12/31 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.

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.

12/24 Tim Conway

TIM CONWAY is best known for his role on The Carol Burnett Show, an 11-year stint that garnered him six Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, major accolades from critics, and three generations of fans. Conway played the funny guy alongside Harvey Korman's straight man, often cracking up Korman midway through scenes. The spontaneous break in character became a hallmark to watch for in every episode.

Conway's often-improvised humor, razor-sharp timing and hilarious characters have made him one of the funniest and most authentic performers to grace the stage and studio in the last forty years. In 1989, Conway received his much deserved star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame." In 2002, he and Korman were inducted into the Academy of Television Arts, & Sciences' Hall of Fame. In 2005, the duo joined the rest of the Carol Burnett cast in receiving TV Land's Legend Award.

All told, Conway's extensive television career has spanned nearly four decades. Born in Willoughby, Ohio, Conway had a fast rise in show business, from a staff job at a Cleveland TV station to a regular gig on the Steven Allen Show. He went on to play Ensign Charles Parker on McHale's Navy in the 1960's, and eventually landed The Carol Burnett Show, first starring as a guest in 1967 and then coming a permanent fixture in 1975. In 2001, Conway and Korman starred in the 25th anniversary reunion special, The Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers. The program drew 30 million viewers and became the fourth-highest-rated TV show of the season. A testament to the show's unique multigenerational appeal, the special attracted everyone from grandparents who saw the original episodes to teenagers now enjoying re-runs on TV Land.

Conway's other television credits include Rango, Ace Crawford Private Eye, Tim Conway's Funny America, three self-titled variety shows, and one sitcom. He's appeared on every major variety show from The Hollywood Palace, Garry Moose, Glen Campbell and Sonny and Cher to Sammy Davis, Kraft Music Hall, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, sitcoms such as Married with Children, Cosby, Mad About You, Touched by an Angel, and Coach, for which he won an Emmy in 1997. He guest starred on Yes Dear, and kids may recognize him as the voice of Barnacle Boy on SpongeBob SquarePants. In 2003, Conway and Korman were featured performers on CBS's 75th Anniversary Special. He received an Emmy for his appearance on 30 Rock in 2008.

Conway's film career includes They Went That Way and That Way and The Long Shot, both of which he wrote, along with The Shaggy D.A., Speed II, and Dear God. But it was his work in a long line of family films - The World's Greatest Athlete, The Apple Dumpling Gang, and The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again, Gus, The Billion Dollar Hobo, The Prize Fighter, and Private Eyes, that garnered him the most acclaim. Conway wrote the last three and was frequently paired with Don Knotts for a double dose of comedy highjinks.

On stage, Conway played Felix in 182 performances of The Odd Couple. He also wrote and starred in Just for Laughs: A Day with Gates and Mills, which toured for 20 weeks and 130 performances.

In the home-video market, Conway has found a welcome residence for his vertically-challenged character, Dorf, with both Dorf on Golf, and Dorf Goes Fishing reaching platinum sales status. Conway also joined forces with Korman to produce the video Tim and Harvey in the Great Outdoors. Conway is active member of several charities, including various drug abuse programs and the Spastic Children's Foundation. He is the co-founder of the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund to aid injured and disabled jockeys.

Tim is now back on the road appearing in theaters and casinos around the country with two very talented performers, Louise DuArt and Chuck McCann. Check Tim’s schedule to see if he is appearing near you. Drop in, you’ll enjoy the evening of laughs and family humor. Just like “The Old Days.”

See more at: www.timconway.com

12/17 George Wallace

Legendary comedian George Wallace understands that the holidays can be stressful, as is work, family, and life in general. In his debut book, LAFF IT OFF! Wallace offers insight into life, finding joy in the little things, and the power of comedy. He stresses the importance of "laughing it all off," and why we can’t always take life so seriously.  His witty and legendary commentary can help add some comedic relief to your holiday season.

Comedian George Wallace started his career at NYC’s Comic Strip Live in the 1970’s, where he roomed with Jerry Seinfeld (and later served as the best man in his wedding). Headlining at the Flamingo in Las Vegas for the last decade, Wallace has been making people laugh for 37 years. Ranked by Comedy Central as “one of the greatest comedians of all-time” and by Rolling Stone as one of the top 25 funniest tweeters, George is available to dish one-liners and share insightful stories into his life.

Donned “The iron man of comedy” by Jay Leno, he is described by Jerry Seinfeld, who also wrote the foreword, as “One of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met.” No stranger to the spotlight, Wallace has appeared on The Tonight Show, Oprah, Late Night with David Letterman, Live! with Regis and Arsenio Hall. He was also a senior writer for Sanford & Son and his acting credits include Seinfeld and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

He is also heavily involved in charity work and "giving back" to the community. He has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to churches and ran several benefit events and comedy shows for the Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles. Likewise, he is the ambassador to a branch of the USO called "Armed Forces Entertainment," and has recently returned from doing comedy shows overseas.

