The 2007 iQdoU? ad campaign at Times Square

QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and QVC Italy to 200 million households. The name is an initialism standing for Quality, Value, Convenience.

Corporate history[link]

QVC was founded on June 13, 1986 by Joseph Segel. One of the first brands to sign a two year deal with QVC was Sears products.^{[citation needed]} Its first live broadcast took place at 7:30 PM ET on November 24 of that year, reaching 7.6 million TV homes; the first item sold was a "Windsor Shower Companion" shower radio, presented by host John Eastman (Bob Bowersox was the first host seen on-screen).^[2] The corporation later set a new record for first full-year fiscal sales for a new public company of $112 million.^[3] Its primary competitor in the United States is the Home Shopping Network (HSN).

Initially broadcast live from 7:30 PM ET until midnight each weekday and all day Saturdays and Sundays, the channel extended its live programming to 24 hours in January 1987. QVC acquired its top competitor, the Cable Value Network (CVN), in 1989. The $380 million deal contributed to a loss of $17 million during the next fiscal quarter, and then to difficulties in the couple of years that followed.^[4]

On February 2, 1995, Comcast purchased a majority shareholding in QVC, Inc., taking control of the corporation. QVC kicked off the "Quest for America's Best: 50 in 50 Tour," a 50-week nationwide product search. QVC.com was founded in 1996.

In 1998 a class-action suit was brought against QVC. Two former hosts of QVC sued the network, claiming that they were discriminated against by the shopping channel based on their race. The lawsuit went on to state that QVC refused to allow non-white hosts any permanent daytime/primetime spots, which relegated them to the overnight hours, otherwise known as the "graveyard shift." Because of this, the non-white hosts were paid considerably less than the white hosts. ^{[5] [6]}

In July 2003, Comcast sold its majority share to Liberty Media.

In May 2009, QVC became the first multimedia retailer to offer a native high-definition service. As with HSN, the 4:3 cut for analog viewers in this 16:9 presentation is made to the extreme right of the screen rather than on both sides of the 4:3 frame, allowing the network to place their graphics fully to the left and lower portions of the screen to maximize camera presentation space.

On September 23, 2007, QVC U.S. rebranded itself, changing its logo on-air and online. The rebranding was accompanied by an advertising campaign with the tagline "iQdoU?" ("I shop QVC, do you?") that had preceded the rebrand with billboards in major U.S. cities.The iQdoU? campaign also included a "teaser" website found at iQdoU.com.^[7]

On September 30, 2010, at 11pm, QVC began broadcasting in Italy, both on satellite and digital terrestrial television.

Operations[link]

All of QVC's operations (U.S., UK, Germany, Japan and Italy) run 24 hours a day, although live programming hours vary between each region.

Headquarters[link]

QVC has its headquarters in West Chester, Pennsylvania by U.S. Route 202.^[8][9] The $100 million QVC Studio Park complex, located on an 80-acre (32 ha) plot of land, opened in 1997.^[10]

QVC US[link]

QVC's U.S. operations are based in the Studio Park complex, which houses its corporate headquarters, studio and broadcasting facilities. Studio Park is the former corporate offices of Commodore Business Machines. Call center facilities are located in Chesapeake, Virginia; Port St. Lucie, Florida; and San Antonio, Texas. QVC's distribution centers are situated in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Suffolk, Virginia; Florence, South Carolina; and Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

QVC U.S. also operates a series of retail stores across the country, including outlet stores that are located in Bloomington, Mn.; Lancaster, Pa.; Frazer, Pennsylvania; Prices Corner, Del.; Rehoboth Beach, Del.; and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

QVC broadcasts live in the United States 24/7, apart from the Christmas show which is pre recorded to more than 100 million households, and ranks as the number two television network in terms of revenue (#1 in home shopping networks), with sales in 2010 giving a net revenue of $7.8 billion.

QVC UK[link]

QVC UK was launched in October 1993. QVC UK's headquarters and broadcasting facilities are located at Marco Polo House in Battersea, London but are to move to a new smaller complex in Chiswick Park in late April 2012. Call center and distribution facilities are situated in Knowsley, Merseyside. QVC UK also runs two outlet stores, one in Warrington, the other in Shrewsbury. QVC has a second channel in the UK: QVC Beauty.

QVC UK broadcasts live 17 hours a day (although the channel runs 24 hours a day), 364 days a year (off-air for one day on Christmas Day).

QVC Germany[link]

QVC Germany, incorporated in Düsseldorf, runs call centre operations from two sites in Bochum and Kassel, whilst distribution is handled from a dedicated site in Hückelhoven.

QVC Germany broadcasts live 24 hours a day, 363.5 days a year (off-air Christmas Eve (no program after noon) and Christmas Day). QVC has two additional channels in Germany: QVC Plus and QVC Beauty.

QVC Japan[link]

QVC Japan is based in Makuhari, where its corporate headquarters and call center facility are located. Distribution facilities are located in Sakura City.

QVC Italy[link]

QVC Italy was launched in October 2010.^[11] QVC Italy's headquarters and broadcasting facilities are located at Brugherio, near Milan.

QVC Italy broadcasts live 17 hours a day (although the channel runs 24 hours a day), 364 days a year. The primary distribution platforms for QVC Italy are digital terrestrial television and satellite.

Hosts[link]

QVC's live broadcast is supported by 27 program hosts. They come from a variety of different backgrounds and work one-to four-hour shifts on-air, two to five days a week.

