Detail from Labor, Charles Sprague Pearce (1896).

Look up labour in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Labour

Labour or Labor may refer to:

Employment

• Employment of any kind
• Manual labour, physical work done by people
• Wage labour, delivery of services by person for payment

Additional labour & employment topics

• Child labour, the employment of children under an age determined by law or custom
• Debt bondage is a system of unfree labour where a person must work to pay off a debt
• Labour Day, a national holiday in many countries
• Labor Day, a federal holiday in the US
• Labour movement, the development of a collective organisation of working people
• Labour relations, the study of the relationship between management and workers
• Labour union, an association of wage-earners meant to maintain or improve conditions of employment
• Labour/Le Travail, an academic journal focusing on the Canadian labour movement.
• Unfree labour, slavery or penal labour
• Workforce, the labour pool, the people working in a company, industry, nation or other group

Politics

• Labour Party, a political party in various countries

Political economy

• Labour economics, the study of labour as one of the three main factors of production

Geography

• Labor, an obsolete unit of area
• Josef Labor, a composer, pianist, organist, and teacher
• Labor, Slovenia

Other:

• Childbirth, especially from the start of uterine contractions to delivery

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

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2008)

Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos at the premiere of 27 Dresses, January 7, 2008.
Born	(1978-06-08) June 8, 1978 (age 34) Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	Emerson College (2000) [1]
Occupation	actress, journalist, television presenter
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Title	Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 1996

Maria Menounos (Greek:Μαρία Μενούνου) (born June 8, 1978) is an American actress, journalist, television presenter and occasional professional wrestler known in The United States for her appearances as a correspondent for Today, Access Hollywood, Extra, and abroad for co-hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens, Greece.

Early life and beauty pageants[link]

Menounos was born in Medford, Massachusetts, to Greek immigrant parents Costas and Litsa Menounos. She has a younger brother, Peter,^[2] and is fluent in the Greek language. From age 13–19, she was an employee of Dunkin' Donuts.^[3] Menounos attended the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church in Somerville, Massachusetts. Menounos attended Medford High School in Medford, MA. In 1995, Menounos began to compete in beauty pageants. The following year, she won the title of Miss Massachusetts Teen USA and competed at Miss Teen USA where she placed in the top 15, receiving an honorary mention, during the preliminary competition; Menounos placed 13th in preliminaries. The pageant was won by Christie Lee Woods. Maria competed for the title of Miss Massachusetts USA 2000; she was the 1st runner up.

Film and television career[link]

Maria Menounos signs autographs at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival

Later Menounos attended Boston's Emerson College where she participated in the now award winning organization, Emerson Independent Video. She graduated from Emerson in 2000.^[1] During her senior year, she was hired as a reporter for Channel One News. Her work for Channel One's 10-minute segments included traveling to El Salvador to report on the earthquake of 2001, interviewing North Atlantic Treaty Organization aircrew members aboard an AWACS while flying a combat air patrol mission during the military alliance's Operation Eagle Assist and interviewing then President George W. Bush. Entertainment Tonight hired Menounos as a correspondent in 2002, where she reported on movies, music and fashion. ET executives offered her a hosting gig for ET on MTV & VH1; she left the program in 2005 to focus on her acting career, though she would eventually join rival program Access Hollywood later that Fall as a special correspondent.^[4] She went on to co-host a few episodes of the Today show in the late summer and fall of 2006 as well as in April 2007. In 2003, Menounos appeared on the November 30 episode of Punk'd where she was one of many celebrities caught in the awkward and embarrassing "Red Carpet Interviews".

In 2004, Menounos briefly appeared in an episode of the UPN series One on One as Glinda, an eccentric, self-proclaimed "Fairy Godmother to the Stars". In the summer of 2005, she appeared in the comic book film Fantastic Four, where she played a nurse who is romanced by the "Human Torch", played by Chris Evans. Her likeness and voice was featured in the 2005 Electronic Arts video game, From Russia with Love as Eva Adara, Red Grant's henchwoman, which stars Sean Connery as James Bond. She is also the spokesperson for Pantene hair products. Menounos presented the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest (along with Greek singer Sakis Rouvas) that took place in Athens.^[5]

As an actress, Maria had recurring roles on CBS' Without a Trace and as Jules in the second season of The CW's One Tree Hill (during its run on The WB). Menounos also appeared on the Scrubs episode "My Extra Mile", which aired in May 2006 where she is attracted to John Dorian because she likes his hair. In 2006, Menounos appeared in the music video for "A Public Affair" by Jessica Simpson. On April 27, 2007, Maria starred in Kickin' It Old Skool. In 2007, Menounos continued in her run as international spokesperson doing print and television commercials for Pantene hair products as well as print ads for New York & Company. From December 17 to December 20, 2007, Menounos hosted the reality game show miniseries Clash of the Choirs.

Menounos at the 81st Academy Awards in February 2009

In 2008, she became the host of Hollywood Green on the Planet Green network. "Maria Menounos brings glamour to green living as the hostess of Hollywood Green. Both as the special correspondent for daily entertainment newsmagazine "Access Hollywood," and on Hollywood Green, Maria provides TV viewers with comprehensive coverage of entertainment and news personalities."^[6] In 2008, she had a role in the movie Tropic Thunder. In 2008, she became the first journalist to interview the entire Obama family as a whole. She is represented by Jon Rosen at WME (William Morris Endeavor).^[7]

Maria Menounos poses for a photograph with U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jared Thompson at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar (2008)

In May 2008, she played in the AVP Cuervo Gold Crown Huntington Beach Open, but was eliminated in the qualifying round.^[8] On July 13, 2008, Menounos starred in the celebrity softball game at Yankee Stadium in New York. In November 2008, when Richard Belzer fell ill, she filled in as host for the North Shore Animal League's Dogcatemy Celebrity Gala, which takes place at NYC's Capitale.^[9] Since 2009, she has hosted reunion specials of MTV's The Real World and the Real World/Road Rules Challenge. Menounos appeared on the 2008 Knight Rider series episode "Fly By Knight", which aired on February 11, 2009 where she played a DEA agent who is in charge of investigating a plane crash.

On August 4, 2011, it was announced that she is joining Warner Bros.'s Extra, where she will co-host the show with Mario Lopez. She'll also have on-air duties at Dr. Drew's Lifechangers, and will develop new projects.^[10]

She was a contestant on the 14th season of Dancing with the Stars partnering with Derek Hough.^[11] The couple were eliminated on May 15, 2012, ending up in 4th place.

World Wrestling Entertainment[link]

Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos celebrate their victory at Wrestlemania XXVIII. (2012)

Menounos is a known long-time WWE fan and has made several appearances with the promotion. Menounos' first appearance came on October 12, 2009 when Menounos joined Nancy O'Dell in guest hosting WWE Raw. She made her in-ring debut that night in a six diva tag team match with Kelly Kelly and Gail Kim against Beth Phoenix, Rosa Mendes, and Alicia Fox. Menounos's team was victorious, with the match highlighted by Menounos slapping the much larger-statured Phoenix.^[12][13]

On December 11th, 2011 edition of WWE Tribute to the Troops, Maria teamed with Eve Torres, Kelly Kelly, and Alicia Fox to defeat the team of The Bella Twins (Nikki & Brie) and The Divas of Doom (Natalya & Beth Phoenix).^[14] Menounos continued her feud with WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix after Phenoix and Eve Torres interrupted an interview segment with Kelly Kelly on Extra. This led to tag team match at Wrestlemania XXVIII with Menounos teaming with Kelly Kelly to take on Beth Phenoix and Eve Torres.^[15] Despite legitimately suffering two cracked ribs during practice for Dancing With the Stars before the match^[16] Menounos and Kelly Kelly were successful in defeating Eve Torres and Beth Phenoix at Wrestlemania on April 1, 2012.^[17]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Television[link]

Production[link]

Maria Menounos in The Heart Truth

At the age of 17, Menounos produced In the Land of Merry Misfits, an independent film fairy tale. The 35 mm feature film was produced by Menounos while attending Emerson College with director Keven Undergaro, then head writer for MTV's Singled Out. The negative of the film was stolen and the film was never completed but her work on the film, and the film's director, helped her land her reporting job at Channel One News and at MTV (ET on MTV). Menounos, however, never forgot the film or the film's director. In 2005, Menounos personally funded the recovery and restoration of the film, which was narrated by John Waters and starred an eclectic group in the Waters vein — including former WWE champion Bob Backlund, actress Josie Davis from the TV show Charles in Charge and B-movie icon Randal Malone. The film premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.

Menounos also directed Longtime Listener starring Wilmer Valderrama. The film was an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival 2006.

Popular awards[link]

Menounos appeared in FHM magazine and in People magazine in 2004 as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People." In another poll conducted by askmen.com, Menounos was voted one of the top five girls a guy would most want to marry, along with Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron and Jessica Alba. She has also beaten Jessica Alba and Charlize Theron for "Cyber Vixen of the Year" on Spike TV's video game awards. On August 8, 2010 she won the Madden NFL Pro-AM MVP award. She also won MadTV's "Smokin' Hot TV Personality" Award for 2010.

