Look up observer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Observer may refer to person who is observing. More specialised meanings follow.

Computer science and information theory[link]

• In information theory, any system which receives information from an object.
• A state observer in control theory, a system that models a real system in order to provide an estimate of its internal state
• Observer pattern, a design pattern used in computer programming
• ObserverNMS (software), a network management software package

Fiction[link]

• Observer (Mystery Science Theater 3000), aka Brain Guy
• Observers, non-linear beings in the television show Fringe

Music[link]

• "Observer", a song by Gary Numan on his album The Pleasure Principle
• "The Observer", a track from The Flaming Lips' 1999 album The Soft Bulletin

Physics[link]

• Observer (physics)
• Observer (special relativity), a notion from the special relativity theory
• Observer (general relativity)
• Observer (quantum physics)

Politics and diplomacy[link]

• Observer status, granted by an organization to a non-member, allowing the non-member limited ability to participate in the organization's activities
• An election observer, one who assists in election monitoring

Publications[link]

• The Observer, a UK Sunday newspaper
• The Texas Observer, an American political magazine
• A Sri Lankan Sunday and evening newspaper
• The Observer (disambiguation), various newspapers

Other[link]

• A game official used in some competitions of Ultimate
• The Observer personality type
• Air observer, an aircrew member of a (usually military) aircraft

See also[link]

• Observer effect (disambiguation)

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

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. (January 2008)

Gary Numan
Gary Numan – Bestival – September 2008
Background information
Birth name	Gary Anthony James Webb
Born	(1958-03-08) 8 March 1958 (age 54) Hammersmith, west London, United Kingdom
Genres	1977–1994: New Wave, synthpop, electronic, experimental rock 1994–present: Industrial rock, gothic rock, Dark Wave
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, producer
Instruments	Vocals, piano, synthesiser, guitar, bass, drums
Years active	1977–present
Labels	Metropolis, Beggars Banquet, Numa, IRS, Eagle, Mortal, Atco
Associated acts	Tubeway Army, Dramatis, Nine Inch Nails, Paul Gardiner, Bill Sharpe, Fear Factory
Website	www.garynuman.co.uk
Notable instruments
Minimoog, Polymoog, ARP Odyssey

Gary Numan (born Gary Anthony James Webb on 8 March 1958) is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" (as Tubeway Army) and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesiser hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.

Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music.^[1][2] His use of themes from science fiction, and his combination of aggressive punk energy with electronics, have been widely imitated.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Born in Hammersmith, Gary Anthony James Webb was the son of a British Airways bus driver based at Heathrow Airport. Webb was educated at Town Farm Junior School Stanwell, Ashford County Grammar School, Middlesex, Slough Grammar School^[3] and Brooklands Technical College. He joined the Air Training Corps as a teenager. He then briefly did various jobs including fork lift truck driver, air conditioning ventilator fitter and clerk in an accounts department. A guitar was purchased for him at an early age and he began writing songs when he was about 15 years old. He played in various bands, including Mean Street and The Lasers, before forming Tubeway Army with his uncle, Jess Lidyard, and Paul Gardiner. His initial pseudonym was "Valerian", probably in reference to the hero in French science fiction comic series Valérian and Laureline.^[4] Later he picked the name "Numan" from an advert in the "Yellow Pages" for a plumber "A. Neumann".^[5]

1970s[link]

Tubeway Army[link]

Numan rose to prominence at the end of the 1970s as front man, writer and producer for Tubeway Army. After recording an album's worth of punk-influenced demo tapes (released in 1984 as The Plan), he was signed by Beggars Banquet Records in 1978 and quickly released two singles, "That's Too Bad" and "Bombers", neither of which charted.

A self-titled, New Wave-oriented debut album later that same year sold out its limited run and introduced Numan's fascination with dystopian science fiction and, more importantly, synthesisers. Tubeway Army's third single, the dark-themed and slow-paced "Down in the Park" (1979) also failed to chart but it would prove to be one of Numan's most enduring and oft-covered songs; it was featured with other contemporary hits on the soundtrack for the movie Times Square, and a live version of the song can also be seen in the movie Urgh! A Music War. After exposure in a television advertisement for Lee Cooper jeans with the jingle "Don't be a dummy", Tubeway Army released the single "Are 'Friends' Electric?" in May 1979. The single took seven weeks before it finally reached No. 1 at the end of June; the parent album Replicas simultaneously reached #1.

As Gary Numan[link]

A few months later Numan found success in the charts on both sides of the Atlantic with "Cars", which peaked at No. 1 in the UK in 1979 and No. 1 in Canada^[6] and No. 9 in US in 1980. "Cars" and the 1979 album The Pleasure Principle were both released under Numan's own (assumed) name. A sell-out tour ('The Touring Principle') followed; the concert video it spawned is often cited as the first full-length commercial music video release.^[7][8] The Pleasure Principle was a rock album with no guitars; instead, Numan used synthesisers fed through guitar effects pedals to achieve a distorted, phased, metallic tone. The Pleasure Principle remains one of Numan's most highly-regarded efforts to date. A second single from the album "Complex" made it to No. 6 in the UK charts.

Personality and style[link]

While angry like his punk contemporaries, Numan suppressed his anger and "got really hung up with this whole thing of not feeling, being cold about everything, not letting emotions get to you, or presenting a front of not feeling".^[9]

Around this time, Numan also developed his distinctive style. According to Numan, this was an unintentional result of acne; before an appearance on Top of the Pops, he had "spots everywhere, so they slapped about half an inch of white makeup on me before I'd even walked in the door. And my eyes were like pissholes in the snow, so they put black on there. My so-called image fell into place an hour before going on the show".^[9] His "wooden" stage presence was, in his words, a result of extreme self-consciousness and lack of "showmanship".^[9] He also wore costumes and openly proclaimed his influences: David Bowie, Marc Bolan, and contemporary electronic acts such as John Foxx's Ultravox. His persona was aloof, alien, and androgynous; Numan was not seen to be part of the punk or New Romantic movements. During this period, Numan generated an army of fans calling themselves "Numanoids", providing him with a fanbase which maintained their support through the latter half of the 1980s, when his fortunes began to fall precipitously.^[9]

1980s[link]

Numan performing in February 1980.

In 1980 Numan topped the album charts with Telekon, with the concurrent singles "We Are Glass", "I Die: You Die" and "This Wreckage" reaching No. 5, No. 6 and No. 20, respectively. The final studio album of what Numan retrospectively termed the "Machine" section of his career,^[10] Telekon reintroduced guitars to Numan's music and featured a wider range of synthesisers. The same year he embarked on his second major tour ("The Teletour") with an even more elaborate stage show than The Touring Principle the previous year. Although considered a success^{[by whom?]}, Numan claimed the tour actually lost him a great deal of money because of the vast expense in mounting it. He announced his retirement from touring with a series of sell-out concerts at Wembley Arena in April 1981, supported by experimental musician Nash the Slash and Shock, a rock/mime/burlesque troupe whose members included Barbie Wilde, Tik and Tok and Carole Caplin. The decision to retire would be short-lived.

Moving away from the pure electro-pop that he had made his name with, Numan then experimented with jazz, funk and ethereal, rhythmic pop. His first album after his 1981 farewell concerts was the bleak, atmospheric and experimental Dance (1981). The album charted as high as No. 3 on the UK charts, with an eight week chart run and produced one hit single ("She's Got Claws") reaching No. 6. The album featured several distinguished guest players; Mick Karn (bass, saxophone) and Rob Dean (guitar) of Japan, Roger Mason (keyboards) of Models and Roger Taylor (drums) of Queen.

