Associated Broadcasting Company (TV5) is a major commercial television network in the Philippines solely owned by MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company headed by business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan.

Its parent company, the Associated Broadcasting Company, also owns and operates other media properties, including the news channel AksyonTV, sports network blocktimer AKTV, and news radio station DWFM in Quezon City, as well as cable/satellite channels Colours, Hyper and Weather Information Network.

History[link]

Logo used from June 19, 1960 to its closure on September 21, 1972.

Joaquin "Chino" Roces, owner of the Manila Times was granted of a radio-TV franchise from Congress under Republic Act 2945 on June 19, 1960. He then founded the Associated Broadcasting Corporation with its first studios along Roxas Boulevard, becoming the fourth television network established in the country. ABC operated radio and television services from 1960 until September 21, 1972 when President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared Martial Law. Both ABC and the Manila Times were forcibly shut down as a result.

After the People Power Revolution in 1986, Chino Roces made a successful representation with President Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino for the restoration of the network.

New stockholders led by broadcast veteran Edward Tan and Chino Roces's son Edgardo then began the arduous task of resuming broadcasts. The Securities and Exchange Commission granted their application for an increase in capitalization and amendments to ABC’s articles of incorporation and by-laws. They were subsequently granted a permit to operate by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Return to the airwaves[link]

ABC inaugurated its new studio complex and transmitter tower in San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City in 1990, and began test broadcasts by the end of 1991; officially returning to the air as the Associated Broadcasting Company on February 21, 1992.

ABC acquired a new franchise to operate on December 9, 1994, under Republic Act 7831 signed by President Fidel V. Ramos. In the same year, it went on nationwide satellite broadcasting. In a surge of phenomenal growth, ABC earned its reputation as "The Fastest Growing Network" under new network executive Tina Monzon-Palma who served as Chief Operating Officer. As a fledging station, it had taken a big leap and was now among the ranks of "The Big League". As early as its 15th month of operations, it rose to no. 3 in the overall TV network ratings with programming that combined American and all station-produced local programs. Part of their success can be attributed to their carrying of the Sailor Moon anime franchise, which effectively revitalized Filipino interest in anime. Amid the escalating network war, ABC succeeded in gaining a foothold, as the dark clouds of the Asian crisis loomed in the horizon. In 1996, the network premiered Wow Mali, a comedy show hosted by Joey de Leon featuring practical jokes played by the show's staff, and sent in by viewers. The show would become the longest-running show of its kind in the country.

In 1999, ABC was awarded the channel 47 frequency in Metro Manila, the last remaining UHF frequency in the market, christening it DWDZ-TV however, has been inactive since 2003. In 2001, ABC began to produce local versions of The Price Is Right (hosted by Dawn Zulueta and later acquired by ABS-CBN); Wheel of Fortune (hosted by Rustom Padilla, later acquired by ABS-CBN); and Family Feud (hosted by Ogie Alcasid, later acquired by GMA Network). This was during the height of the game show frenzy within Philippine networks, brought on by the success of IBC's Philippine editions of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (hosted by Christopher De Leon which is now home of TV5 at present time) and The Weakest Link (hosted by Edu Manzano).

New management[link]

In October 2003, ABC was acquired by a group led by businessman Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco, Jr. former Chairman of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and owner of Dream Satellite Broadcasting and Bank of Commerce, among other assets. The new management introduced many changes including a stronger news and public affairs division, modernization of its broadcast equipment, and the acquisition of broadcast rights of Philippine Basketball Association games. Additionally, the network also launched a new advertising campaign and slogan, "Iba Tayo!" ("We're Different!"), which emphasized the new lineup as being more distinct and new than what was being aired by its competitors at the time.

In 2005, ABC won the "Outstanding TV station" award at the 2005 KBP Golden Dove Awards, with several other programs on the network also earning awards in their respective categories.

Until the end of 2006, ABC was a member of the Family Rosary Crusade. Its religious pre-identification campaign "Please Pray the Rosary" was played before every program on the network until the "Iba Tayo!" re-imaging campaign.

In early 2007, ABC implemented a series of budget cuts, primarily directed towards its news department, which laid off most of its employees. The cuts, held prior to the 2007 general elections, left ABC almost incapable of coverage.

In November 2007, ABC debuted an array of new sports programming, including NBA basketball, pro boxing, and WWE events, as part of a new five year deal with Solar Entertainment. However, due to their high costs, these programs were later dropped throughout 2008, and its NBA review show "House of Hoops" was cut back as well and eventually cancelled by April 2008. However, much of these programs, along with the PBA (as ABC elected not to renew its contract through the ended after the 2008 Fiesta Conference), would be picked up by RPN, who had begun a much wider partnership with Solar earlier in 2007.

Re-launch as TV5[link]

In March 2008, ABC president and CEO Antonio Cojuangco announced that ABC had reached a partnership with MPB Primedia Inc., a local company backed by Media Prima Berhad of Malaysia as part of a long-term strategy to make the network more competitive. Cojuangco said MPB Primedia Inc., in principle, would produce and source most of the entertainment programs while ABC would continue to be responsible for news programming and operation of the stations.^[1] Christopher Sy was named CEO of MPB Primedia, Inc.; he served in that capacity until his resignation in January 2009 due to reported differences in management style.^[2]

ABC "signed off" on August 8, 2008, and then aired a countdown to its re-launch for much of the next day until 19:00 PHT, when the network officially re-launched under its new name of TV5.^[3][4][5] Despite the name change, the corporate name will still be Associated Broadcasting Company and Tonyboy Cojuangco will remain its CEO.^[6] Shall We Dance, some shows in Nick on TV5, Kerygma TV, Light Talk, and Sunday TV Mass were the only ABC programs that were carried-over to the line-up of TV5.

