Who is Amy Meredith Poehler?

Who is Amy Meredith Poehler? Poehler is an American comedian and actress. She was a cast member and parody news anchor on the NBC television program Saturday Night Live from 2001 until shortly after the birth of her child in 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls alongside Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is also the first cast member in SNL history to be nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category at the Emmy Awards.

Poehler was born September 16, 1971 in Burlington, Massachusetts, the daughter of Eileen and Bill Poehler, both teachers.[1] A 1993 graduate of Boston College, Poehler was a member of America's oldest collegiate improv comedy troupe, My Mother's Fleabag. After graduating from college, Poehler moved to Chicago, where she studied improv at Second City alongside friend and future co-star Tina Fey. She also studied with Del Close at ImprovOlympic, going on to become part of the touring company as well as teaching classes at iO.


During her time at Second City, Poehler studied with Matt Besser, part of the Upright Citizens Brigade. While the group initially consisted of many members (including Horatio Sanz, Adam McKay, Rick Roman, and Neil Flynn), Poehler quickly became part of the group along with Matt Walsh. The two, along with Besser and Ian Roberts, performed sketch and improv around Chicago before moving to New York in 1996.

In 1998, Comedy Central debuted the group's self-titled, half-hour TV show. During the show's second season, the group opened an Improv theatre and training center in New York City at 161 W. 22nd Street, occupying the space of a former strip club. The UCB theatre held shows seven nights a week in addition to offering classes in sketch comedy writing and improv.
Comedy Central canceled the Upright Citizens Brigade program after its third season, though the UCB theatre continues to operate.

Poehler joined the cast of SNL during the 2001-2002 season, her first episode being the first one produced after the 9/11 attacks with host Reese Witherspoon, musical guest Alicia Keys, and Rudy Giuliani as a special guest. Poehler was promoted from featured player to full cast member in her first season on the show, making her only the third person to have ever earned this distinction (after Harry Shearer and Eddie Murphy).

Beginning with the 2004-05 season, she co-anchored "Weekend Update" with Tina Fey, replacing the newly departed Jimmy Fallon. In a TV Guide interview, Fey said that with Poehler co-anchoring, there now is "double the sexual tension." When Fey left after the 2005-06 season to devote time to the sitcom she created, 30 Rock, Seth Meyers joined Poehler at the anchor desk. Poehler was nominated for a 2008 Emmy as Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, the first SNL cast member recognized in this category. On September 13, 2008, the SNL season premiere opened with Fey and Poehler as Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton doing a "joint political campaign spot." Poehler plays Hillary Clinton as a highly accomplished, neurotic politician obsessed with becoming President of the United States.

It was officially announced on September 16, 2008 that Poehler would be leaving in October due to the birth of her child. On the October 25, 2008 episode, it was announced by Weekend Update co-anchor Seth Meyers, who anchored the segment alone, "Amy Poehler is not here because she is having a BABY!", to wild applause from the audience. At the end of Weekend Update, special guest Maya Rudolph and current cast member Kenan Thompson sang a custom rendition of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" for Poehler, changing the words: "We love you Amy, and we just can't wait to meet your baby!" Meyers signed off: "For Weekend Update I'm Seth Meyers - we love you Amy!"

Amy returned to the show on November 3, 2008 during the "SNL Presidential Bash 08," "hosting" as Hillary Clinton. The Bash was pre-taped from bits and pieces shot between September and October. Her return to SNL after pregnancy was on December 6, 2008, where she stayed for two weeks. During "Weekend Update", on December 13, she thanked her family, friends, and fans for the continued support and announced that it would be her last show.

Poehler has appeared in films such as Wet Hot American Summer, Mean Girls, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny, Blades of Glory, Envy, Shrek The Third, Mr. Woodcock and Hamlet 2. She is currently producing a digital series with two of her friends, Meredith Walker and Amy Miles, called Smart Girls at the Party available through ON Networks. The show is focused on interviews with young women who are "changing the world by being themselves".[2] The first season of 'Smart Girls at the Party' premiered online November 17, 2008 with Mattel's Barbie signed on as the lead sponsor.[3]

In the past, she often appeared in various comedy segments on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, often playing her recurring role as Andy Richter's little sister Stacy, and as a recurring character in two episodes of the college dramedy Undeclared. She appears in the film Southland Tales, which premiered on May 21, 2006 at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. In 2008, she appeared in Horton Hears a Who!, Hamlet 2, and Baby Mama and will star in Spring Breakdown. She has also co-created an animated series for Nickelodeon called The Mighty B! about Bessie Higgenbottom, a "sweet, merit-badge-obsessed girl scout", to which she lends her vocal talents.[4]
Poehler appeared on the cover of the April 20, 2008 issue of Page Six Magazine.
Poehler also appeared in the movie Mean Girls as the mother of co-star Rachel McAdams, although she is really only seven years McAdams's senior.

Variety.com reported on July 15, 2008, that she was in final negotiations to star in a spinoff series to The Office by writers Greg Daniels and Mike Schur, set to air on Thursdays after The Office, starting January 2009 on NBC.[5]
On July 21, 2008, NBC officially announced Poehler's new series, Parks and Recreation, saying the project will not be a direct spin-off of The Office, as previously speculated.

Poehler is married to Will Arnett, of the FOX comedy Arrested Development, and had a recurring role in the series as the nameless wife of Arnett's character George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II. Poehler and Arnett also played a quasi-incestuous brother-sister ice skating team in the 2007 film Blades of Glory. The couple also appeared in Horton Hears a Who!, and will star together in the upcoming films On Broadway, Spring Breakdown, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. They live in New York City and have two dogs, Puzzle and Suki.[7]
On October 25, 2008, Poehler gave birth to Archibald "Archie" William Emerson Arnett, 8 lbs, 1 oz, in New York City at 6 p.m., mere hours before the Saturday Night Live telecast.[8] more

Who is Erica Abi Wright?

Who is Erica Abi Wright? [1]She is better known by her stage name Erykah Badu, is a multiple Grammy-winner American soul singer and songwriter, whose work encompasses elements of R&B, hip hop and jazz.[2] She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical stylings and sense of fashion. She is known as the "First Lady of Neo-Soul". She is performing at Keyshia Cole's Just Like You Tour.
Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for wearing very large and colorful headwraps. For her musical sensibilities, she has often been compared to jazz great Billie Holiday.[2] She was a core member of the Soulquarians, and is also an actress having appeared in a number of films playing a range of supporting roles in movies such as Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules, and House of D.

Erykah Badu was born in South Dallas, Texas, on February 26, 1971. Her mother raised her and her brother and sisters alone, their father, William Wright, Jr., had left the family early in their lives. To provide for her family, the children's grandmother often helped in looking after them while Erykah's mother, Kollen Maria Gipson (Wright), performed as an actress in theatrical productions. Influenced by her mother, Erykah had her first taste of show business at the age of 4, singing and dancing with her mother at the Dallas Theatre Centre. By the age of 14, Erykah was free-styling for a local radio station alongside such talent as Roy Hargrove. In her early youth, she decided to change the spelling of her name from Erica to Erykah, as she firmly believed her original name to be her 'slave' name. The term 'kah' signifies the inner self, which, when translated from Arabic, means 'can do no wrong'.[3] Badu is also an African name for the 10th born child used for the Ashanti people in Ghana[4][5]. Additionally in a letter written to Erykah from her father, "Badu in Arabic means truth and light...good choice kid." Erykah Badu currently resides in Dallas, Texas.
Upon graduating from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Badu went on to study theater at the historically black college Grambling State University. Concentrating on music full-time, she left the university in 1993 before graduating and took on several minimum wage jobs to support herself. She taught drama and dance to children at the South Dallas Cultural Center. Working and touring with her cousin, Robert "Free" Bradford, she recorded a 19-song demo, Country Cousins, which attracted the attention of Kedar Massenburg, who set Badu up to record a duet with D'Angelo, "Your Precious Love," and eventually signed her to a record deal with Universal Records.[5]

Baduizm, Badu's highly acclaimed debut album, was released in early 1997 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts. Lead single "On & On" reached #12 on the singles charts in both the U.S. and UK. Badu received notice for her introspective lyrics and jazzy, bass-heavy sound, and was hailed as one of the leading lights of the burgeoning neo soul genre. Her sophisticated style of singing drew many comparisons to Billie Holiday.[6]Baduizm eventually went triple platinum and, along with "On & On," won Grammy Awards at the 1998 ceremonies.
During that year, Badu became involved with rapper André 3000 of OutKast, with whom she had a child, Seven, who was born in 1997. Their relationship ended sometime in the late 90s. Badu recorded her first live album, Live, while pregnant with Seven, and the release of the recording coincided with the birth to her child.[7]Live reached #4 on the Billboard charts, selling double platinum, and spawned another R&B hit single in "Tyrone," a song chiding a selfish, cheap, and inattentive boyfriend.[8] Badu also collaborated with the Roots (who had previously handled production duties on a number of tracks on Baduizm) on their breakthrough 1999 release, Things Fall Apart. She was featured on the song "You Got Me," co-written by Jill Scott, which hit the top 40 and won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
After taking some time off to raise her child, Badu returned in 2000 with Mama's Gun, an album more organic in sound than her previous studio album, and primarily produced by the Soulquarians and noted bassist Pino Palladino. A remix of one of the album's songs, "Bag Lady," was issued as the first single and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. The album was well-received, with the lyrical content winning notices from many publications who found some of her lyrics hard to decipher on her initial releases.[9] Despite not charting as high as her first two albums, Mama's Gun was another platinum-selling success, and "Bag Lady" was nominated for a Grammy.
By 2000, Badu was in a romantic relationship with fellow Soulquarian Common, and "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" was released as a collaboration between the two on the Brown Sugar soundtrack. "Love of My Life" hit #9 on the pop charts, topped the R&B listings, and Badu was awarded her fourth Grammy for the song in 2003.[10]
After the release of Mama's Gun and "Love of My Life," Badu went through a period of writer's block.[11] She hit the road throughout 2002 and much of 2003 on what she dubbed the "Frustrated Artist Tour," in search of inspiration to write and perform new material.[12] The conclusion of the tour saw Badu head back to the studio with new material, and in September of 2003, the Worldwide Underground album was released. More jam-oriented than any of her prior releases, Badu was quoted as saying that the release was designed to serve as one continuous groove.[13] Worldwide Underground reached #3 on the Billboard charts and was certified gold not long after its release, and Badu received four further Grammy nominations for the album.

After almost four years and the birth of a daughter, Puma, it was revealed in 2007 that Badu had three albums in the works over the course of 2007 and 2008. Honey, a new single produced by 9th Wonder, was leaked online in November 2007, and the new album, titled New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), was released on February 26, 2008. Part two of the album is currently slated for February 2009 release.[14] Erykah Badu is set to perform at the 10th annual Voodoo Experience in New Orleans the weekend before Halloween 2008.[15]
On August 23, 2008, Badu joined the rock band My Morning Jacket on stage at their show in Dallas, Texas to perform her song "Tyrone". Her surprise appearance was met with an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.[16]
The second installment of her New Amerykah series, Part Two (Return of the Ankh), is due out sometime in 2009.

Badu's lyrics are highly personal philosophies which throw emotional challenges in the face of the listener. She weaves unusual musical influences together creating a rich texture of sound. In many instances she references old school rappers and songs in her songs, adding a general Hip hop sensibility to her music.
Some music journalists have labeled her Nu soul or neo soul, often comparing her to Billie Holiday in lyrical delivery and grouping her with D'Angelo in musical genre. An eclectic collaborator, she has performed with artists from many different genres and backgrounds, among them roots reggae musician and singer Burning Spear.

Badu has a son named Seven Sirius born in 1997 with ex-partner André 3000 of OutKast. On July 5, 2004, Badu gave birth to a daughter, Puma Sabti, in her Dallas home; Puma's father is West Coast rapper The D.O.C. who is originally from Dallas, Texas. She also dated rapper Common from 2000 to 2002. On February 1, 2009 Badu gave birth to her third child, a baby girl, with her boyfriend of four years, rapper Jay Electronica[17]. In attendance were Jay and her two other children Puma and Seven. Mother and child are doing fine.
Badu divides her time between Fort Greene, Brooklyn[18] and Dallas, Texas.
Badu also remains an activist in her hometown of South Dallas. Her charity organization, Beautiful Love Incorporated Non Profit Development (B.L.I.N.D. 501c3), provides community-driven development for inner-city youth through music, dance, theater and visual arts.

Badu appeared in the films Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules, House of D, Before the Music Dies, and Dave Chappelle's Block Party. She also appeared in scenes of the music video of Miko Marks' 2006 recording 'Mama' and Common's video for "The Light" as well as making a special appearance on the sitcom Girlfriends. more

Who is Jessica Claire Biel?

Who is Jessica Claire Biel? [2] Beil is an American actress and former model, who has appeared in several Hollywood films, including Summer Catch, the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Illusionist and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. She is also known for her television role as Mary Camden in the long-running family-drama series 7th Heaven.

Jessica Claire Biel was born March 3, 1982 in Ely, Minnesota, to Kimberly Biel (née Conroe), a homemaker, and Jon Biel, an entrepreneur. She has a younger brother, Justin, born in 1985. Biel has Native American (Choctaw), German, French, English and Irish ancestry.[3]
Biel's family moved a lot during her childhood, living in Texas, Connecticut and Woodstock, Illinois, before finally settling in Boulder, Colorado.

Biel initially trained to be a vocalist, and appeared in several musical productions in her hometown, playing lead roles in productions such as Annie, The Sound of Music and Beauty and the Beast.
At 12 years old, Biel attended The International Modeling and Talent Association Conference in Los Angeles, where she was discovered and signed on by an talent agency. She began doing modeling work in print ads, as well as appearing in commercials for products such as Deluxe Paint and Pringles.
Biel also played a lead role in a low-budget musical short titled It's a Digital World, but the film was never released.

At age 14, after auditioning for several television pilots, Biel was cast as the oldest daughter in the family drama, 7th Heaven. The show was originally scheduled to air on FOX, but was picked up by The WB Television Network instead. 7th Heaven would go on to last for 11 seasons, making it the longest-running family drama in US television history, and also became the highest-rated show on The WB.
Biel landed her first feature film role, playing Peter Fonda's granddaughter in the critically-acclaimed drama Ulee's Gold, released in 1997. Her performance as the gothic, rebellious teenager earned her a Young Artist Award.
In spring 1998, during a break from filming 7th Heaven, Biel starred in the holiday movie I'll Be Home for Christmas, playing opposite Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

In 2000, during the fourth season of 7th Heaven, Biel commented that she grew tired of playing the wholesome preacher's kid, and blamed the show for giving her a squeaky-clean image, which caused her to lose out on a role in American Beauty (the part went to Thora Birch). In a last ditch attempt to be let out of her contract, she posed semi-nude for the cover of Gear magazine. Fans and producers of 7th Heaven were outraged, and the shoot also sparked a lot of controversy, as Biel was still a minor at the time, but Aaron Spelling made it clear that Biel would be staying with the show until her contract was due to expire (although, she appeared in minimal episodes in season five, due to her attending college out of state). She has now claimed that she regrets the Gear shoot, but considers it a learning experience.

In 2001, Biel played the love interest of Freddie Prinze, Jr. in the baseball themed movie, Summer Catch. The next year, she starred as promiscuous college student Lara in the ensemble, The Rules of Attraction, a film adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name.


After leaving 7th Heaven at the end of the sixth season, Biel was cast as the lead heroine in the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film was met with mixed reviews, but became a box office success, scoring the number one spot in its opening week.

In fall 2003, Biel began working on the third installment of the Blade film series, Blade: Trinity. Almost immediately after finishing Blade Trinity in 2004, she headed to Australia to shoot the action/thriller Stealth. Part of the film was shot aboard USS Abraham Lincoln. Both movies were critical and box office failures. Stealth had a budget of $130 million, but grossed just $76 million worldwide. Biel also made a notable cameo appearance in the 2004 film Cellular, which starred her then real-life boyfriend Chris Evans.


Biel's film career blossomed when she played a turn-of-the-century duchess in the period piece, The Illusionist, co-starring Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti. The movie received mostly-positive reviews, and was a turning point for Biel, who had previously played more contemporary roles. She was awarded the Rising Star Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and won an Achievement Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival for her performance.

Biel played an Iraq War veteran in the 2006 film Home of the Brave, a drama about soldiers struggling to adjust back into society after facing the hardships of war. Her performance was well-received, but the movie was a commercial failure. After being pulled from theaters twice, it eventually went straight to DVD in late 2007. Biel and Home of the Brave co-star Samuel L. Jackson were nominated for Prism Awards for their performances.

Meanwhile, after a three-year absence, Biel surprised fans by returning for what was to be the series finale of 7th Heaven (the show was later unexpectedly renewed at the last minute by The CW Television Network). The episode had already been initially shot, but producer and creator Brenda Hampton was determined to have Biel featured in the episode, so Biel agreed to shoot her scenes during a break from filming her upcoming 2007 movie Next.

In Next, Biel played alongside Nicolas Cage and Julianne Moore. She then played in the summer comedy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, co-starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James. Like her earlier film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Chuck and Larry received mixed reviews, but opened its first week at number one at the box office. She also produced and starred in a short film titled Hole in the Paper Sky, which was released in 2008.

Biel was invited to announce nominations at both the Golden Globe Awards (with Rosario Dawson and Matthew Perry) and the Academy Awards in 2007.

Biel at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January 2007
In late 2007, Biel signed on to play a stripper in Powder Blue. She will be playing alongside Forest Whitaker (who also produced the film) Ray Liotta and Patrick Swayze. This is her first film in which she appears nude.

At the start of 2008, Biel flew to England to shoot Easy Virtue, an adaptation of the play by Noël Coward. Like the play, the movie is set in the 1920s and Biel plays divorcee Larita, who marries John Whittaker in a spur-of-the-moment in France, but must face her disapproving in-laws when they return to England. The film premiered in September 2008 at the Toronto International Film Festival.[4]The film opened to great reviews with the Hollywood Reporter describing her performance as "an irresistible force of nature -- a kind, witty, supremely intelligent and beautiful woman who ... is capable of rejoinders that thoroughly undercut her opponent's withering criticism."[5]

In April 2008, Biel began working on the political satire Nailed, with Jake Gyllenhaal. The movie centers around a woman who accidentally gets a nail lodged in her head causing her to become a nymphomaniac. Filming wrapped up in late-June after several production shut downs. The movie is due to be released in 2009.

Biel has a few other movies in the pipeline, including the animated sci-fi Planet 51, to which Biel is lending her voice. She is also co-producing and starring in Die a Little, a contemporary adaptation of the novel by Megan Abbott. A start date for filming has not yet been set.

It was rumored that Biel was planning on recording an album with the help of boyfriend Justin Timberlake, however she has denied the reports, stating: "I don't really think I'll be putting out an album with Justin anytime soon. Doing a musical or a film musical, that would be awesome though."[6]
Jessica performs 2 songs on the upcoming Easy Virtue Soundtrack. Mad About the Boy and When the Going Gets Tough. Out on November 3rd.[7]

On July 18, 2006, Biel participated in a charity auction to raise medical funds for Colorado teen Molly Bloom, who was injured in an auto accident. John Schiffner of Fergus Falls, Minnesota successfully bid $30,000 to have lunch with Biel. "I promise I'm a cheap date," Biel quipped. Biel and Schiffner lunched at Denver's The Palm restaurant[8] on August 18, 2006.[9]

In early 2007, Jessica co-founded the Make the Difference Network[2] with her father, Jon Biel, and another business partner, Kent McBride. Make The Difference Network (MTDN) is a cause-oriented social network that connects non-profit organizations with potential donors and increases the awareness for small-to-medium non-profit organizations. MTDN's misson is to democratize giving by increasing the visibility of thousands of non-profit organizations and empowering potential donors to search, select and fund these organizations’ specific "wishes" and then to see the results of their giving.[10] Make the Difference Network was also featured at the 2007 Clinton Global Initiative, where they made a commitment to democratize giving through the use of a social network.[11]more