Paste

File:PasteMag.jpg
Editor	Josh Jackson
Categories	Music magazines
Monthly
Publisher	Wolfgang's Vault
First issue	July 2002
Country	United States
Language	English
Website	pastemagazine.com
ISSN	1540-3106

Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."^[1]

History[link]

The magazine, headquartered in Decatur, Georgia, was founded as a quarterly in July 2002 by Josh Jackson, Nick Purdy and Tim Porter. It switched to a bimonthly format amid increased popularity and the addition of Joe Kirk to the managing team, and continued to grow in 2005, when Paste fulfilled remaining subscriptions for the competing magazine Tracks, which had ceased publication of its print edition. Paste became a monthly with its August 2006 issue. During its eight-year run, Paste was nominated for a National Magazine Award four times.

For two years in the mid-2000s, Paste had a weekly segment on CNN Headline News called Paste Picks,^[2] where editors would recommend new albums and films every Tuesday.

In October 2007, the magazine opted to try the so-called "Radiohead" experiment, offering new and current subscribers the ability to pay what they want for a one year subscription to Paste.^[3] The results were excellent, raising subscriber base by 28,000, but Paste president Tim Regan-Porter noted that the model is not sustainable and that the magazine would lose money on the deal; there were hopes that the new subscribers would renew the following year at the current rates, and that the increase in web traffic would also increase subscribers and attract additional advertisers.^[4]

Amidst an economic downturn, Paste began to suffer from lagging ad revenue, much like other magazine publishers had been feeling in 2008 and 2009. On May 14, 2009, Paste editors announced a plan to save the magazine, by pleading to its readers,^[5] musicians and celebrities for contributions.^[6] Cost cutting by the magazine did not stem the losses, and rather than shutter the magazine, Paste has hopes in receiving donations to help lift the magazine out of the crisis. The main crux cited for the financial troubles is the lack of advertiser spending.^[7] A similar situation happened with the magazine JPG, which led to subscribers and fans of that magazine to create a 'buzz' about JPG online, garnering enough attention for a buyer to continue the contribution-based model of that magazine.

In 2009, Paste launched an hour-long TV pilot for Halogen TV called Pop Goes the Culture.^[8]

On August 31, 2010, Paste suspended the print magazine,^[9] but PasteMagazine.com continued to cover music, film, books, TV and video games online.

Reemergence[link]

On May 28, 2011, Paste announced it was bringing back its weekly subscription services in a digital layout. The mPlayer is currently available as a beta until September, when subscription services will begin and native applications for the iPad and Android tablets roll out, making use of new digital capabilities such as Apple's Newsstand application.

Content[link]

Although Paste's focus was music, covering a variety of genres with an emphasis on adult album alternative, Americana and indie rock, the magazine also covered independent film and books. Each issue originally included a CD music sampler, but was dropped in favor of digital downloading as a Going-Green initiative. Featured artists included Ryan Adams, Blackalicious, Paul McCartney, Regina Spektor, The Whigs, Fiona Apple, The Decemberists, Mark Heard, Woven Hand, Milton and the Devils Party, Liam Finn, The Trolleyvox, and Thom Yorke. Many of these artists also contributed to the Campaign to Save Paste.^[10]

Awards[link]

In 2005, Paste was listed at #21 on the Chicago Tribune's list of "50 Best Magazines", and appeared on the list again in 2007.^[11] Paste was also named "Magazine of the Year" by the PLUG Independent Music Awards in 2006, 2007 and 2008. In 2008, 2009 and 2010, Paste was nominated for a National Magazine Award in the category of General Excellence, and in 2010, associate editor Rachael Maddux' writings were nominated for Best Reviews.

References[link]

External links[link]

• PasteMagazine.com
• The Campaign to Save Paste

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. (March 2012)

Jolie Holland
Jolie Holland performing in 2009
Background information
Born	(1975-09-11) September 11, 1975 (age 36) Houston, Texas United States
Genres	Rock, traditional, country, Americana
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Vocals, piano, guitar, violin, accordion
Labels	ANTI-
Associated acts	The Be Good Tanyas
Website	jolieholland.com

Jolie Holland (born September 11, 1975 in Houston, Texas)^[1] is an American singer and performer who combines elements of folk, traditional, country, rock, jazz, and blues. She was one of the founding members of The Be Good Tanyas.

