Miley Cyrus

Born: November 23, 1992 (age 20), Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Height: 1.65 m
Albums: Can't Be Tamed, Breakout, More
Siblings: Noah Cyrus, Trace Cyrus, Braison Cyrus, Christopher Cody, Brandi Glenn Cyrus

Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus; November 23, 1992) is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. She made her debut in three episodes of the series Doc before appearing in a minor role for the film Big Fish in 2003. In 2006, she was established as a teen idol with the success of the Hannah Montana franchise, a former Disney Channel sitcom in which she portrayed the role of Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana. Cyrus later recorded numerous songs for the soundtrack of the first season. She later signed a deal with Hollywood Records and released the joint album Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus. The album served as both a soundtrack and Cyrus' debut album, and went on to sell over three million copies in the US alone. The album also spawned the Top 10 hit "See You Again" and the less successful "Start All Over". To promote the album, Cyrus embarked on the Best of Both Worlds Tour, which was later adapted into the 2008 film Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert. Cyrus released her first solo album, Breakout, in 2008. The album became her third to top the Billboard 200, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Breakout featured the successful singles "7 Things" and "Fly on the Wall".

Since her debut, Cyrus has become one of the most successful artists to originate from Disney. Cyrus ranked number thirteen on Forbes' 2010 Celebrity 100. For the 2011 Guinness World Records, she was named the “Most Charted Teenager” following her 29th US Billboard Hot 100 chart entry on November 7, 2009 with “Party in the USA”. She has attained a total of six Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and had five RIAA certified albums by the age of 18.

That same year, she launched her film career by appearing as the voice of Penny in the animated film Bolt; she earned a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for her performance of its theme song, "I Thought I Lost You". In 2009, she starred in the feature film Hannah Montana: The Movie. The film's soundtrack introduced Cyrus to audiences within country and adult contemporary markets. It also featured the hit single "The Climb", which went on to become one of Cyrus' most successful singles to date. With the release of her extended play The Time of Our Lives that same year, she began to cultivate an adult image and developed a more mainstream pop sound. It spawned the highly successful single "Party in the U.S.A.", which went on to become Cyrus' highest peaking single on the Billboard Hot 100 to date. Cyrus further adapted a mature image with the release of the film The Last Song and her third studio album, Can't Be Tamed. The album incorporated more dance elements than her previous efforts, and subsequent performances featured a more sexual theme. Following the album's release, Cyrus chose to focus on her film career. In 2011, she appeared in the drama film LOL alongside Demi Moore. The film featured themes of teenage rebellion and saw Cyrus' character using drugs and drinking. LOL received a limited release, and failed to make back its budget. She later appeared in the direct-to-video film So Undercover along with Kelly Osbourne. Cyrus' fourth studio album is scheduled for release in 2013 by RCA Records, and is preceded by lead single "We Can't Stop".

Life and career

2013: Fourth studio albumCyrus announced plans to release her fourth studio album beginning in 2012. The album features production from various artists including Pharrell Williams and Hit-Boy. Billboard announced in January 2013 that Cyrus had signed with RCA Records, and also confirmed the album would be released in 2013. On March 5, 2013, it was announced that Cyrus had hired Larry Rudolph as her manager; Rudolph had previous worked with pop singer Britney Spears. Whilst working on the album, Cyrus appeared in various collaborations. She provided guest vocals for the Rock Mafia song "Morning Sun", and provided background vocals for the song "Decisions" by Borgore. Cyrus and Hemsworth later appeared in the music video for the song. Cyrus appeared on the Snoop Lion song "Ashtrays & Heartbreaks", released as a single for his Reincarnated album on April 4, 2013. She later appeared on the song "Fall Down", which was released as the fourth single for will.i.am's album #willpower on April 16, 2013. The single debuted at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Cyrus' first single to chart on the Hot 100 since her 2010 single "Can't Be Tamed". The single also debuted inside the Top 20 in Canada, as well as the Top 40 in the UK. On May 23, it was confirmed that Cyrus would be featured on the Mike Will Made It single "23", alongside artists Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J. On June 3, Cyrus released "We Can't Stop", the lead single to her forthcoming album. Within 10 hours of its release, the song topped the iTunes singles charts in 24 countries, including the United States, and top five in 16 other countries. With the song's entry, Cyrus scores her 39th Hot 100 entry, although in many of those she sung as Hannah Montana.

