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A drink, or beverage, is a liquid which is specifically prepared for human consumption. In addition to fulfilling a basic need, drinks form part of the culture of human society.

Water[link]

Despite the fact that all beverages contain water, water itself is not classed as a beverage. The word beverage has always been defined as not referring to water.^{[citation needed]}

Alcohol[link]

Alcoholic beverages in single serving bottles

An alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol, commonly known as alcohol (although in chemistry the definition of "alcohol" includes many other compounds). Beer has been a part of human culture for 8,000 years.^[1] In many countries, drinking alcoholic beverages in a local bar or pub is a cultural tradition.^[2] Asian countries produce several varieties of alcoholic beverages (e.g. rice wine, palm wine, Tongba a millet brew).

Non-alcoholic drinks[link]

A non-alcoholic drink is one that contains little or no alcohol. This category includes low-alcohol beer, non-alcoholic wine, and apple cider if they contain less than 0.5% alcohol by volume.

Soft drinks[link]

The term "soft drink" specifies the absence of alcohol in contrast to "hard drink" and "drink". The term "drink" is neutral but often denotes alcoholic content. Beverages such as soda pop, sparkling water, iced tea, lemonade, root beer, and fruit punch are the most common soft drinks. Milk, hot chocolate, tea, coffee, milkshakes, and tap water are not considered to be soft drinks. Some carbonated soft drinks are available in versions that are sweetened with a sugar substitute.

Fruit juice[link]

Orange juice is usually served cold.

Fruit juice is a natural product that contains few or no additives. Citrus products such as orange juice and tangerine juice are familiar breakfast drinks. Grapefruit juice, pineapple, apple, grape, lime, and lemon juice are also common. Coconut water is a highly nutritious and refreshing juice. Many kinds of berries are crushed and their juices mixed with water and sometimes sweetened. Raspberry, blackberry and currants are popular juices drinks but the percentage of water also determines their nutritive value. Juices were probably the earliest drinks besides water.^{[citation needed]} Grape juice allowed to ferment produced wine. Orange juice and coconut water remain by far the most highly consumed juices^{[citation needed]}.

Fruits are highly perishable so the ability to extract juices and store them was of significant value. Some fruits are highly acidic and mixing them with water and sugars or honey was often necessary to make them palatable. Early storage of fruit juices was labor intensive, requiring the crushing of the fruits and the mixing of the resulting pure juices with sugars before bottling.

Hot drinks[link]

A cup of coffee

Mulled wine

A hot drink is any beverage which is normally served heated, by the addition of a heated liquid, such as water or milk, or by directly heating the drink itself. Examples:

• Coffee-based beverages
  • Café au lait
  • Cappuccino
  • Coffee
  • Espresso
  • Frappé
  • Flavored coffees (mocha etc.)
  • Latte
• Hot chocolate
• Horlicks
• Hot cider
  • Mulled cider
• Glühwein
• Tea-based beverages
  • Flavored teas (chai etc.)
  • Green tea
  • Pearl milk tea
  • Tea
• Herbal teas
  • Yerba Mate
• Roasted grain beverages
  • Sanka

Miscellaneous[link]

Masala buttermilk.

Some substances may be defined as either food or drink, and accordingly may be eaten with a spoon or drunk, depending upon their thickness and solutes.

• Buttermilk
• Soup
• Yogurt

Measurement[link]

See also[link]

Food portal

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Drink

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Drink

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Beverages

• Health-EU Portal - Alcohol
• The Webtender - Cocktail & Mixed Drink Recipes and Bartending Guide
• Wikibooks Cookbook

Lil Jon
Аt Halo 3 Exclusive Preview in Atlanta, September 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Jonathan Smith
Born	(1971-01-27) January 27, 1971 (age 41)[1] Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, crunk
Occupations	Rapper, songwriter, DJ, producer, Actor,
Instruments	Keyboard, synthesizer, drum machine, sampler
Years active	1995–present
Labels	BME Universal Republic TVT Little Jonathan Inc.
Associated acts	Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz, Ying Yang Twins, Pitbull, The Mr. Move, Too Short, 8Ball & MJG, E-40, Oobie, Yelawolf, LMFAO
Notable instruments
Roland TR-808, OpenLabs NeKo, Clavia Nord Lead

Jonathan Smith (born January 27, 1971),^[1][2][3] better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, music producer, entrepreneur, and international DJ who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. Lil Jon formed the group in 1997, and the group released several albums between then and 2004. He then went solo and released a new album in 2010 called Crunk Rock.

