A film screening is the displaying of a motion picture or film, generally referring to a special showing as part of a film's production and release cycle. To show the film to best advantage, special screenings may take place in plush, low seat-count theaters with very high quality (sometimes especially certified) projection and sound equipment, and can be accompanied by food and drink and spoken remarks by producers, writers, or actors. Special screenings typically occur outside normal theatrical showing hours. The different types of screenings are presented here in their order within a film's development.

Test screening[link]

For early edits of a film, informal test screenings are shown to small target audiences to judge if a film will require editing, reshooting or rewriting.^[1] At this stage the film may be incomplete, with missing or unfinished special effects shots or sound effects, or dialogue not yet rerecorded. Audience responses are usually recorded informally. Test audiences may be required not to discuss the film. A film may go through several test screenings.

Focus group screening[link]

Focus group screenings are formal test screenings of a film with very detailed documentation of audience responses. Target audience members answer survey questionnaires and are usually interviewed, sometimes on video.^[2] Group discussions following a film with 25-30 viewers are common.^[3] Focus audiences may be required not to discuss the film. Their opinion may be recorded by pressing buttons during screening to indicate approval or disapproval. Viewers' faces may be videotaped during the screening.^[4] Their involuntary responses may be recorded using galvanic skin response, EKG, or fMRI.^[5] Focus group screenings are expensive to run due to the equipment required and large amount of data recorded, so are performed less frequently than informal test screenings. Fully equipped permanent focus-group screening rooms simplify the process, but restrict the location of tests.^[4]

Critic screenings[link]

Critic (or "press") screenings are held for national and major market critics well in advance of print and television production-cycle deadlines, and are usually by invitation only. This step may be omitted if a studio anticipates negative critical reviews, or if a film is still being edited until immediately before release.^[6]

Private screenings[link]

Private preview screenings are commonly provided for investors, marketing and distribution representatives, and VIP media figures. While distribution of the film is being sought, such screenings can occur during film festivals, film markets or indeed anytime.^[7]

Preview screenings[link]

Public preview screenings can occur at boutique theaters (which may not be scheduled as a release theater). These may serve as final test screenings used to adjust marketing strategy (radio & TV promotion, etc.) or the film itself. Complimentary tickets, sometimes limited in number, are frequently provided to local media for contests or giveaways. Viewers may be recruited and "prequalified" with a series of questions to determine if they fit the film's target audience.^[8] No confidentiality requirement is imposed on the audience.

Sneak preview[link]

A sneak preview is an unannounced film screening before formal release, generally with the usual charge for admission. Sneak previews were created in the 1930s to help determine "success and failure factors" of a film,^[9][10] while modern sneak previews provide additional publicity and word-of-mouth exposure for the movie. A sneak preview of a film with bad (or no) prior publicity may be quite poorly received; a by-invitation sneak preview of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now was dismissed by attendees as "boring,"^[11] though it went on to win the Cannes Palme d'Or and two nominations for best picture.

General release[link]

After a combination of or all the above, the film goes on general release if taken up by a film distributor.

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Jolliffe, Genevieve; Zinnes, Andrew (2006). The Documentary Film Makers Handbook. Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-1665-9.
• Kerrigan, Finola (2009). Film Marketing. Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-7506-8683-9.
• Marich, Robert (2009). Marketing to Moviegoers: A Handbook of Strategies and Tactics. Chapter 2-Research Audiences and Ads. Southern Illinois University Press; 2nd edition. ISBN 978-0-8093-2884-0.

External links[link]

• Guide to movie screenings and obtaining free passes

• Screening your Film

Charlize Theron
Theron in March 2012
Born	(1975-08-07) 7 August 1975 (age 36) Benoni, Transvaal Province, South Africa
Nationality	South African and American from 2007
Occupation	Actress, producer, director, fashion model
Years active	1995–present
Partner	Stuart Townsend (2001–2010)
Children	1
Website
www.charlizetheron.com

Charlize Theron (American English pronunciation:  /ʃɑrˈliːs ˈθɛrən/; Afrikaans pronunciation: [ʃɐrˈlis tron];^[1] born 7 August 1975) is a South African actress and fashion model. She started her acting career in the United States and rose to fame in the late 1990s following roles in The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999). Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003), becoming the first African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category. She received another Academy Award nomination for her performance in North Country (2005). Theron became a US citizen in 2007, while retaining her South African citizenship.