2009–12: Can't Be Tamed and focus on film career

Cyrus performing during the Gypsy Heart Tour
In 2009, Cyrus starred as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana in Hannah Montana: The Movie. Both the film and its soundtrack, which contained twelve songs performed by Cyrus,[85] achieved commercial success. The soundtrack's lead single, "The Climb", became a Top 40 hit in twelve countries and introduced Cyrus to listeners outside her typical teen pop audience. Cyrus had considered ending Hannah Montana after its third season, which finished production on June 5, 2009, but Disney retained and exercised its option for a fourth season. In September 2009, she participated in the charity single "Just Stand Up!" in support of the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer and in the City of Hope Benefit Concert in support of cancer research and training programs. She also became involved in Disney's Friends for Change, an environmentalist group, for which she recorded the charity single "Send It On" along with several other Disney Channel stars. Shortly afterwards, Cyrus launched the third Hannah Montana soundtrack. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 137,000 copies. This was significantly lower than the first week sales for Cyrus' previous albums, and the soundtrack became her first to not receive an RIAA certification. The soundtrack did, however, spawn the single "He Could Be the One", which entered the Top 10 of the Hot 100. In March 2009, Cyrus published Miles to Go, a memoir co-written by Hilary Liftin chronicling her life through age sixteen.

In 2012, Cyrus recorded a cover of the Bob Dylan song "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go". Cyrus' version was featured on the tribute album Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International.Cyrus's version of the song earned positive reviews from music critics. Beginning in 2012, Cyrus recorded various performances of herself doing covers classic songs. She uploaded these performances onto video sharing website YouTube throughout the summer and fall of 2012. It was later announced that Cyrus would star the film Family Bond, portraying a girl who meets her spy father in an attempt to save her kidnapped mother. The film, distributed by Universal Pictures, is slated for release in 2013. That same year, Cyrus made a guest appearance in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, appearing in two episodes as Missi, the girlfriend of character Jake Harper. Cyrus signed on to star as Marvis in the animated film Hotel Transylvania, but later dropped out to pursue her music career.On June 6, 2012, Cyrus announced that she and Hemsworth were engaged. He proposed on May 31 with a 3.5-carat diamond ring.

Following the release of Can't Be Tamed, Cyrus confirmed she would be taking a break from her music career, opting rather to focus on acting. She commented, "I've not taken, like, acting lessons or anything, but it doesn't mean I don't need to because I'm sure I do  I'm probably going to go book an acting coach." She later confirmed she would not be going to college for the time being, stating "I'm a firm believer that you can go back at any age you want, because my Grandma went back to college at 62  For right now, I really want to focus on my career. I've worked hard to get to where I am now, and I want to enjoy it while it lasts." Cyrus hosted Saturday Night Live on March 5, 2011, where she performed in several sketches. She later made an appearance on the MTV series Punk'd, appearing alongside Kelly Osbourne and Khloé Kardashian. In 2012, Cyrus appeared in the film LOL, starring alongside Demi Moore.Cyrus portrayed Lola, a teenage girl who experiments with drinking, drugs, and various sexual acts. The film received a limited release, and was critically and commercially unsuccessful. Cyrus later starred in the comedy film So Undercover, appearing as an FBI agent who is required to go undercover at a college sorority. The film was released direct-to-video in the United States on February 5, 2013. It was also reported on August 2, 2011, by Contact Music that Cyrus has signed on to star in a comedy in which she plays a woman who broke a promise to God; the film has yet to be released.

While working on these appearances, Cyrus began recording for her third studio album. In the midst of this, Cyrus appeared on the charity singles "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti" and "Everybody Hurts", both of which were recorded for the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Her third studio album, Can't Be Tamed, was released on June 21, 2010. This would become her last album to be released through Hollywood Records. The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 106,000 copies. This made it the lowest first week sales for one of Cyrus' studio albums, and her first studio album to not peak at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The album only went on to sell a total of 343,000 copies in the United States to date, failing to receive an RIAA certification. The album was preceded by the lead single, "Can't Be Tamed". The single was released for sale on May 18, 2010, and peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's second and final single, "Who Owns My Heart", was released only in select European countries. In February 2011, Cyrus confirmed she would be embarking on her Gypsy Heart Tour, which featured no North American dates. Cyrus later explained "Right now I just want to go to the places where I am getting the most love and Australia and South America have done that for me." The tour began in South America on April 29, 2011 and concluded on July 2 in Australia. The outfits and dance routines used by Cyrus while promoting Can't Be Tamed were considerably more provocative than previous performances, arousing media criticism.

