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PlayPhone is a mobile phone content provider based in San Jose, California, United States. PlayPhone's main line of business is distributing mobile games, ring tones, wallpaper, videos and other personalized content for mobile phones. PlayPhone also provides subscription-based mobile portals for some of the world's top entertainment companies^{[citation needed]}.

History[link]

Founded in 2003 by Ron Czerny, a Brazilian settled in US, PlayPhone is pioneered the concept of direct-to-consumer mobile content distribution and powered the first off-deck downloads of mobile games in North America.^[1]

PlayPhone offers a subscription-based service to provide games, ring tones, video tones, and wallpaper for mobile phones, and currently has a library of more than 150 games and thousands of ring tones.^[2]

During the two most recent quarters, PlayPhone was one of the top 10 most visited mobile phone entertainment web sites.^[3][4]

In April 2007 PlayPhone and Advaliant (Advaliant is the performance marketing affiliate network division of MediaTrust) won the ad:tech 2007 awards "Best Affiliate Marketing Campaign" of the year.^[5]

In May 2008 PlayPhone merged with London-based Pitch Entertainment Group^[6], thus buying themselves a global subscriber base, and a commercial reach far beyond the North American market.

Corporate customers[link]

Playphone powers mobile portals for some of the world's largest entertainment brands, including Wal-Mart^[7][8], RealNetworks^[2], Lycos^[9], Sega, ABC, Bandai^[10][11], EMI Music^[12], I-play, Skyzone Mobile, Cartoon Network and Trymedia Mobile^[13].

Criticisms[link]

Playphone is often accused of being deceptive. There are several complaint websites where customers found charges on their cell phone bill without knowledge of how they may have been signed up in the first place ^[14]. Several sites exist—blogs, social media profiles, etc. -- that appear to be officially from Playphone with the same general text, that of helping customers with complaints about charges on a bill^[15].

References[link]

External links[link]

• PlayPhone's web site
• Ringtone Marketing
• Walmart Mobile
• ABC Mobile
• Sega Mobile
• RealArcade Mobile
• MediaTrust
• Advaliant division of MediaTrust site

Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa in Brooklyn, New York in August 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Cameron Jibril Thomaz
Born	(1987-09-08) September 8, 1987 (age 24) Minot, North Dakota, United States
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, singer, songwriter, actor
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Rostrum, Taylor Gang, Warner Bros., Atlantic
Associated acts	Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Curren$y, Big Sean, Chevy Woods, Mac Miller, Juicy J, Tinie Tempah, Yelawolf, Maroon 5, Big K.R.I.T.
Website	wizkhalifa.com

Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007. His Eurodance-influenced single, "Say Yeah", received urban radio airplay, charting on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008.^[1] Khalifa parted with Warner Bros. and released his second album, Deal or No Deal, in November 2009. He released the mixtape Kush and Orange Juice as a free download in April 2010; he then signed with Atlantic Records.^[2] He is also well known for his debut single for Atlantic, "Black and Yellow", which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album for the label, Rolling Papers, was released on March 29, 2011.^[3]

Early life[link]

Khalifa was born on September 8, 1987 to a mother and a father serving in the military.^[1][4] His parents divorced when Khalifa was about three years old. His parents' military service caused him to move regularly: Khalifa lived in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan before settling in Pittsburgh where he attended Taylor Allderdice High School.^[1][4]

His stage name is derived from khalifa, an Arabic word meaning "successor", and wisdom, which was shortened to Wiz when Khalifa was a young boy .^[5] Khalifa stated to spinner.com that the name also came from being called "young Wiz 'cause I was good at everything I did, and my granddad is Muslim, so he gave me that name; he felt like that's what I was doing with my music." He got his stage name tattooed on his 17th birthday.^[6][7] He includes Jimi Hendrix, Camp Lo, The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony among his influences.^[8]

Career[link]

[edit] 2005–08: Early mixtapes and Show and Prove

Rostrum Records president Benjy Grinberg first heard about Wiz Khalifa in 2004 when the rapper's contribution to a mixtape of various new Pittsburgh artists attracted his interest.^[9] When Grinberg finally met the 16-year-old artist, he immediately decided he wanted to work with him, later telling HitQuarters: "Even though he wasn’t all the way developed you could just tell that he was a diamond in the rough, and that with some polishing, guidance and backing he could become something special."^[9] Khalifa signed to the label shortly after and began a seven year period of artist development.^[9]

