(left) and one variety of British biscuits (right). The American biscuit is soft and flaky; these particular British ones have a layer of chocolate filling between two hard wafers.]] A biscuit () is a baked edible product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations.

In the United States it relates to a small soft leavened bread, somewhat similar to a scone.

In Commonwealth English, it commonly is used to refer to a small and hard, often sweetened, flour-based product, most akin in American English to a cookie, or sometimes in the case of cheese biscuits, a cracker.

Etymology

The modern-day confusion in the English language around the word biscuit is created by its etymology.

The Middle French word bescuit is derived from the Latin words bis (twice) and coquere (to cook), and, hence, means "twice-cooked." This is because biscuits were originally cooked in a twofold process: first baked, and then dried out in a slow oven. Hence:

Biscotti in Medieval Italian

Biscuit in Modern French

Zwieback in German

Beschuit in Dutch

Bizcocho in Spanish

This term was then adapted into English in the 14th century during the Middle Ages, in the Middle English word bisquite, to represent a hard twice-baked product.

However, the Dutch language from around 1703 had adopted the word koekje, a language diminutive of cake, to have a similar meaning for a similar hard, baked product. This may be related to the Russian or Ukrainian translation, where biscuit has come to mean sponge cake.

The difference between the secondary Dutch word and that of the Latin origin is that, whereas the koekje as a cake rose during baking, the biscuit, which had no rising agent, in general did not (see gingerbread/ginger biscuit), except for the expansion of heated air during the baking process.

When peoples from Europe began to emigrate to the United States, the two words and their "same but different" meanings began to clash. After the American War of Independence against the British, the word cookie became the word of choice to mean a hard, twice-baked product.

Further confusion has been added by the adoption of the word biscuit for a small leaven bread popular in Southern American cooking.

Today, according to American English dictionary Merriam-Webster: A cookie is a "small flat or slightly raised cake."

At the time of the Spanish Armada in 1588, the daily allowance on board a Royal Navy ship was 1 lb of biscuit plus 1 gallon of beer. Later, Samuel Pepys in 1667 first regularised naval victualling with varied and nutritious rations. Royal Navy hardtack during Queen Victoria's reign were made by machine at the Royal Clarence Victualling Yard at Gosport, Hampshire, stamped with the Queen's mark and the number of the oven to which they were consigned to be baked. Biscuits remained an important part of the Royal Navy sailor’s diet until the introduction of canned foods, with canned meat first marketed in 1814, and preserved beef in tins was officially introduced to the Royal Navy rations in 1847.

Biscuits for pleasure

Early biscuits were hard, dry, and unsweetened. They were cheap - early biscuits were most often cooked after bread, in a cooling bakers oven; they were a cheap form of sustenance for the poor.

By the 7th century AD, cooks of the Persian empire had learnt from their forebears the secrets of lightening and enriching bread-based mixtures with eggs, butter, and cream, and sweetening them with fruit and honey. One of the earliest spiced biscuits was gingerbread, in French pain d'épices, meaning "spice bread," brought to Europe in 992 by the Armenian monk Grégoire de Nicopolis. He left Nicopolis Pompeii, in Lesser Armenia to live in Bondaroy, France, near the town of Pithiviers. He stayed there for seven years, and taught French priests and Christians how to cook gingerbread. This was originally a dense, treaclely (molasses-based) spice cake or bread. As it was so expensive to make, early ginger biscuits were a cheap form of using up the leftover bread mix.

With the combination of the Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, and then the Crusades developing the spice trade, the cooking techniques and ingredients of Arabia spread into Northern Europe. King Richard I of England, (aka Richard the Lionheart) left for the Third Crusade (1189–92) with "biskit of muslin," which was a mixed corn compound of barley, rye, and bean flour. The first documented trade of gingerbread biscuits dates to the 16th century, where they were sold in monastery pharmacies and town square farmers markets. Gingerbread became widely available in the 18th century. The British biscuit firms of Carrs, Huntley & Palmer, and Crawfords were all established by 1850.

Hence, it is of no surprise that, often together with local farm produce of meat and cheese, many regions of the world have their own distinct style of biscuit, so old is this form of food.

Biscuits today

]] Most modern biscuits can trace their origins back to either the Hardtack ships biscuit, or the creative art of the baker:

Ships biscuit derived: Digestive, Rich tea, Abernethy, Cracker

Bakers art: Biscuit rose de Reims

Biscuits today can be savoury or sweet, but most are small at around in diameter, and flat. The term biscuit also applies to sandwich-type biscuits, wherein a layer of cream or icing is sandwiched between two biscuits, such as the Custard cream. European biscuits tend to be thinner, softer, and more sugary in consistency, and often more creative in design, whereas British biscuits tend to be harder and plainer, perhaps as a result of the country's naval history. Sweet biscuits are commonly eaten as a snack food and are, in general, made with wheat flour or oats, and sweetened with sugar or honey. Varieties may contain chocolate, fruit, jam, nuts, or even be used to sandwich other fillings. There is usually a dedicated section for sweet biscuits in most European supermarkets.

