Look up ill in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Not to be confused with the Roman number III.

Ill (ill) may refer to:

• Suffering from an illness
• Ill (Austria), a river in western Austria
• Ill (France), a river in north-eastern France
• Illinois, often abbreviated Ill.
• Kōji Nakamura, who records music under the name "iLL"

ILL may stand for:

• Willmar Municipal Airport (former IATA airport identifier: ILL) in Willmar, Minnesota, United States
• Illorsuit Heliport (non-IATA location identifier: ILL) in Illorsuit, Greenland
• Institut Laue–Langevin, a scientific research facility in Grenoble, France
• Interlibrary loan, a service offered by libraries for sharing books and other materials
• Institute of Linguists (London)

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

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (September 2009)

Edwin McCain (born January 20, 1970 in Greenville, South Carolina) is an American singer-songwriter and musician.^[1]

Career[link]

Long time touring friends with Hootie and the Blowfish, the Edwin McCain band signed with same label, Atlantic Records. In 1994, he recorded his first major-label album, Honor Among Thieves under the Lava Records imprint (Matchbox Twenty, Kid Rock and Jewel). The record was then released in 1995. His second album, Misguided Roses, spawned "I'll Be", a major hit single in 1998. This song is also featured on the charitable album, Live in the X Lounge, along with a live version of "Solitude". It was also featured and included in the soundtrack of the 2004 teen flick, A Cinderella Story.

Summer of 1999 marked the arrival of McCain's third album, Messenger, which included a second Top 40 hit, the Diane Warren-penned "I Could Not Ask For More." Produced by Matt Serletic (Matchbox Twenty, Collective Soul) and Noel Golden, Messenger was recorded at Tree Sound Studios and Southern Tracks in Atlanta as well as Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles. "I Could Not Ask For More" was also featured on the soundtrack for the 1999 film Message in a Bottle.

Having fulfilled his four-album contract, McCain split from Lava/Atlantic at the end of 2001. In early 2003 he released a collection of acoustic versions of songs both old and new called The Austin Sessions via ATC Records, a Nashville-based independent record label (at which McCain was the first artist signed following its creation in 2001.) Sessions, recorded in roughly 20 days, punctuated McCain's major-label departure with an intentionally stripped-down sound, and offered some fan favorites from his early days of touring, including Dire Straits' "Romeo and Juliet". The album, coupled with McCain's first DVD, Mile Marker: Songs and Stories from the Acoustic Highway (2002) - which consisted of interviews, live performances and other material - served as a thank-you to long-time followers. In a May 2003 interview with Billboard, McCain noted, "The whole package is sort of saying, 'I'm back doing what I started doing.'" Around the same time, the ever-busy musician also hosted "Inside Music With Edwin McCain", a syndicated show on the Sirius radio network.

Mid-2004 saw the arrival of his first studio album in three years, entitled Scream & Whisper, which was released on another indie label, DRT Entertainment. Later that same year, McCain made time in his tour schedule to run the 35th Annual New York City Marathon. In an interview in the August 2004 issue of Runner's World, McCain said of training on the road: "You just pick your spots. One of the things that comes in handy depends on how far away the hotel is from the venue...For example, the other day the hotel was five miles away from the club where I was performing, so once we got to the club and got sound checked I threw on my running clothes then ran back to the hotel. Little things like that help." In late 2004 McCain released his second DVD, Tinsel and Tap Shoes. It was his first live concert DVD, recorded at The House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Co-written & performed with singer/songwriter Maia Sharp, McCain released a single, "Hold Out a Hand." This song, available for a 99 cent download on iTunes, gives all profits to the relief of the hurricane victims of 2005.

McCain's next album, Lost in America, was released on April 11, 2006 on Vanguard Records. Said to be a true "rock 'n roll" collection, Lost in America contained three singles: "Truly Believe", "The Kiss" and live-favorite "Gramercy Park Hotel", which pays homage to the New York City landmark and its colorful patrons (including baseball legend Babe Ruth.)

Edwin's subsequent recording, a collection of R&B cover songs entitled "Nobody's Fault But Mine", was released through Saguaro Road Records on June 24, 2008 and included a version of Soul Brothers Six song "Some Kind of Wonderful."

On 17 May 2009, Edwin performed on board USS John C. Stennis, while the carrier was on a Western Pacific deployment in the vicinity of Guam.

