Fresh air may refer to:

• Fresh Air, a radio talk show hosted by Terry Gross, broadcast on National Public Radio in the United States
• Fresh Air (Edinburgh), an alternative music student radio station serving Edinburgh, Scotland
• Fresh Air (airline), defunct a cargo airline based in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria
• Tamarack Camps, run by the Fresh Air Society, a Jewish summer camp organization in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States
• The Fresh Air Fund, a charity that provides free summer vacations to New York City children from low-income communities
• Fresh Air was a band that was formed and performed in Okinawa, Japan in the mid-1970's.

See also[link]

• Fresh Aire, the first album released by new age musical group Mannheim Steamroller

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

Mike Birbiglia
Birth name	Michael Birbiglia
Born	(1978-06-20) June 20, 1978 (age 34)[1] Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, United States[1]
Medium	Stand-up comedy, Theatre, Radio, Television
Nationality	American
Website	birbigs.com

Mike Birbiglia (born June 20, 1978) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and director.

Professional work[link]

Birbiglia has starred in three Comedy Central specials and has released three albums with Comedy Central Records: Two Drink Mike (2006), My Secret Public Journal Live (2007), and Sleepwalk With Me Live (2011). My Secret Public Journal Live was named one of the best comedy albums of the decade by the Onion AV Club^[2]and Sleepwalk With Me Live debuted at #1 on the Billboard Magazine Comedy Charts.^[3]

From 2006 to 2009, Birbiglia was a commercial spokesman for Suddenlink Communications, the seventh largest cable/broadband provider in the United States. He appeared in a number of humorous commercials promoting cable, internet and telephone service for Suddenlink.

In 2008, Birbiglia opened Sleepwalk WIth Me, a one-man show that straddled standup comedy and theater, off-Broadway at the Bleecker Street Theatre.^[4][5] The show was presented by Nathan Lane and the New York Times called the show "simply perfect."^[6] Time Out New York named it their "Show of the Year" in 2009.^[7]

Birbiglia followed up his theatrical debut with Sleepwalk With Me & Other Painfully True Stories, ^[8] a book which debuted as number 29 on the hardcover nonfiction New York Times Bestseller List^[9][10] and number four on the hardcover nonfiction section of the Washington Post Political Bookworm Best Sellers.^[11] Birbiglia was also a finalist for the 2011 Thurber Prize for American Humor for Sleepwalk With Me & Other Painfully True Stories.^[12]

In 2011, Birbiglia mounted his second one-man show My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, which ran for 4 months off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre and won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show. ^[13] Birbiglia is currently touring My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend around the world with tour dates in the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK.

Birbiglia recently made his feature film debut with Sleepwalk With Me, a film based on his one-man show of the same name that he wrote, directed, and starred in. The film premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and won the NEXT Audience Award.^[14] It was also selected in the "Festival Favorites" category at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX. ^[15] The film was produced by Jacob Jaffke and This American Life's Ira Glass and stars Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, Carol Kane, James Rebhorn, and Cristin Milioti and has cameos by Kristen Schaal, Wyatt Cenac, David Wain, and Marc Maron.^[16]

As an actor, Birbiglia has appeared in the films Going the Distance, Cedar Rapids, and Your Sister’s Sister, as well as the HBO series, “Girls.” ^[17]

Birbiglia on This American Life[link]

Birbiglia is a regular contributor to the Public Radio International-distributed program This American Life.^[18]

Personal life[link]

Birbiglia attended St. John's High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts for one year,^{[citation needed]} graduated from St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts in 1996 ^[19][20] and subsequently graduated from Georgetown University in 2000.^[21] During college Birbiglia performed as a member of the Georgetown Players Improv Troupe.^{[citation needed]}

Birbiglia lives with his wife, Jen Stein, on New York's Upper West Side.^[22]

He has rapid eye movement behavior disorder (sleepwalking), which caused him to run out of a second-story window of a motel he was staying in Walla Walla, Washington, while on tour. As a result of the accident, Birbiglia received 33 stitches in his leg.^[23][24][25]

Discography[link]

