E!
Launched	July 31, 1987 as Movietime, June 1, 1990 as E! (U.S.) December 2, 2002 (Germany)
Owned by	NBCUniversal
Slogan	Everything entertainment.
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California, United States
Formerly called	Movie Time (1987–1990)
Sister channel(s)	NBC NBCUniversal Cable Networks
Website	http://www.eonline.com
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV (US)	Channel 236 (SD/HD) Channel 1236 (VOD)
DirecTV (Latin America)	Channel 222
Dish Network (US)	Channel 114 (SD/HD)
Dish Network Mexico	Channel 212
Sky (UK & Ireland)	Channel 151
SKY Italia (Italy)	Channel 129
Foxtel (Australia)	Channel 121
Austar (Australia)	Channel 121
SKY Network Television (New Zealand)	Channel 011
DStv (Southern Africa)	Channel 124
CanalSat (France)	Channel 29
TrueVisions (Thailand)	Channel 53
Astro Nusantara (Indonesia)	Channel 46
Astro (Malaysia)	Channel 712 (SD) Channel 742 (HD)
Cyfrowy Polsat (Poland)	Channel 32
NOVA (Greece)	Channel 210
Digiturk (Turkey)	Channel 112
TotalTV (Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Macedonia)	Channel 17 (Serbia)
Dialogtv (Sri Lanka & Canada)	Channel 19
SKY Brasil (Brasil)	Channel 33
TVCabo (Portugal)	Channel 75
Net Digital (Brasil)	Channel 84
Tring Digital (Albania)	Channel 30
yes (Israel)	Channel 26
Orbit Showtime (Arab World)	channel385
Indovision (Indonesia)	Channel 242
Dolce (Romania)	Channel 144
Bell TV (Canada)	Channel 621
TVCable (Ecuador)	Channel 20
Cable
First Media (Indonesia)	Channel 70
Available on most cable systems	Check local listings
UPC Ireland	Channel 501
Virgin Media (United Kingdom)	Channel 156
StarHub TV (Singapore)	Channel 441
HOT (Israel)	Channel 31
TelstraClear InHomeTV (New Zealand)	Channel 11
UPC (Netherlands)	Channel 115
UPC Austria	Channel 148
UPC Romania	Channel 54
naxoo (Switzerland)	Channel 33
UPC Poland	Channel 113
SBB Serbia	Channel 311
SkyCable (Philippines)	Channel 57
Verizon FiOS
IPTV
AT&T U-Verse (US)	Channel 134 (SD) Channel 1134 (HD)
Now TV (Hong Kong)	Channel 531
Vodafone Casa TV (Portugal)	Channel 102
Fetch TV (Australia)	Channel 118
A1 Kabel TV (Austria)	Channel 519
meo (Portugal)	Channel 84 (SD) Channel 83 (HD)

E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.

E! currently has an audience reach of 88 million cable and satellite viewers in the U.S. and 600 million homes internationally.

History[link]

E! Entertainment Television was founded by Larry Namer and Alan Mruvka.^[1][2]

The network launched on July 31, 1987 as Movietime, a service that aired movie trailers, entertainment news, event and awards coverage, and interviews as an early example of a national barker channel.^[3] Early Movietime hosts included Greg Kinnear, Paula Abdul, Katie Wagner, Julie Moran, Suzanne Kay (daughter of Diahann Carroll), Mark DeCarlo, Sam Rubin and Richard Blade. Three years later, in June 1990, Movietime was renamed E! Entertainment Television^[4] to emphasize its widening coverage of the celebrity-industrial complex, contemporary film, television and music, daily Hollywood gossip, and fashion.

Controlling ownership was originally held by a consortium of five cable companies (Comcast, Continental Cablevision, Cox Cable, TCI, and Warner Cable), HBO/Warner Bros., and various founding shareholders, with HBO directly programming and managing the network. In 1989, after Time-Life bought Warner Brothers to fend off a takeover bid by Paramount, the new Time Warner company held four of the eight major ownership positions and took over management control of Movietime and renamed the network E! Entertainment Television. In 1997, Comcast, one of the minority partners, teamed up with The Walt Disney Company to buy the channel after Time-Warner had exercised their put agreement.^[5] In November 2006, Comcast (which eventually had the largest ownership stake in most of the network through mergers of forerunners of TCI and Continental under various circumstances) acquired Disney's 39.5% share of E! for $1.23 billion to gain full ownership of the network as part of a broader programming carriage agreement between Disney/ABC and Comcast.^[6]

Comcast Entertainment Group, the company's television unit, became a division of NBCUniversal Television Group, after Comcast acquired a 51% majority stake in NBCUniversal in January 2011.^[7] E!'s only sister networks prior to the NBC Universal merger were Style Network and G4, along with Comcast's sports networks: Versus, Comcast SportsNet and Golf Channel. In the case of Versus, E! staff produced that network's Sports Soup, while the Orlando-based Golf Channel featured no crossovers with E! at all due to incompatible audiences and operations. Versus and Golf Channel were taken under the direct control of the NBC Sports division, with the former being renamed NBC Sports Network in January 2012, and are no longer connected to their former sister networks beyond advertising and in-house operations.

