document_title: VidCon

question_text: where is the next vidcon going to be

question_tokens: where is the next vidcon going to be

root

text: VidCon

text: History[edit]

text: 2010 (1st annual VidCon)[edit]

text: The first VidCon was held in July 9–11, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel in Los Angeles and sold out in advance[6] with over 1,400 people attending.[7] The first day featured industry panels and presentations by industry leaders and video creators. The second and third day featured main stage presentations by YouTube's content creators, breakout sessions and concerts featuring musicians who achieved success primarily by presenting their music via online videos.[8]

tag: p

text: 2011 (2nd annual VidCon)[edit]

text: VidCon 2011 was held in July 29–30, 2011, with an industry conference day on July 28, again at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel in Los Angeles. The event sold out sixty days prior to its opening,[9] with 2,500 people in attendance.[10][11]

text: 2012 (3rd annual VidCon)[edit]

text: VidCon 2012, the third annual conference, was held in June 28–30, 2012 at the Anaheim Convention Center.[12] The new venue offered a much larger capacity with room for future expansion, with 7,000 people in attendance.[13][14]

text: 2013 (4th annual VidCon)[edit]

text: VidCon 2013 was held in August 1–3, 2013 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The conference sold out a month in advance with attendance reaching 12,000 people.[15] YouTube signed a deal in 2013 to become the principal sponsor of VidCon for two years.[16]

text: 2014 (5th annual VidCon)[edit]

text: VidCon 2014 was held in June 26–28, 2014 at the Anaheim Convention Center.[17]

text: The industry track featured talks given by YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Dreamworks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Fullscreen CEO George Strompolos, as well as VidCon cofounder John Green. Troye Sivan also announced his EP, TRXYE.

text: There were various concerts during the convention including We The Kings and Meghan Tonjes.

text: 2015 (6th annual VidCon)[edit]

text: VidCon 2015 took place on July 23–25, 2015, at the Anaheim Convention Center. [18] The number of people attending was limited, so there would only be slightly more people than in 2014. However, the space was enlarged, with the convention taking up the entire Convention Center.[19] There were over 300 YouTube creators who performed, exhibited and connected with the attendees. Troye Sivan announced his new EP, WILD.

text: VidCon 2015 used a new system for fans to meet the creators, requiring Community members to sign up a month in advance to meet specific creators.[20]

text: 2016 (7th annual VidCon)[edit]

text: VidCon 2016 was held from June 23-25 at the Anaheim Convention Center.[21] The convention announced plans to tighten security at its events in the wake of singer Christina Grimmie's shooting and the Orlando nightclub massacre. Security measures included the addition of metal detectors, enhancing the number of security officers and banning informal meet-and-greets between community members and YouTubers after panels.

text: 2017 (8th annual VidCon US, addition of other VidCons)[edit]

text: VidCon Europe debuted from April 7-9, 2017, at the Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre in Amsterdam.[22]

text: VidCon US was held from June 21-24, 2017, at the Anaheim Convention Center.[23]

text: VidCon Australia debuted on September 9-10, 2017, at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre in Melbourne.[24]

text: 2018 (9th annual VidCon US, 2nd annual VidCon Europe/Australia)[edit]

text: VidCon Europe was held from March 22-24, 2018, at the Mövenpick Hotel Amsterdam.[25] Unlike 2017, VidCon Europe 2018 did away with the Community badge, only selling Creator and Industry badges. This was the result of "evaluated feedback" of Community Track attendees from 2017. VidCon sought to "leverage [its] success with the creator and industry communities and continue to build an independent gathering to expand the cross-cultural YouTube and online video movement across Europe."[26]

text: VidCon US was held from June 20-23, 2018, at the Anaheim Convention Center.[27] This was the first year VidCon implemented the use of RFID wristbands.[28]

text: VidCon Australia will be held August 31-September 2, 2018, at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.[29]

text: Acquisition by Viacom[edit]

text: In February 2018, Viacom (owner of the Viacom Media Networks and film studio Paramount Pictures) announced that they were acquiring VidCon, as part of its efforts to expand its live-events business, and to expand from TV programming to next-generation entertainment platforms. Jim Louderback will remain as the CEO of the convention, and co-founder Hank Green will continue be involved and work closely with the team. Its offices will also remain in Missoula, Montana.[30][31] Internet reception to this acquisition was mixed, with some noting the irony of Viacom acquiring VidCon a decade after their lawsuit against Google and YouTube for copyright infringement. Hank Green reassured fans that Viacom’s acquisition will allow the convention to flourish.[32]

text: 2019 (10th annual VidCon US, 3rd annual  VidCon Europe/Australia)[edit]

text: VidCon Europe will be held on February 14-17, 2019 at the ExCel London.[33]

text: Types of passes[edit]

text: VidCon attendees may purchase one of three types of passes, also called badges or tracks, a system rolled out during the 2015 VidCon. At the lowest price, the Community track allows access to the main floor of the Anaheim Convention Center, several stages, the signing and photo hall, the Expo Hall, and more. The second type is the Creator track, which is geared more toward members of the online video community who either produce content themselves or have an interest in doing so. This pass gives access to the main and second floor of the venue and creator lounges, which feature panels, workshops, and keynotes that focus on the specifics of creating and editing online video. The third and most expensive type is the Industry track, which gives attendees the chance to attend all VidCon events and enjoy the industry lounge. This badge is mainly designed for those in the online video business,[34] with access to keynote conversations, round-table discussions, hands-on training and platform and product demonstrations. Vidcon provided the industry members with a private zone to relax away from the attendees.[35]

text: VidCon has a list of featured creators who are invited to the convention and who participate in panels, concerts, and more.[36] These online content creators have access to all events at VidCon as well as the industry lounge, similarly to the Industry track.

text: People with disabilities are offered assistance throughout the convention. Special accessible seating is provided along with ASL interpreters present in the arena and main stage.[37]

text: Attendance[edit]

text:
Year

Venue

Attendance

Source

2010

Hyatt Regency Century Plaza

1,400

[7]

2011

2,500

[10]

2012

Anaheim Convention Center

7,000

[13]

2013

12,000

[15]

2014

18,000

[38]

2015

19,500

[38]

2016

25,500

[1]

2017

30,000+

[39]

tag: table


document_title: Taare Zameen Par

question_text: who is the singer of taare zameen par

question_tokens: who is the singer of taare zameen par

text: Taare Zameen Par

text: Plot[edit]

text: Eight-year old Ishaan Nandkishore Awasthi dislikes school and fails every test or exam. He finds all subjects difficult, and is belittled and berated by his teachers and classmates. However, Ishaan's internal world is full of wonders that he is unable to convey to others, magical lands filled with colour and animated animals. He is also an artist whose talent is unrecognised.

text: Ishaan's father, Nandkishore Awasthi, is a successful executive who expects his children to excel. Ishaan's mother, housewife Maya Awasthi, is frustrated by her inability to educate her son. Ishaan's elder brother, Yohaan, is an exemplary scholar and athlete, which Ishaan is frequently reminded of.

text: After receiving a particularly poor academic report, Ishaan's parents send him to a boarding school. There he sinks into a state of fear and depression, despite being befriended by Rajan Damodharan, a physically disabled boy and one of the top students in the class. He even contemplates suicide by climbing up the fence in a terrace, which Rajan manages to save him from.

text: Ishaan's situation changes when a new art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh, joins the school's faculty. An instructor at the Tulips School for young children with developmental disabilities, Nikumbh's teaching style is markedly different from that of his strict predecessor, and he quickly observes that Ishaan is unhappy and contributes little to class activities. He reviews Ishaan's work and concludes that his academic shortcomings are indicative of dyslexia.

text: On his day off, Nikumbh sets off to Mumbai, to visit Ishaan's parents. Nikumbh is surprised to learn that Ishaan is passionate about painting, and shows great talent in art. Nikumbh then asks Awasthi as to why he sent Ishaan to a boarding school. Awasthi replies that Ishaan was an ill-mannered boy and was a poor student. Nikumbh shows Ishaan's mother her son's notebooks and gives an analysis of the script. Nikumbh deduces that Ishaan has severe difficulty in understanding letters and words. Awasthi tries to dismiss it as a mere excuse for Ishaan's laziness. Nikumbh demonstrates what Ishaan experiences every day at school. He states that Ishaan has dyslexia and may well be having other conditions, which make him a difficult child.

text: Still unsatisfied with Nikumbh's interpretation, Awasthi bluntly dismisses Ishaan's disability as mental retardation, which frustrates Nikumbh, who criticises Awasthi for his crude and inaccurate explanation of Ishaan's condition. Nikumbh argues that Ishaan is an above-average child whose condition suppresses his artistic and mental talent, leading Awasthi to feel regret for his treatment of Ishaan.

text: Nikumbh returns, and subsequently brings up the topic of dyslexia in class, and offers a list of famous people who were dyslexic. Later, Nikumbh reveals to Ishaan, that he too is a dyslexic and faced problems similar to Ishaan. Nikumbh then visits the school's principal and obtains his permission to become Ishaan's tutor. He attempts to improve Ishaan's reading and writing by using remedial techniques developed by dyslexia specialists; Ishaan soon develops an interest in language and mathematics, and his grades improve.

