Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.

History[link]

Early history[link]

Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor & Sanderson and Vickers' brother William owned a steel rolling operation. Edward's investments in the railway industry allowed him to gain control of the company, based at Millsands and known as Naylor Vickers and Company. It began life making steel castings and quickly became famous for casting church bells. In 1854 Vickers' sons Thomas (a militia officer known familiarly as 'Colonel Tom') and Albert joined the business and their considerable talents – Tom Vickers as a metallurgist and Albert as a team-builder and salesman – were key to its subsequent rapid development. "Its great architects," the historian Clive Trebilcock writes, "Colonel T.E. (1833-1915) and Albert (1838-1919) Vickers... provided both inspired technical leadership... and equally astute commercial direction. Both men were autocrats by temperament, but neither shunned advice or avoided delegation; each, but particularly Albert, had a marked gift for the selection of talented subordinates."^[1]

In 1863 the company moved to a new site in Sheffield on the River Don in Brightside.

Vickers, Sons & Company[link]

The company went public in 1867 as Vickers, Sons & Company and gradually acquired more businesses, branching out into various sectors. In 1868 Vickers began to manufacture marine shafts, in 1872 they began casting marine propellers and in 1882 they set up a forging press. Vickers produced their first armour plate in 1888 and their first artillery piece in 1890.

Vickers, Sons & Maxim[link]

Name plate: Vickers, Sons & Maxim
Wolseley Siddeley

Vickers bought out the Barrow-in-Furness shipbuilder The Barrow Shipbuilding Company in 1897, acquiring its subsidiary the Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company.^[2] at the same time, to become Vickers, Sons & Maxim.

Ordnance and ammunition made during this period, including World War I, was stamped V.S.M.

The yard at Barrow became the "Naval Construction Yard". With these acquisitions, Vickers could now produce a complete selection of products, from ships and marine fittings to armour plate and a whole suite of ordnance. In 1901 the Royal Navy's first submarine, Holland 1, was launched at the Naval Construction Yard. In 1902 Vickers took a half share in the famous Clyde shipyard John Brown and Company.

Further diversification occurred in 1901 with the acquisition of a proposed business which was incorporated as The Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company and in 1905 the goodwill and patent rights of the Siddeley car. In 1911 a controlling interest was acquired in Whitehead and Company, the torpedo manufacturers.

Vickers Limited[link]

1914 advertisement in Jane's presenting Vickers broad naval capabilities

In 1911 the company name was changed to Vickers Ltd and expanded its operations into aircraft manufacture by the formation of Vickers Ltd (Aviation Department). In 1919, the British Westinghouse electrical company was taken over as the Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Company; Metrovick. At the same time they came into Metropolitan's railway interests.

Reorganization[link]

A reorganization during 1926 led to the retention of the rolling stock group: Metropolitan Carriage wagon and Finance Company and The Metropolitan -Vickers Company and the disposal of: Vickers-Petters Limited, British Lighting and Ignition Company, the Plywood department at Crayford Creek, Canadian Vickers, William Beardmore and Co, and Wolseley Motors^[3]

Merger with Armstrong Whitworth[link]

In 1927, Vickers merged with the Tyneside based engineering company Armstrong Whitworth, founded by W. G. Armstrong, to become Vickers-Armstrongs, Ltd. Armstrong Whitworth had developed along similar lines to Vickers, expanding into various military sectors and was notable for their artillery manufacture at Elswick and shipbuilding at a yard at High Walker on the River Tyne. Armstrongs shipbuilding interests became the "Naval Yard", those of Vickers on the west coast the "Naval Construction Yard". Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft was not absorbed by the new company.

In 1928 the Aviation Department became Vickers (Aviation) Ltd and soon after acquired Supermarine, which became the "Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd". In 1938, both companies were re-organised as Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd, although the former Supermarine and Vickers works continued to brand their products under their former names. 1929 saw the merger of the acquired railway business with those of Cammell Laird to form Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon (MCCW); Metro Cammell.

Nationalisation[link]

In 1960 the aircraft interests were merged with those of the Bristol, English Electric Company and Hunting Aircraft to form the British Aircraft Corporation. This was owned by Vickers, English Electric and Bristol (holding 40%, 40% and 20% respectively). BAC in turn owned 70% of Hunting. The Supermarine operation was closed in 1963 and the Vickers name for aircraft was dropped in 1965. Under the terms of the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act BAC was officially nationalised in 1977 to become part of the British Aerospace group, which exists today in the guise of BAE Systems.

The Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act also led to the nationalisation of Vickers' shipbuilding division as part of British Shipbuilders. These had been renamed Vickers Armstrong Shipbuilders in 1955, changing again to Vickers Limited Shipbuilding Group in 1968. This division was privatised as Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (VSEL) in 1986, later part of GEC's Marconi Marine. It remains in operation to this day as BAE Systems Submarine Solutions.

Vickers plc[link]

The Vickers works in Cross Gates, Leeds

With their steelworking operations also nationalised into British Steel the remnants of Vickers became Vickers plc. In 1986, Vickers acquired the armaments manufacturer Royal Ordnance Factory, Leeds, which became Vickers Defence Systems. Other acquisitions included automotive engineers Cosworth in 1990, waterjet manufacturer Kamewa in 1986 and Norwegian marine propulsion and engineering company Ulstein in 1998. 1998 also saw the sale of Rolls-Royce Motors and Cosworth to BMW for 340 million dollars beating out Volkswagen's offer of 430 million dollars.

Current Status of Vickers[link]

Vickers remained independent until 1999 when the then Vickers plc was acquired by Rolls-Royce plc who sold the defence arm to Alvis plc, which became Alvis Vickers. Vickers plc and the subsidiaries retained by Rolls-Royce were renamed Vinters in March 2003.^[4] This Vickers name lived on in Alvis Vickers, until the latter was acquired by BAE Systems in 2004 to form BAE Systems Land Systems.

Vickers Hydraulics, based in Havant Hampshire is now part of the Eaton Corporation.

See also[link]

• Vickers machine gun
• Supermarine
• Vickers hardness test
• Canadian Vickers, a Vickers subsidiary from 1911 to 1944

Bibliography[link]

• Vickers: Against the Odds 1956–1977 by Harold Evans.^[5]
• Anon (1898), Vickers, Sons and Maxim Limited: Their Works and Manufactures, "Engineering", London
• Richardson, Alex (1902), Vickers Sons and Maxim Ltd: Their Works and Manufactures, Ships, Guns, Engines etc. Offices of Engineering, 35 and 36, Bedford Street, Strand, W.C., London; illustrated with 70 engravings (photo engravings)
• Scott, J.D. (1962), Vickers: A History, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London

Footnotes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vickers

• Companies House accessed 22 June 2006
• Vickers Air-raid Shelter
• Vickers Photographic Archive
• Biography of Thomas and Albert Vickers
• The Vickers company canteen at Crayford, Kent, expected to become a restaurant with flats above

v t e Original companies of FT 30 in the United Kingdom As of 1 July 1935. Associated Portland Cement Austin Motor Bass Bolsover Colliery Callenders Cables & Construction Coats Courtaulds Distillers Dorman Long Dunlop Rubber Electrical & Musical Industries Fine Spinners and Doublers General Electric Company Guest Keen & Nettlefolds Harrods Hawker Siddeley Imperial Chemical Industries Imperial Tobacco International Tea Co. Stores London Brick Murex Patons and Baldwins Pinchin Johnson & Associates Rolls-Royce Tate & Lyle Turner & Newall United Steel Companies Vickers-Armstrongs Watney Combe & Reid F. W. Woolworth & Co

Brian Lee Vickers
Born	(1983-10-24) October 24, 1983 (age 28) Thomasville, North Carolina
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	160 lb (73 kg)
Achievements	2003 NASCAR Busch Series Champion]]
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
257 race(s) run over 10 year(s)
Car no., team	No. 55 (Michael Waltrip Racing)
2011 position	25th
Best finish	12th – 2009
First race	2003 UAW-GM Quality 500 (Charlotte)
Last race	2012 Food City 500 (Bristol)
First win	2006 UAW-Ford 500 (Talladega)
Last win	2009 Carfax 400 (Michigan)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 58 11
NASCAR Nationwide Series career
117 race(s) run over 10 year(s)
2011 position	111th
Best finish	1st – 2003
First race	2001 GNC Live Well 250 (Milwaukee)
Last race	2011 O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge (Texas)
First win	2003 Kroger 200 (IRP)
Last win	2003 Stacker 200 (Dover)
Wins Top tens Poles 3 56 4
Statistics current as of April 1, 2012.