With his former backing band, Chris John Payne (Keyboards, Viola) Russell Bell (Guitar) and Ced Sharpley (Drums) now reformed as Dramatis, Numan contributed vocals to the minor hit "Love Needs No Disguise" from the album For Future Reference. However, Numan's career had begun to experience a gradual decline, and he was eclipsed initially by acts such as Adam Ant, and later by The Human League, Duran Duran, and Depeche Mode. Each album also saw a new "image", none of which captured the public's imagination to nearly the same extent as the lonely android of 1979.^[9]

The more upbeat and danceable I, Assassin (1982) fared less well than Dance. Despite producing one Top 10 and two Top 20 singles, the album peaked at No. 8 with a six week chart run. Numan supported the album with a concert tour in America in late 1982 (where he was living as a tax exile), which were his first series of live shows since his farewell at Wembley.

Warriors (1983) further developed Numan's jazz-influenced style and featured contributions from avant-garde musician Bill Nelson (who fell out with Numan during recording and chose to be uncredited as the album's co-producer) and saxophonist Dick Morrissey (who would play on most of Numan's albums until 1991). The album peaked at No. 12, produced two hit singles including the Top 20 title track and, like I, Assassin, spent six weeks in the charts. Warriors was the last album Numan recorded for Beggars Banquet Records, and was supported by a 40-date UK tour (again with support from robotic mime and music duo Tik and Tok) – Numan's first live tour in the UK since his Wembley appearances in 1981. Numan's look for the album artwork and tour was a Mad Max-influenced black leather costume against a post-apocalyptic backdrop, but this latest image change was scorned by the music press.

Now battling against the increasing public perception that he was a spent force, Numan issued a series of albums and singles on his own record label, Numa. As the decade continued, he experienced a creative malaise, trying to recapture his former chart glory with less distinguished albums, some of which were stylistically derivative of artists like Robert Palmer and Prince.

The first album released on Numa, 1984’s Berserker was also notable for being Numan's first foray into music computers/samplers, in this case the PPG Wave. Berserker moved away from the fluid, fretless sound that characterised Numan's previous three albums, featuring instead harder-edged electric bass and drum sounds. The album was also accompanied by a striking blue-and-white visual image, a tour, a live album/video and produced two hit singles, but it divided critics and fans and commercially was Numan’s least successful release to that date. This year also saw the death of Paul Gardiner, who was Numan's bassist and friend since his Tubeway Army days, from a fatal heroin overdose on 4 February 1984. Numan's song 'A Child With The Ghost' is about Paul Gardiner and also featured on Tik & Tok's album 'Intolerance' (1984).

Numan's next album, The Fury (1985), charted slightly higher than Berserker, produced four hit singles and featured another new image of white suit and red bow tie. To date, The Fury is the last Numan album to crack the British Top 30.

Collaborations with Bill Sharpe of Shakatak helped little, though two singles the duo recorded, "Change Your Mind", did see chart action, reaching No.17 and "No More Lies" reaching No.35 in 1988 in Britain. Numa Records, which had been launched in a flurry of idealistic excitement, folded after the release of Numan's Strange Charm album (1986). In addition to Numa's commercial failure, a lack of radio play (his records were removed from the BBC Radio 1 playlist) and sales drained the fortune (he estimated £4.5 million) Numan had amassed in the late 1970s. Numan signed to IRS Records and his final studio album of the 1980s, the edgy, industrial-funk Metal Rhythm (1988) found favour with fans and scored some positive reviews in the UK music press, but it sold poorly despite two hit singles. Metal Rhythm's sales were arguably confounded by the lack of strong promotion and IRS's inappropriate choices of singles (the record label also changed the album's title to New Anger, changed the album colour shade from black to blue, and remixed several of its tracks for its American release against Numan's wishes). 1989 saw the release of the Sharpe + Numan album Automatic. A more lightweight-pop effort than Numan's solo albums, Automatic fared less well than Metal Rhythm, and has been out of print since its initial release, fetching high prices on auction sites.

1990s[link]

In 1991, Numan ventured into film-scoring by co-composing the music for The Unborn with Michael R. Smith (the score was later released as an instrumental album in 1995, Human). After Outland (1991), another critical and commercial disappointment and his second and last studio album with IRS, Numan reactivated Numa Records, under which he would release his next two albums. However, even Numan considers his 1992 Machine + Soul, a misguided attempt at a purely commercial release recorded solely to pay off debts, a career low point. The album sold only a few thousand copies. By 1994, Numan decided to stop attempting to crack the pop market and concentrate instead on exploring more personal themes, including his vocal atheism. His future wife Gemma encouraged him to strip away the influences of the previous years. Numan re-evaluated his career and went in a harsher, more industrial direction with his songwriting on the album Sacrifice — for the first time he played almost all the instruments himself. The move was critically well-received, as Numan's harder and darker sound emerged just as Numan-influenced bands like Nine Inch Nails were enjoying their first rush of fame. The influence was two-way; Numan claimed that Nine Inch Nails' song "Closer" is his favourite hit single of all time, and influenced his music. Sacrifice was the last album Numan made before shutting down Numa Records permanently. His next two albums, Exile (1997) and Pure (2000), restored his critical reputation. Numan toured the U.S. in support of Exile, his first stateside concerts since the early 1980s.^[9]

2000s[link]

Gary Numan performing in 2007

Numan has become acknowledged and respected by his peers, with such musicians as Dave Grohl (of Foo Fighters and Nirvana), Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails), and Marilyn Manson proclaiming his work an influence and recording cover versions of old Numan hits.^[11][12] The band Basement Jaxx had a huge hit in 2002 with "Where's Your Head At?", which relied on a sample of Numan's "M.E." – from The Pleasure Principle – for its hook. Fear Factory produced a cover of "Cars" (featuring a prominent guest appearance by Numan himself) for the digipak version of their album Obsolete. Nine Inch Nails covered the song "Metal" on The Fragile remix album Things Falling Apart as did Afrika Bambaataa (with Numan himself) on the album Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light. "Cars" remains Numan's most enduring song; it was a hit again in 1987 (remixed by Zeus B. Held) and 1996, in the latter case thanks to an appearance in an advert for Carling beer. In 2000 DJ Armand Van Helden sampled the track and mixed it up in his single "Koochy" which conquered the dancefloors. In 2002, UK pop trio Sugababes scored a No. 1 with "Freak Like Me" – a mashup of Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me" and "Are Friends Electric?" by Numan's Tubeway Army.

Other musicians, and at least one comedian, who have sung Numan's praises in recent years include Beck, Grant Nicholas, Tricky, Damon Albarn & Matt Sharp, Jarvis Cocker, Queens of the Stone Age, David Bowie, Noel Fielding and Afrika Bambaataa, who spoke of the influence Numan's music had on the fledgling American DJ scene: "In the late 70s and early 80s Gary had the rhythms that DJs wanted to get hold of and people waited for his records on the dance floor." "^{[cite this quote]} Cars" was featured on the soundtrack for the blockbuster 2002 videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as part of the New Wave radio station Wave 103, although it did not appear on the soundtrack CD release for the game. "Are Friends Electric" appeared on EA's game Need For Speed: Carbon in 2006.

