William John Hartack Jr. (December 9, 1932 – November 26, 2007) was a Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania.

Referred to by the media as both "Bill" and "Willie" (actually Hartack detested being called "Willie" because of his dislike for fellow jockey Willie Shoemaker) during his racing career, Hartack grew up on his widowed father's farm in the Blacklick Township area of Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Small in stature, at age 17 he stood 5 ft. 4 in. (1.63 m) and weighed 111 lb (50 kg), a size that enabled him to pursue a career as a jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. By his third season of racing, Hartack was the United States' leading jockey, going on to win that honor on three more occasions. He and Eddie Arcaro are the only two jockeys to ever win the Kentucky Derby five times. As well, Hartack won the Preakness Stakes three times and the Belmont Stakes once. He rode Tim Tam to victory in the 1958 Florida Derby but two weeks before the Kentucky Derby, Hartack broke a leg and had to give up his ride on Tim Tam, who won the race.

During his riding career between 1953 and 1974 in the United States, Hartack rode 4,272 winners in 21,535 mounts. From 1978 to 1980 he raced in Hong Kong, then retired in 1981. Hartack led the nation in races won four times, and was the first rider to have purse earnings of $3 million in a season.

After he retired as a jockey, Hartack worked off-and-on for the rest of his life as a steward for many racetracks.

Hartack made the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in 1956 and again in 1964, plus the cover of Time in 1958. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1959 at the early age of 27.

In 1967, Hartack authored (with Whitney Tower) a three-part series in Sports Illustrated titled "A Hard Ride All The Way." Published in the March 27, April 3 & April 10 issues, the series chronicled Hartack's life and included his often run-ins and disputes with owners, trainers, racing officials and members of the press.

Winners ridden in Triple Crown Classic races :

• Kentucky Derby:

1957 : Iron Liege

1960 : Venetian Way

1962 : Decidedly

1964 : Northern Dancer

1969 : Majestic Prince

• Preakness Stakes:

1956 : Fabius

1964 : Northern Dancer

1969 : Majestic Prince

• Belmont Stakes:

1960 : Celtic Ash

On November 26, 2007, days before what would have been his 75th birthday, Hartack was found dead in a cabin at a camp near the town of Freer, Texas, in southern Texas, where he went each winter to hunt. The cabin was checked because he had not been seen by his friends since the previous day. He died from natural causes due to heart disease, according to the chief medical examiner in Webb County.^[1]

The camp where Hartack was found is the property of the Thoroughbred owner Greg Goodman, a friend and client of Stidham's. Stidham's father George was Hartack’s agent at the end of the jockey's career.

The Bill Hartack Charitable Foundation was established to honor a racing legend and icon, and to continue in his name contributions to the industry he dearly loved - Thoroughbred Racing. More information can be found at billhartackfoundation.com.

References[link]

Notes[link]

• William J. Hartack at the United States' National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

External links[link]

• Obituary in The Times, 2 January 2007
• ESPN Five-Derby Winner Bill Hartack Dies

William Nils Erich Petzäll (born 26 August 1988) is a Swedish politician. He is a member of the Riksdag since 2010; he was elected as a member of the Sweden Democrats but currently sits as an independent.

Political career[link]

Petzäll has been active in the Sweden Democratic Youth (SDU) and the Sweden Democrats. He was in the municipal assembly in Borås from 2006 to 2010. During a Baltic Sea cruise in 2009, Petzäll and several other SDU members were caught on tape singing nationalist songs. He later explained that the songs were performed ironically.^[1]

When the Swedish Democrats entered the Swedish parliament in the Swedish general election in September 2010, Petzäll took a seat for the Dalarna electoral district. Later that year, on 20 November, Petzäll was elected the president of the Sweden Democratic Youth.

On 6 February, 2011, Petzäll was taken into temporary custody for public intoxication. He took some time off from the parliament for drug rehabilitation. He returned on 25 March and publicly promised to never drink again, but had a relapse three months later. According to Swedish newspaper Expressen, party chairman Jimmie Åkesson urged Petzäll to give up his seat in the parliament, but he declined. On 26 September, he announced that he would act as an independent politician focusing on drug addiction issues.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• William Petzäll at the Riksdag website

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 2009)

Håkan Hellström
Background information
Born	(1974-04-02) 2 April 1974 (age 38), Gothenburg, Sweden
Genres	Pop Soul Folk pop Power pop Indie Pop
Labels	TheifMusic
Associated acts	Broder Daniel Honey is Cool
Website	www.hakanhellstrom.com

