Hollywood Walk
of Fame Recent Ceremonies
All Photographs by Bob Freeman
©Hollywood Chamber of Commerce 2009
"Remember, to be a player you first have to get in
the game!"
Johnny Grant, Honorary Mayor of Hollywood
May 9, 1923 ~ January 9, 2008
2009 Upcoming Stars to be honored on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame
Cameron Diaz |
Bill Handel |
Kyra Sedgwick |
George Harrison |
The Miracles |
Chuck Lorre |
William Petersen
|
Glenn Close
Stars honored on Hollywood
Walk of Fame in 2008
Kiefer Sutherland
| Cate Blanchett |
Sir Tim Rice |
Pedro Gonzalez
Gonzalez |
Richard
Donner and Lauren Shuler |
Tim Robbins |
The Westmores |
Village People |
Howie Mandel |
Charles Durning |
Brooks & Dunn
| Brian Keith
| Susan Saint James
|
Holly Hunter
| Sean Diddy Combs
| Michael Eisner |
Kate Linder |
Stephen Schwartz
|
Angela Bassett
| Vince McMahon | Sherwood Schwartz
| Suzanne Pleshette
|
Lucho Gatica | Elizabeth
Montgomery
Stars honored on Hollywood
Walk of Fame in 2007
The Munchkins
| Ricky Martin
| Roger Moore
| Lew Wasserman
| Alan Ladd Jr.
| Jamie Foxx |
Vin Di Bona
| Michelle Pfeiffer
| Charles Champlin
| Matt Damon
| Eric Braeden
| Mike Curb |
Barbara Walters
| Stu Nahan |
Cole Porter |
Jon Peters
| Erik Estrada
| Forest Whitaker |
James Bacon | Halle Berry |
Dick Wolf
| Vanessa Williams
| Rodney Bingenheimer
|
The Doors
|
Jerry Stiller &
Anne Meara
| Donald Trump
| David Gerber | Hilary Swank
Stars honored on
Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006
Los Angeles Times |
Annette Bening
| Jerry Buss
| Tim McGraw |
Bruce Willis
| Ruta Lee
|
Bob Miller
| Amy Grant |
Milt and Bill Larsen
|
Leonard H. Goldenson
|
Stella Adler |
David Milch |
Wink Martindale |
Nancy Sinatra |
Jim Hill |
Dan Avey |
Vanna White |
Winnie The Pooh |
Lou Adler |
George Lopez | Destiny's Child
| Judge Judy | Mark & Kim |
Robert Osborne
| Queen Latifah | Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick
|
Motley Crue | Wayne Rogers
|
Dennis Quaid
CAMERON DIAZ
stars in this summer’s drama “My Sister’s Keeper,”
from director Nick Cassavetes. The film will be
released nationwide by Warner Bros. on June 26,
followed by another Warner Bros. suspense/drama “The
Box,” coming out this fall.
Diaz has been
honored for her work in a wide range films. A
four-time Golden Globe nominee, Diaz earned her
first nod in 1999 for her performance in the smash
hit comedy “There’s Something About Mary.” She was
also named the Best Actress of the Year by the New
York Film Critics Circle, and won an MTV Movie
Award. The following year, she was Golden
Globe-nominated for her role in “Being John
Malkovich,” for which she also received nominations
for a BAFTA Award and an individual Screen Actors
Guild (SAG) Award®, as well as a second
SAG Award® nomination shared with the
cast. Diaz garnered her third Golden Globe
nomination, as well as SAG Award® and
American Film Institute Award nominations, for her
performance in “Vanilla Sky.” She earned her fourth
Golden Globe nod for her role in Martin Scorsese’s
epic drama “Gangs of New York.”
Diaz made her
feature film debut in the 1994 comedy “The Mask.”
She went on to star in the smash hit romantic comedy
“My Best Friend’s Wedding,” the blockbuster actioner
“Charlie’s Angels,” and the sequel “Charlie’s
Angels: Full Throttle.” Her other credits include
“The Sweetest Thing,” “Things You Can Tell Just By
Looking at Her,” “Any Given Sunday,” “She’s the
One,” “Feeling Minnesota,” “Head Above Water,” “A
Life Less Ordinary,” “Very Bad Things,” “In Her
Shoes,” “The Holiday” and “What Happens in Vegas.”
She has also been
the voice of Princess Fiona in the Oscar®-winning
“Shrek” and its hit sequels “Shrek 2” and “Shrek the
Third.” She reprises her role in the upcoming
“Shrek Goes Fourth.”
William Wolf Handel
was born in Brazil in 1951. At the age of five, he
immigrated to the United States with his parents,
Leo and Nechama Handel. Growing up in the San
Fernando Valley, young William learned English
without the benefit of a bilingual education
program, and became one of the world’s leading
reproductive law experts.
In 1989, Bill began
doing a Saturday morning legal advice show on KFI.
Bill’s law show, “Handel on the Law”, is a unique
combination of marginal legal advice, and Handel’s
outrageous remarks. It didn’t take long for KFI to
realize that this politically incorrect, self –
proclaimed “Latino Jew” had the tell–it–like–it–is
attitude listeners were looking for. Bill soon was
given the coveted weekday morning show time slot.
The Bill Handel
Morning show quickly became the top morning show in
the market and "Handel on the Law" now goes out over
160 radio stations nationwide.
Whether you’re
talking about Big Brother, Big Business, Big Legal
Problems, or Big Macs, you’ll rarely find Bill
without an opinion. His rapid – fire commentary
gives listeners the information they want in the way
they want it.
Bill Handel is an
energetic, highly entertaining, yet smart
alternative to pseudo-intellectual, boring, talk
radio. For more than a million talk radio listeners
- waking up just wouldn’t be the same without Bill
Handel.
Despite his busy
schedule Handel finds time to work with various
charities such as the Susan G. Komen for the Cure,
City of Hope and Make a Wish Foundation.
Last July Handel celebrated the
morning show’s 15-year anniversary. He can be heard
on
KFI.640
on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and on Handel on
the Law on Saturdays from 6am to 11 am.
Kyra Sedgwick was
born in New York in 1965 and grew up in Manhattan.
. She made her professional acting debut at the
age of 16 on the soap opera “Another World.”
Sedgwick, whose
career has included critically-acclaimed roles on
stage, film and television, returns to her Golden
Globe®-winning role as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson
on TNT’s blockbuster series THE CLOSER which will
begin its fifth season on Monday, June 8 at 9
p.m. (ET/PT) on TNT. Her role as Deputy Police
Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson also earned her three
Emmy nominations, four SAG nominations, and a 2009
People Choice Award for "Favorite TV Diva".
On the big screen,
Sedgwick most recently appeared with Dwayne “The
Rock” Johnson in the football comedy
The Game Plan.
She also co-starred in and co-produced the
independent film
Loverboy.
Sedgwick’s other recent big-screen credits include
Cavedweller, which she developed and produced –
and for which she received a 2005 Independent Spirit
Award nomination for Best Actress; Nicole Kassell’s
award-winning The Woodsman, a dark drama
co-starring Kevin Bacon that won the Jury Prize at
the Deauville Film Festival, had its world premiere
in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and was
showcased in Cannes as part of the 2004 Director’s
Fortnight line-up; and Rebecca Miller’s Personal
Velocity, which won the Dramatic Grand Jury
Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.
Among Sedgwick’s
long list of feature film credits are
Phenomenon,
opposite John Travolta; Oliver Stone’s
Born on the Fourth of July;
the Merchant-Ivory production of
Mr. and Mrs. Bridge;
Singles;
Lemon Sky;
Hearts & Souls,
with Robert Downey Jr.; and
Montana,
with Stanley Tucci, Robin Tunney and Philip Seymour
Hoffman. She also co-starred in Fisher Stevens’
Just a Kiss;
Behind the Red Door,
opposite Keifer Sutherland and Stockard Channing;
and
Secondhand Lions,
co-starring Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Haley
Joel Osment.
For television,
Sedgwick co-starred opposite William H. Macy and
Helen Mirren in TNT’s Peabody Award-winning drama
Door to Door.
Other credits include
Something the Lord Made,
Twelfth Night (or What You Will)
and
Losing Chase,
which she executive-produced in addition to starring
opposite Mirren and Beau Bridges
Sedgwick’s theater
credits include The Culture Project’s New York
production of
The Exonerated,
Nicholas Hytner’s
Twelfth Night
at Lincoln Center,
Ah Wilderness!
for which she won the Theater Award, and David
Mamet’s
Oleanna,
which garnered her a Los Angeles Drama Critic’s
Circle Award and a Drama League Award.
Sedgwick can next
be seen in the futuristic thriller Gamer,
starring Gerard Butler, and Michael C. Hall, set to
be released September 4th.
Despite
her very busy schedule, Sedgwick is involved and one
of the board members of the NRDC-Natural Resources
Defense Council- The Earth’s Best Defense which is a
non-profit dedicated to protecting wildlife and wild
places, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for
all living things.
GEORGE HARRISON HONORED POSTHUMOUSLY WITH
STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME
Accepting the star will be George Harrison’s wife
Olivia and Dhani Harrison
2,382nd Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
1750 Vine Street in front of the legendary Capitol
Records building
Tuesday, April 14,
2009
George
Harrison was born on February 25, 1943 in Liverpool.
After a stint playing with his group the Rebels,
George, together with his schoolmate Paul McCartney,
joined John Lennon’s Quarrymen. He was fifteen at
the time, and the stage was set for The Beatles to
emerge as the best possible news in post-War
Britain.
Over the course of The Beatles' career, Harrison
played the role of guitarist, singer and songwriter.
His contributions to The Beatles’ catalogue include
I Need You, Taxman, While My
Guitar Gently Weeps, Something and Here Comes
the Sun, to name only a few. His
lifelong interest in Indian culture advanced
considerably through his friendship with Ravi
Shankar and affected all of The Beatles and their
musical explorations.
In the years immediately following the break-up of
The Beatles, George released his first solo album
All Things Must Pass to worldwide acclaim,
followed by further major recordings, the bulk of
which went gold or platinum. One could argue that
The Concert for Bangladesh, featuring George’s
friends Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ravi Shankar, Leon
Russell, Ringo Starr, and others, has had the
greatest impact. As a response to a world crisis,
it was like nothing that the music business had
witnessed up to that point and earned a Grammy for
Album of the Year in 1973.
In 1987 on the heels of George’s top ten album
Cloud Nine he formed the Traveling Wilburys with
Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. Handle
with Care was the Wilburys’ first single and it
caught the world by surprise. The Wilburys would go
on to earn a Grammy and are still remembered as the
“supergroup” with no equal.
After a life of excursions in the arts and spiritual
adventures, George Harrison passed away in 2001.
The following year, A Concert for George was
organized by Eric Clapton and Olivia Harrison.
Filmed at The Royal Albert Hall his former bandmates
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Tom Petty and Jeff
Lynne created a magical night. The event captured
something of the warm and intense impact George had
on those fortunate enough to know him well.
His songwriting was powerful enough to generate
standards in the field. His love for humour and
film turned him, almost inadvertently, into an
important movie producer. And, without a doubt, his
contribution to The Beatles left an indelible mark
on that band’s music and character—we hear it still.
Martin Scorsese is currently directing a documentary
feature about George's remarkable life, and on April
14, Capitol/EMI will announce plans for a new George
Harrison music release.
www.georgeharrison.com
The Miracles will be honored with the 2,381st star
on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 20, 2009 at
11:30 a.m., joining an elite group of performers and
entertainment industry professionals.
The star honorees are the original Miracles’
lineup: Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White (posthumously),
Pete Moore, Smokey Robinson, and the First Lady of
Motown, Claudette Robinson.
The Motown Sound began in 1959 with The Miracles,
the very first of Berry Gordy’s massively-successful
pool of performers. From their unpolished start,
they were special, diamonds in the rough. Gordy,
already a successful songwriter with hits by the
likes of Jackie Wilson and Etta James, heard it in
their voices and in the songs scribbled in Smokey’s
notebook.
With Gordy, The Miracles launched the “Sound of
Young America,” and the rest is musical history.
From their doo-wop roots, with songs like “Bad Girl”
and “Got A Job,” to the 60’s and 70’s smashes “Shop
Around,” “You Really Got A Hold On Me,” “Ooo Baby,
Baby,” “Tears Of A Clown,” “Do It Baby” and “Love
Machine,” The Miracles tore down barriers of
intolerance, and got the people of the world
dancing.
The group’s songwriting talents, close harmonies,
precise choreography, and the smooth lead tenor
sounds of Smokey Robinson was a combination
equivalent to musical dynamite. Add the premier
guitar work and songwriting of Marvin Tarplin,
career-long companion to The Miracles, and you’ve
got the soundtrack of a generation.
The music has never stopped. Fifty years after they
began, original member and beloved tenor/baritone
Bobby Rogers still tours and records with a new
lineup. Founding members Claudette Robinson and Pete
Moore occasionally join them for special
performances. She’s that lilting voice on the top
of the harmonies - her beauty and sweetness made her
the crush of countless teenage boys. And yes, she
really was the first girl singer ever signed to
Gordy’s hit-making company. Pete is that
irreplaceable smooth, deep bass on the bottom, which
made songs such as ‘Doggone Right’ and ‘Got A Job’
unforgettable.
Smokey Robinson performs non-stop as a solo artist,
his falsetto and charm intact, causing another
generation of girls to swoon. Always, all perform
in memory of late member Ronnie White.
Even the oldest songs are fresh today. When they
began, little did they know that they were singing
and writing songs that would become music standards.
Everywhere we go in the 21st century,
their voices and those songs are heard daily.
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Award-winning executive producer, writer, creator
Chuck Lorre has created and helmed some of the most
successful sitcoms in television history, ruling the
airwaves for the past 20 years, with hit shows like
“Grace Under Fire,” “Dharma & Greg,” and “Cybill.”
He currently is creator and executive producer of
Warner Bros. Television and the CBS hit comedies,
“Two and a Half Men” the number one comedy on
television and four-time People’s Choice Award
winner, and “The Big Bang Theory” one of
television’s fastest growing sophomore series which,
in its second season, is averaging more than 10
million viewers per week.
A native of Long Island, New York, Lorre got his
start as a guitarist/singer, touring the country and
writing several hundred pop songs that, as he puts
it, “helped keep him out of the big time” (Debbie
Harry’s top 40 hit “French Kissin’ in the USA” being
the lone exception). After more than a decade on
the road, Lorre decided to turn his attention to
television. He began writing animation scripts for
DIC and Marvel Productions, as well as writing and
producing the themes and scores for such animated
series as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
A spec primetime script soon led to freelance work
on the syndicated comedy “Charles In Charge” and
eventually to a staff job on the NBC sitcom “My Two
Dads”, starring Paul Reiser. Lorre’s big break came
in 1991, when he became a supervising producer on
the ABC/Carsey-Werner hit comedy “Roseanne.” Over
the next two seasons, during which he was upped to
co-executive producer, Lorre helped bring the show
to the height of its critical and popular acclaim,
shattering one sacred cow after another in the
process.
Since then, Lorre has dominated network television
by single-handedly keeping the multi-camera sitcom
alive through hit series that generate mass appeal.
He continues to break television records with “Two
and a Half Men.” It is the number one off-network
sitcom in syndication for the 2007–2008 season.
During this season, the rebroadcast of the show has
delivered more viewers than first-run episodes of
nearly every other sitcom.
In January 2009, Lorre kicked off the New Year when
he was honored with the NATPE Brandon Tartikoff
Legacy Award for exhibiting extraordinary passion,
leadership, independence and vision in the process
of creating television programming and in evoking
the spirit of Brandon Tartikoff’s generosity. This
past February, Lorre was presented with the 2009
Television Showman of the Year Award at the 46th
Annual ICG Publicists Awards Ceremony, which
recognizes individuals whose creative
accomplishments reflect the finest qualities of what
has traditionally been defined as showmanship.
Lorre will also receive the David Angell
Humanitarian Award on behalf of the American
Screenwriters Association for demonstrating his
charitable efforts at the Venice Family Clinic.
This award is presented to an individual in the
entertainment industry who contributes to global
well-being through their donation of time, expertise
or other support to improve the human condition.
Despite his busy schedule, Lorre is involved with
the aforementioned Venice Family Clinic, and the
Dharma/Grace Foundation, where he insisted that the
foundation directly benefit the people for whom the
money was intended. In other words, dollars had to
be translated immediately into services. Through the
Dharma/Grace Foundation, Lorre has made it possible
for funds to be distributed to the Clinic in
perpetuity. In 2002, Lorre was honored with the
Silver Circle Humanitarian Award for his compassion
and his determination to assure that the sick be
cared for, that children be given a healthy
beginning and that no one be turned away for lack of
financial resources. Another addition to the
clinic, The Robert Levine Family Health Center,
named after Lorre’s father, provided free healthcare
services to more than 4,000 women and teens in 2008
and continues to serve a growing number of patients
at 5% increase each year. In addition to serving as
a core benefactor and advocate for the organization,
Lorre is also a member of the Philanthropy Board.
SPECIAL NOTE: Lorre’s star is 13 stars away from his
“Two and a Half Men” lead, Charlie Sheen who was
honored in 1994.
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William Petersen was born in Evanston, Illinois, and
first discovered acting while on a football
scholarship at Idaho State University. He later
studied acting in Spain.
Petersen, who has a distinguished background in
film, theater and television, came to the attention
of audiences worldwide when he took the role of Gil
Grissom, the lead investigator on “CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation” in 2000. Petersen received a Golden
Globe Award nomination in 2003 for his role and
while he departed from the series this past January
2009, he remains an executive producer.
His television credits include “Long Gone,” “The Rat
Pack,” the Golden Globe Award winning mini-series
“The Kennedys of Massachusetts” and “The Beast.”
His feature film credits include “To Live and Die in
L.A.,” “Manhunter,” “Cousins,” “Young Guns II,”
“Fear,” “The Contender” and the films “Hard
Promises” and “Keep the Change,” both of which he
also produced.
In 1979, he founded the Remains Theater Ensemble in
Chicago with a group of fellow actors. In 1983,
Petersen starred as Jack Henry Abbott in “In the
Belly of the Beast” which he performed at the Wisdom
Bridge Theatre in Chicago, at the Edinburgh Festival
and at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in
Washington, DC.
In 1996 Petersen made his Broadway debut in a
revival of Tennessee Williams' “The Night of the
Iguana.” He has appeared in a number of regional
stage productions, including most recently “A Dublin
Carol” at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, “A
Streetcar Named Desire,” “The Time of Your Life,”
“Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Fool for Love” and
“Speed-the-Plow.”
Last fall Petersen became a member of the
Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble.
Audiences will next see him star in “Blackbird” on
stage at the Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago in
the summer of 2009.
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Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony Award winning actress
Glenn Close headlines her first television series as
high-stakes litigator Patty Hewes in the Sony
Pictures Television critically acclaimed original
legal thriller
Damages for FX, which begins its second
season on January 7, 2009. She won this year’s Emmy
Award as “Best Actress in a Drama Series,” a Golden
Globe (and was nominated for a SAG Award) as “Best
Actress in a TV Drama” for her riveting performance
on that show. Prior to
Damages,
Close won rave reviews and an Emmy nomination
for her portrayal of Captain Monica Rawling in a
season-long story arc on FX’s Emmy winning series
The Shield.
