The type of Pop music produced in Mexico is called Mexican pop, is a music genre particularly intended for teenagers and young adults.

Mexico is the country that exports the most entertainment in Spanish language. Mexican pop was limited to Latin America until the mid-1990s, when an interest towards this type of music increased after Luis Miguel's, Selena's Gloria Trevi's Thalía's and Paulina Rubio's debuts before the mainstream USA audience.

During the 1960s and 70s most of the pop music produced in Mexico consisted on Spanish-language versions of English-language rock-and-roll hits. Singers and musical groups like Angélica María, Johnny Laboriel, Alberto Vázquez, Enrique Guzmán or Los Teen Tops performed cover versions of songs by Elvis Presley, Paul Anka, Nancy Sinatra and others.

1970s and 1980s[link]

On September 13, 1969, Televisa, a Mexican company and the world's largest Spanish-language television network^[1] launched the variety show Siempre en Domingo (Always on Sundays) hosted by Raúl Velasco. Siempre en Domingo became one of the most popular TV shows in Latin America with about 420 million television viewers around the world (according to Televisa and their partners). Siempre en Domingo was a TV show where many artists performed and debuted. At the time, an appearance was a hallmark of success and performers considered an appearance on the program as a guarantee of stardom similar to The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States. Velasco, encouraged many Mexican singers such as Lucía Méndez, Lucero, Emmanuel, Mijares, [[Gloria Trevi], Timbiriche, and Lorenzo Antonio, and help star many of this careers and more. Moreover, Velasco presented foreign artists such as Julio Iglesias, Raphael, Miguel Bosé, Chayanne and Ricky Martin. Artists that would bring pop music to Latin America help in part by Siempre en Domingo.

José José in the Hollywood walk of fame

During the 1980s songwriters like Guillermo Méndez Guiú, Rafael Pérez Botija or Aureo Baqueiro wrote songs for singers like Yuri, Lucía Méndez and musical groups like Timbiriche, Flans and Fandango. This groups headed the radio charts in Mexico and launched international career by promoting their music in Latin America. Other pop music icons in Mexico during the 1980s include Ana Gabriel, Juan Gabriel, Roberto Carlos, Franco de Vita, Magneto, Juan Luis Guerra, Emmanuel, Ricardo Montaner and Luis Miguel. Although not all of these singers are from Mexico.

The most well-known Mexican singer of the 1970s and 1980s was José José. Known as "El Principe de La Cancion" (The Prince of the Song), he is recognizable for his romantic ballads and gifted vocals. José José has sold over 40 million albums in his career and became a huge influence to very popular singers like: Cristian Castro, Vicente Fernández, Alejandro Fernández, Nelson Ned, Pepe Aguilar, Manuel Mijares, Lupita D'Alessio, and Reyli.^[2]

1990s[link]

Beginning the 1990s, iconic pop act of the 80's Timbiriche began to lose popularity mainly to the costant change of bandmembers, while Magneto stood stable in the music scene, however, before the teen bubblegum pop explosion in the US during the late 90's, many pop acts came to light during the mid-90's in Mexico and became successful, almost most of them lasting until the end of the decade: this includes boybands Mercurio, Ragazzi, Tierra Cero and Kairo, female singers Fey, Jeans, Lynda and Irán Castillo, and boy/girl groups Onda Vaselina, Kabah, Sentidos Opuestos and the comeback of Timbiriche in 1998. Minor one-hit wonder acts were successful during this era which were also focused on a teen pop formula.

By the Early to Mid 90's, Selena was also starting to become a big name. Selena was a Grammy Award winning Tejano singer, sang Tejano music and all sorts of Latin genres as well. After bypassing all the Tejano berriors she quickly earned the title "Queen of Tejano Music." Selena became the first Latin artist to have ever had 4 number ones in one year back in 1994. The four were Donde Quiera Que Estés, Amor Prohbido, Bidi Bidi Bom Bom and No Me Queda Mas. After her success in Spanish and even had a Grammy Award on her resume, Selena decided to work on her very first album in English. Unfourtantely, Selena was murdered in March 1995. Selena only recorded 4 songs for her crossover album and was schedule to have 13 songs in English for her album. The crossover album titled Dreaming of You was released in the summer of 1995. It quickly became an International Success. Selena's songs Dreaming of You and I Could Fall In Love quickly became Mainstream hits and the album became among the "Top ten best-selling debuts of all time" along with being the "best-selling debuts for a female artist" and Selena became the first Latin Artist male or female to have ever debuted at No. 1.

It was in the late 1990s, after Ricky Martin's success in Europe with the hit María and the international launch of 1998 World Cup's theme song. The Cup of Life, that an interest for Latin American music started to arise and Mexican pop music started to look attractive for intercontinental markets.

The most successful Mexican singer of the 1990s was Luis Miguel. Best known for his technically skilled and smooth crooning vocals. Luis Miguel superstardom began since the late 1980s, but in 1991, his career went to even greater heights and earned him the respect of a wider audience with the release of Romance, an album of romantic boleros, most of them from the 1940s and 1950s. Despite singing boleros from years past, Luis Miguel was recognized for reinventing the bolero for modern audiences. The album Romance, which became his most successful material ever, eventually sold 15 million units worldwide. Luis Miguel has performed successfully pop music, bolero, mariachi and romantic ballads. He has won four Latin Grammy Awards, five Grammy Awards, and has sold an estimate of 90 million albums until today. He is known in Latin America and Spain as "El Sol de México" (The Sun of Mexico).

Televisa, had exported media to many countries. This allowed Mexican actors to take advantage of their popularity to launch music careers in countries where Televisa telenovelas were popular. Some examples of these actors are Thalía, Lucía Méndez, Guillermo Capetillo and Verónica Castro. Verónica's son, Cristian Castro, started his career and became popular throughout Latin America.

The most successful singer to combine ranchera, mariachi and pop music was Alejandro Fernández. He originally specialized in traditional, earthy forms of Mexican folk and country music, such as mariachi and ranchera. However, his later work was focused on mainstream pop music.

