Coordinates	67°30′″N64°02′″N
name	Ed Norris
order	Superintendent of Maryland State Police
term end	December 10, 2003
predecessor	David B. Mitchell
successor	Thomas E. Hutchins
birth place	New York, NY
order2	Baltimore City Police Commissioner
term start2	2000
term end2	2002
predecessor2	Ronald Daniel
successor2	Kevin P. Clark
successor3	}}

Edward T. Norris (b. April 10, 1960) is an American radio host and former law enforcement officer in Maryland. His talk show, the ''Ed Norris Show'', airs on WJZ-FM (105.7 The Fan) in Baltimore, Maryland. Norris, a 20-year veteran of the New York Police Department, served as police commissioner for Baltimore from 2000 to late 2002 and Maryland State Police in 2003. Norris was later convicted of a felony and spent six months in federal prison.

Law enforcement career

In March 2000, Norris was selected to become Police Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department by Mayor Martin O'Malley. He left the Baltimore Police Department in December 2002 in a flurry of media speculation about acrimony between Norris and staffers in the O'Malley administration. Norris continues to have an acrimonious relationship with members of the O'Malley administration.

In 2002, Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich appointed Norris as Superintendent of the Maryland State Police. He resigned from the State Police when he was indicted on criminal charges. Norris continues to have a good relationship with Ehrlich, who is a frequent guest on the Ed Norris Show.

Indictment

In December 2003, Norris was indicted on three charges by U.S. Attorney Thomas DiBiagio. Two of the counts charged Norris had made illegal personal expenditures of over $20,000 to pay for expensive gifts, personal expenses, and extramarital affairs with at least six women from the Baltimore Police Department’s supplemental account. The third count alleged that he had lied on a mortgage application, stating that approximately $9,000 he received from his father was not a gift, as was stated in the loan, but a loan.

On March 8, 2004 Norris pled guilty to federal corruption and tax charges. Norris was sentenced to six months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised probation and ordered to perform 500 hours of community service.

Despite pleading guilty, Norris has stated that he believes he was politically railroaded by an overzealous prosecutor. In an October 9, 2006 newspaper article Norris admitted to using the money from the alleged accounts, but stated that "he paid it back in full before he left office to take the position of Maryland State Police Superintendent." "Even things that weren’t questionable I paid back."

Radio career/other media

Norris is currently the host of the ''Ed Norris Show'' on WJZ-FM (105.7 The Fan) in Baltimore, Maryland. The show broadcasts from 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM Eastern Time. The show is notable for its cynicism of Baltimore city and Maryland state politics. A highlight of the show is the crime reports and police department stories submitted by listeners via the Crimecall website.

Norris also had a recurring minor role on HBO's The Wire, appearing in various episodes throughout the show's five season run as a homicide detective of the same name. His appearances are a source of irony on the show, and he is often given dialogue bemoaning the state of the police department. In addition, Norris faced a long prison sentence for an allegation of mortgage fraud, a charge also used against Sen. Clay Davis in the series.

References

External links

Norris enters plea of guilty to corruption

Ed Norris's website EdNorris.com

Ed’s crimecall.com website

Feature story on the rise and fall of Ed Norris

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:State cabinet secretaries of Maryland Category:American police chiefs Category:American radio personalities Category:People from Baltimore, Maryland Category:People from New York City Category:Baltimore Police Department officers Category:New York City Police Department officers

Coordinates	67°30′″N64°02′″N
name	Ralph Friedgen
birth date	April 04, 1947
birth place	Harrison, New York
sport	Football
player years	1966–1968
player teams	Maryland
player positions	Offensive guard
coach years	1969–19711973–19761977–1979198019811982–19861987–19911992–19931994–19961997–20002001–2010
coach teams	Maryland (GA)The Citadel (DL)The Citadel (OC)William & Mary (OC)Murray State (OC)Maryland (OC)Georgia Tech (OC)San Diego Chargers (RGC/TE)San Diego Chargers (OC)Georgia Tech (OC)Maryland
overall record	75–50
bowl record	5–2
cfbdwid	815
championships	1, ACC (2001)
awards	Broyles Award (1999)AFCA COY (2001)Associated Press COY (2001)Eddie Robinson COY (2001)George Munger Award (2001)Home Depot COY (2001)Sporting News COY (2001)Walter Camp COY (2001)Woody Hayes Trophy (2001)2× ACC Coach of the Year (2001, 2010)
cfbhof id	}}

