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Amber Patrice Riley (born February 15, 1986) is an American Actress best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.

Early life and career[link]

Riley was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Tiny (née Hightower) and Elwin Riley.^[1] Riley auditioned for American Idol when she was 17 years old, during the show's second season, but was turned down by the producers.^[2] Amber graduated from La Mirada High School in La Mirada, California in 2004.^[3] In 2006 Riley auditioned unsuccessfully for the part of Effie White in Dreamgirls. She appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010.

[edit] Glee and solo album

Riley plays the role of Mercedes Jones on the hit musical comedy-drama Glee. A member of the main cast, she has appeared since the show's pilot, which debuted in May 2009. She has sung numerous solos, including "Respect", "Bust Your Windows", "Hate on Me", "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", "Beautiful", "Bridge over Troubled Water", "I Look to You", "Hell to the No", "Ain't No Way", "Try a Little Tenderness", "Spotlight", "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and, three days after Whitney Houston's death, a tribute version of "I Will Always Love You". Her character gets through her schooldays with her "diva-style", stylish clothes, and has a friendship with the only openly gay boy in school, Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer). In 2011, Riley received an NAACP Image Award nomination for her portrayal of Mercedes; she has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her acting on Glee, along with the show's ensemble, and has also been nominated for a Teen Choice Award for her acting on the show. Her mother was a member of the choir in the song "Like a Prayer"—Mercedes dances with her—during the first season episode "The Power of Madonna".

Riley is also making a solo album.^[4] She is working with Mario Marchetti. .^[5]

Philanthropy[link]

In 2011, Riley acted as a campaign spokesperson for http://www.Dosomething.org and VH1 Save The Music Foundation's second annual "Battle for the Bands." Riley starred in a PSA campaign and engaged fans through social media to participate in the campaign that mobilized young people in the fight for keeping music education in schools.^[6]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amber Riley

• Amber Riley at the Internet Movie Database

This article about an American television actor or actress born in the 1980s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Deitrick Haddon
Background information
Birth name	Deitrick Vaughn Haddon
Born	(1973-05-17) May 17, 1973 (age 39)
Origin	Detroit, Michigan
Genres	Gospel, urban gospel, R&B, pop, pop rock, funk, soul, dance
Occupations	Singer, Songwriter, Arranger, Producer, Pastor
Instruments	Vocals, Piano
Years active	1997-Present
Labels	Tyscot, Arista, Verity
Associated acts	Deitrick Haddon & Voices Of Unity Damita Haddon

Deitrick Vaughn Haddon (born May 17, 1973) is a Gospel singer, songwriter, producer and pastor. A popular artist known for his contemporary style of music, he is well known for his progressive gospel styles.

Early years[link]

Haddon is a native of Detroit, Michigan.

Haddon launched his solo career as a Christian R&B vocalist with the Lost & Found on Tyscot/Verity in 2002. The set peaked at #1 on Billboard's Top Gospel Charts^[1] and received wide critical acclaim and spawned the hit "Sinner's Prayer" which received heavy spins on gospel and mainstream R&B radio stations.^[2]

The 70's-leaning Crossroads followed in 2004, led off by the upbeat single "God Is Good". In an uncharacteristic move for marketing a gospel album, Detrick made an appearance on the long-running syndicated series Soul Train performing the single as well as the title track from the album.^[3]

Haddon appeared to be pushing his Gospel artistry for many things further into the ranks of mainstream venues with 7 Days, released October 10, 2006. 7 Days was executive produced and produced almost entirely by R&B stalwart producers Tim & Bob^[4] (also responsible for hits by Sisqo, Chante Moore, Karen Clark Sheard, and others). Balancing out the contemporary bulk of the album is the traditional gospel flavored lead single "Heaven Knows" which Deitrick produced himself.

