GQ (originally Gentlemen's Quarterly) is an American monthly men's magazine focusing on fashion, style, and culture for men, through articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books.

History[link]

Gentlemen's Quarterly was launched in 1931 in the United States as Apparel Arts, a men's fashion magazine for the clothing trade, aimed primarily at wholesale buyers and retail sellers. Initially it had a very limited print run and was aimed solely at industry insiders to enable them to give advice to their customers. The popularity of the magazine amongst retail customers, who often took the magazine from the retailers, spurred the creation of Esquire magazine in 1933.

Apparel Arts continued until 1957 when it was transformed into a quarterly magazine for men which was published for many years by Esquire Inc.^[2] Apparel was dropped from the logo in 1958 with the spring issue after nine issues, and the name Gentlemen's Quarterly was established.

In 1980 Condé Nast Publications bought the publication and editor Art Cooper changed the course of the magazine, introducing articles beyond fashion and establishing GQ as a general men's magazine in competition with Esquire. Subsequently, international editions were launched as regional adaptations of the U.S. editorial formula. Jim Nelson was named editor-in-chief of GQ in February 2003; during his tenure he worked as both a writer and an editor of several National Magazine Award-nominated pieces.^{[citation needed]} During Nelson's tenure, GQ has become more oriented towards younger readers and those who prefer a more casual style.

Nonnie Moore was hired by GQ as fashion editor in 1984, having served in the same position at Mademoiselle and Harper's Bazaar. Jim Moore, the magazine's fashion director at the time of her death in 2009, described the choice as unusual, observing that "She was not from men's wear, so people said she was an odd choice, but she was actually the perfect choice" and noting that she changed the publication's more casual look, which "She helped dress up the pages, as well as dress up the men, while making the mix more exciting and varied and approachable for men."^[3]

GQ has been closely associated with metrosexuality. The writer Mark Simpson coined the term in an article for British newspaper The Independent about his visit to a GQ exhibition in London: "The promotion of metrosexuality was left to the men's style press, magazines such as The Face, GQ, Esquire, Arena and FHM, the new media which took off in the Eighties and is still growing.... They filled their magazines with images of narcissistic young men sporting fashionable clothes and accessories. And they persuaded other young men to study them with a mixture of envy and desire."

"Vladimir Putin's Dark Rise to Power" controversy[link]

In September 2009 GQ's US issue included a story by Scott Anderson about his interviews with Mikhail Trepashkin on his investigations of the 1999 Russian apartment bombings. David Folkenflik reported for NPR on September 4 that Conde Nast management ordered executives and editors that the US issue was not to be distributed in Russia, nor to be shown to "Russian government officials, journalists or advertisers". The story was not to be on GQ's website, not to be published in Conde Nast's foreign magazines, and not to be publicized. Anderson was asked not to syndicate the story "to any publications that appear in Russia".^[4] The article is entitled "None Dare Call it Conspiracy" in the US magazine, although an earlier internal email from a Conde Nast lawyer referred to it as "Vladimir Putin's Dark Rise to Power". It was in the "backstory" section.^[5] In 24 hours bloggers published the Russian translation and original English text on the Web.^[6][7]

Circulation[link]

The magazine reported an average U.S. paid circulation of 824,334 issues per month, of which 609,238 were subscriptions.^[8] 73% of the readership are men, and 63% are single.^[8] 65% of readers had an annual income of $50,000 or greater; and 25% had an income greater than $75,000.^[8]

British GQ had a circulation of 120,019 from January to June 2009.^[9]

Editors[link]

GQ editors (U.S.)[link]

• Everett Mattlin (1957–1969)
• Jack Haber (1969–1983)
• Art Cooper (1983–2003)
• Jim Nelson (2003–present)

GQ publishers (U.S.)[link]

• Bernard J. Miller (1957–1975)
• Sal Schiliro (1975–1980)
• Steve Florio (1975–1985)
• Jack Kliger (1985–1988)
• Michael Clinton (1988–1994)
• Michael Perlis (1994–1995)
• Richard Beckman (1995–1999)
• Tom Florio (1999–2000)
• Ronald A. Galotti (2000–2003)
• Peter King Hunsinger (2003–present)