text: Towards the end of the school year, Nikumbh organises an art fair for the staff and students. The competition is judged by artist Lalita Lajmi. Ishaan, with his strikingly creative style, is declared the winner and Nikumbh, who paints Ishaan's portrait, the runner-up. The principal announces that Nikumbh has been hired as the school's permanent art teacher. When Ishaan's parents meet his teachers on the last day of school they are left speechless by the transformation they see in him. Overcome with emotion, Ishaan's father thanks Nikumbh. As Ishaan gets into the car to leave with his parents for summer vacations, he turns around and runs toward Nikumbh, who gives him a hug and tells him to return next year.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Darsheel Safary as Ishaan Nandkishore Awasthi: In looking for an actor to play the central figure of Ishaan, writer Amole Gupte turned to Shiamak Davar's Summer Funk workshops. Gupte had several boys informally audition by explaining to him how they would react to scripted situations from the film. Of his decision to cast Darsheel Safary, Gupte recalls that "it was a tough call. But Darsheel has the mischief in his eyes to be Ishaan. Everyone just naturally gravitated towards him."[6]
Aamir Khan as Ram Shankar Nikumbh: Gupte, who based the character on his art teacher Ramdas Sampat Nikumbh, initially asked Akshaye Khanna to play the role.[7]
Tanay Chheda as Rajan Damodran: Ishaan's classmate at New Era High School.
Sachet Engineer as Yohaan Nandkishore Awasthi ("Dada"): Ishaan's elder brother.
Tisca Chopra as Malika Awasthi ("Maa"): Ishaan's mother, who gave up her career to raise her children.Era high School Chopra tended to speak softly during filming and was subsequently required to re-record some scenes using automated dialogue replacement.[8]
Vipin Sharma as Nandkishore Awasthi ("Papa"): Ishaan's "strict, hard, dominating father". Part of the reason for Sharma's casting was his "extremely strong and dominating" face that "exudes harshness." Described by Khan as "naturally polite" and sensitive, Sharma was instructed to lower his voice to sound "harsh" and "dominating".[9]
Girija Oak as Jabeen, Nikumbh's co-worker
Bugs Bhargava and Shankar Sachdev as Sen Sir and Tiwari Sir: Two teachers at New Era High School, whose attitude towards Ishaan softens as his grades improve and he wins the art contest. The roles are caricatures of teachers in general.[10]
M. K. Raina as the principal of New Era High School.
Lalita Lajmi as herself in a cameo role. It was her first appearance as an actor.[11]

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: The husband and wife team of Amole Gupte and Deepa Bhatia developed the story that would eventually become Taare Zameen Par as a way of understanding why some children cannot conform to a conventional educational system. Their initial work began as a short story that evolved into a screenplay over seven years. Deepa Bhatia later stated in an interview with The Hindu that her original inspiration was not dyslexia but rather the childhood of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, who performed poorly in school. Her goal was thus to explore the story of "a child who did not fit into the school stream." She referenced a specific moment in Kurosawa's biography where he began to excel after meeting an attentive art teacher, and noted that this scene "became the inspiration for how a teacher could transform the life of a student".[6]

text: In developing the character of a young boy based on Kurosawa, Bhatia and Gupte explored some possible reasons why he failed in school. Their research led them to groups such as the Maharashtra Dyslexia Association and Parents for a Better Curriculum for the Child (PACE). Dyslexia eventually became the central topic and theme of the film. The pair worked with dyslexic children to research and develop the screenplay, basing characters and situations on their observations. Bhatia and Gupte carefully concealed the children's identities in the final version of the script.[6]

text:
"While Amole has written what I think is a brilliant and moving script, his contribution towards the film is not limited to that of a writer. The entire pre-production was done by him including the most important task of creating the music ... he has been present on set throughout the shooting as the Creative Director, and has been a big support and strong guiding force in my debut as a director. I thank him for that, and more so for having the faith in me by entrusting to me something that is so close to him."
— Aamir Khan[12]

tag: div

text: Khan and Gupte first met in college. Khan has said that he admired Gupte's abilities as an actor, writer, and painter. Three years before the film's release Gupte brought Khan to the project as a producer and actor. Gupte himself was to direct,[12] but the first week's dailies were a great disappointment to Khan, who "lost faith in Amol and his capability of translating on screen what he had so beautifully written on paper".[13] Khan was on the verge of withdrawing his participation in the film because of these "creative differences",[13][14] but Gupte kept him onboard by stepping down as director. Contrary to Khan's claim, Gupte lashed out saying that after the wrap-up party, Khan announced that he was the director of the film, despite Gupte acting as director.[15] Had it been necessary to hire a third party, production would have been postponed for 6–8 months as the new director prepared for the film. Keen to keep Safary as Ishaan—the actor might have aged too much for the part had production been delayed—Khan took over the role of director.[13] Taare Zameen Par was Khan's first experience in the dual role of actor and director. He has admitted that the transition was challenging, stating that while he had always wanted to direct a film, it was unknown territory for him.[16] Gupte remained on set, "guiding [Khan] and, at times, even correcting [him]".[13]

text: Title and translation[edit]

text: Initially the film was to retain the short story's title of "High Jump", because of Ishaan's inability to achieve the high jump in gym class. This subplot—filmed but later cut—tied into the original ending for the movie. In this rendition, a "ghost image" separates from Ishaan after the art competition and runs to the sports field; the film would end on a freeze frame of Ishaan successfully making the leap. Khan, however, was unhappy with that proposed ending and convinced Gupte to rewrite it.

text: With the working title no longer relevant,[17] Khan, Gupte, and Bhatia discussed several alternatives,[18] eventually deciding on Taare Zameen Par. Possible translations of this title include Stars on the Ground[19] and Stars on Earth.[20] According to Khan:

text: Taare Zameen Par is a film about children and it is a film which celebrates the abilities of children. Taare Zameen Par is a title which denotes that aspect. It is a title with a very positive feel to it. All the kids are special and wonderful. They are like stars on earth. This particular aspect gave birth to the title.[18]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Principal photography for the film took place in India over five months.[21] Khan spent his first two days as director blocking the first scene to be filmed—Ishaan returning home from school and putting away his recently collected fish—and becoming comfortable with his new responsibilities.[22] Believing that the audience should not be aware of the camera, he chose a simple shooting style for the film that involved relatively little camera movement.[23]

text: At the same time, Khan also made use of illusory camera tricks. For example, the opening scene of Ishaan collecting fish outside his school was shot on location and at Film City. Shots focusing on Ishaan took place at the former, while those involving the gutter terrarium were filmed at a water tank at the latter. The tank's water often became murky because the mud would rise to the top, forcing production to constantly empty and refill it. Due to this hindrance, the scene took eight hours to film.[24] The film's next sequence involved Ishaan playing with two dogs. To compensate for the "absolutely petrified" Safary, most joint shots used a body double, though other portions integrated close-up shots of the actor.[25] Ishaan's nightmare—he becomes separated from his mother at a train station and she departs on a train while he is trapped in a crowd—was filmed in Mumbai on a permanent railway-station set. To work around the train set piece's immobility, production placed the camera on a moving trolley to create the illusion of a departing train. For the sequences related from the mother's point of view—shot from behind the actress—Chopra stood on a trolley next to a recreated section of the train's door.[26]

text: All the school sequences were filmed on location. The production team searched for a Mumbai school with an "oppressive" feel to establish the "heaviness of being in a metropolitan school",[27] and eventually chose St. Xavier's School.[28] As the school is situated along a main road filming took place on weekends, to minimise the background noise, but an early scene in which Ishaan is sent out of the classroom was filmed on the day of the Mumbai Marathon. The production staff placed acrylic sheets invisible to the naked eye on the classroom windows to mask the sounds of nearby crowds and helicopters.[29] New Era High School served as Ishaan's boarding school. The change of setting was a "breath of fresh air" for the production crew, who moved from Ishaan's small house in Mysore Colony, Chembur to the "vast, beautiful environs" of Panchgani.[30]

text: Production relied on stock footage for the brief scene of a bird feeding its babies. Khan carefully selected a clip to his liking, but learned three weeks before the film's release that the footage was not available in the proper format. With three days to replace it or else risk delaying the release, Khan made do with what he could find. He says that he "cringes" every time he sees it.[31]

text: Children[edit]

text: Real schoolchildren participated throughout the movie's filming. Khan credited them with the film's success, and was reportedly very popular with them.[16] Furthermore, Khan placed a high priority on the day-to-day needs of his child actors, and went to great lengths to attend to them.[18] The production staff made sure that the students were never idle, and always kept them occupied outside of filming.[32] New Era Faculty Coordinator Douglas Lee thought the experience not only helped the children to learn patience and co-operation, but also gave them a better understanding of how they should behave towards children like Ishaan who have problems in school.[33] Because filming at New Era High School occurred during the winter holiday, those portraying Ishaan's classmates gave up their vacation to participate.[34] To fill in the campus background, students from nearby schools were also brought in.[35] A total of 1,500 children were used for wide-shots of the film's art-fair climax; medium shots only required 400 students.[36]

text: New to acting, the children often made errors such as staring into the camera, and Khan resorted to unorthodox methods to work around their rookie mistakes. For example, an early scene in the film featured a school assembly; Khan wanted the students to act naturally and to ignore the principal's speech, but recognised that this would be a difficult feat with cameras present. First Assistant Director Sunil Pandey spoke continuously in an attempt to "bore the hell out of [them]", and they eventually lost interest in the filming and behaved normally.[37] A later scene involved Nikumbh enlightening his class about famous people who suffer from dyslexia, and the children's responses to his speech were the last portion to be filmed. Having already spent 3–4 days hearing the dialogue the children's reactions were "jaded". Khan opted to film them while he recited a tale, and manipulated his storytelling to achieve the varying spontaneous reactions.[38] The following scene had the children playing around a nearby pond. Horrified when he learned that the water was 15 feet (4.6 m) deep, Khan recruited four lifeguards in case a child fell in.[39]

text: Khan found it important that the audience connect the film to real children, and had Pandey travel throughout India filming documentary-style footage of children from all walks of life. Those visuals were integrated into the end credits.[40]

text: Art and animation[edit]

text: While claymation has been used in Indian television commercials,[41] the film's title sequence—a representation of Ishaan's imagination[42]—marked its first instance in a Bollywood film.[43] Khan gave claymation artist Dhimant Vyas free rein over the various elements.[44] The storyboarding took one and a half months and the shooting required 15 days.[41] The "3 into 9" sequence, in which Ishaan delves into his imagination to solve a math problem, was originally conceived as a 3D animation. Halfway through its creation, however, Khan felt it was not turning out as he had envisioned it. Khan scrapped the project and hired Vaibhav Kumaresh, who hand-drew the scene as a 2D animation.[45]

text: Artist Samir Mondal composed Ishaan and Nikumbh's art-fair watercolour paintings. He held a workshop with the schoolchildren, and incorporated elements from their artwork into Ishaan's.[46] Mondal also instructed Khan on a painter's typical mannerisms and movements.[47] Gupte created the rest of Ishaan's artwork and Assistant Art Director Veer Nanavati drew Ishaan's flipbook.[48] The art department's designs for Ishaan's school notebooks disappointed Khan, who had familiarised himself with dyslexic writing. Using his left hand, Khan instead wrote it himself.[49]