Cyrus had already begun transitioning to a more grown-up image in late 2008, when her representatives negotiated a deal for novelist Nicholas Sparks to write the screenplay and novel basis for a film that would serve as a star vehicle for Cyrus by introducing her to audiences older than the young fans she had gained through Hannah Montana. Sparks and co-writer Jeff Van Wie developed The Last Song. It was important to Cyrus that she not be type cast as a singer: "I didn't want to be a singer in another film. I don't want to do that anymore. You have no idea how many musicals show up on my door. I want to do something a little more serious." Production on The Last Song lasted from June 15, 2009, to August 18, 2009. Cyrus starred in The Last Song, which was released on March 31, 2010 and received generally poor reviews, as did Cyrus's performance. Nonetheless, the film was commercially successful, grossing more than $88 million at the worldwide box office. According to box-office analyst Exhibitor Relations, the film marked "a successful transition to adult roles for Miley Cyrus." Before leaving to work on the film, Cyrus ended her nine-month relationship with model Justin Gaston. While filming later that month, Cyrus began dating her co-star in The Last Song, Australian actor Liam Hemsworth. She later called him her "first serious boyfriend". Though the couple initially broke up shortly after the film's release, they later reconciled. During this time period, production on the fourth and final season of Hannah Montana began. The fourth and final season began airing on Disney Channel on July 11, 2010, and concluded on January 16, 2011.

In 2009, Cyrus launched her first clothing line with Max Azria, which was sold exclusively at Wal Mart. To promote the clothing line, Cyrus released her first extended play, The Time of Our Lives on August 31, 2009. Cyrus said The Time of Our Lives "is a transitioning album. [...] really to introduce people to what I want my next record to sound like and with time I will be able to do that a little more." The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 62,000 copies. The following week, however, the album rose to number 2 on the chart, selling 153,000 copies. "Party in the U.S.A.", the album's lead single, debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her highest charting single to date. To promote the album, Cyrus embarked on the Wonder World Tour. The tour proved to be critically and commercially successful, grossing over $67.1 million worldwide. On December 7, 2009, Cyrus performed for Queen Elizabeth II and numerous other members of the British Royal Family at the Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool, North West England.

1992–2005: Early life and career beginnings

Cyrus was born on November 23, 1992, in Nashville, Tennessee, to Letitia Jean "Tish" (née Finley) and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus.Her parents named her Destiny Hope because they believed that she would accomplish great things with her life. They gave her the nickname "Smiley", which was later shortened to "Miley", because she smiled so often as a baby. Cyrus suffers from a mild heart condition causing tachycardia which, though not dangerous, is often bothersome. Against the advice of her father's record company, Cyrus's parents secretly married a month after Cyrus's birth on December 28, 1992. Tish had two children from a previous relationship: Trace and Brandi. Billy Ray adopted Trace and Brandi when they were young. She has a half-brother, Christopher Cody, Billy Ray's son from a brief relationship, born the same year as Miley; he grew up with his mother in South Carolina. Tish and Billy Ray had two more children, Braison and Noah. Cyrus's godmother is entertainer Dolly Parton. Cyrus was very close to her paternal grandfather, Democratic politician Ronald Ray Cyrus. Cyrus has paid her grandfather several tributes since his death in 2006, including eventually changing her middle name to "Ray". According to Cyrus's father, "A lot of people say Miley changed her name to Miley Ray because of Billy Ray, but that's not true. She did that in honor of my dad, because the two of them just loved each other to pieces."

Cyrus grew up on a 500-acre (2.0 km2) farm in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville, and attended Heritage Elementary School. She was raised Christian and was baptized in a Southern Baptist church prior to moving to Hollywood in 2005. She attended church regularly while growing up and wore a purity ring. Several of Cyrus's siblings also eventually entered the entertainment business: Trace became a vocalist and guitarist for the electronic pop band Metro Station, Noah became an actress, and Brandi became a guitarist. In 2001, when Cyrus was eight, she and her family moved to Toronto, Canada while her father filmed the television series Doc. Cyrus said watching her father film the show inspired her to pursue acting. After Billy Ray took her to see a 2001 Mirvish production of Mamma Mia! at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Cyrus grabbed his arm and told him, "This is what I want to do, daddy. I want to be an actress."She began taking singing and acting classes at the Armstrong Acting Studio in Toronto. In her first role, Cyrus played a girl named Kylie on Doc. In 2003, Cyrus was credited under her birth name for her role as "Young Ruthie" in Tim Burton's Big Fish. During this time, she also auditioned with Taylor Lautner for the feature film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D and it came down to her and another actress, but Cyrus started doing Hannah Montana instead.