Career[link]

Holland at the keyboards

ANTI- labelmates Tom Waits and Sage Francis are both outspoken fans of Holland's: Waits nominated her for the Shortlist music prize^[2] while Francis has said that Holland's album Escondida was his most listened to album of 2005.^[3] Holland collaborated with Francis on two tracks on his album Human the Death Dance.

Discography[link]

Live albums[link]

• Jolie Holland and The Quiet Orkestra 2002
• Catalpa 2003

Studio albums[link]

• Escondida 2004
• Springtime Can Kill You 2006
• The Living and the Dead 2008
• Pint of Blood 2011

Contributions[link]

• Multiple collaborations with David Dondero, including backing vocals on the song "Analysis Of A 1970's Divorce" on Dondero's 2001 album Shooting at the Sun With a Water Gun
• Lead vocals on The Grey Funnel Line on Hal Willner's Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys (2006, ANTI-)
• Backing vocals for Bad Religion frontman Greg Graffin's studio solo album Cold as the Clay
• Violin on The Speakers' album Yeats Is Greats
• Backing vocals on Chuck Ragan's album Feast or Famine
• Lyrics and performance of Flood of Dreams in the film King of California
• Backing vocals on "Cinders of the Sun" and "Heart of Misery"^[4] for Steve Abel and the Chrysalids' album Flax Happyon
• Backing vocals on David Gray's "Kathleen"
• Contributed to two tracks on Sage Francis' Human the Death Dance
• Backing vocals on "Songs for Love Drunk Sinners" by Jan Bell and the Cheap Dates
• Collaboration with Booker T. Jones on the album "What A Wonderful World"
• Backing vocals on "Old/New" by Frally
• Backing vocals on "Alabama chicken" and "Rattlesnake charm (Dream machine)" by Sean Hayes (musician)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jolie Holland

• Jolie Holland Official Website

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Pete Yorn
Yorn in 2006
Background information
Birth name	Peter Joseph Yorn
Born	(1974-07-27) July 27, 1974 (age 37) Montville, New Jersey, United States
Genres	Rock Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals Guitar Harmonica drums
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Columbia, Rhino, Vagrant, Warner Brothers (France), Trampoline
Associated acts	Minibar
Website	www.peteyorn.com

Peter Joseph Yorn (born July 27, 1974, Montville, New Jersey, United States) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who first gained international recognition after his debut record, Musicforthemorningafter, was released to critical acclaim in 2001.

Early history[link]

Yorn's father is a retired dentist and his mother is a former school teacher and real estate agent. His brother Rick is a major talent manager in Hollywood,^[1] while his brother Kevin is an entertainment lawyer who represents stars such as Scarlett Johansson.^[2] He grew up in Montville, New Jersey, where he attended Montville Township High School.^[3][4]

Breakthrough[link]

Yorn was encouraged enough to maintain a focus on music while attending Syracuse University (class of 1996) where he was a major in the department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies and a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. After graduating, Yorn moved to Los Angeles, where he began to attract a following with his performances at Cafe Largo. He was signed to Columbia records in 1999. Shortly after, film producer Bradley Thomas (Kingpin & There's Something About Mary) liked Yorn's act enough to request Yorn send him some rough demos for possible inclusion in the Farrelly Brothers' film Me, Myself and Irene. Soon after, Yorn landed a job scoring all of the music to the film and also contributed the songs "Strange Condition" and "Just Another" to the film and its soundtrack.

After experiencing this taste of success, Yorn released his 2001 LP debut, entitled musicforthemorningafter, which went gold on the strength of the album's lead single, "Life on a Chain." Rolling Stone Magazine named Yorn one of "Ten [artists] to Watch in 2001" and gave the album a favorable four-star rating.

Yorn went on to release the 2003 album Day I Forgot which has sold over 300,000 copies to date and scored a third radio hit with the song "Come Back Home."

In 2006, Yorn released his third album, Nightcrawler. Nightcrawler was named one of the top 20 records of 2006 by Paste magazine.