• 2004: Dog Years (out of print) (self-produced, winner of the "Just Plain Folks" comedy album of the year)
• 2005: Invite Them Up (Comedy Central Records compilation CD of NYC indie comics)
• 2005: My Secret Public Album, Volume 1a (weekly guest spots on The Bob and Tom Show)
• 2006: Two Drink Mike
• 2007: My Secret Public Journal Live
• 2008: What I Should Have Said Was Nothing (DVD)
• 2011: Sleepwalk with Me Live

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Mike Birbiglia at the Internet Movie Database

Birbiglia on This American Life[link]

• Episode 361: The Fear of Sleep
• Episode 370: Ruining it for the Rest of Us
• Episode 374: Somewhere Out There
• TAL: Live: Scene of the Crime

Daniel Wu
Chinese name	吳彥祖 (Traditional)
Chinese name	吴彦祖 (Simplified)
Pinyin	Wú Yànzǔ (Mandarin)
Jyutping	Ng Yin Jou (Cantonese)
Ancestry	Shanghai, China
Origin	Hong Kong
Born	(1974-09-30) September 30, 1974 (age 37) Berkeley, California, United States
Occupation	actor, director, model
Years active	1998–present
Associated acts	Alive
Spouse(s)	Lisa S. (2010 - present)
Awards Hong Kong Film Awards Best New Director 2007 The Heavenly Kings Golden Horse Awards Best Supporting Actor 2004 New Police Story

Daniel Yin-Cho Wu (simplified Chinese: 吴彦祖; traditional Chinese: 吳彥祖; pinyin: Wú Yànzǔ; jyutping: Ng Yin Jou) (born 30 September 1974) is a Hong Kong actor, director and producer. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 40 films. Wu has been called "the young Andy Lau,"^[1] and is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese-language film industry.^[2]

Early life[link]

Wu was born in Berkeley, California, and raised in Orinda, California. His parents were immigrants from Shanghai, China.^[3] Wu developed an interest in martial arts when he saw Jet Li in The Shaolin Temple,^[1] and consequently began studying the form known as wushu at age 11.^[4] His childhood role model was Jackie Chan,^[5] a man who now considers Wu "like a son."^[6] Wu attended the Head-Royce School in Oakland, California^[7] and later majored in architecture at the University of Oregon. While there, he founded the University of Oregon Wushu club in 1994 and served as the team's first coach.^[8] During this time, Wu also took film classes and frequented local theaters, and came to enjoy the works of filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa and Luc Besson, who he describes as "men of vision."^[1] Following graduation, Wu traveled in 1997 to Hong Kong to witness the handover of Hong Kong, with no intention of taking on a movie career. At the suggestion of his sister, Wu began modeling.^[5][9] Four months later, film director Yonfan, after seeing Wu featured in a clothing ad at an MTR station, approached Wu about starring in an upcoming movie.^[1][10]

Acting career[link]

Despite his inability at the time to speak Hong Kong Cantonese^[11] or read Chinese,^[12] Wu successfully completed his first movie, Yonfan's Bishonen in 1998. Still today, when he receives a Cantonese script, his assistant reads the entire piece, while he is making notes on the pronunciation. The day after Bishonen wrapped, Wu was offered the leading role in Mabel Cheung's City of Glass (for which Wu was nominated as best new actor at the 18th Hong Kong Film Awards^[13]), and later, a supporting part in Young and Dangerous: The Prequel, from Andrew Lau's gangster film series. Around this time, Wu met superstar Jackie Chan at a restaurant opening,^[14] and was quickly signed to Chan's JC Group with agent Willie Chan.^[10] Wu's breakthrough performance came in 1999 with his role in Benny Chan's Gen-X Cops. He followed this success with roles in a variety of movies including big-budget thriller Purple Storm, art-house production Peony Pavilion, and the extremely successful Love Undercover. In 2001, Wu received criticism from the Hong Kong media for sexual scenes with Suki Kwan in Cop on a Mission, but Wu says that same criticism attracted the attention of directors and the film represented a turning point in the types of roles he chose in the future.^[15]

