WPCW is a The CW-affiliated television station for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is licensed to Jeannette. WPCW is owned by the CBS Corporation and serves as an affiliate of The CW Television Network for the television market. WPCW shares its studio facilities with sister station KDKA-TV at Gateway Center in downtown Pittsburgh, and its transmitter is located in the Perry North section of Pittsburgh.

By way of extended cable coverage, WPCW also serves as the default CW affiliate for the Johnstown-Altoona-State College television market, since that area currently lacks a CW affiliate of its own. WPCW was a Johnstown station for most of its history.

Rebroadcasters[link]

WPCW is rebroadcast on WBPA-LP in Pittsburgh (owned by Venture Technologies Group, LLC) from the days when it did not have a strong signal throughout the city.^[1] WPCW has a construction permit to air a fill-in digital translator in Johnstown.

History[link]

WPCW signed-on October 15, 1953 as WARD-TV on analog UHF channel 56 with studios on Franklin Street in Downtown Johnstown. It was co-owned with WARD radio (AM 1490, now WNTJ, and FM 96.5, now WFGI-FM at 95.5). The station was the area's CBS affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation. During the late-1950s, it was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.^[2] Around 1970, Jonel Construction Company bought WARD-AM-FM-TV and changed their calls to WJNL-AM-FM-TV. The TV station also moved to the stronger UHF channel 19 and dropped ABC programming. It also left the Franklin Street studio for a new facility located on Benshoff hill, not too far from the transmitter atop Cover Hill in suburban Johnstown. The radio stations moved to the Benshoff Hill location in 1977 after the Franklin Street studios were destroyed in a massive flood.

Even with the move to the stronger channel 19, the station was plagued by a weak signal. Most of Western Pennsylvania is a very rugged dissected plateau, and at the time, UHF stations usually did not get good reception in rugged terrain. In fact, Johnstown viewers got better signals from WFBG-TV in Altoona and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. After WFBG-TV was sold in 1973, that channel changed its callsign to WTAJ-TV in part to acknowledge its Johnstown viewership (its call letters stand for "W"e're "T"elevision in "A"ltoona and "J"ohnstown). As a result, the station never thrived, and was more or less a non-factor in a market dominated by WJAC-TV. It only stayed afloat because of the tremendous success of its FM sister, an adult contemporary powerhouse.

In 1982, the Johnstown and Altoona/State College markets were collapsed into a single DMA. CBS gave its affiliation in the newly enlarged market to Altoona's WTAJ, which as mentioned above, already had a large viewership in Johnstown. In contrast, WJNL-TV could not be seen at all in much of the eastern part of the market; while Altoona was just inside channel 19's grade B contour, State College was just outside of it. As a result, WJNL-TV became an independent station. It was sold to Leon Crosby, a former owner of the original KEMO-TV (now KOFY-TV) in San Francisco, a year later and renamed WFAT-TV. Forced to buy an additional nineteen hours of programming a day, its ratings plummeted even further. It did not help matters that the major Pittsburgh independents were available on cable. The station was dealt a fatal blow in 1986 when WWCP-TV signed-on and took most of WFAT's stronger shows. The station changed calls to WPTJ in 1988 and moved its studios to Allen Bill Drive in the Johnstown Industrial Park, but saw no change in its fortunes. Frequent transmitter problems often left the station off-the-air for extended periods of time. Declaring bankruptcy, WPTJ finally went off the air for good in 1991.

Meanwhile over in Pittsburgh, WBPA-LP on analog UHF channel 29 signed-on in 1994 as a low-powered station owned by Venture Technologies Group, LLC. It ran some ABC and NBC shows that WTAE-TV and WPXI pre-empted, along with infomercials, religious, and shop-at-home programming. It added WB programming on January 11, 1995 and a few syndicated shows in the fall of that year. At some point in time, that station moved to UHF channel 30. Also in 1995, Venture Technologies bought the dormant WPTJ license in Johnstown. That station returned to the air in early-1997 with the call-sign WTWB-TV, a full-powered satellite of WBPA. Venture, however, still had trouble getting viewership in Pittsburgh in part because cable systems in the area were not willing to pick it up. To solve this problem, Venture asked and received permission to move WTWB's license to Jeannette (about thirty miles southeast of Pittsburgh) and place it in that market. This qualified it for "must-carry" status on Pittsburgh cable systems. In the wake of the move, WTWB began to acquire more off-network sitcoms and first-run syndicated shows alongside cartoons from Kids' WB and prime time programming from The WB. When WPTT acquired this affiliation and changed its call letters to WCWB in 1998 (it is now WPMY, the MyNetworkTV affiliate), the UPN affiliation in the market became available. As such, channel 19 took the affiliation and changed call letters to WNPA-TV.

