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- Updated: 08 Oct 2012
- published: 08 Oct 2012
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When I'm at work, ya, I always rush right home for lunch
So I can check out what's up on the Flower Bunch
And when I'm walking through the front door at night
I gotta see who's winning on The Price is Right, oh
I never dreamed that I'd spend my days
Staring at some tube emitting cathode rays
I need my TV
What's happening in this world, I don't care at all
But it better not pre-empt Thursda Night Ice Hockey ball
I can't even come up with my own views
I'm taught how to think from the evening news, oh
I never dreamed that I'd spend my days
Staring at some tube emitting cathode rays
I need my TV
Everybody Sing
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la...
Avril Talks
Pissing me off here, can you do scumbagging this shit
There are no lyrics for T.V. - it is a spoken interlude in which television
channels are changing. The wording is misunderstood and misinterpretated.
When I'm at work, ya, I always rush right home for lunch
So I can check out what's up on the Brady Bunch
And when I'm walking through the front door at night
I gotta see who's winning on The Price is Right, oh
I never dreamed that I'd spend my days
Staring at some tube emitting cathode rays
I need my TV
What's happening in this world, I don't care at all
But it better not pre-empt Monday Night Football
I can't even come up with my own views
I'm taught how to think from the evening news, oh
I never dreamed that I'd spend my days
Staring at some tube emitting cathode rays
I need my TV
Jak byc dobrym
Jak spokojnym
Jak cierpliwym
Jak szczesliwym
Jak sie ustrzec przed dzialaniem
Krwawej fikcji na ekranie
Nie moze dobrze byc
Na szklanej tafli
Pelno krwi
Telewizja na sniadanie
Oferuje zabijanie
Gwalt i przemoc na ekranie
Wdraza w zycie zabijanie
Na zywo z piekla trwa relacja
Nienawisci rozpaczy karma
PROMOCJA GWALTU
POPRAWIA WSKAZNIK
(Rose Tattoo)
You're tellin' me everything's alright
You know you tell such filthy lies
The common cold's got nothin' on you
You're a disease from which I die
You make love to my senses
Tryin' to win my heart
I ain't got no defenses...I'm beaten from the start
You insult my intelligence
While you pat me on the back
You give me something with one hand
While the other hand takes it back
You make love to my senses
Tryin' to win my heart
I ain't got no defenses no...got me beaten from the start, yeah
You cater to ?? fantasy
The web you weave is strong
You make it so hard seein' black from white
Tellin' right from wrong
You brainwash me senseless
Tearin' my brain apart
I ain't got no defenses...you got me beaten from the start, yeah
You got me beaten from the start
You got me beaten from the start
You got me beaten from the start
You got me beaten from the start
You make love to my senses
You're all invited by
By something as good as me
You're frightened by my sentiment
What do you want to be?
You want to be my TV
Change your format 'til I say when
You want to feel my breathing
Take a dive into this deep end
And you walk across my ceiling
Trip and fall until I say when
You want to be my TV
Take dive into it
You're all divided by
Something as good as me
You're frightened by my sentiment
What do you want to be?
You want to be my TV
Change your format 'til I say when
You want to feel my breathing
Take a dive into this deep end
And you walk across my ceiling
Trip and fall until I say when
You want to be my TV
Take dive into it
This soul is undecided
-
This soul is undecided
-
What do you want from me?
What do you want to be?
What do you want to be?
What do you want from me?
What do you want me to say?
What do you want from me?
[Originally by Asta Kask, the lyrics are just translated from Swedish into German]
Hans-Hermann der machte es genau wie sein Alter
Er machte den Fernseher für sich zum Altar
Er saà einfach da von sechs bis zwei
Das wirkliche Leben war ihm völlig einerlei
Er lehrte sich sterben, er lehrte sich beten
Er lehrte sich lieben, was immer auch das war
Er sah die Reichen, sie wälzten sich in Brot
Während Afrikas Völker litten bittere Not
Er blieb so passiv gegen alles was er sah
Sein Fernseher war das beste, was es für ihn gab
Seine Gefühle blieben völlig kalt
Ja, sogar bei Nazis und ihrer Gewalt
Ja, Fernsehen, das war sein Leben
Und nach 40 Jahren waren seine Eltern tot
Nun saà er alleine in seinem Boot
Er glotzte und glotzte und hatte Spaà dabei
Nun war er endlich mit seinem Fernseher allein
Hans-Hermann wurde alt, er führte keine Not
Er kannte keine Sorgen, nur seinen Tod
Der Fernseher sagte "Plopp", die Sicherung war raus
Gelähmt saà Hans-Hermann allein in seinem Haus
Nun liegt er auf dem Friedhof, zwei Meter tief
Die Glotze mit im Sarg, während er für immer schlief
Auf seinem Grab 'ne Antenne aufgebäumt
Auf der zu lesen steht: "Fernsehen war mein einziger Freund!"
yo
puedo cantar cualquiera cosa
que el cielo es azul, que mi amor eres tú
y la vida color de rosa es
y escribir la canción que me dé una razón
y no tardar más de media hora
que ahora la cosa está así, que no hay tiempo para decir
lo que te sale por la boca y siempre hay que esperar
para tener que explotar BANG!!!
y no sé cómo he llegado hasta aquí
algunas decisiones y algún que otro desliz
y el azar que hace el resto y que es como el cielo
lo mismo es un blues, lo mismo está gris
y yo aun te quiero, y te deseo
pero no tengo tiempo para ser feliz
y esto es lo que hay
te quedas o te vas
si el cielo está gris
yo no lo puedo cambiar
cambiar de canal
que más me da
si esta tele no entiende de mí…
no necesito beber para olvidar ni dejar esta ciudad
y pienso en ti y vuelve otra vez
no tengo tiempo para ser feliz
y esto es lo que hay
te quedas o te vas
si el cielo está gris
yo no lo puedo cambiar
cambiar de canal
que más me da
si esta tele no entiende de mí…
You're tellin' me everything's alright
You know you tell such filthy lies
The common cold's got nothin' on you
You're a disease from which I die
You make love to my senses
Tryin' to win my heart
I ain't got no defenses...I'm beaten from the start
You insult my intelligence
While you pat me on the back
You give me something with one hand
While the other hand takes it back
You make love to my senses
Tryin' to win my heart
I ain't got no defenses no...got me beaten from the
start, yeah
You cater to ?? fantasy
The web you weave is strong
You make it so hard seein' black from white
Tellin' right from wrong
You brainwash me senseless
Tearin' my brain apart
I ain't got no defenses...you got me beaten from the
start, yeah
You got me beaten from the start
You got me beaten from the start
You got me beaten from the start
You got me beaten from the start
You make love to my senses
My favorite TV station sucks
I just want my TV cartoon series
Not only this news fucking bullshit now
It takes me to the greatest feeling
Of my sensibility of anger
Don't you know how much I love
Every TV station in every Sunday Morning
You could wake up
in the morning and try
to feel so good
that you didnt realise
and the things they're like
stop me from crying
but at night
they stop me from crying
I couldnt take up
more space in my mind
(?) the back door isn't easy to find
as a call from self-indulgence
we'll meet our world
to pull up a something
so can you tell me
that you feel this fame
when you stare at the faces
full with so much shame
or is it you're too high
to tell us the part
so you can live your life
and keep up your lying
i can not stand to watch the TV
lions and the clowns keep staring at me
and the boys and the girls
of the town are afraid
they go up to destroy
You're away or captured by TV
I'm not on TV you can't see me
You're the expert on celebrities
No-one ever concentrates on me
You're, you're away or captured by TV'n
Nobody ever concentrates on me
You're, you're away or captured by TV, I want
Human company!
