On CMT: Characters

	Bobby Brown One of the brightest R&B stars of the late '80s and early '90s, Bobby Brown was born in Boston and began singing with Roxbury schoolmates Michael Bivins and Ricky Bell in 1978. The group developed into New Edition and after a few talent show wins was discovered by producer Maurice Starr. Starr signed the group to his label and co-authored its debut hit, "Candy Girl," which helped get New Edition a deal with MCA. After a few years of teen stardom, Brown longed to move on to an adult solo career and left New Edition in 1986. He released his debut solo album, King of Stage, in 1987, which produced the major hit, "Girlfriend." His follow-up solo album, Don't Be Cruel, topped the charts and made Brown a megastar. The album went on to sell over 7 million copies and spawned five Top 10 hits, including the title song "Don't Be Cruel," "Roni," "Rock Wit'cha," the No. 1 chart-topping "My Prerogative" and "Every Little Step," which earned him a Grammy in 1989 for best male R&B vocal performance. In 1990, he was tapped to provide the theme song for Ghostbusters II and responded with the No. 2 smash "On Our Own," another rap/R&B mixture. He also contributed a rap to friend Glenn Medeiros' No. 1 pop hit, "She Ain't Worth It." Brown was so popular at this point that even his 1990 remix album, Dance! ...Ya Know It!, went platinum. In July 1992, Brown married fellow superstar Whitney Houston and in August released his third solo album, Bobby. Bobby went double platinum, and the hit "Humpin' Around" was a smash, reaching Top 5 on the pop charts and earning him a Grammy nomination for best male R&B vocal performance. In 1995, Brown reunited with New Edition for the No. 1 album Home Again and a comeback tour. At the end of that tour, he again departed to focus on his solo career and released the album Forever in 1997. More recently, he released a greatest hits album in 2000 and contributed to Ja Rule's single, "Thug Lovin'" in 2002. This collaboration won Brown a Source Award for R&B/rap collaboration of the year in 2003. While always maintaining his focus on music, Brown has also been venturing into the movie business. In 1996, he co-starred in the hit movie, The Thin Line Between Love and Hate, and in more recent years, he has appeared in Two Can Play That Game, Go for Broke, Gang of Roses and Nora's Hair Salon and on the small screen in Being Bobby Brown.
	Diana DeGarmo Shooting to fame on the popular television show American Idol in 2004, Diana DeGarmo has thus far enjoyed a fruitful career -- releasing an album, touring across the country and the world and even acting on Broadway all before the tender age of 18. Auditioning on American Idol at age 16, DeGarmo went through weeks of auditions before making it to the Top 32 where she sang before a national TV audience. Losing out to Fantasia Barrino by 1-2 percent of the vote on May 26, 2004, DeGarmo went on tour with the rest of the Top 10. She released her single "Dreams" at the same time, which became the third best-selling single of the year. That summer, DeGarmo also recorded her debut album with RCA Records. Released Dec. 7, 2004, Blue Skies showcased DeGarmo's amazing range and vocal prowess. Wanting to have creative control over the project, DeGarmo began recording a pop/R&B album independently, choosing her own producers and writing on tracks. She also made her theatrical debut as Maria in the San Jose production of West Side Story in November 2005. DeGarmo impressed as Maria with both her singing and natural acting ability. While looking into the movie version of Hairspray in 2005, DeGarmo was asked to audition for the Broadway production of Hairspray. She returned to Atlanta after the audition, only to find out she had indeed been offered the role of Penny Lou Pingleton in the Broadway production of Hairspray.
	Julio Iglesias Jr. Julio Iglesias Jr. was born in Madrid, Spain, to well-known singer, Julio Iglesias, and the beautiful Isabel Preysler. At a very young age he moved to Miami, a place he now considers home. Although he has spent his whole life surrounded by music, his own personal journey into the music didn't begin until the late '90s when he released his first album in English. In Iglesias' second album, he had the desire to go back to his roots and re-establish himself. The budding musician searched for new territory to conquer. Iglesias chose to sing in Spanish, and the result was the mind-expanding Tercera Dimension. He got his inspiration from Anglo rock and not only did he write lyrics, but he was also involved in the production of the album. Tercera Dimension (Third Dimension) has some elements of rock en espa�ol. Currently, he is about to release his new album in Spain, in which he goes back to his childhood roots and passion for music at a young age. In addition to music, Iglesias has hosted the Latin Grammy Pre-Show, guest starred on UPN's Eve and has participated in several productions for VH1 and E! Entertainment. He was a participant in one of the most viewed shows in Spain, Mira Quien Baila (Dancing With the Stars in Spain). Recently he finished recording a short film, The Music of You.
