This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. It includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Tagged since June 2010. It relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Tagged since June 2010. The notability of this article's subject is in question. If notability cannot be established, it may be listed for deletion or removed. Tagged since June 2010.

Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC (formerly Andrews, McMeel and Parker (1975–1986) and Andrews and McMeel (1986–1997)) is a company which publishes books, calendars, and related toys. It is a part of Andrews McMeel Universal, as is the Universal Press Syndicate.

Notable authors and titles published by Andrews McMeel include Mary Engelbreit, Anne Geddes, Bradley Trevor Greive, Olivia and Becky Kelly.

Andrews McMeel is the general publisher of books of comic strips produced by Universal Press Syndicate including Calvin and Hobbes and FoxTrot. However, the company also produces book collections for some comic strips which are owned by other syndicates, for example Get Fuzzy and Pearls Before Swine.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Andrews McMeel Publishing website

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Sheryl Crow
Background information
Birth name	Sheryl Suzanne Crow
Born	(1962-02-11) February 11, 1962 (age 50) Kennett, Missouri, U.S.
Genres	Rock, pop rock, roots rock, country rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, actress, activist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, harmonica, autoharp, wurlitzer, mandolin, mandola
Years active	1986–present
Labels	A&M
Associated acts	Jerry Lee Lewis, Mick Jagger, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, Sarah McLachlan, Don Henley, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Dixie Chicks, Johnny Cash, Stevie Nicks, Kevin Gilbert, Vince Gill, Loretta Lynn, Counting Crows, Bill Bottrell, Kid Rock, Sting, Liz Phair, Citizen Cope, Justin Timberlake, Miranda Lambert
Website	www.sherylcrow.com

Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop. She has won nine Grammy Awards from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

She has performed with The Rolling Stones and has sung duets with Mick Jagger,^[1] Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Luciano Pavarotti, John Mellencamp, Kid Rock, Michelle Branch, and Sting among others. She has performed backing vocals for Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Don Henley and Belinda Carlisle. She also sang as part of the back up vocals for the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary celebrating Dylan's 30 years as a recording artist. Crow has released seven studio albums, two compilations, and a live album, and has contributed to film soundtracks. She has sold 16 million albums in the United States and 35 million albums worldwide and her newest album, 100 Miles from Memphis, was released on July 20, 2010.^[2] Recently she appeared on NBC's 30 Rock, ABC's GCB and Cougar Town, Disney Channel's Hannah Montana Forever, and Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.^[3]

Early life[link]

Sheryl Suzanne Crow was born in Kennett, Missouri, on February 11, 1962. Her father Wendell Crow is a lawyer and trumpet player, and her mother Bernice, a piano teacher.^[4] She has older sisters Kathy and Karen, and a younger brother Steven.

While studying at Kennett High School, Crow was a majorette and an All-State track athlete, winning medals in the 75-meter low hurdles. She also joined the Pep Club, the National Honor Society, National FFA Organization and Paperdoll Queen. She then enrolled at the University of Missouri, in Columbia, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Composition, Performance, and Education. While in college, Crow sang in a local band, Cashmere. She was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta social sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity for Women, and the Omicron Delta Kappa Society.^[5] Later, Crow was awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Missouri and Southeast Missouri State University, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.^[6]

Crow has stated that her musical inspirations are not restricted to one genre, as she likes absolutely anything with a drum beat. In 2008, she told Ellen DeGeneres that "If it didn't have a drum beat, you can just forget about it!"^[7][8]

Early career[link]

	The First Cut Is the Deepest noicon If It Makes You Happy noicon Strong Enough noicon
Problems listening to these files? See media help.

After graduating from college, Crow worked as a music teacher at the Kellison elementary school, in Fenton, Missouri.^[9] Teaching during the day allowed her the opportunity to sing in bands on weekends. Later, she was introduced to local musician and producer Jay Oliver. He had a thriving studio in the basement of his parents' home, in St. Louis, and helped her by using her in advertising jingles. Her first jingle was a back-to-school spot for the St. Louis department store Famous-Barr. McDonald's and Toyota commercial jingles soon followed. She was quoted in a 60 Minutes segment as saying she made $40,000 on her McDonald's commercial alone.^[10]

Crow toured with Michael Jackson as a backup vocalist during his Bad World Tour from 1987–1989, and often performed with Jackson on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You."^[11] She also recorded background vocals for performances from various established artists including Stevie Wonder, Belinda Carlisle and Don Henley.

Crow also sang in the short-lived Steven Bochco drama, Cop Rock, in 1990. The same year, her song "Heal Somebody" appeared in the film Bright Angel. The following year, she performed "Hundreds of Tears," which was included in the Point Break soundtrack, and sang a duet with Kenny Loggins on the track "I Would Do Anything", from his album Leap of Faith.

1990s[link]

Scrapped debut album (1992)[link]

In 1992, Crow recorded her first attempt at her debut album with Phil Collins' producer Hugh Padgham. The self-titled debut album was due to be released on September 22, 1992, but was ultimately rejected by her label.^[12] However, a handful of cassette copies of the album were leaked along with press folders to be used for album publicity. This album has been widely dispersed via file sharing networks and fan trading. In the meantime, Crow's songs were recorded by major artists such as Celine Dion, Tina Turner and Wynonna Judd.

