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File:Us Jen John In Love Cover.jpeg Us Weekly (May 12, 2008) |
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Editor in Chief | Michael Steele |
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Categories | Celebrity |
Weekly | |
Total circulation (2011) |
1,980,862[1] |
First issue | 1977 |
Company | Wenner Media LLC |
Country | United States |
Based in | New York City |
Language | English |
Website | www.usmagazine.com |
ISSN | 1529-7497 |
Us Weekly is a celebrity gossip magazine, founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986. The publication covers topics ranging from celebrity relationships to the latest trends in fashion, beauty, and entertainment. Along with Jann Wenner, the individuals currently in charge of Us Weekly are Editor in Chief Michael Steele and Publisher Victoria Lasdon Rose. As of 2007, its circulation averaged over 1.85 million.
The magazine currently features a sharply different style from its original 1977–2000 format. Originally a monthly industry news and review magazine along the lines of Premiere or Entertainment Weekly, it switched format in 2000 to its current themes of celebrity news and style.
The web site Usmagazine.com was launched in fall 2006 and gets approximately two million visitors per month. In addition to features from the magazine, the site has a breaking celebrity news blog, exclusive photos, red carpet galleries from premieres and events, plus games, videos, quizzes and polls.
Us Weekly has several signature issues each year including the Hot Hollywood special issues, in the spring and the fall celebrating young Hollywood; the Best Bodies issue and the Best Makeovers issue.
Contents |
This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (February 2010) |
Launched as a bi-monthly publication in 1977, Us Magazine was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986 and is a part of Wenner Media LLC, which also publishes Rolling Stone and Men’s Journal.
In 1999, the company announced plans to shift the Us publication schedule from monthly to weekly. The shift coincided with a change in style from industry news and reviews to a celebrity- focused news magazine. The move was a response to several market forces, including the success of Time, Inc.’s Entertainment Weekly and People magazines. Wenner expressed his intention to keep Us "celebrity-friendly" in contrast with the more gossipy character of its competitors. He told the New York Times: "We will be nice to celebrities. A lot of my friends are in the entertainment business." The publication focuses on celebrity fashion as well as Hollywood gossip; Kelli Delaney, current New York designer for Members Only, formerly served as Fashion Director of the publication (1992–95).
The magazine changed from a monthly to a weekly format in March 2000. In February 2001, Wenner partnered with The Walt Disney Company. But, in August 2006, Wenner Media re-acquired Disney's 50 percent stake, making the publication once again fully owned and operated by Wenner Media. In July 2003, Janice Min took over as Editor in Chief with Victoria Lasdon Rose as Publisher, and Michael Steele as Executive Editor. Steele took over for Min in 2009. London-born Melanie Bromley became West Coast Bureau Chief in 2007 and is based in Los Angeles. Lara Cohen is the magazine's News Director.
Us Weekly Important Dates:
The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (September 2008) |
In a July 2006 Variety article, Janice Min, Us Weekly editor-in-chief, cited People for the increase in cost to publishers of celebrity photos:
They are among the biggest spenders of celebrity photos in the industry. ... One of the first things they ever did, that led to the jacking up of photo prices, was to pay $75,000 to buy pictures of Jennifer Lopez reading Us magazine, so Us Weekly couldn't buy them. That was the watershed moment that kicked off high photo prices in my mind. I had never seen anything like it. But they saw a competitor come along, and responded. It was a business move, and probably a smart one.[2]
In a June 2007 New York Magazine article, Tina Brown was asked, "Do you actually read the tabloids?"
Of course. I read everything. I adore Us Weekly. I think it's a genius magazine. I'm a big fan of magazines that fulfill the goal of what they're trying to be.[3]
From a May 2007 New York Post article profiling New York's 50 Most Powerful Women,
Janice Min, 37, editor, Us magazine. With her mag's profits placed as high as $90 million a year and readership up 191 percent in the last five years, Janice is not just like us. Nonetheless, the success of Us is attributed partly to the mother of two's reputation as perky and well liked – as well as its addictive features like the new "Faux Biz", which makes fun of off-base gossip.[4]
The magazine was criticized for allegedly biased coverage of the 2008 Republican National Convention. The September 5, 2008, issue featured Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on the cover with the headline "Babies, Lies & Scandal", while the June 19, 2008, issue featured U.S. Senator from Illinois Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama with the headline "Why Barack Loves Her".[5] Senior Editor Bradley Jacobs claimed that the "lies" on the cover referred to unspecified "liberal bloggers" who had speculated on the parentage of Governor Palin's child, not to the governor herself. However, nothing on the cover indicated "liberal bloggers" were the alleged liars. It was reported that the magazine had lost over 10,000 subscribers. Since then Michelle Malkin's blog reported that Us Weekly sent e-mails to each of those subscribers, apologizing for the cover, and promised to send them five free copies of the magazine.[6]
Awards and Recognition by industry observers:
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Look up us in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
US or U.S. usually refers to the United States of America, a country in North America.
US, U.S. or us may also refer to:
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This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. |
Selena Gomez | |
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Gomez attending "The 6th Annual Hollywood Style Awards", Beverly Hills, CA on Oct. 10, 2009 |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Selena Marie Gomez |
Born | (1992-07-22) July 22, 1992 (age 19) Grand Prairie, Texas, U.S. |
Genres | Pop, dance, pop rock[1] |
Occupations | Actress, singer, Fashion Designer |
Instruments | Vocals, piano, guitar, drums |
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels | Hollywood |
Associated acts | Selena Gomez & the Scene, Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift |
Website | SelenaGomez.com |
Selena Marie Gomez (born July 22, 1992)[2] is an American actress and singer best known for portraying Alex Russo in the Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place. She subsequently ventured into feature films and has starred in the television movies Another Cinderella Story, Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, and Princess Protection Program. She made her starring theatrical film debut in Ramona and Beezus.
Her career has expanded into the music industry; Gomez is the lead singer and founder of the pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene, which has released three RIAA Gold certified studio albums, Kiss & Tell, A Year Without Rain, and When the Sun Goes Down, spawned three RIAA Platinum certified singles, "Naturally", "Who Says" and "Love You Like a Love Song" and charted four No. 1 Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs.[3] Gomez has also contributed to the soundtracks of Tinker Bell, Another Cinderella Story, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Shake It Up after signing a record deal with Hollywood Records.
In 2008, Gomez was designated a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.[4]
Contents |
Gomez was born in Grand Prairie, Texas.[2] She is the daughter of former stage actress Amanda Dawn "Mandy" Teefey (née Cornett) and Ricardo Joel Gomez.[5][6][7] Her father is of Mexican ancestry, and her mother is of part Italian descent.[8][9] Regarding her Hispanic heritage, Gomez said: "My family does have Quinceañeras, and we go to the communion church. We do everything that's Catholic, but we don't really have anything traditional except [that we] go to the park and have barbecues on Sundays after church."[10] Her birth parents divorced when she was five years old, and she was raised as an only child by her working mother.[5][11] In 2006, Mandy remarried Brian Teefey.[12] She was named after Tejano singer Selena, who died almost three years after Gomez was born.[13] In a 2009 interview with People, Gomez mentioned that she developed an early interest in acting from watching her mother prepare for and act in theater productions.[11] She earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in May 2010.[14]
Gomez began her acting career at age seven, playing Gianna on Barney & Friends.[15] She later had minor roles in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and the TV film Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire. Gomez also starred in the television movie Brain Zapped. (Selena Gomez also found out that she wanted to be an actress because in E Special she states that "I would also watch my mom on stage do her lines".)
In 2004, Gomez was discovered by the Disney Channel in a USA-wide scouting.[16] Gomez appeared as a guest star on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and had a guest appearance – that later turned into a recurring role – on Hannah Montana from seasons two to three. Gomez previously taped two different pilots that were spin-offs to two previous Disney series.[17] The first one, What's Stevie Thinking?, was the spin-off to Lizzie McGuire. Gomez played Stevie Sanchez, Miranda Sanchez's little sister. The other show was titled Arwin!, the spin-off to The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, in which she played Alexa. Neither series was picked up.
In early 2007 Gomez was cast in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place as one of the three main characters, Alex Russo. The show premiered to an audience of 5.9 million, becoming a hit. Many news outlets began dubbing Gomez the next 'Miley Cyrus' causing some controversy and a reported 'feud'. Gomez clarified that there was no feud and that she was flattered by the comparison, saying: "It's a little overwhelming, but I think really, it's a compliment. She's obviously extremely successful, and I think she's a wonderful performer ... So being compared to her, I was very, very flattered."[18] Gomez recorded four songs, one of which was a cover, for theWizards of Waverly Place soundtrack, only one single (Magic) from the album was released.
In 2008, Gomez recorded a cover of "Cruella de Vil"—which included a music video—for the compilation albumDisneyMania 6. Gomez also recorded "Fly to Your Heart" for the 2008 animated film Tinker Bell. In July 2008, before Gomez' sixteenth birthday, she signed a recording deal with Hollywood Records, a music label owned by Disney.[19] In May, of the same year, Gomez was featured, with Forever the Sickest Kids, on a duet version of the non-album song "Whoa Oh!".[20] The same year Gomez appeared in Another Cinderella Story, the direct-to-DVD sequel to the 2004 Hilary Duff film, opposite Drew Seeley. She also had a minor voiceover role as one the Mayor's ninety-six daughters in Horton Hears a Who! which released in March of that year. In April, Lacey Rose, of Forbes ranked Gomez as being fifth on their "Eight Hot Kid Stars To Watch" list; and Rose described Gomez as having been "a multitalented teen".[21] Gomez recorded three songs for the movie's soundtrack.
