A linebacker (LB) is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards (4 m) behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen. Linebackers generally align themselves before the ball is snapped by standing upright in a "two point stance" (as opposed to the defensive linemen, who put one or two hands on the ground for a "three point stance" or "four point stance" before the ball is snapped).

Types of linebackers

There are several different designations of linebackers: strongside, middle, and weakside. Usually the strongside and weakside are combined under the title outside, and the middle is renamed inside. In many formations and systems, teams do not use the strong and weakside designations, and merely play their outside linebackers consistently on one side of the formation and designate them either right outside linebacker and left outside linebacker. These terms are abbreviated ROLB and LOLB when appearing in lineup cards.

Middle linebacker (MLB)

The middle linebacker, often referred to as "Mike," was invented by the Chicago Bears in the early 1950s. The middle linebacker is often referred to as the "quarterback of the defense". Often it is the middle linebacker that receives the defensive play calls from the sideline and relays that play to the rest of the team–and in the NFL he is usually the defensive player with the electronic sideline communicator. A jack-of-all-trades, the middle linebacker can be asked to blitz (though they often blitz less than the outside linebacker), cover, spy the quarterback, or even have a deep middle-of-the-field responsibility in the Tampa 2 defense. In standard defenses, middle linebackers commonly lead the team in tackles.

Outside linebacker (OLB)

The outside linebacker is usually responsible for outside containment. This includes the strongside and weakside designations below.

Strongside linebacker

The strongside linebacker (SLB) is often nicknamed "Sam" for purposes of calling a blitz. Since the strong side of the offensive team is the side on which the tight end lines up, or whichever side contains the most personnel, the strongside linebacker usually lines up across from the tight end. Often the strongside linebacker will be called upon to tackle the running back on a play, because the back will be following the tight end's block. He is most often the strongest linebacker; at the least he possesses the ability to withstand, shed, and fight off blocks from a tight end or fullback blocking the backside of a pass play. The linebacker should also have strong safety abilities in pass situation to cover the tight end in man on man situations. He should also have considerable quickness to read and get into coverage in zone situations.

Weakside linebacker

The weakside linebacker, or the "Will", must be the fastest of the three, because he is often the one called into pass coverage. He is also usually chasing the play from the backside, so the ability to maneuver through traffic is a necessity for the Will. The Will usually aligns off the line of scrimmage at the same depth as Mike. Because of his position on the weakside, the Will does not often have to face large interior linemen one on one unless one is pulling. In coverage, the Will often covers the back that attacks his side of the field first in man coverage, while covering the weak flat or hook/curl areas in zone coverage. In a 3-4 defense the "Will" Linebacker plays on the "weakside" of the two middle Linebacker positions and a 4th Linebacker comes in to play the weakside. Known as a "Rush", "Rover", "Jack" and/or "Buck" Linebacker, their responsibility is more pass rush based but often is called into run stop (gap control) and pass coverage.

Formations

The number of linebackers is dependent upon the formation called for in the play; formations can call for as few as none, or as many as seven. Most defensive schemes call for three or four, and they are named for the number of linemen, followed by the number of linebackers. For example, the 4-3 defense has four defensive linemen and three linebackers; conversely, the 3-4 defense has three linemen and four linebackers.

4-3 defense

In the 4-3 defense there are four down linemen and three linebackers. The middle linebacker is designated "Mike" and two outside linebackers are designated "Sam" and "Will" according to how they line up against the offensive formation. If there is a strong call, the linebacker on the strongside is called "Sam", while the linebacker on the weakside is called "Will". The outside linebacker's job is to cover the end to make sure a run doesn't escape, and to watch the pass and protect from it. The middle linebacker's job is to stop runs between the tackles and watch the entire field to see the play develop. On pass plays, the linebackers' responsibilities vary based upon whether a man or zone coverage is called. In a zone coverage, the linebackers will generally drop into hook zones across the middle of the field. However, some zones will send the outside linebackers into the flats (area directly to the left and right of the hash marks, extending 4-5 yards downfield). In a man-to-man call, the "Sam" will often cover the tight end with help from a safety over the top, while at other times, the "Sam" and "Will" will be responsible for the first man out of the backfield on their side of the center, with the "Mike" covering if a second man exits on that side of the field.

In the "Tampa 2" zone defense the middle linebacker is required to drop quickly into a deep middle zone pass coverage thus requiring a quick player at this position.

3-4 defense

In the 3-4 Defense there are three lineman playing the line of scrimmage with four linebackers backing them up, typically two outside linebackers and two inside linebackers. The weak side inside linebacker is typically called the "Will," while the strong side or middle inside linebacker is called the "Mike". "Sam" is a common designation for strong outside linebacker, while the other position is usually called "Jack" and is often a hybrid DE/LB. Usually, teams that run a 3-4 defense look for college defensive ends that are too small to play the position in the pros and not quite fluid enough to play outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense as their "Jack" linebacker.

The idea behind the 3-4 defense is to disguise where the fourth rusher will come from. Instead of the standard four down-linemen in the 4-3, only 3 players are clearly attacking on nearly every play. A key for running this defense successfully is having a defensive front of three large defensive linemen who command constant double teams. In particular, the nose tackle, who plays over the offensive center, must be able to hold ground and to occupy several offensive blockers in order to allow the linebackers to make plays. The focus of the 3-4 defensive line is to occupy offensive linemen thus freeing the linebackers to tackle the running back or to rush the passer or otherwise drop into pass coverage.

Generally, both outside linebackers can rush the passer and play the run. Outside linebackers in the 3-4 defense tend to be larger in comparison to linebackers in a base 4-3 defense. They are also often players who would play DE in a 4-3 defense as situational pass rushing specialists but who otherwise may not fit the expected role of a DE being somewhat smaller in size. Outside linebackers should be able to drop into pass coverage, rush the passer or read and react. When it comes to the inside linebackers, one is generally a run stuffing player who is better able to handle offensive linemen and stop running backs when the offense features a running play, while the other is often a smaller, faster player who excels in pass coverage. However, the smaller or cover LB should also be able to scrape and plug running lanes decently.

The design concept of the 3-4 defense is to confuse the offensive line in their blocking assignments, particularly in pass blocking, and to create a more complex read for the quarterback. Many 3-4 defenses have the ability to quickly hybrid into a 4-3 on the field.

