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Look up presenter or host in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A presenter, or host (sometimes hostess, in feminine form), is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies (also MC, emcee, or host) is a person that hosts or presents a show.^[1] In films, a presenter (but not a host) is a usually well-known executive producer credited with introducing a film or filmmaker to a larger audience. In broadcast media, especially British, a presenter is the person who hosts, narrates, presents, or takes the main role in the program.

[edit] Television presenter

A television presenter is a person who introduces or hosts television programmes. Nowadays it is common for minor celebrities in other fields to take on this role, but there are also a number of people who have made their name solely within the field of presenting, particularly within children's television series to become a television personality.

Some presenters may double as an actor, model, singer, comedian etc. Others may be subject matter experts, such as scientists or politicians, serving as presenters for a programme about their field of expertise (for instance, David Attenborough). Some are celebrities who have made their name in one area, then leverage their fame to get involved in other areas. Examples of this latter group include British comedian Michael Palin who now presents programmes about travel (such as Around the World in 80 Days), and Alan Alda, who has presented Scientific American Frontiers for over a decade.

The term is also used in other countries, such as Ireland. In the USA, such a person is typically called a host or an MC (Master of Ceremonies). There are many most popular television personalities in Nepal. For example: Bikash Thapa Chhetri, Bijay Kumar Pandey and Bhusan Dahal are the most popular.

Radio presenter[link]

Broadly speaking, a radio presenter (often radio personality) is the same as a television presenter, except that they present radio programs instead of television programs. Big name presenters include Scott Mills, Tony Blackburn, Dale Winton, Steve Wright, Chris Moyles, Howard Stern, and Hamish and Andy.

News presenter[link]

Sports presenter[link]

A sports commentator (also sports announcer, sports broadcaster, sportscaster, or sports presenter) is a type of journalist on radio and/or television who specializes in reporting or commentating on sporting events. Sportscasting is often done live.

Weather presenter[link]

A weather presenter is a type of journalist on television who specializes in presenting weather forecasts.

References[link]

Stuart Cosgrove (born 12 November 1952) is a Scottish journalist, broadcaster and television executive. As a journalist Cosgrove served on the NME (Media Editor) and The Face during the 1980s, before joining Channel 4 in April 1994, serving for eight years as Controller of Arts and Entertainment and currently as Head of Programmes (Nations and Regions).

Cosgrove graduated in Drama and English from the University of Hull and has studied at George Mason University, Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and Wharton Business School. He has a Ph.D. in Media (the thesis published as part of the book Theatres of the Left, 1880-1935) and a Doctorate in English and American Studies. He has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts by the University of Abertay Dundee and honorary professorships by the University of Stirling and Liverpool John Moores University.^[1][2][3][4]

In Scotland, Cosgrove is probably best known as the co-host of BBC Radio Scotland's popular comedy football phone-in Off The Ball which he presents twice a week with Tam Cowan, and as the co-host of BBC Scotland's Saturday football results show Sportscene Results. Born and brought up in Perth, he is an avid fan of the town's football club St Johnstone. He also wrote a book, Hampden Babylon, revealing the seedier side of the Scottish football scene.

In 2007 and 2008 he presented "Stuart Cosgrove's Floorfillers" on BBC Radio Scotland, dedicated to Northern and Rare Soul music, of which he is a fan.

His "Haha, Fantastic, ye cannae beat it" quote is used by satirist and impressionist Jonathan Watson.

Bibliography[link]

• Theatres of the Left, 1880-1935, Workers' Theatre Movements in Britain and America, by Raphael Samuel, Ewan MacColl and Stuart Cosgrove. 1985. ISBN 0-7100-0901-1

References[link]

External links[link]