Early life[link]

Theron was born in Benoni, in the then Transvaal Province of South Africa, the only child of Gerda (née Maritz; who has also called herself Gerta)^[2][3] and Charles Theron (born 27 November 1947).^[3] Second Boer War figure Danie Theron was her great-great-uncle.^[4] Her ancestry includes French, German, and Dutch; her French forebears were early Huguenot settlers in South Africa.^[4] "Theron" is an Occitan surname (originally spelled Théron) pronounced in Afrikaans as [tron], although she has said that the way she pronounces it in South Africa is [θron].^[5] She changed the pronunciation when she moved to the U.S. to give it a more "American" sound.

She grew up on her parents' farm in Benoni, near Johannesburg.^[6] Her father died on 21 June 1991, after he was shot by Theron's mother. Theron's father, an alcoholic,^[6] physically attacked her mother and threatened both women while drunk. The shooting was legally adjudged to have been self-defense and her mother faced no charges.^[7]

Theron attended Putfontein Primary School (Laerskool Putfontein), a period she later characterised as not "fitting in".^[8] At 13, Theron was sent to boarding school and began her studies at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg.^[6] Although Theron became fluent in English (which she speaks with a General American accent) around age nineteen, her first language is Afrikaans.^[9][10]

Career[link]

Though seeing herself as a dancer,^[11] Theron at 16 won a one-year modeling contract^[6] at a local competition in Salerno ^[12],^[11] and with her mother moved to Milan, Italy.^[13] After Theron spent a year modeling throughout Europe, she and her mother moved to New York City and Miami, Florida.^[13] In New York, she attended the Joffrey Ballet School, where she trained as a ballet dancer until a knee injury closed this career path^[11] at 19.^[14] As Theron recalled in 2008,

I went to New York for three days to model, and then I spent a winter in New York in a friend's windowless basement apartment. I was broke, I was taking class at the Joffrey Ballet, and my knees gave out. I realized I couldn’t dance anymore, and I went into a major depression. My mom came over from South Africa and said, "Either you figure out what to do next or you come home, because you can sulk in South Africa."^[11]

Intending now to work in movies, Theron flew to Los Angeles, California, on a one-way ticket her mother bought her.^[11] During her early months there, she went to a Hollywood Boulevard bank to cash a cheque her mother had sent her to help with the rent.^[15] When the teller refused to cash it, Theron engaged in a shouting match with her.^[6] Upon seeing this, talent agent John Crosby,^[15] in line behind her, handed her his business card and subsequently introduced her to casting agents and also an acting school.^[15][16] She later fired him as her manager after he kept sending her scripts for films similar to Showgirls and Species.^[17] After several months in the city, she was cast in her first film part, a non-speaking role in the direct-to-video film Children of the Corn III (1995).^[6] Her first speaking role was a supporting but significant part in 2 Days in the Valley.^[6] Larger roles in widely released Hollywood films followed, and her career expanded in the late 1990s with box-office successes like The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999).^[6] She was on the cover of the January 1999 issue of Vanity Fair as the "White Hot Venus".^[18] AskMen named her the number one most desirable woman of 2003.^[19]

Theron at the premiere of North Country at the Toronto Film Festival in 2005

After appearing in other films, Theron starred as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003).^[6] Film critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema".^[20] For this role, Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 76th Academy Awards in February 2004,^[21] as well as the SAG Award and the Golden Globe Award.^[22] She is the first South African to win an Oscar for Best Actress.^[23] The Oscar win pushed her to The Hollywood Reporter's 2006 list of highest-paid actresses in Hollywood; earning US$10 million for both her subsequent films, North Country and Æon Flux, she ranked seventh, behind Halle Berry, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Renée Zellweger, Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman.^[24]

In 2005 Theron portrayed Rita, Michael Bluth's (Jason Bateman) love interest, on the third season of Fox's critically acclaimed television series Arrested Development.^[25] She also received Golden Globe and Emmy^[26] nominations for her role of Britt Ekland in the 2004 HBO film The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. On 30 September, Theron received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[23] In the same year, she starred in the financially unsuccessful science fiction thriller Æon Flux. She also received the 2005 Spike Video Game Award for Best Performance by a Human Female for her voiceover work in the Æon Flux video game.^[27][28]

Theron received Best Actress Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for her lead performance in the drama North Country.^[21][22] Ms. magazine also honoured her for this performance with a feature article in its Fall 2005 issue.^[29] She was supposed to star in the screen adaption of the short story The Ice at the Bottom of the World by Mark Richard, and it was to be directed by Kimberly Peirce^[30] and produced by Theron's company Denver and Delilah Films (Theron's two dog's names). Theron has owned the rights for many years.^[31] She was also supposed to star in a movie adaption of the graphic novel Jinx, but both projects have not been produced as of yet.^[30]