In 2009, Gomez formed the teen pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene. Kiss & Tell, the band's debut studio album and was released on September 29, 2009 by Hollywood Records. On March 5, 2010, the album was certified Gold by RIAA.[3] The album's single, "Naturally", was certified Platinum by the RIAA on July 15, 2010.[3] In February 2009, Gomez signed on to star as one of the two female leads in Ramona and Beezus, a film adaption of the children's novel series by Beverly Cleary.[22][23] Gomez stated that she felt no pressure in taking more adult roles: "I think I’m fully aware of my audience and I’m still just a kid myself. I wouldn’t do a role I don’t feel comfortable doing or that my audience wouldn’t feel comfortable seeing."[24]
In June 2009, Gomez did a guest appearance as herself in one episode of best friend Demi Lovato's Disney Channel television show, Sonny with a Chance, entitled "Battle of The Network Stars". That same month Gomez appeared alongside Lovato in the made-for-television Disney Channel movie, Princess Protection Program.[25] The telecast garnered 8.5 million viewers becoming, at the time, the third most watched Disney Channel Original Movie.[26] One month later, Gomez, along with two cast members of Wizards of Waverly Place appeared in a television three-way cross-over episode with Hannah Montana and The Suite Life on Deck, entitled Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana.
On August 28, 2009 two months after appearing in Princess Protection Program, Gomez starred in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, a made-for-television film based on the show.[27] The film premiered to an audience of 11.4 million viewers becoming cable's No. 1 scripted telecast of 2009 and Disney Channel's second most-viewed film premiere after High School Musical 2.[28] In September 2009, Wizards of Waverly Place won "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.[29] In 2010, the film adaptation won the series its second consecutive Emmy for "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.[29]
Gomez's first theatrical film Ramona & Beezus premiered on July 23, 2010 and met with generally positive reviews.[30] In March 2010, Variety reported that Gomez was set to star as one of the three lead roles in Monte Carlo, alongside Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy.[31] In the film Gomez plays Grace, a girl who’s “mistaken for a socialite while on a trip to Paris.”[32] To prepare for the role Gomez learned how to play polo and also took two weeks of vocal training to learn two different British accents.[33][34] The same year Gomez confirmed that the fourth season of her hit Disney Channel show, Wizards of Waverly Place, would be its last.
On September 17, 2010 , Selena Gomez and The Scene released their second studio album, A Year Without Rain The record debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 4, selling 66,000 copies. On January 19, 2011, the album was certified Gold by RIAA.[3] As of April 2011, the band has sold 1,354,000 albums in the United States.[35] To support the album, the band embarked on the mini-tour A Year Without Rain Tour. In February 2011, Deadline.com reported that Universal Pictures and Strike Entertainment had acquired the novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher with Gomez attached to the lead.[36] That same month TV Guide reported that Gomez would make a cameo in the Muppets film.[37] On March 23, 2011, Hollywood Records announced through a press release that Selena Gomez & The Scene would be embarking on their third concert tour in the United States, the We Own the Night Tour ran during the summer of 2011.[38] Production for the final season of Wizards of Waverly Place came to a wrap on May 14, 2011.[39] Gomez co-hosted the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards on June 19.[40] She also hosted the 2011 MTV EMAs on November 6, 2011, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she performed her band's single "Hit the Lights". Near the end of 2011, it was reported Gomez was in talks to star in two upcoming films. Deadline.com announced in October that Gomez would take part in the comedy Hot Mess.[41]
In early November, Variety reported that Gomez was in talks to star in the upcoming film Spring Breakers alongside James Franco and Vanessa Hudgens.[42] Gomez confirmed to MTV that she had signed on for the project and that production will begin in early 2012.[43] On June 28, 2011, Selena Gomez & the scene released their third studio album, When the Sun Goes Down, previously titledOtherside,[44] The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 78,000 copies its first week and the following week, the album rose to number 3 on the Billboard chart, becoming the band's highest charting album to date.[45][46] On November 17, 2011, the album was certified platinum.[3] The album's lead single, "Who Says" was certified Platinum by RIAA on June 23, 2011 and has become the band's highest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 to date, peaking at number 21.[3][47] The second single, "Love You Like a Love Song", was certified Platinum by RIAA on December 2, 2011, and became the act's first to sell over two-million copies.[3][48]
In January 2012, Gomez announced that she would put her music career on hold.[49] This was later reaffirmed as Gomez wrote on her Facebook page that she was taking a break from music in order to focus on her acting career, "my band and I are going our separate ways for a while. This year is all about films and acting and I want my band to play music wherever with whoever. We will be back but, it will be a good while."[50] In February 2012, Gomez announced that the band would be taking a hiatus, so that she could focus on film for the year. She encouraged her band mates to work with other artists during the hiatus.[51] The same month, it was announced that Gomez will replace Miley Cyrus in the animated comedy Hotel Transylvania playing Mavis, the daughter of Dracula who will be voiced by Adam Sandler.[52] As of March 2012, Gomez has been cast in four upcoming films; in which three of them she has been cast as a lead role. She will first appear in Hotel Transylvania, an animated film, voicing the character of Mavis, who was originally supposed to be voiced by Miley Cyrus, however Cyrus dropped out of the film in early 2012 in order to focus on her music career.[53] The film is scheduled to be released on September 21, 2012.[54] Next, Gomez will appear in Spring Breakers, which is currently being filmed on location in Sarasota, Florida. The film is being written and directed by Harmony Korine.[55] Gomez has also been cast as the main role of Hannah Baker in the film adaptation of young-adult fiction novel, 13 Reasons Why. The novel was written by Jay Asher.[56] She will also play the lead role in a film called Hot Mess, a comedy film directed by Dave Meyers.[56] On April 7, 2012, Gomez posted a video for fans in which she revealed that she will be filming a new movie called "The Getaway" in Bulgaria. [57]
Gomez was involved in the UR Votes Count campaign which encouraged teenagers to learn more about 2008 presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.[58] In October 2008, Gomez participated in St. Jude's Children's Hospital "Runway For Life" benefit.[59] Gomez is a spokesperson for Borden Milk; she is featured in the campaign's print and television ads.[60] She is the ambassador of DoSomething.org after being involved with the charity Island Dog, which help dogs in Puerto Rico.[61] She got involved while filming Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie in Puerto Rico.[62] Gomez is a spokesperson for State Farm Insurance, and is featured in their TV commercials; which air on the Disney Channel, to raise awareness of being a safe driver.[63] Gomez is also involved with the charity RAISE Hope For Congo, an initiative of the Enough Project, which helps raise awareness about conflict minerals and violence against Congolese women.[64]
In October 2008, Gomez was named UNICEF's spokesperson for the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign, which encouraged children to raise money on Halloween to help children around the world.[4] She said that she was "extremely excited" to "encourage other kids to make a difference in the world."[4]
In August 2009, a 17-year-old Gomez became the youngest UNICEF ambassador ever, passing fellow songstress Hayley Westenra, who was 18 when she was chosen. In her first official field mission, Gomez traveled to Ghana on September 4, 2009 for a week to witness first-hand the stark conditions of vulnerable children that lack vital necessities including clean water, nourishment, education and healthcare.[65][66] Gomez explained during an interview with Associated Press that she wanted to use her star power to bring awareness to Ghana: “That’s why I feel very honored to have a voice that kids listen to and take into consideration [...] I had people on my tour asking me where IS Ghana, and they Googled it [...] and because I went there, they now know where Ghana is. So it’s pretty incredible.”[66][67] Gomez said of her role as ambassador that: "Every day 25,000 children die from preventable causes. I stand with UNICEF in the belief that we can change that number from 25,000 to zero. I know we can achieve this because every moment, UNICEF is on the ground providing children with the lifesaving assistance needed to ensure zero becomes a reality."[65]
Gomez was named spokesperson for UNICEF's 2009 Trick-or-Treat campaign, for the second year in a row.[68] Gomez, who raised over $700,000 for the charity in 2008, stated that she hopes to be able to raise 1 million dollars in 2009.[66] Gomez participated in a celebrity auction[69] and hosted a live web cast series on Facebook in support of the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign.[70] Gomez returned as the UNICEF spokesperson for the 60th anniversary of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign in 2010.[71] In celebration of the 60th anniversary, Gomez and her band, The Scene, held a benefit concert donating all proceeds to the campaign.[72]. On January 22nd 2010, Gomez participated in the Hope for Haiti Now Telethon with a number of other celebrities[73].
In February 2011, Gomez traveled to Chile to witness and meet with the families of UNICEF's supported program, "Programa Puente" which helps families better understand and develops skills to deal effectively with early childhood education, development and other issues related to raising children. From her field trip experience, Gomez said "UNICEF is helping Chilean families get out of poverty, prevent violence within the home and promote education. To witness first hand these families' struggles, and also their hope and perseverance, was truly inspiring."[74] In March 2011, Gomez participated in the UNICEF Tap Project's "Celebrity Tap Pack," limited-edition, custom-made water bottles featuring tap water from the homes of each celebrity advocate, in order to raise funds and increase profile for the clean water and sanitation programs.[75] She is also featured in videos promoting the campaign.[76][77]
Gomez is involved in Disney's Friends for Change, an organization which promotes "environmently-friendly behavior", and appears in its public service announcements.[78] Gomez, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers recorded "Send It On", a charity single with all of its proceeds to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.[79][80] It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 20.[79] Also in 2009, Gomez made a surprise visit to a Los Angeles elementary school as part of the "A Day Made Better" program that was sponsored by OfficeMax. During her visit, Gomez gave the school an award and $1,000 worth of school supplies, and talked to students about the importance of giving back to the community.[81][82]
Gomez is also the owner of six rescue dogs and describes herself as a "huge animal-lover".[83]
In April 2012, Gomez was named ambassador to the Ryan Seacrest Foudation[84].
