Haley Reinhart
Haley Reinhart performing on the Idols Live Tour
Background information
Born	(1990-09-09) September 9, 1990 (age 21) Wheeling, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Rock, blues, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, soul
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2011–present
Labels	19/Interscope Records[1]
Website	http://www.haleyreinhart.com

Haley Reinhart (born September 9, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter from Wheeling, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, who placed third in the tenth season of American Idol. Reinhart is currently signed to 19 and Interscope Records.^[1]. Her debut album "Listen Up!" was released on May 22, 2012 to critical acclaim.^{[2] [3]}

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Haley Reinhart was born in Wheeling, Illinois on September 9, 1990 to Patti Miller-Reinhart and Harry Reinhart.^[4] Both her parents are musicians.^[5] She began singing when she was 8 years old, and she performed with her parents’ band, Midnight, which covers rock songs from the ’60s and ’70s.^[6] She attended Mark Twain Elementary School, O.W. Holmes Middle School, and Wheeling High School.^[7] After graduating from high school in 2009, Reinhart attended Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, in 2009–2010, studying jazz.^[5] She performed at the 2009 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland with her high school's jazz band^[8] and at Harper College with the college's Jazz Ensemble and the Jazz Lab.^[9]

[edit] 2009–11: American Idol

Overview[link]

Reinhart first auditioned for the ninth season of American Idol, in Chicago, but did not advance to the Hollywood round, however, she returned the following year for the tenth season of Idol in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and advanced.

In the group round of the competition her group mates included fellow finalist Paul McDonald. Later in the second solo round, she performed "God Bless the Child", impressing the judges. In Vegas Round, she grouped up with fellow finalists Naima Adedapo, and Jacob Lusk, performing The Beatles's "The Long and Winding Road".

She is the only season 10 contestant who has over one million views on four of her YouTube performance videos: her renditions of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep",^[10] Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets"^[11] Ben E. King's "I (Who Have Nothing)",^[12] and her version of "House of the Rising Sun".^[13] Every video reached the one million views in less than a month. Her version of "Rolling in the Deep" reached over 2.4 million views before it was taken down, and as of now Haley's re-uploaded version of "Rolling in the Deep" has reached 6 million views so far. Her version of "House of the Rising Sun" reached 1.5 million views as of November 20, 2011, was taken down, and again reached over 1 million views. Her version of "I Who Have Nothing" reached 2 million views as of January 30, 2012, and her rendition of "Bennie and the Jets" reached 2 million views on April 2, 2012. All of these videos have been taken down.

She was also the only contestant in season 10 who received three standing ovations from the judges in consecutive weeks: "The House of the Rising Sun",^[14] Ben E. King's "I (Who Have Nothing)"^[12] and Led Zeppelin's "What Is and What Should Never Be".^[15] Her performance of "Moanin'", with fellow contestant Casey Abrams during the Top 8 results show, also received a standing ovation from the judges^[16] and was considered one of the best duets and performances of the season.^[17][18] During the American Idol Finale, Reinhart sang "Steppin' Out with My Baby" alongside jazz singer Tony Bennett which also received a standing ovation.

Musician and celebrity support[link]

She received notable musician and celebrity support from Robert Plant, Lady Gaga, Jimmy Page, Kelly Clarkson,^[19] Adam Lambert,^[20] Tom Hanks,^[21] Blake Lewis,^[22] Melinda Doolittle, Kris Allen,^[23] Ellen DeGeneres,^[24] and others, who picked Reinhart as their favorite Season 10 contestant. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page contacted Idol producers and offered Reinhart the opportunity to sing a Led Zeppelin song for Top 3 week.^[25]

Performances/results[link]

• ^Note 1 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Reinhart was among the Bottom 3 but declared safe second, as Ashthon Jones was eliminated.
• ^Note 2 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Reinhart was among the Bottom 3 but declared safe second, as Karen Rodriguez was eliminated.
• ^Note 3 Due to the judges using their one save on Casey Abrams, the Top 11 remained intact for another week, when two contestants were eliminated.
• ^Note 4 Reinhart was saved first from elimination.

