style="font-size: large; bgcolor: Black; fdcolor: Blue" colspan="2" align="center"	Barry M. Schuler
Term	January 1, 2000 - February 1, 2003
Spouse	Tracy Schuler
Preceded by	Steve Case
Succeeded by	Jonathan Miller
Born	Jersey City, New Jersey>Jersey City, New Jersey

Barry Martin Schuler (born September 7, 1953 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American Internet entrepreneur and former chairman and CEO of America Online Inc. He is best known for leading the AOL team that simplified the online service provider’s user interface, making it possible for millions of consumers to gain easy access to the Internet.

Early years[link]

Barry Schuler grew up in West New York, New Jersey. As a suburban youth, Schuler was encouraged early on by his parents to explore the arts (photography, painting and sculpture) as well as electronics. He turned his family’s basement into a darkroom while helping his father, a warehouse owner and part-time repair man, tinker with television sets and other gadgetry.

In the mid-1970s, while completing a Bachelor’s degree in psychology at Rutgers University, Schuler became captivated by filmmaking. In 1976, he left the university to produce and direct commercial and industrial films. An avid computer hobbyist and reader of Popular Electronics, Schuler befriended a group of technical enthusiasts who were developing software applications for microcomputers. After assembling a do-it-yourself IMSAI computer and experiencing first hand the potential of at-home computing, Schuler saw the technology’s ability to positively disrupt and enhance the way people lived and worked. In 1978, he established CMP Communications, an advertising and marketing company devoted to helping high tech entrepreneurs spread the word about the impending revolution in microcomputing.

Schuler quit CMP in 1988 and took a position as president and CEO of Cricket Software, overseeing the development and marketing of color desktop applications for Apple Computer’s Macintosh, including a Postscript driven drawing program. Cricket also developed the first color, graphical desktop presentation software, “Cricket Presents.” Cricket was ultimately sold to Computer Associates International in 1991.

Schuler was President of San Francisco-based Jasmine Technologies from 1989 to 1990. Jasmine was a leading Macintosh peripherals developer that buckled under the weight of bitter lawsuits and mounting customer dissatisfaction. Jasmine declared bankruptcy in March 1990 and Schuler resigned shortly thereafter.

Looking to take advantage of the opportunities that a new ‘Interactive” medium would bring, Schuler teamed up with (present day) wife Tracy and David Goldman shortly after and established Medior Inc., a multimedia development company, Medior Inc. In 1994, the company entered into a joint venture with, Apple Computer Inc., and Redgate Communications and launched 2Market, considered to be the first rich media online shopping service. That same year, AOL (America Online) also enlisted Medior’s help designing its product to give consumers with little or no computing expertise easy access to its online information services. While at Medior, Schuler and company co-developed a music creation game with Nick Tenbrock and Gary Levenberg of San Francisco-based Interactive Audio. The software, called Rock, Rap and Roll, allowed Macintosh users to quickly build soundtracks in a variety of musical styles. Medior also collaborated with Time Warner, one of its clients, on the building of the world’s first digital, switched, interactive broadband communications network delivering a range of services. The service was launched in December 1994 in Orlando, Fla.

AOL years[link]

In 1995, Medior was acquired by AOL. Schuler, brought over from Medior by AOL founder and CEO Steve Case, was charged with helping him and then president Ted Leonsis to transform the online service provider into a broad based, consumer-driven medium. Schuler worked his way up the ranks at AOL becoming president of its Interactive Services group in 1998. During this time, he led the design team that integrated an Internet browser directly in AOL’s proprietary user interface (version 5.0) making it possible for millions of computer users to access the Internet through a Web-based portal. He also advocated the opening up of AOL’s proprietary message service known as IM, a key development that allowed its subscriber base to “chat” electronically over the Internet with non-AOL computer users free of charge. By January 2001, the same month that AOL announced its merger with Time-Warner, the company’s 26 million subscribers were sending an estimated 660 million instant messages daily.

It was on the heels of the Time Warner merger that Schuler was appointed chairman and CEO of the AOL unit. He was charged with finding ways to turn AOL into an interactive outlet for Time-Warner’s various media divisions, which included film, music, television and publishing. The goal was to transform AOL into a high-speed, Internet-based,” one-stop shop for movies, music, interactive video games, phone service, and more.”

