TMZ.com is a celebrity news web site that debuted on November 8, 2005. It was a collaboration between America Online (AOL) and Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. However, it is still affiliated with AOL News and has the AOL News logo affixed in the upper right corner. The letters ''TMZ'' stand for ''thirty-mile zone'', referring to the "studio zone" within a radius of the intersection of West Beverly Boulevard and North La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles. Shooting within this zone is considered local. Locations outside this zone are subject to mileage and travel time charges by the talent and crew.

TMZ's managing editor is Harvey Levin, a lawyer-turned-journalist who got his start as a legal expert on LA's KCBS-TV. The site claims that it does not pay for stories or interviews; however, Levin has admitted that TMZ does "sometimes pay sources for leads on stories". Levin has stated that "everything is researched and vetted for accuracy." A companion TV series, ''TMZ on TV'', debuted on September 10, 2007. The site has received recognition as a rumour and gossip investigative agency, and was the first organization to break news stories such as the John Edwards affair love child scandal and Michael Jackson's death.

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Development

Seven months prior to the official launch of TMZ.com, America Online (AOL) had hinted that it was planning to launch a Hollywood- and entertainment-centric news site that would be produced in conjunction with Telepictures Productions and had shown interest in launching a website featuring a focus mainly on celebrities. At the time of the launch, AOL confirmed that the site would primarily feature and consist of Hollywood gossip, including interviews, photos and video footage of celebrities and information pertaining to industry news on movies, television shows, etc. The site was described as "an effort to further feed the current American obsession with celebrities". Mike Shields of MediaWeek.com wrote, "the site also boasts of an expansive collection of archived star photos and videos," allowing fans to "trace changing hairlines and waistlines of their favorites performers over the years".

Background

Since 2005, TMZ.com has signed Revlon, Chrysler, Hilton Hotels (ironically related to Paris Hilton, who is often mocked by the Web site) and New Line Cinema as charter advertisers to their Web site. The ''New York Times'' cited TMZ.com as "one of the most successful online ventures of the last few years." In October 2008, the ''New York Times'' reported that TMZ.com, at the time, was receiving more than 10 million viewers every month. Alexa.com ranked TMZ.com as the five-hundred-fifth most trafficked website worldwide and as the one hundred-fifty-fifth most trafficked website in the United States.

Levin has acknowledged that TMZ.com has passed on multiple notable coverage because he felt that, while the stories are true, he questioned how the sources obtained their information. Levin has acknowledged that TMZ.com pays source, but in the form of a "tip fee." Levin stated that TMZ.com pays for photos and for 'tips' and or leads on stories, and defended TMZ's position by stating that the sources and tips are verified before being used and or reported.

In November 2009, TMZ's revenue was publicly disclosed for the first time. Telepictures (which TMZ.com is operated by) stated: "Subject to certain performance adjustments and the reimbursement of expenses, revenues are split evenly between the parties [...] Telepictures received payments of $6.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, and $12.7 million, $9.6 million and $3.0 million in 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively." Based on released figures, TMZ's revenues for 2008 was $25.4 million and is projected to have less revenue in the 2009 year with the revenue of $12.4 million in first three quarters of the year—unlike the previous year, which was within the $15 million range.

Notable coverage

On July 28, 2006, TMZ.com was the first to report that actor Mel Gibson had been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Along with releasing the story, TMZ also reported "exclusive details" about the case shortly after. In the report TMZ.com posted, it contained his transport to the station and time in custody, and quoted an 'anonymous law enforcement source' and published four pages of a handwritten arrest report, via a PDF file. TMZ stated that the documents they posted were part of the original eight-page report that was written by the arresting officer, before the officer was allegedly instructed, by his superiors, to omit the inflammatory details about Gibson's alleged anti-Semitic comments and behavior. On November 7, 2006, TMZ.com was the first to report that pop-singer Britney Spears had filed a petition for divorce from then-husband Kevin Federline. On May 3, 2007, TMZ was the first to break the story, and exclusively obtain documents, stating that socialite Paris Hilton would be sentenced to forty-five days in jail as her sentencing for driving with a suspended license after losing her license from driving under the influence alcohol four months prior.

On February 22, 2009, TMZ released what has been identified as a police evidence photo of pop-singer Rihanna after she was assaulted by now ex-partner Chris Brown. Shortly after the photo's release, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced that it was investigating the leak and 'possible sale of the photo of Rihanna with a bruised and battered face after TMZ published them because the photo had been considered evidence. TMZ has claimed it obtained the photo legally but has not said how it came into possession of the photo. In the aftermath of the release of the photo, in May of the same year, a 'law', referred to as 'Rihanna Law', entitled "STOParazzi", was made The 'law'; because of the "spurred" release of the photo, aims to prevent victim exploitation.

On February 24, 2009, TMZ.com was the first to break the story that, out of the $1.6 billion Chicago's Northern Trust Bank received in federal bailout money, recipients of the money subsequently spent millions of dollars on a series of lavish parties and concerts in Los Angeles at venues like the House of Blues that featured performances by Chicago, Earth Wind and Fire, and Sheryl Crow and gift bags from Tiffany & Co. Shortly after TMZ.com published the story, United States Congressman Barney Frank demanded that Northern Trust repay the money it received in the bailout. Northern Trust CEO Frederick Waddell sent a letter to members of the House Financial Services Committee, stating that the bank will repay the money "as quickly as prudently possible."

TMZ was the first to break the report of the death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009. The report was treated with caution by mainstream media sources at the time, despite being cited on rolling news channels. TMZ's scoop beat the major broadcast and cable news outlets by almost 3 hours, until CNN finally confimed the story as well. Part of this delay was later explained as the other outlets' "stricter confirmation standards," but Levin said, during an interview with ''Huffington Post'', that TMZ.com, at the time of posting the subject, verified the story and sources. "Well, before it was officially announced. We really knew this significantly before even what was going on, but this was, you know, crossing every t. We were positive when we put it up. We put it up when we were 100% positive." TMZ were also the first to receive the coroner's report of the singer on February 8, 2010, proving Propofol dosage and negligence killed the pop legend.

TMZ was the first to break the report of the death of Brittany Murphy on December 20, 2009.

Legal problems

Contempt of court motion

On June 20, 2007, a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee filed an emergency motion requesting that the Web site be held in contempt for its publication of the entire manuscript of ''If I Did It'', O.J. Simpson's purportedly fictionalized account of the murder of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson. The filing claims that TMZ's posting of the PDF of the entire book has "diminished or destroyed" the value, which the Goldman family eventually published as Simpson's confession to the murders.

Photographer altercation

While actor Woody Harrelson was at New York City's La Guardia Airport, he had an altercation with a photographer for TMZ.com. Harrelson defended himself stating that he'd at the time just finished filming his scenes from the horror film, that consists mainly of zombies, ''Zombieland'', and that he was "startled" by TMZ' photographer. "I wrapped a movie called Zombieland, in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character ... With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie."

Blocked in the UK

On December 24, 2010 the gossip blog Oh No They Didn't reported that TMZ.com began to block traffic from the United Kingdom, displaying the message: "Due to laws within your region, you are unable to view this website." Asked for further comment, TMZ.com responded that the blocking was due to "legal restrictions." The UK website Popbitch Board noted on December 31, 2010 that it is possible to get round the block by accessing the website through the Google Translate website. As of January 7, 2011, TMZ is accessible to the UK again as announced on Harvey Levin's Official Twitter account.

