Country music legend Dolly Parton isn’t just a blond bombshell whose incredible looks mesmerized millions over the years, but also a strong woman with an incredible personality with a sense of humor and a big heart who has always spoken openly about everything in her life. And that is one of the reasons why her career spans that many years.
Besides her incredible singing talent, it’s her hairstyle that became her trademark.
Wikipedia / Curtis Hilbun/ Dollywood
The singer, songwriter, businesswoman, and humanitarian, among the rest, admits she wears wigs. And we think they suit her perfectly.
“I used to try to keep my own hair teased as big as I like it, and having the bleach and all of that, it just broke off,” the star told Hallmark’s Home & Family hosts Mark Steines and Cristina Ferrare. “I thought, ‘Why am I going through all that? Why don’t I just wear wigs? That way, I never have a bad hair day! I have a big hair day, but not a bad hair day.”
Wikipedia
Dolly wrote in her book Songteller: My Life in Lyrics how she always dreamed of being able to buy hairpieces when she was a young girl. And today, she can afford all the wigs and hairpieces she wants. “I always wore my hair all teased up. Whenever that style started, I was the first to get my hair all poofy. Then as soon as I could buy those hairpieces and wigs, I wanted them.”
Just recently, the superstar posted a black and white photo of herself from her younger days with her natural hair. Needless to say, her fans went crazy over that. “In case you’re wondering, yes, that’s my real hair,” Dolly wrote.
Dolly and husband Carl Thomas Dean have been married for 50 years, but we don’t know much about him as he’s trying to keep himself out of the spotlight. The singer wrote about him in her book and described him as a romantic person. She even recalled how he hugged her so tight when she went to visit him at the army base in Georgia back in the day that her wig fell off. “He squeezed, hugged and kissed me so hard that he knocked my wig off.”
Take a look at the video below which shows the evolution of Dolly’s style. We can all agree that she is a fashion icon.
Becoming a celebrity from very early age can take its toll eventually. This is especially true for young actors who experience fame early in life. Some of them continue their careers in the movie industry, while others can’t put up with that way of life which requires long working hours and a lot of sacrifice.
If you have seen “Eight is Enogh,” the first ever TV show dubbed “dramedy,” chances are you remember sweet Nicholas, who became known as “America’s little brother.”
Played by Adam Rich, the role of Nicholas became widely accepted by the fans who predicted a successful career for the little actor. The truth is that after this show, Adam didn’t have a breakthrough and quit acting in 2003, when he appeared in front of cameras for one last time in the comedy Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, produced by Adam Sandler.
Source: Wikipedia / ABC
Adam fell in love with acting from very early age. His parents very very supportive and helped him get a number of gigs in various commercials. Then, one day, Adam came across an ad by ABC saying they were looking for someone his age for a new TV show Eight is Enough. He wanted to try his luck and auditioned for the role of Nicholas.
There were plenty of young boys who dreamed of getting the role, but Adam was the perfect fit. Speaking of the audition, Adam told The Charlotte Observer in 1978. ”Well, when I went in for an interview – you know how we always play football in the show? Well, I told them a story about when I used to play football, and I think that probably did it.”
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The show portrayed the life of newspaper editor Tom Braden who raised eight children. It involved both comedy and drama and was extremely popular, capturing the attention of millions of fans.
Many of the actors who were part of it found their place under the Hollywood sky, including Mark Hamill who portrayed Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars trilogy, and Ralph Macchio who later became known as the Karate Kid. However, that wasn’t the case with Adam. Over time, he found it harder and harder to get a role and experienced some tough time which forced him into rehab several times.
Actor Adam Rich and actor Chad Lowe attend the 30th Annual “Hollywood Stars Night” Celebrity Baseball Game on August 29, 1987 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Ron Galella via Getty Images
One of his friends from Eight is Enough, Dick Van Patten, who played the patriarch Tom Bradford, bailed Adam out of jail in 1991. He was charged with shoplifting.
”Adam was wildly popular (on ‘Eight is Enough), … and then he had a lot of trouble getting roles,” Van Patten told UPI. ”‘He’s short, he’s in that awkward stage where he’s not as cute as he used to be, so he’s difficult to cast.’”
Other than Eight is Enough, Adam also starred in The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, The Six Million Dollar Man, and in one episode of Baywatch in 1993.
Source: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
In 2019, Adam attended the premier of ”Hello Dolly” together with his colleagues from the show which marked his life.
