Alexis (Ancient Greek: Ἄλεξις, c.394 BC – c.288 BC) was a Greek comic poet of the Middle Comedy period. He was born at Thurii (in present day Calabria, Italy) in Magna Graecia and taken early to Athens,^[1] where he became a citizen, being enrolled in the deme Oion (Οἶον) and the tribe Leontides.^[2][3] It is thought he lived to the age of 106 and died on the stage while being crowned. According to the Suda, a 10th century encyclopedia, Alexis was the paternal uncle of the dramatist Menander and wrote 245 comedies, of which only fragments now survive, including some 130 preserved titles.

Life[link]

It was said he had a son, called Stephanus, who also wrote comedies.^[4] He appears to have been rather addicted to the pleasures of the table, according to Athenaeus.^[3][5]

He won his first Lenaean victory in the 350s BC, most likely, where he was sixth after Eubulus, and fourth after Antiphanes. While being a Middle Comic poet, Alexis was contemporary with several leading figures of New Comedy, such as Philippides, Philemon, Diphilus, and even Menander. There is also some evidence that, during his old age, he wrote plays in the style of New Comedy.

Plutarch says that he lived to the age of 106 and 5 months, and that he died on the stage while being crowned victor.^[6] He was certainly alive after 345 BC, for Aeschines mentions him as alive in that year. He was also living at least as late as 288 BC,^[3] from which his birth date is calculated. According to the Suda he wrote 245 comedies, of which only fragments including some 130 titles survive. His plays include Meropis, Ankylion, Olympiodoros, Parasitos (exhibited in 360 BC, in which he ridiculed Plato), Agonis (in which he ridiculed Misgolas), and the Adelphoi and the Stratiotes, in which he satirized Demosthenes, and acted shortly after 343 BC. Also Hippeis (316 BC)^{[citation needed]} (in which he referred to the decree of Sophocles against the philosophers), Pyraunos (312 BC), Pharmakopole (306 BC)^{[citation needed]}, Hypobolimaios (306 BC), and Ankylion.^[3]

Because he wrote a lot of plays, the same passages often appear in more than 3 plays. It was said that he also borrowed from Eubulus and many other playwrights in some of his plays.^[7] According to Carytius of Pergamum, Alexis was the first to use the part of the parasite.^[8] Alexis was known in Roman times; Aulus Gellius noted that Alexis' poetry was used by Roman comedians, including Turpilius and possibly Plautus.

Surviving titles and fragments[link]

Only fragments of any of the plays have survived - about 340 in all, totaling about 1,000 lines. They attest to the wit and refinement of the author, which Athenaeus praises.^[9] The surviving fragments also show that Alexis invented a great deal of words, mostly compound words, that he used normal words in an unusual way, and made strange and unusual forms of common words. The main sources of the fragments of Alexis are Stobaeus and Athenaeus.

The following 139 titles of Alexis's plays have been preserved:

References[link]

Editions of Fragments[link]

• Augustus Meineke. Poetarum Graecorum comicorum fragmenta, (1855).
• Theodor Kock. Comicorum Atticorum fragmenta, i. (1880).
• Colin Austin and Rudolf Kassel. Poetae Comici Graeci. vol. 1.

References[link]

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Alexis.

• Arnott, W. Geoffrey. Alexis: The Fragments. A Commentary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Sean Paul
Sean Paul at the International Reggae and World Music Awards.
Background information
Birth name	Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques
Born	(1973-01-09) January 9, 1973 (age 39) Kingston, Jamaica
Genres	Dancehall, reggae, R&B, ragga
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, producer, actor
Years active	1996–present
Labels	VP, Atlantic
Website	allseanpaul.com

Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques^[1] (born January 9, 1973),^[1][2] who performs under stage name Sean Paul, is a Jamaican dancehall and reggae artist.

