Who is Vanessa Anne Hudgens

Vanessa Anne Hudgens is an American actress and singer. She made her debut in 2003 appearing in the Hollywood films Thirteen and Thunderbirds, before reaching fame in 2006 after appearing as Gabriella Montez in the Disney Channel film High School Musical hit series. Hudgens began a music career and released her debut album, V, in 2006. Her second album, Identified, was released July 1, 2008. She is a spokesperson for Neutrogena, Sears, and Eckō.

Hudgens was born December 14, 1988 in Salinas, California, the daughter of Gina (née Guangco) and Greg Hudgens.[1][2][2][3] She has a sister, Stella Teodora Hudgens (born November 13, 1995, San Diego).[4] Hudgens's father is an American of Irish and Native American descent, and her mother, who grew up in Manila, is a Filipino-born of Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese descent.[5][2] Hudgens has been home-schooled since after her seventh-grade year at the Orange County High School of the Arts.
Starting at the age of eight, Hudgens performed in musical theater as a singer, and appeared in local productions of Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, The Music Man, and Cinderella, among others.[6] She got her first gig when her friend couldn't go to an audition for a commercial and asked if Hudgens could go.


Hudgens debuted in Thirteen as Noel and appeared in the 2004 film Thunderbirds as Tintin and appearances include guest roles on Quintuplets, Still Standing, The Brothers García and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (episode title - Forever Plaid), as Corrie. Hudgens also appeared on Drake & Josh, playing Drake's girlfriend, Rebecca.

Hudgens's largest role has been starring in the Disney Channel movie series High School Musical, starring as Gabriella Montez. She auditioned for Gabriella with the song "Angels" by Robbie Williams. Hudgens and Efron had won "Best Chemistry" award at the Teen Choice Awards for their roles.[7] The first High School Musical spawned a hit soundtrack, a worldwide concert tour, a show at Walt Disney World, and even a book series that helped Hudgens land in Forbes magazine's list of top-earning stars under 21." In the list, the 18-year-old Hudgens was No. 7 with estimated earnings of $2 million.[8] Hudgens started concentrating on her music career by signing a record deal with Hollywood Records in 2006 as the start of her solo career, but first covered the song "Colors Of The Wind" for Disneymania 5 album in that same year.
Hudgens launched a worldwide tour with the rest of the cast of High School Musical in fall 2006, performing the songs from the soundtrack album as well of three songs from her debut album, "Come Back to Me", her lead single, "Say OK", and "Let's Dance.[9] A DVD and an album named High School Musical: The Concert were released in 2007, featuring only one of the three songs performed by Hudgens from her debut album in the tour.


Hudgens performing "Let's Dance" at the High School Musical: The Concert Tour.
She officially signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records on June 2006. Hudgens's debut album, entitled V, was released in late September 2006. V debuted on the Billboard 200 in early October 2006 at number twenty-four on the chart, with 34,000 copies sold that week.[10] A music video for her first single, "Come Back to Me", debuted after the world premiere of The Cheetah Girls 2 in late August. The official music video for her second single, "Say OK", was first shown following the premiere of Disney's Jump In!. In August 2007 at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards, Hudgens was named the Choice Breakout Singer - Female.[11] Hudgens promoted the album when opening for The Cheetah Girls during their The Party's Just Begun Tour.[7] The album was re-released in a limited Deluxe Edition format, released only in Japan.[12] The album was certified Gold for shipments to retailers of 500,000 copies on February 27, 2007.[13] The album was nominated as #7 on "Album of The Year" by Billboard Readers' Choice.[14] Hudgens sang the duet "Still There For Me" with Corbin Bleu for his debut album.
Hudgens also appeared on the soundtrack of High School Musical 2, performing several songs such as "Gotta Go My Own Way", "You Are The Music In Me" and "What Time Is It?". In the end of 2007, she had performed "The Christmas Song" along with Katharine McPhee and Ne-Yo for "Christmas In Washington" event.