Ralph Harry Friedgen (born April 4, 1947) is an American football coach. He was the head coach at the University of Maryland from 2001 to 2010. Friedgen was previously an offensive coordinator at Maryland, Georgia Tech, and in the National Football League with the San Diego Chargers. After the 2010 regular season, it was announced that Friedgen would not be returning for the 2011 season, ending his ten year reign as head coach.

Early life and education

Friedgen was born on April 4, 1947 in Harrison, New York. His father, "Big Ralph" Friedgen, attended Fordham University, where he played from 1938 to 1939, and coached high school football for 30 years. The younger Friedgen worked under his father as a water boy and manager, and the two often attended New York Giants and Jets games together. He attended Harrison High School where he played quarterback on his father's team. John Nugent, the head coach of Harrison's rival Rye High School, recommended that his brother, Maryland head coach Tom Nugent, recruit Friedgen. His recruitment was handled by Lee Corso, then an assistant coach at the school. After his first season at Maryland, Nugent was fired as head coach, and his successor Lou Saban moved Friedgen to fullback to fill in for an injured teammate. The following year, Maryland had a new coach, and Bob Ward again changed Friedgen's position, this time to offensive guard, although he had never blocked before. Upset about the constant turnover at head coach and position changes, Friedgen received a favorable recommendation to transfer from coach Ward, but his father said, "You can transfer, but when you get home, the key you have is not going to fit the door because we're changing the lock. Quitters don't live here." He remained at Maryland as a guard and later said the experience taught him a lesson in perseverance. As an undergraduate, he was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. After completion of his bachelor's degree in physical education in 1970, Friedgen served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, before later accepting positions on the staffs of The Citadel, William and Mary, and Murray State. Joining him on many of these coaching stops was Frank Beamer, who is the current coach at Virginia Tech.

Assistant coaching career

Friedgen returned to the University of Maryland in 1982 to serve as offensive coordinator under head coach Bobby Ross, who was his mentor during his stop at The Citadel. During this time period, he had a hand in the development of quarterbacks Stan Gelbaugh and Frank Reich, and most notably Boomer Esiason. It was also during this time that the University of Maryland football program was a perennial top-20 team, winning three consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference championships from 1983 to 1985 and appearing in prominent bowl games. Following a sub-par 1986 season, and amidst an athletic department quagmire due in large part to the Len Bias incident, Friedgen followed Ross to Georgia Tech, a stint lasting four years. In 1990, Georgia Tech went from being unranked in the preseason to achieving an 11-0-1 record and a share of the national championship with Colorado. In 1992, Friedgen followed Ross once again, this time to the NFL's San Diego Chargers, where he orchestrated an offense that led the franchise to an appearance in Super Bowl XXIX. In 1997, Friedgen returned to Georgia Tech, where, as offensive coordinator, he developed the balanced offensive attack (200 yards on the ground, 200 yards through the air) that would become his trademark. During his second year, the Yellow Jackets were co-champions of the ACC, defeated Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl, and ended the season ranked among the nation's top 10 teams. In 1999, he was the winner and awarded the Frank Broyles Award, given to the nation's top assistant coach. Friedgen brought 32 years of assistant coaching experience (including 21 years as an offensive coordinator either in college or the NFL) with him upon his return to College Park.

Head coaching career

In November 2000, Ralph Friedgen was named the Head Coach of the University of Maryland football team. He was charged with rebuilding a struggling program that had only one winning season and no bowl game appearances since 1990.