In December 2008, a lawsuit was filed by GMA Network, Inc. against ABC, MPB, and MPB Primedia, alleging that TV5's lease of airtime to Media Prima was intended to federal regulations restricting foreign ownership of broadcasters.^[7][7] In response, ABC's media relations head Pat Marcelo-Magbanua reiterated that the network was a Filipino company which was self-registered and Filipino-run.^[8]

Despite the lawsuit, the network's ratings were revitalized by the new management, as its audience share increased from 1.9% in July 2008 (prior to the re-branding) to 11.1% in September 2009.^[9]

MediaQuest era[link]

On October 20, 2009, Media Prima announced that it would be divesting its share in TV5 and selling it to the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company's broadcasting division, MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. The acquisition was officially announced by chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan on March 2, 2010, along with the announcement of a new lineup of programming to debut on the network, along with a new campaign branding itself as the "Kapatid" ("sibling") network.^[10] Dream FM and its affiliate stations in other parts of the country remained under the Cojuangco management led by former ABC stockholder Anton Lagdameo. They became collectively known as the Dream FM Network, with TV5 as its licensee until June 2011.

On October 1, 2010, TV5 took over the management of MediaQuest's Nation Broadcasting Corporation stations; DWFM was re-launched as a TV5-branded news radio station on November 8, 2010, Radyo5 92.3 NewsFM, and DWNB-TV was re-launched as AksyonTV on February 21, 2011, a news channel based off TV5's newscast Aksyon.^[11][12]

In April 2011, TV5 launched Kapatid TV5, an international channel. The channel will be overseen by Pilipinas Global Network Ltd., a company owned by PLDT and ABC Development Corp. based in the British Virgin Islands

By 2012, the network will complete the construction of its new headquarters, the 6,000-sqm TV5 Media Center located in Mandaluyong.^[13]

In June 2011, Sports5 began a deal with the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation to produce sports programming for the network under the brand AKTV.^[14][15] Additionally, AKTV would also acquire the rights to the Philippine Basketball Association through a new contract with TV5, displacing Solar Sports' previous contract.^[16]

Through affiliate Cignal, the network launched its own satellite television networks: lifestyle channel Colours, sports channel Hyper, and Weather Information Network. The channels were launched on April 14, 2012.^[17]

Slogans[link]

Programming[link]

TV5's program lineup includes news and current affairs shows, variety shows, gag shows, dubbed foreign serials, children's shows, anime shows, reality shows, and sports.

Program production[link]

News5[link]

Competition[link]

On its second month since its re-launch last August 9, 2008, TV5 has been reportedly on Top 3 based on the AGB Nielsen survey. It also gained its rating on their morning block. Most watched of it is the Filipino dubbed SpongeBob SquarePants. But upon the year 2010, it began its competition with ABS-CBN and GMA Network. It began producing its first reality tabloid talk show, Face to Face. Upon October 2010, it gained popularity upon airing its first comedy game show Laugh or Lose. Most especially, it rose to the occasion by airing Willing Willie, hosted by Willie Revillame upon his defection from ABS-CBN.

Digitalization[link]

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ordered that all analog TV broadcast transmission will be terminated by 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2015, requiring television service providers to migrate to DTT by that time. Currently, the network conducts test broadcast on UHF Channel 47.^[18] The management of ABC is planning for digitalization by the last quarter of 2011.^[19]

TV and radio stations nationwide[link]

International broadcast[link]

TV5 programs are seen internationally via Kapatid TV5, and is currently available in Guam, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and the United States.

Entities and ventures[link]

Subsidiaries[link]

• Operation Tulong Bayan^[20]
• Cignal Digital TV
• CineMabuhay
• Studio 5
• Cinema 5
• News5
• Talent 5
• Sports5
• Radyo5
• Rescue 5
• Dokyu 5
• PLDT-Smart Foundation
• Alagang Kapatid Foundation, Inc.
• One Mega Group, Inc.

Affiliates and productions[link]

• MPB Primedia, Inc.
• Unitel Pictures^[21]
• Pixelgrain, Inc.^[22]
• Blue Screen Entertainment^[23]
• Red Communications^[24]
• Jojoatv Entertainment
• Jesuit Communications Foundation
• Bigtop Media Productions, Inc.
• Double Vision
• M-Zet TV Production
• Wil Productions, Inc.
• Nation Broadcasting Corporation
• PBN Bicol
• Philippine Children's Television Foundation
• Mega Productions, Inc.
• Regal Multimedia Production, Inc.
• Viva Television
• Fox Filipino Channel

See also[link]

