title: Mattel

text: Mattel has a long history of media engagement since its foundation with the advertising of products from its brands including "Barbie", "Monster High" and "Polly Pocket", but the venture into full-time entertainment began in May, 1970, when it teamed up with producer Robert B. Radnitz to form a joint venture film production company, ""Radnitz/Mattel Productions"". Masters of the Universe and its lead character He-Man had a cartoon series which released between 1983 and 1985 and was followed by a live-action film in 1987. In 1986, Mattel launched a television syndication unit; "MTS Entertainment", headed by John M. Weens, to distribute the "Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future" syndicated television show.


title: Mattel

text: "My Scene", with Mattel's flagship "Barbie" brand, launched in 2002 and wasted little time in invoking a film franchise of DVD-exclusive/direct-to-DVD CGI-animated films. ""Polly Pocket"", which was originally founded and designed by Chris Wiggs in 1983 for his daughter Kate as a private toy and from 1989 housed in Bluebird Toys which Mattel acquired in 1998, also followed suit.


title: Mattel

text: With Lionsgate and its previous incarnation companies in Artisan Films and "Family Home Entertainment", Mattel had its flagship Barbie brand launched into a series of successful computer-animated direct-to-video films, which moved to Universal in late 2006 and is, as of 1 September 2021, jointly handled by Mill Creek Entertainment and NCirlce Entertainment, with the latter solely for American retailers. Monster High followed Barbie just months after its launch in 2010 and many “American Girl” films were made.


title: Mattel

text: Mattel agreed to purchase HiT Entertainment without the stake in the Sprout TV channel (formerly "PBS Kids Sprout" and now "Universal Kids") from Apax Partners on 25 October 2011, for $680 million, and closed on 1 February 2012, to become part of its Fisher-Price division. HiT Entertainment would later be absorbed into a then-newly-formed division known as "Mattel Creations" with its intellectual property (IP) brands shared equally between itself and another then-newly formed Mattel division, "Mattel Films".


title: Mattel

text: On October 16, 2013, with reports of high profitability, Mattel launched an in-house film studio, Mattel Playground Productions (shortened as Mattel PGP or just PGP) as its in-house film studio to handle multimedia productions and foster creative storytelling for its brands for global multi-platform distribution.


title: Mattel

text: Mattel formed a "senior head" division "Mattel Creations" on March 30, 2016, to absorb Mattel Playground Productions, HiT Entertainment and the American Girl content creation team in Middleton, Wisconsin and centralize its content output. Mattel Playground Productions would later be revived on 6 September 2018 and renamed to "Mattel Films" (which was and still widely perceived outside Mattel) and would handle solely films based on its brands as opposed to its predecessor. "Mattel Creations" would be reorganized on 5 February 2019 with the hiring of former Disney Channels Worldwide (now "Disney Branded Television") programming executive Adam Bonnett as its division head and be renamed to Mattel Television.


title: Kurt Russell

text: Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the western series "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters" (1963–1964). In the late 1960s, he signed a ten-year contract with The Walt Disney Company, where he starred as Dexter Riley in films, such as "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" (1969), "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" (1972), and "The Strongest Man in the World" (1975). According to Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies, he became the studio's top star of the 1970s.


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for his performance in Mike Nichols' "Silkwood" (1983). In the 1980s, he starred in several films directed by John Carpenter, including anti-hero roles such as army hero-turned-robber Snake Plissken in the futuristic action film "Escape from New York" (1981), its sequel "Escape from L.A." (1996), the horror film "The Thing" (1982), and the kung-fu comedy action film "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986). For his portrayal of rock and roll superstar Elvis Presley in "Elvis" (1979), he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell starred in several other notable films, including "Used Cars" (1981), "The Best of Times" (1986), "Overboard" (1987), "Tango & Cash" (1989), "Backdraft" (1991) "Tombstone" (1993), "Stargate" (1994), "Executive Decision" (1996), "Vanilla Sky" (2001), "Miracle" (2004), "Sky High" (2005), "Death Proof" (2007), "The Hateful Eight" (2015) and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (2019). He also appeared in "Fast & Furious" franchise as Mr. Nobody, having starred in "Furious 7" (2015), "The Fate of the Furious" (2017) and "F9" (2021), portrayed Ego in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) installments "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017) and "What If...?" (2021), and subsequently portrayed Santa Claus in "The Christmas Chronicles" (2018) and "The Christmas Chronicles 2" (2020).


title: Kurt Russell

text: Kurt Vogel Russell was born on March 17, 1951, at Wesson Maternity Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts. His father, Bing Russell, was also an actor. His mother, Louise Julia () Russell, is a dancer. Russell is of English, Irish, German, and Scottish ancestry. He has three sisters, Jill Franco, Jamie and Jody. His family relocated to California when he was a child, and Russell grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks. Russell played little league baseball throughout his grade school years and also on his high school baseball team as a second baseman. He graduated from Thousand Oaks High School in California in 1969. His father played professional baseball. His sister, Jill, is the mother of baseball player Matt Franco. From 1969 to 1975, Russell served in the California Air National Guard and belonged to the 146th Tactical Airlift Wing, then based in Van Nuys.


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell made his film debut with an uncredited part for "It Happened at the World's Fair", playing a boy who kicked a pilot (Elvis Presley) in the leg. On April 24, 1963, Russell guest-starred in the ABC series "Our Man Higgins", starring Stanley Holloway as an English butler in an American family.


title: Kurt Russell

text: Later, he played the title role in the ABC western series "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters" (1963–64). The show was based on Robert Lewis Taylor's eponymous novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1959.


title: Kurt Russell

text: In 1964, Russell guest-starred in "Nemesis", an episode of the ABC series "The Fugitive" in which, as the son of police Lt. Phillip Gerard, he is unintentionally kidnapped by his father's quarry, Doctor Richard Kimble. In NBC's "The Virginian", he played the mistaken orphan whose father was an outlaw played by Rory Calhoun who was still alive and recently released from prison looking for his son.


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell played a similar role as a kid named Packy Kerlin in the 1964 episode "Blue Heaven" for the western series "Gunsmoke". At age 13, Russell played the role of Jungle Boy on an episode of CBS's "Gilligan's Island", which aired on February 6, 1965.


title: Kurt Russell

text: That same year, Russell was signed to a ten-year contract with The Walt Disney Company, where he became, according to Robert Osborne, the "studio's top star of the '70s". Russell's first film for Disney was "Follow Me, Boys!" (1966). In January 1967, Russell played Private Willie Prentiss in the episode "Willie and the Yank: The Mosby Raiders" in "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color", released theatrically in some markets as "Mosby's Marauders" (1967). During this time, Russell continued to guest star on non-Disney TV shows. He, Jay C. Flippen and Tom Tryon appeared in the episode "Charade of Justice" of the NBC western series "The Road West" starring Barry Sullivan. In a March 1966 episode of CBS's "Lost in Space" entitled "The Challenge", he played Quano, the son of a planetary ruler.


title: Kurt Russell

text: While filming the Sherman Brothers theatrical film musical "The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band" (1968), Russell met his future partner Goldie Hawn.


title: Kurt Russell

text: Disney promoted Russell to star roles with "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" (1969) which was a big hit. He followed it with "The Barefoot Executive" (1971), another success.


title: Kurt Russell

text: In 1971, he co-starred as a young robber released from jail, alongside James Stewart in "Fools' Parade". Later, he guest-starred in an episode of "Room 222" as an idealistic high school student who assumed the costumed identity of Paul Revere to warn of the dangers of pollution.


title: Kurt Russell

text: However, the bulk of his film work was for Disney in films such as "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" (1971), "Charley and the Angel" (1973), and "Superdad" (1973).


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell, like his father, had a baseball career. In the early 1970s, Russell was a switch-hitting second baseman for the California Angels minor league affiliates, the Bend Rainbows (1971) and Walla Walla Islanders (1972) in the short season Class A-Short Season Northwest League, then moved up to Class AA in 1973 with the El Paso Sun Kings of the Texas League.


title: Kurt Russell

text: While Russell was in the field turning the pivot of a double play early in the season, the incoming runner at second base collided with him and tore the rotator cuff in Russell's right (throwing) shoulder. He did not return to El Paso, but was a designated hitter for the independent Portland Mavericks in the Northwest League late in their short season. The team was owned by his father, and he had been doing promotional work for them in the interim. The injury forced his retirement from baseball in 1973 and led to his return to acting.


title: Kurt Russell

text: In the autumn of 1974, he appeared in the ABC series "The New Land", inspired by the 1972 Swedish film of the same name. Critically acclaimed, it suffered very low ratings and aired only six of the 13 episodes. He returned to Disney for "The Strongest Man in the World" (1975).


title: Kurt Russell

text: In 1980, Russell was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for the made-for-television film "Elvis". This 1979 movie would transition Russell's Hollywood career after years as a child actor. It was directed by John Carpenter and led to a series of collaborations between the two men.


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell starred in "Amber Waves" (1980) and the comedy "Used Cars" (1980). He then played Snake Plissken in "Escape from New York" (1981), directed by Carpenter.


title: Kurt Russell

text: He returned to Disney to provide the voice of Copper as an adult for "The Fox and the Hound" (1981) then reunited with Carpenter for "The Thing" (1982), based upon the short story "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell, Jr., which had been interpreted on film before, albeit loosely, in 1951's "The Thing from Another World".


title: Kurt Russell

text: He was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for his performance in "Silkwood" (1983).


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell made "Swing Shift" (1984) co-starring Goldie Hawn, who became Russell's romantic partner. He starred in "The Mean Season" (1986) and "The Best of Times" (1986), then played an antihero truck driver caught in an ancient Chinese war in "Big Trouble in Little China", another Carpenter film which, like "The Thing," was initially a critical and commercial disappointment but has since gained a cult audience. More popular at the box office was "Overboard" (1987), a comedy with Goldie Hawn.


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell credited his performance in "Tequila Sunrise" (1988) with getting Hollywood to regard him differently. He was in "Winter People" (1989) then co starred with Sylvester Stallone in "Tango & Cash" (1989).


