The PM Show with Larry Manetti on CRN

03/06 Roger E. Mosley

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:00:01 PST

Roger Earl Mosley (born December 18, 1938) is an American actor best known for his role as the helicopter pilot Theodore "T.C." Calvin on the long running television series, Magnum, P.I., which starred Tom Selleck as the title character.

Mosley was born in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in the Imperial Courts project with his mother Eloise Harris in Watts, one of the most dangerous parts of the inner city. In 1974, he founded the Watts Repertory Company.

Mosley's most prominent film role to date was his 1976 starring turn as the title character in Leadbelly, directed by Gordon Parks. He has guest starred on shows such as Night Court, Starsky and Hutch, Kojak, The Rockford Files, Baretta, and Sanford and Son; he also had a role in Roots: The Next Generation. He also made a memorable appearance in the 1973 film The Mack, as the militant brother of the main character Goldie, and played officer Roy Cole alongside Kurt Russell and Ray Liotta in Unlawful Entry (1992).

Most recently he appeared in season five of Las Vegas as the billionaire friend of Montecito owner AJ Cooper (Tom Selleck). There is a vague homage to his Magnum P.I. days as his character 'Roger' is worth more than $2bn and owns a fleet of jets having started with a single helicopter in Hawaii.

02/28 Burt Young!

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:00:04 PST

Gerald Tommaso DeLouise (born April 30, 1940) better known as Burt Young, is an American actor, painter and author. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law and friend Paulie in the Rocky film series.

Young made his name playing rough-edged working class Italian-American characters, the best-known example being his signature role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law Paulie in Rocky (1976), for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He is one of three actors (the other two being Stallone and Tony Burton) who have appeared in every Rocky film.

He has played similar roles in Chinatown, Convoy, Back to School, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Once Upon a Time in America, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Downtown: A Street Tale, and even a brutal and darker role in Amityville II: The Possession. Young has also appeared in many television programs, including The Rockford Files, Baretta, Law & Order, Walker, Texas Ranger, M*A*S*H, guest-starred in a Miami Vice episode, and made an appearance on The Sopranos ("Another Toothpick") as Bobby Baccalieri's father, who is dying of cancer and comes out of retirement to execute a hit on his godson.

Young is a painter whose art has been displayed in galleries throughout the world. He is also a published author whose works include two filmed screenplays and 400-page historically based novel called Endings.

He has also written two stage plays: SOS and A Letter to Alicia and the New York City Government From a Man With a Bullet in His Head.

02/21 Lorenzo Lamas!

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:00:05 PST

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

In 1980, he auditioned for and won the role of Jane Wyman's playboy grandson and henchman, Lance Cumson, for the pilot of a new series entitled The Vintage Years. The pilot was later retooled to become the hit prime time drama series Falcon Crest. During a 2006 TV interview with Norwegian Television Team, Lamas said that to get the role on Falcon Crest, he had auditioned twice and beat out five other guys for the part. During his stint on Falcon Crest, Lamas was nominated for two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Lamas was the only actor to appear in all 227 episodes of the series.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In 2010, He starred as the voice of "Meap" in Disney Chanel's Phineas and Ferb.

Lamas is an avid Harley-Davidson motorcycle enthusiast, collects them and takes part in charity rides for a transplant fund.

02/14 Bo Hopkins

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:00:00 PST

Sandy-haired US actor Bo Hopkins was born William Hopkins in Greenville, South Carolina, and was raised by his mother and grandmother. He joined the US Army at the age of 16. After serving his hitch he decided on acting as a career and gained experience in summer stock productions and guest spots in several TV episodes. The energetic Bo broke into feature films as the ill-fated "Crazy Lee" in the Sam Peckinpah landmark western The Wild Bunch (1969), and was subsequently hired by Peckinpah for another none-too-bright role as a bank robber in The Getaway (1972) and then as a hired killer pairing up with CIA agent James Caan in The Killer Elite (1975). Hopkins was very busy during the 1980s and 1990s, guest-starring in such TV shows as "The Rockford Files" (1974), "Charlie's Angels" (1976), "The A-Team" (1983), "Hotel" (1983) and "Matt Houston" (1982), and was a regular on the prime-time soap opera "Dynasty" (1981). In addition, he has starred in dozens of feature films, such as Midnight Express (1978), American Graffiti (1973), The Bounty Hunter (1990), U Turn (1997) and Shade (2003/I).

With his "good old boy" persona and Southern drawl, Hopkins is generally at his best playing either lawmen (he's played a sheriff on at least a dozen occasions!), psychos or oily villains. It would be fair to say that Bo Hopkins has developed a cult following among many film fans. He makes his home in Los Angeles with his wife Sian and son, Matthew and is a keen fisherman, fan of the Anaheim Angels baseball team, and enjoys raising Koi fish.

02/07 Roslyn Kind

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:00:00 PST

Roslyn Kind is a dynamic, multi-talented entertainer who has forged a successful career in all facets of entertainment from critically acclaimed recordings to sold-out performances on Broadway and in top concert venues and nightclubs the world over.

A vibrant musical artist, Ms. Kind is familiar to both national and international audiences for her headlining appearances at some of the most prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, The Greek Theater and London’s Café Royal. The London Times noted “To say she is superb would be an understatement.” In 2006 she made her long awaited and rapturously received Carnegie Hall debut with her frequent musical collaborator and friend, Michael Feinstein.

She began her performing career while still in her teens with the release of her first album, Give Me You. A whirlwind of performing activity followed including engagements at the nation’s top nightclubs, acclaim from Time Magazine and three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show leading up to her show-stopping New York debut at the Plaza Hotel’s legendary Persian Room.

Her follow up singles and a second album, This is Roslyn Kind, showcased her growth as a recording artist comfortable in a wide range of musical genres. Ms. Kind’s latest CD release, Come What May, which the New York Times described as “splendid and sizzling”, further establishes her reputation as a virtuoso vocalist possessing impeccable phrasing, a richness and clarity of tone and an undeniable emotional connection to her always first-rate material.

