Baby is a 2008 independent film, considered part of the hood film genre. The film tells the story of an Asian-American youth's gang life in East Los Angeles, set during the mid '80s to the early '90s. Directed by Juwan Chung and starring David Huynh, Tzi Ma, Feodor Chin, Ron Yuan and Kenneth Choi.

Synopsis[link]

Baby is the tragic story of an Asian-American youth trapped in the seedy, dead-end world of hostess bars, pool halls and drug dens that characterize East Los Angeles gang life in the 1980s. Baby (Ryan Andres) is a motherless, poverty stricken 11-year-old with only an alcoholic father (Tzi Ma) to raise him. Things only get worse when he's taken under the wing of his gangster neighbor Tommy (Ron Yuan), who leads him down a path that lands him in Juvenile Hall for manslaughter, with Benny (Feodor Chin) ostracizing Baby from the group. After seven violent years in prison, Baby (now portrayed by David Huynh) is released, but struggles to fit into a society that rejects him, and soon returns to a life of drugs, street gangs and murder, while Benny has risen through the ranks to become the local Crime Boss. Only his childhood friends and a lost love offer him any hope of turning his life around before it's too late.

Cast[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Baby at the Internet Movie Database

Jason Hall
Born	(1971-05-20) May 20, 1971 (age 41) Buffalo, New York
Nationality	American
Other names	Jace
Occupation	artist, producer, writer, gamer

Jason "Jace" Hall (born May 20, 1971 in Buffalo, New York) is an American film, television and video game producer, best known for being founder and Chief Executive Officer of Monolith Productions Inc^[1] and President of HDFILMS, INC^[2].

He is also the star, producer, and writer of the reality online series, The Jace Hall Show as well as the current Executive Producer of The Morning After (web series) and previously on ABC's new "V" Television series^[3].

Career[link]

After becoming the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) in 2004, Hall produced and released video games including The Matrix Online, F.E.A.R., Condemned: Criminal Origins, 300: March to Glory, Justice League Heroes, Happy Feet, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Batman Begins and Friends: The One with All the Trivia video game. One of his most notable roles inside a video game is as the voice of Tchernobog in Blood and Blood II: The Chosen as well as The Voice, the BloodBath commentator.And the up and coming adventures of where's Waldo^[4].

In 2007, Hall founded HDFILMS INC., a production company that produces film, television, videogame and online content. The company is best known for its original reality show, The Jace Hall Show, which debuted on Crackle.com and reached over 4 million viewers. In 2010, the show switched to IGN and is currently in production on its 5th season.

HDFILMS also produces The Morning After^[5], a daily, pop culture online series appearing on Hulu's front page.

Hall is adding singer-songwriter to his resume with recent release of the new Mortal Kombat music video (over 18 million views)^[6] and his EP VIDEO GAMES AREN’T BAD FOR YOU^[7]

Hall is also the main author of the Jace Hall Show website^[8], one of Alexa.com's Top 100,000 sites^[9].

[edit] Video games credited (partial list of over 40 titles)^[10]

==Television credited==^[11]

• V The Series (2009–2010) (Warner Bros. Television) Executive Producer

Television series based on V (1983 miniseries) which premiered on NBC. Pilot in development with ABC and written by Scott Peters of The 4400.

• The Unforgettable (2011) – (Warner Bros.) Co-producer and Original Concept by

Original concept entitled Species X or Iniquity, created by Hall and Nathan Hendrickson, is the basis for the movie as well as the video game Condemned: Criminal Origins and Condemned 2: Bloodshot.

• Brothers in Arms (2009) – Executive Producer

Supposedly based on a true story, action is set at the end of WWII, when Gen. George S. Patton ordered up a top-secret mission to rescue his son-in-law from a POW camp 60 miles behind German lines. The brass said 3,000 men were needed for the job; Patton allotted 294 and a leader who wouldn’t quit, a 24-year-old captain named Abe Baum.

• PVC-1 (2008) – Producer

Film was an award-nominated entry in the Cannes International Film Festival in 2007. IFC Films announced the acquisition of the film in 2008 for its Festival Direct arm.

Online content credited[link]

• "The Morning After" (2011–Present) (HDFILMS, INC.) Executive Producer

Pop Culture, Daily Online-Series appearing on Hulu.com

• Chadam – Executive Producer^[12]

Animated series created by Alex Pardee and produced by HDFilms and Warner Bros. Television with Todd Roy to air online in 2009. The entire series was built using the Unreal Engine 3 - known as the engine behind the games Gears of War and Bioshock. Hall pushed the boundaries of traditional filmmaking by using a computer game engine in order to meet the challenge of animating Pardee's surreal work.^[13]

• The Jace Hall Show – Executive Producer

The Jace Hall Show is an online reality show co-created with Todd Roy, which airs on Microsoft's XBOX Live Marketplace, Sony's Crackle.com and Ign.^[14] The show covers video game news and personalities as well as interviews with film/TV/sports celebrities.

Sources[link]

• Jace Hall at the Internet Movie Database
• Moby Games Database
• GameSpy
• HD Films

External links[link]

• Jace Hall at the Internet Movie Database
• The Jace Hall Show
• HDFILMS, Inc.