Master comedian George Wallace entertains Tuesdays through Thursdays at the Flamingo Las Vegas.

www.georgewallace.net

12/10 Chef Rick Tarantino, Holiday Recipes

Rick Tarantino or Chef Rick as he is know in the media has a diverse back ground that has helped him build a successful career as a celebrity chef. He attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Campus and graduated with a Bachelors' of Science from the School of Food Science and Nutrition. Then began his work experience at the prestigious chain of Sheraton Hotels and Resorts from Los Angles to New York's five star St Regis Hotel, Rick worked his way up the corporate ladder. But that was only the beginning, with years of experience in the family hotel business that he was raised in and now with corporate hospitality business under his belt, he began his entrepreneurial career and started Inn Vision a state of the art in-room movie company in hotels around the country. After successfully selling that venture he went back into his family hotel and restaurant business with his father. Emerald Hotel and Resorts International, owned and operated hotels and restaurants in New England.

Rick then returned to school and received his Masters of Science degree from Johnson & Wales University, the world leading hotel and culinary school. Wanting to give back he began teaching at the school. That lead to an opportunity to develop an alumni and development office for the Chancellor, so when his father retired, they sold the hotel company and Rick began his next career as an educator, author and fundraiser. During the ten year period at Johnson & Wales, Rick met Justin Miller a young inspiring 6 year old who loved to cook. Rick trained Justin to become the Guinness Book of Records Worlds Youngest Chef and the two travelled the world cooking and inspiring others. This launched Rick in to the Television and Media industry.

The pair appeared on almost every national television show venue from Good Morning America, David Letterman, Disney, to the Food Network. Rick also became a research chef for many national brands like Westinghouse, Rival's Crock -Pot, Cattlemen's, BBQ sauce, Kraft Foods, and VacuWare to just name a few. In addition he now appears regularly on HSN ( Home Shopping Channel ) and The Shopping Channel Canada as well as National Infomercials and Tradeshows.

Chef Rick has experience in many media outlets, live appearances, press tours, news shows, morning shows, radio, infomercials, cook books, and currently co-hosts a cable cooking show called You Won't Even Miss it. He worked with Celebrities like the late Julia Child, Emeril Lagasse, Jarred Fogle from Subway and Martin Yen. He is sought after for recipe development by food companies and supermarkets. He develops many of the free recipes you pick up at the grocery store and tours supermarkets regularly teaching customers recipes and how to enhance their meals to get out of the "Food RUT". You can see him at Hannaford's, ACME, Lowes, Sweet Bay and Shaw's. He also endorsees his own line of products called Chef Rick Spices, Chef Rick Seafood , Proware Professional Kitchen Products and Bold Chef. He does product development for companies like All-Clad , Williams Sonoma and Westinghouse.

Go to www.myrastellidirect.com/chefrick!

Tuscan Sausage Soup
Perfect for the Holidays

Ingredients:
2 lbs. sweet Italian sausage (meat removed from casing)
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 stock celery, chopped
1 sweet Vidalia onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 ½ quarts chicken stock
2 (14.5-ounce cans) diced tomatoes
2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini beans
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1-lb (16-oz) Ditalini pasta
8 ounces spinach leaves (washed )
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Remove sausage from casings and brown over med-high heat in the bottom of a large stockpot.
2. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and sauté until tender and starting to turn brown .
3. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, basil, and thyme and stir.
4.  Bring to a boil over high heat, add pasta,  then reduce to a simmer covered.  Stir occasionally, until pasta becomes a bit tender, about 7 minutes.
5.  To Finish, stir in the spinach and cook 1 minute or until just wilted. Season  with salt and pepper5.


Chef  Rick Tip : Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and serve with toasted Italian Bread.

12/03 Michael Reagan

Michael is the son of former President Ronald Reagan and Academy Award winning actress, Jane Wyman. He authored many successful books, including his best-selling autobiography, “On the Outside Looking In,” and “The Common Sense of An Uncommon Man: The Wit, Wisdom and Eternal Optimism of Ronald Reagan.” His book “Twice Adopted” is based on his personal story while his latest book “The New Reagan Revolution” reveals new insights into the life, thoughts, and actions of the man who changed the world during the 1980s.

He is a popular national speaker on issues related to conservative politics, adoption, and the life lessons he learned from his parents. Michael hosted a live radio show for over 26 years, which was the first nationally syndicated long form political talk show presented by Premiere Radio Networks. Michael is also the founder and chairman of The Reagan Group, LLC. All of his activities are brought together at www.Reagan.com.

