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Vivid Entertainment Group is a pornographic film production company,^[1][2] featuring a catalog of VHS and DVD titles and internet content. In 2006 it was described by Reuters as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry.^[3]

Vivid specializes in high-production-value movies, shot in exotic locations with professional lighting and quality cinematography. Founder Steven Hirsch is co-chairman, along with Bill Asher, who is also a co-owner.^[4]

In the 1990s Vivid began to win industry honors, and today has more AVN Awards (described^{[by whom?]} as the "Oscars" of the adult business) than any other studio^{[citation needed]}. Vivid Girls in the 90s included the actresses who were known by their first names alone: Janine, Lexus and the late Savannah, plus stars such as Christy Canyon, Nikki Tyler, Racquel Darrian (the "brunette goddess of porn"^{[cite this quote]}), Chasey Lain, Heather Hunter and Kobe Tai. Those who have attained fame in more recent years include Jenna Jameson, Tera Patrick, Savanna Samson, Sunny Leone and others.

Vivid became the first studio to introduce celebrity sex tapes – Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee: Hardcore & Uncensored, Janine & Vince Neil: Hardcore and Uncensored, Kim Kardashian Superstar, Jimi Hendrix The Sex Tape and others.

Vivid reaches over seven million consumers every month.^[5]

Additional brand-name awareness has been created with marketing and licensing programs for Vivid Vodka, condoms, snowboards, skateboards, tee shirts, playing cards, advertising, calendars, comic books and book publishing. How to Have a XXX Sex Life: The Ultimate Vivid Guide,^[6] co-authored by the Vivid Girls and published by HarperCollins, was a best seller^{[citation needed]}.

In November 2011 Vivid filed a cease and desist letter to HTC America, claiming the mobile phone maker's newest model - VIVID - infringed upon its trademark. The letter threatened a lawsuit if HTC didn't change the name of their device by Monday, November 21st. ^[7]

Vivid and Alt-Porn[link]

In February 2006 Vivid made its foray into Alt porn with the signing of Director Eon McKai and the formation of the Vivid-Alt imprint.^[8] Vivid-Alt in turn hired erotic photographers—Dave Naz and Octavio "Winkytiki" Arizala^[9] to direct features for the imprint.

The first film directed by Eon McKai under that imprint, "Girls Lie", was nominated for an AVN Award, one of 13 nominations in 2008 for various Vivid-Alt imprint releases.^[10] In 2009 the company won the AVN Award for Best Music Soundtrack for "The Bad Luck Betties"^[11] and in 2010 for the musical soundtrack of "Live in My Secrets".^[12]

Vivid-Ed[link]

In March 2007 Vivid signed award-winning author, columnist, editor and sex educator Tristan Taormino to head up the Vivid-Ed imprint,^[13] which has produced several how-to DVD sex guides including "The Expert Guide To Anal Sex", "The Expert Guide to Oral Sex, Part 1: Cunnilingus", "The Expert Guide to Oral Sex, Part 2: Fellatio" and "The Expert Guide to the G-Spot". In 2010 Vivid Ed's director Tristan Taormino received several AVN Awards as well as the Trailblazer Award from the Feminist Porn Awards in Toronto, Canada on April 9, 2010.^[14]

Vivid-Celeb[link]

In 1998 Vivid pioneered the development of the celebrity sex tape, when it distributed Pam & Tommy Lee Hardcore & Uncensored. Some of the sexually explicit Vivid-Celeb videos are obtained directly from the celebrities while others are acquired through third parties. Vivid's collection of celebrity sex videos includes Janine & Vince Neil Hardcore & Uncensored (1998); The Tom Sizemore Sex Scandal (2005); Karrine Steffans Superhead (2006); Lil Jon's Vivid Vegas Party (2006); Toastee Exposed (Jennifer "Toastee" Toof) (2007); Kim Kardashian Superstar (2007); Jessica Sierra Superstar (2008); Former Miss USA Kelli McCarty in Faithless (2009); Mindy McCready Baseball Mistress (2010); The 11th Hole (2010) starring Tiger Woods' mistress Joslyn James; Kendra Exposed (2010) featuring TV personality Kendra Wilkinson, and Montana Fishburne (2010) starring the daughter of the famed actor Laurence Fishburne.

