Who is Mark William Calaway?
Who is Mark William Calaway? He is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name The Undertaker. He was born March 24, 1965. Calaway made his debut in 1984 in the Dallas, Texas based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) under the ring name “Texas Red”. He wrestled and lost his first match against Bruiser Brody. In 1988, after four years in the promotion, he left. After leaving WCCW, Mark joined the CWA (which became the USWA after Jerry Jarrett merged CWA with WCCW) and wrestled under several gimmicks. On April 1, 1989, he was booked to win his first professional wrestling title, the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Jerry “The King” Lawler, under the stage name “The Master of Pain”. While performing as the “The Punisher”, Calaway won the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on October 5, 1989 when Eric Embry forfeited the title.[12]
His first mainstream exposure was in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). While there, he was known as “Mean” Mark Callous and wrestled as part of the Skyscrapers tag team along with “Dangerous” Dan Spivey managed by Teddy Long.[13] During his time in the Skyscrapers, he and Spivey were involved in a feud with the Road Warriors,[14] but Spivey left before the feud came to an end. Calaway then took on the guidance of Paul E. Dangerously and muscled his way through Brian Pillman and Johnny Ace. His most famous match in WCW was against Lex Luger for the NWA United States Championship at The Great American Bash, which he lost when Luger pinned him after a clothesline. WCW declined to renew Calaway’s contract, after losing his last match to Sting on September 1, 1990 at a house show. Calaway then briefly wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Punisher Dice Morgan and in October 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
After leaving WCW, he briefly returned to the USWA to participate in a tournament to determine the new USWA Unified World Heavyweight champion; he defeated Bill Dundee in the first round, but lost to Jerry Lawler in the quarterfinals.
He is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), wrestling on its SmackDown brand.
Calaway began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling in 1984. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989. When WCW did not renew Calaway’s contract in 1990, in November of that year he joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, which later became the WWE in 2002). Having remained with that company ever since, Calaway is currently one of the senior performers in WWE. He is one of only two wrestlers, the other being Shawn Michaels, to have appeared on the very first episode of Raw who are still with the company today.[7]
He is undefeated at WrestleMania with a 16-0 record (sometimes referred to as simply The Streak) and is a six-time world champion (four-time WWE Champion and two-time World Heavyweight Champion). He was also the winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble in which he became the first man to have ever won the rumble starting at number 30.
Calaway is the son of Frank and Catherine Calaway, and is one of five brothers with David, Michael, Paul and Timothy. He graduated from Waltrip High School in 1983, where he was a member of the basketball team. Calaway first married Jodi Lynn in 1989, and they had a son, Gunner, born in 1993, before the marriage ended in 1999. Calaway met his second wife, Sara, at a WWF autograph signing in San Diego, California.[90] He eventually married her in a ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 21, 2000. Mark and Sara have two daughters together: Chasey, born in 2002, and Gracie, born in 2005.[1] The two have since divorced and Calaway is currently dating WWE Diva Michelle McCool.
As a wedding gift to Sara, Calaway had his wife’s name tattooed onto his throat and has said this is the most painful tattoo he has ever had. In 2007, the tattoo was removed from all WWE photos showing Undertaker’s throat, most notably on the cover of the November issue of WWE Magazine and in pictures throughout. Undertaker has several other tattoos: a gravedigger, which he refers to as “Original Deadman”, skulls, a castle, and a wizard. When talking about his body art, he has said that there is kind of a medieval thing going-on on his arms. He also has a dancing skeleton on the back of his neck. He also has a tattoo on his stomach that says BSK Pride, which means Bone Street Krewe.
Aside from wrestling, Calaway has many hobbies and interests. He collects Harley-Davidson and West Coast Choppers motorcycles and purchased his first brand new motorcycle after defeating Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship at the 1991 Survivor Series. Calaway has also had a custom motorcycle built for him by Jesse James, the founder of West Coast Choppers. He is a massive fan of Nick Cave and all his musical endeavors (The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds). He also enjoys listening to bands like ZZ Top, AC/DC, Kiss, Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Black Label Society. Calaway also enjoys country music and blues music.
As an avid boxing fan, Calaway was also the person who carried the Flag of the United States while leading Team Pacquiao to the ring during the Pacquiao vs. Velázquez fight in 2005.[93] This was also confirmed by fellow wrestler Batista in a televised interview for the Philippine news program TV Patrol World. Calaway is also an avid Mixed Martial Arts fan and has attended several Ultimate Fighting Championship shows.
As The Undertaker had been absent from the WWE due to his 2007 arm injury, Calaway began getting into real estate with his partner Scott Everhart. Calaway and Everhart finished construction on a $2.7m building in Loveland, Colorado. The building, filled with upscale office space, is named the “The Calahart”, a portmanteau of their last names. Calaway has said that being a TV star certainly helps him in the real estate business, and he was quoted saying “by no means does it seal the deal, but people do want to sit down and talk with you. It helps us get to meet a lot of people and know what we’re trying to get accomplished.”