Singers such as Pepe Aguilar, Paulina Rubio, Gloria Trevi, and Aracely Arámbula have also produced songs that combine traditional Mexican music with popular music. Other Mexican pop singers who have had a considerable success in Mexico and the rest of North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia are Thalía, Fey, Paulina Rubio, and Lucero.

The idea of creating a pop band after a telenovela was first explored in 1991 with the cast of Muñecos de Papel (With Ricky Martin, Angélica Rivera, and former Timbiriche members Sasha Sokol and Erik Rubin). In 1999, the same formula was explored with the telenovela DKDA with Alessandra Rossaldo (then member of Sentidos Opuestos), Patricio Borghetti and Ernesto D'Alessio. This formula would be explored again in 2004 with the creation of the most successful group in Latinamerica RBD.

2000s[link]

Julieta Venegas

The century saw new singers Sin Bandera, RBD, Belinda, Julieta Venegas, and Belanova. Performance by Reyli for the song "Amor Del Bueno" and Yuridia for the song "Como Yo Nadie Te Ha Amado" the Spanish version of the song "This Ain't a Love Song" also saw great success.

Also Pop Music faces competition from other genres such as Banda, Norteño or Pasito duranguense and even from Puerto Rican Reggaeton. The biggest issue is to face the hard pressure that piracy is giving to Mexican market.

The most profitable and popular artists from Mexico nowadays are: Anahí, Dulce Maria, Luis Miguel, Thalía, Maná, Paulina Rubio, Pepe Aguilar, Gloria Trevi, Marco Antonio Solís, Yuridia, Alejandra Guzmán, Cristian Castro and Alejandro Fernández.

List of some Mexican pop singers and groups[link]

• Alejandra Guzmán
• Alejandro Fernández
• Aleks Syntek
• Allison
• Anahí
• Ana Gabriel
• Alex Even
• Belanova
• Belinda
• Camila
• Cristian Castro
• Edith Márquez
• Dulce Maria
• Elefante
• Emmanuel
• Fandango
• Fey
• Flans
• Gloria Trevi
• Ha-Ash
• Irán Castillo
• Jaime Camil
• Jeans
• Jesse y Joy
• Johnny Laboriel
• José José
• Julieta Venegas
• Kabah
• Kalimba
• Litzy
• Lucero
• Lucía Méndez
• Luis Miguel
• Lynda
• Magneto
• Manoella Torres
• María Inés
• María José
• Moderatto
• Motel
• Myriam
• Natalia Lafourcade
• Nikki Clan
• OV7
• Pandora
• Paulina Rubio
• Patricia Manterola
• Pilar Montenegro
• RBD
• Selena
• Sin Bandera
• Thalía
• Víctor García
• Yahir
• Yuri
• Yuridia
• Reik
• Robin Thicke

References[link]

1. ^ "Televisa Brings 2006 FIFA World Cup to Mexico in HD With Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD Production Switcher". Press release. Snell & Wilcox. 2006-06-27. http://www.snellwilcox.com/news_events/press_releases/203. Retrieved 2007-09-30. 
2. ^ http://www.famaweb.com/jose_jose_quotesta_es_mi_vidaquot_lanzamiento-6005.html

Ximena Sariñana
Sariñana in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Ximena Sariñana Rivera
Born	(1985-10-29) 29 October 1985 (age 26) Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Genres	Jazz, pop, rock, alternative
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actress
Instruments	Vocals, piano, percussion, charango
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Warner Bros. Records
Associated acts	Omar Rodríguez-López
Website	ximenamusic.com

Ximena Sariñana Rivera (born October 29, 1985) is a Mexican singer-songwriter and actress. Sariñana's musical career was launched in 2008 with the release of her first studio album Mediocre, an adult contemporary pop-rock/vocal jazz album that has been critically acclaimed and nominated for various awards, including two nominations in the Latin Grammy Awards of 2008.

Childhood[link]

Ximena Sariñana (pronounced: [xiˈmena sariˈɲana]) Rivera was born in Guadalajara, Mexico^[1] to producer/director Fernando Sariñana and screenwriter Carolina Rivera. When she was 2 years old, Sariñana attended an Ella Fitzgerald concert, claiming this to be the beginning of her interest in music and one of her biggest influences. She soon started listening to other artists such as Paul Simon and Tracy Chapman. She would often be seen singing and dancing, dressed up in costumes. When Sariñana was 7 years old, her neighbor, Cecilia Toussaint suggested she should take singing lessons with her teacher Ricardo Sánchez, known for instructing Mexico's biggest talents. She also took up piano lessons with Hanna Cot. In 1994, Sariñana acted in Hasta morir (English: 'Til Death^[2]), which was produced by her father, Fernando Sariñana.^[3] Sariñana would later attend the Academia de Musica Fermatta.

Acting and early work[link]

She started acting in telenovelas at the age of 11 as the villain Mariela in Luz Clarita,^[2] starring Daniela Luján as the main character, Luz Clarita.^[4] The following year, Sariñana acted in the telenovela María Isabel as Rosa Isela, with Adela Noriega as the main character, María Isabel.^[2] Her final appearance on a telenovela was in 1998 on a telenovela entitled Gotita de amor (English: Droplet of Love) as Enriqueta.^[5] At seventeen, after earning a scholarship for the Five Week Program of the Berklee College of Music, she composed three songs for the soundtrack of the Mexican movie Amar te duele where she also played the part of Mariana. Other important movies in which she acted were as Ximena in the 2001 film El Segundo Aire (English: A Second Chance^[2]), Valetina in Niñas Mal (English: Bad Girls), all of which were directed by her father and written by her mother. She also appeared in a short film called De paso in 2005. In 2007, Ximena Sariñana acted in the movie Dos abrazos (English: Two Embraces^[6]) directed by Enrique Begne. Dos abrazos won Sariñana an award for Best Female Actress at the 38th Diosas de Plata of Pecime awards.^[7] The latest movie in which she has acted is called Enemigos íntimos^[2] (English: Close Enemies) and will be released on DVD in late 2008.