• List of Philippine media companies
• Philippine television networks

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Official News Site
• Official International Site
• Official Sports Site (AKTV)
• Associated Broadcasting Company on Facebook (under the username: TV5manila)
• Associated Broadcasting Company on Twitter (under the username: TV5manila)
• Associated Broadcasting Company's channel on YouTube (under the username: TV5Philippines)

v t e Terrestrial television networks in the Philippines Major networks ABS-CBN  · ABC (TV5)  · GMA State-owned networks PTV  · IBC (AKTV) News networks AksyonTV  · GMA News TV  · SBN (Talk TV) Minor networks RMN/BEAM TV (Chase)  · Net 25  · RPN (ETC)  · RJTV (2nd Avenue)  · Studio 23  · UNTV Religious networks 3ABN/Hope Channel PHL  · CCTN  · DBS  · GEM TV  · SMNI  · ZOE TV (Light TV) Regional networks CBS (Quezon)  · CLTV (Central Luzon)  · GBPI (Zamboanga)  · Infomax TV (Pampanga)  · PBC (Palawan)  · PBN (Bicol) Defunct networks BBC  · FUBC  · MTV Philippines  · Solar TV  · BCI  · Q

v t e Radio networks in the Philippines Major networks Bombo Radyo  · ABS-CBN (Tambayan 101.9  · DZMM Radyo Patrol 630)  · ABC (TV5) (Radyo5 92.3 News FM)  · RGMA Network (Barangay LS 97.1  · Super Radyo DZBB 594)  · MBC (Cebu  · Pacific  · Radyo Natin)  · PBC (UNTV) (107.5 Win Radio  · UNTV Radio La Verdad 1350)  · RMN (BEAM/CHASE)  · RPN (ETC)  · Tiger22 (AMBS  · Quest  · RRN Radio Network)  · UBSI Government-owned networks PBS  · IBC Minor networks Audiovisual  · Aliw  · Dream FM Network  · EBC (Net 25) (Pinas FM 95.5  · DZEC Radyo Agila 1062)  · FBS Radio Network  · MBNI  · RJ Radio (2nd Avenue)  · SBN (Talk TV)  · Trans-Radio Religious networks CMN  · CEBS  · DBSI  · FEBC Philippines  · SMNI  · ZOE Broadcasting Network (DZJV) Regional networks CBS  · CLBC Pampanga/Central Luzon  · ABS-CBN (MOR  · DYAB Radyo Patrol 1512 Cebu  · DXAB Radyo Patrol 1296 Davao  · DYAP Radyo Patrol 765 Palawan)  · ABC (TV5) (Radyo5)  · RGMA Network (Super Radyo  · Campus Radio)  · GV Pampanga  · Kalayaan  · PBC Palawan  · PBN Bicol  · RadioCorp  · UM  · ZBC Internet ACWS-United Broadcasting Network  · Atlantis Broadcasting Network  · Bicol Radio Organization  · Campus Radio Online  · Global Max Radio  · Heatwave Broadcasting System  · Leviathan Broadcasting System  · MBC (Aksyon Radyo U.S.)  · Power Beats Club  · Radio Pilipinas  · Salt&Light Broadcasting System  · Stratuscast  · Sutton Network  · RBN (UR Faceradio)  · Ulycomm Innovation Systems  · University of Santo Tomas (Tiger Radio) Short-wave Radio Veritas  · Radyo Pilipinas

Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke (2012)
Background information
Birth name	Robin C. Thicke
Also known as	Thicke
Born	(1977-03-10) March 10, 1977 (age 35) Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	R&B, soul, hip hop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actor, musician
Instruments	Vocals, piano, guitar and saxophone
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Nu America, Star Trak, Interscope
Associated acts	Pharrell Williams, Lil Wayne
Website	www.robinthicke.com

Robin Charles Thicke ( /ˈθɪk/; born March 10, 1977) is an American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the name Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound.^[1][2] Thicke has written hits for popular artists such as Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Mary J. Blige and Raven-Symoné. Thicke has also been acknowledged for his work in popular albums such as Confessions and Tha Carter III.

Thicke is a judge on the ABC show Duets.^[3]

Career[link]

Early years[link]

Before his days as a singer-songwriter, Thicke had written "Love Is On My Side" on Brandy's self-titled album and a number of songs for 3T's "Sexual Attention" and collaborated with Jordan Knight, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on several songs in Knight's 1999 album Jordan Knight. He also co-wrote the songs "When You Put Your Hands On Me" for Christina Aguilera's debut album and "No Tears on My Pillow" for Mýa's sophomore release, Fear of Flying. As an artist, he recorded and performed solely under his surname, Thicke. He would continue to do so until 2005.

2002–2004: Early commercial success[link]

In 2000, Thicke, who simply went by his last name, went to work on material for his debut album, initially titled Cherry Blue Skies. The album focused more on soul than his pop-offerings for other artists.

In 2002, Thicke released his debut single "When I Get You Alone". The track samples Walter Murphy's "A Fifth of Beethoven", which itself is a disco rendition of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The music video for the song received some rotation on MTV2 and BET's Rated Next and was spun moderately on pop and urban radio, peaking at #49 on Radio & Records Pop chart.^{[citation needed]} Globally, however, "When I Get You Alone" became a chart success when it peaked within the top 20 in Australia, Belgium, and Italy, and reached the top ten of the singles charts in New Zealand and the top three in the Netherlands.^{[citation needed]} The tune was featured for the soundtrack of Agent Cody Banks.^{[citation needed]}

The moderate success was enough to signal the release of the album, with its name changed to A Beautiful World. Despite the release of a second single, "Brand New Jones", the album received very little promotion, and debuted at a low number 152 on the US Billboard 200, eventually selling 63,000 copies.^[4]

