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WORK TITLE: Boy Robot
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 3/18/1986
WEBSITE: http://simon-curtis.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Boy-Robot/Simon-Curtis/9781481459297 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Curtis_(actor) * http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/boy-robot
RESEARCHER NOTES:
Title: Mr.
Email: SSPublicity@simonandschuster.com
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2016037045
HEADING: Curtis, Simon, 1986-
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008 160707n| azannaabn |n aaa
010 __ |a n 2016037045
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca10519159
040 __ |a DLC |b eng |c DLC |e rda |d UPB
046 __ |f 1986-03-18 |2 edtf
053 _0 |a PS3603.U7792
100 1_ |a Curtis, Simon, |d 1986-
374 __ |a Actors |a Singers |a Lyricists |2 lcsh
375 __ |a Males |2 lcdgt
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Boy robot, 2016: |b ECIP t.p. (Simon Curtis) data sheet (DOB March 18, 1986; Simon Curtis is an actor, singer, and songwriter. He has appeared on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, and his music has been featured on Billboard.com)
953 __ |a xk09
PERSONAL
Born March 18, 1986, in MI.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, actor, record producer, and musician. Actor in films, including Spectacular!, 2009, and Hannah Montana, 2009; writer and producer of record albums, including 8Bit Heart, 2010, R∆, 2011, and WWW, 2013.
AWARDS:Winner of the “Get Famous” contest, Popstar Magazine and Johny Wright; Top Ten Finalist, Britney Spears Samsung Superstar Tour; named Oklahoma Ambassador of Music; Outstanding Achievement in Performance, University of Tulsa.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Simon Curtis is an actor, singer-songwriter, and recording artist. While still in his teens, he won Popstar magazine’s “Get Famous” contest and also made it to the top ten in the Britney Spears Samsung Superstar Tour, a karaoke competition. He also received a commission to write a theme song for a Disneyland event. Curtis has appeared in television productions including the Nickelodeon movie Spectacular! and the TV series Hannah Montana, and has released three albums and several EPs. He has also written a young-adult novel, Robot Boy.
The book’s teenage protagonist and narrator, Isaak, has always struggled to fit in with other kids, and on his eighteenth birthday he discovers that he is in fact different: he was created by a nefarious government organization that built human-like robots to serve as wartime fighters. These robots, released into the general population as robots and adopted into human families, have now reached their teens and are being rounded up by the government, which has decided to eliminate them. Determined to resist, the robots go underground and Isaak decides to join them.
Centered in Los Angeles, the Underground alliance provides a haven for the hunted robots and is working to create a new social order in which humanoids and humans can exist as equals. Isaak’s group, which includes human as well as robot comrades, sets out for Los Angeles to help the cause. Their would-be captors, though, are in hot pursuit, and the rebels must quickly learn to evade various dangers. At the same time, Isaak and the other robots discover that they have been created with special powers, and they struggle to learn to control these powers and use them most effectively.
Observing that the story of “teens on the run becomes a tad predictable,” a writer for Publishers Weekly admired much about the novel, including its sensitive portraits of Isaak’s comrade robots, many of whom have suffered abuses such as homophobic attacks and sexual assault. The reviewer also appreciated Curtis’s handling of a possible romance between his robot protagonist and a human male. The author writes with “real insight,” said the reviewer, and creates a narrative that is both empathetic and full of suspense. Similar praise came from Voice of Youth Advocates contributor Kathleen Beck. Though the reviewer identified weaknesses in Robot Boy, including some logical inconsistencies in plot and occasional awkward prose, Beck hailed the novel as “a deep look at what makes someone ‘human.'”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 2016. Kathleen Beck, review of Boy Robot, p. 70.
Publishers Weekly, August 29, 2016, review of Boy Robot, p. 94.
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Simon Curtis (actor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Simon Curtis
Simon Curtis EQ Live by James Paul Cook.jpg
Curtis in May 2011
Background information
Born March 18, 1986 (age 31)[1]
Michigan, United States
Genres Electronic, dance-pop
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, Novelist[2]
Years active 2006–present
Associated acts Frankmusik, Sky Ferreira, Britney Spears
Website www.simon-curtis.com
Simon Curtis (born March 18, 1986) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born in Michigan and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he first gained recognition for his role as Royce Du Lac in the 2009 film Spectacular! before venturing into pop music, during which he released his debut extended play Alter Boy in 2008, his debut full-length studio album, 8Bit Heart in 2010, and in 2011, he released his second studio album (and first commercial release) RA; the two later releases were released through his independent label, BoyRobot Records.