Calaway has also established The Zeus Compton Calaway Save the Animals fund at the Texas A&M’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital to help pay for lifesaving treatments for large-breed dogs.[95] The fund was established as a memorial to his beloved Mastiff Zeus, who died in 2004. more
The Undertaker
Who is Mark William Calaway? He is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name The Undertaker. He was born March 24, 1965. Calaway made his debut in 1984 in the Dallas, Texas based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) under the ring name “Texas Red”. He wrestled and lost his first match against Bruiser Brody. In 1988, after four years in the promotion, he left. After leaving WCCW, Mark joined the CWA (which became the USWA after Jerry Jarrett merged CWA with WCCW) and wrestled under several gimmicks. On April 1, 1989, he was booked to win his first professional wrestling title, the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Jerry “The King” Lawler, under the stage name “The Master of Pain”. While performing as the “The Punisher”, Calaway won the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on October 5, 1989 when Eric Embry forfeited the title.[12]
His first mainstream exposure was in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). While there, he was known as “Mean” Mark Callous and wrestled as part of the Skyscrapers tag team along with “Dangerous” Dan Spivey managed by Teddy Long.[13] During his time in the Skyscrapers, he and Spivey were involved in a feud with the Road Warriors,[14] but Spivey left before the feud came to an end. Calaway then took on the guidance of Paul E. Dangerously and muscled his way through Brian Pillman and Johnny Ace. His most famous match in WCW was against Lex Luger for the NWA United States Championship at The Great American Bash, which he lost when Luger pinned him after a clothesline. WCW declined to renew Calaway’s contract, after losing his last match to Sting on September 1, 1990 at a house show. Calaway then briefly wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Punisher Dice Morgan and in October 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
After leaving WCW, he briefly returned to the USWA to participate in a tournament to determine the new USWA Unified World Heavyweight champion; he defeated Bill Dundee in the first round, but lost to Jerry Lawler in the quarterfinals.
He is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), wrestling on its SmackDown brand.
Calaway began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling in 1984. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989. When WCW did not renew Calaway’s contract in 1990, in November of that year he joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, which later became the WWE in 2002). Having remained with that company ever since, Calaway is currently one of the senior performers in WWE. He is one of only two wrestlers, the other being Shawn Michaels, to have appeared on the very first episode of Raw who are still with the company today.[7]
He is undefeated at WrestleMania with a 16-0 record (sometimes referred to as simply The Streak) and is a six-time world champion (four-time WWE Champion and two-time World Heavyweight Champion). He was also the winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble in which he became the first man to have ever won the rumble starting at number 30.
Calaway is the son of Frank and Catherine Calaway, and is one of five brothers with David, Michael, Paul and Timothy. He graduated from Waltrip High School in 1983, where he was a member of the basketball team. Calaway first married Jodi Lynn in 1989, and they had a son, Gunner, born in 1993, before the marriage ended in 1999. Calaway met his second wife, Sara, at a WWF autograph signing in San Diego, California.[90] He eventually married her in a ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 21, 2000. Mark and Sara have two daughters together: Chasey, born in 2002, and Gracie, born in 2005.[1] The two have since divorced and Calaway is currently dating WWE Diva Michelle McCool.
As a wedding gift to Sara, Calaway had his wife’s name tattooed onto his throat and has said this is the most painful tattoo he has ever had. In 2007, the tattoo was removed from all WWE photos showing Undertaker’s throat, most notably on the cover of the November issue of WWE Magazine and in pictures throughout. Undertaker has several other tattoos: a gravedigger, which he refers to as “Original Deadman”, skulls, a castle, and a wizard. When talking about his body art, he has said that there is kind of a medieval thing going-on on his arms. He also has a dancing skeleton on the back of his neck. He also has a tattoo on his stomach that says BSK Pride, which means Bone Street Krewe.
Aside from wrestling, Calaway has many hobbies and interests. He collects Harley-Davidson and West Coast Choppers motorcycles and purchased his first brand new motorcycle after defeating Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship at the 1991 Survivor Series. Calaway has also had a custom motorcycle built for him by Jesse James, the founder of West Coast Choppers. He is a massive fan of Nick Cave and all his musical endeavors (The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds). He also enjoys listening to bands like ZZ Top, AC/DC, Kiss, Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Black Label Society. Calaway also enjoys country music and blues music.