Early life[link]

Lil' Jon was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Frederick Douglass High School.^[4]

Career[link]

Early career[link]

After working as a DJ for Atlanta night clubs, he started working for So So Def Recordings between 1993 and 2000.^[5] The group signed to the Atlanta-based Mirror Image Records and were distributed by Ichiban Records. In 1997, Lil' Jon & the East Side Boyz debuted with Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album. It included singles "Who U Wit?" and "Shawty Freak a Lil' Sumthin'", the latter of which came out in 1998. Both singles charted on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at No. 70 and No. 62 respectively.^[6] In 2000 Jon took part in starting up his own label BME Recordings and signed a distribution agreement with Norcross, Georgia based Southern Music Distribution. There he released his break through album titled We Still Crunk. Among the tracks on that project was the hit single "I Like Dem Girlz", which reached No. 55 on the R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.

After hearing feedback that Lil' Jon was "the new guy" from street team people in the markets where he was attracting his biggest audiences – namely Atlanta, St. Louis, Memphis and Dallas – A&R at TVT, Bryan Leach, went to one of his Atlanta shows and was blown away by the immense energy of the experience.^[7] Leach told HitQuarters: "It was like early Beastie Boys, when they had the energy of a rock group but they were rapping, and ... that energy is what crunk music is all about."^[7] Lil' Jon & The East Side Boyz signed to TVT Records in 2001 and debuted there with Put Yo Hood Up, which combined previously released tracks with new ones. The group's first nationally played single was "Bia' Bia'", which featured rappers Ludacris, Too Short, Big Kapp, and Chyna Whyte.^[1] "Bia' Bia'" peaked at No. 97 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 47 on the Billboard R&B chart.^[6]

In 2002, the group released Kings of Crunk. "I Don't Give A..." was its first single; it featured Mystikal and Krayzie Bone and peaked at No. 50 on the R&B chart.^[6] The group's next single, a collaboration with fellow Atlanta hip hop group Ying Yang Twins titled "Get Low", became popular in nightclubs nationwide and reached the top ten of the Hot 100.Crunk Juice followed in 2004, led by "What U Gon' Do" featuring Lil' Scrappy. "What U Gon' Do" peaked at No. 22 on the Hot 100, No. 13 on the R&B chart, and No. 5 on the rap chart; its follow-up, "Lovers & Friends" featuring Usher and Ludacris, peaked at No. 3 (Hot 100), No. 2 (R&B), and No. 1 (rap).^[6]

Solo career and production[link]

In addition to leading Lil' Jon & The East Side Boyz, Lil' Jon has also produced many hit urban singles. From 2003 to 2005, while still with The East Side Boyz, Lil' Jon produced hits like "Salt Shaker" by Ying Yang Twins, "Yeah!" by Usher, "Freek-a-Leek" by Petey Pablo, "Shorty Wanna Ride" by Young Buck, "Shake That Monkey" by Too Short, "Let's Go" by Trick Daddy, and "Girlfight" by Brooke Valentine.^[1] Lil' Jon entered the San Francisco Bay Area hyphy music scene in 2006 with his collaborations with Bay Area rapper E-40: Lil' Jon produced E-40's single "Tell Me When To Go" and had E-40 and Atlanta rapper Sean P on his own "Snap Yo Fingers".^[8] In 2006, Lil' Jon severed his negotiation with record label TVT. He vowed never to record for TVT Records again, alleging that TVT owner Steve Gottlieb was shortchanging him.^{[dead link][9]} He also began recording a rock music album, Crunk Rock; in May 2006 he began recording in Las Vegas, Nevada because rock band The Killers was recording its upcoming album Sam's Town there and the East Side Boyz signed a new deal with Rick Robinson aka Double R CEO and Founder of IMG Recordings, which the album got pushed back to 2013.^[10]

