Mill Rock

Mill Rock as seen from Wards Island Bridge. The Citicorp Building and Big Allis are visible in the background.
Mill Rock (New York City)
Geography
Location	East River/Harlem River, New York County, New York, USA
Coordinates	40°46′50″N 73°56′18″W / 40.780653°N 73.938197°W / 40.780653; -73.938197Coordinates: 40°46′50″N 73°56′18″W / 40.780653°N 73.938197°W / 40.780653; -73.938197
Area	0.01617 km2 (0.006243 sq mi)
Country
United States
State	New York
City	New York City
Borough	Manhattan

Mill Rock is a small unpopulated island between Manhattan and Queens in New York City, in the U.S. state of New York. It lies about 1,000 feet (300 m) off Manhattan's East 96th Street, south of Randall's and Wards Island where the East River and Harlem River converge. The island forms Census Block 9000 of Census Tract 238 in New York County. (Except for Mill Rock Island, Census Tract 238 consists entirely of Roosevelt Island.) Its official area is 16,173 square meters, or 3.996 acres (16,170 m²).

This area was infamous as a treacherous area for shipping vessels to pass, and was known as the Hell Gate.

In 1701, John Marsh built a mill there that gave the island its name. The island was later squatted on by Sandy Gibson, who operated a farm on the island. At that time there were two islands, Great Mill Rock and Little Mill Rock.

It was used as an American fort during the War of 1812, where the War Department built a blockhouse with two cannons on Great Mill Rock. This fortification was part of a chain of blockhouses that was intended to defend New York Harbor and protect the passage into Long Island Sound from the British Navy.

In 1885, the United States Army Corps of Engineers detonated 300,000 lb (136,000 kg) of explosives on adjoining Flood Rock; that island had been the most treacherous impediment to East River shipping. It was, most likely, the most forceful explosion in New York City's history at the time; it was felt as far away as Princeton, New Jersey.^[1][2] The explosion has been described as "the largest planned explosion before testing began for the atomic bomb,"^[3] although the detonation at the Battle of Messines was larger. In 1890 the Flood Island remnants were used to fill the space between Great and Little Mill Rocks, producing Mill Rock.^[1]

Mill Rock Park[link]

Mill Rock Park is a 3-acre (12,000 m²) park on the island. Owned by the City of New York and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the park is populated by a few short trees. There is a dock on the southern shore of the island but has not been opened to the public since the 1960s when there were public events, and it has since been allowed to return to its state of shrubbery. Because of its locale between Queens and Manhattan the island is a great spot for views of the towering skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan. The island also provides views of the Triborough Bridge and the Queensboro Bridge. There are no plans, present or future, for the island.

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} "Mill Rock Island - Historical Sign". nycgovparks.org. http://nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=9756. Retrieved 2009-04-12. 
2. ^ Buchanan, Brenda J (2006). Gunpowder, explosives and the state: a technological history. p. 367. ISBN 978-0-7546-5259-5. http://books.google.de/books?id=7n6Cg9znFrUC&pg=PA367. 
3. ^ Whitt, Toni (June 2, 2006). "The East River is Cleaner Now. The Water Birds Say So.". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DE3D71631F931A35755C0A9609C8B63. Retrieved 2009-04-12. 

• Mill Rock Island: Block 9000, Block Group 9, Census Tract 238, New York County; United States Census Bureau

External links[link]

• New York City Department of Parks and Recreation info for Mill Rock Island

v t e Islands of New York City Barren Island The Blauzes Broad Channel Island Chimney Sweeps City Island Coney Island Ellis Island Governors Island Hart Island High Island Hoffman Island Hunter Island Isle of Meadows Liberty Island Long Island Manhattan Mill Rock North Brother Island Prall's Island Randall's Island Rat Island Rikers Island Roosevelt Island Ruffle Bar Shooters Island South Brother Island Staten Island Swinburne Island Travers Island Twin Island U Thant Island Wards Island

Look up mill in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Mill.

