48th Annual
Sunday March 28, 2010
Official Countdown To Telethon 2010:
We Introduce the 2010 Telethon National Cast
Members that will "HELP OUR KIDS SMILE"!!
It is one thing to be called "The Best" by all the entertainment critics, but it is the ultimate to be called "The Best" by your peers. Such is the case for Bob Anderson, the personable entertainer that People Magazine named, "The Best Singing Impressionist in America." Bob is not just an impressionist, he is a singer, a comic, a consummate entertainer. His appearances have taken him to the top venues around the world; Monte Carlo, Paris, Rome, London, Helsinki, Athens, Stockholm, Geneva, Zurich, Barcelona, Sydney, Dubai, as well as the elegant Plaza Hotel in New York City, and every major resort in Vegas, Reno,Tahoe, and Atlantic City. Bob has appeared on over 200 national television shows from Johnny Carson to David Letterman and all the rest. His foreign television appearances have allowed him to perform at the finest venues all over the world.
Anderson grew up in Warren Michigan, a suburb of Detroit with five brothers, two sisters and a mother and father who were all good singers and loved music as much as he himself. At the age of 14 Bob was one of four brothers singing harmony at all the local weddings and USO shows they could find. The Anderson brothers managed to get on a number of radio and television shows in the Detroit area. Many of his relatives on his mother's side were accomplished musicians who worked the local bars and supper clubs around Detroit. By his senior year of high school, Bob started sitting in with his cousins on the week-ends in a few local clubs.
After graduating from High School, Anderson was drafted into the Vietnam War. He spent 14 months with the 4th Infantry Division as a Platoon Leader in the jungles of South Vietnam. The Vietnam experience left him a little confused and undecided about his future. But shortly after his return, Bob was offered a job to front a show band called "The Bobby Charles Show." Bob toured with the band from Alabama to New York in many of the supper clubs along the east coast. Shortly after that tour, Bob decided to leave the band and go it alone.
Anderson was a Vietnam veteran with long hair, open shirts and one huge peace-sign for a belt buckle. His exterior wasn't so much a reflection of protest as it was inner turmoil over what to do with his future. Bob decided to get away for a while and took a drive out west. After 3 days of driving and sleeping in his old Volkswagon Bug, he wound up in Las Vegas. After being in Las Vegas for just a few days, he was in the right place at the right time. Bob met a journalist named Mark Tan who was a close friend of Nancy Sinatra. Mark took Bob to the Sahara Hotel to attend one of Nancy's rehearsals. As it turned out Nancy was looking for a singer to join the show. Bob asked if he could sing a song for Nancy. He sang and was offered the spot in her show. "It all happened so fast. I opened with Nancy at the Sahara Hotel, the very same evening I met her. I didn't even have any charts. That same afternoon, Billy Strange, Nancy's conductor and a producer for a number of her father's works, wrote a couple charts for me to sing for that evenings show. Nancy introduced me as a Vietnam Veteran who she had just met. The audience response was overwhelming! After a week at the Sahara, she took me on tour with her and I got the feeling that I was actually in show business."
A couple of weeks later, Nancy took the young singer with her for his first appearance on The Merv Griffin Show. She told the story of how they met and Bob sang a song. One week later, Paul Anka brought Bob back on Griffin's show and told Merv he was going to work with Bob and help develop his career. "After my second appearance on his show, Merv took me aside and told me I needed an act before returning to the show." Griffin told the young singer, "We like you, but you have to have a reason for being on the show. You have to have a hit record, or be in the movies, or write a book, or something!" That was his last appearance on Merv's show for about 2 years.
Following his stint with Nancy Sinatra, Bob moved back to Detroit for a short time and then east to New York where he lived in Manhattan, studied voice, and hung out in the local jazz clubs before moving to Los Angeles. While in Los Angeles, Joan Rivers offered Bob a job opening for her at the top spot in Beverly Hills, a small nightclub called, "The Ye' Little Club." After that engagement Bob moved to "The Plaza Four" in Century City for a 6 month run. One evening Merv Griffin stopped by to catch Bob's performance. The talk show host invited Bob to his home for a party. "This was when Merv Griffin was Mr. Hollywood. There had to be 300 people at his home. It was a who's who of show biz giants."
"At one point, Merv sat down at the piano and asked me to sing a couple of songs with him. Not many people were paying attention. It was just a huge party and there were a lot of things going on. I started singing and out of nowhere I started singing the songs like the people who made them famous. That was very easy to me because that is how I learned to sing. Growing up I would listen to the best singers of the day and sing along with them day after day. I thought if I could sound close to anyone of them it would be great. I never did impressions of anyone in my life. Within 10 minutes you could hear a pin drop on the carpet and I was taking requests. You see at the time all the impressionists in show business were doing actors and politicians, no one was doing singing impressions of the greats. Bobby Darin and Sammy Davis Jr. performed a short bit of singing impressions in their shows that were caricatures of their friends." Merv turned to me and said, "We found your act! You're gonna be The Singing Impressionist!"
