via their shared common ancestor Thomas Fairfax.

Stand-up comedy

DeGeneres started performing stand-up comedy at small clubs and coffee houses. By 1981 she was the emcee at Clyde's Comedy Club in New Orleans. DeGeneres cites Woody Allen and Steve Martin as her main influences at this time. In the early 1980s she began to tour nationally, being named Showtime's ''Funniest Person in America'' in 1982. In 1986 she appeared for the first time on the ''Tonight Show'' with Johnny Carson, who likened her to Bob Newhart. When Carson invited her over for an onscreen chat after her performance, she became the first comedienne in the show's history to be treated this way.

Film career

Early screen work

Television and film work in the late 1980s and early 1990s included roles on television in ''Open House'' and in the film ''Coneheads''.

''Ellen's Energy Adventure''

DeGeneres starred in a series of films for a show named ''Ellen's Energy Adventure'', which is part of the Universe of Energy attraction and pavilion at Walt Disney World's Epcot. The film also featured Bill Nye, Alex Trebek, Michael Richards, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The show revolved around DeGeneres's falling asleep and finding herself in an energy-themed version of ''Jeopardy!'', playing against an old rival, portrayed by Curtis, and Albert Einstein. The next film had DeGeneres hosting an educational look at energy, co-hosted with Nye. The ride first opened on September 15, 1996, as ''Ellen's Energy Crisis'' but was quickly renamed to the more positive-sounding ''Ellen's Energy Adventure''.

Television career

''Ellen'' (1994–1998)

DeGeneres's comedy material became the basis of the successful 1994–1998 sitcom ''Ellen'', named ''These Friends of Mine'' during its first season. The ABC show was popular in its first few seasons due in part to DeGeneres's style of observational humor; it was often referred to as a "female ''Seinfeld''."

''Ellen'' reached its height of popularity in February 1997, when DeGeneres made her homosexuality public on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show''. Subsequently her character on the sitcom came out of the closet in April to her therapist, played by Oprah Winfrey, revealing that she is gay. The coming-out episode, titled "The Puppy Episode", was one of the highest-rated episodes of the show. Later episodes of the series did not match its popularity, and after declining ratings, the show was canceled. DeGeneres returned to the stand-up comedy circuit, and later re-established herself as a successful talk show host.

''The Ellen Show''

DeGeneres returned to series television in 2001 with a new CBS sitcom, ''The Ellen Show''.

''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''

DeGeneres launched a daytime television talk show, ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' in September 2003. Amid a crop of several celebrity-hosted talk shows surfacing at the beginning of that season, such as those of Sharon Osbourne and Rita Rudner, her show has consistently risen in the Nielsen ratings and received widespread critical praise. It was nominated for 11 Daytime Emmy Awards in its first season, winning four, including Best Talk Show. The show has won 25 Emmy Awards in its first three seasons on the air. DeGeneres is known for her dancing and singing with the audience at the beginning of the show and during commercial breaks. She often gives away free prizes and trips to her studio audience with the help of her sponsors.

DeGeneres celebrated her thirty-year class reunion by flying her graduating class to California to be guests on her show in February 2006. She presented Atlanta High School with a surprise gift of a new electronic LED marquee sign.

In May 2006, DeGeneres made a surprise appearance at the Tulane University commencement in New Orleans. Following George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton to the podium, she came out in a bathrobe and furry slippers. "They told me everyone would be wearing robes," she said. Ellen then went on to make another commencement speech at Tulane in 2009.

The show broadcast for a week from Universal Studios Orlando in March 2007. Skits included DeGeneres going on the Hulk Roller Coaster Ride and the Jaws Boat Ride.

In May 2007, DeGeneres was placed on bed rest due to a torn ligament in her back. She continued hosting her show from a hospital bed, tended to by a nurse, explaining "the show must go on, as they say." Guests sat in hospital beds as well.

On May 1, 2009, DeGeneres celebrated her 1000th episode, featuring celebrity guests such as Oprah, Justin Timberlake, and Paris Hilton, among others.

''American Idol''

On September 9, 2009, it was confirmed that DeGeneres would replace Paula Abdul as a judge of the ninth season of ''American Idol''. Her role started after the contestant auditions, at the beginning of "Hollywood Week". It is reported that DeGeneres also signed a contract to be a judge on the show for at least five seasons. She made her ''American Idol'' debut on February 9, 2010.

On July 29, 2010, DeGeneres and Fox executives announced that the comedienne would be departing from the series after one season. In a statement, DeGeneres said that the series "didn't feel like the right fit for me".

Award shows

2001 Emmy Awards

DeGeneres received wide exposure on November 4, 2001 when she hosted the televised broadcast of the Emmy Awards. Presented after two cancellations due to network concerns that a lavish ceremony following the September 11, 2001 attacks would appear insensitive, the show required a more somber tone that would also allow viewers to temporarily forget the tragedy. DeGeneres received several standing ovations for her performance that evening, which included the line: "What would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews?"

In August 2005, DeGeneres hosted the 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony held on September 18, 2005. This was three weeks after Hurricane Katrina, making it the second time she hosted the Emmys following a national tragedy. She also hosted the Grammy Awards in 1996 and in 1997.