In 2002, Numan enjoyed chart success once again with the single "Rip", reaching No. 29 in the UK chart and in 2003 with the Gary Numan vs Rico single "Crazier", which reached No. 13 in the UK chart. Rico also worked on the remix album Hybrid which featured reworkings of older songs in a more contemporary industrial style as well as new material. Other artists and producers who contributed on these remixes included Curve, Flood, Andy Gray, Alan Moulder, New Disease and Sulpher. 2003 also saw Numan performing the vocals on a track named "Pray For You" on the Plump DJs album Eargasm, which was well received. In 2004 Numan took control of his own business affairs again, launching the label Mortal Records and releasing a series of live DVDs. In late 2006, Numan announced on his website that recording would begin on his new album in January 2007, with Ade Fenton co-producing. Numan stated "think of Jagged and Pure, but faster, with bigger choruses, more energy, and more aggression"^{[cite this quote]} to describe the album's intended sound. The album, Jagged, was duly released on 13 March 2006. An album launch gig took place at The Forum, London on 18 March followed by UK, European and US tours in support of the release. Numan also launched a Jagged website to showcase the new album, and made plans to have his 1981 farewell concert (previously released as Micromusic on VHS) issued on DVD by November 2006 as well as releasing the DVD version of the Jagged album launch gig. Numan undertook a Telekon 'Classic Album' tour in the UK in December 2006.

On 6 November 2006, Numan took part in the Sky1 reality show The Race. It pitted ten celebrities (five male, five female) against each other in a series of Formula One-style car races. These races were held at Silverstone over the next five days, and varied in racing styles, ultimately culminating in one final Grand Prix race on Sunday, 12 November. Numan did win on the overall leaderboard, though he lost the final race to AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson.

Numan contributed vocals to four tracks on the April 2007 release of Fenton's debut solo album Artificial Perfect on his new industrial/electronic label Submission, including songs "The Leather Sea", "Slide Away", "Recall" and the first single to be taken from the album, "Healing". The second single to be released in the UK was "The Leather Sea" on 30 July 2007.

Promoting the 2008 Replicas Tour

He sold out a fifteen-date UK tour in Spring 2008 during which he performed his 1979 number one album Replicas in full, and all the Replicas-era music including B-sides.^[13] The highly successful tour also raised Numan's profile in the media again due to the fact that it coincided with his 30th anniversary in the music business. The tour was also notable for the Manchester gig on 8 March 2008 which also happened to fall on his 50th birthday. The band, along with wife Gemma, helped Numan celebrate by bringing a large cake onstage. A recording of the concert was released on DVD under the title "Replicas Live".

In November 2007, Numan confirmed via his website that work on a new album, with the working title of Splinter, would be under way throughout 2008, after finishing an alternate version of Jagged (called Jagged Edge) and the CD of unreleased songs from his previous three albums (confirmed to be titled Dead Son Rising on 1 December 2008 via official mailing list message). He wrote that Splinter was likely to be released in early 2010. Numan has recently completed a four-date run of gigs in Australia and will be touring the UK in the coming months.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2009, Gary Numan appeared as a special guest at the "Wave Goodbye" Nine Inch Nails concert at The O2 arena (London) in London. Before coming on stage, Trent Reznor explained how Numan was "vitally important and a huge inspiration" to him during the past 20 years. Numan then went on to play two songs with Nine Inch Nails; "Cars" and "Metal". Numan appeared once again at the final run of the "Wave Goodbye" shows in Los Angeles, CA. In August 2009 he played at the Hevy Music Festival in Folkestone, UK. On 2 September 2009 at the Hollywood Palladium, Numan joined Reznor on stage to perform "Metal" and "Cars" near the end of the Nine Inch Nails set. He then joined the band onstage a third time at the Echoplex in Los Angeles, CA, this time performing "Metal" and "I Die: You Die" from the album Telekon. He then joined them a fourth time at the Henry Fonda Theater, performing "Down In The Park", "Metal" and "Cars". Mike Garson initially played "Down In The Park (Piano Version)" before they started the song. He then joined them for the final show at the Wiltern Theater.

In a September 2009 interview with The Quietus, Numan says that he and Trent Reznor plan to make music together.^[14]

2010s[link]

He was set to perform a small number of American live dates in April 2010, including a Coachella Festival appearance in California, but had to cancel because air travel in Europe was halted by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud. As a result, the tour was not only postponed but expanded, and his Pleasure Principle 30th Anniversary Tour's American and Mexican dates began on 17 October 2010, at Firestone Live in Orlando, Florida.

Gary Numan toured Australia in May 2011 performing his seminal album The Pleasure Principle in its entirety to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary. Joining him on tour was renowned Australian electronic band Severed Heads, coming out of retirement especially for the shows.^[15]

Numan lent his vocals to the track "My Machines" off Battles's 2011 album "Gloss Drop". He has been chosen by Battles to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival that they co-curate in December 2011 in Minehead, England.^[16] Numan's new album Dead Son Rising was released on 16 September 2011 which had a full U.K tour split in two halves, 15–21 September and 7–11 December, Both parts were supported by Welsh soloist Jayce Lewis in an interview during the tour; Gary praised the Welshman to being the best supporting act ever in his 30 years of touring, later documenting the tour in a Tour diary and publicly inviting Jayce to join him for an American tour in 2012.^[17][18][19]

Numan also provided narration for Voltaire's short film Odokuro in 2011.

Personal life[link]

Numan is a positive atheist and has incorporated anti-religious motifs and images in his music.^[20] Numan was an outspoken supporter of the Conservative Party and of Margaret Thatcher after her inauguration as Prime Minister.^[21][22] He later expressed regret for giving his public support, calling it "a noose around my neck".^[22] He has recently said that he considers himself neither left-wing nor right-wing and that he does not support Tony Blair or David Cameron.^[22] He also said, "I'm not socialist, I know that. I don't believe in sharing my money."^[21]

Numan married a member of his fan club, Gemma O'Neill, a native of Sidcup.^[23][24] In 2003, after some pregnancy difficulties, the couple had their first child, Raven. In 2005 they had a second daughter, Persia. In 2007 the couple had their third child, Echo. Numan resides with his family in East Sussex.^[25] He published his autobiography, Praying to the Aliens, in 1997 (updated edition 1998), in collaboration with Steve Malins. (Malins also wrote the liner notes for most of the CD reissues of Numan's albums in the late 1990s, as well as executive producing the Hybrid album in 2003.)

