A taboo is a strong social prohibition (or ban) relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and forbidden based on moral judgment and religious beliefs. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society. The term comes from the Tongan word tabu, meaning set apart or forbidden, and appears in many Polynesian cultures. In those cultures, a ''tabu'' (or ''tapu'' or ''kapu'') often has specific religious associations. American author Herman Melville, in his first novel "Typee" describes both the origin and use of the word in Polynesian culture. "The word itself (taboo) is used in more than one signification. It is sometimes used by a parent to his child, when in the exercise of parental authority he forbids it to perform a particular action. Anything opposed to the ordinary customs of the islands, although not expressly prohibited is said to be "taboo"." When an activity or custom is taboo, it is forbidden and interdictions are implemented concerning it, such as the ground set apart as a sanctuary for criminals. Some taboo activities or customs are prohibited under law and transgressions may lead to severe penalties. On the other hand taboos result in embarrassment, shame, and rudeness. Although critics and/or dissenters may oppose taboos, they are put into place to avoid disrespect to any given authority, be it legal, moral and/or religious.

Etymology

Common etymology traces ''taboo'' to the Tongan word ''tapu'' or the Fijian word ''tabu'' meaning "under prohibition", "not allowed", or "forbidden". In its current use in Tonga, the word ''tapu'' also means "sacred" or "holy", often in the sense of being restricted or protected by custom or law. In the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga, where the greater portion of the population reside within the capital Nuku'alofa, the word is often appended to the end of "Tonga", making the word "Tongatapu", as "Sacred South" rather than "forbidden south".

The use of ''taboo'' in English dates back to 1777 when English explorer, Captain James Cook, visited Tonga. Describing the cultural practices of the Tongans, he wrote:

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Examples

On an universal scale in almost all cultures, Taboos can include sex, death, dietary restrictions (halal and kosher diets, religious vegetarianism, and the prohibition of cannibalism), restrictions on sexual activities and relationships (sex outside of marriage, adultery, intermarriage, miscegenation, incest, animal-human sex, adult-child sex, sex with the dead), sexual fetishes, restrictions of bodily functions (burping, flatulence, defecation and urination), restrictions on the use of psychoactive drugs, restrictions on state of genitalia such as (transsexual gender identity, circumcision or sex reassignment), exposure of body parts (ankles in the Victorian British Empire, women's hair in parts of the Middle East, nudity in the US), and restrictions on the use of offensive language.

Practices considered acceptable in one culture may be considered taboo in other cultures. For example, Foot Binding, practiced in ancient China, would be considered taboo in the context of modern cultural morals. Exposure of intimate parts is generally taboo in (most) modern developed countries. Other subjects perceived to be taboo involve burning money; some countries or nations (most notably post-WWII Europe whose governments often object going to war except for reasons of self-defense) and moral-philosophical debates on whether or not humanity should (or not) exist.

No taboo is known to be universal, but some (such as cannibalism, intentional homicide, and incest taboos) occur in the majority of societies. Taboos may serve many functions, and often remain in effect after the original reason behind them has expired. Some have argued that taboos therefore reveal the history of societies when other records are lacking.

Certain taboos lose their sting over periods of time. In the United States and western countries, most people are now more comfortable than before when they discuss and explore social issues: gossip and scandal, alcoholism, depression, homosexuality, divorce, income disparity, personal relationships, pregnancy and childbirth, and teenage rebellion. Medical disorders and diseases like cancer, polio, AIDS, mental disorders and suicide aren't as heavily taboo now as in the past. Certain personal things such as age, height, weight and appearance are not always shared with confidants or in public; this indicates that such topics may be taboo to some people.

Taboos often extend to cover discussion of taboo topics. This can result in taboo deformation (euphemism) or replacement of taboo words. Marvin Harris, a leading figure in cultural materialism, endeavored to explain taboos as a consequence of the ecologic and economic conditions of their societies. Taboos challenge one's free speech and individual rights to express a subject or issue in need to be addressed for the benefit, not to damage, any given society.

Also, Sigmund Freud provided an analysis of taboo behaviors, highlighting strong unconscious motivations driving such prohibitions. In this system, described in his collections of essays ''Totem and Taboo'', Freud postulates a link between forbidden behaviors and the sanctification of objects to certain kinship groups. Freud also states here that the only two "universal" taboos are that of incest and patricide, which formed the eventual basis of modern society.

Other societal taboos to a certain extent or to some people are the polarizing issues of racism, sexism, ethnicity, nationality, religion, conspiracy theories, politics, money, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, and disability. People follow this advice of not discussing, joking about or making an issue of things that can lead to bigotry, discrimination, defamation and stigmatization of people with those social group differences.