In a July 2, 2001 article, BusinessWeek reporter Amy Borrus wrote that Schuler, “deserves just as much credit for AOL’s explosive success” as then AOL Time Warner Inc. Chairman Steve Case or co-Chief Operating Officer Robert Pittman. The reporter pointed to the three years Schuler spent running AOL’s Interactive Services group, “putting his stamp on much of the design that makes it so simple to use and features that make it so popular with families.” Schuler’s objective of converging a souped-up version of AOL’s online distribution platform with Time Warner’s various media outlets hit several roadblocks one being reluctance on the part of cable companies to open up their network to Internet service providers such as AOL. Likewise, internal dissent over the best ways to merge AOL’s distribution channels with Time Warner’s more traditional media content plagued the online unit. Against this backdrop, AOL was struggling with declining advertising sales due to an economic downturn as well as a leveling out of its still dial-up driven subscriber growth. The unit took a further hit when its parent was forced to restate its earnings forecast in January 2002, in part due to the slowdown in AOL’s business. Schuler stepped down as head of the unit in April 2002, taking over a newly created digital development unit charged with overseeing the formation of interactive digital products and services for all of AOL Time Warner. He officially resigned from AOL-Time Warner in 2003.

After AOL[link]

Shortly after his departure from AOL, Schuler found himself invited to invest in a start up Ablation Industries, Inc. Ablation Industries, Inc was commercializing (Ultrashort pulse laser) USP laser technology funded by the U.S. government’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, also known as DARPA. When Mr Schuler invested in the company, the name of the company was changed to Raydiance, where he raised a significant amount of venture capital funding to help commercialize new technologies of national interest, among them ultrashort pulse lasers. A form of optoelectronics, the lasers emits short pulses of highly concentrated energy that can be used to break down atoms. In 2004, Schuler joined Raydiance Inc. to develop commercial applications for ultra-short pulse lasers. In July 2007, Wired Magazine reported that Raydiance had signed a deal with the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to explore laser therapies, ranging from common laser eye treatments to the cell-by-cell tumor ablation.

In addition to serving as CEO of Raydiance, Schuler is managing director of the Draper Fisher Jurvetson Growth Fund and serves on the boards of UBMatrix, Hands On Mobile, UU See, Synthetic Genomics, and Visto. Schuler is an investor in Adirondack Pictures. He also co-produced and helped finance the film ''Look'', a drama shot entirely from the point of view of surveillance cameras. Written and directed by Adam Rifkin with Brad Wyman as his fellow producer. The film was digitally shot in high-definition with all the special effects, post production and music done on Apple’s Macintosh computers in a “virtual studio” setting. ''Look'', released in December 2007, is distributed by Liberated Artists, another Schuler venture. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2007 CineVegas Film Festival. It also won Special Jury Prize at The Lone Star International Film Festival and was an official selection in both AFI Fest and The Chicago International Film Festival.

Schuler lives in Napa, California. A vocal proponent of public education reform, He co-founded the Blue Oak School, an independent, not-for-profit entity for students, kindergarten through eighth grade. Schuler is a national advisory member for the New Technology Foundation (NTF), a non-profit organization established in 1999 with the objective of achieving national education reform. Using the New Technology High School in Napa as a prototype for encouraging innovative academic objectives, NTF provides interested schools with training, tools and access to expertise developed through the NTHS school site. Through his affiliation with the foundation, Schuler has helped drive and co-funded the implementation of Internet-based technology to establish a project-based learning methodology consistent with the implementation of the 21st Century Learning Initiative.

He and wife Tracy co-own Meteor Vineyard, located in the Coombsville region of the Napa Valley, with winemakers Bill and Dawnine Dyer.

Schuler is a member of the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni.

Meteor Vineyard[link]

Meteor Vineyard is a property located in the Coombsville agricultural area of the Napa Valley AVA. It was established in 1998 by former America Online Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Barry M. Schuler and his wife, Tracy Strong Schuler. Meteor Vineyard is located at the southeast end of the Napa Valley, near the San Francisco Bay.

Through 2004, Meteor Vineyard’s grapes were sold in bulk to a handful of Napa Valley properties including Dyer, Arietta, Etude and Vineyard 29. In 2005, the Schulers entered into a partnership with winemakers Dawnine Dyer and Bill Dyer to produce a single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon bottled under the Meteor Vineyard. The team bottled their first vintage later that year, and the wine was released beginning 2008.

Soil conditions in the Coombsville area are a mix of well-draining river rock and mineral-rich volcanic ash, both of which are considered suitable for Bordeaux varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon.

