Who is Johnny Reid Edwards

Who is Johnny Reid Edwards? The world knows hims as John Edwards[1]. ) He is an American politician who served one term as U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination through the January primaries, until dropping out, and later endorsing Senator Barack Obama.
He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in North Carolina's 1998 Senate election and toward the end of his six-year term sought the Democratic presidential nomination in the 2004 presidential election.
He eventually became the 2004 Democratic candidate for vice-president, the running mate of presidential nominee Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. After Edwards and Kerry lost the election to incumbents President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, Edwards began working full-time at the One America Committee, a political action committee he established in 2001, and was appointed director of the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. He was also a consultant for Fortress Investment Group LLC.

Edwards was born June 10, 1953 to Wallace Reid Edwards and Catharine Juanita "Bobbie" Edwards (née Wade) in Seneca, South Carolina. The family moved several times during Edwards' childhood, eventually settling in Robbins, North Carolina, where his father worked as a textile mill floor worker, eventually promoted to supervisor; his mother had a roadside antique finishing business and then worked as a postal letter carrier when his father left his job.[2]
A football star in high school,[3] Edwards was the first person in his family to attend college. He attended Clemson University and transferred to North Carolina State University. Edwards graduated with high honors earning a bachelor's degree in textile technology in 1974, and later earned his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) with honors.


While at UNC, he met Elizabeth Anania, who is four years his senior. They married in 1977 and eventually had four children (Wade in 1979, Cate in 1982, Emma Claire in 1998, and Jack in 2000). Their son Wade was killed in a car accident when strong winds swept his Jeep off a North Carolina highway in 1996. Three weeks before his death, Wade Edwards was honored by First Lady Hillary Clinton at The White House as one of the 10 finalists in an essay contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Voice of America for an essay he wrote on entering the voting booth with his father.[4] Wade, accompanied by his parents and sister, went on to meet North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms, who entered Wade's essay and his obituary into the Congressional Record.[5] Edwards and his wife began the Wade Edwards Foundation in their son's memory; the purpose of the nonprofit organization is "to reward, encourage, and inspire young people in the pursuit of excellence." The Foundation funded the Wade Edwards Learning Lab at Wade's high school, Broughton High School in Raleigh, along with scholarship competitions and essay awards. [6]
On November 3, 2004, Elizabeth Edwards revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was treated via chemotherapy and radiotherapy,[7] and continued to work within the Democratic Party and her husband's One America Committee. On March 22, 2007, during his campaign for the 2008 Democratic nomination for the presidency, Edwards and his wife announced that her cancer had returned; she was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, with newly discovered metastases to the bone and possibly to her lung.[8][9] They said that the cancer was "no longer curable, but is completely treatable"[10] and that they planned to continue campaigning together with an occasional break when she requires treatment.[11][8]


After law school, Edwards clerked for a federal judge and in 1978 became an associate at the Nashville law firm of Dearborn & Ewing, doing primarily trial work, defending a Nashville bank and other corporate clients. The Edwards family returned to North Carolina in 1981, settling in the capital of Raleigh where he joined the firm of Tharrington, Smith & Hargrove.[12]
In 1984 Edwards was assigned to a medical malpractice lawsuit that had been perceived to be unwinnable; the firm had only accepted it as a favor to an attorney and state senator who did not want to keep it. Nevertheless, Edwards won a $3.7 million verdict on behalf of his client, who had suffered permanent brain and nerve damage after a doctor prescribed a drug overdose of the anti-alcoholism drug Antabuse during alcohol aversion therapy.[13] In other cases, Edwards sued the American Red Cross three times, alleging transmission of AIDS through tainted blood products, resulting in a confidential settlement each time, and defended a North Carolina newspaper against a libel charge.[12]
In 1985, Edwards represented a five-year-old child born with cerebral palsy whose doctor did not choose to perform an immediate Caesarean delivery when a fetal monitor showed she was in distress. Edwards won a $6.5 million verdict for his client, but five weeks later, the presiding judge sustained the verdict but overturned the award on grounds that it was "excessive" and that it appeared "to have been given under the influence of passion and prejudice," adding that in his opinion "the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict." He offered the plaintiffs $3.25 million, half of the jury's award, but the child's family appealed the case and received $4.25 million in a settlement.[12] Winning this case established the North Carolina precedent of physician and hospital liability for failing to determine if the patient understood the risks of a particular procedure.[13]

After this trial, Edwards gained national attention as a plaintiff's lawyer. He filed at least twenty similar lawsuits in the years following and achieved verdicts and settlements of more than $60 million for his clients. These successful lawsuits were followed by similar ones across the country. When asked about an increase in Caesarean deliveries nationwide, perhaps to avoid similar medical malpractice lawsuits, Edwards said, "The question is, would you rather have cases where that happens instead of having cases where you don't intervene and a child either becomes disabled for life or dies in utero?"[12]

In 1993, Edwards began his own firm in Raleigh (now named Kirby & Holt) with a friend, David Kirby. He became known as the top plaintiffs' attorney in North Carolina.[12] The biggest case of his legal career was a 1996 product liability lawsuit against Sta-Rite, the manufacturer of a defective pool drain cover. The case involved Valerie Lakey, a five-year-old girl[14] who was disemboweled by the suction power of the pool drain pump when she sat on an open pool drain whose protective cover other children at the pool had removed, after the swim club had failed to install the cover properly. Despite 12 prior suits with similar claims, Sta-Rite continued to make and sell drain covers lacking warnings. Sta-Rite protested that an additional warning would have made no difference because the pool owners already knew the importance of keeping the cover secured.
In his closing arguments, Edwards spoke to the jury for an hour and a half and referenced his son, Wade, who had been killed shortly before testimony began. Mark Dayton, editor of North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, would later call it "the most impressive legal performance I have ever seen."[15] The jury awarded the family $25 million, the largest personal injury award in North Carolina history. The company settled for the $25 million while the jury was deliberating additional punitive damages, rather than risk losing an appeal. For their part in this case, Edwards and law partner David Kirby earned the Association of Trial Lawyers of America's national award for public service.[13] The family said that they hired Edwards over other attorneys because he alone had offered to accept a smaller percentage as fee unless the award was unexpectedly high, while all of the other lawyers they spoke with said they required the full one-third fee. The size of the jury award was unprecedented, and Edwards did receive the standard one-third plus expenses fee typical of contingency cases. The family was so impressed with his intelligence and commitment[12] that they volunteered for his Senate campaign the next year.
After Edwards won a large verdict against a trucking company whose worker had been involved in a fatal accident, the North Carolina legislature passed a law prohibiting such awards unless the employee's actions had been specifically sanctioned by the company.[12]
In December 2003, during his first presidential campaign, Edwards (with John Auchard) published Four Trials, a biographical book focusing on cases from his legal career. According to this book, the success of the Sta-Rite case and his son's death (Edwards had hoped his son would eventually join him in private law practice) prompted Edwards to leave the legal profession and seek public office.