MTV News reported in March 2008 that Crunk Rock was taking more time to complete than Lil' Jon already planned.^[11] As part of TVT Records' 2008 bankruptcy auction, Lil' Jon withdrew his multi-million dollar objection to the TVT sale proceedings and agreed to TVT’s transfer of his artist agreement to The Orchard. In return, The Orchard released Lil' Jon from all future obligations and returned the rights to the master recordings of Crunk Rock. Crunk Rock was finally released on June 8, 2010 and it features artists such as LMFAO, Soulja Boy, Ying Yang Twins, Waka Flocka Flame, R.Kelly, and many more.^[12] In March 2011, Lil Jon took part in the fourth season of The Celebrity Apprentice on NBC and was eliminated in the Final Four.^[13] In July 2011, in a recent interview has said that he is working on a new studio album called "Party Animal" and has released a song with LMFAO called "Drink".

Musical style and influences[link]

Jason Birchmeier of all music has described Lil' Jon's production as "bass-heavy" and his album Put Yo Hood Up as having "a long and varied list of guest rappers to accompany the beats". With the guest performers featured on that album much more than the East Side Boyz, Birchmeier remarked: "The end result is an album that resembles a street-level mixtape rather than a traditional artist-oriented album".^[14] He was specifically influenced by 2 Live Crew, 8Ball & MJG, OutKast, Geto Boys, UGK, Dr. Dre, and Sir Mix-A-Lot. Alex Henderson, also of allmusic, contrasted Lil' Jon's style of "rowdy, in-your-face, profanity-filled party music" with other Southern rappers', those who "have a gansta/thug life agenda" and those who convey "serious sociopolitical messages".^[15] Lil' Jon has also found influence in rock music, having worked with Rick Rubin and Korn.^[16] This influence embodies itself in his aggressive delivery and 'yelling' style of rap. He was seen on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All-Time program wearing a Bad Brains t-shirt and also used to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd growing up in the South in the 70s. For Trick Daddy's "Let's Go", Lil' Jon sampled the bass line from Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train".^[10]

Personal life[link]

In 2004, Lil Jon was married in Puerto Rico.^[17] He also has a son named Slade Smith (born in 1998).

Discography[link]

Solo

• Crunk Rock (2010)
• Party Animal (TBA)

With the East Side Boyz

• Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album (1997)
• We Still Crunk!! (2000)
• Put Yo Hood Up (2001)
• Kings of Crunk (2002)
• Crunk Juice (2004)

Video games[link]

• Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
• 25 To Life (cameo appearance)
• Def Jam: Icon
• Need for Speed: Underground "Get Low (song)" song is featured in this game
• Def Jam: Icon "Get Low (song)" song in this Game

Filmography[link]

• 2004: Soul Plane
• 2005: Boss'n Up
• 2005: Hip-Hop Honeys: Las Vegas
• 2006: Date Movie
• 2006: Scary Movie 4
• 2007: Class of 3000
• 2008: Smoke and Mirrors
• 2009: Pimp My Ride International
• 2010: Freaknik: The Musical (voice only)
• 2011: The Celebrity Apprentice 4

Television Shows[link]

Chappelle's Show (2004)
Wild 'n Out (2006)

See also[link]

• List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lil Jon

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Lil Jon

• Official website
• Lil Jon at MTV
• Lil Jon at the Internet Movie Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2010)

Mary Gauthier
Background information
Born	(1962-03-11) 11 March 1962 (age 50) New Orleans, Louisiana United States
Genres	Folk, Alternative Country, Americana (music), Country, Southern Gothic
Occupations	Songwriter, Musician, Restaurateur
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Razor and Tie
Website	www.marygauthier.com

Mary Gauthier ( /ˈɡoʊʃeɪ/ GOH-shay; born March 11, 1962) is an American folk singer-songwriter.

