Anil Kumble is undoubtedly India’s greatest spinner of all time. Both in terms of wickets and by being on the victorious side the most number of times. He made his debut in 1990 against England. In just two years time he took his first five-wicket haul (6-53) against South Africa. In 1993-94, in the final of the Hero Cup against West Indies, he set the record of 6-12. Though not a orthodox leg-spinner in the actual sense of the word, his style is extremely successful. With a clever mix of top-spinners, googlies, leg-breaks, flight and a variation of pace, he has piled up wickets after wicket. The mid-nineties saw the surfacing of Anil Kumble as an established strike bowler. But even though he was a confirmed match-winner, he needed something that would take him to new heights. The moment arrived at the Ferozshah Kotla, in early February of 1999, when he single-handedly took all the Pakistani wickets in the second innings to become the second bowler in the history of Test matches to get 10 wickets in an innings. In December 2001, he got his 300th Test wickets. A year later, he reached the feat in one-dayers. In 2004-05 he went past 400 wickets in Tests. He became the first Indian bowler to reach 500 Test wickets, when he dismissed Steve Harmison in the Mohali Test. livescore.warofcricket.com provides the profile of Anil Kumble and other cricketers around the world.

Anil Kumble has been an Indian Cricket player and Captain of the Indian Test Cricket team. A right handed batsman, Kumble specialized in Right Arm Leg Spin (Legbreak Googly) bowling. He has taken the third biggest number of wickets in the history of Test Cricket, having taken more than 300 wickets in Test matches.

Russian pop superstar Avraam Russo speaks seven languages, has an international style all his own, which has won him a huge world-wide following.

Sales and Touring:

• Avraam has sold millions of CDs since entering show business in 2000
• His tours have taken him to thousands of concert halls in cities across the world
• He has performed in front for millions fans throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States (the countries of the former Soviet Union, including Russia Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan,) and other countries , Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Germany, Sweden, England, France, Canada, and The United States of America.

Radio History:

• In 2001, Avraam recorded the #1 radio hit, "Love is Not Here Anymore," a duet with Russian pop star Kristina Orbakaite, daughter of the legendary Alla Pugacheva
• His record-breaking hit song "Znayu (I Know)" spent 15 weeks at #1 in the CIS countries
• His hit song "Amor" stayed at #1 on the Viva Charts in Hungary for 11 weeks
• In 2002, he recorded another successful duet with Orbakaite, "Simply to Love You"
• Avraam’s other hit songs include "Wedding," "Summer," "Opa-opa," "Far-far" and many others

Music Industry Awards:

Avraam has won many prestigious international music industry awards, including:

• 4 Zolotov Gramophone Awards, the most prestigious award in the Russian music industry
• 2 Muz TV Awards—Best Male Vocalist and Best Duet
• Russia’s Channel One—Evro-Vosoktochniy Style Song of the Year Award for his hit song "Daleko Daleko"
• Russian Radio Award for his record-breaking hit song "Znayu (I Know)," which spent 15 weeks at #1 in the CIS countries

Other Awards:

• Named "Most Attractive Male Performer" by Russian/CIS Cosmopolitan Magazine
• Named Laureate of the Novye Pesny O Glavnov Music Festival and the Slavyansky Bazaar Song Contest in Kiev
• Named a National Hero by the President of Georgia for selflessly entertaining the troops during the South Ossetia war
• In a Senate Resolution, the State of New York named Avraam a "world-renowned entertainer and great benefit to culture in the United States"

Appearances:

• The International New Wave Song Festival in Jurmala, Latvia (performer)
• "Slava Trifonov" talk show in Bulgaria (performer)
• "Pop Star a la Turkey—International," the highest-rated show in Turkey and the Turkish version of American Idol.
• The Zolotaya Nota (Golden Note) Awardå Show, the most prestigious award show in Bulgaria (presenter)
• Numerous appearances on "Fabrika Zvezd (Star Factory)," the Russian version of "American Idol" (performer)
• Avraam has also performed at fashion shows in front of world-renowned designers including Chopard, Kenzo, Guy Laroche, Patrick Hellmann and Wolford

Performances for Heads of State:

Avraam has been embraced by the leaders of countries across the globe, and has performed for many heads of state and high-ranking government officials, including:

• The Prime Ministers of Turkey and Azerbaijan
• The Presidents of Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Georgia
• Pope John Paul II
• U.S. Secretary of State (then-Senator and former First Lady of the United States) Hillary Rodham Clinton

Upcoming Project:

• Avraam Russo currently lives in the USA, where he is working on his eagerly-awaited 4th album
• His deep faith in God has led him in a new direction, and he is set to make his Inspirational music debut in America in the fall of 2009.