He tends to stay out of the spotlight and keeps his life private. Apparently, he never married and it is unknown whether he has any children. He has a net worth of $1 million.
I have a feeling that as time passes by, people are becoming more and more self-centered. Stories of kindness are not as common as they once were, so stumbling upon any makes our heart smile.
Being a mom is one of the most demanding jobs. Despite the care they take for their children and the home many work regular jobs and attend university so they don’t have it easy. That is why we should do our best in order to make this world a much comfortable place for these special people.
Source: Facebook
Monica Romero is a 28-year-old single mother of two. At the same time, she’s part of the military and attends the University of Louisville. This Army ROTC student moved to Kentucky from South Korea where she served in order to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
She was about to take her last exam and arranged for a babysitter to take care of her kids, but then, in the last minute, the sitter canceled. Monica didn’t know what to do, but a friend of hers advised her to take her kids with her at the university. Although that sounded like a bad idea, it was the only thing she could do.
As she was going to the university, she prayed for Mikayla, five, and Marcus, four, to behave.
During the first couple of minutes the kids stood still in the hallway, but then Marcus came to the classroom and knocked on the door. Monica was sure she would be asked to leave the class, but just the opposite happened. When the professor, Dr. Daniel Krebs, spotted the kids, he told Monica he would play with them so that she could finish her test.
Source: facebook
This man with a heart of gold entertained Mikayla and Marcus for 45 minutes.
Once this lovely story was shared online, along with a photo of Dr. Krebs, he was dubbed a hero. He, however, believed that what he did was just a common sense and that the real hero here was Monica.
Lady Gaga talks to President-elect Joe Biden and Jill Biden after singing the National Anthem during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the US Capitol in Washington,DC on January 20, 2021. (Photo by Patrick Semansky / POOL / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK SEMANSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Stefani Germanotta, or better known as Lady Gaga, had a central spot on the day of President Biden’s inauguration as she sang the national anthem. Her presence there didn’t come as a surprise because she was pretty vocal about her support for Biden during the presidential campaign.
In 2020, she shared a video of herself wearing outfit with a military pattern and drinking beer in front of a pickup truck. “Hey, this is Lady Gaga. I’m voting for America, which means I’m voting for Joe Biden,” she could be heard saying. She ended the video with the words “Cheers to the 2020 election,” as she crashed the can of beer.
In a separate tweet, she shared a photo of her with the president referring to him as of “a good friend.”
“That’s a pic of me in Pennsylvania when I lived in Lancaster. I LOVE THIS STATE. I’m here now! This place is filled with good hearted people — good hearted people that [Biden] loves,” she wrote. “He’s a good friend. He’s the President this country needs to bring us back together.”
Recently, Lady Gaga decided to speak of the inauguration day and revealed that she wore a bulletproof dress. The famous singer and performer confessed that she felt fear during the time Donald Trump served as the president of the country.
“Like many people in America, I felt a deep fear when Trump was president, and ushering 45 out and 46 in is something I’ll be able to tell my children all about.”
Out of all the reality shows on TV, those who are designed to help people in need are definitely my favorite. If you are a fan of such shows, chances are you are familiar with Ty Pennington, the host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Ever since he appeared on the popular BBC program Trading Spaces where he worked as a carpenter, he stole many people’s hearts. Extremely skillful and smoking hot, it didn’t come as a surprise that Ty was soon offered to host Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Instagram/TyPennington
During the nine seasons it originally aired, the show helped built the homes of thousands of families. However, as much as he was happy to help one family at a time, rejecting the rest was very hard. Ty once revealed that they were getting over 4,000 videos a week of people who wanted to get renovations.
“Yeah, that’s the worst part, but who knows, we might be able to go back and help some of those people we had to say “no” to earlier,” he told Ability Magazine in 2007.
“What’s really cool is, some of the families we’ve helped have come out and helped us with other families. They really want to give back what’s been given to them. There’s definitely a pay-it-forward kind of vibe on our show.”
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Hosting the show put Ty in the spotlight, but being on the set took its toll. He could barely find the time for his private life.
“I didn’t see family or a girlfriend for 10 years. I would come home to do laundry and go out again,” he told The Atlanta Constitution in 2019.
“When I saw people from the old TV show, they said ’My God! You look amazing!’ I got some sleep! I would imagine I look a lot better than when I was on the show.”