For such topics, the moderated environment of an organized debate may be the only socially acceptable place to discuss them. They developed as a result of concerns for civil rights, sensitivity, and multiculturalism in the late 20th century.

In today's world (esp. true in the USA), certain political ideologies like fascism (i.e. Nazism) and Communism, including extreme forms of socialism and left-wing or right-wing extremes like anarchism (no rulers) and militarism (military dictators) would be perceived as taboo to a democratic society, which finds these alternatives immoral and sinister.

When presented in the shape of parody or comedy as performed by comedians, taboo topics and subject matter can induce comical reaction by the general public, without causing disgust or offense as to what was said or mentioned about an emotionally charged issue described as mainly taboo in a given society.

See also

Bias

Censorship

Deviance

Etiquette

Faux pas

Halal and Kosher (Kashrut)

Menstrual taboo

Morality

Mother-in-law languages

Natural law

Naming taboo in imperial China

Norm (sociology)

Political correctness

Prejudice

Prohibition

Public morality

Religious tolerance

Sacrilege

Sacred

Scottish pork taboo

Social stigma

Taboo food and drink

Taboo on the dead

*

Literature

Robert Arthur, You Will Die: The Burden of Modern Taboos. Suburra Publishing, 2008

References

Printed for Champante and Whitrow ... and M. Watson; 1793.

External links

Stigma, discrimination and attitudes to HIV

Violence and Nudity taboo in media art

Category:Freudian psychology Category:Cultural anthropology

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Name	Don Omar
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	William Omar Landrón Rivera
Alias	El Rey
Birth date	February 10, 1978
Origin	Puerto Rico
Genre	Reggaeton, Pop, Rap, R&B;
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, composer, CEO, actor
Years active	1999–present
Label	Orfanato Music Group (His Label)VI MusicUniversal Music LatinoMachete Music
Website	Don Omar }}

Don Omar, also known as El Rey (born William Omar Landrón Rivera; February 10, 1978, is a Puerto Rican Reggaetón singer and actor.

Early life

William Omar Landrón Rivera is the oldest son of William Landrón and Luz Antonia Rivera. He was raised in Santurce, a barrio of San Juan, Puerto Rico, specifically in the Villa Palmeras area. From an early age, he showed interest in the music of Vico C and Brewley MC, but never actually followed it. During his youth, he became an active member of a Protestant church, Iglesia Evangélica Restauración en Cristo, in Bayamón where he occasionally offered sermons. However, after four years, he left the church to dedicate himself to singing.

Several months later, he had his first public presentation in a night club, accompanied by disc jockey Eliel Lind Osorio. Afterwards he appeared regularly on compilation albums from popular DJ's and producers like Luny Tunes, Noriega, and DJ Eric. He also started working as a backup singer for the duo Héctor & Tito. One of the members, Héctor Delgado, helped him produce his first solo album.

Career

2000–2005: The Last Don

Don Omar's career catapulted to stardom with the release of his first studio album, ''The Last Don''. Both the studio version and its live edition have been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Worldwide, ''The Last Don: Live [CD & DVD]'' has sold over one million copies, according to his official website. Omar's debut single, “Dale Don Dale”, sold over 500,000 copies in South America. He earned awards for “Latin Pop Album of the Year” and "New Artist & Latin Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year” by the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2003. ''The Last Don: Live [CD & DVD]'' was also nominated for "Urban Music Album" at the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards.

2006–2008: King of Kings

Omar's May 2006 album ''King of Kings'', became history's highest ranking reggaeton LP in the top 10 US charts, with its debut at #1 on the Latin sales charts and the #1 spot on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Radio Chart with his single “Angelito”. Omar was also able to beat the in-store appearance sales record at Disney World's Virgin music store previously set by pop star Britney Spears.

With the highest charting debut by a reggaeton artist, Don Omar's "King of Kings" entered at No. 7 with 74,000, beating Daddy Yankee's No. 24 entry with 2005's "Barrio Fino En Directo". In April 2007, Don Omar received the Latin Billboard award for "Reggaeton Album Of The Year" for King of Kings. The songs "Los Bandoleros" and "Conteo" were featured in the movie ''The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' in the ending credits.