Khalifa released his first mixtape, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania, in 2005. The mixtape paved the way for his first full length album entitled Show and Prove in 2006. Khalifa was declared an "artist to watch" that year in Rolling Stone magazine.^[10][11]

In 2007, Khalifa signed to Warner Bros. Records and released two mixtapes through Rostrum Records: Grow Season, hosted by DJ Green Lantern and released on July 4, 2007, and Prince of the City 2, released on November 20, 2007. His debut Warner Bros. single "Say Yeah" reached number 25 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 music chart and number 20 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks. The song samples "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay. Khalifa's vocals from "Say Yeah" appear near the end of Pittsburgh mash up producer Girl Talk's 2008 album, Feed the Animals, over music from Underworld's "Born Slippy", Usher's "Love in This Club", and the Cure's "In Between Days".^[12] Khalifa appeared with The Game, David Banner and Play-n-Skillz at U92's Summer Jam at the USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City, Utah on August 2, 2008.^[13] Khalifa released the mixtapes Star Power in September 2008, and Flight School in April 2009 on Rostrum Records.

Khalifa parted ways with Warner Bros. Records in July 2009 after numerous delays in releasing his planned debut album for the label, First Flight. Khalifa stated to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that, "I learned a lot during my time there and matured as an artist during the process. I'm happy to be moving on with all of my material and having the chance to be in control of my next moves".^[14] Khalifa appeared with Girl Talk, Modey Lemon, Donora, Grand Buffet, and Don Caballero at the Amphitheatre at Station Square in Pittsburgh on July 31, 2009, where he announced that his relationship with Warner Bros. was over.^[15]

Wiz Khalifa performing at Columbia University in New York City in April 2010.

[edit] 2009–10: Deal or No Deal

Continuing his association with Rostrum Records, Khalifa released the single "Teach U to Fly", and the mixtape How Fly, a collaboration with New Orleans rapper Curren$y, on August 9, 2009.^[14] Khalifa introduced a more melodic style on the mixtape, alternating between singing and rapping. He opened for Wu-Tang Clan member U-God at the 2009 CMJ Music Marathon in New York City.^[16] Khalifa released the mixtape Burn After Rolling on November 2, 2009, where he raps over familiar beats from other artists, including the songs "If I Were A Boy" and "Diva" by Beyoncé, "Walking on a Dream" by Empire of the Sun, "Luchini AKA This Is It" by Camp Lo, and "Best I Ever Had" by Drake.^[17] Khalifa released his second album, Deal or No Deal, on November 24, 2009.^[18]

Khalifa performed at Emo's in Austin, Texas in March 2010 as part of the 2010 South by Southwest Music Festival.^[19] He appeared on the cover of XXL magazine that same month, for the magazine's annual list of Top 10 Freshman, which included Donnis, J. Cole, Pill, Freddie Gibbs, and Fashawn. Wiz Khalifa was named 2010 "Rookie Of The Year" by "The Source", with alongside Rick Ross, "The Man Of The Year".^[20] He toured with rapper Yelawolf on a 20-date tour, the Deal Or No Deal Tour.^[21] Khalifa released the free mixtape Kush and Orange Juice for download on April 14, 2010. Due to Khalifa's devoted grassroots fan base, the mixtape became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter with the hash tag #kushandorangejuice, and "Kush and Orange Juice download” ranked No. 1 on Google’s hot search trends.^[22]

2010: Signing with Atlantic Records[link]

Citing music industry insiders, New York magazine wrote that Khalifa signed with Atlantic Records in April 2010, although the rapper did not confirm it.^[23] He stated to AllHipHop in June 2010 that he was working on a new album, but was weighing his options and had not yet decided on a label to distribute it.^[24] Khalifa confirmed to MTV on July 30 that he was signing an Atlantic Records deal.^[25]

Wiz Khalifa on stage in Boston in August 2010.

