name	Randi Rhodes
birth name	Randi Bueten
birth date	January 28, 1959
birth place	Brooklyn, New York
death date
nationality	USA
known for	Randi Rhodes Show
occupation	radio broadcaster }}

Randi Rhodes (born Randi Bueten; January 28, 1959) is an American progressive talk radio personality, formerly featured on Air America Radio and Nova M Radio and now on Premiere Radio Networks. Her eponymous program, ''The Randi Rhodes Show'', airs live Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm Eastern Time.

Early life

Rhodes was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in a Jewish family in both Brooklyn and the Queens borough of New York City. Her father was a mechanical engineer and World War II veteran, and her mother was a dress shop worker; they divorced by the time Rhodes was 15. Rhodes has described her adolescence as mischievous and cites it as why she enlisted in the United States Air Force. Her married name is Randi Robertson; Rhodes is a stage name chosen to honor Ozzy Osbourne's guitar player Randy Rhoads, whom Rhodes describes as "a consummate professional ... but he always practiced. I mean, he practiced eight hours a day. He lived to be the best."

Military experience

Rhodes enlisted in the United States Air Force and worked stateside at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey as an aircraft mechanic, achieving the rank of Airman First Class. She served two years in the Air Force and one year in the reserves. Rhodes went through basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. From there she went to Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas and was being trained as a flight engineer. First she became an aircraft mechanic. After she transferred to what would be her permanent station in New Jersey she decided to leave the active-duty Air Force through the Palace Chase program and was honorably discharged after three years service (two active duty and one reserve) at the age of 21. In the 1980 presidential election, Rhodes voted for Republican candidate Ronald Reagan, explaining: "I was young and stupid and sick of the gas lines," but never voted Republican again.

Radio career

Early work

Rhodes' radio career began in Seminole, Texas at a country music station. Her next job was in a larger market, Mobile, Alabama. While in Mobile, she was paired briefly with a male DJ (also named Randy) for the "Randy and Randi" morning show. This was her first experience with extemporaneous dialogue other than reading cue cards between records. Rhodes used this experience as a spring-board to larger markets. In the late 1980s, she was hired out of that medium market directly to New York by The Apple WAPP-FM, owned at the time by Doubleday Broadcasting. While working for The Apple, she took the name "Randi Rhodes," having previously used "Randi St. John."

While teaming with host Perry Stone at Milwaukee's WQFM, Rhodes was suspended in 1987 when their program offended the gay community and led several businesses to cancel ads.

In late September 1992, Rhodes started on WIOD in Miami, working the 8P-11P night shift.

The ''Miami Herald'' described her as "a chain-smoking bottle blond,...part Joan Rivers, part shock jock Howard Stern and part ''Saturday Night Live'''s 'Coffee Talk' lady. But mostly, she's her rude, crude, loud, brazen, gleeful self."

Air America Radio

In 2004, Rhodes joined Air America Radio, bringing ''The Randi Rhodes Show'' to a national audience for the first time. Rhodes' show on Air America consisted principally of monologue and listener calls, with a short comedic segment at the beginning of the show's second and third hours. Only occasionally did she do interviews. The show was punctuated with musical interludes, including the show's unofficial theme song, ''Pain'' by Stereomud. On Fridays, Rhodes opened the show with the song "Bounce Your Boobies" by Rusty Warren. With her distinctive Brooklyn-Queens accent, she would take calls spanning the political spectrum, aggressively promoting her views.

In 2007, Rhodes was recognized by the radio industry's well known periodical, ''Talkers Magazine'' as Woman of the Year.

Departure from Air America

Air America suspended Rhodes from the network on April 3, 2008 after an Air America affiliate, KKGN, event in San Francisco, California, where Rhodes said on March 22, 2008:

"Geraldine Ferraro turned out to be the David Duke in drag ... What a whore Geraldine Ferraro is! She's such a fucking whore! I wanna see her have to stand beside her husband at one of those mandatory 'I have sinned against you; I'm a whore' kind of a press conference. Mr. Ferraro should have to stand next to his whore of a wife ... Hillary is a big fucking whore, too. You know why she's a big fucking whore? Because her deal is always, 'Read the fine print, asshole!'"

When a video of the event was made public the following week, Air America suspended her for "inappropriate comments". The event was billed as "An Evening with Randi Rhodes" and promoted on KKGN's website.

Geraldine Ferraro called for the termination of Rhodes when the personal attacks directed towards her and Clinton began circulating through the media.

Rhodes claimed that Air America breached its contract with her, and questioned the network's commitment to free speech.

On April 10, 2008, Rhodes went on ''Larry King Live'' to clarify her suspension from the network. Later that evening, she conducted an interview on ''The Mike Malloy Show'' in which Rhodes went into greater detail concerning the suspension. Air America had recently been sold. The new owner read her existing contract and wanted to amend two details: Rhodes' right to terminate at any time, and a clause that said Air America could not terminate Rhodes for any reason without paying her. Rhodes refused to amend the contract, which she said took "seven months to negotiate with the previous owners."

Air America suspended her until a settlement could be reached concerning the contract which was still in place and had an additional year to run. In the interim, Air America management decided to conduct market research to assess her value to the company. According to Rhodes, it was Air America who released the press release that called attention to the video of her performance in San Francisco simply as a way to gauge her audience loyalty and her value to the network. According to Rhodes, Air America soon asked her to return to the air, with an offer of more money but still holding to the condition that she had to change her contract "in order to get her mic back". Rhodes refused and left Air America because of the stalemate over the new contract.

Mark Green, President of Air America Radio, said, "Her abusive, obscene comments obviously crossed the line of what talent at a media company could say," and added that the comments "were in the Imus league," referring to radio host Don Imus, who was fired by CBS in 2007 after making racial remarks about female basketball players. According to a published account, Green said the company had asked Rhodes to apologize for the remarks. In the same account, Rhodes reportedly said that she did not refuse to apologize for the comment.

