Tuesday, November 26, 2013

11/26 Tom Selleck, Blue Bloods, Magnum P.I., Chef Rick Tarantino, Happy Thanksgiving

It's a Magnum P.I. Reunion! Tom Selleck Joins the Show!

Thomas William "Tom" Selleck (born January 29, 1945) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as the private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series Magnum, P.I. (1980 to 1988), based in Hawaii. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on Robert B. Parker novels. Since 2010, he has appeared as NYPD Police Commissioner Frank Reagan in the drama Blue Bloods on CBS-TV.

Selleck has appeared in more than fifty film and television roles since his initial success with Magnum, P.I., including a co-starring role in the highest-grossing movie of 1987, Three Men and a Baby; Quigley Down Under; Mr. Baseball; and Lassiter, to name a few. Selleck has also appeared as Dr. Richard Burke on Friends, where he played the on-again, off-again love-interest of Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), and A.J. Cooper on Las Vegas.

Early life

Selleck was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Martha S. (née Jagger), a housewife, and Robert Dean Selleck (died 2001), who was an executive and real estate investor. His father was of English and distant German ancestry, and his mother was of English descent. Selleck's family moved to Sherman Oaks, California, during his childhood. Tom's siblings include brother Robert (born 1944), sister Martha (born 1953) and brother Daniel (born 1955). Selleck graduated from Grant High School, in 1962.

Along with modeling, Selleck attended the University of Southern California on a basketball scholarship where he played for the USC Trojans men's basketball team. He is a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and a member of the Trojan Knights. While he majored in business administration, a drama coach suggested Selleck try acting. He then studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, under Milton Katselas.

Selleck served as a soldier in the 160th Infantry Regiment of the California Army National Guard and his unit was activated for the Watts Riots in Los Angeles.

Career

Early work and Magnum P.I.

Selleck's first TV appearance was as a college senior on The Dating Game in 1965, and again in 1967. Soon after, he appeared in commercials for products such as Pepsi-Cola.

He began his career with bit parts in smaller movies, including Myra Breckinridge and The Seven Minutes. He also appeared in number of TV series, mini-series and TV movies. Selleck also had a recurring role in the 1970s as "too good to be true" private investigator Lance White in The Rockford Files. Lance was very trusting and always lucky, much to the annoyance of Jim Rockford, the show's star private eye played by James Garner. White would frequently say to Rockford, "Don't worry Jim, clues will turn up" and then a clue would just turn up, much to Rockford's consternation, for whom obtaining clues required hard work and hard knocks. Selleck's character was based on one played in Garner's earlier TV series Maverick (1957) by Wayde Preston in the episode "The Saga of Waco Williams".

Selleck, an accessible but relatively untested actor, spent years receiving little interest from the entertainment industry. His big break came when he was cast in the lead role as Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I.. The producers would not release the actor for other projects, so Selleck had to pass on the equally enticing film project for the role of Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", which then went to rising star Harrison Ford. The choice between the roles of Indiana Jones and Magnum actually haunted Selleck so much that before making the decision, he consulted his best friend on what to do. Together they came to the conclusion taking the high road and honoring the first contract with Universal Studios was the career-savvy direction. It turned out shooting of the pilot for Magnum was delayed for over six months by a writers' strike, which would have enabled him to complete "Raiders".

Film

Selleck starred in the 1979 TV movie Concrete Cowboys with Jerry Reed. He starred in a number of film roles during and after Magnum; among the most notable were as an acrophobic police detective in Runaway; as a stand-in father in Three Men and a Baby; and as an American 19th century sharpshooter in the Australian western Quigley Down Under – a role and film that he considers one of his best. His other films include Three Men and a Little Lady; High Road to China; Lassiter; Coma; Her Alibi; An Innocent Man; Folks!; Christopher Columbus: The Discovery; Mr. Baseball; In & Out and The Love Letter.

