Look up type in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Type may refer to:

In philosophy:

• Type–token distinction

In mathematics:

• Type (model theory)
• Type theory, basis for the study of type systems
• Type or arity, the number of operands a function takes
• Type, any proposition or set in the intuitionistic type theory

In computing:

• Typing, producing text via a keyboard
• Data type, collection of values used for computations
• Type (command), a shell command to display contents of a file.
• Type (Unix), a POSIX shell builtin that gives information about commands.
• Type system, defines a programming language's response to data types

In sociology:

• Ideal type
• Normal type
• Typification

Other:

• Type (band), name of Portuguese DJ and musician Cyz (Cynthia Zamorano)
• Type (designation), a model numbering system used for vehicles or military equipment
• Typeface, used in typesetting
  • Sort (typesetting), cast metal type for printing
  • Type Museum, museum about the above
• Architectural type, classification of architecture by functional types (houses, institutions), morphological types or historical types Architectural style subcategories
• Dog type, categorization by use or function of domestic dogs
• Type (biology), which fixes a scientific name to a taxon

See also[link]

• Typology (disambiguation), the study of types
• Kind

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.

Jamie Foxx
Foxx promoting Stealth in July 2005
Birth name	Eric Marlon Bishop
Born	(1967-12-13) December 13, 1967 (age 44) Terrell, Texas, United States
Medium	Stand up, Film, Television, Radio, Music
Nationality	American
Years active	1989–present
Genres	Musical comedy, Political satire, Observational comedy, Character comedy, Black comedy (as actor) R&B, hip hop, soul, pop(as singer and rapper)
Subject(s)	Race relations, Racism, African-American culture, Celebrities, Human sexuality, American politics, Current events, Self-deprecation
Influences	Redd Foxx[1]
Notable works and roles	Law Abiding Citizen Jamie King on The Jamie Foxx Show Ray Charles in Ray Nico in Rio
Website	Official site

Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, rapper, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host who began playing the piano when he was five years old. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a musical/comedy. He is also a Grammy Award winning musician, producing three albums which have charted highly on the Billboard 200: Unpredictable, which topped the chart, Best Night of My Life and Intuition.

Born in Terrell, Texas, Foxx was raised by his mother's adoptive parents. He performed in high school and was awarded with a scholarship to United States International University. In his twenties, Foxx began performing stand-up at comedy clubs, and eventually joined the cast of In Living Color in 1991; this exposure helped him land film roles and star in his own sitcom, The Jamie Foxx Show. He released his debut album, Peep This, in 1994, but he did not gain significant musical success until 2004 when he was featured in Twista's song "Slow Jamz". Also in 2004, Foxx played critically acclaimed roles in the films Collateral and Ray. He released his second album, Unpredictable, in 2005, which was helped by his collaboration on Kanye West's number-one single "Gold Digger". His third album Intuition was released in 2008 and was anchored by the single "Blame It". Foxx released his fourth studio album, Best Night of My Life, in 2010.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Foxx was born as Eric Marlon Bishop on December 13, 1967, in Terrell, Texas.^[2] He is the son of Louise Annette Talley Dixon and Shaheed Abdulah. Foxx was abandoned seven months after birth, and was subsequently adopted and raised in Terrell by his mother's adoptive parents. Terrell was a racially segregated community at the time.^[3] Foxx had a strict Baptist upbringing^[4][5] and began piano lessons at the age of five by his grandmother's orders. As a teenager, he was a part-time pianist and choir leader in Terrell's New Hope Baptist Church.^[3]

Foxx attended Terrell High School, where he received top grades, played basketball and football as quarterback, and had an ambition to play for the Dallas Cowboys. He was the first player in the school's history to pass for more than 1,000 yards.^[3][6] He also sang in a band called Leather and Lace.^[3] After completing high school, Foxx received a scholarship to United States International University, where he studied classical music and composition.^[3][7] He has often acknowledged his grandmother's influence in his life as one of the greatest reasons for his success.^[4][8]

[edit] 1989-94: Stand-up career, acting debut, Peep This and legal issue

After accepting a girlfriend's dare, Foxx told jokes and at a comedy club's open mic night in 1989. When he found that comediennes were often called first to perform, he changed his name to Jamie Foxx, feeling that it was an ambiguous enough name to disallow any biases.^[1][3] He chose his surname as a tribute to comedian Redd Foxx.^[1] In addition his recurrent In Living Color character LaWanda shared names with Redd's friend and co-worker, LaWanda Page.

