04/24 Deana Martin

Deana Martin is an influential American singer, actor and performer and the very proud daughter of iconic entertainer, Dean Martin.

Deana achieved success early in her career in films, theater and television, then quickly added to her repertoire - recording artist, bestselling author, nationally syndicated radio host, licensed pilot, and business entrepreneur.

In 2004 Deana broke new ground as an author with her best-selling memoir "Memories Are Made of This, Dean Martin Through His Daughters Eye's"In 2005, after Deana completed her sold-out "Deana Sings Dino" international concert tour, she was eager to return to the studio and record a new album.

In 2006, Deana released "Memories Are Made Of This," her top-selling CD of Standards and Jazz. It remained on the Top 10 charts for over 40 weeks. Deana then launched her phenomenally successful "Memories Are Made Of This" international concert tour.

2008 found Deana at Capitol Studios, in Hollywood, California, working on her next album.

In the summer of 2009, Deana released her newest CD "Volare" and opened on the Billboard Heat Seeker chart at #7, Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart at #22, and on iTunes Top 10 chart. Deana loved working at Capitol Studios where she collaborated on this project with legendary multi-Grammy Award-winning engineer Al Schmitt, and her producer John Griffeth.Following the release of her new album, Deana will embark on the international "Volare Concert Tour."

Deana's desire to continue her father's legacy and support of children's charitable causes led to her being the driving force behind the annual Dean Martin Festival. All proceeds from this event fund the Dean Martin Music Scholarships.

Ms. Martin proudly announced that her book, "Memories Are Made Of This, Dean Martin Through His Daughter's Eyes" is being made into a movie, directed by actor Joe Mantegna with screenplay written by actor/writer/television host Bonnie Hunt and staring Jennifer Love Hewitt.

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

For more information on Deana Martin, her career and upcoming concert appearances, please visit her website at: www.DeanaMartin.com

04/17 Carol Burnett

Carol Burnett started in show business as an occasional stage actress, sometimes nightclub singer, and more often a hatcheck girl. After a few years barely making ends meet, 22-year-old Burnett first appeared on television in 1955, playing the dummy's romantic interest in 13 episodes of The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show, a kids' program that aired on Saturday mornings (Winchell was a ventriloquist, Mahoney was his dummy). At 23, she was cast as Buddy Hackett's girlfriend on Stanley, a NBC prime time sitcom set among workers at a hotel's newsstand, and written by Neil Simon and Woody Allen, among others. At 23½, she found herself unemployed when the program was cancelled, and for a time she worked as an usher at a Hollywood movie theater.

Burnett bounced back with a parody pop song, "I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles," confessing her love for the utterly unsexy, 68-year-old Secretary of State who is now best remembered as the namesake for Dulles Airport outside Washington DC. The song became a minor pop hit after Burnett sang it on Jack Paar's Tonight Show in 1957.

After that, she was a frequent panelist on the game show Pantomime Quiz. In 1959, she joined the ensemble cast of The Garry Moore Show, a popular comedy-variety hour, while concurrently starring on Broadway in the musical-comedy Once Upon a Mattress, based on the children's story The Princess and the Pea. In a memorable Twilight Zone, she played a klutzy but contented single woman offered a life of glamour by her guardian angel. She had a recurring role as a tough female Marine in Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., becoming good friends with its star Jim Nabors, who was later her traditional first guest every season on her variety show. Burnett appeared in several episodes of her friend Lucille Ball's The Lucy Show, and she was a regular on the mid-1960s variety show The Entertainers with Art Buchwald and Bob Newhart. After that show ended, Ball offered to produce a sitcom for her, but Burnett declined, fearing she might feel stifled playing the same character week after week.

Instead, Burnett and her husband, producer Joe Hamilton, crafted a variety hour around her talents. The Carol Burnett Show premiered in 1967, ran for eleven years and won 22 Emmys. Recurring sketches included the tight-skirted secretary Mrs. Wiggins, the Southern-fried bitch Eunice of Mama's Family (later spun off to its own sitcom), and the bad actress star of the soap opera parody As the Stomach Turns. There were also spoofs of classic movies, most memorably Burnett as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind, wearing a dress made from the drapes -- complete with curtain rod (the dress was maniacally designed by Bob Mackie). For no particular reason, she would occasionally belt out a Tarzan yell, and at some point in every show Burnett would take questions from the audience, usually coming up with an answer that was either heartwarming or hilarious.