She went on to be part of the band Feliz No Cumpleaños (English: Happy Un-Birthday), a Mexican funk-jazz, pop-rock band she formed alongside old friends from the Academia de Musica Fermatta. She captivated the audience on television by performing "El Triste" (English: The Sad One), originally performed by Mexican icon José José.

[edit] Mediocre

Sariñana in 2008

Her first solo album Mediocre was released on February 12, 2008 by Warner Music Group. Ximena wrote most of the songs on the album and revealed in Venus Zine's Summer 2009 cover story that, “Learning the language of my nationality was something I really wanted to achieve... so I thought maybe if I did a Spanish album it would be a good challenge."^[8] On March 28, 2008, Mediocre was certified gold by AMPROFON for selling more than 50,000 copies.^[9][10] Sariñana would later receive further achievement when Mediocre reached platinum status for selling more than 80,000 copies.^[11]

The videos for Vidas paralelas, Normal, and No Vuelvo Mas were all shot in Iceland. Vidas paralelas was directed by Pablo Dávila.^[12]

In late June, Metronomy stated that they were fascinated with Ximena's debut album Mediocre and the group produced a remix of La tina. Her music video for the second single, No Vuelvo Más, was premiered as an exclusive video on July 14, 2008 in MTV Mexico. She was later nominated for two Latin Grammy awards for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Song but lost to Kany García and Volver a Comenzar by Café Tacuba respectively.

Collaborations[link]

In 2007, she contributed vocals for the song "Valenciana" in the album Extempore by the Ensenada-based nujazz band Kobol. In March 2009, Sariñana was featured as a vocalist alongside her boyfriend Omar Rodríguez-López with his solo group on their tour of Europe, which resulted in the live record Los Sueños de un Higado. She also provided vocals on Omar's solo albums Xenophanes, Solar Gambling, Ciencia de los Inútiles, Cizaña de los Amores and Tychozorente.

Along with Jason Mraz, she has released a Spanish version of Mraz's song "Lucky". The video for the Spanish-version has both her and Mraz in it, it was released to MTV on 22 June 2009.

Second album: Ximena Sariñana (2009-present)[link]

In November 2009, Sariñana was in the studio working on her second album. Her second, self-titled, album, consists of English songs written or co-written by her. The album contains one Spanish-language track called, "Tu y Yo". The album was recorded in Mexico City and Los Angeles during 2009 and was completed in early 2011. It was released in North America on August 2, 2011. The album's first single, "Different", was released in June 2011.^{[citation needed]}. Shine Down was released as a promotional single in summer 2011..

An article in Rolling Stone España in February 2009 featured Sariñana, and she expanded further into international stardom when she graced the cover of Venus Zine's Summer 2009 issue, transcending national boundaries to make her mark in American media.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Guest appearances[link]

• Extempore by Kobol (2007)
• Los Sueños de un Higado by Omar Rodríguez-López Group (2009)
• Xenophanes by Omar Rodríguez-López (2009)
• Solar Gambling by Omar Rodríguez-López (2009)
• Ciencia de los Inútiles by El Trío de Omar Rodríguez-López (2010)
• Tychozorente by Omar Rodríguez-López (2010)
• Cizaña de los Amores by Omar Rodríguez-López (2010)
• どういたしまして by Omar Rodríguez-López Group (2010)
• Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro (2011)
• Jay Leno Show (2011)

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ximena Sariñana

• Official web site
• Ximena Sariñana 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. (July 2010)

Aries Spears (born April 3, 1975) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice artist, and comedian. Spears was a regular on Fox's sketch comedy series MADtv, appearing in 198 episodes, making him the second longest-serving original cast member on the show. He recently released a new special called Aries Spears: Hollywood, Look I'm Smiling.^{[citation needed]}

Early life[link]

Spears was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother Doris Spears is a jazz singer. Spears moved to New Jersey at age 11 and attended Arthur M. Judd Elementary School. He became a comedian at 14, performing stand-up comedy in various comedy clubs in New York City. He was expelled for fighting during his sophomore year in North Brunswick Township High School in North Brunswick Township, at age 17.^[1] Spears started doing his own comedy routine around his hometown. He is a self-professed Michael Jordan fan.

Career[link]

Early film and TV roles[link]

Spears' first television appearance was on Russell Simmons's Def Comedy Jam, followed by It's Showtime at the Apollo (1987). He moved to Los Angeles in 1992, landed a recurring role on A Different World (1993) and became a regular at The Comedy Store, The Improv and The Laugh Factory. Other television credits include Crosstown Traffic, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993) and Soul Train.

At 17, Spears landed a part in the movie Malcolm X. Shortly thereafter, he was cast in a starring role opposite Glenn Frey in South of Sunset (1993). Spears's other movie appearances include Home of Angels (1994), The Pest (1997), Jerry Maguire in which he played Teepee, brother of Rod Tidwell (1996), Out-of-Sync (1995), and The Proud Family (2003).

[edit] MADtv

He joined the cast of MADtv during its 3rd season in 1997, and he left at the end of its 10th season in 2005. During his stay, he created characters such as comedienne Belma Buttons (co-host of fictional BET show "Reality Check"), Dollar Bill Montgomery (a host of an urban parody of Politically Incorrect called "Real **********ing Talk with Dollar Bill Montgomery"), James Brown Jr. (co-host of Cabana Chat), and controversial rapper Emcee Esher. He is well known for his impressions of celebrities, including rappers Jay-Z, LL Cool J, DMX, and Snoop Dogg and actors Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Denzel Washington,and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as fellow comedian Paul Mooney.

[edit] After MADtv

Spears appeared on a 2nd season episode of Mind of Mencia, which parodied Jamie Foxx's role in Kanye West's music video for "Gold Digger." He also appeared in the 2006 movie Hood of Horror. Spears performed in the TV series The Underground and voiced the character Wizard Kelly in the animated television series The Proud Family.

