Maria Menounos (Μαρία Μενούνος in Greek) (born June 8, 1978) is an American actress, journalist, and television presenter. Mrs. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 395 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (629 × 955 pixel, file size: 376 KiB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Maria Menounos Metadata This file contains... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1630 Incorporated 1630 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor Michael J. McGlynn Area  - City  8. ... Stature redirects here. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... The Miss Massachusetts Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss Teen USA pageant. ... Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 15-19. ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

Early life & beauty pageants

Menounos, a Greek American, was born in Medford, Massachusetts. In 1995, Menounos began to compete in beauty pageants. The following year, she won the title of Miss Massachusetts Teen USA and competed at Miss Teen USA where she failed to place in the top 10. Menounos did however place in the top 15 (honorable mention) during the preliminary competition; Menounos placed 13th in prelims. The pageant was won by Christie Lee Woods. Maria would go on to compete for the title of Miss Massachusetts USA 2000; she placed as the 1st runner up. A Greek-American is a citizen of the United States who has significant Greek heritage. ... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1630 Incorporated 1630 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor Michael J. McGlynn Area  - City  8. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Miss Massachusetts Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss Teen USA pageant. ... Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 15-19. ... Christie Lee Woods (born October 21, 1977 in Huntsville, Texas) is an American model, actress and beauty queen. ... Susie Castillo, Miss Massachusetts USA and Miss USA 2003 The Miss Massachusetts USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss USA pageant. ...

Film and television career

Later Menounos attended Boston's Emerson College. During her senior year, she was hired as a reporter for Channel One News, known as the top news source for American students. Her work for Channel One's 10-minute segments included traveling to El Salvador to report on the earthquake of 2001 and interviewing President George W. Bush. Emerson College was founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a school of oratory, in Boston, Massachusetts. ... Channel One News is a United States television news program that public and private schools agree to show their students in exchange for the loan of TV equipment. ... An earthquake is the result from the sudden release of stored energy in the Earths crust that creates seismic waves. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

Entertainment Tonight hired Menounos as a correspondent in 2002, where she reported on movies, music and fashion. ET executives offered her a hosting gig for ET on MTV & VH1; she left the program in 2005 to focus on her acting career, though she would eventually be joining rival program Access Hollywood later that Fall as a special correspondent. She went on to co-host a few episodes of the Today Show in the late summer and fall of 2006 as well as in April 2007. Entertainment Tonight is a daily television entertainment news show that is syndicated by CBS Paramount Domestic Television throughout the United States, Canada, on the Nine Network in Australia and on UBC Inside in Thailand. ... This is a list of television-related events in 2002. ... MTV (Music Television) is an American cable television network headquartered in New York City. ... VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994) is an American cable television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently part of the MTV Networks division... This is a list of television-related events in 2005. ... Access Hollywood logo used 2001-2005 Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. ... The Today Show (officially called Today) is currently, a long-running morning news show airing on the NBC television network in the United States. ...

In 2003, Menounos appeared on the November 30 episode of Punk'd where she was one of many celebrities caught in the awkward and embarrassing "Red Carpet Interviews". This is a list of television-related events in 2003. ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... Punkd is an American hidden camera practical joke television series on MTV, produced and hosted by Ashton Kutcher, which first aired in 2003. ... Embarrassment is an unpleasant emotional state experienced upon having a socially or professionally unacceptable act or condition witnessed by or revealed to others. ...

In the summer of 2005, she appeared in the comic book film Fantastic Four, where she played a nurse who is romanced by the "Human Torch", played by Chris Evans. Her likeness and voice was featured in the 2005 Electronic Arts video game, From Russia with Love as Eva Adara, Red Grant's henchwoman, which stars Sean Connery as James Bond. She is also the spokesperson for Pantene hair products. This is a list of film-related events in 2005. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Fantastic Four is a 2005 movie based on the Marvel Comics comic Fantastic Four, directed by Tim Story and released by 20th Century Fox. ... This article or section on a comics-related subject may need to be cleaned up and rewritten because it describes a work of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. ... Chris Evans as Johnny Storm a. ... 2005 2005 in games 2004 in video gaming 2006 in video gaming Notable events of 2005 in video gaming. ... EA redirects here. ... From Russia with Love is a video game featuring Ian Flemings secret agent, James Bond developed by Electronic Arts and released on November 1, 2005 in North America. ... Red Grant is a fictional character in the James Bond novel and film From Russia with Love. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is an Academy Award-winning Scottish actor and producer who is best known as the first actor to portray James Bond on film. ... Pantene is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble. ...

Menounos presented the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest (along with Greek singer Sakis Rouvas) that took place in Athens. The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the fifty-first Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on the 18 May 2006 (for the semi-final) and 20 May 2006 (for the final). ... The modern logo was introduced for the 2004 Contest to create a consistent visual identity. ... Anastasios Sakis Rouvas (Greek: ) (born January 5, 1972 in the island of Corfu) is a very popular gay Greek singer and athlete, as well as an actor, and a model, who has sold over 200,000 records in Greece. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα - Athína) is the largest city and capital of Greece, located in the Attica periphery of central Greece. ...