SuperXXXHeroes[link]

In 2010, following the successful distribution of Batman XXX: A Porn Parody from Axel Braun Productions, Vivid announced it would launch an on-going series of parodies under the Vivid SuperXXXHeroes imprint with Axel Braun as lead director. The first title is Superman XXX: A Porn Parody. Vivid will also continue to distribute parodies from Braun's production company. The initial lineup includes Star Wars XXX: A Porn Parody, to be followed by spoofs of the popular TV shows Law & Order, Starsky & Hutch, and The Addams Family, as well as classic movies like Grease, A Clockwork Orange and The Godfather.

Google TV[link]

On November 7, 2011 Vivid Entertainment launched its Vivid for Google TV channel as "the first TV app designed to make sexually explicit content available through the new Google TV set-top device". It will broadcast in high definition "award-winning adult movies, celebrity sex tapes, XXX parodies of popular superheroes, educational videos and other content", to who also subscribe to the company's website.^[15]

Policies and production values[link]

Vivid produces over 60 titles a year. The company has a small number of high budget movies that it produces and aggressively markets. This is different from many other San Fernando Valley production companies, which routinely film, edit and release a two-hour title in less than a week, spending relatively little on advertising or promotion. According to Forbes Magazine Vivid's annual revenue is estimated to be $100 million USD.^[16] The same estimate was given by Business Week in June 2006.^[17] However, Vivid also aggressively repackages its original material in compilations, which are relatively inexpensive to produce. Forbes also reported that approximately one third of all the titles sold in U.S. adult DVD stores are Vivid films.

Its titles are sold through retail stores across the United States, the rental market and direct to consumers through various online mail-order sites. Vivid also distributes the films to cable and satellite channels and offers its Internet subscribers full access to the largest archive of titles in the adult industry.

In February 2006 Vivid changed its condom-only policy to a condom-optional policy that lets performers decide whether or not to use them.^[18][19]

Vivid also runs several websites, including Vivid.com, featuring its Vivid Girls. These websites prominently promote the "Vivid Girls" and their various videos. The sites also allow users to view scenes from various Vivid productions, as well as much Internet-only content.

In October 2010, Vivid stopped production as a precaution when an actor tested positive for HIV.^[20]

Ownership[link]

Vivid Entertainment LLC is owned by Steven Hirsch, Bill Asher, and David James.^[21]

Legal controversy[link]

On December 6, 2007, Vivid Entertainment filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against PornoTube.^[22][23] The lawsuit alleged that the YouTube-like site profits from the illegal posting of Vivid's copyrighted films, and failed to comply with the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act, a federal age-verification and record-keeping law that applies to the adult film industry.^[24] The case was settled out of court.^[25]

In April 2010, country singer Mindy McCready sent Vivid a cease and desist letter ordering them not to distribute copies of her sex tape.^[26][27] Vivid produced proof that it had a signed release form from McCready.^[28]

Kimberly "Kim" Kardashian Humphries sued the company for full ownership of her sextape. She later dropped the suit and settled for $5 million.

