At-will employment is a doctrine of American law that defines an employment relationship in which either party can break the relationship with no liability, provided there was no express contract for a definite term governing the employment relationship and that the employer does not belong to a collective bargaining group (i.e., has not recognized a union). Under this legal doctrine:

Although harsh upon employees, the doctrine of at-will employment is widely credited as one of the major factors behind the strength of the U.S. economy, and in particular, in making possible the success of Silicon Valley as an entrepreneur-friendly environment. The doctrine enables entrepreneurs to quickly staff new startups, secure in the knowledge that they can also quickly terminate employees who turn out to be incompetent or lazy (which is not the case in many other countries).

Several exceptions to the doctrine exist, especially if unlawful discrimination is involved regarding the termination of an employee.

As a means of downsizing, such as closing an unprofitable factory, a company may terminate employees en masse. However, there are legal limitations upon the employer's ability to terminate without reason.

Origins

The at-will rule has its genesis in a rule in Horace Gray Wood’s 1877 treatise on master-servant relations. Wood cited four U.S. cases as authority for his rule that when a hiring was indefinite, the burden of proof was on the servant to prove that an indefinite employment term was for one year. In Toussaint v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Michigan, the Court noted that "Wood’s rule was quickly cited as authority for another proposition."

Some courts saw the rule as requiring the employee to prove an express contract for a definite term in order to maintain an action based on termination of the employment. Thus was born the U.S. at-will employment rule, which allowed discharge for no reason. This rule was adopted by all U.S. states. In 1959 the first judicial exception to the at-will rule was created by one of the California Courts of Appeal. Later, in a 1980 landmark case involving ARCO, the Supreme Court of California endorsed the rule first articulated by the Court of Appeal. The resulting actions by employees are now known in California as Tameny actions for wrongful termination in violation of public policy.

Since 1959, several common law and statutory exceptions to at-will employment have been created.

Common law protects an employee from retaliation if the employee disobeys an employer on the grounds that the employer ordered him or her to do something illegal or immoral. However, in the majority of cases, the burden of proof remains upon the discharged employee. No U.S. state but Montana has chosen to statutorily modify the employment at-will rule. In 1987, the Montana legislature passed the Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act (WDEA). The Montana Act is unique in that, although it purports to preserve the at-will concept in employment law, it also expressly enumerates the legal bases for a wrongful discharge action. Under the WDEA, a discharge is wrongful only if: "it was in retaliation for the employee's refusal to violate public policy or for reporting a violation of public policy; the discharge was not for good cause and the employee had completed the employer's probationary period of employment; or the employer violated the express provisions of its own written personnel policy."

Public policy exceptions

Under the public policy exception, an employer may not fire an employee if it would violate the state's public policy doctrine or a state or federal statute.

This includes retaliating against an employee for performing an action that complies with public policy (such as informing the authorities of an illegal activity, for instance nursing home abuse), as well as refusing to perform an action that would violate public policy. In this diagram, the pink states have the 'exception', which protects the employee.

Specific states

As of October 2000, forty-three U.S. states and the District of Columbia recognize public policy as an exception to the at-will rule.

The 7 states which do not have the exception are:

Alabama

Georgia

Louisiana

Maine

Nebraska

New York

Rhode Island

Florida - with exception

Implied contract exceptions

Thirty-seven U.S. states (and the District of Columbia) also recognize an implied contract as an exception to at-will employment. held that a provision in an employee handbook stating that dismissal may be for cause, and requiring employee records to specify the reason for termination, did not modify an employee's at-will employment. The New York Court of Appeals, that state’s highest Court, also rejected the implied-contract theory to circumvent employment at will. In Anthony Lobosco, Appellant v New York Telephone Company/NYNEX, Respondent, the court restated the prevailing rule that an employee could not maintain an action for wrongful discharge where state law recognized neither the tort of wrongful discharge, nor exceptions for firings that violate public policy, and an employee's explicit employee handbook disclaimer preserved the at-will employment relationship.

Covenant of good faith and fair dealing exceptions (aka. "Implied-in-law" Contracts)

Only eleven U.S. states have recognized a breach of an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing as an exception to at-will employment. These 11 states are:

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

California

Delaware

Idaho

Massachusetts

Montana

Nevada

Utah

Wyoming

This exception for a covenant of good faith and fair dealing represents the most significant departure from the traditional employment-at-will doctrine. Rather than narrowly prohibiting terminations based on public policy or an implied contract, this exception – at its broadest – reads a covenant of good faith and fair dealing into every employment relationship. It has been interpreted, by some courts, to mean either that employer personnel decisions are subject to a “just-cause” standard or that terminations made in bad faith or motivated by malice are prohibited.