Brian Lee Vickers (born October 24, 1983 in Thomasville, North Carolina)^[1] is a American NASCAR and sportscar driver. He was the 2003 Busch Series champion, and at age 20, became the youngest champion in any of NASCAR's three top-tier series. Vickers will drive the No. 55 Toyota in eight races for Michael Waltrip Racing and selected races for AF Waltrip in the #61 Ferrari at the World Endurance Championship in 2012.

Career[link]

Early years[link]

Vickers began running go karts in 1994. Over the next three years, he won eighty races in the World Karting Association, and won three championships, including the 1995 championship against three-time winner Mike Schwartz. In 1998, he moved to the Allison Legacy Series, and won five races during the course of the season. After competing in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series in 1999, he moved to USAR ProCup; winning Rookie of the Year. He won two races in 2000. In 2001, he won five more races and finished 2nd in points.

Vickers made his Busch Series debut in the 2001 GNC Live Well 250 at Miwaukee in the #29 car; owned by his father Clyde. He qualified 30th and finished 37th after a crash. Vickers ran three more races that season; his best finish being 25th at North Carolina. In 2002, Vickers began running the Busch Series in his father's #40 Dodge Intrepid. He drove in 21 races, and his best finish was 7th in the Hardee's 250 at Richmond; his only top 10 of the season.

Hendrick Motorsports (2003–06)[link]

Vickers' crew working on his 2004 car.

Due to a lack of funding for his family-owned team, Vickers was hired to replace Ricky Hendrick in the #5 GMAC Chevrolet; owned by Hendrick Motorsports. In 2003, Vickers won three races and the championship by 14 points over David Green; becoming the youngest champion in the history of the series at age 20. Vickers made his Cup debut in the 2003 UAW-GM Quality 500 at Charlotte; qualifying 20th and finishing 33rd in the #60 Haas Automation Chevy. He ran four more races that season in Hendrick's #25 UAW/Delphi Chevy; qualifying in the top 5 each time, but posting only one top 20 finish.

In 2004, Vickers ran the #25 in the Cup series full-time; carrying sponsorship from Ditech and GMAC. He won two poles, had four top tens, and finished third behind Kasey Kahne and Brendan Gaughan for Rookie of the Year. In 2005, Vickers won the NEXTEL Open exhibition race. He was right behind Mike Bliss on the last lap. He made an effort to pass Bliss at the last possible moment. Bliss blocked him and they touched bumpers; causing Bliss to spin out and allowing Vickers to win. That qualified him for the annual NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, in which he finished 3rd. Vickers finished the year 17th in Cup points with ten top 10s. He also returned to the Busch Series in a limited capacity in 2005, and finishing third at Watkins Glen in the #5. He drove five other races in the #57.

Vickers started out the 2006 season with a 7th place finish in the Daytona 500. He went on to finish 15th in points with nine top 10s, including a win at Talladega. However, the season was marred by conflicts within Hendrick Motorsports. On June 25th, Vickers announced that he would leave Hendrick and drive for the new Red Team team in 2007. In the UAW-Ford 500, Vickers was running third when he bumped teammate Jimmie Johnson on the last lap; causing both Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the leader, to spin out. Vickers went on to score his first victory. Johnson was livid with Vickers, and both he and his crew chief Chad Knaus questioned Vickers' motives with the bump; [1], leading Knaus to state that Vickers had "run out of talent" prior to wrecking his teammate.[2] However, both Johnson and Vickers had a long discussion about what had happened and decided that it was best to move on. This was easily conveyed when Vickers came to congratulate Johnson and Johnson gave him a hug when Johnson won the championship at Homestead.[3] In 2006, he also won a one-off race for Hendrick in the Autozone West Series at Sonoma.

Red Bull Racing (2007–2011)[link]

2007 Nextel Cup car

In 2007, Vickers drove the #83 Red Bull Toyota Camry for the new Red Bull team. His crew chief was Doug Richert, who spent the last three seasons with Greg Biffle and won a championship with Dale Earnhardt. His teammate was A. J. Allmendinger, who drove the team's #84 entry.

This season started out poorly when Vickers suffered a blown tire during his qualifying race for the Daytona 500; causing him to fail to qualify. The next week, the team regrouped, however, and scored a tenth place finish in their first outing, the Auto Club 500 at California, which was coincidentally Toyota's first top 10 in the Cup series. Two weeks later, Vickers led Toyota's first lap in the Cup series at Atlanta.

On May 27, 2007, Vickers gave Toyota its first top 5 ever in the Coca-Cola 600. Toyota brought a new engine to Charlotte, and Vickers showed its potential and surprised many by leading more than 70 laps of the race and having the dominant car. However, towards the end of the race, the power steering of the vehicle began to fail, and eventually ceased operation completely. The team's luck continued to decline as Vickers soon blew a tire and slid into the turn four wall. Immediately as Vickers entered pit road, the caution flew for debris on the track; supposedly from his car. This was a saving grace, as it allowed the #83 car to stay on the lead lap; albeit off the pace and out of contention for the win. Crew chief Doug Richert managed to salvage the race through pit strategy; enabling Vickers to score a fifth place finish.

Late in the 2007 season, crew chief Doug Richert was fired from Team Red Bull and replaced by Randy Cox, who was formerly employed on Team Red Bull's Research and Development team. Vickers struggled for the remainder of the season as Team Red Bull began to focus on developing its Car of Tomorrow program, which would start competing full-time the next season. The resulting inattention to its "current car" program severely hampered Vickers' efforts during the remaining races of that platform.^{[citation needed]} It was another problem in a long line for the entire Red Bull organization, as Vickers finished 38th in points and failed to qualify for 13 races while his teammate, A.J. Allmendinger, missed 19 races and finished 43rd.

2008 Sprint Cup car

In 2008, Vickers, with new crew chief Kevin Hamlin, qualified for the 50th running of the Daytona 500 after racing himself in the field with an 11th place finish in the Gatorade Duel. He went on to make the next 4 races with an average finish of 21st including a 9th place finish at Atlanta where he finished 9th.

Vickers' pit crew won the 2008 Pit Crew Challenge during the All-Star weekend. Vickers went on the next weekend and led 61 laps in the Coca-Cola 600 before he lost his left rear wheel and crashed about halfway through the race.

2009 Sprint Cup car

For the 2009 season, Vickers got a new crew chief: Ryan Pemberton. It was announced he has picked up an additional sponsor in Mighty Auto Parts.

Vickers' season began with controversy in the Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. got a run on the backstretch to the inside of Vickers, but Vickers blocked. Earnhardt, Jr. clipped the left rear fender; getting Vickers loose sending him into the field. Vickers said after the race that Earnhardt should have been black-flagged. Earnhardt later stated that he was unaware that Vickers was a lap down, and that both were fighting for the Lucky Dog position. Earnhardt later apologized.