Glenn Close made her feature film debut in George
Roy Hill's The
World According to Garp. Her performance
in the film earned her awards from the Los Angeles
Film Critics Association and the National Board of
Review as well as an Academy Award nomination. She
was subsequently Oscar-nominated for her
performances in
The Big Chill,
The Natural;
the smash Fatal
Attraction; and
Dangerous Liaisons
(for which she was also a BAFTA Award nominee).
Close's other films include:
Jagged Edge;
Reversal of
Fortune,
Hamlet;
Meeting Venus;
The Paper;
101 Dalmatians;
102 Dalmatians;
Air Force One;
Cookie's Fortune;
The Safety of
Objects,
Le Divorce,
Heights,
Things You Can
Tell Just by Looking at Her and
Nine Lives,
and Evening.
She has been nominated eight other times for a
Golden Globe Award, winning for her performance in
Andrei Konchalovsky's television adaptation of
The Lion in Winter
(which also earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award).
The latter is among the television projects that
have brought her ten Emmy Award nominations, with a
win for her portrayal of real-life hero Margarethe
Cammermeyer in Serving
in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story,
which Close executive produced.
Her other notable films for television include the
taped staging of
The Elephant Man;
Something
About Amelia,
Stones for Ibarra,
In the Gloaming
(for which she won a CableACE Award) and the musical
remake of South
Pacific, in which she starred and sang as
Nellie Forbush, and which she executive-produced.
She executive produced and starred thrice opposite
Christopher Walken in the
Sarah, Plain and
Tall trilogy, directed, alternately, by
Glenn Jordan and Joseph Sargent. She likewise
executive produced and starred in
The Ballad of Lucy
Whipple, directed by Jeremy Kagan.
Glenn Close made her professional theater, and
Broadway debut in Harold Prince's revival of
Love for Love.
Other early stage credits include
The Crucifer of
Blood and the adaptation of
The Singular Life
of Albert Nobbs, for which she won an
Obie Award. Close's first Tony Award nomination came
for her role in the musical
Barnum
and she subsequently won Tony Awards for her
performances in
The Real Thing and
Death and the
Maiden, both directed by Mike Nichols.
For her portrayal of Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd
Webber's musical
Sunset Boulevard,
Close won a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, a Los
Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and a Dramalogue
Award. She would later reteam with the show's
director, Trevor Nunn, in London for his Royal
National Theatre revival of
A Streetcar Named
Desire.
She has been honored with a Crystal Award from Women
in Film; a GLAAD Media Award, a People's Choice
Award, the National Association of Theatre Owners'
Female Star of the Year award at ShoWest and a
Gotham Award for her contributions to the New York
independent filmmaking community.
Close is a trustee emeritus of The Sundance
Institute, with which she has been associated for
more than 17 years. She is also a trustee of The
Wildlife Conservation Society and volunteers at
Fountain House in New York City, a facility
dedicated to the recovery of men and women who
suffer with mental illness.
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Kiefer Sutherland was born on December 21,
1966 in London, England to parents Shirley
Douglas and the great actor Donald Sutherland. His
first role was in the movie “Max Dugan Returns” and
his first major motion picture role was in the
Canadian drama, “The Bay Boy,” which earned him a
Genie Award nomination. Following his success in
“The Bay Boy,” Sutherland eventually moved to Los
Angeles and landed a television appearance in an
episode of “Amazing Stories.”
Kiefer Sutherland currently stars in the critically
acclaimed Fox drama,
"24," for
which he has won a Golden Globe Award, an Emmy Award
and two SAG Awards, for
Best Actor in a
Drama Series. The show has also garnered
an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for “Best
Drama”. “24”
celebrates its 150th episode milestone
with the special two-night, four-hour Season Seven
premiere event Sunday, Jan. 11 and Monday,
Jan. 12 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX
The show has also
enjoyed tremendous success overseas, making it one
of the top international shows airing
internationally. A special “24” prequel aired on
November 23, 2008.
Upcoming, he will lend his voice to the character of
General W.R. Monger in Dreamworks Animations’ “
Monsters vs Aliens” which will be released on March
27, 2009.
Sutherland recently starred in New Regency’s
thriller “Mirrors.” The film, which co-starred Amy
Smart and Paula Patton, was released this past
summer. His other films include: “The Sentinel,”
“The River Queen,” “Taking Lives,” “Phone Booth”,
“A Soldier's Sweetheart,”
“Dark City”
“Truth or Consequences,” "Eye for an Eye," "A Time
to Kill,” "The Three Musketeers," "A Few Good
Men," Sutherland's other film credits include "Flatliners,"
"1969," "Young Guns," "Young Guns 2," "Bright
Lights, Big City," "The Lost Boys," "Promised Land,"
"At Close Range," and "Stand By Me."
Sutherland also provided the narration for “NASCAR:
The Imax Experience.”
Sutherland is the owner of Ironworks
Studio, record label, recording studio and
publishing company,
which he started along
with his long time friend,
singer/songwriter Jude Cole. Together they have
signed the following acts, Rocco DeLuca, Ron
Sexsmith Billy Boy on Poison and honeyhoney.
Despite his busy schedule, Sutherland finds
the time to assist various charities by doing PSA’s
on their behalf. They include: The Red Cross,
Malaria No More, C.A.R.E., City of Hope and many
others.
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Cate Blanchett was born on the 14th of
May, 1969, in Melbourne, Australia to a Texas Navy
officer and a school teacher. Blanchett attended
Melbourne’s Methodist Ladies College (where she
became the school drama captain and appeared in
various plays), and from there went on to Melbourne
University to study Fine Arts and Economics. She
decided to leave school to travel and to gain
experience before deciding on a career. She later
went on to graduate from Australia’s National
Institute of Dramatic Art.
Cate Blanchett has worked extensively in the
theater, with Company B, a loose ensemble of actors
including Geoffrey Rush, Gillian Jones and Richard
Roxburgh. Her roles include: Miranda (“The
Tempest”), Ophelia (“Hamlet” –for which she was
nominated for a Green Room Award), Nina (“The
Seagull”) and Rose (“The Blind Giant is Dancing”).
For the Sydney Theater Company (STC) she appeared in
“Top Girls”, David Mamet’s “Oleanna” (awarded The
Sydney Theater Critics Award for Best Actress),
“Sweet Phoebe”, “Kafka Dances” (also for The Griffin
Theatre Company) for which she received the Critics
Circle award for best newcomer.
Her television credits include lead roles in
“Bordertown” and “Heartland,” both for the
Australian Broadcasting Commission.
Cate’s film roles include “Paradise Road,” “Thank
God He Met Lizzie,” “Oscar and Lucinda” opposite
Ralph Fiennes. This role earned her an AFI
nomination for Best Actress. She went on to work in
the following films: “Pushing Tin,” “An Ideal
Husband”, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “The Gift,”
“The Man Who Cried,” “Bandits,” “An Ideal Husband,”
“The Shipping News,” “Lord of the Rings: Fellowship
of the Ring,” “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.”
Our honoree went on to win the Golden Globe for Best
Actress in a Drama and a BAFTA for Best Actress in a
leading role for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in
the critically acclaimed “Elizabeth.” She also
received a Best Actress nomination from the Screen
Actors Guild and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
& Sciences.
In 2002, Cate was also seen in the title role of
“Charlotte Gray,” directed by Gillian Armstrong and
based on Sebastian Faulks’ best-selling novel. Cate
also appeared in “Heaven,” opposite Giovanni Ribisi
and directed by Tom Tykwer, which premiered at the
Berlin Film Festival where the film was awarded the
Golden Camera Award.
In 2003, Cate was seen in “Veronica Guerin.” Her
performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination in
the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a
Motion Picture – Drama and a nomination by the
Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association for
Best Actress. The film was released in October,
2003. She also starred in the Columbia Pictures’
thriller, “The Missing,” opposite Tommy Lee Jones
for director Ron Howard. The film was released in
November, 2003.
In early 2004, Cate appeared in the film “Coffee &
Cigarettes”. In this United Artists release, Cate
played two roles – herself and the role of her
cousin. Her performances earned her a Best
Supporting Female nomination for the 2005
Independent Spirit Awards.
In July, 2004, Cate returned to the Sydney Theatre
Company to play the title role in Andrew Upton’s
adaptation of “Hedda Gabler.” The play was a
critical success earning her the prestigious
Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Play. She
also starred in her first Australian film in several
years, “Little Fish,” directed by Rowan Woods, for
which she was awarded Best Actress by the Australian
Film Institute.
Cate received an Academy Award for her portrayal as
Katharine Hepburn in “The Aviator,” directed by
Martin Scorsese. She was also honored with the
BAFTA Award and a SAG Award for her role in this
2004 release.
In 2006 Cate was seen in “Babel,” opposite Brad
Pitt. The film received a Golden Globe Award and
was nominated for an Academy Award and a SAG
Ensemble Award. Cate was also seen in “The Good
German,” costarring with George Clooney. She
received a Golden Globe nomination, a SAG nomination
and an Academy Award nomination for “Notes on A
Scandal,” opposite Judi Dench. Also in 2006, Cate
and her husband, Andrew Upton, were named
co-directors of the Sydney Theatre Company. Their
debut season begins in 2009.
In 2007, Cate reprised her role as Queen Elizabeth
in Shekhar Kapur’s “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” for
Universal. She was recognized with several award
nominations for “Best Actress” by organizations
including the Broadcast Film Critics Association,
Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA and The Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences. Cate is one of only five
actors in the history of the Oscars to receive a
nomination for portraying the same role in two
different films. Also in 2007, Cate co-starred with
Christian Bale, Richard Gere and Heath Ledger in
Todd Haynes’ “I’m Not There,” for which she was
awarded Best Actress at the Venice International
Film Festival. Additionally, Cate received a
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, an
Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress and
nominations by the Broadcast Film Critics
Association, British Academy of Film, the Screen
Actors Guild and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts
& Sciences.
This past summer, Cate was seen alongside Harrison
Ford and Shia LaBeouf in the fourth installment of
the “Indiana Jones” franchise, directed by Steven
Spielberg. The film had its World Premiere at the
Cannes Film Festival.
On December 25th,
Cate will share the screen with Brad Pitt in
Paramount’s release of “The Curious Case of Benjamin
Button,” directed by David Fincher.
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A prolific lyricist and writer, Sir Tim Rice was
born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, in the fall of
1944. Rice pursued his university education at
Lancing College and briefly at l'Universite de Paris
- Sorbonne. He was considering a legal career around
the time that he met Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1965.
Three years later, the two young men composed a
20-minute pop musical that would eventually become
Joseph and the
Amazing
Technicolor
Dreamcoat. The piece premiered in 1968
at the Colet Court School in the City of London.
During the following months, Rice and Webber
lengthened the show to 30 minutes, and a record
album of 'Joseph' (with Rice singing the role of
Pharaoh) was made at the end of the year.
Remaining in partnership with Webber, his next
project was
Jesus Christ Superstar. Introduced to the
public as a concept album in 1970, the opera
propelled Rice and Webber to international stardom.
Staged versions appeared the following year, and
their popularity led to the film
Jesus Christ Superstar
(1973). Following 'Superstar', Rice and Webber
returned to their previous project, expanding it to
its finalized form. The concept album for
Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was
released in 1974.
The duo went on to collaborate in their third
musical called
Evita . Its concept album was
released in 1976. Rice won two Tony Awards for the
show.
Rice’s next work,
Blondel,
appeared in 1983. Set to music by
Stephen Oliver,
Blondel was
arguably the most comic and witty of Rice's major
works. The opera
Chess
followed, with its concept album arriving in 1984.
Former
Abba songwriters Bjorn Ulvaeus and
Benny Andersson provided the music
for Chess,
and the concept album was an international hit. Chess
was staged in London in 1986 with great success.
In 1991, he was hired to finish the lyrics for the
Walt Disney film
Aladdin, and Disney
subsequently teamed him with
Elton John for
The Lion King. Rice
also composed additional lyrics for the stage
version of Disney's film
Beauty and the Beast,
which opened on
Broadway in 1994. A stage version
of
The Lion King opened on
Broadway in 1997, as he was
working with Elton John on two new projects -
Aida,
which opened on
Broadway in 2000, and which won
him the Tony Award and the Dreamworks film
The Road to El Dorado.
Rice is also the recipient of three Oscars - all for
Best Original Song in a motion picture:
A Whole New
World from
Aladdin (with
Alan Menken) Can
You Feel The Love Tonight from
Lion King
(with Elton John)
You Must Love Me
from Evita
(with Andrew Lloyd Webber).
The 1991 to 2000 period also saw a flurry of
activity for Tim Rice's earlier works. Major revival
productions of
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'and
Jesus Christ
Superstar
were staged in many parts of the world.
Additionally, there was the film
Evita (1996), as
well as the TV films
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
and Jesus
Christ Superstar).
In 1994, Rice was knighted by HRH Queen Elizabeth
II. He
was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999
and was, in 2002, named a
Disney Legend.
He
released his autobiography
Oh What a Circus -
The Autobiography of Tim Rice in 1998,
which covered his childhood and early adult life. He
is currently working on a sequel.
Apart from theatre and film, Rice has written
recurring columns for UK newspapers, as well as
having shown up regularly on BBC Radio and
Television. In 1973, he founded a cricket side - The
Heartaches - for which he serves as a manager as
well as a player. He also makes regular
contributions to various cricket magazines.
He continues to have projects in development for the
theatre and for film.
Back to Top
It took the
biggest state in the union to give us Pedro Gonzalez
Gonzalez, but it took the biggest name in comedy to
deliver him to the big screen.
It would be
an understatement to say that Pedro was an unlikely
candidate for Hollywood stardom. He was born in a
small tent used by his family — a vaudeville
traveling theater troupe in poor, rural Texas.
Although he was known to knock ’em dead with his
marimba number, played on frying pans, Pedro
specialized in improvisational comedy, a talent that
would come in handy as a contestant on Groucho
Marx’s “You Bet Your Life,” where he famously stole
the show in an unforgettable moment in TV history.
He had no idea the flurry he had caused; he didn’t
own a television and hadn’t seen the show.
With $350 in
prize money, and a plane ticket to Hollywood - that,
being a family man first, he would cash it in for a
bus ticket instead so he could give the difference
to his wife, Leandra, to take care of their three
children - Pedro was hardly prepared for what came
next: Hollywood’s dreamed-of knock at the door. His
appearance on the show was such a huge success that
it caught the eye of legend, John Wayne, who signed
Pedro to a contract with his production company,
BatJack Productions.
Pedro made
his feature film debut alongside Van Heflin in
Wings of the Hawk,
and appeared in other films with John Wayne
including William A. Wellman’s
The High and the
Mighty, Howard Hawk’s
Rio Bravo,
and Andrew V. McLaglen’s
McLlintock!,
Hellfighters
and
Chisum. Over the next 30 years, Pedro
starred in dozens of movies, and more than 50 TV
shows, from The
Jimmy Durante Show and
The Adventures of
Ozzie and Harriet to
Wanted Dead or Alive and
American Family. This is especially
impressive, since he could not read or write English
or Spanish, as he never had the means to continue
schooling beyond the second grade. His wife of 62
years would read him the scripts so he could
memorize his lines.
Not having
an education was always a regret to Pedro, he made
sure he put his kids through school and became an
advocate of education. He was awarded an
Encouragement to Students Certificate from the South
Side Independent School District Board of Education.
Buena Vista School in San Antonio, Texas proclaimed
December 9th, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez Day.
Additionally, a scholarship fund from the Latin
Business Association was set up in Pedro’s name last
year to purchase books for students in the Los
Angeles School District.
Pedro’s work
in Hollywood extended far beyond the studio walls;
he entertained to support organizations such as
United Cerebral Palsy and the March of Dimes. Pedro
also received the Nosotros Golden Eagle Hall of
Fame Award, Latin Business Association’s Chairman
Visionary Award, USC’s Variety Arts Headliner Award,
Certificate of Merit by the Latino/Hispanic Heritage
Subcommittee of SAG and AFTRA, and a Certificate of
Appreciation from the City of Los Angeles, to name a
few.
In the end,
Pedro would be honored to know that the boy born
dirt-poor in Aguilares, Texas earned his star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Back to Top
 Popular film producers Richard Donner and Lauren
Shuler Donner will be honored with a rare double
star ceremony at the historical Egyptian Theatre.
Director/producer
Richard Donner
is the creative force behind some of the most
popular movies of the last twenty years: “The
Omen”, “Superman”, the “Lethal Weapon” series and
“Maverick”.
After moving to Los Angeles, he won the assignment
of directing his friend Steve McQueen for the
television series “Wanted: Dead or Alive”. In 1961,
he directed Charles Bronson in “X-15,” a melodrama
about Air Force test pilots. He continued directing
such television series as “The Twilight Zone,” “The
Fugitive,” “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” and “Kojak”.
During the 1970’s, Donner directed several acclaimed
movies-of-the-week, and in 1975 directed his first
successful major feature, “The Omen”, which was
released the following year to record-setting
business. He next took on the task of transferring
the adventures of the most popular pulp hero in five
decades to film. Under his direction, “Superman
-The Movie” became one of the all-time biggest
international hits.
Four films followed the success of “Superman”:
“Inside Moves”; “The Toy” starring Jackie Gleason
and Richard Pryor; “Ladyhawke”, by far his favorite
for many reasons, (most importantly because he fell
in love with producer Lauren Shuler, who later
became his wife) and “The Goonies”, produced with
Steven Spielberg.
In “Lethal Weapon”, Donner introduced two cops who
would become the Cinema’s most popular crime
fighting duo, played by Danny Glover and Mel
Gibson. “Lethal Weapon 2” proved even more
successful, and the two stars teamed up for “Lethal
Weapon 3”, released in May of 1992, which went on to
become one of the highest-grossing pictures of all
time, earning more than $150 million. “Lethal Weapon
4”, with all the favorites, Mel Gibson, Danny
Glover, Rene Russo and Joe Pesci, was released in
July of 1998, this time introducing Chris Rock and
Jet Li. The Lethal Weapon quartet has grossed
close to a billion dollars.
Donner’s other films include: “Scrooged,”
“Radio Flyer,” “Lost Boys,” “Maverick,” “Assassins,”
“Timeline,” “Superman II, The Richard Donner Cut and
Warner Bros.’“16 Blocks.”
In the past two decades,
Lauren Shuler Donner
has established herself as one of the most
successful and versatile producers in Hollywood. To
date, her films have grossed two and a half billion
dollars worldwide.
Shuler Donner is having a particularly prolific year
with four highly-anticipated films upcoming.
Recently wrapped and in post-production is “X Men
Origins: Wolverine,” starring Hugh Jackman, which is
the next chapter in the successful “X Men” film
franchise produced by Shuler Donner. 20th
Century Fox will release the film in May, 2009.