Viacom bought the station in 1998. It became sister station to KDKA-TV after the company merged with CBS in 2000. Viacom consolidated WNPA's operations into KDKA-AM-TV's studios at One Gateway Center by 2001. The station began to identify on air as "UPN Pittsburgh" in late-2003 as different cable systems carry it on different channels. On January 24, 2006, TimeWarner and CBS Corporation announced that The WB and UPN networks would merge into a single network called "The CW". To coincide with this change, the station changed its call sign to WPCW and rebranded itself as "Pittsburgh's CW" in August. The network launched on September 18.

WPCW's analog transmitter was on Laurel Mountain west of Jennerstown which is 35 miles southeast of Jeannette. This provided city-grade coverage to Johnstown and "rimshot" coverage to Pittsburgh. As a result, it was barely viewable over-the-air in many low-lying areas in the northern and western parts of the city and could not be seen at all in the city's western suburbs. When it applied to move its license to Jeannette, Venture sought and received a waiver from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule requiring a station's transmitter to be no farther than 15 miles from the city of license. It successfully contended that there was no way it could build an analog tower within the 15-mile limit without interfering with WOIO in Cleveland.

However on June 12, 2009 coinciding with the national transition to digital television, WPCW turned-off its transmitter near Jennerstown and began broadcasting digitally from its new transmitter near Downtown Pittsburgh. It moved to VHF channel 11 (WPXI's former analog home) mapping to channel 19 via PSIP. As with all CBS-owned stations, it carries only one 1080i high definition channel without subchannel services. Interference with WOIO which existed in the analog age is no longer an issue as that station is on digital channel 10. CBS also feeds a direct fiber signal to both Comcast and Verizon FiOS and has done so for years. The relocation of its transmitter now provides Pittsburgh with city-grade coverage in addition to greater coverage west of the city but has left many viewers east of Westmoreland County (who were able to pick up WPCW's analog signal) without a viewable digital signal.^[3] In July 2009, the station applied with the FCC for a repeater digital signal on channel 27 in Johnstown.^[4] WPCW is one of three former CBS affiliates that have since become CW stations owned by CBS along with WTVX in West Palm Beach and KSTW in Seattle. However, WTVX has since been divested to Cerberus Capital Management's Four Points Media Group (the Four Points Media stations are now owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns Pittsburgh stations WPGH-TV and WPMY). This station usually televises about six Pittsburgh Penguins games a year to allow Fox Sports Pittsburgh (the team's usual broadcasting partner) to fulfill its national commitments to Fox Sports Net's Pac 10 and Atlantic Coast Conference college football coverage packages. In 2010, the CW broadcast the entire home schedule of the California University of Pennsylvania Vulcan Football season under the "Vulcan Sports Network" moniker.

As CBS has done with most of its other CBS/The CW duopolies in other markets, WPCW's web address has been folded within the KDKA website with only basic station and programming information along with entertainment news and promotional video from The CW. WPCW and KDKA serve as the area's official Pittsburgh Steelers stations and air several team-related shows. This includes Steelers Saturday Night on Saturday nights from 9 to 10 and Steelers TV on Saturday nights from 11 to 11:30 (hosted by Tunch Ilkin and Steelers Digest editor Bob Labriola). Depending on CBS' weekly doubleheader schedule, the Verizon Wireless Xtra Point may air on WPCW right after a Steelers game. That program is anchored by Bob Pompeani, Ed Bouchette, and Edmund Nelson. The Subway Nightly Sports Call airs every night from 10:35 to 11 after the KDKA-produced prime time newscast. Weeknights are anchored by Bob Pompeani while weekends feature Jory Rand. Depending on the doubleheader schedule, there is a special edition that is shown during the season after the Verizon Wireless Xtra Point.

Newscasts[link]

As WJNL-TV in Johnstown, it did produce a local newscast from 1971 to 1974 on weekdays and a few public affairs programs to try to compete against WJAC. However, its facilities were below the standards expected for a network affiliate. In August 2001 as WNPA, the station began to carry a prime time newscast every night at 10 produced by KDKA. This competes with Fox Network affiliate WPGH-TV that has a nightly newscast at 10 produced by WPXI.