The following year saw the release of The Best of Edwin McCain, a twenty-year career retrospective that included a cross-section of material as well as a new single, "Walk With You" (produced by Don Was.)

Edwin's tenth album, Mercy Bound, was released August 30, 2011 on 429 records. Reuniting McCain with collaborator Maia Sharp (who also produced), Mercy Bound features additional artistic input from Angie Aparo, Mark Addison and Anders Osborne, as well as guitar work from Warren Haynes.

Band members[link]

Lineup of Edwin McCain Band as of 07 July 2007

While his albums are released under his name, he does have a permanent band, referred to as the Edwin McCain Band. Members of the band include Larry Chaney (lead guitar), Pete Riley (rhythm guitar and vocals), Craig Shields (keyboards, saxophone and other wind instruments), Jason Pomar (bass guitar and vocals) and Tez Sherrard (drums and percussion).

• Edwin 6157.jpg

  Edwin McCain

• Larry-Chaney 6066.jpg

  Larry Chaney

• EMB-2-15-08-OP-286.jpg

  Craig Shields

• Jason-Pomar 2439.jpg

  Jason Pomar

• Big-Tez-01.jpg

  Tez Sherard

• Pete riley 9456.jpg

  Pete Riley

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Edwin McCain on Myspace
• Edwin McCain at the Internet Movie Database
• EdwinFans.com (Fan site dedicated to the artist; includes photos, biography, and forum.)
• EMBHolyCity.com (Fan site which includes tabs for Edwin McCain's music, tour dates and more)
• EdwinMcCainMusic.com (Edwin McCain Band fan site with forum, slideshows, tour dates & contests)

Other

• Edwin McCain at Allmusic

Faith Evans
Evans performing in April 2005
Background information
Birth name	Faith Renee Evans
Born	(1973-06-10) June 10, 1973 (age 39) Lakeland, Florida
Origin	Newark, New Jersey, United States
Genres	R&B, soul, hip hop soul, hip hop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Bad Boy (1994–2004) Capitol (2004–2007) Prolific/E1 Music (2009–present)
Associated acts	Sean Combs, Keyshia Cole, Mary J. Blige, 112, Lil' Mo, The Notorious B.I.G.,
Website	FaithEvansOnline.com

Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B. Sure and Christopher Williams, she became the first female artist to be contracted with Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment recording company during 1994, for which she released three platinum-certified studio albums between the years 1995 and 2001.^[1] During 2003, she ended her relationship with the company to contract with Capitol Records.^[2]

Other than her recording career, Evans is known as the widow of New York rapper Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, whom she married on August 4, 1994, a few weeks after meeting at a Bad Boy photoshoot.^[3] The turbulent marriage resulted in Evans' involvement in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud, dominating the rap music news at the time, and ended with Wallace's murder in a yet-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997.^[4] A 1997 tribute single featuring Puff Daddy and the band 112, named "I'll Be Missing You", became Evans' best-selling song to date and won her a Grammy Award during 1998.^[2]

Also an avocational actress and writer, Evans made her screen debut in the 2000 musical drama Turn It Up by Robert Adetuyi. Her autobiography Keep the Faith: A Memoir was released by Grand Central Publishing during 2008 and won a 2009 African American Literary Award for the Best Biography/Memoir category.

Biography[link]

Early life and career beginnings[link]

Lakeland, Florida where Evans was born.

Evans was born in Lakeland, Florida to an African-American mother, Helene Evans, a professional singer.^[2] Her father, Richard Swain, was a musician who left before Evans was born (Evans has said "I've heard people mumble something about him being Italian, but I don't know for sure").^[5] A half year later, 19-year-old Helene returned to Newark, New Jersey and left Faith with her cousin Johnnie Mae and husband Orvelt Kennedy, the foster parents of more than a hundred children they raised in the time that Faith lived with them.^[2][4] It was not until a couple of years later that Helene's career floundered and she tried to take Evans back home. Faith, however, was afraid to leave what she'd "been used to", and instead, Helene relocated next door.^[2]