Selleck is an avid outdoorsman, and a marksman and knowledgeable firearms collector. These interests led him to leading-man cowboy roles in Western films, starting with his role as cowboy and frontier marshal Orrin Sackett in the 1979 film The Sacketts, opposite Sam Elliott, Jeff Osterhage, and Western legendsGlenn Ford and Ben Johnson. He followed The Sacketts with The Shadow Riders in 1982, then portraying a cat burglar in 1930s London in Lassiter in 1984.Quigley Down Under is probably one of his best known Western films, however he also won a "Western Heritage Award" for his 1997 role in Last Stand at Sabre River. His last two cowboy roles to date were in the 2001 TNT movie Crossfire Trail (based on a Louis L'Amour novel of the same name), and the 2003 motion picture Monte Walsh.

He most recently appeared in the film Killers, along with Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher.

Television

Magnum P.I.

Selleck played the role of Thomas Magnum in 1980 after six failed TV pilots. Magnum was a former U.S. Navy Officer, a veteran of a special operations unit in the Vietnam War, who had resigned his commission with the Office of Naval Intelligence and become a private investigator living in Hawaii. The show would go on for eight seasons and 162 episodes until 1988, winning him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1984. Selleck was famous for his mustache, a Hawaiian-style aloha shirt, a Detroit Tigers baseball cap, and the Colt Model 1911A1 .45 ACP Caliber pistol his character carried. Magnum drove a Ferrari 308GTSi in the series. The model became so identified with the role that Ferrari fans now refer to the red-painted model as a "Magnum" Ferrari.
Selleck has confirmed that he is the most popular choice by fans to play the role of Magnum in the rumoured upcoming Magnum P.I. movie.
Friends

In the late nineties, Selleck played the role of Richard Burke, Monica's boyfriend, at the end of the second season of the hugely successful TV series Friends. Richard was a divorced ophthalmologist who was a friend of Monica's parents, and at first the relationship was hidden from her parents. The relationship eventually ended over Richard's reluctance to commit to raising a family, though Selleck did make a few extra appearances in later shows.

The Closer

In February 1998, Selleck accepted the lead role in a sitcom for CBS called The Closer. In it he played Jack McLaren, a legendary publicist heading up a brand new marketing firm. His costars included Ed Asner, David Krumholtz, and Penelope Ann Miller. Despite the high pedigree, and the expectations for his first series since Magnum, P. I., low ratings caused the show to be canceled after ten episodes.

Jesse Stone series

Since 2005, Selleck has starred in the role of transplanted lawman Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on Robert B. Parker's novels. To date, the series comprises eight films, with the most recent released on May 20, 2012. In addition to his portrayal of the films' protagonist, Selleck now also acts as producer for the series. The fifth film, Jesse Stone: Thin Ice, was not adapted from Parker's novels, but rather an original story by Selleck.

Las Vegas

He joined the cast of the NBC drama Las Vegas in the season-five premiere on September 28, 2007. He played A.J. Cooper, the new owner of the Montecito Casino. He replaced James Caanwho left the cast in the same episode. This was Selleck's first regular role on a drama show since he played Thomas Magnum on Magnum, P.I..

Blue Bloods

Blue Bloods is an American police procedural/drama series on CBS, filmed on location in New York City. Frank Reagan (Selleck) is the Police Commissioner; the series follows the Reagan family of police officers with the New York City Police Department. The show premiered on September 24, 2010.

Other work

Selleck has also appeared in a number of made-for-TV movies in recent years. In particular, he has sought to help bring back to popularity the western, often playing one of that genre's typical characters but thrust into a modern context.

Selleck was offered the lead role of Mitch Buchannon in Baywatch, but turned down the role because he did not want to be seen as a sex symbol. The role eventually went to David Hasselhoff.

Surprising many of his fans, Selleck unexpectedly played the role of General Dwight D. Eisenhower in A&E's 2004 made-for-TV movie Ike: Countdown to D-Day. The movie showed the planning, politics, and preparation for the 1944 Invasion of Normandy, and Selleck was critically lauded for playing a cool, calm Eisenhower.

Selleck appeared in a recurring role on the acclaimed ABC drama Boston Legal as Ivan Tiggs—the troubled ex-husband of Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen)—and as novelist Robert B. Parker's character Jesse Stone in several CBS made-for-TV movies, earning a 2007 Emmy nomination for Jesse Stone: Sea Change.