[edit] 2011–present: Listen Up! and other projects

After her elimination, Reinhart had reportedly signed to Interscope Records, as per the implication of AI executive producer and director Nigel Lythgoe's tweet, which read: "Jimmy played me a song for Haley's record yesterday. Let's hope all the people that are professing love buy it and give her a great start."^[27] On May 28, 2011, Reinhart and the other American Idol top 4 performed at the opening of the new Microsoft Store at Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta, Georgia. On June 2, 2011, Reinhart was interviewed on Live with Regis and Kelly. She performed "House of The Rising Sun" on the show. On June 17, 2011, TVLine released an interview between Reinhart and Michael Slezak. They discussed her life before Idol, her "cannon fodder" edit on the show, her unfair treatment by the judges, her unique song choices that became known as "some of the best on Idol ever", and her future. Slezak crowned her TVLine's favorite Season 10 contestant and thanked her for "kicking ass" and being "a risk-taker and awesome". In less than a week, the article became the most commented on article on the website.^[28]

Reinhart is currently being managed by 19 Entertainment alongside fellow Idol season ten contestants Pia Toscano and James Durbin.^[29] Reinhart, along with the rest of the Top 11, toured the country as a part of the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2011, which ended on September 10, 2011. Reinhart, along with fellow contestants Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, and James Durbin, released a Walmart Exclusive EP with her highlights from season 10 on American Idol. The tracks feature some of her popular performances such as "House of the Rising Sun" and "Bennie and the Jets" as well as a previously unreleased recording of "You Oughta Know".

On July 26, 2011, it was confirmed that Reinhart signed to 19/Interscope Records.^[1] Reinhart will release her debut album through 19 Recordings and Interscope Records. She is currently in the studio working and writing on her album. She stated she's recorded a few songs so far, and the sound direction is more of an R&B/soul music with jazzy influences. She is in the process of picking her first single, and hopes the album will be out early next year.^[1] On August 16, 2011, Reinhart was an artist featured in the Huffington Post's article entitled "15 New, Young Artists On The Rise".^[30]

Reinhart and former American Idol Season 10 contestant, Casey Abrams, recorded a holiday song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside", which released on November 21, 2011.^[31] The official video was released on November 15, 2011.^[32] The Idol duo performed "Baby It's Cold Outside" and the Beatles' "All My Loving" in The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, and on Windy City Live. Prior the release of her album, Reinhart performed at Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse in New Orleans, singing a jazz version of "God Bless the Child". He then asked her to perform with him again at Carnegie Hall this upcoming October.^{[citation needed]} She performed an acoustic version of Wild Horses with Slash and Myles Kennedy on February 18, 2012 at the Power of Love Gala for Muhammad Ali. Slash tweeted "Myles Kennedy & I performing "Wild horses" w/amazing vocalist, @haleyreinhart for tonight's Ali event. Fn' cool." Reinhart also lead the birthday song to Ali.^[33]

For her debut album Listen Up!, Reinhart has stated that she wants to have an "organic" feel to it, stating, "I want it to be real and I want it to have substance. Depth on different levels is so important to me...I want people to be able to run away with my melodies and get lost in them and take the lyrics and be able to relate to them."^[34] She has written or co-written the tracks on her album.^[34]

The first single of Reinhart's debut album is entitled "Free" which is produced by Busbee. The single was released on March 20. She has performed "Free" and two other songs, "Wasted Tears" and "Hit the Ground Running" at various venues, including the Hard Rock Cafe. "Hit the Ground Running" was written by Reinhart, Aimée Proal and Mike Elizondo.^{[citation needed]} In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Reinhart revealed the names of some of the tracks of her album. The song first debuted number six on the Philippine Charts^[35], but later on reached itself to top 2. In addition to "Free", "Hit the Ground Running", and "Wasted Tears", other songs on her album will include "Keep Coming Back", "Undone", and "Oh My" which will feature B.o.B.^[34] Reinhart's debut album Listen Up! was released on May 22, 2012,^[36][37] and can be pre-ordered through her website.^[37]. The album has gained much support on Twitter from Adam Lambert and Kris Allen.

Reinhart guest starred on 90210 on the Season 4 episode 20 Blue Ivy and performed her single "Free."

