Look up Thomas in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Thomas may refer to:

People[link]

• Thomas (name), a masculine given name
• Thomas (surname)
• Thomas the Apostle, see also Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
• Thomas (activist) (1947–2009), anti-nuclear and anti-war activist

Manufacturing companies[link]

• Thomas Built Buses
• Thomas Motor Company, a former US manufacturer of motorcycles and automobiles
• Thomas-Detroit (automobile company), a former U.S. automobile manufacturer

Places[link]

• Thomas, Oklahoma
• Thomas, West Virginia

Religion[link]

• Gospel of Thomas, a New Testament-era apocryphon
• Infancy Gospel of Thomas, an infancy gospel
• Book of Thomas the Contender, a gnostic book discovered in the Nag Hammadi library
• Acts of Thomas, another gnostic text
• Apocalypse of Thomas, a Christian gnostic apocalypse

Television[link]

• Thomas the Tank Engine, a locomotive character from The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry
• Thomas and Friends, the spin-off television series
• Thomas H. Norstein, a major character in Digimon Data Squad
• Thomas Tomone, a fictional character from Skins

Other uses[link]

• THOMAS, the US Library of Congress's online database
• Thomas', a brand of English muffins and bagels in North America
• Thomas algorithm, a numerical algorithm to solve a tridiagonal system of equations
• Thomas theorem, a theory of belief and their consequences
• "Thomas," a song by A Perfect Circle from their 2000 album Mer de Noms

See also[link]

• Tomás
• Tom (disambiguation)

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

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2010)

Thomas Fiss
Leaving B97 in New Orleans, Louisiana, following a live appearance with Varsity Fanclub on October 6, 2008
Background information
Genres	Pop
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Voice, guitar
Associated acts	Varsity Fanclub
Website	thomasfissmusic.com

Thomas Michael Fiss (born December 7, 1986^[1]) is an American singer. Fiss originally achieved fame as a member of Varsity Fanclub, a boy band signed to Capitol Records. Fiss left Varsity Fanclub in 2009 for personal reasons. In January 2010, Fiss released an EP called Waiting and in October 2010, he released his self titled EP, Thomas Fiss. In August 2011, Fiss released his third Extended Play (EP) record entitled RT/EP which was produced by Ryan Tedder.

Biography[link]

Fiss was born in San Diego, California. He attended Taft Middle School, part of the San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, California. At the age of 12, Fiss started his show business career in the young actors program at Multimedia Arts (MMA) of San Diego. Fiss's first acting job was playing the role of Nathan Lukowski in The Full Monty (musical), which opened in San Diego.^[2] Fiss remained with the production when the show traveled to New York City, and celebrated his thirteenth birthday on Broadway, alternating with actor Nicholas Castro in the Nathan Lukowski role.

On December 14, 2000, Fiss's Broadway (New York City) career received notice in the San Diego City School's Staff Bulletin. Volume 75, Number 10 of the publication reads, “The Full Monty has taken a hold of Taft Middle School student Thomas Michael Fiss. Fiss has the role of Nathan Lukowski in New York's Broadway production of the award-winning musical, which had its birth at the Old Globe Theatre. The play is adapted from the popular English film about a motley male troupe of amateur strippers. Fiss plays the son of one of the would-be strippers. It's not just fun-and-games. Nightly performances are preceded by a full day of backstage schoolwork handled by his mother.” On June 3, 2001, Fiss appeared at Radio City Music Hall for the 55th Tony Awards, performing a scene from The Full Monty (musical). A video of Fiss's 55th Tony Awards appearance can be viewed on the internet.^[3]

As a high school senior, Fiss took part in a benefit to raise funds for the Coronado School of the Arts. The production was called "All You Need Is Love - Love of the Arts." The event was held at the Wyndham Emerald Plaza Hotel in downtown San Diego on February 12, 2005, and the students raised $32,000 for their school's programs.^[4]

On June 16, 2005, Fiss graduated Coronado High School, a National Blue Ribbon School which is part of the Coronado Unified School District in Coronado (California). At the 7 p.m. ceremony, Fiss received the Coronado Longboard Surf Club Scholarship and the M.J. Brown Family Performing Arts Music Award. As part of the commencement exercises, Fiss accompanied himself on guitar as he sang his original composition, “Our Voices Are Meant to Echo”.