• Off the Ball at BBC Online
• Article on Stuart Cosgrove^{[dead link]}

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Mohammed Farah

Farah at the 2008 European Cross Country Championships
Personal information
Nationality	British
Born	(1983-03-23) 23 March 1983 (age 29) Mogadishu, Somalia[1]
Residence	Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Weight	65 kg (140 lb; 10.2 st)[2]
Sport
Sport	Running
Event(s)	1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m, 10,000 m
Club	Newham and Essex Beagles Oregon Track Club
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	800 m: 1:48.69 (Eton 2003) 1500 m: 3:33.98 (Monaco 2009) 3000 m: 7:34.47 (Birmingham 2009) 5000 m: 12:53.11 (Monaco 2011) 10000 m: 26:46.57 (Eugene 2011) Half Marathon: 60:23 (New York 2011)
Medal record Men's athletics Competitor for  Great Britain World Championships Gold 2011 Daegu 5000 m Silver 2011 Daegu 10000 m European Championships Gold 2010 Barcelona 10000 m Gold 2010 Barcelona 5000 m Silver 2006 Göteborg 5000 m European Indoor Championships Gold 2009 Torino 3000 m Gold 2011 Paris 3000 m European Cross Country Championships Gold 2006 San Giorgio su Legnano Individual Silver 2008 Brussels Individual Silver 2009 Dublin Individual Silver 2009 Dublin Team Bronze 2008 Brussels Team European Team Championships Gold 2009 Leiria 5000 m

Mohamed "Mo" Farah (Somali: Muxammad Faarax, Arabic: محمد فرح‎; born 23 March 1983 in Mogadishu, Somalia^[1]) is a Somalia-born British international track and field athlete, and current 5000 m world champion. On the track, he generally competes over 5000 metres and 10,000 metres, but also runs the 3000 metres and occasionally the 1500 metres. He has expressed a desire to move up to the marathon after the 2012 Olympics.^[3]

Farah holds the European track record for 10,000 metres, the British road record for 10,000 metres, the British indoor record in the 3000 metres, the British track record for 5000 metres, the British half-marathon record, and the European indoor record for 5000 metres. In July 2010, Farah won Britain's first-ever men's European gold medal at 10,000 m.^[4] He followed this with a gold in the 5000 m, becoming the 5th male athlete to complete the long-distance double at the championships and the first British man to do so.^[5] At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, he won silver in the 10,000 m and gold in the 5000 m.^[6]

In addition, Farah competes in cross-country running, where in December 2006 he became European champion in Italy.^[7] He also took gold in the 3000 metres in both the 2009 and 2011 European Indoor Championships, in Turin and Paris respectively.

Farah was originally based in London and ran for Newham and Essex Beagles athletics club, training at St Mary's University College, Twickenham's sports facilities in Strawberry Hill from 2001 to 2011. In 2011 he relocated to Oregon, USA, in order to further his training. He is an ambassador for Bupa, Lucozade Sport and Nike. Farah was voted 2011 European athlete of the year from twelve nominees, with Christophe Lemaitre in second place.^[8]

Biography[link]

Junior career[link]

Farah was born in Somalia.^[1] He grew up in Djibouti, and arrived in Britain aged 8 years old, speaking barely a word of English.^[1] Farah's father, on the other hand,his father was born in England and grew up in Hounslow. His parents met after his father went on holiday to Somalia.^[9]

Farah attended Feltham Community College in London. His athletic talent was identified by physical education teacher Alan Watkinson at Isleworth and Syon School, who later said of Farah: "When I first met him, he was struggling academically and suffering from the language barrier.^[10] He needed focus and I sort of took him under my wing. His passion was football but it was his turn of speed on the pitch that showed his real talent. His ambitions consisted of playing on the right wing for Arsenal.^[11] Watkinson would offer Farah the incentive of playing football for 30 minutes in the gym before taking him to the running club.

In 1996, at the age of 13, Farah entered the English schools cross country and finished ninth. The following year he won the first of five English school titles.^[10]

His first major title was at 5000 metres at the European Athletics Junior Championship in 2001^[12], the same year that he began training at St Mary's University College, Twickenham. That year Farah became one of the first two athletes in the newly formed Endurance Performance Centre at St Mary’s. He lived and trained at the College, and took some modules in an access course before becoming a full-time athlete as his career progressed.

