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"

Amy Fisher
Amy Fisher in 2010
Born	Amy Elizabeth Fisher (1974-08-21) August 21, 1974 (age 37) Wantagh, New York, U.S.
Ethnicity	Italian/Jewish
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[1]
Spouse	Louis Bellera (2003–present)
No. of adult films	3
Website
http://www.amyfisher.com/

Amy Elizabeth Fisher (born August 21, 1974) is an American woman who became known as "the Long Island Lolita" by the media in 1992, when, at the age of 17, she shot and severely wounded Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of her lover Joey Buttafuoco.^[2] She was initially charged with first-degree attempted murder, but eventually pled guilty to first-degree aggravated assault and served six years in prison. After her parole in 1999, Fisher became a journalist and writer, before embarking on a career as a pornographic actress in 2007.

Early life[link]

Fisher was born in Wantagh, New York, to Elliot and Roseann Fisher;^[3] her father was a Jewish-American and her mother is an Italian-American.^[4] As a 16-year-old student at Kennedy High School^[5] in Bellmore, New York, Fisher began a sexual relationship with Joey Buttafuoco after damaging her parents' car and appealing to Buttafuoco, who owned a body shop, to make repairs without her family knowing of the damage.^[6]

Crime and prison[link]

On May 19, 1992, 17-year-old Fisher had an accomplice drive her to the Buttafuoco home in Massapequa, New York. When Mary Jo Buttafuoco answered the door, Fisher told her that Joey was having an affair with Fisher's younger sister, providing a t-shirt advertising Joey's auto body shop for her "proof." When Mary Jo turned away Fisher shot her in the head on the front porch and left the property.^[7]

Fisher was charged with first-degree attempted murder, but pleaded guilty to one count of assault in the second degree, and in December 1992 was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison.^[2]

Based on a signed hotel receipt dated days before Fisher's 17th birthday, Joey Buttafuoco was charged with statutory rape. He was convicted in October 1993 and served six months in prison.^[8]

In 1999, after Fisher served seven years in prison, Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon consented to vacating Fisher's original plea bargain and a new plea was entered with a three to 10-year sentence, ensuring her immediate release on parole.^[2]

Post-release[link]

After her release from prison, Fisher became a columnist for the Long Island Press. She wrote a book about her experiences, If I Knew Then..., published in 2004. In 2003, Fisher married Louis Bellera. The couple have three children.^[9] In March 2008, Fisher was a commentator on truTV's The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest..., a series that depicted people caught on tape doing and/or saying foolish things.^{[citation needed]}

Fisher and Buttafuoco revisited[link]

In 2006, Fisher reunited with Mary Jo Buttafuoco in sessions televised for Entertainment Tonight and its spin-off The Insider. Fisher said she wanted to heal and move on with her life. However, two years later she said she felt "no sympathy for Mary Jo."^[10] Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco eventually reunited for the first time at the 2006 Lingerie Bowl for the coin toss.

On May 13, 2007 the New York Post reported Fisher had left her husband and Buttafuoco his girlfriend, and were meeting near Central Park on May 14 to either reconcile or pitch an idea where they would cohabitate for a reality television series.^[11] However, Buttafuoco's second wife, Evanka, withdrew her divorce petition on June 22, 2007.^[12]

Sex tape and adult entertainment career[link]

In October 2007, the New York Post published allegations that Fisher's husband, Lou Bellera, sold a sex tape of the couple to Red Light District Video of Los Angeles.^[13] Red Light District Video published a press release stating it intended to release a sex video of the couple.^[14] On October 31, nude pictures of Fisher from the video were posted at various internet sites, and on November 1, 2007, a teaser clip was released by Red Light District Video that showed a nude Fisher showering and sunbathing. Of note were a tattoo surrounding her navel and a breast augmentation. On November 6, 2007, Fisher sued Red Light District and its owner David Joseph, claiming copyright infringement and other damages.^[15] By November 8, 2007, amyfisher.com, a website Fisher previously fought to win ownership of, began pointing directly to the Red Light District website.^[16]

In early January 2008, Fisher announced that she had settled with Red Light and agreed to do a related promotional appearance. The same announcement indicated that she and Bellera had reconciled.^[8] The promotional appearance took place at Retox in New York City on January 4, 2008.^[17][18]