As an avid boxing fan, Calaway was also the person who carried the Flag of the United States while leading Team Pacquiao to the ring during the Pacquiao vs. Velázquez fight in 2005.[93] This was also confirmed by fellow wrestler Batista in a televised interview for the Philippine news program TV Patrol World. Calaway is also an avid Mixed Martial Arts fan and has attended several Ultimate Fighting Championship shows.
As The Undertaker had been absent from the WWE due to his 2007 arm injury, Calaway began getting into real estate with his partner Scott Everhart. Calaway and Everhart finished construction on a $2.7m building in Loveland, Colorado. The building, filled with upscale office space, is named the “The Calahart”, a portmanteau of their last names. Calaway has said that being a TV star certainly helps him in the real estate business, and he was quoted saying “by no means does it seal the deal, but people do want to sit down and talk with you. It helps us get to meet a lot of people and know what we’re trying to get accomplished.”
Calaway has also established The Zeus Compton Calaway Save the Animals fund at the Texas A&M’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital to help pay for lifesaving treatments for large-breed dogs.[95] The fund was established as a memorial to his beloved Mastiff Zeus, who died in 2004. more To see more who is click here
Speeding
A man was pulled over for speeding down the highway; the officer came to the driver’s window and said, “Sir, may I see your driver’s license and registration?” The man said, “Well officer I don’t have a license, it was taken away for a DUI.” The officer, in surprise, said,” What, do you have a registration for the vehicle?” So the man replied, “No sir, the car is not mine I stole it, but I am pretty sure I say a registration card in the glove box when I put the gun in it.” The officer stepped back, “There is a gun in the glove box?!?” The man sighed and said, “Yes sir, I used to kill the woman who owns the car before I stuffed her in the trunk.” The officer steps toward the back of the car and says,” Sir do not move, I am calling for backup.” The officer calls for backup and about ten minutes another highway patrolman arrives. He walks up to the window slowly and asks the man for his driver’s license and registration. The man said,” Yes officer here it right here.” It all checked out so the officer said,” Is there a gun in the glove box sir?” The man laughs and says,” No officer why would there be a gun in the glove box.” He opened the glove box and showed him that there was no gun. The second officer asked him to open the trunk because he had reason to believe that there was a body in it. The man agrees and opens the trunk, no dead body. The second officer says, “Sir I do not understand, the officer that pulled you over said that you did not have a license, the car was stolen, there was a gun in the glove box, and a dead body in the trunk.” The man looks the officer in the eyes and says, “Yeah and I’ll bet he said I was speeding too.”
Who is Cheryl Bautista Burke?
Who is Cheryl Bautista Burke? The world knows her has Cheryl Burke. She was born May 3, 1984 and Burke grew up in Atherton, California. She is a two time Emmy nominated professional dancer. As the professional dancer partner, she won the competition in the second and third seasons of ABC’s American version of Dancing with the Stars with celebrity dance partners Drew Lachey (February 2006) and Emmitt Smith (November 2006). She was the first professional dancer to win two Dancing with the Stars championships and in any competition. In season 4 went to week 9 with Beverly Hills 90210 star Ian Ziering. Season 5 she was partnered with Las Vegas Legend Wayne Newton, they were emliminated week 3. Season 6 she made it to the finals and placed 3rd with actor Cristian De Le Fuente. Season 7 she was eliminated week 9 with partner Maurice Green, the former Worlds Fastest man. Cheryl says a Girl named Kelsey is her biggest fan, and she loves that she can inspire her.
She is of Filipino, Russian, Irish descent. Her family dances recreationally and have a dance floor at home. At 4 years of age she began taking ballet lessons and performing locally. She then began ballroom dancing and decided to change her focus. She trained in both standard ballroom and Latin dances. She began competing at age 13. Cheryl has two sisters, Mandy and Nicole. Burke is a 2002 graduate of Menlo-Atherton High School.
Burke won her first championship with 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey in the second season. She won her second championship with retired football star Emmitt Smith in the third season.
Burke returned to the ballroom on March 19, 2007 for Season 4, partnered with actor Ian Ziering. Cheryl and Ian were eliminated in the semi-finals on May 15, 2007.
She participated in a 38-city Dancing with the Stars Tour from December 19, 2006 to February 11, 2007. She joined the second summer tour which visited 24 cities between June 20, 2007 in Austin, Texas and July 24, 2007 in Vancouver, Canada. Her celebrity partner for both tours was Drew Lachey.
Cheryl competed on Season 5. Her partner was Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton. They were the third couple eliminated from the competition on October 9, 2007.
Cheryl recently participated with both Lachey & Newton in the Dancing with the Stars winter tour that kicked off December 18, 2007 in Seattle, Washington. The tour wrapped in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 10, 2008.
Cheryl competed on Season 6 and was partnered with actor Cristián de la Fuente. They made it to the finals and on May 20, 2008, Cheryl and Cristián placed 3rd in the season 6 competition.