Senior career[link]

2005–2008[link]

In 2005, Farah made an important move, moving in with Australian Craig Mottram and a group of Kenyan runners that included 10,000 metres world number one Micah Kogo. "They sleep, eat, train and rest, that's all they do but as an athlete you have to do all those things. Running with Craig made me feel more positive," Farah said. "If I ever want to be as good as these athletes I've got to work harder. I don't just want to be British number one, I want to be up there with the best."^[10]

In July 2006, Farah clocked a time of 13 minutes 9.40 seconds for 5000 m to become Britain's second-fastest runner after Dave Moorcroft. A month later Farah collected the silver medal in the European Championship 5000 m in Gothenburg. Coaches Alan Storey and Mark Rowland made sure that Farah remained competitive and a few words from Paula Radcliffe before the 5000 m final inspired Farah. He has stated that: "She said to me, 'Go out and be brave. Just believe in yourself'."^[10]

In December 2006, Farah won the European Cross Country Championship in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy.^[7]

Farah represented the UK at 5000 m in the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan. Farah finished sixth in a time of 13:47.54.^[13]

In May 2008, Farah ran 10,000 m events, claiming the fastest UK men's time for almost eight years. However, he suffered disappointment at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, being knocked out before the final in the 5000 m event.

2009–2010: British records and European champion[link]

In January 2009, Farah set a new British indoor record in the 3000 metres, breaking John Mayock's record with a time of 7 minutes 40.99 seconds in Glasgow.^[14] A few weeks later he broke his own record by more than six seconds with a time of 7 minutes 34.47 at the UK Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham,^[15] a performance which commentator Steve Cram called "the best performance by a male British distance runner for a generation".^[16] Farah attributed his good form to a spell of winter training at altitude in Ethiopia and Kenya.^[17] In March 2009 he took gold in the 3000 m at the European Indoor Championships in Turin, recording a time of 7 minutes 40.17.^[18]

Farah shadowing Ayad Lamdassem in the 10,000 m final of the 2010 European Athletics Championships

He competed at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics: he was in the leading pack early on in the 5000 metres race and eventually finished seventh – the best by a European runner. After the championships, he scored a victory in his first road competition over 10 miles, winning the Great South Run in 46:25 to become the third fastest Briton in spite of strong winds.^[19]

Farah was one of the favourites to upset Serhiy Lebid's dominance at the 2009 European Cross Country Championships.^[20] However, Lebid was never in contention as Farah and Alemayehu Bezabeh were some distance ahead throughout. Farah was overtaken by Bezabeh in the latter stages of the race, leaving the Briton with a second consecutive silver medal at the competition.^[21] He did not manage to attend the medal ceremony, however, as he collapsed immediately after the race and needed medical attention.^[22] After a close third place behind Edwin Soi at the BOclassic,^[23] he competed in the short course race at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country. He was the favourite to win and surged ahead to build a comfortable lead. However, he appeared tired in the latter stages and finished third behind British runners Ricky Stevenson and Steve Vernon. Farah again required post-race medical attention and subsequent tests revealed he had low levels of iron and magnesium. He was prescribed supplements for the condition and his high altitude training plans in Kenya were unaffected.^[24]

Farah celebrating his 2010 European Championships 10,000 metres gold medal

He won the 2010 London 10,000 in late May with a British road record time of 27:44, beating 10K world record holder Micah Kogo in the process.^[25] His success continued the following week at the European Cup 10,000 m as he improved his track best by nearly 16 seconds, finishing in 27:28.86. He won by a margin of over forty seconds ahead of second placed Abdellatif Meftah.^[26] After training in Africa, he returned to Europe for the 2010 European Athletics Championships. He took the 10,000 metres gold medal, overtaking Ayad Lamdassem with two laps to go and finishing the race unpressured in a time of 28:24.99. This was Farah's first major title and also the first European gold medal in the event for Great Britain.^[27] He then went on to win the 5000 m from Jesus Espana, becoming only the fifth man in the 66-year history of the European Championships to achieve the 5000 m/10,000 m double, and the first for 20 years, following in the footsteps of the Czech Emil Zatopek in 1950, Zdzislaw Krzyszkowiak of Poland in 1958, Finland’s Juha Vaatainen in 1971 and Salvatore Antibo, of Italy, in 1990.^[5][28]