Embedded below is a list of QVC's current hosts in the United States, along with their signature shows:

• Jill Bauer - joined QVC in 1993
  • You're Home with Jill
  • Just Desserts with Jill
• Sandra Bennett - joined QVC in 2006
  • Whole You with Sandra
• Rachel Boesing - joined QVC in 2011
• Jayne Brown - joined QVC in 1999
  • Downtown Style with Jayne Brown
  • Fashionably Early with Jayne & Pat
  • Fashionably Early with Jayne & Pat
• Courtney Cason - joined QVC in 2010
• Jennifer Coffey - joined QVC in 2011
• Rick Domeier - joined QVC in 1994
  • techCONNECT with Rick
  • Get Fit with Rick
  • Home Projects with Rick and Dan
  • Rick & Easy Cooking
  • Rick & Easy Solutions
  • Anything Goes with Rick & Shawn
• Sharon Faetsch - joined QVC in 2003
• Jacque Gonzales - joined QVC in 2003
  • Electronics with Jacque & Friends
• Carolyn Gracie - joined QVC in 2005
  • Garden Party with Carolyn
  • Kitchen Unlimited with Carolyn
  • Sundays with Carolyn & Dan
• Nancy Hornback - joined QVC in late 2009
• Dan Hughes - joined QVC in 1989
  • Mornings Made Easy
  • The Great Outdoors with Dan
  • Sundays with Carolyn & Dan
• Albany Irvin - joined QVC in 2009
  • Electronics Made Easy with Albany
  • Bright Ideas with Albany
• Dave James - joined QVC in 2004
  • Seriously Late on QVC
• Pat James-DeMentri - joined QVC in 1989
  • Mornings Made Easy
  • Fashionably Early with Jayne & Pat
  • Fashionably Early with Jayne & Pat
• Gabrielle Kerr - joined QVC in 2007
• Shawn Killinger - joined QVC in 2007
  • "No Problem!" with Shawn
  • Shawn Says, "Accessorize!"
  • Anything Goes with Rick & Shawn
• Kerstin Lindquist - joined QVC in 2011
• Antonella Nester - joined QVC in 2004
  • Antonella's Italian Kitchen
• Jonathan Redford - joined QVC in 2009
• Lisa Robertson - joined QVC in 1995
  • Ask Lisa About Style
  • PM Style with Lisa Robertson
  • What the Tech? with Lisa
  • The Lisa Robertson Show
• Mary Beth Roe - joined QVC in 1990
  • My Time with Mary Beth
  • Handbags with Mary Beth
• Amy Stran - joined QVC in 2009
• Jane Treacy - joined QVC in 1986 as one of the original hosts
  • Shoe Shopping with Jane
  • Enjoyable Entertaining
  • Jane's Rock Stars
  • Now That's Cool! with Jane
• David Venable - joined QVC in 1993
  • Dining With David
  • In the Kitchen with David
  • In the Kitchen with David PM Edition
  • Merry Memories with David (seasonal show)
• Dan Wheeler - joined QVC in 1991
  • Home Projects with Rick and Dan
  • NFL Shop
• Leah Williams - joined QVC in 1996
  • AM Style with Leah Williams

Product representatives[link]

QVC's hosts are often supported by a product representative for certain products.

Below is a list of some of QVC's product representatives:

• Dennis Basso - Dennis Basso Boutique
• Paula Deen - food and kitchen products
• Oscar Dovale - electronics
• Melissa Epps - toys
• Susan Graver - Susan Graver Style & Jewelry
• Lori Greiner - Clever and Unique Creations
• Sharon Hanby-Robie - home decor
• Leslie Hermanson - Mr. Christmas
• Nancy Hicks - Effortless Style by citiknits
• Christine Kane - HP
• Peyton Kelley - jewelry
• Marie Louise Kier - kitchen products
• Steven Klaszky - Dell
• Meredith Laurence - The Blue Jean Chef, Technique
• Dara Lynn - philosophy
• Bob Mackie - Bob Mackie Wearable Art
• Tara McConnell - Temp-tations ovenware
• MarkCharles Misilli - kitchen products
• Isaac Mizrahi - ISAACMIZRAHILIVE!
• Robert Lee Morris - RLM by Robert Lee Morris
• Michael O'Connor - Diamond Jewelry by Affinity
• Valerie Parr Hill - Heartfelt Home and Home Fragrances
• Chris Pryme - Lock & Lock
• Rachael Ray - Rachael Ray cookware
• Chris Rider - Dell
• Joan Rivers - Joan Rivers Classics Collection
• Dr. James Rouse - Nature's Code vitamins
• Laurie Shore - Mrs. Prindable's foods
• Angel Smedley - Quacker Factory
• Craig Smith - electronics
• Eric Theiss - kitchen gadgets
• Bob Warden - Cook's Essentials

References[link]

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/app.html/params.file.%7Ccp%7Cmainhqpress,html/left.html.file.%7Cnav%7Cnavhqabout,html

http://www.multichannel.com/article/263755-QVC_HD_Now_100_High_Def.php

External links[link]

	Philadelphia portal
	Pennsylvania portal
	Companies portal
	Television portal

• QVC US
• QVC Germany
• QVC Japan
• QVC UK
• QVC Studio Tours Page US
• QVC Italy

Nicole Richie
Richie In Store Appearance David Jones Photo Call 2012
Born	Nicole Camille Escovedo (1981-09-21) September 21, 1981 (age 30) Berkeley, California, U.S.
Occupation	Television personality, actress, fashion designer, author
Years active	2003–present
Spouse	Joel Madden (2010–present)
Children	2[1]
Website
www.nicolerichie.com

Nicole Camille Richie (born Nicole Camille Escovedo; September 21, 1981) is an American fashion designer, author, actress, singer and television personality.