On December 1, 2006, Deitrick and Damita Haddon's 85 South Gospel Street Show premiered on The Word Network. The show features notable gospel artists such as Men of Standard, Donnie McClurkin, Kierra Sheard, Natalie Wilson, and many other prominent gospel artists. In essence, Deitrick and Damita Haddon provide novice artists an opportunity to display their talents and gifts. 85 South Gospel Street airs every Friday at 4:30 p.m. on The Word Network.

Haddon once inked a recording contract with major label Arista Records, not known for producing gospel artists. Haddon and his brother Gerald also produced the comeback album Brand New Day for veteran gospel vocalist Vanessa Bell Armstrong. Deitrick Haddon & Voices Of Unity's Live The Life won Gospel Music Workshop of America Excellence Awards for "New Artist of the Year—Urban Contemporary" and "Album of the Year—Urban Contemporary".

On September 2, 2008, Deitrick Haddon released another album called "Revealed". This album includes the popular single, "Love Him Like I Do" (featuring Mary Mary and Ruben Studdard). On July 27, 2010 Haddon made his film debut in a movie released directly to DVD called "Blessed and Cursed."

On January 25, 2011 Deitrick Haddon released the much anticipated "Church On The Moon", his fifth album with Verity Records. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboards Top Gospel charts and #65 on the Billboard 200.

Discography[link]

• Voices Of Unity: Come Into This House (Tyscot, 1995)
• Live The Life (Tyscot, 1997)
• This Is My Story (Tyscot, 1998)
• Chainbreaker (Tyscot, 1999)
• Nu Hymnz (Tyscot, 2001)
• Voices Of Unity: Supernatural (Tyscot, 2001)
• Lost And Found (Verity, 2002)
• Crossroads (Verity, 2004)
• Voices Of Unity: All Star Edition (Tyscot, 2004)
• Just The Hits (Tyscot, 2005)
• 7 Days (Verity, 2006)
• Voices Of Unity: Together in Worship (Tyscot, 2007)
• Revealed (Verity, 2008)
• Blessed & Cursed (Tyscot, 2010)
• Church on the Moon (Verity, 2011)

Personal life[link]

Haddon is now the Pastor at Detroit's Kingdom Culture Church, taking over from his father.

Deitrick's wife Damita Haddon is a vocalist and has released the self-titled Damita on Atlantic Records in 2000, which was also produced in part by Deitrick. She followed it with a sophomore effort, No Looking Back in 2008 on Tyscot Records of Voices of Unity fame.

External links[link]

• Deitrick Haddon at Allmusic
• Voices Of Unity at Allmusic
• Deitrick on MySpace
• Billboard review of Revealed
• Deitrick Haddon's Biography
• Official site to the Church On The Moon album

References[link]

Mercedes Jones
Glee character
Amber Riley as Mercedes on the Glee Live! In Concert! tour
First appearance	"Pilot"
Created by	Ryan Murphy Brad Falchuk Ian Brennan
Portrayed by	Amber Riley
Information
Occupation	High school student
Significant other(s)	Shane Tinsley Sam Evans
Religion	Christian

Mercedes Jones is a fictional character from the Fox popular musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Amber Riley, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Mercedes was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. She is a dynamic diva-in-training who refuses to sing back-up, and is a member of the glee club at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio.

Storylines[link]

Amber Riley (pictured) plays Mercedes.

Mercedes auditions for the school glee club, New Directions, by performing Aretha Franklin's "Respect".^[1] She develops a crush on fellow member Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), unaware that he is gay. Though she is hurt when he rejects her, Mercedes is supportive when he confides his sexuality, and they become close friends.^[2] Mercedes has a rivalry with glee club co-captain Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), which comes to a head in the episode "Sectionals", when she impresses the club with a rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going". Rachel agrees that Mercedes should perform the solo competitively, but she loses the chance when a rival school steals the song.^[3]