Clips of the video were played on The Howard Stern Show. On March 6, 2008, Fisher was a guest on the Stern show and one topic of discussion was meant to be her video but after the first phone call, which was from Mary Jo's daughter Jessica, Fisher left the show six minutes into her interview.^[19]

On January 12, 2009, Fisher released a pay-per-view adult film titled Amy Fisher: Totally Nude & Exposed.^[17] She also started a porn site where she limits herself to girl-on-girl scenes because her husband would be uncomfortable with her doing scenes with men.^{[citation needed]} Fisher signed a deal with Lee Entertainment to become a stripper doing club shows at least once a month. Fisher claimed she plans to strip until her fans tell her, "Dear, please put your clothes back on. You're too old."^[20][21]

In July, 2010, it was announced that Fisher would star in a series of adult films in 2010 and 2011.^[22] In June, 2011, Fisher disclosed that she was not making adult films at that time but did not rule out doing so in the future.^[9]

[edit] Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew

Fisher's struggles to assert herself are documented during her time as a cast member in the fifth season of the reality television series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which aired on VH1 in June and July, 2011.^[23]

Books and films[link]

Books by Amy Fisher[link]

• Fisher, Amy & Robbie Woliver (2004). If I Knew Then. iUniverse. ISBN 0-595-32445-2.
• Fisher, Amy with Sheila Weller (1994). Amy Fisher: My Story (reprint edition). ISBN 0-671-86559-5. (Originally published by Pocket Books in 1993; ISBN 0-671-86558-7.)

Books about Amy Fisher[link]

• Dominguez, Pier (2001). Amy Fisher: Anatomy of a Scandal: The Myth, the Media and the Truth Behind the Long Island Lolita Story. Writers Club Press. ISBN 0-595-18417-0.
• Eftimiades, Maria (1992). Lethal Lolita: A True Story of Sex, Scandal and Deadly Obsession. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-95062-4.

Movies about Amy Fisher[link]

• The Amy Fisher Story (1993) (TV)
• Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story (1993) (TV)
• Amy Fisher: My Story (1992) (TV)
• Lethal Lolita (1993) (DVD & TV)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Amy Fisher on the Internet Movie Database
• Morey, Jed. "Changing Amy", Long Island Press, August 19, 2009
• Fisher, Amy. "Judging Amy", Long Island Press, June 19, 2002
• Amy Fisher at the Adult Film Database

Daniel Patrick Pugh (born May 15, 1956), professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American Sports Emmy-winning sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio. He currently hosts The Dan Patrick Show which is broadcast on radio on Premiere Radio Networks, and on television on The Audience Network for DIRECTV subscribers, co-hosts NBC's Football Night in America, and serves as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated. He previously worked at ESPN for 18 years, where he often anchored the weeknight and Sunday 11 PM edition of SportsCenter.

Early life[link]

Patrick attended the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. His brother, Bill Pugh, is a longtime sports radio executive, and is currently the head of programming at Clear Channel San Diego. Patrick was a basketball player in high school at William Mason High School, becoming an Ohio all-state selection his senior year.^[1] He attended Eastern Kentucky University on a basketball scholarship for two years before transferring to the University of Dayton, where he majored in broadcast journalism. Patrick is also an alumnus of the Eta Hexaton Chapter of the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity at Dayton.^[2]

Before ESPN[link]

Before working with ESPN, Patrick was known by his real name, Dan Pugh, as an on-air personality with the album rock-formatted WVUD and then, WTUE in Dayton, Ohio (1979–1983). Patrick was then a sports reporter for CNN (1983–89), where his assignments included the World Series, NBA Finals and Winter Olympics. From 1989–1995 Patrick did a daily sports segment for Bob and Brian, a syndicated Wisconsin-area morning show, and in the early 90s he did sports updates for the Columbus, Ohio, Rock Station WLVQ and appeared on the morning show "Wags and Elliot."^[3]

Career at ESPN[link]

Patrick was an anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter (1989–2006). He also hosted The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio from September 13, 1999, to August 17, 2007.