[edit] International success (1993–1997)

She then began dating Kevin Gilbert and joined him in an ad hoc group of musicians known to everyone in the group as the "Tuesday Music Club."^[13] Group members, Gilbert, David Baerwald and David Ricketts (both formerly of David & David), Bill Bottrell, Brian MacLeod, and Dan Schwartz^[14] share songwriting credits with Crow on her debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club.^[11]

The group existed as a casual songwriting collective prior to its association with Crow, but rapidly developed into a vehicle for her debut album after her arrival. Her relationship with Gilbert became acrimonious soon after the album was released, and disputes arose about songwriting credits.^[11]

Crow at The Grove of Los Angeles, California in 2002, with co-guitarist Peter Stroud

Crow appeared in the "New Faces" section of Rolling Stone in 1993. Tuesday Night Music Club featured many of the songs written by Crow's friends, including the second single, "Leaving Las Vegas." The album was slow to garner attention, until "All I Wanna Do" became an unexpected smash hit in the spring of 1994. As she later stated in People, she found an old poetry book in a used book store in the L.A. area and used a poem as lyrics in the song.^[15] The singles "Strong Enough" and "Can't Cry Anymore" were also released, with the first song ("Strong Enough") charting at #5 on Billboard and "Can't Cry Anymore" hitting the Top 40.^[16] Tuesday Night Music Club went on to sell more than 7 million copies in the US and UK during the 1990s. The album also won Crow three Grammy Awards, in 1995: Record of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Female Vocal Performance.^[11] She performed at the 1994 and 1999 Woodstock Festivals, as well as the Another Roadside Attraction in 1997.^[17]

Crow supplied background vocals to the song "The Garden of Allah" from Don Henley's 1995 album Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits.

In 1996, Crow released her self titled second album.^[18] The album had songs about abortion, homelessness and nuclear war. The debut single, "If It Makes You Happy," became a radio success and netted her two Grammy awards for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Album.^[19] Other singles included "A Change Would Do You Good," "Home" and "Everyday Is A Winding Road." Crow produced the album herself. The album was banned from sale at Wal-Mart, as in the "Love Is A Good Thing" lyric Wal-Mart is implicated (by name) of supplying guns to which children later gain access.^[20] In 1997, Crow contributed the theme song to the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. Her song "Tomorrow Never Dies" was nominated for a Grammy Award and Best Original Song Golden Globe.^[21][22] Crow collaborated on Scott Weiland's 1998 album, 12 Bar Blues.^[23]

[edit] The Globe Sessions and Live (1998–1999)

In 1998 Crow released The Globe Sessions. During this period, she discussed in interviews having gone through a deep depression, and there was speculation about a brief affair with Eric Clapton. The debut single from this album, "My Favorite Mistake," was rumored to be about him, although Crow claims otherwise about a philandering ex-boyfriend.^[24][25] Crow has refused to say who the song was about telling Billboard Magazine on the release of her album. "Oh, there will be just so much speculation, and because of that there's great safety and protection in the fact that people will be guessing so many different people and I'm the only person who will ever really know. I'm really private about who I've had relationships with, and I don't talk about them in the press. I don't even really talk about them with the people around me."^[26] Despite the difficulties in recording the album, Crow told the BBC in 2005 that: "My favorite single is 'My Favorite Mistake,' it was a lot of fun to record and it's still a lot of fun to play."^[27] The album won Best Rock Album at the 1999 Grammy Awards. It was re-released in 1999, with a bonus track, Crow's cover of the Guns N' Roses song "Sweet Child o' Mine," which was included on the soundtrack of the film Big Daddy. The song won the 1999 Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.^[28] Other singles included "There Goes the Neighborhood," "Anything But Down," and "The Difficult Kind." Crow won Grammy best female rock vocal performance for "There Goes the Neighborhood" in 2001.^[29] The Globe Sessions peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 chart, achieving US sales of 2 million as of January 2008.^[30]

Later in 1998, Crow took part in a live concert in tribute to Burt Bacharach, in which she contributed vocals on One Less Bell to Answer.^[31]

In 1999, Crow also made her acting debut as an ill-fated drifter in the suspense/drama The Minus Man, which starred her then-boyfriend Owen Wilson as a serial killer.

She also released a live album called Sheryl Crow and Friends: Live From Central Park. The record featured Crow singing many of her hit singles with new musical spins and guest appearances by many other musicians including Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks, the Dixie Chicks, Keith Richards, and Eric Clapton. "There Goes the Neighborhood" was included in the album, eventually winning the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

2000s[link]

[edit] C'mon, C'mon and The Very Best of (2002–2004)

Crow at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Crow had been involved with the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF) since the late 1990s, performing at fund-raisers and befriending Sharon Monsky. In 2002, as a result of her friend Kent Sexton dying from scleroderma, she interrupted work on her new album C'mon C'mon to record the traditional hymn "Be Still, My Soul," to be played at his funeral. In November of that year it was released as a single, with the proceeds going to SRF.^[32]

Crow's fourth studio album, C'mon, C'mon was released in 2002, spawning the hit single "Soak Up the Sun." Second single "Steve McQueen" won the Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy.^[33]

Crow opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, wearing a shirt that read "I don't believe in your war, Mr. Bush!" during a performance on Good Morning America and posting an open letter explaining her opposition on her website.^[34] Crow, performing with Kid Rock at the 45th annual Grammy Awards, wore a large peace sign and a guitar strap with the words "No War."^[35]

Crow recorded the song "Kiss That Girl" for the film Bridget Jones's Diary. She also recorded a cover version of the Beatles' song "Mother Nature's Son" for the film I Am Sam. Crow duetted with rapper Kid Rock on the crossover hit single "Picture." She also assisted Rock on the track "Run Off to L.A."

