WCIU-TV is an independent television station, located in Chicago, Illinois. It operates on UHF digital channel 27 (virtual channel 26) and is Chicago's oldest UHF station, signing on the air in 1964. WCIU-TV is the flagship station of Weigel Broadcasting, a locally-based broadcaster which has owned the station since its inception. Weigel Broadcasting also owns two low-powered sister-stations, WWME-CA (channel 23) and WMEU-CA (channel 48) in Chicago, as well as stations in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and South Bend, Indiana.

WCIU-TV operates a low-power repeater station, WFBN-LP (channel 33), in Rockford, Illinois.

History

1964-1993

Since going on the air on February 6, 1964, WCIU spent much of its history carrying multi-ethnic entertainment. In 1970, Channel 26 was the birthplace of the ground-breaking African-American music program Soul Train, hosted by its creator (and then-WCIU station employee) Don Cornelius. The show later moved into national syndication and to Los Angeles the following year, though WCIU continued to produce Soul Train for its local viewers through 1976, initially with Cornelius as host (simultaneous with the Los Angeles-based version), and later hosted by Clinton Ghent, who was substitute host and producer under Cornelius. Currently, WCIU is the home of the long-running locally produced show Svengoolie.

From the late 1960s to 1985, WCIU ran religious shows in the early morning. From about 8:00AM–3:30PM, it ran The Stock Market Observer (business news similar to today's CNBC) from the Chicago Board of Trade (whose building housed the WCIU studios). After 5:00PM on weekdays, the station ran Spanish entertainment programming from the Spanish International Network, the forerunner to today's Univision. On weekends, WCIU ran a blend of religious shows, ethnic brokered shows, and Spanish programming. Beginning in the summer of 1985, SIN moved to WSNS-TV (channel 44). WCIU picked up NetSpan, which would later become Telemundo, shortly thereafter. In 1989 Univision returned to WCIU, swapping affiliations with WSNS-TV.

1994-2004

In 1994, Univision asked WCIU to drop Stock Market Observer and all other non-Spanish programs and become a full-time affiliate. WCIU refused, which led Univision to purchase WGBO-TV (channel 66) and move its programming there. On January 1, 1995, WCIU began to broadcast general entertainment programming, taking some of the leftover programming from WGBO, along with newly-purchased shows that were not on the air in Chicago, moving its remaining ethnic programming to its low-powered sister station on channel 23, then WFBT. They also revived Svengoolie, which had previously run in the market on other stations.

Initially, the station continued to run the Stock Market Observer from 8:30AM until 3:30PM and entertainment programming afterward and on weekends. WCIU then added a 7:00AM–9:00AM weekday kids block by March 1995. In the fall of 1995, the station began to air children's programming from The WB Television Network (known as Kids' WB) in lieu of WB affiliate WGN-TV (channel 9), which continued to air their morning newscast and afternoon sitcom block instead. The business news was pulled back to 9:00AM–12:00PM on the weekdays, and a couple years later it would move to their low power station on channel 23 as "WebFN", a joint venture between Weigel and Bridge Information Systems which also aired on Milwaukee sister station WMLW, and featured several former anchors from WMAQ radio after that station converted to sports talk in 2000 as WSCR.

By 1999, WCIU dropped the afternoon kids block and kept children's programming in the morning. In 2004, the station dropped Kids' WB, which moved to WGN-TV. Today, WCIU focuses on more recent sitcoms, talk shows, court shows, and news magazines.

2005-present

Early in 2005, the business news format was scaled back to a daily program, "First Business". On January 1, 2005 (exactly 10 years after WCIU became a general-market station,) channel 23's ethnic programming moved to channel 48, and 23 became "MeTV" WWME-CA expanding a lineup of classic TV shows that had started several months earlier. On March 1, 2008, channel 48 became "MeToo" WMEU-CA, an extension of MeTV's "Classic TV" format and channel 48's ethnic programming returned to WCIU on a digital channel "FBT." FBT was dropped on December 1, 2010 and was replaced by a temporary simulcast of WCIU-TV.

In April 2006, WCIU began broadcasting home games of the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, and the Chicago Bulls in 720p HD with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio on its digital signal. In April 2008, WCIU began broadcasting both home and away games of the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs in 720p HD with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio on its digital signal.

In July 2008, Weigel announced the creation of This TV, a nationwide subchannel network operated as a joint venture of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Weigel Broadcasting. This TV was officially launched on November 1, 2008 and is currently offered on digital channel 26.5.

WCIU is also known for its "dog promos" (an idea borrowed from KOFY-TV in San Francisco) where Chicagoan's pet dogs are filmed to promote shows on the station. Casting calls are announced on the station's website every few months.

Weigel Broadcasting launched You and Me This Morning, a program that features entertainment news.

On January 4, 2011, MGM and Weigel Broadcasting announced plans to distribute MeTV nationwide.

Digital television

WCIU's digital channel features multicasting of five digital channels: {| class="wikitable" |- ! Channel ! Video ! Aspect ! Programming |- |26.1||720p||||WCIU's regular schedule; offers some sports programming in high definition |- |26.2||480i||||The U Too, which airs time-shifted programming from WCIU's main channel. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers are displaying WCIU-TV's virtual channel as 26. Also, the "WCIU-TV" callsign was transferred from the now-defunct analog channel 26 to digital channel 27 on June 12, 2009 and the "WCIU-DT" callsign was removed.

From June 13, 2009 to January 9, 2011, WCIU-TV's main programming was simulcasted on low-power analog station WWME-CA Channel 23 to provide a nightlight service. From June 13 to July 12, 2009, they even aired newscasts from WMAQ-TV and WGN-TV for those viewers who either were unready or had problems since the June 12 digital transition.

The U Too

On December 1, 2010, WCIU dropped its FBT foreign broadcasting digital subchannel and for two weeks aired a simulcast of WCIU-TV on digital subchannel 26.6. On December 15, WCIU-DT 26.6 disappeared and programming was shifted to subchannel 26.2 (replacing MeTV, which moved to WCIU digital subchannel 26.3) where it continued to simulcast most of WCIU's main programming. In addition, PSIP channel 48.1 was discontinued (to be later used by the future WMEU-LD) while 23.1 reverted to being the virtual channel number for WWME-LD (23.2 was also discontinued).

On January 5, 2011, a brand new digital subchannel, The U Too, was officially launched on digital subchannel 26.2. As of January 10, 2011, the digital subchannel is also simulcast on WWME-CA analog channel 23.

Local programming

Ultrascope (a program sponsored by Sears which was used to sell UHF-capable televisions and converter boxes within their Chicago area stores. An early version of Music Choice featuring a clock/album cover display and album audio which aired from 9am-5pm daily)

Ted and the Angel (talk show with Angel Tompkins), 1967–1968

The Homework Show, 1995–2006

Green Screen Adventures 2007–present (also syndicated to This TV and other Weigel stations)

U Dance with B96, 1995–1997 (American Bandstand-type show with DJs from WBBM-FM)

Svengoolie, 1994–present

Stooge-A-Palooza, 2003–2010 (Three Stooges showcase with Rich Koz)

Rock of Ages, 1970?–present (religious)

A Black's View of the News, 1968–?? (news)

Soul Train, 1970–1976 (local version only; program was syndicated from 1971 to 2006)

The Bob Lewandowski Show, 1964–1995 (Fansite)

Outdoor Sportsman, 1970s–1982?; originally on WSNS Channel 44, it was produced and hosted by local outdoorsman Joe Wyer

Stock Market Observer, 1968–2000

WebFN, 2000-2003 (replaced SMO)

First Business, 2003–present (replaced WebFN, syndicated through MGM Television)

Kiddie-A-Go-Go, 1964–1967

Western Theatre with Two Ton Baker (1964–1965)

Marty Faye Show

The Chicago Party (c. 1982)

Eddie Korosa's Polka Party (c. 1978)

References

External links

Me TV and Me Too

This TV site

Category:Channel 27 digital TV stations in the United States Category:Independent television stations in the United States Category:Television channels and stations established in 1964 Category:Television stations in Chicago, Illinois Category:This TV affiliates Category:Soul Train

Name	Dennis Miller
Imagesize	220px
Caption	Dennis Miller speaking at JavaOne, 2005.
Birth date	November 03, 1953
Birth place	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Medium	Stand-up, Television, Film, Books, Radio
Nationality	American
Genre	Satire/Political satire/News satire, Observational comedy, Wit/Word play, Black comedy, Surreal humor
Subject	American politics, American culture, , pop culture, libertarianism, American conservatism
Influences	Jay Leno, Richard Belzer,
Spouse	Carolyn (Ali) Espley (April 10, 1988 - present) (2 children)
Notable work	Weekend Update anchor on Saturday Night Live Host of Dennis Miller Live Color commentator on Monday Night Football Host of The Dennis Miller Show
Website	www.dennismillerradio.com

}} Dennis Miller (November 3, 1953) is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor, sports commentator, and television and radio personality. He is known for his critical assessments laced with pop culture references. He rose to fame as a cast member of Saturday Night Live in 1985, and subsequently hosted a string of his own talk shows on HBO, CNBC and in syndication. He currently hosts a daily, three-hour, self-titled talk radio program, nationally syndicated by Westwood One.