	Maureen McCormick Maureen McCormick's acting career started at age 7 when she won the lead role in Ray Stark's play, Wind It Up and It Breaks, which was performed at the La Jolla Playhouse. Within a year, McCormick was a popular choice for TV commercials and sitcoms. In addition to ads for Barbie and Kool-Aid, she won a continuing role on the sitcom Bewitched and worked for famed director Elia Kazan in her feature film debut, The Arrangement. As fate would have it, she answered a call for auditions, along with hundreds of other child actors, to read for a role in the upcoming Brady Bunch TV series. Producer Sherwood Schwartz was impressed by the young actress and offered her the role of Marcia Brady. McCormick quickly became one of America's top teen role models, admired by millions. When the Brady kids became a singing group on the side, producers noticed her special talent for singing and encouraged her to record a number of solo tracks with some turning up later on the LP, Chris Knight and McCormick. After touring and recording several albums with the original Brady Bunch cast, McCormick started her solo singing career at the age of 16. Her first solo release was the single "Little Bird," which she performed on American Bandstand for Dick Clark, who encouraged the young star to pursue a full time musical career. Years later, McCormick would revive her interest in singing and recorded a popular country pop record When You Get a Little Lonely with many leading Nashville musicians. McCormick also starred as country sensation Barbara Mandrell in the hit TV movie, Get to the Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story. McCormick has appeared in many feature films such as Skatetown USA, Return to Horror High and Texas Lightning, for which she wrote the song, "Typical Day." She has also appeared in many TV guest spots. She was cast as a regular on Teen Angel, and she has made appearances on Herman's Head, Moesha and The Single Guy. McCormick continues to pursue all aspects of her career, including television, movies, theater, commercials and also voice work in cartoon shows. She recently appeared as a contestant on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club.
	Sisq� As the dynamic frontman to the multiplatinum-selling R&B group Dru Hill and a solo artist, Sisq� has sold more than 7 million albums and has appeared in films, television shows and commercial endorsements. Sisq� formed the R&B group Dru Hill in 1995 with high school friends, James "Woody" Green, Larry "Jazz" Anthony Jr. and Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin. The group was named for their Baltimore neighborhood, Druid Hill Park. Dru Hill signed with Island Records and released its first record, Dru Hill, in 1996. The group went from teen talent shows to selling multiplatinum records in no time. Between Dru Hill and the group's second release, Enter the Dru, the group scored six hit singles. In 1999, Dru Hill collaborated on the title song of the Wild Wild West soundtrack with rapper and actor Will Smith, who would become a huge influence on Sisq�. During shooting of the Wild Wild West video, the group realized that after four years together, each of the members needed to follow his own path in music. As a result, the members of Dru Hill decided to split, each to record his own solo record, though the foursome had plans to reconvene later to record another Dru Hill album. Sisq�, with Smith's advice, made a decision about the direction of his solo work. The two agreed that anything Sisq� released would have to be classy. "No hardcore anything," they agreed, Sisq� told TV Guide. That agreement was OK, Sisq� said, until Smith heard "Thong Song," the first single from Sisq�'s 1999 debut album, Unleash the Dragon, released on Sisq�'s own Def Jam/Def Soul imprint, Dragon Records. "Thong Song" became a party anthem during the spring and summer of 2000, and Unleash the Dragon went on to sell more than 5 million copies. The unexpected popularity of "Thong Song" led to Sisq�'s emergence as "one of pop music's hottest new voices," according to TV Guide. The "Thong Song" video became a top-requested video on Total Request Live, a viewer-voted video countdown on MTV. Sisq�'s appeal to MTV fans was so overwhelming, the cable network gave the singer his own dance competition show, Sisq�'s Shakedown, which was the highest-rated show on MTV during the summer and fall of 2000.
	Dee Snider While best known as the lead singer of the acclaimed rock band Twisted Sister, Dee Snider is more than a musician. He is a radio personality, television host, author, voice-over artist, screenplay writer, actor, and most of all, he is a doting husband of 32 years and father of four children. From rock star to country crooner, Snider is currently starring in CMT's Gone Country. With country music giant John Rich at the helm, Snider will be competing against other musicians in their quest to transition to and conquer country music. In addition, Renegade 83 Productions, the team behind Gone Country, has signed Snider and his wife Suzette to a television production deal. The project is tentatively titled Dee Snider to the Rescue. Think Dee Snider meets Nanny 911. Also on the books is a series remake of the classic television sitcom, Green Acres, with Dee Snider and his New York City-based family uprooting to a modern day Hooterville. In radio, Snider begins his 11th year hosting the nationally syndicated House of Hair. The show is currently heard in 200 cities in the United States, Canada and Central America. He has also hosted radio shows on the legendary Philadelphia radio station, WMMR, and was a top rated morning personality in Hartford, Conn., and Richmond, Va. Never setting limits, Snider wrote, produced and starred in Dee Snider's Strangeland. This horror flick immediately became a classic of the genre with Strangland 2 on the drawing boards. With the success of Strangeland, Snider was tapped to host a weekly radio show on all things horror, Fangoria Radio. His influence in the genre has led to a whole new generation of horror fans and producers. In 2002, VH1 signed Snider to star as himself in their original movie production of Warning: Parental Advisory. Co-starring Mariel Hemingway, Jason Priestly and Griffin Dunne, Snider re-created his role during the congressional record labeling hearings of the mid-1980s. Battling the Beltway wives, most notably, Tipper Gore, Snider along with Frank Zappa and John Denver turned D.C. politics upside down, carrying the banner of Twisted Sister's legendary anthem, "We're Not Gonna Take It." Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't going to take it either. The now governator enlisted Snider to help rally his political troops all the way to the governor's mansion in California. At his last political rally in Sacramento, Schwarzenegger asked Snider to lead the way in singing "We're Not Gonna Take It." California listened and the Terminator was elected governor. Not to be outdone, the government of Mexico recruited Snider as well, using the anthem in their bid to set the country on a fiscal and judicial road to recovery. As a voice-over artist, you have heard Snider's voice on myriad commercials, documentaries and video games. Perhaps most remarkable was MSNBC's hiring of Snider to be the voice of the network.
	Carnie Wilson Some people know Carnie Wilson as a pop singer and a progeny of one of the most famous artists of all time -- Beach Boys co-founder and mastermind Brian Wilson. She has her own hit-laden and Grammy Award-nominated track record with the group, Wilson Phillips. Others know her as a TV personality with a resum� that includes co-hosting The View, hosting her own talk show Carnie!, as well as Bottom Line's Secret Food Cures and acting on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. She also does radio and TV voiceovers, is a published author of autobiographies and a cookbook, a Playboy model and a motivational speaker. Showing off the combined genes of the Beach Boys and the Mamas and the Papas, Wilson Phillips debuted at No. 1 in 1990 with their first single, "Hold On" -- the Billboard Music Award winner for Hot 100 single of the year -- selling more than 11 million copies of their three albums and producing six Top 20 singles. Wilson's voice has also graced albums by her father as well as by James Ingram, Belinda Carlisle, Billy Idol and the late Robert Palmer. In 2006, shortly after the birth of her daughter Lola Sofia, she recorded A Mother's Gift: Lullabies From the Heart, which featured a combination of originals and covers. Her latest album, Christmas With Carnie, is in stores now. Her TV career has also included a correspondent gig on Entertainment Tonight, stints on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and That 70s Show. Her published works include two memoirs -- 2001's Gut Feeling and 2003's I'm Still Hungry -- as well as the cookbook To Serve With Love in 2005.
	John Rich Texas native John Rich, most recently known as one half of the multi-platinum Warner Bros. duo, Big & Rich, has been honing his songwriting skills for years, making a name for himself as a gifted musician, producer, award winning songwriter and TV host for CMT's new series, Gone Country. Several years ago, Rich, Big Kenny, and a group of friends began playing out together. What started out as a group of musicians throwing casual jam sessions at a local Nashville haunt, evolved into a band of brothers (and sisters) known as the Muzik Mafia. Gradually, the Muzik Mafia turned into one of the most exciting scenes in Nashville. Such diverse musical guests as Bon Jovi, Jewel and Stone Temple Pilots among countless country artists have come out to join the Tuesday night jam session. Other founding members include multi-platinum selling artist, Gretchen Wilson, Warner Bros. artists Cowboy Troy, Shannon Brown and James Otto. Eventually this movement led to the pairing of Rich and Big Kenny -- thus creating Big & Rich. Rich's writing credits include the Academy of Country Music Award winning single of the year, "Redneck Woman," along with Gretchen Wilson's other two hits "When I Think About Cheatin'" and "Here for the Party," Faith Hill's smash single "Mississippi Girl" and Jason Aldean's single, "Hicktown." In addition, he has written several other cuts for Hill, Martina McBride, Clay Walker, Aaron Tippin, Cowboy Troy and Shannon Brown. Because of his contributions to the songwriting and music industry community, Rich was awarded the ASCAP songwriter of the year award in 2005, 2006 and 2007. He is the only artist to receive the award three consecutive years. In June 2007, Rich along with Big Kenny as Big & Rich, released their third album, Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace, which went on to spawn the first No. 1 single for the duo, "Lost in This Moment." Big & Rich's current single, "Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace" is currently climbing up the charts. One month after Big & Rich's new album release, Rich and Big Kenny received the President's Award for Excellence in the Arts award recognizing their 2006 single, "8th of November," which was inspired by the duo's close friend, Niles Harris, a Purple Heart veteran and member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The single was a Top 10 hit in 2006.