In 2008, Theron was named the Hasty Pudding Theatricals Woman of the Year.^[32] That year she also starred with Will Smith in the superhero film Hancock, and in late 2008 she was asked to be a UN Messenger of Peace by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.^[33]

In October 2009, Theron was cast to star in a sequel to the Mad Max films, titled Mad Max: Fury Road.^[34][35]

On 4 December 2009, Theron co-presented the draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa, accompanied by several other celebrities of South African origin. During rehearsals she drew an Ireland ball instead of France as a joke at the expense of FIFA, referring to Thierry Henry's handball controversy in the play off match between France and Ireland.^[36][37] The stunt alarmed FIFA enough for it to fear she might do it again in front of a live global audience.^[38]

Following a three-year hiatus from the big screen, Theron returned to the spotlight in 2011 with Young Adult. Directed by Jason Reitman, the film earned critical acclaim especially for Theron's performance. She was nominated for a Golden Globe and several other high profile awards.

Theron played the Wicked Queen in the film Snow White and the Huntsman, which began production in 2011 and was released in 2012.^[39]

In 2011, she described her process for becoming the characters in her film:

When I'm figuring out a character, for me it's easy, since once I say yes to something, I become super-obsessed about it – and I have an obsessive nature in general. How I want to play it starts at that moment. It's a very lonely, internal experience. I think about [the character] all the time – I observe things, I see things and file things [in my head], everything geared to what I'm going to do. I'm obsessed with the human condition. You read the script and become obsessed with [a character's] nature, her habits. When the camera rolls, it's time to do my job, to do the honest truth. You can't do that part of the [character-creation] work when you're [in the middle of] making the film. At least I can't.^[40]

Personal life[link]

Theron at the Meteor Awards in 2008

Theron has a son, Jackson, whose adoption was announced in March 2012.^[41] She lives in Los Angeles, California.^[42] Theron became a naturalised citizen of the United States in May 2007,^[43] while retaining her South African citizenship.^[44]

In the mid-1990s, Theron had a two-year relationship with actor Craig Bierko.^[45][46] From 1997 to 2001, she dated Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins.^[47] Theron then began a relationship with Irish actor Stuart Townsend, with whom she starred in Trapped (2002) and Head in the Clouds (2004).^[47] Theron and Townsend separated in January 2010 after nearly nine years together.^[48]

Health concerns[link]

While filming Æon Flux in Berlin, Germany, Theron suffered a herniated disc in her neck, which occurred as a result of her suffering a fall while filming a series of back handsprings. This required her to wear a neck collar for a month.^[49] In July 2009, Theron was diagnosed with a serious stomach virus, thought to be contracted while travelling outside the United States.^[50] She was hospitalised at Cedars-Sinai Hospital and she finished convalescing in her own home.^[51] When filming The Road, Theron injured her vocal cords during the labor screaming scenes.^[52]

Promotional deals[link]

Having signed a deal with John Galliano in 2004, Theron replaced Estonian model Tiiu Kuik as the spokeswoman in the "J'adore" advertisements by Christian Dior.^[53]

From October 2005 to December 2006, Theron earned US$3 million for the use of her image in a worldwide print media advertising campaign for Raymond Weil watches.^[54] In February 2006, she and her loan-out corporation were sued by Weil for breach of contract.^[54][55] The lawsuit was settled on 4 November 2008.^[56]

Activism[link]

Theron is involved in women's rights organisations, and has marched in pro-choice rallies.^[57]

Theron also is a supporter of animal rights and active member of PETA. She appeared in a PETA ad for its anti-fur campaign.^[58] She is a supporter of marriage equality and attended a march to support that in Fresno, California, on 30 May 2009.

In July 2009, Theron's Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) announced a coalition with LAFC Soccer Club to give soccer fields to rural areas in South Africa. The US youth soccer club LAFC Chelsea made a three-year commitment to help build a community-wide soccer program for the schools in the Umkhanyakude district, encompassing uniforms, equipment, professional training for local coaches, referees and administrators, and health education.^[59]

In December 2009, CTAOP and TOMS Shoes partnered to create a limited edition unisex shoe. The shoe was made from vegan materials and inspired by the African baobab tree, the silhouette of which was embroidered on blue and orange canvas. Ten-thousand pairs were given to destitute children, and a portion of the proceeds went to CTAOP.^[60]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

List of awards and nominations received by Charlize Theron:

Won[link]

[edit] Monster

• Academy Award for Best Actress
• Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
• Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
• Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
• Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
• Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female
• Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
• National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actress*National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
• National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
• San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
• Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture
• Silver Bear for Best Actress (tied with Catalina Sandino Moreno for Maria full of Grace)
• Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress

Nominated[link]

[edit] The Cider House Rules

• Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Movie
• Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

[edit] The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Miniseries or a Movie
• Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie

[edit] North Country

Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
• Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
• Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
• Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
• Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture
• Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress

References[link]

External links[link]

	South Africa portal
	Biography portal
	Film portal

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Charlize Theron

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Charlize Theron

• Official website
• Charlize Theron at the Internet Movie Database
• Charlize Theron at AllRovi
• Charlize Theron at Who's Who Southern Africa
• Charlize Theron at AskMen
• Charlize Theron at Yahoo! Movies
• Charlize Theron at People.com
• Charlize Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP)
• Charlize Theron at Emmys.com

Joss Stone
Stone at the 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards
Background information
Birth name	Jocelyn Eve Stoker
Born	(1987-04-11) 11 April 1987 (age 25) Dover, Kent, England, UK
Genres	Soul, R&B, blues, jazz
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actress
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Relentless, S-Curve, Virgin, Stone'd, Surfdog
Associated acts	SuperHeavy
Website	www.jossstone.com

Jocelyn Eve Stoker^[1] (born 11 April 1987), better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist. Her second album, the equally multiplatinum Mind Body & Soul, topped the UK Albums Chart for one week and spawned the top ten hit "You Had Me", Stone's most successful single on the UK Singles Chart to date. Both album and single each received one nomination at the 2005 Grammy Awards, while Stone herself was nominated for Best New Artist, and in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2004^[2] was ranked fifth as a predicted breakthrough act of 2004.^[2] She became the youngest British female singer to top the UK Albums Chart in history to have her first album at number one. In early 2009, she joined the eclectic supergroup SuperHeavy.

Stone's third album, Introducing Joss Stone, released in March 2007, achieved gold record status by the RIAA and yielded the second-ever highest debut for a British female solo artist on the Billboard 200, which became Stone's first Top 5 album in the United States and first non-Top 10 album in the United Kingdom. Stone released her fourth album, Colour Me Free!, on 20 October 2009, which reached the Top 10 on Billboard. Stone released her fifth album, LP1, on 22 July 2011, which reached the Top 10 on Billboard. Throughout her career, Stone has sold eleven million albums, establishing herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time, best-selling soul artists of the 2000s and best-selling British artists of her time.^[3] Her first three albums have sold over 2,722,000 copies in the United States, while her first two albums have sold over 2,000,000 copies in United Kingdom. Stone has won two BRIT Awards and one Grammy Award. She also made her film acting debut in 2006 with the fantasy adventure film Eragon, and made her television debut portraying Anne of Cleves in the Showtime series The Tudors in 2009.^[4] Stone was the youngest woman on the 2006 Sunday Times Rich List^[5][6]—an annual list of the UK's wealthiest people—with £6 million. In 2012, her fortune is estimated to be £10 million, making her the fifth richest British musician under 30.^[7]

Life and career[link]

Childhood and youth[link]

Stone was born at Buckland Hospital in Dover, Kent^[8] and spent her teenage years in Ashill, a small village near Cullompton in Devon. She is the third of four children born to Richard and Wendy Stoker.^[9] Her father owns a fruit and nut import/export business;^[10] her mother worked as Stone's manager until October 2004.^[11] Stone made her first public appearance at the Uffculme Comprehensive School—which she attended^[12]—in Uffculme, Devon, with a cover version of Jackie Wilson's 1957 song "Reet Petite".^[13] Stone blames her dyslexia for the fact that she left school at age sixteen with only three GCSE qualifications. "It wasn't that I was stupid. I'm just a little bit dyslexic and I wasn't very academic. I'm more artistic", she says.^[14]

Stone grew up listening to a wide variety of music including 1960s and 1970s American R&B and soul music performed by such artists as Dusty Springfield and Aretha Franklin. As a result, she developed a soulful style of singing like her idols. "My first CD that I owned was Aretha Franklin: Greatest Hits. And I saw the advert on TV and it was just like little clips of her songs. I had no idea who she was—I was only like 10 so. I said, 'Oh yeah, that looks really good', so I wrote it down and I said to my mum, 'Can I have that for Christmas?' So she told my friend Dennis, who always gets me good music anyway, and he got that for me. So that was one of my first albums that I loved."^[15] She would later tell MTV News: "I kind of clicked into soul music more than anything else because of the vocals. You've got to have good vocals to sing soul music and I always liked it ever since I was little."^[16]

[edit] 2001–2005: The Soul Sessions & Mind Body Soul era

Joss Stone during Mind, Body & Soul Sessions Tour.