The next day, Merv Griffin wrote a 6 minute piece for Bob and brought the newly labeled impressionist back to Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas for his next taping. Merv introduced the young man as "The Singing Impressionist." On that show, Bob performed his impressions of Andy Williams, Steve Lawrence, Sammy Davis Jr., Tom Jones and Johnny Mathis. The audience gave the new young impressionist a standing ovation and his career was off and running.
After seeing that performance, Johnny Carson requested an appearance on his late night show. His first time on The Tonight Show, Bob did a record 15 minute spot and received one of the few standing ovations in the history of the show. That first appearance was on a Monday. Johnny was so impressed he invited Bob back for another appearance on Thursday, just three days later. Bob is the only entertainer to appear as a guest twice in the same week on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. This made Bob a regular on the TV talk show circuit.
With all this television exposure, the Dune's Hotel in Las Vegas offered Anderson a 2 week contract at The Top of the Dunes. That engagement turned into 156 weeks of sold out performances. Bob added a late night show at 2 in the morning that became a hangout for the Vegas stars. Nightly, the biggest names in show business would drop by to enjoy each others company and most evenings join Bob on stage. Bob performed at the Dune's Hotel 40 weeks a year for the next 12 years and it became the "In" spot in Vegas.
After the Dunes, Bob started working with all the major stars in Las Vegas like; Johnny Carson, Bill Cosby, George Burns, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Jerry Lewis, Dom DeLuise, Sammy Davis Jr., Shirley Bassey, Shirley MacLaine, Lola Falana and many others. With all his acclaim, it is no surprise, when in January of the new Millennium, the Las Vegas Review Journal (Nevada's largest daily newspaper) asked its readers to name their all-time favorite performers of the last 50 years. Anderson came in at number 12, smack in between Barbra Streisand and Ray Charles. Here is the list of the top 20: 1. Frank Sinatra, 2. Sammy Davis Jr., 3. Dean Martin, 4. Tom Jones, 5. Elvis Presley, 6. Paul Anka, 7. Johnny Mathis, 8. Andy Williams, 9. Wayne Newton, 10. Tony Bennett, 11. Barbra Streisand, 12. Bob Anderson, 13. Ray Charles, 14.Liberace, 15. Jimmy Durante, 16. Tony Orlando, 17. Judy Garland, 18. Robert Goulet, 19. Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, 20. Shecky Green.
In 2002, Bob was inducted into the Casino Legends Hall of Fame in Las Vegas.
Throughout his carrier, Bob has been asked to perform at many of the most elegant Black Tie events in show business; the Friar's Club Roasts for Kirk Douglas, Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, President Ford, Tony Bennett, Milton Berle and others. Bob headlined the Friars Club's 50th Anniversary in Beverly Hills. Other performances included the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York for an audience of world leaders and dignitaries in a special dinner for Henry Kissinger, a number of engagements at New York's favorite hangout, The Tavern On The Green, a performance for the Kennedy Center Awards in Washington D.C., and 6 Holiday seasons from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, at the world famous Plaza Hotel in New York City.
Bob has a thousand family members and friends back in Michigan where he married his high school sweetheart, Karen. They have two children, Carrie and Matt. In 2004, Bob and Karen relocated to Branson Missouri where he appears 6 months of the year at The Dick Clark American Bandstand Theatre in "Club 57" Branson's only supper club. Four other months of the year he is on tour. Carrie and Matt moved on to South Carolina.
Bob Anderson is one of a handful of nightclub entertainers left in show business. His show is a tribute to the composers, arrangers, musicians and singers of "The Golden Age of Music." When you call the Telethon to make your donation and want to say hi to Bob, well, you never know who might say Thank You!
THE BEST SINGING
INPRESSIONSIT IN AMERICA
BOB ANDERSON
www.bobanderson.com
SHOW DOG NASHVILLE COUNTY PERFORMER
MICA ROBERTS
From the #1 ABC Daytime soap opera, GENERAL HOSPITAL, Brandon Barash returns for his third year to help the 48th annual Variety Kids Telethon.
In October 2007, Brandon Barash joined the cast of "General Hospital" in the role of Johnny Zacchara, the brooding, rebellious son of a mob boss based in New York City who has come to Port Charles to wreak havoc on the town's residents. Johnny's tortured past makes him a wild card, but a select few have witnessed his softer side.
A graduate of the acclaimed theater program at the University of Southern California, Barash has quickly amassed an impressive list of television credits, including "Tell Me You Love Me," "NCIS," "24," "Gilmore Girls" and "The West Wing."
In addition, Barash was recently named the National Celebrity Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. His efforts with the charity include auctioning off his photography and donating profits to MDA, speaking out on their behalf, and traveling across the country to meet with the MDA board members, donors and affected families. In addition, Barash has performed and co-hosted the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.