Richie rose to prominence for her role in the Fox reality television series, The Simple Life which lasted five seasons. Afterwards she turned her focus on other projects including charity work and environmental issues. In November 2007 Richie and husband, Joel Madden, created "The Richie Madden Children's Foundation".^[2] She is currently one of the three mentors on NBC's Fashion Star.

Richie's personal life has also attracted media attention, including her dramatically thin appearance, driving under the influence arrests in 2003 and 2006, as well as her extensive drug abuse throughout her late teenage years and early twenties.

Early life[link]

Nicole Richie was born in Berkeley, California.^[3] Her biological father is Peter Michael Escovedo, a musician who played for a brief time with Lionel Richie, and her biological mother Karen was the executive assistant for her aunt Sheila E. At the age of three, her parents agreed to let her move in with Lionel Richie and Brenda Harvey because they could not afford to provide for her financially. "My parents were friends with Lionel," she told People in 2003. "They trusted that they would be better able to provide for me."^[4] Initially, Lionel Richie became her guardian.^[5] Lionel Richie and Brenda Harvey effectively raised Nicole as their daughter. She began attending weekly sessions with a psycho-therapist at age three, remaining in therapy throughout childhood.

Richie was legally adopted by Lionel and Brenda when she was nine years old. Shortly after the adoption was formalized, Lionel's affair with another woman became public knowledge.^[6] Lionel and Brenda went through a bitter, public split. As a result, they indulged Nicole's every whim. "Their way of making me happy was to say yes to everything I wanted, but I don't think a little girl should have that much freedom," said Richie in an interview with Vanity Fair.^[7] Following the divorce, Lionel remarried and gave Nicole two younger siblings; Myles (b. 1994) and Sofia (b. 1998).^[8] Richie has one godmother, Nancy Davis, daughter of Marvin Davis and mother of Brandon Davis. Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson were each Richie's godfathers.^[9] Jones said in a People magazine interview that he has "known Nicole Richie since she was a baby. She's a very smart girl".^[10]

In 1986, Richie attended The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California, where she met Paris Hilton. Richie graduated from Montclair College Preparatory School in 1999 and then attended the University of Arizona alongside Kourtney Kardashian and Luke Walton, where she studied Arts and Media. Richie did not have a definitive study plan in Arizona, and eventually dropped out after two years and returned to California.^[9]

Career[link]

Television[link]

In 2003, Richie and her then best friend Paris Hilton starred in the reality series The Simple Life, in which they lived for a month with a family in the rural community of Altus, Arkansas. The series premiere debuted on Fox on December 2, 2003, to thirteen million viewers, increasing Fox's Adults 18-49 rating to 79%.^[11] The series continued for a second and third season, and Richie achieved superstardom for her out-spoken, comedic persona.^{[citation needed]}

The show was subsequently cancelled by Fox after a dispute between Hilton and Richie, but it was subsequently aired by E! Entertainment Television for the fourth season, which was a hit for E!, drawing nearly one million viewers and a relatively unsuccessful fifth season.^[12] More complications arose during the production of a fifth season. Both Richie and Hilton faced major charges for DUI, and were at risk of serving jail time. Hilton was sentenced to 23 days in jail, though this was after production of the season had finished.^[13] Richie accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to four days in jail, again after production had wrapped.^[14] Despite talks of a sixth season,^[15] the series finished its run at the end of the moderately unsuccessful fifth season.^[16][17]

In 2005, Nicole Richie made her acting debut in the comedic drama Kids in America. Richie has guest starred in television series including Eve, Six Feet Under and American Dreams, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, and playing the recurring character Heather Chandler on Chuck.^[18] In July 2008, plans were announced to turn Richie's 2005 novel, The Truth About Diamonds, into a television series.^[19]

On January 1, 2010, it was announced that Richie would appear as a guest judge on Project Runway.^[20]

Richie is currently filming Fashion Star for NBC.

Writing[link]

In 2005, Richie wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, The Truth About Diamonds, which was released by Bharell Jackson Publishing. The novel is loosely based on her life, but is mostly fictional. It chronicles the life of Chloe Parker, the adopted daughter of a singer who makes her way through all of the popular nightclubs and parties in Hollywood while battling a drug addiction.^[21] In early January 2006, The Truth About Diamonds peaked at number #32 in Hardcover Fiction on The New York Times Best-Seller List.^[22]

Richie's second novel, Priceless, was released on September 28, 2010.^[23] It tells the story of a girl who loses everything and then learns about what really matters in life.^[24]

Fashion[link]