Statutory exceptions

Although all U.S. states have a number of statutory protections for employees, most wrongful termination suits brought under statutory causes of action use the federal anti-discrimination statutes which prohibit firing or refusing to hire an employee because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or handicap status. Other reasons an employer may not use to fire an at-will employee are:

for refusing to commit illegal acts – An employer is not permitted to fire an employee because the employee refuses to commit an act that is illegal.

family or medical leave – federal law permits most employees to take a leave of absence for specific family or medical problems. An employer is not permitted to fire an employee who takes family or medical leave for a reason outlined in the Family and Medical Leave Act.

not following own termination procedures – often, the employee handbook or company policy outlines a procedure that must be followed before an employee is terminated. If the employer fires an employee without following this procedure, the employee may have a claim for wrongful termination.

Examples of federal statutes include:

Equal Pay Act of 1963 (relating to discrimination on the basis of sex in payment of wages);

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (relating to discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin);

Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (relating to certain discrimination on the basis of age with respect to persons of at least 40 years of age);

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (related to certain discrimination on the basis of handicap status);

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (relating to certain discrimination on the basis of handicap status).

The National Labor Relations Act provides protection to employees who wish to join or form a union and those who engage in union activity. The act also protects employees who engage in a "concerted activity". In addition to being fired based on status in a protected class (race, gender, etc.), employers are not allowed to retaliate against any protected action. "Protected actions" include suing for wrongful termination, testifying as a witness in a wrongful termination case, or even opposing what they believe (whether they can prove it or not) to be wrongful discrimination. In the recent federal case of Ross v. Vanguard, Raymond Ross successfully sued his employer for firing him due to his allegations of racial discrimination.

See also

Employment Rights Act 1996, for the UK approach to employment protection. See also, Contracts of Employment Act 1963, for the first modern UK law on the requirement to give reasonable notice before any dismissal.

Creen v Wright (1875–76) LR 1 CPD 591 and Hill v C Parsons & Co [1972] 1 Ch 305

Employment agency

European Social Charter

UK agency worker law

Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act)

Bammert v. Don's Super Valu, Inc., 646 N.W.2d 365 (Wis. 2002)

Notes

References

Highstone v. Westin Engineering, Inc., No. 98-1548 (8/9/99) - at-will relationship must be clear to the employees

Category:Employment law terms Category:Labor law of the United States Category:Human resource management Category:Ethically disputed business practices

Name	Will Smith
Caption	Smith in May 2010
Birth name	Willard Christopher Smith, Jr.
Birth date	September 25, 1968
Birth place	Wynnefield, West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names	The Fresh Prince
Occupation	Actor, rapper, film producer, record producer, television producer
Years active	1985–present
Spouse
Website	http://www.willsmith.com/

Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, film producer and pop rapper. He has enjoyed success in music, television and film. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor on the planet. Smith has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won multiple Grammy Awards.

In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show ran for nearly six years (1990–1996) on NBC and has been syndicated consistently on various networks since then. In the mid-1990s, Smith transitioned from television to film, and ultimately starred in numerous blockbuster films that received broad box office success. In fact, he is the only actor in history to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office as well as being the only actor to have eight consecutive films in which he starred open at the #1 spot in the domestic box office tally.

Fourteen of the 19 fiction films he has acted in have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million, and 4 of them took in over $500 million in global box office receipts. His most financially successful films have been Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Independence Day, Men in Black, Men in Black II, I, Robot, The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, Hancock, Wild Wild West, Enemy of the State, Shark Tale, Hitch and Seven Pounds. He also earned critical praise for his performances in Six Degrees of Separation, Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness, receiving Best Actor Oscar nominations for the latter two.

Family and early life

West Philadelphia born and raised, Smith also spent time in Germantown in Northwest Philadelphia. His mother, Caroline (née Bright), was a school administrator who worked for the Philadelphia school board, and his father, Willard Christopher Smith, Sr., was a refrigeration engineer. He was raised Baptist. His parents separated when he was 13, and did not actually divorce until Smith was around 30.

While it is widely reported that Smith turned down a scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he never applied to MIT, although he was admitted to a "pre-engineering program" there.

Recording and acting career

Early work (1985–1995)

Smith started as the MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, with his childhood friend Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes as turntablist and producer as well as Ready Rock C (Clarence Holmes) as the human beat box. The trio was known for performing humorous, radio-friendly songs, most notably "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Summertime". They gained critical acclaim for winning the first ever Grammy in the Rap category (1988). He had a line in "Voices That Care", a 1991 Gulf War song by a celebrity group. Smith spent money freely during his early career and underpaid his income taxes. The Internal Revenue Service eventually assessed a $2.8 million tax debt against Smith, took many of his possessions, and garnished his income. Smith was nearly bankrupt in 1990 when the NBC television network signed him to a contract and built a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him. The show was successful and began his acting career. Smith set for himself the goal of becoming "the biggest movie star in the world," studying box office successes' common characteristics. In 1998 Smith starred with Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State. Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West. Despite the disappointment of Wild Wild West, Smith has said that he harbors no regrets about his decision, asserting that Keanu Reeves's performance as Neo was superior to what Smith would have achieved.

