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Raven-Symoné

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This article is about the actress-singer. For her self-titled album, see Raven-Symoné (album).
Raven-Symoné

Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman (born December 10, 1985,[4] known professionally as Raven-Symoné or Raven, is an American actress and R&B/pop singer-songwriter. She is best known for her television roles as Olivia Kendall in The Cosby Show, Nicole Lee in Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Galleria Garibaldi in The Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls 2 and as Raven Baxter in her own show, That's So Raven. Raven-Symoné owns a "how-to" video website, Raven-Symoné Presents, which is used as her official website.[5] She has also lent her voice to the animated series Kim Possible, for the character Monique.

Early life

Raven-Symoné was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Lydia (née Gaulden) and Christopher B. Pearman. Raven-Symoné lived in Ossining, New York where she attended Park School. [6][7] As an infant, she worked for Atlanta's Young Faces Inc. Modelling Agency and was featured in local print advertisements. At age two,she worked with Ford Models in New York City and appeared in ads for Ritz crackers, Jell-O, Fisher-Price, and Cool Whip. At age three, she auditioned for the film Ghost Dad. She was considered too young for the role, but was recommended for a part in The Cosby Show and was eventually cast as Olivia in February 1989. The character was the three-year-old stepdaughter of Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet), the main character's daughter. Raven-Symoné played the part until the series ended in 1992. In 1993, Raven-Symoné joined the cast of ABC's sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper as Nicole, the cousin of Mark Curry's character Mark Cooper. Raven-Symoné went on to have roles in films such as 1998's Dr. Dolittle, 1999's Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, and 2001's Dr. Dolittle 2.

Career

Acting

When she was just two, she was signed by the Ford Modeling Agency and her family moved to New York to help advance her career. In 1989, Raven auditioned for a part in the Bill Cosby movie, Ghost Dad. She was a little too young for the part, but Bill Cosby liked her so much that he found a part for her on his show, The Cosby Show, as his grand-daughter Olivia. Raven played the part of Olivia until 1992. In 1992 Raven appeared on The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air as Will's mother's boyfriend's daughter. Within a year after The Cosby Show ended, Raven landed the role of Nicole Lee on the show Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. During her time on the show, she managed to land her first big screen role in the movie The Little Rascals, playing Stymie's girlfriend. She was then cast in the Eddie Murphy comedy Dr. Dolittle and Dr. Dolittle 2 as Charisse Dolittle playing Eddie Murphy's oldest daughter.

In 2002, Raven-Symoné auditioned for a role on an up-and-coming series for the Disney Channel titled Absolutely Psychic, about a teenager with psychic abilities.[8] Initially, Raven-Symoné was cast as the role of the best friend. But after being reviewed, Disney executives decided to cast her as the lead character Raven Baxter and change the series name to That's So Raven, which débuted on January 17, 2003. It is Disney Channel's highest-rated and longest-running series. It spawned Disney's most successful franchise, including soundtracks, dolls, episode DVDs, and video games. During the her time on the show, Raven provided the voice of Danielle on Fat Albert and made an appearance on The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement both in 2004. In 2005 and 2007, That's So Raven was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program. The show also was the first show in Disney history to have a spin-off, Cory in the House.

In 2003, Raven-Symoné starred as lead singer Galleria Garibaldi in The Cheetah Girls, which is a Disney Channel Original Movie that is about four city girls who have dreams of becoming superstars. The movie was Disney Channel's first musical and spawned a massive franchise, much like That's So Raven, including dolls, video games, platinum-selling soundtracks and more.[9] In 2006, Raven-Symoné reprised her role as Galleria Garibaldi and starred in The Cheetah Girls 2. The film and its soundtrack were huge commercial hits and brought in over 8 million viewers opening night, making it (at its time) Disney Channel's most-watched movie. Its soundtrack also débuted at number eight, on the Billboard Top 200 and went on to become certified for platinum-level sales by the RIAA. Raven-Symoné also served as executive producer of the film.[10]

In 2007 Raven-Symoné guest-starred on an episode of Cory in the House. That episode brought in 5 million viewers, making it the highest rated one of the series. During the summer of 2007, Raven-Symoné filmed her first lead film role in College Road Trip, which co-starred Martin Lawrence.

In 2008, The Cheetah Girls: One World began production, but Raven-Symoné did not return to reprise her role as Galleria, due to making her new movie " college road trip"..ref>http://www.nationalledger.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=16&num=15327</ref>

She will star in Little Fockers, a sequel to Meet the Fockers. She will star as a babysitter.

Music

Raven-Symoné's debut album, Here's to New Dreams, was released on June 22, 1993. It spawned two commercially released singles: "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" and "Raven Is the Flavor". "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" was Raven-Symoné's most successful single, reaching number sixty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100, forty-seven on the Undeniable album was bought up by TMG Records, who re-issued the album on November 14, 2006 under the title From Then Until. Although her first album was full of kid-rap, she used this album to display her vocal ability while still holding true to her rap roots.

Raven-Symoné sang some songs on the That's So Raven soundtrack album to the Disney Channel original series of the same name. The album debuted and peaked at #44 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies.[citation needed] She also sang some tracks on the That's So Raven Too!, which is the second soundtrack album from the hit Disney Channel original series, That's So Raven. The soundtrack debuted and peaked at #44, on the Billboard 200, selling 22,600 copies in its first week.[citation needed] Since then, the soundtrack has sold 200,000 copies (as of 2007). Raven-Symoné then participated in two Cheetah Girls soundtracks for Disney, in which both went double platinum and platinum.[citation needed] In early 2003, Raven-Symoné signed a deal with Hollywood Records (A Disney owned label). On September 21, 2004, she released her third album This Is My Time. The album spawned one commercially released single, "Backflip", which received heavy rotation on both Disney Channel, as well on BET. The album debuted and peaked at number fifty-one on the Billboard 200 selling 19,000 copies in its first week of release and becoming her most successful album yet.[citation needed] This Is My Time has sold 235,000 copies in the U.S. and 512,000 copies worldwide.[citation needed]

In 2005 Raven-Symoné embarked on a mini-concert tour to promote the album. Raven-Symoné made guest spots during the Summer of 2005 , but didn't tour to promote the album until 2006. Later that year Raven-Symoné began work on her fourth studio album.[citation needed]

Raven-Symoné's fourth studio album Raven-Symoné was released on April 29, 2008.[11] The album features production by Sean Garrett (Beyoncé), The J.A.M. (Leona Lewis), Knightwritaz (singer Mario's production team), and The Clutch (Timbaland, Ciara). The first single released was "Double Dutch Bus" a remake of Frankie Smith's 1981 funk track. The single was released to radio on February 9, while the video was released on February 18, 2008. The single has been Raven-Symoné's most downloaded song on iTunes. It peaked at #9 on the iTunes Top R&B/Soul Downloads chart. The album debuted at #159 on Billboard's Top 200. Raven-Symoné also planned on starting her first all arena headlining tour The Pajama Party Tour this Spring, to promote her album but due to what promoters call "unforeseen difficulties" the tour was postponed until further notice. But during a recent interview it was confirmed that Raven-Symoné is currently rescheduling her tour and that it will kick off later this summer, but instead of being an all-arena tour, it will include both arena and amphitheatre venues. The new tour name is Raven-Symoné: Live in Concert Tour. Also, in the Summer of 2008, Raven-Symoné will be the special host of Disney's Block Party Tour.[12]

During the middle of Raven-Symoné's 2008 Summer tour, It was officially announced that Raven-Symoné and Hollywood Records had parted ways; after Raven-Symoné had completed her 2 CD deal with the company, she decided not to renew her contract. In a recent interview with Teenmag.com Raven-Symoné announced that in late 2009, she would return to the studio to record her next album. She also stated that this would be her most mature album yet. This will be Raven-Symoné's first studio album that she's released since she has left Disney's Hollywood Records.[13] This will also be Raven-Symoné's second independent album.[14]

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1994 The Little Rascals Stymie's Girlfriend appearance
1998 Dr. Dolittle Charisse Dolittle Protagonist
2001 Dr. Dolittle 2 Charisse Dolittle Protagonist
2003 Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time Monique Voice
2004 The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement Princess Asana appearance
Fat Albert Danielle Voice
2005 Kim Possible: So the Drama Monique Voice
2006 Everyone's Hero Marty Brewster Voice
2008 College Road Trip Melanie Porter Main Protagonist
Tinker Bell Iridessa Voice
2010 Further Adventures in Babysitting[15] Chris Parker Main Protagonist
Film Made for Television
Year Title Role Channel
1999 Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century Nebula Wade Disney Channel
2003 The Cheetah Girls Galleria "Bubbles" Garibaldi Disney Channel
2004 Zenon: Z3 Nebula Wade Disney Channel
2006 For One Night Brianna McCallister Lifetime Movie
The Cheetah Girls 2 Galleria "Bubbles" Garibaldi Disney Channel
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1989—1992 The Cosby Show Olivia Kendall Seasons 6–8
1993—1997 Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Nicole Lee Seasons 2–5
2001-2008 Thomas and Friends Daisy the Diesel Railcar Voice / Season 2-4
2002—2007 Kim Possible Monique Voice / Recurring role
2003—2007 That's So Raven Raven Baxter Main Protagonist
Television guest appearances
Year Title Role Notes
1989 Different WorldA Different World Olivia Kendall "Forever Hold Your Peace" (episode 5, season 3)
1990 Muppets at Walt Disney WorldThe Muppets at Walt Disney World Young girl Television special
1992 Fresh Prince of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Claudia "Vying for Attention" (episode 21, season 2)
1993 Blindsided Singer
Queen: The Story of an American Family 5-year-old Queen uncredited
1995 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Olivia/Zoe (voice) "The Princess and the Pauper"
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Goldilocks (voice) "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"
1996 Bill Nye the Science Guy Herself "Human Transportation" (episode 56, season 3)
2001 My Wife and Kids Charmaine
  • "Mom's Away (Part 1)" (episode 1, season 2)
  • "Mom's Away (Part 2)" (episode 2, season 2)
Proud FamilyThe Proud Family Stephanie (voice) "Seven Days of Kwanzaa" (episode 11, season 1)
2004 Fillmore! Maryanne Greene (voice)
Alexandria Quarry (voice)
  • "Code Name: Electric Haircut" (episode 9, season 2)
2005 Higglytown Heroes Playground Monitor Hero (voice)
  • "Wayne's Ripping Adventure/Meet Eubie's Cousin" (episode 14, season 1)
2006 Suite Life of Zack and CodyThe Suite Life of Zack and Cody Raven Baxter "That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana" (episode 20, season 2)
2007 Cory in the House Raven Baxter Guest star in "That's So in the House" episode
2008 WrestleMania XXIV Herself Guest announcer
American Dad! Katie
Wife		 * "Office Spaceman" (Episode 14, Season 3)
*"Stanny Slickers II" (Episode 15, Season 3)
Celebrity Family Feud Herself Was the team captain of Team Symoné and competed alongside her mother, brother and her on-screen mother and father from That's So Raven.
Chelsea Lately Herself Talk Show Guest
The Ellen DeGeneres Show Herself Talk Show Guest
The Bonnie Hunt Show Herself Talk Show Guest
2009 The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet Herself Talk Show Guest