Raised in a Christian home, Evans began singing at church at age two. At age four, she caught the attention of the congregation of the Emmanuel Baptist Church (in Newark) when she sang The 5th Dimension's song "Let the Sunshine In".^[6] While attending University High School in Newark, she sang with several jazz bands and, encouraged by Helene, entered outside pageants, festivals and contests, where her voice would be noticed and praised. After graduating from high school during 1991, Evans attended Fordham University in New York City to study marketing but left a year later to have daughter Chyna with music producer Kiyamma Griffin.^[1] A couple of months later^[when?], she relocated to Los Angeles, where she worked as a backup vocalist for singer Al B. Sure, when she was noticed by musician Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. Impressed with her persona, Combs contracted her as the company's first female artist to his Bad Boy Entertainment during 1994.^[1]

[edit] 1994-01: Faith, Keep The Faith, Biggie, motherhood and marriage

Newly contracted to Bad Boy Records, Evans was consulted by executive producer Combs to contribute backing vocals and writing skills to Mary J. Blige's My Life (1994) and Usher's self-titled debut album (1994) prior to starting work on her debut record album Faith.^[7] Released on August 29, 1995 in North America, the album was a collaboration with Bad Boy's main producers "The Hitmen", including Chucky Thompson and Combs, but it resulted in recordings with Poke & Tone and Herb Middleton. Faith became a success based on the singles "You Used to Love Me" and "Soon as I Get Home". The album was certified Platinum with 1,500,000 copies sold, according to RIAA.^[8]

On August 4, 1994, Evans married rapper and label mate The Notorious B.I.G., after having met him at a Bad Boy photoshoot.^[3] The couple had one child together, Christopher Wallace, Jr. (born October 29, 1996), but the marriage was turbulent as Wallace reportedly had several affairs during their union, including relationships with fellow rappers Lil' Kim and Charli Baltimore.^[9] Additionally, it led to Evans' involvement in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud, dominating the rap music news at the time, which ended with Wallace's murder in a yet-to-be-solved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California in March 1997,^[4] and made Evans "Rap's most famous widow".^[3] During early 1997, after her separation from Wallace, but before his death, Evans was introduced to record company executive Todd Russaw. Faith began dating Russaw during her and Wallace's separation and eventually, after Wallace died, Evans became pregnant by Russaw. The couple had their first son Joshua on June 8, 1998.^[3] During the summer of 1998, Evans and Russaw were married, and on March 22, 2007, they had their second son Ryder Evan Russaw.^[3] After Biggie's murder during March 1997, Combs helped Evans produce her tribute song named "I'll Be Missing You", based on the melody of The Police's 1983 single "Every Breath You Take". The song, which featured Combs, Evans, and all-male group 112, became a worldwide number-one success and debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart during 1997, scoring that for eleven weeks. It eventually won Puffy and Evans the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.^[2] The next year, she received another two Grammy nominations for "Heartbreak Hotel", a collaboration with singers Whitney Houston and Kelly Price, that scored number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[10] Prior to Evans meeting and having a relationship with The Notorious B.I.G., she was involved in a relationship with Kiyamma Griffin. She and Griffin had a daughter named Chyna (born April 1, 1993).

Two years in the making, Evans' second solo effort, Keep the Faith, was released during October 1998. Almost entirely written and produced by her, Evans considered the album difficult to complete as she had initially felt discouraged about the progress at first.^[3] Upon its release, however, the album garnered generally positive reviews by music critics, with Allmusic noting it "without a doubt a highlight of 1990s soul-pop music".^[11] Also enjoying commercial success, it eventually went platinum and produced the top ten singles "Love Like This" and "All Night Long" (released March 30, 1999) prompting Evans to start an 18-city theater tour with Dru Hill and Total the following year.^[3]

[edit] 2001-07: Faithfully, legal issues, Capitol Records and The First Lady

Evans police mug shot

Evans' third album on the Bad Boy imprint, named Faithfully (2001), involved her working with a wider range of producers, including The Neptunes, Mario Winans, Buckwild, Vada Nobles, Cory Rooney, and others.^[12] Her first project with husband Todd Russaw as executive producer and creative partner, the album scored number 14 on the Billboard 200 album chart and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, eventually being certified platinum, but yielded moderately successful singles, with the Jennifer Lopez-written "I Love You" becoming the only top twenty entry.^[13] Released amid Bad Boy Records' transition from distributor Arista Records to Universal, Evans felt Faithfully received minimum assistance by the company, and during 2004, she finally decided to end her business with Bad Boy as she was convinced Combs couldn't improve her career any more due to his other commitments.^[14] During January 2004, Evans and Russaw were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine and an improper tag violation during a traffic stop in Hapeville, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.