On January 11, 2008, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Hudgens would star in the comedy, Bandslam. Hudgens will play 15-year old Sam and the movie is set to premiere on July 31, 2009.[15][16][17] According to sources, Hudgens is currently recording the soundtrack to the film.[18] The tracklisting hasn't been confirmed yet. Bandslam will take full advantage of Anschutz’s AEG Live to boost the film’s awareness level. AEG Live will book dates at the Anschutz-owned Nokia venues in New York and Los Angeles, where the girls and other acts from the film will play.[19] Hudgens's second album was Identified. It was leaked a week before its July 1, 2008 release.[20] The first single from this album, "Sneakernight", premiered on Radio Disney on April 11, 2008. On the first week of the release of her album, Identified sold more than 22,000 copies, 12,000 less than her debut album. Though the album had poor sales its first week, Identified received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album was released a week before the United States in Japan featuring three exclusive-bonus songs. Though the album wasn't very successful on the charts, the lead single was able to climb at the top 10 on the Hot Dance Club Play and peaked at #8.[21][22]
Hudgens launched on July 31, 2008 her first solo tour called "Identified Summer Tour" in order to promote her two albums, performing some of the most popular songs from her debut album and others from her second album. The tour reached Mexico too and she appeared in the Neutrogena Fresh Face Concert on September 7, 2008 at Santa Monica, California Powerhouses with fellow spokesperson, Hayden Pannettiere.[23][24] As of October 2008, she has officially closed the concert tour.
Hudgens reprised her role as Gabriella for the third time in High School Musical 3: Senior Year. She also appeared on the soundtrack of the movie, performing songs such as "Can I Have This Dance" and "Walk Away". She also presented an award in the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards along with the rest of the HSM cast.[25] Hudgens and the cast of HSM 3 launched a European promotional tour to promote the movie.[26] Vanessa made only $2 million for the film, reportedly due to the photo scandal that hurt her image.[27] She is currently in talks to star in Nick Marine's novel, "Dreary and Naughty" which is set to be directed by Tommy O’Haver. [28] Hudgens and Efron is in currently on tour in Japan to promote High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which opens on February 7, 2009 in Japan. [29]

In 2007, Hudgens signed a promotional deal for the Eckō Red footwear in which she did two commercials for the brand. She also endorsed the sneakers in the video for the song, "Sneakernight".[30][31] Sears has teamed up with Hudgens for a back-to-school marketing campaign that began in July and had the theme, "Don't just go back. Arrive."
Hudgens is also currently a Neutrogena spokesperson. "Vanessa Hudgens has an energetic, dynamic personality that will truly complement the spirit of Neutrogena. We are pleased to welcome her to our team", says Neutrogena President, North America, Jim Colleran. As a new spokesperson for Neutrogena, Hudgens will be featured in both national TV and print campaigns.[32] In September 2008, she performed in the Neutrogena Fresh Faces Concert.

Hudgens confirmed, in an October 2007 interview with Teen magazine, that she was dating her High School Musical series co-star Zac Efron and had been since the filming of High School Musical.[33][34] They were still dating as of September 3, 2008.[35]

In 2008, she was ranked as FHM's 62nd Sexiest Woman[36] and Maxim's number 12 in their 100 Hot List.[37] She was included in People's annual "100 Most Beautiful People" list in May 2008. As of 2008, she has been a cover girl for Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl and Lucky magazine.[38] She has also done photoshoots with her boyfriend, Zac Efron and High School Musical co-star Ashley Tisdale for Elle magazine,[39]Glamour magazine for the May issue, and InStyle for October.[40]
She ranked #20 for Forbes magazine 2008 highest earners under 30 [41] and #7 at the ten best dressed list for October 2008. [42] She also made the "Maxim’s Sexiest of 2009" list. [43] In an internet poll, she garnered rank #61 in AskMen.com's Top 99 Women of 2009. [44] Moreover, she is ranked #10 in Cosmopolitan magazine's Best Dressed Celebs of 2008. [45]