Although in his early years of fame he was perceived to be quite liberal and anti-Republican, in recent years, Miller has become known for his right leaning political opinions. He is a regular political commentator on Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor in a segment called "Miller Time", and previously appeared on the network's Hannity & Colmes in a segment called "Real Free Speech".

Personal life

Miller was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Castle Shannon, a suburb of Pittsburgh, where he graduated from Keystone Oaks High School in 1971. His parents separated and Miller was raised as a Roman Catholic by his mother, Norma, a dietitian. Miller is of Scottish descent. At Point Park University, he majored in journalism because he thought it would be easy: "I remember seeing All the President's Men and thinking Redford looked cool in his crinkled tie." He was a member of Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity. About his social status during this period, Miller writes: "When I went to college, I lived on campus, and the guys I hung out with made me do some things I'm not proud of, although they made the characters in Revenge of the Nerds look like the Rat Pack in 1962. I myself made that kid Booger look like Remington Steele" (I Rant, Therefore I Am). Miller graduated from Point Park University in 1976.

In 1979 Miller won $500 as a runner-up in Playboy magazine's first annual humor competition with the following joke:

Miller married Carolyn "Ali" Espley, a former model from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 10, 1988. Espley is known as the girl in Kajagoogoo's "Too Shy" music video. The couple live in Santa Barbara, California, with their two sons, Holden (born 1990) and Marlon (born 1993). His younger brother Jimmy Miller has been a manager for comedians such as Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, Judd Apatow, and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Television career

In the early 1980s, Miller hosted The Trolley Show, a Saturday afternoon newsmagazine for teenagers, on Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV. He also produced humorous essays for the syndicated Evening Magazine television program. Miller then began performing stand-up in New York comedy clubs such as Catch A Rising Star and The Comic Strip, as well as in Los Angeles at The Comedy Store. He appeared on Star Search, where he lost out to fellow comedian Sinbad after the two tied with judges' scores, but Sinbad won with a higher studio audience approval rating.

Saturday Night Live

Miller's big break came in 1985, when he was discovered by Lorne Michaels at The Comedy Store. He landed a spot on Saturday Night Live, where he succeeded Christopher Guest as the Weekend Update anchor. The spot was supposed to go to comic Jon Lovitz, but Lovitz was scheduled for other parts on the show and needed the Update segment to do costume changes; so Miller was drafted to read the news. Miller began his fictional news reports with "Good evening, and what can I tell you?" and closed with "That's the news, folks, and I am outta here!" Fans of SNL became accustomed to his smirky delivery, high-pitched giggle, and frequently-primped hair — idiosyncrasies that would be spoofed by Dana Carvey, Tom Hanks, and Jimmy Fallon, all of whom have impersonated Miller on the show. When Miller left SNL in 1991, the anchor's chair was turned over to Kevin Nealon.

In 1988, Miller released a stand-up comedy CD, The Off-White Album, based on an HBO special titled Mr. Miller Goes to Washington, which drew heavily from the observational and metaphor-driven style he was known for on Saturday Night Live, and showed glimpses of the political humor that would influence his later work. A well-received HBO special, Dennis Miller: Black and White, aired shortly after the release of the CD.

Although Miller spent much of his time on SNL behind the Weekend Update desk, he was included in some sketches and did a few recurring characters and celebrity impersonations.

Recurring characters

Koko, one of the pixies in the recurring sketch "Miss Connie's Fable Nook"

Steve, one of The Stand-Ups (others include Jon Lovitz as Bob, Damon Wayans as Keith, and Tom Hanks as Paul)

Celebrity impersonations

Gary Hart

George Harrison

Nathaniel Crosby

The Dennis Miller Show

In 1992, following his departure from Saturday Night Live, Miller launched a late-night TV talk show, The Dennis Miller Show, syndicated by Tribune Entertainment. The Dennis Miller Show was among the first "alternative" talk shows, featuring cutting-edge bands and other groundbreaking guests not seen on other late-night programs of the time. For example, Toad the Wet Sprocket made their national television debut on the show, and Henry Rollins stopped by more than once to chat with Miller and perform spoken word. Andy Summers, formerly of the band The Police, led the house band, and Nick Bakay was the announcer. The show staff boasted a standard mix of past and future performers, writers, and producers of note including Nick Bakay, Todd Baker, Mark Brazill (That '70s Show), Eddie Feldmann, David Kohan & Max Mutchnick (creators of Will & Grace), Norm Macdonald, Bob Odenkirk (Mr. Show), John Riggi, Kevin Rooney, Herbert Sargent (Saturday Night Live), Drake Sather, and Dave Thomas (Second City TV).

Dennis Miller Live

Beginning in 1994, Miller hosted Dennis Miller Live, a half-hour talk show on HBO. The show's theme song was the iconic Tears for Fears hit "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", and also utilized a snippet of the song "Civilized" by Rollins Band. The show was taped at CBS Television City on the same stage that "The Price Is Right" is taped. It utilized a small set and sparse lighting, and there was no band. It comprised mainly Miller, speaking to the largely unseen studio audience, on a darkened stage. He hosted one guest per show, either live in the studio or occasionally on air via satellite, with whom Miller would discuss the topic of the day. There was also a call-in segment. The number was originally given as 1-800-LACTOSE. Later, he referred to it only by its numeric equivalent (1-800-522-8673). Within the time available, Miller typically could accommodate only two or three calls. He gradually eliminated call-ins entirely in the last few years of the show. Miller and his writing staff won five Emmy Awards while hosting the show, which aired 215 episodes during its nine-year run. HBO cancelled the show in 2002.

Monday Night Football

In 2000, Miller beat out Rush Limbaugh and Tony Kornheiser (among others) for a job as color commentator on ABC's Monday Night Football. His commentary was sprinkled with esoteric references. A common Miller-ism was after a Hail Mary pass fell incomplete, he would say "Hail Mary is denied -- separation of church and state." After two seasons, Miller and former San Diego Chargers' quarterback Dan Fouts (who worked alongside play-by-play man Al Michaels) were replaced by the veteran football commentator John Madden. In 2010, TV Guide Network listed Miller's stint at #12 on their list of 25 Biggest TV Blunders.

CNBC show

In 2003, Miller provided short-lived regular commentary for the Fox News show Hannity & Colmes before moving on to do a prime-time political show on CNBC in early 2004 called, simply, Dennis Miller. The hour-long show contained a daily news segment called "The Daily Rorschach", which was reminiscent of his Weekend Update segments. He also had a chimpanzee, as a nod to the early days of the Today show and their mascot J. Fred Muggs. The show also featured a panel discussion dubbed "The Varsity", which offered a wide variety of political viewpoints on current topics. Frequent "Varsity" panelists included Ed Schultz, Gloria Allred, Willie Brown, David Horowitz, Mickey Kaus, Steven Katz, Lawrence O'Donnell, Phil Hendrie, and Harry Shearer. CNBC cancelled the show in May 2005 due to declining viewership.

Guest appearances and commercials

Miller has appeared as a guest or guest star on various shows, including Boston Public, The Daily Show, Hannity & Colmes, NewsRadio, The O'Reilly Factor, The Norm Show, Real Time with Bill Maher, SportsCenter, and late-night talk shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Miller hosted the MTV Video Music Awards in 1995 and 1996. He was also the host of HBO's 1996 series of election specials, Not Necessarily the Election.

He has appeared in various television commercials, serving as a spokesman for M&M;'s candies, 10-10-220 long distance service, and the Internet service provider NetZero. About these activities he has remarked: "Everybody has to sell out at some point to make a living. I'm a family man. I sold out to make an M&M; commercial. They offer incredible amounts of money, and I say, ‘What can I do to sell one more piece of candy for you? Do you want me to hug the M&M;?’ "

Miller was the guest host of Monday Night Raw on December 14th, 2009.

