Friday, April 8, 2011

Who is Richell Rene Wright?

Who is Richell Rene Wright? The entertainment and singing world knows her as Chely Wright, she is an American country music artist.Wright starting in 2010, became a gay rights activist. On the strength of her debut album in 1994, the Academy of Country Music (ACM) named her Top New Female Vocalist in 1995. Wright's first Top 40 country hit came in 1997 with "Shut Up and Drive". Two years later, her fourth album yielded her first number one single, the title track, "Single White Female". Overall, Wright has released seven studio albums on various labels, and has charted more than fifteen singles on the country charts. As of May 2010, Wright's previous eight albums had sold over 1,000,000 copies in the United States.[1] In May 2010, Wright became the first major country music performer to publicly come out as gay. In television appearances and an autobiography, she cited among her reasons for publicizing her homosexuality a concern with bullying and hate crimes toward gays, particularly gay teenagers, and the damage to her life caused by "lying and hiding".
As a songwriter she has written songs that have been recorded by Brad Paisley, Richard Marx, Indigo Girls, Mindy Smith and Clay Walker, among them Walker's top ten hit, "I Can't Sleep" that she won a BMI Award for. On May 4, 2010, Wright released both her memoir of being a closeted lesbian, Like Me, and her first album of new songs since 2005, Lifted Off the Ground.

Early years

Wright was born October 25, 1970 in Kansas City, Missouri, Wright grew up in a musical family in Wellsville, Kansas, a very small town with a population under 2,000. As presented in her autobiography, Like Me, two major factors driving her approach to life were her calling to be a country music performer, which she resolved upon as early as age four, and her realization, as early as age eight, that she was gay. (In Like Me, Wright variously terms herself a "homosexual", a "lesbian", and a "gay woman".)

The summer before her senior year of high school, she worked as a performing musician at the Ozark Jubilee, a long running country music show in Branson, Missouri. In 1989, taking the advice of her grandfather, she auditioned and landed a position in a musical production at Opryland USA, a now defunct theme park in Nashville, Tennessee, starting the job straight out of high school. She would call Nashville home until 2008. For the next several years, she interned and attended writers' nights, while honing her singing and songwriting. She attained her first recording contract in 1993, when Harold Shedd signed her to Mercury/Polygram, and her first album was released in 1994 on the corporation's Polydor label.[6]

Recording career

As a commercial artist

After releasing two unsuccessful albums through Mercury/Polygram, Wright asked to be released from her contract and later signed with MCA Nashville. Here, she had her first top twenty country hit in 1997 with the song "Shut Up and Drive," off her third album, Let Me In, which was released by MCA Nashville. In 1999, her fourth album, Single White Female, brought her several hit songs and her first gold album certification.[7] In 2000, during a period of months when she was touring with fellow country artist Brad Paisley, Wright and Paisley cowrote a duet entitled, "Hard to Be a Husband, Hard to Be a Wife", which they performed in their joint shows. Later that year—on her 30th birthday—the two of them performed the song at a televised celebration of Grand Ole Opry's 75th anniversary (televised by CBS). The recording of that song's performance at the Opry was later nominated for Vocal Event Of The Year as part of the 35th Annual CMA Awards.[8] Additionally, Wright joined with Diamond Rio for a song on their One More Day album, as well as Paisley's Part II album, both of which were released in 2001.
Later in 2001, Wright released the first single from her fifth studio album, Never Love You Enough. The album was originally scheduled to be released on September 11, 2001 but due to the World Trade Center attack, the release date was postponed to September 25. Although Never Love You Enough debuted at #4 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, it did not match the success of Single White Female.
In these peak years of her popularity, Wright was promoted as a sex symbol by People magazine and FHM magazine. In 2001, People chose her for inclusion in its annual article, "50 Most Beautiful People".[9] In 2002, she was ranked #93 among FHM's "100 Sexiest Women of 2002".[10] and later that year was ranked #18 of "The 20 Hottest Women in Music 2002"[11]
She also cowrote Clay Walker's 2003 top 10 single "I Can't Sleep".[12]

As an independent artist



In 2003, Wright parted ways with MCA Nashville after "Never Love You Enough" failed to meet sales expectations. In January 2004, she signed with a new independent label, Vivaton, and began preparation for a new album.[13] Although a music video was released for a song entitled "The Back of the Bottom Drawer," the album never materialized. Wright announced she was splitting with Vivaton in June 2004.[14] Again without a label, she nevertheless released a single in late 2004, mostly through the Internet and various radio stations. The song, entitled "Bumper of My S.U.V.," was written by Wright in response to an altercation with an irate woman who noticed the United States Marine Corps bumper sticker on the back of Wright's car.
The success of "Bumper of My SUV", released on Wright's own Painted Red Music Group, was followed by the release of an EP, Everything. The record contained "Back of the Bottom Drawer" and "Bumper of My SUV" along with four demos. The album was made exclusively available through Wright's website (where she states she put out the album for her fans) and was later made available in many retail outlets such as Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy. The success of the EP led Wright to be signed with Dualtone Records.[15]
Wright's sixth album, The Metropolitan Hotel, was released in February 2005 on Dualtone Records. The CD included both "The Bumper of My S.U.V." and "Back of the Bottom Drawer," along with ten additional songs, most of which were written or cowritten by Wright. The album itself was produced in conjunction with her own company. Although not a "breakout" commercial hit, it debuted at #18 on Billboard's Top Country chart and it reached #7 on the Top Independent Albums chart). The fourth single released from The Metropolitan Hotel was "C'est La Vie (You Never Can Tell)", a retitled cover of Chuck Berry's song "You Never Can Tell".

