Young Adult is a 2011 American dark comedy film directed by Jason Reitman, from a screenplay written by Diablo Cody. Reitman and Cody worked together previously on the 2007 film, Juno. The film had a limited release on December 9, 2011, and a wide release on December 16,^[3] to generally positive reviews.

Plot[link]

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the narcissistic Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) is the divorced, 37-year-old ghost writer of the Waverly Prep series of young adult novels, who is on deadline with her editor to finish the last book of the soon-to-be-cancelled series. Mavis receives an e-mail with pictures of the newborn daughter of her high school boyfriend Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson) and his wife Beth Slade (Elizabeth Reaser). Believing this to be a sign she and Buddy are meant to be together, Mavis returns to her hometown of Mercury, Minnesota, to reclaim her life with Buddy, under the pretext of overseeing a real estate deal.

Upon arriving after multiple listens of "The Concept" by Teenage Fanclub on an old mixtape Buddy gave her in high school, Mavis arranges to meet him the next day at a local sports bar, for old time's sake. In the interim, she goes alone to a different bar, Woody's. There she reconnects with a former classmate she barely remembers, Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt), who became partially disabled after being beaten by jocks who erroneously assumed he was gay. Matt tells Mavis that her plan to destroy Buddy's marriage is insane, but Mavis ignores him.

The following day, Mavis meets Buddy at the sports bar, where they run into Matt, the bar's bookkeeper. On their way out, Buddy invites Mavis to a performance of drummer Beth's "mom rock band." In the interim, Mavis spends another night getting drunk with Matt, who distills homemade bourbon in the garage of the house he shares with his sister Sandra. When Mavis attends the concert of Beth's band, the other moms are resentful of what one remembers as the "psychotic prom queen bitch." When Beth's band performs, it is said the song is dedicated to Buddy from Beth. Much to Mavis's dismay, it is "The Concept".

Beth wants to extend her girls' night out, so Mavis offers to drive the drunk Buddy home. On the lawn they share a kiss that is quickly broken up when the babysitter opens the front door to greet them. The next day, after an awkward encounter with her parents, Mavis is invited to Buddy's daughter's naming ceremony. She later goes out drinking with Matt again, where they continue to bond and bicker. The following day, Mavis attends the party, where she declares her love for Buddy, but he rebuffs her. Everyone at the party is called out to the lawn to await a surprise Buddy has prepared for Beth. Mavis, who has been drinking at the party, collides with Beth, who accidentally spills wine on Mavis' dress. Mavis insults her, and in a profanity-laced tirade tearfully reveals she became pregnant with Buddy's baby years ago, but had a miscarriage after three months.

Buddy, who has been preparing a drum-set gift for Beth in the garage, opens the garage door and belatedly learns what has transpired. Mavis asks him why he invited her. He reveals it was Beth's idea, as she feels sorry for Mavis. Humiliated, Mavis leaves the party and visits Matt, where she breaks down in tears and initiates sex. On the following morning, while Matt sleeps, Mavis has coffee in the kitchen with Sandra. Mavis talks about needing to change herself, but Sandra says Mavis is better than the rest of Mercury and should not change. Mavis decides to return to Minneapolis. Sandra asks to go with her, but Mavis says, "You're good here, Sandra." She leaves alone.

In a diner on her way home, Mavis writes the last chapter of the book, in which the main character graduates high school and looks forward to being an adult. Afterward, in the parking lot, Mavis contemplates her crumpled car.

