Nancy O'Dell

One of the country's most respected and leading entertainment journalists, Nancy O'Dell serves as the co-anchor of "Access Hollywood," and is the only anchor who has been a part of the show since its inception. O'Dell's reputation and relationships amongst the Hollywood community has been a successful asset to the daily entertainment newsmagazine, which is in its 13th season of providing the most comprehensive coverage of entertainment news and personalities on television. O'Dell was part of "Access Hollywood's" on-air team when the show launched in 1996, serving as weekend co-anchor and weekday correspondent. In January 1999, O'Dell was promoted to co-anchor and has since been named as one of Television Week's 10 Most Bankable Stars in Syndication.

In addition to her on-air duties at "Access Hollywood," O'Dell has contributed reports to both NBC News "Today" show and "Dateline NBC." Beyond covering events such as The Oscars, The Emmys, The Grammys and The Golden Globe Awards, O'Dell has been chosen by NBC for the last eight years to host two of their big annual network broadcasts, The Golden Globes Arrivals Special and The Tournament of Roses Parade. She has also hosted The Emmys Pre-Show for NBC (2006), ABC (2000) and Fox (1999). A member of the Academy of Country Music, she was the original host and consulting producer of USA Network's "Nashville Star." O'Dell appeared in the film "Thank You For Smoking" in 2006 and was seen in a recurring role as herself on the FX show "Dirt" from 2006 - 2008. In 2003 and 2004, she co-hosted ESPN's ESPY Awards Red Carpet Show. In 2004, she also co-hosted NBC's broadcast of Christmas in Rockefeller Center. Since 2004, O'Dell has co-hosted the Miss USA Pageant for NBC and co-hosted Miss Universe for the network in 2005 and 2006. Recently, O'Dell hosted the 2008 Prism Awards on the FX channel.

An award-winning journalist, O'Dell has been honored with three Associated Press Awards, two Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Awards, and is a seven-time Emmy Award nominee. In addition, she was nominated two years in a row (1999 and 2000) for the ICG Publicists Guild Press Award, recognizing excellence in entertainment reporting.

O'Dell began her broadcast career as a reporter and anchor at WPDE-TV in Myrtle Beach, S.C. She later worked as morning news anchor and crime reporter at WCBD-TV in Charleston, S.C. Before joining "Access Hollywood," she served as co-anchor and investigative reporter for NBC's Miami station, WTVJ-TV.

O'Dell has been featured as a guest and host on a number of programs including "The View," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Larry King Live," "Dancing with the Stars," "Project Runway," "Martha Stewart," CBS's "The Late, Late Show," "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch," "Fox & Friends," "Scarborough Country," and "Isaac Mizrahi." Additional films and television series in which she has appeared in the past include "Scream 2," "Scream 3," "Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat," "Ally McBeal," "Just Shoot Me," "Third Watch," "Charmed," "Joey," "Beverly Hills 90210," "Melrose Place," "General Hospital" and "Days of Our Lives." O'Dell is also featured as the spokesperson in the national commercial campaign for Johnson & Johnson's Acuvue products as well as appeared on behalf of Dial's Pure & Natural.

Although O'Dell maintains a busy work schedule, she regularly makes time for philanthropic endeavors. O'Dell, a National Vice President of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and ALS Division Celebrity Ambassador, has been working with the ALS division since her mother Betty was diagnosed with and recently passed away from complications relating to ALS. In February 2002, she was inducted into the American Red Cross's National Celebrity Cabinet, and she also serves as a national spokesperson for the March of Dimes. In addition, she acts as an international board member for Best Buddies, a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. In June 2002, Best Buddies honored O'Dell with the organization's Spirit of Leadership Award. This honor has previously been bestowed upon Muhammad Ali, Maria Shriver and Olympian Carl Lewis. O'Dell also currently serves on the HollyRod charity advisory board and is also a Celebrity Ambassador for Childhelp.

A native of South Carolina, O'Dell received a great honor when that state's governor declared Feb. 1, 2006 Nancy O'Dell Day in the entire state. Additionally, she was inducted into South Carolina's Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in 1998 as the youngest member ever in recognition of her journalistic success. In 2008 O'Dell was presented with a "Key to the City of Myrtle Beach," in honor of her career achievements and the pride she holds for her hometown. O'Dell is a summa cum laude honors graduate of Clemson University.

