Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Tommy Wiseau

2014-11-06T00:29:04Z

ConCompS: Reverted edits by 115.70.200.2 (talk) (HG)

{{Infobox person
| name = Tommy Wiseau
| image = Tommy Wiseau.jpg
| image_size = 220px
| alt =
| caption = Wiseau in 2010
| birth_date =
| occupation = Film director, screenwriter, actor, film producer
| years_active = 2003–present
}}

'''Tommy Wiseau''' ({{IPAc-en|w|ə|ˈ|s|oʊ}}) is a director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is best known for ''[[The Room (film)|The Room]]'' (2003), which has been described as "one of the [[List of films considered the worst|worst movies ever made]]" and has gained [[cult film]] status.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2008/12/30/the-room-postsc/|title='The Room': Worst movie ever? Don't tell that to its suddenly in-demand star.|last=Collis|first=Clark |date=2008-12-30|publisher=popwatch.ew.com|accessdate=23 November 2009}}</ref> He also directed the 2004 [[documentary]] ''Homeless in America'' and the pilot episode of a [[sitcom]] called ''[[The Neighbors (pilot)|The Neighbors]]''.<ref name="starphoenix">''[[Star Phoenix]]'' article: "[http://www2.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/arts/story.html?id=ca162b31-8f5a-4d22-aad5-02ebe2980211&p=2 Shlocking encounter: Notoriously bad cult film spawns curious collective contempt]{{dead link|date=October 2012}}."</ref><ref name="pm1">''[[Portland Mercury]]'' article: "[http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/interview-with-tommy-wiseau/Content?oid=1573119 Tommy Wiseau: The Complete Interview(s)]"</ref>

==Personal life==
===Early life===
Wiseau is secretive about his early life.<ref>{{cite web|last=Collis |first=Clark |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20246031,00.html |title=The Crazy Cult of 'The Room' |publisher=EW.com |date=2008-12-12 |accessdate=2013-10-30}}</ref> He claimed to have grown up in [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]],<ref name="terminal">{{cite web|url=http://terminallaughter.ca/2009/03/29/interview-tommy-wiseau/ |title=Interview: Tommy Wiseau « Terminal Laughter |publisher=Terminallaughter.wordpress.com |date= |accessdate=2009-07-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://clatl.com/atlanta/trapped-in-the-room-with-tommy-wiseau/Content?oid=5343821 | title=Trapped in The Room with Tommy Wiseau | publisher=CL Atlanta | date=May 8, 2012 | accessdate=January 3, 2013 | author=Maddux, Rachael}}</ref> and to have lived in [[France]] "a long time ago",<ref name="spi">''[[Seattle Post Intelligencer]]'' article: "[http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/movies/article/Is-The-Room-the-worst-movie-of-all-time-1305606.php Is 'The Room' the worst movie of all time?]"</ref> moving back and forth between the [[United States]] and [[Europe]] throughout his life. Wiseau spent some time in France before moving to [[Chalmette, Louisiana|Chalmette]], [[Louisiana]].<ref name="aintitcool1">{{cite web|url=http://www.aintitcool.com/node/44619 |title=Capone's wacky Windy City weekend with Wiseau, creator of THE ROOM!!! | publisher=Ain't It Cool News | date=April 12, 2010 | accessdate=2013-01-20}}</ref>

Actor [[Greg Sestero]] claims in his book ''[[The Disaster Artist]]'' that Wiseau intimated to him - admittedly through frequently contradictory stories - that he grew up somewhere in Communist Eastern Europe (possibly Poland) and moved to [[Strasbourg]] as a young adult, where he adopted the name Pierre and worked as a restaurant dishwasher, later moving to [[San Francisco]], where he worked as a street vendor selling toys to tourists near [[Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco|Fisherman's Wharf]]. Sestero recounts how locals nicknamed him "The Birdman" for his unique bird toys that were only popular in Europe at the time; this moniker led him to legally change his name to Thomas Pierre Wiseau, "taking the French word for ''bird'', ''oiseau'', and swapping out the O for the W of his birth name".<ref name="disaster" /> A Reddit user suggested that the "W" may be related to Wieczor, the surname of a couple in Louisiana who may be Wiseau's aunt and uncle.<ref name="wie">{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/a-redditor-sleuth-has-unraveled-the-mystery-of-tom-107084?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=ShareTools&utm_campaign=default |title= A Redditor sleuth has unraveled the mystery of Tommy Wiseau's nationality |publisher=''[[The A.V. Club]]'' |date= 2014-01-20|accessdate=2014-02-08}}</ref> According to Sestero, Wiseau worked in the San Francisco Bay Area in a variety of jobs, including restaurant busboy and hospital worker, as well as a second business called Street Fashions USA, selling [[product defect|irregular]] [[blue jeans]] at discounted prices. Wiseau eventually purchased and rented out large retail spaces in and around San Francisco and [[Los Angeles]], making him independently wealthy.<ref name="disaster" /> In the same book, however, Sestero admits that the idea of Wiseau becoming wealthy so quickly via the jobs Wiseau claims to have had is so unlikely that he himself finds it impossible to believe,<ref name="disaster" /> and though he never makes his own beliefs clear, does on several occasions suggest that many people involved with the creation of The Room held the earnest belief that the film itself was part of a money-laundering scheme for an organized crime syndicate of some order.<ref name="disaster" />

Sestero claims that a young Wiseau was wrongfully arrested following a drug raid at a youth hostel, and was detained and tortured for an indeterminate period of time by French police, a traumatic experience that led him to arrange passage to America to live with his aunt and uncle in [[Chalmette]], [[Louisiana]].<ref name="disaster" /> Sestero recounts that at some point in late adulthood, Wiseau was involved in a near-fatal car crash in California after another driver ran a red light and struck Wiseau's vehicle; as a result, Wiseau was hospitalized for several weeks. Sestero believes that this incident was the turning point in Wiseau's life that led him to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor and director, ambitions that he had long neglected while pursuing financial security.<ref name="disaster" />

===Age and birth year===
In interviews following the release of ''The Room'', Wiseau gave an age which puts his birth date in 1968 or 1969.<ref name="crikey">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.crikey.com.au/cinetology/2010/02/16/interview-with-tommy-wiseau-actorwriterdirectorproducer-of-the-room/ |title=Interview with Tommy Wiseau, actor/writer/director/producer of The Room | Cinetology |publisher=Blogs.crikey.com.au |date=2010-02-16 |accessdate=2012-12-19}}</ref>

In his 2013 memoir ''[[The Disaster Artist]]'', actor Sestero related that Wiseau offered several stories about his past, over the course of their 15-year friendship.<ref name="disaster">''The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside the Room'' by [[Greg Sestero]] and [[Tom Bissell]]. [[Simon and Schuster]], 2013.</ref> Sestero claims to have obtained copies of Wiseau's immigration papers via his brother's girlfriend, revealing that Wiseau was "much older" than he claimed,<ref name="disaster" /> and that he was born in the 1950s somewhere in the [[Eastern Bloc]].<ref name="disaster" /> Some researchers have put forth that Wiseau may very likely have been from Poland based on documents found regarding his family's ancestry.<ref>{{cite web|last=Modell |first=Josh |url=http://www.avclub.com/article/a-redditor-sleuth-has-unraveled-the-mystery-of-tom-107084 |title=A Redditor sleuth has unraveled the mystery of Tommy Wiseau's nationality · Newswire · The A.V. Club |publisher=Avclub.com |date=2014-01-20 |accessdate=2014-08-25}}</ref>

==Career==

===Film===
Wiseau's best known production is the film ''[[The Room (film)|The Room]]'', released in 2003. Its budget was $6 million, the financing of which has remained a source of intrigue, and was based on an unpublished 540-page novel written by Wiseau himself.<ref name="Knegt"/> The movie was immediately lambasted by critics,<ref name="crazycult">Entertainment Weekly "[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20246031,00.html The Crazy Cult That is the Room]"</ref> but ultimately became a "cult classic" with late-night showings at theaters around the world. Audience members typically arrive wearing wigs resembling their favorite characters, interact with the dialogue on screen, and throw plastic cutlery and footballs around the theater. This attention grew into what was dubbed ''The Room''{{'}}s 2010–2011 "Love is Blind" International Tour, with the movie being screened in the [[United Kingdom]], [[Germany]], [[Denmark]], [[Australia]] and [[India]], among other locations. Wiseau appears at many of these events, posing for photographs with fans and often addressing the audience before screenings.<ref>{{cite web | title = The Room Official Movie Site | url = http://www.theroommovie.com/ | accessdate = March 12, 2011}}</ref>

{{Spoken Wikipedia|Tommy Wiseau.ogg|2011-06-18}}

In 2004 Wiseau produced and appeared in a short documentary, ''Homeless in America''. In 2010, Wiseau acted in a short film entitled ''[[The House That Drips Blood on Alex]]'', a parody horror film written and produced by [[sketch comedy]] group Studio8. The film had a preview showing at [[San Diego Comic-Con International|Comic-Con]] on July 24, 2010. It premiered on ''Comedy Central'' and appeared online on October 14, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/38522/sd-comic-con-2010-teaser-trailer-tommy-wiseaus-the-house-dripped-blood-alex |title=SD Comic-Con 2010: Teaser Trailer: Tommy Wiseau's The House that Dripped Blood on Alex |publisher=Dreadcentral.com |date=2010-07-14 |accessdate=2010-09-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atom.com/blog/2010/06/23/get-ready-for-the-comic-con-premiere-of-tommy-wiseau-in-the-house-that-drips-blood-on-alex/ |title=Get Ready For The Comic-Con Premiere Of Tommy Wiseau In The House That Drips Blood On Alex | The Atom Blog |publisher=Atom.com |date=2010-06-23 |accessdate=2010-09-15}}{{dead link|date=October 2012}}</ref>

Wiseau has stated that he has been influenced by the films ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]'' and ''[[Citizen Kane]]'', and specifically the actors [[James Dean]] and [[Marlon Brando]].<ref name="jrubenoff">{{cite web|url=http://jrubenoff.com/interviews/wiseau/ |title=Josh Rubenoff: Interview of Tommy Wiseau |publisher=jrubenoff.com |date= |accessdate=2013-06-24}}</ref><ref name="theonion">''[[The A.V. Club]]'' article: "[http://www.avclub.com/articles/tommy-wiseau,29598/ Interview: Tommy Wiseau]"</ref><ref name="Knegt">{{cite web|last=Knegt|first=Peter|title=Tommy Wiseau Goes Legit|url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/tommy_wiseau|publisher=IndieWire|accessdate=8 August 2012}}</ref> According to Sestero, Wiseau's obsession with James Dean was so intense that he often visited a Los Angeles restaurant owned by a former acquaintance of Dean's, and that several lines of dialogue in ''The Room'' (including the infamous cry "You are tearing me apart, Lisa!") were based on lines from ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]''.<ref name="disaster" />

===Television===
In 2008, Wiseau produced and appeared in the pilot episode of a television series called ''[[The Neighbors (pilot)|The Neighbors]]''. A trailer for ''The Neighbors'' showed a series of clips set in an office. The show's website, accompanied by trailers and announcements at ''The Room'' showings in 2014, stated that the show is coming to [[Entertainment Studios Networks|Comedy.TV]] in September 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theneighborssitcom.com/|title=The Neighbors official site |date=2014-08-04 |accessdate=2014-08-04}}</ref>

In 2009, Wiseau guest-starred in an episode of ''[[Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!]]'' entitled "Tommy", wherein Wiseau guest-directed a segment entitled "Pigman". After expressing a desire to work with the duo again,<ref name="jrubenoff" /> [[Tim Heidecker|Tim]] and [[Eric Wareheim|Eric]] announced in 2009 that they were developing two series for Wiseau.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/ff_tim_eric/3 |title=Wired article |publisher="Wired article" |date=2009-10-19 |accessdate=2010-09-15}}</ref>

In 2010, Wiseau appeared in Marc Wooton's 2010 comedy TV series, 'La La Land'. In a mockumentary format, Wooton's character, Gary Garner, accepted a role in Wiseau's present production at the time, and caused Wiseau to kick Wooton off set after Wooton alluded to using production funds to buy instant lotto tickets.

===Internet===
In 2011, Wiseau starred in a [[YouTube]] web series called ''Tommy Explains it All'', in which he explained his views on various topics ranging from ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' to the art of [[kissing]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/user/TommyExplainsItAll |title= Episode 2: How Do You Know When You're In Love |publisher="TommyExplainsItAll" |date=2011-06-01 |accessdate=2011-11-20}}</ref> Wiseau has also starred in segments on [[Machinima.com]] called ''The Tommy Wi-Show''. The segments show Wiseau playing various video games, such as ''[[Mortal Kombat (2011 video game)|Mortal Kombat]]'', ''[[Driver: San Francisco]]'', and offering commentary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxp83CimT0w&feature=player_embedded |title=The Tommy Wi-Show Ep. 1: Mortal Kombat (Machinima) |publisher="Machinima.com" |date=2011-09-24 |accessdate=2011-09-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/14/the-tommy-wi-show-is-a-video-game-show-with-tommy-wiseau/ |title=The Tommy Wi-Show is a video game show with Tommy Wiseau |publisher="Joystiq" |date=2011-09-14 |accessdate=2011-09-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Tommy Wi-Show Ep. 5: Driver: San Francisco (Machinima)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eaig213SE3o|publisher=Machinima.com|accessdate=2014-10-06|date=2011-09-24}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Producer
! Writer
! Actor
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 2003
| ''[[The Room (film)|The Room]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Johnny
|
|-
| 2004
| ''Homeless in America''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Himself
| Interviewer
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!]]''
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
| Himself
| Episode: "Tommy"
|-
| 2010
| ''[[The House That Drips Blood on Alex]]''
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
| Alex and Mysterious Stranger
|Short film
|-
| 2011
| ''Bump''
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
| Rick
| Short film
|-
| 2011
| ''Tommy Explains it All''
|
|
|
|{{yes}}
| Himself
| Web series
|-
| 2011–2012
| ''The Tommy Wi-Show''
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
| T. W.
| Web series
|-
| 2014
| ''[[The Neighbors (pilot)|The Neighbors]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Charlie and Ricky Rick
| Ostensible TV series
|}

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Work
! Award
! Category
! Result
|-
|2004
|''Homeless in America''
|[[New York International Independent Film & Video Festival]]
|Best Social Documentary (L.A. Festival)
|{{won}}
|-
|2004
|''The Room''
|[[New York International Independent Film & Video Festival]]
|Audience Award – Feature (Miami Festival)
|{{won}}
|-
|2010
|Himself
|Harvard's [[Ivory Tower (Harvard Undergraduate Television)]] Filmmaker of the Year
|Filmmaker of the Year
|{{won}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|40em}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|1382072}}
*[http://www.TheNeighborssitcom.com/ ''The Neighbors'' website]

{{Authority control|VIAF=229877921}}


{{Persondata
|NAME= Wiseau, Tommy
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= Director, actor, producer, screenwriter
|DATE OF BIRTH=
|PLACE OF BIRTH=
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiseau, Tommy}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Male actors from New Orleans, Louisiana]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American film directors]]
[[Category:American film producers]]
[[Category:American screenwriters]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:Internet memes]]
[[Category:Writers from New Orleans, Louisiana]]

Mormonen

2014-11-06T00:01:04Z

ConCompS: Reverted edits by 136.204.234.72 (talk) (HG)

{{About|the people known as "Mormons"|the general Latter Day Saint movement|Latter Day Saint movement| the largest and most prominent branch of the Latter Day Saint movement|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|other uses|Mormon (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox religious group
|group = Mormons
|image =
{{image array|perrow=3|width=85|height=100
| image1 = Joseph Smith, Jr. portrait owned by Joseph Smith III.jpg|text1=Joseph Smith, Jr.
| caption1 = [[Joseph Smith]]
| image2 = Jane Elizabeth Manning James.jpg|text2=Jane Manning
| caption2 = [[Jane Elizabeth Manning James|Jane Manning]]
| image3 = Brigham Young by Charles William Carter.jpg|text3=Brigham Young
| caption3 = [[Brigham Young]]
| image4 = Philo T Farnsworth.jpg|text4=Philo Farnsworth
| caption4 = [[Philo Farnsworth]]
| image5 = MO DF-ST-92-07516.JPEG|text5=Marie Osmond
| caption5 = [[Marie Osmond]]
| image6 = StephMeyerX.PNG|text6=Stephenie Meyer
| caption6 = [[Stephenie Meyer]]
| image7 = Dieter F. Uchtdorf3.jpg|text7=Dieter F. Uchtdorf
| caption7 = [[Dieter F. Uchtdorf]]
| image8 = Harry Reid official portrait 2009 crop.jpg|text8=Harry Reid
| caption8 = [[Harry Reid]]
| image9 = Mitt Romney by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg|text9=Mitt Romney
| caption9 = [[Mitt Romney]]
}}
|population = over 15 million<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://newsroom.lds.org/article/2010-statistical-report-for-2011-april-general-conference|title=2010 Statistical Report for 2011 April General Conference}} (The LDS Church claimed a membership of over 14 million in 2010); {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=1}} (reporting 13 million members of the LDS Church in 2008, and noting 250,000 members of the [[Prairie Saints|non-Mormon]] [[Community of Christ]]); {{Cite journal|author=D. Michael Quinn |url= http://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi_old/articles/Dialogue_V31N02_19.pdf |title=Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalism |journal=Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought |issue=31 (2) |date= Summer 1998 |pages=1–68}} (estimating the number of so-called Fundamentalist Mormons at around 20,000).</ref>
|region1 = {{flag|United States}}
|pop1 = about 6.1 million
|region2 = {{flag|Mexico}}
|pop2 = about 1.2 million
|region3 = {{flag|Brazil}}
|pop3 = about 1.1 million
|region4 = {{flag|Philippines}}
|pop4 = about 630,000
|region5 = {{flag|Chile}}
|pop5 = about 560,000
|region6 = {{flag|Peru}}
|pop6 = about 500,000
|region7 = {{flag|Argentina}}
|pop7 = about 380,000
|religions = [[Mormonism]]
|related =
}}
'''Mormons''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɔr|m|ən|z}}) are a religious and cultural group related to [[Mormonism]], the principal branch of the [[Latter Day Saint movement]] of [[Restorationism|Restorationist]] [[Christianity]], which began with [[Joseph Smith]] in [[upstate New York]] during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the Mormons followed [[Brigham Young]] to what would become the [[Utah Territory]]. Today, most Mormons are understood to be members of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church). Some Mormons are also either independent or non-practicing. The center of Mormon cultural influence is in [[Utah]], and North America has more Mormons than any other continent, though the majority of Mormons live outside the United States.

Mormons have developed a strong sense of communality that stems from their doctrine and history. During the 19th century, Mormon converts tended to gather to a central geographic location, and between 1852 and 1890 a minority of Mormons openly practiced [[plural marriage]], a form of religious polygamy. Mormons dedicate large amounts of time and resources to serving in their church, and many young Mormons choose to serve a full-time [[Proselytism|proselytizing]] [[Missionary (LDS Church)|mission]]. Mormons have a [[Word of Wisdom|health code]] that eschews alcoholic beverages, tobacco, coffee, tea, and other addictive substances. They tend to be very family-oriented, and have strong connections across generations and with extended family, reflective of their belief that families can be [[Sealing (Mormonism)|sealed]] together beyond death and throughout eternity. Mormons also have a strict [[law of chastity]], requiring abstention from sexual relations outside of opposite-sex marriage and strict fidelity within marriage.

Mormons self-identify as [[Christian]], though some of their beliefs differ from mainstream Christianity. Mormons believe in the [[Bible]], as well as other books of scripture, such as the [[Book of Mormon]]. They have a unique view of cosmology, and believe that all people are spirit-children of God. Mormons believe that returning to God requires following the example of [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]], and accepting his [[Atonement in Christianity|atonement]] through [[ordinance (Latter Day Saints)|ordinances]] such as baptism. They believe that Christ's church was [[Restoration (Latter Day Saints)|restored]] through Joseph Smith and is guided by living [[prophet, seer, and revelator|prophets]] and [[Apostle (Latter Day Saints)|apostles]]. Central to Mormon faith is the belief that God speaks to his children and answers their prayers.

