Biography Central

George RR Martin

2013-01-27T12:54:00.000-05:00

George Raymond Richard Martin (born September 20, 1948), sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American screenwriter and author of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic series Game of Thrones. Martin was selected by Time magazine as one of the "2011 Time 100", a list of the "most influential people in the world"

In 1991, Martin briefly returned to writing novels and began what would eventually turn into his epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire (reportedly inspired by the Wars of the Roses and Ivanhoe), which will run to at least seven volumes. The first volume A Game of Thrones was published in 1996. In November 2005, A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in this series, became The New York Times No. 1 Bestseller and also achieved No. 1 ranking on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list. In addition, in September 2006, A Feast for Crows was nominated for both a Quill Award and the British Fantasy Award. The fifth book, A Dance with Dragons, was published in July 2011, quickly becoming a huge international bestseller, including a No. 1 ranking on the New York Times Bestseller list and many others; it remained on the NY Times bestseller list for more than a year. The series has received critical praise from authors, readers, and critics alike. In 2012 A Dance With Dragons made the final ballot for science fiction and fantasy's Hugo Award, World Fantasy Award, Locus Poll Award, and the British Fantasy Award; the novel went on to win the Locus Poll Award for Best Fantasy Novel.

Nicole Abusharif

2013-01-26T12:57:00.000-05:00

Nicole Abusharif is an American woman who was convicted of the 2007 Villa Park, Illinois murder of her domestic partner, Rebecca "Becky" Klein. After being found guilty of first-degree murder in May 2009, Abusharif was sentenced to 50 years in prison at the Dwight Correctional Center in Nevada Township, Illinois. The case made national news due to the intrigue of a "lesbian love triangle" murder.

Abusharif's defense attorneys, Bob Parchem and Dennis Sopata, maintained that Abusharif had a bad back, and would not have been able to subdue Klein, who weighed 40 pounds more than her. While Abusharif's attorneys were skeptical of gaining an acquittal, they were able to prove that Klein's murder was not "cold, calculated and premeditated", as the prosecution requested. That eliminated the possibility for a sentence of life in prison without parole.

On May 5, 2009, Abusharif was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Becky Klein after thirteen hours of jury deliberation. She faced up to 60 years in prison, but Judge John Kinsella sentenced Abusharif to 50 years incarceration. She will have to serve 100 percent of her sentence before being eligible for parole, at the age of 76.

Abusharif's conviction was affirmed by the Second District of the Illinois Appellate Court on March 4, 2011.

Trevor Bayne

2013-01-26T08:53:00.000-05:00

Trevor Bayne (born February 19, 1991) is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series race car driver. He drives the No. 21 Motorcraft/QuickLane Ford Fusion for Wood Brothers Racing in the Sprint Cup Series part-time, and the No. 6 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing full-time in the Nationwide Series.

Bayne began his racing career racing go-karts at the age of five. After eight years, he moved to Allison Legacy Race Series, where he became the youngest top rookie. Two years later, he moved to the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series Southern Division. In 2008, he signed a contract with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. to race in the NASCAR Camping World East Series, where he recorded one win, six top-five, and seven top-10 finishes. One year later, he recorded Sunoco Rookie of the Race honors after participating in the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway. Also in 2009, he began racing in the Nationwide Series for Michael Waltrip Racing. After about two years with the team, he moved to Roush Fenway Racing, at the late end of the season, and began racing in the Sprint Cup Series for Wood Brothers Racing. In 2011, Bayne won the Daytona 500, becoming the youngest driver to win the race at an age of 20 years and 1 day

Justin Timberlake

2013-01-25T12:47:00.000-05:00

Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American actor, businessman, and singer-songwriter. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez. Timberlake became famous in the late 1990s as the lead singer and youngest member of the boy band 'N Sync, whose launch was financed by Lou Pearlman.
In 2002, he released his debut solo album, Justified, which sold more than seven million copies worldwide. The album was a commercial success, spawning the hits "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body". Timberlake continued his success with his second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, and produced the US number-one hit singles "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around".
Timberlake has won six Grammy Awards and four Emmy Awards. His first two albums made him one of the most commercially successful singers in the world, each selling in excess of 7 million copies. He also has an acting career, having starred in films such as The Social Network, Bad Teacher and Friends with Benefits. His other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, and the restaurants Destino and Southern Hospitality.

Timberlake was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Lynn Harless (née Bomar) and Randall Timberlake. His paternal grandfather, Charles L. Timberlake, was a Baptist minister, and Timberlake was raised Baptist, though now considers himself more "spiritual than religious".
Timberlake's parents divorced in 1985, and both have remarried. His mother, who now runs an entertainment company called Just-in Time Entertainment, remarried to Paul Harless, a banker, when her son was five. His father, a choir director at a Baptist church, has two children, Jonathan (born c. 1993) and Steven Robert (born August 14, 1998), from his second marriage to Lisa Perry. Timberlake's half-sister, Laura Katherine, died shortly after birth on May 14, 1997, and is mentioned in his acknowledgments in the album *NSYNC as "My Angel in Heaven." Timberlake grew up in Shelby Forest, a small community between Memphis and Millington. His first attempts at a singing career were country music songs on Star Search as "Justin Randall."
In 1993, Timberlake joined the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club. His castmates included future girlfriend and pop superstar Britney Spears, future tourmate Christina Aguilera, future bandmate JC Chasez, and future movie actor Ryan Gosling. The show ended in 1994, but late in 1995 Timberlake recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group organized by boy band manager Lou Pearlman that eventually became 'N Sync.

Lindsey Vonn

2013-01-25T08:57:00.002-05:00

Lindsey Caroline Vonn (née Kildow; born October 18, 1984) is a World Cup alpine ski racer with the United States Ski Team. She has won four overall World Cup championships – one of only two female skiers to do so, along with Annemarie Moser-Pröll – with three consecutive titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010, plus another in 2012. Vonn won the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the first ever in the event for an American woman. She has also won five consecutive World Cup season titles in the downhill discipline, four consecutive titles in Super G, and three consecutive titles in the combined as of 2012.
Vonn is one of six women to have won World Cup races in all five disciplines of alpine skiing – downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom, and super combined – and has won 58 World Cup races in her career through January 19, 2013. Only two ski racers have more World Cup victories in their careers, Annemarie Moser-Pröll of Austria with 62 and Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden with 86. With her Olympic gold and bronze medals, two World Championship gold medals in 2009 (plus three silver medals in 2007 / 2011), and four overall World Cup titles, Vonn has become the most successful American skier in history.
Vonn received the Laureus World Sports Awards Sportswoman of the Year for 2010. She was also honored again as the USOC's sportswoman of the year for 2010

JJ Abrams

2013-01-25T08:55:00.001-05:00

Jeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, and composer.
He is well known for his work in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. He wrote and produced feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity (1998–2002). He also created Alias (2001–2006) and co-created Lost (2004–2010), Fringe (2008–2013), Undercovers (2010) and produced the television series Person of Interest (2011–present), Alcatraz (2012) and Revolution (2012–present). Abrams directed the films Mission: Impossible III (2006), Star Trek (2009), and Super 8 (2011), and produced the films Cloverfield (2008), Morning Glory (2010) and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011). Many of the films he directed/produced are by Paramount, while his television series were co-produced by either Warner Bros. or ABC Studios.
Most of his work involves writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, composer Michael Giacchino, cinematographer Daniel Mindel, and editors Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey.

Under development (due in 2013) is Abrams' film with Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions, Mystery on Fifth Avenue. It is based on the New York Times article "Mystery on Fifth Avenue" about the renovation of an 8.5 million dollar co-op, a division of property originally owned by E.F. Hutton and Marjorie Merriweather Post. In 2008, it was widely reported Abrams purchased the rights to the Times article for six figures, and enlisted comedy writers Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky to write the adaptation. According to the article, a wealthy couple Steven B. Klinsky and Maureen Sherry purchased the apartment in 2003 and live there with their four children. Soon after purchasing the apartment, they hired young architectural designer Eric Clough, who devised an elaborately clever "scavenger hunt" built into the apartment that involved dozens of historical figures, a fictional book and a soundtrack, woven throughout the apartment in puzzles, riddles, secret panels, compartments, and hidden codes, without the couple's knowledge. The family didn't discover the embedded mystery until months after moving into the apartment. After Abrams purchased the article, Clough left him an encrypted message in the wall tiles of a Christian Louboutin shoe store he designed in West Hollywood.

Abrams will produce, under Bad Robot and with Bryan Burk, Earthquake for Universal Pictures. The film is being scripted by Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black, and while it shares a title and event with Universal's 1974 feature starring Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner, it will not be a remake.
Several news outlets revealed on January 24, 2013, that Abrams was close to signing a deal to direct Star Wars: Episode VII.

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

2013-01-25T08:52:00.002-05:00

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (born October 2, 1987) is an American NASCAR driver. He is a rookie in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the #17 Best Buy / Zest / Fifth Third Bank Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. Stenhouse was the 2010 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year and won back-to-back Nationwide Series championships in 2011 and 2012 driving the #6 Ford Mustang.

On June 26, 2012, Roush Fenway Racing announced that Stenhouse will drive the No. 17 car in the Sprint Cup Series full-time for 2013, replacing Matt Kenseth.Trevor Bayne is expected to replace Stenhouse in the Nationwide No. 6 car for 2013.

To prepare for the 2013 season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has run in the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway where he finished 12th, the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway where he finished 35th because of engines problems; but he was running near the front of the field. He lastly ran in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in which bad luck struck again-he cut a tire and smacked the wall, similar to what happened to Marcos Ambrose two races before, in texas. In all of these races he is going to run in the No. 6 car of Roush Fenway Racing sponsored by Cargill, Best Buy, and Fifth Third Bank respectively. In January, 2013 it was rumored he is dating Danica Patrick

Master P

2013-01-24T12:46:00.000-05:00

Percy Robert Miller Sr. (born April 29, 1967), better known by his stage name Master P or his business name P. Miller, is an American former rapper, actor, entrepreneur, investor, and producer. He is the founder of the popular label No Limit Records, which went bankrupt and was relaunched as New No Limit Records through Koch Records. followed by Guttar Music Entertainment, Take A Stand Records and No Limit Forever Records. He is the founder and CEO of P. Miller Enterprises, an entertainment and financial conglomerate and Better Black Television.
Miller gained fame in the late 1990s with the success of his group TRU and his fifth album Ice Cream Man, which contained his first single "Mr. Ice Cream Man". In 1997, after the success of one his biggest singles to date, "Make 'Em Say Uhh!," went platinum, Miller grew further in popularity. Then Miller released his second platinum album Ghetto D. Miller also starred in his own street film, mostly based on his life, I'm Bout It.
In 1998, P. Miller released his most successful album to date MP Da Last Don. The album was also based on a film that Miller produced, which came out earlier that year with the same name. The album hit #1 on the Billboard Top 200 charts, selling over 400,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified 4x platinum, with over four million copies sold, making it Miller's best-selling album. In 1999, Miller released his eighth album, Only God Can Judge Me. It was not as successful as his previous album, though it still managed to reach a gold certification. Miller also starred in the movie, I Got the Hook Up, with A.J. Johnson.
In the 2000s, as No Limit Records' popularity was declining, Miller's was as well. P. Miller re-launched No Limit Records as New No Limit Records. On November 28, 2000, he released his ninth studio album, Ghetto Postage; with relatively little success compared to earlier releases, selling 500,000 copies; critics ravaged the album. In 2003, Miller starred in the film Lockdown. In 2004, Miller released his eleventh album, Good Side, Bad Side it charted number 1 on the Independent Billboards and sold 300,000 copies. The same year Miller released his first independent album Living Legend: Certified D-Boy on his new label Guttar Music, and the album only sold 75,000 copies.
In 2011, Miller and Gucci Mane produced and were featured in a new soundtrack entitled "Get Money" which was produced by Drumma Boy.

Snoop Dogg

2013-01-23T01:30:00.000-05:00

Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. (born October 20, 1971) is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor, well known by his stage names Snoop Doggy Dogg, Snoop Dogg, and Snoop Lion. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. His music career began in 1992 when he was discovered by Dr. Dre. He collaborated on Dre's solo debut The Chronic, and on the theme song to the film Deep Cover. Snoop's debut album Doggystyle, was released in 1993 under Death Row Records, debuting at No.1 on both the Billboard 200 and R&B charts. Selling almost a million copies in the first week of its release, Doggystyle became certified 4× platinum in 1994 and spawned several hit singles, including "What's My Name" and "Gin & Juice". In 1994, Snoop released a soundtrack on Death Row Records for the short film Murder Was The Case, starring himself. His second album Tha Doggfather (1996), also debuted at No.1 on both charts with "Snoop's Upside Ya Head" as the lead single. The album was certified double platinum in 1997.
After leaving Death Row, Snoop signed with No Limit Records, where he recorded his next three albums. Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told (1998), No Limit Top Dogg (1999), and Tha Last Meal (2000). Snoop then signed with Priority/Capitol/EMI Records in 2002, where he released Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss. He then signed with Geffen Records in 2004 for his next three albums R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, and Ego Trippin'. Malice 'n Wonderland (2009) and Doggumentary (2011), were released on Priority. Snoop Dogg has starred in motion pictures and hosted several television shows including, Doggy Fizzle Televizzle, Snoop Dogg's Father Hood, and Dogg After Dark. He also coaches a youth football league and high school football team. In September 2009, Snoop was hired by EMI as the chairman of a reactivated Priority Records.

David Gunness

2013-01-22T12:44:00.001-05:00

David W. "Dave" Gunness (born November 7, 1960) is an American audio engineer, electrical engineer and inventor known for his work on loudspeaker design, especially high-output professional horn loudspeakers for public address, studio, theater, nightclub, concert and touring uses.
Gunness worked with Electro-Voice in Michigan for 11 years, filing three patents related to horn technology. He worked at Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) in Massachusetts for 12 years, filing three patents in the process of creating a wide variety of loudspeaker products. For EAW, Gunness developed "Gunness Focusing"—a system for decreasing temporal response distortion in loudspeakers, involving the processing of the audio signal before it reaches the loudspeaker drivers, applying a reverse image of the expected distortion to cancel out the loudspeaker's idiosyncrasies.
Gunness co-founded Fulcrum Acoustic in 2008: a loudspeaker company with the aim of designing loudspeakers based on digital signal processing (DSP), innovative components and high quality construction.

Chip Kelly

2013-01-18T10:09:00.000-05:00

Charles "Chip" Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is the head football coach at the University of Oregon. Kelly was named the 2009 and 2010 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, 2010 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, 2010 Walter Camp Coach of the Year, 2010 Sporting News Coach of the Year, and 2010 Associated Press Coach of the Year. Prior to being named head coach, Kelly was the offensive coordinator for the Oregon Ducks.

Kelly is a native of New Hampshire, and attended Manchester Central High School and earned his Bachelor of Science in physical education from the University of New Hampshire in 1990. He played quarterback at Manchester Central and defensive back at the University of New Hampshire.

He broke into the coaching ranks in 1990 at Columbia University, where he served as secondary and special teams coach for the freshman team. The next year he was outside linebackers and strong safeties coach for the varsity team. In 1992 he went to the University of New Hampshire as the running backs coach. He left to become the defensive coordinator at Johns Hopkins University for one season. He returned to his alma mater as the running backs coach for the next 3 seasons (1994–96). He changed to the offensive line coach for two seasons (1997–98).

Kelly was promoted to offensive coordinator at New Hampshire (1999–2006). The Wildcats' offenses averaged better than 400 yards per game of total offense in seven of his eight seasons and more than 30 points per game in his final four seasons.
In 2004, the school broke 29 offensive school records; compiling 5,446 yards of total offense and scoring 40 or more points in seven games. Their best offensive output was in 2005 when the Wildcats finished second nationally in total offense (493.5 ypg), third in scoring (41.7 ppg) and fifth in passing (300.1 ypg). They completed the season with an 11–2 record.
He was named the College Assistant Coach of the Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston following the 2005 season in addition to being selected as “one of college football’s hottest coaches” by American Football Monthly. In 2006, quarterback Ricky Santos won the Walter Payton Award under Kelly's guidance, after Santos finished second in balloting for the award in 2005.

Kelly was hired as offensive coordinator at Oregon in February 2007.
His potent spread offense attack was an instant success at Oregon. In his first season at Oregon, the Ducks led the Pac-10 in scoring (38.15 ppg) and total offense (467.54 ypg), and also became the highest scoring team while amassing the most yards in the history of Oregon football. Prior to Kelly's arrival at Oregon, Dennis Dixon struggled in his first three seasons at quarterback. Under Kelly's guidance, Dixon was the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and emerged as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

In 2008, the Ducks once again led the Pac-10 in scoring (41.9 ppg) and total offense (484.8 ypg), while breaking the school record marks set the previous season.

On March 31st, 2009, Oregon announced that head coach Mike Bellotti would be promoted to athletic director; consequently, Kelly would be promoted as head coach.

Spring 2009, Jon Gruden and Chip Kelly spent several days in Tampa, Florida going over theories, progressions, and offensive strategies.
November 2010, Kelly visited Pete Carroll at the Seattle Seahawks practice facility during an Oregon bye week.
January 2012, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers interviewed Kelly for the head coach position but he declined to take the job because he had "unfinished business to complete" with the Ducks.
October 2012, Kelly consulted Bill Belicheck and the New England Patriots in the offseason to give them tips on how he operated the "blur" offense that he runs at Oregon. New England then implemented a no-huddle hurry-up offense during the 2012 NFL season. Oregonian columnist John Canzano speculates that Kelly is waiting for the New England Patriots head coaching position to become available when Belicheck decides to retire. Belicheck has unique control of Robert Kraft's franchise in the same way Kelly does at Oregon.
January 2013, Numerous NFL teams expressed interest and Kelly was interviewed by both the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles. After a seven hour meeting with the Browns followed by a nine hour meeting with the Eagles, Kelly declined any offers and decided to remain at Oregon.

Pauley Perrette

2013-01-17T10:05:00.000-05:00

Pauley Perrette (born March 27, 1969) is an American actress, best known for playing Abby Sciuto on the U.S. TV series NCIS. She is also a published writer, a singer and civil rights advocate.

Perrette was born in New Orleans and raised all over the southern United States. She told Craig Ferguson, on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, that she lived in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, and California. In a 2011 interview with the Associated Press, Perrette confessed her early ambitions were to work with animals, be in a rock and roll band or be an FBI agent. She attended Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia, where she studied criminal justice, and later moved to New York City to study at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. While in New York she held a variety of jobs: Not only was I bartending in club-kids scene, with a bra and combat boots and a white Mohawk, but I also wore a sandwich board on roller skates passing out fliers for Taco Bell in the Diamond District. Perrette also worked as a cook on a Manhattan dinner cruise boat.

Perrette has worked for years in television and film, mostly doing commercials, voice-overs, music videos and short films, and worked as a bartender in New York City. It was while working odd jobs in New York a friend introduced her to an advertising agency director. From then on according to Perrette I started booking commercials like crazy!. This prompted her move to Los Angeles, where she had a variety of bit parts and made several guest appearances. In 2001, as a recurring character introduced in Season 2 of Special Unit 2, she played Alice Cramer, the Unit's public relations person. She then landed her current role, playing Abby Sciuto, an eccentric forensic scientist, on NCIS, a TV series based on the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Perrette's initial appearances as the character were on two episodes of JAG aired in spring of 2003 that served as a backdoor pilot and introduced the characters. She has since appeared as Abby in two 2009 episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles. As of August 2011, she had the highest Q Score (a measurement of the familiarity and appeal) of any actor on a U.S. prime time show.

She also appeared as a waitress at Cafe Nervosa in Frasier during season 4 (in the episode "Three Dates and a Break Up"), and later guest starred in season one of 24. She has made appearances in several films, including The Ring and Almost Famous.

In addition to acting, Perrette is a published poet, writer (her short story "Cheers..." appears in the anthology Pills, Thrills, Chills, and Heartache: Adventures in the First Person), photographer, and spoken-word artist, a lover of music of all kinds, and a passionate advocate for civil rights. In 2007, she produced a documentary about U.S. civil rights attorney and author Mark Lane.

In an 2005 interview with Craig Ferguson, the host of The Late, Late Show, Perrette said she has a lifelong crime obsession. She was an undergrad student in sociology, psychology, and criminal science. She started her master's degree in criminal science before ending up in the entertainment industry. She now plays a forensic scientist, her former career goal.

In the January/February 2010 Performer Q Score, Perrette tied in the top 3 alongside Tom Hanks and Morgan Freeman. She was also the only female to make the top 10.

Perette started appearing in television commercials for Expedia.com in late 2010. She made a guest appearance as a judge on Season 4 Episode 6 of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Mark Harmon

2013-01-16T10:03:00.000-05:00

Thomas Mark Harmon (born September 2, 1951) is an American actor. Since the mid 1970s, he has appeared in a variety of television, film and stage roles following a brief career as a collegiate football player with the UCLA Bruins. Since 2003, Harmon has starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the hit CBS series NCIS.

Harmon was born in Burbank, California. His father was University of Michigan football All-American and Heisman Trophy winner, Tom Harmon. His mother was actress and artist, Elyse Knox (née Elsie Lillian Kornbrath). Harmon has two older sisters, actress and painter Kristin Nelson, the former wife of singer Ricky Nelson, and actress-model Kelly Harmon, who was once married to car magnate John DeLorean. His maternal grandparents were Austrian immigrants.

After attending Los Angeles Pierce College as a student and quarterback, Harmon transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles, and following in his father's athletic footsteps was the starting quarterback for the UCLA Bruins football team in 1972 and 1973. In UCLA's 1972 season he engineered a stunning upset of the two-time defending national champion, Nebraska Cornhuskers. He received the National Football Foundation Award for All-Round Excellence in 1973. In his two years as quarterback in coach Pepper Rodgers' wishbone offense, UCLA won 17 games and lost only 5. He graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Communication cum laude in 1974.

Even though he considered "advertising or law" as careers after college, Harmon became an actor and has spent much of his career portraying law enforcement and medical personnel. Other than athletics/sports appearances, one of his first national TV appearances was with his father Tom Harmon, in a commercial for Kellogg's Product 19 cereal, for which the latter was the longtime TV spokesman. As an actor, his first credit came courtesy of his sister Kristen's in-laws, Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Nelson, in an episode of Ozzie's Girls. This was followed by guest-starring roles on episodes of Adam-12, Police Woman, and Emergency! in mid-1975 ("905-Wild" centered on two L.A. County Animal Control Officers and was a backdoor pilot episode for a series, but did not sell). Producer/creator Jack Webb, who was the packager of both series, later cast Harmon in Sam, a short-lived 1977 series about an LAPD officer and his K-9 partner. Also in 1977, Harmon received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his performance as Robert Dunlap in the TV movie Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years.In 1978 he appeared in three episodes of the acclaimed mini-series, Centennial, as Captain John MacIntosh,an honorable Union cavalry officer.

During the mid 1970s, Harmon made guest appearances on shows such as Laverne & Shirley and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries and had supporting roles in the feature films Comes a Horseman (1978) and Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979). He then landed a co-starring role on the 1979 action series 240-Robert as Deputy Dwayne Thibideaux. The series centered around the missions of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Emergency Services Detail, but was also short-lived.
In 1980, Harmon gained a regular role in the primetime soap opera Flamingo Road, in which he played Fielding Carlisle, the husband of Morgan Fairchild's character. Despite initially good ratings, the series was canceled after two seasons. Following its cancellation, he landed the role of Dr. Robert Caldwell on the prestigious NBC Emmy-winning series St. Elsewhere in 1983. Harmon appeared in the show for almost three seasons before leaving in early 1986 when his character contracted HIV through unprotected intercourse, one of the first instances where a major recurring television character contracted the virus (the character's subsequent off-screen death from AIDS would be mentioned two years later). In the mid 1980s, Harmon also became the spokesperson for Coors Regular beer, appearing in television commercials for them.

Harmon's career reached several other high points in 1986. In January, he was named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. Following his departure from St. Elsewhere in February, he played the lead in the TV movies Prince of Bel Air, co-starring with Kirstie Alley, and The Deliberate Stranger, in which he played serial killer Ted Bundy. With his career blossoming, he gained a role in the 1986 theatrical film Let's Get Harry and the lead role in the 1987 comedy Summer School, again co-starring Kirstie Alley. Returning briefly to episodic television in 1987, Harmon had a limited engagement on the series Moonlighting, playing Cybill Shepherd's love interest Sam Crawford for four episodes. He then starred in the 1987 TV movie After The Promise. In 1988, he co-starred with Sean Connery and Meg Ryan in the 1988 feature film The Presidio, and also opposite Jodie Foster in the film Stealing Home. Despite several high profile roles, Harmon's film career never gathered momentum and, after a muted reception to his 1989 comedy Worth Winning, he returned to television, appearing in various television movies.

Harmon's next regular television role would be as Chicago police detective Dickie Cobb for two seasons (1991–1993) on the NBC series Reasonable Doubts. In 1993, he appeared in one episode in the role of a rodeo clown on the CBS comedy/western series Harts of the West with future cast mate Sean Murray, who plays McGee on NCIS.

In 1995, Harmon starred in the ABC series Charlie Grace, in which he portrayed a private investigator. The series lasted only one season, after which he returned to ensemble medical shows on the series Chicago Hope, in which he played Dr. Jack McNeil from 1996-2000. He also portrayed astronaut Wally Schirra in one episode of the 1998 mini-series From the Earth to the Moon.

In May 2002, he portrayed Secret Service Special Agent Simon Donovan on The West Wing in a four-episode story arc. The role gained him his second Emmy Award nomination, exactly 25 years after his first nomination. Harmon appeared in a guest starring role in two episodes of JAG in April 2003, which introduced the character of NCIS agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs; since 2003, Harmon has starred as Gibbs in the CBS drama NCIS. During his time on the show, he was reunited with three of his former Chicago Hope co-stars, Rocky Carroll, Lauren Holly, and Jayne Brook. Also in 2003, Harmon had a supporting role in the remake of the comedy film Freaky Friday.

Harmon also starred in several stage productions in Los Angeles and Toronto. At the Cast Theatre in Los Angeles he performed in Wrestlers and The Wager. In the late eighties he was part of the cast of the Canadian premier of Key Exchange. Several productions of Love Letters provided him the opportunity to play alongside wife Pam Dawber.
Harmon received the 2,482nd star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 1, 2012

Matisyahu

2013-01-15T09:56:00.000-05:00

Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his Hebrew name and stage name Matisyahu ("Gift of God"), is an American reggae and alternative rock musician.

Known for blending traditional Jewish themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing sounds, Matisyahu's 2005 single "King Without a Crown" was a Top 40 hit in the United States. Since 2004, he has released four studio albums as well as two live albums, two remix CDs and two DVDs featuring live concerts. In addition, Matisyahu played the role of Tzadok in The Possession, a supernatural horror film directed by Ole Bornedal and co-produced by Sam Raimi. Through his career, Matisyahu has worked with Bill Laswell reggae producers Sly & Robbie, and Kool Kojak.

Matisyahu is an Ashkenazic Hebrew pronunciation of a Biblical Hebrew name (מתתיהו – Mattityahu; Greek: Mattathias), the name of the 2nd century BC Jewish leader of the Maccabees' revolt. The English equivalent is Matthew.

In an interview in Kosher Spirit Magazine (a publication by OK Kosher Certification), Matisyahu explained the origin of his use of the name as follows: while he, like most Jewish boys, received a Hebrew name at his brit milah (circumcision ceremony), when he was eight days old, Miller's family lost track of the names given. In Hebrew school, it was assumed to be Matisyahu because of the connection between Matthew and Matisyahu. The original certificate from the birth was later located and Miller discovered that the actual name given at the brit was the Yiddish name "Feivish Hershel". He was advised by his rabbis to continue using the Hebrew name that he had grown up with.

From 2001 through July 2007, Matisyahu was affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. However, as of July 17, 2007, he told the Miami New Times in an interview that he no longer "necessarily" identifies with the Lubavitch movement. In the interview, he stated that "...the more I'm learning about other types of Jews, I don't want to exclude myself. I felt boxed in." Additionally, in the fall of 2007, while on a family vacation spent primarily in Jerusalem's Nachlaot neighborhood, he expressed interest in another Hasidic sect, that of Karlin. As of November 2007 he has confirmed a preference to pray at the Karliner synagogue in Boro Park where the custom is to ecstatically scream prayers; however he continues to reside in Crown Heights because of his wife's affinity for the community.

Soon after his adoption of hasidism, Matisyahu began studying Torah at Hadar Hatorah, a yeshiva for returnees to Judaism where he wrote and recorded his first album. He counts Bob Marley, Phish, God Street Wine and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach among his musical inspirations and gives credit to Rabbi Simon Jacobson's book Toward a Meaningful Life for the lyrical inspiration to Youth's title track. As part of his faith, he strictly observes the Jewish Sabbath, which begins at sundown on Friday; thus he does not perform in concert on Friday nights. An exception to this rule occurred at a 2007 concert in Fairbanks, Alaska; since the sun did not set until 2:00 a.m., performing in the late hours was not a violation of Jewish observance.

LL Cool J

2013-01-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), better known as LL Cool J, for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor from Bay Shore, New York. He is known for romantic ballads such as "I Need Love", "Around the Way Girl" and "Hey Lover" as well as pioneering hip-hop such as "I Can't Live Without My Radio", "I'm Bad", "The Boomin' System", and "Mama Said Knock You Out". He has released thirteen studio albums and two greatest hits compilations, including 2008's Exit 13, the last for his record deal with Def Jam Recordings, and currently has a new studio album in the works. He has also appeared in numerous films, including Halloween H20: 20 Twenty Years Later, and currently stars as NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna on the CBS crime drama television series NCIS: Los Angeles.

LL Cool J was born in Bay Shore, New York, the son of Ondrea and James Smith. He married Simone I. Johnson, on August 9, 1995 at his home in Long Island, New York. The couple have four children: son Najee Laurent Todd Eugene Smith and daughters Italia Anita Maria Smith, Samaria Leah Wisdom Smith and Nina Simone Smith. In 2002, he threw his support behind sitting Republican Governor of New York George Pataki's bid for a third term. In 2003, LL Cool J appeared before a senate committee hearing on P2P file-sharing, voicing his support alongside the RIAA, expressing that he just wished "music could be downloaded legitimately." He has also voiced his support for New York State Senator Malcolm Smith, a Democrat, during an appearance on the senator's local television show and has worked with Smith in putting on the annual Jump and Ball Tournament (since 2003) in the rapper's childhood neighborhood of St. Alban's, Queens. In a February 10, 2012 televised interview with CNN host Piers Morgan, LL Cool J expressed sympathy for President Barack Obama and ascribed negative impressions of his leadership to Republican obstruction designed to "make it look like you have a coordination problem." He was quick to add that no one "should assume that I'm a Democrat either. I'm an Independent, you know?" LL Cool J stopped an intruder allegedly attempting to burglarize his house on August 22, 2012, inflicting serious injury to the suspect.

Mac Miller

2013-01-14T09:55:00.000-05:00

Malcolm James McCormick (born January 19, 1992), known by his stage name Mac Miller (previously Easy Mac), is an American rapper from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is signed to Rostrum Records and released his debut album, Blue Slide Park, on November 8, 2011.

Before embarking on a solo career, Miller was part of rap group The Ill Spoken together with fellow Pittsburgh rapper, Beedie. The Ill Spoken released the mixtape How High in 2008. Prior to changing his name to Mac Miller, he was known as EZ Mac and released the mixtape But My Mackin' Ain't Easy in 2007 at 15 years old. In 2009 Mac Miller released two mixtapes The Jukebox: Prelude to Class Clown and The High Life before getting signed to Rostrum Records.

In early 2010, Miller signed with Rostrum Records. Rostrum president Benjy Grinberg met Miller while recording with Wiz Khalifa at ID Labs. Although Grinberg started giving Miller advice, he didn't show any interest in getting involved with his career until the artist began work on the K.I.D.S. mixtape, when, as he later told HitQuarters, Grinberg "noticed a maturation in his sound and approach to his music." By that point Miller had started attracting interest from different record companies but chose Rostrum due to its location in his hometown and association with Wiz Khalifa. K.I.D.S. was released by the label in August 2010. The mixtape was inspired by the movie Kids. A significant breakthrough came in late 2010 when Miller embarked on his first "Incredibly Dope Tour", selling out at every location on the tour.

Mac Miller includes Big L, Lauryn Hill, the Beastie Boys, Outkast, and A Tribe Called Quest among his influences. He also has a close relationship with fellow Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa, saying "Wiz has been a big brother to me with this music thing so far. Our relationship is beyond music. He really is just my homie, whether I will be making music or not." Mac Miller has also revealed a friendship with Cam'ron and Kendrick Lamar.

As an artist, Mac Miller has performed in a number of different styles. His classic musical style contains lyrics focused on marijuana, alcohol, women, and "a dream". However, Miller has lately been experimenting with new styles in his music, such as in his 2012 mixtape Macadelic. Most songs have a heavy psychedelic influence, and include lyrics with deeper meaning. Also, older artists and music performers are praised on some of Mac's new works (the beginning of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Beatles is used as an interlude for the song "Loud").

Taylor Swift

2013-01-12T11:59:00.000-05:00

Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of fourteen to pursue a career in country music. She signed to the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. The release of Swift's eponymous debut album in 2006 established her as a country music star. "Our Song", her third single, made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number one song on the country chart. She received a Best New Artist nomination at the 2008 Grammy Awards.
Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in 2008. Buoyed by the pop crossover success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", Fearless became the top-selling album of 2009 and was supported by an extensive concert tour. The record won four Grammy Awards, with Swift becoming the youngest ever Album of the Year winner. Swift's third album, 2010's Speak Now, sold over one million copies in its first week of US release and was supported by the thirteen-month Speak Now World Tour. The album's third single, "Mean", won two Grammy Awards. Swift's fourth album, Red, was released in 2012. Its opening US sales of 1.21 million were the highest recorded in a decade, with Swift becoming the only female artist to have two million-plus opening weeks. The lead single, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", was Swift's first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became a worldwide hit. The Red Tour is scheduled to begin in March 2013.
Swift is known for her narrative songs about her experiences as a teenager and young adult. As a songwriter, she has been honored by the Nashville Songwriters Association and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Swift's other achievements include six Grammy Awards, eleven American Music Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, six Academy of Country Music Awards and thirteen BMI Awards. She has sold over 22 million albums worldwide[1] and 51.1 million digital downloads in the United States as of 2012. In addition to her music career, Swift has appeared as an actress in the crime drama CSI (2009), the ensemble comedy Valentine's Day (2010) and the animated film The Lorax (2012). Forbes estimates that she is worth over $165 million. As a philanthropist, Swift supports arts education, children's literacy, natural disaster relief, LGBT anti-discrimination efforts, and charities for sick children.
In September 2009, Swift became the first country music artist to win an MTV Video Music Award when "You Belong with Me" was named Best Female Video. Her acceptance speech was interrupted by rapper Kanye West, who had been involved in a number of other award show incidents. West declared Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", nominated in the same category, to be "one of the best videos of all time." Many audience members booed West, prompting him to flip off the crowd. He then handed the microphone back to a speechless Swift. Backstage, Swift was seen "hysterically crying". According to Rolling Stone, when Swift's mother confronted West, he gave "a half-hearted apology in which he added he still thought Beyoncé's video was superior". West was removed from the event. When Beyoncé later won the award for Video of the Year, she invited Swift onstage to finish her speech. In the event's press room, Swift, who in 2008 had expressed a desire to sing a hook on a Kanye West rap song, was asked if she had "any hard feelings" towards West: "I don't know him, and I've never met him, so... I don't want to start anything because I had a great night tonight." The incident received much media attention and inspired many Internet memes. President Barack Obama, in an off the record comment, called West a "jackass". Former US President Jimmy Carter said West's interruption was "completely uncalled for". West's behavior was criticized by celebrities, including Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Madonna. West apologized for his verbal outburst in two blog entries and during an appearance on The Jay Leno Show. He maintained that, while Swift was "very talented", "Beyoncé's video was the best of this decade!!!! ... I gave my awards to Outkast when they deserved it over me ... I'm not crazy y'all, I'm just real." Two days after the VMAs, Swift told an interviewer that West had not spoken to her since the ceremony. West then contacted her to offer a personal apology, which Swift accepted: "Kanye did call me, and he was very sincere in his apology." She refused to discuss the incident in subsequent interviews so as not to make a "bigger deal" of it: "It happened on TV, so everybody saw what happened ... It's not something I feel like we need to keep talking about." It has been said that the incident and subsequent media attention turned Swift into "a bona-fide mainstream celebrity"

Justin Beiber

2013-01-11T11:55:00.000-05:00

Justin Drew Bieber (born March 1, 1994) is a best-selling Canadian pop artist. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by American talent manager Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager. Braun arranged for him to meet with entertainer Usher Raymond in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bieber was signed to Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG), and then to an Island Records recording contract offered by record executive L.A. Reid.
His debut extended play, the seven-track My World, was released in November 2009, and was certified platinum in the United States. He became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut record to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Bieber's first full-length studio album, My World 2.0, was released in March 2010. It debuted at or near number-one in several countries and was certified platinum in the United States. It was preceded by the worldwide top-ten single "Baby". He followed up the release of his debut album with his first headlining tour, the My World Tour, the remix albums My Worlds Acoustic and Never Say Never – The Remixes, and the 3D biopic-concert film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. Bieber released his second studio album Under the Mistletoe in November 2011, when it debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200. Bieber released his third studio album Believe on June 19, 2012, and it became his fourth chart topper in the United States, debuting at number-one on the Billboard 200.

Bieber has received numerous awards, including both Artist of the Year Awards at the 2010 American Music Awards and the 2012 American Music Awards, and was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards. With a global fan base, termed as "Beliebers", and over 30 million followers on Twitter, he was named by Forbes magazine in 2012 as the third-most powerful celebrity in the world. He had earned an estimated US$55 million in the previous 12 months. As of May 2012, Bieber has sold 15 million albums.

Bieber is a Christian, and said he has a relationship with Jesus, talks to him and that "he's the reason I'm here".
Bieber's comments in a February 2011 profile in Rolling Stone sparked controversy. Asked about abstinence, Bieber responded, "I don't think you should have sex with anyone unless you love them." He said he does not "believe in abortion" and that it is "like killing a baby". He described sexual orientation as "everyone's own decision". Bieber has contributed to the It Gets Better Project,which aims to prevent suicide among LGBT youth.
Bieber has said he is not interested in obtaining United States citizenship and has criticized America's health care system. Praising Canada as being "the best country in the world", he cited its health care system as a model example.
On February 27, 2011, Bieber attended the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar Party with American actress and singer Selena Gomez, confirming several months of media speculation about a romantic relationship between the pair. In November 2012, it was reported that Bieber and Gomez had ended their relationship after approximately two years of dating. However, it was reported twelve days later that the couple had gotten back together after Bieber reportedly begged Gomez for forgiveness.
In May 2012, Bieber purchased a 10,000 square-foot mansion on 1.3 acres of land, located in the community of Calabasas, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles. A 2013 photograph of him posted on 2013 shows him holding something that many think is a marijuana cigarette.
Bieber's philanthropic activities have included visiting children's hospitals. In June 2012, the "Music Makes It Better" campaign was released, featuring PSAs by Bieber, Victoria Justice, and The Band Perry. The campaign aims to bring music, arts, and other programs to children while they're in the hospital

Fernando Álvarez De Toledo

2012-09-22T10:38:00.000-04:00

Álvarez De Toledo, Fernando (1507–1582), third duke of Alba (also Alva), Spanish general and statesman. Fernando Álvarez de Toledo was born on his family's estate at Piedrahita on 29 October 1507. Three years later his father was killed in a skirmish with the Muslims on the island of Jerba. The child was given a military upbringing by his grandfather, Fadrique, second duke of Alba, whose title he inherited in 1531. At sixteen he had fought at Fuenterrabía and thereafter served the Emperor, Charles V, in the campaigns of Vienna, Tunis, Provence, and Algiers. By the outbreak of the Schmalkald War in 1546, Alba had emerged as the emperor's chief military adviser and was largely responsible for the victory at Mühlberg in the following year.

In 1548 Alba was named majordomo to Prince Philip, a position that he retained after the latter's accession to the Spanish throne as Philip II. This enabled him to become patron of an aristocratic faction that included not only Alba's many relatives and their retainers but also several of the more important royal secretaries. His chief political rival was the royal chamberlain, Ruy Gómez de Silva, a man associated with the Mendoza family and with the secretarial “school” founded by Cardinal Espinosa.

Alba accompanied Philip to England in 1554, served briefly as viceroy of Milan and then of Naples, and in 1556–1557 commanded the royal forces in their successful war against Pope Paul IV and Henri, duke of Guise. He played a major role in the negotiations at Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559 and returned to Spain in 1560 as a member of the council of state who claimed special expertise on the affairs of France and England.

Tall, saturnine, and deeply religious, Alba was known for his sharp tongue and limitless arrogance. Philip found him trying but useful, not only in military and diplomatic affairs but also in reviewing ecclesiastical appointments. The duke's unbending orthodoxy and long association with the policies of the late emperor made him the king's conscience in the years leading up to the Revolt of the Netherlands. His innate regalism and a passionate hatred of heretics caused him to oppose all compromise with the Netherlanders, and when rioting and iconoclasm broke out in 1566, he was the natural choice to suppress what the king perceived as rebellion.

The plan was that Alba would go to the Netherlands and purge the country of heretics and rebels. The king would then come in person, repudiate his captain-general's excesses, and issue a general pardon. The scheme was supported by Alba's enemies, who until now had favored a policy of reconciliation. They wanted Alba away from court so that they could discredit him and undermine his influence.

In 1567 the duke marched to the Low Countries with an army of Spanish veterans. He immediately arranged the execution of Lamoraal, count of Egmont, and Filips van Montmorency, count of Hoorne, on charges of treason and established the Council of Troubles, a political court designed to root out enemies of the crown. At this point William of Orange assumed leadership of the revolt and invaded the Netherlands with a force composed largely of German mercenaries. Alba defeated him with ease and by the end of 1568 had achieved pacification of all seventeen provinces. The king, however, did not come. The death of his only heir, Don Carlos, followed by a revolt of the Moriscos in southern Spain, made it impossible for Philip to leave Spain, and Alba was left to reap the consequences of his own repressive policies.

In the next four years the duke installed fourteen new bishops whose appointments had been blocked since 1560 and reformed the legal code, but the alien and unsympathetic character of his regime aroused resentment. When he tried to impose perpetual taxation in the form of the Tenth Penny, a generalized revolt broke out in 1572. In trying to suppress it, Alba began a deliberate policy of terror, which encouraged bitter resistance at Haarlem and Alkmaar, and the king, urged on by Ruy Gómez, recalled him. Though Ruy Gómez died in the following year, Alba's position at court was now seriously weakened, and the king actually imprisoned him for a time in the royal castle at Uceda. In 1580 he was recalled to lead the royal armies in the annexation of Portugal, where he died in 1582.

Alba was generally acknowledged as the greatest soldier of his day, and his concept of warfare was preserved by an entire school of military writers who had served under him. He was also an able, if unpopular, diplomat, but his political legacy in the Netherlands, the most important command of his career, was entirely negative. His harsh policies provoked unified opposition to Spanish rule and may be said to have precipitated the movement toward Dutch independence.

Dr. Joseph Warren

2012-06-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

Dr. Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 – June 17, 1775) was an American doctor who played a leading role in American Patriot organizations in Boston in early days of the American Revolution, eventually serving as president of the revolutionary Massachusetts Provincial Congress. Warren enlisted Paul Revere and William Dawes on April 18, 1775, to leave Boston and spread the alarm that the British garrison in Boston was setting out to raid the town of Concord and arrest rebel leaders John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Warren participated in the next day's Battles of Lexington and Concord, which are commonly considered to be the opening engagements of the American Revolutionary War.

Warren had been commissioned a Major General in the colony's militia shortly before the June 17, 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill. Rather than exercising his rank, Warren served in the battle as a private soldier, and was killed in combat when British troops stormed the redoubt atop Breed's Hill. His death, immortalized in John Trumbull's painting, The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775, galvanized the rebel forces, and he has been memorialized in many place names in the United States.

Joseph Warren was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, to Joseph Warren and Mary (Stevens) Warren. His father was a respected farmer who was killed in October 1755 when he fell off a ladder while gathering fruit in his orchard. After attending the Roxbury Latin School, Joseph enrolled in Harvard College, graduating in 1759, and then taught for about a year at Roxbury Latin. He studied medicine and married 18-year-old heiress Elizabeth Hooten on September 6, 1764. She died in 1772, leaving him with four children: Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, and Richard.

As Boston's conflict with the royal government came to a head in 1773-75, Warren was appointed to the Boston Committee of Correspondence. He twice delivered orations in commemoration of the Massacre, the second time in March 1775 while the town was occupied by army troops. Warren drafted the Suffolk Resolves, which were endorsed by the Continental Congress, to advocate resistance to Parliament's Coercive Acts. He was appointed President of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, the highest position in the revolutionary government.

In mid-April 1775, Warren and Dr. Benjamin Church were the two top members of the Committee of Correspondence left in Boston. On the afternoon of April 18, the British troops in the town mobilized for a long-planned raid on the nearby town of Concord, and already before nightfall word of mouth had spread knowledge of the mobilization widely within Boston. It had been known for weeks that General Gage in Boston had plans to destroy munitions stored in Concord by the colonials, and it was also known that they would be taking a route through Lexington. Warren received the additional information from a highly placed informant that the troops also had orders to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Warren sent William Dawes and Paul Revere on their famous "midnight rides" to warn Hancock and Adams in Lexington about the approaching troops. The historian of colonial America, David Hackett Fischer, finds strong, but inconclusive, evidence that Warren's highly placed informant was none other than Margaret Gage, the wife of General Thomas Gage.

Warren slipped out of Boston early on April 19, and during that day's Battle of Lexington and Concord, he coordinated and led militia into the fight alongside William Heath as the British Army returned to Boston. When the enemy were returning from Concord, he was among the foremost in hanging upon their rear and assailing their flanks. During this fighting Warren was nearly killed, a musket ball striking part of his wig. When his mother saw him after the battle and heard of his escape, she entreated him with tears again not to risk life so precious. "Where danger is, dear mother," he answered, "there must your son be. Now is no time for any of American’s children to shrink from any hazard. I will set her free or die." He then turned to recruiting and organizing soldiers for the Siege of Boston, promulgating the Patriots' version of events, and negotiating with Gen. Gage in his role as head of the Provincial Congress.

Warren was appointed a Major General by the Provincial Congress on June 14, 1775. He arrived where the militia was forming and asked where would the heaviest fighting be and Putnam pointed to Bunker Hill. He volunteered as a private against the wishes of General Israel Putnam and Colonel William Prescott, who requested that he serve as their commander. Since Putnam and Prescott were more experienced with war he declined command. He was among those inspiring the men to hold rank against superior numbers. Warren was known to have repeatedly declared of the British: "These fellows say we won't fight! By Heaven, I hope I shall die up to my knees in blood!" He fought in the redoubt until out of ammunition, and remained until the British made their third and final assault on the hill to give time for the militia to escape. He was killed instantly by a musket ball in the head by a British officer (possibly Lieutenant Lord Rawdon) who recognized him. His body was stripped of clothing and he was bayoneted until unrecognizable, and then shoved into a shallow ditch.

British Captain Walter Laurie, who had been defeated at Old North Bridge, later said he "stuffed the scoundrel with another rebel into one hole, and there he and his seditious principles may remain." His body was exhumed ten months after his death by his brothers and Paul Revere, who identified the remains by the artificial tooth he had placed in the jaw. This may be the first recorded instance of post-mortem identification by forensic odontology. His body was placed in the Granary Burying Ground and later (in 1825) in St. Paul's Church before finally being moved in 1855 to his family's vault in Forest Hills Cemetery.

There are at least three statues of Joseph Warren on public display. Two are in Boston—one in the exhibit lodge adjacent to the Bunker Hill Monument, the other on the grounds of the Roxbury Latin School. The third is in a small park on the corner of Third and Pennsylvania avenues in Warren, Pennsylvania, a city, borough, and county all named after the general.

At the time of Warren's death, his children were staying with his fiancee, Mercy Scollay. She continued to look after them, gathering support for their education from Mercy Otis Warren, Benedict Arnold, and even the Continental Congress. Joseph's younger brother, John Warren, served as a surgeon during the Battle of Bunker Hill and the rest of the war and afterwards founded Harvard Medical School.

General Gage reportedly said Warren's death was equal to the death of 500 men. It encouraged the revolutionary cause because it was viewed by many Americans as an act of martyrdom. Fourteen states have a Warren County named after him. Additionally, Warren, Pennsylvania, Warren, Michigan, Warren, New Jersey, Warren County, New Jersey, Warrensburg, New York, Warrenton, Virginia, Warren, Maine, Warren, Massachusetts and 30 Warren Townships are also named in his honor. Boston's Fort Warren, started in 1833, was named in his honor. Five ships in the Continental Navy and United States Navy were named Warren in his honor.

Barlaam of Calabria

2012-04-20T10:50:00.000-04:00

Barlaam of Calabria, theologian; born Seminara, Calabria, ca.1290, died Avignon, June 1348. Born in southern Italy to an Orthodox family, he became a monk in his youth. In 1330 he moved to Constantinople, where he was hegoumenos of the Akataleptos monastery until 1341. A protégé of Andronikos III, he served as an Orthodox spokesman in Union negotiations in Constantinople and, in 1339, as imperial emissary to the courts of Naples and Paris. A brilliant but arrogant and contentious scholar, in the mid-1330s he began to attack hesychasm for both its theology and manner of prayer. He accused Gregory Palamas of Messalianism, and argued that the light on Mt. Tabor at the Transfiguration was created and not eternal. His intemperate criticism of the mystical exercises of the monks of Mt. Athos (whom he called omphalopsychoi, “with souls in their navels”) triggered the controversy over Palamism that was to divide the Byz. church for over a decade. The local council of Constantinople of 1341 condemned Barlaam and ordered his anti-hesychast writings burned. He returned to the West, converted to Catholicism at Avignon in 1342, and became bishop of Gerace in Calabria (1342–48). At Avignon Barlaam met Petrarch, who was later to study Greek with him. Barlaam was anathematized by the Orthodox church in 1351.

Bilingual, Barlaam left writings in both Latin and Greek. Most of his anti-Palamite works (except for his letters and an unedited disputation with Gregory Akindynos) were destroyed, so his views are known primarily from the rebuttals of his opponents. His 21 anti-Latin treatises on the Procession of the Holy Spirit and papal primacy do survive (in Latin), but are mostly unpublished. Barlaam was also interested in astronomy and wrote treatises on solar eclipses and the astrolabe.

William Heath

2012-04-19T00:30:00.001-04:00

William Heath (March 7, 1737 – January 24, 1814) was an American farmer, soldier, and political leader from Massachusetts who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Heath made his home for his entire life at his family’s farm in Roxbury, Massachusetts (present day Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, part of the city of Boston). He was born on a farm that had been settled in 1636 by his ancestors. He became active in the militia, and was a captain in the Suffolk County militia in 1760. By 1770 he was a colonel and its leader.

In December 1774 the revolutionary government in Massachusetts named him a brigadier general. He commanded Massachusetts forces during the last stage of the Battle of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. As the siege of Boston began, Heath devoted himself to training the militia involved in the siege. In June of that year, Massachusetts named him a major general in the state troops, and the Continental Congress made him a brigadier general in the new national army, the Continental Army.

In 1776 Heath participated in the defence of New York City, and was one of those who urged General Washington not to abandon the city. He saw action at Long Island, Harlem Heights, and White Plains. In August 1776 he was promoted to major general in the Continental Army, but Washington had doubts about Heath's abilities and posted him where no action was expected. In November he was placed in command of forces in the Hudson River Highlands. In January 1777, Washington instructed Heath to attack Fort Independence in New York in support of Washington's actions at Trenton and Princeton, but Heath's attack was botched and his troops were routed. He was censured by Washington and thereafter was never given command of troops in action.

General Heath was placed in charge of the Convention Army of John Burgoyne’s surrendered troops after the Battle of Saratoga. In 1780 he returned to command the Highland Department after Benedict Arnold’s treason.

After the war, Heath was a member of the Massachusetts Convention that ratified the United States Constitution in 1788. He served in the state Senate 1791–1792, and as a probate court judge. In 1800 he was elected the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, but declined the office.

He died at home in Roxbury on January 24, 1814, and was buried nearby in Forest Hills Cemetery The town of Heath, Massachusetts, is named in his honour.

John Parker

2012-04-19T00:30:00.000-04:00

John Parker (July 13, 1729 – September 17, 1775) was an American farmer, mechanic and soldier who commanded the Lexington militia at the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775. Parker was born in Lexington to Josiah Parker and Anne Stone. His experience as a soldier in the French and Indian War (Seven Years War) at the Siege of Louisbourg and the conquest of Quebec most likely led to his election as militia captain by the men of the town. He was in poor health from consumption (tuberculosis) on the morning of April 19. Tradition reports his order at Lexington Green to have been, "Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here." He witnessed his cousin Jonas Parker killed by a British bayonet. Later that day he rallied his men to attack the regulars returning to Boston in an ambush known as "Parker's Revenge". Parker and his men participated in the subsequent Siege of Boston. He was unable to serve in the Battle of Bunker Hill in June, and died of tuberculosis in September.

Parker's grandson donated his musket to the state of Massachusetts. It hangs today in the Senate Chamber of the Massachusetts State House.

The Parker Homestead formerly stood on Spring Street in Lexington. A tablet marks the spot as Theodore Parker's birthplace; Theodore, a relative (grandson) of Captain John, was a transcendentalist and minister who was good friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. A copy of one of Rev. Theodore Parker's sermons, given to Abraham Lincoln by Lincoln's law partner, is the source of the "of the people, by the people, for the people" phrasing Lincoln used in his Gettysburg Address (the phrase comes originally from the writings of the 14th-century English scholar and religious reformer John Wycliffe)

John Parker had seven children.

Isaac Davis

2012-04-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

Isaac Davis (February 23, 1745 – April 19, 1775) was a gunsmith and a militia officer who commanded a company of Minutemen from Acton, Massachusetts, during the first battle of the American Revolutionary War. In the months leading up to the Revolution, Davis set unusually high standards for his company in terms of equipment, training, and preparedness. His company was selected to lead the advance on the British Regulars during the Battle of Concord because his men were entirely outfitted with bayonets. During the American advance on the British at the Old North Bridge, Davis was among the first killed and was the first American officer to die in the Revolution.

Davis is memorialized through the Isaac Davis Monument on the Acton Town Common. He was also the inspiration behind "The Minute Man," the sculpture at the Old North Bridge by Daniel Chester French. The sculpture, which French attempted to model after Isaac Davis, is now an iconic national symbol.

During the early spring of 1775, Gage planned an expedition to confiscate a large stockpile of gunpowder and weapons kept by the provincials in Concord, Massachusetts. On April 15, he issued orders to hand-picked companies of British Regulars in Boston, relieving them from their usual duties. Concluding that a British movement was imminent, Paul Revere, a messenger for the provincial Sons of Liberty, was sent to Concord on April 16 to warn the inhabitants. Most of the supplies were removed from Concord, and the Minuteman companies were on alert days before the British marched from Boston.

On the night of April 18, 1775, Gage dispatched approximately 800 British Regulars under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith.The Sons of Liberty in Boston were convinced that the British troops would also attempt to capture the provincial leaders, John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who were in Lexington, Massachusetts. Messengers Paul Revere and William Dawes therefore rode again on the night of April 18 to warn Hancock and Adams that the soldiers were marching from Boston. In Lexington, the British force encountered resistance from the Lexington militia, and a skirmish ensued on Lexington Green; eight provincials were killed, and one British soldier was wounded. Following the action on Lexington Green, the British marched on to Concord.

Word of the British movement reached Acton just before dawn on April 19, most likely delivered by Dr. Samuel Prescott, a resident of Concord and one of the Sons of Liberty. As the alarm spread, the Acton Minutemen began to gather at Davis's home. While waiting for others to arrive, the men made paper cartridges and some powdered their hair with flour so as to appear more like gentlemen when they met the British in battle. As the Minutemen prepared, Davis's wife noticed that he seemed especially somber and said very little. As some of his men joked about getting a shot at a British soldier, Davis rebuked them, reminding them that some of them would soon be killed.

Davis formed up his company and ordered them to march at about 7 a.m. According to his wife and other witnesses, shortly after stepping off, Davis ordered his company to halt, then returned to his front door to tell his wife, "Take good care of the children." Soon after crossing into Concord, the Acton company passed the farm of Colonel James Barrett who commanded the provincial troops in Concord that morning. A small detachment of British soldiers were searching Barrett's farm for supplies, and Davis considered attacking them. His orders, however, were to muster with the rest of the provincial militia and Minutemen near the Old North Bridge by the Concord River. He then diverted his company off the road, avoiding the British at Barrett's farm and marching past a tavern belonging to a Widow Brown. A boy named Charles Handley, who lived at Widow Brown's Tavern, saw Davis's company pass the tavern. He recalled many years later that a fifer and drummer played a song called "The White Cockade." Tradition persists that this was Davis's favorite marching song, but there is little evidence to support this notion. There is also a tradition that the Acton musicians played the White Cockade later when Davis's company led the advance on the British at the Old North Bridge, although this too is not supported by primary source accounts.

Davis's company reached the area of the Old North Bridge at approximately 9 a.m. Several other companies of militia and Minutemen, consisting of about 500 men from Concord, Lincoln, and Bedford, had already gathered on a small hill overlooking the bridge. Approximately 100 British Regulars occupied the bridge. Shortly after Davis arrived, Barrett called a council of the officers present to determine whether or not to attack the Regulars at the bridge. In Concord, the majority of the British force was searching for supplies, but they found little. When they decided to burn some wooden gun carriages they discovered, the provincials near the Old North Bridge saw the smoke and thought the British were burning the town. Barrett then made the decision to attack the soldiers holding the bridge.

Davis's company had taken their designated position at the left of the provincial line. This would have placed the Acton company in the rear of the attack when the line advanced. The company in the lead would have been Captain David Brown's company from Concord. When Barrett asked Brown if he would lead the attack, Brown responded that he would rather not. Knowing that Davis's company was well equipped with bayonets and cartridge boxes, Barrett asked Davis if his company would lead the advance. Several slight variations of Davis's response have been recorded. His response is most often given as, "I have not a man that is afraid to go." Following Barrett's orders, Davis then moved his company to the right of the line. Around 10:30, the provincials faced to the right and advanced on the Old North Bridge in a column of two men abreast. At the head of the column was Davis, Major John Buttrick of Concord, and Lt. Col. John Robinson of Westford. Barrett remained behind on the hill, cautioning his men as they marched by him not to fire first. The British at the bridge, watching the provincials approach, were surprised to see, as one soldier later said, that they "advanced with the greatest regularity".

When the provincials were within about 75 yards of the bridge, the Regulars fired a few warning shots. Luther Blanchard, the fifer from Acton, was hit and wounded by one of these warning shots. The British then fired a disorganized volley. Isaac Davis was shot through the heart. Private Abner Hosmer of Acton was also killed in this volley. Seeing these casualties, Buttrick commanded, "Fire, fellow soldiers, for God's sake fire!" and the provincials returned fire, causing the British to immediately retreat back to Concord.

In February 1851, shortly after the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Concord, Rev. James Woodbury of Acton petitioned the Massachusetts General Court for funds to build a large monument to Isaac Davis in Acton. After the legislature appropriated $2,000 for the project, the 75-foot tall stone obelisk was completed that fall and dedicated on October 29, 1851. The remains of Davis, Hosmer, and James Hayward (an Acton soldier who was killed in Lexington later in the battle) were moved and re-interred beneath the monument. At the base of the monument is a stone brought from the vicinity of the Old North Bridge in Concord which is, according to an inscription, the stone upon which Davis's head fell when he was killed.

In 1875, on the centennial of the Battle of Concord, a statue called "The Minute Man" was placed on the approximate site of Isaac Davis's death. The statue was the first public work of sculptor Daniel Chester French, best known for his 1920 statue, "Abraham Lincoln", in the Lincoln Memorial. Although commissioned to sculpt a generic provincial soldier, French was inspired by the story of Isaac Davis and modeled the facial features of his statue after photographs of Isaac Davis's descendants. Davis's plow, which is currently on display in Acton's Town Hall, was used as the model for the plow on the statue.

On the base of the statue is inscribed the first stanza of Ralph Waldo Emerson's Concord Hymn written in 1836:

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.

Representing Davis, the statue of "The Minute Man" with a musket in one hand and the other resting on a plow remains an iconic symbol, and can be found on the Massachusetts state quarter, corporate logos, and the seal of the National Guard of the United States.

The route of the Acton Minutemen is retraced every Patriots' Day in April by today's recreated company of Acton Minutemen, and by citizens and visitors. Now called the Isaac Davis Trail, the seven mile route from Acton to Concord traverses roads still in use as well as woodland trails. The path was established in 1957 by a group of Acton Boy Scouts who researched the historic route, cleared the portions of the path no longer in use, and placed markers. The trail was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Robin Gibb

2012-04-17T09:05:00.000-04:00

Robin Hugh Gibb, CBE (born 22 December 1949) is a singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice and elder brother Barry.

Born in the Isle of Man to English parents, Gibb began his career as part of the family trio in Australia; they found major success when they returned to the United Kingdom. With record sales estimated in excess of 200 million units, the Bee Gees became one of the most successful pop groups of all time.

Traditionally, Robin's role in the Bee Gees was lead singer, for which he vied constantly with Barry during the group's first period of British success in the late 1960s. This rivalry eventually prompted Gibb to leave the group and begin a solo career. The final irritant was when Gibb's song "Lamplight" was relegated to the B-side of Barry's song "First of May". Meanwhile, there were rumours during this period that Gibb was dealing with drug abuse problems. During this period, Gibb's parents allegedly threatened legal action to make Gibb a ward of court (the UK age of majority at that time being 21, and Gibb was only 19).

In his solo career, Gibb was initially successful with a number 2 UK hit, "Saved by the Bell" (which sold over one million copies, and received a gold disc). However, Gibb's first solo album, Robin's Reign, was less successful and he soon found that being a solo artist was unsatisfying. Maurice played bass guitar on the song "Mother and Jack", but was subsequently removed from the project by producer Robert Stigwood. Despite having almost completed a second solo album, Sing Slowly Sisters, Gibb reunited with his brothers, who then revived the Bee Gees. The group came back on a high note, reaching No.3 on the US charts with the song "Lonely Days" in 1970. In 1971, the Bee Gees had their first US No.1 hit, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", but after that their popularity started to ebb.

In 1974, with new producer Arif Mardin, the Bee Gees reinvented themselves with the song "Blue-Eyed Soul,". The group now entered their second period of phenomenal success in the disco-era late 1970s.

In 1978, Gibb performed on the Sesame Street Fever album for the Sesame Street children's TV program. He sang on the "Sesame Street Fever" title track, sang a song called "Trash" for the character Oscar the Grouch, and spoke on at least one other song.

While continuing in the Bee Gees, Gibb also promoted his new solo career. During the 1980s, Gibb released three solo albums (How Old Are You, Secret Agent, and Walls Have Eyes). These three albums were more successful in Europe than in the UK or US. However, Gibb's 1984 single "Boys Do Fall in Love" did reach the Billboard Magazine top 40 list of hits. Gibb also recorded several extended versions of dance songs, including "Boys Do Fall in Love", "Secret Agent", "Like a Fool" and the rarest, "You Don't Say Us Anymore"; many of these extended versions were released to radio disc jockeys only.

On 27 January 2003 (the week that Maurice died), Gibb released a new solo album, Magnet in Germany on SPV GmbH, and worldwide shortly afterwards. Magnet featured the Bee Gees song "Wish You Were Here" (from the 1989 album One) in a new acoustic version. The lead single, "Please", had coincidental lyrics about "loss". After Maurice's death, Robin and Barry again disbanded the Bee Gees; however, in late 2009, the three brothers announced that they would reform and perform again as the Bee Gees.

In recent years, Gibb sang the vocals to the opening titles to the British ITV show The Dame Edna Treatment.

On 18 May 2008, Gibb released the song "Alan Freeman Days" in tribute to the Australian DJ Alan Freeman. The song was issued as a download only track, although a promotional CD was issued by Academy Recordings. In December 2008, "Alan Freeman Days" was followed by another downloadable song entitled "Wing and a Prayer", which shared the same name as a song from the 1989 One album. However, the new song was actually a reworking of the song, "Sing Slowly Sisters", that had remained unreleased since 1970. Later in December, Gibb issued another song as a download, "Ellan Vannin (Home Coming Mix)", featuring the King William's College Choir from the Isle of Man. "Ellan Vannin" is the Manx language name for the Isle of Man.

In 2008, Gibb completed a new solo album entitled 50 St. Catherine's Drive, but it was never released. However, in August 2009, a 50-second video clip of "Instant Love" from 50 St. Catherine's Drive appeared as a preview. "Instant Love" was a collaboration with Gibb's son Robin-John. A second version of "Instant Love" featuring Robin-John on vocals appeared in a short film called Bloodtype: The Search in which Robin-John appeared.

Gibb and Robin-John also wrote the score for The Titanic Requiem, recorded by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2012 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Gibb was due to attend the piece's premier on 10 April 2012, but his failing health kept him away.

Gibb was a guest mentor on the Australian version of the The X Factor, alongside Australian TV host Kyle Sandilands Australian actor/singer Natalie Imbruglia, Irish singer Ronan Keating, and Australian singerGuy Sebastian.