Frustrated with the lack of solos they receive, Mercedes and Kurt join the school cheerleading squad, the Cheerios, as vocalists.^[4] Mercedes struggles when cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) demands that she lose weight. She faints after crash-dieting, and is supported by former Cheerios captain Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron), who tells her that she is beautiful regardless of her size. Later, during a pep rally, Mercedes sings the song "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera.^[5] Being a member of the Cheerios increases her popularity, and Mercedes briefly dates football player and glee club member Noah Puckerman (Mark Salling). However, she feels that she is being untrue to herself, so she quits the squad and breaks up with Puck. A friendship develops between Mercedes and Quinn; she invites Quinn to live with her family after Quinn's parents evict her for becoming pregnant,^[6] and supports her through the birth of her daughter.^[7]

Mercedes' friendship with Kurt is tested when they disagree over religion; Mercedes is a devout Christian, and Kurt an atheist. When his father has a heart attack, Mercedes convinces Kurt to attend church with her, devoting the service to the Hummels and performing "Bridge Over Troubled Water" with her church choir for him.^[8] Kurt later develops a strong friendship with Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss), a gay student from another school. He begins to neglect Mercedes, and offends her by trying to set her up with another student. When Sue Sylvester, temporarily Acting Principal, begins a healthy eating initiative at the school and declares a ban on Tater Tots, Mercedes organizes a student protest and fills the tailpipe of Sue's car with Tots, causing $17,000 worth of damage. Kurt suggests that she is substituting food for love and their friendship for a romantic relationship, and Mercedes agrees to talk to the student Kurt attempted to set her up with.^[9] She remains romantically unattached, however, and explains to Kurt and Rachel that sometimes it is necessary to choose between love and talent.^[10]

Mercedes writes an original song entitled "Hell to the No" to be a contender for the glee club's set list for the Regionals competition; though director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) thinks it's a great song, he also doesn't think it's appropriate for the competition.^[11] When New Directions plans a benefit concert, Mercedes allows her performance slot to be moved to a less desirable place in the program; club member Lauren Zizes (Ashley Fink) is surprised by her failure to stand up for herself, and offers to be her agent, suggesting that she make diva-like demands to ensure they appreciate her talent. Ultimately, Mercedes takes the closing slot from Rachel by performing an overwhelming rendition of Aretha Franklin's "Ain't No Way" so good that Rachel doesn't even try to follow it.^[12] Mercedes attends the junior prom as part of a group with Rachel and fellow New Directions member Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet).^[13] In the season two finale episode, "New York", it is revealed that she and Sam have begun secretly dating.^[14]

At the beginning of the third season, Mercedes says that she had Sam had dated for a while, but after he moved out of state she started a relationship with Shane Tinsley, a member of the football team. Shane encourages her to believe in her talent, and she auditions for the role of Maria in the school's production of West Side Story. Both she and Rachel are given callbacks. Mercedes is angry about what she perceives as continued favoritism shown to Rachel, especially in the awarding of solos, and quits glee club. In the audition callbacks, Mercedes gives a performance that Rachel privately concedes was better—Mercedes is sure it is—and when they are both offered the role with half of the performances, she refuses to accept a split role; instead, she joins Shelby Corcoran's (Idina Menzel) rival glee club, and soon has recruited Santana and Brittany away from New Directions into the newly named Troubletones. Sam returns in "Hold On to Sixteen" to rejoin New Directions, and tells Mercedes that he wants to rekindle their relationship; she tells him she's moved on and is with Shane. The Troubletones lose the Sectionals competition to New Directions, and Mercedes and the others rejoin New Directions with the promise that the Troubletones will be given one performance number per competition. In the episode "Yes/No" she reveals to Tina, Santana, and Rachel that she remembers her fling with Sam and she thinks that the spark is still there, and she and Sam briefly kiss in "Michael". Mercedes breaks up with Shane in "Heart", but she feels very guilty for having hurt him and will not begin a relationship with Sam until she is sure of her feelings.

Musical performances[link]

This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (March 2012)

Season one[link]

Mercedes (Riley, left) and Puck (Salling, right) duet on "The Lady Is a Tramp" in the episode "Laryngitis".