Life and career[link]

Gauthier was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Born to a mother she never knew, Gauthier was adopted by an Italian Catholic couple in Thibodaux, Louisiana.^[1] At age 15, she ran away from home, and spent the next several years in drug rehabilitation, halfway houses, and living with friends; she spent her 18th birthday in a jail cell.^[2] Struggling to deal with being adopted and her sexuality, she used drugs and alcohol.^[2] These experiences provided fodder for her songwriting later on. Spurred on by friends, she enrolled at Louisiana State University as a philosophy major, dropping out during her senior year. After attending the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, she opened a Cajun restaurant in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, Dixie Kitchen (also the eponymous title of her first album).^[3] Mary ran, and cooked at, the restaurant for eleven years. She was arrested for drunk driving opening night, July 12, 1990, and has been sober ever since. After achieving sobriety, she was driven to dedicate herself full-time to songwriting, and embarked upon a career in music. She wrote her first song at age 35.^[4]

She sold her share in the restaurant to finance her second album, Drag Queens in Limousines, in 1998.^[3] The summer of the release of this album, she was invited to play 11 major folk festivals, including the Newport Folk Festival. Drag Queens in Limousines won in the First Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song, and she was nominated for Best New Artist of the year by the Boston Music Awards. She was nominated for three GLAMA awards ( Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards) and won best country artist of the year. In 2002 her third album, Filth and Fire, was named "Best Indy CD of the year" by Jon Pareles of The New York Times, in 2002. She moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2001 and secured a publishing deal with Harlan Howard Songs, then secured a record deal with Lost Highway, a division of Universal Music, in 2003. Her first major label release, in 2005, Mercy Now was on the top 10 list for the year in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Daily News, and Billboard Magazine.

She was awarded "New Artist of the Year" by The Americana Music Association the same year. Mercy Now was voted the #6 Record of the Decade by No Depression magazine. Her second Lost Highway release, Between Daylight and Dark, appeared in September 2007. She has had her songs recorded by numerous artists, including Jimmy Buffett, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Bill Chambers, Mike Farris and Candi Staton. Her latest release is called The Foundling and was released by Razor & Tie Records in 2010. It was named the #3 Record of the Year by Los Angeles Times music writer Randy Lewis. She has been featured in several books on Country and Americana music, including "They Came To Nashville", by Marshall Chapman, and "Right By Her Roots" Americana Women and Their Songs, by Jewly Height. Her songs are taught at several Universities, including Alice Randall's country music lyric in American literature class at Vanderbilt University. Her songs have appeared on Wally Lamb's playlist, Tom Waits's playlist, and Bob Dylan's playlist. She currently resides in Nashville, TN.

Discography[link]

• Dixie Kitchen (1997)
• Drag Queens in Limousines (1999)
• Filth and Fire (2002)
• Mercy Now (2005)
• Between Daylight and Dark (2007)
• Genesis (The Early Years) ( 2008) - 15 track compilation from the 1st three albums
• The Foundling (2010)
• The Foundling Alone (2011) Acoustic Demo's of songs in development, from The Foundling

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Gauthier's Lost Highway webpage

Blake Shelton
Shelton in April 2010
Background information
Birth name	Blake Tollison Shelton
Born	(1976-06-18) June 18, 1976 (age 36)[1] Ada, Oklahoma, United States
Genres	Country
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Giant, Warner Bros. Nashville, Reprise Nashville
Associated acts	Bobby Braddock, Miranda Lambert, Trace Adkins, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green
Website	blakeshelton.com

Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music artist. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. This song was the first single from his gold-certified debut album, which also produced two more Top 20 hits. Although the album was released on Giant Records Nashville, Shelton was transferred to Warner Bros. Records Nashville after Giant closed in late 2001.

