It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into TED. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2012.

Look up ted in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Ted is:

• a nickname for:
  • Edward
  • Edwin
  • Theodore
• short for Teddy Boy

Notable people[link]

People known as “Ted” include:

• Bruce Slesinger (known simply as Ted), second drummer for the Dead Kennedys
• Ted Bundy (1946–89), serial killer active in the 1970s
• Ted Danson (born 1947), American actor
• Ted Gärdestad (1956–1997), Swedish singer-songwriter
• Sir Edward Heath (known as Ted Heath) (1916–2005), British Prime Minister 1970-74
• Ted Heath (bandleader) (1902–69), English bandleader
• Ted Jackson (born 1955), prize-winning photographer
• Ted Kaczynski (known as "The Unabomber") (born 1942), American mathematician and social critic who carried out a campaign of bombings and mail bombings
• Ted Kennedy (1932–2009), U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
• Ted Kennedy (ice hockey) (1925–2009), Canadian ice hockey player
• Ted Knight (1923–1986), American actor
• Ted Koppel (born 1940), American broadcast journalist
• Ted "Kid" Lewis (Gershon Mendeloff; 1893–1970), English world champion Hall of Fame welterweight boxer
• Ted Nolan (born 1958), Canadian ice hockey coach and executive
• Ted Nugent (born 1948), American hard rock guitarist and vocalist
• Ted Sorensen (1928–2010), speechwriter and adviser to John F. Kennedy
• Ted Strickland (born 1941), American politician
• Ted Stevens (1923–2010), longest serving Republican in the U.S. Senate
• Ted Turner (born 1938), American media proprietor and philanthropist
• Ted Williams (1918–2002), American baseball hall-of-famer

Fictional characters[link]

Notable fictional characters known by the nickname “Ted” include:

• Ted Buckland, character from the U.S. television series Scrubs
• Father Ted Crilly, character from the UK television sitcom Father Ted
• Theodore Logan (known as Ted Logan), one of the main characters from the U.S. comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
• Theodore Schmidt (known as Ted Schmidt), character from the North American TV series Queer as Folk
• Theodore Sprague (known as Ted Sprague), character from the U.S. television series Heroes
• Ted Striker, character from the US Comedy movie Airplane!
• Ted, the Generic Guy, character from the comic strip Dilbert
• Theodore Evelyn Mosby (known as Ted Mosby), character from the U.S. television series How I Met Your Mother
• Ted Bovis, cynical comedian from the UK television sitcom Hi-de-Hi!
• Ted, gamekeeper of Lord Ralph Mayhew in the Ted & Ralph sketches from the UK television comedy series The Fast Show
• The eponymous character from the book Ted by Tony DiTerlizzi.

Other things called Ted[link]

• Ted (word processor), free software word processor for the X Window System environment
• Ted (airline), airline brand United Airlines operated in the US
• Television Electronic Disc, unsuccessful videodisc format developed by Telefunken in 1975, and abbreviated as TeD
• "Ted (Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode)", episode of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Ted (album), by Swedish singer-songwriter Ted Gärdestad
• TED (global set of conferences) that defines its mission as "ideas worth spreading"
• Ted (film), an upcoming American comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane and starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis

See also[link]

• TED (disambiguation) (acronym)
• Teds (disambiguation)
• Ed (disambiguation)
• Teddy (disambiguation)

Mark Wahlberg
Wahlberg at the 2011 Time 100 gala
Born	Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (1971-06-05) June 5, 1971 (age 41) Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Other names	Marky Mark Monk D
Occupation	Actor Producer Rapper (former)
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Rhea Durham (m. 2009–present; 4 children)
Relatives	Donnie Wahlberg, Robert Wahlberg (brothers)

Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971) is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1989 debut as frontman with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the 90's. Wahlberg is well known for his roles in films such as Boogie Nights (1997), Three Kings (1999), The Perfect Storm (2000), Planet of the Apes (2001), Rock Star (2001), The Italian Job (2003), I Heart Huckabees (2004), Four Brothers (2005), The Departed (2006), Invincible (2006), Shooter (2007), and The Fighter (2010), Date Night (2010). He has also served as the executive producer of the TV series Entourage, Boardwalk Empire and How to Make It in America.