Hobbies and interests[link]

Fiss says that he “grew up on the beach, surfing and skating everyday.” In fact, Fiss started sailing at the age of six and eventually worked his way up to compete as a skipper in the Junior Olympics, in addition to taking part in surfing competitions. Fiss also enjoys fishing, camping, cliff jumping, and “anything outdoors.” Fiss is most proficient as an acoustic guitar player, having been playing that instrument since the age of ten, and honing his skills at open mic competitions in the San Diego area before the formation of Varsity Fanclub. Fiss has also played the drums for five years, the bass guitar for four years, and lists his piano playing and kazoo playing as “works in progress.” Fiss has eclectic tastes in music and enjoys “every type of music from classical to jazz to rock. Fiss lists Orange County, California's “Something Corporate” and Boca Raton, Florida's “Dashboard Confessional” as his favorite bands, but says that “all music gives inspiration.” Fiss says, “My family and friends back home mean everything to me. They've always supported me, even if I go against the grain.”

On February 17, 2009, saying, "I want to separate myself from the 'boy band' persona," Fiss announced a clothing line which he had designed. The clothing line (which debuted on April 21, 2009) is marketed under the name Adisson Apparel with the motto, "For the gentleman who wants to rock and the lady who wants to party." Fiss calls his recent foray into the world of fashion design, "Clothing I would want a potential girlfriend to wear. Cute and stylish".^[5]

On September 25, 2009, Fiss hosted the second annual Teen Vogue / O'Neill (brand) Clothing "Generation Next" fashion show held in Laguna Beach, California.^[6][7][8]

Varsity Fanclub[link]

From 2006 through early 2009, Fiss was a member of Varsity Fanclub, a music group originally signed to Capitol Records. Thomas and the other group members were discovered at auditions held by production company. The goal of these auditions was to find five "triple-threats" as vocalists, dancers, and actors, each one of them groomed to "dazzle in the studio, on stage, and in every TV or film endeavor." The Varsity Fanclub audition process will be the subject of a reality show entitled "Star Makers", to be featured at cinsay.com. A trailer (film) for the "Star Makers" reality show currently can be viewed on the internet.^[9]

Varsity Fanclub first gained public attention by giving a special showcase performance at the EMI Music Rooftop on August 19, 2008 in New York City. In 2008, the band made a series of appearances at pop music radio stations, giving live studio performances and greeting new fans. Fiss's Varsity Fanclub bandmates were Bobby Edner, Drew Ryan Scott, Jayk Purdy, and David Lei Brandt. Their debut single, “Future Love” (written by Ryan Tedder and Evan Bogart), is currently being marketed on iTunes by Apple Inc. The "Future Love" music video premiered October 14, 2008 on Varsity Fanclub's Official MySpace, and was posted on YouTube two days later. The video shows Fiss and his bandmates performing a futuristic digital concert. Each of the band members' names appears on the screen, and a dance break occurs midway into the song.

Solo career[link]

In May 2009, Fiss announced that he would be embarking on a solo career. On January 19, 2010, Fiss released an Extended Play (EP) record entitled Waiting, which is available on iTunes. The songs were written by Fiss and produced by Gabe Lopez. On October 26, 2010, Fiss released his self-titled EP, Thomas Fiss, now available on iTunes. Fiss collaborated with Gabe Lopezon his third (EP). which was released on August 16, 2011 with the name RT/EP ( RT stands for Ryan Tedder). (RT/EP is produced by Ryan Tedder of the pop rock band OneRepublic) During the summer of 2011, Fiss was touring with Shop Til You Rock the United States, performing concerts at venues in Georgia, California, Indiana, New Jersey, and Minnesota.^[10]

Broadway career[link]

• 2000-2001 The Full Monty (Original Cast role of Nathan Lukowski)

