Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope Performers

Dorothy Hamill

Cancer Survivor, Olympic Gold Medalist, Three-Time U.S. Champion, Olympic and Figure Skating Hall of Fame

Dorothy Hamill’s name has been synonymous with figure skating for more than three decades. At age 19, Dorothy took home the gold at the 1976 Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria and went on to win the World Championship title. She is also a three-time U.S. champion and an inductee of both the Olympic Hall of Fame and the Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

A long-time American icon, Dorothy was influential both on and off the ice. She is credited with developing the "Hamill Camel" skating move and captured America by starting a fad with her infamous bobbed hairstyle that she wore when she during her Olympic gold medal performance.

As a professional, Dorothy has skated with many productions, including eight years with the Ice Capades. She had an unprecedented four ABC television prime time specials produced in her honor. Dorothy continues to tour with "Champions on Ice" and "Broadway on Ice" throughout the country. In late 2007, Dorothy released her memoir entitled "A Skating Life: My Story" from Hyperion Publishing, which made the New York Times Best Seller List.  A two-year cancer survivor, Dorothy is also passionate about supporting and inspiring women through their journey with cancer.

Scott Hamilton

 Cancer Survivor, Olympic Gold Medalist, Olympic and Figure Skating Hall of Fame, Four-Time World Champion

1984 Olympic Figure Skating Champion Scott Hamilton returns to his role as host of Kaleidoscope once again. Scott, the first American male figure skater to win an Olympic medal in skating since 1960, won every U.S. National Championship and every world championship from 1981-1984. He was also inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame, is a privileged member of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and became the first figure skater ever to be inducted into the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame.

Scott, a cancer survivor, is the founder of the Scott Hamilton C.A.R.E.S. Initiative (Cancer Alliance for Research, Education and Survivorship) at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Center in Cleveland, Ohio, its web site Chemocare.com and the patient mentor network, Fourth Angel, in conjunction with the Cleveland Clinic and C.A.R.E.S.

SASHA COHEN

2000 Olympic Silver Medalist, Three-time World Championship Medalist, 2003 Grand Prix Final Champion, 2006 U.S. Champion

Sasha Cohen is a U.S. figure skater. She is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World Championship medalist, the 2003 Grand Prix Final Champion, and the 2006 U.S. Champion. She is an icon of her sport but also holds worldwide influence in other realms including fashion and nutrition, leading the way in promoting a healthy physical and mental daily regimen that stretches across all demographics. Sasha studied a semester at the intensive The New York Film Academy at Harvard University during her break from competitive skating. She has also taken speech classes and a variety of other acting classes, many from Hollywood's top coaches. Sasha is as much an ambassador for her charities, including the Figure Skating in Harlem organization, where she serves on the board, as she is for her sport. Recognizing that young people are influenced by what they see in public, Sasha thrives on being a positive role model.

NANCY KERRIGAN

Two-Time Olympic Medalist, 1993 U.S. Champion

Nancy Kerrigan is a two-time American Olympic figure skating medalist and 1993 U.S. champion. The 1992 Olympic bronze medalist made headlines after getting clubbed in the right knee just before the U.S. Skating Championships on January 6, 1994. She was unable to compete in that event, but was given a spot on the 1994 U.S. Olympic team. She went on to win a silver medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. Nancy retired from active competition after the Olympics and since then has appeared in a variety of ice skating shows and in the 2006 FOX television program Skating with Celebrities, and played a small part in the 2007 film Blades of Glory. Nancy also created The Nancy Kerrigan Foundation, in honor of her mother who is legally blind, to raise awareness and support for the vision impaired. 

PAUL WYLIE

1992 Olympic Silver medalist, U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame Inductee (2008), World Professional Champion

Paul Wylie is an American figure skater and 1992 Olympic silver medalist. Born in Dallas, Texas, Wylie began skating at the age of three. At age eleven, his family moved to Denver, Colorado, where he began to train. Wylie placed second at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1988, 1990, and 1992. He won the silver medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. After the Olympics, Wylie joined the professional skating ranks. Wylie toured with Stars on Ice from 1992 to 1998 before retiring to attend Harvard Business School and work in the corporate world. On August 14, 1999, Wylie married Cape Cod blueblood Kate Presbrey. They have three children, Hannah, Emma and Caleb, and currently reside in Charlotte, North Carolina where Wylie previously worked with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, as director of the Dare to be a Daniel program. Wylie is currently in business for himself running a sports-related travel agency and is coaching figure skaters at the Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, North Carolina. On January 10, 2008, the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame announced that Wylie would be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame on January 25, 2008.