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell played Lt. Stephen "Bull" McCaffrey in "Backdraft" (1991), Wyatt Earp in "Tombstone" (1993) and Colonel Jack O'Neil in the military science fiction film "Stargate" (1994). He also had an uncredited role as the voice of Elvis Presley in the 1994 film "Forrest Gump". His portrayal of U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks in the 2004 film "Miracle", won the praise of critics. "In many ways", wrote Claudia Puig of "USA Today", ""Miracle" belongs to Kurt Russell." Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" wrote, "Russell does real acting here." Elvis Mitchell of "The New York Times" wrote, "Mr. Russell<nowiki>'s cagey and remote performance gives "Miracle"</nowiki> its few breezes of fresh air."


title: Kurt Russell

text: In 2006, Russell claimed in one interview that he had ghost-directed the hit 1993 western film "Tombstone" on behalf of credited director George P. Cosmatos, saying he gave Cosmatos shot lists. Russell claimed Stallone recommended Cosmatos to him after the removal of the first director, writer Kevin Jarre, but Cosmatos had also worked with "Tombstone" executive producer Andrew G. Vajna before on "". Russell said he promised Cosmatos he would keep it a secret as long as Cosmatos was alive; Cosmatos died in April 2005. Russell said he did not get a chance to edit his version, but Vajna gave him a tape of "everything on the movie" and that he might try to "reconstruct the movie", although he would need to go back to the script and all his notes.


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell played the villainous Stuntman Mike in Quentin Tarantino's segment "Death Proof" of the film "Grindhouse" (2007), and was in two more Tarantino films, "The Hateful Eight" (2015) and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (2019). He also had a major role in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". After a remake of "Escape from New York" was announced, Russell was reportedly upset with Gerard Butler for playing his signature character, Snake Plissken, as he believed the character 'was quintessentially [...] American.'


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell appeared in "The Battered Bastards of Baseball", a documentary about his father and the Portland Mavericks, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014. He co-starred in the action thriller "Furious 7" in 2015.


title: Kurt Russell

text: On May 4, 2017, Russell and Goldie Hawn received stars in a double star ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their achievements in motion pictures, located at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard.


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell married actress Season Hubley, whom he met while filming "Elvis", in 1979, and had a son, Boston (born February 16, 1980). After his divorce from Hubley in 1983, Russell began his relationship with Goldie Hawn, and appeared alongside her in "Swing Shift" and "Overboard", having previously appeared with her in "The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band" in 1968. They have a son, Wyatt Russell (born July 10, 1986), and own homes in Vancouver, British Columbia; Snowmass Village, Colorado; Manhattan, New York; Brentwood and Palm Desert, California. Hawn's daughter with Bill Hudson, actress Kate Hudson, considers Russell to be her father. In an interview with "People" in December 2020, Russell revealed that he and Hawn never felt the need to marry, stating that a "marriage certificate wasn't going to create anything that otherwise we wouldn't have."


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell is a libertarian. In 1996, he was quoted in the "Toronto Sun" saying: "I was brought up as a Republican, but when I realized that at the end of the day there wasn't much difference between a Democrat and Republican, I became a libertarian." In 2020, however, he stated that celebrities should keep their political opinions to themselves, believing that it negatively impacts their work.


title: Kurt Russell

text: Russell is a hunter and a staunch supporter of gun rights, and said that gun control will not reduce terrorism. He is also an FAA-licensed private pilot holding single/multi-engine and instrument ratings, and is an Honorary Council Member of the humanitarian aviation organization Wings of Hope. In 2010, he was inducted as part of the Living Legends of Aviation, receiving the "Aviation Mentor Award" from fellow actor-pilot John Travolta.


title: Kurt Russell

text: In February 2003, Russell and Hawn moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, so that their son could play hockey.


title: Jim Morrison

text: James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredictable and erratic performances, and the dramatic circumstances surrounding his life and early death, Morrison is regarded by music critics and fans as one of the most influential frontmen in rock history. Since his death, Morrison's fame has endured as one of popular culture's top rebellious and oft-displayed icons, representing the generation gap and youth counterculture.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Together with pianist Ray Manzarek, Morrison founded the Doors in 1965 in Venice, California. The group spent two years in obscurity until shooting to prominence with their number-one single in the United States, "Light My Fire", taken from their self-titled debut album. Morrison recorded a total of six studio albums with the Doors, all of which sold well and received critical acclaim. He was well known for improvising spoken word poetry passages while the band played live. Manzarek said Morrison "embodied hippie counterculture rebellion".


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison developed an alcohol dependency throughout the band's career, which at times affected his performances on stage. On July 3, 1971, Morrison died unexpectedly in Paris at the age of 27, amid several conflicting witness reports. His premature death is often linked with the 27 Club. Since no autopsy was performed, the cause of Morrison's death remains disputed.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Although the Doors recorded two more albums after Morrison died, his death severely affected the band's fortunes, and they split up two years later. In 1993, Morrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the other Doors members. In 2011, a "Rolling Stone" readers' pick placed Morrison in fifth position on the magazine's "Best Lead Singers of All Time", and in another "Rolling Stone" list of "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time", he was ranked 47th. He was also ranked the 22nd greatest singer in rock by "Classic Rock" magazine.


title: Jim Morrison

text: James Douglas Morrison was born on December 8, 1943 in Melbourne, Florida, to Clara Virginia ("née" Clarke; 1919–2005) and Lt.(j.g.) George Stephen Morrison (1919–2008), a future rear admiral in the United States Navy. His ancestors were Scottish, Irish, and English. Admiral Morrison commanded U.S. naval forces during the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964, which provided the pretext for the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War in 1965. Morrison had a younger sister, Anne Robin (born 1947 in Albuquerque, New Mexico), and a younger brother, Andrew Lee Morrison (born 1948 in Los Altos, California).


title: Jim Morrison

text: In 1947, when he was three to four years old, Morrison allegedly witnessed a car accident in the desert, during which a truck overturned and some Native Americans were lying injured on the side of the road. He referred to this incident in the Doors' song "Peace Frog" on their 1970 album "Morrison Hotel", as well as in the spoken word performances "Dawn's Highway" and "Ghost Song" on the posthumous 1978 album "An American Prayer". Morrison believed this incident to be the most formative event of his life, and made repeated references to it in the imagery in his songs, poems, and interviews. Morrison believed the spirits or the ghosts of those "dead Indians leapt into [his] soul," and that he was "like a sponge, ready to sit there and absorb it."


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison's family does not recall this traffic incident happening in the way he told it. According to the Morrison biography "No One Here Gets Out Alive", his family did drive past a car accident on an Indian reservation when he was a child, and he was very upset by it. The book "The Doors", written by the surviving members of the band, explains how different Morrison's account of the incident was from that of his father, who is quoted as saying, "We went by several Indians. It did make an impression on him [the young James]. He always thought about that crying Indian." This is contrasted sharply with Morrison's tale of "Indians scattered all over the highway, bleeding to death." In another book, his sister is quoted as saying, "He enjoyed telling that story and exaggerating it. He said he saw a dead Indian by the side of the road, and I don't even know if that's true."


title: Jim Morrison

text: Raised a military brat, Morrison spent part of his childhood in San Diego, completed third grade at Fairfax County Elementary School in Virginia, and attended Charles H. Flato Elementary School in Kingsville, Texas, while his father was stationed at NAS Kingsville in 1952. He continued at St. John's Methodist School in Albuquerque, and then Longfellow School Sixth Grade Graduation Program from San Diego.


title: Jim Morrison

text: In 1957, Morrison attended Alameda High School in Alameda, California, for his freshman and first semester of his sophomore year. His family moved back to Virginia in 1959, and he graduated from George Washington High School (now a middle school) in Alexandria in June 1961. While attending George Washington, Morrison maintained a grade average of 88 and tested in the top 0.1% with an IQ of 149.


title: Jim Morrison

text: A voracious reader from an early age, Morrison was particularly inspired by the writings of several philosophers and poets. He was influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche, whose views on aesthetics, morality, and the Apollonian and Dionysian duality would appear in his conversation, poetry and songs. Some of his formative influences were Plutarch's "Parallel Lives" and the works of the French Symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud, whose style would later influence the form of Morrison's short prose poems. He was also influenced by William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Charles Baudelaire, Vladimir Nabokov, Molière, Franz Kafka, Albert Camus, Honoré de Balzac and Jean Cocteau, along with most of the French existentialist philosophers.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison's senior year English teacher later said, "Jim read as much and probably more than any student in class, but everything he read was so offbeat I had another teacher (who was going to the Library of Congress) check to see if the books Jim was reporting on actually existed. I suspected he was making them up, as they were English books on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century demonology. I'd never heard of them, but they existed, and I'm convinced from the paper he wrote that he read them, and the Library of Congress would've been the only source."


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison went to live with his paternal grandparents in Clearwater, Florida, and attended St. Petersburg Junior College. In 1962, he transferred to Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee and appeared in a school recruitment film. While at FSU, Morrison was arrested for disturbing the peace as well as petty larceny while drunk at a home football game on September 28, 1963.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison soon transferred to the film program at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). There he enrolled in Jack Hirschman's class on Antonin Artaud in the university's Comparative Literature program. Artaud's brand of surrealist theatre had a profound impact on Morrison's dark poetic sensibility of cinematic theatricality.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA's film school within the Theater Arts department of the College of Fine Arts in 1965. Refusing to attend the graduation ceremony, he went to Venice Beach, Los Angeles, and the university mailed his diploma to his mother in Coronado, California. He made several short films while attending UCLA. "First Love", the first of these films, made with Morrison's classmate and roommate Max Schwartz, was released to the public when it appeared in a documentary about the film "Obscura".


title: Jim Morrison

text: During these years, while living in Venice Beach, Morrison befriended writers at the "Los Angeles Free Press", for which he advocated until his death in 1971. He conducted a lengthy and in-depth interview with Bob Chorush and Andy Kent, both working for the "Free Press" at the time (approximately December 6–8, 1970), and was planning on visiting the headquarters of the busy newspaper shortly before leaving for Paris.


title: Jim Morrison

text: In the middle of 1965, after graduating with a bachelor's degree from the UCLA film school, Morrison led a bohemian lifestyle in Venice Beach. Living on the rooftop of a building inhabited by his UCLA classmate, Dennis Jakob, he wrote the lyrics of many of the early songs the Doors would later perform live and record on albums, such as "Moonlight Drive" and "Hello, I Love You". According to fellow UCLA student Ray Manzarek, he lived on canned beans and LSD for several months.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison and Manzarek were the first two members of the Doors, forming the group during that summer. They had met months earlier as cinematography students. Manzarek narrated the story that he was lying on the beach at Venice one day, where he coincidentally encountered Morrison. He was impressed with Morrison's poetic lyrics, claiming that they were "rock group" material. Subsequently, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore joined. Krieger auditioned at Densmore's recommendation and was then added to the lineup. All three musicians shared a common interest in the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's meditation practices at the time, attending scheduled classes, but Morrison was not involved in these series of classes.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison was inspired to name the band after the title of Aldous Huxley's book "The Doors of Perception" (a reference to the unlocking of doors of perception through psychedelic drug use). Huxley's own concept was based on a quotation from William Blake's "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell", in which Blake wrote: "If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite."


