name	Graham Norton
birth name	Graham William Walker
birth date	April 04, 1963
birth place	Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland
medium	Television, radio, stand-up
nationality	Irish
active	1992–present
genre	Observational comedy
subject	Everyday life, pop culture, current events, celebrities, sex
awards
notable work	''So Graham Norton''''V Graham Norton''''The Graham Norton Effect''''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture''''The Graham Norton Show'' }}

Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton, (born 4 April 1963) is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist. He is the host of comedy chat programme ''The Graham Norton Show'' on BBC One in the UK. ''Hot Press'' has described him as "the 21st century's answer to Terry Wogan", with both men sharing an Irish background and the common link of being a BBC Radio 2 presenter and the BBC television commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Early life and career

Norton was born in Clondalkin, a suburb of Dublin, but grew up in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland to a Protestant family. He was educated at Bandon Grammar School, in County Cork and then University College Cork but did not complete his studies.

In 1992 his stand-up comedy drag act in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a tea-towel clad Mother Teresa of Calcutta made the press when Scottish Television's religious affairs department mistakenly thought he represented the real Mother Teresa.

His first appearances in broadcasting were in his spot as a regular comedian and panellist on the BBC Radio 4 show ''Loose Ends'', when the show ran on Saturday mornings, in the early 1990s. His rise to fame began as one of the early successes of Channel 5, when he won an award for his performance as the stand-in host of a late-night TV talk show usually presented by Jack Docherty. This was followed by a comic quiz show on Channel 5 called ''Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment'', which was not well received as a programme, but did further enhance Norton's individual reputation as a comic and TV host. In 1996, Norton co-hosted the late-night quiz show ''Carnal Knowledge'' on ITV with Maria McErlane.

In 1996, Norton played the part of Father Noel Furlong in three episodes ("Hell", "Flight Into Terror", "The Mainland") of the Channel 4 series ''Father Ted''. Father Noel Furlong was often seen taking charge of a small youth folk-group.

Channel 4

After this early success, Norton moved to Channel 4 to host his own chat shows including ''So Graham Norton'' and ''V Graham Norton''. As a performer who is not only openly gay, but also camp and flamboyant, it was here that Norton's act was fully honed as a cheeky, innuendo-laden joker.

In 2003, he was the subject of controversy when, on his show on Channel 4, he made a comedic reference to the recent death of Bee Gees singer Maurice Gibb. The Independent Television Commission investigated after complaints about this insensitivity were forwarded to it and eventually Channel 4 had to make two apologies: one in the form of a caption slide before the show, another from Norton in person.

Also in 2003, he was listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. (Though Norton is Irish, the bulk of his television career has been in the UK.)

In the summer of 2004, Norton moved across the Atlantic to start a new venture in American television. ''The Graham Norton Effect'' debuted on 24 June 2004 on Comedy Central, and was also broadcast in the UK on BBC Three. In the midst of controversy surrounding Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance, Norton was wary of moving into the market.

BBC

In 2005, Norton moved to the BBC and began hosting the Saturday evening reality TV series ''Strictly Dance Fever'' on BBC One, as well as a new comedy chat show, ''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture''. He also read stories some nights on the BBC children's channel CBeebies as part of ''Bedtime Hour''.

In 2006, Norton hosted the BBC One series ''How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?'' in which Andrew Lloyd Webber tried to find a lead actress for his West End version of ''The Sound of Music''. Norton has subsequently presented the 3 follow-up series: ''Any Dream Will Do'' in 2007, in which a group of males competed to win the role of Joseph in the West End production of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat''; ''I'd Do Anything'' in 2008, in which Andrew Lloyd Webber seeks to find the part of Nancy and Oliver for Sir Cameron Mackintosh's production of Lionel Bart's ''Oliver!''; and ''Over the Rainbow'' in 2010, following a similar format to find a new Dorothy for a ''Wizard of Oz'' West end Production.

Norton hosted various other shows for the BBC during this time, including ''When Will I Be Famous?'' (2007), ''The One and Only'' (2008) and ''Totally Saturday'' (2009). Since 2007, Norton has also been a regular host of The British Academy Television Awards. On 7 July 2007, Norton presented at Live Earth and undertook a trip to Ethiopia with the Born Free Foundation to highlight the plight of the Ethiopian wolf – the rarest canid in the world. In the same year, he was the subject of an episode of the BBC1 genealogy documentary ''Who Do You Think You Are?''.

Norton's chat show, ''The Graham Norton Show'', began on 22 February 2007 on BBC Two. Although in a format that he had not been involved in for 4 years, it is very similar to his previous Channel 4 shows. On 6 October 2009, the show moved to BBC One, in a new one-hour format.

In May 2010, he stood in for Chris Evans' breakfast show on BBC Radio 2. Later that month, it was confirmed that he would be replacing Jonathan Ross's Saturday morning slot on the same station.

In December 2011, the panel show ''Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton'' premiered on BBC America in the time slot immediately following ''The Graham Norton Show''. Recorded in New York, it is one of BBC America's earliest efforts at producing original programming, and is also the first panel game the channel has shown, either of British or American origin.

In January 2012, he called on listeners to his Radio 2 show to help find his car hours after it was stolen. He called it "The Great Car Hunt" and told listeners to “Keep your eyes out for it. It was filthy by the way."

Eurovision

Norton hosted the first annual ''Eurovision Dance Contest'' alongside Claudia Winkleman which was held on 1 September 2007 in London, England. The format was based on the BBC's ''Strictly Come Dancing'' and the EBU's ''Eurovision Song Contest''. Norton and Winkleman also hosted the 2008 Contest in Glasgow, Scotland.

In October 2008, it was confirmed by the BBC that Norton would replace Terry Wogan as the BBC's presenter for the UK heats of the ''Eurovision Song Contest'', in a show to be called ''Your Country Needs You''.

On 5 December 2008 it was announced that Norton would also take over from Wogan as the presenter of the main Eurovision Song Contest. The 54th Eurovision Song Contest was held in the Olimpiyskiy (Olympic) Stadium, Moscow on 16 May 2009.