Lifted Off the Ground

Wright signed to Vanguard Records in 2008. She released her seventh studio album, Lifted Off the Ground, on May 4, 2010. The album is produced by Grammy Award winner Rodney Crowell. All tracks on the album were written by Wright except for "Heavenly Days", cowritten with Crowell. The first single off the album is "Broken", which was released to radio in April 2010.
The first single "Broken" went to #1 on the Country Music Indie Charts the week of Aug. 6, 2010. The album also marks the debut for Wright on the Americana Music Charts where the album peaked at #32.

The second single will be a dance remix of the track Damn Liar. It was produced by Jared Kuemper aka youngjared. It was leaked on the internet on 3/24/11 and picked up by many of the top LGBT bloggers and web sites. The single will officially be released on 3/29/11.

Personal life

Despite her resolution against having sex with women, by her early 30s Wright had had sexual relationships with two women (as recounted in her autobiography). At age 19, for the first time a girl came on to her — "it was the first time I'd ever had a girl's body pressed against mine"[2]—and this initiation into sex (by a girl of the same age) became an affair that lasted the better part of a year. From 1993 to about 2004, Wright maintained a committed relationship with a woman she describes as "the love of my life", a woman she met shortly after winning her first recording contract. The era of their relationship overlaps Wright's rise to chart topping stardom. They maintained their union even though her partner subsequently got married to a man for many of those years and even though after the end of that marriage each woman briefly dated a man (not the same man). During their final five years they lived together. The relationship suffered numerous breakups followed by reconciliations, being as it was under continuous strain from several factors: the fact that both women were closeted,[16] the fact that, at least in the early part of their years together, "neither one of us thought it was acceptable to be in a gay relationship",[17] and Wright's prolonged absences while performing on tour nationally and internationally. Naturally, being closeted put immense strain on the relationship.
In the last months of 2000, Wright embarked on an affair with fellow country music singer Brad Paisley.[18][19][20] Even though Wright and her female lover had moved together into a brand new home earlier in the year, tension mounted between the two. Wright was touring together with Paisley, with whom she had co-written one song the previous year, and he had been enamored of her ever since. Although she felt no sexual attraction to Paisley, as to all men,[21][22] she recounts that because of the conflictual relationship with her lover, "well, I decided that if I was going to be unhappy and unfulfilled anyway, why not just try to be with a man".[23] Her actions were further fueled by the fact that she held him in high esteem and great affection in every way other than sexual attraction.[21][24] In her autobiography she expresses remorse for how she treated him.[25] She also addressed this point in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, stating, "I have a lot of regret for how that [relationship] began and had a middle and ended. I had no business being in a relationship with him".[26]
In the end, she abandoned the belief that being gay is immoral and deviant:
Between 2004 and 2006, Wright came out to members of her immediate family and to a few of her close friends. It was not until 2007 (as she stated on Oprah) that she decided to come out publicly. She spent the next three years writing her autobiography and orchestrating the coming out. Among the reasons she has given for wanting to come out to the public are to free herself from the burdens of living a lie, to lend support to gay children and teenagers, and to counter the belief that gays are wicked and defective. On May 3, 2010, People magazine reported that Wright had come out publicly.[28][29] Wright is the first major[19][20][30][31][32] country music artist to come out as gay (former country artist k.d. lang came out in 1992 but had abandoned the country music genre by then and Kristen Hall, formerly of Sugarland was already known as being out in the folk music genre[33][34]).
On April 6, 2011, Wright's publicist announced that the singer is engaged to LGBT rights advocate Lauren Blitzer. The couple plan to marry in Connecticut on August 20.[35]




Philanthropy

Wright is the founder of the charity, Reading, Writing, and Rhythm (RW&R), which is devoted to musical education in America's schools and helps supply musical instruments and equipment. It holds a fundraiser each June in Nashville, just before CMA Music Festival. In 2002 Wright received the MENC's "FAME Award" in honor of the accomplishments of RW&R.[36]
In 2010 Wright founded her second charity, The Like Me Organization.[37] Wright brought together friends, family, fans, and supporters of the LGBT community to build an organization to provide assistance, resources, and education to LGBT individuals and their family and friends. Wright will serve as spokesperson for the Like Me Organization, which will work to prevent LGBT bullying and teen suicide.

