Name	Thaila Zucchi
Birth name	Thaila Lucia Zucchi
Birth date
Birth place	Swindon, Wiltshire, England, UK
Occupation	Actress, singer

Thaila Lucia Zucchi (; born 19 January 1981, Swindon, Wiltshire, England) is a British singer and actress. She has appeared on Big Brother 8 in the UK, where she was acting the part of a fake Australian housemate called Pauline. She was member of the British band allSTARS*. She appeared in the FHM version of 'Do You Think I'm Sexy'. She has appeared on Balls of Steel and Star Stories.

Music career

Zucchi was a member of allSTARS*, a band that started out on the children's television show STARStreet (shown on CITV). She performed in more than twenty arenas around the UK, and on Top Of The Pops, , and SMTV numerous times. The band was contracted to Island Records and enjoyed four top twenty hits and released an album, with tracks that were featured in the movies Thunderpants and Scooby Doo. She still remains close friends with Ashley, Rebecca, Sam and Sandi.

Television career

Zucchi appears in Channel 4's Balls of Steel. Her role on the show is as "The Bunny Boiler". She would find a man in a public place with his partner, and outrageously flirt with him, antagonising his partner.

Her other television credits include The IT Crowd (episode 5, as Sophia), Balls of Steel clip show Massive Balls of Steel, Popworld, Hyperdrive, non-televised pilots Pear Shaped and New Dogs and as a presenter for Nickelodeon and The Record of the Year.

In 2006 and 2007 she had several roles in the Channel 4 comedy series, Star Stories, including Courteney Cox-Arquette, Sharon Osbourne and also Geri Halliwell in "Simon Cowell - My Honesty, My Genius".

In 2007 she entered the Big Brother UK house, pretending to be Pauline, a housemate from Australian Big Brother. She was working secretly for Big Brother as a mole, going to and from the house to appear on Big Brother's Little Brother. She presented Big Brother's Big Mouth, another spin-off show from 17 - 20 July 2007, as part of the lineup replacing ex-'Big Mouth' presenter, Russell Brand.

Zucchi also appears in a DOE advertisement about the dangers of drunk driving. She was seen on the Hula Hoops adverts (Captain! The intercom!) and UK adverts for Brunchettas. Zucchi could once be seen with Des Lynam advertising Setanta Sports' coverage of Premier League football. This advertising stopped with Setanta Sports going into administration.

In 2007, she appeared in an episode of sitcom Not Going Out as lap-dancer Rosie. She appears in season 2 of Strutter on MTV.

Zucchi has presented a show on Virgin 1 called "Boob Envy" about how women see their breasts, and is also part of the presenting team of Sky One's and the cast of the second series of Touch Me, I'm Karen Taylor for BBC Three.

She recently played a small role in an episode of Skins and an episode of broadcast on ITV on 23 September 2010.

She is in Richard Hammond's Blast Lab and presents the 'How Hard is Your Thing' segment in Brainiac Science Abuse.

She has been on Coming of Age in one episode as a French teacher which was first shown on 26 January 2010.

Thaila has also appeared on the series Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights, which started airing on 30 November 2010.

References

External links

Thaila Zucchi at RDF Management

Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:People from Swindon Category:English female singers Category:English television actors Category:Big Brother (UK TV series) Category:English people of Italian descent Category:Italian British musicians Category:Italian British actors

Name	Stephanie Flanders
Imagesize	128
Birth date	August 05, 1968
Known for	Television presenter
Education	Balliol College, University of Oxford Harvard University
Parents	Michael Flanders and Claudia Cockburn
Relatives	Laura Flanders (sister) Olivia Wilde (half-cousin) Alexander Cockburn (half-uncle) Andrew Cockburn (half-uncle) Patrick Cockburn (half-uncle) Sarah Caudwell (half-aunt) Leslie Cockburn (half-aunt by marriage) Claud Cockburn (grandfather)

Stephanie Hope Flanders (born 5 August 1968) is a British broadcast journalist, and is currently the BBC economics editor. She is the daughter of British actor and comic singer Michael Flanders and Claudia Cockburn.

Early life

Flanders' father, Michael Flanders, died in 1975 when she was six years old. She went to St Paul's Girls' School and was a student at Balliol College, Oxford and attended Harvard University as a Kennedy Scholar.

Early career

Flanders began her career as an economist at the London Business School and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. She then became a leader writer and columnist at the Financial Times from 1994. She became a speechwriter and advisor to U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers in 1997, and joined the New York Times in 2001.

Newsnight

Flanders joined the BBC's Newsnight in 2002. A keen cyclist, in 2005 she presented a review of Britain's economic status for Panorama from her bicycle, travelling the length of the country. She also contributed (with reference to her father's song "A Transport Of Delight") to the BBC News coverage of the last of Routemaster buses. In 2006 and 2007 she presented some relief shifts for BBC News between 2pm and 5pm.

On a Newsnight programme in August 2007, Flanders interrogated Conservative Party leader David Cameron about his proposed policy of tax breaks for married couples while questioning him with other journalists, asking him whether he had ever met anyone who would get married for an extra £20 per week. As an unmarried mother, she also asked Mr. Cameron whether the Conservative Party would like her to be married. Her contribution was criticised by Daily Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn on August 31, 2007, where he made references to her "privileged" educational background and later wrote that "If Stephanie Flanders speaks for Britain, then I'm a gnu" (in reference to The Gnu - a song sung by her father and his stage partner Donald Swann).

Economics editor

In February 2008 it was announced that she would replace Evan Davis as BBC economics editor, since he was moving to present Radio 4's Today programme. She took up this position on March 17.

From June 2008 until January 2009 Hugh Pym temporarily replaced her as the BBC's economics editor whilst she was on maternity leave.

Since 2008 she has been a visiting fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford. She presented The Andrew Marr Show during August 2009 to cover for Andrew Marr.

Family

Flanders presented in June 2007 an edition of BBC Radio 4's Archive Hour about her father's career, titled Flanders on Flanders.

She is grand-daughter of the radical journalist Claud Cockburn, whose journalist sons Alexander Cockburn, Andrew Cockburn and Patrick Cockburn are uncles. The US-based journalist Laura Flanders is her sister, and the film and television actor Olivia Wilde is a cousin. The writer and translator Lydia Davis is an aunt. She is distantly related to the novelist Evelyn Waugh. Flanders and her partner John Arlidge have a son, born in 2006, and a daughter, born in 2008.

References

External links

Stephanomics blog at the BBC.

Category:1968 births Category:Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Category:BBC newsreaders and journalists Category:Harvard University alumni Category:Living people Category:Old Paulinas Category:Online journalists Category:British bloggers Category:British business and financial journalists

Name	Samantha Womack| image =
Birthname	Samantha Zoe Janus
Birthdate	November 02, 1972
Birth place	Brighton, East Sussex, England
Nationality	British
Ethnicity	White British
Occupation	Actress, singer
Yearsactive	1990–present
Television	Strange Demob Pie in the Sky Game On Imogen's Face Liverpool 1 Babes in the Wood Home Again EastEnders
Spouse	Junfan Mantovani (1997–98) (divorced) Mark Womack (2009–present)
Children	Son and daughter
Parents	Noel Janes (deceased) Diane

Samantha Zoe Womack ( Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress and singer. She is currently known for playing the role of Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders. She is notable for her part as Mandy Wilkins in Game On, and also represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1991.

Early life and career

Born in Brighton, Womack is the niece of Angie Best, a former wife of George Best. Her cousin is Calum Best, son of Angie and George. She has a younger sister, Zoe. Her father Noel left the family when she was three, and soon after her mother Diane married a doctor and the family moved to Edinburgh. Janus lived on the QE2 with her grandmother for a short time. On 23 August 2009, her 60-year-old estranged father was found hanged in the bathroom of his council flat in Brighton, where he lived alone. It is believed he committed suicide.

Aged fifteen she left home as a self-confessed wild child for a life in squats, drinking, smoking and taking drugs. She eventually turned her life around, and attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London.

The actress first came to prominence in 1991, when she won the annual A Song for Europe competition to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest. She finished joint tenth and the song, "A Message to Your Heart", peaked at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart.

Janus developed her first love of acting, appearing in episodes of The Bill and Press Gang; in 1993 she appeared in Demob alongside Griff Rhys Jones and Martin Clunes; and took to the West End stage, replacing Debbie Gibson as Sandy in Grease.

From 1994 to 1998 Janus played Mandy in the popular BBC Two sitcom Game On alongside Ben Chaplin (later replaced by Neil Stuke). She remained on the show until it was cancelled in 1998. In between series of Game On, she had a part in the BBC One drama Pie in the Sky from 1995 until 1996.

Janus then starred in the pilot for The Grimleys with Jack Dee, and the movie Up 'n' Under with Neil Morrissey. In 1998 she starred in the ITV1 series Liverpool 1 alongside her future husband Mark Womack. She then returned to comedy in the ITV sitcom Babes in the Wood. Co-starring another Sylvia Young Theatre School student, Denise van Outen, it was critically panned despite respectable ratings, and Janus left after the first series.

In 1999 she starred as Cinderella in the ITV Christmas pantomime, with Harry Hill, Alexander Armstrong, Frank Skinner, Paul Merton, Ronnie Corbett and many more. In 2002 she returned to TV screens in the BBC One drama Strange and after that series ended in 2003, she has had roles in the films The Baby Juice Express and Dead Man's Cards.

In 2005 she directed an anti-bullying music video for Liverpool band Just 3, entitled Stand Tall. The video starred Liverpool FC footballer Jamie Carragher and herself. The video was heavily backed by Childline ambassador Esther Rantzen. A popular choice for photo shoots in men's magazines such as FHM, she came 21st in the FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World 1998 poll and 41st in the same listing in 1999.

In 2006, she starred in the BBC One comedy Home Again as Ingrid, and as Miss Adelaide in the West End production of the musical Guys and Dolls at London's Piccadilly Theatre, initially alongside Patrick Swayze and then Miami Vice star Don Johnson. She reprised the role at the Sunderland Empire alongside Alex Ferns in 2007.

On 11 May 2007, it was announced that she would be joining EastEnders as Ronnie Mitchell, a cousin of the Mitchell brothers. She had previously appeared in the soap in a minor role as a girlfriend of Simon Wicks. In January 2011, The Sun reported that Womack had resigned from EastEnders.

Since appearing on EastEnders, she has made regular television appearances, including Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, The Paul O'Grady Show, Richard & Judy and Loose Women. In November 2007, she sang along EastEnders co-stars in the 2007 Children in Need charity appeal.

Awards

Her portrayal of Ronnie Mitchell won her Best Newcomer at the Digital Spy Soap Awards along with Best Onscreen Partnership for her character partnership with Roxy Mitchell played by Rita Simons.She was nominated for Best Actress for the 2009 Soap Awards and she was nominated for 'Sexiest Female' for the 2010 Soap Awards and is currently in the nominations for Best Soap Actress for 'Inside Soap' Magazine Awards.

Personal life

Janus married Italian Junfan Mantovani in 1997 after a long relationship. The relationship broke down and the couple divorced in 1998.

She then starred in Liverpool 1, and started a relationship with Mark Womack while she was still married to Junfan. They married on 16 May 2009 and have two children (both born in Westminster, London): son Benjamin Thomas Womack (born February 2001) (after having him Janus took two years off to enjoy motherhood) and their daughter Lily-Rose Womack (born April 2005), while Mark has another son from a previous marriage, Michael Womack. Womack has stated that she would like more children but her husband is not so keen.

In 2009, Janus took her husband's surname of Womack and began to use it professionally in her role on EastEnders.

Womack and her husband are close friends of Scott Maslen and his wife Estelle Rubio. They have known each other since there were teenagers. Maslen is godfather to Womack's two children (and she is godmother to Maslen's son, Zak) and they often go on holiday together with their children, which Womack revealed during an appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in January 2008. Womack is also best friends with co-star Rita Simons, who plays her sister Roxy Mitchell.

In the autumn of 2007, Maslen joined the cast of EastEnders as the character Jack Branning, the brother of Max Branning, who quickly takes a shine to Ronnie. This was something that both Maslen and Womack were initially uncomfortable with when they read it in the scripts, Maslen commenting in various interviews that having to kiss Womack was like having to kiss his sister. The characters have since married, and had a baby (James Branning) who died of cot death on New Year's Eve 2010, sparking a controversial storyline.

In April 2008, several future scenes featuring Ronnie had to be scrapped after Womack broke her shoulder when she tripped and fell down the stairs at her home while rushing to get ready for work.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable" ! Year !! Title !! Role |- | rowspan="2" | 2007 || EastEnders || Ronnie Mitchell (2007–2011) |- | Wild at Heart || Tessa |- | rowspan="3" | 2006 || Dead Man's Cards || Kris |- | Where the Heart Is || Marla |- | Home Again || Ingrid |- | 2005 || The Afternoon Play || Emma Priestley |- | rowspan="2" | 2004 || The Baby Juice Express || Trixie |- | Short || Tall Woman |- | rowspan="2" | 2003 || Strange || Jude Atkins |- | Undercover Sex || Jake |- | rowspan="2" | 2002 || Judge John Deed || Mel Powell |- | Strange || Jude Atkins |- | 2000 || Cinderella || Cinderella |- | rowspan="7" | 1998 || Babes in the Wood || Ruth Froud |- | Liverpool 1 || DC Isobel de Pauli |- | Imogen's Face || Imogen |- | Game On || Mandy Wilkins |- | Breeders || Louise |- | Up 'n' Under || Hazel Scott |- | Pie in the Sky || Nicola |- | 1997 || The Grimleys || Geraldine Titley |- | 1994 || Minder || Marian |- | rowspan="2" | 1993 || Health and Efficiency || Charmaine |- | Demob || Hedda |- | 1992 || The Bill || Annie Carlisle |- | rowspan="3" | 1991 || Press Gang || Waitress |- | El C.I.D. || Waitress |- | A Murder of Quality || Alice Lawry |- | rowspan="2" | 1990 || Spatz || Toni |- | Jekyll & Hyde || Young Maid (Margaret) |}

Discography

May 1991 "A Message to Your Heart" / "Heaven is a Place for Heroes" (Hollywood Records), UK Singles Chart #30

References

External links

Interview about "Strange"

Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:British Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:British expatriates in Italy Category:English female singers Category:English film actors Category:English soap opera actors Category:English television actors Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1991 Category:People from Brighton Category:Sylvia Young Theatre School pupils

Caption	Welch at the premiere of Bette Midler's movie, The Rose, 1979
Birth date	September 05, 1940
Birth place	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Birth name	Jo Raquel Tejada
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1959–present
Spouse	James Welch (1959–1964) Patrick Curtis (1967–1972) Andre Weinfeld (1980–1990) Richard Palmer (1999–2008)

Raquel Welch (born September 5, 1940) is an American actress, author and sex symbol.

Early life

Welch was born Jo Raquel Tejada in Chicago, Illinois, the older sister to brother James and sister Gayle. She was the daughter of Josephine Sarah (née Hall) with English ancestry dating back to John Quincy Adams and the Mayflower, and Armando Carlos Tejada Urquizo, a Bolivian of Spanish descent. Her father (1911–1976), an aeronautical engineer, emigrated from La Paz, Bolivia at age 17; her mother (1909–2000) was American, the daughter of architect Emery Stanford Hall and wife Clara Louise Adams. Raquel was raised in the Presbyterian religion and continues to go to church every Sunday. Raquel changed her family name to that of her first husband, James Welch, in 1959.

Career

In 1959, Welch played the title role in The Ramona Pageant, a yearly outdoor play at Hemet, California, which is based on the novel Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson and Bob Biloe.

She became a weather forecaster at KFMB, a local San Diego television station. Because of her heavy schedule, she decided to leave her studies at San Diego State University (then known as San Diego State College). Her first marriage broke up and she moved with her two children, Damon and Latanne, to Dallas, Texas, where she modeled for Neiman Marcus and worked as a cocktail hostess, intending to move on to New York City from there.