Branches

TMZ Live

TMZ Live is a live-chat program from TMZ.com., that features Levin and Charles, and occasionally "Mike" (with occasional fill-in(s) for one or the both of them) that consists of reviewing information TMZ is covering on the website. The live-chat takes place at the TMZ office. From Monday to Thursday the live-chat lasts for on average thirty minutes, but on Fridays it usually lasts forty minutes to one hour. TMZ Live lasts longer on Friday presumably because TMZ Live doesn't air for the next two days, so TMZ makes up for it by extending the time on the last live-chat for the week. As part of the live-chat, TMZ.com offers viewers who register and are currently logged into their site, the option to be able to ask the host(s) questions about any topic, mainly relevant topics and topics that are being covered on the site. As part of asking question(s), viewers leave their question(s) in the comments section of a post reminding viewers that TMZ Live will begin soon. During TMZ Live the host(s) answer specific questions they read off via a printer that is printing out all of the questions posted. On certain occasions TMZ Live has featured interviews with celebrities, doctors and people with helpful information, i.e. Dina Lohan (to talk about Michael video taping and releasing phone conversations of her and her daughter.), Dr. Arnold Klein (to talk about his client, Michael Jackson), and Ryan Seacrest (to talk about his stalker and the next season of ''American Idol'').

TMZ on TV

On September 10, 2007, TMZ.com launched an accompanying television series, entitled ''TMZ on TV''. The syndicated television series airs from Monday to Friday; excluding weekends, similar to TMZ Live. In the United States, the show airs in various timeslots on various stations, mainly either in early primetime or after late local news, with a 'best-of' program airing during weekends. The show covers stories similar to the website and TMZ Live, with the only difference being that TMZ on TV is only on TV and the other two branches are only on the web. TMZ.com offers viewers the option of being able to watch full episodes from the show on their website after the episode's air-date. Chris Persell, of TVWeek.com, stated that the show is a "complement [to] the Web site, with news updates added to later airings of the show." Levin and Jim Paratore serve as executive producers to the show, and the on-air cast includes Teresa Strasser, John Fugelsang, Ben Mankiewicz and Michael Hundgen. David Bianculli of ''The New York Daily News'' strongly criticized the television show, its topics, and its reporters' tactics and lack of professionalism.

Criticism

Since the launch of TMZ.com, the website has faced criticism, varying from attempted boycotts to criticism of its journalism tactics to its website's focus. The TMZ website has been criticized for its usage of photographs and videos obtained from paparazzi. Some have questioned the effect that aggressive and obtrusive photographers have on the subjects they cover. Many of their videos on the site show, in the footage, that their paparazzi chase people (mainly celebrities)—a practice that has been called dangerous and "creepy". Over the years, some have called for a boycott of TMZ.com and the accompanying show. Thane Burnett, of the ''Toronto Sun'', criticized TMZ.com's content of being more of a gossip site, rather than reporting on newsworthy items, stating: "Instead, on the TMZ site you'll find images of a favourite male celebrity peeing into bushes."

TMZ.com faced strong criticism for purchasing stolen items pertaining to the fourth Indiana Jones film; ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull''. On October 2, 2007, IESB reported that a number of production photos and sensitive documents pertaining to the production budget had been stolen from Steven Spielberg's production office. Movie City News, who strongly criticized TMZ for purchasing stolen items, remarked that, the then-new website, 'wasn't getting off to a good start' and wondered if TMZ's reach would approach that of ''The New York Times''; even though they have yet to achieve that newspaper's credibility. According to IESB, TMZ.com had obtained some of the stolen property and was planning on running a story about the topic on their TV show, until the film's production company, Paramount Pictures, lawyers intervened. Shortly after IESB broke the story, TMZ broadcasted details about the ''Indiana Jones'' production budget on TMZ on TV on the October 3, 2007.

Tony Manfred of ''The Cornell Daily Sun'' strongly criticized TMZ.com in an article entitled "I Want My TMZ", in which Manfred criticizes various aspects of TMZ. Manfred described TMZ.com as being "a fusion of celebrity news blog and embarrassing video archive" and felt that the website had become "the poster child for the celebrity pseudo-news industry" and that the website has "distinct advantages" over "gossip magazines" because it can "show all the borderline pornographic clips that ''Entertainment Tonight'' and ''Access Hollywood'' can’t." Manfred also noted that he felt that the website was "balanced", remarking that: "And by balanced I mean they strike a perfect equilibrium between three distinct categories of trashy video clip. I’ll group these videos into the following categories: the 'Action Caused Either Entirely or More Than Partly By Alcohol,' the 'Celebrity Car Chase,' and the 'You’re Not Famous but You’re Near a Camera So Okay.'"

Jennifer Metz and David Muir of ABC News acknowledged that TMZ.com has long been criticized for their "aggressive tactics, antagonizing stars with video cameras" and noted that those "encounters, capturing at times violent celebrity confrontations with photographers, receive hundreds of hits online, and critics ask if entertainment reporters are crossing the line." Metz and Muir also questioned whether TMZ.com's tactics 'go too far'.

Ken Sunshine, publicist for Ben Affleck and Leonardo DiCaprio, stated that his clients disliked the website because it has a tendency to always be negative towards celebrities when reporting on them. "I hate that they have anything to do with trying to put celebrities into the worst light possible and that they play the 'gotcha' game". The website has been harshly criticized for having a personality cult of figures such as Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton – celebrities who are known more as targets for paparazzi than for the work they do. In defense for TMZ's coverage, Levin said that certain celebrities are main subjects on the Web site because of their 'relevancy' and because their relevancy helps draw viewership to the Web site. Liz Kelly, of ''Washington Post'', attacked both Levin and TMZ.com in an article, stating: "I know this is like spitting in the wind, but I have to say it: Harvey Levin, please stop it".

In what The Smoking Gun called "a colossal screw-up", TMZ.com published an "exclusive" picture on their Web site of a man purporting to be John F. Kennedy on a ship with several naked women that could have "changed history" had it come out during his presidential campaign. Despite having a Photoshop expert proclaiming the picture as "authentic", the picture was later discovered to have not been of Kennedy at all. The photo was discovered to have been part of a ''Playboy'' photoshoot from November 1967, which was later confirmed by ''Playboy'' representatives.

Audience statistics

As of April 2011, TMZ.com was ranked as the second most popular Entertainment News property in the United States by comScore Media Metrix.