Also currently in post-production is “Cirque
du Freak,” a Universal film written by
Paul Weitz who also directed the
adaptation of the bestselling young adult's book
series by Darren Shan.
The first of Shuler Donners’ four films to be
released nationwide on October 17, is “The Secret
Life of Bees” for Fox Searchlight, which is written
and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The film
stars Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer
Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo and Paul Bettany.
Production
has also wrapped on DreamWorks' "Hotel for Dogs”
which stars Emma Roberts and is based on the 1971
children's book of the same name. The film is
scheduled for release on January 23, 2009.
In 2000, Shuler Donner began a new franchise with “X
Men”, and followed up in 2003 with "X2". The film
was released by Twentieth Century Fox on May 2nd
and broke box office records with an opening weekend
total of $86 million dollars nationwide. Not only
did the film gross $406 million dollars
internationally, it is also the only sequel of 2003
to receive critical acclaim as well. “X3- The Last
Stand” was released in May, 2006 and a month later
it was on its way to the half billion dollar mark
for domestic and international box office.
Shuler Donner’s other films include: “Mr. Mom,” “Ladyhawke,”
“Dave,” “Free Willy,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “ Any Given
Sunday,” “Constantine,” “St. Elmo’s Fire” and
“Pretty in Pink,” both of which garnered platinum
records for their soundtracks.
Together the
Donners worked on the “Free Willy” trilogy.
Shuler Donner is a dedicated philanthropist who
thrives on giving back to the community. She was on
the Board of Directors for Hollygrove Children’s
Home until it merged with EMQ in 2006. She has been
on the Advisory Board of Women in Film, the Advisory
Boards of TreePeople and Planned Parenthood and the
Executive Committee of the Producer’s Branch of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is
serving currently on the Advisory Board of the
Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, the
Advisory Board of the Natural Resources Defense
Council, and the Board of Directors for the
Producers Guild of America.
Lauren and Richard were honored by The American
Cancer Society in June of 2006 and were honored this
past May by Lupus LA.
Back to Top
-
I have known Tim Robbins for over 25 years. I met
him at the Déjà Vu Coffee House. He is really
tall…I literally looked up to him. He is really
brave, smart and funny. I actually became his
stalker because I wanted to be part of his world.
He went on to say, is this a good location?
Because I think you deserve a great piece of real
estate. -- Jack Black
-
I have not known quite as long as Jack Black has
but I do know him in the biblical sense. At least
I hope Jack doesn’t know him that way. I am so
pleased to be a part of his life and I want to
present Tim’s best production, our three kids. …
Its good to know that Tim has a great piece of
real estate especially in the market today. --
Susan Sarandon
-
Thanks you all for being here. I am really honored
to get this. I used to take the bus from here to
Burbank to go to work and when the bus was late, I
would walk up and down and thrown my cigarettes
down and now I have the honor of having this done
to my star. I also want to thank Marilyn Monroe,
Elvis Presley and Darth Vader for being here
(characters in front of Chinese Theatre who walked
by). ... My kids are inspiring to me. Sometimes I
stick my neck out by speaking but I have so much
hope for the future of these young people. --
Tim Robbins
Born October 16, 1958 in West Covina, California and
raised in New York City's Greenwich Village, Tim
Robbins has a long list of notable credits as an
actor, director, writer and producer of films and
theater.
Key acting roles are in such films as
Mystic River,The
Secret Life of Words,
Catch a Fire,
The Player
and Short Cuts,
The Shawshank
Redemption,
The Hudsucker
Proxy, War of the Worlds, Arlington Road,
Code 46,
Human Nature,
Five Corners,
Jacob’s Ladder and
Bull Durham.
Robbins will next be seen in
Fox Walden’s
City of Ember,
which
opened nationwide October 10,
2008.
Robbins has won numerous awards for his acting
including an Oscar®, Golden Globe and Screen Actors
Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor for
Mystic River,
Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the
Golden Globe for Best Actor for
The Player.
He was nominated by the Golden Globes for Best Actor
for Bob Roberts
and by the Screen Actors Guild for Best Actor for
The Shawshank
Redemption. Warner Home Video will be
releasing
The Shawshank Redemption,
which Robbins considers one of his four all-time
favorite films in a magnificent new Blu-Ray Hi-Def
version on December 2.
As a director,
Robbins distinguished himself with
Cradle Will Rock,
which he also wrote and produced, winning Best Film
and Best Director at the Sitges Film Festival in
Barcelona and the National Board of Review Award for
Special Achievement in Filmmaking in the United
States.
Dead Man Walking,
which he also wrote and produced, won multiple
awards including the Academy Award for Best Actress
for Susan Sarandon, the Christopher Award, the
Humanitas Award and four awards at the Berlin Film
Festival, as well as four Oscar nominations
including Best Director and a Golden Globe
nomination for Best Screenplay.
His first film,
Bob Roberts, won the Bronze Award at the
Tokyo International Festival and Best Film, Best
Director and Best Actor at the Boston Film Festival.
Robbins also serves as Artistic Director for the
Actors’ Gang, a theater company formed in 1982 that
has over 80 productions and more than 100 awards to
their credit. As a playwright he has been produced
in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and
at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. His latest
play, Embedded,
played to sold out audiences for over four months at
the Public Theater in New York before playing the
Riverside Studios in London and embarking on a
National Tour in the U.S.
Most recently he directed the Actors Gang in their
shockingly relevant and wildly successful adaptation
of George
Orwell's 1984 which for the past two
years has toured to over 40 states and to four
continents.
From 2006 until the present, Le Petit Theatre de
Pain's production of
Embedded
has been touring France, most recently playing
at the Theatre du Soleil in Paris. In the US,
Embedded was revived recently in productions in
Chicago and Tampa Bay.
Robbins is also very proud to sponsor educational
programs with the Actors Gang that provide arts
education to Elementary, Middle and High School
students in the L.A. area. The Gang has also worked
for the past three years providing theatrical
workshops to incarcerated inmates in the L.A. prison
system.
Back to Top
The Westmores, a legendary family dynasty of makeup
artists have defined beauty and glamour and set the
trends over the decades. George Westmore and his
six sons, Monte, Ern, Perc, Wally, Bud, and Frank
changed the face of Hollywood, literally.
Pioneers of their industry, the Westmores not only
created, but they defined the role of makeup artists
in Motion Pictures. George Westmore opened the very
first makeup department at Selig Studios in 1917.
Whether it was First National, Selznick, Eagle-Lion,
MGM, or at Warner Brothers, Paramount, 20th
Century-Fox, and Universal, the brothers were
responsible for creating the signature looks for
stars like Rudolph Valentino, Clara Bow, Elizabeth
Taylor, Bette Davis, Audrey Hepburn, and even the
teenage fashion doll, Barbie.
Wally received acclaim for his work on
Dr. Jekel and Mr.
Hyde where he was able to create
Neanderthal-like characteristics with wax and
further evolve his actor gruesome transformation on
film with the use of colored lens filters.
In 1931, Ern Westmore received the Academy Cup, the
first award ever presented to a makeup artist for
his work on
Cimarron starring Richard Dix and Irene
Dunne.
On the epic film,
Gone with the Wind,
it was Monte that made Vivian Leigh's hazel eyes
appear green at the request of the Director, David
O. Selznick.
In 1936, Paul Muni won the Best Actor award for
The Story of Louis
Pasteur. He thanked only one person,
“Perc Westmore deserves as much credit as I for this
award.”
Together, in 1935, the Westmore brothers opened the
most prestigious salon of it's time, the
House of Westmore
on 6638 Sunset Strip.
Most notable of all of Bud's creations was the
molded foam rubber suit he designed for the cult
classic The
Creature from the Black Lagoon. Bud was
also the makeup genius behind
The Munsters.
Frank, the youngest of the brothers, was the first
Westmore to receive an Emmy award for his
ground-breaking work on the television feature
film, Kung Fu
in 1972. He was nominated for the
Kung Fu
television series the following year and for his
work in 1983 for
A Love Affair: The
Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story. He was also
the makeup supervisor for the epic film,
The Ten
Commandments.
Currently, this family's remarkable achievements
continue through the work of 3rd and 4th
generation Westmore's as notable makeup artists,
hairstylists, performers, and producers.
The youngest of Monte Sr.'s three sons, Michael,
received an Oscar and a British Academy Award
nomination in 1986 for his artistry on
Mask,
also nine Emmy statuettes and an impressive 42 Emmy
nominations over the course of his career. To date,
he holds the record for more Emmy nominations than
any other makeup artist. Academy Award nominations
include 2010,
Clan of the Cave Bear and
Star Trek: First
Contact. Michael designed 18 years of
the Star Trek
Universe, the
Rocky
films and Raging
Bull.
Marvin Westmore has a British Academy Award
nomination for his work on the future noir film,
Blade Runner
(1983) and has six Emmy nominations for TV series
and specials;
The Rat Pack, Space Rangers,”V” The Rescue, “V” The
Final Battle, Elvis, and
Frankenstein. He is the Founder and CEO
for both the
Westmore Academy of Cosmetic Arts
and The George Westmore Research
Library and Museum in Burbank, California.
With 57 years experience in the industry, Monty
Jr.'s remarkable work can be seen in films
Where the Money Is,
Se7en, The Shawshank Redemption, Jurassic Park,
and
The Towering Inferno. He was Oscar
nominated for his work in 1991 for
Hook and
received Emmy nominations for
The Late Shift and
Who Will Love My Children .
Collectively, this family has delivered believable
characters that we love in over 1,500 movies,
television shows, and specials. Their artistic hand
has influenced Hollywood in film and in television
where stars were made, and most, were made up by the
Westmores.
Back to Top
POP CULTURE MUSIC ICONS VILLAGE PEOPLE CELEBRATED
THEIR 30TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A STAR ON THE
HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME
The star was unveiled one block north of the
YMCA, between two other pop culture icons, Liberace
and Betty Grable, directly in front of American
Vintage Clothing Store
2,369th Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6529 Hollywood Boulevard in front of American
Vintage
on Friday, September 12,
2008
Village People forever changed the landscape of pop
music and pop culture when the group’s first two
mega hit singles,
San
Francisco/Hollywood in 1977 and
Macho Man
in 1978, became the anthems for a generation of
teens and young adults seeking the freedom to dance,
sing and express themselves with a new kind of
music. The group has since sold more than 100
million albums and singles internationally, and
remains as popular today as it was then. From
faithful fans who were there in the beginning, to
new, younger audiences who have found their own
meaning in the music and performance, Village People
continues to perform to sell-out crowds around the
world.
MUSIC HISTORY IN THE MAKING:
In 1977, producer/composer Jacques Morali, with
partner Henri Belolo, couldn’t help but notice
Felipe Rose dancing in his Indian costume before an
enthusiastic crowd in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Rose’s performance, and the response he was getting,
made a significant impression on Morali and Belolo.
Later, they began to contemplate the entertainment
impact and potential for success that a group of
guys representing the many Village icons might have
on a larger, mass audience.
Village People quickly became both a major recording
and live concert success. Their biggest hit records
include YMCA,
Macho Man, In The Navy, Can’t Stop the Music, Go
West and
San Francisco/Hollywood.
YMCA is,
to date, their best selling single, amassing sales
of over 12 million units worldwide (three million in
the U.S. alone). Their catalog of combined LP’s and
singles has topped 100 million in worldwide sales.
Both Madonna and Michael Jackson have performed as
opening acts for the group.
Celebrating 30 years as international disco music
icons, Village People continues to perform to
sold-out audiences around the world, entertaining
ardent fans and followers from the early days to
new, younger fans who are discovering the group and
their music for themselves. This year alone, the
group has performed in Brazil, Finland, Ireland,
South Africa, France, Italy, Spain, Romania, Poland
and Canada; and many states in the U.S., including
California, Michigan, Texas, Florida, Georgia,
Massachusetts, Kentucky, Tennessee, Minnesota,
Arizona, Nevada, New York, Connecticut and New
Jersey.
Today, the Village People legacy endures and
continues to be reinvented through the six
performers who don the iconic costumes that first
captured and captivated the world’s attention in
1977.
They are:
Ray
Simpson,
who replaced Victor Willis as the group’s lead
singer/Cop character in 1979, beginning with the
group’s cult hit film
Can’t Stop the
Music. He is the brother of Valerie
Simpson, of the legendary songwriting/recording team
Ashford & Simpson.
Felipe Rose,
who is the one and only Indian, and was the basis
for the creation of the group. He is half-Native
American and half-Puerto Rican. Felipe is active in
Native American affairs.
Alexander Briley,
the one and only G.I./Military Man.
David Hodo,
the original Construction Man (he took a leave from
the group for a few years in the mid-1980’s).
Jeff Olson,
who replaced Randy Jones as the Cowboy in 1980, just
after Can’t Stop
the Music.
Eric Anzalone,
who became the group’s Biker/Leatherman in 1995,
after the death from lung cancer of original member
Glenn Hughes.
With a global fan base and a worldwide tour schedule
that attests to the group’s enduring and increasing
popularity, Village People is proud to be recognized
by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for their
contribution and influence on contemporary music and
media, and American pop culture.
Back to Top
Howie Mandel’s
versatile career has encompassed virtually all
aspects of the entertainment spectrum, including
television, film and stage. From his work on the
Emmy-Award winning “St. Elsewhere,” to the
international animated children’s series “Bobby’s
World,” Howie has become a mainstay of the American
comedy scene.
Howie started his
career on a dare during a trip to Los Angeles in
1979. He was at the legendary Comedy Store on
amateur night and Howie was coaxed by his friends to
get up and try his luck. As fate would have it,
there was a producer in the crowd who immediately
hired him to appear on the comedy game-show “Make Me
Laugh”. His appearance on the show led to talk show
appearances, a stint as Diana Ross’ opening act and
eventually to the television series, “St.
Elsewhere,” where Howie spent six seasons as “Dr.
Wayne Fiscus” on the award-winning NBC drama.
Howie’s Emmy
Award-nominated animated children series, “Bobby’s
World”, ran eight seasons on FOX and now appears in
syndication six days a week in 65 countries. As the
series’ creator and executive producer, Howie was
closely involved in its writing, as well as
providing the voice of Bobby, Bobby’s dad and other
characters. Howie attributes the show’s success to
drawing the story lines from real life.
Howie has done
countless comedy specials both on cable and network
television. He has also hosted his own syndicated
talk show, The Howie Mandel Show," and continues to
be a mainstay on the talk-show circuit. He
frequently appears on “The Tonight Show” with Jay
Leno performing his signature hidden-camera bits.
He also is one of the first people that Regis calls
to fill in for him when he takes a vacation from
“Live with Regis and Kelly.” Howie also continues
to perform as many as 200 concerts a year throughout
the US and Canada.
Back to Top
All his life,
Charles Durning has beaten the odds. As a World War
II hero, he has been honored by being the recipient
of three Purples Hearts and one Silver Star for his
bravery. He was the only member of his unit to
survive the Omaha Beach “D-Day” siege on June 6th,
1944. He was taken prisoner a few months later at
the Battle of the Bulge, the war’s bloodiest battle,
and survived a mass execution of prisoners. Even
though his legs had been strafed by machine gun
fire, he went on to become a professional dancer and
received his first Academy Award nomination for the
film “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” where he sang
and danced his way through the movie.
Not only did Charles
Durning become a good actor as well, he became one
of the most critically lauded, steadily working
character actors of our generation, appearing in
over 200
films and television shows! And this year… he was
honored with the prestigious SAG Life Achievement
Award.
One of the most
versatile actors of our time, Durning has received
two Academy Award nominations for his comedic turns
in “To Be or Not To Be” and “Best Little Whorehouse
in Texas”. He won a Tony Award for his
interpretation of Big Daddy in the 1990 Broadway
revival hit of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and also won
a Golden Globe Award for “The Fitzgeralds and the
Kennedys”. Charles Durning has been nominated for
nine Emmy Awards including one for his current work
in the FX Network show “Rescue Me.” Pretty good for
a guy who once had a stutter and has been quoted as
saying he lacks confidence at times.
Yes, all his life,
Charles Durning has beaten the odds.
Despite his busy
schedule, this World War II hero has never forgotten
his fellow veterans. Every year for the past 15
years, Charles Durning goes to Washington DC to
dedicate his time to perform in a Memorial Day
Concert dedicated to all the veterans, past,
present, and future.
Back to Top
Brooks & Dunn
are an American country music duo, consisting of
singer-songwriters Kix Brooks (born Leon Eric Brooks
III,
May 12,
1955
in Shreveport, Louisiana) and Ronnie Dunn (born
Ronald Gene Dunn,
June 1,
1953
in Coleman, Texas). Both Brooks and Dunn had worked
as singer-songwriters before the duo’s formation,
charting singles of their own in the 1980s before
releasing their first album as a duo in 1991.
Brooks &
Dunn were an immediate success, with their first
four singles all reaching the top of the
Billboard
country music chart. Their debut album,
Brand New Man,
became a sales blockbuster, now RIAA-certified for
sales of six million copies. Brooks & Dunn have
remained a dynamic force in country music, releasing
more than 40 singles, twenty-three of which have
reached number one on the country charts, including
such hits as “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “My Maria,”
“Only in America,” and “Play Something Country.”
Their album discography includes two greatest-hits
compilations, a Christmas collection, and ten studio
albums – most recently,
Cowboy Town.
The
best-selling country duo of all time, Brooks & Dunn
have sold more than 30 million albums. They have
more than 80 industry awards to their credit,
including two Grammy Awards and seven American Music
Awards. Brooks & Dunn are also the most awarded act
in Academy of Country Music and Country Music
Association history, collectively named Entertainer
of the Year four times by the ACM and CMA.
The duo
has consistently remained among country music’s most
popular touring acts, a testament both to their
showmanship and to their status as one of the true
bedrock artists of contemporary country music. They
recently took their show to Australia for the first
time, attracting sellout crowds throughout their
stay. This summer, they are on tour for a string of
nearly 20 dates in the U.S. and Canada with music
icons, ZZ Top.
Besides
their busy schedules, Brooks & Dunn still find the
time to work on philanthropic projects with groups
such as the Ronald McDonald House, St. Jude
Children’s Hospital, and Country in the
Rockies – an annual event in support of the Frances
Williams Preston laboratories at the
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. In
2007, Brooks & Dunn were recognized for their many
charitable works when they were presented with the
Academy of Country Music/Home Depot Humanitarian
Award.
Back to Top
Well-known fixture
of American stage, television, and screen,
Brian was born Robert Alba Keith on November 14,
1921 in Bayonne, New Jersey. His parents were
vaudevillians Robert Keith and
Helena Shipman.
Brian had an early exposure to stage life, as well
as an appearance, at age three, in the silent film,
Pied Piper
Malone. After that his budding acting
career was mostly shelved for over twenty years.
At age nineteen, in the summer of 1941, he joined
the Marine Corps, serving throughout the duration of
World War II, with two years in combat as a tail
gunner. He was discharged in 1945 and subsequently
awarded the Air Medal for his service in the Solomon
Islands Campaign, as well as the Asiatic-Pacific
Campaign medal with three bronze stars.
