- Order:
- Duration: 30:19
- Updated: 28 May 2013
- published: 25 Sep 2012
- views: 133878
- author: PBS NewsHour
[Bugsy:]
I'm From the darkroom hustla solid muthafuckas
Comin out the norte california where they love us
And in the sache is where I stay
I was raised in the eastbay
Where the hoes get played and
The yay gets weighed,
And if the dope is high grave you can get well paid,
Them haters just hate and players get laid and
Snitches get sprayed for the shit that they say
In nortern cali we yellin fuck the police all day
[Tito B:]
Shake em up(shake em up) take em before I throw em out
Go all out(go all out) that's wen we gamble man without a doubt
Paper route use all the grinds words as necessary
Norte lado soldado will leave you in the cemetery
And em boys mandatory to keep on stomping
Stars the limit mothafucka we gon keep on knockin
Ya'll gon keep on jockin
It's Tito B up in this
Northern family reunion with darkroom family ya bitch
[Big Oso Loc:]
DRF you know the name
Back up in this bitch mayne
Comin with that sick game
Darkroom is the shit mayne
Always tryin to flip change
Buisiness always on my brain
Spittin rhymes with cocaine
Orage in the fast lane,
Love the money fuck the fame
Love it when it fuckin rains
Live the life of fuckin pain
Only loyal was remained
Nortern calis my turrain
NSH is what I claim
Got you haters in my range
Cockin back and taking aim
[Lil Coner:]
Lil dude fuckin with a tycoon
I'll have u hightide and beat up in a darkroom
You see the tatoos is norte on mines
You voice so dirty but it's gotta shine
Look man don't make me act a fool
Before crooked Endu haveta come afta you(afta you)
I'm Lil Coner from that varrio grande
Decoto muthafucka runs through my sangre
[Speedy Loc:]
Darkroom king of this concrete jungle
Lock the ropes on that ass in this U.N rumble
Make em fumble when we hit em knock they bitch ass out
Let em all know what this Northen Cali kids about
Joggin a death wish, quick, like ya tilt the feds
Color cotin every mothafucka in city er town red
Knuckle up like we do in this gang fight
Fuckin with this U.N is like fuckin with dynamites
And when it's time to ride I ain't afraid to collide
Bring ya dome, you bound to get drowned like a tie tide
Look in my eyes see the life of a savage
Individual keep a bullet cause the damage
Which can have it something tragic
Like spitting shells in they face
Hit em burn em up like mase
Dipped out without a trace
Floatin like a grass hound
Accelerate and smash out
I'm in the hood like D-Bo
People get knocked the fuck out
[Mousie:]
I'm a young gangsta dude,
Les do shit till I turn viejo
Lil homie ain't on my level
Do the math you pendejo
Why G do it real,
Raised by OG's
Fo keys, buckin shots at the police
On these, bitch pigs wanna see me bleed
Cause my pockets fat like Steve
Plus I'm from the D.G
Connecting ain't northern homies
Ain't nobody comin reala
We rushin in the game
Hooked up with the familia
[Ace of Spits:]
Soy el esterio and I been in since the beginning
When darkroom first start spittin bout this northern cali livin
From the San Fran streets varrio mission loco
Solo cholo in the lo lo tried to get it y todo
Now if ya hear me young punk,
Thinkin hes tough and try to step up
Cause I'm quick to pull the pistol
Even quicka to lift ya chest up
You betta strap ya vest up
In the 415, before they find ya ass thinkin
But they thinkin I don't know why
[Lou-E-Lou:]
O my o my I be like fuck em
I see them in the highway
Pull strap, get to blappin, talkin shit and crooked out sideways
Cali North do it big, cause we don't nono lies
With middle fangers to them puercos
Cause eyes are never fly
For yay bounce n were I stay
Clear da scene n evacuate
Green light smash,
It's no surprise ya see yellow tape
Riders ride how it's telld, how it is ya digg
Language: english
United Nations
الأمم المتحدة 联合国 Organisation des Nations unies Организация Объединённых Наций Organización de las Naciones Unidas |
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Map showing the Member states of the United Nations
This map does not represent the view of its members or the UN concerning the legal status of any country,[1] nor does it accurately reflect which areas' governments have UN representation. |
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Headquarters | International territory in New York City, New York USA |
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Official languages | Arabic Chinese English French Russian Spanish |
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Membership | 193 member states | |||||
Leaders | ||||||
- | Secretary-General | Ban Ki-moon | ||||
- | Deputy Secretary-General | Asha-Rose Migiro | ||||
- | General Assembly President | Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser | ||||
- | Security Council President | Susan Rice | ||||
Establishment | ||||||
- | United Nations Charter signed | 26 June 1945 | ||||
- | Entry into force of Charter | 24 October 1945 | ||||
Website UN.org |
The United Nations (abbreviated UN in English, and ONU in its other official languages), is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace. The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue. It contains multiple subsidiary organizations to carry out its missions.
There are 193 member states, including every internationally recognised sovereign state in the world but Vatican City. From its offices around the world, the UN and its specialized agencies decide on substantive and administrative issues in regular meetings held throughout the year. The organization has six principal organs: the General Assembly (the main deliberative assembly); the Security Council (for deciding certain resolutions for peace and security); the Economic and Social Council (for assisting in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development); the Secretariat (for providing studies, information, and facilities needed by the UN); the International Court of Justice (the primary judicial organ); and the United Nations Trusteeship Council (which is currently inactive). Other prominent UN System agencies include the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The UN's most prominent position is Secretary-General which has been held by Ban Ki-moon of South Korea since 2007.
The United Nations Headquarters resides in international territory in New York City, with further main offices at Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. The organization is financed from assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states, and has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.[2]
Contents |
The League of Nations failed to prevent World War II (1939–1945). Because of the widespread recognition that humankind could not afford a third world war, the United Nations was established to replace the flawed League of Nations in 1945 in order to maintain international peace and promote cooperation in solving international economic, social and humanitarian problems. The earliest concrete plan for a new world organization was begun under the aegis of the U.S. State Department in 1939. Franklin D. Roosevelt first coined the term 'United Nations' as a term to describe the Allied countries. The term was first officially used on 1 January 1942, when 26 governments signed the Atlantic Charter, pledging to continue the war effort.[3] On 25 April 1945, the UN Conference on International Organization began in San Francisco, attended by 50 governments and a number of non-governmental organizations involved in drafting the United Nations Charter. The UN officially came into existence on 24 October 1945 upon ratification of the Charter by the five then-permanent members of the Security Council—France, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States—and by a majority of the other 46 signatories. The first meetings of the General Assembly, with 51 nations represented, and the Security Council, took place in Westminster Central Hall in London in January 1946.[4]
The organization was based at the Sperry Gyroscope Corporation's facility in Lake Success, New York, from 1946–1952, before moving to the United Nations Headquarters building in Manhattan upon its completion.
Since its creation, there has been controversy and criticism of the United Nations. In the United States, an early opponent of the UN was the John Birch Society, which began a "get US out of the UN" campaign in 1959, charging that the UN's aim was to establish a "One World Government." After the Second World War, the French Committee of National Liberation was late to be recognized by the US as the government of France, and so the country was initially excluded from the conferences that aimed at creating the new organization. Charles de Gaulle criticized the UN, famously calling it le machin ("the thing"), and was not convinced that a global security alliance would help maintain world peace, preferring direct defence treaties between countries.[5]
Shortly after its establishment the UN sought recognition as an international legal person due to the case of Reparations for Injuries Suffered in the Service of the United Nations[6] with the advisory opinion delivered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The question arose whether the United Nations, as an organisation, had "the capacity to bring an international claim against a government regarding injuries that the organisation alleged had been caused by that state."[7]
The Court stated: the Organization was intended to exercise and enjoy, and is in fact exercising and enjoying functions and rights, which can only be explained on the basis of the possession of a large measure of international personality and the capacity to operate upon an international plane ... Accordingly, the Court has come to the conclusion that the Organization is an international person. That is not the same thing as saying that it is a State, which it certainly is not, or that its legal personality and rights and duties are the same as those of a State ... What it does mean is that it is a subject of international law and capable of possessing international rights and duties, and that it has capacity to maintain its rights by bringing international claims.[8]
The United Nations' system is based on five principal organs (formerly six – the Trusteeship Council suspended operations in 1994, upon the independence of Palau, the last remaining UN trustee territory);[9] the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice.
Four of the five principal organs are located at the main United Nations Headquarters located on international territory in New York City.[10] The International Court of Justice is located in The Hague, while other major agencies are based in the UN offices at Geneva,[11] Vienna,[12] and Nairobi.[13] Other UN institutions are located throughout the world.
The six official languages of the United Nations, used in intergovernmental meetings and documents, are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.[2] The Secretariat uses two working languages, English and French. Four of the official languages are the national languages of the permanent members of the Security Council (the United Kingdom and the United States share English as a de facto official language); Spanish and Arabic are the languages of the two largest blocs of official languages outside of the permanent members (Spanish being official in 20 countries, Arabic in 26). Five of the official languages were chosen when the UN was founded; Arabic was added later in 1973. The United Nations Editorial Manual states that the standard for English language documents is British usage and Oxford spelling, the Chinese writing standard is Simplified Chinese. This replaced Traditional Chinese in 1971 when the UN representation of China was changed from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China (see China and the United Nations for details).
The General Assembly is the main deliberative assembly of the United Nations. Composed of all United Nations member states, the assembly meets in regular yearly sessions under a president elected from among the member states. Over a two-week period at the start of each session, all members have the opportunity to address the assembly. Traditionally, the Secretary-General makes the first statement, followed by the president of the assembly. The first session was convened on 10 January 1946 in the Westminster Central Hall in London and included representatives of 51 nations.
When the General Assembly votes on important questions, a two-thirds majority of those present and voting is required. Examples of important questions include: recommendations on peace and security; election of members to organs; admission, suspension, and expulsion of members; and, budgetary matters. All other questions are decided by majority vote. Each member country has one vote. Apart from approval of budgetary matters, resolutions are not binding on the members. The Assembly may make recommendations on any matters within the scope of the UN, except matters of peace and security that are under Security Council consideration.
Conceivably, the one state, one vote power structure could enable states comprising just eight percent of the world population to pass a resolution by a two-thirds vote (see List of countries by population). However, as no more than recommendations, it is difficult to imagine a situation in which a recommendation by member states constituting just eight percent of the world's population, would be adhered to by the remaining ninety-two percent of the population, should they object.[citation needed]
The Security Council is charged with maintaining peace and security among countries. While other organs of the United Nations can only make 'recommendations' to member governments, the Security Council has the power to make binding decisions that member governments have agreed to carry out, under the terms of Charter Article 25.[14] The decisions of the Council are known as United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The Security Council is made up of 15 member states, consisting of 5 permanent members–China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States–and 10 non-permanent members, currently Azerbaijan, India, South Africa, Colombia, Morocco, Togo, Germany, Pakistan, Guatemala, and Portugal.[15] The five permanent members hold veto power over substantive but not procedural resolutions allowing a permanent member to block adoption but not to block the debate of a resolution unacceptable to it. The ten temporary seats are held for two-year terms with member states voted in by the General Assembly on a regional basis. The presidency of the Security Council is rotated alphabetically each month.[16]
The United Nations Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide. It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for their meetings. It also carries out tasks as directed by the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council, and other UN bodies. The United Nations Charter provides that the staff be chosen by application of the "highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity," with due regard for the importance of recruiting on a wide geographical basis.
The Charter provides that the staff shall not seek or receive instructions from any authority other than the UN. Each UN member country is enjoined to respect the international character of the Secretariat and not seek to influence its staff. The Secretary-General alone is responsible for staff selection.
The Secretary-General's duties include helping resolve international disputes, administering peacekeeping operations, organizing international conferences, gathering information on the implementation of Security Council decisions, and consulting with member governments regarding various initiatives. Key Secretariat offices in this area include the Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter that, in his or her opinion, may threaten international peace and security.[citation needed]
The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General, who acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the UN. The current Secretary-General is Ban Ki-moon, who took over from Kofi Annan in 2007 and has been elected for a second term to conclude at the end of 2016.[17]
Envisioned by Franklin D. Roosevelt as a "world moderator", the position is defined in the UN Charter as the organization's "chief administrative officer",[18] but the Charter also states that the Secretary-General can bring to the Security Council's attention "any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security",[19] giving the position greater scope for action on the world stage. The position has evolved into a dual role of an administrator of the UN organization, and a diplomat and mediator addressing disputes between member states and finding consensus to global issues.[20]
The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, after being recommended by the Security Council, where the permanent members have veto power.[21] The General Assembly can theoretically override the Security Council's recommendation if a majority vote is not achieved, although this has not happened so far.[22] There are no specific criteria for the post, but over the years, it has become accepted that the post shall be held for one or two terms of five years, that the post shall be appointed on the basis of geographical rotation, and that the Secretary-General shall not originate from one of the five permanent Security Council member states.[22]
No. | Name | Country of origin | Took office | Left office | Note |
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1 | Trygve Lie | Norway | 2 February 1946 | 10 November 1952 | Resigned |
2 | Dag Hammarskjöld | Sweden | 10 April 1953 | 18 September 1961 | Died while in office |
3 | U Thant | Burma | 30 November 1961 | 31 December 1971 | First Secretary-General from Asia |
4 | Kurt Waldheim | Austria | 1 January 1972 | 31 December 1981 | |
5 | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | Peru | 1 January 1982 | 31 December 1991 | First Secretary-General from the Americas |
6 | Boutros Boutros-Ghali | Egypt | 1 January 1992 | 31 December 1996 | First Secretary-General from Africa |
7 | Kofi Annan | Ghana | 1 January 1997 | 31 December 2006 | |
8 | Ban Ki-moon | South Korea | 1 January 2007 | Incumbent |
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), located in The Hague, Netherlands, is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. Established in 1945 by the United Nations Charter, the Court began work in 1946 as the successor to the Permanent Court of International Justice. The Statute of the International Court of Justice, similar to that of its predecessor, is the main constitutional document constituting and regulating the Court.[24]
It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, sharing the building with the Hague Academy of International Law, a private centre for the study of international law. Several of the Court's current judges are either alumni or former faculty members of the Academy. Its purpose is to adjudicate disputes among states. The court has heard cases related to war crimes, illegal state interference and ethnic cleansing, among others, and continues to hear cases.[25]
The International Criminal Court (ICC), it came into being on 1 July 2002 with the entering into force of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court which was adopted on 17 July 1998. It is the first permanent international court charged with trying those who commit the most serious crimes under international law, including war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression (although it cannot exercise jurisdiction over this crime prior to 2017). The ICC is functionally independent of the UN in terms of personnel and financing, but some meetings of the ICC governing body, the Assembly of the States Parties to the Rome Statute, are held at the United Nations. There is a "relationship agreement" between the ICC and the UN that governs how the two institutions regard each other legally.[26]
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) assists the General Assembly in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. ECOSOC has 54 members, all of which are elected by the General Assembly for a three-year term. The president is elected for a one-year term and chosen amongst the small or middle powers represented on ECOSOC. ECOSOC meets once a year in July for a four-week session. Since 1998, it has held another meeting each April with finance ministers heading key committees of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Viewed separate from the specialized bodies it coordinates, ECOSOC's functions include information gathering, advising member nations, and making recommendations. In addition, ECOSOC is well-positioned to provide policy coherence and coordinate the overlapping functions of the UN’s subsidiary bodies and it is in these roles that it is most active.
The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII or PFII) is the UN's central coordinating body for matters relating to the concerns and rights of the world's indigenous peoples. The forum, which evolved from the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, is an advisory body within the framework of the United Nations System that reports to the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); however, it performs an advisory function in relation to other branches of the United Nations system. It also works with other U.N. bodies as they address indigenous rights through Conventions such as the International Labour Organization’s Convention No.169 and the Convention on Biological Diversity (Article 8j).[27]
The Forum's mandate is to:
Since the passage of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007, much of the work of UNPFII has surrounded the compliance of U.N. member states to the standards of that declaration.[27] However, it performs many other international functions as well.[28]
Many UN organizations and agencies exist to work on particular issues. Some of the most well-known agencies are the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the World Bank and the World Health Organization.
It is through these agencies that the UN performs most of its humanitarian work. Examples include mass vaccination programmes (through the WHO), the avoidance of famine and malnutrition (through the work of the WFP) and the protection of vulnerable and displaced people (for example, by the UNHCR).
The United Nations Charter stipulates that each primary organ of the UN can establish various specialized agencies to fulfil its duties.
With the addition of South Sudan on 14 July 2011,[29] there are currently 193 United Nations member states, including all fully recognized independent states[30] apart from Vatican City (the Holy See, which holds sovereignty over the state of Vatican City, is a permanent observer).[31]
The United Nations Charter outlines the rules for membership:
- Membership in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving states that accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations.
- The admission of any such state to membership in the United Nations will be effected by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
—United Nations Charter, Chapter 2, Article 4, http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/
The Group of 77 at the UN is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has since expanded to 130 member countries. The group was founded on 15 June 1964 by the "Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Countries" issued at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The first major meeting was in Algiers in 1967, where the Charter of Algiers was adopted and the basis for permanent institutional structures was begun.[32]
The UN, after approval by the Security Council, sends peacekeepers to regions where armed conflict has recently ceased or paused to enforce the terms of peace agreements and to discourage combatants from resuming hostilities. Since the UN does not maintain its own military, peacekeeping forces are voluntarily provided by member states of the UN. The forces, also called the "Blue Helmets", who enforce UN accords, are awarded United Nations Medals, which are considered international decorations instead of military decorations. The peacekeeping force as a whole received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.[33]
The founders of the UN had envisaged that the organization would act to prevent conflicts between nations and make future wars impossible, however the outbreak of the Cold War made peacekeeping agreements extremely difficult because of the division of the world into hostile camps. Following the end of the Cold War, there were renewed calls for the UN to become the agency for achieving world peace, as several dozen ongoing conflicts continue to rage around the globe.
A 2005 RAND Corp study found the UN to be successful in two out of three peacekeeping efforts. It compared UN nation-building efforts to those of the United States, and found that seven out of eight UN cases are at peace, as compared with four out of eight US cases at peace.[34] Also in 2005, the Human Security Report documented a decline in the number of wars, genocides and human rights abuses since the end of the Cold War, and presented evidence, albeit circumstantial, that international activism—mostly spearheaded by the UN—has been the main cause of the decline in armed conflict since the end of the Cold War.[35] Situations where the UN has not only acted to keep the peace but also occasionally intervened include the Korean War (1950–1953), and the authorization of intervention in Iraq after the Persian Gulf War in 1990.
The UN has also drawn criticism for perceived failures. In many cases, member states have shown reluctance to achieve or enforce Security Council resolutions, an issue that stems from the UN's intergovernmental nature—seen by some as simply an association of 193 member states who must reach consensus, not an independent organization. Disagreements in the Security Council about military action and intervention are seen as having failed to prevent the 1994 Rwandan Genocide,[36] failed to provide humanitarian aid and intervene in the Second Congo War, failed to intervene in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and protect a refugee haven by authorizing peacekeepers to use force, failure to deliver food to starving people in Somalia, failure to implement provisions of Security Council resolutions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and continuing failure to prevent genocide or provide assistance in Darfur. UN peacekeepers have also been accused of child rape, sexual abuse or soliciting prostitutes during various peacekeeping missions, starting in 2003, in the Congo,[37] Haiti,[38][39] Liberia,[40] Sudan and what is now South Sudan,[41] Burundi and Côte d'Ivoire.[42] In 2004, former Israeli ambassador to the UN Dore Gold criticized what it called the organization's moral relativism in the face of (and occasional support of)[43] genocide and terrorism that occurred between the moral clarity of its founding period and the present day. Gold specifically mentions Yasser Arafat's 1988 invitation to address the General Assembly as a low point in the UN's history.[44]
In addition to peacekeeping, the UN is also active in encouraging disarmament. Regulation of armaments was included in the writing of the United Nations Charter in 1945 and was envisioned as a way of limiting the use of human and economic resources for the creation of them.[45] However, the advent of nuclear weapons came only weeks after the signing of the charter and immediately halted concepts of arms limitation and disarmament, resulting in the first resolution of the first ever General Assembly meeting calling for specific proposals for "the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and of all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction".[46] The principal forums for disarmament issues are the General Assembly First Committee, the UN Disarmament Commission, and the Conference on Disarmament, and considerations have been made of the merits of a ban on testing nuclear weapons, outer space arms control, the banning of chemical weapons and land mines, nuclear and conventional disarmament, nuclear-weapon-free zones, the reduction of military budgets, and measures to strengthen international security.
The UN is one of the official supporters of the World Security Forum, a major international conference on the effects of global catastrophes and disasters, which took place in the United Arab Emirates in October 2008.
The pursuit of human rights was a central reason for creating the UN. World War II atrocities and genocide led to a ready consensus that the new organization must work to prevent any similar tragedies in the future. An early objective was creating a legal framework for considering and acting on complaints about human rights violations. The UN Charter obliges all member nations to promote "universal respect for, and observance of, human rights" and to take "joint and separate action" to that end. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, though not legally binding, was adopted by the General Assembly in 1948 as a common standard of achievement for all. The Assembly regularly takes up human rights issues.
The UN and its agencies are central in upholding and implementing the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A case in point is support by the UN for countries in transition to democracy. Technical assistance in providing free and fair elections, improving judicial structures, drafting constitutions, training human rights officials, and transforming armed movements into political parties have contributed significantly to democratization worldwide. The UN has helped run elections in countries with little or no democratic history, including recently in Afghanistan and East Timor. The UN is also a forum to support the right of women to participate fully in the political, economic, and social life of their countries. The UN contributes to raising consciousness of the concept of human rights through its covenants and its attention to specific abuses through its General Assembly, Security Council resolutions, or International Court of Justice rulings.
The purpose of the United Nations Human Rights Council, established in 2006,[47] is to address human rights violations. The Council is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which was often criticized for the high-profile positions it gave to member states that did not guarantee the human rights of their own citizens.[48] The council has 47 members distributed by region, which each serve three-year terms, and may not serve three consecutive terms.[49] A candidate to the body must be approved by a majority of the General Assembly. In addition, the council has strict rules for membership, including a universal human rights review. While some members with questionable human rights records have been elected, it is fewer than before with the increased focus on each member state's human rights record.[50]
The rights of some 370 million indigenous peoples around the world are also a focus for the UN, with a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples being approved by the General Assembly in 2007.[51] The declaration outlines the individual and collective rights to culture, language, education, identity, employment and health, thereby addressing post-colonial issues that had confronted indigenous peoples for centuries. The declaration aims to maintain, strengthen and encourage the growth of indigenous institutions, cultures and traditions. It also prohibits discrimination against indigenous peoples and promotes their active participation in matters that concern their past, present and future.[51] The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is the UN's central coordinating body for matters relating to the concerns and rights of the world's indigenous peoples. The forum is an advisory body within the framework of the United Nations System that reports to the UN's Economic and Social Council.
In conjunction with other organizations such as the Red Cross, the UN provides food, drinking water, shelter and other humanitarian services to populaces suffering from famine, displaced by war, or afflicted by other disasters. Major humanitarian branches of the UN are the World Food Programme (which helps feed more than 100 million people a year in 80 countries), the office of the High Commissioner for Refugees with projects in over 116 countries, as well as peacekeeping projects in over 24 countries.
Millennium Development Goals |
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The UN is involved in supporting development, e.g. by the formulation of the Millennium Development Goals. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is the largest multilateral source of grant technical assistance in the world. Organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria are leading institutions in the battle against diseases around the world, especially in poor countries. The UN Population Fund is a major provider of reproductive services. 32 UN agencies performing tasks on development are coordinating their efforts through the United Nations Development Group or UNDG.[52]
The UN also promotes human development through some related agencies, particularly the UNDP.[53] The World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF), for example, are independent, specialized agencies and observers within the UN framework, according to a 1947 agreement. They were initially formed as separate from the UN through the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1944.[54]
The UNDP annually publishes the Human Development Index (HDI), a comparative measure ranking countries by poverty, literacy, education, life expectancy, and other factors.[55]
The Millennium Development Goals (declared in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, signed in September 2000) are eight goals that all of the then 192 United Nations member states have agreed to try to achieve by the year 2015.[56]
From time to time, the different bodies of the United Nations pass resolutions that contain operating paragraphs that begin with the words "requests", "calls upon", or "encourages", which the Secretary-General interprets as a mandate to set up a temporary organization or do something. These mandates can be as little as researching and publishing a written report, or mounting a full-scale peacekeeping operation (usually the exclusive domain of the Security Council).
Although the specialized institutions, such as the WHO, were originally set up by this means, they are not the same as mandates because they are permanent organizations that exist independently of the UN with their own membership structure. One could say that original mandate was simply to cover the process of setting up the institution, and has therefore long expired. Most mandates expire after a limited period and require renewal from the body, which set them up.
One of the outcomes of the 2005 World Summit was a mandate (labelled id 17171) for the Secretary-General to "review all mandates older than five years originating from resolutions of the General Assembly and other organs". To facilitate this review and to finally bring coherence to the organization, the Secretariat has produced an on-line registry of mandates to draw together the reports relating to each one and create an overall picture.[57]
On 5 June 2007, World Environment Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made public his ambition to make the United Nations more efficient in its operations: “I would like to see our renovated Headquarters complex eventually become a globally acclaimed model of efficient use of energy and resources. Beyond New York, the initiative should include the other United Nations headquarters and offices around the globe.” The UN's progress towards achieving this goal is communicated through the initiative Greening the Blue (see external links below).
Over the lifetime of the UN, over 80 colonies have attained independence.[58] The General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in 1960 with no votes against but abstentions from all major colonial powers. Through the UN Committee on Decolonization,[59] created in 1962, the UN has focused considerable attention on decolonization. It has also supported the new states that have arisen as a result of self-determination initiatives. The committee has overseen the decolonization of every country larger than 20,000 km² and removed them from the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, besides Western Sahara, a country larger than the UK only relinquished by Spain in 1975.
The UN declares and coordinates international observances, periods of time to observe some issue of international interest or concern. Using the symbolism of the UN, a specially designed logo for the year, and the infrastructure of the United Nations System, various days and years have become catalysts to advancing key issues of concern on a global scale. For example, World Tuberculosis Day, Earth Day and International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Member state | Contribution (% of UN budget) |
---|---|
USA | 22.000% |
Japan | 12.530% |
Germany | 8.018% |
United Kingdom | 6.604% |
France | 6.123% |
Italy | 4.999% |
Canada | 3.207% |
China | 3.189% |
Spain | 3.177% |
Mexico | 2.356% |
Other member states | 27.797% |
The UN is financed from assessed and voluntary contributions from member states. The General Assembly approves the regular budget and determines the assessment for each member. This is broadly based on the relative capacity of each country to pay, as measured by their gross national income (GNI), with adjustments for external debt and low per capita income.[61]
The Assembly has established the principle that the UN should not be overly dependent on any one member to finance its operations. Thus, there is a 'ceiling' rate, setting the maximum amount any member is assessed for the regular budget. In December 2000, the Assembly revised the scale of assessments to reflect current global circumstances. As part of that revision, the regular budget ceiling was reduced from 25% to 22%. For the least developed countries (LDCs), a ceiling rate of 0.01% is applied.[61] In addition to the ceiling rates, the minimum amount assessed to any member nation (or 'floor' rate) is set at 0.001% of the UN budget. Refer to the table for major contributors.
A large share of UN expenditures addresses the core UN mission of peace and security. The peacekeeping budget for the 2005–2006 fiscal year was approximately US$5 billion, €2.5 billion (compared to approximately US$1.5 billion, €995 million for the UN core budget over the same period), with some 70,000 troops deployed in 17 missions around the world.[62] UN peace operations are funded by assessments, using a formula derived from the regular funding scale, but including a weighted surcharge for the five permanent Security Council members, who must approve all peacekeeping operations. This surcharge serves to offset discounted peacekeeping assessment rates for less developed countries. As of 1 January 2011, the top 10 providers of assessed financial contributions to United Nations peacekeeping operations were: the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, China, Canada, Spain and the Republic of Korea.[63]
Special UN programmes not included in the regular budget (such as UNICEF, the WFP and UNDP) are financed by voluntary contributions from other member governments. Most of this is financial contributions, but some is in the form of agricultural commodities donated for afflicted populations. Since their funding is voluntary, many of these agencies suffer severe shortages during economic recessions. In July 2009, the World Food Programme reported that it has been forced to cut services because of insufficient funding.[64] It has received barely a quarter of the total it needed for the 09/10 financial year.
The UN and its agencies are immune to the laws of the countries where they operate, safeguarding UN's impartiality with regard to the host and member countries.[65]
Despite their independence in matters of human resources policy, the UN and its agencies voluntarily apply the laws of member states regarding same-sex marriages, allowing decisions about the status of employees in a same-sex partnership to be based on nationality. The UN and its agencies recognize same-sex marriages only if the employees are citizens of countries that recognize the marriage. This practice is not specific to the recognition of same-sex marriage but reflects a common practice of the UN for a number of human resources matters. It has to be noted though that some agencies provide limited benefits to domestic partners of their staff and that some agencies do not recognise same-sex marriage or domestic partnership of their staff.[citation needed]
Since its founding, there have been many calls for reform of the United Nations, although little consensus on how to do so. Some want the UN to play a greater or more effective role in world affairs, while others want its role reduced to humanitarian work.[66] There have also been numerous calls for the UN Security Council's membership to be increased, for different ways of electing the UN's Secretary-General, and for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.
The UN has also been accused of bureaucratic inefficiency and waste. During the 1990s, the United States withheld dues citing inefficiency, and only started repayment on the condition that a major reforms initiative was introduced. In 1994, the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) was established by the General Assembly to serve as an efficiency watchdog.[67]
An official reform programme was begun by Kofi Annan in 1997. Reforms mentioned include changing the permanent membership of the Security Council (which currently reflects the power relations of 1945), making the bureaucracy more transparent, accountable and efficient, making the UN more democratic, and imposing an international tariff on arms manufacturers worldwide.[citation needed]
In September 2005, the UN convened a World Summit that brought together the heads of most member states, calling the summit "a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take bold decisions in the areas of development, security, human rights and reform of the United Nations."[68] Kofi Annan had proposed that the summit agree on a global "grand bargain" to reform the UN, renewing the organization's focus on peace, security, human rights and development, and to make it better equipped at facing 21st century issues. The World Summit Outcome Document delineated the conclusions of the meeting, including: the creation of a Peacebuilding Commission, to help countries emerging from conflict; a Human Rights Council and a democracy fund; a clear and unambiguous condemnation of terrorism "in all its forms and manifestations"; agreements to devote more resources to the Office of Internal Oversight Services; agreements to spend billions more on achieving the Millennium Development Goals; the dissolution of the Trusteeship Council, because of the completion of its mission; and, the agreement that individual states, with the assistance of the international community, have the "responsibility to protect" populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity- with the understanding that the international community is prepared to act "collectively" in a “timely and decisive manner” to protect vulnerable civilians should a state "manifestly fail" in fulfilling its responsibility.[69]
The Office of Internal Oversight Services is being restructured to better define its scope and mandate, and will receive more resources. In addition, to improve the oversight and auditing capabilities of the General Assembly, an Independent Audit Advisory Committee (IAAC) is being created. In June 2007, the Fifth Committee created a draft resolution for the terms of reference of this committee.[70][71] An ethics office was established in 2006, responsible for administering new financial disclosure and whistleblower protection policies. Working with the OIOS, the ethics office also plans to implement a policy to avoid fraud and corruption.[72] The Secretariat is in the process of reviewing all UN mandates that are more than five years old. The review is intended to determine which duplicative or unnecessary programmes should be eliminated. Not all member states agree on which of the over 7000 mandates should be reviewed. The dispute centres on whether mandates that have been renewed should be examined.[73] Indeed, the obstacles identified – in particular, the lack of information on the resource implications of each mandate – constituted sufficient justification for the General Assembly to discontinue the mandate review in September 2008. In the meantime, the General Assembly launched a number of new loosely related reform initiatives in April 2007, covering international environmental governance, ‘Delivering as One’ at the country level to enhance the consolidation of UN programme activities and a unified gender organization. Whereas little was achieved on the first two issues, the General Assembly approved in September 2010 the establishment of ‘UN Women’ as the new UN organization for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women was established by unifying the resources and mandates of four small entities for greater impact and its first head is Ms. Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile.[citation needed]
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Selena Gomez | |
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Gomez attending "The 6th Annual Hollywood Style Awards", Beverly Hills, CA on Oct. 10, 2009 |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Selena Marie Gomez |
Born | Grand Prairie, Texas, U.S. |
July 22, 1992
Genres | Pop, dance, pop rock[1] |
Occupations | Actress, singer, Fashion Designer |
Instruments | Vocals, piano, guitar, drums |
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels | Hollywood |
Associated acts | Selena Gomez & the Scene, Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift |
Website | SelenaGomez.com |
Selena Marie Gomez (born July 22, 1992)[2] is an American actress and singer best known for portraying Alex Russo in the Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place. She subsequently ventured into feature films and has starred in the television movies Another Cinderella Story, Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, and Princess Protection Program. She made her starring theatrical film debut in Ramona and Beezus.
Her career has expanded into the music industry; Gomez is the lead singer and founder of the pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene, which has released three RIAA Gold certified studio albums, Kiss & Tell, A Year Without Rain, and When the Sun Goes Down, spawned three RIAA Platinum certified singles, "Naturally", "Who Says" and "Love You Like a Love Song" and charted four No. 1 Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs.[3] Gomez has also contributed to the soundtracks of Tinker Bell, Another Cinderella Story, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Shake It Up after signing a record deal with Hollywood Records.
In 2008, Gomez was designated a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.[4]
Contents |
Gomez was born in Grand Prairie, Texas.[2] She is the daughter of former stage actress Amanda Dawn "Mandy" Teefey (née Cornett) and Ricardo Joel Gomez.[5][6][7] Her father is of Mexican ancestry, and her mother is of part Italian descent.[8][9] Regarding her Hispanic heritage, Gomez said: "My family does have Quinceañeras, and we go to the communion church. We do everything that's Catholic, but we don't really have anything traditional except [that we] go to the park and have barbecues on Sundays after church."[10] Her birth parents divorced when she was five years old, and she was raised as an only child by her working mother.[5][11] In 2006, Mandy remarried Brian Teefey.[12] She was named after Tejano singer Selena, who died almost three years after Gomez was born.[13] In a 2009 interview with People, Gomez mentioned that she developed an early interest in acting from watching her mother prepare for and act in theater productions.[11] She earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in May 2010.[14]
Gomez began her acting career at age seven, playing Gianna on Barney & Friends.[15] She later had minor roles in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and the TV film Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire. Gomez also starred in the television movie Brain Zapped. (Selena Gomez also found out that she wanted to be an actress because in E Special she states that "I would also watch my mom on stage do her lines".)
In 2004, Gomez was discovered by the Disney Channel in a USA-wide scouting.[16] Gomez appeared as a guest star on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and had a guest appearance – that later turned into a recurring role – on Hannah Montana from seasons two to three. Gomez previously taped two different pilots that were spin-offs to two previous Disney series.[17] The first one, What's Stevie Thinking?, was the spin-off to Lizzie McGuire. Gomez played Stevie Sanchez, Miranda Sanchez's little sister. The other show was titled Arwin!, the spin-off to The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, in which she played Alexa. Neither series was picked up.
In early 2007 Gomez was cast in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place as one of the three main characters, Alex Russo. The show premiered to an audience of 5.9 million, becoming a hit. Many news outlets began dubbing Gomez the next 'Miley Cyrus' causing some controversy and a reported 'feud'. Gomez clarified that there was no feud and that she was flattered by the comparison, saying: "It's a little overwhelming, but I think really, it's a compliment. She's obviously extremely successful, and I think she's a wonderful performer ... So being compared to her, I was very, very flattered."[18] Gomez recorded four songs, one of which was a cover, for theWizards of Waverly Place soundtrack, only one single (Magic) from the album was released.
In 2008, Gomez recorded a cover of "Cruella de Vil"—which included a music video—for the compilation albumDisneyMania 6. Gomez also recorded "Fly to Your Heart" for the 2008 animated film Tinker Bell. In July 2008, before Gomez' sixteenth birthday, she signed a recording deal with Hollywood Records, a music label owned by Disney.[19] In May, of the same year, Gomez was featured, with Forever the Sickest Kids, on a duet version of the non-album song "Whoa Oh!".[20] The same year Gomez appeared in Another Cinderella Story, the direct-to-DVD sequel to the 2004 Hilary Duff film, opposite Drew Seeley. She also had a minor voiceover role as one the Mayor's ninety-six daughters in Horton Hears a Who! which released in March of that year. In April, Lacey Rose, of Forbes ranked Gomez as being fifth on their "Eight Hot Kid Stars To Watch" list; and Rose described Gomez as having been "a multitalented teen".[21] Gomez recorded three songs for the movie's soundtrack.
In 2009, Gomez formed the teen pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene. Kiss & Tell, the band's debut studio album and was released on September 29, 2009 by Hollywood Records. On March 5, 2010, the album was certified Gold by RIAA.[3] The album's single, "Naturally", was certified Platinum by the RIAA on July 15, 2010.[3] In February 2009, Gomez signed on to star as one of the two female leads in Ramona and Beezus, a film adaption of the children's novel series by Beverly Cleary.[22][23] Gomez stated that she felt no pressure in taking more adult roles: "I think I’m fully aware of my audience and I’m still just a kid myself. I wouldn’t do a role I don’t feel comfortable doing or that my audience wouldn’t feel comfortable seeing."[24]
In June 2009, Gomez did a guest appearance as herself in one episode of best friend Demi Lovato's Disney Channel television show, Sonny with a Chance, entitled "Battle of The Network Stars". That same month Gomez appeared alongside Lovato in the made-for-television Disney Channel movie, Princess Protection Program.[25] The telecast garnered 8.5 million viewers becoming, at the time, the third most watched Disney Channel Original Movie.[26] One month later, Gomez, along with two cast members of Wizards of Waverly Place appeared in a television three-way cross-over episode with Hannah Montana and The Suite Life on Deck, entitled Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana.
On August 28, 2009 two months after appearing in Princess Protection Program, Gomez starred in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, a made-for-television film based on the show.[27] The film premiered to an audience of 11.4 million viewers becoming cable's No. 1 scripted telecast of 2009 and Disney Channel's second most-viewed film premiere after High School Musical 2.[28] In September 2009, Wizards of Waverly Place won "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.[29] In 2010, the film adaptation won the series its second consecutive Emmy for "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.[29]
Gomez's first theatrical film Ramona & Beezus premiered on July 23, 2010 and met with generally positive reviews.[30] In March 2010, Variety reported that Gomez was set to star as one of the three lead roles in Monte Carlo, alongside Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy.[31] In the film Gomez plays Grace, a girl who’s “mistaken for a socialite while on a trip to Paris.”[32] To prepare for the role Gomez learned how to play polo and also took two weeks of vocal training to learn two different British accents.[33][34] The same year Gomez confirmed that the fourth season of her hit Disney Channel show, Wizards of Waverly Place, would be its last.
On September 17, 2010 , Selena Gomez and The Scene released their second studio album, A Year Without Rain The record debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 4, selling 66,000 copies. On January 19, 2011, the album was certified Gold by RIAA.[3] As of April 2011, the band has sold 1,354,000 albums in the United States.[35] To support the album, the band embarked on the mini-tour A Year Without Rain Tour. In February 2011, Deadline.com reported that Universal Pictures and Strike Entertainment had acquired the novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher with Gomez attached to the lead.[36] That same month TV Guide reported that Gomez would make a cameo in the Muppets film.[37] On March 23, 2011, Hollywood Records announced through a press release that Selena Gomez & The Scene would be embarking on their third concert tour in the United States, the We Own the Night Tour ran during the summer of 2011.[38] Production for the final season of Wizards of Waverly Place came to a wrap on May 14, 2011.[39] Gomez co-hosted the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards on June 19.[40] She also hosted the 2011 MTV EMAs on November 6, 2011, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she performed her band's single "Hit the Lights". Near the end of 2011, it was reported Gomez was in talks to star in two upcoming films. Deadline.com announced in October that Gomez would take part in the comedy Hot Mess.[41]
In early November, Variety reported that Gomez was in talks to star in the upcoming film Spring Breakers alongside James Franco and Vanessa Hudgens.[42] Gomez confirmed to MTV that she had signed on for the project and that production will begin in early 2012.[43] On June 28, 2011, Selena Gomez & the scene released their third studio album, When the Sun Goes Down, previously titledOtherside,[44] The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 78,000 copies its first week and the following week, the album rose to number 3 on the Billboard chart, becoming the band's highest charting album to date.[45][46] On November 17, 2011, the album was certified platinum.[3] The album's lead single, "Who Says" was certified Platinum by RIAA on June 23, 2011 and has become the band's highest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 to date, peaking at number 21.[3][47] The second single, "Love You Like a Love Song", was certified Platinum by RIAA on December 2, 2011, and became the act's first to sell over two-million copies.[3][48]
In January 2012, Gomez announced that she would put her music career on hold.[49] This was later reaffirmed as Gomez wrote on her Facebook page that she was taking a break from music in order to focus on her acting career, "my band and I are going our separate ways for a while. This year is all about films and acting and I want my band to play music wherever with whoever. We will be back but, it will be a good while."[50] In February 2012, Gomez announced that the band would be taking a hiatus, so that she could focus on film for the year. She encouraged her band mates to work with other artists during the hiatus.[51] The same month, it was announced that Gomez will replace Miley Cyrus in the animated comedy Hotel Transylvania playing Mavis, the daughter of Dracula who will be voiced by Adam Sandler.[52] As of March 2012, Gomez has been cast in four upcoming films; in which three of them she has been cast as a lead role. She will first appear in Hotel Transylvania, an animated film, voicing the character of Mavis, who was originally supposed to be voiced by Miley Cyrus, however Cyrus dropped out of the film in early 2012 in order to focus on her music career.[53] The film is scheduled to be released on September 21, 2012.[54] Next, Gomez will appear in Spring Breakers, which is currently being filmed on location in Sarasota, Florida. The film is being written and directed by Harmony Korine.[55] Gomez has also been cast as the main role of Hannah Baker in the film adaptation of young-adult fiction novel, 13 Reasons Why. The novel was written by Jay Asher.[56] She will also play the lead role in a film called Hot Mess, a comedy film directed by Dave Meyers.[56] On April 7, 2012, Gomez posted a video for fans in which she revealed that she will be filming a new movie called "The Getaway" in Bulgaria. [57]
Gomez was involved in the UR Votes Count campaign which encouraged teenagers to learn more about 2008 presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.[58] In October 2008, Gomez participated in St. Jude's Children's Hospital "Runway For Life" benefit.[59] Gomez is a spokesperson for Borden Milk; she is featured in the campaign's print and television ads.[60] She is the ambassador of DoSomething.org after being involved with the charity Island Dog, which help dogs in Puerto Rico.[61] She got involved while filming Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie in Puerto Rico.[62] Gomez is a spokesperson for State Farm Insurance, and is featured in their TV commercials; which air on the Disney Channel, to raise awareness of being a safe driver.[63] Gomez is also involved with the charity RAISE Hope For Congo, an initiative of the Enough Project, which helps raise awareness about conflict minerals and violence against Congolese women.[64]
In October 2008, Gomez was named UNICEF's spokesperson for the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign, which encouraged children to raise money on Halloween to help children around the world.[4] She said that she was "extremely excited" to "encourage other kids to make a difference in the world."[4]
In August 2009, a 17-year-old Gomez became the youngest UNICEF ambassador ever, passing fellow songstress Hayley Westenra, who was 18 when she was chosen. In her first official field mission, Gomez traveled to Ghana on September 4, 2009 for a week to witness first-hand the stark conditions of vulnerable children that lack vital necessities including clean water, nourishment, education and healthcare.[65][66] Gomez explained during an interview with Associated Press that she wanted to use her star power to bring awareness to Ghana: “That’s why I feel very honored to have a voice that kids listen to and take into consideration [...] I had people on my tour asking me where IS Ghana, and they Googled it [...] and because I went there, they now know where Ghana is. So it’s pretty incredible.”[66][67] Gomez said of her role as ambassador that: "Every day 25,000 children die from preventable causes. I stand with UNICEF in the belief that we can change that number from 25,000 to zero. I know we can achieve this because every moment, UNICEF is on the ground providing children with the lifesaving assistance needed to ensure zero becomes a reality."[65]
Gomez was named spokesperson for UNICEF's 2009 Trick-or-Treat campaign, for the second year in a row.[68] Gomez, who raised over $700,000 for the charity in 2008, stated that she hopes to be able to raise 1 million dollars in 2009.[66] Gomez participated in a celebrity auction[69] and hosted a live web cast series on Facebook in support of the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign.[70] Gomez returned as the UNICEF spokesperson for the 60th anniversary of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign in 2010.[71] In celebration of the 60th anniversary, Gomez and her band, The Scene, held a benefit concert donating all proceeds to the campaign.[72]. On January 22nd 2010, Gomez participated in the Hope for Haiti Now Telethon with a number of other celebrities[73].
In February 2011, Gomez traveled to Chile to witness and meet with the families of UNICEF's supported program, "Programa Puente" which helps families better understand and develops skills to deal effectively with early childhood education, development and other issues related to raising children. From her field trip experience, Gomez said "UNICEF is helping Chilean families get out of poverty, prevent violence within the home and promote education. To witness first hand these families' struggles, and also their hope and perseverance, was truly inspiring."[74] In March 2011, Gomez participated in the UNICEF Tap Project's "Celebrity Tap Pack," limited-edition, custom-made water bottles featuring tap water from the homes of each celebrity advocate, in order to raise funds and increase profile for the clean water and sanitation programs.[75] She is also featured in videos promoting the campaign.[76][77]
Gomez is involved in Disney's Friends for Change, an organization which promotes "environmently-friendly behavior", and appears in its public service announcements.[78] Gomez, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers recorded "Send It On", a charity single with all of its proceeds to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.[79][80] It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 20.[79] Also in 2009, Gomez made a surprise visit to a Los Angeles elementary school as part of the "A Day Made Better" program that was sponsored by OfficeMax. During her visit, Gomez gave the school an award and $1,000 worth of school supplies, and talked to students about the importance of giving back to the community.[81][82]
Gomez is also the owner of six rescue dogs and describes herself as a "huge animal-lover".[83]
In April 2012, Gomez was named ambassador to the Ryan Seacrest Foudation[84].
Gomez was part of Sears back-to-school fashion ad campaign.[85] As part of the campaign Gomez was featured in the television commercials. In August 2009, Gomez also hosted the "Sears Arrive Air Band Casting Call" – to select five people for the first-ever "Sears Air Band", which performed at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.[86]
In October 2008, Gomez launched her own production company, July Moon Productions, and partnered with XYZ Films to create star vehicles for Gomez. As part of the agreement Gomez will have the opportunity to be able option articles, hire writers and create talent packages to shop to studios.[87][88] Also, as part of the deal, "XYZ Films will allow Gomez to star in and produce at least two films.[81] Variety reported that: "In August, XYZ [Films] inked a similar deal with Time Inc. and management-production company the Collective to finance the development of the print media giant's content for the bigscreen [...] As part of the July Moon-XYZ deal, [Selena] Gomez will have the ability to cherry-pick projects from the vast Time Inc. library, which includes Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune and Life."[88]
In October 2009, Gomez announced her plan to launch her own fashion line, called "Dream Out Loud by Selena Gomez". The clothing line launched in the fall of 2010.[89][90] The collection consists of and features bohemian dresses, floral tops, jeans, skirts, jackets, scarves and hats, all made from recycled or eco-friendly materials.[91][92] Gomez said that the line will reflect her own personal style and described the clothing as being "pretty, feminine, and bohemian," and: "With my line, I really want to give the customer options on how they can put their own looks together [...] I want the pieces that can be easy to dress up or down, and the fabrics being eco-friendly and organic is super important [...] Also, the tags will all have some of my inspirational quotes on them. I'm just looking to send a good message."[89][92] Gomez, who has no background in fashion, teamed up with designers Tony Melillo and Sandra Campos, both who have worked with big-name fashion houses.[90] Gomez said of the partnering: "When I met Tony and Sandra, I was instantly comfortable with them and now they are just like family to me ... They are so creative and I love how I can just call them up whenever and talk to them about everything, even if it's just about changing a button ... They've been so cool about everything."[89][90][91][92] The brand will be manufactured by, Melillo and Campos teamed with New York-based Adjmi Apparel and formed by Adjmi CH Brands LLC; which is the holding company for the brand.[93]
It was announced on July 14, 2011, that Gomez had signed a license agreement with Adrenalina, an extreme sports and adventure-themed lifestyle brand, to develop, manufacture, and distribute the actress' fragrance. It is expected to debut in May of 2012. Chairman and C.E.O. of Adrenalina, Ilia Lekach, said, "We are incredibly enthused to be working with Ms. Gomez and will reveal more details pertaining to the fragrance as we get closer to the launch date."[94]
With a solid fan and media following, Selena Gomez is considered a teen idol. She has appeared on several magazine covers, including People Magazine,[95] Cosmopolitan,[96] Billboard,[97] TVGuide,[98] Teen Vogue,[99] Seventeen,[100] Elle[101].
Wax statues of Gomez are on display at Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York[102], London[103], Washington D.C[104] and Hollywood.
Gomez has had several high-profile relationships. She had an on-off relationship with singer Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers from 2008 to 2010.[105] In 2009, she met actor Taylor Lautner in Vancouver, while she was filming Ramona and Beezus and he was shooting New Moon[106], and the two dated for almost a year. However the pressure of the media became too much for them and caused the two to break-up.[107] On February 27 2011, Gomez attended the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar Party with Canadian singer Justin Bieber,[108] confirming several months of media speculation about a romantic relationship between the pair.[109][110][111][112][113][114] The relationship has since continued to garner significant media attention.[115][116][117][118][119]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over | Waterpark Girl | |
2005 | Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire | Julie | |
2008 | Another Cinderella Story | Mary Santiago | Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie Teen Choice Award for Celebrity Dancer |
Horton Hears a Who! | Helga | Nominated - Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Voice-over Role | |
2009 | Princess Protection Program | Carter Mason | Nominated - Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie Teen Choice Award for Summer TV Star (Female) |
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie | Alex Russo | Nominated - Imagen Award for Best Television Actress | |
Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard | Princess Selenia | (Replaced Madonna) | |
2010 | Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds | Princess Selenia | |
Ramona and Beezus | Beatrice "Beezus" Quimby | Nominated - Teen Choice Award for Summer Movie Star (Female) | |
2011 | Monte Carlo | Grace Bennett/ Cordelia Winthrop Scott |
Nominated - ALMA Award for Favorite Movie Actress in a Musical/Comedy Nominated - Teen Choice Award for Summer Movie Star (Female) |
The Muppets | Herself | ||
2012 | Hotel Transylvania | Mavis | |
2013 | Spring Breakers | Faith | |
Aftershock | TBA | ||
The Getaway | Kid | ||
TBA | Thirteen Reasons Why | Hannah Baker | |
TBA | Hot Mess | TBA | |
TBA | The Sky Is Everywhere | Lennie Walker |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002–2003 | Barney & Friends | Gianna | Recurring role |
2006 | Brain Zapped | Emily Grace Garcia | Unsold pilot[120] |
2006 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Gwen | "A Midsummer's Nightmare" (season 2: episode 22) |
2007–2008 | Hannah Montana | Mikayla | "I Want You to Want Me... to Go to Florida" (season 2: episode 13) "That's What Friends Are For?" (season 2: episode 18) "(We're So Sorry) Uncle Earl" (season 2: episode 22) (uncredited) |
2007–2012 | Wizards of Waverly Place | Alex Russo | Lead role |
2008 | Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream | Herself | (Season 1, episode 7) |
2008 | Studio DC: Almost Live | Herself | Second Show |
2008 | Disney Channel Games | Herself | Third annual |
2009 | The Suite Life on Deck | Alex Russo | "Double-Crossed" (season 1: episode 21) |
2009 | Hannah Montana | Alex Russo | "Super(stitious) Girl" (season 3: episode 19) |
2009 | Sonny with a Chance | Herself | "Battle of the Networks' Stars" (season 1: episode 13) |
2011 | So Random! | Herself | "Selena Gomez & the Scene" (season 1: episode 3) Musical guest singing "Who Says" |
2011 | PrankStars | Herself | "Something to Chew On (Pilot)" (season 1: episode 1) |
2012 | Funny Or Die | Woman | "'Fifty Shades Of Blue'" Parody Video |
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [121] |
US OST [121] |
US Kids [121] |
NOR [122] |
|||
Another Cinderella Story |
|
116 | 8 | — | — | |
Wizards of Waverly Place |
|
24 | 4 | 2 | 27 | |
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [123] |
CAN [123] |
NOR [124] |
|||
"Tell Me Something I Don't Know" | 2008 | 58 | — | — | Another Cinderella Story |
"Magic" | 2009 | 61 | 86 | 5 | Wizards of Waverly Place |
"Shake It Up" | 2011 | — | — | — | Shake It Up: Break It Down |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
US [123] |
|||
"Whoa Oh!" (Forever The Sickest Kids featuring Selena Gomez) |
2009 | — | non-album song |
"Send It On" (among Disney's Friends for Change) |
20 | non-album song |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
US [123] |
|||
"One and the Same" (with Demi Lovato) |
2009 | 82 | Disney Channel Playlist |
Song | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Burnin' Up" | 2008 | A Little Bit Longer; played Nick Jonas' love interest |
"Cruella De Vil" | 2008 | Disneymania 6 |
"Fly to Your Heart" | 2008 | Tinker Bell |
"Tell Me Something I Don't Know" | 2008/2009 | Kiss & Tell |
"One and the Same" | 2009 | Princess Protection Program, Disney Channel Playlist |
"Send It On" | 2009 | Send It On |
"Falling Down" | 2009 | Kiss & Tell |
"Naturally" | 2009 | Kiss & Tell |
"Round and Round" | 2010 | A Year Without Rain |
"A Year Without Rain" | 2010 | A Year Without Rain |
"The Dance Routine" | 2011 | non-album, The Midnight Beast, cameo |
"Who Says" | 2011 | When the Sun Goes Down |
"Love You Like a Love Song" | 2011 | When the Sun Goes Down |
"Hit the Lights" | 2011 | When the Sun Goes Down |
"Hit the Lights" | 2012 | When the Sun Goes Down |
Year | Tour | Gross revenue |
---|---|---|
2009/2010 | Live in Concert | $85,102 |
2010/2011 | A Year Without Rain Tour | $634,667 |
2011/2012 | We Own the Night Tour | $5,754,314 |
Year | Title | Rank |
---|---|---|
2009 | People Magazine's Most Beautiful Under 21[125] | No. 1 |
2010 | Billboard's Hottest Music Stars Under 21[126] | No. 3 |
People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People[127] | Top 50 | |
2011 | Latina Magazine's 25 Most Beautiful Latino Stars Under 25[128] | No. 4 |
Latina Magazine's 15 Latinas We Love![129] | No Specific Order | |
Paper Magazine's Most Beautiful People[130] | No Specific Order | |
Billboard's Hottest Music Stars Under 21[126] | No. 3 | |
2012 | AskMen's Top 99 Women[131] | No. 14 |
AskMen's Top 99 Women (UK)[132] | No. 33 | |
People Magazine's Most Beautiful Look-alikes[133] | No. 3 | |
FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World[134] | No. 75 | |
Glamour Magazine's Best Dressed Women in the World (UK)[135] | No. 33 | |
Maxim's Hot 100[136] | No. 24 |
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Selena Gomez
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Selena Gomez |
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This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (August 2009) |
Vanessa Paradis | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Vanessa Chantal Paradis |
Born | Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Val-de-Marne, France |
22 December 1972
Genres | Rock, pop |
Occupations | Vocalist, actress, model |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
Years active | 1981–present |
Labels | Barclay Records (from 2000) Polydor (from 1987 to 2000) |
Website | www.vanessaparadis.fr |
Vanessa Chantal Paradis (French pronunciation: [vanɛsa ʃɑ̃tal paʁadi]) (born December 22, 1972) is a French singer, model and actress. She became a child star at 14 with the worldwide success of her single "Joe le taxi". Since then, she has accomplished a career in music, movies and modelling.
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Vanessa Paradis was born on December 22, 1972, at Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, near Paris. She spent her childhood in Villiers-sur-Marne with her parents, André and Corinne Paradis. She was attracted to cinema early on. Her admiration for Marilyn Monroe led her to take dance and piano lessons. Paradis spent a lot of time with her uncle, Didier Pain, and his musician friends.
Her first TV appearance was on the show L'École des fans in 1981. She recorded her first single, "La Magie des surprises-parties", in 1983 and performed it in an Italian festival in 1985 but failed to win the first prize.
Although "La Magie des surprises-parties" was not a hit, it paved the way for the song with which she became internationally famous, "Joe le taxi", in 1987, while she was still only 14 years old.[1] It was #1 in France for 11 weeks[2] and, unusually for a song sung in French, was released in the United Kingdom year (25 January), where it reached #3. It was taken from her first album M&J (it stands for Marilyn & John) which, although it gained a number 13 placing in France, drew little attention in the UK and did not enter the chart. In March 1989, aged 16, she decided to leave high school in order to pursue her career.
She released the album Variations sur le même t'aime in 1990, containing a remake of the Lou Reed song "Walk on the Wild Side". The album was written by acclaimed French composer Serge Gainsbourg, whom she met when she received the best singer award at Les Victoires de la Musique, on 4 February 1990. In 1990, Paradis won the 1990 César Award for Most Promising Actress for her role in Noce Blanche.
In 1991, Paradis promoted a fragrance for Chanel, titled Coco. In the advertisement, she was dressed in all black and feathers, portraying a bird swinging in a cage. The advert was shot by Jean-Paul Goude. Paradis spoke of her continued admiration of Chanel in 2010 saying, "The more I know them, the more I love Chanel."[3]
In 1992, she moved to the United States to work with Lenny Kravitz. Paradis started working on a new album in English, a language in which she was now fluent. Written and produced by Kravitz, the album, titled Vanessa Paradis, topped the French chart and briefly made the UK listings (number 45). One of the singles from it was "Be My Baby", which made number 5 in France and gave her another Top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at #6.
In March 1993, Paradis started her first international tour, the "Natural High Tour"; she performed in France, England and Canada. The tour was canceled, for health reasons, before she could perform in Japan and in the United States.
In February 1994, Live was released in France.
In April 1994, Paradis filmed Élisa, under the direction of Jean Becker. Elisa was a big success in France, and was released internationally.
In 1997, Paradis played in Un amour de sorcière with Jeanne Moreau and Jean Reno, before filming Une chance sur deux, with Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo. In March 1999, La fille sur le Pont, by Patrice Leconte was released. This movie was shot and released in black and white. In 2004, she promoted Chanel's new handbags called Ligne Cambon. In 2005, she modeled for Chanel again for The New Mademoiselle handbag. In 2008, she modeled for Miu Miu.
On the musical side, she was included in the French children's album and concert Le Soldat Rose in 2006. Paradis released a new album (Divinidylle) in 2007 which was released in the UK on 11 December (September in France). There are three versions (regular, limited edition, and the Christmas edition). She started the Divinidylle Tour in October. Some concerts were filmed and a DVD/CD of the tour was released. Paradis won two 'Les Victoires de la Musique' awards for this album in February 2008. Some of her later projects include a greatest hits CD (Best of Vanessa Paradis) which includes the commercial jingle "I love Paris in the Springtime"; she also starred in the animated film Un monstre à Paris, released in 2010.
Her latest film in theatres is the romantic comedy Heartbreaker alongside Romain Duris and Andrew Lincoln, which grossed over €30 million in France and has also been well-received by critics. It was released in the UK in July 2010.[4][5]
Canadian film director Jean-Marc Vallée cast Paradis in a starring role in his film Café de Flore, in which she plays a single mother in the 1960s with a down syndrome child.[6] The film was released in 2011, and Paradis garnered a Genie Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 2012 Genie Awards.[7]
She released an acoustic album in November 2010 entitled Une nuit à Versailles. The album was recorded at L'Opéra of the Palace of Versailles during her Vanessa Paradis Concert Acoustique Tour.[8] She also released a set of DVDs in 2010 called Anthologie which collected rare live performances and interviews from 1987–2007.[9]
In 2010, she became the face of Chanel's new lipstick, Rouge Coco, and also became the face of Chanel's new handbag line. Her 2011 international tour which included performances in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and Turkey.[10]
Paradis dated French singer Florent Pagny from 1988 to 1991. She was rumored to be dating American singer Lenny Kravitz from 1992 to 1996 and dated and lived with French-Slovenian actor Stanislas Merhar in 1997 and 1998.
Since 1998, Paradis has been in a relationship with American actor Johnny Depp. They have a daughter, Lily-Rose Melody Depp (born May 27, 1999), and a son, John Christopher "Jack" Depp III (born April 9, 2002).[11]
Paradis and Depp divide their time between homes in Los Angeles and the village of Plan-de-la-Tour, France. They own a house in the Paris suburb of Meudon, an apartment in New York and an island in the Bahamas. Paradis has said that she longs for a house in England.
In 2000, Paradis released her album Bliss which was dedicated to Depp and their daughter.
In 2012, Vanessa Paradis, has officially denied the many rumors of possible separation,[12] live on French TV.[13]
Paradis has a sister, the actress Alysson Paradis, who is 11 years younger and has starred in many French horror films. The actor and film producer Didier Pain is their uncle.
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Year | Film | Role | Notes |
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1989 | Noce Blanche | Mathilde Tessier | |
1995 | Élisa | Marie Desmoulin | |
1998 | Pleasure (And Its Little Inconveniences) | La Voix du nouvel âge (voice) | Original title: Le plaisir (et ses petits tracas) |
Une chance sur deux | Alice Tomaso | ||
1997 | Un amour de sorcière | Morgane | |
1999 | Girl on the Bridge | Adèle | Original title: La fille sur le pont |
2004 | The Return of James Battle | Concia | Original title: Le retour de James Bataille |
Mon Ange | Colette | ||
2005 | The Magic Roundabout | Margote (voice) | |
2006 | Le soldat Rose | TV movie | |
2007 | The Key | Cécile | Original title: La clef |
2010 | Heartbreaker | Juliette Van Der Becq | Original title: L'arnacoeur |
A Monster in Paris | Lucille | Post-production Original title: Un monstre à Paris |
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2011 | Café de Flore | Jacqueline |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vanessa Paradis |
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|
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Sergio Busquets Burgos | ||
Date of birth | 16 July 1988 | ||
Place of birth | Sabadell, Spain | ||
Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Barcelona | ||
Number | 16 | ||
Youth career | |||
CD Badía | |||
Barberà Andalucía | |||
1999–2003 | Lleida | ||
2003–2005 | Unió Jabac | ||
2005–2007 | Barcelona | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
2006 | Barcelona C | 1 | (0) |
2007–2008 | Barcelona B | 32 | (1) |
2008– | Barcelona | 116 | (3) |
National team‡ | |||
2008–2009 | Spain U21 | 3 | (1) |
2008– | Spain | 38 | (0) |
2008– | Catalonia | 4 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). |
Sergio Busquets Burgos (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈserxjo βusˈkets], Catalan: [βusˈkɛts]; born 16 July 1988) is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team, as a defensive midfielder.
He was a relatively obscure player when he arrived in FC Barcelona's first team in July 2008, but eventually made a name for himself in a relatively short period of time, reaching the Spanish national team in less than one year after making his professional club debut.
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Busquets was born in Sabadell, Barcelona, Catalonia. In 2005, he joined local FC Barcelona's youth ranks, scoring seven goals in 26 matches for the Juvenil A team in his second season. Two years later, he was promoted to the B team under Josep Guardiola, and helped it achieve promotion to the third division. In that same season he would make his first-team debut, coming on as a substitute in a Catalonia Cup match.
On 13 September 2008, Busquets played his first La Liga match, 90 minutes in a 1–1 home draw against Racing de Santander.[1] During Barcelona's UEFA Champions League match against FC Basel at St. Jakob-Park on 22 October 2008, he scored the second goal in the 15th minute in a 5–0 group stage win.[2] In early December, in another start, he scored his second goal with Barça in the competition, netting in the 83rd minute of a 2–3 home loss against FC Shakhtar Donetsk.[3] On 22 December, Busquets signed a contract extension until 2013, with a buy-out clause of €80 million.[4][5]
On 7 March 2009, Busquets scored his first league goal, in a 2–0 home win over Athletic Bilbao. On 27 May, having been regularly used in the league as he competed for the spot with internationals Seydou Keita and Yaya Touré, he also featured in Barcelona's starting eleven in the Champions League final, a 2–0 win over Manchester United. With that victory, Carles and Sergio Busquets became only the third father-and-son combo to both have won Europe's top club competition playing for the same team, joining Manuel Sanchís Martínez and Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo (won it with Real Madrid) and Cesare Maldini and Paolo Maldini (A.C. Milan).
Busquets' fine form continued in the 2009–10 season,[6][7] with Guardiola preferring him to Yaya Touré as Barcelona's holding midfielder. In the Champions League semi-final against F.C. Internazionale Milano at Camp Nou on 28 April 2010, he went down to the ground after Thiago Motta had raised his arm and supposedly pushed Busquets in the face.[8] As a result of this action, Motta was shown a second yellow card and sent off, and Busquets was subsequently criticised by the media for apparently feigning injury.[8][9][10]
Busquets was again ever-present for Barcelona in 2010–11, even playing as a central defender on occasion. On 27 January 2011, he signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him at the club until 2015; the buyout clause was increased to €150 million.[11] On 8 March, playing at centre back, he scored an own goal from a corner kick against Arsenal, in the season's Champions League round-of-16, levelling the score at 1–1; Barcelona eventually won the game 3–1 (and 4–3 on aggregate).[12]
On 24 April 2012, Busquets scored a rare goal (only his sixth official one in four seasons), netting from a easy tap-in after an Isaac Cuenca cross to make it 1–0 for the hosts in the season's Champions League semifinals' second leg against Chelsea, but Barça could only draw 2–2 against ten men, losing 2–3 on aggregate.[13]
On 11 October 2008, Busquets earned his first cap for Spain's under-21, in their 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification play-offs first leg match, against Switzerland. He scored in the 17th minute but Spain lost the match 2–1, eventually emerging victorious 4–3 on aggregate.
On 6 February 2009, he was called-up to the senior squad for the friendly against England, on 11 February.[14] Busquets finally made his debut for La Furia Roja on 1 April 2009, in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Turkey, playing 16 minutes in a 2–1 win in Istanbul, after replacing David Silva. Four days earlier, he had been named as a substitute when the same sides met in Madrid, where Spain ran out 1–0 winners, with a goal from team mate Gerard Piqué.
Busquets was selected by manager Vicente del Bosque for the finals in South Africa, assuming the holding midfielder role naturalized Brazilian Marcos Senna had previously had in the conquest of UEFA Euro 2008: he played all the matches and minutes for the eventual World champions (save for the last 30 minutes of the 0–1 group stage loss against Switzerland).
Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other [17] | Total | |||||
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Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Barcelona B | 2007–08 | 30 | 1 | — | 30 | 1 | |||||
2008–09 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||||||
Total | 32 | 1 | — | 32 | 1 | ||||||
Barcelona | 2008–09 | 24 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 2 | — | 41 | 3 | |
2009–10 | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 52 | 1 | |
2010–11 | 28 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 1 | |
2011–12 | 31 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 52 | 2 | |
Total | 116 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 40 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 191 | 7 | |
Career total | 148 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 40 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 223 | 8 |
Busquets' father, Carles, was also a footballer, having played as goalkeeper for Barcelona for several years during the 1990s, although almost exclusively as a backup.[19]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sergio Busquets |
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Toni Braxton | |
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Toni Braxton on the Vh1 Divas 2009 Red Carpet |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Toni Michelle Braxton |
Born | Severn, Maryland, United States |
October 7, 1967
Genres | R&B, soul, pop |
Occupations | Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress |
Instruments | Vocals, piano |
Years active | 1989–present |
Labels | LaFace, Arista, Blackground, Atlantic |
Associated acts | The Braxtons, Tamar Braxton, Babyface, Kenny G, Lisa Lopes |
Website | www.tonibraxton.com |
Toni Michelle Braxton (born October 7, 1967)[1] is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide. She has a contralto vocal type.[citation needed]
Braxton topped the Billboard 200 with her 1993 self-titled debut album and continued that streak with her second studio album Secrets, which spawned the number-one hits "You're Makin' Me High" and "Un-Break My Heart". Although she had successful albums and singles, Braxton shortly filed for bankruptcy, but then returned with her chart-topping third album, The Heat. In 2009, she returned to the spotlight with "Yesterday", a #12 R&B hit which serves as the first single off her new album Pulse, released on May 4, 2010, which debuted at #1 on Billboard R&B Album Chart.[2] Braxton was involved in the 7th season of the reality show Dancing with the Stars. Her professional partner was Alec Mazo. She was voted off in week five of the competition. It was announced on October 6, 2010 that Braxton once again had filed for bankruptcy. A reality series entitled Braxton Family Values, starring Toni and her sisters, debuted April 12, 2011 on WE tv. WE tv ordered a 13-episode second season of the show after the third episode of the first season. On September 18, 2011, Braxton was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
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Braxton was born in Severn, Maryland. Toni's father, Michael Conrad Braxton, was a Methodist[3][4] clergyman and power company worker, and her mother, Evelyn, a native of South Carolina, was a former opera singer and cosmetologist, as well as a pastor.[5][6] The Braxton children were raised in a strict religious household.[7] Braxton's first performing experience was singing in her church choir.[7]
Toni and brother Michael Braxton Jr. are the eldest of the siblings, followed by younger sisters Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar.
She attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree[8] but decided to sing professionally after she was discovered by William E. Pettaway Jr., who heard her singing to herself while pumping gas.[9]
Braxton and her four sisters (Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar) began performing as The Braxtons in the late 1980s and were signed to Arista Records in 1989. Their first single, "Good Life", was released in 1990.[10] Though the song was not successful, it attracted the attention of Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.[10]
With Braxton's low register sounding similar to that of Anita Baker,[citation needed] Reid and Babyface recruited her to record a demo of "Love Shoulda Brought You Home", a song that they had written for Anita Baker for the soundtrack of Eddie Murphy's film, Boomerang. Baker, who was pregnant at the time,[11] did not record the song but suggested that Braxton record it. Her recording was later included on the soundtrack along with "Give U My Heart", a duet by Braxton and Babyface. Braxton, meanwhile, was signed to Reid and Edmonds' Arista-distributed imprint, LaFace Records, and immediately began recording her solo debut album.
On July 13, 1993, LaFace Records released Braxton's self-titled debut album, Toni Braxton.[12] The album, which was primarily produced by Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons, peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart.[13] The first single, "Another Sad Love Song", peaked at number seven and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles charts respectively.[14] The album's second single, "Breathe Again" peaked in the top five of both the Hot 100 and R&B singles charts[14] and no 2 in the UK.[15] More singles from Toni Braxton were released in 1994, including "You Mean the World to Me", "Seven Whole Days", "I Belong to You", and "How Many Ways".[14]
Braxton's debut album won her several awards, including three Grammy Awards (for Best New Artist and two consecutive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994 and 1995).[16] She also won two American Music Awards (for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist and Favorite New Adult Contemporary Artist)[16] in 1994 and another one in 1995 (for Favorite Soul/R&B Album).[16] Toni Braxton was certified 8x platinum in USA and has sales of over 10 million worldwide.[17][18]
In June 1996, Braxton released her second and most successful album, Secrets.[19] Braxton has said about the album: "The motivation for this album was to include a little bit of everything. Our aim was to come up with material that would have a familiar 'feel' to the people who bought the first album without being musically redundant."[20] Along with Babyface, Braxton also worked with R. Kelly, Tony Rich, and David Foster on the album.[21] Braxton was the co-executive producer of the album and co-wrote two of its songs, including the 1997 single "How Could an Angel Break My Heart", which was also later included on Diana Princess of Wales Tribute, a Princess Diana memorial album.[22]
With help from the album's first single, "You're Makin' Me High" (which became Braxton's first number-one hit on the Hot 100 singles chart),[14] the album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart.[23] "You're Makin' Me High" also topped the R&B singles chart for two weeks[14] and saw similar success in Europe and Asia. The album's second single, "Un-Break My Heart" (written by Diane Warren)—which would later become the singer's signature song[citation needed] —became the biggest hit of her career spending eleven weeks at number one on the Hot 100[10] and also topping the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart for eleven weeks and the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart for four weeks[24] as well as reaching no 2 in the UK[25] The song is the second biggest selling single by a female singer in Billboard history behind Whitney Houston's, "I Will Always Love You".[citation needed] Other singles from the album included the double A-side "I Don't Want To"/"I Love Me Some Him" (which peaked at number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart)[14] and "How Could an Angel Break My Heart" which featured Kenny G, with whom Braxton later toured.[26] After 92 weeks in the charts, Secrets is certified 8x platinum, becoming Braxton's second straight 8 million seller. Internationally, Secrets sold more than 15 million copies, thus cementing Braxton's superstar status.[18]
Braxton topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the Top Hot 100 Singles Artist — Female,[27] Top R&B Artist — Female (singles and albums),[24] Top Hot R&B Singles Artist — Female,[24] Top Hot Dance Club Play Artist, and Top Hot Adult Contemporary Artist, while "Un-Break My Heart" became the Top Hot Dance Club Play Single and the Top Hot Adult Contemporary Track of the year. She won two Grammy Awards; one for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance[16] and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and two American Music Awards for Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album.[16]
In March 2000, LaFace Records released "He Wasn't Man Enough", the first single from Braxton's third studio album, The Heat. By June 2000, the song peaked at number two on the Hot 100 chart. Braxton's music video for "He Wasn't Man Enough", which also featured actress Robin Givens, was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards including Best Female Video and Best R&B Video and a Billboard Music Video Award for Best R&B Clip of the Year.[citation needed]
The Heat was released on April 25, 2000. Debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart with first week sales of 194,448 copies sold,[28] it remained in the top 20 for fifteen consecutive weeks. Braxton again worked with producers Babyface and Foster; also included in the staple were Rodney Jerkins, and new beau musician Keri Lewis. Braxton herself also took a more hands-on approach, co-writing and co-producing a handful of the tracks. "Gimme Some", a track on "The Heat", featured a rap verse from TLC star Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes.
The album's second single, "Just Be a Man About It", peaked at number 32 on the Hot 100 and number six on the R&B Charts. The third single, "Spanish Guitar", peaked at number 98 on the Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Dance & Club charts. The fourth single, "Maybe", peaked at 74 on the R&B charts.
The Heat was certified double platinum in the US with over 3 million copies sold worldwide.[18] In February 2000, Braxton performed alongside Enrique Iglesias and Christina Aguilera during the Super Bowl Halftime show.[citation needed] Braxton topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist — Female, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album Artist — Female, and Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Artist — Female. She also received the 2000 Aretha Franklin Award for Entertainer of the Year at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. Braxton also picked up her sixth Grammy Award for "He Wasn't Man Enough" which won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and the album was nominated for Best R&B Album. It won Best R&B/Soul Album at the 2001 American Music Awards, her third win in a row.[citation needed]
In 2002, while gearing up for the release of her fourth studio album, Braxton discovered she was pregnant with her second child. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to promote the album properly, she unsuccessfully lobbied Arista Records to get the label to postpone its release until after she was to give birth. Arista Records refused and the album was released as planned in November 2002. It received very little promotion from Arista and Braxton herself, due to a complicated pregnancy that confined her to bed rest. Braxton accused the company of being unwilling to compromise and punishing her from not putting her career over family. On the show VH1 Inside Out — Family Comes First, she documented the hardships of being pregnant with her second child at the same time as promoting an album.[citation needed]
In November 2002, Braxton's fourth studio album More Than a Woman was released. Opening to an instant commercial disappointment, the album peaked at number 13. The first single, The Neptunes-produced "Hit the Freeway", failed at radio and peaked at number 86 on the Hot 100. The two singles that followed ("A Better Man", "Lies, Lies, Lies") also failed to make a dent and missed the Hot 100 completely. Meanwhile, a promotional vinyl was sent out to DJs for "Give It Back"/"Let Me Show You the Way (Out)".[citation needed]
More Than A Woman was certified gold by RIAA and sold more 800,000 copies worldwide.[29][30]
Prior to the release of the album, a dispute erupted between Braxton and Irv Gotti when he played a rough cut of "No More Love", a song that he produced for the album that was to be the first single. Disapproving of Gotti broadcasting the unfinished track, Braxton withheld it from being released. The same year, Braxton was further annoyed when Jay-Z used the same sample of 2Pac's "Me And My Girlfriend" that she had already used on her track "Me & My Boyfriend" for his and Beyoncé's "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". Furious, Braxton lashed out in a radio interview, accusing Jay-Z and producer Kanye West of taking money out of her children's college fund.[citation needed]
In April 2003, Braxton abruptly left Arista Records, having been there for fourteen years, and immediately signed with Blackground Records—headed by Barry Hankerson, her manager at the time. The change of scenery, however, did not ultimately help her recording career. As had been the case during her final years at Arista—Braxton's fifth album, and first release on Blackground, Libra was released with scant promotion and accumulated poor sales.[citation needed]
In April 2005, Braxton's new label, Blackground/Universal, released "Please"—the first single from her fifth album, Libra. The album was originally planned for a June release, but it was pushed back several times and was finally issued on September 27. Unfortunately for Braxton, her troubles with weak album promotion and lack of label commitment weren't over. "Please" peaked at number 36 on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while altogether missing the Hot 100. The album lacked promotion by Blackground, causing it to go under the radar of many.[citation needed]
Despite this, Libra still managed to debut at number four on the Billboard 200 selling 114,593 copies in the first week. Libra also peaked at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Although that is strong for an album with little to no promotion, it became yet another commercial disappointment for Braxton. The album's second single, "Trippin' (That's the Way Love Works)" received less airplay and peaked at number 67 on the R&B chart. The failure was ascribed to the non-video presence of the single and lack of label support. The album was certified gold in late 2005 and has since sold 679,000 copies worldwide.[29]
Braxton, meanwhile, recorded a song with Il Divo titled "The Time of Our Lives". The song was used as the official 2006 FIFA World Cup anthem and was performed at the championship's opening day in Berlin, Germany on June 9. The song was also performed at the closing ceremonies making Braxton and Il Divo the first artists to be asked to perform for the opening and closing ceremonies.[31] The song peaked at number 17 in Germany. As a result Edel Records decided to re-release Libra in Germany, including a new album cover, artwork, and the new anthem.[citation needed]
Braxton made an appearance on the season finale of American Idol 5 where she performed Elvis Presley's "In the Ghetto" with soon-to-be winner Taylor Hicks.[32]
On May 19, 2006, the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas announced that Braxton would replace Wayne Newton as the casino's new headlining act on August 3, 2006.[33] The show, entitled Toni Braxton: Revealed, was to be performed six nights a week and was scheduled to run through March 2007. Braxton Later confirmed that she was extending her show through August 2007. The show became the first headlining show from an African American performer in Las Vegas to enter the top ten Vegas shows charting. Due to the success of the show, it was reported that Braxton would extend her show through August 2008. The singer subsequently took time off after being hospitalized for chest pains in April 2008.[citation needed] The show was later cancelled, and it was announced that the show was officially shut down in order for the singer to focus on her health.[34]
Braxton has been released from her contract with Blackground after a number of disputes with former manager Barry Hankerson.[35]
On January 12, 2007, Braxton filed a lawsuit in the U.S District Court in Manhattan against Hankerson for $10 million, alleging "fraud, deception and double dealing," in addition to mismanaging her relationship with Arista Records.[36] According to Braxton, Hankerson placed his own personal financial interests ahead of hers by using "double-talk" to compromise the relationship between Braxton and her former recording label, Arista Records, with Hankerson allegedly telling Arista that "Braxton no longer wanted to record for Arista" and telling Braxton that "Arista was not interested in working with her anymore".[36] Braxton also accused Hankerson of failing to send her on request copies of accounting statements, lying about deals that he made on her behalf and engaging in a vendetta against her by refusing to provide information to other managers that she sought to employ to manage her career.[citation needed]
The suit was settled with Braxton returning a $375,000 advance to Hankerson—who would also receive a percentage of the sales of her next album—and Hankerson releasing Braxton from her contract with him. The settlement also temporarily limited the companies in which Braxton can sign with.[37][38]
In early August, various internet websites including TMZ.com and In Touch Weekly magazine began announcing that Braxton would be appearing on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars. The full cast of the next season of the show was confirmed on August 25, 2008 on Good Morning America, which confirmed Braxton as a contestant in the season with her partner being Alec Mazo.[39] They were voted off in the fifth week of the competition.
Braxton, Lance Bass, Maurice Greene and Marlee Matlin headlined Dancing with the Stars winter tour starting in December 2008 and finishing in February 2009.[citation needed]
Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
1A | Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Smooth" | 7 | 7 | 8 | Safe |
1B | Quickstep/ "Blue Skies" | 8 | 7 | 8 | Last to Be Called Safe |
2 | Rumba/ "I Can't Make You Love Me" | 7 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
3 | Viennese Waltz/ "Für Elise" | 8 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
4 | Samba/ "De Donde Soy" | 7 | 7 | 8 | Safe |
5 | West Coast Swing/ "The Way You Make Me Feel" | 7 | 7 | 8 | Eliminated |
In October 2008, it was announced that Braxton signed to Atlantic Records. In the November 2008 issue of Jet, Braxton discussed her time spent on Dancing with the Stars as well as dealing with her son's autism. Braxton also talked about being signed to Atlantic Records and the debut of her upcoming single. She added that the complete CD is scheduled to come out in some time in 2009. She also hinted at a cooking show with fellow Dancing with the Stars competitor, Rocco DiSpirito.[citation needed]
The DJ Frank E produced song "Yesterday" premiered on September 11, 2009 and features Trey Songz.[40] It was released as the lead single from her sixth studio album Pulse.[41] "Yesterday" peaked at #12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart making it her highest chart performance since her 2000 single "Just Be a Man About It", which peaked at #6. The single has been released worldwide on May 3, 2010.[42] In the UK, "Yesterday" became Braxton's first hit single since the release of "Hit the Freeway", peaking at #50 on the UK Singles Chart and at #17 on the UK R&B Singles Chart. The song also became a moderate hit in Europe, peaking at #20 on the German Singles Chart, at #17 on the Swiss Singles Chart and charting at #50 on the European Hot 100.
On January 29, Braxton's official website posted two new songs from the upcoming album, "Hands Tied" and "Make My Heart". The former peaked at #29 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the latter was sent to dance/club radio.[43] She performed Make My Heart on The Wendy Williams Show. Videos for both songs "Make My Heart" and "Hands Tied" have been shot.
Braxton released her sixth studio album Pulse on May 4, 2010 in the US [44] and on May 10, 2010 in the UK.[2]
The album debuted at #9 on the US Billboard 200 chart and hit #1 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Braxton's fifth US top-ten album. It also achieved moderate chart success around the world. In Canada it debuted at #72 on the Top 100 Albums chart and in the United Kingdom it debuted at #28 on the Top 40 Albums and at #7 on the R&B Albums chart. It entered at #18 on the German Album Chart. In Switzerland, the album hit #9. Pulse became Toni's first album to chart inside the European Top 100 Albums since her 2000 album The Heat.
On June 28, Braxton posted a video for Woman.[45]
Toni Braxton was included as part of the "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" remake of the 1985 hit "We Are the World" to help benefit the people of Haiti following the January 12, 2010 magnitude 7.0 MW earthquake in Haiti. The new version of the song was recorded on February 1, 2010. Music legends Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie act as Executive Producers as well as Wyclef Jean. Artists involved included Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Janet Jackson, Tony Bennett, Wyclef Jean, Josh Groban, Pink, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Levine, Justin Bieber, LL Cool J, among others.
In January 2011, WE tv Network confirmed that it had signed Braxton for a reality series, Braxton Family Values, which will be marketed as one of the network's flagship shows. The series debuted April 12, 2011, and looks at the relationship between the singer/songwriter Braxton, her mother, and her four sisters; Trina, Tamar, Traci and Towanda — all aspiring singers themselves — along with the interpersonal relationships of each family member. The show will also look at Braxton's heavily publicized separation from estranged husband, singer Keri Lewis.[46] Toni parted ways with her long time manager Vincent Herbert, who is also husband of sister Tamar Braxton, and signed a new management deal with Los Angeles-based entertainment/production company 'The Collective'.[47]
Braxton has confirmed work on her seventh studio album and that L.A. Reid would be producing on the album.[48] Braxton announced at Mercedes-Benz 2012 Fall/Winter Fashion Week in an interview with Rocco Leo Gaglioti as a part of "Fashion News Live" that she would be releasing a new single titled "I Heart You" in March, and that there will be a total of ten songs on the new release (nine new songs with one remix).[49] Braxton premiered "I Heart You" on 9 March 2012.[50]
Braxton has appeared on two Disney Broadway shows: She made her Broadway debut as Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" beginning September 9, 1998 where she replaced Kim Huber.[51] During her run in the show Alan Menken wrote a new song for the musical called "A Change in Me," which was specially written for Braxton and was used in the musical ever since.[52] She left the production on February 28, 1999 and was succeeded by Andrea McArdle.[53] Her role in "Beauty and the Beast" marked the first (and only) time a black woman commanded the leading role of Belle on Broadway. (In the UK, Michelle Gayle played the role in the West End.) It also marked the first time a black woman would star in a Disney musical on Broadway.[54] She then starred in "Aida" as Aida beginning June 30, 2003 where she replaced Simone[55] and left the cast on November 16, 2003 where she was replaced by Michelle Williams.[56] In 2001, she made her movie acting debut in the feature film Kingdom Come.[57] In 2004, Braxton appeared as herself, voicing a singing character named Toni, in a special episode and DVD release [58] of the children's television show Blue's Clues.[59] In August 2005, Braxton announced that she would be shooting a sitcom pilot for The WB's fall 2006 line-up, though plans to put the show into full-production fell through when The WB announced it would cease to exist in fall 2006 (as part of a merger with UPN to form The CW), She has also starred in the TV sitcom, Kevin Hill.[60] Braxton has recently[when?] completed filming of "The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure" alongside Jaime Pressly and Cloris Leachman due to be released 2010.[dated info] Her character - Rosalie Rosebud - is a singer, whose over-the-top personality was apparently inspired by Mariah Carey.[61]
Braxton met musician Keri Lewis when his group, Mint Condition, opened for her on tour.[62] On April 21, 2001, they were married.[62] On December 2, 2001, she gave birth to their first child,[63] a son named Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis. The couple's second son, Diezel Ky Braxton-Lewis, was born on March 31, 2003.[63]
In an October 2006 concert at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, it was reported that Braxton broke down in tears discussing her son, Diezel, who had recently been diagnosed with autism.[64] Braxton has been outspoken regarding her doctor's failure to diagnose Diezel's condition earlier, contending that if he had been diagnosed earlier, he could have been helped.[65]
As well as becoming a spokeswoman for Autism Speaks,[66] she is also a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association.
In November 2009, through her attorney Antavius Weems, Braxton announced that she and Lewis had separated.[67]
As of August 2007, rumors surfaced that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Toni stated to Access Hollywood that the breast cancer rumors were false and that her health is in great condition. However, in 2008, she had a benign lump removed from her breast.[68]
On April 8, 2008, near the end of her two-year run at the Flamingo Hotel, Braxton was briefly hospitalized and the remaining dates on the show, which was scheduled to end on August 23, 2008, were canceled. Later, while appearing on Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars, she stated that she has been diagnosed with microvascular angina (small vessel disease).[69]
On November 18, 2010, Braxton admitted to CBS News that she suffers from systemic lupus erythematosus, a potentially life threatening autoimmune disease. Braxton's brother also suffers from the disease, and her uncle died of complications from lupus.[70]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Toni Braxton |
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Preceded by Arrested Development |
Grammy Award for Best New Artist 1994 |
Succeeded by Sheryl Crow |
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