Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.

History

Video technology was first developed for cathode ray tube (CRT) television systems, but several new technologies for video display devices have since been invented. Charles Ginsburg led an Ampex research team developing the first practical video tape recorder (VTR). In 1951 the first video tape recorder captured live images from television cameras by converting the camera's electrical impulses and saving the information onto magnetic video tape.

Video recorders sold for $50,000 in 1956, and videotape cost $300 per one-hour reel. However, prices steadily dropped over the years; in 1971, Sony began selling videocassette recorder (VCR) tapes to the public. After the invention of the DVD in 1997 and Blu-ray Disc in 2006, sales of videotape and tape equipment plummeted.

Later advances in computer technology allowed computers to capture, store, edit and transmit video clips.

Characteristics of video streams

Number of frames per second

''Frame rate'', the number of still pictures per unit of time of video, ranges from six or eight frames per second (''frame/s'') for old mechanical cameras to 120 or more frames per second for new professional cameras. PAL (Europe, Asia, Australia, etc.) and SECAM (France, Russia, parts of Africa etc.) standards specify 25 frame/s, while NTSC (USA, Canada, Japan, etc.) specifies 29.97 frame/s. Film is shot at the slower frame rate of 24photograms/s, which complicates slightly the process of transferring a cinematic motion picture to video. The minimum frame rate to achieve the illusion of a moving image is about fifteen frames per second.

Interlaced vs progressive

Video can be interlaced or progressive. Interlacing was invented as a way to reduce flicker in early mechanical and CRT video displays without increasing the number of complete frames per second, which would have required sacrificing image detail in order to remain within the limitations of a narrow bandwidth. The horizontal scan lines of each complete frame are treated as if numbered consecutively and captured as two ''fields'': an ''odd field'' (upper field) consisting of the odd-numbered lines and an ''even field'' (lower field) consisting of the even-numbered lines.

Analog display devices reproduce each frame in the same way, effectively doubling the frame rate as far as perceptible overall flicker is concerned. When the image capture device acquires the fields one at a time, rather than dividing up a complete frame after it is captured, the frame rate for motion is effectively doubled as well, resulting in smoother, more life-like reproduction (although with halved detail) of rapidly moving parts of the image when viewed on an interlaced CRT display, but the display of such a signal on a progressive scan device is problematic.

NTSC, PAL and SECAM are interlaced formats. Abbreviated video resolution specifications often include an ''i'' to indicate interlacing. For example, PAL video format is often specified as ''576i50'', where ''576'' indicates the total number of horizontal scan lines, ''i'' indicates interlacing, and ''50'' indicates 50 fields (half-frames) per second.

In ''progressive scan'' systems, each refresh period updates all of the scan lines of each frame in sequence. When displaying a natively progressive broadcast or recorded signal, the result is optimum spatial resolution of both the stationary and moving parts of the image. When displaying a natively interlaced signal, however, overall spatial resolution will be degraded by simple line doubling and artifacts such as flickering or "comb" effects in moving parts of the image will be seen unless special signal processing is applied to eliminate them. A procedure known as deinterlacing can be used to optimize the display of an interlaced video signal from an analog, DVD or satellite source on a progressive scan device such as an LCD Television, digital video projector or plasma panel. Deinterlacing cannot, however, produce video quality that is equivalent to true progressive scan source material.

Aspect ratio

Aspect ratio describes the dimensions of video screens and video picture elements. All popular video formats are rectilinear, and so can be described by a ratio between width and height. The screen aspect ratio of a traditional television screen is 4:3, or about 1.33:1. High definition televisions use an aspect ratio of 16:9, or about 1.78:1. The aspect ratio of a full 35 mm film frame with soundtrack (also known as the Academy ratio) is 1.375:1.

Ratios where the height is taller than the width are uncommon in general everyday use, but do have application in computer systems where the screen may be better suited for a vertical layout. The most common tall aspect ratio of 3:4 is referred to as ''portrait mode'' and is created by physically rotating the display device 90 degrees from the normal position. Other tall aspect ratios such as 9:16 are technically possible but rarely used. (For a more detailed discussion of this topic please refer to the page orientation article.)

Pixels on computer monitors are usually square, but pixels used in digital video often have non-square aspect ratios, such as those used in the PAL and NTSC variants of the CCIR 601 digital video standard, and the corresponding anamorphic widescreen formats. Therefore, an NTSC DV image which is 720 pixels by 480 pixels is displayed with the aspect ratio of 4:3 (which is the traditional television standard) if the pixels are thin and displayed with the aspect ratio of 16:9 (which is the anamorphic widescreen format) if the pixels are fat.

Color space and bits per pixel

''Color model name'' describes the video color representation. ''YIQ'' was used in NTSC television. It corresponds closely to the ''YUV'' scheme used in NTSC and PAL television and the ''YDbDr'' scheme used by SECAM television.

The number of distinct colors that can be represented by a pixel depends on the number of ''bits per pixel'' (bpp). A common way to reduce the number of bits per pixel in digital video is by chroma subsampling (e.g. 4:4:4, 4:2:2, 4:2:0/4:1:1).

Video quality

Video quality can be measured with formal metrics like PSNR or with subjective video quality using expert observation.