Filmography[link]

• 2008- The Middleman ABC Family Network, Episode 6, aired July 21, 2008^[11]
• 1997- Titanic Ten-year-old Thomas Fiss appears as a child playing with a spin top on deck. The brief, 13 second clip can be viewed on the internet.^[12][13]

Discography[link]

with Varsity Fanclub[link]

Solo[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Thomas Fiss Official Site

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2011)

Leon Thomas III
Background information
Birth name	Leon G. Thomas III[1]
Also known as	Leon Thomas
Born	(1993-08-01) August 1, 1993 (age 18)[2] Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genres	R&B, pop
Occupations	Actor, musician, dancer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, drums, bass, sax, beatbox
Years active	2003–present
Associated acts	Victoria Justice, Ariana Grande

Leon G. Thomas III (born August 1, 1993) is an American actor,^[3] singer, songwriter, musician and dancer who plays the role of Andre Harris on the Nickelodeon series Victorious. He will be debuting an album in 2012.^{[citation needed]} On Youtube he currently has his own channel known as "leonthomasmusic".

Early life[link]

Thomas was born in Brooklyn, to Jayon Anthony.^[1][4]

Broadway[link]

He made his Broadway debut at age 10^[1] in 2003 as Young Simba in the Broadway production of The Lion King. In 2004, he appeared as Jackie Thibodeaux in the original Broadway cast of Tony Kushner's Caroline or Change. He also toured with the company during its five-month run in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Thomas has performed in the Broadway productions The Lion King, Caroline, or Change, and The Color Purple.^[5]

Music career[link]

Leon Thomas III is working on an upcoming EP, titled Metro Hearts which is slated to be released on July 1, 2012.^[6] And, he has revealed that the EP will consist of his cover of Kings of Leon's hit single "Use Somebody" and a duet with his Victorious co-star, Ariana Grande.^[7][8]

Television[link]

In 2007, Thomas appeared in the film August Rush as Arthur performing the song "La Bamba" and was the singing voice for Tyrone in The Backyardigans. Thomas has also guest starred on Jack's Big Music Show and Just Jordan. He also appeared as Harper in iCarly Saves TV and was featured on The Naked Brothers Band Christmas Special. He is a main character on Victorious, playing Andre Harris, which premiered on Nickelodeon on March 27, 2010. He also appeared as himself in the True Jackson, VP February 5, 2011, season 2 episode. He also appeared as Andre in the iCarly and Victorious crossover, "iParty with Victorious".

Filmography[link]

Broadway[link]

• The Lion King
• Caroline or Change
• The Color Purple

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Leon Thomas III at the Internet Movie Database
• Leon Thomas III on Twitter

v t e Victorious Quotes · Schneider's Bakery · Characters Creator Dan Schneider Episodes Season 1 • Season 2  • Season 3 Music Soundtrack Victorious Singles "Make It Shine"  • "Freak the Freak Out"  • "Beggin' on Your Knees"  • "Best Friend's Brother"  • "Leave It All To Shine"  • "All I Want Is Everything"  • "You're The Reason"  • "It's Not Christmas Without You"  • "Countdown"  • "Take a Hint"  • "Make It In America" Other songs "Give It Up" Related iCarly • Schneider's Bakery • Nickelodeon • "iParty with Victorious"

Amos Leon Thomas Jr (October 4, 1937 – May 8, 1999) was an American avant garde jazz singer from East St. Louis, Illinois.

Thomas studied music at Tennessee State University. In the 1960s he was a vocalist for Count Basie and others.

In 1969, he released his first solo album for the prestigious Flying Dutchman label. However he made an earlier album which is still unreleased even now.

He was largely forgotten until a resurgence of interest in soul jazz. Several of his tracks have been sampled in hip-hop and downtempo records.

He changed his name to Leone in 1974 because of an interest he had in numerology at the time. He did not legally change his name and he reverted back to Leon shortly thereafter.