text: Musical sequences[edit]

text: The musical sequence of "Jame Raho" establishes the characters of the four members of Ishaan's family; for example, the father is hardworking and responsible, and Yohaan is an "ideal son" who does all the right things. A robotic style of music overlaps most of the sequence—this is mirrored by the machine-like morning routines of the mother, father, and Yohaan—but changes for Ishaan's portion to imply that he is different from the rest. This concept is furthered by speed ramping and having the camera sway with the music to create a distinct style.[50] The twilight scenes of "Maa" were a particular issue for the production crew. Because the specific lighting only lasted ten to fifteen minutes a day, the scenes took nearly ten evenings to film. Production at one time considered having a child singing, but ultimately deemed it too over the top and felt it would connect to more people if sung by an adult. Shankar initially performed the song as a sample—they planned to replace him with another singer—but production eventually decided that his rendition was best.[51]

text: Ishaan's truancy scene—he leaves school one day after realising that his mother has not signed his failed math test—originally coincided with the song "Kholo Kholo," but Khan did not believe it worked well for the situation. In his opinion, the accompanying song should focus on what a child wants—to be free—and be told from the first-person perspective instead of "Kholo Kholo"'s second person. When Khan took over as director, he opted to use "Mera Jahan"—a song written by Gupte—and moved "Kholo Kholo" to the art fair. Viewers of test screenings were divided over the truancy scene. Half thoroughly enjoyed it but the rest complained that it was too long, did not make sense, and merely showed "touristy" visuals of Mumbai. Khan nevertheless kept the scene, because he "connected deeply" with it and felt that it established Ishaan's world.[52]

text: Shiamak Davar choreographed the dance sequence of "Bum Bum Bole," and was given free rein over its design. He had intended to use 40 students from his dance school, but Khan did not want trained dancers.[34] Davar gave the children certain cues and a general idea of what to do, but left the style and final product up to them to avoid a choreographed appearance.[53] Time constraints meant that while Khan was busy filming "Bum Bum Bole," Ram Madhvani took over as director for "Bheja Kum".[34][54] The latter sequence, containing a "fun-filled" song of rhythmic dialogue,[55] allowed the audience to perceive how Ishaan sees the world and written languages. It was intended to represent "a young boy's worst nightmare, in terms of ... the worst thing that he can think of"; Madhvani based the visual concept on his son's fear of "creepy-crawlies" such as cockroaches, dragonflies, and lizards.[56] Tata Elxsi's Visual Computing Labs made the creatures out of the English alphabet and numbers, although Khan insisted they include the Hindi alphabet as not all the audience would be familiar with English.[56][57] The chalkboard writing's transformation into a snake was included to surprise the audience and "end the song on a high note."[56]

text: In writing the song "Taare Zameen Par," lyricist Prasoon Joshi followed the theme of "however much you talk about children, it's not enough." Every line throughout the song describes children, and only one repeats: "Kho Naa Jaaye Yeh / Taare Zameen Par" ("Let us not lose these / Little stars on earth").[58] The song is mostly set to the annual day performance by the developmentally disabled children of Tulips School. Actual students from Tulips School and Saraswati Mandir participated, and were filmed over a period of five days.[59] The sequence originally featured numerous dance performances, but was trimmed down when test audiences found it too long.[60] A song accompanying the scene in which Ishaan's mother is watching home videos of her son was also cut, and replaced with background music after test audiences expressed their opposition to yet another song.[61]

text: Background music[edit]

text:
"It is easier when you have to create a song like "Move Your Body" in Johnny Gaddaar. There you can add a lot of nonsense in the recording studio. On the other hand, something like Taare Zameen Par requires melody to hold center stage. There is a different level of energy that you have to bring in composing for such different soundtrack as we had to be subdued yet effective in Taare Zameen Par."

 — Shankar Mahadevan[62]

text: Timing and other aspects are usually planned when scoring a film, but Khan chose to take a more improvised approach. Instead of using a studio, he and the trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy recorded it at Khan's home in Panchgani, to clear their heads and not be in the mindset of the city. As they watched the film, Khan pointed out when he wanted music to begin and of what type. Ehsaan Noorani noted that this strategy allowed the score to have a "spontaneity to it."[63]

text: Different styles of background music were used to convey certain things. For example, a guitar is played when Ishaan is tense or upset, sometimes with discordant notes.[24] The music of the opening scene—the recurring "Ishaan's Theme," which represents the character's peace of mind—overpowers the background noise to show that Ishaan is lost in his own world; the noise becomes louder after he snaps back to reality.[64] But the scene in which Nikumbh explains dyslexia to Ishaan's family took the opposite approach. Silent at first, the music is slowly introduced as the father begins to understand his son's dilemma. The almost seven-minute long scene scarcely used any background music, to slow the pace and make it seem more realistic.[65]

text: Release[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Taare Zameen Par was released worldwide on 21 December 2007, although countries such as Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Fiji opened it on 20 December.[66][67] It debuted in India with 425 prints,[67][68] although revenue-sharing issues between the film's distributors and theatre owners caused some slight delays.[67] The movie grossed ₹150 million (US$2.1 million) domestically within the first three days.[68] Its theatre occupancy in Mumbai dropped to 58 percent during its third week, but climbed back to 62 percent the following week—this brought the total to ₹770 million (US$11 million)—after the Maharashtra government granted the film exemption from the entertainment tax. Anticipating further tax exemption in other states, world distributor PVR Pictures circulated 200 more prints of the film.[69] The film completed its domestic run with $19,779,215.[66] To reach more audiences, the film was later dubbed in the regional languages of Tamil and Telugu. Both were scheduled for release on 12 September 2008, the former under the title Vaalu Nakshatram.[70] It grossed $1,223,869 in the US by its seventh week, and £351,303 in the UK by its ninth week.[71] Reports regarding the film's worldwide gross have conflicted, with sources citing ₹889.7 million (US$12 million),[4] ₹1.07 billion (US$15 million),[72] ₹1.31 billion (US$18 million),[3] and ₹1.35 billion (US$19 million).[73]

text: Protests in Gujarat[edit]

text: In response to Khan's support for the Narmada Bachao Andolan and his criticism of Chief Minister Narendra Modi,[74][75] approximately 50 activists of the Sardar Patel Group conducted protests outside of PVR and INOX theatres in Vadodara, Gujarat. The group also issued statements to all the multiplexes of Gujarat, suggesting that the film not be screened unless Khan apologised for his comments.[74][76] The INOX cinema eventually boycotted the film; INOX Operations Manager Pushpendra Singh Rathod stated that "INOX is with Gujarat, and not isolated from it".[74]

text: International Dyslexia Association[edit]

text: The International Dyslexia Association screened Taare Zameen Par  on 29 October 2008 in Seattle, Washington. Khan noted in his official blog that there were about 200 people in the audience and that he was "curious to see the response of a non-Indian audience to what we had made." He felt some concern that Taare Zameen Par was shown in a conference room rather than a cinema hall and was projected as a DVD rather than as a film. He said that the showing concluded to an "absolutely thunderous standing ovation" which "overwhelmed" him and that he "saw the tears streaming down the cheeks of the audience." Khan also noted that the reaction to the film "was exactly as it had been with audiences back home in India".[77][78]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: Taare Zameen Par received positive reviews from critics. Subhash K. Jha suggests that the film is "a work of art, a water painting where the colors drip into our hearts, which could easily have fallen into the motions of over-sentimentality. Aamir Khan holds back where he could easily resort to an extravagant display of drama and emotions."[79] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN argued that the true power of the film lies in its "remarkable, rooted, rock-solid script which provides the landscape for such an emotionally engaging, heart-warming experience."[80] Manish Gajjar from the BBC stated that the film "touches your heart and moves you deeply with its sterling performances. [It is] a film full of substance!"[81] Jaspreet Pandohar, also of BBC, posited that Taare Zameen Par is a "far cry from the formulaic masala flicks churned out by the Bollywood machine," and is "an inspirational story that is as emotive as it is entertaining; this is a little twinkling star of a movie."[82] Furthermore, Aprajita Anil of Screen gave the film four stars and stated, "Taare Zameen Par cannot be missed. Because it is different. Because it is delightful. Because it would make everyone think. Because it would help everyone grow. Because very rarely do performances get so gripping. And of course because the 'perfectionist' actor has shaped into a 'perfectionist' director."[83] In addition, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap stated that, "Taare Zameen Par took me back to my hostel days. If you take away the dyslexia, it seems like my story. The film affected me so deeply that I was almost left speechless. After watching the film, I was asked how I liked Taare Zameen Par. I could not talk as I was deeply overwhelmed."[84]

text: However, there were some criticisms. Jha's only objection to the film was Nikumbh's "sanctimonious lecture" to Ishaan's "rather theatrically-played" father. Jha found this a jarring "deviation from the delectable delicacy" of the film's tone.[79] Although she applauded the film overall and recommended "a mandatory viewing for all schools and all parents", Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India believed the second half was "a bit repetitive," the script needed "taut editing," and Ishaan's trauma "[seemed] a shade too prolonged and the treatment simplistic."[85] Despite commending the "great performances" and excellent directing, Gautaman Bhaskaran of The Hollywood Reporter, too, suggested that the movie "suffers from a weak script."[86] Likewise, Derek Kelly of Variety criticised it for what he described as its "touchy-feely-ness" attention to "a special needs kid's plight." Kelly also disliked the film for being "so resolutely caring ... and devoid of real drama and interesting characters" that "it should have 'approved by the Dyslexia Assn.' stamped on the posters."[87]

text: Scholarly response[edit]

text: In his article "Taare Zameen Par and dyslexic savants" featured in the Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology, Ambar Chakravarty noted the general accuracy of Ishaan's dyslexia. Though Chakravarty was puzzled by Ishaan's trouble in simple arithmetic—a trait of dyscalculia rather than dyslexia—he reasoned it was meant to "enhance the image of [Ishaan's] helplessness and disability". Labeling Ishaan an example of "dyslexic savant syndrome", he especially praised the growth of Ishaan's artistic talents after receiving help and support from Nikumbh, and deemed it the "most important (and joyous) neurocognitive phenomenon" of the film. This improvement highlights cosmetic neurology, a "major and therapeutically important issue" in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology.[88]