Runner-up Blake Lewis performed "When I Get You Alone" during the 2007 season of American Idol when the top 3 chose a song to sing. Lewis has often put Robin Thicke in his list of musical influences in interviews and on the American Idol website. The song was also performed by Blaine Anderson (played by Darren Criss) on Glee during the season 2 episode "Silly Love Songs".^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 2005–2007: The Evolution of Robin Thicke

In 2005, Thicke performed as a guest on the remix of Will Smith's song, "Switch". After being signed to The Neptunes label, Star Trak, he began working on his second album entitled The Evolution of Robin Thicke. The first single, "Wanna Love U Girl", featured producer Pharrell and experienced chart success on urban radio in the United Kingdom. For the video, Thicke changed his appearance, cutting off his trademark long hair. In 2006, a remix version of the song was filmed with rapper Busta Rhymes. Nearly a year after the single was released, the album was released on October 3, 2006. To promote the album Thicke toured with India.Arie, and then opened for John Legend in late 2006.

His second single, the ballad "Lost Without U", began getting a lot of radio airplay in Urban & Rhythmic stations towards the end of 2006 and early 2007.^{[citation needed]} With the assistance of radio airplay, the song became his breakout hit, reaching as high as number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the first Caucasian male artist to top that chart since George Michael.^[5] With album sales over 1.5 million copies sold domestically after the re-release as a Deluxe Edition (with three new bonus tracks) on February 13, 2007, The Evolution of Robin Thicke became a commercial success in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,^[4] garnering Thicke his first R&B number one album of his career. In early 2007 the single "Lost Without U" and album The Evolution of Robin Thicke simultaneously spent two consecutive weeks at number one on the R&B singles and albums charts respectively. On the March 3, 2007 issue of Billboard magazine, Thicke simultaneously topped four Billboard charts; Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and Hot Adult R&B Airplay.^{[citation needed]} In March 2007, The Evolution of Robin Thicke was certified Platinum by the RIAA.^{[citation needed]} Thicke and his record label Interscope soon considered potential tracks to be released as the album's next and third single. Thicke's preference was the track "Can U Believe", which peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and at number ninety-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[5][6] On October 2, 2007 the track "Got 2 Be Down" was released as the album's fourth official single. The single peaked at number sixty on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.^[5]

Late in 2007, Thicke finished promotion for the album as the featured opening act for the North American leg of Beyoncé's US tour, The Beyoncé Experience.^[7] Thicke also performed a one off UK concert in London's Koko Arena on September 24, 2007. As of February 10, 2009, the album was certified Double-Platinum by the RIAA.

[edit] 2008–10: Something Else and Sex Therapy

There's so many meanings behind that title. Number one, it reflects what we're going through as a nation here in America. I just felt, with Barack Obama and the new energy he's bringing, that it is time for some fresh hope and new attitudes. Then, in terms of me as an artist, because I'd been singing all these songs about self-reflection - like '2 The Sky' and 'Angels' - I just thought it was time for me to start singing about something ELSE! Also, I felt that - with my music being a little different from everything else you can get out there - the music IN ITSELF is also something different and something else!"

—Robin Thicke interview by Pete Lewis, Blues & Soul, November 2008.[8]

Thicke released his third solo album, entitled Something Else, on September 30, 2008.^{[citation needed]} It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 charts and sold nearly 140,000 records the first week.^{[citation needed]} The first single from the album was "Magic" a further expansion of the R&B sound that powered his 2006 breakthrough, The Evolution of Robin Thicke.^{[citation needed]} "Magic" went on to peak at number two on the Urban AC charts.^{[citation needed]} He followed this success with the second single, "The Sweetest Love", which also peaked at number two on the Urban AC charts and remained in the top five for twelve consecutive weeks.^{[citation needed]}

During an interview to promote his third album, Thicke explained:

Thicke appeared on an episode of ABC's The Bachelor to perform “Magic” and “The Sweetest Love” for the remaining female contestants. Thicke wrote and produced a track for the movie Precious in which his wife Paula Patton also starred.^[10] He co-headlined a U.S. tour with Jennifer Hudson, which began March 31, 2009 in Albany, New York, and wrapped up 25 shows later in Biloxi, Mississippi.^[11] At the start of the tour, Thicke released "You're My Baby" as the official third single from Something Else, despite filming and releasing a music video for the track "Dreamworld".^[11] As of April 2009, Something Else has shifted over 435,000 units in the U.S.

Seven months after the release of Something Else, Billboard.com announced that Thicke would release his fourth studio album in the fall of 2009, which would not be self-produced.^[11] The album, titled Sex Therapy, had its release date postponed to winter, on December 15, 2009. Jay-Z is featured on the track "Meiple (Me I Play)". The first single from the album was the self-titled track, produced by Polow Da Don and released in October 2009. In November 2009, Thicke premiered the second single to radio, "Shakin' It for Daddy", featuring rapper Nicki Minaj. It was also produced by Polow Da Don.