Spears appeared on the Covino and Rich radio talk show and criticized rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. He challenged Soulja Boy Tell 'Em to a rap battle, claiming he would win easily. Spears appeared in two episodes of Frank Caliendo's sketch comedy show Frank TV as Shaquille O'Neal.

Spears has signed with Fabb Vision Network, starring as host of his new show "The Underground," which is shot in Columbus, Ohio. The show was due to start broadcasting in September 2010.^{[citation needed]}

He appeared alongside Cedric the Entertainer and other comedians in the All Star Comedy Jam in 2009.

His 2011 stand-up comedy special Aries Spears: Hollywood, Look I'm Smiling was shown on Showtime.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography[link]

• Hood of Horror (2006) as Quon
• Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004) as Gunnar “MC GUN” Jorge
• Love Chronicles (2003) as Playa
• Josie and the Pussycats (2001) as The Other Carson Daly
• Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998) as Redd Foxx
• The Pest (1997)
• Jerry Maguire (1996) as Tee Pee
• Out-of-Sync (1995) as Frank
• Home of Angels (1994) as Gang Leader
• Malcolm X (1992)

Television work[link]

• The Boondocks Episode: "Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy" (2010) as Lord Rufus Crabmiser
• CSI: Miami (2007) as Oscar Monahan (2 episodes)
• Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2005, 2007) as Wizard Kelly (2 episodes)
• The Underground (2006)
• MADtv (1997–2005) as Various
• The Proud Family (2001–2004) as Wizard Kelly / Sir-Paid-A-Lot / Li'l Wiz Jr.
• The Night B4 Christmas (2003, TV movie) as Elvin
• Crosstown Traffic (1995, TV movie) as Eddie
• The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Episode: "Stagecoach" (1994) as Bobby Swan
• South of Sunset (1993) as Ziggy Duane
• A Different World (1993) as Ty (2 episodes)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Aries Spears at the Internet Movie Database
• Aries Spears on Myspace

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (April 2012)

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (July 2011)

Concrete Blonde is an alternative rock band based in the United States. They were initially active from 1982 to 1995, and again from 2001 to 2004, and once again in 2010.

Biography[link]

Singer-songwriter/bassist Johnette Napolitano formed the band Dream 6 with guitarist James Mankey in Los Angeles in 1982, releasing an eponymous EP in France on the Happy Hermit label in 1983. When they signed with I.R.S. Records in 1986, labelmate Michael Stipe suggested the name Concrete Blonde,^[1] describing the contrast between their hard rock music and introspective lyrics. A "Concrete Blonde" is also a derogatory term for the heavily hair-sprayed, permed and big haired appearance adopted by "Sunset Strip Metal" bands, such as Poison and Ratt. During an MTV interview, Napolitano can also be quoted as saying that the name Concrete Blonde is just "two words that sound good together." They were joined by drummer Harry Rushakoff on their eponymous debut album. Roxy Music drummer Paul Thompson replaced Rushakoff on Bloodletting and several tracks on Mexican Moon, while Rushakoff was in treatment for drug addiction. Rushakoff rejoined the band to record 2002's Group Therapy, but was kicked out of the band for failing to show up for shows.^{[citation needed]} He was replaced by Gabriel Ramirez.

Concrete Blonde was featured prominently in the film The Hidden (1987). Clarence Felder's character Lt. John Masterson rocks out to Concrete Blonde after being taken over by the alien.

Concrete Blonde's "Your Haunted Head" was also used in Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 in 1986. When L.G. Returns to the Radio station he pulls up listening to it on the radio then while walking to the staircase he sings "Ghosts Inside Your Haunted Head!"

The B-side to the single of "Joey", "I Want You," was featured in Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 cult film Point Break. The song plays as Lori Petty's character changes out of her bikini and into her clothes in the beginning of the film.

Their most commercially successful album was Bloodletting (1990), fueled by the top 20 radio hit "Joey," which in turn inspired Sugarland's 2009 single of the same name. The band broke up in 1993, but reunited in 1997, and again in 2001, releasing the albums Group Therapy (2002) and Mojave (2004). On June 5, 2006, Napolitano announced in a MySpace blog entry that the band has officially retired.^{[citation needed]} From the Concrete Blonde website, there is the following open message: "Thanks to everyone who heard and believed in the music. Music lives on. Keep listening. Keep believing, keep dreaming. Like a ripple, the music moves and travels and finds you. Drive to the music, Make love to the music, cry to the music. That's why we made it. Long after we're gone the music will still be there. Thanks to everyone who helped us bring the music to you & thanks to every face and every heart in every audience all over the world."

In 2007, Napolitano performed the main vocals on the score of the new Australian film West written and directed by Daniel Krige. She also sings the title song, "Falling in Love". West had its World Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. According to the SXSW music website, she also supplied music for another Australian movie titled Candy, and for two other films, besides touring the United States to promote her solo work entitled Scarred in an acoustic set featuring Concrete Blonde classics.

On November 25, 2008, "Long Time Ago" was used during the final credits during the series finale, Season 7 of The Shield.

On July 13, 2010, Shout! Factory released a remastered 20th anniversary edition of Bloodletting, compiled without blessings, input, or involvement from the band, it features six bonus tracks: "I Want You," "Little Wing," the French extended version of "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)", and live versions of "Roses Grow," "The Sky Is A Poisonous Garden," and "Tomorrow, Wendy." An error in the packaging of the re-release uses early non-album period photos featuring original drummer Harry Rushakoff, who had been replaced the night before the first studio session for "Bloodletting" by Roxy Music drummer Paul Thompson. The essay included in the booklet also gives incorrect release dates for the band's previous albums.

Current drummer Gabriel Ramirez is featured on "Live in Brazil," "Mojave," and the CD single "The Real Thing," and toured with the band during the summer of 2010 on the "20 Years of Bloodletting: The Vampires Rise" North American tour and on select international dates through the rest of that year.

