Surreal humour, also called absurd humour or nonsense humour, is a form of humour—and constitutes the comedic genre of surreal comedy—based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, irrational situations, and other displays and expressions of nonsense.

The humour itself arises from these conditions causing a departure from what the audience expects, so that amusement is founded on creativity and unpredictability, separated from any usual logical analysis of the situation. Surreal comedy as a genre has roots in the nonconforming, nonsensical nature of the surrealist movement in the arts.

Common elements of surreal comedy include the non-sequitur, in which one statement is followed by another with no logical progression and the placing of otherwise logical constructs in different contexts where they become ludicrous and bizarre.

Literary precursors

We can speak of surreal humour when illogic and absurdity are used for humorous effect. Under such premises, we can identify precursors and early examples of surreal humor at least since the 19th century, such as Lewis Carroll's ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and ''Through the Looking-Glass'', which both use illogic and absurdity for humorous effect. Many of Edward Lear's children stories and poems cointain nonsense and are basically surreal in approach; for example, ''The Story of the Four Little Children Who Went Round the World'' (1871) is filled with contradictory statements and odd images intended to provoke amusement, such as the following:

Relationship with dadaism and futurism

In the early 20th century, several avant-garde movements including the Dadaists, Surrealists, and Futurists began to argue for an art that was random, jarring and illogical. The goals of these movements were in some sense serious, and they were committed to undermining the solemnity and self-satisfaction of the contemporary artistic establishment. As a result, much of their art was intentionally amusing.

A famous example is Marcel Duchamp's ''Fountain'' (1917), an inverted urinal signed "R. Mutt". This became one of the most famous and influential pieces of art in history, and one of the earlies examples of the found art movement. It is also a joke, relying on the inversion of the item's function as expressed by its title as well as its incongruous presence in an art exhibition.

Etymology and development

The word "surreal" first began to be used to describe a type of aesthetic of the early 1920s.

In addition to the avant-garde art movements, early surrealist comedy is found in the satirical and comedic elements of works of modern authors, who, like Lear and Carroll, wrote stories which dispensed with the normal rules of logic. Examples of this include the dark comedy of Franz Kafka, the stream of consciousness writings of James Joyce, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, and Hunter S. Thompson, or the whimsical poetry of Dylan Thomas and E. E. Cummings. Surreal humour is also found frequently in avant-garde theatre such as the droll ''Waiting for Godot'' and ''Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead''. In the United States, S. J. Perelman (1904-1979) has been the first surrealist humor writer. Artists like Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol, Donald Barthelme, Italo Calvino, John Hodgman and many others have relied on this technique in their work.

Surrealist humour has played an important role in popular culture, especially since ''The Goon Show'' and ''The Firesign Theater''. In the 1960s, surreal humour was combined with counter-culture in movements such as the Youth International Party and the Merry Pranksters, as well as in the work of psychedelic musicians such as The Beatles, Syd Barrett, Frank Zappa, The Residents, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Captain Beefheart, and the television series ''The Monkees''.

Another significant influence on popular culture was Monty Python, most notably in their ''Goon Show''-influenced TV series, ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which featured an intricate structure and many absurdities and non sequiturs.

Surrealist humour is used effectively in Cinema where the suspension of disbelief can be stretched to absurd lengths by logically following the consequences of unlikely, reversed or exaggerated premises. Luis Buñuel is a principal exponent of this, especially in ''The Exterminating Angel''. Other examples include ''The Falls'' by Peter Greenaway, "Free Time" by The Bogus Group and ''Brazil'' by Terry Gilliam. As with Satire, the humour is intended as an attack on particular norms and preconceptions rather than as pure entertainment.

Analysis

Drs. Mary K. Rodgers and Diana Pien analysed the subject in an essay entitled "Elephants and Marshmallows" (subtitled "A Theoretical Synthesis of Incongruity-Resolution and Arousal Theories of Humour"), and wrote that "jokes are nonsensical when they fail to completely resolve incongruities," and cited one of the many permutations of the elephant joke: "Why did the elephant sit on the marshmallow?" "Because he didn't want to fall into the cup of hot chocolate."

"The joke is incompletely resolved in their opinion," noted Dr. Elliot Oring, "because the situation is incompatible with the world as we know it. Certainly, elephants ''do not'' sit in cups of hot chocolate." Oring defined humour as not the resolution of incongruity, but "the perception of appropriate incongruity," that all jokes contain a certain amount of incongruity, and that absurd jokes require the additional component of an "absurd image," with an incongruity of the mental image.

References

Humor Category:Comedy genres Category:Humor Category:Culture jamming

es:Humor absurdo

Kenneth Ring (born 1936) is Professor Emeritus of psychology at the University of Connecticut, and a researcher within the field of near-death studies. He is co-founder and past president of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) and is the founding editor of the ''Journal of Near-Death Studies''.

Ring was born in San Francisco, California and currently lives in Kentfield, California. In November 2008, Ring visited Israel as part of a peace delegation and subsequently protested the Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip as completely disproportionate.

Ring's book ''Life at Death'' was published by William Morrow and Company in 1980. In 1984, the company published Ring's second book, ''Heading Toward Omega.'' Both books deal with near-death experiences and how they change people's lives. Other books by Ring include ''The Omega Project: Near-Death Experiences, Ufo Encounters, and Mind at Large'' (1992), ''Mindsight: Near-death and out-of-body experiences in the blind'' (1999) and ''Lessons from the Light'' (2000). He is also the coauthor of ''Methods of Madness: The Mental Hospital as a Last Resort''.