International success (2001–present)

In 2005, Smith was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for attending a record breaking three premieres in a 24-hour time span.

He has planned to star in a feature film remake of the television series It Takes a Thief.

On December 10, 2007, Smith was recognized at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Smith left an imprint of his hands and feet outside the world renowned theater in front of many fans. Later that month, Smith starred in the film I Am Legend, released December 14, 2007. Despite marginally positive reviews, its opening was the largest ever for a film released in the United States during December. Smith himself has said that he considers the film to be "aggressively unique". A reviewer said that the film's commercial success "cemented [Smith's] standing as the number one box office draw in Hollywood." On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that Smith has been selected as one of America’s top ten most fascinating people of 2008 for a Barbara Walters ABC special that aired on December 4, 2008.

Smith is currently developing a film entitled The Last Pharaoh, in which he will star as Taharqa.

President Barack Obama has stated that if a film were to ever be made about his life, he would have Smith play his part, because "he has the ears". Obama stated that the two have discussed a possibility of a film based on the 2008 election, but this may not happen until the end of the Obama presidency.

He is currently filming Men in Black III for a 2012 release playing Agent J one of his more popular earlier roles, making this his first major starring role in four years.

Personal life

December 11, 2009, in Oslo, Norway: Smith with wife Jada and children Jaden and Willow]] Smith was raised by his parents in West Philadelphia. Smith credits his father's dedication when discussing his own involvement in the lives of his three children: "I look at my father and how he was able to keep four kids fed and clothed and still managed to find time to spend with us." Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had a son, Willard Christopher Smith III, also known as "Trey", but divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1998 single "Just The Two Of Us". Smith married actress Jada Pinkett in 1997. Together they have had two children: Jaden Christopher Syre (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness, and Willow Camille Reign (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter in "I Am Legend". Along with his brother, Harry Smith, he owns Treyball Development Inc., a Beverly Hills-based company named after his first son. Smith and his family reside on Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida and in Los Angeles, Stockholm, Sweden and Philadelphia.

Smith was consistently listed in Fortune Magazine's "Richest 40" list of the forty wealthiest Americans under the age of 40. He donated $4,600 to the presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama. December 11, 2009, Smith and his wife hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, when Barack Obama had won the prize.

Smith has said he has studied multiple religions, including Scientology, and he has said many complimentary things about Scientology and other faiths. Despite his praise of Scientology, Smith said "I just think a lot of the ideas in Scientology are brilliant and revolutionary and non-religious" and "Ninety-eight percent of the principles in Scientology are identical to the principles of the Bible.... I don't think that because the word someone uses for spirit is 'thetan' that the definition becomes any different." He has denied having joined the Church of Scientology, saying "I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions, and I respect all people and all paths." Smith gave $1.3 million to charities in 2007, of which $450,000 went to two Christian ministries, and $122,500 went to three Scientology organizations; the remaining beneficiaries included "a Los Angeles mosque, other Christian-based schools and churches, and [...] the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Center in Israel". Smith and his wife have also founded a private elementary school in Calabasas, California, the New Village Leadership Academy, which has attracted controversy and speculation over its use of Study Technology, a teaching methodology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.

Discography

Big Willie Style (1997)

Willennium (1999)

Born to Reign (2002)

Lost and Found (2005)

Filmography

Box office grosses

References

Further reading

External links

Official site

in 2002

Category:Living people Category:1968 births Category:Actors from Pennsylvania Category:African American film actors Category:American hip hop musicians Category:American rappers Category:American television actors Category:Baptists from the United States Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Interscope Records artists

Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Rappers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Beatboxers

Category:African-American film producers Category:African American rappers

Caption	Ferrell in May 2009
Birth date	July 16, 1967
Birth name	John William Ferrell
Birth place	Irvine, California, U.S.
Spouse	Viveca Paulin (2000–present)
Years active	1995–present
Occupation	Comedian, impressionist, actor, writer

John William "Will" Ferrell (; born , 1967) is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, , , Stranger than Fiction, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, and The Other Guys. He is considered a member of the "Frat Pack," a generation of leading Hollywood comic actors to emerge in the late 1990s and the 2000s including Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, and brothers Owen and Luke Wilson.