text: Likewise, in their article "Wake up call from 'Stars on the Ground'" for the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, T. S. Sathyanarayana Rao and V. S. T. Krishna wrote that the film "deserves to be vastly appreciated as an earnest endeavor to portray with sensitivity and empathetically diagnose a malady in human life". They also felt it blended "modern professional knowledge" with a "humane approach" in working with a dyslexic child. However, the authors believed the film expands beyond disabilities and explores the "present age where everyone is in a restless hurry". The pair wrote, "This film raises serious questions on mental health perspectives. We seem to be heading to a state of mass scale mindlessness even as children are being pushed to 'perform'. Are we seriously getting engrossed in the race of 'achievement' and blissfully becoming numb to the crux of life i.e., experiencing meaningful living in a broader frame rather than merely existing?" The film depicts how "threats and coercion are not capable of unearthing rich human potentialities deeply embedded in children", and that teachers should instead map their strengths and weakness. With this in mind, the author felt that Khan "dexterously drives home the precise point that our first priority ought to be getting to know the child before making any efforts to fill them with knowledge and abilities". Overall, the pair found a "naive oversimplification" in the film. With India "only recently waking to recognizing the reality and tragedy of learning disability", however, they "easily [forgave the film's fault] under artistic license".[19]

text: Public response[edit]

text:
The film raised awareness of the issue of dyslexia, and prompted more open discussions among parents, schools, activists, and policymakers.
Anjuli Bawa, a parent-activist and founder of Action Dyslexia Delhi, said that the number of parents who visit her office increased tenfold in the months following the film's release.[89] Many began taking a more proactive approach by contacting her after noticing problems, rather than using her as a last resort. Gupte himself received "many painful letters and phone calls" from Indian parents. He noted, "Fathers weep on the phone and say they saw the film and realized that they have been wrong in the way they treated their children. This is catharsis."[90]

text: These reactions have also brought about a change in policies. The film, only ten days after its debut, influenced the Central Board of Secondary Education to provide extra time to special children—including the visually impaired, physically challenged and dyslexic—during exams. In 2008, Mumbai's civic body also opened 12 classrooms for autistic students. In Chandigarh, the education administration started a course to educate teachers on how to deal with children with learning disabilities.[91]

text: The film has had a similarly positive response in Greater China, where the film was not officially released yet has a large online cult following due to Aamir Khan's popularity in the region after the success of 3 Idiots (2009). The film has been well received by Chinese audiences for how it tackles issues such as education and dyslexia, and is one of the highest-rated films on popular Chinese film site Douban, along with two other Aamir Khan films, 3 Idiots and Dangal (2016).[92][93]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: Among its many awards, Taare Zameen Par won the Filmfare Best Film Award for 2008,[94] as well as the National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare.[95] Khan's directorial role and Safary's performance were recognised at the 2008 Zee Cine Awards,[96] 2008 Filmfare Awards,[94] and 4th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards.[97]

text: 2009 Academy Awards submission and Slumdog Millionaire[edit]

text: Taare Zameen Par was initially acclaimed as India's official entry for the 2009 Academy Awards Best Foreign Film,[20][98][99] but after it failed to progress to the short list, a debate began in the Indian media as to why Indian films never win Academy Awards.[100] Speculation for the reasons behind Taare Zameen Par's failed bid included Rediff.com's Arthur J. Pai's observation that it lacked mainstream media attention;[101] AMPAS jury member Krishna Shah criticised its length and abundance of songs.[102]

text:
"Three days before Chandni Chowk [to China] hit theaters in the U.S. and India, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its shortlist of nine films edging closer to a foreign-language nomination. India's submission, the powerful and moving Taare Zameen Par by Aamir Khan, didn't make the cut. Sadly, that film never will be seen by mainstream American audiences; yet Chandni Chowk is enjoying a hefty publicity push. If only Taare Zameen Par could have gotten its hands on that magic potato."
— American film critic Lisa Tsering in  The Hollywood Reporter.[103]

text: Khan claimed that he was "not surprised"  that Taare Zameen Par was not included in the Academy Award shortlist,[104] and argued, "I don’t make films for awards. I make films for the audience. The audience, for which I have made the film, really loved it and the audiences outside India have also loved it. What I am trying to say is that film has been well loved across the globe and that for me it is extremely heartening and something that I give very high value to."[105]

text: The Indian news media also frequently compared Taare Zameen Par's nomination failure with the British film Slumdog Millionaire's multiple Academy Award nominations and wins,[106][107] and noted that other Indian films in the past were overlooked.[108] Film critic Rajeev Masand argued that it is difficult to compare the two films and noted that Slumdog Millionaire was being marketed in a way that Indian films such as Taare Zameen Par could not compete with.[109] In this context, Slumdog Millionaire actor Mahesh Manjrekar stated, "I’m sad that Aamir’s Taare Zameen Par didn’t make it to the final round of the Oscars. I thought it to be way better than Slumdog [Millionaire]..., without taking away anything from Boyle and the kids. But, Indian movies are underestimated there."[110]

text: Home media[edit]

text: UTV Home Entertainment released the film on DVD in India on 25 July 2008.[111][112] It was launched at Darsheel Safary's school, Green Lawns High School, in Mumbai. Aamir Khan, Tisca Chopra, Vipin Sharma, Sachet Engineer, and the rest of the cast and crew were present. In his speech, Khan stated, "Darsheel is a very happy child, full of life and vibrant. I am sure it's because of the way his parents and teachers have treated him. I must say Darsheel's principal Mrs. Bajaj has been extremely supportive and encouraging. The true test of any school is how happy the kids are and by the looks of it, the children here seem really happy."[113]

text: Walt Disney Company Home Entertainment, which acquired 33 percent of UTV Software Communications, bought the DVD rights for distribution in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia for ₹70 million (US$970,000).[114] This marked "the first time an international studio has bought the video rights of an Indian film."[115] Retitling it Like Stars on Earth, Disney released the film in Region 2 on 26 October 2009,[116] in Region 1 on 12 January 2010,[117] and in Region 4 on 29 March 2010.[118] A three-disc set, the Disney version features the original Hindi audio soundtrack with English subtitles or another dubbed in English, as well as bonus material such as audio commentary, deleted scenes, and the musical soundtrack.[119]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: The soundtrack for Taare Zameen Par was released on 4 November 2007 under the label T-Series.[120] The music is mainly composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi. However, "Mera Jahan" was scored by Shailendra Barve and written by Gupte,[121] with the latter also composing "Ishaan's Theme."[122] Joshi received the National Film Award for Best Lyrics, and Shankar Mahadevan won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for "Maa."[95]

text: Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama praised the variety of genres present in the soundtrack and the lack of remixes. He gave it an overall rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling it a "zero compromise album" that "stays true to the film's spirit".[122] Planet Bollywood's Atta Khan rated it 9 out of 10, noting that the soundtrack "unquestionably lives up to all expectations". He felt that it maintained an "all round polished nature" and "is destined to become a classic". Although he, too, enjoyed the musical variety, he believed the composers overused the guitar and synthesizers.[123] Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com gave the soundtrack a score of 3 out of 5, commenting, "Taare Zameen Par isn't your regular soundtrack about fluttering hearts and sleepless nights. What makes these delicate and whimsical creations special is their underlying innocence."[124] According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 11,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's thirteenth highest-selling.[125]

text: No.TitleSingersLength1."Taare Zameen Par"Shankar Mahadevan, Dominique Cerejo, Vivienne Pocha7:082."Kholo Kholo"Raman Mahadevan5:013."Bum Bum Bole"Shaan, Aamir Khan5:324."Jame Raho"Vishal Dadlani2:595."Maa"Shankar Mahadevan5:146."Bheja Kum"Shankar Mahadevan, Bugs Bhargava, Shankar Sachdev, Roaj Gopal Iyer, Ravi Khanwiker, Loy Mendonsa, Amole Gupte, Kiran Rao, Aamir Khan, Ram Madhavni, Haji Springer2:077."Mera Jahan"Adnan Sami, Auriel Cordo, Ananya Wadkar6:328."Ishaan's Theme"Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy4:13Total length:38:45


document_title: List of The Cleveland Show characters

question_text: who does the voice of freight train on cleveland show

text: List of The Cleveland Show characters

text: Main characters[edit]

text: Cleveland Brown[edit]

text: Cleveland Brown (voiced by Mike Henry) is the protagonist of the series. He is a heavyset African-American male who is very polite to everyone and has a unique laugh. He was formerly one of Peter Griffin's best friends in Family Guy and also owned and ran a deli. In "Pilot" he moves to the town of Stoolbend, Virginia to show his son where he grew up (even though Cleveland was in love with Donna but they were only friends and she did not know it). Eventually re-sparking his relationship with her, they get married and he and his son move in with her and her two children. Cleveland is usually depicted as exceedingly gentle and patient, and it is only on rare occasions that he has been known to lose his temper and resort to violence. However, Cleveland gets visibly annoyed with racist behavior, which sometimes is justified. He often acts as the voice of caution when other characters hatch harebrained schemes. Cleveland's speech is slow and almost elongated in Family Guy, but in The Cleveland Show his voice has a wide variety. Various flashbacks give conflicting histories of his speech patterns. He is shown as a more sexual, stupid, and violent character in his new form than he was originally.

text: Donna Tubbs Brown[edit]

text:
Donna Tubbs Brown

The Cleveland Show/Family Guy character

First appearance
"Pilot"

Voiced by
Sanaa Lathan

Information

Full name
Donna Lou Retton Tubbs Brown[1]

Nickname(s)
Don

Occupation
Secretary at Stoolbend High School

Family
Dorothy "DeeDee" Retton (mother)
Uncle Kevin/Auntie Momma
Janet Retton (sister)

Spouse(s)
Robert Tubbs (divorced)
Cleveland Brown

Children
Roberta, Rallo

text: Donna Tubbs Brown who is voiced by Sanaa Lathan is the second wife of Cleveland Brown and works as the principal's secretary at Stoolbend High School. She has two biological children from her previous relationship with Robert (last name unknown, which is a joke later in the series), Roberta and Rallo, and she has kept her maiden name (seen in "Pilot", Cleveland says, "Back in high school, I would have given anything to spend the night at Donna Tubbs' house."). As a result of her marriage to Cleveland, she has adopted a third child, his son Cleveland Brown Jr.