After ending with Bad Boy Entertainment Evans contracted with Capitol Records company, becoming the first contemporary R&B artist to do so, and started work on her fourth studio album The First Lady, named after her nickname on her former label.^[14] As opposed to having an in-house team of producers who supplied most of the previous material, she and Russaw were able to gain more creative control of the album and consulted producers such as Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Mike Caren, Pharrell Williams, and Chucky Thompson to contribute to it.^[15] Upon its release in April 2005, The First Lady scored at number two on the Billboard 200 and #1 of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Evans' best-charting album to date. It was eventually certified gold by the RIAA.^[16] At the end of the year, Evans released A Faithful Christmas, a holiday album of traditional Christmas songs and original tracks. The effort would become her last release on Capitol Records as the company was bought during 2007.^[17]

[edit] 2008-present: Hiatus, arrest, second child, divorce and Something About Faith

Following a longer hiatus, Evans signed a deal with E1 Entertainment - the largest independent record label in the United States - in 2010. Her sixth studio album Something About Faith was released on October 5, 2010 in the United States and December 6, 2010 in the UK.^[18] In the US, the album debuted and peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard 200, number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number one on the Independent Albums chart, failing however to chart oustide the US - making it Evans' only album since her debut Faith to chart in the US only.^[19] Something About Faith has spawned the single and music video "Gone Already"; which spent over thirty-three weeks on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it peaked at number twenty-two.^[20] On February 14, 2011, a high definition music video for "Right Here" was released on Evans' official YouTube account, suggesting that it is the second single from the album, though this is yet to be confirmed.^[21]

In August 2010, she was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor drunken driving, after being stopped at a checkpoint in Marina del Rey, California. In 2011, Evans filed for divorce against Russaw.^[22][23] The couple agreed to spend 13 weeks in a drug-treatment program in exchange for halting any further prosecution of their drug-possession case.^[24]

On March 22, 2007, they had their second son Ryder Evan Russaw.^[3] In May 2011, Evans and Russaw announced they were getting a divorce, and stated they would like to keep it quiet for the children's sakes.^[25]

Other ventures[link]

Acting[link]

Having previously appeared in stage plays as a teenager, Evans began acting with a supporting role in director Robert Adetuyi's 2000 music drama Turn It Up, featuring Pras Michel from the The Fugees, Jason Statham and Ja Rule. Released to generally negative reviews from critics,^[26] who noted it "patently absurd in both the details and larger aspects",^[27] the indie film had a short play and became a financial disappointment, gaining US$1.24 million during its U.S. run only.^[28]

During 2003, Evans acted in the MTV-produced romantic comedy The Fighting Temptations in which she appeared in a brief but major role portraying a single mother and night club singer.^[29] Filmed in Columbus, Georgia and headed by Cuba Gooding, Jr. (her character is his mother) and Beyoncé Knowles, the film garnered mixed reviews by critcs,^[30] but scored top three of the U.S. box office, resulting in a domestic gross of US$30.2 million.^[31] In addition, Evans recorded a contemporary cover version of Donna Summer's 1978 success "Heaven Knows" for the film which her characters performs during one of the first in sequence in the film. The accompanying soundtrack scored the top twenty of the U.S. Billboard 200.^[32]

During 2004, Evans earned a brief guest stint on the UPN situation comedy Half & Half.^[33] Evans announced that she had been working on a synopsis for her own situation comedy that would be based largely on her life but with a more comedic aspect. It is unknown whether she has officially pitched the sitcom to any television networks at this time^[when?].^[34]

Writing[link]

Evans released her autobiographic book called Keep the Faith: A Memoir on August 29, 2008. It detailed the singer's life, but also discussed Evans' controversial relationship with her late husband, the Notorious B.I.G.:

"I want people to understand that although he was a large part of my life, my story doesn't actually begin or end with Big's death. My journey has been complicated on many levels. And since I am always linked to Big, there are a lot of misconceptions about who I really am. It's not easy putting your life out there for the masses. But I've decided I'll tell my own story. For Big. For my children. And for myself."^[35]

In its initial release, "Keep the Faith: A Memoir" landed in the Top 20 on New York's Best Seller's List two consecutive weeks in a row. During 2009, the book received The 2009 African American Literary Award for Best Biography/Memoir.^[36]

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• 1995: Faith
• 1998: Keep the Faith
• 2001: Faithfully
• 2005: The First Lady
• 2010: Something About Faith