Concurrent with her recording career, Ms. Kind is an accomplished theatrical performer. On Broadway, she starred in the crowd-pleasing musical revue 3 from Brooklyn. Additional theatrical credits include the Off-Broadway production of Show Me Where the Good Times Are, Leader of the Pack and Ferguson the Tailor. She also stopped the show in a critically lauded Los Angeles production of William Finn’s Elegies; The Hollywood Reporter noted, “Roslyn Kind sings like a dream…”

Ms. Kind’s extensive list of television credits include the film Switched at Birth, multiple episodes of NBC’s Gimme a Break, Throb starring Jane Leeves and a humorously memorable turn as herself on CBS’s The Nanny. This appearance also showcased her talent as a songwriter in a performance of her composition, Light of Love. She also performed the title song for the made-for-TV movie Not Just Another Affair. Ms. Kind has appeared on virtually every major talk/variety show including the Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood and Good Morning America. Among her international television credits are England’s Pebble Mill Show, Canada’s Musique Plus, and For Me – Formidable, a Charles Aznavour special for European TV co-starring Dusty Springfield. In motion pictures, Ms. Kind has had starring roles in The Underachievers and I’m Going to Be Famous and just completed working on a Hallmark movie for TV called Ladies of the House starring Donna Mills and Florence Henderson. Roz can also be heard singing Hold On While You Can in the 2008 movie Truloved. She just completed a biography for TV called Unscripted on Vision TV.

Ms. Kind also takes pride in her work for various animal welfare, Alzheimer’s and AIDS related charitable organizations including HSUS, APLA and Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS for which she contributed a song selection to Cabaret Noel, a recent volume in their annual series of holiday CD releases.

One of the premiere interpreters of popular song, Roslyn Kind continues to succeed in every new facet of her performing career delighting audiences with her spellbinding talent. Roslyn’s unique artistry is equally at home on stage, screen and disc.

The New York Post summed it up best “She’s so good on so many levels; it’s difficult to categorize her. This elegant, beautiful, petite, dynamo delight rules the stage with a royal command that demands adoration from every seat in the house.” A native of Brooklyn, New York she currently resides in Los Angeles.

roslynkind.com

01/31 Miguel Ferrer

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:00:00 PST

Ferrer began his career in the early 1980s making guest appearances on episodic television. In 1983, he was given a small part as a waiter in The Man Who Wasn't There. He also had a small part in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) as the Excelsior helm officer. He had a major role in the 1987 action movie RoboCop as aspiring, cocaine-snorting corporate executive Bob Morton. Since then, Ferrer has been cast in many major movies, usually in the role of flamboyant villains with a sense of humour. Ferrer's notable screen roles include a sinister biker in Valentino Returns (1988), an engineer in DeepStar Six (1989), Commander Arvid Harbinger in the comedy Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), Lloyd Henreid in the Stephen King mini series The Stand (1994), investigative reporter Richard Dees in Stephen King's The Night Flier (1997), and Eduardo Ruiz in Traffic (2000).

In the early 1990s, Ferrer appeared on three primetime TV series simultaneously: as D.A. Todd Spurrier in Shannon's Deal (1989–1991), as Cajun cop Beau Jack Bowman in Broken Badges (1990–1991), and as cynical, wittily abrasive FBI forensics specialist Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks (1990–91). Ferrer reprised the role of Albert in the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). He played another medical examiner on the small screen, Dr. Garret Macy, in the television crime/drama series Crossing Jordan (2001–07).

Ferrer performed as the voice of the Heretic leader in the video game Halo 2, as well as the protagonist, Jack, in the video game BioShock.[citation needed] In 1999, at the 41st Grammy Awards, he was nominated for "Best Spoken Word Album for Children" in Disney's The Lion King II, "Simba's Pride Read-Along". In 2003, Ferrer made his New York stage debut in the off-Broadway production of The Exonerated.

Ferrer played a supervillain called The Weatherman in the failed 1997 TV pilot, Justice League of America. Later in the year, Ferrer provided the voice for a similar character, Weather Wizard, in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Speed Demons". Ferrer also voiced Aquaman in another Superman: Animated episode, "A Fish Story". Ferrer has also provided voice-over roles in the TV series Robot Chicken (2006) and American Dad! (2007).

He co-created and co-wrote various comic books with Jenerators band member Bill Mumy, including Comet Man, The Dreamweaver, and Trypto the Acid Dog (released by Dark Horse Comics).

Ferrer played Jonas Bledsoe on NBC's short-lived update of the Bionic Woman series. Ferrer also starred in another short-lived NBC series, Kings, in 2009 as a military commander of Gath. He played Los Angeles Police Lieutenant Felix Valdez in the 2011 Lifetime police procedural drama, The Protector. Also in 2011 he started a multiple episode guest role on the final season of Desperate Housewives.

01/24 Steve Lawrence, Gene & Georgetti's

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:17:37 PST

Born Stephen Leibowitz, 8 July 1935, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. The son of a cantor in a Brooklyn synagogue, Lawrence was in the Glee club at Thomas Jefferson High School, where he began studying piano, saxophone, composition and arranging. He made his recording debut for King Records at the age of 16. The record, "Mine And Mine Alone", based on "Softly Awakes My Heart" from Samson & Delilah, revealed an remarkably mature voice and style. Influenced by Frank Sinatra, but never merely a copyist, Lawrence's great range and warmth earned him a break on Steve Allen's Tonight television show, where he met, sang with and later married Eydie Gorme. He recorded for Coral Records and had his first hit in 1957 with "The Banana Boat Song". It was the infectious "Party Doll" which gave him a Top 5 hit in 1957 and he followed that same year with four further, although lesser successes, namely "Pum-Pa-Lum", "Can't Wait For Summer", "Fabulous" and "Fraulein". During his US Army service (1958-60) he sang with military bands on recruiting drives and bond rallies.

Back home he and Eydie embarked on a double act, their most memorable hit being "I Want To Stay Here" in 1963. As Steve And Eydie they made albums for CBS Records, ABC Records and United Artists Records, including Steve And Eydie At The Movies, Together On Broadway, We Got Us, Steve And Eydie Sing The Golden Hits and Our Love Is Here To Stay, the latter a double album of great George Gershwin songs, which was the soundtrack of a well-received television special. Lawrence, on his own, continued to have regular hits with "Portrait Of My Love" and "Go Away Little Girl" in 1961/2, and enjoyed critical success with albums such as Academy Award Losers and Portrait Of My Love. As an actor he starred on Broadway in What Makes Sammy Run?, took the lead in Pal Joey in summer stock, and has acted in a crime series on US television. During the 70s and 80s he continued to record and make television appearances with Gorme, with the couple gaining a record-breaking seven Emmys for their Steve And Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin special. The couple also joined Frank Sinatra on his Diamond Jubilee Tour in 1991.
www.steveandeydie.com

