HBESS - Celebrities

Kate Linder began portraying Esther Valentine on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless,” the top-rated soap opera, over 25 years ago. In 2005, Linder was elected Governor of Daytime Programming Peer Group for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and was reelected to a second term. On April 10, 2008, Linder will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In her spare time, Linder remains a 30-year veteran United Airlines flight attendant, a job she took after graduating from San Francisco State with a degree in Theatre and she continues to work in short films.
Linder is the celebrity spokesperson for The ALS Association following a relative’s diagnosis and she is active with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and she’s a founding board member of TV Cares, the Television Academy’s AIDS awareness and fundraising charity. She continues to make several trips visiting troops with the USO. In 1976, she married, Ron Linder on Valentine’s Day.

Brenda Jackson is a unique fusion of the Classic of Opera and Gospel. The kaleidoscope of her beautiful voice and inspiring persona stirs the deepest of emotions. With her vocal prowess and technique, which spans about five octaves, she effortlessly crosses musical borders with international appeal, passion and humanness. Brenda Jackson was born in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. After her studies at the St. Louis Institute of Music and at Washington University she won numerous international prizes and fellowships. Her European opera debut was at the Zurich Opera in Switzerland. Afterwards she was engaged as a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Guest performances followed in La Scala Milano, Teatro la Fenice, Bratislava October Festival, Savonlinna Opera Festival, Kissingen Summer Festival and many opera houses throughout Germany. Concert appearances on the stages of Berlin, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vienna, Budapest, Prague.) Recent appearances in USA included opening Rosa Parks Celebration of Life nationally televised, Trumpet Awards, NAACP Image Awards, in our nations Capitol in festivities during the Clinton Administration and as President Bush honored Dr. Dorothy Height with the Congressional Medal of Honor, Thanksgiving International 2007 honoring the Partner Cities of Berlin, Germany-Los Angeles-Mexico City. ”If the human voice has the power to be affective, then you will be moved by Brenda Jackson.”

Formerly known as Kevin Bell, KB Solomon is one of the most prominent basso profundo singers and has performed principal roles with major opera companies worldwide for twenty years. His repertoire includes operas by Prokofiev, Verdi, Rossini, Bizet, Mozart, Strauss, Puccini, Wagner, Saint Sean and Handel. KB Solomon received his classical training as a voice major at five American Universities: Portland State, Jacksonville State, Warner Pacific College, University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, and University of California Los Angeles, as well as at the Opera Musical Theater Institute under the direction of legendaries Jerome Hines and Franco Corelli. He is the recipient of many awards, including the Richard Tucker Career Grant, Sullivan Musical Foundation Award, first place winner in the Metropolitan Western Regional Audition, national finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions and winner of the 1990 Liederkranz Competition.
KB Solomon also composes music and writes lyrics. He sings in English, Italian, German, French and Spanish. He artfully and effortlessly transcends music style boundaries, from R&B, pop, jazz, blues, Broadway, classical and gospel music to world-class opera.
KB Solomon is currently performing his own one-man show about the music and life of Paul Robeson, which will also serve as a prelude to the screenplay he has co-authored about Paul Robeson. Until now there has not been a voice known to match the spirit, sound, words and music of Paul Robeson like KB Solomon.

Hailed by the New York Times as possessing "virtuosity and an ear for musical dialogue", Michael Fitzpatrick is the recipient of the Prince Charles Award for outstanding musicianship bestowed by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. At the forefront of using music as a vehicle for increasing feelings of peace in the world, his performances have been featured on PBS' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and on NPR/National Public Radio, which referred to him as "an interpreter of the Muse." Fitzpatrick performed at the closing ceremonies for the United Nations Millennium Peace Summit of Religious & Spiritual Leaders, for the opening ceremonies of the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Barcelona in conjunction with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi’s Keynote Address, and at the Site of Christ’s Baptism, the Dead Sea, and at the Royal Palace for His Majesty King Abdullah II as part of the Global Summit on Peace hosted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He was Fitzpatrick was instrumental in personally bringing together - and performing for - His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet and United Nations Messenger of Peace Muhammad Ali for their historic first meeting. Fitzpatrick has collaborated with His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama for the past 12 years on Millenia Music’s COMPASSION RISING project, recorded and filmed inside the largest cave-system in the world, Mammoth Cave. Fitzpatrick conceived, produced and is the featured soloist of the musical convergence which brought together - for the first time in history - the ancient Tibetan chant and Trappist gregorian chant traditions, blended with soaring instrumental music, and spoken word by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the late Thomas Merton. The original COMPASSION CD was recommended for a Special Merit Award at the Grammy Awards - prompting legendary music-executive Bruce Lundvall, President & CEO of EMI Jazz & Classics to state: “COMPASSION is at once both a prayer and an aural celebration of brotherhood and world peace. It has the power to bring feelings of hope and human compassion to all who listen....” www.compassionrising.com

Our special guest, this morning, as we gather to honor the memory of our late, great mayor of Hollywood – Johnny Grant – spent four decades working with Johnny. He was one of Johnny’s closest friends and colleagues.
He has had an auspicious career as a television producer in Hollywood, where he has been honored with six Emmy nominations from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Four of these Emmy nominations were for projects that Johnny served as executive producer on!
He is an award-winning producer for A&E’s “Biography” series, the Hollywood Christmas Parade and Welcome Home Desert Storm spectacular on KTLA-TV, and a variety of Hollywood specials for the American Movie Channel, NBC, CBS and ABC Television Networks. This multi-award-winning producer and narrator is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
In his 30 year long military career – both active duty and reserve -- he served with the Army in Vietnam, at NATO Headquarters in Belgium, and at the Pentagon. His duties have included serving both as a senior staff officer and as commander for a variety of Army Reserve component and State Guard units. His largest command was the 40th Infantry Division (Mechanized) Support Brigade, the senior State Defense Force organization in California. He retired from the State Guard system in 2001 as a brigadier general.
His USO service includes producing nine overseas USO shows for combat troops in Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia, Korea and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for World USO, and more than one hundred USO shows for troops at stateside locations. For the past seven years he has served as Executive Director for the Bob Hope Hollywood USO Center at Los Angeles International Airport. He oversees the daily operations of this premiere USO Center, and supervises the activities of the USO Center at Ontario International Airport and the USO Lounge at Palm Springs International Airport.
As the USO was one of Johnny’s most cherished and favored organizations, contributions to help support the USO’s work with our troops would be gratefully appreciated. The address is: Bob Hope Hollywood USO at LAX, Post Office Box 1776, Hollywood, CA 90078.

Folk rock favorites WE FIVE are familiar to millions for hit recordings including “You Were On My Mind,” “The First Time” and “Walk On By.” The San Francisco group was nominated for the “Best New Artist” Grammy in 1965. During its original ten-years and five albums, the group toured colleges and arenas, as well as performing on TV programs including Shindig, Hullabaloo, and American Bandstand. The WE FIVE REVIVAL continues its tradition of harmonic vocals, acoustic and electric instruments, and jazz-flavored folk rock. The remarkable reunion is composed of Mike Stewart and Jerry Burgan, who formed the original group at the University of San Francisco; singer Debbie Burgan, who joined as lead singer in 1967; keyboardist Ray Scantlin, who also joined in 1967; musician Terry Rangno, notable for his career as a child actor (“Lassie,” “Ozzie & Harriet”); and Jerry and Debbie’s son, guitarist Chris Burgan. It’s a bright, refreshing, and nostalgic step back to a time of new beginnings. www.wefive.net