Early life

Ferrell was born in Irvine, California, the son of Betty Kay ( Overman), a teacher who taught at Old Mill School elementary school, and Roy Lee Ferrell, Jr., a guitarist for The Righteous Brothers. His parents were both natives of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and moved to California in 1964; Ferrell also has Irish ancestry. He first attended school at Turtle Rock Elementary, and later attended Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, both in Irvine. He attended University High School in Irvine, and was a kicker for the school's varsity football team. He told the Orange County Register that the dullness of Irvine contributed to the growth of his humor:

Growing up in suburbia, in safe, master-planned Irvine, there was no drama so we had to create it in our heads. My main form of entertainment was cracking my friends up and exploring new ways of being funny. I didn't have to have the survival mode instinct like other comics, who grew up in tough neighborhoods. I had the opposite. For me, I grew up in Mayberry, and the humor broke the boredom. And there was a lot to make fun of.

He enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he studied Sports Broadcasting and graduated with a degree in Sports Information. He is also a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. After graduating in 1990, he developed his improvisation skills as a member of the comedy group The Groundlings.

Saturday Night Live

Ferrell joined Saturday Night Live in 1995 and left in 2002 after a successful seven-year tenure. He returned to host twice (both in season finales), and once in the cold open of the final episode of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday

During his time on SNL, Ferrell made a name for himself with his impersonations, which included:

U.S. President George W. Bush

Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray,

Singer Robert Goulet (crooning a cappella pieces of music by Sisqó, Baha Men, and Notorious B.I.G.),

Singer Neil Diamond,

Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton (who was quoted several times to favor Ferrell's impersonation),

Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy,

United States Attorney General Janet Reno,

Convicted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski,

Game show host Alex Trebek,

Fictitious black private detective Shaft,

Professional wrestler-turned-Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura,

U.S. Vice President Al Gore (Darrell Hammond took over once Ferrell started playing Bush),

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein,

Cuban President Fidel Castro.

His original characters included "Morning Latte" co-host Tom Wilkins, Ed the Horse's twin brother Ned, fictional Blue Öyster Cult member Gene Frenkle (physically modeled after Blue Öyster Cult vocalist Eric Bloom), music teacher Marty Culp, Spartan cheerleader Craig Buchanan, Dale Sturtevant from "Dissing Your Dog", Hank of the Bill Brasky Buddies, David Leary from "Dog Show", and night clubber Steve Butabi in a sketch that went to the big screen in 1998's A Night at the Roxbury.

Ferrell returned to Saturday Night Live as a guest host on , 2005, and , 2009. Both times, he reprised his role as Alex Trebek in the "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketches. On the appearance, Ferrell reprised his role as Robert Goulet in a fake commercial advertising a series of crooned ringtones and, during the performance of the song "Little Sister" by musical guests Queens of the Stone Age, Ferrell came on stage playing the cowbell.

Ferrell became the highest paid cast member of Saturday Night Live in 2001 with a season salary of $350,000.

Film

During his time on Saturday Night Live, Ferrell appeared in several movies: , A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, The Ladies Man, Dick, Drowning Mona, , Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Zoolander.

His first starring role came after his departure from SNL with Frank "The Tank" Richard in Old School (2003). The film "belongs to Mr. Ferrell," declared the New York Times, which described how he "uses his hilarious, anxious zealotry to sell the part." Old School was a major success and Ferrell received an MTV Movie Awards nomination for Best Comedic Performance.

The title role in Elf (2003) followed, as did another MTV Movie Awards nomination. Ferrell continued to land comedy roles in 2004 and 2005 in films such as Melinda and Melinda, , Starsky & Hutch earning himself a place among Hollywood's Frat Pack. In 2005, Ferrell earned . In 2006, Ferrell starred in Stranger Than Fiction and ; both received critical and box office success. Ferrell's performance in Stranger Than Fiction introduced audiences to the dramatic potential of Ferrell's acting talents. On , 2006, 'The Magazine' named Ferrell as one of its three actors of the year in their 2006 year in review issue.

, December 2007]] Ferrell appeared as part of a pre-game video package for the Rose Bowl along with Texas alum Matthew McConaughey. Ferrell also sang a song at the ESPY Awards in 2006 about Lance Armstrong and Neil Armstrong. He and John C. Reilly also did a spot during the 2008 ESPY Awards where they made demands in order for them to appear at the ESPYs like asking Portland Trail Blazers' center Greg Oden to tuck them in at night and tell them stories of the old times or to bring back the Cold War so the Olympics can be interesting again.

Ferrell participated in a 79th Academy Awards musical-comedy performance with John C. Reilly and Jack Black, wherein they sang a song about comedies being snubbed by the voters in favor of dramas.

In May 2009 it was announced Ferrell is in talks to star in Neighborhood Watch, a comedy about an urbanite who moves to the suburbs and uncovers a conspiracy. In negotiations to direct is David Dobkin, who gave Ferrell a cameo in Wedding Crashers. In August 2009, Ferrell decided not to do the film. In the summer of 2009, Ferrell did a large amount of filming with several young actors. He helped out on a film entitled Making a Movie, which is now on DVD.