Discography[link]

Studio Albums[link]

• Concrete Blonde (1986)
• Free (1989)
• Bloodletting (1990)
• Walking in London (1992)
• Mexican Moon (1993)
• Concrete Blonde y Los Illegals (1997) – collaboration with a Los Angeles-based Chicano punk band
• Group Therapy (2002)
• Mojave (2004)

Compilation and Live Albums[link]

• Still in Hollywood (1994) – a compilation of live recordings, B-sides, and previously unreleased material
• Recollection: The Best of Concrete Blonde (1996) - Includes 17 tracks from first five albums, plus a live cover version of Mercedes Benz.
• Classic Masters (2002) - 24-bit remastering of 12 tracks from their first five albums
• Live in Brazil 2002 (2003) – double live album
• The Essential (2005) - Remastered by Capital Records Essentials Series, includes 13 tracks from first four albums, with a slightly different version of the song Sun.

Re-release Album[link]

• Bloodletting: 20th Anniversary Edition (2010) – with six bonus tracks

Chart singles[link]

Related albums[link]

• Dream 6 – Dream 6 (1983) – reissued in 2003, Pre-Concrete Blonde group featuring Johnette Napolitano and Jim Mankey
• The song "Everybody Knows," written by Leonard Cohen and performed by Concrete Blonde, originally released on Pump Up The Volume : Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1990) and re-released on Recollection: The Best of Concrete Blonde (1996) as well as on Still in Hollywood (1994)
• Andy Prieboy – ...Upon My Wicked Son (1990) – Johnnette sings backing vocals to Andy's lead on "Tomorrow, Wendy"
• Contributed the song "Endless Sleep" to the compilation Fast Track to Nowhere (1994).
• Vowel Movement – Vowel Movement (1995) – Johnette Napolitano and Holly Vincent
• Pretty & Twisted – Pretty & Twisted (1995) – Johnette Napolitano and Marc Moreland of Wall of Voodoo
• Johnette Napolitano – No Talking, Just Head (1996) – Lead Singer for The Heads, re-formed Talking Heads project with Jerry Harrison, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth
• Johnette Napolitano – Sound of a Woman, (1998) – unreleased solo album
• Johnette Napolitano – Sketchbook "Arms to Heaven" (2002)
• James Mankey – Jam (2002)
• Johnette Napolitano – Sketchbook 2 (2006)
• Johnette Napolitano - Scarred (2007)
• Johnette Napolitano - Sketchbook 3 (2010)

Other work[link]

• Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick was in the video for "Someday?".

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Huey, Steve. "Concrete Blonde" Allmusic Guide. Retrieved on May 20, 2007.
• Golde, Kimberlye (2002). "Almost Famous" San Francisco Herald. Retrieved on May 20, 2007

External links[link]

• Concrete Blonde official website
• Johnette Napolitano
• History of Concrete Blonde w/ Johnette Napolitano

Dennis Miller
Miller speaking at JavaOne, 2005.
Born	(1953-11-03) November 3, 1953 (age 58) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Medium	Stand-up, Television, Film, Books, Radio
Nationality	American
Years active	1978–present
Genres	Satire/Political satire/News satire, Observational comedy, Wit/Word play, Black comedy, Surreal humor
Subject(s)	American politics, American culture, current events, pop culture, libertarianism, American conservatism
Influences	Richard Belzer,[1] Jay Leno,[2] Dean Martin,[3] George Carlin, Don Rickles.[4]
Influenced	David Spade,[5][6] Norm MacDonald[7]
Spouse	Carolyn (Ali) Espley (April 10, 1988 – present) (2 children)
Notable works and roles	Weekend Update anchor on Saturday Night Live Host of Dennis Miller Live Color commentator on Monday Night Football Host of The Dennis Miller Show
Website	dennismillerradio.com
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 Dennis Miller Live Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series 1996 Dennis Miller Live
American Comedy Awards
Funniest Male Performer in a TV Special 1996 Dennis Miller: State of the Union Undressed

Dennis Miller (born November 3, 1953) is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor, sports commentator, and television and radio personality. He is known for his critical assessments laced with pop culture references. He rose to fame as a cast member of Saturday Night Live in 1985, and subsequently hosted a string of his own talk shows on HBO, CNBC and in syndication. He currently hosts a daily, three-hour, self-titled talk radio program, nationally syndicated by Dial Global.

Although in his early years of fame he was perceived to be quite liberal and anti-Republican, in recent years, Miller has become known for his right-leaning political opinions. He is a regular political commentator on Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor in a segment called "Miller Time", and previously appeared on the network's Hannity & Colmes in a segment called "Real Free Speech".

Early life[link]

Miller was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Castle Shannon, a suburb of Pittsburgh, where he graduated from Keystone Oaks High School in 1971.^[8] His parents separated and Miller was raised by his mother, Norma, a dietitian.^[9][10] Miller is of Scottish descent.^[1] At Point Park University, he majored in journalism because he thought it would be easy: "I remember seeing All the President's Men and thinking Redford looked cool in his crinkled tie."^{[citation needed]} He was a member of Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity.^[11] About his social status during this period, Miller writes: "When I went to college, I lived on campus, and the guys I hung out with made me do some things I'm not proud of, although they made the characters in Revenge of the Nerds look like the Rat Pack in 1962. I myself made that kid Booger look like Remington Steele" (I Rant, Therefore I Am). Miller graduated from Point Park University in 1976.^[12]

In 1979 Miller won $500 as a runner-up in Playboy magazine's first annual humor competition with the following joke:^[13]

Television career[link]

In the early 1980s, Miller hosted The Trolley Show, a Saturday afternoon newsmagazine for teenagers, on Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV.^[14] He also produced humorous essays for the syndicated Evening Magazine television program. Miller then began performing stand-up in New York comedy clubs such as Catch A Rising Star and The Comic Strip, as well as in Los Angeles at The Comedy Store. He appeared on Star Search, where he lost out to fellow comedian Sinbad after the two tied with judges' scores, but Sinbad won with a higher studio-audience approval rating.