Discography

Main article: Raven-Symoné discography

Awards and nominations

Year Status Award Category Work
1990- Nominated Young Artist Award Outstanding Performance by an Actress Under Nine Years of Age 9 Cosby ShowThe Cosby Show
1991 Won Young Artist Award Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress Cosby ShowThe Cosby Show
1993 Nominated Young Artist Award Outstanding Actress Under Ten in a Television Series Cosby ShowThe Cosby Show
1994 Nominated Young Artist Awards Best Youth Comedienne Hangin' With Mr. Cooper
1996 Nominated NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress Hangin' With Mr. Cooper
1999 Nominated Young Star Awards Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Mini-Series/Made for TV Film Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century
2004 Won Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Actress That's So Raven
Won NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series/Special That's So Raven
Won Black Reel Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Cheetah GirlsThe Cheetah Girls
Nominated BET Comedy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series That's So Raven
Nominated Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress — Comedy That's So Raven
2005 Won Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Actress That's So Raven
Won NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series/Special That's So Raven
Won Radio Disney Music Awards Best Actor/Actress-Turned-Singer
Nominated BET Comedy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series That's So Raven
Nominated Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress — Comedy That's So Raven
Nominated BET Comedy Awards Best Performance in an Animated Theatrical Film Kim Possible: So the Drama
2006 Won NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series/Special That's So Raven
Won NAACP Image Awards Junior Achievement Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series/Special That's So Raven
Won Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress — Comedy That's So Raven
Nominated Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Actress That's So Raven
2007 Won NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series/Special That's So Raven
Won NAMIC Vision Awards 2007 North Star Award (top award)
Nominated NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series That's So Raven
Nominated Radio Disney Music Awards Favorite TV Star Who Sings
Nominated Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Actress That's So Raven
2008 Won NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Program — Series or Special That's So Raven
Won NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance Program That's So Raven
Nominated Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Actress That's So Raven
Nominated Teen Choice Awards Choice Summer Comedy Movie/Performance College Road Trip[16]
Won Summer Fort Myers Beach Film Festival "Fav Summer Teen Flick Comedy" College Road Trip
2009 Won Teen Music Internacioal: R&B - Brazil Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for Girl Get It Raven-Symoné
Won Teen Music Internacioal: R&B - Brazil Best R&B Album for Raven-Symoné Raven-Symoné

References

  1. ^ "TVGuide.com Biography". TV Guide. 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
  2. ^ "MSN Movies Biography". MSN. 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
  3. ^ "Raven-Symone's SayNow". It's the message recorded 11/27/08. 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
  4. ^ "Raven Symone:Biography on MSN". MSN. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  5. ^ RavenSymonePresents.com
  6. ^ Charlotte Moore (January 24, 2004). Raven takes flight PE.com.
  7. ^ http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/la/winn/bios/sym1569.txt
  8. ^ "Raven Biography". notablebiographies.com. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  9. ^ Raven-Symone: 'I'm not a little kid anymore'
  10. ^ "Raven-Symone takes 'Cheetah Girls' to Spain". msnbc.msn.com. 21 August 2006. Retrieved 04-01-2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ^ Raven~Symoné
  12. ^ Raven~Symoné Tour
  13. ^ http://www.teenmag.com/seen-in-teen/raven-symone-interview-2 New Album
  14. ^ [1]m
  15. ^ http://search.hollywood.com/movies/Further%20Adventures%20In%20Babysitting
  16. ^ Teen Choice Awards
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