References[link]

External links[link]

Barry Schuler - IMDb Profile

Barry Schuler - LOOK-the Movie

Barry Schuler - Speech by Schuler, sc21 21st Century Education

Barry Schuler - Meteor Vineyard

Barry Schuler - Draper Fisher Jurvetson Growth Fund

Barry Schuler - Synthetic Genomics

Barry Schuler - Raydiance, Inc. Bio

Barry Schuler - Visto Biography

Barry Schuler - UU See

Barry Schuler - Hands on Mobile

Barry Schuler - UBMatrix

Barry Schuler - New Tech Foundation

Category:American computer businesspeople Category:Vintners Category:1953 births Category:Living people

name	Tom Rapp
background	solo_singer
birth name	Thomas Dale Rapp
birth date	March 08, 1947
Birth place	Bottineau, North Dakota
instrument	Vocals, guitar, etc.
occupation	Singer, songwriter, attorney
years active	1965–1976occasionally since 1997
label	ESP-Disk, Reprise
associated acts	Pearls Before Swine
notable instruments	}}

Thomas Dale Rapp (b. 8 March 1947, Bottineau, North Dakota) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the leader of Pearls Before Swine, the psychedelic folk rock group of the 1960s and 1970s. More recently he has practiced as a lawyer.

Life[link]

Tom Rapp's parents were both teachers. As a young child his family moved to Minnesota, where at the age of six he was given a guitar. A neighbour taught Rapp some chords, and he also learned to play the ukulele. He once came third in a talent contest in Rochester where a certain Bobby Zimmerman from Hibbing was fifth. "''The winner was a cute little girl in a red sequined costume who twirled a baton''."

The Rapp family moved from Minnesota to Pennsylvania before settling in Melbourne, Florida in 1963. There, Tom Rapp formed Pearls Before Swine with three high school friends in 1965. They recorded first for the ESP-Disk label, and then for Reprise.

By the time of the third Pearls Before Swine album in 1969, the other original members of the group had left, but Rapp retained the group name for recordings - at this time, Pearls Before Swine did not exist as a performing band. The next three Pearls Before Swine albums, ''The Use of Ashes'' (1970), ''City of Gold'' (1971), and ''Beautiful Lies You Could Live In'' (1971), contain some of Rapp's best songs, and were recorded with his Dutch wife Elisabeth and top session musicians in Nashville and New York. The album ''Familiar Songs'' (1972) was his first credited solo album, but was in fact a collection of demo recordings released by the record company without his knowledge. After moving from Reprise to Blue Thumb Records, he released two further albums under his own name, ''Stardancer'' (1972) and ''Sunforest'' (1973). Although these were issued as solo albums, they included recordings by a new version of Pearls Before Swine which did tour and perform widely, as well as containing solo recordings with session musicians.

Rapp retired from music in the mid-1970s and, after graduating from Brandeis University in 1981 and the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1984, became a successful civil rights lawyer. After being contacted by the magazine Ptolemaic Terrascope, he re-appeared in 1997 at Terrastock, a music festival in Providence, Rhode Island, with his son's band, Shy Camp, and began recording again with 1999's ''A Journal of the Plague Year''. He also performed at Terrastock 5 in October 2002 and Terrastock 6 in April 2006. He currently lives in Florida.

On August 26 and 27, 2008, WBBH-TV News and The Florida Bar website reported that Rapp and another attorney sued in Federal court to reverse their termination as county government lawyers. Thus, at 61, he became an age-discrimination client as well as a civil rights attorney.

Discography[link]

Solo albums[link]

''Familiar Songs'' (1972, Reprise)

''Stardancer'' (1972, Blue Thumb)

''Sunforest'' (1973, Blue Thumb)

''A Journal Of The Plague Year'' (1999, Woronzow)

References[link]

External links[link]

Tom Rapp bio by Mark Brend

Record company site

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Category:Brandeis University alumni Category:People from Brevard County, Florida Category:People from Bottineau County, North Dakota Category:Musicians from North Dakota Category:Psych folk musicians Category:American civil rights lawyers

pl:Tom Rapp sv:Tom Rapp

Name	Barry White
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Barry Eugene Carter
Birth date	September 12, 1944
Birth place	Galveston, Texas, U.S.
Death date	July 04, 2003
Death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Instrument	PianoKeyboardsVocalsDrums/>recorder
Occupation	Singer-songwriter Record producer Arranger Musician
Years active	1960–2003
Genre	SoulDiscoFunkR&B;
Label	20th Century RecordsUnlimited Gold RecordsCasablancaMercuryPrivate Music/BMGA&M;Eagle Records
Associated acts	Love UnlimitedThe Love Unlimited OrchestraIsaac HayesGerald LeVert, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, The Banana Splits
Website	''' }}

Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 04, 2003), was an American composer and singer-songwriter.

A two-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring soul, funk, and disco songs such as his two biggest hits, "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" and "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe."