On July 9, 2012, E! will undergo a brand refresh with the introduction of a revised logo (the first change to its logo since the network rebranded as E! in 1990), removing the exclamation mark background behind the "E" but retaining the exclamation point underneath, along with a new slogan "Pop of Culture"; the brand refresh will coincide with the premiere of the music-based reality series Opening Act. In addition, the network will eventually introduce scripted series programming, in addition to its existing reality and documentary series. The changes were announced during E!'s programming upfront presentation on April 30, 2012.^[8]

Programming[link]

News[link]

E! is one of the only U.S. general-entertainment cable channels that broadcasts a daily news program; its flagship entertainment news program is E! News, which debuted on September 1, 1991. The weekday program (which also has an hour-long weekend edition) features stories and gossip about celebrities, and the film, music and television industry, and has been broadcast under various formats since its launch, even being aired live for a time in the mid-2000s. First hosted by Dagny Hultgreen, it has been hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic since 2006.

E! News was the only entertainment news show on the channel for much of its history, until 2006 when the channel launched The Daily 10, hosted by Sal Masekela and Catt Sadler (Debbie Matenopoulos also co-hosted from the show's inception until 2008); the series was cancelled in September 2010 after E! announced that the weekday editions of E! News would be expanded to one hour starting on October 25, 2010,^[9] and in the midst of controversy over a joke by Loveline co-host Mike Catherwood, who filled in for Masekela on the show frequently during 2010, that openly gay singer and ex-American Idol contestant Adam Lambert would enjoy being in jail with all men, during a story on the September 17, 2010 edition of The Daily 10 on an altercation Lambert allegedly had with a paparazzi.

Outside of E! News telecasts, the channel runs an E! News-branded ticker displaying entertainment news headlines each half-hour during regular programming (except during airings of E! News and The Soup, and the channel's early morning infomercial block), which is updated daily; fast-breaking entertainment headlines (e.g., celebrity arrest or death) may also be displayed on a ticker, during any program when warranted.

Original series[link]

E! is known for its live red carpet pre-shows for the industry's three prominent award shows, the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards, famous for its fashion critiques by Joan Rivers; Rivers has also hosted post-awards specials titled Fashion Police, which became a regular weekly series in September 2010. The network also produces a decent amount of documentary and biographical series, most notably E! True Hollywood Story; many of E!'s original specials are entertainment-related ranging from light fare such as 25 Cutest Child Stars All Grown Up to serious fare such as 15 Most Unforgettable Hollwood Tragedies. It also produces specials centering on investigative and crime stories including E! Investigates, which features topical investigative reports on subjects ranging from child prostitution to teenage pregnancy.

In recent years, the network has become popular for its reality television programs. Its most popular series as of 2011 is Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which has spawned three spinoffs (Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami, Kourtney and Kim Take New York, and Khloe and Lamar). Other reality programs that have aired on E! include The Anna Nicole Show, Sunset Tan, Gastineau Girls, The Girls Next Door (which itself has spawned two spinoffs Holly's World and Kendra), The Spin Crowd, Married to Rock, and most recently, Ice Loves Coco, and Dirty Soap.

E! airs three comedy programs: the late night talk show Chelsea Lately, hosted by comedienne Chelsea Handler, its spinoff After Lately, and The Soup (based on the popular 1991-2002 E! series Talk Soup), featuring clips of the previous week's TV shows with humorous commentary delivered by the host, actor/comedian Joel McHale.

Uncharacteristic for any television network, E! airs the full credits of the current program at the show's beginning rather than the end; some programs, most prominently E! News, air their copyright tags in a similar fashion, and many series often feature production company credits at the start of the final segment of a program. However, feature films airing on the channel display the credits at the traditional end of program placement.

