Nancy Reagan at a "Just Say No" rally at the White House in 1986.

"Just Say No" was an advertising campaign, part of the U.S. "War on Drugs", prevalent during the 1980s and early 1990s, to discourage children from engaging in illegal recreational drug use by offering various ways of saying no. Eventually, this also expanded the realm of "Just Say No" to violence and premarital sex. The slogan was created and championed by First Lady Nancy Reagan during her husband's presidency.^[1]

Initiation[link]

The campaign emerged from a substance abuse prevention program supported by the National Institutes of Health, pioneered in the 1970s by University of Houston Social Psychology Professor Dr. Richard I. Evans. Evans's social inoculation model included teaching student skills to resist peer pressure and other social influences. The campaign involved University projects done by students across the nation. Jordan Zimmerman, a student at USF, won the campaign. Zimmerman is the founder of Zimmerman Advertising, the 15th largest advertising corporation in the United States. The anti-drug movement was among the resistance skills recommended in response to low peer pressure, and Nancy Reagan's larger campaign proved to be a useful dissemination of this social inoculation strategy.^[2]

Mrs. Nancy Reagan first became involved during a campaign trip in 1980 to Daytop Village, New York. She recalls feeling impressed by a need to educate the youth about drugs and drug abuse.^[1] Upon her husband's election to the presidency, she returned to Daytop Village and outlined how she wished to help educate the youth.^[1] She stated in 1981 that her best role would be to bring awareness about the dangers of drug abuse: "Understanding what drugs can do to your children, understanding peer pressure and understanding why they turn to drugs is... the first step in solving the problem".

Efforts in the United States and abroad[link]

Nancy Reagan hosts the First Ladies Conference on Drug Abuse at the White House, 1985

"Just Say No" paraphernalia at the Reagan Library

The phrase "Just Say No" first emerged when Nancy Reagan was visiting Longfellow Elementary School in Oakland, California,^[3] in 1982 and was asked by a schoolgirl what to do if she was offered drugs. The first lady responded by saying, "Just say no."^[4] Just Say No club organizations within schools and school-run anti-drug programs soon became common, in which young people make pacts not to experiment with drugs.^[5]

Nancy Reagan was asked about her efforts in the campaign, and said: "If you can save just one child, it's worth it."^[6] She traveled throughout the United States and several other nations, totaling over 250,000 miles (400,000 km).^[5] Mrs. Reagan visited drug rehabilitation centers and abuse prevention programs; with the media attention that the first lady receives, Nancy appeared on television talk shows, recorded public service announcements, and wrote guest articles.^[5] By the autumn of 1985, she had appeared on 23 talk shows, cohosted an October 1983 episode of Good Morning America,^[7] and starred in a two hour PBS documentary on drug abuse.^[8] The campaign and the phrase "Just Say No" made their way into popular American culture when TV shows like Diff'rent Strokes and Punky Brewster produced episodes centered on the campaign. In 1983, Nancy Reagan appeared as herself in the television programs Dynasty and Diff'rent Strokes to garner support for the anti-drug campaign.^[9] She participated in a 1985 rock music video "Stop the Madness" as well.^[10] La Toya Jackson became spokesperson for the campaign in 1987 and recorded a song entitled "Just Say No" with British hit producers Stock/Aitken/Waterman.

In 1985, Nancy Reagan expanded the campaign internationally. She invited the First Ladies of thirty various nations to the White House in Washington, D.C. for a conference entitled the "First Ladies Conference on Drug Abuse".^[5] She later became the first First Lady invited to address the United Nations.^[5]

She enlisted the help of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Kiwanis Club International, and the National Federation of Parents for a Drug-Free Youth to promote the cause;^[8] the Kiwanis put up over 2000 billboards with Nancy Reagan's likeness and the slogan.^[8] Over 5000 Just Say No clubs were founded in schools and youth organizations in the United State and abroad.^[8] Many clubs and organizations remain in operation around the country, where they aim to educate children and teenagers about the effects of drugs.^[1]

Just Say No crossed over to the United Kingdom in the 1980s, where it was popularized by the BBC's 1986 "Drugwatch" campaign, which revolved around a heroin-addiction storyline in the popular children's TV drama serial Grange Hill. The cast's cover of the original U.S. campaign song, with an added rap, reached the UK top ten.^[11]

Effects[link]