Vickers won the pole for the Auto Cub 500, but had to go to the rear because of an engine change. Vickers went on to finish 10th.

Vickers ran in the top five all day during the Kobalt Tools 500. In the final laps, Vickers was chasing down Kurt Busch for the win, but Robby Gordon blew a tire to bring out the caution; allowing Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards to catch Vickers on the restart. Vickers finished 5th.

Vickers won his 2nd pole of the season for the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond. Vickers finished 15th in the race.

On June 10, 2009, Team Red Bull pulled off an amazing pit stop in New York City. Brian pulled the #83 Red Bull Toyota to the side of the road and the team changed 4 tires right in Times Square with traffic still moving around them.

Vickers won his 3rd pole of the season for the Lifelock 400 at Michigan. Vickers never led a lap in the race, but earned a solid 9th place finish.

Vickers won his 4th pole of the season for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma. Vickers finished 16th in the race.

Vickers won his 5th pole of the season for the Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland. Vickers finished 7th in the race.

Vickers won his 6th pole of the season at Michigan. He also won the pole for the Carfax 250. In the Nationwide race, he and Kyle Busch were racing hard for the lead on the final lap; allowing Brad Keselowski to pass both of them for the win. After the race, Busch confronted Vickers on pit road. Vickers said, "Oh man, I tell you, I am so sorry, I forgot it was the Kyle Busch show."

Vickers at merchandise trailer

The next day, Vickers won the Carfax 400 from the pole for his second career Sprint Cup victory, Red Bull's first victory, and Toyota's first victory at Michigan. He did so after a late race gamble of not coming in to pit during the race's final caution. On the final restart, Vickers was first and Jimmie Johnson was second. With a little over 40 laps to go, Vickers stayed behind Johnson most of the time; trying to save fuel. With just over 3 laps to go, Johnson ran out of fuel, while Vickers barely had enough to claim the win and do a few burnouts before his car ran out of fuel in the infield.

Two days after the win, Vickers resigned a multi-year extension with Red Bull.

After finishing 7th in the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond, Vickers clinched a spot in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup. He would finish 12th in the standings; his highest points finish to date. His six poles in 2009 was 2nd to Mark Martin's seven for most poles of the year.

2010[link]

On May 13, 2010, it was announced that Vickers, who had earned three top 10s in the first 11 races, would not be participating in the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway due to an undisclosed medical condition, later revealed to be blood clots in his legs and around his lungs.^[2] Casey Mears was announced as his replacement. This ended a streak of 87 consecutive starts, which dated back to Atlanta in 2007.^[2] Vickers had hoped to run a handful of laps before handing the car over to a relief driver in order to earn points, but was not medically cleared.^[2]

On May 21, 2010, six days after being released from a hospital for the aforementioned blood clot issue, it was announced that Vickers would miss the remainder of the season.^[3] His abbreviated 2010 season consisted of three top 10's in eleven races.

2011-2012[link]

Vickers was clear to race in 2011. His season started out in the big one at Daytona, where he would finish 31st. A week later at Phoenix, he was involved in the big one again when Matt Kenseth got into the back of him; triggering a 13 car pileup. Vickers was involved in two other notable run-ins with Kenseth in the fall races at Martinsville and Phoenix as well as run-ins with Tony Stewart at Sonoma, Marcos Ambrose at Richmond, and Jamie McMurray at Martinsville. He would finish the year 25th in points with seven top 10's. After season's end, Red Bull shut down its Cup Series team, leaving Vickers without a ride for 2012.

Vickers started the 2012 season without a ride, but it was announced in early March that he would drive the No. 55 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing at both races at Bristol, Martinsville, and Loudon, sharing the ride with Mark Martin and Michael Waltrip.^[4] In his first race in the #55, Vickers dominated the first half of the race, leading for 125 laps. He would eventually finish 5th. On March 30th, Michael Waltrip Racing announced that Vickers drive at Sonoma, and Watkins Glen, expanding his race schedule to eight races in the No. 55.^[5] Vickers will also drive the AF Waltrip #61 Ferrari in the GTE-AM class for the World Endurance Championship at the 6 Hours of Spa and the 24 Heures du Mans.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Brian Vickers at Racing Reference
• Brian Vickers at NASCAR.com

Diana Vickers (born 30 July 1991) is an English singer-songwriter, stage actress and fashion designer who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on the fifth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2008. In January 2009 Vickers signed a record deal with RCA Records and after touring with her fellow finalists from The X Factor until March 2009, began work on her debut album, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree, until September 2009.

From October 2009 to January 2010 Vickers played the title role in a West End revival of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice for which she won the award for "London Newcomer of the Year" at the Theatregoers' Choice Awards. Vickers' debut single, "Once", charted at number one on the UK Singles Chart after its release on 19 April 2010 and has sold over 204,000 copies in the United Kingdom. Vickers' debut album was released on 3 May 2010 in the United Kingdom achieving number one status on the UK Albums Chart, number seven on the Irish Albums Chart and number four on the European Top 100 Albums, and has been certified Gold by the BPI.^[8] '

Her second single, "The Boy Who Murdered Love", charted at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart. This was followed by her third single, a new song not from the album, "My Wicked Heart", which was released on 17 October 2010 digitally and on 1 November 2010 physically. "My Wicked Heart" peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, making it Vickers' third consecutive Top 40 single.

Vickers' musical career has been commercially successful thus far, with total sales of over 500,000 records in the UK alone for her three singles and debut album. In May 2011 Vickers unveiled her debut fashion line for Very.co.uk titled "Dee V" reinforcing her signature quirky fashion sense.^[9] Vickers' distinctive and unique boho-chic approach to fashion has achieved industry praise from prestigious fashion magazines including Grazia,^[10] Look,^[11] and Harpers Bazaar.^[12] Vickers is also the face of make-up and cosmetic range, Collection 2000.^[13]

On 30 June 2011 Vickers announced via her official Tumblr blog that she had parted company with her label, RCA Records, claiming this was by mutual consent and for purely creative reasons.^[14][15] Following the split with her former record label, Vickers signed a new record deal with Virgin Records in 2012.^[16] As of February 2012, Vickers has released two promotional singles, "Music to Make Boys Cry" and "Kiss Of a Bullet" for free download, and given a clip of another song "Boy In Paris" to fans via Soundcloud. Vickers will tour, have a new single and new album in late 2012.^[17]

Early life[link]

Vickers was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, England and grew up in the village of Huncoat near Accrington.^[18] When Vickers reached the age of 16 she originally planned to study hard for her A Levels and either attend drama school or travel to Thailand to find herself.^[19] She studied for A Levels in Theatre Studies, Classics and Psychology at Westholme School in Blackburn.^[20] Vickers has been singing since the age of 11,^[21] taking singing lessons and participating in local competitions, but had never sung professionally.^[22]

Music career[link]

[edit] 2008–09: The X Factor and record deal

In 2008 Vickers auditioned for the fifth series of The X Factor, singing "The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice where Louis Walsh commented that she resembled a "little hippie"^[23] eventually making it to the live shows. Vickers was selected for the live shows and was mentored by Cheryl Cole along with fellow competitors, Alexandra Burke and Laura White.

Vickers' live show performances were often unconventional, attracting both praise and criticism. Judge Simon Cowell likened her to Marmite, saying fans would either love or hate her unusual singing style, stating that he "loved it".^[24]

On her first live show Vickers sang U2's "With or Without You". Vickers then covered Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror", for which she received nothing but praise with Dannii Minogue describing it as "box fresh" and Simon Cowell remarking she was "the one to beat". The following week Vickers performed Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" which again received much praise and the judges were even more impressed with her version of Blondie's "Call Me".