I made my own "See me" -magazine
Launched a "me"-commercial on TV
Bribed film industry to hit the screen
Oh just let's face it now you are after me
I did it all just to put you on your knees
So try, try harder, you hardly are a dream
Neol neomuna saranghaeseo
Nan TV reul kkeosseo
Saeppalgan ne ibsul
Neol neomuna saranghaeseo
Nan kkeoteuneul chyeosseo
Saeppalgan ne ibsul
Neol neomuna saranghaeseo
Nan TV reul kkeosseo
Saeppalgan ne ibsul
Neol neomuna saranghaeseo
Nan kkeoteuneul chyeosseo
Saeppalgan ne ibsul
Nae nunen geu eotteon seonboda areumdaun neoeui mommae
Geomeun meori neomaneui hyanggie naneun nokne
Ttaeron mollae eungkkeumhan sangsangeul hae
Geureoda yokshimi sonne
TV reul bodagado georireul geoddagado
Shido ttaedo eopshi nan neoreul weonhae
Mot chama eotteohke sonman jaba
Ttakttakhage malhajima
Niga nal ttakttakhage mandeul eotjanha
Neol neomu saranghae nae modeun geol da jugo
Ni modeun geol da gatgo shipeo
Deo gakkai neol ango shipeo
Nae momeul jeokshigo eongdeongil todaktodak hago shipeo
I bami saedorok boyeojugo shipeo
Eojewa tto dareun nae moseube nunmulkkaji heullil geoya
I bami saedorok boyeojugo shipeo
Neon neomu sarangseureoweo eonjena nareul seollege mandeureo
Neol neomuna saranghaeseo
Nan TV reul kkeosseo
Saeppalgan ne ibsul
Neol neomuna saranghaeseo
Nan kkeoteuneul chyeosseo
Saeppalgan ne ibsul
Deounde gabjagi kkeoteuneul wae chyeo
Jal bogo inneun TV neun tto wae kkeo
Geureon nuneuro wae tto bunwigi jaba
Pigonhae pigonhae geunyang na jallae
Ni pumeseo kkumkkugo shipeo bamsae (ei geojitmal~)
Geuman jom bochae oneulman nari anijanha jom chama
Chakhaji nae namja geunyang kko jaja ppijiji malgo
Nae soneul jaba eorin aecheoreom wae tto deungeul dollyeo
Mot mallyeo neoran namja jeongmal utgyeo
Saenggakhae bolke eoseo gaseo bul kkeo
Idaeron jam mot jayo neon neomu areumdaweo
Nan oneul i bameul bonae gien aswiweoyo
Oneureun andwendan mal mayo
Geuman geuman geuman~ YEAH
Neol neomuna saranghaeseo
Nan TV reul kkeosseo
Saeppalgan ne ibsul
Neol neomuna saranghaeseo
Nan kkeoteuneul chyeosseo
Saeppalgan ne ibsul
Neol neomuna saranghaeseo
Nan TV reul kkeosseo
Saeppalgan ne ibsul
Neol neomuna saranghaeseo
Nan kkeoteuneul chyeosseo
Saeppalgan ne ibsul
You advertise,
I sit here, wide eyed,
Watching something I don't want to watch,
Being forced into my mind.
Why should I watch?
Stop inflicting pain on me,
Every time I switch on my TV.
Your adverts and your company,
Are of no use or help to me.
I don't have the money,
To buy these products,
(I don't have the money)
And I don't have the eye or the luck (I don't have the eye)
Do you want a hole in my wallet?
After you've ripped me off.
[x2]
Why should I feel? (Why should I feel?)
Why should I watch? (Why should I watch?)
How can I get into this film?
When every 15 minutes it fucking stops.
[x2]
Stop inflicting pain on me,
Every time I switch on my TV.
Your adverts and your company,
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome (black-and-white) or colored, with or without accompanying sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming, or television transmission.
The etymology of the word has a mixed Latin and Greek origin, meaning "far sight": Greek tele (τῆλε), far, and Latin visio, sight (from video, vis- to see, or to view in the first person).
Commercially available since the late 1920s, the television set has become commonplace in homes, businesses and institutions, particularly as a vehicle for advertising, a source of entertainment, and news. Since the 1970s the availability of video cassettes, laserdiscs, DVDs and now Blu-ray Discs, have resulted in the television set frequently being used for viewing recorded as well as broadcast material. In recent years Internet television has seen the rise of television available via the Internet, e.g. iPlayer and Hulu.
Although other forms such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) are in use, the most common usage of the medium is for broadcast television, which was modeled on the existing radio broadcasting systems developed in the 1920s, and uses high-powered radio-frequency transmitters to broadcast the television signal to individual TV receivers.
The broadcast television system is typically disseminated via radio transmissions on designated channels in the 54–890 MHz frequency band.[1] Signals are now often transmitted with stereo or surround sound in many countries. Until the 2000s broadcast TV programs were generally transmitted as an analog television signal, but in 2008 the USA went almost exclusively digital.
A standard television set comprises multiple internal electronic circuits, including those for receiving and decoding broadcast signals. A visual display device which lacks a tuner is properly called a video monitor, rather than a television. A television system may use different technical standards such as digital television (DTV) and high-definition television (HDTV). Television systems are also used for surveillance, industrial process control, and guiding of weapons, in places where direct observation is difficult or dangerous.
Contents |
In its early stages of development, television employed a combination of optical, mechanical and electronic technologies to capture, transmit and display a visual image. By the late 1920s, however, those employing only optical and electronic technologies were being explored. All modern television systems relied on the latter, although the knowledge gained from the work on electromechanical systems was crucial in the development of fully electronic television.
The first images transmitted electrically were sent by early mechanical fax machines, including the pantelegraph, developed in the late nineteenth century. The concept of electrically powered transmission of television images in motion was first sketched in 1878 as the telephonoscope, shortly after the invention of the telephone. At the time, it was imagined by early science fiction authors, that someday that light could be transmitted over copper wires, as sounds were.