In 2005, the station launched a two-hour extension of KDKA's weekday morning show beginning at 7. This was later shortened to one hour amid poor ratings. On June 16, 2009, KDKA launched its newscasts in high definition starting with its weekday noon broadcast with a new set and weather center. That station was the last major Pittsburgh channel to begin airing newscasts in HD and the WPCW shows were included in the upgrade.

KDKA Morning News on The CW
(weekday mornings 7 to 8)

• Anchors:
  • Jennifer Antkowiak
  • Rick Dayton
• Weather:
  • Dennis Bowman
• Reporters:
  • Ross Guidotti
  • Heather Abraham
  • Bob Allen
  • Brenda Waters

The 10 O'Clock News (10 to 10:35 p.m.)
weeknights

• Anchor:
  • Ken Rice
• Weather:
  • Jeff Verszyla
• Reporter:
  • Stephanie Watson
  • Paul Martino
  • David Highfield
  • Harold Hayes
  • Mary Robb Jackson
  • Jon Delano
  • Trina Orlando

weekends

• Anchor:
  • Paul Martino
• Weather:
  • Jon Burnett

WPCW features additional personnel from KDKA. See that article for a complete listing.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WPCW
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WPCW-TV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WBPA-LP
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WBPA-LP

Mad Man Pondo
Mad Man Pondo in October 2008
Ring name(s)	"Mad Man" Pondo Original Foolish Foreigner
Billed height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Billed weight	220 lb (100 kg)[1]
Born	(1969-06-24) June 24, 1969 (age 43)[1] Flora, Illinois
Resides	Charleston, West Virginia
Billed from	The Realm of Pain[2] Flora, Illinois[3]
Trained by	Bud Chapmen[2] Self-Trained[3]
Debut	June 24, 1989[1]

Kevin Canady^[4] (born June 24, 1969),^[1] better known by his ring name Mad Man Pondo, is an American professional wrestler best known for his hardcore wrestling style. Canady has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, Combat Zone Wrestling, Big Japan Pro Wrestling, and Juggalo Championship Wrestling. He is also the owner of IWA East Coast, and is currently employed by Juggalo Championship Wrestling.

In his professional wrestling career, Canady is a four-time Heavyweight champion having won the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship once, JCW Heavyweight Championship twice, and MPW Heavyweight Championship once. In addition to these championships, he has won the CZW Iron Man Championship once, IWA Mid-South Hardcore Championship twice, IWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship once with Ian Rotten, and JCW Tag Team Championship twice with Necro Butcher. Canady is also the 2003 IWA Mid-South King of the Deathmatch Tournament winner and 2006 IWA Mid-South Double Death Tag Team Tournament winner with 2 Tuff Tony.

Professional wrestling career[link]

Early career[link]

Canady began his professional wrestling career in 1989 at the age of 20.^[4] Initially performing as a traditional professional wrestler, Canady realized that he would not become a nationally recognized talent.^[4][5] He noticed that his friends were in awe while watching wrestling tapes of death matches, and soon adopted the same hardcore style himself.^[4][5] He created his ring name Mad Man Pondo as a play on Abdullah the Butcher's nickname the "Mad Man from Sudan" and the character Pondo Sinatra from The Party Animal.^[4] He and fellow wrestlers Corporal Robinson and 2 Tuff Tony began traveling throughout the country together early in their careers.^[6] Video distribution company Smart Mark Video helped the trio gain national exposure.^[6]

IWA Mid-South[link]

Canady began working for Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South (IWA-MS) in 1997. In 1999, he volunteered to get into a rivalry with 2 Tuff Tony to help introduce him to the hardcore wrestling style of the company.^[7] Pondo acquainted him to the proper techniques of hardcore wrestling, and Tony later recalled that Pondo "took good care of me" in their matches.^[7] On April 15, Canady became the first IWA Mid-South Hardcore Champion.^[8] He lost the title to Tony two weeks later before winning it back the following month.^[8] Canady lost the championship to Tony the next day, but won the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship that September.^[8][9]

