{{infobox broadcast| call letters

WGN-TV| station_logo 200px| station_branding WGN 9, Chicago's CW (general)WGN News (newscasts)WGN Sports (sports telecasts)| station_slogan ''Chicago's Very Own'' (station)''Very Chicago.'' (online)| digital 19 (UHF)Virtual: 9 (PSIP)| subchannels (see article)| affiliations The CW| airdate April 5, 1948| location Chicago, Illinois| callsign_meaning World'sGreatestNewspaper(referring to the ''Chicago Tribune'')| owner Tribune Company| licensee WGN Continental Broadcasting Company| sister_stations WGN (AM)WGN AmericaCLTV| former_channel_numbers Analog:9 (1948–2009)| former_callsigns | former_affiliations CBS (1948-1953)DuMont (1953-1956)Independent (1956-1995)The WB (1995-2006)| effective_radiated_power 645 kW| HAAT 454 m| facility_id 72115| coordinates | homepage http://www.wgntv.com| }}

WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 (digital channel 19), is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W. Bradley Place in the North Center neighborhood of Chicago, and the station's transmitter is located atop the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower).

WGN Television is one of several flagship properties owned by the Tribune Company, which also owns radio station WGN (720 AM) and publishes the ''Chicago Tribune'', whose slogan ("World's Greatest Newspaper") was the basis for the call letters used by both stations. The Tribune Company also operates Chicago area cable news channel Chicagoland Television (CLTV), which shares resources from both WGN-TV and the ''Chicago Tribune''.

WGN-TV is also a pioneering superstation, and continues to program an alternate feed for cable and satellite subscribers throughout the United States known as WGN America (formerly Superstation WGN). The "superstation" feed remains unavailable to Comcast, RCN, and WOW! cable subscribers and AT&T; U-verse IPTV subscribers in the Chicago area, despite vastly different programming offerings. However, WGN America is available in the Chicago area on the DirecTV and Dish Network satellite services.

WGN's longtime slogan, "Chicago's Very Own", was the basis for a popular image campaign of the 1980s and 1990s, as performed by Lou Rawls.

History

Early years with CBS/Dumont, then as an independent

WGN Television began test broadcasts in February 1948 and began regular programming on April 5 with a two-hour special, "WGN-TV Salute to Chicago", at 7:45 p.m. Early on, WGN-TV was affiliated with the CBS and DuMont networks, sharing both with WBKB (channel 4). As a sidebar to the February 1953 merger of ABC and United Paramount Theatres, channel 9 lost its CBS affiliation. CBS had purchased the license to operate channel 4 in Chicago (now WBBM-TV, which later moved to channel 2, forcing Phonevision off the air). CBS moved all of its programming to channel 4, leaving channel 9 with DuMont. For its first thirteen years on the air, WGN-TV had broadcast from the Tribune Tower at 435 North Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago.

WGN-TV soon became one of DuMont's strongest affiliates, as well as a major production center for that network. Several DuMont programs were produced from WGN-TV's facilities, including: ''The Al Morgan Show''; ''Chicago Symphony''; ''Chicagoland Mystery Players''; ''Music from Chicago''; ''The Music Show''; ''They Stand Accused''; ''This is Music''; ''Windy City Jamboree''; and ''Down You Go''. When DuMont ceased operations in 1956, WGN-TV became an independent station. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network. In 1957, WGN-TV became one of the first Chicago-area stations to begin broadcasting live programming in color. In 1961, WGN-TV moved to its present studio location on West Bradley Place in the North Center neighborhood, a move done for civil defense concerns in order to provide the station a safe base to broadcast done in case of a hostile attack which would target downtown Chicago .

After becoming an independent, WGN-TV spent much of the next two decades as the top-rated independent station in Chicago, offering a variety of general-entertainment programs including movies, sports, off-network reruns, and children's shows. For much of its existence, channel 9 produced a large amount of its own programming at its own studios. An historic moment in Chicago's local television programming occurred when Sheldon Cooper launched a musical variety show for 13 weeks entitled ''The All-Time Hits'' featuring The Buckinghams in color. Notable WGN-TV productions included several incarnations of the immensely popular ''Bozo's Circus'', ''Ray Rayner and His Friends'', and ''Garfield Goose and Friends'' (which was hosted by Frazier Thomas). A popular children's educational series at the time was ''The Space Explorers''. WGN-TV also telecasted performances of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, beginning in 1953, when Fritz Reiner was the orchestra's music director. For one month in May 1967, WGN-TV served as Chicago's affiliate of the United Network, airing ''The Las Vegas Show''. From 1974 until 1982, Phil Donahue's syndicated talk program originated from WGN-TV. In 1975, the nationally-syndicated agriculture program ''U.S. Farm Report'' debuted, originating from WGN-TV's studios.

Becoming a national superstation

The station began broadcasting nationally on cable in October 1978, after Tulsa, Oklahoma-based satellite uplinker United Video uplinked the station's signal via satellite. This signal was picked up by many fledgling pay-cable television systems, as well as directly by satellite dish owners. This continent-wide exposure elevated WGN-TV to superstation status. Along with WOR-TV (channel 9, now WWOR-TV) in Secaucus, New Jersey and WTBS (channel 17, now WPCH-TV) in Atlanta, WGN-TV was among the first local stations to become a superstation. However, as WGN-TV gained national exposure, the station became vulnerable in the Chicago area and underestimated the ability of one of its UHF competitors, WFLD-TV (channel 32, now a Fox owned-and-operated station), to acquire top-rated programs such as ''M*A*S*H'', ''Happy Days'' and ''All in the Family''. As a result, WFLD finished ahead of WGN-TV in the ratings by the end of 1979. WGN-TV continued with its format, competing with WFLD and another UHF independent, WSNS-TV (channel 44; now a Telemundo station, owned by NBC Universal).

In 1980, WGN-TV debuted the first hour-long primetime newscast in the Midwest U.S. when the station expanded its half-hour 10 p.m. newscast to one hour and moved it an hour earlier to 9 p.m.; at this point, the newscast rebranded from ''Newsnine'' to ''The Nine O'Clock News''. In 1990, due to syndication exclusivity rules, WGN-TV launched a separate national feed with alternate programming about half the time; it was a similar situation at WWOR-TV and the national "WWOR-EMI Service" feed.

In 1994, ''The Bozo Show'' was moved from weekday mornings to Sunday mornings where it remained until 2001, when the program was controversially discontinued by station management. On September 6, 1994, weekday morning children's programming was replaced by the then-hour long ''WGN Morning News''; the newscast gradually expanded afterwards, first to two hours in January 1996, and then to three hours from 6-9 a.m. eight months later. Around that time, the ''Morning News'' was dropped by the national feed, reportedly because certain segments of the newscast were not allowed to air outside of Chicago (the national feed still airs the second hour of ''Midday News'' and the 9 p.m. newscast, however the weekend morning newscasts, the first hour of ''WGN Midday News'' and the 5 p.m. ''WGN Evening News'' do not air for undetermined reasons). The morning newscast later expanded to 3½ hours in January 2001 then to four hours starting at 5 a.m. in January 2004, and finally to its current 4½ hours in August 2010.

Return to network affiliation

On November 2, 1993, the Warner Bros. Television division of Time Warner and Tribune Company announced the formation of The WB Television Network, with the majority of Tribune's independent stations tapped to serve as charter affiliates; one month later on December 3, 1993 The WB signed an affiliation agreement with WGN-TV, making Channel 9 a network affiliate for the first time since 1956. As a result, WGN's national superstation feed would air both WB primetime and Kids' WB children's programming nationally, in order to make WB programming available in areas not yet served by a WB affiliate. The network launched on January 11, 1995; due to Tribune's minority interest in the network, in a sense, WGN-TV became a defacto WB owned-and-operated station. In the Chicago area, WGN-TV aired WB primetime programming; the Kids' WB children's program block, however aired on WCIU-TV (channel 26), which dropped its Spanish-language Univision affiliation at the start of 1995 for an English-language general entertainment schedule. In October 1999, at the network's request, WGN's superstation feed stopped carrying WB programming; by that time, The WB felt its national distribution footprint became large enough, after signing affiliation agreements with over-the-air broadcast stations and adding cable-only affiliates in markets where no over-the-air affiliate was present to where carrying WB network programming on the superstation feed was no longer deemed necessary.

In 2000, WGN-TV upgraded its newsroom to a 29,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility featuring upgraded digital equipment. In 2004, WCIU-TV dropped Kids' WB programming and it was moved to WGN-TV's Chicago area feed. That same year, WGN-TV began broadcasting Chicago Cubs and White Sox baseball and Chicago Bulls basketball home games in high definition.

On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN networks announced that they would merge to form a new network, The CW Television Network; on that same date, it also signed a ten-year affiliation agreement with most of Tribune's WB stations, including WGN-TV. The new network launched on September 18, 2006; the WGN America national feed does not carry any CW programming as the network has enough broadcast coverage through over-the-air stations, digital multicast channels and cable-only affiliates that carriage on WGN America is not needed. On April 2, 2007, Chicago investor Sam Zell announced plans to purchase the Tribune Company, with intentions to take the publicly-traded firm private. The deal was completed on December 20, 2007. Prior to the close of the sale, WGN-TV was one of two Chicago commercial television stations (not counting network-owned stations) to have never been involved in an ownership transaction (WCIU is the other, having been owned by Weigel Broadcasting since its launch in 1964).

On July 19, 2008, WGN-TV became the third Chicago station to broadcast its newscasts in high definition, and instituted new on-air graphics (as of July 2010, WGN-TV is the first station in Chicago to broadcast all locally-originated portions of its newscasts (including live field reports) in high definition, in contrast to the other major English-language news stations in Chicago who all broadcast in-studio segments in HD and live field footage in 16:9 widescreen standard definition). Several months earlier on November 1, 2007, the station also debuted ''Chicago's Very Own'' by 615 Music, as its new news music package (it is the second news theme to use the ''Chicago's Very Own'' name after a John Hegner-composed news theme, used from 1993 to 1997). On February 4, 2009, Tribune Broadcasting announced it was merging CLTV with channel 9's news department.

On October 13, 2008, WGN-TV began providing weather forecasts for WGN Radio through a partnership between the two stations; this came as WGN Radio ended a ten-year partnership with The Weather Channel to provide local forecasts. In 2009, WGN-TV began streaming its weekday midday and 5 p.m. newscasts live on its website. On February 22, 2010 WGN-TV became the first television station in the Chicago market to allow iPhone users to watch live streams of its newscasts; the 6-9 a.m. block of the ''WGN Morning News'', the midday and 5 p.m. newscasts are available for streaming to iPhone users.