! comScore US Rank	! Entertainment News Web Properties	! March 2011 Readers
1	OMG! by Yahoo	23.7 million
2	TMZ	18.5 million
3	People Magazine	13.5 million
4	BuzzMedia Entertainment	12.8 million
5	CNN Entertainment	10.1 million
6	Zimbio	8.9 million
7	Entertainment Weekly	8.2 million
8	E! Online	7.5 million
9	GossipCenter Network	7.1 million
10	Mail Online	6.5 million

References

External links

TMZ TV (Official Myspace page)

Category:Entertainment websites Category:Infotainment Category:Time Warner subsidiaries

es:TMZ.com fr:TMZ it:TMZ.com pt:TMZ.com

name	Justin Bieber
background	solo_singer
birth name	Justin Drew Bieber
birth date	March 01, 1994
birth place	London, Ontario, Canada
origin	Stratford, Ontario, Canada
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano, percussion, trumpet
genre	Pop, R&B;, teen pop
occupation	Singer, rapper, musician, actor
years active	2008–present
label	Island, RBMG
associated acts	Usher
website	justinbiebermusic.com }}

Justin Drew Bieber ( , born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian pop/R&B; singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with Usher in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher, and then to a recording contract with Island Records offered by L.A. Reid. Bieber's debut single, "One Time", was released in 2009 and peaked in the top twenty in Canada and charted in the top thirty in several international markets. His debut album, the seven-track EP ''My World'', followed in November 2009, and was soon certified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Bieber's first full-length studio album, ''My World 2.0'', was released in March 2010. It debuted at number one or within the top ten in several countries and was certified platinum in the United States. It was preceded by the worldwide top-ten single, "Baby". The music video of "Baby" is currently ranked as the most viewed and most discussed YouTube video. Bieber followed-up the release of his debut album with his first headlining tour, the My World Tour, the remix albums ''My Worlds Acoustic'' and ''Never Say Never – The Remixes'', and the 3D biopic-concert film ''Justin Bieber: Never Say Never'' – which had an opening weekend gross that nearly matched the record for the biggest opening weekend for a concert-film. Bieber released his second studio album, ''Under the Mistletoe'' in November 2011, which debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. Bieber has received numerous awards, including Artist of the Year at the 2010 American Music Awards — and has been nominated for numerous awards, including Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards. To date Bieber has sold more than 8 million albums worldwide.

Life and career

1994–2007: Childhood and youth

Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, in London, Ontario in St Joseph's Hospital, and was raised in Stratford, Ontario. Bieber's mother, Patricia Lynn "Pattie" Mallette, was 18 years old when she became pregnant. Mallette, originally from Stratford, raised her son with the help of her parents, Bruce and Diane. Mallette worked a series of low-paying office jobs, raising Bieber as a single mother in low-income housing. Bieber has maintained contact with his father, Jeremy Jack Bieber, who married another woman and had two children. Bieber's paternal great-grandfather was a German immigrant to Canada. Bieber's mother's ancestry is French Canadian. Bieber attended a French immersion school called the Stratford school Jean Sauve.

During his childhood, Bieber was interested in hockey, soccer, and chess; he often kept his musical aspirations to himself. As he grew up, Bieber taught himself to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet. In early 2007, when he was twelve, Bieber sang Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford and was placed second. Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and friends to see. She continued to upload videos of Bieber singing covers of various R&B; songs, and Bieber's popularity on the site grew. Chris Hicks, Bieber's A&R; at Island/Def Jam, explained the young artist's huge online following to HitQuarters by saying:

"He was doing something different. He was an attractive white kid singing very soulful R&B; hits. That set him apart immediately from anyone in his range because no one was covering or singing these kind of records. But equally important was that you believed in these songs – it was real. And you wanted to hear more."

2008–09: Discovery and ''My World''

While searching for videos of a different singer, Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def, clicked on one of Bieber's 2007 videos by accident. Impressed, Braun tracked down the theater Bieber was performing in, located Bieber's school, and finally contacted Mallette. Mallette was reluctant because of Braun's Jewish religion; she remembered praying, "God, I gave him to you. You could send me a Christian man, a Christian label! ... you don’t want this Jewish kid to be Justin’s man, do you?" However, after praying with her church elders and receiving their encouragement, she permitted Braun to fly Bieber, then 13, to Atlanta, Georgia, to record demo tapes. A week after arriving, Bieber sang for R&B; singer/songwriter Usher. Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher. Justin Timberlake was also reportedly in the running to sign Bieber, but lost the bidding war to Usher. Usher then sought assistance in finding a label home for the artist from then manager Chris Hicks, who helped engineer an audition with his contact Antonio L.A. Reid of Island Def Jam Music Group. Reid signed Bieber to Island Records in October 2008 (resulting in a joint venture between RBMG and Island Records) and appointed Hicks as executive Vice-President of Def Jam where he would be able manage Bieber's career at the label. At that point, Bieber and his mother moved to Atlanta temporarily, also the home of Usher and Braun, to record and get counseling from Braun. Braun became Bieber's manager.

Bieber's first single, "One Time", was released to radio while Bieber was still recording his debut album. The song reached number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100 during its first week of release in July 2009, and later peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. During fall 2009 it had success in international markets. The song was certified Platinum in Canada and the US and Gold in Australia and New Zealand. Bieber's first release, an extended play entitled ''My World'', was released on November 17, 2009. The album's second single, "One Less Lonely Girl", and two promo singles, "Love Me", and "Favorite Girl", were released exclusively on the iTunes store and charted within the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100. "One Less Lonely Girl" was later also released to radio and peaked within the top fifteen in Canada and the US, being certified Gold in the latter. ''My World'' was eventually certified Platinum in the US and Double Platinum in both Canada and the UK. To promote the album, Bieber performed on several live shows such as mtvU's VMA 09 Tour, European program ''The Dome'', YTV's ''The Next Star'', ''The Today Show'', ''The Wendy Williams Show'', ''Lopez Tonight'', ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', ''It's On with Alexa Chung'', ''Good Morning America'', ''Chelsea Lately'', and BET's ''106 & Park'' with Rihanna. Bieber also guest starred in an episode of ''True Jackson, VP'' in late 2009.

Bieber performed Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas" for U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the White House for ''Christmas in Washington'', which was broadcast on December 20, 2009, on U.S. television broadcaster TNT. Bieber was also one of the performers at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31, 2009. Bieber was a presenter at the 52nd Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. He was invited to be a vocalist for the remake of We Are The World (a song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie) for its 25th anniversary to benefit Haiti after the earthquake. Bieber sings the opening line, which was sung by Lionel Richie in the original version. On March 12, 2010, a version of K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" recorded by a collective of Canadian musicians known as Young Artists for Haiti was released. Bieber is featured in the song, performing the closing lines.

2010−11: ''My World 2.0'' and ''Never Say Never'' film

"Baby", the lead single from his debut album, ''My World 2.0'', which features Ludacris, was released in January 2010 and became his biggest hit thus far, charting at number five in the U.S. and reaching the top ten in seven other countries. Two promo singles "Never Let You Go", and "U Smile" were top thirty hits on the U.S. Hot 100, and top twenty hits in Canada. According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has received "generally favorable reviews". It debuted at number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, making Bieber the youngest solo male act to top the chart since Stevie Wonder in 1963. ''My World 2.0'' also debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, Irish Albums Chart, Australian Albums Chart, and the New Zealand Albums Chart and reached the top ten of fifteen other countries. To promote the album, Bieber appeared on several live programs including ''The View'', the 2010 Kids Choice Awards, ''Nightline'', ''The Late Show with David Letterman'', ''The Dome'' and ''106 and Park''. Bieber collaborated with Sean Kingston on his single "Eenie Meenie" which also appeared on Bieber's debut album. The song reached the top ten in the United Kingdom and Australia, and the top-twenty of most other markets. thumb|left|Bieber performing at the Conseco Fieldhouse, in August 2010 On April 10, 2010, Bieber was the musical guest on ''Saturday Night Live''. On July 4, 2010, Bieber performed at the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular in New York City. The second single from ''My World 2.0'', "Somebody to Love", was released in April 2010, and a remix was released featuring Bieber's mentor Usher. The single reached number ten in Canada, number fifteen in the United States, and the top twenty in multiple international countries.

