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Prometheus Global Media, formerly e5 Global Media, is an American entertainment publishing company based in New York City. The company was formed by the sale of the entertainment and media division of Nielsen Business Media in December 2009.^[1][2][3]

The company's CEO is Richard D. Beckman, previously an executive at Condé Nast and Fairchild Publications,^[4] and former publisher of magazines GQ and Vogue.^[5]

Publications[link]

• Adweek
• Back Stage
• Billboard
• Film Journal International
• The Hollywood Reporter

See also[link]

• Nielsen Company

References[link]

1. ^ Kaplan, David (October 14, 2010). "e5 Global Media Is Now Prometheus Global Media". paidContent.org. ContentNext Media.
2. ^ "E5 Global Media changes name to Prometheus Global Media". October 15, 2010. BtoBonline.com. Crain Communications.
3. ^ http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3ia3a7c2e70e62048d07382ed5b9ee3f6a?imw=Y
4. ^ "Richard Beckman, CEO, Prometheus Media :: Media Business". November 5, 2010. BtoBonline.com. Crain Communications.
5. ^ Kuczynski, Alex (September 22, 1999). "Conde Nast Pays Woman Injured by Executive". The New York Times.

External links[link]

• Official website

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Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony performs at the White House's "Fiesta Latina", South Lawn, October 13, 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Marco Antonio Muñiz
Born	(1968-09-16) September 16, 1968 (age 43) New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Latin, salsa, pop, Latin pop, dance-pop, freestyle (early)
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actor
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1989–present
Labels	RMM Records & Video, Columbia, Sony Music Latin
Website	www.marcanthonyonline.com

Marco Antonio Muñiz (born September 16, 1968), known professionally by his stage name Marc Anthony, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 12 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads.

Anthony has won numerous awards and his achievements have been honored through various recognitions. He was the recipient of the 2009 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Chair's Award. He also received the "2009 CHCI Chair's Lifetime Achievement Award" on September 16, 2009.^[1] Anthony holds the record having the most number-one singles on the Billboard Tropical Songs.^[2]

Anthony is a minority owner/limited partner of the Miami Dolphins NFL team.^[3]

Early life[link]

Marco Antonio Muñiz, known professionally by his stage name Marc Anthony, born in New York City to Guillerminna, a housewife, and Felipe Muñiz, a musician and hospital lunchroom worker.^[4] Anthony is of Puerto Rican descent, and his parents named him after Mexican singer Marco Antonio Muñiz. Anthony grew up in East Harlem as the youngest of 7 children.^[5][6] He was raised Roman Catholic.^[7]

Singing career[link]

Muñiz began his career as a session vocalist for freestyle and Underground New York house music acts. After changing his name to avoid confusion with his namesake, Anthony worked as a songwriter and backing vocalist for pop acts including Menudo and the Latin Rascals. His first album was a freestyle music record, "Rebel", in 1988 on Bluedog Records. That same year he wrote and produced "Boy I've Been Told" for fellow freestyle artist Sa-Fire. Then in 1989, he sang backup vocals for Ann-Marie on the freestyle club hit, "With or Without You" produced by Little Louie Vega and Todd Terry. A year later, 1990, with Little Louie Vega and Todd Terry, Marc wrote and whispered a duet with Chrissy I-eece, called "You Should Know By Now". In 1991, he sang backing vocals on another freestyle track by Edmond^{[disambiguation needed ]} titled "Come Back To Me". In 1992, still working with Todd Terry, he provided vocals for "Love Change" which is on the flip-side of a 12" vinyl released by Elan and The Powermachine titled "Here's Your Hat", production of Todd Terry. At the same time, he collaborated with music producer Little Louie Vega, who featured the singer on many another freestyle-flavored club hits "Ride On The Rhythm" and the "When The Night Is Over" album, which featured the Freestyle classic "Time". In 1992, Vega and Anthony opened for Latin bandleader Tito Puente at New York's Madison Square Garden. After 1992, he changed his style from freestyle to salsa and other Latin styles.

RMM Records[link]

Otra Nota (1993) Anthony was initially reluctant to become a salsa musician and declined an offer to make a salsa album when Ralph Mercado, president of RMM Records, asked him. Anthony was in a taxi when he heard Juan Gabriel's hit song, "Hasta Que Te Conocí" which influenced him to change his mind and ask Mercado if he could record it as a salsa tune.^[8] Inspired by the music of Tito Puente, Rubén Blades and Juan Gabriel, Anthony released his Spanish-language debut, Otra nota, in 1993. Anthony performed at the Radio y Musica Convention hosted by Alfredo Alonso.^[9] "Si Tu No Te Fueras", "El Ultimo Beso", "Palabras Del Alma", The album also included a cover of Bread's song, "Make It with You". Subsequent tours throughout the Americas, including an opening slot for Blades, established Anthony as one of the new stars in salsa. In 1994, he was featured in La India's album Dicen Que Soy, on the song "Vivir Lo Nuestro".