GQ editors (U.K.)[link]

• Paul Keers (1988–1990)
• Alexandra Shulman (1990–1992)
• Michael VerMeulen (1992–1995)
• James Brown (1997–1999)
• Tom Haines (1999)
• Dylan Jones (1999–present)

GQ editors (Russia)[link]

• Alexey Zimin (2001–2003)
• Nikolai Uskov (2003–2012)
• Mikhail Idov (2012-present)

GQ editors (Turkey)[link]

• Mirgün Cabas (2011-present)

[edit] GQ worldwide

GQ is published in Australia, Brazil, South Africa, France, Spain, China, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Latin America, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, USA.

Notable people on the cover[link]

• 50 Cent (December 2005)
• Ben Affleck (February 1998, May 2001, November 2001)
• Andre Agassi (September 1989, July 1996)
• Dianna Agron (November 2010)
• Christina Aguilera (June 2006)
• Troy Aikman (September 1993)
• Jessica Alba (April 2005, June 2007)
• Muhammad Ali (April 1998)
• Marcus Allen (November 1984)
• Nancy Allen (September 1981)
• Woody Allen (February 1986)
• Herb Alpert (September 1969)
• Jennifer Aniston (December 2005, January 2009, March 2012)
• Armand Assante (December 1991)
• Fred Astaire (September 1964)
• Alec Baldwin (February 1990)
• Christian Bale (March 2007, June 2009)
• Eric Bana (July 2003, March 2008)
• Antonio Banderas (December 1995)
• Tyra Banks (February 1996, January 2000)
• Tiki Barber (October 2001)
• Charles Barkley (November 1994)
• Alan Bates (October 1978)
• Gary Beban (January 1968)
• Boris Becker (September 1991)
• Corbin Bernsen (August 1987)
• Halle Berry (August 2004)
• Jessica Biel (July 2007)
• Rachel Bilson (February 2008)
• Jack Black (January 2006)
• Orlando Bloom (January 2004, November 2005)
• Hart Bochner (February 1980)
• Barry Bonds (April 1994)
• Kate Bosworth (January 2005)
• Tom Brady (October 2002, September 2005, February 2011)
• Jeff Bridges (June 1986, July 1994)
• Adrien Brody (November 2003)
• Josh Brolin (January 2008)
• Pierce Brosnan (November 2000)
• Bryan Brown (April 1990)
• Kobe Bryant (October 2001, November 2001, March 2010)
• Gisele Bundchen (July 2008)
• Edward Burns (February 2001)
• Nicolas Cage (August 1990, March 1997)
• Michael Caine (December 1983)
• Jose Canseco (May 1989)
• David Caruso (May 1994)
• Johnny Carson (November 1971)
• Jackie Chan (August 1996)
• Carol Channing (Winter 1964-65)
• Hayden Christensen (May 2005)
• Bill Clinton (November 1992)
• George Clooney (March 1995, October 1997, November 1998, January 2003)
• Sacha Baron Cohen (July 2009)
• Stephen Colbert (May 2007)
• Sean Combs (August 1999)
• Sean Connery (April 1966, July 1989)
• Rita Coolidge (Winter 1977)
• Kevin Costner (May 1987, July 1991)
• Ben Cross (January 1985)
• Russell Crowe (March 1999, March 2005)
• Tom Cruise (December 1988, December 1992, December 1996, November 1997, March 2000, December 2004, May 2006)
• Penelope Cruz (February 2000)
• Billy Crystal (August 1989)
• Maria Grazia Cucinotta (May 1997)
• John Cusack (December 1997)
• Salvador Dali (October 1963)
• Timothy Dalton (June 1987)
• Jeff Daniels (October 1987)
• Ted Danson (September 1984, August 1988, July 1993)
• Ron Darling (August 1986)
• Matt Damon (December 1999, August 2007, January 2012)
• Geena Davis (June 1989, February 1994)
• Sammy Davis Jr. (September 1967)
• Terrell Davis (September 1999)
• Benicio Del Toro (November 2001)
• Robert DeNiro (January 1991, January 2007)
• Johnny Depp (October 1993, August 2003, February 2010)
• Cameron Diaz (October 2005)
• Leonardo DiCaprio (December 2006, December 2008, October 2011)
• Vin Diesel (August 2002)
• Phyllis Diller (Winter 1966-67)
• Matt Dillon (April 1991)
• Joe DiMaggio (October 1965)
• Luis Miguel Dominguín (April 1965)
• Michael Douglas (December 1985)
• Robert Downey Jr. (January 1993, May 2008)
• Drake (April 2012)
• David Duchovny (January 1997, November 1997)
• Clint Eastwood (March 1993, December 2009)
• Zac Efron (May 2009)
• Eminem (November 2011)
• Chris Evans (July 2011)