Guitarist Peter Buck of the band R.E.M. has made appearances on several Pete Yorn recordings, including instrumentation on the single version of "Strange Condition" and a number of songs from the Day I Forgot LP. Yorn has worked with producers R. Walt Vincent, Brad Wood, and Ken Andrews of Failure and Year of the Rabbit, in addition to several other producers including Scott Litt, Butch Walker and Sonic Youth producer Don Fleming.

Yorn has shared bills with the Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., Crowded House, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Coldplay, The Dixie Chicks, Semisonic, and Sunny Day Real Estate, among others.

Yorn's song, "Lose You" can be heard just before the ending credits of the episode "Simple Explanation" during Kutner's funeral on the Fox show House, MD.

The Trilogy[link]

Pete Yorn's third studio release, Nightcrawler, completes a conceptual trilogy of sorts,^[5] which spans his first three albums (EPs not included); beginning in the morning with the musicforthemorningafter LP, continuing through the day with the Day I Forgot LP, and arriving at nightfall with the Nightcrawler LP.

In September 2006, in an interview with silentuproar.com, Yorn elaborated on his true intentions behind the trilogy, remarking that it was at least partially a conscious trilogy but wasn't meant to be taken too seriously: "I didn't mean like a Star Wars trilogy where it's one story at all." Yorn expressed that the "trilogy" was more of a diary of sorts; a person gaining new life experiences and simply commenting on them in linear order. "So it's a sort of continuing analysis of those topics, and the Nightcrawler LP would represent a later phase," Yorn said.^[5]

Subsequent releases[link]

Yorn in 2006

In 2008, Pete Yorn recorded and released a new song, entitled "American Blues Vol. 1." A music video was shot for the single, and the song itself was released for free on Yorn's official website for a short period of time. Concerning the song, Yorn has said "I wrote American Blues Vol. 1. on the 4th of July after reading the morning paper. It's unlike any song I've ever written. I was moved by how much negativity I was reading about and how even groups were boycotting Independence Day because they were so disgusted with the state of our Nation. I was hoping things would improve...they obviously haven't yet...but I know they will in time."^[6]

According to several sources, Yorn has been writing and recording a respectable amount of new material to be released in 2009 (It's 2011 now); namely two new records. The producers are Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) and Frank Black (from Pixies). Two new songs have been released for download on various fan pages that are expected to be included on the new albums; "Sans Fear" and "Shotgun," respectively.

Yorn appears on Canadian artist Matthew Good's 2009 album Vancouver performing backing vocals.

"Can't Hear Anyone," a song that Yorn wrote during the Nightcrawler sessions, was recently used for a Mercedes-Benz commercial and was released as a digital single on March 31, 2009.

Columbia Records released his Mike Mogis-produced album, entitled Back & Fourth on June 23, 2009.^[7]

Yorn toured with Coldplay as an opening act through summer 2009 and collaborated with actress/musician Scarlett Johansson to record a project entitled "Break Up." Pete's brother Rick is Scarlett's agent. ^[2] The album was released on September 15, 2009, and its first single—"Relator"—was released digitally on May 26, 2009. The record has since gone Platinum in France.

Yorn released a self titled album on September 28, 2010. This record was released by Vagrant Records, and produced by Frank Black of The Pixies. It received a favorable 8/10 stars in Spin magazine and 4/5 stars in Mojo. He toured North America and Europe in support of this record Feb 14-June 12, 2011.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Live albums[link]

• Live at the Roxy (2001) #131 US
• Live from New Jersey (2004)

EPs[link]

• Sunset EP (2000)
• Westerns EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Electric Fetus, 5/6/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Rhino Records, 6/20/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Salzers Records, 6/22/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Fingerprints, 6/23/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Dimple Records, 6/24/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Waterloo Records, 6/28/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Keif's, 6/30/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Vintage Vinyl, 7/1/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from The Exclusive, 7/2/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Singing Dog Records, 7/6/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Ear X-tacy, 7/7/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from New World Record, 7/8/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Record Archive, 7/10/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Bull Moose, 7/11/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Newbury Comics, 7/12/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Record & Tape Traders, 7/13/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Schoolkids Records, 7/15/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Grimey's, 7/17/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Criminal Records, 7/18/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Lasers Edge, 7/19/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Homer's, 7/21/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Twist & Shout, 7/24/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Barts CD Cellar, 7/25/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Graywhale, 7/26/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Easy Street, 7/28/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Music Millennium, 7/29/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Rasputin Music, 7/31/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Lou's, 8/1/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Zia Record Exchange, 8/2/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Olsson's, 8/8/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Plan 9, 8/9/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from A/K/A, 8/11/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Vintage Vinyl, 8/12/06 EP (2006)
• You & Me Acoustic: Live from Luna Music, 8/16/06 EP (2006)
• Live from SoHo iTunes-exclusive EP (2007)
• The Demos EP: Garage Sessions Vol. 1 (2009)<
• Paradise Cove EP (2009)^[12][13]