Max Headroom pirating incident

On November 22, 1987, during the sports segment of ''The Nine O'Clock News'', WGN's Chicago area signal was hijacked for approximately 25 seconds by a man wearing a Max Headroom mask. This was only the first incident of that night involving the interruption of a television station's broadcast signal. Approximately two hours later, Chicago PBS station WTTW (channel 11) had its signal intercepted by the same person. WGN-TV's analog transmitter was atop the John Hancock Center and engineers were almost immediately able to thwart the video hacker by changing the studio-to-transmitter frequency, thus cutting him off. Unfortunately for WTTW, its transmitter was atop Sears Tower and it was unable to stop the hacker before enduring almost two minutes of his interruption. These two stations are two of only six existing victims of what is called "broadcast signal intrusion". Subscription television networks HBO and Playboy TV, Washington, D.C. ABC affiliate WJLA-TV, and the Comcast cable systems in Nashville, Tennessee, Lincroft, New Jersey and Tucson, Arizona are among the other victims.

Digital television

1080i 19.2

virtual channel	VirtualChannel	Radio frequency>RF Channel	Display resolution>VideoResolution	Aspect ratio>AspectRatio	! Name	! Programming
9.1	19.1	|	Aspect ratio (image)#16:9 standard>16:9	WGN-DT	Main WGN-TV Programming/[[The CW Television Network
9.2	|	480i	Aspect ratio (image)#4:3 standard>4:3	Antenna TV	Classic television series and movies

In late June 2008, WGN-TV added LATV as a subchannel to its digital broadcast, as part of a two-year deal between three Tribune Broadcasting stations (KDAF in Dallas and WPIX in New York City being the other two) and LATV. This subchannel originally aired The Tube Music Network until it shut down in October 2007, and then switched to a simulcast of the main WGN-TV channel with Spanish language dubs added to some of its programs in later months until the arrival of LATV. However, LATV left WGN in July 2010 and moved to a subchannel of low-power station WOCK-CD, with the 9.2 subchannel continuing to carry a still card reminding viewers that LATV was no longer carried in order to keep the channel within digital television and converter box channel maps.

In October 2010, that card was replaced with a new image featuring the logo of Antenna TV, a new Tribune-owned digital multicast network which has been carried on digital subchannel 9.2 since its launch on January 1, 2011, and also on the digital tiers of most of Chicago's major cable systems. Antenna TV competes with Weigel Broadcasting's MeTV stations both locally and nationally, and the Retro Television Network nationally; and also features movies during the morning and late night hours.

Analog-to-digital conversion

As part of the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, WGN-TV shut down its analog transmitter on June 12, 2009, and continued to broadcast on its pre-transition digital channel 19. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers are displaying WGN-TV's virtual channel as 9. Also, the "WGN-TV" callsign was legally transferred from the now-defunct analog channel 9 to digital channel 19 on June 12, 2009, with the "WGN-DT" callsign being discontinued; however, WGN-TV's PSIP still identifies the main channel on 9.1 as "WGN-DT."

From June 13 to July 12, 2009, WGN-TV was simulcasting its 9 p.m. newscasts (except when sports schedules intervene) on WWME-CA's analog signal on channel 23 to provide a "lifeline" for viewers who were unprepared or had reception issues when the DTV transition was completed. Also in that month span, WWME-CA also aired the WMAQ's early morning and early evening newscasts.

In the far northern suburbs of Chicago and rural areas north and west, WMTV (Channel 15) in Madison, Wisconsin interferes with reception of WGN, especially in Kane, Boone and McHenry Counties — both WMTV and WGN broadcast their digital signals on channel 19. The station also interferes in some portions of Berrien County and Van Buren County in Michigan with WGN's sister station WXMI (Channel 17), a Fox affiliate in Grand Rapids, which serves Western Michigan and also transmits over channel 19. WXMI maintains a digital translator station on channel 17 from Muskegon to address this interference.

Programming

Outside of local newscasts, WGN-TV also broadcasts other locally-produced programming: the bi-weekly news and public affairs program ''People to People'', hosted by midday anchor Allison Payne, covers the week's major local and national news events and community events; another bi-weekly program ''Adelante, Chicago'', hosted by weeknight 5 p.m. anchor/reporter Lourdes Duarte, focuses on Chicago's Hispanic community covering a range of topics from education to politics, and also sometimes features musical guests, chefs and interviews with actors; both programs are also simulcast nationally on WGN America. ''Chicago's Best'', hosted by Ted Brunson and Brittney Payton (daughter of late Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton), is a weekly half-hour food and lifestyle program focusing on Chicago's cuisine, attractions and events; the program also airs on local cable news channel CLTV.

WGN-TV is the flagship station for the Illinois Lottery, and its drawings take place at WGN's West Bradley Place studios. The midday and nightly drawings (which air during the noon and 9 p.m. newscasts; if the drawing does not clear on the WGN America feed, due to sporting events not cleared nationally that would force a newscast pre-emption, then the results of the drawing will be shown before 9:30 p.m. CT), as well as the Tuesday and Friday Mega Millions and Wednesday and Saturday Powerball drawings also air nationally on WGN America, making the Illinois Lottery the only U.S. state lottery whose drawings are broadcast to a national audience. WGN has aired the drawings since 1994 after acquiring broadcast rights from CBS-owned WBBM-TV, who obtained rights to the drawings from Fox-owned WFLD in 1992; that station took the rights for the drawings from WGN-TV in 1987.

WGN-TV has the distinction of being one of the few CW affiliates in the country to air ''Live with Regis and Kelly''; WLS-TV (channel 7) is the only ABC-owned station not airing the program (which is distributed by ABC's corporate cousin, Disney-ABC Domestic Television) due to its live airing of ''Oprah'' on weekdays at 9 a.m., a practice which goes back to its existence as local morning show ''AM Chicago''; after ''Oprah'' ends its 25-year run in 2011, WLS-TV will debut the new local program ''Windy City Live'' in its timeslot, while ''Live'' will remain on WGN-TV.

Due to SyndEx rules, WGN-TV and its superstation feed WGN America air vastly different programming, and although the program schedules between the local and national feeds were similar at first after the law was enacted, recently WGN-TV and WGN America have begun to feature not as much common programming as in years past. As of November 2010, the only "SyndEx-proof" shows shared between WGN-TV Chicago and WGN America are public affairs programs ''People to People'' and ''Adelante, Chicago'', syndicated reruns of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' and ''Entourage'', and religious programs ''Singsation!'', ''Tomorrow's World'' and ''Believer's Walk of Faith with Pastor Bill Winston''.

Sports programming

Throughout its history, WGN-TV has had a long association with Chicago sports. Perhaps with the exception of the NFL's Chicago Bears, each of the city's major professional sports franchises, along with several area collegiate teams, have had its games regularly televised over channel 9.

The station's relationship with the Chicago Cubs goes back to channel 9's inception in 1948, and was further cemented during the 28 years (1981 through 2009) that the Tribune Company owned the National League franchise. At the same time, channel 9 was also broadcasting games of Chicago's American League team, the White Sox. Jack Brickhouse, the longtime sports director (and later vice president of sports programming) for the WGN stations, handled home game play-by-play duties for both teams until 1967, when the White Sox ended their first stint on WGN-TV, and continued to call Cubs games until his retirement from broadcasting in 1981. With both teams, Brickhouse called over 5,000 baseball games during his career, sharing the booth with announcers such as Milo Hamilton, Lou Boudreau, Vince Lloyd, and Lloyd Pettit.

WGN-TV regained broadcast rights for the White Sox in 1973, but it opted to enter into a contract with WSNS-TV to have that station carry the games, an arrangement that lasted through the 1980 season. With this, White Sox broadcaster Harry Caray joined the WGN family, occasionally sitting in as a sportscaster on the station's newscasts in the 1970s.

Channel 9 carried White Sox games alone in 1981, but the following year, WGN lost that team's rights to WFLD-TV. With the retirement of Brickhouse after the 1981 campaign, Caray was dispatched from the South Side to replace Brickhouse as the Cubs' lead TV voice. For the next 16 years, primarily working with analyst Steve Stone, Caray further established his place among Chicago's most-beloved personalities. Like Brickhouse, Caray was known for displaying an unapologetic, home team-oriented enthusiasm to his game calls, punctuated with memorable signature catchphrases for big plays (such as Caray's ''"Holy Cow!"'' and Brickhouse's ''"Hey-hey!"''). Caray also brought his unique rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch to the channel 9 broadcast booth. With WGN-TV's prominence as a national superstation in the 1980s and 1990s, Caray's fan base—and that of the Cubs—grew beyond Chicago and the Midwest.

After moving their games to WFLD-TV in 1982 for an eight-year-long run, the White Sox came back to WGN-TV in 1990 when co-owner Jerry Reinsdorf agreed to long-term deals with the station for both the Sox and his NBA franchise, the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls returned to WGN-TV at the start of the 1989-90 season, just in time for the Bulls' dominance of the NBA during the Michael Jordan era. The team had been on channel 9 previously from their inception in 1966 until 1973, and again from 1976 until 1985; Jack Brickhouse, Lorn Brown, Milo Hamilton, and Bob Costas were among those assigned to work as Bulls play-by-play announcers, with Johnny "Red" Kerr serving as an analyst.

The NHL's Chicago Blackhawks were carried by the station from 1961 until 1975. WGN-TV's broadcasts were limited to away games only, as Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz had long prohibited televised coverage of his team's home games. Following Bill Wirtz' death in September 2007, his son and successor Rocky Wirtz ended the home TV blackout, and soon made channel 9 the Blackhawks' new broadcast home. The station has aired 20 games per season through a three-year contract which began in the 2008–09 campaign. On February 15, 2011, it was announced that the team renewed their contract with WGN-TV to be the local broadcaster of the team's games, the five-year extension goes through the 2015-16 NHL season.

In November 2000, WGN-TV and WCIU-TV entered into a programming arrangement involving sports coverage. Selected Bulls and White Sox games, and a handful of Cubs games, produced by and contracted to air on WGN-TV are broadcast on WCIU-TV for the Chicago market only. This is due to network affiliation contracts limiting the number of programming preemptions per year, and also due to rights restrictions put in place by the NBA which limit the WGN America feed to fifteen Bulls games per season. The remaining Bulls games produced by WGN-TV are split between the station's Chicago area signal and WCIU-TV. Blackhawks games on channel 9 are exclusive to the Chicago market but they are also broadcast on Canadian cable and satellite systems as they carry the Chicago-area feed.

In November 2010, WGN-TV became the home for Chicago Bears games not aired by a broadcast network, simulcasting NFL Network's Thursday Night Football, as NFL rules require games aired on cable networks to be simulcast on local broadcast station in the team's market. This marked the first time WGN has broadcast games from all 5 major Chicago sports teams in one season.

Sporting events cleared to air in the U.S. exclusively on WGN-TV in Chicago are telecast on Canadian cable and satellite systems as they carry the Chicago-area feed instead of WGN America; they are also carried in Canada on the leagues' cable packages. Along with its coverage of professional teams, WGN-TV formerly broadcast football and basketball games of Chicago area college teams, such as Northwestern University, DePaul University, Loyola University, and other teams of the Big Ten Conference.

News operation

Appropriate for a station owned by the Tribune Company, news has played an important role on WGN-TV since the station's beginnings. WGN-TV currently broadcasts a total of 49 hours of local news per week (with 9 hours on weekdays and two hours each on Saturdays and Sundays), the most of any broadcast station in Chicago and the state of Illinois; in addition, the station airs a 20-minute sports highlight show called ''Instant Replay'', hosted by longtime sports director Dan Roan, on Sunday nights at 9:40 p.m. WGN-TV's newscasts are well known in the Chicago area for the longevity of its on-air news staff; current news anchors Jackie Bange, Robin Baumgarten, Robert Jordan, Micah Materre, Allison Payne, Larry Potash and Steve Sanders, reporters Dina Bair, Muriel Clair and Dean Richards, meteorologists Tom Skilling, Paul Konrad and Jim Ramsey, and sports anchors Dan Roan and Rich King have all worked for WGN-TV for ten years or more. In its weathercasts, WGN-TV shows current conditions supplied by a network of automatic observation sites across the viewing area, it is the largest television station (in terms of market size) to participate in the WeatherBug network. Currently, WGN and Fox-owned WFLD are the only two major local broadcast news outlets in the Chicago area who do not broadcast their newscasts from a "street side studio."

WGN America, the national superstation feed of WGN-TV, simulcasts the noon hour of the midday newscast and the nightly 9 p.m. newscast, which due to primetime programming changes on September 13, 2010 now airs nightly on a regular basis with far fewer preemptions than in the past (national preemptions of the 9 p.m. newscast now only occur if a sports telecast is not cleared to air nationally on WGN America by WGN-TV, and the game is scheduled to run past 9 p.m. CT); the national feed does not run all of WGN's newscasts however, as WGN America has not cleared the 11 a.m. hour of the midday newscast, the weeknight 5 p.m. and weekend morning newscasts to air on the superstation feed for unknown reasons; SyndEx rules prohibiting certain segments from airing outside the Chicago area reportedly caused the removal of the ''WGN Morning News'' from the national feed in 1996 (this is the only known incidence in which Syndex rules caused the preemption of a newscast on cable systems outside of the main viewing area). Since 2008, the anchors of the noon and 9 p.m. newscasts typically reference the national simulcast prior to the top story of those newscasts (except in the event a newscast is preempted by the superstation feed, and during the weekend 9 p.m. newscasts).

In September 2008, WGN-TV debuted a half-hour early evening newscast airing from 5:30-6 p.m., competing against the national network newscasts on WBBM, WMAQ-TV and WLS-TV and extended their midday newscast by a half-hour airing from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. On October 5, 2009 WGN expanded the early evening newscast to one hour, from 5-6 p.m. and also expanded its midday newscast to two hours, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. On July 6, 2010 WGN-TV announced that special live half-hour editions of its 9 p.m. newscast would begin airing on sister channel CLTV in the event a sporting event being held on the west coast is set to air on WGN-TV at 9 p.m. CT, in a move to attract non-sports viewers who would normally watch the 9 p.m. newscast on Channel 9; a second half-hour newscast will air live on WGN-TV (with a simulcast on WGN America, depending on the game's national clearance) following the game. The first time this arrangement took place was on July 8, 2010 when WGN-TV aired a Major League Baseball game between the Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On August 16, 2010, WGN-TV added an additional half-hour to its weekday morning newscast, expanding to 4:30-9 a.m., becoming the third Chicago station to begin its morning newscast at 4:30 a.m., along with ABC O&O; WLS-TV (which debuted a newscast in that timeslot two weeks earlier) and NBC O&O; WMAQ-TV (which debuted in its current form in 2009). On October 2, 2010 WGN-TV launched hour-long Saturday and Sunday morning newscasts at 6 a.m., becoming the second Tribune station to carry a weekend morning newscast (Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN debuted weekend morning newscasts in August 2010); WGN-TV had previously ran hour-long weekend morning newscasts on Saturdays and Sundays at 8 a.m. starting in early 1992 (unusual considering the weekday morning newscast did not debut until two years later); though they were both eventually cancelled, the Sunday edition in 1994 and the Saturday edition in 1998. On July 11, 2011, the ''WGN Morning News'' expanding by an additional half-hour to a 4 a.m. start time, making the program run five hours each weekday. This makes it the first station in the Chicago market and the third Tribune station (after WPIX and WXIN (TV)|WXIN) to have its morning newscast start at 4 a.m.

Ratings

Ratings-wise, WGN-TV has been one of The CW's stronger affiliates, often drawing more viewers than Fox-owned WFLD-TV (channel 32) even in primetime despite the latter's Fox programming. WGN-TV's 9 p.m. newscasts usually beat Fox-owned WFLD-TV's head-to-head in the ratings, despite the latter's Fox lead-in, and generally have a larger audience than CBS-owned WBBM-TV's news has at 10 p.m. The ''WGN Morning News'' is also very highly rated in the Chicago market, often coming in first place overall.

In the November 2010 local Nielsen ratings, WGN rose to third place (up from its previous fourth place finish in the May 2010 Nielsen ratings, moving ahead of WMAQ-TV) with a 4.9 household rating for the 9 p.m. newscast. WGN-TV's primetime programming also received a 3.3 lead-in rating to the 9 p.m. newscast for the period, a significant increase over the 1.8 lead-in rating the year before.

In the February 2011 Nielsen local news ratings, the station’s 9 p.m. newscast placed a strong fourth among the Chicagoland area's late evening newscasts with a 5.3 rating share, up from a 4.5 rating during the February 2010 sweeps period, and well ahead of continually struggling last-place finisher WFLD between the two station's primetime newscasts. However, WGN had the lowest primetime lead-in rating of all the area's news stations with only a 2.2 rating share.

News team

Current on-air staff

Anchors

Jackie Bange - weekends at 9 p.m.

Robin Baumgarten - weekday mornings "WGN Morning News" (5:30-9 a.m.)

Lourdes Duarte - weeknights at 5 p.m.; also weeknight field reporter and ''Adelante, Chicago'' host

Frank Holland - weekday mornings "WGN Morning News" (4-5:30 a.m.); also feature reporter (beginning September 12)

Robert Jordan - weekends at 9 p.m.; also weekday field reporter

Micah Materre - weeknights at 9 p.m.; also 5 p.m. Tribune Tower reporter

Erin McElroy - weekday mornings "WGN Morning News" (4-5:30 a.m.)

Larry Potash - weekday mornings "WGN Morning News" (5:30-9 a.m.)

Steve Sanders - weekdays at 11 a.m. and noon

Mark Suppelsa - weeknights at 5 and 9 p.m.

''WGN Weathercenter Team''

In addition to providing weather forecasts for WGN-TV, the WGN Weathercenter Team also provides forecasts for the ''Chicago Tribune'', WGN (720 kHz.) and CLTV.

Tom Skilling (AMS Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weekdays at 11 a.m. and noon, and weeknights at 5 and 9 p.m.

Mike Hamernik (AMS member; NWA member) - meteorologist; weekend mornings

Paul Konrad - meteorologist; weekday mornings "WGN Morning News" (4-9 a.m.)

Jim Ramsey (NWA Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekends at 9 p.m.; also fill-in for Tom Skilling and weekend daytime weather forecaster on CLTV

Sports team

Dan Roan - sports director; Monday-Thursdays at 9 p.m., also host of ''Instant Replay''

Rich King - sports anchor; Friday-Saturdays at 9 p.m., also Sunday-Thursday sports reporter

Pat Tomasulo - sports anchor; weekday mornings "WGN Morning News" (5:30-9 a.m.)

Traffic

Erin McElroy - weekday mornings; "WGN Morning News" (4-9 a.m.)

Former on-air staff

{| |valign="top"|

Mike Barz - morning sports anchor (1998–2005, later at Good Morning America and WFLD-TV, now at WTEV-TV and WAWS-TV in Jacksonville)

Bob Bell - original portrayer of Bozo the Clown (1960–1984, deceased)

Thom Brennaman - Chicago Cubs play-by-play (early 1990s; now television voice of the Cincinnati Reds on Fox Sports Ohio and Fox with MLB and NFL telecasts)

Jack Brickhouse - legendary sportscaster (1948–1982, deceased)

Lorn Brown - Chicago Bulls play-by-play (1976–1978, deceased)

Roy Brown - puppeteer/actor on ''Bozo's Circus'' and ''The Bozo Show'' (1955–1994, deceased)

Cheryl Burton - host of ''MBR: The Minority Business Report'' (1989–1990, now at WLS-TV)

Chip Caray - Chicago Cubs play-by-play (1998–2004; now with SportSouth)

Harry Caray - Chicago Cubs play-by-play (1981–1997, deceased)

Bob Collins - hosted WGN-TV specials (?–?, deceased)

Bob Costas - Chicago Bulls play-by-play (1979–1980, now lead broadcaster with NBC Sports)

Joey D'Auria - final actor to portray Bozo the Clown on ''The Bozo Show'' (1984–2001)

Phil Donahue - host of the syndicated talk show ''Donahue'' (1974–1982; won awards for best talk show host)

John Drury - anchor (1967–1970 and 1979–1984, deceased)

Jim Durham - Chicago Bulls play-by-play (1989–1991)

Milo Hamilton - Chicago Cubs play-by-play (1980–1984)

Pat Harvey - anchor (1985–1989)

Johnny "Red" Kerr - Chicago Bulls play-by-play (1977–1984 and 1989–2008, deceased)

Wayne Larrivee - Chicago Bulls play-by-play (?–?)

Roy Leonard - host of ''Family Classics'' (?–?)

Vince Lloyd - Chicago Bulls, Cubs and White Sox play-by-play (?–?, deceased)

Ned Locke - meteorologist and host on ''Bozo's Circus'' (1956–1976, deceased)

Joe McConnell - Chicago White Sox play-by-play (1981–1985)

Lloyd Pettit - Chicago Cubs and White Sox play-by-play (1960–1970, deceased)

Jimmy Piersall - Chicago White Sox play-by-play (1981)

Ray Rayner - host of ''Ray Rayner and His Friends''/actor on ''Dick Tracy'' and ''Bozo's Circus'' (1961–1981, deceased)

Randy Salerno - morning and noon anchor/reporter (1993–2004, later at WBBM-TV, deceased)

Don Sandburg - actor on ''Bozo's Circus'' (?–?)

John Schubeck - reporter (?–?, deceased)

Keenan Smith - meteorologist (2003–2008; now at WXYZ-TV in Detroit)

Wendell Smith - sports anchor/reporter (1964–1972, deceased)

Chuck Swirsky - Chicago Bulls play-by-play (?–?; now Bulls radio play-by-play announcer)

Jack Taylor - news anchor for several decades

Roseanne Tellez - morning and noon anchor/reporter (1990–2004, now at WBBM-TV)

Frazier Thomas - host of ''Garfield Goose and Friends'' and ''Family Classics''/host on ''Bozo's Circus'' (1954–1979, deceased)

Harry Volkman - meteorologist (1967–1978, later at WBBM-TV and WFLD-TV)

Jim Williams - government reporter (1977–1992, now at WBBM-TV)

Bill Weir - morning news and sports anchor (1995–1998, later at Good Morning America Weekend Edition, now co-host of ''Nightline'')

|}

WGN-TV in Canada

Although WGN America continues to be distributed in Canada, the Chicago area feed of WGN-TV is also carried by Bell TV and Shaw Direct satellite services, as well as most Canadian cable services, typically as part of a la carte superstation packages. Bell TV has always carried the Chicago area feed but Shaw Direct and many cable services that carried Superstation WGN switched on January 17, 2007 when Shaw Broadcast Services, a primary supplier of Superstation WGN in Canada, switched to the Chicago area feed.

As a result of its carriage by Canadian cable and satellite providers, WGN-TV provides CW network programming to most parts of Canada that are located farther away from the U.S. border and out of reach of the over-the-air signals of other CW affiliates in American cities located near the Canadian border; however, CW network programming carried by WGN-TV may be subject to simultaneous substitution rules on Canadian providers carrying the local Chicago feed. Some sports events may be blacked out on some providers as well.

The feed has created some controversy in the past few years in which WGN has begun carrying Chicago Blackhawks games. Those games remain available in Canada, meaning games on Saturday night now go directly against CBC Television's ''Hockey Night in Canada'', which is supposed to have national exclusivity on Saturday night across Canada. The WGN Blackhawks games also sometimes show up on NHL Center Ice in Canada on some providers and they are in HD.

See also

WGN America - The national superstation feed of WGN-TV.

References

External links

WGN America

Streaming video of CBS Evening News coverage of the Max Headroom pirate incident

Category:Television stations in Chicago, Illinois Category:The CW Television Network affiliates Category:Antenna TV affiliates Category:Tribune Broadcasting Category:Channel 9 virtual TV stations in the United States Category:Channel 19 digital TV stations in the United States Category:Television channels and stations established in 1948 Category:Superstations in the United States Category:Chicago Bulls broadcasters Category:Chicago Blackhawks broadcasters Category:Chicago Cubs broadcasters Category:Chicago White Sox broadcasters Category:Major League Baseball over-the-air television broadcasters

name	Jim Breuer
birth name	Jim Breuer
birth date	June 21, 1967
birth place	Valley Stream, Long Island, New York
medium	Stand-up, television, film, radio
nationality	American
active	1988–present
genre	Observational comedy, improvisational comedy, character comedy
subject	Everyday life, marriage, parenting, self-deprecation
influences	George Carlin, Sam Kinison, Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor
spouse	Dee Breuer (1993–present; 3 children)
notable work	''Saturday Night Live''''Half Baked''''Premium Blends'' ''Web Junk 20''''Fridays with Not funny''
website	jimbreuer.com
footnotes	}}

Jim Breuer (born June 21, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and radio host. He is most noted for his time as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and starring in the 1998 cult "stoner comedy" ''Half Baked'', alongside Dave Chappelle.

Early life

Jim Breuer was born and raised in Valley Stream, New York.

Career

Television career

Jim Breuer first rose to fame as a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 1998. On SNL, Breuer's characters included "Goat Boy" (who hosted the fictional MTV program "Hey, Remember the 80s?") and Glen Henderson, the elder brother to Chris Kattan's Todd Henderson/Azrael Abyss character in the "Goth Talk" skits. He has previously guest starred in ''Home Improvement''. That appearance gave way to the short-lived sitcom ''Buddies''. He was originally scheduled to have been the co-star alongside friend and co-worker Dave Chappelle, but was pulled from the role after filming the pilot.

Among his impersonations was that of actor Joe Pesci, who hosted his own talk show, often accompanied by Colin Quinn playing fellow actor Robert De Niro. In a 1997 episode of the program, both Pesci and De Niro made surprise appearances to "confront" Breuer.

Jim Breuer has also hosted several "Premium Blends" on Comedy Central as well as several appearances on other comedy shows.

Jim Breuer hosted the third season of the VH1 show ''Web Junk 20''. The season began on November 17, 2006. He replaced Patrice Oneal, who hosted the first two seasons of the show.

In 2002, Jim Breuer's first one-hour Comedy Central special, "Hardcore," premiered. The same year, he released a comedy album titled ''Smoke 'n' Breu''.

On July 25, 2009, Jim Breuer's second one-hour Comedy Central special, "Let's Clear the Air," premiered and came in as one of the highest rated comedy specials in Comedy Central's history.

Jim Breuer currently appears in Pizza Hut commercials, advertising the cheese crust-filled pizzas using the catch phrase, "Jackpot!"

Also, Breuer starred in the VH1 documentary "When Metallica Ruled the World" where he commented on the songs by Metallica through the years.

Radio career

Breuer was a sit-in comedian on the ''Opie and Anthony Show'' for many years during their WNEW tenure. "Breuer Bits" were often played whenever the show was on hiatus. With the XM/Sirius merger complete, Breuer returned to the ''Opie and Anthony Show'' for the first time in six years on August 8, 2008. He remains a frequent guest.

Breuer is the host of ''Fridays with Jim Breuer,'' (previously known as ''Breuer Unleashed'') which can be heard each Friday afternoon from 4-6PM (EST) on the Sirius Satellite Radio channel "Raw Dog Comedy." He credits Joe Pesci with jump starting his career as he mentions in his comedy concert "Hardcore". One show, while Breuer was singing the classic Judas Priest song "Devil's Child," Rob Halford "The Metal God," singer of Judas Priest, entered the studio still with his coat on and sang with him.

He appeared on The Howard Stern show on August 19, 2010 as Joe Pesci for the entirety of the show with the exception of the news.

Other work

In 2008, Jim went on his first tour in 6 years known as the "Breuniversity Tour" where he toured over 20 colleges and comedy clubs across the country. The footage was used in his documentary ''More Than Me'', as well as his 4 hour DVD "The Jim Breuer Road Journals," both of which will be released soon on DVD.

On October 5, 2010 he published a book called ''"I'm Not High (But I've Got a Lot of Crazy Stories about Life as a Goat Boy, a Dad, and a Spiritual Warrior)".''

In January 2011, Jim launched a podcast called "The Podcast Masters" with fellow comedian Pete Correale.

Personal life

He now lives in Chester Township, New Jersey with his wife and three daughters.

Filmography

''Home Improvement'' (1995)

''Buddies'' (replaced after pilot) (1997)

''Half Baked'' (1998)

''Dick'' (1999)

''Titan A.E.'' (2000)

''Once in the Life'' (2000)

''One Eyed King'' (2001)

''American Dummy'' (2002)

''Crooked Lines'' (2003)

''Beer League'' (2006)

''Zookeeper'' (2011)

References

External links

Jim's upcoming online TV Network

Official Radio Show Website

Official MySpace Page

Official YouTube Page

Interview about 'More Than Me' documentary

Review of 'More Than Me' documentary

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:People from Morris County, New Jersey Category:People from Valley Stream, New York Category:Actors from New York Category:American film actors Category:American radio personalities Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American talk radio hosts Category:American television actors Category:Valley Stream Central High School alumni

name	Tracy Morgan
birth name	Tracy Jamal Morgan
birth date	November 10, 1968
birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
medium	Stand up, Television, Film
nationality	American
active	1989–present
genre	Black comedy, Musical comedy, Observational comedy, Character comedy
subject	African-American culture, Race relations, Racism, Marriage, Family, Self-deprecation, Recreational drug use, Sex, Homosexuals, Current events
spouse	Sabrina Morgan (1985–2009; 3 children)
notable work	''Saturday Night Live''Tracy Mitchell in ''The Tracy Morgan Show''Tracy Jordan in ''30 Rock''Host of ''Scare Tactics'' }}

Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968) is an American actor, comedian and author who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series ''30 Rock''.

Early life

Morgan was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, the second of five children of Alicia (née Warden), a homemaker, and James Morgan, Jr., a musician. Morgan says his father returned after multiple tours of duty in Vietnam addicted to heroin, causing him to leave the family when Morgan was six. He was the target of bullies as a child. His older brother had cerebral palsy and could not protect him so he used comedy to make bullies laugh rather than beat him up.

Morgan grew up in the Tompkins Projects in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Later, Morgan moved in with his father and, as a teenager, was living with him when he died from AIDS. After attending De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx, he was discovered in 1984 while doing stand-up at The Apollo. Before Morgan began his career, he worked in New York City as a painter, for L&L; Painting and Rose Company.

Early career

Morgan began his career on ''Martin'', where he played Hustle Man. The character sold random items he had from the 'hood', always greeting people with his trademark "What's happ'n, chief?" and had a pet dog that he dressed as a rapper. In the 2003 Chris Rock film ''Head of State'', Morgan appeared as a man watching television, often questioning why they are not watching ''Martin''.

Morgan was also a regular cast member on "Uptown Comedy Club", a sketch comedy show filmed in Harlem which aired for two seasons between 1992 to 1994. He was also on the HBO show ''Snaps''.

''Saturday Night Live''

Morgan joined the cast of comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1996, where he performed as a regular until 2003.

Recurring characters

He performed a variety of characters on the program, including:

Brian Fellow

Uncle Jem

Dominican Lou

Bishop Don "Mack" Donald

Astronaut Jones

African Andy

Benny the Bengal

Woodrow

Notable impressions

Morgan is also credited with impressions of:

Aretha Franklin

Harry Belafonte

Maya Angelou

Samuel L. Jackson

Louis Armstrong

Mike Tyson

Judge Greg Mathis

Lou Bega

Mr. T

Tito Jackson

Petri Hawkins-Byrd

Star Jones

John Boehner

Plaxico Burress

Al Sharpton.

On March 14, 2009, Morgan returned to SNL as host and reprised his roles of Brian Fellow and Astronaut Jones.

''30 Rock''

Morgan is currently a cast member of the NBC television show ''30 Rock'', playing the character Tracy Jordan, a caricature of himself. His work on ''30 Rock'' has been well-received, being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2009 Emmy Awards.

Other work

Morgan had his own show, ''The Tracy Morgan Show'', in 2003, which was canceled after one season.

Morgan also had a stand-up special entitled "One Mic" that was shown on Comedy Central. He also was the host of the first Spike Guys' Choice Awards, which aired on June 13, 2007. In 2003, he was on an episode of ''Punk'd'' in which his car was towed from the valet parking. He can be heard as "Spoonie Luv" on the Comedy Central program ''Crank Yankers'' and as Woof in the MTV2 Animated Series ''Where My Dogs At?''.

Morgan acted in commercials for ESPN NFL 2K, ESPN NBA 2K, and ESPN NHL 2K, where he co-starred with Warren Sapp, Ben Wallace and Jeremy Roenick. He appeared in the movie ''The Longest Yard'', starring Adam Sandler, as a transvestite inmate.

Morgan has hosted the VH1 Hip Hop Honors for 2 consecutive years and hosted the third season of ''Scare Tactics'', the Sci Fi Channel's hidden camera show that pranks people by using their worst fears against them.

Morgan voiced Agent Blaster in Disney's ''G-Force'' and a Bulldog in the Blue Sky Animation Studios film ''Rio''.

Autobiography

On October 20, 2009, Morgan's autobiography ''I Am the New Black'' was released. The book includes stories from his life living in Tompkins Projects in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, to becoming a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Tracy appeared on National Public Radio's ''Fresh Air'' hosted by Terry Gross, at times tearing up about his former life in a New York ghetto.

Personal life

Morgan claims to have a number of tattoos, including: a peace sign; a happy and sad face; a cross bearing the names of his wife and three sons; the name of a friend he played football with in high school who was murdered; the words ME, MYSELF, & I on his back; and the phrase Stove Top.

Family

Morgan married his high school sweetheart Sabrina in 1985. They have three sons together. Morgan filed for divorce at Bronx Supreme Court on August 7, 2009 after 23 years of marriage, although he and his wife had been already separated for eight years. A friend told the New York Daily News, "Basically they were divorced without the paperwork." Morgan attributes one of his sons with having saved him from his drinking problems.

Health problems

In 1996, he was diagnosed with diabetes, but says he never took it seriously, refusing to take medication or change his diet. After running a 104-degree fever on the set of ''30 Rock'', Morgan decided to finally comply with his doctor's orders. He is now very cautious when it comes to the condition. With his consent, many of Morgan's own troubles have been incorporated within episodes of ''30 Rock''.

Around December 10, 2010, Tracy Morgan received a kidney transplant. It was announced on December 22, 2010 that he was resting and will miss "at least two episodes" of "30 Rock" in 2011.

Controversies

On January 27, 2011, Morgan appeared on the NBA on TNT pregame coverage of the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks nationally televised basketball game. During the appearance, commentators Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith asked Morgan to choose between Sarah Palin and Tina Fey on who was better looking (Fey portrays Palin on Saturday Night Live and is a coworker of Morgan). Morgan said Palin was "good masturbation material". The comment led TNT to apologize for his remarks on live camera.

On June 3, 2011, during a standup performance in Nashville, Tennessee, Morgan made inflammatory comments about gay people, reportedly including that, if his son were gay, he would "pull out a knife and stab" him. Morgan apologized, saying that he had "gone too far,". NBC Entertainment head Bob Greenblatt stated, "I speak for NBC and myself personally when I say we do not condone hate or violence of any kind, and I am pleased to see Tracy Morgan apologizing for recent homophobic remarks in his standup appearance... Unfortunately, Tracy's comments reflect negatively on both ''30 Rock'' and NBC — two very all-inclusive and diverse organizations — and we have made it clear to him that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated." Tina Fey, Morgan's boss both in fiction and in real life, said, "I'm glad to hear that Tracy apologized .... but the violent imagery of Tracy's rant was disturbing to me at a time when homophobic hate crimes continue to be a life-threatening issue for the GLBT community...the Tracy Morgan I know, ...is not a hateful man and [would never] hurt another person. I hope for his sake that Tracy's apology will be accepted as sincere by his gay and lesbian co-workers at ''30 Rock'', without whom Tracy would not have lines to say, clothes to wear, sets to stand on, scene partners to act with or a printed-out paycheck from accounting to put in his pocket."

On June 25, 2011, during a show at Caroline's in New York City, Morgan made degrading remarks towards the disabled, saying things such as, "Don't ever mess with women who have retarded kids," and referring to a woman as "a cripple". Peter Bernes, CEO of The Arc, an organization supporting people with disabilities, stated, "Tracy Morgan should apologize immediately. This quote is far too offensive to be excused as comedy, and it is very hurtful to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Mr. Morgan has an incredibly powerful platform from which to fix this, and if he's learned anything in the last few weeks, he can't bomb this apology."

Awards/nominations

Emmy Awards

* 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated

* 2008, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated

* 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated

Filmography

''A Thin Line Between Love And Hate'' (1996)

''Half Baked'' (1998)

''How High'' (2001)

''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' (2001)

''30 Years to Life'' (2001)

''Head of State'' (2003)

''The Longest Yard'' (2005)

''Are We There Yet?'' (2005)

''Little Man'' (2006)

''VH1's Totally Awesome'' (2006)

''Farce of the Penguins'' (2006)

''First Sunday'' (2008)

''Superhero Movie'' (2008)

''Beer for My Horses'' (2008)

''Scare Tactics'' (2008)

''G-Force'' (2009)

''Deep in the Valley'' (2009)

''Nailed'' (2010)

''Cop Out'' (2010)

''Death at a Funeral'' (2010)

''The Other Guys'' (2010)

''Rio'' (2011)

''Son of No One'' (2011)

References

External links

Category:1968 births Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American comedians Category:African American film actors Category:African American television actors Category:American film actors Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

da:Tracy Morgan de:Tracy Morgan es:Tracy Morgan fr:Tracy Morgan it:Tracy Morgan ja:トレイシー・モーガン pl:Tracy Morgan pt:Tracy Morgan ru:Морган, Трейси fi:Tracy Morgan sv:Tracy Morgan

name	Mel Gibson
birth date	January 03, 1956
birth place	Peekskill, New York, U.S.
birth name
nationality
religion	Roman Catholicism
occupation	Actor, film director, producer, screenwriter
years active	1976–present
parents	Hutton GibsonAnne Patricia(née Reilly, deceased)
children	6 sons, 2 daughters
spouse	Robyn Moore Gibson(m. 1980–present) }}

Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO (born 3 January 1956) is an Australian-American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.

After appearing in the ''Mad Max'' and ''Lethal Weapon'' series, Gibson went on to direct and star in the Academy Award-winning ''Braveheart''. In 2004, he directed and produced ''The Passion of the Christ'', a controversial, yet successful, film portraying the last hours in the life of Jesus. In recent years, remarks by Gibson have generated accusations of homophobia, antisemitism, racism, and misogyny; he has apologised repeatedly for the statements and denied that they represent his real opinions.

Early life

Gibson was born in Peekskill, New York, the sixth of 11 children, and the second son of Hutton Gibson and Irish-born Anne Patricia (née Reilly, died 1990). His paternal grandmother was the Australian opera soprano, Eva Mylott (1875–1920). One of Gibson's younger brothers, Donal, is also an actor. Gibson's first name comes from Saint Mel, fifth-century Irish saint, and founder of Gibson's mother's native diocese, Ardagh, while his second name, Colm-Cille, is also shared by an Irish saint and is the name of the parish in County Longford where Gibson's mother was born and raised. Because of his mother, Gibson holds dual Irish and American citizenship.

Soon after being awarded US$145,000 in a work-related-injury lawsuit against New York Central Railroad on 14 February 1968, Hutton Gibson relocated his family to West Pymble, Sydney, Australia. Mel Gibson was 12 years old at the time. The move to Hutton's mother's native Australia was for economic reasons, and because Hutton thought the Australian Defence Forces would reject his oldest son for the draft during the Vietnam War.

Gibson was educated by members of the Congregation of Christian Brothers at St Leo's Catholic College in Wahroonga, New South Wales, during his high school years.

Career

Gibson gained very favorable notices from film critics when he first entered the cinematic scene, as well as comparisons to several classic movie stars. In 1982, Vincent Canby wrote that “Mr. Gibson recalls the young Steve McQueen... I can't define "star quality," but whatever it is, Mr. Gibson has it.” Gibson has also been likened to “a combination Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart.” Gibson's roles in the "Mad Max" series of films, Peter Weir's ''Gallipoli'', and the "Lethal Weapon" series of films earned him the label of "action hero". Later, Gibson expanded into a variety of acting projects including human dramas such as ''Hamlet'', and comedic roles such as those in ''Maverick'' and ''What Women Want''. He expanded beyond acting into directing and producing, with: ''The Man Without a Face'', in 1993; ''Braveheart'', in 1995; ''The Passion of the Christ'', in 2004; and ''Apocalypto'', in 2006. Jess Cagle of ''TIME'' has compared Gibson to Cary Grant, Sean Connery, and Robert Redford. Connery once suggested Gibson should play the next James Bond to Connery's ''M''. Gibson turned down the role, reportedly because he feared being typecast.

Stage

Gibson studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney. The students at NIDA were classically trained in the British-theater tradition rather than in preparation for screen acting. As students, Gibson and actress Judy Davis played the leads in ''Romeo and Juliet'', and Gibson played the role of Queen Titania in an experimental production of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream.'' After graduation in 1977, Gibson immediately began work on the filming of ''Mad Max'', but continued to work as a stage actor, and joined the State Theatre Company of South Australia in Adelaide. Gibson’s theatrical credits include the character Estragon (opposite Geoffrey Rush) in ''Waiting for Godot'', and the role of Biff Loman in a 1982 production of ''Death of a Salesman'' in Sydney. Gibson’s most recent theatrical performance, opposite Sissy Spacek, was the 1993 production of ''Love Letters'' by A. R. Gurney, in Telluride, Colorado.

Australian television and cinema

While a student at NIDA, Gibson made his film debut in the 1977 film ''Summer City'', for which he was paid $400.

Gibson then played the title character in the film ''Mad Max'' (1979). He was paid $15000 for this role. Shortly after making the film he did a season with the South Australian Theatre Company. During this period he shared a $30 a week apartment in Adelaide with his future wife Robyn. After ''Mad Max'' Gibson also played a mentally slow youth in the film ''Tim''.

During this period Gibson also appeared in Australian television series guest roles. He appeared in serial ''The Sullivans'' as naval lieutenant Ray Henderson, in police procedural ''Cop Shop'',

Gibson joined the cast of the World War II action film ''Attack Force Z'', which was not released until 1982 when Gibson had become a bigger star. Director Peter Weir cast Gibson as one of the leads in the critically acclaimed World War I drama ''Gallipoli'', which earned Gibson another Best Actor Award from the Australian Film Institute. The film ''Gallipoli'' also helped to earn Gibson the reputation of a serious, versatile actor and gained him the Hollywood agent Ed Limato. The sequel ''Mad Max 2'' was his first hit in America (released as ''The Road Warrior''). In 1982 Gibson again attracted critical acclaim in Peter Weir’s romantic thriller ''The Year of Living Dangerously''. Following a year hiatus from film acting after the birth of his twin sons, Gibson took on the role of Fletcher Christian in ''The Bounty'' in 1984. Playing Max Rockatansky for the third time in ''Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'', in 1985, earned Gibson his first million dollar salary.

Hollywood

Early Hollywood years

Mel Gibson's first American film was Mark Rydell’s 1984 drama ''The River'', in which he and Sissy Spacek played struggling Tennessee farmers. Gibson then starred in the Gothic romance ''Mrs. Soffel'' for Australian director Gillian Armstrong. He and Matthew Modine played condemned convict brothers opposite Diane Keaton as the warden's wife who visits them to read the Bible. In 1985, after working on four films in a row, Gibson took almost two years off at his Australian cattle station. He returned to play the role of Martin Riggs in ''Lethal Weapon'', a film which helped to cement his status as a Hollywood "leading man". Gibson's next film was Robert Towne’s ''Tequila Sunrise'', followed by ''Lethal Weapon 2'', in 1989. Gibson next starred in three films back-to-back: ''Bird on a Wire'', ''Air America'', and ''Hamlet''; all were released in 1990.

1990s

During the 1990s, Gibson alternated between commercial and personal projects. His films in the first half of the decade were ''Forever Young'', ''Lethal Weapon 3'', ''Maverick'', and ''Braveheart''. He then starred in ''Ransom'', ''Conspiracy Theory'', ''Lethal Weapon 4'', and ''Payback''. Gibson also served as the speaking and singing voice of John Smith in Disney’s ''Pocahontas''.

After 2000

In 2000, Gibson acted in three films that each grossed over $100 million: ''The Patriot'', ''Chicken Run'', and ''What Women Want''. In 2002, Gibson appeared in the Vietnam War drama ''We Were Soldiers'' and M. Night Shyamalan’s ''Signs'', which became the highest-grossing film of Gibson’s acting career. While promoting ''Signs'', Gibson said that he no longer wanted to be a movie star and would only act in film again if the script were truly extraordinary. In 2010, Gibson appeared in ''Edge of Darkness'', which marked his first starring role since 2002 and was an adaptation of the BBC miniseries, ''Edge of Darkness''. In 2010, following an outburst at his ex-girlfriend that was made public, Gibson was dropped from the talent agency of William Morris Endeavor.

Producer

After his success in Hollywood with the ''Lethal Weapon'' series, Gibson began to move into producing and directing. With partner Bruce Davey, Gibson formed Icon Productions in 1989 in order to make ''Hamlet''. In addition to producing or co-producing many of Gibson's own star vehicles, Icon has turned out many other small films, ranging from ''Immortal Beloved'' to ''An Ideal Husband''. Gibson has taken supporting roles in some of these films, such as ''The Million Dollar Hotel'' and ''The Singing Detective''. Gibson has also produced a number of projects for television, including a biopic on The Three Stooges and the 2008 PBS documentary ''Carrier''. Icon has grown from being just a production company to also be an international distribution company and film exhibitor in Australia and New Zealand.

Director

Mel Gibson has credited his directors, particularly George Miller, Peter Weir, and Richard Donner, with teaching him the craft of filmmaking and influencing him as a director. According to Robert Downey, Jr., studio executives encouraged Gibson in 1989 to try directing, an idea he rebuffed at the time. Gibson made his directorial debut in 1993 with ''The Man Without a Face'', followed two years later by ''Braveheart'', which earned Gibson the Academy Award for Best Director. Gibson had long planned to direct a remake of ''Fahrenheit 451'', but in 1999 the project was indefinitely postponed because of scheduling conflicts. Gibson was scheduled to direct Robert Downey, Jr. in a Los Angeles stage production of ''Hamlet'' in January 2001, but Downey's drug relapse ended the project. In 2002, while promoting ''We Were Soldiers'' and ''Signs'' to the press, Gibson mentioned that he was planning to pare back on acting and return to directing. In September 2002, Gibson announced that he would direct a film called ''The Passion'' in Aramaic and Latin with no subtitles because he hoped to "transcend language barriers with filmic storytelling." In 2004, he released the controversial film ''The Passion of the Christ'', with subtitles, which he co-wrote, co-produced, and directed. The film went on to become the highest grossing rated R film of all time with $370,782,930 in U.S. box office sales. Gibson directed a few episodes of ''Complete Savages'' for the ABC network. In 2006, he directed the action-adventure film ''Apocalypto'', his second film to feature sparse dialogue in a non-English language.

Honors

On 25 July 1997, Gibson was named an honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), in recognition of his "service to the Australian film industry". The award was honorary because substantive awards are made only to Australian citizens. In 1985, Gibson was named "The Sexiest Man Alive" by ''People'', the first person to be named so. Gibson quietly declined the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French government in 1995 as a protest against France's resumption of nuclear testing in the Southwest Pacific. ''TIME'' magazine chose Mel Gibson and Michael Moore as Men of the Year in 2004, but Gibson turned down the photo session and interview, and the cover went instead to George W. Bush.

Films

''Mad Max'' series

Gibson got his breakthrough role as the leather-clad post-apocalyptic survivor in George Miller's ''Mad Max''. The independently financed blockbuster helped to make him an international star everywhere but in the United States, where the actors' Australian accents were dubbed with American accents. The original film spawned two sequels: ''Mad Max 2'' (known in North America as ''The Road Warrior''), and ''Mad Max 3'' (known in North America as ''Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome''). A fourth movie, ''Mad Max 4: Fury Road'', is in development, but both Gibson and George Miller have indicated that the starring role would go to a younger actor.

''Gallipoli''

Gibson played the role of the cynical Frank Dunne alongside co-star Mark Lee in the 1981 Peter Weir film. ''Gallipoli'' is about a group of young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Imperial Force during World War I. They are sent to the Ottoman Empire, where they take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. During the course of the movie, the young men slowly lose their innocence about the war. The climax of the movie occurs at the brutal attack during Battle of the Nek. According to Gibson, “Gallipoli was the birth of a nation. It was the shattering of a dream for Australia. They had banded together to fight the Hun and died by the thousands in a dirty little trench war." The critically acclaimed film helped to further launch Gibson's career. He won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role from the Australian Film Institute.

''The Year of Living Dangerously''

Gibson played a naïve but ambitious journalist opposite Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hunt in Peter Weir’s atmospheric 1982 film ''The Year of Living Dangerously'', based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Koch. The movie was both a critical and commercial success, and the upcoming Australian actor was heavily marketed by MGM studio. In his review of the film, Vincent Canby of ''The New York Times'' wrote, "If this film doesn't make an international star of Mr. Gibson, then nothing will. He possesses both the necessary talent and the screen presence." According to John Hiscock of ''The Daily Telegraph'', the film did, indeed, establish Gibson as an international talent.

Gibson was initially reluctant to accept the role of Guy Hamilton. "I didn't necessarily see my role as a great challenge. My character was, like the film suggests, a puppet. And I went with that. It wasn't some star thing, even though they advertised it that way." Gibson saw some similarities between himself and the character of Guy. "He's not a silver-tongued devil. He's kind of immature and he has some rough edges and I guess you could say the same for me." Gibson has cited this screen performance as his personal favorite.

''The Bounty''

Gibson followed the footsteps of Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, and Marlon Brando by starring as Fletcher Christian in a cinematic retelling of the mutiny on the Bounty. The resulting 1984 film ''The Bounty'' is considered to be the most historically accurate version. However, Gibson thinks that the film's revisionism did not go far enough. He stated that his character should have been portrayed as more of a villain and described Anthony Hopkins's performance as William Bligh as the best aspect of the film.

''Lethal Weapon'' series

Gibson moved into more mainstream commercial filmmaking with the popular buddy cop ''Lethal Weapon'' series, which began with the 1987 original. In the films he played LAPD Detective Martin Riggs, a recently widowed Vietnam veteran with a death wish and a penchant for violence and gunplay. In the films, he is partnered with a reserved family man named Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover). Following the success of ''Lethal Weapon'', director Richard Donner and principal cast revisited the characters in three sequels, ''Lethal Weapon 2'' (1989), ''Lethal Weapon 3'' (1993), and ''Lethal Weapon 4'' (1998). With its fourth installment, the ''Lethal Weapon'' series embodied "the quintessence of the buddy cop pic".

''Hamlet''

Gibson made the unusual transition from the action to classical genres, playing the melancholic Danish prince in Franco Zeffirelli's ''Hamlet''. Gibson was cast alongside such experienced Shakespearean actors as Ian Holm, Alan Bates, and Paul Scofield. He described working with his fellow cast members as similar to being "thrown into the ring with Mike Tyson".

''Braveheart''

Mel Gibson directed, produced, and starred in ''Braveheart'', an epic telling of the legend of Sir William Wallace, a 13th century Scottish patriot. Gibson received two Academy Awards, Best Director and Best Picture for his second directorial effort. In winning the Academy Award for Best Director, Gibson became only the sixth actor-turned-filmmaker to do so. ''Braveheart'' influenced the Scottish nationalist movement and helped to revive the film genre of the historical epic; the Battle of Stirling Bridge sequence is considered by critics to be one of the all-time best directed battle scenes.

''The Passion of the Christ''

Gibson directed, produced, co-wrote, and funded the 2004 film ''The Passion of the Christ,'' which chronicled the passion and death of Jesus (Jim Caviezel). The film was shot exclusively in Aramaic, Latin, and Hebrew. Although Gibson originally intended to release the film without subtitles; he eventually relented for theatrical exhibition. The film sparked divergent reviews, ranging from high praise to criticism of the violence.

The Anti-Defamation League further accused Gibson of anti-semitism over the film's unflattering depiction of Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. Among those to defend Gibson were Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Daniel Lapin and radio personality Michael Medved. Referring to ADL National Director Abraham Foxman, Rabbi Lapin said that by calling ''The Passion of the Christ'' anti-Semitic, "what he is saying is that the only way (for Christians) to escape the wrath of Foxman is to repudiate (their own) faith."

In an interview with the ''Globe and Mail'', Gibson stated, "If anyone has distorted Gospel passages to rationalize cruelty towards Jews or anyone, it's in defiance of repeated Papal condemnation. The Papacy has condemned racism in any form... Jesus died for the sins of all times, and I'll be the first on the line for culpability".

Eventually, the continued media attacks began to anger Gibson. After his father's Holocaust denial was sharply criticized in print by ''The New York Times'' writer Frank Rich, Gibson retorted, "I want to kill him. I want his intestines on a stick.... I want to kill his dog."

Gibson's Traditionalist Catholic upbringing was also the target of criticism. In a 2006 interview with Diane Sawyer, Gibson stated that he feels that his "human rights were violated" by the often vitriolic attacks on his person, his father's beliefs, and his religious beliefs which were sparked by ''The Passion''.

The movie grossed US$611,899,420 worldwide and $370,782,930 in the US alone, surpassing any motion picture starring Gibson. In US box offices, it became the eighth (at the time) highest-grossing film in history and the highest-grossing rated R film of all time. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards and won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture.

''Apocalypto''

Gibson received further critical acclaim for his directing of the 2006 action-adventure film ''Apocalypto''. Gibson's fourth directorial effort is set in Mesoamerica during the early 16th century against the turbulent end times of a Maya civilization. The sparse dialogue is spoken in the Yucatec Maya language by a cast of Native American descent.

''The Beaver''

Gibson starred in ''The Beaver'', a film directed by former ''Maverick'' co-star, Jodie Foster. ''The Beaver'' premiered at The South by Southwest Festival in Austin on 16 March 2011 The opening weekend in 22 theaters was considered a flop: it made $104,000 which comes to a per-theater average of $4,745. The film's distributor, Summit Entertainment, had originally planned for a wide release of ''The Beaver'' for the weekend of , but after the initial box-office returns for the film, the company changed course and decided instead to give the film a "limited art-house run". Michael Cieply of the ''New York Times'' observed on 5 June 2011, that the film had cleared just about $1 million, making it a certified "flop". Director Jodie Foster opined that the film did not do well with American audiences because it was a dramedy and “And very often Americans are not comfortable with (that).”

Future films

In March 2007, Gibson told a screening audience that he was preparing another script with Farhad Safinia about the writing of the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (OED). Gibson's company has long owned the rights to ''The Professor and the Madman'', which tells the story of the creation of the OED.

Gibson has dismissed the rumors that he is considering directing a film about Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa. Asked in September 2007 if he planned to return to acting and specifically to action roles, Gibson said: "I think I’m too old for that, but you never know. I just like telling stories. Entertainment is valid and I guess I’ll probably do it again before it's over. You know, do something that people won’t get mad with me for."

In 2005, the film ''Sam and George'' was announced as the seventh collaboration between director Richard Donner and Gibson. In February 2009, Donner said that this Paramount project was “dead,” but that he and Gibson were planning another film based on an original script by Brian Helgeland for production in fall 2009.

He has also expressed an intention to direct a movie set during the Viking Age, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The as-yet untitled film, like ''The Passion of the Christ'' and ''Apocalypto'', will feature dialogue in period languages. However, some sources have speculated that DiCaprio might opt out of the project.

In June 2010, Gibson was in Brownsville, Texas, filming scenes for another movie, tentatively titled ''How I Spent My Summer Vacation'', about a career criminal put in a tough prison in Mexico.

In October 2010, it was reported that Gibson would have a small role in ''The Hangover: Part II'', but he was removed from the film after the cast and crew objected to his involvement.

Personal life

Family

Gibson met Robyn Denise Moore in the late 1970s soon after filming ''Mad Max'' when they were both tenants at a house in Adelaide. At the time, Robyn was a dental nurse and Mel was an unknown actor working for the South Australian Theatre Company. On 7 June 1980, Mel and Robyn Gibson were married in a Roman Catholic church in Forestville, New South Wales. They currently have one daughter, six sons, and two grandchildren.

After 26 years of marriage, Mel and Robyn Gibson separated on 29 July 2006. In a 2011 interview, Gibson stated that the separation began the day following his arrest for drunk driving in Malibu. Robyn Gibson filed for divorce on 13 April 2009, citing irreconcilable differences. In a joint statement, the Gibsons declared, "Throughout our marriage and separation we have always strived to maintain the privacy and integrity of our family and will continue to do so." The divorce filing followed the March 2009 release of photographs appearing to show him on a beach embracing Russian pianist Oksana Grigorieva.

On 28 April 2009, Gibson made a red carpet appearance with Grigorieva. Grigorieva, who had previously had a son with actor Timothy Dalton, gave birth to Gibson's daughter Lucia on 30 October 2009. In April 2010, it was made public that Gibson and Grigorieva had split. On 21 June 2010, Grigorieva filed a restraining order against Gibson to keep him away from her and their child. The restraining order was modified the next day regarding Gibson's contact with their child. Gibson obtained a restraining order against Grigorieva on 25 June 2010. In response to claims by Grigorieva that an incident of domestic violence occurred in January 2010, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department launched a domestic violence investigation in July 2010.

Investments

Gibson is a property investor, with multiple properties in Malibu, California, several locations in Costa Rica, a private island in Fiji and properties in Australia. In December 2004, Gibson sold his Australian farm in the Kiewa Valley for $6 million. Also in December 2004, Gibson purchased Mago Island in Fiji from Tokyu Corporation of Japan for $15 million. Descendants of the original native inhabitants of Mago, who were displaced in the 1860s, have protested the purchase. Gibson stated it was his intention to retain the pristine environment of the undeveloped island. In early 2005, he sold his Montana ranch to a neighbour. In April 2007 he purchased a ranch in Costa Rica for $26 million, and in July 2007 he sold his Tudor estate in Connecticut (which he purchased in 1994 for $9 million) for $40 million to an unnamed buyer. Also that month, he sold a Malibu property for $30 million that he had purchased for $24 million two years before. In 2008, he purchased the Malibu home of David Duchovny and Téa Leoni.

Prankster

Gibson has a reputation for practical jokes, puns, Stooge-inspired physical comedy, and doing outrageous things to shock people. As a director he sometimes breaks the tension on set by having his actors perform serious scenes wearing a red clown nose. Helena Bonham Carter, who appeared alongside him in ''Hamlet'', said of him, "He has a very basic sense of humor. It's a bit lavatorial and not very sophisticated." During the filming of ''Hamlet'', Gibson would relieve pressure on the set by mooning the cast and crew, directly following a serious scene. In addition to inserting several homages to the Three Stooges in his ''Lethal Weapon'' movies, Gibson produced a 2000 television movie about the comedy group which starred Michael Chiklis as Curly Howard. As a gag, Gibson inserted a single frame of himself smoking a cigarette into the 2005 teaser trailer of ''Apocalypto''.

Philanthropy

Gibson and his former wife have contributed a substantial amount of money to various charities, one of which is Healing the Children. According to Cris Embleton, one of the founders, the Gibsons gave millions to provide lifesaving medical treatment to needy children worldwide. They also supported the restoration of Renaissance artwork and gave millions of dollars to NIDA.

Gibson donated $500,000 to the El Mirador Basin Project to protect the last tract of virgin rain forest in Central America and to fund archeological excavations in the "cradle of Mayan civilization." In July 2007, Gibson again visited Central America to make arrangements for donations to the indigenous population. Gibson met with Costa Rican President Óscar Arias to discuss how to "channel the funds." During the same month, Gibson pledged to give financial assistance to a Malaysian company named Green Rubber Global for a tire recycling factory located in Gallup, New Mexico. While on a business trip to Singapore in September 2007, Gibson donated to a local charity for children with chronic and terminal illnesses.

Religious and political views

Faith

Gibson was raised a Traditionalist Catholic. When asked about the Catholic doctrine of "''Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus''", Gibson replied, "There is no salvation for those outside the Church ... I believe it. Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She's a much better person than I am. Honestly. She's... Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it's just not fair if she doesn't make it, she's better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it." When he was asked whether John 14:6 is an intolerant position, he said that "through the merits of Jesus' sacrifice... even people who don't know Jesus are able to be saved, but ''through'' him." Acquaintance Father William Fulco has said that Gibson denies neither the Pope nor Vatican II. Gibson told Diane Sawyer that he believes non-Catholics and non-Christians can go to heaven.

Politics

Gibson has been described as “ultraconservative”.

Gibson complimented filmmaker Michael Moore and his documentary ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' when he and Moore were recognized at the 2005 People's Choice Awards. Gibson's Icon Productions originally agreed to finance Moore's film, but later sold the rights to Miramax Films. Moore said that his agent Ari Emanuel claimed that "top Republicans" called Mel Gibson to tell him, "don’t expect to get more invitations to the White House". Icon's spokesman dismissed this story, saying "We never run from a controversy. You'd have to be out of your mind to think that of the company that just put out ''The Passion of the Christ''."

In a July 1995 interview with ''Playboy'' magazine, Gibson said President Bill Clinton was a "low-level opportunist" and someone was "telling him what to do". He said that the Rhodes Scholarship was established for young men and women who want to strive for a "new world order" and this was a campaign for Marxism. Gibson later backed away from such conspiracy theories saying, "It was like: 'Hey, tell us a conspiracy'... so I laid out this thing, and suddenly, it was like I was talking the gospel truth, espousing all this political shit like I believed in it." In the same 1995 ''Playboy'' interview, Gibson argued against ordaining women to the priesthood.

In 2004, he publicly spoke out against taxpayer-funded embryonic stem-cell research that involves the cloning and destruction of human embryos. In March 2005, he condemned the outcome of the Terri Schiavo case, referring to Schiavo's death as "state-sanctioned murder".

Gibson questioned the Iraq War in March 2004. In 2006, Gibson said that the "fearmongering" depicted in his film ''Apocalypto'' "reminds me a little of President Bush and his guys."

In a 2011 interview, Gibson stated,

"The whole notion of politics is they always present you with this or this or this. I’ll get a newspaper to read between the lines. Why do you have to adhere to prescribed formulas that they have and people argue over them and they’re all in a box. And you watch Fox claw CNN, and CNN claw Fox. Sometimes I catch a piece of the news and it seems insanity to me. I quietly support candidates. I’m not out there banging a drum for candidates. But I have supported a candidate and it’s a whole other world. Once you’ve been exposed to it, once or twice or however many times, if you know the facts and see how they’re presented, it’s mind-boggling. It’s a very scary arena to be in, but I do vote. I go in there and pull the lever. It’s kind of like pulling the lever and watching the trap door fall out from beneath you. Why should we trust any of these people? None of them ever deliver on anything. It’s always disappointing."

Controversy

Alleged homophobia

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) accused Gibson of homophobia after a December 1991 interview in the Spanish newspaper ''El País'' in which he made derogatory comments about homosexuals. Gibson later defended his comments and rejected calls to apologise. However, Gibson joined GLAAD in hosting 10 lesbian and gay filmmakers for an on-location seminar on the set of the movie ''Conspiracy Theory'' in January 1997. In 1999 when asked about the comments to ''El País'', Gibson said, "I shouldn't have said it, but I was tickling a bit of vodka during that interview, and the quote came back to bite me on the ass."

Alleged anti-semitism in ''The Passion of the Christ''

Gibson's 2004 film ''The Passion of the Christ'' sparked a fierce debate over alleged antisemitic imagery and overtones. Gibson denied that the film was antisemitic, but critics remained divided. Some agreed that the film was consistent with the Gospels and traditional Catholic teachings, while others argued that it reflected a selective reading of the Gospels.

Sexism and domestic violence

In July 2010, it was alleged that Gibson had been recorded during a phone call with Oksana Grigorieva suggesting that if she got "raped by a pack of niggers," she would be to blame. Gibson was barred from coming near Grigorieva or her daughter due to a domestic violence-related restraining order. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has launched a domestic violence investigation against Gibson. Gibson's estranged wife, Robyn Gibson, has filed a court statement declaring that she never experienced any abuse from Gibson, while forensic experts have questioned the validity of some of the tapes. In March 2011, Mel Gibson agreed to plead no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge.