Instagram/TyPennington
After the show was canceled back in 2011, Ty turned to other projects. He joined ABC’s talk show The Revolution and later on became a part of two cooking shows, On The Menu and American Diner Revival. He also opened a Los Angeles based design store. In 2018, Ty was part of the third season of the Deluxe Corporation’s series Small Business Revolution: Main Street, and he also did some renovations for Trading Spaces. Most recently, he was seen hosting Battle on the Beach.
When Extreme Makeover: Home Edition aired again recently, he wasn’t offered to get back on the show, but he said there are no hard feelings or any bad blood.
Today, Ty is engaged to 33-year-old social media manager Kellee Merrell. He proposed to her with a beautiful tea-drop-shaped diamond ring and shared the great news on Instagram by posting a photo with the caption “It’s the ‘yes’ for me…”
They have known in each other for a long time but only started dating last year after they stumbled upon each other.
“I have admired Kellee from afar for years. She’s a beautiful person inside and out,” Ty told People.
“Luckily our paths finally crossed at the right time. It’s one of those things where you just feel happy being around a person. I never thought I would get married, but she changed that. Glad I waited for the one.”
Instagram/TyPennington
The couple is currently residing in Florida until their Savannah, Georgia home is ready. We are so happy Ty settled down with the woman he loves.
The influence Michael Landon had on Hollywood is enormous. This incredibly talented man was part of some of the series which are until this day considered iconic, among which Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie.
LittleHouseonthePraire.com
Landon was married three times and had nine children.
Not surprisingly, some of them decided to follow into their famous father’s footsteps. Michael Landon Jr. is one of them. However, Landon Jr. found his spot in the film industry but behind the camera instead in front of it.
Landon Jr.’s childhood wasn’t an ordinary one. He would spend his days on the set of Little House on the Prairiewhere he, his sister, and the rest of the kids would play hide and seek and hunt for snakes at the 100-acre backyard in Simi Valley.
“My father was a prankster,” he told VisionTv. “And he was fearless in terms of putting things in his mouth. So there might be a guest who would show up to the set and [my father] would put a small frog or something in his mouth, a lizard, and then he would go shake their hand and open his mouth and freak them out.”
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Landon Jr. describes his dad as a devoted man who was always there for his family.
He would always choose spending time in the house around his kids over anything else. However, when Landon Jr. was only 16 years old, his parents split and he had a hard time accepting that Michael Landon and Lynn Noe won’t be together any longer.
Sadly, this experience made young Landon turn to alcohol and drugs, but it was his mother, who was a “wreck” herself at the time, that helped him get on the right path again. “I had some tough knocks, thank God,” he explained. “My mom kicked me out of the home, cut me off financially. I was not happy at the time, having come from an extremely extravagant lifestyle but thank God they did that to me.”
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Landon Jr. studied at the University of Southern California (USC) and later at the American Film Institute, and today, he is a very successful director and producer with a number of awards under his belt. He has been working with huge names in the business like Fox, NBC, CBS, Disney and Hallmark and produced his own movies.
He remembers one time working together with his dad on the set of filming an episode of the show Us.
“I was an assistant camera man. I remember him looking over at me for the first time after a certain performance he gave,” Landon Jr. told Title Trakk.
“He looked over, and he wanted my affirmation, whether I thought he’d nailed the scene or not. Having worked with him for 5 years on “Highway to Heaven” and some other work, just having that first moment where he entrusted me with the creative process was very powerful.”
In 2019, the cast of Little House on the Prairie had a reunion on The Today Show, and Michael Landon Jr. was there to honor his father who passed away in 1991 from pancreatic cancer.
Landon Jr. is married to wife Sharee Gregory and they have three children together, Ashley, Brittany, and Austin.
Michael Landon Jr. doesn’t only keep his dad’s legacy alive by following into his footsteps but he also resembles him a great deal. Looking at pictures of them side by side, it’s easy to notice that Landon Jr. is a spitting image of legendary Michael Landon.
Barbara Walters is a pioneer who helped pave the way for women in journalism.
Her interviews were never dull, on the contrary, millions of Americans were eagerly waiting for each new guest to pour out their heart to her because she possessed that superpower to have people trust her.
During her career, which spanned almost half a century, Walters interviewed the most famous people of her time, including celebrities, politicians, leaders like Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein, and each president from Richard Nixon through Barack Obama. She also interviewed Trump, but not as his current role as a president.