Numan is known for his love of flying, a passion which has featured in some of his music videos ("Warriors", "I Can't Stop"). He has owned several small aircraft. Numan was a member of the Air Training Corps. He is one of a very small handful of flyers with the credentials and qualifications to train aerobatic instructor pilots.^{[citation needed]} He was once forced to emergency-land his light aircraft on the A3051 near Southampton. Numan is referenced several times in the BBC TV series The Mighty Boosh as Vince Noir, one of the main characters, is a huge Gary Numan fan. Examples of this are in the episode "Tundra" where Numan gives Noir a lift to the Antarctic in his personal jet (a black jet with a red trim with "NUMAN" written in white), in the episode "Electro" Numan's influence is clear to see on Noir when he joins electro band "Kraftwork Orange". Along with making several other references to Numan (notably a scene where Noir states he's made some 'tapes' for a journey saying "This is the best of the 60s (holding one tape), this is the best of the 70s (holding another tape) and THIS (picks up a horde of tapes) is Gary Numan!"), Numan guest-starred in "The Power of the Crimp", being locked in a cupboard and is used (unsuccessfully) to cheer Vince up.^{[citation needed]}

At age 15, after a series of outbursts in which Numan would "smash things up, scream and shout, get in people's faces and break stuff", he was prescribed antidepressants and anxiolytics.^[9] Numan's wife, then a nail technician, considered him to have Asperger syndrome. He has never been medically diagnosed.^[26] In a 2001 interview, he said: "Polite conversation has never been one of my strong points. Just recently I actually found out that I'd got a mild form of Asperger's syndrome which basically means I have trouble interacting with people. For years, I couldn't understand why people thought I was arrogant, but now it all makes more sense.".^[27]

Following the harassment of his wife while his family was walking on High Street and the 2011 England Riots Numan filed papers to emigrate to the United States. He plans to live in Santa Monica, California. Numan said "Every village and town in England has a bunch of thugs running around in it. The riots were the nail in the coffin".^[28]

In late August 2011, in the Q&A section of NuWorld, in answer to the question "Is it true you now hate England and want to leave?" he replied, "No, that’s utter rubbish." He explained that he'd "never been abused in my local high street," and has "made no firm decision about leaving the UK" but thugs are helping make such a decision, pointing out that the rioting "makes us look like a country of ignorant savages, beating up people already injured, pretending to help while stealing their things, hitting old men, killing them." He went on to explain that soundtracks may be a logical step, as he gets older and since "in the UK we have no meaningful film industry to speak of," a move to the U.S. might be more reasonable. He concluded by saying his family are highest priority and, "If I see somewhere that seems safer, happier and will give them a better life than the UK, I’ll take them there if I possibly can."

Discography[link]

• Tubeway Army (1978) (with Tubeway Army)
• Replicas (1979) (with Tubeway Army)
• The Pleasure Principle (1979) (Numan's first album under his own name)
• Telekon (1980)
• Dance (1981)
• I, Assassin (1982)
• Warriors (1983)
• Berserker (1984)
• The Fury (1985)
• Strange Charm (1986)
• Metal Rhythm (1988) (New Anger in the United States)
• Automatic (1989) (With Bill Sharpe)
• Outland (1991)
• Machine and Soul (1992)
• Sacrifice (1994) (Dawn in the US)
• Exile (1997)
• Pure (2000)
• Hybrid (2003)
• Jagged (2006)
• Dead Son Rising (2011)

References[link]

• Paul Goodwin (2004). Electric Pioneer: An Armchair Guide To Gary Numan.
• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles 7th Edition

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gary Numan

• NuWORLD: Official website
• Complete discography, unofficial
• Review: Exposure – NXLive.co.uk
• North American Gary Numan Fan Club, unofficial

Ninjaman, alias Don Gorgon, (born Desmond John Ballentine on January 20, 1966, in Annotto Bay, Jamaica) is a popular dancehall deejay and actor, known for his controversial and pro-gun lyrics and his stuttering and melodramatic style.^[1] Ninjaman is currently out on bail awaiting trial for a murder that was committed in Kingston, Jamaica.^[2]

Biography[link]

After moving from his birthplace Annotto Bay to Kingston at the age of 11, he launched his deejay career with the Black Culture Sound System at age 12 as "Double Ugly". In 1980, he joined Killamanjaro, there got the chance to learn from established deejays Super Cat and Early B, and released his debut single as "Uglyman". Yet another name change made him the now well known Ninjaman.^[3] In 1987, Ninjaman recorded - and produced himself - his first hit single "Protection", a duet with Courtney Melody. The following years brought many prolific collaborations with producers like King Jammy, Witty, Xterminator, Philip "Fatis" Burrell, Redman, Ini Kamoze, Bobby Digital, Augustus "Gussie" Clarke, and Steely & Clevie and Henry "Junjo" Lawes. It has been said that Ninjaman comes up with all of his lyrics on the spot in the recording studio, in a freestyle manner.

His hits over the years 1989-1992, like "Murder Dem", "Permit to Bury" and "Above the Law" reinforced Ninjaman's image of a violent rude boy. One of his most infamous rivalries (besides the ongoing quarrels with Flourgon and Super Cat) was the one with Shabba Ranks, leading to a number of clashes.

In 1993, criticism of Ninjaman's violent and pro-gun lyrics arose, leading to a decline in performing gigs and chances to record.

By 1997, Ninjaman had changed his name once again, now performing gospel reggae songs as "Brother Desmond". He sought help to fight his crack cocaine addiction in born again Christianity.

In the late 1990s, he was accused (but later acquitted), among other things, of having raped a woman at knifepoint in his home and having murdered a taxi driver. He was sentenced to one year in jail in late 1999, after being convicted of unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition.

In July 2001, Ninjaman was assaulted with a machete, suffering several wounds, some to the head.

In March 2009, Ninjaman, along with his son Jamel, was arrested and charged in connection with a murder on Marl Road, Kingston, Jamaica.^[2] He was granted bail for the sum of JD$2,000,000 in March 2012, and is scheduled to appear in court 15 July 2012.^[4]

Discography[link]

• Number One
• Glad Me Release (1986)
• Send Threat To Me (1988)
• Slackness Done (1988)
• Stumbling Block/Sixteen (1988)
• Superstar (1988)
• Big Showdown (1990)
• Kill Them And Done (1990)
• Murder Dem (1990)
• My Weapon (1990)
• Out Pon Bail (1990)
• The Last Of Flourgan (1990)
• Warning You Now (1990)
• Zig It Up (1990)
• Bring Them All To Jesus (1991)
• Bunty Hunter (1991)
• Dirt Heart (1991)
• Excuse Me (1991)
• From Mi Hold Him (1991)
• Gunman (1991)
• John Law (1991)
• Mandela Come (1991)
• Permit To Bury (1991)
• Step Aside (1991)
• Sunsplash (Don Gorgon) (1991)
• Target Practice (1991)
• Ting A Ling A Ling A School Pickney Sing Ting (1992)
• Hardcore Killing (1993)
• Original Front Tooth Gold Tooth Gun Pon Tooth Don Gorgon! (1993)
• Run come test (1993)
• Artical Don (1994)
• Booyakka Booyakka (1994)
• Hollow Point Bad Boy... (1994)
• Jungle Move (Remarc Remix) (1995)
• Ninja Man Mega Mix (2000)
• Anything Test Dead (2001)
• When It Done/Mad Again (2004)

References[link]

1. ^ "Ninjaman biography at allmusic". http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p109913. Retrieved 2007-05-28. 
2. ^ ^{a b} http://www.dancehall.mobi/2009/03/20/ninja-man-charged-with-murder/
3. ^ "Ninjaman biography at GLP". http://www.glp.at/cont/artistroaster/biographie.asp?ID=106. Retrieved 2007-05-28. 
4. ^ "Ninja Man granted bail". Jamaica Gleaner. March 23, 2012. http://jamaica-gleaner.com/latest/article.php?id=36104. Retrieved March 23, 2012. 

• Discogs entry

External links[link]

• DaintyCrew.com interview

Armando Giovanni Iannucci ( /ɑrˈmændoʊ jəˈnuːtʃi/; born 28 November 1963) is a Scottish^[1] comedian, satirist, writer, director, performer and radio producer. Born in Glasgow, he studied at Oxford University and left graduate work on a PhD about John Milton to pursue a career in comedy.