2001 season

Friedgen's tenure opened against North Carolina, and early in the first quarter, running back Willie Parker ran 77 yards for a touchdown. Maryland came back to win, 23–7, which made Friedgen the first Terrapins coach to win his opener since Tom Nugent in 1959. During the season, Friedgen led Maryland to a surprising 10–2 record, a top 10 national ranking, the first outright Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title by a team other than Florida State since the Seminoles entered the league, and an appearance in the 2002 Orange Bowl—the Terrapins' first major bowl bid in more than two decades. Friedgen received numerous "Coach of the Year" plaudits including the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award, the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, and the Walter Camp Coach of the Year.

Throughout the year, Friedgen had challenged his players with the phrase "Are you in or are you out?" After the dramatic first-year turnaround, he was a high-profile candidate for an NFL position, and his players repeated his question. He remained at Maryland and said, "Last year the kids made a commitment to me and I realized it was my turn. We've got plenty left to do. This program has not yet arrived."

2002 season

Friedgen's second year began with a 1–2 record, and he implored his team to consider it the start of a "new season". Maryland then won nine of its remaining ten regular season games, including a come-from-behind homecoming victory against the Philip Rivers-led 15th-ranked team. ''Sports Illustrated'' credited a "stifling defense", dynamic special teams play, and an offense that thrived under quarterback Scott McBrien and a simplified playbook despite the loss of leading rusher Bruce Perry to injury. Maryland ended the season with a 30-3 victory over Tennessee in the 2002 Peach Bowl, the school's first bowl victory since the Cherry Bowl in 1985. The team achieved a final record of 11–3, matching the school record for wins in a season first set by the 1976 team.

2003 season

In 2003, the Terrapins finished with a 10-3 record, including a 41–7 victory over rival West Virginia in the 2004 Gator Bowl. The University of Maryland football team became one of five programs nationally to reach the ten-win plateau from 2001 to 2003, and Friedgen became the first coach in ACC history to win ten or more games in his first three seasons as a head coach.

2004 season

The 2004 season was the first disappointment of Friedgen's tenure, and the team failed to qualify for a bowl game. Highlights included, on October 30, an upset of fifth-ranked Florida State to take away the first-ever Maryland win in that series, as well as the first defeat of a top-five team since 1982. On November 27, a 13–7 win over Wake Forest gave Friedgen his 36th win as head coach, which made him the winningest fourth-year coach in conference history.

2005 season

The 2005 season again saw Maryland fail to qualify for a bowl game. Friedgen's team started out with a 4–2 start, but a lack of offensive efficiency and a propensity for unforced turnovers—both of which may be attributed in part to an injury sustained by quarterback Sam Hollenbach—caused the team to win only one of its last five games to finish with a 5–6 record for a second consecutive season. The 2005 season did see the first Crab Bowl Classic game since 1965.

2006 season

After two losing seasons, Friedgen led a Maryland resurgence in 2006 and ended speculation on his job security. ''The Baltimore Sun'' surmised that Friedgen would have repeated as ACC Coach of the Year had it not been for Wake Forest's impressive season under Jim Grobe. Maryland qualified for a bowl game for the first time since 2003. Despite being outgained by every one of its eleven Division I FBS opponents, the Terrapins started the season 8–2, highlighted by a 28–26 victory over Virginia in which the team stormed back from a 20–0 halftime deficit to defeat the Cavaliers. Maryland also became the first team since 1985 to defeat both Florida State and Miami in the same year. The Terrapins defeated Purdue 24–7 in the Champs Sports Bowl to give Friedgen his 50th win as Maryland's head coach. Friedgen's 50 wins in six seasons ties him with former North Carolina head coach Dick Crum for the second most wins by a sixth-year coach in the ACC (former Clemson head coach Danny Ford holds the record with 52 wins in his first six seasons.) The team has outscored its last three opponents 95–17 in bowl games.