Air America Media informed Rhodes on April 9 that the contract was terminated. Air America president Mark Green issued a statement wishing Rhodes well, and thanking her for her work with Air America. Meanwhile, KKGN announced on its website that ''The Randi Rhodes Show'' would return to Green 960 as of April 14, 2008.

Air America also terminated access to ''The Randi Rhodes Show'' web site, redirecting it to a statement by the chairman and president on the Air America site. Rhodes stated at 3:42pm, EDT on April 14 that she, not Air America, owns the URL name. The message board was reinstated on May 5, 2008.

Nova M Radio

On April 10, 2008, Nova M Radio announced Rhodes would join its radio network, which also syndicated ''The Mike Malloy Show''. During the show's first Nova M broadcast on April 14, 2008, Rhodes went into detail concerning the events surrounding her suspension. She described what happened as "a great radio story and I've heard some great radio stories in my day." The Randi Rhodes show returned to the airwaves on April 21, 2008 on 23 affiliate stations, compared to Air America's 60 affiliates. As of May 5, 2008, the show was heard on 28 stations, including XM 167.

On her program's inaugural Nova M Radio broadcast she also said that she had objected to Air America's new owners demanding her contract be amended to remove her walk-away clause. She said her salary was also an issue.

Rhodes' last show on Nova M was February 3, 2009. Political commentator and one-time Congressional candidate Nancy Skinner hosted the show in Rhodes' absence beginning February 5. Following this, Anita Drobny of Nova M Radio posted a message on the Nova M site saying that they were unable to disclose details of what was going on due to Rhodes' having complete control of the show and that Rhodes "now has to make her decisions as to what she must do with her career". Ms. Drobny also said, "People are saying it's about money. It's not about money at all. I just could not fulfill one of her requirements." She did, however, note the financial impact of Rhodes' departure: "I looked at [our] site, and I see that because Randi Rhodes isn't on, there are so many people leaving the Founders Club [which involved a fee that was paid to Nova M]. And you can't operate without people's participation." Additionally, Rhodes' own website was taken down and replaced with a letter from Rhodes to her supporters stating that the entire situation was within Nova M's control and any implication that Rhodes was responsible for the disruption was false, and that Rhodes' show would be "seeking a new home" in light of those developments.

According to an individual familiar with the issue, Nova M agreed to provide certain standard legal protections for the popular radio host, but Rhodes had to leave the air and Nova M following a discovery that Nova had not lived up to its contractual promise. Subsequently, on February 19, 2009, Nova M Radio announced that it would be filing for bankruptcy liquidation, but no such filing has yet occurred. The Nova M Radio website was taken down in April 2009.

Premiere Radio Networks

On April 23, 2009, Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, announced the addition of Randi Rhodes to their syndicated lineup with her show returning to airways across the country May 11, 2009.

Journalistic standards

Rhodes regularly asserts she is not a journalist, but does analyze and comment on news reports with a journalistic eye. She proclaims herself to be a stickler for facts, and also claims to hold to many of the basic tenets of journalism ethics and standards such as corroboration, attribution and truthfulness. She offers citations to a wide array of newspapers, magazines, websites, government documents and radio/television reports, both on her talk show and in the "Homework" section of her official website. She often admonishes her listeners to not believe her, or anything else they hear on talk radio, but to do their own research and discover the facts for themselves. Rhodes takes on the roles of editorialist, satirist, comedian and news analyst. She has described herself as an activist for accountability and standards in the media, and has spoken at congressional hearings about creating a framework of national standards for what can be labeled news.

Comedic style

Rhodes uses humor in her discussion of news and events and makes frequent use of sound effects and sound bites including the voices of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Segments often open with a "bit" such as "Today's Talking Point from the Official Guide to Being a Good Republican" or a segment of "BS News." Some of her trademark sound effects are the cherry pop for first-time callers, the bong bubbles, the Howard Dean scream, and various bells and buzzers for indications of how she feels about any particular subject. Music relevant to her current topic of discussion is also featured as she goes to, and comes back from commercial breaks. "Bounce Your Boobies," by cabaret singer Rusty Warren, is played following the show's opening on Fridays, with some commentary and sound bites during the song. Her show features comedians such as Barry Crimmins and Randy Credico.

Family

In 1994 Rhodes married Jim Robertson, an independent television producer and cameraman. They had been together for ten years prior to marrying. Rhodes and Robertson divorced in April 2004 but have remained friends. Rhodes took the name Robertson when she married, but continued to use her professionally known name on the air.

In 1998, Rhodes' sister Ellen died of breast cancer at age 44. Rhodes and Robertson raised Ellen's daughter Jessica as their own.

References

Further reading

''The Big Encyclopedia of Republican Hypocrites'', (2006) (ISBN 1-4013-5248-0)

Interview with Randi Rhodes. (Cover story) Talkers magazine, December 2005/January 2006, pp. 16, 34, 40, 44.

External links

Official Randi Rhodes website

Randi Rhodes archives - audio archives

Transcript of Randi Rhodes appearance on Larry King Live

Campaign contribution search (individual contributions of $200 or more made since 1977): Randi Rhodes, NewsMeat.com

Press

Q & A transcript; C-SPAN; December 18, 2005.

They Look Nothing Like Rush Limbaugh; Susan Brenna, New York Times; November 13, 2005.

South Florida Radio History: Randi Rhodes, Goddess of Gab: Wicked humor of WJNO's newest radio personality woos Treasure Coast'; Lana Sumpter, Port St. Lucie Tribune and Fort Pierce Tribune.