2006–08: Breakthrough with Hannah Montana and Breakout

At age 11, Cyrus learned about the casting for what became Hannah Montana, a Disney Channel children's television series about a school girl with a secret double life as a teen pop star. Cyrus sent in a tape auditioning for the show's best friend role, but received a call asking her to audition for the lead, "Chloe Stewart". After sending in a new tape and flying to Hollywood for further auditions, Cyrus was told that she was too young and too small for the part. However, her persistence and ability to sing in addition to act led the show's producers to invite her back for further auditions. Cyrus eventually received the lead, renamed "Miley Stewart" after herself, at the age of twelve. Hannah Montana became an instant hit and propelled Cyrus to teen idol status, according to The Daily Telegraph. The series premiered on March 24, 2006, to the largest audience ever for a Disney Channel show and soon became one of the highest-rated series on basic cable, elevating Cyrus's wealth and fame along with it. Time magazine reports that Cyrus's "phenom[enal]" success is due partially to her talent and partially to "Disney learning to use its vast, multimedia holdings" and market Cyrus and Hannah Montana appropriately. Cyrus eventually became the first artist to have deals in television, film, consumer products, and music within The Walt Disney Company.

On July 22, 2008, Cyrus released her second studio album under her own name, titled Breakout. Cyrus said Breakout was inspired by "what's been going on in my life in the past year." Cyrus co-wrote eight out of twelve songs on the album. "Songwriting is what I really want to do with my life forever, [...] I just hope this record showcases that, more than anything, I'm a writer." Breakout debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 371,000 copies. This made it Cyrus' highest first week sales to date, and gave Cyrus her third number one album on the chart. The album went on to receive a Platinum certification from the RIAA, denoting sales of one million copies. Breakout was preceded by the lead single "7 Things", which became her second single to reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, "Fly on the Wall", failed to have the same success, peaking at number 84 on the Hot 100. It was, however, successful in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 16 on the singles chart. Cyrus hosted the 2008 CMT Music Awards with her father in April and the 2008 Teen Choice Awards by herself in August. In 2008, Cyrus provided the voice of Penny in the 2008 computer-animated film Bolt, which was released on November 21, 2008, to critical acclaim. Cyrus also co-wrote and recorded the song "I Thought I Lost You" as a duet with John Travolta for the film, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.

In February 2008, Cyrus and her friend Mandy Jiroux opened a YouTube account and began posting videos of what they called The Miley and Mandy Show. The show, described as a "YouTube hit", is said to be filmed for fun by Cyrus and Jiroux and to be entirely their work, with Cyrus and Jiroux editing the footage together. In May 2008, Gossett, Cyrus's longtime acting agent, left Cunningham Escott Slevin Doherty for United Talent Agency, partially with the hope of "giving Cyrus the major-agency backing that would support a widening career", according to The Hollywood Reporter. About a year later in June 2009, Cyrus left both Gossett and UTA, which had recently negotiated her deals for The Last Song and the fourth season of Hannah Montana, and joined the Creative Artists Agency, which had already represented her for music. Nikki Finke, who broke the news, reported, "Is this fair to UTA? Of course not. But I hear the decision was made by Miley's mother Trish [sic] Cyrus". Cyrus celebrated her 16th birthday at Disneyland with a charity fundraiser for Youth Service America, a youth volunteer service organization.

The second season of Hannah Montana premiered on April 23, 2007, and ran until October 12, 2008. Shortly afterwards, Cyrus signed a four-album deal with Disney-owned Hollywood Records. On June 26, 2007 Cyrus released the double-disc album Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus. The first disc was the soundtrack to the second season of Hannah Montana, while the second disc served as Cyrus' debut studio album. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 326,000 copies. The album went on to be certified certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album spawned the single "See You Again", which served as Cyrus' first single as a solo artist. The song quickly became a hit, and became her first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was eventually certified Platinum in the country, making it her first single to be RIAA certified. The single also had success in countries such as Australia and Canada, where it also peaked inside of the Top 10. The album's second single, "Start All Over", was released in early 2008. The single failed to match the success of it's predecessor, debuting and peaking at number 68 on the Hot 100 chart. Numerous songs from the Hannah Montana portion of the album charted worldwide following it's release.

As Cyrus' career took off, Tish Cyrus made several critical decisions regarding her daughter's representation. She signed Cyrus with Mitchell Gossett, director of the youth division at Cunningham Escott Slevin Doherty. Gossett, who specializes in creating child stars, had arranged for Cyrus's auditions for Hannah Montana and is credited with "discovering" her. For Cyrus's music career, Tish followed the advice of Cyrus' godmother, country singer Dolly Parton, and signed Cyrus with Jason Morey of Morey Management Group. "Dolly said the Moreys are people you can trust around your daughter," Tish Cyrus recalls, "and she said they have good morals, which is not always the case in this business." According to trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter, Parton's advice was "the best advice [Tish] could [have gotten] on who should rep her daughter." Tish also recruited Billy Ray's business manager to manage her daughter's finances. Tish herself continues to co-manage or produce many of Cyrus's career decisions. For her education, Cyrus enrolled at Options for Youth Charter Schools and studied with a private tutor on the set of her television show.

Taylor Swift

Born: December 13, 1989 (age 23), Reading, Pennsylvania, United States
Height: 5' 10" (1.78 m)
Parents: Andrea Finlay, Scott Kingsley Swift
Siblings: Austin Swift

Taylor Alison Swift 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.

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 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 seven Grammy Awards, eleven American Music Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards and six Academy of Country Music Awards. She has sold over 26 million albums and 75 million digital downloads worldwide. 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.

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 best-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 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 1.2 million were the highest recorded in a decade, with Swift becoming the only female artist to have two million-plus opening weeks. The singles "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble" were worldwide hits. The North American leg of Swift's Red Tour will run until September 2013.

Early life

Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, is a Merrill Lynch financial adviser. He was raised in Pennsylvania, and is the descendant of three generations of bank presidents. Her mother, Andrea (née Finlay), is a homemaker who previously worked as a mutual fund marketing executive. Andrea spent the first ten years of her life in Singapore, before settling in Texas; her father was an oil rig engineer who worked throughout Southeast Asia. Swift was given a gender-neutral name because her mother believed it would help her forge a successful business career. She has a younger brother, Austin, who attends the University of Notre Dame. She spent the early years of her life on an eleven-acre Christmas tree farm in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She attended preschool and kindergarten at the Alvernia Montessori School, run by Franciscan nuns, and was later educated at the Wyndcroft School, a co-ed private school located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. When Swift was nine years old, the family moved to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where she attended West Reading Elementary Center and Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School. She summered at her parents' beachfront vacation home in Stone Harbor, New Jersey and has described it as the place "where most of my childhood memories were formed".

When Swift was fourteen, her father transferred to the Nashville office of Merrill Lynch and the family relocated to a lakefront house in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Swift later described this as "an incredible sacrifice" for her family to make. "My parents saw that I was so obsessed, that I wasn't going to drop it, that it wasn't some adolescent phase." In Tennessee, she attended Hendersonville High School for her freshman and sophomore years. Later, to accommodate her touring schedule, Swift transferred to the Aaron Academy, a private Christian school which offered homeschooling services. She earned her high school diploma in 2008, having completed her final two years of course work in twelve months.

After watching a Behind the Music episode about Faith Hill, Swift felt sure that she needed to go to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a music career. At the age of eleven, she traveled with her mother to Nashville for spring break to leave a demo of Dolly Parton and Dixie Chicks karaoke covers with record labels along Music Row. She received label rejections and realized that "everyone in that town wanted to do what I wanted to do. So, I kept thinking to myself, I need to figure out a way to be different". At the age of twelve, Swift was shown by a computer repairman how to play three chords on a guitar, inspiring her to write her first song, "Lucky You". She had previously won a national poetry contest with a poem entitled "Monster in My Closet" but now began to focus on songwriting. In 2003, Swift and her parents started working with New York-based music manager Dan Dymtrow. With Dymtrow's help, Swift modelled for Abercrombie and Fitch as part of their "Rising Stars" campaign, had an original song included in a Maybelline Cosmetics compilation CD and took meetings with major record labels. After performing original songs at an RCA Records showcase, the eighth-grader was given an artist development deal and began making frequent trips to Nashville.

Swift's family owned several Quarter horses and a Shetland pony and her first hobby was English horse riding. Her mother first put her in a saddle when she was nine months old and she later competed in horse shows. At the age of nine, Swift became interested in musical theatre. She performed in many Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions and traveled regularly to Broadway, New York for vocal and acting lessons. Swift then turned her attention to country music and spent her weekends performing at local festivals, fairs, coffeehouses, karaoke contests, garden clubs, Boy Scout meetings and sporting events. At the age of eleven, after many failed attempts, Swift won a local talent competition by singing a rendition of LeAnn Rimes's "Big Deal", and was given the opportunity to appear as the opening act for Charlie Daniels at a Strausstown amphitheater. This growing ambition began to isolate Swift from her middle school peers.

One Direction

Active from: 2010
Albums: Take Me Home, Up All Night, Wishing on a Star, Live While We're Young
Members: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik
Awards: MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist, More
Record labels: Syco, Columbia, Syco Music

One Direction are an English-Irish pop boy band based in London, consisting of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. They signed with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Records after being formed and finishing third in the seventh series of the British televised singing competition The X Factor in 2010. Propelled to international success by the power of social media, their two albums Up All Night and Take Me Home, released in 2011 and 2012 respectively, broke several records, topped the charts of most major markets, and generated hit singles, including "What Makes You Beautiful" and "Live While We're Young".

One Direction are an English-Irish pop boy band based in London, consisting of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson.

Often described as forming part of a new "British Invasion" in the United States, the group have sold over 14 million singles and 8 million albums, according to the band's management company, Modest! Management. Their achievements include two BRIT Awards and three MTV Video Music Awards. According to Nick Gatfield, the chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment UK, One Direction represented a $50 million business empire by June 2012. They were proclaimed 2012's "Top New Artist" by Billboard.

Musical style

One Direction's debut studio album, Up All Night (2011), is predominantly a pop music record, containing elements of teen pop, dance-pop, pop rock, and power pop, with electropop and rock influences. Digital Spy's Robert Copsey described the album as a "collection of pg pop rock with killer choruses", while The New York Times considered it "full of easy rock-inflected pop, blithe and sometimes clever." Jason Lipshutz of Billboard acknowledged that the album demonstrates an originality in sound that was "necessary for the revitalization of the boy band movement". The songs "One Thing" and "What Makes You Beautiful" were particularly noted for the genres of power pop and pop rock, for their "powerhouse" guitar riffs and "forceful" choruses.

Erica Futterman for Rolling Stone favoured their live acoustic performances as both showing, "Horan's ability to play guitar, as well as One Direction's admirable live vocals. There was no need to worry about a backing track or a bum note, a pleasant realization at a pop show." Herald Sun's Cameron Adams opined that One Direction have "strong pop voices". Melody Lau of the National Post wrote, "It's easy to get lost in inherent appeal of their perfectly coiffed dos and almost-too-put-together preppy style but somewhere in the midst of all the love-struck squeals of teenage girls are guys who can actually sing and, to a certain extent, entertain." Jane Stevenson of the portal site Canoe concurred: "What I didn't really prepare myself for was that they all can actually sing in concert." Chris Richards, writing in The Washington Post, dissented from the approval: "As the five traded couplets, it was tough to imagine a future Justin Timberlake, Ricky Martin or Bobby Brown emerging from the pack. No one voice stood out." Mike Wass of Idolator felt One Direction's "surprisingly accomplished effort" of Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" proved that One Direction are "more than capable" of evolving their sound.

Their second studio album, Take Me Home (2012), is characterised by rock-inherited pop, prominent electric guitar riffs, bright synthesizers, double entendres for sexual intercourse, a homogeneous sound and message, and the pitch-correcting software Auto-Tune. Alexis Petridis for The Guardian interpreted its signature sound as a "peppy, synth-bolstered take on early-80s new-wave pop, heavy on clipped rhythms and chugging guitars," which, he said, is at least an improvement on the substitute R&B "that was once the grim lot of the boyband." Jon Caramanica, writing in The New York Times, considered the album "far more mechanical" than their debut album, although noted that it is sonically and lyrically similar. The album's lyricism speaks of falling in love, unrequited love, the insistence that flaws are what make a person unique, commitment, jealousy and longing for past significant others.

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Sonny Takhar, the chief executive officer of Syco Records, attributes the breakthrough to the power of social media. "Sometimes you feel the song's the star, but it's not like that here – it's the act," he said. "It's a real moment. Social media has become the new radio, it's never broken an act globally like this before." Will Bloomfield, the group's manager, added, "These guys live online, and so do their fans." Their management employs a social media team and the members all tweet themselves, "which helps create the illusion that they couldn't be any closer to their fans," according to Caspar Llewellyn Smith, writing for The Guardian.[103] One Direction's Twitter account had amassed 10 million followers by February 2013, with the account gaining followers at an average of 21,000 per day. Each member is known for his feature; Horan is "the cute one", Malik is "the quiet and mysterious one", Payne is "the sensible one", Styles is "the charming one" and Tomlinson is "the funny one". Horan commented on One Direction as a boy band, "People think that a boy band is air-grabs and [being] dressed in all one colour. We're boys in a band. We're trying to do something different from what people would think is the typical kind of boy band. We're trying to do different kinds of music and we're just trying to be ourselves, not squeaky clean." Leah Collins, writing for the National Post, remarked that One Direction had succeeded on the latter front, "For the most part, that just means the group presents themselves as typical, goofy and uncensored teenage boys – posting jokey YouTube videos, for instance, or boozing at awards shows." Writing for The Observer, Kitty Empire opined, "One Direction fulfil a great many boy band prerequisites (looks, soppy lyrics, tune-grasp, fame-lust) but their lack of routines points to the subtle digressions afoot here".

Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph published an article on the nature of One Direction's success in North America, noting that Americans had left a gap in the market, writing that it took the prominence of Justin Bieber to demonstrate that there was still a market for "clean cut, wholesome, whiter-than-white, middle class parent friendly pop: cute boys advocating puppy love. And what could be better than one cute boy, if not five?" One Direction have been described as sparking a resurgence in the interest in boy bands, and as forming part of a new "British Invasion" in the United States. Bill Werde, a representative of Billboard magazine, commented, "There's a lot of possibility here, there's a lot of upside, that level of talent with those kinds of looks, it's really a perfect storm for a massive, massive successful phenomenon."

Cristiano Ronaldo

 Personal information

Full name :  Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Date of birth :  5 February 1985 (age 28)
Place of birth:  Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Height        : 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Playing position: Forward

Club information

Current club : Real Madrid
Number       : 7


Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, (born 5 February 1985), commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and who serves as captain of the Portuguese national team. He became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is paid €12 million per year, makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world, and his buyout clause is valued at €1 billion as per his contract.

Ronaldo is a Portuguese international and made his debut against Kazakhstan in August 2003. He has since participated in five major tournaments; UEFA Euro 2004, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012. He scored his first international goal in the opening game of the Euro 2004 against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. He took over the captaincy of the side in July 2008 and went on to captain Portugal to the semi-finals at the Euro 2012 and finished the competition as the joint best scorer with three goals. On 16 October 2012, Ronaldo won his 100th cap against Northern Ireland, making him the third highest capped player for Portugal and became the third youngest European to reach a century of international appearances.

Ronaldo is considered one of the best footballers in the world. He holds numerous former and current scoring records, including records for most goals scored in a season for Real Madrid, most goals scored per minute in La Liga, first top European league player to reach 40 goals in a single season in two consecutive years, fastest Real Madrid player to reach one hundred league goals, and the first player ever to score against every team in a single season in La Liga. In January 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 300th club goal.

Ronaldo was the first player to win all four main PFA and FWA awards, doing so in 2007. In 2008, Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or.[6] He placed second in the Ballon d'Or in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012. He was awarded the European Golden Shoe in both 2008 and 2011. In 2008, he won three of the four main PFA and FWA trophies and was named the FIFPro Player of the Year, World Soccer Player of the Year, Onze d'Or, and the FIFA World Player of the Year. In 2007 and 2008, Ronaldo was named FWA Footballer of the Year. Ronaldo was the inaugural winner of the FIFA Puskás Award in 2009.

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million (€15 million) in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup.

Neymar

Born: February 5, 1992 (age 21), Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil
Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Weight: 143 lbs (65 kg)
Salary: 10.42 million USD (2012)
Teams: Brazil national football team (#11 / Forward), FC Barcelona (Forward)
Parents: Nadine Santos, Neymar da Silva Sr


Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior  born 5 February 1992), commonly known as Neymar, is a Brazilian footballer who most recently played in the Brasileirão Série A for Santos and the Brazilian national team, mainly as a forward. In May 2013, he reached an agreement to join FC Barcelona on a five-year contract.

Neymar is a Brazilian international, having represented Brazil at Under-17, Under-20 and senior levels. On 10 August 2010, at the age of 18, he made his debut for the Seleção in a friendly match against the United States; he scored from a header in the 28th minute, contributing to Brazil's 2–0 win. He was the top scorer of the 2011 South American Youth Championship with nine goals, including two in the final, in the 6–0 win against Uruguay, helping Brazil to win their 11th title in this competition.