79th Academy Awards

On September 7, 2006, DeGeneres was selected to host the 79th Academy Awards ceremony, which took place on February 25, 2007. This makes her the first openly gay or lesbian person to have hosted the event. During the Awards show, DeGeneres said, "What a wonderful night, such diversity in the room, in a year when there's been so many negative things said about people's race, religion, and sexual orientation. And I want to put this out there: If there weren't blacks, Jews and gays, there would be no Oscars, or anyone named Oscar, when you think about that." Reviews of her hosting gig were positive, with one saying, "DeGeneres rocked, as she never forgot that she wasn't just there to entertain the Oscar nominees but also to tickle the audience at home." Regis Philbin said in an interview that "the only complaint was there's not enough Ellen."

DeGeneres was nominated for an Emmy Award as host of the Academy Awards broadcast.

2007 Writers Guild strike

DeGeneres, like many actors who are also writers, is a member of both the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA). Thus, although DeGeneres verbally supported the 2007 WGA strike, she did not support it when she crossed the picket line the day after the strike began. Her representatives said she was competing with other first-run syndicated shows during the competitive November sweeps period, and that she could not break her contracts or risk her show's losing its time slot. As a show of solidarity with the strikers, DeGeneres omitted her monologue during the strike, typically written by WGA writers. The WGA condemned her while the AFTRA defended her.

Other ventures

Voice acting

DeGeneres lent her voice to the role of Dory, a fish with short-term memory loss, in the summer 2003 hit animated Disney/Pixar film ''Finding Nemo''. The film's director, Andrew Stanton, claimed that he chose Ellen because she "changed the subject five times before one sentence had finished" on her show. For her performance as Dory, DeGeneres won the Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for "Best Supporting Actress"; "Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie" from the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards; and the Annie Award from the International Animated Film Association for "Outstanding Voice Acting". She was also nominated for a Chicago Film Critics Association Award in the "Best Supporting Actress" category. She also provided the voice of the dog in the prologue of the Eddie Murphy feature film ''Dr. Dolittle''. Her win of the Saturn Award marked the first and only time the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has given the acting award for a voice performance.

Commercial spokeswoman

In November 2004, DeGeneres appeared, dancing, in an ad campaign for American Express. Her most recent American Express commercial, a two-minute black-and-white spot in which she works with animals, debuted in November 2006 and was created by Ogilvy and Mather. In 2007, the commercial won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial.

DeGeneres began working with Cover Girl Cosmetics in September 2008, for which she has been criticized, as her animal-friendly values clash with Procter and Gamble's (the maker of Cover Girl Cosmetics) animal testing. Her face is the focus of new Cover Girl advertisements starting in January 2009. The beauty campaign will be DeGeneres's first.

In Spring 2012, DeGeneres becomes the spokesperson for J.C. Penney in a tour and advertising campaign.

Eleveneleven

On May 26, 2010, Ellen announced on her show that she was starting her own record label entitled "eleveneleven". Ellen explained her choice of name, claiming that she often sees the number 11:11 when looking at her clocks, that she found Greyson on the 11th, and that the singer's soccer jersey has the number 11. She mentioned that she had been looking for videos of performances on YouTube to start her label. The acts thus far signed to the label are Greyson Chance, Tom Andrews, and Jessica Simpson.

Personal life

DeGeneres was in a relationship (1997–2000) with actress Anne Heche. From 2001 to 2004, DeGeneres and actress/director/photographer Alexandra Hedison were in a relationship. They appeared on the cover of ''The Advocate'' after their separation had already been announced to the media.

Since 2004, DeGeneres has had a relationship with Portia de Rossi. After the overturn of the same-sex marriage ban in California, DeGeneres announced on a May 2008 show that she and de Rossi were engaged, and gave de Rossi a three-carat pink diamond ring. They were married on August 16, 2008 at their home, with nineteen guests including their mothers. The passage of Proposition 8 cast doubt on the legal status of their marriage but a subsequent California Supreme Court judgment validated it because it occurred before November 4, 2008.

DeGeneres and de Rossi live in Beverly Hills, with three dogs and four cats, and both are vegan. DeGeneres served as campaign ambassador to Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-A-Turkey Project in 2010, asking people to start "a new tradition by adopting a turkey instead of eating one" at Thanksgiving.

On August 6, 2010, de Rossi filed a petition to legally change her name to Portia Lee James DeGeneres The petition was granted on September 23, 2010.

In her book ''Love, Ellen'', DeGeneres's mother Betty DeGeneres describes being initially shocked when her daughter came out as a lesbian, but has become one of her strongest supporters, an active member of Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign's Coming Out Project.

In 2007, ''Forbes'' estimated DeGeneres's net worth at US$65 million.

She is a fan of the National Football League, and has shown particular support for the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers. In 2011, she attended a Saints practice dressed as Packers Hall of Famer Don Hutson.

