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Losolyn Laagan (Mongolian: Лосолын Лааган) was Head of state of Mongolia from April 27, 1930, to June 2, 1932. He was a member of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party.

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Stefano Langone
Background information
Also known as	Stefano
Born	(1989-02-27) February 27, 1989 (age 23) Bellevue, Washington, U.S.
Origin	Kent, Washington, U.S.
Genres	R&B, soul, pop
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	2011–present
Labels	19, Hollywood Records
Website	www.stefanomusic.com

Stefano Langone (born February 27, 1989) is an American singer from Kent, Washington. Langone placed seventh on the tenth season of American Idol.

Early life[link]

Langone was born on February 27, 1989 in Bellevue, Washington to Carrie and Ernie Langone.^[1] He is half Spanish and half Italian.^[2] His father works as a career advisor at The Art Institute of Seattle and is also a singer and musician.^[1][3] Langone has been singing and playing the piano since childhood. He attended Emerald Park Elementary School, Meridian Junior High, and Kentwood High School, as well as Bellevue College, where he was given a full ride scholarship.^[4] He performed with Bellevue College's 'Celebration!' vocal jazz ensemble while he was a student there.^[5]

On May 28, 2009, he was involved in a near-fatal accident after being hit by a drunk driver.^[6] The accident resulted in two broken arms, a fractured pelvis, and other serious injuries. In addition, Langone had to re-learn to walk and has extensive scarring as a result of the accident.^[7]

It has also been reported that Langone was once arrested on suspicion of DUI a year after the accident.^[8] He was later only charged with a lesser crime of first-degree negligent driving for which he pleaded guilty.^[9]

American Idol[link]

Langone auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol in San Francisco, California. He advanced to the Top 13 through a wild card selection by Jennifer Lopez. Langone was eliminated from the show on April 21, 2011, finishing in 7th place.

Performances/Results[link]

• ^Note 1 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Langone was among the Bottom 3, but declared safe second as Casey Abrams received the lowest amount of votes and was saved by the judges.
• ^Note 2 Due to the judges using their one save on Casey Abrams, the Top 11 remained intact for another week.
• ^Note 3 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Langone was among the Bottom 3, but declared safe second as Pia Toscano was eliminated.
• ^Note 4 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Langone was among the Bottom 3, but declared safe second as Paul McDonald was eliminated.

[edit] Post-Idol

Following his elimination, Langone appeared on several talk shows. He appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly on April 25, 2011, as well as The Today Show on April 26, 2011. In addition, Langone appeared on The Rachael Ray Show along with Paul McDonald and Pia Toscano on May 25, 2011.

The following summer, Langone toured with the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2011, which began in West Valley City, Utah on July 6, 2011 and ended in Manila, Philippines on September 21, 2011.

On September 24, 2011, Langone sang the National Anthem at the Western Hockey League game opener between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Portland Winterhawks. On September 26, 2011, Langone and James Durbin appeared on Dr. Drew's "Lifechangers" TV Talk show.

Langone is currently being co-managed by 19 Entertainment and Red Light Management.^[10] In January 2012, Langone announced that he has signed a record contract with Hollywood Records.^[11]

While recording his upcoming debut album, Langone has performed at several events. On October 15, 2011, Langone performed at Eva Longoria’s Charity Padres El Cáncer in Las Vegas.^[12] On November 24, 2011, Langone performed at the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade. Furthermore, Langone took part in the Hollywood Christmas Parade on November 27, 2011. On December 4, 2011, Langone performed at Trevor Live, an event benefiting The Trevor Project. Moreover, Langone performed the National Anthem at a San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers December 2011 game. On February 8, 2012, Langone performed in a Motown music tribute at Carnegie Hall.

On April 26, 2012, Langone returned to American Idol to perform his debut single, "I'm on a Roll".^[13] "I'm on a Roll" was released on iTunes on April 24. The track sold around 20,000 in its first week.^[14]

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Stefano Langone on American Idol

Jim Cramer
Born	James J. Cramer[1] (1955-02-10) February 10, 1955 (age 57)[2] Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Residence	Summit, New Jersey[3]
Alma mater	Harvard College (B.A.) Harvard Law School (J.D.)
Occupation	Television personality, author
Years active	1978–present
Known for	Hosting Mad Money Chairman of TheStreet.com, Inc., CNBC anchor, author
Spouse	Karen Backfisch-Olufsen

James "Jim" J. Cramer (born February 10, 1955) is an American television personality, a former hedge fund manager, and a best-selling author. Cramer is the host of CNBC's Mad Money and a co-founder and chairman of TheStreet.com, Inc.