[edit] Saturday Night Live

Miller's big break came in 1985 when he was discovered by Lorne Michaels at The Comedy Store. He landed a spot on Saturday Night Live, where he succeeded Christopher Guest as the Weekend Update anchor. The spot was supposed to go to comic Jon Lovitz, but Lovitz was scheduled for other parts on the show and needed the Update segment to do costume changes; so Miller was drafted to read the news.^[15] Miller began his fictional news reports with "Good evening, and what can I tell you?" and closed with "That's the news, folks, and I am outta here!" Fans of SNL became accustomed to his smirky delivery, high-pitched giggle, and frequently primped hair idiosyncrasies that would be spoofed by Dana Carvey, Tom Hanks, and Jimmy Fallon, all of whom have impersonated Miller on the show. When Miller left SNL in 1991, the anchor's chair was turned over to Kevin Nealon.

In 1988, Miller released a stand-up comedy CD, The Off-White Album, derived from an HBO special titled Mr. Miller Goes to Washington,^[16] which drew heavily from the observational and metaphor-driven style he was known for on Saturday Night Live, and showed glimpses of the political humor that would influence his later work. A well-received HBO special, Dennis Miller: Black and White,^[17] aired shortly after the release of the CD.

Although Miller spent much of his time on SNL behind the Weekend Update desk, he was included in some sketches and did a few recurring characters and celebrity impersonations.^[18]

Recurring characters[link]

• Koko, one of the pixies in the recurring sketch "Miss Connie's Fable Nook"
• Steve, one of The Stand-Ups (others include Jon Lovitz as Bob, Damon Wayans as Keith, and Tom Hanks as Paul)

Celebrity impersonations[link]

• Gary Hart
• George Harrison
• Nathaniel Crosby

[edit] The Dennis Miller Show

In 1992, following his departure from Saturday Night Live, Miller launched a late-night TV talk show, The Dennis Miller Show, syndicated by Tribune Entertainment. The Dennis Miller Show continued in the tradition of "alternative" talk shows, which started with the Late Night with David Letterman show, which debuted on NBC in 1982. The Dennis Miller Show featured cutting-edge bands and other groundbreaking guests. For example, Toad the Wet Sprocket made their national television debut on the show, and Henry Rollins stopped by occasionally to chat with Miller and perform spoken word.^[19] Andy Summers, formerly of the band The Police, led the house band, and Nick Bakay was the announcer. The show's staff boasted a standard mix of past and future performers, writers, and producers of note including Nick Bakay, Todd Baker, Mark Brazill (That '70s Show), Eddie Feldmann, David Kohan & Max Mutchnick (creators of Will & Grace), Norm Macdonald, Bob Odenkirk (Mr. Show), John Riggi, Kevin Rooney, Herbert Sargent (Saturday Night Live), Drake Sather, and Dave Thomas (Second City TV).

[edit] Dennis Miller Live

Beginning in 1994, Miller hosted Dennis Miller Live, a half-hour talk show on HBO. The show's theme song was the iconic Tears for Fears hit Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and also utilized a snippet of the song Civilized by the Rollins Band. The show was taped at CBS Television City on the same stage that The Price Is Right is taped. It utilized a small set and sparse lighting, and there was no band. It comprised mainly Miller, speaking to the largely unseen studio audience, on a darkened stage. He hosted one guest per show, with whom he would discuss the topic of the day. Early on, they were all interviewed live via satellite, but soon most guests were live in the studio. There was also a call-in segment. The number was originally given as 1-800-LACTOSE. Later, he referred to it only by its numeric equivalent (1-800-522-8673). Within the time available, Miller typically could accommodate only two or three calls. He gradually eliminated call-ins entirely in the last few seasons of the show. Miller and his writing staff won five Emmy Awards during the show's run, which aired 215 episodes over nine years. HBO cancelled the show in 2002.

[edit] Monday Night Football

In 2000, Miller beat out Rush Limbaugh and Tony Kornheiser (among others) for a job as color commentator on ABC's Monday Night Football.^[20] His commentary was sprinkled with esoteric references.^[21] A common Miller-ism was after a Hail Mary pass fell incomplete, he would say "Hail Mary is denied – separation of church and state." After two seasons, Miller and former San Diego Chargers' quarterback Dan Fouts (who worked alongside play-by-play man Al Michaels) were replaced by the veteran football commentator John Madden. In 2010, TV Guide Network listed Miller's stint at #12 on their list of 25 Biggest TV Blunders.^[22]

CNBC show[link]

Dennis Miller
Format	Talk show
Starring	Dennis Miller
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	220
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	CNBC
Original run	January 26, 2004 – May 13, 2005

In 2003, Miller provided short-lived regular commentary for the Fox News show Hannity & Colmes before moving on to do a prime-time political show on CNBC in early 2004 called, simply, Dennis Miller. The hour-long show contained a daily news segment called "The Daily Rorschach", which was reminiscent of his Weekend Update segments. He also had a chimpanzee, as a nod to the early days of the Today show and their mascot J. Fred Muggs. The show also featured a panel discussion dubbed "The Varsity", which offered a wide variety of political viewpoints on current topics. Frequent "Varsity" panelists included Ed Schultz, Gloria Allred, Willie Brown, David Horowitz, Mickey Kaus, Steven Katz, Lawrence O'Donnell, Phil Hendrie, and Harry Shearer. CNBC cancelled the show in May 2005 due to declining viewership.^[23]

Guest appearances and commercials[link]

Miller has appeared as a guest or guest star on various shows, including Boston Public, The Daily Show, Hannity & Colmes, NewsRadio, The O'Reilly Factor, The Norm Show, Real Time with Bill Maher, SportsCenter, and late-night talk shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.^[24]

Miller hosted the MTV Video Music Awards in 1995 and 1996. He was also the host of HBO's 1996 series of election specials, Not Necessarily the Election.