References

External links

''New York Times'' interview with Kenneth Ring

Near Death Experience Research Foundation: Ken Ring Intro

Kenneth RING, distinguished members of INREES

Dr. Kenneth Ring: summary of his research (WebCite archive)

Category:1936 births Category:Living people Category:Parapsychologists

fr:Kenneth Ring pt:Kenneth Ring

Name	Robyn Hitchcock
Background	solo_singer
Birth date	March 03, 1953
Instrument	Guitar, piano
Genre	Alternative rock, Jangle pop, Psych folk
Occupation	Musician, actor
Associated acts	Soft BoysRobyn Hitchcock and the EgyptiansThe Venus 3
Website	http://robynhitchcock.com }}

Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born 3 March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar.

Coming to prominence in the late 1970s with The Soft Boys, Hitchcock afterward launched a prolific solo career. Hitchcock's musical and lyrical styles have been influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Syd Barrett. Hitchcock's lyrics tend to include surrealism, comedic elements, characterisations of English eccentrics, and melancholy depictions of everyday life.

He was signed to two major American labels (A&M; Records, then Warner Brothers) over the course of the 1980s and '90s, but mainstream success has been limited. Still, he has maintained a loyal cult following and has often earned strong critical reviews over a steady stream of album releases and live performances.

Biography

Early life and recording career

Born Robyn Hitchcock in London, England and educated at Winchester College, he began his recording career in 1976 with the Cambridge-based punk/New Wave band The Soft Boys, a local group with an interest in the odd concept of 'psychedelic punk'. After the group broke up in 1981, Hitchcock began recording as a solo artist.

1980s

Hitchcock released his solo debut, ''Black Snake Diamond Röle'' in 1981, which more or less replicated the sound of his previous band, as it featured instrumental backing by several former Soft Boys. He followed it in 1982 with the generally critically maligned ''Groovy Decay'', a record which he would ultimately disown. Following his solo acoustic album ''I Often Dream Of Trains'' in 1984, he formed a new band, The Egyptians, comprising former members of The Soft Boys (Andy Metcalfe and Morris Windsor, supplemented at first by early keyboardist Roger Jackson), resulting in their 1985 debut ''Fegmania!'', which featured typically surrealist Hitchcock songs such as "My Wife and My Dead Wife" and "The Man with the Lightbulb Head". (A live album, ''Gotta Let This Hen Out!'', was released at the end of that year.) Their popularity grew with the 1986 album ''Element of Light'' and they were subsequently signed to A&M; Records in the U.S. The album ''Globe of Frogs'', released in 1988, further expanded their reach, as the single "Balloon Man" became a college radio and MTV hit, followed in 1989 by "Madonna Of The Wasps" from their ''Queen Elvis'' album. In 1989 they also teamed up with Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Peter Holsapple of The dB's, playing two gigs as Nigel and the Crosses, mostly covers. The Crosses also had their cover of "Wild Mountain Thyme" included on a Byrds tribute album, though Hitchcock always alluded to the Bryan Ferry version when performing it live with the Egyptians.

1990s

At the beginning of the decade, Hitchcock took a break from the Egyptians and A&M; Records to release another solo acoustic album, ''Eye'', then resumed with the band's ''Perspex Island'' release in 1991. 1993's ''Respect'', influenced a great deal by his father's death, marked the last Egyptians release and the end of his association with A&M; Records. Early in 1994, after disbanding the Egyptians, he embarked on a short reunion tour with The Soft Boys. His work received a slight boost in 1995 when his back catalogue (including both solo releases and Egyptians albums) were re-packaged and re-issued in the United States by the respected Rhino Records label. For the rest of the decade he continued recording and performing as a solo artist, releasing several albums on Warner Brothers Records, such as 1996's ''Moss Elixir'' (which featured the contributions of violinist Deni Bonet and guitarist Tim Keegan), and the soundtrack from the Jonathan Demme-directed concert film ''Storefront Hitchcock'' in 1998. The 1999 release ''Jewels for Sophia'', also on Warner, featured cameos from Southern California-based musicians Jon Brion and Grant-Lee Phillips, both of whom often shared the stage with Hitchcock when he played Los Angeles nightclub Largo. An album of outtakes from the Sophia sessions called ''A Star For Bram'', released on Hitchcock's own label, followed, and his subsequent albums appeared on a variety of independent labels.

2000s

In 2001, Hitchcock reunited and toured with Kimberley Rew, bassist Matthew Seligman, and Morris Windsor for the Soft Boys' re-release of their best-known album, 1980's ''Underwater Moonlight''. The following year they recorded and released a new album, ''Nextdoorland'', which was accompanied by a short album of outtakes, ''Side Three''. The reunion proved to be short-lived, although they did re-form again in 2006 to perform a live concert of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd covers in London, benefiting Médecins Sans Frontières.

During a short tour with Grant-Lee Phillips of Grant Lee Buffalo, Hitchcock co-produced and co-starred in a concert film of the tour shot in Seattle titled ''Elixirs & Remedies''.