Life and career[link]

1973–96: Early life[link]

Sean Paul was born in Kingston and spent his early years in Upper Andrew Parish, a few miles north of Kingston.^[2] His parents, Garth and Frances, were both talented athletes, and his mother is a well-known painter.^[3] His paternal grandfather was a Sephardic Jew whose family emigrated from Portugal, and his paternal grandmother was Afro-Caribbean; his mother is of English and Chinese Jamaican descent.^[4][5] Sean Paul was raised as a Catholic.^[6] Many members of his family are swimmers. His grandfather was on the first Jamaican men's national water polo team. His father also played water polo for the team in the 1960s, and competed in long-distance swimming, while Sean Paul's mother was a backstroke swimmer. Sean Paul played for the national water polo team from the age of thirteen to twenty-one, when he gave up the sport in order to launch his musical career. He attended the Wolmers High School for Boys, Belair School, Hillel Academy High School, and the College of Arts, Science, and Technology, now known as the University of Technology, where he was trained in commerce with a view to pursuing an occupation in hotel management.

[edit] 1998–2000: Stage One

Sean Paul's manager and producer Jeremy Harding first heard about the singer when his brother told him about seeing someone at a small open mic event in Kingston who sounded a lot like the popular dancehall DJ and toaster Super Cat.^[7] Harding eventually met the singer when Sean Paul came by his studio to ask for some advice. During the meeting Paul recorded a vocal over Harding's rhythm track and in the process created the song "Baby Girl".^[7] Sean Paul began hanging out at the studio every day, and the pair collaborated on several more tracks. When they recorded "Infiltrate" they decided they had something good enough to get on the radio. As Sean Paul started to attract local attention, Harding began looking after his affairs. He later told HitQuarters that his support of Paul's fledgling career initially led him assuming the roles of "DJ, manager, road manager and security guard."^[7] Sean Paul made a quick cameo appearance in the 1998 film Belly on stage performing. He made a very successful collaboration with DMX & Mr. Vegas (Top Shotter) as a soundtrack of the film. In 2000, Sean Paul released his debut album, Stage One with VP Records.

[edit] 2001–02: Dutty Rock

In 2002, he began working extensively with a team of producers and choreographers from Toronto, namely Jae Blaze and Blaze Entertainment and announced the release of his second album, Dutty Rock. Pushed by the success of the singles "Gimme the Light" and the Billboard Hot 100 topper, "Get Busy", the album was a worldwide success, eventually selling over six million copies. Simultaneously, Sean Paul was heard on Beyoncé's U.S. #1 single "Baby Boy" and Blu Cantrell's "Breathe", a chart hit in Europe. Both helped to push his reputation further still in the United States. He appeared on Punk'd, 106 & Park, Sean Paul Respect, Making the Video ("Get Busy", "Gimme the Light", and "Like Glue") and his music videos have been broadcast on MTV and BET. Paul's biggest hits included "Get Busy", "Like Glue", "Gimme the Light", "Baby Boy", and "I'm Still in Love with You".

[edit] 2003–05: The Trinity

Sean Paul in September 2005.

Sean Paul's third album The Trinity was released in on September 27, 2005. The album produced five big hits, "We Be Burnin'", "Ever Blazin'", "Give It Up to Me", "Never Gonna Be The Same" and the U.S. chart-topping smash hit "Temperature". The video of "Give It Up to Me" (featuring Keyshia Cole) was also featured in the movie Step Up in 2006. He was nominated for four awards at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards, including male artist of the year, rap artist of the year, hot 100 single of the year, and pop single of the year for his hit "Temperature".^[8] He also won an American Music Award for "(When You Gonna) Give It Up To Me" beating Kanye West and Nick Lachey who were also nominated for the award. His song "Send It On" from "The Trinity" featured on the 2005 Vauxhall Corsa advert. Sean Paul often contributes his songs to various Riddim Driven albums (by VP Records). In March 2007, he returned to his native Jamaica to perform at the Cricket World Cup 2007 opening ceremony. Sean Paul appears on the game Def Jam: Fight for NY as part of Snoop Dogg's crew and again in the game's sequel, Def Jam Icon.