On April 11, 2012, it was announced that Haley would be a part of the 2012 Lollapalooza lineup.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Promotional singles[link]

Extended plays[link]

Videography[link]

Music videos[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Haley Reinhart on Allmusic
• Haley Reinhart on American Idol

Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton at Barnes & Noble book signing (Union Square, New York City, September 6, 2011)
Born	Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. (1978-03-23) March 23, 1978 (age 34) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Blogger, television personality
Years active	2001–present
Website
PerezHilton.com

Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. (born March 23, 1978), better known as Perez Hilton (a play on "Paris Hilton"^[1]), is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com (formerly PageSixSixSix.com), is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities. He is also known for posting tabloid photographs over which he has added his own captions or "doodles." His blog has garnered negative attention for its attitude, its former "outing" of alleged closeted celebrities and its role in the increasing coverage of celebrities in all forms of media.

Early life[link]

Hilton was born in Miami, Florida to parents from Cuba. He graduated in 1996 from Miami's Belen Jesuit Preparatory School and received his BFA in drama from New York University. In 2002, Hilton moved to Los Angeles, where he currently resides.^[2]

PerezHilton.com[link]

After graduation from New York University in 2000, and before beginning his blogging career, Hilton attempted a career as an actor.^[3] He briefly worked as a media relations assistant for LGBT rights organization GLAAD, was a freelance writer for gay publications, worked as a receptionist for NYC gay events club Urban Outings, and was briefly the managing editor of Instinct, a gay men's magazine.^[4] He says he started blogging "because it seemed easy."^[5][6]

Hilton's angle on celebrity gossip includes an unapologetic desire to mingle with and be a part of celebrity culture. He often describes celebrity awards shows, clubs, and private events he has attended, and posts photographs of himself with the celebrities he writes about under the "Personally Perez" category of his blog. Although Hilton has an affinity for some celebrities, such as Lady Gaga and Sophia Bush, he also has a "vendetta" against certain stars, such as Disney Channel star Vanessa Hudgens and Gossip Girl teen actress Taylor Momsen. Teen phenomenon Miley Cyrus publicised her personal disapproval of Hilton over Twitter to which he replied.^[7][8] Some have suggested, however, that Hilton's proximity to the celebrities about whom he writes has led to biased coverage on his blog. He purports to have befriended Paris Hilton, the source of his nickname and frequent subject of his posts. It has been noted, for example, that he rarely reports on stories or rumors casting Paris Hilton in a negative or unflattering light,^[9] and that, unlike most gossip blogs, he often acknowledges and praises her positive achievements.^[10] Additionally, Hilton has been known to speak out publicly against the discriminatory behavior of celebrities and other public figures. For instance, he called for the firing of Isaiah Washington from ABC television series Grey's Anatomy for making homophobic remarks and called for his readers to do the same.^[11] However, in early 2007, he was criticized by the blog The Hollywood Gossip for ignoring racist and homophobic remarks made by Paris Hilton.^[12]

Hilton often promotes his favorite up-and-coming musicians by posting streams of their songs under the "Listen To This" category of his blog.^[13] London-based singer Mika's 2007 rise to popular success in North America has been partially attributed to Hilton's frequent support.^[14][15] Hilton and Mika also claim to be friends.^[16][17]

Blogging success[link]

During an interview in Cliché Magazine's June/July 2010 issue, Hilton said that he only started blogging as a hobby. "What set my site apart is that prior to PerezHilton.com, most blogs were mainly online journals and diaries, but that never interested me. I wanted to talk about celebrities because they're far more entertaining."^[18] On March 11, 2005, within the first six months of Hilton's blogging career, PageSixSixSix.com was named "Hollywood's Most-Hated Website" by The Insider, catalyzing an initial surge in its popularity which temporarily crippled its server.^[19][20][21] Hilton claimed that on July 30, 2007, a seemingly "ordinary day," Perezhilton.com had over 8.82 million page views in a 24 hour period.^[22] Other sources dispute the reliability of Hilton's traffic claims.^[23]

Pop singer Fergie has confirmed that she is referring to Hilton in her 2006 song "Pedestal," in which she criticizes an unidentified person for making negative remarks about her on the internet.^[24]

On August 17, 2007, citing exclusive sources, Hilton announced the death of Cuban President Fidel Castro, and claimed that he was the first media outlet in the world to break the news.^[25] Although Hilton claimed that U.S. officials would be making an announcement within hours, no announcement was made, and no major media outlets verified Castro's death.^[26] The Associated Press later determined that rumors were sparked by a meeting of Miami officials who were to discuss the city's plans when Castro dies. Rumors were further fueled by a road closure in the Florida Keys that was due to a police standoff.^[27] Castro appeared in an interview on Cuban television on September 21, 2007, "looking frail but sounding lucid," and mocking rumors of his death.^[28] On September 9, 2009, Perez appeared on The Tyra Banks Show and cited his premature reporting of Castro's death as his "one regret."