title: Jim Morrison

text: Although Morrison was known as the lyricist of the group, Krieger also made lyrical contributions, writing or co-writing some of the group's biggest hits, including "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Love Her Madly" and "Touch Me". On the other hand, Morrison, who did not write most songs using an instrument, would come up with vocal melodies for his own lyrics, with the other band members contributing chords and rhythm. Morrison did not play an instrument live (except for maracas and tambourine for most shows, and harmonica on a few occasions) or in the studio (excluding maracas, tambourine, handclaps, and whistling). However, he did play the grand piano on "Orange County Suite" and a Moog synthesizer on "Strange Days".


title: Jim Morrison

text: In May 1966, Morrison reportedly attended a concert by The Velvet Underground at The Trip in Los Angeles, and Andy Warhol claimed in his book Popism that his "black leather" look had been heavily influenced by the dancer Gerard Malanga who performed at the concert., In June 1966, Morrison and the Doors were the opening act at the Whisky a Go Go in the last week of the residency of Van Morrison's band Them. Van's influence on Jim's developing stage performance was later noted by Brian Hinton in his book "Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison": "Jim Morrison learned quickly from his near namesake's stagecraft, his apparent recklessness, his air of subdued menace, the way he would improvise poetry to a rock beat, even his habit of crouching down by the bass drum during instrumental breaks." On the final night, the two Morrisons and their two bands jammed together on "Gloria". Van Morrison later described Jim Morrison as being "really raw. He knew what he was doing and could do it very well."


title: Jim Morrison

text: In November 1966, Morrison and the Doors produced a promotional film for "Break On Through (To the Other Side)", which was their first single release. The film featured the four members of the group playing the song on a darkened set with alternating views and close-ups of the performers while Morrison lip-synched the lyrics. Morrison and the Doors continued to make short music films, including "The Unknown Soldier", "Strange Days" and "People Are Strange".


title: Jim Morrison

text: The Doors achieved national recognition after signing with Elektra Records in 1967. The single "Light My Fire" spent three weeks at number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart in July/August 1967, a far cry from the Doors opening for Simon and Garfunkel or playing at a high school as they did in Connecticut that same year.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Later in 1967, the Doors appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show", a popular Sunday night variety series that had given the Beatles and Elvis Presley national exposure. Ed Sullivan requested two songs from the Doors for the show, "People Are Strange" and "Light My Fire". Sullivan's censors insisted that the Doors change the lyrics of the song "Light My Fire" from "Girl we couldn't get much higher" to "Girl we couldn't get much better" for the television viewers; this was reportedly due to what was perceived as a reference to drugs in the original lyrics. After giving assurances of compliance to the producer in the dressing room, the band agreed and proceeded to sing the song with the original lyrics. Sullivan was unhappy and refused to shake hands with Morrison or any other band member after their performance. He then had a producer tell the band that they would never appear on his show again, and their planned six further bookings were cancelled. Morrison reportedly said to the producer, in a defiant tone, "Hey man. We just "did" the Sullivan Show!"


title: Jim Morrison

text: By the release of their second album, "Strange Days", the Doors had become one of the most popular rock bands in the U.S. Their blend of blues and dark psychedelic rock included a number of original songs and distinctive cover versions, such as their rendition of "Alabama Song" from Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's opera "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny". The band also performed a number of extended concept works, including the songs "The End", "When the Music's Over", and "Celebration of the Lizard". In late Summer 1967, photographer Joel Brodsky took a series of black-and-white photos of Morrison, in a photo shoot known as "The Young Lion" photo session. These photographs are considered among the most iconic images of Jim Morrison and are frequently used as covers for compilation albums, books, and other memorabilia related to Morrison and the Doors.


title: Jim Morrison

text: In late 1967, during a concert in New Haven, Connecticut, Morrison was arrested on stage in an incident that further added to his mystique and emphasized his rebellious image. Prior to the show, a police officer found Morrison and a woman in the showers backstage. Not recognizing the singer, the policeman ordered him to leave, to which Morrison mockingly replied, "Eat me." He was subsequently maced by the officer and the show was delayed. Once onstage, he told the concertgoers an obscenity-filled version of the incident. New Haven police arrested him for indecency and public obscenity, but the charges were later dropped. Morrison was the first rock performer to be arrested onstage during a live performance.


title: Jim Morrison

text: In 1968, the Doors released their third studio album, "Waiting for the Sun". The band performed on July 5 at the Hollywood Bowl. While in Los Angeles, Morrison spent time with Mick Jagger, and the two discussed their mutual hesitation and awkwardness about dancing in front an audience, with Jagger asking Morrison's advice on "how to work a big crowd". Footage from this performance was later released on the DVD "Live at the Hollywood Bowl". On September 6 and 7, 1968, the Doors played in Europe for the first time, with four performances at the Roundhouse in London with Jefferson Airplane which was filmed by Granada Television for the television documentary "The Doors Are Open", directed by John Sheppard. Around this time, Morrisonwho had long been a heavy drinkerstarted showing up for recording sessions visibly inebriated. He was also frequently appearing in live performances and studio recordings late or stoned.


title: Jim Morrison

text: By early 1969, the formerly svelte Morrison had gained weight, grown a beard and begun dressing more casually, abandoning the leather pants and concho belts for slacks, jeans, and T-shirts. "The Soft Parade", the Doors' fourth album, was released later in that year. It was the first album where each band member was given individual songwriting credit, by name, for their work. Previously, each song on their albums had been credited simply to "The Doors".


title: Jim Morrison

text: During a concert on March 1, 1969, at the Dinner Key Auditorium in Miami, Morrison attempted to spark a riot in the audience, in part by screaming, "You wanna see my cock?" and other obscenities. Three days later, six warrants for his arrest were issued by the Dade County Public Safety Department for indecent exposure, among other accusations.<ref name="Burks_12/10/2010"></ref> Consequently, many of the Doors' scheduled concerts were canceled. On September 20, 1970, Morrison was convicted of indecent exposure and profanity by a six-person jury in Miami after a sixteen-day trial. Morrison, who attended the October 30 sentencing "in a wool jacket adorned with Indian designs", silently listened as he was sentenced to six months in prison and had to pay a $500 fine. Morrison remained free on a $50,000 bond. At the sentencing, Judge Murray Goodman told Morrison that he was a "person graced with a talent" admired by many of his peers.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Interviewed by Boc Chorush of the "L.A. Free Press", Morrison expressed both bafflement and clarity about the Miami incident, clarifying:


title: Jim Morrison

text: On December 8, 2010the 67th anniversary of Morrison's birth Florida governor Charlie Crist and the state clemency board unanimously signed a complete posthumous pardon for Morrison. All the other members of the band, along with Doors' road manager Vince Treanor, have denied the notion that Morrison ever exposed himself on stage that night.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Following "The Soft Parade", the Doors released "Morrison Hotel". After a lengthy break, the group reconvened in October 1970 to record their final album with Morrison, titled "L.A. Woman". Shortly after the recording sessions for the album began, producer Paul A. Rothchildwho had overseen all of their previous recordingsleft the project, and engineer Bruce Botnick took over as producer.


title: Jim Morrison

text: After recording "L.A. Woman" with the Doors in Los Angeles, Morrison announced to the band his intention to go to Paris. His bandmates generally felt it was a good idea. In March 1971, he joined girlfriend Pamela Courson in Paris at an apartment she had rented at 17–19, Rue Beautreillis in Le Marais, 4th arrondissement. In letters to friends, he described going for long walks through the city alone. During this time, he shaved his beard and lost some of the weight he had gained in the previous months.


title: Jim Morrison

text: On July 3, 1971, Morrison was found dead in the bathtub of the apartment at approximately 6:00 a.m. by Courson. He was 27 years old. The official cause of death was listed as heart failure, although no autopsy was performed as it was not required by French law. Several individuals who say they were eyewitnesses claim that his death was due to an accidental heroin overdose; however this has never been confirmed. According to music journalist Ben Fong-Torres, it was suggested that his death was kept a secret and the reporters who had telephoned to Paris were told that Morrison was not deceased but tired and resting at a hospital.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison's death came two years to the day after the death of Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones and approximately nine months after the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. All of these popular musicians died at the age of 27, leading to the emergence of the 27 Club urban legend. Since the date of his demise, there have been a number of conspiracy theories concerning Morrison's death.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison's early life was the semi-nomadic existence typical of military families. Jerry Hopkins recorded Morrison's brother, Andy, explaining that his parents had determined never to use corporal punishment such as spanking on their children. They instead instilled discipline by the military tradition known as "dressing down", which consisted of yelling at and berating the children until they were reduced to tears and acknowledged their failings. Once Morrison graduated from UCLA, he broke off most contact with his family. By the time his music ascended to the top of the charts (in 1967) he had not been in communication with his family for more than a year and falsely claimed that everyone in his immediate family was dead (or claimed, as it has been widely misreported, that he was an only child). However, Morrison told Hopkins in a 1969 interview for "Rolling Stone" magazine that he did this because he did not want to involve his family in his musical career.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison's father was not supportive of his career choice in music. One day, an acquaintance brought over a record thought to have Morrison on the cover, which was the Doors' debut album. Upon hearing the record, Morrison's father wrote him a letter telling him "to give up any idea of singing or any connection with a music group because of what I consider to be a complete lack of talent in this direction." In a letter to the Florida Probation and Parole Commission District Office dated October 2, 1970, Morrison's father acknowledged the breakdown in family communications as the result of an argument over his assessment of his son's musical talents. He said he could not blame his son for being reluctant to initiate contact and that he was proud of him.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison spoke fondly of his Irish and Scottish ancestry and was inspired by Celtic mythology in his poetry and songs. "Celtic Family Magazine" revealed in its 2016 Spring Issue that his Morrison clan was originally from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, while his Irish side, the Clelland clan who married into the Morrison line, were from County Down in Northern Ireland.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison was sought after by many as a photographer's model, confidant, romantic partner and sexual conquest. He had several serious relationships and many casual encounters. By many accounts, he could also be inconsistent with his partners, displaying what some recall as "a dual personality". Rothchild recalls, "Jim really was two very distinct and different people. A Jekyll and Hyde. When he was sober, he was Jekyll, the most erudite, balanced, friendly kind of guy... He was Mr. America. When he would start to drink, he'd be okay at first, then, suddenly, he would turn into a maniac. Turn into Hyde."