Mill may refer to:

• Mill (grinding), an equipment for the grinding or pulverizing of grain and other raw materials using millstones
• Milling machine, metalworking machine that operates by rotating a cutting bit while the workpiece is moved against the cutter on an XY table.
• Mill (computing)
  • Arithmetic logic unit, used in the context of Charles Babbage's Analytical engine, a 19th century concept of a computer
  • an early term for the central processing unit of a digital computer, especially in early British machines; the term is still occasionally used to refer to the CPU resources consumed by a program
• Mill (currency), a denomination used by some currencies, the equivalent of a tenth of a cent or penny, or a thousandth of the currency unit
• Diploma mill or degree mill, an organization which awards academic degrees and diplomas with very little or no academic study and without recognition by official accrediting bodies
• Nine Men's Morris, a traditional board game; the term "mill" may also mean "three (playing pieces) in a row" within the game
• Windmill (breakdance move) or mill, a power move in breakdancing
• The Mill (post-production), a visual effects company
• a manual typewriter
• the standard author abbreviation Mill. that may be used to indicate botanist Philip Miller's work when citing a botanical name
• a slang term for any internal combustion engine used on a hot rod, or other sort of customised personal vehicle.[1]
• Millage, a property tax
• Wet mill, a device that steeps a substance in water to remove specific compounds
• Cutting mill, a device commonly used in laboratories for the preliminary size reduction of materials
• Certain kinds of factories, such as steel mill, sugar mill, and cotton mill

People named Mill:

• Andy Mill (born 1953), a skier
• Frank Mill (born 1958), a German football player (World Cup winner, Summer Olympics bronze medalist)
• Harriet Taylor Mill (1807–1858), a philosopher and women's rights advocate
• James Mill (1773–1836), a Scottish historian, economist and philosopher
• John Mill (theologian) (c. 1645–1707), an English theologian and author of Novum Testamentum Graecum
• John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), an influential classical liberal thinker and philosopher of the 19th century, son of James Mill

Mill in geography:

• Mill, Netherlands, a Dutch village
• Mill en Sint Hubert, a Dutch municipality

MILL may refer to:

• Major Indoor Lacrosse League, the American indoor lacrosse league, rebranded in 1997 as the National Lacrosse League

See also[link]

• Mil (disambiguation)
• Mille (disambiguation)
• Mills (disambiguation)
• Miller (disambiguation)
• Milling (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Look up Rock, The Rock, rock music, or rock in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Rock usually refers to:

• Rock (geology), naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloid
• Rock music, form of popular music

It can also refer to:

Geology[link]

• Rock (geology), naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids
• Rock salt or halite, mineral form of sodium chloride

People[link]

• Rock (name), several people

Fictional characters[link]

• Rock (comics), a fictional character in the DC Comics universe
• Rock (manga character), a recurrent major character in most of Osamu Tezuka's manga series
• Robert Orin Charles Kilroy (ROCK), from the Styx rock opera Kilroy was here - see Mr. Roboto

Music[link]

• Rock music, form of popular music
• Rocks (album), by Aerosmith
• Rocks (Harem Scarem album), 2001
• "The Rock" instrumental song by The Who from Quadrophenia
• "Rocks" (song), by Primal Scream
• "Rock", one of the tracks on "Soft/Rock", a single by Lemon Jelly
• Rock (Casting Pearls EP), by Casting Pearls
• The Rock (Rachmaninoff), an orchestral composition
• The Rock (The Frankie Miller Band album), the third album from The Frankie Miller Band
• The Rock (John Entwistle album), the sixth solo album by John Entwistle, bassist for The Who
• The Rock (Tracy Lawrence album), the tenth studio album by American country music artist Tracy Lawrence
• The Rocks (band), a former UK indie rock band
• "The Rock", a song by Atomic Rooste from In Hearing of Atomic Rooster

Entertainment[link]

• Another term for uprock, a form of street dance
• The Rock (film), 1996 film starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage directed by Michael Bay
• The Rock (play), T.S. Eliot's 1934 pageant play

Places[link]

Australia[link]

• The Rocks, New South Wales, a locality in Sydney, Australia
• The Rock, New South Wales, a town in southern New South Wales

Canada[link]

• The Rocks or Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick, a coastal formation
• Newfoundland (island), Canada

United Kingdom[link]