Norton's jokes during his debut received some positive reviews from the British media. ''The Guardian'' noted his comments on Iceland's entry, which finished in second place, had "rooted around in a cupboard and found an old bridesmaid dress from 1987" and the Armenian singers, who finished in tenth place, were sporting traditional dress, "which would be true if you come from the village where Liberace is the mayor."

His comment “The bad news is you’re about to watch Albania. She’s only 17 so please bear that in mind. Where was her mother? Why didn’t she step in and say no?” which was made just before Albanian singer Kejsi Tola was set to take the stage dubbed an insult by many, sent ripples of outrage through not only Albania, but also the Albanian population in Britain.He then announced that Albania should get no points and that he didn't care what anybody else thought. There was a petition circling the net calling for a formal apology from Norton. The petition, which called his comment “very rude and insulting,” had drawn over 1,000 signatures.He never responded.

In 2011, he snarked that if Jedward's entry into the competition that year won, the twins would never sleep again. In the end, they were eighth. Earlier in that year's televote, he joked "Quick, someone take a picture", when The British entry that year went temporarily in the lead early on after high votes from Russia(4), Bulgaria(12) and Italy(10). In the end, the song dropped down the 11th, earning 100 points. Very annoyed, Norton claimed 'We were better than Jedward'.

Other

In July 2000 Graham was one of three judges of the Miss Lesbian Beauty Contest 2000 held at The Talk of London, Drury Lane. The contest was won by 42 year old Carol Hutchins who wowed the audience with her sit-down comedy routine from a wheelchair. Graham described Carol as a "very bright, funny lady."

Graham Norton played Mr. Puckov in the 2006 American comedy spoof film ''Another Gay Movie''. In 2007, Norton played Taylor in the romantic comedy film ''I Could Never Be Your Woman''.

Norton was involved in a high-publicity advertising campaign for the UK National Lottery as an animated unicorn, the stooge to a character based on Lady Luck (played by Fay Ripley). He has also advertised McVitie's biscuits.

In 2007, Norton featured in Girls Aloud and Sugababes' Comic Relief video for the single "Walk This Way."

In January 2009, Norton made his West End stage debut in a revival of ''La Cage Aux Folles'' at the Playhouse Theatre.

Since 2009, Norton has been the host of the comedy game-show ''Most Popular'' on US cable television channel WE tv.

Norton currently writes an advice column in ''The Daily Telegraph'' newspaper. In October 2010, these columns were made into a book entitled ''Ask Graham'', published by John Blake Publishing.

Personal life

Norton has stated that he felt "out of place" growing up in Ireland; his family are Protestant yet the Republic of Ireland is overwhelmingly Catholic. Norton took part in the TV programme, ''Who Do You Think You Are?'', to trace his ancestry. It was discovered that his family were originally planters sent over from England to take over Irish land. Some members of his family had fought for the British Monarchy during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and taken part in a massacre of Catholics in Carnew Castle. Another member of his family was later killed in battle by the United Irishmen. Norton said he was comforted to find out that his family had resided in Ireland for generations.

In 1989 while living in London, Norton was mugged, beaten and stabbed by a group of attackers on the street. He says he lost half his blood and nearly died, and he was hospitalised for two and a half weeks.

Norton is openly homosexual.

TV appearances

Main presenting credits

''Carnal Knowledge'' (TV series, co-presenter) (1996, 27 one hour shows)

''Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment''

''So Graham Norton'' (1998–2002)

''V Graham Norton'' (2002–2003)

''NY Graham Norton'' (2004)

''The Graham Norton Effect'' (2004–2005)

''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture'' (2005–2006)

''Strictly Dance Fever'' (2005–2006)

BBC/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical theater talent searches (2006–present)

* ''How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?'' (2006)

* ''Any Dream Will Do'' (2007)

* ''I'd Do Anything'' (2008)

* ''Over the Rainbow'' (2010)

''The Big Finish'' (2006–)

''When Will I Be Famous?'' (2007)

''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007–present)

''The British Academy Television Awards'' (2007)

''Live Earth'' (2007)

''Eurovision Dance Contest'' (2007)

''The One and Only'' (2008)

''Eurovision Dance Contest'' (2008)

''Eurovision: Your Country Needs You'' (2009–present)

''Eurovision Song Contest'' (UK commentator, 2009–present)

''Totally Saturday'' (2009)

''Most Popular'' (2009–present)

''Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton'' (BBC America, 2011–present)

Other television credits

''Rex the Runt'': A Crap Day Out ''Absolutely Fabulous'': Gay ''Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)

!Year!!Title!!Character!!Broadcaster
1996–98	''Father Ted'':	* Hell	* Flight into Terror	* The Mainland	Father Noel Furlong	Channel 4
rowspan=3	2001	|	The Plants voice	BBC
''Rex the Runt'': Patio	Osvalde Halitosis voice
''The Kumars at No. 42''	Himself
2002	|	Himself	BBC
rowspan=4	2007	Who Do You Think You Are?'' ||	Himself	BBC
''Saving Planet Earth''	*Saving Wolves	Himself	BBC
''Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List''
''Robbie the Reindeer'' in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind	Computer voice

Radio

''Just a Minute''

Sitting in for Steve Wright August 2009 BBC Radio 2

Sitting in for Chris Evans May /July 2010 BBC Radio 2

On 2 October 2010, he began his weekly BBC Radio 2 Saturday show taking over from Jonathan Ross. The show airs from 10.00am-1.00pm and combines a mixture of music, chat and celebrity guests.