• Jim Everett (September 1990)
• Jimmy Fallon (December 2011)
• Colin Farrell (November 2003, November 2004)
• Michael Fassbender (December 2011, June 2012)
• Gary Fencik (September 1986)
• Will Ferrell (July 2004, July 2006, December 2006)
• Ralph Fiennes (August 1994, July 1998)
• Bridget Fonda (March 1992)
• Henry Fonda (March 1965)
• Harrison Ford (April 1982, November 1986, June 1994, November 1998, March 2000 )
• Henry Ford II (November 1964)
• Matthew Fox (March 2006)
• Megan Fox (October 2008)
• Michael J. Fox (December 1986, November 1989)
• Jamie Foxx (February 2005)
• Dave Franco (April 2012)
• James Franco (September 2008)
• Brendan Fraser (September 2000)
• James Gandolfini (December 2004)
• Andy Garcia (December 1990, July 1995)
• Nomar Garciaparra (April 2000)
• Zach Galifianakis (May 2011)
• James Garner (March 1984)
• Jennifer Garner (March 2003)
• Kevin Garnett (October 2002)
• Richard Gere (March 1980)
• Jason Giambi (October 2001)
• Mel Gibson (June 1983, February 1987, May 1995, November 1996)
• Frank Gifford (February 1984)
• Jeff Goldblum (July 1985, June 1989)
• John Goodman (April 1992)
• Al Gore (November 1992)
• Ryan Gosling (November 2007, January 2011)
• Robert Goulet (February 1966)
• Cary Grant (September 1962, March 1964, January 1986)
• Hugh Grant (December 1994, October 1998, November 2002)
• Ken Griffey Jr. (April 1996)
• Bryant Gumbel (July 1987)
• Jake Gyllenhaal (June 2004, February 2007, May 2010)
• Tom Hanks (January 1988, June 1995, November 1999)
• Tim Hardaway (January 1998)
• Mark Harmon (April 1987)
• Woody Harrelson (May 1991)
• Rex Harrison (September 1963)
• Josh Hartnett (October 2006)
• Joseph Heller (August 1984)
• Don Henley (August 1991)
• Keith Hernandez (April 1986)
• Martina Hingis (June 1998)
• Grant Hill (April 1995, November 1997)
• Alfred Hitchcock (Winter 1963-64)
• Dustin Hoffman (December 1988)
• Philip Seymour Hoffman (January 2001)
• Katie Holmes (April 2002)
• Evander Holyfield (February 1999)
• Bob Hope (September 1965)
• Peter Horton (April 1989)
• Rock Hudson (March 1967)
• Timothy Hutton (February 1985)
• Jeremy Irons (April 1984, November 1990)
• Hugh Jackman (January 2002)
• Bo Jackson (March 1990)
• Michael Jackson (October 1994, September 2009)
• Helmut Jahn (May 1985)
• LeBron James (February 2009, September 2010)
• Jay-Z (December 2006, December 2011)
• Bruce Jenner (February 1979)
• Peter Jennings (October 1984)
• Derek Jeter (September 1998, April 2000, April 2011)
• Scarlett Johansson (December 2010)
• Dwayne Johnson (October 2003)
• Jimmy Johnson (September 1994)
• Lyndon B. Johnson (March 1966)
• Magic Johnson (March 1987, February 1993)
• Angelina Jolie (March 2004)
• January Jones (November 2009)
• Tommy Lee Jones (March 1994)
• Michael Jordan (March 1989, November 1996)
• Ashley Judd (October 1999)
• Michael Keaton (June 1992)
• Joseph P. Kennedy II (September 1988)
• John F. Kennedy (March 1962, January 1992)
• Miranda Kerr (June 2010)
• Jimmy Kimmel (November 2008)
• Jaime King (April 2001)
• Kevin Kline (November 1987)
• Heidi Klum (January 1999, September 2002)
• Johnny Knoxville (September 2003, August 2005)
• Anna Kournikova (August 2000)
• Kris Kristofferson (Winter 1977)
• Mila Kunis (August 2011, December 2011)
• Karolina Kurkova (May 2004)
• Ashton Kutcher (February 2004)
• Shia LaBeouf (June 2008, April 2010)
• Christopher Lambert (December 1984)
• Ralph Lauren (November 2002)
• Taylor Lautner (July 2010)
• Jude Law (July 2002, December 2004)
• Heath Ledger (June 2001, February 2006)
• Mario Lemieux (October 2001)
• David Letterman (July 1984, June 1990, August 1993)
• Carl Lewis (June 1984)
• Huey Lewis (January 1987)
• Lil' Wayne (November 2011)
• Adriana Lima (April 2006, April 2008)
• Ray Liotta (November 1991)
• Lindsay Lohan (October 2004, April 2007)
• Howie Long (September 1987)
• Jennifer Lopez (December 2002)
• Greg Louganis (May 1988)
• Bernie Mac (April 2003)
• Kyle MacLachlan (August 1992)
• Tobey Maguire (March 2002)
• Dan Marino (September 1985, September 1996)
• Steve Martin (July 1990)
• Marcello Mastroianni (April 1964, May 1986)
• Willie Mays (April 1994)
• Matthew McConaughey (July 1997)
• Dylan McDermott (November 1999)
• Ewan McGregor (May 1999)
• Zubin Mehta (January 1982)
• Eva Mendes (June 2003)
• Lea Michele (November 2010)
• Cory Monteith (November 2010)
• Julianne Moore (July 2001)
• Tracy Morgan (August 2010)
• Viggo Mortensen (April 2004)
• Zero Mostel (Winter 1962-63)
• Alonzo Mourning (January 1998)
• Eddie Murphy (July 1992)
• Mike Myers (June 1999)
• Liam Neeson (December 1993, March 1998)
• John Newcombe (May 1974)
• Paul Newman (January 1995, October 2007)
• Jack Nicholson (March 1981, January 1990, January 1996)
• Nick Nolte (October 1991)
• Edward Norton (March 2001)
• Shaquille O'Neal (November 1993, November 2000)
• Barack Obama (September 2007)
• Ken Olin (April 1989)
• Julia Ormond (May 1996)
• Clive Owen (September 2006)
• Al Pacino (September 1992)
• Robert Palmer (July 1988)
• Robert Pattinson (April 2009)
• Guy Pearce (February 2002)
• Sean Penn (September 1997)
• Matthew Perry (November 2000)
• Daniela Peštová (May 1998)
• Joaquin Phoenix (June 2000)
• Mike Piazza (April 1999)
• Brad Pitt (June 2005)
• Prince Charles (April 1993)
• Dennis Quaid (December 1987)
• Patrick Rafter (July 1999)
• Robert Redford (March 1974)
• Christopher Reeve (October 1979)
• Keanu Reeves (May 2003)
• Ryan Reynolds (October 2010)
• Keith Richards (November 2011)
• Rihanna (January 2010)
• Pat Riley (January 1989, January 1998)
• Cal Ripken Jr. (April 1985, May 1993)
• Tim Robbins (October 1992)
• Julia Roberts (February 1991)
• Chris Rock (November 1998, June 2002)
• Sam Rockwell (February 2003)
• Dennis Rodman (February 1997)
• Alex Rodriguez (April 2000)
• Seth Rogen (August 2008)
• Howard Rollins (August 1982)
• Rebecca Romijn (February 1997)
• Derrick Rose (May 2012)
• Paul Rudd (March 2012)
• Kurt Russell (March 1985, June 1991)
• Spider Sabich (November 1974)
• Mark Sanchez (September 2011)
• John Savage (April 1980)
• Steven Seagal (March 1991)
• Jerry Seinfeld (May 1992, November 1996)
• Tom Selleck (October 1989)
• Arnold Schwarzenegger (July 1986, May 1990, June 1993)
• David Schwimmer (March 1996)
• Omar Sharif (September 1968)
• Charlie Sheen (June 1988)
• Martin Sheen (April 1975)
• Elisabeth Shue (October 1996)
• Jessica Simpson (July 2005)
• Alexander Skarsgard (June 2011)
• John Slattery (April 2012)
• Ozzie Smith (April 1988)
• Will Smith (June 1997, November 1999, December 2001)
• Jimmy Smits (November 1988)
• Mira Sorvino (August 1997)
• Kevin Spacey (October 2000)
• James Spader (October 1990)
• Steve Spurrier (January 1967)
• Ben Stiller (September 2001)
• Sting (June 1985, December 1989)
• Sharon Stone (November 1995)
• Barbra Streisand (Winter 1965-66)
• Donald Sutherland (January 1984)
• Patrick Swayze (February 1989, February 1992)
• Brandon Tartikoff (October 1985)
• Channing Tatum (August 2009, March 2011)
• Joe Theismann (November 1983)
• Charlize Theron (December 2000)
• Isiah Thomas (February 1988)
• Uma Thurman (February 1995, December 2003)
• Justin Timberlake (September 2004, August 2006, March 2009, December 2011)
• John Travolta (September 1981, October 1995)
• Donald Trump (May 1984)
• Chris Tucker (August 2001)
• Liv Tyler (August 1998)
• Jean-Claude Van Damme (August 1995)
• Vince Vaughn (December 1998, December 2005)
• Dwyane Wade (November 2006)
• Robert Wagner (March 1986)
• Mark Wahlberg (July 2000)
• Estella Warren (May 2000)
• Denzel Washington (October 1988, January 1994, November 2002)
• Kanye West (December 2007)
• Olivia Wilde (October 2009)
• Billy Dee Williams (October 1980)
• Michelle Williams (February 2012)
• Robin Williams (August 1985)
• Bruce Willis (October 1986, June 1996)
• James Woods (March 1988)
• Tiger Woods (April 1997)
• Michael York (April 1979)
• Steve Young (September 1995)
• Zhang Ziyi (March 2002)

See also[link]

• List of men's magazines
• GQ Australia
• Fashion
• Physical fitness

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website (U.S.)
• Official website (UK)
• Official website (Italy)
• Official website (Germany)
• Official website (France)
• Official website (Spain)
• Official website (Russia)
• Official website (Japan)
• Official website (China)
• Official website (Taiwan)
• Official website (Turkey)
• Official website (Mexico)
• Official website (South Korea)
• Official website (South Africa)
• Official website (Australia)
• Official website (India)
• Official website (Brazil)
• Controversial Decision By U.S. Publisher Sparks Debate On Free Speech, Censorship by Nikola Krastev, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, September 5, 2009

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2010)

William Welch (born 3 April 1990) is a is a rugby union player for Newcastle Falcons in the Aviva Premiership; his position of choice is at Openside Flanker. He is a product of the Newcastle Falcons Junior Academy and signed for the First XV in 2009 after representing Blaydon RFC at a National Two Level.

In July 2008, Welch represented England under 18's National Rugby Union team in Argentina. He also represented England at under 19's level and was selected as part of the 32 man England under 20 elite player squad, taking part in the RBS U20 Six Nations IRB Junior World Championship.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://www.newcastle-falcons.co.uk/
• http://www.rfu.com/News/

This English rugby union biography is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Willie Geist
Born	William Russell Geist (1975-05-03) May 3, 1975 (age 37) Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Education	Vanderbilt University
Occupation	Television personality
Title	Way Too Early with Willie Geist Host, Morning Joe Co-Host, MSNBC.com's Zeitgeist Host
Spouse	Christina Sharkey Geist
Children	Lucie Joy, George William
Family	Bill Geist and Jody Geist
Website
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17241176

William "Willie" Geist (born May 3, 1975) is host of MSNBC's Way Too Early with Willie Geist, a co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe and contributor to several NBC News programs. Geist also hosts a satirical video blog on MSNBC.com called Zeitgeist.^[1] Geist also is a frequent fill in for Matt Lauer on the Today Show.

Geist is the author of the New York Times bestselling book American Freak Show, released on October 12, 2010, and of Loaded! Become a Millionaire Overnight and Lose 20 Pounds in 2 Weeks or Your Money Back!, a satire of the popular self-help genre, released on May 10, 2011.

Personal life[link]

Geist was born in Evanston, Illinois, to author, columnist, and current CBS News correspondent Bill Geist and social worker Jody Geist.

He attended Ridgewood High School in Ridgewood, New Jersey, where he was captain of the football and basketball teams. He later went on to graduate from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. While at Vanderbilt, he was an editor of the university’s official student newspaper, The Vanderbilt Hustler.^[1]

On May 24, 2003, Geist married his high-school sweetheart, Christina Sharkey, in Humacao, Puerto Rico.^[2] The couple has a daughter, Lucie Joy Geist (b. June 14, 2007), and a son, George William Geist (July 8, 2009).

Geist is the older brother of Libby Wildes, the Peabody Award-winning documentary film producer (Crazy Love, Black Magic, Ring of Fire), who is married to Kevin Wildes of ESPN, "Mr. Half Baked Ideas." ^[3]

Geist is the great-grandson of Herbie Lewis, who captained the Detroit Red Wings to two Stanley Cups and is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

Geist began his career as an editor and producer for CNN Sports Illustrated and subsequently a field producer and reporter for CNN Sports, where he covered The Super Bowl, The NCAA Final Four, and The Masters.^[1]

In 2004, he became a writer and producer for I, Max, a short-lived sports commentary show hosted by Max Kellerman on Fox Sports Net. He joined MSNBC television in April 2005 as a senior producer of The Situation with Tucker Carlson.

Geist began substituting as a co-host on MSNBC's 6-9 a.m. morning time slot almost immediately after Don Imus was fired in late April, 2007. Geist was named permanent co-host of Morning Joe, along with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski in September, 2007. In late July, 2009, Geist began hosting his own 30-minute program Way Too Early with Willie Geist. The show currently airs from 5:30-6 a.m. (immediately before Morning Joe) on MSNBC.^[4] In 2010, Geist began substituting for Matt Lauer as host of the Today TV program and as the show's newsreader. Geist also has co-hosted the 3rd hour and 4th hours of Today.^{[citation needed]}

Hosting credits[link]

• Way Too Early with Willie Geist (2009–present)
• Morning Joe (2007–present)
• Zeitgeist (2006–present)
• Scarborough Country (2006–2007)
• Tucker (formerly The Situation with Tucker Carlson) (2005–2008)
• I, Max, Writer/Producer (2004–2005)

Popular culture[link]

In its "Best of NYC 2009" issue, The Village Voice declared Geist the "Best TV Sidekick Who Deserves His Own Show," writing, "Memo to MSNBC: Instead of "Countdown" reruns at 10 p.m., give Willie a proper talk show—you might have a contempo Dick Cavett on your hands." On December 28, 2009, Way Too Early with Willie Geist was listed by The Daily Beast as one of "25 Ways To Get Smarter in 2010". The Daily Beast compared Geist's combination of news and humor to Jon Stewart's on the Comedy Central network and Rachel Maddow's on the MSNBC network, calling Way Too Early "2010's must-watch cable news show." Willie Geist was also featured in the popular television show The Daily Show hosted by Jon Stewart on June 30, 2011.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tucker official website at MSNBC
• Willie Geist biography at MSNBC
• Willie Geist at the Internet Movie Database
• Zeitgeist official website at MSNBC
• Zeitgeist Archive official website at MSNBC
• Morning Joe official website at MSNBC
• Willie Geist on Twitter

Morgan Spurlock
Spurlock at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	Morgan Valentine Spurlock (1970-11-07) November 7, 1970 (age 41) Parkersburg, West Virginia, US
Occupation	Filmmaker, television producer, screenwriter
Years active	2000–present
Religion	Methodism
Spouse	Alexandra Jamieson (2006–?;[1] 1 child)
Website
www.morganspurlock.com

Morgan Valentine Spurlock (born November 7, 1970) is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter, bounty hunter^[2] and political activist, best known for the documentary film Super Size Me. Spurlock was the executive producer and star of the reality television series 30 Days.