After his discharge, Keith took up the family
trade, settling in New York as a stage actor. He
performed in many Broadway productions, including
Mr. Roberts
and The Moon is
Blue. He also appeared in innumerable
programs in the pioneering medium of television,
credited as Robert Keith, Jr.
In 1953 he was cast with Charlton Heston and Jack
Palance in the Paramount picture,
The Arrowhead.
From then on, he managed parallel movie and
television careers that spanned five decades. Among
his most memorable movie roles was that of Teddy
Roosevelt in The
Wind and the Lion, but he played a myriad
of parts, from a Russian scientist in
Meteor,
to a beleaguered family man in
With Six You Get
Egg Roll. He is perhaps most fondly
remembered for his role as the father of twins in
the 1961 film
The Parent Trap,
co-starring Hayley Mills and Maureen O'Hara.
In television he was equally versatile, from his
early days in such playhouse productions as
Alfred Hitchcock
Presents, through nine series of his own,
including Sam Peckinpah’s groundbreaking program,
The Westerner,
and Stephen Cannell’s
Hardcastle and
McCormick. It was his role as Uncle Bill,
in Family Affair
that was his best-known. He garnered three Emmy
nominations during the five-year run of that series
In his last film,
Rough Riders,
in1997,
Mr. Keith played President
William McKinley.
Director
John Milius
dedicated Rough
Riders to "Brian Keith, Actor, Marine,
Raconteur."
He was a man of courage and honor, a hard-working
professional, and, to his many fans, a beloved
entertainer over a long and diverse career. He is
remembered fondly.
Special note: Keith’s star is next to the star of
his friend Walt Disney.
Back to Top
Susan Saint James was born Susan Jane Miller at
Cedar’s of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles,
California (now Cedars Sinai) and brought home to
Hollywood, California. Her father, Charlie, worked
during the war for the Defense Department and after
the War for Mitchell Camera. They made the motion
picture cameras used for films during that period (
Mitchell Cameras were used on
McMillan and Wife)
He loved all things “ show business” and passed that
passion onto his daughter Susie. Susan’s mother,
Constance, taught school at the Eunice Knight
Saunders’s School in Sherman Oaks.
When Susan was 10, her family moved to Rockford,
Illinois for her dad’s work but the seed had been
planted and Susan began devising her plan to get
back to California and star in the movies. After
graduation from a Catholic girls’ school near
Chicago (Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart) and
on her way to Connecticut College for Women (now
just Connecticut College) Susan got side tracked in
NYC while visiting with her brother and his NY model
wife. She decided to put college on hold and was
soon working as a teen-aged model in NYC.
Because she was fluent in French she took an
assignment in Paris and then stayed to continue her
modeling there. It was in Paris that Susan came up
with the name “Saint James.”
Still only 19 years old, and ready to move on
towards the “goal”, she moved to Los Angeles, first
living with family friends and then moving into the
Hollywood Studio Club, a YWCA residence for young
women aspiring to acting careers, founded by Mary
Pickford. She began acting classes and modeled to
pay the way. Saint James’ star location is one block
away from where the YWCA once stood.
Impatient to get her dream moving along, she tried
out for Contract Programs at Fox and Paramount
Studios. She was offered a place in the Fox program
and did a screen test for
Barefoot in the
Park at Paramount. But it was when she
did a scene from
Barefoot in the
Park for Monique James and Eleanor
Kilgallen, the women behind the very successful
Universal Studios Contract Program, that it all
began for Susan. Monique also liked the SAINT JAMES
name and officially changed it and sent her around
to auditions on the lot. This was such a great
place to be for young actor. Universal had many
television series with lots of opportunities. She
was cast as a research assistant to Tony Franciosa
in Fame is the
Name of the Game, the first movie ever
made specifically for television. It was such a hit
that it was developed into a series called
The Name of the
Game starring Gene Barry, Tony Franciosa
and Bob Stack. In 1969, Susan won an Emmy Award for
her work on this series.
Saint James is
probably best know for her role in
McMillan and Wife
opposite Rock Hudson, a show that lasted 5 seasons.
During this busy time under contract at Universal,
she played a recurring role as a fellow thief
opposite R.J Wagner in
It Takes a Thief,
with Dennis Weaver in the pilot for
McCloud,
with Raymond Burr on
Ironsides
and two movies with George Peppard, one which also
starred Mary Tyler Moore.
After her time under
contract was complete (9 years in all), Susan
starred in the movies:
Outlaw Blues
with Peter Fonda, the comedy
Love At First Bite
with George Hamilton,
Carbon Copy
with George Segal and Denzel Washington and later
How to Beat the
High Cost of Living with Jessica Lange
and Jane Curtin.
In 1981 she was hired to host
Saturday Night Live
and 6 weeks later married the Executive Producer,
Dick Ebersol! She moved to Connecticut and New York
City.
Susan starred with
Jane Curtin in the hit comedy series
Kate and
Allie
that they taped at the Ed Sullivan theatre in New
York. She also appeared in the play
The Exonerated
at the Bleeker Street Theatre in NYC.
In 1970, Susan had volunteered for a very new
organization call the Special Olympics, a year round
program of sports training and competition for
people with intellectual disabilities. This movement
was founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver and is growing
to this day, 37 years later and Susan continues her
work with Special Olympics . In 1981, when she
moved to Connecticut, she joined the Board of
Directors of Connecticut Special Olympics. Susan and
her husband created the SUSAN SAINT JAMES ENDOWMENT
for Connecticut Special Olympics and also served as
executive member of the 1995 Special Olympics World
Games in New Haven, Connecticut. She continues to
serve as an Honorary Executive board member for The
Special Olympics International and most recently
traveled to the 2007 World Special Olympic Games in
Shanghai, China.
Saint James has been honored with many awards for
her work with Special Olympics, including five
Honorary Doctorates from 5 Connecticut Colleges and
Universities, and has been inducted into the
Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame
She is serving her 8th year on the Board
of Directors and has served as an Executive Director
and chaired the Grants Committee for The Telluride
Foundation in Telluride, Colorado, where the family
has been a winter resident since the early 70’s.
Saint James founded “Seedling and Pip”, a company
for personalized
gift bundles (mostly books) for newborns
and their siblings, including gifts for the Special
Needs and Adoptions.
Back to Top
 With an Academy Award® to her credit,
along with four Oscar® nominations, two
Emmys®, a Best Actress award from the
Cannes Film Festival and countless other accolades,
Holly Hunter is one of the most acclaimed actresses
of her generation.
Having been nominated for her work as a driven
producer in
Broadcast News – a role that also earned
her the New York Film Critics Circle Award, the Los
Angeles Film Critics Award, The National Board of
Review Award and the Berlin Film Festival Award –
Hunter took home the Oscar for her stunning work as
a mute Scottish widow in Jane Campion’s
The Piano.
For that film she also earned the Cannes Film
Festival Award, The British Academy Film Award, the
New York Film Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles
Film Critics Association Award, the National Board
of Review Award and a Golden Globe®, all
for Best Actress. That same year, Hunter garnered
another Oscar nomination for her performance as the
investigative secretary in
The Firm.
She earned her fourth nomination for the 2003 film
Thirteen,
in which she played a mother dealing with her
daughter’s wild and rebellious behavior. Recently,
Hunter was nominated for a Golden Globe and a Screen
Actors Guild Award® for her performance
in TNT’s SAVING GRACE.
Hunter’s long list of film credits includes the Coen
Brothers’
Raising Arizona and
O Brother, Where
Art Thou?; Steven Spielberg’s
Always;
David Cronenberg’s
Crash;
Danny Boyle’s A
Life Less Ordinary; Jodie Foster’s
Home for the
Holidays; Lasse Hallström’s
Once Around;
and Mike Figgis’
Time Code.
Other film work includes
Copycat,
Living Out Loud,
Little Black
Book,
Jesus’ Son
and The Big
White.
More recently, Hunter starred in the independent
drama Nine Lives,
provided voice work for
The Incredibles
and earned Emmy nominations for her work
in the television projects
When Billie Beat
Bobby,
Things You Can Tell
Just by Looking at Her and
Harlan County War.
Hunter has won two Emmys in her career, for her 1989
work as Jane Roe in
Roe vs. Wade
and for her 1993 work in
The Positively True
Adventures of the Alleged Texas
Cheerleader-Murdering Mom.
An accomplished stage actress as well, Hunter
starred in the 2004 London production of Marina
Carr’s By the
Bog of Cats. In 2001, she starred in the
American premiere of the play at the San Jose
Repertory Theatre in California. She made her
Broadway debut in 1982 in Beth Henley’s
Crimes of the Heart,
which was followed by
The Wake of Jamey
Foster. Her other New York stage
appearances include
The Miss
Firecracker Contest,
Battery,
The Person I
Once Was,
A Weekend Near
Madison and
Impossible Marriage.
And in Los Angeles, she co-produced and starred in
Beth Henley’s
Control Freaks and produced Ray Barry’s
Mother’s Son
at the Met Theatre.
Back to Top
 Acting is fast becoming an important ingredient in
the burgeoning empire of Sean Combs.
Beginning with his acting debut in the film "Made,"
Combs went on to receive critical acclaim for his
supporting role in "Monster's Ball" opposite Halle
Berry and made a successful Broadway debut starring
in the lead role of Walter Lee in the classic
Lorraine Hansberry tale,
A Raisin in the Sun. Recently, Combs
starred and executive-produced a television
adaptation of the critically acclaimed movie
adaptation of the of the Tony® award-winning
Broadway revival which aired on ABC. A
Raisin in the Sun debut on DVD
May 13, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Additionally, he has also appeared in the highly
anticipated prequel "Carlito's Way: The Beginning"
directed by Brian De Palma. Adding to his roster of
television ventures, Combs joined the HBO family in
June 2005 with the series "P. Diddy Presents the Bad
Boys of Comedy" which features the hottest
up-and-coming urban comedians performing in front of
a live audience.
Sean Combs, the CEO and founder of Bad Boy Worldwide
Entertainment and Sean Combs Enterprises, is
multifaceted entertainment powerhouse. Sean "Diddy"
Combs was recently declared "One of the Most
Influential Businessmen in the World" by Time
Magazine and CNN. Combs oversees one of the world's
preeminent urban entertainment companies,
encompassing a broad range of businesses including
recording, music publishing, artist management,
television and film production, recording facility,
apparel and restaurants.
Music has always been at the heart of his career. He
is a recognized producer, solo artist and performer,
who has produced chart-topping hit songs for music
superstars including Aretha Franklin, Sting,
Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson and the
Notorious B.I.G. Combs, has also released four
multi-platinum albums and won his third Grammy Award
for the #1 song "Shake Ya Tailfeather" from the Bad
Boys II soundtrack, which he executive produced. In
2006, Combs released Press Play, his hugely
anticipated follow up album which debuted at the top
of the charts awarding him the number one album in
the country.
Combs’ success in music quickly transitioned into
the small screen. Combs and MTV have always had a
special relationship beginning with his famous
videos and show stopping VMA performances. In June
2003 he teamed up with MTV to find the next big hip
hop group with
Making the Band 2 which aired for three
seasons. Making
the Band 3 premiered in Spring, 2005 and
Combs brought a new installment of the hit show
recently with the 4th installment.
Making The Band 4,
in search of an all girls group premiered in Jan
2008. This time around platinum recording artists,
and winners of
Making The Band 3,
Danity Kane join the guys in the
same house to begin working on their respective
albums.
Not only has Combs made an indelible mark on the
worlds of entertainment, he continues to break new
ground in the fashion industry. Since the inception
of his label, Sean John Clothing, Combs has been
praised for his innovative and sexy approach to
fashion. His efforts were recognized in 2004 when he
was awarded the prestigious "Perry Ellis Menswear
Designer of the Year Award" from the Council of
Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Additionally,
Combs launched his first fragrance, "Unforgivable"
in 2006 with cosmetics giant Estee Lauder which
quickly became the number one selling fragrance
across America followed by "Unforgivable Woman" in
2007.
In 2007 Combs-- who indirectly helped put high end
liquor on the map through mentions in hip hop songs
and product placements in music videos-- took on the
official job with Ciroc Vodka when he announced a
groundbreaking, strategic alliance with the liquor
company, managing all branding, marketing,
advertising and public relations initiatives for
Ciroc Vodka.
Back to Top
 For four decades, Michael Eisner has been a leader
in the American entertainment industry.
He began his career at ABC, where he helped take the
network from number three to number one in
primetime, daytime and children’s television with
such landmark shows as
Happy Days, Barney
Miller, Welcome Back Kotter, Rich Man, Poor Man,
and
Roots.
In 1976, he became president of Paramount Pictures,
leading the studio to become number one in box
office and profitability in both theatrical movies
and network television production, with such films
and shows as
Raiders of the Lost Ark,
Saturday Night
Fever,
Grease,
Ordinary People
and Terms of
Endearment, Taxi and
Mork & Mindy.
In 1984 Michael assumed the position of Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company
and, in the ensuing 21 years, transformed it from a
film and theme park company with $1.8 billion in
enterprise value into a global media empire valued
at $80 billion.
The Disney Studios shot from last place to first
with live-action films such as
Down and Out in
Beverly Hills,
Three Men and a
Baby,
Good Morning,
Vietnam and
Dead Poets Society,
and continued its winning ways with hits like
Pretty Woman,
Father of the
Bride,
Sister Act,
The Rock,
Armageddon,
Remember the
Titans,
Pearl Harbor,
The Princess
Diaries,
Signs,
Sweet Home
Alabama,
Bringing Down the
House,
Pirates of the
Caribbean and
National Treasure.
Renewed efforts at Disney animation resulted in such
fiscally and creatively successful films as
Who Framed Roger
Rabbit,
The Little Mermaid,
Beauty & the
Beast,
Aladdin,
The Lion King,
Toy Story,
Toy Story 2,
Mulan,
Tarzan,
Dinosaur,
Monsters, Inc.,
Lilo & Stitch,
Finding Nemo,
The Incredibles
and Chicken
Little. In television, Disney produced
such hit shows as
Home Improvement,
Golden Girls,
Lost,
Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition,
Grey’s Anatomy
and Desperate
Housewives.
Under Michael’s leadership, Disney opened Disneyland
Paris, Tokyo DisneySea and Hong Kong Disneyland;
expanded the domestic Disney theme parks; acquired
Capital Cities/ABC, which included the ABC
television network and equity ownership in ESPN, The
History Channel, Lifetime, A&E and E!; grew Disney
Channel to a penetration of over 80 million homes;
developed such leading Internet sites as Disney.com,
ESPN.com, ABCNews.com, ABC.com and Family.com;
acquired Miramax Pictures; created Walt Disney
Theatrical, which produced
Beauty & the Beast,
Aida,
The Lion King
and Mary Poppins;
and developed the Disney Cruise Line; and acquired
the Fox Family Channel (now ABC Family).
In 2005, Eisner began the “next act” of his
remarkable career, by founding the Tornante Company;
a privately held company that makes investments in
and incubates companies and opportunities in the
media and entertainment space. Through the Tornante
Company, he created Vuguru, a new media studio that
produces world-class content for the internet and
emerging digital platforms. Vuguru’s first
production, “Prom
Queen,”
quickly
became an internet sensation and was
later nominated for a Broadband Emmy. The series was
such a huge success it spawned a fifteen episode
spin-off series “Prom Queen: Summer Heat” which,
combined, garnered over 20 million views over the
course of its initial run.
The Tornante Company holds an ownership stake in
Veoh Networks, Inc., an innovative new independent
Internet television broadcasting system, and wholly
owns Team Baby Entertainment, the premier producer
of an award-winning series of officially licensed
sports themed children’s DVD’s.
In October 2007, The Tornante Company and Madison
Dearborn Partners, LLC. acquired The Topps Company,
Inc., a leading creator and marketer of sports and
related cards, entertainment products, and
distinctive confectionery items. Michael’s goal is
to transform Topps,
through
the media of filmed entertainment, Internet and
television, into a full-fledged sports media
company.
In January 2008, Vuguru announced a ground-breaking
partnership with world-renowned author Robin Cook. A
50-episode on-line prequel series will account for
the days leading up to the launch of his new novel,
“Foreign Body,” a first-of-its-kind collaboration
which will debut in May 2008.
In
addition,
Vuguru recently launched its second original web
series, “The All-For-Nots,” a comedy that follows a
fictional indie rock band as they travel the U.S. on
an under-funded and poorly planned tour.
Eisner is also currently developing a new animated
series titled “Glen Martin, D.D.S.” for primetime
television in ‘08.
Back to Top
 When you’re a young, struggling actress with only a
few television credits to your name, even an
audition for a one-day role with one line of
dialogue on a daytime soap is something to lift your
hopes and add a sparkle to your eye. Realistically,
of course, you don’t put a down payment on a mansion
in Malibu and, if you’re Kate Linder, you don’t quit
your job as a United Airlines flight attendant.
It was 25 years ago, in April, 1982, Linder got the
role and delivered her line, “Dinner is served,” on
“The Young and the Restless.” She was asked back
the next day. And the next. Now she remains a key
member of the top-rated daytime drama’s cast. Still
the realist, however, she continues to fly the
friendly skies of United on weekends while
simultaneously appearing on the soap opera. In
2005, Linder was elected Governor of Daytime
Programming Peer Group for the Academy of Television
Arts and Sciences -- the folks who put on the Emmy
Awards – and she was recently reelected to a second
term.
Linder’s role as Esther Valentine has been one of
emotional highs and lows as the confidante and
housekeeper to Mrs. Katherine Chancellor (Jeanne
Cooper), the wealthiest woman in town. Mrs.
Chancellor and Esther Valentine are now on
friendlier terms since they were kidnapped together
and Mrs. Chancellor subsequently delivered Esther’s
child (named Kate, appropriately enough) during a
thunderstorm. Their relationship was severely
tested when Esther’s estranged husband murdered Mrs.
Chancellor’s husband during an attempted robbery but
the two women learned to rely on one another for
moral support.
Linder’s high-flying life began without fanfare on a
warm November 2nd in Pasadena. Her father, a
C.P.A., and her mother, a homemaker and dedicated
tennis player, presented her with a brother, Randy,
a few years later.
Entered into dance class at 3 1/2, Linder’s interest
in acting didn’t manifest itself until seventh grade
when her history teacher had the bright idea of
reports delivered in the form of dramatic skits. By
the time she finished high school, she’d appeared in
major singing and dancing roles in “Promises,
Promises,” “Three Penny Opera,” “L’il Abner,” “Jesus
Christ Superstar,” and many others.
Committed by this time to an acting career, Linder’s
request upon her high school graduation to be sent
to the American Academy in New York to study theatre
was met by a counteroffer from her father: attend
two years of liberal arts college, after which he’d
support her in New York.
As a result, Linder entered San Francisco State
University majoring in drama, which kept her so
busy in school productions as well as in
stock and repertory theaters in the Bay area,
that she never got around to taking up her
father’s offer. When she wasn’t on stage, she
filled her remaining days, nights and weekends with
her first experience as a world traveler as a flight
attendant for Transamerica, a charter airline which
flew exclusive champagne flights to Monaco, Tahiti
and various other playgrounds of the rich and
famous.