46 defense

In the 46 defense there are three linemen, four linebackers and a safety who is moved up behind the line of scrimmage. Thus it appears as if there are 4 linebackers, but it is really 3 linebackers with one safety playing up with the other linebackers. Three of the defensive linemen are over both of the offensive guards and the center, thereby making it difficult to double team any one of the three interior defensive linemen. This can also take away the ability of the offense to pull the guards on a running play, because this would leave one of the defenders unblocked, or, at best, give another lineman a very difficult block to make on one of the defenders. The safety, like the linebackers, can blitz, play man-on-man, play zone, or drop back into deep coverage like a normal safety would do. The 46 is used in heavy run situations; when a team wants to bring lots of pressure; or merely to confuse the quarterback and offensive line. In the 46 both outside linebackers play on the strong side (the side with the tight end). One of the linebackers plays in front of the tight end, while the other linebacker plays on the outside of him. The middle linebacker plays as a traditional linebacker approximately 5 yards off the line of scrimmage, with the strong safety next to him. Buddy Ryan is generally regarded as the originator of this defense, developing it and using it with great success with the 1985 Chicago Bears. It was named in honor of Chicago Bears safety, Doug Plank who wore the number 46. Today this defense is rarely used as a base defense due to the increased use of spread offenses and multiple receiver sets, but it may be used occasionally to confuse the offense.This defense is used to stop runs.

4-4 defense

This rarely used defense is effective at run-stopping but is slightly weaker than a 4-3 defense at pass coverage because it uses only three defensive backs. One of the outside linebackers is usually called into either blitz or pass coverage in order to make up for the missing DB. In the NFL and college, this alignment is used mainly in short yardage situations or near the goal line. It is commonly used in high school football.

References

Notes

Bibliography

''Complete Book of Linebacker Play'', Joe Giampalmi, Parker Pub. Co., 1984, ISBN 0131575112

Category:American football positions Category:American football terminology Category:Canadian football terminology

da:Linebacker de:Linebacker es:Linebacker fr:Linebacker it:Linebacker hu:Linebacker nl:Linebacker pl:Linebacker pt:Linebacker fi:Tukimies

name	Demi Lovato
background	solo_singer
birth name	Demetria Devonne Lovato
birth date	August 20, 1992
birth place	Dallas, Texas, United States
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
genre	Pop rock
occupation	Singer, songwriter, actress, musician, dancer, model, activist
years active	2002–present
label	Hollywood
website	}}

Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato (born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Her earliest roles included Angela on ''Barney & Friends'', before she became better known for her starring roles in the ''Camp Rock'' movies, as Sonny Munroe in ''Sonny with a Chance'', and as the star of the 2009 movie ''Princess Protection Program''. She is also involved in philanthropic activities through charity work and various social and environmental causes.

As a solo musical artist, Lovato released her debut album ''Don't Forget'' on September 23, 2008. The album debuted at #2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 selling 89,000 copies in the first week. It has since shipped over 500,000 copies earning a Gold certification in the United States. Lovato released her second album, ''Here We Go Again'', on July 21, 2009. The album debuted at #1 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 108,000 copies in the first week.

Life and career

Childhood and youth

Lovato was born in Dallas, Texas on August 20, 1992 to Patrick Lovato and Dianna Hart de la Garza. She is of Mexican, Irish, and Italian descent. She has an older sister, Dallas Lovato, and a younger half sister, Madison de la Garza. Her mother was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and country music recording artist. Lovato began playing piano at the age of seven. Lovato also began her acting career at the age of seven on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' as Angela, appearing in seasons seven and eight alongside long time friend Selena Gomez. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Lovato revealed going through painful experiences with bullying in the seventh grade. According to Lovato, the bullying was so bad that one day, in a fit of frustration and distress, she requested her mom give her a home-schooled education. Lovato earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in April 2009. Lovato also stated in an interview with ''20/20'' in 2011 that she had had a "really unhealthy relationship with food" since age 8 due to bullying experienced as a child, and self-mutilated her wrists to cope with her emotions and depression since age 11. Lovato later became a spokesperson for anti-bullying organization PACER and appeared on ''America's Next Top Model'' and CNN to speak out against bullying.

In 2006 Lovato guest starred on ''Prison Break'' as Danielle Curtin in the episode "First Down." She also appeared in the second season of the television sitcom ''Just Jordan'' as Nicole, in the episode "Slippery When Wet." In January 2007, she landed the role of Charlotte Adams on the Disney Channel Original Short Series, ''As the Bell Rings'', which premiered on August 26, 2007. A few of her original songs, including "Shadow," were featured on the show.

2007–09: ''Camp Rock'', ''Don't Forget'' and ''Sonny with a Chance''

In the summer of 2007, Lovato auditioned for the Disney Channel television film ''Camp Rock'' and the television series ''Sonny with a Chance'' in the same day and got both parts. For ''Camp Rock'', she submitted an audition tape and Gary Marsh, Disney's president of entertainment, asked her to sing. She sang Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man", and Hollywood Records senior vice president Bob Cavallo said that their "jaws just dropped". Lovato received the lead role in ''Camp Rock'', and a record deal with Hollywood Records in early 2008. In ''Camp Rock'' she played Mitchie Torres, a fourteen-year-old girl with hopes of becoming a singer. The movie premiered on June 20, 2008 in the United States on the Disney Channel with 8.9 million viewers, making Lovato a household name among young viewers. She provided vocals on four of the songs featured on the ''Camp Rock'' soundtrack, including "This Is Me" featuring Joe Jonas. The song peaked at #9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In June and July 2008, Lovato performed at various House of Blues and parks for her Demi Live! Warm Up Tour in preparation for the release of her debut album and the Burnin' Up Tour with the Jonas Brothers. Lovato served as the support act on the Jonas Brothers' Burnin' Up Tour from July through September 2008.

Lovato's debut album, ''Don't Forget'' was released in the fall of 2008. The bulk of the album was co-written with the Jonas Brothers, who also produced the album with John Fields. They co-wrote ten songs in a week during the band's headlining Look Me in the Eyes Tour. The album is of the pop-rock genre and is lyrically similar to other teen-pop albums. It peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 89,000 units in its first week of release. It has since sold over 500,000 records in the US. Critics noticed the distinct sound of the Jonas Brothers in the production of the album. ''Don't Forget'' spawned three singles, "Get Back", "La La Land" and "Don't Forget", all of which were moderately successful, peaking around the top 40 and 50 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The most successful of which was the title track which was one position shy of entering the top 40 songs. ''Sonny With a Chance'' premiered on February 8, 2009, Lovato starred as Sonny Munroe, the new cast member of a live sketch comedy show titled ''So Random!''. In June 2009 Lovato co-starred in ''Princess Protection Program'' as Princess Rosalinda alongside Selena Gomez on the Disney Channel. The made-for-television movie is the third highest rated Disney Channel Original Movie, premiering on the Disney Channel with 9.8 million viewers.

Lovato joined Disney's Friends for Change, an organization which promotes "environmently-friendly behavior," and appears in its public service announcements to raise awareness for the cause on the Disney Channel. Lovato, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers recorded "Send It On," a charity single that served as the theme song for the organization in 2009. The song debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at #20. Disney's Friends for Change directed all of its proceeds from "Send It On" to environmental charities to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Lovato and Joe Jonas "Make a Wave" in 2010, the second charity single that currently serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change.