Acquired series[link]

Over the years, E! has occasionally run acquired programming including reruns of Alice, Absolutely Fabulous, several 20/20 news programs from ABC, and edited 60-minute versions of Saturday Night Live, though fewer of these programs currently air. The only programming currently airing on E! that they do not produce are reruns of the former HBO series Sex and the City and films under the banner "Movies We Love"; the latter was part of a since-abandoned initiative by the network to use films to increase their ratings. The network has also begun to air second runs of NBC series such as The Voice, Fashion Star, Whitney, and Are You There, Chelsea?, and in the past has aired previews of G4 programming to give that network an extended promotional platform due to their lower carriage due to being removed from DirecTV in November 2010.

E! HD[link]

The network launched a high definition simulcast on December 8, 2008, like the rest of E!'s sister lifestyle and sports networks owned by former parent Comcast Entertainment Group and subsequently the NBC cable networks, airing in the 1080i format. Currently filmed content and all of the network's post-2010 content, along with limited pre-2010 content are carried in the format, with HD programming airing in a letterbox format on the SD channel (films remain in 480i due to contractual or technical reasons). The HD feed is available in the United States on DirecTV,^[10] Dish Network, Verizon FiOS, and AT&T Uverse; and in Malaysia on Astro.

During E!'s run as a broadcast service in Canada, the E! Ontario version of the service until the December 2008 discontinuation of the E! broadcast television system was available in HD over Hamilton, Ontario-based CHCH-TV (channel 11) on their channel 18 digital signal.

E! Online[link]

E! Online is the online arm of E!, featuring live updates on entertainment news stories; the website includes a online-only entertainment news bulletin titled E! News Now, which is updated each weekday. The website also provides live streaming video of major red carpet events including movie premieres and award shows such as the Academy Awards and the Emmys, along with some blogs involving shows such as The Soup. Columnists featured on the website include Kristin dos Santos (the "Watch with Kristin" television blog), Ted Casablanca ("The Awful Truth" gossip blog) and Marc Malkin (writer of an eponymous gossip blog and host of a daily videoblog on the site).

As part of the rebrand of the cable channel on July 9, 2012, EOnline.com will undergo a redesign their website to be compatible for tablet computers.^[11]

International versions[link]

Canada[link]

Unlike most international cable channels that have licensed an American cable channel's branding and programming, E! has existed as two separate television channels in Canada.

On September 7, 2007, Canwest Global Communications rebranded its CH television system as E!. CH originally launched on February 12, 2001 by CHCH/Hamilton, Ontario as a secondary service of the Global Television Network; the CH/E! system would later include four additional Canwest-owned stations in Quebec (CJNT/Montreal), British Columbia (CHEK/Victoria and CHBC/Kelowna) and Alberta (CHCA/Red Deer), and three affiliates owned by Jim Pattison Group in British Columbia (CKPG/Prince George and CFJC/Kamloops) and Alberta (CHAT/Medicine Hat). The E! television system shut down on September 1, 2009 due to low ratings and corporate financial difficulties that eventually led to Canwest filing for bankruptcy protection and selling its properties to Shaw Media; the E! O&O stations experienced varied fates (CHCH and CJMT were sold to Channel Zero, CHEK was sold to an employee-led group; CHBC remained with Canwest and was converted into a Global O&O, and CHCA ceased operations outright), while the Pattison Group stations affiliated with the Rogers Media-owned Citytv system.^[12] As E!, local news and other regional programming as well as most local community sponsorships on the O&O station used local branding (using the callsign branding scheme common with Canadian stations not owned by a network or television system); this decision was at least partly made to avoid confusion with E! News, but likely intended to ensure that local newscasts were not perceived as celebrity-oriented.

The E! brand would later return to Canada on November 1, 2010, when CTVglobemedia (whose assets are now owned by Bell Media) signed a multi-year/multi-platform agreement with Comcast to rebrand Category 2 specialty channel Star! (which had a similar format to E! U.S. and had carried some of its programming prior to the 2007 rebranding of CH) into a Canadian version of E! on November 29, 2010.^[13]

See also[link]

• ReelzChannel - an American digital cable and satellite channel that has the same concept as original Movie Time.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• E! Online International Official Site
• E! – Latin America Official Site (In Spanish)
• Wikinews interview with Michael Musto about the art of celebrity journalism

v t e NBCUniversal LLC A joint venture of Comcast (51%) and General Electric (49%) Company Officials Board of Directors Stephen B. Burke (CEO) · Brian Roberts · Michael Angelakis · Jeffrey Immelt · Keith Sherin Senior Corporate Executives Stephen B. Burke (CEO) · Matt Bond · Lynn Calpeter (CFO) · Steve Capus · Richard Cotton · Dick Ebersol · Patricia Fili-Krushel · Robert Greenblatt · Bonnie Hammer · Ted Harbert · Mark Hoffman · Paula Madison · Ron Meyer · Adam Miller · Jeff Shell · Page Thompson · Lauren Zalaznick Universal Studios Focus Features · Geneon Universal (80.1%)[nu 1] · Illumination Entertainment • United International Pictures[nu 2] · Universal Animation Studios · Universal Pictures · PlayBack · Universal Studios Home Entertainment · Working Title Films Universal Parks & Resorts Universal Studios Dubailand · Universal Studios Hollywood · Universal Orlando Resort (Universal Studios Florida · Islands of Adventure · Universal CityWalk) · Universal Studios Japan · Universal Studios Singapore · Universal Studios South Korea Broadcast TV assets NBC · NBC News · NBC Sports · Telemundo NBCUniversal Cable A+E Networks (15%) · Bravo · Chiller · Cloo · CNBC · E! · G4 (88%) · MSNBC · Mun2 · Oxygen · PBS Kids Sprout (part owner)  · ShopNBC (30%) · Style Network  · Syfy · Telemundo Puerto Rico · Universal HD · USA Network · The Weather Channel[nu 3] · Weatherscan[nu 3] NBC Sports Group Golf Channel · NBC Sports Network · Universal Sports (part owner)[nu 4] · Alli Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (45%)  · California  · Chicago (20%)  · Houston  · Mid-Atlantic  · New England  · Northwest  · Philadelphia  · SNY (8%)  · The Mtn. (50%) · CSS (50%) · Comcast Sports Southwest  · New England Cable News  · Comcast Network CNBC CNBC global channels CNBC · CNBC Africa · CNBC Asia · CNBC Europe · CNBC Latin America · CNBC World CNBC Europe branches Class CNBC (20%) · CNBC Africa · CNBC Arabiya (according to CNBC Europe) · CNBC-e · CNBC Nordic · TVN CNBC CNBC Asia branches CNBC-TV18 · CNBC Australia · CNBC Awaaz · CNBC Hong Kong · CNBC Pakistan · CNBC Singapore · Nikkei CNBC · SBS-CNBC Universal Networks International 13th Street Universal · Diva Universal · KidsCo[nu 5] · Movies 24 · Steel[nu 6] · Studio Universal · Syfy · Universal Channel Syfy global channels Asia · Australia · Benelux · France · Germany · Japan · Latin America · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · Serbia · Slovenia · Spain · UK · US NBCUniversal Television Group NBC Studios · NBCUniversal Television Distribution · Telemundo of Puerto Rico Studios · Telemundo Television Studios · Universal Television NBC O&Os California Nonstop · KNBC · KNSD[nu 7] · KNTV · KXAS[nu 7] (DFW Nonstop) · WCAU (NBC Philadelphia Nonstop)  · WMAQ (Chicago Nonstop) · WNBC (New York Nonstop) · WRC (Washington Nonstop) · WTVJ · WVIT Telemundo O&Os KBLR · KDEN · KEJT-LP · KHRR · KNSO[nu 8] · KSTS · KTAZ · KTMD · KVDA[nu 8] · KVEA · KXTX · WKAQ · WNEU[nu 8] · WNJU · WSCV · WSNS ShopNBC O&Os WWDP Internet ventures: Hulu[nu 9] · iVillage · msnbc.com[nu 10] · Television Without Pity · DailyCandy · Fandango Other assets: EMKA, Ltd. · qubo[nu 11] · WSI Corporation[nu 3]  · International Media Distribution Defunct properties: NBC Weather Plus (2004–2008) · Trio (1997–2005) · Diva TV (2007−2012) · Hallmark Channel International (1997−2011) · Discovery Kids (1996-2010) · Discovery Kids on NBC (2002-2006) · DreamWorks Records (1996-2005) · Go Fish Pictures (2000-2007) See also: Vivendi (former NBCUniversal stockholder and current parent company of Universal Music Group) · Comcast (telecommunications company that holds 51%) · General Electric (conglomerate that holds 49%) · MCA Inc. (legal predecessors of NBCUniversal) ^ Co-owned with Dentsu. ^ 50%, with Viacom's Paramount Pictures. ^ a b c Co-owned with Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. ^ minority share, InterMedia Partners is the majority owner. ^ Co-owned with Corus Entertainment and Cookie Jar Group. ^ Co-owned with Mediaset. ^ a b The stations are co-owned with LIN TV in a joint venture (76% owned by NBC, 24% owned by LIN). ^ a b c The stations are owned by NBCUniversal, but are controlled by ZGS Broadcast Holdings. ^ Co-owned with News Corporation and The Walt Disney Company. ^ Co-owned with Microsoft in a joint venture (50% owned by NBC, 50% owned by Microsoft). ^ Co-owned with Corus Entertainment, Classic Media, Nelvana, Scholastic Books and ION Media Networks.

The terms "online" and "offline" (also stylized as "on-line" and "off-line") have specific meanings in regard to computer technology and telecommunications. In general, "online" indicates a state of connectivity, while "offline" indicates a disconnected state. In common usage, "online" often refers to the Internet or the World-Wide Web.

The concepts have however been extended from their computing and telecommunication meanings into the area of human interaction and conversation, such that even offline can be used in contrast to the common usage of online. For example, discussions taking place during a business meeting are "online", while issues that do not concern all participants of the meeting should be "taken offline" — continued outside of the meeting.

Standard definitions[link]

In computer technology and telecommunication, online and offline are defined by Federal Standard 1037C. They are states or conditions of a "device or equipment" or of a "functional unit". To be considered online, one of the following must apply to a device:

• Under the direct control of another device
• Under the direct control of the system with which it is associated
• Available for immediate use on demand by the system without human intervention
• Connected to a system, and is in operation
• Functional and ready for service

In contrast, a device that is offline meets none of these criteria (e.g., its main power source is disconnected or turned off, or it is off-power).

Offline mail[link]

One example of a common use of these concepts is a mail user agent that can be instructed to be in either online or offline states. One such MUA is Microsoft Outlook. When online it will attempt to connect to mail servers (to check for new mail at regular intervals, for example), and when offline it will not attempt to make any such connection. The online or offline state of the MUA does not necessarily reflect the connection status between the computer on which it is running and the Internet. That is, the computer itself may be online—connected to Internet via a cable modem or other means—while Outlook is kept offline by the user, so that it makes no attempt to send or to receive messages. Similarly, a computer may be configured to employ a dial-up connection on demand (as when an application such as Outlook attempts to make connection to a server), but the user may not wish for Outlook to trigger that call whenever it is configured to check for mail.^[1]

Offline media playing[link]

Another example of the use of these concepts is digital audio technology. A tape recorder, digital audio editor, or other device that is online is one whose clock is under the control of the clock of a synchronization master device. When the sync master commences playback, the online device automatically synchronizes itself to the master and commences playing from the same point in the recording. A device that is offline uses no external clock reference and relies upon its own internal clock. When a large number of devices are connected to a sync master it is often convenient, if one wants to hear just the output of one single device, to take it offline because, if the device is played back online, all synchronized devices have to locate the playback point and wait for each other device to be in synchronization.^[2] (For related discussion, see MIDI timecode, word sync, and recording system synchronization.)

Offline browsing[link]

A third example of a common use of these concepts is a web browser that can be instructed to be in either online or offline states. The browser attempts to fetch pages from servers while only in the online state. In the offline state, users can perform offline browsing, where pages can be browsed using local copies of those pages that have previously been downloaded while in the on-line state. This can be useful when the computer is offline and connection to the Internet is impossible or undesirable. The pages are downloaded either implicitly into the web browser's own cache as a result of prior online browsing by the user or explicitly by a browser configured to keep local copies of certain web pages, which are updated when the browser is in the online state, either by checking that the local copies are up-to-date at regular intervals or by checking that the local copies are up-to-date whenever the browser is switched to the on-line state. One such web browser capable of being explicitly configured to download pages for offline browsing is Internet Explorer. When pages are added to the Favourites list, they can be marked to be "available for offline browsing". Internet Explorer will download to local copies both the marked page and, optionally, all of the pages that it links to. In Internet Explorer version 6, the level of direct and indirect links, the maximum amount of local disc space allowed to be consumed, and the schedule on which local copies are checked to see whether they are up-to-date, are configurable for each individual Favourites entry.^[3][4][5][6]

For communities that lack adequate Internet connectivity -- like developing countries, rural areas, and prisons -- off-line information stores like the eGranary Digital Library (a collection of approximately 30 million educational resources from more than 2,000 Web sites and hundreds of CD-ROMs) provide off-line access to information. Numerous organizations have developed, or are developing, flash memory chips with collections of educational materials for off-line use in smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

Others[link]

Likewise, offline storage is computer data storage that is not "available for immediate use on demand by the system without human intervention." Additionally, an otherwise online system that is powered down is considered offline^[7].

Generalizations[link]

Online and offline distinctions have been generalized from computing and telecommunication into the field of human interpersonal relationships. The distinction between what is considered online and what is considered offline has become a subject of study in the field of sociology.^[8]

The distinction between online and offline is conventionally seen as the distinction between computer-mediated communication and face-to-face communication (e.g., face time), respectively. Online is virtuality or cyberspace, and offline is reality (i.e., Real life or meatspace). Slater states that this distinction is "obviously far too simple".^[8] To support his argument that the distinctions in relationships are more complex than a simple online/offline dichotomy, he observes that some people draw no distinction between an on-line relationship, such as indulging in cybersex, and an offline relationship, such as being pen pals. He also argues that even the telephone can be regarded as an online experience in some circumstances, and that the blurring of the distinctions between the uses of various technologies (such as PDA and mobile phone, internet television and Internet, and telephone and Voice over Internet Protocol) has made it "impossible to use the term on-line meaningfully in the sense that was employed by the first generation of Internet research".^[8]

Slater asserts that there are legal and regulatory pressures to reduce the distinction between online and offline, with a "general tendency to assimilate online to offline and erase the distinction," stressing, however, that this does not mean that online relationships are being reduced to pre-existing offline relationships. He conjectures that greater legal status may be assigned to online relationships (pointing out that contractual relationships, such as business transactions, online are already seen as just as "real" as their offline counterparts), although he states it to be hard to imagine courts awarding palimony to people who have had a purely online sexual relationship. He also conjectures that an online/offline distinction may be seen by people as "rather quaint and not quite comprehensible" within 10 years.^[8]

This distinction between online and offline is sometimes inverted, with online concepts being used to define and to explain offline activities, rather than (as per the conventions of the desktop metaphor with its desktops, trash cans, folders, and so forth) the other way around. Several cartoons appearing in The New Yorker have satirized this. One includes Saint Peter asking for a username and a password before admitting a man into Heaven. Another illustrates "the off-line store" where "All items are actual size!" shoppers may "Take it home as soon as you pay for it!" and "Merchandise may be handled prior to purchase!"^[9][10]

See also[link]

Look up offline, online, or come online in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Computer networking
• NLS, or the "oN-Line System"
• Offline reader
• On the fly: Computer usage
• Online and offline algorithms
• Online editing and offline editing — the online/offline distinction in video editing
• Online games
• Online identity
• Open access (publishing)
• Reputation
• Website mirroring software
• Checking whether a Website is Online or Offline

References[link]

Mary-Kate Olsen Ashley Olsen
Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	(1986-06-13) June 13, 1986 (age 26) Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actresses
Years active	1987–present
Website
http://www.mary-kateandashley.com

Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986) are American actresses, fashion designers, and businesswomen. Following their acting debut as infants on the TV series Full House, the twin sisters appeared together in a variety of TV, film and video projects throughout their child and teenage years. Through their company Dualstar, the Olsens joined the ranks of the wealthiest women in the entertainment industry at a young age.

Early life and family[link]

The twins were born in Sherman Oaks, California to David Olsen^[1] (b. 1953) and Jarnette (Jarnie) Jones (b. 1954). Despite being very similar in appearance, they are not identical, but fraternal twins.^[2] They have an older brother, Trent, and a younger sister, Elizabeth, as well as two half-brothers, Taylor and Jake. The twins' parents divorced in 1995; Taylor and Jake are from their father's second marriage.^[3]

Mary-Kate and Ashley's sister Elizabeth became an actress as an adult, making an acclaimed film debut in 2011's Martha Marcy May Marlene.

Child and teen career[link]

In 1987, at the age of six months, the twins were cast in the role of Michelle Tanner on the ABC sitcom Full House. They began filming at nine months old. In order to comply with child labor laws that set strict limits on how long a child actor may work, the sisters took turns playing the role. The Olsens continued to portray Michelle throughout the show's run, which concluded in 1995.

While starring on Full House, the Olsens also began appearing (as separate characters) in films for video and television. The first such film, To Grandmother's House We Go, debuted in 1992 and featured cameos from several other Full House actors. In 1993, the Olsens established the company Dualstar, which would produce the twins' subsequent films and videos, including that year's Double, Double, Toil and Trouble and 1994's How the West Was Fun. A series of musical mystery videos called The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley premiered in 1994 and continued through 1997.

In 1995, following the end of Full House, the Olsens made their feature film debut in It Takes Two, co-starring Steve Guttenberg and Kirstie Alley. In the same year, they introduced a second video series, You're Invited to Mary-Kate & Ashley's..., which continued to release new entries until 2000.

The twins returned to series television in 1998 with another ABC sitcom, Two of a Kind, co-starring Christopher Sieber as their characters' widowed father. The series lasted only one season, but aired in reruns on cable for several years afterward. 1998 also saw the release of Billboard Dad, the first of a new string of direct-to-video films starring the Olsens. The final such film, When in Rome, debuted in 2002.

In 2001, the sisters starred in two new series: So Little Time, a live-action sitcom on Fox Family (later ABC Family); and Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action!, an animated series airing Saturday mornings on ABC. Both shows were cancelled after one season, although Mary-Kate received a Daytime Emmy Awards nomination for her performance on So Little Time.

In 2004, the twins starred in a second feature film, New York Minute. It would be their last film together, as well as Ashley's last acting role. Mary-Kate has continued to appear in film and television.

Dualstar[link]

Mary-Kate and Ashley were popular figures in the preteen market during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Their names and likenesses extended to clothes, books, fragrances, magazines, movies and posters, with a market share made up mostly of the tween demographic. Mattel also produced Mary-Kate and Ashley fashion dolls from 2000 to 2005.

The sisters became co-presidents of Dualstar on their 18th birthday in 2004.Upon taking control of the company, Mary-Kate and Ashley made moves to secure the future of the company by releasing products that appealed to the teen market, including home decoration and fragrances.^[4] The Dualstar brand has been sold in more than 3,000 stores in the United States and over 5,300 stores worldwide.^[5]

The Olsens have appeared on the Forbes "Celebrity 100" list since 2002; in 2007, Forbes ranked them (collectively) as the eleventh-richest women in entertainment, with an estimated net worth of US$100 million.^[6]

Fashion[link]

As the sisters have matured, there has been greater interest in their fashion choices, with the New York Times declaring Mary-Kate a fashion icon for pioneering her signature (and now popular among celebrities and fans alike) "homeless" look.^[7] The style, sometimes referred to by fashion journalists as "ashcan" or "bohemian-bourgeois",^[8] is similar to the boho-chic style popularized in Britain by Kate Moss and Sienna Miller. The look consists of oversized sunglasses, boots, loose sweaters, and flowing skirts, with an aesthetic of mixing high-end and low-end pieces.^[8] The twins were tapped as the faces of upscale fashion line Badgley Mischka in 2006.^[9]

The Olsens have a clothing line for girls ages 4-14 in Wal-Mart stores across North America, as well as a beauty line called "Mary-Kate and Ashley: Real fashion for real girls". In 2004 they made news by signing a pledge to allow full maternity leave to all the workers that sew their line of clothing in Bangladesh. The National Labor Committee, which organized the pledge, praised the twins for their commitment to worker rights.^[10]

The Olsens have also launched their own couture fashion label, "The Row", named after Savile Row in London. ^[11] In 2007, they launched Elizabeth & James, a contemporary collection inspired by many of their unique vintage finds and pieces in their personal wardrobes. They have also released a women's clothing line for J.C. Penney, called Olsenboye, and a t-shirt line called "StyleMint".^[12]

In 2008, the sisters published the book Influence, a compilation of interviews with many of the most prominent people in the field of fashion.

Mary-Kate and Ashley have been criticized by animal rights group PETA for wearing fur and for their use of fur in their fashion line.

Filmography[link]

This section lists the filmography of the twins as a duo. See Mary-Kate Olsen for other productions in which she has appeared.

Awards and nominations[link]

• Walk of Fame
  • 2004: Star on the Walk of Fame
• Young Artist Award
  • 1989: Best Young Actor/Actress — Under Five Years of Age (Full House) WON
  • 1990: Outstanding Performance by an Actress Under Nine Years of Age (Full House) – WON
  • 1992: Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress Under Ten (Full House) – WON
  • 1994: Best Youth Actress in a TV Mini-Series, M.O.W. or Special (Double, Double, Toil and Trouble) – WON
  • 1996: Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten — Feature Film (It Takes Two) – Nominated
• Teen Choice Awards
  • 2004: Choice Movie Blush (New York Minute) – Nominated
• TV Land Awards
  • 2004: Quintessential Non-Traditional Family (Full House) – Nominated (with Candace Cameron Bure, Dave Coulier, Lori Loughlin, Bob Saget, John Stamos and Jodie Sweetin)
• Razzie Awards
  • 2005: Worst Actress (New York Minute) – Nominated
  • 2005: Worst Screen Couple (New York Minute) – Nominated
• Kids' Choice Awards
  • 1996: Favorite Movie Actress (It Takes Two) – WON
  • 1999: Favorite TV Actress (Two of a Kind) – WON
• DVD Exclusive Awards
  • 2003: Franchise Performers Award – WON

See also[link]

• Brother For Sale
• List of twins

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Olsen, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, with Damon Romine. Mary-Kate and Ashley: Our Story: Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen's Official Biography. HarperEntertainment 2000. ISBN 0-06-107569-8.
• Tracy, Kathleen. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2003. ISBN 1-58415-256-7.

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

• Dualstar Entertainment Group Corporate Website
• Ashley Olsen at the Internet Movie Database
• Mary-Kate Olsen at the Internet Movie Database
• Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen designer profile at Fashion Model Directory

Ian Somerhalder
Born	Ian Joseph Somerhalder (1978-12-08) December 8, 1978 (age 33) Covington, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, model
Years active	1997–present

Ian Joseph Somerhalder (born December 8, 1978) is an American actor and model, best known for playing Boone Carlyle in the TV drama Lost and Damon Salvatore in the TV drama The Vampire Diaries.

Early life[link]

Somerhalder was born and raised in Covington, Louisiana, the son of Edna, a massage therapist, and Robert Somerhalder, an independent building contractor.^[1] Raised Catholic, he attended St. Paul's, a private Catholic school in Covington. He embarked on a modeling career from age 10 to 13,^[2] and by the age of 17 he decided to go into acting.

Career[link]

Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder

In the summer of 2000, Somerhalder starred in the short-lived WB series Young Americans, a spin-off of Dawson's Creek. He played Hamilton Fleming, the son of the dean of a prestigious boarding school. In 2002, Somerhalder played bisexual character Paul Denton in Roger Avary's adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel, The Rules of Attraction, alongside James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, and Jessica Biel.

In 2004, Somerhalder scored his breakthrough role when he played Boone Carlyle in the hit TV show Lost. Despite his character's death in the twentieth episode of the first season, Somerhalder returned to the role of Boone for seven more episodes between 2005 and 2010, including the series finale. Somerhalder was the first actor to be cast in a role for the series and the first character to die.

In 2009, Somerhalder appeared in the movie The Tournament where he played the role of an assassin participating in a lethal competition with other assassins. On 10 October 2009, it was announced that he will star in the Gothic movie Cradlewood, which is to be directed by Harry Weinmann.^[3] The movie is set to be released in 2013.^[4] He appears in the coffee table book About Face by celebrity photographer John Russo.^[5][6]

In June 2009 Somerhalder was cast in the role of Vampire Damon Salvatore as a series regular in The CW television drama series The Vampire Diaries. The series premiere attracted The CW's highest premiere ratings of any season premiere since the network began in 2006. The series has continued to be the highest rated series on its channel with both Somerhalder's performance and show receiving a positive response from critics. Somerhalder has received a Teen Choice Award for his participation on the series. The shows third and most recent season premiered on September 15, 2011.^[7]

Personal life[link]

While working on The Vampire Diaries, Somerhalder began dating his co-star Nina Dobrev.^[8]

Philanthropy[link]

Somerhalder was involved in the cleanup after the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling disaster on April 22, 2010. His efforts included cleaning of oiled wildlife and taping public service announcements to let the public know how they could help.^[9] Somerhalder also supports the St. Tammany Humane Society, an organization for animal shelter and welfare. On November 13, 2010, he hosted a Bash on the Bayou charity fundraiser for the Society. During the event, Somerhalder was presented with a donation of $11,100 by The Vampire Diaries fandom for his birthday project.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Together with his The Vampire Diaries co-stars Candice Accola and Michael Trevino, Somerhalder supports the It Gets Better Project, which makes it a goal to prevent suicide among LGBT youth^[14] associated with The Trevor Project.^[15]

Somerhalder announced, via Twitter and in various interviews that he was setting up The Ian Somerhalder Foundation (launched on December 8, 2010, Somerhalder's 32nd birthday), which he hopes will educate people on the importance of protecting the environment and animals: "Instead of gifts this year, my birthday wish is that we come together and raise funds to support projects that protect our habitat and nurture our furry friends.^[16][17]

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ian Somerhalder

• Ian Somerhalder at the Internet Movie Database
• Ian Somerhalder on Twitter