GMA Network

220px
Type	Broadcast television network
Branding	The Kapuso Network
Country	Philippines
Availability	Worldwide via GMA Pinoy TV
Founded	March 1, 1950 by Robert "Uncle Bob" Stewart
Slogan	Kapuso ng Bawat Pilipino (In the Hearts of Every Filipino)
Area	Philippines
Owner	GMA Network, Inc.
Key people	Felipe Gozon (Chairman & CEO) Gilberto Duavit Jr. (President & COO) Felipe Yalong (CFO)
Launch date	October 29, 1961
Former names	Republic Broadcasting System (1961-1972)
Picture format	480i (SD)
Official website	http://www.gmanetwork.com

GMA Network (GMA) is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961, GMA Network (formerly known as DZBB TV Channel 7, RBS TV Channel 7, GMA Radio-Television Arts then GMA Rainbow Satellite Network) is commonly signified to as the "Kapuso Network" in reference to the outline of the company’s logo. It has also been called the “Christian Network” which refers to the apparent programming during the tenure of the new management, which took over in 1974. It is headquartered in the GMA Network Center in Quezon City and its transmitter is located at Tandang Sora Avenue, Barangay Culiat also in Quezon City.^[1]

History[link]

1960s[link]

The origin of GMA Network can be traced back to Loreto F. de Hemedes Inc. through Radio Broadcasting Station’s DZBB,^[2] which started airing its radio broadcast on March 1, 1950, and officially launched as a local radio station in Metropolitan Manila in June 14, 1950 and owned by Robert La Rue “Uncle Bob” Stewart, an American war correspondent.^[3] Venturing into television in the 1960s, Robert La Rue “Uncle Bob” Stewart started its television station through DZBB TV Channel 7 on October 29, 1961, Philippines third terrestrial television station. Originally, DZBB TV Channel 7 programming composed of foreign programs from the United States and eventually produced local programs to cater Filipino audiences. It produces shows like Uncle Bob’s Lucky Seven Club, a children show aired every Saturdays; Dance Time with Chito; Lovingly Yours, Helen; GMA Supershow (formerly Germside and then Germspesyal) and various news programs like News at Seven. And in 1963, GMA Network Inc. (then Republic Broadcasting System Inc.) launches its first local television station in Cebu, the DYSS TV (now GMA TV 7 Cebu). In the same year, from Loreto F. de Hemedes Inc. was renamed to Republic Broadcasting System Inc.^[4]

1970s[link]

On September 21, 1972, then President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law by the virtue of Proclamation 1081.^[5] Marcos, ruling by decree, curtailed press freedom and other civil liberties; closed down Congress and media establishments including GMA Network. Military personnel occupied GMA Network compound and placed it under military control to prevent alleged communist propaganda. Media outlets including GMA Network that was critical to the Marcos administration ordered to be closed. Foreign citizens and entities were disallowed from owning and operating media companies in the Philippines. Stewart and the American Broadcasting Company, who owned a quarter of the company, was forced to cede majority control to a triumvirate composed of Gilberto Duavit Sr., a Malacañang official; Menardo Jimenez, an accountant; and Felipe Gozon, an attorney of the Stewarts in 1974.^[6] Through the acquisition, the station was able to broadcast in color with a PhP7 million credit line. In the succeeding year, the station changed its name to GMA Radio-Television Arts (GMA stood for Greater Manila Area, the station's initial coverage area), although Republic Broadcasting System Inc. remains as its corporate name until 1996.

1980s[link]

When Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., a senator who strongly opposed the Marcos administration, was assassinated on August 21, 1983, it was a small item on television news. The iron grip that the Marcos administration had on television began to slip, as GMA broadcast the funeral, the only local station to do so.^[3] In 1984, Imee Marcos, daughter of Ferdinand Marcos, attempted to take over GMA.^[3][6] However, the takeover was prevented by GMA executives. Stewart left the Philippines for good as he was utterly disappointed with the Marcos move. GMA was also instrumental during the years preceding the People Power Revolution. The network was the first to air a television interview with Corazon Aquino in 1984, and when she later announced that she would run for the presidency if she receives one million signatures.^[3] In February 1986, the network was also the first to report that Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile broke away from the Marcos administration.^[3]

When democracy in the Philippines was restored in the People Power Revolution in 1986, television stations began to air, some with their original owners. The political instability of the country also added to the station's burden, when soldiers stormed into the studios for two days in a part of coup attempt to topple then President, Corazon Aquino. In 1987, it opened its high-end live studio, the Broadway Centrum, boosting its local programming, and inaugurated its 777-foot Tower of Power located along Tandang Sora, Quezon City, the tallest man-made structure in the country on November 7, 1988.^[7]

1990s[link]

International reach became GMA's target in the 1990s, which began when the Rainbow Satellite launched on April 30, 1992. Through its relay stations, GMA programs were seen across the archipelago and Southeast Asia. GMA programming started airing in 60 American cities and parts of South America through the International Channel Network. GMA was also the official broadcaster of the 1995 World Youth Day, which was the last visit of Pope John Paul II to the country. During the same year, two popular TV shows, Eat Bulaga and Okey Ka Fairy Ko! began broadcasting on GMA after TAPE Inc. refused ABS-CBN's proposal to buy the airing rights of the two shows. At the same time, GMA launched a UHF channel subsidiary, Citynet 27, several new shows (among them were Bubble Gang and Startalk, now some of the longest-running shows on TV), and the news program, Saksi with Mike Enriquez, Mel Tiangco and Karen Davila. In 1996, GMA formally changed its corporate name to GMA Network Incorporated, with GMA now standing for Global Media Arts. GoBingo, initially aired in 1996, is an interactive game show hosted by Arnell Ignacio, with Maricar de Mesa as the first GobiGirl. GMA Films was also launched in 1998 - its film José Rizal, which was at the time the most expensive movie production ever in the country (costing over 80 million Pesos to produce), but becoming a huge success with many accolades and award nominations. GMA was the first Philippine broadcaster to receive a Peabody Award for Investigative Reporting in 1999. Later, Citynet 27 became EMC, the first locally programmed music video channel, later becoming a part of the Channel [V] franchise called Channel [V] Philippines. Channel [V] Philippines, however, ceased operations due to a conflict of interest between the owners of GMA and PLDT (which bought a stake in GMA), who operate MTV Philippines through their subsidiary, the Nation Broadcasting Corporation. GMA was also the Philippine broadcaster for 2000 Today. A the turn of the Millennium, GMA was the only local network to go on 24 hour non stop broadcasting. At the beginning of the year, Menardo Jimenez announced his retirement as president and CEO and on December 31, 2000, Felipe Gozon assumed the position with his concurrent capacity as chairman. Duavit's son Gilberto Duavit Jr. assumed the post of Chief Operating Officer.

