Exclusive Portrait

CHICAGO – Comedian John Pinette passed away on April 5th, at the age of 50. The rotund jester was named Stand-Up Comedian of the Year at the American Comedy Awards in 1999, and appeared in the films “Duet,” “Dear God” and “The Punisher.” He is probably best remembered as the hapless portly man who gets harassed by the cast of “Seinfeld,” which led to the courtroom sequence of the final episode in 1998.

CHICAGO – “Winter is Coming” in Season 4 of the “Game of Thrones,” the popular epic series on HBO. The anticipation of the new season culminates in the first episode premiere of the new season on Sunday, April 6th, at 9pm/8pm Central. Actress Gwendoline Christie portrays Brienne of Tarth in the series.

CHICAGO – Happy Birthday greetings on April 3rd to actress Jennie Garth, best known for her role as Kelly Taylor on the hit series “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Garth also appeared on the sitcom “What I Like About You” with Amanda Bynes, and did some reality show work on her own “Jennie Garth: A Little Bit Country” and “Dancing with the Stars.” She recently appeared in Chicago on behalf of her new book, “Deep Thoughts from a Hollywood Blonde.”

CHICAGO – Carrie Bradshaw finally has her own shoe line. Sarah Jessica Parker – the actress who portrayed the footwear obsessed Carrie through six TV seasons and two movies with “Sex and the City” – has launched her own line of shoes. She introduced her “SJP Collection” in Chicago at Nordstrom Michigan Avenue on March 7th.

CHICAGO – As the envelope was opened at the 86th Academy Awards on March 2nd, announcing the winner of the Best Foreign Language Film – “The Great Beauty” – it was Toni Servillo who was the lead actor in the movie. His long career as a an actor and director has culminated with this honor, to go along being named Best Actor at the 26th European Film Awards for the same film.

CHICAGO – Congratulations to Cate Blanchett as she picks up her second Oscar at the 86th Academy Awards on March 2nd, this time as Best Actress for her brilliant performance in the film “Blue Jasmine.” Blanchett adds the trophy next to the Oscar she won as Best Supporting Actress in 2005 for portraying Katharine Hepburn in “The Aviator.”

CHICAGO – Happy Birthday to DeKalb, Ill., native Cindy Crawford on February 20th. The supermodel went from those modest roots to become one of the most famous cover girls in fashion history. She has appeared on magazines like Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan and Allure. She has represented fashions for Versace, Escada, Revlon and Ink. She is a brand name herself, and has launched a furniture line.

CHICAGO – In the world of tattoo art, there are few bigger personalities than Kat Von D. She was on two tattoo art-based reality shows on the TLC network, “Miami Ink” and “LA Ink,” plus has written two best selling books on the topic, and has launched make-up and clothing lines. She was in Chicago last year to promote her third book, “Go Big or Go Home: Taking Risks in Life, Love and Tattooing.”

CHICAGO – Reality TV star Lauren Conrad turns 28 years old on February 1st. Best known for the MTV reality series, “The Hills,” Conrad recently wrote a book called “Infamous,” and was photographed for HollywoodChicago.com, during a promotional appearance at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, Ill., in June of 2013

CHICAGO – Cameron Diaz is on a noble mission in 2014. Her crusade is about women’s body issues, to encourage girls – in addition to female teens and adults – to pay mind to body image and power. Her new book is “The Body Book: The Law of Hunger, The Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body,” and she appeared to promote it at Wentz Concert Hall (North Central College) in Naperville, Ill., hosted by Anderson’s Bookshop.