References[link]

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (March 2012)

Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate in 2008
Born	Catherine Ford (1968-05-12) 12 May 1968 (age 44) Bloomsbury, London, England
Residence	Richmond upon Thames, London, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Actress, writer, comedienne
Years active	1990–present
Television	The Office Big Train Wild West The Catherine Tate Show Doctor Who
Partner	Twig Clark (until 2011)
Children	Erin Clark (born 2003)

Catherine Tate (born Catherine Ford on 12 May 1968)^[1] is an English actress, writer and comedienne. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and seven BAFTA Awards. Following the success of The Catherine Tate Show, Tate played Donna Noble in the 2006 Christmas special of Doctor Who and later reprised her role, becoming the Doctor's companion for the fourth series in 2008.^[2] In 2011, she began a recurring role as Nellie Bertram on The Office.

Early life and education[link]

Tate was born in Bloomsbury and brought up in the Brunswick Centre.^[1] Her mother, Josephine, was a florist,^[3] and Tate has said that the character of Margaret in The Catherine Tate Show, who shrieks at the slightest of disturbances, is based largely on Josephine.^[1]

Tate never knew her father, as he left very early on in her life,^[1] and consequently, she was brought up in a female-dominated environment, being cared for by her mother, grandmother and her godparents.^[3] As a child, Tate suffered from an obsessive-compulsive disorder which centred on word association. For example, Tate was not able to leave a jumper on the floor or it might have brought misfortune to her mother whose name began with the letter "J" like jumper.^[1]

She attended St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Macklin Street, Holborn and Notre Dame High School, Southwark, a south London convent secondary school for girls.^[1] By the time Tate was a teenager, she knew she wanted to follow a professional acting career and was subsequently sent to a boys' Roman Catholic school, Salesian College in Battersea at the age of 16. The school had the necessary facilities for drama.^[3] Tate left school without sitting her A-Levels.^[4] She then tried for four years to get a place in the Central School of Speech and Drama (University of London), succeeding on her fourth attempt.^[4] She studied there for three years,^[3][4] and until the age of 26, lived in Holborn and Bloomsbury.^[3] Prior to getting a place at the Central School of Speech and Drama, Tate went to the Sylvia Young Theatre School, but left after a week; "Even at that age, I realised I wasn't Bonnie Langford. It was very competitive", she stated. ^[5]

Career[link]

Beginnings[link]

Tate began her television acting career with roles in serial dramas such as The Bill,^[4] and London's Burning.^[3] Tate started stand-up comedy in 1996,^[6] and has appeared in comedy series such as The Harry Hill Show, Barking and That Peter Kay Thing and a role in Men Behaving Badly.^[7] She played the part of Kate in the unaired pilot episode of sitcom Not Going Out alongside Lee Mack and Tim Vine.^[8] In 1998 she wrote and starred in Barking, a late night sketch show broadcast on Channel 4 and featuring a host of, back then, unknown stars such as David Walliams, Peter Kay and Mackenzie Crook.

Soon after, she became involved with Lee Mack's Perrier Comedy Award-nominated New Bits show at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2000.^[7] In 2001, she returned to the festival with her own sell-out one-woman show,^[6] which was followed by roles in Big Train,^[5] Attention Scum and TVGoHome.^[7] After being spotted at Edinburgh, she was given the role of Angela in the comedy, Wild West, with Dawn French,^[7] who commented "Catherine Tate is far too talented and she must be destroyed."^[5]

Tate has also performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company,^[5] and at the National Theatre.^[4] She acted the role of Smeraldina in a 2000 RSC production of A Servant to Two Masters, and another role in The Way of the World at the National Theatre.^[9]

2004–05[link]

Tate was approached at a post-show party at the Edinburgh Festival by then-BBC controller of comedy Geoffrey Perkins, who encouraged Tate to develop her character ideas, especially to push the boundaries with teenager Lauren Cooper. Undertaking Perkins' advice, after a live show Tate found the audience walking out of the show repeating the character's catchphrase Am I bovvered?^[10]

Produced by Perkins at Tiger Aspect, Tate was given her own programme on BBC Two in 2004, which she co-wrote and starred in with Derren Litten, entitled The Catherine Tate Show, which ran for three series.^[7] Two of the show's well-known characters are teenager Lauren Cooper and Joannie "Nan" Taylor, the cockney grandmother.^[5] Tate's inspiration for the cockney grandmother came from visits to old people's homes when she was at drama college.^[5] Tate won a British Comedy Award for Best Comedy Newcomer for her work on the first series of The Catherine Tate Show,^[11] and with the first series becoming a success, in March 2005, Tate made a guest appearance during the BBC's Comic Relief as the character of Lauren from The Catherine Tate Show, alongside boy-band McFly, which gained her further exposure.^[6]

In November 2005, Tate appeared in another charity sketch as part of the BBC's annual Children in Need telethon. The segment was a crossover between EastEnders and The Catherine Tate Show, featuring Eastenders characters Peggy Mitchell, Little Mo Mitchell and Stacey Slater, whilst Tate appeared as Lauren.^[12] Also at that time, she was a guest star at the 77th Royal Variety Performance and appeared again in the guise of Lauren Cooper. During the sketch, Tate looked up at the Royal Box and asked The Queen, "Is one bovvered? Is one's face bovvered?".^[13] She also commented during the sketch that Prince Philip had fallen asleep: "she is bling, but the old fella next to her is asleep!" He then reportedly complained to the show's executive producer, saying he had been insulted.^[1] Tate later won a British Comedy Award for Best British Comedy Actress for her work in the second series of The Catherine Tate Show.^[14] At the end of 2005, she appeared in the BBC television adaptation of Bleak House.^[15]

