Thursday, January 29, 2009

Who is Elisabeth DelPadre Filarski?


Who is Elisabeth DelPadre Filarski? The world knows her as Elisabeth Hasselbeck,she is an American former reality show contestant of Survivor: The Australian Outback and current co-host on the United States daytime talk show The View.

Hasselbeck was born May 28, 1977 in Cranston, Rhode Island. She is the daughter of Catholic-school teacher and lawyer Elizabeth DelPadre and architect Kenneth Filarski. She has one brother, Kenneth Jr, a judge and aspiring musician. As a child, she lived in Providence and Cranston, Rhode Island.
Hasselbeck was raised Catholic and attended St. Mary School in Cranston, followed by St. Mary Academy - Bay View in Riverside, Rhode Island where she graduated in 1995. She then attended Boston College where she captained the women's softball team for two seasons. With a concentration on large paintings and industrial design, Hasselbeck graduated with a Fine Arts degree in 1999.[5]
Hasselbeck started working for Puma in 1998, while attending Boston College. After graduation, she worked for Puma shoes as a member of its design team before her television career [5]. She traveled to Italy and Belize. Reports differ as to whether her travels were for researching Puma products or to teach in Belize.[6]

In 2001, Hasselbeck was cast in Survivor: The Australian Outback, and was originally a member of the Kucha tribe. She was the last remaining member of that tribe in the game before being voted off on Day 39 and finishing fourth overall. As her luxury item, she brought a self-made immunity headdress.
In 2001, Hasselbeck was a judge at the Miss Teen USA Pageant.[5] From 2002 to 2003 she hosted the Style Network's The Look for Less where she helped find stylish clothes for bargain prices.

In the past, Hasselbeck has been open about owing much of her career to the influence of her husband's family, particularly her father-in-law, Don Hasselbeck. Although Hasselbeck previously saw herself as a "behind the scenes" kind of person and not interested in career television, or playing pundit, her agent was eager to showcase her competitive client and she auditioned for The View.[7] In 2003, Hasselbeck was one of a number of women who guest-hosted to replace outgoing The View co-host Lisa Ling, who left the show at the end of 2002.






Hasselbeck typically represents the conservative position on The View.[8] However, Hasselbeck has said that she calls herself neither a conservative nor a liberal. Her parents had an independent political stance, never telling their children for whom they voted. She has stated that the term "conservative" does not define her as a person.[9]

When Presidential candidate John McCain appeared on The View on September 12, 2008, she openly expressed her intent to vote for him. On October 26, 2008, Hasselbeck appeared at Republican rallies in Florida, introducing Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.[10]






Hasselbeck has been involved in a number of heated political debates on The View, including but not limited to:
On August 2, 2006, Hasselbeck got into a heated debate in which she strongly opposed the Food and Drug Administration's plan to sell the "morning after pill" as an over-the-counter drug. Hasselbeck stated, "I believe that life begins at the moment of conception." She said the over-the-counter distribution of the pill should be banned even in cases of rape and incest, because "life still has value." Hasselbeck argued that advocates of the drug use the "rape or incest" exception as a "bait-and-switch" distraction from the goal of making it universally accessible. She argued if the "rape or incest" exception was all advocates cared about, they would not support its over-the-counter status.[11]

On May 23, 2007, Hasselbeck was involved in a heated on-air argument with co-host Rosie O'Donnell concerning the war in Iraq, which she supports and O'Donnell opposes. When O'Donnell rhetorically asked, "655,000 Iraqi civilians dead. Who are the terrorists?"[12] O'Donnell was criticized by conservative commentators for her question and she (O'Donnell) complained about Hasselbeck's unwillingness to defend O'Donnell's statements in the controversy that followed. Hasselbeck responded, "Defend your own insinuations" and responded that she shouldn't have to defend anyone else's words for them, especially when that person has a forum with which to present a defense.[13]
On May 23, 2007, actress Alicia Silverstone was a guest on The View. Moments before Silverstone entered, hosts Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck had the aforementioned heated argument regarding the Iraq war. The video segment shows Silverstone entering and walking past Hasselbeck to greet the other hosts. Though the interview continued normally and featured easy conversation between Silverstone and Hasselbeck, Access Hollywood deemed the act a deliberate snub. Hasselbeck later stated on the September 19 2007 episode of The View that Silverstone called and apologized for the incident. Hasselbeck said that Silverstone never meant to be rude, but was simply nervous when she walked on the stage and believed that incident was wrongly perceived by the media.

