In most of the world, the FM broadcast band, used for FM broadcast radio by radio stations, goes from 88.0 to 108.0 megahertz (MHz). The FM broadcast band in Japan is located from 76.0 to 90 MHz, and Japan is the only country to use this exact frequency span. The OIRT band in Eastern Europe is from 65.8 to 74.0 MHz, although a number of these countries have added the 88 to 108 MHz band and are using the two FM bands simultaneously, as in the case of Russia. Some other countries have discontinued the use of the OIRT band and these have changed over to the 88 to 108 MHz band.

Frequency modulation radio originated in the United States of America during the 1930s; the system was developed by the American electrical engineer Edwin H. Armstrong. However, FM broadcasting did not become widespread even in North America until the 1960s.

The term "FM band" is a misleading one, since frequency-modulated radio waves can be generated at any frequency. All the bands mentioned in this article are in the Very High Frequency (VHF) band, which extends from 30 MHz to 300 MHz.

In some languages, the VHF band is referred to as "UKW" (from the German Ultrakurzwelle — "ultra short wave") or "УКВ" (from the Russian Ультракороткие волны).

CCIR bandplan

Center frequencies

While all countries use FM channel center frequencies ending in 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 megahertz (MHz), some countries also use center frequencies ending in 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 MHz. A few others also use 0.05, 0.15, 0.25, 0.35, 0.45, 0.55, 0.65, 0.75, 0.85, and 0.95 MHz.

An ITU conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on December 7, 1984, resolved to discontinue the use of 50 kHz channel spacings throughout Europe.

Most countries have used 100 kHz or 200 kHz channel spacings for FM broadcasting since this ITU conference in 1984.

Some digitally-tuned FM radios are unable to tune using 50 kHz increments. Therefore when traveling abroad, stations that broadcast on certain frequencies using such increments may not be heard clearly. This problem will not usually affect reception on an analog-tuned radio.

A few countries, such as Italy, which have heavily-congested FM bands, still allow a station on any multiple of 50 kHz wherever one can be squeezed in.

The 50 kHz channel spacings help prevent co-channel interference, and these take advantage of FM's capture effect and receiver selectivity.

ITU Region II Bandplan and Channel Numbering

The original frequency allocation in North America used by Edwin Armstrong used the frequency band from 42.0 through 50.0 MHz, but this allocation was changed to a higher band beginning in 1945. In Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Bahamas, etc., there are 101 FM channels, (technically) numbered from ''200'' (center frequency 87.9 MHz) to ''300'' (center frequency 107.9 MHz), though these numbers are rarely used outside the fields of radio engineering and government.

The center frequencies of the FM channels are spaced in increments of 200 kHz. The frequency of 87.9 MHz, while technically part of TV channel six (82.0 to 88.0 MHz), is used by just two FM class-D stations in the United States. Portable radio tuners often tune down to 87.5 MHz, so that the same radios can be made and sold worldwide. Automobiles usually have FM radios that can tune down to 87.7 MHz, so that TV channel six audio at 87.75 MHz could be received, such as in Birmingham, Alabama, and Denver, Colorado. With the advent of universal digital television in the United States and southern Canada, this ability is irrelevant—but there are still analog television stations in Mexico and in the sparsely-populated regions of northern Canada. There are also analog TV stations on the other continents and on scores of different islands.

In the United States, the twenty channels with center frequencies of 88.1–91.9 MHz (channels 201 through 220) constitute the ''reserved band'', exclusively for non-commercial educational (''NCE'') stations. The other channels (92.0 MHz through 108 MHz may be used by both commercial and non-commercial public radio stations. (Note that in Canada and in Mexico this reservation does not apply.)

Originally, the American Federal Communications Commission (FCC) devised a bandplan in which FM radio stations would be assigned at intervals of four channels (800 kHz separation) for any one geographic area. Thus, in one area, stations might be at 88.1, 88.9, 89.7, etc., while in an adjacent area, stations might be at 88.3, 89.1, 89.9, 90.7 etc. Certain frequencies were designated for Class A only (see FM broadcasting), which had a limit of three kilowatts of effective radiated power (ERP) and an antenna height limit for the center of radiation of 300 feet (91.4 m) height above average terrain (HAAT). These frequencies were 92.1, 92.7, 93.5, 94.3, 95.3, 95.9, 96.7, 97.7, 98.3, 99.3, 100.1, 100.9, 101.7, 102.3, 103.1, 103.9, 104.9, 105.5, 106.3 and 107.1. On other frequencies, a station could be Class B (50 kW, 500 feet) or Class C (100 kW, 2000 feet), depending on which zone it was in.

In the late 1980s, the FCC switched to a bandplan based on a distance separation table using currently operating stations, and subdivided the class table to create extra classes and change antenna height limits to meters. Class A power was doubled to six kilowatts, and the frequency restrictions noted above were removed. As of late 2004, a station can be "squeezed in" anywhere as long as the location and class conform to the rules in the FCC separation table. The rules for second-adjacent-channel spacing do not apply for stations licensed before 1964.

Deviation and bandpass

Normally each channel is 200 kHz (0.2 MHz) wide, and can pass audio and subcarrier frequencies up to 100 kHz. Deviation is typically limited to 150 kHz total (±75 kHz) in order to prevent interference to adjacent channels on the band. Stations in the U.S. may go up to 10% over this limit if they use non-stereo subcarriers, increasing total modulation by 0.5% for each 1% used by the subcarriers.

==OIRT bandplan== The OIRT FM broadcast band covers 65.8 to 74 MHz. It was used in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and most of the other socialist member countries of the International Radio and Television Organisation in Eastern Europe (OIRT), with the exception of East Germany, which always used the 87.5 to 100 (later 104) MHz broadcast band in line with Western Europe. Note that Yugoslavia, although a socialist country, was not a member of OIRT.

The lower portion of the VHF band behaves a bit like Short Wave in that it has a longer reach than the upper portion of the VHF band. It was ideally suited for reaching vast and remote areas, that would otherwise lack FM radio reception. In a way, FM suited this band because the capture effect of FM could mitigate interference from skip.

Following the collapse of the communist governments in Eastern Europe, the 87.5 to 108 MHz band began to be adopted and is now in use in all those countries. This was prompted by the expansion of broadcasting and the modernisation of existing transmission networks, using new or second-hand transmitters from western countries, together with a general desire for standardization with the West.

Many countries have completely ceased broadcasting on the OIRT FM band, although declining use continues in others, mainly the former republics of the USSR. The future of broadcasting on the OIRT FM band is limited, due to the lack of new consumer receivers for that band.

Countries which still use the OIRT band include at least Russia, Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine.

Hungary closed down its remaining broadcast transmitters in 2007, and for thirty days in July of that year, several Hungarian amateur radio operators received a temporary experimental permit to perform propagation and interference experiments in the 70-70.5 MHz band.

Unlike Western practice, OIRT FM frequencies are based on 10 kHz rather than 50 or 100 kHz multiples. This may have been to reduce co-channel interference caused by Sporadic E propagation and other atmospheric effects, which occur more often at these frequencies. However, multipath distortion effects are less annoying than on the CCIR band.

Stereo is generally achieved by sending the stereo difference signal, using a process called polar modulation.

The 4-meter band (70-70.5 MHz) amateur radio allocation used in many European countries is entirely within the OIRT FM band. Operators on this band and the 6-meter band (50-54 MHz) use the presence of broadcast stations as an indication that there is an "opening" into Eastern Europe or Russia. This can be a mixed blessing because the 4 meter amateur allocation is only 0.5 MHz or less, and a single broadcast station causes considerable interference to a large part of the band.

The System D television channels R4 and R5 lie wholly or partly within the 87.5-108 MHz FM audio broadcast band. Countries which still use System D therefore have to consider the re-organisation of TV broadcasting in order to make full use of this band for audio broadcasting.

Japanese bandplan

The FM band in Japan is 76-90 MHz. The 90-108 MHz section is used for VHF TV Channels 1, 2 and 3 (each NTSC television channel is 6 MHz wide). The narrowness of the Japanese band (14 MHz compared to slightly more than 20 MHz for the CCIR band) limits the number of FM stations that can be accommodated on the dial with the result that many commercial radio stations are forced to use AM.