Profile:

Born: June 20, 1976
Hometown: Aguadulce, Panama
Position: Left Field
Height: 6-2
Weight: 240

Career Highlights:

• Three-time MLB National League All-Star (2005, 2006, 2007).
• Two-time MLB Silver Slugger award-winner.
• Named a 2007 Sporting News Postseason All-Star as an NL outfielder in first season with Houston Astros.
• Finished each of the last eight seasons ranked in the top 25 in home runs (2002-2009).
• One of only 344 players in MLB history to hit three home runs in a single game (4/13/2007).
• Ranks 21st among active MLB players with 307 career home runs.
• Ranks tied for fourth among active MLB players with 14 career grand slams.
• Lifetime .291 hitter
• Homered in his first-ever Major League at-bat on May 7, 1999 as a member of the Chicago White Sox.

Carlos Enrique Peña Aldana (nacido el 9 de enero de 1988 en Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala), es el ganador de la segunda temporada del Reality Show Latin American Idol transmitido por Sony Entertainment Television de Latinoamérica, y lanzó su primera producción titulada Con una Canción en diciembre de 2007.

Es la segunda ocasión que participa en Latin American Idol, Carlos Peña practicó el arte de cantar desde muy joven, compitió en las Olimpiadas Mundiales de las Artes en donde ganó el primer lugar como compositor e intérprete.

Antes de ser uno de los clasificados en el programa de televisión, estudiaba canto en el Instituto Angélica Rosa en su país natal, formó un dúo junto a Juan Fernando Herrera con quien acostumbraba tocar la guitarra y componer canciones de estilo romántico.

Fuera de su vida musical le gusta practicar deportes como el tenis y el fútbol, logrando ser seleccionado de la liga menor del Club Social y Deportivo Municipal en Guatemala, además ha participado en varias campañas de ayuda a los niños con el Síndrome de Down. En la actualidad contribuye con su talento en la Campaña Pro-Niño de Fundación Telefónica en Centroamérica, para la cual se ha grabado una canción especial, incluido en el mensaje contra el trabajo infantil, como un Video Musical/Mensaje Testimonial.

En su primera producción se incluyeron algunas de sus interpretaciones en el programa de televisión, junto a otras de sus canciones favoritas, el mismo obtuvo el status de Cuádruple Platino por su nivel de ventas en Centroamérica, en la actualidad se encuentra en la producción de su segundo disco el cual tendra 12 temas de su autoría y del que se desprenderá el sencillo "Desesperadamente" el cual se estima saldrá al mercado en diciembre 2008; el sencillo fue presentado en la final de la tercera temporada de Latin Amerian Idol. Ambos trabajos discográficos bajo el sello Sony Music;según el diario Siglo XXI, este compacto fue grabado en el estudio Vicente Fernández de Sony BMG México, y mezclado en el estudio Sonic Ranch, en Texas, EE.UU., y en él participa el ingeniero de audio Fabrizio Simoncioni, conocido por sus colaboraciones con artistas como Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, Metallica y Michael Jackson. En la producción, que contendrá temas compuestos por Carlos Peña y su hermano Hugo, resalta la mezcla de géneros pop-rock, con influencias orgánicas latinas. Las canciones son producidas por el italiano Ettore Grenci, quien produjo el último CD del cantante mexicano Kalimba, y ha colaborado con Alejandra Guzmán y Natalia Lafourcade.

El primer compacto de Carlos Peña, "Con una Canción" de acuerdo a El Universal de Venezuela y el Tiempo de Colombia ha alcanzado el status de Platino en México (según Amprofon de México, quien da la Certificación de ventas discográficas, se otorga al lograr 80,000 copias vendidas - Revisión 2008), lo que lo convierte en el artista surgido de Latin American Idol de mayor éxito.