In week 5 of the live show stages Vickers missed the live show without performing following a bout of laryngitis.^[25] She had wanted to perform the Mariah Carey song "Always Be My Baby" up until a few hours before the show, but her doctor advised her not to, saying Vickers could do permanent damage to her vocal cords. This is the first time the producers have ever excused any act from performing.

In week six Vickers returned to the programme performing Coldplay's "Yellow", which received a negative reaction from the judges; Dannii Minogue commented that she did not "love the song choice", while Cowell suggested Vickers was still not well enough to perform. In week seven Vickers performed Take That's "Patience" commenting that she felt one hundred percent once again and hoped to deliver her best performance to date. During the show, guest Gary Barlow offered to sign her if Cowell did not, to which Cowell responded, "We will not be accepting Gary Barlow's kind offer for a recording contract. Leona [Lewis] has done fine with me, thank you Gary."

In the week nine semi finals of the competition, Vickers performed Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" as her first song and received excellent comments from all the judges, including Cheryl Cole's comment that "she had got that sparkle back". Vickers followed this with Dido's "White Flag" but was subsequently voted out of the competition,^[21] resulting in one of the most emotional eliminations in X-Factor history; towards the end of her final performance, Quigg, Burke & JLS all rushed onto the stage for one last tearful hug.

Vickers was the bookies' favourite to win the competition from the second live show for seven consecutive weeks.^[26] She was eliminated in the semi final (week nine), achieving fourth place overall.^[27] Following the end of the series, she went on tour with the rest of the final eight contestants on The X Factor Live tour between February and March 2009. While on the show, her trademark was to perform in her bare feet. Vickers additionally gained national attention for her hand gestures on stage coining the nickname "The Claw".^[28][29]

After The X Factor it was initially announced that Vickers would be signed by Sony Music under the Syco label along with JLS and Eoghan Quigg but this plan for her to join Syco was later dropped.^[30] Instead, she signed to Sony Music's RCA Records.^[31] She began work on her debut album, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree, in January 2009,^[32] commenting that it would not be rushed and that it would be "Diana style". She worked with Cathy Dennis, Eg White, Nerina Pallot, Ellie Goulding, Cass Lowe, Guy Sigsworth, Chris Braide, Savan Kotecha, Starsmith, Alexis Strum,^[33] Patrick Wolf and Dev Hynes aka Lightspeed Champion.^[34]

[edit] 2009–10: Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree

Vickers' debut single "Once" was written by Cathy Dennis and Eg White and produced by Mike Spencer. The track was released in the United Kingdom on 19 April 2010,^[35] after it was playlisted on Radio 1 and the music video premiered via Channel 4's Freshly Squeezed music programme.^[36][37] On 22 April 2010 Vickers performed an acoustic version of "Once" and a cover of Snow Patrol's "Just Say Yes" on Radio 1's Live Lounge. On 25 April 2010 "Once" entered the UK Singles Chart at number one selling approximately 70,000 copies in its first week of release.^[38] In March 2010 Vickers' first leg of the Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Tour took place, during which she showcased material from the album.^[39]

On 15 April 2010 plans for Vickers' second single were confirmed.^[40] "The Boy Who Murdered Love" was written and produced by Chris Braide at his studio in London, with lyric contribution from Vickers.^[41] The video for the second single was shot in the week commencing 26 April 2010 in London.^[42] Vickers embarked on the second leg of her UK Tour in May 2010 promoting her newly released album, Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree, which on 9 May 2010 charted at number one on the UK Albums Chart selling approximately 36,000 copies in its first week of release. On 25 July 2010 the album returned to the upper reaches of the UK Albums Chart, rising 29 places from number 42 to number 13.^[43]

On 23 May 2010 Vickers performed an acoustic version of "The Boy Who Murdered Love" and Biffy Clyro's "Many of Horror" at Radio 1's Big Weekend. Vickers released her second single, "The Boy Who Murdered Love", on 18 July 2010 and it peaked at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.^[44] Vickers' performed "Once", "The Boy Who Murdered Love" and debut album tracks "N.U.M.B" and "Notice" for a live session for MTV. On 28 July 2010 iTunes released an exclusive EP of Vickers performing at the 2010 iTunes Festival. It included singles "Once", "The Boy Who Murdered Love", album tracks "Notice", "My Hip", a cover of Snow Patrol's "Just Say Yes", but did not include album track "Put It Back Together" nor "You'll Never Get to Heaven", which she also performed.

Vickers appeared at many festivals throughout Summer 2010, including the 2010 V Festival, The Live Lounge Stage at Radio 1's Big Weekend 2010, Stoke Festival, T4 on the Beach, T in the Park, 2010 Oxygen Festival, iTunes Festival, 2010 Sundae Festival and 2010 Freedom Festival, promoting her debut album.^[45][46][47] Vickers also supported Mika at the Eden Sessions in 2010.

On 31 August 2010 Vickers participated in a live Ustream video chat in which she confirmed that her third single would be a brand new track titled "My Wicked Heart" co-written by Vickers and songwriters Dee Adams and James Earp and also produced by them. The track features Vickers playing the trumpet. The single received its first radio play on 12 September 2010 by Tom Deacon on The 5:19 Show. "My Wicked Heart" was digitally released on 17 October 2010 and physically released on 7 November 2010. The video for "My Wicked Heart" premiered on ITV2 at 6.55 pm on 2 October 2010; it features Vickers in a circus tent with gymnasts and drummer boys.

On 16 October 2010 it was reported that Red Hot Chili Peppers was considering legal action over similarities between the chorus of the band's well known song "Under The Bridge" and "My Wicked Heart". Vickers admitted in an interview that she had been listening to "Under The Bridge" shortly before working on "My Wicked Heart" and had noticed but decided to ignore the similarities.^[48] On 17 October 2010 Vickers returned to The X Factor stage, two years after she was last there, to perform "My Wicked Heart".

In an interview with Digital Spy she announced the possibility of "Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree" getting a solely digital download re-release. She also stated "I've been writing so much and got so many tracks under my belt. I think I'm very close to ready for the second album actually."^[49] Vickers embarked on a UK radio tour to promote "My Wicked Heart", which started on 18 October 2010 and ended on 24 October 2010. On 24 October "My Wicked Heart" charted at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, number 12 on the Scottish Singles Chart and number 22 on the Irish Singles Chart selling 50,000 copies to date. Vickers' fourth leg of the Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Tour began on 8 November 2010, touring the UK and for the first time, Ireland where Vickers showcased "More Than This", a previously unheard track, to promote her second album.