Evidence shows the use and abuse of illegal recreational drugs significantly declined during the Reagan presidency.^[12][13][14] According to research conducted by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, fewer young people in the 1980s were using illicit drugs.^[12] High school seniors using cannabis dropped from 50.1% in 1978 to 36% in 1987,^[12] to 12% in 1991^[14] and the percentage of students using other drugs decreased similarly.^[12] Psychedelic drug use dropped from 11% to 6%, cocaine from 12% to 10%, and heroin from 1% to 0.5%.^[12]

Nancy Reagan's related efforts increased public awareness of drug use, but a direct relationship between reduced drug use and the Just Say No campaign cannot be established.^[12]

The campaign drew some criticism, including that the program was too costly.^[15] Author Jeff Elliott stated that the Reagan administration's synonymous use of the terms "drug use" and "drug abuse" was improper, and that drug use in America was underestimated; Dr. Michael Newcomb claimed that there is "no evidence that most people who experiment with drugs get hooked."^[15] It was also argued that the program did not go far enough in addressing many social issues including unemployment, poverty, and family dissolution;^[15] Nancy Reagan's approach to promoting drug awareness was also labeled simplistic by critics who argued that the solution was reduced to a catch phrase.^[16]

See also[link]

• Winners Don't Use Drugs
• Above The Influence
• Drug Abuse Resistance Education
• Virginity pledge
• Barry From DC

References[link]

• Benze, James G., Jr. (2005). Nancy Reagan: On the White House Stage. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 0-7006-1401-X. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Just Say No

• First Lady Nancy Reagan and Just Say No
• First Lady Nancy Reagan throws out the first pitch at the 1988 World Series for Just Say No
• Example of Just Say No in popular culture, by LaToya Jackson

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Just-say-no-to-drugs/164320250299083?sk=wall

v t e Nancy Reagan Life Acting career · Films · Just Say No · Foster Grandparents Program · White House china Books My Turn (autobiography) · Nancy · To Love a Child Family Ronald Reagan (husband) · Patricia Reagan Davis (daughter) · Ronald Prescott Reagan (son) · Maureen Reagan Revell (step-daughter) · Michael Reagan (step-son) · Edith Luckett Davis (mother)

Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars performing in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 19, 2010
Background information
Birth name	Peter Gene Hernandez
Born	(1985-10-08) October 8, 1985 (age 26)[1] Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Genres	Reggae fusion, pop, soul, R&B
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer, model, dancer
Instruments	Vocals, drums, guitar, keyboard, bass, piano, harmonica
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Atlantic, Elektra
Associated acts	The Smeezingtons
Website	www.brunomars.com

Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age. He performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. He graduated from high school and then moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a musical career. Mars produced songs for other artists, joining production team The Smeezingtons.

Mars had an unsuccessful stint with Motown Records, but then signed with Atlantic Records in 2009. He became recognized as a solo artist after lending his vocals and co-writing the hooks for the songs "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B, and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy. He also co-wrote the hits "Right Round" by Flo Rida featuring Ke$ha, and "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan. In October 2010, he released his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Anchored by the worldwide number-one singles "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade", the album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.^[2] Mars was nominated for seven Grammys at the 53rd Grammy Awards, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Just the Way You Are".

Mars' music is noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, and contains elements of many musical genres. He has worked with an assortment of artists from various genres. Mars acknowledges the influences that his collaborations have had on his own music. As a child, he was highly influenced by artists such as Little Richard,^[3] Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson and would often impersonate these artists from a young age. Mars also incorporates reggae and Motown inspired sounds into his work. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times referred to Mars as "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop."^[4] Worldwide, Mars became the best-selling digital artist in 2011. He had three singles in the top ten, including first place with "Just The Way You Are," which sold 12.5 million copies.^[5] Mars won Best International Male Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards in 2012.^[6] Bruno Mars has sold 5 million albums and 36 million singles worldwide.^[7]

Early life[link]

Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8th, 1985, and raised in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii, by parents Pete Hernandez, of Puerto Rican descent, and Bernadette "Bernie," a Filipina.^{[8][9][10][11]} His mother emigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines as a child and his father moved to the island from Brooklyn, New York.^[12] Mars' parents met while performing in a show, where his mother was a hula dancer and his father played percussion.^[12] At the age of two, he was nicknamed "Bruno" by his father, because of his resemblance to legendary professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.^[13]