Instead, Welch moved back to California, found a place in Los Angeles and started making the rounds of the movie studios. She was cast in bit parts in two films and in the television shows Bewitched, McHale's Navy, and The Virginian, as well as on the weekly variety series The Hollywood Palace as a billboard girl and presenter of acts.

Welch's first featured role came in the beach film A Swingin' Summer, which led to a contract with 20th Century Fox. She was subsequently cast in a leading role in the sci-fi hit Fantastic Voyage (1966), which made her a star. She was the last star created under the studio system.

On loan out to Hammer Studios in Britain, Welch starred in the remake of One Million Years B.C. striking an iconic pose in a prehistoric animal-skin bikini. Her publicity still for the film became a bestselling poster, and helped her be seen as one of the leading sex symbols of the 1960s and 1970s. After her appearance as lust incarnate in the hit Bedazzled, she returned to the U.S. and appeared in the Western film Bandolero!, with James Stewart and Dean Martin, which was followed by the private-eye drama Lady in Cement with Frank Sinatra. Her looks and fame led Playboy to dub her the "Most Desired Woman" of the 1970s.

Welch's most controversial role came in the notorious Myra Breckinridge. She took the part as the film's transsexual heroine in an attempt to be taken seriously as an actress, but the movie turned out to be a dismal failure.

Welch starred in the movie, 100 Rifles, a 1969 western directed by Tom Gries. The film also starred Jim Brown, Burt Reynolds, and Fernando Lamas. The original music score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith. 100 Rifles was one of the first films to feature an interracial sex scene between Jim Brown and Raquel Welch.

In 1970, Welch teamed up with Tom Jones and producer/choreographer David Winters of Winters-Rosen Productions for the TV special Raquel!, considered by some viewers to be a classic pairing together of 1970s pop-culture icons in their prime. The multi million-dollar TV song-and-dance extravaganza was filmed around the world, from Paris to Mexico. The show featured lavish production numbers of classic songs from the era, extravagant costumes, and notable guest performances, including John Wayne and Bob Hope in the Wild West. The actress was due to star in an 1982 adaptation of John Steinbeck's Cannery Row, but was fired by the producers a few days into production (they claimed that the 40 year old was too old to play the character). She was replaced with Debra Winger. Welch successfully sued, collecting a $11 million settlement.

In addition to her TV special, Raquel!, her television appearances include the TV movies The Legend of Walks Far Woman and Right to Die in which she turned in a stirring performance as a woman stricken with Lou Gehrig's disease, and in the PBS series , about a Mexican American family in East Los Angeles. She has appeared in the night-time soap opera Central Park West and made infomercials and exercise videos.

In 1987, she flirted with a pop singing career, releasing the dance single "This Girl's Back In Town." She has performed in a one-woman nightclub musical act in Las Vegas and has starred on Broadway in Woman of the Year, receiving praise for following Lauren Bacall in the title role, and in Victor/Victoria, having less success following Julie Andrews and Liza Minnelli in the title roles.

In a 1997 episode of the comedy series Seinfeld entitled The Summer of George, Welch played a highly temperamental version of herself, assaulting series characters Kramer and Elaine, the former because he fired her from an acting job and the latter because Welch mistakenly thought that Elaine was mocking her. She also appeared as a guest on the American TV series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as Sabrina's flamboyant Aunt Vesta.

In 2001, she had a supporting role in the hit film Legally Blonde opposite Reese Witherspoon. She also appeared in Welcome to the Captain, which premiered on CBS television on February 4, 2008.

Achievements and awards

In 1974, Welch won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical or Comedy for The Three Musketeers. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the TV drama Right to Die (1987).

Beauty and business career

The Raquel Welch Total Beauty and Fitness Program was published in 1984. The book, written by Welch with photographs by André Weinfeld, includes a Hatha Yoga fitness program, her views on healthy living/nutrition, as well as beauty and personal style. As a businesswoman, Welch succeeded with her signature line of wigs. She also began a jewelry and skincare line, although neither of those ventures compared to the success of her wig collection HAIRuWEAR.

In January 2007, Welch was selected as the newest face of MAC Cosmetics Beauty Icon series. Her line features several limited edition makeup shades in glossy black and tiger print packaging. As of June 2010, she is featured in several television ads for sunglasses by Foster Grant.

Personal life

Welch has been married to

James Welch (1959–1964), publicist and agent; divorced

Patrick Curtis (1967–1972), director and producer; divorced

Andre Weinfeld (1980–1990); divorced

Richard Palmer (1999), from whom she is currently (as of 2010) separated.

Welch is the mother of Damon Welch (born November 6, 1959) and actress Tahnee Welch (born Latanne Rene Welch, December 26, 1961). Tahnee followed her mother's December 1979 example and appeared on the cover of Playboy in the November 1995 issue.

Filmography

A House Is Not a Home (1964)

Roustabout (1964)

A Swingin' Summer (1965)

Do Not Disturb (1965)

Sex Quartet (1966)

The Queens (1966)

Fantastic Voyage (1966)

One Million Years B.C. (1966)

Shoot Loud, Louder... I Don't Understand (1966)

The Oldest Profession (1967)

Fathom (1967)

Bedazzled (1967)

Bandolero! (1968)

The Biggest Bundle of Them All (1968)

Lady in Cement (1968)

100 Rifles (1969)

Flareup (1969)

The Magic Christian (1969)

The Beloved (1970)

Myra Breckinridge (1970)

Hannie Caulder (1971)

Bluebeard (1972)

Fuzz (1972)

Kansas City Bomber (1972)

The Last of Sheila (1973)

The Three Musketeers (1973)

The Four Musketeers (1974)

The Wild Party (1975)

Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976)

Crossed Swords, a.k.a. the Prince and the Pauper (UK title) (1977)

L'Animal (1977)

(1994) (Cameo)

Chairman of the Board (1998)

What I Did for Love (1998)

Get Bruce (1999) (documentary)

Tortilla Soup (2001)

Legally Blonde (2001)

Forget About It (2006)

Television work

Raquel! (1970)

Really Raquel (1974)

NBC's Saturday Night Live (host, April 24, 1976)

The Muppet Show

Mork & Mindy 2 Episodes (1979)

From Raquel with Love (1980)

The Legend of Walks Far Woman (1982)

Right to Die (1987)

Scandal in a Small Town (1988)

Trouble in Paradise (1989)

Tainted Blood (1993)

Torch Song (1993)

Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby (1993) (voice)

Lois & Clark (Diana Stride) Season 2 Episode 35 "Top Copy" (1995)

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch Episode #08 ("Third Aunt From the Sun") as Aunt Vesta (1996)

Central Park West (1996–1997)

Seinfeld (1997)

Spin City (1997, 2000) 3 episodes

(2002)

(2002–2004) 8 episodes

8 Simple Rules (2004)

Welcome to The Captain (2008) 5 episodes

Books

Raquel Welch: Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage, Publisher: Weinstein Books (March 29, 2010), ISBN 978-1602860971

References

External links

Bob Hope 1967 show in Vietnam, Raquel Welch at 21:21

Category:1940 births Category:Actors from Chicago, Illinois Category:American female models Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American people of Bolivian descent Category:American people of English descent Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Hispanic and Latino American people Category:Hispanic and Latino American actors Category:Living people Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:San Diego State University alumni

Name	Rachel Annabelle Riley
Birth date	January 11, 1986
Birth place	Paddington, London
Nationality	British
Occupation	Television presenter
Alma mater	Oriel College, Oxford

Rachel Annabelle Riley (born 11 January 1986 in Paddington, London) is an English television presenter. Since 12 January 2009 she has been the co-host of Countdown. She replaced Carol Vorderman (whose twenty-six years on Countdown began just over three years before Riley was born) from the 60th series onwards. Jeff Stelling is the chief presenter and Riley does the letters and numbers.

Early life and career

Riley was educated at Southend High School for Girls, and went on to study mathematics at Oriel College, Oxford, gaining an upper second-class honours degree.

After graduating she began work as a data analyst for a website company in London. She was encouraged to apply for the Countdown position by her mother, a charity fundraiser married to a City auditor, and also by her boyfriend's mother. She did not have an ambition to be a television presenter, but decided to apply because she was interested in the numbers part of the game. Riley was chosen from more than a thousand applicants despite having no television experience. In an article for the BBC news, she stated, "There's only one cool maths job around and I was lucky enough to get it so I'm absolutely thrilled". She began presenting Countdown alongside Jeff Stelling from 12 January 2009. In an interview in August 2009 she revealed that it had been difficult for her to step into Vorderman's shoes, and that she had been criticised by some of Countdown's viewers for getting some of the maths puzzles wrong.

On 26 June 2009 it was reported that Riley had been recruited by the Post Office to employ her mathematical skills to help advise holidaymakers on how to make the most of their holiday currency, after a report by the Post Office revealed that a significant number of holidaymakers fail to calculate the actual cost of goods and services when travelling abroad and often overspend their holiday budget.

Personal life

Riley is a keen supporter of Manchester United and has been attending games at Old Trafford often with her Salford-born father since about the age of 10, and also recently presented a programme on MUTV featuring a tour of United's training ground at Carrington.

References

External links

Rachel Riley at KBJ Management

Category:Countdown Category:English television presenters Category:People from Southend-on-Sea Category:People from Paddington Category:Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Category:English people of Irish descent Category:1986 births Category:Living people

Name	Miquita Oliver
Birth date	April 25, 1984
Birth place	Paddington, London, United Kingdom
Occupation	Television presenter

Miquita Billie Alexandra Oliver (born 25 April 1984) is a British television presenter and radio personality. She co-hosted Channel 4's Popworld from 2001–2006 and went on to present on T4 from 2006-2010 as well as having her own show, The Month With Miquita, on 4Music. She has also worked in radio, hosting shows on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra.

Biography

Born in Paddington, London, her mother is former Rip Rig & Panic singer and television presenter Andrea Oliver. In 2001, aged 18, Miquita Oliver became presenter of irreverent Channel 4 music show Popworld, co-presenting with Simon Amstell. The pair were known for employing a great deal of humour in interviews. They left the show in 2006, but Oliver continued to present the T4 strand. After an incident in mid-2010 in which Oliver was overheard insulting singer Ke$ha behind her back by Ke$ha's management, Oliver was suspended from T4 for 6 weeks and subsequently her contract was not renewed. She recorded her last T4 in December 2010.

She has hosted shows on both BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, notably covering for Sara Cox and Spoony. She left her early morning show Oneclick to focus on TV projects. On 13 December 2007, during her appearance on the TV show Never Mind the Buzzcocks (which was hosted at the time by Simon Amstell), Miquita implied that she was fired from BBC Radio One following a comment she made in an interview with NME magazine, about Fearne Cotton, calling her a "Devil Woman".

Oliver made a brief appearance in May 2007 on the BBC program "Neneh & Andi Dish It Up" - which is presented by her mother Andrea and "Auntie" Neneh Cherry - and has also made appearances on political talk show This Week, on 25 June 2009 and 17 December 2009.

She now has her own television show, called The Month With Miquita, which she hosts on the 4Music

Oliver's Godmother is Holby City actress Amanda Mealing.

"Miquita Does" Series

In 2009, Oliver hosted a series of "Miquita Does" series. #Miquita Does American Boys #Miquita Does All-Time Floorfillers #Miquita Does Number 1s #Miquita Does Movies #Miquita Does Pop #Miquita Does Power Ballads #Miquita Does Urban Anthems

Fashion

In 2008 Miquita Oliver along with vinspired.com helped launch Fashion Favours, a collection of reworked fashion items, customised by volunteers from around the UK. On 25 September 2008, to promote fashion favours, Miquita modelled the Prime Minister's Shirt.

On 25 June 2009, Oliver appeared on political talk show This Week to discuss issues relating to fashion - namely Speaker John Bercow's decision not to wear the traditional robes, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to ban the burqa in France.

References

External links

T4 profile

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:People from Paddington Category:English television presenters Category:Black British television personalities

Name	Melissa Suffield
Birthname	Melissa Hollie Suffield
Birthdate	December 24, 1992
Birthplace	London, England
Occupation	Actress, presenter
Yearsactive	2003–present

Melissa Hollie Suffield (born 24 December 1992) is a British actress and occasional television presenter, who is best known for her role as Lucy Beale in BBC's EastEnders. Her first appearance on the show was 28 October 2004 and her last on 27 August 2010.

Biography

Suffield was born on 24 December 1992 in London, England. She plays the guitar and piano among many other instruments at which she is skilled. Although she does not take lessons or perform, she enjoys singing too, as was shown in the EastEnders Beatles medley for Children in Need 2007 and in the 2008 appeal, in which she performed a song from the stage version of Mary Poppins, alongside Laurie Brett, who plays her on-screen stepmother, Jane Beale. She has since reprised a singing role in the EastEnders Children in Need medley for 2009. She has taken ballet lessons since the age of two, and still dances under the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus at the intermediate grade. Suffield has three sisters and is in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend.

Career

Suffield was featured in an advertisement for a children's drama called 'Master Storyteller, Magic Grandad', 1 episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot (Five Little Pigs) She appeared on The Friday Night Project in 2005. Melissa helped raise money for Children in Need in 2007 by appearing in a special Beatles medley featuring cast from EastEnders and in Children In Need 2008 doing a West End when Melissa did Mary Poppins. She also appeared in a Motown medley for Children in Need 2009. Melissa is best known for her appearance in television soap EastEnders, where she played Lucy Beale, daughter of Ian Beale, a long standing character. She also appeared in the 2010 spin-off series as Lucy.

In August 2009, Suffield took part in a documentary called 16: Too Young To Vote? as part of BBC Three's Adult Season, where she journeys around the United Kingdom to find out whether 16-year-olds should get the right to vote. In September 2009 she reported for the BBC Watchdog programme on the dangers of sunbeds. She also exposed centres that were not following guidelines by checking peoples ages.

In May 2010 it was announced that she had been axed from EastEnders after she allegedly ignored warnings about her "unruly" behaviour, although the character would be retained with another actress in the role.

References

External links

Melissa Suffield at the BBC

Category:1992 births Category:English soap opera actors Category:English child actors Category:Actors from London Category:English television actors Category:Living people Category:English television presenters

Name	Malandra Burrows
Birthdate	November 04, 1965
Birth place	Woolton, Liverpool, England
Birthname	Malandra Elizabeth Newman
Othername	Malandra Newman
Notable role	Kathy Glover in Emmerdale}}

Malandra Elizabeth Burrows (born 4 November 1965, Woolton, Liverpool) is an English actress and singer.

Early life

Burrows' first name, Malandra, is a portmanteau of her parents' names, Malcolm and Sandra. Her mother encouraged her at an early age to begin dancing; she initially trained under Billy Pearce's mother Jean. She appeared on Yorkshire Television’s Junior Showtime at the age of six. In 1974 Malandra Newman became the youngest-ever winner of New Faces, appearing on the same "all-winners" show with Tor Smith and Victoria Wood. Her interest in music continued throughout her early adolescence, and at age 13 she won the 1978 BBC Merseyside Songwriter of the Year award. She attended King David High School in Childwall.

After deciding that she wanted to be a performer, she joined the Everyman Youth Theatre in Liverpool, did classes at Liverpool Theatre School and also did productions with a local amateur dramatics company at St Peter's, in Woolton, whilst continuing to perform musically. After leaving school with eleven O-levels, she enrolled in a Liverpool drama school, where she remained for two years learning her future trade of acting — changing her surname to Burrows for registration with Equity, the British actors' union.

Career

Even before leaving drama school, Burrows played several roles on television, appearing in The Practice and Fell Tiger, as well as taking two parts in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside - firstly Lucy Coflins' schoolfriend, Sue, and then Lisa Morrissey, the girlfriend of Pat Hancock, in 1982.