2009–10: ''Here We Go Again'', ''Camp Rock 2'' and personal struggles

Lovato embarked on the Summer Tour 2009 to promote her second album, ''Here We Go Again'', released in the summer of 2009. The album debuted at #1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 108,000 records sold in its first week. The album was more inspired by acoustic music, such as John Mayer's songs, than her debut's pop rock-influenced sound. The album received favorable reviews from critics, ''Billboard'' called Lovato "a natural talent who could really take flight after outgrowing Disney." Allmusic ranked ''Here We Go Again'' as one of the best pop albums of 2009. The album was preceded by the lead single, "Here We Go Again," which was released on June 23, 2009. It reached #15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album's second single, "Remember December," was released on November 17, 2009 but only managed to reach #6 on ''Billboard'''s Bubbling Under Hot 100 (number 106 on the Hot 100).

In September 2009, production began for ''Camp Rock'''s sequel, ''Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam''. The Disney Channel Original Movie premiered on September 3, 2010, upon which it gained 8 million viewers. In March 2010, Lovato was one of the many stars featured in a public service announcement for Voto Latino in order to promote the organization's "Be Counted" campaign for the 2010 United States Census. Lovato returned for a second season of ''Sonny with a Chance'' and appeared as a guest star in an episode of the medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as a teenage patient named Haley, whose parents brought her in for schizophrenia. In a review of the episode, EW.com praised her performance, stating, "I still believe that even an unbiased observer would conclude that the Disney princess did a fine job acting it up as a suicidal 16-year-old who was admitted after trying to claw her own eyes out." Lovato began dating Joe Jonas, whom she first met while filming the first ''Camp Rock'' film. They split up in May. Lovato's South American Tour was her first international headlining tour. The tour commenced on May 23, 2010 in Santiago, Chile and concluded on May 28, 2010 in São Paulo, Brazil.

She later joined the Jonas Brothers Live in Concert tour as a special guest. Lovato dropped out of the tour on October 30, 2010 in order to enter a treatment facility to treat physical and emotional issues. In particular, many media sources immediately reported that Lovato had decided to enter treatment right after punching a Jonas Brothers back-up dancer, Alex Welch, on a flight out of Bogotá, Colombia, allegedly because Lovato believed that Welch had informed tour managers of inappropriate behaviour on Lovato's part the previous night, causing Lovato to be confronted by her managers and her stepfather, Eddie de la Garza. Lovato's camp reached a financial settlement with Welch in late December 2010, with Welch stating that the agreement stipulated for a portion of the settlement to be donated to charity. On January 28, 2011, it was reported that Lovato had completed her inpatient treatment.

Lovato granted her first post-rehab interview to ABC newscaster Robin Roberts, which aired on ''Good Morning America'' and ''20/20'' on April 22, 2011. During the interview, Lovato confirmed reports that her treatment was for bulimia and self-injury, and had taken place at the Timberline Knolls facility in Illinois after the aforementioned confrontation between her and Welch led to an intervention by her family and management team. Her condition came to a head during the tour because Lovato "was performing concerts on an empty stomach...I was losing my voice from purging. I was self-medicating. I was not taking medication for depression, and I literally was so emotionally whacked out that I took it out on someone that meant a lot to me." Lovato expressed regret at her actions towards Welch, stating "I take 100 percent, full responsibility..." In another interview, Lovato added that she had "basically had a nervous breakdown", and was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder during her treatment.

2011–present: ''Unbroken''

Lovato will not return to ''Sonny with a Chance'' and will instead focus on her music career, stating that "it's kind of sad for me that a chapter of my life has ended but there couldn't be a better time for me to move on...I don't think going back to ''Sonny'' would be healthy for my recovery...Being in front of a camera would make me nervous." To raise awareness about personal issues similar to her own, Lovato became a Contributing Editor to ''Seventeen'' magazine. She will discuss her personal issues as a part of a larger campaign called "Love is Louder than the Pressure to Be Perfect", directed towards teen girls.

Lovato's third studio album, ''Unbroken'', will be released on September 20, 2011. Lovato began working on the album in July 2010, prior to receiving treatment. She had described it as having a more soulful and R&B; inspired sound, citing Keri Hilson and Rihanna as inspirations for the sound. After Lovato's stint in the treatment facility, producer Timbaland expressed interest in working with her. Lovato confirmed in July 2011 that she was working on a duet with the producer. The first single off the album, "Skyscraper", premiered on July 12, 2011. Lovato scored her first top 10 debut on the ''Billboard'' 100, as "Skyscraper" debuts at number 10.

Influences

She is a fan of heavy metal music, such as Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Abigail Williams, The Devil Wears Prada, and Job for a Cowboy.

Filmography

colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Films
Year	Film	Role	! Notes
2008	''Camp Rock''	Mitchie Torres
	''Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience''	Herself	Concert film
''Princess Protection Program''	Princess Rosalinda	Disney Channel Original Movie
2010	''Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam''	Mitchie Torres	Disney Channel Original Movie
Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
2002–2003	''Barney & Friends''	Angela	Recurring role
	''Prison Break''	Danielle Curtin
	Herself	1 episode
2007–2008
	''Just Jordan''	Nicole
''Studio DC: Almost Live''	Herself	Second show
2009–2011	''Sonny with a Chance''	Allison "Sonny" Munroe	Lead role
	2010	''Grey's Anatomy''	Hayley	(1 episode) "Shiny Happy People"	WON People's Choice Awards Favorite TV Guest Star

Discography

2008: ''Don't Forget''

2009: ''Here We Go Again''

2011: ''Unbroken''

See also

Demi Lovato tours

List of songs by Demi Lovato

Awards and Nominations

Year !! Award !! Category !! Work !! Result
rowspan="6"	2009		Young Artist Awards	"Best Performance in a TV Movie – Leading Young Actress"	''Camp Rock''
	"Choice TV – Breakout Star Female"	''Sonny With a Chance''
"Choice Music – Tour (shared with David Archuleta)"
"Choice Other Stuff – Red Carpet Icon: Female"	Herself
"Choice Summer – TV Star-Female"	''Princess Protection Program''
Alma Awards	Special Achievement In Music	Herself
	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Breakout Music Artist	Herself
	Young Artist Award	"Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries, or Special – Leading Young Actress"	''Princess Protection Program''
	"Choice TV Comedy Actress"	''Sonny With A Chance''
"Choice Breakout Artist: Female"	Herself
"Choice Pop Album"
"Choice Love Song"	''Catch Me''
"Choice Hook Up" (shared with We The Kings)	''We'll Be a Dream''
		"Favorite TV Guest Star"	''Greys Anatomy''
	"Choice TV Actress: Comedy"	''Sonny with a Chance''
"Choice Twit"	Herself
"Choice Summer: Music Star – Female"	Herself
"Choice Summer: Song"
"Acuvue Inspire Award"	Herself
	"TV Star"	''Sonny With A Chance''
"Charity Song (Shared with Joe Jonas)"	Make A Wave
Alma Awards	"Favorite TV Actress – Leading Role in a Comedy"	''Sonny With A Chance''