2000s[link]

On October 27, 2002, during an episode of the network's longest-running Sunday afternoon entertainment show SOP, GMA officially revealed a new logo and image campaign. The new logo features a rainbow colored heart-shaped logo, the Kapuso, represented by a new slogan Kapuso ng Pamilyang Pilipino, Anumang Kulay ng Buhay (One in Heart With the Filipino family, In Whatever Colors of Life), and a Century Gothic Bold font for the letters. The "Kapuso" theme song is sang by Regine Velasquez.

View of GMA Network Center from Kamuning MRT Station.

In 2003, Saksi won the New York Festival Gold Medal for best newscast, the first Philippine newscast to do so. This, and the Peabody Award in 1999, earned the network a House of Representatives commendation later that year. On September 1 of the same year, GMA Network withdrawn its membership from the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP),^[8] after incidents involving host Rosanna Roces, alleged commercial overloading and interfering when news anchor Mike Enriquez aired his complaints over his radio program, Saksi sa Dobol B, against Lopez-owned cable firm SkyCable's distortion of GMA's signal on its system, and a lost videotape containing evidence that the cable firm had violated the rule on soliciting ads for cable TV. GMA was also an official TV network of the 4th World Meeting of Families held in Manila, Philippines.

In 2004, GMA launches more new line up of new programs and primetime shows are Te, Amo, Hanggang Kailan, Forever In My Heart, Marinara, as well as, Bahay Mo Ba 'To?, Naks, Lovely Day, StarStruck Kids, Ikaw Sa Puso Ko, Leya, 30 Days, Wag Kukurap, Pinoy Pop Superstar, SOP Gigsters, Joyride, 3R, Out & Bitoy's Funniest Videos.

In 2005, the company’s subsidiary, Citynet Inc., also signed a co-production and blocktime agreement with ZOE Broadcasting Network, allowing the GMA Network with another platform to showcase its programming and talents. On November 11, 2005, ZOE's flagship station, DZOE-TV Channel 11, went on the air as Quality TeleVision (later known as Q and was reformatted to become GMA News TV), and broadcasted shows that primarily targeted women audiences. Q's news programs shared the same resources of GMA News and Public Affairs, while some programs are produced by Citynet, Inc. Also in 2005, GMA won the Asian Television Awards' Best Terrestrial Television Station, besting MBC of Korea and Mediacorp Channel 5 of Singapore. The network planned to go public, but due to political instability and downward trend of broadcast advertising, it has since been delayed.^[9]

In 2006, Debate with Mare at Pare, a late-night public affairs program, won the bronze medal in the New York Festival. The network was also praised on its coverage of the Wowowee (a program of ABS-CBN) stampede by various local publications. In an exclusive interview, a reprehensive Mike Enriquez also interviewed embattled Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the first time since the lifting the State of National Emergency, which the network allowed other stations to air without prior consent. At the end of the interview, the President praised the network for its news coverage, hinting that other media outfits to do the same. In April, the founder of the network, Robert "Uncle Bob" Stewart died in the United States. During the Everest climbing season the same year, GMA supported climber Romi Garduce, the third Filipino to reach the summit of Mt. Everest in only three days. The network is one of the first local companies to produce an IMAX film, with the opening of the San Miguel-Coca-Cola IMAX Theater in SM's Mall of Asia.

In 2007, the network announced that it will offer its stocks to the public.^[9][10] After being canceled numerous times and despite the Marcoses claim to the shares held by the Duavit family,^[11] their IPO was finally held on July 30 offering PhP 8.50 per share.^[12] The Network started to produce television Franchises from other countries when they produced Celebrity Duets: Philippine Edition with FremantleMedia, one of the largest producers of television franchises in the world based in United Kingdom. They later produced MariMar, Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan, Kakasa Ka Ba Sa Grade 5? and Whammy! Push Your Luck from various countries. On September 16, 2007, it was announced that the Idol franchise, which had previously been used by the Associated Broadcasting Company to produce Philippine Idol) would be transferred to GMA under the new name Pinoy Idol.^[13]

In 2008, GMA produced a diverse set of shows for its primetime block by airing Carlo J. Caparas' Joaquin Bordado, Mars Ravelo's Dyesebel, Babangon Ako't Dudurugin Kita, Gagambino, Codename: Asero, Lalola, Ako si Kim Sam Soon, Survivor Philippines, Family Feud, Saan Darating Ang Umaga? and Luna Mystika. GMA also became the new home of the Idol franchise, with Pinoy Idol also premiering that summer along with its companion show, Pinoy Idol Extra.^{[citation needed]}

In the first half of 2009, GMA Network lined up new shows for its primetime like Carlo J. Caparas' Ang Babaeng Hinugot Sa Aking Tadyang, Carlo J. Caparas' Totoy Bato, All About Eve, Zorro, Adik Sa'Yo, All My Life, Sana Ngayong Pasko. The primetime news program 24 Oras won 2 awards on the New York Festival, a Gold Medal for Best Continuing Coverage and a Silver Medal for Best News Program.

The network likewise lined up new primetime shows for the second half of 2009 like Rosalinda, new version of Darna, second season of Survivor Philippines, Stairway to Heaven, Full House, new season of StarStruck.

2010s[link]

In 2010, for the first and second quarters, GMA Network released new soaps and shows like The Last Prince, Panday Kids, First Time, Laff En Roll, Diva, Zooperstars, Claudine, Wipeout, Pepito Manaloto, Wachamakulit, Sunnyville, Comedy Bar, Love Bug, Langit Sa Piling Mo, Pilyang Kerubin, Endless Love, Danz Showdown, as well as Diz Iz It which replaced the longest morning talk show SiS along Party Pilipinas which replaced SOP.

In 2011, GMA Network offered an afternoon line-up which continued the success of Koreana, Trudis Liit, Basahang Ginto and Bantatay. It includes Nita Negrita, Magic Palayok, Alakdana, Sisid and My Lover, My Wife. In the primetime line-up, GMA released I Heart You, Pare!, Dwarfina, Machete, Captain Barbell, Munting Heredera, and the first historical drama of the Philippines, entitled Amaya. and they offered the first TV remake drama series Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin.