Worldwide, White had many gold and platinum albums and singles, with combined sales of over 100 million, according to critics Ed Hogan and Wade Kergan. His influences include southern soul artists like Isaac Hayes, Clarence Carter, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin plus Motown artists The Supremes, The Four Tops and Marvin Gaye. Along with Isaac Hayes, White is considered by Allmusic.com as the first singer who played disco music before the actual period of the late 1970s.

Early life[link]

Barry White was born Barry Eugene Carter in Galveston, Texas, and grew up in the high-crime areas of South Central Los Angeles. White was the elder of two brothers; his brother Darryl is 13 months younger. He grew up listening to his mother's classical music collection, and first took to the piano emulating what he heard on the records. His introduction to music later led to him playing piano on Jesse Belvin's hit single, "Goodnight My Love."

White recalled that, "[As a child] I had a normal squeaky kid voice. Then as a teenager, that completely changed. My mother cried because she knew her baby boy had become a man."

Gang life and jail sentence[link]

During his teenage years, White and his brother got involved with crime and gang activity. At age 17, he was jailed for four months for stealing $30,000 worth of Cadillac tires.

While in jail, White listened to Elvis Presley singing "It's Now or Never" on the radio, an experience he later credited with changing the course of his life.

Music career[link]

After his release from jail, he left gang life and began a musical career at the dawn of the 1960s in singing groups. He first released "Too Far to Turn Around" in 1960 as part of The Upfronts. Before going out on his own in the middle of the decade.

The marginal success he had to that point was as a songwriter. His songs were recorded by rock singer Bobby Fuller and TV bubblegum act The Banana Splits. He was also responsible in 1963 for arranging "Harlem Shuffle" for Bob & Earl, which became a hit in the UK in 1969. He discovered disco/soul artists, Viola Wills and Felice Taylor in 1965 and signed them to Mustang/Bronco Records, for which he was working as A&R; manager for Bob Keane, the man who discovered Ritchie Valens.

The 1970s as producer[link]

In 1972, he got his big break producing a girl group he had discovered called Love Unlimited. Formed in imitative style of the Motown girl group The Supremes, the group members had gradually honed their talents with White for two years previously until they signed contracts with Uni Records. His best friend, music industry businessman Larry Nunes, helped to finance their album. After it was recorded, Nunes took the recording to Russ Regan, who was the head of the Uni label owned by MCA. The album, 1972's ''From A Girl's Point of View We Give to You... Love Unlimited'' became a million album seller.

White produced, wrote and arranged their classic soul ballad, "Walking In The Rain With The One I Love", which climbed to #14 in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop chart and #6 on the Billboard R&B; chart in late 1972. This single also reached #12 in the UK chart. White's voice can clearly be heard debuting in this piece as he plays the lover who answers the phone call of the female lead.

Soon after, Regan left Uni for 20th Century Records. Without Regan, White's relationship with Uni soured. With his relationship with Uni over and Love Unlimited contract-bound with the label, White was able to switch both his production deal and the group to 20th Century Records. (They recorded several other hits throughout the 1970s, including "I Belong To You," which spent over five months on the Billboard R&B; chart in 1974 including a week at #1. White also married the lead singer of the group, Glodean James, on July 4, 1974.)

The 1970s as solo artist[link]

White wanted to work with another act but decided to work with a solo male artist. While working on a few demos for a male singer, he made three song demos of himself singing and playing, but Nunes heard them and insisted that he re-record and release them himself as a solo recording artist. After arguing for days about it, White was finally persuaded to release the songs himself although he was initially reluctant to step out in front of the microphone.

He then wrote several other songs and recorded them for what eventually became an entire album of music. He was going to use the name "White Heat," but decided on using his given name instead. White was still hesitating up to the time the label copy was made. It eventually became the first solo White album, 1973's "I've Got So Much to Give". It included the title track and his first solo chart hit, "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby", which also rose to #1 on the Billboard R&B; charts as well as #3 on the Billboard Pop charts in 1973 and stayed in the top 40 for many weeks.

Other chart hits by White included "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" (#2 R&B;, #7 Pop in 1973), "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" (# 1 Pop and R&B; in 1974), "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" (#1 R&B;, #2 Pop in 1974), "What Am I Gonna Do with You" (#1 R&B;, #8 Pop in 1975), "Let the Music Play" (#4 R&B; in 1976), "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me" (#1 R&B;, #4 Pop in 1977) and "Your Sweetness is My Weakness" (#2 R&B; in 1978). White also had a strong following in the United Kingdom where he scored five Top 10 hits and one number 1 for "You're The First." His popularity as a singer of love songs, coupled with his large size, led to him acquiring the affectionate nickname "The Walrus of Love".