Edwards won election to the U.S. Senate in 1998 as a Democrat running against incumbent Republican Senator Lauch Faircloth. Despite originally being the underdog, Edwards beat Faircloth by 51.2% to 47.0% — a margin of some 83,000 votes.
During President Bill Clinton's 1999 impeachment trial in the Senate, Edwards was responsible for the deposition of witnesses Monica Lewinsky and fellow Democrat Vernon Jordan, Jr. During the 2000 presidential campaign, Edwards was on Democratic nominee Al Gore's vice presidential nominee short list (along with John Kerry and Joe Lieberman, Gore's eventual pick).[16]
In his time in the Senate, Edwards co-sponsored 203 bills.[17] Among them was Lieberman's 2002 Iraq War Resolution (S.J.Res.46), which he co-sponsored along with 15 other senators, but which did not go to a vote;[18] he voted for replacement resolution (H.J Res. 114) in the full Senate to authorize the use of military force against Iraq, which passed by a vote of 77 to 23,[19] saying on October 10, 2002 that "Almost no one disagrees with these basic facts: that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a menace; that he has weapons of mass destruction and that he is doing everything in his power to get nuclear weapons; that he has supported terrorists; that he is a grave threat to the region, to vital allies like Israel, and to the United States; and that he is thwarting the will of the international community and undermining the United Nations' credibility."[20] He defended his vote on an October 10, 2004 appearance on Meet the Press, saying "I would have voted for the resolution knowing what I know today, because it was the right thing to do to give the president the authority to confront Saddam Hussein...I think Saddam Hussein was a very serious threat. I stand by that, and that's why [John Kerry and I] stand behind our vote on the resolution".[21] However, he subsequently changed his mind about the war and apologized for that military authorization vote. Edwards also voted in favor of the Patriot Act.
Among other positions, Edwards was generally pro-choice and supported affirmative action and the death penalty. One of his first sponsored bills was the Fragile X Research Breakthrough Act of 1999.[22] He was also the first person to introduce comprehensive anti-spyware legislation with the Spyware Control and Privacy Protection Act.[23] He advocated rolling back the Bush administration's tax cuts and ending mandatory minimum sentencing for non-violent offenders.[24] Edwards generally supported expanding legal immigration to the United States while working with Mexico to provide better border security and stop illegal trafficking.[24][25]
Edwards served on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and U.S. Senate Committee on Judiciary, and was a member of the New Democrat Coalition.
Before the 2004 Senate election, Edwards announced his retirement from the Senate and supported Erskine Bowles, former White House Chief of Staff, as the successor to his seat; Bowles, however, was defeated by Republican Richard Burr in the election.


In 2000, Edwards unofficially began his presidential campaign when he began to seek speaking engagements in Iowa, the site of the nation's first party caucuses. On January 2, 2003, Edwards began fundraising without officially campaigning by forming an exploratory committee. On September 15, 2003, Edwards fulfilled a promise he made a year earlier as a guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to unofficially announce his intention to seek the 2004 Democratic Presidential nomination. The next morning, Edwards made the announcement officially from his hometown. He declined to run for reelection to the Senate in order to focus on his presidential run. Edwards' campaign was chaired by North Carolina Democratic activist Ed Turlington.
As Edwards had been building support essentially since his election to the Senate, he led the initial campaign fundraising, amassing over $7 million during the first quarter of 2003 – more than half of which came from individuals associated with the legal profession, particularly Edwards' fellow trial lawyers, their families, and employees.[26]
Edwards' "stump speech" spoke of two Americas, with one composed of the wealthy and privileged, and the other of the hard-working common man,[27] causing the media to often characterize Edwards as a populist.[28][29]
Edwards struggled to gain substantial support, but his poll numbers began to rise steadily weeks before the Iowa caucuses. Edwards had a surprising second place finish with the support of 32% of delegates, behind only John Kerry's 39% and ahead of former front-runner Howard Dean at 18%. One week later in the New Hampshire primary, Edwards finished in fourth place behind Kerry, Dean and Wesley Clark, with 12%. During the February 3 primaries, Edwards won the South Carolina primary,[30] lost to Clark in Oklahoma, and lost to Kerry in the other states. Edwards garnered the second largest number of second-place finishes, again falling behind Clark.[31]


Dean withdrew from the contest, leaving Edwards the only major challenger to Kerry. In the Wisconsin primary on February 17, Edwards finished second to Kerry with 34% of the vote.
Edwards largely avoided attacking Kerry until a February 29, 2004 debate in New York, where he characterized him as a "Washington insider" and mocked Kerry's plan to form a committee to examine trade agreements.
In the Super Tuesday primaries on March 2, Kerry finished well ahead in nine of the ten states voting, and Edwards' campaign ended. In Georgia, Edwards finished only slightly behind Kerry but, failing to win a single state, chose to withdraw from the race. He announced his official withdrawal at a Raleigh, North Carolina press conference on March 3. Edwards' withdrawal made major media outlets relatively early on the evening of Super Tuesday, at about 6:30 p.m. CST, before polls had closed in California and before caucuses in Minnesota had even begun. It is thought that the withdrawal influenced many people in Minnesota to vote for other candidates, which may partially account for the strong Minnesota finish of Dennis Kucinich.[original research?] Edwards did win the presidential straw poll conducted by the Independence Party of Minnesota.
After withdrawing from the race, he went on to win the April 17 Democratic caucuses in his home state of North Carolina,[32] making him the only Democratic candidate besides Kerry to win nominating contests in two states.

On July 6, 2004 Kerry announced that Edwards would be his running mate; the decision was widely hailed in public opinion polls and by Democratic leaders. Though many Democrats supported Edwards' nomination, others criticized the selection for Edwards' perceived lack of experience. The nomination caused the Chamber of Commerce network to throw its support to George W. Bush because of Edwards' opposition to tort reform.[33] In the vice presidential debate, Dick Cheney incorrectly told Edwards they had never met because of Edwards' frequent absences from the Senate. The media later found at least one videotape of Cheney and Edwards meeting.
Kerry's campaign advisor Bob Shrum later reported in Time magazine that Kerry said he wished he'd never picked Edwards, and the two have since stopped speaking to each other.[34] Edwards said in his concession speech, "You can be disappointed, but you cannot walk away. This fight has just begun."


The day after his concession speech, he announced his wife Elizabeth had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Edwards told interviewer Larry King that he doubted he would return to practice as a trial lawyer and showed no interest in succeeding Terry McAuliffe as the Democratic National Committee chairman.
In February 2005, Edwards headlined the "100 Club" Dinner, a major fundraiser for the New Hampshire Democratic Party. That same month, Edwards was appointed as director of the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for studying ways to move people out of poverty. That fall, Edwards toured ten major universities in order to promote "Opportunity Rocks!", a program aimed at getting youth involved to fight poverty.
On March 21, 2005, Edwards recorded his first podcast[35] with his wife. Several months later, in August, Edwards delivered an address to a potential key supporter in the Iowa caucus, the AFL-CIO in Waterloo, Iowa.
In the following month, Edwards sent an email to his supporters and announced that he opposed the nomination of Judge John G. Roberts to become Chief Justice of the United States. He was also opposed to the nomination of Justice Samuel Alito as an Associate Justice and Judge Charles Pickering's appointment to the Federal bench.
During the summer and fall of 2005, he visited homeless shelters and job training centers and spoke at events organized by ACORN, the NAACP and the SEIU. He spoke in favor of an expansion of the earned income tax credit, a crackdown on predatory lending, an increase in the capital gains tax rate, housing vouchers for racial minorities (to integrate upper-income neighborhoods), and a program modeled on the Works Progress Administration to rehabilitate the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina. In Greene County, North Carolina he unveiled the pilot program for College for Everyone, an educational measure he promised during his presidential campaign, in which prospective college students would receive a scholarship for their first year in exchange for ten hours of work a week. The College for Everyone program was cancelled in July 2008.[36]
Edwards was co-chair of a Council on Foreign Relations task force on United States-Russia relations alongside Republican Jack Kemp, a former congressman, Cabinet official and vice presidential nominee.[37] The task force issued its report in March 2006.[38] On July 12, the International Herald Tribune published a related op-ed by Edwards and Kemp.[39]
On April 6, 2006, Edwards joined Ted Kennedy at a rally for raising the minimum wage.[40]
In October 2005, Edwards joined the Wall Street investment firm Fortress Investment Group as a senior adviser, later working with them as a consultant.[41] Unknown to Edwards,[42] Fortress owned a major stake in Green Tree Servicing LLC, which rose to prominence in the 1990s selling subprime loans to mobile-home owners and now services subprime loans originated by others. Subprime loans allow buyers with poor credit histories to be funded, but they charge higher rates because of the risk, and sometimes carry hidden fees and increased charges over time.[42] In August 2007, The Wall Street Journal reported that a portion of the Edwards family's assets were invested in Fortress Investment Group, which had, in turn, invested a portion of its assets in subprime mortgage lenders, some of which had foreclosed on the homes of Hurricane Katrina victims.[43][44] Upon learning of Fortress' investments, Edwards divested funds and stated that he would try to help the affected families.[45] Edwards later helped set up an ACORN-administered "Louisiana Home Rescue Fund" seeded with $100,000, much of it from his pocket, to provide loans and grants to the families who were foreclosed on by Fortress-owned lenders.[46]