On October 3, 2007, Hasselbeck and The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg got into a discussion about Senator Hillary Clinton's proposal that the US Government provide a $5,000 savings bond for each child at birth. The conversation became heated when Hasselbeck stated it would lead to fewer abortions due to women wanting to keep the money.

On July 6, 2002, Filarski married her college boyfriend Tim Hasselbeck, a former quarterback in the NFL and the brother of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. The couple has a daughter born in 2005 and son born in 2007.[16] The couple is expecting a third child in August 2009.[17]
Hasselbeck is a supporter of breast cancer awareness initiatives. Her latest support of the cause comes in the form of an internet-only PSA on Celebrity Breast Cancer Diagnosis.[18]
more

Jacoba Fransisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders


Who is Jacoba Fransisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders? [1] The world knows her as Cobie Smulders, she is a Canadian actress and former international model, best known for her current role as Robin Scherbatsky on the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother.











Smulders was born 3 April 1982 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)to a Dutch father and a British mother. She was named after her Dutch grandaunt, 'Jacoba', for which she gained the nickname 'Cobie'.[2]

As a child Smulders wanted to be either a doctor or a marine biologist but started to gain an interest in acting in high school, appearing in several school productions. She finished high school in 2000 at Lord Byng Secondary School with high honors, being voted "Most Respected". Discovered by a modeling agency in her teens, she started to model internationally, including in locations such as New York City, the Caribbean, Paris, Japan, Milan, Greece, Africa and Germany.[3]
She can speak French fluently,[4] and currently resides in Los Angeles, California.[5]

On November 26, 2008, TV Guide reported that Smulders and boyfriend Taran Killam are expecting their first child in the spring of 2009. Her How I Met Your Mother co-star, Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Alyson Hannigan, is also pregnant.[6] [7] On January 28, 2009, it was announced that Smulders and Killam are engaged.[8]


Her first role was as a guest in the Showtime sci-fi series Jeremiah, and she has guest starred in numerous television series since, including a recurring part in The L Word.
Her first permanent series role was in the short-lived ABC series Veritas: The Quest; her second was the series for which she is most well-known, the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, where she plays television reporter Robin Scherbatsky, also a Canadian. more

Who is Kimberly Noel Kardashian?


Who is Kimberly Noel Kardashian? The world knows her as Kimberly Kardashian, she is an American celebutante, socialite, model, actress, apparel retailer,[1] and television personality. She is perhaps best known for her social life, sex tape scandal, and her role on the E! reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Kardashian was born October 21, 1980, she is of Armenian (father), Scottish and Dutch (mother) descent,[2] the daughter of attorney Robert Kardashian and Kris Jenner (née Houghton). Robert Kardashian, best known for being O. J. Simpson's lawyer during his murder trial, died on September 30, 2003.[3] Her mother, Kris, divorced Robert in 1989, and married former Olympian Bruce Jenner in 1991.[4]
Kardashian has two sisters, Kourtney and Khloe, and one brother, Robert. She also has stepbrothers Burton Jenner, Brandon Jenner, and reality TV star Brody Jenner, stepsister Casey Jenner, and half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner.[5] O.J. Simpson is Kardashian's godfather.[6]
While attending high school Kardashian worked at her father's music marketing firm, Movie Tunes.[1]


Kardashian starred in the 2008 film Disaster Movie as Lisa, alongside Carmen Electra and Vanessa Minnillo. The film, which spoofed disaster films, received negative reviews and had mild success at the box office. At end December 2008, after its DVD release, the movie was rated the 2nd worst film ever made at the Internet Movie Database.


Kardashian was one of thirteen participants on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars.[7] She was partnered with Current DWTS Champion Mark Ballas. Kardashian was the third contestant voted off the show on September 30, 2008.[8]



On May 2, 2008, Kardashian released a workout DVD, Workout with Kim Kardashian, and a set of workout cards with the help of trainer Kathy Kaehler.[9]
In July 2008, Kardashian announced on her personal blog that she is working on her own perfume line to be released in 2009.[10]



In 2007, a pornographic home video she had made with then-boyfriend, R&B singer Ray J, was leaked.[11] Vivid Entertainment was the distribution company against which Kardashian pursued legal action for ownership of the tape. Kardashian later dropped the suit and settled with Vivid Entertainment for US$ 5 million.[12]






In 2000, Kardashian married music producer Damon Thomas; their relationship ended in divorce in 2004. She began dating R&B music artist Ray J. This relationship ended soon after and, in 2007, she began dating NFL star Reggie Bush.[13] more

Who is Aaron Michael Heilman?