Richie's own personal style has become popular among fans and fashion critics and has led to her status as a fashion impresario and icon. She has been the face of Bongo Jeans and Jimmy Choo advertising campaigns. In April 2007, Richie announced plans to start a jewelry, accessories, and sunglasses line along with a perfume and style book.^[25] In October 2008, she debuted a jewelry line, House of Harlow 1960.^[26] The line became available at Kitson's online boutique.^[27] In Spring 2010, the line was extended to include apparel and shoes.^[28] In 2009, Richie joined maternity store A Pea in the Pod to create the new collection maternity clothes.^[29] The line was titled "Nicole" which had pieces that she would wear as an expectant mother.^[30] In February 2010, Richie expanded her fashion business with a women’s line called Winter Kate, her daughter's two middle names. The collection was inspired by timeless prints and shapes, beautiful paisley and florals.^[31]

In 2010, she won "Entrepreneur of the Year" for her House of Harlow 1960 brand at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards.^[32] House of Harlow 1960 was also nominated in the category "Celebrity Fashion Line" at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards.^[33] In July 2011, it was reported that Richie's House of Harlow 1960 line has unveiled a 14-piece handbag collection. The House of Harlow 1960 handbag collection will be available at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Shopbop.com.^[34] In July 2011, it was announced that Richie would be one of the three mentors in NBC's new reality show Fashion Star alongside Jessica Simpson.^[35][36]

Music[link]

Richie made her musical debut in February 2005 with a live appearance on ABC's The View playing the piano.^[37] Although widely speculated that Richie is working on an album, she denied the rumors to People. She was quoted as saying, "I do eventually [want to record an album], but right now I have a lot on my plate".^[38] In February 2010, Richie was featured on the charity single "We Are the World 25 for Haiti". "I was four years old in a studio, watching my dad record "We Are the World" and today I get to do it again. Excited to help make a change," she later said of the experience.^[39]

In 2004, she auditioned for the part of Maureen in the popular Broadway hit, Rent, but did not get the part. In 2008, she was offered the lead role in the hit musical Chicago as Roxie Hart.^[40]

Personal life[link]

Richie and Joel Madden in March 2010

Family and relationships[link]

In April 2005, reports surfaced that Richie and longtime friend Paris Hilton were no longer speaking. Hilton commented: "It's no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends. Nicole knows what she did, and that's all I'm ever going to say about it."^[41] Neither Richie nor Hilton spoke publicly about the cause of the split, though it was speculated that the pair fell out due to Nicole showing one of Paris' homemade sex tapes to a group of their friends. They eventually reconciled in October 2006.^[42]

She dated DJ Adam Goldstein from 2003 to 2005, but broke up after a nine-month engagement.^[43] Richie was also briefly linked to childhood friend Brody Jenner of MTV's The Hills.^[44]

Richie began dating Good Charlotte lead singer Joel Madden in December 2006.^[45] They have two children: daughter Harlow Winter Kate Richie Madden (born January 11, 2008)^[46] and son Sparrow James Midnight Madden (born September 9, 2009).^[47] The couple confirmed their engagement in February 2010,^[48] and married on December 11, 2010.^[49] In February 2008, the first photos of Harlow were sold to People, who paid $1 million.^[50]

Health[link]

In early 2006, Richie made headlines for her dramatically thinner appearance, after spending two seasons of The Simple Life slightly heavier than her usual weight.^[51] In May she told Vanity Fair, "I know I'm too thin right now, so I wouldn't want any young girl looking at me and saying, 'That's what I want to look like.'"^[52] She also said, "I started seeing a nutritionist and a doctor. I was scared that it could be something more serious."^[53] During this time it was reported that she had also sought the help of a psychiatrist and a personal trainer.^[54] Later that year, in September, Richie stated "I am not anorexic. I am not bulimic. I do not have an eating disorder."^[54] On October 27, 2006, it was announced that Richie was seeking treatment for "an inability to put on weight," though it is not treatment for an eating disorder.^[54]

In March 2007, Richie was taken to the hospital for dehydration. On March 21, her representatives announced she was diagnosed with hypoglycemia.^[55]

Richie's December 2006 mug shot

Legal issues[link]

In February 2003, Richie was arrested in Malibu, California and was charged with possession of heroin while driving with a suspended driver's license.^[56]

On December 11, 2006, Richie was arrested by the California Highway Patrol after she failed a field sobriety test. She was charged with driving under the influence on State Route 134 in the Burbank/Glendale, California area. Several motorists had reported a black Mercedes-Benz G-Class entering the freeway on the exit ramp and travelling in the opposite traffic direction.^[57] She admitted to using marijuana and the narcotic Vicodin before the incident.^[57] On July 27, 2007, Richie was sentenced to four days in jail at the Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood, California.^[58] However, she only served about 82 minutes of the sentence and was released at 16:37 PDT on August 23, 2007.^[59] A spokeswoman for the sheriff's department told People magazine that Richie "was released early due to overcrowding in the jail system. This is standard procedure for nonviolent offenders." After spending 82 minutes in jail, Richie was "Of course pleasantly surprised to be released so quickly," said her attorney.^[60]

Richie enrolled in an 18-month anti-drinking driver education program, according to papers filed with the Superior Court of California.^[61] On June 22, her probation was extended one year to March 2011 because she missed her anti-drinking driving class.^[62] However, Richie's probation was terminated early on December 29, 2010 after her lawyer presented details to the judge that Richie had completed all terms of her probation.^[63]

Charity[link]