Throughout his career, Michael has taken time to support numerous charitable organizations. In addition to his role as president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation, he serves on the board of The John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation, and is a board member and the national spokesperson for My Stuff Bags Foundation. This unique program addresses some of the immediate physical and emotional needs of children rescued from abuse and neglect. In 2005, he established the Michael Reagan Center for Advocacy and Research in partnership with Arrow Child and Family Ministries. The center operates from a Christian worldview and conducts research in order to effectively advocate for public policies that benefit the safety, stability and well-being of children and families, particularly those served by public and private child welfare systems. Michael has raised millions of dollars for many other notable charities including United States Olympic Team, Cystic Fibrosis, Juvenile Diabetes Foundations, the Statue of Liberty Restoration Fund, the Santa Barbara and San Diego Navy Leagues, and the San Diego Armed Services YMCA.

Michael was honored by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation as the first Templeton Leadership Fellow for 2009-2010. The Atlas Economic Research Foundation serves as a catalyst and connector to link free-market organizations and individuals to the ideas, people and resources they need to promote a free society. Since 1981, Atlas has been instrumental in creating and nurturing an international network of free-market public policy institutes; free market university-based academic centers and a cadre of individuals committed to achieving a free society.

Michael has been married to his wife Colleen since 1975, and they have two grown children. A son Cameron, born in 1978, and a daughter Ashley, born in 1983, while her grandfather was in the White House.

www.michaelereagan.com

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 

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!

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.

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.

www.myrastellidirect.com/chefrick 

10/29 Jack Jones

Jack Jones is one of the greatest singers of all time. A true Singers' Singer and luminary. A double Grammy winner, Jack performs around the globe to sold-out audiences in venues ranging from Jazz clubs to the London Palladium. Jack Jones is the very definition of a complete and total entertainer. The New York Times raves, "he is arguably the most technically accomplished male pop singer...". There is only one Jack Jones.

Born in Hollywood, California, on the night his singer/movie star father, Allan Jones, recorded his hit, "Donkey Serenade". Jack would make his famous parents ( his mother was the elegant '30's actress Irene Hervey) especially proud of their award-winning son for the diversity and breadth of his talent. Jones attended University High School in West Los Angeles, while also studying drama and singing with private teachers chosen by his father. A young athlete, he gave up his track and football team sports to devote himself to serious study of the arts. Uni High was a school attended by teenagers from all economic walks of life. Ever conscious of his privileged life as the son of a famous show business family, he went out of his way to play down this part of his life with his friends, not knowing that after his graduation and parents' divorce, he would be financially strapped and have to start from scratch like most of the other students.

One of his most memorable experiences while in high school was when one of his friends, Nancy Sinatra, invited her father to sing in the school auditorium. It left an indelible mark that helped shape Jones' career choice.

Jones' professional debut was a brief stint as part of his father's act at the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas when he was just 19 years old. He went out on his own three weeks later, working odd jobs including as a gas station attendant, to support himself while pursuing his singing career.

His first break came when a demo he recorded for songwriter Don Raye found its way to Capitol Records. While with the label he recorded a few singles and an album, which he admits was mediocre.

Although he eventually left Capitol. One gem from his album, "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big", caught the attention of a San Francisco club owner who booked him for a three week run at Facks. While performing there, he was discovered by Pete King, a producer and artist for Kapp Records who quickly signed him to the label.

Still working at his "day job" as a gas station attendant when his first album on Kapp was released Jones, while washing a customer's windshield, was surprised to hear one of his cuts playing on the car radio. He could now legitimately hope that his "day job" days would soon be over.

As his career gained momentum, Jones developed a deep appreciation for well constructed songs that also have emotional appeal. His respect for songs that tell stories with meaning and beauty led him to record works by the greatest balladeers of all time: Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen, Cole Porter, the Gershwin's, Harold Arlen, Michel Legrand and Alan & Marilyn Bergman. He was inspired by great Jazz instrumentalists he discovered during his teen years such as Gerry Mulligan, Clark Terry, Buddy Rich, Bob Brookmeyer, Dave Pell Octet, Marty Paiche Dectet, Shorty Rogers and the Giants, and Count Basie. Jones' talent and commitment to his art earned him two Grammy's for "Best Pop Male Vocal Performance" with his singles "Lollipops and Roses" by Anthony Velona and Bacharach/ David's "Wives and Lovers". His release, Jack Jones Paints A Tribute To Tony Bennett, was nominated for "Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance". He was also nominated for "The Impossible Dream" and his recording of "Wives and Lovers" was nominated for "Record of the Year". His hit records include "The Race Is On", "Lady", "Call Me Irresponsible",and "What I Did For Love". On April 13, 1989, he was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, close to where his father's star is located.