Many Japanese radios are capable of receiving both the Japanese FM band and the CCIR FM band, so that the same model can be sold within Japan or exported. The radio may cover 76 to 108 MHz, the frequency coverage may be selectable by the user, or during assembly the radio may be set to operate on one band by means of a specially-placed diode or other internal component.

Conventional analog-tuned (dial & pointer) radios may be marked with "TV Sound" in the 90-108 section. If these radios were sold in the USA, for example, the 76-88 section would be marked TV sound for VHF channels 5 and 6 (as two 6 MHz-wide NTSC TV channels), with the 88-108 section band as normal FM.

Second-hand automobiles imported from Japan contain a radio designed for the Japanese FM band, and importers often fit a "converter" to down-convert the 87.5 to 107.9 MHz band to the frequencies that the radio can accept. In addition to showing an incorrect frequency, there are two other disadvantages that can result in undesired performance; the converter cannot downconvert in full the regular international FM band (up to 20.5 MHz wide) to the only 14 MHz-wide Japanese band (unless the converter incorporates two user-switchable downconvert modes), and the car's antenna may perform poorly on the higher FM band. Also, RDS is not used in Japan, whereas most modern car radios available in Europe have this system. Also the converter may not allow pass-through of the MW band, which is used for AM broadcasting. A better solution is to replace the radio and antenna with ones designed for the country where the car will be used.

Australia had a similar situation with Australian TV channels 3, 4 and 5 that are between 88 and 108 MHz, and was intending to follow Japan, but in the end opted for the western bandplan, due to CCIR radios that entered the country. There were some radios sold in Australia for 76 to 90 MHz.

Historic US bandplan

Early FM broadcasting in North America originally used the 42–50 MHz band (this range was also used by a class of experimental wideband AM stations known as apex broadcasters). Shortly after World War II the United States FCC decided to move FM broadcasters to the 88.1–105.9 MHz band (later extended to 107.9 MHz).

In March 2008, the FCC requested public comment on turning the bandwidth currently occupied by analog television channels 5 and 6 (76–88 MHz) over to extending the FM broadcast band when the digital television transition was to be completed in February 2009 (ultimately delayed to June 2009). This proposed allocation would effectively assign frequencies corresponding to the existing Japanese FM radio service (which begins at 76 MHz) for use as an extension to the existing North American FM broadcast band.

See also

FM broadcasting

Frequency modulation

References

Category:Bandplans Category:Broadcast engineering Category:Radio modulation modes

fi:ULA

name	Kevin Costner
birth name	Kevin Michael Costner
birth date	January 18, 1955
birth place	Lynwood, California, U.S.
occupation	Actor, producer, director; musician
years active	1974–present
spouse	Cindy Silva (1978-1994) Christine Baumgartner (2004–present) }}

Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J. Dunbar in the film ''Dances with Wolves'', Jim Garrison in ''JFK'', Ray Kinsella in ''Field of Dreams'', Robin Hood in ''Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'', Crash Davis in ''Bull Durham'', Robert "Butch" Haynes in ''A Perfect World'', Frank Farmer in ''The Bodyguard'' and Eliot Ness in ''The Untouchables''. Costner also founded the band Modern West, and has performed with the band since 2007.

Early life

Costner was born in Lynwood, California, the youngest of three sons (the middle of whom died at birth). His mother, Sharon Rae (née Tedrick), was a welfare worker, and his father, William Costner, was an electrician and later utilities executive at Southern California Edison. Costner's patrilineal ancestry originates with German immigrants to South Carolina in the 1700s; he also has English and Irish ancestry, and has said that one of his ancestors had "married a Cherokee woman". Costner was raised Baptist. He attended Cabrillo Middle School and Villa Park High School. Costner was not academically inclined. Rather, he enjoyed sports, took piano lessons, wrote poetry and sang in the First Baptist Choir. He has stated that a viewing of the film ''How the West Was Won'' at the age of seven had "formed" his childhood.

Spending his teenage years in various parts of California as his father's career progressed, Costner has described this as a period when he "lost a lot of confidence", having to make new friends often. Costner lived in Orange County, then in Visalia (Tulare County), attending Mt. Whitney High School, and then back to Ventura, graduating from Buena High School in 1973. He went on to earn a B.A. in marketing and finance from California State University, Fullerton, in 1978.

Post-graduation

Costner became interested in acting while in his last year of college, and on graduation married Cindy Silva. The couple honeymooned in Puerto Vallarta and on the return plane journey had a chance encounter with actor and fellow passenger Richard Burton, who had purchased all the seats around him for solitude. Burton agreed to speak to Costner after he finished his book. Costner, who had been taking acting classes, but had not told his wife about his desire to be an actor, watched Burton closely and approached when Burton gestured. Costner told Burton that he would prefer that his life was not filled with the type of drama that had followed Burton and asked if he would have to tolerate that if he became an actor. Burton replied, "You have green eyes. I have green eyes. I think you'll be fine." After landing, Burton's limousine pulled up to the curb where Costner and Cindy were waiting for a taxi, where Burton wished Costner luck. Costner would never see Burton again, but credits Burton with partially contributing to his career.

Having agreed to undertake a job as a marketing executive on return, Costner began taking acting lessons five nights a week, with the support of his wife. His marketing job lasted 30 days. He took work which allowed him to develop his acting skills via tuition, including working on fishing boats, as a truck driver, and giving tours of stars' Hollywood homes to support the couple while he also made the audition rounds.

Career

Acting

Costner allegedly made his film debut in the film ''Sizzle Beach, U.S.A.'' Although a biography claims it was actually filmed in the winter of 1978-1979, the film was not released until 1986.

Costner made a very brief cameo in the 1982 Ron Howard film ''Night Shift'', he is listed in the credits as 'Frat Boy #1' and appears at the climax of a frat-style, blow-out party in the New York City morgue, when the music is suddenly stopped by a frantic Henry Winkler, Costner can be seen holding a beer and looking surprised at the sudden halt of celebration.

He appeared in a commercial for the Apple Lisa and ''Table for Five'' in 1983, and, the same year, had a small role in the nuclear holocaust film ''Testament''. Later, he was cast in ''The Big Chill'' and filmed several scenes that were planned as flashbacks, but they were removed from the final cut. His role was that of Alex, the friend who committed suicide, the event that brings the rest of the cast together. All that is seen of him are his hair and his slashed wrists as the mortician dresses his corpse in the movie's opening scenes. Costner was a friend of director Lawrence Kasdan, who promised the actor a role in a future project. That became 1985's ''Silverado'' and a breakout role for Costner. He also starred that year in the smaller films ''Fandango'' and ''American Flyers''.

Full-blown movie star status for Costner arrived in 1987, when he starred as federal agent Eliot Ness in ''The Untouchables'' and in the leading role of the thriller ''No Way Out''. He solidified his A-list status in the baseball-themed films ''Bull Durham'' (1988) and ''Field of Dreams'' (1989).

Costner's next success came with the epic ''Dances with Wolves'' (1990). He directed and starred in the film and served as one of its producers. The film was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won seven, including two for him personally (Best Picture and Best Director). The same year saw the release of ''Revenge'', in which he starred along with Anthony Quinn and Madeleine Stowe, directed by Tony Scott (Costner had wanted to direct it himself).

He followed this with ''Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' (1991), the Oliver Stone-directed ''JFK'' (1991), ''The Bodyguard'' (1992), and Clint Eastwood's ''A Perfect World'' (1993), all of which provided box office or critical acclaim.

He then took the title role in the biopic ''Wyatt Earp'' (1994), directed by Kasdan. It received bad reviews and flopped at the box office. The science fiction-post-apocalyptic epics ''Waterworld'' (1995) and ''The Postman'' (1997), the latter of which Costner also directed, were both commercial disappointments and both largely regarded by critics as artistic failures. However, ''The Postman'' results were worse than ''Waterworld'' and ended up "winning" five Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor and Worst Director for Costner.

