Michael Joseph Jackson Celebrity Profile

Michael Joseph Jackson Celebrity Profile

Profile:
Name: Michael Jackson
Birth Name: Michael Joseph Jackson
Height: 5' 10
Sex: M
Nationality: American
Birth Date: August 29, 1958
Birth Place: Gary, Indiana, USA
Profession: musician, song writer, actor
Education: California Preparatory School, Encino, California
Place of Death: UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles
Death Date: June 25, 2009
Death Cause: cardiac arrest
Husband/Wife: Debbie Rowe-Jackson (married on November 14, 1996 in Sydney, Australia; divorced on October 8, 1999), Lisa Marie Presley (married on May 26, 1994 in the Dominican Republic; divorced in January 1996)
Father: Joseph Walter Jackson (music manager; born on July 26, 1929)
Mother: Katherine Esther Jackson (born on May 4, 1930)
Sister: Janet Jackson (born on May 16, 1966), LaToya Jackson (born on May 29, 1956), Rebbie Jackson (musician; born on May 25, 1950)
Brother: Randy Jackson (October 29, 1961), Marlon David and Brandon Jackson (twins; March 12, 1957; Brandon died shortly after birth), Jermaine La Juane (December 11, 1954), Tito Jackson (October 15, 1953), Jackie Jackson (May 4, 1951)
Half Sister: Joh'Vonnie Jackson (born on August 30, 1974; mother: Cheryl Terrell)
Grand Father: Prince Albert Screws (maternal grandfather), Samuel Jackson (paternal grandfather)
Grand Mother: Martha Upshaw (maternal grandmother), Crystal Lee King (paternal grandfather)
Uncle: Luther Jackson
Son: Prince Michael Jackson II (born February 2002), Prince Michael Jackson I (born on February 12, 1997; mother: Debbie Rowe)
Daughter: Paris Michael Katherine Jackson (born on April 3, 1998; mother: Debbie Rowe)
Niece: Stacee Brown (born 1971), Yashi Brown (born 1977), Brandi Jackson (born February 6, 1982), Autumn Jackson (born 1978), Jasmine Jackson (born 1988), Valencia Jackson (born 1977), Brittany Jackson (born 1979), Genevieve Jackson (December 3, 1989)
Claim to fame: album Thriller (1982)

Biography:
American superstar Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958 and entertained audiences nearly his entire life. His father, Joseph Jackson, had been a guitarist but was forced to give up his musical ambitions following his marriage to Katherine (Scruse). Together they prodded their growing family's musical interests at home. By the early 60s the older boys Jackie, Tito and Jermaine had begun performing around the city; by 1964 Michael and Marlon had joined in.

A musical prodigy, Michael's singing and dancing talents were amazingly mature and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of "The Jackson 5." An opening act for such soul groups as the O-Jays and James Brown, it was Gladys Knight (not Diana Ross) who officially brought the group to 'Berry Gordy''s attention, and by 1969 the boys were producing back-to-back chart-busting hits as Motown artists ("I Want You Back," "ABC," "Never Can Say Goodbye," "Got to Be There," etc.). As a product of the 70s, the boys emerged as one of the most accomplished black pop/soul vocal groups in music history, successfully evolving from a Temptations-like group act to a disco phenomenon.

Solo success for Michael was inevitable, and by the 80s he had become infinitely more popular than his brotherly group. Record sales consistently orbited, culminating in the biggest-selling album of all time, "Thriller" in 1982. A TV natural, he ventured rather uneasily into films, such as playing the Scarecrow in The Wiz (1978), but had much better luck with elaborate music videos.

In the 90s the down side as an 80s pop phenomenon began to rear itself. Michael grew terribly child-like and introverted by his peerless celebrity. A rather timorous, androgynous figure to begin with, his physical appearance began to change drastically and his behavior grew alarmingly bizarre, making him a consistent target for scandal-making, despite his numerous charitable acts. Two brief marriages -- one to Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley -- were forged and two children produced by his second wife during that time, but the purposes behind it appeared image oriented. Despite it all, Michael Jackson's passion and artistry as a singer, dancer, writer and businessman are unparalleled, and it is these prodigious talents that will ultimately prevail over the extremely negative aspects of his seriously troubled adult life.

For it all to end on June 25, 2009, with his sudden death at age 50 of a cardiac arrest just as he was just coming out of a four-year reclusive period and rehearsing for a sold-out London concert "comeback" in July seems uncommonly cruel and tragic. Millions upon millions of dedicated fans will remember where they were "the day Michael died"

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Sanath Jayasuriya Celebrity Profile

Sanath Jayasuriya
Full name: Sanath Teran Jayasuriya
Born :June 30, 1969,
Birth Place: Matara
Current age :37 years
Major teams: Sri Lanka, ACC Asian XI, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Colombo Cricket Club, Somerset
Batting style :Left-hand bat
Bowling style: Slow left-arm orthodox


Biography:
One of the world's most uncompromising strikers of the ball, Jayasuriya found belated fame as a pinch-hitter at the 1996 World Cup, and then demonstrated that he was also capable of massive scoring in Tests, eventually becoming Sri Lanka's highest Test run-scorer. He remains dizzily dangerous, especially on the subcontinent's slower, less bouncy surfaces. Short in stature and powerfully built, he cuts and pulls with awesome power, and his brutal bat-wielding is at odds with his shy, gentle nature. Wised-up opponents have learned to set traps in the gully and at third man to stem the flow of runs, but on song he can be virtually unstoppable, capable of scoring freely on both sides of the wicket.