Foxx joined the cast of In Living Color in 1991 and subsequently played a recurring role in the comedy-drama sitcom Roc.^[9] From 1996 to 2001, Foxx starred in his own sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, and made his film debut in the 1992 comedy Toys. His first dramatic role came in Oliver Stone's 1999 film Any Given Sunday, where he portrayed a hard-partying American football player.^[4] He was cast in the role in part because of his background as a football player.^[4] Following Any Given Sunday, Foxx was featured as taxi driver Max Durocher in the film Collateral alongside Tom Cruise, for which he received outstanding reviews and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.^[4] In 1994, Foxx released an album (on the Fox record label) entitled Peep This.

In April 2003, Foxx was involved in an incident with two police officers who were attempting to escort him and his sister out of Harrah's casino in New Orleans. Employees claimed they had failed to show identification upon entry. Originally charged with trespassing, disturbing the peace, battery on police officers and resisting arrest, Foxx pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace in exchange for the other charges being dropped, and was sentenced to a six month suspended jail term with two years probation and a $1,500 fine.^[10][11]

In 2003, Foxx made a cameo in Benzino's music video for "Would You", which features LisaRaye McCoy and Mario Winans.

[edit] 2004-06: Ray, Collateral, and Unpredictable

Foxx and Kanye West performing "Gold Digger"

His music career shifted into a higher gear when, in 2004, he was featured on rapper Twista's song, "Slow Jamz", which also featured Kanye West. The song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, as well as #3 on the UK Singles chart. Foxx's second collaboration with Kanye West, "Gold Digger," in which he sang the "I Got a Woman" Ray Charles-influenced hook, went straight to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and remained there for 10 weeks. In 2005, Foxx was featured on the single "Georgia" by Atlanta rappers Ludacris and Field Mob. The song sampled Ray Charles' hit "Georgia on My Mind." He also had a beginning verse on Kanye's "Gold Digger."

His standout performance, however, was his portrayal of Ray Charles in the biopic Ray (2004), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor^[4] and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Foxx is the second male in history to receive two acting Oscar nominations in the same year for two different movies, Collateral and Ray. The only other male actor to achieve this was Al Pacino. In 2005, Foxx was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[12]

Foxx released his second studio album, Unpredictable, in December 2005. It debuted at #2, selling 598,000 copies in its first week.^[13] The following week, the album rose to #1, selling an additional 200,000 copies.^[14] To date, the album has sold 1.98 million copies in the United States, and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA.^[15][16] The album also charted on the UK Albums Chart, where it peaked at #9.^[17] Foxx became the fourth artist to have won an Academy Award^® for an acting role and to have achieved a #1 album in the U.S. (The other three to accomplish this feat were Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Barbra Streisand.) Foxx's first single from the album, the title track "Unpredictable" (featuring Ludacris), samples "Wildflower" by New Birth. The song peaked in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 singles and also made the UK Top 20 singles chart. The second U.S. single from the album was "DJ Play a Love Song," which reunited Foxx with Twista. In the UK, however, the second single was "Extravaganza," which saw Foxx once again collaborate with Kanye West. He was not, however, featured in the song's music video.

At the 2006 Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards, Foxx won Best Duet/Collaboration with Kanye West for "Gold Digger" and tied with Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" for Video of the Year. On December 8, 2006, Foxx received four Grammy Award^® nominations, which included Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for Love Changes featuring Mary J. Blige, Best R&B Album for Unpredictable, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for Georgia by Ludacris & Field Mob featuring Jamie Foxx, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for Unpredictable featuring Ludacris.