As Mercedes, Riley features in many ensemble musical performances. She has had several solos and duets, which have been released as singles, available for download, and included on Glee's soundtrack albums. Her first performance, "Respect" by Aretha Franklin, was included in full on the series' first DVD box set, Glee – Volume 1: Road to Sectionals.^[15] In the episode "Acafellas", she gives a performance of Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows", which was called "showstopping" by Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal.^[16] It was included on the album Glee: The Music, Volume 1,^[17] and released as a single, which peaked at number 35 in Ireland.^[18] Riley recorded a version of Dionne Warwick's "Don't Make Me Over" for the episode "Hairography". It was used as an instrumental within the episode, rather than performed by Mercedes on-screen,^[19] but was included in full on Glee: The Music, Volume 2.^[20] Her performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" in the episode "Sectionals" also features on this album.^[20] As a single, its peak position was number 85 in Canada.^[21] The rendition of Aguilera's "Beautiful" in the episode "Home" was called "so forced that it loses any power it might have from what's a genuinely nice arrangement of the song" by Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club,^[22] while Tim Stack of Entertainment Weekly wrote that it was "a great moment for not only Amber Riley but for the entire show."^[23] The number peaked at 39 in Ireland,^[18] and 44 in Canada.^[24]

Also during season one, Riley duetted with Colfer as Kurt on "4 Minutes" by Madonna. This track was included on the extended play (EP) Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna,^[25] and reached number 32 in Ireland.^[18] In the episode "Laryngitis", Mercedes duetted with Puck on "The Lady Is a Tramp" by Sammy Davis, Jr., and with Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) on "The Boy is Mine" by Brandy and Monica. The former was included on Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers,^[26] and reached number 72 in Canada,^[24] while the latter features on the compilation album Glee: The Music, The Complete Season One,^[27] and reached 46 in Ireland.^[18]

Season two[link]

In the season two episode "Grilled Cheesus", Mercedes performed Whitney Houston's "I Look to You", and led a choral rendition of Aretha Franklin's cover of "Bridge Over Troubled Water".^[28] Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone commended Riley's vocals on the latter song, and commented that series creator Ryan Murphy should assign Mercedes more solos.^[29] MTV's Aly Semigran felt that "I Look to You" was the episode's weakest song, preferring Riley's "more powerful" rendition of "Bridge over Troubled Water".^[30] Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times expressed disappointment in both numbers, as they left her "strangely unmoved". She suggested that, "Mercedes sang admirably, beautifully even, but she didn’t seem truly transported by the music; so we weren't."^[31] "I Look to You" peaked at number 74 in Canada and the U.S., while "Bridge Over Troubled Water" reached 69 and 73 respectively in the same territories.^[32] Mercedes later assumed the role of Frank N. Furter in the glee club's performance of The Rocky Horror Show, and sang "Sweet Transvestite". The song was included on the EP Glee: The Music, The Rocky Horror Glee Show,^[33] and caused disagreement amongst critics over her casting in a traditionally male role. Semigran felt that, as sung by a female, the song lost its shock value.^[34] Flandez would have preferred Salling's Puck in the role, but praised Riley's vocals, and wrote that her solo "woke us all up from the timid pacing".^[35] Anthony Benigno of the New York Daily News also enjoyed the number, and found that while Mercedes lacked the stage presence of Tim Curry, Riley did something "completely remarkable" as Frank, giving a largely flawless performance.^[36] "Hell to the No", Mercedes' original song, was titled for the character's signature catchphrase. Co-written by Glee's music supervisor Adam Anders, composer Peer Åström, and executive producer Ian Brennan,^[37] it peaked at number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[38] In the episode "A Night of Neglect", she performed another Franklin song, this time "Ain't No Way".^[39] Her final solo of the season was Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness", which was included on the album Glee: The Music, Volume 6.^[40][41]

