Ahmed Ahmed أحمد أحمد
Ahmed at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	(1970-06-27) June 27, 1970 (age 41) Helwan, Egypt
Medium	Stand-up
Years active	1989–present
Genres	Observational comedy, Satire
Subject(s)	Racism/Race relations, Islamophobia, Muslim-Americans

Ahmed Ahmed (Arabic: أحمد أحمد‎, IPA: [ˈæħmæd]; born June 27, 1970) is an Egyptian American actor and comedian.

Early life[link]

Ahmed Ahmed was born in Helwan, Egypt. His family came to the United States when he was one month old^[1] and he grew up in Riverside, California.

Career[link]

Ahmed Ahmed moved to Hollywood when he was 19 years old to pursue a career as an actor and stand-up comedian, and he has been working there ever since.

He has appeared in several films and television shows such as Executive Decision, Swingers, Tracey Takes On, Roseanne, JAG, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central, and MTV's Punk'd with Ashton Kutcher. He would later joke about his part in Executive Decision in his standup routine for the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour. He has also appeared on CNN, The View, and National Public Radio, and was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal in December 2001, as well as in Newsweek. He was featured in the PBS television documentary America at a Crossroads series in "STAND UP: Muslim American Comics Come of Age", an episode about Muslim American comedians.

Ahmed Ahmed is a regular performer at The Comedy Store in Hollywood and tours all across the US and Europe. He was the winner of the first annual Richard Pryor Award for ethnic comedy at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland in the summer of 2004. Ahmed is currently with the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour. He was also a notable guest for Axis of Justice which is a rock and heavy metal concert which fights for social justice.

Personal life[link]

Ahmed says his role models include his parents, Muhammad Ali, Mitzi Shore, and friend Vince Vaughn.^[2]

Following 9/11, and through 2004, Ahmed Ahmed and the comedian Rabbi Bob Alper toured the USA with their ground-breaking show "One Arab, One Jew, One Stage" about interfaith harmony and essential human dignity.^[3]

Filmography[link]

• City of Life (2009) .... Nasser
• The Legend of Awesomest Maximus (2008) .... Slick Slave Trader
• Iron Man (2008) .... Ahmed
• The Onion Movie (2008) .... Ahmed
• Knight Fever (2008) (in production)
• You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008) .... Waleed
• Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005) .... Escort
• JAG .... Jalal Sharif (1 episode, 2005)
• All In (2005/I) .... Amir
• Girlfriends" (1 episode, 2001) - Bad Timing (2001)
• Roseanne .... Hakeem (1 episode, 1996) - Roseambo (1996) .... Hakeem
• Swingers (1996) .... Party Mystery Guy
• Executive Decision (1996) .... Terrorist
• Steel Sharks (1996) .... Lt. Noussavi
• Virtuosity (1995) .... Cameraman

Self[link]

• America at a Crossroads: "STAND UP: Muslim American Comics Come of Age" (2008) .... Himself
• The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour (2007) (V) .... Himself
• I Am Ahmed Ahmed (2006) (TV)
• Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland (2006) .... Himself
• Last Call with Carson Daly ..... Himself (1 episode, 2006)
• National Lampoon Live: The International Show (2004) (TV) .... Himself
• Punk'd (2003) TV Series .... Field Agent (unknown episodes, 2003)
• Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn .... Himself (1 episode, 2003)
• The View .... Himself (2 episodes, 2001)
• Hey Hey it's Saturday .... Himself (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ahmed Ahmed at the Internet Movie Database
• Ahmed Ahmed at AllRovi
• Ahmed Ahmed Official Website
• Ahmed Ahmed on Myspace
• Time magazine article about Ahmed Ahmed and his comedy act
• BBC article on Ahmed Ahmed as winner of Richard Pryor award
• Ahmed Ahmed featured in the Cultural Connect

Dean Obeidallah
Born	Lodi, New Jersey, United States
Medium	Stand-up, Television, Theatre
Nationality	American
Years active	1990s - present
Genres	Satire/Political satire, Observational comedy, Muslim comedy
Subject(s)	American politics, American culture, current events, Middle East
Influences	Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks, George Carlin
Website	www.deanofcomedy.com

Dean Obeidallah (Arabic: دين عبيدالله‎) is a Palestinian-American/Italian-American comedian. He was born in Lodi, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby Paramus.^[1] His father was born in Battir, a small village near Bethlehem in what was then Palestine; his mother's parents were born in Sicily. He is part of a small but growing number of Middle Eastern-American comedians who have increasingly received media attention in the past few years, as they use comedy to both entertain and dispel negative stereotypes of Middle Eastern-Americans and Muslims.