She resides in the Los Angeles area with her husband, Keith Zubchevich, vice president of technology company Conviva, their daughter, Ashby, and two stepsons, Tyler and Carson.

For more, visit Nancy’s official Web Site at www.nancyodell.com.

 

Billy Bush

Named as one of Esquire magazine's "10 Men," Billy Bush is the co-anchor of "Access Hollywood," the daily entertainment newsmagazine in its 13th season of providing the most comprehensive coverage of entertainment news and personalities on television. Bush joined the program as East Coast correspondent in December 2001, and was promoted to co-anchor in June 2004. In 2007, Bush hosted the popular NBC talent competition show "Grease - You're the One That I Want" and the network's remake of the classic "Let's Make a Deal."

Through his role at "Access Hollywood," countless high-profile red carpet events including the Golden Globes, Grammys, and Academy Awards as well as hosted ABC's live pre-show for the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Academy Awards and "2006 Emmy Red Carpet Special." In addition, he reported for NBC at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece, hosted "Access Hollywood's" coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino and just completed covering the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Bush began his career hosting the afternoon radio drive show on WLKZ-FM in New Hampshire, later moving to Washington, D.C., where he hosted the midday show on WARW-FM. In March of 1997, Bush brought his award-winning talent for entertainment and humor to WWZZ-FM (Z104) in D.C., as host of "Billy Bush and the Bush League Morning Show," which aired until January 2001. Before joining "Access Hollywood," Bush was a correspondent for WNBC-TV's "Today in New York" morning show.

Bush returned to his roots earlier this year with the launch of "The Billy Bush Show," an evening syndicated talk and music radio show with Westwood One, which he and "Access Hollywood" Executive Producer Rob Silverstein co-produce. The show, which airs evenings Monday-Friday, focuses on the top entertainment stories and personalities in the news and features celebrity guests and listener calls. Billy Bush's Weekend Countdown is also on the airwaves, counting down the week's top 30 songs in a four-hour segment. In addition to radio, Westwood One is home to Billy Bush's official website, BillyBushShow.com, a fully interactive digital space offering a host of features surrounding the show, including: premium services, live streams; hands on fan interaction through listener blogs; exclusive audio content and podcasts to download; and more.

Although Bush maintains a busy work schedule, he regularly makes time for philanthropic endeavors. He has served on Operation Smile's Board of Governors for over four years, a non-profit organization whose mission is to repair childhood facial deformities, while building public and private partnerships that advocate for sustainable healthcare systems for children and families. In addition, Bush also proudly serves on the Board of Directors for the Lollipop Theater Network, a non-profit organization that arranges private screenings of newly released movies for children suffering from debilitating illnesses. These children are usually confined to hospitals or other secluded environments, preventing them from going to movie theaters.

Bush earned a bachelor's degree in international studies and government at Colby College in Maine, where he was a two-time captain of the men's lacrosse team. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Sydney, and their three daughters.

 

Tony Potts

Tony Potts is the weekend co-anchor and correspondent for Access Hollywood, the daily entertainment newsmagazine show currently in its 12th season of providing the most comprehensive coverage of entertainment news and personalities on television. Potts joined Access Hollywood in April 1999, coming to the show after 12 years in television news and sports. In addition to his duties at Access Hollywood, Potts also contributes to the “Today” show, MSNBC and CNBC. He is also a frequent guest on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” as well as CNN’s “Showbiz Tonight.”

During his tenure at Access Hollywood, Potts has covered many high profile events, including the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, the Emmys, and the Grammys. He has also covered some of the top breaking entertainment news stories, including the tragic and complex Anna Nicole Smith story on location from Florida as well as the Bahamas. He’s also traveled across the globe to interview the biggest stars in film, music and television including an exclusive interview with Julia Roberts when she made her Broadway debut.

Potts has covered Italy’s Venice Film Festival, France’s Cannes Film Festival and Deauxville Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival and the Park City’s Sundance Film Festival.