The Love Unlimited Orchestra[link]

In 1972 White created The Love Unlimited Orchestra, a 40-piece orchestral group to be used originally as a backing band for the girl-group Love Unlimited. However, White had other plans, and in 1974 he released an album of their music titled ''Rhapsody in White'', yielding the composition "Love's Theme", reaching #1 on the Billboard Pop charts. It was one of only a handful of instrumental recordings ever to do so.

White is sometimes credited with ushering in the "disco" sound, seamlessly combining R&B; music with classical music. Some also regard "Love's Theme" as the first hit in the actual "disco era", but Nino Tempo and 5th Ave. Sax's song "Sister James" had already reached the Billboard Hot 100 a few months before and had a disco sound in its own right.

He would continue to make albums with the Orchestra, but never achieved the same kind of success with his debut album. The Orchestra ceased to make albums in 1983, but continued to support White as a backing band.

The 1980s[link]

After six years White left 20th Century in 1979 to launch his own label, Unlimited Gold, with CBS/Columbia Records. Although White's success on the pop charts slowed down as the disco era came to an end, he maintained a loyal following throughout his career. Despite several albums over the next three years he failed to repeat his earlier successes, with no singles managing to reach the Billboard Hot 100 except for 1982's "Change," climbing into the Billboard R&B; Top 20 (#12). His label venture was exacting a heavy financial cost on White, so he concentrated on mostly touring and finally folded his label in 1983.

After four years he signed with A&M; Records, and with the release of 1987's ''The Right Night & Barry White'', the single titled "Sho' You Right" made it to the Billboard R&B; charts, peaking at #17.

In 1989 he released ''The Man Is Back!'' and with it had three top 40 singles on the Billboard R&B; charts: "Super Lover", which made it to #34, "I Wanna Do It Good to Ya", which made it to #26, and "When Will I See You Again", which made it to #32.

The 1990s[link]

A 1970s nostalgia fad allowed Barry White to enjoy a renewed wave of popularity in the 1990s. After White took part in a Quincy Jones record titled ''Back on the Block'', on the song titled "The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)", which topped the R&B; chart in 1990, he mounted an effective comeback with several albums, each one more successful than the last. He returned to the top of the charts in 1991 with the album ''Put Me in Your Mix'', which reached #8 on the Billboard R&B; Albums chart and the song by the same name reached #2 on the Billboard R&B; singles chart.

In 1994 he released the album ''The Icon Is Love'' which went to #1 on the Billboard R&B; album charts, and the single "Practice What You Preach" gave him his first #1 on the Billboard R&B; singles chart in almost 20 years, and was nominated for a Grammy in the Best R&B; Album category (it lost to TLC's ''CrazySexyCool'').

In 1996, White recorded the duet "In Your Wildest Dreams" with Tina Turner. 1996 also saw the release of ''Space Jam'' and its soundtrack, on which White had a duet with Chris Rock, called "Basketball Jones," a remake of Cheech & Chong's "Basketball Jones" from 1974.

His final album, 1999's ''Staying Power'', resulted in his last hit song "Staying Power," which placed #45 on the Billboard R&B; charts. The single won him his only two Grammy Awards in the categories Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance and Best Traditional R&B; Vocal Performance.

Acting career[link]

Over the course of his career, White sometimes did voice-over work for TV and movies. He voiced the character Bear in the 1975 film ''Coonskin'' and also played the character Sampson in the movie's live-action segments.

He appeared as himself in a couple episodes of ''The Simpsons'', and most importantly the episode "Whacking Day" in which Bart and Lisa used his famously deep bass singing voice, played through loudspeakers placed on the ground, to lull and attract snakes. White was a fan of the show, and had reportedly contacted the staff about wanting to make a guest appearance.

He played the role of a bus driver for a Prodigy commercial in 1995, and he also portrayed the voice of a rabbit in a Good Seasons salad dressing mix commercial, singing a song called "You Can't Bottle Love."

In addition, he did some work for car commercials, most famously for Oldsmobile, and later on, Jeep.

He also provided voice over for Arby's Restaurant commercials on TV and Radio to promote their 'Market Fresh' menu.

Also his voice can be heard in Apple's first iBook commercial.

He made two guest appearances on the comedy-drama TV series ''Ally McBeal'', as his music was often featured on the show in dream sequences.

Illness and death[link]

Overweight for much of his adult life, White suffered kidney failure in the fall of 2002 as a result of chronic high blood pressure. He suffered a stroke in May 2003, after which he was forced to retire from public life. On July 4, 2003, he died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering from total renal failure. His remains were cremated, and the ashes were scattered by his family off the California coast.

