The abbreviation IMG has several different meanings:

• IMG, abbreviation for image
• IMG (company), global sports and media business headquartered in New York City but with its main offices in Cleveland, originally known as the "International Management Group", with divisions including:
  • IMG Academies, an athletic training complex in Bradenton, Florida with facilities for multiple sports
  • IMG Artists, a performing arts management company with multiple worldwide offices
  • IMG College, a college sports marketing agency based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
  • IMG Models, a modeling agency based in New York
• IMG (file format), the file extension of an image format
• IMG, a tag used in BBCode to place an image
• <img>, an HTML element used to place an image
• Inside Mac Games, a game news site for the Macintosh
• Integrated Microbial Genomes System, a framework for comparative analysis of the genomes sequenced by the Joint Genome Institute
• International Marxist Group, a Trotskyist group in Britain between 1968 and 1982
• International medical graduate, a physician who has graduated from a medical school outside of the country in which he or she intends to practice
• International Medical Group (Uganda), a conglomerate of health-related businesses headquartered in Kampala, Uganda
• International Music Group, a record label created by American rapper Flo Rida

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

Olly Murs
Murs performing on the X Factor live tour
Background information
Birth name	Oliver Stanley Murs
Born	(1984-05-14) 14 May 1984 (age 28) Witham, Essex, England
Genres	Pop, reggae fusion, ska, dance, soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, presenter, choreographer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, drums
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Epic (2009–present) Syco (2009–present)
Associated acts	The X Factor 2009 finalists
Website	ollymurs.com

Oliver "Olly" Stanley Murs^[1] (born 14 May 1984 in Witham, Essex, England)^[2] is an English singer-songwriter, musician and TV presenter. Murs rose to fame after being the runner-up on the sixth series of The X Factor. He is currently signed to Epic Records and Syco Music.

In late August 2010, Murs released his debut single "Please Don't Let Me Go", which debuted at number one on the UK Singles Charts, becoming Murs' second number one single after releasing "You Are Not Alone" with the other series 6 finalists. "Please Don't Let Me Go" received a Silver certification by the BPI. He released his second single from his debut album "Thinking of Me" which charted at number four on the UK Singles Charts, however the single also got a Silver certification by the BPI. "Heart Skips a Beat" was released and became his third number-one hit. Murs' second single from his follow up album In Case You Didn't Know, "Dance with Me Tonight", became his fourth to reach number one.

In November 2010, Murs released his self-titled debut album, which entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, with the biggest week one album sales for a debut album in 2010, with over 108,000 albums sold. The album went on to sell over 600,000 copies, and was certificated double platinum by the BPI. In November 2011, Murs released his second album, In Case You Didn't Know. The album entered the charts at number one, and has spawned two number one singles. In May 2011, it was announced that Murs would return to The X Factor to co-present spin-off show The Xtra Factor with Caroline Flack. It was also confirmed that Murs would present a Celebrity Club Classic show on Heart FM. He also has an active Twitter account with over 2 million followers as of May 2012.

Biography[link]

Oliver Stanley Murs was born to Vicki-Lynn Murs and Pete Murs.^[3][4] He has a twin brother, Ben Murs (Olly is the older twin) and a sister, Fay Murs and is of Latvian descent.^[3] He attended Howbridge Junior School in Witham and Notley High School in Braintree, Essex^[5] where he was a striker in the school's football team. He is a supporter of Manchester United,^[6] and played semi-professionally for Witham Town. He gave up his football career following an injury.^[7] Prior to The X Factor, Murs worked as a recruitment consultant at Prime Appointments in Witham. He also appeared on the TV show Deal or No Deal where he won £10. He later appeared on a celebrity special of Deal or No Deal in 2012, and he won 50p for the charity he is a patron of, Brainwave.^[8] Murs has played in Soccer Aid for charity early in 2010, and is going to play again in May 2012, before heading off to the US to support One Direction on their US tour.^[9][10]

Music career[link]