Born in St. Louis and raised in California, Barash currently resides in Los Angeles. In his spare time, he likes to acquaint himself with nature, jumping out of airplanes and taking solo expeditions to Alaska. In addition he enjoys photography, painting, singing, writing and listening to music, as well as playing the piano and harmonica. He's always up for a competitive game of baseball, basketball or racquetball, as well as for another favorite pastime... eating great food!
Look for Brandon to sing his heart out for the kids, answer your questions about General Hospital during the Telethon on Sunday March 28, sign autographs during the 5th Annual Concert with The Stars at Bishop Timon-St. Jude Auditorium, on Saturday March 27,and appear at the Galleria Mall Sunday March 28 on the lower level in front of Macy's from 11:30am-1:00pm.
JOHNNY ZACCHARA IN
PORT CHARLES, NEW YORK
BRANDON BARASH
In 2008, Singer Neal. E. Boyd won the hearts and votes of millions of Americans. Appearing as a contestant on the wildly popular NBC television program, America's Got Talent," he was chosen by the viewing audience of American people, and after nine weeks of eliminations, was named the winner of America's Got Talent. His first CD release on Decca Records, "My American Dream," illustrates his positive influences through music. With his talent and compelling life story, he hopes to inspire others to achieve their dreams.
Neal's powerful tenor voice had audiences in awe as he sang a variety of music, from his moving rendition of Puccini's "Nessun Dorma," to "Mama" and "Somewhere" (from West Side Story.) His stirring version of "God Bless the USA", and his top four videos have cumulatively earned more than 1.1 million "hits" (and still counting) on Youtube.
As a young boy Neal's musical tastes varied from Motown to the Beatles to Billy Joel. His love of opera happened by chance when his older brother was given a school assignment, as punishment, to listen to The Three Tenors. As Neal himself states, "hearing the voices of Placido Domingo, Luciana Pavarotti, and Jose Carreras, changed my heart and their voices blew me away. Even though they were singing operatic arias in Italian and Spanish" he recalls, "I realized that I didn't need to understand the words to understand the music."
This gifted singer - with his warmth, compassion and glorious talent - wishes to bring his music and message to audiences across America and internationally. Neal illustrates the idea that with self sacrifice, hard work and support from a loving family, anyone can find their own success. On the show (which was first in the ratings all summer) Neal repeatedly spoke of his mother's support and his love for her and his family. He felt this love and support were what ultimately pushed him to follow his dreams of a singing career.
Neal's numerous successes outside of music include earning two bachelor degrees, one in speech communications at Southeast Missouri State, and one in music from The University of Missouri, Columbia. While in college, he interned at the state capitol in Jefferson, Missouri, where many state and local officials named Neal "The Voice of Missouri" for his numerous appearances at prominent state-wide events. Neal also received a master's degree from The University of Phoenix, in management.
Ultimately, Neal went on to teach in his hometown of Sikeston, MO. During this time he won the prestigious Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Vocal Collegiate Championship. The award included a performance on the stage at Carnegie Hall, where he is certain to return. He went on to study opera at the highly respected New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
In addition to his many public performances, Neal has a strong commitment to the nation's men and women in uniform, which he demonstrates by performing at numerous military bases across the country. His patriotism is reflected in several numbers he includes in his performance.
His millions of fans, as well as those who have never heard him perform, will be thrilled to hear his wide repertoire of songs, including the classics he sang on America's Got Talent.
This page last modified on Thursday, March 11, 2010
For information on Variety - The Children's Charity of Buffalo & Western New York,
Please call us at (716) 854-7577 or e-mail us at:
vcstaff@varietykidstelethon.com
THE BEST ELVIS IN THE WORLD...
TERRY BUCHWALD
TERRY BUCHWALD returns for his sixth year as a member of the national cast. Terry has been a part of the Variety Kids Telethon for over 15 years.
Terry is a well-known tribute artist and recording artist from Western New York, who has earned the distinction of being named one of the top tribute artists in the United States by the LA Times. Audiences across the nation are astonished by his dynamic voice and striking resemblance to Elvis. By all accounts, Terry has the looks, the moves and the voice of the legendary "King."
In October of 1991, Terry unexpectedly found himself on stage with a local band, launching what has rapidly grown to be a professionally greater accomplishment that he could have ever imagined.