RA debuted at number 20 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart.[3]
Contents [hide]
1 Early and Personal life
2 Career
2.1 Early career: 2002–2006
2.2 2009–2010: Spectacular! and 8Bit Heart
2.3 2011: RA
2.4 2012–2015: WWW, Wrathschild and Fuse Literary
2.5 2016: New Album 2nd Bit
3 Discography
3.1 Studio albums
3.2 Extended plays
3.3 Singles
3.4 Music videos
3.5 Soundtracks
4 Filmography
5 References
6 External links
Early and Personal life[edit]
Simon Curtis was born in the state of Michigan, United States, and spent his earliest years in Alpena.[4] His family later moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma.[5] At the age of ten, he was diagnosed with leukemia.[6][7] He graduated from Jenks High School in 2004.[8][9] Curtis earned a coveted role in the national tour production of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.[10] Simon is openly gay.[11]
Career[edit]
Early career: 2002–2006[edit]
Curtis won Popstar Magazine and Johnny Wright’s “Get Famous” contest,[12] was named a national top ten finalist in the “Britney Spears Samsung Superstar Tour”, was commissioned by Disney to provide a theme song for an annual Disneyland event, was named an official Oklahoma Ambassador of Music, and won the University of Tulsa Award for Outstanding Achievement in Performance.
At 20, Curtis began recording with local record producer Jadion. There they began the sessions that would ultimately result in Curtis' début album Alter Boy EP. Curtis and Jadion were commissioned by Disney to deliver a theme song for the annual Disneyland Resort event, Flashback, which later became a charity single benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America.[citation needed]
2009–2010: Spectacular! and 8Bit Heart[edit]
Curtis made his film debut when he landed the role of Royce Du Lac on Nickelodeon's musical TV movie Spectacular! in 2009.[13]
In late 2009, Curtis once again began to work on his musical career. He teamed up with friend producer Jeff "Jadion" Wells and in about thirteen days, he wrote and recorded 8Bit Heart. He chose to release the album for free on his official website after meeting the goal of six thousand followers on his Twitter profile. The album was well received by the pop community and was downloaded over 150,000 times in the two weeks following its release. Curtis did this without a manager or record label.[14] He was the opening act of Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean on May 6, 2010, at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California.
2011: RA[edit]
On May 16, 2011, Curtis released the first single from his second album RA (stylized as R∆) titled "Superhero" as well as a remix titled "Superhero (The Remix)" on his independent label BoyRobot Records through the iTunes Store.[15] The second single from the album, titled "Flesh", was released May 31,[16] along with a remix titled "Flesh (Future Freestyle Remix)".[17] On June 7, he released the full-length album[18] and it debuted at number 20 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart.[3][19]
2012–2015: WWW, Wrathschild and Fuse Literary[edit]
Curtis released a free EP, WWW',[20] on October 12, 2013. It consisted of eight new songs and three alternate covers. Although his sexuality had been questioned beforehand, it was the criticism towards this album's artwork for being "too gay" that led him to defend himself, saying "Love that I’m getting so much heat for my new album artwork being “too gay” on national coming out day." He followed this up with, "With that said, I am gay. *makes dance album, wears midriff-bearing tshirt, puts neon pink leopard font on cover, doesn't care*".[21]
According to an article published on Popjustice on March 20, 2014, Curtis is now part of an electropop duo called Wrathschild which has been working with producer Ray Reich over the past two years. The debut single "Fall Into Love" premiered on Billboard.com on March 24 and became available on iTunes on March 31.[22]
On December 1, 2014, Fuse Literary announced Curtis had joined the company.[23] Curtis later backed this up by stating through his Twitter "suffice it to say, books are coming".[2]
2016: New Album 2nd Bit[edit]
Curtis announced through Twitter on new years he would be returning to music with his third studio album.[24] The songs within his new album, titled as "Super 8-bit Heart", are various remixes of songs found in his previous album "8-bit Heart". So far, the remixes haven't been identified by Curtis, or anyone else .