Early life[link]

Spurlock was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and was raised in Beckley, West Virginia. He was raised a Methodist.^[3] He went to New York University and graduated in 1993 and is a member of the fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta.^[4]

Spurlock has stated that he is of Scottish and Irish descent.^[5]

Career[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2009)

Spurlock attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley, West Virginia, graduating in 1989. He graduated with a BFA in film from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1993. Before making the 2004 Academy Award nominated Super Size Me, Spurlock was a playwright, winning awards for his play The Phoenix at both the New York International Fringe Festival in 1999 and the Route 66 American Playwriting Competition in 2000. He also created I Bet You Will for MTV. I Bet You Will began as a popular Internet webcast of five-minute episodes featuring ordinary people doing stunts in exchange for money. Examples include eating a full jar of mayonnaise ($235USD), eating a "worm burrito" ($265USD), and taking shots of corn oil, Pepto-Bismol, lemon juice, hot sauce, cold chicken broth, and cod liver oil (US$450.00 for all nine shots). The webcast was a success, with over a million hits in the first five days.^{[citation needed]} The show was later bought and aired by MTV.

Film[link]

[edit] Super Size Me

Spurlock at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival

Spurlock's docudrama Super Size Me was released in the U.S. on May 7, 2004. This production was later nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary feature. He conceived the idea for the film when he was at his parents' house for Thanksgiving, and while watching TV saw a news story about a lawsuit brought against McDonald's by two teenage girls who blamed the fast food chain for their obesity. The film depicts an experiment he conducted in 2003, in which he ate three McDonald's meals a day every day (and nothing else) for 30 days, mandatory that he take the "super-size" option whenever it was offered and never take it when not offered, the end result he claims was a diet with twice the calories recommended by the USDA. Further, Spurlock attempted to curtail his physical activity to better match the exercise habits of the average American (he previously walked about 3 miles a day; whereas, the average American walks 1.5 miles). He was of above average health and fitness when he started the project; he gained 25 pounds (11 kg), became quite puffy, suffered liver dysfunction and depression by the end. Spurlock's supervising physicians noted the effects caused by his high-fat diet—once even comparing it to a case of severe binge alcoholism.

After the completion of the project, it took Spurlock fourteen months to return to his normal weight of 185 pounds (84 kg). His then-girlfriend (now ex-wife), Alexandra Jamieson, took charge of his recovery with her "detox diet," which became the basis for her book The Great American Detox Diet.^[6]

Spurlock's second feature documentary, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008. In the film, and in interviews, Spurlock explores the fight against terrorism and views the argument from both sides, in which he tries to find Osama Bin Laden.

Spurlock directed The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!.^[7][8][9]

Freakonomics is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, which premiered in April 2010. Spurlock was at the helm of this project alongside five directors (Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, Alex Gibney, Seth Gordon and Eugene Jarecki).

The one hour documentary Committed: The Toronto International Film Festival premiered on AMC on 12 October 2010.^[10]

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is a 2011 documentary film about product placement, marketing and advertising which was reportedly itself financed through product placement,^[11][12] The Greatest Movie Ever Sold was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011.^[13] It was released in the USA in April 2011. It screened in the New Zealand Film Festival in August 2011 together with an appearance by Spurlock to talk about the movie.

In the summer of 2010, Spurlock worked with Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, AintItCool.com founder Harry Knowles, and comic book creator Stan Lee to create the documentary Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan's Hope to cover the stories of convention fans.^[14][15] Whedon, Lee, and Knowles served as executive producers. Legendary Pictures' Thomas Tull, who independently financed the documentary, told Variety, ""We look forward to capturing the spirit, energy and people that Comic-Con has infused into legions of fans, bringing these audiences and projects out of the halls and onto a world stage."^[16] On April 6, 2012, Spurlock released the film to selected theaters in the United States, as well as video on demand outlets.