Speaking of the musical background to Sex Therapy, Thicke told Pete Lewis - Deputy Editor of Blues & Soul - "I'm always gonna have the influence of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Al Green in my music. But with this album I also wanted to show my HIP HOP side. I grew up listening to Run DMC and NWA and Biggie and Pac and Jay-Z... So I really wanted to make a record that represented how much that music has influenced me."^[12] Earlier in 2009, on October 14, Leighton Meester's debut single "Somebody to Love", featuring Thicke, was released. Thicke told MTV he was glad to have Lil Wayne on the album. He also pointed out that he was featured on Lil Wayne's last two albums, and Lil Wayne was on his last two albums. "We're kind of good luck charms for each other."^{[citation needed]}

Thicke appeared on ABC's New Year's Rockin' Eve on January 1, 2010 and performed three songs in Las Vegas, in a pre-recorded segment. Also in 2010, it was confirmed that he, along with Melanie Fiona, would feature on The Freedom Tour with Alicia Keys. As of October 2011, the album has sold 269,000 copies in the United States.^[13]

[edit] 2011–present: Love After War

During 2011, Thicke was confirmed to go on tour with Jennifer Hudson, with whom he toured in 2009.^[14] Later that year, Robin Thicke released his fifth studio album, Love After War, on December 6, 2011.^[15] The album has produced two singles. There is the title track and lead single, "Love After War". The second single is "Pretty Lil' Heart", which features Lil Wayne. Robin Thicke appeared on ABC's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2012 performing via remote feed from Los Angeles, California.^{[citation needed]}

Thicke is appearing as a judge on a new ABC television show called Duets which premiered May 24, 2012 and which also features John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, and Kelly Clarkson.^[3]

Artistry[link]

Songwriting and producing[link]

Thicke began his songwriting career by writing hits for popular artists. He co-wrote and produced the Color Me Badd hit "Sexual Capacity" in 1996. The Thicke original "When I Get You Alone" was performed by Guy Sebastian, the winner of the first Australian Idol 2003, during the competition and at the Idol grand finale. "When I Get You Alone" was a popular song choice for Sebastian; he put the live idol performance on his four-times platinum debut single "Angels Brought Me Here"; it was the fastest selling single in Australia debuting at #1 and immediately breaking an Aria record.^[16] In 2004, Thicke co-wrote "Out With My Baby" with Guy Sebastian, from Sebastian's second album, Beautiful Life. Thicke also produced this single for Sebastian.^[17] During this same year, he wrote a song with the singer and actress Raven-Symoné for the album This Is My Time, with the song "Set Me Free".

In April 2007, Thicke co-wrote a song with singer/songwriter Angela Via called "Wrong for You". In 2008, Thicke was enlisted by producer Polow da Don to play piano on the Usher track, "Love in This Club".^[18] At the 2009 Grammy Awards, Thicke was recognized for his work on Lil Wayne’s sixth studio album Tha Carter III, as well as Jennifer Hudson’s self titled debut album. Thicke wrote and produced the song "Tie My Hands" on Tha Carter III, which went on to win Best Rap Album. Thicke wrote and produced the song "Giving Myself" for the album Jennifer Hudson, which went on to win Best R&B Album.

Collaborations[link]

In 2007, Thicke appeared on 50 Cent's album Curtis, which was released on September 11, 2007, on a song called "Follow My Lead". The following year, he worked with Ashanti on her fourth studio album, The Declaration, which was released on June 3, 2008.^[6][7] Also that year, Thicke reunited with Lil Wayne and was featured on his album Tha Carter III on a track entitled "Tie My Hands", which Thicke also produced.

Discography[link]

• A Beautiful World (2003)
• The Evolution of Robin Thicke (2006)
• Something Else (2008)
• Sex Therapy (2009)
• Love After War (2011)
• 6th Studio Album (2012)

Personal life[link]

Thicke's mother is Days of Our Lives actress and singer Gloria Loring and his father is Canadian actor Alan Thicke. They divorced when he was seven.^{[citation needed]}

Thicke began dating actress Paula Patton at the age of 16.^[19] They were married in 2005 and had a son, Julian Fuego Thicke, on April 6, 2010.^[20] In the Fall of 2010, Robin Thicke spent several weeks in New York City recording and living in a rented SoHo apartment which he had converted into a makeshift professional studio.^[21] Thicke has said he does not like his music being described as "blue-eyed soul", calling the label "small-minded and stereotypical."^[22]

Tours[link]

• The Beyoncé Experience – as an opening act for the North American leg
• Jennifer Hudson and Robin Thicke – co-headline tour
• The Freedom Tour – as an opening act for the tour along with Melanie Fiona
• Robin Thicke with special guest Miguel in Houston, Texas
• Love After War – 3 week promotional tour in November 2011

Awards and nominations[link]

Recording artist[link]

Songwriting and production[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Robin Thicke at the Internet Movie Database
• Robin Thicke on Myspace

Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber at the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes, France in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Justin Drew Bieber[1]
Born	(1994-03-01) March 1, 1994 (age 18)[2] London, Ontario, Canada
Origin	Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Pop, R&B, teen pop[3][4][5]
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, percussion,[6] trumpet[7]
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Island, RBMG
Associated acts	Usher, Ludacris
Website	justinbiebermusic.com

Justin Drew Bieber ( /ˈbiːbər/ BEE-bər, born March 1, 1994)^[2] is a Canadian Pop/R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and actor.^[3][5] Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun,^[8] who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with Usher in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher,^[9] and then to a recording contract with Island Records offered by L.A. Reid.^[6][10] Bieber's debut single, "One Time", was released in 2009 and peaked in the top twenty in Canada and charted in the top thirty in several international markets. His debut album, the seven-track EP My World, followed in November 2009, and was soon certified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the Billboard Hot 100.^[11]