2007 season

The 2007 season saw Maryland defeat tenth-ranked Rutgers on the road, as well as eighth-ranked Boston College in the regular-season home finale. This marked the first time in history that the school had beaten two top-10 teams in the same season. Maryland joined Kentucky, LSU, and Illinois as the only teams to accomplish this feat in 2007. A 37–0 shutout of NC State allowed the Terrapins to qualify for postseason play for the fifth time in Friedgen's seven seasons.

On December 28, Maryland played Oregon State in the Emerald Bowl and scored on the first drive. The Terrapins eventually lost, 21–14.

2008 season

Maryland entered the 2008 season with 30 senior players, the largest class since Friedgen took over as head coach in 2001. Despite the experienced team, expectations were low and the ACC's preseason poll projected Maryland to finish fifth among the six teams in the Atlantic Division. At the end of summer training, and amidst some controversy, senior Jordan Steffy was named the starting quarterback over junior Chris Turner who had finished the 2007 campaign atop the depth chart.

In the season-opener, Maryland used all three of its quarterbacks to edge Division I FCS Delaware, 14–7. The following week, the Terrapins were beaten decisively by Middle Tennessee State, 14–24, and some pundits predicted Friedgen was on the coaching "hot seat" and that his job was in peril. Maryland rebounded to record wins against four Top-25 ranked opponents. In week twelve, the Terrapins possessed a 7–3 record and were ranked first in the Atlantic Division with two regular season games remaining. Maryland lost both, however, and the team's standing fell. The Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho selected the Terrapins to play the Western Athletic Conference's number-two team, Nevada. In an offensive shoot-out against the nation's number-five offensive team, Maryland triumphed with a final result of 42–35. The Terrapins posted an 8–5 (4–4 ACC) record and Friedgen extended his postseason tally to 4–2, with twice as many bowl wins as any other coach in school history.

2009 season

The Terrapins finished the season 2–10, with narrow victories against the James Madison Dukes and Clemson Tigers. Turnovers, a lack of talent, injuries, inexperience, and poor offensive line play were cited as causes for the poor season.

Friedgen's job security was questioned, but with a $1.75 million salary, there was some question as to whether the University of Maryland can afford to buy out his remaining contract. According to contracts, Friedgen was to retire after the 2011 season and James Franklin would have become the new head coach. ''The Baltimore Sun'' chronicled fans frustrations with Friedgen, his staff, and the arrangement with Franklin.

In November 2009, ''The Washington Post'' quoted anonymous sources that a buyout of Friedgen's contract of over $4 million was possible. Friedgen's attorney, Jack Reale, said that neither he nor Friedgen had been approached about a buyout. The article also said that Friedgen "privately resented" the athletic department naming Franklin his successor, due to how it affects other members of the coaching staff. It was also reported that Friedgen has support from the leaders of the Terrapin Club and the Maryland Gridiron Network booster groups. Two former Terp basketball players and prominent members of the State University system, Len Elmore and Tom McMillen, expressed doubt that public funds would be used to buy out Friedgen's contract, and boosters of the program said they knew of no effort to raise private funds for that purpose.

On December 1, 2009, it was announced Friedgen would return to coach Maryland in 2010.

2010 season

Maryland went 8–4 during the regular season. For the turnaround, the Atlantic Coast Conference named Friedgen the ACC Coach of the Year.

After Maryland won seven of its first ten games, questions about Friedgen's job security diminished. On November 19, 2010, Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson announced that Friedgen would be returning for the 2011 season, the final year of his contract. Despite this announcement, after offensive coordinator James Franklin accepted a job at Vanderbilt and offered positions to four other members of the staff, Anderson did not answer questions about Friedgen's future on December 17. On December 18, 2010 it was reported in The Washington Post that the school was terminating his tenure as head coach and offered him a buyout of his remaining contract valued at $2,000,000. On December 20, 2010, athletic director Kevin Anderson made an official announcement that Friedgen would not be returning for the 2011 season.