[edit] 2009–2010: The X Factor

In 2009 he performed "Superstition" in his first audition and Simon Cowell said it was "the easiest yes I've ever given". On the first live show he sang "She's the One" and on the second, "A Fool in Love", a performance which Cowell described as being "in a different league." For week three he took on "Bewitched". Walsh commented that he was the "dark horse of the competition," and Cole said he was "coming into his own each week." He frequently employed dance moves in his performance including his trademark "Olly wiggle."^[11] In week 4 he sang "Come Together" and again received positive comments, with Walsh predicting, "I think you're in the final three," and Cowell saying he was "progressing better than just about everybody."^[12] In week 5 he performed "Twist and Shout" and in week 6 "Don't Stop Me Now", after which he was labelled by Minogue as, "absolutely the best performer we have on the show by far."^[13]

After a performance of "Fastlove", he was in the bottom two in week 7, with John & Edward. Cowell and Cheryl Cole decided to send John & Edward home, but Louis Walsh voted against Murs. Dannii Minogue then decided against taking the judges' vote to deadlock and sent home John & Edward. When the voting statistics were later released on itv.com, they revealed that if Minogue had voted to save John & Edward and taken it to deadlock, Murs would have been sent home on popular vote, as John & Edward gained 10.7% of the popular vote against just 9.8% to Murs. In the semi-finals Murs had to miss the wedding of his brother. The ceremony took place just 16 miles from the show's studio, but mentor Cowell was against letting him off for a few hours on the crucial semi-final day.^[14] He sang "Can You Feel It" and "We Can Work It Out" in the semi-final and ended up as one of the three finalists, breaking down in tears upon hearing the result.^[15]

In the final on 12 December, he repeated his audition song, "Superstition", following which Cowell said putting him in the final 12 was "the best risk I have ever taken in my life". Murs then sang with Robbie Williams on a duet of "Angels", in which Williams fluffed his lines as he walked on stage to join Murs and came in at the wrong time, singing the second line of the song, but was helped by Murs to find the right spot.^[16] There was then a repeat performance of his week 2 song "Fool in Love". Murs qualified for the final two and first sang a repeat performance of "Twist and Shout", following which Walsh commented, "You're a born, born showman and no matter what happens tonight you're going to have a great career in music." In his final performance on the show he performed the winner's song, "The Climb", finishing it in tears.^[17] He was told by Cole, "You absolutely tore it from your soul. I've never heard you sing like that. I thought it was a beautiful version of the song."^[18] He lost the final to Joe McElderry the next day and finished as the runner-up.^[19]

On 15 December, two days after the final, it was reported that Cowell was going to offer Murs a record deal in early 2010.^[20] Following his defeat, Murs was reportedly texted by duet partner Robbie Williams and invited to visit him in his Los Angeles mansion and participate in the forthcoming Soccer Aid, organised by Williams.^[6] Olly performed in the X Factor tour, alongside Joe McElderry, John & Edward, Stacey Soloman Lucie Jones and several other finalists. It was later revealed on The Xtra Factor that Murs was predicted by all the judges and presenters (except Minogue who said Nicole Jackson and Cole who said Miss Frank as a second choice) as the favourite to win the series at the Boot Camp stage.^[21][22] As with all other finalists save the winner, Murs began gigging around the country following the end of the show.^[23] A fight broke out at one New Year's Eve gig in London prompted by enthusiastic fans.^[24] He was also booked to appear at the engagement party of model Danielle Lloyd.^[25] Footage of Murs appearing on Deal or No Deal was later featured in an edition of the BBC's Almost Famous on 2 January 2010.^[26]

[edit] 2010–2011: Major label success and Olly Murs

Rumours began that Murs would record a debut album almost immediately after the final, where he finished in second place to Joe McElderry. After the rumours broke out, Murs announced he signed a joint record deal between Epic Records and Syco Music in February 2010.^[27] It was announced that Murs began working with John Shanks and Eg White.^[28] It was later confirmed that Roy Stride, Trevor Horn, Wayne Hector and Matty Benbrook would have involvement on the album which he collaborated with to make the "best possible songs".^[29] More writers and producers were confirmed to be working with Murs in the studio including; Phil Thornalley, Martin Brammer, Samuel Preston, Mark Taylor.^[30] and Chris Difford^[30] Professor Green was due to appear on the album, however, the duet fell through before recording was completed. "Heart on My Sleeve" is a cover of the song originally recorded by American Idol finalist Michael Johns.

Murs confirmed the first single from the album to be titled "Please Don't Let Me Go", which was released on 27 August 2010 following the circulation of the accompanying music video.^[31] The song was written by Murs himself and with other songwriters, Claude Kelly and Steve Robson; the single was also produced by Future Cut.^[28] The song is about a minor relationship Murs was in where he ended up feeling something for the other person. Murs commented: "Sadly she kept giving me the impression that she didn't like me as much, and ultimately it didn't work out, so that's where the idea of me singing 'Please Don't Let Me Go' came from."^[32] The song was described as "a lovely summery reggae-tinged pop tune that bobs along in a thoroughly hummable and not un-Will Young-like fashion" and said that the music video "is just as quintessentially pleasant".^[33] During the release, Murs was told not to get his hopes up for a number-one due to Katy Perry releasing "Teenage Dream" the same day. On 5 September 2010, the single entered the UK Singles Charts at number 1 beating Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream". The song was released with the B-side track, entitled "This One's for the Girls" also entered the UK Singles Charts, debuting at number 69, was written for all of his female fans.

His debut album was released in November 2010;^[34] which was a self-titled album, Olly Murs. The album's tracking list was revealed on 15 October 2010.^[35] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, with the biggest week one album sales for a debut album in 2010, with over 108,000 albums sold.^[36] The album also charted on the Irish Albums Chart where it found itself peaking at number eleven. The second single was "Thinking of Me",^[37] written by Murs, Steve Robson and Hector, and co-produced by Future Cut and Steve Robson.^[38] It was released on 19 November 2010,^[37] prior to the album's release.^[30] It was reported that Professor Green would feature on the single,^[39] however, the duet fell through before it was completed.^[40] The single was added to BBC Radio 1's C Playlist on 3 November 2010. Murs performed the single for the first time on The X Factor. Upon the release the single charted at number four on the UK Singles Charts and thirteen on the Irish Singles Charts. On 13 November Murs turned the Christmas lights on in Paisley and he also turned on the Christmas lights near his hometown in Chelmsford, Essex. Renfrew Council was criticised in the media for the £15,000 fee that Murs was paid to turn on the lights, after announcing that they were axing 500 jobs.^[41] Olly has now started his 2011 UK Tour starting in Rhyl, Wales on the 26th April.

[edit] 2011–2012: In Case You Didn't Know

It was rumoured in June 2011 that Murs had started working on his second studio album, which he later confirmed. Murs claimed that he would "take the album from a different approach", and claimed he would like to record a rap track, stating, "I'm secretly not a bad rapper, I really like to do a bit of beat boxing, Eminem is always a favourite, or maybe Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby" is a classic."^[42] Murs revealed that he will attempt to build himself a more of a "soulful" sound through writing the second album, and also expressed interest in recording with Robbie Williams after the two met on The X Factor Live Final.^[43] Murs confirmed in July 2011 that the lead single from the album would be called "Heart Skips a Beat", and it would feature up-and-coming Brithop Rap duo Rizzle Kicks.^[44] He described it as a "parallel" to the remainder of the album, calling it a "summer party song".^[43] The song premiered on The Chris Moyles Show on 7 July 2011 and has since been well received by fans.^[45] The video for the track was later released via Murs' official YouTube channel. Murs said that the song is one of his favourite tracks from the new album, stating, "I'm loving the tune at the moment. It's going down really, really well."^[44] "Heart Skips a Beat" later peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, marking his second number one. It later went on to peak at number one in Germany and Switzerland, also reaching top ten in numerous countries in Europe. In September 2011, Murs announced via Twitter that the second album would be entitled 'In Case You Didn't Know', taken from a song of the same name which appears on the album.^[46] On 14 October 2011, Murs released the audio of "Dance With Me Tonight", the album's second single, via his YouTube Channel. The track was released on 21 November 2011, again peaking at #1 on the UK Singles Chart. The album, In Case You Didn't Know was released a week later on 28 November 2011. The album peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart, two on the Irish Charts, and in the top ten in Germany, Switzerland and Poland. Murs confirmed via his Twitter account in February 2012 that the album's third single would be "Oh My Goodness", and that it would be released on April 2. It peaked at #13 on the UK Singles Chart. The single is due for release across Europe in July. "I'm OK" will be released as the album's fourth and final single on 2 July 2012. A video for the track will be filmed during May, and will premiere on the first week in June.^[47]