The 2002 double album ''Robyn Sings'' comprised cover versions of Bob Dylan songs, including a live re-creation (performed in 1996) of Dylan's so-called ''Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' 1966 concert. Hitchcock celebrated his 50th birthday in 2003 with a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London at which his then-new solo acoustic album ''Luxor'' was given away as a gift to all those attending, and an original poem of his was read by actor Alan Rickman. He continued collaborating with a series of different musicians, as on the album ''Spooked'', which was recorded with country/folk duo (and longtime Hitchcock fans) Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. In 2006 ''Olé! Tarantula'' was released with The Venus 3, a band which consisted of longtime friends and collaborators R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Young Fresh Fellows' frontman Scott McCaughey, as well as Ministry's Bill Rieflin (by then also R.E.M.'s full-time drummer). The song "'Cause It's Love (Saint Parallelogram)" was written with Andy Partridge of XTC.

In 2007, he was the subject of a documentary ''Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death... and Insects'' directed by John Edginton, shown on the U.S. Sundance Channel and in the UK on BBC Four (and later released on DVD). "Food, sex and death are all corridors to life if you like. You need sex to get you here, you need food to keep you here and you need death to get you out and they’re the entry and exit signs."

The filmmaker eavesdrops on Hitchcock at work on his latest collection of songs with contributors including Nick Lowe, former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, Peter Buck and Gillian Welch. The film culminates with Hitchcock and the band taking the songs on the road in America. A live EP with The Venus 3, ''Sex, Food, Death... and Tarantulas'', was released in conjunction with the documentary. The film also includes candid interviews with Hitchcock, who reveals much about the source of his work: "At heart I'm a frightened angry person. That's probably why my stuff isn’t totally insubstantial. I'm constantly, deep down inside, in a kind of rage."

Late in 2007, Hitchcock's music was again re-packaged and re-released in the U.S., as Yep Roc Records began an extensive reissue campaign with three early solo releases and a double-CD compilation of rarities, which would be available separately or as part of a new boxed set release, ''I Wanna Go Backwards''.

In 2008, that boxed set was followed up with ''Luminous Groove'', a boxed set of three early Egyptians releases and two further discs of rarities. In 2009, the electro-pop artist and remixer Pocket released an EP featuring Hitchcock called "Surround Him With Love", while Hitchcock released an entirely separate new album, ''Goodnight Oslo'', with the Venus 3. At the end of the year, a live album called ''I Often Dream Of Trains In New York'' documented the late-2008 onstage re-creation of his acclaimed 1984 acoustic album (a limited-edition deluxe version also included the materials to construct a kind of moving-image generator called a phenokistoscope).

2010s

Concurrent with the redesign of his official website in early 2010, Hitchcock began to offer an occasional series of "Phantom 45s" as downloads, each "45" being two newly-recorded songs that would initially be offered as a free download. He also released the ''Propellor Time'' album, containing new material partially based on the "Sex, Food, Death" sessions shown in the 2007 documentary, but mainly featuring the Venus 3. In 2011, he released ''Tromsø, Kaptein'', an album of songs written in Norway, and released physically only in that country. Robyn was chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform "I Often Dream Of Trains" at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival, to be curated by Mangum in March 2012 in Minehead, England.

Interests

Additionally, Hitchcock has an interest in acting, literature and art. He writes short stories, paints (often in a whimsical, surrealist style) and draws in the cartoon-strip mode. Many of Hitchcock's album covers bear his paintings or drawings, and his albums' liner notes sometimes include a printed short story. His live concerts usually include a considerable amount of story-telling, in the form of imaginative and surreal ad-libbed monologues in his lyrical style.

Hitchcock collaborated with director Jonathan Demme in 1998 for a live concert and film ''Storefront Hitchcock'', and later appeared in Demme's 2004 remake of ''The Manchurian Candidate'', in which he played double agent Laurent Tokar. He also appeared in Demme's ''Rachel Getting Married'' in 2008, singing and playing guitar in the wedding-party band.

In September 2008 Hitchcock joined the Disko Bay Cape Farewell expedition to the West Coast of Greenland. Cape Farewell is a UK based arts organisation that brings artists, scientists and communicators together to instigate a cultural response to climate change. Other voyagers on the trip included musicians Jarvis Cocker, KT Tunstall and Martha Wainwright.

Personal

Robyn is the son of novelist Raymond Hitchcock and the brother of artist Lal Hitchcock. He is not related to Alfred Hitchcock.

Album discography

Releases marked "with the Egyptians" are credited on the album as by "Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians". Similarly, releases marked "with the Venus 3" are credited on the album as by "Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3". Others are credited as solo albums, although they may contain some group recordings.

Original studio albums

''Black Snake Diamond Röle'', 1981

''Groovy Decay'', 1982

''I Often Dream of Trains'', 1984

''Fegmania!'', 1985 (with the Egyptians)

''Element of Light'', 1986 (with the Egyptians)

''Globe of Frogs'', 1988 (with the Egyptians)

''Queen Elvis'', 1989 (with the Egyptians)

''Eye'', 1990

''Perspex Island'', 1991 (with the Egyptians)

''Respect'', 1993 (with the Egyptians)

''Moss Elixir'', 1996

''Jewels for Sophia'', 1999

''Luxor'', 2003

''Spooked'', 2004

''Olé! Tarantula'', 2006 (with the Venus 3)

''Goodnight Oslo'', 2009 (with the Venus 3)

''Propellor Time'', 2010 (with the Venus 3)

''Tromsø, Kaptein'', 2011

Compilations of rarities, demos, alternate takes and out-takes

''Groovy Decoy'' (A re-worked version of ''Groovy Decay'', featuring demo versions of many of that album's songs), 1985

''Invisible Hitchcock'' (Outtakes and rarities, 1980–1986), 1986

''Gravy Deco'' (A compilation of the ''Groovy Decay'' and ''Groovy Decoy'' sessions), 1995