Cheryl returned to the show for Season 7 with partner Maurice Greene. They were eliminated in Week 8 on November 11, 2008 and came in 5th place.
2005 World Cup Professional Rising Star Latin Champion
2005 San Francisco Latin Champion
2005 Ohio Star Ball Rising Star Latin Champion
UK Championships
4th in U.S. in the “Under 21s.”
Dancing with the Stars champion season 2 with Drew Lachey
Dancing with the Stars champion season 3 with Emmitt Smith Burke is the youngest nominee to ever receive nominations in that category.
Cheryl lives in Los Angeles, and has recently returned to her childhood home in the Bay Area to support local schools. In March 2006, she helped the International School of the Peninsula (ISTP) in Palo Alto, CA, raise $250,000 for its educational programs. The following weekend, along with DWTS runner-up Jerry Rice, she helped Menlo School raise funds for their school. Her sister and his son both attend that school. A one-hour dance lesson in her house ballroom sold for $31,000.
Cheryl, along with Louis van Amstel and Ashly DelGrosso, appeared on the September 22, 2006 episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, titled Loosely Ballroom.
Burke appeared in the May 2007 issue of Stuff Magazine and the October 2007 issue of Maxim.
Cheryl, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Drew Lachey appeared on the October 14, 2007 episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
On October 20, 2007, Cheryl won the Role Model Award at the 7th Annual Filipino/American Library Gala.
The “Cheryl Burke Dance” studio opened April 4th, 2008 in San Francisco, CA with assistance from Burke’s mother Sherri, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, retired San Francisco 49er Jerry Rice and several other dance professionals.
Cheryl dated Matthew Lawrence but they broke up in early 2008. Cheryl stated on DWTS subsequent 2008 season 6 that she is “happily single”.
Cheryl appears the The Game’s music video for Camera Phone. She is the woman in black dancing with Ne-Yo.
Who is Cheryl Bautista Burke?
Who is Cheryl Bautista Burke? The world knows her has Cheryl Burke. She was born May 3, 1984 and Burke grew up in Atherton, California. She is a two time Emmy nominated professional dancer. As the professional dancer partner, she won the competition in the second and third seasons of ABC’s American version of Dancing with the Stars with celebrity dance partners Drew Lachey (February 2006) and Emmitt Smith (November 2006). She was the first professional dancer to win two Dancing with the Stars championships and in any competition. In season 4 went to week 9 with Beverly Hills 90210 star Ian Ziering. Season 5 she was partnered with Las Vegas Legend Wayne Newton, they were emliminated week 3. Season 6 she made it to the finals and placed 3rd with actor Cristian De Le Fuente. Season 7 she was eliminated week 9 with partner Maurice Green, the former Worlds Fastest man. Cheryl says a Girl named Kelsey is her biggest fan, and she loves that she can inspire her.
She is of Filipino, Russian, Irish descent. Her family dances recreationally and have a dance floor at home. At 4 years of age she began taking ballet lessons and performing locally. She then began ballroom dancing and decided to change her focus. She trained in both standard ballroom and Latin dances. She began competing at age 13. Cheryl has two sisters, Mandy and Nicole. Burke is a 2002 graduate of Menlo-Atherton High School.
Burke won her first championship with 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey in the second season. She won her second championship with retired football star Emmitt Smith in the third season.
Burke returned to the ballroom on March 19, 2007 for Season 4, partnered with actor Ian Ziering. Cheryl and Ian were eliminated in the semi-finals on May 15, 2007.
She participated in a 38-city Dancing with the Stars Tour from December 19, 2006 to February 11, 2007. She joined the second summer tour which visited 24 cities between June 20, 2007 in Austin, Texas and July 24, 2007 in Vancouver, Canada. Her celebrity partner for both tours was Drew Lachey.
Cheryl competed on Season 5. Her partner was Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton. They were the third couple eliminated from the competition on October 9, 2007.
Cheryl recently participated with both Lachey & Newton in the Dancing with the Stars winter tour that kicked off December 18, 2007 in Seattle, Washington. The tour wrapped in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 10, 2008.
Cheryl competed on Season 6 and was partnered with actor Cristián de la Fuente. They made it to the finals and on May 20, 2008, Cheryl and Cristián placed 3rd in the season 6 competition.
Cheryl returned to the show for Season 7 with partner Maurice Greene. They were eliminated in Week 8 on November 11, 2008 and came in 5th place.
2005 World Cup Professional Rising Star Latin Champion
2005 San Francisco Latin Champion
2005 Ohio Star Ball Rising Star Latin Champion
UK Championships
4th in U.S. in the “Under 21s.”