Håkan Hellström (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈhoːkan ˈhɛlːstrøm]) (born 2 April 1974) is a Swedish musician. He got his Swedish breakthrough in the year 2000 with the song "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg" ("Don't feel sorry for me, Gothenburg"). In 2005, Hellström released his fourth album, Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blått (literally: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue), which is a collection of old material that never made it onto any of his albums, a few new songs and covers. In 2006, following the birth of his son, he announced that he would take a break from touring and recording.^[1] Despite this, he still performed occasional gigs. Since then he has released his fifth album För sent för Edelweiss (Too Late for Edelweiss). His sixth and most recent album is the critically acclaimed 2 steg från Paradise, released on October 13, 2010.

Hellström played drums in the Swedish indie pop band Broder Daniel between 1988 and 1994, then briefly for Swedish alternative rock band Honey Is Cool. In 1997 he rejoined Broder Daniel to play the bass, until 2003 when he left the band again to focus completely on his solo career. Although sometimes accused for consistently singing out of tune, he has over time grown to be popular with all ages due to his enthusiasm, scene energy and interpretations of old popular favourites live.^{[citation needed]}

Controversies[link]

Throughout his career, Hellström's influences have shown clearly in his music, which often includes lines or melodies picked up from other people's songs. The sources range from Evert Taube, via Hellström's own band Broder Daniel, to American indie rock band Pavement. Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg was particularly lush with references to Morrissey and The Smiths. While some critics have celebrated Hellström's personal take on music history (and pointed out that Morrissey himself was not a stranger to incorporating lines written by others), it has also led to accusations of plagiarism.

In 2002, Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet ran an article^[2] bringing attention to the similarities between his song "När jag ser framåt" and the piece Pie Jesu from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem. "När jag ser framåt" was the second track of the single "Kom igen Lena!". Following the accusations, the single was withdrawn from the market, and re-released with a different b-side.

Discography[link]

Hellström in Eskilstuna, 2008.

Albums[link]

• Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg (Don't feel sad for me, Gothenburg) (2000) (Platinum)
• Det är så jag säger det (That's how I say it) (2002) (Platinum)
• Ett kolikbarns bekännelser (Confessions of a colic-child) (2005) (Gold)
• Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blått (Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue) (2005) (Gold)
• För sent för Edelweiss (Too late for Edelweiss) (2008) (Gold)
• Två steg från paradise (Two steps from paradise) (2010) (Platinum)

EP's[link]

• Luften bor i mina steg (The air lives within my footsteps) (2002)

Singles[link]

• "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg" (Don't feel sad for me, Gothenburg) (2000)
• "Ramlar" (Falling) (2000)
• "En vän med en bil" (A friend with a car) (2001)
• "Nu kan du få mig så lätt" (Now you can get me so easily) (2001)
• "Kom igen Lena!" (Come on Lena!) (2002)
• "Den fulaste flickan i världen" (The ugliest girl in the world) (2003)
• "Mitt Gullbergs kaj paradis" (My Gullberg's quay paradise) (2003)
• "En midsommarnatts dröm" (A midsummernight's dream) (2005)
• "Dom kommer kliva på dig igen" (They will step on you again) (2005)
• "Gårdakvarnar och skit" (Farmmills and shit) (2005)
• "13" (2005)
• "Jag hatar att jag älskar dig och jag älskar dig så mycket att jag hatar mig" (I hate that I love you and I love you so much that I hate myself) (2006)
• "Klubbland" (Clubland) (2006)
• "För en lång lång tid" (For a long long time) (2008)
• "Kär i en ängel" (In love with an angel) (2008)
• "Jag vet inte vem jag är men jag vet att jag är din" (I don't know who I am but I know that I am yours) (2008)
• "River en vacker dröm" / "Saknade te havs" (Double A-side) (Tearing down a beautiful dream / Lost at sea) (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Håkan Hellström's official website (in Swedish)

Topo Gigio was the lead character of a children's puppet show on Italian and Spanish television in the early 1960s. The character, created by artist Maria Perego, debuted on Italian television in 1959 and has been customarily voiced by actor Giuseppe "Peppino" Mazzullo. The Italian nickname "Gigi" is a diminutive of Luigi ("Louis"),^[1] so Topo Gigio could be translated as Louie Mouse.