On September 18, 2007, Landrón was briefly under police custody in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, when a local company sued him after he canceled a concert scheduled for earlier that year in La Paz, Bolivia as part of an international tour titled "Up Close". The organization claimed that he had stolen $70,000 due to the cancellation. Landrón responded that he canceled the concert because the company did not provide air tickets in time. After the case was presented before a local judge, both parts reached an agreement. Landrón was allowed to leave the country in order to comply with a previously scheduled appearance in Buenos Aires on Argentine television and returned the next day to hold his concert in Santa Cruz's Tahuichi Aguilera soccer stadium.

Landrón participated as in Gilberto Santa Rosa's presentation in an event titled "Concierto del Amor", presented in the Madison Square Garden on February 9, 2008. Where he closed the event and performed reggaeton themes.

In late 2009 Billboard recognized that this was the most successful album of the decade (since 2000) in Latin America, besides being the most successful in the history of the genre of Reggaeton and Latin music, Don Omar ended in 2009 devoting even more over its rivals as the best of this genre and urban music. It is estimated that the album until the end of 2009 according to Billboard recount has sold just over 4.1 million copies.

"Salió El Sol" is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.

2009: iDon

Don Omar's third studio album titled ''iDon'' was released on April 28, 2009. This album was dedicated to his cousin Cordell Brown. He misses his family in St.Louis, thats's why the first single from this album titled "Virtual Diva" was performed on MTV's Tr3s variety show, ''Virtual Diva''. ''iDon'''s Virtual Diva became the most requested song on Latin radio stations. The second official single, titled "Sexy Robotica", was released on June 5, 2009.

2010–present: Meet the Orphans

Don Omar confirmed the name of his upcoming collaborative album, titled ''Meet the Orphans''. The single "Hasta Abajo" was released in advance of the album. The album was set to be released on August 24, 2010 through Orfanato Music Group, but now is scheduled on October 19, 2010. He is currently signed to VI Music and Machete Music through Universal Music Latino.

Personal life

William Omar Landrón is the father of three children. He married forecaster/journalist Jackie Guerrido on April 18, 2008. Divorce rumors surrounded the couple two years into the marriage and were compounded by comments Landrón made via Twitter. In March 2011, it was revealed they had divorced. Landrón is banned from Univision, after Univision got involved with his marriage, he is no longer allowed to attend any award shows from Univision. Omar is also the owner of Orfanato Music Group.

On September 2004, Landrón and three companions were detained by police personnel in Puerto Rico. The jury was selected on July 8, 2008. Two days later, Judge Angel Ramírez Ramírez of the Tribunal de Carolina denied a prosecutor's request to extract a DNA sample from a marijuana cigarette, noting that if a previous test done in June brings back negative results the charges against Landrón may be dropped. The hearings had to be postponed on July 10, 2008, because one of the prosecution's witnesses was unable to attend due to pregnancy. The DNA tests were "inconclusive". On July 22, 2008, the charges against Landrón were dropped by the prosecution, after several inconsistencies appeared in the witness accounts.

Discography

Studio Albums

2003: ''The Last Don''

2006: ''King of Kings''

2009: ''iDon''

Live / Special Edition Albums

2004: ''The Last Don Live''

2006: ''The Last Don: The Gold Series''

2006: ''King of Kings: Armageddon Edition''

2007: ''King of Kings Live''

Compilation Albums

2005: ''Don Omar Presenta: Los Bandoleros''

2005: ''Da Hitman Presents Reggaetón Latino''

2006: ''Don Omar Presenta: Los Bandoleros Reloaded''

2007: ''Don Omar Presenta: El Pentágono''

2010: ''Don Omar Presents: Meet the Orphans''

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role
	''Fast & Furious''	Rico Santos
	''Los Bandoleros''	Rico Santos
		Rico Santos

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans

List of Puerto Rican songwriters

References

External links

Official IDon Album Website

Official Website

Official MySpace

Official Facebook

Category:1978 births * Category:Living people Category:People from Carolina, Puerto Rico Category:Puerto Rican male singers Category:Puerto Rican people of African descent Category:Puerto Rican rappers Category:Puerto Rican reggaeton artists Category:Reggaeton musicians Category:Spanish-language singers

ca:William Omar Landrón de:Don Omar es:Don Omar fr:Don Omar ko:돈 오마르 it:Don Omar nl:Don Omar ja:ドン・オマール no:Don Omar pl:William Omar Landrón pt:Don Omar ro:Don Omar ru:Дон Омар fi:Don Omar sv:Don Omar ta:டான் ஒமார் tr:Don Omar

name	Tim Minchin
birth name	Timothy David Minchin
birth date	October 07, 1975
birth place	Northampton, United Kingdom
nationality	Australian, British
active	2002–present
genre	Comedy music
spouse	Sarah Minchin 2001–present (2 children)
website
britishcomedyawards	}}

Timothy David "Tim" Minchin (born 7 October 1975 in Northampton, UK) is an Australian-British comedian, actor, and musician.