Costner then starred in the golf comedy ''Tin Cup'' (1996) for Ron Shelton, who had previously directed him in ''Bull Durham''. He developed the film ''Air Force One'' and was set to play the lead role of the President, but ultimately decided to concentrate on finishing ''The Postman'' instead. He personally offered the project to Harrison Ford.

His career revived somewhat in 2000 with ''Thirteen Days'', in which he portrayed a top adviser to John F. Kennedy. The western ''Open Range'', which he directed and starred in, received critical acclaim in 2003, and was a surprise success commercially. He received some of his best reviews for his supporting role as retired professional baseball player Denny Davies in ''The Upside of Anger'', for which he received a nomination from the Broadcast Film Critics Association and won the San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor.

After that, Costner starred in ''The Guardian'' and in ''Mr. Brooks'', in which he portrayed a serial killer. In 2008, Costner starred in ''Swing Vote''. Costner was honored on September 6, 2006 when his hand and foot prints were set in concrete in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre alongside those of other celebrated actors and entertainers.

In 2010, ''The Company Men'' debuted on the Sundance Festival starring Costner with Ben Affleck. It had good reviews. It was released in cinemas worldwide in January 2011. The film was considered to be an Oscar contender, but did not get a nomination.

Costner announced that he would be returning to the director's chair for the first time in seven years in 2011 with ''A Little War of Our Own''. The film is about a local sheriff who must keep his town from erupting into violence during World War II. The other lead role is that of a German U-boat captain. The screenplay is by Dan Gordon, who co-wrote another sheriff movie for Costner, 1994's ''Wyatt Earp''. In January 2012 Costner had to admit funding did not come through, and that he still hopes to make it in 2013.

He was also about to team up again with director Kevin Reynolds in ''Learning Italian''. Costner would play a CIA agent stationed in a coastal Italian town in order to keep an eye on a KGB operative. However, the movie did not get past pre-production phase because they could not get the money together and it is currently not known if the movie will ever be made.

He also appears, as a special cameo, in ''Funny or Die'''s "Field of Dreams 2: Lockout".

Warner Bros. confirmed that Costner would portray Jonathan Kent in the upcoming rebooted Superman film, '' Man of Steel'', directed by Zack Snyder. In 2011, Costner confirmed his role in Quentin Tarantino's ''Django Unchained''. Later on, it was announced that Costner had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, most likely to be the tv-series directed by Kevin Reynolds called ''Hatfields & McCoys''.

Country music

Costner is the singer in Kevin Costner & Modern West, a country rock band which he founded with the encouragement of his wife Christine. They began a worldwide tour in October 2007, which included shows in Istanbul and Rome. The group also performed at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Daytona International Speedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, NC.

The band released a country album, ''Untold Truths'', on November 11, 2008 on Universal South Records. The album peaked at #61 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums and #35 on the Top Heatseekers chart. Three singles ("Superman 14", "Long Hot Night" and "Backyard") have been released to radio, although none have charted. The single "Superman 14" has been made into a live music video.

In 2009, they went on tour with opening act The Alternate Routes. In August, at the Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, Alberta, Costner and the band were scheduled next on stage when a severe thunderstorm struck, collapsing the stage and stands on the main stage. One person was reported dead and forty injured. Later, an auction was held to raise money for the two young sons of the woman killed. A dinner with Costner was auctioned off for $41,000. Two guitars, one autographed by Costner, helped raise another $10,000 each.

A second Kevin Costner and Modern West album, ''Turn It On'', was released in February 2010 in Europe and was supported by a European tour.

Other ventures

Baseball

Several of Costner's films have included a baseball theme. They include ''Chasing Dreams'', ''Bull Durham'', ''Field of Dreams'', ''For Love of the Game'' and ''The Upside of Anger'', in which his character is a former pro baseball player.

He has a home in Austin, Texas and sometimes appears at University of Texas baseball practices and games. Costner is a close friend of Longhorns baseball coach Augie Garrido from Garrido's days coaching at Cal State Fullerton, the actor's alma mater. He cast Garrido to play the role of the Yankee manager in ''For Love of the Game''. He tries to attend every College World Series game that Cal State Fullerton plays in Omaha, Nebraska.

Costner is a partial owner of the Zion, Illinois-based Lake County Fielders independent baseball team team in the North American League. The Fielders name is an homage to ''Field of Dreams'', with the logo showing a ballplayer standing amid a field of corn.

Business interests

Costner owns 100% of the Midnight Star casino, in Deadwood, South Dakota. The casino, its sports bar Diamond Lil's, and its restaurant Jake's are named after characters and locations from the movie ''Silverado''. The facility contains posters, costumes, and other memorabilia from Costner's films.

In July 2004, Costner fired Francis and Carla Caneva, who managed the Midnight Star. A judge subsequently ordered Costner to pay a percentage of $6.1 million to buy out the Canevas as his business partners. In October 2006, Costner asked the South Dakota Supreme Court to re-examine the ruling, as an accountant hired by the actor had determined the market value of the casino to be $3.1 million.

In 1995, Costner began developing oil separation machines based on a patent he purchased from the US government. The machines developed by the company were of little commercial interest until the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, when BP took six of the machines from a company in which Costner owned an interest, Ocean Therapy Solutions, for testing in late May 2010. On June 16, 2010 BP entered into a lease with Ocean Therapy Solutions for 32 of the oil-water separation devices.. Although Spyron Contoguris and Stephen Baldwin previously sold their interests in Ocean Therapy Solutions in mid-June to another investor in the company, they filed a lawsuit in Louisiana District Court claiming $10.64 million for securities fraud and misrepresentation. The suit claims that Costner kept a meeting with BP secret from them, and the secret meeting resulted in an $18 million down payment on a $52 million purchase and that after the down payment but before any announcement another investor used part of the downpayment to buy out their shares, thus excluding them from their share of the profits from the total sale. The suit claims that, despite public statements by Costner, Ocean Therapy Solutions, BP and others to the contrary, Baldwin and Contogouris were told that BP was still testing the machines and had not yet committed to lease the machines from Ocean Therapy Solutions and that the other investor in Ocean Therapy Solutions purchased their shares for $1.4 million to Baldwin and $500,000, to Contogouris..

In January 2009, Costner agreed to take part in a commercial that was aired outside of the US for Turkish Airlines. Costner had not flown with Turkish Airlines before, but said, "I have received commercial proposals before. What is important is to work with a company that gives importance to its clients. That is why I have chosen Turkish Airlines." Costner, who is not of Turkish descent, also said that working with Turkish Airlines "is a very important step in my life." (UTC)

Philanthropy

Costner serves on an honorary board for The National World War I Museum in Kansas City. In spring 2011, he recorded two radio spots for the museum that were aired on Kansas City Royals Radio Network.

NASCAR

Costner was named ceremonial Grand Marshal of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series' Auto Club 500 which took place on February 25, 2007, at the California Speedway. In 2008, he worked with the NASCAR Media Group and CMT Films to help produce the NASCAR Documentary, ''The Ride of Their Lives'' which would be released in 2009. Costner would be the narrator for that documentary. Also in 2009, he was named the spokesperson for NASCAR Day which took place on May 15. The next day, May 16, he and his country music band would perform in the infield of Lowe's Motor Speedway as well as participate as a judge in the 2nd annual Pennzoil Victory Challenge before the 25th Running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

Personal life

Relationships

While in college, Costner was a member of Delta Chi fraternity. He started dating fellow student Cindy Silva in March 1975, and their subsequent marriage three years later produced three children: Anne "Annie" Clayton (born April 15, 1984), Lily McCall (born August 4, 1986), and Joseph "Joe" Tedrick (born January 31, 1988). The couple divorced in 1994 after 16 years of marriage. He has a son, Liam (born in 1996), with Bridget Rooney, with whom he had a brief relationship following his divorce.

In 1996, he cohabited with supermodel Elle MacPherson.