''You & Oblivion'' (Outtakes and rarities, 1981–1987), 1995

''Mossy Liquor'' ("Outtakes and prototypes" from ''Moss Elixir''), 1996

''A Star for Bram'' (Outtakes from ''Jewels for Sophia''), 2000

''Obliteration Pie'' (Japan-only collection of live tracks, rarities, and new studio re-recordings), 2005

''I Wanna Go Backwards'' (Boxed set of reissues and rarities), 2007

''Shadow Cat'' (Outtakes and rarities, 1993–1999), 2008

''Luminous Groove'' (Boxed set of reissues and rarities), 2008

Live albums

''Gotta Let This Hen Out!'', 1985 (with the Egyptians)

''Give It To The Thoth Boys - Live Oddities'', 1993 (Cassette only release sold on tour 1993) (with the Egyptians)

''The Kershaw Sessions'', 1994 (with the Egyptians)

''Storefront Hitchcock'', 1998

''Storefront Hitchcock L.P.'', 1998

''Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival'', 1998 (with the Egyptians)

''Robyn Sings'', 2002 (Double live album of Bob Dylan cover songs)

''This is the BBC'', 2006

''Sex, Food, Death... and Tarantulas'' (Live EP), 2007

''I Often Dream of Trains in New York'', (CD+DVD), 2009

Best-of compilations

''Robyn Hitchcock'', 1995

''Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians: Greatest Hits'', 1996 (with the Egyptians)

''Uncorrected Personality Traits'' (Rhino Records best-of compilation of solo material), 1997

Compilation appearances

''Time Between - A Tribute to The Byrds'' (Imaginary Records), 1989

''Pave The Earth'' (A&M; Records), 1990

''More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album'' (Birdman Records), 1999

''Ernie: Songs of Ernest Noyes Brookings'' (Gadfly Records), 2001

''Listen To What The Man Said - Popular Artists Pay Tribute to the Music of Paul McCartney'' (Oglio Records), 2001

''Wig in a Box'' (Off Records), 2003

''Terry Edwards Presents Queer Street'' (Sartorial Records), 2004

''I Want You (She's So Heavy) - Abbey Road Now!'' (Mojo Magazine Free CD), Oct 2009

''Dark Globe'' - The Madcap Laughs Again! (Mojo Magazine Free CD), Mar 2010

References

Further reading

"Robyn Hitchcock: I wanna go Backwards" — an article at ''Crawdaddy!''.

"The Barrett/Hitchcock Connection" — an article at Perfect Sound Forever.

Interview with Robyn Hitchcock with Andy Carvin in 1993.

External links

The Museum of Robyn Hitchcock (official site)

The Asking Tree: Robyn Hitchcock Discography and Gigography Database

Otmoor Productions Documentary ''Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death... and Insects''

fegMANIA! - Robyn Hitchcock news and information listserv

The Glass Hotel - comprehensive site including "Glass Flesh" tribute project

Robyn Hitchcock collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive

Category:1953 births Category:Alternative rock musicians Category:English male singers Category:English singer-songwriters Category:English songwriters Category:K Records artists Category:Living people Category:Old Wykehamists Category:Music in Cambridge Category:The Minus 5 members Category:Live Music Archive artists

de:Robyn Hitchcock it:Robyn Hitchcock nl:Robyn Hitchcock pl:Robyn Hitchcock fi:Robyn Hitchcock

name	Eddie Murphy
birth name	Edward Regan Murphy
birth date	April 03, 1961
birth place	Brooklyn, New York, United States
medium	Film, Television, Stand-up, Music, Books
nationality	American
active	1976–present
genre	Observational comedy, Musical comedy, Black comedy, Satire, Physical comedy
subject	Race relations, Racism, African American culture, Marriage, Everyday life, Current events, Pop culture, Human sexuality
influences	Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Peter Sellers, Redd Foxx
spouse	Nicole Mitchell (1993–2006) (divorced) 5 childrenTracey Edmonds (2008) (annulled)
domesticpartner	Melanie Brown (2006–07) 1 child
othername	Fred Braughton, Edward "Eddie" Regan Murphy, Edie Murphy, Edward Regan Murphy, Eddy Murphy
notable work	Axel Foley in ''Beverly Hills Cop'' Various on ''Saturday Night Live''''Shrek'' series
website	}}

Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician.

Box office takes from Murphy's films makes him the second-highest grossing actor in the United States. He was a regular cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1980 to 1984 and has worked as a stand-up comedian. He was ranked #10 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.

He has received Golden Globe Award nominations for his performances in ''48 Hrs'', ''Beverly Hills Cop'' series, ''Trading Places'', and ''The Nutty Professor''. In 2007, he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of soul singer James "Thunder" Early in ''Dreamgirls''.

Murphy's work as a voice actor includes Thurgood Stubbs in ''The PJs'', Donkey in the ''Shrek'' series and the dragon Mushu in Disney's ''Mulan''. In some of his films, he plays multiple roles in addition to his main character, intended as a tribute to one of his idols Peter Sellers, who played multiple roles in ''Dr. Strangelove'' and elsewhere. Murphy has played multiple roles in ''Coming to America'', Wes Craven's ''Vampire In Brooklyn'', the ''Nutty Professor'' films (where he played the title role in two incarnations, plus his father, brother, mother, and grandmother), ''Bowfinger'', and 2007's ''Norbit''.

Early life

Murphy grew up in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Lillian, was a telephone operator, and his father, Charles Edward Murphy, was a transit police officer and an amateur actor and comedian. His father died when he was young. When Murphy's single mom became ill, the eight-year-old Eddie Murphy and his older brother lived in foster care for one year. In interviews, the actor and comedian says that his time in foster care was influential in developing his sense of humour. Later Murphy and his older brother Charlie were raised in Roosevelt, New York by his mother and stepfather Vernon Lynch, a foreman at an ice cream plant. Around the age of 15, Murphy was writing and performing his own routines, which were heavily influenced by Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor.

Career

Stand-up comedy

Murphy performed stand-up at the same Bay Area Comedy Club as Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg. His early comedy was characterized by frequent swearing and sketches lampooning a diverse group of people (including WASPs, African Americans, Italian Americans, overweight people, and gays). This racy content was akin to that of Richard Pryor, whom Murphy has credited as his inspiration to enter comedy; however, in his autobiography, ''Pryor Convictions'', Pryor wrote that he found Murphy's comedy at times excessively insensitive. Murphy later apologized for insensitive jokes about gays and HIV. The stand-up shows ''Delirious'' and ''Raw'' have been recorded and released.

1980s acting career

Murphy first earned attention as a regular actor at ''Saturday Night Live'', and was credited with helping revitalize the series during its first true slump in quality in the early 1980s. Some of his notable characters included a grown version of the Little Rascals character Buckwheat, impoverished but street-wise children's show host Mr. Robinson (a spoof of Fred Rogers, who found it amusing), and Gumby, a harshly cynical version of the animated character; Murphy's take on the latter character spawned one of SNL's many catchphrases, "I'm Gumby, dammit!" Although Buckwheat was his most popular character, Murphy asked that he be retired because the actor grew tired of people asking him to "Do Buckwheat! Do Buckwheat!"; the character was assassinated on camera in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

In 1982, Murphy made his big screen debut in the film ''48 Hrs.'' with Nick Nolte. ''48 Hrs.'' proved to be a hit when it was released in the Christmas season of 1982. Nolte was scheduled to host the December 11, 1982 Christmas episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', but became too ill to host, so Murphy took over. He became the only cast member to host while still a regular. Murphy opened the show with the phrase, "Live from New York, It's the Eddie Murphy Show!" The following year, Murphy starred in ''Trading Places'' with fellow ''SNL'' alumnus Dan Aykroyd. The movie marked the first of Murphy's collaborations with director John Landis (who also directed Murphy in ''Coming to America'' and ''Beverly Hills Cop III'') and proved to be an even greater box office success than ''48 Hrs''. In 1984, Murphy starred in the successful action comedy film ''Beverly Hills Cop''. The film was Murphy's first full-fledged starring vehicle, originally intended to star Sylvester Stallone (who later tweaked the script as his own starring vehicle ''Cobra'' in 1986). ''Beverly Hills Cop'' grossed over $230 million at the box office and is 40th in the list of all-time total U.S. box office grosses (4th-highest amongst "R" rated films), after adjusting for inflation, .

In 1984, Murphy appeared in ''Best Defense'', co-starring Dudley Moore. Murphy, who was credited as a "Strategic Guest Star", was added to the film after an original version was completed but tested poorly with audiences. ''Best Defense'' was a major financial and critical disappointment. When he hosted ''SNL'', Murphy joined the chorus of those bashing ''Best Defense'', calling it "the worst movie in the history of everything". Murphy's ''Trading Places'' co-star Dan Aykroyd had originally written the character of Winston Zeddemore in ''Ghostbusters'' specifically for Murphy, but he was unable to commit at the time due to the ''Beverly Hills Cop'' shooting schedule. The part ultimately went to Ernie Hudson. Murphy was also offered a part in 1986's ''Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'', a role that, after being heavily re-written from comic relief to love interest, ultimately went to future ''7th Heaven'' star Catherine Hicks. By this point Murphy's near-exclusive contract with Paramount Pictures rivaled ''Star Trek'' as Paramount's most lucrative franchise.

In 1986, Murphy starred in the supernatural comedy, ''The Golden Child''. ''The Golden Child'' was originally intended to be a serious adventure picture starring Mel Gibson. After Gibson turned the role down, the project was offered to Murphy as it was subsequently rewritten as a partial comedy. Although ''The Golden Child'' (featuring Murphy's "I want the knife!" routine) performed well at the box office, the movie was not as critically acclaimed as ''48 Hrs.'', ''Trading Places'', and ''Beverly Hills Cop''. ''The Golden Child'' was considered a change of pace for Murphy because of the supernatural setting as opposed to the more "street smart" settings of Murphy's previous efforts. A year later, Murphy reprised his role of Axel Foley in the Tony Scott-directed ''Beverly Hills Cop II''. It was a box office success, grossing over $150 million. Producers reportedly wanted to turn the ''Beverly Hills Cop'' franchise into a weekly television series. Murphy declined the television offer, but was willing to do a film sequel instead.

Murphy was one of the last movie actors to sign an exclusive contract with a studio. In this case, it was Paramount Pictures, which released all of his early films.