Wu's first experience in film production came with his starring role in Julian Lee's 2003 film, Night Corridor. Due to budgetary constraints, Wu also participated in the search for funding for, and distribution of, the film, and recruited Jun Kung to create the soundtrack.^[16] Though Night Corridor dealt with "risky" themes,^[9] Wu felt he had less reliance on image than many of his pop-star actor peers,^[16] and he was nominated for best actor at Taiwan's 40th Golden Horse Film Awards for his effort.^[17] During 2003, Wu also took part as producer and creative director on "MTV's Whatever Things!", a "Jackass"-styled program aired in Asia,^[18] also featuring Sam Lee, Josie Ho, Terence Yin, and other celebrities.^[19] Also during 2003, Wu took part in a stage production of The Happy Prince at the Edward Lam Dance Theater^[20] as part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, during which he recited a 16-minute monologue in Cantonese, learned entirely from pinyin.^[21] In 2005, Wu was nominated as best actor at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in Derek Yee's One Nite in Mongkok,^[22] and as best supporting actor for New Police Story.^[23] At the 41st Golden Horse Film Awards, Wu won the award for best supporting actor for New Police Story.^[24] The win came as a surprise to him, because he "didn't think that much" of his performance in the film.^[15]

In 2005, Chinese media began to report that Wu had formed a boyband, Alive, with Terence Yin, Andrew Lin, and Conroy Chan.^[25] Wu and his band mates posted information, updates, personal thoughts (including slamming Hong Kong Disneyland, for which they were spokespersons^[26]), and the band's music, at their official website.^[25][25][27] In 2006, Wu made his writing and directorial debut with The Heavenly Kings, which chronicles Alive's formation and exploits.^[28] After the film's release, however, it was revealed that The Heavenly Kings was actually a mockumentary of the Hong Kong pop music industry, and Alive was constructed purely as a vehicle to make the movie; the film's characters represented only 10-15% of their real-life counterparts^[29] and much of the footage blurred the line between fiction and reality.^[28] Wu admitted his own singing voice "sucked really bad," and the band had their voices digitally enhanced for its music, to prove that "it's easy to fake it."^[27] Despite some backlash from the media over being intentionally fed false information in the movie^[30] about illegal downloads of the band's music,^[29] Wu won the best new director award at the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards, an achievement he called "a group effort."^[30]

Other projects[link]

In April 2007, Wu re-launched his band's old website, AliveNotDead.com, with Terence Yin and RottenTomatoes.com founders Patrick Lee and Stephen Wang, as a place for filmmakers, musicians, and other artists to collaborate, receive exposure, network, and interact with fans.^[31][32] He continues his modeling career as spokesperson for a variety of products such as Seiko^[33] and L'Oréal.^[34] Wu posed for the charity photography album SuperStars by Leslie Kee,^[35] and performed on rapper Jin's song, "HK Superstar."^[36] Wu is an investor in Racks MDB Shanghai, which opened in 2008.^[37]

Personal life[link]

Wu's parents, George (a retired engineer) and Diana (a college professor)^[3] are natives of Shanghai, China. His father emigrated to the United States after the communist revolution in China in 1949, and met his mother in New York, where she was a student. After marrying they settled in California.^[5] Wu also has two older sisters, Greta and Gloria. He maintains residences in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing.^[27] He continues to actively train in wushu as well as other martial arts.^[27]

On April 6, 2010, Wu married Lisa S. in South Africa.^[38]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Daniel Wu

• Daniel Wu's Official Blog
• Daniel Wu at the Internet Movie Database
• Daniel Wu Yin-Cho at the Hong Kong Movie DataBase
• Daniel Wu's Interview with Hong Kong Cinema 2005

Paul Collier, CBE is a Professor of Economics, Director for the Centre for the Study of African Economies at The University of Oxford and Fellow of St Antony's College. From 1998 – 2003 he was the director of the Development Research Group of the World Bank.^[1]

Life[link]

Collier is a specialist in the political, economic and developmental predicaments of poor countries.^[2] He was brought up in Sheffield where he attended King Edward VII School.^[3] He holds a Distinction Award from Oxford University,^[1] and in 1988 he was awarded the Edgar Graham Book Prize for the co-written Labour and poverty in rural Tanzania: Ujamaa and rural development in the United Republic of Tanzania.^[4]

The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It (ISBN 0195311450), has been compared^[2] to Jeffrey Sachs's The End of Poverty and William Easterly's The White Man's Burden, two influential books, which like Collier's book, discuss the pros and cons of developmental aid to developing countries.