During the season, Mercedes again duetted with both Santana and Rachel: with the former on Ike & Tina Turner's "River Deep – Mountain High"^[42] and ABBA's "Dancing Queen",^[43] and with the latter on "Take Me or Leave Me" from the musical Rent.^[44] "River Deep, Mountain High" was included on the album Glee: The Music, Volume 4 and peaked at number 30 in Ireland.^[18][45] "Take Me or Leave Me" featured on the following album, Glee: The Music, Volume 5, and reached number 51 in the U.S.^[46][47] "Dancing Queen" appeared on the season's final soundtrack album, Volume 6,^[41] and peaked at number 74 in the U.S.^[48] Futterman criticized the arrangement of "Dancing Queen" for diluting Riley and Rivera's "power vocals", which, she said, "[gave] them the thin sound of ABBA's original even though they're both much better than that."^[43]

Reception[link]

Ryan Brockington for the New York Post has written that "the key to this show lies directly within the female leads", praising Riley as Mercedes and noting that in "Acafellas", Riley "finally got a chance to shine".^[49] Similarly, Stack commented that the best aspect of "Acafellas" was the focus it placed on previously more minor characters such as Mercedes.^[50] Eric Goldman of IGN criticised Mercedes' actions in the episode "Ballad", in which Puck confesses to her he is the father of Quinn's baby, and Mercedes responds by telling him to leave Quinn alone. Goldman questioned: "Really? She doesn't think Finn should know he's not really the dad? She doesn't think Puck should be involved, given he actually is the dad? It was a really strange response, and given Mercedes is not generally written to be an unlikable, manipulative person (That's Terri!), I'm not sure how the writers thought this was a justified viewpoint for her."^[51]

Korbi Ghosh of Zap2it has named Mercedes' best moment as her performance of "Imagine" in the episode "Hairography", commending her as: "instead of overpowering their performance with her spectacular talents, she toned it down, allowing the deaf choir to truly shine as she humbly sang beside them, showing her support."^[52] Ghosh deemed her low point vandalizing Kurt's car in "Acafellas", commenting: "Mercedes has clearly got some anger and aggression issues — not to mention being a bit clueless... the boy is into other boys, hello! — But we'll forgive her. We got to watch her sing "I Bust The Windows Out" because of it, so it's all good."^[52] Stack approved of the budding friendship between Mercedes and Quinn in the episode "Home", and added, "Their scene together in the nurses office was really touching and sweet. Damn, these kids can act."^[23]

The relationship between Mercedes and Shane was initially well-received. The Hollywood Reporter's Lesley Goldberg called their first scene together "adorable", and wrote that her "new love life seems to have refreshed the character on screen as her newfound happiness translates well".^[53] Vicki Hyman of The Star-Ledger hoped their coupling would continue,^[54] though Matt Zoller Seitz of Salon.com lamented Sam's departure, as he felt a relationship between the two "would have been groundbreaking for all sorts of reasons".^[55]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mercedes Jones at Fox.com
• Mercedes Jones at the Internet Movie Database

Chris Colfer
Colfer at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.
Born	Christopher Paul Colfer (1990-05-27) May 27, 1990 (age 22) Clovis, California, United States
Occupation	Actor, singer, producer and writer
Years active	2009–present

Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer^[1][2] (born May 27, 1990)^[3] is an American actor and singer, known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee. He is a Golden Globe winner and a two-time Emmy nominee.