Burnett had perfect chemistry with her supporting cast, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner, and through the show's first seven seasons there were no cast changes. When Waggoner left he was replaced with Tim Conway for the eighth and subsequent seasons. The show was always funny but never mean or risqué, and in an era with only three channels, audiences of all ages tuned in to see what wacky skits Burnett would perform each week. On video, The Carol Burnett Show has been repackaged as Carol Burnett & Friends, and unlike some alleged comedy classics, no-one who rents the videos could possibly be disappointed.

She worked occasionally in feature films, including Noises Off with Michael Caine, Robert Altman's A Wedding, and The Four Seasons with Alan Alda. Her best TV films include the Vietnam survivors' drama Friendly Fire,Eunice (the pilot for Mama's Family), and three separate TV adaptations of her Broadway hit Once Upon a Mattress in 1964, 1972, and 2005.

In 1986 she starred in Fresno, a six-hour mini-series spoofing Dallas and Dynasty, with Burnett as Fresno's hard-drinking raisin matriarch Charlotte Kensington. With Charles Grodin, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, and Gregory Harrison, it was funny to the finish, but has never been released on video in America.

In 1990 she starred in Carol & Company with Jeremy Piven and Peter Krause, an anthology series with a half-hour comedy skit each week, but it was quickly cancelled. In 1991 she revived her Carol Burnett Show in name and format but with a new supporting cast. . Later in the 1990s, she played Helen Hunt's mother on Mad About You.

Her second husband, Joe Hamilton, had been a jazz musician, but after marrying Burnett he produced most of her starring projects. Their daughter, Carrie Hamilton became an actress, starring in the TV movie Hostage with Burnett and in touring productions of Rent, before dying of lung cancer in 2002. Another daughter, Erin Hamilton, has had several hits on the dance charts, including covers of "Dream Weaver" and Cheap Trick's "The Flame."

By virtually all accounts, the good-natured wise-cracking Burnett seen on her variety show was the real Carol Burnett. Her beloved grandmother, Mae Eudora Jones White, died in 1967 at the age of 82, but Burnett never stopped tugging her ear at the end of every episode. In the show's third season, Burnett received a résumé from a 10-year-old fan who wanted a career in comedy -- Jim Carrey, who received a long, personal letter of encouragement from Burnett. When she received her star on Hollywood Boulevard, Burnett had it placed in front of the theater where she had been an usher. And in 1989, when Burnett's friend Lucille Ball died suddenly on Burnett's birthday, Burnett received a bouquet from Ball several hours after hearing the sad news -- Ball had ordered the flowers in advance for Burnett's birthday.

Hamilton, her husband, wrote the theme song for The Carol Burnett Show, which she sang at the end of every episode. "I'm so glad we had this time together, just to have a laugh or sing a song, seems we just get started and before you know it, comes the time we have to say, 'So long.'" And then Burnett would wave and shout, "Good night, everybody."

04/10 Robert Forster

Robert Forster (born July 13, 1941) is an American actor, best known for his roles as John Cassellis in Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool, and as Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, the latter of which gained him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He has recently appeared as George Clooney's father-in-law in Alexander Payne's The Descendants.

Forster was born Robert Wallace Foster, Jr. in Rochester, New York, the son of Grace Dorothy (née Montanarella) and Robert Wallace Foster, Sr., who worked as an elephant trainer for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and later as an executive for a baking supply company. His mother was Italian American and his father was of English and Irish ancestry. The two divorced in 1949. As a tribute to his father, Forster hung one of his father's Barnum & Bailey Circus posters in the office of his character "Max Cherry" in the Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown.

Forster completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in history at the University of Rochester, where he starred in student dramatic performances such as Bye Bye Birdie and, after initially intending to go on to study law, instead decided to forego his future legal career in favor of pursuing drama. He graduated with a B.A. in history in 1964.

After acclaimed supporting performances in two major Hollywood films, one as Private Williams in John Huston's Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), another as part-Indian Army scout Nick Tana in Robert Mulligan's The Stalking Moon (1968), Forster starred in the critically acclaimed 1969 film Medium Cool. After starring roles in the TV shows Banyon (1972) and Nakia (1974), he played mostly supporting roles in action and horror films including Disney's The Black Hole (1979). Forster had lead roles in cult B-movies in the 1980s like Alligator (1980), Vigilante (1983), The Delta Force (1986), and The Banker (1989). He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1997 for Jackie Brown, which he credits with reviving his career. He has since had consistent work in the film industry, appearing in Like Mike; Mulholland Drive; Me, Myself, & Irene; Lucky Number Slevin and Firewall, to name a few. He recently appeared in the made for television movie The Hunt for the BTK Killer, as the detective intent on capturing serial killer Dennis Rader. Forster also played the father of Van on the short-lived Fox series Fastlane.