Awards and Recognition[link]

According to AVN, Vivid has won more of its awards than any other studio in the history of the industry. A selection of some of them follows in addition to awards and nominations received from other notable industry organizations:

• 1987 AVN Award - 'Best Video Feature' for Blame it on Ginger^[29]
• 1991 AVN Award - 'Best Vignette Release' for Beat the Heat^[29]
• 1992 AVN Award - 'Best Vignette Release' for Scarlet Fantasy^[30]
• 1992 AVN Award - 'Top Renting Release of the Year' for The Masseuse^[30]
• 1992 AVN Award - 'Best Film' for On Trial^[30]
• 1997 AVN Award - 'Best Film' for Bobby Sox^[31]
• 1998 AVN Award - 'Best Film' for Bad Wives^[32]
• 2000 AVN Award - 'Best Film' for Seven Deadly Sins^[33]
• 2002 AVN Award - 'Best Film' for Fade To Black^[34]
• 2003 AVN Award - 'Top Selling Release of the Year' for Brianna Loves Jenna^[35]
• 2003 AVN Award - 'Top Renting Release of the Year' for Brianna Loves Jenna^[35]
• 2004 AVN Award - 'Best Film' for Heart of Darkness^[36]
• 2005 AVN Award - 'Best Film' for The Masseuse^[37]
• 2005 AVN Award - 'Best Video Feature' for Bella Loves Jenna^[37]
• 2006 AVN Award - 'Best Film' for The New Devil in Miss Jones^[38]
• 2006 AVN Award - 'Top Renting Release of the Year' for The Masseuse^[38]
• 2007 AVN Award – 'Best Gonzo Release' for Chemistry^[39]
• 2007 AVN Award – 'Best Interactive CD-ROM - Game' for Virtual Vivid Girl Sunny Leone^[39]
• 2008 AVN Award - Top Renting Title of the Year – 2007' for Debbie Does Dallas ... Again^[40]
• 2008 AVN Award - 'Best Film' for Layout^[40]
• 2008 AVN Award - 'Best Pro-Am Series' for Filthy's First Taste^[40]
• 2009 AVN Award – 'Best Music Soundtrack' – The Bad Luck Betties^[11]
• 2009 AVN Award - 'Best Educational Release' for Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Oral Sex 2^[11]
• 2009 AVN Award - 'Best Film' for Cry Wolf^[11]
• 2010 AVN Awards – Throat: A Cautionary Tale won 5 awards^[12]
• 2010 AVN Award – 'Best Overall Marketing Campaign – Company Image'^[12]
• 2010 AVN Award – 'Best Music Soundtrack' – Live in My Secrets – Vivid-Alt^[12]
• 2010 AVN Award - Vivid Ed for 'Best Educational Release' – Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Threesomes^[12]
• 2010 AVN Award – 'Best Pro-Am Series' Brand New Faces^[12]
• 2010 XBIZ Award Nominee - Studio of the Year^[41]
• 2010 XBIZ Award Nominee - Feature Movie of the Year for Faithless^[41]
• 2010 XBIZ Award Nominee - Feature Movie of the Year for Throat: A Cautionary Tale^[41]
• 2010 XBIZ Award Nominee - Feature Movie of the Year for Live In My Secrets (Vivid-Alt)^[41]
• 2010 XBIZ Award - 'Marketing Campaign of the Year' - Throat: A Cautionary Tale^[42]
• 2012 XBIZ Award - 'Marketing Campaign of the Year' - Spider-Man XXX^[43]

List of Vivid Girls[link]

The following is a list of notable current and former Vivid actresses.

See also[link]

• List of male performers in gay porn films
• List of pornographic movie studios

Wikinews has related news: Preview of sex tape starring former 'American Idol' finalist Jessica Sierra is released

External links[link]

• Official Vivid Site
• Vivid-Ed Site
• Vivid-Alt Site
• Vivid-Celeb Site

References[link]

Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian Fragrance Launch, Glendale, CA on February 22, 2011
Born	Kimberly Noel Kardashian (1980-10-21) October 21, 1980 (age 31) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Ethnicity	Armenian, Dutch, Scottish
Occupation	Businesswoman, socialite, television personality, model, actress
Years active	2007–present
Height	5 ft 2.5 in (1.59 m)
Television	Keeping Up with the Kardashians Kourtney and Kim Take New York
Spouse	Damon Thomas (m. 2000–2004) «start: (2000)–end+1: (2005)»"Marriage: Damon Thomas to Kim Kardashian" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Kim_Kardashian) Kris Humphries (m. 2011) «start: (2011)»"Marriage: Kris Humphries to Kim Kardashian" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Kim_Kardashian) (separated)
Parents	Robert Kardashian (father) Kris Jenner (mother) Bruce Jenner (stepfather)
Relatives	Kourtney Kardashian (sister) Khloé Kardashian (sister) Robert Kardashian Jr. (brother) Kylie Jenner (half-sister) Kendall Jenner (half-sister)
Website
kimkardashian.celebuzz.com

Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian^[1] (born October 21, 1980^[2]) is an American socialite, celebutante, television personality, model, actress and businesswoman. She is known for starring in Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the E! reality series that she shares with her family, and its spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York.^[3]

Prior to the development of her career as a reality television star, Kardashian gained notoriety as the subject of a sex tape that subsequently resulted in a court awarding her $5 million. She has been involved in the production of several lines of clothing and fragrances. In 2010, she was the highest earning reality star, with estimated earnings of $6 million, and is one of the most highly documented and followed celebrities in the world in popular media.

In August 2011, Kardashian married basketball player Kris Humphries in a widely publicized ceremony. In October 2011, Kardashian filed for divorce, 72 days after the wedding.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Kardashian was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of attorney Robert Kardashian and his wife Kris Kardashian (née Houghton). Her father was a third generation Armenian American, and her mother is of Dutch and Scottish descent.^[4] Kardashian has two sisters, Kourtney and Khloé, and one brother, Robert. She has stepbrothers Burton Jenner, Brandon Jenner, and reality TV star Brody Jenner, step-sister Casey Jenner, and half-sisters Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner.^[5] She attended Marymount High School.^[6]

In 2000, Kardashian married music producer Damon Thomas; their relationship ended in divorce in 2004. Subsequently she dated R&B singer Ray J, NFL star Reggie Bush^[7] and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin.^[8] She also dated model Gabriel Aubry.^[9]

2003–07: Controversy and reality television[link]

In February 2007, a home sex video that she made with singer Ray J in 2003^[10] was leaked.^[11] Vivid Entertainment bought the rights for $1 million and released the film as Kim Kardashian: Superstar on February 21.^[11] Kardashian sued Vivid for ownership of the tape. In late April 2007, Kardashian dropped the suit and settled with Vivid Entertainment for $5 million.^[12]

Kardashian was a friend of Paris Hilton, who introduced her to the socialite scene.^[13] Her first acting role was in the television series Beyond the Break. In October 2007, along with her two sisters, mother, brother, half-sisters, and stepfather she starred in the E! television series, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. As of October 2011, the series has aired 69 episodes over six seasons.

2007–2010: Modeling and retail[link]

Kardashian in Santa Monica, California on May 13, 2009 at Maxim's 10th Annual Hot 100 Celebration

Kardashian co-owns a clothing boutique called D-A-S-H with her sisters Kourtney and Khloé.^[14] In December 2007, Kardashian posed nude for Playboy.^[15] In February 2008, Bongo Jeans announced that she would be their face model.^[16] She has also modeled for Carl's Jr., Sugar Factory lollipops, and various other products.^[17][18]

Kardashian starred in the 2008 disaster film spoof Disaster Movie as Lisa,^[19] and appeared in the How I Met Your Mother episode "Benefits". She also appeared on the Season 3 premiere of the series 90210 with her sisters Khloé and Kourtney; they all played themselves.^[20] Kardashian was a guest hostess of WrestleMania XXIV and appeared as a guest judge during Cycle 13 of America's Next Top Model.^[21] On December 16, 2009, Kardashian made a guest star appearance on CBS's CSI: NY with Vanessa Minnillo.^[22][19] In 2009 she had a cameo as club bouncer in the 2009 porn film spoof Deep in the Valley^[19]