Other albums

• 2005: A Faithful Christmas

Tours[link]

• The First Lady Tour (2005)

Filmography[link]

• 2000: Turn It Up
• 2003: The Fighting Temptations
• 2009: Notorious

Awards and nominations[link]

• African American Literary Award
  • 2009: African American Literary Award: Keep the Faith (A Memoir) (won)
• BET Awards
  • 2002: Best Female R&B Artist (nominated)
• Grammy Awards
  • 2011: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "Gone Already" (nominated)
  • 2003: Best Contemporary R&B Album: Faithfully (nominated)
  • 2001: Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: "Can't Believe" w/ Carl Thomas (nominated)
  • 2000: Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: "Heartbreak Hotel" w/ Whitney Houston & Kelly Price (nominated)
  • 1999: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "Love Like This" (nominated)
  • 1998: Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "I'll Be Missing You" w/ Diddy (won)
• Lady of Soul Awards
  • 2000: Outstanding Music Video: "Love Is Blind" (by Eve ft. Faith Evans) (nominated)
  • 1996: Best Female R&B/Soul Album: Faith (won)
  • 1996: Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist: "You Used to Love Me" (nominated)
• MTV Video Music Awards
  • 2000: Best Rap Video: "Love Is Blind" (by Eve ft. Faith Evans) (nominated)
  • 1999: Best R&B Video: "Heartbreak Hotel" (nominated)
  • 1997: Best R&B Video: "I'll Be Missing You" (won)
  • 1997: Viewer's Choice: "I'll Be Missing You" (nominated)
• Soul Train Awards
  • 2006: Best Female R&B/Soul Album: The First Lady (nominated)
  • 1998: Outstanding Music Video: "I'll Be Missing You" (won)

References[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Faith Evans
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• Official site
• Faith Evans at the Internet Movie Database
• Faith Evans interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' November 2010
• The Observer interview, 2005
• Vibe interview, 2005

v t e Faith Evans Studio albums Faith (1995) Keep the Faith (1998) Faithfully (2001) The First Lady (2005) A Faithful Christmas (2005) Something About Faith (2010) Singles "You Used to Love Me" "Soon as I Get Home" "Ain't Nobody" "Kissing You" "Come Over" "Love Like This" "All Night Long" "Never Gonna Let You Go" "Lately I" "Can't Believe" "You Get's No Long" "I Love You" "Burnin' Up" "Alone In this World" "Again" "Mesmerized" "Tru Love "Gone Already" Tours The First Lady Tour (2005) Related topics Discography The Notorious B.I.G. Book:Faith Evans

Not to be confused with pornographic actress Sunny Lane.

Sunny Leone
Sunny Leone at the AVN Expo, Las Vegas, NV on January 20, 2012
Born	(1981-05-13) May 13, 1981 (age 31)[1] Sarnia, Ontario, Canada[2]
Nationality	Canadian/American
Ethnicity	Punjabi[3]
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[1][2]
Weight	110 lb (50 kg; 7.9 st)[1][2]
Spouse	Daniel Weber (2011-present)[4]
No. of adult films	33 as actress, 25 as director (per IAFD)[5]
Website
http://www.sunnyleone.com/

Sunny Leone (born May 13, 1981)^[1] is an Indo-Canadian pornographic actress, actress, businesswoman and model of dual Canadian/American nationality. She was named Penthouse Pet of the Year in 2003 and was a contract star for Vivid Entertainment. Named by Maxim as one of the 12 top porn stars in 2010, she has also played roles in independent mainstream films and television shows.

Early life[link]

Leone was born in Sarnia, Ontario to Sikh Punjabi parents from India.^[3] Her father was born in Tibet and raised in Delhi, while her mother (who died in 2008^[6]) was from a small town named Nahan in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh.^[3][7] As a young girl, she was very athletic and played street hockey with the boys,^[2] enjoyed ice skating on a nearby frozen lake and drinking hot chocolate in front of a fire after playing in the snow all day.^[8]

Though she was raised as a Sikh,^[3] her parents enrolled her in a Catholic school,^[3][9] as it was felt to be unsafe for her to go to public school.^[10] There she had her first kiss at 11, lost her virginity to a basketball player at another school at 16,^[9] and discovered that she was bisexual at 18.^[11] When she was 13, her family moved to Fort Gratiot, Michigan, then to Lake Forest, California a year later,^[9][12] fulfilling her grandparents' dream that the family be together in one place.^[3] She graduated from high school in 1999 and enrolled in college.