==Terminology==
The word [[Mormon (word)|"Mormons"]] most often refers to members of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) because of their belief in the [[Book of Mormon]], though members often refer to themselves as ''Latter-day Saints'' or sometimes just ''Saints''.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.lds.org/ensign/1974/05/touchstone-of-truth?lang=eng |title=Touchstone of Truth |work=Ensign |date=May 1974 |author=John H. Vandenburg}}; {{cite web |url= http://mormon.org/faq/why-mormons/ |title=Why is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called Mormons or Mormonism? | Mormon.org |work=mormon.org |year=2012 |accessdate=25 January 2012}}; {{cite book |url= http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IEEkTWyIpZkC&pg=PA324#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=The Latter-day Saint experience in America |first= Terryl |last= Givens |page=324|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |date= Nov 2004|accessdate=25 January 2012}} The full name of the church originated in an 1838 revelation recorded in [[Doctrine and Covenants]]; the term "saint" was used by [[Paul the Apostle]] to refer to members of the early Christian church—the "later-day" being added to differentiate the modern church from the early church; {{cite web |url= http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/115.4?lang=eng#3 |title=Doctrine and Covenants 115:4 |first= Joseph|last=Smith|work=lds.org |year=1838 |quote=1838 |accessdate=25 January 2012}}.</ref> The term "Mormons" has been embraced by most adherents of Mormonism, most notably [[Mormon fundamentalism|Mormon fundamentalists]], while other [[Latter Day Saint movement|Latter Day Saint]] denominations, such as the [[Community of Christ]], have rejected it.<ref>The LDS Church has taken the position that the term Mormon should only apply to the LDS Church and its members, and not other adherents who have adopted the term. (See: {{cite web |url=http://newsroom.lds.org/style-guide |title=Style Guide – The Name of the Church |author= |date= |work= |publisher=LDS Newsroom |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}) The church cites the ''[[AP Stylebook]]'', which states, "The term Mormon is not properly applied to the other Latter Day Saints churches that resulted from the split after [Joseph] Smith's death." ("Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The", Associated Press, ''The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law'', 2002, ISBN 0-7382-0740-3, p.48) Despite the LDS Church's position, the term Mormon is widely used by journalists and non-journalists to refer to adherents of [[Mormon fundamentalism]].</ref> Both LDS Church members (or "Latter-day Saints") and members of fundamentalist groups commonly use the word "Mormon" in reference to themselves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lds.org/ensign/1990/11/mormon-should-mean-more-good |title=Mormon Should Mean 'More Good,' |author=[[Gordon B. Hinckley]] |date=November 1990 |work=[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]] |publisher= |page=51 |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}; See also: {{cite web |url=http://newsroom.lds.org/style-guide |title=Style Guide – The Name of the Church |accessdate=2011-10-06}}; {{Cite book|title=Secrets and Wives: The Hidden World of Mormon Polygamy |author=Sanjiv Bhattacharya |url=http://sanjivb.com/_site/book.php}}</ref> The LDS Church, however, disagrees with this self-characterization, and encourages the use of the word "Mormon" only in reference to LDS Church members.<ref>The terms Mormon and Mormonism are used by [[Mormon fundamentalism|Mormon fundamentalists]] in reference to themselves. The LDS Church disagrees with that self-characterization and encourages journalists only to use the word Mormon in reference to the LDS Church. {{cite web |url=http://newsroom.lds.org/style-guide |title=Style Guide — LDS Newsroom |author= |date= |work= |publisher= |accessdate=November 11, 2011}} Despite the LDS Church preference, the term "fundamentalist Mormonism" is in common use.</ref> Church leaders also encourage members to use the church's full name to emphasize its focus on Jesus Christ.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lds.org/ensign/1990/05/thus-shall-my-church-be-called |title=Thus Shall My Church Be Called |author=[[Russell M. Nelson]] |date=May 1990 |work=[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]] |publisher= |page=16|accessdate=November 11, 2011}}; {{cite web |url=http://www.lds.org/liahona/2011/11/the-importance-of-a-name |title=The Importance of a Name |author=[[M. Russell Ballard]] |date=November 2011 |work=[[Liahona (magazine)|Liahona]] |publisher= |page=}}</ref>

The word "Mormon" is often associated with [[polygamy]] (or [[plural marriage]]),<ref>For many people, the mention of Mormons conjures up an assortment of contradictory images  .... The charge of practicing polygamy annoys many Mormons because it is so far out of date. {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=1–2}}.</ref> which was a distinguishing practice of many early Mormons; however it was renounced by the LDS Church in 1890<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=2}}; {{cite web |url=http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/od/1 |title=Official Declaration 1 |publisher=lds.org}}.</ref>
and discontinued over the next 15 years.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Solemn Covenant: The Mormon Polygamous Passage |author=B. Carmen Hardy |year=1992 |work= |publisher=Urbana: University of Illinois Press |ref=harv }};
{{cite web |url=http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?/dialogue,15411 |title=LDS Church Authority and New Plural Marriages, 1890–1904 |author=[[D. Michael Quinn]] |date=Spring 1985 |work=[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought]] |publisher= |accessdate=November 11, 2011| page=9}};
{{cite web |url=https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/037-8-27-35.pdf |title=After the Manifesto: Mormon Polygamy, 1890–1906 |author=Kenneth Cannon II |date=Jan–Apr 1983 |work= |publisher=[[Sunstone (magazine)|Sunstone]] |accessdate=November 11, 2011 |page=27}}.</ref>
Today, polygamy is practiced only by Mormons that have broken with the LDS Church.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=14}}.</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints}}

The history of the Mormons has shaped them into a people with a strong sense of unity and communality.<ref>{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|pp=75,119}}.</ref> From the start, Mormons have tried to establish what they call "[[Zion (Latter Day Saints)|Zion]]", a utopian society of the righteous.<ref>A Mormon scripture describing the ancient city of [[Enoch (ancestor of Noah)|Enoch]] became a model for the Saints. Enoch's city was a Zion "because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there were no poor among them" {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=36–38}}; ([http://lds.org/scriptures/pgp/moses/7.18?lang=eng#17 {{nowrap|Book of Moses 7:18}}]).</ref>
Mormon history can be divided into three broad time periods: (1) the early history during the lifetime of [[Joseph Smith]], (2) a "pioneer era" under the leadership of [[Brigham Young]] and his successors, and (3) a modern era beginning around the turn of the 20th century. In the first period, Smith had tried literally to build a city called Zion, in which converts could gather. During the pioneer era, Zion became a "landscape of villages" in Utah. In modern times, Zion is still an ideal, though Mormons gather together in their individual congregations rather than a central geographic location.<ref>"In Missouri and Illinois, Zion had been a city; in Utah, it was a landscape of villages; in the urban diaspora, it was the ward with its extensive programs." {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=107}}.</ref>

===Beginnings===
{{See also|History of the Latter Day Saint movement}}
[[Image:Joseph Smith first vision stained glass.jpg|left|upright|thumb|A stained glass window showing [[Joseph Smith]]'s [[First Vision]].]]

Mormons trace their origins to the visions that [[Joseph Smith]] reported having in the early 1820s while living in upstate New York.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=1, 9}}; {{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|p=9}}; {{cite book |url= http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5Zx9qOay304C&pg=PA30#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Joseph Smith and the origins of the Book of Mormon |first= David |last= Persuitte|page=30 |publisher=McFarland |date= October 2000|accessdate=25 January 2012}}.</ref> In 1823, Smith said an [[Angel Moroni|angel]] directed him to a buried book written on [[golden plates]] containing the religious history of an ancient people.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=19}}.</ref> Smith published what he said was a translation of these plates in March 1830 as the [[Book of Mormon]], named after [[Mormon (Book of Mormon)|Mormon]], the ancient prophet–historian who compiled the book. On April 6, 1830, Smith founded the [[Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)|Church of Christ]].<ref>Scholars and eye-witnesses disagree as to whether the church was organized in [[Manchester (town), New York|Manchester, New York]] at the Smith log home, or in [[Fayette, New York|Fayette]] at the home of [[Peter Whitmer]]. {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|p=109}}; {{Harvtxt|Marquardt|2005|pp=223–23}} (arguing that organization in Manchester is most consistent with eye-witness statements).</ref> The early church grew westward as Smith sent missionaries to preach the restored gospel.<ref>{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|p=41}} (by the next spring the church had 1,000 members).</ref> In 1831, the church moved to [[Kirtland, Ohio]] where missionaries had made a large number of converts<ref>{{Harvtxt|Brodie|1971|p=97}} (citing letter by Smith to Kirtland converts, quoted in {{Harvtxt|Howe|1833|p=111}}); {{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|p=41}}.</ref> and Smith began establishing an outpost in [[Jackson County, Missouri]],<ref>{{Harvtxt|Smith|Cowdery|Rigdon|Williams|1835|p=154}}; {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|p=162}}; {{Harvtxt|Brodie|1971|p=109}}.</ref> where he planned to eventually build the city of [[Zion (Latter Day Saints)|Zion]] (or the [[New Jerusalem]]).<ref>Smith said in 1831 that God intended the Mormons to "retain a strong hold in the land of Kirtland, for the space of five years." ([[Doctrine and Covenants]] 64:21); {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|p=122}}.</ref> In 1833, Missouri settlers, alarmed by the rapid influx of Mormons, expelled them from Jackson County into the nearby [[Clay County, Missouri|Clay County]], where local residents took them in.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|pp=222–27}}; {{Harvtxt|Brodie|1971|p=137}} (noting that the brutality of the Jackson Countians aroused sympathy for the Mormons and was almost universally deplored by the media); {{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|pp=43–45}} (The Mormons were forced out in a November gale, and were taken in by Clay County residents, who earned from non-Mormons the derogative title of "Jack Mormons").</ref>
After Smith led a mission, known as [[Zion's Camp]], to recover the land,<ref>{{Harvtxt|Brodie|1971|pp=141, 146–59}}; {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|p=322}}.</ref> he began building [[Kirtland Temple]] in [[Lake County, Ohio]], where the church flourished.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Brodie|1971|p=101}}; {{Harvtxt|Arrington|1992|p=21}} (by summer of 1835, there were 1500 to 2000 Saints in Kirtland); Desert Morning News ''2008 Church Almanac'' p. 655 (from 1831 to 1838, church membership grew from 680 to 17,881); {{Harv|Bushman|2005|pp=310–19}} (The Kirtland Temple was viewed as the site of a new [[Pentecost]]); {{Harv|Brodie|1971|p=178}}. Smith also published several new [[revelation (Latter Day Saints)|revelations]] during the Kirtland era.</ref> When the Missouri Mormons were later asked to leave Clay County in 1836, they secured land in what would become [[Caldwell County, Missouri|Caldwell County]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|p=45}} (In December, 1836, the Missouri legislature granted the Mormons the right to organize Caldwell County).</ref>

The Kirtland era ended in 1838, after the failure of a [[Kirtland Safety Society|church-sponsored bank]] caused widespread defections,<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|pp=328–38}}; {{Harvtxt|Brooke|1994|p=221}} ("Ultimately, the rituals and visions dedicating the Kirtland temple were not sufficient to hold the church together in the face of a mounting series of internal disputes.")</ref> and Smith regrouped with the remaining church in [[Far West, Missouri]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Roberts|1905|p=24}} (referring to the Far West church as the "church in Zion"); {{Harv|Bushman|2005|p=345}} (The revelation calling Far West "Zion" had the effect of "implying that Far West was to take the place of Independence.")</ref> During the fall of 1838, tensions escalated into the [[1838 Mormon War|Mormon War]] with the old Missouri settlers.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|pp=357–64}}; {{Harvtxt|Brodie|1971|pp=227–30}}; {{Harvtxt|Remini|2002|p=134}}; {{Harvtxt|Quinn|1994|pp=97–98}}.</ref> On October 27, the [[Lilburn Boggs|governor]] of Missouri [[Missouri Executive Order 44|ordered]] that the Mormons "must be treated as enemies" and be exterminated or driven from the state.<ref>{{Harv|Bushman|2005|p=367}} (Boggs' executive order stated that the Mormon community had "made war upon the people of this State" and that "the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace"). {{Harv|Bushman|2005|p=398}} (In 1976, [[Missouri]] issued a formal apology for this order) {{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|p=47}}.</ref> Between November and April, some eight thousand displaced Mormons migrated east into [[Illinois]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|p=47}} ("the Saints, after being ravaged by troops, robbed by neighbors, and insulted by public officials from February to April, crossed over into Illinois").</ref>

[[File:Joseph Preaching to the Indians by C.C.A. Christensen.png|thumb|Joseph Smith preaching to the [[Sac and Fox Nation|Sac and Fox Indians]] who visited Nauvoo on August 12, 1841]]
In 1839, the Mormons converted a swampland on the banks of the Mississippi River into [[Nauvoo, Illinois]]<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|pp=383–84}}.</ref> and began construction of the [[Nauvoo Temple]]. The city became the church's new headquarters and gathering place, and it grew rapidly, fueled in part by converts immigrating from Europe.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|p=409}}; {{Harvtxt|Brodie|1971|pp=258, 264–65}}; {{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|p=51}} (noting the city growth and missionary success in England).</ref> Meanwhile, Smith introduced temple ceremonies meant to [[Sealing (Mormonism)|seal]] families together for eternity, as well as the doctrines of eternal progression or [[Exaltation (Mormonism)|exaltation]],<ref>{{Harvtxt|Widmer|2000|p=119}} (Smith taught that faithful Mormons may progress until they become co-equal with God); {{Harvtxt|Roberts|1909|pp=502–03}}; {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|pp=497–98}} (the [[second anointing]] provided a guarantee that participants would be exalted even if they sinned).</ref> and plural marriage.<ref>Initially, Smith introduced plural marriage only to his closest associates.{{Harvtxt|Brodie|1971|pp=334–36}}; {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|pp=437, 644}} The practice was acknowledged publicly in 1852 by [[Brigham Young]].</ref>
Smith created a service organization for women called the [[Relief Society]], as well as an organization called the [[Council of Fifty]], representing a future [[theodemocracy|theodemocratic]] "Kingdom of God" on the earth.<ref>{{Harvnb|Quinn|1980|pp=120–122, 165}}; {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|pp=519–21}} (describing the Council of Fifty).</ref>
Smith also published the story of his [[First Vision]], in which the [[God the Father|Father]] and the [[Jesus|Son]] appeared to him while he was about 14 years old.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Shipps|1985|p=30}} The first extant account of the First Vision is the manuscript account in Joseph Smith, "[[Manuscript History of the Church]]" (1839); the first published account is [[Orson Pratt]], ''An Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions and of the Late Discovery of Ancient American Records'' (Edinburgh: Ballantyne and Hughes, 1840); and the first American publication is Smith's [[Wentworth letter|letter to John Wentworth]] in ''[[Times and Seasons]]'', '''3''' (March 1842), 706–08. (These accounts are available in {{Cite book | editor-last=Vogel | editor-first=Dan | editor-link=Dan Vogel | title=Early Mormon Documents | volume=1 | place=Salt Lake City | publisher=Signature Books | year=1996 | isbn=1-56085-072-8 | ref=harv | postscript= }}.) As the LDS historian [[Richard Bushman]] wrote in his biography of Smith, "At first, Joseph was reluctant to talk about his vision. Most early converts probably never heard about the 1820 vision." {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|p=39}}.</ref>
This vision would come to be regarded by some Mormons as the most important event in human history after the birth, ministry, and [[resurrection of Jesus|resurrection of Jesus Christ]].<ref>{{cite web|author=LDS Church|title=Joseph Smith Home Page/Mission of the Prophet/First Vision: This Is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!|year=2010| url=http://josephsmith.net/article/the-first-vision |accessdate=2010-04-29|ref=harv}}; {{Harvtxt|Allen|1966|p=29}} (belief in the First Vision now considered second in importance only to belief in the divinity of [[Jesus]].); {{Cite journal| title=What Are People Asking about Us? | last=Hinkley| first=Gordon B. | journal=[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]] | issue=November | year=1998 | url=http://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/11/what-are-people-asking-about-us | ref=harv| postscript=
}} ("[N]othing we teach, nothing we live by is of greater importance than this initial declaration.").</ref>

In 1844, local prejudices and political tensions, fueled by Mormon peculiarity and internal dissent, escalated into conflicts between Mormons and "anti-Mormons".<ref>{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1857|pp=64–67}}</ref> On June 27, 1844, Smith and his brother [[Hyrum Smith|Hyrum]] were [[Death of Joseph Smith|killed by a mob]] in [[Carthage, Illinois]].<ref><''Encyclopedia of Latter-Day Saint History'', p. 824; {{Harvtxt|Brodie|1971|pp=393–94}}; {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|pp=539–50}}; Many local Illinoisans were uneasy with Mormon power, and their unease was fanned by the local media after Smith suppressed a newspaper containing an exposé regarding plural marriage, theocracy, and other sensitive and oft misinterpreted issues. The suppression resulted in Smith being arrested, tried, and acquitted for "inciting a riot". On June 25, Smith let himself be arrested and tried for the riot charges again, this time in Carthage, the county seat, where he was incarcerated without bail on a new charge of treason. {{citation |contribution-url= http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/4208 |contribution= Smith, Joseph: Legal Trials of Joseph Smith |first= Joseph I. |last= Bentley |authorlink= Joseph I. Bentley |pages= 1346–1348 |editor1-last= Ludlow |editor1-first= Daniel H |editor1-link= Daniel H. Ludlow |title= [[Encyclopedia of Mormonism]] |location= New York |publisher= [[Macmillan Publishing]] |year= 1992 |isbn= 0-02-879602-0 |oclc= 24502140}}.</ref> Because Hyrum was Smith's logical successor,<ref>Brigham Young later said of Hyrum, "Did Joseph Smith ordain any man to take his place. He did. Who was it? It was Hyrum, but Hyrum fell a martyr before Joseph did. If Hyrum had lived he would have acted for Joseph." ''[[Times and Seasons]]'', '''5''' [October 15, 1844]: 683.</ref> their deaths caused a [[Succession crisis (Latter Day Saints)|succession crisis]],<ref>{{Harvtxt|Quinn|1994|p=143}}; {{Harvtxt|Brodie|1971|p=398}}.</ref> and [[Brigham Young]] assumed leadership over the majority of Latter Day Saints.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2005|pp=556–57}}.</ref> Young had been a close associate of Smith's and was senior [[Apostle (Latter Day Saints)|apostle]] of the [[Quorum of the Twelve]].<ref>Smith's position as [[President of the Church]] was originally left vacant, based on the sentiment that nobody could succeed Smith's office. Years later, the church established the principle that Young, and any other senior [[Apostle (LDS Church)|apostle]] of the [[Quorum of the Twelve]], would be ordained [[President of the Church (LDS Church)|President of the Church]] as a matter of course upon the death of the former President, subject to unanimous agreement of the Quorum of the Twelve.</ref> Smaller groups of Latter Day Saints followed other leaders to form other denominations of the [[Latter Day Saint movement]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Quinn|1994|pp=198–211}}.</ref>

===Pioneer era===
[[File:Mormon Pioneer handcart statue.jpg|thumb|upright|A statue commemorating the [[Mormon handcart pioneers]]]]
For two years after Smith's death, conflicts escalated between Mormons and other Illinois residents. To prevent war, [[Brigham Young]] led the [[Mormon pioneers]] (constituting most of the Latter Day Saints) to a temporary [[Winter Quarters (North Omaha, Nebraska)|winter quarters]] in Nebraska and then eventually (beginning in 1847) to what became the [[Utah Territory]].<ref name="emigration-religious-freedom">In 2004, the State of Illinois recognized the expulsion of the Latter-day Saints as the "largest forced migration in American history" and stated in the adopted resolution that, "WHEREAS, The biases and prejudices of a less enlightened age in the history of the State of Illinois caused unmeasurable hardship and trauma for the community of Latter-day Saints by the distrust, violence, and inhospitable actions of a dark time in our past; therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we acknowledge the disparity of those past actions and suspicions, regretting the expulsion of the community of Latter-day Saints, a people of faith and hard work." {{cite web |url=http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?GAID=3&SessionID=3&GA=93&DocTypeID=HR&DocNum=0793&LegID=12984&SpecSess=&Session= |title=Official House Resolution HR0793 (LRB093 21726 KEF 49525 r) |author=Illinois General Assembly |date=April 1, 2004 |work= |publisher= }}; "The great Mormon migration of 1846-1847 was but one step in the Mormons' quest for religious freedom and growth." {{citation |contribution-url= http://www.nps.gov/mopi/historyculture/index.htm |contribution= History & Culture |title= Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail |work= NPS.gov |publisher= [[National Park Service]] |accessdate= 2014-07-09 }}.</ref> Having failed to build Zion within the confines of American society, the Mormons began to construct a society in isolation, based on their beliefs and values.<ref>{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|p=86}} ("Having failed to build Zion within the confines of American society, the Latter-day Saints found in the Great Basin the isolation that would enable them to establish a distinctive community based upon their own beliefs and values").</ref> The cooperative ethic that Mormons had developed over the last decade and a half became important as settlers branched out and colonized a large desert region now known as the [[Mormon Corridor]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|p=84}} (From 1847 to 1857 ninety-five mormon communities were established, most of them clustering around Salt Lake City); {{Cite journal |journal=Pacific Historical Review |volume=8 |issue=2 |title=The Mormon Corridor
|last=Hunter |first=Milton |date=June 1939 |publisher=University of California Press |jstor=3633392 |pages=179–200 |ref=harv }}; {{Harvtxt|Shipps|1957|pp=83–84}}.</ref> Colonizing efforts were seen as religious duties, and the new villages were governed by the Mormon [[bishop (Latter Day Saints)|bishops]] (local lay religious leaders).<ref>{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|pp=86–89}}.</ref> The Mormons viewed land as commonwealth, devising and maintaining a co-operative system of irrigation that allowed them to build a farming community in the desert.<ref>{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|pp=87–91}}.</ref>

From 1849–52, the Mormons greatly expanded their missionary efforts, establishing several [[Mission (LDS Church)|missions]] in Europe, Latin America, and the [[Oceania|South Pacific]].<ref name="ODea91">{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|p=91}}.</ref> Converts were expected to "gather" to Zion, and during Young's presidency (1847–77) over seventy thousand Mormon converts immigrated to America.<ref name=ODea91/> Many of the converts came from England and [[Scandinavia]], and were quickly assimilated into the Mormon community.<ref>{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|pp=91–92}}; {{citation |url= http://welshmormon.byu.edu/ |title= Welsh Mormon History |work= WelshMormon.BYU.edu |publisher= [[BYU Research Institutes|Center for Family History and Genealogy]], [[Brigham Young University]] }} During the 1840s and 1850s many thousands of [[Wales|Welsh]] Mormon converts immigrated to America, and today, it is estimated that around 20 percent of the population of [[Utah]] is of Welsh descent.</ref> Many of these immigrants crossed the [[Great Plains]] in wagons drawn by oxen, while some later groups pulled their possessions in small handcarts. During the 1860s, newcomers began using the new [[First Transcontinental Railroad|railroad]] that was under construction.<ref>{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|pp=95–96}}.</ref>

In 1852, church leaders publicized the previously secret practice of [[plural marriage]], a form of [[polygamy]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=88}} (Plural marriage originated in a revelation that Joseph Smith apparently received in 1831 and wrote down in 1843. It was first publicly announced in a general conference in 1852); {{citation |first= Jessie L. |last= Embry |contribution= Polygamy |contribution-url= http://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/p/POLYGAMY.html |editor-last= Powell |editor-first= Allan Kent |year= 1994 |title= Utah History Encyclopedia |location= Salt Lake City, Utah |publisher= [[University of Utah Press]] |isbn= 0874804256 |oclc= 30473917 }} The Mormon doctrine of plural wives was officially announced by one of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)|Twelve Apostles]], [[Orson Pratt]], and Young in a special conference of the elders of the LDS Church assembled in the [[Mormon Tabernacle]] on 28 August 1852, and reprinted in an extra edition of the ''[[Deseret News]]''
{{cite news | title = Minutes of conference : a special conference of the elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints assembled in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, August 28, 1852, 10 o'clock, a.m., pursuant to public notice | publisher = [[Deseret News|Deseret News Extra]] | date = 14 September 1852 | page = 14}}. See also [[Origin of Latter Day Saint polygamy#The 1850s: Official sanction in the LDS Church|The 1850s: Official sanction in the LDS Church]]</ref> Over the next 50 years, many Mormons (between 20 and 30 percent of Mormon families)<ref>{{cite book|last=Flake|first=Kathleen|title=The Politics of American Religious Identity|year=2004|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|isbn=0807855014|pages=65, 192|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=GLLCAB5vmMQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false}}.</ref> entered into plural marriages as a religious duty, with the number of plural marriages reaching a peak around 1860, and then declining through the rest of the century.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=88}} (If asked why they entered these relationships, both plural wives and husbands emphasized spiritual blessings of being sealed eternally and of submitting to God's will. According to the federal censuses, the highest percentage of the population in polygamous families was in 1860 (43.6 percent) and it declined to 25 percent in 1880 and to 7 percent in 1890).</ref> Besides the doctrinal reasons for plural marriage, the practice made some economic sense, as many of the plural wives were single women who arrived in Utah without brothers or fathers to offer them societal support.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=88}} ("The close study of the marriages in one nineteenth-century Utah community revealed that a disproportionate number of plural wives were women who arrived in Utah without fathers or brothers to care for them...Since better-off men more frequently married plurally, the practice distributed wealth to the poor and disconnected").</ref>