Coaching tree

While at Maryland, Friedgen had many assistants continue their coaching careers elsewhere. Three of these individuals have received head coaching positions themselves and are denoted below in boldface. James Franklin – Current Vanderbilt head coach. Franklin was one of two Ron Vanderlinden assistants retained when Friedgen took over in 2001. He was Maryland wide receivers coach from 2000 to 2004 and offensive coordinator from 2008 to 2010. Mike Locksley – Current New Mexico head coach. Locksley was one of two Ron Vanderlinden assistants retained when Friedgen took over in 2001. He served as Maryland's running backs coach from 1997 to 2002. The last two seasons were under Friedgen, during which time Locksley also served as the recruiting coordinator.

Charlie Taaffe – Current UCF offensive coordinator. From 2007 to 2008, he was the head coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. Charlie Taaffe served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Ralph Friedgen from 2001 to 2005. In his first campaign with the Terrapins, he helped guide the program to the 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and a spot on the FedEx Orange Bowl. In each of his first two seasons at Maryland, the Terrapins broke their school record for scoring, registering 390 points in 2001 and then 451 points the following year. Maryland played in three bowl games during Taaffe's tenure, recording victories in the 2002 Peach Bowl over Tennessee and the 2004 Gator Bowl versus West Virginia. Under Taaffe's tutelage, quarterbacks Shaun Hill and Scott McBrien both garnered All-ACC honors.

Bill O'Brien – Current New England Patriots offensive assistant coach and quarterbacks coach on Head Coach Bill Belichick's staff. Bill O'Brien served 14 seasons as an assistant coach at the collegiate level, including four seasons as an offensive coordinator. He coached in the Atlantic Coast Conference for 12 seasons, including tenures at Maryland (2003–04), Georgia Tech (1995–2002) and Duke (2005–06). He served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Duke University for two seasons prior to leaving Maryland. He served as Ralph Friedgen's running backs coach from 2003 to 2004. In his first season with the Terrapins in 2003, Maryland finished second in the ACC in rushing and defeated West Virginia in the Gator Bowl.

Gary Blackney – Was UCF's defensive backs coach before retiring. Blackney served as Maryland's defensive coordinator from 2001 to 2005.

Bryan Bossard - Current offensive coordinator for Bucknell. Bossard served as the Terrapins Wide Receivers coach from 2005 to 2007.

Chris Cosh – Current Kansas State co-defensive coordinator. Cosh was the Maryland defensive coordinator from 2006 to 2008.

Kasey Dunn – Current Southern Mississippi wide receivers coach. Kasey Dunn left Maryland to become the running backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks under Jim Mora. In 2007, he became the assistant head coach/special teams coordinator/wide receivers coach at Baylor after spending three seasons at the University of Arizona from 2004 to 2006. Dunn briefly served as Friedgen's wide receivers coach for six weeks before the 2008 season.

Personal life

Friedgen has been married to his wife Gloria (née Spina) since 1973. They have three daughters.

Head coaching record

References

External links

Maryland profile

FridgeTV

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:The Citadel Bulldogs football coaches Category:Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coaches Category:Maryland Terrapins football players Category:Maryland Terrapins football coaches Category:Murray State Racers football coaches Category:San Diego Chargers coaches Category:William & Mary Tribe football coaches Category:People from Harrison, New York

Coordinates	67°30′″N64°02′″N
name	Mary Alice
birthname	Mary Alice Smith
birth date	December 03, 1941
birth place	Indianola, Mississippi, U.S.
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	1974–present }}

Mary Alice (born December 3, 1941) is an American actress.

Alice was born Mary Alice Smith in Indianola, Mississippi, the daughter of Ozelar (née Jurnakin) and Sam Smith. In 1987 she received a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her work in ''Fences''. She also won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1993 for ''I'll Fly Away'' (1991–1993). She replaced Gloria Foster in the film ''The Matrix Revolutions'' and video game ''Enter The Matrix'' as the Oracle, after Foster died in 2001.