Family[link]

Cramer married Karen Backfisch-Olufsen, a trader, in 1988,^{[citation needed]} and lives in Summit, New Jersey.^[4]

Early years[link]

Cramer was born to Jewish parents^[5] in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.^[6] One of his first jobs was selling ice cream at Veterans Stadium during Philadelphia Phillies games.^[7] Cramer went to Springfield Township High School in Montgomery County.^[8]

Biography[link]

Education and early career[link]

Cramer graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a B.A. in government.^[7]

He began his involvement with journalism in college, working for The Harvard Crimson, and rising to become its president. After graduation, Cramer worked in several entry-level reporting jobs. Dating back to March 1, 1978, Cramer worked for the Tallahassee Democrat in Tallahassee, Florida, where he covered the Ted Bundy murders. The then-executive editor, Richard Oppel, says "[Cramer] was like a driving ram. He was great at getting the story."^[9] He then worked as a journalist for The Los Angeles Herald Examiner. Around this time, his apartment was robbed and he was left with nothing more than his car and the things in it; he lived out of his car for about nine months.^{[citation needed]} He also worked for Governor Jerry Brown.^[6]

Cramer was one of the first reporters at American Lawyer.^[10] Cramer later earned a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.^[7] During his years at Harvard Law School, Cramer worked as a research assistant for Alan Dershowitz. He assisted Dershowitz's campaign to acquit alleged murderer Claus von Bülow despite the fact that Cramer admitted to himself that von Bülow was "supremely guilty".^[11] Cramer was admitted to the New York Bar in 1985, but his Bar status is currently listed as "suspended." ^[12]

Investing[link]

Cramer started investing in the stock market during his time at law school.^[6] Cramer began promoting his holdings by leaving stock picks on his answering machine, impressing The New Republic owner Martin Peretz, who gave him $500,000 to invest; Cramer earned Peretz $150,000 in two years.^[9]

His track record helped Cramer obtain employment in 1984 as a stock broker with Goldman Sachs' Private Wealth Management^[13] division. Cramer's success in this position led him to found his own hedge fund, Cramer & Co. (later Cramer, Berkowitz, & Co.), in 1987. The fund operated out of the offices of hedge fund pioneer Michael Steinhardt's Steinhardt, Fine, Berkowitz & Co., and early investors included Eliot Spitzer (a Harvard classmate, one of his oldest friends, and former Governor of New York who resigned),^[14] Brill, and Peretz.^[15]

During Cramer's tenure of the fund, from 1988–2000, he had one year of negative returns in 1998. The following year in 1999 the fund returned 47%, and in 2000 28%, beating the S&P 500 by 38 percentage points.^[9] Cramer retired from his hedge fund in 2001, finishing with a 24% average annual return over 14 years and having "routinely [taken] home $10 million a year and more."^[9] The fund was taken over by his former partner Jeff Berkowitz after Cramer's retirement. During that time, he was also an "editor at large" for Smart Money magazine, and was accused of unethically combining his investing and reporting activities when he bought more of stocks that he recommended just before the recommendation article came out, contributing to a $2 million personal gain.^[16] Today, Cramer is barred by CNBC from trading stocks with his personal funds although he makes picks and sells his recommendations.

In 1996, Cramer co-founded TheStreet.com, Inc. with The New Republic editor Martin Peretz, one of his hedge fund's original clients. Cramer is currently a market commentator and adviser to the TheStreet.com, and is its second largest shareholder.^[1] Cramer also manages a charitable trust stock portfolio which is tied to TheStreet.com through a paid subscription service called the Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio.^[9]

Cramer currently works on a new project as part of TheStreet.com called MainStreet.com.^{[citation needed]} An earlier project, TheRoad.com, was not successful.^{[citation needed]}

Cramer claimed to be worth $50 to $100 million in October 2005.^[9] In 2009, Cramer received earnings of $461,276 from TheStreet.com.^[1]

Television personality[link]

The cable television program Mad Money with Jim Cramer first aired on CNBC in 2005. According to CNBC's Web site in an article titled, "Mad Money Manifesto" by Jim Cramer, the show's mission statement and Cramer's job

"...is not to tell you what to think, but to teach you how to think about the market like a pro. This show is not about picking stocks. It's not about giving you tips that will make you money overnight – tips are for waiters. Our mission is educational, to teach you how to analyze stocks and the market through the prism of events."

To provide viewers with "the knowledge and the tools that will empower you to be a better investor," Mad Money features many segments, including: The Lightning Round, Game Plan, Execution Decision, Off the Charts, Sell Block, Market Marshmallows, Outrage of the Day, Mad Bull Disease, Am I Diversified, and Mad Mail.^[17]

After being a frequent guest commentator on CNBC in the late 1990s, Cramer co-hosted CNBC shows America Now and Kudlow & Cramer with Lawrence Kudlow in the early 2000s.