In 2001, at the age of thirteen, Stone auditioned for the BBC Television talent show Star for a Night in London singing Franklin's 1968 Goffin-King hit "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and Whitney Houston's 1998 "It's Not Right but It's Okay".^[10] After passing her audition, she sang Donna Summer's 1979 "On the Radio" for the broadcast, and eventually won the contest. She also appeared on and won Steps to the Stars (a TV programme hosted by H & Claire of the group Steps).^[10] Stone then performed on a charity show, where she drew the attention of the Boilerhouse Boys, composed of London-based producers Andy Dean and Ben Wolfe, who contacted S-Curve Records founder and chief executive officer Steve Greenberg in December 2001 telling him that "they had just heard the greatest singer they'd ever heard from their country."^[17] In early 2002, Greenberg flew Stone to New York City for an audition, in which she sang to backing tracks of classic soul songs: Otis Redding's 1968 "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", Gladys Knight & the Pips' 1973 "Midnight Train to Georgia", and Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman";^[17] Greenberg instantly signed her to his label.^[10]

After being signed by S-Curve Records, her U.S. market album was released by the label S-Curve Records and in the international market her album was released by the label EMI Music. Stone flew to Miami and Philadelphia to start work on her debut album, The Soul Sessions, released on 16 September 2003. She collaborated with people with solid credentials in the Miami soul scene such as Betty Wright, Benny Latimore, Timmy Thomas and Little Beaver as well as contemporary acts Angie Stone and the Roots. The album consists of little-known soul tracks by Wright, Franklin, Laura Lee, Bettye Swann and others. Released in late 2003, it reached the top five on the UK Albums Chart as well as the top forty of the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The lead single, "Fell in Love with a Boy", a reworking of the White Stripes' 2001 "Fell in Love with a Girl", reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart, as did the second single, a cover version of Sugar Billy's 1974 song "Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin' on Me)". The album eventually went triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry in mid-April 2005^[18] and gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in late March 2004.^[19]

Stone performing live in Milan in 2005, during Mind, Body & Soul Sessions Tour.

After achieving critical acclaim with The Soul Sessions, Stone recorded her second album—this time with new material—Mind Body & Soul, released on 28 September 2004. She called the album her real debut.^[20] It proved to be an even bigger success than her previous album, as it debuted at number one in the UK (breaking the record for the youngest female ever to top the UK Albums Chart,^[21] a record previously held by Avril Lavigne) and just missed the top ten of the U.S. Billboard 200, after peaking at number 11. The lead single, "You Had Me", became her biggest hit to date when it rose to number nine in the UK. Follow-up singles "Right to Be Wrong" and "Spoiled" both made the top 40, and "Don't Cha Wanna Ride", the top 20. "Spoiled" landed just outside the top 50 of U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, peaking at number 54. In early September 2005, Mind, Body & Soul was certified triple platinum by the BPI^[22] and platinum by the RIAA.^[19] In 2004, Stone began dating Beau Dozier, with whom she co-wrote the song "Spoiled". Dozier is the son of Motown producer Lamont Dozier, who is best known as part of Holland-Dozier-Holland. The two split up in November 2005.^[23]

Stone joined Band Aid 20 on 14 November 2004 in benefit of Sudan's troubled Darfur region. The group, consisting of such luminaries as Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin and U2 lead singer Bono, re-recorded the 1984 song "Do They Know It's Christmas?", written by Band Aid organisers Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. Stone, born two years after the release of the original single, was not initially aware of who Bob Geldof was.^[24] The media gleefully reported that she repeatedly referred to him as Bob Gandalf.^[25] Despite some criticism, the single became the UK's biggest-selling single of 2004^[26] as well as the 2004 Christmas number-one single. At the 2005 BRIT Awards, Stone won for British Female Solo Artist and British Urban Act—entering the Guinness World Records as the youngest BRIT Award solo winner at age seventeen—, and was nominated for British Breakthrough Act.^[27] She also received a nomination for Best UK Act of the Year at the 2005 MOBO Awards,^[28] as well as three nominations for the 2005 Grammy Awards—Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "You Had Me", and Best Pop Vocal Album for Mind Body & Soul^[10]—, where she sang with rock performer Melissa Etheridge, in tribute to blues-rock singer Janis Joplin. Their performance of "Cry Baby/Piece of My Heart" was released as a single, and through the aid of strong digital download sales, became Stone's first single to enter the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, when it debuted and peaked at number 32 the week of 2 April 2005.^[29] That same year, she was voted the World's Sexiest Vegetarian by peta2, alongside Chris Martin.^[30]