Kardashian was one of 13 participants on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars.^[23][19] She was partnered with Mark Ballas and was the third contestant voted off the show on September 30, 2008, finishing in 11th place overall.^[24] Sanford Siegal, the creator of the Cookie Diet, sued Kardashian, claiming she defamed him on Twitter. According to Siegal, Kardashian tweeted in October 2009 that he was "falsely promoting" that she was on the cookie diet. Siegal filed a claim in a Florida state court claiming the statements are false and defamatory. He also alleges that Kardashian was on QuickTrim's payroll when she posted the tweet. Kardashian's tweet appears to stem from an article on CookieDiet.com, that named Kardashian as one of many celebrities who saw positive results on the diet. Kardashian sent a cease-and-desist order to Siegal, demanding the link be removed.^[25]

Kardashian released her own fragrance product in 2010.^[26] In March 2009, Kardashian launched an endorsement with ShoeDazzle shopping,^[27] of which she is the co-founder and chief fashion stylist.^[17] The following month on April 9, 2009, Kardashian released a workout DVD series, Fit In Your Jeans By Friday, with trainers Jennifer Galardi and Patrick Goudeau.^[14][28] In September 2009, Fusion Beauty and Seven Bar Foundation launched "Kiss Away Poverty", with Kardashian as the face of the campaign. For every LipFusion lipgloss sold, $1 went to the Foundation to fund women entrepreneurs in the US.^[29]

She has also been featured in numerous international editions of FHM, including the cover of the April 2010 Australian edition and the UK March 2011 edition.^[30] Famous Cupcakes, a Los Angeles bakery, created a vanilla cupcake mix for Kardashian. The cupcake flavor is called Va-Va-Va-Nilla.^[17] Kardashian has also created jewelry along with her sisters, Khloé and Kourtney. They produced a collection for Virgins, Saints, and Angels in 2010.^[31]

Again with her sisters, Kardashian has released various clothing lines. One called K-Dash was to be sold on QVC in 2010,^[32] and in the same year they produced a range for Bebe.^[33][34][35] As of August 2011 they are creating another for Sears, called the Kardashian Kollection.^[36] In addition, Kardashian and her sisters created a sunless tanner called Kardashian Glamour Tan in 2010.^[37] On July 1, 2010, the New York City branch of Madame Tussauds revealed a wax figure of Kardashian.^[38]

2010–present: Marriage and other ventures[link]

Kardashian is the producer of The Spin Crowd, a reality television show about Command PR, a New York City public relations firm, run by Jonathan Cheban and Simon Huck. The show follows them as they settle into their new offices in Los Angeles. Kardashian is friends with both, specifically Cheban, and frequently appears on her reality shows. She also appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010.^[39] She also appeared in and was the subject and judge of a task on the ninth episode of Season 10 of The Apprentice in 2010; the two teams had to create an in-store display for her new perfume line, to be sold at Perfumania.^[40][41] Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé wrote an autobiography entitled Kardashian Konfidential, which was released in stores on November 23, 2010.^[42]

Kardashian at the Style Your Slim event.

In April 2010, Kardashian sparked controversy over the way she held a cat for a photograph.^[43] The same year, animal rights organization PETA criticized Kardashian for repeatedly wearing fur coats, and named her as one of the five worst people or organizations of 2010 when it came to animal welfare.^[44] In June 2010, The Guardian commented on her ability to attract payments of up to US$10,000 from sponsors for each tweet that she broadcasts.^[45]

In December 2010, Kardashian filmed a music video for a song titled "Jam (Turn It Up)". The video was directed by Hype Williams; Kanye West makes a cameo in the video.^[46] Kardashian premiered the song during a New Year's Eve party at TAO Las Vegas on December 31, 2010.^[47] The song was produced by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. When asked if an album is in the works, Kardashian replied: "There's no album in the works or anything – just one song we did for Kourtney and Kim Take New York, and a video Hype Williams directed, half of the proceeds we're giving away to a cancer foundation, because The-Dream's and one of my parents passed away from cancer. It's just all having fun – with a good cause".^[48] Jim Farber, writing for the Daily News, called the song a "dead-brained piece of generic dance music, without a single distinguishing feature," and suggested that the single made Kardashian the "worst singer in the reality TV universe."^[49]