[edit] 2006–10: Imperial Blaze

The newest Sean Paul album entitled "Imperial Blaze" was released on August 18, 2009. The lead single, “So Fine”, which was produced by Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor, premiered on Sean Paul's official website on April 26, 2009.^{[9][dead link][10]} Speaking to Pete Lewis of 'Blues & Soul' magazine in August 2009, Sean Paul stated that 'Imperial Blaze' "Actually signifies 'The King's Fire'. It's that thing inside of you that gives you the desire to do whatever you do, and be the best in the world at it."^[11] The new album consists of 20 tracks including "So Fine", "Press it Up", "She Want Me", "Private Party" which are party tracks and also love songs such as "Hold My Hand" (feat Keri Hilson), "Lately", "Now That I've Got Your Love" among others. Producers on the album include Don Corleone, Jeremy Harding, and Sean's brother Jason 'Jigzagula' Henriques.^[11] All the full songs of the album have been added to Sean Paul's Myspace page^[12] on the day of release of the album.

Up until now there have been eight music videos: "Always On My Mind (with Da'Ville)", "Give It To You (with Eve)", "Watch Them Roll", "Back It Up" (with Left Side/Mr. Evil), "(I Wanna See You) Push It Baby" (with Pretty Ricky), "Hit 'Em" (with Fahrenheit and his brother Jason "Jigzagula" Henriques), "Come Over" with Estelle,^[13] and also the video of his first single, "So Fine" from the new album. He has recently been featured in Shaggy's video, "Save A Life", which also includes appearances from Elephant Man and Da'Ville, among others. In an effort to raise money for a children's hospital, Shaggy, Sean Paul and others will be having a benefit concert. All proceeds will go towards getting new equipment and technology 'For Aid to the Bustamante Hospital for Children'. In an interview in 2009 he says he is planning to release a new album in 2011. During the premiere for MNET's Big Brother Africa 5: All-Stars on July 18, 2010, he performed his songs "Temperature", "Hold My Hand", and "So Fine".

[edit] 2011–present: Tomahawk Technique

The first single Got 2 Luv U features vocals from American singer Alexis Jordan. It was released on the July 19, 2011 by Atlantic Records. The song was written by Sean Paul, Ryan Tedder and Stargate, and it was produced by Stargate.^[14][15][16]

She Doesn't Mind is the second single from the album. It was written by Sean Paul, Shellback and Benny Blanco and was produced by Shellback and Benny Blanco. It was released on the September 29, 2011 on NRJ & Skyrock (French radios), and to iTunes on October 31.^[17] Like its proceeder, "Got 2 Luv U", featuring Alexis Jordan, it topped the charts in Switzerland, but it debuted at that spot. Sean appeared on the Never Mind the Buzzcocks episode which aired on November 21, 2011.

Sean Paul is featured in the music video for the Simple Plan song Summer Paradise.

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Stage One (2000)
• Dutty Rock (2002)
• The Trinity (2005)
• Imperial Blaze (2009)
• Tomahawk Technique (2012)

Mixtapes

• The Odyssey Mixtape (2009)

Filmography[link]

Alexis Cohen (October 17, 1983 - July 25, 2009) was a reality TV show contestant and singer born in Brooklyn, New York best known for her appearances on American Idol and compared her singing style to vocalists such as Grace Slick, Janis Joplin and Pat Benatar.^[1] She was known as Glitter Girl in the press.^[2][3]

In 2009, she died in a hit and run car accident in Seaside Heights, New Jersey by Daniel Bark,^[4] who was later arrested and indicted for drunk and reckless driving, manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident.^[5][6][7] Authorities later reported that Bark, who had a previous 2004 DUI conviction, was fleeing police when he struck and killed Cohen after failing to stop when a police officer on a bicycle ordered him to do so.^[8] Bark later accepted a plea bargain in November 2011 and pled guilty to eluding police and drunk driving. Prosecutors dismissed manslaughter and other charges in the 2009 accident that killed Cohen.^[9]

Her performances on American Idol brought her a great deal of notoriety,^[10] so much so her death was covered by such notable sources as People Magazine,^[11] Entertainment Weekly,^[12] MTV,^[13] Rolling Stone,^[14] ABC News,^[15] and The New York Daily News.^[16]