On 19 August 2010, at a Diamond League meeting in Zurich, Farah ran 5000 m in 12:57.94, breaking David Moorcroft's long-standing British record and becoming the first ever British athlete to run under 13 minutes.^[29] In December 2010, Farah was named the track-and-field athlete of the year for 2010 by the British Olympic Association.^[30] He closed the year at the BOclassic and just missed out on the 10K title, losing out to Imane Merga in a sprint finish by 0.2 seconds.^[31]

2011: European and British records, and world medals[link]

2011 proved to be a highly successful year for Farah, beginning on 8 January at the Edinburgh Cross Country, where he defeated the top four finishers of that year's European Championships to take victory in the long race.^[32]

In February 2011, Farah announced that he would be relocating to Portland, Oregon, USA, to work with new coach Alberto Salazar. On 19 February 2011 in Birmingham, England, he broke the European 5000 m indoor record with a time of 13:10.60, at the same time taking ten seconds off the 29-year-old British indoor record of Nick Rose.^[33]

On 5 March 2011, he won gold in the 3000 metres at the European Indoor Championships.

On 20 March 2011 he won the NYC Half Marathon in a time of 1:00:23, a new British record.^[34][35] He and training partner Galen Rupp had originally planned on running a 10,000 m race in New Zealand, but after it was canceled due to an earthquake and damage done to the track, they entered the half-marathon in New York.

On 3 June 2011, at a Diamond League meeting in Eugene, Oregon, USA, Farah won the Prefontaine Classic 10,000 m in 26:46.57, setting a new British and European record.^[36]

On 22 July 2011, at a Diamond League meeting in Monaco, he set a new British national record in the 5000 m with a time of 12:53.11.^[37] He edged out American Bernard Lagat to win.^[37]

In the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, in Daegu, South Korea, Farah made a major breakthrough on the world stage by taking the silver medal in the 10,000 m and then the gold in the 5000 m.^[38] He became the first British man to win a global title over either distance.^[39] Farah had in fact been more strongly fancied to take the 10,000 m title, but was narrowly beaten in a last lap sprint by Ethiopian Ibrahim Jeilan. In the 5000 m he overcame Bernard Lagat, perhaps his major rival, beating him into second place. Following the race, Dave Moorcroft, former 5000 metres world record holder, hailed Farah as "the greatest male distance runner that Britain has ever seen".^[40]

Personal life[link]

In April 2010 Farah married his longtime partner Tania Nell, in Richmond, London. Other athletes at the wedding included Paula Radcliffe, Steve Cram, Hayley Yelling, Jo Pavey, and Swedish steeplechaser Mustafa Mohamed.^[41] He has a six year-old step-daughter, Rihanna.^[42] He is a fan of Arsenal Football Club.^[43]

Achievements[link]

Personal bests[link]

+ intermediate split in longer race

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• IAAF profile for Mohamed Farah
• Guardian article by Steve Cram
• Mo Farah's Rising Star profile on spikesmag.com
• In-depth article from Independent

Sharon Stone
Stone at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005
Born	Sharon Vonne Stone (1958-03-10) March 10, 1958 (age 54) Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States
Occupation	Actress, model, producer
Years active	1980–present
Spouse	Michael Greenburg (1984–1990) Phil Bronstein (1998–2004)
Children	3

Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance in Casino.

Early life[link]

Stone was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The second of four children, she is the daughter of Dorothy (née Lawson), an accountant and homemaker, and Joseph William Stone II, a tool and die manufacturer and factory worker.^[1][2][3] Stone graduated in 1975 from Saegertown High School in Saegertown, Pennsylvania.^[3]

Career[link]

Modeling[link]

Stone won the title of Miss Crawford County in Meadville, and was a candidate for Miss Pennsylvania.^[3] One of the pageant judges said she should quit school and move to New York City to become a fashion model.^[3] In 1977, Stone left Meadville, moving in with an aunt in New Jersey. Within four days of her arrival in New Jersey, she was signed by Ford Modeling Agency in New York.