Career[link]

Before working in the porn industry, she first worked at a German bakery,^[13] a Jiffy Lube,^[9] and later a tax and retirement firm.^[14]

Leone at the 2002 Adult Entertainment Expo, one of her earliest promotional appearances

While studying to be a pediatric nurse in Orange County, a classmate who was an exotic dancer introduced Leone to John Stevens, an agent who in turn introduced her to Jay Allen, a photographer for Penthouse magazine.^[7] When picking a name for her adult career, she has said that Sunny is her real name and Leone was picked by Bob Guccione, former owner of Penthouse magazine.^[15] She posed for Penthouse magazine, and was named Penthouse Pet of the Month for the March 2001 issue, followed by a feature in the Holiday 2001 edition of Hustler magazine as a Hustler Honey. She has appeared in other magazines including Cheri,^[16] Mystique Magazine,^[17] High Society, Swank, AVN Online, Leg World, Club International and Lowrider,^[18][19] while her online credits include ModFX Models,^[20] Suze Randall,^[21] Ken Marcus^[22] and Mac & Bumble.^[23] Her pictorial credits also include working with stars like Adriana Sage, Jenna Jameson, Jelena Jensen and Aria Giovanni.

In 2003, she was declared the Penthouse Pet of the Year and also starred in the video Penthouse Pets in Paradise alongside Tera Patrick and Kyla Cole. In 2005 Adam & Eve appointed her as their West Coast Internet Sales Representative.^[24]

That same year, Leone signed a three-year contract with Vivid Entertainment with which she transitioned into the world of hardcore pornography, stating that she would only do lesbian scenes.^[2] Her first movie released was titled Sunny^[25] and was released in December 2005. Her next movie, Virtual Vivid Girl Sunny Leone, was the first interactive title for Leone, who was the first Vivid Girl to make such a movie.^[26] Taking only four days to film,^[13] the movie won her her first AVN Award (Best Interactive DVD). She followed this with Sunny Loves Cher, which featured her first on-screen squirting,and The Female Gardner co-starring Mikayla Mendez and Daisy Marie.

Leone's last two movies under her contract with Vivid were It's Sunny in Brazil, which was filmed in Brazil.^[27] and The Sunny Experiment also starring Monique Alexander and Brea Lynn.^[28] The movies were released in October and December 2007 respectively.

In May 2007, upon re-signing her contract with Vivid for another six films, Leone agreed to perform for the first time with men on camera, but exclusively with her fiancé, Matt Erikson.^[29] That summer she also received breast augmentation,^[30] and shot her first movie under the new contract titled Sunny Loves Matt. The movie led to her to be nominated for three (out of six) AVN awards in 2009 in addition to being a choice for Female Performer of the Year.^[31] She followed up her first boy-girl title with The Other Side of Sunny in October 2008, which would be the last time she would perform with Erikson.

Leone at Vivid booth during the 2008 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas

In January 2008, Leone revealed that she was no longer exclusive to Erikson, and had done scenes with other actors, most notably Tommy Gunn, Charles Dera, James Deen^[32] and Voodoo.^[33] In August of that same year, she announced the launch of her own studio, Sunlust Pictures, with Daniel Weber as her partner.^[34] With her new venture Leone plans to write, direct and create her own brand of adult movies with Vivid Entertainment as her distributor.^[32] Her first independent production, The Dark Side of the Sun, was released in March 2009, and was debuted at the Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas.^[35] In June 2009, she held a casting call in Las Vegas for her second independent production titled Sunny Slumber Party^[36] (released September 2009).

No longer exclusive to Vivid, Leone has started working with other studios and performers since 2009. She has managed to leverage her online popularity by striking deals with firms like PPPcard,^[37] AdultPokerParty.com,^[38] Brickhouse,^[39] Flirt4Free,^[40] Totemcash^[41] and Imlive^[42] to sell and distribute her content over the internet and other media.She won the "Web Babe of the Year" at the 2008 Xbiz Awards.^[43] Her websites and business interests are run under her banner company Leone L.L.C.