[[Image:Crossing the Mississippi on the Ice by C.C.A. Christensen.png|thumb|left|Mormon pioneers crossing the [[Mississippi]] on the ice]]
By 1857, tensions had again escalated between Mormons and other Americans, largely as a result of accusations involving polygamy and the [[theocratic]] rule of the Utah Territory by Brigham Young.<ref>{{citation |last= Tullidge |first= Edward |authorlink= Edward Tullidge |title= History of Salt Lake City |url= https://archive.org/details/historyofsaltlak00tull |contribution-url= https://archive.org/stream/historyofsaltlak00tull#page/n155/mode/2up |contribution= Resignation of Judge Drummond |pages= 132–35 |place= Salt Lake City |publisher= Star Printing Company |year= 1886 |oclc= 13941646 }}</ref> In 1857, U.S. President [[James Buchanan]] sent an army to Utah, which Mormons interpreted as open aggression against them. Fearing a repeat of Missouri and Illinois, the Mormons prepared to defend themselves, determined to torch their own homes in the case that they were invaded.<ref>{{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|pp=101–02}}; {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=95}}.</ref> The relatively peaceful [[Utah War]] ensued from 1857 to 1858, in which the most notable instance of violence was the [[Mountain Meadows massacre]], when leaders of a local Mormon militia ordered the killing of a civilian emigrant party that was traveling through Utah during the escalating tensions.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=96–97}} (calling the Mountain Meadows massacre the greatest tragedy in Mormon history).</ref> In 1858, Young agreed to step down from his position as governor and was replaced by a non-Mormon, [[Alfred Cumming (governor)|Alfred Cumming]].<ref>To combat the notion that rank-and-file Mormons were unhappy under Young's leadership, Cumming noted that he had offered to help any leave the territory who desired. Of the 50,000 inhabitants of the state of Utah, the underwhelming response—56 men, 33 women, and 71 children, most of whom stated they left for economic reasons—impressed Cumming, as did the fact that Mormon leaders contributed supplies to the emigrants. Cumming to [Secretary of State Lewis Cass], written by Thomas Kane, May 2, 1858, BYU Special Collections.</ref> Nevertheless, the LDS Church still wielded significant political power in the Utah Territory.<ref>{{Cite book | last1=Firmage
| first1= Edwin Brown
| last2 = Mangrum
| first2=Richard Collin
| title=Zion in the Courts: A Legal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1830–1900
| page=140
| url=http://books.google.com/?id=9AimifP2a-4C&pg=PR7#PPA140,M1
| isbn=0-252-06980-3
| publisher=U. of Illinois Press
| year=2002 | ref=harv | postscript=
}}.</ref>

At Young's death in 1877, he was followed by other [[List of presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS Church presidents]], who resisted efforts by the [[United States Congress]] to outlaw Mormon polygamous marriages.<ref name="Bushman97">{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=97}}.</ref> In 1878, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in ''[[Reynolds v. United States]]'' that religious duty was not a suitable defense for practicing polygamy, and many Mormon polygamists went into hiding; later, Congress began seizing church assets.<ref name=Bushman97/> In September 1890, church president [[Wilford Woodruff]] issued a [[1890 Manifesto|Manifesto]] that officially suspended the practice of polygamy.<ref>{{lds|Official Declaration|od|1}}</ref> Although this Manifesto did not dissolve existing plural marriages, relations with the United States markedly improved after 1890, such that Utah was admitted as a [[U.S. state]] in 1896. After the Manifesto, some Mormons continued to enter into polygamous marriages, but these eventually stopped in 1904 when church president [[Joseph F. Smith]] [[Reed Smoot hearings|disavowed polygamy]] before Congress and issued a "[[Second Manifesto]]" calling for all plural marriages in the church to cease. Eventually, the church adopted a policy of [[excommunication|excommunicating]] members found practicing polygamy, and today seeks actively to distance itself from "[[Mormon fundamentalism|fundamentalist]]" groups that continue the practice.<ref>The LDS Church encourages journalists not to use the word ''Mormon'' in reference to organizations or people that practice polygamy: {{citation |contribution-url= http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/style-guide |contribution= Style Guide — The Name of the Church |title= Topics and Background |work= MormonNewsroom.org |publisher= LDS Church |accessdate= 2014-07-09}}. The church repudiates polygamist groups and excommunicates their members if discovered: {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=91}}; {{citation |url= http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25396937/ns/us_news-faith/t/mormons-seek-distance-polygamist-sects |title= Mormons seek distance from polygamous sects |date= June 26, 2008 |agency= [[Associated Press|AP]] |publisher= NBCNews.com}}.</ref>

===Modern times===
{{Further|Mormonism as a world religion}}
During the early 20th century, Mormons began to reintegrate into the American mainstream. In 1929, the [[Mormon Tabernacle Choir]] began broadcasting a weekly performance on national radio, becoming an asset for public relations.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=103}}.</ref> Mormons emphasized patriotism and industry, rising in socioeconomic status from the bottom among American religious denominations to middle-class.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Mauss|1994|p=22}}. "With the consistent encouragement of church leaders, Mormons became models of patriotic, law-abiding citizenship, sometimes seeming to "out-American" all other Americans. Their participation in the full spectrum of national, social, political, economic, and cultural life has been thorough and sincere".</ref>
In the 1920s and 1930s, Mormons began migrating out of Utah, a trend hurried by the [[Great Depression]], as Mormons looked for work wherever they could find it.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=105}}.</ref> As Mormons spread out, church leaders created programs that would help preserve the tight-knit community feel of Mormon culture.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=106}}.</ref> In addition to weekly worship services, Mormons began participating in numerous programs such as [[Boy Scouting (Boy Scouts of America)|Boy Scouting]], a [[Young Women (organization)|Young Women organization]], church-sponsored dances, ward basketball, camping trips, plays, and [[LDS Seminaries|religious education programs]] for youth and college students.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=53}}.</ref> During the Great Depression, the church started a [[LDS Humanitarian Services|welfare program]] to meet the needs of poor members, which has since grown to include a humanitarian branch that provides relief to disaster victims.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=40–41}}.</ref>
[[File:Mtchoirandorchestra ConferenceCenter.jpg|left|thumb|The 360-member, all-volunteer [[Mormon Tabernacle Choir]]]]

During the latter half of the 20th century, there was a retrenchment movement in Mormonism in which Mormons became more conservative, attempting to regain their status as a "peculiar people".<ref>The term ''peculiar people'' is consciously borrowed from [http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/1-pet/2.9?lang=eng#8 1 Peter 2:9], and can be interpreted as "special" or "different", though Mormons have certainly been viewed as "peculiar" in the modern sense as well. {{Harvtxt|Mauss|1994|p=60}}.</ref>
Though the 1960s and 1970s brought positive changes such as [[Women's Liberation]] and the [[African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)|Civil Rights Movement]], Mormon leaders were alarmed by the erosion of traditional values, the [[sexual revolution]], the widespread use of recreational drugs, [[moral relativism]], and other forces they saw as damaging to the family.<ref>"Developments mitigating traditional racial, ethnic, and gender inequality and bigotry were regarded in hindsight by most Americans (and most Mormons) as desirable  .... On the other hand, Mormons (and many others) have watched with increasing alarm the spread throughout society of 'liberating' innovations such as the normalization of non marital sexual behavior, the rise in abortion, illegitimacy, divorce, and child neglect or abuse, recreational drugs, crime, etc." {{Harvtxt|Mauss|1994|p=124}}.</ref>
Partly to counter this, Mormons put an even greater emphasis on family life, religious education, and missionary work, becoming more conservative in the process. As a result, Mormons today are probably less integrated with mainstream society than they were in the early 1960s.<ref>"[T]he church appears to have arrested, if not reversed, the erosion of distinctive Mormon ways that might have been anticipated in the 60s." {{Harvtxt|Mauss|1994|p=140}}. "However, in partial contradiction to their public image, Mormons stand mostly on the liberal side of the continuum on certain other social and political issues, notably on civil rights, and even on women's rights, except where these seem to conflict with child-rearing roles." {{Harvtxt|Mauss|1994|p=156}}.</ref>

Although [[black people]] have been members of Mormon congregations since Joseph Smith's time, before 1978, black membership was small. From 1852 to 1978, the LDS Church had [[Black people and Mormonism|a policy]] against ordaining men of black African descent to the [[Priesthood (LDS Church)|priesthood]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=All Abraham's Children: Changing Mormon Conceptions of Race and Lineage |first=Armand L. |last=Mauss |pages=213–215 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=2003 |isbn=0-252-02803-1 |ref=harv }}; {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=111–12}} ("The origins of this policy are not altogether clear. "Passages in Joseph Smith's translations indicate that a lineage associated with Ham and the Egyptian pharaohs was forbidden the priesthood. Connecting the ancient pharaohs with modern Africans and African Americans required a speculative leap, but by the time of Brigham Young, the leap was made.")</ref> The church had previously been criticized for its policy during the [[civil rights movement]], but the [[1978 Revelation on Priesthood|change]] came in 1978 and was prompted primarily by problems facing mixed-race converts in Brazil.<ref name="Bushman111">{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=111–12}}.</ref> In general, Mormons greeted the change with joy and relief.<ref name=Bushman111/> Since 1978, black membership has grown, and in 1997 there were approximately 500,000 black members of the church (about 5 percent of the total membership), mostly in Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_218.html#1062 |title=1999–2000 Church Almanac |author= |year=1998 |work=Adherents.com quoting ''Deseret News ''| location=Salt Lake City |page=119 |accessdate=November 11, 2011 |ref=harv }} "A rough estimate would place the number of Church members with African roots at year-end 1997 at half a million, with about 100,000 each in Africa and the Caribbean, and another 300,000 in Brazil."</ref> Black membership has continued to grow substantially, especially in West Africa, where two [[Temple (LDS Church)|temples]] have been built.<ref name = "LDS-Africa">{{cite web |url=http://www.ldsgenesisgroup.org/africagrowth.html |title=The Church Continues to Grow in Africa |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Genesis Group |accessdate=}}</ref> Many [[black Mormons]] are members of the [[Genesis Group]], an organization of black members that predates the priesthood ban, and is endorsed by the church.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Black and Mormon|author=Newell G. Bringhurst, Darron T. Smith |date=Dec 13, 2005 |publisher=University of Illinois Press|pages=102–104}}</ref>

[[File:LDS Global Distribution.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|Global distribution of LDS Church members in 2009]]
The LDS Church grew rapidly after World War II and became a world-wide organization as [[Mormon missionary|missionaries]] were sent across the globe. The church doubled in size every 15 to 20 years,<ref>{{citation |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=wTBUCGwdG8MC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA92#v=onepage&q=doubled%20twice%20since%20then&f=false |title=The angel and the beehive: the Mormon struggle with assimilation |author=Armand L. Mauss |year=1994 |page=92}}; {{citation |title= Building a bigger tent: Does Mormonism have a Mitt Romney problem? |url= http://www.economist.com/node/21548247 |date= February 25, 2012 |journal= [[The Economist]] }} (In 2010 alone the church grew by 400,000 new members, including converts and newborns).</ref> and by 1996, there were more Mormons outside the United States than inside.<ref name="Todd 1996">{{cite web|last=Todd|first=Jay M.|title=More Members Now outside U.S. Than in U.S.|url=http://www.lds.org/ensign/1996/03/news-of-the-church/more-members-now-outside-us-than-in-us |work=[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]]|date=March 1996}}.</ref> In 2012, there were an estimated 14.8 million Mormons,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/2012-statistical-report-2013-april-general-conference|title=2012 Statistical Report for 2013 April General Conference}}</ref> with roughly 57 percent living outside the United States.<ref>In 2011, approximately 6.2 million of the church's 14.4 million members lived in the U.S. {{cite web |url=http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/facts-and-statistics/country/united-states/ |title=Facts and Statistics: United States |author= |date=December 2011 |work= |publisher=LDS Newsroom |accessdate=April 2013}}.</ref> It is estimated that approximately 4.5 million Mormons - roughly 30% of the total membership - regularly attend services.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/57369318-80/church-percent-lds-growth.html.csp |title= New almanac offers look at the world of Mormon membership |first= Peggy Fletcher |last= Stack |authorlink= Peggy Fletcher Stack |date= January 10, 2014 |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] }}.</ref> A majority of U.S. Mormons are white and non-Hispanic (84 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/mormons-in-america-methodology.aspx|title=Mormons in America|publisher=Pew Research Center|date=January 12, 2012}}.</ref> Most Mormons are distributed in North and South America, the South Pacific, and Western Europe. The global distribution of Mormons resembles a contact diffusion model, radiating out from the organization's headquarters in Utah.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.natur.cuni.cz/ksgrrsek/acta/2009/2009_reeves.pdf |title=The Global Distribution of Adventists and Mormons in 2007 |author=Daniel Reeves |year=2009 |work= |publisher= |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}.</ref> The church enforces general doctrinal uniformity, and congregations on all continents teach the same doctrines, and international Mormons tend to absorb a good deal of Mormon culture, possibly because of the church's top-down hierarchy and a missionary presence. However, international Mormons often bring pieces of their own heritage into the church, adapting church practices to local cultures.<ref name="Thomas W. Murphy 1996">{{cite web |url=https://dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V29N01_183.pdf |title=Reinventing Mormonism: Guatemala as Harbinger of the Future? |author=Thomas W. Murphy |year=1996 |work=[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought]] |publisher= |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}</ref>

[[Chile]], [[Uruguay]], and several areas in the South Pacific have a higher percentage of Mormons than the United States (which is at about 2 percent).<ref>http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/facts-and-statistics/.</ref> South Pacific countries and dependencies that are more than 10 percent Mormon include [[American Samoa]], the [[Cook Islands]], [[Kiribati]], [[Niue]], [[Samoa]], and [[Tonga]].

==Culture and practices==
{{Main|Culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints}}
Isolation in [[Utah]] had allowed Mormons to create a culture of their own.<ref name="Bushman47">{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=47}}.</ref> As the faith spread around the world, many of its more distinctive practices followed. Mormon converts are urged to undergo lifestyle changes, repent of their sins, and adopt sometimes foreign standards of conduct.<ref name=Bushman47/> Practices common to Mormons include studying the scriptures, praying daily, fasting on a regular basis, attending Sunday worship services, participating in church programs and activities on weekdays, and refraining from work on Sundays when possible. The most important part of the church services is considered to be the [[Lord's Supper]] (commonly called [[Sacrament (LDS Church)|sacrament]]), in which church members renew covenants made at [[Baptism (Mormonism)|baptism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lds.org/topics/sacrament |publisher=lds.org |title=Sacrament}}</ref> Mormons also emphasize standards they believe were taught by [[Jesus Christ]], including personal honesty, integrity, obedience to law, chastity outside of opposite-sex marriage and fidelity within marriage.<ref name="StrengthofYouth">{{cite web|url=http://www.lds.org/manual/for-the-strength-of-youth-fulfilling-our-duty-to-god |title=For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God |publisher=LDS Church}}</ref>

In 2010, around 13–14 percent of Mormons lived in Utah, the center of cultural influence for Mormonism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newsroom.lds.org/country/usa-utah |title=USA–Utah |author= |date= |work= |publisher=LDS Newsroom |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}.</ref> [[Religion in Utah|Utah Mormons]] (as well as Mormons living in the [[Intermountain West]]) are on average more culturally and/or politically conservative than those living in some cosmopolitan centers elsewhere in the U.S.<ref>Mauss often compares [[Salt Lake City]] Mormons to [[California]] Mormons from San Francisco and [[East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|East Bay]]. The Utah Mormons were generally more orthodox and conservative. {{Harvtxt|Mauss|1994|pp=40, 128}}; {{Cite journal|url = http://pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/A-Portrait-of-Mormons-in-the-US--Social-and-Political-Views.aspx|title = A Portrait of Mormons in the U.S.: III. Social and Political Views|date = July 24, 2009|publisher = Pew Research Center}}.</ref> Utahns self-identifying as Mormon also attend church somewhat more on average than Mormons living in other states. (Nonetheless, whether they live in Utah or elsewhere in the U.S., Mormons tend to be more culturally and/or politically conservative than members of other U.S. religious groups.)<ref>{{Cite journal|url = http://www.gallup.com/poll/125021/mormons-conservative-major-religious-group.aspx|date = January 11, 2010|title = Mormons Most Conservative Major Religious Group in U.S.: Six out of 10 Mormons are politically conservative|publisher = [[Gallup poll]]|first = Frank|last = Newport}}; {{Cite journal|url = http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1292/mormon-religion-demographics-beliefs-practices-politics|publisher = [[Pew Research Center]]|title = A Portrait of Mormons in the U.S|first = Allison|last = Pond|date = July 24, 2009}}.</ref> Utah Mormons often place a greater emphasis on [[Mormon pioneer|pioneer]] heritage than international Mormons who generally are not descendants of the [[Mormon pioneers]].<ref name="Thomas W. Murphy 1996"/>

[[File:Igreja SUD uruguaiana rs.jpg|thumb|left|A Mormon meetinghouse used for Sunday worship services in Brazil]]
Mormons have a strong sense of communality that stems from their doctrine and history.<ref>Early Mormons had practiced the [[law of consecration]] in Missouri for two years, in an attempt to eliminate poverty. Families would return their surplus "income" to the bishop, who would then redistribute it among the saints. Though initial efforts at "consecration" failed, consecration has become a more general attitude that underlies Mormon charitable works. {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=36–39}}.</ref> LDS Church members have a responsibility to dedicate their time and talents to helping the poor and building the church. The church is divided by locality into congregations called "[[Ward (LDS Church)|wards]]", with several wards making up a "[[Stake (Latter Day Saints)|stake]]".<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=53}} (The name "stake" comes from a passage in Isaiah that compares Zion to a tent that will enlarge as new stakes are planted); ''See [http://lds.org/scriptures/ot/isa/33.20?lang=eng#19 {{nowrap|Isaiah 33:20}}] and [http://lds.org/scriptures/ot/isa/54.2?lang=eng#1 {{nowrap|Isaiah 54:2}}]''.</ref> The vast majority of church leadership positions are [[Laity|lay]] positions, and church members may work 10 to 15 hours a week in unpaid church service.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=35, 52}}</ref> Observant Mormons also contribute 10 percent of their income to the church as [[tithe|tithing]], and are often involved in [[LDS Humanitarian Services|humanitarian efforts]]. Many LDS young men choose to serve a two-year [[Proselytism|proselytizing]] [[Missionary (LDS Church)|mission]], during which they dedicate all of their time to the church, without pay.<ref>A full-time mission is looked upon as important character training for a young man. {{Harvtxt|O'Dea|1957|p=177}}.</ref>

Mormons adhere to the [[Word of Wisdom]], a health law or code that is interpreted as prohibiting the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, coffee and tea,<ref>{{cite news |authorlink= Peggy Fletcher Stack |last= Stack |first= Peggy Fletcher |url= http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-08-31/national/35492011_1_drink-caffeine-lds-leaders-mormons |title= It’s Official: Coke and Pepsi are OK for Mormons |agency= ([[Religion News Service]]) |newspaper= [[Washington Post]] |date= August 31, 2012 |accessdate= 2013-09-20}}.</ref> while encouraging the use of wholesome herbs, grains, fruits, and a moderate consumption of meat.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/89 |title=Doctrine and Covenants, section 89 |author= |date= |work= |publisher= }}</ref> The Word of Wisdom is also understood to forbid other harmful and addictive substances and practices, such as the use of illegal drugs and abuse of prescription drugs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lds.org/manual/true-to-the-faith/word-of-wisdom |title=Word of Wisdom |author= |year=2004 |work=True to the Faith |publisher= |pages=186–88 |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}</ref> Mormons also oppose addictive behavior such as viewing [[pornography]] and [[gambling]].<ref name=StrengthofYouth/>

The concept of a united family that lives and progresses forever is at the core of Latter-day Saint doctrine, and Mormons place a high importance on family life.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=59}} (In the temple, husbands and wives are [[Sealing (Mormonism)|sealed]] to each other for eternity. The implication is that other institutional forms, including the church, might disappear, but the family will endure); {{Cite journal|url= http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/mormons-in-america-executive-summary.aspx#family |title=Mormons in America |publisher=Pew Research Center |date=January 2012}} (A 2011 survey of Mormons in the United States showed that family life is very important to Mormons, with family concerns significantly higher than career concerns. Four out of five Mormons believe that being a good parent is one of the most important goals in life, and roughly three out of four Mormons put having a successful marriage in this category); {{Cite journal|url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700214901/New-Pew-survey-reinforces-Mormons-top-goals-of-family-marriage.html?pg=1 |title=New Pew survey reinforces Mormons' top goals of family, marriage |work=Deseret News |date=12 January 2012}}; See also: [http://lds.org/family/proclamation "The Family: A Proclamation to the World"].</ref> Many Mormons hold weekly [[Family Home Evening|family home evenings]], in which an evening is set aside for family bonding, study, prayer and other wholesome activities. Latter-day Saint fathers who hold the [[Priesthood (LDS Church)|priesthood]] typically name and [[baby blessing|bless their children]] shortly after birth to formally give the child a name. Mormon parents hope and pray that their children will gain testimonies of the "gospel" so they can grow up and marry in temples.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=30&ndash31}}; {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=58}}.</ref>

Mormons have a strict [[law of chastity]], requiring abstention from sexual relations outside of opposite-sex marriage and strict fidelity within marriage. All sexual activity (heterosexual and homosexual) outside of marriage is considered a serious sin, with marriage recognized as only between a man and a woman.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chastity |work=True to the Faith |year=2004 |url= http://www.lds.org/manual/true-to-the-faith/chastity |pages=29–33}}; {{Cite journal|url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/mormons-in-america-executive-summary.aspx |title=Mormons in America|publisher=Pew Research Center |date=January 2012}} (79% of Mormons in the US say that sex between unmarried adults is morally wrong, far higher than the 35% of the general public who hold the same view).</ref> [[Same-sex marriage]]s are not performed or supported by the LDS Church. Church members are encouraged to marry and have children, and Latter-day Saint families tend to be larger than average. Mormons are opposed to [[abortion]], except in some exceptional circumstances, such as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, or when the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lds.org/study/topics/abortion |publisher=lds.org |title=Topic: Abortion}}.</ref> Many practicing adult Mormons wear [[Temple garment|religious undergarments]] that remind them of [[covenant (Latter Day Saints)|covenants]] and encourage them to dress modestly. Latter-day Saints are counseled not to partake of any form of media that is obscene or pornographic in any way, including media that depicts graphic representations of sex or violence. [[Tattoo]]s and [[body piercing]]s are also discouraged, with the exception of a single pair of earrings for LDS women.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lds.org/manual/for-the-strength-of-youth-fulfilling-our-duty-to-god/dress-and-appearance |title=Dress and Appearance |work=For the Strength of the Youth |publisher=LDS Church |year=2001}}</ref>

[[Homosexual Mormons|LGBT Mormons]], or Mormons who self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, remain in good standing in the church if they abstain from homosexual relations and obey the law of chastity.<ref>Homosexual acts (as well as other sexual acts outside the bonds of marriage) are prohibited by the [[law of chastity]]. Violating the law of chastity may result in [[excommunication]]. {{cite web |url=http://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/11/what-are-people-asking-about-us |title=What Are People Asking about Us? |author=Gordon B. Hinckley |year=1998 |work= |publisher= |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}.</ref> While there are no official numbers, LDS Family Services estimates that there are on average four or five members per [[Ward (LDS Church)|LDS ward]] who experience same-sex attraction.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.evergreeninternational.org/Individuals.htm |title= Resources for Individuals |work= EvergreenInternational.org |publisher= [[Evergreen International]] |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20121120213658/http://www.evergreeninternational.org/Individuals.htm |archivedate= 2012-11-20}}.</ref> Gary Watts, former president of [[Family Fellowship]], estimates that only 10 percent of homosexuals stay in the church.<ref>{{Cite journal |url= http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/ci_6668882 |title= Mormon church changes stance on homosexuality; New teachings say lifelong celibacy to be rewarded with heterosexuality in heaven |author= Rebecca Rosen Lum |date= August 20, 2007 |work=[[The Oakland Tribune]] |accessdate= 2007-12-20 |ref= harv }}.</ref> Many of these individuals have come forward through different support groups or websites discussing their homosexual attractions and concurrent church membership.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mormons and Gays|url=http://www.mormonsandgays.org/|publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints|accessdate=18 February 2013}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=North Star LDS Community|url=http://northstarlds.org/community/community-voices/|publisher=North Star|accessdate=18 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.affirmation.org/history/in_the_beginning.shtml |work=Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons |title=In The Beginning: A Brief History of Affirmation |author=Paul Mortensen}}; See also:[[Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons]].</ref>

==Groups within Mormonism==
{{See also|List of sects in the Latter Day Saint movement|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics}}
[[File:Salt Lake Temple, Utah - Sept 2004-2.jpg|thumb||right|The [[Salt Lake Temple]] is one of the most iconic images of the LDS Church]]

===Latter-day Saints===
Members of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church), formally known as Latter-day Saints, constitute over 99 percent of Mormons.<ref>The LDS Church claims a membership of over 14 million ({{cite web|url=http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/2012-statistical-report-2013-april-general-conference|title=2012 Statistical Report for 2013 April General Conference}}), while members of other [[Brighamite|Brigham Young–lineage sects]] number in the tens of thousands. (The [[Latter Day Saint movement]] in its entirety is dominated by the LDS Church, which makes up perhaps 98 percent of such adherents. One denomination dominates the [[Prairie Saints|non-Mormon section of the movement]]: [[Community of Christ]], which has about 250,000 members.)Also note the use of the lower case ''d'' and hyphen in "Latter-day Saints", as opposed to the larger "[[Latter Day Saint movement]]."</ref> The beliefs and practices of LDS Mormons are generally guided by the teachings of [[general authority|LDS Church leaders]]. There are, however, several smaller groups that differ from "mainstream" Mormonism in various ways.

LDS Church members who do not actively participate in worship services or church callings are often called "[[Less-active Mormon|less-active]]" (akin to the qualifying expressions ''non-observant'' or ''non-practicing'' used in relation to members of other religious groups).<ref name="Stack 2011-09-23">{{cite news |last= Stack |first= Peggy Fletcher |authorlink= Peggy Fletcher Stack |date= 23 September 2011 |title= Active, inactive – do Mormon labels work or wound? |url= http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/52631643-80/mormon-church-lds-says.html.csp |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |accessdate= 2013-09-20}}.</ref> The LDS Church does not release statistics on church activity, but it is likely that about 40 percent of Mormons in the United States and 30 percent worldwide regularly attend worship services.<ref>Member activity rates are estimated from missionary reports, seminary and institute enrollment, and ratio of members per congregation – {{cite web |url=http://ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com/2011/07/countries-of-world-by-estimated-member.html |title=Countries of the World by Estimated Member Activity Rate |author= |date=July 11, 2011 |work=LDS Church Growth |publisher= |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}; See also: {{cite web |url=http://rsc.byu.edu/archived/latter-day-saint-social-life-social-research-lds-church-and-its-members/8-consequential-dim |title=The Consequential Dimension of Mormon Religiosity |author=Stan L. Albrecht |year=1998 |work= |publisher= |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}; {{cite news |first= Peggy Fletcher |last= Stack |authorlink = Peggy Fletcher Stack |date= July 26, 2005 |title= Keeping members a challenge for LDS church |url = http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2890645 |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |accessdate= 2013-09-20 }}</ref> Reasons for inactivity can include lifestyle issues and problems with social integration.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Activity_in_the_Church |title=Activity in the Church |author= |year=1992 |work=Encyclopedia of Mormonism |publisher= |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}.</ref> Activity rates tend to vary with age, and disengagement occurs most frequently between age 16 and 25. A majority of less active members return to church activity later in life.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rsc.byu.edu/archived/latter-day-saint-social-life-social-research-lds-church-and-its-members/8-consequential-dim |title=The Consequential Dimension of Mormon Religiosity |author=Stan L. Albrecht |year=1998 |work= |publisher= |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}</ref> Former Latter-day Saints who seek to disassociate themselves from the religion are often referred to as [[ex-Mormon]]s.

===Fundamentalist Mormons===
Members of sects that broke with the LDS Church over the issue of polygamy have become known as [[Mormon fundamentalism|fundamentalist Mormons]]; these groups differ from mainstream Mormonism primarily in their belief in and practice of [[plural marriage]]. There are thought to be between 20,000 and 60,000 members of fundamentalist sects, (0.1–0.4 percent of Mormons), with roughly half of them practicing polygamy.<ref>Martha Sonntag Bradley, "Polygamy-Practicing Mormons" in [[J. Gordon Melton]] and Martin Baumann (eds.) (2002). ''Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia'' '''3''':1023–24; ''[[Dateline NBC]]'', 2001–01–02; Ken Driggs, [https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V24N04_46.pdf "Twentieth-Century Polygamy and Fundamentalist Mormons in Southern Utah"], ''[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought]]'', Winter 1991, pp. 46–47; Irwin Altman, "Polygamous Family Life: The Case of Contemporary Mormon Fundamentalists", ''[[Utah Law Review]]'' (1996) p. 369; Stephen Eliot Smith, "'The Mormon Question' Revisited: Anti-Polygamy Laws and the Free Exercise Clause", LL.M. thesis, [[Harvard Law School]], 2005.</ref> There are a number of fundamentalist sects, the largest two being the [[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] (FLDS Church) and the [[Apostolic United Brethren]] (AUB). In addition to plural marriage, some of these groups also practice a form of Christian [[communalism]] known as the [[law of consecration]] or the [[United Order]]. The LDS Church seeks to distance itself from all such polygamous groups, excommunicating their members if discovered practicing or teaching it,<ref>The LDS Church encourages journalists not to use the word ''Mormon'' in reference to organizations or people that practice polygamy {{cite web |url=http://newsroom.lds.org/style-guide |title=Style Guide |author= |date= |work= |publisher=LDS Newsroom |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}; The church repudiates polygamist groups and excommunicates their members if discovered – {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=91}}; {{cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25396937/ns/us_news-faith/t/mormons-seek-distance-polygamist-sects/ |title=Mormons seek distance from polygamous sects |year=2008 |publisher= msnbc.com }}</ref> and today a majority of Mormon fundamentalists have never been members of the LDS Church.<ref>{{Cite journal| journal=Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought |url=https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V31N02_19.pdf |author=Quinn, Michael D. |issue=2 |date=Summer 1998 |title=Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalism |page=7 |volume=31| ref=harv}}</ref>

===Liberal Mormons===
{{anchor|Liberal Mormon}}
Liberal Mormons, also known as Progressive Mormons, take an interpretive approach to LDS teachings and scripture.<ref name="Stack 2011-09-23" /> They look to the scriptures for spiritual guidance, but do not necessarily believe the teachings to be literally or uniquely true. For liberal Mormons, revelation is a process through which God gradually brings fallible human beings to greater understanding.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.liberalmormon.net/501whl.shtml |title=LiberalMormon.net |accessdate=October 27, 2011 }}.</ref> Liberal Mormons place doing good and loving fellow human beings above the importance of believing correctly.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://latterdaymainstreet.com/2010/09/21/bringing-back-liberal-mormonism/ |title=Bringing back Liberal Mormonism |author=Chris H |date=September 21, 2010 |publisher=Main Street Plaza |accessdate=October 27, 2011 }}.</ref> In a separate context, members of minuscule [[List of sects in the Latter Day Saint movement#Liberal Mormon|"progressive" breakaway groups]] have also adopted the label ''Liberal Mormon.''

===Cultural Mormons===
[[Cultural Mormon]]s are individuals who do not believe some (or many) of the doctrines of LDS Church, but who self-identify as Mormon.<ref name="Stack 2011-09-23" /> Usually this is a result of having been raised in the LDS faith, or as having converted and spent a large portion of one's life as an active member of the LDS Church.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.newordermormon.org/essays/faithful-unbelievers.php |contribution= The Paradox of the Faithful Unbeliever |first= Peggy |last= Rogers |date= n.d. |title= New Order Mormon Essays |work= New Order Mormon, NewOrderMormon.org |publisher= Publisher is anonymous |accessdate= 2013-09-20}}.</ref> Cultural Mormons may or may not be actively involved with the church, and in some cases may not even be officially members of the church.

==Beliefs==
{{main|Mormonism|Mormon cosmology}}

Mormons have [[Standard Works|a scriptural canon]] consisting of the [[Bible]] (both Old and New Testaments), the [[Book of Mormon]], and a collection of revelations and writings by Joseph Smith known as the [[Doctrine and Covenants]] and [[Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)|Pearl of Great Price]]. Mormons however have a relatively [[Continuous revelation|open]] definition of [[Religious text|scripture]]. As a general rule, anything spoken or written by a [[Prophet, seer, and revelator|prophet]], while under inspiration, is considered to be the word of God.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Scriptures#Scriptures:_Authority_of_Scripture |title=Authority of Scripture |author= |date= |work=Encyclopedia of Mormonism |publisher= |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}.</ref> Thus, the Bible, written by prophets, is the word of God, so far as it is translated correctly. The [[Book of Mormon]] is also believed to have been written by ancient prophets, and is viewed as a companion to the Bible. By this definition, the teachings of Smith's successors are also accepted as scripture, though they are always measured against, and draw heavily from the scriptural canon.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=25–26}}.</ref>
[[Image:Christus statue temple square salt lake city.jpg|thumb|Mormons see {{nowrap|[[Jesus|Jesus Christ]]}} as the premier figure of their religion.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=8}} ("As the name of the church  ... suggests, Jesus Christ is the premier figure. Smith does not even play the role of the last and culminating prophet, as Muhammad does in Islam"); {{cite web |url=http://newsroom.lds.org/article/what-mormons-believe-about-jesus-christ |title=What Mormons Believe About Jesus Christ |author= |date= |work= |publisher=LDS Newsroom |accessdate=November 11, 2011}}; In a [http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/mormons-in-america-executive-summary.aspx#beliefs 2011 Pew Survey] a thousand Mormons were asked to volunteer the one word that best describes Mormons. The most common response from those surveyed was "Christian" or "Christ-centered".</ref>]]

Mormons believe in "a friendly universe", governed by a God whose work and glory it is to bring his children to immortality and eternal life.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=79}}.</ref> Mormons have a unique perspective on the [[Plurality of gods|nature of God]], the origin of man, and the purpose of life. For instance, Mormons believe in a pre-mortal existence where people were literal spirit children of God,<ref name="PMGpos">{{Cite journal|title=Plan of Salvation|work=True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference|year=2004|publisher=LDS Church |url=http://www.lds.org/manual/true-to-the-faith/plan-of-salvation|page=115|ref=harv}}</ref> and that God presented a [[Plan of salvation (Latter Day Saints)|plan of salvation]] that would allow his children to progress and become more like him. The plan involved the spirits receiving bodies on earth and going through trials in order to learn, progress, and receive a "fulness of joy".<ref name=PMGpos/> The most important part of the plan involved [[Jesus]], the eldest of God's children, coming to earth as the literal Son of God, to conquer sin and death so that God's other children could return. According to Mormons, every person who lives on earth will be resurrected, and nearly all of them will be received into various [[Degrees of glory|kingdoms of glory]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=75}}.</ref> To be accepted into the highest kingdom, a person must fully accept Christ through faith, repentance, and through [[Ordinance (Latter Day Saints)|ordinances]] such as [[Baptism (Mormonism)|baptism]] and the [[Confirmation (Latter Day Saints)|laying on of hands]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=78}}; In Mormonism, an ordinance is a formal act, in which people enter into [[Covenant (Latter Day Saints)|covenants]] with God. For example, covenants associated with baptism and the [[Eucharist]] involve taking the name of the Son upon themselves, always remembering him, and keeping his commandments; {{Cite journal|title=Atonement of Jesus Christ|work=True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference|year=2004|publisher=LDS Church |url=http://www.lds.org/manual/true-to-the-faith/atonement-of-jesus-christ|page=14|ref=harv}}; {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=60–61}} Because Mormons believe that everyone must receive certain ordinances to be saved, Mormons perform vicarious ordinances such as [[baptism for the dead]] on behalf of deceased persons. Mormons believe that the deceased may accept or reject the offered ordinance in the [[Spirit world (Latter Day Saints)|spirit world]].</ref>

[[File:Latter Day Saint confirmation (Mayhew 1852).png|thumb|left|190px|A Latter Day Saint [[Confirmation (Latter Day Saints)|confirmation]] circa 1852]]
According to Mormons, a deviation from the original principles of Christianity, known as the [[Great Apostasy#The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Great Apostasy]], began not long after the [[ascension of Jesus Christ]].<ref name = PMG35>{{Cite book |author= Missionary Department of the LDS Church |authorlink= The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |title= Preach My Gospel |publisher= [[LDS Church]], Inc |year= 2004 |page= 35 |url= http://www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/lesson-1-the-message-of-the-restoration-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ |isbn= 0-402-36617-4 |ref= harv }}</ref> It was marked with the corruption of Christian doctrine by [[Greek philosophy|Greek]] and other philosophies,<ref name = GA2>{{Cite book |last= Talmage |first= James E. |authorlink= James E. Talmage |title= The Great Apostasy |work= The Deseret News |year= 1909 |pages= 64–65 |url= http://www.archive.org/stream/greatapostasycon00atalm#page/68/mode/2up |isbn= 0-87579-843-8 |ref= harv }}</ref> with followers dividing into different ideological groups.<ref name = MARV1>{{Cite book |last= Richards |first= LeGrand |authorlink= LeGrand Richards |title= [[A Marvelous Work and a Wonder]] |publisher= Deseret Book Company |year= 1976 |page= 24 |isbn= 0-87747-161-4 |ref= harv }}</ref> Mormons claim the [[martyr]]dom of the [[Apostle (Christian)|Apostles]]<ref name = GA1>{{Cite book | last = Talmage | first = James E. | authorlink = James E. Talmage | title = The Great Apostasy | work = The Deseret News | year = 1909 | page = 68 | url =http://www.archive.org/stream/greatapostasycon00atalm#page/68/mode/2up | isbn = 0-87579-843-8 | ref = harv | postscript = }}</ref> led to a loss of [[Priesthood (LDS Church)|Priesthood authority]] to administer the church and its ordinances.<ref name = Eyring>{{Cite journal |last= Eyring |first= Henry B. |author-link= Henry B. Eyring |title= The True and Living Church |url= http://www.lds.org/ensign/2008/05/the-true-and-living-church |journal= Ensign |publisher= LDS Church |pages= 20–24 |date= May 2008 |year= 2008 |ref= harv }}; Cf. [http://bibref.hebtools.com/bibref.php?book=John&verse=14%3A16-17&src=1000 John 14:16–17] and [http://bibref.hebtools.com/bibref.php?book=John&verse=16%3A13&src=1000 16:13], [http://bibref.hebtools.com/bibref.php?book=Acts&verse=2%3A1-4&src=1000 Acts 2:1–4], and [http://bibref.hebtools.com/bibref.php?book=Galatians&verse=1%3a6-9 Galatians 1:6–9].</ref>
Mormons believe that God [[Restoration (Latter Day Saints)|restored]] the [[Early Christianity|early Christian]] church through Joseph Smith. In particular, Mormons believe that [[angel]]s such as [[Saint Peter|Peter]], [[James, son of Zebedee|James]], [[John the Apostle|John]], [[John the Baptist]], [[Moses]], and [[Elijah]] appeared to Smith and others and bestowed various priesthood authorities on them. Mormons believe that their church is the "only true and living church" because of the divine authority restored through Smith. Mormons self-identify as being Christian,<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Mormonism in America|url= http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/mormons-in-america-executive-summary.aspx|publisher=Pew Research Center|date=January 2012}} (Mormons are nearly unanimous in describing Mormonism as a Christian religion, with 97% expressing this point of view); {{citation |author=Robinson, Stephen E. |date=May 1998 |url=http://www.lds.org/new-era/1998/05/are-mormons-christians |title=Are Mormons Christians? |publisher=Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints |work=[[New Era (magazine)|New Era]]}}.</ref> while many Christians, particularly evangelical Protestants, disagree with this view.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Romney's Mormon Faith Likely a Factor in Primaries, Not in a General Election|publisher=Pew Research Center|url=http://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Romneys-Mormon-Faith-Likely-a-Factor-in-Primaries-Not-in-a-General-Election.aspx}} (About a third of Americans and half of evangelical Protestants view Mormonism as a non-Christian religion).</ref> Mormons view other religions as having portions of the truth, doing good works, and having genuine value.<ref>"Have the Presbyterians any truth? Yes. Have the Baptists, Methodists, etc., any truth? Yes. They all have a little truth mixed with error. We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true 'Mormons'." {{Cite journal|title=[[Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (book)|Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith]] |page=316 |author=Joseph Fielding Smith |year=1993|ref=harv}}; Mormons take an [[Inclusivism|inclusivist]] position that their religion is correct and true but that other religions have genuine value. {{Cite book |title=Religions of the World: A Latter-day Saint View |last1=Palmer |last2=Keller |last3=Choi |last4=Toronto |publisher=Brigham Young University |year=1997}}.</ref>

