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Charlie Chaplin in the film The Champion

A comedian (French: comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comic.

A popular saying, variously quoted but generally attributed to Ed Wynn,^[1] is, "A comic says funny things; a comedian says things funny," which draws a distinction between how much of the comedy can be attributed to verbal content and how much to acting and persona.

Since the 1980s, a new wave of comedy, called alternative comedy, has grown in popularity with its more offbeat and experimental style. This normally involves more experiential, or observational reporting, e.g. Alexei Sayle and Malcolm Hardee. As far as content is concerned, comedians such as Tommy Tiernan, Des Bishop and Joan Rivers draw on their background to poke fun at themselves, while others such as Jon Stewart, and Ben Elton have very strong political and cultural undertones. Contemporary comedians include Conan O' Brien and Jonathan Ross.

Many comics achieve a cult following while touring famous comedy hubs such as the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, the Edinburgh Fringe, and Melbourne Comedy Festival in Australia. Often a comic's career advances significantly when they win a notable comedy award, such as the Edinburgh Comedy Award (formerly the Perrier comedy award). Comics sometimes foray into other areas of entertainment, such as film and television, where they become more widely known; e.g. Eddie Izzard or Charlyne Yi. However, a comic's stand-up success does not guarantee a film's critical or box office success.

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Comedians

• Comedy genres
• List of comedians
• Humour
• Comedy
• Satire
• List of humorists
• List of musical comedians

References[link]

Zoe Lyons
Birth name	Zoe Ann Lyons
Born	(1971-10-03) 3 October 1971 (age 40) London England
Medium	Stand-up, Radio, TV
Nationality	English
Years active	2004 – present
Website	http://www.zoelyons.co.uk/

Zoe Ann Lyons is an award-winning British comedienne.^[1]

Career[link]

Lyons graduated from the University of York in 1992 with a degree in psychology.^[2]

She appeared on the 2001 reality show Survivor in its first series and was the eleventh of fourteen contestants to be voted out of the competition. The show was perceived as a flop in the UK and axed after its second series.

In 2004 Lyons won the Funny Women Awards. Since then, she has toured the UK stand-up circuit, as well as playing regular gigs in London and Brighton. In 2007, her debut solo show, "Fight or Flight", was nominated for the best newcomer award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2008, her second solo show, "Mangled Mantra of the Messed up Modern Mind", featured a joke which was awarded digital television channel Dave's Joke of the Fringe.

Lyons featured in The Independent's tenth annual "Pink List" for 2009, detailing the 101 most influential lesbian and gay people in Britain. Lyons was placed at number 81.^[3]

In 2011 as part of her second international tour, Lyons was invited to perform "Clownbusting" at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in Australia. Reviews were favourable, with a critic from Australian Stage reporting: "I have renewed faith in stand-up comedy after seeing UK comedian Zoe Lyons. "Clownbusting" is a magnificently written and delivered show which holds from start to finish".^[4]

Awards[link]

• Winner, London Awards for Art and Performance: Comedy, 2011
• Nominated, Dave's Joke of the Fringe, 2009^[5]
• Winner, Dave's Joke of the Fringe, 2008^[6]
• Nominated, Best Newcomer, if.comedy Awards, 2007^[7]
• Winner, Funny Women Awards, 2004^[8]

Television and radio[link]

Lyons' television credits include appearances on Mock the Week,^[9] Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, The Paul O'Grady Show, The Wright Stuff and Dave's One Night Stand.

Radio appearances have included Clive Anderson's Chat Room (BBC Radio 2), PMQ with Andy Parsons (BBC Radio 4), 4 Stands Up (BBC Radio 4), The Jon Richardson Show (BBC 6 Music) and The Christian O'Connell Solution (BBC Radio 5 Live).

External links[link]

• Official website
• Chortle biography
• Agency biography

References[link]

Blake Shelton
Shelton in April 2010
Background information
Birth name	Blake Tollison Shelton
Born	(1976-06-18) June 18, 1976 (age 36)[1] Ada, Oklahoma, United States
Genres	Country
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Giant, Warner Bros. Nashville, Reprise Nashville
Associated acts	Bobby Braddock, Miranda Lambert, Trace Adkins, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green
Website	blakeshelton.com

Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music artist. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. This song was the first single from his gold-certified debut album, which also produced two more Top 20 hits. Although the album was released on Giant Records Nashville, Shelton was transferred to Warner Bros. Records Nashville after Giant closed in late 2001.