The subjective video quality of a video processing system may be evaluated as follows:

Choose the video sequences (the ''SRC'') to use for testing.

Choose the settings of the system to evaluate (the ''HRC'').

Choose a test method for how to present video sequences to experts and to collect their ratings.

Invite a sufficient number of experts, preferably not fewer than 15.

Carry out testing.

Calculate the average marks for each ''HRC'' based on the experts' ratings.

Many subjective video quality methods are described in the ITU-T recommendation BT.500. One of the standardized method is the ''Double Stimulus Impairment Scale'' (DSIS). In DSIS, each expert views an ''unimpaired'' reference video followed by an ''impaired'' version of the same video. The expert then rates the ''impaired'' video using a scale ranging from "impairments are imperceptible" to "impairments are very annoying".

Video compression method (digital only)

A wide variety of methods are used to compress video streams. Video data contains spatial and temporal redundancy, making uncompressed video streams extremely inefficient. Broadly speaking, spatial redundancy is reduced by registering differences between parts of a single frame; this task is known as ''intraframe compression'' and is closely related to image compression. Likewise, temporal redundancy can be reduced by registering differences between frames; this task is known as ''interframe compression'', including motion compensation and other techniques. The most common modern standards are MPEG-2, used for DVD, Blu-ray and satellite television, and MPEG-4, used for AVCHD, Mobile phones (3GP) and Internet.

Bit rate (digital only)

''Bit rate'' is a measure of the rate of information content in a video stream. It is quantified using the bit per second (''bit/s'' or ''bps'') unit or ''Megabits per second'' (''Mbit/s''). A higher bit rate allows better video quality. For example VideoCD, with a bit rate of about 1 Mbit/s, is lower quality than DVD, with maximum bit rate of 10.08 Mbit/s for video. HD (High Definition Digital Video and TV) has a still higher quality, with a bit rate of about 20 Mbit/s.

Variable bit rate (VBR) is a strategy to maximize the visual video quality and minimize the bit rate. On fast motion scenes, a variable bit rate uses more bits than it does on slow motion scenes of similar duration yet achieves a consistent visual quality. For real-time and non-buffered video streaming when the available bandwidth is fixed, e.g. in videoconferencing delivered on channels of fixed bandwidth, a constant bit rate (CBR) must be used.

Stereoscopic

''Stereoscopic video'' can be created using several different methods:

two channels — a right channel for the right eye and a left channel for the left eye. Both channels may be viewed simultaneously by using light-polarizing filters 90 degrees off-axis from each other on two video projectors. These separately polarized channels are viewed wearing eyeglasses with matching polarization filters.

one channel with two overlaid color coded layers. This left and right layer technique is occasionally used for network broadcast, or recent "anaglyph" releases of 3D movies on DVD. Simple Red/Cyan plastic glasses provide the means to view the images discretely to form a stereoscopic view of the content.

One channel with alternating left/right frames for each eye, using LCD shutter glasses which read the frame sync from the VGA Display Data Channel to alternately cover each eye, so the appropriate eye sees the correct frame. This method is most common in computer virtual reality applications such as in a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment, but reduces the effective video framerate to one-half of normal (for example, from 120 Hz to 60 Hz).

Blu-ray Discs greatly improve the sharpness and detail of the two-color 3D effect in color coded stereo programs. See articles Stereoscopy and 3-D film.

Video formats

There are different layers of video transmission and storage, each with its own set of formats to choose from.

For transmission, there is a physical connector and signal protocol ("video connection standard" below). A given physical link can carry certain "display standards" which specify a particular refresh rate, display resolution, and color space.

Many analog and digital recording formats are in use, and digital video clips can also be stored on a computer file system as files which have their own formats. In addition to the physical format used by the data storage device or transmission medium, the stream of ones and zeros that is sent must be in a particular digital "video encoding", of which a number are available.

Transport medium

Video can be transmitted or transported in a variety of ways. Wireless broadcast as an analog or digital signal. Coaxial cable in a closed circuit system can be sent as analog interlaced 1 volt peak to peak with a maximum horizontal line resolution up to 480. Broadcast or studio cameras use a single or dual coaxial cable system using a progressive scan format known as SDI serial digital interface and HD-SDI for High Definition video. The distances of transmission are somewhat limited depending on the manufacturer the format may be proprietary. SDI has an negligible lag and is uncompressed. There are initiatives to use the SDI standards in closed circuit surveillance systems, for Higher Definition images, over longer distances on coax or twisted pair cable. Due to the nature of the higher bandwidth needed, the distance the signal can be effectively sent is a half to a third of what the older interlaced analog systems supported.

Video connectors, cables, and signal standards

See List of video connectors for information about physical connectors and related signal standards.

Video display standards

Digital television

New formats for digital television broadcasts use the MPEG-2 video codec and include:

ATSC - USA, Canada, Korea

Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) - Europe

ISDB - Japan

*ISDB-Tb - Uses the MPEG-4 video codec. Brazil, Argentina

Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) - Korea

Analog television

Analog television broadcast standards include:

FCS - USA, Russia; obsolete

MAC - Europe; obsolete

MUSE - Japan

NTSC - USA, Canada, Japan

PAL - Europe, Asia, Oceania

* PAL-M - PAL variation. Brazil, Argentina

* PALplus - PAL extension, Europe

RS-343 (military)

SECAM - France, Former Soviet Union, Central Africa

An analog video format consists of more information than the visible content of the frame. Preceding and following the image are lines and pixels containing synchronization information or a time delay. This surrounding margin is known as a blanking interval or blanking region; the horizontal and vertical front porch and back porch are the building blocks of the blanking interval.