Khalifa was featured in a remix and video for the 2010 Rick Ross single "Super High", alongside Curren$y.^[26] He guested on the mixtape Grey Goose, Head Phones, and Thirsty Women by St. Louis rapper M.C,^[27] and was featured on the track "The Breeze (Cool)" on rapper Wale's August 2010 mixtape More About Nothing.^[28] Khalifa was named MTV's Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010, winning with nearly 70,000 votes, and beating out finalists Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Travis Porter, and Diggy Simmons.^[29]

Khalifa appeared at the Soundset 2010 festival in May 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, alongside Method Man & Redman, Del the Funky Homosapien and Hieroglyphics, Atmosphere, Murs, Cage, and others.^[30] He also performed at the 2010 Rock the Bells festival, along with hip hop veterans Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill, A Tribe Called Quest, Rakim, KRS-One, Jedi Mind Tricks and Slick Rick.^[31] Khalifa declined an invitation to tour with rapper Drake and launched his own "Waken Baken" tour, a 50-city national tour with rapper Yelawolf. The tour, scheduled to last from September to November 2010, has, as of October, sold out every venue.^[8] On November 2010, during his "Waken Baken" tour at East Carolina University, Wiz Khalifa was arrested for possession and trafficking of marijuana. He was then released the next morning after a $300K bail, and resumed his tour. Khalifa performed in a cypher during the 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards. He recited his verse from the song, "The Check Point", from his mixtape with Curren$y, How Fly.^[32]

[edit] 2010–11: Mainstream success and Rolling Papers

Wiz Khalifa at SXSW in 2010

Khalifa released "Black and Yellow", his first single for Rostrum/Atlantic, produced by Stargate, which has received radio airplay.^[8][33] The single was peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; the title of the song refers to the colours of the City of Pittsburgh.^[34] Khalifa released his debut album with Atlantic Records in 2011.^[35] He appeared with Curren$y on the track "Scaling the Building" on producer Ski Beatz' 2010 album, 24 Hour Karate School.^[36] Khalifa's record label is Taylor Gang Records, named after his love of Chuck Taylor All-Stars^[8], and Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, PA, where he graduated from.

On March 29, 2011, Khalifa released his first studio album, Rolling Papers. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 197,000 copies in the United States.^[37] Shortly afterward on March 31, 2011 Wiz Khalifa performed at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia as part of the school's annual Dooley's Weekend.^[38] On June 26, 2011, Khalifa was nominated and won Best New Artist at the BET Awards of 2011.^[39] Khalifa collaborated with British rapper Tinie Tempah whom Tinie announced in an interview with Rolling Stone that his next single is to be called "Till I'm Gone" and would feature Wiz Khalifa and is to be produced by Stargate.^[40][41] The single and the video song were released at the end of June 2011.^[42]

Personal life[link]

Thomaz proposed to model Amber Rose on March 1, 2012 showing off the ring on Twitter.^[43] He is personal friends with Snoop Dogg, Juicy J, Yelawolf, and fellow Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller.^[44]

In March 2012, Thomaz purchased a 2.8 private wooded acres with a 3,891-square-foot residence in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, a small community southwest of Pittsburgh. The residence includes 5-bedroom, 4-bath eco-friendly, Brazilian Koa floors, stainless steel appliances, a separate guest house, and a lavish master suite with high ceilings.^[45] He currently resides there with his fiancée Amber Rose.

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• 2006: Show and Prove
• 2009: Deal or No Deal
• 2011: Rolling Papers
• 2012: O.N.I.F.C. ^[11][46][47]

Collaborative albums

• 2011: Mac & Devin Go to High School (with Snoop Dogg)
• 2012: TBA (with Taylor Gang)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wiz Khalifa

• Official website
• Wiz Khalifa on Facebook
• Wiz Khalifa on Myspace
• Wiz Khalifa on Twitter
• Wiz Khalifa at MTV
• Non-commercial Wiz Khalifa mixtapes

William Hall "Billy" Bush (born October 13, 1971) is an American radio and television host. He hosts The Billy Bush Show, a nationally-syndicated radio show that airs throughout the U.S. on Westwood One. Bush is also the primary host of Access Hollywood, a syndicated entertainment-news show. He is also ambassador for Operation Smile.