His second and third albums, 2003's The Dreamer (his first for Warner Bros. proper) and 2004's Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill, were each certified gold as well. Shelton's fourth album, Pure BS, was issued in 2007, and re-issued in 2008 with a cover of Michael Bublé's pop hit "Home" as one of the bonus tracks. This cover was also that album's third single. A fifth album, Startin' Fires, was released in November 2008. It was followed by the extended plays Hillbilly Bone and All About Tonight in 2010, and the album Red River Blue in 2011. He is currently a vocal coach on the NBC reality talent show The Voice with Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Cee Lo Green.

Overall, Shelton has charted 17 singles on the country charts, including eleven Number One hits: "Austin" (2001), "The Baby" (2003), "Some Beach" (2004–2005), "Home" (2008), "She Wouldn't Be Gone" (2009), "Hillbilly Bone" (2010), a duet with Trace Adkins, "All About Tonight" (2010), "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking" (2011)", "Honey Bee" (2011), "God Gave Me You" (2011), and "Drink on It" (2011-2012). Additionally, three more of his singles have reached Top Ten: a cover version of Conway Twitty's "Goodbye Time", "Nobody but Me", and "I'll Just Hold On".

He also covered "Footloose" for the movie remake in 2011.

Early life[link]

Shelton was born in Ada, Oklahoma, to Dick, a used car dealer, and Dorothy, a beauty salon owner. He began singing at an early age and by age 12, he learned to play guitar. By age sixteen, Shelton had received a Denbo Diamond Award in his home state.^[1] On November 13, 1990, his older brother Richie, who was 24 at the time, died in a car accident. He has an older sister, Endy. At age 17, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in pursuit of a singing career.

Musical career[link]

Shelton performing at the Crawford City Fair in August 2005

[edit] 1998–2002: Blake Shelton

After several years in Nashville, he signed to Giant Records in 1998. In 2001, he was slated to release a song entitled "I Wanna Talk About Me" as a single. Staff at the label considered the song unsuitable for a lead-off single, however, and the song was eventually recorded by Toby Keith, whose version was a Number One hit.^[2]

Instead, Giant released "Austin" as Shelton's debut single. Shortly after its release, however, Giant Records was dissolved, and Shelton was transferred to Warner Bros. Records, the parent company. "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. His self-titled debut album also produced the No.18 "All Over Me" (which Shelton co-wrote with fellow country artist Earl Thomas Conley) and the No.14 "Ol' Red", which was a cover version of a George Jones song. Although Shelton's rendition of "Ol' Red" was not a major radio hit, he considers it his signature song, and it has become popular in concert.^[3] Blake Shelton is certified gold by the RIAA.^[1]

[edit] 2002–2003: The Dreamer

Shelton's second album, The Dreamer, was first released on February 4, 2003 on Warner Bros. Records. Its lead-off single, "The Baby", reached Number One on the country charts, holding that position for three weeks. Although the second and third singles ("Heavy Liftin'" and "Playboys of the Southwestern World", respectively) only reached No.32 and #24, The Dreamer earned gold certification as well. He, along with Andy Griggs and Montgomery Gentry, sang guest vocals on Tracy Byrd's mid-2003 single "The Truth About Men".

[edit] 2004–2006: Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill

Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill was the title of Shelton's third studio album, released in 2004.^[1] Its lead-off single, the Harley Allen co-write "When Somebody Knows You That Well", peaked at No.37 on the country charts, while the follow-up "Some Beach" became his third No.1 hit, holding that position for four weeks. It was followed by a cover of Conway Twitty's 1988 single "Goodbye Time".^[4] Both this cover and its followup, "Nobody but Me", reached Top Ten for Shelton as well. As with his first two albums, Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill was certified gold. Accompanying the album's release was a video collection entitled Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill: A Video Collection.^[1]

On December 18, 2005, several of Shelton's songs, including "Nobody but Me", appeared on the TV movie The Christmas Blessing, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Angus T. Jones, and Rob Lowe. Shelton had a small role at the end of the movie, playing himself at a benefit concert, singing "Nobody but Me".

[edit] 2006–2008: Pure BS

Shelton issued his fourth studio album, Pure BS, in early 2007.^[1] Unlike with his first three albums, which were produced entirely by Bobby Braddock, Shelton worked with Braddock, Brent Rowan, and Paul Worley as producers for this album. Its first two singles—"Don't Make Me" and "The More I Drink"—were both Top 20 hits on the country charts, respectively reaching No.12 and #19. Also in late 2007, Shelton made appearances on television shows: first as a judge on the talent competition Nashville Star, and later on Clash of the Choirs.