In March 2005, Stone was named the spokesperson for the Gap clothing company, replacing the actress Sarah Jessica Parker.^[31] She appeared in a television advertisement for that store chain singing a cover of Ray Charles's 1958 song "Night Time Is the Right Time" (retitled "The Right Time").^[32] Stone also appeared in one of Gap's Fall 2005 "Favorites" commercials, singing the Beach Boys' 1966 song "God Only Knows".^[33] By that time, rumours circulated about her being dropped from the campaign because she was living with then-25-year-old songwriter and producer Beau Dozier (son of Motown producer and composer Lamont Dozier) in Los Angeles while she was only 17.^[34] However, Gap later denied the rumours, stating that they were very happy with Stone and telling BBC Radio 1 that the claims were "absolute tosh" and "a complete fabrication".^[35] On 11 April 2005, Stone performed "Spoiled", Rufus' 1974 song "Tell Me Something Good" with John Legend, Otis Redding's 1966 song "Try a Little Tenderness" with Donna Summer, and 1977's "Hot Legs" with Rod Stewart at "Save the Music: A Concert to Benefit the VH1 Save the Music Foundation", in benefit of VH1's Save the Music Foundation.^[36] Three months later, on 2 July 2005, Stone performed "Super Duper Love", "I Had a Dream", and "Some Kind of Wonderful" at the Live 8 concert at Hyde Park, London.

[edit] 2006–2008: Film debut and Introducing Joss Stone era

Stone at Pepsi On Stage, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Stone performed a medley of "It's a Man's World" and "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" with funk legend James Brown on BBC One's chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 1 July 2005.^[37] Stone collaborated with jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and blues singer-guitarist Jonny Lang on a cover of U2's 1988 song "When Love Comes to Town" for Hancock's 2005 album Possibilities. That same year, Stone was featured along with Sean Paul on Santana's "Cry Baby Cry", and worked with Patti LaBelle on a remake of the latter's 1985 song "Stir It Up" for the soundtrack to the Disney animated film Chicken Little.^[38] She also collaborated with Lemar in 2006 on his third studio album, The Truth About Love, on the track "Anniversary". On 5 February 2006, Stone joined Stevie Wonder, India.Arie, and John Legend during the Super Bowl XL pre-game ceremonies to perform a medley of Wonder's hits. Three days later, on 8 February, on the night of the 2006 Grammy Awards, she helped perform a medley of Sly & the Family Stone's hits alongside Legend, Ciara, Maroon 5, will.i.am, Robert Randolph, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. Stone made her film debut in the fantasy adventure film Eragon (based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Christopher Paolini), directed by Stefen Fangmeier and released on 15 December 2006, playing the fortune teller Angela.^[39] At the 2007 Grammy Awards, Stone shared the award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for her collaboration with John Legend and Van Hunt on their 2005 cover of Sly & the Family Stone's 1971 chart-topper "Family Affair".^[40]

Stone at the 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards.

Stone with BBC Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans in 2007

Stone caused controversy at the 2007 BRIT Awards ceremony on 14 February 2007 while presenting the award for British Male Solo Artist (won by James Morrison). Speaking in a fake American accent, she gave a largely incoherent speech about Robbie Williams, who had been the target of earlier jokes made by host Russell Brand. Williams had been reported as going into rehabilitation that same week. As her speech continued, she made remarks about Brand, implying that he was heading for rehabilitation himself (while singing a passage of Amy Winehouse's hit "Rehab").^[41] In response to the British media's reaction, Stone responded, "At the end of the day, I don't give a fuck if people have a problem with my accent. That's all I can say about it. The words I say do not change. If the way that it sounds is skew-wiff and you don't like it, don't listen. I'm not being a cruel person by sounding a different way. And I can't help it. I've been [in America working] since I was, like, 14."^[42] Stone, a vegetarian since birth—having been brought up as one by her parents^[43] — was photographed by Justin Borucki posing with a chicken in an advert for PETA in March 2007, whose tagline states, "I am Joss Stone and I am a vegetarian".^[44]