Menounos is a correspondent for The Today Show as well as Access Hollywood in an overall deal with NBC Universal to act in films and television shows. She also has recurring roles on CBS' Without a Trace and as Jules in the second season of The CW's One Tree Hill (during its run on The WB). Today, commonly referred to as The Today Show to avoid ambiguity, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on the NBC television network. ... Access Hollywood logo used 2001-2005 Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. ... CBS is one of the largest radio and television networks in the United States. ... Without a Trace is an American television show set in New York City. ... The Crimson White, known colloquially as The CW, is the student-run newspaper of the University of Alabama. ... One Tree Hill is an American teen television drama. ... The Warner Brothers Television Network, casually referred to as The WB, or sometimes as The Frog (referring to the networks former mascot, the animated character Michigan J. Frog), was a television network in the United States, founded as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...

Menounos also appeared on the Scrubs episode "My Extra Mile", which aired in May 2006 where John Dorian attracts her because of his hair style. Scrubs is an Emmy Award and Peabody award-winning American situation comedy that premiered on October 2, 2001 on NBC. It was created by Bill Lawrence, who also co-created Spin City. ... My Extra Mile is the 108th episode of the American situation comedy Scrubs. ... May 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → May 1, 2006 (Monday) Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association outraged Vatican by planning to ordain another bishop, Liu Xinhong in Anhui Province. ... This is a list of television-related events in 2006. ... John Dorian (portrayed by Zach Braff) Dr. Jonathan Michael Dorian (most commonly referred to as J.D.) is a fictional character played by Zach Braff in the American sitcom Scrubs. ...

In 2006, Menounos appeared in the music video for "A Public Affair" by Jessica Simpson. See also: 2006 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2006 Record labels established in 2006 other events of 2006 list of years in music 2000s in music January – James Nicholl, drummer of Pay*Ola became ill and was admitted to hospital. ... A Public Affair is the first single from Jessica Simpsons fourth studio album A Public Affair (2006). ... Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980) is an American pop singer and actress who rose to fame in the late 1990s. ...

In April 27, 2007, Maria starred in Kickin' It Old Skool. April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... Kickin It Old Skool is an American comedy film directed by Harvey Glazer and written by Trace Slobotkin. ...

Production

At the age of 17, Menounos produced In the Land of Merry Misfits, an independent film fairy tale. The 35mm feature film was produced by Menounos while attending Emerson College with director Keven Undergaro, then head writer for MTV's Singled Out. The negative of the film was stolen and the film was never completed but her work on the film, and the film's director, helped her land her reporting job at Channel One News and at MTV (ET on MTV). Menounos, however, never forgot the film or the film's director. In 2005, Menounos personally funded the recovery and restoration of the film. The film premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. Emerson College was founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a school of oratory, in Boston, Massachusetts. ... MTV (Music Television) is an American cable television network headquartered in New York City. ... Singled Out was a game show that ran on MTV from 1995-1998. ... Channel One News is a United States television news program that public and private schools agree to show their students in exchange for the loan of TV equipment. ...

Menounos also directed Longtime Listener starring Wilmer Valderrama. The film is an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival 2006. Wilmer Valderrama Wilmer Valderrama (born January 30, 1980) is a comic actor best known for the role of Fez in the sitcom That 70s Show and as the host of the MTV series Yo Momma. ...

Popular awards

Menounos appeared in FHM magazine and in People magazine in 2004 as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People." In another poll conducted by askmen.com, Menounos was voted one of the top five girls a guy would most want to marry, along with Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron and Jessica Alba. She has also beaten Jessica Alba and Charlize Theron for "Cyber Vixen of the Year" on Spike TV's video game awards. The cover of an issue of FHM China, featuring Britney Spears, wearing a bathing suit & necktie The cover of the first issue of FHM in the United States, featuring Rachael Leigh Cook FHM is an international monthly lads mag. ... People is a weekly American magazine of celebrity and human interest stories, published by Time Inc. ... AskMen. ... Angelina Jolie (born June 4, 1975) is an American film actress, a former fashion model and a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. ... Charlize Theron (born August 7, 1975) is an Academy Award winning South African actress and former fashion model. ... Jessica Marie Alba (born April 28, 1981) is an American actress. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Charity work

Menounos founded the charity "Take Action Hollywood!" after her trip to South Africa. Reporting on the devastating effects of the AIDS crisis she was inspired to create TAH!, a charity that utilizes the power of the entertainment industry and the medium of film to affect for positive social change. Maria also created the Cosmo Girl Cup, a national, annual competition and award given to the group of teens who do the most in their communities to affect for positive social change.

Trivia

• Maria is of Greek descent, and speaks Greek fluently (she learned Greek before she learned English). She also has a preference for Greek cuisine. ^[1]

• Maria is a diehard fan of all Boston sports teams including the New England Patriots, the Boston Bruins, the Boston Celtics, and the Boston Red Sox, although she admits she's more of a fan of contact sports (and thus her favorite teams are the Patriots and the Bruins).