Colfer was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2011.^[4]

Early life and education[link]

Colfer was born in Clovis, California, the son of Karyn Colfer (née Boling) and Tim Colfer.^[5] Colfer has Irish ancestry; he has stated "I’m very Irish, my family is all Irish and St. Patrick’s day in my house is crazy."^[6] He was home schooled for half of 7th grade and 8th grade because he was bullied so much in school.^[7]

While a student at Clovis East High School, Colfer was involved with the speech and debate program, where he won "many speech and debate champion titles," including placing ninth in the State Competition for Dramatic Interpretation, the drama club, the FFA, "was president of the Writer’s Club, editor of the school's literary magazine, and captain of Destination ImagiNation."^[8] As a high school senior, he wrote, starred in, and directed a spoof of Sweeney Todd entitled "Shirley Todd", in which all of the roles were gender-reversed.^[9] One of his real in-school experiences was later turned into a sub-plot for his character on Glee, when the high school teachers denied him the chance to sing "Defying Gravity" from the musical Wicked because it is traditionally sung by a woman.^[10][11] His grandmother, a minister, let him sing the song in her church.^[10]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

Colfer at the Time 100 Gala, April 27, 2011

The first show he was involved in with community theater was West Side Story.^[12] He also starred in a production of The Sound of Music as the character Kurt.^[13]

At the age of eighteen, Colfer starred as Russel Fish in Russel Fish: The Sausage and Eggs Incident, a short film where an awkward teenager must pass a Presidential Physical Fitness test or fail gym class and lose his admission to Harvard University.

[edit] Glee

Colfer's first TV role came in 2009 when he was cast as Kurt Hummel on Fox's Glee. Kurt is a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school, not only for being gay, but also for being part of the very unpopular Glee Club. Colfer auditioned for the part of Artie Abrams, who uses a wheelchair, a role which eventually went to Kevin McHale.^[13] The show's creator, Ryan Murphy, was so impressed with Colfer that he created the role of Kurt specifically for him,^[14] and in the process, scrapped a planned character called Rajish so they could add Kurt. In a 2010 interview with Allison Kugel, Colfer stated that "There have been a couple of times when I have gone to Ryan Murphy and told him a couple of things that have happened to me, and then he writes it into the show. Or he'll ask me what song I would want to sing, in this situation or in that situation. I don't think any of us directly try to give input on the character or on the storyline, but they definitely steal things from us."^[11]

Murphy revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that at the conclusion of Glee's third season, Colfer's character Kurt will graduate from McKinley High along with fellow seniors including Rachel Berry (actress Lea Michele) and Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith). At the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, producer Brad Falchuk stated that "because they're graduating doesn't mean they're leaving the show." Falchuk also stated "it was never our plan or our intention to let them go…. They are not done with the show after this season."^[15]

Colfer won the 2010 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series for his performance as Kurt Hummel.^[16] He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award^[17] in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category for his portrayal of Kurt.

Kurt's characterization[link]

Colfer has explained that Kurt "puts on a very confident, 'I'm better than you' persona, but underneath it all he's the same anxious and scared teen everyone is/was at some point. In later episodes, he goes through an identity crisis, accepting and finding acceptance for who he is. [...] He's a tough guy in designer clothes."^[18] The character is also gay, which is at the crux of many of his conflicts on the show. Colfer has a high vocal range, as displayed in the episode "Wheels", in which his character demonstrates the unusual ability (for a man) of singing a "high F" (actually an F5). However, his character deliberately pretends to be unable to sing the note in order to spare his father the harassment he would receive for having a gay son.^[19] However, in the episode "Choke" when his character is auditioning for NYADA, he sings "Not the Boy Next Door" from The Boy from Oz a song Kurt claims is "something a little more out there, but much more me", successfully hitting an High G, a note higher than High F. Tibideaux, a famous and exacting performer who is one of NYADA's most notorious alumni, is impressed by both his performance and the risk he took singing that.

Writing and other work[link]

Colfer will star in the coming-of-age comedy Struck by Lightning that has been set up with David Permut (Youth in Revolt). The plot revolves around Colfer's character, who is struck and killed by a bolt of lightning, and chronicles his exploits as he blackmails his fellow senior classmates into contributing to a literary magazine he is publishing. Colfer also wrote the script for Struck By Lightning, which was shot during the Glee hiatus in the summer of 2011.^[20]

On June 8, 2011, Colfer signed a book deal to write two novels for children to young adults.(age range) the first of which, The Land of Stories, is scheduled for release on July 17, 2012.^[21]

Colfer is also writing another movie, set to film next summer, in which he will appear as a supporting actor.