On September 15, 2008, Terra.com named Perez Hilton as the Hispanic of the Year in Honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.^[29]

As of April 2009 PerezHilton.com was ranked by Alexa as the 491st most trafficked website on the Internet (143rd within the United States) with 2/3 of users being American and strongest demographic being females between the ages of 18 and 24.^[30]

Civil litigation[link]

A suit against Hilton for copyright infringement was filed by Zomba Label Group on October 11, 2007, stating that Hilton illegally posted recordings by Britney Spears on PerezHilton.com. The illegal postings include at least 10 completed songs and unfinished recordings leaked over a period of three months. The suit asks for real and punitive damages in an unspecified amount as well as legal costs. Spears is not a party to the suit.^[31] In March 2008, Hilton announced on his blog that he would no longer blog about artists signed to Sony BMG (which owns Zomba). However, when the lawsuit was settled in November of that year, Hilton ended his boycott and resumed regular blogging about Sony BMG artists.^[32]

On October 11, 2007, a judge cleared the way for Hilton to be deposed in an on-going defamation suit brought against him by DJ Samantha Ronson, after a post on PerezHilton.com claimed that she had planted cocaine in friend Lindsay Lohan's car and set Lohan up to be photographed while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Hilton's report was a repetition of gossip initially posted on CelebrityBabylon.com. The judge was informed in court that the owner of that site has already settled the case with Ronson.^[33] On January 23, 2008, Perez Hilton was awarded $85,000 by Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle in this lawsuit filed by Ronson.^[34]

Hilton has attracted lawsuits due to his use of video footage of celebrities on his blog. He was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by attorneys for Irish actor Colin Farrell on July 18, 2005, after posting a link to Farrell's sex tape with then-girlfriend Nicole Narain on his site^[35] and on February 20, 2007, a lawsuit filed against him by Universal City Studios Productions LLP for posting a topless image of actress Jennifer Aniston that was allegedly "misappropriated and illegally copied" from unreleased footage from her 2006 motion picture The Break-Up.^[36]

Bloggers, journalists, news agencies and photographers alike have charged that Hilton posts paparazzi photographs and other copyrighted content from their sites.^[37] On November 30, 2006, celebrity photo agency X17Online filed a lawsuit against L Hilton in federal court, seeking over US$7.5 million in damages for copyright infringement.^[38] X17's co-owner Robin Navarre told the LA Times that the sale value of their photographs has been significantly reduced because the photos have appeared on PerezHilton.com before they could be published in magazines to which exclusivity is important. Navarre said,

"X17 can make as much as tens of thousands of dollars from one magazine on an exclusive story. In the case of the Spears smooch shot, X17 sold a two-page spread to Us Weekly, but the magazine decided to shrink the photo play (which lowered the price by $10,000, to $15,000)...because the images had already been on Hilton's site and others."^[39]

Hilton defends his use of this material by claiming it falls under the fair use exception to the Copyright Act; that is, according to the LA Times, the photos are altered "to achieve a satiric or humorous end."^[39] On March 9, 2007, a judge ruled that Hilton could continue operating his website while the lawsuit remained before the courts.^[40] On April 23, 2007, a consortium of five celebrity photo agencies filed a joint lawsuit in federal district court in California against Hilton, claiming more than US$7 million in damages from 25 instances of alleged copyright infringement.^[41] Just days later, on April 26, 2007, upon arriving at the Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia to attend the MTV Australia Video Music Awards, Hilton was served with a lawsuit by celebrity photo agency PhotoNews claiming C$4,200 in damages for his alleged unauthorized use of a single copyrighted paparazzi photograph of John Mayer and Jessica Simpson.^[42]

On June 20, 2007, Variety reported that Hilton's web host had dropped his site upon threats of liability in the cases outlined above. Francois Navarre, co-owner of X17, told Variety, "It's the first victory, and we put a lot of work into trying to get this to happen." He added, "It's a precedent that's huge. When we were talking to Crucial Paradigm they were saying they were not responsible, dragging their feet. We had to threaten them and show them they were liable. His new host is Blogads, and we're contacting them already."^[43]

On June 26, 2007, Hilton posted an open call on his blog to all of X17's photographers, both past and present, to contact him if they have not been adequately compensated for working overtime or pictures submitted in the past.^[44] Hilton has not used photos by X17 on his website since the suit.