I'm much better now. But truthfully I don't like talking about it. It was something that was meant to be private, and even though it isn't anymore, I'd still like to keep it as private as I can. It was very traumatic, and I am extremely upset it happened. I hope all my fans can learn from my mistake and make smart decisions. But I wouldn't have been able to get through it if it wasn't for my family, friends, and fans, who supported me all along the way.
”

On September 6, 2007, controversy erupted after provocative photos of Hudgens surfaced online. Two showed her posing in suggestive lingerie, and another showed her nude. A statement from her publicist claims that the photo was taken privately and it was "unfortunate" that they were released on the Internet.[48] Hudgens later apologized, saying that she was "embarrassed over the situation" and regretted having "taken [those] photos."[49] Disney Channel spokeswoman Patti McTeague indicated that Disney will still be working with Hudgens, stating, "Vanessa has apologized for what was obviously a lapse in judgment. We hope she's learned a valuable lesson."[50][51] Early speculation that Vanessa Hudgens would be dropped from High School Musical 3 due to her nude photo scandal proved untrue.[52] Although it was reported by OK! magazine that Vanessa would be replaced by Adrienne Bailon or Sabrina Bryan from the Cheetah Girls in High School Musical 3,[53]Access Hollywood confirmed that the cast was still in negotiations and Vanessa would not be cut from High School Musical 3. "Totally untrue. It is an old rumor", Vanessa's representative told Access, "OK! Magazine never bothered to check the fact with me, but they did call Disney who said it wasn't true, but yet OK! ran it anyway. Apparently, OK! Magazine was having a slow news day."[54] She also claims that she did not regret on the leakage of the photos.[55]

Hudgens was sued by music producer Johnny Vieira, who claims she reneged on a deal to share her earnings with him after he helped make her a star. In the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Vieira accuses Hudgens and father, Greg Hudgens, of breach of contract and fraud, seeking more than $27 million in damages. Hudgens's record label, Hollywood, also is named as a defendant in the suit. Vieira said he was dumped from Hudgens's management team soon after she was cast in HSM. However, "it became clear that Hudgens and her new 'team' ... all directed by her father ... would take every possible opportunity to deprive Vieira of the benefits to be derived from the settlement agreement", the lawsuit says. Hudgens's publicist could not immediately be reached for comment. A Disney spokesman said the company had not had a chance to review the lawsuit.[56] According to the suit, they subsequently reached a settlement under which Hudgens agreed to pay Vieira a percentage of her earnings from her first three albums under her solo recording contract with Hollywood Records.[57]

more

who is Kristin Dawn Chenoweth

Kristin Chenoweth is an American singer and musical theater, film, and television actress. Some of her best-known roles have included Glinda in Broadway's Wicked and Annabeth Schott in television's The West Wing. She most recently appeared in the role of Olive Snook on the ABC dramedy Pushing Daisies for which she received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy. She is also the face of Jude Frances jewelry.
Chenoweth has a distinctive speaking voice. In FHM's March 2006 issue, she compared her voice to that of Betty Boop. Chenoweth is a soprano known for her skilled singing technique and artistic interpretations.

Kristin was born July 24, 1968, she was adopted at birth, Kristi Dawn Chenoweth grew up in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. (Her genealogical lineage includes one-quarter Cherokee ancestry.) Her vocal ability and talent was realized at a young age, performing songs for local churches. A highlight of her childhood was a special solo appearance at the Southern Baptist Convention national conference at the age of 12. She performed the song "I'm Four Foot Eleven and I'm Going to Heaven". [1]
Chenoweth attended Oklahoma City University, where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta (Beta Omicron) Sorority. She earned a degree in musical theater and a master's degree in opera performance, studying under the prestigious voice instructor Florence Birdwell. Well known for her teaching ability, Professor Birdwell has trained other notables such as Miss America 1981 Susan Powell and three-time Tony nominee Kelli O'Hara. It was Birdwell who suggested to Kristi that she add an "n" to her first name, reasoning that the name "Kristin" was perhaps more classically suited for an opera singer. While at OCU, Chenoweth won the title of "Miss OCU" and went on to win second runner-up in the Miss Oklahoma pageant in 1991. For a period of time, she performed on stage at Opryland USA.