1980–1989[link]

While living in Europe, she decided to quit modeling and become an actress. "So I packed my bags, moved back to New York, and stood in line to be an extra in a Woody Allen movie," she later recalled.^{[citation needed]} Stone was cast for a brief role in Allen's Stardust Memories (1980),^[3] and then had a speaking part a year later in the horror film Deadly Blessing (1981). French director Claude Lelouch cast her in Les Uns et les Autres (1982), starring James Caan.^{[citation needed]} She was on screen for two minutes and did not appear in the credits.

Her next film role was in Irreconcilable Differences (1984), starring Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long, and a young Drew Barrymore. Stone played a starlet who breaks up the marriage of a successful director and his screenwriter wife. In 1984, she appeared in a two-part episode of Magnum, P.I., titled "Echoes of the Mind", where she played identical twins, one a love interest of Tom Selleck's character.

Through the rest of the 1980s, she had roles in such B-films as King Solomon's Mines (1985) and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987), and played Steven Seagal's wife in Above the Law (1988). Also in 1988, Stone took over the role of Janice Henry for the filming of the miniseries War and Remembrance.

1990–2002[link]

Stone in France, 1991

Her appearance in Dutch film director Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger gave Stone's career a boost.^[3] To coincide with the film's release, she posed nude for Playboy, showing off the muscles she developed in preparation for the film (she lifted weights and learned taekwondo). In 1999, she was rated among the 25 sexiest stars of the century by Playboy.^[4]

In another Verhoeven film was the role that made her a star, playing Catherine Tramell, a brilliant, bisexual, alleged serial killer, in Basic Instinct (1992).^[3] Several better known actresses of the time turned down the part, mostly because of the nudity required.^{[citation needed]} In the film's most notorious scene, Tramell is being questioned by the police, and she crosses and uncrosses her legs, revealing the fact she is not wearing any underwear.^[5] According to Stone, she agreed to film the flashing scene with no panties, and although she and Verhoeven had discussed the scene from the beginning of production, she was unaware just how explicit the infamous shot would be:^[6]

"I knew that we were going to do this leg-crossing thing and I knew that we were going to allude to the concept that I was nude, but I did not think that you would see my vagina in the scene. Later, when I saw it in the screening I was shocked. I think seeing it in a room full of strangers was so disrespectful and so shocking, so I went into the booth and slapped him and left."^[7][8]

She claimed in an earlier interview, however, that "it was so fun" watching the film for the first time with strangers.^[6] Verhoeven has denied all claims of trickery and said, "As much as I love her, I hate her, too, especially after the lies she told the press about the shot between her legs, which was a straight lie".^[9] Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, who later befriended the actress, also claimed in his memoir, Hollywood Animal, that the actress was fully aware of the level of nudity involved.

Stone at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival

Following Basic Instinct, she was listed by People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world.^[10] In 1992, photographer George Hurrell took a series of photographs of Stone, Sherilyn Fenn, Julian Sands, Raquel Welch, Eric Roberts, and Sean Penn. In November 1995, Stone received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. That same year, Empire chose her as one of the 100 sexiest stars in film history. In October 1997, she was ranked among the top 100 film stars of all time by Empire.

In 1995, she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture, for her role as "Ginger" in Martin Scorsese's Casino, opposite Robert De Niro.^[3] She also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for the role.^[3] The same year, she starred opposite Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio in the Sam Raimi western The Quick And The Dead. Also in 1995, she was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award.^[11]

Stone starred opposite Ellen DeGeneres in the 2000 HBO film If These Walls Could Talk 2, in which she played a lesbian trying to start a family. For her work on 'Walls', she was again recognized by Women in Film, this time with the Lucy Award.^[11]

In 2001, Stone was linked to a biopic of the German film director Leni Riefenstahl. The prospective director, Paul Verhoeven, and Riefenstahl herself, favoured Stone to portray Riefenstahl in the film. According to Verhoeven, he discussed the project with Stone and she was very interested. Subsequently, Verhoeven pulled out of the project as he wanted to hire a more expensive screenwriter than the producers did.^[12][13]