He is also renowned as a leading interpreter of musical theater -with acclaimed performances in "Guys and Dolls", "South Pacific", "She Loves Me", and "Pajama Game" . Over the years he has guest-starred on countless episodic and/or comedy television series. Most recently he starred as Don Quixote in Man Of La Mancha in the national tour. Most recently, Jack has completed a guest-starring role in the British comedy film: Cruise Of The Gods.

Admirers of Jones' talent include artists who influenced him as a young singer: Sinatra who said, "Jack is one of the major singers of our time," Mel Torme called him "the greatest 'pure' singer in the world" and legendary composers Sammy Cahn and Michel Legrand.

In 1971, Jones honored Michel Legrand by recording the first complete vocal album in English of the French composer's songs. Released by RCA, Jack Jones Sings Michel Legrand is an album which exquisitely showcases the vocalists art and a recording that Jones counts as one of his favorites. In 1997 he recorded New Jack Swing for Honest Entertainment, which introduced Jones to a new generation of fans with hip, swing renditions of "Every Breath You Take", "Have You Ever Loved A Woman", Keb Mo's "Dangerous Mood", "All Or Nothing At All" and the classic "Mack The Knife".

With over 50 recorded albums (17 of them chanting Billboard's Top 20) and consistently sold-out world tours, Jack Jones continues to charm audiences with his wit, sensitivity and vocal power. In addition to a successful recording career, Jones' impressive credits include film and television roles; an internationally syndicated TV variety show; performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the White House. He has also performed and later recorded popular theme songs for film and TV ("Love with a Proper Stranger", "The Love Boat").

On his second release for Honest Entertainment, Jack Jones Paints A Tribute To Tony Bennett, Jones pays homage to a friend and an American icon. He counts Bennett among those vocalists who most influenced his style (a small but elite group that includes Mel Torme, Sammy Davis Jr., Billy Eckstien, and Frank Sinatra). Professional relationship aside, Jones and Bennett have been friends since their meeting at Chicago's Palmer House Hotel in the late 60's when Jones attended the last show of Bennett's engagement at the Empire Room, before opening in the same room the following night.

Of his tribute album, which features some of Bennett's signature songs, Jones says, "This album is my way of saying thanks to a dear friend." In selecting songs for this album, he chose three of his personal Bennett favorites, "Skylark", "Shadow Of Your Smile" and "You Must Believe In Spring".

2008 marks his 50th anniversary in show business! In the early summer of 2008 the world's most recognized hotel brand, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, launched their "M.B.A." (Master in Business Accommodations) marketing campaign bringing the timeless voice of Jack Jones singing a new recording of "The Love Boat Theme". Jones also recently shared his voice with a whole new generation when he sang "Boat of Romance" as part of an episode on the emmy-nominated Disney Channel animated musical television series Phineas and Ferb.

Jack Jones released the next chapter in his long history of making hits, Love Makes the Changes: The Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman. A tribute to the lives and shared love of Jack's good friends and celebrated songwriters, Alan and Marilyn Bergman. During their distinguished career, their songs have been nominated for sixteen Academy Awards, for which they have won three: "The Windmills of Your Mind" in 1968, "The Way We Were": in 1973, and the score for "Yentl" in 1984.

Jack explains the motivation behind the release, "After years of looking for material to record I have finally found it. My dear friends Alan and Marilyn Bergman have had the ideal loving and pure relationship, truly sharing almost every ounce of life. I call them: "THE MASTERS AND JOHNSON OF ROMANCE." So I wondered, 'How could they possibly perceive what it feels like when the music doesn't keep playing?' Well, on this CD we pay tribute to the most perceptive and creative couple I know. They have inspired me to put many of their wonderful creations into one of my story lines... Each of these song tells part of the story, most of which you and I have lived through. You write your own story as you follow the songs, and even if it doesn't turn out to be much of a book, it will be one hell of a score." This CD is available in Itunes for digital downloads and jackjonesmusic.com for tradional CD media.

Today, Jack can be found performing concerts to sold-out audiences around the globe at performing arts centers, casinos, symphony halls and even intimate cabarets. Jones' musical perfection and vocal passion unfailingly illustrate why he stands with the luminaries.

Recipe of the Week

PASTA WITH GORGONZOLA SAUCE

7 oz. Ricotta Cheese
1/2  cup Cream
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
3 oz. Gorgonzola Cheese
Pepper to taste

Make your pasta al dente.

While Pasta is cooking, prepare your sauce. Pour the Ricotta Cheese and Cream in a pan on low heat. Let that liquefy then ass the Parmesan Cheese. Keep stirring and crumble the Gorgonzola Cheese into the mixture. Add as much pepper as you desire.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and serve.

If you want just Alfredo cause, eliminate the Gorgonzola Cheese.

ENJOY!

10/22 Lorenzo Lamas

Lorenzo Lamas-Craig (born January 20, 1958) is an American actor. Lamas-Craig is known for playing Lance Cumson on the popular 1980s soap opera Falcon Crest, Reno Raines on the 1990s crime drama Renegade, and Hector Ramirez on the daytime soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful. Lamas appeared in reality television, served as a judge on ABC television's short-lived Are You Hot? and starred in his own reality show,Leave it to Lamas, a series about his real-life family.

Early life

Lamas-Craig was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Argentine actor Fernando Lamas and Norwegian-American actress Arlene Dahl. He is the stepson of swimming film star Esther Williams, who married his father when Lorenzo was 11 years old. Williams was also the best friend of Jane Wyman, who would later play along with Lamas-Craig on Falcon Crest. Lamas-Craig was brought up in Pacific Palisades, California, and moved to New York City in 1971, when he was 13 years old. He graduated from the Admiral Farragut Academy in Pine Beach, New Jersey, in 1975.

Acting career

Longing to be an actor since the age of five, Lamas first studied acting in Tony Barr's Film Actors Workshop and quickly thereafter obtained his first TV acting role in 1976. He had a supporting role in the 1978 film Grease. Early in his career, he also had guest-starring parts in Switch, Sword of Justice, Dear Detective, Secrets of Midland Heights, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat and Hotel.

In 1980, Lamas auditioned for and won the role of Jane Wyman's playboy grandson and henchman, Lance Cumson, for the pilot of a new series entitled The Vintage Years. The pilot was later retooled to become the hit prime time drama series Falcon Crest. During a 2006 TV interview with a Norwegian television team, Lamas said that to get the role on Falcon Crest, he had auditioned twice and beat out five other guys for the part. During his stint on Falcon Crest, Lamas was nominated for two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Lamas was the only actor to appear in all 227 episodes of the series. In an interview, Lamas said of Jane Wyman's persona into a hard-working legend, not a diva, who referred to her as a friendly woman on Falcon Crest: "With Jane, she expected you to know your lines, but she played poker with the crew at lunch. She was just a great gal; and I think that set the tone for the rest of us. She wasn't a 'spoiled diva,' and believe me, if anybody had a right to be a 'spoiled diva,' it was Jane because she has done so much, Oscar Award-winner, I mean, incredible actress, and she was just like clockwork, right there on time, always knew her lines, always ready to rehearse and she had this great affable quality. You just never talked about Ronald Reagan, that's all, that was one thing we never did, everything else was opened." At the beginning of the ninth and final season of Falcon Crest, off-camera, Lamas received some devastating news about his TV grandmother when she was sent to the hospital that he paid visit to see her to offer her some words of comfort.[1] After cancellation, he did not keep in touch with her for years, on September 10, 2007, he lost his TV grandmother and decades-long friend. Prior to Wyman's death, Lamas released a statement: "Next to my parents, Jane was the most influential person in my young career," he added, "She has left an incredible body of work and accomplishments that cannot go without being recognized and celebrated. I will miss her greatly."

In 1984, Lamas was nominated for Worst Actor at the Golden Raspberry Awards for his performance in the film Body Rock. Lamas also performed a song on the soundtrack for this film, and the track "Fools Like Me" became his only single to date to crack theBillboard Hot 100 chart.

In the early 90s, he began carving out a niche for himself as the next big action-hero, showing off his martial-arts skills and starring in such movies as the Snake Eater-trilogy, Terminal Justice, Gladiator Cop, Bounty Tracker, and many similar low-budget action-films, that unfortunately failed to reach a mainstream-audience.

However, in 1992, Lamas played the role of the falsely accused cop Reno Raines in the syndicated series Renegade. The series was seen in over 100 countries,[citation needed] and during its final season, it moved from first-run syndication to the USA Network. The show ended in 1997 after a run of five seasons.

From February 2004 until February 2007 Lamas played the role of Hector Ramirez on the CBS daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.

In August 2007, Lamas starred as the King of Siam in The King and I at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine. That fall, he performed at Kean University Premiere Stages in Union, New Jersey, in the title role in Steven Dietz's Dracula. Lamas performed as El Gallo in The Fantasticks at the Casa Mañana Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas, in June 2008. In June 2009, Lamas returned to the Ogunquit Playhouse as Zach in A Chorus Line.

Lamas began appearing in the Zaxby's restaurant chain television advertisements in May 2008.

In 2008, Lamas appeared in season 2 of CMT's Gone Country.

In 2009, he starred in the Asylum's Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus as Alan Baxter, a government agent who wants to destroy both the Mega Shark and the Giant Octopus to protect the world from their destructive fights.

Recipe of the Week

STEAK LORENZO

2 New York Steaks (about 1 lb. total) cut into bit sized pieces
4 tbs. of Olive Oil
2 tbs. of Butter
4 cloves of Garlic finely chopped
1 tsp. of Rosemary (dried)
1 tsp. of Sage (dried)
1/4 cup Red Wine

In a skillet heat the butter and Olive Oil. Add the Garlic and cook until slightly brown, do not burn Garlic. Crush Rosemary and Sage between your fingertips to release the oil and add to skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Season Steaks pieces with Salt and Pepper and increase the heat to high and add in the meat.

Cook to desired doneness. It cooks very fast. Add the wine and cover for one minute. Serve and Enjoy!

10/15 Deana Martin

Ms. Martin made her television debut in 1966, performing on her father's legendary television show, “The Dean Martin Show”. She soon became a frequent guest, taking part in both musical and comedy numbers with a wide array of guests including Frank Sinatra.

Having trained professionally as an actress at the Dartington College of Arts in the United Kingdom, Deana amassed an impressive array of theatrical credits, including the English productions of Romeo & Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet and A Taste of Honey.  She made her North American theatrical debut with George Hamilton in the critically acclaimed Neil Simon play The Star Spangled Girl, while later adding to her list of stage credits with appearances in Wait Until Dark,Six Rms Riv Vu, A Shot In the Dark and The Tunnel of Love.

Concurrent with her theatrical work, Ms. Martin was a Reprise Records recording artist. Her hit single, "Girl of the Month Club", was a radio favorite and a chart topper. In demand as a performer, Ms. Martin appeared on many of the top television shows including The Joey Bishop, Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas Shows. She also made a fabled appearance playing the dual roles of Daphne & William on a memorable episode of the popular series The Monkees entitled "Some Like it Lukewarm."

Ms. Martin was introduced to motion picture audiences in 1968's "Young Billy Young", a classic of the western genre, in which she co-starred with Robert Mitchum and Angie Dickinson. Her promising debut led to subsequent film lead roles in "Strangers At Sunrise" with George Montgomery and "A Voice In The Night" with Vito Scotti. In addition to her film and television work, Ms. Martin was a busy nightclub entertainer headlining at the nations top showrooms including Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and the Whisky-A-Go-Go in Hollywood.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Ms. Martin channeled her enthusiasm for health and exercise into a successful fitness company -- Bodies by Deana. This lead to her top selling workout video, The Deana Martin Total Body Workout. She also stared in her own talk show, The Deana Martin Show, which ran for four seasons and over 40 episodes.
She currently entertains audiences internationally with her “Memories Are Made Of This” concert tour and also tours internationally with her best selling book “Memories Are Made Of This.”

Deana's desire to continue her fathers lifelong tradition of support for various children’s charitable causes has lead to her role as the driving force behind The Dean Martin Festival, a yearly event in her father’s hometown of Steubenville, Ohio. Proceeds from this event fund the Dean Martin Music Scholarships; awarded to worthy young people in the Steubenville area.

In 2003, Deana returned to television with a memorable musical performance with Jerry Lewis on the annual MDA Telethon.  Martin and Lewis were together again as Deana and Jerry performed a touching duet of Time After Time in honor of her father. Also that year she was invited to speak in Washington D.C. where her father, along with Sophia Loren and Robert DeNiro, where honored by the National Italian American Foundation. This event served as the launch of a new Dean Martin Music Scholarship.

In 2004 Deana broke new ground as an author with her best-selling memoirMemories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughters Eye’s, published by Random House which became an instant best-seller in the US and subsequently attained No. 6 in the Australian best-seller list and reached to 10 in the UK best-seller list. Memories Are Made Of This continues be a best-selling book around the world.

2005 brought Deana back to the concert stage with her critically acclaimed national concert tour Deana Sings Dino. Also that year, Deana joined the Music of Your Life Radio Network, where she hosts the Deana Martin show, a daily nationally syndicated show.

In 2006 Deana began the “Memories Are Made of This” concert tour, in which she sings the fabulous hits of her father Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, and many other of her father’s Pallies. She has performed from Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to the legendary Paramount Theatre in New York, from the Coral Springs Center for the Arts in Florida to Harrahs in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Recently Deana was the special guest star, performing with Regis Philbin at the prestigious Grand Palace Theater, in Branson, Missouri. Their largest performance Art Theatre and in a reunion concert with Davy Jones of the Monkees at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois.