In 2003, he participated in the King of the Deathmatch Tournament. Canady defeated Nate Webb, Axl Rotten, then Nick Gage to make it to the finals.^[10] In the final match, he defeated J.C. Bailey to be crowned the 2003 King of the Deathmatch.^[10] On March 18, 2006, Canady and Ian Rotten defeated Iron Saints to become the IWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship.^[11] The duo lost the championship five months later.^[11] That November, Canady and 2 Tuff Tony took part in the first Double Death Tag Team Tournament, though they weren't told which team would win the tournament.^[7] They defeated Children of Pain then Dysfunction and Corporal Robinson to make it to the finals. In the finals, he and Tony defeated Tough Crazy Bastards to be crowned the first Double Death Tag Team Tournament champions.^[7]

He later went on and lost in the second round of the 2008 King of the Deathmatch Tournament.^[12]

Juggalo Championship Wrestling (1999–present)[link]

In 1997, Canady wrestled for Insane Clown Posse at the event ICP's Strangle-Mania Live.^[13] Two years later, he, 2 Tuff Tony, and Corporal Robinson wrestled at the Dan Curtis Memorial, an independent wrestling booker who had recently worked for Insane Clown Posse.^[6][14] Several days after the event, Tony, Robinson, and Canady were booked to wrestle for Insane Clown Posse's first Juggalo Championship Wrestling show.^[6] Canady teamed with Pete Madden to defeat Ian Rotten and Corporal Robinson in an Exploding Barbwire match.

The following year, Canady participated in the "Strangle-Mania Live Tour". His Hardcore match with Fat Fuck Barrel Boy was put on JCW, Vol. 2.^[15] Canady began appearing every year at the annual Gathering of the Juggalos and quickly became a staple in the company. In 2003, he and Necro Butcher fought in a deathmatch which was released on JCW, Vol. 3.^[16] Soon after, the two men began teaming together. At the 2005 Gathering of the Juggalos, Canaday defeated champion Terry Funk to become JCW Heavyweight Champion. He held the title for over a year before losing it to Corporal Robinson at the Hallowicked After Party 2006.

The following year, Canady went on tour with JCW to film the internet wrestling show SlamTV!. On the first episode, Insane Clown Posse announced that the JCW Tag Team Championship had been vacated, which caused several tag teams to emerge.^[17] Canady aligned himself with Necro Butcher, and the team dominated competition for several weeks.^[17] However, animosity grew between the two as miscommunication cost both members multiple matches. The following weeks saw the duo break out into fist fights, which lead to a series of matches between them.^[17] The team reunited at "East Side Wars", though, and eventually established themselves as top contenders for the vacant tag team title.^[18] At Bloodymania, the duo won an 8 Team Tag-Team Elimination match to become the new JCW Tag Team Champions.^[18] The reign was short lived, however, as Necro Butcher signed a contract with Ring of Honor, forcing Canady to team with several partners. At a live event in Cleveland, Ohio on January 26, 2008, Canady and his partner Breyer Wellington lost the title to 2 Tuff Tony and Violent J.^[19]

Canady also wrestled at both Bloodymania II and Bloodymania III in singles matches.^[20][21] At Big Ballas X-Mas Party 2009, Canady and Necro teamed up again to face the Thomaselli Brothers.^[22] On May 21, 2010, while touring with JCW on Insane Clown Posse's "Happy Daze Tour," Pondo defeated Corporal Robinson to become a two-time JCW Heavyweight Champion.^[23] In a rematch ten days later, Pondo lost the championship to Robinson in a Four Corners of Pain match.^[24] At Bloodymania IV, Canady and Necro Butcher lost to the team of Balls Mahoney and Hollywood Chuck Hogan.^[25]

On March 9, 2011, at Hardcore Hell, the team of Pondo and Necro Butcher defeated The Haters in a hardcore Barbed Wire, Thumbtacks, and Ladders match for their second JCW Tag Team Championship.^[26] The duo lost their championship to Ring Rydas the following monthSteve Gerweck (2011-04-20). "JCW Up in Smoke! IPPV Results". Gerweck.net. http://www.gerweck.net/2011/04/21/jcw-up-in-smoke-ippv-results/. Retrieved 2011-04-20. </ref>

Combat Zone Wrestling (2000-2008)[link]

At Bloodbath 2000, Canady and Ian Rotten wrestled to a draw in his debut match in Combat Zone Wrestling. He continued wrestling for the company, while also participating in their talent exchange with the Japanese company Big Japan Pro Wrestling.^[7] Canady won the CZW Iron Man Championship on June 9, but lost it the following September.^[27] During his time with the company, Canady was made an honorary member of the stable the H8 Club.

