A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species, and arrived at through selective breeding. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted definition of the term.^[1] A breed is therefore not an objective or biologically verifiable classification, but instead a term of art amongst groups of breeders who share a consensus around what qualities make some members of a given species members of a nameable subset.^[2] The term is distinguished from landrace, which refers to a naturally-occurring regional variety of domestic (and sometimes feral) animal through uncontrolled breeding.

When bred together, animals of the same breed pass on these predictable traits to their offspring, and this ability—known as "breeding true"—is a requirement for a breed. Plant breeds are more commonly known as cultivars. The offspring produced as a result of breeding animals of one breed with other animals of another breed are known as crossbreeds or mixed breeds. Crosses between animal or plant variants above the level of breed/cultivar (species, subspecies, botanical variety, even different genera) are referred to as hybrids.^[3]

Breeders[link]

The breeder or breeders who initially establish a breed, do so by selecting individual animals from within the groups gene pool that they see as having the necessary qualities needed to enhance the breed model they are aiming for. These animals are referred to as “breed foundation”, or “breed origination”. Further, the breeder mates the most desirable from his point of view representatives, aiming to pass such characteristics to their progeny. This process is known as selective breeding. A written description of desirable and undesirable breed representatives is referred to as a breed standard.

Breed characteristics[link]

Breed specific characteristics also known as breed traits are inherited, and purebred animals pass such traits from generation to generation. Thus, all specimens of the same breed carry several genetic characteristics of the original foundation animal(s). In order to maintain the breed, a breeder would select those animals with the most desirable traits, to achieve further maintenance and developing of such traits. At the same time, avoiding animals carrying characteristics, not typical and/or undesirable for the breed, known as faults or genetic defects. The population within the same breed consists of a sufficient number of animals to maintain the breed within the specified parameters without the necessity of forced inbreeding. The breed includes several bloodlines that can be interbred to sustain the breed in whole without weakening the gene pool.

Domestic animal breeds commonly differ from country to country, and from nation to nation. Breeds originating in a certain country are known as "native breeds" of that country.

Domestic animal breeds[link]

See also[link]

• Cultivar
• Landrace
• Purebred
• Race (biology)
• Selective breeding
• Subspecies
• Variety (plant)

References[link]

Michelle Rodriguez
Rodriguez at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2010.
Born	Mayte Michelle Rodríguez (1978-07-12) July 12, 1978 (age 33)[1] San Antonio, Texas, US
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present
Website
www.michelle-rodriguez.com

Mayte Michelle Rodríguez^[2] (born July 12, 1978),^[1] known professionally as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress. Following on from her breakthrough role in 2000's Girlfight, she is best known for playing tough-girl roles and starring in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious (2001), Resident Evil (2002), S.W.A.T. (2003), Avatar (2009), Machete (2010) and Battle: Los Angeles (2011), as well as for her role as Ana Lucia Cortez in the television series Lost (2005–2006, 2009, 2010).

Early life[link]

Michelle Rodriguez was born in San Antonio, Texas. Her mother, Carmen Milady (née Pared Espinal), is a native of the Dominican Republic, and her father, Rafael Rodriguez, is Puerto Rican and served in the United States Army.^[3][4][5] She has a total of ten siblings and half-siblings. She was partly raised by her devoutly religious maternal grandmother and was brought up a Jehovah's Witness (her mother's religion), though she has since abandoned that faith.^[6][7]

Rodriguez moved to the Dominican Republic with her mother when she was eight and lived in Puerto Rico until the age of eleven, later settling in Jersey City, New Jersey. She dropped out of high school but later earned her GED;^{[citation needed]} in total she was expelled from five schools.^[8] Rodriguez briefly attended business school before quitting to pursue a career in acting, with the ultimate goal of becoming a writer and director.^[9]

According to the PBS television show, Finding Your Roots with Dr. Louis Gates Jr., Rodriguez is 73% European, 23% African, and a tiny percentage of Indigenous.