2010: Departure with RCA Records[link]

In June 2010 Vickers announced that she had started preparing songs for a second album.^[50] In an interview with Orange Music, Vickers revealed that the new direction would be "sexy", "adventurous" and inspired and influenced by indie and rock music, citing the works of The xx, The Doors, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Bjork.^[2] Vickers has co-written material with Nerina Pallot (who penned "Put It Back Together" for Vickers' debut album), Eg White (who co-wrote "Once"), Starsmith, Chris Braide (who co-wrote The Boy Who Murdered Love with Vickers) and Dee Adam (who co-wrote "My Wicked Heart" with Vickers).^[51] On 6 January 2011 Vickers travelled to Los Angeles, United States, to co-write material with John Shanks and Diane Warren. On 15 January 2011 Vickers played her debut gig in the United States at Cherry Pop in West Hollywood promoted via Perez Hilton.^[52]

[edit] 2011-present: Music to Make the Boys Cry

Main article: Music to Make the Boys Cry

Following her depature with RCA, Vickers signed a new record deal with Virgin Records to distribute her second album. In March 2011 it was announced that Vickers has been collaborating with Starsailor front-man James Walsh indicating a heavier and rockier direction for her second album.^[53] Vickers made a second visit to Los Angeles on 14 March 2011 to do further studio work with John Shanks. On 1 July 2011 it was reported that the mutual separation between Vickers and her management was due to musical direction where Vickers wants to pursue a more indie, less-commercial route.^[15] On 13 July 2011 Popjustice reviewed three tracks from Vickers' second album titled, "Boy In Paris", "Cinderella" and "Music To Make The Boys Cry" commenting that the songwriting standard was extremely high and that, "the tunes – the melodies – are huge". The article presented how the three tracks were a result of studio sessions with Donkeyboy and Miranda Cooper. Popjustice confirmed that the new material would be released in 2012.^[54]

In July 2011 Vickers announced via a Ustream web chat that she would be releasing a downloadable EP before the end of 2011 to showcase a sample of her second era of music. Vickers confirmed that she has recorded over thirty tracks for her new album to be released early 2012. As they cannot all feature on the album, a taster EP was scheduled to be available over the coming months. On 2 December 2011 Vickers confirmed that the EP concept was cancelled but instead the second album would still go ahead.^[55] On 12 August 2011 it was unveiled that Vickers had collaborated with MNEK where the British record producer tweeted that "pop gems" had been made as a result of their studio sessions.^[56]

On 9 December 2011 Vickers released a promotional single "Music to Make Boys Cry" for free download on her website. The song boasts a deeper electronic and indie pop vibe than her previous work. A week later, "Kiss of a Bullet", a second promotional track, was released free of charge by asking fans to publish a Twitter or Facebook post to gain access to the download.^[57] The album will be released in April 2012.^[58] On 8 February and 9 February 2012, Vickers showcased material from her second album in two special intimate gigs at The Ruby Lounge in Manchester and Cargo in Shoreditch, London.^[59]

New songs confirmed by Vickers are: "Music to Make Boys Cry", "Kiss of a Bullet", "Boy In Paris", "More Than This", "Lightning Strikes", "Love Sounds Better In French", "Dead Heat", "Smoke", "Cinderella","My Wicked Heart" and "Mad At Me". However, it is unknown whether Vickers will include "More Than This" on the new album.^[60] According to Popjustice, Vickers' second album is penned for a late 2012 release.^[61] Vickers will be supporting Olly Murs on a variety of tour dates commencing July 2012.

Work with other artists[link]

Vickers co-wrote the Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez single "Mouth 2 Mouth" for Iglesias's reissue album Euphoria Reloaded.^[62]

Acting career[link]

Vickers made her professional acting debut in the title role of a new revived West End production of Jim Cartwright's The Rise and Fall of Little Voice on 8 October 2009 at the Vaudeville Theatre, on The Strand, London.^[64][65] She played Little Voice, who hides a talent as an impersonator of singers such as Shirley Bassey, Edith Piaf and Judy Garland.^[63][66]

Mark Owen of Take That wrote "Sunlight", the final song in the play for Vickers to sing.^[67][68] "Sunlight" was featured as a B-Side for her debut single, "Once". Vickers took a break from recording her debut album to star in the production.^[69] Vickers' performance received more positive reviews than any other show of that year.

Vickers' performance received a good review in The Guardian in which they said that "[Vickers'] singing is impressive, we were surprised at her vocal abilities."^[70] Her stint was deemed "magical" in The Daily Telegraph.^[71] Quentin Letts of the Daily Mail also gave a positive review of Vickers' performance.^[72] She won the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award "London Newcomer of the Year" in February 2010 for her performance, with 34.5% of the vote out of 7 other competitors.^[73][74][75]

Artistry[link]

Musical style and influences[link]

Vickers' musical style scopes from simple folk-tinged, keyboard and guitar based ballads^[4] to more up-tempo indie rock and synth-based songs with full band backing.^[76] Her musical style has been compared to Kate Bush,^[77] Ellie Goulding,^[78] Dido,^[79] and Dolores O'Riordan.^[80] Vickers additionally showcases a quirky and idiosyncratic style of singing often described as breathy, raspy and hiccupy.^[81][82][83] Vickers has cited an array of influences including Florence + The Machine, Kate Bush, Regina Spektor, Mariah Carey, Kings of Leon, Frou Frou, Sinéad O'Connor and The Sundays.^[19] Vickers commented on her musical style and career saying:

Right from the start they [RCA Records] were interested in the fact that I wrote lyrics, I could play more than one instrument and that I wanted to make a record that could have only been made by me. It was important with me to be completely open with co-writers.^[84]

Discussing the musical style of her forthcoming second album, Vickers declared that she had been inspired by indie and rock music to experiment with different sounds. Vickers has stated that the music of The xx, The Doors, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Björk has influenced her latest work.^[2]

Public image[link]

Apart from Vickers' musical style, she is well known for her unique and kooky boho-chic and hippie-influenced appearance.^[85][86] Vickers' trademark style includes messy, back-combed "bird's nest" hair^[87], bare feet and vintage inspired clothing where she is often seen wearing outfits from London's Brick Lane, Camden and Beyond Retro. Vickers' fashion icons are Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe.^[88] Vickers has encouraged dedicated fashion blogs documenting her latest attire and has been labelled a fashionista in the making by Grazia.^[89] On 29 October 2009 Vickers was awarded "Fashionista of the Week" in The Guardian^[90] and on 3 June 2010, Vickers was nominated for "Best Dressed Woman of The Year" at The Clothes Show Style Awards 2010.^[91]

[edit] Dee V for Very fashion line

On 20 May 2011 Vickers launched an eight-piece clothing collection for Very.co.uk titled "Dee V". The debut collection ranged from £20 to £99 for items including sequin dresses adorned with blossom, bird and dog prints, cotton tees and wide leg jeans.^[92] On 24 August 2011 Vickers announced that she would be launching a competition to celebrate her weekly "Vickers Wicked Wednesday" event. The winner would receive the mini sequin dress from her collection, worth £99. On 26 August she announced the winner via her Tumblr blog.^[93] After a best-selling debut range, Vickers launched a second collection for Very.co.uk on 13 July 2011. The second collection is inspired by the fashionable television series Mad Men and emphasises Vickers' uniquely iconic style.^[94] On 1 September 2011 Vickers tweeted that a further collection was designed for her "Dee V" for Very range exclusively for the Christmas period which went on sale from September 2011. A faux-fur knitted dress and a leather biker jacket were among Vickers' Christmas statement pieces.^[95]

Make-up line[link]

In September 2011 Vickers posted on her Tumblr blog that she would be the face of Collection 2000's autumn and winter capsule make-up line. Vickers helped select products for the range, which includes mascaras, smoky eyeshadows, false lashes and bright lipsticks. It goes on sale in Boots and Superdrug stores in the United Kingdom from 28 September 2011. As part of the campaign, Vickers ran a competition on her blog to win a bag full of Collection 2000 products.^[13]

Personal life[link]

Vickers has been dating One Night Only frontman, George Craig.^[96] In July 2011 Vickers gave an interview in which she revealed how they got together: "We chatted at a party, then he tried to woo me. He was very persistent for about three months, sending me lovely texts. Then we were at another party, he picked up a guitar, we got talking and that was it." ^[97]

Philanthropy[link]