John Edwards campaigning in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Labor Day in 2007
On December 28, 2006, John Edwards officially announced his candidacy for President in the 2008 election from the yard of a home in New Orleans, Louisiana that was being rebuilt after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.[47][48] Edwards stated that his main goals were eliminating poverty, fighting global warming, providing universal health care, and withdrawing troops from Iraq.[49]
National polls had Edwards placing third among the Democratic field beginning in January 2007, behind Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama.[50] By July 2007, the Edwards campaign had raised a total of $23 million from nearly 100,000 donors, placing him behind Obama and Clinton in fundraising.[51]
Also in 2007, another defective pool drain-related accident similar to the one that disemboweled Valerie Lakey (see "Legal career" above) occurred in Minnesota. The victim was six-year old Abigail Taylor. Edwards pushed to have federal pool safety strengthened and played a part in the passage of the Virginia Baker Pool Safety Act.
On January 3, 2008, in the Iowa caucuses, the first contest of the nomination process, Edwards placed second with 29.75 percent of the vote to Obama (37.58 percent), with Clinton coming in third with 29.47 percent of the vote.[52] On January 8, Edwards placed a distant third in the New Hampshire Democratic primary with just less than 17% (48,818 votes). On January 26, Edwards again placed third in the primary in South Carolina, his birth state, which he carried in 2004, and he placed third in the non-binding January 29 vote in Florida.


Edwards promotes programs to eliminate poverty in the United States, including arguing in favor of creating one million housing vouchers over five years in order to place poor people in middle-class neighborhoods. Edwards has stated, "If we truly believe that we are all equal, then we should live together too."[60] He also supports "College for Everyone" initiatives.
Although Edwards initially supported the Iraq War, he later changed his position and in November 2005 wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post in which he said he regretted voting for the Iraq War Resolution, and discussed three solutions for success in the conflict.[61] He has denounced the "troop surge" in Iraq, is a proponent of withdrawal, and has urged Congress to withhold funding for the war without a withdrawal timetable.[62]
On social policy, Edwards supports abortion rights and has a universal health care plan that requires all Americans to purchase health care insurance,[63] "requires that everybody get preventive care,"[64] and requires employers to provide health care insurance or be taxed to fund public health care.[65] He supports a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants,[65] is opposed to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage,[66] and supports the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).[67]
He has endorsed efforts to slow down global warming[68] and was the first presidential candidate to make his campaign carbon neutral.[69]

In October 2007 The National Enquirer began a series of reports alleging an adulterous affair between Edwards and former campaign worker Rielle Hunter. By July 2008, several news media outlets speculated that Edwards' chances for the vice presidency may have been harmed by the allegations, which now included that he fathered a child with Hunter and had visited her and the baby girl at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. However, the story was not widely covered by the press for some time, until, after initially denying the allegations,[70][71][72][73] an outright admission was made by Edwards himself.[74][74]
In an August 8, 2008 statement,[75] and an interview with Bob Woodruff of ABC News, Edwards admitted the affair with Hunter in 2006 but denied being the father of her child. He acknowledged that he had been dishonest in denying the entire Enquirer story, admitting that some of it was true, but said that the affair ended long before the time of the child's conception. He further said he was willing to take a paternity test but Hunter responded that she would not be party to a DNA test "now or in the future."[76] A campaign aide, Andrew Young, claims that he, not Edwards, is the child's father.[77] NBC reported that Young may possibly be covering for Edwards.[78] more

Who is Sharon Rachel Osbourne

Who is Sharon Rachel Osbourne ? Mrs Osbourne is an English music manager and promoter, television personality and presenter. She was was born 9 October 1952.

She came into public prominence after appearing in The Osbournes, a reality television show that followed her family's daily life. Osbourne later became a judge on the talent shows The X Factor and America's Got Talent. Her autobiography, Extreme, has sold in excess of two million copies.

After the success of The Osbournes, hosting her own chat shows and securing advertising contracts, Osbourne was ranked as the 60th richest woman in Britain on the 2007 Sunday Times Rich List. Sharon and husband, Ozzy Osbourne, are currently ranked as the 724th richest people in Britain with an estimated joint wealth of £110 million. Sharon Osbourne previously revived Ozzy's metal career and she stands as the founder of Ozzfest.

Sharon met future husband Ozzy Osbourne at the age of 17 while working for her father, Don Arden, who managed Black Sabbath and was often accused of using violent tactics by his artists. When Ozzy was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, Sharon Osbourne took over his management from the Arden organization and then started to date Ozzy. Proving to be as hardworking and ruthless as her father, Osbourne coordinated the recruitment of a technically gifted backing band, these members were Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley, and Lee Kerslake for the recording of The Blizzard of Ozz and, by engaging proven songwriters, helped Ozzy launch what became a highly successful solo career. It was rumoured that Osbourne employed some of her father's tactics where one promoter was kneed in the groin after failing to produce due payments, and Osbourne single-handedly ruined a company's computer system after they sold illegal merchandise.

Sharon Osbourne (then Arden) met husband Ozzy Osbourne at the age of 17 while working for her father. When Ozzy was sacked from Black Sabbath by Sharon's father Don Arden, Sharon started to date him and took over his management. Ozzy and Sharon were married in Maui, Hawaii on 4 July 1982. Their marriage has not been without its trouble or violence. During the early stages of their marriage, they were both fueled by alcohol and drugs and Sharon Osbourne was once arrested for drunk-driving.

The couple used to physically fight regularly and according to Sharon Osbourne they would "beat the shit out of each other". She has described herself as "a beaten woman" when she was at the hands of husband Ozzy where he once knocked out her front teeth. She once retaliated by throwing a full bottle of scotch at his head. The most notorious incident arose in August 1989 when Ozzy was arrested for attempted murder after he had returned from a peace festival in Moscow and tried to strangle Sharon in a haze of alcohol and drugs. After the incident, he spent three months in rehabilitation as a result of his actions, after which time, Sharon Osbourne said she regained her strength in their relationship and did not press charges.

In 1999 Osbourne lost 100 pounds (45 kg) after lap-band surgery (Adjustable Gastric Band). Osbourne commented that being large was an essential part of her persona when she worked for her father and that being larger made a more dramatic entrance. On 26 October 2006, she went on the Howard Stern Show and revealed that she gained 15 pounds in the last year, and that she will be having her plastic band removed.

In July 2002 Osbourne was diagnosed with colon cancer. Later, she announced her cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and was more serious than originally thought. She survived the disease against a 33% survival prognosis. Despite battling cancer, she insisted that the MTV cameras document her illness during the filming of the second season of The Osbournes. When Osbourne's hair fell out during her subsequent treatment, her wigs were custom made by Cher's wigmaker. Ozzy Osbourne admitted that he "fell apart" during her treatment and recovery, and it was revealed that her son, Jack Osbourne, tried to commit suicide because of his depression stemming from his mother's condition.

A series of high selling albums and world tours followed through the 1980s, eventually making Ozzy one of the world's most popular metal acts. In 1996 she created the successful Ozzfest summer touring festival. It went on to become a prime rock occasion and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2006. In 2007, she took the decision to make Ozzfest tickets free, as she wanted everyone to have an equal opportunity to attend a concert. The tickets had previously reached prices of £76 ($150). Ozzfest grossed $20 million each year and is credited with launching the careers of Marilyn Manson, Limp Bizkit and Slipknot. Prior to the founding of Ozzfest, Osbourne approached Lollapalooza, another rock festival, to request that Ozzy play at that year's festival, only to be rejected and told that Ozzy was "uncool". It was then that she decided to launch her own festival.In light of Osbourne's success managing Ozzy, she branched out into managing other acts by creating Sharon Osbourne Management. The new company, with Osbourne as its sole employee, managed artists such as Coal Chamber, The Smashing Pumpkins, Motörhead, and Gary Moore. Osbourne also claimed to have worked briefly with Queen before being fired by Freddie Mercury. In the late 1990s Osbourne co-managed a band called Cube, with Cud guitarist Mike Dunphy. Cube were signed to Polydor Records but had limited success. Never one to mince words, in 2000 she made news by severing her relationship with The Smashing Pumpkins and then announcing in a statement: "...I must resign due to medical reasons... Billy Corgan was making me sick!" She has also turned down career guidance requests from Fred Durst, Guns N' Roses and Courtney Love.Osbourne gained celebrity status as one of the stars of MTV's reality show,

The Osbournes, which was known nationwide and followed her family's daily life. As the person who negotiated with MTV to screen the show, she is often credited with bringing about her husband's emergence from heavy metal icon into mainstream celebrity. The show began airing in early 2002, and when, in July 2002, Osbourne was diagnosed with cancer, she insisted that filming should continue. The final episode of the show aired in the US on 21 March 2005. MTV's British affiliate has been airing the show since 2003. The show brought MTV its highest ever ratings in both America and Britain.The Osbornes' Beverly Hills home (made famous on the show) has since been sold and the Osbournes have taken up residence in another home in Beverly Hills.

Her Beverly Hills home was later seen in The X Factor during series two. The show saw that Osbourne was responsible for the livelihood of 12 dogs and employs a dog walker named Cherie. From the mid 1990s until the end of The Osbournes in 2005, she was primarily based in Los Angeles with the rest of her family. Osbourne earned an estimated £11.5 million from The Osbournes. In 2003 Osbourne became the host of her own television talk show, The Sharon Osbourne Show, which was syndicated to various US channels and also shown in the UK on Sky One. The show was meant to be a reflection of her personality and home life – similar to her reality show but with the inclusion of guest interviews and performances. During the episodes, she conducted some of her interviews on a giant bed. However, it was never very successful in the ratings and critics panned her inability to perform the basic tasks required of a talk show host, such as reading cue cards and conducting interviews. The show was canceled in early 2004 after one season.

Osbourne was a judge and mentor on the UK reality TV talent show The X Factor every year, from 2004 through to 2007. In the first series she mentored the 16–24s and chose Roberta Howett, Cassie Compton and Tabby Callaghan to represent her in the live rounds of the show. The best placed of these was Tabby, who finished third overall. The final was contested between Simon Cowell's act Steve Brookstein and Louis Walsh's act G4, with Steve winning. Osbourne's outburst against Steve on the night of the final is widely credited with helping him to win, although according to her autobiography he was well ahead at all stages of the voting. In the second series she mentored the 25-and-overs, and selected Andy Abraham, Brenda Edwards, Chico Slimani and Maria Lawson to contest the final rounds. Andy Abraham finished in second place to Louis Walsh's act Shayne Ward. During this series, the judges were again required to bring the selected candidates to their homes. Osbourne chose her Beverly Hills home as a suitable location, which saw Osbourne inviting her neighbours and husband Ozzy Osbourne to attend live performances by the candidates. During Chico's performance, he jumped into her functioning fountain with a live microphone, and proceeded to splash water. Osbourne also appeared in the spin-off show The X Factor: Battle of the Stars. She was not required to choose her celebrity singing contestants but was selected to manage the 16–24s which were made up of Nikki Sanderson, Matt Stevens and Michelle Marsh. During the show, with Osbourne being a close friend of Victoria Beckham, she engaged in a feud with contestant Rebecca Loos, due to her recent claim of having an affair with David Beckham. Osbourne insulted Loos after one of her performances saying, "You should try doing tomorrow's performance with your knickers on because it will help warm up your voice. You have a very bad vibe that comes from you." After the incident, it took a lot of persuading to convince Loos to stay in the competition after being publicly humiliated. In series three of The X Factor in 2006, she was mentoring the 25-and-overs, and selected Ben Mills, Dionne Mitchell, Robert Allen and Kerry McGregor. Kerry and Dionne were voted out in a double elimination on 28 October, Robert was voted out on 18 November and Ben was voted out on 9 December, sending Osbourne out of the competition. During the filming of the third series, Osbourne lived at the Dorchester Hotel in central London.

Osbourne was criticised for her outbursts on the show, where before a live show in series three she reportedly spoke out against Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? presenter Chris Tarrant, who was in the show's audience prior to filming. Tarrant had made a joke about Ozzy Osbourne to which Sharon Osbourne took offence, but most of her outburst focused on criticising Tarrant's recent infidelity to his wife Ingrid from whom he was in the process of separating. It was rumoured that Simon Cowell, fellow judge and creator of the show, was displeased with her performance in series three, and was thinking of replacing her and Louis Walsh for the next series. However, it was confirmed that Osbourne had been contracted to return for the fourth series of the show.She then appeared in the fourth series as of 18 August 2007 along with judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and the new judge, Dannii Minogue. She mentored the girls category during the show and subsequently chose Alisha Bennett, Emily Nakanda and Kimberley Southwick to represent her in the live rounds of the competition. In the first week of the live finals on 20 October, two of Osbourne's acts were in the bottom two. Osbourne responded by saying "What I did was no good - and I think I'm going home now." and she refused to play a role in the decision about which act should be eliminated. Kimberley Southwick was then voted out by the other three judges, while Osbourne claimed that she was quitting the show.

However on The Paul O'Grady Show aired on 23 October 2007 Osbourne confirmed she would return on the next episode and stated that it is part of her personality to say things in the heat of the moment and not to contrive anything that she says. Two weeks into the live shows, a number of happy slapping videos of Emily Nakanda appeared in the media, apparently showing her beating another teenage girl. This led to Nakanda being withdrawn from The X Factor due to the media attention the videos brought. On 17 November Alisha Bennett was voted out of the competition, leaving Osbourne with no acts half way through the competition.On 6 June 2008 it was announced in a statement on behalf of Osbourne that she has decided to step down as an X Factor judge after four series on the show. The statement read "Sharon would like to thank the wonderful British public for their enormous support during what's been an exciting ride. She would also like to take this opportunity to thank Simon Cowell and ITV while wishing them all the best for the next series." A spokesman from ITV commented "She has been a tremendous judge and mentor on the programme, but we respect her wish to leave and wish her the very best." Osbourne was replaced by Cheryl Cole. In 2006, UK TV network ITV commissioned a new Sharon Osbourne chat show, initially to be called Mrs Osbourne Presents, but eventually just named The Sharon Osbourne Show. Osbourne signed a deal with ITV for a reputed £2 million.The show began on Tuesday 29 August 2006, and was scheduled to run for six weeks in the 5 pm weekday timeslot. The premiere episode proved a close competition as the show received 1.9 million viewers with 17% share – 400,000 viewers (and 3% share) ahead of Richard & Judy on Channel 4. Her second show attracted 2.1 million viewers. However, ratings appeared to decrease after Channel 4 moved its game show Deal Or No Deal, hosted by Noel Edmonds, into the timeslot, with Sharon managing 1.2m viewers compared to Deal Or No Deal's 2.9m.[28] Channel 4's The New Paul O'Grady Show returned on Monday 25 September 2006 with 2.3 million viewers compared to Osbourne's 1.6 million.

Osbourne joined the judging panel on the second series of America's Got Talent, along with Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff, replacing the singer Brandy.The season premiered in the United States on 5 June 2007. In her first episode, Osbourne came into a conflict with Piers Morgan when she felt he judged a child contestant too harshly. She threatened to leave the show in the middle of filming, saying "I didn’t sign up for this", but was talked out of it. The incident was shown on air.Osbourne then returned for the third season.

Sharon is currently hosting the second season of Rock of Love: Charm School with co-hosts Riki Rachtman and Daniella Clarke on VH1. Sharon had a physical altercation on 13 December 2008 with contestant Megan Hauserman on the reunion special for the show after Megan allegedly made rude statements about Sharon's husband, Ozzy. Hauserman filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department.On January 2003, Osbourne and the rest of her family hosted the 30th Annual American Music Awards. The night was marked with constant "bleeping" due to some of the lewd and raunchy remarks made by both Ozzy and Sharon. Additionally, the night was met with some controversy, as critics panned their hosting and presenter Patricia Heaton walked out midway in disgust. Sharon later joked about the incident on her talk show, saying that she and Ozzy were banned from ABC ever since. Osbourne has appeared as a guest star in an episode of the NBC comedy Will & Grace where she played a bartender in the spring episode "No Sex N' in the City" in 2004. In October 2004, Osbourne announced that she and husband Ozzy would be teaming up for yet another MTV show entitled Battle for Ozzfest, in which a group of unsigned bands battle it out for a spot on the 2005 Ozzfest tour. In January 2005 she was contracted to feature in a television advertising campaign for Wal-Mart's UK supermarket chain, ASDA and later in 2007, Osbourne became the new face of Galabingo when she was featured in television advertisements promoting the gambling website. She has co-hosted one of the Royal Variety Performances with Jonathan Ross. Osbourne appeared in Days of our Lives, It's a Boy Girl Thing and has also provided a voice for a character in Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties. On Friday 15 June 2007, Osbourne guest hosted The Friday Night Project with Justin Lee Collins and Alan Carr. Osbourne also made a cameo appearance on 23 June 2007 in an episode of the science fiction series Doctor Who. The episode "The Sound of Drums" saw her appearing in a spoof party political broadcast, which featured testimonials from British celebrities such as Osbourne and the band McFly showing their support for Mr Saxon to become Prime Minister.
more

Who is Megan Hauserman

Who is Megan Hauserman? She is an American model, and reality television star. She was born November 5, 1981 in Boca Raton, Florida. She graduated in 2000 from Olympic Heights Community High School in Boca Raton. In 2005, she graduated as an accounting major from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Megan is 5ft 11 inch.

In February of 2006, Hauserman was named the Playboy Cyber Girl of the Week.

Hauserman has continued modeling with Playboy, as a CyberGirl.



She was a winning contestant on the third season of Beauty and the Geek along with her partner Alan "Scooter" Zackheim.



Hauserman was also a contestant on the second season of Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. She was almost eliminated on the March 23, 2008 episode when Michaels picked Kristy Joe Muller. Kristy Joe decided to leave on her own, so Megan stated that she was "going to put all that behind her." Megan was eliminated in Episode 9 because Michaels never felt a real "connection" with her, leaving her in 5th place.



Hauserman was a contestant in I Love Money, a reality show where former contestants from Rock of Love, Flavor of Love, and I Love New York compete for a cash prize where she states that she wants to help "mentally challenged" dogs, and that she adopted a mentally challenged dog, a chihuahua named Lily[3] She finished the competition in third place after deciding to leave on her own accord, as she would have most likely been voted off by a jury of former contestants, all of whom she had a part in eliminating. Also, on the I Love Money: Meet the All Stars episode, Megan Hauserman is featured with fellow alum Cecille Gahr from Beauty and the Geek: Season Three.

Hauserman was a contestant in VH1's Rock of Love: Charm School, a reality show where former Rock of Love contestants compete for $100,000. The show premiered October 12, 2008 and is hosted by Sharon Osbourne. She was expelled in Episode 4 for kicking fellow contestant, and later winner, Brandi Mahon.

During the taping of reunion show, Hauserman and host Sharon Osbourne engaged in a physical altercation. The assault happened after Hauserman stated that Sharon was "only famous for managing and marrying a brain-dead Rockstar", referring to Ozzy. Hauserman checked into a hospital for minor injuries.


2008-Present
Hauserman is currently working as a Benchwarmer girl. more

Who is Peyton Williams Manning

Who is Peyton Williams Manning? Peyton is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). One of only four three-time NFL MVPs, he is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of all time.[1][2] He previously played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers. Manning was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998.[3] He is the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the older brother of current New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
Manning holds NFL records for consecutive seasons with over 4,000 yards passing and the most total seasons with 4,000 or more yards passing in a career.[4][5] Among active NFL QB's, Manning has the highest career passer rating with a rating of 94.7 and ranks second all-time. (Steve Young ranks first with 96.8.[6]) He is also the all-time career passing yards and passing touchdowns leader for the Colts franchise.[7]
Since the Colts drafted Manning in 1998, the team has the highest conversion rate on 3rd down (44.6%) and 4th down (61.1%) plays out of every team in the league. While leading the Colts all the way to their Super Bowl XLI victory in 2006, Manning and the Colts set a NFL record by converting 56.1% of their 3rd downs in the regular season.[8]
Manning is well-known for his pre-snap routine, as the Colts prefer to have him call plays at the line of scrimmage, accompanied with numerous hand gestures.[9]
Having become the NFL's most marketable player, Manning has appeared in numerous commercials, was featured on the covers of the NFL Fever games for the Xbox, and hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live.[10][11][12]

Manning was born March 24, 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana to Archie and Olivia Manning, the second of three boys. At Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, Manning was the team's principal starter for three seasons. He finished his high school career with 7,207 passing yards and 92 touchdowns. During that time, his team won all but five of 39 games.[13] In addition to football, Manning was the baseball team's starting shortstop and played basketball for two years.[14]
In his sophomore year, Manning's team went 8–2 in the regular season and made it to the state semifinals, equaling the school's best season.[15] The following year, they went 11–2 and advanced to the state quarterfinals, with Manning throwing 30 touchdown passes.[16] As a senior, his team won all ten of their regular season games. Manning passed for over 2,500 yards and 39 touchdowns and won the award for the national Gatorade Player of the Year.[17] Isidore Newman lost in the second round of the play-offs with Manning throwing for 395 yards and 3 touchdowns.[18]

Manning stunned many when he chose to attend the University of Tennessee instead of Ole Miss, his father's alma mater.[19] He became Tennessee's all-time leading passer with 11,201 yards and 89 touchdowns and won 39 of 45 games as a starter, breaking the Southeastern Conference (SEC) record for career wins.[20][21]
As a freshman, Manning was the third-string quarterback, but injuries to Todd Helton and Jerry Colquitt forced him to take over the Mississippi State game, a 24–21 loss. In his first start, the following week against Washington State, the Vols won, 10–9, and the Vols won all but one of their remaining games, finishing the season 8–4 with a 45–23 victory over Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl.[22][23][24]
Manning and the Vols started off the 1995 season with victories over East Carolina and Georgia, before heading off to Gainesville to play the Gators.[25] Against Florida, he threw for 326 yards and 2 touchdowns, leading the Vols to a 30–21 halftime lead. However, the Gators outscored the Vols 41–7 in the second half, winning 62–37.[26] This would be the Vols' only loss of the season, as they won their remaining 8 regular season games, including a 41–14 win over Alabama and then defeated Ohio State in the Citrus Bowl.[27][28] The Vols ended the season ranked third and Manning came in sixth in Heisman Trophy voting.[29]
The Vols opened the 1996 season ranked second behind Nebraska and one of the favorites to win the national championship.[30] However, after winning their first two games against UNLV and UCLA, the Vols again lost to Florida, 35–29, with Manning throwing four interceptions.[31] After winning their next four games, the Vols were upset by Memphis, despite Manning passing for 296 yards.[32] The Vols won the remainder of their games, including a 48–28 win in the Citrus Bowl over Northwestern, a game in which Manning passed for 408 yards and 4 touchdowns; he was named the game's MVP.[33][34]
Manning completed his degree in three years, and was projected to be the top overall pick in the NFL Draft, but returned to Tennessee for his senior year.[35] In his senior season, the Vols opened the season with victories against Texas Tech and UCLA, but for the third time in his career, Manning fell to Florida, 33–20.[36][37][38] The Vols won the rest of their regular season games, finishing 10–1, and advanced to the SEC Championship game against Auburn. Down 20–7, Manning led the Vols to a 30–29 victory. Throwing for 4 touchdowns, he was named the game's MVP, but injured himself in the process.[39][40] The 3rd-ranked Vols were matched-up with 2nd-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl; if Tennessee won and top-ranked Michigan lost to Washington State in the Rose Bowl, the Vols would win the national championship.[41] However, the Vols' defense could not stop Nebraska's rushing attack, giving up over 400 rushing yards in a 42–17 loss.[42] As a senior, Manning won numerous awards; he was a consensus first-team All-American, the Maxwell Award winner, the Davey O'Brien Award winner, the Johnny Unitas Award winner, and the Best College Player ESPY Award winner, among others; however, he did not win the Heisman, finishing runner-up to Charles Woodson.[43][44][45] In 2005, Tennessee retired Manning's number (#16).[46] One of the streets leading to Neyland Stadium has been re-named Peyton Manning Pass.

In 1996, while he was still quarterback at the University of Tennessee, Manning was involoved in an incident where he allegedly "dropped his pants in front of (female assistant athletic trainer) Jamie Ann Naughright". TheSmokingGun.com reports this incident as being a "mooning" gone awry and not sexual in nature.[47] In 2003, The University of Tennessee chose to settle the lawsuit with Naughright (then named Jamie Whited) for $300,000. When Manning signed with the Colts, he donated $300,000 to the Tennessee athletic department to cover this cost.[48]



Manning was selected first overall in the 1998 draft by the Indianapolis Colts.[3] In his rookie season, he passed for 3,739 yards with 26 touchdowns, set five different NFL rookie records, including most touchdown passes in a season, and was named to the NFL All-Rookie First Team.[49][50][51] Manning's first win came against fellow rookie quarterback Ryan Leaf, 17–12 over the Chargers.[52] Weeks later, Manning faced off against Steve Young; he threw three touchdowns, tying a Colts rookie record, but the 49ers kicked a late field goal to win, 34–31.[53] In November against the Jets, Manning threw for three touchdowns in a 24–23 win; he was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for this performance. It was the first game-winning drive of Manning's career, as he hit Marcus Pollard with the game-winning TD pass.[54][50] The Colts lost many close games, including five games in which they had led by double-digits at some point, and finished 3–13.[55]

The Colts opened the 1999 season with a 31–14 victory over Buffalo, but gave up a 28–7 lead the following week against the Patriots and lost.[56][57] After defeating San Diego 27–19 in a game in which Manning threw for over 400 yards, and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for they lost again, to Miami.[58][50][59] The Colts responded by winning 11 of their remaining 12 games, finishing 13–3 and the AFC East champions. The 10 game turnaround from the previous year set an NFL record.[60] As the second seed in the AFC, the Colts earned a first round bye, and faced Tennessee in the play-offs. The Colts lost 19–16 to the Super Bowl bound Titans and Manning was held without a touchdown.[61] Manning finished the year with 4,135 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns, and was named both Second Team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl, both firsts for him.[49][62] In the Pro Bowl, he passed for 270 yards with 2 touchdowns.[63]


The Colts started off the 2000 season inconsistent. Following an opening week victory against Kansas City, they blew a 21–0 lead against the Raiders.[64][65] The Colts responded with a Monday Night victory against Jacksonville, a 43–14 win in which Manning threw for 430 yards and 4 touchdowns; Manning was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for this performance.[66][50] The Colts won 4 of their next 5 games, including one against New England in which Manning posted the first perfect passer rating of his career, but then lost 4 of the 5 games following that. The Colts regained their momentum, winning their final 3 games, including a 31–10 win over Minnesota on Week 17. Manning threw for 4 touchdowns in the win and was again named AFC Offensive Player of the Week and the win gave the Colts a 10-6 record as well as a wild card spot in the play-offs.[67][50][68] In the wild card game, the Colts fell to the Dolphins, 23–17 in overtime. Manning passed for 194 yards and a touchdown in the loss.[69] He finished the season with 4,413 passing yards and 33 passing touchdowns and was named Second Team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl.[49] At the Pro Bowl, Manning threw two touchdown passes.[70][71]


During the 2001 season, Manning and the Colts introduced the league to their now-signature no-huddle offense, and used it to great effect in a Week 1 rout of the Jets, 45–24.[72] The next week, the Colts advanced to 2–0 with a win over Buffalo, behind Manning's 421 yards passing.[73] He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for this game.[50] However, the Colts lost the following week to New England, and continued their slide losing their following two games.[74] The Colts briefly rebounded, winning two games, but then lost seven of their last nine, finishing the season 6–10.[75] Despite the poor record, Manning finished the season with 4,131 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns.[49]


The Colts started off the 2002 season 4–1, before a 3 game losing streak sent them to 4–4. The Colts responded by winning all but two of their remaining games, including a 35–13 upset of the Eagles in which Manning had a perfect quarterback rating for the second time in his career, giving them a 10–6 record and a spot in the play-offs.[76] However, the Colts were pummeled by the Jets in the Wild Card game, 41–0, with Manning passing for only 137 yards.[77] He finished the year with 4,200 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl team.[49] In the Pro Bowl, Manning completed five of eleven passes for 100 yards and a touchdown.[78]


The 2003 Colts began the season 5–0, including a 55–21 blowout of the Saints in which Manning played his third perfect game, earning him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.[50] After an overtime loss to Carolina, the Colts won all but three of their remaining games, finishing 12–4.[79] In a Week 14 win against Atlanta, Manning threw for five touchdowns and was named player of the week a second time.[80][50] He also earned AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors for the month of October.[50] In the Wild Card playoff round Manning and the Colts defeated the Denver Broncos 41–10, his first playoff win. He passed for 377 yards and 5 touchdowns in the game, earning him a perfect passer rating, his second of the season and the fourth of his career.[81] After the game, Manning was awarded Player of the Week honors for the third time that season.[50] In the divisional playoffs, Manning led the Colts to a 38–31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.[82] In the AFC title game Manning was shut down by the New England Patriots defense and posted the third lowest passer rating of his career at 35.5. The Patriots defense intercepted Manning four times and sacked him another four, as the Colts lost the game 24–14.[83][84] During the season, Manning was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September and was named the AP NFL co-MVP along with Titans quarterback Steve McNair.[50][85] Manning also received the ESPY Award for Best NFL Player.[44] Manning led the league with 4,267 passing yards and threw 29 touchdowns; he was named First Team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl.[86][49] He passed for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Pro Bowl, a 55–52 loss.[87]


The 2004 Colts opened the season with a 27–24 loss to the Patriots, after Mike Vanderjagt missed a potentially game tying field goal in the closing seconds of the game.[88] The Colts won their next four games including a 45–31 win over Green Bay in which Manning threw 5 touchdowns, earning him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, but then lost their next two games, to Jacksonville and Kansas City, despite Manning throwing for 840 yards combined in the two games.[89][50][90][91] The Colts responded well, winning their next 8 games before losing their final regular season game to Denver, a game in which Manning played only one series.[92] During the month of November, Manning was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week twice; once for his 5 touchdown performance in a 49–14 blowout of Houston and once for his performance in a 41–9 win at Detroit in which he threw 6 touchdowns in less than three quarters.[93][94] Due to his performances in November, Manning earned AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors.[50] He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for a fourth time in the week 16 game against San Diego[50] where he led the Colts to a 34–31 victory after trailing by fifteen in the fourth quarter.[95]
During the season, Manning threw for 4,557 yards, had a record 121.1 quarterback rating and 49 touchdowns, which was also a record (since broken).,[49][96] He was selected as the 2004 NFL MVP drawing 49 of 50 votes, was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year and was named the Best NFL Player at the ESPY Awards for the second consecutive year; Manning also received the ESPY Award for Best Record-Breaking Performance for his 49 touchdown passes.[85][44] The Colts finished the season with a 12–4 record and their second straight AFC South title. They were the third seed in the AFC.[97] Three Colts receivers had 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns that season.
In the Wild Card game against Denver, Manning passed for 458 yards and 4 touchdowns.[98] However, the Colts' 2004 season ended in Foxborough for a second straight year with a 20–3 loss against New England, when Manning recorded a season-low passer rating of 69.3. It was Manning's seventh consecutive loss to the Patriots in Foxborough and the Colts' three points were their lowest single game point total since their opening game of the 2003 season.[99] Manning was named a Pro Bowl starter; in the Pro Bowl, he threw 3 touchdowns in a 38–27 victory and was named the game's MVP.[100] Manning was also a unanimous First Team All-Pro selection.[101]

In 2005, the Colts had a greatly improved defense over that of recent years. Combining this with their offense, they won their first 13 games, including a 40–21 rout of the two-time defending Super Bowl Champions, New England. This was Manning's first win against the Patriots in 8 attempts, and his 3 touchdowns passes earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.[102][50] By week 15, the Colts had a perfect 13–0 record, and had secured the AFC South and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Nevertheless, Tony Dungy made the decision to play all of his regular starters against the Chargers. However, the Colts played a sub-par game against the Chargers and fell short of the win; the score was 26–17.[103] Manning finished the season with 3,747 passing yards, the first time he had thrown for under 4,000 yards since his rookie season of 1998, largely due to the fact that Manning sat out much of the final two games with the top AFC seed clinched. His quarterback rating of 104.1 was the highest in the league for the season.[49]
In the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Steelers visited the RCA Dome for the second AFC divisional playoff game of the 2005 season. The Steelers gained a 14–3 lead by halftime. In the 4th quarter with only a few minutes left in the game, Manning threw what looked to be the game-ending interception to Troy Polamalu, but the interception was overturned (a call the NFL later admitted was incorrect).[104] The Colts went on to score, and were able to get the ball back down three points near the end of the game. On 4th down, Manning was sacked near his own goal line, and the game seemed to be over as the Steelers were one yard from a touchdown. On the next play, the ball was fumbled by Jerome Bettis and picked up by Colts defender Nick Harper who appeared to have a clear path down the sideline for what might have been the game-winning score. However, Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger managed to dive in front of Harper and tackle him by the leg, saving a touchdown. The Colts drove down the field to the Steelers 27 yard line, before Mike Vanderjagt missed a field goal as time ran out.[105]
Manning came in second in voting for the MVP award to Shaun Alexander ending his streak at two years.[106] He was named the 2005 winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and nominated for the FedEx Air Player of the Year Award, along with Tom Brady and Carson Palmer.[107] Manning was also named First Team All-Pro for the third consecutive year and named to the Pro Bowl squad; in the Pro Bowl, he threw one touchdown pass and three interceptions.[108][109]



Manning and the 2006 Colts visit President George W. Bush at the White House.
The Colts started the 2006 season 9–0, including victories against Houston and Washington in weeks 2 and 7 that earned Manning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, and a week 9 victory over New England.[110][111][50][112] Manning was also named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after a week 17 victory against Miami.[113] The Colts finished the season 12–4 and the AFC South Champions, and entered the play-offs as the number 3 seed.[114] Manning ended the regular season with 4,397 passing yards and a league-leading 31 touchdown passes. His quarterback rating (101.0) was the highest in the league for the third year in a row.[49]
Manning's Colts defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs by a score of 23–8, then won their game against the Baltimore Ravens, 15–6.[115][116] In the AFC Championship game, the Colts trailed 21–3 before coming back to defeat the Patriots for the title by a score of 38–34. Late in the fourth quarter, Manning led an 80 yard touchdown drive to take the lead and finished with 349 passing yards and two touchdowns. The comeback was the largest deficit ever overcome in a conference championship.[117]
Manning led the Colts to a 29–17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI and was voted the Super Bowl MVP.[118] Manning, who had been criticized for failing to win big games, exorcised his big-game demons with the win. "In years' past when our team's come up short, it's been disappointing," he told reporters. "Somehow we found a way to have learned from some of those losses and we've been a better team because of it."[119] For his role in the Colts' championship run, Manning was awarded the ESPY for Best Championship Performance.[120] Manning was again named to the Pro Bowl and was also named Second-Team All-Pro; in the Pro Bowl he played only two series, passing for 67 yards.[49][121][122] Following the Super Bowl win, Manning agreed to restructure his contract to save the Colts $8.2 million in salary cap space.[123]


Manning's Colts opened the NFL season with 7 wins, pitting them against an undefeated Patriots squad in a match-up that was being called "Super Bowl 41.5". Manning and Addai helped the Colts to a 13–7 half-time lead, and an early fourth quarter touchdown upped the lead to 20–10. However, Brady led the Patriots to two late touchdowns, to hand Manning his first loss of the season, 24–20. Manning finished the game with 225 yards passing, including a passing touchdown. He also had a rushing touchdown.[124]
Manning did not bounce back from the loss well. Against the San Diego Chargers he threw for a career-worst and franchise-record 6 interceptions. Despite this, he was able to rally the Colts from a 23–0 deficit to 23–21, and gave Adam Vinatieri an opportunity to take the lead with a 29-yard field goal. Vinatieri's miss sunk the Colts to 7–2. Along with six interceptions, Manning finished the day with two TDs, allowing him to pass Johnny Unitas's all-time touchdown mark.[125] Manning did not play particularly well against the Kansas City Chiefs either, throwing no touchdowns. However, he managed to lead the Colts on a late drive for a game-winning field goal, rushing for two yards on 4th and 1 in the process. Manning finished the game with 163 passing yards, allowing him to overtake 40,000 in his career.[126] The victory was Manning's 100th.[127] The Colts won their next 5 games, securing them with yet another AFC South title, as well as the AFC's number two seed in the play-offs.[128] In the final game of the season, Manning played only two series before being replaced with back-up Jim Sorgi; the Colts lost the game to the Titans, 16–10.[5] Manning finished the season with 4,040 passing yards, 31 touchdown passes, and a quarterback rating of 98.0.[49] In the divisional round of the playoffs, Manning and the Colts lost to the Chargers, 28–24. Manning helped the Colts to 4 different leads but could not lead a final touchdown drive for the win. Manning finished the game with 402 yards passing and 3 passing touchdowns.[129] Manning was named a Pro Bowl starter and passed for 147 yards and a touchdown in three series.[130]