Gomez was part of Sears back-to-school fashion ad campaign.[85] As part of the campaign Gomez was featured in the television commercials. In August 2009, Gomez also hosted the "Sears Arrive Air Band Casting Call" – to select five people for the first-ever "Sears Air Band", which performed at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.[86]
In October 2008, Gomez launched her own production company, July Moon Productions, and partnered with XYZ Films to create star vehicles for Gomez. As part of the agreement Gomez will have the opportunity to be able option articles, hire writers and create talent packages to shop to studios.[87][88] Also, as part of the deal, "XYZ Films will allow Gomez to star in and produce at least two films.[81] Variety reported that: "In August, XYZ [Films] inked a similar deal with Time Inc. and management-production company the Collective to finance the development of the print media giant's content for the bigscreen [...] As part of the July Moon-XYZ deal, [Selena] Gomez will have the ability to cherry-pick projects from the vast Time Inc. library, which includes Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune and Life."[88]
In October 2009, Gomez announced her plan to launch her own fashion line, called "Dream Out Loud by Selena Gomez". The clothing line launched in the fall of 2010.[89][90] The collection consists of and features bohemian dresses, floral tops, jeans, skirts, jackets, scarves and hats, all made from recycled or eco-friendly materials.[91][92] Gomez said that the line will reflect her own personal style and described the clothing as being "pretty, feminine, and bohemian," and: "With my line, I really want to give the customer options on how they can put their own looks together [...] I want the pieces that can be easy to dress up or down, and the fabrics being eco-friendly and organic is super important [...] Also, the tags will all have some of my inspirational quotes on them. I'm just looking to send a good message."[89][92] Gomez, who has no background in fashion, teamed up with designers Tony Melillo and Sandra Campos, both who have worked with big-name fashion houses.[90] Gomez said of the partnering: "When I met Tony and Sandra, I was instantly comfortable with them and now they are just like family to me ... They are so creative and I love how I can just call them up whenever and talk to them about everything, even if it's just about changing a button ... They've been so cool about everything."[89][90][91][92] The brand will be manufactured by, Melillo and Campos teamed with New York-based Adjmi Apparel and formed by Adjmi CH Brands LLC; which is the holding company for the brand.[93]
It was announced on July 14, 2011, that Gomez had signed a license agreement with Adrenalina, an extreme sports and adventure-themed lifestyle brand, to develop, manufacture, and distribute the actress' fragrance. It is expected to debut in May of 2012. Chairman and C.E.O. of Adrenalina, Ilia Lekach, said, "We are incredibly enthused to be working with Ms. Gomez and will reveal more details pertaining to the fragrance as we get closer to the launch date."[94]
With a solid fan and media following, Selena Gomez is considered a teen idol. She has appeared on several magazine covers, including People Magazine,[95] Cosmopolitan,[96] Billboard,[97] TVGuide,[98] Teen Vogue,[99] Seventeen,[100] Elle[101].
Wax statues of Gomez are on display at Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York[102], London[103], Washington D.C[104] and Hollywood.
Gomez has had several high-profile relationships. She had an on-off relationship with singer Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers from 2008 to 2010.[105] In 2009, she met actor Taylor Lautner in Vancouver, while she was filming Ramona and Beezus and he was shooting New Moon[106], and the two dated for almost a year. However the pressure of the media became too much for them and caused the two to break-up.[107] On February 27 2011, Gomez attended the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar Party with Canadian singer Justin Bieber,[108] confirming several months of media speculation about a romantic relationship between the pair.[109][110][111][112][113][114] The relationship has since continued to garner significant media attention.[115][116][117][118][119]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over | Waterpark Girl | |
2005 | Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire | Julie | |
2008 | Another Cinderella Story | Mary Santiago | Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie Teen Choice Award for Celebrity Dancer |
Horton Hears a Who! | Helga | Nominated - Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Voice-over Role | |
2009 | Princess Protection Program | Carter Mason | Nominated - Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie Teen Choice Award for Summer TV Star (Female) |
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie | Alex Russo | Nominated - Imagen Award for Best Television Actress | |
Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard | Princess Selenia | (Replaced Madonna) | |
2010 | Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds | Princess Selenia | |
Ramona and Beezus | Beatrice "Beezus" Quimby | Nominated - Teen Choice Award for Summer Movie Star (Female) | |
2011 | Monte Carlo | Grace Bennett/ Cordelia Winthrop Scott |
Nominated - ALMA Award for Favorite Movie Actress in a Musical/Comedy Nominated - Teen Choice Award for Summer Movie Star (Female) |
The Muppets | Herself | ||
2012 | Hotel Transylvania | Mavis | |
2013 | Spring Breakers | Faith | |
Aftershock | TBA | ||
The Getaway | Kid | ||
TBA | Thirteen Reasons Why | Hannah Baker | |
TBA | Hot Mess | TBA | |
TBA | The Sky Is Everywhere | Lennie Walker |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002–2003 | Barney & Friends | Gianna | Recurring role |
2006 | Brain Zapped | Emily Grace Garcia | Unsold pilot[120] |
2006 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Gwen | "A Midsummer's Nightmare" (season 2: episode 22) |
2007–2008 | Hannah Montana | Mikayla | "I Want You to Want Me... to Go to Florida" (season 2: episode 13) "That's What Friends Are For?" (season 2: episode 18) "(We're So Sorry) Uncle Earl" (season 2: episode 22) (uncredited) |
2007–2012 | Wizards of Waverly Place | Alex Russo | Lead role |
2008 | Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream | Herself | (Season 1, episode 7) |
2008 | Studio DC: Almost Live | Herself | Second Show |
2008 | Disney Channel Games | Herself | Third annual |
2009 | The Suite Life on Deck | Alex Russo | "Double-Crossed" (season 1: episode 21) |
2009 | Hannah Montana | Alex Russo | "Super(stitious) Girl" (season 3: episode 19) |
2009 | Sonny with a Chance | Herself | "Battle of the Networks' Stars" (season 1: episode 13) |
2011 | So Random! | Herself | "Selena Gomez & the Scene" (season 1: episode 3) Musical guest singing "Who Says" |
2011 | PrankStars | Herself | "Something to Chew On (Pilot)" (season 1: episode 1) |
2012 | Funny Or Die | Woman | "'Fifty Shades Of Blue'" Parody Video |
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [121] |
US OST [121] |
US Kids [121] |
NOR [122] |
|||
Another Cinderella Story |
|
116 | 8 | — | — | |
Wizards of Waverly Place |
|
24 | 4 | 2 | 27 | |
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [123] |
CAN [123] |
NOR [124] |
|||
"Tell Me Something I Don't Know" | 2008 | 58 | — | — | Another Cinderella Story |
"Magic" | 2009 | 61 | 86 | 5 | Wizards of Waverly Place |
"Shake It Up" | 2011 | — | — | — | Shake It Up: Break It Down |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
US [123] |
|||
"Whoa Oh!" (Forever The Sickest Kids featuring Selena Gomez) |
2009 | — | non-album song |
"Send It On" (among Disney's Friends for Change) |
20 | non-album song |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
US [123] |
|||
"One and the Same" (with Demi Lovato) |
2009 | 82 | Disney Channel Playlist |
Song | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Burnin' Up" | 2008 | A Little Bit Longer; played Nick Jonas' love interest |
"Cruella De Vil" | 2008 | Disneymania 6 |
"Fly to Your Heart" | 2008 | Tinker Bell |
"Tell Me Something I Don't Know" | 2008/2009 | Kiss & Tell |
"One and the Same" | 2009 | Princess Protection Program, Disney Channel Playlist |
"Send It On" | 2009 | Send It On |
"Falling Down" | 2009 | Kiss & Tell |
"Naturally" | 2009 | Kiss & Tell |
"Round and Round" | 2010 | A Year Without Rain |
"A Year Without Rain" | 2010 | A Year Without Rain |
"The Dance Routine" | 2011 | non-album, The Midnight Beast, cameo |
"Who Says" | 2011 | When the Sun Goes Down |
"Love You Like a Love Song" | 2011 | When the Sun Goes Down |
"Hit the Lights" | 2011 | When the Sun Goes Down |
"Hit the Lights" | 2012 | When the Sun Goes Down |
Year | Tour | Gross revenue |
---|---|---|
2009/2010 | Live in Concert | $85,102 |
2010/2011 | A Year Without Rain Tour | $634,667 |
2011/2012 | We Own the Night Tour | $5,754,314 |
Year | Title | Rank |
---|---|---|
2009 | People Magazine's Most Beautiful Under 21[125] | No. 1 |
2010 | Billboard's Hottest Music Stars Under 21[126] | No. 3 |
People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People[127] | Top 50 | |
2011 | Latina Magazine's 25 Most Beautiful Latino Stars Under 25[128] | No. 4 |
Latina Magazine's 15 Latinas We Love![129] | No Specific Order | |
Paper Magazine's Most Beautiful People[130] | No Specific Order | |
Billboard's Hottest Music Stars Under 21[126] | No. 3 | |
2012 | AskMen's Top 99 Women[131] | No. 14 |
AskMen's Top 99 Women (UK)[132] | No. 33 | |
People Magazine's Most Beautiful Look-alikes[133] | No. 3 | |
FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World[134] | No. 75 | |
Glamour Magazine's Best Dressed Women in the World (UK)[135] | No. 33 | |
Maxim's Hot 100[136] | No. 24 |
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Selena Gomez
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Selena Gomez |
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Persondata | |
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Name | Gomez, Selena |
Alternative names | Gomez, Selena Marie |
Short description | Actress, singer |
Date of birth | July 22, 1992 |
Place of birth | Grand Prairie, Texas, United States |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
Bill Becker (November 10, 1916, Chicago, Illinois – January 27, 2010, Santa Monica, California) was an American journalist noted for his coverage of nuclear weapons tests,[1] political campaigns, scientific advances,[2] and major sporting events. He covered over 25 Rose Bowls and five World Series.[3]
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Becker attended the College of the Pacific, now the University of the Pacific (UOP) in Stockton, CA. While there he played football under the legendary coach, Amos Alonzo Stagg.