Personal life[link]

Born William Hall Bush, he is the son of Josephine (née Bradley) and Jonathan Bush. His father is the younger brother of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush, making Billy the nephew of George H. W. Bush and cousin of the 43rd President of the United States George W. Bush. Bush attended St. George's School in Rhode Island,^[1] and in 1994 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Government from Colby College in Waterville, Maine,^[1][2] where he was also a two-time captain of the college's men's lacrosse team.^[3][4]

He resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Sydney Davis, whom he married on April 4, 1998, and their three children: Josephine, Mary, and Lillie.^[2][4]

Career[link]

Bush began his career hosting the afternoon drive show on WLKZ-FM in New Hampshire, later moving to Washington, D.C., where he hosted the midday show on WARW-FM.^[1] In March 1997, Bush joined WWZZ-FM (Z104) in D.C. as host of Billy Bush and the Bush League Morning Show, which aired until January 2001.^[3] In January 2003, Billy hosted a short-lived NBC prime-time version of Let's Make a Deal.^[1][3] He was also a correspondent for WNBC-TV's Today in New York morning show.^[3][4]

Billy Bush joined Access Hollywood, a daily entertainment newsmagazine, as East Coast correspondent in December 2001. He was promoted to co-anchor in June 2004. Working at Access Hollywood he was present at high-profile red carpet events including the Golden Globes, Grammys, and Academy Awards, and hosted ABC's live pre-show for the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Academy Awards and the 2006 Emmy Red Carpet Special.

Bush was a reporter for NBC at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and was the host for Access Hollywood's coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino as well as the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In addition, Bush hosted the reality competition Grease: You're the One that I Want! on NBC in 2007,^[1] and stood in for Meredith Vieira for a week of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire shows on April 21–25, 2008.

He returned to radio with The Billy Bush Show, a nightly talk radio and entertainment interview show. It airs out of KBIG-FM in Los Angeles and is syndicated by Westwood One. Bush and Access Hollywood executive producer, Rob Silverstein, are the show's producers.^[4] The show, which airs evenings Monday through Friday, focuses on the top entertainment stories and personalities in the news, and features celebrity guests and listener calls.

Bush co-hosted the Miss Universe pageant on four different occasions: in 2003 and 2004 with Daisy Fuentes; in 2005 with fellow Access Hollywood co-anchor Nancy O'Dell; and in 2009 with Claudia Jordan. He has also co-hosted the Miss USA pageant four times, with almost the same partners: in 2003 with Fuentes; 2004 and 2005 with O'Dell; and again in 2009, this time with Nadine Velazquez. After the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards of 2008 were cancelled as a result of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, Bush co-hosted The 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards Announcement press conference with Nancy O'Dell on January 13, 2008.

Bush was named one of Esquire magazine's "10 Men" in July 2005.^[4][5]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Billy Bush at the Internet Movie Database

Jay Moore (born August 16, 1983 in Elkhorn, Nebraska) is an American football defensive end for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Moore has also been a member of the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans.

Early career[link]

Moore attended Elkhorn High School in Elkhorn, Nebraska. In High School Moore played tailback and defensive end. He was a member of the Omaha World-Herald’s Super Six team, Moore registered 92 carries for 822 yards (8.9 avg) and scored 16 touchdowns in five games. He rushed for 1,742 yards and 31 touchdowns (8.8 avg) in 2000

College career[link]

In 37 games at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln of which he played in, 30 were games that he was a starter. He had 103 tackles, 12 sacks, 8 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and one interception. His 38 career tackles behind the line of scrimmage tied Mike Rucker (1995–99) for sixth on the University of Nebraska’s all-time record list.

Professional career[link]

Pre-draft measureables[link]

San Francisco 49ers[link]

On September 1, 2007, Moore was placed on the San Francisco 49ers' injured reserve list [1] after suffering a severe high-ankle sprain in the final game of the pre-season.

Moore is recovered from the high ankle sprain that cost him his whole rookie year.^[1]

St. Louis Rams[link]

Moore was signed to the St. Louis Rams practice squad on September 30, 2009.

Tennessee Titans[link]

After his contract with the Rams expired at the end of the season, Moore signed a future contract with the Tennessee Titans on January 13, 2010. He was cut on July 9, 2010.

Dallas Cowboys[link]

Moore agreed to sign with Dallas on July 23, 2010.^[2] However, the next day, he decided that he did not want to play football and backed out of the deal. He was never officially signed.

References[link]

External links[link]

• United Football League bio