Posts tagged: woman
MELISSA MCCARTHY
Who: Melissa McCarthy
What: Actress, Comedian, Writer, Producer
When: Born August 26, 1970
Where: McCarthy grew up on a farm in Illinois and is now based out of Los Angeles.
Why: She is an Emmy Award winner and is currently nominated for an Oscar for her role in Bridesmaids.
Want to learn more?
Read more about her biography as well as her film and television roles.
GABRIELLE GIFFORDS
Who: Gabrielle Giffords
What: Elected member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007.
When: Born June 8, 1970
Where: She resides in Arizona.
Why: Giffords was the third woman in Arizona’s history to be elected to the U.S. Congress.
Want to learn more?
Follow her on Facebook and read more about her biography here.
Nancy Clarke, the White House ‘flower czar,’ dies at 66
The “flower czar’’ who created floral decorations and beautiful arrangements at the White House across the span of six presidencies, died Saturday at 66.
“Pleasing the first lady was more important to me than anything else,’’ Clarke wrote in her memoir.
In the book she notes that Michelle Obama enjoys forsythia, Hillary Rodham Clinton liked tropical flowers such as birds of paradise, Nancy Reagan adored peonies and bright colors, Barbara Bush was fond of lavender and Laura Bush liked traditional flowers.
Nancy Clarke has her own website and a recently published book.
SARAH BURKE
Who: Sarah Burke
What: Freestyle Skier
When: Born September 3, 1982. Died January 19, 2012.
Where: She was from Canada.
Why: Burke was a four-time gold medalist at the Winter X Games and won the world championship in the halfpipe in 2005. She successfully lobbied the International Olympic Committee to have halfpipe skiing added to the program for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Want to learn more?
Read more about Burke’s biography here.
Margaret Leech (Mrs. Ralph Pulitzer)
Margaret Leech (1893-1974) was a writer and occasional member of the Algonquin Round Table. She won two Pulitzer Prizes in history for her books Reveille in Washington (1942) and In the Days of McKinley (1960).*
There is a website devoted to Margaret’s life and work.
*The Pulitzer Prize was established by Margaret’s father in law as part of his will in 1917. It is administered by Columbia University and voted on by a panel of newspaper editors and academics.
MILA KUNIS
Who: Mila Kunis
What: Actress
When: Born August 14, 1983
Where: She was born in the Ukrainian SSR.
Why: She starred in the television program That 70’s Show and in numerous films including Black Swan and Friends With Benefits. In November 2011, she attended the U.S. Marine Corps Ball in Greenville, North Carolina with Sgt. Scott More after he posted an invitation to the actress on YouTube.
Want to learn more?
Who: Lady Gaga
What: Singer & Songwriter
When: Born March 28, 1986.
Where: She was born and raised in New York and travels worldwide to perform.
Why: Lady Gaga is one of the best selling music artists of all time. In 2011, she launched the nonprofit organization, the Born This Way Foundation, which focuses on youth empowerment.
Want to learn more?
Visit Lady Gaga’s official website, find her on Facebook, follower her on Twitter, and watch her videos on YouTube.
Who: Kaye Stevens
What: Singer & Actress
When: Born July 21, 1932. Died December 28, 2011
Where: She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and performed all over the country, in including Las Vegas, where she got her big break.
Why: Stevens released six albums, starred in numerous television shows and movies, and started her own Christian ministry.
Want to learn more?
Who: Kristen Wiig
What: Comedienne, Actress & Writer
When: Born August 22, 1973
Where: Wiig lives in New York.
Why: She works as a full-time cast member at Saturday Night Live and proved that women can carry Hollywood movies with her role as leading funny lady in Bridesmaids.
Want to learn more?
Photo credit: Terry Richardson
Who: Helen Frankenthaler
What: Abstract Expressionist Painter
When: Born December 12, 1928. Died December 27, 2011.
Where: She had a home and studio in Darien, Connecticut.
Why: Her work spanned six decades and was part of several retrospective exhibitions.
Want to learn more?
Click here.
Photo credit: The New York Times
Who: Charlotte T. Reid
What: She served in the U.S. Congress as a U.S. Representative for Illinois from 1962-1971.
When: Born September 27, 1913. Died January 25, 2007.
Where: She lived in Illinois.
Why: Reid was the first woman to wear pants in Congress in 1969.
Want to learn more?
Read more about Reid here.
Who: Diane Sawyer
What: National News Anchor for ABC’s World News
When: Born December 22, 1945
Where: Sawyer works in New York City.
Why: Sawyer has been named one of the 30 most powerful women in America by Ladies’ Homes Journal, has been ranked on Forbes list of 100 most powerful women, and won a Peabody Award in 2009 for her work on A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains.
Want to learn more?
Find her on Facebook.
Who: Erica Simone
What: Photographer
When: She was born in 1985 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Where: She travels the world for work, but can often be found in Los Angeles, Paris and New York City.
Why: Simone recently stunned the world with her exhibit Nue York: Self-Portraits of a Bare Urban Citizen. View press about it here and here.
Want to learn more?
Who: Laura Nyro
What: Singer, Songwriter, Pianist
When: Born October 18, 1947. Died April 8, 1997
Where: She was born in the Bronx, New York.
Why: Her musical style - a hybrid of Brill Building-style New York pop, jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, show tunes, rock and soul - led Nyro to receive critical acclaim for her albums Eli and the Thirteen Confession and New York Tendaberry. She was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Want to learn more?
Visit LauraNyro.com.
Who: Karen Russell
What: Author
When: She published her first book in 2006.
Where: Russell is a Miami native.
Why: She was featured in The New Yorker’s debut fiction issue and on the magazine’s 20 under 40 list. Russell was chosen as one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists. In 2009, she received the 5 Under 35 award from the National Book Foundation. Three of her short stories have been selected for the Best American Short Stories volumes.
Want to learn more?
Find her on Facebook.