Stone was hospitalized on September 29, 2001 for a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which was diagnosed as a vertebral artery dissection rather than the more common ruptured aneurysm, and treated with an endovascular coil embolization.^[14]

2003–present[link]

Stone in 2005

In 2003, she appeared in three episodes from the eighth season of The Practice. For her performances, she received an Emmy Award^[15] for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

Also in 2003, she appeared in a James Woods-directed American Stroke Association television commercial to raise awareness of the symptoms of a stroke. This commercial was also shown in Canada courtesy of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.^[16]

Stone attempted a return to the mainstream with roles in the films Cold Creek Manor (2003) with Dennis Quaid and Catwoman (2004) with Halle Berry; however, both films were critical and commercial flops.

After years of litigation, Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction was released on March 31, 2006. A reason for a long delay in releasing the film was reportedly Stone's dispute with the filmmakers over the nudity in the film; she wanted more, while they wanted less. A group sex scene was cut in order to achieve an R rating from the MPAA for the U.S. release; the controversial scene remained in the U.K. version of the London-based film. Stone told an interviewer, "We are in a time of odd repression and if a popcorn movie allows us to create a platform for discussion, wouldn't that be great?"^[17]

Despite an estimated budget of $70 million, it placed only 10th in gross on its debut weekend with a meager $3,200,000, and was subsequently declared a bomb.^[18] It ultimately ran in theaters for only 17 days and finished with a total domestic gross of under $6 million. Despite the failure of Basic Instinct 2, Stone has said that she would love to direct and act in a third Basic Instinct film.

Stone at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011

She appeared in the 2006 drama Alpha Dog opposite Bruce Willis, playing Olivia Mazursky, the mother of a real-life murder victim. Stone wore a fatsuit for the role.^[19] In February 2007, Stone found her role as a clinically depressed woman in her latest film, When a Man Falls in the Forest, uplifting, as it challenged what she called "Prozac society." "It was a watershed experience," she said. "I think that we live in a... Prozac society where we're always told we're supposed to have this kind of equilibrium of emotion. We have all these assignments about how we're supposed to feel about something."^[20]

In December 2006, she co hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway together with Anjelica Huston. The concert was in honor of the Nobel Peace Prize winners Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank.^[21] Also in that year, she appeared in the last episode of the Turkish TV series Kurtlar Vadisi (Valley of the Wolves) along with Andy Garcia.^{[citation needed]}

On January 5, 2010, Entertainment Weekly reported Stone's impending appearance in four episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in April,^[22] and then included in a review on the 29th of that April such descriptions of Stone's performance as a "great presence," and having "had to revive her best . . . tone to sell hokey lines" in a series it described as "mawkish and overwrought."^[23] Stone portrayed Jo Marlowe, a former cop turned prosecutor.

Criticism[link]

Tanzania[link]

On January 28, 2005, Stone helped solicit pledges for $1 million in five minutes for mosquito nets in Tanzania,^[24] turning a panel on African poverty into an impromptu fund-raiser at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Many observers, including UNICEF, criticized her actions by claiming that Stone had reacted instinctively to the words of Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, because she had not done her research on the causes, consequences and methods of preventing malaria.^[25]

Of the $1 million pledged, only $250,000 was actually raised. In order to fulfill the promise to send $1 million worth of bed nets to Tanzania, UNICEF contributed $750,000.^[26] This diverted funds from other UNICEF projects.^[26] According to prominent economist Xavier Sala-i-Martín, officials are largely unaware of what happened with the bed nets. Some were delivered to the local airport.^[26] These reportedly were stolen and later resurfaced as wedding dresses on the local black market.^[25][26]

Chinese earthquake[link]

Stone sparked a storm of criticism with her comments in an exchange on the red carpet with Hong Kong's Cable Entertainment News during the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008. When asked about the 2008 Sichuan earthquake she remarked:

Well you know it was very interesting because at first, you know, I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And so I have been very concerned about how to think and what to do about that because I don't like that. And I had been this, you know, concerned about, oh how should we deal with the Olympics because they are not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine. And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that Karma? When you're not nice then the bad things happen to you? ^[27]