Cast[link]

• Charlize Theron as Mavis Gary
• Patton Oswalt as Matt Freehauf
• Patrick Wilson as Buddy Slade
• Elizabeth Reaser as Beth Slade
• Collette Wolfe as Sandra Freehauf
• Hettienne Park as Vicki Robek
• J. K. Simmons as Mavis' boss (voice only)
• Louisa Krause as Hotel clerk

Production[link]

Screenwriter Diablo Cody said the genesis of the film came from her encounters with the press:

This common question I would get at Q&As or press junkets or what-have-you was: "Why are you so fixated on [movies about] adolescents?" [I began wondering:] Am I stunted somehow? And so as I thought about my own life, I thought, "Gosh, that would be a great character—a woman in her 30s who writes young-adult fiction and does in fact cling to deluded teenage fantasies in her real life, and is obsessed with recreating her teenage years come hell or high water."^[1]

Writing a spec script, she sent drafts to her friend and Juno director, Jason Reitman, to critique. When Labor Day, a film Reitman had been preparing had its production pushed to 2012, he had a window to direct Cody's script, shot on a $12 million budget in 30 days.^[1] The movie did location shooting in Minnesota, with the bulk of the movie, set in the fictional town of Mercury, shot in the upstate New York towns of White Plains, Nanuet, New City, Tappan, Ardsley, and Port Chester, and in the Long Island towns of Garden City and Massapequa Park, that last of which included Woody's Village Saloon; a few days were also shot on a soundstage at JC Studios in Brooklyn, New York City, New York.^[4]

After Charlize Theron and Patrick Wilson were cast, Patton Oswalt was signed after doing a table read-through of the script at Reitman's house.^[1] Patton said that because his character, Matt Freehauf, had been badly beaten as a teen and was required to walk with a brace, he consulted with both an acting coach and a physical therapist to prepare for the role: "I just wanted less and less to have to think about so I could be more present in the scenes with Charlize. She's a really instinctual actor and I really didn't want to be sitting there with eight other thoughts on my head while she's just rolling with it."^[5]

Critical reception[link]

The film has received generally positive reviews, scoring 80% positive reviews out of 173 from critics and 84% from top critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It also received a score of 71 out of 100 from Metacritic. Its consensus states: "Despite its somewhat dour approach, Young Adult is a funny and ultimately powerful no-holds-barred examination of prolonged adolescence, thanks largely to a convincing performance by Charlize Theron."^[6] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, writing "After I left the screening of Young Adult, my thoughts were mixed. With Thank You for Smoking, Juno and Up in the Air, Jason Reitman has an incredible track record. Those films were all so rewarding. The character of Mavis makes Young Adult tricky to process. As I absorbed it, I realized what a fearless character study it is. That sometimes it's funny doesn't hurt."^[7] Tom Long of The Detroit News wrote "Young Adult may be the year's most engaging feel-bad movie."^[8] A. O. Scott of The New York Times praised the film, writing "Shorter than a bad blind date and as sour as a vinegar Popsicle, Young Adult shrouds its brilliant, brave and breathtakingly cynical heart in the superficial blandness of commercial comedy."^[9] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three stars out of four, saying "In this tale of stunted development, Theron is a comic force of nature, giving her character considerable density and humanity despite her monstrous aspects. And Patton Oswalt deserves cheers as Matt, a former classmate who pops Mavis' delusions with soul-crushing honesty. His dark duet with Theron is funny, touching and vital. But fair warning: The laughs in Young Adult leave bruises."^[10] Richard Roeper awarded the film an A grade, stating "Charlize Theron delivers one of the most impressive performances of the year."^[11]

The film also appeared on many critics' lists of the best films of 2011.^[12]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Young Adult at the Internet Movie Database
• Young Adult at Rotten Tomatoes

Look up young adult in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Young adult may refer to:

• Young adult (psychology), persons aged 20 to 40
• Young-adult fiction, works targeted at ages 14 to 21
• Young Adult (film), a 2011 film
• Youth

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Charlize Theron
Theron in March 2012
Born	(1975-08-07) 7 August 1975 (age 36) Benoni, Transvaal Province, South Africa
Nationality	South African and American from 2007
Occupation	Actress, producer, director, fashion model
Years active	1995–present
Partner	Stuart Townsend (2001–2010)
Children	1
Website
www.charlizetheron.com

Charlize Theron (American English pronunciation:  /ʃɑrˈliːs ˈθɛrən/; Afrikaans pronunciation: [ʃɐrˈlis tron];^[1] born 7 August 1975) is a South African actress and fashion model. She started her acting career in the United States and rose to fame in the late 1990s following roles in The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999). Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003), becoming the first African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category. She received another Academy Award nomination for her performance in North Country (2005). Theron became a US citizen in 2007, while retaining her South African citizenship.

Early life[link]

Theron was born in Benoni, in the then Transvaal Province of South Africa, the only child of Gerda (née Maritz; who has also called herself Gerta)^[2][3] and Charles Theron (born 27 November 1947).^[3] Second Boer War figure Danie Theron was her great-great-uncle.^[4] Her ancestry includes French, German, and Dutch; her French forebears were early Huguenot settlers in South Africa.^[4] "Theron" is an Occitan surname (originally spelled Théron) pronounced in Afrikaans as [tron], although she has said that the way she pronounces it in South Africa is [θron].^[5] She changed the pronunciation when she moved to the U.S. to give it a more "American" sound.

She grew up on her parents' farm in Benoni, near Johannesburg.^[6] Her father died on 21 June 1991, after he was shot by Theron's mother. Theron's father, an alcoholic,^[6] physically attacked her mother and threatened both women while drunk. The shooting was legally adjudged to have been self-defense and her mother faced no charges.^[7]

Theron attended Putfontein Primary School (Laerskool Putfontein), a period she later characterised as not "fitting in".^[8] At 13, Theron was sent to boarding school and began her studies at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg.^[6] Although Theron became fluent in English (which she speaks with a General American accent) around age nineteen, her first language is Afrikaans.^[9][10]

Career[link]

Though seeing herself as a dancer,^[11] Theron at 16 won a one-year modeling contract^[6] at a local competition in Salerno ^[12],^[11] and with her mother moved to Milan, Italy.^[13] After Theron spent a year modeling throughout Europe, she and her mother moved to New York City and Miami, Florida.^[13] In New York, she attended the Joffrey Ballet School, where she trained as a ballet dancer until a knee injury closed this career path^[11] at 19.^[14] As Theron recalled in 2008,

I went to New York for three days to model, and then I spent a winter in New York in a friend's windowless basement apartment. I was broke, I was taking class at the Joffrey Ballet, and my knees gave out. I realized I couldn’t dance anymore, and I went into a major depression. My mom came over from South Africa and said, "Either you figure out what to do next or you come home, because you can sulk in South Africa."^[11]

Intending now to work in movies, Theron flew to Los Angeles, California, on a one-way ticket her mother bought her.^[11] During her early months there, she went to a Hollywood Boulevard bank to cash a cheque her mother had sent her to help with the rent.^[15] When the teller refused to cash it, Theron engaged in a shouting match with her.^[6] Upon seeing this, talent agent John Crosby,^[15] in line behind her, handed her his business card and subsequently introduced her to casting agents and also an acting school.^[15][16] She later fired him as her manager after he kept sending her scripts for films similar to Showgirls and Species.^[17] After several months in the city, she was cast in her first film part, a non-speaking role in the direct-to-video film Children of the Corn III (1995).^[6] Her first speaking role was a supporting but significant part in 2 Days in the Valley.^[6] Larger roles in widely released Hollywood films followed, and her career expanded in the late 1990s with box-office successes like The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999).^[6] She was on the cover of the January 1999 issue of Vanity Fair as the "White Hot Venus".^[18] AskMen named her the number one most desirable woman of 2003.^[19]

Theron at the premiere of North Country at the Toronto Film Festival in 2005

After appearing in other films, Theron starred as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003).^[6] Film critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema".^[20] For this role, Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 76th Academy Awards in February 2004,^[21] as well as the SAG Award and the Golden Globe Award.^[22] She is the first South African to win an Oscar for Best Actress.^[23] The Oscar win pushed her to The Hollywood Reporter's 2006 list of highest-paid actresses in Hollywood; earning US$10 million for both her subsequent films, North Country and Æon Flux, she ranked seventh, behind Halle Berry, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Renée Zellweger, Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman.^[24]