Following his graduation from the University of the Pacific, Becker started his journalism career at the Arizona Republic. In 1944 he joined the Associated Press and covered numerous atomic tests. In 1956 he began a long career at The New York Times which resulted in over 600 Times articles. In 1957 he spent five months in Antarctica as a Times reporter during the International Geophysical Year.
From 1964 through 1966 he worked as writer for Universal Studios, returning to journalism in 1966 as a science writer for Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, while continuing to cover major sporting events for The New York Times.
Becker was awarded the University of the Pacific's Amos Alonzo Stagg Award of Merit in 2008.[4]
Persondata | |
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Name | Becker, Bill |
Alternative names | |
Short description | |
Date of birth | November 10, 1916 |
Place of birth | |
Date of death | January 27, 2010 |
Place of death |
Taylor Swift | |
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Swift performing during the Australian leg of her Speak Now Tour in 2012 |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Taylor Alison Swift |
Born | (1989-12-13) December 13, 1989 (age 22) Reading, Pennsylvania, United States |
Genres | Country-pop, pop, country, alternative rock |
Occupations | Singer-songwriter, actress |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, banjo, ukulele, piano |
Years active | 2006–present |
Labels | Big Machine |
Website | TaylorSwift.com |
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of fourteen to pursue a career in country music. She signed to the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. The release of Swift's self-titled debut album in 2006 established her as a country music star. "Our Song", her third single, made her the youngest sole writer and singer of a number one song on the country chart. She received a Best New Artist nomination at the 50th Grammy Awards.
Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in late 2008. Buoyed by the chart success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", Fearless attracted a crossover audience and became the top-selling album of 2009. The record won four Grammy Awards, with Swift becoming the youngest ever Album of the Year winner. Fearless also received Album of the Year plaudits at the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and Country Music Association Awards, making it the most awarded album in country music history. In 2010, Swift released her third album, Speak Now, which sold over one million copies in its first week. She then embarked on the 111-date Speak Now World Tour, which was attended by over 1.6 million fans and has become one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. The album's third single, "Mean", won two Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. Swift is currently recording her fourth studio album, due for release in the fall of 2012.
Swift's work has earned her numerous accolades, including six Grammy Awards, ten AMAs, seven CMAs, six ACMs and 13 BMI Awards. She has sold over 22 million albums and 50 million song downloads worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Swift has endorsement deals with Target, CoverGirl, Sony, Elizabeth Arden, Walmart and American Greetings. As a philanthropist, Swift has placed particular emphasis on arts education, children's literacy and natural disaster relief funds. In addition to her music career, Swift has appeared as an actress in the crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2009), the romantic comedy Valentine's Day (2010) and the animated film The Lorax (2012).
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Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania.[1] She is the daughter of Scott Swift, a Merrill Lynch financial adviser,[2][3] and Andrea (née Gardner), a homemaker who previously worked as a mutual fund marketing executive.[1][4] Swift was named after singer James Taylor; her mother believed a gender-neutral name would help her forge a successful business career.[5][6] She has a younger brother, Austin, who attends Vanderbilt University.[7] She spent the early years of her life on an eleven-acre Christmas tree farm in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and was educated at the fee-paying Wyndcroft School.[8] When Swift was nine years old, the family moved to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania,[9][10] where she attended Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School.[11] Swift spent her summers at her parent's vacation home in Stone Harbor, New Jersey[12] and has described it as the place "where most of my childhood memories were formed".[10]
Swift's first hobby was English horse riding. Her mother Andrea put her in a saddle when Swift was nine months old and she later competed in horse shows.[13][14] Her family owned several Quarter horses and a Shetland pony.[14] At the age of nine, Swift turned her attention to musical theatre and performed in Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions of Grease, Annie, Bye Bye Birdie and The Sound of Music.[15][8] She travelled regularly to Broadway, New York for vocal and acting lessons. However, "after a few years of auditioning in New York and not getting anything”, Swift became interested in country music.[16] She was inspired by LeAnn Rimes's Blue[17] and her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, an opera singer.[8] When she was in fourth grade, Swift won a national poetry contest with a three-page poem, "Monster in My Closet".[18] At the age of eleven, after many attempts,[19] Swift won a local talent competition by singing a rendition of LeAnn Rimes’s “Big Deal”, and was given the opportunity to appear as the opening act for Charlie Daniels at a Strausstown amphitheater.[15] She spent her weekends performing at local festivals, fairs, coffeehouses, karaoke contests, garden clubs and Boy Scout meetings.[20][4] This interest in country music isolated Swift from her middle school peers.[21][22]
After watching a Behind the Music episode about Faith Hill,[23] Swift recorded a demo of karaoke covers, and travelled with her mother to Nashville, Tennessee for spring break to leave a copy of the demo with record labels along Music Row. She received label rejections and realized that "everyone in that town wanted to do what I wanted to do. So, I kept thinking to myself, I need to figure out a way to be different".[23] Swift began performing the "The Star Spangled Banner" at many sporting events, hoping she would be offered a recording contract. On one occasion, an eleven-year-old Swift high-fived Jay-Z after singing the national anthem at a 76ers game in Philadelphia.[24] At the age of twelve, Swift was shown by a computer repairman how to play three chords on a guitar, inspiring her to write her first song, "Lucky You".[25][26] She then recorded a second demo of original songs.[15] In 2003, Swift and her parents began working with music manager Dan Dymtrow, after he spotted her singing at the US Open.[27] Swift's second demo then caught the attention of RCA Records, who offered the eight-grader an artist development deal. In 2004, Swift modelled for Abercrombie and Fitch as part of their "Rising Stars" campaign and had an original song included in a Maybelline Cosmetics compilation CD.[28]
When Swift was fourteen, her father transferred to the Nashville office of Merrill Lynch and the family relocated to a lake-shore house in Hendersonville, Tennessee.[1] Swift has said her parents "presented it as a move to a nice community" rather than as her chance to become a star.[29] Her mother has said, "We've always told her that this is not about putting food on our table or making our dreams come true."[30] In Tennessee, Swift attended Hendersonville High School for her freshman and sophomore years.[31] Later, to accommodate her touring schedule, Swift transferred to the Aaron Academy, a private Christian school which offered homeschooling services, and earned her high school diploma in 2008.[32]
Swift moved to Nashville at the age of fourteen, having secured an artist development deal with RCA Records. Her musical influences included the Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill,[29] Tom Petty,[33] Sheryl Crow,[34] Melissa Etheridge, Pat Benatar,[35] Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks,[36] Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.[37] Swift had writing sessions with experienced songwriters such as Troy Verges, Brett Beavers, Brett James, Mac McAnally and the Warren Brothers,[38][39] but eventually formed a lasting working relationship with Liz Rose.[40] Swift saw Rose performing at an RCA songwriter event and suggested that they write together.[41] They began meeting for two-hour writing sessions every Tuesday afternoon after school.[42] Rose has said that the sessions were "some of the easiest I've ever done. Basically, I was just her editor. She'd write about what happened in school that day. She had such a clear vision of what she was trying to say. And she'd come in with the most incredible hooks".[43][42] Swift also began recording demos with producer Nathan Chapman.[41] After performing at a BMI Songwriter's Circle showcase at The Bitter End, New York,[39] Swift became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Tree publishing house.[44]
Swift left RCA Records when she was fifteeen; the company wanted her to record the work of other songwriters and wait until she was eighteen to release an album, but she felt ready to launch her career with her own material.[45][19] She also parted ways with manager Dan Dymtrow, who later took legal action against Swift and her parents.[28] At an industry showcase at Nashville's The Bluebird Café in 2005, Swift caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, a Dreamworks Records executive who was preparing to form his own independent record label, Big Machine Records.[40] Swift was one of the new label's first signings.[40] As an introduction to the country music business, Borchetta arranged for Swift to intern at the CMA Music Festival; she acted as the artist escort for Darryl Worley.[46][47]
Swift began working on her self-titled debut album shortly after signing her record deal. After experimenting with veteran Nashville producers, Swift persuaded Big Machine to hire her demo producer Nathan Chapman.[19] It was his first time to record a studio album but Swift felt they had the right "chemistry".[19] In the end, Chapman produced all but one of the tracks on Taylor Swift.[19] She has described the album as the "diary" of her early teens[48] and most songs were written during her freshman year of high school.[19] As a result, the songs describe coming of age experiences such as insecurity, young love, and teenage angst.[19] She has said that, although "it sounds like I've had 500 boyfriends", a lot of the songs are observational.[19] Swift wrote three of the album's songs alone, including two singles, and co-wrote the remaining eight with writers such as Liz Rose, Robert Ellis Orrall and Angelo Petraglia.[49] Musically, the album has been described as "a mix of trad-country instruments and spry rock guitars".[50]
Taylor Swift was released in October 2006 and received generally positive reviews from music critics.[51] PopMatters hoped Swift would be "able to find an accomodation between the country tradition and her very obvious pop sensibilities, because Taylor Swift suggests she has much to offer".[52] The New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones described Swift as a "prodigy". She noted that "Our Song" "stop[ed] me in my tracks" and praised the lyrics: “He’s got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel, the other on my heart".[53] Country Weekly felt Swift demonstrated "an honesty, intelligence and idealism with which listeners of any age will be able to connect" and noted that "the more thoughtful material suggests a talent poised to last well past high school".[54] AllMusic stated that, while listening to the album, it was "never in doubt" that "Swift is a talent to be reckoned with".[55] Rolling Stone described Swift as "bright-eyed but remarkably seasoned", and admired "Our Song"'s "insanely hooky sing-song melody that's as Britney as it is Patsy".[50]