Chenoweth won a number of competitions, including a "most talented up-and-coming singer" award in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, which came with a full scholarship to Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts. Two weeks before school started, she went to New York City to help a friend move. While there, she auditioned for the Paper Mill Playhouse's production of the musical Animal Crackers and got the role of Arabella Rittenhouse. She turned down the scholarship and moved to New York to do the show and pursue a career in musical theater.[2]

Chenoweth made her Broadway debut in a production of Molière's Scapin starring Bill Irwin, followed in the spring of 1997 by the musical Steel Pier by John Kander and Fred Ebb, for which she won a Theatre World award. The following season, she appeared in the City Center Encores! production of the George and Ira Gershwin musical Strike up the Band and the Lincoln Center Theater production of William Finn's A New Brain. She has performed several times on the radio program A Prairie Home Companion.


During the 1998–1999 season, she performed in the Broadway revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown as the title character's little sister, Sally, a character that was not present in the original production. (That character replaces the obscure Peanuts character Patty, not to be confused with Peppermint Patty.) The production won Chenoweth the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards as the season's Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She then starred in the Broadway comedy Epic Proportions, followed by appearances in ABC's television adaptation of the musical Annie (as Lily St. Regis), and in the leading role of Daisy Gamble in the City Center Encores! production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.
In 2003, Chenoweth performed songs from her album Let Yourself Go in concert for Lincoln Center's 5th American Songbook. She also performed in City Center Encores! 10th Anniversary Bash. In London, she was involved in Divas at Donmar for director Sam Mendes, then appeared in the Actor's Fund Benefit Concert of the musical Funny Girl in New York City.
In October 2003, Chenoweth returned to Broadway in Wicked, the smash hit musical about the early years of the witches of Oz. She was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Glinda. After playing Glinda for nine months (not including the years leading up to the Broadway run where she played the role in all of the show's workshops), Chenoweth left Wicked on 18 July 2004 along with co-stars Joel Grey and Norbert Leo Butz. Chenoweth was replaced by Jennifer Laura Thompson.
Chenoweth played Cunegonde in a revival of Candide, directed by Lonny Price in 2004. Price's semi-staged concert production with the New York Philharmonic under conductor Marin Alsop, ran for four performances between 5 May 2004 and 8 May 2004. The production featured Paul Groves as Candide, Sir Thomas Allen as Dr. Pangloss, Tony Award winner Patti LuPone as the Old Lady, with choruses from both Westminster Choir College and the Juilliard School completing the performance cast, and was also broadcast on PBS's Great Performances. A performance of the rarely sung duet "We Are Women" between Cunegonde and the Old Lady was included in the production.

From December 14, 2006 to March 11, 2007, Chenoweth starred on Broadway in a production of The Apple Tree and received rave reviews for her performance. On 19 January 2007, she performed a solo concert at The Metropolitan Opera in New York, only the third musical theatre star ever to present a solo concert at the Met, following Barbara Cook and Yves Montand.[3] Chenoweth has also performed leading roles at the Goodspeed Opera House and the Guthrie Theatre, and she was chosen by the late Jerome Robbins as the guest soloist in his West Side Story Suite of Dances at New York City Ballet.
Chenoweth hosted the 52nd Annual Drama Desk Awards on 20 May 2007.[4]
Chenoweth played Elizabeth in the pre-Broadway workshop in Mel Brooks' Broadway adaptation of his film Young Frankenstein, however, due to her Pushing Daisies commitments, she was unable to appear in the production. Similarly, in 2008 she had been scheduled to reprise her role as Cunegonde in an English National Opera production of Candide, but she had to pull out because of the resumption of filming.
She will appear in Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's Music in the Air for its short semi-staged running from February 5-8, 2009.[5]