Big Japan Pro Wrestling (2000-2008)[link]

Canady begin wrestling in Big Japan Pro Wrestling in 2000 as a part of the talent exchange between the company and Combat Zone Wrestling.^[4][7] He wrestled singles matches under the name Original Foolish Foreigner before changing his name back to Mad Man Pondo. The talent exchange between the companies stopped in 2001 when Combat Zone Wrestling demanded more money.^[7] Big Japan Pro Wrestling refused, so CZW pulled all of their talent from Japan.^[7] Canady, however, refused to leave because the fans and the company treated him well.^[7]

He was later named the American booker for Big Japan Pro Wrestling and brought in talent from the states, including 2 Tuff Tony. He and Tony soon formed the tag team Baka Gaijin, Japanese for Stupid Foreigners.^[7] The team was well received by both the Japanese crowd and the Japanese wrestlers.^[7] They continued to wrestle multiple tours together from 2001 to 2006, while Canady continued singles tours until 2008.^[4][7]

Other media[link]

Canady hosted his own Public-access television show in the late nineties.^[5] The program, which featured nude women, cursing, and wrestling, attracted the attention of television personality Jerry Springer.^[5] First being brought in to portray several different guests on Springer's The Jerry Springer Show, Canaday was later hired to find actors to appear as guests on the show.^[5] In 2005, he appeared in director Tim Sullivan's horror movie 2001 Maniacs as the town's blacksmith.^[5] As Mad Man Pondo, Canady is a playable character in the video games Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home, Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood, and Fire Pro Wrestling Returns.^[4][5]

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • The Silencer (Side senton bomb to a seated opponent)^[17]
  • Stop Sign Smash (Hit to the head with a stop sign)^[1]
  • Super DDT

• Signature moves
  • Back body drop^[1]
  • Baseball slide
  • Brainbuster, onto an open steel chair^[17]
  • Piledriver^[1]
  • Powerbomb^[1]
  • Russian legsweep^[1]

• Theme music
  • "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" by Smashing Pumpkins (JCW, BJW, FIP, CZW, IWA Midsouth)^[15]
  • "The Beautiful People" by Marilyn Manson (JCW)^[17]
  • "Deep Impact" by Dragon Ash (Independent)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• All Star Wrestling

• ASW Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) - with The Juggulator

• Ballistic Championship Wrestling

• Brink of Death Deathmatch Tournament winner (2007)

• Combat Zone Wrestling

• CZW Iron Man Championship (1 time)^[28]

• Dramatic Dream Team

• Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship (1 time)^[29]

• Eastern Wrestling Alliance

• EWA National Champion (1 time)

• Independent Championship Wrestling
  • ICW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[30]

• Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South

• IWA Mid-South Hardcore Championship (2 times, first)^[31]
• IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[32]
• IWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ian Rotten^[33]
• IWA Mid-South King of the Deathmatch Tournament winner (2003)^[3]
• IWA Mid-South Double Death Tag Team Tournament winner (2006)^[7] - with 2 Tuff Tony

• Juggalo Championship Wrestling

• JCW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[2]
• JCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) with Necro Butcher^[26]

• Lunatic Wrestling Federation

• LWF Hardcore Champion (1 time)^[3]

• MAD Pro Wrestling

• MPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)^[34]

• NWA West Virginia/Ohio

• NWA West Virginia/Ohio Hardcore Championship (1 time)^[35]

• Pro Wrestling IRON

• IRON Television Champion (1 time)^[3]

• Real Deal Pro Wrestling

• RDPW Street Fight Championship (1 time)^[30]

• Tri-State Wrestling
  • Tri-State Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tommy Lee Sledge^[30]

• westside Xtreme wrestling

• wXw Hardcore Champion (1 time)^[36]

• World Entertainment Wrestling

• WEW Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with 2 Tuff Tony and Kintaro Kanemura

References[link]

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

• Kevin Canady at the Internet Movie Database
• Mad Man Pondo on Myspace
• Official IWA East Coast website