In November 2007, Richie and partner Joel Madden created "The Richie Madden Children's Foundation".^[64] Richie, Joel and Benji Madden along with UNICEF held a fundraiser for the Tap Project in March 2009. They sold 143 water pumps to bring water directly to the villages and raised $100,000.^[65] Esprit donated 10% of all the sales on April 2, 2009 at their newly opened 3rd Street Promenade store to The Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation.^[66] The Richie-Madden Foundation specially designed "Cup with a Cause" for 7-Eleven. It was a part of their charity-focused coffee campaign in February 2010.^[67] During 2010 the Foundation worked together with Beyond Shelter, a non-profit organization devoted to providing shelter for homeless families in Los Angeles.^[68]

In May 2008, Richie and Madden shot a UNICEF public-service announcement to generate aid for the cyclone-devastated Myanmar.^[69] Richie and Madden have also written blogs on the UNICEF website and encouraged people to help children in need.^[70]

Richie has been a board member of the Environmental Media Association for several years and took part in their awareness program in May 2009.^[71] Each member "adopted" a school to raise awareness for the program and help students with environmental education. She participated in a charity hand-me-downs auction that started on the website handmedowns.com. The proceeds went directly to The Richie Madden Children’s Foundation to help bring more opportunities to children in the US and abroad.^[72]

Filmography[link]

Award nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nicole Richie

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Nicole Richie

• Official website
• Official website of The Richie-Madden Foundation
• Nicole Richie at the Internet Movie Database
• on YouTube

Melania Trump
Melania Trump at the QVC Red Carpet Style Party, Four Seasons Hotel, Los Angeles, CA on February 25, 2011
Born	Melanija Knavs (1970-04-26) April 26, 1970 (age 42) Sevnica, Slovenia
Nationality	Slovenia
Occupation	Model, socialite, jewelry designer
Years active	1986–present
Spouse	Donald J. Trump (2005-present)
Children	Barron Trump (b. 2006); four stepchildren from Trump's previous marriages
Website
Melania Trump Official Website

Melania Knauss-Trump (born Melanija Knavs, germanized to Melania Knauss; April 26, 1970^[1]) is a Slovenian former model and the wife of American real estate magnate Donald Trump. They married on January 22, 2005.^[2]

Life[link]

Knauss-Trump was born in the town of Sevnica in Slovenia's Lower Sava Valley (then part of Yugoslavia) in 1970. Her father Viktor Knavs was from the nearby town of Radeče, while her mother Amalija came from a village in the area surrounding Sevnica.^[3]

She met Donald Trump in the late 1990s. Knauss's relationship with Trump grew as she launched her modelling career, and also became involved with the social set of New York. Their relationship received increasing publicity after the launch of Trump's successful business-oriented reality television show, The Apprentice.

She appeared on The Howard Stern Show with Trump. This led to a layout in British GQ magazine, including the cover shot in January 2000.

Trump and Knauss became engaged in 2004, and married on January 22, 2005, at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a reception at Trump's Mar-A-Lago estate. Their wedding ceremony was widely covered by the media, with the fact that Knauss wore a $200,000 dress made by the house of Christian Dior often mentioned. The cake at the reception was a 50-pound orange Grand Marnier cake with a Grand Marnier butter-cream filling, covered with 3,000 roses, constructed by the chef at Mar-A-Lago.

On March 20, 2006, Knauss-Trump gave birth to a boy, whom the couple named Barron William Trump. Donald Trump made the announcement via phone on the Imus in the Morning show about 20 minutes after birth, stating that "everyone's perfect". It was Trump's fifth child.

Promoting Trump's presidential goals[link]

When husband Donald Trump announced presidential ambitions, Melania Trump began helping. Reports in the media state: "Melania Trump is already pondering her role as a possible First Lady - all while plugging her QVC line of sparkly baubles."^[4] "Melania Trump will stand by her husband whether he decides to run for president or not."^[5] And speculation about: "Would Melania Trump Be the Hottest First Lady Ever?"^[6]

Career[link]

After obtaining a degree in design and architecture^{[citation needed]} at the University of Ljubljana, she started working as a model both in Milan and Paris before settling in New York City in 1996. She was on the cover of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Ocean Drive, In Style, New York Magazine, Avenue, Allure, Vanity Fair, Self, Glamour, Elle, and appeared in the 2000 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

In February 2010, Knauss-Trump announced the launch of a jewellery collection with QVC. Knauss appeared in a television advertisement for Aflac insurance, in which she and the Aflac mascot, a duck, voiced by comedian Gilbert Gottfried, exchange personalities via a Frankenstein-like mad experiment.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Melania Trump

• Melania's official website
• Melania Trump at the Internet Movie Database

v t e Trump family and businesses Family First generation Fred Trump • Mary MacLeod Trump Second generation Donald Trump • Maryanne Trump Barry • Robert Trump • Fred Trump, Jr. • Elizabeth Trump Grau Third generation Maryanne Trump Barry - David Desmond | (Ivana Trump) - Donald Trump, Jr. • Ivanka Trump • Eric Trump | (Marla Maples) - Tiffany Trump | (Melania Knauss) - Barron William Trump | Fred Trump, Jr. - Fred Trump III • Mary Trump Media The Apprentice (Seasons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, MS) • The Ultimate Merger • Trumped! • Trump Magazine • Books Notable properties Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago, Dubai, Honolulu, Las Vegas, New Orleans, New York City, Panama City, SoHo, Toronto Trump Tower New York City, Philadelphia, White Plains, Denver, Istanbul, Manila Trump Tower Variations Trump World Tower, Elite Tower, Trump Towers by the Sea Trump Plaza Palm Beach, Manhattan, New Rochelle Other Properties Mar-A-Lago, Trump Grande, The Trump Building at 40 Wall Street, Trump Palace, Trump Parc, Trump Park Avenue, Grand Hyatt New York, Daewoo Trump World, Riverside South/Trump Place, Trump at Cap Cana Trump Golf The Estates at Trump National, Trump National Golf Club (Los Angeles), Trump National Golf Club (Philadelphia), Trump International Golf Links Various enterprises The Trump Organization • Miss Universe • Trump Ice • Trump Model Management • Trump Mortgage • Trump Shuttle • The Trump Entrepreneur Initiative • Miscellaneous Annual Revenue: $10.7 billion USD (FY 2007) | Employees: 22,450 | Website: The Trump Organization