Cramer hosted a one-hour radio show, Jim Cramer's Real Money, until December 2006. "Take the money and run" by the Steve Miller Band was the opening intro to each of his radio shows. The show was similar to his Mad Money TV show. He also guest-hosted in the slot caused by the cancellation of Imus in the Morning (MSNBC and WFAN/Westwood One) in May 2007.

On November 13, 2005, Dan Rather did a sit-down interview with Cramer on 60 Minutes. Among the topics of discussion were Cramer's past at his hedge fund; for example, his violent temper, and what finally led him to come to his senses and "calm down."^{[citation needed]} Footage of Cramer at his family home with his daughters and wife was also included.^{[citation needed]} On November 15, 2005, Cramer mentioned on his program that he received hundreds of e-mails after his 60 Minutes interview. This report was taped before Cramer's radio show, Smart Money with Jim Cramer moved to WOR and became syndicated under the CBS Radio banner.

In 2005, Cramer appeared as himself in two episodes of the television series Arrested Development. He appeared to first announce that he had upgraded Bluth Company stock to a "Don't Buy" from a "Triple Sell", and then to say that the stock was not a "Don't Buy" anymore, but a "Risky".

Cramer has also made appearances on NBC's Today, NBC Nightly News, Live with Regis and Kelly, ESPN Classic's Cheap Seats, NBC's Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live and NBC's The Apprentice (U.S. Season 7) called "The Celebrity Apprentice".

Cramer also appeared in the 2008 motion picture Iron Man spoofing Stark Industries on his show Mad Money.^[18] and appears in the movie Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.^[19] He also claims to have consulted for the original Wall Street movie by telling the filmmakers how he would get through to Gordon Gekko.^[20]

On March 12, 2009, Jon Stewart interviewed Cramer on The Daily Show^[21] and challenged Cramer's recommendations of Bear Stearns.

On November 3, 2009, Cramer appeared on the Martha Stewart Show to promote his new book,Getting Back to Even. While baking wholewheat bread, he stated that it is a great time to invest in real estate and that he has recently purchased the Debary Inn in Summit, NJ.^{[citation needed]}

Action Alerts charitable trust[link]

In the timeframe of 2002 until May 2009 the performance of Cramer's charitable trust "Action Alerts PLUS" outpaced the S&P 500 and the Russell 2000; while the charitable trust accumulated a return of 31.75%, the S&P 500 had a return of 18.75% and the Russell 2000 has a return of 22.51%. On an annual basis, the trust outperformed the S&P 500 by 7.35% and the Russell 2000 Index by 3.33%. Paul Bolster explains that Cramer beats the market in part because of the excess risk in his picks. “If we adjust for his market risk, we come up with an excess return that is essentially zero,” Bolster said, adding that “zero,” in this case, means his returns are roughly in line with the risk he’s taking on.^[22]

CNBC does not permit Cramer to buy or sell any security he has spoken about on CNBC for the trust for five days following the broadcast. Whenever Cramer is acting within his portfolio or important news about his stocks occur he sends out e-mails to his paying subscribers on TheStreet.com. Whenever mentioning a stock that he holds in his portfolio, he is required to disclose that he owns shares of such company on his CNBC show.^[23]

Selected controversies[link]

Fox News Channel lawsuit[link]

In 2000, Cramer settled a lawsuit with Fox News Channel in which Fox had claimed Cramer reneged on a deal to produce a show for them. Their conflict began when Fox complained that Cramer promoted TheStreet.com's stock on the air.^[24]

Market manipulation[link]

In March 2007, a December 2006 interview from TheStreet.com's "Wall Street Confidential" webcast stirred controversy after it appeared on YouTube.com.^[25] In the video, Cramer described activities used by hedge fund managers to manipulate stock prices – some of debatable legality and others illegal. He described how he could push stocks higher or lower with as little as $5 million in capital when he was running his hedge fund. Cramer said, "A lot of times when I was short at my hedge fund...When I was positioned short—meaning I needed it down—I would create a level of activity beforehand that could drive the futures." He also encouraged hedge funds to engage in this type of activity because it is "a very quick way to make money".^[26]