Tate returned to the stage for the first time since working with the RSC,^[16] to play a role in the 2005 West End revival of Some Girl(s), alongside Sara Powell, Lesley Manville, Saffron Burrows and Friends star David Schwimmer.^[17] In an interview, Tate commented that she could not look Schwimmer in the eye during her time with him, leading to speculation that the pair did not get on.^[4] Tate immediately denied the rumours, explaining that she was joking about her attempts to act "cool" around Schwimmer, whom she described as "a very funny, personable man, and easy to get along with".^[18]

2006–07[link]

The third series of The Catherine Tate Show aired in 2006, going on to win the National Television Award for most popular comedy as voted for by the public,^[19] and Tate's catchphrase "bovvered", used by her character Lauren Cooper, became so influential in popular culture that it was named Word of the Year and was even poised to enter the Oxford English Dictionary.^[20] Tate also played the role of Donna Noble in Doctor Who, a woman in a wedding dress who suddenly appears in the TARDIS at the end of the episode "Doomsday".^[21] The following episode, the Christmas special entitled "The Runaway Bride", saw Tate's character in a major role, where she was temporarily the Doctor's companion.^[21] On her appearance in the series, Tate commented "I'm honoured and delighted to be joining David Tennant aboard the TARDIS. I was holding out for a summer season at Wigan rep but as a summer job, this'll do."^[22]

Tate had roles in three films in 2006, these included, Starter for 10, Sixty Six,^[16] and Scenes of a Sexual Nature.^[1] She later appeared in the films Mrs Ratcliffe's Revolution, in which she played the title character,^[16] and Love and Other Disasters.^[23]

In the 2007 television adaptation of the novel, The Bad Mother's Handbook, she played the lead role and co-starred with Anne Reid.^[24]

On 16 March 2007, Tate appeared for a second time on Comic Relief as some of her well-known characters from The Catherine Tate Show. She acted in sketches with David Tennant, Daniel Craig, Lenny Henry and the then Prime Minister Tony Blair, who used the show's famous catchphrase, "Am I bovvered?"^[25] Tate also appeared as Joannie "Nan" Taylor in an episode of Deal or No Deal, hosted by Noel Edmonds.^[26]

Tate became a Patron of the performing arts group Theatretrain.

Late 2007–present[link]

Despite speculation that the third series of The Catherine Tate Show would be the last, Tate and the BBC have not ruled out further episodes.^[16] She later filmed a one-off special episode which aired on Christmas Day 2007.^[27] The episode was subject to criticism when 42 viewers complained about the amount of swearing, and accused Tate of bigotry over the depiction of a family from Northern Ireland as terrorists, whose Christmas presents included a balaclava and a pair of knuckle dusters, in reference to the Troubles.^[28] After the complaints were made, an Ofcom report later concluded that the show was not offensive and did not violate broadcasting regulations.^[29][30] An extract from the Ofcom report read "Overall this episode was typical of the Catherine Tate Show and would not have gone beyond the expectations of its usual audience. For those not familiar with the show, the information given at the start was adequate."^[31]

She has also been nominated for four BAFTA Awards for her work on The Catherine Tate Show to date, including Best Comedy Performance.^[32]

Tate returned to Doctor Who in 2008 to reprise the role of Donna Noble as the Doctor's companion throughout the fourth series, which was shown on BBC One starting on 5 April for a 13-week run.^[33] Producer Russell T Davies said, "We are delighted that one of Britain's greatest talents has agreed to join us for the fourth series." Tate added, "I am delighted to be returning to Doctor Who. I had a blast last Christmas and look forward to travelling again through time and space with that nice man from Gallifrey."^[2] At the TV Quick Awards 2008, Tate was voted best actress for her role in Doctor Who.^[34] She returned as Donna Noble in the two-part Doctor Who Christmas special "The End of Time" which was broadcast over Christmas 2009.^[35][36]

In 2008, she starred as Michelle, a 38-year-old promiscuous maths teacher, in David Eldridge's Under The Blue Sky at the Duke of York's Theatre, London, alongside Francesca Annis and Nigel Lindsay. Tate injured her ankle in rehearsal on 15 July. She tackled previews with the aid of a crutch.

On 11 April 2009, 26 December 2009 and 30 January 2010, Tate with David Tennant guest hosted Jonathan Ross' BBC Radio 2 show.

In 2009 she created a one off special spin off to her long running TV sketch show. Although this time the show only starred 'Nan'. In the show, Nan played Scrooge, and was visited by 3 ghosts, one of whom was played by David Tennant. The show was a one off Christmas special.

In 2010, Tate took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March.

Tate took part in a series of short comedy films called 'Little Crackers'.^[37]

Tate appeared as Queen Isabelle of Lilliput in the 2010 film adaptation of Gulliver's Travels.

On 18 March 2011, the video for Take That's new single "Happy Now" was debuted on Comic Relief. The video shows comedians Catherine Tate, Alan Carr, James Corden, John Bishop and David Walliams audition to become Take That's ultimate tribute band, Fake That. Filming took place at Ealing Studios on 17 February 2011.^[38]

Tate appeared alongside former co-star David Tennant in the Shakespeare comedy Much Ado About Nothing at London's Wyndham's Theatre from 16 May to September 2011.^[39] For her performance – as Beatrice – Catherine won the BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play.^[40]

In the seventh season finale of The Office, which aired on 19 May 2011, Tate guest starred as Nellie Bertram, a potential replacement for the departing Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell).^[41][42]

On Saturday 17 December 2011, Tate presented the second episode of Channel 4's Laughing at the... series – entitled "Catherine Tate: Laughing at the Noughties" – in which she met Alan Carr, David Walliams, Noel Fielding, Rob Brydon and (her Doctor Who co-star) David Tennant to discuss the comedy highlights of the noughties.^[43]

In January 2012, Tate returned to The Office for its eighth season. She reprised her role as Nellie, who was hired as a "misguided special projects manager".

