Walt Whitman Biography (1819-1892)

Walt Whitman was a 19th century writer whose life’s work, Leaves of Grass, made him one of the first American poets to gain international attention. Whitman spent most of his young life in Brooklyn, where he worked as a printer and newspaper journalist through the 1850s. The first edition of Leaves of Grass was privately printed in 1855 and…

Peaches Geldof Biography (1989-)

Peaches Geldof has turned her position as the daughter of rocker Sir Bob Geldof into an erratic career as a TV personality, model, and free-range celebrity. As the daughter of Bob Geldof and his former wife, the late Paula Yates, Peaches grew up in the public eye amidst jokes about her unusual name. As a teen she began…

Maria Menounos Biography (1978-)

The Greek-American beauty Maria Menounos has been a natural fit for entertainment since she started pursuing pageantry as a teen. Born on June 8, 1978, in Medford, Massachusetts, Maria debuted in beauty pageants at 17 and a year later, she won the Miss Massachusetts Teen USA crown, sending her to Miss Teen USA. Although she didn’t win, she…

Giuliana Rancic Biography (1975-)

Giuliana Rancic is an entertainment journalist, fashion and beauty expert and television personality with over 2 million followers on Twitter.

She is the co-anchor of E! News alongside Ryan Seacrest and is the co-star of E!’s hugely popular Fashion Police team alongside Joan Rivers.

She’s been on the red carpet for every mega-event in the entertainment industry (Oscars, Grammy Awards,…

Deborah Norville Biography (1958-)

Veteran journalist Deborah Norville has been anchor of Inside Edition since March 1995.  Ratings jumped 15% the week the two-time Emmy joined the series, which is now the nation’s top-rated syndicated newsmagazine.

A best-selling author, Norville’s latest book is The Power of Respect:  Benefit From the Most Forgotten Element of Success  (Oct. 2009, Thomas Nelson) provides a timely explanation…

Maria Shriver Biography (1955-)

Journalist, first lady. Born Maria Owings Shriver on November 6, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. Shriver is the daughter of prominent politican and diplomat Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of John F. and Robert Kennedy. She graduated from Georgetown University in June 1977 with a B.A. in American studies and began her career as a newswriter and producer…

Diablo Cody Biography (1978-)

After trading in her given name of Brook Busey-Hunt for the snappier pseudonym Diablo Cody, this Illinois native raised eyebrows online in addition to dimly lit peep-show booths with her blog, Pussy Ranch, as well as her 2006 memoir, Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper. Cody, who graduated college with a degree in…

Meredith Viera Biography (1953-)

Co-host of NBC’s Today show since 2006, Meredith Vieira is a television journalist whose credits include work on CBS’s 60 Minutes and ABC’s The View. Vieira got her start as a radio news announcer in Worcester, Massachusetts, after graduating with a degree in English from Tufts University (1975). She was recruited in 1977 by WJAR-TV in Providence, Rhode…

Lara Logan Biography (1971-)

Lara Logan’s reports from Afghanistan, Iraq and other global hot spots earned her a job reporting for CBS News in 2002. Only 31 at the time, Lara Logan had already spent more than a dozen years in the news business, beginning with jobs writing for The Daily News and The Sunday Tribune of Durban, South Africa while attending…

Roger Ebert Biography (1942-)

Writer, film critic. Born June 18, 1942, in Urbana, Illinois, Roger Ebert, along with his longtime television partner Gene Siskel, is perhaps the most noted movie critic in film history. With their popular syndicated show Siskel and Ebert became almost as celebrated and famous as the movies and movie stars they covered.

Ebert, the only child of Annabel and…

Jane Pauley Biography (1950-)

Journalist, television anchor. Born on October 31, 1950, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jane Pauley was one of the best known morning television personalities during the 1970s and 1980s. After graduating from Indiana University in 1971, she worked as a reporter for an Indianapolis television station for a few years. In 1975, Pauley served briefly a reporter and a co-anchor in…