His 1995 follow-up, Todo a su tiempo, won Anthony a Billboard award for Hot Tropical Artist of the Year. The album was also nominated for a Grammy with songs like "Te Conozco Bien", "Hasta Ayer", "Nadie Como Ella", "Se Me Sigue Olvidando", "Te Amare", and "Llegaste A Mi". The album has sold more than 800,000 copies and has become established gold in the US and in Puerto Rico.

Anthony's next Spanish language album, Contra la Corriente, was followed by the television special Marc Anthony: The Concert from Madison Square Garden, broadcast on HBO on Valentine's Day 2000. The special was nominated for Music Special of the Year from TV Guide. The album's song "Y Hubo Alguien" became his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks Chart and the first by a salsa musician.^{[citation needed]} The album became the first salsa album to enter the English language Billboard 200 chart.^{[citation needed]} After an ongoing battle with RMM, he severed ties with Ralph Mercado and left the label in 1999.^{[citation needed]}

Move to Sony[link]

Anthony subsequently recorded the duet "No Me Ames" with Jennifer Lopez on her album On the 6, giving her an assist in her Spanish language crossover attempt.

In 1999, riding the crossover wave of Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin in the Anglophone market, Anthony, working with producers Walter Afanasieff, Cory Rooney, Dan Shea, and Rodney Jerkins, released an English-language, self-titled album with the US Top 5 single "I Need to Know", and the Spanish version, "Dímelo". His song "You Sang To Me" was featured in Runaway Bride. A dance version was remixed by Dutch producer Rene Van Verseveld. The album debuted at number eight on the Billboard album chart, and six weeks later went platinum; it eventually was certified triple platinum.The song "I Need To Know" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

	"¿Ahora Quién?" (2004) noicon Sample of the first single from his 2004 album "Amar Sin Mentiras".
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

In 2001, he debuted another salsa album, Libre, which was certified gold with songs like "Celos", "Este Loco Que Te Mira", and "Viviendo". The album spent 14 weeks at the number-one spot on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. The year after that, he made another English-language album, Mended.

In June 2004, Anthony released a Latin pop album, Amar Sin Mentiras. The following month, he reintroduced its songs with a danceable salsa rhythm in another album, Valio La Pena. The song "Escapémonos" was a duet with Jennifer Lopez. In the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards, his Amar Sin Mentiras won best Latin Pop Album of The Year, and his Valió La Pena won Best Tropical Album of the Year. Lopez and Anthony performed "Escapémonos" at the 2005 Grammy Awards.

Marc Anthony in 2006

On July 11, 2006, Anthony released Sigo Siendo Yo, a Spanish greatest-hits album. On May 2010 realized "Iconos" – as tribute of old Latin songs by artists such as José Luis Perales, Juan Gabriel and José José.^[10]

Acting career[link]

Anthony played supporting roles in projects including 1995's Hackers, and 1996's Big Night and The Substitute. He appeared with Rubén Blades and Puerto Rican pop singer Ednita Nazario in Paul Simon's 1998 stage musical, The Capeman, which ran for 68 performances. He had a role in Martin Scorsese's 1999 drama Bringing Out the Dead, and in 2001, opposite Salma Hayek, was in the film In the Time of the Butterflies. In Man On Fire (2004), Anthony, opposite Denzel Washington, played a wealthy businessman who hires a former U.S. Marine to protect his daughter from kidnappers in Mexico City. In 2007, Anthony starred in El Cantante, a biographical drama about the life of salsa music legend Héctor Lavoe, who died in 1993 from AIDS complications. Anthony's then-wife, Jennifer Lopez, narrated the story and portrayed Lavoe's wife. The film, released in August 2007, received strong reviews. In 2010, Anthony guest-starred in two episodes of the TNT medical drama "HawthoRNe" as a detective and the title character's (Jada Pinkett Smith) love interest. He was later named the executive music producer of the show.^{[citation needed]} Anthony worked with ex-wife Lopez and director-choeographer Jamie King in late 2011 on a Latin talent series created by Simon Fuller, called Q'Viva! The Chosen. It follows Lopez and Anthony as they travel across 21 countries to find new talent.^[11]

Appearances[link]

This section, except for one claim, needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2010)

He appeared at the Movies Rock concert along with his wife Jennifer Lopez in 2007 where he performed Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson".

Anthony sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" when Oscar De La Hoya fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the WBC Super Welterweight title.

On September 21, 2001 he also sang the national anthem at Shea Stadium in the first game after the attack on the World Trade Center. On September 28, 2008, he sang the national anthem again at Shea Stadium for the New York Mets final regular season game. Also in 2001 he appeared in the 30th anniversary concert celebration 30 years of Michael Jackson's music. On September 11, 2011, he once again sang the national anthem at Citi Field in remembrance of the 10 year anniversary of the attacks.