Return to Fox News

On September 21, 2006, Miller returned to Fox News, giving a two and a half minute commentary on illegal immigration during his "Real Free Speech" segment on Hannity & Colmes. He appeared on the Fox News comedy show The Half Hour News Hour on 13 of its 17 aired episodes. Currently, he has a weekly segment on The O'Reilly Factor called "Miller Time". Miller has also appeared on FNC's RedEye under the nomdeplume of "Mansquito". Miller has pledged to use this pseudonym on future appearances on the network.

Game shows

Miller co-hosted the game show Grand Slam, which aired on GSN in 2007.

For one month, Miller hosted Amne$ia for NBC. The show was canceled due to poor ratings.

Sports Unfiltered on Versus

Miller's days as a sports commentator did not end when he left Monday Night Football. In 2007, Versus, the cable network best known for its coverage of the National Hockey League tapped Miller to host Sports Unfiltered, a sports commentary show that airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern Time. It debuted on November 6, 2007.

Radio career

The Dennis Miller Show

In January 2007, Miller signed a deal with Westwood One to launch a three-hour talk radio program. The program debuted on March 26, 2007, and is now live from 10am to 1pm Eastern Time, with re-feeds from 1pm to 4pm Eastern Time and 4pm to 7pm Eastern Time. The show's website provides a live stream of the broadcast. The site also makes archives of all shows available in MP3 format. The live feed is free, but a subscription to the Dennis Miller Zone (DMZ) is required in order to access archived broadcasts. The show airs on 250+ stations, many of which (especially in the major markets) are owned by Salem Communications, airing on tape delay on some of those stations between 6-9 pm ET and 9 pm-12 am ET. Salem stations also air a "best of" Miller show on Saturdays. His on-air sidekick is "Salman" (David S. Weiss), who also wrote for Dennis Miller Live. His producer "Christian" previously appeared on-camera as dozens of different characters during the "Daily Rorschach" segment on his CNBC television show.

Miller's program includes serious discussions about American culture, current events, politics, and their place in the global context. The show is infused with Miller's sarcasm, which is often characterized by obscure pop culture references. For example, each hour of the show opens up with an arcane reference. The first hour's opening phrase is a combination of dialogue from the film Thank You for Smoking and a U.S. space program slogan coined by Alan Shepard: "What's up, Hiroshi? Let's light this candle!" Miller's other opening phrases for his second and third hours respectively are "Come to me my babies, let me quell your pain", (Powers Boothe as Jim Jones in ) and "ABC -- Always be closing if you want the knife set" (from Glengarry Glen Ross).

Most shows feature three guests (one per hour), mostly from the world of politics and entertainment, as well as calls from listeners. Guests include fellow comedians and SNL alumni (such as Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz), pundits and authors such as Ann Coulter, Aaron Klein and Mark Steyn (while the show's guest list leans right of center, there are several liberals who have appeared on the show, such as Dennis Kucinich and Alan Dershowitz), Presidential candidates, several sports commentators, and some "regulars", Howard Fineman of Newsweek, singer Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, Nikki Finke, and Representative David Dreier, a Republican congressman from California, among many others. Dennis Miller generally takes calls every hour, and in addition to comments about culture and politics, Miller encourages humorous callers and often comments on their comedic delivery. A segment on Fridays is set aside for "Dennis Ex Machina", his term for a segment without a guest, where he allows phone calls on any topic.

According to Talkers Magazine estimates, as of February 2010, Miller's show has an estimated 1,500,000 weekly listeners, on par with The Thom Hartmann Show, Imus in the Morning and Mancow's Morning Madhouse. Talkers ranks him 34th of the country's top radio talk show hosts. Miller and Westwood One renewed their agreement in September 2009, for an undisclosed multiple number of years.

Other endeavors

Miller periodically performs stand-up at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. In recent appearances, he has done a mix of his old and new material, with some political jokes as well.

He has authored four books based on his stand-up comedy and television monologues: The Rants (1996), Ranting Again (1999), I Rant, Therefore I Am (2000), and The Rant Zone (2001).

Miller has appeared in several films, in both comedic and non-comedic roles. His movie credits include Madhouse, Disclosure, The Net, Never Talk to Strangers, Bordello of Blood, What Happens in Vegas and Murder at 1600. He plays the Howard Stern-like talk-radio host Zander Kelly in Joe Dirt (2001) and appears as himself in Thank You for Smoking (2006).

Miller guest hosted the Slammy Awards episode of WWE Raw on December 14, 2009, and made a personal petition to Vince McMahon while they co-presented an award to have Bret Hart be considered to be one of the Guest Hosts. Vince stated due to controversy like the Montreal Screwjob that he would probably not want to participate. Dennis got the crowd going and Vince left the stage in visible disgust.

Comedic style

Miller is known for his laid-back style (for example, calling people "Babe" or referring to them as "cats") and acerbic, brooding sense of humor. His specialty is the "rant" — a stream-of-consciousness diatribe monologue in which he rails against whatever happens to be bothering him at the moment. Such rants typically begin with "Now, I don't want to get off on a rant here, but..." and end with "...of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong." (Early on Dennis Miller Live his rant end was "Aw, fuck it. Who wants pie?")

Miller's monologues and standup routines often feature elaborate similes and metaphors involving allusions to obscure people, places, and things. Miller has alluded to his own reputation for obscurity by titling one of his television specials Citizen Arcane. On his passion for language, he has remarked: "I've always loved the flirtatious tango of consonants and vowels, the sturdy dependability of nouns and capricious whimsy of verbs, the strutting pageantry of the adjective and the flitting evanescence of the adverb, all kept safe and orderly by those reliable little policemen, punctuation marks. Wow! Think I got my ass kicked in high school?"

He was voted number 21 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.

Political views

Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Miller was generally perceived as a cynic on the left, ever eager to bash conservative Republicans. This perception did not change much even when Miller told USA Today in 1995: "I might be profane and opinionated, but underneath all that are some pretty conservative feelings. On most issues, between Clinton and Newt Gingrich, I'd choose Newt in a second, even though he is a bit too exclusionary." Miller also declared himself a "conservative libertarian" in a 1996 Playboy interview. The perceived change did not surprise former Saturday Night Live colleague and Democratic Party Senator Al Franken, however: "People have said to me, ‘What happened to Dennis?’ Nothing happened to Dennis. He's the same Dennis. He's always had a conservative streak on certain issues."

While not at all shy about expressing his conservative opinions on topics such as taxes and foreign policy, Miller is quick to point out that he is still quite liberal on many social issues, including abortion and gay marriage.

In a radio interview with Penn Jillette on September 22, 2006, Miller explained his libertarianism, and said "...[a libertarian is] what I am, I'll be honest with you. I'm for gay marriage, I don't believe in abortion but I'm pro-choice 'cause it's none of my business. Pretty much anything goes with me if you're not infringing yourself on other people but, I'll tell ya, 9/11 changed me.... You gotta go around and explain it to people and they think you're a turncoat."

On February 21, 2007, while appearing as a guest on The O'Reilly Factor, and again on May 25, 2007, while appearing as a guest on The Tonight Show, Miller stated that he initially supported Rudy Giuliani for president in 2008. After Giuliani's departure from the race, he then expressed his support for John McCain.

Media

HBO specials

Mr. Miller Goes to Washington (1988)

The 13th Annual Young Comedians Special (1989) (host)

Black and White (1990)

(1993)

State of the Union Undressed (1995)

Citizen Arcane (1996)

(1999)

The Raw Feed (2003)

(2006)

The Big Speech (2010)

Audio

The Off-White Album (Warner Bros. Records, 1988)

The Rants (Random House Audio, 1996)

Ranting Again (Random House Audio, 1998)

Rants Redux (Random House Audio, 1999)

I Rant, Therefore I Am (Random House Audio, 2000)

The Rant Zone: An All-Out Blitz Against Soul-Sucking Jobs, Twisted Child Stars, Holistic Loons, and People Who Eat Their Dogs! (HarperAudio, 2001)

Still Ranting After All These Years (HarperAudio, 2004)

Print

The Rants (Doubleday, 1996) ISBN 0-385-47804-6

Ranting Again (Doubleday, 1999) ISBN 0-385-48852-1

I Rant, Therefore I Am (Doubleday, 2000) ISBN 0-385-49535-8

The Rant Zone: An All-Out Blitz Against Soul-Sucking Jobs, Twisted Child Stars, Holistic Loons, and People Who Eat Their Dogs! (HarperCollins, 2001) ISBN 0-06-621066-6