The idea of using scanning to transmit images was put to actual practical use in 1881 in the pantelegraph, through the use of a pendulum-based scanning mechanism. From this period forward, scanning in one form or another has been used in nearly every image transmission technology to date, including television. This is the concept of "rasterization", the process of converting a visual image into a stream of electrical pulses.
In 1884 Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, a 23-year-old university student in Germany, patented the first electromechanical television system which employed a scanning disk, a spinning disk with a series of holes spiraling toward the center, for rasterization. The holes were spaced at equal angular intervals such that in a single rotation the disk would allow light to pass through each hole and onto a light-sensitive selenium sensor which produced the electrical pulses. As an image was focused on the rotating disk, each hole captured a horizontal "slice" of the whole image.[citation needed]
Nipkow's design would not be practical until advances in amplifier tube technology became available. The device was only useful for transmitting still "halftone" images—represented by equally spaced dots of varying size—over telegraph or telephone lines.[citation needed] Later designs would use a rotating mirror-drum scanner to capture the image and a cathode ray tube (CRT) as a display device, but moving images were still not possible, due to the poor sensitivity of the selenium sensors. In 1907 Russian scientist Boris Rosing became the first inventor to use a CRT in the receiver of an experimental television system. He used mirror-drum scanning to transmit simple geometric shapes to the CRT.[2]
Using a Nipkow disk, Scottish inventor John Logie Baird succeeded in demonstrating the transmission of moving silhouette images in London in 1925,[3] and of moving, monochromatic images in 1926. Baird's scanning disk produced an image of 30 lines resolution, just enough to discern a human face, from a double spiral of lenses.[4] This demonstration by Baird is generally agreed to be the world's first true demonstration of television, albeit a mechanical form of television no longer in use. Remarkably, in 1927 Baird also invented the world's first video recording system, "Phonovision": by modulating the output signal of his TV camera down to the audio range, he was able to capture the signal on a 10-inch wax audio disc using conventional audio recording technology. A handful of Baird's 'Phonovision' recordings survive and these were finally decoded and rendered into viewable images in the 1990s using modern digital signal-processing technology.[5]
In 1926, Hungarian engineer Kálmán Tihanyi designed a television system utilizing fully electronic scanning and display elements, and employing the principle of "charge storage" within the scanning (or "camera") tube.[6][7][8][9]
On December 25, 1926, Kenjiro Takayanagi demonstrated a television system with a 40-line resolution that employed a CRT display at Hamamatsu Industrial High School in Japan. [10] This was the first working example of a fully electronic television receiver. Takayanagi did not apply for a patent.[11]
By 1927, Russian inventor Léon Theremin developed a mirror-drum-based television system which used interlacing to achieve an image resolution of 100 lines.[12]
Also in 1927, Herbert E. Ives of Bell Labs transmitted moving images from a 50-aperture disk producing 16 frames per minute over a cable from Washington, DC to New York City, and via radio from Whippany, New Jersey.[citation needed] Ives used viewing screens as large as 24 by 30 inches (60 by 75 cm). His subjects included Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover.[citation needed]
In 1927, Philo Farnsworth made the world's first working television system with electronic scanning of both the pickup and display devices,[13] which he first demonstrated to the press on 1 September 1928.[13][14]
WRGB claims to be the world's oldest television station, tracing its roots to an experimental station founded on January 13, 1928, broadcasting from the General Electric factory in Schenectady, NY, under the call letters W2XB.[15] It was popularly known as "WGY Television" after its sister radio station. Later in 1928, General Electric started a second facility, this one in New York City, which had the call letters W2XBS, and which today is known as WNBC. The two stations were experimental in nature and had no regular programming, as receivers were operated by engineers within the company. The image of a Felix the Cat doll, rotating on a turntable, was broadcast for 2 hours every day for several years, as new technology was being tested by the engineers.
In 1936 the Olympic Games in Berlin were carried by cable to television stations in Berlin and Leipzig where the public could view the games live.[16]
In 1935 the German firm of Fernseh A.G. and the United States firm Farnsworth Television owned by Philo Farnsworth signed an agreement to exchange their television patents and technology to speed development of television transmitters and stations in their respective countries.[17]
On 2 November 1936 the BBC began transmitting the world's first public regular high-definition service from the Victorian Alexandra Palace in north London.[18] It therefore claims to be the birthplace of television broadcasting as we know it today.
In 1936, Kálmán Tihanyi described the principle of plasma display, the first flat panel display system.[19][20]
Mexican inventor Guillermo González Camarena also played an important role in early television. His experiments with television (known as telectroescopía at first) began in 1931 and led to a patent for the "trichromatic field sequential system" color television in 1940,[21] as well as the remote control.[citation needed]
Although television became more familiar in the United States with the general public at the 1939 World's Fair, the outbreak of World War II prevented it from being manufactured on a large scale until after the end of the war. True regular commercial television network programming did not begin in the U.S. until 1948. During that year, legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini made his first of ten TV appearances conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra, and Texaco Star Theater, starring comedian Milton Berle, became television's first gigantic hit show.[citation needed]
Amateur television (ham TV or ATV) was developed for non-commercial experimentation, pleasure and public service events by amateur radio operators. Ham TV stations were on the air in many cities before commercial TV stations came on the air.[22]
Getting TV programming shown to the public can happen in many different ways. After production the next step is to market and deliver the product to whatever markets are open to using it. This typically happens on two levels:
First run programming is increasing on subscription services outside the U.S., but few domestically produced programs are syndicated on domestic free-to-air (FTA) elsewhere. This practice is increasing however, generally on digital-only FTA channels, or with subscriber-only first-run material appearing on FTA.
Unlike the U.S., repeat FTA screenings of a FTA network program almost only occur on that network. Also, affiliates rarely buy or produce non-network programming that is not centred around local programming.
The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (January 2010) |
Around the globe, broadcast television is financed by either government, advertising, licensing (a form of tax), subscription or any combination of these. To protect revenues, subscription TV channels are usually encrypted to ensure that only subscription payers receive the decryption codes to see the signal. Unencrypted channels are known as free to air or FTA.
In 2009 the global TV market represented 1,217.2 million TV households with at least one television, and total revenues of 268.9 billion EUR (declining 1.2% compared to 2008).[23] North America had the biggest TV revenue market share with 39%, followed by Europe (31%), Asia-Pacific (21%), Latin America (8%) and Africa and the Middle East (2%).[24]
Globally, the different TV revenue sources divide into 45 to 50% TV advertising revenues, 40 to 45% subscription fees and 10% public funding.[25][26]
Television's broad reach makes it a powerful and attractive medium for advertisers. Many television networks and stations sell blocks of broadcast time to advertisers ("sponsors") in order to fund their programming.[27]
Since inception in the U.S. in 1940[citation needed], television commercials have become one of the most effective, persuasive, and popular methods of selling products of many sorts, especially consumer goods. During the 1940s and into the 1950s, programs were hosted by single advertisers. This, in turn, gave great creative license to the advertisers over the content of the show. Due to[citation needed] the quiz show scandals in the 1950s, networks shifted to the magazine concept introducing advertising breaks with multiple advertisers.