According to an August 2009 Los Angeles Times profile of Hilton, X17's lawsuit against Hilton was ultimately settled out of court. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.^[45]

"Outing" celebrities[link]

On his blog, Hilton is open about his homosexuality and about his desire to "out" those who he claims are closeted gay celebrities. When former 'N Sync member Lance Bass officially came out as gay on July 26, 2006, Hilton received criticism for having been partially responsible in the outing. "It upsets me that people think what I'm doing is a bad thing," Hilton told Access Hollywood. "I don't think it's a bad thing. If you know something to be a fact, why not report it? Why is that still taboo?"^[46] On November 2, 2006, another celebrity often questioned by Hilton for remaining closeted, actor Neil Patrick Harris, revealed that he is gay.^[47]

Prominent members of the gay community who have criticized Hilton's outing tactics include Arts & Entertainment Editor of The Advocate Corey Scholibo, AfterElton.com editor Michael Jensen, and Damon Romine, spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.^[4] Kim Ficera, contributing writer for AfterEllen.com, wrote,

"I have to question the character of a man who attacks others on such deeply personal levels, without provocation and for self-benefit, monetary or otherwise....If he's emotionally incapable of exhibiting even the tiniest bit of compassion for closeted people, if he can't be sensitive to the fact that coming out is a very personal decision and that the process can be difficult for some — especially celebrities — I feel sorry for him. If his juvenile behavior is his shtick, I think it makes him a much more pathetic figure, and one the gay and lesbian community should not support...If we support behavior like Hilton's, we applaud shallowness, arrogance, rage and invasion of privacy, and risk becoming what we despise."^[48]

Some of Hilton's fellow gossip bloggers have also objected to his approach. Trent Vanegas, who runs "Pink Is the New Blog," told Salon.com, "I do not outright call people gay. I do not feel it is my place, or anyone else's place, to make people come out of the closet. Being shockingly hurtful just to get attention is not my style." David Hauslaib of gossip blog Jossip.com stated, "The rationale that he's doing this for the good of that gay community is tantamount to saying that there is a gay agenda. Is this a positive for the gay community? I'd say, 'No.'" Author, screenwriter, and former friend Japhy Grant has also questioned his motives, writing on Salon.com, "Spreading gossip is just your average pedestrian variety of immorality. Claiming that you're doing it to further civil rights is an outright sham."^[4]

When questioned on Midweek Politics about whether reporting on celebrities' sexual orientation incites homophobia by making it news, Hilton indicated that he did not believe so.^[49] He said that coming out in Hollywood is not necessarily a bad thing, citing Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell as examples: "I know there is some controversy about outing people, but I also believe the only way we're gonna have change is with visibility. And if I have to drag some people screaming out of the closet, then I will. I think that lots of celebrities have an archaic fear that being gay will hurt their career but look at Rosie. Look at Ellen."^[50]

Some prominent gay rights advocates disagree. GLAAD spokesperson Damon Romine told Salon.com, "Media speculation about a celebrity's orientation is not something we support. This kind of gossip can lead some people to the decision to come out, as we've seen recently, or it may drive others further into the closet. People are going to become more guarded and secretive and not less, because they don't want to create any opportunities [for anyone to out them]." Actor Bruce Vilanch said, "What purpose does it serve? These [people like Perez] are professional homosexuals. They are gay people for a living. They have to respect the rights of homosexuals who aren't professional."^[4] In an article entitled "Just How Dangerous is Perez Hilton?", AfterElton.com suggested that Hilton's actions put people's careers at risk, because anti-gay bias is still a prominent part of American culture. He continued, "Both as a gay man and a journalist, I question whether the gay community should approve of Hilton's actions....Being associated with someone who publishes photos of panty-less starlets and scribbles dirty notes....makes us look infantile and ridiculous."^[51]

Controversy[link]

Miss USA 2009[link]

Hilton served as a judge for the Miss USA 2009 pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2009.