Early life[link]

Wahlberg was born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest of nine children,^[1] with siblings Arthur, Jim, Paul, Robert, Tracey, Michelle, Debbie (died in 2003 at age 44), and Donnie. His father was of half Swedish and half Irish ancestry, and his mother is of Irish, English, and French Canadian descent.^[2] Maternally, Wahlberg is distantly related to author Nathaniel Hawthorne.^[3] Wahlberg's mother, Alma Elaine (née Donnelly), was a bank clerk and nurse's aide, and Wahlberg's father, Donald Edward Wahlberg, was a Teamster who worked as a delivery driver. His parents divorced in 1982.^[4] Wahlberg had a Roman Catholic^[5][6] upbringing and attended Copley Square High School (but never graduated) on Newbury Street in Boston.

Racist assaults and attempted murder charges[link]

Wahlberg claims to have been in trouble 20–25 times with the Boston Police Department as a youth. By the age of 13, Wahlberg had developed an addiction to cocaine and other substances.^[7][8] At 15, he harassed a group of black school children on a field trip by throwing rocks and shouting racial epithets.^[9] When he was 16, while high on PCP, Wahlberg approached a middle-aged Vietnamese man on the street and, using a large wooden stick, knocked him unconscious (while calling him "Vietnam fucking shit"). He also attacked another Vietnamese man, leaving him permanently blind in one eye, and attacked a security guard (using foul language).^[10][11]

For these crimes, Wahlberg was charged with attempted murder. He pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to two years in jail at Boston's Deer Island House of Correction, of which he served 45 days.^[10][12] In another incident, the 21-year-old Wahlberg fractured the jaw of a neighbor in an unprovoked attack.^[13] "I did a lot of things that I regretted and I certainly paid for my mistakes," Wahlberg says. "You have to go and ask for forgiveness and it wasn't until I really started doing good and doing right, by other people as well as myself, that I really started to feel that guilt go away. So I don't have a problem going to sleep at night. I feel good when I wake up in the morning."^[14]

^[15]

Career[link]

Music[link]

Wahlberg first came to fame as the younger brother of Donnie Wahlberg of the successful 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. Mark, at age thirteen, had been one of the group's original members, along with Donnie, Danny Wood, Jordan Knight, and Jonathan Knight. However, he soon quit. It was his departure that eventually allowed Joe McIntyre to take his place as the fifth member of the group.

Wahlberg began recording as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, earning a hit with "Good Vibrations" from the album Music for the People. The record was produced by brother Donnie and later hit No.1 on The Billboard Hot 100, later becoming certified as a Platinum single. The second single, "Wildside," peaked at No.5 on Billboards Hot Singles Sales chart and at No.10 on The Billboard Hot 100.^[16] It was certified as a Gold Single. Marky Mark opened for the New Kids on the Block during their last tour. The second Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch LP, You Gotta Believe, was not as successful as the prior, yielding only a minor hit single in the title track. Wahlberg later collaborated with the late reggae / ragga singer Prince Ital Joe on the album Life in the Streets. The project combined rap and ragga vocals with strong eurodance music (as in the singles Happy People, German No.1 hit United, Life in the Streets, and Babylon) courtesy of Frank Peterson and Alex Christensen as producers.

He was also featured in the Black Label Society music video for "Counterfeit God", as a stand-in for the band's bassist.^[17]

Advertising[link]

Wahlberg first displayed his physique in the Good Vibrations music video and most prominently in a series of underwear ads for Calvin Klein shot by Herb Ritts, following it with Calvin Klein television advertisements.^[18] Magazine and television promotions would sometimes feature Mark exclusively or accompanied by model Kate Moss. Annie Leibovitz also shot a famous session of Mark Wahlberg in underwear for Vanity Fair's annual Hall of Fame issue.^[19] He also made a workout video titled The Marky Mark Workout: Form... Focus... Fitness (ISBN 1-55510-910-1).

Film[link]

Wahlberg at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011.

Wahlberg dropped the "Marky Mark" moniker and began an acting career, making his debut in the 1993 TV movie The Substitute. His big screen debut came the next year, with the Danny DeVito feature Renaissance Man. A basketball fanatic, he caught the attention of critics after appearing in The Basketball Diaries in 1995, playing the role of Mickey alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, in a film adaptation of the Jim Carroll book of the same name. He also starred in the 1996 James Foley thriller Fear.