2012-present: Third album[link]

In April 2012, it was revealed that Murs is in the process of writing his third studio album, which is slated for release in November 2012. Murs will once again be writing with Steve Robson and Claude Kelly, as well once again collaborating with Rizzle Kicks.^[48] A demo from the album sessions, "Stolen", leaked online on April 23. Murs will be embarking on a second arena tour in March 2013, touring in support of the album. Murs will be opening for British-Irish boy band One Direction on the North American leg of their Up All Night Tour, starting on May 29th in Toronto.^[49]

Other work[link]

On 28 October 2011, Murs was the first artist to be confirmed to play at Capital FM's Jinglebell Ball 2011.^[50] In November 2011, Murs won the award for "Best Male Artist" at the BT Digital Music Awards and the award for "Best Album" for "Olly Murs" at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards. On 10 November 2011, Murs turned on the Christmas Lights at the Bristol Shopping Mall. 7,000 fans attended, and Murs concluded his appearance with a performance of "Dance With Me Tonight", the first time he had performed the song live. On 2 December 2011, Murs appeared on The Late Late Toy Show with Ryan Tubridy, a popular television show in Ireland.^[51][52] On December 5 and 6, Murs supported Gary Barlow at Barlow's Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.^[53] On 1 February 2012, Murs began his twenty-two date arena tour, starting with an audience of 20,000 in Cardiff. In March 2012, it was confirmed that Murs would return to The X Factor to present the spin-off show, The Xtra Factor alongside Caroline Flack, for a second year running. ^[54] In March 2012, Murs performed at the 'Big Gig' event in Birmingham. On March 24, In aid of Sport Relief, Murs performed alongside Rizzle Kicks, Vida and JLS at a special charity concert, held at the 02 Arena in London. On April 16, Murs won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for "Favourite British Male Artist". On April 19, a three-part documentary trailing Murs throughout his UK Arena Tour, entitled Life on Murs, premiered on ITV2. It drew over half a million viewers. On April 22, he appeared on a celebrity edition of Deal or No Deal, where he won 50p for his chosen charity, Brainwave.^[55] He will return for a third appearance on the show in October 2012, when he will present the programme's 2000th edition, as regular host Noel Edmonds will be playing the game instead of hosting it.

Other work[link]

In February 2011 it was announced that Murs would participate in the BT Charity Trek, with other celebrities, as part of the 2011 Comic Relief Red Nose Day campaign. The celebrities spent five days in the Kaisut desert in north Kenya, covering 100 kilometres (62 mi) in temperatures up to 40°C.^[56] On 2 April 2011, Murs appeared in a celebrity version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and won £10,000 for charity.^[57][58] On 4 April 2011 for one week, Murs stood in for Comedy Dave Vitty on The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 while Vitty was rehearsing for Dancing on Ice.^{[citation needed]} In 2011, Murs appeared on CBBC's children's hidden camera show Remote Control Star.^{[citation needed]} At the end of May 2011, Murs presented a Celebrity Club Classics show on Heart FM. He went on to present a Celebrity Special over the Christmas Period in 2011.^{[citation needed]} On 31 May 2011 it was confirmed Olly would be co presenting the eighth series of The Xtra Factor alongside Caroline Flack.^[59] On Sunday 27th May 2012, Murs played for England in a charity match for Soccer Aid at Old Trafford. He represented England however was taken off in the first half due to a hamstring injury. England ended up winning the match in a 3-1 victory against the rest of the world.