In 2012, the network offered all original line-up of television series for the first quarter, in both primetime and afternoon block such as Legacy, Biritera and My Beloved in GMA Telebabad and Alice Bungisngis and her Wonder Walis, Broken Vow, The Good Daughter,It Started with the Kiss and Hiram na Puso in GMA Afternoon Prime.^[14]

February 1, 2012 GMA Network announced it has signed a three-year deal with Fox International Channels which will allow locally produced GMA's shows and feature films to be aired on FOX cable channels. The said deal covers a minimum of 350 hours worth of programs and 25 feature films. Among the programs delivered to FOX for airing in its Philippine feed are: Encantadia, Darna, Dyesebel, Super Twins, Stairway to Heaven, Kaya Kong Abutin Ang Langit, Trudis Liit and Babangon Ako't Dudurugin Kita, and news and public affairs shows like Wish Ko Lang, Pinoy Meets World and Pinoy Abroad. While the films covered by the deal are: My Best Friend's Girlfriend, When I Met U, Yaya and Angelina: The Spoiled Brat Movie, Temptation Island and José Rizal.^[15]

February 22, 2012 GMA Films' President Annette Gozon-Abrogar and director Yam Laranas announce that the thriller movie The Road will be commercially released and shown in over 50 theaters across North America and Canada in May 11, 2012.^[16]

February 28, 2012, the network announced the retirement of Senior Vice President for the Entertainment Group, Wilma Galvante. The announcement came about after Galvante officially retired from the network, ending her 19 years of service as entertainment head. GMA Network appoints Lilybeth Rasonable as Officer in-charge of the Entertainment Group. Rasonable has been with the network since 1998 and has served as Program Manager, Assistant Vice President and Vice President for Drama for the Entertainment Group. Her latest position prior to the appointment has seen her supervising the group's afternoon and primetime teledramas.^[17]

April 2012, GMA Network's Chairman Gilberto Duavit, Jr. announces that the network hit consolidated revenues at 13.083 billion pesos in 2011. That's despite the absence of 2.054 billion pesos worth of revenues from political ads generated in 2010 and the global impact of financial crisis in Europe and slow economic recovery in the U.S. in 2011.^[18][19]

Branding of the GMA Network[link]

Network identity[link]

On October 29, 1961, then Loreto F. de Hemedes Inc. through Radio Broadcasting Station launches its first television station in the Philippines, known back then as DZBB TV Channel 7. GMA Network began branding its identity by eliminating call signs to its network identification. By 1974, the call letters were disregarded and paves the way for other networks to affect such naming structures. Thus, GMA is the first television station in the Philippines to be called by its corporate name and not by its call sign.

• DZBB TV Channel 7 (1961-1974)—From the success of its amplitude modulation band radio DZBB, Robert La Rue "Uncle Bob" Stewart launches its first television and the Philippines third terrestrial channel, DZBB TV Channel 7.
• RBS TV Channel 7 (1974-1975)—When Gilberto Duavit, Menardo Jimenez and Felipe Gozon took over the management of Loreto F. de Hemedes Inc. in 1974, GMA Network was rebranded to Republic Broadcasting System.
• GMA Radio Television Arts (1975-1992)—To ascertain its present in its coverage area, the Greater Manila Area, GMA Network changed its character to GMA Radio-Television Arts.
• GMA Rainbow Satellite Network (Rainbow Network, 1992-2002)—In preparation for the launching of Tower of Power, GMA again rebranded its network identity on April 30, 1992.
• GMA Network (Kapuso Network, 2002-Present)—In October 27, 2002, GMA Network unveiled its new identity and catchphrase. In an effort to localized and transformed its image into a more intrinsic Filipino, GMA Network engaged in a rebranding course in line with its objective to become the leader in providing local news and entertainment. The rebranding of its logo and slogans reflects its new business distinctiveness and integrating the network’s character as the former “Rainbow Network.”

Logos[link]

GMA Network has used a number of logos throughout its history especially when Gozon, Jimenez and Duavit acquired the station in the 1974. From late 1970s to the early 1990s, the network used the Circle 7 logo, which is also expended by several networks around the world. In the 1980s, to refine its presence in Philippine broadcast industry, GMA Network used the slogan Where You Belong, and lasted for two decades before invigorating to another catchphrase. In 1989, GMA Network redefines itself as the Rainbow Network, succeeding the ensigns of the rainbow. Throughout the 1990s, the network developed the logo before having it replaced by its current logo in 2002 and as the Kapuso Network.^[20] After a huge marketing campaign, and improved television ratings, the new insignia (the rainbow-colored stylized heart-shape logo known as Kapuso) is now one of the most recognizable in the Philippines.

Slogans[link]

Kapuso ng Bawat Pilipino (In the Hearts of Every Filipino) is the present characteristic catchphrase of GMA Network. The slogan was initially used in conjunction with the rebranding of GMA Network as the “Kapuso Network” in October 27, 2002.^[21] But the another slogan of the network Kapuso Mo, Anumang Kulay ng Buhay (One in Heart, in Every Colors of Life) is still used in other purposes especially to their website www.igma.tv. GMA Network’s news and public affairs department meanwhile uses the slogan Serbisyong Totoo (True Service). It is one of the longest running slogans used for news broadcast promotion.^[22][23] GMA Network found itself on the other end of a battle concerning the slogan, when ABS-CBN News Channel uses similar catchphrase, and immediately discontinued in order to avoid legal predicament from GMA Network. In 2006, its news department also used an accompanying slogan, Just News, for its promotional campaign together with its news media partners, INQ7.Net.^[24]

Programming[link]

GMA Network television programming comprises news, public affairs, fictional, variety shows, dramas, musicals, soap operas, children’s and talk shows, and reality programs. Most of its programs are broadcasted live and taped in its GMA Network Centers and Studios located in Metropolitan Manila. GMA Network currently programs 20.5 hours of programming per day. It provides 34.5 hours of prime-time programming per week to its owned and affiliated stations: 5:30-10:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 5:30-11:30 p.m. on Fridays; 6:00-10:00 p.m. on Saturdays; and 6:00-10:30 p.m. on Sundays. Programming is also provided from 4:30-8:30 a.m. on weekdays in the form of Unang Hirit; the one-and-half hour weekday variety show Eat Bulaga!; early afternoon dramas, early- and late-evening news program, 24 Oras and Saksi, respectively; prime-time programing through its Telebabad block (Biritera, Legacy, My Beloved and Dong Yi); late night current affairs shows produced by its news and public affairs department.