References

External links

Category:1992 births Category:Actors from Texas Category:American bloggers Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American Christians Category:21st-century actors Category:American female singers Category:American Internet personalities Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:American musicians of Mexican descent Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American rock singers Category:American television actors Category:Fascination Records artists Category:Hollywood Records artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Texas Category:People from Dallas, Texas

af:Demi Lovato ar:ديمي لوفاتو az:Demi Lovato bs:Demi Lovato bg:Деми Ловато ca:Demetria Devonne Lovato cs:Demi Lovato da:Demi Lovato de:Demi Lovato et:Demi Lovato es:Demi Lovato eu:Demi Lovato fa:دمی لواتو fr:Demi Lovato gl:Demi Lovato ko:데미 로바토 hy:Դեմի Լովատո hr:Demi Lovato id:Demi Lovato it:Demi Lovato he:דמי לובאטו kn:ಡೆಮಿ ಲೊವಾಟೋ ka:დემი ლოვატო la:Demetria Lovato lv:Demi Lovato hu:Demi Lovato ms:Demi Lovato mn:Деми Ловато nl:Demi Lovato ja:デミ・ロヴァート no:Demi Lovato nn:Demi Lovato pl:Demi Lovato pt:Demi Lovato ro:Demi Lovato ru:Ловато, Деми sq:Demi Lovato simple:Demi Lovato sk:Demi Lovato sl:Demi Lovato sh:Demi Lovato fi:Demi Lovato sv:Demi Lovato tl:Demi Lovato ta:டெமி லோவாடோ th:เดมี่ โลวาโต้ tr:Demi Lovato uk:Демі Ловато vi:Demi Lovato zh:黛咪·洛瓦特

alt	A mid-twenties African American man wearing a sequined military jacket and dark sunglasses. He is walking while waving his right hand, which is adorned with a white glove. His left hand is bare.
background	solo_singer
birth name	Michael Joseph Jackson
alias	Michael Joe Jackson, MJ, King of Pop
birth date	August 29, 1958
birth place	Gary, Indiana, U.S.
death date	June 25, 2009
death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
instrument	Vocals
genre	R&B;, pop, rock, soul, dance, funk, disco, new jack swing
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, composer, dancer, choreographer, record producer, actor, businessman, philanthropist
years active	1964–2009
label	Motown, Epic, Legacy, MJJ Productions
associated acts	The Jackson 5
relatives	Janet Jackson (sister)
website	}}

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Often referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B;, pop and rock artists.

Jackson's 1982 album ''Thriller'' is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including ''Off the Wall'' (1979), ''Bad'' (1987), ''Dangerous'' (1991), and ''HIStory'' (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which made him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music.

Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled out of court and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his concert series titled ''This Is It'', Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and as many as one billion people around the world reportedly watched his public memorial service on live television. In March 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a $250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death.

Life and career

Early life and The Jackson 5 (1958–1975)

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, the eighth of ten children in an African American working-class family who lived in a small 3-room house in Gary, Indiana, an industrial city near Chicago. His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovah's Witness, and his father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, was a steel mill worker who performed with an R&B; band called The Falcons. Jackson had three sisters: Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy. A sixth brother, Brandon, died shortly after birth.

Jackson had a troubled relationship with his father, Joe.

The group's sales began declining in 1973, and the band members chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow them creative control or input. Although they scored several top 40 hits, including the top 5 disco single "Dancing Machine" and the top 20 hit "I Am Love", the Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975.

Move to Epic and ''Off the Wall'' (1975–81)

In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records and renamed themselves the Jacksons. Younger brother Randy formally joined the band around this time, while Jermaine left to pursue a solo career. In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B; Album, Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B; Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". That year, he also won Billboard Year-End for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance, also for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Jackson again won at the American Music Awards in 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B; Album and Favorite Soul/R&B; Male Artist. Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt ''Off the Wall'' should have made a much bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.

''Thriller'' and ''Motown 25'' (1982–83)

In 1982, Jackson contributed the song "Someone In the Dark" to the storybook for the film ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''; the record won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1984. In the same year he won another seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards (including the Award of Merit, the youngest artist to win it), making him the most awarded in one night for both award shows. The album topped the ''Billboard'' 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". ''Thriller'' was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. The album won also another Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical in 1984, awarding Bruce Swedien for his work. Thanks to the ''Bad'' album, Bruce Swedien and Humberto Gatica won one Grammy in 1988 for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and Michael Jackson won one Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form for "Leave Me Alone" in 1989. ''HIStory'' received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. However, the sales for ''Invincible'' were lower than those of his previous releases, due in part to a lack of promotion, no supporting world tour and the label dispute. The album also came out at a bad time for the music industry in general. Jackson rehearsed in Los Angeles in the weeks leading up to the tour under the direction of choreographer Kenny Ortega. Most of these rehearsals took place at the Staples Center, which was owned by AEG. With ''Thriller'', Christopher Connelly of ''Rolling Stone'' commented that Jackson developed his long association with the subliminal theme of paranoia and darker imagery. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted this is evident on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". In "Billie Jean", Jackson sings about an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered a child of hers. In "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against gossip and the media. "Beat It" decried gang violence in an homage to ''West Side Story'', and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece, according to Huey. He also observed that the title track "Thriller" began Jackson's interest with the theme of the supernatural, a topic he revisited in subsequent years. In 1985, Jackson co-wrote the charity anthem "We Are the World"; humanitarian themes later became a recurring theme in his lyrics and public persona. ;Bibliography

George, Nelson (2004). ''Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection'' booklet. Sony BMG.

Further reading

External links

Michael Jackson at MTV

FBI file on Michael Jackson

Category:1958 births Category:2009 deaths Category:African American dancers Category:African American male singers Category:African American record producers Category:African American singer-songwriters

Category:American beatboxers Category:American businesspeople Category:American child singers Category:American choreographers Category:American dance musicians Category:American dancers Category:American disco musicians Category:American boogie musicians Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American rock singers Category:American soul singers Category:American tenors Category:American vegetarians

Category:Boy sopranos Category:Brit Award winners Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Category:Child pop musicians Category:Drug-related deaths in California Category:Epic Records artists