Discography[edit]
Simon Curtis discography
Studio albums 3
Music videos 1
EPs 1
Singles 14
Studio albums[edit]
Year Album
2010 8Bit Heart
First studio album
Released: March 23, 2010
Formats: Digital download
2011 R∆
Second studio album
Released: June 7, 2011
Formats: Digital download
2013 WWW
Third studio album
Released: October 19, 2013
Formats: Digital download
2016 Super 8-Bit Heart
Extended plays[edit]
Year Album
2006 Alter Boy
First extended play
Released: 2006
Formats: Digital download
2015 Love, S
Second extended play
Released: 2015
Formats: Digital download
Singles[edit]
Year Title Album
2010 "Delusional" 8Bit Heart
"Diablo"
"8-Bit Heart"
"Beat Drop"
2011 "Superhero" R∆
"Flesh"
Music videos[edit]
Year Title Album
2010 "8Bit Heart"
Released: May 10, 2010
8Bit Heart
Soundtracks[edit]
Spectacular!: Original Television Soundtrack
Filmography[edit]
Film
Year Film Role Notes
2009 Spectacular! Royce Du Lac Nickelodeon
Television series
Year Title Role Notes
2009 Hannah Montana Tim "Once, Twice, Three Times Afraidy"
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "Happy Birthday, Simon Curtis!". Just Jared Jr.. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "Simon Curtis on Twitter". Twitter.
^ Jump up to: a b Billboard. Billboard Apr 2-9, 2011. Google Books. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
Jump up ^ Chris Azzopardi, "Simon Says", Between the Lines, November 17, 2011 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required).
Jump up ^ SUNfiltered : Fresh culture daily. » Blog Archive » An interview with Simon Curtis Sundance Channel - April 20, 2010.
Jump up ^ YouTube - Simon Curtis of SPECTACULAR!: Amazing Leukemia Speech! YouTube - February 15, 2009 - Retrieved April 22, 2010.
Jump up ^ Inspire magazine - Simon Curtis INSPIRE Magazine - May 30, 2009 - Retrieved April 22, 2010.
Jump up ^ Kristi Eaton, "Jenks native Simon Curtis tops the pop charts", Tulsa People, May 2010.
Jump up ^ Kelsy Lorin Taylor, "FCCLA Students Bring Joy to Young Patients", GTR Newspapers, February 1, 2010.
Jump up ^ Simon Curtis - Simon Curtis Pictures, Biography, Dating Pop Tower - Retrieved April 22, 2010.
Jump up ^ Jase Peeples (June 25, 2014). "Wrathschild: Out, Loud, and Never Going Back". Advocate.com.
Jump up ^ boy culture: Heartbeeps: A Review of 8Bit Heart by Simon Curtis boy culture - April 5, 2010 - Retrieved April 22, 2010.
Jump up ^ Kenneth Goh, "Sing Out Loud!", Teenage Magazine (Singapore), July 2009.
Jump up ^ Jason Lipshutz, "Simon Curtis' DIY Pop, Plus a Preview of His New Album", Billboard, March 14, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Superhero - Single by Simon Curtis". iTunes Store. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Flesh - Single by Simon Curtis". iTunes Store. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Flesh (Future Freestyle Remix) - Single by Simon Curtis". iTunes Store. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
Jump up ^ "R∆ by Simon Curtis". iTunes Store. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
Jump up ^ Ferguson, Wes (June 21, 2011). "Simon Curtis Drops the Beat From Nick Kid to Indie Music Superstar". Celebuzz. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
Jump up ^ Bradley Stern. "Simon Curtis, ‘WWW’ (Album Premiere)". MuuMuse.
Jump up ^ Sean Davis (October 11, 2013). "Simon Curtis Comes Out". The Quire.
Jump up ^ "Introducing Wrathschild". Popjustice. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Alex R. Kahler on Twitter". Twitter.
Jump up ^ "Simon Curtis on Twitter".