Pure BS was re-released in 2008 with three bonus tracks, including a cover of Michael Bublé's hit single "Home". This cover, released in early 2008 as the album's third single, became his fourth No.1 hit in July.^[5]

[edit] 2008–2009: Startin' Fires

"Home" was followed in August 2008 by the single "She Wouldn't Be Gone", his 14th chart entry and his fifth No. 1 hit. It was the first time in his career that he had two consecutive Number Ones. "She Wouldn't Be Gone" is the lead-off to Shelton's fifth studio album, Startin' Fires, which has also produced the single "I'll Just Hold On." This album also includes "Bare Skin Rug," a duet with Lambert.^[6] It was produced by Scott Hendricks, except for one track which was produced by Brent Rowan, and another ("I Don't Care", which carried over from Pure BS) was produced by Braddock.^[7]

[edit] 2009–2011: Hillbilly Bone and All About Tonight

After "I'll Just Hold On" fell off the chart in October 2009, Blake Shelton released a duet with Trace Adkins titled "Hillbilly Bone." It was the lead-off single on Shelton's EP, Hillbilly Bone, released on March 2, 2010 through Reprise Records Nashville. After "Hillbilly Bone" reached No.1 in February, came the August release of "All About Tonight", the lead-off single to his EP of the same name. In September, he released the second single from All About Tonight, "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking", his 18th single release. He released his first greatest hits album, Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton in November 2010.

Shelton was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry during the September 28, 2010 "Country Comes Home" concert celebrating reopening of the Grand Ole Opry House after the Cumberland River flooded the Opry House in May 2010. The formal invitation was extended on his Twitter account and was announced by Opry star Trace Adkins.^[8] He was formally inducted by Adkins at the Saturday, October 23, 2010 Opry performance.

Shelton recorded the title track for the "Footloose" remake film released on October 14th, 2011.

Blake Shelton appeared on the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on November 10, 2010 where he performed "All About Tonight" and won Male Vocalist of the Year.^[9]

Shelton will serve as a judge/coach to singers on the 2011 NBC reality television series The Voice.^[10]

[edit] 2011–present: Red River Blue

Blake Shelton released the album Red River Blue on July 12, 2011, led by the single, "Honey Bee". The song received 138,000 downloads in its first week and was certified gold in its seventh week, setting a new record for the fastest gold certification by a male country singer.^[11] On June 13, 2011, in its tenth chart week, "Honey Bee" went to #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming his ninth #1 and his fastest-climbing. The album was expected to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 with around 110,000 copies sold.^[12] "God Gave Me You", a cover of a Dave Barnes song, was the album's second single; it also reached #1. "Drink On It", the fifth song on the album, hit #1 in April 2012, giving him his 11th #1 song. On April 30, 2012, Blake performed "Over" on the Semi-finals of the second season of The Voice. "Over" later debuted at #53 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs on 19 May, 2012.^[13]

Blake Shelton is a coach on the NBC show The Voice. His finalist Dia Frampton came in second. He returned for a second season of the show with Jermaine Paul as the champion ^[14]. Frampton also recorded a track with Shelton titled "I Will" on her album Red, released December 6, 2011.

Blake Shelton took the stage with Miranda Lambert at Super Bowl XLVI in February 2012 to open the event by singing a duet version of “America the Beautiful”. It marked their first TV performance since their headlining nuptials in May 2011.

Television[link]

[edit] 2011–present: The Voice

In 2011, Shelton became a coach on NBC's new show, The Voice, along with Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine.

In season 1, Shelton became the runner-up coach as his final team member, Dia Frampton, won second place of the season.

In season 2, Shelton became the winning coach as his final team member, Jermaine Paul, was declared winner of the season.

Season 3 of The Voice will air in the fall of 2012. All four judges have signed on to return. ^[15]

Personal life[link]

Shelton married longtime girlfriend Kaynette Gern on November 17, 2003. They divorced in 2006.