Topo Gigio, a soft foam mouse with dreamy eyes and a childish personality, was very popular in Italy for many years — not only on TV, but also in children's magazines, such as the classical Corriere dei Piccoli, animated cartoons, movies, and merchandising. The character's popularity spread to the world after being featured on The Ed Sullivan Show in the US. Today, Topo Gigio still has a cohort of faithful fans, and has become an icon of Italian and Spanish pop culture. He performs regularly at Zecchino d'Oro festival and other programs created by Antoniano and RAI. In 1965, a feature length motion picture Le Avventure di topo Gigio (The Adventures of Topo Gigio) was released internationally.

The puppet has made appearances and has a fan base in many other countries — including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela, and the former Yugoslavia.

Shows[link]

During the first half of the 1960s (especially in 1964), there was a TV music show presented by the British singer Chris Howland both in Austria and Germany; in Austria Mike Molto had a special small show to help the advertising industry in the early 1960s. (Austrian television advertising first started in 1959.) Topo Gigio was part of the Italian puppet show of Madame Maria Perego. A 1969 color television show especially for children in Austria and Switzerland was called Cappuccetto and Her Adventures with her friends Lupo Lupone, Professor Lhotko, a fox, some other animals of the forest, her grandmother and a music band with five little mushrooms playing on guitars and singing.^[2]

During the 1960s, the American Topo Gigio appeared on the long-running CBS-TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show.^[3] Created by a troupe of Italian puppeteers, it took four people to bring the 10" tall character to life, three to manipulate him and one to create his voice. The puppet stood in a special "limbo" black art stage with black velvet curtains, designed to absorb as much ambient light as possible, which helped hide the puppeteers, who also dressed in black from head to toe. Each puppeteer operated a different part of Gigio's foam rubber body by using several wooden dowel rods (also painted black). The illusion was quite remarkable, since unlike traditional hand puppets, Topo Gigio could actually appear to walk on his feet, sing, make subtle hand gestures, and even walk up Ed Sullivan's arm and perch on his shoulder. Careful lighting and TV camera adjustment made the "black art" illusion perfect for the television audience, though on at least one appearance, Ed asked the puppeteers to come out and take a bow, revealing their black-clad appearance (though deftly hiding Gigio's mechanisms to conceal the secret).

In more than fifty appearances on the show, the mouse would appear on stage and greet Sullivan with, "Hello, Eddie!". Gigio would occasionally talk about his girlfriend, Rosie. Gigio ended his weekly visits by crooning to the host, "Eddie, kiss me goodnight!" (pronounced as "Keesa me goo'night!"). Topo Gigio closed Sullivan's final show in 1971.

The character was introduced in South America, Spain and in Japan, which spawned a successful Japanese animated series. There was also a feature film, released in 1965, The Magic World of Topo Gigio with a Japanese Italian international co-production film Toppo Jijo no botan senso in 1967.

The character still appears in Italian and Spanish speaking territories.^{[citation needed]} He is also "the spokes-mouse" for the United Nations.^{[citation needed]}

References in popular culture[link]