In March 2010 Vickers supported JLS for a charity performance in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall in London to raise money for teenagers who are suffering from cancer.^[98] In July 2010 Vickers performed at a charity event "Give Tilly a Hand", helping to raise funds in a charity evening for meningitis victim Tilly Lockley.^[99] For anti-bullying week 2010 in the UK, Vickers uploaded a video to her official website encouraging young people to stand up to bullies.^[100] In August 2010 Vickers wrote a column in The Sun newspaper opposing the use of drugs and legal highs after witnessing disturbing effects of people "out of control" at the UK summer festival circuit warning that, "just because a drug is legal, you cannot assume it is safe."^[101] In an interview with Now Magazine Vickers announced that since rising to fame she has been offered drugs but will always say no to them concluding, "I've never tried them [drugs] and I'm very proud of that."^[102] On 28 September 2010 Vickers played an intimate gig as part of the month long "Oxjam Festival" which raised money in support of charity Oxfam.^[103]

On 10 March 2011 Vickers launched an eBay competition accredited on behalf of Comic Relief which encouraged people to place bids where the highest bidder at the end of the charity auction wins Vickers as a Twitter "best friend". The winning bidder gets followed and regularly mentioned on the social networking website by Vickers over a 90-day period where proceeds from the winning bid raises money for Red Nose Day to help vulnerable, poor and disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa.^[104]

Discography[link]

• Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree (2010)
• Music to Make the Boys Cry (2012)

Tours[link]

• The X Factor Live Tour (2009)
• Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Tour (2010)
• Support act for JLS' Summer Tour (2010)
• Support act for Olly Murs' Summer Tour (2012)

See also[link]

• List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 5)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Diana Vickers

• Official website
• Diana Vickers discography at Discogs
• Diana Vickers on Facebook
• Diana Vickers at the Internet Movie Database
• Diana Vickers on Myspace
• Diana Vickers on Twitter

Lawrence Blanchard Vickers, Jr. (born May 8, 1983 in Beaumont, Texas) is an American football fullback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Colorado at Boulder Buffaloes.

Early years[link]

Four year letterman at Forest Brook High School in Houston, Texas.

College career[link]

He played for the University of Colorado Buffaloes during his college career. Vickers saw limited playing time as a true freshman in 2002. He saw action in 11 games, including the Alamo Bowl (no starts), seeing time on both offense (at fullback) and on special teams; he was a regular at the end of the year in CU’s Stack-I formation (two fullbacks). He had seven rushes for 25 yards on the year, and also caught one pass for seven yards. In 2003, he played in 11 games on both offense and special teams, started six of those games at FB and finished with 100 yards on 28 carries with one TD. He also finished with 15 receptions for 123 yards and one TD. As a junior in 2004, Vickers started seven games and finished with 63 carries for 252 yards and two TD's, and 28 receptions for 290 yards. He remained the Buffs No. 1 FB and backup RB as a senior in 2005, when he finished with 258 yards and nine TDs on 73 carries and 152 yards and two TDs on 26 receptions. He was an Ethnic Studies/Sociology major.

Professional career[link]

Cleveland Browns[link]

Vickers was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 6th round, pick 11 (180th overall) of the 2006 NFL draft. Serving as the team's backup fullback behind Terrelle Smith, Vickers started one game, earning three rushing attempts for two yards and catching six passes for 60 yards. He saw significant time on special teams, having five kick returns for 84 yards. He made his NFL debut versus the New Orleans Saints on September 10.

Vickers took over the fullback position in 2007 and played in every game with 14 starts. He was Jamal Lewis' primary lead blocker, helping him rush for 1,304 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also had 15 carries for 43 yards and 13 receptions for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns. For his efforts, Vickers was named as a second alternate for the 2008 Pro Bowl at fullback.^[1]

In his four seasons, Vickers has scored 3 touchdowns, all on short-yardage receptions. All of his touchdowns were scored against the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers.^[2][3]

Houston Texans[link]

On August 3, 2011, Lawrence Vickers signed with the Houston Texans.

Vickers was released by Houston on March 13, 2012.

Dallas Cowboys[link]

Vickers was signed to a two year deal by the Dallas Cowboys on March 14, 2012.

References[link]

Sir Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott in March 2012.
Born	(1937-11-30) 30 November 1937 (age 74) South Shields, England, United Kingdom
Occupation	Film director, film producer
Years active	1965–present
Notable work(s)	Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, Gladiator, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down, American Gangster
Spouse	Felicity Heywood, (m. 1964–1975, divorced) Sandy Watson (m. 1979–1989, divorced)
Children	With Felicity Heywood Jake (born 1965) Luke (born 1968) With Sandy Watson Jordan (born 1978)

Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November, 1937) is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists (1977), Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Legend (1985), Black Rain (1989), Thelma & Louise (1991), Gladiator (2000), Hannibal (2001), Black Hawk Down (2001), Kingdom of Heaven (2005) American Gangster (2007), Body of Lies (2008), and Prometheus (2012).

Scott has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Directing, as well as Golden Globe and Emmy Awards. He was knighted in the 2003 New Year Honours.^[1] In 2011, Scott received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[2] He is the older brother of film director Tony Scott.^[3]

Early Life[link]

Scott was born in South Shields,^[4] England, the son of Elizabeth and Colonel Francis Percy Scott.^[5] He was raised in an Army family, meaning that for most of his early life, his father — an officer in the Royal Engineers — was absent. Ridley's older brother, Frank, joined the Merchant Navy when he was still young and the pair had little contact. During this time the family moved around, living in (among other areas) Cumbria, Wales and Germany. He has a younger brother, Tony, also a film director. After the Second World War, the Scott family moved back to their native north-east England, eventually settling in Teesside (whose industrial landscape would later inspire similar scenes in Blade Runner). He enjoyed watching films, and his favourites include Lawrence of Arabia, Citizen Kane and Seven Samurai.^[6] Scott studied in Teesside from 1954 to 1958, at Grangefield Grammar School and later in West Hartlepool College of Art, graduating with a Diploma in Design.

He went on to study at the Royal College of Art, contributing to the college magazine, ARK, and helping to establish its film department. For his final show, he made a black and white short film, Boy and Bicycle, starring his younger brother, Tony Scott, and his father. The film's main visual elements would become features of Scott's later work; it was issued on the 'Extras' section of The Duellists DVD. After graduation in 1963, he secured a job as a trainee set designer with the BBC, leading to work on the popular television police series Z-Cars and the science fiction series Out of the Unknown.

He was assigned to design the second Doctor Who serial, The Daleks, which would have entailed realising the famous alien creatures. However, shortly before Scott was due to start work, a schedule conflict meant that he was replaced on the serial by Raymond Cusick.^[7]

In 1968, Ridley and Tony Scott founded Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), a film and commercial production company.^[8] Five members of the Scott family are directors, all working for RSA.^[9] Brother Tony has been a successful film director for more than two decades; sons, Jake and Luke are both acclaimed commercials directors as is his daughter, Jordan Scott. Jake and Jordan both work from Los Angeles and Luke is based in London.

In 1995, Shepperton Studios was purchased by a consortium headed by Ridley and Tony Scott, which extensively renovated the studios while also expanding and improving its grounds.^[10]

Career[link]

Beginnings[link]

Working with Alan Parker, Hugh Hudson, Hugh Johnson at RSA during the 1970s, Scott made television commercials in the UK including most notably the 1974 Hovis advert, "Bike Round" (New World Symphony), which was filmed in Shaftesbury, Dorset.