Singles[link]

Non-album tracks[link]

• "Hunter Green" – Trampoline Records Greatest Hits Vol. 1
• "Suspicious Minds" (Dusk Version) – "Suspicious Minds" CD Single
• "Suspicious Minds" (Dawn Version) – "Suspicious Minds" CD Single
• "I Feel Good Again" – Trampoline Records Greatest Hits Vol. 2 and Concert Series Volume 1
• "Do They Know It's Christmas?" – The Year They Recalled Santa Claus
• "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" – We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to the Ramones
• "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" (Buzzcocks cover) – Shrek 2 soundtrack
• "Red Right Hand" – Hellboy soundtrack
• "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" – Just like Heaven soundtrack
• "Skinny, Mean Man" – Say Anything's In Defense of the Genre
• "It Never Rains in Southern California" Stuck on You soundtrack

• "Undercover" – Spider-Man soundtrack
• "I Belong" – Open Season soundtrack
• "Where the Streets Have No Name," "Alice in My Fantasies," "I Feel Good Again," and "Chimes of Freedom" – Axis of Justice: Concert Series Volume 1
• "Splendid Isolation" – Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon

Unreleased songs[link]

• "Farmer vs. River"
• "Model American"
• "When She's Mine"
• "You Never Knew"
• "James in Liverpool"

Videography[link]

• "June" (2001) directed by Steven Orrit
• "For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)" [Directed by Malik Sayeed]
• "Life on a Chain" (2001) [Directed by Sam Bayer]
• "Strange Condition" (2002) [Directed by Marcos Siega]
• "Come Back Home" 2004 directed by AV Club
• "Crystal Village" 2004 directed by AV Club
• "For Us" (2006) [Directed by Robert Hales]
• "American Blues Vol. 1 (2009)
• "Sans Fear (2010) directed by Eric Ernest Johnson

Backing band[link]

Yorn's current touring band is:

• Mark Noseworthy – guitar
• Scott Seiver – drums
• Zak Shaffer – bass guitar

Yorn's Back & Fourth touring band was:

• Max Goldblatt – tambourine
• Joe Kennedy – piano, keyboards, and harmonica
• Mark Noseworthy – guitar
• Jonny Polonsky – guitar and mandolin
• Scott Seiver – drums
• Zak Shaffer – bass guitar

Pete Yorn's Nightcrawler era touring band was Minibar, hailing from Britain and including the following members:

• Malcolm Cross – drums
• Sid Jordan – bass guitar and backing vocals
• Joe Kennedy – piano, guitar, and backing vocals (not part of Minibar)
• Simon Petty – backing vocals and guitar
• Tim Walker – guitars

Pete Yorn's former backing band went by the name Dirty Bird and includes the following members:

• Luke Adams – drums
• Terry Borden – bass guitar and backing vocals
• Jason Johnson – guitar
• Joe Kennedy – piano, guitar, backing vocals
• R. Walt Vincent – bass guitar
• Scot Coogan – drums

Pete Yorn's "eternal bandmates":

• Joe Kennedy – piano, guitar, and backing vocals
• WAZ – bass guitar, guitar, and back vocals

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Pete Yorn

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pete Yorn

• Official site
• Pete Yorn Interview on Silent Uproar
• Pete Yorn on Twitter

Keanu Reeves
Reeves at The Lake House London premiere, September 2006
Born	Keanu Charles Reeves (1964-09-02) September 2, 1964 (age 47) Beirut, Lebanon
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1985–present
Parents	Patricia Bond Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr.