Big Machine Records was still in its infancy upon the release of the lead single "Tim McGraw" in June 2006, and Swift and her mother helped "stuff the CD singles into envelopes to send to radio".[30] She spent much of 2006 promoting Taylor Swift in a radio tour and later commented, "Radio tours for most artists last six weeks. Mine lasted six months."[19] Swift painted canvases (inspired by Jackson Pollock) to gift to radio station managers who played her music.[56] She took part in "GAC Short Cuts", a part-documentary, part-music-video series designed to introduce her to country music fans.[57][58] She also made television appearances on Good Morning America,[59] The Megan Mullally Show,[59] America's Got Talent,[60] and TRL.[61] Swift, a self-described "kid of the internet",[62] used MySpace to build a fanbase. She wrote her own blog posts, left comments on her fans' accounts and personally respond to the messages that were sent to her.[63] This was, at the time, "revolutionary in country music".[64][57] Borchetta has said that his decision to sign a sixteen year old singer-songwriter initially raised eyebrows among his record industry peers[57] but Swift tapped into a previously unknown market: teenage girls who listen to country music.[1][57]
Following "Tim McGraw", four further singles were released throughout 2007 and 2008: "Teardrops on My Guitar", "Our Song", "Picture to Burn" and "Should've Said No". All were highly successful on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, with "Our Song" and "Should've Said No" both reaching number one. "Our Song" made Swift the youngest sole writer and singer of a number one country song.[65] "Teardrops on My Guitar" became a minor pop hit; it reached number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100.[66][67] The album sold 39,000 copies during its first week[68] and, as of March 2011, has sold over 5.5 million copies worldwide.[69] Swift also released a holiday album, Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, in October 2007 and an EP, Beautiful Eyes, in July 2008.[70][71]
Swift toured extensively in support of Taylor Swift. In addition to festival and theater dates, Swift performed as an opening act for several country artists' concert tours. She opened for Rascal Flatts on several dates in late 2006.[59][72] In 2007, she served as the opening act on twenty dates for George Strait's 2007 United States tour,[73] several dates on Kenny Chesney's tour[74] and selected dates on Brad Paisley's Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour.[75][76] Also in 2007, Swift appeared as the opening act on several dates for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's joint Soul2Soul II Tour.[77] Swift again opened for Flatts for their Still Feels Good Tour in 2008.[78] In addition to performing her own material, Swift played covers of songs by Beyoncé and Rihanna.[79] She conducted meet-and-greet sessions with fans before and after her concerts; these lasted for up to four hours.[80][81]
In 2007, Swift and Alan Jackson were jointly named the Nashville Songwriters Association's "Songwriter/Artists of the Year". Swift was the youngest person ever to be honored with the title.[82] She also won the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award for Best New Artist.[83] In 2008, she won Top New Female Vocalist at the Academy of Country Music Awards[84] and Favorite Country Female Artist at the American Music Awards.[85] She won seven BMI Awards for songs featured on Taylor Swift.[86] Swift was also nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award in the category of Best New Artist, but lost to Amy Winehouse.[87]
Swift's second studio album, Fearless, was released in November 2008.[88] She wrote seven of the album's songs alone, including two singles, and co-wrote the remaining six with songwriters Liz Rose, John Rich, Colbie Caillat and Hillary Lindsey.[49] While Swift wrote many of the songs on tour, she made a conscious effort not to include "road songs": "As a 16-year-old girl, I could never relate to those songs about playing a different city every night. I want to write about feelings and love and the lack of love".[89] She has said that the album title "means you’re afraid of a lot of things, but you jump anyway".[90] She co-produced the album with Nathan Chapman.[49] Musically, the record is characterized by "loud, lean guitars and rousing choruses", with the occasional "bit of fiddle and banjo tucked into the mix".[91]
Fearless received generally positive reviews from music critics.[92] The New York Times described Swift as "one of pop's finest songwriters, country’s foremost pragmatist and more in touch with her inner life than most adults".[93] The Village Voice felt she displayed "preternatural wisdom and inclusiveness", "masterfully avoiding the typical diarist's pitfalls of trite banality and pseudo-profound bullshit".[94] Rolling Stone described her as "a songwriting savant with an intuitive gift for verse-chorus-bridge architecture" whose "squirmingly intimate and true" songs seemed to be "literally ripped from a suburban girl's diary".[95] USA Today found it "a pleasure to hear a gifted teenager who sounds like a gifted teenager, rather than a mouthpiece for a bunch of older pros' collective notion of adolescent yearning."[96] The New Yorker described it as an album "without a bad track", adding that "the album’s finest effort, "Fifteen", will feature in yearbook quotes for years".[97] Entertainment Weekly noted that the album would appeal mainly to young girls – "she sounds like a real teen, not some manufactured vixen-Lolita" – but predicted it would be "exciting to watch her precocious talent grow".[98] Music critic Robert Christgau described Swift as "an uncommonly-to-impossibly strong and gifted teenage girl".[99]
Swift promoted Fearless heavily upon its release. An episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show was dedicated to the album launch[57] and Swift appeared on many other chat shows.[100] She communicated with fans using social media platforms such as twitter and personal video blogs.[57] In October 2008, she appeared at the CMT Giants: Alan Jackson event, performing a cover of Jackson's "Drive (For Daddy Gene)".[101] In November 2008, Swift took part in a joint, televised concert with rock band Def Leppard in Nashville.[102][103] She performed her song "Fifteen" with Miley Cyrus at the 51st Grammy Awards in February 2009.[104] In April 2009, she performed a cover of George Strait's "Run" at a televised ACM event honoring Strait as Artist of the Decade.[105] Swift hosted and appeared as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live in November 2009.[106] The lead single from the album, "Love Story", was released in September 2008 and became the second best-selling country single of all time, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[67][107] Four more singles were released throughout 2008 and 2009: "White Horse", "You Belong with Me", "Fifteen" and "Fearless". "You Belong with Me" was the album's highest-charting single, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.[108] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with sales of 592,304 and has since sold over 8.6 million copies worldwide.[109][110] It was the top-selling album of 2009 and brought Swift much crossover success.[111]
Swift carried out her first headlining tour from April 2009 to June 2010. As part of the 105-date Fearless Tour, Swift played 90 dates in North America, six dates in Europe, eight dates in Australia and one date in Asia.[112] The stage show included multiple costume changes, dancers and a fairy-tale castle set.[113] She sang a cover of Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around... Comes Around" nightly, intertwined with her own "You're Not Sorry".[114] Swift invited John Mayer, Faith Hill and Katy Perry to perform one-off duets with her at various dates during the North American tour.[115][116][117] Justin Bieber, Kelly Pickler and Gloriana were the support acts.[118] The tour was attended by more than 1.1 million fans and has grossed over $63 million.[119] Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless, a concert film, was aired on television and later released on DVD and Blu-ray.[120] Also in 2009, Swift performed as a supporting act for Keith Urban.[121]
In September 2009, Swift became the first country music artist to win an MTV Video Music Award when "You Belong with Me" was named Best Female Video.[122] Her acceptance speech was interrupted by rapper Kanye West, who had been involved in a number of other award show incidents.[123] West declared Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", nominated in the same category, to be "one of the best videos of all time." Many audience members booed West,[124][125] prompting him to flip off the crowd.[126][124] He then handed the microphone back to a speechless Swift.[124][127] Backstage, Swift was seen "hysterically crying".[124] According to Rolling Stone, when Swift's mother confronted West, he gave "a half-hearted apology in which he added he still thought Beyoncé's video was superior".[128] West was removed from the event.[124][126][129] When Beyoncé later won the award for Video of the Year, she invited Swift onstage to finish her speech.[124][130] In the event's press room, Swift, who in 2008 had expressed a desire to sing a hook on a Kanye West rap song,[131] was asked if she had "any hard feelings" towards West: "I don’t know him, and I’ve never met him, so... I don’t want to start anything because I had a great night tonight."[128][132]
The incident received much media attention and inspired many Internet memes.[133] President Barack Obama, in an "off the record" comment, called West a "jackass".[134] Former US President Jimmy Carter said West's interruption was "completely uncalled for".[135] West's behavior was criticized by celebrities, including Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Lady Gaga.[126][136][137][128] The following day, West apologized for his verbal outburst both in a blog entry and during an appearance on The Jay Leno Show.[124][125] He maintained that, while Swift was "very talented", "Beyoncé's video was the best of this decade!!!! ... I gave my awards to Outkast when they deserved it over me ... I'm not crazy y'all, I'm just real."[138] Two days after the VMAs, Swift told an interviewer that West had not spoken to her since the ceremony.[139] West then contacted her to offer a personal apology, which Swift accepted: "Kanye did call me, and he was very sincere in his apology."[122][139] It has been said that the incident and subsequent media attention turned Swift into "a bona-fide mainstream celebrity".[140]