[edit] The Duellists

The Duellists of 1977 was Ridley Scott's first feature film. It was produced in Europe and won a Best Debut Film medal at the Cannes Film Festival but made limited commercial impact in the US. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, it featured two French Hussar officers, D'Hubert and Feraud (played by Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel). Their quarrel over an initially minor incident turns into a bitter, long-drawn out feud over the following fifteen years, interwoven with the larger conflict that provides its backdrop. The film is lauded for its historically authentic portrayal of Napoleonic uniforms and military conduct, as well as its accurate early-19th-century fencing techniques recreated by fight choreographer William Hobbs. It is also lauded for the stunning cinematography of the Dordogne.

[edit] Alien

Scott's box office disappointment with The Duellists was compounded by the success received by Alan Parker with American-backed films — Scott admitted he was "ill for a week" with envy. Scott had originally planned to next adapt a version of Tristan and Iseult, but after seeing Star Wars, he became convinced of the potential of large scale, effects-driven films. He therefore accepted the job of directing Alien, the ground-breaking 1979 horror/science-fiction film that would give him international recognition.

While Scott would not direct the three Alien sequels, the female action hero Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver), introduced in the first film, would become a cinematic icon. Scott was involved in the 2003 restoration and re-release of the film including media interviews for its promotion. At this time Scott indicated that he had been in discussions to make the fifth and final film in the Alien franchise. However, in a 2006 interview, the director remarked that he had been unhappy about Alien: The Director's Cut, feeling that the original was "pretty flawless" and that the additions were merely a marketing tool.^[11]

[edit] Blade Runner

After a year working on the film adaptation of Dune, and following the sudden death of his brother Frank, Scott signed to direct the film version of Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Starring Harrison Ford and featuring an acclaimed soundtrack by Vangelis, Blade Runner was a disappointment in theatres in 1982 and was pulled shortly thereafter. Scott's notes were used by Warner Brothers to create a rushed director's cut in 1991 which removed the voiceovers and modified the ending. Scott personally supervised a digital restoration of Blade Runner and approved the Final Cut. This version was released in Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto cinemas on 5 October 2007, and as an elaborate DVD release on 18 December 2007.^[12] Today, Blade Runner is often ranked by critics as one of the most important and influential science fiction films of the 20th century^[13] and is usually discussed along with William Gibson's novel Neuromancer as initiating the cyberpunk genre. Scott regards Blade Runner as his "most complete and personal film".^[14]

"1984" Apple Macintosh commercial[link]

In 1984 Scott directed the television commercial 1984, written by Steve Hayden and Lee Clow, produced by Chiat\Day, and starring Anya Major as the unnamed heroine and David Graham as "Big Brother".^[15][16] It was released for a single airing in the United States on 22 January 1984 during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII.^[17] It introduced the Macintosh for the first time and is now considered a "watershed event"^[18] and a "masterpiece".^[19]

1984 used the unnamed heroine to represent the coming of the Macintosh (indicated by her white tank top with a Picasso-style picture of Apple’s Macintosh computer on it) as a means of saving humanity from "conformity" (Big Brother).^[20]

These images were an allusion to George Orwell's noted novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, which described a dystopian future ruled by a supposedly fictional "Big Brother".

[edit] Legend

In 1985 Scott directed Legend, a fantasy film produced by Arnon Milchan. Having not tackled the fairy tale genre, Scott decided to create a "once upon a time" film set in a world of fairies, princesses, and goblins. Scott cast Tom Cruise as the film's hero, Jack, Mia Sara as Princess Lily, and Tim Curry as the Satan-horned Lord of Darkness. A series of problems with both principal photography, including the destruction of the forest set by fire, and post-production (including heavy editing and substitution of Jerry Goldsmith's original score with a score by Tangerine Dream) hampered the film's release. Legend received scathing reviews.

1987–92[link]

Scott made Someone to Watch Over Me, a romantic police drama starring Tom Berenger, Lorraine Bracco and Mimi Rogers in 1987, and Black Rain, a 1989 cop drama starring Michael Douglas and Andy García, shot partially in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. Both achieved mild success at the box office.

Thelma & Louise (1991) starring Geena Davis as Thelma, and Susan Sarandon as Louise, was successful, and revived Scott's reputation. However, his next project—an independent movie, 1492: Conquest of Paradise—was less successful. It is a visually striking film telling the story of Christopher Columbus. However, it was a box office failure, and Scott did not release another film for four years.

Recent career[link]

In 1995, with his brother Tony, Scott formed the film and television production company, Scott Free Productions in Los Angeles. All his subsequent feature films, starting with White Squall and G.I. Jane, starring Demi Moore and Viggo Mortensen, were produced under the Scott Free banner. Also in 1995 the two brothers purchased controlling interest in Shepperton Studios, which later merged with Pinewood Studios. Scott and his brother have produced the CBS series Numb3rs (2005–2010), a crime drama about a genius mathematician who helps the FBI solve crimes, and The Good Wife (2009–), a legal drama concerning an attorney continuing her law practice while coping with her husband, a former state attorney trying to rebuild his political career after a major scandal.

2000–2005[link]

The huge success of Scott's film Gladiator (2000) has been credited with reviving the nearly defunct "sword and sandal" historical genre. Scott then turned to Hannibal (2001), the sequel to Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs. In 2002, Scott released the war film, Black Hawk Down, which further established his position as a critically and financially successful film maker. The film won two Oscars.

In 2003 Scott directed Matchstick Men, adapted from the novel by Eric Garcia and starring Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman. It received mostly positive reviews and performed moderately at the box office. In 2005 he made the modestly successful Kingdom of Heaven, a movie about the Crusades which consciously sought to connect history to current events. The Moroccan government sent the Moroccan cavalry as extras in the epic battle scenes.^[21]

Unhappy with the theatrical version of the film (which he blamed on paying too much attention to the opinions of preview audiences), Scott supervised a director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven, which was released on DVD in 2006.^[22] In an interview to promote the latter, when asked if he was against previewing in general, Scott stated: "It depends who's in the driving seat. If you've got a lunatic doing my job, then you need to preview. But a good director should be experienced enough to judge what he thinks is the correct version to go out into the cinema."^[23]

2006–present[link]

Scott teamed up again with Gladiator star Russell Crowe, directing the movie A Good Year, based on the best-selling book. The film was released on 10 November 2006, with a score by Marc Streitenfeld. Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp and Subsidiary studio 20th Century Fox (who backed the film) dismissed A Good Year as "a flop" at a shareholders' meeting only a few days after the film's release.^[24]

Scott's next directorial work was on American Gangster, the story of real-life drug kingpin Frank Lucas. He was the third director to attempt the project after Antoine Fuqua and Terry George. Denzel Washington and Benicio del Toro had been cast in the initial Steven Zaillian-scripted project under the working title Tru Blu, both actors having been paid salaries of $20 m and $15 m respectively without doing any production on the film. Following George's departure, Scott took over the project in early 2006. He had Zaillian rewrite the script to focus on the dynamic between Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts. Washington signed back on to the project as Lucas, and Crowe signed on to play Roberts. The film finally premiered in November 2007 to positive reviews and good box office. In late 2008 Scott released the espionage thriller Body of Lies starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Crowe once again which opened to luke-warm ticket-sales and mixed reviews.

Scott directed an adaptation of Robin Hood titled Robin Hood, which starred Russell Crowe as Robin Hood and Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, and which was released on 13 May 2010 in Australia and 14 May 2010 in America. The film also starred Max von Sydow and Mark Strong.

Scott and his brother Tony produced the film adaptation of the 1980s TV cult classic The A-Team, which was directed by Joe Carnahan and released on 11 June 2010.

On 31 July 2009, news surfaced of a two part prequel to Alien, developed by 20th Century Fox.^[25] with Scott attached to direct.^[26]. The project, ultimately reduced to a single film called Prometheus, which Scott describes as sharing "strands of Alien's DNA" while not being a direct prequel, is scheduled for release in June 2012.

