Chelsea Handler

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Chelsea Handler

Handler at LA Direct Magazine's "Remember to Give" Holiday Party 2008
Birth name Chelsea Joy Handler
Born February 25, 1975 (1975-02-25) (age 36)
Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.
Medium Television, stand-up, film, books, modeling
Nationality American
Years active 1996–present
Genres Observational comedy, news satire, blue comedy
Subject(s) Pop culture, celebrities, gossip
Notable works and roles Host of Chelsea Lately
Website ChelseaHandler.com

Chelsea Joy Handler[1] (born February 25, 1975)[2] is an American stand-up comedienne, actress, best-selling author and producer. She hosts since 2007 the late-night talk show Chelsea Lately on the E! Cable Television Network. Chelsea Handler serves as executive producer, and has a recurring role as "Sloane" in the NBC Sitcom Are You There, Chelsea?, based on her book Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea (2008).

Contents

[edit] Early life

Handler grew up in the suburban town of Livingston, New Jersey.[3] The youngest of six children, she was raised in Reform Judaism by her Jewish father Seymour and her Mormon mother Rita. Her mother was German and had come to the U.S. in 1958.[3][4][5][5][6][7] Handler has said that while growing up, she felt like an outsider, telling a reporter, "We lived in this nice Jewish neighborhood...Everyone had Mercedes' and Jaguars, and I was going to school in a Pinto";[8] despite this her family had a summer house on Martha's Vineyard.[3] In a June 2011 edition of her show, she and author James Van Praagh discuss the death of her brother, Chet, when she was 9.[9] Handler had an abortion at age 16, which she discussed at an interview in 2011.[10] At age 19, Handler moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, and two years later she decided to become a stand-up comic after telling her story about a DUI to a class of other offenders, who found her story funny.[2]

[edit] Career

[edit] Chelsea Lately

Handler as the Grand Marshal of Los Angeles LGBT Pride festival in West Hollywood, California in June 2009.

In July 2007, Handler began starring on her own half-hour late-night comedy series on E! Entertainment Television titled Chelsea Lately. On the show's 100th episode, Chelsea revealed to viewers that E! had picked up Chelsea Lately for another 150 episodes.[11] The show has proved a hit and averaged more than a half-million viewers since its premiere (much more than the average for a late night cable program) and has clips on YouTube with more than a million views. All this success is despite the fact that Handler's guests often are not A-list celebrities. In a 2008 interview Handler said, "The worse the guests are, the more pathetic they are, the funnier the show is."[8] The New York Times reported that Chelsea Lately had been renewed by E! to run until December 2009;[12] Handler's most recent contract extension will keep Chelsea Lately on the air through 2014.[13] From her work on Chelsea Lately, Chelsea Handler is ranked on the Forbes Celebrity 100 at number 98.[14]

[edit] Books

Handler has authored four books on the New York Times Best Seller List. Three of the four books have been #1. Handler wrote My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands (2005). Handler's first book, the collection of one-night stands describes the variety of sexual encounters Chelsea goes through throughout her life. Handler also wrote Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea (2008), a collection of humorous essays. Are You There, Vodka hit the NYTimes non-fiction best seller list on May 11, 2008;[15] it has already had a print run of over 350,000.[16] Her third book titled Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, was released on March 9, 2010.[12] Chelsea went on a nationwide tour to promote her new book, known as the "Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang Tour."

On November 15, 2010, it was announced that Handler's publishers had given her her own publishing imprint (Borderline Amazing/A Chelsea Handler Book). Handler has also signed a three book deal with the imprint, the first of which is called Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me, where her coworkers and family members discuss what Handler has done, which was released in May 2011 and also hit #1.


[edit] Performances

Handler has performed nationwide as a comedienne, appeared as a regular on the Oxygen Network series Girls Behaving Badly and on other shows, including Weekends at the D.L., The Bernie Mac Show, My Wife and Kids, and The Practice. She was a regular commentator on E! and Scarborough Country as well as a correspondent on The Tonight Show. She hosted the first episode of the reality TV show On the Lot, but quit before the second one was aired, as she later said, "because I smelled the disaster happening before it did."[17] Chelsea Handler hosted The Chelsea Handler Show in April 2006, which lasted two seasons. She was a guest on Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld and The View; she co-hosted The View on August 2, 2007, and again on September 5, 2008 – and hosts her own late night talk show on E! titled Chelsea Lately. On January 25, 2009, Handler was on the CBS gameshow Million Dollar Password as one of the celebrity players. On April 15, 2009, Handler won the 2009 Bravo A-List Award for "A-List Funny".[18]

On August 18, 2010 it was announced that Handler would be the host of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. The announcement was surprising to many, including MTV, which claimed that the final decision was unexpected.[19] This makes Handler only the second woman in the history of the VMA's to be the sole host of the ceremony, behind Roseanne Barr, who hosted in 1994.[20] The event took place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12, 2010.

