Justin Bell (born 23 February 1968 in Rustington, Sussex, England) is a British racecar driver. He is the son of Derek Bell.

Career

Justin and his father raced together from the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans through the 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans. He tried to qualify for the 1996 Indianapolis 500 in a 4 year old Lola chassis. Later in 1997, he won the FIA GT championship in the GT2 class in a Dodge Viper GTS-R, racing for Team ORECA. From 2000-2004 he had his own racing school which trained the pupils with Chevrolet Corvette cars. In 2001-2003 he raced in the Trans Am Series, winning two major races at Houston and Laguna Seca and took the Rookie of the Year title. Since 2008 Justin has been on-air talent for Speed Channel on the ALMS in the USA. In 2009 Bell debuted as the Driving instructor for the Celebrities on the Jay Leno Show where he also interviews the celebrity for the website.

Bell also hosted a driving-contest entitled 'Young Driver of the Year', which aired on BBC1 from 1992 to 1994 inclusive. His father occasionally made guest appearances.

References

Category:1968 births Category:English racecar drivers Category:Grand-Am drivers Category:Indy Lights drivers Category:Trans-Am drivers Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Category:Brighton Speed Trials people Category:Living people Category:People from Rustington

de:Justin Bell fr:Justin Bell

Coordinates	9°1′48″N38°44′24″N
name	Ewan McGregor
birth name	Ewan Gordon McGregor
birth date	March 31, 1971
birth place	Perth, Scotland
occupation	Actor
years active	1993–present
spouse	Eve Mavrakis (1995–present; 4 children) }}

Ewan Gordon McGregor (born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama ''Trainspotting'' (1996), young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy (1999–2005), and poet Christian in the musical film ''Moulin Rouge!'' (2001). He has also received critical acclaim for his starring roles in theatre productions of ''Guys and Dolls'' (2005–07) and ''Othello'' (2007–08). McGregor was ranked No. 36 on ''Empire'' magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list in 1997.

Early life

Born in the Royal Infirmary in Perth, Scotland, McGregor was brought up in the nearby small town of Crieff, where he attended the independent Morrison's Academy. His mother, Carol Diane (née Lawson), is a teacher and school administrator, and his father, James Charles Stuart "Jim" McGregor, is a physical education teacher. He has an older brother, Colin, who is a former Tornado GR4 pilot in the Royal Air Force. He is the nephew of actor Denis Lawson and the late actress Sheila Gish, and the step-cousin of the late actress Lou Gish. McGregor studied drama at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 1994, McGregor earned critical praise for his performance in the thriller ''Shallow Grave'', for which he won an Empire Award, and which marked his first collaboration with director Danny Boyle. In 2001, he starred in ''Moulin Rouge!'' as the young poet Christian, who falls in love with the terminally-ill courtesan Satine, played by Nicole Kidman. McGregor reprised his role of Obi-Wan Kenobi for the subsequent prequel ''Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'' in 2002. In 2003, he starred alongside Renée Zellweger in ''Down With Love'',

In 2005, McGregor appeared for the final time as Obi-Wan Kenobi in ''Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith''. He took very special care—especially in ''Revenge of the Sith''—to ensure that his portrayal of Obi-Wan's mannerisms, speech timings, and accents closely resembled Alec Guinness' version. That same year, McGregor lent his voice to two successful animated features; he played the robot Rodney Copperbottom in ''Robots'', which also featured the voices of Halle Berry and Robin Williams, and he voiced the lead character in Gary Chapman's ''Valiant'', alongside Jim Broadbent, John Cleese and Ricky Gervais. Also in 2005, McGregor played two roles—one a clone of the other—opposite Scarlett Johansson in Michael Bay's ''The Island'', and he appeared in Marc Forster's ''Stay'', a psychological thriller co-starring Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling.

McGregor was offered the role of James Bond in the 2006 reboot ''Casino Royale'', but he turned it down because he feared becoming typecast. In 2006, he narrated the Fulldome production ''Astronaut'', created for the National Space Centre. That same year, he also narrated the STV show ''JetSet'', a six-part series following the lives of student pilots and navigators at RAF Lossiemouth as they undergo a gruelling six-month course learning to fly the Tornado GR4, the RAF's primary attack aircraft. In 2007, McGregor starred opposite Colin Farrell in the Woody Allen film ''Cassandra's Dream''. In 2009, he co-starred with Jim Carrey in ''I Love You Phillip Morris'' and appeared in ''Amelia'' alongside Hilary Swank. Also in 2009, he portrayed Camerlengo Patrick McKenna in ''Angels & Demons'', the film adaptation of Dan Brown's novel of the same name. McGregor is scheduled to co-star with Daniel Craig in Dan Harris' upcoming film adaptation of Glen Duncan's novel ''I, Lucifer''.

Theatre

From June 2005 to April 2007, McGregor starred alongside Jane Krakowski, Douglas Hodge, and Jenna Russell in the original Donmar Warehouse production of ''Guys and Dolls'' at the Piccadilly Theatre in London. He played the leading role of Sky Masterson, made famous by Marlon Brando in the film of the same name. McGregor received the LastMinute.com award for Best Actor for his performance in 2005, and he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2007.