Keanu Charles Reeves ( /keɪˈɑːnuː/ kay-AH-noo; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian film actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his role in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure as well as Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix. He has worked under major directors, such as Stephen Frears (in the 1988 period drama Dangerous Liaisons); Gus Van Sant (in the 1991 independent film My Own Private Idaho); and Bernardo Bertolucci (in the 1993 film Little Buddha). Referring to his 1991 film releases, The New York Times’ critic, Janet Maslin, praised Reeves’ versatility, saying that he “displays considerable discipline and range. He moves easily between the buttoned-down demeanor that suits a police procedural story and the loose-jointed manner of his comic roles.”^[1] A repeated theme in roles he has portrayed is that of saving the world, including the characters of Ted Logan, Buddha, Neo, Johnny Mnemonic, John Constantine and Klaatu.

In addition to his film roles, Reeves has also performed in theatre. His performance in the title role in a Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet was praised by Roger Lewis, the Sunday Times, who declared Reeves " … one of the top three Hamlets I have seen, for a simple reason: he is Hamlet."^{[citation needed]} On January 31, 2005, Reeves received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early life[link]

Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, the son of Patricia Bond (née Taylor), a costume designer/performer, and Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr., a geologist. His mother was English and his father was a Hawaiian-born American of English, Irish, Portuguese, Hawaiian, and Chinese descent.^[2][3][4] Reeves's mother was working in Beirut when she met his father. Reeves' father worked as an unskilled laborer and earned his GED while imprisoned in Hawaii for selling heroin at Hilo International Airport.^[5] He abandoned his wife and family when Reeves was three years old, and Reeves does not currently have any relationship with him.^[5]

Reeves moved around the world frequently as a child and he lived with various stepfathers. After his parents divorced in 1966, his mother became a costume designer and moved the family to Sydney, Australia^[6] and then to New York City. There she met and married Paul Aaron, a Broadway and Hollywood director. The couple moved to Toronto; they divorced in 1971. Reeves' mother married Robert Miller, a rock promoter, in 1976; the couple divorced in 1980. She subsequently married her fourth husband, Jack Bond, a hairdresser, a marriage that broke up in 1994. Grandparents and nannies babysat Reeves and his sisters, and Reeves grew up primarily in Toronto. Within a span of five years, he attended four different high schools, including the Etobicoke School of the Arts, from which he was later expelled. Reeves stated he was expelled "I was just a little too rambunctious and shot my mouth off once too often. I was not generally the most well-oiled machine in the school." ^[7]

Reeves excelled more in hockey than in academics, as his educational development was challenged by dyslexia. He was a successful goalie at one of his high schools (De La Salle College "Oaklands"). While Reeves dreamed of becoming an Olympic hockey player for Canada, an injury ended his hopes for a hockey career. After leaving De La Salle College, he attended an anarchistic free school (Avondale Alternative), which allowed him to obtain an education while working as an actor; he later dropped out, never obtaining his high school diploma.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2011, on the BBC program The One Show, he spoke of his English ancestry, via his mother, mentioning his happy watching of The Two Ronnies comedy show amongst others when younger, and how his mother imparted English manners that he still has today.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

1980s[link]

Reeves began his acting career at the age of nine, appearing in a theatre production of Damn Yankees. At 15, he played Mercutio in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet at the Leah Posluns Theatre. Reeves made his screen acting debut in a CBC Television comedy series entitled Hangin' In. Throughout the early 1980s, he appeared in commercials (including one for Coca-Cola), short films including the NFB drama One Step Away^[8] and stage work such as Brad Fraser's cult hit Wolfboy in Toronto. In 1984, he was a correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation TV youth program Going Great.^[9]

Reeves' first studio movie appearance was in the Rob Lowe ice hockey film Youngblood, in which he played a Québécois goalie. Shortly after the movie's release, Reeves drove to Los Angeles in his 1969 Volvo. His ex-stepfather Paul Aaron, a stage and television director, had convinced Erwin Stoff to be Reeves' manager and agent before he even arrived in Los Angeles. Stoff has remained Reeves' manager, and has co-produced many of his films. After a few minor roles, Reeves received a more sizable role in the 1986 drama film River's Edge, which depicted how a murder affected a group of teens. Following this film's critical success, he spent the late 1980s appearing in a number of movies aimed at teenage audiences, including Permanent Record, and the unexpectedly successful 1989 comedy, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, which, along with its 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, typecast Reeves as a spaced-out teen. Much of his portrayal in the press and much of the response to his acting in the early 1990s still mentioned his portrayal of the airheaded Ted.