On September 25, 2004, Costner married his girlfriend of four years, German-American model and handbag designer Christine Baumgartner, at his ranch in Aspen, Colorado. Costner took his new bride for a canoe ride on a lake following the ceremony. The couple honeymooned in Scotland. Their first child, Cayden Wyatt Costner, was born on May 6, 2007 at a Los Angeles hospital. Their second son, Hayes Logan, was born on February 12, 2009, and their third child, a daughter named Grace Avery, was born on June 2, 2010.

Sports

The actor plays regularly in celebrity golf tournaments, including the PGA Tour's annual pro-am at Pebble Beach, California and the BMW Pro-Am held each April in Greenville County, South Carolina. Costner is a member at Birnam Wood Golf Club in California.

Costner is a fan of the London football team Arsenal F.C. While filming ''Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'', he had the opportunity to attend a game and has followed the team ever since.

Political activism

Since 1992, Costner has financially supported a variety of Democratic Party politicians, including Al Gore and Tom Daschle, but also made contributions to the Republican Party's Phil Gramm as late as 1995. He said publicly in 2008 that he has no ambition to run for political office, adding "I've lived quite a colorful life."

In the final days before the 2008 election, Costner campaigned for Barack Obama, visiting various places in Colorado—a state in which he has a home. In his speech, Costner stated the need for young voters to get to the polls, early and with enthusiasm. "We were going to change the world and we haven't," Costner said at a Colorado State University rally. "My generation didn't get it done, and we need you to help us."

Filmography

+ List of film credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1981	''Malibu Hot Summer''	John Logan	''Sizzle Beach, U.S.A.'' (1986)
1982	''Chasing Dreams''	Ed
1982		Frat Boy #1
1982		Joe, Policeman #2
1982	''Frances''	Luther (Man in Alley)	qualified for Screen Actor's Guild card
1983	''Stacy's Knights''	Will Bonner
1983	''Table for Five''	Newlywed husband
1983	''''	Alex	scenes deleted
1983		Phil Pitkin
1984	''''	Ted
1985		Gardner Barnes, Groover
1985		Jake
1985		Marcus Sommers
1986	''Shadows Run Black''	Jimmy Scott
1987	''''	Eliot Ness
1987		Lt. Cmdr. Tom Farrell
1988	''Bull Durham''	Crash Davis
1989	''Field of Dreams''
1990		Michael 'Jay' Cochran	also executive producer
1990	''Dances with Wolves''	Lieutenant John J. Dunbar	}}
1991	''Madonna: Truth or Dare''	Himself	documentary (uncredited role)
1991	''Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves''	Robin Hood
1991		Jim Garrison	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1992	''Amazing Stories: Book One''	Captain	Episode: "The Mission", archive footage
1992	''Oliver Stone: Inside Out''	Himself	documentary
1992	''''	Frank Farmer	also producer
1993	''''	Robert 'Butch' Haynes
1994	''''	Himself	documentary
1994		Wyatt Earp	also producerRazzie Award for Worst ActorNominated—Academy Award for Best CinematographyNominated—Razzie Award for Worst Picture
1994	''''	Steven Simmons
1995	''Waterworld''	Mariner
1996	''Tin Cup''	Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1997	''Sean Connery, An Intimate Portrait''	Himself	documentary
1997	''''	The Postman
1999		Garret Blake	also producerNominated—Golden Raspberry Award
1999		Billy Chapel	Nominated—[[Golden Raspberry Award
1999	''[[Play It to the Bone''	Ringside Fan	Cameo
2000		Kenny O'Donnell	also producer
2001	''3000 Miles to Graceland''	Thomas J. Murphy
2001	''Road to Graceland''	Murphy (voice)	animated short
2002		Joe Darrow
2003	''Open Range''	Charlie Waite	also director and producer
2005	''''	Denny Davies	San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
2005	''Rumor Has It…''	Beau Burroughs
2006	''''	Ben Randall
2007	''Mr. Brooks''	Mr. Earl Brooks	also producer
2008		Bud Johnson
2009	''''	John James
2010	''''	Jack Dolan
2013

References

External links

AMC's Photo Gallery : Kevin Costner, Hollywood Icon

KevinCostner.com – Official website

JewReview.net interview with Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner – Biography, filmography and awards

Films They Would Rather Forget – Shadows Run Black

Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:People from Lynwood, California Category:Actors from California Category:American country singers Category:American film actors Category:American people of Cherokee descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Baptists from the United States Category:Best Director Academy Award winners Category:Best Director Golden Globe winners Category:People from Orange County, California Category:People from Ventura County, California Category:Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award Category:Show Dog-Universal Music artists Category:Western (genre) film actors

ar:كيفين كوستنر an:Kevin Costner az:Kevin Kostner bn:কেভিন কসনার be:Кевін Костнер bg:Кевин Костнър bs:Kevin Costner ca:Kevin Costner cs:Kevin Costner cy:Kevin Costner da:Kevin Costner de:Kevin Costner et:Kevin Costner el:Κέβιν Κόστνερ es:Kevin Costner eo:Kevin Costner eu:Kevin Costner fa:کوین کاستنر fr:Kevin Costner ga:Kevin Costner gl:Kevin Costner ko:케빈 코스트너 hy:Քևին Քոսթներ hr:Kevin Costner io:Kevin Costner id:Kevin Costner it:Kevin Costner he:קווין קוסטנר jv:Kevin Costner la:Coemgenus Costner lv:Kevins Kostners lb:Kevin Costner hu:Kevin Costner nl:Kevin Costner ja:ケビン・コスナー no:Kevin Costner oc:Kevin Costner nds:Kevin Costner pl:Kevin Costner pt:Kevin Costner ro:Kevin Costner ru:Костнер, Кевин sq:Kevin Costner simple:Kevin Costner sk:Kevin Costner sr:Кевин Костнер sh:Kevin Costner fi:Kevin Costner sv:Kevin Costner tl:Kevin Costner th:เควิน คอสต์เนอร์ tr:Kevin Costner uk:Кевін Костнер vi:Kevin Costner diq:Kevin Costner zh:凯文·科斯特纳

name	Kim Kardashian
birth name	Kimberly Noel Kardashian
birth date	October 21, 1980
birth place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
nationality	American
net worth	$35 million
years active	2007–present
occupation	Businesswoman, socialite, television personality, model, actress
height
measurements	35D-26-40
television	''Keeping Up with the Kardashians''''Kourtney and Kim Take New York''
spouse	(separated)
parents	Robert Kardashian (father)Kris Jenner (mother)Bruce Jenner (stepfather)
relatives	Kourtney Kardashian (sister)Khloé Kardashian (sister)Robert Kardashian Jr. (brother)Kylie Jenner (half-sister)Kendall Jenner (half-sister)
website

Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian (born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, television personality, model, actress and businesswoman. She is known for starring in ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'', the E! reality series that she shares with her family, and its spin-offs including ''Kourtney and Kim Take New York''. Prior to the development of her career as a reality television star, Kardashian gained notoriety as the subject of a sex tape that subsequently resulted in a court awarding her $5 million. She has been involved in the production of several lines of clothing and fragrances. In 2010, she was the highest earning reality star, with estimated earnings of $6 million.

In August 2011, Kardashian married basketball player Kris Humphries in a widely publicized ceremony. In October 2011, Kardashian filed for divorce, 72 days after the wedding.

Biography

Early life

Kardashian was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of attorney Robert Kardashian and his wife Kris Kardashian (née Houghton). Her father was a third generation Armenian American, and her mother is of Dutch and Scottish descent. Kardashian has two sisters, Kourtney and Khloé, and one brother, Robert. She has stepbrothers Burton Jenner, Brandon Jenner, and reality TV star Brody Jenner, step-sister Casey Jenner, and half-sisters Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner. She attended Marymount High School.

In 2000, Kardashian married music producer Damon Thomas; their relationship ended in divorce in 2004. Subsequently she dated R&B; singer Ray J, NFL star Reggie Bush and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin. She also dated model Gabriel Aubry.

2003–07: Controversy and reality television

In February 2007, a home sex video that she made with singer Ray J in 2003 was leaked. Vivid Entertainment bought the rights for $1 million and released the film as ''Kim Kardashian: Superstar'' on February 21. Kardashian sued Vivid for ownership of the tape. In late April 2007, Kardashian dropped the suit and settled with Vivid Entertainment for $5 million.