Talk-show host Randi Rhodes joined a new liberal network hoping to advance her career while shaking up this election season; Paula Span, Washington Post Magazine; September 12, 2004.

The Liberal Rush Limbaugh? (follow up article); Paula Span, Washington Post Magazine; (September 13, 2004).

Transcript and video of Randi Rhodes on the Larry King Live show, May 12, 2006.

Randi Rhodes is the Victim of a Violent Attack 10/14/2007

Randi Rhodes Suspended by Air America Radio for "Ad Hominem" Comments Made Regarding Hillary Clinton, Air America Radio, April 3, 2008

Air America Host Randi Rhodes Suspended For Calling Hillary A "Big F*****g Whore" (with video), Huffington Post, April 3, 2008

Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:American Jews Category:American political pundits Category:American talk radio hosts Category:United States Air Force airmen Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Progressive talk radio Category:People from Queens Category:People from Palm Beach County, Florida

yi:רענדי ראודס

name	Randy
gender	Unisex
language	English
languageorigin	English
origin	1. Randall (masculine name)2. Randolf (masculine name)3. Andrew (masculine name)4. Miranda (feminine name)
seealso	Randi
wikt	}}

Randy is both a pet name, and a given name in the English language. It is both a masculine name and a feminine name. The masculine name was originally derived from the names ''Randall'', ''Randolf'', and also ''Andrew''. The feminine name may have originated from the masculine ''Randy'', or it may have originated as a pet form of ''Miranda''. ''Randi'' is another form of the name Randy.

Men known as Randy

Randy, naturalized Equatoguinean footballer, real name Ibán Iyanga Travieso

Randy from reggaeton duo Jowell & Randy

Randy Alcorn, Christian evangelist and author

Randy Anderson, professional wrestling referee

Randy Bachman, Canadian musician

Randy Barnes, American shot putter

Randy Blythe, vocalist of the metal-band Lamb of God

Randy Brecker, American musician

Randy Brooks (disambiguation), several people

Randy Burridge, Canadian hockey player

Randy Castillo, drummer

Randy Couture, American mixed martial arts fighter/wrestler

Randy Cunneyworth, Canadian hockey player & coach

Duke Cunningham ("Randy" Cunningham), California Republican politician

Randy DeBarge, American musician of R&B; band DeBarge

Randy Dixon, American football player

Randy Gardner (disambiguation), several people

Randy Gregg (disambiguation), several people

Randy Goins, Entrepreneur and Business Owner

Randy Grossman, American NFL football player

Randy Harrison, American actor

Randy Holt, Canadian hockey player

Randy Houser, American country singer

Randy Jackson (disambiguation), several people

Randy Johnson (disambiguation), several people

Randy Kamp, Canadian politician

Randy Ladouceur, Canadian hockey player and coach

Randy Meisner, musician/songwriter

Randy Mengullo, karateka and martial arts instructor

Randy Milligan, American baseball player

Randy Charles Morin, author and blogger

Randy Moss, American football player

Randy Neumann, former American boxer

Randy Newman, singer/songwriter

Randy Orton, professional wrestler

Randy Owen, American country singer, formerly of country music band Alabama

Randy Quaid, American film and television actor

Randy Pausch, American professor of computer science, author of ''The Last Lecture''

Randy Piper, American lead guitarist

Randy Powell, American writer & novelist

Randy Raine-Reusch, Canadian composer, concert-artist

Randy Ready, American baseball player & coach

Randy Rhoads, American rock guitarist

Randy Robitaille, Canadian hockey player

Randy Salerno, CBS 2 news anchor

Randy Samuel, soccer player

Randy Savage, professional wrestler

Randy Shughart, sniper killed in action during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor

Randy Spelling, American actor

Randy Thorsteinson, Canadian politician

Randy Travis, American country singer

Randy VanWarmer, American songwriter and guitarist

Randy Wayne, American actor

Randy Weston, American pianist and composer

Randy Wolf, American baseball player

In fiction

Randy, a character in ''Trailer Park Boys'' played by Patrick Roach

Lt. Randy Disher, a recurring character on the comedy/detective television show ''Monk'' played by Jason Gray-Stanford

Randy Hickey, a character in ''My name is Earl'' played by Ethan Suplee

Randy and Sharon Marsh, ''South Park'' characters

Randy Pearson, a character in ''That '70s Show'' played by Josh Meyers

Randy Springs, an alter-ego of comedian Aziz Ansari

Randy Taylor, a character in the American sitcom ''Home Improvement'' played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Randy was also the name of Ralph's little brother in the 1983 film, A Christmas Story

Randy the Bandicoot is the name of a minor character in the webcomic Questionable Content

Men known as Randi

James Randi, stage magician and scientific skeptic

Randi Patterson, Trinidadian footballer

Randi J. Rost, American computer graphicist

Women known as Randy

Randy Crawford, American singer

Women known as Randi

Randi Anda, Norwegian politician

Randi Bakke, Norwegian skater

Randi Becker, American politician

Randi Brooks, American actress

Randi Elisabeth Dyrdal, Norwegian handballer

Randi Ettner, Norwegian psychologist

Randi Flesland, Norwegian civil servant

Randi Gaustad, Norwegian curator and art historian

Randi Gustad, Norwegian handball player

Randi Hansen, Norwegian singer

Randi Heide Steen, Norwegian singer

Randi Hutter Epstein, American medical writer

Randi Karlstrøm, Norwegian politician

Randi Kaye, American journalist

Randi Kiger, American actress

Randi Leinan, Norwegian footballer

Randi Lindtner Næss, Norwegian actress and singer

Randi Michelsen, Danish actress

Randi Mayem Singer, American screenwriter and film producer

Randi Miller, American wrestler

Randi Øverland, Norwegian politician

Randi Reisfeld, American children's author

Randi Rhodes, American radio personality

Randi Scheurer, American politician

Randi Solem, Norwegian religious organiser

Randi Thorvaldsen, Norwegian skater

Randi Weingarten, American trade union leader

Randi Wright, American actress and television host

Randi Zuckerberg, American social media magnate

Other usage

Randy (band), Swedish punk rock band

* Randy the Band, their eponymous 2005 album

Randy, a UK English term meaning "horny"