Obeidallah and other Arab-American comics have been compared to the groundbreaking minority comedians of the 1960's and 1970's who have used comedy to raise political and social issues in an effort to change them as noted by The Baltimore Sun's David Zurawik:

"Just as comic Lenny Bruce battled the stifling conformity of the 1950s or Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor challenged racism in the '60s and '70s, these performers now are challenging mainstream notions about their ethnic, religious and racial groups."^[2]

In 2005, Obeidallah received the first “Spirit of Bill Hicks” award, named in honor of comedian Bill Hicks for “thought provoking comedy” from the NY Underground Comedy Festival and the Hicks’ family. He co-produced with the Emmy Award winning comedy writer and best-selling author Max Brooks a new show entitled The Watch List for Comedy Central's Internet channel. This was the first show ever produced by a major American entertainment company to showcase all Middle Eastern-American performers. Obeidallah has also appeared on Comedy Central on the critically acclaimed "Axis of Evil" Comedy special.^[3]

Dean is the founder and editor of the blog The Dean's Report which addresses topics of the day.

He is also the co-founder of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival. This highly-acclaimed, first of its kind festival has received national and international media coverage. It is held annually in New York City and showcases Arab-American comics, actors, playwrights and filmmakers. The 8th annual Festival was held in October 2011.^[4]

Obeidallah is the co-creator of Stand up for Peace which he performs across the country with Jewish-American comedian Scott Blakeman. Stand Up for Peace brings Arab-Americans, Muslims and Jews together through comedy in the hopes of fostering understanding and supporting a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Dean has also been featured on numerous national and international television programs including Comedy Central's "Axis of Evil" special and The Watch List, ABC's The View, NBC's "Rock Center," Current TV's "Young Turks," MSNBC's "Up with Chris Hayes," "Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen," PBS' Newshour with Jim Lehrer, ABC's 20/20, CNN's "Inside the Middle East" and Japan's NHK. He can also be seen in the PBS' documentary, "Stand Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age"PBS Programs. Dean can also be seen in the bonus feature of the DVD version of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" in the section entitled: Arab-American comedians. He has also been featured in various publications and radio networks including The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, "The Washington Post," The Los Angeles Times, NPR, BBC, Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman, and The Associated Press.

Dean served as the Executive Producer of the Amman Stand up Comedy Festival held in Amman, Jordan from December 2–6, 2008.^[5] This was the first stand up comedy festival in the history of the Middle East. The third annual Festival was held December 4 to 10, 2010.

He is currently producing a documentary with comedian/filmmaker Negin Farsad entitled "The Muslims Are Coming!" focusing on freedom of religion for all Americans. The film focuses on a free stand up comedy tour by American-Muslim comedians across the South and West. it also features celebrity interviews with a wide range of people including The Daily Show's Jon Stewart, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, CNN's Soledad O'Brien and Ali Velshi, Congressman Keith Ellison, comedians Lewis Black, David Cross, Colin Quinn, Lizz Winstead and others.

In addition to appearing at hundreds of comedy clubs and colleges across the United States, Obeidallah has performed stand-up comedy in Canada and in the Middle East in Amman, Dubai,^[6] Beirut, Cairo, Haifa, Oman, Sharm El Sheikh and Ramallah.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Dean Obeidallah's official website
• Dean Obeidallah at the Internet Movie Database
• Dean Obeidallah on Facebook
• Dean Obeidallah on Twitter
• Dean Obeidallah on Myspace
• NY Arab-American Comedy Festival official website
• Stand up for Peace website
• Interview from 2002
• Comedy Central's "The Watch List" Home page
• Newsweek article about Dean Obeidallah
• Profile of Dean Obeidallah at the Institute for Middle East Understanding
• PBS documentary which aired May 11, 2008 featuring Dean Obeidallah entitled: "Stand Up Comics: Muslim-American Comedians Come of Age"
• Video (and audio) of interview/discussion with Dean Obeidallah on Bloggingheads.tv
• Photo gallery: Dean Onnual Arab-American Comedy Festival in New York
• NPR article "Muslim Comedian Aims at Breaking Stereotypes"
• AND Magazine interview "The Muslims Are Coming!"

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2012)

Maysoon Zayid (Arabic: ميسون زايد‎) is an actress, comedian and activist. She was born in New Jersey in 1974.^[1] She described herself in a BBC interview as "a Palestinian Muslim virgin with cerebral palsy, from New Jersey, who is an actress, comedian and activist".^[2] Zayid has been a resident of Cliffside Park, New Jersey.^[3] She is considered one of America's first Muslim women comedians and the first person ever to perform standup in Palestine and Jordan.^[4]

Acting career[link]

Zayid earned her BFA in acting from Arizona State University. She started her acting career by appearing on the popular soap opera As the World Turns for two years, as well as guest appearances on Law & Order, NBC Nightly News and ABC's 20/20.^[5] Zayid also had a role in the 2008 Adam Sandler film, You Don't Mess with the Zohan.