Broadway

In 2001, Selleck played the lead role of Murray in a Broadway revival of Herb Gardner's comedic play A Thousand Clowns. It ran for only two months. Critics, though far from uniformly negative about Selleck's performance, generally compared it unfavorably to that of Jason Robards, Jr., who won awards in the 1960s for playing the character on the stage and in a movie version. (It remains the role with which Robards is most identified.) Playwright Gardner, however, actually preferred Selleck to Robards in the part, and even said that Selleck was the way he had always envisioned Murray.

Commercials

Selleck did the voice-over for the 1993 AT&T advertising campaigns titled "You Will." These advertisements had a futuristic feel, and posed the question of, "What if you had the technology to ______ ? Well, you will ... and the company that will bring it to you? AT&T." As of December 30, 2007, he began doing commercial voice-overs for Florida orange juice, a move that one writer quipped would have a "magnum" impact on sales (referring to the actor's role in Magnum, P.I).] As of March 2012, Selleck is featured in Coldwell Banker's new television ad campaign focusing on the deepest, most personal meanings of homeownership.]

The Practical Guide to the Universe

In the mid-1990s, Selleck hosted a special series on TLC called The Practical Guide to the Universe, in which he talked about the stars, planets, galaxies, and other things in the universe.

Then Chef Rick Stops by with some Thanksgiving Recipes!

Chef Rick’s Thanksgiving Muffins

A great way to enjoy that Turkey, Stuffing and Gravy.  Use left overs or serve them for the holiday either way you will get a mouthful of thanksgiving taste in every bite.

Ingredients
4 cups Turkey Stuffing
2 cups Turkey, (chopped into ¼ inch pieces
1 cup Cranberry Jelly or Cranberry Sauce with Whole berries
2 cups Turkey Gravy

Directions
In a mixing bowl combine stuffing, and chopped turkey, gradually add gravy to wet the stuffing so it is dough like (it may not take all the gravy to do this add only what you need).  Then using an ice cream scoop place one scoop stuffing and turkey mixture into lined muffin tin.  Using the end of a spoon make an insertion into the dough to form a hole in the center, to the hole add one teaspoon of cranberry jelly to center of stuffing using your fingers close the opening . If your muffin tin is large and needs more stuffing fill it half way , then add the cranberry jelly or sauce and finish with another scoop of stuffing and turkey mixture.

Place muffins in a 350F oven for 7 to 10 minutes to heat and let the tops get crispy.  Remove and serve with extra gravy.   Refrigerate any leftover muffins.

Chef Rick Extra

Turkey Hash

Ingredients
1 ½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch cubes or left over potatoes ( either will do)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup cooked turkey, diced to ¼ inch
4 large eggs,( optional)

Instructions
Cook Potatoes and dice or use left over potatoes ( even Mashed will do ) While potatoes are cooling, add vegetable oil to skillet over medium-high heat, and saute the onions until soft and golden brown, 10 minutes. To the pad add potatoes, turkey, 1 teaspoon garlic salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and cook on med-high heat, turning occasionally, until browned, about 15 minutes. To serve Dinner Style Fry  2 eggs in over easy and serve on top of Turkey hash.

Chef Rick Tip: make extra turkey hash, form into hamburger size patties using a jar lid and wax paper to mold. Then freeze and keep on hand when you want to use.

www.myrastellidirect.com/chefrick 

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

11/19 Susan Lucci

As the most famous face in daytime television history, Susan Lucci has held audiences spellbound for years as the sexy, sassy, beautiful "woman you love to hate," Erica Kane on ABC-TV's "All My Children." In May 1999 she won the Emmy Award for "Best Actress," which was a historic moment not only for Lucci, but for all of television. She received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 28, 2005 and was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2006. Lucci was named one of E! Entertainment's "Top Entertainers of the Year" as well as one of Barbara Walters' "Ten Most Fascinating People." VH-1 has also named Lucci one of its"200 Top Icons of all Time."