More than twenty thousand (20,000) scarves later, he has sold over 40,000 CDs and has "opened up" for national acts such as Lee Greenwood, Diamond Rio, Montgomery Gentry, Rick Springfield, Jim Brickman, Sixpence None the Richer, Johnny Rivers, Grassroots and the Charlie Daniels Band, to name a few. Terry has performed for such celebrity functions as: Post Production Party for Disney's 2005 CBS Elvis Mini-Series; Emmy Award Cast Party for the TV show, Ally McBeal and The Practice in Hollywood, CA; WNY Make a Wish Foundation's "An Evening With the Stars," hosted by Kathy Lee Gifford; NYS Governor Pataki's New Years Eve Ball; Former Buffalo Bills Quarterback, Jim Kelly's NFL/ESPN Retirement Party; New York City and Boston Marathon post-race parties; Alan Thicke Celebrity Classic; Anheuser-Busch Summer Tour; NFL Superbowl Parties; and NHL All-Star Benefits. These performances have taken Terry to many major cities in the United States and Canada, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Hollywood, New York City and Toronto. He has also performed in countries as far away as Japan, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
Terry's national television appearances include: the annual Variety Kids Telethon in Buffalo, New York of which he is part of the national cast; Your Big Break, a Dick Clark production; Doc, a PAX TV hit sitcom starring Billy Ray Cyrus; and U's Place, a Fox 29 children's show.
Locally, Terry's concerts and appearances are broadcast frequently on TV stations in upstate New York and Western Pennsylvania. Recently he was the subject of a three part ABC Special on Buffalo's Channel 7 News. He is also a spokesman, guest DJ and entertainer for Buffalo radio stations, 104.1, 97 Rock, Star 102 and Kiss 98.5. Frequently, area listeners hear him on commercials and voice-overs.
The Buffalo Music Awards have awarded Terry Top Solo Artist for 2002 and Top Show Band for 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Terry takes part in volunteer work, charities, fundraisers and awareness events for organizations such as Variety-The Children's Charity of Buffalo & Western New York; Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo, Make A Wish Foundation, Children's Miracle Network, United Cerebral Palsy, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Muscular Dystrophy Association, AIDS Rochester and Hospice.
Terry has recorded four CDs which have hit the shelves of 13 Walmart stores, Sam's Club, Borders and Barnes and Noble. He is the first local artist to ever sell CDs in Walmart stores. He has sold 40,000 of his CDs: TCB, Big Hunk 'O Love, Home for Christmas and Good Rockin' then and now. His fans are awaiting the release of his next CD.
Look for Terry to do some of his crowd pleasing Elvis songs and also watch as he performs some pop and soft rock with a little bit of country thrown in. Terry has a heart of gold and will help take care of business for our kids.
Chief Dan Daly is a 24-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department. On September 11, 2001, he responded to Ground Zero. What he saw there on that day, and the days and months to follow, changed his life forever. Dan worked extensively at Ground Zero and received the New York State Senate Liberty Medal.
Though the tragedy of 9/11 was evident to all, Dan found the true legacy of 9/11 to be one of teamwork, compassion and the power of the human spirit.
Since that day, Dan has shared his message of peace, hope and tolerance around the world. At the request of the United States Department of State, he has given presentations in over 100 cities from Nicaragua to Nepal and Canada to Chile. His presentations have included such topics as anti- terrorism, preparedness, fire safety, tolerance, leadership and the need for all nations to work together for peace. His current initiative is "the five golden keys to a successful life" which focuses on young people.
On that tragic day of September 11, 2001, Dan lost 343 fellow firefighters, including his lifelong friend, firefighter Steve Belson. Because of this, it has become Dan's personal mission to work towards the prevention of acts like these in the future.
Dan was born in London, England and is a graduate of Lehman College in New York City. He worked as a school teacher in New York City before joining the FDNY in 1978. He is both an airplane pilot and rated sea captain. While a member of the New York City Fire Department, Dan was appointed as the equal opportunity officer for all 15,000 members of the department. In this capacity, Dan was responsible for handling all cases of discrimination and harassment, as well as training all staff in proper equal employment opportunity protocols. Dan has received a certificate in EEO training from Cornell University. Dan is a member of Toastmasters International and the National Speakers Association.
In 2002, Chief Daly retired from the New York City Fire Department. Currently Dan volunteers his time working with the Children's Wish Foundation, Prison Ministries and Disabled American Vets from Iraq and Afghanistan. Dan's new initiative called "the five golden keys" is focused on the youth of our country. He speaks to both grammar and high school students on leadership, initiative and responsibility, as well as avoidance of violence, drugs and alcohol. He continues to give his presentations globally for the educational and cultural affairs program of the department of state as well as other organizations.
In adidition to Chief Daly being on the Telethon, he will join the West Seneca Volunteer Fire Departments as they raise money during their annual Fill The Boot campaign on Sunday March 21 at various intersections in the town. On Saturday March 27, Chief Daly will join members of the Southline Fire Department on French Road in Cheektowaga as they Fill The Boot for Variety's Kids.
9/11 FIRST RESPONDER
FDNY FIRE CHIEF
DAN DALY
THE GURU OF.....OOOOH IT'S SO GOOD!