Potts also traveled to the jungles of Borneo for the first taping of “Survivor,” and to the Australian outback for the second season of the popular television series. Potts met up with the “Today” show’s Matt Lauer in Paris and then again in the South of France for the morning show’s “Where in the World is Matt Lauer” series.

Prior to joining Access Hollywood, Potts co-hosted Fox’s “Good Day New York” and anchored the “Fox News at Noon” where he covered New York City’s biggest news stories. This included hosting Fox’s live broadcast of the Pope’s historic mass in Central Park. In addition, Potts broke a story regarding corrupt cab drivers and owners, which resulted in the overhaul of New York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission’s procedures.

Potts has a couple of film and television credits to his name, including appearances in the Mel Gibson film, “Ransom,” the 2002-2003 season finale of the CBS hit show “CSI: Miami,” plus a number of episodes of Courtney Cox’s show, “Dirt.”

Potts has won an Emmy Award for feature reporting, two Associated Press Awards and one Society of Professional Journalists Award. The Seattle-native also won the 2006 MVP award at the NBA’s Celebrity All-Star Game in Las Vegas, NV.

 

Shaun Robinson

Shaun Robinson is the weekend co-anchor and correspondent for "Access Hollywood," the daily entertainment newsmagazine show currently in its 13th season of providing the most comprehensive coverage of entertainment news and personalities on television.

Robinson is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and author. She has interviewed the top stars in Hollywood and has co-hosted the Official Pre-Shows for the Academy Awards (2008, 2006, 2005, and 2003) and Golden Globes (2007, 2006, 2002). Robinson co-hosted NBC's "Miss Teen USA Pageant" (2006), anchored NBC's coverage of the "Tournament of Roses Parade" (2004) and was co-host of the ShoWest Awards (2005). She has served as a presenter for the Latin Grammy's, "Soul Train Music Awards," "Stellar Gospel Awards," "Lady of Soul Awards" and the UNCF "An Evening of Stars" celebration. In addition, Shaun recently co-hosted "Access Hollywood's" coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Robinson has also been seen as a guest co-host on "The View" and has contributed reports for NBC News "Today" show, MSNBC, CNN, "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" and served as a panel guest on "Larry King Live." Robinson's live coverage of "A Grand Night in Harlem" for the Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame, garnered her an Emmy Award.

Robinson has been featured in the pages of In Style, Self, Us Weekly, Essence and Ebony, Precious Times and Life & Style magazines. She has been a featured columnist in Cosmo magazine and in Essence magazine's online edition.

Robinson has been able to show her acting skills on both television and film. Her credits include "Bruce Almighty," "America's Sweethearts," "Dr. Dolittle 2," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Everybody Hates Chris," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," "DIRT," "Charmed," "She Spies," "The Parkers," "The Proud Family," "Half & Half," "Days of our Lives," and "Any Day Now."

Robinson was also the premier host of "TV One Access" from 2004 to 2007. "TV One Access" is a monthly hour-long show that brings viewers behind the velvet rope for an inside look at who's who in Black Hollywood and covers important issues affecting Black America.

She began her professional career in the Midwest as a medical reporter and weekend anchor for WISN-TV in Milwaukee, Wisc., where her series on "Women and Cancer" garnered her an Associated Press Award. Before joining "Access Hollywood," Robinson was a reporter and anchor for WSVN-TV in Miami, Fla.

Off the red carpet, Robinson devotes her time to fulfilling her role as the Los Angeles County spokesperson for the "Share Your Heart, Share Your Home" program, which helps to find permanent homes for African-American children waiting for adoption. Robinson just finished writing a book on 'Girls and Self Esteem' called "Exactly As I Am," which is due out with the Ballantine Publishing Group division of Random House, Inc. in Spring 2009. In addition, Robinson was the Los Angeles representative for the JumpStart Coalition's Read for the Record campaign to help bring more awareness to the powerful learning relationships between caring adults and children.

Robinson is a native of Detroit, Mich., and a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta.

For more information about Shaun, visit her Web site at ShaunRobinson.com.

And for more information on TV One, visit TVOneonline.com.

 

Maria Menounos

Maria Menounos is the special correspondent for "Access Hollywood," the daily entertainment newsmagazine show currently in its 12th season of providing the most comprehensive coverage of entertainment news and personalities on television. Menounos joined both NBC Universal's "Access Hollywood" and NBC News' "Today," in the fall of 2005.