During the Q&A portion of the contest, Hilton asked the Miss California USA representative, Carrie Prejean whether she believed every state should legalize same-sex marriage. She responded that she believes marriage is between a man and a woman due to her religious upbringing. After the pageant Perez Hilton made derogatory comments about the contestant and told ABC news "She lost it because of that question. She was definitely the front-runner before that,"^[52] leading some to believe that the answer directly had caused her to lose the competition.^[53] Prejean stated that Miss California USA officials had pressured her to apologize for her statement and "not talk" about her Christian faith.^[54]

After the pageant, Hilton posted a video blog on his website, where he called Prejean a "dumb bitch" and said her answer was the worst in pageant history.^[55] Several politicians and commentators, including gay rights activists, assailed Hilton and defended Prejean for promoting her personal beliefs.^[56][57][58]

Post MMVA 2009 incident in Toronto[link]

In June 2009, Hilton alleged in a video blog^[59] that he was assaulted by The Black Eyed Peas' operation manager Polo Molina following the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards after-party where the Black Eyed Peas' front man will.i.am was DJing. Hilton reported in his video that he was "clocked" in the eye by Molina.^[60] will.i.am also released a video statement^[61] in which he claimed he had approached Hilton regarding derogatory comments made by the blogger concerning bandmate Fergie and the group's latest release The E.N.D.. During the incident, Hilton called will.i.am a "faggot" (Hilton later admitted in an interview with The Advocate that he originally considered using the word "nigger" instead)^[62] in order to get a reaction out of him, and it was at this point that Molina allegedly attacked Hilton. will.i.am claimed the attacking party was a fan, although Molina has been detained and will appear in a Toronto court concerning the incident. Hilton would later file a civil lawsuit against Molina, seeking an unspecified amount over $25,000 US to cover medical costs and as compensation for the "humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress" that Hilton suffered as a result of the attack.^[63]

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation called upon Hilton to apologize for using an anti-gay slur against will.i.am during the incident, saying "We have reached out to Hilton and asked him to apologize . . . and we would ask media outlets to avoid repetition of the slur in their coverage of this story."^[64] Hilton initially refused to apologize, saying, "I am saddened GLAAD chose to victimize me further by criticizing me for how I non-violently dealt with a very scary situation that, unfortunately, turned violent." On June 25, 2009, however, Hilton did apologize, stating "I am NOT apologizing to GLAAD...I am apologizing to the gay community, to anyone who was hurt by my choice of words, and to all the people who have ever emailed me to thank me for all that I have done to fight for gay rights over the last few years."^[65] In addition, he pledged to donate any money won in the lawsuit against Molina to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. In a statement released on its website, Judy Shepard, Chair of the MSF, declined the gift, saying that "because the lawsuit presumably involves the physical attack prompted by Mr. Hilton's admitted use of an anti-gay slur, the Foundation will be unable to accept any funds obtained in such a manner."^[66]

Hilton received little sympathy in the media over the incident,^[67][68][69] a fact he addressed in his video blog.^[70] John Mayer made comments ridiculing Hilton and the incident on his Twitter page, resulting in a volley of insults between the two.^[71] Gawker viewed Hilton's public apology with skepticism, being of the opinion that it was just an attempt to rebuild his "brand" and a possible attempt to prevent Canadian authorities from filing criminal charges against him for his use of hate speech during the Toronto incident.^[72]

Michael Jackson's death[link]

On June 25, 2009, shortly after Michael Jackson had gone into cardiac arrest, Hilton posted an article about the star's illness, claiming it was a publicity stunt. Hilton's original post featured sarcastic comments such as "Get your money back, ticket holders!!!!" and "Jacko pulled a similar stunt when he was getting ready for his big HBO special in ‘95 when he “collapsed” at rehearsal!", in response to Jackson's recently sold out tour through March 2010. Upon realizing Michael Jackson's death was not a hoax, Hilton immediately deleted the original news post and replaced it with a shorter message that linked to a story at entertainment news site TMZ, which said the singer had in fact gone into cardiac arrest.^[73] Hilton has received backlash for the incident, becoming entangled in a Twitter argument with Pete Wentz about the situation.^[74]