Miscellaneous recognitions



In 2001, Wright was given the "Stand Up For Music Award" MENC: The National Association for Music Education.[9]
In 2003, she was named "Woman of the Year" by the American Legion Auxiliary and "Kansan of the Year" for her career achievements, her charity work and her support of the U.S. armed forces.
In 2010, Wright was named the National Spokesperson for the organization GLSEN. Wright was named one of Out magazine's annual 100 People of the Year. Metro Source New York Magazine named her as one of the 20 people We Love in 2010.[citation needed]

As subject of a film documentary

A documentary film about Wright's extended preparation for coming out is scheduled to be released in 2011. It is titled Wish Me Away (sharing its title with one of the tracks on her 2010 album, Lifted of the Ground).[38] It was filmed over three years.

Discography

Main article: Chely Wright discography
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Extended plays
  • 2004: Everything (EP)
  • 2005: Live EP (Digital EP)
  • 2011: Damn Liar-The Dance Remix (EP)

Filmography

Wright made her acting debut in the Disney film, Max Keeble's Big Move. She plays Mrs. Styles, Max's homeroom teacher.[39]

Awards

Year Awards Award Outcome
[40]
1995 Academy of Country Music Top New Female Vocalist Won
1996 TNN/Music City News Awards Star of Tomorrow Nominated
Jukebox Awards Best New Artist Nominated
1999 Academy of Country Music Top Female Vocalist Nominated
Best Music Video — "Single White Female" Nominated
Country Music Television Female Video of the Year — "Single White Female" Nominated
Country Weekly Awards Fast Track Artist Nominated
Country Music Association Awards Horizon Award Nominated
2000 Horizon Award Nominated
2001 Country Weekly Awards Vocal Collaboration (with Brad Paisley) — "Hard to Be a Husband, Hard to Be a Wife" Nominated
MENC Stand Up for Music Award Won
Country Music Association Awards Vocal Event of the Year (with Brad Paisley) — "Hard to Be a Husband, Hard to Be a Wife" Nominated
2002 CMT Flameworthy Awards Video Fashion Plate — "Jezebel" Won
People Magazine 50 Most Beautiful People Won
International Bluegrass Music Association Recorded Event of the Year (with Ralph Stanley and various artists) — Clinch Mountain Sweethearts Won
MENC FAME Award Won
2005 Country Weekly Awards Star with Biggest Heart Nominated
Best Patriotic Song — "The Bumper of My SUV" Nominated
2006 Star with Biggest Heart Nominated
2010 Black Tie Dinner Media Award Won
OUTmusic Awards Vanguard Award Won
2011 Kansas Music Hall of Fame Inducted Won
GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Musical Artist Nominated
Lambda Literary Awards Best Biography-Like Me Nominated
The National Center for Lesbian Rights Voice and Visibility Award Won

 



 

 

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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Who are The Braxtons?

Who are the Braxtons? The entertainment world knows them as a R & B group consisting of Tony Braxton and her four sisters. The Braxtons were a 1990s R&B group, signed to Atlantic Records. The Braxtons originally started out in 1989. They first signed as a fivesome to Arista Records which consisted of Toni Braxton and her four sisters, Tamar, Trina, Towanda and Traci.

Career

In 1990, they released their first single, "Good Life". It would be their only single as a fivesome. "Good Life" was not a hit and The Braxtons were dropped from Arista Records, but Toni Braxton's lead vocals caught the attention of Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds who were in the process of forming LaFace Records and signed Toni as the label's first female solo artist.[1] The Braxtons broke up. In 1996, three out of the four remaining Braxtons, Trina, Tamar and Towanda reunited and released their album So Many Ways, including a cover of Diana Ross's hit "The Boss". The fourth remaining Braxton sister, Traci was not allowed to sign with the group due to her pregnancy at the time. The Braxtons officially disbanded for good after So Many Ways when Tamar Braxton also went solo.
Trina appeared in the 2004 Tyler Perry play Meet the Browns as Tracy Stevens. She was also part of the play called "Rise" written by Salt from Salt-n-Pepa and Christopher "Play" Martin from the rap group Kid 'n Play. Trina Braxton also appeared in "The Walk" with Eva Pigford and Vanessa Bell. Additionally, she co-starred in two independent films including "Jail Party" and was host for the unbroadcasted Urban Idol for UPN. Towanda appeared in season 2 of the reality show, Starting Over.

"Braxton Family Values"


In January, 2011, WE tv Network confirmed that it had signed Toni Braxton for a reality series, entitled "Braxton Family Values", which will be marketed as one of the network's flagship shows. To prepare for the networks heavily anticipated new show lineup, WE tv has also given the network a new logo and marketing tagline: WE tv, “Life As WE Know It.” The show, Braxton Family Values, series debuts April 12, 2011, and looks at the relationship between the singer/songwriter Braxton, her mom, and her four sisters; Trina, Tamar, Traci and Towanda— all aspiring singers themselves, along with the interpersonal relationships of each family member. The show will also look at Braxton's heavily publicized separation from estranged husband, singer Keri Lewis.[2]

Discography

Albums

Singles

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Who is Sacha Noam Baron Cohen?

Who is Sacha Noam Baron Cohen? The entertainment and acting world knows him as Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen  is a British comedian, actor, and writer. He is most widely known for his portrayal of three unorthodox fictional characters, Ali G, Borat, and Brüno. In his routines, Baron Cohen's characters interact with unsuspecting people who do not realize they are being set up for comic situations and self-revealing ridicule.



Baron Cohen's work has been recognised with several Emmy nominations, an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, a BAFTA award, and a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his work in the feature film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. After the release of the film Borat, Baron Cohen stated that because the public had become too familiar with the characters, he would retire Borat and Ali G. Similarly, after the release of Brüno, he has stated he would also retire the title character.[3]

 
Background

Family

Baron Cohen was born 13 October 1971 in Hammersmith, West London, England. His mother, Daniella (née Weiser), was born in Israel, while his father, Gerald, was originally from Pontypridd, Wales.[4][5] Baron Cohen is the middle of three sons,[6] with elder brother Erran and younger brother Amnon.[6] His family is Jewish.[7] His paternal grandfather was born in Pontypridd, Wales, and his maternal grandmother, who lives in Haifa, Israel, trained as a ballet dancer in Germany.[8][9][10][11] Baron Cohen's brother Erran is a composer and has worked on several of his films. Internationally renowned autism researcher Simon Baron-Cohen is his cousin.[12]

Education

Baron Cohen first attended St Columba's College Prep School, St Albans, Hertfordshire, before moving on to attend Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, a private school in Elstree, Hertfordshire, near London. He went on to the University of Cambridge, entering Christ's College, Cambridge, where he read history under Niall Ferguson and wrote his dissertation on Jewish involvement in the American Civil Rights movement, with emphasis on the 1964 murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner in Mississippi.
At the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, Baron Cohen acted in plays such as Fiddler on the Roof (in which he played Tevye) and Cyrano de Bergerac. While at Cambridge, he performed in Habonim Dror Jewish theatre performances.[13]

Career

Early roles

After leaving university, Baron Cohen worked for a time as a fashion model, appearing in many fashion magazines.[13] By the early 1990s, he was hosting a weekly programme on Windsor cable television's local broadcasts with Carol Kirkwood, who later became a BBC weather forecaster. In 1995, Channel 4 was planning a replacement for its series The Word, and disseminated an open call for new television presenters. Baron Cohen sent in a tape of himself in the character of Kristo, a fictional television reporter from Albania (who developed into the Kazakh Borat Sagdiyev), which caught the attention of a producer. Baron Cohen hosted Pump TV from 1995-1996. In 1996, he began presenting the youth chat programme F2F for Granada Talk TV. The late nineties saw Baron Cohen make his first feature film appearance in the British comedy The Jolly Boys' Last Stand, then in 2000 Baron Cohen played the part of Super Greg for a series of TV advertisements for Lee Jeans which never aired, yet the website for Super Greg created an internet sensation.[14] He also attended Ecole Philippe Gaulier, studying under Philippe Gaulier whom he credits with enabling him to find the play and pleasure to create characters such as Ali G and Borat.

Ali G character


Baron Cohen appeared during 2-minute sketches as his fashion reporter Brüno on The Paramount Comedy Channel during 1998. He shot to fame when his comic character Ali G, an uneducated, boorish junglist, started appearing on the British television show The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4, which first went to air 8 September 1998.
Da Ali G Show began in 2000, and won the BAFTA for Best Comedy in the following year. Also in 2000, Baron Cohen as Ali G appeared as the limousine driver in Madonna's 2000 video "Music", directed by Jonas Åkerlund, who was also responsible for directing the titles for Da Ali G Show.

In 2002, Ali G was the central character in the feature film Ali G Indahouse, in which he is elected to the British Parliament and foils a plot to bulldoze a community centre in his hometown, Staines. His television show was exported to the United States in 2003 (with new episodes set in America) for HBO.
Ali G's interviews with famous people (often politicians) gained notoriety partly because the subjects were not privy to the joke that Ali G, rather than being a real interviewer, was a comic character played by Baron Cohen. According to Rolling Stone magazine, Baron Cohen would always enter the interview area in character as Ali G, carrying equipment and appearing to be an insignificant crew member. He would arrive with a suited man, whom the interviewee naturally thought was the interviewer. Baron Cohen, as Ali G, would sit down to begin conducting the interview by asking the interviewee some preliminary questions. The interviewee, however, would remain under the impression that the smartly-dressed director would be conducting the interview until short notice prior to cameras rolling: this would grant an advantage of surprise, whereby the interviewee would be less likely to opt out of the Ali interview prior to its commencement.[15]
The resulting willingness of Baron Cohen's targets to answer his frequently risqué questions often created surprising conversations. Interviewees have included:
Baron Cohen is a supporter of Comic Relief, and (as Ali G) has hosted some interviews for benefit of the charity.[citation needed]

Borat character


Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, a feature film with "Borat" at the centre, was screened at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and released in the United Kingdom on 2 November 2006, in the United States on 3 November 2006 and Australia 23 November 2006. The film is about a journey across the United States in an ice cream van, in which the main character is obsessed with the idea of marrying Pamela Anderson. The film is a mockumentary which includes interviews with various American citizens that poke fun at American culture, as well as sexism, racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, jingoism and Baywatch.