Kardashian was a friend of Paris Hilton, who introduced her to the socialite scene. Her first acting role was in the television series ''Beyond the Break''. In October 2007, along with her two sisters, mother, brother, half-sisters, and stepfather she starred in the E! television series, ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians''. As of October 2011, the series has aired 69 episodes over six seasons.

2007–2010: Modeling and retail

Kardashian co-owns a clothing boutique called D-A-S-H with her sisters Kourtney and Khloé. In December 2007, Kardashian posed nude for ''Playboy''. In February 2008, Bongo Jeans announced that she would be their face model. She has also modeled for Carl's Jr., Sugar Factory lollipops, and various other products.

Kardashian starred in the 2008 disaster film spoof ''Disaster Movie'' as Lisa, and appeared in the ''How I Met Your Mother'' episode "Benefits". She also appeared on the Season 3 premiere of the series ''90210'' with her sisters Khloé and Kourtney; they all played themselves. Kardashian was a guest hostess of WrestleMania XXIV and appeared as a guest judge during Cycle 13 of ''America's Next Top Model''. On December 16, 2009, Kardashian made a guest star appearance on CBS's ''CSI: NY'' with Vanessa Minnillo. In 2009 she had a cameo as club bouncer in the 2009 porn film spoof ''Deep in the Valley''

Kardashian was one of 13 participants on the seventh season of ''Dancing with the Stars''. She was partnered with Mark Ballas and was the third contestant voted off the show on September 30, 2008, finishing in 11th place overall. Sanford Siegal, the creator of the Cookie Diet, sued Kardashian, claiming she defamed him on Twitter. According to Siegal, Kardashian tweeted in October 2009 that he was "falsely promoting" that she was on the cookie diet. Siegal filed a claim in a Florida state court claiming the statements are false and defamatory. He also alleges that Kardashian was on QuickTrim's payroll when she posted the tweet. Kardashian's tweet appears to stem from an article on CookieDiet.com, that named Kardashian as one of many celebrities who saw positive results on the diet. Kardashian sent a cease-and-desist order to Siegal, demanding the link be removed.

Kardashian released her own fragrance product in 2010. In March 2009, Kardashian launched an endorsement with ''ShoeDazzle'' shopping, of which she is the co-founder and chief fashion stylist. The following month on April 9, 2009, Kardashian released a workout DVD series, ''Fit In Your Jeans By Friday,'' with trainers Jennifer Galardi and Patrick Goudeau. In September 2009, Fusion Beauty and Seven Bar Foundation launched "Kiss Away Poverty", with Kardashian as the face of the campaign. For every LipFusion lipgloss sold, $1 went to the Foundation to fund women entrepreneurs in the US.

She has also been featured in numerous international editions of ''FHM'', including the cover of the April 2010 Australian edition and the UK March 2011 edition. Famous Cupcakes, a Los Angeles bakery, created a vanilla cupcake mix for Kardashian. The cupcake flavor is called Va-Va-Va-Nilla. Kardashian has also created jewelry along with her sisters, Khloé and Kourtney. They produced a collection for ''Virgins, Saints, and Angels'' in 2010.

Again with her sisters, Kardashian has released various clothing lines. One called K-Dash was to be sold on QVC in 2010, and in the same year they produced a range for Bebe. As of August 2011 they are creating another for Sears, called the ''Kardashian Kollection''. In addition, Kardashian and her sisters created a sunless tanner called Kardashian Glamour Tan in 2010. On July 1, 2010, the New York City branch of Madame Tussauds revealed a wax figure of Kardashian.

2010–present: marriage, divorce and other ventures

Kardashian is the producer of ''The Spin Crowd'', a reality television show about ''Command PR'', a New York City public relations firm, run by Jonathan Cheban and Simon Huck. The show follows them as they settle into their new offices in Los Angeles. Kardashian is friends with both, specifically Cheban, and frequently appears on her reality shows. She also appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010. She also appeared in and was the subject and judge of a task on the ninth episode of Season 10 of ''The Apprentice'' in 2010; the two teams had to create an in-store display for her new perfume line, to be sold at Perfumania. Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé wrote an autobiography entitled ''Kardashian Konfidential'', which was released in stores on November 23, 2010. In April 2010, Kardashian sparked controversy over the way she held a cat for a photograph. The same year, animal rights organization PETA criticized Kardashian for repeatedly wearing fur coats, and named her as one of the five worst people or organizations of 2010 when it came to animal welfare. In June 2010, ''The Guardian'' commented on her ability to attract payments of up to US$10,000 from sponsors for each tweet that she broadcasts.

In December 2010, Kardashian filmed a music video for a song titled "Jam (Turn It Up)". The video was directed by Hype Williams; Kanye West makes a cameo in the video. Kardashian premiered the song during a New Year's Eve party at TAO Las Vegas on December 31, 2010. The song was produced by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. When asked if an album is in the works, Kardashian replied: "There's no album in the works or anything – just one song we did for ''Kourtney and Kim Take New York'', and a video Hype Williams directed, half of the proceeds we're giving away to a cancer foundation, because The-Dream's and one of my parents passed away from cancer. It's just all having fun – with a good cause". Jim Farber, writing for the ''Daily News'', called the song a "dead-brained piece of generic dance music, without a single distinguishing feature," and suggested that the single made Kardashian the "worst singer in the reality TV universe."

Kardashian's 2010 earnings were the highest among Hollywood-based reality stars, being estimated at $6 million.

Kardashian has supported the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on numerous occasions and has encouraged Barack Obama and the United States government to consider its acknowledgement. On April 21, 2011, a few days before the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, she wrote about the issue on her blog in an effort to put it under spotlight and also sent a tweet to her fans urging its recognition.

Kardashian began dating NBA player Kris Humphries of the New Jersey Nets in October 2010. They became engaged in May 2011, and married on August 20, 2011 in Montecito, California. A two-part TV special showing the preparations and the wedding itself aired on ''E!'' in early October 2011, amidst what the ''Washington Post'' called a "media blitz" related to the wedding. After 72 days of marriage, Kardashian filed for divorce from Humphries on October 31, 2011, citing irreconcilable differences. After filing for the divorce, Kardashian asked the court to order Humphries to pay his own legal expenses. On December 1, 2011, Humphries filed his response to Kardashian's petition, requesting an annulment on the grounds of fraud or if the court will not grant an annulment, a decree of legal separation rather than Kardashian's requested divorce.

Several news outlets have surmised that Kardashian's marriage to Kris Humphries was merely a publicity stunt to promote the Kardashian family's brand and their subsequent television ventures. Her former publicist has also claimed that her short-lived wedding was indeed staged and a ploy to generate money. Kardashian has since filed suit against him, saying his claims were untrue. A widely circulated petition asking to remove all Kardashian related programing off the air has been followed since their split.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2007–present	''Keeping Up with the Kardashians''	Herself	Reality Show
2008		Herself
2008	''Disaster Movie''	Lisa Taylor
2009	''CSI: NY''	Debbie Fallon	Season 6, 1 episode
2009–2010	''Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami''	Herself	Guest Star, 5 episodes
2009	''America's Next Top Model''	Herself	Cycle 13, 1 episode
2009	''Deep in the Valley''	Summa Eve
2009	''How I Met Your Mother''	Herself	Season 4, 1 episode
2009	''Beyond the Break''	Elle	Season 3, 4 episodes
2010		Herself	Season 3, 1 episode
2011	''Khloé & Lamar''	Herself	Guest Star, 3 episodes
2011–present	''Kourtney and Kim Take New York''	Herself	Reality Show
2011	''America's Next Top Model''	Herself	Cycle 17, 1 episode
2012	''Drop Dead Diva''	Nikki	Season 4, 1 episode
2012		Herself	Season 1, 1 episode
2012		Ava

References

External links

Kardashians join forces with Australian designer at Mediasearch

Category:1980 births Category:American female models Category:American film actors Category:American people of Armenian descent Category:American people of Dutch descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American television actors Category:American women in business Category:American socialites Category:Businesspeople in fashion Category:Kardashian family Category:Living people Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Los Angeles, California

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stadium name	Minute Maid Park
nickname	''The Juice Box''
location	501 Crawford Street, Houston, Texas 77002
coordinates
broke ground	November 1, 1997
opened	March 30, 2000 (Exhibition)April 7, 2000 (Regular Season)
renovated	2010 (Off season)
owner	Harris County-Houston Sports Authority
surface	Grass
construction cost	$250 million($}}

in dollars) | architect = HOK Sport (Populous since 2009) | former_names = The Ballpark at Union Station (2000)Enron Field (2000–2002)Astros Field (February 2002–July 2002) | tenants = Houston Astros (MLB) (2000–present) | seating_capacity = 40,967 with standing room at least43,836 2010 Houston Astros season | dimensions = Left Field - Left-Center - Left-Center (deep) - Center Field - Right-Center - Right Field - Backstop - | scoreboard = feet tall by feet wide }}

Minute Maid Park (also The Ballpark at Union Station, Enron Field, and Astros Field) is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States that opened in 2000 to house the Major League Baseball Houston Astros.