Tim Minchin is best known for his musical comedy, which has featured in six CDs, three DVDs and a number of live comedy shows which he has performed internationally. He has also appeared on television in Australia, Britain and the United States. After growing up in Perth, Western Australia, he attended the University of Western Australia and WAAPA before moving to Melbourne in 2002. His breakout show, "Dark Side", launched him into the public eye, achieving critical success at the 2005 Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Minchin has a background in theatre and has appeared in various stage productions, in addition to some small acting roles on Australian TV. A documentary film about Minchin, ''Rock N Roll Nerd'' (directed by Rhian Skirving), was released theatrically in 2008 and broadcast by ABC1 in 2009.

Personal life

Minchin was born in Northampton, UK, to Australian parents and raised in Perth, Western Australia. He was educated at Christ Church Grammar School and started learning piano at the age of eight, but gave it up after three years because he did not enjoy the discipline. He redeveloped an interest in the instrument after he started writing music with his brother Dan Minchin, a guitarist, but still describes himself as a "hack pianist... a 'more you practise, the better you get' kind of guy". Minchin graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Theatre, and in 1998 completed an Advanced Diploma in Contemporary Music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

He currently lives in London with his wife, Sarah. They have two children: a daughter, Violet, and a son, Caspar. Minchin often refers to his relationships in his songs and stand-up routines.

Musical comedy

Minchin describes his act as a "funny cabaret show" and sees himself primarily as a musician and songwriter as opposed to a comedian; his songs, he says, "just happen to be funny." His reasoning for combining the disciplines of music and comedy was revealed in one interview when he said "I'm a good musician for a comedian and I'm a good comedian for a musician but if I had to do any of them in isolation I dunno."

He draws on his background in theatre for his distinctive onstage appearance and persona. In his performances, he typically goes barefoot with wild hair and heavy eye makeup, which is juxtaposed with a crisp suit and tails, and a grand piano. According to Minchin, he likes going barefoot in his shows because it makes him feel more comfortable. He considers the eye makeup important because while he is playing the piano he is not able to use his arms and relies on his face for expressions and gestures; the eyeliner makes his features more distinguishable for the audience. Much of his look and persona, he says, are about "treading that line between mocking yourself and wanting to be an iconic figure. Mocking the ridiculousness and completely unrealistic dream of being an iconic figure." The eccentric appearance removes Minchin from reality somewhat, allowing him to make outrageous statements onstage "without annoying (most) people."

The shows consist largely of Minchin's comedic songs and poetry, with subjects ranging from social satire to inflatable dolls, sex fetishes, and his own failed rock star ambitions. In between songs, he performs short stand-up routines. Several of his songs deal with religion, a subject with which Minchin—an atheist and a fan of Richard Dawkins—says he is "a bit obsessed." He argues that as one of the most powerful and influential forces in the world, religion should never be off-limits to satirists. He says that his favourite song to perform is "Peace Anthem for Palestine", which reflects his feelings about religious conflict. In October 2010 he was made a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association. His comedy also deals with taboos more broadly. A prime example of this is the song "Prejudice" which parodies the power awarded to something as simple as a word.

Early career (1998–2007)

After completing an Advanced Diploma in Contemporary Music in 1998, Minchin started out composing music for documentaries and theatre. In 2000 he wrote and starred in the musical ''Pop'' at the Blue Room Theatre in Perth. He released a CD titled ''Sit'' with his band Timmy the Dog in 2001, but achieved little success. In 2002, after only one professional acting job, he moved from Perth to Melbourne to pursue work. Minchin struggled initially; he could not get an agent for a year and had been unable to find any acting work. While several record companies gave him positive feedback, they were not sure how his music—a mixture of satirical songs and more serious pop songs—could be marketed. He decided to compile all of his humorous songs into a single live show to "get the comedy stuff off [his] chest" before going back to more serious music.

Minchin says he entered into comedy "naively", having never even attended a live comedy gig before performing one himself. His break-out show, ''Darkside'' (co-produced by Laughing Stock Productions), achieved critical success at the 2005 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, where it won the inaugural Festival Directors' Award and attracted the notice of Karen Koren, the manager of the well-known Gilded Balloon venues. Koren backed the show's run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where Minchin received the Perrier Comedy Award for Best Newcomer. His 2006 show, ''So Rock'', was nominated for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's top prize, the Barry Award, and in 2007 he was given the award for Best Alternative Comedian at the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival.