In Britain, the digestive biscuit and rich tea have a strong cultural identity as the traditional accompaniment to a cup of tea, and are regularly eaten as such. Many tea drinkers "dunk" their biscuits in tea, allowing them to absorb liquid and soften slightly before consumption. Savoury biscuits or crackers (such as cream crackers, water biscuits, oatcakes, or crisp breads) are usually plainer and commonly eaten with cheese following a meal. There is also a large variety of savoury biscuits that contain additional ingredients for flavour or texture, such as poppy seeds, onion or onion seeds, cheese (such as cheese melts), and olives. Savoury biscuits also usually have a dedicated section in most European supermarkets, often in the same aisle as sweet biscuits. The exception to savoury biscuits is the sweetmeal digestive known as the "Hovis biscuit", which, although slightly sweet, is still classified as a cheese biscuit.

In general, Australians, South Africans, New Zealanders, Indians, Singaporeans, and the Irish use the British meaning of "biscuit" (colloquially referred to as a bickie) for the sweet biscuit. In Canada, the terms biscuit and cookie are used interchangeably, depending on the region, with biscuits usually referring to 'hard' sweet biscuits (i.e. digestives, Nice, Bourbon creams) and cookies for 'soft' baked goods (i.e. chocolate chip cookies). Two famous Australasian biscuit varieties are the ANZAC biscuit and the Tim Tam. This sense is at the root of the name of the United States' most prominent maker of cookies and crackers, the National Biscuit Company, now called Nabisco.

See also

Dog biscuit

Rusk

American and British English differences

References

Category:European cuisine Category:British cuisine Category:Twice-baked goods

Name	Ghostface Killah
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Dennis Coles
Born	May 09, 1970
Origin	Staten Island, New York,
Genre	Hip hop
Years active	1993-present
Url
Label	Razor Sharp, Epic, Starks Enterprises, Def Jam
Associated acts	Wu-Tang Clan, Theodore Unit, MF DOOM, Rakim

Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success. Ghostface Killah debuted his solo-career with Ironman in 1996, which was well received by music critics. He has continued his success over the following years with critically acclaimed albums such as Supreme Clientele (2000) and Fishscale (2006). His stage name was taken from one of the characters in the 1979 kung fu film Mystery of Chessboxing. for his loud, fast-paced flow, In 2006, MTV included him on their honorable mention list of The Greatest MC's of All Time.

Early years

Ghostface Killah was raised in the Stapleton housing projects in Staten Island, New York. In his autobiographical song "All That I Got Is You", Ghost tells the story of his childhood. He raps about how he grew up in a three bedroom apartment without his father, who left him at the age of six. Apparently, his mother had nine children.

Early career

He debuted with the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan on their critically acclaimed debut, 1993's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in which he is credited as Ghost Face Killer. A roommate of Wu-Tang founder The RZA, Ghostface helped bring together the other seven members, and would function as executive producer on all the Wu-Tang Clan releases.

In 1995, Ghostface guest-starred extensively on fellow Clan member Raekwon's debut album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., appearing on almost every song. He also contributed songs to the Sunset Park and Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood soundtracks, which would be included on his first solo LP, Ironman, in 1996. The album, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, had a more pronounced soul influence (particularly 1970s soul) than previous Wu-Tang releases, and Ghostface's future albums would continue to feature this stylistic trait.

Ghostface became well-known for both his up-tempo, stream-of-consciousness rap and, later in his career, for his emotionally charged raps and smooth constant flow. In 1996, he discovered that he was diabetic, a condition that would weaken his health. According to "Trials of Life", a 2007 song with fellow New York rapper Prodigy (himself a sickle-cell anemic), Ghostface assumed he had been stricken by a sexually transmitted disease until he received the diabetes diagnosis.

Ghostface was incarcerated for attempted robbery in 1999, a situation that was never publicly commented on by the Wu-Tang Clan or Ghostface (the charge dated from 1995). It would lead to a delay in his next album in 2000 with his follow-up to Ironman, Supreme Clientele. It was very well-received by critics and was placed #2 on Hip Hop Connection's list of "The 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995-2005". It had "Apollo Kids", a popular single which featured Raekwon and had a sample of "Cool Breeze" by Solomon Burke; "Cherchez LaGhost", another single off the album, became a minor club-style hit. It also notably had the sentimental "Child's Play" brought numerous comparisons to Slick Rick. Supreme Clientele would be a turning point in RZA's influence on his sound, as only four songs are produced by the RZA, compared to Iron Man, its predecessor where every song but one is produced by him. Though he contributed fewer beats to the project, RZA personally over saw the mixing and production of the album as a whole, contributing to Supreme Clientele's unified sound

Ghostface wasted little time in recording his next album, the heavily R&B;-influenced Bulletproof Wallets, released a year after Supreme Clientele. Its feature single, Never Be the Same Again, featured Carl Thomas and Raekwon. He had another minor club hit with "Flowers", which featured guest vocals from fellow Wu-Tang members Method Man and Raekwon, and a popular single "Ghost Showers" which featured Madame Majestic, who also sung on the popular Wu-Tang track "Gravel Pit". It was well received, but never really matched its predecessor in popularity or renown.