• Rock, Cornwall, village in Cornwall, England
• Rock, Northumberland, village in Northumberland, England
• Rock, West Sussex
• Rock, Worcestershire, village in Worcestershire, England
• Lewis, an island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland
• Rock, County Tyrone – a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland

United States[link]

• Kodiak Island, Alaska
• The Rock or Alcatraz Island, small island in San Francisco Bay, California, United States
• The Rock, Georgia
• The Rock (Northwestern University), a landmark at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois
• Rock Island, Illinois, county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States
• Memorial Stadium (Indiana), on the Indiana University campus
• Rock, Kansas, unincorporated community in Cowley County, Kansas, United States
• The Rock (Michigan State University), a boulder on the campus of Michigan State University
• Rock Township, Benson County, North Dakota, civil township in United States
• The Rocks or McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, a borough
• Rock, West Virginia, a community in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States
• Rock County, Wisconsin, county in United States
• Rock, Rock County, Wisconsin, town in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States
• Rock, Wood County, Wisconsin, town in Wood County, Wisconsin, United States

Other Places[link]

• "The Rock" is a poetic and popular term for Bermuda.
• The Rock or Gibraltar, British overseas territory near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain)
• Corregidor, an island in the Philippines
• Niue, an island near Tonga
• Rockall, a islet in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the United Kingdom
• Tutuila, the main island of American Samoa
• Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, a Marine Corps Base Camp in Okinawa Japan
• Foundation Stone, the rock inside Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock
• Newark's Prudential Center, nicknamed "The Rock" due to Prudential Financial's logo

Food[link]

• Rock candy, type of confectionery composed of large sugar crystals
• Rock (confectionery), type of stick-shaped boiled sugar confectionery
• Edinburgh rock, stick-shaped Scottish confection, notably different from ordinary rock
• Plymouth Rock (chicken), breed of chicken
• Rock salmon, Often referred to as Rock. Sold in UK fish and chip shops.

Computers[link]

• Rock (processor), microprocessor by Sun Microsystems
• Rocks Cluster Distribution, Linux distribution for cluster computing
• Rocks (PHP)

Sports[link]

• Rock, used in the sport of Curling
• The Rock (rugby team) or Atlantic Rock, a rugby union team based in St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada
• The Rocks or the Scottish Rocks, a basketball team
• "The Rock," nickname of the athletic teams of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
• "Rock" is a slang term for a basketball.

Other uses[link]

• ROCK1, human gene
• Rock or islet, small island
• Rock, or distaff, a tool used in spinning
• Rock, slang term for crack cocaine
• The Rock, a headland occupied by the original fortified town of Monaco, today's Monaco-Ville
• The Rock or Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, former Class I railroad in the United States
• The Rocks, Inc., US military officers' organization
• The Rock (New Zealand), a New Zealand rock music radio station

See also[link]

• All pages beginning with "Rock"
• All pages with titles containing "Rock"
• Rock of Ages (disambiguation)
• Rock and roll (disambiguation)
• Rockman or Mega Man
• Rok (disambiguation)
• ROC (disambiguation)
• Roque (disambiguation)
• Rockfish (disambiguation)
• Rock River (disambiguation)
• David Rock (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Olly Murs
Murs performing on the X Factor live tour
Background information
Birth name	Oliver Stanley Murs
Born	(1984-05-14) 14 May 1984 (age 28) Witham, Essex, England
Genres	Pop, reggae fusion, ska, dance, soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, presenter, choreographer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, drums
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Epic (2009–present) Syco (2009–present)
Associated acts	The X Factor 2009 finalists
Website	ollymurs.com

Oliver "Olly" Stanley Murs^[1] (born 14 May 1984 in Witham, Essex, England)^[2] is an English singer-songwriter, musician and TV presenter. Murs rose to fame after being the runner-up on the sixth series of The X Factor. He is currently signed to Epic Records and Syco Music.

In late August 2010, Murs released his debut single "Please Don't Let Me Go", which debuted at number one on the UK Singles Charts, becoming Murs' second number one single after releasing "You Are Not Alone" with the other series 6 finalists. "Please Don't Let Me Go" received a Silver certification by the BPI. He released his second single from his debut album "Thinking of Me" which charted at number four on the UK Singles Charts, however the single also got a Silver certification by the BPI. "Heart Skips a Beat" was released and became his third number-one hit. Murs' second single from his follow up album In Case You Didn't Know, "Dance with Me Tonight", became his fourth to reach number one.

In November 2010, Murs released his self-titled debut album, which entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, with the biggest week one album sales for a debut album in 2010, with over 108,000 albums sold. The album went on to sell over 600,000 copies, and was certificated double platinum by the BPI. In November 2011, Murs released his second album, In Case You Didn't Know. The album entered the charts at number one, and has spawned two number one singles. In May 2011, it was announced that Murs would return to The X Factor to co-present spin-off show The Xtra Factor with Caroline Flack. It was also confirmed that Murs would present a Celebrity Club Classic show on Heart FM. He also has an active Twitter account with over 2 million followers as of May 2012.

Biography[link]

Oliver Stanley Murs was born to Vicki-Lynn Murs and Pete Murs.^[3][4] He has a twin brother, Ben Murs (Olly is the older twin) and a sister, Fay Murs and is of Latvian descent.^[3] He attended Howbridge Junior School in Witham and Notley High School in Braintree, Essex^[5] where he was a striker in the school's football team. He is a supporter of Manchester United,^[6] and played semi-professionally for Witham Town. He gave up his football career following an injury.^[7] Prior to The X Factor, Murs worked as a recruitment consultant at Prime Appointments in Witham. He also appeared on the TV show Deal or No Deal where he won £10. He later appeared on a celebrity special of Deal or No Deal in 2012, and he won 50p for the charity he is a patron of, Brainwave.^[8] Murs has played in Soccer Aid for charity early in 2010, and is going to play again in May 2012, before heading off to the US to support One Direction on their US tour.^[9][10]

Music career[link]

[edit] 2009–2010: The X Factor

In 2009 he performed "Superstition" in his first audition and Simon Cowell said it was "the easiest yes I've ever given". On the first live show he sang "She's the One" and on the second, "A Fool in Love", a performance which Cowell described as being "in a different league." For week three he took on "Bewitched". Walsh commented that he was the "dark horse of the competition," and Cole said he was "coming into his own each week." He frequently employed dance moves in his performance including his trademark "Olly wiggle."^[11] In week 4 he sang "Come Together" and again received positive comments, with Walsh predicting, "I think you're in the final three," and Cowell saying he was "progressing better than just about everybody."^[12] In week 5 he performed "Twist and Shout" and in week 6 "Don't Stop Me Now", after which he was labelled by Minogue as, "absolutely the best performer we have on the show by far."^[13]

After a performance of "Fastlove", he was in the bottom two in week 7, with John & Edward. Cowell and Cheryl Cole decided to send John & Edward home, but Louis Walsh voted against Murs. Dannii Minogue then decided against taking the judges' vote to deadlock and sent home John & Edward. When the voting statistics were later released on itv.com, they revealed that if Minogue had voted to save John & Edward and taken it to deadlock, Murs would have been sent home on popular vote, as John & Edward gained 10.7% of the popular vote against just 9.8% to Murs. In the semi-finals Murs had to miss the wedding of his brother. The ceremony took place just 16 miles from the show's studio, but mentor Cowell was against letting him off for a few hours on the crucial semi-final day.^[14] He sang "Can You Feel It" and "We Can Work It Out" in the semi-final and ended up as one of the three finalists, breaking down in tears upon hearing the result.^[15]

In the final on 12 December, he repeated his audition song, "Superstition", following which Cowell said putting him in the final 12 was "the best risk I have ever taken in my life". Murs then sang with Robbie Williams on a duet of "Angels", in which Williams fluffed his lines as he walked on stage to join Murs and came in at the wrong time, singing the second line of the song, but was helped by Murs to find the right spot.^[16] There was then a repeat performance of his week 2 song "Fool in Love". Murs qualified for the final two and first sang a repeat performance of "Twist and Shout", following which Walsh commented, "You're a born, born showman and no matter what happens tonight you're going to have a great career in music." In his final performance on the show he performed the winner's song, "The Climb", finishing it in tears.^[17] He was told by Cole, "You absolutely tore it from your soul. I've never heard you sing like that. I thought it was a beautiful version of the song."^[18] He lost the final to Joe McElderry the next day and finished as the runner-up.^[19]