The ballpark was Houston's first retractable-roofed stadium, protecting fans and athletes from Houston's notoriously humid weather as did its predecessor, the Astrodome, but also allowing fans to enjoy outdoor baseball during favorable weather. The ballpark also features a grass field, compared to the Astrodome's artificial AstroTurf, which was generally disliked by professional baseball players. The largest entrance to the park is inside what was once Houston's Union Station, and the left-field side of the stadium features a train as homage to the site's history. The train moves along a track on top of the length of the exterior wall beyond left field whenever an Astros player hits a home run, or when the Astros win a game. The engine's tender, traditionally used to carry coal, is filled with giant oranges in tribute to Minute Maid's most famous product, orange juice. The ballpark has 4,774 club seats and 63 luxury suites.

Previous names

The ballpark was first christened as Enron Field on April 7, 2000, with naming rights sold to the Houston energy and financial trading company in a 30 year, $100 million deal. Astros management faced a public relations nightmare when the energy corporation went bankrupt in the midst of one of the biggest corporate scandals in American history in 2001, and they bought back the remainder of Enron's thirty years of naming rights for $2.1 million, rechristening the ballpark as Astros Field on February 7, 2002. The field was unofficially known as "The Field Formerly Known As Enron" by fans and critics alike, in wake of the Enron scandal. On June 5, 2002, Houston-based Minute Maid, the fruit-juice subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company, acquired the naming rights to the stadium for 28 years at an estimated price of $170 million.

Based on its downtown location next to the old Union Station buildings, one of the suggested names (and nicknames) is the Ballpark at Union Station, or the BUS. During its days as Enron Field, it was also dubbed "Ten-Run" or "Home Run" Field due to its cozy left-field dimensions. In keeping with this theme while paying homage to its current sponsor, the nickname "The Juice Box" is colloquially used today. The dubbing of the park as an extreme hitter-friendly park has been called into question in recent years. In fact, the 2009 season saw the park ranked 24th out of 30 Major League parks in terms of runs scored in the park, meaning only six other stadiums saw fewer runs scored during the season, and ten other ballparks saw more home runs hit. The extremely deep center-field and left-center-field dimensions help to balance out the park significantly, and Minute Maid's Batting park factor is consistently very near average.

Features

In dramatic contrast to the Astrodome, the most pitching-oriented stadium in Major League Baseball for most of its existence, Minute Maid Park is known for being particularly hitter-friendly down the lines, especially in left field where it is only 315 ft (96 m) to the Crawford Boxes, though the wall there is 19 feet (5.8 m) tall. In a challenge to home run hitters, Drayton McLane's office windows, located in the old Union Station and directly above the Crawford Boxes, are made of glass and a sign below his window is marked 422 ft (135 m) from home plate.

In contrast to the ease of hitting a home run to the Crawford Boxes, it is quite difficult to hit a ball out in center field, as the dead-center wall is 436 ft (133 m) from home plate. Fielding is a challenge there as well, due to the wide center field incline known as Tal's Hill, for team president Tal Smith, an element taken from Crosley Field and other historic ballparks (in a bit of gallows humor, the hill is also known as the "Grassy Knoll"), and the flagpole in play, an element taken from Yankee Stadium before its remodeling in the mid-'70s and Tiger Stadium among others. Milwaukee Brewers player Richie Sexson once hit a ball off the flagpole. There was a mark there until the 2011 season, when they repainted the pole. While Crosley Field's infamous left field terrace, which was half as steep (only 15 degrees) as Tal's Hill (30 degrees), was a natural feature of the site on which the park was located, Tal's Hill is purely decorative. Both structures have been held in equal disdain by the respective outfielders who have had to patrol those areas. This hill has caused some of the most replayed catches in recent baseball history, and plenty of controversy as well. Lance Berkman said, "If the ball rolls onto the hill, it's not steep enough to roll back, so you have to go get it. Then there's the chance of running into the flagpole that's on it and getting hurt.” Fans started an online petition to remove the hill and flagpole, though the petition has since been discontinued.

A concourse above Tal's Hill features the "Conoco Home Run Porch" in left-center field that is actually over the field of play, and features a classic gasoline pump that displays the total number of Astros home runs hit since the park opened.

The electrification of Minute Maid Park's retractable roof was developed by VAHLE, Inc.

The stadium can also be fully air-conditioned when required.

2004

In 2004, the Astros launched Wi-Fi throughout the ballpark, allowing fans to use the Internet while attending a game for a fee. In addition, the ballpark is the first major sports facility to have a closed captioning board for the hearing impaired.

The visiting team's bullpen is housed entirely in the exterior left field wall, next to the Crawford Boxes, making it one of the few bullpens in Major League ballparks to be completely indoors. Although windows in the outfield fence offer a view into and from the bullpen, its entrance is actually built into the side of the Crawford Boxes.

2006

In 2006, the Chick-fil-A cows were unveiled on the foul poles, saying EAT MOR FOWL, and the cows have Astros caps on. Anytime an Astros player hits the pole, the fans in attendance get a free chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A. Hunter Pence is the first and second Astro to hit the left field "Fowl Pole" when he did it twice in the 2007 season. Ty Wigginton became the third Astro to hit the left field pole on September 16, 2007. Kazuo Matsui hit the right field foul pole on August 3, 2009 with a 2 run homer in the 6th inning to beat the Giants. Carlos Lee hit the left field pole on July 28, 2010, giving the Astros a 8-1 win against the Cubs. 2 days later, Jeff Keppinger hit the Left Field pole to help the Astros win 5-0 against the Brewers.

2008

After the 2008 season, the Astros' groundskeepers began installing of a new turfgrass playing surface at Minute Maid Park. The new sod is called Platinum TE Paspalum. The Astros are the first sports organization in the world to use the product. The Astros also became one of the first to use the new Chemgrass, later known as AstroTurf after its first well-publicized use at the Houston Astrodome in 1966.

2011

For the 2011 season, the park added a large HD screen nicknamed "El Grande" replacing the original one in center field. At 54 feet high and 124 feet wide, it is the second largest scoreboard in Major League Baseball, behind Kaufmann Stadium (home of the Kansas City Royals). The old screen was taken out and replaced by billboards. Additionally they added a smaller HD screen on the far left field wall. The ring of advertisement screens around the park have also been replaced in favor of HD ribbon boards.

Major events

On July 13, 2004, Minute Maid Park hosted the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which the American League won 9–4.

On October 9, 2005, Minute Maid Park hosted the longest postseason game in Major League Baseball history, both in terms of time and number of innings. The Astros defeated the Atlanta Braves 7–6 in a game lasting eighteen innings, which took 5 hours and 50 minutes to play. On October 25, 2005, Minute Maid Park hosted the first World Series game ever played in Texas, and the longest World Series game ever played, which the Astros lost to the eventual World Series champion Chicago White Sox 7–5 in 14 innings; this game lasted 5 hours and 41 minutes. The following night, the White Sox won the World Series—first in 88 years—at Minute Maid Park.