On June 23, 2010, Bieber went on his first official headlining tour, the My World Tour, starting in Hartford, Connecticut, to promote ''My World'' and ''My World 2.0''. In July 2010, it was reported that Bieber was the most searched for celebrity on the Internet. That same month his music video, "Baby", surpassed Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" to become the most viewed, and most disliked YouTube video ever. In September 2010, it was reported that Bieber accounted for three percent of all traffic on Twitter, according to an employee of the social-networking site.

Bieber began recording his second album in July 2010 in New York City. At this point, because of puberty, his voice was deeper than it was when he recorded his first album. In April 2010, the singer discussing his vocals remarked, "It cracks. Like every teenage boy, I'm dealing with it and I have the best vocal coach in the world. [...] Some of the notes I hit on "Baby" I can't hit anymore. We have to lower the key when I sing live."

Bieber guest-starred in the season premiere of the CBS crime drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', which aired on September 23, 2010. He played a "troubled teen who is faced with a difficult decision regarding his only brother", who is also a serial bomber. Bieber was also in a subsequent episode which aired on February 17, 2011, in which his character is killed. Bieber performed a medley of "U Smile", "Baby", and "Somebody to Love" and briefly played the drums at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. Bieber announced in October 2010 that he would release an acoustic album, called ''My Worlds Acoustic''. It was released on Black Friday in the United States and featured acoustic versions of songs from his previous albums, and accompanied the release of a completely new song titled "Pray".

A 3-D part-biopic, part-concert film starring Bieber entitled ''Justin Bieber: Never Say Never'', was released on February 11, 2011, directed by ''Step Up 3D'' director Jon Chu. It topped the box office with an estimated grossing of $12.4 million on its opening day from 3,105 theaters. It grossed $30.3 million for the weekend and was narrowly beaten by the romantic comedy ''Just Go With It'', which grossed $31 million. ''Never Say Never'' is said to have exceeded industry expectations, nearly matching the $31.1 million grossed by Miley Cyrus's 2008 3-D concert film, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, which holds the record for the top debut for a music-documentary. The film is accompanied by his second remix album, ''Never Say Never – The Remixes'', released February 14, 2011, and features remixes of songs from his debut album, with guest appearances from Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, and Kanye West, among others.

2011–present: ''Under The Mistletoe'' and ''Believe''

On February 27, 2011, Bieber attended the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar Party with American actress and singer Selena Gomez, confirming several months of media speculation about a romantic relationship between the pair.

In June 2011, Bieber was ranked number 2 on the Forbes list of Best-Paid Celebrities under 30. He is the youngest star and 1 of 7 musicians on the list raking in with $53 million earned in a 12 month period. On November 1, 2011, Bieber released ''Under the Mistletoe'', his second studio album. It debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 210,000 copies in its first week of release.

In late 2011, Bieber began recording his third studio album, entitled ''Believe''. Kanye West and Drake are confirmed to be featured on the album. On February 22, 2012, Bieber announced via Twitter that the first single off ''Believe'' will be released in March 2012. The following week, Bieber appeared on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' to announce that the first single will be called "Boyfriend" and was released on March 26, 2012. The song was co-written by Mike Posner.

On March 31, 2012, Bieber reportedly took an interest of making a duet with singer and actress, Demi Lovato.

Image

Justin Bieber has a higher score on the Klout online "influence" scale than Barack Obama or The Dalai Lama. According to Jan Hoffman of ''The New York Times'', part of Bieber's appeal stems from his YouTube channel. Long before he released his EP, ''My World'', in mid-November, the YouTube videos attracted millions of views. Braun recognized the appeal. Prior to flying him to Atlanta, Braun wanted to "build him up more on YouTube first" and had Bieber record more home videos for the channel. "I said: 'Justin, sing like there’s no one in the room. But let's not use expensive cameras.' We'll give it to kids, let them do the work, so that they feel like it's theirs", recalled Braun. Bieber continues to upload videos to the same channel and has opened a Twitter account, from which he interacts with fans regularly; his account was reported in November 2010 to have over 6 million followers. Since then he has been consistently gaining followers at an average of 24,000 per day. The accounts also serve marketing purposes; for example, Bieber's music video for "One Time" only began selling quickly after it was uploaded to YouTube. Usher comments that while he and Bieber were both signed at the same age, "I had the chance to ramp up my success, where this has happened to Bieber abruptly." As a result, Usher, Braun, Bieber's bodyguard Kenny, and other adults surrounding Bieber constantly coach him on handling fame and his public image. After signing Bieber, Usher appointed one of his former assistants, Ryan Good, to be Bieber's road manager and stylist. Good, once nicknamed Bieber's "swagger coach", created a "streetwise look" for the singer which consisted of baseball caps, hoodies, dog chains and flashy sneakers. Amy Kaufman of ''The Los Angeles Times'' comments, "Though a product of a middle-class suburban upbringing in Stratford, Ontario, Bieber's manner of dress and speech ("Wassup man, how you doin'?" or "It's like, you know, whateva' ") suggest he's mimicking his favorite rappers."

Bieber is often featured in teen magazines such as ''Tiger Beat'', and has been labeled as a "teen hearthrob". Bieber has released a collection of nail varnishes to raise awareness for charity. Wax statues of Bieber are on display at Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York, Amsterdam and London. His change of hairstyle in 2010, and the consequent alterations to Bieber products, led to it being called 'the most expensive musical haircut of all time; one company spent $100,000 to fix its dolls for the 2011 Christmas season.

Bieber has been criticized for looking and sounding younger than his age, his teen-pop music, image, and frequent media attention. He has been a frequent target of Internet bloggers and message board posters, notably by users of Internet message board 4chan and users of YouTube. Nick Collins of ''The Daily Telegraph'' speculated that "Bieber's character also appears to strike a particularly sour note with his Internet critics, with many remarks commenting on his youthful appearance, his teen-pop songs, his image as a heart-throb to young teenage girls and his manner of speech".

Personal views

Bieber is a Christian, and said he has a relationship with Jesus, talks to him and that "he's the reason I'm here".

Bieber's comments in a February 2011 profile in ''Rolling Stone'' sparked controversy. Asked about abstinence, Bieber responded, "I don't think you should have sex with anyone unless you love them." He said he does not "believe in abortion" and that it is "like killing a baby". He described sexual orientation as "everyone's own decision." Bieber has contributed to the It Gets Better Project, which aims to prevent suicide among LGBT youth.

Bieber has said he is not interested in obtaining United States citizenship, praising Canada as being "the best country in the world", citing its health care system as an example.