On October 12, 2009, Anthony sang the national anthem as the Miami Dolphins played their fifth regular season game against the New York Jets.

In 2010, Anthony appeared alongside Pitbull on the Cypress Hill single "Armada Latina" for their latest album, Rise Up.

On June 25, 2010, Anthony performed as part of a tribute concert to Michael Jackson on CBS News' The Early Show.^[12]

In August, 2010, Anthony guest-starred in two episodes of the television series HawthoRNe as Detective Nick Renata.

On November 11, 2010 Anthony performed his cover of "Y Como Es El" along with the original singer José Luis Perales at the Latin Grammys.

On June 12, 2011 Anthony performed "The Star Spangled Banner" before Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals.

On July 22, 2011 Anthony appeared on the Pitbull single "Rain Over Me" for Pitbull's latest album, PlanetPit

Personal life[link]

In 1994, Anthony's ex-girlfriend Debbie, a NYC police officer, gave birth to their daughter Ariana.

Marc married former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres on May 9, 2000 in Las Vegas. They have two sons, Cristian Marcus Muñiz (February 5, 2001) and Ryan Adrian Muñiz (August 16, 2003). There were many problems in the marriage, and the couple separated in early 2002. They later reconciled and renewed their vows in a formal ceremony on December 7, 2002 at San Juan's Cathedral in Puerto Rico. The rocky marriage came to an end in October 2003 with Dayanara filing for divorce in January 2004. To help in her recovery from the divorce, Dayanara traded her engagement ring for a diamond-encrusted Cartier watch and wrote the book Married to Me: How Committing to Myself Led to Triumph After Divorce.

When his divorce proceedings began, Anthony was spotted with long-time friend Jennifer Lopez. Prior to his first marriage and her second, they had briefly dated. Lopez and Anthony recorded a duet in 2004, for Lopez's film Shall We Dance?. Lopez and Anthony married on June 5, 2004, less than a week after his divorce was finalized. Guests had been invited to an "afternoon party", unaware they were attending a wedding.^[13] In February 2005, Lopez said about the marriage, "Everyone knows. It's not a secret."^[14] Months later, Anthony's daughter appeared in Lopez's video^[15] "Get Right".

Lopez gave birth to their children, twins Emme Maribel Muñiz and Maximillian David Muñiz on February 22, 2008. People (magazine) paid $6 million for the first photos of the twins.^[16][17] As of at least January 2008, Anthony and his family reside in Brookville, New York, on Long Island.^[18]

In 2009, Anthony and Lopez purchased a stake in the Miami Dolphins. They joined several personalities in buying small stakes in the club, including Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Venus and Serena Williams, and Fergie.^[19]

Anthony and Lopez separated in July 2011, and Anthony filed for divorce on April 9, 2012.^[20] Even though they are separating, their upcoming international talent show, "Q'Viva! The Chosen" and Kohl's fashion and home lines will go as planned.^[21]

Discography[link]

External audio
	You may listen to Marc Anthony's interpretation of Hernandez' "Preciosa" here
	and "Lamento Borincano" here

Studio albums[link]

• 1991: When the Night is Over
• 1993: Otra Nota
• 1995: Todo a Su Tiempo
• 1997: Hasta Que Te Conoci
• 1997: Contra la Corriente
• 1999: Marc Anthony
• 2001: Libre
• 2002: Mended
• 2004: Amar Sin Mentiras
• 2004: Valió la Pena
• 2006: Sigo siendo yo
• 2007: El Cantante
• 2010: Iconos

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

See also[link]

	Puerto Rico portal
	Biography portal
	Music portal
	Latin America music portal
	Film portal

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marc Anthony

• Official Website
• Marc Anthony at Billboard.com
• Marc Anthony at the Internet Movie Database

Michael Wolff
Background information
Birth name	Michael Blieden Wolff
Born	(1952-07-31) July 31, 1952 (age 59) Victorville, California, U.S.
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupations	Musician, composer, bandleader, producer, educator
Instruments	Piano, accordion
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Columbia Records,[1] Fantasy Records,[2] Verve,[3] Capitol, A&M Records
Website	michaelwolff.com

Michael Blieden Wolff^[4] (born July 31, 1952)^[4] is an American jazz pianist, composer, producer, actor, and educator.^[5][6] He was honored as a Steinway Artist and obtained a BMI Cable Award. He also won an award at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

Wolff began his music career performing in Cal Tjader's band. He went onto become the musical director for jazz singer Nancy Wilson who introduced him to Arsenio Hall, and the latter of which he served as the bandleader for his CBS prime-time talk show, which broadcast from 1989-94.^[7] Wolff provided the score and co-produced The Tic Code (1999). He also co-starred and produced the music for the film The Naked Brothers Band (2005), winning him an Audience Award for Family Feature Film at the Hamptons International Film Festival. By early 2007 it became the pilot to the Nickelodeon musical comedy series of the same name, which he co-starred in and earned a BMI Cable Award for producing the series' music. Wolff is the leader of the jazz band Impure Thoughts which features Indian tabla player Badal Roy, drummer Mike Clark, percussionist Frank Colón and electric bassist John B. Williams. Wolff currently teaches jazz music at universities in New York City and performs at various jazz clubs in Manhattan with his trio.

Wolff married actress Polly Draper after meeting her when she was a guest on The Arsenio Hall Show. He and Draper have two sons — Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff — who starred in and wrote the music for The Naked Brothers Band film and series which was created, produced, written, and directed by Draper.^[8] Wolff's wife wrote and co-starred in The Tic Code which was influenced by his life with Tourette syndrome.^[9] He serves on the Board of Directors at the Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA),^[10] and is involved in mentoring children with Tourette's through the chapters of the TSA.^[11]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Wolff was born in Victorville, California and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[4] His family is culturally Jewish^[9] and his father, Marvin, was a medical doctor, treating Elvis Presley when the Wolffs' settled in Memphis, Tennessee. At age nine his family moved to Berkeley, California.^[4] He began studying classical piano at age eight, and drums at age 12. He had begun playing piano with the University of California Jazz Ensembles under the direction of Dr. David W. Tucker while attending Berkeley High School. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) that followed.^[7]

Career[link]

Wolff left college in 1972 to begin his music career, joining Cal Tjader's band.^[12][13] He then joined Cannonball Adderley's band in 1975.^[12] In 1977 he formed the band Answering Service with saxophonist Alex Foster.^[14] Wolff worked with other famous artists including Warren Zevon, The Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Jean-Luc Ponty, Children On The Corner, Terri Lyne Carrington, Tony Williams, and Christian McBride.^{[13][15][16][12]} Wolff composed and played original music—and served as host—for the Riverside Shakespeare Company production of The Mandrake in New York City, featuring Tom Hanks in 1975.^[17]

In 1978, singer Nancy Wilson chose Wolff as her musical director.^[7] Arsenio Hall was Wilson's opening act, and in 1989, when Hall was given his own talk show, Arsenio Hall, Wolff was chosen to serve as the bandleader and musical director.^[18] He met his wife, actress Polly Draper, when she appeared as a guest on the show.^[7] In 1995 he released Jumpstart featuring Christian McBride and Tony Williams^[19] and in 1997 the trio released 2AM.^[20] Wolff is the leader of the jazz band Impure Thoughts which features Indian tabla player Badal Roy, drummer Mike Clark, percussionist Frank Colón and electric bassist John B. Williams.

He wrote music for the films Who's the Man? and Made up,^[11] as well as writing for and performing in other films.^[6] A movie released on video in 1999—The Tic Code starring Gregory Hines as a saxophone player with Tourette syndrome who befriends a young boy also with Tourette's—which was written by Draper and loosely based on Wolff's life. Wolff contributed the score and Draper co-stars in the film.^[21] Wolff co-starred in The Naked Brothers Band on Nickelodeon with his sons, Nat and Alex. The show was created, executive produced, written, and directed by Polly Draper. Wolff was the co-executive producer and music supervisor of the show.^[8]

Wolff oftens plays in various nightclubs in Manhattan, including the Knickerbocker Bar and Grill, performing with members of the Michael Wolff Trio, such as drummer Victor Jones and bass player John B. Williams. He is on the faculty at The New School For Jazz And Contemporary Music.^[5]

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• 1993 – Michael Wolff (Columbia Jazz)
• 1995 – Jumpstart! (Jimco/Cabana)
• 1996 – 2AM (Cabana)
• 1998 – Portraiture: The Blues Period (Fuel 2000/Varese Saraband)
• 2000 – The Tic Code Soundtrack (Razor And Tie)
• 2001 – Impure Thoughts (Indianola Music)
• 2003 – Intoxicate (Indianola Music)
• 2003 – Christmas Moods (Artemis)
• 2003 – Getting Into Heaven Soundtrack
• 2004 – Dangerous Vision (Artemis Records)
• 2005 – Sexual Healing (3D)
• 2006 – Love & Destruction (Wrong Records)
• 2007 – jazz, JAZZ, jazz (Wrong Records)
• 2009 – Joe's Strut (Wrong Records)

As sideman[link]

With Cal Tjader

• 1972 – Live At Concerts By The Sea (Fantasy)
• 1999 – Last Bolero In Berkeley (Fantasy)
• 2008 – Best Of Cal Tjader: Live At The Monterey Jazz Festival 1958-1980 (Monterey Jazz Festival)

With Cal Tjader and Charlie Byrd

• 1973 – Tambu (Fantasy)

With Cannonball Adderley

• 1975 – Phenix (Fantasy)
• 1975 – Volume One: Montreal 1975 (Essential Media Group)

With Tom Harrell

• 1975 – Aurora (Adamo/Pinnacle)
• 1976 – Bird Gets The Worm (Adamo/Pinnacle)

With Sonny Rollins

• 1977 Live At The Village Gate (Bootleg)

With Nancy Wilson

• 1979 – Live In Munich
• 1982 – At My Best (ASI)
• 1991 –With My Lover Beside Me (Columbia)

With David Axelrod

• 1993 – Requiem - The Holocaust (Liberty)
• 2003 – The Big Country (Stateside)

With Warren Zevon

• 1995 – Mutineer (Giant)
• 2002 – My Ride's Here (Artemis)

With Children On The Corner

• 2003 – Rebirth (Sonance) ^[15]

With Alex Foster

• 1997 – Pool Of Dreams (Truspace)

With Dave Samuels

• 1998 – Tjaderized (Verve) ^[3]

With Pastiche

• 2001 – Pastiche (Summit)

With Sam Morrison

• 2005 – Miles Away (Convalian)

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

Honors and awards[link]

Wolff was honored as a Steinway Artist in June 2006. The Tic Code won awards at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Giffoni Film Festival and the Hamptons International Film Festival.^[28] Wolff and sons won the 2007 BMI Film and TV Award for the music on The Naked Brothers Band (TV series).^[12]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Michael Wolff's website
• Michael Wolff at All About Jazz
• Michael Wolff at the Internet Movie Database

Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber at the NRJ Music Awards in Cannes, France in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Justin Drew Bieber[1]
Born	(1994-03-01) March 1, 1994 (age 18)[2] London, Ontario, Canada
Origin	Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Pop, R&B, teen pop[3][4][5]
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, percussion,[6] trumpet[7]
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Island, RBMG
Associated acts	Usher, Ludacris
Website	justinbiebermusic.com

Justin Drew Bieber ( /ˈbiːbər/ BEE-bər, born March 1, 1994)^[2] is a Canadian Pop/R&B singer-songwriter, musician, and actor.^[3][5] Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun,^[8] who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with Usher in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher,^[9] and then to a recording contract with Island Records offered by L.A. Reid.^[6][10] Bieber's debut single, "One Time", was released in 2009 and peaked in the top twenty in Canada and charted in the top thirty in several international markets. His debut album, the seven-track EP My World, followed in November 2009, and was soon certified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the Billboard Hot 100.^[11]

Bieber's first full-length studio album, My World 2.0, was released in March 2010. It debuted at number one or within the top ten in several countries and was certified platinum in the United States. It was preceded by the worldwide top-ten single, "Baby". The music video of "Baby" is currently ranked as the most viewed and most discussed YouTube video.^[12] Bieber followed up the release of his debut album with his first headlining tour, the My World Tour, the remix albums My Worlds Acoustic and Never Say Never – The Remixes, and the 3D biopic-concert film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, that nearly matched the record for the biggest opening weekend gross for a concert-film. Bieber released his second studio album, Under the Mistletoe, in November 2011, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Bieber has received numerous awards, including Artist of the Year at the 2010 American Music Awards, and has been nominated for such awards as Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards. In 2012, Bieber was named Forbes 3rd most powerful celebrity in the world, earning $55 million. As of May 2012, Bieber has sold 15 million albums.^[13]

Early life[link]

Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, in London, Ontario in St Joseph's Hospital,^[14][15] and was raised in Stratford, Ontario.^[16] Bieber's mother, Patricia Lynn "Pattie" Mallette, was 18 years old when she became pregnant. Mallette, originally from Stratford, raised her son with the help of her parents, Bruce and Diane.^[17] Mallette worked a series of low-paying office jobs, raising Bieber as a single mother in low-income housing. Bieber has maintained contact with his father, Jeremy Jack Bieber, who married another woman and had two children.^[18][19][20] Bieber's great-grandfather was from Germany.^[21] Bieber's mother's ancestry is French Canadian.^[22] Bieber attended a French immersion elementary school in Stratford called Jeanne Sauvé Catholic School.^[17]

During his childhood, Bieber was interested in hockey, soccer, and chess; he often kept his musical aspirations to himself.^[18] As he grew up, Bieber taught himself to play the piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet.^[16][23] In early 2007, when he was twelve, Bieber sang Ne-Yo's "So Sick" for a local singing competition in Stratford and was placed second.^[6][23] Mallette posted a video of the performance on YouTube for their family and friends to see. She continued to upload videos of Bieber singing covers of various R&B songs, and Bieber's popularity on the site grew.^[10] Chris Hicks, Bieber's A&R at Island/Def Jam, explained the young artist's huge online following to HitQuarters by saying:

"He was doing something different. He was an attractive white kid singing very soulful R&B hits. That set him apart immediately from anyone in his range because no one was covering or singing these kind of records. But equally important was that you believed in these songs – it was real. And you wanted to hear more."^[24]

Career[link]

[edit] 2008–09: Discovery and My World

While searching for videos of a different singer, Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def, clicked on one of Bieber's 2007 videos by accident.^[18] Impressed, Braun tracked down the theater Bieber was performing in, located Bieber's school, and finally contacted Mallette. Mallette was reluctant because of Braun's Jewish religion; she remembered praying, "God, I gave him to you. You could send me a Christian man, a Christian label! ... you don’t want this Jewish kid to be Justin’s man, do you?"^[18] However, after praying with her church elders and receiving their encouragement, she permitted Braun to fly Bieber, then 13,^[10] to Atlanta, Georgia, to record demo tapes.^[18] A week after arriving, Bieber sang for R&B singer/songwriter Usher.^[25] Bieber was soon signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), a joint venture between Braun and Usher.^[9] Justin Timberlake was also reportedly in the running to sign Bieber, but lost the bidding war to Usher.^[9][26] Usher then sought assistance in finding a label home for the artist from then manager Chris Hicks, who helped engineer an audition with his contact Antonio L.A. Reid of Island Def Jam Music Group.^[24] Reid signed Bieber to Island Records in October 2008 (resulting in a joint venture between RBMG and Island Records) and appointed Hicks as executive Vice-President of Def Jam where he would be able manage Bieber's career at the label.^{[6][9][10][24]} At that point, Bieber and his mother moved to Atlanta temporarily, also the home of Usher and Braun, to record and get counseling from Braun.^[9] Braun became Bieber's manager.^[10]

Bieber in September 2009 at the Nintendo World Store

Bieber's first single, "One Time", was released to radio while Bieber was still recording his debut album.^[27] The song reached number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100 during its first week of release in July 2009,^[10] and later peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. During fall 2009 it had success in international markets.^[28] The song was certified Platinum in Canada and the US and Gold in Australia and New Zealand.^[29][30][31] Bieber's first release, an extended play entitled My World, was released on November 17, 2009. The album's second single, "One Less Lonely Girl", and two promo singles, "Love Me", and "Favorite Girl", were released exclusively on the iTunes store and charted within the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100.^[28] "One Less Lonely Girl" was later also released to radio and peaked within the top fifteen in Canada and the US, being certified Gold in the latter.^[28] My World was eventually certified Platinum in the US and Double Platinum in both Canada and the UK.^[31][32][33] To promote the album, Bieber performed on several live shows such as mtvU's VMA 09 Tour, European program The Dome, YTV's The Next Star, The Today Show,^[34][35] The Wendy Williams Show, Lopez Tonight, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, It's On with Alexa Chung, Good Morning America, Chelsea Lately, and BET's 106 & Park with Rihanna. Bieber also guest starred in an episode of True Jackson, VP in late 2009.^[36]

Bieber performed Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas" for U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the White House for Christmas in Washington, which was broadcast on December 20, 2009, on U.S. television broadcaster TNT.^[37] Bieber was also one of the performers at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31, 2009.^[38] Bieber was a presenter at the 52nd Grammy Awards on January 31, 2010. He was invited to be a vocalist for the remake of We Are The World (a song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie) for its 25th anniversary to benefit Haiti after the earthquake. Bieber sings the opening line, which was sung by Lionel Richie in the original version.^[39] On March 12, 2010, a version of K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" recorded by a collective of Canadian musicians known as Young Artists for Haiti was released. Bieber is featured in the song, performing the closing lines.

[edit] 2010–11: My World 2.0 and Never Say Never film

"Baby", the lead single from his debut album, My World 2.0, which features Ludacris, was released in January 2010 and became his biggest hit thus far, charting at number five in the U.S. and reaching the top ten in seven other countries.^[28] Two promo singles "Never Let You Go", and "U Smile" were top thirty hits on the U.S. Hot 100, and top twenty hits in Canada.^[28] According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has received "generally favorable reviews".^[40] It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making Bieber the youngest solo male act to top the chart since Stevie Wonder in 1963.^[41] My World 2.0 also debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, Irish Albums Chart, Australian Albums Chart, and the New Zealand Albums Chart^[28] and reached the top ten of fifteen other countries.^[42][43] To promote the album, Bieber appeared on several live programs including The View, the 2010 Kids Choice Awards, Nightline, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Dome and 106 and Park.^[44] Bieber collaborated with Sean Kingston on his single "Eenie Meenie" which also appeared on Bieber's debut album. The song reached the top ten in the United Kingdom and Australia, and the top-twenty of most other markets.