References

References

External links

Official website for Dennis Miller and his radio show

Dennis Miller FAQ version 3.9

Annotated Dennis Miller Archive (Detailed explanations of some of Miller's Monday Night Football quips)

Real Detroit Weekly Interview

Category:Actors from Pennsylvania Category:American comedians Category:American game show hosts Category:American libertarians Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American talk radio hosts Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:KDKA people Category:American television talk show hosts Category:CNBC programs Category:National Football League announcers Category:People from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:1953 births Category:Living people

Color	#B08C0A
Fontcolor	white
Name	Dennis Green
Dateofbirth	February 17, 1949
Birthplace	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
College	Iowa
Record	113–94–0 (Regular Season) 4–8 (Postseason) 117–102–0 (Overall)
Pfrcoach	GreeDe0
Coach	yes
Coachingyears	1973 1974–1976 1977–1978 1979 1980 1981–1985 1986–1988 1989–1991 1992–2001 2004–2006 2009–present
Coachingteams	Dayton (Run. backs/receivers coach) Iowa (Running backs coach) Stanford (Running backs coach) San Francisco 49ers (Special teams coach) Stanford (Offensive coordinator) Northwestern (Head coach) San Francisco 49ers (Wide Receivers coach) Stanford (Head coach) Minnesota Vikings (Head coach) Arizona Cardinals (Head coach) California Redwoods/Sacramento Mountain Lions (UFL) (Head coach)

Dennis "Denny" Green (born February 17, 1949 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is an American football head coach for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League. During his National Football League career, Green coached the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals.

Green's best season in Minnesota was in 1998, when the record-setting Vikings finished 15–1 and set the NFL record for most points in a season (since broken by the 2007 New England Patriots). However, the Vikings lost in the NFC Championship Game, 30–27 to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime. Prior to Mike Tomlin's victory in Super Bowl XLIII with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green's 1998 season was the most successful season record ever by a African-American coach in the NFL. Despite compiling a record of 97–62 in the regular season with the Vikings, Green was unable to reach the Super Bowl.

Early life

Green grew up in a working class household in racially-segregated Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His father was a postal worker and his mother a beautician. His father died when Green was 11 and his mother died when he was 13. Green has said that he was in attendance at the March 2, 1962 NBA game in Hershey, Pennsylvania where Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points.

He attended John Harris High School (now Harrisburg High School) in Harrisburg, and graduated cum laude from the University of Iowa with a BA in finance. According to Green, he was planning to be a high school teacher if his football career didn't pan out. In college he started as halfback in each of his three seasons with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Green played briefly for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1971, then worked as an assistant coach at the University of Dayton, University of Iowa and Stanford University, initially under Bill Walsh.

College coaching career

In 1981, Green was named the head coach of Northwestern University, a school that had gone 1–34 in its last 35 games. In 1981, he was only the second African American head coach in Division I-A history (the previous coach, Willie Jeffries, coached at Wichita State, which no longer has a football team). Green was named the Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year, as chosen by writers and broadcasters, in 1982 at Northwestern. He left Northwestern in 1985, doing a stint as receivers coach for the San Francisco 49ers under his former boss at Stanford, Bill Walsh.

In 1989, Green took the head coaching position at Stanford University, inheriting a team that had graduated 17 of its 21 starters from 1988. Green led the Cardinal from 1989 to 1991. During that time, his teams finished with an overall record of 16–18, a .471 winning percentage. Some how though, they did manage to go 3–0 in the Big Game against the California Golden Bears. In 1990, his Stanford team defeated the top-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana. His tenure culminated with an 8–3 record (Stanford's best in years). A loss to Washington in the opening game of the season was the deciding factor for the PAC-10 championship. The Cardinal made an appearance in the 1991 Aloha Bowl, where his team lost to Georgia Tech on a last-minute punt return.

Professional coaching career

Minnesota Vikings

Green was a disciple of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense and was touted by Walsh and other NFL pundits as a likely candidate to be the second African-American head coach in the NFL. Walsh also had his eye on the job at Stanford after a stint in the broadcast booth. On January 10, 1992, Green was named head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, replacing the retiring Jerry Burns. He would be only the second African American head coach after Art Shell in the modern NFL era, and only the third of all time after Fritz Pollard and Shell.

Through his first six years with the team, Green never posted a losing record and the team failed to qualify for the playoffs only once. Initially, Green earned widespread praise for turning around a what had recently been a lackluster franchise. However, as the team's fan-base grew accustomed to regular season success, Green came under criticism for failing to advance the team deeper into the playoffs.

In 1996, two members of the Vikings' ownership board, Wheelock Whitney and Jane Dyer, reportedly contacted Lou Holtz, who was the coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and former coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team. They wanted to bring Holtz in to replace Green. Holtz abruptly announced his retirement in 1996, and rumors surrounded the reasons, one of which was the possible Vikings head coaching position.

In November 1997, Green published his autobiography No Room For Crybabies, in which he responded to the criticism and perceived personal vendettas by Twin Cities sports writers Bob Sansevere, Dan Barreiro, and Patrick Reusse. He threatened to sue the team as his response to the Lou Holtz rumors.

The high point of Green's Vikings career was the 1998 season, when the team went 15–1 and set the NFL record for the most points scored in a season (the 2007 New England Patriots under Bill Belichick currently hold this record). The Vikings advanced to the NFC Championship game, losing to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime.

In 2001, the Vikings finished with a losing record for the first time in Green's decade with the team. The Vikings bought out Green's contract on January 4, 2002. Assistant coach Mike Tice led the team in their final regular season game against the Baltimore Ravens, and was eventually hired as the head coach.

Arizona Cardinals

After spending two seasons as an analyst for ESPN, Green was hired as head coach by the Arizona Cardinals on January 7, 2004. Through his first two years with the team, Green totaled 11 wins with the Cardinals, sending players to the pro bowl, and finishing 3rd and 2nd in the NFC West, an improvement over predecessor Dave McGinnis. Unlike his previous two seasons, the 2006 season began with great expectations for the Cardinals with the opening of a new stadium, sellout crowds, the drafting of quarterback Matt Leinart, and the signing of pro-bowl running back Edgerrin James. After a solid start, the Cardinals suffered some tough early losses. The worst of these came on October 16, 2006, after losing a 20-point lead over the Chicago Bears in less than twenty minutes, the generally soft-spoken Green threw a tirade during a post-game media conference. In that conference, Green lashed out in response to questions about Arizona's tenacious defense that forced six turnovers and for most of the game shut down the Chicago offense:

The day after the press conference, offensive coordinator Keith Rowen was fired and replaced with quarterbacks coach Mike Kruczek. Though Green later apologized for the outburst, and the Cardinals eventually would rally to finish the season 4–3 in their last seven games, (including a rare win over playoff-bound Seattle) many pundits felt that the circumstances of the Cardinals' collapse against the Super Bowl-bound Bears on national television, combined with Green's tirade, had sealed his fate with the Cardinals. On January 1, 2007, the Arizona Cardinals fired Green, although he had a year left on his contract.

Green's tirade is still used heavily in NFL media coverage today, often comically, to describe the obvious flaws of an opponent and the failure to capitalize on that knowledge. It was mocked in a Coors TV advertisement, and during the Cardinals 2008 NFC championship game, a sign in the crowd proclaimed "We are who we thought we were". In 2008, Green was interviewed for an NFL Network show on comebacks that covered the 2006 MNF Cardinals-Bears games, and he stated that "they are who we thought they were" referred to the Bears being a one-dimensional team that could not win if erratic quarterback Rex Grossman didn't have a strong running game taking pressure off of him. In the loss, Grossman actually committed six turnovers, but Arizona lost because Chicago scored two defensive TDs and got a Devin Hester punt return for the winning score, which held up when Arizona missed a field goal with seconds remaining.

In August 2007, the Westwood One radio network announced that it had hired Green to serve as a color analyst on their Thursday night NFL broadcasts.

California Redwoods

On March 11, 2009, it was announced that Green would be the head coach of the San Francisco franchise for the United Football League's inaugural season.

Green's first game as California Redwoods coach was a 30–17 loss to the Las Vegas Locomotives.

Sacramento Mountain Lions

For the 2010 season, the Redwoods moved to Sacramento and renamed themselves the Mountain Lions. However, Green has announced he will remain as head coach for 2010.