Forster recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's 'Hip-Hop Literacy' campaign, encouraging reading of books by Elmore Leonard (he starred in the movie adaption of Leonard's book Rum Punch, Jackie Brown, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor). Forster is also a motivational speaker.

He appeared in the hit NBC show Heroes as Arthur Petrelli, the father of Nathan and Peter Petrelli.

Twice divorced, Forster is a father of four children. His eldest child, Kate Forster (born 1969), has worked as an actress, also appearing in Mulholland Drive.

04/03 Nelson Sardelli

The Philadelphia Daily News described him as a "Complex Performer". At first glance one might think this description should read "Complete Performer", but upon closer examination, the former proves to be the perfect description.

Nelson is not a television or recording artist who "fills in" at nightclubs between TV and recording jobs. He is among the few entertainers who CHOSE a career as a night club performer and though he "fills in" with TV and movie appearances, he is truly in his element before a live audience. We forget how powerful and exciting a night club act can be until we watch one of the few who specializes in that field and who has mastered his craft. Nelson reminds us of this.

Born in Brazil, Nelson is the son of an Italian immigrant who made his way to South America where he worked as a policeman for several years before entering into the practice of law. Nelson is quick to admit that his father was a major role model in his life. It was because of his influence that he amassed one of the largest collection of police paraphernalia in existence. His collection includes hundreds of badges, thousands of patches, pistols, hats and uniforms, including a complete bobby uniform from England.

Nelson speaks a number of languages, but when he came to the United States, he had no working knowledge of English. Still, five months after arriving, he was drafted into the Army, where, as he puts it, he got a crash course in basic English and an advanced course in profanity. With these meager tools he began his singing carrier just outside of Detroit when a tavern owner who mistook him for a troublemaker tried to avoid problems by asking him to sing. He sang there, at the old Mill Tavern, for ten months and left knowing what his life’s work was to be.

His interest in Gun Twirling began at a time when he was involved in numerous charity appearances and had constant police escorts, while in Biloxi, Mississippi, he was made an honorary deputy sheriff and was presented with a badge and an air gun. From this beginning came the comic gun slinger who antics, with the real Ruger pistols which he now uses, became the signature of his act. Though definitely an American act, Nelson has appeared on every continent on the globe. He is recognized as a truly world class performer, reminiscent of America’s great cabaret acts and grand show rooms. He has a variety of television and movie credits to his name, including numerous TV appearances in Brazil, England, Australia, and of course, the USA.

Nelson dedication to his audiences seems to be duplicated in his charity work, several years ago he learned that three long time friends had relatives who were mentally retarded. Having been unaware of this fact despite years of friendship with these people, he felt compelled to help raise money for the mentally retarded. His way of doing it was to gather other celebrities, politicians, and community leaders to shines shoes for donations.

03/27 Rose Marie

Born on the day that the Broadway musical "Rose-Marie" opened, Rose Marie had one of entertainment’s longest and most fascinating entertainment careers in history. She began at the age of 3 by winning an amateur contest that took her to Atlantic City where she was billed as Baby Rose Marie. She became a popular radio personality appearing on numerous top shows of the time. She eventually received her own program on NBC and recorded some of the most successful albums on the Mercury label. Her extensive touring took her to some of the finest showplaces across the country. Rose Marie would sing for presidents Coolidge, Hoover and Roosevelt. She starred in several of the earliest talking films, beginning with a 1929 short, Baby Rose Marie the Child Wonder, which was screened in theaters before feature films such as “The Jazz Singer.”

She appeared in several pictures for Paramount, including “International House” and “Big Broadcast of 1935.” She married her husband, musician Bobby Guy, who was the lead trumpeter for the NBC orchestra on "The Tonight Show" and moved to California. In 1946, when Las Vegas opened its first big-time casino hotel, The Flamingo, Rose Marie was hired by Benjamin “Bugsy” Segal as one of the headliners, along with Jimmy Durante and Xavier Cugat. She had a brief Broadway career in Top Banana with Phil Silvers and in 1960 she accepted her first regular role on “My Sister Eileen.”

When “The Dick Van Dyke Show” premiered in 1961, Rose Marie became a household name as the quick-witted comedy writer, Sally Rogers. After five seasons, she moved to “The Doris Day Show.” She was the only original member of the hit game show “Hollywood Squares” to have worked on all of its reincarnations and hosts.

She extensively toured the night-club circuit with Rosemary Clooney, Helen O'Connell & Margaret Whiting in 4 Girls 4. She received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 3, 2001. When asked about retiring she said, "I've been in show business my whole life. Why start something new now?" She later released her best selling memoirs “Hold The Roses” in 2006.

Her famous hair bow, which had a strong personal significance that she refused to elaborate on, was inducted into the Smithsonian along with other items from her extensive career in 2008.

03/20 Dennis Bono

Dennis Bono the consummate interpreter of the Great American Songbook, proclaimed by the Chicago press as “a thoroughbred singer, born and bred to sing”, has now archived even greater recognition starring as the host of his own nationally syndicated, musical, variety/talk show from Las Vegas, “The Dennis Bono Show”, featuring established celebrities from the world of entertainment. The Dennis Bono Show is performed weekly in front of a live audience at the South Point Hotel and Casino Showroom on the Las Vegas “South Strip”.

The Key to the success of the show stems from Dennis’ playful personality and his intelligent interaction with his guests. Whether on radio, television or in front of a live audience, he is the perfect host; self-deprecating, attentive and witty.

Before he launched his career as a variety talk show host, Dennis started out in the 70’s and early 80’s by learning his craft as a singer on the eastern seaboard club circuit playing night clubs like Playboy, resorts in the Caribbean and singing the national anthem for the Yankees, Angels, Dodgers and Celtics. In the early 80’s, he was living on the East Coast with his first CD release receiving great recognition on the West Coast. During this time, Jilly Rizzo heard him and gave him a call. Jilly introduced Dennis to his closest friend and confident, Frank Sinatra. Both were impressed by Dennis’ discerning taste in music and his interpretation of the standards. Frank Sinatra said “this is the kid that’s going to carry the torch for our music”. Just as Jilly and Mr. S helped guide Dennis’ career, Dennis also provides the opportunity on television and radio for young, up and coming talents to be discovered and to showcase their abilities on his show.

Dennis’ philosophy of the standards is “great songs stand the test of time and allow every singer the opportunity to interpret the written words and the notes of the melody in a fresh way that make the song come to life’. He honed his craft singing and touring from Las Vegas to Japan, and everywhere in between. A tour with Don Rickles included Bally’s Grand Hotel in Atlantic City and the Golden Nugget and Tropicana Hotels in Las Vegas. In the early 90’s Dennis starred at the Desert Inn Hotel for two years running. He also opened the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas in 1999 and during 2000 he did a five week tour in Japan.

After Dennis recorded “Forget to Remember”, which he received national recognition, he realized he could reach even more people through the mediums of television and radio. The concept of “The Dennis Bono Show” was to appeal to the 50 and over demographic, which was felt to be a largely neglected audience. The success of the show’s national syndication and the acclaim of his fan base helped launch Dennis’ latest CD, “Thinking of When”. The CD is receiving great acclaim in the national and international markets including the United Kingdom and both CD’s are in rotation on Siriusly Sinatra on XM Radio.

He is married to former Lieutenant Governor of Nevada Lorraine Hunt-Bono and they reside in Las Vegas. The family owns and operates the historic Bootlegger Italian Bistro on Las Vegas Blvd., “South Strip”, renowned for nightly, musical entertainment and known as “the” spot “where the stars wine and dine in Las Vegas”. They recently co-hosted a one hour program on Siriusly Sinatra, XM Radios’ “Playing Favorites”.

03/13 Bruce Boxleitner

One of Hollywood’s leading men, Bruce Boxleitner most recently starred with Jeff Bridges in TRON: LEGACY, the popular motion picture sequel to Disney’s cult film TRON. The cast also included Garret Hedlund and Olivia Wilde.

Boxleitner is looking forward to 2012 when he stars and has a recurring role in two anticipated upcoming network TV series, including the debut of his first animated Disney TV series.

Bruce will reprise his role as TRON in TRON: UPRISING airing on Disney’s XD TV network summer 2012. The multi-talented cast includes: Elijah Wood as BECK, Mandy Moore as MARA, Nate Corddry as ZED, Lance Henriksen as TESLER, Paul Reubens as PAVEL and Emmanuelle Chriqui as PAIGE.

The Sci-Fi series highlights a young program named BECK (Wood) and his warrior mentor TRON (Boxleitner) as they start an uprising against the oppressive regime of CLU. The combination of computer generated images and two-dimensional animation is bold and dynamic. Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz wrote TRON: LEGACY and produced the “hit” series LOST and the new ABC-TV series ONCE UPON A TIME.

The multi-talented actor will also appear in a recurring role, in the upcoming ABC-TV series GCB (formerly titled GOOD CHRISTIAN BELLES). The cast includes: Kristin Chenowith, Annie Potts and David James Elliott. The series debuts on Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 10pm EST/PST.

Bruce Boxleitner also starred in the Hallmark Channel movie, LOVE’S RESOUNDING COURAGE and guest-starred on CBS-TV’s popular series NCIS. NBC’s HEROES utilized Bruce as the recurring character ‘SENATOR’ ROBERT MALDEN and he guest-starred on NBC’s series CHUCK. In addition, the multi-talented actor starred in Hallmark Channel’s movie of the week, FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. Boxleitner is known to Sci-Fi fans worldwide as the star of the popular TV series BABYLON 5. He played JOHN SHERIDAN, President of
the Interstellar Alliance, a war hero turned diplomat at the helm of Earth Alliance Space Station in the year 2259. The show aired for five seasons.

Bruce’s four year run starring opposite Kate Jackson in CBS-TV’s SCARECROW AND MRS. KING endeared him to fans everywhere and made him a name to remember. Bruce is also well known for his leading roles in the CBS series BRING ‘EM BACK ALIVE; mini-series EAST OF EDEN; THE LAST CONVERTIBLE; KISS ME, KILL ME; FLY AWAY; HAPPILY EVER AFTER and PASSION FLOWER.

Boxleitner loves westerns and used his extensive skills as a horse rider and roper starring as BILLY MONTANA opposite Kenny Rogers in four out of five GAMBLER TV mini-series that aired on CBS and NBC. The mini-series was based on the best-selling song performed by Kenny Rogers.

Bruce will be inducted into the “historic” Cowboy Hall of Fame in April 2012 honoring him for his illustrious career starring in westerns.

Boxleitner also starred in additional Westerns including: GUNSMOKE V:ONE MAN’S JUSTICE ( James Arness), CBS’ remake of RED RIVER ( Gregory Harrison, James Arness and Laura Johnson) and WYATT EARP:RETURN TO TOMBSTONE ( Hugh O’Brian). WYATT EARP was filmed on location in Tombstone, Arizona, site of the infamous shoot out at the O. K. Corral. The versatile actor also appeared in DOWN THE LONG HILLS, based on legendary western author Louis L’Amour’s novel of the same name.

Bruce’s plethora of TV movie credits include: THE SECRET ( Kirk Douglas and Brock Peters), PERFECT FAMILY (Jennifer O’Neal and Joanna Cassidy), DOUBLE JEOPARDY (Rachel Ward, Sally Kirkland and Sela Ward), THE MAHARAHJAH’S DAUGHTER (Hunter Tylo and Burt Young), etc.

Boxleitner has co-starred in several motion pictures including: GODS AND GENERALS (Robert Duvall, Jeff Daniels, Stephen Lang and Mira Sorvino), THE BABE ( John Goodman and Kelly McGillis), KUFFS (Christian Slater), THE BALTIMORE BULLET (James
Coburn) and the acclaimed science-fiction fantasy TRON (Jeff Bridges) and long-awaited sequel TRON: LEGACY (Jeff Bridges, Garret Hedlund, Olivia Wilde). The original TRON recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

A native mid-westerner, Bruce Boxleitner received his formal training on stage. He is an alumnus of Chicago’s prestigious Goodman Theatre. He re-located to Los Angeles in 1972 and quickly landed a guest spot on the legendary TV series THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW. Bruce co-starred as James Arness’ nephew in his first TV movie: THE MACAHAN’S, which later became an ambitious series of 24 two-hour films under the title, HOW THE WEST WAS WON.

Bruce Boxleitner currently resides in Los Angeles and has three sons: Michael, Sam and Lee.