2011/12 Radio 2 Saturday mornings

Filmography

''Stargay'' ''Another Gay Movie'' ''I Could Never Be Your Woman''

!Year!!Title!!Character!!Production
1999	|	Graham Solex	Canal+
2006	|	Mr. Puckov	Luna Pictures
2007	|	Taylor	The Weinstein Company

Stand-Up videos

''Live At The Roundhouse'' (19 November 2001)

Awards

1999 : Gaytime Award for ''Gay Entertainer of the Year''

2000, 2001, 2002 : BAFTA Award for Best Entertainment Performance – ''So Graham Norton''

2001 : RTS Television Award for Best Presenter – ''So Graham Norton''

2001 : TRIC Award TV Personality of the Year

2011 : BAFTA Award for Best Entertainment Performance – ''The Graham Norton Show''

References

External links

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of University College Cork Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters Category:Gay actors Category:Irish columnists Category:Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:Irish male comedians Category:Irish people of English descent Category:Irish television talk show hosts Category:Gay comedians Category:Gay people from Ireland Category:People from County Cork Category:People from Dublin (city) Category:Survivors of stabbing Category:United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest Category:Gay broadcasters

cy:Graham Norton da:Graham Norton de:Graham Norton es:Graham Norton fy:Graham Norton ga:Graham Norton nl:Graham Norton no:Graham Norton pl:Graham Norton ro:Graham Norton ru:Нортон, Грэм sv:Graham Norton tr:Graham Norton

Name	Nicki Minaj
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Onika Tanya Maraj
Birth date	December 08, 1982
Birth place	Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago
Origin	South Jamaica, Queens, New York, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop, R&B, pop
Occupation	Rapper, singer-songwriter
Years active	2002–present
Label	Cash Money Records, Young Money Entertainment, Universal Republic Records, Universal Motown
Associated acts	Young Money
website	}}

Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982), known by her stage name Nicki Minaj (), is a Trinidadian-born American musician. She was born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago and when she was 5 years of age she moved to the New York City borough of Queens, where she grew up.

After releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009 and being signed to Young Money Entertainment in August 2009, Minaj released her debut album, ''Pink Friday'', in November 2010. It quickly became a commercial success, peaking at number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 and being certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) a month after its release. She became the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at the same time. Her second single, "Your Love", reached number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Rap Songs chart, making Minaj the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002. She also became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List. Minaj was named the 2011 ''Rising Star'' by ''Billboard''. Her second studio album, ''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'' was released on April 3, 2012.

Early life

Maraj was born in 1982 in Saint James, a suburb of Trinidad and Tobago's capital city Port of Spain. Her parents are of mixed Indian and Afro-Trinidadian ancestry and she lived in Saint James with her grandmother until age five, because her parents were looking for a place to live in the Queens borough of New York City at the time. Her mother would occasionally visit, and one day, when Minaj was five, her mother picked her up to move to Queens. According to Minaj, her father drank heavily, took drugs, and once tried to kill her mother by setting the house on fire.

She attended Elizabeth Blackwell Middle School 210, where she played the clarinet. She graduated from LaGuardia High School. At LaGuardia, a school specializing in music and the visual and performing arts, Minaj participated in the drama program. She had initially planned to sing at LaGuardia but lost her voice on the day of the audition.

Career

2007–09: Mixtapes and Young Money

Minaj released her first mixtape in 2007 after releasing ''Playtime Is Over'' with ''Dirty Money Records''. She released another mixtape on July 7, 2008, titled ''Sucka Free'', under the label ''Be''. On April 18, 2009, Minaj released a third mixtape and appeared in ''XXL'' magazine. She won the Female Artist of the Year award at the 2008 Underground Music Awards. Minaj released ''Beam Me Up Scotty'', another mixtape, in April 2009 under the label of ''Trapaholics Records''; it received positive coverage on both BET and MTV.

In August 2009, Minaj signed a record deal with Young Money Entertainment, with distribution from Universal Motown Records, after fellow American rapper Lil Wayne discovered her and secured the record deal. She then had a solo rap verse in their single "BedRock," which became a commercial success, reaching number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Minaj also appeared on "Roger That", which charted at number 56. The song, and in particular Minaj, received positive reviews from critics. Both songs were included in Young Money Entertainment's debut collaborative studio album ''We Are Young Money'', which was released in December 2009. The album charted in the top ten on the ''Billboard'' 200, reaching number 9 and later receiving a Gold Certification by the RIAA. She was then chosen by Mariah Carey to be featured on her single and music video for "Up Out My Face". Critics praised her collaboration for helping to maintain Carey's feminine image and providing a polite track for the female R&B singer.

2010–11: ''Pink Friday''

After a major record label bidding war, Young Money Entertainment announced on August 31, 2009 that Minaj had been released from a 360 deal with the label in which she retains and owns all of her 360 rights – including merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements, touring and publishing. In an interview with 95.8 Capital FM, Rihanna stated that after the two collaborated on "Raining Men" from her album ''Loud'' that the duo would be teaming up together for a possible second collaboration on Minaj's ''Pink Friday''. Hip-hop rap artist and producer Kanye West was also confirmed for the album. On August 3, 2010 Minaj revealed on a Ustream.tv channel that the album's name would be ''Pink Friday'', in reference to Black Friday.

''Pink Friday'' was released on November 19, 2010 in both standard and deluxe versions. A buzz single, "Massive Attack", was released in April. In August, Minaj released "Your Love" as the first official single from her debut album. The single peaked at 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and topped the Rap Songs chart. Minaj became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List and the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002. In October 2010, Minaj became the first artist to have seven songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart simultaneously. Minaj released a joint single with The Black Eyed Peas front man, will.i.am titled, "Check It Out", which is Minaj's most successful single to date in Europe. "Right thru Me" was released September 24, 2010; the music video was released in late October. "Moment 4 Life" was released as the fourth single. The track featured Canadian rapper Drake and was released on December 7, 2010, becoming a success on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single peaked at number 5 on the Hot Rap Songs. The album gained a Platinum certification in the United States a month after the release. It was hinted by Simon Cowell that Minaj would join the judging panel of the American version of the ''The X Factor.'' Starting in June 2011, Minaj will be supporting ''Pink Friday'' by serving as an opening act along with Jessie and the Toy Boys and Nervo on Britney Spears' sixth concert tour, the Femme Fatale Tour, in support of her seventh studio album, ''Femme Fatale''. She also was featured on the official remix of Spears' track "Till the World Ends" along with Spears and singer Kesha, which charted at number 3 in the US in April 2011. "Super Bass" was released from ''Pink Friday'' in May 2011, the single charted within the top 10 in many countries including; United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada and more. The song gained positive reviews from critics. Minaj will voice a character in the 3D animated film, ''Ice Age: Continental Drift'', as an unknown character. Minaj is also featured on French DJ David Guetta's 2011 album, ''Nothing but the Beat'' on "Where Them Girls At" and "Turn Me On".

2011–present: ''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded''

Minaj's second studio album, ''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'', was first announced through Twitter in November 2011 and was released on April 2, 2012. It has spawned four promotional singles as of April 2012: Roman in Moscow (which didn't make the final cut of the album), "Stupid Hoe," "Roman Reloaded," and "Beez in the Trap." The album's first single, "Starships", was released on February 14. The album also had another single, Right by My Side. The album features collaborations with producers Hit-Boy, Dr. Luke, Rico Beats, Kenoe, RedOne and Oak. Cash Money A&R Joshua Berkman told HitQuarters that Minaj was extremely particular about the beats and music she used saying: "She wouldn't just rap or sing on anything – I could give her a thousand tracks and she may only like one or two."

On February 12, 2012, Minaj debuted her song "Roman Holiday" at the 54th Grammy Awards. The exorcism-themed performance drew a mixed response online.

She was featured on Madonna's twelfth studio album, titled ''MDNA'', alongside M.I.A. on its lead single "Give Me All Your Luvin'", for which a music video has been directed by Megaforce. The trio performed the song for the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. She was also featured on a song called "I Don't Give A", another track from the album.

Musical style and image

Image

In an interview with ''Vibe'' Minaj discussed her sexual image stating, "[w]hen I grew up I saw females doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly. The female rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot... and I thought that to have the success they got, I would have to represent the same thing. When in fact I didn’t have to represent the same thing." In an interview with ''Interview'', Minaj commented on her sexual image again stating, "I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness, I want people—especially young girls—to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal. You’ve got to have something else to go with that.” Minaj has a tattoo in Chinese characters that reads "" (''shangdi yu ni chang zai'') on her left arm, meaning, "God is always with you."

Alter egos

While growing up, Minaj's home life was often chaotic, with her parents constantly fighting. As a means of escape, she would create characters and live her life through them. In an interview with ''New York'' she stated, "To get away from all their fighting, I would imagine being a new person. 'Cookie' was my first identity – that stayed with me for a while. I went on to 'Harajuku Barbie,' then 'Nicki Minaj'. Fantasy was my reality."

On November 18, 2010, Minaj assumed a different alter-ego named "Nicki Teresa". Wearing a colorful scarf around her head, she went around as the "healer to her fans" as she visited them at The Garden of Dreams Foundation at Fuse studios in New York City. Minaj made an appearance on ''Lopez Tonight'' on December 6, 2010 and presented a different alter-ego for the Spanish-inspired occasion, named "Rosa" (pronounced Rrrrrosa).

In April 2012, Nicki was asked if Roman, Martha and Rosa come out in the bedroom saying “No, they don’t come out in the bedroom, but other people come out in the bedroom,” she told Big Boy during his “Backstage Breakfast,” adding, “And there’s only one person that would know who that personality is". Nicki did not name her alter-ego.

Roman Zolanski

For her debut album, Minaj created another alter-ego named "Roman Zolanski". She stated that in songs like "Bottoms Up" with Trey Songz it is not Minaj rapping, but instead Roman Zolanski, and claims that Roman is her "twin brother". She claims that he was born inside her, out of rage, and becomes him when she is angry. She has also said 'He is a demon inside her'. Roman has been compared to Eminem's alter ego Slim Shady, and on the song "Roman's Revenge" from ''Pink Friday'', Minaj and Eminem collaborate, using these alter egos. On the collaboration, she said "The new album is going to have a lot of Roman on it ... And if you're not familiar with Roman, then you will be familiar with him very soon. He’s the boy that lives inside of me. He's a lunatic and he's gay and he'll be on there a lot." Roman also has a "mother" called "Martha Zolanski", who also appeared on the song Roman's Revenge, with a British accent. Martha appears in the video for "Moment 4 Life" where she appears to be Minaj's magical Godmother. In songs such as "All I Do Is Win (Remix)" it is Minaj rapping. Minaj stated that on her debut album, fans will get to "meet" Nicki, Roman and Onika.

Influences

Minaj has stated that artists who have influenced her musical style include Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Lil Wayne, Lauryn Hill, Jadakiss, Natasha Bedingfield, Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim and Missy Elliott. She was also inspired by Janet Jackson, Madonna, Britney Spears, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Jones, M.I.A. and Cyndi Lauper.

Personal life

Nicki Minaj is a Christian, and on Christmas Day in 2011, she indicated her faith in Jesus by tweeting John 3:16. In addition, she states that after her father went to rehab and started attending church, "he got saved and started changing his life." Minaj states that her heroes are "God. And my mother."

While some songs and interviews have implied that Minaj is bisexual, she has said that she does not date nor have sex with women, but added in an interview with ''Out'' magazine, "I don’t date men either." In an interview with ''Vibe'' she commented, "I just embrace all people of all lifestyles and I don’t tell them they are bad people. And I say girls are beautiful and girls are sexy and they need to be told that, and if they don’t have anyone to tell them that and mean it, I’m gonna tell them that. But I feel like people always wanna define me and I don’t wanna be defined." She reiterated her dislike of being labeled in an interview with ''Out'', saying: "The point is, everyone is not black and white. There are so many shades in the middle, and you’ve got to let people feel comfortable with saying what they want to say when they want to say it."

During an interview in the May 2010 issue of ''Details'', Minaj was asked if she felt hip-hop was becoming more gay-friendly. She responded, "I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so hip-hop is too. But it's harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced, people view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we'll see one in my lifetime."

In July 2011, Minaj's cousin Nicholas Telemaque was murdered near his home in Brooklyn, New York City. Telemaque was referenced in Minaj's song "Champion" in her second studio album.

Discography

''Pink Friday'' (2010)

''Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'' (2012)

See also

List of awards and nominations received by Nicki Minaj

References

External links

Category:Nicki Minaj Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:African American female singers Category:African American rappers Category:American musicians of Indian descent Category:Rappers from Long Island Category:American people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Category:Female rappers Category:Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Category:Hip hop singers Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from Queens Category:People from Port of Spain Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Singers from New York City Category:Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United States Category:Trinidad and Tobago musicians Category:Trinidad and Tobago people of Dougla descent Category:Young Money Entertainment artists

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birthname	Emily Jean Stone
birth date	November 06, 1988
birth place	Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
othername	Riley Stone
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	2004–present }}

Emily Jean "Emma" Stone (born November 6, 1988) is an American actress.