text: Donna and Cleveland were initially best friends in high school, although Cleveland clearly had romantic feelings towards her. Donna unfortunately was for the most part oblivious to his feelings, and instead dated Cleveland's unofficial rival Robert. Despite Cleveland's attempts to get Donna to see Robert for what he truly was (a self-centered, irresponsible jerk), Donna ended up marrying Robert shortly after graduation. Seeing no reason to remain, Cleveland left Stoolbend and Donna behind.

text: Despite many attempts at making their marriage work, Donna and Robert ended up separating due to Robert's heavy drinking and drug abuse, leaving Donna to raise their children alone. Robert would visit occasionally, but more out of selfish desire than any familial reasons. After years apart, Donna was of course overjoyed to see her best friend, Cleveland again. Cleveland and his son, who were passing through Stoolbend while driving to California, had stopped by the high school to retrace Cleveland's old haunting grounds. Donna invites the Browns to stay at her house, which results in a rekindling of their friendship that soon blossoms into a full-blown romance. The two soon marry, and honeymoon in New York City a few months later.

text: Having been friends for years prior to getting married, Cleveland and Donna have a close relationship both sexually and platonically. Donna comes off much more patient and understanding than Cleveland's first wife, Loretta, and is more attentive to him as well. Her relationship with her children meanwhile is somewhat more shaky, as both her children are the result of a broken home and neglectful father. Donna does her best to keep her children under control, but is aware that they need a father figure at times. Yet despite any issues that she and her kids have, it is clear that they care for one another. Donna's relationship with Cleveland Jr. meanwhile is underdeveloped yet, save for the fact that Cleveland Jr. is quick to do what he can to follow Donna's wishes for fear of another divorce occurring. It is also implied that he sees Donna as the mother figure that Loretta should've been. However, she has shown to be willing to protect him from danger, such as when she saved him from an ax-wielding Donny in "A Nightmare on Grace Street" by throwing a wine glass at his head.

text: She takes care of odd jobs, assisting Principal Wally when he is indisposed and serving as a secretary of sorts (she can type 85 words per minute).

text: She is shown with an extremely large posterior, that is joked about often in the series.

text: She tends to drink a lot of wine to the point she might be an alcoholic.

text: She is a talented and proud Recorder player and wears a wig that hides her gray hair.

text: She is quick-tempered.

text: In "Mama Drama", it is revealed that her mother is Dee Dee Tubbs who was part of a in the 1960s until she left Donna with Uncle Kevin. The two of them reunited by the end of the episode.

text: Cleveland Brown Jr. [edit]

text: Cleveland Brown Jr., also referred to as just Junior and also Cleveland Raj Rerun Dwayne Brown[2] (voiced by Mike Henry in "Family Guy," Kevin Michael Richardson in "The Cleveland Show"), is the obese biological son of Cleveland Brown and his late ex-wife Loretta. He debuted in the season 2 episode "Love Thy Trophy" on the animated TV show Family Guy. During his time in Family Guy he was shown to be skinny, hyperactive, and athletic. He was presumably taken into Loretta's custody after she divorced Cleveland in "The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire" and has since become severely obese. He suffers from mild seizure-like episodes which he refers to as "brainstorms" and takes medication to control them. It was revealed in the episode "The Hurricane!" that he "doesn't believe in God", although he claims he is not an atheist either, which he calls "another religion". His voice is the mixture of Miss Piggy's voice and Bernie Mac's voice stuck together in this show.

text: Roberta Tubbs[edit]

text:
Roberta Tubbs

First appearance
"Pilot"

Voiced by
Nia Long (2009–2010)
Reagan Gomez-Preston (2010–2013)

Information

Full name
Roberta Coretta Tubbs

Relatives

Biological family: Rallo, Donna and Robert
Stepfamily: Cleveland and Cleveland Jr.

text: Roberta Tubbs (sometimes Roberta Benigni Tubbs) is the biological daughter of Donna and her ex-husband, Robert. She looks up to Tyra Banks, hoping to one day become her co-hostess. A relatively popular girl in school, Roberta is often seen socializing with her friends, both in person, and using phones, or social networking websites. She has been dating a less than respectable boy by the name of Federline Jones, who Donna does not much approve of, but who Cleveland has managed to bully into submission. As with many popular students, Roberta often acts as a bully and a self-centered character, even towards her own family members.

text: Neither Roberta nor her brother Rallo are initially pleased with the arrival of Cleveland and Cleveland Brown Jr., though both appear to accept their mother marrying Cleveland without much issue. In fact, Roberta and Cleveland seem to fall into a rather stereotypical father/daughter relationship, with Roberta being embarrassed by her stepfather's behavior when he attends social functions at her school. Eventually she accepts Cleveland as her father.

text: Roberta seems to have a love/hate relationship with her brother Rallo. In the first episode, Roberta reneges on her responsibility to babysit him in order to go out with her friends. However, she seems able to share plenty of witty dialogue with her brother, apparently seeing him as something of an intellectual equal, despite his age. Roberta's relationship with Cleveland Jr. has shown promise of being a decently caring one, despite a shaky beginning. Initially both Roberta and Rallo are disturbed by how clean and attentive Cleveland Jr. is in regards to Donna's parental requests. Initially annoyed at him making them look bad and did all they could to make him miserable, they become sympathetic when they realize that he never accepted his parents' divorce and showing resentment towards his own mother for her adulterous affair and has been doing all he can to avoid giving into his sorrow. Together, Rallo and Roberta do all they can to help Cleveland Jr. let his feelings out and at the same time, they accept him as their brother. Despite her occasional kindness towards him however, Roberta regularly tends to neglect and distance from Junior and even bully him with the other popular students out of selfishness and/or on behalf of her own social structure and goals, even accusing him of stealing a chocolate bar over Rallo. She can also talk like Robert, although she seems a bit resentful of his failures as a parent compared to the sense of hero worship Rallo feels toward him. Roberta seems to have an archrival in Lacey Stapleton. Her usual clothing is a green tube top with blue jeans, gold hoop earrings and necklace and bracelets, and white and black-striped sneakers. She also wears white pearl earrings and her hair has a white streak in it. She wears pink lipstick.

text: Rallo Tubbs[edit]

text:
Rallo Tubbs

The Cleveland Show character

First appearance
"Pilot"

Voiced by
Mike Henry

Information

Full name
Montclair Tubbs

Nickname(s)
Rallo

Family
Biological family: Sister: Roberta, Mother: Donna and Father: Robert
Step family: Cleveland and Cleveland Jr.

text: Montclair "Rallo" Tubbs is the biological son of Donna and her ex-husband, Robert. He has one biological sister, Roberta. As a result of his mother marrying Cleveland, Rallo has gained Cleveland Brown Jr. as a stepbrother, Rallo has a light blue shirt with dark blue shorts and red sneakers and he sports a black Afro. His best friends are Julius and Walt.

text: Despite his age, and the fact his father has been mostly absent most of his life, Rallo acts much like Robert, behaving at times very articulate, yet hormonally charged. He seems to get along fairly well with his mother Donna and has a normal love/hate relationship with Roberta, who at times seems to neglect him, yet at other times speaks to him as if an intellectual equal.

text: Rallo frequently runs errands for his mother but never remembers to get the change. As a result, he is able to save enough money to buy a 1967 Mustang on eBay. His childlike defiance and hyperactive mischief when being tended to by Roberta was so extreme (including excitedly wiping himself by dragging his bare posterior on the floor) as to scare her away from sex, lest she risk creating anything like him. The fact that Rallo is some sort of child prodigy, makes him an analogue of Cleveland's former neighbor, Stewie Griffin.

text: With the new arrivals of Cleveland and Cleveland Jr., Rallo has shown some initial reluctance to accept both into his life, actively insulting them, such as joking about their weight. However, he warms up to Cleveland, who manages to teach him how to handle checking out the girls in his kindergarten class. When Cleveland inadvertently kills the family dog, Rallo is devastated by the loss, but comes to respect Cleveland for all the work he did in trying to "find him" when Rallo thought the dog was merely missing, as well as the effort Cleveland put into trying to be a good parent to Roberta.

text: Despite being younger than his new stepbrother Cleveland Jr. Rallo seems to take a more aggressive hand in their interaction, openly insulting Junior. However, this seems to just be Rallo's way of addressing people in general, and not done with any deep malice intended. In fact, their relationship is showing promise of being a decently caring one at this point. In "Birth of a Salesman," both Roberta and Rallo are disturbed by how clean and attentive Cleveland Jr. is in regards to Donna's parental requests. Initially annoyed at him making them look bad, they become sympathetic when they realize that he never accepted his parents' divorce, and has been doing all he can to avoid giving into his sorrow. Together Rallo and Roberta do all they can to help Cleveland Jr. let his feelings out and at the same time, they accept him as their brother.

text: Rallo seems to somewhat value cleanliness and etiquette from houseguests, as demonstrated by his indignant reaction to Cleveland and Cleveland Jr., not making their beds after staying the night with the Tubbs family in the pilot.

text: He was an antisemite, as discovered in "Ladies' Night". After befriending a Jewish senior citizen in "Murray Christmas", even going so far to celebrating Hanukah with him, it appears that he no longer is. His antisemitism is contradicted by his affection toward his stereotypically Jewish teacher, Mrs. Hadassah Lowenstein, to whom he declared, "You mean the world to me. The world to me!"

text: In one episode, he becomes racist towards white people after learning of the history of slavery in the United States. Rallo then go on rants to kill and harm white people, but changes his stance once he sees that the Krinklesac family are not racists, are not responsible for owning slaves and actually enjoy many of the same activities and foods as himself.

text: His favorite meal consists of fish sticks and Tater Tots, and, before his stepfather moved in, he sat at the head of the dinner table.

text: Donna mentions in "Brotherly Love" that Rallo takes diarrhea medicine.

text: In the episode "American Pranksters", Cleveland asks Donna why his name is Rallo. Donna replies to that question by stating it was from "That guy from Sanford and Son" (referring to Rollo Larson).