Lucci is the host and narrator of Investigation Discovery's "Deadly Affairs," which premiered in the fall of 2012 and was the second highest series debut in network history. The show was renewed for a second season scheduled for the summer of 2013. Lucci will also star in the new highly anticipated series, "Devious Maids," created by Marc Cherry, who also created the hit series, Desperate Housewives. Devious Maids will air on Lifetime beginning late spring 2013. In 2011 Lucci appeared in the highly rated season finale of TV Land's "Hot in Cleveland," and returned for another episode in February 2012 entitled, "I Love Lucci." She also guest starred in a recurring role on Lifetime's "Army Wives" in 2012. Lucci competed on ABC's primetime reality show, "Dancing with the Stars," hosted "Saturday Night Live," and guest-starred in many successful television series and numerous movies for television throughout her career. In March 2011 Lucci released her New York Times bestselling autobiography, All My Life, with Harper Collins. The paperback edition of All My Life was released on September 13th.

Lucci's artistic excellence afforded her the opportunity to expand to luminous careers in theater and cabaret with solo concerts across the country and nightclub performances opening for Regis Philbin. In her 1999 Broadway debut, Lucci starred as Annie Oakley in the revival of Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun," to amazing reviews. Michael Logan of TV Guide said, "Susan Lucci didn't just take Great White Way by storm: she took it by tornado, hurricane and tsunami, too." Reenact
Acting and singing are only two of Lucci's many passions. Within the past 10 years she became a successful entrepreneur launching a Susan Lucci Collection of hair care products, two fragrances, jewelry, shoes, and accessory lines, and a lingerie line for "beauty of all ages." Her head-to-toe collection is a constant sell-out and available on the Home Shopping Network (HSN). In 2002, Lucci introduced a personal microdermabrasion system with Guthy-Renker, Youthful Essence® by Susan Lucci that has sold over 10 million kits worldwide since its debut. Lucci expanded her expertise with Guthy-Renker by also presenting "Malibu Pilates," the widely popular Pilates chair fitness program.

Lucci's commitment to her work with children has most recently taken her to Africa in support of Feed The Children, appearing in an Emmy-award winning documentary. She and her husband have been ongoing champions of Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York and most recently have been the spokespersons for the National AFib Campaign. She has served as the March of Dimes' National Ambassador in 2000 and as a celebrity spokesperson for AMDeC (Academic Medicine Development Company) and The New York Cancer Project. She has also been involved with Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids and is the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the prestigious New York City Gracie Award and the Muse Award for Women in Film & Television. She was inducted into the American Academy of Achievement Awards and presented with the Italian Board of Guardians Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lucci's accomplishments and contributions to the world of television and the performing arts have truly made her an icon to millions.

STAY TUNED FOR SEASON 2 OF DEVIOUS MAIDS 

Devious Maids is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry, produced by ABC Studios and executive produced by Cherry, Sabrina Wind, Eva Longoria, Paul McGuigan, Larry Shuman, David Lonner, John Mass, Paul Presburger, and Michael Garcia. The series premiered June 23, 2013, onLifetime

The show's cast includes Ana Ortiz as lead character, and Dania Ramirez,Roselyn Sánchez, Edy Ganem, and Judy Reyes as other maids, with Susan Lucci, Rebecca Wisocky, Tom Irwin, Brianna Brown, Brett Cullen, Mariana Klaveno, and Grant Show in feature main roles. The series centers on four Latina maids working in the homes of Beverly Hills’ wealthiest and most powerful families, and a newcomer who made it personal after a maid was murdered and determined to uncover the truth behind her demise, and in the process become an ally in their lives.

The show was originally in development to air on ABC. The pilot episode was released online on June 9, 2013, before its television debut. The pilot episodehas received positive reviews from critics. The pilot drew 1.99 million viewers, and in episode six, shot up 45 percent from the series premiere, to 2.90 million viewers. The first season finale would become its highest rated episode, peaking at 3 million viewers

On August 13, 2013, Devious Maids was renewed for a second season, consisting of 13 episodes. Season 2 is set to premiere on Lifetime on April 6, 2014. Brianna Brown and Brett Cullen are not returning for season 2.


STAY TUNED FOR SEASON 3 OF DEADLY AFFAIRS

Deadly Affairs is an American documentary television series on Investigation Discovery that debuted on September 28, 2012. The series tells true stories of love affairs that ended up deadly and is hosted by former All My Children actressSusan Lucci. Deadly Affairs was renewed for a second season in November 2012, with the premiere on August 3, 2013.