Dancing with the Stars champion season 2 with Drew Lachey
Dancing with the Stars champion season 3 with Emmitt Smith Burke is the youngest nominee to ever receive nominations in that category.
Cheryl lives in Los Angeles, and has recently returned to her childhood home in the Bay Area to support local schools. In March 2006, she helped the International School of the Peninsula (ISTP) in Palo Alto, CA, raise $250,000 for its educational programs. The following weekend, along with DWTS runner-up Jerry Rice, she helped Menlo School raise funds for their school. Her sister and his son both attend that school. A one-hour dance lesson in her house ballroom sold for $31,000.
Cheryl, along with Louis van Amstel and Ashly DelGrosso, appeared on the September 22, 2006 episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, titled Loosely Ballroom.
Burke appeared in the May 2007 issue of Stuff Magazine and the October 2007 issue of Maxim.
Cheryl, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Drew Lachey appeared on the October 14, 2007 episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
On October 20, 2007, Cheryl won the Role Model Award at the 7th Annual Filipino/American Library Gala.
The “Cheryl Burke Dance” studio opened April 4th, 2008 in San Francisco, CA with assistance from Burke’s mother Sherri, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, retired San Francisco 49er Jerry Rice and several other dance professionals.
Cheryl dated Matthew Lawrence but they broke up in early 2008. Cheryl stated on DWTS subsequent 2008 season 6 that she is “happily single”.
Cheryl appears the The Game’s music video for Camera Phone. She is the woman in black dancing with Ne-Yo.
Justine Levens A mixed martial arts fighter and his wife have been found shot to death in a Laguna Niguel condominium in what authorities say was an a
LOS ANGELES — A mixed martial arts fighter and his wife have been found shot to death in a Laguna Niguel condominium in what authorities say was an apparent murder-suicide.
Orange County sheriff’s officials say the bodies of Justin Levens and his wife Sarah McLean-Levens were found Wednesday afternoon.
The 28-year-old Levens competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and other fighting federations.
Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino says the couple were found by the woman’s mother, who called 911.
Lt. Mike Jansen says further
Justine Levens A mixed martial arts fighter and his wife have been found shot to death in a Laguna Niguel condominium in what authorities say was an a
LOS ANGELES — A mixed martial arts fighter and his wife have been found shot to death in a Laguna Niguel condominium in what authorities say was an apparent murder-suicide.
Orange County sheriff’s officials say the bodies of Justin Levens and his wife Sarah McLean-Levens were found Wednesday afternoon.
The 28-year-old Levens competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and other fighting federations.
Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino says the couple were found by the woman’s mother, who called 911.
Lt. Mike Jansen says further
LOS ANGELES — A mixed martial arts fighter and his wife have been found shot to death in a Laguna Niguel condominium in what authorities say was an a
LOS ANGELES — A mixed martial arts fighter and his wife have been found shot to death in a Laguna Niguel condominium in what authorities say was an apparent murder-suicide.
Orange County sheriff’s officials say the bodies of Justin Levens and his wife Sarah McLean-Levens were found Wednesday afternoon.
The 28-year-old Levens competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and other fighting federations.
Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino says the couple were found by the woman’s mother, who called 911.
Lt. Mike Jansen says further
Did you know it snowed in Vegas
What happensin Vegas does not always stay in Vegas
Colorado Doctor Finds Foot In Newborn’s Brain
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A Colorado Springs family is part of one of the strangest cases in medical history.
Dr. Paul Grabb, a pediatric brain surgeon, said he discovered a small foot growing inside the brain of 3-day-old Sam Esquibel, reported KMGH-TV in Denver.
The appendage threatened the newborn’s life When Grabb performed the life-saving surgery at Memorial Hospital for Children in Colorado Springs, he was in for another surprise: he also found what appeared to be parts of an intestine in the folds of the infant’s tiny brain, in addition to another developing foot, hand and thigh. more
Florida Man Steals Hearse During Funeral
WEST PARK, Fla. — Authorities say a Hallandale Beach man stole a hearse as mourners attended a funeral.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office reports that 18-year-old Johnny Silfrain jumped into a black hearse parked outside a West Park church Wednesday morning and drove off.
The report says Silfrain stopped at his house and asked relatives if they wanted to go for a ride in a hearse. Deputies eventually spotted the hearse heading back toward the church and began pursuit.
When deputies tried to take Silfrain into custody, authorities say he drove toward one of them. Silfrain was shot in the leg but kept driving. The service was still in progress when Silfrain got back to the church. He was arrested and taken to a hospital for his injury.
Charges are pending.
Mafia Boss Hangs Himself in Prison After Arrest
One of the Mafia bosses and clan members arrested in a major police crackdown hung himself in his prison cell in Palermo, Italy, just hours after his arrest Tuesday.