His 2010 book The Plundered Planet^{[5][6][7][8][9]} is encapsulated in his formulas: Nature - Technology + Regulation = Starvation, Nature + Technology - Regulation = Plunder, and Nature + Technology + Regulation (Good Governance) = Prosperity. The book describes itself as an attempt at a middle way between the extremism of "Ostriches" (Denialism, particularly climate change denial) and "Environmental Romanticism" (for example, anti-genetically modified organisms movements in Europe). The book is about sustainable management in relation with the geo-politics of global warming, with an attempt to avoid a global tragedy of the commons, with prime example of overfishing. In it he builds upon a legacy of the economic psychology of greed and fear, from early Utilitarianism (Jeremy Bentham) to more recently the Stern Review.

He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.^[10] He is a patron of the Media Legal Defence Initiative.

In 2010 and 2011, he was named by Foreign Policy magazine to its list of top global thinkers.^[11][12]

Work[link]

Research topics[link]

• Governance in low-income countries, especially the political economy of democracy
• Economic growth in Africa
• Economics of civil war, aid, globalisation and poverty
• The greed vs grievance debate in international relations

Selected publications[link]

• The Plundered Planet: Why We Must, and How We Can, Manage Nature for Global Prosperity (2010) Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-539525-9.
• Labour and poverty in rural Tanzania: Ujamaa and rural development in the United Republic of Tanzania, Oxford University Press, New York 1991, ISBN 0-19-528315-6.
• The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It. ISBN 0-19-531145-0.
• (with Anke Hoeffler) ‘On economic causes of civil war’ Oxford Economic Papers, vol 50 iss 4, (1998), pp 563–573.
• (with Anke Hoeffler) ‘Greed and grievance in civil war’ Oxford Economic Papers, vol 56 iss 4, (2004), pp 563–595.
• (with Lisa Chauvet and Haavard Hegre) 'The Security Challenge in Conflict-Prone Countries', Copenhagen Consensus 2008 Challenge Paper, (2008).
• Wars, Guns and Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places, Harper, (March 2009)

Video[link]

• The Royal Economic Society's 2006 Annual Public Lecture, by Coller (Royal Economic Society)
• Interview with Fareed Zakaria on Foreign Exchange
• TED Conference, Paul Collier on "The Bottom Billion"
• TED Conference, Paul Collier's new rules for rebuilding a broken nation

Press[link]

• Review of The Plundered Planet by the Financial Times
• Review of the Bottom Billion by the Financial Times
• Review of the Bottom Billion in The New York Times
• Review of The Bottom Billion by William Easterly in The Lancet
• Samuel Grove, "The Bottom of the Barrel: A Review of Paul Collier's The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done about It."

See also[link]

	Environment portal
	Politics portal
	Economics portal

• Environmental politics
• Good Governance
• Tanzania

References[link]

External links[link]

• Paul Collier's home page at Oxford University
• Links to downloadable research papers on Africa, Aid, Conflict, Political Economy and other topics
• Interview with Paul Collier by J. Tyler Dickovick
• Interview with the Oxonian Review in March 2009
• Video of recent talk at Oxford University - "The Bottom Billion"
• TED Talks: Paul Collier shares 4 ways to help the "bottom billion" at TED in 2008

Artie Lange
Lange in September 2006
Birth name	Arthur Steven Lange, Jr.
Born	(1967-10-11) October 11, 1967 (age 44)[1] Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, Television, Film, Radio
Nationality	American
Years active	1987–present[2][3]
Genres	Observational comedy, Improvisational comedy, Insult comedy, Black comedy
Subject(s)	Personal life, Self-deprecation, Human sexuality, Pop culture, Italian American culture, Professional sports, Recreational drug use, Drinking culture, Current events
Influences	Howard Stern, John Belushi, Richard Pryor,[4] George Carlin, Woody Allen, Bill Murray, Jackie Gleason, Peter Sellers, David Letterman, Richard Lewis[5]
Website	artie-lange.com

Arthur Steven "Artie" Lange, Jr. (born October 11, 1967) is an American actor, comedian and radio personality best known for his tenures with the The Howard Stern Show and the comedy sketch series MADtv.