Shelton is now married to fellow country singer Miranda Lambert, whom he met at the CMT's 100 Greatest Duets Concert.^[16] Lambert also sang background vocals on his cover of Michael Bublé's song, "Home", which became a Number 1 single on the Hot Country Songs chart. On May 9, 2010, after dating for four years,^[17] Shelton proposed to Miranda, after seeking (and receiving) her father's blessing.^[17][18]

Shelton and Lambert were married on May 14, 2011 at Don Strange Ranch in Boerne, Texas.^[17] 550 people were in attendance, including many celebrities, such as Reba McEntire, Cee Lo Green, Martina McBride, Kelly Clarkson, Dierks Bentley, Charles Kelley, and the Bellamy Brothers. After the wedding, Shelton expressed his joy stating, "I wanted to be married to Miranda the day I proposed. Finally, it's official!"^[19] Blake and Miranda reside in the small town of Tishomingo, OK, located in the Texoma area.

On January 17, 2012, Shelton's father, Dick, 71, died in Oklahoma, following a period of declining health.^[20][21]

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Blake Shelton (2001)
• The Dreamer (2003)
• Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill (2004)
• Pure BS (2007)
• Startin' Fires (2008)
• Red River Blue (2011)

Extended plays

• Blake Shelton: Collector's Edition (2008)
• Hillbilly Bone (2010)
• All About Tonight (2010)

Compilation albums

• Blake Shelton – The Essentials (2009)
• Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton (2010)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Blake Shelton at the Internet Movie Database

Miranda Lambert
Background information
Birth name	Miranda Leigh Lambert[1]
Born	(1983-11-10) November 10, 1983 (age 28) Longview, Texas, U.S.
Origin	Lindale, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Epic Columbia Nashville RCA Records Nashville
Associated acts	Blake Shelton Pistol Annies Loretta Lynn Sheryl Crow Frank Liddell
Website	MirandaLambert.com

Miranda Leigh Shelton (née Lambert) ^[1] (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music artist who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star, where she finished in third place and later signed to Epic Records. Lambert made her debut with the release of "Me and Charlie Talking", the first single from her 2005 debut album Kerosene. This album, which was certified Platinum in the United States, also produced the singles "Bring Me Down", "Kerosene", and "New Strings". All four singles were Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

After Epic's Nashville division closed, Lambert was transferred to Columbia Records Nashville for her second album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which was released in early 2007. Although the title track failed to make top 40, the next three singles ("Famous in a Small Town", "Gunpowder & Lead", and "More Like Her") were all Top 20 hits, with "Gunpowder & Lead" becoming her first Top 10 country hit in July 2008. Lambert's third album, Revolution, was released in September 2009. Five singles have been released from the album, including Lambert's two Number One hits "The House That Built Me," which spent four weeks at the top of the chart, and "Heart Like Mine". Lambert has also been honored by the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and the Country Music Association Awards.

In 2011, Lambert married fellow country singer Blake Shelton. She also released her fourth album, Four the Record, which includes the singles "Baggage Claim" and "Over You". Lambert also collaborated with Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley in the side project Pistol Annies.

Early life[link]

Miranda Leigh Shelton (née Lambert) was born November 10, 1983 in Longview, Texas and raised in Lindale, Texas. Her father, Richard Lee "Rick" Lambert, is a retired police officer who in later life became a private investigator in partnership with her mother, Beverly June Lambert (née Hughes). Miranda was taught about guns by her father at an early age and later became an avid deer hunter. Her parents took her to a Garth Brooks concert when she was nine and this started her interest in country music. Her father wrote and performed country music and she soon began singing in talent contests under his tutelage. She started her career playing in local restaurants.

At age sixteen, Lambert began appearing on the Johnny High Country Music Review in Arlington, Texas, the same show that helped launch the career of LeAnn Rimes. Lambert quickly landed a recording session in Nashville, but left the studio after she became frustrated with the "pop" sound of music. She then went back to Texas and asked her dad to teach her how to play guitar so she could write her own songs.^[2][3]

While still in high school, Lambert made her professional singing debut. She fronted the house band at the Reo Palm Isle Ballroom^[4] in Longview, Texas, a long-running venue that has showcased Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, and is where Brooks & Dunn started out as a bar room band.

Music career[link]

Lambert in 2006

This section requires expansion with: Critical reception, musical stylings, any other relevant info.