Colfer also, landed a deal with Disney Channel for a pilot based on his book "The Little Leftover Witch". ^[22]

In March 2012, Colfer was featured in a performance of Dustin Lance Black's play, '8' — a staged reenactment of the federal trial that overturned California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage — as Ryan Kendall.^[23] The production was held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre and broadcast on YouTube to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.^[24][25]

It was announced on March 16, 2012 that he would present an award at the 2012 Kids' Choice Awards. During the presentation of the award for Favorite TV Actress, the special "Exploding Blimp" was placed in front of Colfer by Heidi Klum where it burst open, covering him in the network's trademark green slime.^[26]

Personal life[link]

Colfer is openly gay^[27] and shared on Access Hollywood that his parents were accepting of him but he was frequently bullied at school.^[9][28][29] Colfer's younger sister, Hannah, suffers from severe epilepsy,^[30] and often experiences over fifty seizures in an hour.^[31] Colfer has commented that when he was younger he used acting as a method of escaping the stress involved with having a family member with disabilities.^[13][32]

Colfer appeared on the British chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on June 18, 2010, along with his fellow Glee co-stars Amber Riley and Matthew Morrison. He demonstrated his skill with a pair of sai, revealing that he bought a pair on eBay and regularly practices in his trailer. He also mentioned that he would like it if his sai could be worked in to an episode of Glee; they first appeared in the season 3 episode I Am Unicorn, during Colfer's character Kurt Hummel's performance of "I'm the Greatest Star", from the musical Funny Girl.^[33]

Filmography[link]

Colfer at ComicCon, July 2010

Discography[link]

• Glee: The Music, Volume 1 (2009)
• Glee: The Music, Volume 2 (2009)
• Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna (2010)
• Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers (2010)
• Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals (2010)
• Glee: The Music, The Rocky Horror Glee Show (2010)
• Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album (2010)
• Glee: The Music, Volume 4 (2010)
• Glee: The Music, Volume 5 (2011)
• Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers (2011)
• Glee: The Music, Volume 6 (2011)
• Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2011)
• Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2 (2011)
• Glee: The Music, Volume 7 (2011)
• Glee: The Music, The Graduation Album (2012)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Kugel, Allison (April 26, 2010). "Glee Star Chris Colfer Shares His Best Behind-the-Scenes Moments and Surreal Adventures". PR.com. http://www.pr.com/article/1151. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chris Colfer

• Chris Colfer at the Internet Movie Database
• Chris Colfer on Twitter
• Chris Colfer at Emmys.com

Lea Michele
Lea Michele at the 2010 Time 100.
Born	Lea Michele Sarfati (1986-08-29) August 29, 1986 (age 25) The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1995–present

Lea Michele Sarfati (born August 29, 1986),^[1] known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays Rachel Berry in the Fox television series Glee and made her film debut in New Year's Eve starring alongside Ashton Kutcher. Michele performs in the soprano range.^[2]

Early life[link]

Michele was born in the Bronx, New York City. She is the only daughter of Edith, a nurse, and Marc Sarfati, a delicatessen owner.^[1] Her mother is Italian American and Roman Catholic, while her father is a Spanish Sephardic Jew.^[3][4] Michele was raised Catholic, and has stated that her father "gladly" attends church with her and her mother.^[5][6] She grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey. She attended Rockland Country Day School^[7] for elementary school in New York and then Tenafly High School.^[5][8] Michele was home schooled one year while working in Toronto, Ontario on Ragtime. She attended Stagedoor Manor in the Catskills, a center for performing arts training.^[9] She was then later accepted to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, but opted instead to continue working professionally on the stage.^[10][11]

Michele adopted her stage name at an early age; when she went on her first audition, she gave her name as "Lea Michele," and has used it ever since. She has stated that she changed it because she was teased about the pronunciation of her last name.^[12]