His second and third albums, 2003's The Dreamer (his first for Warner Bros. proper) and 2004's Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill, were each certified gold as well. Shelton's fourth album, Pure BS, was issued in 2007, and re-issued in 2008 with a cover of Michael Bublé's pop hit "Home" as one of the bonus tracks. This cover was also that album's third single. A fifth album, Startin' Fires, was released in November 2008. It was followed by the extended plays Hillbilly Bone and All About Tonight in 2010, and the album Red River Blue in 2011. He is currently a vocal coach on the NBC reality talent show The Voice with Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Cee Lo Green.

Overall, Shelton has charted 17 singles on the country charts, including eleven Number One hits: "Austin" (2001), "The Baby" (2003), "Some Beach" (2004–2005), "Home" (2008), "She Wouldn't Be Gone" (2009), "Hillbilly Bone" (2010), a duet with Trace Adkins, "All About Tonight" (2010), "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking" (2011)", "Honey Bee" (2011), "God Gave Me You" (2011), and "Drink on It" (2011-2012). Additionally, three more of his singles have reached Top Ten: a cover version of Conway Twitty's "Goodbye Time", "Nobody but Me", and "I'll Just Hold On".

He also covered "Footloose" for the movie remake in 2011.

Early life[link]

Shelton was born in Ada, Oklahoma, to Dick, a used car dealer, and Dorothy, a beauty salon owner. He began singing at an early age and by age 12, he learned to play guitar. By age sixteen, Shelton had received a Denbo Diamond Award in his home state.^[1] On November 13, 1990, his older brother Richie, who was 24 at the time, died in a car accident. He has an older sister, Endy. At age 17, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in pursuit of a singing career.

Musical career[link]

Shelton performing at the Crawford City Fair in August 2005

[edit] 1998–2002: Blake Shelton

After several years in Nashville, he signed to Giant Records in 1998. In 2001, he was slated to release a song entitled "I Wanna Talk About Me" as a single. Staff at the label considered the song unsuitable for a lead-off single, however, and the song was eventually recorded by Toby Keith, whose version was a Number One hit.^[2]

Instead, Giant released "Austin" as Shelton's debut single. Shortly after its release, however, Giant Records was dissolved, and Shelton was transferred to Warner Bros. Records, the parent company. "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. His self-titled debut album also produced the No.18 "All Over Me" (which Shelton co-wrote with fellow country artist Earl Thomas Conley) and the No.14 "Ol' Red", which was a cover version of a George Jones song. Although Shelton's rendition of "Ol' Red" was not a major radio hit, he considers it his signature song, and it has become popular in concert.^[3] Blake Shelton is certified gold by the RIAA.^[1]

[edit] 2002–2003: The Dreamer

Shelton's second album, The Dreamer, was first released on February 4, 2003 on Warner Bros. Records. Its lead-off single, "The Baby", reached Number One on the country charts, holding that position for three weeks. Although the second and third singles ("Heavy Liftin'" and "Playboys of the Southwestern World", respectively) only reached No.32 and #24, The Dreamer earned gold certification as well. He, along with Andy Griggs and Montgomery Gentry, sang guest vocals on Tracy Byrd's mid-2003 single "The Truth About Men".

[edit] 2004–2006: Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill

Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill was the title of Shelton's third studio album, released in 2004.^[1] Its lead-off single, the Harley Allen co-write "When Somebody Knows You That Well", peaked at No.37 on the country charts, while the follow-up "Some Beach" became his third No.1 hit, holding that position for four weeks. It was followed by a cover of Conway Twitty's 1988 single "Goodbye Time".^[4] Both this cover and its followup, "Nobody but Me", reached Top Ten for Shelton as well. As with his first two albums, Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill was certified gold. Accompanying the album's release was a video collection entitled Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill: A Video Collection.^[1]

On December 18, 2005, several of Shelton's songs, including "Nobody but Me", appeared on the TV movie The Christmas Blessing, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Angus T. Jones, and Rob Lowe. Shelton had a small role at the end of the movie, playing himself at a benefit concert, singing "Nobody but Me".