Miley Cyrus upskirt picture[link]

On June 13, 2010, Hilton posted a Twitter message linking to an upskirt picture of Miley Cyrus, which allegedly showed the singer without underpants. Since Cyrus was still underage at the time, questions were raised as to whether or not child pornography charges could be raised. However, child porn refers to sexual activity which an upskirt is simply not.^[75] The site that he had linked to removed the picture in question. Perez responded to the accusations by claiming that the controversy was "fake" and that Cyrus did wear underwear in the photo in question. Hilton did not re-post the photo for proof. Instead, he linked to another image of Cyrus, supposedly taken on the same occasion, to prove that she had been wearing underwear.^[76]

Anti-bullying campaign[link]

In October, 2010, Hilton became involved in the It Gets Better Project started by Dan Savage, urging celebrities to support gay teenagers who were being driven to suicide by anti-gay bullying.^[77] This prompted Khloe Kardashian to call out Hilton as her "personal bully," claiming that it seemed hypocritical to make an anti-bullying message at the request of a man who had repeatedly bullied her.^[78] On October 13, 2010, Hilton posted a video on YouTube entitled "I'm Going To Be Doing Things Differently," in which he addressed his actions over the previous years, and apologized for bullying celebrities. Hilton vowed to change the occasionally malicious tone of his website, even if it meant losing readers and revenue. Hilton also announced the launch of three new websites: CoCoPerez.com, which focuses on fashion, FitPerez.com, which encourages physical fitness, and TeddyHilton.com, an animal rights site.^[79]

"The Boy With Pink Hair"[link]

On September 1, 2011, Hilton published a children's book entitled "The Boy With Pink Hair." Hilton described the book as a story "about every kid that's ever had a dream, felt excluded, wanted to belong, and hoped that one day they could do what they loved and make a difference."^[80] In a September, 2011 interview with The Advocate magazine, Hilton admitted that the book was inspired by his own childhood: "I’ve always considered myself a freak, an outsider, and a bit of an interloper. I never really fit in with any groups, so I just did my own thing."^[81]

Television appearances[link]

In 2001, Hilton made an appearance in The Sopranos episode 3.29, "Fortunate Son". His character, hands over the proceeds of a Jewel benefit concert at Rutgers University, whose ticket office Christopher Moltisanti and Benny Fazio rob at gunpoint.

In 2004, a then- 206 lb. Hilton appeared as a contestant on the "Madonna Style" episode of VH1's reality weight loss show, Flab To Fab.^[82] At the time, Hilton had 30% body fat and a 41” waist. Hilton lost a total of 45 lbs. in three months and dropped 13” around his waist, leaving him at 160 lbs and a 28” waist for his 6’0” frame, and a greatly reduced level of body fat.^[83]

On July 13, 2007, Hilton announced on the TV show The View that he would star in his own reality television show on VH1.^[84] The series of six one-hour episodes, titled What Perez Sez,^[85] aired its first part on September 11, 2007.^[86]

Hilton appeared as a contestant on MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstar, which debuted August 30, 2007. He was eliminated in week 6 of the contest by judges' vote. On September 29, 2007, he hosted a Best of MADtv episode featuring pop culture parody sketches from previous seasons. He has appeared in music videos such as Simple Plan's "When I'm Gone", The Pussycat Dolls's "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" and Rihanna's "S&M". Hilton has also appeared in reality shows such as Victoria Beckham: Coming To America, MTV Cribs, The-N's Queen Bees, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, Tori Spelling THS and Paris Hilton's My New BFF. In addition to reality television Lavendeira has guest starred as himself in scripted shows such as and Privileged.

Hilton is also a regular on TV Series TRL, Much Music, and Extra where he appears via satellite from his closet studio to talk about gossip.

He co-hosted the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards and after Rick Astley did not show up to collect his award for best act ever at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Perez Hilton collected the prize on Rick's behalf.^[87]

On June 21, 2009, Hilton was a presenter at the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto, Ontario. On December 2, 2009, Hilton was a guest on the TV show The View.

In 2010, Hilton guest starred as himself in the episode "Wi-Fi in the Sky" on Victorious.

Hilton created and presented four-part British television series, Perez Hilton Superfan for ITV2 in December 2011.