Gaetano Lo Presti, 52, who had taken over control of Mafia clans in the Porta Nuova area of Palermo and had previous convictions, was found dead in Pagliarelli prison, police said Wednesday.
Authorities had ordered the sweeping raids to prevent what they said were mob efforts to rebuild Cosa Nostra. Some 90 suspects were arrested in the blitz.
His suicide appeared to be related to clan feuds. Lo Presti took over the Porta Nuova district only a year ago, after the murder of a rival boss, Niccolo Ingarao.
In addition, investigators said Lo Presti may have feared a revenge attack after his intercepted telephone calls were used as evidence by anti-Mafia police to track down Giuseppe Salvatore Riina, son of the imprisoned Cosa Nostra Godfather, Toto Riina. Giuseppe Riina is serving a 14-year sentence for Mafia association, extortion and money laundering. more
Who is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.
Who is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.? The world knows him by his stage name of Lil Wayne. Formerly a member of the rap group the Hot Boys, he joined the Cash Money Records collective as a teenager. He worked with B.G. on the album True Story and eventually recorded for the label. Get It How U Live, released in 1997, was Lil Wayne’s first album with Hot Boys, and Tha Block is Hot, his solo debut, came out 1999. Block debuted in the top ten on the American Billboard 200 chart and Lil Wayne was nominated for “Best New Artist” from The Source magazine the same year. Following this success, Wayne soon featured on other rappers’ singles, including “Bling Bling” by B.G. and “#1 Stunna” by the Big Tymers in 2000.
After his hit debut album Tha Block Is Hot and two more albums released with little promotion, Lil Wayne reached higher popularity with 2004’s Tha Carter and its two subsequent albums Tha Carter II (2005) and Tha Carter III (2008). He appears on several mixtapes and singles of other artists.
He was born September 27, 1982, he grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. Carter enrolled in the gifted program of Lafayette Elementary School and in the drama club of Eleanor McMain Secondary School. At age eleven, he met Bryan Williams, rapper and owner of Cash Money Records. Lil Wayne recorded freestyle raps on Williams’ answering machine; Williams would eventually mentor the young Carter and include him in Cash Money-distributed songs. When he was 12, he played the part of the Tin Man in his middle school drama club’s production of The Wiz. He dropped out of school at age 14 but later earned his GED.
1997, Lil Wayne formed the group Hot Boys along with rappers Juvenile, Turk, and B.G.; at age 15, Wayne was the youngest member at that time. Hot Boys’ debut album Get It How U Live! was released the same year, followed in 1999 by the group’s major-label debut Guerrilla Warfare, which reached #1 on the Billboard magazine Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #5 on the Billboard 200. During their career, the Hot Boys had two charting singles, “We On Fire” from Get It How U Live! and “I Need a Hot Girl” from Guerrilla Warfare. Lil Wayne was also featured on Juvenile’s single “Back That Azz Up”, which reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.[8] Let ‘Em Burn, a compilation album of unreleased tracks recorded during 1999 and 2000, came out in 2003, several years after the group disbanded. It reached #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #14 on the Billboard 200.
Lil Wayne’s debut solo album Tha Block Is Hot at age 17 featured significant contributions from the Hot Boys and went double platinum, climbing to #3 on the Billboard album charts. The album earned him a 1999 Source magazine award nomination for “Best New Artist”, and also became a Top Ten hit. The lead single was “Tha Block Is Hot”. After the release of Tha Block is Hot, Lil Wayne was featured on the single, “Bling Bling”, with B.G., Juvenile, Turk, and Big Tymers.
Wayne has a daughter named Reginae Carter with Antonia “Toya” Johnson, his high school sweetheart. The two were married on Valentines Day of 2004; they divorced in 2006. During his acceptance speech for “Lyricist of the Year” at the 2008 BET Awards, Lil Wayne announced that he is expecting a son. His newborn son is, Dwayne Carter III, was born Oct. 22 at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. The child’s mother is still unknown. In an interview with Blender, Lil Wayne revealed one of his favorite bands from childhood to be rock group Nirvana, and cites them as a major influence in his music.
He has announced several possible projects following Tha Carter III, including a collaboration album I Can’t Feel My Face with rapper Juelz Santana that has been in production for several years. On the website HipHopDX.com, he has discussed a possible R&B album titled Luv Sawngz, for which he will heavily rely on a vocoder. He has also talked with singer Lloyd about doing a collaboration album in the future. DJ Drama stated that there would be a third installation of the Dedication mixtape series with Lil Wayne, who has instead stated that he will do an full album under the title. In interviews, Wayne has asserted that he might make an album titled Tha Carter IV. On June 19, 2008, Lil Wayne and T-Pain formed a supergroup called T-Wayne and planned to release an album.
