Tuesday, May 31, 2016

05/31 SUSAN LUCCI, LIFETIME'S DEVIOUS MAIDS

SUSAN LUCCI - LIFETIME'S DEVIOUS MAIDS PREMIERES ON MONDAY JUNE 6TH AT 9/8 CENTRAL

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. Lucci currently stars in the hit Lifetime series, "Devious Maids" as the wealthy and effervescent socialite, Genevieve Delatour. She is also the host and narrator of Investigation Discovery's highly rated series, "Deadly Affairs." 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. She is the second woman in the history of the Columbus Day parade to serve as Grand Marshal – the first was Sophia Loren. 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."

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 review. 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."

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 was a constant sell-out 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 8 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 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 Littler Flower Children and Family Services of New York and have been the spokespersons for the National AFib Campaign. She currently hosts United Cerebral Palsy of NYC Women Who Care Luncheon. 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.

WWW.SUSANLUCCI.COM

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

05/24 ACTOR AND CHICAGO P.D. STAR JESSE LEE SOFFER, HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROADSTER CAMPAIGN, JOE MANTEGNA, PBS’ NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT

ACTOR AND CHICAGO P.D. STAR JESSE LEE SOFFER - TO TALK ACTING, CHICAGO P.D., MOTORCYCLES AND HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH THE NEW HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROADSTER CAMPAIGN

Jesse Lee Soffer is currently starring on the hit NBC show Chicago PD with recurring spots as the same character Jay Halstead on Chicago Fire.  Jesse began his film career in 1993 at age eight in the movie Matinee. From that point on, his work included time on such television series as Guiding Light, As the World Turns and in the film In Time amongst others.

Jesse Lee Soffer, avid motorcycle rider and enthusiast, is available to discuss his love for riding, his involvement with the new Harley-Davidson Roadster campaign, his role on Chicago P.D. and his career including other projects he has in the works.

Jesse helps introduce the new Dark Custom Harley-Davidson Roadster motorcycle, Harley-Davidson is taking its new stripped-down, agile bike to city streets via pop-up Bike-Shares to give people a chance to test the bike out in its intended urban environment.

Harley-Davidson borrowed the popular bicycle share concept to showcase how, for as little as seven bucks a day, Americans can own a new Dark Custom™ Harley-Davidson® Roadster™ motorcycle – less than the daily cost of a bicycle share rental in all U.S. cities.

Temporary Harley-Davidson motorcycle-sharing stations showcasing the Roadster will pop-up in select U.S. cities, including Portland, Los Angeles and the Motor Company’s hometown of Milwaukee, just as Roadster hits local dealerships.

ABOUT CHICAGO P.D (WEDNESDAYS 10/9 CENTRAL)
At the center of "Chicago P.D." is Detective Sgt. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe), who is at ground zero against the war on crime in Chicago. He will do ANYTHING to bring criminals to justice.

From multiple Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer Dick Wolf and the team behind the hit series "Chicago Fire," "Chicago P.D." is a riveting police drama about the men and women of the Chicago Police Department's elite Intelligence Unit, combatting the city's most heinous offenses - organized crime, drug trafficking, high profile murders and beyond.

Handpicked as the head of the Unit is Voight, who has assembled a team of diverse detectives who share his passion and commitment to keeping the city safe. They include Detective Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) who is more levelheaded and "by the book" than his counterpart; Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer), a brash young detective who previously saw active military duty in the Middle East; Halstead's partner Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush), a former "bad girl" who turned her life around with Voight's help; Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas), an experienced undercover detective and confidante for Voight; and Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger), a quick-witted cadet plucked from the police academy as Olinsky's partner.

The unit includes a new member in the form of Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins), a charismatic patrolman who recently was brought upstairs. Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Sean Roman (Brian Geraghty) assist with the unit, but on a daily basis, they work the streets as uniform patrol officers working with Intelligence whenever necessary. Desk Sgt. Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) runs a tight precinct with tough love, although she lets her softer, more vulnerable side shine through from time to time.

WWW.H-D.COM/ROADSTER

WWW.NBC.COM/CHICAGO-PD


ACTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER AND DIRECTOR, JOE MANTEGNA TO CO-HOST ANNUAL NIGHT OF REMEMBRANCE HONORING OUR AMERICAN HEROES: PBS’ NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT 


JOE MANTEGNA AND GARY SINISE CO-HOST ANNUAL NIGHT OF REMEMBRANCE HONORING OUR AMERICAN HEROES: PBS’ NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT

Live From the U.S. Capitol, All-Star Line-Up Features: General Colin Powell, Renee Fleming, The Beach Boys, Katharine McPhee, Trace Adkins, S. Epatha Merkerson, Esai Morales and Alfie Boe with Special Performance of National Anthem By AMERICAN IDOL Season 15 Winner Trent Harmon –

For over a quarter century, PBS has inspired viewers with the annual broadcast of the multi award-winning NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT (#MemDayPBS), dedicated to our men and women in uniform, their families at home and all those who have given their lives for our country.  Live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, the night of remembrance will honor the over 400,000 valiant men and women who are laid to rest in the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery; and chronicle the experiences of the millions of American veterans who still suffer from the seen and unseen wounds of war.

Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna (CRIMINAL MINDS) and Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise (CRIMINAL MINDS: WITHOUT BORDERS) are set to co-host this poignant and heart-warming event for the 11th year.  The acclaimed actors, whose dedication to the show is evident, are also longtime supporters of veterans’ causes and our troops in active service.   The all-star line-up includes: distinguished American leader General Colin L. Powell USA (Ret.); world-renowned four-time Grammy Award-winning classical superstar Renee Fleming; iconic music legends The Beach Boys; gifted actress and singer Katharine McPhee (SCORPION); country music star and Grammy-nominated member of the Grand Ole Opry Trace Adkins; Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson (CHICAGO MED, LAW & ORDER); Award-winning actor Esai Morales (MOZART IN THE JUNGLE); plus Tony Award-winning international sensation Alfie Boe, who has just joined the Broadway cast of the smash hit FINDING NEVERLAND; in performance with the National Symphony Orchestraunder the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly.  And marking the end of an era, Trent Harmon, the final winner of AMERICAN IDOL, will open the show with a special performance of the “National Anthem.”

The 27th annual broadcast of the NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT airs live on PBSSunday, May 29, 2016, from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m., before a concert audience of hundreds of thousands, millions more at home, as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network.


Tuesday, May 17, 2016

05/17 TONI TENNILLE, TONI TENNILLE: A MEMOIR

TONI TENNILLE JOINS THE SHOW TO DISCUSS HER MUSIC, CAREER AND HER BOOK, TONI TENNILLE: A MEMOIR

Born, Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille is best known for her '70s and '80s chart-topping hits with the pop duo Captain & Tennille and the hit series by the same name. A classically trained pianist and a prolific song writer, Toni has also released numerous solo albums celebrating the romantic music of big band and American standards. Today Toni can be found working with her award-winning Australian shepherd dogs in Lake Mary, Florida, and continuing to play the music she loves. 

She has just completed a memoir of her life and career (Toni Tennille: A Memoir / April 2016). Since bursting onto the scene in the mid 70s, the pop duo Captain and Tennille have long defined the sparkling, optimistic idea of everlasting love, both in their music and through their image as a happy and, seemingly, unbreakable couple. They were an irresistible pair to millions of fans all over the world, further underscored by the rousing “yes, we can!” gospel of their biggest hit, “Love Will Keep Us Together.” But underneath the image was an entirely different story that the fans never saw: a woman who fought a lonely struggle against the controlling and often bizarre behavior of her emotionally inaccessible husband.

Toni Tennille: A Memoir is a visceral account of Toni Tennille’s life from her childhood in the segregated South to her thrilling rise to fame in the world of pop music to where she is now: no longer one-half of a famed couple, but a stronger woman for all she has experienced—both the good and the bad. Toni hopes that her story will help anyone who feels trapped in a toxic relationship realize that it is never too late to break away from it.

WWW.TONITENNILLE.NET

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

05/10 TOM SELLECK, BLUE BLOODS, MAGNUM P.I.

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.



Tuesday, May 3, 2016

05/03 VANESSA WILLIAMS

ACTRESS, SINGER, DANCER AND AUTHOR VANESSA WILLIAMS TALKS ABOUT SUCCESS IS CALLING, A PROGRAM THAT HELPS WOMEN BY PROVIDING THE KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS NECESSARY TO MASTER THE PHONE INTERVIEW

Vanessa Williams is one of the most respected and multi-faceted performers in entertainment today. She has conquered the musical charts, Broadway, music videos, television and motion pictures. She has sold millions of albums worldwide and she has achieved critical acclaim as an actress on stage, in film and on television.
Vanessa partnered with TracFone and Dress for Success to expand the Success is Calling program in its second year. Success is Calling is a program that helps women by providing the knowledge and tools necessary to master the phone interview, which is often the crucial first step to employment. In 2015, Success is Calling positively impacted more than 300 women who became gainfully employed after graduating from the program, and this year the program aims to reach twice as many women across the country, helping them enter into and thrive in the workforce and beyond.

VANESSAWILLIAMS.COM
SUCCESSISCALLING.TRACFONE.COM