Head coaching record

College

NFL

Only coached 15 games

United Football League

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular Season !! colspan="4"|Post Season |- !Won!!Lost!!Ties!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result |- !CAL||2009 ||2||4||0||.333||3^rd in UFL|| – || – || – || – |- !SAC||2010 ||4||4||0||.500||3^rd in UFL|| – || – || – || – |- ! colspan="2"|Total||6||8||0||.450|||| -|| – || – || – |- |}

Coaching tree

NFL head coaches under whom Dennis Green has served:

Bill Walsh, San Francisco 49ers (1986–1988)

Assistant coaches under Green who have become NFL head coaches:

Brian Billick, Baltimore Ravens (1999–2007)

Tony Dungy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1996–2001), Indianapolis Colts (2002–2008)

Mike Tice, Minnesota Vikings (2001–2005)

Other prominent coaches:

Monte Kiffin, Minnesota Vikings (1992–1994)

References

External links

Official site

Category:1949 births Category:Arizona Cardinals head coaches Category:Minnesota Vikings head coaches Category:San Francisco 49ers coaches Category:Living people Category:National Football League announcers Category:National Football League head coaches Category:Northwestern Wildcats football coaches Category:Stanford Cardinal football coaches Category:African American coaches of American football Category:American football running backs Category:Iowa Hawkeyes football coaches Category:Iowa Hawkeyes football players Category:BC Lions players Category:People from San Diego, California Category:United Football League (2009) head coaches Category:California Redwoods coaches Category:California Redwoods head coaches Category:Sacramento Mountain Lions coaches Category:Sacramento Mountain Lions head coaches

Name	Tommy Lasorda
Position	Pitcher / Manager
Bats	Left
Throws	Left
Birthdate	September 22, 1927
Birthplace	Norristown, Pennsylvania
Debutdate	August 5
Debutyear	1954
Debutteam	Brooklyn Dodgers
Finaldate	July 8
Finalyear	1956
Finalteam	Kansas City Athletics
Stat1label	Win–Loss record
Stat1value	0–4
Stat2label	Earned run average
Stat2value	6.48
Stat3label	Strikeouts
Stat3value	37
Stat4label	Games managed
Stat4value	3,041
Stat5label	Win–Loss record
Stat5value	1,599–1,439
Stat6label	Winning %
Stat6value	.526
Teams
Highlights
Hofdate
Hofmethod	Veterans Committee

Thomas Charles Lasorda (born September 22, 1927 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is a former Major League baseball pitcher and manager. marks his sixth decade in one capacity or another with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest non-continuous (he played one season with the Kansas City Athletics) tenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully by a single season. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 1997.

Playing career

Tommy Lasorda signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an undrafted free agent in 1945 and began his professional career with the Concord Weavers in 1945. He then missed the 1946 & 1947 seasons because of a stint in the United States Army. He served on active duty from October 1945 until spring 1947.

He returned to baseball in 1948 with the Schenectady Blue Jays of the Canadian-American League. On May 31, 1948, he struck out 25 Amsterdam Rugmakers in a 15-inning game setting a professional record (since broken), and drove in the winning run with a single. In his next two starts, he struck out 15 and 13, gaining the attention of the Dodgers, who drafted him from the Phillies chain and sent him to the Greenville Spinners in 1949. Lasorda also pitched for the Cristobal Motta's in the Canal Zone Baseball League in Panama from 1948 through 1950. Lasorda played for Almendares(Cuba) from 1950–52 and 1958–60, compiling a 16-13 record in four seasons, including 8-3 with a 1.89 ERA in 1958-59. The Motta's won the championship in '48 and Lasorda made his major league debut on August 5, 1954 for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Though he did not play, he won a World Series ring as a member of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. He pitched for the Dodgers for two seasons, and then for the Kansas City Athletics for one season, after the Athletics purchased him from the Dodgers. He was later traded by Kansas City to the New York Yankees in 1956 and then sold back to the Dodgers in 1957.

He was sent to the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1950. Lasorda played for Almendares (Cuba) from 1950–52 and 1958–60, compiling a 16-13 record in four seasons, including 8-3 with a 1.89 ERA in 1958-59. He pitched for Montreal from 1950–54 and 1958–1960 and is the winningest pitcher in the history of the team (107–57). He led Montreal to four straight Governors' Cups from 1951 to 1954, and a fifth one in 1958.

Dodger Executive

Tommy Lasorda was named "Vice-President" of the Dodgers upon his retirement from managing in 1996. On June 22, 1998 he became the Dodgers interim General Manager upon the mid-season firing of Fred Claire. He resigned as General Manager after the season and was appointed as "Senior Vice-President" of the Dodgers. After the sale of the team to Frank McCourt, Lasorda took on his current position of "Special Advisor to the Chairman" where his responsibilities include "scouting, evaluating and teaching minor league players, acting as an advisor and ambassador for the Dodgers’ international affiliations, and representing the franchise at more than 100 speaking engagements and appearances to various charities, private groups and military personnel each year."

Life outside of baseball

In college he was a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.

Lasorda and his wife Jo celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in 2010. They named a gymnasium and youth center in memory of their son, Tom Jr., in Yorba Linda, California on September 7, 1997. They have a daughter, Laura, and a granddaughter, Emily.

In June 2005, President George W. Bush asked Lasorda to serve as a delegate to the U.S. National Day at the World Exposition in Aichi, Japan.

Lasorda was equally famous for his colorful personality and outspoken opinions regarding players and other personnel associated with baseball. He had a number of obscenity filled tirades, a number of which were taped and became underground classics. The most famous of these is his "Dave Kingman tirade" in 1976, in which Lasorda ranted at reporter Paul Olden who asked him about Kingman having hit three home runs against the Dodgers that day. He also had an altercation with Doug Rau on the pitching mound in the 1977 World Series, which was recorded, since he was wearing a microphone. He befriended Frank Sinatra (a well-known baseball fan) and other entertainment personalities during his career.

In 1991, Lasorda's son Tommy Lasorda, Jr. (commonly known to friends and family as "Spunky") died of complications related to AIDS. Lasorda was estranged from his son at the time of his death, and refuses to acknowledge his son's homosexuality and the nature of his illness. According to sportswriter Bill Plaschke, when asked about the cause of death Lasorda insists that it was cancer.

For years, Lasorda appeared in television advertisements for Slim Fast diet shakes (with his famous quote, "If I can do it, you can do it."), and Rolaids antacids where he was seen writing the product's name on a baseball. He briefly owned a restaurant chain bearing his name. He also bottled and sold a failed brand of spaghetti sauce beginning in 1989 through his company Lasorda Foods.

Lasorda portrayed "The Dugout Wizard" in the syndicated children's television show The Baseball Bunch.

Lasorda is the godfather to Thomas Piazza, and not Major League All-Star catcher Mike Piazza (also from Norristown), as has been widely circulated. Mike Piazza's younger brother, Thomas, was named for Lasorda. Lasorda is also the godfather to Alex Avila, a catcher with the Detroit Tigers. Alex's grandfather, Ralph Avila, is a former scout with the Dodgers and friend to Lasorda of over 50 years. Alex's middle name of Thomas was named for Lasorda.

In 2006, Lasorda appeared in a series of commercials promoting the MLB Playoffs for ESPN and Fox. The campaign, entitled "Tommy’s Tough Love", featured Lasorda in a tuxedo motivating fans to watch baseball.

In 2008, the government of Japan conferred the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, which represents the fourth highest of eight classes associated with the award. The decoration was presented in acknowledgment of his contributions to Japanese baseball.

Tom became a local celebrity in the Dominican Republic due to his many visits in search of young baseball talents in this land of many famous players in major leagues, especially after becoming a devoted fan of the "chicharrones" (deep fried pork skins) commonly sold in the streets of Villa Mella neighborhood in Santo Domingo City.

On July 23, 2009, Lasorda made a cameo appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. During his brief cameo Lasorda plugged his upcoming music album of great American standards, one of which is a duet with Rod Stewart.