[edit] 2003–2006: Kerosene

In 2003, Lambert auditioned for the talent competition Nashville Star, eventually becoming a third-place finisher on the show. She performed in many places such as The Tap in College Station, Texas when she was 18. On September 15, 2003, she signed with Epic Records.^[5] Her debut single, "Me and Charlie Talking" (co-written by her father and Heather Little), was released in summer of 2004 as the lead-off single to her debut album. Titled Kerosene, Lambert's first album comprised twelve songs, eleven of which she co-wrote. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts,^[6] and eventually gained a Platinum certification by the RIAA for shipments of over one million copies,^[7] selling more than 930,000 copies up to July 2008.^[8] Overall, the album produced four Top 40 singles on the Billboard country charts, including the title track which was a Top 20 hit. Lambert also toured with Keith Urban^[9] and George Strait^[10] in early 2006. In 2007, she toured with Dierks Bentley and Toby Keith.^[11]

[edit] 2007–2008: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Lambert in 2007

Lambert's second album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was released on May 9, 2007. She wrote eight of the album's eleven tracks,^[12] including its four singles. Much of the track "Gunpowder & Lead," the album's third single and her highest-charting single, was written while she was taking a concealed handgun class in her home town.^[13]

In 2005, at the 40th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Lambert won the Cover Girl Fresh Face of Country Music Award. She was also nominated for the Country Music Association's Horizon Award in 2005; in 2007, Lambert also received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her single "Kerosene". She also won the Top New Female Vocalist award at the 2007 ACM (Academy of Country Music) Awards. At the 2008 ACM (Academy of Country Music) Awards, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend won Album of the Year.

Lambert was ranked #90 on the 100 Greatest Women (of Country Music) by Country Universe in 2008.^[14]

[edit] 2009–2011: Revolution

Lambert in April 2010

In February 2009, Miranda Lambert entered the studio to record her third album, Revolution, which was to be released on September 29, 2009. Lambert co-wrote all but four of the album's 15 tracks; the album also includes co-writes from Blake Shelton, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum.^[15] Ahead of the album's release, an EP, titled Dead Flowers, was issued on September 8, 2009.^[16] The EP, available exclusively at Best Buy, featured the Revolution album track "Dead Flowers" and three bonus tracks previously included on limited editions of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

During this time, Lambert (along with two other singers), became the new face of Cotton Inc.’s revived “The Touch, The Feel of Cotton” campaign.^[17] She has appeared in ads to promote cotton, and the website features a free download of the full version of her song, "Fabric of My Life."^[18]

Lambert debuted her new single, "Dead Flowers", at the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 5, 2009.^[19] It was released to country radio on May 4, 2009, and was a minor Top 40 hit on the charts.

On September 24, 2009, Lambert and her band performed all the tracks on Revolution in sequence at the Ryman Auditorium, five days before its scheduled release date.^[15]

Upon the release of Revolution, Lambert's work was met with significant critical praise.^[20] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 85, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".^[20]

Rolling Stone magazine praised the album saying, "Lambert remains country's most refreshing act, and not just because she makes firearms seem like a matter-of-fact female accessory." Entertainment Weekly magazine said, "She's found stylistic shades of songwriters twice her age..." and that the album is "...a portrait of an artist in full possession of her powers, and the best mainstream-country album so far this year." Boston Globe commented that “Revolution’’ is the sound of Miranda Lambert coming into her own." Slant magazine also had high praises reserved for the album saying, "Miranda Lambert expands on her fascinating, fully realized artistic persona on Revolution."

The album's second single, "White Liar", was released on August 17, 2009,^[21] and debuted at #50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. In February 2010, "White Liar" became Lambert's first Top Five hit, reaching a peak of #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

In promotion of Revolution, Miranda Lambert launched a headlining tour; Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars kicked off in March 2010 and included stops in over 22 cities, as well as a performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival.^[22]

"The House That Built Me," the album's third single, was released on March 8, 2010 and became a #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It retained this position for four weeks and it received a platinum certification from the RIAA on July 8, 2010.^[23] On February 13, 2011, Lambert won a Grammy Award in the Best Female Country Vocal Performance category for "The House That Built Me."^[24]

"Only Prettier" followed as the album's fourth single in July 2010 and its accompanying music video became somewhat viral. The music video for "Only Prettier" was directed by Trey Fanjoy and filmed in Joelton, Tennessee in June 2010,^[25] and premiered on VEVO on August 3, 2010.^[26] It features a 1950s theme and cameo appearances by fellow country artists Kellie Pickler, Laura Bell Bundy, and Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum. In the video, Lambert and her friends portray two rival cliques attending a high school sock hop.^[27] The alter-egos are shown doing things such as spiking the punch, stuffing their bras and smoking. Ultimately, the alter-egos have a bad time at the party, while Lambert, Pickler, Bundy and Scott enjoy themselves the entire night. Additionally, Lambert is also shown performing with her band on stage at the event.