In 2005 Theron portrayed Rita, Michael Bluth's (Jason Bateman) love interest, on the third season of Fox's critically acclaimed television series Arrested Development.^[25] She also received Golden Globe and Emmy^[26] nominations for her role of Britt Ekland in the 2004 HBO film The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. On 30 September, Theron received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[23] In the same year, she starred in the financially unsuccessful science fiction thriller Æon Flux. She also received the 2005 Spike Video Game Award for Best Performance by a Human Female for her voiceover work in the Æon Flux video game.^[27][28]

Theron received Best Actress Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for her lead performance in the drama North Country.^[21][22] Ms. magazine also honoured her for this performance with a feature article in its Fall 2005 issue.^[29] She was supposed to star in the screen adaption of the short story The Ice at the Bottom of the World by Mark Richard, and it was to be directed by Kimberly Peirce^[30] and produced by Theron's company Denver and Delilah Films (Theron's two dog's names). Theron has owned the rights for many years.^[31] She was also supposed to star in a movie adaption of the graphic novel Jinx, but both projects have not been produced as of yet.^[30]

In 2008, Theron was named the Hasty Pudding Theatricals Woman of the Year.^[32] That year she also starred with Will Smith in the superhero film Hancock, and in late 2008 she was asked to be a UN Messenger of Peace by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.^[33]

In October 2009, Theron was cast to star in a sequel to the Mad Max films, titled Mad Max: Fury Road.^[34][35]

On 4 December 2009, Theron co-presented the draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa, accompanied by several other celebrities of South African origin. During rehearsals she drew an Ireland ball instead of France as a joke at the expense of FIFA, referring to Thierry Henry's handball controversy in the play off match between France and Ireland.^[36][37] The stunt alarmed FIFA enough for it to fear she might do it again in front of a live global audience.^[38]

Following a three-year hiatus from the big screen, Theron returned to the spotlight in 2011 with Young Adult. Directed by Jason Reitman, the film earned critical acclaim especially for Theron's performance. She was nominated for a Golden Globe and several other high profile awards.

Theron played the Wicked Queen in the film Snow White and the Huntsman, which began production in 2011 and was released in 2012.^[39]

In 2011, she described her process for becoming the characters in her film:

When I'm figuring out a character, for me it's easy, since once I say yes to something, I become super-obsessed about it – and I have an obsessive nature in general. How I want to play it starts at that moment. It's a very lonely, internal experience. I think about [the character] all the time – I observe things, I see things and file things [in my head], everything geared to what I'm going to do. I'm obsessed with the human condition. You read the script and become obsessed with [a character's] nature, her habits. When the camera rolls, it's time to do my job, to do the honest truth. You can't do that part of the [character-creation] work when you're [in the middle of] making the film. At least I can't.^[40]

Personal life[link]

Theron at the Meteor Awards in 2008

Theron has a son, Jackson, whose adoption was announced in March 2012.^[41] She lives in Los Angeles, California.^[42] Theron became a naturalised citizen of the United States in May 2007,^[43] while retaining her South African citizenship.^[44]

In the mid-1990s, Theron had a two-year relationship with actor Craig Bierko.^[45][46] From 1997 to 2001, she dated Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins.^[47] Theron then began a relationship with Irish actor Stuart Townsend, with whom she starred in Trapped (2002) and Head in the Clouds (2004).^[47] Theron and Townsend separated in January 2010 after nearly nine years together.^[48]

Health concerns[link]