Live recordings of his 2005 and 2006 shows, ''Darkside'' and ''So Rock'', have been released as CDs. In 2007, he released a DVD entitled ''So Live'', featuring a live recording in the Sydney Opera House Studio with material from both of his previous shows. As this DVD was only released in Australia, he released a DVD in 2008 entitled ''So F**king Rock Live'' in the UK, containing largely the same material as ''So Live.''

''Ready for This?'' (2008–2010)

In August 2008 Minchin debuted his third solo show, ''Ready for This?'', at the Edinburgh Fringe and subsequently took it on tour across the UK. During the Edinburgh run, he contributed to ''The Guardian'' newspaper's podcasts, despite his new show containing a song about a ''Guardian'' critic who once gave his show a negative review.

A recording of this show, recorded live at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London was released as an album for download via iTunes on 20 July 2009. An Australian recording was released on DVD, solely in Australia on 9 September 2009 and a UK release in the second half of 2010.

In December 2009, the track "White Wine in the Sun" was released as a downloadable single online. Fans on Minchin's official forum launched a campaign to get this festive track into the UK Christmas charts by purchasing it from various online download retailers. A Facebook group was also launched to support the campaign as well as a drive on Twitter in which celebrities were contacted about the campaign and a succession of e-mails to radio DJs in a bid to get them to play the song. It was later announced that 50% of the December profits from the song would be donated to The National Autistic Society. The bid was ultimately unsuccessful.

It was announced at the end of 2009 that one of Minchin's beat poems, ''Storm'', was to be made into a short animated movie to be released in 2010. A blog was launched to accompany the film-making process and a short trailer was released on 8 January 2010. The full movie was launched on Youtube on 7 April 2011.

He performed ''Ready for This?'' for what he envisages as the final time on 27 February 2010 in Sydney. He did however perform a set at The Big Libel Gig on 14 March 2010 in protest at Britain's libel laws, along with other performers including Dara Ó Briain, Marcus Brigstocke, Shappi Khorsandi, Robin Ince and Ed Byrne. As well as this, he performed at Camp Bestival as part of the Jestival Sessions in July 2010.

Minchin was the subject of the winning entry in the 2010 Archibald Prize, Australia's most important portraiture competition. The winning entry was painted by Sam Leach.

''Tim Minchin and the Heritage Orchestra'' (2010–2011)

Minchin embarked on a new arena tour starting with Birmingham on Wednesday 8 December, 2010. A departure from the structure of his previous live shows, his act has been scaled up to be performed with the Heritage Orchestra. It contains a mixture of material: there are new songs on the subject of prayer and of rationality — themes which often appear in his previous work. Minchin has stated that the aim of incorporating the orchestra into his act is to create a comedy show that would not be ruined by being performed in arenas, as stated in the special features of the DVD and Blu-ray. The show is touring the UK and Australia. It was filmed at the Royal Albert Hall in London for a Blu-ray and DVD that was released in November 2011.

Television and radio

Tim Minchin has made appearances on Australian TV shows, including the ABC's ''Spicks and Specks'', and ''The Sideshow'',. He has also made appearances on Network Ten's panel shows ''Good News Week'' (February 2010) and ''Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation'' (March 2010).

Minchin has also appeared on various British radio and television shows, including the BBC's ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' (four times, once as guest host), BBC Radio 4's ''Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better'' and two specials on BBC Radio 2. He often performs on his TV appearances, such as his spots on ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' in October 2009 and July 2010. He performed a specially-written song entitled "Five Poofs and Two Pianos", a parody of the show's house band, 4 Poofs and a Piano. Minchin also appeared as a special guest on the 2009 edition of ''The Big Fat Quiz of the Year'' performing a song written for the show ("It's Like 1984") in reference to a question regarding Google Street View. On Saturday 13 August 2011 Minchin hosted Prom 40: the first BBC Comedy Promenade Concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

A heavily cut-down version of the show released on DVD as ''So F**king Rock Live'' has aired several times on British TV channel E4, first on 23 July 2009. It aired at the turn of 2011, forming E4's New Year's coverage.

On 8 May 2010, Minchin's musical sitcom pilot ''Strings'' was broadcast on BBC Radio 2. Minchin plays the protagonist Jonny, who leaves Australia to live in the UK. Well received as it was by Radio 2, he decided against creating a full series.