Stone began work on her third studio album, Introducing Joss Stone, at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, in May 2006.^[45] Released on 12 March 2007, the album was coordinated by A&R Chris Anokute, produced by Raphael Saadiq, and included collaborations with Lauryn Hill, Common, and Joi.^[46] Virgin Records describes the album as "an electrifying mix of warm vintage soul, 1970s-style R&B, Motown girl-group harmonies, and hip-hop grooves".^[47] Stone herself describes it as "truly me. That's why I'm calling it Introducing Joss Stone. These are my words, and this is who I am as an artist."^[47] She also revealed on The Tavis Smiley Show that her break-up with Beau Dozier was a source of inspiration while writing Introducing Joss Stone.^[48] The album debuted and peaked at number twelve on the UK Albums Chart, not managing to match the success of Stone's two previous albums. It nevertheless debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 selling 118,000 copies in its first week,^[49] becoming the highest debut for a British solo female artist on the U.S. chart, surpassing the record previously held by Amy Winehouse with Back to Black^[50] (which in turn would later be outdone by Leona Lewis, whose album Spirit debuted at number one the week of 26 April 2008).^[51]

"Tell Me 'Bout It", the album's lead single, debuted and peaked at number twenty-eight on the UK Singles Chart—where it stayed for three weeks only—, and peaked at number eighty-three on the U.S Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now", a collaboration with rapper Common, failed to chart inside the UK top seventy-five, but made the top sixty-five of the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Stone and Common turned the single's music video into a Product Red, reverting 100% of the gains from copies of the video purchased from iTunes to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Stone is the first Product Red artist to do so.^[52] "Baby Baby Baby" was released digitally in December 2007 and physically in January 2008 as the third single. In support of the album, Stone embarked on a North American tour which began on 27 April at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut and ended on 13 June at the Filene Center in Vienna, Virginia, visiting sixteen cities in total including Philadelphia, San Francisco, Vancouver, Chicago, Toronto, New York City and Boston.^[53] Two months later, she went on a North American late-summer tour which kicked off on 27 August at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California and ended on 29 September at the Crossroads in Kansas City, Missouri, covering twelve cities—this time including Mexico City.^[54]

[edit] 2009–present: Colour Me Free!, LP1 and SuperHeavy era

Stone during festival, part of the Colour Me Free! World Tour.

Stone was photographed by Canadian singer-guitarist and photographer Bryan Adams for Phonak's Hear the World initiative, whose main goal is to raise global awareness for the topic of hearing and hearing loss. "Being able to hear means that you can enjoy all the sounds of the world", she said.^[55] On 7 July 2007, Stone performed at the South African leg of the Live Earth concerts at the Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg, to promote awareness of global warming. She sang the Introducing Joss Stone tracks "Girl They Won't Believe It", "Headturner", "Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now", "Music", and "Tell Me 'bout It", as well as Mind, Body & Soul's "Right to Be Wrong" and "Gimme Shelter", the latter with Angélique Kidjo. Stone covered Nat King Cole's 1965 classic "L-O-V-E" for an advertising campaign for Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle fragrance. On 29 November 2007, Stone joined Jeff Beck on a duet of the Impressions's 1965 song "People Get Ready" as part of his series of concerts at London's Ronnie Scott jazz club, documented on the DVD Performing This Week: Live at Ronnie Scott's. In order to raise the awareness of AIDS, Annie Lennox joined forces with twenty-three female acts (including Stone) and recorded the song "Sing", which was released on World AIDS Day on 1 December 2007, when Lennox performed at one of Nelson Mandela's 46664 concerts at Johannesburg's Ellis Park Stadium. In mid-December 2007, Stone was named the new Flake girl to star in a series of television adverts for the Cadbury Schweppes product in the spring of 2008. According to the company, she is the first non-model to take the role.^[56]

Stone walking at the Heart Truth charity fashion show 2008.

In March 2008, Stone signed up for the role of a lesbian named Stephanie in the British romantic comedy Snappers. In addition to acting, she produced the film's soundtrack. The film, also starring Chloe Howman, Caroline Quentin and Bruce Jones, premiered at the English Riviera Comedy Film Festival in September 2008.^[57] Stone made her television debut portraying Henry VIII's fourth wife Anne of Cleves in the third season of Showtime's series The Tudors.^[4] She reprised the role in the show's final season in 2010,^[58] appearing in two episodes.