Personal life[link]

Tate's former partner is stage manager Twig Clark. They have a daughter, Erin (born at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in January 2003), delivered following an emergency caesarean section.^[1] The family had a home in Richmond-upon-Thames, London. The family had both a cat and a dog, the latter of which was given to her by Jonathan Ross. Tate and Clark split before summer 2011. Tate has reportedly dated Take That's Jason Orange.^[44]

Tate is the patron for the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust, supporting the charity since August 2006. In 2011 she took part in the charity's 2011 Charity Calendar^[45]

Tate suffered from postpartum depression,^[3] from which she only recovered after the filming of the second series of The Catherine Tate Show.^[1] She also suffers from occasional panic attacks.^[1] Regarding her personal outlook, Tate has said "I'm an incredibly negative person, so any form of success is only ever going to be a relief to me and set my default position back to neutral."^[3]

Awards and nominations[link]

All for her work on The Catherine Tate Show unless otherwise stated:

Awards[link]

• 2004: British Comedy Award — Best Comedy Newcomer
• 2006: RTS Television Award — Best Comedy Performance
• 2006: British Comedy Award – Best TV Comedy Actress
• 2007: National Television Awards — Most Popular Comedy Programme
• 2008: TV Quick Award — Best Actress in a Drama Series (for Doctor Who)^[46]

Nominations[link]

• 2004: British Comedy Award – Best TV Comedy Actress
• 2005: British Comedy Award – Best TV Comedy Actress
• 2005: British Comedy Award – People's Choice Award (polled most votes but award not received)^[47][48]
• 2005: International Emmy — Best Performance by an Actress^[49]
• 2005: BAFTA TV Award — Best New Writer
• 2005: BAFTA TV Award – Comedy Programme or Series Award
• 2006: BAFTA TV Award – Best Comedy Performance
• 2007: BAFTA TV Award – Best Comedy Programme
• 2008: Nickelodeon's UK Kids Choice Awards 2008 – Funniest Person
• 2008: Nickelodeon's UK Kids Choice Awards 2008 – Best TV Actress (for Doctor Who)
• 2008: National Television Award – Outstanding Drama Performance (for Doctor Who)
• 2011: BAFTA TV Award – Catherine Tate's Little Cracker

Filmography[link]

Television and film[link]

Theatre[link]

Radio and CD audio drama[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Catherine Tate

• Catherine Tate at bbc.co.uk/comedy
• The Catherine Tate Show at bbc.co.uk/comedy
• Catherine Tate at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Catherine Tate in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Sammy Davis Jr.
1986 portrait by Allan Warren
Born	Samuel George Davis, Jr. (1925-12-08)December 8, 1925 Harlem, New York, United States
Died	May 16, 1990(1990-05-16) (aged 64) Beverly Hills, California, United States Interred: Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
Cause of death	Throat cancer
Occupation	Singer, tap dancer, actor, musician
Years active	1928–1990
Religion	Judaism
Spouse	Loray White (1958–1959) May Britt (1960–1968) Altovise Davis (1970–1990)
Children	Tracey (b. 1961) Mark (b. 1960) Jeff (b. 1964) Manny (b. 1988)
Parents	Sammy Davis, Sr. (father) Elvera Sanchez (mother)
Website
sammydavis-jr.com

Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities.

Primarily a dancer and singer, Davis started as a child vaudevillian who became known for his performances on Broadway and Las Vegas. He went on to become a world famous recording artist, television and film star. Davis was also a member of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack".

At the age of three Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father and "uncle" as the Will Mastin Trio, toured nationally, and after military service, returned to the trio. Davis became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's after the 1951 Academy Awards. With the trio, he became a recording artist. In 1954, he lost his left eye in an automobile accident.

His film career began as a child in 1933. In 1960 he appeared in the first Rat Pack film, Ocean's 11. After a starring role on Broadway in 1956's Mr Wonderful, Davis returned to the stage in 1964's Golden Boy, and in 1966 had his own TV variety show, The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. Davis' career slowed in the late sixties, but he had a hit record with "The Candy Man", in 1972, and became a star in Las Vegas earning him the nickname Mister Show Business.

As an African American, Davis was the victim of racism throughout his life, and was a large financial supporter of civil rights causes. Davis had a complex relationship with the African-American community, and attracted criticism after physically embracing Richard Nixon in 1970. One day on a golf course with Jack Benny, he was asked what his handicap was. "Handicap?" he asked. "Talk about handicap—I'm a one-eyed Negro Jew."^[1][2] This was to become a signature comment, recounted in his autobiography, and in countless articles.^[3]

After reuniting with Sinatra and Dean Martin in 1987, Davis toured with them and Liza Minnelli internationally, before dying of throat cancer in 1990. He died in debt to the Internal Revenue Service, and his estate was the subject of legal battles.^{[citation needed]}

Davis was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP, and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his television performances. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987, and in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Early life[link]

Samuel George Davis, Jr. was born in New York City, to Sammy Davis, Sr. (1900–1988), an African-American entertainer, and Elvera Sanchez (1905–2000),^[4] a tap dancer. During his lifetime, Davis, Jr. stated that his mother was Puerto Rican and born in San Juan; however, in the 2003 biography In Black and White, author Wil Haygood writes that Davis, Jr.'s mother was born in New York City to Cuban American parents, and that Davis, Jr. claimed he was Puerto Rican because he feared anti-Cuban backlash would hurt his record sales.^[5][6][7]

