02/02 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.

01/19 John Ashton, Beverly Hills Cop

John David Ashton (born February 22, 1948) is an American actor. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Ashton is a graduate of the University of Southern California School of Theatre. He attended Enfield High School in Enfield, Connecticut.

Ashton has starred in several productions including M*A*S*H and Midnight Run. He played "Willie Joe Garr" on several episodes of Dallas, his character and that of "Jeb Ames" were charged with the crime of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Tina Louise's Dallas character "Julie Grey".

Ashton also starred as Detective Sergeant John Taggart in the first two movies of the popular Beverly Hills Cop trilogy alongside Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold, and appeared as Eric Stoltz's father in the John Hughes comedy-drama Some Kind of Wonderful. He also starred in the 1994 film Little Big League with Luke Edwards, and appeared in a supporting role in the acclaimed 2007 drama Gone Baby Gone directed by Ben Affleck.

Ashton has stated that he would be willing to reprise his roles in the rumored Beverly Hills Cop IV and Midnight Run II productions.1 He guest starred opposite Beverly Hills Cop co-star Ronny Cox in an episode of Matthew Perry's 2011 series, Mr Sunshine.2

01/12 ED ASNER

THE LEGENDARY ED ASNER JOINS THE SHOW TO TALK ABOUT HIS CAREER, HIS ONE MAN SHOW: A MAN AND HIS PROSTATE CURRENT PROJECT AND OTHER CURRENT PROJECTS!

Versatile, committed, eloquent and talented are all adjectives that describe actor/activist and 7-Time Emmy Award-winning actor ED ASNER (“Harry Cohen”) who starred as Carl Fredricksen in Pixar's 2009 box-office-hit UP! Asner also starred opposite Joseph Fiennes and Tom Cavanagh in the Disney feature The Games Maker can next be seen in Joe’s War with Armand Assante,  Boonville Redemption opposite Diana Ladd and the animated feature The Nutcracker Sweet.

Asner is best known for his comedic and dramatic talent as the gruff but soft-hearted journalist Lou Grant, the role he originated on the landmark TV news room comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and continued in the newspaper-set drama Lou Grant, which earned him five Emmys and three Golden Globe Awards.  Asner received two more Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man and Roots.

Asner’s most recent credits include a recurring role on the CBS series The Good Wife starring Julianna Margulies, the NBC telefilm Buddy The Elf, the Hallmark telefilm All of My Heart starring Lacey Chabert, the CBS series Criminal Minds starring Joe Mantegna, Hawaii 5-0 starring Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan, Mom starring Allison Janney, The Crazy Ones with the late Robin Williams, as well as Chasing Life with Marion Ross for ABC Family and the TBS primetime series Men At Work. He and starred opposite Markie Post in the Lifetime telefilm Christmas On The Bayou.

Asner returned to Broadway in the Fall of 2013 starring in the comedy drama Grace opposite Paul Rudd, Michael Shannon and Kate Arrington, written by Craig Wright and directed by Dexter Bullard. He’s also been touring the country as Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the critically acclaimed one man show FDR for over 5 years.

One of the most honored actors in the history of television; Edward Asner has been the recipient of seven Emmy Awards and 16 nominations, as well as five Golden Globe Awards and served as National President of the Screen Actors Guild for two terms. He was inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame in 1996.  Asner received the Ralph Morgan Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2000, presented periodically for distinguished service to the Guild's Hollywood membership.  In March 2002, he was again honored by The Guild as the 38th recipient of the prestigious Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment, presented annually to an actor who fosters the highest ideals of the profession.

Asner has more than 100 TV credits, which include starring in the series Off the Rack, The Bronx Zoo and Thunder Alley.  Numerous guest appearances include roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm, ER, Arliss, The Practice and a recurring role on Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip.  Besides commercials and numerous books on tape, he has lent his voice to popular cartoon shows such as The Simpsons, Spiderman and Boondocks. Asner's dozens of motion pictures include They Call Me Mister Tibbs!, Fort Apache the Bronx, JFK, and the European production of Giovanni XXIII - the highest rated television mini-series in the history of Italian TV as well as the box office hit, Elf with Will Farrell and James Caan. Asner has done several Hallmark movies and was nominated for another Emmy for The Christmas Card in addition to his Emmy nominated guest appearance on CSI/NY.