Competition[link]

Programming competition started in 2004 when production of numerous GMA Network shows was up against its rival network, ABS-CBN. Reality program, Extra Challenge started to lead the game and with launch of telefantasya Mulawin. On September 23, 2004, GMA Network finally gained in leadership Mega Manila against its closest competitor.^[25] In 2005, GMA Network began producing Mars Ravelo's Darna, a classic Filipino comic book character which became an instant hit, with an overnight rating of 47.7 percent, the highest rating for a pilot episode and the first telefantasya to reached 52.1 percent ratings; followed by Encantadia at 47.2 percent and other prime-time telefantasyas, Mulawin (2004) and Sugo (2005) contributed to GMA Network lead in Mega Manila. In 2006, GMA Network maintained its primetime supremacy by reformatting its reality-based program Extra Challenge and another telefantasya Encantadia (which was succeeded by sequels, Etheria and Encantadia: Pag-ibig Hanggang Wakas), and the localized subtitled versions of Korean television series Stairway to Heaven, Full House, Jewel in the Palace and My Name is Kim Sam Soon.^[26] In 2007, GMA Network started producing the local version of a Mexican television series MariMar. For its pilot episode, MariMar got 52.6 percent overnight rating, making it the only soap operate to achieve the highest ratings in GMA Network’s history. In a 2006 survey conducted by Pulse Asia, seven out of 10 Metro Manila-based viewers find GMA Network a more credible network than rival ABS-CBN.^[27] GMA Network managed to lead in Mega Manila and Southern Luzon demographic, which has the highest concentration of television ownership and 79 percent of advertisement placement.^[28] The National Urban Television Audience Measurement was officially launched on October 16, 2006 to determine the television ratings and audience share of local TV programs from the different urban areas in the Philippines. This changes the broadcast industry landscape and the manner in which the advertisers allocate their TV investments to achieve cost efficiency and maximization. In August 2007 audience rating data shows GMA Network maintained its lead in Mega Manila, which resulted to a 23 percent growth in its consolidated net income to PhP1.13 billion in the first half of the year from PhP915 million in the same period last year.^[29] GMA Network income grew by 23 percent year-on-year to PhP1.126 billion in the first six months of the year. Mega Manila accounts 49 percent of total TV households. The Mega Manila and Luzon markets combined accounts 76 percent of the total TV households.^[30] It earned PhP2.3 billion in 2007.^[31] In 2011, GMA Network maintained the lead in the national television ratings mentioning figures from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement for the period of January 1 to February 13, 2011. It had 33.2 percent audience shared based on overnight data, higher than ABS-CBN’s 31.8 percent and TV5’s 14.9 percent. It also leads in Urban Luzon, which makes up 77 percent of total television households in the Philippines. GMA Network posted 9.8 point lead with 36.5 points compared with closest competitor, ABS-CBN’s 26.7 points and imposing a 19.6 point lead from TV5’s 16.9. GMA Network also sustained to beat ABS-CBN in Mega Manila, which accounts 58 percent of television household. It got 37.7 percent share over ABS-CBN 25.2 percent and TV5’s 17.7 percent, 20 points higher.^[32]

Controversies[link]

Copyright infringement with ABS-CBN[link]

In July 22, 2004, during the arrival of Angelo de la Cruz at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (a truck driver who was held hostage and threatened with beheading in Iraq abducted by armed rebels west of Baghdad while trucking fuel from Saudi Arabia), live news coverage was aired on GMA Network and other local television stations in the Philippines.^[33] GMA Network used audio-video coverage through the facilities of Reuters, which GMA Network subscribed to.^[34] During the said broadcast, a live feed from Reuters was simultaneously aired with its own live broadcast. During the first five-second of live feed, GMA Network did notice that the live feed from Reuters was also airing at another local station, its main competitor ABS-CBN. The live video was restricted only to ABS-CBN and Reuters did not inform GMA Network that the video coverage was only intended for ABS-CBN.^[35] The local Court of Appeals junked the case filed by ABS-CBN Corporation against GMA Network Inc. for what was claimed to be illegal copying of its live video footage. In a ruling, the local fourth division of the appellate court set aside the resolution of the local Justice department, which approved the filing of violation of Republic Act 8293 (or the Intellectual Property Code) against GMA Network. It ruled out that the act of GMA Network in airing the live video coverage was focused by good faith since there was no meaning to instigate damage to ABS-CBN Corporation.^[36] The local court also said GMA Network acted in good faith when it decided to instantaneously stop using the live video feed from Reuters upon learning ABS-CBN was also covering the said news event and its following exertion to authenticate the ABS-CBN Corporation restriction arrangement with the news service, Reuters. The local court also stressed that apart from lack of intent of GMA Network to affect the video from ABS-CBN, the action also cannot be reflected intrusion of Sections 212.4 and 185.1 of Republic Act 8293 since it was just a short excerpt compared with the totality of the matter.^[37]

TV ratings[link]

On December 20, 2007, Judge Charito Gonzales of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 80 released a temporary restraining order on TV ratings surveys based on a civil case filed by then ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation (now ABS-CBN Corporation) versus AGB Nielsen Media Research Philippines. ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation accused competitor GMA Network Inc. of funding bribing operations in Bacolod City, to discredit the former.^[38][39] The local court in the Philippines further ordered ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation to file comment on the plea of AGB Nielsen Media Research Philippines for the alleged gathering and dissemination of television ratings data, within five days or until December 22, 2007.^[40] On December 21, 2007, a local AM radio station in the Philippines, owned by ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, DZMM field reporter Junrie Hidalgo reported a news story entitled AGB Nielsen, umamin sa dayaan: GMA Network, tahasang itinurong nasa likod ng dayaan (AGB Nielsen admits to cheating: GMA Network aggressively accused of being behind the cheating) during the radio program of Showbiz Mismo, hosted by Cristy Fermin and Jobert Sucaldito. The news story is based on an interview of AGB Nielsen general manager Maya Reforma regarding the purported cheating.^[41][42][43] In response, GMA Network Inc. aired a television plug reproving the purported unfair journalism and disagreed the accusations of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corportion. GMA Network Inc. later filed a PhP15-million civil libel suit against ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation on January 3, 2008. The respondents included Hidalgo, Fermin, Sucaldito, the station and news manager of DZMM, writers and executive producers of television programs Bandila, Entertainment Live and The Buzz after the same story was aired locally.^[44] On January 7, 2008, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court junked ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation's suit against AGB Nielsen, saying the case was “prematurely filed" before the local court.^[45] Judge Gonzales' basis is the principle of mutuality of contracts, citing Article 1308 and 1196, New Civil Code of the Philippines. Also, Judge Samuel Gaerlan, Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 92 issued court summons against ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation and 15 of its personnel on the January 3, 2008.^[46] On January 17, 2008, Judge Gaerlan inhibited himself from the case, considering that he has a cousin working in the legal department of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation.^[47] The case was later reraffled on January 28, 2008,^[48] and the case was eventually assigned to Judge Henri Inting of Branch 95 of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. On February 14, 2008, Judge Inting issued a temporary restraining order barring local television station, ABS-CBN from airing defamatory statements against GMA Network Inc.^[49]