Fue uno de los 12 seleccionados de 27 mil cantantes de todo el continente que audicionaron para participar en el programa, y fue criticado desde los inicios por su peinado, sin embargo, no le hizo cambios mayores aduciendo que era su estilo. Fue el único participante quien nunca estuvo en riesgo de ser eliminado, ya que jamás se encontró entre los menos votados. La noche del 20 de septiembre de 2007 clasificó entre los dos participantes para disputar la final del concurso junto a Ricardo Caballero Tostado de México, esa misma noche Rosangela Abreu de Puerto Rico fue eliminada según la votación de los televidentes.

El 27 de septiembre de 2007 Carlos Peña fue declarado ganador del Latin American Idol al recibir la mayor cantidad de votos por parte del público en la final de este Reality Show, lo que le hizo acreedor a un contrato con la disquera Sony BMG para grabar su primer álbum, tal como sucedió con Mayré Martínez quien fue la ganadora de la primera temporada del programa.

Profile:

Born: September 15, 1979
Hometown: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Position: Forward
Height: 5-9
Weight: 180

Career Highlights:

• Guatemalan National Team all-time leading goal scorer with 39 goals.
• MLS all-time leader in postseason goals (16).
• Third leading goal-scorer in LA Galaxy history (51).
• Ranks ninth on the all-time MLS goals list with 82 in just 155 games played.
• Four-time MLS All-Star (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006).
• 2003 MLS All-Star game MVP
• Two-time MLS top goal scorer (2002, 2003).
• Led LA Galaxy to franchise’s first MLS Cup championship after netting the golden goal in sudden death overtime; named MLS Cup MVP.
• Named to the 2002 MLS Best XI and MLS Honda MVP in first season after scoring 24 goals in 26 games.

Profile:

Born: September 15, 1979
Hometown: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Position: Forward
Height: 5-9
Weight: 180

Cristian Castro was born on December 8, 1974 at Santa Teresa Hospital at 7:38 PM in Mexico City, weighing in at 3.5 kilos. Although his mother, Veronica Castro, hoped to have a boy, she was pleasantly surprised when she received the news that her child was a healthy baby boy, whom she named Cristian.

Cristian’s love for music was nurtured at an early age - when he was four, he starred in several commercials and at the young age of five, he made his acting debut in a soap opera called "El Derecho a Nacer." When he was 7, Cristian recorded his first childrens’ album, entitled "Kristian y Sus Pollitas," and had his first hit single with "Gallito Feliz." His success was so great that he even had his own radio show, "La Hora de Kristian," for a year. For his work in the theatrical show, "Mame," Cristian received three awards as the best child actor. At the age of 13 or 14, Cristian’s love for music blossomed while he sang in a band in school festivals. In 1989, when Cristian was 15 years old, his goal of studying Literature and Philosophy rapidly diminished when he realized his great popularity after performing "16 Diciembres" at the OTI Festival.

At 17 years of age, Cristian sold his automobile and used his savings to start his musical journey that would shape the rest of his life. Working with his friend, Alejandro Zepeda, Cristian released his first cd, entitled "Agua Nueva." Fortunately, this album was a bestseller in all of Latin America and Cristian showed the world that a new singer could reach the #1 spot on the singles countdown - "Para Ti," "Diez Mil Lagrimas," "Ritual," and "No Podras" all reached #1. Cristian called this experience, "The first big step in my life." "Agua Nueva" would go on to reach gold and platinum status.

While he was working on the soap opera, "Las Secretas Intenciones" with Yolanda Andrade, Cristian released his second album, "Un Segundo en el Tiempo" in 1993. He was nominated for two Grammy awards in the categories of "Singer of the Year" and "Song of the Year (Nunva Voy a Olivardarte)." In Mexico, he received the "Lo Nuestro" award, and "Nunca Voy a Olvidarte" won the 1993 Billboard Award for Best Pop Song of the Year. "Es Mejor Asi" and "Nunca Voy a Olvidarte" led the Latin music charts for several months.

In 1994, Cristian recorded "El Camino del Alma" and in doing so, redefined and elevated his musical status. One of the first singles from the album, "Manana" was written by one of the most prolific and popular Mexican songwriter/singer of all time - Juan Gabriel. The song quickly reached the #1 position on the music charts. For the songs "Con esa Morena" and "No te Vayas," Cristian helped direct their music videos, using the movie "Dracula" as his inspiration. Although the album sold many copies, Cristian decided to distance himself from music and test the waters of moviemaking. He moved and lived in New York City for a year. Rumors arose that Cristian took drugs and in a later interview, he stated, "It’s a thing of the past." During this time, he also recorded a bolero called "Vuelveme a Querer" as the principal musical theme for the 1995 soap opera, "Amor y Desamor." He also recorded "Morelia," which would later be included in his next album.

In 1996, Cristian recorded his fourth album, "El Deseo De Oir Tu Voz," which included songs that he wrote, such as "Amor," whose music video he filmed and directed in Italy and Morocco. "Amor" stayed atop the Hot Latin Tracks Billboard chart for 11 consecutive weeks, garnering the Billboard Award and the "Jovenes con Legado" special award. Cristian’s next single, "Amarte a Ti" was so well received that the song has come to represent the paragon of romantic popular songs.

In 1997, Cristian released "Lo Mejor De Mi," an album that exceeded all expecations by breaking sales records, earning several awards, and staying on the Latin American and U.S. music charts for weeks. The album’s producer, Rudy Perez, said "There is no doubt that this man has a tear in his throat." Cristian’s profound and romantic album was nominated for the Grammy Awards in 1997. This album reached platinum, double platinum, and four times platinum status.

Disney approached Cristian in June of 1998 to sing a principal theme in Spanish for the Mexican version of the movie, "Mulan." For this movie, he sang two songs - "Tu Corazon" and "Hombres Fuertes de Accion Seran Hoy."

"Mi Vida Sin Tu Amor," produced my Kike Santander, was released in 1999. Cristian dedicated this album to his younger brother, Michel. Some of the hits included in this CD are "Volver a Amar," "Mi Vida Sin Tu Amor" and Angel," in which Kike’s son, Sebastian, had a vocal solo. Cristian wrote a song dedicated to his mother, entitled "Veronica." In 1999, Cristian also recorded three duets - Olga Tanon ("Descondidos"), Alicia Villareal from the group Limite ("Pasion"), and Jose Alfredo Jimenez ("Ella").

In December 1999, Cristian shared the stage with Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Michael Jackson in a tribute to the actor Anthony Quenn. He was also chosen to sing the Mexican anthem during the last boxing match of the millennium, featuring Oscar de la Hoya in Las Vegas. In February 2000, Cristian performed at the Vina del Mar and received "La Gaviota de Plata." In May, he performed at the K-Love Festival in Los Angeles, toured throughout Mexico, and received an award from "Lo Nuestro" as best young singer. Cristian held concerts in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Miami, New York, and Los Angeles in the month of August, and he also received the "Tu Musica" award as Best Latin Male Singer. In December, he sang at Disney World, became a model for Mazola vegetable oil, and recorded a song called "Primavera" with Santana. Cristian also had the honor of being chosen by Billboard as being the artist with the most international, Latin, and U.S. #1 singles. To cap off the year, his very own Remix CD was released, featuring many of his successful songs.

On May 25, 2001 Cristian performed his new song, "Azul," at the Acapulco Festival and his new CD, also entitled ’Azul," was released on June 6. This album was also produced by Kike Santander. The music video for "Azul," featuring two international female models and several of Cristian’s friends, was filmed in Miami, and the music video for "Yo Queria" was filmed in Mexico and produced by Castro himself. Later in the year, Cristian released a best hits album called "Grandes Hits," which included three new songs - "Cuando Me Miras Asi," "Miedo" and "Soledad" - as well as all-time favorites. This CD was dedicated to his fans. Cristian’s international fame solidified when he recorded "Flying Without Wings" with the popular English band, Westlife.

In February of 2002, Cristian received the "Lo Nuestro" award for Best Male Artist of the Year. He also performed at the Vina del Mar and received a "Antorcha de Plata" as a special recognition from his fans.