Youtube/Today
Walters was born on September 25, 1929, in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father, Lou Walters, opened the famous nightclubs Latin Quarter described by The New Yorker as “American version of the type of Parisian night club that had elaborate floor shows with dozens of expensively costumed chorus girl.” In 1937, the family moved to “The Big Apple” in an apartment building just off Central Park West. However, Lou’s business collapsed and they lost the place. Speaking to The New York Times about her father in 1996, she said, “He had a breakdown. He went down to live in our house in Florida, and then the government took the house, and they took the car, and they took the furniture.”
This experience taught Walters that she had to stand on her feet and rely on herself.
So, she graduated from Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York, earning a bachelor’s degree in English, and soon found herself working as an assistant to the publicity director for New York City’s NBC-affiliated television station. Her next job was with CBS, where she worked as a writer, and in 1961, she was hired by NBC as a researcher and writer for its popular Today show.
In 1964 she earned the nickname “Today girl,” and 10 years after starring alongside Hugh Downs and, later Frank McGee, Walters was named co-host of Today. In 1976, she signed a contract for $1 million per year with ABC, making her the highest paid journalist at the time.
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For her impressive career, Walters earned numerous awards, including three Daytime Emmy Awards and a Prime Time Emmy. Her face became the most famous face on TV.
Walters’ interview with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, during which she broke her silence regarding her relationship with then president Bill Clinton, remains until this day the most watched interview ever. The eyes of 50 million viewers were on Monica and Walters on March 4, 1999.
Speaking of some of the most memorable interviews, Walters told Oprah Winfrey how she remembers Clint Eastwood flirting with her and having crush on him, she “fell apart.”
During the years, Walters hosted most notable shows like The View and 20/20. She excelled wherever she worked and her courage and boldness to ask the right questions at the right time is something many journalists dream of.
In 2014, she felt it was the time for her to say goodbye to her career. ”With Barbara’s retirement, so goes TV news,” longtime news anchor Connie Chung told the New York Times.
She was married twice and has an adopted daughter with second husband Lee Guber. During an interview with Oprah, Walters confessed how she regretted she didn’t spend as much time as she wanted with her daughter because she was always busy with her career. “I would have been home more—and you and I wouldn’t be talking today,” she admitted. “It’s not just about spending quality time. It’s about time in general. . . When ‘Jacki’e was going through the turmoil of her teen years, which I don’t want to talk about, it was a terrible heartache. But maybe I did something right, because look how she turned out.”
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Now, the most famous journalist and host is 91 years old and sadly, it has been reported by certain media outlets and magazines that she is suffering from advanced dementia and that her health is declining with each passing day.
Radar reported last year how a source told them that Walters “is very frail and spends a great deal of the day napping!” adding “On good days, Barbara can distinguish Joy Behar’s voice, but on a bad day, she might just hang up!”
We truly hope for the best for this legendary TV icon who marked an era.
On October 16, 2021, 17 Christian missionaries associated with Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), based in Ohio, have been kidnapped in Haiti after returning from an orphanage. The missionaries, both from the U.S. and Canada, made up of Amish, Mennonite and other Anabaptist Christians, are believed to still be alive. Five of them are children aged 15, 14, 6, 3 and 8 months.
The people behind the kidnapping are the members of the notorious gang 400 Mawozo who are known for killing, kidnapping, and extortion.
The gang’s leader, Wilson Joseph, asked ransom of $17 million, one million per person.
“The demand was made to the country chief of the Christian Aid Ministries — they asked for $1 million per person,” Justice Minister Liszt Quitel told The New York Times.
“Often these gangs know these demands cannot be met and they will consider a counteroffer from the families, and the negotiations can take a couple of days sometimes, or a couple of weeks.”
If not given what they are asking for, the gang was reported to have said they would put a bullet in the head of each of the missionaries.
The friends and the families of the kidnapped members of CAM are praying for their loved ones to be brought back home safe and sound.
CAM released a statement saying, “It is now the 24th day of this crisis, and our workers and loved ones are still being held hostage in Haiti.
“We, along with government authorities, continue to work hard to bring them home safely. This is our heartfelt desire, but we want to surrender to God’s plan and timing.
“The families of the hostages continue to face long days of waiting for news about their loved ones. The hostages no doubt face long days as well, wondering when they might be released.”
“Your prayers have been a lifeline of hope and encouragement for the families, for us at CAM, and no doubt for the hostages during the past several weeks. Keep praying!”
We all hope for a positive outcome and wait for the missionaries to return home.