From December 2007 to February 2008, McGregor starred as Iago in ''Othello'' at the Donmar Warehouse alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor as Othello and Kelly Reilly as Desdemona. He reprised the role on BBC Radio 3 in May 2008.

Motorcycle journeys

A keen motorcyclist since his youth, McGregor undertook a marathon international motorcycle trip with his best friend Charley Boorman and cameraman Claudio von Planta in 2004. From mid-April to the end of July, they travelled from London to New York via central Europe, Ukraine, Russia (including Siberia), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Canada on BMW R1150GS Adventure motorcycles, for a cumulative distance of 22,345 miles (35,960 km). The trip formed the basis of a television series and a best-selling book, both called ''Long Way Round''.

The ''Long Way Round'' team reunited in 2007 for another motorcycle trip from John o' Groats in Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa. The journey, entitled ''Long Way Down'', lasted from 12 May until 5 August 2007. McGregor's brother Colin joined the motorcycle team during the early stages of the ''Long Way Down'' journey, and his father Jim also rode on sections of both ''Long Way Round'' and ''Long Way Down''.

In September 2010, Charley Boorman stated that the third installment of the ''Long Way'' series is planned for 2011, riding up through South America.

Personal life

On 22 July 1995, in a village in France, McGregor married Eve Mavrakis, a French production designer, whom he met while filming a guest appearance on the British television series ''Kavanagh QC'' in 1994. and an unnamed girl (born January 2011). McGregor has a heart and dagger tattoo of the names of his wife and daughters on his right arm. The family currently resides in Los Angeles, California, after moving from Highgate, London.

McGregor is involved in charity work, including with UNICEF and GO Campaign. During the ''Long Way Round'' journey in 2004, McGregor and his travelling companions took time out to see some of UNICEF's work in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, and during the ''Long Way Down'' trip in 2007, he and Charley Boorman did work for UNICEF in Africa. McGregor hosted the annual Hollywood gala for GO Campaign in 2009 and 2010. He has also worked with the Children's Hospice Association Scotland, as featured in ''Long Way Down''. McGregor and his wife are Patrons of the Zoological Society of London.

In 2007, on an episode of ''Parkinson'', McGregor stated that he had given up alcohol after a period where he was arguably a functioning alcoholic, and that he had not had a drink in seven years. In 2008, he had a cancerous mole removed from underneath his right eye.

Filmography

+ Film
Title	Year	Role	Notes
! scope="row"	1994	Alvarez
''Shallow Grave''	1994	Alex Law
''Blue Juice''	1995	Dean Raymond
! scope="row"	1996	Mark Renton
''''	1996	Jerome
! scope="row"	1996	Frank Churchill
''Brassed Off''	1996	Andy Barrow
! scope="row"	1997	Martin Bells
''''	1997	Meneer Chrome
''''	1997	Robert Lewis	''[[Velvet Goldmine">Empire Awards
''[[Velvet Goldmine''	1998	Curt Wild
! scope="row"	1998	Billy	Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
! scope="row"	1999	Stroller
! scope="row"	1999	Obi-Wan Kenobi	Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite ActorNominated— Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Action/Science FictionNominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Liam Neeson and Ray Park)Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
! scope="row"	1999	Nick Leeson
! scope="row"	1999	The Eye
! scope="row"	2000	James Joyce
''Moulin Rouge!''	2001	Christian	Empire Award for Best British ActorLondon Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actor of the YearMTV Movie Award for Best Musical Sequence (shared with Nicole Kidman)Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated—Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated—IF Award for Best ActorNominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Nicole Kidman)Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
! scope="row"	2001	SPC John Grimes	Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
! scope="row"	2002	Obi-Wan Kenobi
! scope="row"	2002	Phil
''Down with Love''	2003	Catcher Block
! scope="row"	2003	Joe Taylor
! scope="row"	2003	Narrator	Voice
''Big Fish''	2003	Edward Bloom (young)
! scope="row"	2005	Rodney Copperbottom	Voice
! scope="row"	2005	Obi-Wan Kenobi
! scope="row"	2005	Valiant	Voice
''''	2005	Lincoln Six Echo/Tom Lincoln
! scope="row"	2005	Dr. Sam Foster
! scope="row"	2006	Ian Rider
''Scenes of a Sexual Nature''	2006	Billy
''Miss Potter''	2006	Norman Warne
''Cassandra's Dream''	2007	Ian Blane
! scope="row"	2008	Jasper Black
! scope="row"	2008	Jonathan McQuarry
''I Love You Phillip Morris''	2009	Phillip Morris
! scope="row"	2009	Camerlengo Patrick McKenna
''''	2009	Bob Wilton
! scope="row"	2009	Gene Vidal
''''	2010	GhostWriter	European Film Award for Best Actor
''Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang''	2010	Mr. Green	Cameo
''Jackboots on Whitehall''	2010	Chris	Voice
''Beginners''	2010	Oliver
''Perfect Sense''	2011	Michael
''Salmon Fishing in the Yemen''	2011	Dr. Alfred Jones	Post-production
''''	2012	Henry	Post-production
! scope="row"	2012		Post-production
! scope="row"	2012	Elmont	In production

+ Television
Title	Year	Role	Notes
''Lipstick on Your Collar''	1993	PVT Mick Hooper	Six episodes
! scope="row"	1993	Julien Sorel	Mini-series
''Kavanagh QC''	1995	David Robert Armstrong	Episode: "Nothing But the Truth"
! scope="row"	1996	Young Man	Episode: "Tuesday"
! scope="row"	1996	Ford
! scope="row"	1997	Duncan Stewart	Episode: " ''''	2002	Himself	Documentary series
''[[Long Way Round">ER (season 3)
''''	2002	Himself	Documentary series
''[[Long Way Round''	2004	Himself	Documentary series
! scope="row"	2007	Himself	Documentary series
''''	2010	Himself	Documentary

Discography

"Choose Life" with PF Project, ''Trainspotting#2: Music from the Motion Picture, Vol. #2'', 1997.