Larry David
David at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Birth name	Lawrence Gene David
Born	(1947-07-02) July 2, 1947 (age 64) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Nationality	American[1]
Years active	1975–present
Genres	Improvisational comedy, observational comedy, sketch comedy
Subject(s)	Self-deprecation, everyday life, manners, sex, social norms
Influences	Phil Silvers, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen
Influenced	Jerry Seinfeld, Ricky Gervais, Jack Dee, Sarah Silverman, Jeff Garlin, Casper Christensen
Spouse	Laurie Lennard (1993–2007)
Notable works and roles	Writer & cast member, Fridays Co-creator & head writer, Seinfeld Creator, writer, & actor, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing - Comedy Series 1993 Seinfeld Outstanding Comedy Series 1993 Seinfeld

Lawrence Gene "Larry" David (born July 2, 1947) is an American actor, writer, comedian, and producer. He is best known as the co-creator (with Jerry Seinfeld), head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in which he stars as a semi-fictionalized version of himself.

David's work won him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1993. Formerly a standup comedian, David went into television comedy, writing and starring in ABC's Fridays, as well as writing briefly for Saturday Night Live. He has won two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as being voted by fellow comedians and comedy insiders as number 23 of the greatest comedy stars ever in a British poll to select The Comedian's Comedian.^[2]

Early life[link]

Lawrence Gene David^[3] was born to a Jewish family in the neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Sheepshead Bay High School and then the University of Maryland, with a bachelor's degree in history (1969), and then in business (1970).^[4] After college, David enlisted in the Air National Guard.^[5]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

While a stand-up comedian, David also worked as a store clerk, limousine driver, and television repairman to pay his bills. He lived in Manhattan Plaza, a federally-subsidized housing complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, across the hall from Kenny Kramer, the inspiration for the Cosmo Kramer character in Seinfeld.^[6] David then became a writer for and cast member of ABC's Fridays from 1980 to 1982, and a writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 1984 to 1985.^[7] During his time at SNL, he was able to get only one sketch on the show, which aired at 12:50 AM, the last time slot on the show.^[8]

David quit his writing job at SNL midseason, only to show up to work a few days later acting as though nothing had happened. That plot inspired a second-season episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Revenge".^[9] David met his future Seinfeld stars during that early stage of his career: He worked with Michael Richards (Kramer) on Fridays^[7] and with Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine)^[8] on SNL.^[10][11] He can be heard heckling Michael McKean when McKean hosted SNL in 1984, and he can be seen in the sketch "The Run, Throw, and Catch Like a Girl Olympics" when Howard Cosell hosted the season finale in 1985.^[12]

[edit] Seinfeld

In 1989, David teamed up with comedian Jerry Seinfeld to create a pilot for NBC called The Seinfeld Chronicles, which became the basis for Seinfeld, one of the most successful shows in United States television history,^[13] reaching the top on TV Guide's list of the 50 greatest TV shows of all time. Entertainment Weekly ranked it the third-best TV show of all time. David made occasional uncredited appearances on the show, playing such roles as Frank Costanza's cape-wearing lawyer and the voice of George Steinbrenner. He was also the primary inspiration for the show's character George Costanza.^[14] David left Seinfeld on amicable terms after the seventh season but returned to write the series finale in 1998, two years later.^[15] He also continued to provide the voice for the Steinbrenner character.^[16]

David wrote 62 of the episodes of Seinfeld, including 1992's "The Contest", for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award and which TV Guide ranked the episode #1 on its list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time".^[17]

Syndication of Seinfeld earned David an estimated US$250 million in 1998 alone. This amount has been steadily decreasing each year, but payments will continue until the full $1.7 billion from the original deal has been paid. In 2008 David made $55 million from Seinfeld syndication, DVD sales, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.^[18][19] He was nominated for an Emmy^[20] award 19 times for Seinfeld, winning twice—once for best comedy and once for writing.^[21]

[edit] Curb Your Enthusiasm

David in December 2009

The HBO cable television channel aired David's 1-hour special, Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, on October 17, 1999.^[22] This was followed by Curb Your Enthusiasm, a television series on HBO that aired its first episode on October 15, 2000.^[22] The show revisits many of the themes of Seinfeld,^[23] and is improvised from a story outline only several pages long that David writes (as of the 5th season, additional writers were hired).^[24]

The actors improvise their dialogue based on the story outline, direction, and their own creativity. David has said that his character in the show, a fictionalized version of himself, is what he would be like in real life if he lacked social awareness and sensitivity.^[25] The character's numerous and frequent social faux pas and misunderstandings are the basis of much of the show's comedy and have led to the entry into the American pop culture lexicon of the expression "Larry David moment", meaning an inadvertently created socially awkward situation.^[26]