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1990	''Arduous Moon''	Herself	Short film
1991	''Wisecracks''	Herself	Documentary
1993		Coach
1994		Herself	Short film
		Herself	Short film
	Martha Alston
	''Goodbye Lover''	Sgt. Rita Pompano
	Prologue Dog
	''EDtv''	Cynthia
	Janet Hall
	''Pauly Shore Is Dead''	Herself
''Finding Nemo''	Dory	Voice
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1988	''Women of the Night''	Herself
1989		Margo Van Mete	Episode: "The Bad Seed" Episode: "Let's Get Physicals"
1992	''[[Laurie Hill">Annie Award
2004	''My Short Film''	Herself	Short film

Television

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1988	''Women of the Night''	Herself
1989		Margo Van Mete	Episode: "The Bad Seed" Episode: "Let's Get Physicals"
1992	''[[Laurie Hill''	Nancy MacIntyre	Episode: "Pilot" Episode: "The Heart Thing" Episode: "Walter and Beverly"
1994–1998
1995		Dr. Whitman
1998	''Mad About You''	Nancy Bloom
	''Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning''	Herself	Comedy special
''If These Walls Could Talk 2''	Kal	Segment: "2000"
2001		Operator	Segment: "Reaching Normal"
2001	''Will & Grace''	Sister Louise
2001–2002	''The Ellen Show''	Ellen Richmond
	''Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now''	Herself	Comedy special
''MADtv''	Herself
2003–present	''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''	Herself	TV show
	''E! True Hollywood Story''	Herself
	Herself
2005		Herself
	''Ellen's Really Big Show''	Herself
''Sesame Street''	Herself	Episode: "The Tutu Spell" ''(uncredited)''
''Forbes 20 Richest Women in Entertainment''	Herself
''The Bachelorette''	Herself
2007–2008	''American Idol''	Herself	Episode: "Idol Gives Back
2008	''Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show''	Herself	Comedy special
	''Ellen's Bigger, Longer & Wider Show''	Herself	Comedy special
	Guest Judge
2010	''[[American Idol''	Judge
2010	''The Simpsons''	Herself	Episode: "Judge Me Tender"

Discography

Year	Album	Notes
1996	''Ellen Degeneres: Taste This''	Stand-up comedy Live CD

Awards and honors

;Daytime Emmy Awards

Outstanding Talk Show, ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' – 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011

Outstanding Talk Show Host, ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Outstanding Special Class Writing, ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' – 2005, 2006, 2007

;Emmy Awards

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, ''Ellen:'' "The Puppy Episode" – 1997

;People's Choice Awards

Favorite Funny Female Star – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Favorite Talk Show Host – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Favorite Yes I Chose This Star – 2008

;Kids' Choice Awards

Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie – 2004

; Tulane University President's Medal 2009

; Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards 2000 Lucy Award, actor, If These Walls Could Talk 2, in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.

Bibliography

References

External links

The Ellen DeGeneres Show's official website

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Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
name	Linda Hargrove
background	solo_singer
alias	Linda Bartholomew
birth date	February 03, 1949
origin	Tallahassee, Florida
death date	October 24, 2010
instrument	Piano
genre	Country
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	1973-2005
label	Elektra, Capitol, RCA
website	}}

Linda Hargrove Bartholomew (born Tallahassee, Florida February 3, 1949; died Tallahassee, Florida October 24, 2010) was an American country songwriter and musician. She wrote many country music hits for a variety of artists and had a respectable career for herself in the mid-1970s, as "Linda Hargrove". She was known as "The Blue Jean Country Queen" because she usually performed in jeans and without the elaborate makeup that other female country performers of the time used. After marrying and undergoing a religious conversion, she made two gospel albums in the 1980s. She put out her final album in 2005.

Songs

Just Get Up and Close the Door - Johnny Rodriguez took this to #1 in 1975

Let It Shine - a 1975 Olivia Newton-John song that went to #1 on the Easy Listening chart and #5 on the Country chart.

I've Never Loved Anyone More (with Michael Nesmith) was the title song of a 1975 Lynn Anderson album and reached #14 on the Country chart.

''Love Was (Once Around the Dance Floor)'' (1978) was Hargrove's only top 40 hit as a performer

Tennessee Whiskey (with Dean Dillon) - recorded by David Allan Coe (#77 in 1981) and George Jones (#2 in 1983)

Discography

Albums

! Year	! Album	! width="45"	! Label
1973	''Music Is Your Mistress''
1974	''Blue Jean Country Queen''
1975	''Love, You're the Teacher''
1976	''Just Like You''
1977	''Impressions''
1981	''A New Song'' (as Linda Bartholomew)		Fig Tree
1987	''Greater Works'' (as Linda Bartholomew)		Three Fold
2005	''One Woman's Life''		Panacea

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions		Album
		! width="45"	CAN Country
	"Blue Jean Country Queen"
"I've Never Loved Anyone More"
1975	"Love Was (Once Around the Dance Floor)"
	"Love, You're the Teacher"
"Fire at First Sight"
	"Down to My Pride"
"Mexican Love Songs"			''Impressions''
1978	"You Are Still the One"			single only

References

Category:American country songwriters Category:Songwriters from Florida Category:People from Tallahassee, Florida Category:1949 births Category:2010 deaths