Category:Former Jehovah's Witnesses Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grammy Legend Award Michael Jackson Category:Manslaughter victims Category:Motown artists Category:Musicians from Indiana Category:People acquitted of sex crimes Category:People from Gary, Indiana Category:People from Santa Barbara County, California Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Songwriters from Indiana Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Michael Jackson Category:World Music Awards winners Category:Young Artist Award winners

af:Michael Jackson als:Michael Jackson am:ማይክል ጃክሰን ar:مايكل جاكسون an:Michael Jackson roa-rup:Michael Jackson az:Maykl Cekson bn:মাইকেল জ্যাকসন zh-min-nan:Michael Jackson be:Майкл Джэксан be-x-old:Майкл Джэксан bcl:Michael Jackson bg:Майкъл Джаксън bar:Michael Jackson bo:མའེ་ཁོའོ་ཅས་ཁ་ཤུན། bs:Michael Jackson br:Michael Jackson ca:Michael Jackson ceb:Michael Jackson cs:Michael Jackson cbk-zam:Michael Jackson co:Michael Jackson cy:Michael Jackson da:Michael Jackson de:Michael Jackson et:Michael Jackson el:Μάικλ Τζάκσον eml:Michael Jackson es:Michael Jackson eo:Michael Jackson eu:Michael Jackson fa:مایکل جکسون fo:Michael Jackson fr:Michael Jackson fy:Michael Jackson ga:Michael Jackson gv:Michael Jackson gl:Michael Jackson gan:麥可·傑克遜 glk:مایکل جکسون gu:માઇકલ જેકસન hak:Michael Jackson ko:마이클 잭슨 hy:Մայքլ Ջեքսոն hi:माइकल जैक्सन hsb:Michael Jackson hr:Michael Jackson io:Michael Jackson ilo:Michael Jackson id:Michael Jackson ia:Michael Jackson ie:Michael Jackson zu:Michael Jackson is:Michael Jackson it:Michael Jackson he:מייקל ג'קסון jv:Michael Jackson kn:ಮೈಖೇಲ್ ಜ್ಯಾಕ್ಸನ್ ka:მაიკლ ჯექსონი kk:Майкл Джексон rw:Michael Jackson sw:Michael Jackson kv:Джексон Майкл Джозеф ht:Michael Jackson ku:Michael Jackson lad:Michael Jackson la:Michael Jackson lv:Maikls Džeksons lb:Michael Jackson lt:Michael Jackson li:Michael Jackson lmo:Michael Jackson hu:Michael Jackson mk:Мајкл Џексон mg:Michael Jackson ml:മൈക്ക്‌ൾ ജാക്സൺ mt:Michael Jackson mr:मायकेल जॅक्सन arz:مايكل چاكسون mzn:مایکل جکسون ms:Michael Jackson mn:Майкл Жэксон my:မိုက်ကယ်လ် ဂျက်ဆင် nah:Michael Jackson nl:Michael Jackson nds-nl:Michael Jackson ne:माइकल ज्याक्सन new:माइकल ज्याक्सन ja:マイケル・ジャクソン no:Michael Jackson nn:Michael Jackson nov:Michael Jackson oc:Michael Jackson mhr:Джексон, Майкл uz:Michael Jackson pag:Michael Jackson pnb:مائیکل جیکسن pap:Michael Jackson ps:مايکل جېکسن pms:Michael Jackson tpi:Michael Jackson nds:Michael Jackson (Singer) pl:Michael Jackson pt:Michael Jackson kaa:Michael Jackson ro:Michael Jackson qu:Michael Jackson ru:Джексон, Майкл sah:Майкл Джексон se:Michael Jackson sco:Michael Jackson sq:Michael Jackson scn:Michael Jackson si:මයිකල් ජැක්සන් simple:Michael Jackson sk:Michael Jackson sl:Michael Jackson szl:Michael Jackson so:Michael Jackson ckb:مایکڵ جاکسن sr:Мајкл Џексон sh:Michael Jackson su:Michael Jackson fi:Michael Jackson sv:Michael Jackson tl:Michael Jackson ta:மைக்கல் ஜாக்சன் tt:Майкл Джексон te:మైకల్ జాక్సన్ th:ไมเคิล แจ็กสัน tg:Майкл Ҷексон tr:Michael Jackson uk:Майкл Джексон ur:مائیکل جیکسن ug:مايكېل جېكسۇن vi:Michael Jackson vls:Michael Jackson (zanger) war:Michael Jackson wuu:米口 积克森 yi:מייקל זשעקסאן yo:Michael Jackson zh-yue:米高積臣 diq:Michael Jackson bat-smg:Maiklos Džeksuons zh:迈克尔·杰克逊

name	Greyson Chance
background	solo_singer
birth name	Greyson Michael Chance
birth date	August 16, 1997
Birth place	Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S.
origin	Edmond, Oklahoma, U.S.
instrument	Piano, vocals
genre	Pop rock
years active	2010–present
label	eleveneleven, Maverick, Streamline, Geffen
website	greyson-official.com
notable instruments	}}

Greyson Michael Chance (born August 16, 1997) is an American pop rock singer and pianist whose April 2010 performance of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" at a sixth-grade music festival became a hit on YouTube, gaining over 45 million views as of December 3, 2011. Two of his original compositions, "Stars" and "Broken Hearts", gained over 5 and 7 million views respectively on his YouTube channel. His début single, "Waiting Outside the Lines", was released in October 2010. Chance's début album, ''Hold On 'Til the Night,'' was released on August 2, 2011.

Personal life

Chance was born on August 16, 1997 in Wichita Falls, Texas, and currently resides in Edmond, Oklahoma. He is the youngest child of Scott and Lisa Chance. Chance has an eighteen-year-old sister, Alexa, and a twenty-year-old brother, Tanner, both of whom also do music. Chance began playing the piano at the age of 8 and has had three years of piano lessons. He, however, had no formal vocal training.

Of his inspiration, Chance said, "I love artists who are able to communicate their emotions through music and sing from the heart. That’s what I’m hoping to do with my songs." He was emboldened by Lady Gaga after seeing her performance of Paparazzi at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. He stated, "I was awestruck by her performance. I love her sense of drama and theatricality. Plus, she’s an amazing singer and piano player." Chance was also inspired by the artists Christina Aguilera, Augustana, John Legend, Elton John, and John Lennon.

Appearances

Chance's "Paparazzi" cover video was posted to YouTube, on April 28, 2010, and for almost two weeks the video generated low views. At least two social websites, GossipBoy.ca and reddit.com, posted video embeds on May 10, 2010. Ellen DeGeneres first saw the video after Chance's brother, Tanner Chance, wrote to her show suggesting she watch it. The video had about 10,000 views when DeGeneres first saw it. While explaining her reasons for naming her new record label ''eleveneleven'', she listed as one reason the fact that she first saw Chance's ''Paparazzi'' cover on May 11, 2010. Also, she states that 11 is Greyson's soccer jersey number. On the afternoon of May 11, ''Yahoo! Music'' reported: "As of this writing, the video has got more than 36,000 views so far, and he's even been invited to perform on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''.