text: Brown/Tubbs relatives[edit]

text:
Evelyn "Cookie" Brown (voiced by Frances Callier) – Evelyn is Cleveland's mother.. Her first appearance was in the episode "A Brown Thanksgiving". She is hypercritical of Donna because she never forgave her for spurning Cleveland in favor of Robert in high school. Cleveland is quite oblivious to his mother and Donna's rough relationship.
LeVar "Freight Train" Brown (voiced by Craig Robinson) – LeVar is Cleveland's father. His name is a reference to LaVar Ball. He is abusive towards Cleveland who he has never forgiven for humiliating him by losing a game show and a trip to Orlando for him and causing him to hide out at home in shame so long that he lost both his job and his chance to try out for the Washington Redskins, and has a history of leaving and then reuniting with his wife, Cookie, who is unaware he has more than a dozen other sons of various ages and races as seen in the episode "You're the Best Man, Cleveland Brown." LeVar seems to be close to the Griffin family, where he calls Rallo Tubbs "Black Stewie." He seems to resemble Jim Brown. In "Who Done Did It" it is revealed that LeVar writes mystery novels under the pseudonym of Jocelyn Elderwood. In "Who Done Did It?" while teaching Rallo and Cleveland Jr. about writing mystery novels, he leads them into proving Cleveland's innocence when he ends up in jail upon Lydia Waterman dying from what appeared to be from an egg to the head only for it to be from a peanut allergy induced by Lloyd Waterman and the Coroner.
Broderick Brown – Cleveland's younger brother who is a doctor who first appears in the Family Guy episode He's Too Sexy for His Fat. He previously worked as a plastic surgeon in Quahog and before enlisting in the navy. He appears in the episode "Our Gang" where he rescues Cleveland and Cleveland Jr. from a drug gang by trading Afghani heroin to the gang for their freedom.
Robert (voiced by Corey Holcomb) – Robert is Donna's first husband and the biological father of Roberta and Rallo. At the start of the show, he had grown negligent of the statuses of his children, not even knowing their names, which convinced Donna to accept Cleveland as her true love. Swearing revenge on Cleveland, Robert left with the Tubbs' pet parakeet Joan. Although since the pilot, his intentions for revenge seemed to have been forgotten. Like Cleveland, Donna's neighbors do not like Robert because of his arrogant ways where he stole Lester's good lighter (the Bic one), broke Holt's Game Boy, and even had sex with Tim's wife Arianna (as seen in "Cleveland Live!"). He is currently an unemployed bum, while Rallo thinks he is at first an FBI agent, then Santa Claus. His relationship with Roberta has seemingly worsened over time, but his relationship with Rallo has at least remained consistently decent.
Auntie Momma (voiced by Kym Whitley as a female, Kevin Michael Richardson as a male) – Auntie Mama is Donna's caring, lovable, eccentric aunt. She is large and fat and her appearance and mannerisms are a parody of Tyler Perry's character Madea. A running gag is that each time Auntie Momma shows flatulence, she says "I'm Outrageous!". Auntie Momma was originally Donna's Uncle Kevin, and when Donna was younger, her parents were never around. So Uncle Kevin becomes Auntie Momma through a sex change (though still maintaining his penis) in order to provide Donna with a strong female influence in her life. Donna is very fond of her but is unaware she used to be a man. When Cleveland finds out, he keeps it from her to preserve their relationship. Auntie Momma has sex with LeVar Brown without him realizing about the penis. LeVar had a vomit reaction to this when Cleveland told him outside of the house. In "Mama Drama," Cleveland enlisted Auntie Momma to help him find Dee Dee Tubbs. In a flashback recalled by Dee Dee Tubbs, we are shown what Uncle Kevin looks like when Dee Dee leaves a baby Donna with him. By the end of the episode, Dee Dee finds out that Auntie Momma was Uncle Kevin after a sex change.
Loretta Brown (voiced by Alex Borstein) – Loretta is Cleveland's late ex-wife, and the mother of Cleveland Jr. She had a liking for cricket and the television program Friends. Early in the show, Loretta had a minimal quantity of lines, the bulk of which were "Mm-hmm!" She treats Cleveland harshly, and eventually cheats on him with Glenn Quagmire, leading the Browns to divorce. In the episode "Love, Blactually", it is revealed that Loretta has regretted her actions and wants Cleveland back, but he refuses her advances. Cleveland informs her he needs to move on, and advises her to do the same. She takes Cleveland's house in the divorce and puts it up for sale, yet is still apparently living there some months later. In "Gone with the Wind", Loretta dies in an accident where Peter drops an Apatosaurus skeleton that Brian dug up on her house while she is sitting in an upstairs bathtub causing her to go through the same bathtub gag that Cleveland goes through which she does not survive. Quagmire ended up driving her body down to Stoolbend for her funeral.
Dee Dee Tubbs (voiced by Phylicia Rashād) – The long-lost mother of Donna Tubbs. Due to a musical career as a member of a musical group called "The Towlettes," Dee Dee had to leave a baby Donna with Uncle Kevin. Many years later as seen in "Mama Drama," Dee Dee Tubbs resurfaces where Shirley (the actress that Cleveland and Auntie Momma hired to portray Dee Dee when they were unable to find her) dies and she confronts Cleveland about the death certificate which has caused her all sorts of problems with her mortgage and health club membership. Cleveland wants to introduce her to Donna, but Dee Dee insists that all she wants is to get her life straightened out and explains that she has too many regrets. Cleveland offers to show her to Donna without anyone catching on and Dee Dee agrees. Cleveland sets up an accident and Donna is introduced to her mother as an innocent victim. After learning Dee Dee's reason for leaving her with Uncle Kevin, Donna says that she will not call Dee Dee "mom" but will call her "mama." When Donna asks Dee Dee about Uncle Kevin, Dee Dee was surprised to figure out that Uncle Kevin was masquerading as Auntie Momma all these years. In the Family Guy episode Candy, Quahog Marshmallow, Cleveland reveals the Dee Dee died of suicide.

text: Neighbors[edit]

text: A number of characters in the show live on the same street as the Brown family. All were seen attending the wedding of Cleveland and Donna Brown.

text: Bear family[edit]

text:
Tim (voiced by Seth MacFarlane from Season 1-3, Jess Harnell from Season 3-4) – Tim is one of Cleveland and Donna's neighbors in Stoolbend who just happens to be a bear. He is thirty-five years old[2] and lives with his wife, Arianna, and his son, Raymond. He has deep religious convictions (often attending Stoolbend Community Church and having his honeymoon in Israel). He works as a telemarketer at Waterman Cable. He becomes Cleveland's drinking buddy at The Broken Stool, where he also converses with Holt and Lester. He apparently smokes in secret, as he asks Cleveland not to tell his wife about it. He also has a very deep Eastern European accent, has trouble with American euphemisms, and has a tendency to stammer a lot. He finds it racist when someone screams because he is a bear. Additionally, he often accidentally slashes things with his claws, something he is quite ashamed of. In "Brown History Month", Cleveland stated that Tim's father was a black bear and that his mother was a kangaroo, actually making him a hybrid between the species rather than a bear. Tim has often hinted at his attraction to Donna, similar to Quagmire's attraction to Lois on Family Guy. Seth MacFarlane stopped voicing the role after episode S3EP10 for reasons unknown, and finally Jess Harnell took over.
Arianna (voiced by Arianna Huffington) – Arianna is the wife of Tim and one of Cleveland and Donna's neighbors in Stoolbend. Arianna has a son named Raymond. Like her son and husband, Arianna is a bear. She is unaware that Tim smokes, as he deliberately keeps it a secret from her. She seems like a normal stereotypical housewife. She is not against purchasing lavish things; a store that deals with foreign coffees has her credit card on file. She also speaks Italian, further supporting her enjoyment of foreign things. However, she makes her own confetti, suggesting she may make up for her expensive tastes in coffee by cutting costs elsewhere. In episode 21 of season one it is revealed that Arianna was with Tim's father before she went with him. Arianna is strict and takes religion very seriously, being much more assertive in her beliefs than her husband. She can often be critical of how Donna runs her life: before Cleveland married Donna, Arianna did not allow the neighbor into her house, looking down on her status as a single mother. She has also talked down on the types of clothes Donna allows Roberta to wear. For her and Tim's honeymoon, they went to Israel. She does not approve of Raymond kissing boys or girls or of the Jewish Mrs. Lowenstein running the Christmas show.
Raymond (voiced by Nat Faxon) – Son of Tim and Arianna and neighbors with Cleveland and Donna in Stoolbend. He appears briefly in the pilot at Cleveland and Donna's wedding. Raymond's father believes that he is useful for doing chores around the house that he does not want to do. Raymond is also considered popular in high school since he hangs out with Roberta, Federline, and Oliver, as seen in the episode "From Bed to Worse". However, Raymond is also smart and nicer than his friends and helps out with charities, such as spending his Thanksgiving with his family helping feed the poor in the episode "A Brown Thanksgiving." In "Field of Streams," it is revealed that he is a frequent user of marijuana and avidly listens to Pink Floyd records. Unlike his parents, who are European, Raymond speaks with an American accent.

text: Krinklesac family[edit]