On June 28, 2007, Craig Biggio hit his 3000th career hit, the first Astro to do so. The hit was a 2-out RBI-single against the Colorado Rockies.

On September 30, 2007, in Craig Biggio's last game of his career, Minute Maid Park hit the highest attendance in its eight-year history by selling 43,823 tickets, 107% of its capacity.

On April 5, 2010, Opening Day of 2010, Minute Maid Park surpassed its highest attendance total once again by selling 43,836 tickets, 13 more tickets that its previous record.

Ballpark firsts

{| | Statistic || Person(s) || Date |- | First Ceremonial First Pitch || Kenneth Lay || April 7, 2000 |- | First Hit || Doug Glanville (Philadelphia Phillies), single to right || April 7, 2000 |- | First Astros Hit || Craig Biggio, single to center|| April 7, 2000 |- | First Double || Rico Brogna (Philadelphia Phillies) || April 7, 2000 |- | First Astros Double || Craig Biggio || April 8, 2000 |- | First Triple || Tim Bogar || April 8, 2000 |- | First Home Run || Scott Rolen (Philadelphia Phillies) || April 7, 2000 |- | First Astros Home Run || Richard Hidalgo || April 7, 2000 |- | First Grand Slam || Thomas Howard (St. Louis Cardinals) || April 11, 2000 |- | First Astros Grand Slam || Ken Caminiti || May 9, 2000 |- | First Cycle || Luis Gonzalez (Arizona Diamondbacks) || July 5, 2000 |- | First Astros Cycle || Jeff Bagwell || July 18, 2001 |- | First Winning Pitcher || Randy Wolf (Philadelphia Phillies) || April 7, 2000 |- | First Astros Winning Pitcher || Mike Maddux || April 8, 2000 |- | First Save || Wayne Gomes (Philadelphia Phillies) || April 7, 2000 |- | First Astros Save || Billy Wagner || April 8, 2000 |- | First Shutout || Minnesota Twins 2-0 || June 7, 2000 |- | First Astros Shutout|| 3-0 over the Chicago Cubs || July 22, 2001 |- | First postseason game|| 7 - 4 loss to the Atlanta Braves || October 9, 2001 |}

Events other than baseball

While primarily a baseball venue, Minute Maid Park can adequately host sports such as American football, soccer, and both codes of rugby. The venue can also play host to large-scale rock concerts.

Its debut as a soccer venue happened during the 2006 edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The stadium hosted the first leg of the quarterfinal between Portmore United of Jamaica (the "home" team) and Club América of Mexico. Portmore United effectively sold the rights to their home leg (Portmore's usual home stadium is the 2,000 seat Ferdi Neita Sports Complex in Portmore, Jamaica) to an American sports marketing company who placed the tie in Houston hoping to attract Mexican-Americans to the match. 12,988 (a "home" record for Portmore) saw America run out 2-1 winners with goals from Christian Gimenez, and Aaron Padilla after Remeel Wolfe had given the CFU side a shock lead.

The stadium also is the host of the Houston College Classic college baseball, part of the winter fan festival held in February. The tournament features local schools the University of Houston and Rice University every year, a pair of Big 12 schools, alternating between the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech University, and Texas A&M; University and Baylor University, as well as two other teams from around the country.

Madonna performed a concert as part of her Sticky & Sweet Tour on November 16, 2008, marking her first Texas appearance in 18 years. The attendance for the concert was 41,498.

The nationally syndicated TV talk show ''Rachael Ray'' held a mass wedding at the park following Hurricane Ike for 40 couples who were unable to get married after a company they paid to hold the weddings went bankrupt. Comedian Jeffrey Ross served as best man for all 40 couples. The ceremony was aired as part of a special episode of the talk show on November 21, 2008.

Gallery

References

Minute Maid Park: Facts and Figures. Accessed May 24, 2006.

Ballpark Digest Visit to Minute Maid Park

Astros Daily - Your best source for news and information on the Houston Astros

Notes

}}

External links

Stadium site on astros.com

Levine, Zachary. "Astros looking at the bigger picture." ''Houston Chronicle''. October 8, 2010.

Category:Houston Astros stadiums Category:Major League Baseball venues Category:Retractable-roof stadiums Category:Event venues established in 2000 Category:Baseball venues in Houston, Texas Category:Baseball venues in Texas Category:Coca-Cola buildings and structures

da:Minute Maid Park de:Minute Maid Park es:Minute Maid Park fa:ورزشگاه مینت مید پارک fr:Minute Maid Park ko:미니트 메이드 파크 it:Minute Maid Park nl:Minute Maid Park ja:ミニッツ・メイド・パーク pt:Minute Maid Park

name	Alex Band
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	Alexander Max Band
birth date	June 08, 1981
birth place	Los Angeles, California
instrument	Vocals, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Piano, Drums, Saxophone
genre	Alternative rock, post-grunge
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, producer
years active	1993–present
label	RCA Records, Geffen Records, AMB/EMI Records
associated acts	The CallingJennifer SkyCharles BandCourse of Nature
website
notable instruments	}}

Alex Band (born Alexander Max Band, June 8, 1981, Los Angeles, California) is an American musician and singer-songwriter, best known for his work in his former band The Calling and their signature song "Wherever You Will Go", which peaked at #3 on the Top 40 in 2001.

Along with bandmate and fellow songwriter Aaron Kamin as part of The Calling, the pair achieved success with the release of their two studio albums; ''Camino Palmero'' (2001) and ''Two'' (2004). They also achieved top 40 chartings with singles "Adrienne", "Our Lives", and "Things Will Go My Way". As a solo artist he is well known for providing the vocals on the top 10 hit, "Why Don't You & I" with Carlos Santana in 2004. In 2008 he created his own record label, AMB Records and released a 5 song EP entitled, ''Alex Band EP''. Band later released his debut full-length album, ''We've All Been There'' in June 2010. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Early life

Band was born into an entertainment family. His mother is Meda Band, and his father Charles Band is a well known horror film director. His grandfather Albert Band was also another well known director. His family is of Italian origin and still returns to Italy on occasion to visit. They own a castle in Giove which is part of Umbria. Band's father is Jewish, and his mother is Christian. Band explores spiritual themes in several of his songs though claims to be of no particular faith himself. Of the song "Please" Band said, "...I grew up with a Jewish Father who didn't practice and a Christian Mother whose only tie to Jesus was celebrating Christmas. Needless to say I had to find my own religion. And in this song I'm asking God what that should be...what should I believe? In a world so full of different religions and so many people fighting over whose belief is the correct one, it frustrates me to think that they all really boil down to the same thing."

At a young age Band's parents divorced and his father remarried. He grew up with two of his half brothers Harlan and Zalman, and his sister Taryn. After his parents divorce his mother moved to Germany where she remarried and still resides. Band was about 8 at the time. She had 3 sons after her move, who Band eventually met when he toured Germany. The single "Could It Be Any Harder" explains some of his feelings towards his mother's move.

Growing up Alex made small appearances in his father's films. He grew up on Camino Palmero street which would later inspire his first album of the same name. He began playing guitar and song writing at the age of 8.

Musically Band was influenced by Pearl Jam, Bon Jovi, Live, Train and U2.

He soon formed his first band with friend and filmmaker, Jethro Rothe-Kushel, called "Maybe Solitude". Rothe-Kushel also directed his first music video for a song called "Dormant Prayer". Several bands followed including one named "Generation Gap" that consisted of him, Aaron Kamin, a musician he met when Kamin began dating his sister, and a few much older musicians. The band has a brief cameo in Coyote Ugly. At the age of 14 he had a kokopelli tattooed on his wrist. This would later become a symbol for The Calling.

Career

The Calling

At the age of 15 Alex signed with RCA Records with the band he had created with Kamin now named The Calling. At this time he dropped out of school though he later received a diploma through home schooling.