12/29 FRANK SINATRA TRIBUTE

In honor of his 100th Birthday joins us for a special 
TRIBUTE TO FRANK SINATRA

Frank Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century, forging a career as an award-winning singer and film actor.

Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on December 12, 1915, Frank Sinatra rose to fame singing big band numbers. In the '40s and '50s, he had a dazzling array of hit songs and albums and went on to appear in dozens of films, winning a supporting actor Oscar for From Here to Eternity. He left behind a massive catalog of work that includes iconic tunes like "Love and Marriage," "Strangers in the Night," "My Way" and "New York, New York." He died on May 14, 1998 in Los Angeles, California.

Early Life and Career
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915, in Hoboken, New Jersey. The only child of Sicilian immigrants, a teenaged Sinatra decided to become a singer after watching Bing Crosby perform in the mid-1930s. He'd already been a member of the glee club in his high school and began to sing at local nightclubs. Radio exposure brought him to the attention of bandleader Harry James, with whom Sinatra made his first recordings, including "All or Nothing at All." In 1940, Tommy Dorsey invited Sinatra to join his band. After two years of chart-topping success with Dorsey, Sinatra decided to strike out on his own.

Solo Artist
Between 1943 and 1946, Sinatra's solo career blossomed as the singer charted a slew of hit singles. The mobs of bobby-soxer fans Sinatra attracted with his dreamy baritone earned him such nicknames as "The Voice" and "The Sultan of Swoon." "It was the war years, and there was a great loneliness," recalled Sinatra, who was unfit for military service due to a punctured eardrum. "I was the boy in every corner drugstore who'd gone off, drafted to the war. That was all."

Sinatra made his movie acting debut in 1943 with the films Reveille With Beverley and Higher and Higher. In 1945, he won a special Academy Award for The House I Live In, a 10-minute short made to promote racial and religious tolerance on the home front. Sinatra's popularity began to slide in the postwar years, however, leading to a loss of his recording and film contracts in the early 1950s. But in 1953, he made a triumphant comeback, winning a supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of the Italian-American soldier Maggio in the classic From Here to Eternity. Although this was his first non-singing role, Sinatra quickly found a new vocal outlet when he received a recording contract with Capitol Records in the same year. The Sinatra of the 1950s brought forth a more mature sound with jazzier inflections in his voice.

Having regained stardom, Sinatra enjoyed continued success in both movies and music for years to come. He received another Academy Award nomination for his work in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and earned critical acclaim for his performance in the original version of The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Meanwhile, he continued to be a formidable chart presence. When his record sales began to dip by the end of the 1950s, Sinatra left Capitol to establish his own record label, Reprise. In association with Warner Bros., which later bought Reprise, Sinatra also set up his own independent film production company, Artanis.
Rat Pack and No. 1 Tunes

By the mid-1960s, Sinatra was back on top again. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and headlined the 1965 Newport Jazz Festival with Count Basie's Orchestra. This period also marked his Las Vegas debut, where he continued on for years as a main attraction at Caesars Palace. As a founding member of the "Rat Pack," alongside Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, Sinatra came to epitomize the hard-drinking, womanizing, gambling swinger—an image constantly reinforced by the popular press and Sinatra's own albums. With his modern edge and timeless class, even radical youth of the day had to pay Sinatra his due. AsJim Morrison of the Doors once said, "No one can touch him."

The Rat Pack made several films during their heyday: the famed Ocean's Eleven (1960), Sergeants Three (1962), Four for Texas (1963) and Robin and the Seven Hoods (1964). Back in the world of music, Sinatra had a big hit in 1966 with the Billboard No. 1 track "Strangers in the Night," which won a Grammy for record of the year. He also recorded the duet "Something Stupid" with daughter Nancy, who'd previously made waves with the feminist anthem "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'." The two reached No. 1 for four weeks with "Something Stupid" in spring 1967. By the end of the decade, Sinatra had added another signature song to his repertory—"My Way," which was adapted from a French tune and featured new lyrics by Paul Anka.

After a brief retirement in the early 1970s, Sinatra returned to the music scene with the album Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back (1973) and also became more politically active. Having first visited the White House in 1944 while campaigning for Franklin D. Roosevelt in his bid for a fourth term in office, Sinatra worked eagerly for John F. Kennedy's election in 1960 and later supervised JFK's inaugural gala in Washington. The relationship between the two soured, however, after the president canceled a weekend visit to Sinatra's house due to the singer's connections to Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana. By the 1970s, Sinatra had abandoned his long-held Democratic loyalties and embraced the Republican Party, supporting first Richard Nixonand later close friend Ronald Reagan, who presented Sinatra with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, in 1985.

12/22 JOE MINOSO, STARS AS “JOE CRUZ” ON NBC’S HIT SHOW, CHICAGO FIRE

JOE  MINOSO, STARS AS “JOE CRUZ” ON NBC’S HIT SHOW, CHICAGO FIRE - CHRISTMAS TREE FIRES THREE TIMES MORE DEADLY THAN OTHER FIRES

Warning comes as actor Joe Minoso of NBC’s hit show Chicago Fire joins 

Shriners Hospitals for Children to help families Be Burn Aware this holiday season

Home fires and deaths increase significantly during the holiday months, with more cooking, decorations and open flames, and the biggest fire risk of all could be your Christmas tree. That is why Shriners Hospitals for Children® is joining forces with actor Joe Minoso of NBC’s popular television show Chicago Fire, to keep families safe from fires and burn injuries this holiday season.

Shriners Hospitals has created a new series of Be Burn Aware Public Service Announcements (PSAs) with Joe Minoso. The PSA series reminds families to take extra precautions with seasonal activities such as cooking, lighting candles and placement of holiday décor, to avoid tragedies.

Shriners Hospitals for Children offers these simple reminders to help families Be Burn Aware this holiday season:
• Water trees daily. Discard when dry.
• Keep trees away from heaters and flames.
• Discard lights with bare wires, frays or kinks.
• Never leave lit candles unattended.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so children cannot reach them.
• Never leave a hot stove or oven unattended.
• Keep a lid or cookie sheet nearby to cover a pan if it catches on fire.

MORE ABOUT JOE MINOSO
Joe Minoso stars as “Joe Cruz” on NBC’s hit show, Chicago Fire.  A native of Bronx, NY, Minoso makes Chicago his home now. He has appeared in several television shows, including Boss, Shameless, The Chicago Code and Prison Break.  He was also in the film, Man of Steel.  Minoso graduated from Adelphi University with a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, and Northern Illinois University with a Master's in fine arts.

BEBURNAWARE.ORG

12/15 TAMARA TUNIE, LAW AND ORDER: SVU

By Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York (Hometown Heroes Awards) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Tamara Renee Tunie is an American film, stage, and television actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her portrayal of attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns, and medical examiner Melinda Warner on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. From 2000 to 2007 (and again briefly in 2009 and 2010), she appeared on both series simultaneously. Tunie has also appeared in film, most notably playing the key supporting role of Margaret Thomason in the 2012 film Flight.

Early life
Tunie was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Homestead, the daughter of Evelyn (née Hawkins) and James W. Tunie. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. In addition to her roles on As the World Turns, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, she is also known for her recurring roles as Lillian Fancy in NYPD Blue (1994–1997) and as Alberta Green in the first season of Fox's 24. Tunie also guest-starred in many television series, including Spenser: For Hire, Tribeca, SeaQuest DSV, New York Undercover, Swift Justice, Feds, Chicago Hope, Sex and the City, and Law & Order: Trial by Jury "Survivor's Remorse".

Career
Tunie worked twice with Al Pacino; she portrayed his press secretary in the 1996 film City Hall and the possessed wife of a partner in his law firm in the 1997 film The Devil's Advocate. Her other film credits include Wall Street (1987), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989), Rising Sun (1993), Eve's Bayou(1997), and The Peacemaker (1997).

In 2001, she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Awards for her role in film The Caveman's Valentine, based on George Dawes Green's novel of the same name, opposite Samuel L. Jackson. She won a Tony Award in 2007 for the production of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening and a Drama Desk Award.

12/08 HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY TO FRANK SINATRA

In honor of his 100th Birthday on Saturday December, 12th joins us for a special 
TRIBUTE TO FRANK SINATRA

Frank Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century, forging a career as an award-winning singer and film actor.

Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on December 12, 1915, Frank Sinatra rose to fame singing big band numbers. In the '40s and '50s, he had a dazzling array of hit songs and albums and went on to appear in dozens of films, winning a supporting actor Oscar for From Here to Eternity. He left behind a massive catalog of work that includes iconic tunes like "Love and Marriage," "Strangers in the Night," "My Way" and "New York, New York." He died on May 14, 1998 in Los Angeles, California.

Early Life and Career
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915, in Hoboken, New Jersey. The only child of Sicilian immigrants, a teenaged Sinatra decided to become a singer after watching Bing Crosby perform in the mid-1930s. He'd already been a member of the glee club in his high school and began to sing at local nightclubs. Radio exposure brought him to the attention of bandleader Harry James, with whom Sinatra made his first recordings, including "All or Nothing at All." In 1940, Tommy Dorsey invited Sinatra to join his band. After two years of chart-topping success with Dorsey, Sinatra decided to strike out on his own.

Solo Artist
Between 1943 and 1946, Sinatra's solo career blossomed as the singer charted a slew of hit singles. The mobs of bobby-soxer fans Sinatra attracted with his dreamy baritone earned him such nicknames as "The Voice" and "The Sultan of Swoon." "It was the war years, and there was a great loneliness," recalled Sinatra, who was unfit for military service due to a punctured eardrum. "I was the boy in every corner drugstore who'd gone off, drafted to the war. That was all."

Sinatra made his movie acting debut in 1943 with the films Reveille With Beverley and Higher and Higher. In 1945, he won a special Academy Award for The House I Live In, a 10-minute short made to promote racial and religious tolerance on the home front. Sinatra's popularity began to slide in the postwar years, however, leading to a loss of his recording and film contracts in the early 1950s. But in 1953, he made a triumphant comeback, winning a supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of the Italian-American soldier Maggio in the classic From Here to Eternity. Although this was his first non-singing role, Sinatra quickly found a new vocal outlet when he received a recording contract with Capitol Records in the same year. The Sinatra of the 1950s brought forth a more mature sound with jazzier inflections in his voice.

Having regained stardom, Sinatra enjoyed continued success in both movies and music for years to come. He received another Academy Award nomination for his work in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and earned critical acclaim for his performance in the original version of The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Meanwhile, he continued to be a formidable chart presence. When his record sales began to dip by the end of the 1950s, Sinatra left Capitol to establish his own record label, Reprise. In association with Warner Bros., which later bought Reprise, Sinatra also set up his own independent film production company, Artanis.
Rat Pack and No. 1 Tunes

By the mid-1960s, Sinatra was back on top again. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and headlined the 1965 Newport Jazz Festival with Count Basie's Orchestra. This period also marked his Las Vegas debut, where he continued on for years as a main attraction at Caesars Palace. As a founding member of the "Rat Pack," alongside Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, Sinatra came to epitomize the hard-drinking, womanizing, gambling swinger—an image constantly reinforced by the popular press and Sinatra's own albums. With his modern edge and timeless class, even radical youth of the day had to pay Sinatra his due. AsJim Morrison of the Doors once said, "No one can touch him."

The Rat Pack made several films during their heyday: the famed Ocean's Eleven (1960), Sergeants Three (1962), Four for Texas (1963) and Robin and the Seven Hoods (1964). Back in the world of music, Sinatra had a big hit in 1966 with the Billboard No. 1 track "Strangers in the Night," which won a Grammy for record of the year. He also recorded the duet "Something Stupid" with daughter Nancy, who'd previously made waves with the feminist anthem "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'." The two reached No. 1 for four weeks with "Something Stupid" in spring 1967. By the end of the decade, Sinatra had added another signature song to his repertory—"My Way," which was adapted from a French tune and featured new lyrics by Paul Anka.

After a brief retirement in the early 1970s, Sinatra returned to the music scene with the album Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back (1973) and also became more politically active. Having first visited the White House in 1944 while campaigning for Franklin D. Roosevelt in his bid for a fourth term in office, Sinatra worked eagerly for John F. Kennedy's election in 1960 and later supervised JFK's inaugural gala in Washington. The relationship between the two soured, however, after the president canceled a weekend visit to Sinatra's house due to the singer's connections to Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana. By the 1970s, Sinatra had abandoned his long-held Democratic loyalties and embraced the Republican Party, supporting first Richard Nixonand later close friend Ronald Reagan, who presented Sinatra with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, in 1985.