Many countries are planning a digital switchover soon.

Computer displays

See Computer display standard for a list of standards used for computer monitors and comparison with those used for television.

Recording formats before video tape

Phonovision

Kinescope

Analog tape formats

1" Type B video tape (Robert Bosch GmbH)

1" Type C videotape (Ampex, Marconi and Sony)

2" Quadruplex videotape (Ampex)

2" Helical Scan Videotape (Rank Cintel)

Betacam (Sony)

Betacam SP (Sony)

Betamax (Sony)

S-VHS (JVC) (1987)

W-VHS (JVC) (1994)

U-matic 3/4" (Sony)

VCR, VCR-LP, SVR

VERA (BBC experimental format ca. 1958)

VHS (JVC)

VHS-C (JVC)

Video 2000 (Philips)

''(See List of video recording formats.)''

Digital tape formats

Betacam IMX (Sony)

D-VHS (JVC)

D-Theater

D1 (Sony)

D2 (Sony)

D3

D5 HD

Digital-S D9 (JVC)

Digital Betacam (Sony)

Digital8 (Sony)

DV

HDV

ProHD (JVC)

MicroMV

MiniDV

Optical disc storage formats

Blu-ray Disc (Sony)

China Blue High-definition Disc (CBHD)

DVD (was Super Density Disc, DVD Forum)

Professional Disc

Universal Media Disc (UMD) (Sony)

Discontinued

Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD, Chinese government-sponsored)

HD DVD (NEC and Toshiba)

HD-VMD

Laserdisc (old, MCA and Philips)

Digital encoding formats

CCIR 601 (ITU-T)

H.261 (ITU-T)

H.263 (ITU-T)

H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (ITU-T + ISO)

M-JPEG (ISO)

MPEG-1 (ISO)

MPEG-2 (ITU-T + ISO)

MPEG-4 (ISO)

Ogg-Theora

VP8-WebM

VC-1 (SMPTE)

Standards

System M

System B

See also

General

* Audio

* List of video topics

* Video clips

* Video editing

Video format

*Analog television

*Cable television

*Color space

*Digital television

*Digital video

*Film formats

*Interlaced

*Progressive scan

*Satellite television

*Telecine

*Television

*Timecode

*Video codec

Video usage

*Closed-circuit television

*Fulldome video

*Optical feedback

*Video art

*Interactive video

*Video production

*Video projector

*Video synthesizer

*Video teleconference

*Video communication

Video screen recording

*Screencast

Projects

*Redesign project

References

External links

Programmer's Guide to Video Systems: in-depth technical info on 480i, 576i, 1080i, 720p, etc.

Category:Digital television Category:Film and video technology Category:High-definition television Category:Video formats Category:Display technology Category:Television terminology Category:Video signal Category:History of television

ar:فيديو be-x-old:Відэа bg:Видео bs:Video ca:Vídeo cs:Video cy:Fideo da:Video de:Videotechnik et:Video es:Vídeo eo:Video eu:Bideo fa:ویدیو fr:Vidéo ga:Físeán gl:Vídeo gan:視頻 ko:비디오 hr:Video id:Video is:Myndband it:Video he:וידאו jv:Vidéo ku:Wîno ky:Видео mk:Видео ms:Video my:ဗီဒီယို nl:Video ja:映像信号 no:Video pl:Wideo pt:Vídeo ro:Video qu:Kuyuq rikch'a waqaychana allwiya ru:Видео scn:Video simple:Video sk:Videotechnika sl:Video sr:Видео sh:Video fi:Video sv:Video ta:நிகழ்படம் th:วิดีโอ tr:Görüntü Sinyali uk:Відео ur:منظرہ vi:Video wa:Videyo yi:ווידעא zh:视频

name	Peter Miles
birth date	Unknown
occupation	actor }}

Peter Miles is a British actor. He has played many television roles including several different characters in ''Z-Cars'' and ''Doctor Who''. His other television work has included ''Survivors'', ''The Sweeney'', ''Dixon of Dock Green'', ''Moonbase 3'', ''Poldark'' and ''Bergerac''.

In the science fiction series ''Blake's 7'' he played the character of Rontane in two episodes:

"Seek-Locate-Destroy"

"Trial"

For ''Doctor Who'', he appeared in three serials as:

Dr. Lawrence in ''Doctor Who and the Silurians'' (1970)

Professor Whitaker in ''Invasion of the Dinosaurs'' (1974)

Nyder in ''Genesis of the Daleks'' (1975)

He also performed in the BBC Radio 5 ''Doctor Who'' audio drama ''The Paradise of Death'' in 1993, playing the villainous character Tragan. Miles contributed to several other ''Doctor Who'' spinoffs, including the independent video production ''More Than a Messiah'' and the audio dramas ''Zygons: Absolution'' and ''Prosperity Island'', all produced by BBV. For the licensed audio drama producers Big Finish Productions, he appeared in ''Whispers of Terror'' in 1999 and ''Sarah Jane Smith: Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre'' in 2002. He has reprised his role as Nyder three times; in the 1993 and 2005 productions of the stage play The Trial of Davros, and in the 2006 Big Finish audio drama ''I, Davros: Guilt''. For Magic Bullet Productions, he appeared in five of the ''Kaldor City'' SF audio dramas, in the role of scheming politician Landerchild. He has also appeared in the second volume of ''The True History of Faction Paradox'', ''The Ship of a Billion Years,'' as the Egyptian deity Anhur. He played Lord Straxus in the Bernice Summerfield Season 9 episode The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel. He also appeared in Lovejoy in the episode "Pig in a Poke".