title: Jim Morrison

text: One of Morrison's early significant relationships was with Mary Werbelow, whom he met on the beach in Clearwater, Florida, when they were teenagers in the summer of 1962. In a 2005 interview with the "St. Petersburg Times", she said Morrison spoke to her before a photo shoot for the Doors' fourth album and told her the first three albums were about her. She also stated in the interview that she was not a fan of the band and never attended a concert by them. Werbelow broke off the relationship in Los Angeles in the summer of 1965, a few months before Morrison began rehearsals. Manzarek said of Werbelow, "She was Jim's first love. She held a deep place in his soul." Manzarek also noted that Morrison's song "The End" was intended originally to be "a short goodbye love song to Mary," with the longer oedipal middle section a later addition.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison spent the majority of his adult life in an open and at times very charged and intense relationship with Pamela Courson. Through to the end, Courson saw Morrison as more than a rock star, as "a great poet"; she constantly encouraged him and pushed him to write. Courson attended his concerts and focused on supporting his career. Like Morrison, she was described by many as fiery, determined and attractive, as someone who was tough despite appearing fragile. Manzarek called Pamela "Jim's other half" and said, "I never knew another person who could so complement his bizarreness."


title: Jim Morrison

text: After her death in 1974, Courson was buried by her family as Pamela Susan Morrison, despite the two having never been married. Her parents petitioned the court for inheritance of Morrison's estate. The probate court in California decided that she and Morrison had once had what qualified as a common-law marriage, despite neither having applied for such status and the common-law marriage not being recognized in California. Morrison's will at the time of his death named Courson as the sole heir.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison dedicated his published poetry books "The Lords and New Creatures" and the lost writings "Wilderness" to Courson. A number of writers have speculated that songs like "Love Street", "Orange County Suite" and "Queen of the Highway", among other songs, may have been written about her. Though the relationship was "tumultuous" much of the time, and both also had relationships with others, they always maintained a unique and ongoing connection with one another until the end of Morrison's life.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Throughout his career, Morrison had regular sexual and romantic encounters with fans (including groupies) such as Pamela Des Barres, as well as ongoing affairs with other musicians, writers, and photographers involved in the music business. They included Nico; singer Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane; and editor Gloria Stavers of "16 Magazine", as well as an alleged alcohol-fueled encounter with Janis Joplin. David Crosby stated many years later that Morrison treated Joplin cruelly at a party at the Calabasas, California, home of John Davidson while Davidson was out of town. She reportedly hit him over the head with a bottle of whiskey during a fight in front of witnesses, and thereafter referred to Morrison as "that asshole" whenever his name was brought up in conversation.


title: Jim Morrison

text: As first written about in "No One Here Gets Out Alive", "Break On Through", and later in her own memoir, "Strange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison", Morrison participated in a Celtic Pagan handfasting ceremony with rock critic Patricia Kennealy. The couple signed a handwritten document, and were declared wed by a Celtic High Priestess and High Priest on Midsummer night in 1970, but none of the necessary paperwork for a legal marriage was filed with the state.


title: Jim Morrison

text: After meeting at a private interview for "Jazz & Pop" magazine in January 1969, Morrison and Kennealy had developed a friendship which soon evolved into a long-distance relationship. The handfasting ceremony is described in "No One Here Gets Out Alive" as a "blending of souls on a karmic and cosmic plane". Morrison was also still seeing Courson when he was in Los Angeles, and later moved to Paris for the summer, where Courson had acquired an apartment. In an interview for the book "Rock Wives", Kennealy says he turned "really cold" when she unintentionally became pregnant, leading her to speculate that maybe he hadn't taken the wedding as seriously as he'd led her to believe. Kennealy also ties this coldness to his trial in Miami, stating that "he was scared to death. They were really out to put him away. Jim was devastated that he wasn't getting any public support."


title: Jim Morrison

text: As he did with so many people, Morrison could be cruel and cold and then turn warm and loving; he wrote in letters that he was planning on returning to Kennealy in New York City in the fall of 1971. However, Kennealy was skeptical; he was living with Courson in Paris, he was drinking heavily and in poor health, and Kennealy, like many, feared he was dying.


title: Jim Morrison

text: At the time of Morrison's death, there were thirty-seven paternity actions pending against him, although no claims were made against his estate by any of the putative paternity claimants.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Although Morrison's early education was routinely disrupted as he moved from school to school, he was drawn to the study of literature, poetry, religion, philosophy and psychology, among other fields. Biographers have consistently pointed to a number of writers and philosophers who influenced his thinking and, perhaps, his behaviour. While still in his adolescence, Morrison discovered the works of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison was drawn to the poetry of William Blake, Arthur Rimbaud and Charles Baudelaire. Beat Generation writers such as Jack Kerouac and libertine writers such as the Marquis de Sade also had a strong influence on Morrison's outlook and manner of expression; he was eager to experience the life described in Kerouac's "On the Road". He was similarly drawn to the work of French writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline. Céline's book, "Voyage Au Bout de la Nuit" ("Journey to the End of the Night") and Blake's "Auguries of Innocence" both echo through one of Morrison's early songs, "End of the Night".


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison later met and befriended Michael McClure, a well-known Beat poet. McClure had enjoyed Morrison's lyrics but was even more impressed by his poetry and encouraged him to further develop his craft. Morrison's vision of performance was colored by the works of 20th-century French playwright Antonin Artaud (author of "Theater and its Double") and by Judith Malina and Julian Beck's "Living Theater".


title: Jim Morrison

text: Other works relating to religion, mysticism, ancient myth and symbolism were of lasting interest to Morrison, particularly Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces". James Frazer's "The Golden Bough" also became a source of inspiration and is reflected in the title and lyrics of the song "Not to Touch the Earth". Morrison was particularly attracted to the myths and religions of Native American cultures.


title: Jim Morrison

text: While he was still at school, his family moved to New Mexico where he became familiar with the landscape and some of the iconography important to the Indigenous peoples of the American Southwest. These interests appear to be the source of many references to creatures and places such as lizards, snakes, deserts and "ancient lakes" that appear in his songs and poetry. His interpretations and fantasies of Native American ceremonies and ceremonial leaders (which, based on his readings, he referred to by the anthropological term "shamans") influenced his stage performances, notably in his seeking of trance states and vision through dancing to the point of exhaustion. In particular, Morrison's poem "The Ghost Song" was inspired by his readings about the Native American Ghost Dance.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison's vocal influences included Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, which can be heard in his baritone crooning style on several of the Doors' songs. In the 1981 documentary "The Doors: A Tribute to Jim Morrison", Rothchild relates his first impression of Morrison as being a "Rock and Roll Bing Crosby". Botnick has recalled that when he first met the Doors in Sunset Sound Studios he showed them the condenser microphone, which Morrison would then use when recording his vocals for their debut album. Morrison was particularly excited about this microphone (the Telefunken U47) as it was the same model that Sinatra had used for some of his recording sessions. Sugerman has written that Morrison, as a teenager, was such a fan of Elvis that he demanded silence when Elvis was on the radio, but that Sinatra was Morrison's favorite singer. According to record producer David Anderle, Morrison considered Brian Wilson "his favorite musician" and the Beach Boys' 1967 LP "Wild Honey" "one of his favorite albums. ... he really got into it."


title: Jim Morrison

text: Wallace Fowlie, professor emeritus of French literature at Duke University, wrote "Rimbaud and Jim Morrison", subtitled ""The Rebel as PoetA Memoir"". In this, he recounts his surprise at receiving a fan letter from Morrison who, in 1968, thanked him for his latest translation of Rimbaud's verse into English. "I don't read French easily", he wrote, "...your book travels around with me." Fowlie went on to give lectures on numerous campuses comparing the lives, philosophies, and poetry of Morrison and Rimbaud. The book "The Doors", by the remaining Doors, quotes Morrison's close friend Frank Lisciandro as saying that too many people took a remark of Morrison's that he was interested in revolt, disorder, and chaos "to mean that he was an anarchist, a revolutionary, or, worse yet, a nihilist. Hardly anyone noticed that Jim was paraphrasing Rimbaud and the Surrealist poets".


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison began writing in earnest during his adolescence. At UCLA he studied the related fields of theater, film, and cinematography. He self-published two volumes of poetry in 1969, titled "The Lords / Notes on Vision" and "The New Creatures". "The Lords" consists primarily of brief descriptions of places, people, events and Morrison's thoughts on cinema. "The New Creatures" verses are more poetic in structure, feel and appearance. These two books were later combined into a single volume titled "The Lords and The New Creatures". These were the only writings published during Morrison's lifetime. Morrison befriended Beat poet Michael McClure, who wrote the afterword for Hopkins' "No One Here Gets Out Alive". McClure and Morrison reportedly collaborated on a number of unmade film projects, including a film version of McClure's infamous play "The Beard", in which Morrison would have played Billy the Kid.


title: Jim Morrison

text: "The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison" Volume I is titled "Wilderness", and, upon its release in 1988, became an instant "New York Times" Bestseller. Volume II, "The American Night", released in 1990, was also a success. Morrison recorded his own poetry in a professional sound studio on two occasions. The first was in March 1969 in Los Angeles and the second was on December 8, 1970. The latter recording session was attended by Morrison's personal friends and included a variety of sketch pieces. Some of the segments from the 1969 session were issued on the bootleg album "The Lost Paris Tapes" and were later used as part of The Doors' "An American Prayer" album, released in 1978. The album reached No. 54 on the music charts.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Some poetry recorded from the December 1970 session remains unreleased to this day and is in the possession of the Courson family. Morrison's best-known but seldom seen cinematic endeavor is "", a project he started in 1969. Morrison financed the venture and formed his own production company in order to maintain complete control of the project. Paul Ferrara, Frank Lisciandro, and Babe Hill assisted with the project. Morrison played the main character, a hitchhiker turned killer/car thief. Morrison asked his friend, composer/pianist Fred Myrow, to select the soundtrack for the film.