On September 1, 2010, it was announced Miranda led nominations with an impressive 9 CMA awards, setting a record for the female with the most nominations in a single year by the organization. Miranda performed at the 44th Annual Country Music Association Awards on November 10, 2010.^[28] That same night she won the CMA Award for Female Vocalist of the Year and Revolution won Album of the Year.^[29] Lambert and Sheryl Crow performed "Coal Miner's Daughter" as a tribute to country legend Loretta Lynn, who also entered the stage to join them and finished the song with Crow and Lambert as backup. Later that night, Lynn presented the Female Vocalist of the Year CMA award to Lambert.

In December 2010, "Only Prettier", eventually reached a peak of number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, giving Lambert her seventh Top 20 hit. "Heart Like Mine" was released in January 2011 as the fifth and final single from Revolution. It became Lambert's second Number One hit on the country charts for the chart dated May 28, 2011.

[edit] 2011–present: Four the Record and Pistol Annies

On April 4, 2011 during the taping of the Academy of Country Music's 'Girls' Night Out' television special in Las Vegas, Lambert debuted her new project, girl group Pistol Annies. The group consists of Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. They released their single, "Hell on Heels," in May 2011,^[30] and released their debut album, Hell on Heels, on August 23, 2011, which debuted at #1 on Billboard's country chart.

Lambert announced in July 2011 that her fourth studio album, Four the Record, would be released on November 1, 2011.^[31] A month later, Sony Music Nashville announced that Lambert and labelmate Josh Thompson would transfer to RCA Nashville as part of a corporate restructuring.^[32]

Lambert also recorded a song for The Hunger Games soundtrack (The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond), called "Run Daddy Run" featuring The Pistol Annies. The soundtrack was released on March 20, 2012.

Acting debut[link]

Miranda Lambert began her acting debut on NBC's long-running legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in an episode titled "Father's Shadow", which originally aired on February 8, 2012. Lambert portrayed an actress named Lacey Ford, who falls under the spell of a nefarious producer (played by Michael McKean) and later claims to have been sexually assaulted by the reality show producer. "I had to really pull from my gut on this whole role I was playing because I'm a very strong, confident person," the country star says, noting that she was portraying "a more subdued, naïve character" than herself. "I really had to really transform my personality, which I wasn't sure I could do until I got on the set and sort of just tried to put myself in her shoes." She went on to add, "This was really nerve-racking all around, but also exciting because I've never acted before," she says. "And then playing an actress trying to get a role, it was like an audition within an audition. It was sort of my audition for myself to see if I could even act at all."^[33][34] Lambert told CMT News, "I have all of the [episodes] TiVo’ed. I watch the marathons. I love them. And I never wanted to act. I still don’t. I don’t want to be an actress. I just wanted to be on that show mainly so I could be a groupie [for their autographs]."^[35]

Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly praised Lambert in her debut role on SVU; "Lambert quickly communicated a convincing air of sodden despair and desperation. The script’s idea, an all too believable one, was to have Lacey be so desperate to become famous as a reality-TV star, she declined a rape kit test. "If he goes to prison," she said of McKean’s creep, "What happens to the show? I really want this part." Lambert really made you feel Lacey’s addled yearning. I don’t know, Miranda — I wouldn’t rule out that acting career so quickly..."^[36]

Personal life[link]

In 2006, Lambert began dating fellow country singer Blake Shelton.^[37] Lambert sang background vocals on Shelton's 2008 country cover of Michael Bublé's song "Home".^[38] The two recorded and co-wrote duet "Bare Skin Rug," for his studio album Startin' Fires released later in 2008. Shelton also co-wrote three songs on Revolution, and provided background vocals on "Maintain the Pain." On May 9, 2010, Shelton proposed to Lambert, after seeking (and receiving) her father's blessing and they became engaged.^[39][40] The two married on May 14, 2011 at the Don Strange Ranch in Boerne, Texas.^[40] Wearing her mother's wedding dress, Lambert walked down the aisle and exchanged vows with Shelton in front of 550 family members and friends, including fellow celebrities Reba McEntire, Kelly Clarkson, Cee Lo Green, Martina McBride, Dierks Bentley, Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum, Trace Adkins and the Bellamy Brothers. After the ceremony, Lambert expressed her excitement saying, "I'm married to my best friend! Looking forward to a lifetime of laughter."^[41] Lambert and Shelton live in Tishomingo, a small town in Oklahoma near Texoma.