Who is Aaron Michael Heilman? Heilman is an American professional baseball player and pitcher for the Chicago Cubs in Major League Baseball (MLB). Heilman was drafted by the New York Mets out of Notre Dame in 2001. He came up through the Mets system as a starting pitcher but was converted to a relief pitcher in 2005. After the 2008 season, Heilman was traded to the Seattle Mariners, but was traded a month later to the Chicago Cubs.

Heilman was born November 12, 1978 in Logansport, Indiana and attended Logansport High School,[1] where he was a letterman in baseball. He led his team to two regional titles, and as a senior, was a team M.V.P. and an All-State selection. Heilman graduated from Logansport High School in 1997.[1]


After a successful college career at the University of Notre Dame, he was selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2001 amateur draft with the 18th overall pick. Heilman was a management information systems and philosophy major in the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.


Heilman made his major league debut at Shea Stadium on June 26, 2003 in a 6-1 loss to the Florida Marlins. He has pitched poorly as a starting pitcher, posting an ERA of 5.93 as a starter for 2003, 2004 and the beginning of 2005. Heilman's finest game came as a starter on April 15, 2005, when he made a start in place of the injured Kris Benson and pitched a one-hit complete game shutout. However, was converted to a relief pitcher for the rest of 2005 and excelled with an ERA of only 2.18. In the second half of the 2005 season, he held a 0.68 ERA, tops in the league.
In Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, Heilman surrendered a tie breaking, two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals, putting St. Louis ahead 3-1. St. Louis would hold on to the lead to win the National League pennant, while Heilman suffered the loss for the Mets.


After the 2008 season, in December of 2008, Heilman was traded to the Seattle Mariners in a three team trade for J.J. Putz.[2] However, on January 28, 2009, the Mariners traded him to the Chicago Cubs for Ronny Cedeño and

Who is Kellie Dawn Pickler?



Who is Kellie Dawn Pickler? Pickler is an American country music artist and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the FOX reality show American Idol, eventually finishing in sixth place. In 2006, she signed to BNA Records as a recording artist, releasing her debut album, Small Town Girl, late that year. The album, which was certified gold by the RIAA, produced three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: "Red High Heels" at #15, "I Wonder" at #14, and "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind" at #16. The first single from her self-titled second album is "Don't You Know You're Beautiful". It was released in mid-2008 and reached the Top 25. The second single from her self-titled album is "Best Days of Your Life" which she co-wrote with Taylor Swift.

Pickler was born June 28, 1986 at Stanly Memorial Hospital in Albemarle, North Carolina, to Cynthia Morton and Clyde "Bo" Raymond Pickler, Jr. Her mother was 18 years old when she gave birth to her and relinquished custodial rights to Pickler when she was two years old.Her dad was put in jail.
The major influences in her life are her grandfather, electrician Clyde Raymond Pickler, Sr., and grandmother Faye Pickler. She was reared in Palestine, a small town near Albemarle [1]. After her grandmother's death, she continued to reside with her grandfather and her younger sibling Eric until she became a contestant on Idol. Pickler graduated in 2004 from North Stanly High School in New London, North Carolina. She was a cheerleader and beauty queen. At her high-school commencement, she sang "On the Side of Angels" by LeAnn Rimes.




She worked as a waitress at a Sonic Drive In franchise and, in 2005, she made an appearance on WSOC-TV's Gimme the Mike! Charlotte contest. She finished in second place. She participated in the Miss America circuit and won the "Miss Stanly County" pageant at age 17 and subsequently competed for Miss North Carolina 2004. She dropped out and later focused on paralegal studies [2].

The 19-year-old Pickler auditioned for American Idol in the fall of 2005 in Greensboro, North Carolina. She sang both Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" and Martina McBride's "A Broken Wing". The judges sent her to Hollywood. Pickler advanced through the semi-finalist rounds in February. On March 9, she reached the Top 12.





Pickler was among one of judge Simon Cowell's favorites. He once predicted Pickler would be in the final three, and said he preferred her over the previous season's winner, Carrie Underwood [3] Recognized for her "quirky" personality and Southern charm, Pickler gained attention on the show by saying that she had hardly ever performed before real audiences, and by mispronouncing words [4]. She was compared to Jessica Simpson in a March 27 story in US Weekly magazine entitled "Kellie: The Next Jessica Simpson", due to her "sweet Southern style and ditzy demeanor". Pickler has stated several times that she was not heavily exposed to modern pop culture.