In a subsequent interview, Gibson stated,

"I was allowed to end the case and still maintain my innocence. It’s called a West Plea and it’s not something that prosecutors normally allow. But in my case, the prosecutors and the judge agreed that it was the right thing to do. I could have continued to fight this for years and it probably would have come out fine. But I ended it for my children and my family. This was going to be such a circus. You don’t drag other people in your life through this sewer needlessly, so I’ll take the hit and move on."

Racism

On 8 July 2010, Gibson was alleged to have made an ethnic slur against Latinos using the term "wetbacks" as he suggested turning in one of his employees to immigration authorities. On 9 July 2010, some audio recordings alleged to be of Gibson were posted on the internet. The same day Gibson was dropped by his agency, William Morris Endeavor.

The July 2010 reports of voice-mail recordings also included alleged racist remarks, with Gibson using the word "niggers". Civil rights activists commented that Gibson had shown patterns of racism, sexism and anti-Semitism and called for a boycott of Gibson's movies.

In April 2011, Gibson finally broke his silence about the incident in question. In an interview with Deadline.com, Gibson expressed gratitude to longtime friends Whoopi Goldberg and Jodie Foster, both of whom had spoken publicly in his defense. About the recordings, Gibson said,

"I’ve never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality – period. I don’t blame some people for thinking that though, from the garbage they heard on those leaked tapes, which have been edited. You have to put it all in the proper context of being in an irrationally, heated discussion at the height of a breakdown, trying to get out of a really unhealthy relationship. It’s one terribly, awful moment in time, said to one person, in the span of one day and doesn’t represent what I truly believe or how I’ve treated people my entire life."

Alcohol abuse and legal issues

Gibson has said that he started drinking at the age of thirteen. In a 2002 interview about his time at NIDA, Gibson said, "I had really good highs but some very low lows. I found out recently I'm manic depressive."

Gibson was banned from driving in Ontario for three months in 1984, after rear-ending a car in Toronto while under the influence of alcohol. He retreated to his Australian farm for over a year to recover, but he continued to struggle with drinking. Despite this problem, Gibson gained a reputation in Hollywood for professionalism and punctuality such that ''Lethal Weapon 2'' director Richard Donner was shocked when Gibson confided that he was drinking five pints of beer for breakfast. Reflecting in 2003 and 2004, Gibson said that despair in his mid-30s led him to contemplate suicide, and he meditated on Christ's Passion to heal his wounds. He took more time off acting in 1991 and sought professional help. That year, Gibson's attorneys were unsuccessful at blocking the ''Sunday Mirror'' from publishing what Gibson shared at AA meetings. In 1992, Gibson provided financial support to Hollywood's Recovery Center, saying, "Alcoholism is something that runs in my family. It's something that's close to me. People do come back from it, and it's a miracle."

DUI incident with antisemitic remarks

On 28 July 2006, Gibson was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) while speeding in his vehicle with an open container of alcohol. A leaked report revealed that during Gibson's 28 July 2006 arrest for driving under the influence he made antisemitic remarks to arresting officer James Mee, who is Jewish, saying "Fucking Jews... the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson issued two apologies for the incident through his publicist, and in a later interview with Diane Sawyer, he affirmed the accuracy of the quotations. He admitted to making antisemitic remarks during his arrest and apologized for his "despicable" behavior, saying the comments were "blurted out in a moment of insanity" and asked to meet with Jewish leaders to help him "discern the appropriate path for healing." After Gibson's arrest, his publicist said he had entered a recovery program to battle alcoholism.

On 17 August 2006, Gibson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge and was sentenced to three years probation. He was ordered to attend self-help meetings five times a week for four and a half months and three times a week for the remainder of the first year of his probation. He was also ordered to attend a First Offenders Program, was fined $1,300, and his license was restricted for 90 days.

At a May 2007 progress hearing, Gibson was praised for his compliance with the terms of his probation and his extensive participation in a self-help program beyond what was required.

Filmography

Gibson's acting career began in 1976, with a role on the Australian television series ''The Sullivans''. In his career, Gibson has appeared in 43 films, including the ''Mad Max'' and ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. In addition to acting, Gibson has also directed four films, including ''Braveheart'' and ''The Passion of the Christ''; produced 11 films; and written two films. Films either starring or directed by Mel Gibson have earned over US$2.5 billion, in the United States alone. Gibson's filmography includes television series, feature films, television films, and animated films.

Awards and accomplishments

Academy Award: Best Picture, for ''Braveheart'' (1995) Academy Award: Best Director, for ''Braveheart'' (1995) People's Choice Awards: Favorite Motion Picture Actor (1991, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004) People's Choice Awards: Favorite Motion Picture Star in a Comedy (2001) ShoWest Award: Male Star of the Year (1993) ShoWest Award: Director of the Year (1996) American Cinematheque Gala Tribute: American Cinematheque Award (1995) Hasty Pudding Theatricals: Man of the Year (1997) Australian Film Institute: Global Achievement Award (2002) Honorary Doctorate Recipient and Undergraduate Commencement Speaker, Loyola Marymount University (2003) World's most powerful celebrity by US business magazine ''Forbes'' (2004) Hollywood Reporter Innovator of the Year (2004) Honorary fellowship in Performing Arts by Limkokwing University (2007) Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema Award at the Irish Film and Television Awards (2008) Sexist Pig Award from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists (2011)

References

Bibliography

External links

"Exclusive: Mel Gibson's Apocalyto Now" (sic), by Tim Padgett/Veracruz, ''TIME'' magazine

Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:21st-century writers Category:Actors from New York Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American emigrants to Australia Category:American people of Australian descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American philanthropists Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American screenwriters Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American television producers Category:American Traditionalist Catholics Category:American voice actors Category:Best Director Academy Award winners Category:Best Director Golden Globe winners Category:Honorary Officers of the Order of Australia Category:People educated at the National Institute of Dramatic Art Category:People from Sydney Category:People from Westchester County, New York Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People with bipolar disorder Category:Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award Category:Racism in the United States

ar:ميل غيبسون az:Mel Gibson bn:মেল গিবসন zh-min-nan:Mel Gibson bs:Mel Gibson bg:Мел Гибсън ca:Mel Gibson cv:Мел Кипсăн cs:Mel Gibson cy:Mel Gibson da:Mel Gibson de:Mel Gibson et:Mel Gibson es:Mel Gibson eo:Mel Gibson eu:Mel Gibson fa:مل گیبسون fr:Mel Gibson ga:Mel Gibson gv:Mel Gibson gd:Mel Gibson gl:Mel Gibson ko:멜 깁슨 hy:Մել Գիբսոն hr:Mel Gibson io:Mel Gibson id:Mel Gibson it:Mel Gibson he:מל גיבסון kn:ಮೆಲ್ ಗಿಬ್ಸನ್ sw:Mel Gibson la:Mel Gibson lv:Mels Gibsons lt:Mel Gibson hu:Mel Gibson mr:मेल गिब्सन ms:Mel Gibson mn:Мел Гибсон nl:Mel Gibson ja:メル・ギブソン no:Mel Gibson oc:Mel Gibson pl:Mel Gibson pt:Mel Gibson ro:Mel Gibson ru:Гибсон, Мел sq:Mel Gibson simple:Mel Gibson sk:Mel Gibson sr:Мел Гибсон sh:Mel Gibson fi:Mel Gibson sv:Mel Gibson ta:மெல் கிப்சன் th:เมล กิบสัน tg:Мел Гибсон tr:Mel Gibson uk:Мел Гібсон ur:میل گبسن vec:Mel Gibson vi:Mel gibson zh:梅尔·吉布森

Art Paul Schlosser is a street musician in Madison, Wisconsin, who plays humorous novelty songs.

Childhood

Art Paul Schlosser was born born in Chicago, January 4, 1960. He grew up listening to novelty music like Allen Sherman and Tiny Tim as well as funny songs by The Beatles and The Monkees. When Art was 11, he, his mother, and his sisters moved to Madison, Wisconsin after his parents got a divorce. As a child in Madison, his mother continued to play weird and funny songs for him, sometimes playing strange sound effects on one recorded player to go with the songs. As a teenager, Art Paul joined a work experience play group that encouraged Art to be creative. In this group, there were a couple of fans of The Beatles, one of whom encouraged Art Paul to write lyrics. It was from that time on that Art started to write. Art would listen to the Dr Demento radio show as well as other strange records that he discovered at the local library, and then try to write some lyrics he was inspired to write after listening to the songs.

State Street

Upon discovering that it is legal to busk on State Street, Art Paul tried it out on a warm day late in February 1986 and received a couple of dollars for his effort. Since then Art Paul has been a street musician and busker as well as an outsider artist on State Street in Madison, Wisconsin.

He usually performs his original songs or parodys on an acoustic guitar and kazoo. He also sometimes plays electronic keyboard or ukulele.

He is best known for his funny music, especially "Have A Peanut Butter Sandwich", which made the Funny Five of the Dr Demento radio show four times in 2001 and Vote for Me/It's a Joke which was on the Funny Five of the Dr Demento radio in 2003. While he sings mostly humorous songs, Art Paul has also written on the topics of politics and religion.

In 2007 Art Paul Schlosser received a Madison Area Music Award for best compilation for his CD ''Art Paul Schlosser''. In 2009 he won two more Madison Area Music Awards for Unique Song ("Have A Peanut Butter Sandwich," the remix version, which was remixed by Animalien) and for Unique Album (''Leftovers'').

Appearances

Schlosser's music has been played on oddball radio programs, including Greasy Kid Stuff, The Mad Music Hour, Dave's Gone By and the Dr. Demento Show, and he has appeared on his own public-access television show as well as WGN-TV news.

On July 30, 2009, Stephen Colbert mentioned Schlosser on the Colbert Report in order to emphasize that any artist can get their songs on iTunes, no matter what the quality of their work may be.

On June 27, 2010, Schlosser appeared on the internet radio show The Bastard Den on Infernal Rock Radio at www.infernalrockradio.com. Art Paul performed a few of his original songs and gave a 15 minute interview.

On June 29, 2010, Schlosser appeared on America's Got Talent appearing under the name Buddy Holly Cheesehead, singing "Eating Cheese." He was booed off stage almost immediately.

Discography

References

External links

Art Paul's artist page at Apple iTunes

Listen to Art Paul at rhapsody.com

Art Paul's videos

Art Paul's artist page at the Mad Music Archive

Art Paul's art at Facebook

Shockwave Radio Theater review of Art Paul's live performance at Marscon 2007

Category:American musicians Category:American buskers Category:American comedians Category:Living people Category:People from Madison, Wisconsin Category:Outsider music Category:1960 births