Rising quickly through BBC Scotland and BBC Radio 4, his early work with Chris Morris on the radio series On the Hour was transferred to television as The Day Today. A character from this series, Alan Partridge, went on to feature in a number of Iannucci's television and radio programmes including Knowing Me, Knowing You and I'm Alan Partridge. In the meantime, Iannucci also fronted the satirical Armistice review shows and in 2001 created his most personal work, The Armando Iannucci Shows for Channel 4.^[2]

Moving back to the BBC in 2005, Iannucci created the political sitcom The Thick of It as well as the spoof documentary Time Trumpet in 2006.^[2] Winning funding from the UK Film Council, he directed a critically acclaimed feature film In the Loop featuring characters from The Thick of It in 2009. As a result of these works, he has been described by The Daily Telegraph as "the hardman of political satire".^[3] Other works during this period include a operetta libretto, Skin Deep and his radio series Charm Offensive.

Iannucci's latest television project is the HBO political satire Veep. In March 2012 it was announced that he is working on his first novel, Tongue International, described as 'a satirical fantasy about a privatised language'.^[4]

Early life[link]

Iannucci's father, also called Armando, is from Naples, Italy, and his mother is from Glasgow, Scotland, where Iannucci was born. His father, who came to Scotland in 1950, ran a pizza factory. Armando has two brothers and a sister. Iannucci was educated at St Peter's Primary School, St. Aloysius' College, Glasgow, the University of Glasgow^[5] and University College, Oxford, where he read English literature gaining an MA in 1986. In his teens he thought seriously about becoming a Roman Catholic priest. He abandoned graduate work on 17th-century religious language with particular reference to Milton's Paradise Lost, to pursue his career in comedy.

Career[link]

1990s[link]

After making several programmes at BBC Scotland in the early 1990s such as No' The Archie McPherson Show, he moved to BBC Radio in London, making radio shows including Armando Iannucci for BBC Radio 1, which featured a number of comedians he was to collaborate with for many years, including David Schneider, Peter Baynham, Steve Coogan and Rebecca Front.

Iannucci first received widespread fame as the producer for On the Hour on Radio 4, which soon transferred to television as The Day Today. He received critical acclaim for both his own talents as a writer and a producer, and for first bringing together such comics as Chris Morris, Richard Herring, Stewart Lee, Peter Baynham and Steve Coogan. The members of this group went on to work on separate projects and create a new comedy "wave" pre-New Labour: Morris went on to create Brass Eye, Blue Jam and the Chris Morris Music Show; Stewart Lee and Richard Herring created Fist of Fun and This Morning with Richard Not Judy.

Baynham was closely involved with both Morris's and Lee & Herring's work — simultaneously at one point. Lee would go on to co-write the controversial Jerry Springer — The Opera, but perhaps the most famous "alumnus" of this group is Steve Coogan's character Alan Partridge, who first appeared in On the Hour, and has featured in multiple spin-off series. Between 1995 and 1999, Iannucci produced and hosted The Saturday Night Armistice.

2000s[link]

In 2000, he created two pilot episodes for Channel 4, which became The Armando Iannucci Shows. This was an eight-part series for Channel 4 broadcast in 2001, written with Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil. The series consisted of Iannucci pondering pseudo-philosophical and jocular ideas and fantasies inbetween surreal sketches. Iannucci has been quoted as saying it is the comedy series he is most proud of making. He told The Metro in April 2007 "The Armando Iannucci Show [sic] on Channel 4 came out around 9/11, so it was overlooked for good reasons. People had other things on their minds. But that was the closest to me expressing my comic outlook on life."^[6]

After championing Yes Minister on the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom, Iannucci devised, directed and was chief writer of The Thick of It, a political satire-cum-farce for BBC Four. It starred Chris Langham as an incompetent cabinet minister being manipulated by a cynical Press Officer, played by Peter Capaldi and based on Tony Blair's former Press Secretary Alastair Campbell. The series was broadcast in two-parts in 2005 before an expanded cast starred in two specials and a "third" series.

Based on a format he had used in Clinton: His Struggle with Dirt in 1996 and 2004: The Stupid Version, in mid-2006, his spoof documentary series Time Trumpet was shown on BBC 2. The series looked back on past events through highly edited clips and "celebrity" interviews, looking back on the present and near-future from the year 2031. One episode, featuring fictional terrorist attacks on London and the assassination of Tony Blair, was postponed and edited in August 2006 amid the terrorism scares in British airports at that time. Jane Thynne, writing in The Independent, accused the BBC of lacking backbone.^[7]

Other work[link]

Despite his involvement in many facets of British comedy as a producer, writer and performer, Iannucci has remained relatively unknown amongst the British public. His non-television projects include Smokehammer, a web-based project with Chris Morris, a book in 1997 entitled Facts and Fancies, compiling some articles from his newspaper columns, which was turned into a BBC Radio 4 series. A little-known radio series called Scraps With Iannucci followed late in 1998, in which Iannucci used his tape-fiddling skills to present a review of the year.

He has appeared on Radio 3 talking about classical music, one of his passions and collaborated with composer David Sawer on Skin Deep, an operetta, which was premiered by Opera North on 16 January 2009. He has also presented three programmes for BBC Radio 3, including Mobiles Off!, a 20-minute segment on classical concert-going etiquette.

He directed a series of Post Office television adverts, featuring the actors John Henshaw, Rory Jennings and Di Botcher alongside guest stars such as Joan Collins, Bill Oddie and Westlife.^[8]

Film directing[link]

In January 2009, his first feature film In the Loop, in the style of The Thick of It, was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It was the first cinema film to be directed by Iannucci, after his contribution to Tube Tales in 1999. The film has been applauded by critics, both in Britain and the US,^[9] and was nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar in 2009.^[10] The film secured the eighth highest placing in the UK box office in its opening week – despite its relatively insignificant screening numbers. According to the British Film Institute screenonline, Iannucci had previously failed to secure funding for a historical comedy film in 2003.^[2]

Iannucci used his BBC press pass to enter the US State Department headquarters whilst researching the film, saying how he just turned up and claimed to be "here for the 12.30". Iannucci spent an hour inside taking photographs which were used for the film's set designs.^[11]

Recognition[link]

Iannucci has won two Sony Radio Awards and three British Comedy Awards. In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy.^[12] He was also subject of a 2006 edition of The South Bank Show.

In January 2006 he took the post of News International Visiting Professor of Broadcast Media at the University of Oxford,^[13] where he has delivered a series of four lectures under the title "British Comedy — Dead Or Alive?".

In June 2011, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Glasgow to recognise his contribution to film and television.