Jayasuriya is also an extremely effective and canny left-arm spinner, especially in one-day internationals where his stock leg-stump darts are mixed up with clever variations in pace. Jayasuriya served commendably as Sri Lanka's captain for a successful tenure after the sacking of Arjuna Ranatunga in 1999. His leadership style was consensual in comparison to the Napoleon approach adopted by Ranatunga, and he soon built a happy and unified team. The huge responsibility of leading the team, though, started to show and by the 2003 World Cup, after a myriad of off-field controversies, it was clear that he had become a reluctant captain. He eventually resigned in April 2003.

Having stepped down, his position in the side was more vigorously debated and a one-day slump prompted several pundits to call time on his career. But Jayasuriya was far from finished, and he bounced back in 2004 with his most prolific year in Test cricket since 1997. The year included a blazing second-innings century against Australia at Kandy that nearly levelled the series and a marathon double-hundred against Pakistan at Faisalabad. Twin centuries followed during the Asia Cup 2004 and his form was impressive enough for Somerset to sign him up for a season of County Cricket in 2005. And in the Indian Oil Cup in 2005, Jayasuriya became only the fourth batsman to get to 10,000 runs in one-day cricket.

He retired in 2006, only to almost immediately retract his decision. After behind-the-scenes machinations which hinted at internal power struggles between board and coach, he was shoehorned into the squad for the Test series in England but did not play. He bounced back in typical form, however, in the one-day series that followed, showing he has a few more miles left on the clock.
Sanath Teran Jayasuriya (born 30 June 1969 in Matara) is a Sri Lankan cricketer. An all-rounder, he has been a member of the Sri Lankan cricket team since 1989. He is the only player in the world to score over 13,000 runs and capture over 300 wickets in ODIs. He is also regarded by many critics and supporters as one of the best ODI players to ever play the game. Jayasuriya is also part of the Mumbai Indians team in the Indian Premier League

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Zaheer Khan Celebrity Profile

Zaheer Khan
Full name: Zaheer Khan
Born: October 7, 1978
Birth place: Shrirampur, Maharashtra
Height: 6.0 ft
Current age: 30 years 177 days
Major teams: India, Asia XI, Asia XI, Bangalore Royal Challengers, Baroda, Mumbai, Surrey, Worcestershire
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Left-arm fast-medium


Biography:
Like Waqar Younis a decade before, Zaheer Khan yorked his way into the collective consciousness of the cricket world: his performances at the ICC Knockout Trophy in Kenya in September 2000 announced the arrival of an all-too-rare star in the Indian fast-bowling firmament. He might just as easily have come from the Pakistani pace stable: well-built, quick and unfazed by a batsman's reputation, Zaheer could move the ball both ways off the wicket and swing the old ball at some pace. After initially struggling to establish himself as a new-ball bowler, he came of age on the 2002 tour of the West Indies, when he led the line with great heart. His subsequent displays in England and New Zealand - not to mention some eye-catching moments at the World Cup - established him at the forefront of India's new pace generation, but a hamstring injury saw him relegated to bit-part performer as Indian cricket scripted some of its finest moments away in Australia and Pakistan. After that, his pace has dropped and his attitude was questioned, as a new breed of pace bowlers pushed him aside to move to the front of the queue. Zaheer's response was to head to Worcestershire and take 78 wickets in the 2006 county season, a performance that earned him a recall for the tour of South Africa. He was the perfect foil for Sreesanth there, and he then regained his status as leader of the pack with a matchwinning display at Trent Bridge, as India won only their fifth Test on English soil.

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Yuvraj Singh Celebrity Profile

Yuvraj Singh
First Name: Yuvraj
Last Name: Singh
Born: 12 December 1981, Chandigarh
Nick Name Yuvi
Height: 6'2
Major Teams: Punjab, India.
Known As: Yuvraj Singh
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Left Arm Medium

Biography:
Yuvraj born in Chandigarh at 12 December 1981.At 19, Yuvraj is already an all rounder who has proven himself. One need look no further than his performance in the domestic youth competitions and in the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. In the final of the Cooch Behar Trophy in the 1999-2000 season, Yuvraj made 358 against Bihar. Any batsman who has the ability to play an innings of that length is bound to be a force to reckon with. Following that performance up with what was an extremely successful World Cup in Sri Lanka, Yuvraj caught the eye of many a cricket pundit. He was named player of the series for scoring heavily through the World Cup, including a tremendous half century that came off just 20 balls in the semifinals against Australia.