The lineup for New Orleans’ 2008 Voodoo Experience concert, to be held in October, will feature Lil Wayne. Jonathan Cohen of Billboard magazine reported that the event will mark his biggest hometown headlining set of his career. Lil Wayne will be reuniting with Hot Boys alongside Juvenile, Turk, and B.G. They plan to release an album after B.G.’s solo album Too Hood to Be Hollywood is completed. Wayne also performed as the 2008 Virgin Mobile Music Fest with Kanye West, performing his “Lollipop (remix)” featuring West and also lip-syncing to Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”. Lil Wayne also performed at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards with Kid Rock (“All Summer Long”), Leona Lewis (“DontGetIt (Misunderstood)”) and T-Pain (“Got Money”). Lil Wayne was also featured on the 34th season premiere episode of Saturday Night Live as the musical guest and is also set to perform at Vanderbilt University’s homecoming on October 23. Wayne was then revealed to be performing at the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards along with Ludacris, T-Pain, The Game, and Young Jeezy among others, where he leads all nominations with 12 total. He won 6 of them, and one with Dj Khaled for the song “Out Here Grindin’.” He is expected to start a nationwide tour, practising with a live band and working on logistics. It was revealed that M.I.A. dropped out of performing on the tour due to her pregnancy, however Jay Z is expected to perform with Wayne on the song “Mr. Carter” at select shows.
In an interview on MTV’s Mixtape Monday, Wayne stated that Tha Carter IV is “nice” but fans should be looking for Dedication 3 with DJ Drama. Following Tha Carter III’s achievement of selling over 2 million copies, becoming 2008’s best record, Wayne re-signed with Cash Money Records for a multi-album deal. On September 24, Lil Wayne published his first blog for ESPN in their issue, ESPN The Magazine. Wayne revealed he was a tennis fan, a Green Bay Packers fan, a Boston Bruins fan, a Los Angeles Lakers fan, and a Boston Red Sox fan.
On November 11, 2008, Wayne became the first hip-hop act to ever perform at the Country Music Awards. He played alongside Kid Rock for the song, “All Summer Long”, in which Wayne did not rap but instead played guitar along Kid Rock’s band. Shortly after, Wayne was nominated for eight Grammys – the most for an artist nominated.
On January 23, 2008, Lil Wayne was arrested alongside two others. His tour bus was stopped by Border Patrol agents near Yuma, Arizona. A K-9 Unit recovered 105 grams of marijuana (3.7 ounces), almost 29 grams of cocaine (1.02 ounces), 41 grams of MDMA (1.4 ounces) and $22,000 dollars in cash. Lil Wayne was charged with four felonies: possession of narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was granted permission to travel outside of the state and remain out of custody on the $10,185 bond he posted. On May 6, 2008 Wayne returned to court in Arizona to plead not guilty to the charges.
Who is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.
Who is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.? The world knows him by his stage name of Lil Wayne. Formerly a member of the rap group the Hot Boys, he joined the Cash Money Records collective as a teenager. He worked with B.G. on the album True Story and eventually recorded for the label. Get It How U Live, released in 1997, was Lil Wayne’s first album with Hot Boys, and Tha Block is Hot, his solo debut, came out 1999. Block debuted in the top ten on the American Billboard 200 chart and Lil Wayne was nominated for “Best New Artist” from The Source magazine the same year. Following this success, Wayne soon featured on other rappers’ singles, including “Bling Bling” by B.G. and “#1 Stunna” by the Big Tymers in 2000.
After his hit debut album Tha Block Is Hot and two more albums released with little promotion, Lil Wayne reached higher popularity with 2004’s Tha Carter and its two subsequent albums Tha Carter II (2005) and Tha Carter III (2008). He appears on several mixtapes and singles of other artists.
He was born September 27, 1982, he grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. Carter enrolled in the gifted program of Lafayette Elementary School and in the drama club of Eleanor McMain Secondary School. At age eleven, he met Bryan Williams, rapper and owner of Cash Money Records. Lil Wayne recorded freestyle raps on Williams’ answering machine; Williams would eventually mentor the young Carter and include him in Cash Money-distributed songs. When he was 12, he played the part of the Tin Man in his middle school drama club’s production of The Wiz. He dropped out of school at age 14 but later earned his GED.
1997, Lil Wayne formed the group Hot Boys along with rappers Juvenile, Turk, and B.G.; at age 15, Wayne was the youngest member at that time. Hot Boys’ debut album Get It How U Live! was released the same year, followed in 1999 by the group’s major-label debut Guerrilla Warfare, which reached #1 on the Billboard magazine Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #5 on the Billboard 200. During their career, the Hot Boys had two charting singles, “We On Fire” from Get It How U Live! and “I Need a Hot Girl” from Guerrilla Warfare. Lil Wayne was also featured on Juvenile’s single “Back That Azz Up”, which reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.[8] Let ‘Em Burn, a compilation album of unreleased tracks recorded during 1999 and 2000, came out in 2003, several years after the group disbanded. It reached #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #14 on the Billboard 200.