In June 2009, Land of the Lost was released. It was a commercial and critical flop after earning on opening weekend, about two-thirds of what the studio expected.

In 2010, he was the executive producer and star of The Other Guys, a buddy cop film, which also has an ensemble cast which consists of Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson. Unlike Land of the Lost, the film was a commercial success, earning over $140 million, and was positively reviewed by critics.

Voice acting

Ferrell has worked as a voice actor in several animated television programs, including his portrayal of Bob Oblong, a 1950s-style father with no arms or legs, in the short-lived animated television series The Oblongs. He has had several guest appearances on Family Guy, where he played the Black Knight in "Mr. Saturday Knight", as well as Fat Greek Guy and Miles "Chatterbox" Musket in "Fifteen Minutes of Shame". Ferrell also starred as Ted (a.k.a. The Man in the Yellow Hat) in the movie Curious George and guest voiced on an episode of the FOX sitcom King of the Hill as an overly PC soccer coach. He voiced the title character in the 2010 DreamWorks Animation film Megamind.

Funny or Die

In April 2007, Ferrell launched "Funny or Die", a streaming video website where short comedy films are uploaded and voted on by users. The site features The Landlord, starring Ferrell and Funny or Die co-founder Adam McKay. Ferrell's character is harassed for the rent by his landlady, a swearing, beer-loving, two-year-old girl (played by McKay's daughter, Pearl). Child psychologists have criticized Ferrell and the McKay family for child exploitation, to which McKay responded: }} They followed with the release of a video entitled "Good Cop, Baby Cop" which also starred baby Pearl; the end of the video stated that this would be her final appearance and wished her a happy "baby retirement."

In September 2008, Ferrell released another video entitled "Will Ferrell Answers Internet Questions" where he takes some pressing questions and comments from his fans.

Other Ferrell's appearance on "Funny or Die",

Eastbound & Down

Ferrell co-produces (with Adam McKay) an HBO show starring Danny McBride called Eastbound & Down. He also has a recurring role as car dealer Ashley Schaeffer.

Personal life

In August 2000, Ferrell married Swedish actress Viveca Paulin, whom he met in 1995 at an acting class. They live in New York City and in Orange County, California and have three sons, Magnus Paulin Ferrell, born , 2004, Mattias Paulin Ferrell, born , 2006, and Axel Paulin Ferrell, born , 2010.

In 2006, I-Newswire.com, a site that accepts submissions from readers and publishes them as "press releases", reported that Ferrell had died in a paragliding accident. The hoax was published before its factual inaccuracy was noticed. The story was further propagated when it appeared on Google News.

Ferrell is a fan of USC Trojan football. At USC, Ferrell was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity and is now an active alumnus. Ferrell has worked with former head coach Pete Carroll to do motivational stunts for the players during the season. Ferrell represented Chelsea as honorary captain in the coin toss before the Chelsea v Inter Milan match at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on , 2009.

Ferrell enjoys running and has participated in several major marathons such as the Boston, New York and Stockholm Marathons. He also raises money for charity, including his Scholarships for Cancer Survivors campaign through Crowdrise; a social networking community for volunteers and a micro-donations fundraising platform.

In 2007, Autograph magazine named Ferrell the worst celebrity autographer. Its editor stated, "What's so frustrating about Will Ferrell being the worst autograph signer this past year is that he used to be so nice to fans and collectors and a great signer. What makes him so bad is that he'll taunt people asking for his autograph." In response, Ferrell has stated, "I don't know how I got on the list. I sign a lot of autographs," but has admitted to taunting autograph-seekers: "I do. I really do. I'm like, 'How badly do you want this autograph?' 'Are you sure?' 'You say you're my biggest fan, really, prove it.' I'll do things like that. They have to earn it."

Ferrell had noted that, although he was well known for his SNL impersonation of President George W. Bush, he chose, for both professional and political reasons, not to meet the President on several occasions, unlike his SNL predecessor Dana Carvey's famous chummy relationship with George H. W. Bush: "I declined, partly out of comedic purposes, because when I was on the show Saturday Night Live at the time, it didn't make sense to really meet the people that you play, for fear of them influencing you. And then the other side of it is, from a political standpoint, I don't want to meet that guy."

Ferrell made a comical debut as a relief pitcher for the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, on , 2010. He was introduced as "Billy Ray 'Rojo' Johnson", and was brought in to relief pitch for the sixth inning. He then entertained the fans by bringing a sack of beer cans to the mound, as well as being ejected and getting chased by the opposing batter. He revealed himself to the fans when his moustache fell off during the chase. The appearance was cooked up by Ferrell and the Express, who sent out a press release announcing Johnson's "signing", to promote The Will Powered Golf Classic the following day at the nearby Cimarron Hills Country Club, which benefits Cancer for College, an organization that provides scholarships to cancer survivors.