In addition to her role at "Access Hollywood," Menounos is also a "West Coast" contributor for "Today."

"We've always been huge fans of Maria and believe she has the skills, attitude and style that fits 'Access Hollywood' perfectly," says "Access Hollywood" executive producer Rob K. Silverstein. "She's current, a unique talent, someone that cuts through, and definitely stands out in a crowd. We could not be more pleased with Maria joining the most credible entertainment news magazine in the world."

"Maria's wide-ranging experience is a tremendous asset for "Today," said "Today" show executive producer Jim Bell. "Her enthusiasm and energy for her work will be invaluable to our coverage - she's a welcome addition to our roster of strong contributors."

"I'm so thrilled to be part of the NBC family," said Menounos. "To be working at such a cutting-edge show like 'Access,' and have the opportunity to be a part of the #1 morning news program on television is so exciting. My thanks to Jeff Zucker, Rob Silverstein and Jim Bell for all of their support and encouragement."

Menounos has served as a correspondent for syndicated newsmagazine "Entertainment Tonight" since the fall of 2001, reporting on film, TV, music and fashion. She also hosted ET on MTV and ET on VH1. In addition, Menounos currently serves as the spokesperson for PANTENE hair products and continues to pursue outside projects in both television and film.

In addition to being named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful" for 2004, Menounos has also appeared in a number of high-profile television shows, which includes a recurring role on "One Tree Hill" (WB), and a guest-starring role on "Without A Trace" (CBS). Her feature film work includes playing Chris Evan's love interest in the current 20th Century Fox sci/fi action film, "Fantastic Four" and her upcoming starring role opposite Jamie Kennedy in "Kickin' It Old Skool." Recently, Menounos starred opposite Sean Connery in "From Russia With Love," an Electronic Arts video game due out this holiday season.

As a filmmaker, Menounos recently formed her own production company, "Omega Girl Inc.," and has several projects in development. She serves as both executive producer and producer of the film, 'In the Land of Merry Misfits,' a 35mm feature length movie to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and as director and producer of 35 mm feature length dark comedies, "Longtime Listener," and "Fwiends.com," both having played the festival circuit starring Wilmer Valderrama and Lara Flynn Boyle, respectively. In addition, her company is currently in pre-production on a sitcom starring Kevin and John Farley.

Menounos made her television debut as an international correspondent for Channel One News, the #1 source of news for America's teen students. During her tenure, she interviewed President George W. Bush, numerous celebrities, and traveled the world to cover such tragedies as the 2001 earthquake in El Salvador and the AIDS epidemic in South Africa.

Her experiences as a journalist have compelled Menounos to spend time off-camera on philanthropic and social issues close to her heart. After witnessing the devastating effects of AIDS in South Africa as a Channel One reporter, she formed Take Action Hollywood! (TAH!), a charity whose mission is to utilize the power of the entertainment industry and the production medium to educate, empower and raise social awareness. Menounos and TAH! worked with Miramax Films on a joint venture to promote 'Paper Clips,' a holocaust documentary and has also produced a television commercial on AIDS awareness and pet adoption.

In addition, TAH! has teamed up with Cosmo Girl Magazine in awarding the 3rd annual Cosmo Girl Cup. A nationwide competition, the Cup is awarded to the group of teens who do the most to affect for positive social change in their communities and/or the world. A panel of celebrities assembled by Menounos, judge the competition.

 

Tatyana Ali

Actress, singer and graduate of Harvard University, Tatyana Ali is the host for "TV One Access," the monthly hour-long entertainment newsmagazine show that takes viewers inside Black Hollywood with a unique and comprehensive perspective. Ali joined "TV One Access" as the host in 2008.

Made famous by playing Will Smith's cousin, Ashley Banks, on the hit sitcom, "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air", Ali has been a household name the world over for more than 15 years. Ali has appeared in multiple films, including: Paramount Pictures's "Kiss the Girls", starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd; Sony Pictures's "The Brothers", with D.L. Hughley and Gabrielle Union; famed Japanese director Takeshi Kitano's English-language gangster film, "Brother", a Sony Pictures Classics film; and Jerry Bruckheimer's "Glory Road", which won the 2006 Espy award for "Best Sports Film".