Filmography

''The Education of Sonny Carson'' (1974)

''The Sty of the Blind Pig'' (1974)

''Sanford and Son'' (1974–1975)

''Good Times'' (1975)

''Just an Old Sweet Song'' (1976)

''Sparkle'' (1976)

''Lawman Without a Gun'' (1979)

''All My Children'' (1980)

''The Color of Friendship'' (1981)

''The Brass Ring'' (1983)

''Beat Street'' (1984)

''Concealed Enemies'' (1984)

''Teachers'' (1984)

''Charlotte Forten's Mission: Experiment in Freedom'' (1985)

''A Different World'' (1987)

''The Women of Brewster Place'' (1989)

''Awakenings'' (1990)

''The Bonfire of the Vanities'' (1990)

''To Sleep with Anger'' (1990)

''I'll Fly Away'' (1991)

''Malcolm X'' (1992)

''A Perfect World'' (1993)

''Laurel Avenue'' (1993)

''Life with Mikey'' (1993)

''The Mother'' (1994)

''The Inkwell'' (1994)

''The Vernon Johns Story'' (1994)

''Heading Home'' (1995)

''Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder'' (1995)

''Bed of Roses'' (1996)

''Down in the Delta'' (1998)

''Catfish in Black Bean Sauce'' (1999)

''The Wishing Tree'' (1999)

''The Photographer'' (2000)

''The Last Brickmaker in America'' (2001)

''Sunshine State'' (2002)

''The Life'' (2002)

''Enter the Matrix'' (2003)

''The Matrix Revolutions'' (2003)

''What I Want My Words to Do to You: Voices From Inside a Women's Maximum Security Prison'' (2003)

''The Burly Man Chronicles'' (2004)

''The Matrix Recalibrated'' (2004)

''The Matrix Online'' (2005)

''Narrator Crime Scene USA'' (2000–2009)

References

External links

TonyAwards.com Interview with Mary Alice

Category:African American actors Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Tony Award winners Category:1941 births Category:Living people Category:People from Sunflower County, Mississippi

de:Mary Alice nl:Mary Alice pl:Mary Alice pt:Mary Alice sh:Mary Alice fi:Mary Alice

Nick Williams (born December 2, 1983 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a rugby union player who played for Munster in the Magners League and Heineken Cup for 2 seasons. Williams won 19 caps for Munster and scored 4 tries, including a hat-trick against Newport Gwent Dragons. He previously played for North Harbour in the Air New Zealand Cup and for the Blues in the Super 14. His position is No 8. Williams joined Aironi on a 1 year deal for the 2010/2011 season.

His brother is Tim Nanai-Williams, the Chiefs wing and fullback.

References

External links

Blues profile

Profile on North Harbour Rugby Union site

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:New Zealand rugby union players Category:Blues rugby union players Category:North Harbour rugby union players Category:Rugby union number eights

fr:Nick Williams it:Nick Williams

Coordinates	67°30′″N64°02′″N
Name	Mario Vazquez
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Mario Adrian Vazquez
Birth date	June 15, 1977
Origin	The Bronx, New York, United States
Genre	R&B;, pop
Occupation	Musician
Years active	2005–2007
Label	Arista Records (2006-2007)
Website	Official MySpace page }}

Mario Adrián Vázquez (born June 15, 1977) is a Puerto Rican-American singer from The Bronx, New York. He competed on American Idol's fourth season, which aired on the FOX network in early 2005.