In addition to her singing career, Cohen was a graduate of East Stroudsburg North High School and attending Montgomery Community College and studying to be a veterinarian at the time of her death.^[17]

References[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Alexis Cohen at the Internet Movie Database
• Alexis Cohen at Find a Grave
• Alexis Cohen on Myspace

Alexis Sánchez

Personal information
Full name	Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez
Date of birth	(1988-12-19) 19 December 1988 (age 23)[1]
Place of birth	Tocopilla, Chile
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 6 1⁄2 in)[2]
Playing position	Forward
Club information
Current club	Barcelona
Number	9
Youth career
2004–2005	Cobreloa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2005–2006	Cobreloa	47	(12)
2006–2007	Colo-Colo	32	(5)
2007–2008	River Plate	23	(4)
2008–2011	Udinese	95	(20)
2011–	Barcelona	25	(12)
National team‡
2006–	Chile	45	(14)
2007	Chile U20	12	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 March 2012

Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez (Spanish pronunciation: [aˈleksis ˈsantʃes]; born 19 December 1988), is a Chilean footballer who plays as a forward for FC Barcelona and for the Chilean national team. He is well known for his excellent dribbling ability, great speed, and his unusual strength for a fast winger.

Sánchez began his career as a youth player for Cobreloa in 2003, aged 15, for then be promoted to the first adult team, two years later. His precocious talent caught the attention of Udinese, team of the Italian Serie A, and signed the 17-year-old for US$3million in May 2006, but was immediately loaned out to Colo-Colo, and then River Plate where he was able to mature in less physically demanding confines than the Italian first division.

He joined Udinese after becoming champion of the Argentine and Chilean leagues in June 2008. Sánchez made a steady progress in his first two seasons at Udinese, and in the 2010–11 season he established himself as one of the key player's that allowed Udinese to finish fourth in Serie A. On 27 February 2011, Sánchez scored four of seven goals as his team defeated Palermo 7-0, playing only the first 52 minutes of the game. This event meant he broke the record of goals scored by a Chilean player (in a single match) in the Italian Serie A, thus beating the records set by his historic countrymen Marcelo Salas and Iván Zamorano.

Sánchez made his international debut for his national team against New Zealand in April 2006, becoming the youngest player ever playing for the national team with only 17 years and 4 months, and scored his first goal against Switzerland in a 2–1 loss, being also the first goal of the Marcelo Bielsa era. During the Bielsa period, he was Chile's top scorer with 12 goals, surpassing Humberto Suazo's previous record of 11 goals.

Early life[link]

Sánchez was born in Tocopilla to a family of fishermen. His biological father abandoned Sánchez and his family to go work in a mine, leaving Sánchez to help his family out financially from an early age.

According to his relatives and his closest friends, Sánchez was an extroverted boy at school. Sánchez washed cars in a graveyard to earn some money. His fanaticism for football was shared with all his family, especially with José Delaigue, his uncle-in law and adoptive father. Being a former amateur football player, Delaigue saw great potential in the young Sánchez.^[3]

At the age of 15 while playing football with his friends in the neighborhood, he impressed the mayor of Tocopilla, who awarded him his first football boots. The mayor's decision was a worthwhile one, while playing for Tocopilla in a regional tournament, Sánchez dominated, in one particular match he scored 8 goals.

Club career[link]

Udinese[link]

Loan spells[link]

In July 2006, he was loaned to one of Chile's biggest teams, Colo-Colo on a season-long deal. His loan was due to a maturation project^{[citation needed]} that Udinese implemented with youth players. After a notable season in the Cacique, and winning two league titles, it was assumed that Sánchez would return to Italy. He was loaned out again, however, this time to Argentina's River Plate.