In television, Chenoweth starred in a short-lived sitcom, Kristin, for NBC that ran for six episodes (13 were filmed). It was a mid-season replacement in 2001 that co-starred Jon Tenney. Beginning in the sixth season (2004–2005) of The West Wing, Chenoweth had a recurring role playing media consultant Annabeth Schott, and became a main cast member in the show's seventh and final season (2005-2006). She performed "For Good," a song she had sung in Wicked, at the memorial service for her friend and West Wing costar John Spencer.
Chenoweth was a part of ABC's An American Celebration at Ford's Theater with Kelsey Grammer, NBC's Salute to the Olympic Winners, The Kennedy Center Gala honoring Julie Andrews, and an episode of Frasier on NBC. She also starred as Marian Paroo in the ABC television production of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, opposite Matthew Broderick.
Chenoweth appeared in Nora Ephron's 2005 film version of Bewitched. The film's star, Nicole Kidman, had attended a performance of Wicked and was so impressed with Chenoweth's charisma and stage presence that Kidman asked Ephron to cast Chenoweth in the film. Chenoweth got the part of Maria Kelly, Kidman's character's best friend. In 2006, she appeared in five films including The Pink Panther, RV, Stranger Than Fiction, Running with Scissors and Deck the Halls. Chenoweth also appeared as Mr. Noodle's Sister Ms. Noodle in Sesame Street's Elmo's World television series alongside Michael Jeter and Bill Irwin.

In February 2007, Chenoweth co-hosted on an episode of The View and was invited back after performing a song from The Apple Tree on the show. She was also featured briefly in the first season finale of Ugly Betty. In fall 2007, she became a member of the cast of the ABC show Pushing Daisies. The comedic drama is the story of Ned, a man who can bring the dead back to life. Chenoweth plays Olive Snook, a co-worker and neighbor of Ned's who is in love with him. In the show, she has sung numerous times, doing a take on "Hopelessly Devoted To You" (originally performed by Olivia Newton-John in the musical film Grease)(during which she is interrupted by customers and the janitor), a duet with Ellen Green for Birdhouse in Your Soul, Eternal Flame, and Candle on the Water with a group of male singers. Chenoweth sang in the second episode of season one. She has received good reviews including many that say she is perfect for the role.[6] She received an Emmy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2008 for her role as Olive in Pushing Daisies. On February 24, 2008 Chenoweth sang "That's How You Know" from the movie Enchanted[7] at the 80th Annual Academy Awards in the Kodak theatre.
Chenoweth appeared in the 2008 holiday romantic comedy film Four Christmases, playing the sister of Reese Witherspoon's character.[8]
Kristin also appeared on the Fox News Channel's 2008 special "A Fox and Friends Christmas", where she sang "Do You Hear What I Hear?" from her Christmas album 'A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas'.[9]

On August 27, 2008, Chenoweth released a video with funnyordie.com titled Intervention with Kristin Chenoweth.[10] The video parodied A&E's show Intervention, with Chenoweth starring as a singing, dancing interventionist. The song was composed by Andrew Lippa, Chenoweth's frequent musical director and composer for her concert songs as well as the composer of "My New Philosophy", which she sang in the revival of Charlie Brown, and the lyrics were written by Amy Rhodes, who also wrote the clip.[10] The video was shot in five hours in a room of a Hilton Hotel.[11] Chenoweth admitted that she was hesitant about performing the lyrics. [11]

Chenoweth is slated to portray Dusty Springfield in an upcoming film on the singer's life.[12]
She will provide the voice of the title role for the upcoming Disney animated film Rapunzel.[13]
Chenoweth was scheduled to return to the Met in 2010 to play Samira in John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles after being invited by Peter Gelb to perform,[14] but due to the current economic conditions, the opera was ultimately cancelled.[15]
Recently, Chenoweth signed on to star as a "suicidal prostitute" in the indie drama Into Temptation under writer-director Patrick Coyle.[16]
Chenoweth has joined the cast of the upcoming animated comedy Sit Down, Shut Up playing the voice of a religious science teacher named Miracle Grohe, replacing Maria Bamford, who has a similar voice quality to Chenoweth.[17]
Chenoweth has been cast in a new NBC David E. Kelley drama entitled Legally Mad and will play an attorney named Skippy Pylon. [18]
Chenoweth will star in the Encores! production of Music in the Air which will play from Feb. 5-8, 2009 at the New York City Center, replacing Marin Mazzie.[19]