Stone was a cast member of the TV series ''Drive'', and made her feature film debut in the comedy ''Superbad'' (2007). She appeared in ''The House Bunny'' (2008) and ''Ghosts of Girlfriends Past'' (2009). She then starred in the horror-comedy ''Zombieland'' and the indie comedy ''Paper Man'' in 2009. In 2010, Stone voiced the character Mazie in ''Marmaduke'', and starred in the high school comedy ''Easy A'', which earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. In 2011, she starred in the films ''Crazy, Stupid, Love.'' and ''The Help'', both of which were well-received by critics and commercial successes. Stone will play Gwen Stacy in the ''Amazing Spider-Man'' film, a reboot of the ''Spider-Man'' film franchise.

Early life

Stone was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, the daughter of Krista (née Yeager), a homemaker, and Jeff Stone, a contractor. She has a brother, who is two years her junior. Stone's paternal grandfather was of Swedish descent, and his family's surname was anglicized to "Stone" when immigrating to the U.S. through Ellis Island; some of her ancestors also lived in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

While growing up, she was a member of the Valley Youth Theatre, a regional theater in Phoenix, Arizona, where she appeared in her first stage production, ''The Wind in the Willows'', at the age of 11. Stone attended Sequoya Elementary School and then Cocopah Middle School for sixth grade. She was home schooled for two years, at which time she appeared in 16 productions at Valley Youth Theatre, including: ''A Winnie-the-Pooh Christmas Tail'', ''The Princess and the Pea'', ''Cinderella'', ''The Wiz'', ''Titanic'', ''Honk!'', ''The Little Mermaid'', ''Schoolhouse Rock Live!'', ''Alice in Wonderland'', and ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', and performed with the theater's improv comedy troupe.

Stone attended Xavier College Preparatory, an all-girl Catholic high school, as a freshman for one semester. She gave a PowerPoint presentation to her parents, set to the Madonna song "Hollywood," to convince them to let her move to California for an acting career. She dropped out of high school, and in January 2004, moved with her mother to a Los Angeles apartment, at the age of 15. She was then home schooled, so that she could audition during the day.

Career

2004–2011

Stone launched a career in television after winning the role of Laurie Partridge on ''In Search of the New Partridge Family'' (2004), a VH1 talent competition reality show. The resulting show, ''The New Partridge Family'' (2005), only produced a pilot episode. Stone next had appearances in the television series ''Medium'', ''Malcolm in the Middle'' and ''Lucky Louie''. In 2007, she had a regular role on the Fox drama ''Drive'', playing Violet Trimble, until the series was cancelled. She also auditioned for ''Heroes'', and overheard in the casting room "On a scale of 1 to 10, you are an 11" — the casting directors were referring to Hayden Panettiere, who was cast as Claire Bennet instead. Stone called this experience "rock bottom."

Stone made her feature film debut in the 2007 teen comedy ''Superbad'', playing Jules, the love interest of lead character Seth (Jonah Hill). In 2008, she appeared in the comedy ''The Rocker'', with Rainn Wilson. Stone played Amelia, the bass guitarist in a band featuring singer Teddy Geiger. Stone learned to play bass for the role. Also that year, Stone appeared in ''The House Bunny'', starring Anna Faris, alongside Katharine McPhee, Kat Dennings, Rumer Willis, and Colin Hanks. Stone played the president of a sorority and sang on a single from the film, "I Know What Boys Like," a cover version of the 1982 song by The Waitresses.

In 2009, Stone appeared in ''Ghosts of Girlfriends Past'', a romantic comedy directed by Mark Waters, the director of ''Mean Girls'', starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner. Stone played "The Ghost of Girlfriends Past," a takeoff of the Ghost of Christmas Past from Charles Dickens' ''A Christmas Carol''. She starred in the horror/comedy ''Zombieland'', along with Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg. The project began shooting in Atlanta in February 2009. Stone played Wichita, a survivor/con artist from Wichita, Kansas, traveling across the U.S. with her younger sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). Stone also starred in ''Paper Man'' in 2009, alongside Jeff Daniels, Ryan Reynolds and Lisa Kudrow, directed by Kieran and Michele Mulroney. She played Abby, a babysitter that Daniels' character hires after moving to Long Island. Stone began filming the independent comedy on November 11, 2008, in Montauk, New York, using well-known local locations.

In 2010, Stone had a voice role in ''Marmaduke'', a film adaptation of the long-running comic strip about a Great Dane. She voiced Marmaduke's friend, Mazie, a tomboyish Australian Shepherd. Stone landed her first leading role that year, starring with Amanda Bynes as a high school student in ''Easy A'', a comedy directed by Will Gluck. Her character scandalizes her teachers and more conservative religious classmates after a false rumor circulates that she is sexually promiscuous. The script contrasts the novel ''The Scarlet Letter'' and its heroine, Hester Prynne, to the life of the protagonist in the film. Stone read the script before the project was optioned for production, and kept an eye on it along with her manager until preparations were made. She was attracted to the script because it was "funny and sweet" and her character was "fantastic from the first read" who was "fleshed [..] out so much in the script". When she found out that the film had gone into production, she met with Gluck to express her enthusiasm about the project. A few months later, the audition process started and Stone met again with Gluck to be one of the first actresses to audition. Stone was nominated for the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role.

Stone appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010, and introduced Linkin Park. She stated in 2008 that she would eventually like to venture into film production, producing her own films, and that her dream was to appear on ''Saturday Night Live''. Stone hosted the late-night sketch comedy show on October 23, 2010, and again on November 12, 2011.

Stone appeared in ''Friends With Benefits'', starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, and directed by Will Gluck. The sex comedy began filming in July 2010, in New York, and was released in July 2011. She also starred in ''Crazy, Stupid, Love.'' that year, alongside Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling and Marisa Tomei. The Warner Bros. film, about a husband (Carell) with marital problems and difficulties with his children, began shooting on April 16, 2010, in Los Angeles and was released on July 29, 2011. Stone starred in ''The Help'', an adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel of the same name, a period piece set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s, which was released in August 2011. She plays Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, an aspiring writer, and employed a Southern dialect for the role.

2012–present

Stone joined the voice cast of ''The Croods'', a 3D computer animated caveman comedy by DreamWorks Animation. She will voice the role of Eep, the oldest daughter of Grug (Nicolas Cage) and Ugga (Catherine Keener). Ryan Reynolds voices Gy, the love interest to Stone's character. The film is scheduled for release on March 22, 2013.

She stars in the comedic short film, "Veronica," alongside Kieran Culkin, directed by Griffin Dunne. The short is a comedy segment that is part of the anthology film, ''Movie 43'', featuring Kate Winslet, Gerard Butler, Hugh Jackman, Uma Thurman, Halle Berry, and others. The feature-film was produced by the Farrelly brothers and directed by Elizabeth Banks, Steven Brill and Steve Carr.

Stone will star as the female lead in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', a reboot by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment of the ''Spider-Man'' film series. She plays Gwen Stacy, the 17-year-old love interest of Peter Parker. Marc Webb is directing the film, which has a release date of July 3, 2012. The film went into production in December 2010, and was scheduled to last through April 2011. Stone was considered for the lead in a reboot of ''21 Jump Street'', alongside ''Superbad'' co-star Jonah Hill. She did not take the role however, after signing on to ''Spider-Man''.

Stone joined the cast of ''The Gangster Squad'', a film by ''Zombieland'' director Ruben Fleischer. She will again play opposite Ryan Gosling in the ensemble crime drama, which also stars Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Peña. Stone plays Jean, a femme fatale caught in a love triangle with Gosling and Penn's character, mobster Mickey Cohen.

Stone will again work with writer/director Will Gluck, starring in and executive producing an untitled comedy for Screen Gems. The film studio has given Gluck and Stone full discretion in developing a new project, after the success of ''Easy A''. She will also star in ''Little White Corvette'', a comedy about a pair of would-be drug dealing siblings, written by Michael Diliberti. Stone will film the project in Miami in mid 2012.

Personal life

Although known as a redhead, Stone is naturally a blonde. She landed her first role as a teenager after dyeing her hair dark brown. Film producer Judd Apatow had her change from a brunette to a redhead for her role in ''Superbad''. She returned to blonde for her role in ''The Amazing Spider-Man''.

She began dating actor Andrew Garfield after meeting him on the set of ''The Amazing Spider-Man''.

Stone's low-pitched husky voice is a result of having baby colic, a condition of constant screaming as an infant, resulting in the development of nodules. She has calluses on her vocal cords as an adult.

Stone chose the name "Emma" when she registered for the Screen Actors Guild as the name "Emily Stone" was already taken. Her family and friends call her Emily.

Stone moved from Los Angeles to Greenwich Village, New York City in 2009.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2007		Jules
2008	''''	Amelia
2008	''''	Natalie
2009	''Ghosts of Girlfriends Past''
2009		Abby
2009	''Zombieland''	Wichita (Krista)	Scream Award for Best EnsembleNominated - Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best EnsembleNominated - Scream Award for Best Horror ActressNominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress: Comedy
2010		Mazie	Voice
2010	''Easy A''
2011		Kayla
2011	''Crazy, Stupid, Love.''	Hannah Weaver	Nominated - The Comedy Awards for Best Comedy Actress - Film 38th People's Choice Awards
2011	''''	(Skeeter)
2012	''[[Movie 43''	Ellen Malloy	Post-production
2012			Post-production
2012	''The Gangster Squad''	Grace Faraday	Post-production
2013	''''	Eep	Voice

+ Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2005	''''		TV movie
2005			1 episode
2006	''''		1 episode (voice) (season 1, episode 24, credited as Emily Stone)
2006	''Malcolm in the Middle''	Diane	1 episode (season 7, episode 16)
2006	''Lucky Louie''	Shannon	1 episode (season 1, episode 8)
2007			7 episodes (1 unaired)
2010	''Saturday Night Live''	Herself	Host (season 36, episode 4)
2011	''Saturday Night Live''	Herself	Host (season 37, episode 6)

Awards

! Year	! Ceremony	! Category	! Nominated work	Result
2008	Young Hollywood Awards	Exciting New Face
2009		Best Ensemble	''Zombieland''
2010	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actress: Comedy	''Zombieland''
2010	Scream Awards	Best Horror Actress	''Zombieland''
2010	Scream Awards	Best Ensemble	''Zombieland''
2011			''Easy A''
2011
2011	The Comedy Awards	Best Comedy Actress – Film	''Easy A''
2011	The Comedy Awards	Breakthrough Performer
2011	NewNowNext Awards	Brink of Fame
2011	MTV Movie Awards		''Easy A''
2011	MTV Movie Awards		''Easy A''
2011	MTV Movie Awards	Best Line from a Movie	''Easy A''
2011	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actress: Romantic Comedy	''Easy A''
2011	Hollywood Film Festival	Ensemble of the Year
2011			''The Help''
2012	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Movie Actress	''The Help''
2012	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Comedic Movie Actress	''Crazy, Stupid, Love''
2012	Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards		''The Help''
2012	NAACP Image Awards		''The Help''
2012	Screen Actors Guild Awards		''The Help''
2012	MTV Movie Awards		''Crazy, Stupid, Love''
2012	MTV Movie Awards		''Crazy, Stupid, Love''
2012	MTV Movie Awards	Best Cast	''The Help''

Rankings

! Year	! Title	! Rank
2008	''Moviefone's'' 25 hottest actors under 25	No.14
2008		No.1
2009	''AskMen.com's'' Top 99 Women	No.93
2009	''FHM's'' 100 sexiest women in the world (US)	No.93
2009		No.66
2010	AskMen.com's Top 99 Women	No.39
2010	''Maxim's'' Hot List	No.49
2010	''LoveFilm.com's'' Top 20 Actresses Under 30	No.18
2011	AskMen.com's Top 99 Women	No.32
2011	NextMovie.com's 20 Funniest Women in Movies	No.6
2011	People's 100 Most Beautiful	No.10
2011	''Maxim's'' Hot List	No.42
2011	''FHM's'' 100 sexiest women in the world (UK)	No.68
2011	''FHM's'' 100 sexiest women in the world (AUS)	No.38
2011	''Men's Health'' 100 Hottest Women of 2011	No.2
2012	AskMen.com's Top 99 Women	No.6

Discography

Katharine McPhee – "I Know What Boys Like" (2008), RCA – iTunes Store single with Emma Stone and Rumer Willis from ''The House Bunny'', a cover version of the 1982 single by The Waitresses

References

External links

Category:1988 births Category:Actors from Arizona Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American people of Swedish descent Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Greenwich Village, New York Category:People from Phoenix, Arizona Category:People from Scottsdale, Arizona

ar:ايما ستون ca:Emma Stone cs:Emma Stone da:Emma Stone de:Emma Stone el:Έμμα Στόουν es:Emma Stone fa:اما استون fr:Emma Stone hy:Էմմա Սթոուն id:Emma Stone it:Emma Stone he:אמה סטון lv:Emma Stouna hu:Emma Stone ms:Emma Stone nl:Emma Stone ja:エマ・ストーン no:Emma Stone pl:Emma Stone pt:Emma Stone ro:Emma Stone ru:Стоун, Эмма simple:Emma Stone fi:Emma Stone sv:Emma Stone th:เอมมา สโตน uk:Емма Стоун vi:Emma Stone zh:艾瑪·史東

name	Miranda Kerr
birth name	Miranda May Kerr
birth date	April 20, 1983
birth place	Sydney, Australia
height
haircolor	Brown
eyecolor	Blue
measurements	32–24–34 (US)81–61–86 (EU)
dress size	6 US/36 EU
shoe size	8 US/39 EU
agency	IMG ModelsTraffic ModelsChic Management
spouse	Orlando Bloom (2010–present)
children	1
Website	}}

Miranda May Kerr (born 20 April 1983) is an Australian model. Kerr rose to prominence in 2007 as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels. She is the first Australian to participate in the Victoria's Secret campaign and also represents Australian fashion chain David Jones.

Kerr began modeling in the fashion industry when she was 13, starting at Chaay's Modelling Agency, and soon after winning a 1997 Australian nationwide model search hosted by ''Dolly'' magazine and Impulse fragrances. She is married to English actor Orlando Bloom.

Early life and family

Kerr was born in Sydney and raised in the small town of Gunnedah, New South Wales. She is the daughter of Therese and John Kerr. She has a brother, Matthew, who is two years younger. In an interview, Kerr stated she is of English, French, and Scottish descent. During her childhood, Kerr "raced motorbikes and rode horses on her grandmother's farm." She describes her early life in the Australian countryside as "very grounding ... there wasn't any pretentiousness and no one really cared what you were wearing. You could just be you."

Her family moved to Brisbane to allow Kerr and her brother to experience city life. She graduated from All Hallows' School in 2000. Kerr studied nutrition and health psychology before pursuing modeling.

Career

1997–2006

At age 13, Kerr entered and won the 1997 annual ''Dolly'' Magazine/Impulse Model Competition. She was flown to Sydney a week before her 14th birthday to shoot for the magazine. Upon Kerr's win, local media expressed "concerned outrage" at her young age. The controversy raised concerns about the glorification of young girls within the fashion, beauty, and entertainment industries. Some media outlets claimed her ''Dolly'' shoot (including images of a 14-year-old Kerr in bathing suits) constituted a form of paedophilia. Of the press, Kerr said: "In the media at the time they were trying to cling on to anything remotely to do with paedophilia. Dolly is a magazine for teenage girls, not for old men. And I was fully clothed! Doing a winter shoot! They just made something out of nothing."

Kerr signed to Chic Management's Sydney division. She received considerable commercial exposure after a series of beachwear ads predominantly for Australian surf chain Billabong, in which Kerr modeled surf brands Tigerlily, Roxy, Billabong Girls, and One Teaspoon. This increased her profile in the Australian and Asian markets, after which Kerr relocated to New York where she became co-owner of the Bowery Ballroom.

In New York, Kerr had a multitude of runway appearances and then signed with NEXT Model Management in early 2004. From there, she was booked for runway and print campaigns for major labels, including Alex Perry, Baby Phat, Lisa Ho, Voodoo Dolls, Levi's, Bettina Liano, Nicola Finetti, L.A.M.B., Heatherette, Betsey Johnson, Trelise Cooper, Jets, John Richmond, Blumarine Swimwear, Neiman Marcus, Seafolly Swimwear, Anna Molinari, Rock and Republic, Roberto Cavalli, and Ober Jeans. Kerr was also booked for print in magazines such as ''Elle'', Australian ''Vogue'' and ''Harper's Bazaar'', and was featured in television advertisements for brands like Portmans, Bonds, and Veet.

In early 2006, Kerr appeared in the finale episode of the TV show ''Project Runway'', modeling clothes for contestant Daniel Vosovic's final collection. She was the first woman to walk down the catwalk. She debuted with the United States market when she signed a lucrative cosmetics contract with Maybelline New York. The campaign ran in a series of internationally sold women's beauty magazines, including ''Cosmopolitan'', ''CLEO'', and ''Elle'', and was eventually featured in Victoria's Secret catalogues. She (along with several other Victoria's Secret and Next agency models) was also featured in a music video for the American hip-hop single "Number One" by artists Kanye West and Pharrell.

2007–present

Following her success with Maybelline, Kerr became the first Australian model to be offered a contract with Victoria's Secret in 2007, replacing Gisele Bündchen. Upon her acceptance, she became the first ever Australian Victoria's Secret Angel joining the stable of models already signed to the lingerie giant, including Alessandra Ambrosio, Karolína Kurková, Adriana Lima, Selita Ebanks, Izabel Goulart, and Heidi Klum. Before becoming an Angel in 2007, Kerr was already picked to become the successor of Alessandra Ambrosio as the face of PINK in 2006. Kerr's popularity continued to increase as one of the globally recognized Angels when she appeared in the Victoria's Secret 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 televised runway shows, which aired on four continents.

In 2007, Kerr had signed on as the face of Californian fashion retailer Arden B. After debuting in their Spring and Summer ad campaigns, Kerr returned for their Fall 2007 campaign, shot by fashion photographer Diego Uchitel. Following her modeling success with Victoria's Secret, Kerr made a small guest appearance in the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' alongside fellow Angels: Adriana Lima, Marisa Miller, Alessandra Ambrosio, Heidi Klum, and Selita Ebanks. She also became the new face of Clinique Happy and signed a lucrative six-figure deal to be the new face of Australian department store David Jones, replacing model Megan Gale. In 2008, having earned an estimated $3.5 million in the past 12 months, ''Forbes'' placed Kerr tenth in the list of the world's top-earning models.