Emmerdale

Three months after leaving drama school, she auditioned for the role of Kathy Bates in the popular ITV soap opera Emmerdale (then known as Emmerdale Farm) and got the part. Of the role she said:

When I got the part, I hadn't realised how agricultural the role was going to be and that I would be playing a farm girl. Coming from Liverpool, I had no idea about any of this. I was supposed to milk the cows, but I was frightened of being kicked. My first memory is the smell when I walked in there. I couldn't say my lines and was gasping for breath. Clive Hornby and Frazer Hines, as Jack and Joe, loved winding me up. That first time, they said to me, "Watch for twitching tails." I wondered what they meant. Then I felt something hot and warm down my back and realised I was covered! 'They roared with laughter, but it didn't happen again. I wouldn't go anywhere near those cows. My job was to sweep up and I became nicknamed the 'shitshoveller". I did about six years of filling barrows with fertiliser.

The role has been her most prominent to date. She became one of the programme's longest-running characters, remaining in the show from 1985 to 2001 and returning briefly in 2005. Kathy is remembered for being one of the most-often married characters in the soap and had a reputation for having "the kiss of death" on her men. First husband Jackie Merrick accidentally shot himself in 1989; her second marriage to Chris Tate, who uses a wheelchair, ended in 1995 when he admitted to an affair; in 1996 Kathy’s third husband Dave Glover died saving a baby he thought to be his own from a house fire as he was about to elope with his mistress Kim Tate. Poor Kathy was even dumped at the altar by her fourth fiancé Biff in 1999. During her 16-year stint, Kathy was kidnapped by a diamond-thieving lord, knocked down by a horse-stealing conman, targeted by a double wife murderer who tried to drive her over a cliff, trapped in the wreckage of a bus hit by a lorry, and imprisoned for protesting against the local haulage company. Reportedly one of the soap's highest-paid stars of the time on a reputed £80,000pa, She appeared in soap opera for seventeen years, turning down many parts including one written for her in Willy Russell's film version of Shirley Valentine, but was axed from the soap as part of ITV's revamp of the programme in the rush for ratings. Burrows returned for three episodes for Seth Armstrong's funeral in 2005. In 2009 Malandra was asked to return to Emmerdale for Jack Sugden's funeral episodes in February but was unable due to working in pantomime during Christmas 2008 and January 2009 which prevented her from making a return for those episodes. Malandra has attended Clive Hornby's funeral in July 2008 in Leeds.

Pop career

Burrows has had minor musical success in the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 11 with the song "Just This Side Of Love" in 1990.

She released a self-penned single "Summernight Love" (1996) on AATW/DKAM Records (#185 UK). This resulted in a recording contract with Warner Bros., and two more singles ("Carnival in Heaven" and "Don't Leave Me") also hit the UK charts (albeit the lower reaches: #49 and #54, respectively).

In 2006 she appeared on Five TV's The All Star Talent Show, coming fifth as a Fire Eater. She is due to star as the Fairy during Christmas 2007, in "Sleeping Beauty" at the Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth.

Burrows entered late into the 2006 series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! on day seven. She was found hanging from a tight rope and had to be rescued as part of the trial by Matt Willis and Lauren Booth. On her first night she had to sleep in a hammock, and fell out of it. She took part in several "Bushtrucker trials" most notably one dubbed "Skyscrape". Burrows and fellow contestant Myleene Klass were required to clamber onto a seesaw platform 200 ft above the jungle floor and take turns to collect corresponding flags hanging off the edges of the platform. Each pair of flags, collected in numerical order, equalled a much-needed meal for camp. She was the sixth celebrity to be evicted in a head-to-head with Dean Gaffney.

References

External links

Malandra Burrows at the Internet Movie Database

Interview post leaving Emmerdale

Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:English television actors Category:English female singers Category:Participants in British reality television series Category:I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here! contestants Category:Actors from Liverpool Category:Musicians from Liverpool

Name	Lucy Verasamy
Birth date	2 August 1980
Education	Brunel University
Occupation	Weather presenter, TV Presenter
Gender	Female

Lucy Verasamy (born 2 August 1980) is a weather forecaster and environment correspondent for Daybreak on ITV. Up to 3 September 2010, she worked for Sky News as a weather forecaster on their breakfast programme Sunrise.

Early life

Verasamy attended Silfield Primary School and Framlingham College Junior School Suffolk and King Edward VII High School in Norfolk; where she studied A-Level Geography. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) degree in Geography and Earth Sciences from Brunel University in 2001.

Weather forecasting career

After graduation Lucy worked at the Press Association’s weather centre (now known as MeteoGroup) for four years as a forecaster, writing forecasts for newspapers and scripts for radio.

Having previously completed a work experience placement at the Sky Weather Centre before becoming a weather forecaster. Verasamy joined Sky channel in 2005 In 2007 the Sky News website started a feature entitled Climate Clinic - Ask Lucy as part of their Green Britain campaign, where Verasamy answered questions put forward by members of the public regarding climate change. She also contributed to Sky News' The Weather Girls blog.

From 6 September 2010, Verasamy presents the weather forecasts and acts as environment correspondent alongside Kirsty McCabe on Daybreak.

References

Lucy Verasamy profile Sky News

Climate Clinic - Ask Lucy Sky News, 12 January 2007

External links

Lucy Verasamy at skypressoffice.co.uk

Category:1980 births Category:Alumni of Brunel University Category:English meteorologists Category:ITV Breakfast presenters and reporters Category:Living people Category:Sky News weather forecasters

Name	Lisa Rogers
Birthname	Lisa Rogers
Birthdate	September 07, 1971
Birthplace	Cardiff, Wales
Occupation	Television Presenter / Actress
Yearsactive	1997-present

Lisa Rogers (born 7 September 1971) is a Welsh television presenter and occasional actress. She has appeared in films, television programmes, theatre and radio.

Career

Early life

While at school she took jobs in a chocolate factory and as a cleaner, and while studying drama at Loughborough University, she was a nanny and manager of Santa's grotto.

Television

Rogers started her television career behind the scenes working as a researcher on shows including Johnny Vaughan's The Fall Guy, The Girlie Show, Absolutely Animals and Light Lunch with fellow researcher Dermot O'Leary.

While Rogers was working as an assistant producer and not wishing to miss the World Cup, a friend suggested she audition for the football show "Under the Moon" on Channel 4. She first starred on Channel 4’s Big Breakfast in June 2000, when she hosted the "Find Me A Weather Presenter". This resulted in an irregular role, which led to later co-presenting, before the show ended in March 2002. She was also the presenter of the reality television show The Block. She played the character Tanya in the 2000 TV mini series Lock, Stock..., a spin-off from the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

She has since appeared as a regular panellist on ITV's Loose Women and presented programmes such as Scrapheap Challenge. Whilst on Scrapheap challenge, Rogers became pregnant and in the Wellington boot-throwing contest, stated that if she got any more excited she would go into labour. She also appeared as a guest in the eighth series of Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

As of 2008, Rogers has most recently been seen as the presenter of Sunshine for Channel 4, which previewed the new Danny Boyle film of the same name, and as a regular presenter of Sky One's motoring programme Vroom Vroom.

In August 2008, what started as a job as presenter of a documentary ended up becoming a polemic about genital plastic surgery, The Perfect Vagina, with her changed status being reflected as "Author" rather than simply "Presenter".

Personal life

Her family originates from Trellech, near Monmouth, in south east Monmouthshire. Lisa is also known to be an Arsenal F.C. supporter . She dated the late former Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable in 2003 at the time he was sacked from the group. She lives in Monmouthshire with her boyfriend and two daughters.

Television appearances

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;" ! colspan="4" style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Television |- ! style="background:#ccc;"| Year ! style="background:#ccc;"| Title ! style="background:#ccc;"| Role ! style="background:#ccc;"| Notes |- | 2010 || Welsh Rugby in the Noughties || Presenter || 2010 |- | 2009 || Sport Wales || Presenter || 2009– |- | 2008 || The Perfect Vagina || Presenter || 2008 |- | 2008 || The Wright Stuff || Guest Panelist || 2008 (1 episode) |- | 2006 || Vroom Vroom || Presenter || 2006–2007 (2 episodes) |- | 2006 || Brainiac's Test Tube Baby || Guest || 2006 (1 episode) |- | 2006 || Scrapheap Challenge: Scrappy Races Rally || Co-presenter || 2006 (1 series) |- | 2006 || Showbiz Poker || Presenter || |- | 2006 || Holiday || Reporter || 2006 (1 episode) |- | 2004 || The Block || Presenter || 2004 (1 series) |- | 2003 || Loose Women || Guest Panelist || 2003–2004 (7 episodes) |- | 2003 || Scrapheap Challenge: The Scrappy Races || Presenter || 2003–2005 (series 1 and series 2) |- | 2003 || Mistresses || Presenter || (9 episodes) |- | 2002 || Scrapheap Challenge || Presenter || 2002–2008 (series 5 to series 10) |- | 2002 || Sport Relief || Presenter || 2002 |- | 2002 || Shooting Stars || Guest Panelist || 2002 (1 episode) |- | 2002 || Celebrity Addicts || Presenter || 2002 (1 series) |- | 2001 || People Do the Craziest Things || Presenter || 2001 (1 series) |- | 2001 || I Love 1980's || Guest || 2001 (4 episodes) |- | 2001 || I Love 1990's || Guest || 2001 (1 episode) |- | 2001 || 100 Greatest Kids' TV shows || Presenter || 2001 |- | 2001 || A Question of TV || Guest Panelist || 2001 (1 episode) |- | 2001 || Liquid News || Guest || 2001 (1 episode) |- | 2001 || Never Mind the Buzzcocks || Guest Panelist || 2001 (1 episode) |- | 2001 || The Big Breakfast || Presenter || 2001–2002 |- | 2000 || It's Only TV...But I Like It || Guest || 2000 (1 episode) |- | 2000 || Grudge Match || Presenter || 2000 (1 series) |- | 2000 || Exclusive || Guest || 2000 (1 episode) |- | 2000 || Top of the Pops Plus || Presenter || 2000 (1 series) |- | 1999 || 20th Century Stuff || Presenter || 1999 (1 series) |- | 1998 || Under the Moon || Presenter || 1998 (1 series) |- | 1997 || Light Lunch || Researcher || 1997 |}

References

External links

Bio at her agent's website

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:People from Cardiff Category:Alumni of Loughborough University Category:Welsh actors Category:Welsh television presenters

Name	Lindsay Lohan
Background	solo_singer
Img alt	A white female in a black coat and miniskirt
Born	July 02, 1986 New York City, New York, U.S.
Genre	Pop rock
Occupation	Actress, singer, fashion designer, model
Years active	1989–present
Label	Casablanca, Universal Motown
Url	www.myspace.com/lindsaylohan

Lindsay Lohan (; born July 2, 1986) She is the eldest child of Donata "Dina" (née Sullivan) and Michael Lohan. Lohan attended Cold Spring Harbor High School, where she did well in science and mathematics

Lohan's parents have a turbulent history. They married in 1985, separated when she was three, and later reunited. They separated again in 2005 and finalized their divorce in 2007. Her father, Michael, is a former Wall Street trader and businessman who inherited his father's pasta business and has been in trouble with the law on several occasions, while her mother, Dina, is a former singer and dancer. She modeled for Calvin Klein Kids and Abercrombie kids, and appeared in over 100 television commercials, including those for Pizza Hut and Wendy's, as well as a Jell-O spot with Bill Cosby. The film won Lohan a Young Artist Award for best performance in a feature film as well as a three-film contract with Disney. She also starred in two Disney television movies: Life-Size opposite Tyra Banks in 2000, and Get a Clue in 2002.

2003–2004: Freaky Friday, Mean Girls and Speak

Lohan starred as Anna Coleman alongside Jamie Lee Curtis in the 2003 family comedy Freaky Friday. At Lohan's own initiative, her character was rewritten and changed from a Goth style to be more relatable. Critic Roger Ebert wrote that Lohan "has that Jodie Foster sort of seriousness and intent focus beneath her teenage persona". Freaky Friday earned Lohan the award for Breakthrough Performance at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards and, as of 2010, it remains her most commercially successful film, earning $160 million worldwide as well as an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Aiming to become a triple threat—actor, singer and dancer, similar to Ann-Margret and Marilyn Monroe—Lohan began showcasing her singing through her acting. For the Freaky Friday soundtrack, she sang the closing theme, "Ultimate",

In 2004, Lohan starred in two lead roles. The first, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen—Lohan's first role in a film that was not a remake Robert K. Elder of Metromix wrote that, "though still a promising star, Lohan will have to do a little penance before she's forgiven for Confessions".

The teen comedy Mean Girls was Lohan's first movie independent of Disney. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $129 million worldwide and, according to Brandon Gray, "cementing her status as the new teen movie queen", while Steve Rhodes wrote that "Lohan dazzles us once more. The smartly written script is a perfect match for her intelligent brand of comedy." Lohan received four awards at the 2004 Teen Choice Awards for Freaky Friday and Mean Girls, including Breakout Movie Star. Mean Girls also earned her two awards at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, Best Female Performance and Best On-Screen Team along with several other cast members.

Lohan, then 17, became the youngest-ever host of the MTV Movie Awards in 2004. Following Mean Girls, which was scripted by Tina Fey and featured several alumni of Saturday Night Live, Lohan hosted the show three times between 2004 and 2006, as well as hosting the 2006 World Music Awards.

Speak, Lohan's debut album, was released in December 2004, peaking at number four on the Billboard 200 and earning Platinum certification by early 2005. Allmusic, however, awarded it 2 out of 5 stars and claimed the album "feels more like a byproduct of an overdriven, overamplified celebrity culture than an actual album". Though primarily a pop album, Speak was introduced with the single "Rumors". Described by Rolling Stone as "a bass-heavy, angry club anthem", "Rumors" details Lohan's complaints with the paparazzi and eventually earned a Gold certification in the United States.

While shooting in 2004, Lohan was hospitalized with a kidney infection brought on by stress in her personal life and of recording her first album while the film was in production, prompting Vanity Fair to label it Lohan's "first disastrous shoot". Lohan began dating actor Wilmer Valderrama in 2004, guest-starring in an episode of That '70s Show, of which Valderrama was a regular. According to Vanity Fair, the breakup with Valderrama contributed to Lohan's issues during the shooting of Herbie: Fully Loaded. She spent several years living out of hotels in Los Angeles, of which two years were spent at Chateau Marmont. In late 2007, after settling down in more permanent residence, she explained that she spent so much time in hotels because she "didn't want to be alone" but that "it wasn't a way of life ... not very consistent." Lohan has had a series of car accidents that have been widely reported, with minor crashes in August 2004, October 2005, and November 2006, when Lohan suffered minor injuries because a paparazzo who was following her for a photograph hit her car. Police called the crash intentional, but prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to file criminal charges.

2005: Herbie: Fully Loaded and A Little More Personal (Raw)

(2005)|alt=A white Volkswagen Beetle with a racing stripe across the middle and the number 53 on the front and the door]]

Lohan returned to Disney in 2005 for , the fifth film in the series with the anthropomorphic car Herbie. Fully Loaded earned $144 million worldwide and received mixed reviews. Stephen Holden of The New York Times called Lohan "a genuine star who ... seems completely at home on the screen", while James Berardinelli wrote that, "as bright a starlet as she may be, Lohan ends up playing second fiddle to the car." In 2005, Lohan became the first person to have a My Scene celebrity doll released by Mattel. She also voiced herself in the animated direct-to-DVD film My Scene Goes Hollywood, based on the series of dolls.