On May 12, 2010 Greyson Chance taped an interview and performance of "Paparazzi" for ''Ellen'' in Los Angeles. It was broadcast on May 13. During the interview, Chance received a phone call from Lady Gaga, who the boy says is his "true inspiration." This first appearance on ''Ellen'' was followed by a second appearance on the show, airing May 26, 2010, on which Chance performed his original song "Broken Hearts," received a $10,000 award for winning ''Ellen's Wonderful Web of Wonderment'' contest, a brand new Yamaha piano, and was announced as DeGeneres's first signed artist to her new recording label eleveneleven. Chance now has many fans on online social sites such as Facebook and Twitter. He is the 28th most subscribed musician of all time on YouTube, with a 286,000 subscriber base, as of January 3, 2011. Greyson Chance also appeared at We Day (also known as Me to We Day 2010) in downtown Toronto at the Air Canada Centre, where he performed "Fire" by Augustana.

In the media

On the morning of May 11, 2010, Chance's cover video of "Paparazzi" was embedded at RyanSeacrest.com, which reported finding the video via BuzzFeed, a website that attempts to track and predict emerging viral internet memes. Later in the day, ''TVGuide'', ''The Huffington Post'', and Yahoo! Music's video blog, Video Ga Ga, also posted articles embedding the video; ''TVGuide'' mentioned in its article that a Facebook fan page had already been started for Chance. That afternoon, Ryan Seacrest and DeGeneres linked the video on their Twitter accounts, as did celebrity Ashton Kutcher later that evening.

On May 12, 2010, DeGeneres' announcement of Chance's booking, on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', was broadcast at different times across the U.S. and posted to her website. ''Wall Street Journal'' and ''Los Angeles Times'', among other mainstream media, posted articles embedding the video and announcing the forthcoming appearance. That evening, ABC World News broadcast a report on Chance which was introduced by Diane Sawyer, who said the story struck ABC News as "part ''Billy Elliot'' and part ''Glee''." That evening, Guy Oseary, an L.A.-based entertainment manager whose clients include Madonna, Demi Moore, and Ashton Kutcher, recommended Greyson's "Paparazzi" video on Twitter.

On May 13, 2010, Chance's appearance on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' was broadcast, and mainstream media, including CBS and People, reported on the appearance. That morning, Ryan Seacrest posted another link on Twitter, this time to the video of Chance appearing on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''. Not only has he received attention from DeGeneres and Seacrest but also, on May 14, singer, songwriter, and author David Archuleta linked the video on Twitter claiming that Greyson "is talented."

On May 15, 2010, Greyson Chance created an official MySpace page and an official Twitter account. The same day, Crazed Hits, a music industry "tip-sheet" run by Alex Wilhelm, while citing no sources, reported that Interscope Records had signed 12-year-old Chance to a record deal. That same day, NewsOK posted a video, "Three Things to Know about Greyson Michael Chance", and an article in which Chance's father, was quoted as saying the family would spend the weekend deciding how they wanted to proceed before signing any contracts.

On May 18, 2010, ''The New York Post'' reported on the deal with Interscope Records, citing Chance's sister and father as confirming the deal; ''The Post'' also reported that calls made to Chance's school were being referred to Guy Oseary. On May 25, Ellen DeGeneres announced that she had formed a record label called eleveneleven and Chance was her first artist. Guy Oseary who manages Madonna's career and Troy Carter, who manages Lady Gaga's career, would be co-managers of Greyson Chance's career, but no partnership with a major recording label had been finalized.

The chronology of events has resulted in media analysis of the marketing phenomenon as separate from musical or biographical elements. On May 15, 2010, The Christian Science Monitor published an article written by Gloria Goodale, a staff writer for the publication; citing Chance's quick rise to media attention and the establishment of various official and fan websites for Chance, as well as concerns raised by music industry analyst Jeff Snyder about the quality of the video itself, Goodale asked “whether there's a Big Media hand behind sixth grader Greyson Michael Chance.” On May 18, 2010, Goodale followed up on this article with a second article for The Christian Science Monitor focusing on the modern "age of media manipulation", which she introduced by saying, "Reports so far suggest that the Greyson Chance YouTube video is legit." On May 18, 2010, ITN News posted a video report to its YouTube channel, in which many of the same questions were raised; highlighting aspects of Chance's "Paparazzi" video, media industry analyst Alan Stevens pointed out the growing inability within our modern media culture to distinguish between videos which are produced by amateurs and videos which are produced by professionals but made to appear amateur in origin.

His debut single title "Waiting Outside the Lines" was released to iTunes on October 26, 2010. It was released digitally in the UK on December 9. The single also contained a studio version of his cover of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi". In early December 2010 he visited both Paris and London, appearing on local radio stations and giving private concerts in both cities.

On February 5, Greyson Chance entered the National spotlight again with an appearance/performance of "Waiting Outside The Lines" on the CBS Early Show, while stopping through New York on his tour with Miranda Cosgrove.

On May 17, 2011 his new single "Unfriend You" was released to iTunes.

On April 9, he started the Waiting 4U tour with Australian pop/R&B; singer Cody Simpson in Ivins, Utah. The tour ended on May 18, 2011 in Portland, Oregon.

On May 23, Greyson visited The Ellen DeGeneres Show to premiere his new single, "Unfriend You". After the performance, Greyson revealed a solid release date for his upcoming debut album, Hold On 'Til the Night, which was released on August 2, 2011. The music video features cameo from ''Victorious'' star, Ariana Grande.

On September 15, he again appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about his album, and also revealed that he had taken his first steps into acting, portraying a younger version of Jimmy Chance, the protagonist of ''Raising Hope'', in the series' second season premiere.

In November 2011 Greyson undertook a tour of Southeast Asia to promote his album, which had just been released in the region. Starting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where in addition to a showcase performance he was invited to perform at the Anugerah Industri Muzik (Malaysian Music Industry Awards) show (the first foreign artist so invited since 1999), Greyson also gave performances in Singapore; Kota Kinabalu (Borneo, Malaysia); Manila, Philippines; and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	Peak position	Sales
		! style="width:40px;"
2011	''Hold On 'til the Night''	* Released: August 2, 2011	* Label: eleveneleven,
Year	Single	Peak	Album
!width="40"
		12
		—
	—
2012		—

Music videos

Year	Song	Director
2010	"Waiting Outside the Lines"	[[Sanaa Hamri">Maverick Records	* Format: [[Compact disc			* US: 16,000

Singles

Year	Single	Peak	Album
!width="40"
		12
		—
	—
2012		—

Music videos

Year	Song	Director
2010	"Waiting Outside the Lines"	[[Sanaa Hamri
2011	"Unfriend You"	Marc Klasfeld
2011	"Hold On 'til the Night"	Dano Cerny, Marielle Tepper

Tours

Waiting 4U Tour

Dancing Crazy Tour

Asia Tour 2011

Awards and recognition

! Year	! Category	! Work	! Award	! Result
	Choice Web Star		Teen Choice Awards
Icon of Tomorrow
Teen Pick: YouTube Artist	Hollywood Teen TV Awards
	Favorite Viral Video Star	People's Choice Awards
Rockin’ New Artist of the Year	Youth Rock Awards