Stone launched a legal battle in a bid to leave her record label, EMI, and free her of her current three-album deal with the record label in April 2008.^[59] Stone performed at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California on 26 April 2008.^[60] She also performed "Right to Be Wrong" at the LA PRIDE 2008—produced by Christopher Street West, a non-profit organisation—in West Hollywood, California, on 7 June 2008.^[61] On 26 October 2008, Stone sang the British national anthem, God Save the Queen, before the NFL match between the San Diego Chargers and the New Orleans Saints, held at Wembley Stadium, London.^[62] On 7 December 2008, Stone performed the Who's 1965 song "My Generation" on CBS's Kennedy Center Honors TV special at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., honouring Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.^[63] In 2010, Stone also appeared on Ringo Starr's album, Y Not on the song "Who's Your Daddy" in which she sang and co-wrote with the ex-Beatle; appeared on Jeff Beck's album, Emotion and Commotion on the songs "I Put A Spell On You" and "There's No Other Me". In late 2010, Stone's voice and likeness were used for the "Bond girl" character of Nicole Hunter, a jewellery designer and MI6 agent, in the video game James Bond 007: Blood Stone. In addition to portraying the character, she also performed the game's theme song, "I'll Take It All", which was co-written and performed with Dave Stewart.^[64]

Stone in Madrid in 2010.

Stone's fourth studio album was written and recorded in about a week in Devon in early 2008. "I kind of woke up one morning and wanted to make an album", she says. "It's very, very raw. It's a bunch of musicians, writers and myself, and we're just jamming, basically."^[65] In promotion of the album, entitled Colour Me Free!, Stone played concerts throughout the United Kingdom in February and March.^[66] Originally scheduled for release in April 2009, Colour Me Free! was finally released on 20 October 2009, after EMI delayed the album's release.^[67] Joss revealed that her record company also fought her about the original cover of her new album, calling it "offensive". It was changed to simple text and no picture of the singer on the American edition, the original cover was used on the other editions worldwide. In late August 2010, it was reported that Stone had left EMI^[68] and formed her own independent record label, Stone'd Records.^[69] EMI announced in late December that they would be releasing a greatest hits album, The Best of Joss Stone 2003–2009. The compilation was released on 30 September 2011.^[70] In 2010, She collaborated with Puerto Rican recording artist Ricky Martin for "The Best Thing About Me Is You", and peaked at number 74 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100 and which topped the Hot Latin Songs and Latin Pop Songs chart, this was Stone' first number one on all two charts, which also made her the first British of non-Hispanic origin to reach No. 1 on the Hot Latin Tracks and Latin Pop Songs chart. On 14 June 2011, police arrested two men near Stone's home in Cullompton, Mid Devon, England, for plotting to rob and murder her.^[71][72]

Stone partnered with Surfdog Records to release LP1 on 26 July 2011, through her own label Stone'd Records.^[73] The album was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee in six days, where Stone co-wrote and co-produced the album with Eurythmics co-founder, David Stewart^[74] The lead single, "Somehow", and was released on 24 June 2011.^[75] Stone also joined the supergroup SuperHeavy which was formed by Mick Jagger of Rolling Stones, together with Dave Stewart, Damian Marley – youngest son of Bob Marley, and the Indian musician and producer A.R. Rahman.^[76] The album was recorded at Jim Henson Studios in Los Angeles and will be released in 20 September 2011^{[dated info]} by A&M Records. The debut single, "Miracle Worker", was released on 19 July 2011.

Stone mentioned the upcoming release of two new albums, including one she referred to as "The Soul Sessions 2".^[77] Later, a photo of the album cover of the other album on Facebook indicating that the title of the album will be "Homemade Jam".^[78] This album, like LP1, is co-produced and co-written by Dave Stewart. The release dates for both albums were not yet announced.

Voice and live performances[link]

Stone performing live in 2009. She always performs barefoot.

Stone possesses a wide vocal range that has been classified as both contralto^[79] and mezzo-soprano^{[citation needed]} by reviewers, and is noted for its soulful quality. Her vocal range extends from C3 up to A5, but with falsetto and exclamations she can hit a E6. Her total vocal range spans three octaves.^[80] She is also known for her barefoot performances.^[81]

Discography[link]

• The Soul Sessions (2003)
• Mind Body & Soul (2004)
• Introducing Joss Stone (2007)
• Colour Me Free! (2009)
• LP1 (2011)

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Stone has received one award from five nominations.

Other awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Find more about Joss Stone on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Images and media from Commons

• Official website
• Joss Stone on Facebook
• Joss Stone on Twitter
• Joss Stone on Myspace
• Joss Stone's channel on YouTube
• Joss Stone at Allmusic
• Joss Stone at the Internet Movie Database