Def Jam

In 2003, Ghostface signed with Def Jam Records. After temporarily dropping "Killah" from his stage name, Ghostface released The Pretty Toney Album in April 2004. The album, while containing two RZA productions, featured none of the Clan; instead, it featured collaborations with Missy Elliott, D-Block and Jacki-O. The singles "Tush" and "Run", the collaborations with Missy and Jadakiss respectively, achieved moderate success in the clubs and charts, and the album was featured on numerous "best of the year" lists, including number nine on Pitchfork Media's. Ghostface also appeared on the track "On My Knees" by UK R&B; group The 411, which became a hit in the UK and Australia, and released an album titled 718 (after the Staten Island area code) with a group of his protégés, the Theodore Unit. Ghostface also appeared on "He Comes" by De La Soul, on The Grind Date. In November 2005, Ghostface and Theodore Unit's breakout star Trife Da God released a joint project, Put It On The Line. in 2007.]] In 2006, Ghostface teamed up with underground artist MF Doom for a still unreleased album entitled Swift & Changeable. MF Doom also produced several songs for Ghostface's 2006 album Fishscale, which was once again attributed to "Ghostface Killah". The album debuted strongly, in the #4 position on the U.S. Billboard 200 and at #2 on the R&B; charts, the rapper's most auspicious chart showing since the heyday of the Wu-Tang Clan and the release of his solo debut. The album also nearly unanimously received positive reviews. Ghostface embarked on a limited-date tour of US venues in support of the album, performing several of his concerts together with most members of the Wu-Tang Clan.

He has worked with 4Cast to produce his own action figure. In December 2007 Ghostface appeared on Spinner.com's comedy show The DL to do a holiday commercial for his action figure.

On December 4, 2007, Ghostface released his seventh solo studio album, The Big Doe Rehab.

In a May 2008 interview, Ghostface Killah stated that he would make an R&B;-inspired album in the vein of tracks he had done before with artists such as Ne-Yo and Jodeci. That album would become his eighth studio album to good reviews. It featured singles such as "Baby" and "Do Over". In March 2009, Ghostface also recorded a song called "Message from Ghostface" dedicated to women who were abused in relationships after the Rihanna/ Chris Brown controversy.

Raekwon, in a May 2009 interview with Rolling Stone indicated that Ghostface Killah is preparing to release a new album. In response to a question asking if the Wu-Tang Clan are going to release a follow up to 8 Diagrams, Raekwon stated "Everybody's doing different things right now — you got Meth [Method Man] coming out with an album, you got Ghostface coming out with an album, some guys working on their projects, some guys getting into the film world, everybody is multi-tasking right now." Ghostface appeared on a total of 8 songs on Raekwon's highly anticipated release of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II.

Shortly after the release of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, Def Jam contracted Raekwon to work with their label artists Method Man and Ghostface Killah on an album. Production began in November 2009. The album was released March 30, 2010 to generally positive reviews from most music critics. With heavy promotion, it sold 37,900 units in its first week. It has sold 64,000 units as of May 12, 2010. It features production from Scram Jones, Mathematics, and the RZA who produced the album's lead single, "Our Dreams". Recently he confirmed that he will be releasing 3 studio albums with the first one out near December called Apollo Kids, the second called Blue & Cream and finally he will be releasing a sequel to his 2000 album Supreme Clientele. He recently confirmed a collabo album with D-Block member Sheek Louch as well called Wu-Block.

Aliases

Ghostface Killah, like most members of the Wu-Tang clan, rapped under several personae, each with their own name, mythology and influences. Some recurring aliases:

Ghostface Killah (occasionally spelled Ghostface Killer, Ghost Face Killah, or abbreviated GFK)

Ghostface

: His shortened stage name during The Pretty Toney Album era. Ghost Deini alternately Ghostdini

Ironman, Tony Starks, or just Starks

: Ghostface has frequently assumed the persona of both Ironman and Tony Stark, a reference to the Marvel Comics character Iron Man and his true identity, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (note the variant spellings). He released a 1996 album titled Ironman and has drawn deeply on the Iron Man mythology. His song, "Slept On Tony With Dirt," appears in the 2008 film, and he even appears in a deleted scene on the DVD. Starky Love Pretty Toney, P Tone The Wallabee Kingpin

Discography

; Studio albums

Ironman (1996)

Supreme Clientele (2000)

Bulletproof Wallets (2001)

The Pretty Toney Album (2004)

Fishscale (2006)

More Fish (2006)

The Big Doe Rehab (2007)

(2009)

Apollo Kids (2010)

Blue & Cream (TBA)

Supreme Clientele Part II (TBA)

; Collaboration albums

718 (with Theodore Unit) (2004)

Put It on the Line (with Trife Da God) (2005)

Wu-Massacre (with Method Man and Raekwon) (2010)

Swift and Changeable (with MF Doom) (TBA)

Wu-Block (with Sheek Louch) (TBA)

; Compilation albums

Shaolin's Finest (2003)

The Wallabee Champ (2008)

GhostDeini the Great (2008)

Filmography

Movie appearances

Black and White (1999) as himself

Hunter Dawson (2002) as himself

Scary Movie 3 (2003) gang member (Raekwon and RZA were alongside him)

Fade to Black, (2004) as himself

(2007) as himself

Iron Man (2008) as a Dubaian sheik; cameo. (Though it was cut in post-production, his cameo can be found in the DVD's deleted scenes section.)

