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LL Cool J
Host
LL Cool J is an entertainment icon who has found great success crossing into multiple mediums. A Kennedy Center Honoree, two-time Grammy Award winner, recording artist, actor, author, NAACP Image Award winner, entrepreneur and philanthropist, LL continues to display his wide range of talents with every project. "I never could have predicted that I'd still be out here rocking it more than two decades after my debut, but here I am," LL Cool J says with his trademark smile. Here he is indeed. 30 years since he first burst onto the scene, LL Cool J continues his vibrant, trailblazing career. LL Cool J began in the nascent, burgeoning rap and hip hop scene of the 80's, which developed into the musical and cultural phenomenon that is today's hip hop. All the while, LL Cool J has remained a musical and cultural force, a living icon and a significant, relevant artist still churning out the hits. First introduced to the world in 1984 as a Def Jam Records flagship artist, LL is the first rap artist to amass ten consecutive platinum-plus selling albums, in addition to 2004's The Definition and 2006's Todd Smith which both went Gold. The multi-platinum artist and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee is currently tied for third place for most Billboard chart debuts by a rapper. In 2008, LL released his critically acclaimed album Exit 13, his appropriately titled 13th and last album for the only label he has called home - Def Jam Recordings. USA Today put it best when they said, "He may be hitting the Exit, but he is not easing up on the gas. Continuing his musical expedition three decades after he first released music, LL most recently released his critically-acclaimed 14th studio album, Authentic. With this album, the multi-platinum artist returned to the studio and kicked the volume up to create a powerful album that came from his true passion for music and would speak to his fans. LL scored his 13th Top-10 Album on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Chart with Authentic. In December 2017, LL became the first rapper to earn the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor, which is America's highest achievement for any performer and received his star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame January 21, 2016 for his achievement in music. As an actor, LL Cool J has successfully transitioned to one of the consistently highest rated shows on television. He currently stars in the CBS hit primetime drama series, NCIS: Los Angeles, which premiered its ninth season on Sunday, Oct 1. Lauded as one of the most successful show launches ever, becoming syndicated after only seven episodes, his performance on the show has garnered him a NAACP Image Award four years in a row, from 2011, 2014, and nominations in both 2015 and 2016, for his role of Special Agent Sam Hanna. The show can now be seen in more than 200 countries. He previously won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Male Artist in 2003 and hosted the show in 2007. Previously, LL had a dramatic and critically acclaimed performance on the second season premiere of FOX's hit drama House. He also guest starred on the NBC comedy 30 Rock in a memorable performance as hip hop mogul Ridiculous. Over the years, LL has appeared in more than 30 films and starred opposite acclaimed actors such as Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell in Sony Pictures blockbuster S.W.A.T.; Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday; and Gabrielle Union in Focus Features' Deliver Us from Eva. Other film credits include Rollerball, Charlie's Angels, Kingdom Come, In Too Deep, Toys, Slow Burn with Ray Liotta and Eddison with Morgan Freeman. He also received a Blockbuster Award for best comedic performance as the Chef in Renny Harlin's blockbuster action film Deep Blue Sea. He also starred in Paramount Pictures' Last Holiday, opposite Queen Latifah, which was lauded by fans and critics alike and proved to be a box office draw. He was most recently seen staring opposite Academy Award-winner Robert De Niro in Grudge Match. LL can currently be seen hosting and producing the Jimmy Fallon-executive produced show Lip Sync Battle on Spike TV, which premiered April 2, 2015 as Spike TV's most-watched original program ever. The series, which will premiere its 4th season in 2018, has amassed over half a billion video streams since its launch. In 2017, the show earned its second Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Structured Reality Program. In November 2017, LL announced that he will launch his own classic hip-hop channel on SiriusXM, Rock the Bells Radio. The channel, expected to launch in early 2018, will feature a