• In Japan, Topo Gigio was the protagonist of Topo Gigio and the Missile War (1966, dir. Kon Ichikawa) and a 1988 animated movie produced by Nippon Animation.
• In Latin America, Topo Gigio became a smash hit in 1968, widely remembered even now, featuring Braulio Castillo, Raul Astor (Raúl Ignacio Spangenberg) and later, Julio Alemán. Gigio had several LPs with songs sung by Gabriel Garzón. The show was produced in Peru, and then in Mexico. He made a comeback for the 2006 Germany World Cup, in short segments of a sports show.
• In 1966, Topo Gigio appeared on the first of many occasions in ITV's Sunday Night at the London Palladium with Jimmy Tarbuck (Compere), Nina & Frederik and Lonnie Donegan.
• A mention of Topo Gigio was made in the 1999 film Being John Malkovich. In the movie, Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is in control of John Horatio Malkovich (John Malkovich); while instructing a class of puppetry, he angrily corrects a student's poor performance of the marionettes, instructing that puppetry without emotion is "a novelty act. It's Topo Gigio."
• Another mention occurs in the 1994 film The Santa Clause. When Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is giving alternative names for Santa Claus to the police officer in the interrogation scene, Scott imitates Ed Sullivan when he says the name "Topo Gigio." This is a reference to at least one episode of the Ed Sullivan Show, in which Gigio dresses as and imitates Santa.
• The music video for Billy Joel's song, "Tell Her About It", which puts Joel on the stage of The Ed Sullivan Show, begins with Sullivan saying, "Thank you, Topo Gigio."
• On an episode of Fantasy Football League during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, a 'lookalikes' segment commented that Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar resembled Topo Gigio.
• Topo Gigio has been the official mascot of the Uruguayan club Huracán Buceo since 1968.
• Popular Mexican singer Victor Yturbe, mentions the line "Quiero hacerle al Topo Gigio" in his single "Sabes de que Tengo Ganas"
• In Craig Lucas's play, Blue Window, Topo Gigio is referenced.
• The Guardian Guide journalist Charlie Brooker, in his Screen-Burn column, likened All Saints Natalie Appleton to Topo Gigio after her appearance in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!^[4]
• In the syndicated comic strip 9 Chickweed Lane, on July 16, 2008, Edda refers to her new dance partner as Topo Gigio.
• In the episode "The Last Temptation of Cory" of the television series Boy Meets World the character Missy Robinson mistakenly calls Topanga "Topo Gigio".
• On August 20, 2008, TMZ.com compared Shawn Johnson to Topo Gigio. Which ultimately got the reference removed from the site due to a public uproar.
• In the musical Forever Plaid, the number "Lady of Spain" ends with the phrase "Kiss Topo Gigio Goodnight."
• Argentine footballer Carlos Tevez claimed that his goal celebrations were to honour Topo Gigio after Manchester City's 2-1 win over his former club and fierce rivals Manchester United in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg 2009/10 season. Tevez claimed that his Argentine team mate Juan Roman Riquelme also honours Topo Gigio with his goal celebrations.^[5]
• A restaurant in Chicago is named Topo Gigio^[6] in honor of the character.
• Topo Gigio was also a favorite reference in the earlier seasons of the American television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, usually with the character Crow T. Robot (performed by Trace Beaulieu) announcing "Ladies and gentlemen, Topo Gigio!" in the voice of Ed Sullivan.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Topo Gigio at TV Acres
• TV toys-collectibles: Topo Gigio
• TMZ.com/Shawn Johnson comparison
• Ed Sullivan Presents: Topo Gigio and Friends
• TV Puppet Topo Gigo Turns 50
• TOPO GIGIO DREAM iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch APP with music
• Topo Gigio
• Topo Gigio

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. (March 2011)

Garry Shandling
Shandling at the 39th Primetime Emmy Awards, September 20, 1987
Birth name	Garry Emmanuel[citation needed] Shandling
Born	(1949-11-29) November 29, 1949 (age 62) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, Television, Film
Nationality	American
Years active	1978–present
Genres	Observational comedy, Social satire
Subject(s)	Self-deprecation, Human sexuality, Everyday life
Influences	Woody Allen, Johnny Carson
Influenced	Ricky Gervais, Judd Apatow, Jon Stewart, Louis C.K.
Domestic partner(s)	Linda Doucett (1987–1994)
Notable works and roles	Garry Shandling in It's Garry Shandling's Show Larry Sanders in The Larry Sanders Show
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series 1998 The Larry Sanders Show
BAFTA Awards
Best International (Programme or Series) 1999 The Larry Sanders Show
American Comedy Awards
Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series 1988 It's Garry Shandling's Show 1996 The Larry Sanders Show 1998 The Larry Sanders Show 1999 The Larry Sanders Show

Garry Emmanuel Shandling (born November 29, 1949) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He is best known for his work in It's Garry Shandling's Show and The Larry Sanders Show.

Shandling began his career writing for sitcoms such as Sanford and Son and Welcome Back, Kotter. He made a successful stand-up performance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and became a frequent guest-host on the show. Shandling was for a time considered the leading contender to replace Carson (other hopefuls were Joan Rivers, David Letterman and David Brenner). In 1986 he created It's Garry Shandling's Show, for the pay cable channel Showtime. It was nominated for four Emmy Awards (including one for Shandling) and lasted until 1990. His second show, The Larry Sanders Show, which began airing on HBO in 1992, was even more successful. Shandling was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards for the show and won in 1998, along with Peter Tolan, for writing the series finale.

During his three-decade career, Shandling has been nominated for 19 Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, along with many other awards and nominations.