In addition to her film career, Leone has been part of the Vivid Comedy Tour,^[44] and has modelled for the Vivid Footwear collection.^[45] Leone has also participated in events like the Vivid/ClubJenna Lingerie Bowl^[46] and Vivid's Hot Rod Night.^[47] Doc Johnson launched a pocket pal^{[clarification needed]} in 2006 moulded to her vagina,^[48] and in 2008 released the Sunny Leone Exciter vibrator.^[49] Control MFG currently uses Leone's image along with other Vivid girls to market their line of skateboards. She is paired with Gab Ekoe, one of the Team Control riders.^[50] She also indicated that she plans to launch her own line of lingerie and other Sunny-branded products including a diamond jewellery line.^[32]

In September 2009, an iPhone application consisting of a collection of non-nude photos, some videos and a porn star-penned blog^[51] was approved by Apple for sale in the iTunes store, making it the first officially sanctioned application featuring a porn star.^[52] By February 2010, the app had been removed by Apple from the store.^[53]

Leone was voted number 13 (up from number 41 in 2007^[54]) on Genesis magazine's "Top 100 Porn stars" list,^[55] number 34 on Desiclubs.com's Top 50 Coolest Desis of 2004,^[56] and one of the "40 under 40" ranking on AVN Online magazine.^[57] In 2010, she was named by Maxim as one of the 12 top female stars in porn.^[58]

Mainstream appearances[link]

Leone's first mainstream appearance was in 2005, when she was a red carpet reporter for the MTV Awards on MTV India. She has also had a cameo in the film The Girl Next Door, performed in Ja Rule's video "Livin It Up" and a video for Kidd Skilly.^[59] Other credits include E!'s "Wild On!" and the Sundance Film Festival's 'After Dark.'^[60] Leone was a contestant in the second season of the Fox reality show My Bare Lady 2: Open For Business, in which a group of adult actresses were given classes and training on how to pitch investment ideas and competed for success in the business world.^[61] In addition to filming her scene for Debbie Does Dallas in 2007, Leone was also part of a Showtime documentary of the same name detailing the production of the movie and the personal lives of its stars.

She has indicated that for the right price she would seriously consider a career in Bollywood.^[62] She has been courted by Indian directors in the past but has felt uncomfortable with the roles that she would have played.^[15][63] Director Mohit Suri is rumored to have asked Leone to play the lead role in his movie Kalyug, but instead cast Deepal Shaw as he could not afford her $1 million acting fee.^[64] She has mentioned that Aamir Khan is her favorite Bollywood Actor,^[65] and that over 60% of her fans are from South Asia.^[66]

In 2008, Leone announced that she would be starring in a mainstream action adventure movie titled Pirates Blood, which was shot in Oman. The shooting was completed in two weeks and was to be released in winter 2008.^[67][68] Leone also landed a role in Middle Men, producer Chris Mallick's indie feature about the birth of the online porn industry set for wide theatrical release in 2009.^[69] She has mentioned that she will be appearing in an upcoming Will Ferrell movie scheduled to be released in 2010.^[70]

She appeared in the film The Virginity Hit playing a version of herself, where she is hired to take the virginity of the lead character.^[71]

Leone has made appearances at events such as the 2002 SEMA International Auto Salon, the 2002 Extreme Autofest Pomona and the 2006 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.^[72] Sunny has also been the hostess at events in clubs like the Mansion in Miami^[73] and the Highlands in Hollywood.^[74]

In 2005, she was mentioned in Forbes magazine for a story on Vivid Entertainment.^[75] Leone has also been featured in mainstream publications like FHM, Front and Jane magazine.^[76] In 2007, along with the other Vivid Girls, she was seen in a 48' high holiday Billboard in Times Square at W. 48th Street and Seventh Avenue.^[77] Leone is also one of the Penthouse Pets who appears in the PlayStation Portable game Pocket Pool. She was also featured in a coffee table book titled Naked Ambition: An R Rated Look at an X Rated Industry by Micheal Grecco.^[78]

In 2004, she was part of "No More Bush Girls", in which she and several other popular adult actresses shaved off their pubic hair in protest of the Bush presidency.^[79] In May 2008, she shot a promotional video for Declare Yourself, a nonprofit, nonpartisan voter registration campaign targeting 18-to-29-year-olds.^[80] She indicated that Barack Obama would be her choice in the 2008 U.S. election, primarily because she felt he was more business friendly to the adult industry than his opponent John McCain.^[81] She also released a public service announcement on behalf of the ASACP, reminding adult webmasters to protect their sites from children by having an RTA label on it.^[82]