title: Jim Morrison

text: After his death, a notebook of poetry written by Morrison was recovered, titled "Paris Journal"; amongst other personal details, it contains the allegorical foretelling of a man who will be left grieving and having to abandon his belongings, due to a police investigation into a death connected to the Chinese opium trade. "Weeping, he left his pad on orders from police and furnishings hauled away, all records and mementos, and reporters calculating tears & curses for the press: 'I hope the Chinese junkies get you' and they will for the [opium] poppy rules the world".


title: Jim Morrison

text: The concluding stanzas of this poem convey disappointment for someone with whom he had had an intimate relationship and contain a further invocation of "" the killer/Hitchhiker, a common character in Morrison's body of work. "This is my poem for you, Great flowing funky flower'd beast, Great perfumed wreck of hell... Someone new in your knickers & who would that be? You know, You know more, than you let on... Tell them you came & saw & look'd into my eyes & saw the shadow of the guard receding, Thoughts in time & out of season stood by the side of the road & levelled his thumb in the calm calculus of reason."


title: Jim Morrison

text: In 2013, another of Morrison's notebooks from Paris, found alongside the "Paris Journal" in the same box, known as the "127 Fascination" box, sold for $250,000 at auction. This box of personal belongings similarly contained a home movie of Pamela Courson dancing in an unspecified cemetery in Corsica, the only film so far recovered to have been filmed by Morrison. The box also housed a number of older notebooks and journals and may initially have included the "Steno Pad" and the falsely titled "The Lost Paris Tapes" bootleg, if they had not been separated from the primary collection and sold by Philippe Dalecky with this promotional title. Those familiar with the voices of Morrison's friends and colleagues later determined that, contrary to the story advanced by Dalecky that this was Morrison's final recording made with busking Parisian musicians, the "Lost Paris Tapes" are in fact of "Jomo & The Smoothies": Morrison, friend Michael McClure and producer Paul Rothchild loose jamming in Los Angeles, well before Paris 1971.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison was buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, one of the city's most visited tourist attractions, where Irish playwright Oscar Wilde, French cabaret singer Édith Piaf, and many other poets and artists are also buried. The grave had no official marker until French officials placed a shield over it, which was stolen in 1973. The grave was listed in the cemetery directory with Morrison's name incorrectly arranged as "Douglas James Morrison".


title: Jim Morrison

text: In 1981, Croatian sculptor Mladen Mikulin voluntarilywith the approval of the cemetery curatorsplaced a marble bust of his own design and a new gravestone with Morrison's name at the grave to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Morrison's death; the bust was defaced through the years by vandals and later stolen in 1988. Mikulin made another bust of Morrison in 1989 and a bronze portrait ("death mask") of him in 2001; neither piece is at the gravesite.


title: Jim Morrison

text: In 1990, Morrison's father, George Stephen Morrison, after a consultation with E. Nicholas Genovese, Professor of Classics and Humanities, San Diego State University, placed a flat stone on the grave. The bronze plaque thereon bears the Greek inscription: ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ, usually translated as "true to his own spirit" or "according to his own daemon".


title: Jim Morrison

text: Morrison was and continues to be one of the most popular and influential singer-songwriters and iconic frontmen in rock history. To this day, he is widely regarded as the prototypical rock star: surly, sexy, scandalous, and mysterious. The leather pants he was fond of wearing both onstage and off have since become stereotyped as rock-star apparel. The lead singer of U2, Bono, had used Morrison's leather pants for his onstage alter-ego, which he called "Fly". Music journalist Stephen Davis described Morrison as the single "greatest American rock star of his era".


title: Jim Morrison

text: In 1993, Morrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Doors. In 2011, a "Rolling Stone" readers' pick placed Morrison in fifth place of the magazine's "Best Lead Singers of All Time". In another "Rolling Stone" list, entitled "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time", he was ranked 47th. He was also ranked number 22 on "Classic Rock" magazine's "50 Greatest Singers in Rock".


title: Jim Morrison

text: Fatboy Slim's song "Sunset" includes Morrison's vocal interpretation of his poem "Bird of Prey". In 2012, electronic music producer Skrillex released "Breakn' a Sweat" which contained vocals from an interview with Morrison. Alice Cooper has said that his song "Desperado", from the 1971 "Killer", was dedicated to Morrison.


title: Jim Morrison

text: Iggy and the Stooges are said to have formed after lead singer Iggy Pop was inspired by Morrison while attending a Doors concert in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Pop later said about the concert:


title: Jim Morrison

text: One of Pop's most popular songs, "The Passenger", is said to be based on one of Morrison's poems. Layne Staley, the vocalist of Alice in Chains; Eddie Vedder, the vocalist of Pearl Jam; Scott Weiland, the vocalist of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver; Glenn Danzig, singer and founder of Danzig; Ian Astbury, the frontman of the Cult; Siouxsie Sioux, the lead singer of Siouxsie and the Banshees; Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division; Billy Idol, and Patti Smith have said that Morrison was their biggest influence. Music journalist Simon Reynolds noted that Morrison's "deep, heavy alloys" served as a prototype for the gothic rock scene.


title: Jim Morrison

text: In 1991, Oliver Stone directed a biopic film about Morrison, with actor Val Kilmer portraying him. Kilmer learned over twenty of the Doors' songs to achieve Morrison's role. While the film was inspired by many real events and individuals, the film's depiction of Morrison was heavily criticized by many people who knew him personally, including Patricia Kennealy and the other Doors members. Manzarek said about the film's portrayal, "It was ridiculous... It was not about Jim Morrison. It was about 'Jimbo Morrison', the drunk. God, where was the sensitive poet and the funny guy? The guy I knew was not on that screen." Krieger agreed that the movie didn't capture "how Jim [Morrison] was at all." He also noted the impact of the film's representation on numerous people he talked to: "He's never a real guy in that movie. People find it hard to believe he could just be a normal person–a good friend and a great guy to be with."


title: Jim Morrison

text: On an album by CPR, David Crosby wrote and recorded a song about the movie with the lyric: "And I have seen that movieand it wasn't like that." In general, the film received underwhelming to poor reviews, which largely focused on the many inaccuracies and problems with the narrative. However, Kilmer received some praise for his performance, with some members of the Doors reportedly saying that at times they couldn't distinguish whether it was Kilmer or Morrison singing on some of the sequences. Overall, the group members praised Kilmer's interpretation. Regardless of the widespread acclaim surrounding Kilmer's performance, he did not claim any award.


title: Jim Morrison

text: The lead character of a 2011 Bollywood film, "Rockstar" starring Ranbir Kapoor, was inspired by Morrison. The 2007 film "" has numerous references to Morrison.


title: Jack Black

text: Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films "High Fidelity" (2000), "Shallow Hal" (2001), "Orange County" (2002), "School of Rock" (2003), "Envy" (2004), "The Holiday" (2006), "Gulliver's Travels" (2010), "Bernie" (2011), "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" (2018), and the "Jumanji" franchise; in addition, as of August 2022, his music video for "Tribute"—as one half of the Grammy Award–winning comedy rock duo Tenacious D—has accumulated more than 112 million views on YouTube alone. Additionally, he is also well known for his voice-acting roles as the giant panda named Po from DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda" films. Black gained Golden Globe nominations for his work in "School of Rock" and "Bernie", and was given a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 2018.


title: Jack Black

text: He is the lead vocalist of the Tenacious D, and formed the duo in 1994 with long-time friend Kyle Gass. They have released four studio albums together—their self-titled debut "Tenacious D", "The Pick of Destiny", "Rize of the Fenix", and "Post-Apocalypto"—in addition to starring in the television series "Tenacious D" (1997–2000) and film "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny" (2006). Since 2018, Black has maintained a YouTube channel called Jablinski Games.


title: Jack Black

text: Thomas Jacob Black was born in Santa Monica, California, on August 28, 1969, the son of satellite engineers Thomas William Black and Judith Love Cohen. He was raised in Hermosa Beach, California. His mother worked on the Minuteman nuclear missile guidance system, the Apollo lunar module guidance system, the science ground station for the Hubble Space Telescope, and was also a writer.


title: Jack Black

text: He has three older half-siblings through his mother: scientist Neil Siegel, Howard Siegel, and Rachel Siegel. His mother was born Jewish, and his father converted to Judaism. Black was raised Jewish, attending Hebrew school and having a bar mitzvah. His ancestry also includes English, German, Irish, Northern Irish, Polish, Russian, and Scottish.


title: Jack Black

text: Black's parents divorced when he was 10, and his father then stopped practicing Judaism. Black moved to Culver City with his father and frequently visited his mother's home. As a child, he appeared in a commercial for the Activision game "Pitfall!" in 1982. For high school, Black's parents enrolled him at the Poseidon School, a private secondary school designed for students struggling in the traditional school system. He also attended the Crossroads School, where he excelled in drama. He later attended University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), but dropped out during his sophomore year to pursue a career in entertainment. Fellow UCLA student Tim Robbins later cast Black in "Bob Roberts". In 1995 and 1996, he gained recurring roles in the HBO sketch comedy series "Mr. Show".


title: Jack Black

text: In 1982, Black's first acting job was in a television commercial at age 13 for the video game "Pitfall!." In 1987, Black joined the Actors' Gang, a theater troupe founded by UCLA students including Tim Robbins, and appeared in a variety of stage productions. Black's adult career began with small roles on prime time television, including "Life Goes On", "Northern Exposure", "Mr. Show", "Picket Fences", "The Golden Palace," and "The X-Files". Black appeared in the unaired TV pilot "Heat Vision and Jack", directed by Ben Stiller, in which he played an ex-astronaut pursued by actor Ron Silver. He was accompanied by his friend who had merged with a motorcycle, voiced by Owen Wilson.


title: Jack Black

text: After Robbins cast him in "Bob Roberts", Black began appearing in small film roles such as "Airborne" (1993), "Demolition Man", "Waterworld", "The Fan", "The Cable Guy", "Mars Attacks!", "Dead Man Walking", "The Jackal", "Crossworlds", "Enemy of the State", and others. He had a small role in "True Romance" as a security guard, but the scene was deleted.


title: Jack Black

text: In 2000, Black co-starred in the film "High Fidelity" as a wild employee in a record store run by John Cusack. Black considers his role in "High Fidelity" as his breakout into the Hollywood scene. He quickly gained leading roles in films such as "Shallow Hal", "Nacho Libre", "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny", "Year One", and "Gulliver's Travels". He received particular praise for his starring role in the well-received "School of Rock", earning critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy.


title: Jack Black

text: He starred in one of his few dramatic roles as the obsessed filmmaker Carl Denham in Peter Jackson's 2005 remake of "King Kong", a performance he based on Orson Welles. He voiced the title role in "Kung Fu Panda", which grossed on its opening day, June 6, 2008, as well as "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "Kung Fu Panda 3"; this is his favorite role and he praises the tutoring of co-star and two-time Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman. His next film, "The Big Year", a competitive birdwatching comedy co-starring Owen Wilson, Steve Martin, and JoBeth Williams, was released in October 2011.


title: Jack Black

text: Black garnered a second Golden Globe Award nomination, this time in the category Best Actor in a Comedy, for his 2011 starring role in Richard Linklater's black comedy, "Bernie." He played as real-life murderer Bernie Tiede, a funeral director in a small East Texas town, who befriends and eventually murders a rich widow, played by Shirley MacLaine. Black's subdued portrayal, authentic East Texas accent, and musical talent – he sings several gospel hymns as well as "Seventy-six Trombones" – had Roger Ebert describing Black's work as "one of the performances of the year."


title: Jack Black

text: In December 2022, it was revealed that a sequel to "The Holiday" was in preproduction. Black, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Kate Winslet have all signed on to reprise their roles from the original. However, director Meyers and Winslet both denied the rumor.


title: Jack Black

text: In 2004, Black guest-starred in the first episode of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim show "Tom Goes to the Mayor". He appeared in the post-Super Bowl episode of "The Office" along with Cloris Leachman and Jessica Alba in a fake movie within the show. In 2010, Black made a guest appearance on "Community" and also guest-starred on Nickelodeon's "iCarly" in an episode titled, "iStart a Fan War".


title: Jack Black

text: Black has appeared numerous times on the "untelevised TV network" short film festival Channel 101, created by Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab, starring in the shows "Computerman", "Timebelt", and "Laserfart". He also provided an introduction for the unaired sketch comedy "Awesometown", donning a Colonial-era military uniform. In the introduction, he claims to be George Washington and takes credit for the accomplishments of other American Presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.


title: Jack Black

text: Black took part in the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" celebrity edition along with Denis Leary, Jimmy Kimmel, and others and was handed the prize of in October 2001. On December 14, he hosted the 2008 Spike Video Game Awards. Black has hosted the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and "Acceptable.TV". He presented the tribute to rock legends Led Zeppelin when the band was named as 2012 recipients of Kennedy Center Honors. In 2016, Black joined the climate change documentary show Years of Living Dangerously as one of its celebrity correspondents. In 2018, Black appeared in the music video for Gorillaz song "Humility".


title: Jack Black

text: In addition to "Kung Fu Panda", Black has voice acted on other occasions, including "Husbands and Knives" from "The Simpsons" which aired November 18, 2007, portraying Milo, the friendly owner of the rival comic book store. He provided the voice of the main character, roadie Eddie Riggs, in the heavy metal-themed action-adventure video game "Brütal Legend". In 2009, at the Spike Video Game Awards, he earned the Best Voice award for the voice of Eddie Riggs in "Brütal Legend". In April 2009, Black starred in an episode of "Yo Gabba Gabba!", in which he vocalized children songs, such as "It's Not Fun to Get Lost", "Friends", and "The Goodbye Song". He has also had starring voice-overs in animated features, including Zeke in "Ice Age" (2002) and Lenny in "Shark Tale" (2004).


title: Jack Black

text: Black voiced Darth Vader in Bad Lip Reading's parodies of the "Star Wars" original trilogy on YouTube. In 2015, Black played a fictional version of real-life author R. L. Stine for "Goosebumps", and provided the voices of two of Stine's creations, Slappy the Dummy and The Invisible Boy. He reprised the Stine role in the film's 2018 sequel, "". He also voiced himself and many other additional characters on the animated YouTube series "Tenacious D in Post-Apocalypto”, which he also co-directed and co-wrote, along with his Tenacious D partner Kyle Gass. Black will be providing the voice of Bowser in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", scheduled to release in April 2023.


title: Jack Black

text: Black is the lead singer and guitarist for the comedy rock/hard rock band Tenacious D along with Kyle Gass. They have released four albums, a self-titled debut, "The Pick of Destiny", "Rize of the Fenix", and "Post-Apocalypto". One of their songs from their album "The Pick of Destiny", titled "The Metal," was used in the music video games "" and "Brütal Legend". "Rock Your Socks," from the album "Tenacious D", was played in the music video game "Rock Band Unplugged" as well. "Master Exploder" from "The Pick Of Destiny" went on to be used in music video games "Guitar Hero Van Halen", "Rock Band 2", and "Brütal Legend", along with their song "Tribute" from "Tenacious D". "Master Exploder" and "The Metal" featured in the comedy film "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny". The film, directed by Tenacious D veteran Liam Lynch, featured recurring characters from Black's comedy such as Lee the super-fan and the Sasquatch. Several celebrities had roles in the film; actor Tim Robbins cameos as does Dave Grohl as Satan. Ben Stiller also makes an appearance as a worker at a Guitar Center, even having a role in the music video for "Tribute."


title: Jack Black

text: Tenacious D helped the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation raise awareness of these diseases and funds for the organization in Los Angeles on December 20, 2001, and in San Diego, California on June 16, 2007. Tenacious D can be seen performing in the 90s-era Pauly Shore film "Bio-Dome" where the duo is performing its song "The Five Needs" at a "Save the Environment" party. Black was also a guest star on an episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" entitled "Ellen the Musical," alongside Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth and teenage singer-actress Olivia Olson. On the show, besides singing, he discussed his then-upcoming film "Nacho Libre" with the host.


title: Jack Black

text: In 2000, Jack Black (along with Kyle Gass) provided backing vocals to punk rock band The Vandals' song "Fourteen," which appears on their album "Look What I Almost Stepped In...". Black has also appeared on Dave Grohl's "Probot" album, providing vocals for the hidden song "I Am The Warlock," and Lynch's "Fake Songs" album, providing vocals for the song "Rock and Roll Whore". Black performed a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" in the last sequence of "High Fidelity". He lent his musical abilities to the Queens of the Stone Age song "Burn the Witch" with rhythmic stomps and claps. He also provided vocals for two tracks on the 2006 album "Death by Sexy" by Eagles of Death Metal, and on The Lonely Island's track "Sax Man" from the album "Incredibad".


title: Jack Black

text: Black also recorded a duet on Meat Loaf's album, "Hang Cool Teddy Bear", on the song "Like a Rose." Meat Loaf also played Black's father in the "Pick of Destiny" movie.


title: Jack Black

text: Black has appeared in music videos of Beck's "Sexx Laws"; Foo Fighters' "Learn To Fly," "Low," and "The One"; The Eagles of Death Metal's "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"; Sum 41's "Things I Want"; Dio's "Push"; Weezer's "Photograph"; The Mooney Suzuki's "In a Young Man's Mind"; "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Tacky," and Die Antwoord's "Ugly Boy". In October 2010, Tenacious D appeared at BlizzCon 2010, a convention hosted by the game designers, Blizzard Entertainment. In 2012, Jack Black joined up with other celebrities to record "Book People Unite," a song sponsored by the Library of Congress and RIF.


title: Jack Black

text: Black did guest vocals and appeared on the Dethklok soundtrack album "The Doomstar Requiem". He sings the parts for Dethklok's original band manager as well as a blogger.


title: Jack Black

text: Black, as a member of Tenacious D, won the award for Best Metal Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards. The song "The Last in Line" won the award, a cover of the song of the same name by Dio that appeared on the tribute album "This Is Your Life".


title: Jack Black

text: On December 21, 2018, Black created a YouTube channel called "Jablinski Games". Within one week of its launch, it had amassed over 1 million subscribers. The videos published on the channel are typically either candid vlogs involving Black and his two sons, or gaming content. Jack created the channel largely in order to bond with his son, who serves as videographer and editor of the channel. On July 21, 2019, Black took part in a Minecraft stream with popular YouTuber PewDiePie in order to raise money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), in the wake of the suicide of Etika in June 2019. After two days of streaming, they raised $30,479 with the stream being broadcast live both on YouTube and on the streaming platform DLive. As of August 2022, Jablinski Games has 4.86 million subscribers and 195 million video views.


title: Jack Black

text: Black was nominated for two Golden Globes. On September 18, 2018, Black was inducted into Hollywood's Walk of Fame.


title: Jack Black

text: In August 2006, Black registered his own production company, Electric Dynamite Productions, Inc. The company's first work produced was the 2009 mockumentary "Branson", which was a co-production with BranMo Productions and Perfect Weekend. In 2011, the company would produce two TV-movies, My Life As an Experiment and Shredd. In 2013, the company notably produced TV series "Ghost Ghirls" for the now-defunct Yahoo! Screen, as well as obtained the rights to adapt the UK mockumentary "Wizard's Way" into a feature film. The company would also be a producer credit on "The D Train" (2015) and "The Polka King" (2017), both of which featured Black in the starring role. The company produced "The Aquabats! RadVentures!" in 2018, the dark-comedy film "Happily" in 2021.


title: Jack Black

text: At age 14, Black struggled with cocaine use. He said, "I was having a lot of troubles with cocaine... I was hanging out with some pretty rough characters. I was scared to go to school because one of them wanted to kill me. I wanted to get out of there."


title: Jack Black

text: One of Black's brothers, Howard, died of AIDS in 1991 at age 36. His oldest brother, Neil, is an engineer, scientist, and musician.


title: Jack Black

text: In January 2006, Black became engaged to singer Tanya Haden, a daughter of jazz bassist Charlie Haden. They had both attended Crossroads School, and 15 years after graduating they met again at a friend's birthday party. They married on March 14, 2006 in Big Sur, California. Their sons were born in 2006 and 2008.


title: Jack Black

text: Although an atheist, Black identifies as nominally Jewish, and fatherhood influenced his decision to raise his children in the Jewish faith.


title: Jack Black

text: Black endorsed Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. In 2015, he visited Kampala as part of Comic Relief USA's Red Nose Day.


title: Jack Black

text: Black was an outspoken critic of Donald Trump. On the day of Trump's presidential inauguration, he and Tenacious D bandmate Kyle Gass performed their 2006 protest song "The Government Totally Sucks". Black said to the audience beforehand, "We haven't played [this song] for years, because it just never felt appropriate—but now, we're happy to unleash the beast. The government totally sucks."