Davis' parents were vaudeville dancers. As an infant, he was raised by his paternal grandmother. When he was three years old, his parents separated. His father, not wanting to lose custody of his son, took him on tour. Davis learned to dance from his father and his "uncle" Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a child and they became the Will Mastin Trio. Throughout his career, Davis included the Will Mastin Trio in his billing. Mastin and his father shielded him from racism. Snubs were explained as jealousy, for instance. When Davis served in the United States Army during World War II, however, he was confronted by strong racial prejudice. He later said, "Overnight the world looked different. It wasn't one color any more. I could see the protection I'd gotten all my life from my father and Will. I appreciated their loving hope that I'd never need to know about prejudice and hate, but they were wrong. It was as if I'd walked through a swinging door for eighteen years, a door which they had always secretly held open."

Career[link]

Sammy Davis Jr. during the 1963 March on Washington

During service in WWII, the Army assigned Davis to an integrated entertainment Special Services unit and he found that the spotlight lessened the prejudice. Even prejudiced white men admired and respected his performances. "My talent was the weapon, the power, the way for me to fight. It was the one way I might hope to affect a man's thinking," he said.^[8]

After his discharge, Davis rejoined the family dance act, which played at clubs around Portland, Oregon. He began to achieve success on his own and was singled out for praise by critics, releasing several albums.^[9] This led to Davis being hired to sing the title track for the Universal Pictures film Six Bridges to Cross in 1954,^[10][11] and later to his appearance in the Broadway play Mr. Wonderful in 1956.

In 1959, Davis became a member of the famous "Rat Pack", led by his friend Frank Sinatra, which included fellow performers such as Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. Initially, Sinatra called the gathering "the Clan", but Sammy voiced his opposition, saying that it reminded people of the racist Ku Klux Klan. Sinatra renamed the group "the Summit", but the media referred to them as the Rat Pack.

Davis was a headliner at The Frontier Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, but he was required (as were all black performers in the 1950s) to lodge in a rooming house on the west side of the city, instead of in the hotels as his white colleagues did. No dressing rooms were provided for black performers, and they had to wait outside by the swimming pool between acts. Davis and other black artists could entertain, but could not stay at the hotels where they performed, gamble in the casinos, or dine or drink in the hotel restaurants and bars. Davis later refused to work at places which practiced racial segregation.^[12]

Sammy Davis Jr. (left) with Walter Reuther (center) and Roy Wilkins (right) at the 1963 March on Washington.

In 1964, Davis was starring in Golden Boy at night and shooting his own New York-based afternoon talk show during the day. When he could get a day off from the theater, he would be recording new songs in the studio, or performing live, often at charity benefits as far away as Miami, Chicago, and Las Vegas, or doing television variety specials in Los Angeles. Davis knew he was cheating his family of his company, but he could not help himself; as he later said, he was incapable of standing still.

Although he was still a draw in Las Vegas, Davis' musical career had sputtered by the latter 1960s, although he had a No. 11 hit (#1 on the Easy Listening singles chart) with "I've Gotta Be Me" in 1969. His effort to update his sound and reconnect with younger people resulted in some "hip" musical efforts with the Motown record label.^[13] But then, even as his career seemed at its nadir, Sammy had an unexpected hit with "Candy Man". Although he did not particularly care for the song and was chagrined that he was now best known for it, Davis made the most of his opportunity and revitalized his career. Although he enjoyed no more Top 40 hits, he did enjoy popularity with his 1976 performance of the theme song from the Baretta TV series, "Baretta's Theme (Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow)" (1975–1978), which was released as a single (20th century 2282). He occasionally landed television and film parts, including cameo visits to the television shows "I Dream of Jeannie", All in the Family (during which he famously kisses Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) on the cheek) and, with wife Altovise Davis, on Charlie's Angels. In the 1970s, he appeared in commercials in Japan for Suntory whiskey.

Davis performing in 1966.

On December 11, 1967, NBC broadcast a musical-variety special entitled Movin' With Nancy. In addition to the Emmy Award-winning musical performances, the show is notable for Nancy Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. greeting each other with a kiss, one of the first black-white kisses in U.S. television history.^[14]

It's been said^{[by whom?]} Davis had a friendship with Elvis Presley. Davis sang a cover-version of Presley's song "In The Ghetto" and made a cameo-appearance in Presley's concert-film Elvis: That's the Way It Is. One year later, he made a cameo appearance in a James Bond film, but the scene he appeared in was deleted.

In Japan, Davis appeared in television commercials for coffee, and in the U.S. he joined Sinatra and Martin in a radio commercial for a Chicago car dealership.

Davis was a fan of the daytime soap operas, particularly the shows produced by the American Broadcasting Company. This led to a cameo appearance on General Hospital and a recurring role as character Chip Warren on One Life to Live, for which he received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1980. He was also a game show fan, appearing on the ABC version of Family Feud in 1979. He appeared on Tattletales with third wife Altovise Davis in the 1970s. He made a cameo during an episode of the NBC version of Card Sharks in 1981.

In addition to American soaps, he was also a huge fan of the Australian show Prisoner: Cell Block H. Davis wanted to make an appearance in Prisoner, but the show ended (in 1986) before this could be arranged.

Davis was an avid photographer who enjoyed shooting family and acquaintances. His body of work was detailed in a 2007 book by Burt Boyar. "Jerry [Lewis] gave me my first important camera, my first 35 millimeter, during the Ciro's period, early '50s", Boyar quotes Davis. "And he hooked me." Davis used a medium format camera later on to capture images. Again quoting Davis, "Nobody interrupts a man taking a picture to ask ... 'What's that nigger doin' here?'". His catalog includes rare photos of his father dancing onstage as part of the Will Mastin Trio and intimate snapshots of close friends Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, James Dean, Nat "King" Cole, and Marilyn Monroe. His political affiliations also were represented, in his images of Robert Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. His most revealing work comes in photographs of wife May Britt and their three children, Tracey, Jeff and Mark.

Davis was an enthusiastic shooter and gun owner. He participated in fast-draw competitions—Johnny Cash recalled that Sammy was said to be capable of drawing and firing a Colt Single Action Army revolver in less than a quarter of a second.^[15] Davis was skilled at fast and fancy gunspinning, and appeared on TV variety shows showing off this skill. He appeared in Western films and as a guest star on several "Golden Age" T.V. Westerns.

Personal life[link]

Car accident and conversion to Judaism[link]

Davis nearly died in an automobile accident on November 19, 1954 in San Bernardino, California, as he was making a return trip from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.^[16] The accident occurred at a fork in U.S. Highway 66 at Cajon Boulevard and Kendall Drive (34°12′26″N 117°23′08″W / 34.2072°N 117.3855°W / 34.2072; -117.3855). Davis lost his left eye as a result. His friend, actor Jeff Chandler, offered one of his own eyes if it would keep Davis from total blindness. The offer was not needed.^[17] Davis wore an eye patch for at least six months following the accident.^[18][19] He appeared on What's My Line wearing the patch.^[20] Later, he was fitted for a glass eye, which he wore for the rest of his life.

While in the hospital, Davis' friend, performer Eddie Cantor, told him about the similarities between the Jewish and black cultures. Prompted by this conversation, Davis—who was born to a Catholic mother and Protestant father—began studying the history of Jews. He converted to Judaism several years later.^[1] One passage from his readings (from the book A History of The Jews by Abram L. Sachar), describing the endurance of the Jewish people, intrigued him in particular: "The Jews would not die. Three millennia of prophetic teaching had given them an unwavering spirit of resignation and had created in them a will to live which no disaster could crush".^[21] In many ways, the accident marked a turning point in Davis' career, taking him from a well-known entertainer to a national celebrity and icon.^[16]

Marriages[link]

In the mid-1950s, Sammy was involved with Kim Novak, a film star under contract to Columbia Studios. The head of the studio, Harry Cohn, was worried about the negative effect this would have on the studio because of the prevailing taboo against miscegenation. He called his friend, the mobster Johnny Roselli, who was asked to tell Davis that he had to stop the affair with Novak. Roselli arranged for Davis to be kidnapped for a few hours to throw a scare into him. His hastily arranged and soon-dissolved marriage to black dancer Loray White in 1958 was an attempt to quiet the controversy.^[22]

In 1960, Davis caused controversy again when he married white Swedish-born actress May Britt. Davis received hate mail while starring in the Broadway musical adaptation of Golden Boy from 1964–66 (for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor). At the time Davis appeared in the play, interracial marriages were forbidden by law in 31 US states, and only in 1967 were those laws ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court.^[23] Davis and Britt had one daughter and adopted two sons. Davis performed almost continuously and spent little time with his wife. They divorced in 1968, after Davis admitted to having had an affair with singer Lola Falana. That year, Davis started dating Altovise Gore, a dancer in Golden Boy. They were married on May 11, 1970 by the Reverend Jesse Jackson. They adopted a child and remained married until Davis's death in 1990.

Political beliefs[link]

Sammy Davis, Jr. in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House with President Richard Nixon, March 4, 1973

Although Davis had been voting Democratic, he felt a lack of respect from the John F. Kennedy presidency. He had been removed from the list of performers for Kennedy's inaugural party (hosted by Davis' close friend Frank Sinatra) because of Davis' recent interracial marriage to May Britt on November 13, 1960, in order to quell any controversy.^[24]

In the early 1970s, Davis supported Republican President Richard M. Nixon (and gave the startled President a hug during a live television broadcast). The incident was controversial, and Davis was given a hostile reception by his peers. Previously Davis had won their respect with his performance as Joe Wellington Jr. in Golden Boy and his participation in the Civil Rights Movement. Nixon invited Davis to sleep in the White House in 1973, which is believed^{[by whom?]} to be the first time an African American was invited to do so.^{[citation needed]} Davis spent the night in the Queens' Bedroom.^[25] Unlike Sinatra, Davis voted Democratic for President again after the Nixon administration, supporting the campaigns of Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988.

Death[link]

Davis died in Beverly Hills, California on May 16, 1990, of complications from throat cancer. Earlier, when he was told that surgery (laryngectomy) offered him the best chance of survival, Davis replied he would rather keep his voice than have a part of his throat removed; he subsequently was treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.^[26] However, a few weeks prior to his death his entire larynx was removed during surgery.^[27] He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California next to his father and Will Mastin.

On May 18, 1990, two days after Davis' death, the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip were darkened for ten minutes, as a tribute to him.

Portrayals[link]

Davis in 1989

Davis was portrayed by Don Cheadle in the HBO film The Rat Pack, a television film about the pack of entertainers. Cheadle won a Golden Globe award for his performance.

Eddie Griffin has made his impersonation of Davis a major part of his career, be it at stage or TV.

On Saturday Night Live, Davis has been portrayed by Garrett Morris, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal and Tim Meadows.