Little American Whore[link]

In the fall of 2006, Maysoon debuted her one-woman show Little American Whore (LAW) at Los Angeles's Comedy Central stage; it was produced and directed by Kathy Najimy. In 2008, LAW's screenplay was chosen for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. Production began with Maysoon as the lead in the fall of 2009.

Stand-up comedy career[link]

During her early acting experiences, she found her disability and ethnicity repeatedly limiting to her advancement.^[6] Zayid then turned to stand-up and began appearing at New York's top clubs, including Caroline's, Gotham, and Stand Up NY, where she takes on serious topics such as terrorism and the Israel-Palestine conflict.

She co-founded the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival in 2003 with comedian Dean Obeidallah.^[7] This highly acclaimed, first-of-its-kind festival has received national and international media coverage. It is held annually in New York City and showcases Arab-American comics, actors, playwrights and filmmakers.

She usually tours by herself or as a special guest on the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour. She also co-hosts the radio show "Fann Majnoon" (Arabic: فن مجنون‎) (Crazy Art) with Obeidallah.

Maysoon can also be seen in the upcoming documentary, The Muslims are Coming!, which features a group of Muslim American stand up comedians touring the United States in an effort to counter Islamophobia. The film also features various celebrities including Jon Stewart, David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, Rachel Maddow and many more!

Charity work[link]

Zayid spends three months a year in the Palestinian territories, running an arts program for disabled and orphaned children in refugee camps. She helps the children use art to deal with trauma and bridge the gap between disabled and non-disabled children. Eighty percent of the funding for the camps comes from her comedy work.^[8]

References[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)

Aron Kader is a comedian of Palestinian and American heritage. He is one of four members of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour. He has performed in the New York Arab American Comedy Festival, started by fellow tour member Dean Obeidallah.^[1] Comedians from the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour such as Ahmed Ahmed were included on the DVD release of Micheal Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11. He also acted on the pilot Beverly Hills S.U.V. Aron can also be seen in the upcoming documentary, The Muslims are Coming!, which features a group of Muslim American comedians touring the United States in an effort to counter Islamophobia. The film also features various celebrities including Jon Stewart, David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, Rachel Maddow and many others!

In February 2009 he organized the Comedy Cafe as part of the Dubai Shopping Festival. Over a period of four weeks he offered workshops to aspiring Middle East comics and held headline shows each Saturday that brought together Axis of Evil comedians and other Arab, Middle Eastern and Iranian comics.^[2]

In March 2012 Kader returned to Dubai to host a special comedy workshop to find two opening acts for his comedy show 'Aron Kader of Axis of Evil: Live in Dubai' on April 1st.

Aron Kader can be seen performing regularly at his hometown club, the Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

References[link]

1. ^ How to Advance and Win at a Comedy Competition
2. ^ Radsch, Courtney (Feb. 16, 2009). "Stand-up comedy takes the Arab world by storm". Al Arabiya (AlArabiya.net/English). http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/02/16/66594.html. Retrieved February 16, 2009. 

External links[link]

• AronKader.com
• Aron Kader at the Internet Movie Database
• Aron Kader on Twitter
• Profile on Aron Kader at the Institute for Middle East Understanding
• The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour DVD (Ahmed Ahmed, Aron Kader, Maz Jobrani, and Dean Obeidallah) (2006)

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Kate Hudson
Hudson after an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, July 2006
Born	Kate Garry Hudson (1979-04-19) April 19, 1979 (age 33) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1996–present
Spouse	Chris Robinson (2000-2007)
Partner	Matthew Bellamy (2010-present)
Children	2
Parents	Bill Hudson, Goldie Hawn
Relatives	Oliver Hudson (brother)

Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress. She came to prominence in 2001 after winning a Golden Globe and receiving several nominations, including a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Almost Famous. She then starred in the hit film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) which gained her wider fame. She has since established herself in Hollywood after starring in several productions including Raising Helen (2004), The Skeleton Key (2005), You, Me and Dupree (2006), Fool's Gold (2008) and Bride Wars (2009).