Lawsuit against TV5[link]

In December 2008, GMA Network Inc., Citynet Television, and ZOE Broadcasting Network filed a lawsuit against the management of TV5, alleging MPB Primedia Inc. (a subsidiary of Media Prima Berhad, a Malaysian company, which entered a block time agreement with Associated Broadcasting Company to sell the airtime of TV5) of violating Article XVI, Section 3, of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.^[50] GMA Network Inc. argues restriction of foreign entities to operate and owns a Filipino company especially on broadcast media. GMA Network Inc. disputes MPB Media Inc. that it was established to skirt the anti-dummy laws and entering into an unlawful block time deal.^[51]

Divisions[link]

• GMA Artist Center
• GMA News and Public Affairs
• GMA Entertainment Television Group
• GMA Engineering

References[link]

External links[link]

• Entertainment site
• Corporate site
• GMA News Online site

v t e Terrestrial television networks in the Philippines Major networks ABS-CBN  · ABC (TV5)  · GMA State-owned networks PTV  · IBC (AKTV) News networks AksyonTV  · GMA News TV  · SBN (Talk TV) Minor networks RMN/BEAM TV (Chase)  · Net 25  · RPN (ETC)  · RJTV (2nd Avenue)  · Studio 23  · UNTV Religious networks 3ABN/Hope Channel PHL  · CCTN  · DBS  · GEM TV  · SMNI  · ZOE TV (Light TV) Regional networks CBS (Quezon)  · CLTV (Central Luzon)  · GBPI (Zamboanga)  · Infomax TV (Pampanga)  · PBC (Palawan)  · PBN (Bicol) Defunct networks BBC  · FUBC  · MTV Philippines  · Solar TV  · BCI  · Q

Ryan Lewis
Ryan Lewis (back) performing with Macklemore (front) at Sasquatch! Music Festival
Background information
Born	(1988-03-25) March 25, 1988 (age 24) Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Origin	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Producer, DJ
Years active	2006–present
Associated acts	Macklemore
Website	rlewis.com

Ryan Lewis (born March 25, 1988) is an American music producer, musician, music video director, photographer, graphic designer, rapper and DJ currently based in Seattle. He is best known for his collaboration with American rapper Macklemore (Ben Haggerty) producing Macklemore & Ryan Lewis — The VS. EP (2009), The Heist (2012) and a handful of other singles. Since the beginning of their collaboration in late 2008, Ryan has produced, recorded, engineered and mixed all of the music, directed music videos ("Same Love", "Thrift Shop", "And We Danced", "Otherside (Remix)"), designed visuals (album art, web design, posters) and DJed the live show.

In a recent mini-documentary, Lewis recalled meeting Macklemore for the first time. "When I met him, it was a really different time. It was less than a year after [2005's] Language of My World had come out. So he had buzz. For me being a young kid, it was very exciting to link with him. The bulk of our original relationship was photo shoots. I became kind of his photographer."^[1]

[edit] The Heist

On October 9, 2012, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released The Heist. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums, selling 78,000 copies in the first week.^[2] The album also debuted at #1 on iTunes Digital Albums chart.^[3] The duo's album has received more than 1 million plays on SoundCloud, 70 million YouTube views and was accompanied by a sold-out 50-date U.S. and Canadian tour.^[4]

Discography[link]

(All credited to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis)

Studio albums[link]

EPs

Singles[link]

Notes[link]

• A ^ "Wing$" did not enter the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number 7 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, which acts as an extension to the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.^[27]
• B ^ "Same Love" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 25 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, which acts as an extension to the Hot 100.^[28]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

de:Ryan Lewis

Leonardo DiCaprio
DiCaprio at the Shutter Island premiere at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival.
Born	Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (1974-11-11) November 11, 1974 (age 37) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, film producer
Years active	1989–present
Website
www.leonardodicaprio.com

Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (/dɨˈkæpri.oʊ/; born November 11, 1974)^[1] is an American actor and film producer. He has been nominated for the Golden Globe Award eight times as an actor, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator (2004). He has also been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild, Satellite Awards, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, DiCaprio started his career by appearing in television commercials prior to landing recurring roles in TV series such as the soap opera Santa Barbara and the sitcom Growing Pains in the early 1990s. He made his film debut in the comedic sci-fi horror film Critters 3 (1991) and received first notable critical praise for his performance in This Boy's Life (1993). DiCaprio obtained recognition for his subsequent work in supporting roles in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and Marvin's Room (1996), as well as leading roles in The Basketball Diaries (1995) and Romeo + Juliet (1996), before achieving international fame in James Cameron's Titanic (1997).

Since the 2000s, DiCaprio has been nominated for awards for his work in such films as Catch Me If You Can (2002), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), Blood Diamond (2006), The Departed (2006), and Revolutionary Road (2008). His latest films Shutter Island (2010) and Inception (2010) rank among the biggest commercial successes of his career.^[2] DiCaprio owns a production company named Appian Way Productions, whose productions include the films Gardener of Eden (2007) and Orphan (2009). A committed environmentalist, DiCaprio has received praise from environmental groups for his activism.^[3]

Early life and family[link]

DiCaprio, an only child, was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Irmelin (née Indenbirken), is a German-born former legal secretary, and his father, George DiCaprio, is an underground comic artist and producer/distributor of comic books.^[4] DiCaprio's mother moved from Oer-Erkenschwick at the Ruhr, Germany, to the U.S. during the 1950s. DiCaprio's father is of half Italian (from the Naples area) and half German descent (from Bavaria), and is a fourth-generation American.^[1][5][6] DiCaprio's maternal grandmother, Helene Indenbirken (1915–2008),^[7] who was born Yelena Smirnova, was a Russian immigrant to Germany.^[8]

DiCaprio's parents met while attending college and subsequently moved to Los Angeles.^[1] He was named Leonardo because his pregnant mother was looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting in a museum in Italy when DiCaprio first kicked.^[9] DiCaprio was raised Catholic.^[10][11]

His parents divorced when he was a year old and he lived mostly with his mother. The two lived in several Los Angeles neighborhoods, such as Echo Park, and at 1874 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Feliz district (which was later converted into a local public library), while his mother worked several jobs to support them.^[1] He attended Seeds Elementary School and graduated from John Marshall High School a few blocks away, after attending the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies for four years.

Career[link]

Early career[link]

DiCaprio's career began with his appearance in several commercials and educational films. After being booted off the set of children's television series Romper Room for being disruptive at the age of five,^[12] DiCaprio followed his older stepbrother Adam Farrar into television commercials, landing an ad for Matchbox cars at 14.^[12] In 1990, he got his break on television when he was cast in the short-lived series based on the movie Parenthood. After Parenthood, DiCaprio had bit parts on several shows, including The New Lassie and Roseanne, as well as a brief stint on the soap opera Santa Barbara, playing the young Mason Capwell. His involvement in Parenthood and the daily soap earned him a nomination for the Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor each.

1991–95[link]

His debut film role was in the comedic sci-fi horror film Critters 3, in which he played the stepson of an evil landlord, a role that DiCaprio described as "your average, no-depth, standard kid with blond hair."^[13] Released in 1991, the movie went direct-to-video.^[13] Soon after, he became a recurring cast member on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains, playing Luke Brower, a homeless boy who is taken in by the Seaver family. DiCaprio made his big screen breakthrough in 1992, when he was handpicked by Robert De Niro out of 400 young actors to play the lead role in This Boy's Life, co-starring Ellen Barkin and De Niro himself.^[12]

Later in 1993, DiCaprio co-starred as the mentally handicapped brother to Johnny Depp in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, a comic-tragic odyssey of a dysfunctional Iowa family. Director Lasse Hallström admitted he was initially looking for a less good-looking actor but finally settled on DiCaprio as he had emerged as "the most observant [actor]" among all auditioners.^[13] Budgeted at US$11.0 million,^[14] the film became a financial and critical success, resulting in a domestic box office total of US$9.1 million and various accolades for DiCaprio, who was awarded the National Board of Review Award and nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his portrayal. New York Times critic Janet Maslin praised DiCaprio's performance, writing "the film's real show-stopping turn comes from Mr. DiCaprio, who makes Arnie's many tics so startling and vivid that at first he is difficult to watch. The performance has a sharp, desperate intensity from beginning to end."^[15]

DiCaprio's first effort of 1995 was Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead, a western film in which he appeared alongside Gene Hackman, Sharon Stone, and Russell Crowe, playing the role of Hackman's alleged son named Kid. Sony Pictures was dubious over DiCaprio's casting, and as a result, Stone decided to pay for the actor's salary herself.^[16] The film was released to a dismal box office performance, barely grossing US$18.5 million in the United States, and received mixed reviews from critics.^[17] Jonathan Rosenbaum from the Chicago Reader observed that "Raimi tries to do a Sergio Leone, and though The Quick and the Dead is highly enjoyable in spots, it doesn't come across as very convincing."^[18] Afterwards DiCaprio starred in Total Eclipse, a fictionalized account of the homosexual relationship between Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine, played by David Thewlis. He replaced River Phoenix in the role of Rimbaud, who had died during pre-production on the project.^[19] A minor arthouse success, the film grossed US$0.34 million throughout its domestic theatrical run.^[20]

DiCaprio appeared alongside friends Kevin Connolly and Tobey Maguire in the mostly improvised short film called Don's Plum as a favor to aspiring director R.D. Robb.^[12] When Robb decided to expand the black-and-white film to feature length however, DiCaprio and Maguire obtained its blocking, arguing that they never intended to make it a theatrical release as it would have commercial value thanks to their stardom.^[12] Nevertheless, the film eventually premiered at the 2001 Berlin International Film Festival, where it was well-received by critics, with Time Out New York writer Mike D'Angelo calling it "the best film [I saw] in Berlin." DiCaprio's last film of the year 1995 was The Basketball Diaries, a biopic about Jim Carroll.

1996–2001[link]

In 1996, DiCaprio appeared opposite Claire Danes in Baz Luhrmann's film Romeo + Juliet, an abridged modernization of William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy of the same name which retained the original Shakespearean dialogue. The project was one of the first films to cash in on DiCaprio's future star-status, with a worldwide box office take of $147 million.^[21]

Later that year, he starred in Jerry Zaks' family drama Marvin's Room, reuniting with Robert De Niro. Based on Scott McPherson's screenplay adaptation of his own 1991 stage play of the same name, the film revolves around two sisters, played by Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton, who are reunited through tragedy after 17 years of estrangement.^[22] DiCaprio portrayed the character of Hank, Streep's troubled son, who has been committed to a mental asylum for setting fire to his mother's house.^[23] On his Chlotrudis Award-winning performance, Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly commented: "The deeply gifted DiCaprio [..] keeps right up with these older pros [Keaton and Streep]. The three are so full-bodied and so powerfully affecting that you're carried along on the pleasure of being in the presence of their extraordinary talent."^[23]

DiCaprio at a press conference for The Beach in February 2000

In 1997, DiCaprio starred in James Cameron's Titanic (1997), alongside Kate Winslet. Cast as twenty-year-old Jack Dawson, a penniless Wisconsin man who wins two tickets for the third-class on the ill-fated RMS Titanic, DiCaprio initially refused to portray the character but was eventually encouraged to pursue the role by Cameron who strongly believed in his acting ability.^[24] Against expectations, the film went on to become the highest-grossing film to date (it was surpassed in 2010 by Cameron's directorial follow-up, Avatar), grossing more than US$1.843 billion in box-office receipts worldwide,^[25] and transformed DiCaprio into a commercial movie superstar, resulting in fan worship among teenage girls and young women in general that became known as "Leo-Mania."^[26] He was nominated for most of the high-profile awards, including a second Golden Globe nomination. Upon the success of Titanic, DiCaprio stated in 2000: "I have no connection with me during that whole Titanic phenomenon and what my face became around the world [...] I'll never reach that state of popularity again, and I don't expect to. It's not something I'm going to try to achieve either."^[27]

The following year, DiCaprio made a self-mocking cameo appearance in Woody Allen's caustic satire of the fame industry, Celebrity (1998). That year, he also starred in the dual roles of the villainous King Louis XIV and his secret, sympathetic twin brother Philippe in Randall Wallace's The Man in the Iron Mask, based on the same-titled 1939 film. Despite receiving a rather mixed to negative response,^[28] the film became a box office success, grossing US$180 million internationally.^[29] Though DiCaprio's performance was generally well-received, with Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman writing that "the shockingly androgynous DiCaprio looks barely old enough to be playing anyone with hormones, but he's a fluid and instinctive actor, with the face of a mischievous angel,"^[30] he was awarded a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Couple for both incarnations the following year.