MR. FOOD
From Eyewitness News at Noon & 5pm� the Guru of Ohhh It's Soo Good, "MR. FOOD" (aka Art Ginsburg) makes his annual appearance for the kids. Mr. Food has been appealing to viewers at home to make those important pledges for the children for 18 years and this Telethon is one of only two events nationally that he makes sure that he does each year. Mr. Food will be anchoring the Corporate Match segments of the Telethon. These segments give viewers the chance to double their dollars as generous WNY companies offer to match up to a certain amount. In addition to his work on the day of the Telethon something's simmering at Salvatore's Italian Gardens in Lancaster as everyone is invited to "Lunch with Mr. Food!" on Saturday March 27th at 11:00am. Your $35 donation entitles you to lunch featuring recipes from Mr. Food, a Mr. Food cookbook, and lots of prizes. You can win big at the Chinese Auction, and get to meet Mr. Food! Get your reservations before they sell out by calling 854-7577.
Hugely popular and beloved by millions, MR. FOOD is an original. He was the first TV chef to promote practical, "anybody can do it" cooking and food preparation solutions, and, after more than 30 years of sharing his unique brand of quick 'n' easy food tips and recipes with viewers across the country, MR. FOOD continues to find fresh ideas for cooking up fun in the kitchen.
Art Ginsburg developed the MR. FOOD entity that has been a trusted name in media syndication as well as the consumer marketplace for more than a quarter of a century. With beginnings as a butcher with a flair for theatre, Art's "MR. FOOD story" began with his local television debut in 1975. Before long, MR. FOOD burst onto television screens across the Northeast in his self-syndicated, appealing 90-second food vignette. Rave reviews poured in! By 1982, King World took notice of MR. FOOD and brought him on as a client. (King World now syndicates such well-known television shows as "Oprah," "Jeopardy," and "Wheel of Fortune.") Today, the MR. FOOD vignette is syndicated by CBS/King World to affiliates in more than 130 television markets across the country, including our very own WKBW-TV Channel 7, bringing MR. FOOD into the homes of more than 6 million loyal fans daily.
The broad mass appeal of MR. FOOD led to a cookbook contract with William Morrow & Company in 1989. Now, with a track record of more than 40 MR. FOOD cookbooks, the MR. FOOD group has relationships with publishers HarperCollins, Oxmoor House (a division of AOL Time Warner), and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) - with MR. FOOD diabetes cookbooks ranking among the all-time top-selling ADA consumer books from all categories!
With the television food vignettes and the cookbooks, a true American brand was born. In 1993, MR. FOOD went to QVC, where the increasingly popular brand was responsible for more than 25 million dollars in cookbook sales. As a result of the enormous success and growing credibility of the MR. FOOD brand, the MR. FOOD licensing division was launched in 1995. The MR. FOOD image became synonymously associated with quality product endorsements adhering to the no-nonsense "quick 'n' easy" MR. FOOD philosophy.
The MR. FOOD group now has to its credit a high-profile consumer Web site, www.mrfood.com, offering recipes, information, cookbooks and food-related products adhering to the MR. FOOD no-nonsense food preparation philosophy, in addition to a popular recipe continuity program, produced and distributed by Oxmoor House. The MR. FOOD brand has become well-known to manufacturers and councils desiring to align themselves with a credible, trusted spokesperson who values quality and maintains exceptional standards.
MR. FOOD provides viewers, readers, and fans with the information they need to become heroes in their own kitchens. He knows that busy lifestyles require practical mealtime solutions, and he continues to provide creative ideas and fool-proof, tasty recipes that use only readily available ingredients. Anyone can prepare and enjoy MR. FOOD recipes. That's because MR. FOOD stands for value, great taste, and quick 'n' easy practicality.
FROM THE SMALL SCREEN TO THE BIG SCREEN TO BROADWAY...
ILENE GRAFF
Returning to the Variety Kids Telethon for her sixth straight year, is ILENE GRAFF. Irene has been a favorite of Variety volunteers and viewers alike when she embraced the Telethon and became "Varietized" in the late 80's and early 90's.
Ilene Graff is a Grammy-nominated recording artist best known to audiences as Marsha Owens, the mom on the long running ABC comedy Mr. Belvedere. She made her professional Broadway debut years earlier on the musical stage in Promises Promises, the Neil Simon, Bacharach/David hit, where she understudied the leading lady and sang backups from the orchestra pit. She performed the role of Fran Kubelik in New York a dozen times before starring in the National Tour.
Ilene went on to play Sandy for two years in the Broadway production of Grease, but her biggest Broadway triumph was creating the role of Cleo in the Cy Coleman, Michael Stewart musical comedy hit I Love My Wife, directed by Tony Award winner Gene Saks. She can be heard on the show's Original Cast Album. Other theatre credits include: Charley's Aunt with Charles Grodin, Cabaret as Sally Bowles, Annie Get Your Gun as Annie Oakley, and Over Here directed by Mr. Belvedere himself, Christopher Hewett. Ilene created the role of Donna in the world premiere of composer/arranger/producer husband Ben Lanzarone's musical, You and Me, with book and lyrics by Lloyd J. Schwartz; she won the Artistic Directors' Award of the Valley Theatre League for her performance. She had the thrill of performing the role of Mama Rose in a Los Angeles revival of Gypsy as well as entertaining Jerry Herman himself at a performance of Jerry's Girls. L.A. theatre goers also enjoyed Ilene in 2 productions of Neil Simon's I Ought To Be In Pictures; one with Richard Kline and most recently with Greg Mullavey and Amy Davidson.