Singing career

Murphy is also a singer and musician, having frequently provided background vocals to songs released by The Bus Boys. As a solo artist, Murphy had two hit singles, "Party All the Time" (which was produced by Rick James) and "Put Your Mouth on Me" in the mid-1980s (although he actually started singing earlier in his career, with the songs "Boogie In Your Butt" and "Enough Is Enough", the latter being a parody of Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer's 1979 song, "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)". They both appear on his 1982 self-titled comedy album.) "Party All the Time" was featured on Murphy's 1985 debut album ''How Could It Be'', which included a minor follow-up R&B; hit in the title track, a duet with vocalist Crystal Blake. This track was written by Rusty Hamilton and was produced by Stevie Wonder's cousin Aquil Fudge after a brief falling out and bet with Rick James. In 2004, VH-1 and ''Blender'' voted "Party All the Time" number seven among the "50 Worst Songs of All-Time." Sharam used a sample of the song for the UK #8 hit "PATT (Party All The Time)" in 2006.

Murphy recorded the album ''Love's Alright'' in the early 1990s. He performed in a music video of the single "Whatzupwitu", featuring Michael Jackson. He recorded a duet with Shabba Ranks called "I Was a King". In 1992, Murphy appeared in Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" video alongside Magic Johnson and Iman.

Though uncredited, Murphy provided vocal work on ''SNL'' castmate Joe Piscopo's comedy single, "The Honeymooners Rap." Piscopo impersonated Jackie Gleason on the single, while Murphy provided an imitation of Art Carney.

In ''Coming to America'', he imitated Jackie Wilson when he sang "To Be Loved", but because the character he was playing had a thick accent, he had to sing it in character. In later years, Murphy performed several songs in the ''Shrek'' film franchise. In the first film, he performed a version of "I'm a Believer" in the film's final scene; in ''Shrek 2'' he performed Ricky Martin's hit "Livin' La Vida Loca" along with co-star Antonio Banderas.

Murphy's all-time favorite singer is Elvis Presley.

Career slump

From 1989 until the mid 1990s, box office results for Murphy's films dropped, hitting a low point with the critically panned ''Beverly Hills Cop III'' (1994), a movie Murphy would ultimately denounce during an appearance on ''Inside the Actors Studio'', although he did find minor box office success with ''''Boomerang'''', ''Another 48 Hrs.'' and ''Vampire In Brooklyn''. ''Harlem Nights'' featured Murphy, who had previously been known only as a performer, as director, producer, star, and co-writer, with his brother, Charlie Murphy, as well as supporting roles for Murphy's comic idols Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor.

During this period Murphy was criticized by filmmaker Spike Lee for not using his show business stature to help black actors break into film, despite Murphy's films (especially those he produced) often being populated with predominately black casts (''Coming To America, Harlem Nights, Boomerang, Vampire In Brooklyn, Life''). Many black actors who would later gain wider recognition make early appearances in Murphy films such as Damon Wayans in ''Beverly Hills Cop'', Halle Berry and Martin Lawrence in ''Boomerang'', Samuel L. Jackson and Cuba Gooding Jr. in ''Coming to America,'' Dave Chappelle in ''The Nutty Professor'' and Chris Rock in ''Beverly Hills Cop II''.

Although Murphy has enjoyed commercial success since ''Saturday Night Live'', he has never attended cast reunions or anniversary specials, nor did he participate in the making of the ''Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live'' retrospective book by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller (2002).

Comeback and image makeover

Murphy's box office results began to recover in 1996, starting with ''The Nutty Professor''. He followed with a series of very successful family-friendly movies like ''Mulan'', ''Dr. Dolittle'' and its sequel, the ''Shrek'' series, ''Daddy Day Care'', and ''The Haunted Mansion'', along with ''Nutty Professor II: The Klumps''. However, most of his movies meant for more adult audiences performed moderately; ''Metro'', ''I Spy'', and ''Showtime'' all ended to gross less than $40 million domestically, ''Holy Man'' performed poorly, grossing less than $13 million, and ''The Adventures of Pluto Nash'' is on record as one of the biggest theatrical money-losers of all time, grossing just $7 million worldwide on a reported $110 million budget. A notable exception to this run of poorly received adult-themed films was the Frank Oz comedy ''Bowfinger'', also starring Steve Martin. The film garnered generally positive critical reviews, and grossed $66 million at the box office.

In 2006, he starred in the motion picture version of the Broadway musical ''Dreamgirls'' as soul singer James "Thunder" Early. Murphy won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award in that category. Several reviews for the film highlighted Murphy's performance while he received some pre-release Academy Awards buzz. Murphy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on January 23, 2007, but lost to Alan Arkin for his performance in ''Little Miss Sunshine''. ''Dreamgirls'' was the first film distributed by Paramount Pictures to star Murphy (who once was on an exclusive contract with the studio) since ''Vampire in Brooklyn'' in 1995.

In 2007, Murphy was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As a result of Viacom's acquisition of Dreamworks SKG, Paramount distributed his other 2007 releases: ''Norbit'' and ''Shrek the Third''. He starred in the 2008 film ''Meet Dave'' and the 2009 film ''Imagine That'' for Paramount Pictures.

Murphy will also co-star in ''Tower Heist'', Brett Ratner's heist movie. Murphy stars as part of a group of hardworking men who find out they have fallen victim to a wealthy business man's Ponzi scheme, and conspire to rob his high-rise residence. Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, and Casey Affleck are also starring in the film. Brian Grazer is producing the picture for his Imagine Entertainment shingle, and will be distributed by Universal Pictures on November 4, 2011.

Personal life

Family

Murphy has been married twice (second one not legal) and has a total of eight children:

Murphy's first and oldest child was by Paulette McNeely: son Eric Murphy (born on 10 July 1989). He also has a child by Tamara Hood: son Christian Murphy (born on 29 November 1990).