In January 2011, Minchin made his American television debut on TBS's ''Conan'', where he performed "Inflatable You". On 12 May 2011, he performed "If I Didn't Have You" on the ''Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'', and on 7 June 2011 Minchin made his second appearance on ''Conan'', singing "Prejudice".

In December 2011 Minchin performed a specially written song called "Woody Allen Jesus" on ''The Jonathan Ross Show''. However, despite the show's producers and ITV's lawyers approving the composition for broadcast it was removed at the last minute. Responding on his blog, Minchin stated: "[...] Someone got nervous and sent the tape to ITV's director of television, Peter Fincham. And Peter Fincham demanded that I be cut from the show. He did this because he's scared of the ranty, shit-stirring, right-wing press, and of the small minority of Brits who believe they have a right to go through life protected from anything that challenges them in any way."

Acting and theatre

Minchin's background is in theatre and he has appeared in various stage productions. His most recent dramatic theatrical performance was in the title role for the 2006 Perth Theatre Company production of ''Amadeus'', a fictional play about the downfall of Mozart at the hands of the reigning court composer. His other stage acting roles have included the title role in the 2004 Perth Theatre Company / Hoopla production of ''Hamlet'', and The Writer in the original PTC production of Reg Cribb’s ''The Return''. He has also acted for The Australian Shakespeare Company (''Twelfth Night''), the Black Swan Theatre Company (''Cosi'', ''One Destiny'') and in various other plays, short films and TVC’s. Roles from his days in musical theatre include Don Quixote in ''Man of La Mancha'' and Pontius Pilate (and understudying Judas twice) in ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. He has also appeared playing small parts on the ABC telemovie ''Loot'' and on the show ''Comedy Inc.''.

Minchin also plays the role of Tom, in the contemporary family drama ''Two Fists, One Heart'', released 19 March 2009. He also wrote the song ''Drowned'' for the film's soundtrack.

He co-wrote a musical version of Roald Dahl's novel ''Matilda'' – entitled ''Matilda, A Musical'' – with Dennis Kelly and the Royal Shakespeare Company, which is produced by the RSC. It showed at The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon running from 9 November 2010 to 30 January 2011 and began its West End run at the Cambridge Theatre on 25 October 2011 to great critical acclaim.

Atheism and skepticism

In an interview with IIG member John Rael, Minchin explains that what upsets him most about paranormal beliefs is "special pleading" by people who say vague things such as "there is no harm in it". Minchin states that there is very little harm in something like Reiki, but asks "where do you draw the line?" when it comes to needing real evidence if a therapy works or not. He states that he is an atheist as well as a skeptic, and cannot understand how someone can call themself a skeptic and still be religious. "If you apply doubt to anything...the whole religion thing is obviously a fantasy."

In his beat poem, ''Storm'', which centres on Minchin having an argument with a "hippie" who believes in various New Age alternatives in lieu of pharmaceutical medicine, he states: "Science adjusts its views based on what's observed. Faith is the denial of observation, so that belief can be preserved."

Discography

Albums

''Sit'' (with band Timmy the Dog) (2001)

''Darkside'' (2005)

''So Rock'' (2006)

''Ready For This?'' (2009)

''Live at the O2'' (2010)

''Tim Minchin and The Heritage Orchestra'' (2011)

Singles

"Drowned" (2008)

"White Wine in the Sun" (2009)

"The Pope Song" (2010) - As a free download from his website

"The Fence" (2011)

Compilations

''Laugh-a-poolooza'' (featured artist) (2005)

DVD

''So Live'' (2007) Australian DVD

''So F**king Rock Live'' (also known as ''So Fucking Rock Live'') (11 October 2008)

''So F**king Rock Live (Special Edition)'' (also known as ''So Fucking Rock Live (Special Edition'') (5 October 2009)

''Ready For This?'' (29 November 2010)

''Tim Minchin and the Heritage Orchestra'' (14 November 2011)

Filmography

Actor

2008 – ''Two Fists, One Heart'' – Tom 2010 – ''The Lost Thing'' – The Boy (Voice)

Awards

; 2005 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Directors' Choice Award for ''Dark Side'' 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Perrier Comedy Award, Best Newcomer 2005 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The Groggy Squirrel Critics' Award 2007 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, Best Alternative Act 2009 Helpmann Awards, Best Comedy Performer 2009 Green Room Awards, Cabaret: Best Original Songs 2009 Green Room Awards, Cabaret: Best Artiste 2010 Chortle Awards, Best Music or Variety Act

References

External links

Rock N Roll Nerd – The Tim Minchin Documentary website

YouTube Interview on Australian Sceptics vodcast, The TANK Vodcast, 2007

Tim Minchin's song 'If I Didn't Have You' (Secret Policeman's Ball)