In addition to playing the role of Bob Uecker's wife on Mr. Belvedere, Ilene starred in two other series, several pilots, and guest starred on many episodic TV shows, MOWs and mini-series. She currently co-stars in the feature film Loving Annabelle, which is playing to rave reviews and sold-out houses on the festival circuit, as well as the Korean-American smash, My Father, and the upcoming The Things We Carry. Ilene shared the screen with Rodney Dangerfield in the feature film Ladybugs, and is very proud to have co-starred in ABC/Disney's South Pacific, working with Glenn Close and Harry Connick, Jr.
Ilene co-hosts Variety Club Children's Charities Telethons in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Iowa and Buffalo and has been proud to perform at fund raising events for many worthwhile causes. She has also sung The National Anthem for The Los Angeles Dodgers, The Angels, The Clippers and The Los Angeles Kings. She's performed her act throughout south Florida and on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line as well as performing in concert for The Actors' Fund in programs saluting Kander and Ebb, Cy Coleman and Jule Styne. Ilene recently headlined at The Canyon Club, one of Los Angeles' largest concert venues, at Sterling's nightclub, also in Los Angeles, and had a sold-out engagement at the Metropolitan Room in Manhattan where she will be singing again on March 1st.
Ilene is also an author, and her new book, co-written with Michele Gendelman and Donna Rosenstein, "What The Other Mothers Know," published by HarperCollins, is available online and in bookstores everywhere (www.whattheothermothersknow.com).
Ilene is a native New Yorker who graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Drama. She and husband Ben Lanzarone met while working in the Broadway production of Grease, where Ben was Musical Director. Ben serves as Ilene's Musical Director, arranger, co-producer and accompanist. Their Grammy-nominated CD, Baby's Broadway Lullabies is a collection of beautiful theatre songs arranged especially for sleepytime and is available on her website, www.ilenegraff.com. Their daughter Nikka Graff Lanzarone, a Musical Theater graduate of the Boston Conservatory, is currently performing in the New York metropolitan area and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ilene will dazzle and captivate viewers into making the phones ring for Variety's special kids
ONTARIO CANADA'S FEMALE ARTIST
OF THE YEAR
SARAH PACHECO
"Talented. A class act." is what music legend Tony Bennett remarked after hearing SARAH sing. It's not hard to see why Sarah Pacheco's debut album On Broadway established her as one of music's most exciting new discoveries. Her songs offer deeply compelling evocations of love, loss and heartache, while her voice offers a level of emotional authority and technical fluency that one expects from a veteran performer. She draws elements from pop, jazz and stage musicals delivered with expressive vocals that are both sensitive and seductive. The public voted her winner of the Ontario People's Choice Award for Female Artist Of The Year for two consecutive years. Now the annual Variety Kids Telethon will hear and see what our neighbors to the north and around the world have enjoyed for years.
SARAH sang on the Blue Jays album Salute To The Champions (Sony Music) that achieved gold record status. Her other accomplishments include winning first place at three European song festivals: The Children's Song Festival, 14th Gala International Small Singers sponsored by Unicef, and Festival de Jovem where she sang the winning song to a viewing audience of over 35 million people. In Canada, she has won Peel Music Festival awards and received The Arts Acclaim Award for excellence.
She is garnering international acclaim offering audiences something completely unique�herself. It's a quality that comes across not only in the dynamics and diversity of her repertoire but also in the captivating charm and poise of this singing sensation. Sarah performs in Europe, Canada, the Caribbean and the West Indies. She has entertained at Molson Amphitheatre, on the main stage at Paramount's Canada Wonderland theme park and headlined at Stage West Theatre - Home of The Stars. She has been a guest singer at events in arenas such as Copps Coliseum and has been invited several times to Summerfest sponsored by CIRV-FM 88.9 and Labatts Brewery that attracts over 15,000 people.
SARAH has performed with several symphonies including the Mississauga Philharmonic Orchestra (Canada), Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Copenhagen), Encore Symphony Orchestra (North America), Gala Orchestra (Denmark), in addition to appearances with the Porto Philharmonic Orchestra (Azores /Portugal). The repertoire is a blend of standards, Broadway, jazz and contemporary pop music. Quality material. "In my view, there are two kinds of music," says SARAH "There's the cookie cutter type that's mediocre, and has to be pushed on people and that cheapens the listening experience. Then, there's the well crafted music that's transcendent and draws people to it -that's great music and it involves the essence of listening to it, discovering it, exploring it's meaning and beauty and how it expresses our life's experiences in the notes and spaces."