Though the LDS Church has a top-down hierarchical structure with a president–prophet dictating revelations for the whole church, there is a bottom-up aspect as well. Ordinary Mormons have access to the same inspiration that is thought to guide their prophets, and are encouraged to seek their own [[Revelation (Latter Day Saints)#Personal revelation|personal revelations]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=54}}.</ref> Mormons see Joseph Smith's [[First Vision|first vision]] as proof that the heavens are open, and that God answers prayers. They place considerable emphasis on "asking God" to find out if something is true. Most Mormons do not claim to have had heavenly visions like Smith's in response to prayers, but feel that God talks to them in their hearts and minds through the [[Holy Ghost]]. Though Mormons have some beliefs that are considered strange in a modernized world, they continue to hold onto their beliefs because they feel God has spoken to them.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=15, 35–35}} (Outside observers sometimes react to Mormonism as "nice people, wacky beliefs." Mormons insist that the "wacky" beliefs pull them together as a people and give them the strength and the know-how to succeed in the modern world).</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Latter-day Saints}}
*[[List of Latter Day Saints]]
*[[Brighamite|List of sects in the Latter Day Saint movement: Followers of Brigham Young]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
*{{Cite journal
| last=Alexander
| first=Thomas G.
| authorlink=Thomas G. Alexander
| title=The Reconstruction of Mormon Doctrine: From Joseph Smith to Progressive Theology
| journal=Sunstone
| volume=5
| issue=4
| year=1980
| pages=24–33
|url=https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/022-24-33.pdf
| ref=harv
| postscript=
}}.
*{{Citation
| last = Allen
| first = James B.
| author-link = James B. Allen (historian)
| title = The Significance of Joseph Smith's First Vision in Mormon Thought
| journal = [[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought]]
| year = 1966
| volume = 1
| issue = 3
| url = http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?/dialogue,3611
}}.
*{{Cite book
| last = Bloom
| first = Harold
| author-link = Harold Bloom
| title = The American Religion: The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation
| publisher = [[Simon & Schuster]]
| publication-place = New York
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| year = 1992
| isbn = 978-0-671-67997-2
| ref = harv
| postscript =
}}.
*{{Cite book
| last = Bowman
| first = Matthew
| author-link = Matthew Bowman (historian)
| title = The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith
| publisher = [[Random House]]
| year = 2012
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| ref = harv
}}.
*{{Cite book
| last = Brodie
| first = Fawn M.
| author-link = Fawn M. Brodie
| title = [[No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith]]
| publisher = [[Alfred A. Knopf|Knopf]]
| publication-place = New York
| edition=2nd
| year = 1971
| isbn=0-394-46967-4
| ref = harv
| postscript =
}}.
*{{Cite book
| last=Bushman
| first=Richard Lyman
| authorlink=Richard Bushman
| title=[[Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling]]
| year=2005
| place=New York
| publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf|Knopf]]
| isbn=1-4000-4270-4
| ref=harv
| postscript=
}}.
*{{Cite book
| last=Bushman
| first=Richard Lyman
| title=Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction
| year=2008
| place=New York
| publisher=Oxford University Press
| isbn=978-0-19-531030-6
| ref=harv
| postscript=
}}.
*{{Cite book
| contribution=Mormons
| last=Epperson
| first=Steven
| title=A notion of peoples: a sourcebook on America's multicultural heritage
| year=1999
| editor-last=Barkan
| editor-first=Elliott Robert
| publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group
| isbn=0-313-29961-7
| ref=harv
| postscript=
}}.
*{{Cite journal
| last=Hill
| first=Marvin S.
| authorlink=Marvin S. Hill
| title=Quest for Refuge: The Mormon Flight from American Pluralism
| year=1989
| publisher=[[Signature Books]]
| publication-place=Salt Lake City, Utah
| url=http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=5303
| ref=harv
| postscript=
}}.
*{{Cite book
| editor-last=Ludlow
| editor-first=Daniel H.
| editor-link=Daniel H. Ludlow
| title=Encyclopedia of Mormonism
| year=1992
| publisher=Macmillan
| publication-place=New York
| isbn=0-02-904040-X
| url=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/u?/EoM,3733
| ref=harv
| postscript=
}}.
*{{Cite book
| last=Mauss
| first=Armand
| authorlink=Armand Mauss
| title=The Angel and the Beehive: The Mormon Struggle with Assimilation
| publication-place=Urbana & Chicago
| publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]]
| year=1994
| isbn=0-252-02071-5
| ref=harv
| postscript=
}}.
*{{Cite book
| last=May
| first=Dean
| authorlink=Dean L. May
| contribution=Mormons
| title=Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups
| editor-last=Thernstrom
| editor-first=Stephan
| publisher=Harvard University Press
| publication-place=Cambridge, Mass.
| year=1980
| page=720
| ref=harv
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}}.
*{{Cite book
| last=McMurrin
| first=Sterling M.
| authorlink=Sterling M. McMurrin
| title=The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion
| publisher=[[Signature Books]]
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| year=1965
| isbn=1-56085-135-X
| ref=harv
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* {{Cite book
| last=O'Dea
| first=Thomas F.
| title=The Mormons
| year=1957
| publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]
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}}
*{{Cite book
| last1=Ostling
| first1=Richard
| last2=Ostling
| first2=Joan K.
| author1-link=Richard and Joan Ostling
| author2-link=Richard and Joan Ostling
| title=Mormon America: The Power and the Promise
| publisher=HarperOne
| publication-place=New York
| year=2007
| isbn=978-0-06-143295-8
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}}.
*{{Cite book
| last=Quinn
| first=D. Michael
| author-link=D. Michael Quinn
| title=The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power
| publisher=[[Signature Books]]
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| year=1994
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}}.
*{{Cite book
| last=Shipps
| first=Jan
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*{{Cite book
| last=Shipps
| first=Jan
| title=Sojourner in the promised land: forty years among the Mormons
| year=2000
| publisher=University of Illinois Press
| publication-place=Chicago
| isbn=0-252-02590-3
| ref=harv
| postscript=
}}.

{{Refend}}

==External links==
*[http://www.pbs.org/mormons/ The Mormons—PBS American Experience/Frontline: ''Watch the Full Program Online''—Part One: History, Part Two: Church & State]
*[http://www.patheos.com/Library/Mormonism.html/ Patheos + Mormonism] – Patheos.com – Mormonism Origins, Mormonism History, Mormonism Beliefs
*[http://lds.org/?lang=eng lds.org], official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
*[http://mormon.org/eng/ Mormon.org], introductory website containing answers to frequently asked questions
*[http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/ mormonfundamentalism.com], information on Mormon fundamentalism compiled by Brian C. Hales
*[http://www.mormonwiki.com/Main_Page MormonWiki.com] free encyclopedia about Mormons from the perspective of members
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
**{{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Mormons|short=x |noicon=x}}
**{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Mormons |short=x |noicon=x}}
**{{Cite CE1913|wstitle=Mormons|author=W. R. Harris|short=x |noicon=x}}
**{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Mormons|short=x |noicon=x}}
**{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Mormons|year=1905|author=[[Woodbridge Riley|I. Woodbridge Riley]]|short=x |noicon=x}}
**{{Cite EB9|wstitle=Mormons|author=John Fraser|volume=16|short=x |noicon=x}}
**{{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Mormons|author=[[Robert Carter (editor)|Robert Carter]]|short=x |noicon=x}}
**[[s:Portal:Mormonism|Mormonism portal]]
}}
{{LDSaffiliation}}
{{Good article}}

[[Category:Mormonism| ]]
[[Category:Latter Day Saints|*Mormons]]
[[Category:Latter Day Saint terms]]
[[Category:Mormon studies]]
[[Category:Ethnoreligious groups]]

Kidz Bop

2010-05-09T22:39:27Z

ConCompS: Reverted edits by 24.29.49.27 (talk) to last revision by ConCompS (HG)

{{Unreferenced|date=December 2009}}
'''''Kidz Bop''''' are [[compilation album]]s of popular songs, covered by children singing rather than the original artist. As of 2010, 17 Kidz Bop albums have been released.

KIDZ BOP LLC is a division of New York based independent [[Razor & Tie]] Entertainment, founded by Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam.

==Kidz Bop discography==
===Album===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;
!rowspan=2|Year
!rowspan=2|Album
!colspan=2|Peak chart positions
!rowspan=2| [[Music recording sales certification|Certifications]] ([[List of music recording sales certifications|sales thresholds]])
|-style=font-size:smaller;
!width=40|[[Billboard 200|BB 200]] <ref name="BBChart">[http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=KIDZ|BOP&sql=11:0zfpxqusld0e~T5 All Music - Kidz Bop - Charts and Awards]</ref>
!width=40|[[Kid Albums|BB Kids]] <ref name="BBChart" />
|-
|2001
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 1|Kidz Bop]]'''''
* Released: October 9, 2001
|71
|1
|align=left|
* US: Gold<ref name="RIAA">[http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Kidz%20Bop&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25 RIAA Gold and Platinum - Kidz Bop]</ref>
|-
|2002
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 2]]'''''
* Released: August 20, 2002
|37
|1
|align=left|
* US: Gold<ref name="RIAA" />
|-
|2003
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 3]]'''''
* Released: March 4, 2003
|17
|1
|align=left|
* US: Gold<ref name="RIAA" />
|-
|2003
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 4]]'''''
* Released: August 12, 2003
|14
|1
|align=left|
* US: Gold<ref name="RIAA" />
|-
|2004
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 5]]'''''
* Released: February 24, 2004
|34
|1
|align=left|
|-
|2004
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 6]]'''''
* Released: August 10, 2004
|23
|1
|align=left|
|-
|2005
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 7]]'''''
* Released: February 22, 2005
|7
|1
|align=left|
* US: Gold<ref name="RIAA" />
|-
|2005
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 8]]'''''
* Released: August 2, 2005
|6
|1
|align=left|
* US: Gold<ref name="RIAA" />
|-
|2006
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 9]]'''''
* Released: February 21, 2006
|2
|2
|align=left|
* US: Gold<ref name="RIAA" />
|-
|2006
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 10]]'''''
* Released: August 1, 2006
|3
|1
|align=left|
* US: Gold<ref name="RIAA" />
|-
|2007
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 11]]'''''
* Released: February 20, 2007
|4
|1
|align=left|
|-
|2007
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 12]]'''''
* Released: July 31, 2007
|7
|2
|align=left|
|-
|2008
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 13]]'''''
* Released: February 19, 2008
|4
|1
|align=left|
|-
|2008
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 14]]'''''
* Released: July 29, 2008
|8
|1
|align=left|
|-
|2009
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 15]]'''''
* Released: February 3, 2009
|7
|1
|align=left|
|-
|2009
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 16]]'''''
* Released: August 4, 2009
|8
|1
|align=left|
|-
|2010
|align=left|'''''[[Kidz Bop 17]]'''''
* Released: January 26, 2010
|12
|1
|align=left|
|-
|2010
|align=left|''''' [[Kidz Bop 18]]'''''
* Release Date: July 22, 2010
|
|
|align=left|
|-
|}

===Special collections===
#''[[Kidz Bop Christmas]]'' – Released 2002
#''[[Kidz Bop: All New 5 Cool Songs]]'' (EP) – Released 2002
#''[[Kidz Bop Gold]]'' – Released 2004
#''[[Kidz Bop Halloween]]'' – Released 2004
#''[[Kidz Bop Country]]'' – Released 2007
#''[[Kidz Bop 80s Gold]]'' – Released 2008
#''[[Kidz Bop Greatest Hits]]'' – Released 2009
#''[[Kidz Bop Sings The Beatles]]'' – Released 2009
#''[[The Kidz Bop Anthology]]: Vols. 1–17'' – Released 2010<ref>http://www.kidzbopshop.com/product.aspx?productid=243&categoryid=&productcode=MS4122</ref>
#''[[Kidz Bop Dance Party]]'' - Released 2010<ref>http://www.kidzbopshop.com/product.aspx?productid=245&categoryid=&productcode=MS9236</ref>

===McDonald's Collection===

In 2009, McDonald's released a series of 8 Kidz Bop CD's as premiums in their Happy Meals. Each CD contained four songs plus the Kidz Bop theme.

==Criticism==

Despite being intended for kids, Kidz Bop has come under criticism for using songs that are not suitable for children.<ref>http://jumptheturnstyle.com/?p=513</ref>. Some of these songs include "[[Paparazzi]]" by [[Lady Gaga]], covered on [[Kidz Bop 17]]<ref>http://www.kidzbopshop.com/product.aspx?productid=245&categoryid=&productcode=MS9236</ref>, whose subject matter includes stalking and attempted murder, "Telephone" by [[Lady Gaga]] and [[Beyonce]], which shows nudity, sexual harassment, murder, and cussing, covered on "Kidz Bop: Dance Party", and "Tik Tok" by [[Ke$ha]] (which opens with a line about "brush[ing] my teeth with [[Jack Daniel's|Jack]]") covered on the recently released ''Kidz Bop: Dance Party''. whose subject matter includes sexual references and drug abuse. Others criticize Kidz Bop for ruining songs.

==See also==
*[[Minipops]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{official|http://www.kidzbop.com/}}

{{KidzBop}}

[[Category:Kidz Bop|*]]
[[Category:Covers albums]]
[[Category:American children's musical groups]]

Kidz Bop

2010-05-09T22:35:31Z

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Kidz Bop

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Kidz Bop

2010-05-09T22:33:47Z

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Kidz Bop

2010-05-09T22:33:01Z

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Thank Me Later

2010-02-02T02:15:14Z

ConCompS: Reverted edits by 69.178.26.120 to last revision by 76.69.186.63 (HG)

{{Infobox album|
| Name = Thank Me Later
| Type = Studio
| Artist = [[Drake (entertainer)|Drake]]
| Cover = nocover.svg
| Released = March 2010
| Recorded = 2009-2010
| Genre = [[Hip Hop]]
| Length =
| Label = [[Cash Money Records|Cash Money]], [[Young Money Entertainment|Young Money]], [[Universal Republic]]
| Producer = [[Lil Wayne]], [[Birdman (rapper)|Birdman]], Drake (exec.) [[Boi-1da]], [[Noah "40" Shebib]], [[Tone Mason]], Omen, [[Kanye West]]
| Last album = ''[[So Far Gone]]'' (2009)
| This album = '''''Thank Me Later''''' (2010)
| Next album =
| Misc =
}}
'''''Thank Me Later''''' is the debut, full-length [[studio album]] to be released by Canadian rapper [[Drake (entertainer)|Drake]]. The album is slated to be released in March 2010 on [[Young Money Entertainment|Young Money]], under a joint-venture with [[Cash Money Records|Cash Money]] and distribution by [[Universal Republic]].

==Background==
In an interview with ''Complex.com'', Drake stated that this album will be "a solid hip hop album" different from his mixtape ''[[So Far Gone]]'', whose musical style has been compared to that of [[Kanye West]]'s album ''[[808's and Heartbreak]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Scott|first=Marcus|title=Drake Talks Young Money, Kanye Comparisons, & Ghostwriting|url=http://www.complex.com/blogs/2009/02/19/drake-talks-young-money-kanye-comparisons-ghostwriting/|work=Complex.com|date=February 19, 2009}}</ref> Drake has also stated a desire to work with [[Kanye West]], [[André 3000]], [[Kid Cudi]],<ref name="Reveals"/> [[Kings of Leon]], [[Sade (band)|Sade]] and [[Eminem]]<ref>http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1630942/20100201/drake.jhtml</ref>on the album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sohh.com/2009/11/drake_names_his_thank_me_later_top_3_wis.html|title=Drake Eyes Big Features For "Thank Me Later" LP, "I Really Wanna Get Andre 3000"|last=Langhorne|first=Cyrus|date=November 17, 2009|work=SOHH|accessdate=December 6, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Reveals">{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1610794/20090506/drake2.jhtml|title=Drake Reveals Collaborations With Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Trey Songz|last=Reid|first=Shaheem|coauthors=Rodriguez, Jayson|date=May 7, 2009|work=Mixtape Daily|publisher=MTV News|accessdate=June 6, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Hopes">{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1613246/20090603/drake2.jhtml|title=Drake Hopes To Have Kanye West,Lil Wayne, The Neptunes, Kid Cudi, Jay-Z On Debut LP|last=Reid|first=Shaheem|date=June 4, 2009|publisher=MTV News|accessdate=June 6, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rap-up.com/2009/11/17/drake-reveals-wish-list-of-collaborators/|title=Drake Reveals Wish List of Collaborators|date=November 17, 2009|work=Rap-Up.com|accessdate=November 27, 2009}}</ref>

On May 28, 2009, independent label Canadian Money Entertainment sold an unauthorized Drake album, ''The Girls Love Drake'', on [[iTunes]], [[Rhapsody.com]], [[Shockhound]], and [[Amazon.com]]. Drake's management sent a [[cease and desist]] order to iTunes, which promptly removed the album from sale on June 5. Drake plans to sue Canadian Money.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/exclusive-fake-drake-album-sold-on-itunes-1003980865.story|title=Exclusive: Drake Album Sold On iTunes, Lawsuit Planned Against Label|work=Billboard|date=June 5, 2009}} </ref>

Drake resumed work on the album in October 2009 following an onstage injury from a July 2009 concert. "Shut It Down", featuring singer [[The-Dream]], is the possible first single from the album and to be released in January 2010.<ref name="Confirms">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/news/drake-confirms-the-dream-collaboration-back-1004021058.story#/news/drake-confirms-the-dream-collaboration-back-1004021058.story|title=Drake Confirms The-Dream Collaboration, Back To Recording After Knee Surgery|last=Graff|first=Gary|work=Billboard|date=October 29, 2009|accessdate=November 27, 2009}}</ref> Hip hop producer Omen told ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine that a video for "Shut It Down" would be directed by [[Hype Williams]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Concepcion|first=Mariel|title=Drake Readies First 'Thank Me Later' Single|url=http://www.billboard.com/news/drake-readies-first-thank-me-later-single-1004016173.story|work=Billboard|date=September 25, 2009|accessdate=November 27, 2009}}</ref> However, Drake stated in an interview that "Shut It Down" would be a single but not the first one.<ref name="Talks">{{cite web|url=http://www.rap-up.com/2009/11/11/exclusive-drake-talks-debut-album/|title=Exclusive: Drake Talks Debut Album|date=November 11, 2009|work=Rap-Up.com|accessdate=November 27, 2009}}</ref>

In early November 2009, Wayne officially released a statement explaining that ''Thank Me Later'' had been completed.<ref>{{cite web|author=Jason|title=Lil Wayne Say's Drake's New Album Is Done|url=http://www.rapbasement.com/drake/110809-lil-wayne-says-that-drakes-thank-me-later-debut-album-is-basically-finished-and-ready-to-go.html|work=Rap Basement|date=November 9, 2009|accessdate=November 26, 2009}}</ref> MTV News reported in December that Drake plans the album to be released possibly by March 2010.<ref name=lightup>{{cite web|last=Rodriguez|first=Jayson|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1628944/20091230/drake.jhtml|title=Drake Calls 'Light Up,' His Collabo With Jay-Z, 'Phenomenal'|date=December 30, 2009|publisher=MTV News|accessdate=January 4, 2010}}</ref>

On January 31st, at the [[52nd Grammy Awards]], when asked about his album and the first single,Drake said,"I'm gonna figure that out this week and it should be coming in a week or two," he said. "It's all coming soon. I won't take too long." He also talked about a collaboration with him and Eminem , "Me and Em talked about something today," Drake revealed. "We might need that to happen."

==Confirmed tracks==
*"Fireworks" (Produced by [[Boi-1da]] & [[Noah "40" Shebib]])<ref name=mtv1>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1627594/20091203/story.jhtml|title=Drake Says Thank Me Later Will Take Fans On A 'Colorful Journey'|last=Reid|first=Shaheem|date=December 4, 2009|publisher=MTV News|accessdate=December 6, 2009}}</ref>
*"Light Up" (feat. [[Jay-Z]]) (Produced by [[Tone Mason]] & Noah "40" Shebib)<ref name=lightup/>
*"Shut It Down" (feat. [[The-Dream]]) (Produced by Omen & Noah "40" Shebib)<ref name="Confirms"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Drake}}

[[Category:2010 albums]]
[[Category:Cash Money Records albums]]
[[Category:Drake albums]]
[[Category:Upcoming albums]]
[[Category:albums produced by Kanye West]]
[[Category:albums produced by Just Blaze]]
[[Category:Universal Records albums]]

[[pt:Thank Me Later]]

Fight for This Love

2010-01-14T14:05:27Z

ConCompS: Reverted edits by 193.39.157.76 to last revision by Nympho wiki (HG)

{{Infobox Single 
| Name = Fight for This Love
| Cover = Fight_For_This_Love.jpg
| Artist = [[Cheryl Cole]]
| Album = [[3 Words]]
| B-side = "Didn't I"
| Released = 16 October 2009 (See [[#Release history|release history]])
| Format = [[CD single]], [[music download|digital download]]
| Recorded = 2009
| Genre = [[pop music|Pop]], [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]], [[dance-pop]]
|Length = 3:52
| Label = [[Fascination Records|Fascination (UK)]]
[[Universal Music|Universal Music (France)]]
[[Polydor Records|Polydor (Ireland, Germany)]]
| Writer = [[Wayne Wilkins]], [[Steve Kipner]], Andre Merritt<ref name="Fight"/>
| Producer = Wayne Wilkins, Steve Kipner
| Chronology = [[Cheryl Cole]] singles
| Last single = "[[Untouchable (Girls Aloud song)|Untouchable (Girls Aloud)]]" (2009)
| This single = "'''Fight for This Love'''" (2009)
| Next single = "[[3 Words (song)|3 Words]]" (2009)
}}

"'''Fight for This Love'''" is the first solo single by British [[pop music|pop]] singer [[Cheryl Cole]], best known for being a member of British [[girl group]] [[Girls Aloud]] and a judge on reality TV show ''[[The X Factor (UK)|The X Factor]]''. The song was written and produced by [[Wayne Wilkins]], [[Steve Kipner]] and co-written by Andre Merritt.<ref name="Fight">{{cite web | url=http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?requesttimeout=300&mode=results&searchstr=362841276&search_in=i&search_type=exact&search_det=t,s,w,p,b,v&results_pp=20&start=1 | title=Fight For This Love | work= | publisher=[[ASCAP]] | accessdate=2009-09-04 }}</ref> It was released as the first single from Cole's debut solo studio album ''[[3 Words]]'' on 16 October 2009. It charted at the top spot on the [[UK Singles Chart]] and the [[Irish Singles Chart]].<ref name="itunes">{{cite web|url=http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=333747230&s=143449 |title=Fight for This Love - Single | work=[[iTunes Store]] | publisher=[[Apple Inc.]] |date=2009-10-16 |accessdate=2009-10-27}}</ref>

==Background and release==
"Fight for This Love" was Cole's first entirely solo release outside of pop group [[Girls Aloud]], following an appearance on [[will.i.am]]'s "[[Heartbreaker (will.i.am song)|Heartbreaker]]" in 2008. The song initially came to Cole in demo form with a male vocalist.<ref name="trackbytrack">{{cite web|url=http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid44024446001?bclid=44783862001&bctid=44905853001 |title=Fight for This Love | publisher=[[Brightcove]] |date=2009-10-15 |accessdate=2009-10-20}}</ref> Cole said she "knew instantly it was a single", having "connected with the song so well".<ref name="trackbytrack"/>

The song received its worldwide radio première on 7 September 2009 on [[BBC Radio 1]]'s ''[[The Chris Moyles Show]]''.<ref name="Radio">{{cite web | url=http://twitter.com/ahj/status/3734442176 | title=Just heard Cheryl Cole's new song! | author=[[Aled Jones (radio producer)|Aled Jones]] | publisher=[[Twitter]] | date=2009-09-03 | accessdate=2009-10-21 }}</ref> On 18 October 2009, Cole performed the song for the first time on ''[[The X Factor (UK)|The X Factor]]''{{'}}s live results show.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/10/19/cheryl-we-salute-you-115875-21757673/ | title=Cheryl, we salute you | author=Tom Bryant | work=[[Daily Mirror]] | publisher=[[Trinity Mirror]] | date=2009-10-19 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref> It was the first time that Cole had performed by herself on TV since participating on ''[[Popstars: The Rivals]]''. There were reports that the performance would be pre-recorded,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1220058/X-Factor-live-Featuring-pre-recorded-Cheryl-Cole-miming-solo-single.html | title=X Factor: Cheryl Cole to MIME her solo single (but nervous contestants she's judging will have to sing live) | author=Sara Nathan | work=[[Daily Mail]] | publisher=[[Daily Mail and General Trust]] | date=2009-10-13 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref> but Cole insists she performed the song live.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/cheryl-cole/news/160107-cheryl-gives-incredible-x-factor-performance | title=Cheryl gives 'incredible' X Factor performance | work=[[MTV UK]] | publisher=[[MTV News]] | date=2009-10-19 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref> The show, which also featured [[Whitney Houston]], drew a record audience of 14.8 million to ''The X Factor'', making it the most watched episode in the show's history.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/x-factor/6374916/X-Factor-Cheryl-Cole-and-Whitney-Houston-draw-record-ratings.html | title=X Factor: Cheryl Cole and Whitney Houston draw record ratings | author=Anita Singh | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | publisher=Telegraph Media Group | date=2009-10-19 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref> Cole also performed the song on [[T4 (Channel 4)|T4]].<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CqQcskGFp8</ref>

==Critical reception==
Critical reception towards "Fight for This Love" has been mixed. [[Digital Spy]] said the song was "not groundbreaking stuff and Cole's vocals aren't terribly strong, but thanks to a certain understated charm and lots of X Factor exposure, this should get her solo career off to a winning start."<ref name="digitalspyreview">{{cite web | url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/singlesreviews/a181809/cheryl-cole-fight-for-this-love.html | title=Cheryl Cole: 'Fight For This Love' | author=David Balls | work=[[Digital Spy]] | publisher=[[Hachette Filipacchi Médias]] | date=2009-10-19 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref> The review described the song as "a midtempo pop-R&B track with subdued, synthy production and an infectious hook that gnaws into the consciousness".<ref name="digitalspyreview"/> The BBC Chart Blog agreed, stating: "In Cheryl's favour, she's obviously made an effort to record something that sounds different from the stuff she'd be making with Girls Aloud, and as a result this solo effort is an interesting pop/dance/R&B hybrid, which actually suits her rather well, style-wise. It's just a shame it's not stronger."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/chartblog/2009/10/cheryl_cole_fight_for_this_lov.shtml | title=Cheryl Cole - 'Fight For This Love' | author=Fraser McAlpine | work=BBC Chart Blog | publisher=BBC | date=2009-10-14 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref> Despite giving the song a favorable four stars out of five, [[CBBC]] [[Newsround]]'s reaction was mixed; the review noted the single's "really modern sound [...] The chorus is catchy and it does get stuck in your head. But the rest of the single is pretty forgettable and it certainly isn't as memorable as Cheryl's Girls Aloud tunes."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_8270000/newsid_8272700/8272770.stm | title=Single review: Cheryl Cole - Fight For This Love | work=[[CBBC]] [[Newsround]] | publisher=BBC | date=2009-10-19 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref> [[Popjustice]] praised the song, describing it as "one of those songs you can have on repeat for an hour and a half without getting bored [...] Like some of the best pop tunes 'Fight For This Love' is a very simple affair without bells, whistles or kitchen sinks, but there's more going on than is initially obvious and the production's certainly a cut above."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4008&Itemid=9 | title=A positive review of Cheryl Cole's 'Fight For This Love' | author=[[Peter Robinson (journalist)|Peter Robinson]] | work=[[Popjustice]] | date=2009-09-05 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref>

Tabloids accused the song of stealing the melody from [[Kelis]]' 2007 song "[[Lil Star]]".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nme.com/news/daily-gossip/47951 | title=Cheryl Cole accused of ripping off Kelis on 'Fight For This Love' | work=[[NME]] | publisher=[[IPC Media]] | date=2009-10-21 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref> It has also been noted that "Fight for This Love" also has a similar chord progression to "[[All My Life (K-Ci and JoJo song)|All My Life]]" by [[K-Ci & JoJo]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1221948/Cheryl-Cole-denies-single-Fight-For-This-Love-rip-Kelis-song.html | title=Cheryl Cole denies No.1-to-be Fight For This Love is a 'rip-off' of a Kelis song | work=[[Daily Mail]] | publisher=[[Daily Mail and General Trust]] | work=2009-10-22 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref>

==Music video==
The music video was directed by [[Ray Kay]] and was filmed in early September 2009.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.videostatic.com/vs/2009/09/shot-cheryl-cole-ray-kay-director.html/ | title=SHOT: Cheryl Cole - Ray Kay, director | work= | publisher=videostatic.com | date=2009-09-14 | accessdate=2009-09-16 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://twitter.com/Ray_Kay/status/3765228336 | title=Shooting Cheryl Cole video in London tomorrow. Got a great team, it'll be fun :) | work= | publisher=[[Twitter]] | date=2009-09-04 | accessdate=2009-09-20 }}</ref> [[ITV1]] premièred the video at 12:15am on 20 September 2009.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://twitter.com/Ray_Kay/status/4100669664 | title=The Cheryl Cole video will premiere at midnight on ITV in UK (or 15 mins after midnight)... Hope you'll like it :) | work= | publisher=[[Twitter]] | date=2009-09-19 | accessdate=2009-09-20 }}</ref> The video stars Cole dancing in front of various moving backgrounds in a number of outfits, most notably a soldier-themed outfit with a red military jacket. There is a sequne in front of moving bars like in [[Chipmunk]]'s hit [[Look For Me]]. There is also a dance sequence in which Cheryl, wearing leopard-print bottoms, and a number of dancers perform a routine.The main colours of the video are red, white and black. Also the music video has Scored over 11 millon views on [[YouTube]]. Kay commented on the filming that: <blockquote>The recordings went very well, and Cheryl was fantastic to work with. I drove her very hard at the shoot, and it was very difficult on her part. My job was relaxing in comparison. We made the video in London, with a lot of focus on fashion and dance, with very tough choreography, before putting it all together in Los Angeles afterwards. I have a strong feeling that this will be a # 1 for Cheryl in England!<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=17254|publisher=[[Songfacts]]|title=Fight For This Love by Cheryl Cole|accessdate=2009-11-01}}</ref></blockquote>

==Track listings and formats==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Digital download<ref name=digitald/>
#"Fight for This Love" (main) — 3:46

;CD single<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/thesound/a182141/anyone-for-a-new-cheryl-cole-song.htmlref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1254703938&sr=8-1 |title=Fight For This Love B-Side: Cheryl Cole: Digitalspy.co.uk: |date= |accessdate=2009-10-16}}</ref>
#"Fight for This Love" (main) — 3:46
#"Didn't I" (Cole, [[Klaus Derendorf]], Andrea Remanda; produced by [[Klaus D]]) — 3:45 <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.harryfox.com/songfile/public/publicsearchresults.do | title=Fight For This Love | work= | publisher=[[ASCAP]] | accessdate=2009-09-04 }}</ref>

;Download bundle<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fight-For-This-Love/dp/B002QNRG8S/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1254703938&sr=8-8 |title=Fight For This Love: Cheryl Cole: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads |publisher=Amazon.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2009-10-05}}</ref>
#"Fight for This Love" (main) — 3:46
#"Fight for This Love" ([[Cahill (band)|Cahill]] Club Mix) — 6:27
#"Fight for This Love" (Crazy Cousinz Club Mix) — 5:42
#"Fight for This Love" (Sunship Old Skool [[UK Garage]] Remix) — 5:01
#"Fight for This Love" ([[Moto Blanco]] Radio Edit) — 3:42
#"Fight for This Love" (Crazy Cousinz Radio Edit) — 4:00
{{col-2}}
;Official versions<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Cheryl-Cole-Fight-For-This-Love/master/190514 |title=Cheryl Cole - Fight For This Love at Discogs |publisher=Discogs.com |date= |accessdate=2009-10-27}}</ref>
*"Fight for This Love" (Moto Blanco Club Mix) — 7:26
*"Fight for This Love" (Cahill Club Mix) — 6:26
*"Fight for This Love" (Cahill Vocal Dub) - 5:35
*"Fight for This Love" (Crazy Cousinz Club Mix) — 5:42
*"Fight for This Love" (Crazy Cousinz Instrumental) - 5:27
*"Fight for This Love" (Sunship Old Skool UK Garage Remix) — 5:01
*"Fight for This Love" (Moto Blanco Dub) — 6:25
*"Fight for This Love" (Moto Blanco Edit) — 3:42
*"Fight for This Love" (Cahill Radio Edit) — 3:42
*"Fight for This Love" (Crazy Cousinz Radio Edit) — 3:58
*"Fight for This Love" (Sunship Old School UK Garage Edit) — 3:41
*"Fight for This Love" (Sunship Old School UK Garage Dub) - 5:02
*"Fight for This Love" (Original Album Version) — 3:44
{{col-end}}

==Chart performance and sales==
According to the [[Official Charts Company]], Cole broke the record for the fastest-selling single of 2009 in the United Kingdom upon its release.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://entertainment.uk.msn.com/music/news/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=150346479&GT1=61501 | title=Cheryl set for record single sales | work=[[MSN]] | publisher=[[Microsoft]] | date=2009-10-20 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref> The single sold 134,000 copies in one day, whereas the year's previous record-holder, Cole's ''X Factor'' protege [[Alexandra Burke]] and her own debut "[[Bad Boys (Alexandra Burke song)|Bad Boys]]", sold 187,100 over a seven-day span. to date it is the 4th biggest selling single of the year.,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a182809/cole-on-course-for-record-number-one.html | title=Cole 'on course for record number one' | author=David Balls | work=[[Digital Spy]] | publisher=[[Hachette Filipacchi Médias]] | date=2009-10-20 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref> Sales had exceeded 230,000 after five days, more than the 213,000 copies that [[Girls Aloud]]'s debut single "[[Sound of the Underground (song)|Sound of the Underground]]" sold in its first week.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/thesound/a183330/another-gobsmacking-cheryl-cole-update.html | title=Another gobsmacking Cheryl Cole update | author=Nick Levine | work=[[Digital Spy]] | publisher=[[Hachette Filipacchi Médias]] | date=2009-10-23 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2697965/Cheryl-Cole-debut-single-outsells-Girls-Alouds.html | title=Cheryl's record | work=[[The Sun]] | publisher=[[News Corporation]] | date=2009-10-24 | accessdate=2009-10-25 }}</ref> The single officially debuted at number one on the [[UK Singles Chart]] with sales of 292,000, the highest first week sales of the year up to that point. Cole reacted to the news: "I'm just getting over the fact I have recorded my solo record and now it's number one. I can't take this all in. It's hard for me to put into words how I feel. I have this permanent smile on my face. On 27 December the song rose again to number 14, then to number 11 the following week. The track has not yet charted outside of the top 20.

"Fight for This Love" entered the [[Irish Singles Chart]] at number 13, after just two days of the Moto Blanco remix being available digitally. The song claimed the number one position in the following week, giving Cole her first number one in Ireland since "Sound of the Underground".

The track is officially the 4th best-selling single of 2009 in the UK, and the country's 29th best-seller of the decade (2000s).<ref>As announced by BBC Radio 1 on The Official Top 100 of the Decade, on Thursday 31st December 2009.</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Chart (2009)
! Peak position
|-
|{{singlechart|Billboardeuropeanhot100|4|artist=Cheryl Cole|artistid=1140352}}
|-
{{Singlechart|Ireland|1|artist=Cheryl Cole|song=Fight For This Love}}
|-
{{singlechart|UKchartstats|1|artist=Cheryl Cole|song=Fight For This Love}}
{{col-end}}

{{start box}}
{{s-bef| rows = 2 | before = "[[Bad Boys (Alexandra Burke song)|Bad Boys]]" by [[Alexandra Burke]] featuring [[Flo Rida]] }}
{{s-ttl| title = [[Irish Singles Chart]] [[Number-one singles of 2009 (Ireland)|number-one single]] <ref>http://acharts.us/ireland_singles_top_50/2009/43</ref>
| years = 22 October 2009 – 12 November 2009 }}
{{s-aft| after = "[[You Are Not Alone#The X Factor UK 2009 finalists version|You Are Not Alone]]" by [[List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 6)|The X Factor Finalists 2009]]}}
{{s-ttl| title = [[UK Singles Chart]] [[List of number-one singles from the 2000s (UK)|number-one single]] <ref>http://acharts.us/uk_singles_top_75/2009/44</ref>
| years = 25 October 2009 – 8 November 2009 }}
{{s-aft| after = "[[Everybody in Love]]" by [[JLS]] }}
{{end box}}

==Live Performances==
Cheryl Performed the song at four different occasions:

* [[The X Factor (UK series 6)]]

* [[T4]]

* [[Children in Need 2009]] (Children in Need Rocks the Royal Albert Hall)

* [[Cheryl Cole's Night In]]

==Release history==
{|class=wikitable
|-
!Region
!Date
!Format
!Label
!Catalogue
|-
|Ireland
|16 October 2009<ref name="itunes"/>
|rowspan="2"|[[Music download|Digital download]], [[CD single]]
|[[Polydor Records]]
|rowspan="2"|2721778
|-
|United Kingdom
|19 October 2009<ref name=digitald>{{cite web|url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fight-For-This-Love/dp/B002QNPMHA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1254703938&sr=8-2 |title=Fight For This Love: Cheryl Cole: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads |publisher=Amazon.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2009-10-05}}</ref><ref name=cdsingle>{{cite web|url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fight-This-Love-Cheryl-Cole/dp/B002QEL2HI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1254703938&sr=8-1 |title=Fight For This Love: Cheryl Cole: Amazon.co.uk: Music |publisher=Amazon.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2009-10-05}}</ref>
|[[Fascination Records]]
|-
|France
|21 December 2009<ref>{{cite web|url=http://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/fight-for-this-love-single/id347274051|title=Fight For This Love: Cheryl Cole: iTunes France}}</ref>
|Digital download
|rowspan="3"|[[Universal Music Group|Universal Music]]
|
|-
|Brazil
|10 January 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://girlsaloudblog.com/cheryl-cole/help-brazil-fans-promote-cheryl-cole/|title=Fight For This Love Release in Radios in Brazil}}</ref>
|[[Airplay]]
|
|-
|Germany
|19 February 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cherylcole.de/releases/detail/product/161952/0/fight-for-this-love/|title=Fight For This Love Release in Germay}}</ref>
|Digital download, CD
|
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*{{YouTube|XMiy_UsrPDs|"Fight for This Love"}}

{{Cheryl Cole}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fight For This Love}}
[[Category:2009 singles]]
[[Category:Cheryl Cole songs]]
[[Category:Debut singles]]
[[Category:Music videos directed by Ray Kay]]
[[Category:Songs written by Steve Kipner]]
[[Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Wayne Wilkins]]

[[it:Fight for This Love]]

Armutsfalle

2010-01-14T04:58:25Z

ConCompS: some wikification, please improve

{{Cleanup|date=February 2008}}
{{Wikify|date=December 2007}}

A '''Poverty trap''' is "any self-reinforcing mechanism which causes [[poverty]] to persist."<ref>Costas Azariadis and John Stachurski, “Poverty Traps,” ''Handbook of Economic Growth'', 2005, 326.</ref> The trap becomes cyclical and begins to reinforce itself if steps are not taken to break the cycle. Depending upon a person’s origin of birth, they may find themselves financially stable their entire lives, or at the other extreme, they may find themselves born into severe poverty that seems utterly inescapable. Many factors contribute to a poverty trap, and these factors vary from case to case. Some of the possible factors include: limited access to [[Credit (finance)|credit]] and [[capital markets]], extreme [[environmental degradation]] (which depletes an areas agricultural production potential), corrupt governance, [[capital flight]], poor education systems, lack of [[public health care]], war, poor [[infrastructure]], etc. Nations like this may include [[Sierra Leone]] and the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]].

==Jeffrey Sachs and ''The End of Poverty''==
[[Jeffrey Sachs]], in his book [[The End of Poverty]], discusses the poverty trap and prescribes a set of policy initiatives intended to end the trap. His policy prescriptions recommend that [[aid agencies]] behave as [[venture capitalists]] funding [[start-up companies]]. Venture capitalists, once they choose to invest in a venture, do not give only half or a third of the amount they feel the venture needs in order to become profitable; if they did, their money would be wasted. If all goes as planned, the venture will eventually become profitable and the venture capitalist will experience an adequate rate of return on investment.

Likewise, Sachs proposes, developed countries cannot give only a fraction of what is needed in [[aid]] and expect to reverse the poverty trap in Africa. Just like any other start-up, developing nations absolutely must receive the amount of aid necessary (and promised at the [[G-8 Summit]] in 2005<ref>Collier, Paul et al. “Flight Capital as a Portfolio Choice. “ Development Research Group, World Bank.</ref>) for them to begin to reverse the poverty trap. The problem is that unlike start-ups, which simply go bankrupt if they fail to receive funding, in Africa people continue to die at an exponential rate due in large part to lack of sufficient aid.

Sachs points out that the extreme poor lack six major kinds of [[Capital (economics)|capital]]: human capital, business capital, infrastructure, natural capital, public institutional capital, and knowledge capital.<ref>Sachs, Jeffrey D. The End of Poverty. Penguin Books, 2006. Pg. 244</ref> He then details the poverty trap: <blockquote>The poor start with a very low level of capital per person, and then find themselves trapped in poverty because the [[ratio]] of capital per person actually falls from generation to generation. The amount of capital per person declines when the population is growing faster than capital is being accumulated….the question for growth in per capita income is whether the net capital accumulation is large enough to keep up with [[population growth]].</blockquote>

Sachs argues that sufficient [[foreign aid]] can make up for the lack of capital in poor countries, maintaining that, “If the foreign assistance is substantial enough, and lasts long enough, the capital stock rises sufficiently to lift households above subsistence.”

Sachs believes the [[public sector]] should focus mainly on investments in human capital (health, education, nutrition), infrastructure (roads, power, water and sanitation, environmental conservation), natural capital (conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems), public institutional capital (a well-run public administration, judicial system, police force), and parts of knowledge capital (scientific research for health, energy, agriculture, climate, ecology).<ref>Sachs, Jeffrey D. The End of Poverty. Penguin Books, 2006. Pg. 252</ref> Sachs leaves business capital investments to the private sector, which would more efficiently use funding to develop the profitable enterprises necessary to sustain growth. In this sense, Sachs views public institutions as useful in providing the [[public goods]] necessary to begin the [[Rostovian take-off model]], but maintains that [[private goods]] are more efficiently produced and distributed by [[private enterprise]].<ref>Sachs, Jeffrey D. ''[[The End of Poverty]]''. Penguin Books, 2006. Pg. (?)</ref> This is a widespread view in [[neoclassical economics]].

==References==
{{reflist}}
*"The Joint conference of African Ministers of Finance and Ministers of Economic Development and Planning Report." May, 1999, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. www. uneca.org/eca_resources/Major_ECA_Website/joint/capital.htm
*Ajayi, S. Ibi $ Mahsin, S. Khan. "External Debt and Capital Flight in Sub-Saharan Africa." IMF, 2000. www.imf.org/external/pubs/nft/2000/extdebt/index.htm.
*Collier, Paul et al. "Flight Capital as a Portfolio Choice." Development Research Group, World Bank.
*Emeagwali, Philip. Interview, "How does capital flight affect the average African?" http://emeagwali.com/interviews/capital-flight/africa.html.

[[Category:Development]]
[[Category:Development studies]]
[[Category:Economic problems]]
[[Category:Poverty]]
[[Category:Social issues]]

[[fa:تله فقر]]

Brandon Flowers

2009-12-10T03:00:36Z

ConCompS: Reverted edits by 201.153.145.44 to last revision by ClueBot (HG)

{{otheruses4|the musician|the American football player|Brandon Flowers (American football)}}
{{Infobox musical artist 
| Name = Brandon Flowers (musician)
| Img = Brandon Flowers II.jpg
| Img_size = 300px
| Img_capt =
| Landscape =
| Background = solo_singer
| Birth_name = Brandon Richard Flowers
| Born = {{birth date and age|1981|6|21}}
| Origin = [[Henderson, Nevada]], [[USA]]
| Real Home =
| Instrument = [[lead vocals|Vocals]], [[keyboards]], [[synthesizer]], [[piano]], [[bass guitar]]
| Genre = [[Alternative rock]], [[Post-punk revival]]
| Occupation = [[Musician]], songwriter
| Years_active = 2002–present
| Associated_acts = [[The Killers (band)|The Killers]], Pet Shop Boys, Elton John, Louis XIV, Wild Light, Lou Reed, 30 Seconds to Mars
| URL =
| Notable_instruments = [[Nord Lead|Clavia Nord Lead 2]] [[microKORG]] [[Korg MS-2000B]] [[Alesis Ion]]
}}

'''Brandon Richard Flowers''' (born June 21, 1981) is the [[American people|American]] frontman, [[vocalist]], [[lyricist]], [[guitarist]], [[songwriter]], and [[keyboardist]] of the [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]-based [[Indie rock|rock]] band [[The Killers (band)|The Killers]].

==Early life==
Flowers, the youngest of six children, was born on June 21, 1981 in [[Henderson, Nevada]] (near [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]) to parents of partial [[Scottish people|Scottish]] and [[Lithuania]]n ancestry.<ref name=Interview> Interview [http://community.livejournal.com/_killmenow_/71160.html Interview] reprinted at [[Live Journal]] fan website.</ref> Growing up, his mother was homemaker and his father worked for a grocery store.<ref name="Spin"/> His father joined [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] when Flowers was five years old.<ref name=Hiatt>Hiatt, Brian (2008-12-25), [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/25020239/the_killers_inside/2 "The Killers Inside"]. ''Rolling Stone'' (1068/1069):78-81</ref> They lived in Henderson until Flowers was eight, when they moved to [[Nephi, Utah]].<ref name="Spin">. [http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/2004/11/lady_killer_interview_killers_brandon_flowers/ "SPIN.com: The Lady Killer: An Interview with the Killers' Brandon Flowers"]. [http://www.spin.com/ Spin.com]. Published November 2004. Accessed March 3, 2008.</ref> Flowers lived in Nephi until his junior year in [[Juab High School]], when he moved back to Las Vegas to live with his aunt.<ref name="Spin"/><ref name=Hiatt/><ref name="Observer"/>

Brandon's brother, Shane, 12 years his senior (born July 4 1969 and sung about in The Killers's song "Sam's Town") is said to be most responsible for Flowers' musical development; he showed him [[The Smiths|Smiths]] videos and [[U2]]'s ''[[Rattle and Hum]]'' movie and even early videos of [[The Shazzman]] on [[Motown Records|Motown]].<ref name="Spin"/> His older brother also introduced him to [[The Cars]], [[Morrissey]], and [[The Cure]].<ref name="Spin"/> Musically, Flowers is an [[anglophile]] and a fan of English bands [[New Order]], [[The Smiths]], [[Pet Shop Boys]], [[Depeche Mode]], and [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]]. He credits the Pet Shop Boys song "[[Being Boring]]", especially the lyrics "I never dreamt that I would get to be / The creature that I always meant to be", as a major life influence.<ref name="Observer">[http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,1877578,00.html Craig McLean talks to the Killers' singer Brandon Flowers]. ''[[The Observer]]''.</ref> He has stated that "It was really weird because other kids were buying [[Tool (band)|Tool]] and [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] and I was buying [[The Cars]] and [[The Psychedelic Furs]]. I was pretty alienated as a kid."<ref name="Spin"/>

==Career==
Brandon Flowers, after dropping out of college, was a [[bellhop]] for a short while at the [[Gold Coast Hotel and Casino]] in Las Vegas.<ref>[http://thekillersfansite.com/oaktarticle.html Rock world makes a ''Hot Fuss'' over the Killers], ''[[Oakland Tribune]]'', August 27, 2004</ref> In [[2001]] he was abandoned by the first band that he was in, a [[synth pop]] band known as Blush Response, after he declined to move with the rest of them to [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[California]].<ref name="Observer"/> Shortly thereafter, Flowers attended an [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] concert, and realizing that he wanted to make the transition from a keyboard band to a true rock band, began searching for a guitarist.<ref name="Observer"/> He responded to an ad that [[Dave Keuning]] had placed in the paper that listed, among other bands, [[The Cure]] and Oasis as influences. Keuning later stated that his first impression of Flowers was that he was wearing the same shoes Oasis had.<ref name="Observer"/> After several short-lived bassists and drummers, Flowers and Keuning were joined by bassist [[Mark Stoermer]] and drummer [[Ronnie Vannucci]] and became the Killers in August [[2002]].<ref name="Observer"/> Vannucci later said that, even with songs like "little dwarf versions of what we have now, Brandon wasn't afraid to just get up there and just do it. You need that when you're trying to get something off the ground. As far as the drive goes, Brandon was never half-assed."<ref name="Observer"/> According to the ''[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]'', his parents have always supported his decision to become a rock singer, and were often the only people in the audience at The Killers' early performances.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

Flowers has been in a number of controversies based on comments he has made to the media. In particular, he made statements that sparked feuds with the bands [[Fall Out Boy]], [[The Bravery]] and [[Panic At the Disco]].<ref name=staff>Spin Staff (July 25, 2006), "Brandon Flowers Says 'Sorry'". ''Spin'' online. (accessed March 30, 2009)</ref> However, he has since recanted, and told Spin magazine, "I'd like to take it all back. These people are just doing what they want to do, just like I am. I'm actually a nice person and I love people. I just am opinionated. It's not something I'm proud of."<ref name=staff/> Flowers criticized Green Day for performing the song "[[American Idiot (song)|American Idiot]]" in the [[United Kingdom]]. The concert, featured in Green Day's live DVD ''[[Bullet in a Bible]]'', shows thousands of Europeans singing along to "American Idiot". Flowers said, "I just thought it was really cheap. To go to a place like England or Germany and sing that song—those kids aren't taking it the same way that he meant it."<ref>No byline (October 13, 2006), [http://www.nme.com/news/nme/24702 "The Killers 'offended' by [[Green Day]]"]. NME.com (accessed March 30, 2009)</ref> His assertion that ''[[Sam's Town]]'' would be one of the best albums to come out in the preceding 20 years drew ridicule from critics (although it did ultimately receive wide acclaim). Flowers has expressed his desire to be less provocative. He told The Advocate magazine, "With people that I've put down, I understand now that they have their own ability and a gift for doing whatever they're doing."<ref name=Voss>Voss, Brandon (2008-12-02), "No Shrinking Violet". ''Advocate'' (1020):64</ref>

Canadian-American singer-songwriter [[Rufus Wainwright]] wrote a song about Flowers called "Tulsa" for his fifth album ''[[Release the Stars]]''. Wainwright has stated in numerous interviews that it was inspired by their first meeting in a bar in [[Tulsa]], [[Oklahoma]]. According to Wainwright, Flowers was "very flattered and somewhat bashful" about this tribute.<ref>[http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22328312-5006024,00.html]</ref>

Flowers presented the [[Pet Shop Boys]] with an Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the [[2009 BRIT Awards]]. He and [[Lady Gaga]] then performed with Pet Shop Boys as part of a medley of their hits. Lady Gaga sings about The Killers in her song BoysBoysBoys. [[Jared Leto]] has collaborated with Flowers and [[Kanye West]] on a song called "Hurricane", with Flowers playing keyboard, that it will be released on the third album of [[30 Seconds to Mars]] ''[[This Is War]]''<ref>{{cite web | title = Kanye West Working With 30 Seconds To Mars On New Album | publisher = [[MTV Networks]]| date = 2009-04-15 | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1609314/20090415/west_kanye.jhtml | author= James Montgomery | accessdate = 2009-04-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = 30STM’s Jared Leto on Working With Kanye West | publisher = [[Rolling Stone]]| date = 2009-04-20 | url = http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/20/30stms-jared-leto-on-working-with-kanye-west-its-slightly-more-than-unexpected/ | author= Chris Harris | accessdate = 2009-04-30}}</ref>. His song [[Human (The Killers song)]] was covered by the famous [[Renars Kaupers|Reynard Cowper]] in Moscow RAMP 2009.

==Personal life==
Flowers married his long-time girlfriend, Tana Mundkowsky, in a small, private ceremony on August 2, 2005 in Hawaii.<ref name=vh1>No byline (2005). [http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1507029/20050805/killers_the.jhtml "Killers Singer Brandon Flowers Marries Longtime Girlfriend"] VH1.com (accessed Oct. 14, 2006)</ref><ref>''ArjanWrites.com'' (accessed April 12, 2006)</ref> Brandon and his wife have two sons, Ammon, born July 14, 2007<ref name="people.com - The Killers Singer Brandon Flowers, Wife Have a Son">{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20046633,00.html|title=The Killers Singer Brandon Flowers, Wife Have a Son|last=Laudadio|first=Marisa|date=July 16, 2007 |publisher=people.com|accessdate=2009-07-24}}</ref> and Gunner, born July 28, 2009.

Flowers has long held a superstition that his death will be associated with the number 621 from having used an [[Ouija]] board when he was 13 years old. In 2005 en route to the [[Glastonbury Festival]] with The Killers on his birthday (6/21) Flowers was "convinced this was the end."<ref>[http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/musicnews/The+Killers-34556.html Flowers Convinced Of Own Death En Route To Glastonbury.] ''femalefirst.co.uk'' 15-05-2007</ref>

===Religion===
Flowers is also a member of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], and his wife converted to the faith shortly before their wedding.<ref name="Spin"/><ref name=Hiatt/><ref name="Observer"/> He has said that religion is "very important" to him.<ref name=indep>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mormon-stars-face-backlash-after-gay-marriage-ban-1003967.html Mormon stars face backlash after gay marriage ban]. By Guy Adams. ''[[The Independent]]''. Published 9 November 2008.</ref> After joining The Killers, Flowers began a drinking and partying lifestyle that was contrary to LDS Church teachings. However, in 2006, he stopped, saying "I think I probably feel less guilt, and I'm also healthier than I've ever been. My wife being pregnant and all that really put things into perspective."<ref name=Hiatt/>

==Awards==
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2009}}
Flowers won [[NME Awards|NME magazine awards]] in 2005 for "Best Dressed" and "Sexiest Man."
He also won the award for "Most Stylish Man" at the 2008 ''[[GQ]]'' awards. In the 2008 awards the Killers won "best band in America" and "best track in America" at the [[NME Awards]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquotepar|Brandon Flowers}}
{{commonscat|Brandon Flowers}}
*[http://www.thekillersmusic.com/ The Killers official site], from [[Island Records]]
*[http://www.thekillers.co.uk/ The Killers official site (U.K.)], from the Vertigo label
*[http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/2005/11/051118_flowers/ "The Music That Changed My Life: Brandon Flowers"], Interview by Kyle Anderson, from ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' magazine''
*[http://www.killershotel.com Indie Rock Fans Website]
*[http://digital.spin.com/spin/200902/?pg=72&pm=2&u1=friend SPIN's Brandon Flowers Interview]
*{{cite news | author = Ed Powers | url = http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/festivals/brandon-flowers-killer-instinct-1815742.html | title = Brandon Flowers: Killer Instinct | work = [[The Independent]] | date = 2009-07-10 | accessdate = }}
*{{cite news | author = [[Alexis Petridis]] | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jul/18/killers-brandon-flowers-interview | title = American idol | work = [[The Guardian]] | date = 2009-07-18 | accessdate = }}
*{{cite news | author = Dave Burger | url = http://www.sltrib.com/themix/ci_13404458 | title = The Killers prove name isn't exactly apt | work = [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] | date = 2009-09-24 | accessdate = }}

{{The Killers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flowers, Brandon}}
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:American rock keyboardists]]
[[Category:American Latter Day Saints]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American rock musicians]]
[[Category:American rock singers]]
[[Category:Scottish-American musicians]]
[[Category:Lithuanian Americans]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Musicians from Nevada]]
[[Category:People from Henderson, Nevada]]
[[Category:The Killers members]]

[[ca:Brandon Flowers]]
[[cs:Brandon Flowers]]
[[da:Brandon Flowers]]
[[es:Brandon Flowers]]
[[fr:Brandon Flowers]]
[[it:Brandon Richard Flowers]]
[[lt:Brandon Flowers]]
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[[ja:ブランドン・フラワーズ]]
[[no:Brandon Flowers]]
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[[zh:布蘭登·夫洛爾]]

West Roxbury

2009-12-10T00:59:00Z

ConCompS: Reverted edits by 141.154.227.60 to last revision by Genericwoods (HG)

{{Refimprove|date=April 2009}}
West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston bordered by South Brookline, [[Hyde Park]], [[Roslindale]], [[Jamaica Plain]] and the neighboring city of [[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]]. Founded in [[1630]] (contemporaneously with [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]), '''West Roxbury''', [[Massachusetts]] was originally part of the town of [[Roxbury, Massachusetts|Roxbury]] and was mainly used as farmland. West Roxbury seceded from Roxbury in 1851, and was annexed<ref>On October 7, 1873, a vote was held to determine whether West Roxbury should join Boston; Boston residents approved the question, 6110-1648, and West Roxbury residents also approved, 720-613. "The Result in Figures", ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', p. 5, [[October 8]], [[1873]].</ref> by Boston in 1874. At the time, the town included the neighborhoods of [[Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts|Jamaica Plain]] and [[Roslindale, Massachusetts|Roslindale]].<ref>[http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/hotc/DisplayIssue.asp?id=93 Database of the Greenspaces and Neighborhoods in the heart of Boston]</ref>

West Roxbury's main thoroughfare is Centre Street, lined with local [[restaurant]]s and commercial establishments. Today, the neighborhood's tree-lined streets and mostly single family homes give it a [[suburban]] feel in an [[urban area|urban]] setting. Life in the neighborhood centers on political and civic [[activism]] as well as local [[parish]]es and youth [[sport|athletic leagues]]. West Roxbury is home to many of Boston's civil servants. The community boasts a significant proportion of persons of [[Irish people|Irish]] descent as well as a smaller number of more recent Irish immigrants.
The [[Roxbury Latin School]], founded in 1645 is located on Saint Theresa Avenue in West Roxbury since 1927. The school's endowment is estimated at [[United States dollar|$]]143.8 million, the largest of any boys' school in the [[United States]].

The neighborhood was home to an experimental [[transcendentalism|transcendentalist]] [[Utopia]] community called [[Brook Farm]], which attracted notable figures like Margaret Fuller and [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]] whose 1852 novel ''A Blithedale Romance,'' is based on his stay there. .<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/brfrm10.txt ''My Friends at Brook Farm''], John Van Der Zee Sears</ref>

Like its neighboring communities, West Roxburys residential development grew with the construction of the West Roxbury branch of the [[Boston and Providence Rail Road]]; the area grew further with the development of electric [[streetcar]]s.

== Demographics ==
The population has been declining for decades:
<ref>http://www.cityofboston.gov/parks/OpenSpace_07draft/WestRoxburyDemographicHousingTables.pdf</ref>
<ref>http://www.cityofboston.gov/dnd/PDFs/Profiles/West_Roxbury_PD_Profile.pdf</ref>
:2000 Census 28,663 (28,753 4.9% of 589,141 citywide)
:1990 Census 29,706 (29,706 5.2% of 574,383 citywide)
:1980 Census 31,333
:Population growth/decline, 1990 - 2000: -3.51%
:Population growth/decline, 1980 - 1990: -5.19%

==Theodore Parker Church==
At Centre and Corey Streets, the Theodore Parker Church features seven stained glass windows made by the Tiffany Studios between 1894 and 1927. The original church, designed in 1890 by [[Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Jr.]], is now a parish hall. Henry Seaver designed the current church in 1900. [[Theodore Parker]] (1810-1860), an advocate of progressive religious ideas, abolitionism and women's suffrage, was minister of this Unitarian congregation from 1837 to 1846.

==Westerly Burying Ground conflict and secession==
Westerly Burying Ground (currently at Centre and Lagrange Streets) was established in 1683 to permit local burial of residents of [[Jamaica Plain]] and the western end of Roxbury. When West Roxbury was still part of Roxbury, the town’s first burial place was today’s Eliot Burying Ground, near the present-day Dudley Square. This was a long distance to travel for the inhabitants of West Roxbury and in 1683 the town selectmen voted to establish a local burying place, now known as Westerly Burying Ground. A conflict between the rural and more urbanized parts of the town led to the split of West Roxbury from Roxbury proper in [[1851]].<ref>[http://www.bostonfamilyhistory.com/neigh_wrox.html West Roxbury Timeline]. The town was incorporated May 24, 1851.</ref> West Roxbury became part of the City of Boston on January 5, 1874.<ref>[http://www.cityofboston.gov/neighborhoods/neighborhoods.asp?ID=16 ''About West Roxbury''], City of Boston</ref> Westerly Burying Ground served as this community’s burial place well into the nineteenth century. The oldest graves contain many of the town’s earliest and most prominent families. Eight veterans of the [[American Revolution]] and fifteen veterans of the [[American Civil War]] are also buried here. The site is significant for its large collection of three centuries of [[funerary art]]. One-third of its extant gravestones date from the eighteenth century; almost half date from the nineteenth century and only about twenty bear twentieth-century dates. Another distinguishing feature of Westerly Burying Ground is the number of individual mound tombs found here. Mound tombs at other burying grounds are typically larger, built to contain a number of bodies. The oldest gravestone, from 1691, commemorates James and Merriam Draper, members of a prominent West Roxbury family. Headstones provide an historic record of three centuries of West Roxbury residents and also illustrate the skills of local stone carvers.

==West Roxbury Library==
In 1876, the [[Boston Public Library]] created a delivery station when it took over the collection of the West Roxbury Free Library. In 1896, it became a full branch of the Boston Public Library. In 1921-22, a new library building was built at the present site. In 1977, a devastating fire destroyed the neighboring West Roxbury Congregational Church and the land was deeded to the Trustees of the Boston Public Library for the purpose of an addition to the Branch building. On [[September 24]], [[1989]], the new addition was opened to the public.

== Events ==

The Corrib Classic 5K Road Race is held annually at Billings Field, LaGrange Street, the first Sunday in June. Since starting in 1994 with 250 runners the event has grown into the largest community event, attracting about 2000 runners, plus event volunteers, families and friends. Centre Street is briefly closed during the race. It is a benefit event hosted by the Bligh family of the adjacent Corrib Pub and Restaurant that has raised over half a million dollars over the years for a variety of local causes.
<ref>http://www.coolrunning.com/major/09/corrib/general_info.html The 16th Annual Corrib Classic 5K</ref>

==Notable natives==
* [[Edward Downes (American musicologist)|Edward Downes]]
* [[Anthony Michael Hall]]
* [[Patrick DeCoste]]
* [[Robert Gould Shaw]]
* [[Francis A. Sullivan]]
* [[Francis Joseph]]
* [[Willis Lent]]
* [[Chris Nilan]], former NHL player and coach.
* [[Richard Olney]], former United States Attorney General and Secretary of State.
* [[Dan Kiley]], modernist landscape architect

==Sites of interest==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2008}}
* [[The Roxbury Latin School]]
* [[Holy Name Parish School]]
* [[Saint Teresa of Ávila]] Church (Roman Catholic)
* [[Westerly Burial Ground]]
* [[Catholic Memorial School (West Roxbury, Massachusetts)|Catholic Memorial School]]
* [[Theodore Parker]] Church
* Holy Name Church (Roman Catholic)
* [[Boston Public Library]] West Roxbury Branch
* Millennium Park <ref>[http://www.newtonconservators.org/25millennium.htm Newton Conservators]</ref>
* [[Brook Farm]]
* City of Boston Archives
* Billings Field
* [[Veterans Administration]] Hospital
* The Quarry
* The Grove
*Draper Field

==Image gallery==
<gallery>
Image:WesterlyBG.JPG|Westerly Burying Ground, general view
Image:WesterlyBG2.JPG|Westerly Burying Ground, close-up 1
Image:WesterlyBG3.JPG|Westerly Burying Ground, close-up 2
Image:Theodore_Parker_Church.JPG|Theodore Parker Church (Unitarian)

Image:1921Branch.JPG|West Roxbury Free Library, 1921-2 wing
Image:1989Branch.JPG|West Roxbury Free Library, 1989 wing
Image:Centre_Street.JPG|Centre Street, West Roxbury's main artery
Image:Saint_Theresa_WR.JPG|Saint Teresa of Ávila Church (Roman Catholic)
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Further reading ==
* Anthony Mitchell Sammarco, "West Roxbury (Then & Now)", [[Arcadia Publishing]], Portsmouth, NH, 2003. ISBN 0738512478
:A hundred comparative historic photos, 1850–2000, of the area around Centre Street.
* Alexander von Hoffman, " Local Attachments, The Making of an American Urban Neighborhood" (Jamaica Plain, Boston) John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD, 1994. ISBN 0-8018-5393-1 (paperback) 311 pages.

==External links==
*[http://www.cityofboston.gov/neighborhoods/general.asp?id=16 West Roxbury neighborhood page] on [http://www.cityofboston.gov/ City of Boston website]
* [http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/workspace?sip0=,RUMSEY~8~1~4241~340021,461,222,307,299,1228,691,152,148,307,299,1&xwr=16&ywr=9 1858 Map of Norfolk County] by Henry F. Walling, which included West Roxbury at that time. A very large and detailed color map. Also see the detailed side map of Jamaica Plain on the top left side of the map.
*[http://www.suffolkdeeds.com/Atlas%20Index.asp Suffolk County Atlas] West Roxbury maps: 1874, 1896, 1905, 1914
*[http://www.wrhistory.org/ West Roxbury Historical Society]
*[http://www.tparkerchurch.org/ Theodore Parker Church]
*[http://friendswrlibrary.org/ West Roxbury Branch Library]
*[http://railroads.uconn.edu/exhibits/railroadstations/ma/westroxbury2.htm "West Roxbury Railroad Station, 1932"] - photograph, Railroad History Archive, [[University of Connecticut]] Libraries Collection.

{{Boston neighborhoods}}

{{coord|42|16|45|N|71|08|58|W|type:city_region:US-MA|display=title}}

[[Category:Neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Defunct towns in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Irish-American neighborhoods]]
[[Category:Streetcar suburbs]]

[[fr:West Roxbury (Boston)]]

Telephone (Lied)

2009-11-27T23:38:52Z

ConCompS: Reverted edits by 92.41.53.252 to last revision by 24.0.95.132 (HG)

{{about|the Lady GaGa song|the video telecommunication device|Telephone}}
{{Infobox single 
| Name = Telephone
| Cover =
| Artist = [[Lady Gaga]] featuring [[Beyoncé]]
| Album = [[The Fame Monster]]
| Released = December 17, 2009
| Recorded = 2008
| Genre = [[Electropop]], [[dance-pop]]
| Length = 3:41 (Album Version)
| Label = [[Interscope Records|Interscope]]
| Writer = Lady Gaga, Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Lazonate Franklin, Beyoncé 
| Producer = [[Rodney Jerkins]]
| Certification =
| Chronology = [[Lady Gaga]] singles
| Last single = "[[Video Phone]] (Remix)" (2009)
| This single = "'''Telephone'''" (2010)
| Misc =
}}

"'''Telephone'''" is a song by American [[Pop music|pop]] singer [[Lady Gaga]]. It is the second single from her second studio album, ''[[The Fame Monster]]'' (2009) and features [[Beyonce]]. Before its release as a single, the song charted in late 2009 due to strong digital sales. It was sent to U.S. radio on November 22, 2009.<ref name="radioandrecords1">[http://gfa.radioandrecords.com/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=09/22/2009&Format=5 ®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: Urban]</ref> It was set to be released as a [[digital download]] on November 22, 2009. However, due to unspecified reasons, it was delayed to December 17, 2009.<ref name="amazon1">{{cite web|url=http://www.amazon.com/Video-Phone-Beyonc%C3%A9/dp/B002M2N9GQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1252858064&sr=8-1 |title=Telephone: Lady GaGa: Music |publisher=Amazon.com |date=2009-09-17 |accessdate=2009-09-22}}</ref>

The song will officially be released as the sixth single in the UK in January 2010.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Lady Gaga songs]]

[[es:Telephone]]
[[it:Telephone]]
[[hu:Telephone]]
[[pl:Telephone]]
[[pt:Telephone]]
[[ro:Telephone]]
[[th:วิดีโอโฟน]]
[[tr:Telephone]]

Gaahl

2009-11-03T00:23:10Z

ConCompS: Undid revision 323583967 by 75.45.248.84 (talk); rv blanking

{{Infobox musical artist 
| Name = Gaahl
| Img = Gaahl Gorgoroth.jpg
| Img_capt = Gaahl performing live in 2007.
| Img_size =
| Landscape =
| Background = solo_singer
| Birth_name = Kristian Eivind Espedal<ref>[http://home.c2i.net/famhegg/BLACKMET.htm Norsk Black / Ekstrem Metal]</ref>
| Alias =
| Born = {{birth date and age|1975|8|7}} [[Sunnfjord]], [[Norway]]
| Died =
| Origin =
| Instrument = [[Singer|Vocals]]
| Genre = [[Black metal]] [[ambient music|Ambient]]
| Occupation = [[Musician]]
| Years_active = since 1993
| Label =
| Associated_acts = [[God Seed]], [[Gorgoroth]], [[Gaahlskagg]], Trelldom, Sigfader, Wardruna
| URL =
}}

'''Kristian Eivind Espedal''' (born August 7, 1975), better known by his stage name '''Gaahl''', is a [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[black metal]] vocalist, best known as the former frontman of Norwegian bands [[Gorgoroth]] and [[God Seed]]. He is also the founder and frontman of Trelldom and Gaahlskagg. As of 2008, he has been involved in other projects such as Wardruna.

== Biography ==
===Background===
Gaahl was born in [[Sunnfjord]] in [[Sogn og Fjordane]], [[Norway]], in 1975. He spent his youth living in a small valley called [[Espedal]], in the municipality of [[Fjaler]]. Gaahl, along with his family, still retain residences in the valley, although they are fifteen minutes apart from each other, and Gaahl spends much of his time in [[Bergen]].<ref name='True'>{{cite news | first=Peter | last=Beste | coauthors= | title=[[True Norwegian Black Metal (documentary)|True Norwegian Black Metal]] | date=[[2007-04-27]] | publisher=[[YouTube]] | url =http://youtube.com/watch?v=i4U33U_UyzQ | work =VBS.tv | pages = | accessdate = 2008-02-10 | language = }}</ref> <ref name='True'/>

===Musical career===
Gaahl became involved with black metal in 1993, when he co-formed the band Trelldom. During the mid and late 1990s he also become involved with the bands Gaahlskagg (with Gorgoroth live guitarist Skagg)<ref>[http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=4811 Encyclopaedia Metallum - Gaahlskagg]</ref> and Sigfader (with Skagg and Kvitrafn).<ref>[http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=23121 Encyclopaedia Metallum - Sigfader]</ref> Gaahl joined Gorgoroth in 1998, and was first heard on their fourth album ''[[Destroyer (Gorgoroth album)|Destroyer]]''; although he only sang on the title track. He made his live debut in May that year, when Gorgoroth played five dates in Germany on Cradle of Filth's European tour.<ref name="gorgorothtours1">[http://www.gorgoroth.info/live.htm Gorgoroth - Live]</ref> Ten years later in the January 2009 issue of ''[[Terrorizer Magazine]]'', Gaahl and Cradle of Filth frontman [[Dani Filth]] incorrectly alluded to have played thirty concerts together on this tour, including one in [[Toulouse]], [[France]] when Gaahl did not first perform there until two years later.<ref name="gorgorothtours1" />

The first Gorgoroth album to feature Gaahl as main vocalist was ''[[Incipit Satan]]''. The album was recorded during July–October 1999, and was primarily written by Infernus. This was also the first Gorgoroth album to feature elements of [[Industrial music|industrial]], [[dark ambient]], and [[noise music]]. In May 2002, Gorgoroth began recording their album ''[[Twilight of the Idols (album)|Twilight of the Idols]]''. However, Gaahl was imprisoned for assault throughout that year, and was unable to record his vocals until January 2003.<ref name="vds1">[http://www.voicesfromthedarkside.de/interviews/gorgoroth.htm GORGOROTH (Voices from the Dark Side interview)]</ref>

In February 2004, Gorgoroth staged a concert in [[Kraków]], [[Poland]] which featured impaled sheep heads, satanic symbols, and a mock-[[crucifixion]] performed by naked models doused in blood. A police investigation took place with allegations of religious offense (which is prosecutable under Polish law) and cruelty to animals.<ref>[http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article723414.ece Norwegian black metal band shocks Poland - Aftenposten.no]</ref> Though these charges were considered, the band was not charged as they were unaware that what they were doing was illegal. The controversy led to the band being dropped from the Nuclear Blast Tour and the footage of the concert being confiscated by the police.<ref>[http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=33681 BLABBERMOUTH.NET - GORGOROTH: 'Black Mass In Krakow' DVD May Get Released After All]</ref> Subsequently, Gorgoroth terminated their contract with the label.

After the drums, bass and guitar parts had been recorded between January and May 2005, Gaahl arranged and recorded the vocals for ''[[Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam]]'' in March 2006, and the album was mastered in April. Although the title was conceived by Infernus, the lyrics and music of this album were written entirely by Gaahl and King ov Hell. Shortly thereafter, Gaahl was again imprisoned for nine months.

In April 2007, Gaahl was the focus of a five-part series entitled ''[[True Norwegian Black Metal (documentary)|True Norwegian Black Metal]]''. The series was produced by photographer Peter Beste and debuted on ''vbs.tv'', the broadcast network of ''[[Vice Magazine]]''. Gaahl offered Beste an interview and tour of his residence in Espedal.

In October 2007, Gaahl and bassist [[King ov Hell]] tried to remove founding member [[Infernus]] from Gorgoroth. In 2009 the Oslo City District Court found that by doing this, Gaahl and King ov Hell instead excluded ''themselves'' from the band in October 2007, thus ending Gaahl's time in Gorgoroth.<ref>[http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=115817 BLABBERMOUTH.NET]</ref> Gaahl and King assumed the name [[God Seed]] in March 2009.

It was reported that Gaahl had been spending the winter of 2008-2009 in [[Spain]], Gaahl later confirmed that in early 2009 he had been spending a two month vacation there with his boyfriend Robin.<ref>http://www.terrorizer.com/content/gaahl-speaks</ref> In February 2009, Nettavisen reported that he was helping Dan De Vero record a debut album, but within a day of the article's publication the article was revised with all references to Gaahl removed, although his name has been retained in tags.<ref name="allegedgaahldeverodebutalbum">[http://www.nettavisen.no/innenriks/ibergen/article2536535.ece DAN DEVERO - Vil bli popstjerne - Nettavisen]</ref>{{Dead link|date=March 2009}} King also stated in an interview that Gaahl had been spending his time in Spain working on lyrics and vocal arrangements for the debut God Seed album.<ref name="gaahlspain2">[http://www.imhotep.no/?did=9088770 Imhotep - Interviews/Articles - GOD SEED – NEW ENERGY]</ref> However, in an interview conducted with King in April 2009 - after Gaahl returned from Spain - he stated the following:

<blockquote>We have recorded everything in the studio and are just waiting for Gaahl to put on vocals on it. So we have only vocals and the final mix to go before it's all done. It's sometimes a nightmare to work with him in the studio because of the pride he puts into the smallest details. If he is not in the right mood or doesn't find the correct words we get nothing done. At times I've spent days in the studio counting seconds with nothing happening. It's the same way now, but I know in the end the result will be unique and powerful. We have to wait till Gaahl is done writing his lyrics to chose the title for the album. When the whole concept of this album is done lyrically we’ll decide which title to use.<ref name="gaahlreturnspain">[http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=44120&comments=1 Metal News - King Ov Hell Discusses New Band God Seed (Metal Underground.com )]</ref></blockquote>

After performing with God Seed at two concerts in summer 2009 Gaahl revealed that he had quit the band.<ref>http://www.bloodchamber.de/news/2009-08/10307/</ref> His God Seed bandmate King later clarified that Gaahl had in fact chosen to retire from metal music, with King 'freezing' God Seed's activities as a result.<ref>http://metalstorm.ee/events/news_comments.php?news_id=9265</ref>

===Criminal convictions===
In the period February-December 2002, Gaahl was imprisoned for assaulting a man, and was forced to pay the victim 158,000 NOK (26,963 US$).<ref name='gaahl-hist'>{{cite news | first=Chris | last=Campion | coauthors= | title=In the face of death | date=[[2005-02-20]] | publisher=Guardian Unlimited | url =http://arts.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,5127659-110428,00.html | work =[[The Observer]] | pages = | accessdate = 2008-02-10 | language = }}</ref> From April–December 2006, Gaahl spent another nine months (of a fourteen month sentence) in prison.<ref>[http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/article/?id=45971 Metal Hammer - News Article]</ref> He was accused of assaulting and torturing a man for six hours while collecting his blood into a cup and threatening to make him drink it.<ref name='True'/> The victim received a total of 190,000 NOK (32,424 US$).<ref name='gaahl-hist'/> Gaahl maintains that he was acting in self-defence, claiming that: <blockquote>I was the one who was attacked, but they think I punished him too hard. As I always say, when people cross my line ... then I will be the one to decide what their punishment will be.<ref name = "shaman1" /></blockquote>

===Personal life===
During the trial in 2004, it was claimed that Gaahl is a [[vegetarianism|vegetarian]].<ref>{{cite news | first=Jonathan | last=Tisdall | coauthors= | title=Black metal vocalist faces prison | date=[[2004-04-28]] | publisher=Aftenposten | url =http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article783522.ece | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-02-10 | language = }}</ref> He himself discussed this in an interview in December 2005.<ref>[Gaahlskagg Myspace Blog]</ref> However, some sources have claimed otherwise.<ref>http://www.revolvermag.com/content/gorgoroth</ref>

According to Gaahl, he and [[King ov Hell]] are friends with [[Martin Eric Ain]] and [[Thomas Gabriel Fischer]] of the influential extreme metal band [[Celtic Frost]].<ref name="rockhard2"/>

In July 2008, Gaahl revealed in an online interview that he was involved in the creation of ''Wynjo'', an upcoming fashion collection for women, together with Norwegian modeling agent Dan De Vero and designer Sonja Wu.<ref name = 'devero1'>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title= GORGOROTH Frontman Had 'Close Relationship' With Norwegian Modeling Agent DAN DEVERO |url= http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=101511 |format= |work= |publisher= |location= |id= |pages= |page= |date= [[July 24]], [[2008]] |accessdate=2008-07-28 |language= |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= }}</ref><ref name = 'devero2'>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= Hansen, Birthe Steen |coauthors= |title= - Jeg var gal etter Dan |url= http://www.nettavisen.no/innenriks/ibergen/article2086056.ece |format= |work= |publisher= ''[[Nettavisen]]'' |location= |id= |pages= |page= |date= ''undated'' |accessdate=2008-07-28 |language= Norwegian |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= }}</ref> At the same time, it was also revealed that he had been involved in a close personal relationship with De Vero<ref name = 'devero1'/><ref name = 'devero2'/> since 2006. It was stated that they were no longer a couple but remained as good friends. In an interview for the November 2008 issue of ''[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]]'', Gaahl confirmed his homosexual orientation.<ref name="rockhard2">http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=107859</ref>

Shortly thereafter, De Vero stated that he had received threats from people within the black metal community, both at his door and by phone and email.<ref name = 'devero3'>{{cite news |author= Røyseland, Halstein |title= - Truet av black metal-miljøet etter homo-nyhet |url= http://www.vg.no/musikk/artikkel.php?artid=533466 |work= [[Verdens Gang]] |publisher= |location= Oslo, Norway |date= November 2, 2008 |accessdate=2008-11-07 |language= Norwegian }}</ref> It was also alleged that a fight had erupted backstage at [[Wacken Open Air#2008|Wacken Open Air]], triggered by [[homophobia|homophobic]] remarks. Allegedly, the person who made the remarks had to be [[hospital|hospitalised]].<ref name="rockhard2"/> However, Gaahl denied that anyone had ever "said anything derogatory to my face".<ref name="rockhard2"/> When asked by the webzine ''FaceCulture'' if he thinks people will see him and his music differently now that he has publicly acknowledged his homosexuality, Gaahl replied: <blockquote>Mankind is known to be narrow-minded, so... maybe some [will have a negative reaction]. But I guess it will even out the score in a way. I think it will be positive for some and negative for some. It's always good to have some negative as well. Otherwise you would end up with equality and equality is the worst thing in the world. Equality is stagnation. It doesn't let anything grow. It holds back.</blockquote>

== Beliefs ==
Gaahl is a practitioner of old Norse [[Shamanism]] and can often be seen wearing a [[Mjolnir]] pendant.<ref>[http://www.imhotep.fi/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2151&Itemid=135&lang=en Imhotep]</ref><ref name="shaman1">[http://www.tartareandesire.com/interviews/gorgoroth.html Gorgoroth interview @ Tartareandesire.com]</ref>

====Christianity and Satanism====
Gaahl is strongly [[anti-Christian sentiment|opposed to Christianity]], and to the imposition of one's own religious beliefs on others. He has often been mistaken as a [[Satanism|Satanist]], but objects to being labelled as such. In an early interview he stated that "I am my own God as I am my own Satan. So I'm not a Satanist judging by those terms. Maybe you could call it Gaahlism".<ref name="hitler1" /> He repeated this belief in the documentary ''[[True Norwegian Black Metal (documentary)|True Norwegian Black Metal]]'' when he said "the god within yourself is the only true god".<ref name='True'/> When asked if he was influenced by [[Friedrich Nietzsche]] for expressing these beliefs as well as his use of the "[[Übermensch|Superman]]" terminology, he responded:

<blockquote>For me he doesn´t mean anything and I haven´t a lot of things in common with him. Personally, I focus on myself, on my own thoughts.<ref name="gaahlnonietzsche">[http://www.metal1.info/interviews/interview-en.php?interview_id=147 Gorgoroth Interview bei Metal1.info]</ref></blockquote>

Gaahl has expressed opposition to the [[Church of Satan]], describing it as a group of "weak people flocking like rats, afraid of standing alone" and continuing "[[Anton LaVey]] and his followers are incredibly ridiculous. It's all so childish. I will not waste my breath on discussing them".<ref name="hitler1" /> Gaahl uses Satanic themes for its confrontational value, explaining that: <blockquote>We live in a Christian world and we have to speak their language ... When I use the word Satan, it means the natural order, the will of a man, the will to grow, the will to become the superman and not to be oppressed by any law such as the church, which is only a way to control the masses.<ref name = "shaman1" /></blockquote>

====Black metal====
Regarding black metal, Gaahl sees individuality as the most important aspect of the genre.<ref name = "shaman1" /> He has described black metal as "the depiction of honesty without compromise"<ref name="rockhard2" /> and "a war for those who hear the whisper".<ref name = "shaman1" /> When asked in the documentary ''Metal: A Headbanger's Journey'' (2005) for his thoughts on the [[black metal#church burnings|church burnings]] associated with the [[early Norwegian black metal scene]], Gaahl replied:
<blockquote>Church burnings are, of course, a thing that I support one hundred percent. It should have been done much more, and will be done much more in the future. We have to remove every trace from what Christianity, and the semitic roots, have to offer this world.<ref name="headbanger">Dunn, Sam (2005). [http://imdb.com/title/tt0478209/ ''Metal: A Headbanger's Journey'']</ref></blockquote>

However, in a controversial interview from 1995 he also stated:
<blockquote>Well, personally I don't mind it at all, but I fear that it might cause among people fear of nihilism and anti-Christian views that black metal represents, and in that way lead neutral people to succumbing to Christendom because that is what they accept and don't want to lose. I think it's the wrong way to proceed.<ref name="hitler1">
Interview with Gaahl from Polish Holocaust Magazine, 1995 [http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r455/WD37/76ec8a07.jpg]</ref><ref name="hitler2">
Interview with Gaahl from Polish Holocaust Magazine, 1995 [http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r455/WD37/755fc749.jpg]</ref></blockquote>

====Politics====
Gaahl maintains that he has no clear set of political beliefs, and that his circle of friends includes both [[Right-wing politics|right-wingers]] and [[Left-wing politics|left-wingers]].<ref name="rockhard2" /> However, in a controversial 1995 interview he stated his support for [[Varg Vikernes]], [[Adolf Hitler]] and [[Roman Empire|Roman]] emperors [[Julius Caesar]], [[Augustus]], [[Caligula]] and [[Nero]]. He also described people such as "[[niggers]]", "[[mulattoes]]" and [[Muslim]]s as "subhuman".<ref name="hitler1" /><ref name="hitler2" /> In 2008 his controversial views from that period were brought to light in ''Rock Hard'' magazine. Gaahl explained:

<blockquote>In the early '90s, there were all these different youth gangs in Norway and one thing led to another. I was involved in gang fights and had false friends ... There was no political disposition – not with me nor any of my friends. But you had to profess allegiance to a certain group if you wanted to defend yourself and not get your ass kicked.<ref name="rockhard2" /></blockquote>

==Discography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Band
|-
|1994||''Disappearing of the Burning Moon'' (demo)||Trelldom
|-
|1995||''Til Evighet''||Trelldom
|-
|1998||''Til et Annet''||Trelldom
|-
|1998||''[[Destroyer (Gorgoroth album)|Destroyer]]''||Gorgoroth
|-
|1999||''Sigfaders hevner'' (demo)||Sigfader
|-
|1999||''Split With Stormfront''||Gaahlskagg
|-
|2000||''Erotic Funeral''||Gaahlskagg
|-
|2000||''[[Incipit Satan]]''||Gorgoroth
|-
|2003||''[[Twilight of the Idols (album)|Twilight of the Idols]]''||Gorgoroth
|-
|2006||''[[Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam]]''||Gorgoroth
|-
|2006||''True Narcotic Black Metal''<ref>[http://www.heavymetal.no/show.article.asp?menuid=&artid=6226 Heavymetal.no - Interview with Dirge Rep]</ref>||Secht
|-
|2007||''Til Minne''||Trelldom
|-
|2008||''[[Black Mass Krakow 2004]]''||Gorgoroth
|-
|2008||''[[True Norwegian Black Metal - Live in Grieghallen]]''||Gorgoroth
|-
|2009||''Runaljóð - gap var Ginnunga''<ref>[http://www.wardruna.com/news/index.html ''[[Wardruna]]'' Official website - News]</ref><ref>[http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=107772 Blabbermouth.net - WARDRUNA Signs With INDIE RECORDINGS - Oct. 27, 2008]</ref>||Wardruna
|-
|2009||''Skandinavisk misantropi''<ref>[http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=117517 - Blabbermouth.net - MANIAC's SKITLIV Signs With SEASON OF MIST - Apr. 4, 2009]</ref>||Skitliv
|}

'''Other appearances:'''
*2005: ''[[Metal: A Headbanger's Journey]]'' (documentary)
*2007: ''[[True Norwegian Black Metal (documentary)|True Norwegian Black Metal]]'' (documentary)

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:God Seed Hellfest 2009 10.jpg|Gaahl with God Seed (2009)
File:God Seed Hellfest 2009 12.jpg|Gaahl with God Seed (2009)
File:God Seed Hellfest 2009 13.jpg|Gaahl with God Seed (2009)
File:God Seed Hellfest 2009 14.jpg|Gaahl and Teloch with God Seed (2009)
File:God Seed Hellfest 2009 15.jpg|Gaahl with God Seed (2009)
File:Gorgoroth 201107 Paris 01.jpg|Gaahl and King (2007)
File:Gorgoroth 201107 Paris 10.jpg|Gaahl (2007)
File:Gorgoroth 201107 Paris 13.jpg|Gaahl (2007)
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.myspace.com/gaahlofficial Official Myspace]

#[http://youtube.com/watch?v=i4U33U_UyzQ True Norwegian Black Metal Part 1]
#[http://youtube.com/watch?v=KSUmKubFIUY True Norwegian Black Metal Part 2]
#[http://youtube.com/watch?v=VNN-ZnYg1Vo True Norwegian Black Metal Part 3]
#[http://youtube.com/watch?v=dRTHzR2Pxro True Norwegian Black Metal Part 4]
#[http://youtube.com/watch?v=avnsgYvHPK8 True Norwegian Black Metal Part 5]

{{Gorgoroth}}
{{God Seed}}

[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Anti-Christianity]]
[[Category:Black metal singers]]
[[Category:Gay musicians]]
[[Category:LGBT musicians from Norway]]
[[Category:Heavy metal singers]]
[[Category:Norwegian black metal musicians]]
[[Category:Norwegian criminals]]
[[Category:Norwegian male singers]]
[[Category:Norwegian prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:Norwegian rock singers]]
[[Category:Norwegian vegetarians]]
[[Category:People convicted of assault]]
[[Category:People from Sogn og Fjordane]]

[[da:Gaahl]]
[[es:Gaahl]]
[[fr:Gaahl]]
[[it:Gaahl]]
[[nl:Gaahl]]
[[no:Kristian Eivind Espedal]]
[[pl:Gaahl]]
[[ro:Gaahl]]
[[ru:Гаал (певец)]]
[[fi:Gaahl]]
[[sv:Gaahl]]

Fail Blog

2009-08-18T19:59:58Z

ConCompS: /* Controversies */ YouTube has restored Fail Blog's channel, so I've noted that.

'''FAIL Blog''' is a comedic [[blog]] website originally created as a side-project of [[I Can Has Cheezburger?]] by Ben Huh. The site prominently features pictures of someone (or something) failing at something they are supposed to do, or displaying blatant stupidity or incompetence, captioned with the word "Fail", or "Epic Fail". The site has grown rapidly, with the style of the images used on the site growing to become a popular [[internet meme]], and many other smaller sites have spurred after the meme's popularization.<ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1916286,00.html</ref>

FAIL Blog will release its first book, ''Fail Nation: A Visual Romp Through the World of Epic Fails'' (ISBN 9780061833991), on October 6, 2009. <ref>http://failblog.org/2009/07/21/pre-order-your-copy-of-fail-nation/</ref>

==Controversies==
FAIL Blog received a message from an attorney representing [[Guinness World Records]] requesting a ''fail'' screenshot of a page in the Guinness World Records website, referring to the usage of a "break this record" link, containing their logo be removed from the website. FAIL Blog promptly complied with the removal.<ref>[http://failblog.org/2009/07/13/omg-u-fail-so-hard/ OMG YOU FAIL SO HARD - FAIL Blog]</ref>

FAIL Blog also had some issues with the video hosting site [[YouTube]]; it is currently hosting its videos with [[Viddler]]. Its YouTube channel has since been restored, and users can also view the video fails with the YouTube player format.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.failblog.org/ Fail Blog]
*[http://www.youtube.com/user/failblog Fail Blog's YouTube Channel]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fail Blog}}
[[Category:Websites]]
[[Category:Web humor]]
[[Category:Blogs]]