Larry Congratulates Gene & Georgetti's Restaurant on their 70th Anniversary.
www.geneandgeorgetti.com

01/17 Robert Wagner

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:06:43 PST

Robert Wagner was born in Detroit, and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was seven. Always wanting to be an actor, he held a variety of jobs (including one as a caddy for Clark Gable while pursuing his goal, but it was while dining with his parents at a restaurant in Beverly Hils that he was "discovered" by a talent scout. He had a bit part in The Happy Years (1950) but it was a small part as a crippled soldier in the Susan Hayward film With a Song in My Heart (1952) that got him attention. His fresh, all-American looks landed him a contract with 20th Century-Fox, which put him in a succession of undemanding roles in Technicolor pictures where his looks were more important than his talent (Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953), Prince Valiant (1954)), but he did manage to show that he was indeed an actor of talent in several showy roles in smaller pictures (A Kiss Before Dying (1956), Between Heaven and Hell (1956)). As he became one of Fox's rising young stars, the studio, as was customary back then, set him up with a host of nubile young actresses, among them Debbie Reynolds. While the pairing didn't lead to any romance, it did lead to a lifelong friendship.

In 1957 Wagner fell in love with 18 year old actress Natalie Wood and they married later that year on December 28. However, the marriage was short-lived, lasting just three years. Wagner had a supporting role in The War Lover (1962), and went to Europe to make the movie The Longest Day (1962). In Europe he met with his old friend Marion Marshall. They began a romance, and married on July 22, 1963. He helped raise her two sons by director Stanley Donen. On May 11, 1964, the couple had a daughter, Katie Wagner. For the first several years, R.J. and Marion seemed to be very happy, but Wagner's lagging career put stress on the marriage. In 1968 he reluctantly went into television to star in "It Takes a Thief" (1968) (later he would say it was the right move). The series lasted two years before ending in 1970. Wagner briefly returned to the big screen opposite Paul Newman in Winning (1969). Wagner's career seemed to be thriving, but his personal life wasn't. He and Marion went their separate ways and divorced in 1971 after nearly a decade together.

Over the next two years Wagner struggled to find work. In 1971 he became engaged to Tina Sinatra, but they ended their engagement in January 1972. Just six months later, on July 16, 1972, he remarried Natalie Wood after a brief reunion. On March 9, 1974, they had a daughter, Courtney Wagner. Wagner went on to appear in the blockbuster "disaster film" The Towering Inferno (1974), starring Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, and Faye Dunaway. He also starred in two successful television series. The first was the police show "Switch" (1975) with Eddie Albert, and the series lasted three years before its cancellation in 1978. The second was playing Stefanie Powers' husband in the hit "Hart to Hart" (1979)), which would run for five years. His professional and personal lives seemed to be right on track. Then on November 29, 1981, Natalie drowned in a freak boating accident. Shortly after, at the beginning of 1982, Wagner began a relationship with actress Jill St. John, whom he had first met in the 1950s when he was an up-and-coming actor and she (like Wood) was a teenage starlet. Wagner starred in Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), and had another TV series, "Lime Street" (1985), which was short-lived. He and Jill finally married on May 26, 1990 after eight years together.

Wagner has since revived his career as the eye-patch-wearing henchman Number Two to Mike Myers' sinister Dr. Evil in the spy spoofs Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). He also became the hose of Fox Movie Channel's "Hour of Stars" (1955), which shows recently discovered and restored episodes of the old TV anthology series "The 20th Century-Fox Hour" (1955), some of which Wagner himself had starred in. In 2008 he began a recurring role on the hit sitcom "Two and a Half Men" (2003). Later that year he published his autobiography "Pieces of My Heart."

01/10 Dirk Benedict, Battlestar Galactica

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:34:01 PST

It's a long way from the vastness of Montana's Big Sky country to the vastness of outer space, but Dirk Benedict is taking the transition in stride. The actor's hometown of White Sulphur Springs, Montana, was so small and remote that it lacked either a motion picture theatre or television station. Benedict became the co-star in MCA TV's "Battlestar Galactica" (1978) as a skirt-chasing, fun-loving combat pilot aboard an embattled spaceship in a far-off galaxy.

It was at Whitman College, in Walla Walla, Washington, that Dirk became interested in acting. During his freshman year, he accepted a dare to audition for the Spring musical and won the lead role of "Gaylord Ravenal" in "Showboat". The next three years were filled with many more musical productions. Upon graduation, Benedict began a two-year training program under John Fernald, who had headed London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London for fifteen years. He then played repertory theatre in Seattle and in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he played such roles as "Edmund" in "King Lear", "Tarleton" in "Misalliance", "Ensign Pulver" in "Mister Roberts" and the lead in Neil Simon's "Star-Spangled Girl".

Meanwhile, Benedict maintained an active interest in music and formed a Dixieland Jazz Band in Seattle. Prior to their debut, he visited New York to meet an agent recommended by his college professor. Benedict never made it back to Seattle. The agent sent him to an audition which resulted in a co-starring role with Diana Rigg and Keith Michell in "Abelard and Heloise", first on Broadway, then in Los Angeles. Two weeks after the show closed on Broadway, he was winging across the Atlantic to Sweden for his first movie, Georgia, Georgia (1972) in which he co-starred with the late Diana Sands. This film about draft resisters, shot entirely in Sweden, was written by the well known writer Maya Angelou. In Sweden, Benedict lost his heart to Miss Sweden, discovered Akvavit and began a new way of eating based on whole grains and vegetables. On his return to New York, he replaced Keir Dullea in "Butterflies Are Free" on Broadway where he worked with the ever-young Gloria Swanson, as his mother. When the New York run ended, he received an offer to repeat his performance in Hawaii, opposite Barbara Rush. While there, he appeared as a guest on "Hawaii Five-O" (1968). The producers of a psycho-thriller called Sssssss (1973) saw Benedict's performance in "Hawaii Five-O" (1968) and promptly cast him as the lead in that movie. He next played the psychotic wife-beating husband of Twiggy in her American film debut, W (1974). Benedict starred in the television series, "Chopper One" (1974) then retreated to his cabin in the mountains of Montana where he spent nearly a year writing. Two of the scripts he wrote during that "sabbatical" were optioned for motion picture production and he is at work on his first novel, which will be set in Montana.

01/03 Fred Dryer, Hunter

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:42:48 PST

John Frederick "Fred" Dryer (born July 6, 1946 in Hawthorne, California) is an American actor and former football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). Dryer played 13 years in the NFL, playing 176 games, starting 166, and recording 104 career sacks with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams. Dryer is the only NFL player to score two safeties in one game.

Following his retirement from football, Dryer had a successful career as a film and television actor, notably starring in the series Hunter. His height (6'6" or 1.98 m) and physique was useful for his action roles.

12/27 David Hedison

noreply@blogger.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:50:15 PST

Hedison decided he wanted to be an actor after he saw Tyrone Power in the film Blood and Sand. He began his acting career with the Sock and Buskin Players at Brown University before moving to New York to study with Sanford Meisner and Martha Graham at the Neighborhood Playhouse and with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.

His work on the New York stage includes the off-Broadway production of A Month in the Country, directed by Michael Redgrave, which starred Uta Hagen, for which role Hedison won a Theater World Award. Hedison toured with Anita Gillette in Neil Simon's Chapter Two and appeared in the West Coast premiere of Forty Deuce. He toured with Elizabeth Ashley in Come into My Parlour, and was in the world premiere run of Bernard Slade's Return Engagements. He appeared at the Cape Playhouse in 1998 in Alone Together with Anita Gillette. He also starred in he New York City premiere of First Love with Lois Nettleton. He returned to the Cape Playhouse to appear in Tale of the Allergist's Wife (2002), and his most recent theatrical appearance was at Monmouth University's Pollak Theatre, in Love Letters with Nancy Dussault.

After his role in A Month in the Country, Hedison signed a film contract with 20th Century-Fox. His first movie with them was the classic war film The Enemy Below, which also starred Robert Mitchum. He followed that up with the 1958 horror classic The Fly. Other films in which he appeared include The Son of Robin Hood, Marines, Let's Go!, The Lost World, The Greatest Story Ever Told; ffolkes and The Naked Face. Hedison was the first actor to play James Bond's ally Felix Leiter in more than one film (Live and Let Die and Licence to Kill). Hedison as Evan Robley in the TV series Wonder Woman

Much of Hedison's acting career has been on television. In 1961, he appeared with Geraldine Brooks (1925–1977) in an episode of ABC's Bus Stop with Marilyn Maxwell, for which Brooks was nominated for an Emmy Award. He was cast as a counter espionage agent who traveled the world as a Hollywood talent agent in the 16-episode series Five Fingers. He followed that up with a starring role as Captain Lee Crane in the ABC television version of Irwin Allen's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea with Richard Basehart. The show ran for four years. He also had a semi-regular role on ABC's The Colbys.

In 1990, he was the series host for Phenomenal World. He appeared in the television movie A.D. as well as The Saint Family, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, The Bob Newhart Show, Charlie's Angels, The A-Team, Knight Rider, and Wonder Woman, among many others. He played Spencer Harrison on the American soap opera Another World from 1991 to 1996. He followed that up in 2004 with a role on The Young and the Restless as Arthur Hendricks. His most recent role was in 2005's The Reality Trap. Also appeared in the 2001 movie "Mach 2". In 2010 he fell victim in prankster Kayvan Novak's Facejacker.

12/20 Barry Corbin, No Country For Old Men, MoonShot

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:48:43 PST

Corbin began his career as a Shakespearean actor in the 1960s, but today he is more likely to be seen in the role of the local sheriff, military leader, or some other authority figure, though on occasion, he has effectively portrayed murderous villains as well. To moviegoers he is well remembered as General Beringer in WarGames, John Travolta's uncle in Urban Cowboy, co-starring with Clint Eastwood in Any Which Way You Can, or Roscoe Brown, who was July Johnson's bumbling deputy, in the acclaimed western Lonesome Dove.

He also had a role in 2008's Oscar-winning film No Country for Old Men.

From 1979 until 1984 he appeared in several episodes of "Dallas (TV series)" as Sheriff Fenton Washburn. In 1983, Corbin co-starred in the famed television mini-series The Thorn Birds. Corbin played Mary Carson's stockman "Pete", who teaches the Cleary's sons how to shear sheep on their aunt's gigantic sheep station Drogheda, in Australia. In 1983-1984, Corbin played Merit Sawyer in the NBC television series Boone. Corbin's role was that of a stern father to the young actor Tom Byrd, who played Boone Sawyer, an aspiring singer. The program was set in rural Tennessee during the 1950s and was created by Earl Hamner, who had great success earlier with CBS's The Waltons. From 1990 to 1995, Corbin portrayed former astronaut Maurice Minnifield on CBS's Northern Exposure, for which he received an Emmy nomination.

In 1994, Corbin narrated the acclaimed TBS documentary MoonShot, telling the story of the 1960s space race from the first-person viewpoint of Mercury Seven astronaut Deke Slayton. In 2007, He played the character Clay Johnson, father of Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on The Closer series.

From 2003-2008, Corbin was a cast member of the teenage drama series One Tree Hill, where he portrayed a basketball coach for the Tree Hill Ravens. Corbin lost most of his hair in the 1990s due to alopecia areata. Since then, he has played various roles with a shaved head, wearing a cowboy hat, or occasionally wearing a full toupee. Corbin is the signature voice of radio station KPLX in Fort Worth, Texas, and has also voiced trailers and promos for CMT and various other country radio stations.

12/13 John Larroquette, Mastro's Steakhouse

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:52:45 PST

John Edgar Bernard Larroquette, Jr. (born November 25, 1947) is an American film, television and Broadway actor. His roles include Dan Fielding on the series Night Court, Mike McBride in the Hallmark Channel series McBride, John Hemingway on The John Larroquette Show, and Carl Sack in Boston Legal.

Larroquette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of: Berthalla Oramous Larroquette (née Helmstetter), a department store clerk; and John Edgar Bernard Larroquette, Sr,[1] who was in the U.S. Navy. He grew up in the Ninth ward of New Orleans not far from the French Quarter. He played clarinet and saxophone through childhood but quit when he discovered acting after seeing some actors rehearse the Tennessee Williams play Vieux Carré in 1973.[3] He moved to Hollywood in 1973 after working in radio and the record business.

Larroquette met his wife Elizabeth Ann Cookson in 1974 while working in a play called Enter Laughing.[4] They have three children; one of his sons, Jonathan Larroquette, co-hosts a popular comedy podcast called Uhh Yeah Dude.