On September 20, 2004, he was posthumously inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in New York.

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Knol about Barry White written by Gabriel Gianello

Category:1944 births Category:2003 deaths Category:African American record producers Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:American bandleaders Category:American basses Category:American Christians Category:Stroke survivors Category:Mercury Records artists Category:A&M; Records artists Category:Private Music artists Category:American dance musicians Category:American male singers Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American soul singers Category:Deaths from renal failure Category:Disease-related deaths in California Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Galveston, Texas

az:Barri Uayt bg:Бари Уайт ca:Barry White cs:Barry White da:Barry White de:Barry White es:Barry White eo:Barry White fr:Barry White gl:Barry White io:Barry White id:Barry White it:Barry White he:בארי וייט ka:ბარი უაიტი hu:Barry White mk:Бери Вајт nl:Barry White ja:バリー・ホワイト no:Barry White oc:Barry White pl:Barry White pt:Barry White ro:Barry White ru:Уайт, Барри simple:Barry White fi:Barry White sv:Barry White th:แบร์รี ไวต์ tr:Barry White yo:Barry White

name	Arianna Huffington
birth name	Arianna Stasinopoúlou
birth date	July 15, 1950
birth place	Athens, Greece
Alma mater	Cambridge University
spouse	Michael Huffington (1986–1997)
occupation	Journalist, Tycoon
nationality	Greek American
genre	Non-fiction, news
subject	Politics, spirituality, environment, liberalism
website	http://www.huffingtonpost.com }}

Arianna Huffington (formerly Stassinopoulos; born , July 15, 1950) is a Greek American author and syndicated columnist. She is best known for her liberal news website ''The Huffington Post''. A popular conservative commentator in the mid-1990s, she adopted liberal political beliefs in the late 1990s. She is the ex-wife of former Republican congressman Michael Huffington.

In 2003, she ran as an independent candidate for Governor in the California recall election.

In 2009, Huffington was named as number 12 in ''Forbes'' first-ever list of the Most Influential Women In Media. She has also moved up to number 42 in ''The Guardian''s Top 100 in Media List.

In 2011, AOL acquired ''The Huffington Post'' for US$315 million and made Huffington president and editor in chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, which included ''The Huffington Post'' and then-existing AOL properties such as Engadget, AOL Music, Patch Media, and StyleList.

Early life[link]

Huffington was born Arianna Stasinopoúlou in Athens, Greece, the daughter of Konstantinos (a journalist and management consultant) and Elli (née Georgiadi) Stasinopoulos, and is the sister of Agapi (an author, speaker and performer). She moved to England at the age of 16, and studied economics at Girton College, Cambridge, where she was President of the Cambridge Union.

In 1971, she appeared in an edition of ''Face the Music'' along with Bernard Levin. He was 42 ; she was 21. A relationship developed, of which she wrote, after his death: "He wasn't just the big love of my life, he was a mentor as a writer and a role model as a thinker." Huffington helped Levin with his spiritual quest. Huffington began writing books in the 1970s, with editorial help from Levin. For the BBC, the two traveled to music festivals around the world. They spent summers touring three-star restaurants in France. At the age of 30, she remained deeply in love with him but longed to have children; Levin never wanted to marry or have children. Huffington concluded that she must break away, and moved to New York in 1980.

Career[link]

In the late 1980s, Huffington wrote several articles for ''National Review''. In 1981, she wrote a biography of Maria Callas, ''Maria Callas – The Woman Behind the Legend'', and in 1989, a biography of Pablo Picasso, ''Picasso: Creator and Destroyer''.

Huffington rose to national prominence during her husband's unsuccessful Senate bid in 1994. She became known as a reliable supporter of conservative causes such as Newt Gingrich's "Republican Revolution" and Bob Dole's 1996 candidacy for president. She teamed up with liberal comedian Al Franken as the conservative half of "Strange Bedfellows" during Comedy Central's coverage of the 1996 U.S. presidential election. For her work, she and the writing team of ''Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher'' were nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program. She has also made a few forays into acting with roles on shows such as ''Roseanne'', ''The L Word'', ''How I Met Your Mother'', ''Help Me Help You'', and the film ''EdTV''.

Huffington's politics began to shift back toward the left in the late 1990s. In 2000, she instigated the 'Shadow Conventions', which appeared at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles at Patriotic Hall.

Huffington heads The Detroit Project, a public interest group lobbying automakers to start producing cars running on alternative fuels. The project's 2003 TV ads, which equated driving sport utility vehicles to funding terrorism, proved to be particularly controversial, with some stations refusing to run them.