[edit] 2006–2008: Pure BS

Shelton issued his fourth studio album, Pure BS, in early 2007.^[1] Unlike with his first three albums, which were produced entirely by Bobby Braddock, Shelton worked with Braddock, Brent Rowan, and Paul Worley as producers for this album. Its first two singles—"Don't Make Me" and "The More I Drink"—were both Top 20 hits on the country charts, respectively reaching No.12 and #19. Also in late 2007, Shelton made appearances on television shows: first as a judge on the talent competition Nashville Star, and later on Clash of the Choirs.

Pure BS was re-released in 2008 with three bonus tracks, including a cover of Michael Bublé's hit single "Home". This cover, released in early 2008 as the album's third single, became his fourth No.1 hit in July.^[5]

[edit] 2008–2009: Startin' Fires

"Home" was followed in August 2008 by the single "She Wouldn't Be Gone", his 14th chart entry and his fifth No. 1 hit. It was the first time in his career that he had two consecutive Number Ones. "She Wouldn't Be Gone" is the lead-off to Shelton's fifth studio album, Startin' Fires, which has also produced the single "I'll Just Hold On." This album also includes "Bare Skin Rug," a duet with Lambert.^[6] It was produced by Scott Hendricks, except for one track which was produced by Brent Rowan, and another ("I Don't Care", which carried over from Pure BS) was produced by Braddock.^[7]

[edit] 2009–2011: Hillbilly Bone and All About Tonight

After "I'll Just Hold On" fell off the chart in October 2009, Blake Shelton released a duet with Trace Adkins titled "Hillbilly Bone." It was the lead-off single on Shelton's EP, Hillbilly Bone, released on March 2, 2010 through Reprise Records Nashville. After "Hillbilly Bone" reached No.1 in February, came the August release of "All About Tonight", the lead-off single to his EP of the same name. In September, he released the second single from All About Tonight, "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking", his 18th single release. He released his first greatest hits album, Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton in November 2010.

Shelton was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry during the September 28, 2010 "Country Comes Home" concert celebrating reopening of the Grand Ole Opry House after the Cumberland River flooded the Opry House in May 2010. The formal invitation was extended on his Twitter account and was announced by Opry star Trace Adkins.^[8] He was formally inducted by Adkins at the Saturday, October 23, 2010 Opry performance.

Shelton recorded the title track for the "Footloose" remake film released on October 14th, 2011.

Blake Shelton appeared on the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on November 10, 2010 where he performed "All About Tonight" and won Male Vocalist of the Year.^[9]

Shelton will serve as a judge/coach to singers on the 2011 NBC reality television series The Voice.^[10]

[edit] 2011–present: Red River Blue

Blake Shelton released the album Red River Blue on July 12, 2011, led by the single, "Honey Bee". The song received 138,000 downloads in its first week and was certified gold in its seventh week, setting a new record for the fastest gold certification by a male country singer.^[11] On June 13, 2011, in its tenth chart week, "Honey Bee" went to #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming his ninth #1 and his fastest-climbing. The album was expected to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 with around 110,000 copies sold.^[12] "God Gave Me You", a cover of a Dave Barnes song, was the album's second single; it also reached #1. "Drink On It", the fifth song on the album, hit #1 in April 2012, giving him his 11th #1 song. On April 30, 2012, Blake performed "Over" on the Semi-finals of the second season of The Voice. "Over" later debuted at #53 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs on 19 May, 2012.^[13]

Blake Shelton is a coach on the NBC show The Voice. His finalist Dia Frampton came in second. He returned for a second season of the show with Jermaine Paul as the champion ^[14]. Frampton also recorded a track with Shelton titled "I Will" on her album Red, released December 6, 2011.