When in Rome (2010) as Guggenheim DJ

TV series appearances

Made (2005) as himself (episode "Nile Is Made Into a Rapper")

30 Rock (2006) as himself (episodes "Jack-Tor" and "The Source Awards")

Human Giant (2007) as himself (episodes "Mind Explosion" and "Mosh Pit!")

The Boondocks (2007) as himself (episode "Stinkmeaner Strikes Back")

Rushing Jason (2008) as Big Poppa

Video game appearances

(1999) as himself

Def Jam Vendetta (2003) as himself

(2004) as himself

(2007) as himself

References

External links

Official Def Jam site

HHC Digital interview with Ghostface

Category:1989 births Category:African American rappers Category:American vegetarians Category:Def Jam Recordings artists Category:Living people Category:Rappers from New York City Category:People from New York City Category:People from Staten Island Category:Wu-Tang Clan affiliates Category:Wu-Tang Clan members Category:African American converts to Islam Category:African American Muslims

Name	Peter Kay
Birth name	Peter John Kay
Birth date	July 02, 1973
Birth place	Farnworth, Lancashire, England, UK
Nationality	British
Active	1996–present
Notable work	Phoenix Nights (2001–02)Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere (2004)Peter Kay Live at the Top of the Tower (2000)Peter Kay Live at the Bolton Albert Halls (2003)Peter Kay Live at the Manchester Arena (2004)'' Doctor who Series 2
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Spouse
Influences	Ronnie Barker

Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English comedian, writer, producer, director and actor. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing (2000), Phoenix Nights (2001), Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere (2004), Britain's Got the Pop Factor... (2008) and other independent productions.

Early career

Peter Kay was born in Bolton, Lancashire, to an English father, Michael, and a Northern Irish mother, Deirdre, who hails from County Tyrone. He attended Mount St Joseph High School, leaving with one GCSE in Art. He took several menial jobs, including working in a toilet roll factory, Netto supermarket, a Cash and Carry, and a Bingo Hall, which later inspired episodes or sequences in That Peter Kay Thing. He began a degree course at the University of Liverpool but was unable to cope with the written work and dropped out. He then attended the University of Salford where he studied for a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Media Performance, which he completed, this involved a stand-up course at which he excelled. His first stand-up was a competition in Manchester hosted by later co-star and co-writer of Phoenix Nights, Dave Spikey. Kay was last on the bill and won the competition, beating fellow stand-up comedian Johnny Vegas. His earliest appearance was an interview with Granada Television in which he listed the contents of his room, as well as detailing his experience meeting Jimmy Savile. This would later be used in That Peter Kay Thing in the role of Leonard de Tomkinson. Kay's experience working at the Manchester Evening News Arena inspired him to wear the official yellow jacket of the MEN Arena for the final performance of his Mum Wants a Bungalow tour Kay has said that he sought a career in comedy. During his time working as a cinema usher, he experimented with stand-up, participating in several local events as well as others at the Comedy Store in Manchester. After losing his job at the cinema, Kay was presented with the choice between finding another menial job or moving into comedy.

After he entered and won Channel 4's So You Think You're Funny contest in 1997, his first' semi-professional stand-up appearances were at the 1998 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he received a prestigious Perrier Award nomination. During this time, he also appeared at various other clubs such as London's influential Comedy Store and the Barracuda Club in Lincoln. Although this led to a certain level of public recognition, it was only after his heavily-promoted show Live at the Top of the Tower in 2000 that Kay attained mainstream recognition. During this period, he appeared on several chat shows, such as Parkinson and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, where he had previously been a warm up man. Production also began on Phoenix Nights, which was to see him achieve critical acclaim as well as mainstream success. Subsequent advertisements, for John Smith's Bitter, which imitate the realistic style of Phoenix Nights, saw Kay develop his catchphrases "'ave it!" and "two lamb bhunas".

Productions

Kay's first TV project was in an episode of New Voices, a comedy series which showcased up and coming talent. His episode, "Two Minutes", written by Johanne McAndrew, saw him play a getaway driver as two of his mates attempted to rob a pub of its takings. This was broadcast in 1997. After appearing on BBC2's The Sunday Show presenting his own slot entitled "Peter Kay's World of Entertainment", Kay made an episode of Channel 4's The Comedy Lab, "The Services", in 1998. This served as a pilot for the later That Peter Kay Thing. His idea for this series was to create a testbed for ideas and concepts that he could later use within other series. The idea of having several characters all played by himself was something with which Kay experimented.