In a 2004 appearance on ''The Daily Show'' with Jon Stewart, she announced her endorsement of John Kerry by saying, "When your house is burning down, you don't worry about the remodeling." Huffington was a panel speaker during the 2005 California Democratic Party State Convention, held in Los Angeles. She also spoke at the 2004 College Democrats of America Convention in Boston, which was held in conjunction with the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Huffington is also a regular panelist on the nationally syndicated weekend radio program, ''Both Sides Now with Huffington & Matalin'', hosted by Mark Green.

California recall election participation[link]

Huffington was an independent candidate to recall California governor Gray Davis in the 2003 recall election. She described her candidacy against front runner Arnold Schwarzenegger as "the hybrid versus the Hummer," making reference to her ownership of a hybrid vehicle, the Toyota Prius, and Schwarzenegger's Hummer. The two would proceed to have a high-profile clash during the election's debate, during which both candidates were rebuked for making personal attacks.

Despite briefly retaining former U.S. Senator Dean Barkley as a campaign advisor and advertising executive Bill Hillsman as her media director, she dropped out of the race on September 30, 2003. Others attributed her exit to her inability to garner support for her candidacy, noting that polls showed that only about two percent of likely California voters planned to vote for her at the time of her withdrawal. Though she failed to stop the recall, Huffington's name remained on the ballot and she placed 5th, capturing 0.55% of the vote.

Media presence[link]

In the 1970s, on the strength of her prominence in the Cambridge Union, Arianna Stassinopoulos was a frequent panelist on the weekly BBC Radio 4 political discussion programme, ''Any Questions?'', and the BBC television panel games ''Call My Bluff'' and ''Face the Music''. She was the first female host of the BBC's late night chat show ''Saturday Night at The Mill'', broadcast live from the foyer of the BBC's Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham. She was dropped from the show after just a few weeks in the role, and was replaced by Jenny Hanley. Huffington's book ''The Fourth Instinct'' is based on the idea that all humans have an inherent spiritual yearning. This philosophy inspired Huffington to design an app called "GPS For The Soul", which aims to connect the user to with a more balanced lifestyle. When the user opens the app it will measure their feelings at the time and present them with whatever is needed to help them find their center, such as music, breathing exercises, photos or a person or place they love, etc. The app is set to be available in June 2012.

Huffington is the co-host of the weekly, nationally syndicated, public radio program ''Both Sides Now'', along with Mary Matalin, former top aide to the Bush/Cheney White House. Every week on ''Both Sides Now'', Huffington and Matalin discuss the nation's relevant political issues, offering both sides of every issue to the listeners. ''Both Sides Now'' is hosted by former Air Radio America President and ''HuffPost'' blogger Mark J. Green.

Huffington also has an Internet presence with her website ''The Huffington Post'', which features blogs and commentary from her and from a number of prominent liberal journalists, public officials, and celebrities.

Prior to ''The Huffington Post'', Huffington hosted a website called Ariannaonline.com. Her first foray into the Internet was a website called Resignation.com, which called for the resignation of President Bill Clinton and was a rallying place for conservatives opposing Clinton.

In November 2008, Huffington joined the cast of Seth MacFarlane's animated series, ''The Cleveland Show'', where she lends her voice to the wife of Tim the Bear, also named Arianna.

On November 17, 2008, Huffington substituted for Rachel Maddow on MSNBC's ''The Rachel Maddow Show''. The online website TV Newser has put forward the idea that she is in the running for a more permanent role as commentator or anchor at MSNBC.

Huffington was spoofed by actress Michaela Watkins on the November 22, 2008, episode of ''Saturday Night Live''.

Huffington was also spoofed on the first season of ''Tracey Ullman's State of the Union'' in 2008.

Huffington appeared as herself in the May 10, 2010, episode of the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother''.

Huffington participated in the 24th annual "Distinguished Speaker Series" at the University at Buffalo, NY., on September 16, 2010. She headlined a debate against radio co-host Mary Matalin on current world events, political issues, and the local Buffalo economy. The University at Buffalo "Distinguished Speaker Series" has featured a multitude of world-renowned politicians and celebrities such as; Tony Blair, Bill Nye, Jon Stewart, and the Dalai Lama.

Huffington offered to provide as many buses as necessary to transport those who want to go to Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on October 30, 2010, from the Huffington Post Headquarters in New York City. Ultimately, she paid for 150 buses to ferry almost 10,000 people from Citi Field in Queens to RFK Stadium in DC. The only self-promotion on her part was 'Huffington Post' written on the bracelets needed to get on the bus.