Discography[link]

Albums

• Miranda Lambert (2001)
• Kerosene (2005)
• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2007)
• Revolution (2009)
• Four the Record (2011)

Awards[link]

Touring[link]

Tours[link]

• "Hookin' Up and Hangin' Out Tour" (2007)
  • with Toby Keith
• Sun City Carnival Tour (2009)^[55]
  • with Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland and Montgomery Gentry
• American Saturday Night Tour (2010)
  • with Brad Paisley and Justin Moore
• Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars (2010)
  • with Chris Young, Randy Houser, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, James Otto, David Nail, Wade Bowen, Jake Owen and Cross Canadian Ragweed
• CMT On Tour: Miranda Lambert Revolution (2010)^[56]
  • with Eric Church and Josh Kelley
• Miranda Lambert: Revolution Tour (2011)
  • with Justin Moore, Josh Kelley, Chris Young, Randy Rogers Band, Pat Green, Little Big Town, Ashton Shepherd and Gary Allan
• On Fire Tour (2012)
  • with Chris Young, Jerrod Niemann, Lee Brice, Thomas Rhett, Pistol Annies

Band[link]

Lambert's road band and crew consists of the following:^[57]

• Aden Bubeck — bass guitar
• Chris Kline — keyboard, harmonica, pedal steel, percussion, guitar
• Alex Weeden — lead guitar
• Scotty Wray — rhythm guitar, lap steel guitar, resonator guitar, banjo
• Keith Zebroski — drums

Touring personnel[link]

• Scott Fowler — backline tech
• Jason "Pone" Macalik — front of house engineer, backup bus driver
• Chris Newsom — monitor engineer, production manager, stage manager
• Sammy Bones — backline tech
• Jordan Powell — tour manager
• Jose "Puma" Raices — merchandise manager
• Aaron Luke — lighting director
• Charlie Sherman — bus driver

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Miranda Lambert

• Official Website
• Miranda Lambert at Billboard.com
• Official Music Videos

Judy Gold (born November 15, 1962) is an American stand-up comic and actor. She won two Daytime Emmy Awards for her work as a writer and producer on The Rosie O'Donnell Show.^[1] She has also been involved in many projects in various roles, including the television series All American Girl and HBO At the Multiplex segments where she asks humorous questions of unexpecting moviegoers.

She first did stand-up on a dare while in college at Rutgers University.^[1] She is a lesbian, shared a relationship with her former partner, Sharon, for almost 20 years, and has two children (Henry, 1996, and Ben, 2001), facts she frequently referenced in her comments on the show Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn.^[2] Gold is very active in both LGBT and Jewish communities. She was active in support of the 2004 and 2008 Democratic presidential campaign.

Her one-woman show 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother, co-written with Kate Moira Ryan, is based on a series of interviews with more than 50 Jewish mothers in the United States.^[3] Their stories are interspersed with anecdotes about her own mother and her life as a lesbian mother of two sons.^[4] It ran at the Ars Nova Theater in New York City in early 2006 and reopened on October 12, 2006, at St. Luke's Theater.

Judy Gold also appears as a commentator on truTV's TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest....

She has also started her own (as the show's producer, Meetinghouse Productions Inc., (which also produces World's Dumbest) calls it) docu-comedy series (the first episode of which can be viewed on YouTube) about herself, family, and friends.

In 2007 she was featured in the film Making Trouble, a tribute to female Jewish comedians, produced by the Jewish Women’s Archive.^[5]

In 2011, Gold was named a Givenik Ambassador.^[6]

The Judy Show: My Life as a Sitcom[link]

On June 30, 2011, The Judy Gold Show: My Life as a Sitcom, began previews at Off-Broadway's DR2 Theatre in New York City. This one-woman show is an homage to the classic sitcoms of Gold's youth. The show is written by Gold and Kate Moira Ryan and directed by Amanda Charlton.

The show officially opened on July 6, 2011 to positive reviews. The New York Times called the show "highly entertaining." ^[7] The New York Post called the show "gleefully self-deprecating,".^[8]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Judy Gold at the Internet Movie Database
• Judy Gold on Facebook
• 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother
• Voices on Antisemitism Interview with Judy Gold from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum