Thursday, June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson



Michael Joseph Jackson
(August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums are among the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).







In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller—credited for transforming the music video into an art form and a promotional tool—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced many hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.




One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and the sales of over 750 million albums worldwide. Cited as one of the world's most famous men, Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades.


http://www.michaeljackson.com/

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane

nickname Zizou


Soccer player. Born Zinédine Yazid Zidane on June 23, 1972 in Marseille, France. The son of Algerian immigrants, Zidane learned to play football in the streets of Marseilles, was discovered at age 14 by a talent scout, and signed as a schoolboy for Cannes FC. After a spell at Girondins de Bordeaux, he transferred to Italian club Juventus where he notched up a string of successes. He was a key player for his country in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final, scoring two goals in France's 30 victory over Brazil, and was hailed as a national hero.

















In 2000 France added the European Championship to their achievements. His further honours include European Footballer of the Year (1998) and FIFA World Footballer of the Year (1998, 2000, 2003). In 2001 he signed for Spanish club Real Madrid for a world record transfer fee of ¤47·2 million, and his annual income is estimated at around ¤5 million.

In 2004, Zidane was named best European football player of the past 50 years by the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll and was included in the FIFA 100, Pelé's list of the 125 greatest living footballers. In 2006, he was named Most Outstanding Player at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He retired after the finals that year.


http://www.biography.com/articles/Zinedine-Zidane-9541232

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe,(1 June 1926 – 5 August 1962), born Norma Jeane Mortenson but baptized Norma Jeane Baker, was an American actress, singer, and model.

After spending much of her childhood in foster homes, Monroe began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946. Her early roles were minor, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950) were well received. She was praised for her comedic ability in such films as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, and The Seven Year Itch, and became one of Hollywood's most popular and glamorous performers.




















The typecasting of Monroe's "dumb blonde" persona limited her career prospects, so she broadened her range. She studied at the Actors Studio and formed Marilyn Monroe Productions. Her dramatic performance in William Inge's Bus Stop was hailed by critics, and she won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Some Like it Hot.

The final years of Monroe's life were marked by illness, personal problems, and a reputation for being unreliable and difficult to work with. The circumstances of her death, from an overdose of barbiturates, have been the subject of conjecture. Though officially classified as a "probable suicide," the possibility of an accidental overdose has not been ruled out, while conspiracy theorists argue that she was murdered.

In 1999, Monroe was ranked as the sixth greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe


David Beckham


David Beckham


David Robert Joseph Beckham (born 2 May 1975) is an English footballer who currently plays in midfield for American Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy and the England national team.

Twice runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 the world's highest-paid footballer,Beckham is the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches.He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004.With such global recognition he has become an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon. Beckham was captain of England from 15 November 2000 until the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, during which he played 58 times. Since then he has continued to represent his country and earned his much-publicised hundredth cap for England against France on 26 March 2008. He is currently England's most-capped outfield player with 112 appearances.

















Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17.During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons, clinching the La Liga championship in his final season with the club.

In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid and sign a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham's contract with Los Angeles Galaxy became effective on 1 July 2007 and gave him the highest player salary in MLS history. He debuted for the team on 21 July in a friendly versus Chelsea at The Home Depot Center,and on 15 August, he had his first start with the team, scoring his first goal in the 2007 SuperLiga semi-final. His first league start then came on 18 August in front of a record crowd at Giants Stadium.

Beckham is married to former Spice Girl, Victoria Beckham née Adams. The couple have three sons and currently reside in Beverly Hills, California.








http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Beckham
http://www.davidbeckham.com/

Avril Lavigne







Avril Lavigne Whibley (born September 27, 1984), better known by her birth name Avril Lavigne (pronounced /ˈævrɨl ləˈviːn/), is a Canadian singer-songwriter, fashion designer, and actress. Lavigne has sold more than 30 million copies of her albums worldwide.She is currently one of the top-selling artists releasing albums in the United States, with over 10.25 million copies certified by the Recording Industry Association of America. She has been dubbed as the 'pop-punk princess' by various sources.

Lavigne broke into the recording industry with her debut album, Let Go, released in 2002. As of 2009, over 16 million copies were sold worldwide, more than 6 million of which were sold in the United States. Her second and third album, Under My Skin and The Best Damn Thing, reached number one on the Global charts. Lavigne has scored five number-one singles worldwide, including "Complicated", "Sk8er Boi", "I'm With You", "My Happy Ending" and "Girlfriend".