"TV Eye" with Wylde Ratttz, ''Velvet Goldmine: Music from the Original Motion Picture'', 1999.

"Come What May" with Nicole Kidman, ''Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film'', 2001.

"Elephant Love Medley" with Nicole Kidman, ''Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film'', 2001.

"Your Song" with Alessandro Safina, ''Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film'', 2001.

"Here's To Love" with Renée Zellweger, ''Down With Love: Music from and Included in the Motion Picture'', 2003.

"The Sweetest Gift", ''Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars'', 2006.

"El Tango de Roxanne" with Jose Feliciano, ''Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film'', 2001.

References

Further reading

Adams, Billy. ''Ewan McGregor: The Unauthorized Biography''. Overlooks Press, 1999. ISBN 0879517042

Bassom, David. ''Ewan McGregor: An Illustrated Story''. Hamlyn, 1999. ISBN 0600596532

Jones, Veda Boyd. ''Ewan McGregor''. Facts On File Inc., 1999. ISBN 0791055019

Nickson, Chris. ''Ewan McGregor: An Unauthorized Biography''. Macmillan, 1999. ISBN 0312969104

Pendreigh, Brian. ''Ewan McGregor''. Thunder's Mouth Press, 1999. ISBN 1560252391

Robb, Brian J. ''Ewan McGregor: From Junkie to Jedi''. Plexus, 1999. ISBN 0859652769

External links

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:People from Perth, Scotland Category:Scottish expatriates in the United States Category:Scottish actors Category:Scottish film actors Category:Scottish television actors Category:Scottish stage actors Category:Scottish voice actors Category:Scottish musical theatre actors Category:Scottish male singers Category:European Film Awards winners (people) Category:Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Category:Long distance motorcycle riding Category:Skin cancer survivors Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics

ar:إيوان مكريغور an:Ewan McGregor bs:Ewan McGregor bg:Юън Макгрегър ca:Ewan McGregor cs:Ewan McGregor cy:Ewan McGregor da:Ewan McGregor de:Ewan McGregor et:Ewan McGregor es:Ewan McGregor eu:Ewan McGregor fr:Ewan McGregor gd:Ewan McGregor gl:Ewan McGregor ko:유언 맥그리거 hr:Ewan McGregor id:Ewan McGregor it:Ewan McGregor he:יואן מקגרגור la:Ewan McGregor lv:Evans Makgregors lt:Ewan McGregor hu:Ewan McGregor mn:Эван Макгрегор nl:Ewan McGregor ja:ユアン・マクレガー no:Ewan McGregor pl:Ewan McGregor pt:Ewan McGregor ro:Ewan McGregor ru:Макгрегор, Юэн sco:Ewan McGregor sq:Ewan McGregor simple:Ewan McGregor sk:Ewan McGregor sr:Јуан Макгрегор sh:Ewan McGregor fi:Ewan McGregor sv:Ewan McGregor th:ยวน แม็คเกรเกอร์ tr:Ewan McGregor uk:Еван МакҐреґор zh:伊万·迈克格雷戈

Coordinates	9°1′48″N38°44′24″N
Name	Jay Leno
Birth name	James Douglas Muir Leno
Birth date	April 28, 1950
Height
Birth place	New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
Medium	Television, Film, Stand up
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Emerson College
Active	1973–present
Genre	Observational comedy, Political satire
Subject	American culture, Everyday life
Influences	Johnny Carson, Robert Klein, Alan King, George Carlin, Don Rickles, Bob Newhart, Rodney Dangerfield
Influenced	Dennis Miller
Website	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Spouse	Mavis Leno (1980–present)
Signature	Jay Leno Autograph.svg
Notable work	''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' (host, 1992–2009, 2010–)''The Jay Leno Show''(host, 2009–2010)

}} James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an American stand-up comedian and television host.

From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled ''The Jay Leno Show'', which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. (Eastern Time, UTC-5), also on NBC. After ''The Jay Leno Show'' was canceled in January 2010 amid a host controversy, Leno returned to host ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' on March 1, 2010.

Early life

James "Jay" Leno was born in New Rochelle, New York, in 1950. His mother, Catherine (née Muir; 1911–1993), a homemaker, was born in Greenock, Scotland, and came to the United States at age 11. Her schooling was limited and as a result she prized her children's successes. Leno's father, Angelo (1910–1994), who worked as an insurance salesman, was born in New York to immigrants from Flumeri, Italy. Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, and although his high school guidance counselor recommended that he drop out of school, he later obtained a Bachelor's degree in speech therapy from Emerson College, where he started a comedy club in 1973. Leno's siblings include his late older brother, Patrick, who was a Vietnam veteran and a lawyer.