Peter Miles is also an accomplished jazz singer. He was a childhood friend of the legendary soul singer Dusty Springfield; in fact the first recording Dusty ever made was with Peter on guitar, as referenced in a biography of Dusty Springfield broadcast by ''The South Bank Show'' on 9 April 2006, in which Peter Miles also appeared.

External links

Category:British actors Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

The Elephant Man may be a reference to:

;People

Joseph Carey Merrick (1862–1890), Englishman known as "The Elephant Man" because of his physical appearance caused by a congenital defect

Gyles Mackrell, British tea planter known for organising elephants to rescue refugees during World War II

Elephant Man (musician), real name O'Neil Bryan (b. 1975), Jamaican musician

Huang Chuncai, "China's Elephant Man"

;Entertainment

''The Elephant Man'' (play), a 1977 Broadway play by Bernard Pomerance

''The Elephant Man'' (film), a 1980 film directed by David Lynch

''The Elephant Man'' (TV film), a 1982 television adaptation by Steve Lawson and directed Jack Hofsiss

Elephantmen, fictional characters in the comic book series of the same name, published by Image Comics

''The Elephant Man's Alarm Clock'', a 2006 album by Buckethead

"Elephant Man", a song by English band Suede from the 1999 album ''Head Music''

"Elephant Man", a song by Atlanta Progressive Metal band Mastodon from their 2002 album ''Remission (Mastodon Album)''

es:El hombre elefante fr:Elephant Man ko:디 엘리펀트 맨 (동음이의) nl:The Elephant Man ja:エレファント・マン sv:Elefantmannen

Name	Samari Rolle
Currentnumber	22
Currentpositionplain	Cornerback
Birth date	August 10, 1976
Birth place	Miami, Florida
Heightft	6
Heightin	0
Weight	175
College	Florida State
Draftyear	1998
Draftround	2
Draftpick	46
Debutyear	1998
Debutteam	Tennessee Titans
Finalyear	2009
Finalteam	Baltimore Ravens
Pastteams	Tennessee Oilers / Titans (–) Baltimore Ravens (–)
Highlights	First-team All-ACC (1997) USA Today All-Joe Team (1999) Pro Bowl selection (2000) All-Pro selection (2000)
Statweek	17
Statseason	2009
Statlabel1	Tackles
Statvalue1	385
Statlabel2	Sacks
Statvalue2	9.5
Statlabel3	INTs
Statvalue3	31
Nfl	ROL531110 }}

Samari Toure Rolle (born August 10, 1976 in Miami, Florida) is a retired American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.

Rolle has also played for the Baltimore Ravens. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2000.

Early years

Rolle attended Miami Beach High School in Miami Beach, Florida, where he was named Super Prep Dixie Defensive Player of the Year and was a Dream Team selection by Blue Chip Illustrated. As a senior, he tallied 62 tackles and six interceptions on defense, and threw for 1,217 yards and eight touchdowns at quarterback, he also rushed for 402 yards and returned three punts for touchdowns. He was a teammate of future pro bowler Duane Starks. He then played in the Super 24 Florida-Georgia All-Star Game.

College career

Rolle played College football at Florida State University. He played in 38 games with 24 starts and made 12 interceptions and 111 tackles in his four year career. In his senior season he was named First-Team All-ACC and ''Football News'' Third-Team All-America. Four of his 12 career interceptions came against rival Miami Hurricanes.

Professional career

Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans

Samari Rolle was selected by the Tennessee Oilers in the second round (46th overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft. In his rookie season he played in 15 games and finished the campaign with 30 tackles. The following year, he recorded 69 tackles, three sacks and four interceptions. He shares the franchise record with three interceptions in one game in 1999 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 1999, the Titans made it to Super Bowl XXXIV in which Rolle started, however they lost to the Kurt Warner-led St. Louis Rams. He was selected to the 2000 Pro Bowl after recording a seven interception season, one of which he returned for a touchdown. In 2001, he made 56 tackles and three interceptions. The following season he started in every game and finished the season with 48 tackles and two interceptions. In 2003, he only played in 13 games after dislocating his elbow, but finished the season with 31 tackles and six interceptions. He was released by Tennessee at the end of the 2004 season for salary cap reasons and finished the campaign with 28 tackles.

Baltimore Ravens

Rolle signed for the Baltimore Ravens as an unrestricted free agent on March 7, 2005. His first year in Baltimore was decent as he recorded 41 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception and 11 pass deflections. However, in 2006 he struggled against the deep ball in several early games, most notably in week 6 against the Panthers where Rolle gave up two long touchdowns to Drew Carter and Steve Smith. However Rolle rebounded and played relatively well in the second half of the season. He finished the season with 52 tackles and three interceptions.