Major corporations that have engaged her to perform at their conventions include: Toastmasters, Sol Portugues Newspaper and WAL-MART the world's largest retail and marketing giant hired her to perform at several of its conventions. WAL-MART also invited her to sing at their event the 2005 Walk For Miracles televised on CFTO-TV to over 3 million people and raised $1.6 million for The Sick Kids Foundation. SARAH still finds time to appear in films such as The Man Who Saved Christmas starring Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) and featured her voice in commercials. Many of her songs continue to receive airplay in the Portuguese-speaking world.
She has performed in Portugal including Penich's Seaside Festival to over 50,000 people. She has shared stages with international artists such as Scandinavian star Stig Rossen, Ireland's famous Celtic Tenors, Portugal's stars SantaMaria and Tony Carriera, Denmark's pop star Simone, Brazilian diva Carmen Silva, Canada's top selling classical crossover duo RyanDan and Las Vegas entertainer Matt Dusk. She entertained on the Allan Frew and Friends television show hosted by the Glass Tiger lead singer and was invited to be in the WAVE 94.7 FM sponsored jazz concert series. She has sung for Mayors, Premiers, three Canadian Prime Ministers and visiting dignitaries including the President of Portugal and several American governors leaving the audiences entranced by her performances.
Whether performing with a band or symphony orchestra, SARAH PACHECO communicates with passion, style and excitement. She lays claim to genuine talent and the ability to sing with conviction and emotion that touches listeners.
She's a small town girl with big city dreams. She's a working woman balancing a hectic career with lifelong aspirations. She's determined to make it in country music ... and yet she already makes country music work. She's Mica Roberts, and with the release of her new Show Dog Nashville single "Days You Live For," she's taking the next step on a journey that's long since taken her to the world's biggest stages. In a sense, Mica's musical endeavors have been running on parallel tracks for years, but are just now beginning to converge.
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a little strange," Roberts says. "Being a recording artist is something I've worked toward as long as I can remember. I've devoted so much of myself to that goal. At the same time, I have the best 'day job' in the world, without question. But I've got so much more to offer."
Roberts was raised in rural Locust Grove, Oklahoma, where music was her earliest passion. Blessed with a naturally soulful singing voice, she took every musical opportunity school provided and excelled at every one. Despite college scholarship offers, Mica was determined to embark on a career in music, and her dreams couldn't wait for a degree.
Loading up a trailer, Mica embarked on what she calls her "gypsy" period, performing anywhere and everywhere that would have her. But even as she played amusement parks, clubs, fairs and aboard a cruise ship, Music City beckoned. "Getting to Nashville, and staying in Nashville, meant doing whatever it takes," Roberts recalls. "I waited tables and sang in a local club, just trying to keep moving toward my goal."
Validation came in the form of a high profile gig singing background vocals for Faith Hill. Once again, Mica's voice led the way, and four years on the road with Hill led to work with Martina McBride, Jessica Andrews, Billy Bob Thornton and, eventually, fellow Oklahoman Toby Keith.
Joining Keith's Easy Money band in 2003 was a turning point, even more than she imagined. Long before Keith started his Show Dog label in 2006, he recognized Roberts' potential to step up to center stage, bringing her into the spotlight for duets and solos on a regular basis during his tours. That confidence took new significance two years later when Keith signed Mica to a recording contract. Her debut single "Things A Mama Don't Know" introduced Mica Roberts, the artist, to country fans and country radio.
Finding a balance between writing songs and taking care of business on tour put Mica in a position not uncommon in today's chaotic world. "I love my job," she says. "There's not a better person or boss in the world than Toby has been to me. I'm in my seventh year on the road, and it's like a family out here. But I don't get a lot of quiet time because I ride a bus with 11 boys. I'm in the dressing room. I'm doing radio promotions from 4pm on. After that I still have my night gig singing with Toby. So I'm not finished until midnight. But I'm such an observer of life and there's so much to see when you're on the road."
And so much to learn about oneself. It's that wisdom that's at work in her latest single, which had an unlikely genesis. "Regie Hamm and I were in the studio and he was asking me how things were going," Roberts explains. "And it was just one of the days where I was kind of frustrated in general and kind of at a loss about what to do. It started as, 'Oh my gosh, how many times can I get back up.' We started writing around that, but never planned to cut anything."
Hamm, who wrote David Cook's "Time Of My Life," brought in Lee Thomas Miller ("You're Gonna Miss This," "In Color"). As the three writers worked through the concept of days you live through versus days you live for, the song began to take shape. "We finished the lyrics and I got a call from Regie the next day saying he thought we were really on to something," Mica says. "He wanted to go ahead and cut a demo to pass on to Toby.