U.S. advertising rates are determined primarily by Nielsen ratings. The time of the day and popularity of the channel determine how much a television commercial can cost. For example, the highly popular American Idol can cost approximately $750,000 for a 30-second block of commercial time; while the same amount of time for the World Cup and the Super Bowl can cost several million dollars. Conversely, lesser-viewed time slots, such as early mornings and weekday afternoons, are often sold in bulk to producers of infomercials which is less expensive.
In recent years, the paid program or infomercial has become common, usually in lengths of 30 minutes or one hour. Some drug companies and other businesses have even created "news" items for broadcast, known in the industry as video news releases, paying program directors to use them.[28]
Some TV programs also weave advertisements into their shows, a practice begun in film and known as product placement. For example, a character could be drinking a certain kind of soda, going to a particular chain restaurant, or driving a certain make of car. (This is sometimes very subtle, where shows have vehicles provided by manufacturers for low cost, rather than wrangling them.) Sometimes a specific brand or trade mark, or music from a certain artist or group, is used. (This excludes guest appearances by artists, who perform on the show.)
The TV regulator oversees TV advertising in the United Kingdom. Its restrictions have applied since the early days of commercially funded TV. Despite this, an early TV mogul, Roy Thomson, likened the broadcasting licence as being a "licence to print money".[29] Restrictions mean that the big three national commercial TV channels: ITV, Channel 4, and Five can show an average of only seven minutes of advertising per hour (eight minutes in the peak period). Other broadcasters must average no more than nine minutes (twelve in the peak). This means that many imported TV shows from the US have unnatural breaks where the UK company has edited out the breaks intended for US advertising. Advertisements must not be inserted in the course of certain specific proscribed types of programs which last less than half an hour in scheduled duration; this list includes any news or current affairs program, documentaries, and programs for children. Nor may advertisements be carried in a program designed and broadcast for reception in schools or in any religious broadcasting service or other devotional program, or during a formal Royal ceremony or occasion. There also must be clear demarcations in time between the programs and the advertisements.
The BBC, being strictly non-commercial is not allowed to show advertisements on television in the UK, although it has many advertising-funded channels abroad. The majority of its budget comes from television license fees (see below) and broadcast syndication, the sale of content to other broadcasters.
The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) (Irish: Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann)[30] oversees advertising on television and radio within Ireland on both private and state owned broadcasters. Similar to other European countries, advertising is found on both private and state owned broadcasters. There are some restrictions based on advertising, especially in relation to the advertising of alcohol. Such advertisements are prohibited until after 7pm. Broadcasters in Ireland adhere to broadcasting legislation implemented by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland and the European Union. Sponsorship of current affairs programming is prohibited at all times.
As of October 1, 2009 the responsibilities held by the BCI are gradually being transferred to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.
Television services in some countries may be funded by a television licence or a form of taxation which means advertising plays a lesser role or no role at all. For example, some channels may carry no advertising at all and some very little, including:
The BBC carries no television advertising on its UK channels and is funded by an annual television license paid by all households owning a television. This television license fee is set by government, but the BBC is not answerable to or controlled by government.
The two main BBC TV channels are watched by almost 90 percent of the population each week and overall have 27 per cent share of total viewing.[31] This in spite of the fact that 85% of homes are multichannel, with 42% of these having access to 200 free to air channels via satellite and another 43% having access to 30 or more channels via Freeview.[32] The licence that funds the seven advertising-free BBC TV channels currently costs £139.50 a year (about US$215) irrespective of the number of TV sets owned. When the same sporting event has been presented on both BBC and commercial channels, the BBC always attracts the lion's share of the audience, indicating viewers prefer to watch TV uninterrupted by advertising.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) carries no advertising (except for internal promotional material) as it is banned under the ABC Act 1983. The ABC receives its funding from the Australian Government every three years. In the 2008/09 Federal Budget the ABC received A$1.13 Billion.[33] The funds assist in providing the ABC's Television, Radio, Online and International outputs. The ABC also receives funds from its many ABC Shops across Australia. However funded by the Australian Government the editorial independence of the ABC is ensured through law.
In France and Ireland government-funded channels carry advertisements yet those who own television sets have to pay an annual tax ("la redevance audiovisuelle").[34]
In Japan, NHK is paid for by license fees (known in Japanese as reception fee (受信料 Jushinryō )). The Broadcast Law which governs NHK's funding stipulates that any television equipped to receive NHK is required to pay. The fee is standardized, with discounts for office workers and students who commute, as well a general discount for residents of Okinawa prefecture.
Some TV channels are partly funded from subscriptions therefore the signals are encrypted during broadcast to ensure that only the paying subscribers have access to the decryption codes to watch pay television or specialty channels. Most subscription services are also funded by advertising.
Television genres include a broad range of programming types that entertain, inform, and educate viewers. The most expensive entertainment genres to produce are usually drama and dramatic miniseries. However, other genres, such as historical Western genres, may also have high production costs.
Popular culture entertainment genres include action-oriented shows such as police, crime, detective dramas, horror, or thriller shows. As well, there are also other variants of the drama genre, such as medical dramas and daytime soap operas. Science fiction shows can fall into either the drama or action category, depending on whether they emphasize philosophical questions or high adventure. Comedy is a popular genre which includes situation comedy (sitcom) and animated shows for the adult demographic such as South Park.
The least expensive forms of entertainment programming genres are game shows, talk shows, variety shows, and Reality television. Game shows show contestants answering questions and solving puzzles to win prizes. Talk shows feature interviews with film, television and music celebrities and public figures. Variety shows feature a range of musical performers and other entertainers such as comedians and magicians introduced by a host or Master of Ceremonies. There is some crossover between some talk shows and variety shows, because leading talk shows often feature performances by bands, singers, comedians, and other performers in between the interview segments. Reality TV shows "regular" people (i.e., not actors) who are facing unusual challenges or experiences, ranging from arrest by police officers (COPS) to weight loss (The Biggest Loser). A variant version of reality shows depicts celebrities doing mundane activities such as going about their everyday life (The Osbournes, Snoop Dogg's Father Hood) or doing manual labor (The Simple Life).