Discography[link]

• Olly Murs (2010)
• In Case You Didn't Know (2011)

References[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)

Jon Snow
At the Channel 4 awards on 23 January 2008
Born	Jon Snow (1947-09-28) 28 September 1947 (age 64) Ardingly, Sussex, England
Ethnicity	English
Occupation	Journalist, television presenter
Notable credit(s)	Channel 4 News
Relatives	Peter Snow, Dan Snow

Jon Snow (born 28 September 1947) is an English journalist and presenter, currently employed by ITN. He is best known for presenting Channel 4 News.

He was Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University from 2001 to 2008.

Early life[link]

Snow was born in Ardingly, Sussex. He is the son of schoolmaster and Bishop of Whitby, George D'Oyly Snow, grandson of First World War general Thomas D'Oyly Snow (about whom he writes in his Foreword to Ronald Skirth's war memoir The Reluctant Tommy^[1]), and cousin of retired BBC television news presenter Peter Snow.^[2]

Education[link]

Snow was educated at independent school, Ardingly College, where his father was headmaster. He later attended the independent St Edward's School in Oxford. At age 18 he was for a year a VSO volunteer teaching in northern Uganda.^[3][4]

After mixed success in his first attempt to pass his A level qualifications he moved to the Yorkshire Coast College, Scarborough, where he later obtained the necessary qualifications to gain a place studying law at the University of Liverpool. However, he did not complete the degree, being rusticated for his part in a student protest. However he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters at Liverpool University in 2011.^[5]

Life and career[link]

After leaving Liverpool, Snow worked for New Horizon Youth Centre, a day centre for homeless young people in central London - an organisation with which he has remained involved and of which he subsequently became chairman. Snow was an assistant to Lord Longford.^{[citation needed]}

Journalist[link]

Snow in June 2007.

He served as ITN's Washington correspondent (1983–1986) and as diplomatic editor (1986–1989)^[3] before becoming the main presenter of Channel 4 News in 1989. In 1992 he was the main anchor for ITN's Election Night programme, broadcast on ITV; he presented the programme alongside Sir Robin Day, Alastair Stewart, and Julia Somerville. (Previously ITN's programme had typically been presented by Sir Alastair Burnet, who left ITN in 1991. The 1992 election night programme was the only one hosted by Snow. He was replaced by Jonathan Dimbleby from 1997 onwards.) He has won several RTS Awards^[3] - two for reports from El Salvador, one for his reporting of the Kegworth air disaster, and two as "Presenter of the Year".^{[citation needed]}

In 2002 he returned to radio, presenting Jon Snow Reports on Oneword Radio, a weekly show and podcast. He wrote regular articles for the Channel 4 News website, and writes 'Snowmail' – a daily email newsletter on the big stories coming up on the evening edition of Channel 4 News.

He is known for his vast collection of colourful ties and socks.^[3][6]

On 14 June 2011, Snow presented the multiple award-winning investigative documentary Sri Lanka's Killing Fields, directed by Callum Macrae, which documented war crimes committed in the finals days of the Sri Lankan conflict in 2009. The program consisted of some of the most horrific footage ever broadcast in the UK; its second part, Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished was broadcast in March 2012.^[7]

Snow declined an OBE because he believes working journalists should not take honours from those that they report on.^[8][9]

Memorable incidents[link]

Whilst working as a journalist in Uganda he flew sitting next to president Idi Amin in the presidential jet. He has recounted how whilst Amin appeared to be asleep he thought seriously about taking Amin's revolver and shooting him dead, but was worried about the consequences of firing a loose round in a jet.^[10]

In 1976, Snow rejected an approach by the British intelligence services to spy on his colleagues. At first he was asked to supply information about the Communist Party, but he was then asked to spy on certain "left-wing people" working in television.^[8][11] In return he would have received secret monthly tax-free payments into his bank account, matching his then salary.^[12][13]

In 2003, at the height of the "dodgy dossier" affair, Alastair Campbell walked into the studio to rebut statements by the BBC. With no notes or preparation Snow questioned Campbell about the affair.^[14]

In 2004, Snow published an autobiography, Shooting History.