On July 14, 2008, Manning had surgery to remove an infected bursa sac in his left knee.[131] Manning, who had worn a knee brace due to problems since he was in college, sat out all four preseason games and missed most of training camp.
In the first regular season game at new Lucas Oil Stadium, the Colts lost 29–13 to the Chicago Bears. The following week they fell behind 15–0 to the Minnesota Vikings in the 2nd half before rallying to win the game on Adam Vinatieri's 47 yard field goal. Manning passed for 311 yards as the Colts avoided their first 0–2 start since Manning's rookie season.[132]
Week 3 matched the Colts with division rival Jacksonville. Manning threw 2 interceptions in the game, including one that was returned for a TD by Rashean Mathis. Jacksonville rushed for 236 yards and held the ball for over 41 minutes. Still, trailing by 6 late in the game Manning led the Colts on a 77-yard TD drive to take a 21-20 lead. Jacksonville kicker Josh Scobee made a 51 yard field goal to win the game and drop the Colts to 1–2.[133]
For the third week in a row, Manning used the 4th quarter to bring the Colts back from a 27–10 deficit in the last 5 minutes against the Houston Texans to a 31–27 victory. It was the first time a NFL team had won a game in regulation after trailing by 17 points in the last 5 minutes.[134] Manning threw a 7 yard TD pass on 4th & 6 to rookie tight end Tom Santi to make the deficit 27–17. Houston QB Sage Rosenfels, starting for the injured Matt Schaub, then fumbled the ball on a scramble, and it was returned 68 yards for a TD by Gary Brackett. After another Rosenfels fumble, Manning threw the 5-yard game-winning TD pass to Reggie Wayne. The Colts scored 3 TDs in 2:10.[135] The game-winning drive was the 32nd of Manning's career, moving him past Johnny Unitas for most in club history.[136]
On October 12 Manning led the Colts to a 31–3 blow out win at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens to avoid their first 0–3 start at home since 1997. The win moved Manning past Terry Bradshaw on the all-time wins list with 108. Manning was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the 17th time in his career for his effort of 3 TD passes and 271 yards passing.[137] It was revealed during the game by CBS commentators Jim Nantz and Phil Simms that Manning had a second surgery on his knee before the season started. Colts coach Tony Dungy confirmed this report the day after the Baltimore game.[138]
The Colts suffered their largest margin of defeat, 34–14, in Green Bay the following week. Manning threw 2 interceptions that were returned for touchdowns (2nd time in career; 1st was 9/30/01 vs. New England Patriots).[139][140] The next week the Colts went into Tennessee on Monday Night Football to face the 6–0 Titans. They led 14–6 in the 3rd quarter, but Tennessee scored 25 unanswered for a 31–21 victory and almost assured the Colts they would not win the AFC South division title for the first time in 6 seasons.[141] At 3–4 the Colts opened up November with their annual showdown against the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football. The game lacked the luster the rivalry has carried, as there was no Tom Brady, no undefeated season on the line, and neither team was in 1st place of their division. Still, the game was close all the way. Tied at 15 in the 4th quarter, Manning set up Adam Vinatieri for a 52 yard field goal that proved to be the winning points in an 18–15 victory. Manning completed 21 of 29 passes for 254 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions.[142] The Colts were 4–4 halfway through the season and still alive in the AFC playoff race.
In week 10 the Colts traveled to Pittsburgh to take on the 6–2 Steelers who had the league's #1 defense. They trailed 17–7 in the 2nd quarter before Manning found Dallas Clark for a 2-yard TD to end the half 17–14. Down 20-17 in the 4th quarter, Manning found Dominic Rhodes uncovered for a 17 yard TD pass that would put the Colts up 24-20 for the rest of the game. It was Manning's 4th game-winning drive (35th of his career) in the 4th quarter this season. He completed 21 of 40 for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns (the 50th game of his career with 3+ TD passes). It was the first time the Colts have won in Pittsburgh since 1968 (12 straight losses before this win).[143] Against Houston, Manning passed for 320 yards and 2 TDs while leading 5 consecutive scoring drives in a 33-27 victory, the third in a row for the Colts.[144] Manning won AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the 2nd time this season (18th time, career)[145]
At San Diego, Manning completed 32 of 44 for 255 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT in a 23-20 victory. The interception snapped his streak of 140 pass attempts without an interception, the longest streak of his career. After the Chargers rallied from a 10 point deficit in the 4th to tie the game at 20, Manning led the game-winning drive by completing a 14 yard pass to Marvin Harrison on 4th and inches at midfield. Adam Vinateri kicked the winning 51 yard field goal three plays later. It was Manning's 5th game-winning drive in the 4th quarter this season. The win snapped a 3-game losing streak to the Chargers.[146] Manning passed for a season-low 125 yards at Cleveland, but the Colts won their 5th straight game, by a final of 10–6.[147]
In a 35-3 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, Manning threw 3 TD passes while completing 26 of 32 passes for 277 yards. It marked the 11th straight season Manning had thrown at least 20 TD passes, the 2nd longest streak ever.[148] Against the 0–13 Detroit Lions, the Colts found themselves in a 21–21 game in the 4th quarter. Manning led his 6th game-winning drive of the season and the Colts pulled away 31-21. It marked their 7th straight win, 7th straight season with 10+ wins, and they became the only team in NFL history to have a winning streak of at least 7 games in 5 straight seasons. Manning completed 28 of 37 passes for 318 yards and 1 TD.[149]
Needing a win to clinch the 5th seed in the playoffs, Manning had one of his best career performances in Jacksonville on Thursday Night Football. He completed his first 17 passes of the game. In addition to completing his last 6 against Detroit, Manning's 23 straight completions fell one shy of the NFL record (Donovan McNabb - 24). The Colts trailed 14-0 in the first half and 24-14 to start the 4th quarter. Manning led his 7th 4th quarter comeback of the season and the Colts put the game away with a defensive TD for a 31-24 victory to clinch a 7th consecutive playoff berth. Manning completed 29 of 34 passes (85.7%) for 364 yards and 3 TDs. It increased his NFL record streak of seasons with 25 TD passes to 11. Manning and the Colts tied a NFL record by winning 3 games in a season in which they trailed by at least 14 points.[150] For his efforts Manning won AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time in 2008. It was the 19th time he has won the award, passing Dan Marino for the most all-time since the award was originated in 1984.[151] With the playoff seed secured, Manning only played the opening drive against the Titans in Week 17. He completed all 7 of his passes for 95 yards and a TD, extending his NFL record to nine seasons with 4000 yards passing, and also extended the record to a sixth straight season he led the Colts to at least 12 wins.[152] At the end of the 2008 season, Manning was named NFL MVP for the 3rd time, tying Brett Favre for the most MVP awards in NFL history.

Manning married his wife Ashley in Memphis on St. Patrick's Day in 2001. Ashley was introduced to him by her parents' next-door neighbor the summer before Manning's freshman year in college.[154]
During the summer, Archie, Peyton, Eli, and Cooper run the Manning Passing Academy, a five day camp which aims to improve the offensive skills of quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs.[155] In addition to the Mannings, the camp has included many prominent players from football as coaches, such as Colts wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.[156]
Peyton, along with Archie, authored a book entitled Manning: A Father, His Sons, and a Football Legacy, which was released in 2000. The book covers Archie's and Cooper's lives and careers, and Peyton's life and career up to the time that the book was released, and examines football from both Archie's and Peyton's points-of-view.[157]

Manning in popular culture
“
That guy's pretty good. If you like...six-five, 230-pound quarterbacks with a...laser rocket arm...
”
—Peyton Manning, in disguise, referring to himself in an advertisement for Sprint
Manning has become the NFL's most marketable player, appearing in several television and printed advertisements for some of the NFL's biggest sponsors.[10] Manning is recognized as a pitchman for the following companies: Sprint, Sony, MasterCard, Gatorade, DirecTV, H.H. Gregg, and the American Red Cross. Manning also was the spokesman for Xbox's NFL Fever games, and was featured on the covers of the games.[11]
An ESPN This is SportsCenter ad from 2006 features the entire Manning family; parents Archie and Olivia, with their sons Peyton, Eli and Cooper, touring the SportCenter studios with Peyton and Eli engaging in horseplay behind everybody.
He was also featured in one of a series of DirecTV commercials where celebrities are seen in their element, then suddenly begin addressing the viewer. In his commercial they parodied his pre-snap audible routine and known delay in calling for the ball by having him pitch NFL Sunday Ticket instead of changing the play during a blowout game against the Tennessee Titans. Manning also appears in advertisements for St. Mary's Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Manning also hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guest Carrie Underwood on March 24, 2007, his 31st birthday. The episode earned the show's highest household rating in more than 10 months in the metered markets.[12] During his opening, he alluded to his most-marketable status by joking that he had accomplished two of his life goals: his team, the Colts, winning a Super Bowl and his appearance on over half of America's television commercials.[158] On May 27, 2007 Manning waved the green flag to begin the 91st Indianapolis 500.[159]. more