JOHNNY WEIR

3-Time National Champion, 2-Time Olympian, World Bronze Medalist

Johnny is an American figure skater. He is a three-time U.S. National Champion (2004–2006), the 2008 Worlds bronze medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, and the 2001 World Junior Champion. As of April 2010 Weir is ranked 12th in the world by the International Skating Union (ISU). He does not intend to skate competitively in the 2010–11 season. He is currently a judge on the U.S. reality show Skating with the Stars. He is the star of his own reality series, Be Good Johnny Weir, on the Sundance Channel, for which he won the 2010 NewNowNext Award for Most Addictive Reality Star. Also in 2010, he again earned the Readers’ Choice Award for Skater of the Year, making Johnny the only skater other than Michelle Kwan to win this trophy more than once. Johnny is one of the superstars of figure skating and an emerging pop-culture icon. Fans all over the globe love his elegant yet edgy style both on and off the ice, and the delicious unpredictability of what he’ll say—or wear, or do—next.

KURT BROWNING

Four-time World Champion, Four-time Canadian National Champion, 2006 Inducted into World Figure Skating Hall of Fame

Kurt Browning is a Canadian figure skater and choreographer. Born in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta and raised in Caroline, Alberta, Browning is a four-time Canadian figure skating champion and four-time World Champion. He represented Canada in three Winter Olympics, 1988 (finishing 8th overall), 1992 (6th) and 1994 (5th). On March 25, 1988, at the 1988 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Browning landed the first quadruple jump ever in competition. This accomplishment is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Browning is also known for his footwork. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and Canada's Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2000. Browning married Sonia Rodriguez, a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, on June 30, 1996. Their first son, Gabriel, was born on July 12, 2003 and their second son, Dillon, was born on August 14, 2007.

ELVIS STOJKO

Three-Time World Champion, Two-Time Olympic Silver Medalist, Seven-Time Canadian Champion

Elvis Stojko, a Canadian world figure skating champion, is a three-time world champion, Olympic silver medalist in 1994 and 1998, and seven-time Canadian champion. Elvis was the first person to land a quadruple-double jump combination at the World Championships in 1991; however, he made his mark after winning his first Canadian National Championship in 1994. In 2003, he was a commentator for CTV/TSN for the Men’s Figure Skating competitions at the World Figure Skating Championships and was a celebrity judge on Skating’s Next Star in 2006. Elvis retired from skating in 2006 after a farewell performance for the Mariposa skating club, where he trained most of his amateur career. 

SINEAD AND JOHN KERR

Two-Time European Bronze Medalist, Two-Time Olympians, Seven-Time British National Champions

Sinead and John Kerr, siblings and Scottish figure skaters, trained as single skaters until they teamed up as skating partners 2000. Together they are two-time European bronze medalists, two-time Olympians, and seven-time British National Champions. The Kerr’s recently announced their retirement from competitive skating in April 2011. 

JOANNIE ROCHETTE

2010 Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2009 World Silver Medalist, 2008 and 2009 Four Continents Silver Medalist, Six-time Canadian National Champion

Joannie Rochette is a Canadian figure skater. She is the 2010 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2009 World silver medalist, the 2008 and 2009 Four Continents silver medalist, the 2004 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, and a six-time (2005–10) Canadian national champion.  As of November 2010[update], she was ranked 4th in the world by the International Skating Union (ISU).  On February 21, 2010, two days before the beginning of ladies' figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, her mother, Thérèse Rochette, died of a heart attack at Vancouver General Hospital after arriving to watch her compete; Rochette chose to remain in the competition and skate in her mother's honor. At her mother's funeral, she placed her Olympic bronze medal on the casket for some time.  Rochette is currently a spokesperson for the "iheartmom" campaign at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, which deals with raising awareness for heart disease in women.

JORDIN SPARKS

It has been nothing short of a whirlwind: The then youngest-ever winner of American Idol, Jordin Sparks was just seventeen years old when she won the coveted title. In reflection, it was the best training ground she could have ever had. “I didn’t know it when we were doing the show, but all the interviews and behind-the-scenes stuff prepared me for now.  Being on Idol was exciting, exhilarating and slightly traumatic. I won the show I was a fan of, what could be better?” Thrown right in to the spotlight, and in to the recording studio, Jordin passed GO and never looked back.

In the four years that have followed, Jordin has released two albums on 19 Recordings/Jive Records. Her self-titled debut went platinum, selling over 2 million copies worldwide, with the first three singles going top 5 and the album’s second single, “No Air” selling 4 million digital downloads.  “No Air” also is the highest selling single by any American Idol contestant and is listed #27 in Billboard’s Top 40 Biggest Duets of All Time.  Jordin’s second release, 2009’s "Battlefield", debuted on the Billboard Album chart at number seven, with the first single, also called "Battlefield," reaching the top ten on the Billboard Singles Chart and second single, "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play),” topping the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, becoming Jordin’s first #1. Sparks also co-wrote four tracks on the album, including “911 Emergency,” “Was I The Only One,” “Faith,” and “The Cure.”  Cumulatively, her popular singles have sold almost 9 million downloads/ringtones. 

Sparks has toured with Alicia Keys, The Jonas Brothers, and Britney Spears and performed for Presidents Bush and Obama, won two BET Awards, one American Music Award, one People’s Choice Award and has been nominated for two MTV Awards and one Grammy. 

So with domination of popular music checked off her bucket list, what was Sparks going to do next?  First up, Broadway. Debuting as Nina Rosario in the Tony award winning musical In The Heights in the Fall of 2010, Sparks spent 12 weeks on the great white way.  In the Fall of 2010 Jordin also unveiled her first ever fragrance line with the fruity floriental scent titled, “Because of You”- thoughtfully named by Sparks to pay tribute to her fans that have helped her to achieve her dreams.

In the summer of 2011 Jordin Sparks was featured on the cover of People Magazine’s Summer Double Issue, MOST AMAZING BODIES, sang the theme song for the Disney film, “African Cats”, released the hot dance single, “I Am Woman” (which became the theme song of the WNBA), and joined New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys as a special guest on their North American summer tour.  2012 is proving to be even more exciting as Sparks makes her feature film debut as Sparkle in the SONY Pictures film by the same name. 

PATTI LABELLE

Beautiful, simply does not describe the incomparable force known to the world as Patti LaBelle. As time continues to evolve, the soulful songbird’s name has become synonymous with grace, style, elegance and class.  Belting out classic rhythm and blues renditions, pop standards and spiritual sonnets have created the unique platform of versatility that Ms. Patti is known and revered for.

Two years ago, she reunited with Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx for the first time in more than three decades for the critically acclaimed Labelle reunion album, Back to Now.  It’s a small wonder that Patti has time for anything else in between recording and touring, but she makes time and the world is oh so happy that she does! 

In November 2008, she released her fifth book and third cookbook, Recipes for The Good Life, and an instructional cooking DVD, In the Kitchen with Miss Patti. The cookbook features recipes and anecdotes that reflect Patti's philosophy that good cooking and the love of entertaining come from the heart.  More recently, Patti introduced a line of signature sauces and marinades called Lady Marmalade and launched a designer bedding collection with Macy’s, Patti LaBelle Home. 

In addition to her amazing career as an entertainer and entrepreneurial success, Ms. LaBelle’s work as a humanitarian is just as legendary. She remains an advocate for adoption, foster care, Big Sisters and the United Negro College Fund, among many other initiatives.  While Ms. LaBelle's celebrated career is respected world-wide, she has also endured and survived personal strife. Within a 10-year period, she lost her mother, three sisters and best friend to diabetes and cancer. In 1994, LaBelle was diagnosed with diabetes and shortly thereafter became a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association. 

The same motivation that had Patricia Louise Holte blossom from a choir member to lead vocalist for Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles and later Labelle, to a solo artist is the same energy that keeps her fire burning at sixty-six years young. “Each year I grow, and that’s a blessing from God.  I do what I can do.  I do what I feel God has given me the energy to do, so I just go out there and I do it…It’s not about making money because I don’t need money, but I need to sing.  With a voice or without, I’ve got to get on that stage.”  And the world is thankful that Ms. Patti’s voice sounds so good to our ears.

HUNTER HAYES

Among the many extraordinary things about Hunter Hayes, the multi-talented musician, writer, producer and performer, perhaps what is most astonishing is that in truth, he’s just getting started. And it is that fact which holds the promise of Hunter Hayes becoming one of the most significant musical talents to emerge, not just from Nashville, but from anywhere, in a long, long time.

Already, he has accomplishments beyond most musicians wildest dreams: Singing “Jambalaya” with Hank Williams Jr. in front of 200,000 people (15 million YouTube views) at the age of four; appearing with Robert Duvall (who gave Hunter his first guitar) in “The Apostle” at the age of six; playing with Johnny and June Cash, and Charlie Daniels at a BBQ; performing for President Clinton and many more. You might say that he’s lived a charmed life. But those experiences are simply the natural result of Hunter’s prodigal talent, one that’s been there from the beginning as though a gift from God, and one that he’s always conscious to be in service to.

Having moved to Nashville two years ago, Hayes was quickly signed to Universal Music Publishing Group where he has co-written songs for Rascal Flatts and Montgomery Gentry.  At the same time, he was introduced to Atlantic Records’ Chairman/CEO and music visionary Craig Kallman, who he signed with at Atlantic Records. “I’m blessed to be surrounded by people who appreciate music and support what I do.”

Born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, Hunter has been making music since about the time he learned to walk. As he recounts, “By the time I was almost two, I was picking up everything and making an instrument out of it. My grandmother gave me a toy accordion for my second birthday and I immediately began picking up Cajun songs by ear from the radio.” While both of Hunter’s parents are music lovers, neither are musicians, so as he says, “The way I picked up music was out of left field, but, I suppose, a pleasant surprise for them.”