Kristin and the cast of the Broadway musical, Wicked, performed the song "One Short Day" in the 2003 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[20]
In the 2005 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Kristin performed the song "Oklahoma" while riding aboard the "Oklahoma Rising" float. The float was making the first of three annual appearances commemorating the state of Oklahoma's statehood centennial in 2007.[21][22]
Kristin was the star performer of the opening ceremony of the 2007 Tournament of Roses Parade. She sang "Our Good Nature", an original composition written to coincide with the Oklahoma centennial celebration and the theme of the parade.[23]
In the 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, she performed the song "The Christmas Waltz" from her "A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas" album while riding aboard the "The Care Bears Winter Fun-Derland" float.[24]


Chenoweth has agreed to write a memoir about her life, describing her adoption, her turn in Wicked and her time in Hollywood. She has stated that the book will not be a 'tell all', and instead will focus on "how I got where I am so far."[25] The planned date of publication is 2009.[26] The title has been revealed to be A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages.[27]
Chenoweth has spoken publicly about her faith; she describes herself as a non-judgmental Christian.[28] Raised as a Southern Baptist, she later chose to have a personal connection to a faith that is not based in any one denomination. When in California, she attends a non-denominational church in Malibu. In New York, she attends a United Methodist Church.
Chenoweth also has a large gay fanbase, and was uninvited from a Women of Faith conference in September 2005 "due to her publicized and heartfelt beliefs that God is accepting of all people on earth", including homosexuals.[29][30]

Chenoweth released an album in April 2005 called As I Am, a mixture of hymns and contemporary Christian music, with adult contemporary arrangements. To promote the album, she made an appearance on The 700 Club, an appearance that upset some of her gay fans.[31] She later said she thought that the "Pat Robertsons and Jerry Falwells of the world are scary" and that she regretted appearing on the show.[32]

Chenoweth was once engaged to actor Marc Kudisch and previously dated virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell.

She also dated producer/writer Aaron Sorkin. In Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the character of Harriet Hayes bears significant resemblances to Chenoweth, and the relationship between the Christian Hayes and "East Coast liberal Jewish atheist" (her description) Matt Albie is modeled after that between Chenoweth and Sorkin;[33] Chenoweth's decision to appear on the 700 Club and her falling out with Women of Faith were depicted with the Hayes character.

She reportedly is dating 25 year old producer/writer/director, Charlie McDowell. He was her date at the 2008 Tony Awards. (June 15, 2008)[34]

more

Who is Mariska Magdolna Hargitay?

Who is Mariska Magdolna Hargitay? The entertainment and acting world knows her as a Mariska Hargitay Golden Globe- and Emmy Award- winning American actress, best known for her role as Det. Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.


Hargitay was born January 23, 1964 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California, the daughter of Jayne Mansfield, an actress and 1950s-era sex symbol, and Hungarian-born former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay. Her first and middle names are Hungarian and refer to Mary Magdalene (Mariska is a diminutive of Maria). Her family name has Hungarian references also. It means: "of Hargita". Hargitay has two half-sisters, Jayne Marie Mansfield and Tina Hargitay; two brothers, Miklós and Zoltán Hargitay; and a half-brother, Antonio Ottaviano (a.k.a. Tony Cimber), a former director whose works include the female wrestling show Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.