DiCaprio's next project was the drama film The Beach (2000), an adaption of Alex Garland's same-titled 1996 novel. Starring alongside Tilda Swinton and Virginie Ledoyen, he played an American backpacking tourist looking for the perfect way of life in a secret island commune in the Gulf of Thailand. Budgeted at $US50 million, the film became a financial success, grossing $US144 million worldwide,^[31] but as with DiCaprio's previous project, the film was largely panned by critics.^[32] Todd McCarthy of Variety noted that "Richard [DiCaprio's role] is too much the American Everyman and not enough of a well-defined individual to entirely capture one's interest and imagination, and DiCaprio, while perfectly watchable, does not endow him with the quirks or distinguishing marks to make this man from nowhere a dimensional character."^[33] The next year, he was nominated for another Razzie Award for his work on the film.

2002–07[link]

DiCaprio's first film of 2002 was the crime-comedy Catch Me If You Can, based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, used his charm, confidence, and several different personas, to make millions in the 1960s writing bad checks. Directed by Steven Spielberg and co-starring Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken, the film was shot in 147 different locations in only 52 days, making it "the most adventurous, super-charged movie-making" DiCaprio had experienced yet.^[34] Catch Me If You Can received favourable reviews and proved to be an international success, becoming Dicaprio's highest-grossing film since Titanic with a total of US$351.1 million worldwide.^[35] Roger Ebert praised his performance, and noted that while "DiCaprio, who in recent films [...] has played dark and troubled characters, is breezy and charming here, playing a boy who discovers what he is good at, and does it."^[36] The following year, DiCaprio received his third Golden Globe nomination for his work on the film.

DiCaprio at the pre-premiere of Gangs of New York at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

Also in 2002, DiCaprio appeared in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, a historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. Director Scorsese initially struggled selling his idea of realizing the film until DiCaprio became interested in playing protagonist Amsterdam Vallon, a young leader of the Irish faction, and thus, Miramax Films got involved with financing the project.^[37] Nonetheless production on the film was plagued by blown-out budgets and producer-director squabbles, resulting in a marathon eight-month shoot and, at US$103 million, the most expensive film Scorsese had ever made.^[37] Upon its release, Gangs of New York became a financial and critical success however.^[38] DiCaprio's acting was well-received but remained overshadowed by Daniel Day-Lewis' performance among most critics.^[37][39]

Forging a collaboration with Scorsese, the two paired again for a biopic of the eccentric and obsessive American film director and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes in The Aviator (2004). Centering on Hughes' life from the late 1920s to 1947, DiCaprio initially developed the project with Michael Mann, who decided against directing it after back-to-back film biographies in Ali and The Insider.^[39] The actor eventually pitched John Logan's script to Scorsese, who quickly signed on to direct. Altogether, DiCaprio reportedly spent more than a year and a half in preparation for the film which was not necessarily shot in continuity because of actors and locations schedules.^[39] The Aviator became a critical and financial success.^[40] DiCaprio received rave reviews for his performance and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, also receiving another Academy Award nomination.

In 2006, DiCaprio starred in both Blood Diamond and The Departed. In Edward Zwick's war film Blood Diamond, he co-starred alongside Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou as a diamond smuggler from Rhodesia who is involved in the Sierra Leone Civil War. The film itself received generally favorable reviews,^[41] and DiCaprio was praised for the authenticity of his South African Afrikaner accent, known as a difficult accent to imitate.^[42] In Scorsese's The Departed he played the role of Billy Costigan, a state trooper working undercover in an Irish Mob in Boston. Highly anticipated, the film was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews and became one of the highest-rated wide release films of 2006.^[43] Budgeted at US$90 million, it also emerged as DiCaprio and Scorsese's highest-grossing collaboration to date, easily beating The Aviator´s previous record of US$213.7 million.^[44] DiCaprio's performance in The Departed was applauded by critics and earned him a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor. The same year, both the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild nominated DiCaprio twice in the Best Actor category for both of his 2006 features, and in addition, DiCaprio earned his third Academy Award nomination for Blood Diamond.

2008–present[link]

In 2008, DiCaprio starred in Body of Lies, a spy film based on the novel of the same name by David Ignatius, set in context of the Middle East and the War on Terror, unfolding the story of three men battling a terrorist organization, and each other.^[45] Directed by Ridley Scott and co-starring Russell Crowe and Vince Colosimo, DiCaprio dyed his hair brown and wore brown contacts for the role, which he chose to pursue because he considered it a throwback to political films in the 1970s such as The Parallax View (1974) and Three Days of the Condor (1975).^[45] The film received mixed reviews from critics,^[46] and at a budget of US$67.5 million, became a moderate box office success, grossing US$115 million worldwide.^[47]

DiCaprio at a charity event in March 2009.

The same year, DiCaprio reunited with Kate Winslet to film the drama Revolutionary Road (2008), directed by Winslet's then-husband Sam Mendes. As both actors had been reluctant to make romantic films similar to Titanic, it was Winslet who suggested that both should work with her on a film adaptation of the 1961 novel of the same name by Richard Yates after reading the script by Justin Haythe, knowing that plot had little in common with the 1997 blockbuster.^[48] Once DiCaprio agreed to do the film, it went almost immediately into production.^[49] He noted that he saw his character as "unheroic" and "slightly cowardly" and that he was "willing to be just a product of his environment."^[50] Portraying a couple in a failing marriage in the 1950s, DiCaprio and Winslet watched period videos promoting life in the suburbs to prepare themselves for Revolutionary Road, which earned them favorable reviews.^[51] For his portrayal DiCaprio garnered his seventh nomination from the Golden Globes.