Through week 10 of the 2007 NFL season, Rolle missed five games due to an undisclosed illness. On November 14, 2007, talk show hosts filling in on the Anita Marks show on Baltimore ESPN Radio 1300AM mentioned that Rolle was being treated for seizures, but no further elaboration was provided. On November 21, 2007, Rolle disclosed that the illness was epilepsy. He finished the season playing in only six games and ended the campaign with 22 tackles and one interception and won the "Ed Block Courage Award"..

Even though he made ten regular season starts with three interceptions in 2008, Rolle's injuries continued to limit his playing time. He missed six games with shoulder and neck problems, and was inactive for the AFC championship playoff contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers due to a groin injury. He got an interception as a starter in the other two postseason matches. It came in a 13-3 win against Tennessee, his former team.

Rolle was released by the team on March 18, 2009, only to be re-signed by the team on April 6. He was released again on April 13, 2010.

Personal

Rolle wore the number #22 as a tribute to his high school teammate and former Ravens cornerback Duane Starks.

On June 13, 2007 Rolle was in South Africa on board a small commuter airplane returning from a safari when the door at the back of the plane flew off. Rolle was on the plane with his wife along with Minnesota Vikings cornerback Lito Sheppard, New England Patriots running back Fred Taylor, their respective wives and three other people. However, no one was seriously hurt and the flight landed safely.

His name "Samari" means strength. Along with his wife, Danisha, and the Samari Rolle Foundation, in 2002, he kicked off a bowling tournament featuring his Titans teammates, members of the media and corporate sponsors . Rolle and Danisha have 2 daughters, Samara, 8 and Amari Michelle, 2 and a son, Jamir

On May 7, 2010, Rolle announced his retirement from the NFL after 12 seasons citing neck injuries as the main reason.

References

External links

Official website

Baltimore Ravens bio

Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:People from Miami, Florida Category:People with epilepsy Category:American football cornerbacks Category:Florida State Seminoles football players Category:Tennessee Oilers players Category:Tennessee Titans players Category:Baltimore Ravens players Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players

simple:Samari Rolle fi:Samari Rolle

name	Artie Lange
birth name	Arthur Steven Lange, Jr.
birth date	October 11, 1967
birth place	Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.
medium	Stand-up, Television, Film, Radio
nationality	American
genre	Observational comedy, Improvisational comedy, Insult comedy, Black comedy
active	1987–present
subject	Personal life, Self-deprecation, Human sexuality, Pop culture, Italian American culture, Professional sports, Recreational drug use, Drinking culture, Current events
influences	Howard Stern, John Belushi, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Woody Allen, Bill Murray, Jackie Gleason, Peter Sellers, David Letterman, Richard Lewis
website	artie-lange.com
footnotes	}}

Arthur Steven "Artie" Lange, Jr. (born October 11, 1967) is an American actor, comedian and radio personality best known for his tenures with the ''The Howard Stern Show'' and the comedy sketch series ''MADtv''.

Lange performed his first stand-up comedy routine at 19 years of age. He took up work as a longshoreman to help support his family, following the death of his quadriplegic father. In 1995, Lange starred in the first season of ''MADtv'' before leaving halfway through the second due to cocaine abuse and his subsequent arrest. After a period of rehabilitation, Lange featured in ''Dirty Work'' with Norm MacDonald, who brought Lange into the second season of his sitcom, ''The Norm Show''. In 2001, Lange replaced Jackie Martling on ''The Howard Stern Show'' and stayed until late 2009, before a suicide attempt in early 2010 led to an eight-month stay in a psychiatric ward. Lange has released recordings of comedy performances – ''It's the Whiskey Talkin''' (2004) and ''Jack and Coke'' (2009). He co-wrote, produced and starred in his film ''Artie Lange's Beer League'' in 2006, and co-wrote, with Anthony Bozza, the book ''Too Fat to Fish'' in 2008, which entered ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list at number one. In 2011, Lange returned to radio with Nick DiPaolo to co-host ''The Nick and Artie Show''.

Early life and education

Lange was born on October 11, 1967 in Livingston Township, New Jersey, United States and was raised in Union Township. His mother Judy (née Caprio) was a housewife while his father, Arthur Sr., was a general contractor. His sister Stacy is a fashion designer. Two weeks after Lange's birth, his father went on trial for counterfeiting money but was spared jail time out of the court's sympathy for his young son. In 2003, after some of the staff on ''The Howard Stern Show'' submitted a sample of their DNA for testing, it was revealed that Lange was approximately 25 per cent American Indian.

Lange played baseball during his time at Union High School, where he became an all-county third baseman. He spent his free time working with his father, who in October 1985, fell from a ladder and broke his back, becoming quadriplegic. Money soon became an issue within his family, and Lange's mother took a secretary job for income. "We took out a second mortgage. Medicaid paid for a nurse eight hours a day. When my mother got back from being a secretary all day, she had to take care of him. Every night, she set her alarm clock to turn him so he wouldn't get bedsores." The family contacted celebrities asking them to donate items for auction, and Howard Stern was the only one to respond, who sent an autographed K-Rock jacket in 1987, joking on the air "does this guy think that if he puts the jacket on he's going to walk again?" which Lange and his father found funny. His father died from an infection on February 1, 1990, four-and-a-half years after the accident.

In August 1985, Lange was arrested for attempted bank robbery. He claimed he was trying to flirt with the teller by passing her a note that said he was armed and demanded $50,000. The teller took it seriously, triggering a silent alarm. He was charged with disorderly conduct and entered community service in March 1986. As part of his probation, Lange attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting from March to June 1987 as well as Seton Hall University for a short time before leaving. On June 12, 1987, at 19 years of age, Lange performed his first stand-up comedy routine at The Improv in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. "I bombed for five minutes. Everyone thinks that they can do better. I was unprepared, I mumbled, and I forgot stuff. But I'm proud that I did it." In February 1991, Lange took up work as a longshoreman at Port Newark to help support his family.

Career

Early comedy career and ''MADtv'' (1992–1997)

In 1992, Lange quit his job at Port Newark to focus on his comedy career. While searching for such work, his regular form of employment was driving a taxi in New York City. The flexibility of the job allowed him to perform 20-minute sets at the Comic Strip and resume work afterwards. Within the year Lange landed a role in a dinner theater play, touring restaurants and catering halls in New Jersey. He then co-formed an improv troupe called Live on Tape, which led to the group performing sell-out shows at Caroline's on Broadway in Manhattan. Lange was taken by William Morris Agency, where he first met Peter Principato, his manager of ten years.

In May 1995, Lange flew to Los Angeles to shoot the television pilot for ''MADtv'', a sketch comedy show that was picked up by the Fox network. He landed a role as one of the eight original cast members from 8,000 comics who were screened, and moved to the West Coast in July. Lange attributed his hiring to the fact that he fit the John Belushi "mold" that was popular in sketch comedy. His most popular recurring character on the show was "That's My White Mama". Lange returned for the filming of the second season of ''MADtv'' in August 1996, but his time with the show came to an end when fellow cast and crew members attempted to have an intervention for him after a cocaine binge. Lange fled the studio, running through streets with his co-workers chasing after him. It ended in a supermarket, where he was arrested and sentenced to time served and probation.

In March 1997 the producers persuaded Lange to enter rehabilitation, and he checked into Honesty House, a rehab center in Stirling, New Jersey, for two months. His contract was not renewed for the third season, but Lange would make cameo appearances during the fifth and tenth seasons, including the show's final episode on May 16, 2009. That night he also appeared on ''Saturday Night Live'', ''MADtv''s rival show, in a non-speaking role.

''Dirty Work'' and ''The Norm Show'' (1998–2001)

After Lange served a short jail term and a drug rehabilitation program, comedian Norm MacDonald, impressed by Lange's work on ''Mad TV'', offered him a part in the 1998 movie ''Dirty Work''. Although the film was unsuccessful during its theatrical run, Lange credits MacDonald and director Bob Saget with rejuvenating his comedy career, leading to several more film appearances and two lucrative television development deals. He then joined the cast of MacDonald's sitcom ''The Norm Show'' during its second season, staying until its cancellation the following year. Lange has since described this period as a personal high point but a creative low point. He enjoyed being paid $35,000 an episode, sleeping late, and being in healthy physical shape, as well as working with the cast, particularly with MacDonald and Laurie Metcalf; however, he disliked the show itself, referring to the material as "ridiculously lame, easy jokes."

''The Howard Stern Show'' (2001–2009)

Replacing Jackie Martling and ''It's the Whiskey Talkin''' (2001–2004)

Lange was introduced to ''The Howard Stern Show'' by his father in 1982. Following the departure of Jackie Martling, the show's head writer for 15 years, in March 2001, Stern announced a "Win Jackie's Money" contest, in which various comedians would audition for Martling's seat by sitting in during shows. Those who sat in included Craig Gass, Doug Stanhope, Richard Jeni, Jim Florentine and Ron Zimmerman. "There were a lot of great funny guys - guys that were funnier than me...I remember saying to my manager, 'I am not the most talented guy in this group, but I guarantee that I'm the biggest fan of the show." After the cancellation of ''The Norm Show'' in April, Lange sat in for a number of shows between May and October before beginning full time on October 26, 2001. Since Lange joined the show, Stern has often teased him for his eating habits, gambling, drinking, drug use, and sleeping at work. Stern also makes a point to praise Lange's comedic talents. Lange had grown up listening to the show and was a fan to the point of being able to recall obscure details from years before on a regular basis.

Stern and his staff have commented that Lange's life is a sort of perpetual adolescence: His mother delivers food parcels and cleans his apartment while he continually gorges himself on pizza, pancakes, and other fattening foods and goes on drunken binges.

In May 2004, while ''The Howard Stern Show'' aired at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, local television station KLAS-TV reported Lange was found dead in his hotel room. The story turned out to be a hoax.

''Beer League'' and substance abuse (2005–2008)

In early June 2005, Lange missed four days of shows, prompting concerns of a possible relapse into substance abuse. The situation climaxed in Lange's behaving strangely and belligerently on the air. On July 27, he infamously sneered at Stern and the staff, "Artie's gotta do what Artie's gotta do!" Lange then missed the next two days, writing off his absence as due to stress from doing the radio show and filming his film ''Artie Lange's Beer League''. The truth for his absence was revealed in a spontaneous revelation on September 21, 2006, in which Lange acknowledged that he had regularly snorted heroin. He discussed past episodes of heroin use beginning when he was a standup comedian and continuing until ''Beer League'' was set to begin shooting. He then detailed his painful withdrawal from the drug, which included side effects of aching, cold sweats, shaking, and vomiting. Lange recalled taking his telephone off the hook to avoid speaking to his mother, who ultimately intervened to help him recover. Lange was threatened with legal action by producers of ''Beer League'' if he failed to show up for the first day of shooting, which led him to secure a home visit from a doctor, who prescribed Subutex to alleviate his dependency.

In the days leading up to Stern's departure from terrestrial radio in December 2005, Lange revealed that he and show producer Gary Dell'Abate were approached by Infinity Broadcasting about replacing Stern with a show of their own. He claimed he was offered roughly $5 million to defect, but he and Dell'Abate claimed never to have given the offer much thought.

On April 10, 2008, Lange walked off the show after an on-air argument and subsequent outburst at his personal assistant, Teddy (during which he mentioned that Teddy embarrassed him by referring to Bloomingdale's as "Bloomie's"), resulting in a physical altercation. Lange expressed his disdain for his assistant of nearly two years because of recent money issues. Later in the broadcast, Lange returned to apologize and tender his resignation, which Stern accepted.

On April 21, 2008, Lange returned to the ''Howard Stern Show'' following a scheduled one-week vacation hiatus for the cast members. He apologized and took full responsibility for his behavior. It was revealed that Sirius was allowing him to continue, but that another infraction would end his employment. Additionally, Lange explained that despite their on-air confrontation, he and Teddy will maintain their working relationship.

''Too Fat to Fish'', USO tour and ''Jack and Coke'' (2008–2009)

In June 2008 Lange embarked on a comedy tour he named "Operation Mirth" with the United Service Organizations to entertain the U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan. He was inspired to travel after viewing the documentary film ''Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie'' which was about comedian Jeffrey Ross' comedy tour in Iraq. As headliner, Lange picked fellow comedians Jim Florentine, Nick DiPaolo, and Dave Attell to join him, including producer of ''The Howard Stern Show'' Gary Dell'Abate, who served as master of ceremonies on the tour.

On November 11, 2008 Lange released his first book, ''Too Fat to Fish''. The book is a collection of narrative episodes from Lange's life, from his childhood to his USO trip. The foreword is written by Howard Stern. The book debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list under hardcover nonfiction. The softcover edition was released in June 2009 with a change to the back cover from the hardcover edition and includes a bonus chapter.

On November 17, 2009, Lange released his second comedy DVD, ''Jack and Coke'', via Shout! Factory. The 80-minute set was recorded live in New York City.

Return to radio and second book (2011–present)

On July 6, 2011, Lange returned to radio for the first time since December 2009, guest hosting in place of Tony Bruno on Fox Sports Radio with comedian Nick DiPaolo. A caller asked Lange about returning to ''The Howard Stern Show'', to which he replied: "That would be the greatest thing ever, but you know listen, I was on the greatest show of all-time for about nine years and I put them in a very awkward situation to say the least. So what am I gonna do? But I love them all and they were great to me." On July 21, Lange announced to comedian Joe Matarese on his podcast of the plans to have him and DiPaolo to host a "sports entertainment comedy show" on Fox Sports Radio in. "It looks like it's a definite. They made an offer," said Lange. "Nothing's been signed yet, but we're gonna do it." On October 3, 2011, ''The Nick and Artie Show'' debuted on DirecTV. TMZ reported that Lange and Dipaolo will each make $500,000 per year as part of the contract, which was guaranteed for 3 years.

Lange's second book, ''Crash and Burn'', is set for a late 2012 release.

Personal life

Though raised as a Catholic, Lange has expressed doubts about the existence of God but is "afraid" to identify himself as an atheist in the event that he is wrong.

In 2002, Lange began to date his longtime girlfriend Dana Sironi. He announced in 2006 their decision to break up, citing his heroin abuse as the primary reason. However, Lange announced on an early November 2006 ''Stern Show'' that they were again together to some extent, but that the situation was a mystery even to him. The couple broke up in early 2007 but began dating again in December 2007. The couple have since parted ways, though Sironi accompanied Lange to an appearance on ''Late Show with David Letterman'' in March 2009.

His favorite book is ''A Confederacy of Dunces''. He considers George Carlin to be the all-time greatest comedian and said, "It's easy to follow the funniest guy ever" when he appeared after Carlin as a guest during his first talk show appearance, on ''The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn''. He has been critical of the "unbelievably positive press" given to comedians such as Jon Stewart and Ricky Gervais, feeling that their acclaim approaches hyperbole; he acknowledges their talents, however.

He has been asked to appear on ''Celebrity Fit Club'' for each of the show's four seasons but has declined every time because of his commitment to Stern's show.

Political views

Politically, he has said he does not consider himself to be a "liberal," though he is pro-choice, a supporter of gay rights, and a supporter of unions owing to his former career as a longshoreman. He has called President George W. Bush a "dolt" and supported John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008. He initially supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but has since changed his mind. When documentarian Michael Moore visited ''The Howard Stern Show'' in 2007, Lange told him that he had changed some of his political opinions because of Moore's films. Crumbs Bakery currently offers an "Artie Lange" vanilla and chocolate cupcake, with partial proceeds going toward the Lifebeat HIV/AIDS charity.

Substance abuse

On August 6, 2008, Lange claimed to have begun an intensive outpatient rehab program after missing the ''Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget''. On the August 11 airing of the show, Lange admitted to having been back on heroin for the previous seven weeks. He stated that he had gotten drunk playing pool and was offered the heroin by someone at the pool hall. Comedian Richard Lewis recommended a therapist to Lange.

On the December 8, 2008 show, Lange admitted that he lied about intensive outpatient rehab and had only gone to the therapist twice, not even making it through the end of the second session.

On the June 17, 2009, episode of ''The Adam Carolla Podcast'', Lange revealed that he had been sober for two and a half months, had lost 45 pounds, and hoped to lose 45 more. On the August 10, 2009 broadcast of ''The Howard Stern Show'', Stern noticed Lange's weight loss. Lange then confirmed that his current weight was 230 lb. and that he wished to continue in his endeavor to lose more weight.

2010 suicide attempt

On January 2, 2010, Lange attempted suicide by repeatedly stabbing himself in the abdomen with a 13-inch kitchen knife. He was found on the floor of his home by his mother and taken to Jersey City Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. Lange was released the following week. Sirius stated that Lange would be welcomed back onto ''The Howard Stern Show'' following his recovery.

Lange returned to the comedy stage for the first time on September 27, 2010 eight months after his suicide attempt, performing two nights at Comedy Cellar in New York City. He mentioned being in a psychiatric ward for 8 months since the incident. As of September 2011 he has been co host of the Nick and Artie show with comedian Nick Dipaolo every week night at 10.00pm to 1.00 am.

Filmography

''Artie Lange: Jack and Coke'' ''Entourage (TV series) ''Rescue Me (TV series) ''Waltzing Anna'' ''Game Over (TV series) ''Elf (film) ''Boat Trip (film) ''Gameday (short film) ''The Norm Show'' ''Dirty Work (1998 film) ''Jerry Maguire'' ''MADtv''

Year !! Title !! Role !! Other notes
2010	''Serial Buddies''	Golden Graham
2009	|	Himself	Stand-up comedy DVD
2007	Entourage'' ||	Scott Segil	Ad-libbed Leslie Bibb's ass bite
rowspan="4"	2006	Rescue Me'' ||	Mike – Lou's cousin
''Artie Lange's Beer League''	Artie DeVanzo
Fox Sports (USA)	Fox Sports' 2006 World Series coverage	Himself
''Supertwink''	The Plumber
2005	|	Jacob Kline
rowspan="3"	2004	Game Over'' ||	Turbo	Voice
''Artie Lange: It's the Whiskey Talkin' ''	Himself
''A Piece of My Heart''	Lenny Steinberg
rowspan="3"	2003	Elf'' ||	Fake Santa
''Mail Order Bride (2003 film)	Mail Order Bride''	Tommy
''Old School (film)	Old School''	Booker
2002	Boat Trip'' ||	Brian	Refused to kiss co-star Will Ferrell
rowspan="2"	2001	Gameday'' ||	Artie	Short, featured as extra on ''It's the Whiskey Talkin'''
''Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth''	Swim Coach Hasselhoff
rowspan="6"	1999	|	Artie Henderson	Once smoked pot with Peter Boyle behind ''The West Wing'' set on the Warner Bros. studios lot
''The Bachelor (1999 film)	The Bachelor''	Marco
''Mystery Men''	Big Red
''Lost & Found (1999 film)	Lost & Found''	Wally
''The 4th Floor''	Jerry
''Puppet (film)	Puppet''	Alexie
1998	Dirty Work'' ||	Sam McKenna
1996	|	Sports radio host	Deleted scene; Tom Cruise yelled at him
1995	|	various

Roles lost

Lange auditioned for the role of Milton in Mike Judge's film ''Office Space'', and again for the role of Judge Hank "The Hangman" BMW in Mike Judge's film ''Idiocracy'', he lost both roles to Stephen Root. Lange auditioned for Paul Giamatti's role in ''Man on the Moon''. He also auditioned for the role of Nick Volpe (Wass Stevens was ultimately cast) in the 2008 film ''The Wrestler''. During a December 18, 2008 call to ''The Howard Stern Show,'' director Darren Aronofsky, a stand-up comedy fan, stated he was impressed by Lange's acting but felt his celebrity would be distracting to the audience; Stern, who said it was his favorite movie of the year, agreed with this assessment and Lange joked it was the most flattering reason he'd ever been turned down for a role.

References

Sources

External links

Interviews

Artie Lange interview on Rock 'n Roll Ghost

in 2006 in 2008

Artie Lange interview on the Best Damn Sports Show Podcast

Others

Review of "Too Fat to Fish"

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:People from Livingston, New Jersey Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:American film actors Category:American radio personalities Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American television personalities Category:American television writers Category:American people of Native American descent Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers Category:Former Roman Catholics Category:American people of Italian descent Category:People from Hudson County, New Jersey Category:People from Union Township, Union County, New Jersey Category:Survivors of stabbing

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