Demetri Martin

Demetri Evan Martin (born May 25, 1973) is an American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer, and humorist. He is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, being a contributor on The Daily Show, and his Comedy Central show Important Things with Demetri Martin.

Early life

Martin was born on May 25, 1973 to a Greek American family in New York City, New York, the son of nutritionist Lillian and Greek Orthodox priest Dean C. Martin (now deceased). He grew up in Toms River, New Jersey, and has a younger brother named Spyro.

Martin graduated from Yale University in 1995. During his time there, he wrote a 224-word poem about alcoholism as a project for a fractal geometry class, which became a well known palindromic poem. He was also a member of the Anti-Gravity Society, whose members juggle objects on Sunday evenings on Yale's Old Campus.

Although Martin was accepted into Harvard Law School, he went to New York University School of Law after he received a full scholarship. Martin withdrew from law school before the start of his final year, opting to pursue comedy over finishing his Juris Doctor.

Phil Collins

Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO (born 30 January 1951), is an English singer, songwriter, musician, producer, actor and author. He is best known as the drummer and lead singer in the rock band Genesis and as a solo artist. Between 1983 and 1990, Collins scored three UK and seven US number-one singles in his solo career. When his work with Genesis, his work with other artists, as well as his solo career is totalled, Collins had more US top 40 singles than any other artist during the 1980s.

Born and raised in London, Collins played drums from the age of five and completed drama school training, which secured him various roles as a child actor. He then pursued a music career, joining Genesis in 1970 as their drummer and becoming lead singer in 1975 following the departure of Peter Gabriel. Collins began a solo career in the 1980s, initially inspired by his marital breakdown and love of soul music, releasing a series of successful albums, including Face Value (1981), No Jacket Required (1985) and ...But Seriously (1989). His most successful singles include "In the Air Tonight", "Against All Odds", "Sussudio" and "Another Day in Paradise", becoming "one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond". He also became known for a distinctive gated reverb drum sound on many of his recordings. After leaving Genesis in 1996, Collins pursued various solo projects before a return in 2006 for the Turn It On Again Tour. In 2011, he retired to focus on his family life, but continued to write songs. He announced his return to the music industry in 2015.

Hold It Against Me

"Hold It Against Me" is a song performed by American singer Britney Spears for her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale (2011). It was written and produced by Max Martin, Dr. Luke and Billboard, with additional writing by Bonnie McKee. Luke explained that he wanted "Hold It Against Me" to sound unlike his previous productions. The song was originally offered to Katy Perry, but Luke and Martin felt that it did not suit her. A demo version of the track by McKee was leaked on January 6, 2011, and the single became available for streaming on January 10, 2011. It was released the following day.

Musically, "Hold It Against Me" blends pulsating industrial and dance beats with elements of grime. The chorus has lilting synths that lift her vocals and contrast them with the hard beats. The song features a dubstep-influenced breakdown, in which Spears moans and blows kisses, and the song ends with a final chorus with elements of rave. The lyrics portray the singer seducing someone on the dancefloor, and the chorus revolves around pick-up lines. After the song was released, The Bellamy Brothers criticized it for being similar to their 1979 hit "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me". They were sued by Martin, Luke, McKee and Billboard for defamation and libel, but the case was dismissed after The Bellamy Brothers apologized. McKee stated in an interview that the title was inspired by a discussion she had with Katy Perry about the latter's body.

Against Me!

Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in Gainesville, Florida, United States, in 1997 by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. Since 2001, the band's lineup has also included guitarist James Bowman. After releasing three studio albums through independent record labels, Against Me! moved to Sire Records for 2007's New Wave, which reached no. 57 on the Billboard 200. Their fifth album, 2010's White Crosses, was their most successful, reaching no. 34. In 2011 the band launched their own record label, Total Treble Music, through which they plan to release future albums. In 2012 Grace publicly came out as transgender, beginning a transition to living as a woman and dropping her birth name. The band finished recording their sixth studio album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, during the summer of 2013, and released it on the twenty-first of January, 2014.

Biography

1997–2002: The Early Years

Britney Spears

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer and actress. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, she performed acting roles in stage productions and television shows as a child before signing with Jive Records in 1997. Spears's first and second studio albums, ...Baby One More Time (1999) and Oops!... I Did It Again (2000), became international successes, with the former becoming the best-selling album by a teenage solo artist. Title tracks "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again" broke international sales records. In 2001, Spears released her self-titled third studio album, Britney, and played the starring role in the film Crossroads (2002). She assumed creative control of her fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003), which yielded the worldwide success of the "Toxic" single.

In 2007, Spears's much-publicized personal issues sent her career into hiatus. Her fifth studio album, Blackout, was released later that year, and spawned hits such as "Gimme More" and "Piece of Me". Her erratic behavior and hospitalizations continued through the following year, at which point she was placed under a still ongoing conservatorship. Spears's sixth studio album, Circus (2008), included global chart-topping lead single "Womanizer". Its supporting tour The Circus Starring Britney Spears was one of the highest-grossing global concert tours in 2009.