Return to Udinese[link]

After a successful season in Argentina, in July 2008, Sánchez left South America to officially join Udinese, where he would suit up with Chilean compatriot Mauricio Isla. Sánchez made his non-competitive debut in a 3–0 win over Bassano and was named the man of match.^[4] On 14 September, he played his first game in Serie A in a 1–0 loss with Juventus and four days later, he made his European debut against Borussia Dortmund. On 19 October 2008, Sánchez scored his first league goal against Lecce. After this first goal, Sánchez got into a minor slump, in which he took much criticism. The criticism ended after scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute against Bologna in a 1–0 win, being named the man of match.^{[citation needed]}

In the following season, Sánchez played an important role for Udinese at Coppa Italia 2009–10, being a key player in the team that eliminated Milan, assisting Gökhan Inler for the winning goal.^[5] In the semi-final second leg, Sánchez was the man of match after playing a successful game against Roma, including scoring his first Coppa Italia goal in the 81st minute. It was not enough, however, as the aggregate score was 2–1 in favor of Roma.^[6] By the end of this year, Sánchez scored a total of five goals (four at the end of tournament) in 32 appearances.

Along with his compatriot Mauricio Isla, playing for Udinese Calcio

On 27 February 2011, Sánchez scored four of seven goals as his team defeated Palermo 7–0, playing only the first 52 minutes of the game. This event meant he broke the record of goals scored by a Chilean player (in a single match) in the Italian Serie A,^[7] thus beating the records set by his historic countrymen Marcelo Salas and Iván Zamorano.

During his successful season at Udinese Calcio, Sánchez and Italian striker Antonio Di Natale became one of the best scoring duos in Serie A tallying 39 goals between then, two goals short of the Del Piero–Trezeguet duo that completed 41 goals in the 2007–08 season. In recognition of his achievements he was named the world's most promising youngster of the 2011 season, by the users of FIFA.com, where users had to choose between Sánchez, Gareth Bale, Javier Pastore, Ganso and Neymar in a poll.^[8] Sánchez ranked 56th in the May 2011 edition of Castrol Performance Index and 24th among the forwards.

Barcelona[link]

On 20 July 2011, FC Barcelona confirmed they had agreed a €26 million fee (plus €11m in certain bonuses) with Udinese for the transfer of Sánchez, thus becoming the first Chilean to ever play for the club.^[9][10][11] "Sánchez is very young," said manager Josep Guardiola. "He can play in all three attacking positions, he shows intense defensive skills, he's direct and from what I've been told, he's a very nice kid."^[10] The transfer was finalised five days later when he passed a medical and signed a five-year contract.^[12][13] "I want to learn from players like Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernández—and I want to help the club win more titles," said Sánchez.^[12]

Alexis Sanchez celebrate 2011 FIFA Club World Cup win.

The Chilean star's debut season for the blaugrana was heavily plagued with short-term injuries. Sanchez made his debut on 14 August 2011 against arch rivals Real Madrid in the 2012 Supercopa de España first leg away match, and picked up a thigh injury after a tough challenge by Marcelo.^[14] Barcelona won the tie 5-4 on aggregate. He made his return two weeks later as a substitute in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup, won by Barca 2-0. Alexis then started the opening match of La Liga, at home against Villarreal CF, and scored his first goal in a 5-0 win. A week later, on 10 September 2011, he was stretchered off after 30 minutes following a challenge from Dani Estrada in a La Liga match against Real Sociedad.^[15] Sánchez returned on 1 November 2011 in an away match against Viktoria Plzeň.^[16] He also scored against Real Madrid on 10 December 2011 to equalize the game which they went on to win 1-3.

On 14 February 2012, Sánchez scored the first and second UEFA Champions League goals of his career in Barcelona's 3-1 victory against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

International career[link]

Sánchez made his international debut for his national team against New Zealand on 27 April 2006. He was called up by the coach José Sulantay to play with his country in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup celebrated in Canada, achieving an historic performance, finishing in third place of the tournament.

After his participation in the youth championship, he scored his first goal in the Marcelo Bielsa era in a 2–1 loss against Switzerland on 7 September 2007. Due to the three-months injury that he suffered playing for River Plate, Sánchez missed the first four games of the FIFA World Cup qualification. Fully recovered now, he led to Chile to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, becoming the team's star player. His best game during the qualifiers was in a 4–0 win over Bolivia, scoring two goals of the victory.