[edit] 2006-2009: Dreamgirls, The Soloist, Intuition and Miley Cyrus incident

Foxx's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Following these successes, Foxx appeared in Jarhead, Miami Vice, and Dreamgirls, which were box-office hits, and lifted his profile even higher as a bankable star in Hollywood. 2007 brought him the lead role in the film The Kingdom opposite Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner and Ashraf Barhom. In September 2007, Foxx was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He said, upon receiving the honor, "[it was] one of the most amazing days of my life."^[18]

On January 22, 2007, Foxx was on Sirius Satellite Radio, announcing his new channel The Foxxhole. The channel features talk-radio programs, stand-up comedy albums, and music primarily by African-American performers, and features much of Foxx's own material as well. The Jamie Foxx Show, Foxx's own talk-radio variety program, airs Friday evenings on The Foxxhole, and features Johnny Mack, Speedy, The Poetess, Lewis Dix, and T.D.P., as his co-hosts. Guests include popular musicians, actors, and fellow comedians. He recorded a song with country superstars Rascal Flatts entitled "She Goes All the Way" for their album, Still Feels Good. Foxx also performed background vocals for artist/songwriter Tank. He and The-Dream are featured on Plies' "Please Excuse My Hands." He also appeared on the remix of Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent" entitled "She Got Her Own." The track also features Fabolous. Foxx then collaborated with rapper The Game on the track "Around The World." In April 2009, Foxx played the lead role in the dramatic film The Soloist. A few months later in October 2009, He played a starring role along side Gerard Butler in the thriller Law Abiding Citizen. In April 2011, Foxx voiced Nico, a canary in the movie Rio.

Foxx released his third album titled Intuition in 2008, featuring such artists as Kanye West, T.I., Ne-Yo, and T-Pain. The album's first single, "Just Like Me" featuring T.I., was promoted by a video directed by Brett Ratner and featuring an appearance by Taraji P. Henson. The second single "Blame It" featured T-Pain and became a top 5 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and a number-one single on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The "Blame It" music video, directed by Hype Williams, features cameo appearances by Forest Whitaker, Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Howard, Quincy Jones, and Jake Gyllenhaal, among others. Foxx was also featured on T.I.'s single "Live in the Sky" from the album King. On April 6, 2009 Foxx performed the George Strait song "You Look So Good in Love" at the George Strait Artist of the Decade All-Star Concert. Foxx has been a fan of country music for many years. Jamie Foxx hosted the 2009 BET Awards ceremony on June 28, 2009, which featured several tributes to pop star Michael Jackson, who had died three days prior to the show. Aside from performing "Blame It" with T-Pain and "She Got Her Own" with Ne-Yo and Fabolous, Foxx opened the show with a rendition of Jackson's "Beat It" dance routine and closed the show with a cover of The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" with Ne-Yo. Foxx stated during the ceremony, "We want to celebrate this black man. He belongs to us and we shared him with everybody else."

On the April 17, 2009 episode of The Jamie Foxx Show on Foxxhole Radio, Foxx and his co-hosts made several sexually suggestive and disparaging jokes regarding teenaged singer Miley Cyrus, in response to a caller's comment on a recent altercation between Cyrus and rock band Radiohead.^[19] Foxx issued a public apology on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno several days later in response to growing public outcry as well as televised criticism by Cyrus's father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus.^[20]

[edit] 2010-present: Django Unchained and Best Night of My Life

In 2011, Foxx was officially cast in the title role of, Django Unchained. It will be written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, and he will star alongside his Ray co-star Kerry Washington, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson. As a producer, Foxx played a role in In the Flow with Affion Crockett on Fox in summer 2011.^[21]

Foxx released his fourth album, Best Night of My Life, on December 21, 2010.^[22] The first single is "Winner", featuring Justin Timberlake and T.I..^[23] The second single is "Living Better Now" featuring rapper Rick Ross and the third single is "Fall For Your Type" featuring rapper Drake.^[22] On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Foxx (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release his future material on the RCA Records brand.^[24][25] In 2011, Jamie Foxx was featured in the rapper Pitbull's album 'Planet Pitt' in the song "Where Do We go".

Personal life[link]

This section requires expansion.

Foxx has a daughter, Corinne Bishop, who was born in 1994.^[3] Former Jamie Foxx Show co-star Garcelle Beauvais made a public announcement stating that Foxx has a second child.^[26] Foxx was spotted with the baby in Miami for New Year's Eve 2010, and it was revealed to be a girl.^[27]

Foxx performed a public service announcement for Do Something to promote food drives in local communities.^[28]

Jamie Foxx began playing the piano when he was five years old.