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Lester Krinklesac (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) – One of Cleveland and Donna's neighbors in Stoolbend, Lester is a redneck with a large beer gut. He is apparently on friendly terms with his neighbor Donna, being at first concerned that Cleveland is stalking Donna but promptly apologizes to her when he realizes Cleveland was an invited guest. He becomes Cleveland's drinking buddy at The Broken Stool conversing with Tim and Holt, Cleveland even helped Lester get his son back from a rather money obsessed foster family. He was thought to be a Neo-Confederate, but it was revealed that he has no clue about any of that when he proclaims that the Navy Jack adorning his house is a "Dukes of Hazzard flag". In the Season 1 finale, it is revealed Lester has a sister who is a stripper. He also appears to be very good at making racing cars.
Kendra Krystal Krinklesac (voiced by Aseem Batra) – She is the wife of Lester the redneck. Kendra is also a redneck with a high pitched voice and is possibly disabled. She is morbidly obese (a foil to Lester, who has a distended belly), a compulsive eater, she has type 2 diabetes and even once being said that she had cholesterol that could not be measured, and wears a colostomy bag. She first appeared in the pilot episode at Cleveland and Donna's wedding. Kendra also appeared in "Da Doggone Daddy-Daughter Dinner Dance" in her house with Lester. She is often seen driving a Rascal electric scooter, although in at least one episode she becomes so enraged that she feebly gets up off the scooter and walks a short distance. In the "Once Upon a Tyne in New York" episode, her husband drives a limousine whose license plate reads "Virginia / IFKNDRA", which when properly elongated reads "I fuck Kendra". It is revealed in "Cleveland's Angels" that she is brilliant at counting cards, was once hot and skinny, and is aged somewhere in her 60s. It is also revealed that she was previously married to a Baron. However, these last two revelations might not be true since Cleveland dismissed them as "stupid stories." In "Ain't Nothin' But Mutton Bustin'" it was suggested that she and Lester may be half siblings from his father's second family, but in "To Live and Die in VA" it is revealed he was with her since sophomore year of high school when she was his guidance counselor. Among other things, Kendra is also revealed to be a devoted fan of Alan Alda.
Ernie Krinklesac (voiced by Glenn Howerton) – Ernie is the son of Lester and Kendra and Cleveland Jr.'s best friend. Ernie first appeared in the episode "Pilot" at Cleveland and Donna's wedding. Ernie also appeared in the episode "The One About Friends" where Ernie befriended Cleveland Jr. and went so far as to wanting to move in with him. This episode also showed that the Krinklesac household was no place for Ernie to be raised, and he was taken away by child services. Ernie and his father bond when they discover that the only reason they did not want to live together was because they thought the other did not, and Lester is able to bring Ernie back home. After visiting Arnold's Whoreshack in "Cleveland Jr.'s Cherry Bomb", Ernie apparently married a whore known as "Two Vergine" Merline. Ernie also appears to work in a slaughterhouse. He apparently is very talented in woodshop (actually building a Grandfather Clock that doubles as a portal to a fantasy world). He seems to resemble Cleveland Jr. before he became overweight. Cleveland considers Ernie "weird" in which he once told Lester to "Keep your weird son away from my weird son."
(Unnamed Sister) – Lester's unnamed sister, who is a stripper.
Princess – Krinklesac family's pet opossum.

text: Richter family[edit]

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Holt Richter (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) – Holt is a frat boy wannabe. Holt attempts to be a suave, pop-culture reference-dropping bro, but the effect is undercut by his short stature (he is short enough to be mistaken for a child, as proven by Kendra occasionally referring to him as "the baby man"), as well as the fact that he still lives with his mother. He enjoys Game Boy and Entourage, and is frequently seen playing or practicing golf. He drives a Chrysler Crossfire named Appolonia. Holt has a tattoo of Jeremy Piven on his chest. He is personal trainer at a local gym.
Mrs. Richter (voiced by Fergie) – The unnamed and unseen mother of Holt who lives with him.
General Richter – The strict father of Holt who works in the military.

text: Choni's family[edit]

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Choni (voiced by Rosie Perez) – Choni is a woman who is the aunt of Cecilia and the mother of Marco. She is the owner of Choni's Cantina (a Mexican restaurant). When Lester calls immigration for Cecilia's appearance in the USA without a Green Card, Choni blames Cleveland causing Cleveland Jr. and Cecilia to go on the run. In "There Goes El Neighborhood," Choni and her family move into Cleveland's neighborhood. She was still at odds with Cleveland after what nearly happened to her niece and asks him to babysit her son Marco to see if he was ignorant about her culture. In "The Wide World of Cleveland Brown," it's revealed that Choni is related to Sofía Vergara. In the episode "Y Tu Junior Tambien" it's revealed that she went to college in Puetro Rico and the accent is the only thing she learned and has a daughter named Flora who introduced Cleveland Jr. to Cecillia.
Cecilia Moreno-Brown Jr. (voiced by Elia Saldana) – The niece of Choni and wife of Cleveland Jr. who works at her aunt's restaurant. Cleveland Jr. develops a crush on her in her first appearance. When Lester calls immigration for Cecilia's appearance in the USA without a Green Card, Choni blames Cleveland causing Cleveland Jr. and Cecilia to go on the run. Cleveland Jr. and Cecilia had to get engaged in order for Cecilia to remain in the USA and they got married on the same day. At the end of the episode " Y Tu Junior Tambien" she wanted to end her marriage with Cleveland Jr. because she said that he was too sweet and too young to be married but he came up with a way so Cecilia could remain in the USA he said that they will stay married but she will live with her Aunt and he will stay with his dad and stepmother then in a few years they will fall in love and get married for real and she will not get deported unless she crosses him. In "There Goes El Neighborhood," Cecilia was with Choni when she and her family moved into Cleveland's neighborhood.
Marco – Choni's young son and Cecilia's cousin he is only shown in the episode "There Goes El Neighborhood" when Choni asks Cleveland to babysit him while she went out.

text: Characters based in other locations[edit]

text: Waterman Cable[edit]

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Lloyd Waterman (voiced by Bruce McGill) – He is the head of Waterman Cable who hires Cleveland to be a salesman. His workers are Terry and Tim the Bear. He used to be a racist (stated because of his mother's teaching) but changed his views after seeing Cleveland's salesmanship. He is shown to be a homosexual, seen in the episode "Birth of a Salesman" when Cleveland is about to be fired and spies a Sex and the City mug and a collection of homoerotic pictures of Terry on Mr. Waterman's wall. He has a crush on Terry. However, he is married to Lydia Waterman who is aware that he is gay. In the Christmas episode, when Mr. Waterman shows off his reindeer, Roberta asks his wife "so he just keeps that poor thing locked away and then brings it out and shows it off on Christmas as a prop." she replies "Yes. I can't imagine how that feels." In "Who Done Did It," Waterman and the coroner killed Lydia with Jasmine infused peanut oil in her soup (as Lydia has a fatal allergy to peanuts) so that they can be together (this ended up framing Cleveland with Lydia's death being from an egg). Their plot was exposed by LeVar "Freight Train" Brown, Cleveland Jr., Rallo, and Donna and they're now spending the rest of their lives in jail (even though it took a year to get Cleveland out of jail). Due to his arrest and conviction, it is implied that his company went out of business, which likely resulted in Cleveland's decision to move back to Quahog.
Terry Kimple (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) – Terry is a high school friend of Cleveland who once took the fall for him when the two were busted for smoking marijuana. Because of moments of this, he does seem to care and respect him along with others. He has a very laid-back attitude. He installs cable, but almost loses his job when he crashes the Waterman Cable van on what would have been his third DUI. Mr. Waterman has a secret crush on Terry and has pictures of him on his wall. Cleveland eventually works beside Terry as a cable guy. He participates in Cleveland plans such as retaking his jersey or helping him save a friend. It is revealed that he has a daughter he has not seen in a year and a half in "Field of Streams" and in "Terry Unmarried" he reveals that he is bisexual, ("I've been with a lot of hot women, and I've been with a few hot dudes.") later marrying his boyfriend Paul (voiced by Justin Timberlake) in Vermont. He has a son named Terry Jr. ("Ain't Nothin' But Mutton Bustin'") and a daughter that he has not seen in years ("Field of Streams").
Arch (voiced by Mike Henry) – An employee of Waterman Cable. He seems to be very serious, being quite a stickler when it comes to office etiquette.
Aaron (voiced by Alec Sulkin) – One of Cleveland's co-workers. He once helped Cleveland win a Civil War reenactment of "The Battle of Stoolbend" against B. Emerson Plunkett V.
Florence (voiced by Mike Henry) – Florence is Lloyd Waterman's assistant who seems to be more favored than the other employees.
Jane (voiced by Fergie) – She is a worker at Waterman Cable. Jane is shown to love cats, as she has lots of them living in her apartment, one of which is seemingly capable of using her answering machine. She first appears in "Buried Pleasure" when Holt meets her online. They initially hit it off over their shared love of music, but the relationship gets dangerous on Holt's end when Jane gets aggressive with him and starts beating him regularly. When Cleveland, Tim, Lester, and Terry all try to get her to stop, she beats up all of them, as well, knowing they will not strike her back for being a female. She is finally driven off and forced to end her relationship with Holt after losing a brawl with Donna, who fights her out of anger for hurting Cleveland (and physical assists from Arianna and Kendra for hurting their respective husbands certainly do not hurt). She makes a cameo appearance at LeVar and Evelyn's wedding in "You're the Best Man, Cleveland Brown" (though why she was there is inexplicable, given that she was on poor terms with most of the characters).
Tori (voiced by Rutina Wesley) – Tori is a worker that first appears in "Frapp Attack." She started a good relationship with Cleveland which made Donna jealous. In "Brownsized," Tori made a cameo at the assembly when Lloyd Waterman announces the company lay-off.

text: Stoolbend High School[edit]