Bieber performing at the Conseco Fieldhouse, in August 2010

On April 10, 2010, Bieber was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.^[45] On July 4, 2010, Bieber performed at the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular in New York City.^[46] The second single from My World 2.0, "Somebody to Love", was released in April 2010, and a remix was released featuring Bieber's mentor Usher. The single reached number ten in Canada, number fifteen in the United States, and the top twenty in multiple international countries.

On June 23, 2010, Bieber went on his first official headlining tour, the My World Tour, starting in Hartford, Connecticut, to promote My World and My World 2.0.^[47] In July 2010, it was reported that Bieber was the most searched for celebrity on the Internet.^[48] That same month his music video, "Baby", surpassed Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" to become the most viewed, and most disliked YouTube video ever.^[49] In September 2010, it was reported that Bieber accounted for three percent of all traffic on Twitter, according to an employee of the social-networking site.^[50]

Bieber began recording his second album in July 2010 in New York City.^[51] At this point, because of puberty, his voice was deeper than it was when he recorded his first album. In April 2010, the singer discussing his vocals remarked, "It cracks. Like every teenage boy, I'm dealing with it and I have the best vocal coach in the world. [...] Some of the notes I hit on "Baby" I can't hit anymore. We have to lower the key when I sing live."^[52]

Bieber performing in Jakarta during his My World Tour.

Bieber guest-starred in the season premiere of the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which aired on September 23, 2010. He played a "troubled teen who is faced with a difficult decision regarding his only brother", who is also a serial bomber. Bieber was also in a subsequent episode which aired on February 17, 2011, in which his character is killed.^[53] Bieber performed a medley of "U Smile", "Baby", and "Somebody to Love" and briefly played the drums at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.^[54] Bieber announced in October 2010 that he would release an acoustic album, called My Worlds Acoustic.^[55] It was released on Black Friday in the United States and featured acoustic versions of songs from his previous albums, and accompanied the release of a completely new song titled "Pray".^[56]

A 3-D part-biopic, part-concert film starring Bieber entitled Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, was released on February 11, 2011, directed by Step Up 3D director Jon Chu. It topped the box office with an estimated gross of $12.4 million on its opening day from 3,105 theaters.^[57] It grossed $30.3 million for the weekend and was narrowly beaten by the romantic comedy Just Go With It, which grossed $31 million.^[58] Never Say Never is said to have exceeded industry expectations, nearly matching the $31.1 million grossed by Miley Cyrus's 2008 3-D concert film, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, which holds the record for the top debut for a music-documentary.^[59][60] Never Say Never grossed a total of $98,441,954 worldwide.^[61] The film is accompanied by his second remix album, Never Say Never – The Remixes, released February 14, 2011, and features remixes of songs from his debut album, with guest appearances from Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, and Kanye West, among others.^[62]

[edit] 2011–present: Under The Mistletoe and Believe

On February 27, 2011, Bieber attended the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar Party with American actress and singer Selena Gomez,^[63] confirming several months of media speculation about a romantic relationship between the pair.^{[64][65][66][67][68][69]}

In June 2011, Bieber was ranked number 2 on the Forbes list of Best-Paid Celebrities under 30. He is the youngest star and 1 of 7 musicians on the list raking in with $53 million earned in a 12 month period.^[70] On November 1, 2011, Bieber released Under the Mistletoe, his second studio album.^[71] It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 210,000 copies in its first week of release.^[72]

In late 2011, Bieber began recording his third studio album, entitled Believe. Kanye West and Drake are confirmed to be featured on the album.^[73] On February 22, 2012, Bieber announced via Twitter that the first single off Believe will be released in March 2012.^[74] The following week, Bieber appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to announce that the first single will be called "Boyfriend" and was released on March 26, 2012.^[75] The song was co-written by Mike Posner.^[76] The second single, Die In Your Arms, was released on May 29th, 2012. ^[77]

Image[link]

Justin Bieber has a higher score on the Klout online "influence" scale than Barack Obama or The Dalai Lama.^[78] According to Jan Hoffman of The New York Times, part of Bieber's appeal stems from his YouTube channel. Long before he released his EP, My World, in mid-November, the YouTube videos attracted millions of views.^[18] Braun recognized the appeal. Prior to flying him to Atlanta, Braun wanted to "build him up more on YouTube first" and had Bieber record more home videos for the channel. "I said: 'Justin, sing like there’s no one in the room. But let's not use expensive cameras.' We'll give it to kids, let them do the work, so that they feel like it's theirs", recalled Braun.^[18] Bieber continues to upload videos to the same channel and has opened a Twitter account, from which he interacts with fans regularly;^[10] his account was reported in November 2010 to have over 6 million followers.^[79] Since then he has been consistently gaining followers at an average of 24,000 per day.^[80] The accounts also serve marketing purposes; for example, Bieber's music video for "One Time" only began selling quickly after it was uploaded to YouTube.^[81]

Bieber performing "Favorite Girl" in Zurich, Switzerland April 2011.