That Peter Kay Thing

After a favourable reception to the pilot, That Peter Kay Thing was devised. It was based solely on the experiences of Kay's earlier life working in several menial jobs. The range of characters included Brian Potter, who would go on to become the primary character in Phoenix Nights, and who Kay said was a combination of all his bosses' personalities along with the voice of a man he knows. The eccentric Leonard de Tomkinson is reputedly based on a real man named Leonard who used to visit Peter during his working time at the local Majestic Garage. Following the series' success, Kay and his co-writers, Neil Fitzmaurice and Dave Spikey, used the episode "In The Club" as the basis for Phoenix Nights.

Phoenix Nights

Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights was his notable TV programme, written by him, Dave Spikey and Neil Fitzmaurice and set in a newly refurbished social club run by wheelchair-bound Brian Potter. The club was based on an episode of That Peter Kay Thing entitled "In The Club". The cast of Phoenix Nights was made up almost entirely of stand-up comics whom the writers had met on 'the circuit'. The show was an immediate hit. It followed the story of the club and the various events that happened there. Expertly written, much of the humour was somewhat implicit – relying on subtle background clues and hints or paradoxes. The first series was partly filmed at St. Gregory's Social Club in Farnworth, Lancashire, where the exterior, hallways and function suite were all used. Other sets, such as the Jocky Wilson suite, were built at Granada Studios. For the second series, all filming took place at St. Gregory's.

Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere

Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere was a spin-off of Phoenix Nights. Featuring the bouncer characters from the show played by Peter Kay and Patrick McGuinness and even featured at times characters from Phoenix Nights. Notably this did not include the characters portrayed by his former co-writers Neil Fitzmaurice or Dave Spikey, the latter's character instead being represented by a body double in brief scenes.

Made for Channel 4 to be shown on a Friday, 6 episodes were made and broadcast from November to December 2004. The DVD of the series was released in October 2005, but unlike previous DVDs does not feature commentary from either Kay or McGuinness, instead opting for "surprise" commentators. In December 2005, a spoof workout DVD was also released, starring McGuinness and Kay, entitled Max and Paddy's: The Power Of Two. All the music was once again written (or co-written with Peter Kay) by Toni Baker who did all the music for Phoenix Nights and Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere.

Peter Kay Night

On 17 April 2006, Channel 4 broadcast a "Peter Kay Night", showing out-takes from Phoenix Nights (previously featured on DVD), a behind-the-scenes documentary of the Mum Wants a Bungalow tour and also the whole Peter Kay Live in Manchester show. During this evening, Kay was seen in character as Max (from Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere & Phoenix Nights) discussing the tribute with Paddy (Patrick McGuinness). Max stated that he disliked Peter Kay and thought that Channel 4 was going downhill for dedicating an entire night to him. Paddy wondered why ITV have not snapped up Kay. Max is shown to be ignorant of current events, failing to realise that civil partnerships are now legal and that Elton John has made use of it, to controversial news stories involving Michael Barrymore, Gary Glitter, Diana, Princess of Wales and Michael Jackson. Channel 4 repeated the "Peter Kay Night" on 25 March 2007 and again on 12 October 2008 which included Peter's new show Peter Kay's Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice.

Advertising

Since 2002, Kay has featured in television advertisements for John Smith's beer (despite being teetotal),

Kay introduced British band James at V2007 and again the next year in Liverpool on their 2008 spring tour. He performed a short set and even wrote a request on the setlist, which the band performed as an encore. A recording of this is available on the limited edition Live in 2008 CD sold on the subsequent tour (listed as "a couple of extra bits").

In November 2009 Kay announced that he will play four (later extended to 20) dates in Manchester in April and May 2010 with a tour entitled "The Tour that Doesn't Tour Tour.” The reason given for restricting the tour to Manchester only was so that Peter could remain close to his family. On 27 November 2009 during an interview on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Kay announced that, due to the demand and extra dates, the tour will most likely tour, jokingly renaming it The Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour...Now On Tour. Venues for tour include London's O2 Arena, Birmingham's National Indoor Arena, Cardiff International Arena, Sheffield Arena, SECC, Belfast Odyssey, Dublin The O2, Liverpool Arena, Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, which will take place in November 2010 and April 2011 and then end again at Manchester and entitled 'The Tour That Doesn't Tour...Now On Tour...The Farewell Tour'. In October 2010 Kay announced 6 further dates for 2011, due to phenomenal demand.

Theatre work

From February 2007 Kay played flamboyant gay director Roger DeBris in the Mel Brooks musical, The Producers for the Manchester leg of the UK Tour, at the Manchester Palace Theatre until 12 May 2007. He reprised his role later in the year at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff.

He also appeared in the Royal Variety Performance 2008, which was staged at the London Palladium on Thursday 11 December. He hosted 2009's Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool.