While filming Æon Flux in Berlin, Germany, Theron suffered a herniated disc in her neck, which occurred as a result of her suffering a fall while filming a series of back handsprings. This required her to wear a neck collar for a month.^[49] In July 2009, Theron was diagnosed with a serious stomach virus, thought to be contracted while travelling outside the United States.^[50] She was hospitalised at Cedars-Sinai Hospital and she finished convalescing in her own home.^[51] When filming The Road, Theron injured her vocal cords during the labor screaming scenes.^[52]

Promotional deals[link]

Having signed a deal with John Galliano in 2004, Theron replaced Estonian model Tiiu Kuik as the spokeswoman in the "J'adore" advertisements by Christian Dior.^[53]

From October 2005 to December 2006, Theron earned US$3 million for the use of her image in a worldwide print media advertising campaign for Raymond Weil watches.^[54] In February 2006, she and her loan-out corporation were sued by Weil for breach of contract.^[54][55] The lawsuit was settled on 4 November 2008.^[56]

Activism[link]

Theron is involved in women's rights organisations, and has marched in pro-choice rallies.^[57]

Theron also is a supporter of animal rights and active member of PETA. She appeared in a PETA ad for its anti-fur campaign.^[58] She is a supporter of marriage equality and attended a march to support that in Fresno, California, on 30 May 2009.

In July 2009, Theron's Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) announced a coalition with LAFC Soccer Club to give soccer fields to rural areas in South Africa. The US youth soccer club LAFC Chelsea made a three-year commitment to help build a community-wide soccer program for the schools in the Umkhanyakude district, encompassing uniforms, equipment, professional training for local coaches, referees and administrators, and health education.^[59]

In December 2009, CTAOP and TOMS Shoes partnered to create a limited edition unisex shoe. The shoe was made from vegan materials and inspired by the African baobab tree, the silhouette of which was embroidered on blue and orange canvas. Ten-thousand pairs were given to destitute children, and a portion of the proceeds went to CTAOP.^[60]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

List of awards and nominations received by Charlize Theron:

Won[link]

[edit] Monster

• Academy Award for Best Actress
• Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
• Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
• Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
• Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
• Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female
• Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
• National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actress*National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
• National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
• San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
• Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture
• Silver Bear for Best Actress (tied with Catalina Sandino Moreno for Maria full of Grace)
• Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress

Nominated[link]

[edit] The Cider House Rules

• Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Movie
• Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

[edit] The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Miniseries or a Movie
• Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie

[edit] North Country

Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
• Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
• Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
• Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
• Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture
• Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress

References[link]

External links[link]

	South Africa portal
	Biography portal
	Film portal

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Charlize Theron

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Charlize Theron

• Official website
• Charlize Theron at the Internet Movie Database
• Charlize Theron at AllRovi
• Charlize Theron at Who's Who Southern Africa
• Charlize Theron at AskMen
• Charlize Theron at Yahoo! Movies
• Charlize Theron at People.com
• Charlize Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP)
• Charlize Theron at Emmys.com

Patton Oswalt
Oswalt at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	(1969-01-27) January 27, 1969 (age 43) Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Nationality	American
Years active	1988–present
Genres	Observational comedy, surreal humor, black comedy
Subject(s)	Pop culture, American culture, Current events
Influences	Jonathan Winters, Richard Pryor,[1] Emo Philips, Bugs Bunny, Bill Hicks, Blaine Capatch, Bobcat Goldthwait, Jay Leno, Sam Kinison, Steve Martin,[2] Louis C.K.[3]
Spouse	Michelle Eileen McNamara (2005–;[4] 1 daughter)
Notable works and roles	Spence Olchin in The King of Queens Remy in Ratatouille Frat Aliens, and Ezekiel in Aqua Teen Hunger Force Werewolves and Lollipops
Website	PattonOswalt.com

Patton Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor known for roles such as Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, and voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.