In 2007 Deana performed in over 200 concerts with Les Brown and His Band Of Renown.

In 2008 Deana is touring Domestically and Internationally. She has recently returned from a sold out concert tour with Les Brown Jr. and his Band Of Renown. From the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Cerittos, CA to 5 shows at Benaroya Hall, in Seattle WA. to the Ford Theatre in Dearborn, MI. Deana is also turning Internationally, from London, England to Dubai in the UAE. Later this year she will be returning to England, as well as performing in Wales, Scotland, Spain and Italy.

A favorite of the media, Deana has been profiled on countless televisions shows both domestically and internationally such as, CBS Sunday Morning Show with Bill Geist, The BBC, The Today Show, Live With Regis and Kelly, The Tony Danza Show, Larry King Live, Entertainment Tonight, A&E Biography, CMT (Country Music Television), Sky Italia, all the BBC top rated shows including Big Breakfast and many BBC Documenteries including Bruce Forsyth On Vegas. She has been profiled in publications such as, Jazz Times, with a feature story in July 2008AOPA, one of the US’s top selling Aviation magazines, Family Tree magazine, a feature profile in 417 Magazine, Razor Magazine, and featured in one of the largest selling magazines in the world HELLO, as well as numerous newspapers and publications around the US and abroad including, England, Italy, Germany, Japan and Australia and being an accomplished pilot, Deana was also featured as a cover story for Twin Cessna Flyer.

Her debut album, “Memories Are Made of This,” was released August 2006, and has to date, remained on the top 10 charts for 40 consecutive weeks. Deana’s arrangements were written by the world-renowned arranger/conductor Charles Calello. Deana will continue her extensive concert tour throughout the US and abroad.

Today, Deana remains very busy hosting two top nationally syndicated radio shows. One on the largest adult contemporary radio network, “The Music Of Your Life Network”. Deana hosts a daily show with her husband John Griffeth that has over 120 million listeners domestically and 26 million listeners worldwide. On the XM Satellite Network, she hosts “The Strip” (as in Las Vegas). “The Strip” is one of XM’s top rated shows.

Deana Martin is an internationally acclaimed entertainer, performing to sold-out audiences worldwide. She is an accomplished actor, Top-10 recording artist, and daily nationally syndicated radio personality. In her best-selling book, "Memories Are Made Of This", Dean Martin Through His Daughters Eyes", Deana delights in sharing wonderful, never-before-told stories about her father and his "Pallies" known as the Rat Pack. Her book is soon to be made into a movie directed by actor Joe Mantegna and screen play written by actor/writer Bonnie Hunt. In 2009, Deana released her new hit CD "Volare", working with multi-Grammy Award-winner Al Schmitt at Capitol Records in Hollywood, California.

Deana and her husband John Griffeth divide their time between Beverly Hills, CA and Branson, MO.

Recipe of the Week

Penne with Asparagus & Gorgonzola

1lb Penne Pasta
1lb Asparagus (cut in pieces & pre-cooked)
8 oz Gorganzola Cheese (crumbled)
3/4 cup Heavy Cream
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, don't forget to salt it and add pasta. Cook 8-10 minutes or until a dente.
Combine cream, chesse and salt and pepper and put aside. Drain pasta when done and add asparagus and the cheese mixture and toss untill the cheese has melted and the pasta is coated with the sauce. You can drizzle a little extra virgin oil over top. Serve immediately.

10/08 Frankie Avalon

Frankie Avalon (born September 18, 1940) is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.

Life and career

Avalon was born Francis Thomas Avallone in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Mary Loretta and Nicholas J. Avallone. By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints. In 1959, "Venus" (5 weeks #1) and "Why" went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Why" was the last #1 of the 1950s. Avalon had 31 charted U.S. Billboard singles from 1958 to late 1962, including "Just Ask Your Heart" (U.S. #7), "I'll Wait For You" (U.S. #15), "Bobby Sox to Stockings" (U.S. #8), and "A Boy Without a Girl" (U.S. #10). Most of his hits were written and/or produced by Bob Marcucci, head of Chancellor Records. He was less popular in the U.K., but did still manage four chart hits with "Why", "Gingerbread", "Venus" and "Don't Throw Away All Those Teardrops".

Teamed frequently with Annette Funicello, Avalon starred in a number of popular "beach party" comedy films during the mid-1960s. The wholesome and romantic coupling of "Frankie and Annette" in summer movies such as Beach Party and Beach Blanket Bingo became iconic figures in American films during that era.