Awards and nominations

Emmy Awards

Nominated:

2001: Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program (for Saturday Night Live)

ESPY Awards

Won:

2007 ESPY Awards, Best Sports Movie (for )

2008 ESPY Awards, Best Sports Movie (for Semi-Pro)

Golden Globe Awards

Nominated:

2006: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (for The Producers)

2007: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (for Stranger than Fiction)

James Joyce Award

2008: James Joyce Award from University College Dublin's Literary and Historical Society in recognition for "excelling in his field".

MTV Movie Awards

Won:

2007: Best Kiss for (with Sacha Baron Cohen)

Nominated:

2003: Best Comedic Performance (for Old School)

2003: Best On-Screen Team (with Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn for Old School)

2004: Best Comedic Performance (for Elf)

2005: Best Comedic Performance (for )

2005: Best On-Screen Team (with Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David Koechner for )

2005: Best Musical Performance (with Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Steve Carell for )

2007: Best Comedic Performance (for Blades of Glory)

2007: Best Fight (for Blades of Glory)

Razzie Awards

Nominated:

2005: Worst Actor for Bewitched and Kicking & Screaming

Satellite Awards

Nominated:

2006: Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical (for Stranger Than Fiction)

Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards

Won:

2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards, Funniest Mo-fo

2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards, Most Viral Video

Teen Choice Awards

Won:

2007: Choice Movie Actor - Comedy for and Blades of Glory

Nominated:

2004: Choice Comedian

2004: Choice Movie Actor - Comedy for Elf

2005: Choice Comedian

2005: Choice Movie Actor - Comedy for and Kicking & Screaming

2005: Choice Movie Hissy Fit for Kicking & Screaming

2005: Choice Movie Rumble for

2005: Choice Movie Sleazebag for Kicking & Screaming

2007: Choice Comedian

2007: Choice Movie Chemistry (with Jon Heder), for Blades of Glory

2007: Choice Movie Dance (with Jon Heder), for Blades of Glory

2007: Choice Movie Hissy Fit for Blades of Glory

2008: Choice Comedian

2008: Choice Movie Actor - Comedy for Semi-Pro

2009: Choice Movie Actor - Comedy for Land of the Lost

Tony Awards

Nominated:

2009: Best Special Theatrical Event (for You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush)

Filmography

{| border="2" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" !Year !! Movie !! Role !! U.S. gross !! Notes |- |rowspan="2"| 1995 || Bucket of Blood || Young Man || || Made for TV |- | Criminal Hearts || Newscaster || || |- |rowspan="2"| 1997 || || Mustafa || US$53.9 million || |- | Men Seeking Women || Al || || |- |rowspan="2"| 1998 || A Night at the Roxbury || Steve Butabi || US$30.3 million || Also Writer |- | The Thin Pink Line || Darren Clark || || |- |rowspan="4"| 1999 || Superstar || Sky Corrigan/God || US$30.6 million || |- | Dick || Bob Woodward || US$6.2 million || |- | || Mustafa || US$206 million || |- | The Suburbans || Gil || US$11,130 || |- |rowspan="2"| 2000 || The Ladies Man || Lance DeLune || US$13.6 million || |- | Drowning Mona || Cubby the Funeral Director || US$15.4 million || |- |rowspan="2"| 2001 || Zoolander || Mugatu || US$45.2 million || |- | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back || Federal Wildlife Marshal Willenholly || US$30.1 million || |- | 2002 || Boat Trip || Brian's Boyfriend || US$8.6 million || Uncredited |- |rowspan="2"| 2003 | Old School || Frank "the Tank" Ricard || US$74.6 million || |- | Elf || Buddy || US$173.4 million || |- |rowspan="5"| 2004 || Melinda and Melinda || Hobie || US$3.8 million || |- | || Ron Burgundy || US$84.1 million || Also Writer |- | || Ron Burgundy || || Straight-To-DVDAlso Writer |- | Starsky & Hutch || Big Earl || US$88.2 million || Uncredited |- | Oh, What a Lovely Tea Party || Himself || || |- |rowspan="6"| 2005 | The Producers || Franz Liebkind ||US$19.4 million || |- | Wedding Crashers|| Chazz Reinhold || US$209.2 million || Uncredited |- | Winter Passing || Corbit || US$101,228 || |- | Bewitched || Jack Wyatt/Darrin || US$62.3 million || |- | Kicking & Screaming || Phil Weston || US$52.6 million || |- | The Wendell Baker Story || Dave Bix || US$127,144 || |- |rowspan="3"| 2006 | Stranger Than Fiction || Harold Crick ||US$40.1 million || |- | || Ricky Bobby ||US$148.2 million || Also Writer/Executive Producer |- | Curious George || Ted/The Man in the Yellow Hat || US$58.3 million || Voice Role |- || 2007 | Blades of Glory || Chazz Michael Michaels || US$118.2 million || |- |rowspan="2"| 2008 | Semi-Pro || Jackie Moon || US$33.4 million || |- | Step Brothers || Brennan Huff || US$101.1 million || Also Writer/Executive Producer |- |rowspan="3"| 2009 |Land of the Lost || Dr. Rick Marshall || US$49.4 million || |- | || Craig McDermott || US$15.1 million || UncreditedAlso Producer |- |SpongeBob's Truth or Square || Himself || || |- |rowspan="4"| 2010 |The Other Guys || Detective Allen Gamble || US$140 million || Also Executive Producer |- |Megamind || Megamind || ||Voice Role |- |Hubworld || Himself || ||Guest starSeason 1, Episode 1 |- |Everything Must Go || Nick Halsey || || |- |rowspan="2"| 2011 |Casa De Mi Padre || || || |}