At the 2011 British Comedy Awards, Iannucci received the Writers' Guild of Britain Award.^[14]

Personal life and politics[link]

In 1990, he married Rachael Jones, whom he met when she designed the lighting for his one-man show at Oxford. They have two sons and one daughter and currently live in Buckinghamshire.^[15]

He is patron of the Silver Star Society, a charity supporting women through difficult pregnancies. In April 2012 he abseiled from the top of the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford to raise money for the unit.^[16]

In the 2010 general election he supported the Liberal Democrats, stating: "I'll be voting Lib Dem this election because they represent the best chance in a lifetime to make lasting and fair change to how the UK is governed."^[17] Since the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition of 2010 was established, however, he has expressed doubts over his continued support for the party, saying he is 'wavering' on many issues and has admitted to 'queasiness' over the Coalition's economic measures. He has expressed an interest in targeting the Liberal Democrats in the next series of The Thick Of It, just as the first three targeted what he perceived as the failings within the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.^[18]

Iannucci describes Woody Allen as his "all-time comedy hero".^[19]

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

• The Day Today (BBC 2 — creator, co-writer, producer plus occasional appearances. The Day Today was the TV adaptation of On The Hour)
• The Saturday Night Armistice (writer, producer, presenter etc. - later The Friday Night Armistice)
• Knowing Me, Knowing You... with Alan Partridge (co-writer, producer, co-creator)
• I'm Alan Partridge (co-writer, producer, director)
• The Armando Iannucci Shows (writer, performer, director)
• Clinton: His Struggle with Dirt (writer, director)
• Gash (writer, presenter)
• Have I Got News For You, four times as a panelist on 23 April 2004, 4 May 2007, 20 May 2010 and 27 May 2011.
• The Thick of It (writer, director)
• 2004: The Stupid Version (Presenter, co-writer, director)
• Time Trumpet (writer, presenter, director)
• Comics Britannia (narrator)
• Paradise Lost (presenter and writer)
• Lab Rats (executive producer)
• Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle (executive producer, plus appears in "Comedy Extra" segments on red button)
• Channel 4's 2010 Alternative Election (guest)
• Veep (writer, director, producer)^[20]
• Armando Iannucci on Dickens (writer, presenter)^[21][22]

Radio[link]

• On the Hour (BBC Radio 4 — creator, co-writer, producer)
• No' The Archie McPherson Show (BBC Radio Scotland — presenter, writer, producer)
• Armando Iannucci (BBC Radio 1 — writer, presenter, producer)
• The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4 — producer, also appeared as guest)
• Quote... Unquote (BBC Radio 4 — producer)
• Loose Talk (producer)
• The Mary Whitehouse Experience (producer)
• The 99p Challenge on BBC Radio 4.
• Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive on BBC Radio 4
• Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World as various characters.
• Desert Island Discs - BBC Radio 4 as a guest. Armando reveals how as a youngster he rebelled against his parents' "Classical Music listening ways" by playing Wagner.
• Scraps With Iannucci a BBC Radio 4 series from 1998.
• Week Ending (BBC Radio 4 — producer)
• The Unbelievable Truth (BBC Radio 4- guest)

Film[link]

• Tube Tales - "Mouth" (1999)
• In the Loop (2009)

Bibliography[link]

Print[link]

• Alan Partridge: Every Ruddy Word by Steve Coogan, Peter Baynham, Armando Iannucci, Patrick Marber (Michael Joseph, 2003) ISBN 0-7181-4678-6
• Facts and Fancies (Michael Joseph, 1997) ISBN 0-7181-3951-8
• Weekly newspaper column in The Observer
• The Audacity of Hype: Bewilderment, Sleaze and Other Tales of the 21st Century (Little Brown, 2009) ISBN 978-1-4087-0197-3

Audiobooks[link]

• Facts and Fancies (BBC Audiobooks, 1998) ISBN 0-563-55756-7
• I'm Alan Partridge: Knowing Me, Knowing Yule (BBC Audiobooks, 1998) ISBN 0-563-55763-X
• Knowing Me, Knowing You...: With Alan Partridge: Complete Series (BBC Audiobooks, 1995) CD ISBN 0-563-38896-X, cassette ISBN 0-563-38891-9

References[link]

External links[link]

• Armando Iannucci on Twitter
• Profile at the BBC
• Column archive at The Guardian
• Armando Iannucci on Charlie Rose
• Armando Iannucci at the Internet Movie Database
• Armando Iannucci biography and credits at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
• Armando Iannucci collected news and commentary at The Guardian
• Works by or about Armando Iannucci in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Armando Iannucci at the Notable Names Database
• Armando Iannucci Interview, New Statesman, March 2010
• Armando Iannucci interview, LeftLion Magazine

Cheryl Cole
Cole performing with Girls Aloud at Battle Abbey in 2008.
Background information
Birth name	Cheryl Ann Tweedy
Born	(1983-06-30) 30 June 1983 (age 28)
Origin	Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyneside, England
Genres	Pop, R&B
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, dancer, model
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Fascination, will.i.am music[1]
Associated acts	Girls Aloud, will.i.am, Taio Cruz
Website	cherylcole.com

Cheryl Ann Cole (née Tweedy; born 30 June 1983), often known professionally as Cheryl, is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls Aloud.^[2] Cole has been part of the group's twenty consecutive top-ten singles (including four number one singles) in the UK and five platinum albums (two of which went to number one) and earned five BRIT Award nominations from 2005 to 2010. In 2009, Girls Aloud won "Best Single" with their song "The Promise". In 2009, Girls Aloud announced their musical hiatus and Cole went on to release two solo albums, which both went to number one in the UK: 3 Words (2009) and Messy Little Raindrops (2010). She achieved a number of hits, including two number one singles: "Fight for This Love" and "Promise This". Cole is set to release her third solo album A Million Lights on the 18 June 2012, with lead single "Call My Name" being released on the 10 June 2012.^[3]

Cole has become a recognised and photographed style icon;^[4][5][6] referred to as a fashionista by the press.^[7] She has been photographed for the covers of British Vogue,^[6] Elle^[8] and Harper's Bazaar, while also becoming the new face of cosmetic company L'Oréal.^[9] Cole was married to England footballer Ashley Cole from July 2006^[10] until September 2010, when she divorced him. ^[11][12] Cole became a judge on The X Factor in 2008,^[13][14][15] becoming the winning judge twice out of the three series she judged. In 2011, Cole left the UK version of The X Factor to judge the American version. However, Cole was sacked from the show.^[16][17][18] Cole's net worth was estimated at £15 million in April 2012.^[19]

Biography[link]

1983-2001: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Cole was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyneside, and grew up on council estates in the districts of Walker^[20] and Heaton.^[21] She is the fourth of five children of Joan Callaghan,^[22] and the eldest child of Gary Tweedy. Cole's parents never married each other; they separated when she was 11.^[23] She has a brother, Garry (born 1987, Newcastle)^[24] and three elder maternal half-siblings: Joseph, Gillian and Andrew.^[25]

As a small child in about 1990, she appeared in a television advert for British Gas.^[26]

As she was interested in dancing from an early age, Cole started sequence dancing at the age of four,^[27] before joining The Royal Ballet's summer school at the age of nine.^[28] She won modelling competitions, including the titles of Boots Group's "bonniest baby", Mothercare's Happy Faces Portrait competition, "Best Looking Girl of Newcastle", The Evening Chronicle's "Little Miss and Mister", and "Most Attractive Girl" at the MetroCentre.^[29] She also appeared in two British Gas adverts, an SCS advert, and an Eldon Square Christmas advert with younger brother Garry as well as appearing in dance recitals on some television shows.^{[citation needed]} She attended Walker Comprehensive School in Newcastle,^[30] and left at 16 with few qualifications. During her time there, she was suspended twice: once for fighting with another pupil and again for swearing on a bus.^[31] After leaving school in 1999, she took a job as a waitress in a restaurant.^[31]

2002–08: Girls Aloud, assault and marriage[link]

Cole performing with Girls Aloud

On 11 January 2003, Cole was involved in an altercation with a nightclub toilet attendant and was subsequently charged with assault over the incident.^[32][33] She was subsequently found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at her trial on 20 October,^[34] and sentenced to 120 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay her victim £500 in compensation, as well as £3,000 prosecution costs.^[34] Cole auditioned for the reality television show Popstars The Rivals in 2002 with the song "Have You Ever".^[35] Several thousand applicants attended auditions across the UK in hope of being selected. Ten girls and ten boys were chosen as finalists by judges Pete Waterman, Louis Walsh and Geri Halliwell. These finalists then took to the stage, participating in weekly Saturday night live performances which alternated weekly between the girls and boys. Each week, the contestant polling the fewest phone votes was eliminated, until the final line-ups of the groups emerged. Cole joined Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts, and Kimberley Walsh to form the new girl group Girls Aloud, as determined by a public vote administered through the show on 30 November 2002.^[2]

Cole performing with Girls Aloud at the O2 arena

The group's debut single "Sound of the Underground" peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the 2002 Christmas number one.^[36] Girls Aloud hold the record for the shortest time between formation and reaching number one.^[37] The group released their debut album Sound of the Underground in May 2003,^[38] which entered the charts at number two and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) later the same year.^[39] Since 2003, Girls Aloud have released twenty additional singles, with all but one charting within the top ten, and 15 reaching top five positions. Their singles "I'll Stand by You", "Walk This Way", and "The Promise" have charted at number one. Two of their albums have reached the top of the UK Albums Chart: their greatest hits album The Sound of Girls Aloud and 2008's Out of Control, both of which entered the chart at number one, with over one million copies of the former being sold.^[40] All five of their studio albums have been certified platinum by the BPI.^{[citation needed]} They have been nominated for five Brit Awards, and in 2009 won "Best British Single" at that year's Brit Awards for "The Promise".^[41] The group has sold ten million records worldwide.^[42] Girls Aloud have become one of the few UK reality television acts to achieve continued success, and had amassed a fortune of £25 million by May 2009.^[43] The 2007 edition of Guinness World Records listed them as "Most Successful Reality TV Group",^{[citation needed]} while they also hold the record for "Most Consecutive Top Ten Entries in the UK by a Female Group" in the 2008 edition.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2009, Girls Aloud announced they would take a year-long hiatus in the pursuit of solo projects, but would reunite for a new studio album in 2010.^[44] In August 2010, bandmate Nicola Roberts revealed that she wasn't anticipating a reunion of the band until 2012.^[45] Cole began dating England and Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole in September 2004, announcing their engagement after he proposed in Dubai in June 2005.^[46] The couple were married at a ceremony at Barnet, North West London on 15 July 2006.^[47] They signed an exclusive deal with OK!, reportedly worth £1 million, regarding the rights of the photographs.^[48] In January 2008, a hairdresser named Aimee Walton alleged in The Sun^[49] that she had engaged in drunken extramarital sex with Ashley Cole. Subsequently, glamour model Brooke Healy claimed that she had spent the night and had sexual relations with Ashley Cole in December 2006.^[50] The couple, however, reconciled.

[edit] 2008–09: 3 Words, Cheryl Cole's Night In and X-Factor

Cole's first solo performance was on American rapper will.i.am's "Heartbreaker" in 2008. She was picked to appear as a dancer in the video after taking streetdancing classes during the filming of the ITV2 series The Passions of Girls Aloud,^[51] in which the members of the band achieve something they had always wanted to do, other than sing.^[52] She was later asked, by will.i.am, to sing additional vocals on the track.^[53] In April 2009, Cole started working on solo material.^[54] Her debut album, 3 Words, was released in the UK on 26 October 2009.^[55] Cole was reunited with will.i.am for the album, in addition to collaborating with Fraser T. Smith, Syience, Danish production team Soulshock & Karlin, singer-songwriter Taio Cruz, Wayne Wilkins, and Steve Kipner. Recorded in Los Angeles and London, Cole mainly collaborated with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, the executive producer of 3 Words. It crosses from contemporary R&B, dance pop, house and a more general pop sound. Cruz was asked to write two songs for Cole, the first of which, "Break Your Heart", was written specially for Cole but Polydor label boss Ferdy Unger-Hamilton felt the song was too similar to Heartbreaker, the track Cole did with Will.i.am.^[56] When asked about the album's title Cole revealed she had already contemplated an album title which contained the phrase 3 Words before the title track was recorded.^[57] She had considered titles like Three Syllables, although the strongest contender was Unveiled as Cole "felt like she didn't have any protection without the girls [Girls Aloud]" and because it correlated with the veil on the album cover.^[57] The album begins with its title track, a duet with will.i.am and Cole's favourite song on the album.^[58] She said the song was "totally different from anything I've done [with Girls Aloud] or liked before" and took its inspiration from Cole's newly acquired love for dance music on the charts, especially David Guetta & Kelly Rowland's "When Love Takes Over".^[58]

3 Words spent two weeks at number one.^[59] On 6 November 2009, BPI certified the album Platinum, denoting shipments of over 300,000 units.^[60] It later tripled this feat.^[60] The first single from the album, "Fight for This Love", was written by Andre Merritt, Steve Kipner and Wayne Wilkins, and produced by Steve Kipner and Wayne Wilkins. According to Cole, it was released as the lead single because she "connected with the song so well".^[61] Following a performance on The X Factor live results show, "Fight for This Love" became the fourth best-selling single of 2009 in the UK.^[62] It charted at number one on both the Irish and UK Singles Chart.^[63] In 2010, "Fight For This Love" went to number one in Denmark, Norway and Hungary.^[64] "Fight for This Love" gained positive to mixed reviews. Ruth Harrison from 'Female First' was impressed by the song after initially being worried that Cole would not be able to cope going solo. She said "Whilst it does sound just a little big Girls Aloud-y, we still love it, and can see it being a huge hit on the club circuit up and down the country ... we think this is going to send her well on her way to global superstardom."^[65] The single was later certified silver in the UK. Cole's second single "3 Words", which features will.i.am, went to number 4 in the UK and seven in Ireland.^[66] In 2010, the single was released in Australia and charted at number 5 and was certified platinum.^[67] The third single, "Parachute", charted in the top five in both the UK and Ireland. The single was certified silver in the UK.^[60] From May to July 2010, Cole was the opening act for The Black Eyed Peas at the British shows (as well as some European dates) of The E.N.D. World Tour.^[68][69][70] Chris Johnson of the Daily Mail wrote, "she was supposed to be the support act. But as it turned out, Cheryl Cole ended up being the main event".^[71]

Cole was given a one-off television programme for ITV1 titled Cheryl Cole's Night In, which aired on 19 December 2009.^[72] The programme, hosted by Holly Willoughby, featured music and interviews with Cole and some of her favourite performers. Alexandra Burke, Rihanna, Will Young, Snow Patrol and will.i.am made appearances.^[73] Cole told the press, "I couldn't be happier that ITV have asked me to round off the year with my own show, working with some of my favourite artists".^[74] The programme attracted 5 million viewers on its first airing, substantially less than the 8.1 million viewers that Strictly Come Dancing received during the same time slot.^[75] In June 2008, it was announced Cole would replace Sharon Osbourne as a judge for the fifth series of The X Factor alongside Dannii Minogue, Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh. Cole was given the girls category (made up of female contestants between 16 and 25) and subsequently ended up as the victorious judge when Alexandra Burke was crowned the fifth winner of The X Factor on 13 December 2008.^[76] Cole returned for the sixth series in 2009 and was given the boys category (made up of male contestants aged 16 to 25).^[77] Cole emerged as the winning judge for a second consecutive year after Joe McElderry was crowned the sixth winner of The X Factor.^[78] Simon Cowell, the show's creator, said, "I knew she was going to be good because she speaks like normal people speak. People can relate to that. And I think that is the best sign of a judge."^[79] Cowell has referred to Cole as "one of the best I've ever worked with."^[80] Cole was interviewed during an episode of the fourth series of Piers Morgan's Life Stories. The show, which aired on 23 October 2010, drew an audience of 7.2 million: the highest figure in the chat show's history.^[81] As a member of Girls Aloud, Cole has also appeared in the fly on the wall documentary Girls Aloud: Home Truths, the E4 documentary series Girls Aloud: Off the Record, an episode of Ghosthunting With..., and a one-off variety show entitled The Girls Aloud Party.