Gaining her degree in Theater Arts, Linder remained
in San Francisco following her graduation, dividing
her time between the stage and exotic locales around
the world. What spare time she had was spent
working in the University’s activities office where
she met her soon-to-be-husband, Ronald Linder, then
a professor at the school and one of the world’s
leading experts and authors on drug abuse.
Married on Valentine’s Day in 1976 (thus the
character name, Esther Valentine, on “The Young and
the Restless”), the couple soon settled in Los
Angeles. Linder soon broke into the TV scene with
featured roles in “Bay City Blues,” “Archie Bunker’s
Place,” “Dream Girl,” and many others. Linder also
starred in “Cotillion ’65,” a short film that won
many film festival awards and explored the
relationship between a boy and his dance teacher,
played by Linder, and the dual life led by her
character. She followed this up with several more
recent films roles.
Linder is the celebrity spokesperson for the ALS
Association, the pre-eminent leader in the fight
against Lou Gehrig’s Disease, following her
relative’s diagnosis. She is also active with the
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Los Angeles, the Los
Angeles Mission, she’s on the board of AFTRA and is
a founding board member of TV Cares, the Television
Academy’s AIDS awareness and fundraising charity.
In 2002, Linder spent Thanksgiving visiting troops
in Afghanistan and Pakistan for 11 days to boost
morale with the USO. She spent Thanksgiving doing
the same in Korea in 2003 and visiting Guantanamo
Bay with the USO in 2007. She also sent off troops
departing from Austin, Texas’ Fort Hood and all four
of her USO tours were with the late Johnny Grant.
Back to Top
Stephen
Schwartz, composer-lyricist of the hit stage musical
WICKED, has been nominated for six Academy Awards
and winner of three. Schwartz wrote the lyrics for
the Disney animated features, POCAHONTAS and THE
HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and the recent Disney hit,
ENCHANTED, and the songs for DreamWorks' first
animated feature, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT.
His well-known film songs include the
Academy-Award-winning "Colors of the Wind" and "When
You Believe", and date back to the 70's with "Day by
Day", "Beautiful City", and "Butterflies Are Free".
Appropriate to the address of his star,
WICKED, is in its
second year at the Pantages Theatre, where it has
broken box office records. The New York Times said
that WICKED is one of the most successful shows in
Broadway history.” WICKED, which opened on October
30, 2003 in New York, is truly a worldwide
phenomenon with four companies in North America -
Broadway, Chicago, on national tour, and Los
Angeles, as well as productions in London, Tokyo,
and Stuttgart, and a fourth international production
opening next summer in Melbourne.
A measure of Schwartz' success in the theatre is
that this year, when
WICKED plays its
1900th performance in New York, he will become the
only writer of any kind ever to have three shows run
more than 1900 performances on Broadway.
Stephen Schwartz was born in New York City on March
6, 1948. He studied piano and composition at the
Juilliard School of Music while in high school and
graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1968
with a B.F.A. in Drama. His first major credit was
the title song for the play BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE;
the song was eventually used in the movie version as
well.
In 1971, he wrote the music and new lyrics for the
world-wide phenomenon GODSPELL. Schwartz won two
Grammys and two Drama Desks for GODSPELL, which, at
its height, was playing simultaneously in eight
cities in America, including a long running Los
Angeles production - plus London, Paris, Australia,
and Germany. In South Africa, during the height of
apartheid, Schwartz and his collaborator,
John-Michael Tebelak, refused permission for the
show to be produced unless it was performed by an
integrated cast, before an integrated audience, and
GODSPELL became the first show in South Africa to do
so.
GODSPELL was followed by the English texts for
Leonard Bernstein's MASS, which opened the Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
and was recently performed to great acclaim at the
Hollywood Bowl.
He then wrote the music and lyrics for the
enormously successful PIPPIN and two years later,
THE MAGIC SHOW. At one point, GODSPELL, PIPPIN, and
THE MAGIC SHOW were all running on Broadway
simultaneously, making Mr. Schwartz one of the very
few songwriters ever to have three shows on Broadway
at the same time.
He next wrote the music and lyrics for THE BAKER'S
WIFE, and the musical version of Studs Terkel's
WORKING, to which he contributed four songs, and
which he also adapted and directed, winning the
Drama Desk Award as best director; he later
co-directed the PBS American Playhouse television
production.
Next came songs for a one-act musical for children,
CAPTAIN LOUIE, a children's book, THE PERFECT PEACH,
music for three of the songs in the Off-Broadway
revue, PERSONALS, lyrics to Charles Strouse's music
for the Broadway musical RAGS, and music and lyrics
for CHILDREN OF EDEN.
He then began collaborating with composer Alan
Menken on the scores for the Disney animated
features POCAHONTAS, for which he received two
Academy Awards and another Grammy, and THE HUNCHBACK
OF NOTRE DAME, and DreamWorks' THE PRINCE OF EGYPT,
winning his third Academy Award.
For television, Schwartz provided music and lyrics
for the original television musical, GEPPETTO, seen
on The Wonderful World of Disney.
Schwartz is also one of the most tireless supporters
of new composers and lyricists. Under the auspices
of the ASCAP Foundation and with the support of
Disney, he has been artistic director for a musical
theatre workshop in Los Angeles for over ten years,
and also runs a yearly workshop in New York. He is
a member of the Board of Governors of ASCAP board,
and is also a member of the Council of the
Dramatists' Guild.
Tickets for Wicked are on sale at
www.ticketmaster.com,
by phone at 213-365-3500 or 714-740-7878, in person
at the Pantages Theatre Box Office (opens daily at
10am), 6233 Hollywood Blvd., or at any Ticketmaster
outlet.
Back to Top
-
Angela and I have worked together five times. Each
times it gets better and better. He talked about
an incident in a film, where she and Angela are
riding a horse together and the horse knocked them
off. Just to show you we just got back on the
horse again! You get a lot of no’s in this
business and you have to have that desire and
determinations which is what Angela has. I am
looking forward to the next time, we can ride
together again. Thanks for sharing your gift with
me and the world.
-- Laurence Fishburne
-
As a director there is nothing you asked Angela
that she could not do. I was amazed. The light
that came out of her was like a powerful sun. She
was a child of the light. This star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame will hopefully contain that
spark of that light. These cobblestones cemented
together with stars and Angela’s name will be seen
by dreamers who will recognize the possibilities
of greatness in their eyes. She is a powerful
artist, a beautiful person, a mother, a wife, a
friend who illuminates my life.
-- Forest Whitaker
-
What an honor and pleasure to be here representing
a long line of far more talented and more worthy
actors who would die to have the opportunity to
work with AB. As fortune would have I, I won the
lottery ticket and this time I am not apologizing
or it. There is reason for that and it has to do
with your generous and passionate art. You carry
that light and it shines so brightly.
-- Rick Fox
-
Do you ever have one of those days! I woke up and
the sun wasn’t really shining but then it burst
through the clouds and it was glorious.
Hallelujah! When you do what you love, you never
work a day! I am not one of those that recall
dates and years. I do remember the day I arrived
in Los Angeles from New York, on April 11, 1988.
The weather could be chilly, but the people were
warm. I remember walking on Hollywood Boulevard,
ooohing and ahhing and seeing the names on the
Walk of Fame. I meant to stay six months but I
stayed. Today my cup runneth over! I am crying
now, I cried yesterday and the day before. Who
would have thought that a little girl in pigtails
from St. Petersburg, Florida would grow up to
find herself gazing at a star with her name on it,
on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This day is so, so
special to me. I have been blessed with a
fulfilling and wonderful career. My heart is
expanding with joy. When your dream comes true
it’s a miracle, I promise to always give and do my
best.
-- Angela Bassett
 Angela Bassett has made a career out of alluring
audiences with emotionally tinged performances that
capture a sense of dignity and pride whenever she
appears on screen. Her talent and abilities as an
actress and executive producer in both television
and film have time and again earned her the respect
and acclaim from her peers and her fans, earning her
place as one of the industry’s premier leading
ladies.
Perhaps best known for her intense portrayal of Tina
Turner in the biopic “What’s Love Got To Do With
It”, Bassett earned an Academy Award nomination for
her powerful performance, and received the Golden
Globe for “Best Actress in a Drama” as well as the
NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a
Motion Picture".
Bassett recently starred opposite Laurence Fishburne
in the critically-acclaimed Lionsgate film "Akeelah
and the Bee" and received rave reviews for her work
with Fishburne in August Wilson’s classic play
"Fences "at the prestigious Pasadena Playhouse. Her
next starring role on the big screen will be in
Tyler Perry’s "Meet
the Browns", with Rick Fox opening
nationwide on
March 21, 2008. She has also just
completed work on Giancarlo Esposito’s "Gospel Hill
and Nothing But the Truth," starring alongside Kate
Beckinsale and David Schwimmer.
In February, 2007, Angela showed yet another side of
her artistry with the release of her best-selling
book "FRIENDS: A Love Story ", that she co-wrote
with her husband, actor Courtney B. Vance. The
inspirational tome is the real-life love story of
Bassett and Vance, who were friends for many years
before marrying.
Bassett has received a total of nine NAACP Image
Awards for her performances in "How Stella Got Her
Groove Back"; opposite Whoopi Goldberg and Taye
Diggs; her supporting roles in "The Score "opposite
Robert DeNiro, Edward Norton and Marlon Brando; "
Music of the Heart " starring with Meryl Streep; "
Malcolm X" starring opposite Denzel Washington; as
well as for her leading role in the television movie
“Ruby’s Bucket of Blood.” In addition, she
received NAACP Image Award nominations for her work
in the sci-fi blockbuster "Contact" starring
opposite Jodie Foster and for "Boesman and Lena"
with Danny Glover. Bassett also received a Screen
Actors Guild Award nomination for her performance in
“Ruby’s Bucket of Blood.” and Emmy nominations for
her work in the television movie "The Rosa Parks
Story” and for the “Uncle Jed’s Barbershop” episode
of PBS’ Storytime
A Yale School of Drama graduate, Bassett has made
her mark as both a dramatic actress and a master of
subtle comedy, creating memorable roles in film and
television. She staked her claim with a recurring
role in the hit television drama series “Alias,” ,
flexed her comedy chops in the movie "Mr. 3000" with
Bernie Mac, and made an indelible mark on audiences
with her work in John Sayles’ "Sunshine State" with
Edie Falco; Terry McMillan’s "Waiting to Exhale"
co-starring Whitney Houston,; James Cameron’s
futuristic "Strange Days" with Ralph Fiennes;
"Vampire in Brooklyn” starring opposite Eddie
Murphy; and "Supernova" "with James Spader. She was
recently heard in theaters across the country
voicing the character of "Mildred" in Disney’s
animated smash hit ""Meet the Robinsons," based on
the successful children’s book of the same name by
William Joyce.
Early in her career, Bassett made the successful
transition from stage to the silver screen when she
appeared in the pivotal role as the ambitious single
mother who sends her son to live with his father in
John Singleton’s “Boyz N the Hood." She received
critical raves for her touching performance as
Katherine Jackson in the ABC mini-series “The
Jacksons: An American Dream,” and overwhelming
recognition for her narration of the PBS miniseries,
“Africans in America.”
Back to Top
 For his outstanding contribution to the
entertainment industry and in celebration of
Wrestlemania 24®, Vince McMahon will be honored with
a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Vince McMahon, Chairman of the Board of World
Wrestling Entertainment, Inc®. (WWE®), is a third
generation entrepreneur who has made WWE into the
global phenomenon it is today. As a pioneer in the
television syndication and cable business, a
recognized television personality throughout the
world, a visionary promoter and a fearless marketer,
he is a unique leader in the entertainment industry.
In 1972, McMahon joined his father’s company,
Capitol Wrestling Corporation. By 1979, the company
had syndicated programming to 30 television
stations. In 1982, he purchased Capitol Wrestling
Corporation from his father with the plan of taking
what had been a regional operation and growing it
into first a national then a global business.
McMahon’s plan for national distribution of WWE
(then World Wrestling Federation) programming was
two pronged: continue to expand syndication outside
the northeast across the nation and utilize the
rapidly expanding vehicle of cable television to
deliver a national show on a weekly basis. USA
cable network and WWE were a perfect match.
McMahon became a pioneer in the cable television
industry by leveraging the new technologies of
pay-per-view and closed-circuit television for the
first WrestleMania in 1985. He had not only built a
brand that the audience would watch on television,
but he had created such a demand for the WWE that
the audience would pay to watch its PPV
spectaculars. WrestleMania III in 1987 attracted
93,173 fans to the Pontiac Silverdome, setting an
indoor attendance record that still stands. For the
past three years, WWE’s pre-eminent pay-per-view,
WrestleMania, has achieved more than one million
buys worldwide and on April 1, 2007; WrestleMania 23
achieved nearly 1.2 million buys, making it the
highest grossing one-day live event in WWE history.
Today, WWE produces original television programming
52 weeks a year. Programs such as “Monday Night
RAW,” "Friday Night Smack Down,” and "ECW: Extreme
Championship Wrestling" are ratings successes that
can be seen in more than 130 countries and
translated in 23 languages.
As the television audience has grown exponentially,
so has the live event audience. In 2007, WWE
performed 308 live events, including 75
international events, entertaining more than 2.0
million fans.
Vince has developed WWE from primarily a television
and live event business to a diverse media company
with a robust licensing division for video games,
toys, apparel, home video, and books. WWE has a
publishing group for its monthly magazines and a
music studio in house. WWE Films, located in Los
Angeles, produces films for theatrical and direct to
video release. Under McMahon’s leadership, the
company continues to grow, making inroads into
digital media platforms with video-on-demand,
broadband, and mobile services. World Wrestling
Entertainment is a public company which trades on
the NYSE under the symbol WWE.
Vince McMahon is also civic minded. In recognition
of WWE’s work to support children over the past 20
years, Vince, in 2005, was appointed to The
Make-A-Wish Foundation of America National Advisory
Council. Just last month WWE and Make-A-Wish
Foundation of America announced expanding their
partnership, starting with the largest wish granting
event in WWE history at Wrestlemania 24®.
McMahon is a tireless supporter of the U.S. military
personally traveling for the past five years with
WWE superstars to visit forward operating bases in
Afghanistan and Iraq; the WWE was the recipient of
the USO of Metropolitan Washington’s first ever
“Legacy of Hope” award for WWE’s extensive support
of our troops and the USO’s Operation Care Package
program. In 2006, Vince received the Secretary of
Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service Award
for WWE’s support of deployed service members in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
Back to Top
 Sherwood Schwartz
started writing professionally on “The Bob Hope
Radio Show” in 1939. After four years with Bob
Hope, Sherwood joined the Armed Forces Radio Service
(A.F.R.S.) for four years, writing various Army
shows like “Command Performance,” “Mail Call,” etc.,
working with just about every major star in the
entertainment world.
After the war, he went back to radio and “The
Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.” In radio he has
also written for Danny Thomas, Alan Young and “The
Beulah Show.”
Then came television.
In his long career in TV (58 years), Sherwood
Schwartz has written, re-written, and/or produced
more than 700 TV shows, starting with “I Married
Joan,” “The Red Skelton Show,” and “My Favorite
Martian,” before creating, writing, and producing
series of his own.
Sherwood received the highest honor in television,
the Emmy Award, in 1961 for “The Red Skelton Show,”
and the following year, another Emmy nomination.
His scripts have the unique distinction of receiving
five consecutive nominations for awards from the
Writers Guild of America in comedy, variety, and
play adaptation, receiving the WGA award in the
comedy category.
In 1963, Sherwood created, wrote and produced
“Gilligan’s Island,” a TV series which has become a
cult classic.
“Gilligan’s Island” led to three two-hour TV
movies. One of them, “Rescue from Gilligan’s
Island,” was the first of the so-called “reunion
shows” and was the highest rated movie-of-the-week
in 1978.
In 1969, Sherwood created, wrote and produced “The
Brady Bunch,” television’s first blended family
show. It, too, has become a cult classic, leading
to several reunion shows.
In 1988, Sherwood and his son Lloyd, wrote and
produced a two-hour TV film, “A Very Brady
Christmas,” which was the highest rated TV film that
year.
In 1994, Sherwood and his son, Lloyd, produced the
feature film, “The Brady Bunch Movie,” for
Paramount.
On March 12, 2004, “Gilligan’s Island” received the
annual “Pop Culture” award from TV Land. That same
week, Sherwood was awarded the prestigious William
S. Paley Award with “A Salute to Sherwood Schwartz.”
In 2007, “The Brady Bunch” was also awarded TV
Land’s “Pop Culture” award. That same year, along
with his son, Lloyd, and his daughter, Hope Juber,
Sherwood produced “Still Brady After All These
Years: A Thirty-Five Year Anniversary Special”
which won a daytime Emmy Nomination.
In addition to TV and films, Sherwood has written
several produced plays. Among them, “Mr. and Mrs.,”
a comedy; “The Trial of Othello,” a courtroom drama;
“Gilligan’s Island: The Musical,” (with his son,
Lloyd with music and lyrics by his daughter, Hope,
and her husband, Laurence Juber.) His latest play,
“Rockers,” a comedy-drama had a production last year
at Theatre West. This June, a new musical “A Very
Brady Musical” with music and lyrics by Hope and
Laurence Juber will have its world premiere at
Theatre West.
Sherwood Schwartz co-wrote the theme song for
“Gilligan’s Island” with George Wyle and co-wrote
the themes song for “The Brady Bunch” with Frank
DeVol.
Sherwood is a member of the Writers Guild of
America, the Dramatists Guild and A.S.C.A.P, the
American Society of Composers, Authors, and
Publishers.
Back to Top
 Suzanne Pleshette
was born January 31, 1937, in New York City. Her
father, Eugene Pleshette, was a stage manager,
network executive and manager of the Paramount
Theater in Brooklyn during the big band era. Her
mother, under the stage name Geraldine Rivers, was
an artist and dancer.
Pleshette began her
acting career on the stage in the 1950s after
attending New York's High School for the Performing
Arts and Syracuse University. She then moved into
film and TV roles, often getting parts because of
her husky voice.
In 1958, Pleshette
appeared on Broadway with Maureen Stapleton and Eli
Wallach in the play
The Cold Wind and
the Warm. She also made her film debut
that year with Jerry Lewis in
The Geisha Boy.
In 1961, she was
nominated for an Emmy Award for her appearance as
Julie Lawler on the TV show
Dr. Kildare.
Pleshette also appeared in numerous TV shows,
including Have
Gun Will Travel, Playhouse 90 and
Alfred Hitchcock
Presents.
She also replaced
Anne Bancroft in the role of Annie Sullivan in
The Miracle Worker,
opposite Patty Duke as Helen Keller in 1961. After
she received excellent reviews, she toured
extensively in the role.
Pleshette got a big
break on film in 1963 when Alfred Hitchcock cast her
in The Birds.
The Golden Globes named her Best Newcomer - Female.
She also performed in about two dozen other films,
including Disney movies such as
The Ugly Dachshund,
Blackbeard's Ghost and
The Adventures of
Bullwhip Griffin.
Pleshette was the
producers' original choice for the role of
Catwoman
on the 1966
Batman TV show. When negotiations broke
down, the part went to Julie Newmar.
But it was her role
as Emily Hartley that brought her the most acclaim,
including two Emmy nominations. Pleshette played a
schoolteacher to Bob Newhart's psychologist
character in The
Bob Newhart series. The situation comedy
revolved around their careers and off-beat friends,
as well as Bob's patients. The married couple was
childless, a novelty at the time in television. The
highly-rated show ran from 1972 to 1978.
Pleshette was also
nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her
role as Leona Helmsley in the TV-movie
Leona Helmsley:
Queen of Mean (1990).
She also appeared on
the sitcoms Will
& Grace and
8 Simple Rules.
Pleshette was
married three times. First up was actor Troy
Donahue on January 4, 1964, her co-star in Rome
Adventure (1962). They divorced only eight months
later. On March 16, 1968, she married businessman
Thomas Joseph Gallagher III. He died January 21,
2000.
In December 2000,
Pleshette announced her engagement to actor Tom
Poston, 79. They had met back in 1959 while they
were in the Broadway comedy
The Golden Fleecing.
And each had starred on a Bob Newhart show, but not
at the same time. She was in the 1970s version, he
was in the 1980s show.
However, Poston had
appeared in a recurring role in the 70s version as
an old friend of Newhart's character, Bob Hartley.
And Pleshette appeared in the '80s version finale
(now considered a classic) when, back in her role as
Emily Hartley, she rolled over in bed, revealing to
Newhart that the whole show (1982-1990) had been a
dream.
Pleshette and Poston
married on May 11, 2001. He died April 30, 2007.
In August 2006,
Pleshette underwent chemotherapy treatment at Los
Angeles' Cedar-Sinai Medical Center for lung
cancer.
In September 2007,
she attended a 35th reunion of the cast of the 1970s
Bob Newhart Show in a wheelchair, just four days
after leaving the hospital after battling pneumonia.
Pleshette passed
away on January 19, 2008, just a few days before her
star unveiling.
Back to Top
“KING OF BOLERO”
LUCHO GATICA HONORED WITH
STAR ON THE
HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME,
2,354th Star on 7021 Hollywood Boulevard, Friday,
January 25, 2008
 Lucho Gatica
was born in Rancagua, Chile in 1928. He attended
school at Instituto O'Higgins. He and his brother
Arturo were struggling singers before they released
their first album, in 1949, when Gatica was twenty
one years old.
Chileans
generally experienced a change in music taste during
the 1950s, when bolero music overtook tango as
Chileans' preferred music genre for some time.
Singers like Cuba's Olga Guillot, and Mexicans Leo
Marini and Elvira Rios, among others, were very
popular during that time there. So were Xavier Cugat
and his orchestra, which included Puerto Rican Bobby
Capo. These singers would influence Gatica.
Gatica's first
disc, 1951's Me
Importas Tu (You Matter to Me) became a
mega hit across Latin America, opening many doors
for Gatica. He followed that with 1952s
Contigo en la
Distancia (With You in the Distance).
Gatica
recorded his version of Consuelo Velázquez's
Bésame Mucho (Kiss
Me a Lot) in 1953, year in which he
produced two more albums,
Las Muchachas de la
Plaza España (The Girls from the Spain Square)
and
Sinceridad (Sincerity).
By 1957,
Gatica moved to Mexico, a country that would become
of great importance in his life. In Mexico, he
released No me
Platiques Mas (Don't Talk to me Anymore),
Tu me
Acostumbraste (You Accustomed Me) and
Voy a Apagar la Luz
(I'm Turning the Lights Off), which was
released in 1959.
In 1956,
Gatica's songs were recorded in North America on LP
albums for the first time by Capital Records
('Capitol' of the World series). Three albums were
released within 14 months by Capitol. The third one
in that group with Capitol was "El Gran Gatica,"
which featured such songs as "Somos," "Sabra Dios,"
and "Si Me Comprendieras," to name three. One of the
three Lucho Gatica albums released in 1958 year were
greatest hits compilations; the third was named
Envenenados (Poisoned). He also recorded a song
entitled "Encadenados" (Chained (we are)).
Gatica had
important changes in his personal life after
arriving in Mexico for the first time. He decided to
become a permanent resident of that North American
country, and married Puerto Rican actress Mapita
Cortes, who had been a celebrity in Mexico (and
Puerto Rico) for some years, and who also resided in
Mexico. The couple had offspring, including two sons
actually named Luis and Alfredo Gatica. Luis went on
to become a telenovela and rock star during the
1980s and Alfredo (Alfie) became a music
entrepreneur. Gatica remarried an American woman and
had one daughter with her, as well. One of Gatica's
last known releases was 1963's Recuerdos de Amor
(Memories of Love).
It is
estimated that Gatica has released more than 90
recordings. He has toured a vast portion of the
world, having made concerts in Europe, the Middle
East and Asia. His influence on world music is
overwhelming; vocalists of many nationalities and
languages felt Lucho’s impact and have, at one time
or another, sung and recorded “boleros”, from Perry
Como to Peggy Lee to Dionne Warwick to The Beatles;
even Doris Day recorded a bolero album and Nat King
Cole went further by recording in Spanish three
albums which included many of Lucho’s greatest
hits. Julio Iglesias has publicly confessed that
Lucho remains his one single musical influence and
calls him “The Master” while younger singers such as
Mexico’s mega-star Luis Miguel have both enhanced
their popular appeal and careers by recording cover
versions of the songs Lucho made famous.
Lucho will
soon release a new duets album with his greatest
hits and new material never recorded by the singer.
Back to Top
-
Elizabeth is
probably in the heavens laughing at us as we stand
in the rain.
--
Johnny Grant, Honorary Mayor
of Hollywood
-
Elizabeth would
have adored the fact that it's raining today. She
loved the rain. I love her and I miss her.
--
Liz Sheridan,
a good friend and actress
-
Liz would be
thrilled that it rained and that you are all here.
It is a great tribute to her that there are so
many of you here. You will be surprised to know
that Elizabeth was very shy. Her shyness gave her
roles an extra sparkle.
--
Robert Foxworth
-
It is so awesome
that it’s raining! She is so happy right now.
--
Rebecca Asher, daughter
 The
late Elizabeth Montgomery was awarded the first star
of the year and honored posthumously on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, January 4, 2008.
Her star was unveiled at 6533 Hollywood Boulevard.
Montgomery
was born on April 15, 1933 in Los Angeles, the
daughter of screen actor and TV star Robert
Montgomery and former stage actress Elizabeth Allen.
She and her younger brother Skip were raised in
Hollywood, but were kept from the glare of the
spotlight.
After her parents
divorced in 1950, Elizabeth lived in New York. Her
father had begun his successful television series
Robert
Montgomery Presents and it was here that
Elizabeth made her television debut playing opposite
her father in an episode entitled “Top Secret.”
Montgomery
quickly became a prolific and hard-working
television actress, making appearances on dozens of
dramatic anthology shows of the 1950’s. She made
her big screen debut in 1955 in
The Court Martial
of Billy Mitchell and although she would
make more feature films, it would be television that
would make her a star. In 1960 she earned her first
Emmy nominations for her performance as prostitute
Rusty Heller in an episode of ABC’s landmark drama
The Untouchables.
She also guest starred on a classic episode of the
Twilight Zone.
In November 1963,
Elizabeth starred in the pilot episode of
Bewitched
as the beautiful, good-hearted witch Samantha. The
first episode aired in 1964 and the show was an
immediate success. By the end of the season,
Bewitched
was ABC’s biggest hit ever and made ABC the #1
television network in the top 50 urban markets
worldwide. Produced by her husband William Asher,
Bewitched
featured sophisticated writing and one of the best
casts in television history. The show immediately
became a part of the national popular culture. Catch
phrases such as “Oh my stars!,” “you son-of-a gun”,
and “what’s his name?” are specific to Bewitched, as
well as hundreds of mesmerizing incantations,
side-splitting humor, and of course, that famous
“twitch”. Above all,
Bewitched
became a classic because Elizabeth’s character,
Samantha, was so believable.
Bewitched
was still ABC’s top
show at the end of the decade. Unfortunately, ABC’s
success demanded the show create nearly 40 episodes
a year, placing a tremendous work load on the cast,
writers and crew. Near the show’s end, Bewitched was
rewriting earlier episodes to keep up. By the final
season, the show was burning out. Mid-way through
the final year, ABC moved the show to Saturday night
opposite All in
the Family, a stop-gag measure to block
CBS’s gaining momentum.
Bewitched
held steady and the network requested two more
years, but Elizabeth decided it was time to move on
to other projects.
Montgomery
continued to work in television, becoming the first
and foremost “TV Movie Queen”. She created a string
of classic TV films, including
Mrs. Sundance,
Belle Starr, The Legend of Lizzie Borden, The
Awakening Land and
A Case of Rape.
Her final film
Deadline for Murder was one of the
highest rated movies of 1995. During the filming of
that movie, Elizabeth fell ill, and after a short
bout with cancer, she passed away in her home on May
18, 1995.
Back to Top
 On
November 20, inductees to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame
included ‘The Munchkins’ from the 1939 motion
picture classic
The Wizard of Oz.
The seven Munchkins who attended the ceremony
include: Mickey Carroll, Ruth Duccini, Jerry Maren,
Margaret Pellegrini, Meinhardt Raabe, Karl Slover
and Clarence Swensen.
The Munchkins
arrived by a ‘horse-of-a-different-color’ drawn
carriage led by the Hollywood High School Marching
Band.
Prior to the
ceremony, a special screening of “The Wizard of Oz”
was held Monday, November 19, 2007 at Grauman’s
Chinese Theatre where the movie premiered 68 years
ago. The film was shown in True Technicolor in its
original format.
The Wizard of Oz
is available in two bonus-packed DVD treasuries – a
Two-Disc Special Edition ($26.99 SRP) and a
Three-Disc Collector’s Edition ($39.92 SRP).
For the very first time, these versions of The
Wizard of Oz boast a stunning new digital transfer
of the original film, using Warner’s patented
“Ultra-Resolution” technology, plus a newly
remastered soundtrack.
Back to Top
 Ricky
Martin is unquestionably the leading Latin Music
figure of his generation. His instinctive
understanding of rhythm, passion for performing,
willingness to take creative risks and natural
charisma has led Martin down a musical path of
artistry and superstardom. Since his earliest days
as a performer, Ricky Martin has always known that
in order to have an enduring career, his musical
evolution must never end. With perseverance and hard
work over the course of a two decade career, Martin
has become one of the world’s top solo artists,
having sold more than 55 million albums and topping
the charts in over 60 countries. With the same
passion he holds for music, Martin has likewise
dedicated himself to humanitarian work on behalf of
children across the world through the efforts of the
Ricky Martin
Foundation.
Martin’s most recent album, the platinum selling
MTV Unplugged,
debuted at #1 on the Latin Albums chart, was the top
downloaded Latin album of the year and saw the
Los Angeles
Times declare:
“Martin has
reinvented himself. [With Ricky Martin: MTV
Unplugged] we discover an artist who is mature,
grounded and focused on musicality… Martin [has
made] some of the tastiest Latin music [of the
year]”. In addition to generating
the most-played single of the year at Latin radio,
the album has recently garnered FOUR Latin Grammy
nominations. The corresponding
Black & White
tour has been greeted by sold-out arenas and
stadiums across Latin America, Europe, Canada and
The United States.
Over the course of the last year alone, the work of
the Ricky Martin Foundation has seen the
Grammy-winning superstar testify before The United
States Congress on the subject of child trafficking,
work with Habitat for Humanity to complete work on
224 new & rehabilitated homes for families &
children victimized by the Indian Ocean tsunami, and
partner with Bill Gates on
“Navega Protegido”
– a program to educate millions of children in Latin
America about the dangers of online predators.
As a result of both his music and humanitarian
accomplishments, Martin was honored as the Latin
Recording Academy’s 2006
“Person of the
Year” and selected as
the first-ever
“King of the
Parade” for the historic 50th
Anniversary of the National Puerto Rican Parade.
For more information, please visit both
www.rickymartinmusic.com and
www.rickymartinfoundation.org
Back to Top
-
I
have my star on Hollywood Boulevard and I want to
welcome my good friend Roger Moore to Hollywood
Boulevard.
--
Stefanie Powers
-
I
worked with Roger on The Alaskans and I thought he
was adorable but married.
-- Ruta Lee
-
I want to thank
Johnny Grant for granting me this honor. I want to
thank my wife Christine for getting me up this
morning. I have had a love affair with Hollywood
for many years. I have been lucky to have been
able to kiss many women during my work, Elizabeth
Taylor, Carol Baker and Angie Dickinson. I also
worked with Clint Walker…and no I did not kiss
him! Sadly, I had to retire from the Bond films.
The girls were getting younger or I was just
getting too old. --
Roger Moore
 Roger George Moore was born in Stockwell, south
London on October 14, 1927, the son of a policeman.
At 15, he entered art school with the intention of
becoming a painter, and later became an apprentice
at an animation studio. He delved into acting as an
extra in crowd scenes in the mid 1940's. He studied
at the Royal Academy of Drama.
Moore came to the U.S. in 1953, where he got a film
contract with MGM, playing supporting roles in
several films. His first big TV series was
Ivanhoe,
followed by
Maverick. But it was his role as suave
and debonair Simon Templar in the TV series
The Saint
that catapulted him to stardom. In 1973, Moore
appeared in his first James Bond film
Live and Let Die.
He is the longest serving James Bond
actor, having spent twelve years in the role.
It has been said that Moore is closer to Ian
Fleming’s original concept of Bond, as a
disenfranchised member of the British Establishment,
than Connery's more rough-and-tumble Bond. Indeed,
the tone of the series changed under Moore's aegis,
with the scripts being tailored to his personality.
Moore made 7 Bond films retiring as 007 after A
View to A Kill
in 1985.
Moore has acted sporadically since that time in film
and television. He also succeeded the late Audrey
Hepburn in the role of Special Representative for
the Film Arts for UNICEF, raising funds for children
in underdeveloped countries. Roger was the first
James Bond to be honored by the British government,
receiving a CBE (Commander of the British Empire)
award in March 1999. He was awarded a knighthood in
June 2003 for his work with UNICEF.
This week, Moore will be hosting World Magic Awards
2007 benefiting Feed The Children. MyNetworkTV will
be broadcasting the event as a two-hour special this
fall.
Back to Top
-
I
am very honored to be here today to pay tribute to
a man whose legacy is very large in our memories.
His name still commands a level of respect and awe
among entertainment executives. Many names would
not be on this Walk of Fame if it weren’t for Lew
Wasserman. There will never be another like him. --
Jeffrey Katzenberg
-
This is a special day for our family. This star is
a gift for my grandmother from my mother, sister
and myself for her upcoming 92nd
birthday. Our family is very touched by this.
Thank you.
-- Casey
Wasserman accepted on behalf of the family
 The New York Times called him “The Last of the
Hollywood Moguls,” but it may have been the late
Jack Valenti who best described the legendary Lew
Wasserman’s place in the entertainment firmament
when he said: “If Hollywood is Mount Olympus, Lew
Wasserman is Zeus.”
During a career spanning more than six decades,
Wasserman helped create the entertainment industry
as we know it today. Under his leadership, the Music
Corporation of America (MCA) became Hollywood’s
dominant talent agency, the first studio to release
a summer movie blockbuster and the original modern
multimedia empire. Wasserman also gave the industry,
through his savvy political activities, its public
voice and, through his extensive philanthropic
enterprises, its heart.
Born in Cleveland in 1913, Wasserman worked as a
movie theater usher while still a teenager. As a
young man he landed a job handling advertising and
promotion for a local nightclub that booked bands
through the Music Corporation of America. He soon
caught the eye of MCA's founder, Dr. Jules C. Stein
and in 1936 became Stein's national director of
advertising and public relations. Just ten years
later, Stein turned over the agency to his former
protégé.
As president of MCA in the 1940s, Wasserman
represented such top talent as Bette Davis, Jimmy
Stewart, Judy Garland, Henry Fonda and Alfred
Hitchcock and almost single-handedly brought about
an end to the onerous long-term actor contracts that
turned even big names into studio property. He
forged a landmark deal for Stewart that gave his
client a share of a movie’s profits and wide-ranging
creative control, an arrangement that is the norm
for A-list talent today.
In the 1950's, Wasserman recognized the commercial
promise of television and persuaded a wary Hollywood
to accept the new medium as a partner rather than a
feared competitor. He oversaw the creation of the TV
division that through the decades would go on to
produce dozens of hit shows ranging from "Alfred
Hitchcock Presents” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.” to
"Miami Vice" and "Murder, She Wrote."
In the 1960's, he bolstered Hollywood’s political
clout by organizing highly successful fund-raising
campaigns, most notably for the Democratic Party.
Never an ideologue, however, Wasserman forged close
ties with top politicians on both sides of the
aisle. He was instrumental in helping Ronald Reagan
become president of the Screen Actors Guild and the
two men remained good friends during Reagan’s years
in the California Statehouse and the White House. He
also was close to President Lyndon Johnson and was
one of the first Hollywood executives to get to know
Bill Clinton when the future president was still a
little-known Arkansas governor.
In the 1970's, Mr. Wasserman’s deft marketing of
Steven Spielberg's
Jaws
created the summer blockbuster as we now know it. He
went on to finance and release such acclaimed and
commercially successful Spielberg classics as
Jurassic Park, E.T.
and Schindler's
List. The director, whose first film, the
made-for-television thriller “Duel” was also
produced by MCA subsidiary Universal TV, called
Wasserman “the chief justice of the film industry;
fair, tough-minded, and innovative.”
Among the other enduring films produced by Universal
during Wasserman’s tenure were
Psycho,
Oscar® winners
The Sting and
Out of Africa
and beloved comedies
Animal House
and Back to the
Future.
The original architect of today's multi-faceted
entertainment conglomerates, Wasserman pioneered the
idea of integrating diverse media units and
leveraging successes in one business into profitable
ventures for another. Every year, the Universal
Studios theme park he built attracts millions of
visitors to Southern California. Meanwhile, MCA's
music arm boasted top acts across the popular
spectrum including Nirvana, Reba McEntire and Elton
John.
In 1990, as media giants including Time Warner and
News Corp. rose to prominence, Wasserman sold MCA to
the Matsushita Company of Japan. Even after
relinquishing the helm of the company, Wasserman
remained Hollywood's sage patriarch. Top executives,
union leaders and politicians lined up to seek his
counsel on matters great and small.
Wasserman’s philanthropic causes were numerous and
included the Motion Picture & Television Fund in
Woodland Hills, a health and human service
organization dedicated to serving over 100,000
entertainment industry workers each year, and the
prestigious Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA. He
also helped Dorothy Chandler raise the funds to
build the Los Angeles Music Center. In 1995,
President Clinton awarded Wasserman the country’s
highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of
Freedom, for his contributions to the Research to
Prevent Blindness foundation and other charitable
efforts.