Discography[link]

• Peep This (1994)
• Unpredictable (2005)
• Intuition (2008)
• Best Night of My Life (2010)

Hosted Mixtapes

• Young Buck - Chronic 2006

Tours[link]

• The Unpredictable Tour (2006)
• The Blame It Tour (2009)

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Television Awards

• Image Awards
  • 1998, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: The Jamie Foxx Show
  • 1999, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: The Jamie Foxx Show (nominated)
  • 2000, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: The Jamie Foxx Show (nominated)
  • 2001, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: The Jamie Foxx Show (nominated)

Music awards

• American Music Awards
  • 2009, Favorite R&B/Soul Male Artist (nominated)
  • 2006, Favorite R&B/Soul Male Artist (winner)
  • 2006, Favorite R&B/Soul Album: Unpredictable (nominated)

• BET Awards
  • 2006, Best Male R&B Artist (nominated)
  • 2006, Best Collaboration ("Unpredictable") with Ludacris (nominated)
  • 2009, Best Collaboration ("Blame It") with T-Pain (Winner)
  • 2009, Video of the Year: ("Blame It") (nominated)
  • 2009, Best Male R&B Artist (nominated)

• Grammy Awards
  • 2010, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group ("Blame It") with T-Pain (winner)
  • 2010, Best Contemporary R&B Album (Intuition) (nominated)
  • 2010, Best R&B Song ("Blame It") (nominated)
  • 2007, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Unpredictable") with Ludacris (nominated)
  • 2007, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group ("Georgia") with Ludacris & Field Mob (nominated)
  • 2007, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group ("Love Changes") with Mary J. Blige (nominated)
  • 2007, Best R&B Album (Unpredictable) (nominated)
  • 2006, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Slow Jamz") with Twista & Kanye West (nominated)
  • 2006, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance ("Creepin") (nominated)

• Image Awards
  • 2009, Outstanding Male Artist (winner)
  • 2006, Outstanding Male Artist (winner)

• MOBO Awards
  • 2006, Best R&B Act (nominated)

• MTV Video Music Awards
  • 2006, Best Hip-Hop Video: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)
  • 2006, Best Ringtone: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)
  • 2006, Best R&B Video: "Unpredictable" featuring Ludacris (nominated)
  • 2004, MTV2 Award: "Slow Jamz" with Twista & Kanye West (nominated)

• Soul Train Awards
  • 2009, Record of the Year: "Blame It" (winner)
  • 2009, Album of the Year: Intuition (nominated)
  • 2007, Best R&B/Soul Album, Male: Unpredictable (winner)
  • 2006, Best Music Video: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (winner)
  • 2006, Best R&B/Soul Dance Cut: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)

• Vibe Awards
  • 2005, Best Collabo: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)
  • 2004, Best Collabo: "Slow Jamz" with Twista & Kanye West (nominated)

Movie/TV Awards

• Academy Awards
  • 2004, Nominated Best Supporting Actor – Collateral
  • 2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

• BAFTA Awards
  • 2005, Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Ray
  • 2004, Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Collateral

• BET Awards
  • 2006, Nominated Best Actor
  • 2005, Won Best Actor

• Black Movie Awards
  • 2006, Nominated Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Jarhead

• Black Reel Awards
  • 2007, Nominated – Best Actor – Dreamgirls
  • 2005, Won Best Actor, Drama – Ray
  • 2004, Won Best Actor – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)
  • 2004, Won Best Supporting Actor – Collateral
  • 2004, Nominated – Best Actor, Musical or Comedy – Breakin' All the Rules
  • 2002, Won Theatrical – Best Supporting Actor – Ali
  • 2000, Nominated – Best Supporting Actor – Any Given Sunday

• Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
  • 2000, Nominated – Favorite Supporting Actor – Drama – Any Given Sunday

• Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
  • 2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

• Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
  • 2005, Won Critics Choice Award Best Actor – Ray
  • 2004, Nominated Critics Choice Award Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

• Florida Film Critics Circle Awards
  • 2004, Won FFCC Award Best Actor – Ray

• Golden Globes
  • 2005, Won Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy – Ray
  • 2004, Nominated Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)
  • 2004, Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Collateral

• Hollywood Film Festival
  • 2004, Won Hollywood Breakthrough Award Breakthrough Actor

• Image Awards
  • 2007, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture – Dreamgirls
  • 2005, Won Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture – Ray
  • 2004, Won Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)
  • 2004, Nominated Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Collateral
  • 2002, Won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Ali
  • 2001, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – "The Jamie Foxx Show"
  • 2000, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – "The Jamie Foxx Show"
  • 1999, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – "The Jamie Foxx Show"
  • 1998, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

• Independent Spirit Awards
  • 2005, Nominated Best Male Lead – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

• Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
  • 2005, Won Best Actor – Ray (2004/I)

• Kids' Choice Awards
  • 2001, Nominated Favorite Television Actor – "The Jamie Foxx Show"
  • 2000, Nominated Favorite Television Actor – "The Jamie Foxx Show"

• Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards
  • 2005, Won Sierra Award Best Actor – Ray

• London Critics Circle Film Awards
  • 2005, Won ALFS Award Actor of the Year – Ray

• MTV Movie Awards
  • 2005, Nominated Best Male Performance – Ray
  • 2000, Nominated Breakthrough Male Performance – Any Given Sunday

• MovieGuide Awards
  • 2005, Won Grace Award Most Inspiring Television Acting – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

• National Board of Review
  • 2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

• National Society of Film Critics Awards
  • 2005, Won Best Actor – Ray

• Online Film Critics Society Awards
  • 2005, Nominated Best Actor – Ray
  • 2004, Won Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

• People's Choice Awards
  • 2008, Nominated Favorite Leading Man
  • 2006, Nominated Favorite Leading Man

• Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
  • 2004, Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Ray

• Prism Awards
  • 2005, Won Performance in a Feature Film – Ray

• Satellite Awards
  • 2005, Won Golden Satellite Award Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)
  • 2004, Won Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical – Ray
  • 2004, Nominated Golden Satellite Award Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama – Collateral

• Screen Actors Guild Awards
  • 2007, Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture – Dreamgirls
  • 2005, Won Actor Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role – Ray
  • 2004, Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture – Ray
  • 2004, Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Collateral
  • 2004, Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries – Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)

• Seattle Film Critics Awards
  • 2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

• Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards
  • 2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

• TV Land Awards
  • 2007, Nominated Little Screen/Big Screen Star
  • 2006, Nominated Little Screen/Big Screen Star

• Teen Choice Awards
  • 2007, Nominated Choice Movie: Liplock – Dreamgirls
  • 2005, Nominated Choice Movie Actor: Drama – Ray

• Vancouver Film Critics Circle
  • 2005, Won Best Actor – Ray

• Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards
  • 2004, Won Best Actor – Ray
  • 2004, Won Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

• Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Award
  • 2005, co-recipient, Crystal Award^[29]

See also[link]

• List of Black Golden Globe Award winners and nominees

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jamie Foxx

• Official website
• Official Jamie Foxx Music Site
• Jamie Foxx at the Internet Movie Database

Amanda Palmer
Palmer playing at the Music Box Theatre, Hollywood, California; December 2008.
Background information
Birth name	Amanda MacKinnon Palmer
Also known as	Amanda Fucking Palmer[1][2]
Born	(1976-04-30) April 30, 1976 (age 36) New York City
Genres	Alternative rock, punk cabaret
Occupations	Artist, performer, musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, keyboard, piano, ukulele
Years active	1989–present
Labels	8ft Records / Formerly Roadrunner Records (until April 2010)[3]
Associated acts	The Dresden Dolls Evelyn Evelyn
Website	Amanda Palmer.net

Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer^[4] (born April 30, 1976), sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer,^[1][2] is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls.^[5] She has since started a solo career, and is also one half of the duo Evelyn Evelyn.

Biography[link]

Palmer was born in New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital,^[6] and grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts.^[7] She attended Lexington High School, where she was involved in the drama department,^[8] and attended Wesleyan University^[9] where she was a member of the Eclectic Society.^[10] She staged performances based on work by the Legendary Pink Dots, an early influence, and was involved in the Legendary Pink Dots electronic mailing list, Cloud Zero.^{[citation needed]} She then formed the Shadowbox Collective, devoted to street theatre and putting on theatrical shows (such as the 2002 play, Hotel Blanc,^[11] which she directed).

With an interest in the performing arts, both in music and in theatre, Palmer spent time busking as a living statue called "The Eight Foot Bride" in Harvard Square, Cambridge; Edinburgh, Scotland; Australia (where she met Jason Webley);^[12] as well as many other locations. She references this line of work on The Dresden Dolls' self-titled CD, with the song "The Perfect Fit":

"I can paint my face
And stand very, very still
It's not very practical
But it still pays the bills"

as well as on the A is for Accident track "Glass Slipper":

"I give out flowers
To curious strangers
who throw dollars at my feet."

The Dresden Dolls[link]

Amanda Palmer performing with The Dresden Dolls at Kings Arms Tavern in Auckland, New Zealand, September 2006

At a Halloween party in 2000, Palmer met drummer Brian Viglione and afterwards they formed The Dresden Dolls. In an effort to expand the performance experience and interactivity, Palmer began inviting Lexington High School students to perform drama pieces at her live shows. The Dirty Business Brigade, a troupe of seasoned and new artists, performed at many gigs. The invited costumed characters mingled with the crowd before and during the show, and veteran groups sometimes joined in with a choreographed stage act. Life-sized marionettes, coin-operated boys, living statues, and other undergroundlings greeted fans while circus and burlesque drew the audience into the Dolls' music, creating a participatory atmosphere that allowed the audience to experience numerous types of art simultaneously.

After developing a cult following, the band recorded their eponymous debut album, The Dresden Dolls in 2002 with producer Martin Bisi (of Indie, Brooklyn, New York fame). They produced the album before being picked up by Roadrunner Records.

In 2006, The Dresden Dolls Companion,^[13] was published, with words, music & artwork by Amanda Palmer.^[13] In it she has written a history of the album The Dresden Dolls and of the duo, as well as a partial autobiography. The book also contains the lyrics, sheet music, and notes on each song in the album, all written by Palmer, as well as a DVD with a 20 minute interview of Amanda about making the book.

In June 2007, as part of the Dresden Dolls, she toured with the True Colors Tour 2007,^[14] including her debut in New York City's Radio City Music Hall,^[15] and her first review in the New York Times.^[15]

July 2008 saw the release of the second Dresden Dolls book, the Virginia Companion.^[16] It is a follow-up to The Dresden Dolls Companion, featuring the music and lyrics from the Yes, Virginia...(2006) and No, Virginia... (2008) albums.

The Onion Cellar and Cabaret[link]

Palmer conceived the musical/production The Onion Cellar, based on a short story from The Tin Drum by Günter Grass. From December 9, 2006 through January 13, 2007, The Dresden Dolls performed the piece in conjunction with the American Repertory Theater at the Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While Palmer was openly frustrated with the direction of the show, fan and critical reviews were very positive.^[17][18]

Palmer, as part of her solo career, returned to the A.R.T. in fall 2010 for a two-month run of Cabaret, starring as the Emcee.^{[citation needed]}

2010 Reunion Tour[link]

In 2010, a reunion tour to selected venues in the United States occurred. It started on Halloween in New York City and ended in San Francisco on New Years Eve.^[19]

Solo career[link]

Palmer (left) as one half of Evelyn Evelyn, with Jason Webley.

Palmer's solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, was released on September 16, 2008.^[20] Ben Folds produced and also played on the album.^[21][22] The title is a play on an expression used by fans during Twin Peaks' original run, "Who killed Laura Palmer?" A companion book of photos of Palmer looking as if she were murdered was released in July 2009 featuring photography by Kyle Cassidy and accompanying writing by Neil Gaiman.

August Strindberg was indirectly referenced in a song by Palmer titled "Strength Through Music," which contains an audio clip of a web cartoon called Strindberg and Helium. The cartoon almost exclusively quotes Strindberg's work.

In July 2007, Palmer played three sold out shows (in Boston, Hoboken, and NYC) in a rare "with band" format. Her backing band was Boston alternative rock group Aberdeen City, who also opened along with Dixie Dirt. In August 2007, Amanda traveled to perform in the Spiegeltent and other venues at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, and also performed on BBC Two's The Edinburgh Show. She collaborated with Australian theater company, The Danger Ensemble; both again appeared at the Spiegeltent in Melbourne and at other venues around Australia in December 2007. In September 2007 Palmer collaborated with Jason Webley to release Evelyn Evelyn's debut EP "Elephant Elephant" via Jason's Eleven Records. In June 2008, Palmer established her solo career with two well-received performances with the Boston Pops.^[23][24][25] In Autumn 2008, she toured Europe with Jason Webley, Zoe Keating and The Danger Ensemble, performing songs mostly from her debut solo album. She did most of the shows with a broken foot she had sustained in Ireland when a car ran over her foot as she stepped out into a street.^[26] In April 2009, she played at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.^[15]

In 2009, Palmer went back to her alma mater, Lexington High School in Massachusetts to collaborate with her old director and mentor Steven Bogart on a workshop piece for the department's spring production. The play, With The Needle That Sings In Her Heart was inspired by Neutral Milk Hotel's album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and The Diary of Anne Frank.^[27] It received an overwhelmingly positive response from the Lexington community and abroad. NPR's Avishay Artsy interviewed the cast in a piece featured on All Things Considered on closing night of the production.^[28] Amanda described this process as "what it's all about" in her blog.^{[citation needed]}

From August to October 2010, she performed in Cabaret at the A.R.T. in Boston, Massachusetts. She played the emcee, collaborating with long-time associates Lance Horne (music director), Steven Mitchell Wright of The Danger Ensemble ("movement master/choreographer"), and Steven Bogart (director, Amanda's high school drama teacher who directed the Lexington High School production of the Neutral Milk Hotel-inspired "With the Needle That Sings In Her Heart").^[29][30][31]

Palmer has increasingly used the ukulele in her career,^[32] including free ninja gigs in public locations, that are open to all ages.^{[citation needed]}

On February 9, 2012, Palmer announced on her blog^[33] that she will begin recording a new solo album in collaboration with The Grand Theft Orchestra, under the name of 'Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra'. Palmer stated that there are "20+ songs" ready to record, and that "almost all of them have never been heard". The album is to be recorded in Melbourne with John Congleton producing.^[33]

Use of the Internet[link]

Palmer is noted for her use of the Internet, regularly using the latest innovations to make new fans and connect with old ones. This includes her forum,^[34] her blog,^[35] use of many free music and social networking sites, fund raising, and direct-to-fan marketing.^[36]

Controversies[link]

Dispute with Roadrunner Records, fans' "ReBellyon"[link]

Photo taken during her 2008 tour promoting Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

After the release of her music video for the song "Leeds United," Palmer sparked controversy with a post in her blog. She claimed Roadrunner Records had wanted to pull certain shots from the video that exposed her stomach, because "...they thought I looked fat." After her fans read about this, they posted pictures of their stomachs online with messages to Roadrunner, lyrics, and words of comfort. They then sent their pictures to the record label, and started a web site.^{[citation needed]} The fans coined a term for the movement: The ReBellyon, and put together a book, "The Belly Book," of over 600 pictures and stories from fans. The book was sold over the internet to fans all over the world.^[37] Pitchfork Magazine^[38] and The Guardian^[39] were among publications reporting on the controversy.

Partly because of the Leeds video controversy,^{[citation needed]} Palmer attempted to disengage from her contract with Roadrunner Records, going as far as composing and performing a song called "Please Drop Me," which asked the label to free her from the contract.^[40][41]

After a long legal battle between Palmer and Roadrunner, and her repetitive pleas to discontinue her contract with Roadrunner, Palmer announced^[3] that Roadrunner Records finally released her from their label. Her appreciation was punctuated with another new song: "Do You Swear to Tell the Truth the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth So Help Your Black Ass" as a free download to celebrate her new freedom. She repeated the announcement during an appearance on the Australian music quiz show Spicks and Specks.^[42]

"Oasis" controversy[link]

Palmer's song "Oasis" and its follow-up video sparked more controversy. The song's fictional story deals with an Oasis fan and rape victim who has an abortion. Despite these tragic events, she states that "I've seen better days, but I don't care", and directly after, informs the listener what just happened involving her process of communicating to Oasis through fan mail, first, "I just sent a letter in the mail", then, "Oasis got my letter in the mail", and finally, toward the end of the song, "I just got a letter in the mail."^[43] Palmer received an e-mail while she was in the United Kingdom from her label there explaining that "all" of the TV outlets in the country had refused to play the video due to its "making light of rape, religion, and abortion." Palmer, in response, wrote on her blog "I suggested that I might be allowed to play it if I just slowed it way down and played it in a minor key. Think about it. If they heard the same lyrics against the backdrop of a very sad and liliting [sic] piano, maybe with some tear-jerking strings thrown in for good measure, would they take issue?"^[44]

"I Kissed a Girl" skit[link]

In December 2008, Palmer performed an Anti Proposition 8 agitprop skit at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles where a Katy Perry look-alike came onstage and began singing her controversial song "I Kissed a Girl," only to be interrupted, kissed, and fondled by Palmer and comedian Margaret Cho. The skit ended with the two binding and gagging "Perry," who is forced into a mock wedding with Palmer, followed by the raising of an anti Proposition 8 banner. Palmer mentioned, on her blog, the discontent some in the LGBT community had with Perry over her exploitation of their identity in her song "I Kissed a Girl," and said she meant the piece as a protest against Proposition 8.^[45][46]

Personal life[link]

Palmer resides in Boston, Massachusetts.

She has identified as bisexual,^[47] telling afterellen.com in 2007: "I'm bisexual, but it's not the sort of thing I spent a lot of time thinking about," Palmer said. "I've slept with girls; I've slept with guys, so I guess that's what they call it! I'm not anti trying to use language to simplify our lives."^[48] On her blog, Palmer has stated that she had an abortion at age 17. In the same blog post, she stated that she was date raped when she was 20 years old.^[49]

Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman (Vienna 2011)

On January 1, 2010, she stated on her Twitter feed that she "might have told [Neil Gaiman] [she]'d marry him but also might have been drunk."^[50] On January 15, 2010, Neil Gaiman and Palmer confirmed their engagement in an announcement made to their respective websites.^[51][52] On November 16, 2010, Amanda Palmer hosted a flash mob wedding (not legally binding) for Gaiman's birthday in New Orleans.^[53] On January 3, 2011, the couple announced, via Twitter, that they had legally married in a private ceremony.^[54] The wedding took place in the parlour of writers Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon.^[55]

Palmer practices meditation and wrote an article titled "Melody vs. Meditation"^[56] for the Buddhist publication Shambhala Sun, that described the struggle between songwriting and being able to clear the mind to meditate. Palmer has also mentioned her pescetarianism on her blog.^[57] She has many friends who are fellow musicians, and frequently performs alongside them, either accompanying them in their performances, or featuring them in her live shows.^{[original research?]} These performers include: Jason Webley, Kim Boekbinder, The Jane Austen Argument, Reggie Watts, Tim Minchin, Mikelangelo, Meow Meow and Neil Gaiman.^{[citation needed]}

Awards & honors[link]

• 2012 – Twitter Feed @amandapalmer in the Boston Phoenix's Best 2012 ^[58]
• 2011 – Actress in a local production: Cabaret – Boston's Best, Improper Bostonian^[59]
• 2010 – Artist of the Year – Boston Music Awards^[60][61][62]
• 2010 – Cover of Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead) named 13th of Paste Magazine's 20 Best Cover Songs of 2010^[63]
• 2009 – No. 100 on After Ellen's Hot 100 of 2009.^[64]
• 2008 – No. 6 on the Best Solo artist list in The Guardian's Readers' Poll of 2008.^[65]
• 2007 – No. 6 on Spinner.com's Women Who Rock Right Now.^[66]
• 2006 – the Boston Globe named her the most stylish woman in Boston.^[67]
• 2006 – listed in Blender Magazine's hottest women of rock.^[68]
• 2005 – Best Female Vocalist in the WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll.^[69][70]

Discography[link]

Solo artist[link]

Demos[link]

• Songs from 1989–1995... (1996)
• Summer 1998 Five Song Demo (1997)

Studio albums[link]

• Who Killed Amanda Palmer (2008) No. 77 US^[71]
• Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under (2011)^[72]
• Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra (2012)^[73]