title: Ice Cube

text: O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, actor, and filmmaker. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1988 album "Straight Outta Compton" contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popularity, and his political rap solo albums "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" (1990), "Death Certificate" (1991), and "The Predator" (1992) were critically and commercially successful. He has also had an active film career since the early 1990s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A in 2016.


title: Ice Cube

text: A native of Los Angeles, Jackson formed his first rap group called C.I.A. in 1986. In 1987, with Eazy-E and Dr. Dre, he formed the pioneering gangsta rap group N.W.A. As its lead rapper, he wrote some of Dre's and most of Eazy's lyrics on "Straight Outta Compton", a landmark album that shaped West Coast hip hop's early identity and helped differentiate it from East Coast rap. N.W.A was also known for their violent lyrics, threatening to attack abusive police and innocent civilians alike, which stirred controversy. After a monetary dispute over the group's management by Eazy-E and Jerry Heller, Cube left N.W.A in late 1989, teaming with New York artists and launching a solo rap career.


title: Ice Cube

text: Ice Cube entered cinema by playing Doughboy in director John Singleton's feature debut "Boyz n the Hood", a 1991 drama named after a 1987 rap song that Ice Cube wrote. Ice Cube also cowrote and starred in the 1995 comedy film "Friday"; it premised a successful franchise and reshaped his persona into a bankable movie star. His directorial debut was the 1998 film "The Players Club". As of 2020, he has appeared in about 40 films, including the 1999 war comedy "Three Kings", family comedies like the "Barbershop" series, and buddy cop comedies "21 Jump Street", "22 Jump Street", and "Ride Along". He was an executive producer of many of these films, as well as of the 2015 biopic "Straight Outta Compton".


title: Ice Cube

text: Ice Cube was born on June 15, 1969, in Los Angeles, to Doris, a hospital clerk and custodian, and Hosea Jackson, a machinist and UCLA groundskeeper. He has an older brother, and they had a half-sister who was murdered when Cube was 12. He grew up on Van Wick Street in the Westmont section of South Los Angeles.


title: Ice Cube

text: In ninth grade at George Washington Preparatory High School in Los Angeles, Cube began writing raps after being challenged by his friend "Kiddo" in typewriting class. Kiddo lost. Explaining his stage name, Cube implicates his older brother: "He threatened to slam me into a freezer and pull me out when I was an ice cube. I just started using that name, and it just caught on."


title: Ice Cube

text: Cube also attended William Howard Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California. He was bused 40 miles to the suburban school from his home in a high-crime neighborhood. Soon after he wrote and recorded a few locally successful rap songs with N.W.A, he left for Arizona to enroll in the Phoenix Institute of Technology in the fall 1987 semester. In 1988, with a diploma in architectural drafting, he returned to the Los Angeles area and rejoined N.W.A, but kept a career in architecture drafting as a backup plan.


title: Ice Cube

text: In 1990, he formed his own record label, Street Knowledge, whereby a musical associate via the rap group Public Enemy introduced him to the Nation of Islam (NOI). Ice Cube converted to Islam. Although denying membership in the NOI, whose ideology often rebukes whites and especially Jews, he readily adopted its ideology of black nationalism, familiar to the rap community. Still, he has claimed to heed his own conscience as a "natural Muslim, 'cause it's just me and God". Questioned in 2017, he said, in part, that he thinks "religion is stupid". He estimated, "I'm gonna live a long life, and I might change religions three or four times before I die. I'm on the Islam tip—but I'm on the Christian tip, too. I'm on the Buddhist tip as well. Everyone has something to offer to the world."


title: Ice Cube

text: On April 26, 1992, Ice Cube married Kimberly Woodruff, born September 1970. They have four children together. In 2005, asked about the balance between his music and his parenting, Cube discussed counseling his children to appraise the violence depicted in all media, not just in music lyrics. His eldest son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., portrayed him in the 2015 biopic "Straight Outta Compton".


title: Ice Cube

text: In a 2016 interview, he cited the 1975 film "Jaws" as his favorite movie, and his favorite among his own songs as "It Was a Good Day". Commercially, Cube has endorsed Coors Light beer and St. Ides malt liquor, and licensed a clothing line, Solo by Cube. In 2017, he launched Big3, a 3-on-3 basketball league starring former NBA players. Its first season started that June with eight teams, an eight-week regular season, playoffs, and a championship game.


title: Ice Cube

text: In 1986 at the age of 16, Ice Cube began rapping in the trio C.I.A., but soon joined the newly formed rap group N.W.A. He was N.W.A's lead rapper and main ghostwriter on its official debut album, 1988's "Straight Outta Compton". Via financial dispute, he left by the start of 1990. During 1990, his debut solo album, "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted", found him also leading a featured rap group, Da Lench Mob.


title: Ice Cube

text: With friend Sir Jinx, Ice Cube formed the rap group C.I.A., and performed at parties hosted by Dr. Dre. Since 1984, Dre was a member of a popular DJ crew, the World Class Wreckin' Cru, which by 1985 was also performing and recording electro rap. Dre had Cube help write the Wreckin Cru's hit song "Cabbage Patch". Dre also joined Cube on a side project, a duo called Stereo Crew, which made a 12-inch record, "She's a Skag", released on Epic Records in 1986.


title: Ice Cube

text: In 1987, C.I.A. released the Dr. Dre-produced single "My Posse". Meanwhile, the Wreckin' Cru's home base was the Eve After Dark nightclub, about a quarter of a mile outside of the city Compton in Los Angeles county. While Dre was on the turntable, Ice Cube would rap, often parodying other artists' songs. In one instance, Cube's rendition was "My Penis", parodying Run-DMC's "My Adidas". In 2015, the nightclub's co-owner and Wreckin' leader Alonzo Williams would recall feeling his reputation damaged by this and asking it not to be repeated.


title: Ice Cube

text: At 16, Cube sold his first song to Eric Wright, soon dubbed Eazy-E, who was forming Ruthless Records and the musical team N.W.A, based in Compton, California. Himself from South Central Los Angeles, Cube would be N.W.A's only core member not born in Compton.


title: Ice Cube

text: Upon the success of the song "Boyz-n-the-Hood"—written by Cube, produced by Dre, and rapped by Eazy-E, helping establish gangsta rap in California—Eazy focused on developing N.W.A, which soon gained MC Ren. Cube wrote some of Dre's and nearly all of Eazy's lyrics on N.W.A's official debut album, "Straight Outta Compton", released in August 1988. Yet by late 1989, Cube questioned his compensation and N.W.A's management by Jerry Heller.


title: Ice Cube

text: Cube also wrote most of Eazy-E's debut album "Eazy-Duz-It". He received a total pay of $32,000, and the contract that Heller presented in 1989 did not confirm that he was officially an N.W.A member. After leaving the group and its label in December, Cube sued Heller, and the lawsuit was later settled out of court. In response, N.W.A members attacked Cube on the 1990 EP "100 Miles and Runnin'", and on N.W.A's next and final album, "Niggaz4Life", in 1991.


title: Ice Cube

text: In early 1990, Ice Cube recorded his debut solo album, "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted", in New York with iconic rap group Public Enemy's production team, the Bomb Squad. Arriving in May 1990, it was an instant hit, further swelling rap's mainstream integration. Controversial nonetheless, it drew accusations of misogyny and racism. The album introduces Ice Cube's affirmation of black nationalism and ideology of black struggle.


title: Ice Cube

text: Cube appointed Yo-Yo, a female rapper and guest on the album, to the head his record label, and helped produce her debut album, "Make Way for the Motherlode". Also in 1990, Cube followed up with an EP—"Kill At Will"—critically acclaimed, and rap's first EP certified Platinum.


title: Ice Cube

text: His second album "Death Certificate" was released in 1991. The album thought to as more focused, yet even more controversial, triggering accusations of anti-white, antisemitic, and misogynist content. The album was split into two themes: the Death Side, "a vision of where we are today", and the Life Side, "a vision of where we need to go". The track "No Vaseline" scathingly retorts insults directed at him by N.W.A's 1990 EP and 1991 album, which call him a traitor. Besides calling for hanging Eazy-E as a "house nigga", the track blames N.W.A's manager Jerry Heller for exploiting the group, mentions that he is a Jew, and calls for his murder. Ice Cube contended that he mentioned Heller's ethnicity merely incidentally, not to premise attack, but as news media mention nonwhite assailants' races. The track "Black Korea", also deemed racist, was also thought as foreseeing the 1992 Los Angeles riots. While controversial, "Death Certificate" broadened his audience; he toured with Lollapalooza in 1992.


title: Ice Cube

text: Cube's third album, "The Predator", arrived in November 1992. Referring to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the song "Wicked" opens, "April 29 was power to the people, and we might just see a sequel." "The Predator" was the first album ever to debut at No. 1 on both the R&B/hip-hop and pop charts. Singles include "It Was a Good Day" and "Check Yo Self", songs having a "two-part" music video. Generally drawing critical praise, the album is his most successful commercially, over three million copies sold in the US. After this album, Cube's rap audience severely diminished, and never regained the prominence of his first three albums.


title: Ice Cube

text: During this time, Cube began to have numerous features on other artists' songs. In 1992, Cube appeared on Del the Funky Homosapien's debut album "I Wish My Brother George Was Here", on Da Lench Mob's debut "Guerillas in tha Mist", which he also produced, and on the Kool G Rap and DJ Polo song "Two to the Head". In 1993, he worked on Kam's debut album, and collaborated with Ice-T on the track "Last Wordz" on 2Pac's album "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.".


title: Ice Cube

text: Cube's fourth album, "Lethal Injection", came out in late 1993. Here, Cube borrowed from the then-popular G-funk popularized by Dr. Dre. Although not received well by critics, the album brought successful singles, including "Really Doe", "Bop Gun (One Nation)", "You Know How We Do It", and "What Can I Do?" After this album, Ice Cube effectively lost his rap audience.


title: Ice Cube

text: Following "Lethal Injection", Cube focused on films and producing albums of other rappers, including Da Lench Mob, Mack 10, Mr. Short Khop, and Kausion. In 1994, Cube teamed with onetime N.W.A groupmate Dr. Dre, who was then leading rap's G-funk subgenre, for the first time since Cube had left the group, and which had disbanded upon Dre's 1991 departure. The result was the Cube and Dre song "Natural Born Killaz", on the "Murder Was The Case" soundtrack, released by Dre's then-new label, Death Row Records.


title: Ice Cube

text: In 1995, Cube joined Mack 10 and WC in forming a side trio, the Westside Connection. Feeling neglected by East Coast media, a longstanding issue in rap's bicoastal rivalry, the group aimed to reinforce West pride and resonate with the undervalued. The Westside Connection's first album, "Bow Down" (1996), featured tracks like "Bow Down" and "Gangstas Make the World Go 'Round" that reflected the group's objectives. The album was certified Platinum by year's end. Interpreting rapper Common's song "I Used to Love H.E.R." as a diss of West Coast rap, Cube and the Westside Connection briefly feuded with him, but they resolved amicably in 1997.


title: Ice Cube

text: It was also at this time that Cube began collaborating outside the rap genre. In 1997, he worked with David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails singer Trent Reznor on a remix of Bowie's "I'm Afraid of Americans". In 1998, Cube was featured on the band Korn's song "Children of the Korn", and joined them on their Family Values Tour 1998.


title: Ice Cube

text: In November 1998, Cube released his long-awaited fifth solo album "War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc)". The delayed sixth album, "Volume 2", arrived in 2000. These albums feature the Westside Connection and a reunion with his old N.W.A members Dr. Dre and MC Ren. Cube also received a return favor from Korn, as they appeared on his song "Fuck Dying" from "Vol. 1". Many fans maintained that these two albums, especially the second, were lesser in quality to his earlier work. In 2000, Cube also joined Dr. Dre, Eminem and Snoop Dogg for the Up in Smoke Tour.


title: Ice Cube

text: In 2002, Cube appeared on British DJ Paul Oakenfold's solo debut album, "Bunkka", on the track "Get Em Up".


title: Ice Cube

text: Released in 2003, Westside Connection's second album, "Terrorist Threats", fared well critically, but saw lesser sales. "Gangsta Nation" (featuring Nate Dogg), the only single released, was a radio hit. After a rift between Cube and Mack 10 about Cube's film work minimizing the group's touring, the Westside Connection disbanded in 2005.


title: Ice Cube

text: In 2004, Cube featured on the song "Real Nigga Roll Call" by Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, the then leaders of rap's crunk subgenre.


title: Ice Cube

text: In 2006, Cube released his seventh solo album, "Laugh Now, Cry Later", selling 144,000 units in the first week. Lil Jon and Scott Storch produced the lead single, "Why We Thugs". In October, Ice Cube was honored at VH1's Annual Hip Hop Honors, and performed it and also the track "Go to Church". Cube soon toured globally in the Straight Outta Compton Tour—accompanied by rapper WC from the Westside Connection—playing in America, Europe, Australia, and Japan.


title: Ice Cube

text: Amid Cube's many features and brief collaborations, September 2007 brought "In the Movies", a compilation album of Ice Cube songs on soundtracks.


title: Ice Cube

text: Cube's eighth studio album, "Raw Footage", arrived on August 19, 2008, yielding the singles "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It" and "Do Ya Thang". Also in 2008, Cube helped on Tech N9ne's song "Blackboy", and was featured on The Game's song "State of Emergency".


title: Ice Cube

text: As a fan of the NFL football team the Raiders, Cube released in October 2009 a tribute song, "Raider Nation". In 2009, Ice Cube performed at the Gathering of the Juggalos, and returned to perform at the 2011 festival.


title: Ice Cube

text: On September 28, 2010, his ninth solo album, "I Am the West", arrived with, Cube says, a direction different from any one of his other albums. Its producers include West Coast veterans like DJ Quik, Dr. Dre, E-A-Ski, and, after nearly 20 years, again Cube's onetime C.I.A groupmate Sir Jinx. Offering the single "I Rep That West", the album debuted at #22 on the "Billboard" 200 and sold 22,000 copies in its first week. Also in 2010, Cube signed up-and-coming recording artist named 7Tre The Ghost, deemed likely to be either skipped or given the cookie-cutter treatment by most record companies.


title: Ice Cube

text: In 2011, Cube featured on Daz Dillinger's song "Iz You Ready to Die" and on DJ Quik's song "Boogie Till You Conk Out".


title: Ice Cube

text: In 2012, Ice Cube recorded a verse for a remix of the Insane Clown Posse song "Chris Benoit", from ICP's "The Mighty Death Pop!" album, appearing on the album "Mike E. Clark's Extra Pop Emporium".


title: Ice Cube

text: In September 2012, during Pepsi's NFL Anthems campaign, Cube released his second Raiders anthem "Come and Get It".


title: Ice Cube

text: In November 2012, Cube released more details on his forthcoming, tenth studio album, "Everythang's Corrupt". Releasing its title track near the 2012 elections, he added, "You know, this record is for the political heads." But the album's release was delayed. On February 10, 2014, iTunes brought another single from it, "Sic Them Youngins on 'Em", and a music video followed the next day. Despite a couple of more song releases, the album's release was delayed even beyond Cube's work on the 2015 film "Straight Outta Compton". After a statement setting release to 2017, the album finally arrived on December 7, 2018.


title: Ice Cube

text: In 2014, Cube appeared on MC Ren's remix "Rebel Music", their first collaboration since the N.W.A reunion in 2000.


title: Ice Cube

text: In 2020, Cube joined rappers Snoop Dogg, E-40, Too Short and formed the supergroup Mt. Westmore. The group's debut album was released on June 7th, 2022.


title: Ice Cube

text: Since 1991, Ice Cube has acted in nearly 40 films, several of which are highly regarded. Some of them, such as the 1992 thriller "Trespass" and the 1999 war comedy "Three Kings", highlight action. Yet most are comedies, including a few adult-oriented ones, like the "Friday" franchise, whereas most of these are family-friendly, like the "Barbershop" franchise.


title: Ice Cube

text: John Singleton's seminal film "Boyz n the Hood", released in July 1991, debuted the actor Ice Cube playing Doughboy, a persona that Cube played convincingly. Later, Cube starred with Ice-T and Bill Paxton in Walter Hill's 1992 thriller film "Trespass", and in Charles Burnett's 1995 film "The Glass Shield". Meanwhile, Cube declined to costar with Janet Jackson in Singleton's 1993 romance "Poetic Justice", a role that Tupac Shakur then played.


title: Ice Cube

text: Cube starred as the university student Fudge in Singleton's 1995 film "Higher Learning". Singleton, encouraging Cube, had reportedly told him, "If you can write a record, you can write a movie." Cube cowrote the screenplay for the 1995 comedy "Friday", based on adult themes, and starred in it with comedian Chris Tucker. Made with $3.5 million, "Friday" drew $28 million worldwide. Two sequels, "Next Friday" and "Friday After Next", were respectively released in 2000 and 2002.


title: Ice Cube

text: In 1997, playing a South African exiled to America who returns 15 years later, Cube starred in the action thriller "Dangerous Ground", and had a supporting role in "Anaconda". In 1998, writing again, the director Ice Cube debuted in "The Players Club". In 1999, he starred alongside George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg as a staff sergeant in "Three Kings", set in the immediate aftermath of the Gulf War, whereby the United States attacked Iraq in 1990, an "intelligent" war comedy critically acclaimed. In 2002, Cube starred in Kevin Bray's "All About the Benjamins", and in Tim Story's comedy film "Barbershop".


title: Ice Cube

text: In 2004, Cube played in "" and "Torque". The next year, he replaced Vin Diesel in the second installment of the "XXX" film series, "", as the main protagonist, which he reprises the character in the third installment and reunited with Diesel 12 years later, "". He also appeared in the family comedy "Are We There Yet?", which premised his role in its 2007 sequel "Are We Done Yet?". In 2012, Cube appeared in "21 Jump Street". He also appeared in its sequel, "22 Jump Street", in 2014. That year, and then to return in 2016, he played alongside comedian Kevin Hart in two more Tim Story films, "Ride Along" and "Ride Along 2". Also in 2016, Cube returned for the . And in 2017, Cube starred with Charlie Day in the comedy "Fist Fight".


title: Ice Cube

text: In late 2005, Ice Cube and R. J. Cutler co-created the six-part documentary series "Black. White.", carried by cable network FX.


title: Ice Cube

text: Ice Cube and basketball star LeBron James paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James's life.


title: Ice Cube

text: On May 11, 2010, ESPN aired Cube's directed documentary "Straight Outta L.A.", examining the interplay of Los Angeles sociopolitics, hip hop, and the Raiders during the 1980s into the 1990s.


title: Ice Cube

text: Ice Cube's "Are We There Yet?" series premiered on TBS on June 2, 2010. It revolves around a family adjusting to the matriarch's new husband, played by Terry Crews. On August 16, the show was renewed for 90 more episodes, amounting to six seasons. Cube also credits Tyler Perry for his entrée to TBS. In front of the television cameras, rather, Cube appeared with Elmo as a 2014 guest on the PBS children's show "Sesame Street."


title: Ice Cube

text: In October 2021, Ice Cube was set to star in the comedy film "Oh Hell No" alongside Jack Black, but left the project after refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19. The project would have paid him $9 million.


title: Ice Cube

text: In 2020, Marlow Stern writing in the Daily Beast accused Ice Cube of a "long, disturbing history of anti-Semitism". This traces to his 1991 song "No Vaseline", which uses racial slurs against the other former members of N.W.A. and calls the group's manager Jerry Heller a "white man", "white boy", "Jew", "devil", "white Jew", and "cracker". In 2015, Ice Cube expressed regret at including the word "Jew" in the song, as he intended to attack Heller, not "the whole Jewish race".


title: Ice Cube

text: In 2015, he was sued for—but has denied—ordering a rabbi to be assaulted. During the assault, he allegedly uttered anti-Semitic slurs against the rabbi for wearing a yarmulke.


title: Ice Cube

text: In June 2020, some of Ice Cube's Twitter posts—promoting Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, and an allegedly antisemitic mural, with the caption, "Fuck the new normal until they fix the old normal!", and associated conspiracy theories—triggered wide accusations of antisemitism. Calling himself "just pro-Black", not "anti anybody", Cube dismissed "the hype", and professed "telling my truth".


title: Zeus

text: Zeus () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. His name is cognate with the first element of his Roman equivalent Jupiter. His mythology and powers are similar, though not identical, to those of Indo-European deities such as Jupiter, Perkūnas, Perun, Indra, Dyaus, and Zojz.