[edit] 30 Days

In each episode, a person (which in some cases, is Spurlock himself) or a group of people spend 30 days immersing themselves in a mode of life markedly different from their norm (being in prison, a devout Christian living in a Muslim family, a homophobe staying with a homosexual person, etc.), while Spurlock discusses the relevant social issues involved. FX began airing the show on June 15, 2005. In the premiere episode of the first season, "Minimum Wage," Spurlock and his fiancée lived for 30 days in the Bottoms neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio, earning minimum wage, with no access to outside funds.

In the second season finale, Spurlock spent 25 days locked in a Henrico County, Virginia (a county outside of Richmond) jail to experience life as an inmate.^[17] He did not complete the entire 30 days in jail because the majority of inmates in the state of Virginia serve 85% of the sentence, so once Spurlock reached that benchmark, he was released.^[18]

The third season of 30 Days premiered on June 3, 2008.^[19] The first episode of the third season, titled "Working in a Coal Mine," was filmed in Bolt, West Virginia which is located roughly 18 miles from the city of Beckley, West Virginia, where Spurlock was raised prior to leaving for New York.^[20]

In late 2008, FX announced they would not be renewing the 30 Days series, making the third season the last.

Other work[link]

• Spurlock optioned the rights for Chris Mooney's book The Republican War on Science in order to create another documentary film,^[21] but in 2008 announced that he had released the option.^[22]
• Spurlock has a role in the film Drive Thru, a horror film about a fictional fast food restaurant that has its mascot come to life and start killing people. It was released on DVD on May 29, 2007.
• Spurlock currently presents 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die on Current TV. The show premiered on August 1, 2011.^[23]
• On May 28, 2011, Spurlock was the graduation commencement speaker for the MBA Business program at Sonoma State University.
• Spurlock's half-hour documentary series A Day in the Life was to debut on Hulu in mid-August 2011. It follows "incredibly focused" people such as Richard Branson and Will.i.am for a full day. The series is exclusive to Hulu.^[24]
• Spurlock directed an additional episode of ESPN's 30 for 30 sports documentary series, entitled "The Dotted Line". This documentary takes a look at the competitive world of sports agents. "The Dotted Line" premiered on ESPN October 11, 2011, one day following the premiere of a two-hour documentary, I, Caveman created and directed by Spurlock for the Science Channel series Curiosity, wherein a group of men and women including Spurlock try to survive in the wild using only Stone Age technology.
• Spurlock is the presenter of a new show in the UK on Sky Atlantic entitled Morgan Spurlock's New Britannia. The show is a comedy show based around the differences between the UK and the US, ^[25].
• Spurlock contributed a brief Foreword to Martin Lindstrom's 2011 book Brandwashed.
• Spurlock’s documentary Mansome was announced on March 8, 2012 as a Spotlight selection for the Tribeca Film Festival. The film takes a comedic look at male identity as it’s defined through men’s grooming habits featuring celebrity and expert commentary.^[26]

Personal life[link]

Spurlock currently lives in New York City. He married his long-time girlfriend, vegan chef Alexandra Jamieson, on May 3, 2006, but they eventually divorced.^[1] They have a son, Laken James Spurlock, born on December 9, 2006. His birth is depicted in Spurlock's documentary Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?, which Spurlock dedicated to Laken.

Spurlock is a fan of the heavy metal band Metallica and sent them a video congratulations for their 30th anniversary. He also enjoys watching Spongebob Squarepants on Saturday mornings with his son, Laken.

Bibliography[link]

• Spurlock, Morgan (2005). Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0-399-15260-1. 
• Spurlock, Morgan (2008). Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?. New York, NY: Random House. ISBN 1-4000-6652-2. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Morgan Spurlock

• Morgan Spurlock official website
• Morgan Spurlock at the Internet Movie Database
• Morgan Spurlock on Twitter
• 10 Questions for Morgan Spurlock at Time
• Morgan Spurlock judged The Film of the Month competition in February 2009 on the independent filmmakers networking site Shooting People.
• Morgan Spurlock talks The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Sundance 2011 – interview conducted by indieWIRE
• Theodora & Callum Interview with Morgan Spurlock