Early life[link]

Oswalt was born January 17,^[5][6] 1969^[7] in Portsmouth, Virginia, to Carla and Larry J. Oswalt, a career United States Marine Corps officer.^[4] He was named after George S. Patton.^[8] While a military brat, he later lived in Ohio and Tustin, California, before settling in Sterling, Virginia.^[9] He is a 1987 graduate of Broad Run High School in Ashburn, Virginia and later attended the College of William and Mary, where he majored in English and was initiated into the Alpha Theta Chapter of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

Oswalt first began performing standup comedy in the late 1980s or early 1990s, by his own reckoning.^[10] After writing for MADtv and starring in his own 1996 comedy special for HBO, he went on to garner notable roles in films and television shows. His most prominent and long-running role was as Spence Olchin on The King of Queens. His first starring film role was as the voice of Remy, the lead character in the 2007 Pixar film Ratatouille. He has also appeared in smaller roles in such films as Magnolia and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. He lent his voice as in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as a caller on the WTCR show "The Tight End Zone", and was the voice of a caller on "Chatterbox" on LCFR in the game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. He was also the voice of a reporter on "New World Order", a radio show on VCPR in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He supposedly lent his voice as Randall Tugman in the zombie game Dead Rising 2, although he denies this. The character Randall Tugman is credited to have been voiced by John Murphy.

Oswalt wrote the comic book story "JLA: Welcome to the Working Week", a backup story in Batman #600; a story for Dwight T. Albatross's The Goon Noir #01 and a story for Masks: Too Hot for TV. Expanding his voice artist repertoire, he began voicing the villainous character "Tobey" on PBS Kids GO! series WordGirl in 2007. He also appeared on the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner. In August 2007, he appeared on the Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav. In 2007, he appeared on an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, "The Original Fry Cook", as Jim. He also appears as Carl, the Corndog Hut's mascot in American Hi-Fi's music video for "Another Perfect Day". He also appears in an episode of Static Shock. On June 27, 2007, Oswalt was a special guest on the Emeril Live program on the Food Network to promote Ratatouille. Other recent appearances include an episode of Venture Bros. where he voiced an aging boy adventurer Robin parody. In 2008 Oswalt moderated a reunion panel of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 cast at the San Diego Comic-Con International.

In 2009, Oswalt played Paul Aufiero, the leading role in Robert D. Siegel's 2009 directorial debut, Big Fan. He was to star in a 2010 Broadway revival of Lips Together, Teeth Apart.^[11] However, the show was postponed then eventually canceled due to Megan Mullally's departure from the production when the director denied her request to replace Oswalt due to his lack of stage experience.^[12]

He starred in the Showtime drama The United States of Tara as Neil, an employee of Four Winds Landscaping. He also provides the voice of Thrasher, a robot protagonist from the new Cartoon Network show, Robotomy.

In January 2011, Oswalt released his first book, Zombie Spaceship Wasteland.

In November 2011, Oswalt played the role of Hurlan Heartshe in the surrealist comedy miniseries The Heart, She Holler on Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. In 2011, Oswalt also played the role of Matt Freehauf in Jason Reitman's black comedy Young Adult.

Stand-up comedy[link]

Patton Oswalt at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International.

Oswalt's stand-up comedy covers topics ranging from pop culture frivolity such as comic book supervillains and 1980s glam metal to deeper social issues like American excess, materialism, foreign policy and religion. He also discusses his atheism in his stand-up. In 2004, Oswalt released a comedy album entitled Feelin' Kinda Patton and later that year a longer, unedited version of the same performance entitled 222 (Live & Uncut), both through the United Musicians collective, and a stand-up special, No Reason to Complain. He is also on a split EP called Patton vs. Alcohol vs. Zach vs. Patton with Zach Galifianakis and is featured on two Un-Cabaret compilations, "The Un & Only" and "The Good, the Bad and the Drugly". On July 10, 2007, Patton released his second CD Werewolves and Lollipops on Sub Pop records.