Career

During the 1970s, Leno appeared in minor roles in several television series and films, first in the 1976 episode "J.J. in Trouble" of ''Good Times'' and the same year in the pilot of ''Holmes & Yo-Yo''. After an uncredited appearance in the 1977 film ''Fun with Dick and Jane'', he played more prominent parts in 1978 in ''American Hot Wax'' and ''Silver Bears''. Other films and television series from that period include ''Almost Heaven'' (1978), "Going Nowhere" (1979) from ''One Day at a Time'', ''Americathon'' (1979), ''Polyester'' (1981), "The Wild One" (1981) from ''Alice'', "Feminine Mistake" (1979) and "Do the Carmine" (1983) from ''Laverne & Shirley''.

''The Tonight Show''

Starting in 1987, Leno was a regular substitute host for Johnny Carson on ''The Tonight Show''. In 1992, he replaced Carson as host amid controversy with David Letterman, who had been hosting ''Late Night with David Letterman'' since 1982 (aired after The Tonight Show), who many had expected to be Carson's successor. The story of this turbulent transition was later turned into a book and a movie. Leno continued to perform as a stand-up comedian throughout his tenure on ''The Tonight Show''.

In 2004, Leno signed a contract extension with NBC which would keep him as host of ''The Tonight Show'' until 2009. Later in 2004, Conan O'Brien signed a contract with NBC under which O'Brien would become the host of ''The Tonight Show'' in 2009, replacing Leno at that time.

During the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, Leno was accused of violating WGA guidelines by writing his own monologue for ''The Tonight Show''. While NBC and Leno claim there were private meetings with the WGA where there was a secret agreement allowing this, the WGA denied such a meeting. Leno answered questions in front of the Writers Guild of America, West trial committee in February 2009 and June 2009, and when the WGAW published its list of strike-breakers on 11 August 2009, Leno was not on the list.

In 1998, Leno competed in a tag-team match at the WCW's "Road Wild" pay-per-view . In 2001, he voiced The Crimson Chin, a superhero in the Nickelodeon animated series The Fairly OddParents and continues to do so today.

Leno said in 2008 that he was saving all of his income from ''The Tonight Show'' and living solely off his income from stand-up comedy.

On April 23, 2009, Leno checked himself into a hospital with an undisclosed illness. He was released the following day and returned to work on Monday, April 27. The two subsequently cancelled ''Tonight Show'' episodes for April 23 and April 24 were Leno's first in 17 years as host. Initially, the illness that caused the absence was not disclosed, but later Leno told People magazine that the ailment was exhaustion.

Michael Jackson trial

In the 2005 trial of Michael Jackson over allegations of child molestation, Leno appeared as a defense witness (many celebrity defense witnesses had been expected, but Leno was one of the few whose testimony was actually needed). In his testimony regarding a call by the accuser, Leno testified that he never called the police, that no money was asked for, and there was no coaching — but that the calls seemed unusual and scripted.

As a result, Leno was initially not allowed to continue telling jokes about Jackson or the case, which had been a fixture of ''The Tonight Show'''s opening monologue in particular. But he and his show's writers used a legal loophole by having Leno briefly step aside while stand-in comedians took the stage and told jokes about the trial. Stand-ins included Roseanne Barr, Drew Carey, Brad Garrett, and Dennis Miller among others.

Succession by Conan O'Brien and ''The Jay Leno Show''

Because Leno's show continued to lead all late-night programming in the Nielsen ratings, the pending expiration of Leno's contract led to speculation about whether he would become a late-night host for another network after his commitment to NBC expired. Leno left ''The Tonight Show'' on Friday May 29, 2009, and Conan O'Brien took over on June 1, 2009.

On December 8, 2008, it was reported that Leno would remain on NBC and move to a new hour-long show at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (9 p.m. Central Time) five nights a week. This show follows a similar format to ''The Tonight Show'', tapes at the same lot, and retains many of Leno's most popular segments. ''Late Night'' host Conan O'Brien was his successor on ''The Tonight Show''.

Jay Leno's new show, titled ''The Jay Leno Show'', debuted on September 14, 2009. It was announced at the Television Critics Association summer press tour that it would feature one or two celebrities, the occasional musical guest, and keep the popular "Headlines" segments, which would air near the end of the show. First guests included Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah Winfrey (via satellite), and a short sit-down with Kanye West discussing his controversy at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

Timeslot conflict and return to ''The Tonight Show''

In their new roles, neither O'Brien nor Leno succeeded in delivering the viewing audiences the network anticipated. On January 7, 2010, multiple media outlets reported that beginning March 1, 2010, Jay Leno would move from his 10pm weeknight time slot to 11:35pm, due to a combination of pressure from local affiliates whose newscasts were suffering, and both Leno's and O'Brien's poor ratings. Leno's show would be shortened from an hour to 30 minutes. All NBC late night programming would be preempted by the 2010 Winter Olympics between February 15 and February 26. This would move ''The Tonight Show'' to 12:05am, a post-midnight timeslot for the first time in its history. O'Brien's contract stipulated that NBC could move the show back to 12:05 a.m. without penalty (a clause put in primarily to accommodate sports preemptions).

On January 10, NBC confirmed that they would move Jay Leno out of primetime as of February 12 and intended to move him to late night as soon as possible. TMZ reported that O'Brien was given no advance notice of this change, and that NBC offered him two choices: an hour-long 12:05am time slot, or the option to leave the network. On January 12, O'Brien issued a press release that stated he would not continue with ''Tonight'' if it moved to a 12:05am time slot, saying, "I believe that delaying ''The Tonight Show'' into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. ''The Tonight Show'' at 12:05 simply isn’t ''The Tonight Show.''"

On January 21, it was announced that NBC had struck a deal with O'Brien. It was decided that O'Brien would leave ''The Tonight Show''. The deal was made that O'Brien would receive a $33 million payout and that his staff of almost 200 would receive $12 million in the departure. O'Brien's final episode aired on Friday, January 22. Leno returned as host of ''The Tonight Show'' following the 2010 Winter Olympics on March 1, 2010.

On July 1, 2010, ''Variety'' reported that total viewership for Jay Leno's ''Tonight Show'' had dropped from 5 million to 4 million for the second quarter of 2010, compared to the same period in 2009. Although this represented the lowest second-quarter ratings for the show since 1992, ''Tonight'' was still the most-watched late night program, ahead of ABC's ''Nightline'' (3.7 million) and David Letterman's ''Late Show'' (3.3 million). Ratings over the following summer, when compared to the same period in 2009 with O'Brien hosting ''The Tonight Show'' (including O'Brien's highly rated debut), showed that while total viewership was 12% higher for Leno, viewership in the important "adults aged 18–49" demographic was 23% lower. NBC ratings specialist Tom Bierbaum commented that due to the host being out of late night television for a period of time and the subsequent 2010 Tonight Show conflict, Leno's ratings fall was "not a surprise at all".

Public image

Criticism of Leno

Leno has faced heated criticism and some negative publicity for his perceived role in the 2010 ''Tonight Show'' timeslot conflict. Critics have pointed to a 2004 ''Tonight Show'' clip, wherein Leno claimed he would allow O'Brien to take over without incident. At the time, Leno stated he didn't want O'Brien to leave for a competing network, adding, "I'll be 59 when [the switch occurs], that's five years from now. There's really only one person who could have done this into his 60s, and that was Johnny Carson; I think it's fair to say I'm no Johnny Carson." Leno also described ''The Tonight Show'' as a dynasty, saying "you hold it and hand it off to the next person. And I don't want to see all the fighting..." At the end of the segment, he said, "Conan, it's yours! See you in five years, buddy!"

Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt was among the first celebrities to openly voice disappointment with Leno, saying, "Comedians who don't like Jay Leno now, and I'm one of them, we're not like, 'Jay Leno sucks;' it's that we're so hurt and disappointed that one of the best comedians of our generation... willfully has shut the switch off." Rosie O'Donnell has been among O'Brien's most vocal and vehement supporters, calling Leno a "bully" and his recent actions "classless and kind of career-defining."

Bill Zehme, the co-author of Leno's autobiography ''Leading with My Chin'', told the ''Los Angeles Times'': "The thing Leno should do is walk, period. He's got everything to lose in terms of public popularity by going back. People will look at him differently. He'll be viewed as the bad guy."

Support for Leno

NBC Sports head executive and former ''Saturday Night Live'' producer Dick Ebersol spoke out against all who had recently mocked Leno, calling them "chicken-hearted and gutless."

Jeff Gaspin also defended Leno: "This has definitely crossed the line. Jay Leno is the consummate professional and one of the hardest-working people in television. It's a shame that he's being pulled into this."

Paul Reiser and Jerry Seinfeld are two of the number of celebrities to have voiced support for Leno.

Responding to the mounting criticism, Leno claimed that NBC had assured him that O'Brien was willing to accept the proposed arrangement and then would not let either host out of his contract. Leno also said that the situation was "all business." He appeared on the January 28 episode of ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' in an attempt to repair some of the damage done to his public image.

Personal life

Leno has been married since 1980 to Mavis Leno; they have no children.

He is known for his prominent jaw, which has been described as mandibular prognathism. In the book ''Leading with My Chin'' he stated that he is aware of surgery that could reset his mandible, but does not wish to endure a prolonged healing period with his jaws wired shut.

Leno is dyslexic. He claims to sleep only four to five hours each night. Leno does not drink or smoke, nor does he gamble. He spends most of his free time visiting car collections or working in his private garage.

Leno reportedly earns $32 million each year; his total net worth is unknown, but has been estimated to be at least $150 million.

Charity

In 2001, along with his wife, he donated $100,000 to the Feminist Majority's campaign to stop gender apartheid in Afghanistan, to educate the public regarding the plight of women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Mavis Leno is on the board of the Feminist Majority.

In 2009, he donated $100,000 to a scholarship fund at Salem State College in honor of Lennie Sogoloff. Mr. Sogoloff gave Leno his start at his jazz club, Lennie's-on-the-Turnpike.

Love Ride

Since 1985 Jay Leno has been the grand marshal for the Love Ride, a motorcycle charity event which since its founding in 1984 has raised nearly $14 million dollars for charities benefiting muscular dystrophy research and, in 2011, Autism Speaks.

Vehicle collection

Leno owns approximately 100 vehicles, not including about 90 motorcycles. He also has a website called "Jay Leno's Garage," which contains video clips and photos of his automobiles in detail.

He has a regular column in ''Popular Mechanics'' which showcases his car collection and gives advice about various automotive topics, including restoration and unique models, such as his jet-powered motorcycle and solar-powered hybrid. Leno also writes occasional "Motormouth" articles for ''The Sunday Times'', reviewing high-end sports cars and giving his humorous take on automotive matters.

References

External links

Official ''Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' web site

Jay Leno's Car Collection

Jay Leno's Columns at Octane magazine

''The New York Times'' on Leno's affiliation with McPherson College

Live performance videos from the Tonight Show

Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American voice actors Category:Actors from New York Category:American television actors Category:American film actors Category:Emerson College alumni Category:California Democrats Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Car collectors Category:Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductees Category:People from Andover, Massachusetts Category:People from New Rochelle, New York Category:SEMA Members Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American people of Scottish descent

am:ጀይ ለኖ ar:جاي لينو bg:Джей Лено cs:Jay Leno da:Jay Leno de:Jay Leno es:Jay Leno eo:Jay Leno fa:جی لنو fr:Jay Leno gl:Jay Leno id:Jay Leno is:Jay Leno it:Jay Leno he:ג'יי לנו hu:Jay Leno nl:Jay Leno ja:ジェイ・レノ no:Jay Leno pl:Jay Leno pt:Jay Leno ro:Jay Leno ru:Лено, Джей simple:Jay Leno fi:Jay Leno sv:Jay Leno th:เจย์ เลโน tr:Jay Leno zh:杰·雷诺

Patrick Long (born July 28, 1981, in Thousand Oaks, California) is a professional race car driver. He is a Porsche works driver since 2003, with whom he has earned grand touring class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans endurance races, plus three American Le Mans Series GT2 drivers titles in 2005, 2009 and 2010. Long is currently driving a Porsche 911 GT3-RSR for Flying Lizard Motorsports in the American Le Mans Series.

He also drives part-time in the NASCAR Camping World East Series. In a NASCAR race on June 6, 2009, Long was leading the race at Watkins Glen on the last lap before being passed in the final turn. . Just two weeks later, Long was in second place on the last lap at Infineon Raceway when he "punted" the leader (Joey Logano) who spun out. Although Long took the checkered flag first, he was stripped of the win by NASCAR due to "rough driving" and placed at the tail end of the lead lap. After the penalty, Long finished 23rd after having started on the pole..

In 2010, Long won the NASCAR West event at Portland and was leading at Tooele when a flat tire ended his day with three laps remaining. He finished 14th at the Elkhart Lake Nationwide race after leading two laps in a D'Hondt-Humphrey Toyota.

His younger brother, Kevin "Spanky" Long, is a professional skateboarder.

He will be racing in the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans for the team Flying Lizard Motorsports in a Porsche 997 GT3-RSR along with Jörg Bergmeister and Lucas Luhr.

Images

24 Hours of Le Mans results

! Year	! Class	! No	! Tyres	! Car	! Team	! Co-Drivers	! Laps	! Pos.	! ClassPos.
2004 24 Hours of Le Mans>2004	GT	90					327	10th
2005 24 Hours of Le Mans>2005	GT2	90					331	11th
2006 24 Hours of Le Mans>2006	GT2	80					309	18th	4th
2007 24 Hours of Le Mans>2007	GT2	76					320	15th
2008 24 Hours of Le Mans>2008	GT2	76					26	DNF	DNF
2009 24 Hours of Le Mans>2009	GT2	76					265	DNF	DNF
2010 24 Hours of Le Mans>2010	GT2	76					321	17th	5th
2011 24 Hours of Le Mans>2011	GTEPro	80					310	18th	6th

External links

Website

Petersen Motorsports

Alex Job Racing

ALMS Official Website

Category:Living people Category:1981 births Category:American racecar drivers Category:British Formula Renault 2.0 drivers Category:Grand-Am drivers Category:American Le Mans Series drivers Category:Formula Ford drivers Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Category:24 Hours of Daytona drivers Category:Le Mans Series drivers Category:NASCAR drivers Category:V8 Supercar drivers

fr:Patrick Long

Coordinates	9°1′48″N38°44′24″N
Background	solo_singer
Height	1,90m
Birth name	Simon John Charles Le Bon
Born	October 27, 1958 near Bushey, Hertfordshire, England
Spouse	(nee Parvenah) (1985–present)
Children	Amber le Bon Saffron le Bon Tallulah le Bon
Genre	New Wave, rock, alternative rock, New Romantic
Instrument	Vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, ocarina, saxophone
Associated acts	Duran DuranArcadia}}

Simon John Charles Le Bon (born 27 October 1958) is an English musician, best known as the lead singer, lyricist and musician of the band Duran Duran and its offshoot, Arcadia.

Early life

Simon John Charles Le Bon was the first born son of John Le Bon and Ann-Marie, followed by two further sons, David and Jonathan. His mother encouraged his artistic talent when he was six years old by entering him in a screen test for a Persil washing powder TV advert; he won and starred as the little boy with the off-white shirt, but had no spoken lines.

He was a member of the local church choir from a young age, but was also trained as an actor. He is descended from exiled French Huguenot stock. Simon went to Pinner County Grammar School, the same school that Elton John attended some years earlier. He worked as a theatre porter at Northwick Park Hospital Accident and Casualty, and also auditioned for a punk band at Harrow College. He appeared in a few television commercials and also in several theatre productions including Tom Brown's Schooldays in the West End of London. He worked on a kibbutz – an Israeli collective community – in the Negev desert in Israel in 1978, and then returned to England to study drama at the University of Birmingham before meeting the fledgling band Duran Duran in 1980.

Le Bon attended Birmingham University at the same time as Blancmange lead singer Neil Arthur. This fact came up during a ''Smash Hits'' interview of Blancmange done by Chris Heath. According to Arthur, Le Bon recognised his old university classmate immediately upon running into him backstage at a ''Top of the Pops'' taping, and the two met up for a drink and friendly chat.

Career

Duran Duran

Duran Duran was founded by childhood friends John Taylor and Nick Rhodes along with singer/songwriter Stephen Duffy in 1978, but Duffy left a year later, convinced they weren't going anywhere. The band went through a long succession of lineup changes after Duffy's departure, but finally settled on a guitarist and drummer. The band had a powerful pop sound flavoured with disco, funk and electronics, built on a solid rock rhythm section, and all they needed was a charismatic singer with a distinctive voice.

Le Bon's ex-girlfriend, Fiona Kemp (a barmaid at the Rum Runner nightclub where Duran Duran was rehearsing), introduced him to the band in May 1980, recommending him as a potential vocalist. As band legend has it, he turned up for the audition wearing pink leopard-print trousers, and carrying a notebook containing a large collection of poetry he had written—several of which would later become tracks on the early Duran Duran albums. After listening to the songs the band had already composed together, Le Bon spent some time fitting one of his poems ("Sound of Thunder") to one of the instrumentals, and found they had a good match. Le Bon agreed to "try [Duran Duran] out for the summer"; within six weeks the band was playing steadily around Birmingham, London & Nottingham, and a national tour supporting Hazel O'Connor led to a record deal with EMI Records in December.

The band's first album, ''Duran Duran'', was released in 1981, and they quickly shot to fame as part of the New Romantic movement. Three more albums followed in quick succession: ''Rio'' (1982), ''Seven and the Ragged Tiger'' (1983) and the live album ''Arena'' (1984). Each album release was accompanied by heavy media promotion and a lengthy concert tour. By mid-1984, the band was ready for a break. Duran Duran's only other work that year was an appearance on the 1984 Band Aid charity single, "Do They Know It's Christmas".

Following the departures of Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor, Le Bon, Rhodes and John Taylor continued on as Duran Duran, recording and releasing ''Notorious'' (1986) and ''Big Thing'' (1988). The group added guitarist Warren Cuccurullo and drummer Sterling Campbell (his only album as a member of the band) and recorded the album ''Liberty'' (1990), but the band's success had begun to wane in the late-1980s.

Duran Duran had a resurgence in popularity in 1993 with ''The Wedding Album''. Several months into the extensive worldwide concert tour supporting this album, Le Bon suffered from a torn vocal cord, and the tour was postponed for six weeks while he recovered.

In 1995, Duran Duran released the covers album ''Thank You'', and Le Bon had the chance to cover some of his favourite artists, (Jim Morrison, Lou Reed and Elvis Costello), but the album was severely panned by critics from all quarters. That year Le Bon also performed Duran Duran's 1993 hit "Ordinary World" with opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti during a "Children of Bosnia" benefit concert for War Child. Le Bon described the event to Jam! Showbiz thusly: "If you're talking about name dropping, he's one of the biggest names you could drop, Pav-The-Man."

When bassist John Taylor left the band in 1997, Le Bon and Rhodes remained as the only two members who had been with Duran Duran from the beginning. The successive two albums with Le Bon, Rhodes and Cuccurullo, ''Medazzaland'' (1997) and ''Pop Trash'' (2000) were not commercial successes.

In 2001, Duran Duran's original five members reunited to record a new album, ''Astronaut'', for Epic Records. ''Astronaut'' was released worldwide on 11 October 2004. The album was preceded by the single "(Reach Up For The) Sunrise", their first UK Top 10 single in a decade.

Arcadia

Before Duran Duran reunited in 1986, Le Bon formed the band Arcadia with fellow Duran Duran members Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor. The band had a UK/US top 10 hit with their first single "Election Day", and released one album, ''So Red The Rose'' in 1985.

Solo excursions

While Le Bon has been in Duran Duran for the band's entire recording history, he has also dabbled in solo outings. In 1985, for the Whitbread Round the World Race, he contributed a song entitled "Grey Lady Of The Sea" and narrated a video of that year's race called ''Drum'' (1987). "Grey Lady Of The Sea" was released as a single in Japan in 1988.

In 1989, for Jonathan Elias' ''Requiem For The Americas'' project, Le Bon contributed "Follow In My Footsteps", with The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs on background vocals. The track was released on 7" single in Italy that year.