Dennis Mastro joins the show, informing us of the unparelleled dining experience Mastro's Steakhouse has to offer. Consistently hailed by diners and critics alike as "masterful" (Los Angeles Daily News), "high end" ( Los Angeles Times), one of the "top 10 steakhouse in the U.S. (Gayot) and "the preferred steakhouse of celebs and locals" (944), Mastro`s Restaurants, LLC is a collection of sophisticated, classic steakhouses and sumptuous fish houses.

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12/06 Roger E. Mosley, Magnum P.I.

noreply@blogger.com — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:13:03 PST

11/29 James Whitmore Jr.

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:42:42 PST

James Allen Whitmore III (born October 24, 1948, in Manhattan, New York), better known by the name James Whitmore, Jr., is an American actor best known for his role as Captain Jim Gutterman on the television program Baa Baa Black Sheep (later known as Black Sheep Squadron), and (since the 1980s) a television director. He is the son of actor James Whitmore.

Whitmore has had recurring guest-starring roles on the TV series The Rockford Files and Hunter. He also appeared in two episodes of Magnum, P.I. and an episode of Battlestar Galactica before directing many episodes of series by Donald Bellisario, the creator of Magnum and a writer on Galactica.

Whitmore has a unique distinction of occasionally acting in the episodes he directs, such as two episodes of Quantum Leap ("8 1/2 Months," "Trilogy, Pt. 1" and "Mirror Image"). In that series as well as several others, he played different characters in each appearance, rather than recurring roles.

In addition to directing episodes of shows for Bellisario (Quantum Leap, Tequila and Bonetti, JAG, NCIS, and NCIS: Los Angeles), Whitmore directed episodes of more than one series for Joss Whedon. Whitmore directed the final episodes of two different series (Dawson's Creek and the aforementioned Quantum Leap). After Leap, Whitmore would again direct Scott Bakula in episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. He would also direct David Boreanaz in both Angel and Bones. The Pretender reunited Whitmore with much of the same writing staff as Leap.

11/22 Charles Floyd Johnson, NCIS, JAG, The Rockford FIles

noreply@blogger.com — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:11:14 PST

Charles Floyd Johnson was born in Camden, New Jersey to Bertha Ellen Seagers, a teacher, and Orange Maull Johnson, who went off to fight in World War II shortly before Johnson was born and returned to tell his son stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, although he himself was in the American cavalry in North Africa. Johnson's family initially encouraged him to be a lawyer, and in order to give him the best possible educational preparation, Johnson attended Stony Brook, the second African American student to attend the prestigious school, in 1956. Johnson was an ambitious student, and was accepted at both Howard and Brown Universities.

In 1958, Johnson began attending Howard University alongside some well-known classmates that included Stokely Carmichael. Johnson worked in New York during the summers as a teacher for young children. During the Civil Rights Movement, Johnson was active in marches. He majored in political science, minored in history and education, and worked at the Library of Congress. He was also involved in John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign, and was even invited to Kennedy's inauguration. Despite his political aspirations, Johnson had a burgeoning interest in communications, and joined the Howard Players upon arriving at Howard. He graduated with honors from the school in 1962.

That year, Johnson was initially drawn to the New York theater world, but was accepted and enrolled in Howard University Law School with a full scholarship. While at law school, he was published in the Howard Law Journal, and he flourished under professors Herbert Reed and Patricia Harris. Shortly after taking the bar exam, Johnson was drafted during the Vietnam War. After marrying his girlfriend at the time, Johnson was sent to work as a clerk in New Jersey, then shifted to work as a defense counsel largely for AWOL soldiers, for which he received an Army Commendation Medal.

After leaving the military, Johnson moved to Washington, D.C., and worked as a copyright lawyer for three years. His work schedule allowed him to work in theatrical companies and study communications in his free time. He also did some work in television for a show entitled Harambee and also worked for Howard University's radio station. At the end of his tenure with the copyright office, Johnson worked with a justice from Sweden, who invited him to work as a law intern in Stockholm. After working in Stockholm, he almost took a job working in France, but changed his mind to follow his dreams and moved to Los Angeles in early 1971.

Thanks to the G.I. Bill, Johnson applied to the Professional Theater Workshop in Santa Monica, California, which he attended for nine months and took acting classes. Thanks to his law degree, Johnson found an entry-level position at Universal Studios working in the mail room. Two days after his mailroom experience began, a new job opened up, and Johnson began his climb to the top of the ladder, becoming a production coordinator in late 1971.

In 1981, Johnson moved to Hawaii, and married his second wife, who stayed in Los Angeles. His career in Hollywood has been accomplished and diverse, including roles in such television programs as JAG and Navy: NCIS. He has worked as a writer and producer in a wide variety of television programs, including as a prominent figure behind the notable television programs, The Rockford Files and Magnum, P.I.

11/15 Connie Stevens, Larry Manetti, Hawaiian Eye

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:55:27 PST

Born in Brooklyn of Italian and native-American parentage with the unlikely name of Concetta Anna Ingolia, Connie Stevens was raised by grandparents when her parents (both jazz musicians) filed for divorced. She attended Catholic boarding schools in her formative years and a distinct interest in music led to her forming a vocal quartet called "The Foremost" which was comprised of Connie and three men. Those men later became part of The Lettermen. In Hollywood from 1953, Connie formed yet another vocal group "The Three Debs" while trying to break into films as an extra. Although she managed to co-star in a few mediocre teen dramas such as Young and Dangerous (1957), Eighteen and Anxious (1957), The Party Crashers (1958), and Dragstrip Riot (1958), it was comedian Jerry Lewis who set things in motion by casting the unknown starlet in his comedy Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958). Warner Bros. signed her up for their hot detective series "Hawaiian Eye" (1959) and she was off.