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2010)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2010)

Lisa Robertson (born on July 22, 1961 in Toronto) is a Canadian poet who is best known for a collection a poem entitled The Weather, which was inspired by the shipping forecasts announced on BBC radio. She currently lives in France.

Life[link]

In 1979, she moved to British Columbia, where she remained for twenty-three years. During her time there, she was a member of The Kootenay School of Writing, which is a non-profit society that offers an alternative to the mainstream pedagogy of most Canadian universities.

She has been integrally involved in Vancouver's art scene and is an honorary board member of Artspeak Gallery. She has written on and reviewed exhibitions and pieces by Kelly Wood, Robert Garcet, Liz Magor, Allyson Clay, Kathy Slade, and Hadley+Maxwell, among others. She has also written on architecture and sites in British Columbia. Robertson contributed the "Beneath the Pavilions" column to Mix from 1997-1999.

She co-edited the poetry journal Raddle Moon with Susan Clark in Vancouver, and has worked as an arts journalist, a book seller, a copy editor, an astrologer, a guest lecturer, and an essayist. She has written on the work of Robin Blaser, Denise Riley, Dionne Brand, Peter Culley, Ted Berrigan, John Clare, Lorine Niedecker, Pauline Reage, Michele Bernstein and Albertine Sarrazin.

In 2006, she was a judge of the Griffin Poetry Prize and Holloway poet-in-residence at UC Berkeley. From 2007- 2010 she taught at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. In Fall 2010 she was writer-in-residence at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.

Work[link]

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (January 2008)

Her work is a deep questioning of language, history and gender.

She intentionally alters her writing style for each book-length work, although tends to not to stray too far from the form of the sentence and the issue of civic referentiality. Robertson refers to pronouns and self-referentiality as masques or puppets.

Many poets and writers have influenced Robertson. She has mentioned Gertrude Stein, Djuna Barnes, Mina Loy, the French feminists, Marguerite Duras, Nicole Brossard, Erin Mouré, Gail Scott, Lyn Hejinian, Susan Howe, bpNichol, Steve McCaffery, and Charles Bernstein.

The Weather[link]

One of her best known works, The Weather was written following her six-month Judith E Wilson visiting fellowship at the University of Cambridge. Variously described by others as a collection of poems inspired by BBC shipping forecasts, Wordsworths's The Prelude based upon a poetics derived from British meteorology and its importance in contemporary culture and history, Robertson herself suggests "the weather" can refer to culture-specific customs, the problematic concepts of the universal, sincerity, friendship, the constitution of the English subject, and the historical merging of Romantic conceptions of identity and language.

In preparation for its completion, she researched pastoral poetry, meteorological prose, and Anglo-centric subjectivity, guided by authors like Wordsworth, Reverend Blomefield, Luke Howard, Thomas Forster, Aikin, Aratus, John Constable, and William Cobbett.

Selected bibliography[link]

• The Apothecary (Vancouver, BC: Tsunami, 1991; reissued 2001)
• The Barscheit Horse with Catriona Strang and Christine Stewart (Hamilton, Ontario: Berkeley Horse, 1993)
• XEclogue II-V (Vancouver: Sprang Texts, 1993)
• XEclogue (Vancouver, BC: Tsunami Editions 1993, reissued by New Star Books, 1999)
• The Glove: An Essay on Interpretation (Vancouver: UBC Fine Arts Gallery, 1993)
• The Badge (Hamilton, Ontario: The Berkeley Horse/Mindware, 1994)
• Earth Monies (Mission, BC: DARD, 1995)
• The Descent (Buffalo, NY: Meow, 1996)
• Debbie: An Epic (Vancouver, BC: New Star, 1997; UK: Reality Street, 1997)
• Soft Architecture: A Manifesto (Vancouver: Artspeak Gallery, 1999)
• The Weather (Vancouver, BC: New Star, 2001; UK: Reality Street, 2001)
• A Hotel (Vancouver: Vancouver Film School, 2003)
• Occasional Work and Seven Walks from the Office for Soft Architecture (Astoria, OR: Clear Cut Press, 2003)
• Face/ (New York: A Rest Press, 2003)
• Rousseau’s Boat (Vancouver, BC: Nomados, 2004)
• First Spontaneous Horizontal Restaurant. Belladonna 75. (Brooklyn: Belladonna Books, 2005)
• The Men: A Lyric Book (Toronto: BookThug, 2006)
• Lisa Robertson's Magenta Soul Whip (Coach House Press, 2009)
• R's Boat (University of California Press, 2010)

Selected Essays[link]

• "Coasting" with Jeff Derksen, Nancy Shaw, and Catriona Strang. Telling it Slant: Avant Garde Poetics of the 1990s. Ed. Mark Wallace. (Tuscaloosa: Alabama UP, 2002)
• "The Weather: A Report on Sincerity," from DC Poetry Anthology 2001.^[1]
• "How Pastoral: A Manifesto." A Poetics of Criticism. Ed. Juliana Spahr. (Buffalo: Leave Books, 1994)
• "My Eighteeneth Century." Assembling Alternatives. Ed. Romana Huk. (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan UP, 2003)
• "On Palinode." Chicago Review 51:4/52:1 (2006)

Selected Interviews and Conversations[link]

• "Correspondence" with Steve McCaffery. Philly Talks #17. (Philadelphia: Kelly Writers House, 2000)
• "Lifted" with Kai Fierle-Hedrick. Chicago Review 51:4/52:1 (2006)

References[link]

Notes[link]

1. ^ "Robertson, Lisa". Dcpoetry.com. http://www.dcpoetry.com/?module=keywords&keyword=Robertson,%20Lisa. Retrieved 2011-07-02. 

External links[link]

• Lisa Robertson's piece titled "The Venus Problem"
• Chicago Review special issue (51:4/52:1) on Lisa Robertson (poems, essays, interview)
• Dispatches from the PoetryFoundation.org Journal
• Readings from The Office For Soft Architecture
• Test Reading: from The Men
• Lisa Robertson reads at a Toronto Value Village
• "Mostly Experimental: Recent Writings By and About Contemporary Women Poets & Writers" review of American Women Poets in the 21st Century: Where Lyric Meets Language, ed. Claudia Rankine and Juliana Spahr.
• Steve Evans reviews Rousseau’s Boat This piece, titled "Solitary and Free", appeared in "Jacket Magazine", #27 (April 2005)
• "Wooden Houses" poem by Robertson in "Jacket Magazine", #27 (APR 2005)
• Review @ Village Voice: 09/29/06 Alan Gilbert discusses The Men
• Joshua Corey discusses The Men extended piece from the popular weblog Cahiers de Corey
• Conversation review of 'The Men' by Melissa Flores-Bórquez and Edmund Hardy at poetry mag "Intercapillary Space"

See also[link]

Poetry portal

• Canadian poetry

Ramin Karimloo (born September 19, 1978) is an Iranian-born Canadian actor and singer, recognised chiefly for his work in London's West End. He has played leading male roles in both of the West End's longest running musicals; the Phantom and Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera; and Jean Valjean, Enjolras and Marius in Les Misérables. He also originated the role of the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies, which continues the story of The Phantom of the Opera.

Career[link]

In Canada, Karimloo moved to Richmond Hill from Peterborough and graduated from Alexander Mackenzie High School. He began his performing career in rock bands and various theatre projects before moving on to perform in theatre companies for Airtours and P&O Cruises.

After moving to England, his first role was in a pantomime of Aladdin in Chatham, in which he played the title role. Following this, in 2001, he went on to join the UK national tour of The Pirates of Penzance, understudying and then playing the role of the Pirate King.

In 2002, Karimloo joined the national tour of Sunset Boulevard, playing Artie Green and covering the role of Joe Gillis. Les Misérables was his West End debut; he played Feuilly and understudied the roles of Marius and Enjolras.

After this, in 2003, Karimloo took one of the lead roles, Raoul (Vicomte de Chagny), in The Phantom of the Opera. His final matinee performance was filmed for use on a behind-the-scenes feature on the DVD of Joel Schumacher's The Phantom of the Opera, a film in which he also appeared, in a cameo role as Gustave Daaé, Christine's violinist father whom Christine believes has sent her an Angel of Music from the heavens after his death.

During the same period, Karimloo also appeared in two concerts of Les Misérables (as Marius), and one of Jesus Christ Superstar (as Simon Zealotes, and a featured singer in "Superstar"), as well as being involved in several theatre workshops.

In 2004, Karimloo went back to Les Misérables, this time taking on the role of Enjolras. In the December of that year, he appeared in a concert of Les Misérables at Windsor Castle, in honour of the French president Jacques Chirac. Excerpts from this were shown on Easter Sunday 2005, in a behind-the-scenes documentary about Windsor Castle. He also performed as Marius in 2004 at Powderham Castle with Nicholas Pound as Jean Valjean, Fred Johanson as Javert, Rebecca Thornhill as Fantine, Dianne Pilkington as Eponine, Jamie Farr as Cosette, David Bardsley as Enjolras, Tony Timberlake as Thenardier, and Rosie Ashe as Madame Thenardier.

In June 2005, Karimloo joined the UK national tour of Miss Saigon, playing the role of Christopher Scott. He appeared in the West End production of The Phantom of the Opera, this time as the Phantom, starting in September 2007. He was the show's 21st anniversary Phantom. He brought a new interpretation to the role and a vitality which was recognized by fans of the show as it earned him a Theatregoers' Choice Award Nomination for Best Actor in a Take Over Role.

Karimloo has also released an EP, Within the Six Square Inch, on which he duets with Hadley Fraser and Sophia Ragavelas, both of whom he had already appeared with in Les Misérables (Marius and Éponine).