Prior to the 2011 Copa América, Sánchez had scored 2 goals in 4 games, against Uruguay and Estonia. On 29 June 2011, he was selected in the 23-man squad for Copa América.

International goals[link]

Sánchez – goals for Chile[17]
#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	7 September 2007	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	Switzerland	1–1	2–1	Friendly match
2.	4 June 2008	Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua, Chile	Guatemala	1–0	2–0	Friendly match
3.	4 June 2008	Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua, Chile	Guatemala	2–0	2–0	Friendly match
4.	11 February 2009	Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa	South Africa	0–2	0–2	Friendly match
5.	28 March 2009	Estadio Monumental "U", Lima, Peru	Peru	0–1	1–3	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
6.	10 June 2009	Estadio Nacional de Chile, Santiago, Chile	Bolivia	3–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
7.	10 June 2009	Estadio Nacional de Chile, Santiago, Chile	Bolivia	4–0	4–0	2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
8.	12 August 2009	Brøndby Stadium, Brøndby, Denmark	Denmark	1–2	1–2	Friendly match
9.	26 May 2010	Estadio Municipal de Calama, Calama, Chile	Zambia	1–0	3–0	Friendly match
10.	26 May 2010	Estadio Municipal de Calama, Calama, Chile	Zambia	2–0	3–0	Friendly match
11.	30 May 2010	Estadio Municipal de Concepción, Concepción, Chile	Israel	2–0	3–0	Friendly match
12.	17 November 2010	Estadio Monumental David Arellano, Santiago, Chile	Uruguay	1–0	2–0	Friendly match
13.	19 June 2011	Estadio Monumental, Santiago, Chile	Estonia	4–0	4–0	Friendly match
14.	8 July 2011	Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza, Argentina	Uruguay	1–1	1–1	2011 Copa América

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

¹Includes continental competitive competitions, including the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and UEFA Champions League.

²Includes other competitive competitions, including the FIFA Club World Cup, Supercopa de España and UEFA Super Cup.

Statistics accurate as of match played 29 April 2012^{[18][19][20][21]}

National team[link]

^[17]

Honours[link]

Club[link]

Colo-Colo

• Chilean Primera División (2): 2006 Clausura, 2007 Apertura
• Copa Sudamericana (1): Runner-up 2006

River Plate

• Primera División de Argentina (1): 2008 Clausura

Barcelona

• Copa del Rey (1): 2011–12
• Supercopa de España (1): 2011
• UEFA Super Cup (1): 2011
• FIFA Club World Cup (1) : 2011

International[link]

• FIFA U-20 World Cup (1): Third place 2007

Individual[link]

• Serie A Player of the Month (1): February 2011

Personal life[link]

Sánchez's adoptive father, José Delaigue, died of a heart attack in June 2011 at age 75. On 19 June, in Chile's 4–0 win over Estonia, on his team's last goal that Sánchez scored he removed his jersey during his celebration to reveal a photo of Delaigue on his undershirt.

References[link]

External links[link]

• FC Barcelona profile
• La Liga profile
• Transfermarkt profile
• 2010 FIFA World Cup profile
• Alexis Sánchez at National-Football-Teams.com
• Alexis Sánchez – FIFA competition record
• Alexis Sánchez – UEFA competition record

Chile squads v t e Chile squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup 1 Bravo (c) 2 Fuentes 3 Ponce 4 Isla 5 Contreras 6 Carmona 7 Sánchez 8 Vidal 9 Suazo 10 Valdívia 11 González 12 Pinto 13 Estrada 14 Fernández 15 Beausejour 16 Orellana 17 Medel 18 Jara 19 Fierro 20 Millar 21 Tello 22 Paredes 23 Marín Coach: Bielsa v t e Chile squad – 2011 Copa América 1 Bravo (c) 2 Silva 3 Ponce 4 Isla 5 Contreras 6 Carmona 7 Sánchez 8 Vidal 9 Suazo 10 Valdívia 11 Jiménez 12 Pinto 13 Estrada 14 Fernández 15 Beausejour 16 Fierro 17 Medel 18 Jara 19 Muñoz 20 Millar 21 Gutiérrez 22 Paredes 23 Garcés Coach: Borghi

Alexis Colby (born Morell;^[1] formerly Carrington, Dexter, and Rowan) is a fictional character and the primary antagonist on the American TV series Dynasty.