Television work

Saturday Night Live (cast member from 1995 to 2002, host in 2005 and 2009)

Cow and Chicken (1997–2001, voice in various episodes)

Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash 2000 (2000)

Family Guy (as the Black Knight, 2001)

Undeclared (guest star)

The Oblongs (Bob Oblong, 2001–2002, voice)

King of the Hill (as Coach Lucas, 1999, voice)

The Tom Green Show (guest star)

Family Guy (as himself, 2005)

The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show (guest star)

Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (voiceover and guest)

Eastbound & Down (BMW Dealership Owner Ashley Schaeffer)

You're Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush

Man vs. Wild (guest star)

Live with Regis and Kelly (co-host)

''63rd Tony Awards (2009), 2009 MTV Movie Awards and 2009 TV Land Awards

'' The Merrick & Rosso Show (as himself, 2009)

SpongeBob SquarePants (as himself, 2009)

Strangers with Candy (2000)

Funny or Die Presents (2010)

Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job (2010)

30 Rock (2010)

Salary

(2006) $20,000,000

Bewitched (2005) $20,000,000

Kicking & Screaming (2005) $20,000,000

(2004) $6,900,000

References

External links

Will Ferrell's High Five Hollywood

Will Ferrell's profile on Funny Or Die

10 Best Will Ferrell Skits

Will Ferrell Interview for 'Everything Must Go'

Will Ferrell Interview

Maxim Rated Top SNL performer

Will Ferrell at Complex Magazine

HBO's Special Event page for Will Ferrell You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W Bush

Crowdrise Scholarships for Cancer Survivors Fundraising Campaign

Category:1967 births Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American screenwriters Category:American television actors Category:American television producers Category:American television writers Category:American voice actors Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:The Groundlings Category:American comedians of Irish descent Category:American writers of Irish descent Category:Living people

Category:People from Irvine, California Category:People from Orange County, California Category:University of Southern California alumni

Name	Brooke Fraser
Img capt	Fraser during the NZ Fashion Week 2010
Landscape	no
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Brooke Gabrielle Fraser
Born	December 15, 1983Wellington, New Zealand
Origin	Wellington, New Zealand
Genre	PopFolk rockChristian
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	SingingvocalsPianoGuitar
Years active	2002–present
Label	Sony Music Wood + Bone
Notable songs	Deciphering MeLifelineShadowfeet
|url	http://www.brookefraser.com

Brooke Gabrielle Ligertwood, was born Brooke Gabrielle Fraser on 15 December 1983 in Wellington, New Zealand. Brooke Fraser is an award-winning folk-pop and Contemporary Christian singer-songwriter.

Early life

Fraser is the eldest of the three children born to former All Black, Bernie Fraser and his wife Lynda Fraser. She grew up in Naenae, Lower Hutt and attended Dyer Street School, Naenae Intermediate School and Naenae College.

Fraser took piano lessons between the ages of seven and seventeen. She started writing songs at age twelve and taught herself the acoustic guitar at fifteen, although despite her singing success she has never taken singing lessons.

Musical career

In 2002, while Fraser was in Auckland, Scotty Pearson, the drummer for Elemeno P, organised a meeting with producer Matty J for her. Matty J became her manager, liaising with the major labels who had shown interest and compared their offers. Fraser had about five different labels offer her deals and chose to sign a multi-album deal with Sony Music.

What to Do With Daylight

Fraser's first album, What to Do with Daylight, was released in New Zealand in late 2003, debuting at number one and achieved gold status in the same week. The album eventually went seven times platinum, selling over 105,000 copies in New Zealand alone. It remained on the album charts for sixty-six weeks. All five singles from the album reached the top twenty in the New Zealand Singles Chart. Her album also topped the New Zealand Top 50 Albums of 2004.