Cristian married the daughter of a Paraguayan mogul, Gabriela Bo, on March 8, 2003 in a multi-million dollar ceremony that took place in Asuncion. The couple met in an exclusive club at East Point in Uruguay. Just a few days shy of their first year anniversary, Castro filed for divorce in Miami family court, stating that there were irreconciliable differences between himself and Bo. However, Gabriela Bo refused to sign the divorce papers for a few months, stating that she was emotionally and physically abused by the popular singer. The divorce was finalized on July 13, 2004. During this fiasco, Cristian headlined a successful tour throughout the United States, Latin America, Mexico, and Spain.

Cristian Castro married the Argentine lawyer, Valeria Liberman, on July 31, 2004 in Miami at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. His next album will be produced by Kike Santander and Rudy Perez, and is scheduled to be released between October and February.

Fedor Emelianenko (often referred to simply as "Fedor") is a Russian-born competitor in the growing sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Viewed throughout the world by many as the top pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world, Emelianenko earned such a reputation by being known as the final heavyweight champion in the history of the Japan-based PRIDE Fighting Championships, a title he held since 2003.

Additionally, Emelianenko is recognized at the current heavyweight champion of the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts and have defeated six former UFC heavyweight champions.

Originally born in 1976 in the city of Rubezhnoe in Lugansk (formerly the Russian Republic of Ukraine), Emelianenko and his family relocated to what is now known as Stary Oskol, Russia in 1978.

Prior to becoming a global MMA superstar, Fedor first became introduced to martial arts through Combat Sambo, the national martial art of Russia. Since 1997, Emelianenko has placed first a total of eleven times in Russian, European, and World Combat Sambo tournaments. Emelianenko is also a highly decorated competitor in the martial art of Judo.

Emelianenko finished high school in 1991 and graduated with honors from a professional trade school in 1994. Following his education, Emelianenko served in the Russian Army from 1995-1997 as a tank commander and then later as a fire fighter.

Currently under a promotional and management agreement with M-1 Global, Emelianenko is a part-owner of the company and also owns his own franchise in the M-1 Challenge, called Team Russia Imperial. The Imperial Team is comprised of many of Emelianenko’s young proteges and training partners.

The M-1 Challenge is a 16-team International competition often referred to as the "World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts." In 2008, Emelianenko’s team, referred to as "Russian Red Devil" at the time, won the first-ever M-1 Challenge Championship Cup.

Considered a national hero in his country due to not only his excellence achieved in the sport of MMA but because of his history of service to his country’s military, Emelianenko carried the Olympic torch on behalf of Russia leading up to the 2008 Beijing Games. On April 14, 2007, while competing in St. Petersburg, Russia vs. former U.S. Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland in an MMA bout, then Russian-President and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attended the event as a guest of Fedor’s.

Profile:

Born: May 24, 1979
Hometown: Bartow, Florida
Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 6-8
Weight: 223

Career Highlights:

• Seven-time NBA All-Star (2001-2007); six-time starter, as voted by fans.
• Seven-time All-NBA team member – named to First Team twice (2002, 2003), Second Team three times (2001, 2004, 2007) and Third Team twice (2005, 2008).
• Two-time NBA scoring champion (32.1 in 2002-03, 28.0 in 2003-04)
• The second-youngest player in NBA history to reach the 12,000-point plateau.
• The first player in Houston Rockets history to reach 2,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists in a season (2004-05).
• Stands as the Orlando Magic’s all-time leader in scoring average (28.1 points in 295 games).
• 2001 NBA Most Improved Player
• Drafted ninth overall in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors at the age of 18.
• 1997 USA Today High School Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American.
• Holds NBA career averages of 22.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

Profile:

Born: November 2, 1982
Hometown: Havana, Cuba
Position: Shortstop
Height: 6-2
Weight: 200

Career Highlights:

• Has a career .301 batting average in three seasons with the Braves.
• In 2009, recorded career-highs in games (141), at-bats (528), runs (89), home runs (14), RBI (76) and hits (158).
• Finished rookie season (2007) with an impressive .326 batting average.
• Tied for sixth in voting for the 2007 NL Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award.
• First Major League home run came on June 4, 2007 against the Florida Marlins in his first-ever game at Atlanta’s Turner Field.
• Made Major League debut on June 2, 2007 at Chicago with a two-for-four game and had the game-winning RBI with a double in the 8th inning.
• Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 2005 MLB Draft as the 75th overall selection.