Crow collaborated with Michelle Branch on the song "Love Me Like That" for Branch's second album, Hotel Paper, released in 2003.^[36] Crow was featured on the Johnny Cash album American III: Solitary Man in the song "Field of Diamonds" as a background vocalist, and also played the accordion for the songs "Wayfaring Stranger" and "Mary of the Wild Moor."^[37]

In 2003, Crow released a greatest hits compilation called The Very Best of Sheryl Crow. It featured many of her hit singles, as well as some new tracks. Among them was the ballad "The First Cut is the Deepest" (originally a Cat Stevens song), which became her biggest radio hit since "All I Wanna Do." She also released the single "Light In Your Eyes," which received limited airplay. "The First Cut is the Deepest" earned her two American Music Awards for Best Pop/Rock Artist and Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year, respectively.

In 2004, Crow appeared as a musical theater performer in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely.

Crow at Crossroads 2007

[edit] Wildflower (2005–2007)

Her fifth studio album Wildflower was released in September 2005. Although the album debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts, it received mixed reviews and was not as commercially successful as her previous albums. In December 2005, the album was nominated for a Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy, while Crow was nominated for a Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy for the first single "Good Is Good." However, she ultimately lost in both categories to Kelly Clarkson. The album got a new boost in 2006 when the second single was announced as "Always on Your Side," re-recorded with British musician Sting and sent off to radio, where it was quickly embraced at Adult Top 40. The collaboration with Sting resulted in a Grammy-nomination for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals. As of January 2008, Wildflower has sold 949,000 units in the U.S.^[30]

In 2006, Crow contributed the opening track, "Real Gone," to the soundtrack for Disney/Pixar's animated film Cars.^[38] Crow was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in mid-February 2006, her doctors stating that "prognosis for a full recovery is excellent."^[39]

Crow's first concert after her cancer diagnosis was on May 18 in Orlando, Florida where she played to over 10,000 information technology professionals at the SAP Sapphire Convention. Her first public appearance was on June 12, when she performed at the Murat Theater in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The singer also appeared on Larry King Live on CNN on August 23, 2006. In this show she talked about her comeback, her breakup with Lance Armstrong, her past job as Michael Jackson's backup singer, and her experience as a breast cancer survivor.

In late 2006, Crow was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the song "Try Not To Remember" (Best Original Song category) from the film Home of the Brave.

Crow wrote a foreword for the book Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips, author Kris Carr's book that was based on her 2007 documentary film Crazy Sexy Cancer. Crow contributed her cover of the Beatles's "Here Comes the Sun" on the Bee Movie soundtrack in November 2007.^[40] She contributed background vocals to the Ryan Adams song "Two" from the album Easy Tiger.

[edit] Detours (2008–2009)

Crow at Memphis, TN (August 18, 2007)

Crow returned with her sixth studio album Detours, which was released on February 5, 2008. Detours debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 92,000 copies in its first week and an additional 52,000 copies in its second week.^[41]

Detours was recorded at Crow's Nashville farm. Her son, Wyatt, makes an appearance on the song "Lullaby for Wyatt," which is featured in the movie Grace Is Gone. "The songs are very inspired by the last three years of events in my life," Crow said of a time that found her battling breast cancer and splitting with partner Lance Armstrong.

"Shine Over Babylon" was the first promotional single from the album (download only). The first 'official' single to be released from the album was "Love Is Free," followed by "Out of Our Heads."

Crow performs during the final day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

A liberal political activist, she endorsed Barack Obama for the United States Presidential Election and later performed on the 4th and last day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Crow has also recorded a studio version of "So Glad We Made It" for the "Team USA Olympic Soundtrack" in conjunction with the 2008 U.S. Olympic team sponsors AT&T. Crow also stated that $1 of each ticket purchased for her 2008 tour would be donated to the United Nations World Food Programme.

A&M Records re-released Sheryl's debut album, "Tuesday Night Music Club" as a deluxe version 2CD/DVD set on November 17, 2009. The bonus CD contains unreleased songs and B-sides, and a new mix of "I Shall Believe." The DVD features music videos for each of the album's singles.

2010s[link]

[edit] 100 Miles from Memphis (2010–present)

Crow with Stevie Wonder at the October 16, 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication concert

In 2010, Crow contributed the original spoken-word track "My Name is Mwamaroyi" to the Enough Project and Downtown Records' Raise Hope for Congo compilation. Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of Congo’s women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for peace in Congo.

A&M Records released Crow's seventh studio album, 100 Miles from Memphis, on July 20, 2010. The album has a classic soul vibe and features lead single "Summer Day."^[42] 100 Miles from Memphis (released July 20 on A&M Records), the distance from her hometown to the music mecca, is an ode to her formative memories of music - and one that the label hopes can inspire young music fans to investigate the landscape beyond processed pop and Auto-Tune.^[43]

Later that year, she joined Loretta Lynn and country singer Miranda Lambert on an update of Lynn's song "Coal Miner's Daughter" for the 2010 album Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn. The song was later performed on the 44th Annual Country Music Awards in November.^[44]

Crow's eighth studio album is in the works and is said to have more country flavor. Crow explained the album will be out early 2012.