Discography

''My World 2.0'' (2010)

''Under the Mistletoe'' (2011)

''Believe'' (2012)

Tours

2009: Urban Behavior Tour

2010–2011: My World Tour

Filmography

rowspan="4" ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' Himself

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
rowspan="2"	2009	''True Jackson, VP''	>rowspan="3"| Guest star
''My Date With...''
	Silent Library (MTV series)>Silent Library''
''School Gyrls (film)	School Gyrls''	Cameo
''Saturday Night Live''
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''	Jason McCann
''Hubworld''	Guest star
''The X Factor (UK)''	Performer
rowspan="9"	2011	|	Guest star
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''	Jason McCann
''Khloé & Lamar''	|Episode:The Father In Law (uncredited) Himself playing the NBA Celebrity All Star Game
''Saturday Night Live''
''Justin Bieber: Never Say Never''	Himself
''Dancing With The Stars''	Guest star
''So Random!''	Himself
''Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade''	Guest star
''The X Factor (UK)''	Performer

Awards and nominations

References

Further reading

External links

Category:1994 births Category:Canadian child singers Category:Canadian Christians Category:Canadian dance musicians Category:Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States Category:Canadian Internet personalities Category:Canadian male singers Category:Canadian people of French descent Category:Canadian people of German descent Category:Canadian pop singers Category:Canadian rhythm and blues singers Category:Child pop musicians Category:Hip hop singers Category:Island Records artists Category:Musicians from Ontario Category:People from Stratford, Ontario Category:Living people

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name	Jerry Seinfeld
birth name	Jerome Allen Seinfeld
birth date	April 29, 1954
birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
medium	Television, Film, Stand up
nationality	American
active	1976–present
genre	Observational comedy, Political satire, Black comedy
subject	Avant-garde, American culture, Human behavior, American Politics, Gender differences, Everyday life
influences	Bill Cosby, George Carlin, Robert Klein, Abbott and Costello, Jean Shepherd, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Don Rickles, Ricardo Montalban
influenced	Carol Leifer, Ricky Gervais, Mitch Hedberg, Kevin Bridges
spouse	Jessica Seinfeld(1999–present),3 children
notable work	Jerry Seinfeld on ''Seinfeld
signature	Seinfeldsignature.svg

}} Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld (born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons, co-executive-produced.

In his first major foray back into the media since the finale of ''Seinfeld'', he co-wrote and co-produced the film ''Bee Movie'', also taking on the lead role of Barry B. Benson. In February 2010, Seinfeld premiered a reality TV series called ''The Marriage Ref'' on NBC. Seinfeld was more recently directing Colin Quinn in the Broadway show Long Story Short at the Helen Hayes Theater in New York which ran until January 8, 2011.

Early life

Seinfeld was born in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. His father, Kalman Seinfeld (d. 1985), was of Austrian Jewish background and was a sign maker; his mother, Betty (1915- ), is of Syrian Jewish descent. Her family was registered as Turkish.

Seinfeld grew up in Massapequa, New York. In September 1959, his mother enrolled him at Birch Lane Elementary School, Massapequa High School. At the age of 16, he spent a short period of time volunteering in Kibbutz Sa'ar in Israel. He went to SUNY Oswego, and after his sophomore year he transferred to Queens College, City University of New York, graduating with a degree in communications and theater.

Seinfeld developed an interest in stand-up comedy after brief stints in college productions. In 1976 after graduation from Queens College, he tried out at an open-mic night at New York City's Catch a Rising Star, which led to an appearance in a Rodney Dangerfield HBO special. In 1979 he had a small recurring role on the ''Benson'' sitcom as "Frankie", a mail delivery boy who had comedy routines that no one wanted to hear, but he was abruptly fired from the show due to creative differences. Seinfeld has said that he was not actually told he had been fired until he turned up for the read-through session for an episode, and found that there was no script for him (Interview in "How It Began," a special feature in the Seinfeld Season 1 & 2 DVD). In May 1981 Seinfeld made a highly successful appearance on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', impressing Carson and the audience and leading to regular appearances on that show and others, including ''Late Night with David Letterman''.

''Seinfeld''

Seinfeld created ''The Seinfeld Chronicles'' with Larry David in 1989 for NBC. The show was later renamed ''Seinfeld'' to avoid confusion with the short-lived teen sitcom ''The Marshall Chronicles'' and, by its fourth season, had become the most popular and successful sitcom on American television. The final episode aired in 1998, and the show has been a popular syndicated re-run. The show also starred ''Saturday Night Live'' veteran Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as well as experienced actors Michael Richards and Jason Alexander. On the show, Seinfeld played a caricature of himself. He has said that his show was influenced by the 1950s sitcom ''The Abbott and Costello Show''. Citing Jean Shepherd as an influence in his commentary for "The Gymnast" episode on "Seinfeld, Season 6," he said, "He really formed my entire comedic sensibility--I learned how to do comedy from Jean Shepherd." Seinfeld also holds the distinction of being the only actor to appear in every episode of the show. From 2004–2007, the former ''Seinfeld'' cast and crew recorded audio commentaries for episodes of the DVD releases of the show. Seinfeld himself provided commentary for numerous episodes.

Post-''Seinfeld''

1998–2006

After his sitcom ended, Seinfeld returned to stand-up comedy instead of pursuing a film career. In 1998, Seinfeld went on tour and recorded a comedy special entitled ''I'm Telling You for the Last Time''. The process of developing and performing new material at clubs around the world was chronicled in a 2002 documentary, ''Comedian'', which focused also on fellow comic Orny Adams, directed by Christian Charles. He has written several books, mostly archives of past routines.

In the late 1990s, Apple Computer came up with an advertising slogan called "Think different" and produced a 60-second commercial to promote the slogan which showed people who were able to "think differently", like Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and many others. This commercial was later cut short to thirty seconds and ended up paying tribute to Jerry Seinfeld. This commercial aired only once, during the series finale of ''Seinfeld''.

In 2004, Seinfeld also appeared in two commercial webisodes promoting American Express, entitled ''The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman'', in which he appeared together with an animated rendering of Superman, who was referenced in numerous episodes of ''Seinfeld'' as Seinfeld's hero, voiced by Patrick Warburton, who had portrayed David Puddy on ''Seinfeld''. The webisodes were aired in 2004 and directed by Barry Levinson. Seinfeld and "Superman" were also interviewed by Matt Lauer in a specially-recorded interview for the ''Today'' show.

On November 18, 2004, Seinfeld appeared at the National Museum of American History to donate the "Puffy Shirt" he wore in the famous ''Seinfeld'' episode of the same name. He also gave a speech when presenting the "Puffy Shirt", claiming humorously that "This is the most embarrassing moment of my life."

Seinfeld had a special appearance on May 13, 2006, ''Saturday Night Live'' episode as Julia Louis-Dreyfus' assassin. Louis-Dreyfus was the host of that episode and in her opening monologue she mentioned the "Seinfeld Curse". While talking about how ridiculous the "curse" was, a stage light suddenly fell next to her. The camera moved to a catwalk above the stage that Seinfeld was standing on, holding a large pair of bolt cutters. He angrily muttered, "Dammit!", angry that it didn't hit her. Louis-Dreyfus then continued to say that she is indeed not cursed.

2007

On February 25, 2007, Seinfeld appeared at the 79th Academy Awards as the presenter for "Best Documentary". Before announcing the nominations he did a bit of a stand-up comedy routine about the unspoken agreement between movie theater owners and movie patrons. One of the winners of the award was Larry David's now ex-wife, Laurie.

On October 4, 2007, Seinfeld made a brief return to NBC, guest-starring in the episode "SeinfeldVision" of ''30 Rock'' as himself.

2008

On February 24, 2008, Seinfeld appeared as the voice of his ''Bee Movie'' animated character Barry, at the 80th Academy Awards as the presenter for "Best Animated Short". Before announcing the nominees, he showed a montage of film clips featuring bees, claiming that they were some of his early work (as Barry).