After Wasserman died at the age of 89 in 2002,
Clinton commented: "He was one of the smartest men I
ever met, and in more than intellectual ways. He
just came across as someone who understood what life
was all about and was pulling for people to have
good lives."
The Wasserman family, including his wife Edie, their
daughter Lynne and grandchildren Casey and Carol,
remains committed to the causes for which he cared
so deeply. Casey Wasserman is the President and
Chief Executive Officer of the Wasserman Foundation,
founded by Lew and Edie in 1952, and the
organization continues its work to benefit the
community and assist those in need.
Throughout his long career, Wasserman avoided the
limelight. "Publicity is for clients, not for us,"
he often told his colleagues. But while he may have
shunned attention, his profound and lasting impact
on the entertainment business and philanthropy will
never be forgotten.
Back to Top
OSCAR®
WINNER ALAN LADD JR. RECEIVED 2,348th STAR ON THE
HOLLYWOOD
WALK OF FAME
at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard, Friday, September 28,
2007
-
Being in front of the
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the haven of Hollywood
is a cool spot. Any day now you could see Paris
and Lindsay leaving their underwear on your star!
-- Ian La Frenais
-
I am truly sorry I could not
be there with Laddie on this great day. Laddie is
still going strong, he has a new movie coming out
and he not only deserves a star, he deserves a
constellation! -- Richard Donner note
read by John Goldwyn
-
I’ve know this guy for 30
years. He is one of the sweetest and nicest guys
and he has saved my life many times. If anybody
deserves a star, it's this legendary, incredible,
iconic filmmaker. I am thrilled and honored to be
here because of my long friendship with him!
-- Mel Brooks
-
It's lovely to be here.
Thanks very much. It's lovely to be here amongst
my friends and family. -- Alan Ladd, Jr.
 Respected
Hollywood producer Alan Ladd Jr. will be honored
with the 2,348th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
on Friday, September 28th at 11:30 AM.
The star will be unveiled near the Hollywood
Roosevelt Hotel, 7018 Hollywood Boulevard. Ladd, an
industry veteran and winner of numerous accolades
including the Academy Award for Best Picture (Braveheart),
joins an incomparable list of legendary filmmakers
and entertainers who have received the Star,
undoubtedly a testament to his extraordinary
contributions to the motion picture art form over
his nearly five decade-long career. Regarded as a
consummate producer and studio executive, his films
have grossed billions of dollars and have received
countless awards including over 150 Academy Award
nominations and 50 wins. The star installation
coincides with the release of his latest producing
effort, the highly anticipated directorial debut of
Oscar winner Ben Affleck,
Gone Baby Gone,
a Ladd Company Film starring Casey Affleck, Morgan
Freeman and Ed Harris, slated for release from
Miramax Films on October 19th.
Johnny Grant,
honorary mayor of Hollywood and chairman of the Walk
of Fame Committee, will preside over the event, and
Leron Gubler, president/CEO of the Hollywood Chamber
of Commerce, will speak on behalf of the
organization. Producer/director Richard Donner is
the guest speaker.
Alan Ladd Jr.’s
career as an agent, independent producer, and studio
head began in 1963 when he served as a motion
picture talent agent at Creative Management
Associates for the likes of Judy Garland, Warren
Beatty, and Robert Redford. Within five years, his
passion for the industry took a decidedly more
independent route as Ladd began work as a producer
on a wide range of films featuring some of the era’s
most respected stars including
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Ava
Gardner, Ben Kingsley, Michael Caine, Anthony
Hopkins, and Marlon Brando. With these remarkable
collaborations under his belt, in 1973 he became
Head of Creative Affairs at Twentieth Century Fox
and within three years was President of the studio.
Soon after taking
over the studio, Ladd had a fortuitous encounter
with a relatively unknown filmmaker named George
Lucas, who described for Ladd his dream of making an
ambitious, character-driven science fiction story
set in outer space. Though there was no precedent
for this sort of big budget, risky filmmaking
venture, Ladd took the largest gamble of his career
and commissioned Lucas to write the screenplay
Star Wars
for Fox. Star
Wars and the subsequent franchise that
grew out of it has become one of the most profitable
in motion picture history, generating billions of
dollars in revenue and defining what would become
known as the Hollywood blockbuster, a concept that
forever changed the way movies were made.
After
Star Wars,
under Ladd’s leadership the studio produced some of
the most successful films in its history, including
Ridley Scott’s
Alien; Julia starring Jane Fonda, Vanessa
Redgrave, and Jason Robards;
The Towering
Inferno with its all-star cast of Steve
McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, and Fred
Astaire; The
Omen directed by Richard Donner; as well
as Young
Frankenstein,
Breaking Away, Norma Rae,
All That Jazz,
and
The Rose,
to name just a few.
In 1979, the
producer launched The Ladd Company, and achieved
huge success with the Oscar-winning Best Picture
Chariots of Fire.
Other films released by The Ladd Company
include Philip Kaufman’s
The Right Stuff,
Ridley Scott’s
Blade Runner, Once
Upon a Time in America, and the
top-grossing
Police Academy series. He also helped
launch the careers of future uber-producers Ron
Howard and Brian Grazer on the film
Night Shift,
evidence once again of his impeccable instincts for
new talent. His other films include
The Man in the Iron
Mask,
An Unfinished Life
starring Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, and Morgan
Freeman, and Mel Gibson’s masterwork
Braveheart,
for which Ladd received the Best Picture Oscar.
Braveheart,
one of the most acclaimed romantic epics in recent
cinema, was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and the
winner of 5 statuettes, including Best Picture and
Best Director.
Ladd’s career has
taken him down many roads, including a tenure as
Chairman and CEO of MGM/UA where he oversaw such
projects as A
Fish Called Wanda, Moonstruck, and
Thelma & Louise,
and continued the franchise successes of the
Rocky
and Poltergeist
series. Additionally, his work as a human rights
advocate has gained him the admiration of working
film professionals in Hollywood and around the
world, particularly his efforts to expose gender and
racial inequalities in his industry.
In addition to
Affleck’s Gone
Baby Gone due out later this year, Ladd’s
upcoming production slate includes the English drama
Tortoise and the
Hare, and the historical Chinese epic
A Dream of Red
Mansions, starring Oscar nominee Ken
Watanabe, which will begin production in October of
this year. In addition to his producing efforts,
Ladd is still an active member of the Producers
Guild of America, the American Film Institute, and
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Back to Top
 Jamie Foxx won the
Academy Award® for best actor in 2004 for
his portrayal of the legendary Ray Charles in the
Taylor Hackford-directed biopic
Ray. In
addition to winning the Oscar®, Foxx
swept the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild (SAG),
BAFTA and NAACP Image awards, as well as receiving
numerous critics awards, for his performance in
Hackford’s Oscar®-nominated film. He
also shared in a SAG Awards nomination received by
the film’s ensemble cast.
That same year, Foxx
also garnered Oscar®, Golden Globe, SAG
Awards, BAFTA and NAACP Image nominations in the
category of best supporting actor for his work in
the dramatic thriller
Collateral,
in which he starred with Tom Cruise. Also in 2004,
Foxx earned Golden Globe and SAG Awards nominations
and won an Image Award for best actor in a
television movie for his portrayal of condemned gang
member-turned-Nobel Peace Prize nominee Stan
“Tookie” Williams in the F/X Network’s telefilm
Redemption: The
Stan Tookie Williams Story.
Foxx’s achievements
marked the first time that a single actor has
received three Golden Globe nominations and four SAG
Awards nominations in the same year. He is also the
first African-American actor to be nominated for two
Oscars® in the same year and is only the
second man in history to receive two acting Oscar®
nominations in the same year for two different
movies.
During Christmas
2006, Foxx was seen in the highly anticipated screen
adaptation of the Broadway musical
Dreamgirls,
from DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. The film won
a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Musical
Comedy, and received a SAG nomination for Best
Ensemble Cast.
Dreamgirls
was nominated for an Image Award for Outstanding
Motion Picture, and Foxx was nominated in the Best
Actor Category for his performance as Curtis Taylor,
Jr .
Foxx will next be seen in the Universal Pictures
film The
Kingdom
which will be released nationwide on September 28.
Foxx’s big-screen
break came in 1999 when Oliver Stone cast him
opposite Al Pacino as star quarterback Willie Beamen
in Any Given
Sunday. His other films include:
Ali,
Miami Vice, Jarhead, Stealth;
Bait,
Booty Call;
The Truth About Cats and Dogs;
and
The Great White Hype.
Foxx is also
involved in producing projects with his
entertainment company, Foxx King Entertainment. The
first film from this company was the HBO film,
Life Support,
which Foxx also executive produced. The film closed
the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and starred Queen
Latifah. It is an inspirational
true-life story of
a mother who overcame an addiction to crack and
became a positive role model and an AIDS activist in
the black community.
In addition to his
outstanding work in front of the camera, Foxx has
achieved a thriving career in music. The release of
Foxx’s long-awaited J Records debut,
“Unpredictable,” was just one taste of his recent
unprecedented accomplishments as an artist.
“Unpredictable” topped the charts in late December
2005 and early 2006, as it held the No. 1 spot for
five weeks, sold more than one million units in 20
days and was nominated for eight Billboard Music
Awards, three Grammy Awards, one Soul Train Music
Award and two American Music Awards (at which Foxx
won Favorite Male Artist).
His NBC special
Unpredictable
was a creative live performance of his album, which
included an all-star lineup of artists such as Mary
J. Blige, Common, Snoop Dogg, The Game and Angie
Stone. The album was nominated for three Grammy
Awards in 2006—including Best R&B Album; the track
“Love Changes,” featuring Mary J. Blige, for Best
R&B Performance by a Duo or Group; and the track
“Unpredictable,” featuring Ludacris, for Best
Rap/Sung Collaboration.
In January 2007 Foxx
announced his partnership with SIRUS Satellite Radio
to start his own 24-hour radio station called
Foxxhole. The station is a combination of comedy and
music and launched in May.
The Texas native
first came to fame as a comedian. After spending
time on the comedy circuit, he joined Keenen Ivory
Wayans, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans and Tommy Davidson
in the landmark Fox-TV sketch-comedy series
In Living Color,
creating some of the show’s funniest and most
memorable moments. In 1996, he launched his own
series, The
Jamie Foxx Show, which was, during its
five-year run, one of the top-rated shows on the WB
Network. Foxx not only starred on the series, but
also directed several episodes in addition to being
the show’s co-creator and executive producer.
Back to Top
TV PRODUCER VIN DI
BONA CELEBRATES 30+ ANNIVERSARY
WITH 2,346th STAR ON THE WALK OF FAME
at 1559 Vine Street in
front of the former TAV Studios where Di Bona began
his television producing career on Thursday,
August 23, 2007
-
“Vin and I have
been through a lot of piñata footage, thousands of
wacks to the crotch, luckily happening to other
people on those videos. He is also a very dapper
dresser. In the seven years I have worked with him,
I have never seen a smudge or rip on him and I
imagine if there was ever a rip, it would have a
crease.” -- Tom
Bergeron
-
“I searched my
soul to come up with an opening statement and the
best thing that came to mind is a big thank you to
all who are here and those that helped further my
career. ... I want to thank my mother who when I was
young would ask, “Vin did you finish your homework?
No? The hell with it lets go to the movies!” She was
my inspiration." -- Vin
Di Bona
 A successful singing
career snuffed out by the Beatles put Vin Di Bona on
the road to changing the way America watches
television -- by watching themselves. A pioneer in
comedic reality programming and a 39-year
entertainment industry veteran, Peabody, and Emmy
Award-winning Executive Producer, Vin Di Bona
captivated television audiences when he introduced
America's Funniest Home Videos in
1989. By 2006,
America’s Funniest Home Videos became
the longest-running primetime entertainment show in
the history of the ABC network and is now about to
begin its eighteenth year on the air.
A native of
Cranston, Rhode Island, Di Bona changed his name to
Johnny Lindy before heading to Nashville to record
“My Arms.” The song was a regional success in New
England and gave Di Bona his first number one hit, a
hint of things to come in his future television
career. Two more songs recorded for Frank Sinatra’s
manager, Hank Senicola, looked promising until that
fateful night on the Ed Sullivan show when the
Beatles stormed America and solo singers were pretty
much passé. Di Bona, always the gentleman, holds no
grudge.
An Emerson College
education gave Di Bona the chance to work in radio
as station manager of the campus AM station, for
which he received the President’s Prize for
outstanding achievement in broadcasting upon
graduating in 1966. As president of his junior and
senior classes, Di Bona was ever-involved with
Emerson, something he’s continued through to the
present. He now holds the esteemed position of
Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
Di Bona followed
that with an MFA degree from the UCLA film school
and upon graduation in 1968 he left sunny California
for those wonderful winters in Boston as a
producer/director at WBZ-TV. During his nine years
at the station, Di Bona produced and directed major
documentary specials, breakthrough public affairs
programs, and the first commercially sponsored
African American magazine show in the nation.
In 1977 Di Bona
returned to Los Angeles. Working at KNXT, which
later became KCBS, he produced and directed public
affairs specials. An eight-time Emmy Award nominee,
Di Bona won four Emmys while at KNXT. One each for
the documentaries
Down at the Dunbar, for which he also
received the prestigious Peabody Award;
Zoot Suit: The Play and the Promise;
and
Streets of Anger, Streets of Hope.
He garnered another Emmy for the series
Project Parenting.
In 1981 Di Bona
became the producer of a new, fledgling show called
Entertainment Tonight which, like
Videos, is still on the air. During
the 480 daily and weekly shows produced by Di Bona,
he created several breakthrough series which
included “25 Years of Television in 25 Days,” “The
Ed Sullivan Days,” “25 Years of the Best Movies” and
“The Top Ten News Events That Shook the World.”
In 1984 Di Bona
teamed up with his Emerson fraternity brother, Henry
Winkler, to work on the pilot and subsequent first
year of MacGyver.
Winkler executive produced and Di
Bona was supervising producer and second unit
director. Changing gears again, Di Bona was honored
when asked to produce
Papal Spacebridge ’87. It documented
Pope John Paul II’s visit to the U.S., and his
two-way satellite discussions with young adults
across the country.
A special year for
Di Bona was 1986, when he put out his own shingle,
Vin Di Bona Productions. The first show under his
banner was
Animal Crack-Ups for ABC Saturday
mornings, which ran for three years.
Then in 1989, Di
Bona made television history when America sat down
to watch themselves, their family, neighbors,
friends, children and pets on Sunday nights at 7
p.m. on
America’s Funniest Home Videos. The
series, which hit the coveted number one spot many
times, has always garnered high ratings at ABC,
consistently finishing first or second in the highly
sought-after 18-39 demographic. Presently hosted by
Tom Bergeron,
America’s Funniest Home Videos is
enjoying immense popularity on the network, in
syndication and on cable. Another landmark for Di
Bona was realized in 2003 when the show reached an
impressive 300th episode, and will reach
its unmatched 400th episode on the ABC
network this year.
America’s Funniest Videos airs
nightly on ABC Family Network, is seen on TBS
Superstation, TV Land, and Nick @ Nite. Moreover,
the show is aired in 33 countries worldwide.
Adding the element
of performance to his concept of spontaneous
"grass-roots" humor, Di Bona created a sister show,
America's Funniest People,
in 1990. The series was the only bona-fide hit of
the season and ran for four years on ABC.
Currently, Di Bona
is “back in the saddle,” producing and directing the
record-breaking, eighteenth season of
America’s Funniest Home Videos for
ABC. Taking
Videos one step further, Di Bona
executive produced
The Long Weekend, a feature film that
uses outrageous videos “too spicy” for television.
The film is set for release in fall 2007.
After achieving
unprecedented success in the reality arena, Di Bona
branched into other areas of programming. In 2005
he served as an executive producer on the
controversial TV movie
Trump Unauthorized for ABC. He
produced
For the Love of Nancy, which was the
second highest-rated movie-of-the-week the year it
aired,
Touched By Evil for ABC and
Voices From Within
for NBC.
Di Bona ventured
into cable programming with a bawdy entry, a sitcom,
Sherman Oaks, for Showtime. It aired
for two seasons and has since become a cult classic
among cable devotees. He was also executive
producer on
Chicken Soup For The Soul
in 1999/2000 for PAX TV.
Aside from his many accomplishments in the
entertainment industry, including a local New
England Emmy for Lifetime Achievement in television,
Di Bona is also highly recognized for his role as
Chairman for The
Caucus for Television Producers, Writers & Directors.
As mentioned earlier, Di Bona is
Vice-Chairman of
the Board of Trustees for Emerson College,
which bestowed upon him an
Honorary Doctorate
Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters. He
also serves as
Chairman, Paulist Productions Board of Directors
in Los Angeles and is a member of the
Board of Trustees
for the St. James Inn. For the past four
years, Di Bona has been a Board member of the
well-known
Newport Music Festival in his hometown of
Newport, RI. As one who has many charitable
interests, Di Bona is active in
The Westside Children’s Center and his
local Newport
Hospital in Rhode Island.
Back to Top
 As the wife of “Scarface’s” Tony Montana, Michelle
Pfeiffer made a strong impression with her stunning
looks and haunting style. She has earned three
Academy Award nominations, two as Best Actress for
her performances as Dallas housewife Lurene Hallett
in “Love Field,” as the sexy chanteuse Suzie Diamond
in “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” and a third nomination
in the supporting actress category for her role as
the long suffering Madame de Tourvel in “Dangerous
Liaisons.”
Additionally, Pfeiffer won a Golden Globe for her
performance in “The Fabulous Baker Boys” and
received Golden Globe nominations for her
performances in “The Age of Innocence,” “Love
Field,” “Frankie and Johnny,” “The Russia House,”
and “Married to the Mob.”
Pfeiffer is truly the villainess of the summer,
appearing in two exciting new films. First up is
the New Line film “Hairspray” opposite John
Travolta, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes and Brittany
Snow. Pfeiffer plays the ruthless and conniving
Velma Von Tussle, a former beauty queen. The film
is directed by Adam Shankman and is already a
critical success as well as a box office hit.
Michelle also plays the villain in
Paramount Pictures’
“Stardust,” an adaptation of the Neil
Gaiman fantasy novel to be directed by Matthew
Vaughn. Pfeiffer portrays the evil witch Lamia in
the film, which is a fairy tale set in ancient
England. The cast includes Claire Danes, Charlie
Cox, Robert DeNiro, Sienna Miller, Rupert Everett
and Ricky Gervais. “Stardust”
will be released August 10, 2007.