Thomas is best known for his work with Pharoah Sanders, particularly the 1969 song "The Creator Has a Master Plan" from Sanders' Karma album. Thomas's most distinctive device was that he often broke out into yodeling in the middle of a vocal. This style has influenced singers James Moody, Tim Buckley and Bobby McFerrin, among others. He said in an interview that he developed this style after he fell and broke his teeth before an important show.

Thomas toured and recorded as a member of the band Santana in 1973.^[1]

Thomas died of heart failure on May 8, 1999.

Discography[link]

This section requires expansion.

As leader[link]

• Spirits Known And Unknown (Flying Dutchman, 1969)
• The Leon Thomas Album (Flying Dutchman, 1970)
• Blues and the Soulful Truth (Flying Dutchman, 1972)
• Full Circle (Flying Dutchman, 1973)
• Gold Sunrise on Magic Mountain (live) (Flying Dutchman, 1971)
• Live in Berlin with Oliver Nelson (Flying Dutchman, 1971)
• The Leon Thomas Blues Band (Portrait, 1988)
• Facets (compilation) (Flying Dutchman)
• Anthology (compilation) (Soul Brother Records)
• A Piece of Cake (Palcoscenico Records)

As sideman[link]

With Pharoah Sanders

• Karma (1969)
• Jewels of Thought (1969)
• Iphizo Zam (1973)
• Shukuru (1983)
• Oh Lord, Let Me Do No Wrong (1987)

[edit] With Santana

• Welcome (1973)
• Lotus (1974)

[edit] With Archie Shepp

• Kwanza (1974)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Leon Thomas on JazzSupreme
• Yahoo Bio
• Another bio

Victoria Justice
Background information
Born	(1993-02-19) February 19, 1993 (age 19) Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Electropop, pop, dance pop
Occupations	Actress, singer-songwriter, dancer
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Columbia Records Sony Music Entertainment
Website	VictoriaJustice.net

Victoria Justice (born February 19, 1993) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and dancer. She debuted as an actress at the age of 10 and has since appeared in several films and television series including the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 and Victorious. She has made appearances in several theatrical releases, including Unknown as well as the 2006 thriller The Garden. She has appeared in several Nickelodeon series, including True Jackson, VP, The Troop, The Penguins of Madagascar and iCarly, as well as on the Nickelodeon game show BrainSurge as a contestant. In 2010 she starred in the Nickelodeon film The Boy Who Cried Werewolf.

Aside from acting, Justice is involved in her musical career. She has performed several songs for the soundtrack to the Nickelodeon musical Spectacular!, in which she starred. She has recorded a number of songs for the Victorious series. Justice has announced the release of her debut album, which is expected to be released sometime during 2012.

Early life[link]

Victoria Justice was born on February 19, 1993, in Hollywood, Florida, to Serene and Zack Justice.^[1][2] Her mother is Puerto Rican and her father is of English, German, and Irish descent. She first developed an interest in acting when she was 8 years old after watching a children's commercial. She and her family relocated to Hollywood, California, in 2003. In 2005, she auditioned and was accepted into the musical theatre program at Los Angeles' renowned Performing Arts Magnet school. Her family moved from Hollywood, Florida, to Los Angeles when she was 11 after Justice had stated she wanted to be a part of filming commercials as well as television series and films. Justice has done commercials for companies such as Ralph Lauren, Gap and Guess. She appeared in national commercials for Mervyn's, Peanut Butter Toast Crunch and Ovaltine.^[3]

Career[link]

[edit] 2003–09: Beginnings and Zoey 101

Justice began her acting career when she was 10 years old, when she made a guest appearance on the Gilmore Girls episode "The Hobbit, the Sofa and Digger Stiles". Justice portrayed Jill #2 in a walk-on role.^[4] After her appearance in the series, her family moved to Los Angeles, when Justice stated she wanted a career in acting. The following year, Justice guest starred on the second episode of the Disney channel series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, in which she plays a young pageant contestant named Rebecca. Later, Justice was awarded a role in the 2005 drama-thriller Mary. Justice portrayed the role of Stella, a young girl who begins seeing visions of Mary Magdalene. After informing her family of this, they take her to see a psychiatrist, who places her on medication. Later that night, when Mary comes back, Stella takes her medicine and ignores her. This leads Mary to give Stella's sister the task instead.^[5] The film debuted at 2005 Venice Film Festival, before being showed at several other Festivals, including the 2005 Toronto Film Festival, Deauville Film Festival and San Sebastián International Film Festival.

