Mike Polk | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Warren, Ohio, US |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Kent State University |
| Occupation(s) | Actor Comedian Newspaper columnist TV news commentator |
Michael G. Polk Jr. is an American comedian, actor, TV commentator, and newspaper columnist, known primarily for his sketch comedy and viral videos.
Polk was born in Warren, Ohio. After being raised in Newton Falls, Ohio, he attended Kent State University as an undergraduate and earned a degree in communications and psychology in 2002. [1]
Polk created the YouTube series Runaway Box / Man in the Box. [2] His work has also appeared on HBO, Cinemax and TNT's Inside the NBA . [3]
He sang his YouTube song "One Semester of Spanish - Love Song" [4] for Kim Kardashian on Spanish television channel Telemundo. [5] [6] That video has received over 9.4 million views on YouTube. He thanked his viewers as "Spanish Mike" when the video hit 2 Million views. [7]
Some of his other work includes "Ooh Girl!" - An Honest R&B Song", [8] "The Great Office War", [9] "The Factory of Sadness" [10] and two different versions of a "Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video" [11] [12] all of which have about 32 million views combined on YouTube. The tourism spoof video actually prompted Cleveland's convention and tourism bureau to solicit other videos in a 'counterattack' to Polk's not-so-flattering work. [13] Segments of the Cleveland tourism videos were also featured in the Michael Moore documentary film Capitalism: A Love Story . [14] [15]
In 2010, Polk coordinated a group of local celebrities in order to record "Please Stay, LeBron", a parody of the charity song "We Are the World", in order to persuade NBA player LeBron James not to leave the Cavaliers. [16]
In 2012, Polk became a weekly contributor on The Rizzo Show – a Sunday night sports/comedy program airing WJW channel 8 in Cleveland (the local FOX affiliate) hosted by local sports media personality Tony Rizzo. [17] Polk also contributed to the sports section of the nightly news broadcast with Browns Hangover, a recurring segment providing comedic commentary after Cleveland Browns games. [18]
Polk has also worked for Funny or Die and his current[ when? ] comedy troupe Last Call Cleveland.
In 2016, Polk became a writer for the Plain Dealer newspaper, doing periodic columns about pop culture and humor. [19]
In 2019, Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC channel 3 hired Polk as a feature reporter and contributor. [20] That same year – with the 2019 MLB All-Star Game occurring in Cleveland – ESPN solicited Polk to make a third "Hastily Made Tourism Video" for Cleveland, which he released on July 9, 2019. [21]
Polk was named as one of Cleveland Magazine's Most Interesting People of 2010. [22]
In 2013 readers of Scene Magazine voted him to be Cleveland's Best Local Comedian and Best Local Author for his book Damn Right I'm From Cleveland. [23]
in 2022, Polk won three Lower Great Lakes Emmy Awards in various categories in his role as commentator/host on WKYC. [24]
Damn Right I'm From Cleveland (2012 ISBN 978-1-938441-07-3)
The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team began play as an expansion team in 1970, along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Braves. Home games were first held at Cleveland Arena from 1970 to 1974, followed by the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1994. Since 1994, the Cavs have played home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland, which is shared with the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. Dan Gilbert has owned the team since March 2005.
Richard Paul Astley is an English singer, radio DJ and a podcaster. He gained fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, releasing the 1987 album Whenever You Need Somebody, which sold 15 million copies worldwide and was certified Platinum by both the BPI and the RIAA. His debut single "Never Gonna Give You Up" was a No. 1 hit in over 25 countries, winning the 1988 Brit Award for Best British Single. The song also stayed at the top of the UK chart for five weeks in 1987 and was the best-selling single of that year. His 1988 single "Together Forever" also topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and was one of his eight songs to reach the UK Singles Chart Top 10.
WKYC is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. Its studios are located on Tom Beres Way, and its transmitter is located in suburban Parma, Ohio.
WTAM is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and carries a news/talk and sports radio format commonly known as "Newsradio WTAM 1100". Owned by iHeartMedia, WTAM serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio, and is a clear-channel station with extended nighttime range. WTAM is also Northeast Ohio's primary entry point station in the Emergency Alert System.
Michael Burton Brown is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Brown was previously the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Lakers, and most recently an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. He is also the head coach of the Nigerian national team.