Amidst his spring 2008 tour Seinfeld made a stop in his hometown of New York City for a one-night-only performance on June 2, 2008 at the Hammerstein Ballroom to benefit ''Stand Up for a Cure'', a charity aiding lung cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

In August 2008 the Associated Press reported that Jerry Seinfeld would be the pitchman for Windows Vista, as part of a $300 million advertising campaign by Microsoft. The adverts, which were intended to create buzz for Windows in support of the subsequent "I'm a PC" adverts, began airing in mid-September 2008 and were cut from television after just 3 installments, Microsoft opting instead to continue with the "I'm a PC" advertisements, and instead continued running the Seinfeld adverts on the Microsoft website as a series of longer advertisements.

2009

In March 2009, it was announced that Seinfeld and the entire cast of ''Seinfeld'' would be appearing for a reunion in Larry David's HBO series ''Curb Your Enthusiasm''. The fictional reunion took place in the seventh season's finale.

Seinfeld appeared on an episode of the Starz original series ''Head Case''. Like many of his previous guest appearances on sitcoms he played himself.

In Australia, Seinfeld appears on a series of advertisements for Greater Building Society, a building society based in New South Wales and south eastern Queensland. His appearance in these adverts were highly publicized and considered a coup for the society, being only the third time Seinfeld had appeared in a television commercial. The adverts were filmed in Cedarhurst, Long Island, with the street designed to emulate Beaumont Street in Hamilton, where the Greater's head offices are located. Seinfeld also wrote the scripts for the fifteen advertisements that were filmed. The adverts largely aired in the Northern New South Wales television market, where the society has most of its branches.

Seinfeld was the first guest of Jay Leno's new talk show, ''The Jay Leno Show'', which premiered on September 14, 2009.

2010s

Seinfeld was featured on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update sketch to do the "Really!?!" segment with Seth Meyers. Seinfeld was also executive producing and occasionally starring as a panelist in ''The Marriage Ref''. On August 30, 2010, Seinfeld made a notable surprise guest appearance on ''The Howard Stern Show'', repairing the falling out the two had in the early 90s. Jerry appeared on SNY during a Mets game and announced for an inning. Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez, SNY analysts, were very thankful for the opportunity.

Seinfeld toured the U.S. in 2011 and made his first appearance on stage in the U.K. in 13 years. In July 2011, he was a surprise guest on The Daily Show, helping Jon Stewart to suppress his urge to tell "cheap" "Michele Bachmann's husband acts gay" jokes. He also launched a personal archives website at JerrySeinfeld.com. In 2011 he also appeared in the HBO Special 'Talking Funny' with fellow comedians Chris Rock, Louis C.K. and Ricky Gervais.

Books

Seinfeld is also a bestselling author, most notably for his book ''Seinlanguage''. Released in 1993, the book went on to become a number one New York Times bestseller. The book, written as his television show was first rising in popularity, is primarily an adaptation of the comedian's standup material. The title comes from an article in ''Entertainment Weekly'' listing the numerous catch-phrases for which the show was responsible.

In 2002, he wrote a children's book titled ''Halloween''. The book was illustrated by James Bennett. There are also several books about both the sitcom and Seinfeld himself, though many of them are not written by Seinfeld.

Seinfeld wrote the forewords to Ted L. Nancy's ''Letters from a Nut'' series of books and Ed Broth's ''Stories from a Moron''. Both authors were rumored to be pseudonyms for Seinfeld or a friend of his. Neither Nancy nor Broth have been seen publicly, although Seinfeld is heavily involved in pitching their books for television.

In promoting Broth's book, Seinfeld hosted a toast in the author's honor. Broth did not attend.

Seinfeld also wrote the foreword to the ''Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook'', from his favorite sandwich shop in New York City.

Personal life

Seinfeld dated Carol Leifer, a fellow comedian and rumored to be the inspiration for the character of Elaine from his eponymous sitcom ''Seinfeld'', although both parties deny it. When he was in his late thirties, Seinfeld began a romantic relationship with then-seventeen year old high school student Shoshanna Lonstein. A while later, after meeting Jessica Sklar at the Reebok Sports Club, he began dating her. Sklar, a public relations executive for Tommy Hilfiger, had just returned from a three-week honeymoon in Italy with Eric Nederlander, a theatrical producer and scion of a theater-owning family. Sklar divorced Nederlander and married Seinfeld on December 25, 1999. Comedian George Wallace was the best man at the wedding. After the nuptials Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld bought Billy Joel's Amagansett, Long Island house for $32 million in March 2000.

Seinfeld and his wife have one daughter and two sons; daughter Sascha was born on November 7, 2000 in New York City, son Julian Kal was born on March 1, 2003 in New York City, and Shepherd Kellen was born on August 22, 2005 at New York's Cornell Medical Center. His son Julian's middle name is Kal, which is the first name of Seinfeld's father. Kal is also the first name of Seinfeld's hero Kal-El. Among Seinfeld's best friends are fellow comedians Larry Miller and Mario Joyner.

In 2000, Jessica Seinfeld launched Baby Buggy, a charity that provides clothing and gear for underprivileged women and children. She is the author of the best-seller ''Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food'', released by HarperCollins in October 2007.

Seinfeld is recorded as having made several political contributions, including George W. Bush and Al Gore's presidential campaigns in 2000, and subsequently to four Democratic Party primary candidates in 2000 and 2004.

Seinfeld says that he has practiced Transcendental Meditation for most of his life, and he appeared at a 2009 benefit for TM. Seinfeld has admitted dabbling in Scientology when he was in his twenties, though he says he was never in the organization. The association came to light in 1992.

A fan of the New York Mets, Seinfeld periodically calls Steve Somers' show on WFAN-AM, a sports talk radio station, as "Jerry from Queens." Seinfeld called four innings of a Mets game on SportsNet New York June 23, 2010, reuniting with analyst Keith Hernandez who appeared in the ''Seinfeld'' two part episode The Boyfriend.

Personal wealth

According to ''Forbes'' magazine, Jerry Seinfeld's annual earning from ''Seinfeld'' in 1998 was $267 million, making him the highest-earning celebrity that year. ''Seinfeld'' still generates more revenue than most current shows, through syndication and DVD sales. He reportedly turned down $5 million per episode, for 22 episodes, to continue the show for a tenth season. He earned $100 million from syndication deals and stand-up appearances in 2005 and $60 million in 2006. He also earned $10 million for appearing with Bill Gates in Microsoft's 2008 ads for Windows. Between June 2008 and June 2009, Seinfeld earned $85 million, making him the highest-paid comedian during that 12-month period.

Car collection

Seinfeld, an automobile enthusiast and avid collector, is rumored to own one of the largest Porsche collections in the world. He rented a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport, in Santa Monica, California, for an extended period of time during the 1990s for storage of some of the vehicles in the collection. After his return to New York City, he was involved in an extended dispute with several neighbors over the proposed building of a $1.4 million multi-story garage to contain the cars.

A current tally has Seinfeld owning 46 Porsches. Reporter Paul Bannister reports that Seinfeld's collection includes Porsche 911s from various years, 10 Porsche Boxsters each painted a different color, and the famous 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, the same model and pearl-grey color that actor James Dean was driving when he crashed and died. The Discovery Channel television show "Chasing Classic Cars" claims that Seinfeld owns the first and last original Porsche 911s produced. The centerpiece is a $700,000 Porsche 959, one of only 337 ever built. To his initial despair, he was not allowed to drive it as US emission and crash tests were never performed because Porsche refused to donate four Porsche 959s for destruction tests, rendering the car "not street-legal". He imported the car "for exhibition purposes", which stipulates the car may never be driven on American roads. The car was made US street legal in 1999 under the "Show or Display" federal law. In several episodes of ''Seinfeld'', Seinfeld drives a Saab 900 (NG) convertible, but a Porsche-themed painting, depicting a Porsche 904 GTS race car competing in the 1964 Targa Florio race in Italy, is visible on a wall in his apartment, as well as a Porsche racing poster featuring a 550 Spyder depicting the 1958 Targa Florio. In another episode, he is seen hiding behind a red Porsche 911RS parked on the street. In addition, an issue of ''Excellence'', a Porsche-centered publication, is featured prominently on an outdoor magazine rack in one episode and on at least one occasion he is seen reading an issue of ''Road and Track'' magazine from circa 1990 with a cover article on the Porsche 964. He also wrote an article for the February 2004 issue of ''Automobile'', reviewing the Porsche Carrera GT. For the story he was awarded Road Pest — Silver at the 2004 International Automotive Media Awards.

Credits

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
	''The Ratings Game''	Network Rep
	''Pros & Cons''	Prison Man #2
		Himself
rowspan="2"	''A Uniform Used to Mean Something''	Himself
''Hindsight Is 20/20''	Himself
	''Bee Movie''	Barry B. Benson

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980		Frankie
1989–1998	''Seinfeld''		American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (1992, 1993)Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series (1993)Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1995, 1997, 1998)Nominated — American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (1996, 1999)Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998)Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1996)
1993, 1998	''The Larry Sanders Show''	Himself
1997	''NewsRadio''	Himself
2000		Comp-U-Comp
2004	''Curb Your Enthusiasm''	Himself	(cameo)
2007	''30 Rock''	Himself	("SeinfeldVision")
2009	''Curb Your Enthusiasm''	Himself
2010	''The Marriage Ref''	Executive Producer
2011	''Talking Funny''	Himself
2011	''The Daily Show With Jon Stewart''	Himself

Writing credits for ''Seinfeld''

The list below only includes episodes mainly written by Seinfeld, as he and Larry David rewrote the drafts for each episode.

Season 1

The Seinfeld Chronicles (with Larry David)

Male Unbonding (with Larry David)

The Stake Out (with Larry David)

The Stock Tip (with Larry David)

Season 2

The Ex-Girlfriend (with Larry David)

The Pony Remark (with Larry David)

* Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series (1991 - Episode "The Pony Remark")

The Busboy (with Larry David)

The Jacket (with Larry David)

The Chinese Restaurant (with Larry David)

The Phone Message (with Larry David)

Season 3

The Stranded (with Larry David and Matt Goldman)

Season 4

The Shoes (with Larry David)

Season 5

The Sniffing Accountant (with Larry David)

The Raincoats (with Larry David, Tom Gammill, and Max Pross)

The Opposite (with Larry David and Andy Cowan)

Season 6

The Kiss Hello (with Larry David)

Season 7

The Cadillac part 1 and 2 (with Larry David)

References

External links

Jerry Seinfeld's Personal Archives

in 1987 in 2002 in 2007

Jerry Seinfeld Goes Back to Work on Time.com (a division of Time Magazine published 26SEPT 07)

How Automobile got Jerry to write the Porsche GT Review

Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:American Jews Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Car collectors Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Jewish comedians Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from Nassau County, New York Category:Queens College, City University of New York alumni Category:People from East Hampton (town), New York Category:State University of New York at Oswego alumni Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:1954 births Category:American memoirists

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birth name	Jeremy Lee Renner
birth date	January 07, 1971
birth place	Modesto, California, U.S.
occupation	Actor, musician
years active	1995–present
website	MySpace }}

Jeremy Lee Renner (born January 7, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Renner appeared in films throughout the 2000s, mostly in supporting roles. He came to prominence in films such as ''Dahmer'' (2002), ''S.W.A.T.'' (2003), ''Neo Ned'' (2005), and ''28 Weeks Later'' (2007). He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his starring role in the 2009 Best Picture-winning war thriller ''The Hurt Locker''. The following year he appeared in the critically acclaimed film ''The Town''. His work as "James Coughlin" in that film received a nomination for the 2010 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor plus nominations in the Supporting Actor category at the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes.

Early life

Renner was born in Modesto, California, the son of Valerie Cearley and Lee Renner. He has five younger siblings, his younger brother being born in 2011, making him a big brother at the age of 40. He graduated from Fred C. Beyer High School and attended Modesto Junior College.

Career

Early work

Renner made a career out of playing charismatic anti-heroes. He has portrayed an eighteenth-century vampire, a gun-toting alcoholic, and a notorious serial killer, among other film roles.

Renner has appeared in TV shows ''Angel'', ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''House'', and many others.

Critically acclaimed performances

He portrayed serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in ''Dahmer'', which earned Renner his first Independent Spirit Award Best Actor nomination. He also played one of the main antagonists in the big budget film S.W.A.T. and has played supporting roles in ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'' and ''28 Weeks Later''. In 2005 he won the Best Actor award at the Palm Beach International Film Festival for his role in ''Neo Ned''.

Renner has starred in several major independent films, including the 2009 Iraq war thriller ''The Hurt Locker'' (directed by Kathryn Bigelow) which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He received several other major awards for Best Actor for this role.

In 2010, Renner's performance in Ben Affleck's ''The Town'' alongside Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Slaine and Michael Yebba garnered him rave reviews, including multiple award nominations. In 2011, Renner had a cameo as Hawkeye in ''Thor'' in order for people to be familiar with his character for the upcoming ''The Avengers''.

Filmography

+Film	! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1995	''National Lampoon's Senior Trip''	Dags
1996	''Paper Dragons''	–
2001	''Fish in a Barrel''	Remy
2002		Jeffrey Dahmer	Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male
2002	Monkey Love	Dil
2003		Brian Gamble
2004	''''	Emerson
2005	''''	Fred
2005		Bobby Sharp
2005	''Twelve and Holding''	Gus Maitland
2005	''Neo Ned''	Ned
2005	''Lords of Dogtown''	Jay Adams Manager	Uncredited
2006	''Love Comes to the Executioner''	Chick Prigusivac
2007	''''	Wood Hite
2007	''28 Weeks Later''	Sergeant Doyle
2007	''Take''	Saul
2009	''''	Sergeant First Class William James	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best ActorChicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorLas Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorNational Board of Review of Motion Pictures
2010	''''	Jem Coughlin	Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—[[Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards 2010">Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion PictureNominated—Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion PictureNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting RoleNominated—St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor	Jupiter Award (German Movie Award) Best Actor International
2011			Cameo
2011	''Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol''	Brandt	post-production
2012	''Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters''	Hansel	filming
2012	''''		filming
2012	''Ice Age: Continental Drift''	Gutt	filming
2012		Martin	pre-production

+Television	! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1995	''Deadly Games''	Tod	Episode: "Boss"
1996	''Strange Luck''	Jojo Picard	Episode: "Blinded by the Son"
1996	''''	Paul's friend	TV movie
1997	''''	Steven Zarn
1999	''Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane''	Jack	Pilot episode
1999	''''	Ted Nida	Episode: "Chem Lab"
1999		Taylor	Episode: "The Time the Truth Was Told"
2000		Penn
2001	''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''	Roger Jennings	Episode: ''Alter Boys''
2002	''''	Himself
2007		Jimmy Quidd	Episode: "Games"
2008	''''	Dan
2009	''''	Detective Jason Walsh	Main cast, 10 episodes