Bieber's first full-length studio album, My World 2.0, was released in March 2010. It debuted at number one or within the top ten in several countries and was certified platinum in the United States. It was preceded by the worldwide top-ten single, "Baby". The music video of "Baby" is currently ranked as the most viewed and most discussed YouTube video.^[12] Bieber followed up the release of his debut album with his first headlining tour, the My World Tour, the remix albums My Worlds Acoustic and Never Say Never – The Remixes, and the 3D biopic-concert film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, that nearly matched the record for the biggest opening weekend gross for a concert-film. Bieber released his second studio album, Under the Mistletoe, in November 2011, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Bieber has received numerous awards, including Artist of the Year at the 2010 American Music Awards, and has been nominated for such awards as Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards. In 2012, Bieber was named Forbes 3rd most powerful celebrity in the world, earning $55 million. As of May 2012, Bieber has sold 15 million albums.^[13]

Early life[link]

Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, in London, Ontario in St Joseph's Hospital,^[14][15] and was raised in Stratford, Ontario.^[16] Bieber's mother, Patricia Lynn "Pattie" Mallette, was 18 years old when she became pregnant. Mallette, originally from Stratford, raised her son with the help of her parents, Bruce and Diane.^[17] Mallette worked a series of low-paying office jobs, raising Bieber as a single mother in low-income housing. Bieber has maintained contact with his father, Jeremy Jack Bieber, who married another woman and had two children.^[18][19][20] Bieber's great-grandfather was from Germany.^[21] Bieber's mother's ancestry is French Canadian.^[22] Bieber attended a French immersion elementary school in Stratford called Jeanne Sauvé Catholic School.^[17]

During his childhood, Bieber was interested in hockey, soccer, and chess; he often kept his musical aspirations to himself.^[18] As he grew up, Bieber taught himself to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet.^[16][23] In early 2007, when he was twelve, Bieber sang Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford and was placed second.^[6][23] Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and friends to see. She continued to upload videos of Bieber singing covers of various R&B songs, and Bieber's popularity on the site grew.^[10] Chris Hicks, Bieber's A&R at Island/Def Jam, explained the young artist's huge online following to HitQuarters by saying:

"He was doing something different. He was an attractive white kid singing very soulful R&B hits. That set him apart immediately from anyone in his range because no one was covering or singing these kind of records. But equally important was that you believed in these songs – it was real. And you wanted to hear more."^[24]

Career[link]

[edit] 2008–09: Discovery and My World

While searching for videos of a different singer, Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def, clicked on one of Bieber's 2007 videos by accident.^[18] Impressed, Braun tracked down the theater Bieber was performing in, located Bieber's school, and finally contacted Mallette. Mallette was reluctant because of Braun's Jewish religion; she remembered praying, "God, I gave him to you. You could send me a Christian man, a Christian label! ... you don’t want this Jewish kid to be Justin’s man, do you?"^[18] However, after praying with her church elders and receiving their encouragement, she permitted Braun to fly Bieber, then 13,^[10] to Atlanta, Georgia, to record demo tapes.^[18] A week after arriving, Bieber sang for R&B singer/songwriter Usher.^[25] Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher.^[9] Justin Timberlake was also reportedly in the running to sign Bieber, but lost the bidding war to Usher.^[9][26] Usher then sought assistance in finding a label home for the artist from then manager Chris Hicks, who helped engineer an audition with his contact Antonio L.A. Reid of Island Def Jam Music Group.^[24] Reid signed Bieber to Island Records in October 2008 (resulting in a joint venture between RBMG and Island Records) and appointed Hicks as executive Vice-President of Def Jam where he would be able manage Bieber's career at the label.^{[6][9][10][24]} At that point, Bieber and his mother moved to Atlanta temporarily, also the home of Usher and Braun, to record and get counseling from Braun.^[9] Braun became Bieber's manager.^[10]

Bieber in September 2009 at the Nintendo World Store

Bieber's first single, "One Time", was released to radio while Bieber was still recording his debut album.^[27] The song reached number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100 during its first week of release in July 2009,^[10] and later peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. During fall 2009 it had success in international markets.^[28] The song was certified Platinum in Canada and the US and Gold in Australia and New Zealand.^[29][30][31] Bieber's first release, an extended play entitled My World, was released on November 17, 2009. The album's second single, "One Less Lonely Girl", and two promo singles, "Love Me", and "Favorite Girl", were released exclusively on the iTunes store and charted within the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100.^[28] "One Less Lonely Girl" was later also released to radio and peaked within the top fifteen in Canada and the US, being certified Gold in the latter.^[28] My World was eventually certified Platinum in the US and Double Platinum in both Canada and the UK.^[31][32][33] To promote the album, Bieber performed on several live shows such as mtvU's VMA 09 Tour, European program The Dome, YTV's The Next Star, The Today Show,^[34][35] The Wendy Williams Show, Lopez Tonight, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, It's On with Alexa Chung, Good Morning America, Chelsea Lately, and BET's 106 & Park with Rihanna. Bieber also guest starred in an episode of True Jackson, VP in late 2009.^[36]

Bieber performed Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas" for U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the White House for Christmas in Washington, which was broadcast on December 20, 2009, on U.S. television broadcaster TNT.^[37] Bieber was also one of the performers at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31, 2009.^[38] Bieber was a presenter at the 52nd Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. He was invited to be a vocalist for the remake of We Are The World (a song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie) for its 25th anniversary to benefit Haiti after the earthquake. Bieber sings the opening line, which was sung by Lionel Richie in the original version.^[39] On March 12, 2010, a version of K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" recorded by a collective of Canadian musicians known as Young Artists for Haiti was released. Bieber is featured in the song, performing the closing lines.

