First Read Blog

Paula Abdul was born in San Fernando Valley, California. At eight, she started taking dance classes. She was a student at Van Nuys High School, where she was senior class head cheerleader and president. She graduated from high school in 1980. After graduation she enrolled in the college process at Cal State Northridge. There she was a radio and television major. and TV. After joining the L.A. Lakers cheerleaders, she became head cheerleader/choreographer after only a few months, eventually dropping out of college to dance and choreograph full-time. The Jacksons recruited her to choreograph the 1984 "Torture" video, which was the first of many videos and movies she choreographed. After her debut album "Forever Your Girl" the singer's career took off. But the hit single "Straight Up" was a major hit and she's been a successful singer/dancer ever after. This was made possible by her stint on American Idol (2002-2004). Her father (Harry Abdul), is Seph

Mary McDonnell is a two-time Oscar(r)-nominated actress, recognized for her character roles in both period and present-day screen roles, as well as an extensive history of acting in stage and film. Mary Eileen McDonnell is a Pennsylvania-born actress. She was the daughter of Eileen (Mundy), an American computer consultant from Ireland, and John McDonnell. She was raised in Ithaca and graduated from Fredonia State University of New York. Later, she attended drama school , and was admitted to the highly regarded Long Wharf Theatre Company on the East Coast. She was only 22 when she scored her first movie role in Dances with Wolves (1990) in which she played "Stands with a Fist" Sioux Indian woman who was white. She earned her first Academy Award nomination for the part. McDonnell's film credits include Lawrence Kasdan's Grand Canyon (1991) & Mumford (1999), opposite veteran actors like Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier and Ben Kingsley; Roland Emmerich’s Independen

Paula Faris, an American journalist, worked previously as the TV reporter at ABC News. Her most well-known work is her time as cohost of Good Morning America Weekend, from 2014 to 2018, and host of The View, 2015-2018. She was also co-anchor on America This Morning as well as World News Now. After graduating, she worked in several communications-related jobs including an operations position at Mills/James Productions in Columbus, Ohio. Due to the limited opportunities in television, she was offered a job as a sales representative for radio. After a year of work as a production assistant at WKEF/WRGT. She was then in a position to report and anchor at times. From 2002 until 2005 she was the sports anchor for weekends and the weekday sports anchor for WPO-TV in Cincinnati. The contract was ended and she was hired as a reporter and anchor for NBC affiliate WMAQ-TV, Chicago, from November 2005 until December 2011. In December 2011 she was recruited by ABC News the division for news of ABC.

Markie Post was born in Walnut Creek, California. She began her career in productions for television and film like "Card Sharks" (1978) or "The New Card Sharks” (1986). Later, she was the producer of such projects as Double Dare (1976). Also, she has appeared on television shows like 1st to Die (2003) and E! True Hollywood Story (1996), Electra Woman (2001) as well as Dyna Girl (2001). Perhaps her greatest TV part was "Christine Sullivan" on Night Court (1984). From 1984 to 1992 , she was in 156 episodes. Marylee (Armstrong) Post is her daughter. She was a poet and a well-known nuclear physicist Richard Freeman Post (November 14 1918 to April 7 in 2015). There were two daughters she had with her husband, Michael A. Ross: Katie Ross (born June 26 in 1987) and Daisy Ross (born March 30 90, 1990). She was born in Palo Alto, California, and grew up in Walnut Creek, California. She attended Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, California; she was a cheerleader. Le

Sarah Chalke was conceived in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on August 27, 1976. Her parents are Angie Chalke and Doug Chalke. She is the middle of two siblings: the older one, Natasha Chalke, one younger, Piper Chalke. Sarah made her acting debut in the film City Boy (1992), an original television film. In 1993, following her first film, she auditioned for the role of "Becky" on the TV show Roseanne (1988). The show was in search of an actor to replace Alicia Goranson quit the show to go to college. Sarah graduated from high school in 1995. She was also involved in the production of Roseanne (1988) from 1994 to 1995. Also, in 1994, Sarah co-starred in the film, Ernest Goes to School (1994) alongside Jim Varney. In 1996, Sarah was a part-time actress in two movies: Robin of Locksley (1996) and Stand Against Fear (1996), where she was a cheerleader who was named Krista Wilson. Sarah was asked to be a part in a TV show called Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy (1998) which was a year follo