Mars was one of six children and came from a musical family who exposed him to a diverse mix of reggae, rock, hip hop, and R&B.^[14][15] In addition to being a dancer, his mother was a singer and his father used his musical ability to perform Little Richard rock n roll music.^[3] Mars' uncle was an Elvis impersonator. By the age of three his uncle had Mars up on the stage performing. He also performed songs by artists such as Michael Jackson, The Isley Brothers, and The Temptations.^[10] At age four, Mars began performing five days a week with his family's band, The Love Notes, in which he became known on the island for his impersonation of Presley.^[16]

In 1990, Mars was featured in MidWeek as "Little Elvis", going on to have a cameo in the film Honeymoon in Vegas in 1992.^[10][17] He later reflected on the influence Presley had on his music: "I watch the best. I'm a big fan of Elvis. I'm a big fan of 1950s Elvis when he would go on stage and scare people because he was a force and girls would go nuts! You can say the same thing for Prince or The Police. It's just guys who know that people are here to see a show, so I watch those guys and I love studying them because I'm a fan."^[18] In 2010, he also acknowledged his Hawaiian roots and musical family as an influence, explaining, "Growing up in Hawaii made me the man I am. I used to do a lot of shows in Hawaii with my father's band. Everybody in my family sings, everyone plays instruments...I've just been surrounded by it."^[19] In 2003, shortly after graduating from President Theodore Roosevelt High School at the age of seventeen, Mars moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a musical career.^[10][17] He adopted his stage name from the nickname his father gave him, adding "Mars" at the end because "I felt like I didn't have [any] pizzazz, and a lot of girls say I’m out of this world, so I was like I guess I'm from Mars."^[20]

Career[link]

[edit] 2004–10: Career beginnings and It's Better If You Don't Understand

Bruno Mars performing in Houston, Texas in November 2010.

Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Mars signed to Motown Records in 2004, in a deal that "went nowhere".^[21] However, Mars' experience with Motown proved to be beneficial to his career when he met songwriter and producer Philip Lawrence, who was also signed to the label. Mars, Lawrence, and engineer Ari Levine began writing songs together, and formed the production team The Smeezingtons.^[21] In 2006, Lawrence introduced Mars to his future manager at Atlantic Records, Aaron Bay-Schuck.^[22] After hearing him play a couple of songs on the guitar, Bay-Schuck wanted to sign him immediately, but it took about three years for Atlantic records to finally sign Mars to the label.^[22] In the meantime, Bay-Schuck hired Mars and the Smeezingtons to write and produce songs for the label's artists.^[22] According to Bay-Schuck in an interview with HitQuarters, Mars had stated that although his ultimate goal was to be a solo artist, he was willing to write and produce for other artists, both to help improve his songwriting and help him discover the type of artist he ultimately wanted to be.^[22] Bay-Schuck credits this as a period of "self-discovery" that contributed significantly to Mars' later success.^[22]

Before becoming a successful solo artist, Hernandez was an acknowledged music producer, writing songs for Alexandra Burke, Travie McCoy, Adam Levine, Brandy, Sean Kingston, and Flo Rida.^[14][23] He also co-wrote the Sugababes' hit song "Get Sexy" and provided backing vocals on their album Sweet 7.^[24][25] His first musical appearance as a singer was in Far East Movement's second studio album Animal, featured on the track "3D".^[26] He was also featured on pastor and hip hop artist Jaeson Ma's debut single "Love" in August 2009.^[27][28] He reached prominence as a solo artist after being featured on and co-writing B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire"; both songs peaked within the top ten of many charts worldwide.^{[29][30][31][32]} He said of them, "I think those songs weren't meant to be full-sung songs. If I'd sung all of "Nothin' on You", it might've sounded like some '90s R&B." Following this success, Mars released his debut extended play (EP), titled It's Better If You Don't Understand, on May 11, 2010.^[33] The EP peaked at the 99th position on the Billboard 200 and produced one single, "The Other Side", featuring singers Cee Lo Green and B.o.B.^[34][35] Mars collaborated with Green once more in August 2010 by co-writing his single "Fuck You!". He performed a medley of "Nothin' on You" and "Airplanes" with B.o.B and Hayley Williams at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.^[36]