WMJI is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, featuring a classic hits format dubbed "Majic 105.7". Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. WMJI's studios are located in downtown Cleveland's Gateway District at the Six Six Eight Building, while the transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of Parma. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WMJI broadcasts over two HD Radio channels and is available online via iHeartRadio.
James Francis Donovan III is an American radio and television personality who formerly served as sports director and news anchor for WKYC channel 3 (NBC) in Cleveland, Ohio, and was the radio voice of the Cleveland Browns Radio Network from 1999 to 2023.
Norton Furniture is a Cleveland-based furniture store that is known across the Internet for its strange and unusual late night television commercials.
The Amity Affliction is an Australian post-hardcore band from Gympie, Queensland, formed in 2003. The band's current line-up consists of Joel Birch, Ahren Stringer, Dan Brown (guitar) and Joe Longobardi (drums). The Amity Affliction has released eight studio albums including Severed Ties (2008), Youngbloods (2010), Chasing Ghosts (2012), Let the Ocean Take Me (2014), This Could Be Heartbreak (2016), Misery (2018) and Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them (2020). They are known for their highly personal songs, often dealing with depression, anxiety, death, substance abuse, and suicide, many lyrics stemming from vocalist Joel Birch's past struggles. The Amity Affliction released their latest album, Not Without My Ghosts, in 2023.
The Decision was a 2010 television special on ESPN in which National Basketball Association (NBA) player LeBron James announced which team he would join for the 2010–11 season. James was an unrestricted free agent after playing his first seven NBA seasons for the Cleveland Cavaliers; he was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a six-time All-Star. He grew up in nearby Akron, Ohio, where he received national attention as a high school basketball star. During the special, James revealed that he would be signing with the Miami Heat.
James R. Graner was the weeknight sports anchor for Cleveland NBC affiliate KYW-TV beginning in 1957. He also served as color commentator for the Cleveland Browns Radio Network, most notably alongside Cleveland sportscaster Gib Shanley.
Tyler Stephen Cassidy, also known as Froggy Fresh, is an American singer and rapper. He became known after the comedy rap music video for his song, "The Baddest", became popular on YouTube. He continued rapping until 2018, when Cassidy stepped away from his Froggy Fresh character and began a career as a singer under his real name. As of May 2023, Cassidy's FroggyFreshRap YouTube channel has over 806 thousand subscribers and 172 million video views, while his Tyler Cassidy Music channel has over 365 thousand subscribers and 42 million video views.
Dayseeker is an American post-hardcore band formed in Orange County, California, in 2012. The group consists of vocalist Rory Rodriguez, guitarist Gino Sgambelluri, bassist Ramone Valerio and drummer Zac Mayfield. They are currently signed to Spinefarm Records and have released five studio albums. Their most recent studio album, Dark Sun, was released on November 4, 2022.
The 2016 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season and conclusion of the 2016 playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors four games to three in a rematch of the previous year's Finals. It was the 14th rematch of the previous NBA Finals in history, and the second straight rematch in back-to-back years, as the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs played each other in 2013 and 2014. The series was played from June 2 to 19.
The Block was a defensive basketball play that occurred in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, played between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors on June 19, 2016, at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. With less than two minutes remaining in the deciding game of the championship series, Cavaliers forward LeBron James chased down Warriors forward Andre Iguodala and blocked his layup attempt, ensuring the game remained tied. It is considered to be one of James's greatest clutch moments, and his performance across the series—the only time in which a single player has led both teams in points, assists, steals, and blocks—is considered to be one of the best in NBA Finals history.
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Arif Zahir Lopes-Thrower is an American actor, musician, and internet personality. His YouTube channel, Azerrz, has over 7 million subscribers and features voice impressions of a plethora of celebrities and cartoon characters. Since 2021, Zahir has replaced Mike Henry as the voice of Cleveland Brown on the television series Family Guy.
On March 10, 2021, Marcia Fudge resigned her seat in the United States House of Representatives after being confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Biden administration. Governor Mike DeWine set the primary date for August 3, concurrent with the special election in Ohio's 15th congressional district. The general election was on November 2. Shontel Brown won both the competitive Democratic primary and the general election, and was sworn in on November 4.
When in Love is the first single from MC Lyte's third album Act Like You Know. It was released on August 22, 1991. Although its original version of the album is produced by Wolf & Epic, its single version includes a remix made with Carmen Rizzo.
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