Music work

''North Country'' Soundtrack (2005) performed "I Drink Alone"

Performed with the band Sons of Ben

Performed "American Pie" in ''Love Comes to the Executioner''

Campfire performance of "Good Ole Rebel" in ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford''

Pink's ''Trouble'' music video as a Bad Boy Sheriff (2003)

Further reading

References

External links

Jeremy Lee Renner - fansite

Category:1971 births Category:Actors from California Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Modesto, California

ca:Jeremy Renner da:Jeremy Renner de:Jeremy Renner es:Jeremy Renner fa:جرمی رنر fr:Jeremy Renner gl:Jeremy Renner it:Jeremy Renner he:ג'רמי רנר nl:Jeremy Renner ja:ジェレミー・レナー no:Jeremy Renner pl:Jeremy Renner pt:Jeremy Renner ru:Реннер, Джереми fi:Jeremy Renner sv:Jeremy Renner th:เจเรมี เรนเนอร์ zh:杰瑞米·雷纳

name	Junior dos Santos
birth name	Junior dos Santos Almeida
birth date	September 12, 1984
birth place	Caçador, Santa Catarina, Brazil
other names	Cigano
residence	Salvador, Brazil
nationality	Brazilian
height
weight lb	239
weight class	Heavyweight (265 lb)
reach in	77
style	Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
stance	Orthodox
fighting out of	Salvador, Brazil
team	Team Nogueira
rank	Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
years active	2006–present (MMA)
kickbox win	18
kickbox kowin	18
kickbox loss	0
mma win	13
mma kowin	8
mma subwin	3
mma decwin	2
mma loss	1
mma subloss	1
url	http://www.juniordossantos.com.br/
sherdog	17272
updated	April 11, 2011 }}

Junior dos Santos Almeida (Brazilian ; born September 12, 1984) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Dos Santos fights in the Heavyweight division, under the tutelage of former UFC and Pride Heavyweight Champion Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. He is currently ranked as the #2 heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog.com, #2 by MMAWeekly, #2 by MMAfighting.com and #3 by FightMagazine.com. He holds notable wins over Shane Carwin, Roy Nelson, Gabriel Gonzaga, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović, and Fabricio Werdum.

Mixed martial arts career

Dos Santos is a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and currently holds a brown belt. Dos Santos trains his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Early career

Dos Santos turned professional in 2006 at the age of 21. He fought in small promotions in Brazil, such as Demo Fight, Extreme Fighting Championship, Minotauro Fights and Mo Team League. He won 6 out of his first 7 bouts, with his only loss coming from Joaquim Ferreira, in a rematch.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (2008-present)

Dos Santos debuted for the UFC at ''UFC 90''. Considered a major underdog, dos Santos knocked out top contender Fabricio Werdum in the first round with a strong uppercut.

Dos Santos returned and fought Stefan Struve at ''UFC 95'', quickly defeating him in the first round by TKO.

Dos Santos obtained one of his biggest victories to date over Mirko Filipović at ''UFC 103''. During the third round, dos Santos dominated Filipović in the clinch with knee strikes and punches. A knee from the clinch & a right uppercut left Cro Cop unable to see causing him to verbally submit from the fight.

Dos Santos was supposed to fight Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 108; however, Gonzaga pulled out of the bout on November 25, 2009, due to a staph infection. Instead, dos Santos fought Gilbert Yvel, winning the fight via TKO during the first round, giving him his fourth straight UFC victory, finishing all his opponents by way of stoppage.

Dos Santos defeated Gabriel Gonzaga on March 21, 2010, at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones by knockout in the first round.

Dos Santos faced Roy Nelson on August 7, 2010, at UFC 117 with a title shot on the line. The fight saw Dos Santos use a variety of strikes and, for the first time, a successful takedown. Despite dos Santos' striking ability, Nelson was able to stay in the fight, resulting in the fight going to decision. Dos Santos won via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27).

A shoulder injury and following surgery stopped champion Cain Velasquez from competing for a while, so the title fight was put a on hold.

On January 11, 2011, it was revealed that Dos Santos would be one of the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Season 13, opposite to Brock Lesnar. They were scheduled to face each other on June 11, 2011, at UFC 131, but Lesnar pulled out due to illness and was replaced by Shane Carwin. Dos Santos dominated Carwin and defeated him via unanimous decision, relying predominantly on his boxing skills, but showed more variety in his game by landing a couple of kicks and completing two takedowns in the third round.

Dos Santos will fight UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez on 19 November, 2011.

Personal life

Dos Santos states that Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira is his hero. In addition to his native Brazilian Portuguese, Dos Santos speaks English, though not fluently.

Championships and accomplishments

Ultimate Fighting Championship

*Knockout of the Night (2 times)

FIGHT! Magazine

*2008 Upset of the Year vs. Fabricio Werdum

Mixed martial arts record

| | | Cain Velasquez | | UFC 139 | | | | San Jose, California, United States | For UFC Heavyweight Championship

|- | Win |align=center| 13-1 | Shane Carwin | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 131 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Vancouver, Canada | |- | Win |align=center| 12-1 | Roy Nelson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 117 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Oakland, California, U.S. | |- | Win |align=center| 11-1 | Gabriel Gonzaga | KO (punches) | UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 3:53 | Broomfield, Colorado, U.S. | |- | Win |align=center| 10-1 | Gilbert Yvel | TKO (punches) | UFC 108 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 2:07 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | |- | Win |align=center| 9-1 | Mirko Filipovic | Submission (punch) | UFC 103 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 2:00 | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | |- | Win |align=center| 8-1 | Stefan Struve | TKO (punches) | UFC 95 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:54 | London, England | |- | Win |align=center| 7-1 | Fabricio Werdum | KO (uppercut) | UFC 90 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 1:21 | Rosemont, Illinois, U.S. | |- | Win |align=center| 6-1 | Geronimo dos Santos | TKO (cut) | Demo Fight 3 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:44 | Salvador, Bahia, Brazil | |- | Loss |align=center| 5-1 | Joaquim Ferreira | Submission (armbar) | MTL: Final | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 1:13 | São Paulo, Brazil | |- | Win |align=center| 5–0 | Jair Goncalves | TKO (punches) | Mo Team League 2 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 2:52 | São Paulo, Brazil | |- | Win |align=center| 4–0 | Joaquim Ferreira | Submission (exhaustion) | XFC: Brazil | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |- | Win |align=center| 3–0 | Edson Silva | TKO (doctor stoppage) | XFC: Brazil | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 8:46 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |- | Win |align=center| 2–0 | Eduardo Maiorino | Submission (guillotine choke) | Minotauro Fights 5 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 0:50 | São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil | |- | Win |align=center| 1–0 | Jailson Silva Santos | TKO (punches) | Demo Fight 1 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| N/A | Salvador, Bahia, Brazil |

See also

List of current UFC fighters

References

External links

Black House MMA

Official UFC Profile

Category:Brazilian mixed martial artists Category:Heavyweight mixed martial artists Category:Brazilian kickboxers Category:Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Category:Living people Category:1984 births

fr:Junior dos Santos ja:ジュニオール・ドス・サントス no:Junior dos Santos pl:Junior dos Santos pt:Junior dos Santos ru:Дус Сантус, Жуниор sv:Junior dos Santos