Since 2009, Kerr was in the spring/summer ad campaign for XOXO. She was in ''Forbes'' 2009 list of the world's highest-paid models, ranking 9th with estimated earnings of $3 million. She left NEXT Model Management and signed with IMG Models. Kerr posed nude on the cover of ''Rolling Stone Australia'''s July 2009 issue. She then ended the year walking in the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

In October 2009, Kerr launched her own brand of organic skincare products, Kora Organics, with George Moskos, and become the face for Kora Organic Skincare.

In June 2009, Kerr posed naked, chained to a tree, for an issue of ''Rolling Stone Australia'' magazine, in order to raise awareness for the endangered koalas. Her charitable work includes Wildlife Warriors Worldwide and Children International. In August 2010, Kerr released an inspirational self-esteem, self-help book, ''Treasure Yourself''. ''Treasure Yourself'' is aimed at female teenagers.

She appeared in the 2010 Pirelli Calendar photographed by Terry Richardson in Bahia, Brazil. Previously better known for her Victoria's Secret status rather than her high fashion work, Balenciaga is credited for launching her high fashion modeling career when casting directors Ashley Brokaw and Nicolas Ghesquière chose her to walk exclusively for the brand's spring 2010 runway show. It was her first designer fashion show, aside from Victoria's Secret, since 2007. A season later she walked for design company Prada for their Fall 2010 collection in Milan alongside fellow Angels Doutzen Kroes and Alessandra Ambrosio. Kerr then modeled for campaigns for Prada and Jil Sander, and was shot by Steven Meisel for the cover of ''Italian Vogue'' for September.

In January 2011, Kerr became the first pregnant model for ''Vogue'' when featured in ''Vogue'' Australia, being six months pregnant at the time of the shoot. In March she hit the catwalk for Balenciaga's Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear collection as part of Paris Fashion Week, two months after giving birth. Kerr also posed nude for a 2011 ''Harper's Bazaar'' photo shoot. In October at Paris Fashion Week SS12 she walked the runway for Christian Dior, Lanvin, Chanel, John Galliano, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf and Loewe. Kerr was chosen to present the $2.5 million ''Victoria's Secret Fantasy Treasure Bra'' for their fashion show in November 2011.

In January 2012, she was named ambassador for Qantas.

Public image

Models.com ranks her number 4 on the Top 20 sexiest models. She has been ranked in FHM's '100 Sexiest Women' poll at #56 in 2009, #36 in 2010, and #44 in 2011. She was named one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" by ''Men's Health''.

Kerr's model trademark is her dimples. Celebrity photographer Russell James said of Kerr, "The US has fallen in love with her. We love her because she has the most incredible girl-next-door look and she's also insanely beautiful. It means women are not intimidated by her looks and guys think they might be able to talk to her. It's a fantastic combination ... people want to be around her; she's fun on a shoot … and she's not stupid, which can be a very annoying trait among some models." Model agent Ursula Hufnagl described Kerr as "the perfect endorsement", citing her ability to "truly sell a product".

In early February 2010, Kerr inadvertently became the subject of global headlines when David Kiely, a banker at Macquarie Bank in Sydney, was caught viewing more explicit photos of her on his computer while in the background of a colleague's live television interview with Channel 7. Within days, a clip of the interview uploaded onto YouTube received over 1.3 million hits. Eventually, Kiely was suspended and an internet campaign launched on his behalf. Kerr herself gave him her backing: "I am told there is a petition to save his job, and of course I would sign it." The incident prompted a 100% increase in the number of Google searches for Kerr's name. A few days after the incident, Macquarie Bank announced that Kiely would keep his job.

Personal life

Kerr practices Nichiren Buddhism and believes "we have a responsibility to bring peace and harmony to our lives and the world." As part of her Nichiren beliefs, Kerr reportedly chants every morning and night for 20 minutes, practices yoga, meditates, and reads widely on spirituality. She maintains her physique through daily yoga, light jogging, and a diet of steamed vegetables, fresh fruit, and fish. Kerr's mother Therese has been the General Manager of KORA Organics since February 2010. The company is based in Sydney. Kerr's brother Matt also works for the company.

In 2003, Kerr began dating finance broker Adrian Camilleri. Following an Australian Securities and Investments Commission investigation, Camilleri was found guilty on five counts of fraudulent behaviour from February 2003 to February 2004. Kerr subsequently ended the relationship. A 2007 newspaper report claims that Kerr suffered financially "after taking her boyfriend's financial advice" but chose not to take legal action.

She formerly dated Jay Lyon (Brent Tuhtan), the lead singer of the band Tamarama, who has made appearances on season one of the MTV series ''The City''. Kerr starred in Tamarama's video clip for "Everything To Me". The two began dating in 2003 and had a four year relationship, which ended on mutual terms in mid-2007.

Kerr began dating actor Orlando Bloom in late 2007. He is also an SGI member. On 12 February 2009, Kerr and Bloom participated in the "Australia Unites" fundraiser to raise money for the victims of the Australian bushfires on 7 February 2009. In 2009, the Bling Ring broke into Bloom's home. The group stole luxury brand clothing and jewelry. In this case, the ringleader allegedly wanted Kerr's Victoria's Secret lingerie. The couple's engagement was announced on 21 June 2010. Kerr released a statement on 22 July 2010, confirming that she and Bloom had married in "an intimate ceremony." On 6 January 2011, Kerr gave birth to their first child, a son named Flynn Christopher Blanchard Copeland Bloom. The middle name Christopher comes from Kerr's ex-boyfriend, Christopher Middlebrook who died in a car accident in 1998 when they were 15. The two were still dating at the time.

Kerr told readers of Australian ''Cosmopolitan'' that coconut oil was the key to her clear skin, shiny hair and trim figure, saying she ingests four teaspoons a day, either on salads, in her cooking or in her cups of green tea.

References

External links

Category:1983 births Category:Australian Buddhists Category:Australian female models Category:Australian people of English descent Category:Australian people of French descent Category:Australian people of Scottish descent Category:Members of Sōka Gakkai Category:Living people Category:People from New South Wales Category:People from Sydney Category:Australian self-help writers

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