Lange performed his first stand-up comedy routine at 19 years of age. He took up work as a longshoreman to help support his family, following the death of his quadriplegic father. In 1995, Lange starred in the first season of MADtv before leaving halfway through the second due to cocaine abuse and his subsequent arrest. After a period of rehabilitation, Lange featured in Dirty Work with Norm MacDonald, who brought Lange into the second season of his sitcom, The Norm Show. In 2001, Lange replaced Jackie Martling on The Howard Stern Show and stayed until late 2009, before a suicide attempt in early 2010 led to an eight-month stay in a psychiatric ward. Lange has released recordings of comedy performances – It's the Whiskey Talkin' (2004) and Jack and Coke (2009). He co-wrote, produced and starred in his film Artie Lange's Beer League in 2006, and co-wrote, with Anthony Bozza, the book Too Fat to Fish in 2008, which entered The New York Times Best Seller list at number one. In 2011, Lange returned to radio with Nick DiPaolo to co-host The Nick and Artie show.

Early life and education[link]

Lange was born on October 11, 1967 in Livingston Township, New Jersey, United States and was raised in Union Township. His mother Judy (née Caprio) was a housewife while his father, Arthur Sr., was a general contractor. His sister Stacy is a fashion designer.^{[citation needed]} Two weeks after Lange's birth, his father went on trial for counterfeiting money but was spared jail time out of the court's sympathy for his young son.^[1] In 2003, after some of the staff on The Howard Stern Show submitted a sample of their DNA for testing, it was revealed that Lange was approximately 25 per cent American Indian.^[6]

Lange played baseball during his time at Union High School, where he became an all-county third baseman.^[7] He spent his free time working with his father, who in October 1985, fell from a ladder and broke his back, becoming quadriplegic.^[8][9] Money soon became an issue within his family, and Lange's mother took a secretary job for income. "We took out a second mortgage. Medicaid paid for a nurse eight hours a day. When my mother got back from being a secretary all day, she had to take care of him. Every night, she set her alarm clock to turn him so he wouldn't get bedsores."^[8] The family contacted celebrities asking them to donate items for auction, and Howard Stern was the only one to respond, who sent an autographed K-Rock jacket in 1987, joking on the air "does this guy think that if he puts the jacket on he's going to walk again?" which Lange and his father found funny.^[8] His father died from an infection on February 1, 1990, four-and-a-half years after the accident.^[1][10]

In August 1985, Lange was arrested for attempted bank robbery. He claimed he was trying to flirt with the teller by passing her a note that said he was armed and demanded $50,000. The teller took it seriously, triggering a silent alarm. He was charged with disorderly conduct and entered community service in March 1986.^[11] As part of his probation, Lange attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting from March to June 1987 as well as Seton Hall University for a short time before leaving. On June 12, 1987, at 19 years of age, Lange performed his first stand-up comedy routine at The Improv in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. "I bombed for five minutes. Everyone thinks that they can do better. I was unprepared, I mumbled, and I forgot stuff. But I'm proud that I did it."^[3] In February 1991, Lange took up work as a longshoreman at Port Newark to help support his family.^[12][13]

Career[link]

[edit] Early comedy career and MADtv (1992–1997)

In 1992, Lange quit his job at Port Newark to focus on his comedy career. While searching for such work, his regular form of employment was driving a taxi in New York City.^[14] The flexibility of the job allowed him to perform 20-minute sets at the Comic Strip and resume work afterwards.^[15] Within the year Lange landed a role in a dinner theater play, touring restaurants and catering halls in New Jersey.^[16] He then co-formed an improv troupe called Live on Tape, which led to the group performing sell-out shows at Caroline's on Broadway in Manhattan.^[17] Lange was taken by William Morris Agency, where he first met Peter Principato, his manager of ten years.^[17]