[edit] 2010–present: Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Bruno Mars' debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, was released digitally on October 4, and saw its physical release on October 5, 2010.^[37][38] The lead single, "Just the Way You Are", was released on July 19, 2010,^[39] and has reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 as well as several other charts worldwide.^[40][41] The music video was released on September 8, 2010.^[42] The second single, "Grenade", was released September 28, 2010, and has also seen successful international chart performance.^[43][44] In the United States, Doo-Wops & Hooligans debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 for the week of October 13, 2010, selling 55,000 copies.^[2] The album also received generally positive reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt praised Mars for his "instant-access melodies" and "sly snatches of dance-floor swagger", but noted weaknesses in songs deviant from his conventional pop and soul genres.^[45] He opened for Maroon 5 on the fall leg of the Hands All Over Tour starting October 6, 2010 and co-headlined with McCoy on a European tour starting October 18, 2010.^[38]

On September 19, 2010, Mars was arrested in Las Vegas for possession of cocaine.^[46] When talking to a police officer, Mars reportedly stated that what he did was "foolish" and that "he has never used drugs before".^[47][48] Mars pled guilty to felony drug possession, and in return for his plea, he was told that the charges would be erased from his criminal record as long as he stayed out of trouble for a year, paid a $2,000 fine, did 200 hours of community service and completed a drug counseling course.^[49]

On February 13, 2011, Mars won his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, having received six nominations; Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Nothin' on You", Record of the Year for "Nothin' on You" and "Fuck You", Song of the Year for "Fuck You", and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 53rd Grammy Awards.

On September 16, 2011, Bad Meets Evil released their single, "Lighters", which featured Mars in the song. The song was met with mixed reviews from critics and many criticized Mars for doing this type of song.^[50] On September 22, 2011, it was announced on Mars' website that his new song "It Will Rain" will appear on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack which was released on November 8.^[51] On October 30, 2011, Mars gave an exclusive performance of "Runaway Baby" on the results show of The X Factor UK, the same day that Mars received six nominations for a Grammy Award; Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Grenade", and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 54th Grammy Awards. During the ceremony, Mars performed "Runaway Baby" but he did not win any awards as Adele won in all the categories he was nominated in and also lost to Paul Epworth for Producer of the Year.

Mars has confirmed on Twitter that his work on his second album has begun.^[52] On March 22, 2012, it was announced that Mars had signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis US.^[53]

Musical style[link]

Mars performing on November 24, 2010. Mars plays several instruments including piano, guitar, bass and congas.^[54]

Mars' music has been noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, including pop,^[55] rock,^[55] reggae,^[55] R&B,^[56] soul,^[45] and hip hop.^[57] His co-producer Philip Lawrence says, "What people don't know is there's a darker underbelly to Bruno Mars." Mars himself says, "I blame that on me singing to girls back in high school."^[58] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called him "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop, with a light, soul-influenced voice that’s an easy fit in a range of styles, a universal donor."^[4] Mars was initially influenced by R&B artists such as Keith Sweat, Jodeci and R. Kelly, as well as 1950s rock 'n' roll and Motown.^[59] In high school, he began listening to classic rock groups such as The Police, Led Zeppelin, and the Beatles.^[59] All of these genres of music have influenced Mars' musical style; he observed that "It’s not easy to [create] songs with that mixture of rock and soul and hip-hop, and there’s only a handful of them."^[59] Mars also stated that he is a fan of Alicia Keys, Jessie J, Jack White and The Saturdays.^[60]

In addition, Mars claims that his work with other artists influenced his musical style, saying that "'Nothin' on You' had a Motown vibe, 'Billionaire' was a reggae acoustic guitar-driven song, though one of my favorites is the Cee-Lo [Green] song ['Fuck You']. I don't think anyone else could've sung that song. And there's 'Just the Way You Are.' If you know my story, you know I love all different genres of music."^[61] He cites doo-wop as a major influence on his music, referring to the genre as "just straightforward love songs – so charming and simple and romantic."^[61] In addition, Mars states that growing up in Hawaii influenced his music, giving the songs a reggae sound. He explains that "In Hawaii some of the biggest radio stations are reggae. The local bands are heavily influenced by Bob Marley. That music brings people together. It's not urban music or pop music. It's just songs. That's what makes it cross over so well. The song comes first."^[12] Lyrically, many of Mars' songs have been described as "feel-good", carefree, and optimistic,^[62] however, darker subjects are addressed in songs such as "Grenade", "Liquor Store Blues", and "Talking to the Moon", which detail failed relationships and self-destructive behavior.^[45][63]

Discography[link]

• Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)
• TBA (2012)

Tours[link]