External links[edit]
Official website
Ballroom Remixed (Official Website)
Categories: 1986 birthsMale actors from OklahomaGay actorsAmerican electronic musiciansAmerican male film actorsAmerican male singer-songwritersAmerican pop singersAmerican record producersAmerican singer-songwritersAmerican male television actorsLiving peopleMusicians from Tulsa, OklahomaLGBT musicians from the United StatesLGBT people from MichiganSongwriters from OklahomaSingers from Oklahoma
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Simon Curtis
Simon Curtis was born in Michigan and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was diagnosed with leukemia at age ten and began performing in musical theater and opera that same year. He was the happiest bald, chemotherapy-addled cancer patient ever seen on the stage. At eighteen, he moved to Los Angeles. After various roles on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, Simon left acting to pursue music, releasing his first album, 8bit Heart, as a free download, followed by his second album, RA, which landed at number twenty on Billboard’s Dance & Electronic Albums chart. Simon continues to write and release music as an independent recording artist. Above all else, he strives to inspire hope in young people.
Curtis, Simon. Boy Robot
Kathleen Beck
Voice of Youth Advocates.
39.5 (Dec. 2016): p70.
COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
3Q * 3P * S * NA
Curtis, Simon. Boy Robot. Simon Pulse, 2016. 432p. $17.99. 978-1-4814-5929-7.
Isaak has never felt that he fit in. The reason becomes apparent on the night of his eighteenth birthday, when he
"manifests" and discovers his true nature. Isaak is a robot, a synthetic person created by a clandestine government
program to breed super-soldiers. Now hunted by SHRF, a top-secret force tasked with eliminating these humanoids, he
learns that his only hope lies in the Underground. This alliance of humans and robots smuggles the "Unreclaimed" to
safety, working toward a future in which all can co-exist. With fellow robot Azure and humans, Kamea and the
devastatingly handsome JB, Isaak must dodge pursuit, make it to the Undergrounds base in Los Angeles, and
simultaneously discover and learn to control his new powers. If he can destroy at will and manipulate others with only
his thoughts, does that make him more or less than human?
Non-stop action cloaks the sometimes-shaky logic underlying the complex plot in this debut novel. The backstory of
the robots' creation is revealed gradually and the explanation of why the government is now hunting its erstwhile
soldiers is murky. Isaak's first-person, present-tense narrative is interrupted by third-person accounts of the usually
grisly, sad fate of other robots. Readers may find the prose awkward (eyes "roil" and "boil"), while the possibility of
romance between a human male and robot Isaak will keep pages turning. Fans of murder, mayhem, and dystopia will
enjoy the suspenseful storyline and root for Isaak and his fellows in the Underground. A cliffhanger ending points to
the sequel. This is a deep look at what makes someone "human." Violence, rape, bullying, and abuse are dealt with in
this book.--Kathleen Beck.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Beck, Kathleen. "Curtis, Simon. Boy Robot." Voice of Youth Advocates, Dec. 2016, p. 70. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA474767976&it=r&asid=476fe37579a6aac197410e15e16cb1c5.
Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A474767976
---
9/5/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1504644973414 2/2
Boy Robot
Publishers Weekly.
263.35 (Aug. 29, 2016): p94.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Boy Robot
Simon Curtis. Simon Pulse, $17.99 (432p) ISBN 978-1-4814-5929-7
A cyber-dystopian future America is the scene of musician Curtis's heartrending but uneven first novel. The lead-up to
Isaak's 18th birthday has involved a killer headache and dreams of other kids being chased by agents in black. After a
wound heals itself far too quickly to be natural and Isaak's adoptive mother kicks him out of the house, he finds out that
he is a "Robot"; government-made synthetic humans created for war and released into the population as babies by a
scientist with a shady agenda, Isaak's kind are being hunted and are forming an underground resistance. From there,
Curtis's adventure story of teens on the run becomes a tad predictable, but Isaak's narration and a possible romance
with a human male companion keep things interesting. Flashbacks of the other characters' lives before joining the
under ground include graphic descriptions of transphobic and homophobic trauma, as well as sexual assault, to a point
that sometimes feels gratuitous but also gives real insight into each teen's situation, and certainly aims for empathy. A
tensionfilled ending leaves readers hanging on for a sequel. Ages 14-up. Agent: Laurie McLean, Fuse Literary. (Oct.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Boy Robot." Publishers Weekly, 29 Aug. 2016, p. 94. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA462236542&it=r&asid=870fb482aeb3f4418c4b17a103d30d74.
Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A462236542