North American consumers purchase a new television every seven years, and the average household owns 2.8 televisions. As of 2011[update], 48 million are sold each year, at an average price of $460 and size of 38 inches.[35]
Manufacturer | DisplaySearch[36] |
---|---|
SAMSUNG | 26.3% |
LG | 13.4% |
Sony | 9.8% |
Panasonic | 6.9% |
Sharp Corporation | 5.9% |
Others | 37.7% |
Technology | DisplaySearch[36] |
---|---|
LCD TV | 83.1% |
PDP TV | 6.7% |
OLED TV | 0.0% |
CRT TV | 10.2% |
RPTV | 0.0% |
Total | 100% |
Television has played a pivotal role in the socialization of the 20th and 21st centuries. There are many aspects of television that can be addressed, including media violence research. In 2010 the iPlayer incorporated a social media aspect to its internet television service, including Facebook and Twitter.[37]
With high lead content in CRTs, and the rapid diffusion of new, flat-panel display technologies, some of which (LCDs) use lamps which contain mercury, there is growing concern about electronic waste from discarded televisions. Related occupational health concerns exist, as well, for disassemblers removing copper wiring and other materials from CRTs. Further environmental concerns related to television design and use relate to the devices' increasing electrical energy requirements.[38]
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Images and media from Commons |
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Learning resources from Wikiversity |
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News stories from Wikinews |
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Quotations from Wikiquote |
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Dana White | |
---|---|
Born | Manchester, CT, U.S. |
July 28, 1969
Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | President |
Known for | Managing The Ultimate Fighting Championship |
Style | Boxercise [1] |
Net worth | US$150 million (2010)[2] |
Height | 5 ft 11 in |
Spouse | Anne |
Children | 3 |
Dana White (born July 28, 1969) is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.
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Born in Manchester, Connecticut on July 28, 1969, White grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ware, Massachusetts and Levant, Maine. White is a passionate Boston Red Sox fan. During his youth, he bounced back and forth between Boston and Maine. He attended the University of Massachusetts Boston but did not finish; however, while there he did launch a boxing program for inner-city youth.[3]
White has a background as an aerobics instructor. In 1992, White established Dana White Enterprises in Las Vegas. He conducted aerobics classes at three gyms[4] in the Las Vegas area and began managing MMA fighters Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.
While working as a manager, White learned that Semaphore Entertainment Group, the parent company of the UFC, was looking for a buyer for the UFC. White contacted childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta, an executive at Station Casinos, and a former commissioner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Within a month, Lorenzo and his older brother Frank bought the UFC, with White installed as its president.[5] White currently owns about 9% of Zuffa, LLC, the entity the Fertitta brothers created to own and manage the UFC.[3]
White failed to comment on a potential network broadcast deal at the UFC 136 press conference. The next day it was confirmed that the UFC and Fox broadcast networks had made a multiple year deal.[6]
On April 1, 2009, White was videotaped in a verbal tirade against Loretta Hunt, a sportswriter for Sherdog, in response to an article she wrote. In the video posted on his YouTube account, White used derogatory language in an obscenity-laced rant. The video was pulled from his official UFC YouTube page but has been widely republished across the internet and come under fire, including by GLAAD for his use of anti-gay slurs.[7][8][9] White would later apologize for his slurs. He specifically did not include Hunt in the apology.[10] Hunt responded by saying "I stand by the story. It's accurate."[citation needed]
In December of 2011, White cut fighter Miguel Torres from the UFC after Torres tweeted "If a rape van was called a surprise van, more women wouldn’t mind going for rides in them. Everyone likes surprises." In an interview with Sports Illustrated confirming Torres' firing over the controversial remarks, White claimed "Now there's no explanation for that. There's absolutely nothing I could say to make any sense of that. And the fact that he even thinks that's funny or that's a joke, it disturbs me. It bothers me." The firing of Torres immediately sparked controversy after it was revealed that White did not similarly punish two fighters of greater marquee value – Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans, both of whom have fought in the main event of multiple Pay-Per-View cards and the latter slated to fight in the main event of a fight card scheduled to air on the FOX network on January 28, 2012 – for making similarly offensive remarks:[11] Griffin commenting that "Rape is the new missionary"[12] and Evans evoking the recent child abuse scandal involving Penn State University while promoting a fight.[13] Torres has since re-signed with the UFC after having a talk with Dana.
In December 2010 White donated $50,000 to the Fransisco Espinoza foundation. White donated approximately $8,000 to help pay for the brain tumor treatment of two-year-old British girl, Ruby Owen. The young girl's family had described themselves as being "shocked and over the moon". Ruby Owen's uncle, being a UFC fan had contacted White via email and asked if he could help by donating to the Ruby Owen fund raising website. White and Owen have never officially met.[14] In an act of compassion towards a fan, he gave $300 to one man without hesitation who said that he "just received a speeding ticket while racing across town to meet him".[15] Shortly after being named 2009 Nevada Sportsman of The Year, White added $100,000 from his pocket to the $250,000 total raised for the fund raising marathon sponsored by ESPN Radio 1100 for Las Vegas.[16]
After signing negotiations with M-1 Global Russian Heavyweight MMA fighter Fedor Emelianenko fell through in 2009,[17] White and the UFC became the subject of debate and criticism from fans and experts alike. On several occasions, White referred to Emelianenko as "a fake, a phony and a farce.[18][19]
On June 26th, 2010 following Emelianenko's first legitimate defeat of his career to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Fabricio Werdum, White shared a simple ":)" via Twitter.[20] The same symbol was expressed by White following Emelianenko's 2nd round doctor stoppage loss to Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in the opening round of the 2011 Strikeforce GP.[21] White followed this with an insult to Fedor's manager and M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelstein.[22] This began a war of words on the social networking site. M-1 Global’s director of operations, Evgeni Kogan, stood up for Finkelstein and invited White to repeat his words to Finkelstein in person. When fans attempted to reason with White, they were met with similar contempt and insults.[23]
There is controversy over whether Fedor Emelianenko and White have actually met.[24] White has claimed to have met Emelianenko on a "crazy island in the middle of nowhere".[25] In 2011, Emelianenko denied that this encounter ever took place.[26]
White and his wife have two sons and a daughter.[27] He is an atheist, and has stated that he is "fascinated" by religion.[28]
Mark Hunt | |
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On November 2007 in Korakuen Hall |
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Born | Mark Hunt 23 March 1974 South Auckland, New Zealand |
Other names | Super Samoan |
Nationality | New Zealander |
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
Weight | 264 lb (120 kg; 18 st 12 lb) |
Division | Super Heavyweight (kickboxing) Heavyweight & Super Heavyweight (MMA) |
Reach | 74 in (188 cm) |
Style | Boxing, Kickboxing |
Fighting out of | Minto, New South Wales, Australia |
Team | Oceania Super Fighter Gym Liverpool Kickboxing Gym Tony Mundine Boxing Club American Top Team |
Trainer | Hape Nganoroa Marcelo Rezende Tony Mundine Ricardo Liborio |
Years active | 1999 – 2003, 2008 (Kickboxing) 2004 - present (MMA) |
Professional boxing record | |
Total | 2 |
Losses | 1 |
Draws | 1 |
Kickboxing record | |
Total | 43 |
Wins | 30 |
By knockout | 13 |
Losses | 13 |
By knockout | 2 |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 15 |
Wins | 8 |
By knockout | 5 |
Losses | 7 |
By knockout | 1 |
By submission | 6 |
Other information | |
Notable students | James Te-Huna |
Website | http://www.markhuntfighter.com/ |
Boxing record from Boxrec | |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog |
Mark Hunt (born 23 March 1974) Japanese: [Mākuhanto]; is a New Zealand kickboxer and mixed martial artist of Samoan descent, currently living in Sydney, Australia. Hunt competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is known for his raw strength, iron chin and knockout power. He is the winner of the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix.[1] Hunt was the first to beat Wanderlei Silva after his 4 year undefeated winning streak in Pride Fighting Championship. He holds notable wins over the likes of Mirko Cro Cop, Ben Rothwell and Cheick Kongo.
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Hunt was born in St Helens Auckland, into a small, Samoan family. He and his family then relocated to a tough suburb within South Auckland, New Zealand. He was a troubled kid and had no intentions to be a professional fighter, until one late night altercation outside a nightclub in Auckland changed the course of his life.[1] The brawl did not last long. Sam Marsters, one of the bouncers at the door was impressed by the young man's knockout power and invited him to his Gym to take up formal training.[2] [3] Later that year Hunt moved to Sydney, Australia, to train with Alex Tui. A few years later he settled in Liverpool Kickboxing Gym under Maori instructor Hape Ngaranoa.[4]
In the beginning of his career, Hunt was used by the promoters as a stepping stone for their up and coming fighters, taking up fights at short notice, until Tarik Solak promoted K-1 Oceania tournament in February 2000. With a record of (15-4, 3KO) Hunt entered his first K-1 tournament as a heavy underdog.
He won the K-1 Oceania title by knocking out "The Coconut Crusher" Aumitagi in quarter finals, Rony Sefo in semis and Phil Fagan in the finals. After this impressive performance he was invited to Japan for K-1 qualifications. He lost his first international fight by unanimous decision against Jérôme Le Banner.
In 2001, Hunt returned to K-1 by winning the K-1 Oceania tournament for the second consecutive year. After that he took part of K-1 World GP 2001 in Melbourne, where he beat Japanese boxer Hiromi Amada, before suffering a close unanimous decision loss to reigning champion Ernesto Hoost. However, because of his exciting fighting style Hunt was granted a wildcard spot in the repercharge tournament for the K-1 World GP 2001 Finals, when Mirko Filipović had to pull out due to injury. He was drawn against Ray Sefo, who won the bout by outpointing Hunt. After the fight however, Sefo suffered an eye injury and was not able to continue, allowing Hunt to proceed in his place. Hunt then TKO'd Adam Watt to earn his place in the K-1 World Grand Prix Finals at the Tokyo Dome.
During the matchmaking for the K-1 Finals, Hunt surprised the crowd by choosing Jérôme Le Banner, whom he had just lost in the previous year, as his quarterfinal opponent. Hunt won the rematch by knocking out Le Banner in the second round and advanced himself onto the semi-finals facing Stefan Leko. Hunt knocked down Leko two times in the first round and went on to win the fight by unanimous decision. The stage was set for the final battle against Brazilian Kyokushin karate champion Francisco Filho. In the final Hunt defeated Filho by unanimous decision to become the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 champion.
In 2002, Hunt went to Paris to fight Le Banner again for the third time what turned out to be one of the biggest battles in K-1 history. Le Banner, fighting in front of his hometown audience, knocked down Hunt in the second round but was in turn knocked down himself a few seconds later. In the final moments of the round, Hunt was knocked down for the second time again by the powerful Frenchman. In between rounds the towel was thrown in as Hunt could not continue.
On 17 December 2002, Mark Hunt returned to defend his K-1 World Grand Prix title. In quarter finals, entering the third round and behind on all scorecards, Mark was able to connect with a right cross that knocked out Stefan Leko and advanced him to the semi-finals against his career long nemesis Jerome Le Banner. Despite knocking down the Frenchman at the end of the third round, Hunt lost the fight by decision. It would to be his last K-1 World Grand Prix appearance.
In April 2008, FEG announced Hunt's return to K-1 and nominated him as the challenger of K-1 Super Heavyweight title held by Semmy Schilt. The match was held on 13 April 2008, in Yokohama, Japan at the K-1 World GP 2008 in Yokohama. Hunt lost the fight at the end of the first round by spinning back kick to the body.
Hunt's mixed martial arts career saw him fight in events in Japan's PRIDE Fighting Championships. His first MMA fight was a submission loss to Hidehiko Yoshida, an Olympic gold medalist in judo. In his second fight, he defeated American wrestler Dan Bobish by TKO. Hunt stepped in as a late replacement for Sakuraba, and won a split decision against an outweighed PRIDE middleweight (205 lb) champion Wanderlei Silva. Silva, renowned for his brutal punching and Muay Thai clinch game, was neutralized by the hard-hitting Samoan and knocked down several times in the fight. At the PRIDE Shockwave 2005 event, Hunt surprisingly defeated Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović via a split decision, after his earlier loss to him in K-1. At PRIDE 31: Unbreakable, Hunt defeated Japanese boxer Yosuke Nishijima in the third round with a powerful one-two punch.[5]
Hunt's next fight was in the opening round of PRIDE's 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix (PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute) on 5 May 2006. His opponent was Japan's Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, who he defeated by TKO in the second round. He then faced American catch-wrestler Josh Barnett at PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute in the second round of the tournament. Hunt was immediately taken down by Barnett and ultimately lost to a kimura submission roughly two and a half minutes into the first round.
Following that fight, Hunt next lost to PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko at PRIDE Shockwave 2006. Hunt controlled Emelianenko most of the fight and even effectively countered an armbar early in the bout. Hunt's greatest chance of winning came when he was able to put Emelianenko in an americana. Unfortunately for Hunt, Emelianenko was able to fight through it and submit Hunt with a kimura.
On 21 July 2008, more than a year after his last MMA fight, Hunt returned to MMA to face Alistair Overeem at DREAM 5, and was submitted by an armlock in just over a minute into the first round.
Hunt was set to fight Jerome Le Banner at Dynamite!! 2008 but ended up fighting late replacement Melvin Manhoef after Le Banner pulled out. Despite the fact that he had a substantial weight advantage over Manhoef, he was knocked out in 18 seconds in the first round. This marked the first time he had been stopped by knockout due to punches to the head.
On 26 May 2009, Hunt fought former Dream Middleweight Champion Gegard Mousasi in the opening round of the Super Hulk Grand Prix at Dream 9. He lost by submission in the first round.
Hunt made his UFC debut on 25 September 2010 at UFC 119 against fellow UFC newcomer and undefeated prospect Sean McCorkle.[6] Hunt trained with American Top Team for the fight. Photos that had emerged on the internet had shown that Hunt had lost a considerable amount of weight in comparison to that of his Pride days.[7] He was defeated via Submission (straight armbar) at 1:03 of the first round.
Hunt's next fight in the UFC was against Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 127 on 27 Feb. in Sydney, Australia.[8] Hunt defeated Tuchscherer in the second round via KO, earning Knockout of the Night. Also snapping his six fight losing streak and giving him his first victory in nearly five years.
Hunt followed this performance with a decision win over Ben Rothwell at UFC 135 on 24 September 2011.[9]
Hunt next faced Cheick Kongo on 26 February 2012 at UFC 144.[10] Hunt won the fight via TKO due to punches, at 2:11 of the first round.
Hunt was expected face Stefan Struve on 26 May 2012 at UFC 146.[11] However, he pulled out of the bout due to injury ten days prior to the event.[12]
Kickboxing Record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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30 Wins (13 (T)KO's, 17 decisions), 13 Losses
Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes |
Professional record breakdown | ||
15 matches | 8 wins | 7 losses |
By knockout | 5 | 1 |
By submission | 0 | 6 |
By decision | 3 | 0 |
Draws | 0 |
Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 8–7 | Cheick Kongo | TKO (punches) | UFC 144 | 26 February 2012 | 1 | 2:11 | Saitama, Japan | |
Win | 7–7 | Ben Rothwell | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 135 | 24 September 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
Win | 6–7 | Chris Tuchscherer | KO (punch) | UFC 127 | 27 February 2011 | 2 | 1:41 | Sydney, Australia | Knockout of the Night |
Loss | 5–7 | Sean McCorkle | Submission (straight armbar) | UFC 119 | 25 September 2010 | 1 | 1:03 | Indianapolis, Indiana, USA | |
Loss | 5–6 | Gegard Mousasi | Submission (straight armbar) | Dream 9 | 26 May 2009 | 1 | 1:20 | Yokohama, Japan | Dream Super Hulk Grand Prix Quarterfinal |
Loss | 5–5 | Melvin Manhoef | KO (punches) | Dynamite!! 2008 | 31 December 2008 | 1 | 0:18 | Saitama, Japan | |
Loss | 5–4 | Alistair Overeem | Submission (keylock) | Dream.5 | 21 July 2008 | 1 | 1:11 | Osaka, Japan | |
Loss | 5–3 | Fedor Emelianenko | Submission (kimura) | Pride Shockwave 2006 | 31 December 2006 | 1 | 8:16 | Saitama, Japan | For Pride Heavyweight Championship |
Loss | 5–2 | Josh Barnett | Submission (kimura) | Pride Critical Countdown Absolute | 1 July 2006 | 1 | 2:02 | Saitama, Japan | Pride Openweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal |
Win | 5–1 | Tsuyoshi Kohsaka | TKO (punches) | Pride Total Elimination Absolute | 5 May 2006 | 2 | 4:15 | Osaka, Japan | Pride Openweight Grand Prix Opening Round |
Win | 4–1 | Yosuke Nishijima | KO (punch) | Pride 31 | 26 February 2006 | 3 | 1:18 | Saitama, Japan | |
Win | 3–1 | Mirko Filipović | Decision (split) | Pride Shockwave 2005 | 31 December 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
Win | 2–1 | Wanderlei Silva | Decision (split) | Pride Shockwave 2004 | 31 December 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
Win | 1–1 | Dan Bobish | TKO (kick to the body) | Pride 28 | 31 October 2004 | 1 | 6:23 | Saitama, Japan | |
Loss | 0–1 | Hidehiko Yoshida | Submission (armbar) | Pride Critical Countdown 2004 | 20 June 2004 | 1 | 5:25 | Saitama, Japan |
0 Wins (0 knockouts, 0 decisions), 1 Losses, 1 Draw | |||||||
Res. | Record | Opponnent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes |
Draw | 0-1-1 | Joe Askew | PTS | 4 | 2000-04-23 | Wyong RSL Club, Wyong, New South Wales, Australia | |
Loss | 0-1 | John Wyborn | PTS | 3 | 1998-08-21 | Bondi Diggers Club, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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Beppe Grillo | |
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Leader of the Five Star Movement | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office October 4, 2009 |
|
Personal details | |
Born | Genoa, Italy |
21 July 1948
Nationality | Italian |
Political party | Five Star Movement |
Relations | Married |
Children | 6 |
Occupation | Comedian, Activist, Politician |
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Website | http://www.beppegrillo.it/ |
Giuseppe Piero Grillo, better known as Beppe Grillo (born 21 July 1948), is an Italian activist, blogger, comedian and actor. He has been involved in politics since 2009 as leader of the Five Star Movement.
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Grillo was born in Genoa, Liguria.
After receiving his degree as an accountant, Grillo became a comedian by chance, improvising a monologue in an audition. Two weeks later he was discovered and launched by Italian TV presenter Pippo Baudo. He subsequently participated in the variety show Secondo Voi for two years (1977–78). Later, in 1979, he participated in Luna Park by Enzo Trapani, and Fantastico.
In the 1980s his success rose further, thanks to shows like Te la do io l'America (1982, 4 episodes) and Te lo do io il Brasile (1984, six episodes). In these shows, he narrated his experiences of his visits to the United States and Brazil, with anecdotes and witticisms about the culture, lifestyle and beauty of these places.
As a result, his popularity grew more and more, and he became the protagonist of another show developed especially for him, called Grillometro (Grillometer). In 1986, he was the star of prize-winning advertisements for a brand of yogurt.
Soon after this, his performances began to be characterized by an increasing level of political satire, often expressed in such a direct way that he quickly offended a lot of Italian politicians. In 1987 during the Saturday night TV show Fantastico 7, he attacked the Italian Socialist Party and its leader Bettino Craxi, then Italy's Prime Minister, on the occasion of his visit in the People's Republic of China. Grillo said:
If the Chinese are all socialists, whom do they steal from?
The joke hinted at the totalitarianism of the PRC, but even more to the widespread corruption for which the Italian Socialist Party was known. As a consequence, Grillo was effectively and silently banished from publicly owned television; yet, he was vindicated a few years later when the Italian Socialist Party had to be disbanded in a welter of corruption scandals known as Tangentopoli, uncovered by the Mani pulite investigation. Craxi himself died in Tunisia, unable to return to Italy where he would have been jailed for several convictions.
Consequently, from the beginning of the 1990s his appearances on television became rare: according to many people, the reason for this is a silent ostracism by politicians offended by his revelations about their hidden financial activities, frauds and false claims. When one of his shows was finally allowed to be broadcast by RAI, in 1993, it obtained a record share of 16 million viewers. He was later banned definitively from Italian television.
He currently performs in theatres in Italy and abroad, often with outstanding success.[1] Grillo's themes include energy usage, political and corporate corruption, finance, freedom of speech, child labour, globalization, and technology. Recently Grillo started to encourage the use of Wikipedia as the future of knowledge sharing, and generally he is a strong proponent of internet freedom.[2]
Grillo has spearheaded several national and international political campaigns. On Sept. 8, 2007, he organized a "V-Day Celebration" in Italy; the "V" stood for vendetta, vengeance, and vaffanculo ("fuck off"). During the rally, Grillo projected the names of two dozen Italian politicians who had been convicted of crimes ranging from corruption and tax evasion to abetting a murder. More than 2 million Italians participated in this rally.[3] Grillo also used this rally to urge Italians to sign a petition calling for the introduction of a Bill of Popular Initiative to remove members of the Italian Parliament who have criminal convictions of any kind from their office.[4] According to Internet scholars, V–day was the first case in Italian history of a political demonstration developed and promoted via word–of–mouth mobilization on the blogosphere and the social web.[5]
This was followed by the second V-Day on 25 April 2008, in Turin, S.Carlo square. This V-Day was dedicated to the Italian press and its government financial support; Grillo heavily criticized the Italian press for the lack of freedom; Umberto Veronesi (about his support for incinerators); NATO bases in Italy, the politicians (Silvio Berlusconi had recently been re-elected) and Retequattro, still holding on to TV frequencies already assigned to Europa 7 [2].
On 1 September 2005, thanks to contributions from readers of his blog, Grillo bought a full page advertisement in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica in which he called for the resignation of the Bank of Italy's (then) governor Antonio Fazio over the Antonveneta banking scandal. In October 2005, Time chose him as one of the "European Heroes 2005" for his constant battle against corruption and financial scandals.[6]
On 22 November 2005 Grillo also bought a page in the International Herald Tribune, again claiming that members of the Italian Parliament ought not to represent citizens if they have ever been convicted in a court of law, even in the first degree of the three available in the Italian system.[7] His blog now contains a regularly updated list of members of the Italian Parliament who have been convicted in all three degrees, in what he calls "operation Clean Parliament".[8] Grillo claimed, in 2007, that data suggested that even Scampia, the most dangerous suburb of Naples and one of the areas with the highest crime rate in Europe, actually had a lower crime rate than the Italian parliament's membership.[9]
On 26 July 2007 Grillo was permitted to speak to the members of the European Parliament in Brussels, where he drew attention to the dangerous, negative state of current Italian politics.[10]
In August 2008, Grillo was the subject of a report on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC-TV) international affairs program "Foreign Correspondent". Titled "The Clown Prince" the report profiled Grillo's life, political activism, V Day campaign, and use of the internet as a political tool.[11]
In 2010, he started a political movement called "Movimento 5 stelle" ("Movement five stars"), without the desire to be a leader and to be elected, but only to join, by the Internet, people who believe in ideals like honesty and direct democracy, and saying that politicians are only subordinates of the people and that they should work for the country only for a short time and only if they are not condemned for crimes, and thinking about the problems of their country without any other interest. The movement will be truly a party chance only from the next political round, when they will purpose their name not only in some regions but also in the political elections. The five stars represent the five basic points of the shared program: Water, Environment, Transport, Connectivity, Growth.
Grillo maintains a blog (available in Italian, English and Japanese) at beppegrillo.it which is updated daily. Comments to posts regularly top the thousands (in the Italian version). According to Technorati, the blog is ranked among the 10 most visited blogs in the world. In 2008, The Guardian ranked Grillo's blog among the world's most powerful blogs.[12]
Grillo often receives letters of appreciation and support from prominent figures, such as Antonio Di Pietro (former Italian Minister of Infrastructures), Fausto Bertinotti (former President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies), Renzo Piano, and even Nobel Prize Winners (like Dario Fo, Joseph E. Stiglitz, Dalai Lama, Muhammad Yunus).[13]
In 1980 he was found guilty of manslaughter for a car accident in which he was the driver; three passengers lost their lives.[14]
During his shows Grillo never hesitates to name firms and personalities he considers corrupt, always supporting his views with data and documents[citation needed]. For this reason he has been sued several times for libel by many people and organizations which he had exposed, such as Telecom Italia.
When Italian judges were investigating the Parmalat scandal, which was then the world's largest corporate bankruptcy scandal ever, Grillo was called to testify as he anticipated the imminent collapse of the dairy conglomerate in one of his shows. When he was asked by judges how he has been able to discover that, he simply said that Parmalat's financial holes were so evident that anybody who had enough ability to see them would see them, since the corporate accounting was easily accessible.[15]
Grillo is often criticized for his lifestyle. In particular, critics blame him for owning a motor yacht and a Ferrari sports car, both being in contradiction with his well known ecologist stance. In his blog he admits that he did, in fact, acquire both but has since sold them.[14]
Grillo is also criticized for taking advantage of the Condono Tombale, a fiscal amnesty granted by the first Berlusconi government in 2001, which Grillo publicly opposed.[16] Grillo commented on this issue during the V-Day demonstration. He said that he had personally benefitted by only €500[citation needed].
Grillo has proposed that members of the Italian Parliament who have a criminal record should be barred from public office. As Grillo himself has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter caused by a car accident[14] his critics[who?] say he has no right to represent Italians either. Grillo has always stated that he is not interested in becoming a member of the Italian Parliament anyway.[14] Despite this, in July 2009 he publicly expressed his intention to present himself as a candidate for the PD's primary elections[17] which, however, does not imply automatic presence in the Italian parliament.
Another proposal of his is that members of Parliament be limited to two government terms of office after which they might not stand again. Detractors[who?] argue that this would shorten the political life of competent and expert politicians, usually drawing Alcide De Gasperi, Aldo Moro and Enrico Berlinguer as examples of brilliant politicians who served more than two terms. Marco Travaglio replied that, for that sake, also the political life of much less popular Clemente Mastella would have suffered.[18]
Grillo is criticized as being a mere demagogue who attacks politicians on superficial issues and their private lives while unable to provide a valid alternative. For instance, Daniele Luttazzi, famous Italian satirist, criticized Grillo in 2007 in an open letter published on the website of the news magazine Micromega. Luttazzi accused Grillo of being a "demagogue" and a "populist", suggesting Grillo to choose between satire and politics, asserting the two are incompatible.[19]
In 2007 Grillo criticized the "Memorial Day of Foibe Massacres and Istrian-Dalmatian exodus" and the President of the Italian Repubblic Giorgio Napolitano[20]
Grillo has appeared in three movies:
In 2008, Grillo featured in the documentary, The Beppe Grillo Story, produced by Banyak Films for Al Jazeera English.