He has appeared in various television commercials, serving as a spokesman for M&M's candies, 10-10-220 long distance service, and the Internet service provider NetZero. About these activities he has remarked: "Everybody has to sell out at some point to make a living. I'm a family man. I sold out to make an M&M commercial. They offer incredible amounts of money, and I say, ‘What can I do to sell one more piece of candy for you? Do you want me to hug the M&M?’ "^[25] Dennis also did a short B2B commercial for Blockbuster/IBM partnership company, New Leaf Entertainment.^[26] On Monday February 27th 2012 Miller guest starred on Hawaii 5-0 on the episode Lekio along with another guest star James Caan.

Return to Fox News Channel[link]

On September 21, 2006, Miller returned to Fox News Channel with a two-and-a-half-minute commentary on illegal immigration during his "Real Free Speech" segment on Hannity & Colmes.^[27] He appeared on 13 of the 17 aired episodes of the comedy show The Half Hour News Hour. Currently, he has a weekly segment called "Miller Time" on The O'Reilly Factor. Miller has also appeared on Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld under the pseudonym "Mansquito", a name Miller has pledged to use on future appearances on the network.

Game shows[link]

Miller co-hosted the game show Grand Slam, which aired on GSN in 2007.^[28]

For one month, Miller hosted Amne$ia for NBC. The show was a replacement program commissioned during the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike and was canceled once the strike was resolved and scripted programming returned to the network.

[edit] Sports Unfiltered on Versus

Miller's days as a sports commentator did not end when he left Monday Night Football. In 2007, Versus, the cable network best known for its coverage of the National Hockey League, tapped Miller to host Sports Unfiltered.^[29]

Radio career[link]

[edit] The Dennis Miller Show

In January 2007, Miller signed a deal with Westwood One to launch a weekday three-hour talk radio program.^[30] The program debuted on March 26, 2007.^[31] The show's website^[32] provides a live stream of the broadcast. The site also makes archives of all shows available in MP3 format. The live feed is free, but a subscription to the Dennis Miller Zone (DMZ) is required in order to access archived broadcasts. The show airs on 250+ stations, many of which (especially in the major markets) are owned by Salem Communications,^[33] airing on tape delay on some of those stations between 6–9 pm ET and 9 pm-12 am ET. Salem stations also air a "best of" Miller show on Saturdays. His former on-air sidekick "Salman" (David S. Weiss) also wrote for Dennis Miller Live. His producer "Christian" previously appeared on-camera as dozens of different characters during the "Daily Rorschach" segment on his CNBC television show.

Miller's program includes serious discussions about American culture, current events, politics, and their place in the global context. The show is infused with Miller's sarcasm, which is often characterized by obscure pop culture references. For example, each hour of the show opens up with an arcane reference. The first hour's opening phrase is a combination of dialogue from the film Thank You for Smoking and a U.S. space program slogan coined by Alan Shepard:^[34] "What's up, Hiroshi? Let's light this candle!" Miller's other opening phrases for his second and third hours respectively are "Come to me my babies, let me quell your pain", (Powers Boothe as Jim Jones in Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones^[35]) and "ABC – Always be closing if you want the knife set" (from Glengarry Glen Ross).

Most shows feature three guests (one per hour), mostly from the world of politics and entertainment, as well as calls from listeners. Guests include fellow comedians and SNL alumni (such as Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz), pundits and authors such as Ann Coulter, Aaron Klein and Mark Steyn (while the show's guest list leans right of center, there are several liberals who have appeared on the show, such as Dennis Kucinich and Alan Dershowitz), Presidential candidates, several sports commentators, and some "regulars", Howard Fineman of Newsweek, singer Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, Nikki Finke, and Representative David Dreier, a Republican congressman from California,^[36] among many others. Dennis Miller generally takes calls every hour, and in addition to comments about culture and politics, Miller encourages humorous callers and often comments on their comedic delivery. A segment on Fridays is set aside for "Dennis Ex Machina", his term for a segment without a guest, where he allows phone calls on any topic.

According to Talkers Magazine, as of spring 2011, Miller's show has an estimated 2,250,000 weekly listeners.^[37] Miller and Dial Global signed an agreement in early 2012 to continue his show for an undisclosed number of years.^[38]

Other endeavors[link]

Miller periodically performs stand-up at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. In recent appearances, he has done a mix of his old and new material, with some political jokes as well.

He has authored four books based on his stand-up comedy and television monologues: The Rants (1996), Ranting Again (1999), I Rant, Therefore I Am (2000), and The Rant Zone (2001).

Miller has appeared in several films, in both comedic and non-comedic roles. His movie credits include Madhouse, Disclosure, The Net, Never Talk to Strangers, Bordello of Blood, What Happens in Vegas and Murder at 1600. He plays the Howard Stern-like talk-radio host Zander Kelly in Joe Dirt (2001) and appears as himself in Thank You for Smoking (2006).

Miller guest hosted the Slammy Awards episode of WWE Raw on December 14, 2009.

Comedic style[link]

Miller is known for his laid-back style (for example, calling people "babe" or referring to them as "cats") and acerbic, brooding sense of humor. His specialty is the rant—a stream-of-consciousness diatribe monologue in which he rails against whatever happens to be bothering him at the moment. Such rants typically begin with "Now, I don't want to get off on a rant here, but..." and end with "...of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong." (During the first two seasons of Dennis Miller Live, his rants ended with "Aw, fuck it. Who wants pie?")