Storm Movie Production Blog

Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Atheism activists Category:Australian atheists Category:Australian comedy musicians Category:Australian male comedians Category:Australian male singers Category:Australian pianists Category:Australian sceptics Category:Australian socialists Category:Australian stand-up comedians Category:British atheists Category:British comedy musicians Category:British male comedians Category:British male singers Category:British pianists Category:British sceptics Category:British socialists Category:British stand-up comedians Category:University of Western Australia alumni Category:People educated at Christ Church Grammar School Category:People from Crouch End Category:People from Northampton Category:People from Perth, Western Australia

ar:تيم مينشن bg:Тим Минчин da:Tim Minchin de:Tim Minchin fr:Tim Minchin nl:Tim Minchin no:Tim Minchin pl:Tim Minchin pt:Tim Minchin ru:Минчин, Тим sv:Tim Minchin

Name	Vin Diesel
Birth name	Mark Sinclair Vincent
Birth date	July 18, 1967
Birth place	New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, director, producer, screenwriter
Years active	1990–present
Partner	Paloma Jimenez
Website	VinDiesel.com }}

Vin Diesel (born Mark Sinclair Vincent; July 18, 1967) is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including ''The Fast and the Furious'' and ''xXx''. He founded the production companies One Race Films, Tigon Studios and Racetrack Records.

Early life

Vin Diesel was born in New York City, the son of Delora, a psychiatrist and astrologer. Diesel has Italian and black ancestry. He has described himself as "definitely a person of color" and stated that he is "of ambiguous ethnicity – Italian and a lot of other stuff". Diesel has never met his biological father, and was raised by his African-American father, Irving, an acting instructor and theatre manager. He made his stage debut at age seven when he appeared in the children's play ''Dinosaur Door'', written by Barbara Garson. The play was produced at Theater for the New City in New York's Greenwich Village. His involvement in the play came about when he, his brother and some friends had broken into Theater for the New City's space on Jane Street with the intent to vandalize it. They were confronted by the theater's artistic director, Crystal Field, who instead of calling the police, handed them scripts and offered them parts in the upcoming show. He remained involved with the theatre throughout adolescence, going on to attend the city's Hunter College, where his creative writing studies led him to begin screenwriting. Diesel became an active film-maker in the early 1990s, first earning notice for the short film ''Multi-Facial'', which was selected for screening at the 1995 Cannes Festival. Diesel has identified himself as a "multi-faceted" actor as a result of early difficulties finding roles due to his mixed heritage.

In an interview on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', he said that he changed his name to "Vin Diesel" while working as a bouncer at the New York City nightclub Tunnel, because in that business one's real name is not usually given out. The name "Vin" is simply a shortened version of "Vincent". He received the nickname "Diesel" from his friends who said he ran off diesel fuel, referring to his non-stop energy.

He has a twin brother, Paul, a younger brother, Tim, and a sister, Samantha.

Career

Diesel's first film role was a brief uncredited appearance in the 1990 film ''Awakenings''. He then produced, directed, and starred in the 1994 short film ''Multi-Facial'', a short semi-autobiographical film which follows a struggling actor stuck in the audition process, because he is regarded as either "too black" or "too white", or not black or white enough. He made his first feature-length film, 1997's ''Strays'', an urban drama in which he was self-cast as a gang boss whose love for a woman inspires him to try to change his ways. Written, directed and produced by Diesel, the film was selected for competition at the 1997 Sundance Festival, leading to an MTV deal to turn it into a series.

He was then cast in Steven Spielberg's 1998 Oscar-winning film ''Saving Private Ryan'' on the poignancy of his performance in ''Multi-Facial''. In 1999 he earned critical acclaim for his voice work as the title character in the animation film ''The Iron Giant''. He followed it up with a major role in the Business drama ''Boiler Room'' (2000) and then got his breakthrough role as the anti-hero Riddick in the science-fiction film ''Pitch Black'' (2000). He attained action hero super stardom with the box office hits, the street racing action film ''The Fast and the Furious'' (2001), starring opposite Paul Walker, and the action thriller ''xXx'' (2002).