Career[link]

Rodriguez at the New York Fashion Week, spring 2006

Having run across an ad for an open casting call and attending her first audition, Rodriguez beat 350 other applicants to win her first role in the low-budget 2000 independent film, Girlfight. With her performance as Diana Guzman, a troubled teen who decides to channel her aggression by training to become a boxer,^[10] Rodriguez accumulated several awards and nominations for the role in independent circles, including major acting accolades from the National Board of Review, Deauville Film Festival,^[11] Independent Spirit Awards,^[12] Gotham Awards,^[13] Las Vegas Film Critics Sierra Awards, and many others. The film itself took home a top prize at the Sundance^[14] and won Award of the Youth at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2002, she was also featured in Ja Rule's music video for his song Always On Time.

Subsequently, she has had notable roles in other successful movies, including The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil, Blue Crush, and S.W.A.T..^[15] In 2004, Rodriguez lent her voice to the video game Halo 2, playing a Marine.^[16] She also provided the voice of Liz Ricarro in the Cartoon Network series IGPX.^[17] From 2005 to 2006, she played tough cop Ana Lucia Cortez^[18] on the television series Lost during the show's second season (the character's first appearance was a flashback on season 1's finale, Exodus: Part 1), and returned for a cameo in the second episode of the show's fifth season The Lie in 2009 and again in the penultimate episode of the series What They Died For in 2010. In 2006, Rodriguez was featured in her own episode of G4's show Icons.^[19]

In 2008, she appeared in Battle in Seattle alongside Charlize Theron.^[20] Rodriguez next appeared in the fourth installment of the The Fast and the Furious franchise,^[21] which was titled simply Fast & Furious and released to theaters on April 3, 2009.^[22] Rodriguez starred in James Cameron's high-budget sci-fi adventure film Avatar, which was released to theaters on December 18, 2009. The film became the highest-grossing film in history and Rodriguez's most successful film to date. She has also expressed interest in returning for the film's two sequels.^[23][24]

She starred in Trópico de Sangre, an independent film based on the Dominican Republic's historic Mirabal sisters who were assassinated in 1960 by the Dominican dictator Trujillo for opposing his rule, the same year.^[25][26]

Michelle Rodriguez (left) and Aaron Eckhart (right), along with director Jonathan Liebesman at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International

In 2010, Rodriguez appeared in Robert Rodriguez's Machete, which also co-starred Danny Trejo, Robert DeNiro and Steven Seagal. The film was opened to mostly positive reviews and earned $44 million in the box-office on a $10 million budget.^[27] In 2011, she appeared with Aaron Eckhart in the science fiction film Battle: Los Angeles which grossed over $200 million in the worldwide box office.

As of July 20, 2010, Rodriguez's films have grossed $1,272,734,719 in the United States and $3,686,521,043 worldwide.^[28]

Typecast[link]

Following her debut in Girlfight, Rodriguez has consistently portrayed tough girl, tomboyish characters that operate in traditional male fields such as the police force or armed forces. Rodriguez says that she does not mind the typecasting, and in fact, is somewhat responsible for it:^[29]

Oh baby, I was typecast the minute I did a film called Girlfight years ago. That has nothing to do with anything, it just has to do with… you allow yourself to be typecast. If I decided I didn't want to be typecast tomorrow I'd just go do an indie film where I play some poor girl who goes through some excruciating experience and win myself an award for crying or being raped [breaks into laughter] or playing someone with mental illness. But at the end of the day I'm not in it for the acting. If I were in it for the acting then I would be worried about people not giving me the opportunity to express my vast array of emotions on the screen.

I could give two shits. I only wanna be someone I respect or someone that I consider interesting or fun. I'm here to entertain people and make a statement about female empowerment and strength and that's what I've done for the last 10 years, and people can call it typecast, but I pigeonholed myself and I put myself in that box for saying no to everything else that came on my plate. Saying no to the girlfriend, saying no to the girl that gets captured, no to this, no to that and eventually I just got left with the strong chick that's always being killed and there's nothing wrong with that.

Notable rankings[link]

Several times over the course of her career, she has been ranked in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World", Maxim's "100 Sexiest Women", and People en Español's "50 Más Bellos", and was ranked No.74 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2009".