On September 20, 2011 it was announced that Crow will write the music and lyrics for DINER, a new musical inspired by the critically acclaimed 1982 film. The show will come to Broadway in the fall of 2012, and will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall.^[45]

Personal life[link]

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this section if you can; the talk page may contain suggestions. (August 2009)

Crow at the Revlon Run Walk 2007

The 2002 release of the album C'mon C'mon by Sheryl Crow features the song "Safe and Sound" which is dedicated to Owen Wilson (boyfriend at that time) in the liner notes and said to be an autobiographical account of their relationship.

Crow began dating cyclist Lance Armstrong in 2003. The couple announced their engagement in September 2005 and their split in February 2006.^{[citation needed]} Immediately following her split from Lance Armstrong, Crow was treated for breast cancer at a Los Angeles-based facility by breast cancer surgeon Kristi Funk. Crow had "minimally invasive" surgery in late February 2006, followed by radiation therapy.^[46][47]

On May 11, 2007, Crow announced on her official website that she had adopted a two-week-old boy named Wyatt Steven Crow. The child was born on April 29, 2007.^[48] She and Wyatt live on a 154-acre (0.62 km²) farm outside Nashville, Tennessee.^[49]

On June 4, 2010, Crow announced that she adopted another boy named Levi James Crow, born on April 30, 2010.^[50]

In May 2011, it was reported that Crow and longtime acquaintance Doyle Bramhall II (musician, Sheryl Crow touring band member, and "100 Miles From Memphis" producer) began dating.^[51]

Crow performed at the opening night of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo,^[52] despite animal welfare experts urging her not to on account of alleged animal cruelty at the event. Almost 13,000 people signed a petition calling on Crow not to perform.^[53]

She is the great-granddaughter of former congressman Charles A. Crow (1873–1938), who was of Irish descent.^[54]

Discography[link]

• Tuesday Night Music Club (1993)
• Sheryl Crow (1996)
• The Globe Sessions (1998)
• C'mon C'mon (2002)
• Wildflower (2005)
• Detours (2008)
• 100 Miles from Memphis (2010)

Filmography[link]

• Live from London (1996)
• The Minus Man (1998)
• Rockin' the Globe Live (1999)
• C'mon America 2003 (2003)
• One Tree Hill (2003) Episode "The first cut is the deepest"
• The Very Best of Sheryl Crow: The Videos (2003)
• Wildlower Tour: Live from New York (2006)
• Sheryl Crow – Live (2008)
• 30 Rock 3x22 – Kidney Now! (2009)
• Cougar Town 1x18; 1x19; 1x20 (2010)
• Hannah Montana 4x5 (2010)
• Miles From Memphis – Live at The Pantages Theatre (2011)
• GCB S1E5 - "Forbidden Fruit" (2012)

Books[link]

• If It Makes You Healthy with Chuck White (2011)

See also[link]

• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References[link]

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (June 2011)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sheryl Crow

• Official website
• Sheryl Crow at the Open Directory Project
• Sheryl Crow at the Internet Movie Database
• Sheryl Crow's interview on National Public Radio's Fresh Air
• Sheryl Crow interview on Bmore Tunes
• Sheryl Crow Interview – Billboard En Español
• Sheryl Crow Launches Her Own Denim Brand
• Sheryl Crow at VH1.com
• Sheryl Crow mentioned in Mark Hurd sex scandal letter

James E. O'Keefe III (born June 28, 1984) is a conservative American activist who has produced audio and video recordings of staged encounters with public figures and workers in a variety of organizations, purportedly showing abusive or illegal behavior by representatives of those organizations. He gained national attention for his release of video recordings of workers at ACORN offices in 2009, his arrest in early 2010 at the office of Senator Mary Landrieu in a failed attempt to record staff conversations, and release of videos of NPR executives in 2011. Investigations by both legal authorities and journalists have found O'Keefe has "selectively", "heavily" or "deceptively" edited secretly recorded videos to leave a false impression and present the subjects in the worst possible light.^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

After founding an independent conservative student paper in college, O'Keefe began to use available, inexpensive technology to make videos. His strategy has been to control distribution of his work to conservative media outlets for maximum impact. Some of O'Keefe's projects have influenced Congressional votes. Due to his videos of ACORN workers supposedly aiding a couple in criminal planning, the US Congress voted to freeze funds for the non-profit, which had aided low- and moderate-income people for 40 years. The non-profit also lost most private funding, and in March 2010 had to close most of its offices. Shortly after, the California State Attorney General's Office and the US Government Accountability Office released their related investigative reports. The Attorney General's Office found that O'Keefe had misrepresented the actions of ACORN workers and that the workers had not committed illegal actions. The GAO found that ACORN had managed its federal funds appropriately.

Because his work has become widely seen as deceptive, O'Keefe's initial success in gaining extensive media attention caused controversy and discussions of journalistic standards. By the summer of 2011, his claims to have uncovered widespread Medicaid fraud, purportedly documented on videos released in Maine and other locations, were treated with more skepticism by the media and governmental officials.^[8][9] For instance, the Maine governor Paul Lepage said that the video could help improve staff training, but it did not show evidence of a worker trying to defraud the welfare system.^[10]

O'Keefe has gained support from conservative media and interest groups. In 2009 Andrew Breitbart paid the activist, then 25, for the option to publish new videos exclusively on BigGovernment.com. In June 2010, O'Keefe formed a 501(c)(3) organization, Project Veritas, with the stated mission to "investigate and expose corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing, waste, fraud, and other misconduct." ^[11]

Early life and education[link]

O'Keefe is the elder of two children born to James E. O'Keefe Jr., a materials engineer, and Deborah O'Keefe, a physical therapist.^[2][12][13] His younger sister became a painter and sculptor.

O'Keefe grew up in Westwood in Bergen County, New Jersey. He is single and lives with his parents.^[14] His home was politically "conservative but not rigidly so," according to his father.^[12] He graduated from Westwood High School, where he showed an early interest in the arts, theater and journalism. He played the leading role in his high school's 2002 production of the musical Crazy for You. He attained the highest rank, Eagle Scout, in the Boy Scouts of America.

O'Keefe started at Rutgers University in 2002 and majored in philosophy. Beginning in his sophomore year, he wrote a bi-weekly opinion column for The Daily Targum, the university's student paper. He left the Targum and founded the Rutgers Centurion, a conservative student paper supported by a $500 "Balance in the Media" grant from the The Leadership Institute.

For his first video, O'Keefe and other Centurion writers met with Rutgers dining staff to demand the banning of the cereal Lucky Charms from dining halls because of its offense to Irish Americans. O'Keefe said the leprechaun mascot presented a stereotype. He intended to have officials lose either way: to appear insensitive to an ethnic group, or to look silly by agreeing to ban Lucky Charms.^[15] The students said they expected to be thrown out for the discussion,^[16] but the Rutgers official took notes, was courteous, and said their concerns would be considered. Rutgers staff say the cereal was never taken off the menu.^[12]

Career[link]

After graduating, O'Keefe worked for a year under Ben Wetmore, a media specialist, at the Leadership Institute (LI), a conservative-funded organization in Arlington, Virginia. The institute sent O'Keefe to colleges to train students to start independent newspapers. After a year, officials at the institute asked O'Keefe to leave. According to Morton Blackwell, the institute's president and founder, they had concern that O'Keefe's videos had threatened LI's tax exemption as a nonprofit by trying to influence legislation (a legal characterization of lobbyists, which do not have tax exempt status).^[2] Blackwell said O'Keefe "wanted to go out and catch leftists breaking the law."^[12]

O'Keefe uses inexpensive, available technology to produce and distribute secretly recorded videos and audio files made during staged encounters, some of which have been distributed on YouTube. Such secret recordings are illegal in California and Maryland. He has embarrassed organizations such as Planned Parenthood and ACORN by presenting their low-level workers in the worst light;^[17] his videos of ACORN caused a media storm that resulted in the Congress freezing funds, two executive agencies cancelling contracts, and ACORN workers being fired. The national organization lost so much private funding that it closed most of its offices in the six months following the videos. In other cases, O'Keefe used colleagues to interview and record executives, as at NPR shortly before its Congressional funding hearings. He selectively edited and manipulated the NPR material, distorting chronology and putting material together that happened at separate times. In the summer of 2011, he began releasing videos of colleagues' staged encounters with workers related to Medicaid applicability, but media and governmental officials took time to examine his work more carefully and responded more cautiously to their purported content.

O'Keefe and colleagues were arrested in New Orleans in January 2010 during an attempt to make recordings at the office of United States Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat. His three fellow activists, who were dressed as telephone repairmen when apprehended, included Robert Flanagan, the son of William Flanagan, acting U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Louisiana.^[18][19] The four men were charged with malicious intent to damage the phone system.^[20] O'Keefe said he entered Landrieu's office to investigate complaints that she was ignoring phone calls from constituents during the debate over President Barack Obama's health care bill.^[21] The charges in the case were reduced from a felony to a single misdemeanor count of entering a federal building under false pretenses.^[22][23] O'Keefe and the others pleaded guilty on May 26. O'Keefe was sentenced to three years' probation, 100 hours of community service and a $1,500 fine. The other three men received lesser sentences.^[24]

Working with advice on media strategy from his mentors Ben Wetmore and Andrew Breitbart, O'Keefe has sought to maximize publicity by releasing the videos over several days or months, and often in relation to funding authorizations or other significant political actions related to the subject organization. His strategy has included releasing some projects only to conservative media outlets, such as Fox News Channel and the Big Government website; he has interviewed exclusively with the same media to control the story. In the NPR case in 2011, he released the video at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

As of January 2010, O'Keefe began a column on Andrew Breitbart's website, "BigGovernment.com". Breitbart said in an interview that he paid O'Keefe a salary for his "life rights", to gain release of his videos first on his website.^[25] In 2010 O'Keefe formed his own organization, Project Veritas (truth in Latin), whose stated mission is "to investigate and expose corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing, waste, fraud, and other misconduct in both public and private institutions in order to achieve a more ethical and transparent society."^[26]