Davis was portrayed on the popular sketch comedy show In Living Color by Tommy Davidson, notably a parody of the film Ghost, in which the ghost of Davis enlists the help of Whoopi Goldberg to communicate with his wife.

David Raynr also portrayed Davis in the miniseries Sinatra, a television film about the life of Frank Sinatra.

Davis was portrayed by Keith Powell in an episode of 30 Rock entitled "Subway Hero".

In the 1993 film Wayne's World 2, Tim Meadows portrays Davis in the dream sequence with Michael A. Nickles as Jim Morrison.

He was portrayed by Paul Sharma in the 2003 West End production Rat Pack Confidential.^[28]

In September 2009, the musical Sammy: Once in a Lifetime premiered at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego with book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, and additional songs by Bricusse and Anthony Newley. The title role was played by Broadway Tony Award nominee Obba Babatundé.

Davis was mentioned in British singer Amy Winehouse's album Back to Black on the song "Me and Mr. Jones". The lyrics are as follows: "Aside from Sammy you're my best black Jew."

A black and white portrait of Davis, drawn by Jim Blanchard, adorns the cover of avant-garde rock band Oxbow's second album King Of The Jews.

Midwest radio personality Kevin Matthews impersonated Sammy Davis, Jr. many times on his radio show.

Comedian Jim Carrey has portrayed Davis on stage in a stand up routine.

Discography[link]

Honors and awards[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

Emmy Awards[link]

Other honors[link]

Filmography[link]

Stage[link]

• Mr. Wonderful (1957), musical
• Golden Boy (1964), musical – Tony Nomination for Best Actor in a Musical
• Sammy (1974), special performance featuring Davis with the Nicholas Brothers
• Stop the World - I Want to Get Off (1978) musical revival

TV[link]

• The Rifleman – episode "Two Ounces of Tin (#4.21)" (February 19, 1962).
• Ben Casey – episode "Allie" (1963).
• The Patty Duke Show - episode "Will the Real Sammy Davis Please Hang Up?" (1965).
• Wild Wild West – episode "The Night of the Returning Dead" (October 14, 1966).
• I Dream of Jeannie – episode "The Greatest Entertainer in the World" (1967).
• The Name Of The Game - episode "I Love You, Billy Baker." (1970).
• All in the Family – episode "Sammy's Visit" (1972).
• Charlie's Angels - episode "Sammy Davis, Jr. Kidnap Caper" (1977).
• The Jeffersons episode "What Makes Sammy Run?" (1984).
• Gimme a Break – episode "The Lookalike" (1985).
• The Cosby Show – episode "No Way, Baby" (1989). (After Davis' death in 1990, Bill Cosby wore a black pin with Davis' initials printed in white for an entire season of the show.)

See also[link]

• Rat Pack
• Jews and Judaism in the African diaspora
• List of notable Hispanics from the United States

References[link]

Further reading[link]

Autobiographies[link]

• Yes, I Can (with Burt and Jane Boyar) (1965) ISBN 0-374-52268-5
• Why Me? (with Burt and Jane Boyar) (1980) ISBN 0-446-36025-2
• Sammy (with Burt and Jane Boyar) (2000) ISBN 0-374-29355-4; consolidates the two previous books and includes additional material
• Hollywood in a Suitcase (1980) ISBN 0-425-05091-2

Biographies[link]

• Haygood, Wil. (2003) In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr. Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0-8230-8395-4
• Birkbeck, Matt. (2008) Deconstructing Sammy. Amistad. ISBN 978-0-06-145066-2
• Silber, Jr., Arthur (2003) "Sammy Davis, Jr: Me and My Shadow, Samart Enterprises, ISBN 0-9655675-5-9

Other[link]

• Photo by Sammy Davis, Jr. (Burt Boyar) (2007) ISBN 0-06-114605-6

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sammy Davis, Jr.

• Sammy Davis, Jr. at AllRovi
• Sammy Davis, Jr. at Find a Grave
• Sammy Davis, Jr. at the Internet Broadway Database
• Sammy Davis, Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
• Discography of Sammy Davis, Jr.'s Recording Career
• Obituary, NY Times, May 17, 1990 Sammy Davis Jr. Dies at 64; Top Showman Broke Barriers
• Sammy Davis Jr. talks to draft dodgers in Canada, CBC Archives

Baby Bash
Baby Bash attending the AVN Awards Show at the Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada on January 9, 2010
Background information
Birth name	Ronnie Ray Bryant[1]
Born	(1975-10-18) October 18, 1975 (age 36) Vallejo, California
Origin	Houston, Texas, United States
Genres	Latin hip hop, pop rap, R&B
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, actor, performer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1996-present (singing) 2002-present (acting)
Labels	Dope House, Universal, RCA, J, Arista, Bashtown Music Group
Associated acts	Frankie J, South Park Mexican, Akon, Lucky Luciano, T-Pain
Website	www.myspace.com/babybash

Ronnie Ray Bryant (born October 18, 1975), better known by his stage name Baby Bash (formerly Baby Beesh), is a Mexican-American rapper. From 1995 to 1998, he performed under the stage name Baby Beesh, as part of the Vallejo, California group Potna Duece, after which he changed the last part of the name to Bash.^[2] His first album was On Tha Cool, with one of his greatest hits, "Vamanos"... His next album The Smokin' Nephew which included the singles "Suga Suga" and "Shorty Doowop". In 2005, Super Saucy was released, its lead single being "Baby I'm Back", a collaboration with singer Akon. Cyclone followed in 2007, with its title single featuring T-Pain and its follow-up, "What Is It" featuring Sean Kingston, landing on the Billboard charts as well.^[3]

He has frequently contributed to other performers' works, including a spot in the song "Obsession (No Es Amor)" by 3rd Wish released in Europe and later a U.S release with a copy / re- recording of the European version, performed by Frankie J in 2005 and "Doing Too Much" by Paula DeAnda in 2006.