Cramer stated that everything he did was legal, but that illegal activity is common in the hedge fund industry as well. He also stated that some hedge fund managers spread false rumors to drive a stock down: "What's important when you are in that hedge-fund mode is to not do anything remotely truthful because the truth is so against your view, that it's important to create a new truth, to develop a fiction."^[26] Cramer described a variety of tactics that hedge fund managers use to affect a stock's price. Cramer said that one strategy to keep a stock price down is to spread false rumors to reporters he described as "the Pisanis of the world". The comment was a reference to CNBC correspondent Bob Pisani, who reports from the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. "You have to use these guys," said Cramer. He also discussed giving information to "the bozo reporter from The Wall Street Journal" to get an article published.^[27][28] Cramer said this practice, although illegal, is easy to do "because the SEC doesn't understand it."^[29] During the interview Cramer referred to himself as a "banking class hero."^[30]

SEC subpoena[link]

In February 2006, an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into allegations of collusion between short-sellers and a stock research firm led to the serving of subpoenas to TheStreet.com and Cramer, as well as journalists for Dow Jones and Marketwatch.com. The SEC then began to back away from the subpoenas, indicating it had no intention of enforcing them after lawyers for Dow Jones said they would not comply. SEC Chairman Christopher Cox rebuked the SEC's staff attorneys for filing subpoenas on two Dow Jones reporters without first consulting him or the other top commissioners. Cox issued a statement saying neither he nor any of the SEC's four other commissioners were aware of the subpoenas, which he called "highly unusual."^[31]

The allegations had been raised publicly and in a lawsuit against Gradient by Overstock.com chief executive Patrick M. Byrne. In May 2007, it was revealed that the SEC had subpoenaed Byrne in May 2006, in connection with an investigation of the company.^[32]

Market performance[link]

Cramer is the founder, former owner and former Senior Partner of Cramer Berkowitz, a hedge fund where Cramer reported a compounded annual "rate of return of 24% after all fees for 15 years" at Cramer Berkowitz. He retired from his hedge fund in 2001, where he finished with a self reported 36% return in 2001.^[33]

On August 3, 2007, Cramer made a plea for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to cut interest rates supposedly because of comments he was getting from investment banks, and their concern about adjustable-rate mortgage borrowers increasing loan rates.^[34]

On July 8, 2008, in an article on TheStreet.com entitled, "Look At The Facts"^[35] Cramer said, "The losses are increasing, the auction-rate preferreds are now biting, the mortgage implode-a-meter now measures how many home-builders are going under."

On "Hardball with Chris Matthews" for September 19, 2008, Cramer stated "It's not too late to be on the pom-pom...the sideline" in regards to home teaser loans.^[36] Cramer spoke again on the Today Show on October 6, 2008, suggesting to investors, "Whatever money you need for the next five years, please take it out of the stock market."^[37]

On September 22, 2008, Wall Street Journal best-selling author Eric Tyson, criticized Cramer's stock picks and his performance in general.^[38]

An August 20, 2007, article in Barrons stated that within the select time frame of the previous two years, "his picks haven't beaten the market. Over the past two years, viewers holding Cramer's stocks would be up 12% while the Dow rose 22% and the S&P 500 16%."^[39] CNBC disputed the magazine's findings.^[39] In a February 9, 2009, story, Barrons further reported that betting against Cramer's Buy recommendations using options in the short term could yield 25% in the initial month.^[40]

Cramer's responses to criticism[link]

The White House[link]

On March 2, 2009, Cramer drew the attention of some critics after his evaluation of President Obama’s spending plans and the administration’s handling of the banking crisis. Cramer’s name came up on March 3 during a White House press briefing after Cramer said that Obama was responsible for “the greatest wealth destruction I have seen by a president.”^[41] An offended White House shot back.^[42] Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, "If you turn on a certain program it's geared to a very small audience. I'm not entirely sure what he's pointing to make some of the statements." When pressed further by NBC's Tom Costello, Gibbs said, "You can go back and look at any number of statements he's made in the past about the economy and wonder where some of the backup for those are, too."

On March 5, 2009, Cramer responded to the White House.^[43] He said, "Huh? Backup? Look at the incredible decline in the stock market, in all indices, since the inauguration of the president, with the drop accelerating when the budget plan came to light because of the massive fear and indecision the document sowed: Raising taxes on the eve of what could be a second Great Depression, destroying the profits in health care companies, tinkering with the mortgage deduction at a time when U.S. house price depreciation is behind much of the world's morass and certainly the devastation affecting our banks, and pushing an aggressive cap and trade program that could raise the price of energy for millions of people."

Cramer questioned criticism he received which he explained makes him "uncomfortable being in the crosshairs of columnists and comedians I enjoy."^[44] Cramer asked, "So, why after toiling in the cable wilderness for four years with Mad Money am I the target of the wrath of the Obama clan, and the darling, albeit surely momentary, of the Obama-critics? After all, my criticism of Obama's handling of the economic crisis is a lot less pointed than my withering August 2007 'They Know Nothing' meltdown^[45] against Ben Bernanke^[46] and the previous administration's handling of the economic crisis."