Film

Kay's film appearances have included minor roles in, Going Off Big Time (1999) with Neil Fitzmaurice, 24 Hour Party People (2002), Roddy Smythe Investigates (2003) and The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005). He also provided a voice to the character PC McIntosh for the film (2005).

Roary

Kay also does the voice for the character "Big Chris" in the children's TV show Roary the Racing Car.

Guest appearances

In 2000, Kay guest appeared in one episode of the popular police drama Heartbeat playing a thief. He also sang at the end of the episode.

He has had two cameo roles in Coronation Street. The first, in the late 1990s, was a brief appearance as a shopfitter, but in January 2004 he co-wrote his own scenes, appearing alongside real-life good friend, Sally Lindsay, who played Shelley Unwin.

On 17 June 2006, Kay appeared in a Doctor Who episode titled "Love & Monsters". His character, the sinister Victor Kennedy, proved to be an alien called the Abzorbaloff in disguise. Although the episode itself was quite comedic, Kay's role was more serious than those he normally plays.

Kay has also appeared twice alongside British band Take That, in An Audience with Take That and as Geraldine McQueen in Take That Come To Town. He also co-wrote The Winner's Song and Once Upon A Christmas Song with Take That member, Gary Barlow.

Chat shows

He has appeared on numerous chat shows, including Parkinson, The Paul O'Grady Show and The Late Late Show in Ireland. When he appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show (ITV1) at Christmas 2005, he came on in a Christmas tree costume. For his second appearance with Paul on The New Paul O'Grady Show (Channel 4) he was dressed as a Catholic Nun wearing a large mask of himself, mimicking the front cover of his new book, The Sound of Laughter. At Christmas 2006 he made a third appearance, this time dressed up as a snowman. On his fourth appearance, on 5 June 2007, he came onto the set dressed as a chicken. He also co-hosted Top of the Pops in character as Brian Potter alongside Fearne Cotton in January 2006.

In September 2006 he co-presented the Edith Bowman afternoon show on BBC Radio 1 where he revealed that he had written a third series of Phoenix Nights. In addition two specials of Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere have been penned.

On 15 March 2007, he was the first guest of the inaugural recording of Danny Baker's All Day Breakfast Show.

He appeared as a guest on the last ever Parkinson show on ITV on 16 December 2007, making a return to the programme on which he'd been a warm-up act years before. He hugged everyone on the show. He also brought with him a bag of 'goodies' including party hats and also a lollipop man's outfit as a joke for Parkinson's use during his retirement.

Another appearance on The Paul O'Grady Show, had him coming into the studio with the same exaggerated mask used on the cover of his autobiography Saturday Night Peter. The theme tune of Saturday Night Fever accompanied him, as well as the white suit also worn on the cover.

Awards

In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 Funniest British Comedians. In addition, he made an appearance in a 2005 poll of comedians and critics to find The Comedians' Comedian, a search for the 50 greatest funnymen of all time. In March 2005 he also came top in a survey sponsored by the Jongleurs comedy club chain to find Britain's favourite comedian.

In 2006, a Channel 4 television show 100 Greatest Funny Moments voted him at the Number 1 spot, most notably for his stand-up act, Mum Wants a Bungalow tour at the Bolton Albert Halls, including his description of a family wedding and Bullseye.

Peter Kay was included in the Independent on Sunday's "Happy List" in 2009 as "simply Britain's best comedian", and – as an exception to their general rule – was included again in 2010 for also raising funds for Children in Need.

Criticism

In 2004, Kay caused controversy with a joke about murdered television presenter Jill Dando. The Sun newspaper covered the story on its frontpage, labelling Kay as a "sick comic".

Despite having co-written Phoenix Nights with Dave Spikey and Neil Fitzmaurice, Fitzmaurice spoke of his dissatisfaction with Kay taking sole credit when he left their names off the script book. “I can only presume they took out all the bits Dave (sic) and I wrote,”. Kay was also nominated for a book prize alone. Fitzmaurice added, "The only way I can explain it is that people are affected by fame in different ways. It was basically about a lack of respect, a lack of recognition for me and Dave." Spikey also criticised Max and Paddy saying "Hate to say it but pretty obvious, blatant, unsophisticated comedy for me. But, hey what do I know? It did very well and got nominated for a National TV award so I must be in the minority.".

In 2001, there was criticism of Kay following his depiction in both That Peter Kay Thing and Phoenix Nights (series one) of a fire safety officer called Keith Lard. The character seemed to have resemblances to a real-life fire safety officer called Keith Laird. Although the similarity was dismissed as coincidental, Channel 4 were forced to offer an apology and financial compensation to Mr Laird.