Neymar joined Santos in 2003 and, after rising through the ranks, was promoted to their first team squad. He made his debut for Santos in 2009, and was voted the Best Young Player of the 2009 Campeonato Paulista. Further honours followed, with Neymar being voted best player as Santos won the 2010 Campeonato Paulista, and also being top scorer in the 2010 Copa do Brasil with 11 goals. He finished the 2010 season with 42 goals in 60 games as his club achieved the Double. Neymar was again voted best player of the year in 2011 as his side retained the state title and Santos also winning the 2011 Copa Libertadores in which Neymar scored 6 goals in 13 appearances. He also played a key role in securing a Continental Double for his team, Santos' first since 1963. He received the Bronze Ball in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup, with Santos making it to the final, where they were defeated by Barcelona, 4–0.

At the age of 19, Neymar won the 2011 South American Footballer of the Year award, after coming third in 2010. He followed this up by winning it again in 2012. In 2011 Neymar received nominations for the FIFA Ballon d'Or, where he came 10th, and the FIFA Puskás Award, which he won. He is known for his acceleration, speed, dribbling and finishing. His playing style has earned him critical acclaim, with fans, media and former players drawing comparisons to Argentine forward Lionel Messi and former Brazil player Pelé, who has called Neymar "an excellent player".

Early life

Neymar da Silva Santos, Júnior was born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, to Neymar da Silva, Sr. and Nadine Santos. He inherited his name from his father, who is a former footballer and became his son's advisor as Neymar's talents began to grow. Neymar comments on his father's role "My father has been by my side since I was little. He takes care of things, my finances and my family." Growing up, Neymar combined his love of futsal with street football.

In 1992, Neymar moved with his family to São Vicente, where he began playing for youth side Portuguesa Santista. Then, in 2003, they moved to Santos, where Neymar joined Santos FC. With the success of his youth career and added income, the family bought their first property, a house next to the Vila Belmiro. Their quality of family life improved, as at age 15, Neymar was earning 10,000 reais per month and at 16, 25,000 reais per month. At 17, he signed a full professional contract, getting upgraded to the Santos first team and even receiving sponsorships.

Michael Jordan

Personal information
Born :         February 17, 1963 (age 50)
                Brooklyn, New York
Nationality: American
Listed height : 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight : 216 lb (98 kg)
                Career information

High school : Emsley A. Laney
                (Wilmington, North Carolina)
College : North Carolina (1981–1984)
NBA Draft : 1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials, MJ, is an American former professional basketball player, entrepreneur, and majority owner and chairman of the Charlotte Bobcats. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam as himself. He is the majority owner and head of basketball operations for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, having won a bidding war to buy controlling interest in the team from founding owner Robert L. Johnson.

Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

After a three-season career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball. In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Early years

Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Deloris (née Peoples), who worked in banking, and James R. Jordan, Sr., an equipment supervisor. His family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was a toddler. Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he anchored his athletic career by playing baseball, football, and basketball. He tried out for the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year, but at 5'11" (1.80 m), he was deemed too short to play at that level. His taller friend, Harvest Leroy Smith, was the only sophomore to make the team.

Jordan was recruited by numerous college basketball programs, including Duke, North Carolina, South Carolina, Syracuse, and Virginia. In 1981, Jordan accepted a basketball scholarship to North Carolina, where he majored in cultural geography. As a freshman in coach Dean Smith's team-oriented system, he was named ACC Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.4 points per game (ppg) on 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage). He made the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing. Jordan later described this shot as the major turning point in his basketball career. During his three seasons at North Carolina, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rebounds per game (rpg).[8] He was selected by consensus to the NCAA All-American First Team in both his sophomore (1983) and junior (1984) seasons. After winning the Naismith and the Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan left North Carolina one year before his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA Draft. The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick, after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986.

Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity squad, and tallied several 40-point games. The following summer, he grew four inches (10 cm) and trained rigorously. Upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged about 20 points per game over his final two seasons of high school play. As a senior, he was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team after averaging a triple-double: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists.

Olympic career

Jordan played on two Olympic gold medal-winning American basketball teams. As a college player he participated, and won the gold, in the 1984 Summer Olympics. The team was coached by Bob Knight and featured players such as Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins, Chris Mullin, Steve Alford, and Wayman Tisdale. Jordan led the team in scoring, averaging 17.1 ppg for the tournament.
In the 1992 Summer Olympics he was a member of the star-studded squad that included Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and David Robinson and was dubbed the "Dream Team". Jordan was the only player to start all 8 games in the Olympics. Playing limited minutes due to the frequent blowouts, Jordan averaged 14.9 ppg,[98] finishing second on the team in scoring.Jordan and fellow Dream Team members Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin are the only American men's basketball players to win Olympic gold as amateurs and professionals.