On the January 16, 2012 edition of WWE Monday Night RAW Perez was a special guest referee for a Divas tag team match. In April 2012, he appeared on Oprah's Lifeclass live at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, along with Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra, talking about how after his "spiritual awakening", he changed his past celebrity bashing ways and how he had found a new purpose.^[88][89]

Radio[link]

Hilton premiered his nationally syndicated radio show, Radio Perez, which included updates from his blog, on May 5, 2008. He has also appeared on The Howard Stern Show on Sirius Satellite Radio. Most recently on January 8, 2009.^[90]

Discography[link]

Hilton has a song called "The Clap", which is about Gonorrhea. The song is composed and produced by Lucian Piane. The music video for the song is from the movie, "Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild."^[91]

Other appearances[link]

Special appearances[link]

• Hilton appears in Britney Spears's tour, The Circus Starring Britney Spears. Hilton appears dressed as Queen Elizabeth I.
• Hilton appears in the 2010 Vengaboys video "Rocket To Uranus".
• Hilton appears in the 2011 Rihanna video S&M, "on a leash as Rihanna's pet."^[92]

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Perez Hilton

• Official website
• Mario Lavandeira at the Internet Movie Database
• Perez Hilton in Trouble at Variety.com
• Perez Hilton's channel on YouTube
• Perez Hilton is Terra's Hispanic of the Year

Casey Abrams
Background information
Born	(1991-02-12) February 12, 1991 (age 21) Austin, Texas
Origin	Idyllwild, California, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, rock, blues
Occupations	Musician, singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, double bass, bass guitar, keyboard, guitar, piano, melodica, accordion, sitar, clarinet, drums, cello[1]
Years active	2011–present
Labels	19, Concord Records
Website	http://iamcaseyabrams.com/

Casey Abrams (born February 12, 1991) is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist from Idyllwild, California who finished in sixth place on the tenth season of American Idol. He was eliminated from the competition on April 28, 2011, five weeks after being the third finalist to be saved from elimination by the judges.

Early life[link]

Abrams was born on February 12, 1991 in Austin, Texas, to Pam Pierce and Ira Abrams.^[2][3] His father is Jewish and his mother is from a Catholic background, and Abrams grew up in an interfaith family.^[4] He spent his early years in the Chicago area, first in Evanston, Illinois, then in Wilmette, where he attended McKenzie Elementary School.^[5]

Abrams later moved to California and attended middle school and high school there. He was a student at Idyllwild Arts Academy in Idyllwild, California,^[6] where his father teaches film production.^[2] At Idyllwild Arts, he studied classical bass instruction and improvisation, and participted in the jazz ensembles, gaining a foundation in music history, piano, and jazz piano, and learning to write musical scores for films.^[7]

After graduating from Idyllwild in 2009, he attended University of Colorado at Boulder as a music major.^[8] He worked as a film camp counselor at Idyllwild Arts Summer Camp prior to his appearance on American Idol.

Abrams suffers from ulcerative colitis,^[9] an inflammatory disease which causes ulceration and inflammation of the colon, and that occasionally requires blood transfusions, which resulted in his having been hospitalized while on American Idol.^[10]

Abrams lists as his musical influences Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Oscar Peterson, and James Taylor, as well as Marshall Hawkins, head of the jazz department at Idyllwild Arts Academy.^[11]

[edit] American Idol

Overview[link]

Abrams auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol in Austin, Texas. He was selected as one of the Top 24 semi-finalists, but two days before he was due to perform for the semi-finals, he suffered severe stomach pains and was rushed to the hospital.^[12] He was well enough to perform on performance night, and was one of the five male vote receivers to advance to the Top 13;^[13] however, he missed the Top 13 results show due to his illness. He was the lowest vote receiver on the Top 11 result show, but was saved by the judges; they chose to save him immediately, stopping his supposedly last performance on the show halfway through it. He is the third finalist to be saved by the judges in three seasons.

Abrams was eliminated from the competition on April 28, 2011, finishing in sixth place. During his last performance he sang "I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, a song he had performed during the semifinals. During the performance he kissed audience members, rolled onto the stage, thanked the judges, and sang the last two words ("you're mine") to fellow contestant Haley Reinhart.

On May 25, 2011, Abrams sang "Fat Bottomed Girls" with Jack Black on the American Idol finale.

Performances and results[link]