He has earned many positive reviews after successful movies like Boogie Nights as Dirk Diggler, Three Kings, The Perfect Storm, The Italian Job, and Four Brothers. His performance in I ♥ Huckabees was voted best supporting performance of the year in the 2004 Village Voice Critics Poll. Wahlberg was originally cast as Linus Caldwell in Ocean's Eleven; Matt Damon played the role instead. The two later worked together in The Departed.^[20] Wahlberg was also considered for a role in the film Brokeback Mountain. It was originally intended to star him and Joaquin Phoenix, but Wahlberg was uncomfortable with the film's sex scenes and his role ultimately went to Jake Gyllenhaal.^[21]

Wahlberg starred in the American football drama, Invincible, based on the true story of bartender Vince Papale. He is also the executive producer of the HBO series Entourage which is loosely based on his experiences in Hollywood. He also appeared as a foul-mouthed Massachusetts State Police detective in Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed thriller, The Departed in 2006, which netted him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, and an NSFC Best Supporting Actor award. Wahlberg has confirmed that he was approached to star in a sequel to The Departed, but it is still early in development. The sequel would reportedly revolve around the Staff Sergeant played by Wahlberg.^[22]

Wahlberg at the Shooter premiere in London, March 2007

Wahlberg at the premiere of Max Payne.

To prepare for his role in Shooter, Wahlberg attended long-range shooting training at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute near Pahrump, Nevada, and was able to hit a target at 1100 yards on his second day, a feat which usually takes weeks to achieve.^[23] He has said in a number of interviews that he will retire at the age of 40 to concentrate on parenthood^[24] and professional golf. However, in early 2007 he indicated that the latter was no longer the plan as "his golf game is horrible".^[25] He played Jack Salmon, a leading role in Peter Jackson's film of The Lovely Bones.^[26] In 2007, he starred opposite Joaquin Phoenix in We Own the Night, a movie about a family of police officers in New York City.

He starred in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening as Eliot Moore, which premiered in movie theatres on June 13, 2008. The same year, he played the title role in Max Payne, based on a video game of the same name. While promoting Max Payne, Mark became involved in a playful feud with Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg and threatened to "crack that big fucking nose of his." Samberg had done an impression of Wahlberg in a Saturday Night Live skit titled "Mark Wahlberg Talks To Animals."^[27][28] However, Wahlberg later appeared in a follow-up skit parodying both the original skit, Samberg's impression of Wahlberg, and his own threats to Samberg.^[29][30]

Personal life[link]

Family and relationships[link]

In the early '90s, Wahlberg dated former child actress Soleil Moon Frye.^[31] Wahlberg and model Rhea Durham have been together since 2001 and were married on August 1, 2009 at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills. The couple have four children, Ella Rae (born September 2, 2003), Michael Robert (born March 21, 2006), Brendan Joseph (born September 16, 2008) and Grace Margaret (born January 11, 2010). In a 2011 interview with USA Weekend, Wahlberg stated that he had taken his children to visit his old Dorchester neighborhood, saying "I want them to know that not everyone is as fortunate and how important it is to work hard and give back."^[32]

His father, a US Army veteran of the Korean War, died on February 14, 2008.^[33]

Religion[link]

Wahlberg is a committed Roman Catholic,^[34] who attends daily Mass, credits his faith and a priest from his childhood for helping him turn his life around, and recognizes the seriousness of his faith.^[6]

Charity work[link]

Actively involved in charity, Wahlberg established the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation in May 2001 for the purpose of raising and distributing funds to youth service and enrichment programs.^[35]

Wahlberg is also active with The Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children. In an interview, Mark said that it's important to let the homeless know that people care about them and are working to help the impoverished get back on their feet.^[36]

Tattoos[link]

Wahlberg has four tattoos done by various artists including Paul Timman.^[37] The tattoos include Sylvester the cat with Tweety Bird in his mouth on his ankle, a design of his initials "MW" with his surname "Wahlberg" on his upper right arm, and a Bob Marley tattoo with "One Love" on his upper left arm.^[38] The final tattoo, which Wahlberg holds as his most meaningful, is the rosary tattooed around his neck, with a crucifix and the words "In God I Trust" resting over his heart.^[38] On January 9, 2012 Wahlberg was a guest on The Late Show With David Letterman. He spoke about his tattoos and stated he is in the process of having them removed. Initially he was told it would take 8-10 laser treatments however he required over 30 treatments and is still in the process of getting them removed. He cited his career and children as the reason for the removal of the tattoos. His first tattoo was as a young teenager and it was of a shamrock. Because it was not professionally done, he said the shamrock was not straight and had the Tweety Bird tattoo placed over it after arriving in Los Angeles.

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mark Wahlberg

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mark Wahlberg

• Mark Wahlberg at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Mark Wahlberg in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

This article may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints. Please improve the article by adding information on neglected viewpoints, or discuss the issue on the talk page. (April 2012)

Susan Cain
Born	Early 1968[1]
Occupation	Writer, former lawyer and negotiations consultant[2]
Language	English
Nationality	U.S.
Education	J.D. (Juris Doctor)[3]
Alma mater	Princeton University,[4] Harvard Law School[5]
Genres	Success, Management, Education, Psychology, Self-Help, Interpersonal Relations
Notable work(s)	Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking (January 24, 2012)
www.thepowerofintroverts.com

Susan Cain is an American writer and lecturer.