Generously gifted, Yuvraj Singh is looked upon as a strong, fearless natural destined for great things. Two months short of his 19th birthday, he made an almost messianic entry into international cricket, toppling Australia in the Nairobi Mini-World Cup in 2000-01, with a blistering 84 and some scintillating fielding. In time he was to supplement these skills with clever, loopy left-arm spin. While Yuvraj's ability to hit the ball long and clean were instantly recognised, he was soon found to be troubled by quality spin and perceived to lack commitment, traits for which he temporarily lost his place in the one-day side. But on returning, for the last two one-dayers against Zimbabwe in early 2002, he swung the series India's way with a matchwinning innings in each game, and then went to England and played a key role in three Indian chases in their dream run in the NatWest tri-series. It took 15 months more, and an injury to his captain, Sourav Ganguly, for Yuvraj to get a Test look-in. On the third such opportunity, against Pakistan on the first day on a greentop at Lahore, he stroked a stunning century off 110 balls. The 2005-06 season proved to be a watershed for Yuvraj, with 1161 runs at 58 in the one-dayers, as he transformed himself into one of the keystones in India's batting line-up. He was soon preferred over VVS Laxman in Tests when India went in with five batsmen, but a lean series in the West Indies meant that he was still struggling to match potential with performance.

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Graeme Smith Celebrity Profile

Graeme Smith
Full Name: Graeme Smith
Birth Date: 1 February 1981
Birth Place: Scotland
Height: 1.91m
Weight: 82.63 kg
Age: 26
Position: Goalkeeper

Biography:
Graeme Craig Smith (born 1 February 1981 in Johannesburg) became the youngest ever captain of the South African cricket team at the age of 22 when he was selected to take over from Shaun Pollock after the 2003 cricket World Cup. He showed his talent as a batsman in the tour of England in 2003 when he made double centuries in consecutive Test matches: a national record of 277 at Edgbaston, and 259 at Lord’s. He is also an occasional off spin bowler who appears to be able to take key wickets.

He joined English county Somerset as captain for part of the 2005 season and scored a century in their notable victory over tourists Australia.

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Adam Gilchrist Celebrity Profile

Adam Gilchrist
Full Name:Adam Gilchrist
Date of Birth: 14 November 1971
Birth Place: Bellingen, New South Wales - Australia
Test Cap No: 381
Major Cricket Teams: Australia - Western Australia - New South Wales
Playing Role: Wicketkeeper batsman
Batting Style: Left-hand bat
Bowling Style: Right-arm offbreak
Height: 1.85 m
Test Debut:
Australia v Pakistan at Brisbane - 1st Test, 1999-2000
Age: 37

Biography:
Adam Gilchrist is an aggressive left-handed batsman and outstanding wicket-keeper. Born on November 14 1971, he is the youngest of 4 children to Stan and June Gilchrist. He has a sister Jackie, and 2 brothers, Glenn & Dean, all older. He grew up in Bellingen, New South Wales.
He is considered to be one of the best wicketkeeper/batsmen in the history of the game. His ability to wipe out the competition in a short period of time led him to become 'The Demolition Man'.
Adam lives in Perth. Married to Melinda Sharpe and both are proud parents of Annie (born Aug, 04) and Harrison (born Nov, 01).

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Matthew Hayden Celebrity Profile

Matthew Hayden
Full Name: Matthew Lawrence Hayden.
Nickname: Haydos
First Name: Matthew
Last Name: Hayden
Born: 29 October 1971, Kingaroy, Queensland - Australia
Height:188cm.
Weight: 95kg
Age: 37Birth Place: Kingaroy
Test Cap Number: 359
Major Cricket Teams: Australia - Queensland - Northamptonshire - Hampshire
Batting Style: Left Hand
Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium Pace

Biography:
Matthew Hayden born as Matthew Lawrence Hayden on October 29th, 1971 in Kingaroy, Queensland is an outstanding Australian cricket player. He is a left-handed opening batsman and an aggressive run-getter for his side. In any form of the game runs freely flow from his blade. Matthew Hayden holds the record of scoring highest runs by an Australian in Tests and One-day games. He scored his highest 380 in Tests against Zimbabwe in October 2003 and knocked a swift 181 not-out in ODIs against New Zealand in February 2007.

Matthew Hayden also fondly called as Haydos by his teammates, made his Test debut against South Africa in 1994 at Johannesburg in March 1994. In 2001 playing against India in a 3-Test series, Matthew Hayden accumulated 539 runs and sealed his position in the side. Continuing in his best form, Matthew Hayden amassed over 1000 Test runs for five consecutive years from 2001-2005. Matthew Hayden has played over 90 Tests and accumulated 7800 plus runs with 27 centuries including his highest Test score of 380.

Matthew Hayden made his One-day debut against England at Manchester in May 1993. Matthew Hayden became the third cricket player, after Sourav Ganguly and Mark Waugh, to score three centuries in a single World Cup held in 2007. His century against South Africa ranks as the fastest World Cup century as it came off in just 66 balls. Matthew Hayden played 150 One-day games and amassed over 5700 runs with 10 centuries including his highest 181 not out.

Matthew Hayden made his T20 debut against England at Southampton in June 2005. Even in this format of game, Matthew Hayden holds the record of being the top scorer in 2007 ICC World T20 campaign.

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