• Doo-Wops & Hooligans tour (2010–2011)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bruno Mars

• Official website
• Bruno Mars on Twitter
• Bruno Mars at the Internet Movie Database

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2008)

Gilbert Gottfried
Gottfried at the Writers Guild of America East Solidarity Rally in Washington Square in 2007
Born	(1955-02-28) February 28, 1955 (age 57) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, film, television
Nationality	American
Years active	1980–present
Genres	Satire, crude humor, blue comedy, improvisational comedy, black comedy, insult comedy
Subject(s)	Religion, race relations, racism, pop culture, sex
Spouse	Dara Kravitz (2007–present)
Notable works and roles	Saturday Night Live Comedy Central Roasts Host of USA Up All Night Mr. Peabody in Problem Child Iago in Aladdin Digit in Cyberchase Aflac Duck in the Aflac commercials

Gilbert Gottfried (born February 28, 1955) is an American actor, voice actor and stand-up comedian best known for his trademark comedic persona of speaking in a loud, grating tone of voice.^[1] He has played numerous roles in film and television, perhaps most notably voicing the parrot Iago in Disney's Aladdin (1992), and co-starred in the Problem Child movies. He is also known for voicing Digit in the children's cartoon/educational math-based show Cyberchase, the Aflac duck until 2011 and Marley the alligator in Winnie the Pooh.

Early life[link]

Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1955, Gottfried is the youngest of three children.^[2][3]

Career[link]

Early career (1980–1994)[link]

At age fifteen, Gilbert Gottfried began doing amateur stand-up in New York City and, after a few years, became known^{[by whom?]} as "the comedian's comedian."^[4] In 1980, the popular NBC late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live was being retooled with a new staff and new comedians; the producers noticed Gottfried and hired him as a cast member. During the 1980–1981 season, Gottfried's persona in SNL sketches was very different from his later characterization: he rarely (if ever) spoke in his trademark screeching, obnoxious voice and never squinted. During his 12-episode stint, he was given very little airtime and seldom used in sketches. Gottfried recalls a low point was having to play a corpse in a sketch about a sports organist hired to play inappropriate music at a funeral. Despite this, he had one recurring character (Leo Waxman, husband to Denny Dillon's Pinky Waxman on the recurring talk show sketch, "What's It All About?") and two celebrity impersonations: David A. Stockman and controversial film director Roman Polanski.

Although not a regular, he also appeared in the short-lived 1992 TV series The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys and voiced crazed dentist "Dr. Bender" and his son Wendell on the show The Fairly OddParents and the voice of Jerry the Belly Button Elf on Ren and Stimpy. He is notably known for his voice-overs as ducks or other birds—when asked how he prepared for his role of Iago in Aladdin, he said "I did the whole DeNiro thing. I moved to South America! I lived in the trees!" He was the host of the Saturday edition of USA Up All Night. Rhonda Shear hosted the Friday version.

Voice acting, television and films (1999–2001)[link]

Gottfried at the 1991 Emmy Awards

He also appeared as a semi-regular in the most recent version of Hollywood Squares. He is best remembered for a 1999 episode in which a single round of play took up the entire half-hour. The contestants had each won four stars/squares, leaving Gottfried as the last square available. Because either player could win upon capturing Gottfried's square, they could not win on their competitor's wrong response and had to win it themselves. The contestants alternated agreeing or disagreeing about whether Gottfried was bluffing an answer—and missed six consecutive tries. Five of those times he admonished the contestant with an increasingly incredulous "YOU FOOL!", mimicking Penn Jillette and his partner Teller. The seventh time he and the contestant agreed, and they finally won the square and the game. This segment has been featured on game show blooper programs and it is popular on YouTube.

Gottfried has provided the voice of the duck in the AFLAC commercials and Digit in the math-mystery cartoon Cyberchase on PBS Kids GO!, as well as the magical imp Mr. Mxyzptlk on Superman: The Animated Series. He also played a nasty wisecracking criminal genius named "Nick-Nack" who used toys to commit crimes on two episodes of the TV series Superboy (he also co-wrote an issue of the tie-in Superboy: The Comic Book which featured the origin of his character, Nick-Nack). Gottfried made regular appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Recent work (2004–present)[link]