Frank Rich[link]

Referring to March 8, 2009, charges leveled against Cramer by New York Times columnist Frank Rich, Cramer said that he does not understand how Obama and his staff plan to raise taxes, institute cap-and-trade limitations and rework the health-care system all during a recession.^[47] The article says: "It isn’t that Cramer disagrees with Obama’s vision for the country – he even agrees with taxing the rich – but now is not the time to put those plans into action. The president needs to solve our housing, employment and financial problems, and only then turn his attention to health care and changing the mortgage deduction."

Bear Stearns recommendation[link]

On the March 11, 2008, episode of Cramer's show Mad Money, a viewer named Peter submitted the question "Should I be worried about Bear Stearns in terms of liquidity and get my money out of there?" Cramer responded "No! No! No! Bear Stearns is not in trouble. If anything, they're more likely to be taken over. Don't move your money from Bear."^[48][49] On March 14, 2008, Bear Stearns stock fell 92% on news of a Fed bailout and $2/share takeover by JPMorgan.^[50] On March 17, 2008, Cramer claimed his statements were made in regards to the liquidity of Bear Stearns brokerage accounts as opposed to Bear Stearns common stock.^[51] Cramer stated he was not recommending the common stock but allaying concerns about the account holder's liquidity held in a Bear Stearns brokerage account. Cramer later wrote about the incident: "I did tell an emailer that his deposit in his account at Bear Stearns was safe, but through a clever sound bite, (Jon) Stewart, and subsequently (Frank) Rich—neither of whom have bothered to listen to the context of the pulled quote—pass off the notion of account safety as an out-and-out buy recommendation. The absurdity astounds me. If you called Mad Money and asked me about Citigroup, I would tell you that the common stock might be worthless, but I would never tell you to pull your money out of the bank because I was worried about its solvency. Your money is safe in Citi as I said it was in Bear. The fact that I was right rankles me even more."^[52]

Michael Lewis, a journalist for the U.K.-based Evening Standard news Web site, states that TheStreet.com listed Bear Stearns as a "Buy" at $62 per share on March 11, 2008, which was the same day as the caller's question and a day before the collapse of Bear Stearns.^[53] However, TheStreet.com^[54]--the web site quote that shows the ratings history for actual changes that Cramer makes—indicates that Cramer changed Bear Stearns rating to a "Sell" on February 5, 2008. On his March 12, 2009 appearance on the Daily Show, Cramer admitted he made mistakes on his Bear Stearns calls.^[55]

Jon Stewart[link]

On March 12, 2009, Cramer appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.^[56] Stewart reiterated earlier claims regarding the CNBC host's "silly and/or embarrassing and/or stupid financial observations."^[57] Moreover, he claimed CNBC shirked its journalistic duty by believing corporate lies, rather than being an investigative "powerful tool of illumination."^[58] For his part, Cramer disagreed with Stewart on a few points, but acknowledged that he could have done a better job foreseeing the economic collapse: "We all should have seen it more." ^[59]

Stewart also discussed how short-selling was detrimental to the markets and investors. Cramer admitted to Stewart that short-selling was detrimental, stated his opposition to it, and claimed that he had never engaged in it, which contradicts earlier statements in which he described going short while managing a hedge fund. In a December 2006 interview from TheStreet.com's "Wall Street Confidential" webcast Cramer said, "A lot of times when I was short at my hedge fund...When I was positioned short—meaning I needed it down—I would create a level of activity beforehand that could drive the futures."^[26] He said, "I will say this: I am trying to expose this stuff, exactly what you guys do, and I've been trying to get the regulators to look at it."^[60] However, Stewart played several video clips from 2006 where Cramer discussed the spreading of false rumors to drive down stock prices and encouraged short-selling by hedge funds as a means to generate returns.^[61] At one point in a clip from December 22, 2006 he said, "I would encourage anyone in a hedge fund to do it." He called it a very quick way to make money and very satisfying. He continued, "By the way, no one else in the world would ever admit that, but I don't care, and again, I'm not gonna say it on TV." ^[59] Stewart responded, "I want the Jim Cramer on CNBC to protect me from that Jim Cramer."^[59] Cramer again admitted that he can do better, and that he should try to change. The interview ended when Stewart pointedly suggested: “Maybe we can remove the ‘financial expert’ and the ‘In Cramer We Trust’ and start getting back to fundamentals on the reporting, as well, and I can go back to making fart noises and funny faces.” Cramer responded: “I think we make that deal right here.”^[62]

Response to pundits[link]

"The pundits," Cramer explained on March 9, 2009, in a MainStreet article, "who haven't paid attention to anything I have been saying or writing for the past 18 months are all over me."^[63] Cramer said the pundits "won't engage in the merits of, say, favoring Tier 1 capital for the banks vs. common equity, or forbearing on the banks to work the situation out over time because the banks can be profitable if we have some patience. They just attack me."^[64] Cramer suggested, "It's time to get serious. It's time to take the issue from the pundits and from the left and right, and put it where it belongs: serious non-ideological debate to put out the real firestorm, the collapse of the economy from Wall Street to Main Street and the ensuing Great Wealth Destruction for all."