In 2004, Oswalt put together the Comedians of Comedy tour, made up of modern alt-comics Zach Galifianakis, Brian Posehn and Maria Bamford. The tour performed at smaller, more intimate indie rock venues instead of traditional (and expensive) comedy clubs. The Fall 2004 tour was documented in a 2005 film of the same name, and was followed by a six-episode Comedy Central series based on the Summer 2005 tour. This tour featured special guest appearances from comedians such as Blaine Capatch, David Cross, Rob Gasper, Bobby Tisdale and Todd Barry. Subsequent incarnations of the tour have included Eugene Mirman and Morgan Murphy.

In 2004 Patton's stand up material was featured on Comedy Central's animated series Shorties Watchin' Shorties. That same year a stand up DVD called No Reason to Complain was released. Oswalt appeared several times as a "lawyer" on Lewis Black's Root of All Evil. In the episode "Ultimate Fighting vs. Blogging", he argued that the popular influence of the blogging has been evil, and, in his closing argument, he performed a rick roll on the audience. He also provided the stand-up comedy for the closing ceremony.

On February 28, 2009, Patton recorded his third comedy album at the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University in Washington D.C. It premiered on Comedy Central as Patton Oswalt: My Weakness is Strong on August 23, 2009, and was released on DVD August 25, 2009.^[13] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Patton's latest album, Patton Oswalt: Finest Hour, was released on September 19, 2011 and is currently #1 on the Billboard chart for Comedy albums, #12 for Independent albums and #71 on the top 200. This album was also nominated for a Grammy Award.

Personal life[link]

Oswalt married writer Michelle Eileen McNamara on September 24, 2005. Their daughter, Alice Rigney Oswalt, was born on April 15, 2009.^[14]

Oswalt is an atheist.^[15] He is also a fan of Metalcore music.^[16]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

EPs[link]

• Patton vs. Alcohol vs. Zach vs. Patton (2005) with Zach Galifianakis^[18]
• Melvins/Patton Oswalt split 7 (2006) with The Melvins^[19]
• Comedians of Comedy Tour 3"CD (2006)
• The Pennsylvania Macaroni Company (2006) with Brian Posehn, Maria Bamford, and Eugene Mirman^[20]
• Frankensteins and Gumdrops (2008) Available during the WFMU pledge drive

Compilation album appearances[link]

• Beth Lapides' Un-Cabaret – The Un & Only (2002)
• Beth Lapides' Un-Cabaret – The Good, The Bad, and the Drugly (2006)
• Comedy Death-Ray (2007)^[21]

DVDs[link]

• No Reason to Complain (DVD) (2004)
• My Weakness Is Strong (DVD) (2009)
• Finest Hour (DVD) (2012)

DVD appearances[link]

• Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2 DVD (2004)^[22]
• The Comedians of Comedy: Live at the El Rey (2005)
• The Comedians of Comedy: Live at the Troubadour (2007)
• Super High Me DVD (2007)
• Blood into Wine DVD (2010)

TV[link]

Stand-up specials[link]

• HBO Half Hour Comedy Hour (1997)
• Comedy Central Presents (1999)
• No Reason to Complain (2004)
• My Weakness is Strong (2009)
• Showtime: Finest Hour (2011)

TV appearances[link]

• The Weird Al Show
• The Fairly OddParents
• Lewis Black's Root of All Evil
• The History Channel's History of the Joke
• The King of Queens (1998–2007)
• Reno 911!
• Tom Goes To The Mayor
• Human Giant
• NewsRadio
• Reaper
• Seinfeld
• VH1's Best Week Ever
• Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
• The Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner (2006)
• The Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav (2007)
• Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
• Melbourne International Comedy Festival Great Debate (2008)
• United States of Tara (2009–2011)
• Flight of the Conchords (2009)
• Community (2009)
• Dollhouse (2009)
• Iron Chef America
• Caprica
• Bored to Death
• The Sarah Silverman Program
• Neighbors from Hell
• Jon Benjamin Has a Van (2011)
• The Heart, She Holler
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
• Two and a Half Men (2012)