[edit] 2010–11: My World 2.0 and Never Say Never film

"Baby", the lead single from his debut album, My World 2.0, which features Ludacris, was released in January 2010 and became his biggest hit thus far, charting at number five in the U.S. and reaching the top ten in seven other countries.^[28] Two promo singles "Never Let You Go", and "U Smile" were top thirty hits on the U.S. Hot 100, and top twenty hits in Canada.^[28] According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has received "generally favorable reviews".^[40] It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making Bieber the youngest solo male act to top the chart since Stevie Wonder in 1963.^[41] My World 2.0 also debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, Irish Albums Chart, Australian Albums Chart, and the New Zealand Albums Chart^[28] and reached the top ten of fifteen other countries.^[42][43] To promote the album, Bieber appeared on several live programs including The View, the 2010 Kids Choice Awards, Nightline, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Dome and 106 and Park.^[44] Bieber collaborated with Sean Kingston on his single "Eenie Meenie" which also appeared on Bieber's debut album. The song reached the top ten in the United Kingdom and Australia, and the top-twenty of most other markets.

Bieber performing at the Conseco Fieldhouse, in August 2010

On April 10, 2010, Bieber was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.^[45] On July 4, 2010, Bieber performed at the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular in New York City.^[46] The second single from My World 2.0, "Somebody to Love", was released in April 2010, and a remix was released featuring Bieber's mentor Usher. The single reached number ten in Canada, number fifteen in the United States, and the top twenty in multiple international countries.

On June 23, 2010, Bieber went on his first official headlining tour, the My World Tour, starting in Hartford, Connecticut, to promote My World and My World 2.0.^[47] In July 2010, it was reported that Bieber was the most searched for celebrity on the Internet.^[48] That same month his music video, "Baby", surpassed Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" to become the most viewed, and most disliked YouTube video ever.^[49] In September 2010, it was reported that Bieber accounted for three percent of all traffic on Twitter, according to an employee of the social-networking site.^[50]

Bieber began recording his second album in July 2010 in New York City.^[51] At this point, because of puberty, his voice was deeper than it was when he recorded his first album. In April 2010, the singer discussing his vocals remarked, "It cracks. Like every teenage boy, I'm dealing with it and I have the best vocal coach in the world. [...] Some of the notes I hit on "Baby" I can't hit anymore. We have to lower the key when I sing live."^[52]

Bieber performing in Jakarta during his My World Tour.

Bieber guest-starred in the season premiere of the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which aired on September 23, 2010. He played a "troubled teen who is faced with a difficult decision regarding his only brother", who is also a serial bomber. Bieber was also in a subsequent episode which aired on February 17, 2011, in which his character is killed.^[53] Bieber performed a medley of "U Smile", "Baby", and "Somebody to Love" and briefly played the drums at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.^[54] Bieber announced in October 2010 that he would release an acoustic album, called My Worlds Acoustic.^[55] It was released on Black Friday in the United States and featured acoustic versions of songs from his previous albums, and accompanied the release of a completely new song titled "Pray".^[56]

A 3-D part-biopic, part-concert film starring Bieber entitled Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, was released on February 11, 2011, directed by Step Up 3D director Jon Chu. It topped the box office with an estimated gross of $12.4 million on its opening day from 3,105 theaters.^[57] It grossed $30.3 million for the weekend and was narrowly beaten by the romantic comedy Just Go With It, which grossed $31 million.^[58] Never Say Never is said to have exceeded industry expectations, nearly matching the $31.1 million grossed by Miley Cyrus's 2008 3-D concert film, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, which holds the record for the top debut for a music-documentary.^[59][60] Never Say Never grossed a total of $98,441,954 worldwide.^[61] The film is accompanied by his second remix album, Never Say Never – The Remixes, released February 14, 2011, and features remixes of songs from his debut album, with guest appearances from Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, and Kanye West, among others.^[62]

[edit] 2011–present: Under The Mistletoe and Believe

On February 27, 2011, Bieber attended the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar Party with American actress and singer Selena Gomez,^[63] confirming several months of media speculation about a romantic relationship between the pair.^{[64][65][66][67][68][69]}

In June 2011, Bieber was ranked number 2 on the Forbes list of Best-Paid Celebrities under 30. He is the youngest star and 1 of 7 musicians on the list raking in with $53 million earned in a 12 month period.^[70] On November 1, 2011, Bieber released Under the Mistletoe, his second studio album.^[71] It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 210,000 copies in its first week of release.^[72]

In late 2011, Bieber began recording his third studio album, entitled Believe. Kanye West and Drake are confirmed to be featured on the album.^[73] On February 22, 2012, Bieber announced via Twitter that the first single off Believe will be released in March 2012.^[74] The following week, Bieber appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to announce that the first single will be called "Boyfriend" and was released on March 26, 2012.^[75] The song was co-written by Mike Posner.^[76] The second single, Die In Your Arms, was released on May 29th, 2012. ^[77]

Image[link]

Justin Bieber has a higher score on the Klout online "influence" scale than Barack Obama or The Dalai Lama.^[78] According to Jan Hoffman of The New York Times, part of Bieber's appeal stems from his YouTube channel. Long before he released his EP, My World, in mid-November, the YouTube videos attracted millions of views.^[18] Braun recognized the appeal. Prior to flying him to Atlanta, Braun wanted to "build him up more on YouTube first" and had Bieber record more home videos for the channel. "I said: 'Justin, sing like there’s no one in the room. But let's not use expensive cameras.' We'll give it to kids, let them do the work, so that they feel like it's theirs", recalled Braun.^[18] Bieber continues to upload videos to the same channel and has opened a Twitter account, from which he interacts with fans regularly;^[10] his account was reported in November 2010 to have over 6 million followers.^[79] Since then he has been consistently gaining followers at an average of 24,000 per day.^[80] The accounts also serve marketing purposes; for example, Bieber's music video for "One Time" only began selling quickly after it was uploaded to YouTube.^[81]

Bieber performing "Favorite Girl" in Zurich, Switzerland April 2011.