Writing[link]

Rodriguez is currently working on two screenplays. One is a family film based on a concept which she describes as "a 2012 story about purity and animals and children"^[30] and the other is a revision of an American remake of the 1997 German film Bandits which she describes as a film "about four girls who break out of jail and get chased across the country by the feds and by this MTV-like representative".^[31]

Personal life[link]

A DNA test of Rodriguez, performed by the television program Finding Your Roots, on PBS, stated that her ancestry is 73% European, 23% African, and 4% Native American.^[32]. She also stated on the program that there was some racial conflict between her families since her Puerto Rican father, Rafael was light skinned and her Dominican mother, Carmen had a dark complexion.

Relationships[link]

Rodriguez in December 2009

In early 2000, Rodriguez broke off a near engagement to a Muslim boyfriend, citing opposition to religious requests he asked of her.^[33] She has since dated or reportedly been linked with her Fast and the Furious co-star Vin Diesel,^[34] and SWAT co-star Olivier Martinez.^[35][36]

In July 2006, Rodriguez told UK's Cosmopolitan magazine that she was not lesbian, but had "experimented with both sexes."^[37] In November 2006, her openly bisexual Bloodrayne co-star Kristanna Loken's comments to The Advocate were widely interpreted and reported by the media as an admission that the two were in a relationship, though the relationship was never officially confirmed by either actress.^[38]

In June 2007, the lesbian magazine Curve ran a cover story that claimed Rodriguez to be bisexual.^[39] Rodriguez criticized the magazine for this, asserting that the magazine "put words in (her) mouth".^[40] She again stated that she was not a lesbian in a November 2008 interview in the Dominican women's magazine Cayena.^[41]

Legal issues[link]

Between 2002 and 2008, Rodriguez was involved in a number of legal issues, mostly relating to charges of driving under the influence of alcohol.

In March 2002, Rodriguez was arrested for assault after getting into a fight with her roommate.^[42] The charges were later dropped after the roommate declined to press the allegations in court.^[43]

In November 2003, Rodriguez went to court to face eight misdemeanor charges based on two driving incidents including a hit and run and DUI.^[44] In June 2004, Rodriguez pleaded no contest in Los Angeles to three of the charges: hit and run, drunken driving, and driving with a suspended license.^[45] She went to jail for 48 hours, performed community service at the morgues of two New York hospitals, completed a three-month alcohol program, and was placed on probation for three years.^[46]

In 2005, while filming Lost in Hawaii, Rodriguez was pulled over by Honolulu police multiple times; she was cited for driving at 83 mph (134 km/h) in a 55 mph (89 km/h) zone on Oahu on November 1, and was fined $357, paid a $300 fine for driving 90 mph (140 km/h) in a 35 mph (56 km/h) zone on October 20, was fined $197 for going 80 mph (130 km/h) in a 50 mph (80 km/h) zone on August 24.^[47]

On December 1, 2005, Rodriguez was pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence.^[48] Rodriguez pleaded not guilty when arraigned,^[49] but on the day of her trial in April 2006, she pleaded guilty to one charge of driving under the influence. She chose to pay a $500 fine and spend five days in jail instead of doing 240 hours of community service.^[45] Rodriguez cited her high doses of allergy-relieving steroids as part of the reason for her erratic behavior.^[50] Because the Kailua incident was a violation of her Los Angeles probation, Rodriguez was sentenced to 60 days in jail, a 30 day alcohol rehabilitation program and another 30 days of community service, including work for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, by a judge in Los Angeles on May 1, 2006.^[51] Because of overcrowding, she was released from jail on the same day she entered. She wrote about the experience on her blog.^[52]

In September 2007 however, Rodriguez allegedly violated her probation by not completing her community service and not following an alcohol education program. It was reported that Rodriguez originally submitted a document stating she performed community service on September 5, 2006, but it was later confirmed she was actually in New York City that day. Her lawyer claimed it was a clerical error.^[53] On October 10, 2007, following a hearing, she was sentenced to 180 days jail time after agreeing to admit to violating her probation. She was expected to spend the full 180-day term in jail, as she had been deemed ineligible for work furloughs and house arrest.^[54] However, after turning herself in to begin the jail term at the Century Regional Detention Facility located in Lynwood, California on December 23, 2007,^[55] Rodriguez was released 18 days later on January 9, 2008 due to overcrowding.^[56]

Filmography[link]

This biographical section of an 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. (February 2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Michelle Rodriguez

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Michelle Rodriguez

• Official website
• Michelle Rodriguez at the Internet Movie Database

Note: For the correct names of offspring in the animal kingdom, see List of baby animal names.