In July 2008, he was asked to take part in the Sydmonton Festival and was the first actor to play The Phantom in the workshop presentation of Love Never Dies. It was the first act to the sequel of The Phantom of the Opera. It was confirmed he would play the role alongside Sierra Boggess when the sequel opened in London, England, March 2010. A Broadway production was considered, but never put into action.^[1]

In 2008 Karimloo recorded a song, "I Only Wish for You", with Shona Lindsay and Dianne Pilkington, for the CD Songs from the Musicals of Alexander S. Bermange, an album of 20 brand new recordings by 26 West End stars, released in November 2008 on Dress Circle Records.^[2]

In 2009 he was asked to take part in the recording of new musical album called Bluebird, by Gareth Peter Dicks. Bluebird is a dramatic WW2 musical, in which he plays the part of US serviceman Ben Breagan. He appeared along with a host of West End stars. The 24-track album was released in four countries in September 2009.^[3]

Karimloo's last regular performance in The Phantom of the Opera took place on November 7, 2009. He moved on to playing the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel, Love Never Dies, alongside Sierra Boggess, performing the role until the show closed on August 27, 2011.

On October 3, 2010, Karimloo played the role of Enjolras in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables at The O2 Arena in London. In 2011, Karimloo sang Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera at the Miss World Competition, which took place in London.

On October 1 and 2, 2011, he played The Phantom for three performances alongside Love Never Dies co-star Sierra Boggess as Christine Daaé in the unique 25th anniversary production of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall and was streamed live to cinemas across the world. According to an interview in The Stage magazine (May 2011), this would be his last performance behind the mask, but has also stated in other interviews "never say never" and is not positive or willing to give a definitive answer.

From November 29, 2011 to March 31, 2012, Ramin Karimloo returned to Les Misérables, to play the lead role of Jean Valjean at The Queen's Theatre, London.^[4] Karimloo is also now composing music in his band, Sheytoons, with Les Misérables co-star Hadley Fraser.

Karimloo recently had a guest appearance in Warwick Davis' Life's Too Short as a Scientologist, directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. This episode aired Dec 8, 2011.

As part of the 25th anniversary of The Phantom of the Opera, Karimloo performed the title song at The Royal Variety Performance - held in The Lowry, Manchester - on Monday, December 5, 2011. Performing alongside Nicole Scherzinger, Karimloo was joined by three other former Phantoms (Simon Bowman, Earl Carpenter and John Owen-Jones). The performance was aired on ITV1 on Wednesday, December 14, 2011.^[5]

Karimloo can also be found on The Music Box album as a hidden track. The song is from the musical Bluebird by Gareth Peter Dicks and is a short acoustic version of a track from the album of the same name. He has been cast as the lead in 1066 Productions' UK/Canadian feature film Bad Town, scheduled to shoot in Quebec in 2012. His new solo album, Ramin, was released by Sony Music Entertainment on April 9, 2012 in the UK.

Awards[link]

Karimloo won the Best Actor award for the Broadwayworld.com awards in 2010 for his portrayal of The Phantom in Love Never Dies. He has also been nominated for the Best Actor category for the Viewers' Choice Theatre Awards at Whatsonstage.com in 2011. On February 7, 2011, Ramin Karimloo was also nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Love Never Dies received seven nominations.^[6]

On February 20, 2011, Karimloo won the Whatsonstage.com Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Love Never Dies.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Karimloo released his album Ramin in the UK on April 9 2012 after several months of promotion. He ended his West End run as Jean Valjean on the week preceding the album's release in order to prepare for a series of signings and further promotion before embarking on a major tour which will take him to venues in Glasgow, London, Oxford, Southend, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Gateshead, and Cardiff in the UK and New York, Charlotte, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington, Bethlehem, Chicago, and Pittsburgh in the US. He is also visiting Toronto in his native Canada.

Karimloo said in anticipation of the album: "I have a huge love for country and bluegrass, I love rock 'n' roll and I love what I'm doing, so it was how to balance all that". He went on to say, "I didn't want to be just a theatre star putting out an album. It was only when they started talking about writing and bringing in other writers that I got interested. I wanted to have lived the songs. I wanted an album that was like a diary."

He has cited influences as diverse as The Tragically Hip, Johnny Cash and Mumford and Sons, and so a straightforward West End leading man album of covers was never really on the cards, says Karimloo, "I wanted to marry that rocky sound with things that people know me more for".

The album Ramin was produced by Tom Nichols, who has worked with world-class vocalists from Céline Dion to Hayley Westenra. It includes not only his own compositions but covers of Bryan Adams and Muse songs and his own take on "Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera and "'Til I Hear You Sing" from Love Never Dies.

References[link]

1. ^ "Lloyd Webber Confirms Boggess And Karimloo For Leading Roles In 'LOVE NEVER DIES'". Broadway World. 2009. http://broadwayworld.com/article/Lloyd_Webber_Confirms_Boggess_And_Karimloo_For_Leading_Roles_In_LOVE_NEVER_DIES_20090703. Retrieved 2009-04-07. 
2. ^ iTunes: Act One: Songs from the Musicals of Alexander S. Bermange
3. ^ Gareth Peter Dicks
4. ^ Lesmis.com: Ramin Karimloo to star as Jean Valjean
5. ^ Rehearsals for the Royal Variety Performance
6. ^ BBC News: Love Never Dies Leads Olivier Nominations

External links[link]

• Official site
• Ramin Karimloo at the Internet Movie Database