In 1998, along with friend Nick Wood and wife Yasmin, he set up SYN Entertainment (Simon Yasmin Nick) in Tokyo, Japan. Having first conceived the idea in 1988, Le Bon is currently described as SYN's "Founder and Chairman", while Wood is "Founder, President and Creative Director".

In 1999, Le Bon was reported to be involved in Napalm Death's new album, a collaboration brought about through their shared love of hometown Birmingham.

In 2000, SYN Entertainment founded SYN Records which has released a number of compilations, some of which have included contributions by Le Bon. Another solo track, "Dreamboy", was featured on the SYN-released soundtrack to the Mario Van Peebles movie ''Love Kills''.

Also in 2000, SYN co-executive produced the Duran Duran album ''Pop Trash'' along with Nick Rhodes and Warren Cuccurullo's side-venture TV Mania.

In October 2005 Dutch trance DJ Ferry Corsten released the track "Fire", with vocals by Simon Le Bon. It was a remix of the lesser known Duran Duran single ''Serious'', from the album ''Liberty''. (full credits: Ferry Corsten feat. Simon Le Bon - Fire (Flashover remix), on Flashover Recordings)

In late 2006, Le Bon became a member of Shinzou Sound, and took part in the Japan-based online manga project, 'Synesthesia', by co-writing the theme song 'Nobody Knows' along with Nick Wood. Shinzou Sound is a group of creative collaborators specializing in manga, music, web design and popular culture. They joined forces with the simple concept of merging their talents in an effort to deliver the new entertainment of music and manga in an innovative way. Exclusive songs, inspired by the manga story were commissioned from international and Japanese DJs, and the story was launched in fortnightly episodes on the Net, with the individual songs available free through iTunes Japan.

In 2010, Le Bon collaborated on the song "Record Collection", the title track from Mark Ronson's third album. In the song, Le Bon is heard singing the chorus, along with Mark Ronson and hip hop artist Wiley. The song does not have a current single release date. Ronson later produced Duran Duran's 2010 album ''All You Need Is Now''.

Personal life

In the early 1980s, Simon was engaged to his then longtime girlfriend, model-turned-actress Claire Stansfield. While still with Claire, Le Bon wooed young fashion model Yasmin Parvaneh after seeing her face in a magazine and phoning her modeling agency to track her down, even as magazines speculated on a possible wedding with Stansfield. Simon and Yasmin married on 27 December 1985. After Yasmin suffered two miscarriages, the couple had three daughters: Amber Rose Tamara Le Bon (born August 25, 1989 - a model like her mother), Saffron Sahara (born September 25, 1991) and Tallulah Pine (born September 10, 1994). The family, along with their dogs, a Pug named Luigi, a Chihuahua named Tinka and a Boston Terrier named Cecil, live in Putney, South West London.

While Duran Duran was on hiatus in 1985, Le Bon drew media attention when his maxi yacht, ''Drum'', lost her keel and capsized during the Fastnet race, just off Falmouth, along the southern coast of Cornwall. Before being rescued, Le Bon and other crew members were trapped underwater, inside the hull, for forty minutes. Despite the accident, Le Bon and ''Drum'' went on to participate in the 1985-1986 Whitbread Round the World Race, coming in third overall in elapsed time. Le Bon and his partners eventually sold ''Drum''; the events surrounding ''Drum'' and the races were chronicled in a 1989 movie entitled ''Drum – The Journey Of A Lifetime'' and the book ''One Watch at a Time'' written by Drum's skipper, Skip Novak. It was Le Bon's participation in the Whitbread that led to the phrase ''rock star sailor.''

Twenty years after his accident, in 2005, Le Bon made public his desire to race again. During a touring hiatus in August 2005, Le Bon again raced 'Drum' in the Fastnet race, borrowing the vessel from her current owner (the Scottish multi car garage owner Sir Arnold Clark) to participate, and raising funds for the RNLI charity. Le Bon had to leave the race unfinished, as light winds were slowing 'Drum' (and 'Drum's' competitors), and would have delayed the boat's arrival at Plymouth, interfering with Le Bon's obligation to perform in Japan.

In 2009 Le Bon (who describes himself as a "concerned agnostic") contributed an essay to the book ''The Atheist's Guide to Christmas'', edited by Ariane Sherine.

Le Bon injured his vocal cords and was unable to finish his 2011 summer tour. He remarked, "I am trying to be philosophical."

In a 2011 interview with ''New York'', Le Bon stated that he currently enjoyed the bands Scissor Sisters, The Killers, Fall Out Boy, and 30 Seconds to Mars-- all of which Le Bon cites as having a similar "feathers-and-mascara" image.

References

External links

SYN Entertainment official website

Duran Duran official website

Category:1958 births Category:Duran Duran members Category:English male singers Category:English songwriters Category:English pop singers Category:English yacht racers Category:English agnostics Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham Category:Living people Category:People from Bushey Category:People from Pinner Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:British people of Huguenot descent

da:Simon Le Bon de:Simon Le Bon es:Simon Le Bon fr:Simon Le Bon ko:사이먼 르 봉 hr:Simon Le Bon it:Simon Le Bon he:סיימון לה-בון nl:Simon le Bon pl:Simon Le Bon pt:Simon Le Bon ru:Ле Бон, Саймон fi:Simon Le Bon sv:Simon Le Bon