Blake Shelton took the stage with Miranda Lambert at Super Bowl XLVI in February 2012 to open the event by singing a duet version of “America the Beautiful”. It marked their first TV performance since their headlining nuptials in May 2011.

Television[link]

[edit] 2011–present: The Voice

In 2011, Shelton became a coach on NBC's new show, The Voice, along with Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine.

In season 1, Shelton became the runner-up coach as his final team member, Dia Frampton, won second place of the season.

In season 2, Shelton became the winning coach as his final team member, Jermaine Paul, was declared winner of the season.

Season 3 of The Voice will air in the fall of 2012. All four judges have signed on to return. ^[15]

Personal life[link]

Shelton married longtime girlfriend Kaynette Gern on November 17, 2003. They divorced in 2006.

Shelton is now married to fellow country singer Miranda Lambert, whom he met at the CMT's 100 Greatest Duets Concert.^[16] Lambert also sang background vocals on his cover of Michael Bublé's song, "Home", which became a Number 1 single on the Hot Country Songs chart. On May 9, 2010, after dating for four years,^[17] Shelton proposed to Miranda, after seeking (and receiving) her father's blessing.^[17][18]

Shelton and Lambert were married on May 14, 2011 at Don Strange Ranch in Boerne, Texas.^[17] 550 people were in attendance, including many celebrities, such as Reba McEntire, Cee Lo Green, Martina McBride, Kelly Clarkson, Dierks Bentley, Charles Kelley, and the Bellamy Brothers. After the wedding, Shelton expressed his joy stating, "I wanted to be married to Miranda the day I proposed. Finally, it's official!"^[19] Blake and Miranda reside in the small town of Tishomingo, OK, located in the Texoma area.

On January 17, 2012, Shelton's father, Dick, 71, died in Oklahoma, following a period of declining health.^[20][21]

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Blake Shelton (2001)
• The Dreamer (2003)
• Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill (2004)
• Pure BS (2007)
• Startin' Fires (2008)
• Red River Blue (2011)

Extended plays

• Blake Shelton: Collector's Edition (2008)
• Hillbilly Bone (2010)
• All About Tonight (2010)

Compilation albums

• Blake Shelton – The Essentials (2009)
• Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton (2010)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Blake Shelton at the Internet Movie Database

Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle, 2007
Birth name	David Khari Webber Chappelle
Born	(1973-08-24) August 24, 1973 (age 38) Washington, D.C., U.S.[1]
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Nationality	American
Years active	1987–present
Genres	Satire/political satire, improvisational comedy, observational comedy, surreal humor, sketch comedy, black comedy, blue comedy
Subject(s)	Racism, race relations, American politics, African American culture, pop culture, recreational drug use, human sexuality, morality
Influences	Richard Pryor,[2] Eddie Murphy,[2] Mel Blanc,[2] Chris Rock[3]
Spouse	Elaine Chappelle (2001–present) 3 children
Notable works and roles	Himself and Various in Chappelle's Show Himself in Dave Chappelle's Block Party Achoo in Robin Hood: Men in Tights Thurgood Jenkins in Half Baked
Signature

David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle^[4] (/ʃəˈpɛl/; born August 24, 1973)^[1] is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His first lead role in a film was in Half Baked in 1998. In 2003, he became widely known for his popular sketch comedy television series, Chappelle's Show, which ran until his abrupt retirement from the show in 2005. Chappelle is ranked forty-third in Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.^[5]

Early life[link]

Chappelle was born David Khari Webber Chappelle in Washington, D.C. on August 24, 1973.^[1][2] His father, William David Chappelle III, was a professor at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.^[2] His mother, Yvonne (née Reed), was a professor at Howard University, Prince George's Community College, and the University of Maryland and is also a Unitarian Universalist minister.^[6][7][8] Chappelle grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and attended Woodlin Elementary School.^[2] During young Chappelle's formative years, his comic inspiration came from various comedians, particularly Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor.^[2]