He refuses to wear any symbol which may represent his views on air; in the run up to Remembrance Day he condemned what he called 'Poppy Fascism' because "in the end there really must be more important things in life than whether a news presenter wears symbols on his lapels".^[15]

On 28 February 2008 Snow courted controversy by claiming that the silence of the British media on the decision to allow Prince Harry to fight in Afghanistan was unacceptable with the following statement:^[16] "I never thought I'd find myself saying thank God for Drudge. The infamous US blogger has broken the best kept editorial secret of recent times. Editors have been sworn to secrecy over Prince Harry being sent to fight in Afghanistan three months ago." These remarks provoked criticism from some members of the public and other media outlets,^[17] with some accusing Snow of wishing to undermine the safety of the Prince and his troops, and (according to Snow himself at the end of that day's bulletin, and later reported in the Daily Mail) one captain in the armed forces called Snow's actions "treason".^[18]

On 9 February 2009, Snow interviewed Lt-Col Yvonne Bradley, the military counsel for Binyam Mohamed, a British resident detained for five years at Guantanamo Bay. Snow asked if Mohamed's allegations of torture were justified. Lt-Col Bradley said there was no doubt at all that he had been tortured.^{[citation needed]} Mohamed was released and returned to Britain on 23 February 2009. In November 2010 Snow was sent to Haiti to report on the cholera outbreak.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

Snow was briefly engaged in 1979 to fellow ITN journalist Anna Ford, who later became an equally high profile television news presenter.^[4] For 35 years his partner was human rights lawyer Madeleine Colvin, with whom he has two daughters.^[4] In March 2010 he married Precious Lunga, a ­Zimbabwe-born academic.^[19]

He was a school governor for many years at Brecknock Primary School, Camden, London.^[20]

Affiliations[link]

• Trustee of the National Gallery and Tate Gallery from 1999 to 2008.^[21][22]

• Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University from 2001 to 2008, regularly attending ceremonial events at the University. In 2009 he was awarded an honorary degree by Oxford Brookes - Doctor of the University.^[23]

• Honorary professor and guest lecturer on Stirling University's Film & Media Studies course.^[24]

• Honorary Fellow (since 15 February 2006) of the Royal Institute of British Architects, an annually-conferred lifetime honour which allows the recipient to use the initials Hon FRIBA after his or her surname.^[25] Snow has an honorary degree from Aberdeen University, in recognition of his services to broadcasting.

• Chairman of the Prison Reform Trust from 1992 to 1997.^[3]

• President of the Cyclists' Touring Club in January 2007, succeeding Phil Liggett.^[26]

• Patron of Reprieve, a legal action charity which uses the law to enforce the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantánamo Bay.^[27]

• Patron of the African Prisons Project, an international non-governmental organisation with a mission to bring dignity and hope to men women and children in African prisons through health, education, justice and reintegration.^[28]

• Patron of Media Legal Defence Initiative, a UK-based charity that provides legal support to journalists and media outlets.^[29]

• Patron of the tree planting charity Trees for Cities.^[30]

• Patron of The DIPEx Charity, a UK-based charity that produces two health websites, Healthtalkonline^[31] and Youthhealthtalk,^[32] featuring people's real life experiences of health and illness.^[33]

Bibliography[link]

Snow published his autobiographical work, Shooting History, in 2004. The book was published by Harper Perennial and details Snow's life from his childhood, up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.^[34]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jon Snow's Blog on the Channel 4 News web site
• Jon Snow on Twitter
• Snowmail Jon Snow's daily email newsletter
• Jon Snow on the Impact of New Media at IIEA, 4 September 2009