Lauren Ash is a recent Second City Chicago Mainstage alumna. She is also a Second City Toronto Mainstage alumna as well as one half of the comedy sketch duo "Cory!". She's been an Canadian Comedy Award nominee twice for the title of Best Female Improviser. In 2008, she was awarded the Best Comedic play award and in 2006, she received the Best Sketch Troupe award. She's appeared in various roles in "Scare Tactics" and the Canadian television series, "Almost Heroes." She had a recurring role in "The Ron James Show" as well as guest appearances in "Lost Girl,"" "Cracked," "Bomb Girls" and "Call Me Fitz." She also appeared in "Video on Trial," Hotbox, and the Oscar Award-nominated film "Lars and the Real Girl." She also voices the character of Sam in the animated Canadian show "The Dating Guy." In the years 2019 and 2020, her net worth has grown significant. So, how mu

Paula Patton was born in Los Angeles, California, to Joyce (Vanraden) and Charles Patton. Her father is African-American . her mother who is caucasian is of German, English, and Dutch roots. When she was growing up in the area, her family lived close to the 20th Century Fox lot. She was an avid movie enthusiast from childhood. Her mother, a schoolteacher as well as her father, a lawyer, were both avid film fans. Paula says that as young, she would try to escape by "pretending to pretend to be someone else" therefore it wasn't the case that she appeared in plays for high school at Hamilton Magnet Arts High School. Her most loved role was one of Abigail in "The Crucible". After graduation from the University Southern California's summer program she studied film and was offered a three-month project to make documentaries for PBS. The result was that she was hired as a production assistant for documentaries on TV and also on Howie Mandel's talk show. After a

Amy Carlson was raised in Glen Ellyn (Illinois) and spent her entire childhood living in Chicago. Amy lived with her family in Chicago, when she was in junior high school. Her parents, Bob, and Barb taught at the American School in the Middle East. Amy is the mother of two sisters: Betsy and Lori, and a younger brother, Joe. Amy has traveled across Europe as a family member and on her own. Both of her parents worked as teachers, so they had the opportunity to spend their summers together camping and exploring all across the United States. They've camped across every state, except Alaska. Amy traveled to Rwanda in 1994 following the war to help with relief efforts. Amy was a gifted actor in school plays and also won writing contests. In high school she was a dazzling athlete who placed in the very first 3200 meter relay at the Illinois girls track. In college, following an accident, she returned to the stage with a variety of roles on stage beginning with Lanford Wilson's "

Penelope Cruz Sanchez is the daughter of Eduardo Cruz, a Madrid hairdresser, and Encarna Sanchez. As a young child, she was an obsessive performer and would re-enact commercials from the television to entertain of her family. However, she decided to focus her efforts on dance. She continued to train with a variety of highly-regarded dancers, after having spent the last nine years learning ballet in Spain's National Conservatory. She realized what she wanted to do at the age of 15 when she defeated more than 300 other girls in an audition with an agency for talent. She was then offered roles on Spanish music videos and TV. The contract led to many more roles, and opened the doors to a successful career in the big screen. Cruz was first seen in a movie in The Greek Labyrinth (1993). (The Greek Labyrinth). Then she appeared briefly in Framed (1992) directed by Timothy Dalton. The third film she starred in, Belle Epoque (1992) was an Oscar-winning movie in which she was one of the four

Milena Govich is an actor, director, actor, and musician who has directed numerous episodes of TV, including The Equalizer (2021), Chicago Med (2015), FBI: Most Wanted (2020), Chicago Fire (2012), among others. She also served as the Co-EP/Producing Director on Dick Wolf's CBS series FBI (2018), and has been tapped to direct two pilots in the process of development. Milena was selected as one of the eight directors for AFI's highly acclaimed Directing Workshop for Women. Unspeakable is her short film and television show proof of concept, was premiered at SXSW. It also received Best Episodic Award at the Seattle International Film Festival, and Best Pilot at SoHo International Film Festival. Her short film Temporary (2017) has played all over the country and won Best Narrative Short at Anthem Film Festival, Best Dark Comedy at Atlanta ShortsFest, and the Director's Choice Award at Sedona International Film Festival. As an actor, Milena has been featured in over 100 episodes