Early life and career[link]

Shandling was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a Jewish family. He grew up in Tucson, Arizona, the son of Muriel, a pet store proprietor, and Irving Shandling, a print shop owner.^[1][2] He had an older brother, Barry, who died of cystic fibrosis when Garry was 10. Shandling attended Palo Verde High School. After graduation, he attended the University of Arizona, at first majoring in electrical engineering, but eventually completing a degree in marketing and pursuing a year of postgraduate studies in creative writing.

In 1973, Shandling moved to Los Angeles, California. He worked at an advertising agency for a time, and then sold a script for the popular NBC sitcom Sanford and Son. Shandling's script became the November 21, 1975 episode titled "Sanford and the Rising Son," in which Ah Chew (played by Pat Morita) turned junkyard owner Fred Sanford's (played by Redd Foxx) house into a Japanese restaurant. Shandling also wrote the script for the Sanford and Son episode, "The Committee Man", in which Fred Sanford represents the community of Watts on the Los Angeles Mayor's Committee. In addition to Sanford and Son, Shandling wrote scripts for the sitcoms Welcome Back, Kotter and Three's Company.^[3]

In 1977, Shandling was involved in an auto accident in Beverly Hills that left him in critical condition for weeks.^{[citation needed]} He later turned the accident into part of his stand-up comedy

He had a minor role in The Dictator as Food Critic Review Guy.

Stand-up comedy[link]

In an interview, he said that he became a stand-up comedian because he was frustrated by situation comedy's formulaic writing. In 1978, Shandling performed his first stand-up routine at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

In 1979, Shandling was one of about eighteen comedians who crossed the picket line during the (CFC) Comedians for Compensation strike.^{[citation needed]} Other notable comics to have done so included Yakoff Smirnoff and Mike Binder. According to William Knodelseder's I'm Dying Up Here, before the strike, Mitzi Shore had not booked Shandling in the Comedy Store's regular lineup. Shandling is the descendant of a notable family with holdings in manufacturing, which may have led to anti-union views and he may have been using the stand-up comics striking as an opportunity to get out of sitcom writing by getting noticed as a stand-up comedian.^{[citation needed]}

His persona was an anxiety-ridden, grimacing, guarded, confused man on the verge of losing control. After a couple of years on the road, a talent scout from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson caught his act and booked him to appear as a guest host on March 18, 1981. Shandling began substituting for Carson on a regular basis, along with Joan Rivers, until 1985.

In 1984, he performed his first stand-up special, "Garry Shandling: Alone in Vegas", for Showtime,^[4] followed by a second televised special in 1986, "The Garry Shandling Show: 25th Anniversary Special", also for Showtime.^[5] In 1991, a third special, "Garry Shandling: Stand-Up", was part of the HBO Comedy Hour.^[6]

Shandling still performs stand-up comedy and tours the U.S. each year. He also continues to perform on various television talk shows. Some of his stand-up performances can be viewed on YouTube, including his first appearance on The Tonight Show and some of his Comic Relief act.

TV series[link]

It's Garry Shandling's Show[link]

Shandling and co-writer Alan Zweibel went on to create the surreal comedy series It's Garry Shandling's Show in 1985. It ran for 72 episodes on the Showtime cable television network through 1990. The edited reruns played on the Fox network beginning in 1988. Shandling wrote 15 episodes of the show.

The series subverted the standard sitcom format by having its characters openly acknowledge that they were all part of a TV show. Building on a concept that harked back to The Burns and Allen Show, in which George Burns would frequently break the "fourth wall" and speak directly to the audience, Shandling's show went so far as to incorporate the audience and elements of the studio itself into the storylines, calling attention to the artifice of the show.

The show was nominated for four Emmy awards including one for Shandling. He won an American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Performance in a Series, and won four CableACE awards, two for Best Comedy Series. The show also won an award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy in the Television Critics Association Awards.

On October 20, 2009, Shout! Factory released It's Garry Shandling's Show: The Complete Series on DVD. The 16-disc set features extensive bonus features including featurettes, commentaries and outtakes. The first season was released individually on April 15, 2010.

The Larry Sanders Show[link]

Shandling during the 1994 Emmy Awards rehearsals.

In 1992, Shandling launched another critical and commercial success by creating the mock behind-the-scenes talk show sitcom The Larry Sanders Show. It ran for 89 episodes through 1998 on the cable network HBO. It garnered 56 Emmy Award nominations and three wins. In an interview, he stated that he based the show on his experiences guest hosting The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.^{[citation needed]}