It debuted at the #1 spot in the US, taking in an estimated $26.4 million in just 837 theatres averaging $31,600 per theatre, the fourth highest per-theatre average of all time for movies opening wide (500 screens or more), behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Spider-Man.
Baron Cohen won the 2007 Golden Globe in the "Best Actor - Musical or Comedy" category, his sixth such award. Although Borat was up for "Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy", the film lost to Dreamgirls. On 23 January 2007, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He shared his nomination with the film's co-writers, Ant Hines, Peter Baynham, Sy Mordecai Finesto, Dan Mazer, and Todd Phillips.
Aside from the comic elements of his characters, Baron Cohen's performances are interpreted by some as reflecting uncomfortable truths about his audience. He juxtaposes his own Jewish lineage with the anti-Semitism of his character Borat.[16]
In 2007, Baron Cohen published a travel guide as Borat, with dual titles: Borat: Touristic Guidings To Minor Nation of U.S. and A. and Borat: Touristic Guidings To Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.[17]
On 21 December 2007, Baron Cohen announced he was retiring the character of Borat.[18]

Brüno character

Another alter ego Sacha Baron Cohen performed as is 'Brüno', a flamboyantly gay allegedly-19-year-old Austrian fashion show presenter, who often lures his subjects, unwittingly, into making provocative statements and engaging in embarrassing behaviour, as well as leading them to contradict themselves, often in the same interview. Brüno asks the subjects to answer 'yes or no' questions with either "Vassup" (whats up), or "Ich don't think so" (No), or sometimes "Ach, ja!" (Ah yes!) or "Nicht, nicht" ("Nicht" means "not" in German). In one segment on Da Ali G Show he encouraged his guest to answer questions with either "Keep them in the ghetto" or "Train to Auschwitz". Brüno's main comedic satire pertains to the vacuity and inanity of the fashion and clubbing world. In May 2009, at the MTV Movie Awards, Baron Cohen appeared as 'Brüno' wearing a white angel costume, a white jock strap, white go-go boots and white wings, and did an aerial stunt where he dropped from a height (using wires) onto Eminem, Baron Cohen landed on his lap and his rear in Eminem's face, prompting Eminem to exit the venue with fellow rappers of D12 (Eminem later admitted to staging the stunt with Baron Cohen).[19]

Film

After an intense bidding war that included such Hollywood powerhouses as DreamWorks, Sony, and 20th Century Fox; Universal Pictures paid a reported $42.5 million for the rights to the movie.[20] A number of shill companies and Web sites were created in order to draw potential interviewees into interviews by creating an illusion of legitimacy.[21] The film was released in July 2009.

Future projects

It has been confirmed that Baron Cohen will star as Freddie Mercury of the rock band Queen in an upcoming film about the period in the band's history from 1971 leading up to the Live Aid concert in 1985.[22] It was Baron Cohen himself who contacted screenwriter Peter Morgan with the idea of portraying the flamboyant lead singer.[23] Baron Cohen will appear in Martin Scorsese's upcoming adventure film Hugo Cabret. His next film "The Dictator", will be a loose adaptation of the novel Zabibah and the King, written by Saddam Hussein. It will tell "the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed."[24] Borat and Bruno film director Larry Charles will direct the film.[25] On 21 January 2011 it was confirmed that Baron Cohen will play the part of Saddam Hussein.[26]

Controversies

Baron Cohen has encountered many controversies regarding some of his comic characters.
  • Two residents of Glod, the Romanian village in which the opening scenes of Borat were filmed, hired attorney Edward Fagan to sue the makers of Borat for $30 million. They alleged that the intent of the film was misrepresented to them, that the poorest members of their village were made to look like "savages", and that they were underpaid, particularly when their minute salaries were compared to the millions earned by the completed movie. During several segments, children were filmed with guns and other weapons and in another scene, an amputee who lost his arm was told to wear a rubber fist sex toy.[27] The lawsuit was dismissed in New York hearing on the grounds that the allegations were too vague to stand up in court.[28]
  • In an interview with former British MP Neil Hamilton in 2000, Ali G offered Hamilton what was allegedly cannabis, which Hamilton accepted and smoked, creating some minor controversy in the British media.[29]
  • At the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, Borat introduced Gnarls Barkley's performance of "Crazy", where he made a comment about Jessica Simpson, saying that he liked her mouth and that he could see it clearly through her denim pants. His appearance was cut from subsequent rebroadcasts.
  • Baron Cohen has had some troubles because of racist or prejudiced comments his characters have made (see Da Ali G Show). HBO spokesman Quentin Schaffer has replied to the criticisms: 'Through his alter-egos, he delivers an obvious satire that exposes people's ignorance and prejudice in much the same way All in the Family did years ago.'[30] Regarding his portrayal as the anti-Semitic Borat, Baron Cohen says the segments are a "dramatic demonstration of how racism feeds on dumb conformity, as much as rabid bigotry", rather than a display of racism by Baron Cohen himself.[31] "Borat essentially works as a tool. By himself being anti-Semitic, he lets people lower their guard and expose their own prejudice", Baron Cohen explains.[9] Addressing the same topic in an NPR interview with Robert Siegel, Baron Cohen says "...and I think that's quite an interesting thing with Borat, which is people really let down their guard with him because they're in a room with somebody who seems to have these outrageous opinions. They sometimes feel much more relaxed about letting their own outrageous, politically incorrect, prejudiced opinions come out."[32]
  • Baron Cohen, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, says he also wishes in particular to expose the role of indifference in that genocide. "When I was in university, there was this major historian of the Third Reich, Ian Kershaw, who said, 'The path to Auschwitz was paved with indifference.' I know it's not very funny being a comedian talking about the Holocaust, but it's an interesting idea that not everyone in Germany had to be a raving anti-Semite. They just had to be apathetic."[9] Regarding the enthusiastic response to his song, "Throw The Jew Down The Well", he says, "Did it reveal that they were anti-Semitic? Perhaps. But maybe it just revealed that they were indifferent to anti-Semitism."[9]
  • The government of Kazakhstan threatened Baron Cohen with legal action following the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards ceremony in Lisbon, and the authority in charge of the country's country-code top-level domain name removed the website that he had created for his character Borat (previously: http://www.borat.kz) for alleged violation of the law—specifically, registering for the domain under a false name. The New York Times, (among others), has reported that Baron Cohen, (in character as Borat), replied: "I'd like to state that I have no connection with Mr Cohen and fully support my government decision to sue this Jew".[33] He was, however, recently defended by Dariga Nazarbayeva, a politician and the daughter of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who stated 'We should not be afraid of humour and we shouldn't try to control everything, I think.'[34] The deputy foreign minister of Kazakhstan has recently invited Baron Cohen to visit the country, stating that he could learn that 'women drive cars, wine is made of grapes, and Jews are free to go to synagogues.'[35] After the worldwide success of the Borat film, the Kazakh government, including the president, altered their stance on Baron Cohen's parody, tacitly recognising the invaluable press the controversy created for their country.[36]
  • Baron Cohen encountered another problem around his Borat character. Two of the three University of South Carolina students who appear in Borat sued the filmmakers, alleging that they were duped into signing release forms while drunk, and that false promises were made that the footage was for a documentary that would never be screened in the USA. On 11 December 2006, a Los Angeles judge denied the pair a restraining order to remove them from the film.[37] The lawsuit was dismissed in February 2007.[38]
  • Baron Cohen walked onto the runway during the Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada fashion show in Milan on 26 September 2008. In the character of his latest alter-ego Brüno, he was wearing a costume made out of velcro. He appeared on the stage with a blanket and items of clothing stuck to his velcro suit. Lights were turned off while security intervened and escorted him off the stage, and the fashion show resumed normally shortly thereafter. Baron Cohen and his team allegedly accessed the fashion show using fake IDs.[39]
  • During an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman, Baron Cohen stated he was restricted from answering David Letterman's question as to how he managed to get an interview with Pat Buchanan while in character as Ali G due to pending "legal reasons".[40]
  • A lawsuit was filed on 30 April 2010 in the District of Columbia by Palestinian Christian Ayman Abu Aita of Beit Sahour, Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine against Sacha Baron Cohen related to his interview which was used in Brüno. Aita alleges that he has been defamed by false accusations that he is a terrorist. Aita included David Letterman in the suit based on comments made during the 7 July 2009, appearance by Baron Cohen on the Late Show With David Letterman.[41] On November 4, 2010 the DC Case was dismissed with Aita given 120 days to file in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York or have the case permanently dismissed (see DC Case Docket Sheet).
  • While introducing an award at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, Baron Cohen was lowered upside-down from the rafters dressed as an angel right into rapper Eminem's lap after an apparently staged problem with his wire harness. Baron Cohen had only a jockstrap on underneath and fully exposed his buttocks in Eminem's face. Eminem swore repeatedly, demanding that his friends, members of D12, each of whom were sitting next to Eminem, remove Baron Cohen, then left the auditorium.[42] Baron Cohen then announced the winner while still hanging from the wires above the stage. It was later revealed that Eminem and Baron Cohen had planned the gag together.[43]

TV, radio and magazine appearances

Baron Cohen guest-starred in the finale of the fifth season Curb Your Enthusiasm, with Dustin Hoffman as a guide to Heaven. He also provided the voice of the lemur king, King Julien, in DreamWorks' family movie Madagascar (2005) as well as its 2008 sequel, and appeared as Will Ferrell's arch rival the French Formula One speed demon Jean Girard in the 2006 hit Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. He also appeared alongside Johnny Depp in the 2007 film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as Signor Adolfo Pirelli.
Baron Cohen tends to avoid doing interviews out of character. However, in 2004, he did the talk show circuit appearing as himself on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Opie and Anthony Show, The Howard Stern Show,[44] and others in order to promote the upcoming season of his show on HBO. He was also interviewed on NPR's All Things Considered.[32] He also did an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, published in November 2006, that the magazine labelled as "his only interview as himself".[9] He also appeared in an interview out of character with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air on 4 January 2007.[45]
Baron Cohen has twice presented the MTV Europe Music Awards, first as Ali G on 8 November 2001, in Frankfurt, Germany, and then as Borat on 3 November 2005 in Lisbon, Portugal. Baron Cohen appeared out of character to accept an award at the British Comedy Awards in December 2006. He said at the time that Borat could not make it to the awards as "he's guest of honour at the Holocaust denial conference in Tehran",[46] referring to the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust.
Borat Director Larry Charles explains that Baron Cohen generally appears in character partly to "protect his weakness", by focusing public interest on his characters rather than himself.[47] His other reason, Newsweek claims, is that Baron Cohen is fiercely private: "...according to the UK press, his publicists denied not only that he attended a party for the London premiere of Borat, but also that a party even occurred."[47]
It was reported online that Baron Cohen might play Freddie Mercury in a biographical film,[48] but his publicist later declared that Baron Cohen would not do so.[49] However, on 16 September 2010, representatives for Cohen confirmed that he would indeed be playing the role in an as-of-yet untitled biopic about Mercury.[50][51]
Baron Cohen shot a spread with supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio for Marie Claire Magazine to promote the film Brüno.[52]
Sports Illustrated's 6 November 2006 issue contains a column called "Skater vs. Instigator", which illustrates various amusing "parallels" between Baron Cohen and figure skater Sasha Cohen, ranging from their mutually held personal significance of the number 4,[53] to their mutual romantic interests in redheads.
Baron Cohen featured on Australian talk show Rove as Brüno on 28 June 2009.
Baron Cohen featured in the Time 100 list for 2007.[54]
In 2010, Cohen guest-starred on The Simpsons in the episode "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" as Jakob, an angry Israeli tour guide.

Personal life

Baron Cohen married Australian actress Isla Fisher on 15 March 2010.[55] After three years of study, Fisher converted to Judaism in early 2007, saying "I will definitely have a Jewish wedding just to be with Sacha. I would do anything - move into any religion - to be united in marriage with him. We have a future together, and religion comes second to love as far as we are concerned."[56] She has received the approval of Baron Cohen's observant Jewish parents.[57] Baron Cohen and Fisher have two children: daughter Olive, born on 19 October 2007 in Los Angeles,[58] and a second daughter, Elula, born in the summer of 2010.[59]

Performer versus characters

Baron Cohen has often been confused with the identity of one of his characters. When he posed as Borat to host the MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon, the central Hungarian news wire agency MTI reported that the host was 'Borat Sagdiyev'.[60] As most Hungarian newspapers and television networks take MTI as their official source, the misinterpretation of the character spread rapidly in Hungary, with some sources (such as TV2) emphasising that a Kazakh news reporter hosted the awards, while others (such as Index.hu) noticed and pointed out the error.[61]

Israel and Judaism

Baron Cohen first acted in theatrical productions featuring the Socialist-Zionist youth movement Habonim Dror.[62]
He spent a year in Israel at Kibbutz Rosh HaNikra and Kibbutz Beit HaEmek as part of the Shnat Habonim Dror, as well as taking part in the programme Machon L'Madrichei Chutz La'Aretz for Jewish youth movement leaders.
According to Baron Cohen, "I wouldn't say that I am a religious Jew, but I'm still proud to be Jewish". However, he keeps kosher and attends synagogue about twice a year.[63]
Baron Cohen frequently speaks in Hebrew while playing the anti-Semitic character Borat. He also sang the lyrics from an old kibbutzim song (pretending that it was the Kazakh national anthem) in an episode of Da Ali G Show. In one of the deleted scenes of his movie, after being asked by the host-pastor to lead the table in a pre-meal prayer service, Baron Cohen, in his character role of Borat, sings a lengthy hymn (not Hebrew) that has clear similarities to the Mussaf prayer service of the Jewish High Holidays. He actually repeatedly sings two Polish phrases (slightly mispronounced) "Excuse me ma'am do you speak English?" and "Could you speak slowly please?"[64]

Awards and nominations
  • 1999 - Won British Comedy Award, Best Male Comedy Newcomer for The 11 O'Clock Show (1998)
  • 2000 - Nominated BAFTA TV Award, Best Entertainment Performance for The 11 O'Clock Show (1998)
  • 2000 - Nominated National Television Awards, UK, Most Popular Comedy Performer for Da Ali G Show (2000)
  • 2000 - Won TV Quick Award, TV Personality of the Year for Da Ali G Show (2000)
  • 2001 - Won BAFTA TV Award, Best Comedy (Programme or Series) for Da Ali G Show (2000) (shared)
  • 2001 - Won BAFTA TV Award, Best Comedy Performance for Da Ali G Show (2000)
  • 2003 - Nominated Emmy Award, Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Alternative) for Da Ali G Show (2003) (shared)
  • 2003 - Nominated Emmy Award, Outstanding Writing for Non-Fiction Programming for Da Ali G Show (2003) (shared)
  • 2004 - Nominated Golden Satellite Award, Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical for Da Ali G Show (2003)
  • 2005 - Nominated Emmy Award, Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series for Da Ali G Show (2003) (shared)
  • 2005 - Nominated Emmy Award, Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program for Da Ali G Show (2003) (shared)
  • 2006 - Won Ronnie Barker Award[65]
  • 2007 - Won MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss alongside Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights

Borat awards and nominations

  • 2006 - Won: Los Angeles Films Critics Association Award for Best Actor.
  • 2006 - Won: San Francisco Films Critics Circle Award for Best Actor.
  • 2006 - Winner: Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor.
  • 2006 - Won: Deutscher Comedypreis (German comedy award) for Best International Comedy.
  • 2007 - Won: Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical
  • 2007 - Nominated: Golden Globe for Best Picture Comedy/Musical.
  • 2007 - Nominated: London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year.
  • 2007 - Nominated: Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (shared).
  • 2007 - Nominated: Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (shared).
  • 2007 - Won: MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance and Nominated for Best Movie as well and Best Fight with Ken Davitian.
  • 2007 - Won: The Evening Standard British Film Awards: Peter Sellers award for Best Comedy.

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1995 Jack and Jeremy's Police 4 Execution victim TV Special
Pump TV TV Presenter, UK regional cable channel TV Special
1996 Punch Unnamed Short Film
1998 Live from the Lighthouse Ali G TV Special
1998–1999 The 11 O'Clock Show Ali G TV Series

Also Writer
2000 The Jolly Boys' Last Stand Vinnie
Da Ali G Show (UK) Ali G/Borat Sagdiyev/Brüno TV Series: 6 Episodes

Also Writer
2002 Ali G Indahouse Ali G/Borat Sagdiyev Also Executive Producer/Writer
2003 Spyz James Bond (Ali G) Short Film

Also Executive Producer/Writer
2003–2004 Da Ali G Show (US) Ali G/Borat Sagdiyev/Brüno TV Series: 12 Episodes

Also Executive Producer/Writer
2005 Curb Your Enthusiasm Larry's Guide #2 Season 5 Episode 10 "The End"
Madagascar King Julien Voice Only
2006 Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Jean Girard
Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Event for

Autism Education		 Borat Sagdiyev TV Special
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Borat Sagdiyev Also Producer/Writer
2007 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Signor Adolfo Pirelli
2008 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa King Julien Voice Only
2009 Brüno Brüno Also Producer/Writer
2010 The Simpsons Jakob Season 21 Episode 16 "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed"[66]

Voice Only
2011


 Hugo Cabret The Station Inspector Post-Production

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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Who is Diane Kiyomi Mizota?

Who is Diane Kiyomi Mizota? The entertainment and acting world knows her as Diane Mizota. Mizota is an American dancer, actress, and hostess.

Life and career

Mizota, a Japanese American, was born September 9, 1973 in Los Angeles, California and raised in Danville, California. Mizota studied dance in high school and in UCLA and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Communication Studies. Mizota played Katy in the MTV comedy/drama Undressed, guest starred on the soap opera Passions, and danced in Boys and Girls, Beautiful, and the ill-fated Monkeybone in 2001.
Mizota appeared in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) as Fook Mi, alongside Carrie Ann Inaba who played her twin sister Fook Yu. The two women are not related, but when Mizota had been cast for her role, she was asked if she knew any actresses who resembled her and suggested Inaba. Inaba, who had appeared briefly in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, was given the role and the two women were made up to appear as identical twins. Mizota and Inaba would later reprise their roles with Mike Myers in a commercial for Motorola.
In 2003, Mizota co-hosted the annual video game awards G-Phoria along with comedian Jamie Kennedy and Victor Lucas, host of the video game show, The Electric Playground. Mizota was a host for Discovery Kids' Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls on NBC and a video game countdown show, Filter on G4. Mizota's time on the G4 Network has given her a wide fanbase. However, on December 9, 2005, Mizota announced that G4 had canceled the series, and the last episode of Filter with Mizota as host aired on December 19, 2005. G4 brought back Filter in June 2006 with new host Beth Ostrosky, but the show has since been canceled again.
Also in 2005, Mizota took part in the reality show, Three Wishes starring Amy Grant and had a role in Rob Marshall's feature film, Memoirs of a Geisha.
Mizota hosted an online technology show for Revision3 called InDigital, but has since moved on. Mizota is the current spokeswoman for Time Warner Cable, under the name "Karen". In 2006, Mizota appeared in a Best Buy holidays commercial as a Best Buy employee, and in Toyota commercials as a customer looking at cars. In 2007, Mizota appeared in another Best Buy holiday commercial as a woman with a voyeuristic partner, and in a State Farm commercial, as a baseball game attendant. In 2009, Mizota appeared in a Volkswagen commercial as a dealership employee.
Diane currently co-hosts a Dancing With the Stars recap with Joey Lawrence on Yahoo.com, as part of the Yahoo! Buzz Session. She co-hosts the second season of the GSN series Bingo America with Richard Karn.[1] Diane is currently in the running to be VP of Pop Culture for Pop Chips. She needs every vote she can ge

Filmography

 

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