In May 1995, Lange flew to Los Angeles to shoot the television pilot for MADtv, a sketch comedy show that was picked up by the Fox network.^[18] He landed a role as one of the eight original cast members from 8,000 comics who were screened, and moved to the West Coast in July.^[19] Lange attributed his hiring to the fact that he fit the John Belushi "mold" that was popular in sketch comedy.^[20] His most popular recurring character on the show was "That's My White Mama".^[21] Lange returned for the filming of the second season of MADtv in August 1996,^[22] but his time with the show came to an end when fellow cast and crew members attempted to have an intervention for him after a cocaine binge. Lange fled the studio, running through streets with his co-workers chasing after him. It ended in a supermarket, where he was arrested and sentenced to time served and probation.^[21]

In March 1997 the producers persuaded Lange to enter rehabilitation, and he checked into Honesty House, a rehab center in Stirling, New Jersey, for two months.^[23] His contract was not renewed for the third season, but Lange would make cameo appearances during the fifth and tenth seasons, including the show's final episode on May 16, 2009.^[24] That night he also appeared on Saturday Night Live, MADtv's rival show, in a non-speaking role.

[edit] Dirty Work and The Norm Show (1998–2001)

After Lange served a short jail term and a drug rehabilitation program, comedian Norm MacDonald, impressed by Lange's work on Mad TV, offered him a part in the 1998 movie Dirty Work. Although the film was unsuccessful during its theatrical run, Lange credits MacDonald and director Bob Saget with rejuvenating his comedy career, leading to several more film appearances and two lucrative television development deals.^[25] He then joined the cast of MacDonald's sitcom The Norm Show during its second season, staying until its cancellation the following year. Lange has since described this period as a personal high point but a creative low point. He enjoyed being paid $35,000 an episode, sleeping late, and being in healthy physical shape, as well as working with the cast, particularly with MacDonald and Laurie Metcalf; however, he disliked the show itself, referring to the material as "ridiculously lame, easy jokes."^[26]

[edit] The Howard Stern Show (2001–2009)

[edit] Replacing Jackie Martling and It's the Whiskey Talkin' (2001–2004)

Lange was introduced to The Howard Stern Show by his father in 1982.^[8] Following the departure of Jackie Martling, the show's head writer for 15 years, in March 2001,^{[citation needed]} Stern announced a "Win Jackie's Money" contest, in which various comedians would audition for Martling's seat by sitting in during shows. Those who sat in included Craig Gass, Doug Stanhope, Richard Jeni, Jim Florentine and Ron Zimmerman.^[27] "There were a lot of great funny guys - guys that were funnier than me...I remember saying to my manager, 'I am not the most talented guy in this group, but I guarantee that I'm the biggest fan of the show."^[3] After the cancellation of The Norm Show in April, Lange sat in for a number of shows between May and October before beginning full time on October 26, 2001.^[28] Since Lange joined the show, Stern has often teased him for his eating habits, gambling, drinking, drug use, and sleeping at work. Stern also makes a point to praise Lange's comedic talents. Lange had grown up listening to the show and was a fan to the point of being able to recall obscure details from years before on a regular basis.

Stern and his staff have commented that Lange's life is a sort of perpetual adolescence: His mother delivers food parcels and cleans his apartment while he continually gorges himself on pizza, pancakes, and other fattening foods and goes on drunken binges.

In May 2004, while The Howard Stern Show aired at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, local television station KLAS-TV reported Lange was found dead in his hotel room. The story turned out to be a hoax.^[29]

[edit] Beer League and substance abuse (2005–2008)

In early June 2005, Lange missed four days of shows, prompting concerns of a possible relapse into substance abuse.^{[citation needed]} The situation climaxed in Lange's behaving strangely and belligerently on the air.^[30] On July 27, he infamously sneered at Stern and the staff, "Artie's gotta do what Artie's gotta do!"^{[citation needed]} Lange then missed the next two days, writing off his absence as due to stress from doing the radio show and filming his film Artie Lange's Beer League.^{[citation needed]} The truth for his absence was revealed in a spontaneous revelation on September 21, 2006, in which Lange acknowledged that he had regularly snorted heroin.^{[citation needed]} He discussed past episodes of heroin use beginning when he was a standup comedian and continuing until Beer League was set to begin shooting.^[30] He then detailed his painful withdrawal from the drug, which included side effects of aching, cold sweats, shaking, and vomiting. Lange recalled taking his telephone off the hook to avoid speaking to his mother, who ultimately intervened to help him recover.^{[citation needed]} Lange was threatened with legal action by producers of Beer League if he failed to show up for the first day of shooting, which led him to secure a home visit from a doctor, who prescribed Subutex to alleviate his dependency.^[30]