Recipe of the Week

Italian Breaded Pork Chops 

8 Thin Cut Pork Chops
11/2 Cups Bread Crumbs (Panko Italian Seasoned)
1/2 Cup Romano Cheese
2 Eggs
4 Cloves of Garlic (Chopped)
1 Cup Olive Oil

Heat garlic in olive oil until translucent, remove garlic. Dip Chops in egg and bread crumbs after being seasoned with cheese, herbs, salt and pepper. Fry in hot oil until crisp, about two minutes on each side. Place on paper towels or rack to drain excess oil.

ENJOY!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

11/12 Jacqueline Bisset


First appearing as an extra in 1965's The Knack ...and How to Get It, Bisset made her official film debut the following year in Roman Polanski's Cul-de-sac (1966). In 1967, she appeared in the movie Two for the Road. Next, she participated in the James Bond satire, Casino Royale, as Miss Goodthighs. That same year, she had her first lead role in The Cape Town Affair, opposite James Brolin.

In 1968, Bisset gained mainstream recognition when she replaced Mia Farrow for the role of Norma MacIver in The Detective, opposite Frank Sinatra. In the same year, she co-starred with Michael Sarrazin in The Sweet Ride, which brought her a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer, and played Steve McQueen's girlfriend in the police dramaBullitt, which was among the top five highest-grossing films of the year.

In 1969, she played her first "older woman" (at 25) in the sex comedy The First Time. She was one of the many stars in the 1970 disaster film Airport, as a pregnant stewardess carrying Dean Martin's love child. Following films included The Mephisto Waltz (1971) with Alan Alda, The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973) with Ryan O'Neal, The Spiral Staircase (1975) with Christopher Plummer, and St. Ives (1976) with Charles Bronson.
Several of Bisset's movies are also French or Italian productions. In 1973, she appeared in François Truffaut's Day for Night, where she earned the respect of European critics and moviegoers as a serious actress. She co-starred with Marcello Mastroianni in Luigi Comencini's La donna della domenica in 1975.

In 1977, Bisset made strides towards becoming a better-known entertainer in America with her movie The Deep, where swimming underwater wearing only a T-shirt helped make the film a box office success, leading the producer Jon Peters to say, "That T-shirt made me a rich man,"[9] and led many to credit her with popularising the wet T-shirt contest. At the time, Newsweek declared her "the most beautiful film actress of all time." About that time, a small Dutch-produced film Bisset had made some years earlier was re-released in the United States under the title Secrets. That movie featured the only extensive nude scenes of Bisset's career and the producers cashed in on her fame.

By 1978, she was a household name. In that year she earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress (Comedy) for her performance in Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, and starred opposite Anthony Quinn in The Greek Tycoon. Soon thereafter, she played in the movies When Time Ran Out (1980) with Paul Newman, andGeorge Cukor's Rich and Famous (1981) with Candice Bergen, where she also served as co-producer. She then appeared in the comedy film Class (1983), as Rob Lowe's attractive mother who seduces her son's best friend (Andrew McCarthy). She earned another Golden Globe nomination for her role as Albert Finney's wife in John Huston's Under the Volcano (1984).

Bisset has appeared in many made-for-TV movies since the mid-1980s. One of her later TV movies, in 2003, was America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story, in which she portrayed Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Bisset's other television work includes the Biblical epics Jesus (1999) and In the Beginning (2000), and the miniseries Joan of Arc, which earned her an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

In 1996, Bisset was nominated for a César Award for her role in the French film La Cérémonie. She appeared in Dangerous Beauty (1998) with Catherine McCormack, and in the Domino Harvey biographical film Domino (2005) with Keira Knightley.

In 2006, Bisset had a recurring role on the TV series Nip/Tuck as the ruthless extortionist James. She starred in the lead role of Boaz Yakin's Death in Love which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Later in 2008, she starred in the Hallmark television film An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving. She recently finished filming The Last Film Festival, which was the final screen appearance of Dennis Hopper.