Swift released a cover of Tom Petty's "American Girl", exclusively through Rhapsody in June 2009[141] and continues to make her stage entrance to Petty's recording of the song.[142] Swift contributed backing vocals to John Mayer's "Half of My Heart", featured on his fourth album, in November 2009.[143] Mayer wrote the song as a tribute to Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac: "I thought, 'Well, if this is going to be my love letter to that style of music, who's going to be the Stevie Nicks in this equation?' And I thought, 'This Taylor Swift girl is going to be around for a long time."[144] The song received positive reviews from music critics.[145][146][147] Swift and Mayer performed the song live at Madison Square Garden, New York in December 2009.[148] It was released as the album's third single in June 2010 and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.[149] Swift collaborated with a number of other artists in 2008 and 2009. She co-wrote and recorded "Best Days of Your Life" with Kelly Pickler.[150] She co-wrote two songs for the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack – "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" and "Crazier" – with Martin Johnson and Robert Ellis Orrall, respectively.[151] Swift also provided vocals for Boys Like Girls's "Two Is Better Than One", written by Martin Johnson.[152][153][154][155] In January 2010, Swift contributed two songs – including "Today Was a Fairytale" – to the Valentine's Day soundtrack[156] and recorded a cover of Better Than Ezra's "Breathless" for the Hope for Haiti Now album.[157]
In November 2009, Swift became the youngest ever artist, and one of only six women, to be named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association.[158] Fearless also won the Association's Album of the Year award.[158] The album won many other accolades and has become the most awarded album in country music history.[159] Swift was the youngest ever artist to win the Academy of Country Music's Album of the Year honor.[160] The American Music Awards honored Swift with Artist of the Year and Favorite Country Album plaudits.[161] She was awarded the Hal David Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame[162] and was named Songwriter/Artists of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association.[163] She won four BMI Awards.[164] Billboard named her 2009's Artist of the Year.[165] Swift was included in Time's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in 2010.[166]
In January 2010, Swift won four Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, Best Country Album, Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song, from a total of eight nominations.[167][168] She was the youngest ever artist to win Album of the Year.[169] During the ceremony, Swift sang "Rhiannon" and "You Belong with Me" with Stevie Nicks. Her vocal performance received negative reviews and sparked a widespread media backlash.[140][170] Her vocals were described variously as "badly off-key", "strikingly bad" and "incredibly wretched".[171][172] While The New York Times found it "refreshing to see someone so gifted make the occasional flub" and described Swift as "the most important new pop star of the past few years",[169] music critic Bob Lefsetz predicted that her career would end "overnight".[173][174] In April 2010, Stevie Nicks, writing in Time, defended the singer: "Taylor reminds me of myself in her determination and her childlike nature. It's an innocence that's so special and so rare. This girl writes the songs that make the whole world sing, like Neil Diamond or Elton John ... The female rock-'n'-roll-country-pop songwriter is back, and her name is Taylor Swift. And it's women like her who are going to save the music business."[166]
Swift released her third studio album, Speak Now, in October 2010.[175] She wrote all twelve songs alone: "I'd get my best ideas at 3 a.m. in Arkansas and I didn't have a co-writer around."[176] Album recording sessions took place in California, Tennessee and Kentucky over a two year period.[177][178] Swift, who co-produced the record with longtime collaborator Nathan Chapman,[179] has described it as "a collection of confessions—things I wish I had said when I was in the moment".[180] She originally intended to call the album Enchanted but Scott Borchetta, her record label's CEO, felt the title did not reflect the album's more adult themes: "She had played me a bunch of the new songs. I looked at her and I'm like, 'Taylor, this record isn't about fairy tales and high school anymore. That's not where you're at'".[181] Musically, it has been said that the album "expands beyond country-pop to border both alternative rock and dirty bubblegum pop".[182]
Speak Now received generally positive reviews from music critics.[183] USA Today felt that Swift's songwriting skills would remind listeners "what all the fuss was about in the first place", with the album capturing "the sweet ache of becoming an adult".[184] The Los Angeles Times praised her ability as a songwriter to "hit on common experiences that feel unique".[182] The New York Times described the album as savage, musically diverse and "excellent too, possibly her best".[179] The Village Voice found that the album demanded "a true appreciation of Swift's talent, which is not confessional, but dramatic: Like a procession of country songwriters before her, she creates characters and situations—some from life—and finds potent ways to describe them."[185] Entertainment Weekly noted that while love may confound her, "the art of expert songcraft clearly doesn't".[186] Music critic John Christgau found the album's songs "overlong and overworked" but remarked that "they evince an effort that bears a remarkable resemblance to care—that is, to caring in the best, broadest, and most emotional sense".[99] Rolling Stone described Swift as one of the best songwriters in "pop, rock or country": "Swift might be a clever Nashville pro who knows all the hitmaking tricks, but she's also a high-strung, hyper-romantic gal with a melodramatic streak the size of the Atchafalaya Swamp".[187]
Swift carried out an extensive promotional campaign prior to Speak Now's release.[188] She appeared on various talk shows and morning shows, and gave free mini-concerts in unusual locations, including an open-decker bus on Hollywood Boulevard and a departure lounge at JFK airport.[189][190] She took part in a "guitar pull" alongside Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill and Lionel Ritchie at LA's Club Nokia; the musicians shared the stage and took turns introducing and playing acoutic versions of their songs to raise money for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.[191][192] The album's lead single, "Mine", was released in August 2010 and five further singles were released throughout 2010 and 2011: "Back to December", "Mean", "The Story of Us", "Sparks Fly" and "Ours".[193] Speak Now was a major commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Its sales of 1,047,000 copies made it the sixteenth album in United States history to sell one million copies in a single week.[194] As of February 2012, Speak Now has sold over four million copies in the US[195] and over 5.7 million copies worldwide.[196][197] In her career, as of May 2012, Swift has sold over 22 million albums[198] and 50 million digital tracks worldwide.[199]
In September 2010, Kanye West's 2009 VMA interruption once again became newsworthy when West used his twitter account to apologize to Swift, referring to her as "just a lil girl with dreams like the rest of us": ""I wrote a song for Taylor Swift that's so beautiful and I want her to have it. If she won't take it then I'll perform it for her." Later that month, both artists performed at the 2010 VMAs. Swift sang "Innocent", a song widely believed to be about West, which The Washington Post has described as "a small masterpiece of passive aggressiveness, a vivisection dressed up as a peace offering".[200] Music critics found Swift's performance overly serious and "petty".[201][202] Speaking in November 2010, West said he failed to see what was "so arrogant about that moment" and described his actions as "selfless". He added that "if it was the other way around" and Swift were an established artist who had "made the video of her career, do you think she would have lost to a brand new artist? Hell no!"[203][204] Also that month, he claimed that, "If I wasn't drunk, I would have been on stage longer ... Taylor never came to my defense at any interview. And rode the waves and rode it and rode it".[205][206] At the Costume Institute Gala in May 2011, Swift and West came face-to-face on the red carpet. West was observed to hold "a hand out, and the two exchanged a studiedly casual, “down low” high five".[1]
Swift toured throughout 2011 and early 2012 in support of Speak Now. As part of the thirteen-month, 111-date world tour, Swift played seven shows in Asia, twelve shows in Europe, 80 shows in North America and twelve shows in Australasia.[207] Three dates on the US tour were rescheduled after Swift fell ill with bronchitis.[208] The stage show was inspired by Broadway musical theatre, with choreographed routines, elaborate set-pieces, pyrotechnics and numerous costume changes.[209][210] Swift invited many musicians to join her for one-off duets during the North American tour. Appearances were made by James Taylor, Jason Mraz, Shawn Colvin, Johnny Rzeznik, Andy Grammer, Tal Bachman, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Nicki Minaj, Nelly, B.o.B., Usher, Flo Rida, T.I., Jon Foreman, Jim Adkins, Hayley Williams, Hot Chelle Rae, Ronnie Dunn, Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney.[211][212] The tour was attended by over 1.6 million fans and has grossed over $123 million, becoming one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time.[207] Swift's first live album, Speak Now World Tour: Live, featuring all seventeen performances from the North American leg of the tour, was released in November 2011.[213]
During the North American and Australasian tour legs, Swift wrote different song lyrics on her left arm for each performance. She has said that the lyrics should be viewed as a nightly "mood ring"[214] and The New Yorker has cited the practice as an example of Swift's "keen understanding of what fuels fan obsession in the first place: a desire for intimacy between singer and listener".[1] Artists quoted include Tom Petty, Carole King, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Ryan Adams, Patty Griffin, Band of Horses, Jimmy Eat World, Death Cab For Cutie, Alanis Morrissette, Rachael Yamagata, Erin McCarley, Mindy Smith and Martina McBride.[215][216] Swift also performed many acoustic cover versions during her North American tour. In each city, she paid tribute to a homegrown artist.[217] She has said the cover versions allowed her to be "spontaneous" in an otherwise well-rehearsed show: "You'll have a lot of people who will come to more than one show, and I want them to get a different experience every time."[218] Artists covered include Justin Timberlake, Tori Amos, TLC, Pink, Fall Out Boy, Dave Matthews Band, Michelle Branch, Jordin Sparks, Maroon 5, Train, John Mellencamp, Kim Carnes, Avril Lavigne, The Jackson 5, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Gwen Stefani, All American Rejects, Britney Spears and Eminem.[219]
At the 54th Grammy Awards in February 2012, Swift's song "Mean" won Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.[220] She also performed "Mean" during the ceremony. The song is believed to be a rebuttal to Bob Lefsetz, one of the most vocal critics of her 2010 Grammy performance.[174] Lefsetz had previously been a supporter of the singer's career,[221] and Swift and Lefsetz had corresponded occasionally by email and telephone.[174] Time felt she "delivered her comeback on-key and with a vengeance"[222] while USA Today remarked that the criticism in 2010 seemed to have "made her a better songwriter and live performer".[223]