The role was originated by Joan Collins in the first episode of the show's second season in 1981^[2] (the character appeared briefly in the first season finale, non-speaking and face unseen).^[3] Collins remained on the show until the finale in 1989, and then returned as Alexis for the 1991 miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion.

Alexis' schemes to destroy ex-husband Blake, undermine his marriage to angelic Krystle, and control her children drive much of the action over the series' run. Passionate yet vengeful, Alexis loves her children fiercely and will do anything to protect them, but she often ignores their own needs and desires in place of what she thinks is best. Often seen smoking her signature black Nat Sherman cigarillos^{[citation needed]}, Alexis rises and falls again and again, continually stirring up trouble for all around her.

During the series Alexis is married three additional times, to Cecil Colby, Dex Dexter, and Sean Rowan. Alexis is widowed twice, first by Cecil and then by fourth husband Sean, prompting Alexis' cousin Sable to remark that with Alexis "death is always a simpler solution than divorce." Her third marriage (to Dex) ends in divorce after Alexis catches him in bed with her adult daughter Amanda. The name Alexis uses the most consistently over the course of the series is Alexis Colby, though her marriage to Cecil Colby is her shortest. Alexis is romantically linked to a number of men over the years, including oilman Rashid Ahmed, tennis pro (and Krystle's first husband) Mark Jennings, King Galen of Moldavia, shipping tycoon Zach Powers, Congressman Neal McVane, Blake's brother Ben Carrington, Dirk and Gavin Maurier, and even a near-reconciliation with an amnesiac Blake.

Behind the scenes[link]

Candidates for the plum role of Blake Carrington's ex-wife, initially named Madeleine, included film legend Sophia Loren.^[2][4] Series co-creator Esther Shapiro later claimed that the character of Alexis was based on the Roman empress Livia, as characterized in the 1934 novel I, Claudius.^[5] A change in the writing and the addition of Alexis were credited with lifting Dynasty in the ratings, and the character "quickly set off a host of female imitators in other prime-time soaps."^[2] Producer E. Duke Vincent said of Collins in 2005, "Joan Collins is the queen of the archetype … How do you get that? You get it in the storytelling, obviously, but the actress herself, her personality, brought something to that role which I don't think anybody else could have done."^[6] Executive Producer Aaron Spelling added, "We didn't write Joan Collins. She played Joan Collins … We wrote a character, but the character could have been played by 50 people and 49 of them would have failed. She made it work."^[6]

Alexis' annual catfights with Linda Evans' Krystle became eagerly anticipated,^[2] and Alexis would later have similar brawls with Dominique Deveraux (Diahann Carroll) and Sable Colby (Stephanie Beacham).

Alexis was conspicuously absent from the Season Six opener which followed the infamous Moldavian Massacre cliffhanger; Collins was in a tense contract renegotiation with the show, seeking an increased salary. As a result, the first episode of the season had to be rewritten to explain her absence. Collins' demands were met (she reportedly signed a $60,000 per episode contract) and she returned to the series in the season's second episode.^{[citation needed]}

As Dynasty declined in ratings in later seasons, Collins was contracted for only 13 of the 22 episodes in the series' ninth season as a money-saving move (by this time, Collins was bringing in $120,000 an episode).^{[citation needed]} She later announced that she would not return for a tenth season^{[citation needed]} but the series was cancelled at the end of the ninth season due to low ratings anyway. The majority of the cast (including Collins) reunited for the two-part, four-hour miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion in 1991.

Storylines[link]

In Dynasty's first season finale episode, "The Testimony," Blake Carrington is on trial for killing his son Steven's male lover, Ted Dinard. A veiled surprise witness for the prosecution appears, and Blake angrily asks his lawyer: "What's she doing here?" Blake's daughter Fallon gasps in recognition, "Oh my God, that's my mother."