1990s[link]

Reeves' interacting with the press at the Berlin Film Festival

During the early 1990s, Reeves started to break out of his teen-film period. He appeared in high-budget action films like Point Break, for which he won MTV's "Most Desirable Male" award in 1992. He was also involved in various lower-budget independent films, including the well-received 1991 film, My Own Private Idaho with his close friend, the late River Phoenix. In 1994, Reeves' career reached a new high as a result of his starring role in the action film Speed. His casting in the film was controversial since, except for Point Break, he was primarily known for comedies and indie dramas. He had never been the sole headliner on a film. The summer action film had a fairly large budget and was helmed by novice cinematographer-turned-director Jan de Bont. The unexpected international success of the film made Reeves and co-star Sandra Bullock into A-List stars.

Reeves' career choices after Speed were eclectic: despite his successes, Reeves continued to accept supporting roles and appear in experimental films. He scored a hit with a romantic lead role in A Walk in the Clouds. He made news by refusing to take part in Speed 2: Cruise Control and choosing to play the title role in a 1995 Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet in Winnipeg, Manitoba.^[10] Roger Lewis, the Sunday Times critic, wrote, "He quite embodied the innocence, the splendid fury, the animal grace of the leaps and bounds, the emotional violence, that form the Prince of Denmark... He is one of the top three Hamlets I have seen, for a simple reason: he is Hamlet."^[11]

Reeves promoting The Day the Earth Stood Still in Mexico in 2008.

Reeves' other choices after A Walk in the Clouds, however, failed with critics and audiences. Big-budget films such as the sci-fi action film Johnny Mnemonic and the action-thriller Chain Reaction were critically panned and failed at the box office, while indie films like Feeling Minnesota were also critical failures. Reeves started to climb out of his career low after starring in the horror/drama The Devil's Advocate alongside Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. Reeves deferred his salary for The Devil's Advocate so that Pacino would be cast, as he would do later for the less successful The Replacements, guaranteeing the casting of Gene Hackman. The Devil's Advocate did well at the box office, received good reviews, and proved that Reeves could play a grown-up with a career, although many critics felt that his poor performance detracted from an otherwise enjoyable movie. The 1999 science fiction-action hit The Matrix, a film in which Reeves had a starring role, was a box office success and attracted positive reviews.^{[citation needed]}

2000s[link]

In between the first Matrix film and its sequels, Reeves received positive reviews for his portrayal of an abusive husband in The Gift. Aside from The Gift, Reeves appeared in several films that received mostly negative reviews and unimpressive box office grosses, including The Watcher, Sweet November and The Replacements. However, the two Matrix sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, Something's Gotta Give, and the 2005 horror-action film, Constantine, proved to be box office successes and brought Reeves back into the public spotlight.

His appearance in the 2006 film, A Scanner Darkly, based on the dystopian science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick, received favorable reviews, but The Lake House, his romantic outing with Sandra Bullock, did not do well at the box office. He went on to play the lead character in two 2008 films, Street Kings and The Day the Earth Stood Still. In February 2009 The Private Life of Pippa Lee was presented at Berlinale.^{[citation needed]}

2010s[link]

Reeves started filming the surrealist romantic comedy Henry's Crime in December 2009, with filming wrapped up in early 2010. After this he started working as producer and star on the science-fiction space drama Passengers, written by Jon Spaihts.^[12]

In January 2009, it was revealed that Reeves will star in the live-action film adaptation of the anime series Cowboy Bebop,^[13][14] slated for release in 2011. Other upcoming projects include the samurai film 47 Ronin, Chef – story by Reeves and written by Steven Knight, and a modern retelling of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, scripted by Justin Haythe and titled Jekyll. Nicolas Winding Refn was in negotiations to direct but was eventually replaced by Dennis Iliadis and produced by Universal Pictures.^[15]

In April 2011, Reeves confirmed that a third installment of the Bill & Ted movie series was underway.^[16]

Personal life and other interests[link]

Reeves' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

For nearly a decade following his initial rise to stardom, Reeves preferred to live in rental houses and hotels. He was a long-term resident of the Chateau Marmont. Reeves bought his first house in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles around 2003. He also has an apartment on Central Park West in New York City.^{[citation needed]}

He is a U.S. citizen through his American father, and also holds Canadian citizenship by naturalization; he grew up as a Canadian and identifies as such.^{[citation needed]} Due to April 2003 changes in the law, he is entitled to British citizenship through his English mother.

Reeves has never married.^[17] In December 1999, his girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth to a stillborn daughter, Ava Archer Syme-Reeves. Syme died in 2001, a sole driver involved in an automobile wreck, while partying in Los Angeles.^[18]

Reeves was sued unsuccessfully in 2008 in Los Angeles Superior Court for $711,974^[19] by paparazzo Alison Silva for allegedly hitting and injuring him with his Porsche after visiting a relative at a Los Angeles medical facility.^[20][21] The paparazzo's lawsuit took a year and a half to make it to trial, during which time Silva continued to attack Reeves and demand payment. At the trial, all 12 jurors rejected the suit needing only an hour of deliberation to reach their verdict. With the lawsuit rejected, Reeves was cleared of all the charges.^[22]

Reeves is an atheist. ^[23][24]

In 2010, photos of a sad-looking Keanu Reeves eating a sandwich while alone led to the spread of the "Keanu is Sad/Sad Keanu" Internet meme and the declaration of June 15 as "Unofficial Cheer-up Keanu Day" by a Facebook fanpage.^[25]

Music[link]

Reeves played bass guitar in the grunge band Dogstar during the 1990s. In the 2000s, he performed with the band Becky.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• "Keanu Reeves Articles & Interviews Archive, 1987 – 2010". http://www.whoaisnotme.net/articles/articles.htm. Retrieved January 9, 2010. 
• Papp, Adrienne (April 18, 2008). "Tempest in Tibet". LA2DAY. http://la2day.com/talk/tempest_in_tibet. Retrieved May 13, 2008. 
• "Pondering the mysterious Keanu Reeves". CNN. November 5, 2003. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080430121543/http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/05/sprj.caf03.film.keanureeves.ap/. Retrieved May 10, 2008. 
• "Seven magazine interview with Keanu Reeves". Seven magazine. http://www.se7enmagazine.org/film/film_27.htm. Retrieved May 10, 2008. 
• Bystedt, Karen Hardy (September 1988). The New Breed: Actors Coming of Age. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-0-8050-0774-9. 
• Chin, Ong Song (May 15, 2003). "A Man of Many Faces". Straits Times (Singapore). 
• Fleming, Michael (April 2006). "Playboy Interview: Keanu Reeves". Playboy: 49–52, 140–141. 
• Howell, Peter (May 4, 2003). "Reeves Reloaded". Toronto Star. 
• Makela, Bob (August 5, 2000). "Keanu Reeves: All the right moves". USA Weekend. http://www.usaweekend.com/00_issues/000806/000806keanu.html. Retrieved May 10, 2008. ^{[dead link]}
• Roman, Shari (February 1, 1988). "Keanu Reeves – Hawaiian Punk". Details. 
• Shnayerson, Michael (August 1995). "The Wild One". Vanity Fair. 

External links[link]

• Keanu Reeves at the Internet Movie Database
• Keanu Reeves at People.com

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Keanu Reeves

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. (May 2008)

Kathy Mattea
Background information
Birth name	Kathleen Alice Mattea
Born	(1959-06-21) June 21, 1959 (age 53) South Charleston, West Virginia, United States
Origin	Cross Lanes, West Virginia, USA
Genres	Country
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals Guitar
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Mercury Nashville MCA Narada
Associated acts	Tim O'Brien
Website	mattea.com

Kathleen Alice "Kathy" Mattea (pronounced ma-TAY-a)^[1] (born June 21, 1958, in South Charleston, West Virginia) is an American country music and bluegrass performer who often brings folk, Celtic and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. This total includes the number one hits "Goin' Gone", "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses", "Come From the Heart" and "Burnin' Old Memories", as well as twelve additional Top Ten singles.

Life & career[link]

This section requires expansion with: Critical reception, info on each album, vocal and musical stylings.

Mattea was born in South Charleston, West Virginia, because it had the nearest hospital to her parents' home in Cross Lanes, where she grew up, graduating from nearby Nitro High School. She discovered her love of singing at Girl Scout camp. In 1976, while attending West Virginia University, she joined the bluegrass band Pennsboro, and two years later dropped out of school to move to Nashville. She worked as a tour guide at the Country Music Hall of Fame, did backup vocal work for Bobby Goldsboro, and sang demos for several Nashville songwriters and publishers including Nashville songwriter/producer Byron Hill who brought her to the attention of Frank Jones (then head of Mercury Records), who signed her to her first record deal in 1983.

Mattea's third album, 1986's folky Walk the Way the Wind Blows, proved to be her breakthrough both critically and commercially. Her cover of Nanci Griffith's "Love at the Five and Dime" was her first major hit, reaching #3 (and in addition, earned Griffith notice as a songwriter), and the album produced three other top ten songs: "Walk the Way the Wind Blows" (#10), "You're the Power"(#5), and "Train of Memories" (#6). "Love at the Five and Dime" also drew attention because well-known country singer Don Williams sang harmony vocals on the track.

Further hit songs include her first #1, "Goin' Gone"; the truck-driving song "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" (1988); "Come From the Heart" and "Burnin' Old Memories" (both #1 hits in 1989); "She Came From Fort Worth" (1990); "Lonesome Standard Time" (1992); "Walking Away a Winner" (1994); "Nobody's Gonna Rain on Our Parade" (1994); "Maybe She's Human" (1994); and "455 Rocket" (1997, written by Gillian Welch^[2]). "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" in late May 1988, became the first single by a solo female to spend multiple weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard country singles chart since Dolly Parton's "You're the Only One" in August 1979; both singles were on top of that chart for two weeks.

The heartrending "Where've You Been," which Mattea's husband Jon Vezner co-wrote with singer/songwriter Don Henry, reached #10 on the country chart and won her a 1990 Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal. Mattea is a repeat winner of the County Music Associations Female Vocalist of the Year, which she won on the success of "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" and "Where've You Been."

Mattea won another Grammy in 1993 for her gospel-oriented Christmas album, Good News. Her first single from the album, "Mary, Did You Know?," went on to be covered by Kenny Rogers with Wynonna Judd, as well as Reba McEntire.

In 1994, Mattea collaborated with Suzy Bogguss, Alison Krauss, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash to contribute "Teach Your Children" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization. Also on that album, Mattea teamed up with Jackson Browne to contribute "Rock Me on the Water". Also through the '90s, she often collaborated with Scottish folksinger songwriter Dougie MacLean.

Mattea subsequently moved to MCA Nashville^[3] and, in 2000, released the ballad-heavy The Innocent Years, a heartfelt tribute to her ailing father. Wanting to explore her taste for Celtic folk, Mattea hopped labels to Narada, for whom she debuted in 2002 with the eclectic Roses.

With her social activism and her taste for songs with introspective lyrics, it has been often said that Mattea owes as much to the traditions of folk music as mainstream country.

Her 2008 release, Coal, combined her social activism with songs about coal-mining. It debuted at #64 on the country albums chart, and was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Traditional Folk category.

Kathy Mattea was honored as a member of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame 2011 class of inductees. She enjoys strong support from a very active fan club, whose members refer to themselves as Matteaheads, and critical acclaim for her albums as she continues to tour and perform.

Social activism[link]

Mattea has been heavily involved in HIV/AIDS-related charities, beginning in the early 1990s, and is often credited with being among the first to champion this cause among the country music community. She is the recipient of the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award, and the Harvard AIDS Institute Leadership Award for this work.

She performed with Mary Chapin Carpenter on VH1's very first Save The Music concert, which also starred Bette Midler.

In 1991, Mattea took part in Voices That Care, a multi-artist project that featured other top names in music for a one-off single to raise money for the allied troops in the Gulf War. The project included Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, and introduced Celine Dion to the American audience.

Mattea currently travels the country presenting Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth and speaking to crowds about the importance of fighting global warming and the environmental and physical devastation of mountaintop removal coal mining.

Discography[link]

Further reading[link]

• Millard, Bob. (1998). "Kathy Mattea". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pages 329–330.

References[link]

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. (July 2008)

External links[link]

• Kathy Mattea's Official Website
• Kathy Mattea at the Internet Movie Database