Bibliography[link]

• Jim Cramer's Getting Back to Even ISBN 978-1-4391-5801-2
• Jim Cramer's Stay Mad for Life: Get Rich, Stay Rich (Make Your Kids Even Richer) ISBN 978-1-4165-5885-9
• Jim Cramer's Mad Money: Watch TV, Get Rich ISBN 1-4165-3790-2
• Jim Cramer's Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World ISBN 0-7432-2489-2
• Confessions of a Street Addict ISBN 0-7432-2487-6
• You Got Screwed! Why Wall Street Tanked and How You Can Prosper ISBN 0-7432-4690-X

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Kurtz, Howard (2000). The Fortune Tellers: Inside Wall Street's Game of Money, Media, and Manipulation. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-86879-2. 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: James Cramer

Biographies[link]

• Jim Cramer biography on CNBC.com
• Jim Cramer biography on TheStreet.com
• Action Alerts PLUS on TheStreet.com

Notable Cramer sources[link]

• Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer Madcap Recap
• Mad Money TV show recapped Nightly Verbatim Recaps
• TheStreet.com, Cramer's investment website.
• Stockpickr Stock market social networking site.
• Articles written by Jim Cramer on MainStreet.com
• In the Money, continued, Balance Sheet, article about Cramer and other law alumni, from the online Harvard Law Bulletin
• Jim Cramer at the Internet Movie Database
• Betting on the Market – PBS Frontline interview with Jim Cramer
• Jim Cramer's Picks at Seeking Alpha
• To The Moon
• Maxim: Ask Jim Cramer, Maxim's interview with Cramer, and Top 2 Chinese Stocks Right Now
• Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2009 – Jim Cramer
• Jim Cramer on the Iraqi Dinar – on DinarProfits.com

Andrew Ross Sorkin
Sorkin at the 2009 Texas Book Festival
Born	(1977-02-19) February 19, 1977 (age 35) New York, New York
Occupation	Reporter and Columnist for The New York Times
Alma mater	Cornell University
Notable work(s)	Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System---and Themselves

Andrew Ross Sorkin (born February 19, 1977) is a Gerald Loeb Award-winning American journalist and author. He is a financial columnist for The New York Times and a co-anchor of CNBC's Squawk Box. He is also the founder and editor of DealBook, a financial news service published by The New York Times. He wrote the bestselling book Too Big to Fail (2009) and co-produced a movie adaptation of the book for HBO Films (2011).

Career[link]

Sorkin graduated from Scarsdale High School (1995) and earned a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University (1999). Sorkin first joined The New York Times as a student intern during his senior year in high school. He also worked for the paper while he was in college, publishing 71 articles before he graduated. He began by writing media and technology articles while assisting the advertising columnist, Stuart Elliott. Sorkin spent the summer of 1996 working for Business Week, before returning to The Times. He moved to London for part of 1998. While there, he wrote about European business and technology for The Times and then returned to Cornell to complete his studies. While at Cornell, Sorkin was a brother in Mu chapter of Sigma Pi fraternity.

Sorkin joined The Times full time in 1999 as the newspaper's European mergers and acquisitions reporter, based in London, and the following year became The Times' chief mergers and acquisitions reporter, based in New York, a position he still holds. In addition, Sorkin started his financial-news website and email newsletter, DealBook, which he continues to edit. He writes a column by the same name (since April 2004) in the Tuesday editions (initially in Sunday editions). Sorkin also holds the title of assistant editor of business and finance news.

News articles[link]

Sorkin has written, co-written or contributed to approximately 2000 articles for The Times, including more than 120 front-page articles and about 150 DealBook columns.

Sorkin has broken news of major mergers and acquisitions, including Chase's acquisition of J.P. Morgan and Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of Compaq. He also led The Times' coverage of the world's largest takeover ever, Vodafone's $183 billion hostile bid for Mannesmann. Additionally, he broke the news of I.B.M.'s sale of its PC business to Lenovo, Boston Scientific's $25 billion acquisition of Guidant and Symantec's $13 billion deal for Veritas Software, and reported on News Corp.'s acquisition of Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal.