The basis of the show is David's life now that he has earned a fortune and has very little to do in semi-retirement.^[27] Alongside David is his wife Cheryl (played by Cheryl Hines), his manager and best friend Jeff (played by Jeff Garlin), and Jeff's wife Susie (played by Susie Essman). Celebrities, including comedians Bob Einstein, Wanda Sykes, and Richard Lewis, appear on the show regularly. Actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen have had recurring roles as themselves.^[27]

The show is critically acclaimed and has been nominated for 30 Primetime Emmy Awards, with one win, as well as one Golden Globe win. In the first six seasons, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander appeared in several episodes, and Jerry Seinfeld made a cameo. In season 7, the cast of Seinfeld, including Michael Richards, returned in a story arc involving David's attempt to organize a Seinfeld reunion special.

In October 2009, the episode "The Bare Midriff", in which David's character inadvertently splatters urine on a picture of Jesus causing a woman to believe the picture had miraculously shed a tear, was the focus of some criticism when Fox News reported that Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, criticized it. HBO responded to the criticism, stating, "The humor is always playful and certainly never malicious."^[28]

On Wednesday, June 2, 2010, the series premiered on the TV Guide Network, making its network television debut. TV Guide Network also produced a series of related discussions with high-profile guest stars, media pundits, and prominent social figures called "Curb: The Discussion" debating the moral implications depicted in each episode. David is quoted as saying "Finally, thanks to the TV Guide Network, I'll get a chance to watch actual, intelligent people discuss and debate the issues addressed on 'Curb'. Now if only someone could tell me where this alleged 'Network' is, I might even watch it." ^[29]

Other projects[link]

David has also been involved in other films and television series. David wrote and directed the 1998 film Sour Grapes, about two cousins who feud over a casino jackpot.^[22] It was neither a commercial nor a critical success.^[30][31] He has appeared in minor parts in two Woody Allen films – Radio Days and New York Stories^[32] – more recently taking the leading role in Allen's New York-based comedy film Whatever Works.^[33] Because his daughters are Hannah Montana fans, David, along with his daughters, guest-starred, as themselves, in the episode "My Best Friend's Boyfriend," in which they were waiting for a table at a fancy restaurant.^[22] David had a cameo appearance on the HBO series Entourage as a client of Ari Gold, and also appeared as a panelist on the NBC series The Marriage Ref.

During the 2008 U.S Presidential Election, David supported and actively campaigned for Barack Obama.

In December 2010, David penned an op-ed piece for The New York Times, a sardonic critique of the extension of Bush-era tax cuts headlined "Thanks for the Tax Cut!" ^[34][35]

On May 3, 2011, it was reported that he had signed on to play Sister Mary-Mengele in The Three Stooges film, released in 2012.^[36][37]

Personal life[link]

David married Laurie Lennard on March 31, 1993. They have two daughters, and lived in Pacific Palisades, California.^[38] Both Davids became contributing bloggers at The Huffington Post in May 2005.^[39][40] On June 5, 2007, the couple announced their intention to amicably separate.^[41] Laurie David filed for divorce on July 13, 2007, citing irreconcilable differences and seeking joint custody of the couple's two daughters.^[42]

The results of a DNA test shown live on Lopez Tonight in 2009 revealed that 37% of David's ethnic lineage might be Native American.^[43] However, the test's accuracy is disputed by several genealogists.^[44]

Awards[link]

• Nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing - Comedy Series for various episodes of Seinfeld from 1991–1994.
• Won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing - Comedy Series for the Seinfeld episode, The Contest, in 1993.
• Shared a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for Seinfeld with co-creator, Jerry Seinfeld.
• Nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy for his role in Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2002, 2004, & 2005.
• Voted by fellow comedians and comedy insiders as number 23 of the greatest comedy stars ever in a poll to select The Comedian's Comedian.^[2]
• Nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Comedy Series for his role in Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2010.

Books About[link]

• The Larry David Story: A Parallel Universe Biography
• Hitchhiking with Larry David: A True Story From Martha's Vineyard
• Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good: Larry David and the Making of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm by Josh Levine (ECW Press, 2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Larry David

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Larry David

• Larry David at the Internet Movie Database
• Larry David at HBO
• Top 100 Shows at Entertainment Weekly
• LarryDavidFan.com Fansite
• Larry David at Emmys.com