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Principal Wally Farquhare[3] (voiced by Mike Henry in the first appearance, Will Forte in later appearances) – He is the principal of Cleveland Jr's and Roberta's school, and is a former high-school classmate of Cleveland's. He hates both Cleveland and Terry because they bullied him in high school. When he threatened to tell the principal about how Cleveland's group was drinking back when they were students, Cleveland chased him to try and beat him up, making him fall and then urinate all over himself, soaking his thighs and pocket contents. He first appeared in "Ladies Night," where Cleveland Jr. runs for the election for Student President. He has the mannerisms of a teenager. In "Field of Streams," he tries to get revenge on Cleveland by torching Cleveland's jersey but was stopped by Cleveland Jr. Cleveland then decides to teach Principal Wally a lesson for almost torching his jersey, as well as for calling Cleveland Jr. a "chubby loser." However, after Cleveland corners Principal Wally, he once again urinates his pants soaking his thighs and pocket contents to Cleveland's delight. In "American Prankster," it is shown that Principal Wally is the leader of a Boy Scouts that Cleveland Brown Jr. is a part of. Farquhare's name may be a reference to Fauquier County in Northern Virginia, and his character is described as "an effeminate Will Forte."
Gabriel Friedman (voiced by Jamie Kennedy) – more commonly known as Federline Jones, is Roberta's Jewish classmate and boyfriend. He is a reference to rapper Kevin Federline/"K-Fed." In the pilot episode, Cleveland made sure Federline brought Roberta home at exactly 10PM. Cleveland has since loosened this curfew, agreeing to let Roberta come home at midnight in exchange for Federline helping Cleveland Jr. with the ladies. In "The One About Friends," Roberta thought that if Ernie was allowed to move into the Tubbs-Brown home, Federline should be allowed to move in as well. Federline appears to only be dating Roberta for her body, not caring if she is smart as long as she is physically attractive. He spends "A Brown Thanksgiving" with her, but two hobos steal his Cutlass and he manages to retrieve it at the soup kitchen, where he learns that family is the most important thing of all. Further referencing Kevin Federline, Federline enjoys rap and hip-hop and Cleveland describes him as a lame, inside-out Oreo, overall a stereotypical wigger. His catchphrase involves him rhyming something with "flip", such as "script", followed by a high pitched sound similar to a siren. As for his rapping skills—he gets beaten up at T.G.I. Cheney's for playing one of his recordings. Nevertheless, he has released at least one CD, "Fireman Killer". His parents, both professors, appear supportive, but behind that façade is deep disdain. His real name was revealed to be Gabriel Friedman in "Brotherly Love". In "Love Rollercoaster" he admits he only dates Roberta for her body; despite knowing this, Roberta continues to date him. However, she broke up, then made up, with him in "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Roberta?", then in "Nightmare on Grace Street" she pursues Edwin Mullins and Caleb while Federline is studying for his SATs. Federline's parents, Sarah and Saul Friedman (Bebe Neuwirth, Jason Alexander), teach at State College; in "B.M.O.C." they bump into Federline and Roberta and give them the tour, impressed with the assumption that Roberta convinced Federline to attend college (they were actually trying to get away from Cleveland). Federline and his father sit in The Broken Stool planning Thanksgiving in "Turkey Pot Die" and he is inexplicably dressed similar to Abraham Lincoln during "Anny the Musical" in "A Vas Deferens Between Men & Women".
Oliver Wilkerson (voiced by Mike Henry) – He is a popular deaf jock and school bully at Stoolbend High School. He is the captain of the school football team and often teases and torments Cleveland Jr. He leads the popular kids at his school and his closest friends are apparently Derek, Laine, and Reggie, although they are often seen without him.
Derek (voiced by Julius Sharpe) – One of Oliver's friends at Stoolbend High School. He is also possibly his right-hand man and like Oliver, he wears a letterman's jacket and is on the school softball team and possibly the football team as well. When he attempts to join the others in making fun of other students (notably Cleveland Jr.), he goes much too far by often making incredibly inappropriate comments, much to Laine's anger.
Laine (voiced by Alec Sulkin) – One of Oliver's friends at Stoolbend High School. He is apparently the most intelligent of Oliver's main group of friends.
Reggie (voiced by Clarence Livingston) – One of Oliver's friends at Stoolbend High School. He is most likely the most humorous of Oliver's gang. His catchphrase is "Whoa!"
Kenny West (voiced by Kanye West) – The slick Rapper of Stoolbend High. He first appears in "Brotherly Love." Cleveland Jr. and Kenny get in a rap battle to impress a girl. Then he re-appeared in the first episode in season 2 where Cleveland Brown helped to jump start Kenny's musical career. He has a daughter named Candace who is the same age as Rallo.

text: Harper Elementary School[edit]

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Mrs. Hadassah Lowenstein (voiced by Alex Borstein) – Rallo's kindergarten teacher at Harper Elementary School. In the pilot episode, she expelled Rallo from school for pulling down her pants, but Cleveland convinced her to give him another chance. She is a stereotypical Jew; when Cleveland asks if he can call her Hadassah, she says "Ochay", referring to the stereotypical "ch' sound heard in Hebrew and Yiddish.
Julius Nemeth (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) – One of Rallo's best friends, along with Walt, who attends Harper Elementary School.
Walt Fuller (voiced by Al Thompson) – One of Rallo's best friends, along with Julius, who attends Harper Elementary School.
Theodore Parker Jr. III (voiced by T-Pain) – One of Rallo's friends at Harper Elementary School. He is good friends with Bernard.
Bernard Bernard (voiced by will.i.am) – One of Rallo's friends at Harper Elementary School. He is good friends with Theodore.
Hot Wheels (voiced by Mike Henry) – One of the kids at Harper Elementary School. He wears roller blades. Despite being in kindergarten, he already shows signs of being part of the "alternative lifestyle." He resembles former American Idol contestant Adam Lambert.

text: Others[edit]

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Coach Charles McFall (voiced by Mike Henry) – He worked as a baseball coach during Cleveland's high school days at Stoolbend High School. When Cleveland wanted to start up the Waterman Yards again, Cleveland found Coach McFall working as a janitor at the Broken Stool. He suffers from pronounced oral cancer from years of tobacco-chewing (as shown with part of his right cheek missing, similar to the scar seen on Jonah Hex) and is apparently homeless. In "Once Upon a Tyne in New York", it is revealed that he once went out with Tyne Daly.
Gus (voiced by David Lynch) – He works as a bartender at the Broken Stool, before which he studied Drama at Northwestern University. Gus seems to be on good terms with Cleveland and his friends, giving them their drinks for free. However, he may just be unintelligent as he does not pay his mortgage on the bar, and learns quite a bit of bartending from Cleveland Jr. Gus is also very lax, hiring Cleveland Jr. to work at his bar and letting people almost push him around. In "A Nightmare on Grace Street", it is revealed that he uses parts of human corpses as the meat in the sandwiches served at his bar, possibly to save money on real meat. In "Escape from Goochland", it is revealed that Gus is 117 years old. In "The Hangover Part Tubbs", it is revealed that Gus also runs a restaurant called Gustavo's on the second floor that is above the Broken Stool.
Larry the Leopard – Larry is Cleveland Jr.'s stuffed toy leopard. Cleveland is self-conscious about his son having a stuffed animal as a friend at his age. As Cleveland describes this to Donna, he says "The boy's fourteen and he still talks to stuffed animals. And worse, listens to them too! And then changes his opinion based on what they told him!"
Murray (voiced by Carl Reiner) – Murray is a Jewish senior citizen who Rallo meets at the retirement home around Christmas time. He teaches Rallo about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. In the episode "Sex and the Biddy" he has a girlfriend named Hazel but does not know until after he marries her that she is a golddigger. Near the end of the episode Murray and Rallo get revenge on her by filling her apartment with cats to make her seem that she lost her mind and being forced to go to a mental institution.
Angus (voiced by Alec Sulkin) – A radio show host and occasional sports commentator and one of Cleveland's high school friends.

Gordy (voiced by John Viener) – A radio announcer who is the co-host and best friend of Angus and one of Cleveland's high school friends.

Dr. Fist (voiced by Seth MacFarlane in the earlier appearances, Bryan Cranston in later appearances, understudied by Tom Kenny in "Skip Day") – A doctor that works at Stoolbend's hospital. Due to Seth MacFarlane working on the film Ted, Tom Kenny had to cover for Seth by voicing Dr. Fist starting with "Skip Day." In "Fist and the Furious," it is revealed that Dr. Fist was originally called Green-Jarvis Ben-Ellis(based on BenJarvus Green-Ellis) had a private practice until he was approached by members of the New York Mafia to save one of their fellow members from multiple stab injuries. Then he was approached by the FBI to put anesthesia on the Mafia Don enough to put him in a coma so that he can go under Witness Protection. Cleveland learns this when they end up pursued by members of the New York Mafia. He was later shot by Cleveland when the New York Mafia failed to do the job. Cleveland was able to save Dr. Fist's life by doing it Operation style. Three months later, Dr. Fist decides to stay in Stoolbend now that the New York Mafia thinks that he is dead.
Donny (voiced by Danny Smith) – Formerly a leisure-suit-wearing patron of the Broken Stool and a former acquaintance of Cleveland's, Donny was first seen in "How Cleveland Got His Groove Back", when Cleveland temporarily sought out a new circle of friends to avoid the shame of facing his current drinking buddies after Lester struck him out in baseball. However, he quickly became annoyed by Donny's tendency to frequently tell bad jokes and began to treat him fairly poorly. Donny's more prominent appearance came in "A Nightmare on Grace Street," when Cleveland continued treating him dismissively out of sheer annoyance with him (and there were hints that this had been going on long before the events of the episode). The repeated rejections caused him to have a psychotic break, and he plotted to murder Cleveland in his home with an axe on Halloween. When he turned out not to be home, he instead settled for trying to kill Donna and Cleveland Jr., while he waited for his main target. Eventually, he simply took them prisoner until Cleveland arrived home with Rallo, at which point he attempted to kill them, as well. He was killed in self-defense in a final showdown with Cleveland (with an assist from Rallo), and his body was taken by Gus to be used for sandwich meat at the Broken Stool.
Dwayne Meighan (voiced by Mike Henry) – Dwayne is the local television newscaster of Stoolbend.
Fern Stapleton (voiced by Kristen Wiig in the first appearance, Beth Littleford in later appearances) – Fern is the mother of Lacey Stapleton and Kyle Stapleton.
Mike (voiced by Brandon Richardson) – The band member leader who help Cleveland Brown and Kenny West find his street cred.
Mayor Larry Box (voiced by Larry Box) – The Mayor of Stoolbend who is mildly-profane.
Mr. Flippers (voiced by Mike Henry) – A magical flying walrus that would save the characters during the "Scene Missing" parts.
Reverend Jenkins (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) – A reverend who works at the Stoolbend Community Church. He first appeared in "Gone with the Wind" where he proceeded over Loretta Brown's funeral.
Sarah Friedman (voiced by Bebe Neuwirth) – Sarah Friedman is the mother of Gabriel and works as a university professor alongside her husband Saul.
Saul Friedman (voiced by Jason Alexander) – Saul Friedman is the father of Gabriel and works as a university professor alongside his wife Sarah. He allows his son to promote his CD at his house. Saul was present at LeVar and Cookie's wedding.
Yvette (voiced by Rutina Wesley) – She is Donna Tubbs's best friend. She first appears in the episode "Ladies' Night". She made a second appearance in the episode "Brotherly Love."