'Are You Randy', the name of an unpopular band in the 2008 film ''Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist''

Category:Given names Category:Hypocorisms

fr:Randy ja:ランディ pt:Randy

birthname	Ann Lois Davies
order1	First Lady of Massachusetts
term start1	January 3, 2003
term end1	January 4, 2007
predecessor1	Chuck Hunt (acting)
successor1	Diane Patrick
birth date	April 16, 1949
residence	Belmont, MassachusettsWolfeboro, New HampshireLa Jolla, San Diego, California
spouse
children	Tagg (b. 1970) Matt (b. 1971) Josh (b. 1975) Ben (b. 1978) Craig (b. 1981)
party	Republican
alma mater	Brigham Young University (B.A.)
occupation	Homemaker
religion	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)
relations	}}

Ann Lois Romney (née Davies; born April 16, 1949) is the wife of American businessman and Republican Party politician Mitt Romney. From 2003 to 2007 she was First Lady of Massachusetts.

She was raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and attended the private Kingswood School there, where she dated Mitt Romney. She converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1966. She attended Brigham Young University (BYU) and married Mitt Romney in 1969. Ann Romney completed credits towards her undergraduate degree through Harvard Extension School, and in 1975 she received a Bachelor of Arts in French from BYU.

As First Lady of Massachusetts, she served as the governor's liaison for federal faith-based initiatives. She was involved in a number of children's charities, including Operation Kids, and was an active participant in her husband's 2008 presidential run, where she became the most visible of all the Republican candidates' wives in campaigning. She has continued campaigning on her husband's behalf during his 2012 presidential bid.

Ann was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998 and has credited a mixture of mainstream and alternative treatments with giving her a lifestyle mostly without limitations. In one of those activities, equestrianism, she has consequently received recognition in dressage as an adult amateur at the national level and competed professionally in Grand Prix as well. In 2008, she was also diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ, a non-invasive type of breast cancer. She underwent a lumpectomy in December of the same year and has since been cancer-free.

She and husband Mitt have five children, all boys, born between 1970 and 1981.

Early life

Born Ann Lois Davies, she was raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, by parents Edward R. Davies and Lois Davies. Her father, originally from Caerau near Bridgend, Wales, was a self-made businessman who became president of Jered Industries, a maker of heavy machinery for marine use; he also was mayor of Bloomfield Hills. Raised in the Welsh Congregationalists, he had become strongly opposed to all organized religion, although on her request the family very occasionally attended church, and she nominally identified as an Episcopalian. At times she helped out at her father's plant.

Ann Davies knew of Mitt Romney since elementary school. She went to the private Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, which was the sister school to the all-boys Cranbrook School that he attended. The two were re-introduced and began dating in March 1965; they informally agreed to marriage after his senior prom in June 1965.

While he was attending Stanford University for a year and then was away starting two-and-a-half years of Mormon missionary duty in France, she decided on her own to convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during 1966. In doing so she accepted the guidance of Mitt's father George Romney, the Governor of Michigan. (Within a year her two brothers followed her in converting.) She graduated from high school in 1967 and began attending Brigham Young University (BYU). She also spent a semester at the University of Grenoble in France during her freshman year. The Mormon missionary rules allowed her only two brief visits with Mitt and very rare telephone calls with him. While at BYU, she dated future business academic Kim S. Cameron. She sent Mitt a "Dear John letter", while Mitt sent letters back imploring her to wait for him.

Marriage and children

Immediately after Romney's return from France in December 1968, the pair reconnected and agreed to get married as soon as possible. Ann Davies and Mitt Romney were married by a church elder in a civil ceremony on March 21, 1969, at her Bloomfield Hills home, with a reception afterward at a local country club. Among the 250 guests was U.S. House Minority Leader Gerald Ford, and President Richard Nixon sent congratulations. The following day the couple flew to Utah for a wedding ceremony inside the Salt Lake Temple; her parents could not attend since they were non-Mormons, but were present at a subsequent wedding breakfast held for them across the street.

The couple's first son was born in 1970 while both were undergraduates at BYU (which Mitt had transferred to based upon her request). After he graduated, the couple moved to Boston so that he could attend Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School. Slowed down by parenthood, she later finished her undergraduate work by gaining a semester and half's worth of credits via taking night courses at Harvard University Extension School. Ann Romney received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in French language from BYU in 1975.

A stay-at-home mother, Romney raised the family's five boys (born between 1970 and 1981) and taught early morning seminary to them and other children while her husband pursued his career, first in business, then in politics. She wanted to go on for a master's degree, perhaps in art history, but first taking care of her children, and later her health issues, forestalled that. She was active in the local PTA and with the League of Women Voters. With a friend, she held local cooking classes.

Her first prolonged public exposure came during her husband's eventually losing effort in the 1994 U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts, during which she campaigned for him on a nightly basis. She was seen as superficial and too deferential to him and some columnists labelled her a "Stepford wife". Late in that campaign, she gave a long interview to ''The Boston Globe''. Her statement in it that she and her husband had never had a serious argument during their married years came in for ridicule, and her portrayal of the couple's student years as financially impoverished, while they lived sales of George Romney's stock and loans, made her seem privileged and naïve and brought a harsh public reaction. Boston University political science professor later said, "She definitely hurt him in that race." Ann Romney later termed the experience "a real education".

Multiple sclerosis

During 1997, Ann Romney began experiencing severe numbness, fatigue, and other symptoms, and just before Thanksgiving in 1998, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Mitt Romney described watching her fail a series of neurological tests as the worst day of his life. He later said: "I couldn't operate without Ann. We're a partnership. We've always been a partnership so her being healthy and our being able to be together is essential." She initially experienced a period of severe difficulty with the disease, and later said: "I was very sick in 1998 when I was diagnosed. I was pretty desperate, pretty frightened and very, very sick. It was tough at the beginning, just to think, this is how I'm going to feel for the rest of my life."

Since then, she credits a mixture of mainstream and alternative treatments with giving her a lifestyle mostly without limitations. She initially used corticosteroids, including intravenously, and credited them with helping stop the progression of the disease. She then dropped them and other medications due to counterproductive side effects. She has partaken of reflexology, acupuncture, and craniosacral therapy, and has said, "There is huge merit in both Eastern and Western medicine, and I've taken a little bit from both." She is a board member for the New England chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Equestrianism

Romney is an avid equestrian, crediting her renewed involvement in it while in Park City, Utah, (where the couple had built a vacation home and where they lived when he was in charge of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games) for much of her recovery after her multiple sclerosis diagnosis and for her continued ability to deal with the disease. She has said that riding "saved my life", explaining that, "I was driven to get out of bed and get on a horse. My desire to ride was, and is, so strong that I kept getting healthier and healthier."

She has received recognition in dressage as an adult amateur at the national level, including earning her 2006 Gold Medal and 2005 Silver Medal at the Grand Prix level from the United States Dressage Federation. She also sometimes competes in professional dressage events and has broken the 60% level at Grand Prix. Romney works with California trainer Jan Ebling, who schools her and her horses in dressage and works with her importing new stock from Europe. The pair qualified for the Pan-Am games in 2004. By 2011, the horses she owned in California were valued at more than $250,000.

Charitable work

Ann Romney has been involved in a number of children's charities, including having been a director of the inner city-oriented Best Friends, which seeks to assist inner-city adolescent girls. She advocated a celibacy-based approach to the prevention of teen pregnancy. She worked extensively with the Ten Point Coalition in Boston and with other groups that promoted better safety and opportunities for urban youths.

She was an honorary board member of Families First, a parent education program in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was a volunteer instructor of middle-school girls at the multicultural Mother Caroline Academy in Boston.

She has said her interest in helping underprivileged children dates back to when she and her five boys saw a vehicle carrying a group of boys to a Massachusetts Department of Youth Services detention center. She began volunteering for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay soon after that, and by 2002 was serving as one of that organization's board members. She was on the Faith in Action Committee for the United Way, working with local religious establishments to assist at-risk children and helping to found United Way Faith and Action. Earlier, by 1996, she was a member of the Massachusetts Advisory Board of Stand for Children.

During the 2002 Winter Olympics effort, she co-chaired the Olympic Aid charity, whichs provides athletic activities and programs for children in war-torn regions.

Ann Romney was given the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award from Salt Lake City-based Operation Kids.

First Lady of Massachusetts

Romney joined in her husband's campaign in the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election from the start, and nominated him at the state party convention. A commercial entitled "Mitt and Ann", highlighting their romance and marriage, began the campaign's television advertising. She avoided media interviews like the one that plagued her in 1994, but was a force behind the scenes during the eventually successful campaign.

In January 2003, following his election, Romney became First Lady of Massachusetts, a position she held through January 2007. In that role, she generally kept a low public profile, with by her husband's initial indications no public role in administration or its policies. In 2006, ''The Boston Globe'' characterized her as "largely invisible" within the state (although by then she was becoming more visible ''outside'' the state, due to national appearances in connection with her husband's possible presidential campaign).

While Massachusetts First Lady, she was active in teenage pregnancy prevention efforts. In 2004, she said she was in favor of stem cell research as long as it was done "morally and ethically". One of her rare public appearances at the Massachusetts State House came in 2004 when she lobbied the legislature to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis.

In 2005, the governor appointed his wife as head of a new special office whose purpose was to help the state's faith-based groups gain more federal monies in association with the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. This came after the state had seen its share of faith-based grants decline over the preceding three years. In this unpaid Governor's Liaison position, Ann Romney was termed a "dynamo" by Jim Towey, director of the White House office.

At the conclusion of her time as Massachusetts First Lady, Romney said that the role "doesn't need to change your life at all. I think it's an opportunity for service and an opportunity to see people of all walks of life from across the Commonwealth...It's an enriching part of your life [and one will] treasure it forever." Her health was still a primary factor in family decisions about her husband's career, and Mitt said in 2005 that if her multiple sclerosis flared up, "I wouldn't be involved in politics anymore; that would be over."

Role in 2008 presidential campaign

Ann Romney was an active participant in her husband's 2008 presidential campaign. One past issue that arose involving her was her donation of $150 to Planned Parenthood in 1994. By late 2007, she had become an integral part of his campaign, and was doing more trips and appearances on her own, despite the risk that added stress would aggravate her condition.

Her political message was often mixed with discussions of her family, her recipes, or managing her affliction. Romney's television advertisements in the early primary states prominently featured her and by the close of 2007, she was the most visible of all the Republican candidates' wives in campaigning. Regarding having to witness criticism of her husband, she later acknowledged that she sometimes wanted to "come out of my seat and clock somebody [but] you learn to just take a deep breath." By the time he ended his campaign in February 2008, she had become openly distasteful of the whole process.

Between campaigns

In late 2008, Romney was diagnosed with mammary ductal carcinoma in situ, a non-invasive type of breast cancer, and had the lump removed via lumpectomy; she subsequently underwent radiation therapy. Her prognosis from this condition was excellent, and she later reflected that "I was really lucky" to have caught it so early. President-elect Barack Obama was among the well-wishers who called her. She has been cancer-free since.

In June 2009, due to her husband's request, Ann Romney became the first spouse to be included in the official Massachusetts State House gubernatorial portrait.

For many years the couple's primary residence was a house in Belmont, Massachusetts, but this and the Utah home were sold in 2009. They reside in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, along Lake Winnipesaukee, and at an oceanfront home in La Jolla, San Diego, California, that they had bought the year before. Both locations were near some of the Romneys' grandchildren, who by 2012 numbered sixteen, and the La Jolla location is near where she rides horses and is well-situated for her multiple sclerosis therapies and for recovering from her cancer treatments. They also bought a smaller condominium in Belmont during 2010.

Role in 2012 presidential campaign

Regarding another possible run for office by her husband in the 2012 presidential election, Romney said in March 2010 that this time the process would hold no surprises, and that if he decided in favor of doing it, "I’m up to saying, go storm the castle, sweetie." Although still not liking the political process, which she referred to as "a very difficult game", she urged her husband to run again.

Once the campaign began, she stumped for her husband in early primary states and criticized the record and ideological direction of the Obama administration. As part of trying to lighten her husband's image, she sometimes participated in comic setup routines with him. Romney said that if she became First Lady of the United States, she would seek to work with at-risk youths and on behalf of those with multiple sclerosis. She expressed admiration for three former first ladies, Mamie Eisenhower, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush.

By December 2011, Romney assumed an even more prominent role in the campaign, as she tried to offer a more rounded and compelling portrait of her husband while he fell behind Newt Gingrich for a stretch in polls. Her emphasis on their 42 years of marriage and his steadfastness following the onset of her disease offered an implicit but clear contrast with Gingrich's own personal history. During the up-and-down campaign she became known as the "Mitt-stabilizer" due to the calming effect she had on her husband, and began appearing with him more often during February 2012 as he dueled with Rick Santorum. Regarding the couple's wealth, she alluded to her health problems and said, "Look, I don't even consider myself wealthy, which is an interesting thing, it can be here today and gone tomorrow. And how I measure riches is by the friends I have and the loved ones that I have and the people that I care about in my life."

In April 2012, Ann Romney was spotlighted when Democratic commentator Hilary Rosen declared Romney to be unfit to address women's economic issues because as a stay-at-home mother, she had "never worked a day in her life". In response, Ann Romney issued her first tweet, saying "I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work." The following day Rosen said, "I apologize to Ann Romney and anyone else who was offended."

Awards and honors

In 2005, Ann Romney received an honorary degree from Mount Ida College.

In 2006, she received the MS Society Inspiration Award from the Central New England Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

In May 2008, she shared with her husband the Canterbury Medal from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, for "refus[ing] to compromise their principles and faith" during that year's presidential campaign.

See also

Republican Party presidential primaries, 2012

References

External links

Video about Ann and her role in husband Mitt's 2012 presidential campaign, by CNN

Category:1949 births Category:American equestrians Category:American Latter Day Saints Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:Brigham Young University alumni Category:Converts to Mormonism Category:Cranbrook Educational Community alumni Category:Harvard Extension School alumni Category:Living people Category:Mitt Romney Category:People from Belmont, Massachusetts Category:People from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Category:People with multiple sclerosis Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Pratt–Romney family Category:First Ladies and Gentlemen of Massachusetts

cy:Ann Romney fr:Ann Romney

name	Stephanie Miller
birth name	Stephanie Catherine Miller
birth date	September 29, 1961
medium	Stand-up, television, radio
nationality	American
genre	Political satire, Observational comedy
website	The Stephanie Miller Show
emmyawards	}}

Stephanie Catherine Miller (born September 29, 1961) is an American comedienne and host of ''The Stephanie Miller Show'', a progressive talk radio program produced in Los Angeles and syndicated nationally by Dial Global. ''Talkers magazine'' ranked her as the 24th most important radio talk show host in America for 2010.

Early life

Miller was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up on Willow Street in Lockport, New York. She is the daughter of former U.S. Representative William E. Miller, who was Barry Goldwater's running mate in the 1964 presidential election and a Chairman of the Republican National Committee. After completing her secondary education in private Catholic schools, she attended the University of Southern California, earning a degree in theatre.

After graduation, Miller performed stand-up comedy at the Laugh Factory, the legendary Hollywood comedy club. Later in her career, she performed at many comedy clubs around New York and Los Angeles.

Acting roles

Early in her career, Miller had several small acting jobs, such as appearing as a nun in the 1984 TV movie ''Shattered Vows'' and as a nurse in the 1981 horror film "Happy Birthday to Me". After gaining prominence as a radio and TV host, she had roles where she essentially played herself, as in the movie ''View from the Top'', a brief appearance as a nurse on ''General Hospital'', and she was in an episode of the TV series ''Diagnosis: Murder''. Her most significant acting role was in the 1997 comedy film ''Just Write''.

Radio and television career

Miller returned to Lockport for an on-air job at radio station WLVL. In 1985 she went to WCMF in Rochester, New York to work as "Sister Sleaze" on the ''Brother Wease Show''. She progressed to larger markets as morning co-host at hit music radio stations WCKG in Chicago and WQHT in New York. In 1993, Miller was hired by talk station KFI in Los Angeles, where she achieved high ratings with her own weeknight radio show.

In the autumn of 1995, Miller became one of the few women to host her own late night television talk show, ''The Stephanie Miller Show'' syndicated by Buena Vista Television. The show was cancelled after just 13 weeks.

Miller returned to Los Angeles radio in 1997, first at KTZN and then at KABC. Later that year, she also began co-hosting the CNBC television show ''Equal Time'', as the liberal counterpoint to conservative Bay Buchanan.

In 2000, the game show ''I've Got a Secret'' was revived on the Oxygen cable TV network with Miller as host. The following year, she began co-hosting Oxygen's weekday TV magazine show, ''Pure Oxygen''. She also served as a frequent panelist on the PAX TV game show ''Balderdash'', which was hosted by Miller's friend Elayne Boosler.

Miller's radio show was briefly televised live from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Eastern Time on MSNBC from April 30, 2007 to May 2, 2007. During this period, the show originated from MSNBC's studio in Secaucus, New Jersey, the studios and time slot formerly used by the now-canceled ''Imus in the Morning''. After the stint, she said that she was not interested in the position full-time.

Current show

In September 2004, ''The Stephanie Miller Show'' was launched by Democracy Radio and WYD Media Management. The live show is broadcast weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon Eastern Time in U.S. cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle and on XM Satellite Radio's America Left channel 127.

Miller's program is widely popular; for example, she is ranked #2 in Los Angeles She also stated that she beat the "Armstrong & Getty" radio program in San Francisco in her first ratings book. The show's audience has grown substantially since its beginning, and had 2.5 million weekly listeners as of March 2010.

Miller is often referred to on the show as 'Mama' (or 'Jiggles') by both listeners and her co-hosts. These numerous references can be heard in free bits on her website or by purchasing a "Stephcast" subscription, whereby users can download all of her shows for a monthly or yearly fee. She, and listeners, call her two co-hosts 'the Mooks'. Her co-hosts, impressionist Jim Ward and producer Chris Lavoie, often share their own opinions and arguments. Miller often seems to jokingly call her co-hosts "mooks", or refers to them as "Voice deity Jim Ward and Boy-Toy Lavoie". Associate producer Rebekah Taylor (referred to by Miller as being surly) steps in to add some commentary early in the broadcast but is also utilized for her Ross Perot impression. Miller also has special guest co-hosts: Edie McClurg for "Mondays with McClurg", Aisha Tyler for "Tuesdays with Tyler", Hal Sparks on Wednesdays for "Hump Days with Hal", and John Fugelsang for "Fridays with Fugelsang."

She often shares personal details about her life, from something as simple as a household appliance not working to much more intimate details, about sweat, insomnia and even what she calls "shy pee syndrome", which is actually paruresis. She also covers a great deal of celebrity news/gossip and off-the-wall stories.

Sirius Satellite Radio, which had been running Miller during prime time hours (afternoon commute time) on their liberal "LEFT" channel 146, canceled her show in November 2007. However, on November 30, 2007, Miller announced that Sirius Left will air one hour of the show at 8 PM Eastern beginning on December 3, 2007. She can currently be heard on Sirius Left from 10 am to 12 noon Eastern Time. Sirius Left has now moved to channel 127.

In late January 2008 her show on "Green 960" KKGN, San Francisco's Air America outlet, was cut from three hours to one. She had been on from 6am to 9am PST but was replaced in the 7am to 9am "prime drive-time" slot with local talent. This decision has provoked controversy, however, as many listeners were upset by the decision. After only two weeks off the air in that time slot, Miller's show was reinstated to the full three hours due to the large volume of correspondence sent to Green 960 from its listeners.

In November 2009, it was announced on the air that the show was soon to "go bi," meaning bicoastal. After an offhand remark by Miller on November 12, 2009 that she was having trouble packing up her house to move to New York elicited questions on her online blog, it was formally announced that Miller would travel back and forth between New York City and Los Angeles.

On Friday, May 28, 2010, Stephanie announced on her radio show that "in July" she will be moving back to Los Angeles. During the streaming coverage provided by Hal Sparks on the previous day, Stephanie mentioned off air (during a commercial break when the audio was only being broadcast via Sparks' streaming coverage) that she would be coming back to Los Angeles.

On March 5, 2012, Current TV announced that the show will be simulcast on the network's new morning block as ''Talking Liberally: The Stephanie Miller Show'' beginning March 26, 2012.

Other media appearances

In 2006, Miller had numerous appearances on several cable news shows, such as ''Larry King Live'', to represent the progressive political point of view. After an October 13, 2006 appearance on the Fox News program ''Hannity & Colmes'', where Miller defended peace activist Cindy Sheehan, a viewer mailed an ominous letter to Fox News, which was interpreted as a death threat and forwarded to Miller's agent.

From April 30, 2007 to May 2, 2007, Miller filled in for the recently fired Don Imus on MSNBC's 6AM–9AM ET time slot. Miller and her on-air staff received generally favorable reviews for their appearance. A fan petition was started to make the show the permanent replacement for the Imus MSNBC show. Joe Scarborough's show ''Morning Joe'' has now taken over this time slot.

Personal life

Miller has never been married, though she has jokingly compiled a long list of "future husbands," most notably Keith Olbermann.

She often mentions her dogs on her radio show and currently lives with two Great Pyrenees, Max & Fred. Oliver, a Tibetan Mastiff/Great Pyrenees mix, which Miller rescued in Spring of 2009, has new owners now due to a family crisis that had occurred and left Miller unable to train and care for him fully. She frequently had to travel from the West Coast to the East Coast, which left her little time to train Oliver. Her other Great Pyrenees, Puff, died on April 23, 2009. Her best friend wrote a children's book inspired by Miller's St. Bernard Chester; Chester died a few months before the book's release in mid-2006. Her Newfoundland, Poo Bear, lived for two years with bone cancer before dying on March 30, 2007; she devoted a portion of her April 2 show to discussing his life and how sad her life would be now that he was gone. Miller has done promotional events for animal welfare organizations.

In October 2007, she shared with the audience that she had been ill with mercury poisoning and was down to a dress size zero.

On August 13, 2010 Miller announced on her radio show that she is a lesbian and credited country singer Chely Wright with helping her coming out.

References

External links

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:American alternative journalists Category:American game show hosts Category:American political pundits Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American talk radio hosts Category:American television talk show hosts Category:LGBT people from the United States Category:LGBT people from the United States Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:LGBT people from the United States Category:Radio personalities from Chicago, Illinois Category:Radio personalities from Los Angeles, California Category:Radio personalities from New York City Category:Radio personalities from New York Category:People from Lockport, New York Category:Progressive talk radio Category:University of Southern California alumni Category:Women comedians Category:LGBT comedians Category:American comedians Category:LGBT journalists Category:LGBT broadcasters

es:Stephanie Miller

name	Mark Levin
birth name	Mark Reed Levin
birth date	September 21, 1957
birth place	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
show	''The Mark Levin Show''
station	WABC
network	Cumulus Media Networks
timeslot	9-12 p.m. EST
style	Talk radio
country	United States
religion	Judaism
web	marklevinshow.com }}

Mark Reed Levin (born September 21, 1957) is a lawyer, author and the host of American syndicated radio show ''The Mark Levin Show''. Levin served in the administration of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese. He is president of the Landmark Legal Foundation, has authored bestselling books and contributes commentary to various media outlets such as ''National Review Online''.

Biography

Mark Reed Levin was born to a Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Cheltenham High School after three years. After high school, Levin enrolled at Temple University Ambler including summer classes and graduated in 1977 at age 19, ''magna cum laude'' and Phi Beta Kappa. He also earned a juris doctorate from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 1980.

Beginning in 1981, Levin served as advisor to several members of President Ronald Reagan's cabinet, eventually becoming Associate Director of Presidential Personnel and ultimately Chief of Staff to Attorney General Edwin Meese; Levin also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education, and Deputy Solicitor of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

He practiced law in the private sector and is president of Landmark Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm founded in 1976 and based in Leesburg, Virginia.

Levin is married to Kendall Levin. They have two children, Lauren (born 1988) and Chase (born 1991).

Levin has participated in Freedom Concerts, an annual benefit concert to aid families of fallen soldiers, and he uses his radio program to promote same. Levin is also involved with Troopathon, a charity which sends care packages to soldiers serving overseas.

In 2001, the American Conservative Union awarded Levin its Ronald Reagan Award.

Radio broadcasting

Levin began his broadcast career as a guest on conservative talk radio programs. For many years he was a frequent contributor of legal opinions to ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'', where Limbaugh referred to him on-air as "F. Lee Levin," a tongue-in-cheek reference to the famous defense attorney F. Lee Bailey. He was also a contributor to ''The Sean Hannity Show'' and eventually got a radio slot of his own on WABC, following Sean Hannity's program. Hannity has nicknamed Mark Levin "The Great One". Levin and Hannity remain frequent contributors to each other's programs.

Writer

''Men In Black: How The Supreme Court is Destroying America''

Levin authored the 2005 book ''Men In Black: How The Supreme Court Is Destroying America'', in which he advanced his thesis that activist judges on the Supreme Court (from all parts of the political spectrum) have "legislated from the bench." In her review of ''Men in Black'', ''Slate'' magazine's legal correspondent and journalist Dahlia Lithwick wrote that "no serious scholar of the court or the Constitution, on the ideological left or right, is going to waste their time engaging Levin's arguments once they've read this book." In contrast, a review in the ''Defense Counsel Journal'' described ''Men in Black'' as "a forceful indictment of what Levin identifies as an increasingly 'activist' court for amending our national Constitution in the guise of construing it."

''Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish''

In 2007, Levin released a book about his dogs, Pepsi and Sprite. Specifically, the book was about Sprite, a Spaniel mix that his wife and son persuaded him to adopt from the local shelter in 2004. The book was titled ''Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish''. ''Rescuing Sprite'' chronicles Sprite’s health deterioration in 2006 and how Levin and his family dealt with their loss.

''Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto''

''Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto'' was released on March 24, 2009, and became a No. 1 New York Times best seller for eleven of twelve weeks, as well as No. 1 on Nielsen's BookScan. It comes in at No. 2 on Amazon.com's list of bestselling books of 2009. The book includes discussion of a variety of issues that, according to Levin, need to be addressed in the United States. ''Liberty and Tyranny'' has sold over one million copies according to Threshold Editions, the book's publisher. Former federal prosecutor and fellow National Review Online author Andrew C. McCarthy wrote of ''Liberty and Tyranny'' in ''The New Criterion'':

Taking a contrary view, Steve Almond of ''Salon'' wrote that

''Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America''

''Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America'' was released January 17, 2012. Amazon's publication notes describe this book as exploring "the psychology, motivations, and history of the utopian movement, its architects, and its modern day disciples – and how the individual and American society are being devoured by it."

References

External links

Mark Levin Show, The Official Mark Levin Website

marklevinshow Twitter feed

Mark Levin on Facebook

The Official Mark Levin Show Audio Rewind

Landmark Legal Foundation

Mark Levin is on the air from NationalReview.com

Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:American broadcast news analysts Category:American columnists Category:American Jews Category:American political pundits Category:American political writers Category:The American Spectator people Category:American talk radio hosts Category:Conservatism in the United States Category:National Review people Category:Pennsylvania lawyers Category:People from Loudoun County, Virginia Category:People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Category:Radio programs on XM Radio Category:Reagan Administration personnel Category:School board members in the United States Category:Temple University alumni Category:Temple University Beasley School of Law alumni Category:United States Department of Education officials Category:Virginia lawyers

de:Mark R. Levin sh:Mark Levin yi:מארק לעווין