On 15 December, two days after the final, it was reported that Cowell was going to offer Murs a record deal in early 2010.^[20] Following his defeat, Murs was reportedly texted by duet partner Robbie Williams and invited to visit him in his Los Angeles mansion and participate in the forthcoming Soccer Aid, organised by Williams.^[6] Olly performed in the X Factor tour, alongside Joe McElderry, John & Edward, Stacey Soloman Lucie Jones and several other finalists. It was later revealed on The Xtra Factor that Murs was predicted by all the judges and presenters (except Minogue who said Nicole Jackson and Cole who said Miss Frank as a second choice) as the favourite to win the series at the Boot Camp stage.^[21][22] As with all other finalists save the winner, Murs began gigging around the country following the end of the show.^[23] A fight broke out at one New Year's Eve gig in London prompted by enthusiastic fans.^[24] He was also booked to appear at the engagement party of model Danielle Lloyd.^[25] Footage of Murs appearing on Deal or No Deal was later featured in an edition of the BBC's Almost Famous on 2 January 2010.^[26]

[edit] 2010–2011: Major label success and Olly Murs

Rumours began that Murs would record a debut album almost immediately after the final, where he finished in second place to Joe McElderry. After the rumours broke out, Murs announced he signed a joint record deal between Epic Records and Syco Music in February 2010.^[27] It was announced that Murs began working with John Shanks and Eg White.^[28] It was later confirmed that Roy Stride, Trevor Horn, Wayne Hector and Matty Benbrook would have involvement on the album which he collaborated with to make the "best possible songs".^[29] More writers and producers were confirmed to be working with Murs in the studio including; Phil Thornalley, Martin Brammer, Samuel Preston, Mark Taylor.^[30] and Chris Difford^[30] Professor Green was due to appear on the album, however, the duet fell through before recording was completed. "Heart on My Sleeve" is a cover of the song originally recorded by American Idol finalist Michael Johns.

Murs confirmed the first single from the album to be titled "Please Don't Let Me Go", which was released on 27 August 2010 following the circulation of the accompanying music video.^[31] The song was written by Murs himself and with other songwriters, Claude Kelly and Steve Robson; the single was also produced by Future Cut.^[28] The song is about a minor relationship Murs was in where he ended up feeling something for the other person. Murs commented: "Sadly she kept giving me the impression that she didn't like me as much, and ultimately it didn't work out, so that's where the idea of me singing 'Please Don't Let Me Go' came from."^[32] The song was described as "a lovely summery reggae-tinged pop tune that bobs along in a thoroughly hummable and not un-Will Young-like fashion" and said that the music video "is just as quintessentially pleasant".^[33] During the release, Murs was told not to get his hopes up for a number-one due to Katy Perry releasing "Teenage Dream" the same day. On 5 September 2010, the single entered the UK Singles Charts at number 1 beating Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream". The song was released with the B-side track, entitled "This One's for the Girls" also entered the UK Singles Charts, debuting at number 69, was written for all of his female fans.

His debut album was released in November 2010;^[34] which was a self-titled album, Olly Murs. The album's tracking list was revealed on 15 October 2010.^[35] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, with the biggest week one album sales for a debut album in 2010, with over 108,000 albums sold.^[36] The album also charted on the Irish Albums Chart where it found itself peaking at number eleven. The second single was "Thinking of Me",^[37] written by Murs, Steve Robson and Hector, and co-produced by Future Cut and Steve Robson.^[38] It was released on 19 November 2010,^[37] prior to the album's release.^[30] It was reported that Professor Green would feature on the single,^[39] however, the duet fell through before it was completed.^[40] The single was added to BBC Radio 1's C Playlist on 3 November 2010. Murs performed the single for the first time on The X Factor. Upon the release the single charted at number four on the UK Singles Charts and thirteen on the Irish Singles Charts. On 13 November Murs turned the Christmas lights on in Paisley and he also turned on the Christmas lights near his hometown in Chelmsford, Essex. Renfrew Council was criticised in the media for the £15,000 fee that Murs was paid to turn on the lights, after announcing that they were axing 500 jobs.^[41] Olly has now started his 2011 UK Tour starting in Rhyl, Wales on the 26th April.