In 2004 Comedy Central featured his stand up material for an animated series called Shorties Watchin' Shorties.^[5] Gottfried was part of an online advertising campaign for Microsoft's Office XP software, showing, in a series of Flash-animated cartoons, that the Clippy office assistant would be removed. In 2006, Gottfried topped the Boston Phoenix's tongue-in-cheek list of the world's 100 Unsexiest Men. In April 2006, Gottfried performed with the University of Pennsylvania's Mask and Wig Club in their annual Intercollegiate Comedy Festival. Also in 2006, he made an appearance on the Let's Make a Deal portion of Gameshow Marathon (as a baby in a large high chair, he says "Hey Ricki, I think I need my diaper changed!"), and in the Dodge Viper in the big deal (where he tells the contestants "What were you thinking?!" because neither one picked it). He also guest-starred in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy as Santa Claus in the one-hour Christmas Special. He voiced Rick Platypus in an episode of My Gym Partner's a Monkey entitled "That Darn Platypus". Furthermore, Gottfried appeared as Peter's horse in an episode of Family Guy entitled "Boys Do Cry". He also guest-starred in Hannah Montana as Barny Bittmen. In January 2009, Gottfried worked again with David Faustino for an episode of Faustino's show Star-ving.^[6] In 2011, Gottfried appeared in the episode "Lost Traveler" on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Leo Gerber, a sarcastic computer professional working for the NYPD's Technical Assistance Response Unit, which producer Warren Leight said could become a recurring character.^[7]

Controversy[link]

9/11 joke[link]

During his monologue at a Friars Club roast of Hugh Hefner three weeks after the September 11 attacks, Gottfried joked that he had intended to catch a plane, but couldn't get a direct flight because "they said they have to stop at the Empire State Building first." This was one of the first public examples of 9/11 humor. Audience members responded with hisses and a cry of "Too soon!". Gottfried then abandoned his prepared remarks and launched into the venerable Aristocrats joke, winning back the audience.^[8] Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza used Gottfried's monologue as a segment in their 2005 film, The Aristocrats.^[9]

Japanese tsunami jokes[link]

In March 2011, Gottfried made jokes on his Twitter account in reference to the earthquake disaster in Japan. He later deleted the tweets and apologized. Aflac, which does 75% of its business in Japan, dismissed Gottfried on March 14, 2011 and announced a casting call for his replacement as the voice of its duck mascot.^[10] He was replaced by Daniel McKeague on April 26, 2011.^[11]

Filmography[link]