[edit] 2010–11: Messy Little Raindrops, divorce, malaria and The X Factor USA

Cole alongside Simon Cowell on The X Factor

In March 2010, Cole stated that she had begun working on a follow up album to 3 Words, which she hoped to release "later on in the year".^[82] Cole's second solo album, titled Messy Little Raindrops, was released on 1 November 2010. The album's first single, "Promise This", was released on 24 October 2010 and became her second number-one hit in the UK.^[83] "Promise This" is an up-tempo dance-pop song written by American songwriter Priscilla Hamilton, British music producer Wayne Wilkins, who was responsible for Cole's debut single "Fight for This Love", and Christopher Jackson.^[84][85] The album was largely produced by Wayne Wilkins.^[86] The album also features guest vocals from August Rigo, Dizzee Rascal, Travie McCoy, and will.i.am.^[87] Cole started recording sessions for her second album in February 2010^[88] though in an interview on Alan Carr: Chatty Man she admitted that some of the songs submitted for the record dated back to 3 Words (2009).^[89] Messy Little Raindrops has received generally mixed reviews from music critics. A predominantly positive review came from Jon O'Brien of Allmusic who awarded it four out of five stars.^[90] Cheryl Cole made a high-profile appearance on Piers Morgan's Life Stories, in which she discussed her marriage and divorce with Ashley Cole and her life-threatening battle with malaria.^[91][92]

In early February 2010, news broke that Cole's husband had cheated on her with five more women.^[93][94][95] On 23 February, Cole announced she was separating from her husband.^[10][11] On 26 May 2010, Cole filed for divorce at London's High Court citing "unreasonable behaviour" of estranged husband Ashley as the reason for their break-up.^[12] She was granted a decree nisi on 3 September.^[96] In October of that year, Cole stated in an interview with The Guardian that she would continue to use her married name, saying that changing it back would make her seem "ashamed" of her marriage.^[97]

On 3 July 2010, Cole was admitted to hospital with suspected acute malaria after a visit to Tanzania.^[98] During an X Factor photoshoot in Cardiff, Cole has said that she noticed her lips were blue.^[99][100]

Cole returned for the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010 to mentor the girls category once again.^[101] In this series, Cole faced intense scrutiny from the public and the media after she rejected popular contestant Gamu Nhengu to go through to the live shows in favour of Cher Lloyd and Katie Waissel, even though both had fluffed their performances at judges' houses. Cole also receive more criticism after she refused to vote for an act in the fifth week, which resulted in claims that the show was fixed. This series would also mark the first that Cole was not the winning mentor, after a contestant in her category, Rebecca Ferguson, lost out to Matt Cardle, who was mentored by Dannii Minogue.

On 5 May 2011, it was officially announced after months of speculation that Cole would appear as a judge alongside Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Paula Abdul on the American version of The X Factor.^[102] However, after only three weeks as a judge and completing the auditions in Los Angeles and Chicago, Cole departed the show.^[17] Cowell said that the reason why Cole left was because he offered her the job in the UK version back and he felt that she would have been more comfortable there.^[103] Additionally, it was later confirmed that she would not be returning to the UK version either, as Tulisa Contostavlos had taken her place on the UK judging panel.^[104] Nicole Scherzinger replaced Cole on the judging panel of The X Factor USA for the rest of season 1.^[105]

[edit] 2012–present: A Million Lights

On 1 April 2012, Cole announced that the lead single from her third studio album will be called "Call My Name". Cheryl uploaded an audio video of the single on April 19, 2012 to her YouTube account.^[106] On 2 May 2012, the full length music video premiered.^[107] The song debuted on Capital FM's breakfast show on 20 April 2012.^[108] The single was written and produced by Calvin Harris and will be released on 10 June 2012.^[109] The video for the single was directed by Anthony Mandler and shot in Downtown Los Angeles.^[110] On 18 April 2012, Cole revealed the title of her third studio album, A Million Lights, which will be released on 18 June 2012.^[111]

Cole previewed a song entitled "Love Killer" on her official soundcloud.^[112] The album artwork for A Million Lights, as well the official track listing for the standard and deluxe versions of the album was revealed via Cole's Facebook and official website on 24 May 2012.^[113]

Other endeavours[link]

Products and endorsements[link]

Cole contributed to the book Dreams that Glitter – Our Story, an autobiography with her Girls Aloud bandmates, in October 2008. The book was written with a ghostwriter and published by the Transworld imprint Bantam Press.^[114][115] The book featured unseen photographs, included insights into the members' personal lives, their success together, style tips, and "everything [they]'ve learned about life, love and music."^[115][116] The book was previewed and serialised by OK! prior to its release. Girls Aloud held a book signing at Waterstone's in Piccadilly, London to promote the release.^[117] The title Dreams that Glitter comes from a line in the group's 2007 single "Call the Shots". Cole's first official book, entitled Through My Eyes, was published on 30 September 2010 by Bantam Press.^[118] The book is described as "a series of stunning exclusive new photos plus informal shots from her own personal collection ... a revealing and intimate portrait of the world of Cheryl Cole".^[119] Through My Eyes offers a glimpse of Cole in the recording studio, backstage on tour, behind-the-scenes at The X Factor, at photo shoots and at award ceremonies. She said the book is "filled with pictures that capture those moments, [her] memories and the people [she's] closest to".^[120] Cole is the subject of several unauthorised biographies,^{[121][122][123]} as well as books detailing her relationship with and divorce from Ashley Cole.^{[124][125][126]} In February 2009, Cole appeared on the cover of British Vogue. The media coverage of her appearance in the magazine boosted the magazine's circulation to 240,000: its best ever February figure.^[127] She also appeared on the November 2009 cover of the UK's Elle magazine.^[8] In late 2009, Cole became the new face of L'Oréal. However, her recent advertising campaign promoting the L'Oréal Elvive shampoo and conditioner range attracted criticism amid claims that she had deliberately deceived persons wishing to buy the product, since it shows Cole with hair extensions.^[128] As a member of Girls Aloud, Cole has endorsed Barbie,^{[citation needed]} Kit Kat,^[129] Nintendo DS,^[130] Samsung,^{[citation needed]} and Sunsilk.^[131]

Charitable activities[link]

In March 2009 Cole climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Comic Relief.^[132] The trek raised £3.4 million for the charity.^[133] Between 3 February and 23 March 2009, Cole raised money for Comic Relief by providing the voice for the BT Speaking Clock.^[132]

In February 2011, Cole launched her own charitable foundation with The Prince’s Trust following a meeting with The Trust’s President, HRH Charles, Prince of Wales. The Cheryl Cole Foundation will provide vital funds for The Trust in the North East, helping disadvantaged young people from Cole’s region.^[134] On 13 June 2011, she auctioned 20 dresses with ASOS to raise funds for the foundation.^[135][136]

Filmography[link]