In 2004, he reprised his role as ''Pitch Black's'' Riddick in ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' which was a box office failure considering the large budget. In 2005 he played a lighthearted role in the comedy film ''The Pacifier'', which became a box office success. In 2006 he chose a dramatic role playing real-life mobster Jack DiNorscio in ''Find Me Guilty''. Although he received critical acclaim for his performance, the film did poorly at the box office. Later that year he made a cameo appearance in ''The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'', reprising his role from ''The Fast and The Furious''. Diesel was originally offered the lead in ''2 Fast 2 Furious'' but turned it down. He was also offered the chance to reprise his role from ''xXx'' in ''xXx: State of the Union'' but turned it down as well. In March 2006, Diesel stated that he was working on a sequel to ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' which as of 2011 is still in pre-production stages.

In 2007, he was set to produce and star as Agent 47 in the film adaptation of the video game ''Hitman'', but eventually pulled back and served as executive producer on the film instead. In 2008 he starred in the science-fiction action thriller ''Babylon A.D.''.

He returned to the ''The Fast and The Furious'' series, alongside all the actors from the original 2001 film, in ''Fast & Furious'', which released in April 2009. In 2011, he once again returned, for the fifth film in the series, titled ''Fast Five''.

Personal life

Diesel is noted for his recognizable deep voice; he has said that his voice broke at around age 15, giving him a mature sounding voice on the telephone.

Around 2001, Diesel dated his ''The Fast and the Furious'' co-star, Michelle Rodriguez.

Diesel has expressed his love for the Dominican Republic, and how he relates to its multicultural facets. He is also acquainted with President Leonel Fernandez, and has since appeared in one of his earlier campaign ads. "Los Bandoleros", a short film directed by Diesel, was also filmed in the Dominican Republic.

Diesel claims that he prefers dating in Europe, where he is less likely to be recognized and where celebrities are not romantically linked to each other. He prefers to maintain his privacy regarding his personal life:

Diesel has played ''Dungeons & Dragons'' for over twenty years and wrote the foreword for the commemorative book ''30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons''. In the 30th Anniversary of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' issue of ''Dragon Magazine'', they examine the fact that Diesel played ''Dungeons & Dragons'', and reveal that he had a fake tattoo of his character's name, "Melkor," on his stomach while filming ''xXx''.

Diesel has a daughter, Hania Riley, born April 2, 2008, with his girlfriend, model Paloma Jimenez. Speaking to ''An tEolas'', an Irish newspaper, Diesel stated he has been seen as a hard man, but is in touch with his soft side as a father.

Filmography

Actor

''Multi-Facial'' ''Strays (film) ''Saving Private Ryan'' ''The Iron Giant'' ''Boiler Room (film) ''The Fast and the Furious (2001 film) ''xXx'' ''A Man Apart'' ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' ''The Pacifier'' ''Find Me Guilty'' ''Babylon A.D. (film) ''Fast & Furious'' ''Fast Five (film)

Year !! Movie !! Role !! Other notes
1990	''Awakenings''	Orderly
1994	|	Mike
1997	Strays'' ||	Rick
1998	|	Private Adrian Caparzo
1999	|	The Iron Giant (voice)	Animated
rowspan="2"	2000	Boiler Room'' ||	Chris Varick
''Pitch Black (film)	Pitch Black''	Richard B. Riddick
rowspan="2"	2001	The Fast and the Furious'' ||	Dominic Toretto
''Knockaround Guys''	Taylor Reese
2002	|	Xander Cage
2003	|	Sean Vetter
rowspan="2"	2004	|	Richard B. Riddick
''The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury''	Richard B. Riddick (voice)
2005	|	Lieutenant Shane Wolfe
rowspan="2"	2006	|	Jack DiNorscio
''The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift''	Dominic Toretto
2008	Babylon A.D.'' ||	Hugo Cornelius Toorop
2009	|	Dominic "Dom" Toretto
2011	Fast Five ||	Dominic "Dom" Toretto

Producer

! Film Title	! Year	! Description
''Multi-Facial''	1994	Producer
	1997	Executive Producer, Producer
''xXx''	2002	Executive Producer
''A Man Apart''	2003	Producer
''Chronicles of Riddick''	2004	Executive Producer
''Life is a Dream''	2004	Documentary, Executive Producer
''Find Me Guilty''	2006	Producer
	2007	Executive Producer
''Fast & Furious''	2009	Producer
	2011	Producer

Director & Writer

! Film	! Year
''Multi-Facial''	1994
	1997

Games

# ''The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay'' (2004) # ''The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena'' (2009) # ''Wheelman'' (2009)

References

External links

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American writers Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American film directors of Italian descent Category:American film producers Category:American screenwriters Category:American stage actors Category:American voice actors Category:American video game actors Category:American writers of Italian descent Category:Hunter College alumni Category:Dungeons & Dragons writers Category:Twin people from the United States Category:Writers from New York City

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