References

External links

Official website

Category:1997 births Category:American pianists Category:American male singers Category:American pop pianists Category:American pop singers Category:Living people Category:American child singers Category:Child pop musicians Category:Musicians from Oklahoma Category:Internet memes Category:People from Oklahoma Category:People from Edmond, Oklahoma

ar:غريسون تشانس bn:গ্রেসন চ্যান্স de:Greyson Chance es:Greyson Chance fa:گریسون چنس fr:Greyson Chance id:Greyson Chance it:Greyson Chance ka:გრეისონ ჩენსი hu:Greyson Chance nl:Greyson Chance ja:グレイソン・チャンス nn:Greyson Chance pl:Greyson Chance pt:Greyson Chance ro:Greyson Chance ru:Ченс, Грейсон simple:Greyson Chance fi:Greyson Michael Chance sv:Greyson Chance tr:Greyson Chance uk:Грейсон Ченс zh:葛瑞森·柴斯

name	Richard Simmons
birth date	July 12, 1948
birth place	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
birth name	Milton Teagle Simmons
occupation	Physical fitness expert, voice actor
years active	1974–present
height
husband	Mark Driscoll
website	www.RichardSimmons.com }}

Milton Teagle Simmons (born July 12, 1948), known professionally as Richard Simmons, is an American fitness personality who promotes weight-loss programs, most famously through his Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos and DVDs and is known for his eccentric, outgoing and frequently flamboyant personality. Currently, he also provides the voice of Coach Salmons on the Disney Channel animated series ''Fish Hooks.''

Simmons began his career by opening a gym called Slimmons in Beverly Hills, California, catering to the overweight, and he became widely known through exposure on television and through the popularity of his consumer products. He became a cultural icon, often parodied, and a frequent guest of late night television talk shows such as ''The Late Show With David Letterman''. Today, Simmons continues to promote health and has broadened his activities to include political activism, notably in support of a bill mandating non-competitive physical education in public schools as a part of the "No Child Left Behind" act.

Early life

Richard Simmons was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Simmons was born to show business parents and raised Catholic in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Cor Jesu High School (now Brother Martin High School). He was obese throughout his adolescence and by the time he graduated from high school, he weighed 268 pounds.

His first job, in New Orleans, was selling pralines at Leah's. After starting college at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, he transferred to Florida State University. While enrolled there, he studied as an exchange student in Florence, Italy. He graduated with a BA in Art. After graduation, Simmons moved to New York City where he worked in advertising, as a waiter, and for cosmetics companies Revlon and Coty Cosmetics.

Fitness career

Upon moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s, Simmons worked as the Maître d' at Derek's, a restaurant in Beverly Hills. He developed an interest in fitness, but was dissatisfied with the unhealthy fad diet methods and the established gyms and exercise studios of the day which favored the already fit customer. It was his interest in fitness that helped him lose .

Simmons later opened his own exercise studio, originally called ''The Anatomy Asylum'', where emphasis was placed on healthy eating in proper portions and enjoyable exercise in a supportive atmosphere. The business originally included a salad bar restaurant called "Ruffage," the name a pun on the word ''roughage'' (dietary fiber), though it was eventually removed as the focus of the ''Asylum'' shifted solely to exercise. Now called ''Slimmons'', the establishment continues operations in Beverly Hills, and Simmons teaches motivational classes and aerobics throughout the week.

On February 16, 2010, Simmons appeared on the ''Dr. Oz Show''. At that time it was stated that Simmons has kept off his own 100+ pound weight loss for 42 years, has been helping others lose weight for 35 years, and that in the course of his fitness career has helped humanity lose approximately 12,000,000 pounds. Simmons now uses the web as a method of outreach by running his own membership based website, and also indicates on his home page that he has established official pages on numerous social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube.

Media appearances

Simmons began to draw media attention due to the success of his health club that began with an appearance on the television show ''Real People'' where he was shown at work. He introduced customers whom he had helped to lose weight. He later made guest appearances on the celebrity game shows: ''Battlestars'', ''Body Language'', ''Super Password'', the ABC version of ''Match Game'', the syndicated version of ''Hollywood Squares'', ''Win, Lose or Draw'' and Nickelodeon's ''Figure It Out''.

Positive viewer reaction landed Simmons a recurring role as himself on the American soap opera ''General Hospital'', over a four-year period. This in turn led to further media notoriety, as well as personal appearances in shopping malls, where he taught exercise classes. In the early 1980s, Simmons hosted two shows; ''Slim Cookin'', and an Emmy Award-winning talk show, ''The Richard Simmons Show'', in which he focused on personal health, fitness, exercise, and healthy cooking.

Simmons has appeared as himself on numerous TV shows, including ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', ''CHiPs'', ''Saturday Night Live'', The Larry Sanders Show and on an episode of ''Arrested Development'', "Bringing Up Buster". In 1999, he hosted a short lived TV show called ''DreamMaker''. Eight years later he filmed a pledge drive special for PBS, called ''Love Yourself And Win''.

Simmons has been featured in TV advertisements for Sprint, Yoplait, Herbal Essence Shampoos,and toward the end of 2007, he appeared in a "This is SportsCenter" commercial on ESPN as the show's "conditioning coach." In Canada, Simmons appeared in an advertisement for Simmons mattresses. The mattress company hired the exercise celebrity because of the similarity in name, and for his appeal to the company's target audience of women over 35. Beyond this, there is no further business partnership between the two.

For three years, he hosted a radio show on Sirius Stars, Sirius Satellite Radio channel 102, called ''Lighten Up with Richard Simmons''. The show is no longer in production.

Simmons was a frequent guest on ''The Howard Stern Show'' in the 1990s. While he resolved at one point to refuse future appearances after Stern insulted him one too many times, he finally reappeared on Stern's show on November 16, 2006. He made a follow-up appearance on April 10, 2007, where a comment Stern made led Simmons to run out of the studio, crying hysterically. Simmons was also a frequent guest on ''Late Night with David Letterman'' (NBC) and ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' (CBS). On November 22, 2000, they had a falling out after an incident that occurred on that night's show. Simmons (while dressed as a turkey) was sprayed in the face by Letterman with a fire extinguisher after Simmons grabbed Letterman as if to hug or kiss him, causing Simmons to have a severe asthma attack. Simmons did not appear on the Letterman show for six years, finally returning on November 29, 2006. During that appearance, Letterman once again set Simmons up for a prank. While Richard Simmons was demonstrating a steamer branded with his name, Letterman insisted on placing a tray under the steamer which Simmons did not believe belonged there. When Simmons turned the steamer on, something in the tray exploded and caught fire. Though initially scared, Simmons took the incident in fairly good nature, even joking that he "felt like Michael Jackson" (referring to a mishap where Jackson's hair was set on fire by a pyrotechnics accident). Simmons also appeared on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''. He and Leno went door-to-door to market Simmons' health program, only to have people spew as many insults at him as they could.