Following the release of What to Do with Daylight, Fraser toured Australia and New Zealand with American artist John Mayer and then toured New Zealand with veteran U.K. rock artist David Bowie. Whilst on tour with John Mayer, she met with his guitarist and keyboardist Michael Chaves who, after recording Mayer's album Heavier Things, Fraser enlisted to play on her album and future concerts.

Albertine

In 2005, prior to writing and preparing her follow-up album, Fraser took a trip to Africa to immerse herself in Rwanda before visiting her sponsor children in Tanzania, as she is an advocate for child sponsorship. In this trip, she was so moved that she wrote the song "Albertine" about a young child (named Albertine), whom she met while in Rwanda. It was later decided to make this song the album's title track.

For the second album, Fraser decided to enlist a new band, primarily constructed from American musicians who'd worked with an array of notable artists, both live and recorded. In 2006, Fraser and the band went into the studio in Los Angeles to record the album. Later, Fraser also allowed her MySpace page to give visitors a listen to the album's first single "Deciphering Me", which was later released initially to radio and ultimately to CD single, and achieved number four in the New Zealand single charts.

On 4 December 2006 Albertine was released in New Zealand, achieving double platinum status less than a month after its release and has remained, to date, in the top 20 every week since. The album was released in Australia and internationally on 31 March 2007. In Australia, it charted at number twenty-nine in its first week on 9 April and has thus far achieved Gold sales status in Australia.

On 6 April 2007, Fraser performed "Deciphering Me" for the Good Friday Appeal, an annual televised fundraising event to raise money for the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.

In 2008, Fraser appeared on the Dave Barnes song "Believe" from his album Me + You + the World, performing backing vocals.

Albertine was also Fraser's U.S. debut, released 27 May 2008 and entered the Billboard 200 at number ninety on 19 July 2008. Her album propelled in success with online sales after being chosen as Editor's Choice on iTunes. On 4 July 2008 Fraser supported Canadian artist/U2 collaborator Daniel Lanois at the Montreal Jazz Festival. In August she toured the southern U.S. In September, she re-toured several major U.S. cities and completed the tour at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London, UK.

Flags

Her third album, "Flags" was released on 12 October 2010. The making of the album is documented in a series of videos that can be found on her website.

Personal life

After the success of her first album, Fraser moved to Sydney, where she has lived since 2004. She commutes to the U.S. for touring. On 17 March 2008 she married Scott Ligertwood, in Sydney, changing her name to Brooke Ligertwood. "Brooke Fraser" has remained her stage name for her activity as a Sony BMG recording/touring artist. She continues to contribute to writing songs for Hillsong Church, now as "Brooke Ligertwood". Among her notable worship songs are "Desert Song" and "Hosanna". Despite the Christian character of much of her music, she has been quite vocal of her discontent with the commercialized nature of some of the Contemporary Christian Music industry, wishing to disassociate herself with those simply making profit from the sacred nature of Christian music.

Charity work

Fraser has been a World Vision Artist Associate since 2001. She has visited Cambodia and Tanzania with World Vision, the Philippines with Opportunity International and independently traveled to Rwanda in June 2005, in June 2006 as part of charity event "Hope Rwanda", and in May 2007 when she filmed the music video for the song "Albertine". In 2006 she, along with Petra Bagust and Tau from Spacifix, appeared advertising the World Vision 40 Hour Famine; an event which raises funds for children in third world countries. She also sponsors a number of children through World Vision and makes child ways of contributing to the work of World Vision (i.e. fundraising t-shirts etc.).

Discography

;Studio albums

What to Do with Daylight (2003)

Albertine (2006)

Flags (2010)

Awards and nominations

;APRA Awards |- |2004 |"Better" |rowspan="2"|Most Played Composition in New Zealand | |- |rowspan="3"|2007 |rowspan="2"|"Deciphering Me" | |- |rowspan="2"|APRA Silver Scroll | |- |"Albertine" | ;New Zealand Music Awards |- |rowspan="6"|2004 |Herself |People's Choice Award | |- |rowspan="3"|What To Do With Daylight |Album of the Year | |- |Best Female Solo Artist | |- |Breakthrough Artist of the Year | |- |rowspan="2"|"Lifeline" |Single of the Year | |- |Songwriter of the Year | |- |rowspan="6"|2007 |Herself |People's Choice Award | |- |rowspan="3"|Albertine |Album of the Year | |- |Best Female Solo Artist | |- |Highest Selling Album | |- |rowspan="2"|"Deciphering Me" |Single of the Year | |- |Airplay Record of the Year | |- |2009 |Herself |International Achievement |

References

External links

Official Brooke Fraser Website

Official MySpace

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:New Zealand female singers Category:New Zealand pop singers Category:New Zealand singer-songwriters