As pert and pretty "Cricket Blake", a slightly flaky and tomboyish singer/photographer, Connie became an instant teen idol -- trendy and undeniably appealing. A couple of record hits came her way including "Sixteen Reasons" and the novelty song "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb". Connie's acting talent was light and limited, however, and some attempts at adult film drama, including the title role in Susan Slade (1961), Parrish (1961), Palm Springs Weekend (1963) and Two on a Guillotine (1965) came and went. In the 1970s, she refocused on her voice and started lining up singing commercials (Ace Hardware) while subsisting in nightclubs and hotels. Connie eventually built herself up as a Las Vegas headlining act. She also starred on Broadway with "The Star-Spangled Girl" and won a Theatre World Award for her performance in 1967. Comedian Bob Hope's made her one of his regular entertainers on his USO tours. Sporadic films came her way every now and then. A TV-movie The Sex Symbol (1974) (TV) had her playing a tragic Marilyn Monroe type goddess. There was also innocuous fun with Grease 2 (1982) and Back to the Beach (1987) with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. Episodics on "Murder, She Wrote" (1984), "The Love Boat" (1977) and "Baywatch" (1989) also kept her afloat -- but barely. Once wed to actor James Stacy, she later married and divorced singer Eddie Fisher. From her union with Fisher came two daughters, Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher, both of whom became actors. Single with two daughters, and completely out of sync with Hollywood,

Connie started experiencing severe financial woes. In the 1990s, the never-say-die personality began a new lucrative career in the infomercial game with skin-care and make-up products. She was unbelievably successful in turning her finances around. Now a self-made tycoon with her own successful beauty line to boot, Connie is living proof that anything can happen in that wild and wacky world called show biz.

11/8 Larry Manetti Talks with Rich Little!

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:03:36 PST

Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Little was the middle of three sons. His father was a doctor. In his early teens, he formed a partnership with Geoff Scott, another budding impressionist, concentrating on reproducing the voices of Canadian politicians such as then-Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and Ottawa mayor Charlotte Whitton (Geoff went on to become a politician). They were performing professionally in night clubs by age 17.

Rich acted in Ottawa's Little Theatre and became a successful disc jockey, frequently incorporating impersonations into his show. In 1963, he was asked to audition by Mel Tormé, who was producing a new variety show for Judy Garland. The audition won him the job and in 1964, Little made his American television debut on CBS's The Judy Garland Show, where he astounded Garland with his imitations of various male celebrities. His impression of James Mason in A Star Is Born thrilled Garland, and his popularity began to grow.

In 1966 and 1967, Little appeared in ABC-TV's Judy Carne sitcom Love on a Rooftop as the Willises' eccentric neighbor, Stan Parker. Little was a frequent guest on variety and talk shows. He cracked up Johnny Carson by capturing the Tonight Show host's voice and many on-stage mannerisms perfectly (he later played Carson in the HBO TV-movie The Late Shift). One of his best known impressions is of U.S. President Richard Nixon. (In 1991 he reprised the role of Nixon as ideal sperm donors in Gina's fantasies on the soap opera Santa Barbara.) During the 1970s, Little made many television appearances portraying Nixon. He was a regular guest on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts in the 1970s and was also a semi-regular on the Emmy-winning ABC-TV variety series The Julie Andrews Hour in 1972-1973. This particular series proved to be a wonderful showcase for Little's talents as an impressionist. In fact, because of his uncanny yet brilliant imitation of Jack Benny, the comedian sent Little an 18-carat gold money clip containing this message: "With Bob Hope doing my walk and you doing my voice, I can be a star and do nothing." He was named "Comedy Star of the Year" by the American Guild of Variety Artists in 1974.

His best-known continuing TV series was The Kopycats, hour-long segments of The ABC Comedy Hour, first broadcast in 1972. Taped in England, these comedy-variety shows consisted entirely of celebrity impersonations, with the actors in full costume and makeup for every sketch. The cast included Rich Little, Frank Gorshin, Marilyn Michaels, George Kirby, British comedian Joe Baker, Fred Travalena, Charlie Callas, and Peter Goodwright.

The Rich Little Show (1976) and The New You Asked for It (1981) were attempts to present Little in his own person, away from his gallery of characterizations.

Little has starred in various HBO specials including the 1978 one-man show, Rich Little's Christmas Carol. He has also appeared in several movies and released nine albums. When David Niven proved too ill for his voice to be used in his appearances in Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) and Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), Little provided the overdub. (Ironically, Little provided the voice for the Pink Panther cartoon character in an experimental 1965 episode.) He rendered similar assistance for the 1991 TV special Christmas at the Movies by providing an uncredited dub for the aging actor/dancer Gene Kelly. As a native Canadian, he also lent his voice to the narration of two specials which were the forerunners for the animated series The Raccoons: The Christmas Raccoons and The Raccoons on Ice.

Little was the host for the 2007 White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Although President George W. Bush was reported to have enjoyed Little's performance, it was panned by some reviewers for "his ancient jokes and impressions of dead people (Johnny Carson, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan)."

Little voices as a guest star in Futurama such as Futurama: Bender's Game, playing his own celebrity head: "Rich Little here, as Howard Cosell." Many times he plays a sports commentator.

11/1 Larry Manetti Talks with Jack Scalia!

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:16:53 PDT

Actor hunk Jack Scalia, a Brooklyn native, was an All-American athlete in high school, playing three sports through college, while participating in four triathlons and six marathons. He decided to attempt Hollywood stardom as an actor after an injury ended a pro-baseball career. In 1975, he took advantage of his muscular build and macho good looks by modeling with Armani, later joining the Ford Modeling Agency and signing on as the "Jordache Jeans Man." In January 1980, Scalia made the transition into acting which led to his first film role in the mini-movie "The Star Maker" starring the late Rock Hudson. Scalia got his first taste of series stardom as an unshaven, rough-and-tough detective who joins forces with his slick and debonair father (Hudson again) in the TV series "The Devlin Connection." Though the series had a short life, Scalia received scads of attention. His more popular telefilm credits included "I'll Take Manhattan" (1987), "Ring of Scorpio" (1991), "Lady Boss" (1992), and "Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story" (1993) playing infamous tabloid newsmaker Joey Buttafuoco, with Alyssa Milano as his teenage object of desire. Though Scalia never scaled to the heights of a Tom Selleck or Pierce Brosnan with that one smash series, he would headline a near record eleven TV shows that kept him constantly in the running. In 2001 he joined the cast of "All My Children" for a time and won a daytime Emmy nomination in the process. He's also been an active hero and villain in low-budget thrillers such as Endless Descent (1986), T-Force (1995), Act of War (1998), and Ground Zero. More recently he returned from living in Rome, Italy while filming a remake of his American TV series "Tequila and Bonetti." He made his stage debut as the lead in the Pulitzer Prize-nominated play "Red River Rats" in Los Angeles. The tall, dark and hirsutely handsome Scalia has remained a durable "ladies' man" and "man's man" for over two decades.

10/25 Larry Manetti Talks with Ernest Borgnine!

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:07:05 PDT

Ernest Borgnine (born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917)is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty. On television, he played Quinton McHale in the 1962-66 series McHale's Navy and co-starred in the mid-1980s action series Airwolf, in addition to a wide variety of other roles. Borgnine is also known for his role as Mermaid Man in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. Borgnine earned an Emmy Award nomination at age 92 for his work on the series ER.

Borgnine joined the United States Navy in 1935, after graduation from James Hillhouse High School[4] in New Haven, Connecticut. He was discharged in 1941, but re-enlisted when the United States entered World War II and served until 1945 (a total of ten years), reaching the rank of Gunner's Mate 1st Class. He served aboard the destroyer USS Lamberton (DD-119). His military decorations included the Navy Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.

In a British Film Institute interview about his life and career, Borgnine said of the war:
"After World War II we wanted no more part in war. I didn't even want to be a boy-scout. I went home and said that I was through with the Navy and so now, what do we do? So I went home to mother, and after a few weeks of patting on the back and, 'You did good,' and everything else, one day she said, 'Well?' like mothers do. Which meant, 'Alright, you gonna get a job or what?'"[5]

In 2004, Borgnine received the honorary rank of Chief Petty Officer from the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott—the US Navy's highest ranking enlisted sailor at the time—for Borgnine's support of the Navy and naval families worldwide.

After the war was over he returned to his parents' home with no job and no direction. Since he wasn't willing to settle for a dead-end job at one of the factories, his mother encouraged him to pursue a more glamorous profession and suggested that his personality would be well-suited for the stage. He surprised his mother by taking the suggestion to heart, although his father was far from enthusiastic. After graduation, he auditioned and was accepted to the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, so-called for its audiences bartering their produce for admission during the Great Depression. In 1947, he landed his first stage role in State of the Union. Although it was a short role, he won over the audience. His next role was as the Gentleman Caller in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. In 1949, he had his Broadway debut in the role of a nurse in the play Harvey. More roles on stage led him to being a decades-long character actor.

In 1951, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he eventually received his big break in From Here to Eternity (1953), playing the cruel Sergeant "Fatso" Judson in charge of the stockade, who taunts fellow soldier Angelo Maggio (played by Frank Sinatra). Borgnine built a reputation as a dependable character actor and appeared in early film roles as villains, including movies like Johnny Guitar, Vera Cruz and Bad Day at Black Rock. But in 1955, the actor starred as a warm-hearted butcher in Marty, the film version of the television play of the same name, which gained him an Academy Award for Best Actor over Frank Sinatra and former Best Actors Spencer Tracy and James Cagney.

Borgnine's film career continued successfully through the 1960s and 1970s, including The Vikings, The Flight of the Phoenix, The Dirty Dozen, Ice Station Zebra, The Poseidon Adventure and The Black Hole. One of his most famous roles became that of Dutch, a member of The Wild Bunch in the 1969 Western classic from director Sam Peckinpah.

Of his role in 'The Wild Bunch', he later said, 'I did [think it was a moral film]. Because to me, every picture should have some kind of a moral to it. I feel that when we used to watch old pictures, as we still do I'm sure, the bad guys always got it in the end and the good guys always won out. Today it's a little different. Today it seems that the bad guys are getting the good end of it. There was always a moral in our story.

Borgnine's autobiography Ernie was published by Citadel Press in July 2008. Ernie is a loose, conversational recollection of highlights from his acting career and notable events from his personal life.

In the wake of the book's publication, he began a small promotional tour, visiting independent bookstores in the Los Angeles area to promote the book's release and meet some of his fans.

10/18 Larry Manetti Talks with Ed Marinaro!

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:36:54 PDT

Marinaro played high school football in New Milford, New Jersey, for the New Milford High School Knights.[1]

Marinaro played college football at Cornell University where he set over 16 NCAA records. He was the first running back in NCAA history to run for 4,000 career rushing yards and led the nation in rushing in both 1970 and 1971.

Marinaro was runner-up to Pat Sullivan for the Heisman Trophy in 1971, the highest finish for an Ivy League player since the league de-emphasized football in the mid-1950s. Princeton's Dick Kazmaier won the award in 1951 when the Ivy was still considered a major football conference. Marinaro won the 1971 Maxwell Award and the UPI College Football Player of the Year as the top player in college football. He holds two NCAA records: most rushes per game in a season (39.6 in 1971) and career average carries per game (34.0, 1969-71).

While at Cornell, Marinaro was a member of Psi Upsilon and was selected for membership in the Sphinx Head Society. He went on to play professional football for six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks, appearing in Super Bowl VIII and Super Bowl IX with the Vikings. He scored 13 touchdowns over his career.

Marinaro was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1991.

After leaving football, Marinaro became an actor. He has been a cast member on a number of television series, including Laverne & Shirley and Sisters. He joined the regular cast of Hill Street Blues in 1981 playing officer Joe Coffey until 1986. He also appeared in the 2006 film Circus Island.

Marinaro plays the head football coach on Spike TV's new comedy, Blue Mountain State, which started airing in January 2010. Currently, he has a guest role on "Days of our Lives" as Leo.

10/11 Larry Manetti Talks with Robert Loggia!

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:56:27 PDT

Loggia was a radio and TV anchor in Southern Command Network in the Panama Canal Zone. Loggia first came to prominence playing real-life American lawman Elfego Baca in a 1958 series of Walt Disney television shows. He starred as the proverbial cat-burglar-turned-good in a short-lived series called T.H.E. Cat. In 1972 he played Frank Carver on the CBS soap opera The Secret Storm.[5] His many television credits include appearances on Frasier, Overland Trail, Target: The Corruptors!, The Eleventh Hour, Breaking Point, Combat!, Custer, Columbo, Ellery Queen, Starsky and Hutch, Charlie's Angels, The Rockford Files (three times as three different characters), Magnum, P.I., Quincy ME, The Sopranos, Monk, Oliver Stone's miniseries Wild Palms and Little House on the Prairie.

His film roles include An Officer and a Gentleman, Mercy Mission: The Rescue of Flight 771, based on the Air New Zealand Flight 103 incident, Scarface, Prizzi's Honor, Over The Top, Independence Day, Necessary Roughness, Return to Me, Armed and Dangerous, and Big (for which he won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor).

In 1985, Loggia was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of crusty private detective Sam Ransom in the thriller Jagged Edge. He was nominated for an Emmy in 1989 for his portrayal of FBI agent Nick Mancuso in the TV series Mancuso, FBI, a follow up to the previous year's miniseries Favorite Son. Loggia appeared as mobsters in multiple films including Sykes in Disney's Oliver & Company (1988), Salvatore 'The Shark' Macelli in John Landis' Innocent Blood and Mr. Eddy in David Lynch's Lost Highway (1997) and The Don's Analyst (1997).

In 1998, Loggia appeared in a television commercial lampooning obscure celebrity endorsements. In it, a young boy names Loggia as someone he would trust to recommend Minute Maid orange-tangerine blend; Robert Loggia instantly appears and endorses the drink, to which the boy exclaims, "Whoa, Robert Loggia!"[6] The commercial was later referenced in an episode of Malcolm in the Middle in which Loggia made a guest appearance as "Grandpa Victor" (for which he received his second Emmy nomination); Loggia drinks some orange juice, then spits it out and complains about the pulp. In a similar vein, Loggia has been parodied on an episode of the show Family Guy titled "Peter's Two Dads." Loggia also played a violent mobster named Feech La Manna on a few episodes of the series The Sopranos.

In addition to his role in Oliver & Company (1988), Loggia has had several other voice acting roles. A recurring role on the Adult Swim animated comedy Tom Goes to the Mayor, as crooked cop Ray Machowski in the video game Grand Theft Auto III, as Admiral Petrarch in FreeSpace 2, as the narrator of the Scarface: The World is Yours game adaptation, and in the anime movie A Dog of Flanders (1997).[7]

In August 2009, Loggia appeared in one of Apple's Get a Mac advertisements. The advertisement features Loggia as a personal trainer hired by PC to get him back on top of his game.

On October 26, 2009, TVGuide.com announced Loggia joined the cast of the TNT series Men of a Certain Age.[8] The role had him teaming up again with his Necessary Roughness co-star Scott Bakula.

In 2010, he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.

10/4 Larry and Nancy Manetti Talk with Restaurateur Dennis Mastro

noreply@blogger.com — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:56:42 PDT

Larry Manetti started acting in his hometown of Chicago. After studying acting with the Ted List Theater Players, Larry drove to Los Angeles in 1972. Larry landed an agent and was sent to Universal Studios to audition for an opening as a contract player. Luck was on his side. Jack Webb was casting a new series for NBC called The Chase. Larry played a young detective.

After attending acting school at Sal Dano's at night and doing bit parts by day, he scored. Baa Baa Black Sheep was being produced and cast at Universal, and the now famous writer Stephen J. Cannell was the executive producer and the role was a natural for Larry. He was cast as a cocky, hot shot pilot named Bobby Boyle. The show was a big hit for NBC but was cancelled within two years.

Because the network was so impressed with Larry's on-screen presence, they cast him in a new series called The Duke. Bad luck! The Duke was cancelled in one year. Larry was back to playing whatever Universal told him to.

Hoping to catch lighting in a jar, along came Magnum, P.I. and the role of Rick. This was his elevator...the show became a mega-hit for 8 years. Since Magnum, P.I., Larry has done co-starring roles in 25 feature films and guest starred on many hot TV shows.

Larry is the author of a book titled Aloha Magnum.

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9/27 Larry Manetti Talks With Rich Little!

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:52:02 PDT

Rich acted in Ottawa's Little Theatre and became a successful disc jockey, frequently incorporating impersonations into his show. In 1963, he was asked to audition by Mel Tormé, who was producing a new variety show for Judy Garland. The audition won him the job and in 1964, Little made his American television debut on CBS's The Judy Garland Show, where he astounded Garland with his imitations of various male celebrities. His impression of James Mason in A Star Is Born thrilled Garland, and his popularity began to grow.

In 1966 and 1967, Little appeared in ABC-TV's Judy Carne sitcom Love on a Rooftop as the Willises' eccentric neighbor, Stan Parker. Little was a frequent guest on variety and talk shows. He cracked up Johnny Carson by capturing the Tonight Show host's voice and many on-stage mannerisms perfectly (he later played Carson in the HBO TV-movie The Late Shift). One of his best known impressions is of U.S. President Richard Nixon. (In 1991 he reprised the role of Nixon as ideal sperm donors in Gina's fantasies on the soap opera Santa Barbara.) During the 1970s, Little made many television appearances portraying Nixon. He was a regular guest on the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts in the 1970s and was also a semi-regular on the Emmy-winning ABC-TV variety series The Julie Andrews Hour in 1972-1973. This particular series proved to be a wonderful showcase for Little's talents as an impressionist. In fact, because of his uncanny yet brilliant imitation of Jack Benny, the comedian sent Little an 18-carat gold money clip containing this message: "With Bob Hope doing my walk and you doing my voice, I can be a star and do nothing." He was named "Comedy Star of the Year" by the American Guild of Variety Artists in 1974.
His best-known continuing TV series was The Kopycats, hour-long segments of The ABC Comedy Hour, first broadcast in 1972. Taped in England, these comedy-variety shows consisted entirely of celebrity impersonations, with the actors in full costume and makeup for every sketch. The cast included Rich Little, Frank Gorshin, Marilyn Michaels, George Kirby, British comedian Joe Baker, Fred Travalena, Charlie Callas, and Peter Goodwright.

The Rich Little Show (1976) and The New You Asked for It (1981) were attempts to present Little in his own person, away from his gallery of characterizations.

Little has starred in various HBO specials including the 1978 one-man show, Rich Little's Christmas Carol. He has also appeared in several movies and released nine albums. When David Niven proved too ill for his voice to be used in his appearances in Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) and Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), Little provided the overdub. (Ironically, Little provided the voice for the Pink Panther cartoon character in an experimental 1965 episode.) He rendered similar assistance for the 1991 TV special Christmas at the Movies by providing an uncredited dub for the aging actor/dancer Gene Kelly. As a native Canadian, he also lent his voice to the narration of two specials which were the forerunners for the animated series The Raccoons: The Christmas Raccoons and The Raccoons on Ice.[1]

Little was the host for the 2007 White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Although President George W. Bush was reported to have enjoyed Little's performance, it was panned by some reviewers for "his ancient jokes and impressions of dead people (Johnny Carson, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan)."[2][3][4]

Little voices as a guest star in Futurama such as Futurama: Bender's Game, playing his own celebrity head: "Rich Little here, as Howard Cosell." Many times he plays a sports commentator.

9/20 Larry Manetti talks with Tim Conway!

noreply@blogger.com — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:22:02 PDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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