Hargitay's parents had divorced in May 1963, but a judge later found their Mexican divorce invalid. They had reconciled a few months before Mariska's birth in January 1964 but soon separated again; and in August 1964, the Mexican divorce was ruled legal. A few weeks later, Mansfield married the director Matt Cimber, who had directed her in a 1964 production of the William Inge play Bus Stop.

On June 29, 1967, Jayne Mansfield was killed in an automobile accident on a stretch of U.S. Highway 90 between New Orleans and Slidell, Louisiana. Her boyfriend, Sam Brody, and the driver were also killed. Asleep in the back of the vehicle, Mariska, then three-and-a-half years old, was left with a zig-zag scar on one side of her head. Her brothers Miklós and Zoltán were also in the car, but escaped with minor injuries. After the death of their mother, the three siblings were raised by their father and his third wife, Ellen Siano.
Hargitay was active in the theater program of her secondary school Marymount High School; and she attended UCLA School of Theater Film and Television (where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma)[1] but left six months before graduating as she began her career.[2]

In 1982, Hargitay was crowned Miss Beverly Hills USA,[3] and was fourth runner up at the Miss California USA Pageant in Oxnard. She made her screen debut with a small role in Star 80. Within a few years she had landed recurring roles in the television series Downtown and Falcon Crest, in which she played the character Carly Fixx. She portrayed police officer Angela Garcia in the 1992 series Tequila & Bonetti, and appeared in an episode of the fourth season of Seinfeld. Two years later, Hargitay portrayed Didi Edelstein, the sexy next-door neighbor, in the 1995 sitcom Can't Hurry Love, which starred Nancy McKeon. In 1997, Hargitay played detective Nina Echeverria on the drama series Prince Street, and had a recurring role as Cynthia Hooper during the fourth season of ER.

Hargitay has appeared on numerous other television programs, including: Freddy's Nightmares, Ellen, All American Girl, Baywatch, Cracker, Gabriel's Fire, In the Heat of the Night, JoJo's Circus, The Single Guy, Wiseguy, and thirtysomething. Her voice is featured on the 2005 video game True Crime: New York City. Hargitay also had a minor role ("Hooker in Bar") in the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas, and briefly replaced Gabrielle Fitzpatrick in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, although the footage was deemed unusable.

Since 1999, Hargitay has portrayed Det. Olivia Benson, the female lead in the drama series Law &
Order: Special Victims Unit. "As a woman, it’s gratifying to play such a multilayered part," she stated on her official website. "Olivia is not only a competent, street-smart cop, she’s also an empathetic woman who can respond emotionally to victims of terrible crimes without compromising her professionalism."[4] As a result of her casting, Hargitay has been named as the "highest paid TV actress" working today in the Guinness Book of World Records 2008 Edition.

Upon winning her Emmy on August 27, 2006, Hargitay made a point of thanking her father for everything he had done for her in her life. Just 17 days later, on September 14, 2006, her father died from multiple myeloma in Los Angeles, California, aged 80.
In late December 2008, she suffered a partially collapsed lung after a freak sledding accident in the Hamptons.[8]

Hargitay co-founded the Joyful Heart Foundation,[9] an organization that provides support to women who have been sexually assaulted. The Foundation is a proponent of the idea that swimming with dolphins promotes healing after major psychological traumas such as rape.


Hargitay also has worked with the Mount Sinai Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention program; NBC's “The More You Know” campaign; Safe Horizon; Santa Monica Rape Crisis Treatment Center; Project ALS; Girl Scouts of the USA; and the James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness. She has been an honorary board member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.[10]

Miklos Friedrich Hermann

Hargitay speaks Hungarian, French, Spanish and Italian as well as English.[5] On August 28, 2004, in Santa Barbara, California, she married Peter Hermann, an actor and writer who has often appeared on SVU as Defense Attorney Trevor Langan.[6] On June 28, 2006, Hargitay gave birth to August Miklos Friedrich Hermann, by caesarean section. During the last months of her pregnancy, she took maternity leave from SVU, and was temporarily replaced by Connie Nielsen. She appeared with her baby, August, in a Got Milk? ad in January 2007.[7]

 Mariska, and husband, actor Peter Hermann were considering both international and domestic adoption and we're thrilled that this is the way our prayers were answered. adopted a baby girl April 2011 .