Avalon also had straight dramatic parts in the John Wayne historical western film The Alamo, as well as the science-fiction story Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) with Barbara Eden.
Materializing as a character called Teen Angel, his performance of "Beauty School Dropout" in the hit 1978 film of the musical Grease introduced Avalon to a new generation of viewers.

Avalon appeared in nearly two dozen TV episodes, including ABC's The Bing Crosby Show and The Patty Duke Show, appearing often as himself. Later, he became a national television spokesperson for Sonic Drive-In. In 1965 he appeared in the Combat! episode "Brother, Brother" as a childhood friend of Pfc.Kirby, played by Jack Hogan.

The 1980 film The Idolmaker, written by Ed Di Lorenzo and directed by Taylor Hackford, was a thinly-disguised biography of Avalon ("Tommy Dee" in the film) as well as 1950s teenage star Fabian (called "Caesare" in the film), along with songwriter/producer Bob Marcucci (called "Vinnie Vacarri"). In the movie, Dee clashes with the record producer and younger singer Caesare, who he feels threatens his career. Eventually, Dee and Caesare quit the label, but their record careers collapse just as the British Invasion begins. The real Fabian threatened a lawsuit, despite the filmmakers' insistence that the film presented only fictional characters (though Marcucci was a paid consultant). Avalon denied most of the movie's events.

Avalon married Kathryn "Kay" Diebel on January 19, 1963. She was a former beauty pageant winner, and Avalon met her while playing cards at a friend's house. He told his friend that Kay was the girl he was going to marry. His agent warned Avalon that marriage would spoil his teen idol mystique. Still together, they have eight children - Frankie Jr., Tony, Dina, Laura, Joseph, Nicolas, Kathryn and Carla. They have 10 grandchildren. Frankie Avalon Jr. is a former actor who appeared in the original The Karate Kid and is now a musician, and Tony, the second oldest son, plays guitar and taught at the Rock Nation School. Both sons play on tour with their father.
In 1987, Avalon and Annette Funicello returned to movies with Back to the Beach. In 1989 they also appeared as themselves in cameo roles out jogging the streets in Troop Beverly Hills. Not long afterwards, Funicello was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and retired.

Afterwards, Avalon turned to marketing and created Frankie Avalon Products, a line of health and cosmetic aids. Avalon promotes his products on the Home Shopping Network with host Bob Circosta. He made a cameo appearance as himself with Robert De Niro in the 1995 film, Casino.

In recent years, Avalon has starred in stage productions of Grease in the role of Teen Angel and Tony n' Tina's Wedding as a caricature of himself. Additionally, in 2007, he performed "Beauty School Dropout" with the four remaining female contenders (Kathleen Monteleone, Allie Schulz, Ashley Spencer, and winner Laura Osnes) for the role of Sandy on the NBC television reality show Grease: You're the One that I Want! On April 8, 2009, he performed on American Idol.

Legacy

He was mentioned in the System of a Down song "Old School Hollywood". The song supposedly is about Daron Malakian's experience in a celebrity baseball game, where he and Avalon were both ignored.

Avalon is also mentioned in "It Takes Two", a song from the hit musical Hairspray, sung by the character Link Larkin, and in a song by the Wu Tang Clan called "The City" which refers to his experiences of being a big part of the beach party film genre ("Ride the wave like Frankie Avalon").

One of numerous obscure cultural references present in Midway's video game Mortal Kombat 3 was a lo-res image of Frankie Avalon's face that would dart up in the lower right-hand corner of the screen when Goro killed his opponent by knocking him into the spike pit on the Bridge level.
His song "Venus" was featured in Cranium Command (1989–2005), an attraction at Epcot's Wonders of Life Pavilion (now closed) at Walt Disney World. In the attraction, a 12-year-old boy named Bobby (Scott Curtis), tries to survive the pressures of life and falls in love with a beautiful girl named Annie (Natalie Gregory) at school.

He and his song "Venus" are mentioned in Wendy Wasserstein's 2005 play Third. The main character, English professor Laurie Jameson, watches a PBS reunion show featuring Avalon singing the song, and sings a line of it to her daughter. In stage productions of the show, part of the song is played and a portion of the supposed PBS special is screened as part of the scenery.

He is also mentioned in Adam Sandler's 2008 comedy, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, for his haircut, which the Zohan (Sandler's character) thinks is the latest hairdo. He is also numerously referenced in the 1994 film, The Stöned Age, in which he makes an ending scene cameo appearance.
His song "Venus" additionally appeared in season 4 of the TV series Dexter in which John Lithgow's character, Arthur Mitchell, plays it to remember his deceased sister.

Avalon is also mentioned in The Vaccines song 'Teenage Icon'. Where they claim they are no teenage icon, "no Frankie Avalon".

www.frankieavalon.com

wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Avalon