Managerial record

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="4"|Regular Season !! colspan="4"|Postseason |- ! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Finish !! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result |- !rowspan="1"|Los Angeles Dodgers||1976 ||2||2||.500||2nd in NL West|| – || – || – || |- ! colspan="2"|LAD Total||1,599||1,439||.526|| || ?? || ?? || .??? || |- ! colspan="2"|Totals||1,599||1,439||.526|| || ?? || ?? || .??? || Won 2 World Series |}

See also

Tommy Lasorda Baseball

References

External links

Lasorda's manager page and Player page - at MLB

">Tommy's blog, "Tommy's World" - at MLBlogs.com

Lasorda's page - at BaseballLibrary.com

Lasorda's retirement press conference - at CNN

Tommy Lasorda - at Los Angeles Dodgers Online

Tommy Lasorda Jr. - Find a Grave

The Tirades of Tommy Lasorda everything2.net

2008 Moment of Thanks video of Tommy Lasorda thanking the US Armed Forces

Tommy Lasorda on Twitter

}}

Category:Baseball players from Pennsylvania Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Major League Baseball managers Category:Major League Baseball third base coaches Category:Manager of the Year Award Category:American bloggers Category:Brooklyn Dodgers players Category:Kansas City Athletics players Category:American sportspeople of Italian descent Category:Los Angeles Dodgers managers Category:International League Hall of Fame inductees Category:Minor league baseball managers Category:Major League Baseball announcers Category:Los Angeles Dodgers coaches Category:Olympic baseball managers Category:People from Fullerton, California Category:People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Category:Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Los Angeles Dodgers executives Category:Major League Baseball general managers Category:Major League Baseball managers with retired numbers Category:Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun Category:1927 births Category:Living people

Name	Sarah Jessica Parker
Caption	Parker at the 2009 premiere of Wonderful World
Birthdate	March 25, 1965
Birthplace	Nelsonville, Ohio, U.S.
Spouse	Matthew Broderick (1997–present)
Yearsactive	1974–present
Occupation	Actress, producer

Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American film, television, and theater actress and producer. She is best known for her leading role as Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO television series Sex and the City (1998–2004), for which she won four Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Emmy Awards. She played the same role in the 2008 feature film based on the show, , and its sequel, Sex and the City 2, which opened on May 26, 2010.

Parker has also appeared in many other films, including Footloose (1984), L.A. Story (1991), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Hocus Pocus (1993), Mars Attacks! (1996), The Family Stone (2005), Failure to Launch (2006), Smart People (2008), and Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009).

Early life

Sarah Jessica Parker was born in Nelsonville, Ohio, the daughter of Barbara Parker (née Keck), a nursery school operator and teacher, and Stephen Parker, an entrepreneur and journalist. Parker's mother was of English and German descent; through her mother, Parker is descended from Esther Elwell, one of the accused during the Salem witch trials. Parker's father, a native of Brooklyn, was of Eastern European Jewish background; his family's original surname was "Bar-Kahn" ("son of Kohen").

As a young girl, Parker trained in singing and ballet, and was soon cast in the Broadway revival of William Archibald's The Innocents. Her family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and then to Dobbs Ferry, New York, near New York City, so that she could get specialized training. There, her mother and stepfather helped Parker develop her career as a child actress. In 1977, the family moved to the newly-opened planned community on Roosevelt Island, in the East River between Manhattan and Queens, and later to Manhattan. The family later moved to Englewood, New Jersey, where Parker attended Dwight Morrow High School.

Parker attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati, the School of American Ballet in New York City, Dwight Morrow High School in New Jersey, and the Professional Children's School, Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, California.

Early acting career

Parker and four siblings appeared in a production of The Sound of Music at the outdoor Municipal Theatre (Muny) in St. Louis, Missouri. She was selected for a role in the new 1977–81 Broadway musical Annie: first in the small role of "July" and then succeeding Andrea McArdle and Shelley Bruce in the lead role of the Depression-era orphan, beginning March 1979. Parker held the role for a year.

In 1982, Parker was cast as the co-lead of the CBS sitcom Square Pegs. The show lasted just one season, but Parker's performance, as a shy teen who showed hidden depths, was critically well-received. In the three years that followed, she was cast in four films: the most significant being Footloose in 1984 and 1984's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, co-starring Helen Hunt. In 1986, Parker appeared in the cult classic Flight of the Navigator, a Disney science fiction film.

By the early 1990s, Parker's career was gaining momentum. In 1991, she appeared in a supporting role in the romantic comedy L.A. Story; both the movie and her performance garnered positive reviews. After five nominations, in 2004, Parker won an Emmy Award for her lead role. Parker said in 2006 that she "will never do a television show again".

After Sex and the City ended in 2004, rumors of a film version circulated. It was revealed that a script had been completed for such a project. At the time, Parker said such a film would likely never be made. Two years later, preparations were resumed, and the film was released on May 30, 2008.

Later work

In addition to work in film and television, Parker has gained respect as a stage actor, having appeared in well-reviewed lead roles in the off-Broadway play Sylvia, alongside future husband Matthew Broderick in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and the Tony Award-nominated Once Upon a Mattress.

In December 2005, Parker appeared in her first film in several years, The Family Stone; she received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress — Comedy for the role. Her next film, the romantic comedy Failure to Launch, co-starring Matthew McConaughey, was released on March 10, 2006, and opened at #1 in the North American box office, grossing slightly over $24 million on its opening weekend, despite mediocre reviews. Parker's work as a producer continued with the independent film Spinning Into Butter (which she also starred in), based on the Rebecca Gilman play.

On July 20, U.S. cable network Bravo announced it had picked up a reality show produced by Parker under the working title American Artist. As a self-described "art enthusiast", Parker will feature artists of any age over 17, with each show having 13 finalists. Parker's inspiration comes from her mother-in-law, whose artwork became noticed only after she died.

Parker participated in the United States version of the hit U.K. television series Who Do You Think You Are? for NBC, in which celebrities were helped to trace their family trees. The executive producer was Lisa Kudrow, and the series featured Parker, husband Matthew Broderick, Kudrow and others.

Fashion industry

In 2000, Parker hosted the MTV Movie Awards, appearing in fourteen different outfits during the show.

She has also become the face of many of the world's biggest fashion brands through her work in a variety of advertising campaigns. In August 2003, Parker signed a lucrative deal with Garnier to appear in TV and print advertising promoting their Nutrisse hair products. In 2004, she fronted an international campaign by Gap, but her contract was terminated in spring 2005 in favor of British soul singer Joss Stone.

Parker released her own perfume in 2005, called "Lovely". in partnership with discount clothing chain Steve & Barry's. The line, featuring clothing items and accessories under $20, launched on June 7, 2007, exclusively at Steve and Barry's.

In July 2007, following the success of "Lovely," Parker released her second fragrance "Covet." In 2007, Parker was a guest on Project Runway for the second challenge. In 2008, Covet Pure Bloom was released as continuous series of Covet. In February 2009, as part of the "Lovely" collection, Parker launched a series of three new fragrances called "Dawn", "Endless" and "Twilight".

Personal life

Parker was romantically involved with actor Robert Downey, Jr. from 1984 until 1991. They met on the set of Firstborn. Downey had a drug problem, which affected their relationship. Parker has said, "I believed I was the person holding him together." and Parker in 2009.]] On May 19, 1997, she married actor Matthew Broderick, to whom she was introduced by one of her brothers at the Naked Angels theater company, where they both performed. The couple married in a civil ceremony in an historic synagogue on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. The couple's son, James Wilkie Broderick, was born on October 28, 2002. He was named after Broderick's father, the actor James Joseph Broderick, and writer Wilkie Collins.

Parker and Broderick's surrogate mother delivered their twin daughters, Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge, on June 22, 2009. Their middle names of "Elwell" and "Hodge" are from Parker's mother's family.

As of 2009, she lives in New York City with her husband, son, and daughters. They also spend considerable time at their second home near Kilcar, a village in County Donegal, Ireland, where Broderick spent summers as a child.

Parker is a prominent member of the Hollywood's Women's Political Committee. She is UNICEF's Representative for the Performing Arts; in 2006, she traveled to Liberia as a UNICEF celebrity ambassador. She said, "It's a place that gets little or no attention, so we're going to try and bring some attention to it". She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the United States. Parker appeared in the premiere episode of the U.S. version of Who Do You Think You Are? on March 5, 2010, where she discovered she had ancestors in the California Gold Rush of 1849-50 and in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.

Awards

Golden Globes

1999: Nominee: Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series: Musical or Comedy - Sex and the City

2000: Winner: Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series: Musical or Comedy - Sex and the City

2001: Winner: Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series: Musical or Comedy - Sex and the City

2002: Winner: Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series: Musical or Comedy - Sex and the City

2003: Nominee: Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series: Musical or Comedy - Sex and the City

2004: Winner: Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series: Musical or Comedy - Sex and the City

2005: Nominee: Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series: Musical or Comedy - Sex and the City

2005: Nominee: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy - The Family Stone

Emmy Awards

1999: Nominee: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2000: Nominee: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2001: Nominee: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2001: Winner: Outstanding Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2002: Nominee: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2002: Nominee: Outstanding Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2003: Nominee: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2003: Nominee: Outstanding Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2004: Winner: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2004: Nominee: Outstanding Comedy Series - Sex and the City

Screen Actors Guild Awards

2000: Nominee: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2001: Winner: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2001: Nominee: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2002: Nominee: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2002: Winner: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2003: Nominee: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2004: Winner: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2005: Nominee: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

2005: Nominee: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Sex and the City

Razzie Award

2009: Nominee: Worst Actress - "Did You Hear About the Morgans?"