In 2003, she lent her voice in Dreamworks’ animated
feature “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas” with Brad
Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Joseph Fiennes. In
2002, Pfeiffer received a Screen Actors Guild
nomination for her role as the murderous mother
Ingrid Magnusson in Warner Brothers’ “White
Oleander.” In 2001, she starred in the critically
acclaimed “I am Sam,” opposite Sean Penn. In 2000,
she starred in the summer blockbuster “What Lies
Beneath,” opposite Harrison Ford
Pfeiffer’s films also include “The Story of Us,” “A
Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “One Fine Day,” “The
Gillian on her 37th Birthday,” “Up Close and
Personal,” “Dangerous Minds,” “Wolf,” “Batman
Returns,” “The Witches of Eastwick,” “Tequila
Sunrise,” Sweet Liberty” and “Ladyhawke.”
Back to Top
CHARLES CHAMPLIN HONORED WITH
STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME
2,344th
Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
7076 Hollywood Boulevard
on Friday, August 3,
2007
Charles Champlin,
retired after 26 years as Arts Editor, film critic
and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, continues
to offer insights on Hollywood through articles,
television and radio interviews.
His most
recent books are A Life in Writing: The Story of
an American Journalist, published in Spring,
2006, and Hollywood’s Revolutionary Decade,
an annotated collection of his reviews of films from
the 1970s, published in Spring 1998. His other
books include, George Lucas: The Creative Impulse,
with a revised and enlarged second edition published
in Fall, 1997; John Frankenheimer: A Conversation
with Charles Champlin; a memoir, Back There
Where the Past Was; a history and appreciation
of film called The Flicks, later revised and
republished as The Movies Grow Up, 1940-1980.
He also wrote the text for Woody Allen: The
Director at Work, Photographs of Brian Hamill.
His monograph, My Friend You Are Legally Blind,
published in 2001, chronicles his struggle with
macular degeneration.
Champlin’s
television career began in 1971 when he hosted “Film
Odyssey” on PBS, introducing classic films and
interviewing major directors including Jean Renoir
and Alfred Hitchcock. That same year, he hosted an
arts series, “Homewood,” also for PBS. For six
years he and L.A. Times colleague Art Seidenbaum
co-hosted a public affairs program, “Citywatchers,”
on KCET in Los Angeles. He has interviewed hundreds
of film personalities, first on the Z Channel’s “On
the Film Scene” in Los Angeles, then with “Champlin
on Film” on Bravo Cable nationally, shows seen in
rerun.
He taught
film criticism at Loyola-Marymount from 1969 to
1985, was adjunct professor of film at USC from 1985
to 1996, and has also taught at UC Irvine and the
American Film Institute.
Champlin was
born in Hammondsport, NY, to a family long active in
the wine industry. He served in the infantry in
Europe in World War II and was awarded the Purple
Heart and battle stars. He was graduated from
Harvard College with honors in 1948 and joined LIFE
Magazine.
He was a
writer and correspondent for LIFE and TIME for
seventeen years, working in New York, Chicago,
Denver, Los Angeles and London. In London he wrote
stories on such diverse figures as Julie Christie,
Arnold Toynbee and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
He’s a member of the Overseas Press Club.
He joined
the Los Angeles Times as entertainment editor and
columnist in 1965, and was also principal film
critic from 1967 to 1990 and principal book reviewer
from 1980 to 1982.
He is a
founder of the L.A. Film Critics Assn., and has been
a board member of the American Cinematheque. He was
awarded the Order of Arts & Letters by the French
government in 1978 for his contributions to film.
Back to Top
MATT DAMON HONORED WITH
2,343th STAR
ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME
at
6801 Hollywood
Boulevard in front of the Kodak Theatre, Wednesday, July 25,
2007
 Matt Damon
is an Academy Award-winning screenwriter and
actor. He most recently starred in Martin Scorsese’s
Oscar-winning Best Picture,
The Departed
with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and Mark
Wahlberg, and in Robert DeNiro’s dramatic thriller
The Good
Shepherd, with DeNiro and Angelina Jolie.
Damon can currently be seen in
Oceans Thirteen
along with George Clooney and Brad Pitt,
and in director Paul Greengrass’
The Bourne
Ultimatum, in which he reprises his role
of Jason Bourne from the hit action thrillers
The Bourne Identity
and The Bourne
Supremecy, on August 3.
In 2005, Damon starred with George Clooney in the
geopolitical thriller
Syriana.
That same year, audiences also saw him in
The Brothers Grimm,
starring with Heath Ledger. He also recently
reprised his roles as Linus Caldwell in
Ocean’s Twelve
for director Steven Soderbergh, and as Jason Bourne
in the boxoffice hit
The Bourne
Supremacy, the second installment in the
series following
The Bourne Identity.
In 2004, Damon reprised his role as Jason Bourne in
the box-office hit
The Bourne Supremacy, the second
installment in the series following
The Bourne
Identity. That same year, Damon starred
with Greg Kinnear in the Farrelly Brothers comedy
Stuck On You,
and in 2002, in
Gerry with Casey Affleck for director Gus
Van Sant.
In 2000, audiences saw Damon star in
The Legend of
Bagger Vance, for director Robert Redford
and in the film version of the Cormick McCarthy book
All the Pretty
Horses.
In 1999, Damon starred in
The Talented Mr.
Ripley, for which he received a Golden
Globe nomination for Best Actor. That same year he
rejoined Chasing
Amy director Kevin Smith and pal Ben
Affleck in Dogma,
a film about a pair of outcast angels.
In 1998, he won an Academy Award for Best Original
Screenplay with longtime friend Ben Affleck for the
critically-acclaimed drama
Good Will Hunting.
Damon also earned an Academy Award nomination for
Best Actor for his work in the title role. In
addition, both he and Affleck received a Golden
Globe Award for their screenplay, and Damon also
garnered a Golden Globe nomination for his
performance. The film, directed by Gus Van Sant,
received seven additional Oscar nominations,
including one for Best Picture and a win for Robin
Williams for Best Supporting Actor.
In the same year, Damon starred in the title role of
the World War II drama
Saving Private Ryan
for Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg,
and in John Dahl’s
Rounders.
In 1997, Damon made a cameo appearance in
Chasing Amy.
In the same year, he starred as an idealistic young
attorney in Francis Ford Coppola’s
The Rainmaker,
based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham.
Damon first gained the public’s eye in 1996, when he
gave a vivid performance in
Courage Under Fire,
in which he portrayed a guilt-ridden Persian Gulf
War soldier tormented by an incident which happened
in the heat of battle.
The versatile young actor made his feature film
debut in 1988 in a small role in the critically
well-received
Mystic Pizza. He went on to play Brian
Dennehy’s medical school dropout in the TV movie
Rising Son
(TNT, 1990) and gained further attention when he
returned to the big screen as a fascist preppy in
School Ties
(1992).
For director Walter Hill, Damon enjoyed a sizeable
supporting role as the green second lieutenant new
to the West who narrates
Geronimo: An
American Legend (1993) and in 1995, he
appeared in The
Good Old Boys, directed by Tommy Lee
Jones for TNT.
Back to Top
 International Film &
Television and Emmy Award winning actor Eric Braeden
joined the cast of
The Young and the
Restless as Victor Newman in 1980 which
airs on CBS from Sony Pictures Television.
The Young And The
Restless has been the #1 rated daytime
drama series for over 19 consecutive years and can
be seen in over 15 foreign countries over 5
continents not including the United States. In
addition, The
Young And The Restless has a world wide
daily audience of 120,000,000 viewers.
In 1998, Braeden
received his first Emmy Award in the category of
“Outstanding Lead Actor In A Daytime Drama Series”
and during the same year he was the recipient of
“The People Choice Award” as “Most Popular Actor In
A Daytime Drama Series.” In 1997, he received a
Soap Update Award in the category of Outstanding
Lead Actor In A Daytime Drama Series.” In all, Eric
has been nominated for seven Emmy Awards.
2007 marks Braeden’s
46th Anniversary in film and television
where he has starred with the likes of Marlon
Brando, Bette Davis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Geraldine
Page, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, Jame Earl Jones,
Curt Jurgens, Raquel Welch, Tyne Daly, James Arness,
Mary Tyler Moore, Jack Lord among others.
Eric just completed
executive producing and starring in the feature film
The Man Who Came Back, a period western also
starring Armand Assante, Billy Zane, Sean Young,
Carol Alt, George Kennedy which was directed by Glen
Pitre and will be released in 2008.
His film credits
include:
Colossus: The Forbin Project,
Titanic. His other feature films and
television series credits include
Morituri, 100
Rifles, Operation Eichmann, Happily Ever After, The
Judge And Jack Wyler, The Ultimate Thrill, Escape
From The Planet Of The Apes, Herbie Goes To Monte
Carlo, Ambulance, Meet The Deedles,
Deadly Revenge
and Dayton’s
Devils among others.
His other primetime
series credits include
Hope And Faith, The
Nanny, Lucky Chances, How The West Was Won, Gunsmoke,
The Six Million Dollar Man, The Mary Tyler Moore
Show, Combat, Perry Mason and
Mission Impossible.
Eric twice received
the the Federal Medal Of Honor by the President Of
Germany for his contribution to German American
Relations and was also honored with the Humanitarian
Award from the Government of Israel.
For more information, please visit Eric Braeden’s
website www.ericbraeden.com.
Back to Top
 Mike Curb, California's former lieutenant governor,
is one of the most prominent figures in the
entertainment world and
presides over his own independent
record label, one of the largest in the nation, that
has launched the careers of numerous stars.
During a distinguished career spanning more than 40
years, Curb has earned multi-faceted success as a
songwriter, producer and record company owner,
covering a wide range of musical styles. As an
individual, he has written more than 400 songs,
produced 25 gold or platinum-selling records, and
received countless music industry awards, including
the prestigious Producer of the Year Award from
Billboard
magazine in 1972.
As the founder and Chairman of Curb Records, Curb's
company has produced more than 250 No. 1 records and
been honored by
Billboard
magazine as 2001 Country Music Label of
the Year and
Radio & Records magazine as 2005 Overall
Gold Label of the Year.
Starting as a student at Grant High School in
California's San Fernando Valley in the late 1950s,
Curb began performing with his own bands and formed
a vocal group, the Mike Curb Congregation. In later
years, the group achieved worldwide success with
many albums including "Burning Bridges," "Put Your
Hand in the Hand," and "Softly Whispering I Love
You." The Congregation also was seen on national
television every week on the Glen Campbell variety
show on CBS, and recorded No. 1 hit records
including "The Candy Man" with Sammy Davis Jr. and
"All for the Love of Sunshine" with Hank Williams
Jr., the singer's first No. 1 single, which also was
co-written by Curb.
During his long career, Curb's own writing credits
include songs for Roy Orbison, Sammy Davis Jr., Hank
Williams Jr., The Osmond Brothers, Donny & Marie
Osmond, Freddie Jackson, Irene Cara, Bobby Vinton,
Andy Williams, Wayne Newton, Anne Murray, Al
Martino, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Mae West,
The Crickets, The Hondells, The Ventures, Steve
Holy, Eddy Arnold, T.G. Sheppard and Solomon Burke.
Particular Curb writing highlights include "It Was
a Good Time" (a signature song for Liza Minnelli)
and the theme song for Dick Clark's "American
Bandstand" show.
Curb has also composed or supervised music for more
than 50 motion picture soundtracks in films
featuring Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Stewart, George C.
Scott, Jack Nicholson, John Cassavetes, Ernest
Borgnine, Mickey Rooney, Ryan O'Neal, Bette Davis,
Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mike Myers, Cliff
Robertson, George Kennedy and others. On the day of
the star induction, Curb Records will release the
soundtrack for the Universal Studios film “Evan
Almighty.” The soundtrack features artists: LeAnn
Rimes, Stone Temple Pilots, ZZ Top, John Fogerty, Creedence
Clearwater, Jo Dee Messina and many others.
In the 1960s, Curb's record label became an
important part of the West Coast rock 'n' roll music
scene, releasing early recordings by such artists as
The Arrows (featuring Davie Allan), The Stone Ponies
(featuring Linda Ronstadt), and The Electric Flag
(featuring Mike Bloomfield and Buddy Miles). In
1969, Curb merged his company with MGM Records and
became president of the MGM Co. He boosted MGM's
standing with such hits as "Spill the Wine" by Eric
Burdon and War, "One Bad Apple" by The Osmonds,
"Natural Man" by Lou Rawls, "The Candy Man" by Sammy
Davis Jr. and the Mike Curb Congregation, "I'm
Leaving It All Up to You" by Donny and Marie Osmond,
and Donny Osmond's worldwide signature song "Puppy
Love," which Curb also produced.
After MGM was sold in 1974, Curb went on to build
Curb Records and the Curb/Warner label, which
released numerous top-selling singles from the
mid-to-late 1970s.
Within a short
time, the company had five No. 1 records on the
Billboard Chart including the Four Seasons'
"December 1963 (Oh What A Night)," The Bellamy
Brothers' "Let Your Love Flow," Shaun Cassidy's "Da
Doo Ron Ron," Exile's "Kiss You All Over," and Debby
Boone's "You Light Up My Life" (the biggest selling
record of the decade).
In
November 1978, Curb was elected California's
lieutenant governor, the same year that Democrat
Jerry Brown was elected governor. During his 1979 to
1983 term, Curb, a Republican, served as acting
governor for about one year,
guiding the state during disastrous floods, fires
and a threatened prison guard strike.
After his stint in government, Curb returned to
California and, together with then-Curb Records
President Richard W. Whitehouse, went on to sign
such emerging stars as Lyle Lovett, The Judds, Don
and Phil Everly (The Everly Brothers), Sawyer Brown,
Chris Hillman's Desert Rose Band and The Righteous
Brothers. The latter gave Curb Records the
platinum-selling album and single "Unchained
Melody."
Meanwhile, Curb Records' successes have continued.
In 1997, Curb Records was Billboard's No. 1 country
label in four major categories for albums and
singles, and the No. 1 country label, according to
Nielsen SoundScan. Among the label's top hits was
"How Do I Live" by LeAnn Rimes, which was
co-produced by Curb and written by fellow California
State alum Diane Warren. The song earned Curb a
Billboard award for the longest-running record in
the history of the Billboard pop chart. He also
received a Billboard award for co-producing Rimes'
"You Light Up My Life," the only album ever to debut
No. 1 on Billboard's Pop Chart, Country Chart and
Contemporary Christian Chart.
Curb's current roster of exclusive recording artists
includes Wynonna Judd, Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, Hank
Williams Jr., The Judds, Lyle Lovett, Jo Dee
Messina, Sawyer Brown, Clay Walker, Steve Holy, Hal
Ketchum, Trini Triggs, Ray Stevens, Blue County,
Kimberley Locke, Rodney Atkins, Michael English,
Ronnie and Tyler McDowell, Kaci, Natalie Grant,
Fernando Ortega, Plumb, and Selah.
In addition to his record business, Curb serves as
chair of the Mike Curb Family Foundation, which
supports music education and works to restore
historic music industry locations. Curb also serves
on governing boards of the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and
the Country Music Foundation (Country Music
Hall of Fame). He also has been inducted into the
Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the National Business
Hall of Fame.
Back to Top
 Barbara Walters has arguably interviewed more
statesmen and stars than any other journalist in
history. She is so well known that her name and a
brief biography is listed in the American Heritage
Dictionary.
In September 2004, after 25 years as co-host and
chief correspondent of ABC News’ “20/20,” Ms.
Walters left the show to begin a new phase in her
career at the network. She remains an active member
of the news division and network, substantially
increasing the number of primetime ABC News
specials, in addition to her “Barbara Walters
Specials.” Ms. Walters joined ABC News in 1976 as
the first woman to co-host the network news.
In her final season, Barbara Walters’ “20/20”
newsmaker exclusives included the coveted first
interview with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
regarding her highly-anticipated autobiography; the
first with Martha Stewart before her trial and then
again immediately following sentencing; traveling to
Cuba to interview President Fidel Castro 25 years
after their first headline-making interview; Former
Vice President Al Gore in his first formal interview
since the controversial 2000 Presidential election;
President and Mrs. Bush, who gave “20/20” the first
look at the White House at Christmas; a candid
conversation with media phenoms, The Osbournes; and
actor Robert Blake, who spoke out for the first time
since being arrested for the murder of his wife.
Walters also tackled tough issues surrounding the
war with Iraq, including reports on Iraqi women and
children who lived through the first Persian Gulf
war and now live in America.
Through the years she has interviewed such world
figures as Russia’s Boris Yeltsin, China’s Premier
Jiang Zemin, Great Britain’s former Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher, Libya’s Moammar Qadaffi and
Iraq’s President Sadaam Hussein. She was also the
first American journalist to interview Russia’s
President Vladimir Putin and the first interview
with President and Mrs. Bush following September 11.
At the other extreme, in 1999 Ms. Walters conducted
the first interview with Monica Lewinsky, which
became the highest-rated news program ever broadcast
by a single network.
She has interviewed
every American President and First Lady since
Richard Nixon. She made journalism history by
arranging the first joint interview with Egypt’s
President Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Prime Minister
Menachem Begin in November, 1977. Another of her
“firsts” was an hour-long primetime conversation
with Cuban President Fidel Castro -- an interview
which has been printed in half a dozen languages and
shown all over the world.
“The Barbara Walters Specials” are continuously the
top-rated specials of the year and have included
such legends as Sir Laurence Olivier, Bing Crosby,
John Wayne, Bette Davis and Audrey Hepburn. More
recent interviews of superstars have included George
Clooney, Matthew McConaughey, Patrick Dempsey,
Jennifer Hudson, Helen Mirren, Eddie Murphy and
Ellen DeGeneres. Ms. Walters’ “The 10 Most
Fascinating People” special broadcast, launched in
1993, offers a year-end review of the most prominent
newsmakers of the year, as well as the selection of
the “most fascinating” individual.
Ms. Walters’ is also co-owner, co-executive producer
and co-host of “The View,” recipient of the 2003
Daytime Emmy® award for “Outstanding Talk Show.”
Walters is a nominee of the Daytime Emmys for host
and Exeutive Producer of the show. The View” has
been nominated 10 times in the past 10 years for
Best Host and Best Talk Show.
Prior to joining ABC she appeared on NBC’s “Today
Show” for 15 years. She began as a writer on the
“Today Show,” and within a year became a
reporter-at-large, developing, writing and editing
her own reports and interviews. In 1963 she became a
co-host of the program without the official title,
but in 1974 NBC officially designated her as the
program’s first female co-host.
Ms. Walters was a member of the NBC News team that
went to the People’s Republic of China to cover the
visits of President Richard Nixon in 1972 and
President Gerald Ford in 1975. In addition to the
“Today Show,” for five years Ms. Walters also hosted
her own popular syndicated series, “Not for Women
Only.” The program went off the air when she left
for ABC. Early in her career she was a writer for
CBS News and, before that, she was the youngest
producer with NBC-TV’s New York station (WNBC-TV).
Over the years Ms. Walters has received national
recognition for her work and has been the recipient
of numerous prestigious honors and awards. Among
these are:
-
Induction into the Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences’ Hall of Fame “for being acknowledged
worldwide as one of television’s most respected
interviewers and journalists,” 1990.
-
Induction into the Museum of Television and Radio
in Los Angeles, 2004.
-
The Lowell Thomas Award for a career in journalism
excellence by Marist College, 1990
-
The Overseas |