In the days leading up to Stern's departure from terrestrial radio in December 2005, Lange revealed that he and show producer Gary Dell'Abate were approached by Infinity Broadcasting about replacing Stern with a show of their own. He claimed he was offered roughly $5 million to defect, but he and Dell'Abate claimed never to have given the offer much thought.

On April 10, 2008, Lange walked off the show after an on-air argument and subsequent outburst at his personal assistant, Teddy (during which he mentioned that Teddy embarrassed him by referring to Bloomingdale's as "Bloomie's"), resulting in a physical altercation.^[31] Lange expressed his disdain for his assistant of nearly two years because of recent money issues. Later in the broadcast, Lange returned to apologize and tender his resignation, which Stern accepted.

On April 21, 2008, Lange returned to the Howard Stern Show following a scheduled one-week vacation hiatus for the cast members. He apologized and took full responsibility for his behavior. It was revealed that Sirius was allowing him to continue, but that another infraction would end his employment. Additionally, Lange explained that despite their on-air confrontation, he and Teddy will maintain their working relationship.

[edit] Too Fat to Fish, USO tour and Jack and Coke (2008–2009)

In June 2008 Lange embarked on a comedy tour he named "Operation Mirth" with the United Service Organizations to entertain the U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan. He was inspired to travel after viewing the documentary film Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie which was about comedian Jeffrey Ross' comedy tour in Iraq. As headliner, Lange picked fellow comedians Jim Florentine, Nick DiPaolo, and Dave Attell to join him, including producer of The Howard Stern Show Gary Dell'Abate, who served as master of ceremonies on the tour.^[3]

On November 11, 2008 Lange released his first book, Too Fat to Fish. The book is a collection of narrative episodes from Lange's life, from his childhood to his USO trip. The foreword is written by Howard Stern.^[32] The book debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list under hardcover nonfiction.^[33] The softcover edition was released in June 2009 with a change to the back cover from the hardcover edition and includes a bonus chapter.

On November 17, 2009, Lange released his second comedy DVD, Jack and Coke, via Shout! Factory. The 80-minute set was recorded live in New York City.

Return to radio and second book (2011–present)[link]

On July 6, 2011, Lange returned to radio for the first time since December 2009, guest hosting in place of Tony Bruno on Fox Sports Radio with comedian Nick DiPaolo. A caller asked Lange about returning to The Howard Stern Show, to which he replied: "That would be the greatest thing ever, but you know listen, I was on the greatest show of all-time for about nine years and I put them in a very awkward situation to say the least. So what am I gonna do? But I love them all and they were great to me."^[34] On July 21, Lange announced to comedian Joe Matarese on his podcast of the plans to have him and DiPaolo to host a "sports entertainment comedy show" on Fox Sports Radio in. "It looks like it's a definite. They made an offer," said Lange. "Nothing's been signed yet, but we're gonna do it."^[35] On October 3, 2011, The Nick and Artie Show debuted on DirecTV. TMZ reported that Lange and Dipaolo will each make $500,000 per year as part of the contract, which was guaranteed for 3 years.

Lange's second book, Crash and Burn, is set for a late 2012 release.