• Saturday Night Live: various sketches (1980–1981)
• Beverly Hills Cop II: Sidney Bernstein (1987)
• Hot to Trot: Dentist (1988)
• The Adventures of Ford Fairlane: Johnny Crunch (1990)
• Look Who's Talking Too: Joey (1990)
• Superboy: Nick-Nack (1990)
• Problem Child: Mr. Peabody (1990)
• Problem Child 2: Mr. Peabody (1991)
• Night Court (TV series): as Oscar Brown (1991)
• Aladdin: Iago the Parrot (voice) (1992)
• Highway to Hell: Hitler (1992)
• Bonkers: Two-Bits (1993–1995)
• Problem Child (TV series): Mr. Peabody (1993)
• The Return of Jafar: Iago the Parrot (voice) (1994)
• Thumbelina: Berkeley Beetle (voice) (1994)
• Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas: Burt Banner (1994)
• Double Dragon (1994)
• Beavis and Butthead: Gus Baker (1994)
• "The Ren and Stimpy Show" Jerry the Bellybutton Elf/ Porkchop Monster (voice) (1994)
• Duckman: (recurring role) Art DeSalvo (1994–1997)
• Married... With Children: Ship Happens: Part 2 (1995)
• Adventures in Wonderland (TV series) : Mike McNasty (1995)
• Problem Child 3: Junior in Love: Dr. Peabody (1995)
• The Cosby Show patient (1987)
• Bump in the Night: Stink Bug (1995)
• Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat: Additional Characters (1995–1996)
• Aladdin (TV series): Iago the Parrot (1994–1995)
• Aladdin and the King of Thieves: Iago the Parrot (1996)
• Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Roy (1996)
• In the House: Mr. Comstock (1996)
• Superman: The Animated Series: Mr Mxyzptlk (1996–2000)
• Adventures from the Book of Virtues (1996)
• Big Bag (Troubles the Cat segment) (1996)
• Def Jam's How to Be a Player (1997)
• Bear in the Big Blue House: Large Possum (voice) (1997)
• Noddy: Jack Frost (1998)
• Hercules: Cilon (1998)
• Dr. Dolittle: Compulsive Dog (voice) (1998)
• Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (TV series): As himself in episodes 503 and 506 (1999)
• Clerks: The Animated Series: the voice of Jerry Seinfeld and Patrick Swayze (2000)
• Mad TV: special appearance, one episode (1997)
• Timon & Pumbaa (TV series): The Woodpecker
• Fairly Odd Parents: Dr. Bender/Wendel (2001–2005)
• Disney's House of Mouse and Mickey's House of Villains: Iago the Parrot
• Kingdom Hearts: Iago the Parrot (2002)
• Kingdom Hearts II: Iago the Parrot (2006)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Season 3, Episode: Last Laugh:Comic (2003)
• Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: Duck (2004)
• Celebrity Deathmatch :As himself in episode Gottfried in the Arena
• Cyberchase: Digit and Widget (2002–present)
• The Aristocrats (2005)
• Back by Midnight (2002): Security Guard
• Becker: A plastic surgeon
• Meet Wally Sparks: Harry Karp
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: various sketches
• Son of the Beach: Noccus Johnstein in both "Chip's A Goy" and Hamm Stroker's Suck My Blood:(2002)
• VH1's Celebrity Paranormal Project and I Love Toys
• Billy and Mandy Save Christmas: Santa Claus (voice)
• Farce of the Penguins: "I'm Freezing My Nuts Off" penguin (voice) (2007)
• Family Guy: Peter's horse (voice)
• My Gym Partner's a Monkey: Rick Platypus (voice)
• El Tigre:The Adventures of Manny Rivera: El Cerdo (voice)
• Hannah Montana Season 2 Episode "(We're So Sorry) Uncle Earl": Barney Bitman (2008)
• VH1's I Love the New Millennium 4 Episodes (2008)
• The Emperor's New School 2.season 11 Episodes (12.03.2007)
• The Comedy Central Roast: Bob Saget (2008)
• The Replacements: Himself (2008)
• Back at the Barnyard: Barn Buddy (2008)
• Gilbert Gottfried: Dirty Jokes (1 hour Showtime Special) (2008) – live stand-up performance in Manhattan, NY. Gottfried promises 'the dirtiest joke ever told'
• The Lindabury Story (2009)
• The View – Horny the Dwarf (Joy's Month in ReView)
• The Weird Al Show: himself
• Pyramid: Himself (Celebrity Guest)
• Hollywood Squares: Himself (Regular)
• The Comedy Central Roast: Joan Rivers (2009)
• Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy Himself (2009)
• Back at the Barnyard: Security System (2009)
• Jack and the Beanstalk (2010 Film): Grayson (2010)
• 'Til Death Guest starred as Tommy (2010)
• Stripperland (2010)
• The Comedy Central Roast: David Hasselhoff (2010)
• Robotomy: Tickle Me Psycho (2010)
• The Comedy Central Roast: Donald Trump (2011)
• Law & Order: SVU (2011)
• Winnie the Pooh: Marley the friendly alligator (2011)

Commercials[link]

• Aflac: Voice of the Aflac Duck (2000–2011)
• ShoeDini (voiceover): The ShoeDini is, as he describes it in the commercial, "a shoe horn on a stick."
• Public Service Announcement: He is the voice of Seymour Smoke, the talking smoke detector.
• Voiced the talking shadow puppet mascot in a series of Subway commercials in 2000.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Gilbert Gottfried at the Internet Movie Database
• The Official Site of Gilbert Gottfried

Joel Osteen
Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church, December 8, 2007
Born	Joel Scott Osteen (1963-03-05) March 5, 1963 (age 49) Houston, Texas
Occupation	Pastor, author, televangelist
Employer	Lakewood Church
Term	1999 – present
Predecessor	John Osteen
Religion	Evangelical Charismatic
Spouse	Victoria Osteen (m. 1987) «start: (1987)»"Marriage: Victoria Osteen to Joel Osteen" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Joel_Osteen)
Children	Jonathan, Alexandra
Parents	John Osteen (father) Dolores ("Dodie") Pilgrim Osteen (mother)[1]
Website
joelosteen.com

Joel Scott Osteen (born March 5, 1963^[2]) is an American author, televangelist, and the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. His ministry reaches over seven million broadcast media viewers weekly in over 100 nations around the world.^[3]

Biography[link]