Lil Wayne’s debut solo album Tha Block Is Hot at age 17 featured significant contributions from the Hot Boys and went double platinum, climbing to #3 on the Billboard album charts. The album earned him a 1999 Source magazine award nomination for “Best New Artist”, and also became a Top Ten hit. The lead single was “Tha Block Is Hot”. After the release of Tha Block is Hot, Lil Wayne was featured on the single, “Bling Bling”, with B.G., Juvenile, Turk, and Big Tymers.
Wayne has a daughter named Reginae Carter with Antonia “Toya” Johnson, his high school sweetheart. The two were married on Valentines Day of 2004; they divorced in 2006. During his acceptance speech for “Lyricist of the Year” at the 2008 BET Awards, Lil Wayne announced that he is expecting a son. His newborn son is, Dwayne Carter III, was born Oct. 22 at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. The child’s mother is still unknown. In an interview with Blender, Lil Wayne revealed one of his favorite bands from childhood to be rock group Nirvana, and cites them as a major influence in his music.
He has announced several possible projects following Tha Carter III, including a collaboration album I Can’t Feel My Face with rapper Juelz Santana that has been in production for several years. On the website HipHopDX.com, he has discussed a possible R&B album titled Luv Sawngz, for which he will heavily rely on a vocoder. He has also talked with singer Lloyd about doing a collaboration album in the future. DJ Drama stated that there would be a third installation of the Dedication mixtape series with Lil Wayne, who has instead stated that he will do an full album under the title. In interviews, Wayne has asserted that he might make an album titled Tha Carter IV. On June 19, 2008, Lil Wayne and T-Pain formed a supergroup called T-Wayne and planned to release an album.
The lineup for New Orleans’ 2008 Voodoo Experience concert, to be held in October, will feature Lil Wayne. Jonathan Cohen of Billboard magazine reported that the event will mark his biggest hometown headlining set of his career. Lil Wayne will be reuniting with Hot Boys alongside Juvenile, Turk, and B.G. They plan to release an album after B.G.’s solo album Too Hood to Be Hollywood is completed. Wayne also performed as the 2008 Virgin Mobile Music Fest with Kanye West, performing his “Lollipop (remix)” featuring West and also lip-syncing to Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”. Lil Wayne also performed at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards with Kid Rock (“All Summer Long”), Leona Lewis (“DontGetIt (Misunderstood)”) and T-Pain (“Got Money”). Lil Wayne was also featured on the 34th season premiere episode of Saturday Night Live as the musical guest and is also set to perform at Vanderbilt University’s homecoming on October 23. Wayne was then revealed to be performing at the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards along with Ludacris, T-Pain, The Game, and Young Jeezy among others, where he leads all nominations with 12 total. He won 6 of them, and one with Dj Khaled for the song “Out Here Grindin’.” He is expected to start a nationwide tour, practising with a live band and working on logistics. It was revealed that M.I.A. dropped out of performing on the tour due to her pregnancy, however Jay Z is expected to perform with Wayne on the song “Mr. Carter” at select shows.
In an interview on MTV’s Mixtape Monday, Wayne stated that Tha Carter IV is “nice” but fans should be looking for Dedication 3 with DJ Drama. Following Tha Carter III’s achievement of selling over 2 million copies, becoming 2008’s best record, Wayne re-signed with Cash Money Records for a multi-album deal. On September 24, Lil Wayne published his first blog for ESPN in their issue, ESPN The Magazine. Wayne revealed he was a tennis fan, a Green Bay Packers fan, a Boston Bruins fan, a Los Angeles Lakers fan, and a Boston Red Sox fan.
On November 11, 2008, Wayne became the first hip-hop act to ever perform at the Country Music Awards. He played alongside Kid Rock for the song, “All Summer Long”, in which Wayne did not rap but instead played guitar along Kid Rock’s band. Shortly after, Wayne was nominated for eight Grammys – the most for an artist nominated.
On January 23, 2008, Lil Wayne was arrested alongside two others. His tour bus was stopped by Border Patrol agents near Yuma, Arizona. A K-9 Unit recovered 105 grams of marijuana (3.7 ounces), almost 29 grams of cocaine (1.02 ounces), 41 grams of MDMA (1.4 ounces) and $22,000 dollars in cash. Lil Wayne was charged with four felonies: possession of narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was granted permission to travel outside of the state and remain out of custody on the $10,185 bond he posted. On May 6, 2008 Wayne returned to court in Arizona to plead not guilty to the charges.
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