For the Hayes’, most Friday night’s in the early part of Hunter’s childhood were spent at a Cajun restaurant a couple of blocks from their home that featured live music, and it was there where Hunter joined his first band at the age of four, first as the accordionist, and then as the front man at the age of five.

Taking up guitar at the age of 6, Hunter’s ability to pick up instruments (including bass guitar, drums, keyboards, and more) became evident. He says, “I’ve never had the patience to sit down and learn from anyone. So with the guitar, and with every subsequent instrument and piece of studio equipment, it’s been a process of experimentation – pressing every button I can.”

Songwriting, too, has been a constant undertaking of Hunter’s. “I wrote my first song at 6,” he recalls, “I spent every day with the guitar and I just made up songs.” Hunter’s songwriting has been informed by an eclectic grouping of influences. “When I was really young, Garth Brooks was enormous, and I was a huge fan.  I always loved LeAnn Rimes and especially Clint Black for his soulfulness. As I’ve gotten older, my influences have broadened – John Mayer, Michael Buble, Stevie Wonder, Keith Urban, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Beatles – all of these artists have somehow been a part of my development as a songwriter.”

Like playing and songwriting, performing has become almost second nature to Hunter who, in just his short life, has shared the stage with the likes of Hank Williams, Jr, Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, LeAnn Rimes, and Lady Antebellum . “I’ve been doing at least thirty dates a year for the past fifteen years. I’ve done a lot of the festivals several times and built up relationships with the people that go every year.

Now Hunter, in the producer’s chair with Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Trace Adkins) is in the studio preparing to record what he calls his debut album. “I’ve released independent records before, but this feels like the first real record I’m making – with the high stakes,” he says excitedly. For Hunter, even with those high stakes, he’s committed to doing it his way. With plans on “playing everything on the album, having fun and experimenting,” he stops, and then says with a smile, “I plan on literally living in the studio.”

The expectations may be high, but no one has set higher expectations and ambitions for his music than Hunter himself.  He declares, “I want people twice as young as me and twice as old as me listening to my music – I want it to live forever and for my audience to feel like they have a friend in my music.” He continues, “Music is a spirit. It heals. It’s an amazing thing to be loved and appreciated, and sometimes, music has not just been my best friend, it’s been my only friend.”

In 2011, Hunter Hayes will be releasing his debut album and the world at large will finally have an opportunity to see this prodigiously talented artist, a young man who respects the gift his talent is, and has already learned how to give it the honor it commands. He says, “I’ve been lucky as a kid. I’ve met some of the greats, and whether it’s Johnny and June (Cash), Charlie Daniels or Brad Paisley, you could sense they were in it for the love of the music. That was the thing I took away from every single one of those people.”

“I don’t know if I’m worthy of being considered of ‘carrying the torch,’ but I would love to be told that by somebody someday. A lot of the decisions I make are from answering the question ‘are we doing it for the right reasons?’ I want people to say about me, ‘I know he’s making music because he loves it.’”

ANDY GRAMMER

It's widely known that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become an expert at anything. Andy Grammer logged his 10,000 hours of practice on the streets of Los Angeles. With his car battery amplifier and acoustic guitar in tow, Grammer managed to sing his way from the streets to the center of the music industry. In fact, Grammer wrote his hit single "Keep Your Head Up" as a letter of encouragement to himself after he'd spent an exhausting day street performing and had little to no money to show for it. The video, which features groundbreaking interactive technology in a partnership between VEVO, Interlude, and S-Curve, won an MTV O Aware for Most Innovative Video. It also reached #2 on the VH1 Music Video Countdown. 

Named one of Billboard's 2011 Artists to Watch, Grammer recorded his album which released in June 2011 in New York and Los Angeles with a collection of top producers. He's also the first male pop star since 2003 to reach the Top 10 Singles at Adult Pop Radio for "Keep Your Head Up" (#5). Grammer has already performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CBS Early Show, Rachael Ray, VH1 Morning Buzz, Regis & Kelly, and the Gayle King Show. 

Artists such as Taylor Swift have gathered inspiration from Andy, who wrote some lyrics from "Keep Your Head Up" down her arm at a tour stop in Nebraska. The quote read "you gotta keep your head up but you can let your hair down".

Performing live remains a communal experience for the former street performer who's toured with the Plain White T's, Josh Kelley, Natasha Bedingfield, and Colbie Caillat, among others. "As an artist, you have an opportunity to get in and move things around in people. It's one of the only times during the day where they say, 'I'm going to open up to some other stuff here,' and you have that hour to get in and move stuff around and put it all back together. Those are the best gigs, where you can see that the whole room has moved somewhere together."