"We brought in some great players and I sang the vocal at about midnight once overdubs were finished. The next day I went out on the road with Toby, and Regie emailed me the song with a note that he thought it turned out great. I texted Toby and told him I had something for him to hear. He was like, 'Wow, is this the master?' And I said, 'It can be!' So Regie ended up as producer on the track, and a week to the day that we first sat down to write, the label decided it would be a single and sent it for mastering. It's just one of those things that's meant to be. Every once in a while, God reaches down and says, 'Here you go.'"
And off she goes. Mica has solo dates planned for the fall, a European tour with Toby set for November and, most importantly, an emotionally honest new single with which to tell her story to country fans. And it's a pretty safe bet that music lovers will appreciate the soulfulness in her voice, the truth in her writing and the uniquely country perspective of a woman who knows hard work, never gives up and finds inspiration in the world around her.
MULTI PLATINUM SELLING COUNTRY ARTIST
MARK WILLS
Mark Wills, the multi-platinum selling country star, is living the newest chapter in his career with newfound passion, energy, joy, and abandon. Mark brings all of that and his heart to the 48th annual Variety Kids Telethon.
The award winning Mark Wills has scored 8 top 10 hits and has made a name for himself as the gifted interpreter of such tender sentiments as "Wish You Were Here" and "Don't Laugh At Me." The Academy of Country Music's Top New Male Vocalist of 1999 has staked his claim as one of country music's top male performers by carving out a niche for himself by creating his own moving renditions of such R&B love songs as "Back At One" and "Almost Doesn't Count." His hit-packed musical legacy includes his unforgetable ballads "Places I've Never Been," "I Do (Cherish You)", and "She's In Love."
"I still love all those songs, and they are a true representation of a major part of who I am", Wills comments. "They're great songs that I'm very proud of". But on my new album, 'Familiar Stranger', I have a chance to show the other side of my personality. The side that rocks!!! My new album is by far the best well-rounded portrait of me ever as an artist."
"The new music is going to impact my live show, giving me several new high energy songs and more opportunities to make the show even more entertaining. It's going to be fun for sure. Playing live for the fans has always been my greatest thrill."
Born in 1973, Mark was raised in Blue Ridge, GA. As a young boy, Mark was a fan of country stars such as Alabama and Ronnie Milsap, as well as some of the rock acts of the day such as Poison, Bon Jovi and Motley Crue. After winning a local talent contest at age 17, Mark announced to his parents that he was moving to the big city of Atlanta to follow his dream.
Mark Wills found both personal and professional success in Georgia's capital city. He adopted his stage name because there was another country singer named "Williams" in Atlanta. Then he became the "house" entertainer for five years at the famed Buckboard nightclub, where he met his wife Kelly. They married in 1996, which was the same year that the upbeat "Jacob's Ladder" jump-started his country career. That single was followed by a string of Top 10 smashes. His 1998 album Wish You Were Here went Platinum and Permanently (2000) then went Gold.
With its heartfelt message of tolerance and charity, the Mark Wills hit "Don't Laugh At Me" garnered nominations from the Country Music Association for Single, Song, and Video of the Year in 1998. The same year, Mark and Kelly's first daughter Mally was born. Again, career success dovetailed with personal happiness.
In 1999, Wills took home the Academy of Country Music's coveted award for Top New Male Vocalist. A year later Mark was chosen as the voice of Huck Finn in the star-studded animated feature film Tom Sawyer. Two of his musical performances also appeared on the soundtrack.
In the new millennium, his career heated up again. In 2002, his bopping, fun-loving single "19 Somethin'" spent six weeks at No. 1 on the charts. At year's end, both Billboard and Radio & Records magazines named it the top country hit of the year. Then in 2003, the family welcomed second daughter, Macey.
Later that year, Mark Wills signed up to entertain our military troops overseas and has returned each year since then. Mark has traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea and has made numerous military appearances all across America. "I am so fortunate to be able to play music around the world, and it is all because the men and women in our military risk their lives to protect our freedom. It is a way for me to say thanks and hopefully, for a moment, help them forget that their lives are in danger and they are away from their loved ones.
In 2004 Wills sang "Fooled Around And Fell In Love" on the tribute album Southern Rock Country Style. He released his first live album in 2005. Then came a surprise: a No. 1 downloaded track on iTunes in 2006. It was his version of "What Hurts The Most". A track from his three-year-old album And The Crowd Goes Wild. When fans went in search of the chart-topping remake by Rascal Flatts, they discovered Wills' original recording of the song and downloaded his version instead.
Mark is one of these people whose appetite for life surpasses what most people can only dream of - there are so many things that this guy has going on, it's almost exhausting just hearing about it - let alone living it! However, more than anything else Mark Wills is an 'artist.' And beyond that - a great singer. And when the book is written 20 or 30 years from now, how does Mark want to be remembered? Well, not by how many albums he sold... or how long his hits stayed at number one. Mark says it very clearly and simply. It's all about the voice. "I don't really care about the numbers game," he says. I just want to be remembered as a great singer - someone who sang great songs."