Murphy began a longtime romantic relationship with Nicole Mitchell (born January 5, 1968) after meeting her in 1988 at an NAACP Image Awards show. They lived together for almost two years before getting married at the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in New York City on March 18, 1993. Murphy and Mitchell had five children together: Bria L. Murphy (born November 18, 1989), Myles Mitchell (born November 7, 1992), Shayne Audra (born October 10, 1994), Zola Ivy (born December 24, 1999) and Bella Zahra (born January 29, 2002). In August 2005, Mitchell filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences". The divorce was finalized on April 17, 2006.

The Murphy family currently resides in Long Island, New York.

Following his divorce from Mitchell, in 2006, Murphy began dating former Spice Girl Melanie B, who became pregnant and stated that the child was Murphy's. When questioned about the pregnancy in December 2006 by ''RTL Boulevard,'' Murphy told Dutch reporter Matthijs Kleyn, "I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir". Brown gave birth to a baby girl, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, on Murphy's 46th birthday, April 3, 2007. On June 22, 2007, representatives for Brown announced in ''People'' that a DNA test had confirmed that Murphy was the father. Brown has stated in an interview that Murphy has not sought a relationship with Angel.

Murphy exchanged marriage vows with film producer Tracey Edmonds, former wife of Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, on January 1, 2008, in a private ceremony on an island off Bora Bora. It was announced on January 16, 2008, that they never legally wed, had decided to forgo legalizing their union, and had instead chosen to remain friends.

Legal problems

According to Murphy's childhood friend Harris Haith in his book, ''Growing Up Laughing With Eddie'', long before Murphy did any writing for ''Coming to America'', Art Buchwald had approached Paramount Pictures with the idea for a similar film. His material was rejected, but the information was retained by Paramount. They liked Buchwald's idea but did not see fit to pay him and saved it for use later down the road. Some years later, Paramount presented the idea of ''Coming to America'' to Eddie and gave him the contract. Murphy wrote a screenplay that came to light exactly as it aired on the silver screen. In 1988, Buchwald sued Murphy and Paramount Pictures, but Murphy was not found liable because Paramount had received the material.

In May 1997, Murphy was stopped by police with a transvestite prostitute in his car shortly before the release of ''Holy Man'', causing him a number of public relations problems.

Charitable work

Murphy has donated money to the AIDS Foundation, and cancer, education, creative arts, family/parent support, health and homeless charities. He has donated to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, various cancer charities and $100,000 to the Screen Actors' Guild's strike relief fund.

Filmography

''Trading Places'' ''Eddie Murphy Delirious'' ''Best Defense'' ''The Golden Child'' ''Beverly Hills Cop II'' ''Coming to America'' ''Harlem Nights'' ''Another 48 Hrs.'' ''Boomerang (1992 film) ''Beverly Hills Cop III'' ''Vampire in Brooklyn'' ''The Nutty Professor (1996 film) ''Metro (1997 film) ''Mulan (1998 film) ''Life (film) ''Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'' ''Shrek'' ''Showtime (film) ''Daddy Day Care'' ''Shrek 2'' ''Dreamgirls (film) ''Norbit'' Donkey (Shrek) ''Meet Dave'' ''Imagine That (film) ''Shrek Forever After'' ''Tower Heist''

colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	''48 Hrs.''	Reggie Hammond
1983	|	Billy Ray Valentine	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1983	|	Himself	Also Producer
rowspan="2"	1984	|	Lieutenant T.M. Landry
''Beverly Hills Cop''	Axel Foley>Det. Axel Foley
1986	|	Chandler Jarrell
rowspan="2"	1987	|	Axel Foley>Det. Axel Foley
''Eddie Murphy Raw''	Himself
1988	|	Prince Akeem/Clarence/Randy Watson/Saul
1989	|	Quick (real name Vernest Brown)	Also Director and Writer
1990	|	Reggie Hammond
rowspan="2"	1992	Boomerang'' ||	Marcus Graham
''The Distinguished Gentleman''	Thomas Jefferson Johnson
1994	|	Axel Foley>Det. Axel Foley
1995	|	Maximillian/Preacher Pauly/Guido	Also Producer
1996	The Nutty Professor'' ||	Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/ Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/ Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/ Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump, Sr.	Also Producer Saturn Award for Best Actor National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1997	Metro'' ||	Insp. Scott Roper
rowspan="3"	1998	Mulan'' ||	Mushu	(voice)
''Dr. Dolittle (film)	Doctor Dolittle''	Doctor Dolittle>Dr. John Dolittle
''Holy Man''	G
rowspan="2"	1999	Life'' ||	Rayford "Ray" Gibson	Also Producer
''Bowfinger''	Kit Ramsey/Jeffernson 'Jiff' Ramsey
2000	|	Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/ Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/ Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/ Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump	Also Producer Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
rowspan="2"	2001	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	(voice) Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated – Black Reel Award: Best Supporting Actor
''Dr. Dolittle 2''	Doctor Dolittle>Dr. John Dolittle
rowspan="3"	2002	Showtime'' ||	Officer Trey Sellers
''The Adventures of Pluto Nash''	Pluto Nash/Rex Crater
''I Spy (film)	I Spy''	Kelly Robinson
rowspan="2"	2003	|	Charles "Charlie" Hinton
''The Haunted Mansion (film)	The Haunted Mansion''	Jim Evers
2004	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	(voice)
2006	Dreamgirls'' ||	Dreamgirls (film)#Cast>James 'Thunder' Early	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Central Ohio Film Critics Association for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Black Reel Award: Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
rowspan="2"	2007	|	Norbit Rice/Rasputia Latimore-Rice/Mr. Wong	Also Producer
''Shrek the Third''	Donkey ||(voice)Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
2008	|	Starship Dave Ming-Chang (Spacecraft), Captain
2009	Imagine That'' ||	Evan Danielson
2010	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	2011 Kids' Choice Awards>Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
2011	|	Leo "Slide" Dalphael