The Calling released their first single "Wherever You Will Go" to much acclaim. The song soon reached #1 on the Billboard Hot AC charts for 27 weeks and peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 charts. The band's first album ''Camino Palmero'' soon followed peaking at #36 on the Billboard Sales charts and eventually went Platinum.

The band's next singles, "Adrienne" and "Could It Be Any Harder" soon followed charting in the AC top 40. However by 2004 the second album titled, ''Two'' failed to live up to expectations charting at #54 on Billboard Top 200. The album suffered from a lack of label support though the singles fared slightly better. The first single, "Our Lives" was featured in the 2004 Olympics ceremony, and charted at #34 in the Billboard top 40. A final single, "Anything" performed decently with little promotion, charting at #23 in the Adult Top 40.

After the lack of label support with "Two", the band announced a hiatus. On June 4, 2005 they performed their last concert to date in Temecula, CA.

The Calling has sold over 6 million record worldwide.

Their song "Wherever You Will Go" was named the #1 song of the decade on the Adult Pop Charts by Billboard magazine.

Songwriting

During and after his time in The Calling, Band and Kamin co-wrote all of the band's songs. They also wrote songs for several other artists as well as for several movie soundtracks, most of which Band would perform on. One of the first such tracks was the single, "For You" which appeared on the ''Daredevil'' soundtrack. The OST peaked at #9 on the Billboard Top 200.

A cover of "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" was recorded for the movie ''Sweet Home Alabama''. Band recorded a song "Take Hold of Me" for use in his wife's movie ''Fish Without a Bicycle'' in which he has a small part. He also Appeared on the Bratz: Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Solo career

Band's solo career started long before the hiatus of The Calling. He was personally chosen by Chad Kroeger to perform on the Carlos Santana single "Why Don't You & I" in 2003. Originally, Kroeger wrote and sang on "Why Don't You & I" for Santana's ''Shaman''. However, when Arista Records decided to release the song as a single, Kroeger's record label refused permission, citing concerns that Kroeger appearing on a "high-profile single" that could conflict with his own newly released comeback album.

Band's version became extremely successful charting at #3 on the Billboard Top 40, and #8 on the Billboard Top 100. It was also recently named the #5 song of the decade on the Adult Pop charts by Billboard. It reached #1 on the AC charts and continues to be played on AC stations to this day. Band's version appears on Santana's special release album, ''Ceremony: remixes & rarities'' and ''Ultimate Santana''.

Band also contributed the song "The Truth" to the soundtrack of the 2005 movie "Doll Graveyard" which was directed by his father.

In November 2005 it was announced Band had signed as a solo artist with Ron Fair as part of Geffen Records. A new album had been recorded and was said to be released in late 2007, but was delayed several times. Alex left the Geffen label in 2008.

During this time Band had a few releases. One of his songs titled, "It Doesn't Get Better Than This" for ''Bratz: The Movie'' soundtrack. Band performed and co-wrote the song, "Coming Home" which was featured in the film, ''The Final Season'' in late 2007.

In October 2007 Band performed at the first Alex Band's Donate Life Rocks charity concert for "Donate Life America" in Los Angeles, CA. The concert was taped and will air on DISH Network. Band also taped an appearance on The Real World: Hollywood which filmed at the concert. The second Alex Band Donate Life concert was held in Richmond, VA on August 21, 2008.

First music video in his solo career was again directed by lifelong friend and director / producer, Jethro Rothe-Kushel, for a song called "Only One".

New music from Alex's debut solo album was featured on Melrose Place and Vampire Diaries.

Alex has begun a Radio Promo Tour starting in Florida on February 11 and running through June leading up to the album release in June. He also opened for Sister Hazel, Carbon Leaf and Jonny Lang.

Alex's first US Headlining tour began on the West Coast on July 14, 2010 and ended on the East Coast on August 8, 2010.

Alex's debut solo album was released in the US on June 29, 2010 and in Germany on September 26, 2010. In many other countries, including Canada, the CD became available on August 24, 2010.

Indie Label

Band expressed displeasure with the continued delayed release of his debut album. On April 16, 2008 Band announced via his official fan site that he had left Geffen and created his own label called AMB Records under which the album in the US will be released. He will work with EMI for the international release. ''"I've been working on leaving my label for a while now, and moving to somewhere else to put this record out finally and give it the push it deserves...and I'm happy to announce that I will be putting the record out ON MY OWN! With help from good friends in the business and an amazing team, I'm putting together my own Label. This gives me the freedom to make my own decisions, to invest in myself, and to do what I want, when I want. This is the way to go these days in the music business and I am sooooooo lucky to be able to do it. There are no firm details as to when exactly the record will be released, but I am doing everything in my power to make the process as speedy as possible. I will let you all know of course as soon as I find out more."''

On April 25, 2008 Band released a 5 song EP titled, "Alex Band EP". The EP contained 4 new songs in addition to the song "Coming Home". The EP is sold via his official fan site. A new version of the EP was created for his tour in Brazil. On May 13 it was announced that the track, "Only One" would be the official single, for Brazil only, with both single and video available through Band's official fan site.

The long delayed full length album has yet to be given a release date though several songs have appeared on various official sites. Two short clips of "Tonight" and "Please" appear on his official MySpace. The song "Only One" has been added as well. Other clips have leaked on his official fan site as well. Clips of the entire album can be heard on www.blackstarbracelet.com.

In addition to the album release Band has begun to tour as well. He began college area shows in April 2008, and has several shows scheduled throughout the US during the year. In June and July 2008 he completed a very successful 13 show tour of Brazil along with numerous TV and Radio appearances in Brazil.

Alex decided to go solo and created his own record label AMB Records and saw that the music industry was depleting and together with Robin Sydney created a new way to release music, on a Black Star Bracelet. Each bracelet purchased comes with a free song download. After 5 years, his new album "We've All Been There" will be releasing first on these bracelet in 2009.

His debut solo album "We've All Been There" was released on June 29, 2010. The first single "Tonight" was released on February 15, 2010.

Acting career

Band appeared in the movie ''Coyote Ugly'' as a musician on the stage of the club.

Band also appeared on the ''CSI: NY'' episode "Help", which aired January 14, 2009. Band played a drugged-out musician who is the suspect in a murder case. The songs he performed were his own (as did fellow guest star Bonnie McKee). He has said there will be more acting in the future.

Personal life

Band married girlfriend Jennifer Sky on July 25, 2004. The couple split in 2008 and became legally divorced in 2009. Alex became engaged to Kristin Blanford in February, 2010, and they married on May 1, 2011. She appears in his music video for the song "Tonight".

Charity work

Band has worked with several charities. After an illness his ex-wife dealt with, Band became a supporter of organ donation, working closely with the charity Donate Life America. Annually he performs at "Alex Band's Donate Life Rocks Concert" to raise money and awareness for the cause.

Each year Debbie Hagerman, who runs his official fan site, organizes a birthday charity project in Band's name asking in lieu of gifts that fans donate to a charity instead. In addition a calendar is produced each year showcasing Alex in concert. All proceeds go to The Alex Band Education Fund for Donate Life. The projects have raised over $30,000 in honor of Band.

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Charts
		!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"
	''We've All Been There''

EP

2008: Alex Band EP

US Edition Date on May 2008 Brazil Edition Date on June 2008

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions						Album
		!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"
	"Only One"
	"Silent Night" ''(digital release)''
	"Tonight"
"Without You"
"Only One" ''(European release)''
	"Euphoria" ''(German release)''

As featured artist

Year	Single	Peak chart positions						Album
		!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"		!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"
								rowspan="1" align="center"
	"In Your Heart, I'm Home" ([[Yasmin Lucas">Adult Contemporary (chart)	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"	!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"
								rowspan="1" align="center"
	"In Your Heart, I'm Home" ([[Yasmin Lucas feat. Alex Band)							rowspan="1" align="center"

;Notes

References

External links

Streetteams

US Streetteam

UK Streetteam

Australian Streetteam

Brazilian Streetteam

Canadian Streetteam

French Streetteam

German Streetteam

Italian Streetteam

Dutch Streetteam

Category:1981 births Category:American male singers Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:American rock singers Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Los Angeles, California

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