Singles

As Geraldine McQueen

Filmography

Television

New Voices [episode "Two Minutes"] (1996)

Coronation Street (Shopfitter) (1997)

Comedy Lab [episode "The Services"] (1998)

Butterfly Collectors (Ronnie) (1999)

That Peter Kay Thing (2000)

Phoenix Nights (2001–2002)

Linda Green (Eddie) (2002)

(Brian Potter) (2003)

Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere (2004)

Coronation Street (Eric Gartside) (2004)

Little Britain Abroad (2006)

Roary the Racing Car (Voice Over (Big Chris)) (2007–present) Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice (2008)

Take That Come To Town as Geraldine McQueen (2008)

Film

Going Off Big Time (Flipper) (2000)

Blow Dry (Cyril the Barman) (2001)

Roddy Smythe Investigates... (Tommy Doyle) (2002)

24 Hour Party People (Don Tonay) (2002)

Last Rumba in Rochdale (Dad: Voice) (2002)

The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (Simon Pig) (2005)

(PC Mackintosh) (2005)

Max and Paddy's Power of Two (Max) (2005)

Stand-Up DVDs

Live At The Top Of The Tower (22 November 2002)

Live At The Bolton Albert Halls (10 November 2003)

Live At Manchester Arena (14 November 2005)

References

External links

Category:1973 births Category:English actors Category:English comedians Category:English Roman Catholics Category:English television directors Category:English television writers Category:English voice actors Category:English film actors Category:Living people Category:English television actors Category:People from Farnworth Category:Alumni of the University of Salford Category:English people of Northern Ireland descent

Name	Paula Deen
Caption	Paula Deen in a public service announcement for Civitan International.
Birth date	January 19, 1947
Birth place	Albany, Georgia
Style	Southern
Restaurants	The Lady & Sons Restaurant, Uncle Bubba's Oyster House
Television	Paula's Home Cooking (2002–present)Paula's Party (2006–present)Paula's Best Dishes (2008–present)
Awards	2007 Emmy for Outstanding Lifestyle Host

Paula Deen (born January 19, 1947) is an American cook, restaurateur, author, actress and Emmy Award-winning television personality.

Deen resides in Savannah, Georgia, where she owns and operates The Lady & Sons restaurant with her sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen. She has also published five cookbooks. Though married in 2004 to Michael Anthony Groover, she continues to use the surname Deen from her first marriage professionally.

Early life

Paula Deen was born in Albany, Georgia. As documented in the Food Network special Chefography and on her official Web site, both her parents died before she was 23 and an early marriage ended in divorce. Deen suffered from agoraphobia and would not leave her house. She relied on cooking to help deal with her condition. In 1986, she felt well enough to take a job as a bank teller. After that she and her sons moved to Savannah. In 1989, she divorced Jimmy Deen, to whom she had been married since 1965, She made sandwiches and other meals, which her sons Jamie and Bobby delivered. .]] The Bag Lady, as the business was named, was successful and soon outgrew her kitchen. On January 8, 1996, Deen opened her own restaurant, The Lady & Sons, in downtown Savannah, on West Congress Street. Within a few years, the restaurant moved to a larger building in Savannah's historic district. USA Today named The Lady & Sons the "International Meal of the Year," in 1999. The specialty is the buffet, which may include sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, deep-fried Twinkies, fried chicken, cheesy meatloaf, greens, beans, and creamed corn. Every meal comes with a garlic cheese biscuit and one of Deen's famous hoecakes. The restaurant is run by her sons when they are in town. The restaurant is a perennial favorite with tourists to Savannah.

Deen parlayed her fame into another restaurant, the "Paula Deen Buffet" at Harrah's Tunica Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. The entrance facade of the restaurant, which opened in May 2008, is modeled on Deen's home in Savannah and features Southern fare.

On September 1, 2009, Deen announced plans to unveil her own dessert line at Walmart featuring signature pies (Apple Crunch Top, Dark Rum Pecan, Old Fashioned Fudge and Gooey Butter Cake bars).

Books

In 1997, Deen self-published The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cooking and The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cooking 2. Both cookbooks were filled with traditional Southern recipes, such as "Gooey Butter Cake" (also known as Chess Cake, a variation of a chess pie recipe). The cookbooks were very successful, and she has since published two more, written with help from Martha Nesbit. Deen has appeared on QVC and on The Oprah Winfrey Show (first in 2002,twice in 2007 and once in 2010). Her story is featured in Extraordinary Comebacks: 201 Inspiring Stories of Courage, Triumph, and Success (2007, Sourcebooks). In April 2007, Simon & Schuster published Deen's memoir, It Ain't All About the Cookin'. She launched a lifestyle magazine called Cooking with Paula Deen in November 2005. which claimed a circulation of 7.5 million in March, 2009.

Food Network

Deen's relationship with Food Network began in 1999, when her friend Erin Lewis introduced her to Gordon Elliott, who then introduced her to her current agent, Artist's Agency owner Barry Weiner. Elliott took her through the city for a series of Doorknock Dinners episodes. She also appeared on Ready, Set, Cook!. Deen was invited to shoot a pilot named Afternoon Tea in early 2001. The network liked it, and eventually gave Deen her own show, Paula's Home Cooking, which premiered in November 2002. Paula's Home Cooking was originally taped in Millbrook, New York at the home of Gordon Elliott, the show's executive producer. Deen mentioned in an interview aired on the March 13, 2006, edition of The Daily Buzz that the next batch of episodes of her show would be taped at her home in Savannah, Georgia. According to the first of those episodes, actual production at her new Savannah home began in November 2005. baseball game in Washington, D.C.]] Since then, Deen has been given two more Food Network shows, Paula's Party and Paula's Best Dishes. Paula's Party premiered on the Food Network in 2006 and Paula's Best Dishes debuted on June 8, 2008.