Born in Houston, Texas, Osteen is one of five children of John Osteen and Dolores ("Dodie") Pilgrim. His father, a former Southern Baptist pastor, founded Lakewood Church where Osteen is the current senior pastor.^[4] Osteen married his wife, Victoria L. Iloff, on April 4, 1987.^[5] They have two children, Jonathan and Alexandra. His older siblings, Paul, Lisa, and Tamara, and his younger sister, April, are also involved in full-time ministry.^[6] His half-brother Justin does missionary work out of New York.^[7]

After 17 years producing the church's television program, Osteen succeeded his father on October 3, 1999, as pastor of Lakewood Church. He had only preached once in his life, the week before his father's death.^[7] Today, Lakewood Church services, led by Pastor Joel Osteen, are seen in over 100 nations around the world.^[8] Joel Osteen's first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, was released in October 2004. In December 2006, he was named one of the year's "Ten Most Fascinating People" by Barbara Walters.^[9] Former presidential candidate John McCain has described Osteen as "inspirational".^[10]

The Lakewood Church in Houston.

Currently, Osteen and several Lakewood Church personnel travel across the nation, presenting programs in large arenas. The event, titled "A Night of Hope", includes worship music led by the church's music ministry, a sermon from Osteen and a testimony by his mother, Dodie. In 2007, the tour expanded to include stops in several other countries, including Canada, England, Northern Ireland and Israel.^[11] Osteen released his second book, titled Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day in October 2007, which also topped the New York Times Best Sellers List with a first printing of four million copies.^[12][13] Osteen told Larry King the new book will focus more on relationships and not getting stuck where we are in life. "Just my basic message of becoming all God's created you to be," he added.^[14]

Osteen at a Nashville book signing, 18 May 2007

Osteen's popularity led to him being featured as one of ABC News' "10 Most Fascinating People of 2006",^[15] and was named "Most Influential Christian in America" in 2006 by The Church Report.^[16] Osteen is one of five children of John Osteen and Dolores "Dodie" Pilgrim.

Education[link]

It has been widely reported that Osteen attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a two year period without receiving a degree.^{[citation needed]} Likewise, it has been reported that he has no higher level training in religious matters or Bible studies.^{[citation needed]} In an appearance on Piers Morgan Tonight in January, 2011, Osteen mentioned that he had never attended seminary.^[17]

Preaching style[link]

On the December 23, 2007, edition of Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday brought up Osteen's lack of Scripture reference in his sermons, as well as his hesitancy to discuss sin as an integral part of life. Osteen responded: "And I am ultimately trying to do that, but I'm trying to teach people how to live their everyday lives, and so I do focus on it, probably not as much as some people would like."^[18] Osteen says that he chooses to focus on the goodness of God rather than sin.^[19] Osteen explains that he tries to teach Biblical principles in a simple way, emphasizing the power of love and a positive attitude.^[20]

Osteen's sermons and writings are sometimes reproached for their use of the concepts of prosperity theology, or the prosperity gospel, a belief that wealth and power are rewards for pious Christians.^[21]

Political and social views[link]

Osteen said that he is opposed to same-sex marriage in an interview wth Fox News.^[22] In an interview with CNN, he further said that he believes "that homosexuality is a sin".^[23][24]

In an interview on Fox News in 2008 during the U.S. Presidential primary race, when discussing whether he thought that a Mormons were Christians, Osteen indicated that he believed that they were. He further noted that he had not studied the religion.^[25]

Criticism[link]

On October 14, 2007, 60 Minutes ran a twelve minute segment on Osteen, titled "Joel Osteen Answers his Critics", during which Reformed theologian Michael Horton critiqued his message. Horton told CBS News correspondent Byron Pitts that Osteen's method of teaching is "heresy".^[26]

See also[link]

• Charismatic movement
• Christianity
• Prosperity theology
• Word Faith

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Joel Osteen Ministries

Adam Levine
Levine during a press conference in Singapore in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Adam Noah Levine
Born	(1979-03-18) March 18, 1979 (age 33) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock, funk rock, pop rock, soul, rhythm and blues
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Years active	1994–present
Labels	A&M Octone
Associated acts	Maroon 5, Kara's Flowers, Kanye West, Wiz Khalifa, Natasha Bedingfield, Ying Yang Twins, Alicia Keys, K'naan, Rihanna, Slash, Gym Class Heroes, Christina Aguilera
Website	www.maroon5.com

Adam Noah Levine^[1] (born March 18, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.