Cain is author of the 2012 non-fiction book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, which argues that modern Western culture undervalues the traits and capabilities of introverted people.

Early careers[link]

Cain attended Princeton University^[4] and Harvard Law School.^[5] She worked first as an attorney, and then as a negotiations consultant.^[2] Cain's interest in writing about introversion reportedly stemmed from her own difficulties with public speaking, which made Harvard Law School "a trial."^[6]

Cain left her careers in corporate law and consulting, for a quieter life of writing at home with her family.^[6] She wrote that she looks back on her years as a Wall Street lawyer "as time spent in a foreign country."^[7]

[edit] Motivation for Quiet

When asked what she would be doing if she were not a writer, Cain explained that she would be a research psychologist, saying she is insatiably curious about human nature.^[8]

Cain explained that in writing Quiet, she was fueled by the passion and indignation that she imagined fueled the 1963 feminist book, The Feminine Mystique.^[8] Cain likened Introverts today to women at that time--second-class citizens with gigantic amounts of untapped talent.^[8] Saying that most introverts aren’t aware of how they are constantly spending their time in ways that they would prefer not to be and have been doing so all their lives, Cain explained that she was trying to give people entitlement in their own minds to be who they are.^[9]

Cain added that for her, Quiet was not just a book but a mission.^[8] Specifically, she said she was interested in working with parents and teachers of introverted kids and to re-shape workplace culture and design, and in particular replace what she terms "The New Groupthink" with an environment more conducive to deep thought and solo reflection.^[8]

An introvert's "Year of Speaking Dangerously"[link]

Cain speaking at the TED2012 conference ("not my natural milieu") with a prop suitcase,^[10][11] which was said to be a metaphor for the treasures, memories, activities and thoughts that make you you.^[12] Cain's own suitcase contained books.^[10][11]

The Chicago Tribune noted^[7] that Cain, a self-described introvert,^[13] grappled with her own introversion as a Wall Street attorney before writing Quiet.^[7] In contrast, Cain described the time of creating Quiet to be seven years of reading, researching, thinking—"total bliss."^[10][11]

Seven years in the making,^[2] Cain's book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, was published January 24, 2012.^[14]

Cain's research was published in articles in the year leading up to the book's publication and in the ensuing months.^[15][16] In her talk^[11] at the February 2012 TED Conference, Cain confirmed her April 2011 prediction that ensuing year would be her Year of Speaking Dangerously--for which the self-described introvert declared she would be training, "as if preparing for a marathon," to be the best and bravest speaker she could be.^[16]

Cain later wrote that her year of preparation had unfolded in "three stages of accelerating dread."^[17] Cain joined Toastmasters, and as her TED talk approached she scheduled a two-hour crash course with TED’s speaking coach.^[17] But saying her butterflies had turned into "gut-wrenching knots," Cain worked for six full days with an acting coach immediately before the talk.^[17] Three months after the talk, Cain wrote that she had metamorphosed into what she termed an "impossibly oxymoronic creature: the Public Introvert."^[17]

The publication of Quiet was accompanied by publication of Cain's related writings. Psychology Today published her blog series from March through December 2011.^[15] Eleven days before the book's January 24, 2012 publication, The New York Times published her opinion piece "The Rise of the New Groupthink,"^[18] two days after the book's publication date Time published her article "Don’t Call Introverted Children ‘Shy,’"^[19] and O: The Oprah Magazine's February issue included Cain's self-improvement-oriented article "Secrets of a Super Successful Introvert: How to (Quietly) Get Your Way."^[20] In March, Cain's work was featured in The Guardian ("Why the world needs introverts")^[21] on CNN ("Introverts run the world -- quietly"),^[22] and in The Daily Mail ("Revenge of the Introverts").^[23] In April, The New York Times published her essay, "An Introvert Steps Out," a retrospective on her Year of Speaking Dangerously.^[17]

Within one week of its publication, Forbes' Jenna Goudreau noted that Quiet was featured by several major media outlets and was shared extensively across the Web, Goudreau observing that readers said they felt validated and seen for the first time.^[24] Days before Quiet reached #4 on The New York Times' Bestseller List,^[25] InformationWeek's Debra Donston-Miller had noted that the idea of introversion and extroversion is being widely discussed right now due in large part to a new book whose author "is making the media rounds."^[26]

Selected work[link]

• Cain, Susan, "The Rise of the New Groupthink" (WebCite archive), Opinion section of The New York Times, January 13, 2012; appearing in print January 15, 2012.