Unlike many actresses of her generation who have difficulty finding work after 40, Bisset has made a seamless transition from leading lady to character actress. She remains in demand in Hollywood and Europe. She told a Bermuda newspaper in 2004: This film business, perhaps more so in America than in Europe, has always been about young sexuality. It's not true of theatre, but in America, film audiences are young and they go to the cinema to see the sort of romance or adventure that appeals to them. It's not an intellectual cinema in America. But one mustn't be too greedy. One wants to be stimulated by the work as long as there is something to give. I think you have to be as flexible as possible. Perhaps you don't get handed the big American productions, but, quite honestly, who would want to be in a lot of them? Many of them are just puerile teenage filler, and they're not fascinating to be in. To be used in a part without depth is a frustrating feeling, when you know you have something to give, and the camera just sort of brushes past you, and doesn't get what you have to give. Most actresses I know are frustrated, but you have to adapt to the reality. I go and find a small part in something I find interesting, or find an independent film.

In 2010, Bisset was awarded the Légion d'honneur insignia, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy calling her "a movie icon." She recently returned to the UK to film Stephen Poliakoff's 1930s jazz drama series, Dancing on the Edge, which screened on BBC2 in 2013.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

11/05 Tom Selleck, Blue Bloods, Magnum P.I., Chef Rick Tarantino

It's a Magnum P.I. Reunion! Tom Selleck Joins the Show!

Thomas William "Tom" Selleck (born January 29, 1945) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as the private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series Magnum, P.I. (1980 to 1988), based in Hawaii. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on Robert B. Parker novels. Since 2010, he has appeared as NYPD Police Commissioner Frank Reagan in the drama Blue Bloods on CBS-TV.

Selleck has appeared in more than fifty film and television roles since his initial success with Magnum, P.I., including a co-starring role in the highest-grossing movie of 1987, Three Men and a Baby; Quigley Down Under; Mr. Baseball; and Lassiter, to name a few. Selleck has also appeared as Dr. Richard Burke on Friends, where he played the on-again, off-again love-interest of Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), and A.J. Cooper on Las Vegas.

Early life

Selleck was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Martha S. (née Jagger), a housewife, and Robert Dean Selleck (died 2001), who was an executive and real estate investor. His father was of English and distant German ancestry, and his mother was of English descent. Selleck's family moved to Sherman Oaks, California, during his childhood. Tom's siblings include brother Robert (born 1944), sister Martha (born 1953) and brother Daniel (born 1955). Selleck graduated from Grant High School, in 1962.

Along with modeling, Selleck attended the University of Southern California on a basketball scholarship where he played for the USC Trojans men's basketball team. He is a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and a member of the Trojan Knights. While he majored in business administration, a drama coach suggested Selleck try acting. He then studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, under Milton Katselas.

Selleck served as a soldier in the 160th Infantry Regiment of the California Army National Guard and his unit was activated for the Watts Riots in Los Angeles.

Career

Early work and Magnum P.I.

Selleck's first TV appearance was as a college senior on The Dating Game in 1965, and again in 1967. Soon after, he appeared in commercials for products such as Pepsi-Cola.

He began his career with bit parts in smaller movies, including Myra Breckinridge and The Seven Minutes. He also appeared in number of TV series, mini-series and TV movies. Selleck also had a recurring role in the 1970s as "too good to be true" private investigator Lance White in The Rockford Files. Lance was very trusting and always lucky, much to the annoyance of Jim Rockford, the show's star private eye played by James Garner. White would frequently say to Rockford, "Don't worry Jim, clues will turn up" and then a clue would just turn up, much to Rockford's consternation, for whom obtaining clues required hard work and hard knocks. Selleck's character was based on one played in Garner's earlier TV series Maverick (1957) by Wayde Preston in the episode "The Saga of Waco Williams".

Selleck, an accessible but relatively untested actor, spent years receiving little interest from the entertainment industry. His big break came when he was cast in the lead role as Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I.. The producers would not release the actor for other projects, so Selleck had to pass on the equally enticing film project for the role of Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", which then went to rising star Harrison Ford. The choice between the roles of Indiana Jones and Magnum actually haunted Selleck so much that before making the decision, he consulted his best friend on what to do. Together they came to the conclusion taking the high road and honoring the first contract with Universal Studios was the career-savvy direction. It turned out shooting of the pilot for Magnum was delayed for over six months by a writers' strike, which would have enabled him to complete "Raiders".