Huffington appeared as herself in the ''Family Guy'' episode "Brian Writes a Bestseller" on November 21, 2010, taking part in a discussion on a mock version of ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' about the quality of a book Brian Griffin authored in this episode.

Plagiarism claims[link]

Huffington was accused of plagiarism for copying material for her book ''Maria Callas'' (1981); the claims were settled out of court in 1981, with Callas' biographer Gerald Fitzgerald being paid "in the low five figures."

Lydia Gasman, an art history professor at the University of Virginia, claimed that Huffington’s 1988 biography of Pablo Picasso, ''Picasso: Creator and Destroyer'', included themes similar to those in her unpublished four-volume Ph.D. thesis. "What she did was steal twenty years of my work," Gasman told Maureen Orth in 1994. Gasman did not file suit.

Maureen Orth also reported that Huffington "borrowed heavily for her 1993 book, ''The Gods of Greece''."

Huffington met her future husband Michael Huffington in 1985. They were married a year later. They later established residency in Santa Barbara, California, in order for him to run in 1992 as a Republican for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, which he won by a significant margin. Arianna campaigned for her husband, courting religious conservatives, arguing for smaller government and a reduction in welfare. In 1994, he narrowly lost the race for the U.S. Senate seat to California to incumbent Dianne Feinstein. The couple divorced in 1997. They have two daughters – Christina Sophia Huffington and Isabella Diana Huffington. She became a naturalized American citizen in 1990. In 1998 Michael Huffington disclosed that he was homosexual.

Religion [link]

Huffington was a member of the Rajneesh movement in the early 80s along with her then-partner Bernard Levin. Later they both joined the MSIA movement.

Bibliography[link]

''The Female Woman'' (1973) ISBN 0-7067-0098-8

''After Reason'' (1978) ISBN 0-8128-2465-2

''Maria Callas: The Woman Behind the Legend'' (1981; 1993) ISBN 0-8154-1228-2

''The Gods of Greece'' (1993) ISBN 0-87113-554-X

''The Fourth Instinct'' (1994) ISBN 0-7432-6163-1

''Picasso: Creator and Destroyer'' (1996) ISBN 0-671-45446-3

''Greetings from the Lincoln Bedroom'' (1998) ISBN 0-517-39699-8

''How to Overthrow the Government'' (2000) ISBN 0-06-098831-2

''Pigs at the Trough'' (2003) ISBN 1-4000-4771-4

''Fanatics & Fools'' (2004) ISBN 1-4013-5213-8

''On Becoming Fearless...In Love, Work, and Life'' (2007) ISBN 0-316-16682-0

''Right is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe'' (2008) ISBN 978-0-307-26966-9

''Third World America: How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream'' (2010) ISBN 0-307-71982-0

References[link]

External links[link]

Column archive at ''The Huffington Post''

Column archive at ''AlterNet''

Campaign contributions made by Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington's uFollow page with an index of her columns and posts

Interviews and statements[link]

''Booknotes'' interview with Huffington on ''How to Overthrow the Government'', February 13, 2000.

YouTube: "Arianna Huffington video interview on The Alcove with Mark Molaro, 2008"

Video interview/discussion with Huffington and Robert Wright on Bloggingheads.tv

"7 Days in America" podcast

Arianna Huffington interview on the Tavis Smiley show. Watch her interview online. October 2006

Video of Arianna Huffington on The Hour

Arianna Huffington on her New Book ''Third World America'' – eo interview by ''Democracy Now!'', September 10, 2010

Arianna Huffington interviewed by Sophie Elmhirst on New Statesman, December 2010

Articles[link]

McLellan, Diana. Arianna Huffington, ''Washingtonian'', May 1, 1994.

Los Angeles Shadow Convention; Aug 13–17, 2000

Arianna Huffington profile at the ''Left, Right and Center'' website

''Hurricane Arianna,'' article by Paul Harris, ''The Observer,'' December 10, 2006

''This is the Future of the News: The Arianna Huffington Interview'' by David Weinberger for ''Wired,'' May 15, 2007

The Times: Arianna Huffington: The Super Blogger

Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:People from Athens Category:Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Category:Presidents of the Cambridge Union Society Category:Greek expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:Greek emigrants to the United States Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Progressivism in the United States Category:American activists Category:American alternative journalists Category:American biographers Category:American bloggers Category:American political pundits Category:American political writers Category:American talk radio hosts Category:California Democrats Category:Online journalists Category:Plagiarism controversies Category:Spouses of members of the United States House of Representatives

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