Simmons appeared as a guest on the U.S. version of ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?''

Simmons appears on tracks 1 and 10 of Bob Rivers's 1997 holiday album ''More Twisted Christmas''.

Simmons has appeared multiple times on ''The Glenn Beck Program'' on HLN. Simmons is featured heavily in the film clip of 'Hawker Boat' by Tobacco, taken from the album ''Fucked Up Friends''. Simmons provided the voice for Coach Salmons, a reoccurring character modeled after his own likeness, for the first season of Disney Channel's animated television series ''Fish Hooks'', a Disney Channel Original Series that premiered on September 24, 2010. On December 8, 2010, it was announced that the show has been picked up for a second season. In 2011, Simmons starred in "Fit to Fly with Richard Simmons", an Air New Zealand inflight safety briefing video modeled after his aerobic workouts.

Personal life

Personality

Simmons is noted for his flamboyant, high-energy, motivational demeanor, an attribute he uses to help encourage people to lose weight. His high energy level is always featured in his workout videos. His trademark attire is candy-striped Dolfin shorts and tank tops decorated with Swarovski crystals.

Simmons is known for interacting at a personal level with people using his products. This began by personally answering fan mail he received as a cast member of ''General Hospital''. Simmons still personally answers emails and letters, and makes hundreds of phone calls each week to those who seek his help. He also talked to people on the air during his radio show, and holds weekly live chats in the "clubhouse" area of his website. His appearances also include a "meet and greet" time, so that people can speak to him one on one.

Simmons claims to have few friends, saying "I don't have a lot to offer one person. I have a lot to offer to a lot of people." Aside from his three Dalmatians and two maids, Simmons lives alone in the Hollywood Hills. Although there has been frequent speculation about his sexual orientation due to his campy personality, Simmons has never publicly discussed his sexuality.

Hurricane Katrina response

In September 2005 Simmons appeared on ''Entertainment Tonight'' to discuss the effects of Hurricane Katrina on his family in his hometown of New Orleans and his involvement in aiding those affected by the hurricane. On August 29, 2006 Simmons appeared on ''Your World with Neil Cavuto'' while making a return visit to New Orleans one year after the flooding, a visit he repeated on March 2, 2007, now talking about his recent trip to Washington D.C. to promote and raise awareness about The Strengthening Physical Education Act of 2007 (bill HR 1224).

Print and media

Books

''Never Say Diet'' ISBN 0-517-40284-X

''Never Say Diet Cookbook''

''The Better Body Book''

''Reach for Fitness: A Special Book of Exercises for the Physically Challenged'' Warner Books 1986 ISBN 0-446-51302-4

''Deal-A-Meal Cookbook''

''Richard Simmons' Never Give Up: Inspirations, Reflections, Stories of Hope'' Warner Books, 1984 ISBN 0-446-60085-7

''Farewell to Fat'' Atlantic Books 2002 ISBN 1-57719-102-1

''Sweetie Pie''

''Still Hungry After All These Years: My Story'' Gt Pub Corp 1999 ISBN 1-57719-356-3

''The FoodMover Cookbook''

''Cookin' on Broadway''

''Steam Away the Pounds''

Audio

Audio cassette

''Project Me'' (six tape set)

''Sweatin' and Sharin'''

''Colors of Your Life'' (single tape)

''Colors of Your Life'' (six tape set)

''Secrets of the Winners'' (single tape)

''Take a Walk''

''Take a Hike''

''Take a Classical Walk''

''Walk Across America''

''Walkin' on Broadway''

''Walk Around the World''

''Never Give Up'' (book on tape, read by Simmons)

Compact discs

''Richard Picks the Hits, Volume 1''

''Richard Picks the Hits, Volume 2''

''Country Cardio''

''Oh Happy Day''

''Fitness Fiesta''

''Wicked Workout''

''Big Screen Burn''

''Shimmy Into Shape''

''In the Mood to Lose''

''Classical Chillout''

Vinyl record

''Reach'' (Elektra Records, 1983)

Digital Compact Cassette

''Colors of Your Life (single tape)'' (Goodtimes Entertainment, BASF 90 Min. 1998)

Visual media

DVDs

''Richard Simmons and the Silver Foxes''

''Disco Sweat''

''60's Blast Off''

''80's Blast Off''

''SuperSweatin': Party Off the Pounds''

''SuperTonin': Totally Tonin''

''SuperTonin': Totally Tonin' with Toning Rings''

''Sit Tight''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies 2''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies 3''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies 4''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies 5''

''Love Yourself and Win''

''Boogie Down the Pounds''

''Tonin' to the Oldies''

Video cassette

''Everyday with Richard Simmons''

''The Stomach Formula''

''Get Started''

''Reach for Fitness''

''Richard Simmons and the Silver Foxes''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies 2''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies 3''

''Sweat and Shout'' (also sold as Sweatin to the Oldies 4'')

''Day By Day'' (Volumes 1-12)

''Pump and Sweat''

''Step and Sweat''

''Tone and Sweat''

''Disco Sweat''

''Stretchin' to the Classics''

''Dance Your Pants Off!''

''Tonin' Uptown''

''Tonin' Downtown''

''Groovin' In The House''

''The Ab Formula''

''No Ifs Ands or Butts''

''Love to Stretch''

''Blast Off''

''Broadway Sweat''

''Tone Up On Broadway''

''Broadway Blast Off''

''Platinum Sweat''

''Sit Tight''

''Latin Blast Off'' (also marketed as ''Sudar Mucho'')

''Mega Mix Blast Off''

''Mega Mix 2 Blast Off''

''Disco Blast Off''

''60's Blast Off''

''80's Blast Off''

''Blast and Tone''

Notes

References

Richard Simmons 2006 Interview on ''Sidewalks Entertainment''

Richard Simmons discusses his physical education campaign with education blogger Kevin Carey

Richard Simmons audio interview on physical education at Education Week

Interview with Richard Simmons

Richard Simmons Pushes to Get Kids Active in School interview with USA Today

Fitness Guru Takes Message to Congress on NPR

External links

The official Richard Simmons website

Richard Simmons is a Diet and Fitness Coach at AOL Coaches

Richard Simmons talks about how to remain motivated at Lemondrop.com

Category:1948 births Category:Living people Category:Aerobic exercise Category:American exercise instructors Category:American health and wellness writers Category:American motivational writers Category:American radio personalities Category:American television personalities Category:American voice actors Category:Florida State University alumni Category:People from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:American restaurateurs

es:Richard Simmons fr:Richard Simmons he:ריצ'רד סימונס ja:リチャード・シモンズ pl:Richard Simmons tr:Richard Simmons