Film

Selleck starred in the 1979 TV movie Concrete Cowboys with Jerry Reed. He starred in a number of film roles during and after Magnum; among the most notable were as an acrophobic police detective in Runaway; as a stand-in father in Three Men and a Baby; and as an American 19th century sharpshooter in the Australian western Quigley Down Under – a role and film that he considers one of his best. His other films include Three Men and a Little Lady; High Road to China; Lassiter; Coma; Her Alibi; An Innocent Man; Folks!; Christopher Columbus: The Discovery; Mr. Baseball; In & Out and The Love Letter.

Selleck is an avid outdoorsman, and a marksman and knowledgeable firearms collector. These interests led him to leading-man cowboy roles in Western films, starting with his role as cowboy and frontier marshal Orrin Sackett in the 1979 film The Sacketts, opposite Sam Elliott, Jeff Osterhage, and Western legendsGlenn Ford and Ben Johnson. He followed The Sacketts with The Shadow Riders in 1982, then portraying a cat burglar in 1930s London in Lassiter in 1984.Quigley Down Under is probably one of his best known Western films, however he also won a "Western Heritage Award" for his 1997 role in Last Stand at Sabre River. His last two cowboy roles to date were in the 2001 TNT movie Crossfire Trail (based on a Louis L'Amour novel of the same name), and the 2003 motion picture Monte Walsh.

He most recently appeared in the film Killers, along with Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher.

Television

Magnum P.I.

Selleck played the role of Thomas Magnum in 1980 after six failed TV pilots. Magnum was a former U.S. Navy Officer, a veteran of a special operations unit in the Vietnam War, who had resigned his commission with the Office of Naval Intelligence and become a private investigator living in Hawaii. The show would go on for eight seasons and 162 episodes until 1988, winning him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1984. Selleck was famous for his mustache, a Hawaiian-style aloha shirt, a Detroit Tigers baseball cap, and the Colt Model 1911A1 .45 ACP Caliber pistol his character carried. Magnum drove a Ferrari 308GTSi in the series. The model became so identified with the role that Ferrari fans now refer to the red-painted model as a "Magnum" Ferrari.
Selleck has confirmed that he is the most popular choice by fans to play the role of Magnum in the rumoured upcoming Magnum P.I. movie.
Friends

In the late nineties, Selleck played the role of Richard Burke, Monica's boyfriend, at the end of the second season of the hugely successful TV series Friends. Richard was a divorced ophthalmologist who was a friend of Monica's parents, and at first the relationship was hidden from her parents. The relationship eventually ended over Richard's reluctance to commit to raising a family, though Selleck did make a few extra appearances in later shows.

The Closer

In February 1998, Selleck accepted the lead role in a sitcom for CBS called The Closer. In it he played Jack McLaren, a legendary publicist heading up a brand new marketing firm. His costars included Ed Asner, David Krumholtz, and Penelope Ann Miller. Despite the high pedigree, and the expectations for his first series since Magnum, P. I., low ratings caused the show to be canceled after ten episodes.

Jesse Stone series

Since 2005, Selleck has starred in the role of transplanted lawman Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on Robert B. Parker's novels. To date, the series comprises eight films, with the most recent released on May 20, 2012. In addition to his portrayal of the films' protagonist, Selleck now also acts as producer for the series. The fifth film, Jesse Stone: Thin Ice, was not adapted from Parker's novels, but rather an original story by Selleck.

Las Vegas

He joined the cast of the NBC drama Las Vegas in the season-five premiere on September 28, 2007. He played A.J. Cooper, the new owner of the Montecito Casino. He replaced James Caanwho left the cast in the same episode. This was Selleck's first regular role on a drama show since he played Thomas Magnum on Magnum, P.I..

Blue Bloods

Blue Bloods is an American police procedural/drama series on CBS, filmed on location in New York City. Frank Reagan (Selleck) is the Police Commissioner; the series follows the Reagan family of police officers with the New York City Police Department. The show premiered on September 24, 2010.

Other work

Selleck has also appeared in a number of made-for-TV movies in recent years. In particular, he has sought to help bring back to popularity the western, often playing one of that genre's typical characters but thrust into a modern context.

Selleck was offered the lead role of Mitch Buchannon in Baywatch, but turned down the role because he did not want to be seen as a sex symbol. The role eventually went to David Hasselhoff.

Surprising many of his fans, Selleck unexpectedly played the role of General Dwight D. Eisenhower in A&E's 2004 made-for-TV movie Ike: Countdown to D-Day. The movie showed the planning, politics, and preparation for the 1944 Invasion of Normandy, and Selleck was critically lauded for playing a cool, calm Eisenhower.

Selleck appeared in a recurring role on the acclaimed ABC drama Boston Legal as Ivan Tiggs—the troubled ex-husband of Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen)—and as novelist Robert B. Parker's character Jesse Stone in several CBS made-for-TV movies, earning a 2007 Emmy nomination for Jesse Stone: Sea Change.

Broadway

In 2001, Selleck played the lead role of Murray in a Broadway revival of Herb Gardner's comedic play A Thousand Clowns. It ran for only two months. Critics, though far from uniformly negative about Selleck's performance, generally compared it unfavorably to that of Jason Robards, Jr., who won awards in the 1960s for playing the character on the stage and in a movie version. (It remains the role with which Robards is most identified.) Playwright Gardner, however, actually preferred Selleck to Robards in the part, and even said that Selleck was the way he had always envisioned Murray.

Commercials

Selleck did the voice-over for the 1993 AT&T advertising campaigns titled "You Will." These advertisements had a futuristic feel, and posed the question of, "What if you had the technology to ______ ? Well, you will ... and the company that will bring it to you? AT&T." As of December 30, 2007, he began doing commercial voice-overs for Florida orange juice, a move that one writer quipped would have a "magnum" impact on sales (referring to the actor's role in Magnum, P.I).] As of March 2012, Selleck is featured in Coldwell Banker's new television ad campaign focusing on the deepest, most personal meanings of homeownership.]

The Practical Guide to the Universe

In the mid-1990s, Selleck hosted a special series on TLC called The Practical Guide to the Universe, in which he talked about the stars, planets, galaxies, and other things in the universe.

Then Chef Rick Stops by with some Thanksgiving Recipes!

Chef Rick’s Thanksgiving Muffins

A great way to enjoy that Turkey, Stuffing and Gravy.  Use left overs or serve them for the holiday either way you will get a mouthful of thanksgiving taste in every bite.

Ingredients
4 cups Turkey Stuffing
2 cups Turkey, (chopped into ¼ inch pieces
1 cup Cranberry Jelly or Cranberry Sauce with Whole berries
2 cups Turkey Gravy

Directions
In a mixing bowl combine stuffing, and chopped turkey, gradually add gravy to wet the stuffing so it is dough like (it may not take all the gravy to do this add only what you need).  Then using an ice cream scoop place one scoop stuffing and turkey mixture into lined muffin tin.  Using the end of a spoon make an insertion into the dough to form a hole in the center, to the hole add one teaspoon of cranberry jelly to center of stuffing using your fingers close the opening . If your muffin tin is large and needs more stuffing fill it half way , then add the cranberry jelly or sauce and finish with another scoop of stuffing and turkey mixture.

Place muffins in a 350F oven for 7 to 10 minutes to heat and let the tops get crispy.  Remove and serve with extra gravy.   Refrigerate any leftover muffins.

Chef Rick Extra

Turkey Hash

Ingredients
1 ½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch cubes or left over potatoes ( either will do)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup cooked turkey, diced to ¼ inch
4 large eggs,( optional)

Instructions
Cook Potatoes and dice or use left over potatoes ( even Mashed will do ) While potatoes are cooling, add vegetable oil to skillet over medium-high heat, and saute the onions until soft and golden brown, 10 minutes. To the pad add potatoes, turkey, 1 teaspoon garlic salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and cook on med-high heat, turning occasionally, until browned, about 15 minutes. To serve Dinner Style Fry  2 eggs in over easy and serve on top of Turkey hash.

Chef Rick Tip: make extra turkey hash, form into hamburger size patties using a jar lid and wax paper to mold. Then freeze and keep on hand when you want to use.

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