Kardashian's 2010 earnings were the highest among Hollywood-based reality stars, being estimated at $6 million.^[50]

Kardashian has supported the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on numerous occasions and has encouraged Barack Obama and the United States government to consider its acknowledgement. On April 21, 2011, a few days before the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, she wrote about the issue on her blog in an effort to put it under spotlight and also sent a tweet to her fans urging its recognition.^[51]

Kardashian began dating NBA player Kris Humphries of the New Jersey Nets in October 2010. They became engaged in May 2011,^[52] and married on August 20, 2011 in Montecito, California.^[53] A two-part TV special showing the preparations and the wedding itself aired on E! in early October 2011, amidst what the Washington Post called a "media blitz" related to the wedding.^[54] After 72 days of marriage, Kardashian filed for divorce from Humphries on October 31, 2011, citing irreconcilable differences.^[55] After filing for the divorce, Kardashian asked the court to order Humphries to pay his own legal expenses.^[56] On December 1, 2011, Humphries filed his response to Kardashian's petition, requesting an annulment on the grounds of fraud or if the court will not grant an annulment, a decree of legal separation rather than Kardashian's requested divorce.^[57]

Several news outlets have surmised that Kardashian's marriage to Humphries was merely a publicity stunt to promote the Kardashian family's brand and their subsequent television ventures.^[58] Her former publicist has also claimed that her short-lived wedding was indeed staged and a ploy to generate money. Kardashian has since filed suit against him, saying his claims were untrue.^[59] A widely circulated petition asking to remove all Kardashian related programing off the air has been followed since their split.^[60] In March 2012, Kardashian and her sisters Kourtney and Khloe were named in a $5 million class action lawsuit against QuickTrim, the weight loss supplement they endorse.^[61]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (March 2012)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kim Kardashian

• Official website
• Kim Kardashian at the Internet Movie Database
• Kardashians join forces with Australian designer at Mediasearch

Tarsha Jones, better known as Miss Jones, is a former R&B artist and radio personality. Miss Jones is currently the host of Jonesy In the Morning, a morning show that airs nationally on MissJonesRadio.Net. After previously working for Hot 97 and until 2008 and WUSL Power 99Fm and until 2011, Jonesy In the Morning is produced by Miss Jones. The new show is titled "Jonesy In the Morning", a nationally syndicated urban morning show, presented by MissJonesRadio.Net. Jonesy In the Morning can be heard streaming online as well weekday mornings at www.MissJonesRadio.Net 6am-10am Eastern.

Early life[link]

Jones graduated with honors from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, having majored in classical music. She also has a bachelor's degree in music from Syracuse University. After graduating from college, she worked as a long distance operator.^[1]

Career[link]

Music[link]

Jones met rapper Doug E. Fresh, who admired her vocal skills and invited her to his Get Fresh Crew tour. She began performing on recordings by such hip-hop artists as Big Pun, AZ, and Common.^[1] In 1994, her singles "Where I Wanna Be Boy" and "Don't Front" became popular. Her debut album, The Other Woman, was released in 1998, as Jones quit performing to work for New York City urban radio station WQHT with Guests like Malkam Dior.^[2]

Radio and controversy[link]

Before becoming host of Hot 97's Miss Jones in the Morning show, Jones reported music industry gossip for the Star and Buc Wild morning show on Hot 97.^[3]

She wrote an autobiography, Have You Met Miss Jones?: The Life and Loves of Radio's Most Controversial Diva, in 2007, published by Random House.^[4]

On June 28, 2008, Hot 97's contract with Miss Jones expired. Radio show Big Boy's Neighborhood, hosted by Big Boy and MTV VJ Liz Hernandez, replaced Jones' former morning show.^[5]

Tsunami Song and racial epithets[link]