In the mid-1990s, Dan and Keith Olbermann were among ESPN's most recognizable faces. Olbermann used the catch phrase "Welcome to the Big Show" when Patrick worked with him on SportsCenter. After getting reprimanded by their superiors, they began saying "This is SportsCenter" sarcastically, accidentally spawning the show's new catch phrase as well as the name of their long-running promotional campaign. When Olbermann left, Patrick said, "This isn't the Big Show anymore."^[4] Patrick stated on his radio program that the ABC sitcom Sports Night was a semi-fictional account of the Olbermann/Patrick anchored SportsCenter, with Casey McCall (Peter Krause) representing Patrick.

Starting on March 19, 2006, until the final game of the NBA Finals, he became the host of ABC's then-titled NBA Nation, a pregame show for the network's NBA telecasts.

En fuego[link]

In 1994, when calling the highlights for a game in which Marv Albert described Sam Cassell as being "on fire," Dan Patrick said he was "el fuego", which he thought was Spanish for "on fire." A few months later, he received a letter from a Spanish teacher in Pennsylvania suggesting that he say that athletes are "en fuego" (on fire) rather than "el fuego" (the fire). Since then, Patrick has used "en fuego" on certain occasions when a player is said to be "on fire." Patrick started using the "en fuego" phrase because he believed the standard "on fire" phrase had become clichéd.

Departure from ESPN/ABC[link]

On July 9, 2007, Patrick on his radio show announced his departure from ESPN/ABC effective August 16, 2007, stating, "I am leaving ESPN August 17 to go out on my own and be a free agent...I think I was starting to take it (ESPN) for granted," Patrick said. He said ESPN tried to talk him out of it. If there was any animosity, he says, "I wouldn't be sticking around until August."

Patrick remained off air from ESPN Radio until August 15 for his three farewell shows.^[5] He was originally reported to be returning for a final week, but returned on Wednesday of that week.

ESPN's statement released to the media said that Patrick would be released from his contract August 31, 2007, exactly one year early from his deal that was to run until August 31, 2008. The statement also said this would be the final comment on Patrick's departure from ESPN. "ESPN contractually bans all employees from making specific announcements of their futures on their airwaves, but out of respect to Dan and all he's done for ESPN we allowed him an opportunity to end the speculation".

Reaction to Patrick's departure from ESPN/ABC[link]

Reaction from media sources hit the internet by storm. Many webpages, blogs, and news media outlets speculated on the reasons for Patrick's departure and his possible future. On July 10, 2007's The Dan Patrick Show, Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick himself put some of the rumors and comments to rest.

Patrick confirmed that he was asked by the producers of The Price is Right to audition for the vacant host position, but he declined. The job eventually went to Drew Carey. Patrick admitted that he was hurt when good friend, Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly (who ironically would move to ESPN) wrote that, "Patrick was making one of the top 5 biggest career mistakes in entertainment history," ranking right under Shelley Long's leaving Cheers and Katie Couric's leaving NBC's Today show for the CBS Evening News.

Keith Olbermann stated that it was only a matter of time before a website erroneously reported that Patrick was fired from ESPN, which was what happened in some reports when Olbermann left ESPN. Patrick again stated he was leaving on good terms with ESPN and that he could return to ESPN if he would so choose. Patrick said that he wanted to be on both television and radio again, although some newspapers reported that he only wanted to do radio.

On his new show, Patrick often relates anecdotes of his ESPN career, in both positive and negative lights. He often refers to his former employer as "The Mother Ship" (and less frequently, "ESPeon"), and expresses disappointment with their practice of preventing their talent from appearing as guests on his show, and frustration when an ESPN employee has agreed to come on the show only to later cancel.

Patrick is also often critical of current ESPN shows (such as SportsNation, SportsCenter, and ESPN First Take) for stealing content from his show.

Last shows[link]

August 17, 2007, was Dan Patrick's last day on ESPN Radio. He named his final three shows the "Farewell for Now" tour. The last 20 minutes of his show were filled with thank-yous and looks back. Guests included Bob Costas, Bobby Knight, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ken Griffey, Jr. and other sports stars. Will Ferrell also made a heavily promoted appearance in character as Ron Burgundy.

[edit] New radio-TV show/Sports Illustrated

Patrick signed a syndication deal with Chicago-based Content Factory, which soon launched his new version of The Dan Patrick Show on October 1, 2007. It was distributed nationally by Premiere Radio Networks. The show aired live on most stations from 9 a.m. to noon Eastern, although some opt to delay the show into the evening. The show ran delayed on Sirius XM Sports Nation on Sirius Radio channel 122 and XM Radio channel 143. It was also available as a live stream and in podcast form via Patrick's website.

In January 2009, Dan Patrick's show replaced Out of Bounds with Craig Shemon and James Washington on Premiere Radio's Fox Sports Radio network. This brought an additional 60 affiliates to Patrick's portfolio, and brought the total affiliate count to over 200. It also allows XM Radio listeners to hear the show live on the Fox Sports simulcast on channel 142, in addition to the delayed broadcast on channel 143. Sirius doesn't carry Fox Sports Radio.

In August 2009, The Dan Patrick Show started being broadcast on The 101 Network, following a show of DIY Network in which a toy-filled "man cave" studio was built in Milford. The radio-only show had been produced in the attic of Patrick's home. The Dan Patrick Show features "The Dannettes", who assist Dan with the show. "The Dannettes" are reported to be soft, but Patrick did not confirm.

Sports Illustrated also announced in October 2007 that Patrick would become the magazine's senior writer. He would also contribute blogs to SI.com's "Fan Nation" and host the magazine's Sportsman of the Year show. SI collaborates with Content Factory to produce Patrick's web site, and helps stream his radio show. Patrick said he will produce non-television content exclusively for Sports Illustrated. The Dan Patrick Show began simulcasting on Fox Sports Net, Comcast SportsNet, Root Sports, and MSG Plus in October, 2010.

NBC Sports[link]

On July 7, 2008, it was announced that Patrick would join NBC Sports as a co-host of the third season of Football Night in America with former SportsCenter co-anchor Keith Olbermann every Sunday night beginning in September during the NFL season.^[6] Patrick and Olbermann host a series of highlights on the show and a segment called "The Little Big Show" with the day's top NFL plays.

"The Little Big Show" refers back to Patrick and Olbermann's time at ESPN where they referred to the 11pm SportsCenter they hosted as "The Big Show." This name both annoyed the other hosts, who felt insulted, and management, who preferred them to call the show by the actual name. Frustrations mounted so high that management told them to just say, "This is SportsCenter." This phrase ironically became ESPN's major tagline for SportsCenter.^[7]

Patrick served as the Super Bowl XLIII trophy presenter after the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals, and again at Super Bowl XLVI after the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots. Patrick also contributed to the network's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics as a reporter for women's downhill skiing and snowboarding. He also hosted NBC's 2010 & 2011 Stanley Cup Finals coverage. In 2012, NBC named Patrick daytime co-host with Al Michaels for the London Olympics.^[8]

Other appearances[link]

Movies and television[link]

Patrick has made cameo appearances in many movies and TV shows, thanks in large part to his longtime friendship with actor Adam Sandler:^[9] Patrick also appeared in a Huddle House commercial.

• The Definite Maybe (1997)
• Arli$$ (1998)
• BASEketball (1998)
• The Waterboy (1998)
• Clerks (Animated ABC program) (2000)
• Clone High (2002)
• The Longest Yard (2005)
• Benchwarmers (2006)
• I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007)
• The House Bunny (2008)
• Grown Ups (2010)
• Blue Mountain State (2011)
• Just Go With It (2011)
• Jack & Jill (2011)
• That's My Boy (2012)

Music videos[link]

Dan Patrick has appeared twice in music videos:

• The 1995 Hootie & the Blowfish song "Only Wanna Be With You." In the video, the group use their money to purchase several sports teams. Patrick said of the group, "Dare I say they're anything but 'en fuego'." He also uses another one of his famous catchphrases, "You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him."
• In the 2002 Brad Paisley song "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)", with the quote "Brad Paisley, dare I say, 'en fuego'."

References[link]

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (May 2012)

External links[link]

• Dan Patrick Online Official website on CNN.com
• Cousins Subs website (with video of Patrick's ads for the chain)
• Dan Patrick biography