Bambi Award 2010: Surprise-Award for her life and style.

Maxim Magazine Award 2007: Number 1 Unsexiest Woman Alive

Filmography

{| class="wikitable" |- ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1974 || The Little Match Girl || The Little Match Girl || as Sarah Parker |- | 1982 || My Body, My Child || Katy || TV movie |- | 1983 || Somewhere Tomorrow || Lori Anderson || |- | rowspan="2" | 1984 || Footloose || Rusty || |- | Firstborn || Lisa || |- | 1985 || Girls Just Want to Have Fun || Janey Glenn || |- | 1986 || Flight of the Navigator || Carolyn McAdams|| |- | 1991 || L.A. Story || SanDeE* || |- | 1992 || In the Best Interest of the Children || Callie Cain || |- | 1992 || Honeymoon in Vegas || Betsy/Donna || |- | rowspan="2" | 1993 || Striking Distance || Jo Christman/Det. Emily Harper || |- | Hocus Pocus || Sarah Sanderson || |- | 1994 || Ed Wood || Dolores Fuller || |- | 1995 || Miami Rhapsody || Gwyn Marcus || |- | rowspan="4" | 1996 || Mars Attacks! || Nathalie Lake || |- | If Lucy Fell || Lucy Ackerman || |- | The First Wives Club|| Shelly Stewart|| |- | Extreme Measures|| Jodie Trammel|| |- | 1997 || 'Til There Was You|| Francesca Lanfield || |- | 1999 || Dudley Do-Right || Nell Fenwick || |- | 2000 || State and Main || Claire Wellesley || |- | 2001 || Life Without Dick || Colleen Gibson || direct-to-video |- | 2005 || The Family Stone || Meredith Morton || |- | rowspan="2" | 2006 || Strangers with Candy || Peggy Callas || |- | Failure to Launch || Paula || |- | 2007 || Spinning Into Butter || Sarah Daniels || |- | rowspan="2" | 2008 || Smart People || Janet Hartigan || |- | || Carrie Bradshaw || |- | 2009 || Did You Hear About the Morgans? || Meryl Morgan || |- | 2010 || Sex and the City 2 || Carrie Bradshaw || |- rowspan="2" | 2010 || Sex and the City 2 || Carrie Bradshaw ||

TV shows

{| class="wikitable" |- ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1982–1983 || Square Pegs || Patty Greene ||| season 1 |- | 1987–1988 || A Year in the Life || Kay Erickson || A miniseries in 1986 Aired for one season. |- | 1990–1991 || Equal Justice || Jo Ann Harris || two seasons |- | 1999 || Space Ghost Coast to Coast || Herself || TV series, one episode |- | 1998–2004 || Sex and the City || Carrie Bradshaw || Lead role |- | rowspan="1" | 2010 || Who Do You Think You Are? || Herself || TV series |}

Producer

{| class="wikitable" |- ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 2002–2004 || Sex and the City || Producer|| 28 episodes |- | 2008 || || Co-producer || |- |}

References

External links

Biography at Sex and the City's website

Harper's BAZAAR interview

Sarah Jessica Parker's Perfumes

Category:Actors from Ohio Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Jewish actors Category:Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:American people of English descent Category:American actors of German descent Category:People from Athens County, Ohio Category:University of Cincinnati alumni Category:UNICEF people Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors

Name	Sérgio Assad
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Born	December 26, 1952 São Paulo, Brazil
Instrument	Classical guitar
Genre	Classical
Occupation	Classical guitarist, composer, arranger, teacher
Years active	fl. ca. 1966–present
Associated acts	Assad Brothers, Duo Assad
Url	http://www.assadbrothers.com

Sérgio Assad is a Brazilian guitarist, composer, and arranger who often performs with his brother in the guitar duo Sérgio and Odair Assad, commonly referred to as Assad Brothers or Duo Assad.

Biography

Born into a musical family in Mococa, São Paulo, Brazil, Sergio Assad began creating music for the guitar not long after he began playing the instrument. He learned Brazilian folk melodies form his father. By age 14, he was arranging and writing original compositions for the guitar duo he had formed with his brother, Odair. At the age of 17, he and Odair began their studies under the best known classical guitar teacher in Brazil at the time, Monina Tavora, a former disciple of Andres Segovia. Sergio later went on to study conducting and composition at the Escola Nacional de Música in Rio de Janeiro, and worked privately with Brazilian composition teacher, Esther Scliar.

Arrangements

Over the last twenty years Assad has concentrated most of his efforts on building a repertoire for the guitar duo. He has extended the possibilities of the two-guitar combination through his arrangements of Latin American music by composers such as Piazzolla, Villa Lobos, and Ginastera as well as Baroque to Modern music by Scarlatti, Rameau, Soler, Bach, Mompou, Ravel, Debussy, and Gershwin among others. He has completed over 300 arrangements for different chamber music settings arrangements for Gidon Kremer, Dawn Upshaw, Yo Yo Ma, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Iwao Furusawa, Paquito D'Rivera, Turtle Island String Quartet, L.A. Quartet, Luciana Souza, and Vancouver Cantata Singers.

Composition

As a composer Assad has completed more than fifty works for guitar, many of which have become standards in the guitar repertoire. His "Aquarelle" for solo guitar was chosen as the required contemporary work for the 2002 Guitar Foundation of America Competition in Miami. Most recently he has written the set piece for the GFA Competition in 2008. Assad’s orchestral compositions include the ballet "Scarecrow", the concerto "Mikis" for guitar and strings, "Fantasia Carioca" for two guitars which he and Odair premiered with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in 1998 and "Interchange", a concerto for four guitars premiered by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet with the San Antonio Symphony, Texas in 2009.

Teaching

Assad has taught master classes in conservatories, universities, and music schools in the US, Europe, Latin America, Japan, and Australia. He is currently on faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Collaborations

Lately, the Assad Brothers has collaborated in performance and recordings with classical artists Gidon Kremer, Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, the Turtle island Quartet and Paquito D’Rivera. The collaboration with Salerno-Sonnenberg inspired Sergio to write the triple concerto "Originis" for violin, two guitars and chamber orchestra. This piece celebrates the respective Italian and Brazilian roots of Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and the Assad Duo and has been performed with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra among others and recorded live in São Paulo, Brazil with the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo. This recording has been released by NSS Music in 2009.

Awards

2008 - One of his most recent compositions for two guitars, "Tahhiyya Li Ossoulina", received a Latin Grammy award as best contemporary composition.

2002 - The album "Sérgio and Odair Assad Play Piazzolla" received a Latin Grammy award for best Tango album.

1973 – Winner of Competition for young soloists – the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra.

1979 - Winner of The Rostrum for Young Interpreters in The International Music Competition of Bratislava (former Czechoslovakia)

List of works

Três Cenas Brasileiras (1984) Two guitars (Editions Henry Lemoine)

Pinote, Vitoria Regia, Recife dos corais (Nonesuch 1984)

Suite Brasileira (1986) Two guitars (Ascap)

Baiao, Cançao e Samba (Nonesuch 1988)

Aquarelle (1986) Solo guitar (Editions Henry Lemoine)

Divertimento, Valseana, Preludio e Toccatina (mandatory piece for the GFA competition 2002)

Children’s Cradle (1992) Solo guitar (Sergio Assad Music)

Berceuse, Dreams, Morning’s Rag (recorded by Ricardo Cobo)

Saga dos Migrantes Two guitars (Sergio Assad Music)

Retirantes, Trem da Ilusao, Metropolis, Saudades, Dança Antagonica (Nonesuch 1992)

Giornatta a Nettuno (1993) Guitar ensemble (Vogt&Fritz;, Germany)

Fantasia Carioca (1994) Solo guitar (Sergio Assad Music)

Suite “Summer Garden” (1994) Two guitars (Gendai Magazine)

Opening, Summer Garden, Farewell, The Friends, Unbalanced, Train of Thoughts, First Encounter, The Old Man, Walk on a Bridge, The Morgue, Invitation, The Well, Water Frenzy, Watermelon, Helping Hands, Rain Storm, Remembrance, A search, Dreams, Passage, Butterflies (GHA, Sony Classics)

Winter Impressions (1996) Flute, Viola and Guitar (Edition Henry Lemoine)

The Frozen Garden, Blue Solitude, Fire Place (rec by Trio con Brio Copenhagen/Trio Con Brio)

Circulo Magico (1997) Flute and Guitar (E.H Lemoine, France)

Uarekena (1997) Guitar Quartet (E.Lemoine)

Fantasia Carioca bis (1998) two guitars and chamber orchestra (Ascap)

premiered in 1998 with the Saint Paul Orchestra conducted by John Adams

Sonata (1999) solo guitar (Gendai Magazine)

Allegro Moderato, Andante, Presto ( recorded by Shin-Ichi Fukuda)

Jobiniana n 1 (1986) Two guitars (Edition H Lemoine, France)

Jobiniana n 2 (1988) Flute and guitar( (E. HL.)