• Maria admits her lucky charm is a pink Red Sox thong.

• Has admitted to having a crush on Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady.

• Maria is extremely ticklish, as proven on The Howard Stern Show.

• At the 2004 Oscars, she wore a diamond-studded dress worth $2.3 million.

• She'd never heard of the Eurovision Song Contest until being asked to be the co-host in 2006.

• At the opening ceremony of the Eurovision semifinal she demonstrated her singing voice in a duet with Sakis Rouvas.

• Her father is diabetic according to Glamour magazine.

• Her astrological sign is Gemini.

• She once worked at Dunkin' Donuts.

The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Greek cuisine is the cuisine of Greece and of the Greeks. ... City Foxborough, Massachusetts Other nicknames The Pats Team colors Nautical Blue, New Century Silver, Red, and White Head Coach Bill Belichick Owner Robert Kraft General manager Bill Belichick Mascot Pat Patriot League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960–69) Eastern Division (1960–69) National Football League (1970–present) American Football... The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 4, 8, 9, 27, 42 Name Boston Red Sox (1908–present) Boston Americans (1901-1907) Ballpark Fenway Park (1912–present) Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds (1901-1911) Major league titles World Series titles (6) 2004... PinkIt can be described as a light red, but it is more bright, undersaturated red. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 4, 8, 9, 27, 42 Name Boston Red Sox (1908–present) Boston Americans (1901-1907) Ballpark Fenway Park (1912–present) Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds (1901-1911) Major league titles World Series titles (6) 2004... Look up thong in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Wiktionary has related dictionary definitions, such as: crush Crush may mean: A short-lived and unrequited love, infatuation, or limerence, especially prevalent among young people but not unheard of for people of any age, as in I have a crush on so-and-so. ... Navy quarterback Aaron Polanco sets up to throw. ... Thomas Edward Brady, Jr. ... This article is about the radio show hosted by Howard Stern, for a biography of his personal life see Howard Stern. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... The modern logo was introduced for the 2004 Contest to create a consistent visual identity. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... Glamour Magazine is a monthly womens magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. ... A fundamental part of astrology is the belief that space and time (as seen from the earth) are ordered into twelve equal segments or divisions called the zodiac. ... Gemini the animal(s) Gemini is an astrological sign, which is associated with the constellation Gemini. ... Dunkin Donuts is an international coffee and donut retailer founded in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts, USA by William Rosenberg. ...

References

• "We had the biggest disaster story of independent filmmaking ever. The old producer had his way with us and stole the negative, held it hostage, stole my partner’s money, and we had death threats."

• "I am! Anything Boston: Patriots, Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox. I've lived there most of my life. But I'm more of a contact-sport fan, like hockey and football. When football season ends, I get depressed."

• "Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and hear sirens wailing and my heart would plummet"

• "Speaks Greek fluently. Spoke Greek before she learned English"

External links

• Maria Menounos at the Internet Movie Database
• http://www.nndb.com/people/501/000047360/ Maria Menounos at NNDB
• http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=132456818 Maria Menounos at MySpace
• http://my-best-shot.blogspot.com/2007/05/maria-menounos.html Maria Menounos Red Carpet 2007 pics at her new movie.
• http://my-best-shot.blogspot.com/2007/05/in-land-of-merry-misfits.html More pictures from Marias new Movie "In The Land of Merry Misfits"

 before=Erika Ewald| title=Miss Massachusetts Teen USA| years=1996| after=Jessica Gregory|}} 

|- style="text-align: center;" |- style="text-align:center;" |width="30%" align="center" rowspan="1"|Preceded by
Maria Efrosinina & Pavlo Shylko |width="40%" style="text-align: center;" rowspan="1"|Eurovision Song Contest co-presenter
(with Sakis Rouvas)
2006 |width="30%" align="center" rowspan="1"| Succeeded by
Mikko Leppilampi & Jaana Pelkonen |- |} The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... NNDB, ostensibly standing for Notable Names Database, produced by Soylent Communications, is an online database of biographical details of notable people. ... MySpace is a social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music, and videos. ... The Miss Massachusetts Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Massachusetts in the Miss Teen USA pageant. ... Maria Efrosinina and Pavlo Shylko at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest Maria Efrosinina is a Ukrainian television host. ... Pavlo Shylko (DJ Pasha) is a Ukrainian radio and television presenter. ... The modern logo was introduced for the 2004 Contest to create a consistent visual identity. ... Anastasios Sakis Rouvas (Greek: ) (born January 5, 1972 in the island of Corfu) is a very popular gay Greek singer and athlete, as well as an actor, and a model, who has sold over 200,000 records in Greece. ... The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the fifty-first Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on the 18 May 2006 (for the semi-final) and 20 May 2006 (for the final). ... Leppilampi (centre) starred as the main character in the 2005 Finnish film Kaksipäisen kotkan varjossa Mikko Johannes Leppilampi (b. ... Jaana in a promotional photo with her Eurovision co-host Mikko Leppilampi. ...