Swift was named Songwriter/Artist of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association in both 2010 and 2011. During the 2011 ceremony, she played an acoustic version of "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" in honor of Alan Jackson, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee,[224] who later thanked Swift in his speech for "the prettiest version I've ever heard".[225] Swift won various other awards for Speak Now. She was named Entertainer of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in both 2011 and 2012[226] and was named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2011.[227] Swift was the American Music Awards's Artist of the Year in 2011, and Speak Now was named Favorite Country Album.[228] She was also the recipient of two BMI Awards.[229] Billboard named Swift 2011's Woman of the Year.[230] Also that year, Billboard ranked her at number 15 in a list of the Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters 2000–2011; she was the second highest ranking woman.[231] Swift was ranked second on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 16 "Queen Of Pops" of the decade.[232]
Swift contributed two original songs to The Hunger Games soundtrack album in March 2012. "Safe & Sound" was co-written and recorded with The Civil Wars and T-Bone Burnett.[233] John Paul White has said working with Swift was "a revelation. She had some great ideas. We had complete freedom. It truly was a collaboration. We brought the melancholy and the darker angle. Taylor was bringing the melody and the chords."[234] Rolling Stone described the song as "Swift's prettiest ballad" and wondered whether the alt-country folk song was "a one-off novelty, a trial balloon cred-move, or the stirrings of a "grown-up" style".[235] Swift and The Civil Wars debuted a live version of the song at the Ryman Auditorium, Nashville in January 2012.[236] It was released as the album's lead single and, as of April 2012, has sold 970,000 copies in the United States.[237] Swift's second contribution to the album, "Eyes Open", was written solely by the singer and produced by Nathan Chapman.[238] In May 2012, Swift contributed vocals to "Both of Us", a Dr. Luke-produced song on B.o.B's second album Strange Clouds.[239][240][241][242]
Swift is currently working on her fourth album with producer Nathan Chapman.[243][244] It is scheduled for release in the fall of 2012.[245] Swift intends to keep writing and recording throughout 2012 "because I'm having so much fun".[246] After writing her third album alone, Swift is now collaborating with people "from all different places in music",[246] including songwriters Lori McKenna,[247][248] Butch Walker,[249][250] Ed Sheeran,[251] and Dan Wilson.[252] The album will detail "the rise and fall of a relationship",[253] as well as the resulting "absolute crash-and-burn heartbreak".[254] She has described the album's mood as "sad, if I'm being honest."[255]
Swift has said she writes songs as an "open letter".[256] She has said songwriting is "is a way of verbalizing those things that I feel that I can’t say".[47] Swift has said she is "very interested in any writing from a child's perspective" and has cited To Kill a Mockingbird as one of her favorite books.[257] Neil Young has described Swift as "a great writer" and follows her career.[258][259] Kris Kristofferson has said that "she blows me away. It's amazing to me that someone so young is writing such great songs. She's got a great career ahead of her".[260][261] Dolly Parton has said her songs are "great" and that she has "the qualities that could last a long time".[262] Stevie Nicks has said Swift writes "songs that make the whole world sing, like Neil Diamond or Elton John".[166]
In studio recordings, the Los Angeles Times identifies Swift's "defining" vocal gesture as "the line that slides down like a contented sigh or up like a raised eyebrow, giving her beloved girl-time hits their air of easy intimacy".[182] In a review of Speak Now, The Village Voice noted that her phrasing was previously "bland and muddled, but that's changed. She can still sound strained and thin, and often strays into a pitch that drives some people crazy; but she's learned how to make words sound like what they mean".[185] Slate, reviewing Speak Now, described Swift as "a technically poor singer": "Though she does vary her phrasing in ways that attempt to mask her limited voice (the way she sneers, "She looks at me like I'm a trend/And she's so over it," on "Better Than Revenge" is especially effective), Swift is still noticeably off-pitch at least once on every song on the album".[263]
In an interview with The New Yorker, Swift characterized herself primarily as a songwriter: “I write songs, and my voice is just a way to get those lyrics across”.[1] "I'm not trying to go out there and do vocal acrobatics. I'm just trying to write good songs".[264] However, her vocal presence is something that concerns her and she has "put a lot of work" into improving it.[265] She has said that she only feels nervous performing "if I'm not sure what the audience thinks of me, like at award shows".[266]
Swift has been described as "America's sweetheart" and "a role model".[267][268] The singer considers it her "responsibility" to be conscious of her influence on young fans.[269] However, she insists that "I don't live by all these rigid, weird rules that make me feel all fenced in. I just like the way that I feel like, and that makes me feel very free".[270] Swift does not drink alcohol because she worries that "I might come off in a way that I can't control. Maybe I should just lighten up!" "It's not like I judge people who [drink] or that I don't hang out with people who drink".[270] She refuses to take part in overly sexualised photo-shoots.[9] The lyrical content of her songs is regarded as appropriate for young audiences. A New Yorker journalist who attended a Swift concert recounted watching "sixteen-year-old girls holding hands and swaying, and a girl in a hijab sobbing as she sang the words. It was hard not to be a little moved, and not to feel relieved that the words being sung were, more or less, safe ... One can attend a concert by Katy Perry and listen to a stadium full of thirteen-year-olds chant along with the song “Peacock” which goes, “I want to see your peacock-cock-cock! Your peacock-cock!"[1]
A Rolling Stone journalist who profiled Swift in 2009 remarked upon her polite manners: "If this is Swift's game face, it must be tattooed on because it never drops".[271] A 2012 Vogue cover story described Swift as "clever and funny and occasionally downright bawdy" in person, but noted that she "asks if her cursing can be off the record".[272] Grantland.com describes Swift as "talkative and openly neurotic in a way you'd never see from a blonde country princess like Faith Hill or Carrie Underwood. She is more like Diane Keaton in Annie Hall: overly gracious and eager to please but full of a nonstop, nervous, fluttering energy".[273]
There has been much media commentary about Swift's reactions when she is recognized at award ceremonies.[274] In 2011, The Hollywood Reporter remarked that she "seems to be consistently shocked and wonderstruck by each awards win, despite racking up an ever-growing collection of Grammys, CMAs, MTV Moonmen and AMAs".[275] Kristen Wiig parodied Swift's surprised facial expressions during a Saturday Night Live sketch in February 2012.[276] Swift later said she had seen the sketch: “I was laughing the entire time and then I realized that, as I was watching it, I was making the face she was making”.[277] At the Academy of Country Music Awards in April 2012, the ceremony's host Blake Shelton joked in his opening monologue that Swift should release a perfume called "I can't believe I smell this good". When Swift later presented Shelton with the Academy's Best Male Vocalist award, "the two faced off, showing each other their ultra-surprised looks".[278][279]
The merits of Swift as a feminist have been widely discussed.[280] She has been described by Jezebel as "a feminist's nightmare": "Her image of being good and pure plays right into how much the patriarchy fetishizes virginity, loves purity, and celebrates women who know their place as delicate flowers".[281] However, a Village Voice music critic dismissed this criticism as "shallow and gross, in that special way that things get gross when you cram shaded and living work through an ideological sieve like you're mechanically separating chicken".[282] He continued: "Criticisms include: She's a conformist stooge of the patriarchy (she's now had two hits about defying fathers); she idolizes chastity (she's coy about sex, but only the willful could miss the fucking in the new "Sparks Fly," which includes the line "Gimme something that'll haunt me when you're not around"); and she sells girls corrupt and shallow fairy-tale notions of romance (one of the two fairy-tale songs on Fearless mocked a guy for trying to white-knight her, and the only mention of such things on Speak Now is "I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you"—note the tense)."[282]
The song Fifteen has been the subject of particular scrutiny. It has been said that the song contains a "feminist message" in the lyrics "Back then I swore I was gonna marry him some day, but I realized some bigger dreams of mine” and "In your life you'll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team".[283] Feminist critics claim the use of the word "everything" in the lyric "Abigail gave everything she had to a boy, who changed his mind, and we both cried" is a reference to virginity: "Songs like "Fifteen" dig up the ancient Puritan ideal that girls can only access power by confidently and heterosexually denying access to their pants."[284] However, others interpret "everything" as trust: "Abigail trusted and opened up to a boy for the first time, only to be let down. Maybe that includes sex, maybe it doesn’t."[283]
When asked by The New York Times in 2010 whether she considered herself a feminist, Swift replied, "I have never really thought about that".[285] In December 2011, Billboard's Tom Roland asked Swift whether the marginalization of women in country music, prevalent in the 1950s, was still an issue: "I was fortunate enough to come about in a time when I didn't feel that kind of energy at all, and it was always my theory that if you want to play in the same ballgame as the boys, you've got to work as hard as them. I was always playing just as many shows as they were and playing on the same shows as they were. I was willing to pay my dues as an opening act, playing in clubs and bars and playing in tiny venues. The new male artists were doing the same thing, so I never saw an issue there."[286]
In September 2010, Swift donated $75,000 to Nashville's Hendersonville High School to help refurbish the school auditorium's sound and lighting systems.[287] In May 2012, she pledged $4 million to fund a new education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. The two-storey, 7,500-square foot space will have its own exterior entrance and museum officials have decided to name it The Taylor Swift Education Center.[288] It will feature three classrooms and a children's exhibit gallery, and will house interactive activities such as a musical petting zoo and a “wet” classroom space to make concert posters and other art projects. New programs and workshops for teenagers and senior citizens will also be accommodated within the space. The Center is scheduled to open in early 2014 and Swift will be involved in an advisory capacity.[289]
In December 2009, Swift donated $250,000 to various schools around the country that she had either attended or had other associations with. The money was used to buy books, fund educational programs and pay teachers' salaries.[290] In October 2010, she took part in a live webcast, Read Now! with Taylor Swift, broadcast exclusively in US schools to celebrate Scholastic's Read Every Day campaign.[291][292] In October 2011, Swift donated 6,000 Scholastic books to Reading Public Library, Pennsylvania[293] and, in February 2012, she donated 14,000 books to Nashville Public Library, Tennessee.[294] Most of the books were placed in circulation; the rest were gifted to children from low-income families, preschools and daycare centers.[294] In March 2012, she co-chaired the National Education Association's Read Across America campaign and recorded a PSA encouraging children to read.[295][296]
In June 2008, Swift donated all the proceeds from her merchandise sales at the 2008 Country Music Festival to the Red Cross's disaster relief fund.[297] Swift donated $100,000 to the Red Cross in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to help the victims of the Iowa flood of 2008.[298] Swift lent her support to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal by joining the lineup at Sydney's Sound Relief concert,[299] reportedly making the biggest contribution of any artist playing at Sound Relief to the Australian Red Cross.[300]
In response to the May 2010 Tennessee floods, Swift donated $500,000 during a flood relief telethon hosted by WSMV, a Nashville television station.[301] In August 2010, she donated $100,000 to help rebuild a playground in Hendersonville, Tennessee, which was damaged by floodwater.[302] In May 2011, Swift transformed what was to have been the final dress rehearsal for the North American leg of her Speak Now tour into a benefit concert for victims of recent tornadoes in the United States southeast region, raising more than $750,000 from proceeds from ticket sales, merchandise and other facets of the show.[303] The benefit concert for tornado relief was subsequently honored at the 2011 Do Something Awards.[304] In July 2011, Swift further aided the cause by donating $250,000 to Alabama football coach Nick Saban's charity Nick's Kids to aid in the tornado relief efforts of West Alabama.[305] In April 2012, Swift donated $1,500 to a fund to help a man left permanently paralyzed by the tornado to make his house wheelchair-accessible.[306]
In September 2007, Swift helped launch a campaign to protect children from online predators, in partnership with the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.[307] In January 2008, Swift donated a pink Chevy pick-up truck given to her by her record label to the Victory Junction Gang Camp.[308] Swift has teamed up with Sound Matters to make listeners aware of listening "responsibly".[309] Swift supports @15, a teen-led social change platform underwritten by Best Buy to give teens opportunities to direct the company's philanthropy through the newly-created @15 Fund.[310] She appeared in a Got Milk campaign in July 2010.[311]
Swift donated her prom dress, which raised $1,200 for charity, to DonateMyDress.org.[312] In November 2009, after a live performance on BBC's Children in Need night, she donated $20,000 to the cause.[313] Swift donated a pair of her shoes to the Wish Upon a Hero Foundation's Hero in Heels fundraiser for auction to raise money to benefit women with cancer. In June 2011, as the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year, Swift donated $25,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Tennessee. This figure was matched by the Academy.[314]
Swift made her acting debut in a 2009 episode of CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, playing a rebellious teenager.[315] The New York Times noted that the character allowed Swift to be "a little bit naughty, and credibly so".[316] Rolling Stone felt she "held her own" and "does a good job with the script"[317] while the Chicago Tribune said she "acquits herself well".[318] Later that year, Swift both hosted and performed as the musical guest for an episode of Saturday Night Live.[319] Entertainment Weekly described her as "this season’s best Saturday Night Live host so far", noting that she "was always up for the challenge, seemed to be having fun, and helped the rest of the cast nail the punchlines". Proving "admirably resilient in a wide variety of sketch roles", "Swift inspired more of a female, girly-in-the-best-sense sensibility in SNL than it’s shown since the Tina Fey-Amy Poehler days".[320]
In 2010, Swift made her feature film acting debut in the romantic comedy Valentine's Day and won the Teen Choice Award for Movie Female Breakout.[321] In 2012, she voiced the character of Audrey in the animated film The Lorax.[322] Swift is in talks to star as Joni Mitchell in the film adaptation of Sheila Weller's Girls Like Us, which follows the careers of Mitchell, Carly Simon and Carole King.[323]
Jakks Pacific released a celebrity doll of Swift in late 2008.[324] Swift was the face of L.E.I. jeans in 2008.[325] In 2007, Swift launched a line of sundresses at Wal-Mart.[326][327] In 2009, Swift became the National Hockey League's newest celebrity spokesperson and appears in commercials for the Nashville Predators.[328] In 2011, Swift partnered with Elizabeth Arden to launch a fragrance, "Wonderstruck".[329] Swift works with American Greetings, Inc.[330] She also has endorsement deals with companies including Target, CoverGirl and Sony.[331]
In May 2009, Swift filed a lawsuit (kept sealed until August 2010) against numerous sellers of unauthorized counterfeit merchandise bearing her name, likeness, and trademarks, where she demanded a trial by jury, sought a judgement for compensatory damages, punitive damages, three times the actual damages sustained, and statutory damages, and sought for recovery of her attorney's fees and prejudgement interest.[332] Nashville's U.S. District Court granted an injunction and judgment against the sellers, who had been identified at Swift's concerts in several states. The court ordered merchandise seized from the defendants to be destroyed.[333][334][335]
Swift's main residence is a duplex penthouse in Midtown Nashville, Tennessee.[336][1] She also owns a house in Beverly Hills, California.[337][338] According to Forbes, Swift earned $18 million in 2009,[339] $45 million in 2010,[340] $45 million in 2011[341] and $57 million so far in 2012.[342]
Swift writes autobiographical songs and has said that, "I've never been shy or secretive with the fact that if you walk into my life, you may be walking onto a record".[343] Listening to music as a child, Swift felt confused "when I knew something was going on in someone’s personal life and they didn’t address it in their music".[344]
Swift dated singer Joe Jonas from July to October 2008.[345][346] She dated actor Taylor Lautner from October to December 2009.[347][348] She was romantically linked to musician John Mayer from late 2009 until June 2010.[349][350] They first met in 2008 and recorded a duet, "Half of My Heart", in late 2009.[351][352] Swift dated actor Jake Gyllenhaal from October 2010 to December 2010.[353][354][355][356][357] On December 9, 2011, Gyllenhaal called the LAPD for assistance, after a large number of photographers followed the couple's car in Los Angeles.[358] Following their break-up, they were seen together in January and February 2011.[359][360]
On her eighteenth birthday, "the first thing" Swift did was register to vote.[361][362] After casting her vote in the 2008 US presidential election, Swift declined to inform journalists which candidate she had supported.[363] However, following Barack Obama's inauguration, she told Rolling Stone: "I've never seen this country so happy about a political decision in my entire time of being alive. I'm so glad this was my first election."[364] In 2009, after Swift's MTV VMA acceptance speech was interrupted by Kanye West, President Obama described West's behaviour as "really inappropriate. The young lady seems like a perfectly nice person. She’s getting her award. What is he doing up there? He’s a jackass."[365] Former US President Jimmy Carter said West's interruption was "completely uncalled for".[366]
In 2010, former U.S. President George H. W. Bush attended the taping of a Swift television special in Kennebunkport, Maine,[367] and later described Swift as "unspoiled" and "very nice".[368] In 2012, Swift was presented with a Kids' Choice Award in recognition of her charitable work by Michelle Obama, who praised her as someone who "has rocketed to the top of the music industry but still keeps her feet on the ground, someone who has shattered every expectation of what a 22-year old can accomplish".[369] Swift later described the First Lady as "a role model".[370]
Swift is an admirer of the Kennedy family and has spent time with Rory, Caroline and, particularly, Ethel Kennedy.[371] When asked about her friendship with Swift, Ethel replied, "Oh, she is amazing! Such good company."[372] Rory has said, "There is a mutual admiration society between my mother and Taylor Swift and I just love it! I think it says so much about Taylor – she has that ability to connect and cross generations ... She's terrific and such a great role model for young girls, as well as for all women, really. ... She's just so curious and interested".[372] In January 2012, Swift travelled to Utah to attend the Sundance premiere of the HBO documentary Ethel.[373]
In a 2012 interview, Swift remarked that she was "very cautious" about using her public profile to address political issues, adding that she hoped to "gradually" become more outspoken: "I don't feel that I am in a place to sing about politics or anything like that. I don't know enough at this point".[374]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience | Herself | Cameo |
2009 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Haley Jones | Episode: "Turn, Turn, Turn" |
2009 | Hannah Montana: The Movie | Herself | Cameo |
2009 | Saturday Night Live | Host | Also appeared as the Musical Guest |
2010 | Valentine's Day | Felicia | Movie acting debut |
2012 | Lorax, TheThe Lorax | Audrey | Voice only |
Swift has won 109 awards from a total of 162 nominations. She has been the recipient of ten American Music Awards, six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, six Academy of Country Music Awards and 13 BMI Awards.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Taylor Swift |
Awards | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Carrie Underwood |
Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance 2010 |
Succeeded by Miranda Lambert |
Preceded by N/A |
Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance 2012 |
Succeeded by incumbent |
Preceded by Miranda Lambert |
Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Female Vocalist 2008 |
Succeeded by Julianne Hough |
Preceded by Carrie Underwood |
Academy of Country Music Award for Entertainer of the Year 2011–2012 |
Succeeded by incumbent |
Preceded by Carrie Underwood |
Country Music Association Award for Horizon Award 2007 |
Succeeded by N/A |
Preceded by Carrie Underwood |
Country Music Association Award for Female Vocalist of the Year 2009 |
Succeeded by Miranda Lambert |
Preceded by Kenny Chesney |
Country Music Association Award for Entertainer of the Year 2009 |
Succeeded by Brad Paisley |
Preceded by Brad Paisley |
Country Music Association Award for Entertainer of the Year 2011 |
Succeeded by incumbent |
Preceded by Rihanna |
American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist 2009 |
Succeeded by Lady GaGa |
Preceded by Carrie Underwood |
American Music Award for Favorite Country Female Artist 2008–2011 |
Succeeded by incumbent |
Preceded by Chris Brown |
American Music Award for Artist of the Year 2009 |
Succeeded by Justin Bieber |
Preceded by Justin Bieber |
American Music Award for Artist of the Year 2011 |
Succeeded by incumbent |
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Persondata | |
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Name | Swift, Taylor |
Alternative names | Swift, Taylor Alison |
Short description | Singer and songwriter |
Date of birth | December 13, 1989 |
Place of birth | Reading, Pennsylvania, United States |
Date of death | |
Place of death |