Ali's voice hit the airwaves in 1998 when she recorded her debut album, "Kiss the Sky". The hit single, "Daydreamin'", earned Ali a gold record and secured her the coveted opening act spot for both *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys on their world tours. In 1999, Ali paid homage to "Sesame Street," the kids show that propelled her television career, by recording "Precious Wings" for "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland" soundtrack. The recording won the Grammy for "Best Musical Album for Children".

Additional honors awarded to Ali include: an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Youth Actor", two Hollywood Reporter Young Star Awards for "Best Actress in a Comedy Series", and the Educating Young Minds "Youth Inspiration Award".

In 2007, Ali appeared in Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer's reality show, "On the Lot". Ali can also be seen in "Nora's Hair Salon 2", which she co-produced and stars in alongside Mekhi Phifer and Stacey Dash. She has also just completed filming two independent projects, "Privileged" and the highly anticipated, "Hotel California", with Erik Palladino and Tyson Beckford, both due out later this year. Besides hitting the big screen Ali still stays true to her roots and appears on the small screen in the recurring role of Roxanne on CBS's "The Young and the Restless."

Ali will also be releasing her follow up album to 1998's "Kiss the Sky." Ali also joined will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas) in a song called "Yes We Can" to promote Barack Obama's campaign. Other celebrities who collaborated with them included Scarlett Johansson, John Legend, Kate Walsh, Herbie Hancock, Common, Nick Cannon and Aisha Tyler.

A native New Yorker and the eldest of three sisters, Ali credits her culturally diverse upbringing (her mother is from Panama, her father from Trinidad) with instilling in her some of the qualities necessary to succeed as an actress and singer. "Being exposed to the different customs from both my parents allowed me to see things in many different ways," she says, "which I think is an important aspect of being a performer."

 

Rob Silverstein

Rob Silverstein is the executive producer of Access Hollywood, the daily entertainment newsmagazine currently in its 12th season of providing the most comprehensive coverage of entertainment news and personalities on television.

Silverstein joined the program in 1996 as a weekend producer, rose up to senior broadcast producer in 1997, and was named executive producer in 1999.

A three-time sports Emmy Award winner, Silverstein started his career as an executive sports producer at KMOX-AM in St. Louis. He went on to join CBS Sports in New York as chief researcher, then as a producer in 1990. In 1993, Silverstein moved to Los Angeles to serve as broadcast producer of Fox News’ “Front Page.” In addition, he also worked for CBS as a producer for both the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France and the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Before joining Access Hollywood, Silverstein served as senior producer of “American Gladiators.”

A native of New York, Silverstein is a graduate of the University of Maryland. He resides with his wife and four children in Los Angeles.

 

Laura Saltman

Laura Saltman is a correspondent for AccessHollywood.com and a senior field producer for "Access Hollywood," the daily entertainment newsmagazine currently in its 12th season of providing the most comprehensive coverage of entertainment news.

Saltman joined "Access Hollywood" in its first season in 1996 as one of the youngest field producers on the team, writing scripts and producing day-of-air and feature stories for news, fashion, music, film and television departments. Saltman left in 2002 to work as a producer for NBC's "Today" show (Producer), "The Sharon Osbourne Show" (Talent Producer) and "On-Air With Ryan Seacrest"(Special Projects Producer). She returned to "Access Hollywood" in 2004 as a senior field producer and her love for "American Idol" and behind-the-scenes knowledge in television has allowed her to expand her duties at the show to working with AccessHollywood.com hosting video segments on-camera and writing a popular daily blog called "Dish of Salt."

Saltman is also a regular contributor to MSNBC and CNN's "Showbiz Tonight" where she shares the latest inside information on breaking entertainment news stories. In addition, Saltman is a frequent guest on E!’s "Chelsea Lately," the late-night comedy talk show that talks about celebrities and pop culture.

Saltman, who has always had a passion for television, was working in production even before her first job with a major television show. She got a crash course in editing, writing, storytelling and budgeting working on infomercials, which helped her prepare for success in the television industry at the national level.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Saltman attended Ohio State University for two years as a communication major and transferred to Temple University where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication.