- Order:
- Duration: 3:51
- Updated: 21 May 2013
- published: 27 Jan 2010
- views: 59743
- author: Jur
Chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains.
And they ain't the kind that you can see.
Whoa, oh, these chains of love got a hold on me, yeah.
Chains, well I can't break away from these chains.
Can't run around, 'cause I'm not free.
Whoa, oh, these chains of love won't let me be, yeah.
I wanna tell you, pretty baby,
I think you're fine.
I'd like to love you,
But, darlin', I'm imprisoned by these...
Chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains,
And they ain't the kind that you can see,
Oh, oh, these chains of love got a hold on me.
Please believe me when I tell you,
Your lips are sweet.
I'd like to kiss them,
But I can't break away from all of these...
Chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains.
And they ain't the kind that you can see.
Whoa, oh, these chains of love got a hold on me, yeah.
Chains, chains of love...
(Verse One)
One night at the disco I wanted to dance slow
I saw a sweet baby, such a fine lady
I walked up to ask her, but some dude just grabbed her
I told him to back off, cut me some slack off
I see you come here, drinkin' that cheap beer
Act like you own it, I can't condone it
You show me now respect, you got to get off it
You got to get with it. Time for a swift kick
You see, I own this town. You best not come around.
If you wanna get by, then cool it down.
If you wanna start something, know one thing: I'm king.
If you wanna mess around like that, that's just how it is.
If you wanna get by, then mind your biz.
If you wanna start something, know one thing: I'm king.
You wanted attention and did I mention:
Nobody likes you, except for the losers
You made a whole army, an army of babies
Some of them stupid, some of them crazy
Pick up your action, act like a grown man
Look at the winners, you can be like them
Life is so easy, pleasant, and dreamy
If you get off me, if you get with me
You see, I own this town. You best not come around.
If you wanna get by, then cool it down.
If you wanna start something, know one thing: I'm king.
If you wanna mess around like that, that's just how it is.
If you wanna get by, then mind your biz.
If you wanna start something, know one thing: I'm king.
You can't break me
Never take me
That's just how it is
You can't break me
Never shake me
Clear out of my biz
You see, I own this town. You best not come around.
If you wanna get by, then cool it down.
If you wanna start something, know one thing: I'm king.
If you wanna mess around like that, that's just how it is.
If you wanna get by, then mind your biz.
King, where are your people now?
Chained and pacified.
Tried in vain to show them how.
And for that you died.
You had a dream of a promised land.
People of all nations walking hand in hand
But they're not ready to accept
That dream situation, yet.
King, where are your people now?
Chained and pacified.
Tried in vain to show them how.
He was a leader of a small gang
Committing crimes each day
But time has changed where he was proud
It's so far away
He took living easy, his bad reputation
Oh, it was known all around
But he didn't care, no, he made dirty money
Now he is down and out
Thought he knew the tricks of life
Prowling in the dark
Now he's left by all his friends
'Cause he lived apart, of them
He was a leader, malicious and violent
His fame is covered with blood
Now he's just a number, he lost all his power
The king has lost his face
Down, down, down, ooh a king lost his crown
Caught and sentenced, he was guilty
Down, down, down, ooh a king lost his crown
It's too late, far too high
Late far too high
He was a leader of a small gang
Committing crimes each day
But time has changed where he was proud
It's so far away
He took living easy, his bad reputation
Oh, it was known all around
But he didn't care, no, he made dirty money
Now he is down and out
Down, down, down, ooh a king lost his crown
Caught and sentenced, he was guilty
Down, down, down, ooh a king lost his crown
It's too late, far too high
Down, down, down, ooh a king lost his crown
Caught and sentenced, he was guilty
Down, down, down, ooh a king lost his crown
It's too late, far too high
You are the one who causes me pain
You are the one who causes me grief
You are the one who lied to me
It won't be long soon you will see
King is coming
King is coming
King is coming
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
King is coming
You are the one who magnifies hate
You are the one who destroy our love
You are the one disguised as a saint
It won't be long your kingdom will quake, oh
King is coming
King is coming
King is coming
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
King is coming
King is coming
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
King is coming
King is coming
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
King is coming
You are the one who causes me pain
You are the one who causes me grief
You are the one who lied to me
It won't be long soon you will see, oh
King is coming
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
King is coming
King is coming
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
King is coming
(Music: Marillion Lyrics: Steve Hogarth & John Helmer)
How long can you stand
Tightening up
Avoiding the fight
Avoiding the truth
Tighten the smile
Tighten the lie
Will you get what you want
To be cursed with your dreams
I hope for your sake
Something gets in the way
How long can you stand
Living under the lens
The kiss of success
The ensuing, all consuming, mess
Message of love
They arrive everyday
People you touch
Wasting away
People you don't know
Give you no choice
And you're sick to your stomach
At the sound of your voice
And the shape of your face
And the sound of your name
They send you pictures of yourself
It's someone you don't know
And they call you a genius
Cause you're easier to sell
But the fire in your belly
That gave you the songs
Is suddenly gone
And you feel like a fake
Is that what you want?
I hope for your sake..
You've got what it takes
You've got what it takes
You've got what it takes
To be spoilt to death
Now is the time to reach for the sky
Gather the wind hear the voice to fly
To know why they sing about heroes and kings
Who were brave and not afraid to die
Look and you'll see that a new day will bring
The will to go on and fight through endless suffering
For all who believe wait a crown a ring
The power of the man who would be king
The power of the man who would be king
Into the fight of hopes and dreams
The master of the wind knows nothing's what is seems
The melting of the soul the wish of those who scheme
The taking of the will by destroyers of the dream
They live to spread the fear of the wrong of right of self
They want us all to live like books upon a shelf
But we know we have the power to fight and make a stand
Strike when we are challenged all across the land to be king
Fight for the crown, fight for the ring
We're fighting the world, we fight for the king
Time to face the world let brothers never fight
Forever forge ahead and keep the dream in sight
For those who never try they are sure to fail
The heart's a righteous wind that comes to fill the sail
For the glory of the king we fight to stay alive
By the power of the will, the spirit to survive to be king
Fight for the crown, fight for the ring
We're fighting the world, we fight for the king
All of the dreams held deep inside have a meaning to the soul
Freedom to bring a thought to the wing is waiting to unfold
For the crown and the ring
The power of the man who would be king
Fight for the crown, fight for the ring
We're fighting the world, we fight for the king
For the glory of the king we fight to stay alive - Fight
By the power of the will the spirit to survive - Fight
Across the gates of Heaven beyond the gates of Hell - Fight
We fought to stay together
We have won and have lived to tell who would be king
Fight for the crown, fight for the ring
Here comes the king
King!
King!
Here in my castle, I'm king of the house
Slippers, paper, pipe, and dog
Easy chair and a burning log
Something smells good in the kitchen tonight
Oh yeah, my baby can treat me right
Like every Tom, and Dick, and Harry know
Out on the street you're just another Joe-shmoe
When you get inside my home
Ceasar never had it better in Rome
King!
Here in my house
King!
Here in my castle, I'm king of the house
My throne is just a La-Z-Boy
A hotrod Ford is just a toy
I may rule, but I can't be mean
I still must answer to the queen
So if you're lucky just like me
You must feel like royalty
If this has a familiar ring
Then you know just why i sing
King!
Here in my house
King!
Here in my castle, I'm king of the house
King!
Here in my house
King!
Here in my castle, I'm king of the house
I'm just a farmer bustin' sod
Just one creature under God
Truth be known, and truth be seen'n
I'd be nothin' without my queen
So if you feel like monarchy
You don't mind a little anarchy
My hotrod Ford has a couple of dings
But the engine purrs and the radio sings
King!
Here in my house
King!
Here in my castle, I'm king of the house
King!
Here in my house
King!
Here in my castle, I'm king of the house
Here in my castle, I'm king of the house
Here in my castle, I'm king
Here comes the...
Jesus and the California Kid
oh what Jesus did, for the California kid
There's a school kid on the coastline
who's the textbook case of cool
He's out of sight he surfs alright
and he ain't nobody's fool
He's got a face that fits on GQ
and a natural taste in style
And everybody likes hime
with that million dollar smile
Well you might think he parties
and gets and girl he want
And he hangs out with the wicked
but he needs no silly stunts
He got a different kind of attitude
that most cool dudes don't have
He's got a personal life with Jesus
and he walks on the narrow path
One time God became a man
and He walked upon the earth
He didn't have a cool car
and I don't think he liked to surf
But he mst of had something in common
to do what He did
'Cause He died for you and I
The other day
I got in a fight
It involved me and my foot in my mouth
And my wife
Then I got to thinking
Wouldn't it be grand
If with every word I said
My wish was the world's command
I'd be the king
I'd be the top
I'd give myself a raise
Throw my own parade
Number one, the chief, the boss
I'd be the king
No honey-do list
I'd rule
Whatever I say is the way that it goes
That'd be cool
And I'd go fishing
Or maybe watch sports on TV
And folks would carry me around
And I'd get to wear a crown
And I'd never spend a day on my feet
Chorus-solo-rpt chorus
I'd be living large
I'd be in charge
The whole world would bow to me, I'd be the king
It happened again
I got in a fight
In involved me and my foot in my mouth
And my wife
Ayy... Ayy what up folk, I'm focused man...
I been doing this for a lil' while now
I had some mixtapes out, did my thang...
I ain't really had the opportunity I think
To speak from my heart, man like really just express myself,
So I'm a give it to em as long as I can,
I ain't counting bars, so don't expect no hook...
Lord I been trying all these years,
And I ain't never had a thing to say
Did it by myself not a soul here to motivate me, my family was cool
But when times got hard they was like fuck this rap shit
Go get yourself a job, I thank god that when the run-in's with the law
While I was riding with my folk and there was dope in the car
Momma forgive me I was in it for a minute,
I was tired of 'em talking bout my shoes and my fitted,
"G-Rod" got killed and I shed a couple tears
Trying to forget that he's gone,
Just remember that in here, remember that it clear
And where he at it's good, yea my nigga dead,
But at least he out the hood
I'd leave if I could, that's what I plan to do,
These niggas talk a lot, remind me of high school,
But I thank you for your hating, appreciate the rumors
If you think that you're a winner then I'm glad to be a loser lord
No money, more problems that's just how it is,
I lost another homeboy, that's just how it is,
He told me "Little cause don't trip on these niggas",
I said "Fuck that, I' gonna get paper and shit on these niggas,
Rip on these niggas"
Don't speak when I pass you, they sold 'cause they wanted to,
We sold 'cause we had to
Bills don't pay themselves my nigga, hell naw!
I'm about money that's what I'm trying to tell ya,
Moms and pops I promise that I won't fail y'all, my shit jam
It's only right that I outsell y'all,
I dedicate my life to this music,
I dropped out of college 'cause my life is this music,
Next nigga out the 'Sip, really can't tell me shit,
The beats spoke to me when the books couldn't tell me shit
I wake up like another day another headache,
My purpose gets no clearer as I'm staring in this mirror,
Wash my face and my ass and hit the slab hard
If I don't say shit all day, nigga I thank god,
For another breath, yes for another step,
In the right or wrong direction still it's for a progress
Moving at pace that can't be seen, scraping everything,
Yea my pockets is fat because my stature lean,
I got a mean team and they will see you dearly
The only way they show respect if I make 'em feel me,
I mean that sincerely
I keep more beef than chili for anxious haters
Waiting, plotting, praying out to kill me,
Why the fuck I gotta live like this momma?
All the setback's make me feel like this momma,
Another southern rapper yea I bet it label
Two of my best friends Patron and Cuervo at my table we sit and talk
Millions with some hope that we can speak it to existence hah
It's certain universal laws we abide by,
The dealer lives on but a child dies in the drive by,
Titans collide and blocks go to war with no earthly idea
What the fuck we fighting for,
I paint pictures of this concrete jungle
Where the lions make deals with the hunters,
Snitch niggas kool aid heart pump bitch niggas,
Under pressure write a whole fuckin' list nigga please
I'm fighting demons like Constantine,
Constantly trying to take what belongs to me
But I review you niggas, follow 'suit nigga,
If the convo ain't bbout money then I mute niggas shit,
I'm focused folk, you can quote this folk
I'm about to swarm the game like locust folk, they choking folk,
Guess it's hard to swallow,
If I leave the 'Sip then hell yea they'll follow
I talked to the father, he tells me
"Be real, nevermind what they want son. Just say what you feel",
I'm knowing that the deals nowadays are some bullshit
Anything less than a mil' is some bullshit,
Because I know what I'm worth
Don't need a nigga to tell me... shit!
Music alone no gimmick, need a nigga to sell me
One-two, one-two
Is there a party over here, with no guns and knives getting in
Now let and best, get sweat the life threatenin'
Nettin' and suggestin', guest do the restin'
Mic test, KISS, BLS, who the best then?
'Cause when I appear with hoes off a chair with
Stare with, I'm talkin' 'bout a party over here with
Main wreckin', girls I'm checkin', could be naked too
Respect and to remember every one of y'all a second to
Their maxin', gonna be fraction, a fraction, attraction
Ya'll don't wanna see action or askin'
Screw, 'cause you don't what the Rick'll do
Giggle to, well as you can see a butt wiggle too
Fried and spin my bride and move your hide and
Not another jammy on my side and
So cling although desire I'm thin
I'm wonderin', should I begin to kick ya mind or chin
'Cause I'm king
Did ya'll forget who was the man? I'll stand and live kid
You will be bouncin' up and down 'cause I'm a grand individual
Shit you will fear say I'm cheer to dear
Disappear to where you no where near to
And could never dream, run horse forever and
Clever trap a hooker screamin' I?m yours forever and
Town to town with the b-boy sounds
That has the Ruler Rick announce, which amounts to bounce to
The class and still hum the last and
Smash, jewelry heavy like kids from the past and
'Cause bodies lay about, respect you better pay about
Obey about, 'cause Ricky isn't sweatin' what you say about him
Oh I'm on the clause, silent you're younger boy
Rap bein' strong, 'cause see this is violence you hunger for
So cling those aren't I'm thin, I'm wonderin'
Should I begin to kick your mind or chin, 'cause I'm king
Like Ceasar, so wanna chill ho on knees for
Please for, breeze, what money grow on trees for
Ten to play, I'm poppin' willie on the way in
Decay, the Rick could make a million a day and
Kid shot, 'cause we on the boy's heart
'Cause the part don't start that's killin' noise fart 'cause
Strive kid, go for the knife it's
One for the trife shit, run for your life it's
As I scrape ho's, graspin? to shape up
Clothes draped, tell me why you blastin' the tape up
And up high to where?s your boyfriend tried to be
Ho's fly to Vance Wright, tearin' upside of me
Sewin' ya, sweat so I bone ya
Let nobody clone ya, and get how I own ya
So hoes cling, those aren't I'm thin
I'm wonderin' should I bring to kick ya mind or chin
When I'm the king of the whole wide world
You're gonna worship me
And you will find out
I am the king of the world and you're a loser
You're gonna follow me
And you will find out
I am the king of the world and you're a peasant
Everybody's invited to the coronation
We have heard the Thunder
And we have seen the storm
Echoes of Your kingdom coming
Rumors of our home
Where one day we will stand before You Lord
Our altogether beautiful reward
We will give You glory, bring You honor
King above all Kings, You deserve our everything
We will lift our voices with Your praises
Jesus You are our King
Yes, You are Lord
For now we walk in darkness
But now we see in part
Right now we're warmed by the burning flames
Of the fire in our hearts
You've promised You will lead us to Your throne
Yes, You did Lord
Where we will worship You and You alone
Yes Lord
We will give You glory, bring You honor
King above all Kings, You deserve our everything
We will lift our voices with Your praises
Jesus You are our King
And we will give You glory
And we will give You glory
And we will give You glory
And we will give You glory
And we will give You glory
And we will give You glory Lord
We will give You glory
Holy
And we will give You glory, bring You honor
King above all Kings, and You deserve our everything
We will lift our voices to You Lord and with Your praises
Jesus You are, Jesus You are, Jesus You are our King
September 2 I got it
Yeah yeah you already know who it is
New breath of the muthafuckin west coast
I'm a rida patrone and the best smoke
They call juice the T.I. of the west coast
This Arizonas shit on my chest
I'm a ride this bitch out if it means till death
The city can't fight us the rap leonitis
Got 300 killas and goons right beside us
Fuck it I bubble hard from twin to double r
From dre to mike mill I got the life shield
I'm the diamond of the city look around b
Bitch I'm a king in my lane and people crowned me
I've been smashin it I been mashin shit
I break bread in my city like a capitalist
Homie it's like that I'm on the right track
I am to game what dwayne is besides shaq
You see the youngn doin his thang
It's only right stand here say that I'm king
Representing that West Coast flavor yeah...
Calli untouchable DJs yeah...
This is a Calli untouchable Blackwall street exclusive
I got it yeah yeah...
DJ Skee exclusive
I punish ever remix from never? to sweet
Hurricane of the A-Zone ask the streets
Classy leep? spittin with that classic speach
Make these niggas understand there's none after me
I'm so cocky chain stocky
Go hard in the paint call him Charles Barkley
Just watch me uhh
I'm makeing moves like a don
I'm a king about mine and never moveing like a pown?
Checkmate bitch!
The west coast got a facefift
The arizona crown holder that's my statement
Niggas fear me what's real will
The CHR millz and realism
Shot out to bury I
I'm known to ride
I got that pheonix on my chest
So I'm know to rise
Gasta godfather doing his thang
It's only right here stand here stay that I'm king
-JUICE
Ooh that shit was crazy!
That shit was crazy there did you hear that! yeah!
Little bird,
I won't prey on you.
I won't prey on you this time.
I'm your faith.
I'm your faithhealer.
I'm your faithless companion.
I'm the seed that made your perfect body.
When you sleep, I am awake.
There is a light under the ocean.
Under the ocean, there's things shining everywhere.
There is a lightkeeper under the blanket here.
Under the blanket, there's things shining down here.
Now I see you lay your perfect body down by me,
Now we're down.
Little bird,
I won't prey on you.
I won't prey on you this time.
I'm your faith.
I'm your faithhealer
I'm your faithless companion.
I'm the seed that made your body perfect.
When you sleep, I am awake.
There is a light under the ocean.
Under the ocean, there's things shining everywhere.
There is a lightkeeper under the blanket here.
Under the blanket, there's things shining everywhere.
You light the ocean from behind.
I'll show you mine.
I'll show you.
Baby, I can't fake it,
I'd like to see you naked.
I'd like to see you take it.
I'd like to see you naked.
www.myspace.com/angelusofnex1
Intro:
Yea you know who's back on the track, It's A.O.N.
Gettin ready to drop you another hot track again
[Chorus x2]
I get angry
And let all these flows come out me
Touch the pen to the pad
And show all yall why you don't doubt me
Don't know shit about me
So you need to stop actin a clown
The king is back on the track
So bow the fuck down
{Verse 1}
Hello
I'm back
The pistol packin maniac
You're wacker than the fuckin rapper
Who's style you jacked
When you bragged that you could rap
But you really just took a pad
Wrote down everything they had
And claimed it as your own crap
You gotta be original
When the pad hits the pencil
Whether it's Christian or it's sinful
Whether it's crazy or just plain mental
You gotta own your own rhymes, you don't want em to be rentals
You just take the instrumentals
And rap the lyrics like Wrenolds
My wide range of topics
Make you nautious until you vomit
My beat's so hot that I drop it
I take a pill and I pop it
And wash it down with some gin
And then my fuckin head spins
And then I commit some sins
And repeat the process again
My fuckin rhymin skills
Will have you climbin some hills
My flows kill
And you know that I don't mean to brag
But you know you gotta brag when your rhymes ignite heart attacks
Just like I ignite a fire and light it under your ass
[Chorus x2]
{Verse 2}
Guess what
I do drugs, smack bitches, and slap hoes
Suck bitches toes
In pantyhose
And make killa flows
Drink 4-0's
Who knows
What else I can say to make you hate me
Oh yea
I killed my last girlfriend
Now no sane girl will date me
My own bitch mother hates me
She tells me on the daily
While she's beatin my ass
The motherfuckin bitch is crazy
I also kill kittens
And strangle you with oven mittens
Till you're no longer livin
And botherin me
I'm not kiddin
My life is fucked up
I'm almost determined to get locked up
Cause I'm tired of livin this life at the bottom like a rock
It sucks
I gotta blow up
And leave this life behind me
Because I'm finding
That livin this life is too fuckin tough
I cuss
I kill
I drink
I don't need a fuckin shrink
Just a pen full of ink
And some fuckin time alone to think
To come up with my next rhyme
I just need some mufuckin time
To escape from this life
Into the depths of my mind
Who saw blue skies
in those dark eyes
must be the King of the Fools
must be the King of the Fools
yeah yeah the King of the Fools
who saw the sunrise
in those sweet lies
it ain't the man in the moon
it ain't the man in your room
must be the King of the Fools
let's give him his due
he's full of tears already dry
and a heart that never cries
much
bad breaks, bad checks
here comes a train wreck
who's still singing a tune
who's still singing for you
must be the King of the Fools
let's give him his crown
he doesn't seem to mind
these lonely nights
with a smile that never dies
much
who saw blue skies
in those dark eyes
must be the King of the Fools...
must be the King of the Fools
Drowned by the fury
Of the evolution times
You lose all
Lose your reputation for the glory
Controlled by the force of alienation you say...
I'm the king
I'm the king
From my own war
I get the pain
Live to be the best, oh!
Best of what?
You don't realize but you are lost
You are nothing but a puppet
And the greed will burn you first
You can say...
I'm the king
I'm the king
Your self-control has disappeared
When you build around yourself
Golden walls it seems like your shell
But watch your acts
be prepared when
Fall your mask
You're the one
You're the myth
You are the ocean
You shape shift
And for the thirst
For the pain
When all is over
Wound by wound
Trick by trick
You'll see
You'll pay
For all the darkness living in your soul
For all the freedom you have been stolen
From my mind you feed your lamb
With my growth
This way you can say
I'm the king
I'm the king
From my own war
I get the pain
When you build around yourself
Golden walls it seems like your shell
But watch your acts
be prepared when
Fall your mask
You're the one
You're the myth
You are the ocean
You shape shift
And for the thirst
For the pain
When all is over
Wound by wound
Trick by trick
You'll see
You'll pay
So said the bishop
"Once
I was not insane
I could dream away
And I crossed the sky"
Don't
Be a shallow man
Give another chance
To increase your life
"Now
I can't see my deep inside
Tell me who I am
I can't pay this price"
I'm the king
I'm the king
On my own I live my misery
When you build around yourself
Golden walls it seems like your shell
But watch your acts
be prepared when
Fall your mask
You're the one
You're the myth
You are the ocean
You shape shift
And for the thirst
For the pain
When all is over
Wound by wound
Trick by trick
You'll see
You'll pay
You'll see
You'll pay
[Intro: "King of New YOrk" samples]
Okay, from here on, nothing goes down unless I'm involved
No blackjack, no dope deals, no nothing
A nickel bag gets sold in the park, I want in
You think you're gonna live long enough
To spend that money, you fucking hump
[Dom Pachino:]
Pumping rocks on the block like all day
Niggas playing ball, shooting round of Spalding
Plans of being king off codeine, morphine
Cocaine, a wrong for dope fiends, life of a hood kid
Ain't bright, unless there's more green
More weed, means more steam, yea they touch in school
That drugs ain't cool, but it's survival
Don't hold me, accountable, reliable
For those who get killed in the process of this nonsense
Cause it was by choice, like when Eve seen the apple and bit it
He seen the crack pipe and hit it
Right after he lit it, he said that's the shitted
I'm not proud of myself nor the government
They put this shit here, so the poor man discovered it
A weak mine's fell in love with it
That's when the undercovers hit
They want us all in jail, atleast minorities
Black and latinos, that's living in poverty
And in the urban areas, we the majority
And students study us in schools like Harvard, g
I'm king of New York, the soniority
Slugs whisper, twist your vital arteries
Making music since I was 9, cause it's a part of me
Multi million dollar deals, sorta like the lottery
Like the lottery, like the lottery
I'm bout to it
[Chorus x2: Dom Pachino]
K for the Killa in me, I for Intelligent
N for Napalm, and the God bout to settle this
Staten Island delegate, what you buying, I'm selling it
Step out of line, the nine split your melon quick
[Dom Pachino:]
I put the new tax bracket, mills in the vault stacking
Drugs to rapping, quit acting like it can't happen
I bare witness, to the sickest individuals
Accumilate riches, and rep Staten, bitches
This ain't a fairy tale, if so, I know it very well
The seven dwarfs be my cartell selling that snow white, all night
On park benches, in broad daylight
Until midnight, til it's all gone
That's when I collect, I have a meet with the Don
At the round table, delegating, location Napalm label
Tune in, your boy is on cable
Often flossing, I was abandoned like abortions
You'd rather see me in a coffin, cause of extortion
Then I'm a rider, like the Four Horsemen, just in a Porsche, man
See me, approach me, extreme caution, and scream king
How can you leave me like this
I can not live or die
I'm in a state of no mind
And all the fear all the pain
Won't ever fade awat
It kills me time after time
I connect with your lord
Answering questions
With my power
Constantly we will try to tear you apart
Destroy
Now just resting so deep
Back in your real life
No one worries
Then we'll make a transaction don' you
Believe In fear
Over and over this dream
Is all the same
No one to turn to anymore
Now I'm the king for one day
King for one night
King of your faith
It's my world
World for one day
World for one night
World of my faith
You can call this a game but it turns
You to peaces
Nothing matter
The state of the mind is defenceless
Nothing to do
It's useless
Now you want to go home
Rest in peace
You thought you had
But no one seems to agree
With this anymore
It's bound to end
Over and over this dream
Is all the same
No one to turn to anymore
Now I'm the king for one day
King for one night
King of your faith
It's my world
World for one day
World for one night
World of my faith
How can you leave me like this
I can not live or die
I'm in a state of no mind
And all the fear all the pain
Won't ever fade awat
if i was listening
and knew i shouldn't be
made all the threats again
the pain is deafening
the jury couldn't win
and put the verdict in
like many times before
they closed the coffin door
leave it all if you had it before
turn it out if you wanted it more
if it was all wrong the first time
it's the last time
if i was born non believing
unbelieving
he tried to be defined
and all the childrfen whined
it killed the last of them
the king would fall again
leave it all if you had it before
turn it out if you wanted it more
if it was all wrong the first time
it's the last time
if i was born non believing
I met her at a school dance.
Her brown hair, oh, it caught my eye.
And by the spring we were dating,
After a while it was a waste of time.
She's just another girl like the others;
I'm not changing for a thing.
I'm the king of the world and you're the queen of the brainless.
Please hang up the phone and we can end this rather painless.
Yes, I can be cruel, but I know this much is true:
You can find another me, but I can find a million yous.
She dyed her hair blond,
Made captain of the cheerleading team,
Hung out with the cool kids,
Ditched class and broke it off with me.
She's just another girl like the others;
I'm not changing for a thing.
I'm the king of the world and you're the queen of the brainless.
Please hang up the phone and we can end this rather painless.
Yes, I can be cruel, but I know this much is true:
You can find another me, but I can find a million yous.
She's just another fake like the others;
I've moved onto better things.
She's just another girl like the others;
I won't change for anything.
I'm the king of the world and you're the queen of the brainless.
Please hang up the phone and we can end this rather painless.
Yes, I can be cruel, but I know this much is true:
You can find another me, but I can find a million yous.
I'm the king of the world and you're the queen of the brainless.
Please hang up the phone and we can end this rather painless.
Yes, I can be cruel, but I know this much is true:
Cooling me off you let me,
melt in your thoughts you keep me
afloat in your sea
you power the freezer in me
Building a bridge with all those leftover fudgesicle sticks
not livin' on bread alone
I recognize ice cream cone.
Cooling me off you let me,
melt in your thoughts you keep me
afloat in your sea
you power the freezer in me
Chorus:
King of ice cream cones (4x)
Bridge:
Ice cream cone
(Chorus 4x)
Now why are you stuck in mine
When you've been gone lost in time
She took my plans, now how do you feel
When I've been askin' are you real
An I'll be your everything yeah
Your everything yeah,
Your everything well hello.
And they say you walk too fast,
They say you, talk too fast
Well in your blond hair face tonight
She said hey (I would like to)
She said maybe... (Would you like to?)
Just maybe.... well can you count the night time?
Hey (Well I like to)
Well oh baby (Would you like to see?)
I said maybe.
Well can you count the 9th time?
Then why are you stuck in mine
When you've been gone lost in time
You'll be my everything, my other thing
My everything, well goodbye
So if you ask my twice,
Some bout the night sometime
Then you'll be pushing down Tennessee
And she said hey... (What I like to...)
And just maybe... (Would you like to see?)
And since maybe,
Well can we make our own rhyme?
Well hey... (What I like to...)
Well oh baby... (Would you like to see?)
Just maybe
I said no
She said yes, oh yeah
I mean no, oh no
She said hey... (What I like to...)
Well oh baby... (Would you like to see?)
Well are you crazy?
Well could there be a next time?
Oh... (What I like to see)
Said oh ... (Would you like to see?)
Just go, Well then will you, will you
Go... (What I like to see)
So go... (Would you like to see?)
Just go
Well then will there be a fourth time?
Oh yea... (What I like to be)
Well oh yeah... (Would you like to see?)
King
Don King
Burger King
Lion King
What
Our King
Martin King
A shadow of love
I'm no sucker baby
I'm feeling fine
I'm no sucker baby
I'm feeling fine
Now, you can take the signs
And you can riddle the airwaves
But I'm looking at the signs
They say were fucking the poor hey
But the poor got the numbers
It's all in the numbers
The numbers sink the ship
I'm no sucker baby
I'm feeling fine
I'm no sucker baby
I'm feeling fine
All the kings they'll never change
But light will change
And I will change myself
Join me for a better day not yesterday it's gone
Join me for a better day with no revolvers
I'm no sucker baby
I'm feeling fine
I'm no sucker baby
I'm feeling fine
Take him to the guillotine
And light will change
And I will change my kin to raise
No time to bow
Let me see your ugly crown
I've got molten lava, instead of lead
To burn a symbol in your head
Born rich stay rich
On top of your head
A poor killer to the people you've bled
A pure killer to the people you've bled
Take that shit off your head
[Verse 1:]
Nothin' but Rage in my entity, a page for a symphony
Still a fuckin' Firestarter lighters ain't on this degree
My Shining will never stop, fuck runnin' from every cop
Wait 'til the sun goes down and have a showdown out in Salem's Lot
Still workin' the Night Shift, I am the Doorway
Golf clubs for violence this a different kinda foreplay
Sometimes they come back, sometimes they don't
And sometimes I give a fuck but most times I won't
And I think sometimes I'm made to sin, beat them 'til the broom is bent
Take a trip and add it to the bodies out in Chamberlain
The Lawnmower Man couldn't see all the holes I dug
Rifles on my back like I'm some fuckin' kinda soldier bro
[Hook:]
I'm the Devil, they'd nickname my Fury Christine
See me through the Mist, I'm a motherfuckin' King
I know the Cycle of the Werewolf, the Reverend couldn't see him
Through the Mist still exist as a motherfuckin' King
I'm the Devil, if ever there was such a thing
See me through the Mist, I'm a motherfuckin' King
I know the Cycle of the Werewolf, the Reverend couldn't see him
Through the Mist still exist as a motherfuckin' King
[Verse 2:]
I'm a motherfuckin' king, I'm a motherfuckin' monster
Readin' books on murder? I'm the motherfuckin' author
Tell you where we finna go, welcome to my Creep Show
Stay out my Secret Garden, I got a Wolf named Cujo
That's guardin' it, I'm experienced you need a started kit
Long walk, Short Pier, Roadwork there's no clear
No air, heard your daughter's missin' they can't find that bitch
Nowhere, nowhere, still lack is no fear
No heart in my chest cause I was born without
No heart in her chest cause I took that shit out
And they can't find girl two, they said that she was lost
And they can't find me cause I'm duckin' the law
And still fuckin' them all, and never lovin' these broads
And never cuffin' unless I'm cuffin' them in a morgue
Say I'm twisted and demented but murder can fascinate
White girl in a white dress and that's my prom date, Carrie
[Hook:]
I'm the Devil, they'd nickname my Fury Christine
See me through the Mist, I'm a motherfuckin' King
I know the Cycle of the Werewolf, the Reverend couldn't see him
Through the Mist still exist as a motherfuckin' King
I'm the Devil, if ever there was such a thing
See me through the Mist, I'm a motherfuckin' King
I know the Cycle of the Werewolf, the Reverend couldn't see him
I heard that you were trying to bag me, and I said no, no, no
Yes I smoke crack who doesn't know that, now you know, know, know
I ain't got a mind
I think my daddy is fine
I heard that you were trying to bag me and I said no, no, no
Id rather be at home and gay
What's an A Bay Bay
Cos theres nothing, there's nothing you can teach me
That I cant learn from Mr. Faggot Hey!!!
Didnt get a lot in the past
But I know it dont come in a shot glass
I heard that you were trying to bag me, and I said no, no, no
Yes I smoke crack who doesn't know that, now you know, know, know
I ain't got a mind
I think my daddy is fine
I heard that you were trying to bag me and I said no, no, no
The man said "why do you think you're queer?"
Because "T pain wanna buy me a beer"
Im gonna, I'm gonna lose my lady
So I always keep a joint near
He said "I just think youre depressed"
ALRIGHT I'M A MAN I CONFESS
I heard that you were trying to bag me, and I said no, no, no
Yes I smoke crack who doesn't know that, now you know, know, know
I dont ever want to blink again
I just, ooh just need a trend
Im not gonna spend ten weeks
I go shoppin but can't spend
Its not just my songs I've tried
Sike you all know I lied
I heard that you were trying to bag me, and I said no, no, no
Yes I smoke crack who doesn't know that, now you know, know, know
I ain't got a mind
I think my daddy is fine
Alone without you
a hot room
septembers gloom
lick my lashes
kiss my cheeks
remembered lines in between the sheets
Alone without you
pass the phone
someone pass the phone
shall we try to make July
You’re like the sea to hold
impossible and cold
but your taste lingers on
on my hands and on my tongue
Alone without you
pass the phone
someone pass the phone
shall we try to make July
shall we try to make July
When you called me at home
You said you lived on your own
just dreaming of me
When I called you at home
someone else picked up the phone
I don't know about me
I can't see that I have changed
What I was is what I am
That still remains
What I love is what I see
But you've just twisted me too much
Tested and pried
To look inside
Now you can't stay
The taste of your tears
Tears me apart
The bittersweet salt cracks my heart
I don't know about me
I can't see that I have changed
What I was is what I am
That still remains
To au revoirs I have grown wise
I know goodbye should mean goodbye
There's no regrets
Just dry your eyes
Note: This is a parody of Umbrella (Cinderella Remix) By Rihanna, Chirs Brown, And Jay-Z
[Jay-Z]
Ahuh Ahuh (Yea KING)
Ahuh Ahuh (Royalty Gone Bad)
Ahuh Ahuh (Take three... Action)
Ahuh Ahuh
No girls in my dorm
Let it rain, I was born on a farm
Coming down with the Dow Fones
When the girls come we gone, we Rockin betta
We softer than feather
And G9's ain't better, Do you know me?
In precipitation, never in relation. Save coins for the rainy day
Gay, FruitCup is back with little Ms. SheMale
Ciara where you at?
[Rihanna]
We'll Never Know
Why She Was Born A Joe
Might be in magazines
But she'll still be a joke
Baby cause in the dark
You can't see what she has
Bow Wow turned on the light
And now she wants to fight
Because
[Chorus]
Ciara is such a man
only has one lonely fan
Bow Wow found out she's a Tran
now she only hangs out with a can
Now that it's raining more than ever
we'll laugh at Ciara forever
Because Ciara's real name is Trevor
Cause Ciara's real name is Trevor evor evor eh eh eh
Ciara's real name is Trevor evor evor eh eh eh
Ciara's real name is Trevor evor evor eh eh eh
Ciara's real name is Trevor evor evor eh eh eh eh eh eh
[Chris Brown]
You're becoming a dream to me
You used to be my fantasy
Nothing can ever compare
An image to my memory
Told me you were a man "What do you mean?"
Thought I want to be with you
but when Bow Wow said you were queer
That's something that I fear.
Because
[Chorus - Chris Brown]
Ciara is such a man
only has one lonely fan
Bow Wow found out she's a Tran
now she only hangs out with a can
Now that it's raining more than ever
we'll laugh at Ciara forever
Because Ciara's real name is Trevor
Cause Ciara's real name is Trevor evor evor eh eh eh
Ciara's real name is Trevor evor evor eh eh eh
Ciara's real name is Trevor evor evor eh eh eh
Ciara's real name is Trevor evor evor eh eh eh eh eh eh
[Jay-Z]
I'm glad you liked Bow Wow
Guess who I'm bout to cut now
I wonder how
There's no distance between our fame
Except our sex is the same
I'll be all you hate and more
Because
[Chorus]
Ciara is such a man
only has one lonely fan
Bow Wow found out she's a Tran
now she only hangs out with a can
Now that it's raining more than ever
we'll laugh at Ciara forever
Because Ciara's real name is Trevor
Cause Ciara's real name is Trevor evor evor eh eh eh
Ciara's real name is Trevor evor evor eh eh eh
Ciara's real name is Trevor evor evor eh eh eh
Ciara's real name is Trevor evor evor eh eh eh eh eh eh
She's fakin' (fakin')
Ooh baby she's fakin' (fakin')
Baby don't cry on me (oh)
Get off of me
She's fakin' (na na)
Oh baby she's fakin' (na na)
Sorry that you got played
But back away
(Chris Brown Talking)
These are heavy times
so won't you show your hand
I don't mean kiss and tell
I'm such a jealous man
I throw a flush
I reveal my ace
The heart's my trump
I don't need no picture face
I'm laying my cards out on the table place
Won't you take my hand
Won't you hold my hand now
these are heavy times
Won't you hold my hand now
these are heavy times
These are heavy times
All clamps and parking fines
Too much north and too much south
too much of the knave versus the spades
I throw a flush
I reveal my ace
The heart's my trump
I don't need no picture face
I'm laying my cards out on the table place
Won't you take my hand
Won't you hold my hand now
these are heavy times
Won't you hold my hand now
these are heavy times
oh these are heavy times
From a circus ring
to a band of gold
sometimes there's safety nets
sometimes but there's no golden rule
I throw a flush
I reveal my ace
The heart's my trump
I don't need no picture face
I'm laying my cards out on the table place
Won't you take my hand
Won't you hold my hand now
Won't you hold my hand now
That's what my heart yearns for now
Love and pride
That's what my heart yearns for now
Love and pride
Start your journey early
Or maybe later
Get your boots on
Look for rainbows
It's cloudy
Take your hairdryer
Blow them all away
In you I've found a story
I want to keep hearing
In you I see all colours
Not just black or white
In you I find a reason
And hope for all dreamers
You are my fill
You're my supply of love and pride
That's what my heart yearns for now
Love and pride
Knowing, sensing
Seeing, eating
Sleeping that's just being
Touching, testing
Loving, wanting and taking
More love and more pride
In you I've found a story
I want to keep hearing
I'm taking it 'round the world
Some love and pride
That's what my heart yearns for now
Love and pride
That's what my heart yearns for now
There i was waiting for a chance
hoping that u'll understand
the things i wanna say
As my love
is stronger than before
i wanna see u more and more
but you close the door
Why don't u try
to open up your heart
i won't take so much of your time.....
Maybe it's wrong to say please love me too
coz i know u never do
somebody else is waitin' there inside for you....
maybe its wrong to love you more each day
coz i know she's here to stay....
but i know to whom you should belong....
I believe what u said to me
we should set each other free
that's how u want it to be....
repeat II then chorus....
coda:
but my love is strong
i don't know if this is wrong
I go in with a bad attitude.
I'm just looking for something to exploit my mood.
And I look at you and I expect the worst.
I remember the first. I got the curse on my heart.
Take it violently. Take it innocently.
Take it cos' I want you to.
Take it nothing else to do.
Who asked you?
Who wants you?
Who needs you?
Who cares about you?
Who talks for you?
Who hears you?
Who made you the king of my heart?
Showing up cos I've got nothing to lose.
I make the planets choose between me and the stars.
My mistake is the breath that I take.
I won't be that me. I'm gonna be happy.
Take it violently. Take it innocently.
Take it cos' I want you to.
Take it nothing else to do.
Who asked you?
Who wants you?
Who needs you?
Who cares about you?
Who talks for you?
Who hears you?
The night is about to fall.
‘Never surrender' - I still hear them call.
Images (are) passing by.
I must watch him waving a last goodbye.
It's not that he's gone away.
It's the secure feeling he will not stay.
A wanderer leaving the land
he once had entered to rise again.
Thousands cry
until the blood runs low
they make the river flow
that he'll sail on.
Are we that alone?
The king is leaving
off to a land unknown.
And though I'm wondering why,
the king has left
the spirit we now call our own.
He lit up our life!
1000 days passed by,
from the very moment he stepped into our lifes.
Words were not his deal.
What he brought to us is the power to feel.
The power to believe.
The power to walk on, the power to see.
To determine wrong from right.
The power to check out the step from dark to light.
Sometimes I'm even more afraid
of times beyond the gates of now.
Remembering his glory
pounds my will onto the ground.
Can you hear us cry?
Can you see our kingdom die?
Now for me it's plain to see
that everything I want to be.
Can be done by holding on
in hard and gruelling times.
Even though I'm just a... I told you I'mma run it
... and fuck the world and now a nigga often coming
I just came up from the bottom
Now I'm chilling on the balcony
Cause I'll be in the building, doing work... faculty
Cause nowadays... we're balling like an athlete
... you're feeling like a...
... has to be... no masterpiece
I'm not your average artist, every track I rap some masterpiece
I'm just a living legend who is yet to reach...
That's the blessings... to beat these rhymes
I mean, have you heard my songs?
You can google with your mind
Yeah they're great, yes I'm... in line
I could probably use a tutor, cause I'm new to all this buzzing
But I show them how I do it, I just do it, call it fuck it
And when I go home, but fuck it
Cause I'm used to all or nothing
And it's fuck it, cause I remember when I do this all for nothing
Now is nothing! And damn, that's something!
Killin... getting paper, mother fucking hater
Started me with me walking... drinks are balling like the Lakers
So I'm smoking California, just to... the feeling
I'll be gaining when I see these rap records back in the millions
And my... have to know, it's more like motivation.
... example of a nigga, with a drink that goes and taste it
And I made it, but still I'm getting hated, only waited
Busy trying to find some shit that I can spray this paper on it!
I'll be on a grind, 24/7
Seeing line after line, that's...
I'm an automatic weapon, every day I drop bombs
And the whole world can kill a...
Every day I'm all... so connected to the universe
I did it, independent, just to show you what I truly worth!
When all the lies are telling... how truly hurts
Alan King | |
---|---|
King in 1966. |
|
Born | Irwin Alan Kniberg December 26, 1927 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Died | May 9, 2004 New York City, New York, U.S. |
(aged 76)
Cause of death | Lung Cancer |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Actor, comedian, writer, film producer |
Years active | 1955–2004 |
Spouse | Jeanette Sprung (1947-2004) (up to his death)[1] |
Alan King (December 26, 1927 – May 9, 2004) was an American actor and comedian known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. King became well known as a Jewish comedian and satirist. He was also a serious actor who appeared in a number of movies and television shows. King wrote several books, produced films, and appeared in plays. In later years, he helped many philanthropic causes.
Contents |
The youngest of several children, King was born Irwin Alan Kniberg in New York City, New York, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants Minnie (née Solomon) and Bernard Kniberg, a handbag cutter.[2] He spent his first years on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Later, King's family moved to Brooklyn. King used humor to survive in the tough neighborhoods. As a child, King performed impersonations on street corners for pennies.
When he was fourteen, King performed "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime" on the radio program Major Bowes Amateur Hour. He lost first prize, but was invited to join a nationwide tour. At fifteen, King dropped out of high school to perform comedy at the Hotel Gradus in the Catskill Mountains. After one joke that made fun of the hotel's owner, King was fired; however, he spent the remainder of that summer and the one that followed as M.C. at Foreman's New Prospect Hotel in South Fallsburg, NY. He later worked in Canada in a burlesque house while also fighting as a professional boxer. He won twenty straight fights before losing. Nursing a broken nose, King decided to quit boxing and focus on his comedy career. King began working as a doorman at the popular nightclub Leon and Eddie's while performing comedy under the last name of the boxer who beat him, "King".
King began his comedy career with one-liner routines and other material concerning mothers-in-law and Jews. King's style of comedy changed when he saw Danny Thomas performing in the early 1950s. King realized that Thomas was talking to his audience, not at them, and was getting a better response. King changed his own style from one-liners to a more conversational style that used everyday life for humor. His comedy inspired other comedians such as Joan Rivers, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Billy Crystal, Robert Klein, and Bill Cosby.
King married Jeanette Sprung in 1947. They had three children, Andrew, Robert, and Elainie Ray. His wife persuaded him to move to Forest Hills, Queens for their children, and later, to Great Neck, Long Island, where he lived for the rest of his life.[3] There, he developed comedy revolving around life in suburbia. With America moving to suburbs, King's humor took off.
The comedian began opening for many celebrities including Judy Garland, Patti Page, Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstine, Lena Horne and Tony Martin. When Martin was cast in the movie Hit the Deck, he suggested King for a part, which resulted in his first movie role. King played small roles in movies in the 1950s, but disliked playing stereotypical roles that he described as "always the sergeant from Brooklyn named Kowalski".[4]
King eventually expanded his range and made a name for himself in a wide variety of films. He often portrayed a gangster, as in Casino (1995) and Night and the City (1992), both starring Robert DeNiro, as well as I, the Jury (1982) and Cat's Eye (1985). He frequently worked for director Sidney Lumet, beginning with Bye Bye Braverman (1968) and The Anderson Tapes (1971). Lumet later cast him in a tour-de-force starring role in Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), a provocative comedy about a ruthless business mogul and his TV-producer mistress (Ali MacGraw).
He had another major role in Memories of Me (1988) as the so-called "king of the Hollywood extras," portraying Billy Crystal's terminally ill father.
Like many other Jewish comics, King worked the Catskill circuit known as the Borscht Belt. His career took off after appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Perry Como Show and The Garry Moore Show. Living just outside New York City, King was frequently available when Sullivan needed an act to fill in for a last-minute cancellation. King also became a regular guest host for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, hosted the Oscars in 1972, and was the MC for President John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961. King was also the long-standing host of the New York Friar's Club celebrity roasts.
King was the first recipient (1988) of the award for American Jewish humor from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture. The award was ultimately renamed in his honor.
Throughout his life, King was deeply involved in charity work. He founded the Alan King Medical Center in Jerusalem, raised funds for the Nassau Center for Emotionally Disturbed Children (near his home in Kings Point, New York), and established a chair in dramatic arts at Brandeis University. He also created the Laugh Well program, which sends comedians to hospitals to perform for patients. In the 1970s, King turned his passion for tennis into a pro tournament at Caesars Palace Las Vegas called the Alan King Tennis Classic, which was carried on national TV by the TVS Television Network. He also started the Toyota Comedy Festival.
King, who smoked cigars (a fact that came up in his routines from time to time), died at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan on May 9, 2004, from lung cancer. He was buried in Mount Hebron Cemetery in Flushing, Queens. He is survived by his wife. The movie Christmas With The Kranks was dedicated to his memory at the end of the credits before the 1492 Pictures logo.[1] He is also referenced in the end credits of Rush Hour 3.
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Alan King (comedian) |
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Alan King may refer to:
This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. |
Drew Carey | |
---|---|
Carey in November 2008 |
|
Birth name | Drew Allison Carey |
Born | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
May 23, 1958
Medium | Stand-up, television, film |
Nationality | American |
Years active | 1985–present |
Genres | Improvisational comedy |
Notable works and roles | The Drew Carey Show Drew Carey's Green Screen Show Host of: Whose Line Is It Anyway? The Price Is Right Power of 10 Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza |
Website | http://www.drewfromtv.blogspot.com |
Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as host of the U.S. version of the improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, both of which aired on ABC.
Carey has appeared in several films, television series, music videos, a made-for-television film, and a computer game. As of 2012, he hosts the television game show The Price Is Right. He is interested in a variety of sports, has worked as a photographer at U.S. National Team soccer games, is a minority owner of the Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders FC and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. Carey has written an autobiography, Dirty Jokes And Beer: Stories Of The Unrefined, detailing his early life and television career.
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Carey was the youngest of Lewis and Beulah Carey's three sons and raised in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio.[1] When he was eight years old, his father died from a brain tumor.[2][3] According to his autobiography, he was born with six toes on his right foot and he played the cornet and trumpet in the marching band of James Ford Rhodes High School, from which he graduated in 1975.[4] Drew is of Scottish heritage from both parents.[citation needed]
He continued on to college at Kent State University (KSU) and was expelled twice for poor academic performance. He left KSU after three years, but not before becoming a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. After leaving the university, Carey enlisted into the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1980 and served for six years.[1] He relocated to Las Vegas for a few months in 1982, and for a short time worked as a bank teller and a waiter at Denny's.[1][3]
In 1985, he began his comedy career by following up on a suggestion by David Lawrence (a disc jockey friend who had been paying Drew to write jokes for David's radio show in Cleveland) to go to the library and borrow books on how to write jokes.[5][6] The following year, after winning an open-microphone contest, he became Master of Ceremonies at the Cleveland Comedy Club.[2] He performed at multiple comedy clubs over the next few years in both Cleveland and Los Angeles. He was first brought to the national eye as a comedian when he competed in the 1988 Star Search.[7] Carey was working as a stand-up comedian when he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in November 1991.[8] His performance that night impressed Carson, who invited Carey to the couch next to his desk; this was considered a rare honor for any comedian.[5][9] In that same year, Carey joined the 14th Annual Young Comedians Special on HBO and made his first appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.[10] In 1994, Carey wrote his own stand-up comedy special which aired on Showtime, entitled Drew Carey: Human Cartoon, for which he won a CableACE Award for Best Writing.[11]
Following on the success of his early stand-up career, he subsequently appeared in a number of supporting roles on television shows, during which he developed the character of a hapless middle-class bachelor. In 1993, Carey had a small role in the film Coneheads as a taxi passenger. Turning his attention to television, in 1994, Carey co-starred with John Caponera in The Good Life, a short-lived sitcom that aired on NBC.[12] After the show's cancellation, Carey joined up with writer Bruce Helford (who was also a writer for The Good Life), who gave Carey a job as a consultant for the television show Someone Like Me.[13]
After their stint on Someone Like Me, Carey and Helford developed and produced the storyline for The Drew Carey Show. The sitcom revolved around a fictionalized version of Carey, as he took on the stresses of life and work with his group of childhood friends. The show premiered on September 13, 1995 on ABC. In his autobiography, Carey revealed his frustration with having to deal with censors and being unable to employ the off-color humor common in his stand-up routines.[4] Carey initially earned $60,000 per episode in the first seasons, then renegotiated for $300,000.[14] By the final season, he was earning $750,000 per episode.[15] The show had high ratings for its first few seasons, but declining ratings and increasing production costs (around $3 million per episode) precipitated its cancellation.[15][16] The program had a total of 233 episodes over its nine-year run and Carey was one of four actors to appear in every episode. The show starred (in order of episode appearances) Carey, Diedrich Bader, Kathy Kinney, Ryan Stiles (all in every episode); Craig Ferguson (starring role in seasons 2-8 and guest appearances in 9); Christa Miller (seasons 1-7); and Ian Gomez (semi-regular from seasons 1-9) and John Carroll Lynch (semi-regular from seasons 3/4-9).
While still starring in The Drew Carey Show, in 1998 Carey began hosting the American version of the improvisational comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. He would announce the improv guests, direct the games, and then would usually involve himself in the final game of the episode. The show ran for a total of 220 episodes until the show's cancellation in 2006. In 1998, the New York Friars' Club made Carey the newest inductee of the group's Comedy Central Roast. His friend Ryan Stiles (who costarred in The Drew Carey Show and Whose Line Is It Anyway?) served as the roastmaster.[17] Carey's income from Whose Line Is It Anyway? and The Drew Carey Show led to his inclusion on the Forbes list of highest-paid entertainers of 1998, at 24th with $45.5 million.[18]
For the WB's 2004-2005 prime time schedule, Carey co-produced and starred in Drew Carey's Green Screen Show, a spin-off of Whose Line Is It Anyway?.[19] It was canceled by the WB, but picked up shortly afterward by Comedy Central.[20] The show's premise relied on the use of a green screen for all of the actors' improv interactions. Animation on the screen was inserted during post-production.
On November 18, 2010, the Game Show Network announced that Drew Carey would host a new improv show in primetime, called Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza. The show is filmed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada and first aired on April 11, 2011.[21] The show takes on the premise of Whose Line? and Drew Carey's Green Screen Show in that it features many of the same performers from both shows and they do improv based on audience-provided suggestions.
Carey was one of the founders of the Improv All-Stars, a group of eleven actors who perform in unscripted skits.[22] The group joined Carey in all three of his improv shows, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Drew Carey's Green Screen Show, and Drew Carey's Improv-a-ganza and some members had major roles or guest starred on The Drew Carey Show.[23] The Improv All-Stars travel on comedy tours, performing at comedy clubs throughout the United States.
Beginning in 2007, Carey began hosting game shows, beginning with his April selection as host of the CBS game show pilot Power of 10. The show ran from August 7, 2007 to April 7, 2008 and aired twice weekly during the late summer and early fall. Each game featured contestants predicting how a cross-section of Americans responded to questions covering a wide variety of topics in polls conducted by CBS.[24]
After taping the pilot episode for Power of 10, Carey was contacted by CBS about replacing the retiring Bob Barker at The Price Is Right. After initially turning down the offer, Carey announced on Late Show with David Letterman that he would succeed Barker as host of the program beginning in the fall of 2007.[25] His first episode of The Price Is Right was taped on August 15, and his shows began airing on October 15. In response to replacing Barker as host of the game show, Carey stated "You can't replace Bob Barker. I don't compare myself to anybody... It's only about what you're doing and supposed to do, and I feel like I'm supposed to be doing this."[26] When Carey began hosting, the set, theme music, and show logo were updated. However, Carey kept the old closing line about spaying and neutering that originated with Barker, although his version uses slightly different wording. During Carey's second year as host, he began to write some of the sketches used during the Showcase, which features guest appearances by stars of other CBS programs.
Carey began appearing in commercials for restaurants in the late 1990s in Canada with The Great Root Bear, but his two-year contract with A&W Food Services of Canada was cut short in November 1998 after an episode of The Drew Carey Show featured McDonald's. As a result of his dismissal, Carey sued A&W for compensation.[27]
Disney's Hollywood Studios (then "Disney-MGM Studios"), part of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, debuted a 12-minute attraction in 1999 titled Sounds Dangerous!.[28] In the show, a camera follows Carey through a day as an undercover detective. When his video camera fails, the audience is left in complete darkness wearing earphones, following his adventure through sound cues. The attraction is presently[when?] running on a limited "seasonal" schedule.
In 2000, Carey was given a cameo appearance in the House Party expansion pack of the computer game The Sims.[29] To make him appear, the characters in the game must throw a successful party, which causes Carey to arrive in a limo and join the festivities. Carey is a fan of The Sims series and during one April Fool's episode of The Drew Carey Show, a scene takes place completely within The Sims.[29][30] Carey made several other cameo appearances in music videos, including "Weird Al" Yankovic's "It's All About the Pentiums"[31] and Fountains of Wayne's 2004 video for "Mexican Wine", giving an introduction to the video as if it were on a stage.[32]
Although primarily known for his television work, Carey has done limited film work, with his first appearance in 1993's Coneheads. His next film was the 2000 television film, Geppetto that debuted on The Wonderful World of Disney. The film, an adaptation of Pinocchio, included actor Wayne Brady who had joined Carey on his improv shows.[33] Carey took singing lessons to prepare for the role.[3] In 2005, Carey appeared in three films: the animated film Robots, where he provided a voice-over for the character Crank; The Aristocrats where he retold a dirty joke along with other celebrities; and the documentary, Fuck, where he was interviewed.
Carey provided the entertainment for the 2002 Annual White House correspondents' dinner.[10] Once Carey completed his standup routine for the 1,800 guests, President George W. Bush, noting Carey's improv work, made a joke of his own: "Drew? Got any interest in the Middle East?"[34] In 2003, he joined Jamie Kennedy to host the WB's live special Play for a Billion.[35] In September 2003, Carey led a group of comedians, including Blake Clark and The Drew Carey Show's Kathy Kinney, on a comedy tour of Iraq.[36]
On June 8, 2006, Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures debuted on the Travel Channel. In this series, Carey traveled throughout Germany to photograph multiple FIFA World Cup soccer games while he immerses himself in the culture of the towns and states he visits.[37] In early 2008, Carey appeared in Matt Groening's The Simpsons as part of the episode "All About Lisa" as a guest on the Krusty the Clown Show.
Carey has routinely written throughout his career, including developing his stand-up comedy routines in his early stand-up career, and then moving on to assist in writing sitcoms. In 1997, Carey published his autobiography, Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined wherein he shared memories of his early childhood and of his father's death when he was eight. He also revealed that he was once molested, had suffered bouts of depression, and had made two suicide attempts by swallowing a large amount of sleeping pills.[4] The book discusses his college fraternity years while attending Kent State University, and his professional career up to that time. The book featured large amounts of profanity and, as the title suggests, includes multiple dirty jokes (there is one at the start of each chapter) and references to beer. The book was featured on The New York Times bestseller list for three months.[38]
He adopted his crew cut hair style while serving in the United States Marine Corps. Carey has had refractive surgery to correct his vision and therefore did not really require glasses (any glasses he wore in public were merely props to help the audience recognize him).[39] However, while this was true for several years, on the May 17, 2006 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! he revealed that when he turned 40, he actually developed a need for bifocals. Carey currently[when?] lives in Los Angeles and New York City.[40]
On October 9, 2007 Carey proposed to Nicole Jaracz.[41] In January 2012, it was reported that Carey and Jaracz had called off their engagement.[42] She has appeared on The Price Is Right several times.[citation needed]
After suffering chest pains while filming The Drew Carey Show in August 2001, Carey went to the hospital where he underwent a coronary angioplasty.[43] Although his weight was a comedic topic throughout his sitcom and improv shows, in 2010 he began a diet and exercise plan, resulting in an extensive weight loss and elimination of his type-2 diabetes.[44]
Carey is an outspoken libertarian.[45][46][47][48] He has expressed his political philosophy in the following terms, "I believe the answers to all the problems we face as a society won't come from Washington, it will come from us. So the way we decide to live our lives and our decisions about what we buy or don't buy are much more important than who we vote for."[49]
Carey has expressed his distaste for the Bush administration's management of the War in Iraq, specifically on the September 15, 2007, episode of Real Time with Bill Maher. He made donations to Ron Paul's presidential campaign for the 2008 election.[50] On the September 26, 2008 episode of The Late Late Show, Carey defined "libertarian" to host Craig Ferguson as "a conservative who still gets high."[51]
Carey has spoken about his various political beliefs in several interviews and in 1998, he led a "smoke-in" in defiance of California's newly passed no-smoking ordinance inside bars and restaurants.[52] Carey has hosted a series of mini-documentaries called The Drew Carey Project on Reason.tv, an online project of Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank.[53] The first episode, "Gridlock", addresses private highway ownership and was released on October 15, 2007. Other episodes discuss topics such as eminent domain, urban traffic congestion, and medical marijuana.
Carey is a devoted fan of the U.S. National Soccer Team, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Cleveland Indians. In 1999, Carey was part of the pregame ceremonies at the first game of the return of the Cleveland Browns, televised on ESPN.[18] Carey attended the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Carey is a minority owner of the Seattle Sounders FC, who began play in Major League Soccer on March 19, 2009. Carey is a fan of FC Barcelona and of the Scottish team Rangers.[54] In 2006 he was a season ticket holder for the Los Angeles Galaxy.[55]
Carey has shown his support for the Indians by throwing the first pitch at an August 12, 2006 game against the Kansas City Royals. He was rewarded by the Cleveland Indians for being "the greatest Indians fan alive" with a personal bobblehead doll made in his likeness that was given to fans. Carey responded to his bobblehead likeness by saying "Bobblehead Day, for me, is as big as getting a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame."[56]
In 2001, Carey was the first television actor to enter World Wrestling Entertainment's 30-man "Royal Rumble" match, which he did to promote an improv comedy pay-per-view at the time. He appeared in a few backstage segments before his brief participation in the match. Upon entering the ring, Carey stood unopposed for more than half a minute, but after the next entrant Kane refused a monetary bribe, Carey eliminated himself from the match by jumping over the top rope and retreated from ringside.[57] On April 2, 2011 Carey was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Kane.[58]
Carey competed against five other celebrities in the first celebrity edition of the 2003 World Poker Tour. He placed fifth, only beating out actor Jack Black. Carey won $2,000 for his charity.[59]
On May 15, 2011, Carey completed the "Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon" in 1:57:02, then on September 4, 2011, he improved to complete the Disneyland Half Marathon in 1:50:46.
On October 30, 2011, Carey finished the Marine Corps Marathon with a chip time of: 4:37:11 and placed 10149th out of 20940.
Carey is a supporter of libraries, crediting them for beginning his successful comedy career. On May 2, 2000, in a celebrity edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, he selected the Ohio Library Foundation to receive his $500,000 winnings.[60] He later went on to win an additional $32,000 on the second celebrity Millionaire, making him one of the biggest winning contestants on Millionaire who did not win the top prize. Carey also has played on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the Cleveland Public Library charity.[61] In June 2007, Carey offered to donate up to $100,000 (in $10,000 increments) to the Mooch Myernick Memorial Fund if anybody could beat him at the video game FIFA Soccer 07 for the Xbox 360. He dared five players from both the U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams to compete against him.[62] Carey ended up donating $100,000 plus $60,000 for losing two games out of the six games he played.[63]
In October 2009, Carey made a bid of $25,000 in a charity auction for the @drew Twitter account. He later increased his offer to $100,000 if the number of followers of his account @DrewFromTV reached 100,000 by the end of the auction.[64] In an interview with CBS News, he announced that he would instead donate $1 million to the charity LIVESTRONG Foundation if his follower count reached one million by December 31, 2009.[65]
Carey can sometimes be seen on the sidelines of U.S. National Team soccer games as a press photographer.[66] His images are sold via wire services under the pseudonym Brooks Parkenridge.[55] He was at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in the summer of 2006, for his television show Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures.
Carey has starred in only a few television shows and films, but also has numerous guest star appearances in a variety of sitcoms and comedy shows.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1992 | The Torkelsons | Herby Scroggins | Episode "Say Uncle" |
1993-1994 | Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (uncredited) | ACME Man | |
1994 | The Good Life | Drew Clark | |
1994 | The Adventures of Pete & Pete (uncredited) | Veteran | Episode "Grounded for Life" |
1995–2004 | The Drew Carey Show | Drew Carey | |
1996 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Herbie Saxe | Episode "Ghosts" |
1997 | Home Improvement | Road Kill specialist (Seymour 'Sy' Winterfleffin) | |
The Weird Al Show | Himself | Episode "The Competition" | |
Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Episode "To Tell a Mortal" | ||
1998–2007 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Host | |
1999 | King of the Hill | Hal | Episode "Not in My Back-hoe" |
2000 | Baby Blues | Himself | Episode "Bizzy Moves In" |
2001 | WWE Royal Rumble 2001 | Himself (5th Entrant) | |
2004–2005 | Drew Carey's Green Screen Show | Himself | Host/Performer |
2006 | Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures | ||
2007–2008 | Power of 10 | Host | |
2007–present | The Price Is Right | ||
2008 | The Simpsons | Episode: "All About Lisa" | |
2010 | Community | Ted | Episode: "Accounting for Lawyers" |
2011 | Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza | Himself | Host/Performer |
2011 | Family Guy | Himself | Host of The Price Is Right |
2011 | Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | Himself | |
2011 | The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | Himself | 11 November |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1993 | Coneheads | Taxi passenger | |
2000 | Geppetto | Mister Geppetto | Made-for-TV movie |
2005 | Robots | Crank | Voice role |
The Aristocrats | Himself | ||
2011 | Jack & Jill | Cameo appearance |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Drew Carey |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Drew Carey |
Wikinews has related news: Drew Carey to replace Bob Barker as host of "The Price is Right" |
Media offices | ||
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Preceded by Bob Barker |
The Price Is Right Host (daytime) October 15, 2007 – present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
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Alan Carr | |
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Alan Carr at The British Comedy Awards 2007 |
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Born | Weymouth, Dorset, England |
14 June 1976
Medium | Radio, stand-up comedy, television |
Nationality | British |
Years active | 2001–present |
Genres | Observational comedy |
Subject(s) | Everyday life, innuendo |
Notable works and roles | The Sunday Night Project Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong Alan Carr: Chatty Man |
Website | http://www.alancarr.net/ |
British Comedy Awards | |
Best Live Stand Up 2007 Best Entertainment Personality 2008 |
Alan Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian and television personality. Born in Weymouth, he was raised in Northampton before moving to Manchester in his early 20s. Carr was inspired to become a comedian here and made his breakthrough in 2001, winning the City Life Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Award.
In the ensuing years, his career burgeoned on the Manchester comedy circuit, and became well known for hosting the Friday Night Project with Justin Lee Collins. Carr hosted a radio show, Going Out with Alan Carr on BBC Radio 2 as well as a television show, Alan Carr: Chatty Man for Channel 4. Carr has also had two arena tours, the first in 2007 entitled Tooth Fairy Live and the second in 2011 entitled Spexy Beast Live.
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Carr was born in Weymouth, Dorset,[1] and grew up partly in Northampton where he went to Weston Favell School. His father is former Northampton Town and Nuneaton Borough F.C. manager Graham Carr.[2] On his father's side, his family hail from North East England.[3] Carr has a younger brother, Gary.[4] Carr gained a BA (Hons) degree in Drama and Theatre Studies, graduating with a 2:1 from Middlesex University.[5][6]
After completing his degree in his early 20s, Carr moved to Manchester seeking a better life and with aspirations of becoming a comedian. He moved into a house full of activity in Chorlton-cum-Hardy after which he moved to Stretford; which he cites as an inspiration for his comedic work.[7] Carr soon became a regular on the Manchester comedy circuit, including Alan Carr's Ice Cream Sunday at the Manchester Comedy Store. Carr also made friends with fellow comedians based on the Manchester circuit, including Jason Manford, Justin Moorhouse and John Bishop.[8]
Despite being openly gay and very camp, he does not consider his sexuality to be a focal part of his act, once saying that "I just think gay people need to get over themselves. Just because you're gay and on the telly doesn't mean you're a role model. I'm just a comedian. That's all I am. What am I meant to do? Do I go down the Julian Clary route and talk about fisting and poppers? I don't talk about being gay and I think what better equality for gays than that?"[4]
On 21 September 2006, Carr and entertainer Lionel Blair helped save a man who was about to fall from a pier in Blackpool. The man was holding on by his fingertips, but the two men managed to pull him to safety.[9]
Carr made his radio presenting debut on Christmas Day 2007 for BBC Radio 2 as part of their Festive Highlights, with the show Alan Carr's Christmas Box.[10] He also filled in on BBC 6Music on 16 February and 14 June 2008 for Adam and Joe and co-presented The Russell Brand Show on 4 October 2008. He also presented Alan Carr's Comedy Outings for BBC Radio 2 in 2008. On 25 April 2009, Carr began hosting Going Out With Alan Carr, a new show for BBC Radio 2, in conjunction with Emma Forbes (later replaced by Melanie Sykes). The show was broadcast every Saturday evening from 6pm-8pm.[11] On 7 March 2012 Alan announced that he made the decision to hang up his headphones to focus on his Chatty man show. Carr said: 'I've loved every minute of it but it's time to reclaim my weekends.'I wish Radio 2 every success but I'll listen from my home in the future instead."[12] His last show was on 31 March 2012.
Carr performs stand-up regularly, on tour and on television. He has been featured in three Edinburgh shows and in 2007 he toured throughout the UK, which was followed by a DVD entitled "Tooth Fairy Live". Carr had his own monthly show in a Manchester comedy club and he has toured nationwide, supporting other acts.[13] He has performed at the Apollo Theatre in London, which was televised for the BBC1 series 'Live At The Apollo', and has been featured in the Royal Variety Performance.
Carr has appeared and performed at many festivals, including the Reading and Leeds Festivals, Latitude Festival, the Kilkenny Comedy Festival and Live Earth, where he welcomed musical acts David Gray and Damien Rice on stage. He has performed stand-up internationally, including an appearance at the Montreal 'Just For Laughs' festival.[14]
On 4 September 2009, Carr switched-on the Illuminations in Blackpool along with JLS.
In 2010, Carr took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March.
In December 2008 Carr, when accepting his award for Best Entertainment Personality at the British Comedy Awards, dedicated it to Karen Matthews, who had earlier that month been found guilty of kidnapping Shannon Matthews, her own daughter. Carr was quoted by BBC News as stating: "I should dedicate this award to her [Karen]. She would be my dream guest. I think she's a gay icon. People like a bit of rough, don't they?"[15]
Shahid Malik, MP for Matthews' constituency of Dewsbury described Carr's comments about Shannon Matthews as "sick and insensitive". Carr subsequently apologised for his comments, saying "I realise what I said was insensitive and I am very sorry for any offence caused".[16] On his own website he added: "For those of you who have enjoyed my comedy and seen my act over the last seven years you all would have got used to my tongue in cheek style and near the knuckle observations. Last night at the Comedy Awards [...] I was being ironic, these aren't my real sentiments obviously".[17]
Year | Show | Role |
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2004 | Today With Des and Mel | Himself |
2005 | Law of the Playground | |
Richard & Judy | ||
2006 | Countdown | |
FAQ U | ||
2006–2009 | Friday/Sunday Night Project | Host |
2007–2008 | Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong | |
2007 | Big Fat Anniversary Quiz | Himself |
8 Out Of 10 Cats | ||
2007, 2008 | Never Mind The Buzzcocks | Contestant |
2007, 2008 | The Graham Norton Show | Himself |
2008 | Live at the Apollo | |
2007, 2008, 2009 | The Paul O'Grady Show | Guest |
2008 | Friday Night with Jonathan Ross | |
GMTV | ||
Later With Jools Holland | ||
This Morning | ||
T4 | ||
Pride of Britain Awards | Himself | |
2009 | Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live | |
Top Gear | ||
Comic Relief | ||
Nativity! | Critic | |
2009–present | Alan Carr: Chatty Man | Host |
2010 | Friday Night With Jonathan Ross | Guest |
2011 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Himself |
Alan Carr's New Year Specstacular | Host |
Title | Released | Notes |
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Tooth Fairy LIVE | 12 November 2007 | Live at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo |
Spexy Beast Live | 14 November 2011 | Live at Manchester's Evening News Arena |
Hugh Hefner | |
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Hugh Hefner attending Glamourcon #50, Long Beach, CA on November 13, 2010 |
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Born | Hugh Marston Hefner April 9, 1926 Chicago, Illinois |
Residence | Playboy Mansion, Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California |
Nationality | American |
Education | Steinmetz High School |
Alma mater | University of Illinois (B.A.) Northwestern University |
Known for | Editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises |
Home town | Chicago, Illinois |
Political party | Independent |
Board member of | Playboy Enterprises |
Spouse | Mildred Williams (m.1949–1959; divorced) Kimberley Conrad (m.1989–2010; divorced) |
Partner | Barbi Benton (1969–1976) Brande Roderick (2000–2001) Tina Marie Jordan (2001–2002) Holly Madison (2003–2008) Crystal Harris (2009–2011) |
Children | Christie Hefner (born 1952) David Hefner (born 1955) Marston Hefner (born 1990) Cooper Hefner (born 1991) |
Website | |
Playboy.com |
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner (born April 9, 1926) is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.[1]
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Hefner was born in Chicago, Illinois, being the elder of two sons born to Grace Caroline (née Swanson; 1895–1997) and Glenn Lucius Hefner (1896–1976), both teachers.[2][3] Hefner's mother was of Swedish descent and his father had German and English ancestry.[4][5] On his father's side, Hefner is a direct descendant of Plymouth governor William Bradford.[6][7] He has described his family as "conservative, Midwest, Methodist."[8] He went to Sayre Elementary School and Steinmetz High School, then served as a writer for a military newspaper in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1946. He later graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a B.A. in psychology with a double minor in creative writing and art in 1949, earning his degree in two and a half years. After graduation, he took a semester of graduate courses in sociology at Northwestern University but dropped out soon after.[9]
Working as a copywriter for Esquire, he left in January 1952 after being denied a $5 raise. In 1953, he mortgaged his furniture, generating a bank loan of $600 (or $800 — he cannot recall which) and raised $8,000 from 45 investors — including $1,000 from his mother ("Not because she believed in the venture," he told E! in 2006, "but because she believed in her son.") — to launch Playboy, which was initially going to be called Stag Party. The undated first issue, published in December 1953, featured Marilyn Monroe from her 1949 nude calendar shoot and sold over 50,000 copies.[10] (Hefner, who never met Monroe, bought the crypt next to hers at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.[11][12])
After it was rejected by Esquire magazine in 1955, Hefner agreed to publish in Playboy the Charles Beaumont science fiction short story, "The Crooked Man", about straight men being persecuted in a world where homosexuality was the norm. After receiving angry letters to the magazine, Hefner wrote a response to criticism where he said, "If it was wrong to persecute heterosexuals in a homosexual society then the reverse was wrong, too."
On June 4, 1963, Hefner was arrested for selling obscene literature after an issue of Playboy featuring nude shots of Jayne Mansfield was released.[citation needed] A jury was unable to reach a verdict.[13]
His former secretary, Bobbie Arnstein, was found dead in a Chicago hotel room after an overdose of drugs in January 1975. Hefner called a press conference to allege that she had been driven to suicide by narcotics agents and federal officers. Hefner further claimed the government was out to get him because of Playboy's philosophy and its advocacy of more liberal drug laws.[14][15]
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television and has made several movie appearances as himself. In 2009, he received a "worst supporting actor" nomination for a Razzie award for his performance in Miss March.
A documentary by Brigitte Berman, Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel, was released on July 30, 2010. He had previously granted full access to documentary filmmaker and television producer Kevin Burns for the A&E Biography special Hugh Hefner: American Playboy in 1996.[16]
Hefner and Burns later collaborated on numerous other television projects, most notably on The Girls Next Door, a reality series that ran for six seasons (2005–2009) and 90 episodes.
In 1999, Hefner financed the Clara Bow documentary, Discovering the It Girl. "Nobody has what Clara had. She defined an era and made her mark on the nation," he stated.[17]
Hefner married Northwestern University student Mildred Williams (born March 10, 1926) in 1949. They had two children, Christie (born November 8, 1952) and David (born August 30, 1955).[18] Before the wedding, Mildred confessed that she had had an affair while he was away in the Army. He called the admission "the most devastating moment of my life." A 2006 E! True Hollywood Story profile of Hefner revealed that Mildred allowed him to sleep with other women, out of guilt for her infidelity and in the hopes that it would preserve their marriage. They divorced in 1959.[citation needed]
Hefner remade himself as a bon viveur and man about town, a lifestyle he promoted in his magazine and two TV shows he hosted, Playboy's Penthouse (1959–1960) and Playboy After Dark (1969–1970). He admitted to being "'involved' with maybe eleven out of twelve months' worth of Playmates" during some of these years.[19] Donna Michelle, Marilyn Cole, Lillian Müller, Shannon Tweed, Brande Roderick, Barbi Benton, Karen Christy, Sondra Theodore, and Carrie Leigh — who filed a $35 million palimony suit against him — were a few of his many lovers. In 1971, he acknowledged that he experimented in bisexuality.[20] He moved from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Hefner had a minor stroke in 1985 at age 59. After re-evaluating his lifestyle, he made several changes. The wild, all-night parties were toned down significantly and in 1988, daughter Christie began to run the Playboy empire. The following year, he married Playmate of the Year Kimberley Conrad. The couple had two sons, Marston Glenn (born April 9, 1990) and Cooper Bradford (born September 4, 1991).[21] The E! True Hollywood Story profile noted that the notorious Playboy Mansion had been transformed into a family-friendly homestead. After he and Conrad separated in 1998, Conrad moved into a house next door to the mansion.
Hefner then began to move an ever-changing coterie of young women into the mansion, even dating up to seven girls at once, among them, Brande Roderick, Izabella St. James, Tina Marie Jordan, Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt, and Kendra Wilkinson. The reality television series The Girls Next Door depicted the lives of Madison, Wilkinson and Marquardt at the Playboy Mansion.[22] In October 2008, all three girls made the choice to leave the mansion. Hefner was quick to rebound and soon began dating his new "Number One" girlfriend, Crystal Harris,[23] along with 20-year-old identical twin and models Kristina and Karissa Shannon.[24] The relationship with the twins ended in January 2010.[25] After an 11-year separation, Hefner filed for divorce from Conrad stating irreconcilable differences.[26] Hefner has said that he only remained married to her for the sake of his children,[27] and his youngest child had just turned 18.[21] The divorce was finalized in March 2010.[28] On December 24, 2010, Hefner presented an engagement ring to Crystal Harris, publicly announcing the proposal the following day.[11] Hefner and Harris had planned to marry June 18, 2011.[29][30] Harris called off the wedding just 5 days before they were due to be wed.[31]
The Hugh Hefner First Amendment Award was created by Christie Hefner "to honor individuals who have made significant contributions in the vital effort to protect and enhance First Amendment rights for Americans."[32]
He has donated and raised money for the Democratic Party.[33] However, he has more recently referred to himself as an Independent due to disillusionment with both the Democratic and Republican Parties.[34]
In 1978, Hefner helped organize fund-raising efforts that led to the restoration of the Hollywood Sign. He hosted a gala fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion and personally contributed $27,000 (or 1/9 of the total restoration costs) by purchasing the letter Y in a ceremonial auction.[35][36]
Hefner donated $100,000 to the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts to create a course called "Censorship in Cinema," and $2 million to endow a chair for the study of American film.[37]
Both through his charitable foundation and individually, Hefner also contributes to charities outside the sphere of politics and publishing, throwing fundraiser events for Much Love Animal Rescue as well as Generation Rescue,[38] a controversial autism campaign organization supported by Jenny McCarthy.
On April 26, 2010, Hefner donated the last $900,000 sought by a conservation group for a land purchase needed to stop the development of the famed vista of the Hollywood Sign.[35]
Sylvilagus palustris hefneri, an endangered species of Marsh rabbit, is named after him in honor of financial support that he provided.[39][40]
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