He has collaborated with numerous other artists during his career, such as West Coast rappers B-Legit, C-Bo, Coolio- Da'unda'dogg, E-40^[4] and Mac Dre, R&B singers like Akon, Avant, Natalie, Mario, and Nate Dogg,^[5] and other Latino rappers such as Fat Joe, Nino Brown, Doll-E Girl, Frost,^[4] and Pitbull.^[6] He continues to write lyrics for singers such as Paula DeAnda, Jennifer Hudson and Frankie J.^[7]

Biography[link]

Early life and career beginnings[link]

Ronnie Rey Bryant was born to a Mexican American mother and English-American father. Bryant was raised by his grandmother, and Bryant's father and uncles exposed him to many different types of musical genres. Initially, Bryant wanted to be a professional basketball player.^[2] He planned to play basketball for the junior college he attended in California during the mid-'90s. After tearing his ankle several times and not having it repaired with surgery, he permanently ended the possibility of ever playing basketball at even a semi-professional level.

[edit] 2001:2002: Savage Dreams and On the Cool

Baby Bash's career began as part of the group Potna Duece in Vallejo, California. He went to Houston in 2000, where he met fellow rapper South Park Mexican.^[8] Prior to his success as a solo artist he, under the name "Baby Beesh", was part of rap groups Potna Deuce and Latino Velvet.^[9] Bash's debut album entitled Savage Dreams was released on the independent label Dope House Records in 2001.^[2] The album features guest performances by SPM, Frost, Jay Tee, Mr. Kee, Don Cisco and Merciless. On tha Cool is the second studio album by American rapper Baby Beesh, released June 11, 2002 on Dope House Records. It was produced by Happy P and Johnny Z. The album features guest performances by SPM, Jay Tee, Russell Lee, Don Cisco, Mr. Shadow and DJ Kane.

[edit] 2003-2005: The Smokin' Nephew, Menage a Trois and Super Saucy

The acclaim he received soon caught the attention of Universal Records, who signed him later that year. In 2003, Baby Bash released his first album on a major label, Tha Smokin' Nephew. It debuted at number 48 on the Billboard 200. Five months after its release, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA. As of March 2005, the album has sold 531,000 copies in the United States. Menage a Trois is an independent label album (fifth album overall) by Baby Bash.

In 2005 Bash released Super Saucy. Super Saucy is the first official studio album (sixth album overall) by Baby Bash released in March 2005. It spawned the hit single, "Baby I'm Back" (featuring Akon) which reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is also his last release on Universal Records before signing with Arista Records. The album debuted at #11 on the Billboard 200 with 48,000 copies sold in the first week released, becoming Baby Bash's highest charting album to date. He was

[edit] 2006-2011: Cyclone and Bashtown

He recently was featured in Paula DeAnda's first single "Doin' Too Much" from her debut album Paula DeAnda. His third studio album, Cyclone (initially titled Ronnie Rey All Day),^[10] was released in late October 2007. So far, Baby Bash has released three singles off the album: "Mamacita" featuring Marcos Hernandez, "Na Na (The Yummy Song)", and "Cyclone" featuring Mickaël & T-Pain. The month of the album release, Baby Bash became Myspace's #1 Latin artist,^[7] and the single "Cyclone" had over 750,000 digital and ringtone sales prior to the album's release.^[7] Baby Bash completed a film entitled Primos starring Chingo Bling and Danny Trejo. The comedy involves three cousins working in a bakery with dreams of making money, and is slated for a 2010 release.^[7] His major-label debut Tha Smokin' Nephew was well-received by Allmusic,^[11] but his 2007 album Cyclone was given mixed reviews, for example being panned by Rolling Stone magazine.^[12]

Bashtown is the fourth studio album by American hip hop artist Baby Bash. Released on March 22, 2011, it is the first of his albums to be released on Upstairs Records. Bashtown features production from Jim Jonsin, Printz Board, Happy P, Mickaël, J. Lacy, & C-Ballin and features vocal guests E-40, Paul Wall, Slim Thug, & Lloyd among others. According to Baby Bash, the album was entirely recorded in 2010, although many singles and the album were released in 2011. In December 2010, Baby Bash was offered a job as on-air personality for Wild 94.9, a Rhythmic Contemporary commercial radio station in San Francisco, California.^[1] In the same month, it was announced that Bash was endorsing a new energy drink for women named after his 2011 album's single, "Go Girl."^[1] Part of the sales proceeds from the energy drink will be donated to various charities for breast cancer and ovarian cancer research for women.^[1] His latest album Bashtown was released on March 22, 2011, and features guest appearances by Lloyd and E-40.^[1]

[edit] 2011-present: Weedsmoke and arrest

Baby Bash was arrested with Paul Wall the night of September 10, 2011 in El Paso, Texas for possession of marijuana. Both rappers were released the same night on $300 bail.

Baby Bash is also currently working on his upcoming eighth studio album called Weedsmoke, which is scheduled to be released in 2012.^[13]

Discography[link]

• Savage Dreams (2001)
• On tha Cool (2002)
• Tha Smokin' Nephew (2003)
• Menage a Trois (2004)
• Super Saucy (2005)
• Cyclone (2007)
• Bashtown (2011)
• Weedsmoke (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Baby Bash on Myspace