Kellie Pickler and members of her band Joshua Henson, left, and Ryan Ochsner perform for U.S. service members during the first stop of the 2008 USO Holiday Tour on Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, Dec. 16, 2008.

After her elimination, she appeared in numerous shows promoting the TV show and performed the song "Walkin' After Midnight" in some of her appearances.
On May 6, 2006, she returned to Albemarle, North Carolina, for a parade and a reunion with her father. She received a key to the city from the mayor of Albemarle. The mayor also proclaimed the day as "Kellie Pickler Day." Pickler also received numerous awards from local and statewide government officials praising her accomplishments as a contestant on the American Idol television show [5].
Pickler pursued her recording aspirations in Nashville, Tennessee, shortly thereafter. On July 17, 2006, she signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/BNA Records. She later announced it herself on The View. She was part of the American Idol Pop Tarts tour ensemble, performing for three months in various cities. During that period, Pickler worked on her album in collaboration with top industry experts in different cities wherever the tour took her [6].

Her first single, "Red High Heels", debuted on September 13, 2006, and its music video was officially released on October 20, 2006. It reached #1 on the GAC Top 20 Countdown on February 9th and received a nomination for the CMT Video Awards for "Best Breakthrough Artist Video" [7] [8].
Her debut album, Small Town Girl, released on October 31, 2006, topped Billboard's Top Country Albums and landed at #9 on Billboard Top 200 selling over 79,000 copies in its first week. Its sales made her the best selling new country solo artist of 2006. The album includes five songs that Pickler co-wrote with songwriters Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo and Karyn Rochelle [9][10] [11].








On January 18th, 2007, Pickler co-hosted The View and was presented with a gold record by Rosie O'Donnell, certifying that her album has gone gold. She also performed her second single "I Wonder", which is a personal song about her absent relationship with her mother, Cynthia Morton. It was the first performance of the song on national TV [12] [13].
Pickler was nominated for "Top New Female Vocalist" for the 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards [14].


She was also part of Brad Paisley's "Bonfires & Amplifiers" concert tour from April 2007 through October as one of the opening acts. The tour was booked in at least 37 cities in the U.S. including a couple of stops in Canada [15] [16].
On September 2007, Pickler released a version of "Santa Baby" for a Christmas country compilation. A month later, at the ASCAP Awards in Nashville, Pickler received a songwriter award for co-writing her debut single "Red High Heels". She performed her second single, "I Wonder", at the 2007 CMA Awards. The performance received a standing ovation. She was also nominated for the Horizon Award.

n November, 2007, Pickler appeared on a Celebrity Edition of the quiz show Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, playing for the charities of her choice (American Red Cross and the AARP's Grandparenting Program) [17]. Worth a guaranteed $25,000, she was asked, "Budapest is the capital of what European country?". She replied, "This might be a stupid question... I thought Europe was a country?". She voiced that it might be a place where people spoke French, and then was repeatedly confused as to whether France really was a country or not. When told the answer was Hungary, she did not believe the host. She said, "Hungry [sic]? That's a country? I've heard of Turkey, but Hungry? I've never heard of it" [18]. The video has become an instant YouTube hit.[19]; however, the host also pronounced the name of the country wrong by explaining the name with saying "like I'm hungry" when in fact the name is pronounced "[hung-gary]". While attempting to help Pickler review her options in the quiz show, host Jeff Foxworthy asked her to "focus", to which she replied "I am . . . like, I'm listenin' to what you're sayin', but I only hear what I want to," to which Foxworthy replied, "That's just called being a woman." Pickler responded to this remark by saying "Oh."