Personal life[link]

Though raised as a Catholic, Lange has expressed doubts about the existence of God but is "afraid" to identify himself as an atheist in the event that he is wrong.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, Lange began to date his longtime girlfriend Dana Sironi. He announced in 2006 their decision to break up, citing his heroin abuse as the primary reason. However, Lange announced on an early November 2006 Stern Show that they were again together to some extent, but that the situation was a mystery even to him. The couple broke up in early 2007 but began dating again in December 2007. The couple have since parted ways, though Sironi accompanied Lange to an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman in March 2009.^{[citation needed]}

His favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces.^{[citation needed]} He considers George Carlin to be the all-time greatest comedian and said, "It's easy to follow the funniest guy ever" when he appeared after Carlin as a guest during his first talk show appearance, on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn.^{[citation needed]} He has been critical of the "unbelievably positive press" given to comedians such as Jon Stewart and Ricky Gervais, feeling that their acclaim approaches hyperbole; he acknowledges their talents, however.^{[citation needed]}

He has been asked to appear on Celebrity Fit Club for each of the show's four seasons but has declined every time because of his commitment to Stern's show.

Political views[link]

Politically, he has said he does not consider himself to be a "liberal," though he is pro-choice, a supporter of gay rights, and a supporter of unions owing to his former career as a longshoreman.^{[citation needed]} He has called President George W. Bush a "dolt" and supported John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008.^{[citation needed]} He initially supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but has since changed his mind. When documentarian Michael Moore visited The Howard Stern Show in 2007, Lange told him that he had changed some of his political opinions because of Moore's films. Crumbs Bakery currently offers an "Artie Lange" vanilla and chocolate cupcake, with partial proceeds going toward the Lifebeat HIV/AIDS charity.^[36]

Substance abuse[link]

On August 6, 2008, Lange claimed to have begun an intensive outpatient rehab program after missing the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget.^[37] On the August 11 airing of the show, Lange admitted to having been back on heroin for the previous seven weeks. He stated that he had gotten drunk playing pool and was offered the heroin by someone at the pool hall.^[38] Comedian Richard Lewis recommended a therapist to Lange.

On the December 8, 2008 show, Lange admitted that he lied about intensive outpatient rehab and had only gone to the therapist twice, not even making it through the end of the second session.

On the June 17, 2009, episode of The Adam Carolla Podcast, Lange revealed that he had been sober for two and a half months, had lost 45 pounds, and hoped to lose 45 more.^[39] On the August 10, 2009 broadcast of The Howard Stern Show, Stern noticed Lange's weight loss. Lange then confirmed that his current weight was 230 lb. and that he wished to continue in his endeavor to lose more weight.^{[citation needed]}

2010 suicide attempt[link]

On January 2, 2010, Lange attempted suicide by repeatedly stabbing himself in the abdomen with a 13-inch kitchen knife.^[40] He was found on the floor of his home by his mother and taken to Jersey City Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. Lange was released the following week.^[41] Sirius stated that Lange would be welcomed back onto The Howard Stern Show following his recovery.^[42]

Lange returned to the comedy stage for the first time on September 27, 2010 eight months after his suicide attempt, performing two nights at Comedy Cellar in New York City. He mentioned being in a psychiatric ward for 8 months since the incident. As of September 2011 he has been co host of the Nick and Artie show with comedian Nick Dipaolo every week night at 10.00pm to 1.00 am. ^[2]

Filmography[link]

Roles lost[link]

Lange auditioned for the role of Milton in Mike Judge's film Office Space, and again for the role of Judge Hank "The Hangman" BMW in Mike Judge's film Idiocracy, he lost both roles to Stephen Root.^{[citation needed]} Lange auditioned for Paul Giamatti's role in Man on the Moon. He also auditioned for the role of Nick Volpe (Wass Stevens was ultimately cast) in the 2008 film The Wrestler. During a December 18, 2008 call to The Howard Stern Show, director Darren Aronofsky, a stand-up comedy fan, stated he was impressed by Lange's acting but felt his celebrity would be distracting to the audience; Stern, who said it was his favorite movie of the year, agreed with this assessment and Lange joked it was the most flattering reason he'd ever been turned down for a role.

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Lange, Artie (2008). Too Fat to Fish (1st ed.). Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-0-385-52656-2. 

External links[link]

• Official website
• Artie Lange at the Internet Movie Database
• Artie Lange at AllRovi

Interviews[link]

• Artie Lange interview on Rock 'n Roll Ghost
• Artie Lange on National Public Radio in 2006
• Artie Lange on National Public Radio in 2008
• Artie Lange interview on the Best Damn Sports Show Podcast

Others[link]

• Review of "Too Fat to Fish"