To see more of Who Is click here

Who is Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi ?

Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American songwriter, record producer, and singer who has contributed to a long list of internationally successful popular songs. She writes music in the light pop-rock and Dance genre. DioGuardi has worked with Celine Dion, Hilary Duff, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Christina Aguilera, and Paula Abdul, with whom she appeared as a judge in the eighth season of American Idol.

DioGuardi was born December 9, 1970 and grew up in the Wilmot Woods section of suburban New Rochelle, New York.[2] She attended The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. After completing a political science degree at Duke University, she worked in the publishing and marketing departments of Billboard Magazine. She is of Italian[3] and Albanian (Arbëresh) descent and the daughter of former Republican Rep. Joseph J. DioGuardi.

While her early solo and band efforts did not result in commercial successes, she became a much sought after songwriter, writing or co-writing many international hit songs from 1999 to today (see discographies and awards below). To date, She has had over 39 albums in the Top 10 on Billboard's 200 album chart. Her songs are on over 100 million records.[citation needed] The majority of her songs have been recorded by American females in the pop/rock genre, with a significant minority of songs recorded by Australian females, and Latin music artists. DioGuardi can be heard performing backup vocals on some of these recordings.

DioGuardi co-owns Arthouse Entertainment, a publishing company that is a resource business for record companies and other music entities seeking compositions, productions, artists, and related music services. Arthouse has been a part of many chart-topping hits including Cassie's "Me & U" (written and produced by Ryan Leslie), Jim Jones' "We Fly High" (written and produced by Zukhan Bey), Nick Lachey's "What's Left of Me", David Archuleta's hit single "Crush" (written and produced by Eman Kiriakou), Mika's "Grace Kelly" and also OneRepublic's "Apologize" and "Stop and Stare" (all produced by Greg Wells), and Faith Hill's "Lost" (written and produced by Kara DioGuardi and Mitch Allan).


In July 2006, DioGuardi was a judge in an "Idol"-like TV show called The One: Making a Music Star. The show debuted on ABC with the second-lowest rating ever for a premiere on a major American network and was abruptly canceled after just two weeks.[4]
She joined the hit FOX television show American Idol as a fourth Judge starting in the show's eighth season (January 13, 2009).[5] In 2000, DioGuardi co-wrote (with fellow Idol judge Paula Abdul) the UK number-one single "Spinning Around", performed by Kylie Minogue. She has written many songs sung by Idol winners and alumni such as Kelly Clarkson, David Archuleta, Carrie Underwood, and Katharine McPhee.

In 2003, DioGuardi won a BMI Cable Award for cowriting and performing, Somethin' To Say, the theme to the now-cancelled Lifetime Television series For the People, which starred Lea Thompson, Debbi Morgan, A. Martinez and Cecilia Suarez. In 2007, she was named BMI's "Pop Songwriter of the Year" for 2006, as she had accumulated ten BMI awards in the previous four years for having written the "most performed songs on the radio". To date, she has had over 46 albums in the Top 10 on Billboard magazine's 200 album chart. Her songs are on various hit albums that have altogether sold over 100 million copies.[citation needed]
In 2007, DioGuardi was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the category of Best Song for her writing on the Belinda single, "Bella Tracion" along with co-writers Belinda, Mitch Allan, Ben Moody and Nacho Peregrin. In November of 2007, Kara was awarded the TAXI A&R award for Humanitarian of the Year at their annual Road Rally Convention.[6]

She is engaged to general contractor Mike McCuddy; no wedding date has yet been set.[7]
DioGuardi works with the Phoenix House, a non-profit substance abuse service organization; she contributes to recording studios in the facilities and helps teach the teens how to operate the equipment.
Although DioGuardi's father, Rep. Joseph J. DioGuardi, was a Republican, she herself is a Democrat. more