Lohan's second album, A Little More Personal (Raw), was released in December 2005, debuting at number 20 on the Billboard 200 chart, falling under the top 100 within six weeks. The album was certified Gold in early 2006. The music video for the album's first single, "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)", was directed by Lohan and featured the acting debut of her sister, Ali Lohan. It was Lohan's first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 57.

Lohan's parents legally separated in December 2005 and finalized their divorce in 2007. Despite the conflicts, Lohan calls herself "a family girl" and has spoken very fondly of her family, including her father. However, in 2007 and again in 2008 she stated that she was no longer in contact with him, describing his unpredictable behavior as hard to deal with. In November 2009, her father released recordings of private phone calls with and about Lohan to the media. She commented on Twitter: "I haven't had a real relationship w/Michael Sr. in years."

Lohan's next widely released film, the romantic comedy Just My Luck, opened in May 2006 and, according to Variety, earned Lohan over $7 million. The opening weekend box office takings of $5.7 million "broke lead actress Lindsay Lohan's winning streak" according to Brandon Gray. The film received poor reviews and earned Lohan her first Golden Raspberry nomination for worst actress.

2006–2007: Independent movies and career interruptions

Following Just My Luck, Lohan focused on smaller roles in more mature, independent movies. Robert Altman's ensemble comedy A Prairie Home Companion, in which Lohan co-stars with Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin, had a limited release in June 2006. Peter Travers wrote for Rolling Stone that "Lohan rises to the occasion, delivering a rock-the-house version of 'Frankie and Johnny'". Co-star Streep said of Lohan's acting: "She's in command of the art form" and "completely, visibly living in front of the camera". The Emilio Estevez drama Bobby was released in theaters in November 2006. Lohan received favorable comments for her performance, particularly a scene opposite Sharon Stone. As part of the Bobby ensemble cast, Lohan was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and won an award for Ensemble Acting at the Hollywood Film Festival where she also won a Breakout Award for her work in 2006. Lohan's next appearance was in Chapter 27 as a John Lennon fan who befriends Mark David Chapman (Jared Leto) on the day he murders Lennon. Filming finished in early 2006, but was not released until March 2008 due to difficulties in finding a distributor. In May 2007, the drama Georgia Rule, in which Lohan stars alongside Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda, was released. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Lohan hits a true note of spiteful princess narcissism". During filming in 2006, Lohan was hospitalized, her representative saying "she was overheated and dehydrated". At the time Lohan was going through a breakup with restaurant owner Harry Morton. This contributed to her problems on the set according to Allure. Co-star Fonda later commented that "when she showed up on the set, she was always great."

In 2006, Lohan attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Lohan, who has suffered from asthma since the age of two, is also a smoker. In early January 2007, production on the film I Know Who Killed Me was put on hold when Lohan underwent appendix surgery. Later in the month, Lohan admitted herself to the Wonderland Center rehabilitation facility. Lohan checked out on February 16, 2007 after completing a 30-day stay. During the stay she continued shooting the film, returning to the facility at night. Shortly thereafter, Lohan withdrew from a film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance, her publicist stating that Lohan needed to "focus on getting better". Lohan was replaced in The Edge of Love in April 2007, shortly before filming was to begin, with the director citing "insurance reasons" and Lohan later explaining that she "was going through a really bad time then." In May 2007, Lohan first dated British TV personality Calum Best.

Lohan was then cast in the film adaptation of the novel Poor Things. On May 26, four days before production was set to start, she was arrested for DUI and subsequently re-entered rehab. The film's producers initially voiced support and production was put on hold.

Lohan was involved in a traffic accident on May 26, 2007 when she lost control of her car and ran the vehicle up a curb. Beverly Hills police also found what they preliminarily identified as a "usable" amount of cocaine in her car. After receiving treatment for minor injuries, Lohan was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. She subsequently entered the Promises Treatment Center rehabilitation facility, where she stayed for 45 days. Upon her release to outpatient care, Lohan was voluntarily fitted with a SCRAM bracelet to monitor her sobriety.

On July 24, 2007, three weeks before filming was scheduled to resume on Poor Things, Lohan was arrested for a second DUI and again returned to rehabilitation. Lohan refused a field sobriety test in Santa Monica and was taken to a police station where her blood alcohol level was found to be above the legal limit. While conducting a search, the police found a small amount of cocaine in her pocket. Lohan was booked on a felony charge of possession of cocaine and misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. In August 2007, Lohan entered Cirque Lodge Treatment Center in Sundance, Utah for a third stint at rehabilitation, staying until discharge on October 5, 2007. Ultimately, Hollywood Reporter said, she "fell out of" the Poor Things production. Later in 2007, Lohan dated then snowboarder Riley Giles, whom she met during rehab.

In the wake of her second DUI arrest, Lohan withdrew from a scheduled appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in which she had been due to promote I Know Who Killed Me, a low-budget thriller-mystery in which she stars as a stripper with a dual personality. The film premiered to what Entertainment Weekly called "an abysmal $3.5 million". It earned Lohan a dual Razzie nomination for Worst Actress, with Lohan coming first and second, tying with herself.

Hollywood executives and industry insiders commented that it would be difficult for Lohan to find employment until she could prove that she was sober and reliable, citing possible issues with securing insurance. Robinson, the producer who previously criticized Lohan's work ethic on Georgia Rule, said that he would work with her again if she got the proper medical care, and went on to describe her as "one of the most talented young women in the movie business today." On November 15, 2007, Lohan served 84 minutes in jail. A sheriff spokesman cited overcrowding and the nonviolent nature of the crime as reasons for the reduced sentence. The probation was extended by an additional year in October 2009, following several instances in which Lohan failed to attend the court-ordered substance abuse treatment classes.

Following a switch to Universal Motown, Lohan began working on a third album, tentatively titled Spirit in the Dark, in late 2007 and released "Bossy" in May 2008. In November 2008, Lohan stated that work on the new album had stalled and that she wanted to avoid the stress of working on movies and music at the same time. In February 2010, Ne-Yo, with whom Lohan had been collaborating, stated in an interview, "We were doing some stuff and then it just fell off and hasn't got back on. I'm not gonna hold my breath."

2008–2009: Television appearances and fashion

In May 2008, Lohan made her first screen appearance since I Know Who Killed Me, on ABC's television series Ugly Betty. She guest starred in four episodes, spanning seasons two and three in 2008, as Kimmie Keegan, an old schoolmate of the protagonist Betty Suarez.

Lohan has featured in various men's magazines. She was voted tenth on the list of "100 Sexiest Women" by readers of FHM in 2005, while Maxim placed her third on its" Hot 100" list in 2006 and first in 2007. In a poll by The Daily Mirror in February 2010, Lohan was voted tenth on a list of "sexiest redheads ever". Lohan has been the face of Jill Stuart, Miu Miu, and Dooney & Bourke, as well as the 2008 Visa Swap British fashion campaign as well as being the face of Italian clothing company Fornarina for its Spring/Summer 2009 campaign. In the 2008 Spring Fashion edition of New York magazine, Lohan re-created Monroe's final photo shoot, known as The Last Sitting, including nudity, saying that the photo shoot was "an honor".

In 2008, Lohan launched a clothes line, whose name 6126 was designed to represent Monroe's birth date (June 1, 1926). The line started with leggings, before expanding to a full collection, covering 280 pieces as of April 2010. In April 2009, Lohan released a self-tanning spray under the brand name Sevin Nyne in collaboration with Sephora. In September 2009, Lohan became an artistic adviser for the French fashion house Emanuel Ungaro; a collection by designer Estrella Archs with Lohan as adviser was presented in October, receiving a "disastrous" reception, according to Entertainment Weekly and New York. Lohan left the company in March 2010.

During the 2008 US presidential campaign, Lohan offered her services to Barack Obama's election effort, including hosting events aimed at young voters; but her offer was declined. An unnamed source within the Obama campaign told the Chicago Sun-Times that Lohan was "not exactly the kind of high-profile star who would be a positive for us." She nonetheless posted MySpace blogs with her opinions on the election, urging voters to support Obama, criticizing media coverage of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and describing Palin as homophobic, anti-abortion and anti-environmentalist. Lohan had previously expressed an interest in going to Iraq, during the Iraq War in 2006, on a USO tour with Hillary Clinton. Back in 2004, Lohan stated that she did not like to talk about politics in order to avoid alienating any part of her fanbase.

Lohan dated DJ Samantha Ronson in 2008 and 2009. Lohan co-hosted club events with Ronson and accompanied her when she was DJ-ing. Speaking about her sexual orientation, Lohan has said she is not a lesbian. When asked if she is bisexual, she responded "Maybe. Yeah", adding "I don't want to classify myself." It was viewed 2.7 million times in the first week and received favorable comments from the media.

In the 2009 comedy Labor Pains, Lohan plays a woman who pretends to be pregnant. During the shoot, Lohan's manager worked with the paparazzi to encourage the media to show her working, as opposed to partying. It was originally planned for a theatrical release, but instead appeared as a TV movie on the ABC Family cable channel in July 2009, "a setback for the star" according to Variety. The premiere received 2.1 million viewers, "better-than-average" for the channel according to E! Online. Joanna Weiss of The Boston Globe commented that Lohan "looks to be coasting through a part that requires little effort, anyway". Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times said "this is not a triumphant return of a prodigal child star. ... [Labor Pains] never shakes free of the heavy baggage Ms. Lohan brings to the role".

Lohan was a guest judge on US TV style contest Project Runway sixth season premiere episode, which aired in August 2009. In August 2009, Lohan's home was burglarized by The Bling Ring, a group of fashion-motivated burglars whose ringleader considered Lohan to be their ultimate conquest. Video surveillance of the burglary recorded at Lohan's home played a large role in breaking the case, which ultimately led to the arrests of the group's members.

2010–present

In the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, Lohan gave fund-raising assistance to the British Red Cross in March 2010 to provide aid for the country. The same month, Lohan commenced legal proceedings in which she sought $100 million from financial services company E-Trade for a television advertisement that Lohan claimed invoked her likeness without her permission. On September 21, 2010, the parties announced they had reached a settlement in the case, the terms of which are confidential. She appeared on British comedy chat show on March 11, 2010, during which she spoke about her fashion work and her fascination with Marilyn Monroe, and refused to answer questions from host Alan Carr about her sexuality.

Lohan narrated and took part in the BBC Three documentary Lindsay Lohan's Indian Journey. The program, which aired in April 2010, deals with human trafficking in India. In December 2009 Lohan visited the Sanlaap women's and children's shelter in Calcutta for the documentary. While in India Lohan posted on Twitter: "Over 40 children saved so far ... Within one day’s work." The NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan said she had not been part of the raid mentioned and threatened legal action over the post. BBC said Lohan was "misinterpreted" and that "she was merely referring to a raid that happened connected to child trafficking." A few days later Lohan posted again on Twitter praising the work of Bachpan Bachao Andolan. She was originally scheduled to be present for the raid, but due to rescheduling arrived in the country too late. Lohan had also been scheduled to interview a representative for UNICEF for the documentary, but failed to show up. The Guardian and Salon.com criticized BBC3's decision to have Lohan front the program, though Salon also said that "an effort that raises awareness of a global epidemic – even one that employs a crazy hot chick – is still an effort." The controller at BBC3 said: "Finding a celebrity who genuinely cares about the issue really helps pull in a crowd that wouldn't otherwise switch on." A reviewer for The Times described the documentary as "a crash-course sentimental education" and said that "whereas the intention must have been to use Lohan to shine light on this crime, the spotlight was effectively turned on Lohan and under it she wilted." A review in The Independent found it "very compelling" and said that the inclusion of Lohan was "definitely not a terrible choice. Just a very, very odd one." Lohan said the experience was "truly humbling" and "I hope my presence in India will bring awareness to the really important issues raised in making this film."

In April 2010 Lohan was cast as adult-film performer Linda Lovelace, star of Deep Throat, in the film Inferno. In November, while Lohan was in court mandated rehab, the offer was withdrawn with one producer saying it was impossible to insure her. The co-owner of Dina Lohan's production company said that Lohan had made the decision to leave the movie: "She was definitely not fired." He also said that she is "100 percent insurable." Lohan appears in one sketch in the movie Underground Comedy 2010 . She is dressed up as Marilyn Monroe, while still visibly wearing a SCRAM bracelet, and shoots at paparazzi photographers. As of September 2010, the movie was still seeking a distributor.

In May 2010, Lohan did not appear for a scheduled DUI progress report hearing. The judge issued a bench warrant for Lohan's arrest, but rescinded the warrant after Lohan's representatives posted bail. Lohan's lawyer said her passport was stolen while she attended the Cannes Film Festival in France. At a rescheduled hearing on May 24, 2010 Lohan was ordered to attend weekly alcohol education classes, wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet, refrain from drinking alcohol, and undergo random weekly drug tests to remain free on bail. The judge scheduled a hearing for July 6, 2010 to determine whether Lohan had violated probation by not having attended the required number of classes to date.

In June 2010, Lohan made an appearance on the Bravo television series Double Exposure. She also gave an interview to The Sydney Morning Herald that month, telling the paper "I'm still young and I'm still learning but that doesn't mean that what they say is true, that I'm getting messed up and all this crazy stuff and that I'm constantly partying or whatever."

At Lohan's July 6 probation revocation hearing, the judge determined that Lohan had indeed violated the terms of her probation and sentenced her to 90 days in jail, starting July 20; in addition, the judge ordered Lohan to check into an inpatient rehab program for three months after her release from jail. On July 20, Lohan appeared in court and was taken into custody to begin her jail term. She was released on August 2 after serving 14 days of the sentence. The short term served was due to a policy of early release of non-violent offenders to reduce jail overcrowding. She was immediately taken to an inpatient rehabilitation facility where she was expected to stay another 90 days. However, on August 24 Lohan was released after only 23 days. Her lawyer stated that "the treating doctors at UCLA felt she had done everything required of her there." Lohan continued with mandatory outpatient therapy but was able to resume work. She plays April, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy businessman. Her character takes drugs, is naked in much of her appearance and later dons a nuns habit while toting a machine gun. The Washington Post described Lohan's character as "a campier, trampier version of herself -- or at least her tabloid image". Premiere.com said she was "terrible" while Variety called it "her best work in some time." Eric D. Snider from Film.com said all three main actresses in the film did "laughably flat performances" but also questioned whether Rodriguez "directed them to act that way." Because of her rehabilitation and legal engagements Lohan did not participate in promotion of the movie or appear at the L.A. premiere.

Following media reports on September 17, Lohan confirmed via Twitter that she failed a drug test. She said she was "prepared to face the consequences". Later the same day, after Lohan's lawyer filed an appeal, another judge granted her bail on the grounds that she had only committed misdemeanors. Lohan was released from jail after posting $300,000 bail. At a hearing on October 22 a judge ordered Lohan to remain in rehab until January 3, 2011. The next court hearing is scheduled for February 25, 2011.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Films |- ! Year ! Film ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1998 | The Parent Trap | Hallie Parker / Annie James | Remake |- | 2000 | Life-Size | Casey Stuart | television film |- | 2002 | Get a Clue | Lexy Gold | Disney Channel Original Movie |- | 2003 | Freaky Friday | Anna Coleman | Remake |- | 2004 | Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen | Mary Elizabeth "Lola" Cep | |- | 2004 | Mean Girls | Cady Heron | |- | 2005 | | Maggie Peyton | |- | 2006 | Just My Luck | Ashley Albright | |- | 2006 | A Prairie Home Companion | Lola Johnson | |- | 2006 | The Holiday | Lindsay Lohan | Cameo |- | 2006 | Bobby | Diane Howser | |- | 2007 | Georgia Rule | Rachel Wilcox | |- | 2007 | I Know Who Killed Me | Aubrey Flemming / Dakota Moss | |- | 2008 | Chapter 27 | Jude Hanson | |- | 2009 | Labor Pains | Thea Clayhill | ABC Family Original Movie |- | 2010 | Machete | April Booth | |}

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Television |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1996 | Another World | Alli Fowler | Soap Opera |- | 2000 | Bette | Rose Midler | "Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1) |- | 2004 | King of the Hill | Jenny Medina | "Talking Shop" (Season 8, Episode 22) |- | 2005 | That '70s Show | Danielle | "Mother's Little Helper" (Season 7, Episode 7) |- | 2008 | Ugly Betty | Kimmie Keegan | "Jump" (Season 2, Episode 18, uncredited)
"The Manhattan Project"(Season 3, Episode 1)
"Granny Pants"(Season 3, Episode 5)
"Ugly Berry"(Season 3, Episode 6) |- |}

Discography

*Speak (2004)

A Little More Personal (Raw) (2005)

Awards

References

; General

; Specific

External links

Official website

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:2000s singers Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from New York Category:American actors of Italian descent Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American documentary filmmakers Category:American female models Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:American pop singers Category:American soap opera actors Category:American television actors Category:Lindsay Lohan Category:Motown artists Category:Musicians from New York City Category:People convicted of alcohol-related driving offenses Category:People from Hempstead (town), New York Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People from Suffolk County, New York

Caption	Lacey Chabert, 2007
Birth name	Lacey Nicole Chabert
Birth date	September 30, 1982
Birth place	Purvis, Mississippi, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1991–present

Lacey Nicole Chabert (born September 30, 1982) is an American actress and voice actress, best known for her roles as Claudia Salinger in the television drama Party of Five and as Gretchen Wieners in the movie Mean Girls. She has also provided the voice of Eliza Thornberry in The Wild Thornberrys TV show and two feature films, and Meg Griffin during the first production season of the animated sitcom Family Guy.

Personal life

Chabert was born in Purvis, Mississippi, the daughter of Julie and Tony Chabert, a French-speaking Cajun from Louisiana who worked as a maintenance operations representative for an oil company. She has a younger brother, T.J., and two older sisters, Wendy and Crissy, one of whom owns a restaurant in Purvis. Chabert lives in Southern California, where she moved with her family in 1994 when she began work on Party of Five. She was "World's Baby Petite" in the "World's Our Little Miss Scholarship Competition" of 1985.

Career

Since 1998, she has been the voice of Eliza Thornberry in the animated series The Wild Thornberrys, and has voiced Eliza in two movies, The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002) and Rugrats Go Wild (2003). She provided the voice of Meg Griffin for the first production season of the animated sitcom Family Guy (1999), after which Mila Kunis took over the role. Chabert played the title role in The Brooke Ellison Story, a made-for-TV movie produced by Christopher Reeve, based upon a real-life quadriplegic woman who overcame many obstacles to graduate from Harvard. She starred in Mean Girls (2004) and the made for TV movie Hello Sister, Goodbye Life (2006) on ABC Family. She appeared in a 2006 remake of Black Christmas. She appeared in an episode of Ghost Whisperer opposite former Party of Five costar Jennifer Love Hewitt. She performed the voice of Princess Elise from the game Sonic the Hedgehog for the PS3 and Xbox 360. She also voiced Gwen Stacy in the animated series The Spectacular Spider-Man.

Chabert won the 2005 MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team for Mean Girls, shared with Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Amanda Seyfried. She won both the 1997 and 1998 Hollywood Reporter Annual YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Drama TV Series for Party of Five, and had been nominated three other times for work 1999–2000. The YoungStar awards honor the best film, TV and music performances made exclusively by six to eighteen-year-olds.

In 2007, Chabert starred in the pilot episode of the Fox comedy The Hot Years, which revolved around the lives of four female friends who live together. The pilot was not ordered to series by Fox. Chabert was featured as cover girl of the January 2007 issue of Maxim.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Films |- ! Year ! Film ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1991 | | Princess, or 'Hazal' | |- | rowspan=4|1997 | Redux Riding Hood | Little Red | rowspan=3|Voice role |- | Babes in Toyland | Jill |- | Journey Beneath the Sea | Merla |- | Anastasia | Young Anastasia | Singing Voice Only (Animation) |- | rowspan=2|1998 | | Young Vitani | Voice role |- | Lost in Space | Penny Robinson | |- | 1999 | We Wish You a Merry Christmas | Cindy | rowspan=2|Voice role |- | 2000 | | Tanya Mousekewitz |- | rowspan=2|2001 | Not Another Teen Movie | Amanda Becker | |- | Tart | Eloise Logan | |- | rowspan=4|2002 | Hometown Legend | Rachel Sawyer | |- | | Aleu | Voice role |- | | Florida Picou | |- | | rowspan=2|Eliza Thornberry | rowspan=2|Voice role |- | rowspan=2|2003 | Rugrats Go Wild |- | Daddy Day Care | Jenny | |- | rowspan=3|2004 | Mean Girls | Gretchen Wieners | |- | Shadow of Fear | Allison Henderson | |- | The Brooke Ellison Story | Brooke Ellison | Main role |- | rowspan=3|2005 | The Pleasure Drivers | Faruza | |- | Nice Guys | Cindy | aka High Hopes |- | Dirty Deeds | Meg | |- | rowspan=5|2006 | Be My Baby | Tiffany | |- | Fatwa | Noa Goldman | |- | | Crista North | Voice role |- | Black Christmas | Dana Mathis | |- |Hello Sister, Goodbye Life | Olivia Martin | |- | rowspan=2|2007 | | Julie | |- | Being Michael Madsen | Vanessa Rapaport | |- | rowspan=3|2008 | Thirst | Noelle | |- | Sherman's Way | Marcy | |- | Reach for Me | Sarah | |- | rowspan=3|2009 | | Jane | |- | Ghosts of Girlfriends Past | Sandra | |- | In My Sleep | Becky | |- | rowspan=3|2010 |Flights of Fancy | Sandy | Pre-production |- | Slightly Single in L.A. | Dale Squire | |- | Elevator Girl | Liberty (Libby) Taylor | |}

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Television |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1991 | Star Search with Ed McMahon | Jr Vocal Finalist | |- | rowspan=2|1993 | All My Children | Bianca Montgomery #3 | |- | Gypsy | Baby June | Television movie |- | 1994–2000 | Party of Five | Claudia Salinger | |- | 1996–1997 | Hey Arnold! | Ruth P. McDougal | 2 episodes |- | 1997 | When Secrets Kill | Jennie Newhall | Television movie |- | 1998–2004 | | Eliza Thornberry | Voice role |- | rowspan=2|1999 | Family Guy | Meg Griffin | Voice role, (Season 1 Production) (Uncredited) |- | | Betina | Voice role, 1 episode |- | 2002 | ''Punk'd | Herself | |- | 2003 | | Grace | 1 episode |- | 2004 | The Brooke Ellison Story | Brooke Ellison | Television movie |- | 2005 | | Jasmine | Voice role, 1 episode |- | 2005–2006 | Bratz | Kaycee | Voice role |- | 2006 | Hello Sister, Goodbye Life | Olivia Martin | Television movie |- | rowspan=2|2007 | Ghost Whisperer | Donna Ellis | 1 episode, Love Still Won't Die |- | What If God Were the Sun? | Jamie Spagnoletti | Television movie |- | 2008 | | Gwen Stacy | Voice role (Seasons 1 and 2) |}

Other media

Les Misérables .... young Cosette (1992–1994)

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) video game (voice) .... Princess Elise

References

External links

Category:1982 births Category:Actors from Mississippi Category:American actors of French descent Category:American child actors Category:American Christians Category:American film actors Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American soap opera actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American video game actors Category:American voice actors Category:Cajun people Category:Living people Category:People from Lamar County, Mississippi

Name	Katharine McPhee
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Katharine Hope McPhee
Born	March 25, 1984
Origin	Los Angeles, California, US
Years active	2006—
Occupation	Singer, actress, model, song-writer
Genre	Pop, R&B;
Label	RCA (2006–2008) Verve Forecast Records (2009–present)
Associated acts	Andrea Bocelli, David Foster
Url	www.katharinemcphee.com

Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American pop singer, songwriter, actress, model, and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol in 2006, eventually finishing as the runner-up.

Her self-titled debut album was released on RCA Records on January 30, 2007 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200; it has sold 381,000 copies to date. The album's first single, "Over It", was a Pop Top 30 hit and was certified gold in 2008. She has also established an acting career, for example co-starring in The House Bunny in 2008 as the hippie sorority sister Harmony.

Her second album, Unbroken, was released on Verve Forecast Records on January 5, 2010 and debuted at #27 on the Billboard 200. The album featured the single "Had It All", which peaked at #22 on the Billboard AC chart. It has sold 44,000 copies to date. Her third album, the holiday-themed Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You, was released on October 12, 2010. The album debuted at #11 on the Billboard Top Holiday Albums chart while the single "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" peaked at #16 on the Billboard AC chart; the album has sold 19,000 copies to date. McPhee attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, where she performed in school plays and musicals. She graduated in 2002. She attended Boston Conservatory for three semesters, majoring in musical theater. She left college on the advice of her manager and returned to Los Angeles to try out for television pilots.

McPhee has struggled with eating disorders in the past. She told People magazine that at age 13 she began starving herself and exercising compulsively, and she became bulimic at age 17. McPhee gained weight in college due to her binging. After seven years of illness, she finally entered a three-month rehabilitation program after successfully passing her American Idol audition; her rehab stint ended just before the Idol semifinals started in February 2006. During her run on American Idol, she lost due to eating better as part of her treatment. Now, as she told Teen Vogue in May 2007, "I eat whatever I crave—I'm just really careful about portions." McPhee and her sister appeared on debut of The Dr. Keith Ablow Show on September 18, 2006, to discuss her struggles with bulimia and her childhood fear of her father. On the show, McPhee stated that she was misdiagnosed with a learning disability during her middle school years but was finally correctly diagnosed with a vision problem that caused her to have trouble reading in class. McPhee claimed she was known as the "pretty, but stupid" girl in school because she had trouble reading.

American Idol

McPhee was persuaded by now-husband Nick Cokas and her parents to try out for the television series competition, American Idol. She auditioned in San Francisco and sang "God Bless the Child", originally performed by Billie Holiday.

After the first round of Hollywood week, she sang "I'll Never Love This Way Again" by Dionne Warwick which earned favorable comments from the judges. During the second round, she performed in a group, singing "I Can't Help Myself" by The Four Tops, forgetting the words, but the judges decided to advance the entire group. During the third round, she sang a capella of "My Funny Valentine" and advanced to the top 40. She was mad when fellow group member Crystal Stark didn't make the top 24. When she was told that she would be advancing, she kissed all three judges on the lips.

McPhee's run on American Idol led to the popular use of the term "McPheever", coined by Ralph Garman of Los Angeles radio station KROQ's morning show Kevin and Bean. The inclusion of producer David Foster and singer Andrea Bocelli as guest mentors for Top 6 Week turned out to be a fortuitous introduction for McPhee, as she has worked on various music projects with both men post-Idol.

In May 2006, McPhee visited her alma mater Notre Dame High School for her hometown celebration. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa visited the school and proclaimed the day Katharine McPhee Day.

Performances and results (during voting weeks)

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left;" |- style="text-align:Center; background:#ccc;" | colspan="100"|Week # | colspan="100"|Theme | colspan="100"|Song choice | colspan="100"|Original artist | colspan="100"|Result |- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" | colspan="100"|Top 24 (12 Women) | colspan="100"|Free Choice | colspan="100"|"Since I Fell for You" | colspan="100"|Lenny Welch | colspan="100"|Safe |- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" | colspan="100"|Top 20 (10 Women) | colspan="100"|Free Choice | colspan="100"|"All in Love is Fair" | colspan="100"|Stevie Wonder | colspan="100"|Safe |- | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Top 16 (8 Women) | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Free Choice | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|"Think" | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Aretha Franklin | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Safe |- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" | colspan="100"|Top 12 | colspan="100"|Stevie Wonder | colspan="100"|"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" | colspan="100"|Aretha Franklin | colspan="100"|Safe |- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" | colspan="100"|Top 11 | colspan="100"|The 1950s | colspan="100"|"Come Rain or Come Shine" | colspan="100"|Ella Fitzgerald | colspan="100"|Safe |- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" | colspan="100"|Top 10 | colspan="100"|Songs from The 21st Century | colspan="100"|"The Voice Within" | colspan="100"|Christina Aguilera | colspan="100"|Bottom 2 |- | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Top 9 | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Country | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|"Bringing Out the Elvis" | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Faith Hill | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Safe |- | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Top 8 | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Songs by Queen | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Who Wants to Live Forever | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Queen | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Safe |- | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Top 7 | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|The Great American Songbook | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|"Someone to Watch Over Me" | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Ella Fitzgerald | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Safe |- | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Top 6 | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Great Love Songs | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|"I Have Nothing" | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Whitney Houston | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Top 2 |- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" | colspan="100"|Top 5 | colspan="100"|One Song From the Year They Were Born (1984)
One Song on the Billboard Charts at the time | colspan="100"|"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" | colspan="100"|Phil Collins
KT Tunstall | colspan="100"|Safe |- | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Top 4 | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Elvis Presley | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|"Hound Dog"/"All Shook Up"
"Can't Help Falling in Love" | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Elvis Presley | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Bottom 2 |- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" | colspan="100"|Top 3 | colspan="100"|Clive Davis's choice
Judge's Choice (Simon Cowell)
Contestant's Choice | colspan="100"|"I Believe I Can Fly"
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
"I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues" | colspan="100"|R. Kelly
Judy Garland
Ella Fitzgerald | colspan="100"|Safe |- | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Finale | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Contestant's Choice
Contestant's Choice
Coronation Song | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
"My Destiny" | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|KT Tunstall
Judy Garland
Katharine McPhee | colspan="100" style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"|Runner-Up |}

Music career

2006: Post Idol

On June 6, 2006, Sony BMG and 19 Entertainment announced that McPhee had signed to American Idol series creator Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings Limited and Sony BMG's RCA Records.

McPhee performed at the J.C. Penney Jam: Concert for America's Kids in June 2006, soloing with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and performing a duet with Andrea Bocelli on "Somos Novios". The concert was telecast on CBS August 22, 2006 and J.C. Penney sold an exclusive CD/DVD of the concert.

McPhee's Idol single, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny" was released on June 27, 2006 by RCA Records. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "My Destiny" peaked at #60. 32 weeks after its release, Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny had climbed to #4 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales charts. It was the second highest best-selling single of 2006 after Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud". "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny" remained on the chart for more than 58 weeks.

In July, McPhee missed the first three weeks of the American Idol Tour due to laryngitis and bronchitis. She joined the tour beginning with the July 28 show in Washington, D.C., singing only two songs "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" instead of the usual 4 on doctor's orders to conserve her voice. At the August 1 concert in Charlotte, North Carolina, McPhee suffered a hairline fracture of her foot when she tripped backstage and was fitted with a walking boot cast. Once she recovered from the foot injury, she added "Think" to her concert set.

McPhee recorded a duet with Andrea Bocelli on "Can't Help Falling In Love" for his Under the Desert Sky album, which was released as a CD/DVD package on November 7, 2006.

2007–2008: Katharine McPhee

McPhee's self-titled debut album, Katharine McPhee was released on January 30, 2007 and sold 116,000 copies its first week, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart.

The first single from the album was "Over It", which was officially released on the same day as the album and peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Love Story", was released on May 22, 2007, but failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100.

During the 2007 Christmas holiday season, McPhee released a Christmas single "O Come All Ye Faithful".

On January 11, 2008, it was reported by Billboard.com that McPhee had been released from her contract with RCA Records, through speculation that the label was dissatisfied with lack of overall sales of her debut album. A spokesperson for the label stated, "She is going to record her next album on her own."

McPhee appeared on Idol judge Randy Jackson's album Randy Jackson's Music Club, Vol. 1, which was released on March 11, 2008. McPhee recorded a duet of "Real Love" with fellow American Idol 5 contestant Elliott Yamin. "Real Love" was released as a second single due to the high popularity of the song on Itunes.

On March 12, 2008, McPhee returned to the American Idol stage during the Top 12 results night of the seventh season of the competition. She performed the Beatles song "Something", with producer David Foster, on piano. After the performance, Foster indicated that he and McPhee were collaborating on her second studio album (though it ended up that he was not part of the finished product).

McPhee took part in the David Foster tribute concert Hit Man: David Foster & Friends, which was filmed by PBS, in May 2008. She soloed on "Somewhere" and performed a duet of "The Prayer" with Andrea Bocelli. A CD/DVD of the concert was released in November 2008. The show was shown several times on PBS starting in December 2008 under their "Great Performances" title.

David Foster recorded a new song entitled, "I Will Be There With You" for Japan Airlines (JAL), with McPhee on vocals. Starting about June, 2008, it was used to promote the introduction of new aircraft to JAL's US flights.

On July 16, 2008, McPhee released a cover of the song "I Know What Boys Like", featuring the other cast members of the movie The House Bunny.

McPhee recorded a cover of the song "Connected" for the Mattel movie Barbie and the Diamond Castle. McPhee's version of the song was produced by Room For Two and a music video was also recorded to be featured on the movie's DVD. The video and song are available on the movie's website. The soundtrack CD and movie DVD and Blu-ray were released for sale in September 2008.

McPhee took part in the concert Chris Botti: Live In Boston, which was filmed by PBS, in September 2008. She sang "I've Got You Under My Skin" accompanied by Chris Botti on trumpet. The concert was shown several times on PBS starting in January 2009. The CD/DVD and Blu-ray were released March 31, 2009.

McPhee recorded the song "Let Your Heart Sing" for the soundtrack CD of the Disney movie Tinker Bell. The movie DVD and the soundtrack CD were released in October 2008.

2009–2010: Unbroken

It was announced on January 27, 2009 that McPhee signed a new record deal with Verve Forecast Records (part of the Verve Music Group under Universal Music Group). "The album she is working on will show many new sides to her talents as an interpreter and a songwriter, and show everyone just how special she is," Verve Music Group president/CEO Bruce Resnikoff says.

A Christmas single "I'll Be Home for Christmas" was released November 17, 2009 for purchase on iTunes and to AC radio.

Unbroken was released January 5, 2010 and debuted at #27 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 15,000 copies its first week.

McPhee took part in the United Negro College Fund's "An Evening of Stars" concert that was a tribute to singer/songwriter Lionel Richie. McPhee sang You Are. The concert was filmed September 12, 2009 and broadcast nationwide in syndication and on BET the weekend of January 23–24, 2010. A 2-disc DVD of the concert is available through a donation to the United Negro College Fund.

On February 1, 2010, McPhee joined over 75 other musicians for a remake of "We Are the World", retitled "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", which marked the 25th anniversary of the iconic song and for which proceeds will go to Haitian earthquake relief. McPhee was part of the group chorus.

During the week of February 8, 2010, in the pre-taped Hollywood Week portion of Season 9 of American Idol, contestant Didi Benami was shown singing "Terrified", a song on the Unbroken album and written by Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. As a result of the exposure on Idol, digital downloads of the song (the album version featuring Jason Reeves) rose nearly 10,000% from the week before, selling about 20,000 copies for the week, for a total of 22,000 sold at that point.

On May 4, 2010, a new version of the Unbroken song "Terrified" featuring actor Zachary Levi (the original album version featured singer Jason Reeves) premiered on Entertainment Weekly's website and was made available for purchase on iTunes. The accompanying music video premiered on May 7, 2010 on the music video website Vevo.

On May 5, 2010, a Billboard list of the most successful American Idol contestants, based on album and single sales and radio play, ranked McPhee at number 16, ahead of fellow runners-up Bo Bice, Blake Lewis, Diana DeGarmo, and Justin Guarini, as well as season 5 champion Taylor Hicks, but behind fellow season 5 contestants Elliott Yamin, Kellie Pickler, and Chris Daughtry.

A music video for the song "Say Goodbye" from Unbroken was released on Vevo on October 4, 2010.

2010-2011: Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You

McPhee released a Christmas album titled Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You on October 12, 2010. The album debuted at #11 on the Billboard Top Holiday Albums chart and sold 1,000 copies in its first week.

Country singer Chelsea Field's song "Love's Never Leavin'", a song that McPhee cowrote with singer-songwriter Richard Marx and producer Trey Bruce, was made available for purchase on iTunes on November 9, 2010, with 100% of the proceeds to benefit the Tammany Humane Society in Covington, LA.

One of the Christmas album's songs "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" was released to radio in November 2010 and peaked at #16 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart.

A music video for the song "It's Not Christmas Without You" from McPhee's Christmas album was premiered on Vevo on December 10, 2010.

Discography

2007: Katharine McPhee

2010: Unbroken

2010: Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You

Acting career

McPhee was cast (during the time she had dropped out of college and was auditioning in Los Angeles) in a mall-based MTV soap opera pilot, You Are Here, playing the older sister of a more popular younger sister. MTV never aired the pilot and did not pick up the series.

McPhee had a small role as Paramount Girl in the 2007 musical film Crazy, based on the life of Hank Garland. McPhee filmed the role in early 2005, before she auditioned for American Idol.

In early 2007, McPhee guest-starred in the web series, lonelygirl15 as an unnamed character in the episode "Truth Or Dare".

McPhee made a cameo appearance as herself on the ABC show Ugly Betty in the episode "I'm Coming Out". The episode was broadcast Feb 1, 2007.

McPhee made her studio acting debut in the comedy The House Bunny (working title I Know What Boys Like), co-starring as one of the few members of a misfit sorority. The movie starred Anna Faris as a Playboy Bunny who took the girls under her wing. It was directed by Fred Wolf for Columbia Pictures and produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions. The film was released in August 2008 and also co-starred Emma Stone and Rumer Willis.

In 2009, McPhee landed a lead role in the indie romantic-comedy You May Not Kiss the Bride. The budget was set at $6 million. The movie filmed for 5 weeks in March and April 2009 in Oahu, Hawaii. McPhee played the role of Masha, alongside Dave Annable. The release date for the film is currently unknown.

McPhee guest starred on the CBS show in the episode "" as a singer and stalker victim who murdered her stalker. The episode was broadcast April 8, 2009.

McPhee joined forces with fellow actresses Alyson Hannigan, Jaime King, Minka Kelly and Emily Deschanel in a video slumber party made available in October 2009 and featured on FunnyorDie.com and other Internet platforms in a comedic take to promote regular breast cancer screenings for the organization Stand Up To Cancer.

McPhee guest starred on the NBC comedy Community in the episode "Basic Genealogy" as Chevy Chase's character's ex-stepdaughter and potential love interest for Joel McHale's character. The episode was broadcast March 11, 2010.

McPhee made a TV pilot for a new comedy series for NBC called The Pink House. McPhee played Emily, a down-to-earth Midwestern girl new to Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles. The pilot was shot as a possible pickup for the Fall 2010 season and was produced by Conan O'Brien's production company, with O'Brien as executive producer. Shooting took place April 9, 2010. The pilot was not picked up by NBC.

In May 2010 McPhee was featured on MTV's new show When I Was 17 (the episode premiered on May 22 and was repeated throughout the week). The show is a documentary about how life has changed since people were seventeen. Jonas Brother Kevin Jonas and Poison vocalist Brett Michaels were also featured on the episode.

On July 31, 2010, McPhee tweeted to her fans that she had been in upstate New York working on the feature film Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding which stars Jane Fonda. At this time, there are no details on what role she's playing (though it's likely a small one since she's not currently listed on the cast list on IMDB). McPhee appears to have completed filming her part after about a week according to a follow-up tweet, though filming continued through the end of August. The movie is set to come out in 2011.

McPhee will co-star in director David Ellis' shark thriller indie film (working title was Shark Night 3-D; currently untitled), which filmed in Shreveport, Louisiana for about eight weeks from early September to the end of October 2010. The movie is about a group of college friends who spend a weekend at a lake house, only to find dangerous sharks lurking beneath the surface. The film stars Sara Paxton. The budget is $28 million, and it is scheduled to be released September 2, 2011.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable" |- style="background:#B0C4DE;" ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- |rowspan="3"| 2007 || lonelygirl15 || Random Girl || Web series; guest role; episode: "Truth or Dare" |- |Ugly Betty || Herself || Television series; guest role; episode: "I'm Coming Out" |- |Crazy || Paramount Girl || Movie; Cameo |- | 2008 || The House Bunny || Harmony || Movie; Supporting role |- | 2009 || || Odessa Shaw / Dana Melton || Television series; guest role; episode: "" |- |rowspan="3"| 2010 ||Community || Amber || Television series; guest role; episode: "Basic Genealogy" |- |The Soup || Herself || Television series; appearance; episode: "The Soup Awards 2010" |- |When I Was 17 || Herself || Television documentary series; featured interviewee |- |rowspan="2"|2011 || Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding ||TBA || Movie; role TBA; post-production |- |Shark Night 3D || Beth || Movie; Co-star; post-production |- |TBA||You May Not Kiss the Bride || Masha || Movie; Co-star; post-production |}

Theater

In March 2005, McPhee starred as Annie Oakley in a Los Angeles-based production of the musical Annie Get Your Gun. McPhee was nominated for an L.A. Stage Ovation Award in the category of "Lead Actress in a Musical".

On February 22, 2010, McPhee appeared in the production of 110 Stories, directed by Mark Freiburger at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. She co-starred alongside Ed Asner, Diane Venora, Gail O'Grady, John Hawkes, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and many others. The play was a benefit to help the victims of the recent Haiti earthquake. Proceeds went to the Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles.

Major product endorsements

McPhee signed a two-year endorsement deal in 2006 with Sexy Hair Concepts to become their first celebrity spokesperson for their hair-care product line.

In 2008, McPhee signed a two-year endorsement deal with Neutrogena to become the new spokesperson for their anti-acne skin-care product line. In March 2008, she filmed her first commercial, which began airing on television in May 2008 and on Neutrogena's skinid.com website.

Beauty lists

In mid-2007, McPhee was named one of the year's 100 Most Beautiful People by People; she was photographed without wearing make-up. She was also voted #2 on FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in The World of 2007 and #47 on Maxim's Hot 100 Women of 2007. At the end of 2007, AOL readers placed her as the Number 1 Sexiest American Idol contestant ever. In 2008 she was voted #38 on FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in The World and #43 on AskMen.com’s Top 99. In 2009 she was voted number #64 on AskMen.com’s Top 99.

Personal life

On February 2, 2008, McPhee married Nick Cokas at Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church.

Philanthropy

In 2006, McPhee founded a charity called McPhee Outreach. The purpose of the charity is to team up with other foundations or organizations and help in any way possible.

The foundation teamed up with The Lollipop Theater Network to provide music outreach (called "Rhythm of Hope") to sick children in Southern California hospitals.

McPhee Outreach teamed up with Global Compassion Services to build a preschool in the poor West African nation of Burkina Faso to help combat that nation's high illiteracy rate. Members, who are from various areas of the entertainment world, actively mobilize the public in support of Feeding America via media relations opportunities.

McPhee appeared on the Jan 19, 2010 episode of the NBC reality show The Biggest Loser (its ninth season) in the show's Pound for Pound Challenge segment (an initiative to challenge viewers to get healthy while helping to fight hunger in their own communities). McPhee was shown volunteering at a Los Angeles food bank and meeting with children at a Boys and Girls Club and talking about the importance of helping to fight hunger in America. She was also shown singing part of her song Lifetime from her album Unbroken.

In the summer of 2010, McPhee partnered with Feeding America and ConAgra Foods Foundation to help launch the Hunger-Free Summer Initiative, which aimed to help children at risk of hunger during the summer months. Throughout the month of July, McPhee traveled around the country to various Feeding America food banks to raise awareness.

On December 15, 2010, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital released a video on their website for their Thanks and Giving Campaign that featured McPhee interacting with sick children at the hospital with her song "Lifetime" playing over the soundtrack.

Awards

Fox Reality Awards 2006, Favorite Hottie

VH1 2006 Big Awards, Big It Girl

Young Hollywood Awards 2007, Exciting New Vocalist

Nominations

Ovation Awards 2005, "Lead Actress in a Musical", for Annie Get Your Gun stage production

Teen Choice Award 2006 and 2007, Choice Breakout Female Artist

References

External links

Official website

Interview: Katharine McPhee, February 1, 2007

Katharine McPhee interview at AOL

Katharine McPhee on American Idol at AmericanIdolWatch.com

Katharine McPhee Goes From Classics To Pop, CBS News

Category:1984 births Category:American female singers Category:American Idol participants Category:American pop singers Category:Boston Conservatory alumni Category:Idol series runners-up Category:Musicians from California Category:American musicians of German descent Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Scottish descent Category:Living people Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:People from the San Fernando Valley Category:Verve Forecast Records artists

Name	Jodie Williams
Caption	Jodie at The 2009 IAAF World Youth Championships
Nationality
Sport	Athletics
Event	100 metres, 200 metres
Club	Herts Phoenix AC
Birthdate	September 28, 1993
Birthplace	Welwyn Garden City, Herfordshire
Height
Weight	60kg

}}

Jodie Alicia Williams (born 28 September 1993) is a Junior British sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres and the 200 metres. She is the reigning World Youth Champion over both distances and an World Junior Champion in the 100 m.

Williams had a five-year long unbeaten streak of 151 races in the sprints, beginning with the start of her athletics career in 2005 and lasting until July 2010 when she was runner-up to Stormy Kendrick in the 200 m at the World Junior Championships. Williams is the British youth record holder over the 60 metres, 100 m and 200 m and the British junior record holder over the 100 m and 200 m. At the age of sixteen, she was the top-ranked British woman over 200 m in 2010.

Early life

Williams was born in Welwyn Garden City to Richard and Christine Williams. Both her father and mother were county-level sprinters. Richard ran for Hertfordshire, while Christine ran for Sussex. Her father, recognized her talent at a young age: "Jodie would have finished while her nearest rival was still only about halfway up the track".

Williams began to take athletics seriously when she was 13 years-old.

World Youth Champion

After taking the England Athletics Under-20 Championships in 100 m, in a time of 11.48 s. She went on to Bressanone, Italy for the World Youth Championships to take part in the 100 m and 200 m. In the 100 m semi-final, she set a world-leading time for a youth athlete of 11.40 s. In the event final she ran 0.01 s quicker to clinch her first world title, defeating Ashton Purvis and Alison Peter. In the 200 m final, she ran another youth world leading time of 23.08 s to clinch another gold medal, making her the first girl to achieve a 100/200 m sprint double at the competition.

2010 World Junior Championships

In 2010, Williams started off her season in strong form – at the Loughborough Games, she broke the 200 m British junior record when she ran 22.79 s, beating a strong field including senior Olympian Joice Maduaka. A week later, at the Bedford International Games, she broke the 100 m British junior record when she ran 11.24 s. After winning both the events at the England Athletics U20 Championships, she set off for the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics, which were to be held in Moncton, Canada.

Williams carried on her unbeaten run by winning the 100 m final in a time of 11.40s to make it 149 races unbeaten. After the race she said "I thought if I got off to a good start I’d be in with a good chance and that’s just what I did. I knew it was going be a close race and I wasn’t quite sure I could come out and perform again, so it’s obviously a huge relief and the pressure has lifted a bit."

The next day it was the 200 m. She came first in her heat and semi final. Williams was the fastest qualifier but suffered her first defeat in her athletics career by coming second in the final to American Stormy Kendrick. Williams believes her loss was a "blessing in disguise". In the 4×100 m relay the Great Britain team was eliminated due to a bad baton exchange between Williams and Rebekah Wilson.

Major competitive record

{| |- |rowspan=2|2009 |rowspan=2|IAAF World Youth Championships |rowspan=2|Bressanone, Italy |bgcolor="gold"| 1st |100 m |- |bgcolor="gold"| 1st |200 m |- |rowspan=2|2010 |rowspan=2|IAAF World Junior Championships |rowspan=2|Moncton, Canada |bgcolor="gold"| 1st |100 m |- |bgcolor="silver"| 2nd |200 m |}

Personal bests

{| class="wikitable" |- ! Distance !! Time (sec) !! Venue !! Date |- | 60m (indoors) || 7.38 || Lee Valley || 18 Jan 09 |- | 100m || 11.24 (NJR) || Bedford || 31 May 10 |- | 200m || 22.79 (NJR) || Loughborough || 23 May 10 |- | 400m || 54.33 || Hendon || 28 Aug 10 |- | 400m (indoors) || 54.95 || Lee Valley || 15 Mar 09 |}

References

IAAF profile for Jodie Williams.

Power of 10 profile for Jodie Williams.

Category:1993 births Category:Living people Category:British sprinters

Caption	Jeri Ryan at the 2010 Creation Star Trek Convention at the Hilton Hotel in Parsippany, NJ
Birth date	February 22, 1968
Birth place	Munich, West Germany
Birth name	Jeri Lynn Zimmermann
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1991–present
Spouse	Jack Ryan (1991–1999) Christophe Émé (2007-present)

Jeri Lynn Zimmermann Ryan (born February 22, 1968) is an American actress best known for her roles of the liberated Borg Seven of Nine on , Tara Cole on Leverage, and Veronica "Ronnie" Cooke on Boston Public. She was also a regular on the science fiction show Dark Skies and the legal drama series Shark. She has one older brother, Mark. As a military brat, Ryan grew up on Army posts in Kansas, Maryland, Hawaii, Georgia, and Texas. When she was eleven, her father retired from the Army and the family settled in Paducah, Kentucky. She graduated from Lone Oak High School in 1986 (as a National Merit Scholar), and then attended Northwestern University, where she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority.

In 1989, Ryan was chosen Miss Illinois. She was the third runner-up in the 1990 Miss America Pageant, winning the preliminary swimsuit competition. She graduated from Northwestern in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre.

Career

After college, she pursued acting full-time in Los Angeles. She made her acting debut in Who's the Boss? and followed that with guest-starring roles in TV shows like Melrose Place, Matlock, and The Sentinel as well as TV movies such as Co-Ed Call Girl.

Her big break came when she won a regular role as the extraterrestrial investigator Juliet Stuart on the TV show Dark Skies. The show was cancelled after one season, but the role had drawn the attention of the science-fiction community.

In 1997, came her biggest role to date. Ryan was chosen for the role of Seven of Nine, a Borg drone who had been "de-assimilated," or freed from the Borg's collective consciousness, on the science fiction series . After Voyager ended in 2001, Ryan joined the cast of Boston Public in the role of Veronica Cooke, nicknamed "Ronnie," a frustrated lawyer who quits the bar to become a high-school teacher. The show's producer, David E. Kelley, wrote the role specifically for her. The show ended in 2004.

Ryan has recently appeared in such films as Down With Love. She also appeared as Lydia in the independent film Men Cry Bullets. Ryan then starred in her first film lead, in the "indie" comedy The Last Man, as the last woman left on Earth. The film was released by Lion's Gate.

She also had a recurring role as Charlotte Morgan on The O.C. in the autumn (U.S. September through December) of 2005 and guest-starred as Courtney Reece on David E. Kelley's Boston Legal in 2006. Ryan then co-starred in the CBS legal drama Shark, as Los Angeles County District Attorney Jessica Devlin alongside series lead James Woods, but she did not return for episodes aired after the WGA strike. CBS cancelled the broadcast of the series.

She debuted as defense attorney Patrice La Rue on the April 7, 2009 episode of , her first role since giving birth to her daughter Gisele.

Ryan next won a recurring role on the TNT drama Leverage, which began its second season in July 2009, as Tara Cole, a con woman whom Sophie (Gina Bellman) calls on for help. Ryan will appear in the upcoming medical drama television series Body of Proof, which will premiere on ABC in Fall 2010. She stars in the Kevin Tancharoen directed short film .

Personal life

In 1990, while dealing blackjack at a charity event, the actress met investment banker and future Republican political candidate Jack Ryan. The couple married on June 15, 1991 and had a son, Alex, on August 15, 1994. Throughout the marriage, Ryan and her husband took turns commuting between Los Angeles and Chicago for their careers, but finally divorced on August 27, 1999. Although Ryan mentioned in an interview for Star Trek that the frequent separations had been difficult for the marriage, the reasons for the divorce were kept sealed at their mutual request.

Ryan had at one point dated Star Trek: Voyager producer Brannon Braga. Between February and November 2000 the two of them were stalked by one Marlon Estacio Pagtakhan, who was convicted for harassment and threats in May 2001. According to Crime Stories, aired on the UK Crime channel on 05/07/2009, the stalker had letters stating that he was going to sexually assault Jeri and torture her boyfriend Brannon.

When Jack Ryan's campaign for an open United States Senate seat in Illinois began in 2003, the Chicago Tribune newspaper and WLS-TV, the local ABC affiliate, sought to have his records released. Both Jeri and Jack agreed to make their divorce records public, but not the custody records, claiming that their release could be harmful to their son.

On June 22, 2004, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Schnider agreed to release the custody files. The decision generated much controversy because it went against both parents' direct request and because it generally reversed the early decision to seal the papers in the best interest of the child. It was revealed that six years previously, Jeri had accused Jack Ryan of asking her to perform sexual acts with him in public, and in sex clubs in New York, New Orleans, and Paris. Jeri Ryan described one as "a bizarre club with cages, whips and other apparatus hanging from the ceiling." Jack Ryan denied these allegations. Although Jeri Ryan refused to comment on the matter during the campaign, the document disclosure led Jack Ryan to withdraw his candidacy; his main opponent, Barack Obama, then won the Senate seat.

Ryan's avocation, according to statements she has made in interviews, is gourmet cooking. While starring in Boston Public she moonlighted on weekends in the kitchen of the Los Angeles restaurant The House. In 2003, Ryan met French chef Christophe Émé at a chef's charity event. The two eventually began a relationship, and Émé moved in with Ryan and her son Alex in their San Fernando Valley home. In February 2005, Ryan, a "lifelong Francophile," On September 7, 2007, Ryan announced that she and Émé were expecting their first child together, a daughter, in March 2008. On March 2, 2008, Ryan gave birth to daughter Gisele Émé in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Film |- ! Year ! Film ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1991 | Nightmare in Columbia County | Dawn Elizabeth Smith | Television movie
Alternate title: Victim of Beauty |- | 1992 | | Felicia Kane | Alternate Title: The Flash 3: Deadly Nightshade |- | 1999 | Men Cry Bullets | Lydia | |- | 2000 | | Sarah | |- | 2000 | Disney's The Kid | Larry King Guest | |- | 2000 | Dracula 2000 | Valerie Sharpe | Alternate Title: Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000 |- | 2003 | Down With Love | Gwendolyn | |- | 2010 | | Sonya Blade | |}

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Television |- ! Year ! Show ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1991 | Who's the Boss? | Pam | |- | 1991 | | Felicia Kane | |- | 1991 | Top of the Heap | Tyler | |- | 1991 | Nurses | Lisa | |- | 1991 | Reasonable Doubts | Rachel Beckwith | |- | 1992 | Just Deserts | Nicole | |- | 1993 | | Pauline Yardley | |- | 1993 | Matlock: The Fatal Seduction | Carrie Locke | |- | 1994 | Time Trax | Lauren Sanders | |- | 1995 | Murder, She Wrote | Maura | |- | 1995 | Charlie Grace | Claire | |- | 1996 | | Jennifer | |- | 1996 | Melrose Place | Valerie Madison | |- | 1996 | | Melissa Farnes | |- | 1996 | Pier 66 | Beth Saunders | |- | 1997 | Dark Skies | Juliet Stewart | Regular: 8 episodes |- | 1997–
2001 | | Seven of Nine | Main Character: 102 Episodes |- | 1999 | | Alexis Barnes | |- | 1999 | Dilbert | Seven of Nine Alarm Clock | |- | 2001–
2004 | Boston Public | Ronnie Cooke | Main Character: 59 Episodes |- | 2004 | Sudbury | Gillian Owens | |- | 2004–
2005 | Two and a Half Men | Sherri | |- | 2005 | | Charlotte Morgan | |- | 2005 | | Anne | |- | 2006 | Boston Legal | Courtney Reese | |- | 2006–
2008 | Shark | Jessica Devlin | Regular: 34 episodes |- | 2009 | | Patrice Larue | |- | 2009–
Current | Leverage | Tara | |- | 2010 | Psych | Dr. Kim Phoenix | Guest Star |- | 2010 | Secrets in the Walls | Rachel Easton | Television Movie |- | 2010 | Body of Proof | Kate Murphy | Main cast |}

; Computer games

* (As of version 1.2) – Seven of Nine, May 4, 2001

Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force Expansion Pack — Seven of Nine, May 9, 2001

Notable awards and nominations

1998 Nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Genre TV Actress for her role in Star Trek: Voyager

1999 Nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Genre TV Actress for her role in Star Trek: Voyager

1999 Won Golden Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series—Drama for her role in Star Trek: Voyager

2000 Nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Genre TV Supporting Actress for her role in Star Trek: Voyager

2001 Won Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television for her role in Star Trek: Voyager

References

External links

Jeri Ryan Twitter feed

BBC Online interview

Jeri Ryan Biography, Startrek.com

Ortolan Restaurant

Category:1968 births Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American actors of German descent Category:Actors from Kentucky Category:Living people Category:Military brats Category:Miss America delegates Category:Northwestern University alumni Category:People from Paducah, Kentucky Category:Miss America Preliminary Swimsuit winners

Name	Jennifer Aniston
Caption	Aniston at the premiere of He's Just Not That Into You in February 2009.
Birth name	Jennifer Joanna Aniston
Colwidth	30em
Refs

External links

*

Category:1969 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California Category:Actors from New York City Category:American actors of Greek descent Category:American actors of Italian descent Category:American actors of Scottish descent Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American film producers Category:American television actors Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts alumni Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Hollywood Category:People from Manhattan Category:People_from_Sherman_Oaks,_California Category:Waldorf school alumni

Name	Holly Willoughby
Birthname	Holly Marie Willoughby
Birth date	February 10, 1981
Birth place	Brighton, East Sussex, England
Spouse

| yearsactive = since 2000 | nationality = British | website = OffficialHollyWilloughby.com | occupation = TV Presenter, model | known = Presenting:
This Morning (since 2009)
Dancing on Ice (since 2006) | employer = ITV | children = 1}}

Holly Mary Willoughby (born 10 February 1981) is an English television presenter and model, known for her work in presenting children's TV and entertainment shows. In her early career she modelled underwear and went on to present . In 2006, she won a BAFTA and was chosen to present Dancing on Ice, a highly popular UK celebrity talent show, shown on ITV1 which drew in an average of 8.9m million viewers in the 2010 series. In July 2009 she was selected as a replacement for Fern Britton on This Morning. She began presenting on This Morning on 14 September 2009, alongside Phillip Schofield.

Early life

The younger of two daughters of the manager of a double-glazing company and an air stewardess, Willoughby was educated at the independent Burgess Hill School For Girls in the town of Burgess Hill in West Sussex. She went on to attend The College of Richard Collyer in Horsham.

In 1995, at the age of 14, Willoughby was spotted by talent scouts at The Clothes Show Live exhibition. Storm Model Management signed her up. She appeared in teen magazines for girls such as Mizz, Just Seventeen and More!. From 1998, at the age of 17, she started modelling underwear for various clients including Pretty Polly. She appeared in various adverts and posters.

Media career

Children's TV

In 2000, Willoughby won an audition for a show on CITV featuring S Club 7 called S Club TV. In this show actors represented an alternative S Club. She also acted in a show called S Club 7: Artistic Differences. She played a character called Zoe alongside the regular members of the band. and after these shows, she worked as a receptionist for a while and then as a runner for the defunct shopping channel Auction World TV.

She also took on menial jobs and started an Open University course in psychotherapy. Then eventually she found work as assistant manager during which time she persuaded a friend to make a show reel of her. This show reel secured her an agent who then contacted the BBC. In this show, celebrities from the UK are partnered with professional dancers to learn ice-dancing routines which are then judged by a panel of experts and voted on by the public. She continues to co-host the show. She was criticised for her choice of costume in January 2008.

She has presented a number of other ITV programmes, especially spin-off show such as Celebrity Wrestling: Bring It On, Greased Lightnin and most recently, The Xtra Factor. She has also presented shows exploring celebrity gossip such as Lip Service and the comedy show Celebrity Juice. In 2007, she took over from Davina McCall as the presenter of Streetmate, a dating game show in the UK. She presented sections of The National Television Awards in 2007 and 2008.

She co-presents Holly & Fearne Go Dating alongside Fearne Cotton. In this show the two hosts, who are presented as best friends, attempt to find dates for single people that they meet in various situations in in UK. She has also presented Here Come the Boys, a show celebrating the achievements of popular UK male singers of the past 50 years.

Willoughby has co-presented ITV's morning show This Morning with Phillip Schofield since September 2009 after she took over the role from Fern Britton.

Credits

All programmes listed below are broadcast by ITV (ITV1 and ITV2 channels)

Junior Eurovision (2004)

(2005)

Celebrity Wrestling: Bring It On (2005)

Dancing on Ice (2006–present)

Lip Service (2006)

The Westlife Show: Live (December 2007)

''Greased Lightnin (2007)

Streetmate (2007)

Holly & Fearne Go Dating (2007)

The Xtra Factor (2008–2009) 66 episodes

Celebrity Juice (2008–present)

The National Television Awards (2007 and 2008)

Here Come the Boys (2008)

This Morning (2009–present)

Cheryl Cole's Night In (2009)

James Corden's World Cup Live (25 June 2010)

Magic Numbers (17 July 2010)

Agatha Christies Marple (30 August 2010)

Guest appearances

Contestant Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (29 September 2007)

Contestant All Star Family Fortunes (3 November 2007)

Guest presenter This Morning (5 December 2008)

Contestant All Star Mr and Mrs (2 January 2010)

Contestant Chris Moyles Quiz Night (29 November 2010).

Other activities

In early 2008, Willoughby helped make a point that the UK, as a nation, wastes too much water, by having a 3-minute shower in a cubicle in front of the public fountain in the middle of Trafalgar Square in London. The event was part of the Be Water Wise campaign which led up to World Water Day on 22 March 2008.

Bibliography

Willoughby and Fearne Cotton have written an advice book entitled The Best Friends' Guide to Life published in October 2010

*

Awards

In 2006, Willoughby won a BAFTA in recognition of her abilities as a children’s TV presenter.

Personal life

Willoughby is dyslexic. Her sister, Kelly, also works in the television industry.

She is related by marriage to actress Tamzin Outhwaite, Willoughby is a vocal supporter of Premier League football club Arsenal.

At the age of 25, she became engaged to Dan Baldwin, a producer on Ministry of Mayhem, and on the same day they moved into a flat in South London. Willoughby announced their engagement live on Saturday Showdown, on 6 May 2006. The wedding took place on 4 August 2007 at Amberley Castle, West Sussex. Willoughby gave birth to her first child, a boy named Harry James Baldwin, weighing 7 lb 4oz, on 11 May 2009. It was announced on This Morning on 1 November 2010 that Willoughby and Baldwin are expecting their second child, a girl, due in May 2011.

References

External links

Holly Willoughby on Facebook

Holly Willoughby at The X Factor

Holly Willoughby at This Morning

ITV Celebrity Playlist for Holly Willoughby

Category:1981 births Category:Dancing on Ice participants Category:English television presenters Category:The X Factor hosts Category:Living people Category:Old Collyerians Category:People from Brighton Category:Alumni of the Open University Category:The X Factor (UK)

Name	Helen Flanagan
Birthname	Helen Joyce Flanagan
Birthdate	August 07, 1990
Birthplace	Bury, Greater Manchester, England, UK
Deathdate
Occupation	Actress, model
Yearsactive	1999 - present

Helen Flanagan (born 7 August 1990) She attended Cannon Slade High School, and was often bullied as a child is a British actress, playing Rosie Webster in Coronation Street since January 2000.

In the 2006 British Soap Awards, Flanagan was nominated for the Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor or Actress, losing to Ellis Hollins.

References

External links

Helen Flanagan Fan Page for Helen Flanagan/Rosie Webster

Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:English child actors Category:English soap opera actors Category:People from Bury

Name	Gemma Arterton
Caption	Arterton at the premiere in Moscow, May 11, 2010
Birth date	January 12, 1986
Birthname	Gemma Christina Arterton
Birth place	Gravesend, Kent, England
Yearsactive	2007–present
Occupation	Actress
Spouse

Gemma Christina Arterton (born 12 January 1986) is an English actress. She played the eponymous protagonist in the BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and starred in the feature films St Trinian's, the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Tamara Drewe. It was later announced that she was nominated for a BAFTA, in the Rising Star category.

Early life

Arterton was born in Gravesend, Kent, the daughter of Sally-Anne (née Heap), Arterton was born with polydactyly, and was brought up, along with her sister, Hannah Jane (born 1989, Gravesend), Arterton's parents divorced when she was five, and her father remarried in 1996. Arterton worked as a makeup salesgirl. After attending Gravesend Grammar School for Girls on Pelham Road in Gravesend, she took a performance arts course at The Miskin Theatre in Dartford (part of North West Kent College) and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art on a full grant.

Career

Arterton won her first professional role in Stephen Poliakoff's Capturing Mary, while she was still at drama school. Similarly, she made her stage debut as Rosaline in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost at the Globe Theatre, London in July 2007 before graduating later that year. She made her film debut in the 2007 St Trinian's movie St Trinian's as Head Girl Kelly, a role she gained in competition with Sienna Miller. Chosen from around 1,500 candidates, Arterton plays Bond Girl Strawberry Fields, in what is described as a "nice-sized role". In 2008, she played the eponymous protagonist in the BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Also in 2008, she played the role of Elizabeth Bennet in the ITV serial Lost in Austen, albeit a reduced role from the original Pride & Prejudice. Her most controversial role was in the 2009 film The Disappearance of Alice Creed in which Arterton's character is kidnapped and abused in several graphic nude scenes.

She is the face of Avon's Bond Girl 007 fragrance which launched in October 2008. Having already started in a series of low-key adverts for cosmetics company Avon, in May 2008, Arterton requested a role opposite model Kate Moss for Rimmel, but was blocked on contractual terms under her Avon contract. at the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time premiere in Moscow, 11 May, 2010]] In 2010, she made her West End debut in the UK premiere of The Little Dog Laughed. She was originally attached to star in a new adaptation of Wuthering Heights as Catherine Earnshaw, however, she later left the project. She is set to star in Burden of Desire.

Arterton was seen in the 2010 films Clash of the Titans and , and played the lead in Tamara Drewe. In 2011, Arterton was nominated twice by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for her performances in Tamara Drewe and The Disappearance of Alice Creed.

Arterton has been cast to play Gretel a modern spin on the children's tale Hansel and Gretel. The character will be an older version of the classic character who works alongside her brother Hansel (Jeremy Renner) as they track down witches for money. The role was originally planned for Noomi Rapace.

Personal life

Arterton lived with special effects technician John Nolan until she broke up with him in 2008 after 18 months together. She had a six month relationship with Spanish equestrian Eduardo Munoz that ended in December 2008. in Zuheros, Andalucia, Spain.

Arterton is a supporter of Charlton Athletic football club. She has a tattoo of an angel wing behind her left ear.

Filmography

Film

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2007 | Capturing Mary | Liza | Television film |- | 2007 | St Trinian's | Kelly Jones | Nominated — Empire Award for Best Newcomer
Nominated — National Movie Award for Best Actress |- | 2008 | Three and Out | Frankie Cassidy | |- | 2008 | RocknRolla | June | |- | 2008 | Quantum of Solace | Strawberry Fields | Empire Award for Best Newcomer |- | 2009 | The Boat That Rocked | Desiree | |- | 2009 | | Kelly Jones | |- | 2010 | Clash of the Titans | Io | Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout Female |- | 2010 | The Disappearance of Alice Creed | Alice Creed | |- | 2010 | | Princess Tamina | Nominated — Scream Award for Best Breakout Performance - Female
Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Fantasy Actress |- | 2010 | Tamara Drewe | Tamara Drewe | |- | 2012 | Men in Black III | | Filming |}

Television

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2008 | Lost in Austen | Elizabeth Bennet | Two episodes - Episode (1.1 & 1.4) |- | 2008 | Tess of the d'Urbervilles | Tess Durbeyfield | Four episodes - Episode (1.1 - 1.4) |}

References

External links

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century actors Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:People from Gravesend Category:Shakespearean actors

Name	Emer Kenny
Birthname	Emer Gwynne Morganna Kenny
Birth date	October 10, 1989
Birth place	Haringey, London, England
Occupation	Actress
Yearsactive	2007-present

Emer Gwynne Morganna Kenny (born 10 October 1989) is a British actress and writer. She is best known for playing Zsa Zsa Carter in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off . She has also written two episodes of the latter.

Early life

Kenny, the second of four children, was born in North London. She attended North London Collegiate School (NLCS) in Edgware, London until 2008. She is of Welsh and Irish heritage. She is the cousin of screenwriter Vaughan Sivell.

Career

Kenny made her professional debut in the 2007 BBC television drama Coming Down The Mountain and in 2009 her film debut in Phil Claydon's Lesbian Vampire Killers. She has also played the role of Kate in an improvisational BBC production called Freefall written and directed by Dominic Savage, which was screened in 2009. In January 2010 Kenny began her role in the EastEnders spin-off as Zsa Zsa Carter, as well as EastEnders itself. Kenny was cast in the role of Zsa Zsa after writing the second episode of EastEnders: E20. A second series of EastEnders: E20 was announced in April 2010, with Kenny returning as a writer, though it was announced the following month that Zsa Zsa would be written out of EastEnders so Kenny could pursue further acting roles. She made her last appearance on 30 September 2010.

In 2010 Kenny was painted by Rolf Harris as Titania from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream for an edition of BBC TV's Arena ("Rolf Harris Paints His Dream").

List of credits

Television

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Network ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | rowspan="1" | 2007 | Coming Down the Mountain || Gail || BBC One || |- | rowspan="1" | 2009 | Freefall || Kate || BBC Two || |- | rowspan="2" | 2010 | EastEnders || rowspan="2" | Zsa Zsa Carter || BBC One || 56 episodes |- | || BBC Online/BBC Three || Series 1, 12 episodes
Series 2, episode 1 |- | 2011 |Eric and Ernie || Joan Bartlett || BBC Two || TV movie |}

Film

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 2009 | ''Lesbian Vampire Killers"|| Rebecca || Directed By: Phil Claydon |}

TV/film written by Kenny

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Episode ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Network ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | rowspan="1" | 2010 | ||
|| BBC Online || |}

References

External links

Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:English actors Category:People from Haringey (district) Category:English people of Welsh descent Category:English people of Irish descent

Name	Claire Sweeney
Birthname	Claire Jane Sweeney
Birth date	April 17, 1971
Birth place	Walton, England
Occupation	Actress, Television presenter

Claire Jane Sweeney (born 17 April 1971) is an English actress, singer and television personality best known for playing the role of Lindsey Corkhill in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside and her appearance on the first series of the Reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother.

Biography

Sweeney was born in Walton, Liverpool. She trained at the Elliott-Clarke Theatre School in Liverpool, and went on to the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London. Her first singing gig, at the age of 14, was in the Montrose Club in Liverpool. In 1987, she was a member of the Southport Summer Youth Theatre Workshop's production of the musical Hair. Following this production, she auditioned for a part in the Southport Arts Centre's Centre Stage Company production of Chicago but was turned down because she was considered too young - she later went on to star in a West End version of the same show.

Career

After leaving the stage school, Sweeney had many singing engagements before landing the minor role of Lindsey Corkhill in Brookside for a brief spell in 1991. She entertained cruise ships for P&O; as a singer for four years before returning to England. On her return, Sweeney reprised her role of Lindsey and remained on the show as a leading character until its demise in 2003.

Sweeney appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2001 in aid of Comic Relief, where she met Anthea Turner who has become a close friend. Her appearance on the show prompted her to greater fame amongst the British public. This directly led to appearing as "Roxie Hart" in the musical Chicago in London. In 2002, Sweeney released an album, Claire on Telstar Records, consisting of a mix of original material and cover versions of well-known songs, which enjoyed only modest success reaching the UK Top 20. In 2003, Sweeney returned to the stage in the lead in the World tour of Fosse.

Sweeney then took a regular place on the panel of ITV's relaunched Loose Women from 2003–2005, but left to pursue her stage career.

In 2005 and 2006, Sweeney appeared in Pantomime productions of Snow White and Aladdin at Theatre Royal, Nottingham. On 10 July 2006, Sweeney took over from Sally Ann Triplett in the role of "Miss Adelaide" in the UK production of Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End for an 8 week run. Sweeney also played opposite Dirty Dancing legend Patrick Swayze before touring the UK extensively in the same production.

She has also presented a number of shows, such as Challenge of a Lifetime, I'm famous...and frightened!, A Song for Europe and 60 Minute Makeover and acted in Television programmes such as Merseybeat and Clocking Off. In 2004, Sweeney appeared as a contestant on the first series of the BBC One pro-celebrity ballroom dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing. She has most recently been seen as the host of the television series Chef vs Britain and as a regular panellist on Loose Women, both for ITV.

In 2005, the fitness DVD Claire Sweeney: The Perfect Fit with Weight Watchers was released. For a period, Sweeney was the holder of The Forces Sweetheart title. In 2001, she won Rear of the Year.

She starred in the pantomime Snow White at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent in December 2008. In the late part of 2008 she was the main figure in the documentary Claire Sweeney's Big Fat Diet on ITV in which she gained 2 stones/13 kilograms in 6 weeks to prove that lack of eating and training habits can damage your health. She then starred in the touring production of the musical Shout! alongside Su Pollard. In March 2009, Sweeney appeared in adverts for Dulux paint, and became the face of Park Christmas Savings. In December 2009 she starred as Carrion the Wicked Fairy in Sleeping Beauty alongside comedian Kev Orkian at The Churchill Theatre, Bromley.

Claire made several guest panelist appearances on Loose Women and was a commentator on The David Dickinson Show for ITV both in early 2010 - later, in July 2010 she was the presenter of Chefs at Sea on GMTV.

In October 2010, Claire launched her own unique range of jewellery on shopping channel bid tv.

She currently performs in a national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Tell Me on a Sunday.

Personal life

Sweeney's ex-boyfriends include Adam Kenwright, and had a six year relationship with businessman Tony Hibbard, until they split in late 2007.

References

External links

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:Italia Conti graduates Category:Actors from Liverpool Category:Musicians from Liverpool Category:English television actors Category:English television presenters Category:English musical theatre actors Category:Strictly Come Dancing participants

Name	Christine Bleakley
Imagesize	140px
Birth name	Christine Louise Bleakley
Birth date	February 02, 1979
Birth place	Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland
Years active	1997-present
Television	The One Show Daybreak
Employer	ITV
Occupation	Television presenter
Parents	Frederick and Mina Bleakley

Christine Louise Bleakley She is a former co-presenter of BBC One's The One Show, She has a younger sister, Nicola.

Bleakley started her television career as a runner and then trained to become a floor manager whilst studying for her A-Levels at Bloomfield Collegiate School in Ballyhackamore, Belfast. She continued to work at BBC NI whilst studying for a politics degree at Queen's University, Belfast. She did not complete her degree course, however, instead moving into television work full time.

Broadcasting career

Bleakley began her career in media at Belfast Citybeat as a news reader and presenter, working alongside Stephen Nolan. She then moved into television with BBC Northern Ireland hosting a wide variety of shows. Her biggest solo series was called Sky High which saw her flying around Northern Ireland in a helicopter in 2004. A weekly entertainment show called First Stop followed, while big one-off shows like Would You Pass The 11+ and Children in Need allowed her to develop her presenting skills. She also took part in a cookery show, "Spill the Beans".

Outside Northern Ireland, she co-hosted the BBC Two talent show Let Me Entertain You and in July 2007 she became the co-host of The One Show on BBC One. Questions were raised in Parliament over the size and scale of the proposed £900,000 per year two year BBC contract. Later that day ITV (owners of GMTV) announced she would again partner Chiles by co-hosting the revamped breakfast show with him, and also hosting prime time entertainment shows. On 8 July 2010, the BBC confirmed that Bleakley would not be returning to The One Show after the programme returned from the World Cup break, from 12 July. In September 2010 Bleakley stated she would like to return to The One Show as a guest.

On 6 September 2010, Bleakley joined Chiles to host the debut edition of the new ITV breakfast show, Daybreak. The programme suffered mixed reviews and poor viewing figures in its first weeks on air, and Bleakley herself was the subject of criticism. Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's With Bennett show in November 2010, Bleakley admitted, "I certainly wasn't expecting this huge overnight success by any means.... It was a long-term plan." On the signs of a ratings improvement, she noted "The corner that was slightly turned in the last two weeks has given us all a little bit of a lift thankfully."

Other activities

Strictly Come Dancing

Bleakley took part in the 2008 series of Strictly Come Dancing with professional partner Matthew Cutler.

Dances and marks

Bleakley danced the Foxtrot (27/40), the Quickstep (26/40), the Samba (30/40), the Paso Doble (22/40), the American Smooth (29/40), the Jive (31/40), the Waltz (34/40), the Cha Cha Cha (27/40), the Tango (28/40) and the Salsa (30/40). Bleakley left on 30 November after Rachel Stevens beat her in the dance off.

Sport Relief

Following a trip to Uganda in 2009, to see how Comic Relief money was being spent, in March 2010 Bleakley successfully water-skied across the English Channel in a time of one hour and 40 minutes for Sport Relief.

Comedy

In 2010, Bleakley made her stand-up comedy debut when she took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March.

Game shows

Bleakley appeared as a celebrity panellist on the 26 August 2009 edition of Shooting Stars. She also appeared as a panellist on the comedy show Would I Lie To You? on 7 September 2009. On 26 February 2010 she appeared on Chris Moyles' Quiz Night, coming second.

Awards

In November 2010, Bleakley was awarded the title 'Top TV Host' at the 2010 Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year Awards. The award came after an intensely negative media campaign following her switch from the BBC to ITV.

Charity interests

Bleakley is a patron of the CineMagic children's film festival and is Northern Ireland ambassador for The Prince's Trust.

Personal life

After attending the Pride of Britain Awards in October 2009, Bleakley began a relationship with footballer Frank Lampard.

References

External links

Christine's Uganda gallery The One Show, BBC

Team Bleakley gallery The One Show, BBC - Photos of Christine on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing

Christine's trip to Uganda The One Show, BBC - Comic Relief footage

Category:1979 births Category:BBC people Category:Footballers' Wives and Girlfriends Category:ITV Breakfast presenters and reporters Category:Living people Category:People from Newtownards Category:Strictly Come Dancing participants Category:Television presenters from Northern Ireland