Television

''Eddie Murphy Delirious ''What's Alan Watching?'' ''Dangerous - The Short Films'' ''The PJs'' ''Shrek the Halls'' ''Donkey's Christmas Shrektacular''

colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980–1984	''Saturday Night Live''
1983	Eddie Murphy: Delirious'' ||
1989	|
1993	|	Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh	Remember the Time music video
1999–2001	|	Thurgood Stubbs	Voice Nominated – Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production (1999) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) (1999)
2007	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	TV special Voice Nominated – Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production
2010	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	TV special Voice

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chartpositions
		! width="40"	! width="40"
1982	align="left"	* Release date: 1982	* Label: CBS Records	97	—
1983	align="left"	* Release date: 1983	* Label: CBS Records	35	10
1985		* Release date: 1985	* Label: CBS Records	26	17
1989		* Release date: 1989	* Label: CBS Records	70	22
1993		* Release date: February 23, 1993	* Label: Motown Records	—	80

Compilation albums

! Year	! Album details
1997	''Greatest Comedy Hits''	* Release date: May 27, 1997	* Label: Columbia Records
1998	''All I Fuckin' Know''	* Release date: April 28, 1998	* Label: Sony BMG

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions					Album
		! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"
1982		—	56	—	—	—
		2	8	19	3	87
	—	63	—	—	—
		27	2	—	—	—
	—	75	—	—	—
		—	61	—	—	64
	—	74	—	—	—
	—	—	—	—	—

Awards/nominations

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Award	Year	Category	Work	Outcome
Academy Awards	2007			Nominated
	1999	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production	''The PJs''	Nominated
2001	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production	''Shrek''	Won
2008	Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production	''Shrek the Halls''	Nominated
BAFTA Awards	2002		''Shrek''	Nominated
	2000	Best Actor in a Motion Picture	''Bowfinger''	Nominated
2002		''Shrek''	Nominated
2007		Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2007			Won
Central Ohio Film Critics Association	2007	Best Supporting Actor		Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	2007			Nominated
rowspan=4	1983	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Variety or Music Series	''Saturday Night Live''	Nominated
	Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program	''Saturday Night Live''	Nominated
	''Saturday Night Live''	Nominated
1999		''The PJs''"He's Gotta Have It"	Nominated
	1983		''48 Hrs.''
1984		''Trading Places''
1997
1985		''Beverly Hills Cop''
2007		Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture>Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture		Won
	2005	Best Voice from an Animated Film	''Shrek 2''	Nominated
2008	Best Voice from an Animated Film	''Shrek the Third''	Won
2011	Best Voice from an Animated Film	''Shrek Forever After''	Won
	1997	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture		Nominated
2007	Actor in a Supporting Role		Nominated
National Society of Film Critics Awards	1997			Won
Online Film Critics Society Awards	2007			Nominated
	1996	rowspan=2
2001	''Nutty Professor II: The Klumps''
	1997			Won
2002		''Shrek''	Nominated
			rowspan=2	Won
	Nominated

References

External links

Eddie Murphy on Discogs

Maxim Rated Top SNL performer

Category:1961 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American voice actors Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American film actors Category:African American comedians Category:African American singers Category:African American television actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American screenwriters Category:American video game actors Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:People from Bushwick, Brooklyn Category:People from Nassau County, New York Category:Saturn Award winners Category:Annie Award winners

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Will Franken (born June 30, 1973) is a comedian based in San Francisco once based in New York.

Born and raised in Sedalia, Missouri, Franken holds a Master’s degree in English (with a specialization in Restoration and 18th Century literature). He pursued an acting career and taught high school in New York City after college. He lived in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2002 until late 2007, when he relocated to New York City, but he moved back to San Francisco in 2009. Also, he has one teenage son from a previous relationship.

Style

Franken’s humor is rooted in the British sketch comedy tradition. Onstage, he portrays an eclectic mix of characters through a series of interconnected vignettes. His skits are often satirical, skewering a range of subcultures and political views, often absurdist.

Offstage, Franken publishes a podcast entitled "Things We Did Before Reality".

Awards

In 2005, Franken was selected Best Comedian by the ''SF Weekly''; Best Alternative to Psychedelic Drugs by the ''San Francisco Bay Guardian''; and one of the Top 25 People to Watch nationwide by Tribe.net. In late 2007, Franken was first runner up for the Andy Kaufman Award competition in Las Vegas.

Performances

He has performed his solo shows ''Good Luck With It''; ''For Existence, Press One''; and ''Grandpa, It's Not Fitting'' at The Marsh in San Francisco, the Collective: Unconscious in New York (as part of the New York International Fringe Festival), Ars Nova Theater, the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in New York and Los Angeles, and the Comedy Central Stage (at the Hudson Theater) in Los Angeles. Will had his film debut in Stanley Cuba, directed by Per Anderson.

External links

Official site

Podcast ''Things We Did Before Reality''

IMDb entry

Clip on BBC's ''The World Stands Up''

Interview with Franken on public radio program ''The Sound of Young America''

Review of ''Good Luck With It'' in the ''SF Bay Guardian''

Interview from October 2006 in San Francisco comedy website

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:American comedians Category:People from Sedalia, Missouri