[edit] 2011–2012: In Case You Didn't Know

It was rumoured in June 2011 that Murs had started working on his second studio album, which he later confirmed. Murs claimed that he would "take the album from a different approach", and claimed he would like to record a rap track, stating, "I'm secretly not a bad rapper, I really like to do a bit of beat boxing, Eminem is always a favourite, or maybe Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby" is a classic."^[42] Murs revealed that he will attempt to build himself a more of a "soulful" sound through writing the second album, and also expressed interest in recording with Robbie Williams after the two met on The X Factor Live Final.^[43] Murs confirmed in July 2011 that the lead single from the album would be called "Heart Skips a Beat", and it would feature up-and-coming Brithop Rap duo Rizzle Kicks.^[44] He described it as a "parallel" to the remainder of the album, calling it a "summer party song".^[43] The song premiered on The Chris Moyles Show on 7 July 2011 and has since been well received by fans.^[45] The video for the track was later released via Murs' official YouTube channel. Murs said that the song is one of his favourite tracks from the new album, stating, "I'm loving the tune at the moment. It's going down really, really well."^[44] "Heart Skips a Beat" later peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, marking his second number one. It later went on to peak at number one in Germany and Switzerland, also reaching top ten in numerous countries in Europe. In September 2011, Murs announced via Twitter that the second album would be entitled 'In Case You Didn't Know', taken from a song of the same name which appears on the album.^[46] On 14 October 2011, Murs released the audio of "Dance With Me Tonight", the album's second single, via his YouTube Channel. The track was released on 21 November 2011, again peaking at #1 on the UK Singles Chart. The album, In Case You Didn't Know was released a week later on 28 November 2011. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart, two on the Irish Charts, and in the top ten in Germany, Switzerland and Poland. Murs confirmed via his Twitter account in February 2012 that the album's third single would be "Oh My Goodness", and that it would be released on April 2. It peaked at #13 on the UK Singles Chart. The single is due for release across Europe in July. "I'm OK" will be released as the album's fourth and final single on 2 July 2012. A video for the track will be filmed during May, and will premiere on the first week in June.^[47]

2012-present: Third album[link]

In April 2012, it was revealed that Murs is in the process of writing his third studio album, which is slated for release in November 2012. Murs will once again be writing with Steve Robson and Claude Kelly, as well once again collaborating with Rizzle Kicks.^[48] A demo from the album sessions, "Stolen", leaked online on April 23. Murs will be embarking on a second arena tour in March 2013, touring in support of the album. Murs will be opening for British-Irish boy band One Direction on the North American leg of their Up All Night Tour, starting on May 29th in Toronto.^[49]

Other work[link]

On 28 October 2011, Murs was the first artist to be confirmed to play at Capital FM's Jinglebell Ball 2011.^[50] In November 2011, Murs won the award for "Best Male Artist" at the BT Digital Music Awards and the award for "Best Album" for "Olly Murs" at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards. On 10 November 2011, Murs turned on the Christmas Lights at the Bristol Shopping Mall. 7,000 fans attended, and Murs concluded his appearance with a performance of "Dance With Me Tonight", the first time he had performed the song live. On 2 December 2011, Murs appeared on The Late Late Toy Show with Ryan Tubridy, a popular television show in Ireland.^[51][52] On December 5 and 6, Murs supported Gary Barlow at Barlow's Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.^[53] On 1 February 2012, Murs began his twenty-two date arena tour, starting with an audience of 20,000 in Cardiff. In March 2012, it was confirmed that Murs would return to The X Factor to present the spin-off show, The Xtra Factor alongside Caroline Flack, for a second year running. ^[54] In March 2012, Murs performed at the 'Big Gig' event in Birmingham. On March 24, In aid of Sport Relief, Murs performed alongside Rizzle Kicks, Vida and JLS at a special charity concert, held at the 02 Arena in London. On April 16, Murs won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for "Favourite British Male Artist". On April 19, a three-part documentary trailing Murs throughout his UK Arena Tour, entitled Life on Murs, premiered on ITV2. It drew over half a million viewers. On April 22, he appeared on a celebrity edition of Deal or No Deal, where he won 50p for his chosen charity, Brainwave.^[55] He will return for a third appearance on the show in October 2012, when he will present the programme's 2000th edition, as regular host Noel Edmonds will be playing the game instead of hosting it.

Other work[link]

In February 2011 it was announced that Murs would participate in the BT Charity Trek, with other celebrities, as part of the 2011 Comic Relief Red Nose Day campaign. The celebrities spent five days in the Kaisut desert in north Kenya, covering 100 kilometres (62 mi) in temperatures up to 40°C.^[56] On 2 April 2011, Murs appeared in a celebrity version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and won £10,000 for charity.^[57][58] On 4 April 2011 for one week, Murs stood in for Comedy Dave Vitty on The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 while Vitty was rehearsing for Dancing on Ice.^{[citation needed]} In 2011, Murs appeared on CBBC's children's hidden camera show Remote Control Star.^{[citation needed]} At the end of May 2011, Murs presented a Celebrity Club Classics show on Heart FM. He went on to present a Celebrity Special over the Christmas Period in 2011.^{[citation needed]} On 31 May 2011 it was confirmed Olly would be co presenting the eighth series of The Xtra Factor alongside Caroline Flack.^[59] On Sunday 27th May 2012, Murs played for England in a charity match for Soccer Aid at Old Trafford. He represented England however was taken off in the first half due to a hamstring injury. England ended up winning the match in a 3-1 victory against the rest of the world.

Discography[link]

• Olly Murs (2010)
• In Case You Didn't Know (2011)

References[link]

Scott Mills
Scott Mills performing a DJ set
Born	(1973-03-28) 28 March 1973 (age 39) Eastleigh, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom
Residence	London
Occupation	DJ, Radio presenter
Employer	BBC
Known for	The Scott Mills Show
Salary	£130,000 (estimated)[1]

Scott Robert Mills (born 28 March 1973^[2]) is a British radio DJ, television presenter and occasional actor, best known for presenting The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio 1.^[3][4] As of the 2011 Contest, Mills commentates for the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest on BBC Three with fellow BBC Radio DJ Sara Cox.^[5]

Early radio career[link]

Mills began his career at the age of 16 as a DJ on his local Hampshire commercial radio station, Power FM, after barraging the station with demo tapes.^[3] Mills was given an opportunity to present a week worth of shows, and based on the success of this, he was immediately offered the 'graveyard slot' of 1:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m. (six nights a week),^[6] making him the youngest permanent presenter on the mainstream commercial radio.^[3] Mills' popularity led to a quick move to the coveted late afternoon 'drive time'.^[7]

Mills moved from Power FM to GWR FM, staying with the station for two years,^[3] before joining Piccadilly Key 103 in Manchester where he again moved quickly from the late night slot to the mid-morning show.^[3] In 1995, Mills began to work for the new London station Heart 106.2.^[8]

Mills has provided various voice-overs, including the voice of the specialist of the in-store radio station Homebase FM,^[9] the voice-over for Blockbuster Inc.'s in-store infomercial channel Blockbuster TV, and recently the voice-over for The VH1 Album Chart on the UK television channel VH1.^[10]

BBC Radio 1[link]

Mills joined BBC Radio 1 in 1998 to present The Early Breakfast Show which broadcasts between the hours of 4am and 7am. In January 2004, Mills shifted to a weekend afternoon slot for just over 6 months, but in July 2004, he moved over to the weekday early-evening slot, initially covering for Sara Cox, who was on a maternity leave.^[11] As she did not return, the slot became The Scott Mills Show.^[8] Mills also provides holiday cover for other slots including The Chris Moyles Show as well as also regularly covering Reggie Yates on the official chart show.

The Scott Mills Show, as it currently features, runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday. Until 24 December 2009, it was co-presented by sport reporter and occasional presenter Mark Chapman (Chappers).^[12] The assistant producer was Laura Sayers until April 2008. The current assistant producer is Rebecca Huxtable, usually called 'Beccy' or 'Wacky Beccy' on air. The regular newsreader is Tulip Mazumdar. The producer of the show is Emlyn Dodd, although he is referred to on air as 'The one who doesn't speak'.^[13]

In 2006, The Sun newspaper reported that Mills' salary was £130,000 a year for his work with Radio 1.^[14]

Features on the show have included Laura's Diary, Flirt Divert, Innuendo Bingo, Rate my Listener and Your Call.^[15] On Fridays, the show is modified with more music, in the form of the two features The Wonder Years, which features a different track from each sequential year to the present day, and Ready For The Weekend? which is an hour of dance music.^[16]

Mills has a number of catch phrases, including "alright, treacle".^{[citation needed]} On Fridays, he opens the show by using another catchphrase "it's only bley Friday" which is usually shouted very loudly in an incoherent manner to a backing of a random piece of classical music. The phrase was originally adopted from the previous afternoon show host, Sara Cox.^{[citation needed]}

On 2 April 2012 he will move to the afternoon slot on BBC Radio 1.^[17]

[edit] Scott Mills: The Musical

On 14 May 2009, it was announced that a musical based on Mills' life would be performed at the Edinburgh Festival 2009. The musical ran for three nights between 11 August and 13 August at the Pleasance One Theatre in Edinburgh.^[18] The musical was born from an internet rumour that Mills would perform in Rick Rolling The Musical as Rick Astley and other 1980s musicians. He denied this rumour on his radio show, and listeners' suggestions to create a musical based on his life became a reality. Some songs for the musical were composed and sent in by listeners to his radio show. The musical is available for viewing on the BBC Radio 1 website.^[19]

Mills did another Edinburgh Fringe show in 2010.^[20] He was challenged to do a one-man show, as was his co-host, Rebecca Huxtable, his producer, The One That Doesn't Speak, and his ex-co-host, Mark Chapman. Mills did his show as 'The Bjorn Identity', the story of Jason Bjorn, essentially, the Bourne Identity to the music of ABBA.

Television work[link]

In addition to his radio work, he has also appeared on various television shows, playing both as a character and as himself. His main acting role was as reporter, Paul Lang in the BBC medical drama Casualty, appearing in episodes in both 2006 and 2007.^[21][22] He also had a cameo in the BBC Scotland soap opera River City after praising the show highly on his radio show.^[23]

Mills has appeared as a contestant or guest on programmes including Mastermind, Supermarket Sweep, Children in Need, Hollyoaks, Most Haunted and Never Mind the Buzzcocks,^[21] and has appeared in the show Identity, hosted by Donny Osmond.^[24]

He narrated the music TV show The Pop Years which, coincidentally, was also narrated by fellow BBC Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman. He has presented high-profile programmes including the Wednesday night National Lottery draw on BBC 1 and his own pilot (featured on the radio show) of Reverse-a-Word.^[21] He also currently narrates Dating in the Dark on Living. In February 2008, he presented Upstaged on the newly re-launched BBC Three.^[25] He currently hosts a BBC Three television show called Radio 1 on Three, which is inspired by his radio show.

In February 2011, Mills presented a documentary for BBC Three called The World's Worst Place to Be Gay?.^[26]

Other work[link]

In February 2011, it was announced that Mills would take part in the BT Charity Trek along with other celebrities as part of the 2011 Comic Relief Red Nose Day campaign. The celebrities spent five days in the Kaisut desert in north Kenya, covering 100 kilometres (62 mi) in temperatures up to 40°C.^[27]

Personal life[link]

Mills' parents are separated,^[11] although both feature in the show at sporadic intervals.^[15]

Mills came out as gay to the press in 2001 to avoid tabloid-style speculation.^[28] Occasionally on the show, deflective comments are made, and Mills often jokes that he "doesn't have much luck with the ladies". In his Guardian interview he explained, "I'd just like to be accepted as a normal bloke who is gay and is on the radio and the television."

Scott appeared at number 12 on the Independent on Sunday's Pink List for 2010.^[29] Mills was the 50th most influential gay person in Britain the previous year.^[30]

Mills was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Arts from Southampton Solent University on 2 November 2009.^[31]

Mills has supported climate change causes such as Global Cool.^[32]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Scott Mills Radio 1
• BBC Press Office: Scott Mills biography
• Scott Mills at the Internet Movie Database
• Scott Mills on Twitter
• Scott Mills on Facebook
• Scott Mills's channel on YouTube

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