Early life[link]

Hudson was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Academy Award-winning actress Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson, an actor, comedian, and musician.^[1] Her parents divorced eighteen months after her birth; she and her brother, actor Oliver Hudson, were raised in Colorado by her mother and her mother's long-time boyfriend, actor Kurt Russell.^[2]

Hudson has stated that her biological father "doesn't know me from a hole in the wall", and that she considers Russell to be her father.^[3] Her biological father has indicated that he has made several efforts to connect with Kate and Oliver, but neither has reciprocated.^[4] Hudson has described her mother as "the woman that I've learned the most from, and who I look up to, who has conducted her life in a way that I can look up to".^[5] She has four half-siblings: Emily and Zachary Hudson, from her biological father's subsequent marriage to actress Cindy Williams; Lalania Hudson, from his relationship with another woman;^[4] and Wyatt, from her mother's relationship with Russell.

Hudson is of Italian (from her paternal grandmother),^[6] English, and Hungarian Jewish descent.^[7] She was raised in her maternal grandmother's Jewish religion.^[8][9] In 1997, she graduated from Crossroads, a college preparatory school in Santa Monica. She was accepted to New York University but chose to pursue an acting career instead of an undergraduate degree.^[2]

Career[link]

Hudson's breakthrough was as Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture.^[2] She had previously appeared in the lesser-known films Gossip, a teenage drama, and 200 Cigarettes, a New Year's-set comedy with a large cast of actors. Regarding her early career and success, Hudson has noted that she is a "hard worker", and did not want to be associated with her well-known parents, wishing to avoid the perception that she "rode on somebody's coattails".^[2]

In 2002, she starred in the remake of the historical romance The Four Feathers, a film which was not well-received by critics or audiences. Her next film, the romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, was a box office success, grossing over $100 million after its February 2003 release. Hudson subsequently appeared in several romantic comedies, including Alex and Emma and Raising Helen; the films met with varying degrees of success.

Hudson signing autographs in July 2006

Hudson headlined a thriller called The Skeleton Key in 2005. The film, which had a production budget of $43 million, enjoyed box office success, grossing over $91.9 million worldwide ($47.9 million in North America).^[10] Her later film, a comedy titled You, Me and Dupree and co-starring Owen Wilson and Matt Dillon, grossed $21.5 million on its opening weekend of July 14, 2006.^[11]

In 2007, Hudson directed the short film Cutlass, one of Glamour magazine's "Reel Moments" based on readers' personal essays. Cutlass co-stars Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Virginia Madsen, Chevy Chase and Kristen Stewart.^[12]

In 2008, she appeared in Fool's Gold, a romantic comedy released on February 8, and her second film to co-star Matthew McConaughey. She had been certified in scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef for the movie's underwater scenes. Also the same year, she appeared in another romantic comedy, My Best Friend's Girl, which was released in September.

Hudson next appeared in the musical film Nine, alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and Judi Dench. The film, directed by Rob Marshall, was released in December 2009. Hudson was critically acclaimed for her unknown dancing skills, showcased in a stylish 60's inspired original piece called "Cinema Italiano", which was written specifically for the film and for Hudson's character.

She starred in the film adaptation of Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me. The film premiered on January 24, 2010 at the Sundance Film Festival.

In 2011, she played Darcy in Something Borrowed, based on Emily Giffin's novel of the same name.

Personal life[link]

Hudson married Chris Robinson, the frontman for The Black Crowes, on December 31, 2000 in Aspen, Colorado. The couple lived in a house that was once owned by director James Whale and traveled together during Hudson's film shoots or Robinson's music tours.^[2] Hudson gave birth to son Ryder Russell Robinson in January 2004. On August 14, 2006, Hudson's publicist announced that Hudson and Robinson had separated. On November 18, 2006, Robinson filed divorce papers, citing "irreconcilable differences".^[13] The divorce was finalized on October 22, 2007.^[14]

In spring 2010, Hudson began dating Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy.^[15] In January 2011, it was announced Hudson and Bellamy were expecting a child.^[16][17] In February 2011, Hudson bought a house in London, England. A Daily Mail source reported that she plans to live in London with her partner six months a year.^[18] On April 27, 2011 on The Today Show she said that she and Matthew Bellamy got engaged the prior week. Their son Bingham Hawn Bellamy was born in July 2011.^[19][20]

Hudson has also said that she does not enjoy seeing herself on screen, specifying that she "gets cold... shakes and... sweats" when watching her performances for the first time.^[5]

In July 2006, Hudson sued the British version of the National Enquirer after it reported she had an eating disorder, describing her as "painfully thin". Hudson said the tabloid's statements were "a blatant lie" and she was concerned about the impact the false report could have on impressionable young women.^[21] The newspaper apologized and compensated her.^[22]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Television[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Kate Hudson

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kate Hudson

• Kate Hudson at the Internet Movie Database
• Kate Hudson at People.com