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. (April 2011)

Baby Animals are a 1990s hard rock band from Australia.

Biography[link]

Early history[link]

The Baby Animals were formed in Sydney in 1989 by singer Suze DeMarchi, drummer Frank Celenza, guitarist Dave Leslie, and bassist Eddie Parise. De Marchi had previously recorded threes singles with EMI in the United Kingdom, and before that had played with Perth bands Photoplay, The Kind, and DD and the Rockmen.^[1]

November 1989 saw the band’s first gig at the Kardomah Café in Sydney, under the name 'Woody's Heroes', and the start of constant touring through the city’s pubs and clubs. The name 'Baby Animals' came about after seeing an advertisement for a local TV show, Wheel of Fortune, hosted by 'Baby John Burgess'. Another version suggests the name came from a calendar in a mall. In at least one interview, however, DeMarchi mentioned they changed the origins of the name in different interviews as it got boring answering the same questions.^{[citation needed]}

The Baby Animals' early success was driven by The Angels including one of the band’s demos "Break My Heart" on the B-side of their single "Dogs Are Talking", along with tracks from two other rock and roll bands - Rob Tognoni's Desert Cats & The Hurricanes. A national tour showcasing all four bands shortly followed.

In August 1990, the band signed a publishing deal with SBK Songs (now EMI Songs). Whilst attending one of their gigs, Terry Ellis, president of the newly formed Imago Recording Company signed them to his label.^[1] He described the experience as

"the band was great, the songs were terrific and to me Suze clearly had that indefineable magic that separates one artist from the crowd and makes them a star."^{[citation needed]}

Debut album[link]

The band flew to New York to record the debut album (Bearsville Studio / Second City Studio, Long Island), produced by Mike Chapman.^[2] DeMarchi said of the production process: "It was great. Basically, Mike left us alone to make the kind of music we know how to make; and whenever he did have a suggestion, it was always something that made the sound better. So what you hear is pure recording, the band as it really is."^{[citation needed]}

Their debut single, "Early Warning", was released in April 1991 and immediately reached the Top 20 on the Australian Singles charts. After the release of the single, the band flew to the United States for a series of showcases for the Imago/BMG people, to coincide with the earlier release of the album there. With the Top 20 chart success of "Early Warning" at home, the second single "Rush You" was released in August 1991.

Their eponymous debut album Baby Animals was released in September 1991. The album debuted at number six on the ARIA Charts and spent six weeks at number one, eventually going eight times platinum and becoming the highest-selling debut Australian rock album until the release of Jet's album twelve years later.^[2]

After listening to the band's album, Bryan Adams asked the band to join him on his European tour. Whilst overseas, the band picked up the 'Best New Act' at the inaugural 1991 Australian Music Awards. Christmas 1991 saw the band back in Australia for more touring, and the release of two more singles from the album "Painless" and "One Word". The 'Let Go Of My Ears' tour saw the band playing to sell out crowds all over the country.

In 1992 the band joined the Black Crowes on a national tour of Australia and New Zealand. They made an appearance on the David Letterman Show, performing the single "Painless".

The band picked up a number of honours at the 1992 ARIA Music Awards, receiving awards for 'Best Debut Album', 'Best Single', and 'Best Album'. DeMarchi was also nominated for 'Best Female Vocalist'.

The band then toured in the opening slot for Van Halen's "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour" across America from 28 January to 31 May, again playing to arena-size audiences. Eddie Van Halen requested their presence after his wife Valerie heard their album, and suggested them.

Australian Rolling Stone placed DeMarchi on the cover. It was the first time they had put an Australian artist or group on the cover on the merits of a debut album. The Editor's letter was used to explain why DeMarchi is on the cover, despite the fact that the band insisted on a photo of the whole band or no cover at all.^{[citation needed]}

Sales of Baby Animals reached 8 times platinum in Australia, and topped 800,000 worldwide. The band having played over 500 shows when they stopped touring in August.