Piper Perabo has been nominated for the Golden Globe as a stage or TV actor. Born in Dallas, Texas, and raised in New Jersey, she graduated in the summa cum Laude class at Ohio University. She was featured in the film's breakout character, CoyoteUgly in the year 2000. She has been in a variety of films since the time, including Christopher Nolan's "The Prestige" featuring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, and "Because I Said So", with Diane Keaton, and "First Snow" with Guy Pearce. "Cheaper by the Dozen", "Imagine Me & You" films starring Steve Martin, "Cheaper by the Dozen", "Cheaper by the Dozen", "Cheaper by the Dozen" films, "10th & Wolf" crime drama featuring a cast which also comprised Dennis Hopper and James Marsden. She appeared alongside Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Emily Blunt and Jeff Daniels in Rian Johnson's sci-fi action flick "Looper.". Perab

Ayelet Zurer is one of Israel's most highly regarded actresses. She was born in Tel Aviv and was first discovered by Hollywood when Steven Spielberg cast her in her first English-speaking film role as Eric Bana’s wife in Munich (2005). Zurer is an American actress who has appeared in Studio films, such as Sony Pictures' Vantage Point featuring Dennis Quaid (with William Hurt), Samuel Goldwyn’s Fugitive pieces alongside Stephen Dillane, Paul Schrader’s Adam Resurrected along with Jeff Goldblum and Willem Dafoe. Ron Howard's Angeles and Demons, opposite Tom Hanks, Darling Companion, an ensemble Lawrence Kasdan casting that features Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline and Warner Bros. Man Of Steel alongside Russell Crow. Ewan McGregor was her co-filming partner in the film of Rodrigo Garcia's The Last Days in Desert. The actress also waited for The Last Knights to be released by Kazuaki Kriya, Kazuaki Kriya, the Japanese director. She recently received the Gold Nymph Award for Outst

Pollyanna McIntosh is from Scotland. She was born in Portugal, Colombia and then returned to Scotland. This is where she began to perform on stage in The Edinburgh Festival. When she was 16, she moved to London and was soon involved in filmmaking in the indie genre (her first pay-per-view was as a stoner in Irvine Welsh's The Acid House (1998)) and theatre, both as an actress as well as a director. In 2004, she relocated to Los Angeles to direct "The Woolgatherer" which was a stage play in which Anne Dudek (a regular guest on Mad Men (2007)/Big Love (2006)) was the director. The play was praised by critics. Her first US movie role was as "Stacy" who was a manipulative and reborn Christian and born again Christian, in Headspace (2005). She was then cast as "Thumper Wint", a wild, born-again Christian in Sex and Death 101 (2006) (Simon Baker/Winona Rider) and directed by Heathers (1988). The critics were impressed with her unique blend of power sexuality

Paget Valerie is an American actress, singer, as well as voice actor. Her character as Kathy the character who appeared in recurring roles on Friends Season 4, was her first public recognition. Her first big break came when she portrayed the Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss on the crime drama Criminal Minds, on which she starred on a regular basis from 2006 until 2012 and was then re-cast for guest appearances , before returning frequently in 2016. She also played Mr. Mumbles and Elise on Dan Vs., Frankie Dart in Community's final season Birdgirl in Harvey Birdman Attorney at law, Sara Kingsley in Fox's Grandfathered and Donald Duck’s twin sister Della on DuckTales 2017, which was the first animated appearance for the character. Brewster was conceived in Concord, Massachusetts on March 10, 1969. Her mother, Hathaway Brewster (nee Tew) was a state official. Galen Brewster was her father, and was an administrator at the school. Brewster was born in Massachusetts, and she

Pom Klementieff was born 3 May 1986. She was a student at the Cours Florent drama school, Paris. She has appeared in films such as Loup 2009, Sleepless Night 2011 and Hacker's Game 2015. She is the Mantis character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (1999). Pom Klementieff was the child of two parents: a Korean mother, and an American-Russian father. Her father was consul in Quebec City, Canada. Eugene Klementieff, a painter, was her grandfather. Pom was her name due to the fact that it is a symphony of the Korean words "spring" and 'tiger" in Korean. The actress spent a year in Canada prior to moving her family throughout the world due to her father's job. They lived in Japan as well as the Ivory Coast, before settling in France. Her father, who passed away in the age of five from cancer was also her mother. She also suffered from schizophrenia and was unable to ca