As the second season opens with the episode "Enter Alexis", the character has not only a face but a name: Alexis Morell Carrington. She had been exiled from Denver by Blake after an affair with Carrington estate manager Roger Grimes; her testimony, that Blake has a violent temper, proves damaging to his case. At odds with his father, Steven is drawn to the mother he hardly remembers; Fallon, however, is devoted to Blake and has long held a grudge against Alexis, a grudge further fueled by her testimony. Fallon says to her mother:

Alexis soon sparks the ire of Blake's wife Krystle, and brazenly moves into a cottage on the Carrington estate: her former art studio which she still owns, thanks to a technicality. The household staff remembers the first Mrs. Carrington all too well — especially longtime Carrington majordomo Joseph Anders. Staunchly loyal to Blake, Joseph has a particular dislike for socialite Alexis and has followed her scandalous adventures for years through the tabloids. Fallon, though not openly hostile, keeps an icy distance from Alexis and the two trade subtle barbs; Steven is seduced by his mother's apparent devotion to him, but soon gets a taste of her poison. According to Alexis, Fallon is not Blake's daughter at all: her father is really Blake's longtime friend and business rival, Cecil Colby. The secret eats at Steven, and Fallon eventually finds out. Ultimately, it is proven untrue. Alexis' consistent meddling and intrusions help improve Krystle's relationship with Fallon, Joseph, and the rest of the household staff and they soon accept her unconditionally as Blake's wife.

Alexis makes an enemy in Krystle when she purposefully fires a shotgun to make Krystle's horse throw her; a pregnant Krystle loses her baby, and is told she will probably be unable to have more. Alexis becomes romantically involved with Cecil, now Blake's adversary, but Cecil has a heart attack while in bed with her. They marry on his deathbed, Cecil exacting a promise from Alexis that she will use his company ColbyCo to ruin Blake.

In 1982, after their infant grandson L.B. Colby (son of Fallon and Jeff Colby) is kidnapped, former spouses Blake and Alexis make a televised plea that he be returned. Alexis confesses a dark secret from their past: their firstborn son, Adam, had been kidnapped as a baby and had never been returned. Traumatized by the event, they had hidden his existence from their subsequent children Fallon and Steven. Meanwhile, in Billings, Montana, an old woman named Kate Torrance tearfully tells her grandson Michael that he is really the Carrington heir. Armed with items from Adam Carrington's baby carriage, lawyer "Michael" comes to Denver and is eventually accepted as a Carrington; but like Alexis, his selfishness, greed and ambition put him at odds with all of his relatives at one time or another.

In 1984, a young woman named Amanda Bedford appears on Alexis' doorstep; she is Alexis' daughter,^[7] and as news of her spreads, Blake takes a special interest. He soon learns that Alexis was pregnant when he banished her decades before. Though Alexis insists that Amanda's father is a ski instructor with whom she was involved, it is eventually revealed that she is indeed Blake's daughter.

In 1986, Alexis' younger sister Cassandra Morell is released from a Caracas, Venezuela prison, having been incarcerated years before after an incident involving Alexis and her then-paramour, Zach Powers. Calling herself Caress, the younger Morell comes to Denver and hopes to make a fortune by writing a scathing tell-all book about Alexis and exposing her sister's darkest secrets. Alexis finds out about the book, secretly buys the publishing company and scuttles the project.

A handsome stranger saves Alexis from drowning in a river in 1987; dashing Sean Rowan soon sweeps her off her feet and they marry. Sean soon insinuates himself into her business, alienating Alexis' son Adam. It is revealed that Sean is actually the son of former Carrington majordomo Joseph Anders, and is bent on avenging his father and sister, Kirby, who had been ill-treated by Alexis and the Carringtons. Sean has an affair with Leslie Carrington and schemes to destroy the family, but is ultimately killed by Dex after he attempts to murder Alexis.

See also[link]

• Carrington family tree
• List of soap opera villains

Notes and references[link]