wide range of classic hip-hop content, music, interviews and in-depth retrospectives curated and presented by LL. LL hosted the Grammy Awards for an unprecedented five years in a row, for which he earned rave reviews. He hosted and produced the Grammy Nominations Concert Live Special for seven years and has also been a presenter at the Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Awards. Also an author, LL released LL Cool J's Platinum 360 Diet and Lifestyle in May 2010, the follow up to his New York Times Bestseller LL Cool J's Platinum Workout, which detailed the evolution of his workout philosophy as well as secrets that have helped him achieve his greatest goals not only in the gym, but as an actor, businessman, and multi-platinum musician. In 2002 he released a children's book, And the Winner Is, as part of Scholastics series of books and CDs by today's hottest rap stars called Hip Kid Hop. And the Winner Is tells the story of a young basketball player who learns the importance of winning and losing gracefully. He also penned a 1997 autobiography, I Make My Own Rules. Expanding into the digital world, LL has also founded Boomdizzle Networks, which integrates patented collaborative technology with innovative digital marketing to change how music is recorded, distributed, and shared all over the world. LL also recently partnered with Rouse Social, a social media aggregate app that brings all your favorites in music, entertainment and sports to one place. LL has always been an avid philanthropist involved in numerous causes including literacy for kids as well as music and arts programs in schools. Celebrating its 13th Anniversary this year, LL's charity Jump Ball which takes place every August in his hometown of Queens, New York aims to give back to his local community by offering a five-week athletic and team building program dedicated to bringing wholesome fun to young people. LL Cool J, his wife, and family currently reside in both New York and Los Angeles.
Chrissy Teigen
Colorful Commentator
Model, TV Personality, and New York Times #1 Best-Selling Author Chrissy Teigen is known for her clever, irreverent, yet savvy tweets and Instagram photos. Although originally planning to be a chef, she discovered her passion for modeling at a young age. Teigen began her career as a swimsuit model and has since moved on to working with major labels all over the world. On February 23, 2016, Teigen released Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat which debuted #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and marked the first time a cookbook has debuted #1 on USA Today's best-seller list. Her second cookbook is expected to release later this year. Teigen can also be seen on Paramount Network's smash hit competition show, Lip Sync Battle. Currently in its fourth season, Lip Sync Battle is the most-watched original series in network history, averaging 3 million viewers, and is the top-rated series in its timeslot in the Adults 18-49 demo in all of cable. As a five time Sports Illustrated Model, Teigen appeared on the 50th Anniversary cover in 2014 along with fellow models Lily Aldridge and Nina Agdal, and was named Rookie of the Year in 2010. Teigen has also appeared in W, Italian Vogue, Esquire, Elle, GQ, and on the covers of Glamour, Instyle, Marie Claire, Vogue Thailand, Elle Australia, Harper's Bazaar Singapore, Self, Women's Health UK, Cosmopolitan, Ocean Drive and Vegas Magazines, and DuJour Magazine. She has been shot by famed photographers including Gilles Bensimon, Mert and Marcus, Bruce Weber, Ruven Afanador and Walter Iooss and Raphael Mazzuco, and Yu Tsai. Teigen has been the face of various brands throughout her career and has participated in campaigns for such brands as McDonalds, Vita Coco, Chase, Samsung, TRESemme, La Mer, Coach, Gillette Venus, Olay, Captain Morgan, and Stella Artois. She has also become a staple on best dressed lists for magazines like People and Entertainment Weekly for her elegant yet fashion-forward red carpet choices. In 2017, Teigen collaborated with Becca Cosmetics on a limited-edition glow face palette, as well as fashion brand Revolve on an exclusive 36-item clothing collection, defined as "effortlessly sexy." In 2015, Teigen co-hosted the Billboard Music Awards alongside Ludacris. Previously, Teigen co-hosted the nationally syndicated talk show FABLife, led by Tyra Banks and co-hosted by Joe Zee, Lauren Makk and Leah Ashley. Teigen also served as host of the VH1reality competition show, Model Employee and as a judge on a food reality competition show for MTV entitled Snack-off. Teigen has also hosted several specials on the Cooking Channel, including a pilot entitled, Chrissy Teigen's Hungry, and a holiday special, Cookies and Cocktails.