Leone has a strong interest in health and fitness, and has been featured in several mainstream fitness publications. Leone has modelled fitness clothing for the sports brand Fantasy Fitness^[83] and shared that she keeps her body in shape by working out as much as she can despite her busy schedule and as quoted in Men's Fitness magazine, "I try to eat very healthy – lots of vegetables, drinking my milk every day."^[84]

Bigg Boss[link]

In 2011, she participated in the Indian reality series Bigg Boss, entering the house on day 49.^[85][86] However she refused to divulge her porn star status, and replied to fellow house-mate Pooja Bedi that she was a model and a TV star in America for the last ten years or so.^[87] It was reported that she has caused a stir in the larger populace^[88] with her Twitter feed gaining 8,000 new followers in just 2 days^[89] and Google saying searches for her experienced a "breakout".^[90] There have also been complaints lodged with the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting alleging that the Colors TV channel is promoting pornography by having Leone appear on the show; among those who have filed are the Indian Artistes and Actors Forum^[91] and Anurag Thakur, member of Lok Sabha and head of the Bharatiya Janata Party's youth wing.^[92]

Bollywood[link]

During her stay in the Bigg Boss house, Sunny was approached by a famous Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt who entered the house briefly to offer her the lead role in Jism 2 (the sequel to the 2003 film Jism starring Bipasha Basu). She accepted it, which will result in Pooja Bhatt’s production house, Fish Eye Network and Leone’s agent discussing the movie further.^[93] The first look of the film Jism 2 poster was released anticipating the actress entry in Bollywood.^[94]

Sunny Leone signed her second Bollywood film which is Ekta Kapoor's Ragini MMS sequel. Ragini MMS, a crossover horror movie was one of the most talked about sleeper hits of 2011.^[95]

Personal life[link]

In June 2006, Leone became an American citizen,^[13] but plans to remain a dual citizen of Canada.^[96] Although bisexual, she has stated that she prefers men.^[97] In her spare time she enjoys abstract paintings, horse riding, reading, playing World of Warcraft,^[98] watching The Simpsons and the Discovery Channel.^[99] She used to play on a women's soccer league team in California.^[2] Her favourite holiday destination is Hawaii,^[13] and her favourite cuisine is Italian.^[99]

In separate interviews, she has stated that in ten years' time she would like to be married and have started a family, and probably retire from the industry by the time she is 30.^[96] Leone was engaged to Matt Erikson, a vice-president of marketing at Playboy Enterprises.^[12] She currently resides in Hollywood, California with her cat and drives an Audi A5.^[9]

She mentioned in an interview at the start of 2011 that she was married to Daniel Weber.^[100] During her stay in the Bigg Boss house later that same year, Leone indicated that the relationship had by revealing that she had been previously married; she had ‘purposely arrived late’ to their first date as she was not impressed with him, but he changed her mind by sending 24 roses to her hotel room.^[101]

In 2010, Leone's father died of cancer, which he had been first diagnosed with in 1999. In 2011, Leone along with Monique Alexander and Keni Styles ran in the Rock n’ Roll Los Angeles Half-Marathon to raise money for the American Cancer Society.^[102][103]

A 2008 Eye Weekly article reported that "Leone does her best to maintain a link to Sikh traditions, even if more in theory than in practice. But she's unlikely to disavow her career path due to religion." and that Leone said "Girls will leave the industry claiming that they found God. Well, the fact is, God has always been with them the entire time."^[104] In a 2010 interview, she said "It’s a community-based religion. You walk into a temple and you’re greeted with the utmost respect... But, just like any religion it doesn’t want you to shoot adult material. I mean, I grew up going to temple every Sunday. When my parents found out they knew my personality which was very independent. Even if they tried to stop me or tried to steer me the right way they would have lost their daughter. I’m too headstrong. And it wasn’t a plan. It just happened and my career and everything just kept getting bigger and bigger."^[10]

Awards[link]

• 2008 XBIZ Award – Web Babe of the Year ^[105]
• 2010 AVN Award – Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene
• 2010 AVN Award – Web Starlet of the Year^[106]
• 2010 F.A.M.E. Award – Favorite Breasts^[107]
• 2012 XBIZ Award — Porn Star Site of the Year (SunnyLeone.com)^[108]

See also[link]

Pornography portal

• List of porn stars who appeared in mainstream films

References[link]