Biography

Early life

Raised by his single mother, Ada, in the Bronx, Vazquez is an alumnus of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. He was also involved in the CityKids Repertory Company in New York City, which enabled him to travel the country and perform in front of the President and at major charitable functions and shelters. In 2005, he was reunited with his estranged father, Mario Rivera, who discovered that his son was on ''American Idol'' while channel surfing. After making it into the final round of twelve contestants on the hit reality show ''American Idol'', Vazquez suddenly dropped out of the competition citing "personal family thing" a few days before the finals started. When the press contacted his mother regarding his decision, she was unaware why he had left the show. There was much speculation about his decision; Vazquez appeared the next morning on "Good Day New York" on WNYW ''FOX5'', and quashed rumors of a feud with "American Idol" producers or any of his competitors. "''American Idol'' was only positive. They were only wonderful to me, from the beginning through the middle, to the end," he told the show. "It had nothing to do with the contract or anything signed with J Records." J Records is the same company that manages Idol winners Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino. Vazquez later said that he wanted more artistic control and creating his own sound, and he felt that he would be more restricted staying on the show. He felt that since he was now known worldwide as a semi-finalist, he could end the competition and go solo. He believed that his musical success would not make a difference whether he quit as a semi-finalist or participated in the finals round. Vazquez was replaced on the show by Nikko Smith, who had previously been voted out.

Record deal

In August 2005, Vazquez signed with J Records/Arista Records and worked on an album executive produced by Clive Davis. Vazquez's manager was Arnold Steifel, who also managed Rod Stewart. He worked with Ne-Yo, Akon, Soulshock and Karlin, Lester Mendez, Scott Storch, and Luny Tunes. Some of these artists' songs with Vasquez did not make the final cut on his album. His first single Gallery was release in May 2006, and reached number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Vazquez's self-titled album was released September 26, 2006 by Arista Records. Later that year, Vazquez performed on the Cartoon Network Friday block on August 25, 2006. A second single "One Shot" was released to radio in February 2007 after 10 months of relying only on the first single to promote the album. It began receiving moderate airplay and by early March was hovering around #58 on Mediabase 24/7's CHR/Pop chart. Vasquez would be ultimately dropped from Arista Records in early 2008, and his website was shut down shortly after being dropped by his label.

Controversy

In 2007, Magdaleno Olmos, an employee of Fremantle Media which produces ''American Idol'', filed a lawsuit against Fremantle Media, Fox Entertainment, and Mario Vazquez claiming wrongful termination. The lawsuit alleged that Vazquez sexually harassed Olmos by performing a lewd act in front of him and offered sexual favors. Olmos claimed that he tried to report the incident to a superior but was threatened with dismissal, and he was "terminated" a few months after the incident. Olmos' lawyer also suggested that ''Idol'' producers had forced Vasquez out over the complaint, and claimed that Nigel Lythgoe, the show producer, had said to Olmos, "we know that this happened and we are going to let Mario Vazquez go, and you’re going to stay."

Vazquez was reported to be "very upset, almost distraught" over the claim and that he didn't even remember Magdaleno Olmos. He had previously denied that he is gay and that he quit the show for "artistic reasons". The judge later ruled that Olmos had signed an agreement to "arbitrate all disputes and not file a lawsuit," and sent the case to arbitration and put a hold on the lawsuit.

Discography

Albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions		! rowspan="2"
		! width="45"	! width="45"
2006	align="left"			* Released: September 26, 2006	Arista Records>Arista	80	104		* US sales: 56,000

Singles

2006: "Gallery" #35 Hot 100, #15 Pop 100, #31 Hot Digital Songs, #90 European Hot 100 Singles

2007: "One Shot"

''American Idol'' performances

{|class="wikitable" !Week # !Song Choice !Original Artist !Result |- |Top 24 |"Do I Do" |Stevie Wonder |Safe |- |Top 20 |"I Love Music" |The O'Jays |Safe |- |Top 16 |"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" |The Bee Gees |Quit |} Originally making the Top 12, Vazquez withdrew from the show due to personal reasons. He was replaced by Nikko Smith.

References

External links

Mario Vazquez on the Internet Movie Database

Mario Vasquez interview

Category:1977 births Category:American Idol participants Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:Living people Category:People from the Bronx Category:American musicians of Puerto Rican descent

da:Mario Vazquez fr:Mario Vázquez pt:Mário Vasquez ru:Васкес, Марио Адриан fi:Mario Vazquez tr:Mario Vazquez