• Cain, Susan, "Don’t Call Introverted Children ‘Shy’ " (WebCite archive), Time Psychology section, January 26, 2012.

• Cain, Susan, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts / How to thrive in a world that can't stop talking" Psychology Today, (WebCite archives for first, second, and third pages of list having links to 73-entry blog series, dated from March 7 through December 23, 2011).

• Cain, Susan, "Introverts run the world -- quietly" (WebCite archive), CNN.com, March 18, 2012.

• Cain, Susan, "Revenge of the introverts: It's often assumed extroverts do best in life, but a new book reveals quite the opposite..." (WebCite archive), The Daily Mail, March 25, 2012.

• Cain, Susan, Essay: "An Introvert Steps Out" (WebCite archives of pages 1 and 2), "Sunday Book Review" section of The New York Times, published online April 27, 2012. Version appeared in print on page BR27 of the "Sunday Book Review" on April 29, 2012.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Susan Cain

• ThePowerOfIntroverts website (WebCite archive)

• Cain's 'author' page on facebook

Amanda Palmer
Palmer playing at the Music Box Theatre, Hollywood, California; December 2008.
Background information
Birth name	Amanda MacKinnon Palmer
Also known as	Amanda Fucking Palmer[1][2]
Born	(1976-04-30) April 30, 1976 (age 36) New York City
Genres	Alternative rock, punk cabaret
Occupations	Artist, performer, musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, keyboard, piano, ukulele
Years active	1989–present
Labels	8ft Records / Formerly Roadrunner Records (until April 2010)[3]
Associated acts	The Dresden Dolls Evelyn Evelyn
Website	Amanda Palmer.net

Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer^[4] (born April 30, 1976), sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer,^[1][2] is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls.^[5] She has since started a solo career, and is also one half of the duo Evelyn Evelyn.

Biography[link]

Palmer was born in New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital,^[6] and grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts.^[7] She attended Lexington High School, where she was involved in the drama department,^[8] and attended Wesleyan University^[9] where she was a member of the Eclectic Society.^[10] She staged performances based on work by the Legendary Pink Dots, an early influence, and was involved in the Legendary Pink Dots electronic mailing list, Cloud Zero.^{[citation needed]} She then formed the Shadowbox Collective, devoted to street theatre and putting on theatrical shows (such as the 2002 play, Hotel Blanc,^[11] which she directed).

With an interest in the performing arts, both in music and in theatre, Palmer spent time busking as a living statue called "The Eight Foot Bride" in Harvard Square, Cambridge; Edinburgh, Scotland; Australia (where she met Jason Webley);^[12] as well as many other locations. She references this line of work on The Dresden Dolls' self-titled CD, with the song "The Perfect Fit":

"I can paint my face
And stand very, very still
It's not very practical
But it still pays the bills"

as well as on the A is for Accident track "Glass Slipper":

"I give out flowers
To curious strangers
who throw dollars at my feet."

The Dresden Dolls[link]

Amanda Palmer performing with The Dresden Dolls at Kings Arms Tavern in Auckland, New Zealand, September 2006

At a Halloween party in 2000, Palmer met drummer Brian Viglione and afterwards they formed The Dresden Dolls. In an effort to expand the performance experience and interactivity, Palmer began inviting Lexington High School students to perform drama pieces at her live shows. The Dirty Business Brigade, a troupe of seasoned and new artists, performed at many gigs. The invited costumed characters mingled with the crowd before and during the show, and veteran groups sometimes joined in with a choreographed stage act. Life-sized marionettes, coin-operated boys, living statues, and other undergroundlings greeted fans while circus and burlesque drew the audience into the Dolls' music, creating a participatory atmosphere that allowed the audience to experience numerous types of art simultaneously.

After developing a cult following, the band recorded their eponymous debut album, The Dresden Dolls in 2002 with producer Martin Bisi (of Indie, Brooklyn, New York fame). They produced the album before being picked up by Roadrunner Records.

In 2006, The Dresden Dolls Companion,^[13] was published, with words, music & artwork by Amanda Palmer.^[13] In it she has written a history of the album The Dresden Dolls and of the duo, as well as a partial autobiography. The book also contains the lyrics, sheet music, and notes on each song in the album, all written by Palmer, as well as a DVD with a 20 minute interview of Amanda about making the book.

In June 2007, as part of the Dresden Dolls, she toured with the True Colors Tour 2007,^[14] including her debut in New York City's Radio City Music Hall,^[15] and her first review in the New York Times.^[15]

July 2008 saw the release of the second Dresden Dolls book, the Virginia Companion.^[16] It is a follow-up to The Dresden Dolls Companion, featuring the music and lyrics from the Yes, Virginia...(2006) and No, Virginia... (2008) albums.

The Onion Cellar and Cabaret[link]

Palmer conceived the musical/production The Onion Cellar, based on a short story from The Tin Drum by Günter Grass. From December 9, 2006 through January 13, 2007, The Dresden Dolls performed the piece in conjunction with the American Repertory Theater at the Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While Palmer was openly frustrated with the direction of the show, fan and critical reviews were very positive.^[17][18]

Palmer, as part of her solo career, returned to the A.R.T. in fall 2010 for a two-month run of Cabaret, starring as the Emcee.^{[citation needed]}

2010 Reunion Tour[link]

In 2010, a reunion tour to selected venues in the United States occurred. It started on Halloween in New York City and ended in San Francisco on New Years Eve.^[19]

Solo career[link]

Palmer (left) as one half of Evelyn Evelyn, with Jason Webley.

Palmer's solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, was released on September 16, 2008.^[20] Ben Folds produced and also played on the album.^[21][22] The title is a play on an expression used by fans during Twin Peaks' original run, "Who killed Laura Palmer?" A companion book of photos of Palmer looking as if she were murdered was released in July 2009 featuring photography by Kyle Cassidy and accompanying writing by Neil Gaiman.

August Strindberg was indirectly referenced in a song by Palmer titled "Strength Through Music," which contains an audio clip of a web cartoon called Strindberg and Helium. The cartoon almost exclusively quotes Strindberg's work.

In July 2007, Palmer played three sold out shows (in Boston, Hoboken, and NYC) in a rare "with band" format. Her backing band was Boston alternative rock group Aberdeen City, who also opened along with Dixie Dirt. In August 2007, Amanda traveled to perform in the Spiegeltent and other venues at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, and also performed on BBC Two's The Edinburgh Show. She collaborated with Australian theater company, The Danger Ensemble; both again appeared at the Spiegeltent in Melbourne and at other venues around Australia in December 2007. In September 2007 Palmer collaborated with Jason Webley to release Evelyn Evelyn's debut EP "Elephant Elephant" via Jason's Eleven Records. In June 2008, Palmer established her solo career with two well-received performances with the Boston Pops.^[23][24][25] In Autumn 2008, she toured Europe with Jason Webley, Zoe Keating and The Danger Ensemble, performing songs mostly from her debut solo album. She did most of the shows with a broken foot she had sustained in Ireland when a car ran over her foot as she stepped out into a street.^[26] In April 2009, she played at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.^[15]

In 2009, Palmer went back to her alma mater, Lexington High School in Massachusetts to collaborate with her old director and mentor Steven Bogart on a workshop piece for the department's spring production. The play, With The Needle That Sings In Her Heart was inspired by Neutral Milk Hotel's album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and The Diary of Anne Frank.^[27] It received an overwhelmingly positive response from the Lexington community and abroad. NPR's Avishay Artsy interviewed the cast in a piece featured on All Things Considered on closing night of the production.^[28] Amanda described this process as "what it's all about" in her blog.^{[citation needed]}

From August to October 2010, she performed in Cabaret at the A.R.T. in Boston, Massachusetts. She played the emcee, collaborating with long-time associates Lance Horne (music director), Steven Mitchell Wright of The Danger Ensemble ("movement master/choreographer"), and Steven Bogart (director, Amanda's high school drama teacher who directed the Lexington High School production of the Neutral Milk Hotel-inspired "With the Needle That Sings In Her Heart").^[29][30][31]

Palmer has increasingly used the ukulele in her career,^[32] including free ninja gigs in public locations, that are open to all ages.^{[citation needed]}

On February 9, 2012, Palmer announced on her blog^[33] that she will begin recording a new solo album in collaboration with The Grand Theft Orchestra, under the name of 'Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra'. Palmer stated that there are "20+ songs" ready to record, and that "almost all of them have never been heard". The album is to be recorded in Melbourne with John Congleton producing.^[33]

Use of the Internet[link]

Palmer is noted for her use of the Internet, regularly using the latest innovations to make new fans and connect with old ones. This includes her forum,^[34] her blog,^[35] use of many free music and social networking sites, fund raising, and direct-to-fan marketing.^[36]

Controversies[link]

Dispute with Roadrunner Records, fans' "ReBellyon"[link]

Photo taken during her 2008 tour promoting Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

After the release of her music video for the song "Leeds United," Palmer sparked controversy with a post in her blog. She claimed Roadrunner Records had wanted to pull certain shots from the video that exposed her stomach, because "...they thought I looked fat." After her fans read about this, they posted pictures of their stomachs online with messages to Roadrunner, lyrics, and words of comfort. They then sent their pictures to the record label, and started a web site.^{[citation needed]} The fans coined a term for the movement: The ReBellyon, and put together a book, "The Belly Book," of over 600 pictures and stories from fans. The book was sold over the internet to fans all over the world.^[37] Pitchfork Magazine^[38] and The Guardian^[39] were among publications reporting on the controversy.

Partly because of the Leeds video controversy,^{[citation needed]} Palmer attempted to disengage from her contract with Roadrunner Records, going as far as composing and performing a song called "Please Drop Me," which asked the label to free her from the contract.^[40][41]

After a long legal battle between Palmer and Roadrunner, and her repetitive pleas to discontinue her contract with Roadrunner, Palmer announced^[3] that Roadrunner Records finally released her from their label. Her appreciation was punctuated with another new song: "Do You Swear to Tell the Truth the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth So Help Your Black Ass" as a free download to celebrate her new freedom. She repeated the announcement during an appearance on the Australian music quiz show Spicks and Specks.^[42]

"Oasis" controversy[link]

Palmer's song "Oasis" and its follow-up video sparked more controversy. The song's fictional story deals with an Oasis fan and rape victim who has an abortion. Despite these tragic events, she states that "I've seen better days, but I don't care", and directly after, informs the listener what just happened involving her process of communicating to Oasis through fan mail, first, "I just sent a letter in the mail", then, "Oasis got my letter in the mail", and finally, toward the end of the song, "I just got a letter in the mail."^[43] Palmer received an e-mail while she was in the United Kingdom from her label there explaining that "all" of the TV outlets in the country had refused to play the video due to its "making light of rape, religion, and abortion." Palmer, in response, wrote on her blog "I suggested that I might be allowed to play it if I just slowed it way down and played it in a minor key. Think about it. If they heard the same lyrics against the backdrop of a very sad and liliting [sic] piano, maybe with some tear-jerking strings thrown in for good measure, would they take issue?"^[44]

"I Kissed a Girl" skit[link]

In December 2008, Palmer performed an Anti Proposition 8 agitprop skit at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles where a Katy Perry look-alike came onstage and began singing her controversial song "I Kissed a Girl," only to be interrupted, kissed, and fondled by Palmer and comedian Margaret Cho. The skit ended with the two binding and gagging "Perry," who is forced into a mock wedding with Palmer, followed by the raising of an anti Proposition 8 banner. Palmer mentioned, on her blog, the discontent some in the LGBT community had with Perry over her exploitation of their identity in her song "I Kissed a Girl," and said she meant the piece as a protest against Proposition 8.^[45][46]

Personal life[link]

Palmer resides in Boston, Massachusetts.

She has identified as bisexual,^[47] telling afterellen.com in 2007: "I'm bisexual, but it's not the sort of thing I spent a lot of time thinking about," Palmer said. "I've slept with girls; I've slept with guys, so I guess that's what they call it! I'm not anti trying to use language to simplify our lives."^[48] On her blog, Palmer has stated that she had an abortion at age 17. In the same blog post, she stated that she was date raped when she was 20 years old.^[49]

Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman (Vienna 2011)

On January 1, 2010, she stated on her Twitter feed that she "might have told [Neil Gaiman] [she]'d marry him but also might have been drunk."^[50] On January 15, 2010, Neil Gaiman and Palmer confirmed their engagement in an announcement made to their respective websites.^[51][52] On November 16, 2010, Amanda Palmer hosted a flash mob wedding (not legally binding) for Gaiman's birthday in New Orleans.^[53] On January 3, 2011, the couple announced, via Twitter, that they had legally married in a private ceremony.^[54] The wedding took place in the parlour of writers Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon.^[55]

Palmer practices meditation and wrote an article titled "Melody vs. Meditation"^[56] for the Buddhist publication Shambhala Sun, that described the struggle between songwriting and being able to clear the mind to meditate. Palmer has also mentioned her pescetarianism on her blog.^[57] She has many friends who are fellow musicians, and frequently performs alongside them, either accompanying them in their performances, or featuring them in her live shows.^{[original research?]} These performers include: Jason Webley, Kim Boekbinder, The Jane Austen Argument, Reggie Watts, Tim Minchin, Mikelangelo, Meow Meow and Neil Gaiman.^{[citation needed]}

Awards & honors[link]

• 2012 – Twitter Feed @amandapalmer in the Boston Phoenix's Best 2012 ^[58]
• 2011 – Actress in a local production: Cabaret – Boston's Best, Improper Bostonian^[59]
• 2010 – Artist of the Year – Boston Music Awards^[60][61][62]
• 2010 – Cover of Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead) named 13th of Paste Magazine's 20 Best Cover Songs of 2010^[63]
• 2009 – No. 100 on After Ellen's Hot 100 of 2009.^[64]
• 2008 – No. 6 on the Best Solo artist list in The Guardian's Readers' Poll of 2008.^[65]
• 2007 – No. 6 on Spinner.com's Women Who Rock Right Now.^[66]
• 2006 – the Boston Globe named her the most stylish woman in Boston.^[67]
• 2006 – listed in Blender Magazine's hottest women of rock.^[68]
• 2005 – Best Female Vocalist in the WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll.^[69][70]

Discography[link]

Solo artist[link]

Demos[link]

• Songs from 1989–1995... (1996)
• Summer 1998 Five Song Demo (1997)

Studio albums[link]

• Who Killed Amanda Palmer (2008) No. 77 US^[71]
• Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under (2011)^[72]
• Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra (2012)^[73]

EPs[link]

• Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele (2010)^[74][75][76]

Singles[link]

• "Do You Swear to Tell the Truth the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth So Help Your Black Ass" (April 6, 2010)
• "Idioteque" (June 10, 2010)
• "Map of Tasmania" (December 2010)^[77]

DVDs[link]

• Who Killed Amanda Palmer: A Collection of Music Videos (2009)

As part of The Dresden Dolls[link]

• The Dresden Dolls EP (2002)
• A Is for Accident (2003)
• The Dresden Dolls (2003, reissued 2004)
• Yes, Virginia... (2006)
• No, Virginia... (2008)

As part of Evelyn Evelyn[link]

• Elephant Elephant (2007)^[78][79]
• Evelyn Evelyn (2010)

Other collaborations[link]

• "Trudy" (with Ad Frank and the Fast Easy Women on In Girl Trouble) (2003)
• "Circus Freak Love Triangle" (with Hierosonic on Pornos and Razorblades) (2005)
• "Warsaw Is Khelm" (with Golem on Fresh Off Boat) (2006)
• "Life", "Eight Days of Hell" and "Witch's Web" (with ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead on So Divided) (2006)
• "The Lovers" (with Meredith Yayanos on Brainwaves) (2006)
• "Stuck with You" (with Voltaire on Ooky Spooky) (2007)
• "Everybody Hurts" (with Cormac Bride on Stereogum Presents... Drive XV: A Tribute to Automatic For the People) (2007)
• "Black Versus White" (with Apoptygma Berzerk on Rocket Science) (2009)
• Murder By Death/Amanda Palmer Split 7" (2009)
• "Living in Misery" (with Kill Hannah on Wake Up the Sleepers) (2009)
• "János vs Wonderland" (with Tristan Allen on Tristan Allen EP) (2010)
• "The Little Prince" (with Lance Horne on First Things Last) (2011)^[80]
• Nighty Night (with Damian Kulash of OK Go, Neil Gaiman and Ben Folds as 8in8) (2011)^[81][82]
• "Such Great Heights" (with Kim Boekbinder on Such Great Heights single) (2011)^[83][84][85]

Cameo appearances[link]

• "Let Me Borrow That Top" (by Liam Kyle Sullivan aka. "Kelly") (2004) appearing briefly in the mall scene.
• "With the Needle That Sings in Her Heart" (Lexington High School's 2009 Spring Production) appearing as "The Ringmaster"

Bibliography[link]

• Palmer, Amanda (2006). The Dresden Dolls Companion. New York, NY: Eight Foot Music. ISBN 978-1-57560-888-4. 
• Palmer, Amanda; Viglione, Brian (2008). The Dresden Dolls – The Virginia Companion. Cherry Lane Music Company. ISBN 1-60378-079-3. 
• Palmer, Amanda; Gaiman, Neil; Cassidy, Kyle; Hommel, Beth (2009). Who Killed Amanda Palmer: A Collection of Photographic Evidence. New York, NY: Eight Foot Books. ISBN 0-615-23439-9. 
• Palmer, Amanda (2009). Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer?. Cherry Lane Music Company. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-60378-123-7. "A songbook with the chords and lyrics to the album Who Killed Amanda Palmer" 
• Cynthia, Von Buhler; Palmer, Amanda; Webley, Jason (2011). Evelyn Evelyn (illustrated ed.). Diamond Comic Distributors. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-59582-578-0. 

Notes[link]