Career[link]

Stage roles[link]

Michele made her Broadway debut in 1995, as a replacement in the role of Young Cosette in Les Misérables.^[13][14] This was followed by the role of Tateh's daughter, the Little Girl, in the 1998 original Broadway cast of Ragtime.^[14][15] In 2004, Michele played Sphritze in the Broadway revival of the musical Fiddler on the Roof.^[14][16] She also sang on the 2004 Broadway revival cast recording of Fiddler on the Roof.^[17]

Michele at the Glee premiere party, May 2009

She played the role of Wendla in Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's musical version of Spring Awakening, starring in early workshops and Off-Broadway and finally originating the role in the Broadway production in 2006 at the age of 20.^[18] Around the same time that the show was set to go to Broadway, she was offered the role of Eponine in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables.^[19] She elected to remain with Spring Awakening, which debuted on Broadway in December 2006. She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her performance in Spring Awakening in the category of Outstanding Actress in a Musical.^[20]

On May 18, 2008, Michele left Spring Awakening with her co-star Jonathan Groff. She performed in a reading of Sheik and Sater's new musical, Nero, in July 2008 at Vassar College.^[21] She portrayed Eponine in the Hollywood Bowl's Les Misérables concert in August 2008.^[22]

Film, television, and other work[link]

Michele stars in the Fox television series Glee, where she plays the star singer of a high school glee club, Rachel Berry. She has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for an outstanding ensemble performance^[23] and the 2009 Satellite Award for best actress.^[24] Michele received the People's Choice award of Best Actress in a Comedy in 2012.^[25] She also received nominations for an Emmy Award,^[26] two nominations for a Golden Globe Award, and Teen Choice Award for her performance in the role.^[27] In December 2010 Lea Michele received Billboard's First-Ever Triple Threat Award.^[28] Several of her solo covers have reached the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100, including "Gives You Hell" by The All-American Rejects, "The Only Exception" by Paramore, "Firework" by Katy Perry, "Without You" by David Guetta feat. Usher, and the original song "Get It Right". Michele is the featured lead singer in 14 of the top 25 selling Glee songs as of Feb. 2012. Also as of Feb. 2012, over 70 songs featuring Michele as a lead have reached the Billboard charts, more than any other cast member.^[28]

Michele was included in TIME magazine's 2010 list of the 100 Most Influential People In the World.^[29] FHM named her No.7 on 2010 Sexiest Women List.^[30] Michele was named to People Magazine's Best Dressed List of 2010 as "The Newbie"^[31] and she was voted "2010 Most Stylish Star" by E! Online.^[32] She was ranked 28th on the Maxim 2011 Hot 100.^[33] She was number 10 on the AfterEllen hot 100 list for 2011.^[34] Michele ranked 14th on the 2012 Maxim Hot 100. ^[35] Women's Health Magazine placed Lea Michele as the 3rd Best 2012 Summer Bodies. ^[36]

In 2010, Michele joined the cast of the animated film Dorothy of Oz,^[37] voicing the lead role of Dorothy Gale.^[38] She filmed a role in Garry Marshall's romantic comedy New Year's Eve, which was released in 2011.^[39]

Before Super Bowl XLV, on February 6, 2011, she performed "America the Beautiful" with the Air Force Tops In Blue.^[40]

Candie's anounced in 2012 that Lea will be the new spokesperson for their clothing/footwear brand.^[41]

Charities[link]

Michele is active in charities for gay rights and animal rights. In 2008, Michele was a part of the PETA ad campaign "Buck Cruelty! Say No to Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides".^[42] In April 2010, Michele appeared in a PSA for PETA speaking out against fur clothing.^[43] In September 2010, Michele was honored by PETA for her work for animals.^[44]

In the support of gay rights, Michele performed at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner in November 2009.^[45][46] In the same month, Michele and Jonathan Groff performed for True Colors Cabaret, a fundraiser in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality.^[47]