Charity work[link]

Menounos founded the charity "Take Action Hollywood!" after her trip to South Africa. Reporting on the devastating effects of the AIDS crisis she was inspired to create TAH!, a charity that utilizes the power of the entertainment industry and the medium of film to affect for positive social change. Maria also created the Cosmo Girl Cup, a national, annual competition and award given to the group of teens who do the most in their communities to affect for positive social change. Menounos presented at the Earth Day Network's Climate Rally in Washington, DC on April 25, 2010. She encouraged people to go green and threw carrots into the crowd. Menounos acted as the Masters of Ceremony for the First Annual Los Angeles CureSearch Walk for Children's Cancer held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on October 24, 2010.

See also[link]

Biography portal

• List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Maria Menounos

• Maria Menounos at the Internet Movie Database
• Maria Menounos at NNDB
• Maria Menounos on Myspace
• Maria Menounos on Twitter

Preceded by Erika Ewald	Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 1996	Succeeded by Jessica Gregory
Preceded by Maria Efrosinina & Pavlo Shylko	Eurovision Song Contest presenter (with Sakis Rouvas) 2006	Succeeded by Mikko Leppilampi & Jaana Pelkonen

Aesop Rock
Background information
Birth name	Ian Matthias Bavitz
Also known as	A.R., Aes, Aes Rock, Aes Rizzle, Bazooka Tooth
Born	(1976-06-05) June 5, 1976 (age 36) Syosset, Oyster Bay, New York, U.S.
Origin	Northport, New York, U.S.
Genres	Alternative hip hop, underground hip hop, indie hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, songwriter, musician, producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar,[1] synthesizer, keyboard, sequencer, MPC
Years active	1996 – present
Labels	Definitive Jux, Mush, Rhymesayers
Associated acts	The Weathermen, Blockhead, Doseone, The Orphanage, El-P,Felt, Hail Mary Mallon, Two of Every Animal, SLUG
Website	Official website

Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American hip hop artist and producer. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade). He was signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label until it went on hiatus in 2010.^[2] The music site betterPropaganda ranked him at number 19 at the Top 100 Artists of the Decade.^[3] He is a member of the groups The Weathermen, Hail Mary Mallon (with Rob Sonic & DJ Big Wiz), and Two Of Every Animal (with Cage).^[4][5] Regarding his name, he said: "I acquired the name Aesop from a movie I had acted in with some friends. It was my character's name and it sort of stuck. The rock part came later just from throwing it in rhymes."^[6]

Biography[link]

[edit] Early and personal life, the beginnings (1976–1994)

Bavitz was born at Syosset Hospital in Syosset, New York and raised in Northport, Long Island, New York to his father Paul and mother Jameija.^[7] Ian has two brothers: Chris (born 1975) and Graham (born 1977). Ian, along with his siblings, was raised Catholic but later on in his life became agnostic.^[8] Bavitz attended Northport High School in 1990 and graduated in 1994. He married Allyson Baker, guitarist and vocalist of rock band Dirty Ghosts in 2005. They now reside in San Francisco, California. The couple has now since divorced.^[9]

He has tattoos on each forearm. His left arm says the words "Must Not Sleep...", and the right says "Must Warn Others," which are quotes inspired by the 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Aesop Rock has used these quotes as lyrics in the chorus of his song "Commencement at the Obedience Academy": "Must not sleep; must warn others / Trust blocks creep where the dust storm hovers." He also used them in his song "Antisocial," in the line "Must not sleep; must warn others / I'll tourniquet your turbulence then trample on your stutters."

[edit] College years (1994–1998)

After graduating from high school, Bavitz went off to Massachusetts where he attended Boston University, a private research college. He studied fine arts and eventually acquired his bachelors in 1998.^[10] This is where he met his future producer, Blockhead where he too was aspiring to be an MC until he first met Ian in '94, the one year he attended Boston University. After hearing him freestyle, he decided to put his dreams of rapping aside and focused on producing instead.^[11] Blockhead was involved with a crew in New York called The Overground that consisted of him, some of his friends, & Dub-L.^[12] This is how Dub became a part of Bavitz music production earlier on in his career. Aesop Rock is on the prestigious B.U. Wall of Fame, along with people like Howard Stern and Bill O’Reilly. He is also part of Boston U's Board of Trustees as well.^[13]

Musical career[link]

1985-1995: N.Y.C. underground music scene[link]

As a youth, Ian and his family would usually commute to New York City. This had a great impact on him and the way he viewed the hip hop culture. Bavitz began rapping in the early 1990s. He states Public Enemy, BDP, KMD, and Run DMC as being his early influences.^[6] Bavitz also listened to rock acts such as The Dead Kennedys, Fugazi, and Ministry; he was introduced to these groups by his older brother Chris.^[14] Bavitz started to play instruments such as the piano and bass at an early age. He then eventually acquired a sampler.^[15]

1996-1998: Early musical efforts[link]

While attending college, Bavitz initially recorded and released two self-financed efforts, Music for Earthworms (1997), a full-length featuring underground artist Percee P on two tracks. Bavitz also released a music video to "Abandon All Hope", which was one of the tracks on the CD. The album sold over 300 copies,^[14] largely from a grassroots internet-based promotion at his website AesopRock.com and then-popular web portal, MP3.Com.^[16] It was a success. With the money he made from his previous release, he then released his Appleseed EP in 1999 which received critical acclaim in the underground hip hop circuit.^{[citation needed]} Both of his early records were produced by long-time friend Blockhead, and underground producer Dub-L. He completed these albums while also working as a waiter.^{[citation needed]}

1999-2001: Record label acquisition, major debut, and breakdown[link]

After his breakthrough success in the underground hip hop and indie rap community, he was eventually noticed by the Mush label and obtained his first record deal in 1999, just a year after he graduated from college. Aesop released his first major album, Float (2000), with guest appearances from Vast Aire, Slug, and Dose One. Production was split between Blockhead and Aesop himself, with one track by Omega One. During this time, Aesop worked at a photography gallery.^[17] In August 2001 tragedy struck – Bavitz had a nervous breakdown. His song "One of Four" on his Daylight E.P. documents his struggles.^[18]

Def Jux years (2001–2007)[link]

[edit] 2001–2002: Labor Days, Daylight EP, and Billboard breakthrough

Shortly after releasing Float, Aesop Rock signed to Manhattan-based label Definitive Jux (commonly shortened to Def Jux), where he released Labor Days (2001), an album dedicated to the discussion of labor in American society and the concept of "wage slaves". This album was most well known for its single "Daylight".^{[citation needed]} Because of its popularity, Daylight was re-released in 2002 as a seven-track EP, including an "alternative" new version of the song "Night Light", whose paraphrased lyrics simultaneously refer back to, and stand in stark opposition to, the original's. The song "Labor" (from Labor Days) was featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4; it also was the first album in his catalog to break through the Billboard charts, peaking at number 15 at the United States Independent Charts, giving Aesop Rock more recognition.

Aesop Rock performing live

2003–2004: Bazooka Tooth and Compilation[link]

Labor Days was followed by Bazooka Tooth in 2003. For the first time, production was mostly handled by Rock himself, with three tracks from longtime collaborator Blockhead and one from close friend and Definitive Jux label CEO El-P. Guest appearances include Party Fun Action Committee, El-P, and Mr. Lif (all Definitive Jux labelmates) and Camp Lo. With this release Aesop hit a higher level of recognition, releasing "No Jumper Cables" as a single and music video, then another single, "Sary Jane", shortly after. A remix of "No Jumper Cables" was featured on Tony Hawk's Underground 2, furthering Aesop's recognition. In 2004, He released Build Your Own Bazooka Tooth and created a contest in which you had to create a remix of an Aesop Rock song using the a cappellas and instrumentals.

2005–2006: Fast Cars EP and The Weathermen[link]

In February 2005, Aesop Rock released a new EP, Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives. The first pressing of the EP included an 88-page booklet with lyrics from every release from Float until this EP (the lyric booklet is titled The Living Human Curiosity Sideshow); later pressings of the album come without the booklet, but with an additional bonus track, "Facemelter". In addition, a limited number of albums were available direct from Def Jux with Aesop Rock's graffiti tag on them. In response to demands from his fans, Rock did less production on the EP: three songs are produced by Blockhead, three produced by Aesop, and one by Rob Sonic. During this time he was asked to join the Weathermen to replace Vast Aire.

2007: Deal with Nike+iPod, None Shall Pass, and Hiatus[link]

Aesop Rock was commissioned to create a 45-minute instrumental track for the Nike+iPod running system, entitled All Day. It was released in February 2007. Distributed via the iTunes Music Store and featuring his wife Allyson Baker on guitar and scratches from DJ Big Wiz, Aesop has described the release as "something that evolved enough that the sound was constantly fresh and attractive, as though the runner were moving through a set of differing cities or landscapes."^[19]