[edit] Shaved and Dangerous

In 1993, the band returned to New York (Bearsville Studio,^[3] where they also recorded their first album). After two weeks of pre-production they went to the Bahamas, where they spend two months recording at Compass Point Studio (AC/DC) which resulted in a more mature sound with producer Ed Stasium. Next, the band move on to Los Angeles, where Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) met up with the band. He contributed his songwriting/guitar skills ("Because I Can") and produced "Life From A Distance" and "Be My Friend". He also contributed to "She Does Whatever" on the Shaved and Dangerous Tour CD.

Shaved and Dangerous was released in August 1993 and they supported Robert Plant's US tour, before returning home around Christmas time to prepare for a 27-date Australian tour.

Demise[link]

Touring was cut short when DeMarchi experienced throat problems, which required her to undertake surgery for her vocal cords. In August 1994 Baby Animals shared the stage with Extreme in a concert on the Azores island of Sao Miguel. DeMarchi and Bettencourt's wedding ceremony was also performed there. Songwriting/recording for the third record was anticipated for November.

In 1995 on the verge of their first major US tour, their US-based record company Imago Records folded after losing its distributor, BMG. In early 1996 the band officially disbanded.

In October 1999, DeMarchi released her first single, "Satellite" as a solo artist, which was followed by her debut album, Telelove. In June 2004, she was one of the inaugural inductees into the WAM (West Australian Music Industry Awards) Hall of Fame.

Reformed[link]

In 2007, the rumors of a reformed Baby Animals with all original members were confirmed. They released an acoustic CD of their hits titled Il Grande Silenzio on 19 January 2008, as part of the Liberation Blue Acoustic Series. The following month, Liberation Records re-released their previous two albums (Baby Animals and Shaved and Dangerous remastered) as a 2 CD set. The remastered version of their first record was missing the track "Big Time Friends". The band indicated that they had such a great time recording that they wrote more songs which will be released in a future, as-yet-untitled CD. Meanwhile, the band has some Australian tour dates already confirmed for January 2008. The band also appeared live on the Australian breakfast TV program Sunrise on 22 January 2008.^[4]

On 12 January 2009, The Baby Animals announced another Australian tour, playing 14 shows across Adelaide, Melbourne, Wollongong, Sydney, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast during April 2009. Prior to embarking on this tour, it had become evident that the band could not sustain a creative partnership, owing to internal conflicts. With Celenza's resignation and two day later self-reinstatement, and Parise's resentments bubbling beneath the surface, Demarchi and Leslie decided to continue with a couple of hand-picked Sydney musicians, Matt Cornell (bass/ vocals) and Mick Skelton (drums).

The tour was a success with fans attending all shows and culminated in a sell-out show at the Metro Theatre in Sydney. There the band was joined onstage for a song by Richard Clapton and for the encore by Bettencourt for a version of Extreme's "Get The Funk Out".

Members[link]

• Suze DeMarchi - Vocals
• Dave Leslie - Guitars

Former members[link]

• Ben (Moose) Johnston - Lead Guitar
• Eddie Parise - Bass guitar
• Frank Celenza - Drums and percussion

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Baby Animals (1991) - Australia #1, Australia (End Of Year Charts 1992) #2; UK #70^[5]
• Shaved and Dangerous (1993)
• Il Grande Silenzio (2008)

Singles[link]

• "Early Warning" (1991) - #21 Australia
• "Rush You" (1991) - #30 Australia
• "Painless" (1991) - #49 Australia, #23 US-Rock
• "One Word" (1992) - #15 Australia
• "Impossible To Fly (1992) - #48 Australia
• "Ain't Gonna Get" (1992)
• "Don't Tell Me What To Do" (1993) - #24 Australia
• "At The End Of The Day" / "Backbone" (1993) - #60 Australia
• "Lights Out At Eleven" (1994) - #54 Australia

References[link]

Notes[link]

Taken from the book Baby Animals Guitar Tablature, Published by EMI

External links[link]

• 2008 Rockwired interview with Suze Demarchi of Baby Animals