Warren Edward Buffett (born August 30, 1930) is an American investor, businessman, and philanthropist. He is one of the world's most successful investors and the largest shareholder and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He was ranked by Forbes as the richest man in the world during the first half of 2008, with an estimated net worth of $62.0 billion.
Often called the "Oracle of Omaha", or "the Sage of Omaha", Warren Buffett is noted for his adherence to the value investing philosophy and for his personal frugality despite his immense wealth. His 2006 annual salary was about $100,000, which is small compared to senior executive remuneration in comparable companies. When Buffett spent $9.7 million of Berkshire's funds on a private jet in 1989, he jokingly named it "The Indefensible" because of his past criticisms of such purchases by other CEOs. He lives in the same house in the central Dundee neighborhood of Omaha that he bought in 1958 for $31,500 and today, it is valued at around $700,000. Warren Buffett also is a notable philanthropist. In 2006, he announced a plan to give away his fortune to charity, with 83% of it going to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2007, he was listed among Time's 100 Most Influential People in The World. He also serves as a member of the board of trustees at Grinnell College.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American country music artist who began her career as a teenager. Signed to the independent Big Machine Records label in 2006, she made her debut on the Billboard country charts with the release of her debut single "Tim McGraw". This song, which peaked at #6, was the first of five singles from her self-titled debut, which was released in late 2006 and re-issued in 2007, and has been certified 3× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. Following "Tim McGraw" were the #2 "Teardrops on My Guitar", the six-week Number One "Our Song", the #3 "Picture to Burn" and another Number One in "Should've Said No". All five singles from her debut were Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, as was her song "Change" from the AT&T TEAM USA Soundtrack. Her second album, Fearless, was released on November 11, and its lead-off single "Love Story" has become her highest Hot 100 hit.
Swift's next studio album, Fearless, was released in the United States on November 11, 2008. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. Its sales of 592,000 was the best single week for any country album in a year, and six singles from the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week. "Change", a song from the album, was selected as part of a soundtrack supporting Team USA's efforts in the 2008 Summer Olympics. The song was also featured as part of the soundtrack of NBC's broadcast package of the Games. She also released the lead single from the album, "Love Story", on September 12, 2008. The song is accompanied by a music video that is based on Romeo and Juliet. The song has reached #2 on iTunes Store Top Downloaded Songs and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Swift sang the Star-Spangled Banner at game three of the World Series in Philadelphia, October 25, 2008.
Swift's next studio album, Fearless, was released in the United States on November 11, 2008. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. Its sales of 592,000 was the best single week for any country album in a year, and six singles from the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week. "Change", a song from the album, was selected as part of a soundtrack supporting Team USA's efforts in the 2008 Summer Olympics. The song was also featured as part of the soundtrack of NBC's broadcast package of the Games. She also released the lead single from the album, "Love Story", on September 12, 2008. The song is accompanied by a music video that is based on Romeo and Juliet. The song has reached #2 on iTunes Store Top Downloaded Songs and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Swift sang the Star-Spangled Banner at game three of the World Series in Philadelphia, October 25, 2008.
Michelle Williams
Tenitra Michelle Williams (born July 23, 1980), commonly known as Michelle Williams, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is better known for being one third of the hugely successful R&B girl group Destiny's Child, the best-selling female group of all time, according to the World Music Awards and Sony BMG.
While Williams was still with Destiny's Child, she intensified work on her debut solo album Heart to Yours. The album material comprised of collaborations with singers Carl Thomas, Shirley Caesar and the Mary Mary duo, taking the singer's work further into urban contemporary gospel and Christian music. "Some people will do gospel when their career fails, but I chose to do it at the height of the popularity of Destiny's Child," Williams explained during the album's release. "And I didn't want to do it because it was a fad. I wanted to do it because it's in me. It's in my heart." Released on April 16, 2002 in North America, Williams became the first member of Destiny’s Child to release solo material with Heart to Yours. The album sold 17,000 copies in its first week, placing it at number 57 on the Billboard 200, number 3 on the Top Contemporary Christian tally and on top of the Top Gospel Albums chart. It became the year's best-selling gospel album and has eventually sold more than 200,000 units stateside, according to Nielsen SoundScan. A music video for the album’s first and only single, "Heard a Word," was produced by film director Sylvain White.
While Williams was still with Destiny's Child, she intensified work on her debut solo album Heart to Yours. The album material comprised of collaborations with singers Carl Thomas, Shirley Caesar and the Mary Mary duo, taking the singer's work further into urban contemporary gospel and Christian music. "Some people will do gospel when their career fails, but I chose to do it at the height of the popularity of Destiny's Child," Williams explained during the album's release. "And I didn't want to do it because it was a fad. I wanted to do it because it's in me. It's in my heart." Released on April 16, 2002 in North America, Williams became the first member of Destiny’s Child to release solo material with Heart to Yours. The album sold 17,000 copies in its first week, placing it at number 57 on the Billboard 200, number 3 on the Top Contemporary Christian tally and on top of the Top Gospel Albums chart. It became the year's best-selling gospel album and has eventually sold more than 200,000 units stateside, according to Nielsen SoundScan. A music video for the album’s first and only single, "Heard a Word," was produced by film director Sylvain White.
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