A televised biography of Deen was aired on an episode of the Food Network's Chefography program, in March 2006.

In December 2007, Deen teamed with Cat Cora and faced Chefs Tyler Florence and Robert Irvine in battle Sugar on the holiday special of Iron Chef America. At the end Deen and Cora won.

Deen also helped Pat and Gina Neely get their first Food Network show, Down Home with the Neelys. During the summer of 2006, her sons, Bobby and Jamie Deen, featured the Neely's Bar-B-Que Nashville location on their Food Network show Road Tasted. In September 2006, Paula ate at the Neely's downtown Memphis restaurant and was impressed. In January 2007, the Neelys were invited to appear on Paula's Party, which eventually led to the Down Home show. In July 2008, the Neelys would also take over Road Tasted from the Deen brothers.

In May 2008, Deen announced at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show that she had signed a deal to host a talk show beginning in September 2009.

Deen has appeared in public service announcements for Civitan International.

Personal life

In her 20s, Deen suffered from panic attacks with agoraphobia, eventually becoming virtually housebound.

Deen remarried, on March 6, 2004, to Michael Groover (born 1956), a tugboat captain in the port of Savannah. Michael has two children, Michelle and Anthony, from a previous marriage. The wedding and preparation were documented by Food Network for a show aired in 2004.

Deen has one grandchild, Jack Linton, who was born August 21, 2006, to Jamie and his wife, Brooke.

On November 24th, 2009, Paula Deen was hit in the face by a ham.

Film debut

Deen made her film debut in Elizabethtown, starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. She played the aunt of Bloom's character, and her cooking was showcased heavily. The film premiered on October 8, 2005. A Food Network special, Paula Goes Hollywood, aired in conjunction with the film's premiere.

Awards and honors

In June 2007, Deen won a Daytime Emmy Awards (Outstanding Lifestyle Host) for Paula's Home Cooking.

On October 26, 2010, Deen was selected as the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade. She and the Queen and Court presided over the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game on New Year's Day January 1, 2011.

Criticism

Deen has faced some criticism for the high amounts of fat, salt, and sugar in her recipes. She faced even more objections after she released Lunch-Box Set, a cookbook aimed at children, with Barbara Walters saying of the book, "You tell kids to have cheesecake for breakfast. You tell them to have chocolate cake and meatloaf for lunch. And french fries. Doesn't it bother you that you're adding to this?"

Deen is also a spokesperson for Smithfield Foods, a company that has faced allegations of animal cruelty.

Filmography

References

External links

Deen Home Furniture'

The Lady & Sons restaurant

Uncle Bubba's Oyster House

Cooking with Paula Deen magazine

Paula Deen ... Answers Your Questions Archive at People.com

Category:American chefs Category:American food writers Category:American film actors Category:American television chefs Category:Food Network chefs Category:People from Albany, Georgia Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:People from Savannah, Georgia

{{Infobox Musical artist | Name = Colt Ford | Img = Colt_Ford_Live_@_Outlawz_Ardmore_Ok._3_20_10.JPG | Img_capt = | Img_size = | Landscape = | Background = solo_singer | Birth_name = Jason Farris Brown | Born = | Origin = Athens, Georgia, U.S. Later, he turned his interests to music, taking influence from country music and hip hop. Assuming the stage name Colt Ford, he released his debut album, Ride Through the Country, on December 2, 2008. This album included the singles "No Trash in My Trailer" (a cover of a Gene Watson song) and "Ride Through the Country" (a duet with John Michael Montgomery), the latter of which did not chart until the week of October 10, 2009 when it debuted at #57 on the Hot Country Songs chart. He also appeared on a rap remix of Montgomery Gentry's late-2008 Number One single "Roll with Me." Ford's debut album also has guest appearances from country singer Jamey Johnson, as well as Bone Crusher and Jermaine Dupri, and Jeremy Popoff of Lit. The album did not enter the Billboard albums charts until 2009.

Ford co-wrote and originally recorded the song "Dirt Road Anthem" for his debut album Ridin' Through the Country, which was later covered by Brantley Gilbert on his 2010 album Halfway To Heaven, and again by Jason Aldean on his album My Kinda Party, also from 2010.(this needs citation)

Ford wrote the theme song "Buck 'em" for the Professional Bull Riders association. He also appears as a guest vocalist on the track "Tailgatin'" on Cledus T. Judd's 2009 album Polyrically Uncorrect, a song which Ford wrote with Johnson and Popoff. Ford's second studio album, Chicken & Biscuits, was released in April 2010, following the release of its title track.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Live albums

Singles

Other charted songs

Music videos

References

Category:American country singers Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:People from Athens, Georgia Category:Rappers from Georgia (U.S. state)