During the same year, Justice was awarded a main cast role in the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 as Lola Martinez, a new student who is also an aspiring actress.^[6][7] When she found out she had earned the role, she said "I was extremely happy; I was bouncing up and down and screaming. That was a really great moment."^[8] The season 2 episode that introduced Justice's character debuted on September 11, 2005. Justice also had roles in two other films that year. She had a cameo appearance in the R-rated film When Do We Eat?, as well as earning the role of Rose in the Hallmark television film Silver Bells, the following of which has become a Hallmark Hall of Fame film. In 2006, while filming episodes for Zoey 101, Justice made a guest appearance on an episode of the series Everwood, in the episode "Enjoy the Ride". Justice made her theatrical film debut that year, when she was given a cameo role in the film Unknown. The film was a financial failure, and received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has a 39% approval rate, and only has a 44% approval rate on metacritic.^[9][10]

2006 also saw Justice in her first major theatrical role, when she was awarded the supporting role of Holly in the thriller film The Garden. The film was met with negative reviews from critics.^[11] 2007 and 2008 saw Justice focusing on the third and fourth seasons of Zoey 101, which was coming to a close. Justice released a promotional single midway through 2007, while she was still filming Zoey 101. The song was a cover of the Vanessa Carlton song, "A Thousand Miles".^[12] When being interviewed in 2010 about her musical career, Justice has stated "My family could always tell, ever since I was little, that [music is] something that's always come natural to me and that I've always wanted to do. It's something that's just been in my blood. Ever since I was little, I was taking tap classes, jazz classes, hip-hop classes, acting classes. I just always wanted to cultivate that and do that more. But, the moment where I actually realized, "Woah, this is something that I can actually do for the rest of my life and maybe be successful at," was actually the pilot of Victorious when I did the performance number for the first time. I just remember standing on stage and seeing all these people looking at me and I was nervous. And then, the music started and I started dancing around and really feeling it and having an amazing time, and that's when it clicked for me that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life."^[13] May 2, 2008, saw the airing of the final episode of the series.

In 2009, she announced plans to guest star on an episode of Nickelodeon's series The Naked Brothers Band. The TV special, titled Valentine Dream Date featured Justice portraying herself.^[14] Justice made no plans of going back into the recording studio until 2009, when she starred in the Nickelodeon musical, Spectacular!. Justice's character performs three songs during the course of the film. Justice starred alongside Nolan Funk and Simon Curtis in the musical film, which aired on Nickelodeon on February 16, 2009.^[15][16] The film has become one of Nickelodeon's most popular movies, attracting an audience 3.7 million viewers on its premiere night.^[17] The film received a generally positive review from several critics, holding a 76% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of 2011.^[18]

After the success of The Naked Brothers Band special in which Justice guest starred, producers insisted on placing her in yet another episode. The episode, titled "The Premiere", debuted on April 11, 2009. Shortly afterward, it was announced that Victoria Justice would be guest starring on a special episode of the hit television series iCarly.^[19] The episode, which aired on August 8, 2009, saw Justice portraying ring fighter Shelby Marx. September 26 saw the release of the True Jackson, VP episode "True Crush", which featured an appearance by Justice. On its original airdate, the show received 3.6 million viewers.^[20] On November 30 Justice appeared as herself on the latest Nickelodeon show, called BrainSurge. The game show saw Justice competing as a celebrity contestant as part of a series special. Justice announced that year that she would be working on a thriller film, set for theatrical release. It was later announced the film would feature Dylan Sprouse and Cole Sprouse.^[21] Unlike initial plans of a theatrical release, the film had a limited preview release on December 12, 2009, and was returned to post production. Despite this, the film's worldwide release has been canceled.^[22] Justice guest-starred on the Nickelodeon television series, The Troop, in which she portrays an Eris Fairy.