Most recently, Sorkin has reported on the Wall Street financial crisis, including the collapse of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, and the government bailout of other major investment banks and AIG. He has also written about the troubled American auto industry.

DealBook[link]

In October 2001, Sorkin created DealBook, a financial news service about deal making and Wall Street, published by The New York Times.^[1] He started it as a daily e-mail newsletter that provided summaries of financial news stories from around the Web. It was one of the first financial news aggregation services on the Internet and the first time The Times had included links to competing publications. In March 2006, Sorkin introduced a companion Web site, with updated news and original analysis throughout the day. The newsletter has more than 200,000 subscribers. In 2007, DealBook won a Webby Award for Best Business Blog^[2] and it won a SABEW award for overall excellence.^[3] In 2008, the site won an EPpy Award for Best Business Blog.^[4] A Rolling Stone columnist criticized the site for being sponsored by the same entities it purports to cover objectively, including but not limited to Goldman Sachs.^[5][6]

Television[link]

In July 2011, Sorkin became a co-anchor on CNBC's Squawk Box in addition to his duties at The Times. Sorkin has appeared on NBC's Today show, Charlie Rose and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS, MSNBC's Hardball and Morning Joe, ABC's Good Morning America, The Chris Matthews Show, HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, the BBC World Service, Comedy Central's The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, and was a frequent guest host of CNBC's Squawk Box before joining the ensemble. Sorkin also hosted a weekly seven-part, half-hour PBS talk-show series called It's the Economy, NY, which focused on how the evolving economic crisis was affecting New Yorkers.^[7]

Too Big to Fail[link]

Sorkin's book on the Wall Street banking crisis, Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System -- and Themselves, was published by Viking October 20, 2009.^[8] It won the 2010 Gerald Loeb Award for best business book of the year, was on the shortlist for the 2010 Samuel Johnson Prize, shortlisted for the 2010 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award, and was on The New York Times Best Seller list (non-fiction hardcover and paperback) for six months. The book was adapted as a movie by HBO Films and premiered on HBO on May 23, 2011. The film was directed by Curtis Hanson and the screenplay was written by Peter Gould. The cast included William Hurt as Hank Paulson, the Treasury Secretary; Paul Giamatti as Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve; Billy Crudup as Timothy Geithner, the then president of the New York Federal Reserve; James Woods as Richard Fuld, the CEO of Lehman Brothers, Edward Asner as Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway; Cynthia Nixon as Michele Davis, assistant secretary for public affairs at Treasury; Bill Pullman as Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase; as well as Topher Grace as Jim Wilkinson (former U.S. government employee). Sorkin was a co-producer of the film and had a cameo appearance as a reporter.^[9]

Awards[link]

Sorkin won the Gerald Loeb Award, given for business journalism, in 2005 for breaking news, and in 2010 for his book Too Big to Fail^[10] He also won a Society of American Business Editors and Writers Award for breaking news in 2005 and again in 2006. In 2007, the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader.^[11] Also in 2007, SiliconAlleyInsider.com named Sorkin one of New York's "most influential scribes."^[12] In 2008, Vanity Fair magazine named Sorkin as one of 40 new members of the "Next Establishment."^[13] He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

He is also recognized as one of Scarsdale High School's Distinguished Alumni.

Notable columns[link]

Sorkin argued for a government-sponsored bankruptcy for General Motors in a November 17, 2008, Times column.^[14] Sorkin wrote: "At General Motors, as of 2007, the average worker was paid about $70 an hour, including health care and pension costs." MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann disputed that figure, featuring Sorkin in the show's "Worst Person in the World segment," stating that the figure was "mathematically and intellectually dishonest" because the cited wage includes health and benefit costs paid to retired workers and their surviving spouses, which are not paid to current workers.

Sorkin has also been criticized by the Times Public Editor twice. His November 17, 2008 DealBook column called for GM's chief executive to be fired. Times executive editor Bill Keller said that he had "stepped over the line" of the paper's standards, public editor Clark Hoyt reported on November 30, 2008.

"Subtlety and restraint are important in news columns," he told me. Business columnists must build a case through reporting that can lead a reader to a conclusion, Keller said. Op-ed columnists have "greater license to write from an ideological viewpoint and be prescriptive."^[15]

The column was one of Sorkin's most popular, and reflected popular opinion that eventually led to GM CEO Rick Wagoner resigning at the request of President Obama 5 months later.^[16]

Sorkin asserted in a column on April 13, 2010, that fellow New York Times columnist Paul Krugman and economist Nouriel Roubini had both "declared that we should follow the example of the Swedes by nationalizing the entire banking system." Krugman demanded an apology for misrepresenting his views stating, "I certainly never said anything like that." Sorkin responded by citing a passage from a Krugman article:

Why not just go ahead and nationalize? Remember, the longer we live with zombie banks, the harder it will be to end the economic crisis.