In 2007, Handler performed with the Hour Stand-Up Comedy Tour across the US. Her stand-up has been televised on Vh1's Love Lounge, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, and HBO's broadcast of the Aspen Comedy Festival. She was the host of the Fox show On The Lot. The show, produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett, is a competition for aspiring filmmakers who are vying for a chance at stardom. She was replaced after one episode by former Robin & Company entertainment anchor, Adrianna Costa. She has her own column in Cosmopolitan and the UK celebrity magazine NOW.

[edit] After Lately

After Lately is a mockumentary in which the various cast members, writers, crew, and even 'hangers-on' of Chelsea Lately are shown bickering and arguing over mostly trivial and petty matters, and competing for show air time and personal approval from Chelsea. Handler usually appears in very few scenes of the program and is always portrayed as having open and utter disdain for everyone beneath her. After Lately began airing on E! Entertainment Television on March 6, 2011. Guest stars include, Reese Witherspoon (in seasons 1 and 2), Jennifer Aniston, Jay Leno, Tori Spelling, Jenny McCarthy, Sharon Osbourne, Dave Grohl and Jane Fonda.[21][22]

[edit] Are You There, Chelsea?

Are You There, Chelsea? is a NBC sitcom, based on Chelsea Handler's 2008 best-selling book Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea and began airing on January 11, 2012. Laura Prepon plays the main character "Chelsea Newman", a cocktail waitress. Handler herself plays "Chelsea´s" born-again Christian sister, "Sloane", a married, conservative new mom who has little in common with her carefree sister. Dottie Zicklin (Dharma & Greg) and Julie Larson (The Drew Carey Show) are creators and executive producers. Chelsea Handler serves as executive producer, along with Tom Werner (That '70s Show), Mike Clements (The Life & Times of Tim) and Tom Brunelle (Chelsea Lately). [23]

[edit] In the Motherhood

In 2007, Handler has appeared in the Internet based program In the Motherhood with Leah Remini and (since January 2008) Jenny McCarthy. The comedic series is "about moms, by moms and for moms". On September 8, 2008, it was announced ABC would be turning In The Motherhood into a series starring Jessica St. Clair, Megan Mullally, and Cheryl Hines.[24][25] Handler decided to drop out of the project due to her scheduling commitments to her show Chelsea Lately.

[edit] Criticism & controversy

On June 20, 2011, Handler had opened a topic on Amy Winehouse's concert in Serbia, therefore proclaiming that Serbians were disrespectful and saying questionable lines such as, "I can’t believe they even allow Serbians to go to concerts. I didn’t even know that was going on over there…," and made a final line in response to Dragan Sutanovac's Facebook post on his page, which said that "Amy's concert was a shame and huge disappointment." Handler then replied with, "Well so is your country." It made many Serbs angry around the world and there were some pages on Facebook demanding her apology; she refused to do so. But Greg Proops, who was a guest on the show however, did apologize.[26]

[edit] Personal life

On the January 29, 2008, episode of Chelsea Lately she said she had been asked to do season six of the hit television series Dancing with the Stars but declined. Handler was ranked #91 on the 2009 Maxim Hot 100 and ranked #87 on the 2010 Maxim Hot 100. Handler appeared on one of two covers of the December 2009 edition of Playboy magazine, the alternative cover featuring Dancing with the Stars semifinalist and model Joanna Krupa. Inside the magazine Handler posed for a non-nude pictorial. Handler was also featured on the cover of Shape magazine in April 2010.

On January 25, 2010, Handler confirmed via her late night talk-show that she had broken up with long-time boyfriend Ted Harbert who, as the CEO of Comcast Entertainment Group, oversees E! Entertainment Television.[27] Handler began dating Harbert in 2006.[28]

On the July 19, 2010, episode of her show, she confirmed she was dating Animal Planet star, animal handler, print model, and television producer Dave Salmoni.[29] However, on September 2, when asked by guest Melanie Brown if she was single, Handler stated that she was.[30]

On the April 18, 2011, episode of Chelsea Lately, Handler announced to the audience that she was dating, again, and at the end of the show revealed a photo of herself and Andre Balazs at a table. When interviewed on E! News and Piers Morgan Tonight on May 10, 2011, she declined to confirm that she and Balazs were together. She also admitted to "casually" dating 50 Cent. She stated that she was respecting her current boyfriend's (Balazs) privacy because he has children.[31][32] On the November 9, 2011, episode of her show, she revealed that she had broken up with Balazs.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Television and film

[edit] Published Works

[edit] In popular culture

In July 2010, during a tour stop in Salt Lake City, Chelsea took part in the 'I AM EQUAL' Photo Documentary project in memory of her mother, Rita, who died from complications of cancer. Along with her photo being added to the documentary and accompanying photo mosaic, she also shared a "PhotoStory" with the message that inspires people to take chances in life.[33]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Handler, Chelsea (2008). Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. City: Simon Spotlight Entertainment. ISBN 1416954120. 
  2. ^ a b "Chelsea Handler: Biography". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/chelsea-handler/bio/198528. Retrieved September 13, 2010. 
  3. ^ a b c Len Righi (2007-11-01). "Chelsea Handler and the responsibility of ridiculing Britney". Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/television/2003986737_webchelsea.html. Retrieved 2009-01-03. 
  4. ^ Smason, Alan (2006-02-02). "Comely comic reveals laughs in ?Horizontal Life’". Cleveland Jewish News. http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2006/02/07/news/local/comic0203.prt. Retrieved 2010-01-25. 
  5. ^ a b Rita Handler Was Known for Great Love of Family – 3/17/06 – Vineyard Gazette Online. Mvgazette.com (2006-03-17). Retrieved on 2012-01-27.
  6. ^ German grandmas? Not so much, Chelsea Handler and Gwyneth Paltrow curse Mutti. Monsters and Critics (2011-04-26). Retrieved on 2012-01-27.
  7. ^ Antonella Gambotto-Burke Chelsea Handler. Interview from The South China Morning Post. Retrieved on 2012-01-27.
  8. ^ a b Jacob Bernstein (December 2008). Chelsea Handler, Insult Queen. W magazine. http://www.wmagazine.com/celebrities/2008/12/chelsea_handler?currentPage=1. Retrieved 2008-11-19 
  9. ^ Antonella Gambotto-Burke Just keep going. Sight&Sound. July 11, 2010
  10. ^ Cathy Horyn (May 2011). Comedy With a Side of Disgust. NY Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/fashion/comedy-with-a-side-of-disgust.html?_r=3&pagewanted=2. Retrieved 2008-11-19 
  11. ^ Marikar, Sheila. (2007-07-13) Chelsea Handler:Too Hot to Handle? ABC. Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-09.
  12. ^ a b Stelter, Brian (January 18, 2009). "A New Bigmouth on Late Night". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/arts/television/18stel.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=chelsea%20handler&st=cse. Retrieved April 28, 2010. 
  13. ^ "Chelsea Handler re-signs with E! through 2014". Reuters. November 15, 2011. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/15/us-chelseahandler-idUSTRE7AE2UC20111115. 
  14. ^ Forbes Celebrity 100 List Forbes, June 28, 2010
  15. ^ Best-Sellers Non-Fiction. New York Times. May 11, 2008
  16. ^ Carolyn Reidy looks for the next blockbuster. LA Times. Josh Getlin. June 25, 2008.
  17. ^ "Summer Press Tour: Posh Beckham, Chelsea Handler". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2007-07-16. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07197/801962-352.stm. Retrieved 2009-01-03. 
  18. ^ "Chelsea Handler wins 2009 A-List Award". Bravo. 2010-03-37. http://tierwriting.com/2010/03/handler-wins-the-2009-bravo-a-list-award/. Retrieved 2010-03-03. [dead link]
  19. ^ "Chelsea Handler to host 2010 MTV VMAs – MSN TV News". Tv.msn.com. 2010-09-17. http://tv.msn.com/the-wrap/handler-hosts-vmas/story/?GT1=28103. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
  20. ^ Posted 9/2/10 (2010-08-19). "Chelsea Handler To Host The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards – Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1646050/20100819/story.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
  21. ^ [1]
  22. ^ [2]
  23. ^ [3]
  24. ^ [4][dead link]
  25. ^ "About the show". Inthemotherhood.com. http://web.archive.org/web/20090208172112/http://inthemotherhood.com/node/185. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
  26. ^ Serbia: Demanding Apology From Comedian Chelsea Handler · Global Voices. Globalvoicesonline.org. Retrieved on 2012-01-27.
  27. ^ Edward Lewine (2007-12-16). "Domains: Chelsea Handler". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/magazine/16wwln-domains-t.html?ref=magazine. Retrieved 2007-12-15. 
  28. ^ Karpel, Ari (July 11, 2008). "Too hot to Handler". Entertainment Weekly (1008). http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20211732,00.html. 
  29. ^ Chelsea Handler (2010-07-19). "Chelsea Handler Walks on the Wild Side With Her New Man, Animal Planet's Dave Salmoni – E! Online". Au.eonline.com. http://au.eonline.com/uberblog/b191167_chelsea_handler_walks_on_wild_side_with.html. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
  30. ^ "Chelsea Handler is Single, 35 & Would Like to Date Black Dudes (VIDEO)". Tvsquad.com. 2010-09-03. http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/09/03/chelsea-handler-is-single-at-35-and-is-thinking-about-dating-b/. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
  31. ^ "E! News". Jason Kennedy. E! News. May 10, 2011.
  32. ^ "Piers Morgan Tonight". Piers Morgan. Piers Morgan Tonight. May 10, 2011.
  33. ^ Peck-Wagner, Medeleine (2011-12). "Beauty in Diversity". Arbus Magazine. http://vpub.boyd-printing.com/publication/?i=92036&p=76. Retrieved 2011-12-15. 

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