Usher comments that while he and Bieber were both signed at the same age, "I had the chance to ramp up my success, where this has happened to Bieber abruptly." As a result, Usher, Braun, Bieber's bodyguard Kenny, and other adults surrounding Bieber constantly coach him on handling fame and his public image.^[18] After signing Bieber, Usher appointed one of his former assistants, Ryan Good, to be Bieber's road manager and stylist. Good, once nicknamed Bieber's "swagger coach", created a "streetwise look" for the singer which consisted of baseball caps, hoodies, dog chains and flashy sneakers. Amy Kaufman of The Los Angeles Times comments, "Though a product of a middle-class suburban upbringing in Stratford, Ontario, Bieber's manner of dress and speech ("Wassup man, how you doin'?" or "It's like, you know, whateva' ") suggest he's mimicking his favorite rappers."^[82]

Bieber is often featured in teen magazines such as Tiger Beat,^[18] and has been labeled as a "teen heartthrob".^[83] Bieber has released a collection of nail varnishes to raise awareness for charity.^[84] Wax statues of Bieber are on display at Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York, Amsterdam and London.^[85] His change of hairstyle in 2010, and the consequent alterations to Bieber products, led to it being called 'the most expensive musical haircut of all time;^[86] one company spent $100,000 to fix its dolls for the 2011 Christmas season.^[87]

Bieber has been criticized for looking and sounding younger than his age, his teen-pop music, image, and frequent media attention.^[88] He has been a frequent target of Internet bloggers and message board posters, notably by users of Internet message board 4chan and users of YouTube.^[89] Nick Collins of The Daily Telegraph speculated that "Bieber's character also appears to strike a particularly sour note with his Internet critics, with many remarks commenting on his youthful appearance, his teen-pop songs, his image as a heart-throb to young teenage girls and his manner of speech".^[90]

Personal views and life[link]

Bieber is a Christian,^[91] and said he has a relationship with Jesus, talks to him and that "he's the reason I'm here".^[92]

Bieber's comments in a February 2011 profile in Rolling Stone sparked controversy.^[93] Asked about abstinence, Bieber responded, "I don't think you should have sex with anyone unless you love them." He said he does not "believe in abortion" and that it is "like killing a baby".^[94] He described sexual orientation as "everyone's own decision."^[95] Bieber has contributed to the It Gets Better Project,^[96] which aims to prevent suicide among LGBT youth.^[97]

Bieber has said he is not interested in obtaining United States citizenship and has criticized America's health care system. Praising Canada as being "the best country in the world", he cited its health care system as a model example.^[94]

In May 2012, Bieber purchased a 10,000 square-foot mansion on 1.3 acres of land, located in the community of Calabasas, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.^[98]

Twitter[link]

As of April 2012^[update], Bieber's Twitter account (@justinbieber) is the second most popular celebrity account behind that of Lady Gaga.^[99] By mid-April 2012, he had over 20 million followers.^[100][101] His follower acquisition is one new follower every other second.^[102][103] His popularity on Twitter at one point accounted for three percent of all Twitter related traffic, with a Twitter employee commenting that "racks of servers are dedicated" to Bieber.^{[103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112]} This resulted in over 180 million page views for the service each month.^[105] Bieber was frequently a trending topic on Twitter when the feature first launched^[105] because his fans frequently discussed him on the network. ^[113] and was named the top trending star on Twitter in 2010;^[114] Klout gave his account a score of 100.^[115][116]

The size of Bieber's and Gaga's follower bases are cited as a reason why marketers should pay attention to Twitter:^[117] with an ability to reach millions of people with a single tweet.^[117] 8.3% of tweets mentioning "bieber" were semi-automated and probably Twitter related spam.^[118] Research done about Twitter and the 2011 Egyptian revolution includes Bieber as he made tweets about the topic at a time when he had roughly 8 million followers. His multiple tweets resulted in 32,000 responses each, which made Bieber's Twitter account one of the single largest nodes for discussion about the uprising one of the largest on Twitter.^[119][120]

In March 2012, Bieber fans launched an unsuccessful attempt to unseat Lady Gaga as the most popular celebrity on Twitter. Neither Bieber nor Lady Gaga discussed their mutual fanbase's campaigns on Twitter.^[121]

Discography[link]

Justin Bieber portal

• My World 2.0 (2010)
• Under the Mistletoe (2011)
• Believe (2012)

Tours[link]

• 2009: Urban Behavior Tour
• 2010–2011: My World Tour
• 2012-2013: Believe Tour

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Justin Bieber

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Justin Bieber

• Official website
• Justin Bieber at the Internet Movie Database
• Justin Bieber at the Open Directory Project
• Justin Bieber on Twitter