On 6 July 2010, YouTube announced the launch of Life In A Day, an experimental documentary that was to be executive produced by Scott. Released at the Sundance Film Festival on 27 January 2011, it incorporates footage shot on 24 July 2010 that was submitted by YouTube users from around the world.^[27]

Planned projects[link]

In April 2008, Scott announced his new project, The Kind One, a period drama set for release in 2012. The film will star recent Academy Award nominee Casey Affleck.^[28] It is based on the novel of the same name by screenwriter Tom Epperson.

On 12 October 2008, Scott confirmed that after a 25 year wait for the rights to become available, he is making a return to science fiction with a film adaptation of the book The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. He was looking for a script writer.^[29] In March 2009, Scott confirmed that the film would be in 3D citing James Cameron's Avatar as an inspiration for doing so. "I'm filming a book by Joe Haldeman called Forever War. I've got a good writer doing it. I've seen some of James Cameron's work, and I've got to go 3D. It's going to be phenomenal."^[30][31]

Another science fiction project to which Scott has been attached is an adaptation of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, with Leonardo DiCaprio also attached.^[32]

In August 2011, information leaked about production of a sequel to Blade Runner by Alcon Entertainment, with Alcon partners Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove.^[33] Scott announced on 15 October 2009 that he will direct a film adaptation of the Red Riding trilogy.^[34]

As of 1 February 2012, Ridley Scott discussed a project based on a screenplay called The Counsellor by Cormac McCarthy with the producers of The Road, Nick Wechsler and Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz. ^[35]

Personal life[link]

Ridley Scott was married to Felicity Heywood from 1964 to 1975. The couple had two sons, Jake and Luke, both of whom work as directors on Scott's production company Ridley Scott Associates. Scott later married advertising executive Sandy Watson in 1979, with whom he had a daughter, Jordan Scott, and divorced in 1989.^[36][37]

His current partner is the actress Giannina Facio, whom he has cast in all his movies since White Squall except American Gangster.^{[citation needed]} He divides his time between homes in London, France, and Los Angeles.

Approach and style[link]

Scott was not initially considered an actors' director^{[citation needed]}, but has become more receptive to ideas from his cast as his career has developed. Examples include Susan Sarandon's suggestions that the character of Louise pack shoes in plastic bags in one scene of Thelma & Louise, and another where her character exchanges jewelry for a hat and other items— and Tim Robbins' collaboration with Scott and Susan Sarandon to rework the final scene with a more upbeat ending. Russell Crowe commented, "I like being on Ridley's set because actors can perform [...] and the focus is on the performers."^[38] Paul M. Sammon, in his book Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner, commented in an interview with Brmovie.com that Scott's relationship with his actors has improved considerably over the years.^[39] More recently during the filming of Scott's 2012 film, Prometheus, Charlize Theron praised the director's willingness to listen to suggestions from the cast for improvements in the way their characters are portrayed on script. Theron worked alongside the writers and Scott to give more depth to her character during filming.^[40]

On the other hand, he can be a demanding and difficult director to work for. He was nicknamed "Guvnor" in the Blade Runner production. Several crew members wore protest t-shirts with slogans such as "Yes Guvnor, my ass" and "Will Rogers never met Ridley Scott" in reference to Will Rogers' most famous quotation, "I never met a man I didn't like".^{[41][citation needed]} This was mainly in response to the way that Scott directed his first American crew, which some considered too harsh.

His striking visual style, incorporating a detailed approach to production design and innovative, atmospheric lighting, has been influential on a subsequent generation of filmmakers — many of whom have imitated his style. Scott commonly uses slow pacing until the action sequences. Examples include Alien and Blade Runner; the LA Times critic Sheila Benson, for example, would call the latter "Blade Crawler" "because it's so damn slow". Another technique he employs is use of sound or music to build tension, as heard in Alien, with hissing steam, beeping computers and the noise of the machinery in the space ship.

Scott has developed a method for filming intricate shots as swiftly as possible:

"I like working, always, with a minimum of three cameras. [...] So those 50 set-ups [a day] might only be 25 set-ups except I'm covering in the set-up. So you're finished. I mean, if you take a little bit more time to prep on three cameras, or if it's a big stunt, eleven cameras, and — whilst it may take 45 minutes to set up — then when you're ready you say 'Action!', and you do three takes, two takes and is everybody happy? You say, 'Yeah, that's it.' So you move on."^[38]

Although Scott is often known for his painterly directorial style, other techniques and elements include:

• Strong female characters.^[42][43]
• Some of his movies feature strong conflicts between father and son that usually end with the latter killing the former (Blade Runner, Gladiator) or witnessing the event (Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood). The Lord of Darkness in Legend also mentions his "father" on a few occasions. As part of the conflict between father and son there are some repetitive scenes: in Gladiator, the son hugs the father seemingly as an expression of love but this embrace turns into the suffocation and death of the father. There is a similar sequence in Blade Runner.
• Scott utilises cityscapes as an emphasis to his storytelling (i.e., a futuristic Los Angeles in Blade Runner, Tokyo in Black Rain, Jerusalem in Kingdom of Heaven).
• In Gladiator, Blade Runner and Kingdom of Heaven, a son gets to know his father when he is grown up. Other common elements are that the mother is not seen, and that the son or father is seen performing his last actions. For example, Roy Batty is dying when he saves Deckard, Maximus dies after killing Commodus and Godfrey of Ibelin kills some enemies after he has been mortally wounded by an arrow. In addition, the hero is saved from death before attaining his greatest deeds: Deckard is saved by Rachel, Maximus is saved by a slave and Balian is saved by a Muslim enemy. Similar situations can be seen in Tony Scott's Man on Fire.
• Military and officer classes as characters reflecting his father's career, such as in G.I. Jane and Black Hawk Down and Kingdom of Heaven.
• Storyboarding his films extensively. These illustrations, when made by himself, have been referred to as "Ridleygrams" in DVD releases.
• Scott was once known for requesting a great many takes. This was evident on Blade Runner: the crew nicknamed the movie "Blood Runner" because of this.
• He often makes use of classical music (the Hovis advertisements, Someone to Watch Over Me).
• Extensive use of smoke and other atmospheres (in Alien, Blade Runner and Black Rain), plus fans and fan-like objects (Blade Runner, Black Rain and the large Boeing jet engines in the 1984 TV advertisement). Fans are also used in Hannibal, for symbolic purposes.
• Consistency in his choice of composers, using Jerry Goldsmith (Alien and Legend), Vangelis (Blade Runner and 1492: Conquest of Paradise), Hans Zimmer (Black Rain, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down and Matchstick Men) or Marc Streitenfeld (A Good Year, American Gangster, Body of Lies, Robin Hood and Prometheus). Scott has also twice used songs by Sting during the film credits ("Valparaiso" for White Squall and "Someone to Watch Over Me" for the movie of the same title).

DVD format and director's cut[link]

Scott is known for his enthusiasm for the DVD format, providing audio commentaries and interviews for all his films where possible. In the July 2006 issue of Total Film magazine, he stated: "After all the work we go through, to have it run in the cinema and then disappear forever is a great pity. To give the film added life is really cool for both those who missed it and those who really loved it."^[23]

Running alongside his enthusiasm for DVD, Scott is sometimes considered the "father" of the director's cut, though the impetus to produce such versions has sometimes begun with other parties. The positive reaction to the Blade Runner Director's Cut encouraged Scott to re-cut several movies that were a disappointment at the time of their release (including Legend and Kingdom of Heaven). Today the practice of alternative cuts is more commonplace, though often as a way to make a film stand out in the DVD marketplace by adding new material.

Filmography[link]