Pickler was also perplexed when asked whether the piccolo belongs to the woodwind, string, or percussion musical family. In trying to reason out the answer to the question, she noted that "percussion starts with a p" and accordingly decided, "I'm just going to keep the p's together, and I'm just going to say percussion." ("Woodwind" was the correct answer.)[20]
During radio and newspaper interviews, Pickler commented that some people and media criticized her for her answers while ignoring her charitable effort. In The Arizona Republic, Pickler said "...no one even recognized that I won $50,000 for my charity" [21].
While on her first USO concert tour in Iraq, Pickler met a few people from Budapest, Hungary, who presented her with a flag of their country. [22] [23]

Kellie Pickler sings to service members during a USO show at Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul, Iraq, December 19, 2008.
Following the release of the third single ("Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind") from her debut album, Pickler returned to the studio to work on her sophomore album. On May 8, 2008, her official wesbite announced that she would sing the first single from the new album, "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" at the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 18, 2008. Pickler has since stated: "I’m so excited to be performing on the show and doubly so, to be debuting the new single. It’s such a great song, with a positive message and it’s different than any other song I’ve recorded before." Her new single debuted on country music radio stations in June,[24]
Her second album, self-titled Kellie Pickler, was released on September 30, 2008[25], and debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 chart, her second consecutive top ten album, and her second consecutive number one on the Top Country Albums chart.[26]
On November 12, 2008, she performed "Best Days of Your Life", her second single off her sophomore album in the CMA Awards. She was also nominated for "Best New Artist", but the award went to Lady Antebellum.
On December 31, 2008, Pickler was a correspondent in New York's Times Square for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on ABC.
On January 23, 2009, it was announced that Kellie signed a multi-million dollar endorsement agreement to become a celebrity spokesperson for Sexy Hair products.[27]

Pickler's father, whom she describes as an alcoholic and drug addict, recently served a three-year, nine-month prison sentence at Florida State Prison for aggravated assault and battery stemming from a 2003 stabbing incident [28] . He was released on May 6, 2006, a week after her elimination from Idol.
On February 26, 2007, she met her personal 'idol' and strongest influence, the country music superstar Dolly Parton. The surprise was arranged by Sony BMG Nashville chairman Joe Galante [29].
In 2007, Pickler was in a relationship with Nashville Predators player Jordin Tootoo and visited his family in Nunavut, Canada [30] [31] Later that year, the two broke up [32].








Pickler is close friends with Taylor Swift, who co-wrote Pickler's second single "Best Days of Your Life"[33], and with her American Idol roommate Katharine McPhee, for whom she was a bridesmaid at McPhee's 2008 wedding.[34]






In June, 2008, she joined close friend Carrie Underwood, a long-time vegetarian, in giving up eating meat. Pickler says she first decided to go vegetarian for health reasons, but a TV ad that vegetarian Pamela Anderson did for animal rights group PETA piqued her curiosity. "One night I couldn't sleep and I was up and just Googling random stuff and I'm like, 'Hmmm, PETA.' I saw all the videos and I just thought it was horrible. It's animal cruelty. A lot of it has to do with knowing what happens to the animals and it really bothered me and so I will not eat meat."[35]
Pickler has stated that she is a fan of NASCAR. She performed at the Orbitz 300, the season-opener of the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Season.[36]. In 2008, she performed at the Food Lion Speed Street NASCAR 600 Festival, a weekend-long event leading up to the 2008 Coca-Cola 600.[37]
Pickler is currently dating Kyle Jacobs[38], who also co-wrote two songs of her second album: "One Last Time" and "Going Out in Style".

Kellie Pickler performs at the USO Holiday show at Kandahar Air Field (December 2008)
Pickler actively supports St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where she helps raise funds and gives kids special visits. She also participates in charitable events to help raise funds for various organizations. She performed live to help raise funds for the "N. C. Children's PROMISE" to benefit the Children's Hospital in Nov. 12, 2006, [39] performed live to help refurbish the Hurricane Katrina damaged NFL Youth Education Towns Boys & Girls Club of New Orleans on December 16, 2006, [39] visited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on January 12, 2007, [39] and visited Pennington Elementary School in February 1, 2007. [39] “When you’re able to give back to your communities and organizations like St. Jude, it’s a great thing,” Pickler said. “It’s been a great experience, and I encourage anyone and everyone to help.” [39]
Pickler was part of a Country and Western artist studded online auction for charity by Mario Magro: Kiss for a Cause Foundation Celebrity Auction held June 15-25, 2007, in support of orphaned and abandoned children. The event auctioned off celebrity lip prints and signature pressed on the inside of Mario Magro Crystal Le Coop handbags at the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. [39]
She has participated in two USO tours. The first, in late 2007 and early 2008, took her to Iraq[39] [22]; the second, in December 2008, included stops in Germany, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo and England.[40] more

Who is George Foreman?

Who is George Foreman? The world knows him as Big George Forman born on January 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas, as a legendary boxer, entrepr...