Miller's monologues and standup routines often feature elaborate similes and metaphors involving allusions to obscure people, places, and things. Miller has alluded to his own reputation for obscurity by titling one of his television specials Citizen Arcane. On his passion for language, he has remarked: "I've always loved the flirtatious tango of consonants and vowels, the sturdy dependability of nouns and capricious whimsy of verbs, the strutting pageantry of the adjective and the flitting evanescence of the adverb, all kept safe and orderly by those reliable little policemen, punctuation marks. Wow! Think I got my ass kicked in high school?"^[39]

He was voted number 21 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.^[40]

Personal life[link]

Miller married Carolyn "Ali" Espley,^[41] a former model from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on April 10, 1988. Espley is best known as the girl in Kajagoogoo's "Too Shy" music video. The couple live in Santa Barbara, California, with their two sons, Holden (born 1990) and Marlon (born 1993). His younger brother Jimmy Miller has been a manager for comedians such as Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, Judd Apatow, and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Political views[link]

During the late 1980s and continuing through the 1990s, Miller was generally perceived as a cynic on the left, ever eager to bash conservative Republicans. This perception did not change much even when Miller told USA Today in 1995: "I might be profane and opinionated, but underneath all that are some pretty conservative feelings. On most issues, between Clinton and Newt Gingrich, I'd choose Newt in a second, even though he is a bit too exclusionary."^[42] Miller also declared himself a "conservative libertarian" in a 1996 Playboy interview.^[42]

Miller's ideology changed significantly in the years following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when he became one of the Hollywood celebrities backing George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. Miller has said that one of the defining moments, in addition to 9/11, for his move from the Democratic to the Republican Party was watching a 2004 primary debate between the nine Democrats then contending for their party's nomination. "I haven't seen a starting nine like that since the '62 Mets", he remarked.^[42]

Slate.com commentator Dennis Cass describes Miller as having changed from a "left-leaning, Dada-ist wisenheimer" to a "tell-it-like-it-is, right-wing blowhard."^[43] The perceived change did not surprise former Saturday Night Live colleague and Democratic Party Senator Al Franken, however: "People have said to me, ‘What happened to Dennis?’ Nothing happened to Dennis. He's the same Dennis. He's always had a conservative streak on certain issues."^[44]

While not at all shy about expressing his conservative opinions on topics such as taxes and foreign policy, Miller is quick to point out that he is still quite liberal on many social issues, including abortion and gay marriage.^[44] During a recent interview, Miller said "I'm basically a libertarian. I'm pro-gay marriage and pro-choice, but nobody wants to hear all that.... They determine who you are based on the war." During an interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he said that he did not believe in global warming, and that even if it was happening, he would not mind it because he does not like to be cold.^[45]

In a radio interview with Penn Jillette on September 22, 2006, Miller explained his libertarianism, saying, "...[a libertarian is] what I am, I'll be honest with you. I'm for gay marriage. I don't believe in abortion but I'm pro-choice 'cause it's none of my business. Pretty much anything goes with me if you're not infringing yourself on other people but, I'll tell ya, 9/11 changed me.... You gotta go around and explain it to people and they think you're a turncoat."

On February 21, 2007, while appearing as a guest on The O'Reilly Factor, and again on May 25, 2007, while appearing as a guest on The Tonight Show, Miller stated that he initially supported Rudy Giuliani for president in 2008. After Giuliani's departure from the race he redirected his support to John McCain.

Miller endorsed Herman Cain in the 2012 presidential election, but later dropped his support, saying of Cain, “he can’t win!”^[46]

Media[link]

Film[link]

• Madhouse (1990) - Wes
• Disclosure (1994) - Mark Lewyn
• The Net (1995) - Dr. Alan Champion
• Never Talk to Strangers (1995) - Cliff Raddison
• Bordello of Blood (1996) - Rafe Guttman (Miller often refers to this film as his "magnum opus.")
• Murder at 1600 (1997) - Detective Stengel
• Joe Dirt (2001) - Zander Kelly
• "(Thank You For Smoking)" (2005)- Himself
• What Happens in Vegas (2008) - Judge Whopper

HBO specials[link]

• Mr. Miller Goes to Washington (1988)
• The 13th Annual Young Comedians Special (1989) (host)
• Black and White (1990)
• Live from Washington, D.C.: They Shoot HBO Specials, Don't They? (1993)
• State of the Union Undressed (1995)
• Citizen Arcane (1996)
• The Millennium Special: 1,000 Years, 100 Laughs, 10 Really Good Ones (1999)
• The Raw Feed (2003)
• Dennis Miller: All In (2006)
• The Big Speech (2010)

Audio[link]

• The Off-White Album (Warner Bros. Records, 1988)
• The Rants (Random House Audio, 1996)
• Ranting Again (Random House Audio, 1998)
• Rants Redux (Random House Audio, 1999)
• I Rant, Therefore I Am (Random House Audio, 2000)
• The Rant Zone: An All-Out Blitz Against Soul-Sucking Jobs, Twisted Child Stars, Holistic Loons, and People Who Eat Their Dogs! (HarperAudio, 2001)
• Still Ranting After All These Years (HarperAudio, 2004)

Print[link]

• The Rants (Doubleday, 1996) ISBN 0-385-47804-6
• Ranting Again (Doubleday, 1999) ISBN 0-385-48852-1
• I Rant, Therefore I Am (Doubleday, 2000) ISBN 0-385-49535-8
• The Rant Zone: An All-Out Blitz Against Soul-Sucking Jobs, Twisted Child Stars, Holistic Loons, and People Who Eat Their Dogs! (HarperCollins, 2001) ISBN 0-06-621066-6

References[link]

• "Dennis Miller: '9–11 changed me'". CNN.com. Associated Press. 26 January 2004. Archived from the original on February 8, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060208220107/http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/26/tv.dennismiller.ap/. Retrieved February 27, 2006. 
• Currie, Duncan (27 June 2003). "Dennis the Right-Wing Menace?". National Review Online. http://www.nationalreview.com/nr_comment/nr_comment062703.asp. Retrieved February 27, 2006. 
• Wood, Peter (2–3 February 2002). "Miller Time: A comic provides pungent satire aimed at our real weaknesses". National Review Online. http://www.nationalreview.com/weekend/people/people-wood020202.shtml. Retrieved March 1, 2006.