Political and personal beliefs[link]

O'Keefe has described his politics as "progressive radical",^[27] though media coverage consistently describes him as a conservative.^[2][28][29] He refers to himself as a muckraker.^[30] He expresses admiration for the philosophy of the British writer G.K. Chesterton and for a free press.^[2][31][32]

Major works[link]

Planned Parenthood recordings (2008)[link]

In 2006, O'Keefe met Lila Rose, founder of an anti-abortion group on the UCLA campus.^[33] They secretly recorded encounters in Planned Parenthood clinics. Rose posed as a pregnant teenager seeking advice; they made two videos and released them on YouTube. In one, a clinic worker in Los Angeles tells Rose "that she could 'figure out a birth date that works' to avoid having PPLA notify police."^[34] By law, girls under a certain age who are pregnant have suffered statutory rape and some states require the reporting of such cases to the police. In some states, underage girls may not get abortions without parental permission. The videos received national attention.

In 2007 O'Keefe phoned several Planned Parenthood clinics and secretly recorded the conversations. He posed as a donor, asking if his donations would be applied to needs of minority women. When told they could be, he made "race-motivated" comments.^[35] By audio recordings, workers at clinics in six other states reportedly agreed to accept his donation under similar terms.^[36]

Planned Parenthood of California filed a "cease and desist" order against Lila Rose, charging that she was violating state laws against secret recordings. The order required her to remove the videos from YouTube and give all the recordings to the organization. She complied through her attorney.^[34]

After O'Keefe's four audio recordings were publicized in 2008, Planned Parenthood of Ohio issued a public response, saying the worker's words were "a violation of any policy, and it's very upsetting." The CEO said, "Planned Parenthood has a long history of social justice."^[35] Other offices noted the wide variety of services the organization offers to low income communities.^[36] African-American leaders called for withdrawal of public financing of the organization.^[33] No funding was withdrawn.

ACORN videos (2009)[link]

In September 2009, O'Keefe and his associate, Hannah Giles, published edited hidden camera recordings in which Giles posed as a prostitute and O'Keefe as her boyfriend, a law student, in an attempt to elicit damaging responses from employees of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), an advocacy organization for 40 years for persons of low and moderate income.^[17] A Washington Post reporter wrote the activist "said he targeted ACORN for the same reasons that the political right does: its massive voter registration drives that turn out poor African Americans and Latinos to cast ballots against Republicans."^[37]

The videos were recorded during the summer of 2009^[38] and appeared to show low-level ACORN employees in six cities providing advice to Giles and O'Keefe on how to avoid detection by authorities of tax evasion, human smuggling and child prostitution.^[2] He framed the videos with a preface of him in what he called his "pimp" outfit, which he wore in TV media interviews, although he appeared at the ACORN offices in conservative street clothes.

Reception[link]

After the videos were released through the fall of 2009, the U.S. Congress voted to freeze federal funding to ACORN.^[39] The Census Bureau and the IRS terminated their contract relationships with ACORN.^[40][41]

By December 2009, an external investigation of ACORN was published that cleared it of any illegality, while noting that its poor management practices contributed to unprofessional actions by some low-level employees.^{[42][43][44][45]} In March 2010, ACORN announced it would dissolve due to loss of funding from government and especially private sources.^[46] On March 1, 2010, the district attorney for Brooklyn found that there was no criminal wrongdoing by the ACORN staff in New York.^[6][47] In late March 2010, Clark Hoyt, then public editor for The New York Times, reviewed the videos, the full transcripts and the full audio. Hoyt wrote, "The videos were heavily edited. The sequence of some conversations was changed. Some workers seemed concerned for Giles, one advising her to get legal help. In two cities, Acorn workers called the police. But the most damning words match the transcripts and the audio, and do not seem out of context."^[48]

The California Attorney General's Office granted O’Keefe and Giles limited immunity from prosecution in exchange for providing the full, unedited videotapes related to ACORN offices in California.^[17] The AG's Report was released on April 1, 2010: it found the videos from ACORN offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Bernardino to have been "severely edited"; it found there was no evidence of criminal conduct on the part of ACORN employees, nor of any evidence that any employee intended to aid or abet criminal conduct. It found that three employees had tried to deflect the couple's plans, told them ACORN could not offer them help on the grounds they wanted, and otherwise dealt with them appropriately. Such context was not reflected in O'Keefe's edited tapes. The AG's Report noted that, because the Giles-O'Keefe criminal plans were a ruse, the ACORN workers could not be complicit in them. It found no evidence of intent by the employees to aid the couple.^[17]

The AG's report confirmed that one of the ACORN employees, shown in O'Keefe's video as apparently aiding a human smuggling proposal, had reported his encounter with the couple to a Mexican police detective at the time to thwart their plan. Following the AG's report, that employee, who had been fired by ACORN immediately after the video's release, sued O'Keefe and Giles in 2010. He alleged invasion of privacy, and cited a California law that prohibits recordings without consent of all parties involved.^[49]

On June 14, 2010, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published its report: it found no evidence that ACORN, or any of its related organizations, had mishandled any of the $40 million in federal money which they had received in recent years.^[50][51]

NPR video (Spring 2011)[link]

In March 2011, shortly before the US Congress was to vote on funding for NPR, O'Keefe released a video of a discussion with Ronald Schiller, National Public Radio's then-senior vice president for fundraising, and an associate. Raw content was secretly recorded by his partners Simon Templar (an alias) and Shaughn Adeleye.^[52] Due to questions at the time about the video's veracity, staff of The Blaze analyzed the released version, and compared it with the raw videotape. As the journalist Scott Baker wrote, analysis of the raw videos showed that O'Keefe's released video was edited to intentionally lie or mislead, that much of the context of the conversation was changed, and that elements were transposed and chronology shifted.^[3]

On the edited, released video, it appears that the NPR executives were led to believe they would be meeting with representatives of a self-described Muslim group affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, that wished to donate money to NPR. In the video, Schiller says that he will speak personally, and not for NPR; then he appears to contrast the fiscally conservative Republican party of old that didn't get involved in people's personal and family lives with "the current Republican Party, and in particular the Tea Party, that is fanatically involved in people's personal lives and very fundamental Christian — I wouldn't even call it Christian. It's this weird evangelical kind of move." Schiller said some highly-placed Republicans believed the Republican Party had been hijacked by this radical group, and the Republicans characterized them as "Islamophobic" and "seriously racist, racist people". This video was released March 8, 2011.

Later in the edited video, Schiller seems to say he believes NPR "would be better off in the long run without federal funding," explaining that removal of federal funding would allow NPR more independence, and remove the widely held misconception that NPR is significantly funded by the public. But, USA Today reports that the raw, unedited tape is substantially different. On the raw tape, Schiller says that withdrawing federal funding would cause local stations to go under and that NPR is doing "everything we can" to keep it.^[53]

In a statement released before analysis of the raw video, NPR said, "Schiller's comments are in direct conflict with NPR's official position." They also said, "The fraudulent organization represented in this video repeatedly pressed us to accept a $5 million check with no strings attached, which we repeatedly refused to accept."

Reception[link]

Comparison of the raw video with the released one revealed editing that was characterized as "selective" and "deceptive" by Michael Gerson, opinion writer in the Washington Post, who wrote, "O’Keefe did not merely leave a false impression; he manufactured an elaborate, alluring lie."^[54] Time magazine noted that the video "transposed remarks from a different part of the meeting", was "manipulative" and "a partisan hit-job".^[55]

On March 17, Martha T. Moore of USA Today reported: "According to The Blaze analysis, Ron Schiller's most inflammatory remarks, that Tea Party members are "seriously racist," were made as he was recounting the views of Republicans he has spoken with — although he does not appear to disagree. It also shows Schiller appearing to laugh about the potential spread of Islamic sharia law, when the longer version shows he laughed in reaction to something completely different."^[53]

People who reviewed the raw video said that Schiller told the two men "that donors cannot expect to influence news coverage." On the longer tape, he says, "There is such a big firewall between funding and reporting: Reporters will not be swayed in any way, shape or form."^[56] The broadcast journalist Al Tompkins, who now teaches at the Poynter Institute, noted that Ron Schiller was a fundraiser, not an official affecting the newsroom. He commented on the raw tape: "The message that he said most often — I counted six times: He told these two people that he had never met before that you cannot buy coverage," Tompkins said. "He says it over and over and over again.^[56]

Two days later, O'Keefe released a video in which Betsy Liley, the senior director of institutional giving at NPR, appeared to have checked with senior management and said MEAC was cleared to make donations anonymously and NPR could help shield donations from government audits, but added that, in order to proceed, additional background information would be required, including an IRS Form 990.^[57][58] Liley advised the caller that NPR executives would investigate them before accepting any large donation, examining tax records and checking out other organizations that have received donations from them.^[58] Liley raises the possibility of NPR's turning down substantial gifts and stresses the "firewall" between the revenue-generating part of NPR and its news operation.^[58]

NPR put Liley on administrative leave. In emails released following the publication of the Liley video, NPR showed that the official had consulted appropriately with top management and notified the purported donors of problems with their desired method of donation.^[59]

Results[link]

Schiller had submitted his resignation on January 24, and had announced in early March that he was leaving NPR for the Aspen Institute. After the video release, NPR put him on administrative leave.^{[60][61][62][63][64]} The next day NPR's CEO Vivian Schiller (no relation) announced she was resigning, effective immediately.^[65] Ronald Schiller made his resignation from NPR effective immediately on the evening of the video's release; the next day he ceded his new position at the Aspen Institute.^[66]

Minor works[link]

Plan for Abbie Boudreau (2010)[link]

In August 2010, O'Keefe planned a staged encounter with the CNN correspondent Abbie Boudreau, who was doing a documentary on the young conservative movement. He set up an appointment at his office in Maryland to discuss a video shoot.^[67][68] Izzy Santa, executive director of the Veritas Project, warned Boudreau that O'Keefe was planning to "punk" her on the boat by trying to seduce her—which he would film on hidden cameras.^[67][69] Boudreau did not board the boat and soon left the area.^[67][69]

CNN later published a 13–page plan written by O'Keefe's mentor Ben Wetmore.^[70] It listed props for the boat scheme, including pornography, sexual aids, condoms, a blindfold and "fuzzy" handcuffs.^[67][69][71] When questioned by CNN, O'Keefe denied that he was going to follow the Wetmore plan, as he found parts of it inappropriate.^[68][69] Boudreau commented "that does not appear to be true, according to a series of emails we obtained from Izzy Santa, who says the e-mails reveal James' true intentions."^[68]

Following the Boudreau incident, Project Veritas paid Izzy Santa a five-figure settlement which included a nondisclosure agreement.^[72] Funding decreased from conservative political organizations following this CNN incident.^[72]

New Jersey Teachers' Union video (2010)[link]

Starting October 25, 2010, O’Keefe posted a series of videos on the Internet entitled Teachers Unions Gone Wild. At the time, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) was in negotiations with Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor, over teacher pay benefits and tenure.^[73] O'Keefe derived one video from recordings made by “citizen journalists,” whom he recruited to attend the NJEA’s leadership conference. They secretly recorded meetings and conversations with teacher participants.^[73] It featured teachers discussing the difficulty of firing a tenured teacher. A second video featured a staged phone conversation by O'Keefe with Lawrence E. Everett, assistant superintendent of the Passaic City Schools, in which Everett refused to commit to firing a teacher based on the purported parent's saying the teacher used “n-word” with his child.^[73][74] The third video (October 26, 2010) featured audio of a voice, identified as NJEA Associate Director Wayne Dibofsky, who alleged voter fraud during the 1997 Jersey City mayoral election.^[73] The voice of Robert Byrne, Jersey City municipal clerk, was recorded on the same video; he noted that the election was monitored by lawyers for both candidates.^[73]

Reception[link]

Governor Christie said nothing on the videos surprised him.^[75] NJEA spokesman Steve Wollmer called O'Keefe's videos a "complete fabrication" and "a calculated attack on [the NJEA] organization and its members". Wollmer called O'Keefe "flat-out sleazy".^[75]

Medicaid videos (Summer 2011)[link]

In the summer of 2011, O'Keefe released videos purportedly showing Medicaid fraud in offices in several states. Following his previous strategy, he parcelled out the releases through conservative outlets over a period of weeks. In July 2011, two conservative groups released a secretly recorded video of an encounter in Maine's Department of Health and Human Services. In the video, an actor attempts to apply for benefits while hinting that he is a drug smuggler. Americans for Prosperity and O'Keefe said that he had similar recorded videos from offices in Ohio, Virginia and South Carolina, and believed that there was a systemic problem.^[8][9]

A similar video posted on the Project Veritas web site purported to show workers at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services assisting actors posing as drug dealers in applying for benefits. O'Keefe's fourth Medicaid video, apparently filmed in Richmond, Virginia, was released in July 2011.

Reception[link]

The videos received less national attention than earlier O'Keefe efforts. Generally, the state officials and representatives acknowledged potential problems but also took a measured tone in response, to allow time to fully investigate and evaluate the incidents. After viewing the video, the Maine governor Paul Lepage noted it could help in improving staff training and customer service, but he did not believe that it showed a worker trying to help defraud the welfare system.^[10] Lepage directed his agency director to work on correcting the problem.^[10]

Ohio media initially reported that "a Franklin County Jobs and Family Service worker was placed on administrative leave and at least one other person was out of work" as a result of the video's release.^[76] Ben Johnson of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services noted that benefits were never granted in the case, and that the made-up story would have been caught if the application process had proceeded. He said his office would use the video to strengthen staff training. Mike DeWine, Attorney General of Ohio, described the Ohio video as "outrageous" and said that he had instructed his state's Medicaid fraud unit to look into the incident.^[76]

As another example, a spokesman for Virginia governor Bob McDonnell said that he had asked state police to review the video and take appropriate actions.^[77]

New Hampshire Primary video (2012)[link]

In January of 2012, O’Keefe released a video of associates obtaining a number of ballots for the New Hampshire Primary by using the names of recently deceased voters. O’Keefe said the video showed that "the integrity of the elections process is severely comprised."^[78][79] His team culled names from published obituaries, which were checked against public voter roll information. O’Keefe said his team broke no laws, as they did not pretend to be the deceased persons when they asked for the ballots, and they did not cast votes after receiving ballots.^[78] One of his associates was exposed when the voting supervisor at the polling station recognized that the name he gave was of someone who had died.^[80]

Reception[link]

Sarah Parnass of ABC News wrote, the video "either exposes why voting laws are too lax or comes close to itself being voter fraud (or both)..."^[79] One media account referred to it as a stunt.^[81] Governor John Lynch said, "I think it is outrageous that we have out-of-staters coming into New Hampshire, coming into our polling places and misrepresenting themselves to the election officials, and I hope that they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, if in fact they're found guilty of some criminal act."^[82] The New Hampshire Attorney General and the US Attorney’s Office are investigating the video.^[82]

New Hampshire Associate Attorney General Richard Head said he would investigate the possible weaknesses in the voting system,^[83] and noted the state has not had a history of known fraud related to a person seeking a ballot in the name of a dead person.^[79] He also will be investigating the possibility that the filmmakers may have committed crimes while producing the video.^[83] New Hampshire state law prohibits recording another person without their consent, and subjects on the video did not appear to be aware they were being recorded.^[79] Hamline University law professor David Schultz said, "If they [O'Keefe's group] were intentionally going in and trying to fraudulently obtain a ballot, they violated the law," referring to Title 42, which prohibits procuring ballots fraudulently.^[81]