DiCaprio continued his run with Scorsese in the 2010 psychological thriller film Shutter Island (2010), based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. Co-starring Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo and Michelle Williams in supporting roles, the actor played U.S. Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels, who is investigating a psychiatric facility located on an island and comes to question his own sanity. With US$41 million, the film opened at number-one at the box office, giving both DiCaprio and Scorsese their best box office opening yet.^[52]

Also in 2010, DiCaprio starred in director Christopher Nolan's science-fiction film Inception. Inspired by the experience of lucid dreaming and dream incubation,^[53] DiCaprio portrays the character of Dom Cobb, an "extractor" who enters the dreams of others to obtain information that is otherwise inaccessible.^[54] Cobb is promised a chance to regain his old life in exchange for planting an idea in a corporate target's mind.^[55] DiCaprio, the first actor to be cast in the film,^[56] was "intrigued by this concept — this dream-heist notion and how this character's gonna unlock his dreamworld and ultimately affect his real life."^[57] Released to critical acclaim, the film grossed over US$21 million on its opening day, with an opening weekend gross of US$62.7 million.^[58]

In 2011, DiCaprio starred in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, a biopic about J. Edgar Hoover, the controversial first director of the FBI. He was also cast in the title role in Oliver Stone's film Travis McGee, in which he is expected to play a salvage consultant who helps his clients to recover lost property, and is attached to star as a father who kidnaps and tortures the man who kidnapped his daughter in the thriller Prisoners.^[59] In addition, DiCaprio is said to be involved in the pre-production of Ridley Scott's projects The Wolf of Wall Street and Brave New World, Marc Forster's The Chancellor Manuscript and the biopic Sinatra, a film about Frank Sinatra to be directed by Martin Scorsese.^[59] In July 2010, it was announced that DiCaprio had pulled out of a Viking movie to be directed by Mel Gibson amid controversy over Gibson's rage-fueled rant tapes and domestic violence probe.^[60] On November 1, 2010, it was announced that DiCaprio's production company had acquired the rights to the Erik Larson novel, The Devil in the White City.^[61] The novel tells the true story of Dr. H. H. Holmes, a serial killer responsible for the death of hundreds of women during the Chicago World's Fair.^[62] It has also been announced that DiCaprio will star in the film, playing the role of serial killer H. H. Holmes.^[63] He was also cast in the role of Jay Gatsby in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming adaptation of the novel The Great Gatsby.^[64]

On November 19, 2010, it was announced that DiCaprio will produce and star in the upcoming 2013 movie based on the book Legacy of Secrecy by Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann. The storyline examines how, in the early 1960s, the combined forces of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Mafia conspired to initiate and execute the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.^[65] DiCaprio is expected to play FBI informant Jack Van Laningham. The book asserts that Mafia godfather Carlos Marcello confessed to Van Laningham that he had ordered JFK's assassination, while the CIA and the Mafia were conspiring together to try to assassinate Fidel Castro. After the assassination, as part of a dangerous and long-secret undercover operation, the FBI positioned Van Laningham to become a confidant to Marcello, who ruled organized crime in Louisiana and most of Texas for decades.

DiCaprio will star as villainous Calvin Candie in the upcoming Quentin Tarantino film, Django Unchained.^[66] Principal photography started in California, Wyoming, and Louisiana in the first few months of 2012.^[67][68][69] He will reunite with Scorsese for the fifth time in The Wolf of Wall Street, a true story based on the life of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who was arrested in the late 1990s for security fraud and money laundering.^[70][71]

Personal life[link]

DiCaprio is a close friend of actor Tobey Maguire, whom he met while auditioning for the Parenthood series in 1990, and is a longtime friend of both fellow actors Kevin Connolly and Lukas Haas,^[72] and Titanic and Revolutionary Road co-star Kate Winslet. He was a childhood friend of Christopher Pettiet.^[73]

DiCaprio at the red carpet at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.

His romantic relationships have been widely covered in the media.^[74] DiCaprio dated model Kristen Zang on-and-off for several years, and British model and socialite Emma Miller.^[75] In 2001, he met Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen with whom he had an on-and-off relationship until their separation in 2005. DiCaprio began a relationship with model Bar Refaeli in November 2005 after meeting her at a Las Vegas party thrown for members of U2.^[76] In the course of their trip to Israel in March 2007, the couple met with Israeli president Shimon Peres and visited Refaeli's hometown of Hod HaSharon.^[77] The relationship was on hold for a period of six months starting in June 2009; in early 2010, the romance was rekindled.^[78][79] In May 2011, it was reported that the couple had ended their romantic relationship, although still remaining friends.^[80] In August 2011, it was reported that he was in a relationship with actress Blake Lively since mid-May.^[81][82] They ended their relationship in October 2011.^[83]

DiCaprio owns a home in Los Angeles and an apartment in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan. In 2009, he bought an island in Belize on which he is planning to create an eco-friendly resort. He also owns an apartment in Riverhouse, an eco-friendly building overlooking the Hudson River in Manhattan.^[84]

In 2005 DiCaprio's face was seriously injured when Aretha Wilson, a model, hit him over the head with a broken bottle at a Hollywood party. After pleading guilty in 2010, Wilson was sentenced to prison for two years.^[85]

Environmental activism and philanthropy[link]

A committed environmentalist, DiCaprio has received praise from environmental groups for his activism.^[3] In the past,^[86] he has opted to fly on commercial flights instead of chartering private jets, he owns an electric Tesla Roadster,^[87] Fisker Karma plug in hybrid,^[88][89] and a Toyota Prius.^[90] He has also installed solar panels on his house.^[3] In an interview with Ukula about his film the 11th Hour, DiCaprio cited global warming as "the number-one environmental challenge."^[91]

At the 2007 Oscar ceremony, DiCaprio and former Vice President Al Gore appeared to announce that the Academy Awards had incorporated environmentally intelligent practices throughout the planning and production processes, thus affirming their commitment to the environment, and on July 7, 2007, DiCaprio presented at the American leg of Live Earth. In 2010, his environmental work earned DiCaprio a nomination for the VH1 Do Something Award. The awards show, produced by VH1, is dedicated to honoring people who do good and is powered by Do Something, an organization that aims to empower and inspire young people.^[92]

In 1998, DiCaprio and his mother donated $35,000 for a "Leonardo DiCaprio Computer Center" at the Los Feliz branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, the site of his childhood home. It was rebuilt after the 1994 Northridge earthquake and opened in early 1999.^[93] During the filming of Blood Diamond, DiCaprio worked with 24 orphaned children from the SOS Children's Village in Maputo, Mozambique, and was said to be extremely touched by his interactions with the children.^[94] In 2010, he donated $1,000,000 to relief efforts in Haiti after the earthquake.^[95]

During the 2004 Presidential election, DiCaprio campaigned and donated to John Kerry's presidential bid. FEC showed DiCaprio gave $2300 to Barack Obama's presidential campaign in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, the maximum contribution an individual can give in an election cycle.^[96]