Observers have noted that Wenchuan County, the epicenter of the earthquake, is located in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, where ethnic Tibetans compose over half the population. According to the Hollywood Reporter, one of China's biggest cinema chains reacted to Stone's comments by declaring it would not show her films in its theaters.^[28] The founder of the UME Cineplex chain and the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, Ng See-Yuen, called Stone's comments "inappropriate," and said the UME Cineplex chain would be presenting her films no further.^[28] Christian Dior advertisements featuring Stone's image were dropped from all ads in China amid the public uproar.^[29] Stone was struck from the 2008 Shanghai International Film Festival guest list, and the event's organizers considered banning the actress permanently.^[30]

Dior China had originally posted an apology in Stone's name, but Stone later denied making the apology during an interview with the New York Times, saying "I'm not going to apologize. I'm certainly not going to apologize for something that isn't real and true – not for face creams," although she does admit she had "sounded like an idiot."^[31] However, after the interview, Stone released a statement entitled "In my own words by Sharon Stone" in which she said "I could not be more regretful of that mistake. It was unintentional. I apologize. Those words were never meant to be hurtful to anyone."^[32]

While Stone cited the Dalai Lama as her "good friend" when she made the remark at the Cannes film festival, the Dalai Lama has reportedly distanced himself by saying of her only, "yes, I've met that lady".^[33][34]

Mensa[link]

For many years, Stone maintained that she had an IQ of 148^[35] and was a member of Mensa,^[36][37] but in April 2002, she admitted she was not, and had never been, a member of that society.^[36][38] Jim Blackmore of Mensa said, "It's delightful to finally see Ms. Stone admit that she's not and never has been a member of our society." Blackmore admits Stone may be as clever as many like to think. He says, "My gut feeling is that she would definitely qualify. But that's just based on what we've been told by other individuals."^[38]

Personal life[link]

In March 2006, Stone traveled to Israel to promote peace in the Middle East through a press conference with Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres.^[39]

Religion[link]

Stone is a convert to Tibetan Buddhism.^[40] She believes in God and is religious by self-description.^[41] She is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church.^[42]

Relationships[link]

Stone married television producer Michael Greenburg in 1984 on the set of The Vegas Strip War, a television film he produced and she starred in. The couple separated three years later, and their divorce was finalized in 1990.^[43]

In 1993, Stone met William J. MacDonald (aka Bill MacDonald) on the set of the film Sliver, which he co-produced. MacDonald left his wife Naomi Baca for Stone and became engaged to her. They separated one year later in 1994.^[44]

While working on the film The Quick and the Dead in 1995, Stone met Bob Wagner (a second assistant director) and they became engaged. After they separated, Stone returned the engagement ring via FedEx.^[45]

On February 14, 1998, Stone married Phil Bronstein, executive editor of the San Francisco Examiner and later San Francisco Chronicle.^[46] They adopted a baby son, Roan Joseph Bronstein, in 2000.^[47] Bronstein filed for divorce in 2003, citing irreconcilable differences.^[48] The divorce became final in 2004,^[49] with a judge ruling that Roan should remain primarily with Bronstein, with Stone receiving visitation.^[50][51]

Stone adopted her second son, Laird Vonne Stone, in 2005,^[52] and her third son, Quinn Kelly Stone, in 2006.^[43][53]

In 2005, during a television interview for her film Basic Instinct 2, Stone hinted at an interest in bisexuality, stating "Middle age is an open-minded period".^[54] Stone also has said that in the past she's "dated" girls. Furthermore, in Naked Instinct, an unauthorized biography of Stone, author Frank Sanello details a sexual liaison between Stone and a woman in the bathroom of the Beverly Hills Hotel.^[55] In an interview on the Michael Parkinson talk show in Britain on March 18, 2006, she said she was straight. However, in January 2008, she was quoted as saying, "Everybody is bisexual to an extent. Now men act like women and it's difficult to have a relationship because I like men in that old-fashioned way. I like masculinity and, in truth, only women do that now".^[56]

In 2011, Stone stated on Piers Morgan Tonight that she was never married to George Howe Englund Jr., despite contrary internet rumors.^[57]

Filmography[link]

References[link]