All Day was followed in August of the same year by Bavitz's fifth full-length album, None Shall Pass (2007). The album also contained original artwork by Jeremy Fish. About Jeremy Fish, Aesop Rock said: "Man that guy is my hero. We have a friend in common who hit me up a while back saying that this guy Jeremy Fish had an opportunity to pitch a cartoon to Disney and wanted me to be involved in the music side. I flipped out cuz I was also a fan of his, and owned some of his work." Aesop Rock also teamed up with Jeremy Fish again in a project called Ghosts of the Barbary Coast. Aesop Rock made a song called "Tomorrow Morning", to go along with a slideshow of drawings that Jeremy Fish drew. This was displayed in San Francisco, but was also made available for download online.^[20]

When El-P announced that the label, although it will carry on selling its catalog and merchandise, it would be put "on hiatus". Bavitz has since been absent when it came to making any new albums or EPs, albeit being featured on other artist records and producing.

[edit] 2008–present: Rhymesayers, Rob Sonic, Kimya Dawson, and Skelethon

In 2009, Bavitz produced Felt's third album, Felt 3: A Tribute To Rosie Perez. In November 2011, Bavitz announced via Reddit that he is working on his next solo album, and has a majority of it complete.^[21]

On April 20, 2011, it was announced that Rhymesayers Entertainment would release Hail Mary Mallon's debut album Are You Going To Eat That?. A music video for their first single off the album Smock was announced that same day.^[22]

Aesop Rock is also reportedly working on an album with anti-folk singer Kimya Dawson, famous for being one half of group The Moldy Peaches.^[23] The working title for the project is called Hokey Fright, while the group has been named The Uncluded.^[24]

On January 17, 2012, it was reported that Aesop Rock finished recording his upcoming solo album Skelethon, and it is scheduled to be released July 10, 2012 through Rhymesayers Entertainment.^[25]

On April 10, 2012, The first official single Zero Dark Thirty off of Aesop Rock's Rhymesayers debut album Skelethon was released on both SoundCloud and YouTube. As of April 20, 2012 the song had already received a combined plays/views of 86,434 on the official YouTube and SoundCloud pages.^[26]

Lyrics[link]

Bavitz's lyrics are generally seen as complex and abstract while others^[who?] just dismiss it as logorrhea or inscrutable ramblings. Critics state that the use of words can be so detailed that it becomes difficult to determine their originally intended meaning.^[27] The interpretation is highly subjective, because the messages conveyed are not always clearly defined. The lyrics are sometimes inspired by events which have occurred in Bavitz's personal life.^[28][29]

Questioned about his lyrical style in an interview, Bavitz responded:

It’s probably because it’s not the most accessible music in the world. It may pose a slight challenge to the listener beyond your average pop song. I'm no genius by a long shot, but these songs are not nonsensical, that's pretty preposterous. I'd have to be a genius to pull this many nonsensical records over people's eyes. It's not exactly fast food but when people pretend I'm just spewing non-sequiturs and gibberish I can’t help but think they simply haven’t listened and are regurgitating some rumor they’ve heard about me. Even if it's not laid out in perfect sentences—is any rap?—you’d have to be an idiot to not at least grasp a few things from these songs. Or have had no interest in pulling anything from them in the first place.^[30]

In 2002 on the song "One of Four" (a hidden track on the Daylight EP) Aesop Rock explains:

But I can tell you that I only write shit down when I believe it so take this how you want but know I mean it.
— Aesop Rock 2002

Selected discography[link]

Collaborations[link]

• Crooked - Evil Nine (2004)
• Ghosts of the Barbary Coast – Aesop Rock and Jeremy Fish (2009)
• Are You Gonna Eat That? – Hail Mary Mallon (Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic, and DJ Big Wiz) (May 2011)^[31]
• Daytrotter Session Recorded May 26, 2011 – Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson^[32]
• Two of Every Animal (Aesop Rock and Cage) (TBA)
• Hokey Fright – The Uncluded (Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson) (2012)^[33]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (November 2011)

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Aesop Rock

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aesop Rock

• Aesop Rock on Myspace
• Aesop Rock on Twitter
• 900Bats Artist Website
• Aesop Rock on LastFM
• Definitive Jux Biography
• Mush Records Biography
• Aesop Rock on IMDb
• Aesop Rock discography at Discogs.
• Aesop Lyrics Explained at RapGenius
• Aesop Rock interview and profile in Exclaim! magazine
• Interview with Aesop Rock in Guernica (guernicamag.com)
• "All Day, All Night" April 2008, Interview with Submerge Magazine
• Sept 2008 Interview with L.A. Record
• September 2008 Interview with L.A. Weekly
• Pitchfork article
• Know The Ledge interview with Aesop Rock
• Delarge interview
• Aesop Rock on Scones
• Roy Christopher interview with Aesop Rock