Usher comments that while he and Bieber were both signed at the same age, "I had the chance to ramp up my success, where this has happened to Bieber abruptly." As a result, Usher, Braun, Bieber's bodyguard Kenny, and other adults surrounding Bieber constantly coach him on handling fame and his public image.^[18] After signing Bieber, Usher appointed one of his former assistants, Ryan Good, to be Bieber's road manager and stylist. Good, once nicknamed Bieber's "swagger coach", created a "streetwise look" for the singer which consisted of baseball caps, hoodies, dog chains and flashy sneakers. Amy Kaufman of The Los Angeles Times comments, "Though a product of a middle-class suburban upbringing in Stratford, Ontario, Bieber's manner of dress and speech ("Wassup man, how you doin'?" or "It's like, you know, whateva' ") suggest he's mimicking his favorite rappers."^[82]

Bieber is often featured in teen magazines such as Tiger Beat,^[18] and has been labeled as a "teen heartthrob".^[83] Bieber has released a collection of nail varnishes to raise awareness for charity.^[84] Wax statues of Bieber are on display at Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York, Amsterdam and London.^[85] His change of hairstyle in 2010, and the consequent alterations to Bieber products, led to it being called 'the most expensive musical haircut of all time;^[86] one company spent $100,000 to fix its dolls for the 2011 Christmas season.^[87]

Bieber has been criticized for looking and sounding younger than his age, his teen-pop music, image, and frequent media attention.^[88] He has been a frequent target of Internet bloggers and message board posters, notably by users of Internet message board 4chan and users of YouTube.^[89] Nick Collins of The Daily Telegraph speculated that "Bieber's character also appears to strike a particularly sour note with his Internet critics, with many remarks commenting on his youthful appearance, his teen-pop songs, his image as a heart-throb to young teenage girls and his manner of speech".^[90]

Personal views and life[link]

Bieber is a Christian,^[91] and said he has a relationship with Jesus, talks to him and that "he's the reason I'm here".^[92]

Bieber's comments in a February 2011 profile in Rolling Stone sparked controversy.^[93] Asked about abstinence, Bieber responded, "I don't think you should have sex with anyone unless you love them." He said he does not "believe in abortion" and that it is "like killing a baby".^[94] He described sexual orientation as "everyone's own decision."^[95] Bieber has contributed to the It Gets Better Project,^[96] which aims to prevent suicide among LGBT youth.^[97]

Bieber has said he is not interested in obtaining United States citizenship and has criticized America's health care system. Praising Canada as being "the best country in the world", he cited its health care system as a model example.^[94]

In May 2012, Bieber purchased a 10,000 square-foot mansion on 1.3 acres of land, located in the community of Calabasas, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.^[98]

Twitter[link]

As of April 2012^[update], Bieber's Twitter account (@justinbieber) is the second most popular celebrity account behind that of Lady Gaga.^[99] By mid-April 2012, he had over 20 million followers.^[100][101] His follower acquisition is one new follower every other second.^[102][103] His popularity on Twitter at one point accounted for three percent of all Twitter related traffic, with a Twitter employee commenting that "racks of servers are dedicated" to Bieber.^{[103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112]} This resulted in over 180 million page views for the service each month.^[105] Bieber was frequently a trending topic on Twitter when the feature first launched^[105] because his fans frequently discussed him on the network. ^[113] and was named the top trending star on Twitter in 2010;^[114] Klout gave his account a score of 100.^[115][116]

The size of Bieber's and Gaga's follower bases are cited as a reason why marketers should pay attention to Twitter:^[117] with an ability to reach millions of people with a single tweet.^[117] 8.3% of tweets mentioning "bieber" were semi-automated and probably Twitter related spam.^[118] Research done about Twitter and the 2011 Egyptian revolution includes Bieber as he made tweets about the topic at a time when he had roughly 8 million followers. His multiple tweets resulted in 32,000 responses each, which made Bieber's Twitter account one of the single largest nodes for discussion about the uprising one of the largest on Twitter.^[119][120]

In March 2012, Bieber fans launched an unsuccessful attempt to unseat Lady Gaga as the most popular celebrity on Twitter. Neither Bieber nor Lady Gaga discussed their mutual fanbase's campaigns on Twitter.^[121]

Discography[link]

Justin Bieber portal

• My World 2.0 (2010)
• Under the Mistletoe (2011)
• Believe (2012)

Tours[link]

• 2009: Urban Behavior Tour
• 2010–2011: My World Tour
• 2012-2013: Believe Tour

Filmography[link]