On January 17, 2005, Hot 97 Miss Jones provoked a controversy by airing a song entitled "USA for Indonesia" a month after approximately 187,000 people died in the Asian tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The song, a parody sung to the 1985 tune "We Are the World", was criticized for overtly racist mocking of the Asian and East African victims; the song lyrics contain the racially derogatory word "Chinamen," and calls the drowning victims "bitches." Some of the lyrics included the words "Go find your mommy. I just saw her float by, a tree went through her head. And now your children will be sold. Child slavery".^[6]

Miss Info, a fellow on-air colleague of Korean descent, was outraged and spoke against the song on the station. She excluded herself from producing the song and said it was wrong for it to be played.^[7] Miss Info immediately found herself subjected to a four-minute, on-air lambasting from the other DJs. Miss Jones accused Miss Info of always distancing herself from the antics of the others, and of acting superior because she is Asian.^[8] Another jock on the show named Todd Lynn muttered "I'm gonna start shooting Asians."^[9]

Following angry protests from the Asian-American community, bloggers, and networking sites, and other New Yorkers, Miss Jones, DJ Envy , and Tasha Hightower were suspended for two weeks while Todd Lynn and song writer Rick Del Gado were fired.^[10][11] The station issued an apology on its website. Newsday, Sprint, McDonald's, and Toyota all pulled their advertising from the station.^[12] The suspended employees' pay was diverted to charities helping victims of the tsunami.^[7]

Bibliography[link]

• Jones, Tarsha. Have You Met Miss Jones?: The Life and Loves of Radio's Most Controversial Diva. New York: Random House: 2007. ISBN 0-345-49748-1.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

Kristina and Karissa Shannon
Karissa (left) and Kristina during Los Angeles Fashion Week (October 13, 2008)
Playboy centerfold appearance
July/August 2009
Preceded by	Candice Cassidy
Succeeded by	Kimberly Phillips
Personal details
Born	(1989-10-02) October 2, 1989 (age 22) Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Karissa and Kristina Shannon

Kristina and Karissa Shannon (born October 2, 1989 in Ann Arbor, Michigan) are American glamour models, Playboy Playmates, and twin sisters.

Career[link]

In 2008, the Shannons moved into the Playboy Mansion as two of Hugh Hefner's three new girlfriends; because of their relationship with Hefner, the Shannons began appearing on the E! network reality television series The Girls Next Door. Despite their "girlfriend" status, Karissa said the relationship she and Kristina shared with Hefner was more for fun and the opportunity to be on the show, rather than romance. The first episode they appeared in attracted 2.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched season premiere in the show's history;^[1] five weeks after the premiere, ratings had dropped to 919,000.^[2]

The Shannons appeared as Miss July and Miss August 2009 in the combined "summer issue" of Playboy, a combined issue necessitated by financial problems at the publisher.^[3] The two shared a single centerfold, becoming the only twins to be designated Playmate of the Month for two distinct months.^{[citation needed]} By January 2010, the Shannon twins moved out of the mansion, though they continued to appear in The Girls Next Door.

The twins had small roles in Somewhere, a film directed by Sofia Coppola which won top honors at the 67th Venice International Film Festival in 2010.^[4]

In 2011, Karissa and her actor boyfriend Sam Jones III released the song 'Juice and Vodka' to a positive reception. The song is due to be put on iTunes for purchase in early 2012.

Karissa Shannon attracted some publicity by confirming she had been involved in sex tapes with her boyfriend actor Sam Jones III.^[5][6] The twins were housemates on Celebrity Big Brother 2012 UK. They came in 5th place on Friday 27th January 2012.

Arrests[link]

The Shannons were charged in January 2008 with aggravated battery after reportedly fighting with two others at a house party. The assistant state attorney filed the charge as felony battery. After pleading no contest, they were put on probation and required to pay restitution.^[7]

Karissa Shannon was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge in November 2007.^[7]

Filmography[link]

References[link]