Jobiniana n 3 (1996) Solo guitar (E.HL) (rec by Shin Ichi Fukuda)

Jobiniana n 4 (2001) Cello and guitar(rec by Shin Ichi Fukuda)

Espantalho (Ballet) (1998) Chamber Orchestra (Sergio Assad Music)

premiered by the Municipal Symphony Orchestra of São Paulo, Brazil

Mikis Concerto Fantasia) (1999) Solo guitar and String Orchestra

(premiered in Athens by Costas Cotsiolis and the Athenian String Orchestra) Allegro, Andante, Vivace

The Chase (1996) Two guitars (Nonesuch)

Pieces for violin and two guitars (1996) (Nonesuch)

Andalucia
Fantasy on Dark Eyes
Istambul (Awakening, Turkish Dance)
Tatras
Gypsy Songs
Vardar’s

Pieces for Clarinet and Guitar (1998) (Egea, Italy)

Un abbraccio a Joao
Menino
Grumari
Violetas Azuis
Champ
Velho Retrato
Hopscotch
Mangabeira
Angela

Campusca (1996) Two guitars (Sergio Assad Music)

Eterna (1996) Two guitars (Sergio Assad Music)

Menino (2003) Cello and two guitars. (rec by Yo Yo Ma Sony)

Menino (2003) Flute, viola and guitar (rec by trio con brio)

Three Greek letters (2000) Solo guitar (Editions Henry Lemoine)

Psi, Pi, Sigma

Concerto Originis (2001) Triple concerto for violin, two guitar and chamber

Orchestra. ( premiered with the Ssint Paul Orchestra)

3 Divertimentos (2002) Solo guitar (GSP)

Abaete, Arpoador, Parati

5 World Dances (2002) Guitar and string quartet (Sergio Assad Music)

Middle Eastern, Celtic, African, Balkan, Latin American

Eli’s Portrait (2004) Solo guitar (Sergio Assad Music)

Itaipava (2006) Flute, violin, clarinet, cello , piano (S. Assad Music)

Tahhiyya Li Ossoulina (2006) Two guitars (Sergio Assad Music)

Trois Brésiliens à Saint Paul (2007) Guitar ensemble (Sergio Assad Music)

Le naïf, La joyeuse, Le reveur, Rencontre a Tricastin

Piatã (2007) Choir and two guitars (Sergio Assad Music)

Discography

Latino America, recorded with the Armorial orchestra (1974)

Continental 1-035-404-006).

International Rostrum of Young Performers (1979)

Opus 9110041/2. 2-LP set including various performers. Assads play Scarlatti, Villa-Lobos and Petit.

Complete Villa-Lobos works for solo guitar (1978)

Kuarup Discos KLP 003/4

Os Choros de Camera (1980)

Kuarup MKCD-002. Sergio plays Choro No. 1.

Musica Nova do Brasil (solo recording by Sérgio) (1981)

Funarte/Promemus MMB 81.022. This CD can be heard at Funarte's web site.

Marlos Nobre/Yanomani (1983)

EMI-Odeon 31 C 0634422921

Gnattali, Rodrigo, Piazzolla (1984, CD released in 1983)

GHA #126021

Latin American Music for Two Guitars (1985, re-released 1993)

Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79116

Concert at the "Y" (February 3, 1983)

Free cassette distributed to subscribers of Guitar Review. Recorded live at the YMJA, New York City, NY.

Alma Brasileira (1988, re-released 1993)

Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79179

Violões: Projeto Memoria Brasileira (1989)

Crescente CR 0009 (Brazil). The Duo plays Egberto Gismonti's Baião Malandro on this live album.

Two Concertos for Two Guitars (1991)

GHA #126018

Play Rameau/Scarlatti/Couperin/Bach (1993)

Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79292

Natsu no Niwa Suite (1994)

GHA #126029

White Moon: Songs to Morpheus (1995)

Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79364. NOTE: This album is by soprano Dawn Upshaw. The Assads are on tracks 3,6 and 12.

Saga Dos Migrantes (1996)

Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79365.

El Tango (1997)

Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79462-2. NOTE: This album is by Gidon Kremer, playing the music of Ástor Piazzolla. The duo accompanies on tracks 1 and 10.

Soul of the Tango (1997)

Sony SK63122. NOTE: This album is by Yo Yo Ma; the Assads play Piazzolla's Tango Suite.

Fuga y misterio (1998)

GHA #126027. NOTE: This album is by Odair Assad. Odair, Sérgio, cellist Edmond Carlier, and violinist Fernando Suarez Paz play works by Piazzolla, Lucky, and Gnattali.

Velho Retrato (1999)

EGEA Edizioni Discografiche SCA 068. NOTE: This is an album of duets between Sérgio and Gabrielle Mirabassi (clarinet). All compositions are by Sérgio except one by his daughter Clarice.

Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg Sérgio and Odair Assad (2000)

Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79505-2.

Sérgio and Odair Assad Play Piazzolla (2001)

Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch #79632-2.

Concierto de Volos - Concierto de Aranjuez - Serenade opus 50 (2002)

GHA 126.025. NOTE: This album is of the Orquestra de Cordoba, conducted by Leo Brouwer. Odair is the soloist on Malcolm Arnold's Serenade opus 50.

Obrigado, Brazil (2003)

Sony SK89935. NOTE: This album is by Yo Yo Ma; the Assads play on Sérgio's arrangement of the Villa-Lobos tune "A Lenda do Caboclo" and on Sérgio's piece "Menino".

Obrigado, Brazil Live in Concert (2004)

Sony SK90970. NOTE: This album is by Yo Yo Ma; the Assads play on seven of the 14 tracks.

Live in Brussels (2004)

GHA 126.055. Features compositions by Bittencourt, Gardel, Piazzolla, Gismonti, Pixinguinha, and Chaplin.

Three Double Concertos (2000)

GHA 126.046. NOTE: Sérgio and Odair are the soloists on Edino Krieger's "Concierto para dois violóes e cordas".

Sérgio and Odair Assad and their Family: A Brazilian Songbook (2005)

GHA 126.058.

Jardim Abandonado (2008)

Nonesuch # 278140-2

Originis (2009)

NSS Music CD-NSS-07. NOTE: Recorded live in São Paulo with the Orquestra Sinfonica de São Paulo with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg.

Reviews

“They aren’t just soloists but a two-man, multi voice band of soloists who play instinctively well together, with consistent rhythmic intuition and soul.” - The Los Angeles Times

“The Brazilian-born Assad brothers…perform with almost telepathic unity” - The Boston Globe

“… the best two-guitar team in existence, maybe even in history… no amount of anticipation could have prepared me for the Brazilian brothers’ daringly flexible, eerily unanimous ensemble playing - - it was as if they could see inside each other’s heads.” - The Washington Post

“Throughout the concert, the brothers played as one… This was two persons, four hands, one mind.” - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“A kind of wizardry lies within the playing of Sergio and Odair Assad… they produce a supple, flawless unified sound.” - The New York Times

“…Sergio and Odair, two of the finest guitarists on the planet.” - Journal Sentinel

“…it’s not hard to imagine that acoustic guitar music, when in the hands of masters like Sergio and Odair Assad, is a musical window into the heart.”- The New Jersey Star- Ledger

“Because they have been performing together for most of their lives, and because they play from memory, there is a lively interaction between them that creates the impression that they are improvising like a couple of virtuosic, perhaps even telepathic, jazz players” – The New York Times

See also

Latin Grammy Awards

Official website

http://www.assadbrothers.com

References

Interview with Sergio Assad

Category:Brazilian classical guitarists Category:20th-century classical composers Category:21st-century classical composers Category:Composers for the classical guitar Category:Brazilian composers Category:Latin Grammy Award winners Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:San Francisco Conservatory of Music alumni Category:Brazilian people of Lebanese descent