Hoyt later responded that Sorkin "over-simplified and got it wrong".^[17]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• New York Times articles by Andrew Ross Sorkin
• New York Times DealBook
• Andrew Ross Sorkin at the Internet Movie Database

Casey Abrams
Background information
Born	(1991-02-12) February 12, 1991 (age 21) Austin, Texas
Origin	Idyllwild, California, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, rock, blues
Occupations	Musician, singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, double bass, bass guitar, keyboard, guitar, piano, melodica, accordion, sitar, clarinet, drums, cello[1]
Years active	2011–present
Labels	19, Concord Records
Website	http://iamcaseyabrams.com/

Casey Abrams (born February 12, 1991) is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist from Idyllwild, California who finished in sixth place on the tenth season of American Idol. He was eliminated from the competition on April 28, 2011, five weeks after being the third finalist to be saved from elimination by the judges.

Early life[link]

Abrams was born on February 12, 1991 in Austin, Texas, to Pam Pierce and Ira Abrams.^[2][3] His father is Jewish and his mother is from a Catholic background, and Abrams grew up in an interfaith family.^[4] He spent his early years in the Chicago area, first in Evanston, Illinois, then in Wilmette, where he attended McKenzie Elementary School.^[5]

Abrams later moved to California and attended middle school and high school there. He was a student at Idyllwild Arts Academy in Idyllwild, California,^[6] where his father teaches film production.^[2] At Idyllwild Arts, he studied classical bass instruction and improvisation, and participted in the jazz ensembles, gaining a foundation in music history, piano, and jazz piano, and learning to write musical scores for films.^[7]

After graduating from Idyllwild in 2009, he attended University of Colorado at Boulder as a music major.^[8] He worked as a film camp counselor at Idyllwild Arts Summer Camp prior to his appearance on American Idol.

Abrams suffers from ulcerative colitis,^[9] an inflammatory disease which causes ulceration and inflammation of the colon, and that occasionally requires blood transfusions, which resulted in his having been hospitalized while on American Idol.^[10]

Abrams lists as his musical influences Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Oscar Peterson, and James Taylor, as well as Marshall Hawkins, head of the jazz department at Idyllwild Arts Academy.^[11]

[edit] American Idol

Overview[link]

Abrams auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol in Austin, Texas. He was selected as one of the Top 24 semi-finalists, but two days before he was due to perform for the semi-finals, he suffered severe stomach pains and was rushed to the hospital.^[12] He was well enough to perform on performance night, and was one of the five male vote receivers to advance to the Top 13;^[13] however, he missed the Top 13 results show due to his illness. He was the lowest vote receiver on the Top 11 result show, but was saved by the judges; they chose to save him immediately, stopping his supposedly last performance on the show halfway through it. He is the third finalist to be saved by the judges in three seasons.

Abrams was eliminated from the competition on April 28, 2011, finishing in sixth place. During his last performance he sang "I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, a song he had performed during the semifinals. During the performance he kissed audience members, rolled onto the stage, thanked the judges, and sang the last two words ("you're mine") to fellow contestant Haley Reinhart.

On May 25, 2011, Abrams sang "Fat Bottomed Girls" with Jack Black on the American Idol finale.

Performances and results[link]

• ^Note 1 Abrams received the lowest number of votes; however, the judges decided to use their one save of the season to allow him to remain in the competition, resulting in two eliminations the following week.
• ^Note 2 Due to the judges using their one save on Abrams, the Top 11 remained intact for another week.

[edit] Post-Idol

Abrams appeared and performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in April 2011, and Live with Regis and Kelly, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and MTV's The Seven in May of the same year. He was one of the performers in the 2011 American Idols Live Tour, which began in West Valley City, Utah in July 2011, and ended in Manila, Philippines in September 2011.^{[not in citation given][14]}

In August 2011, Abrams became a spokesman in a national campaign called IBD Icons to raise awareness of inflammatory bowel disease.^[15]

Abrams is managed by 19 Entertainment. Abrams and former American Idol Season 10 contestant Haley Reinhart recorded a holiday song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside", in November 2011^[16]—also released on video.^[17]

On January 8, 2012 Abrams signed with Concord Music Group.^[18] Abrams’ linking with Concord Music Group marks the second signing of a contestant from season ten to a non-Universal Music Group-owned label.^{[citation needed]} His first album is self-titled, Casey Abrams, and is scheduled for release on June 26, 2012.^[19]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Casey Abrams on American Idol