[edit] 2010–present: Victorious and other projects

Justice confirmed that she would be receiving her own musical show on Nickelodeon, explaining the show's genesis thus: "I was on Zoey 101. When I was 12, Dan Schneider cast me as a new character, Lola Martinez. From there, I worked with him for three years, on three seasons of Zoey 101. And, after that, Dan found out that I could also sing and dance as well as act, so he thought it would be really cool to create a show for me on Nickelodeon, called Victorious."^[13] The pilot for the show, which was presented as a special for the series, debuted on March 27, 2010, and received 5.7 million views, making it the highest rated premiere for a live-action Nickelodeon series.^[23] The original broadcast of this episode was an extended cut, all subsequent airings had various scenes and lines were removed to conform to its time-slot.

Justice performing in 2011

Justice returned to the recording studio to record music for the series in 2010. She recorded the series first featured song, which also serves as the theme song, titled "Make It Shine". The single had little success charting in the U.S., however it did manage to reach 16 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart. Several other songs have been featured in the series, including "You're the Reason", "Finally Falling", "Beggin' on Your Knees","Best Friend's Brother" and "Tell Me That You Love Me". Justice performed her third official single, "Freak the Freak Out", during the Victorious special episode of the same name.^[24] Justice later guest-starred on the animated series The Penguins of Madagascar, voicing the character of Stacy in the episode "Badger Pride". Justice starred in the 2010 Nickelodeon television movie The Boy Who Cried Werewolf, playing Jordan Sands, a girl who is transformed into a werewolf following her move to a creepy manor.^[25] The film was a major success for the network, drawing in 5.8 million viewers for the premiere.^[26] The film received generally positive reviews from critics. The film currently holds a 69% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes based on 24 reviews.^[27] In 2011, the cast of iCarly, along with the cast of Victorious starred in a crossover episode, titled iParty with Victorious. This marked the second time Justice has guest starred for iCarly, first as Shelby Marx.

In a 2010 interview with the Associated Press, she stated that she is recording an album but will take her time with the process, rather than rush it, and write the songs on the album. But, she is very excited waiting for it.^[28] In March 2011 The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Justice had landed the lead role in the coming of age comedy Fun Size (set for release in October 2012). Justice will play the part of Wren and the movie will also feature stars such as Johnny Knoxville, Chelsea Handler and Josh Pence.^[29] She has recently released onto iTunes a song from Victorious called "Countdown," released on February 18, 2012. It was co-recorded with her co-star Leon Thomas III. The latest single she has released was on Tuesday, February 28, 2012, with Take A Hint, being released to iTunes on March 3, 2012. This was her first duet with Victorious co-star Elizabeth Gillies.^[30]

Other endeavors[link]

Philanthropy[link]

Justice has taken part in a few charity events. She has supported charities such as the United Nations Foundation, which benefits numerous causes such as AIDS, Children, Environment, Health, Human Rights and Peace.^[31] On September 30, 2010, Justice announced she would be joining the Charity Campaign Girl Up. When asked about joining, she stated "I’m so excited to become a Champion for Girl Up and to help make a difference for girls who aren’t given the same opportunities that most of us take for granted. I know that there are plenty of girls throughout the country who are just like me—ready and motivated to stand up for the rights and well-being of girls in the developing world. I am confident that, together, we will rise to the challenge." Justice joined Girl Up on September 30, 2010, for the campaign’s official launch in New York City and will go on to support the “Unite for Girls” tour, which travels to cities across the U.S. to activate and engage teens from coast to coast. She will have the chance to visit Girl Up-supported programs in developing countries to observe first-hand the impact they can have on girls and communities.^[32] During an interview with Seventeen magazine, Justice stated,

Filmography[link]

Discography[link]

Soundtracks[link]

Singles[link]

As featured artist[link]

Promotional singles[link]

Awards[link]

See also[link]

Puerto Rico portal

• List of Puerto Ricans

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Victoria Justice

• Official website
• Victoria Justice at the Internet Movie Database