Vanna White Look-alike Shares Wheel of Fortune Winnings with Hands of Hope
by Diane Andrews
When Karen Buchanan of Santa Clara signed up for a Vanna White look-alike contest 18 years ago, she never dreamed she would one day be a winner on the popular "Wheel of Fortune" TV game show where White has been the glamorous hostess since 1982. The odds were against it.
Out of more than six million applicants in a recent year, only about 600 were chosen. While Buchanan didn't win the Vanna White look-alike contest, the lucky lady and her 23-year-old nephew, Ryan Jensen of San Diego, did get chosen as contestants on the "Wheel of Fortune" show that aired September 19th on ABC channel 7.
Jensen applied to be a contestant in 2008 but didn't hear anything until receiving an e-mail from Sony Entertainment Studios on July 5, 2011. He invited his aunt to join him in trying out for the family week show, and on July 7, Buchanan flew at her own expense to Los Angeles to audition with about 50 other people at the DoubleTree in Culver City.
Buchanan and Jensen played a few practice rounds at a wheel, took a written test, and made the first cut, which was followed by more practice rounds and introductions.
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City Desk
By Carolyn Schuk
The Council Wore Pink
From Pat Kolstad's muted pink necktie to Lisa Gillmor's hot pink soccer jersey, at the Oct. 11 meeting every City Council member wore something pink in honor of Vice Mayor Patricia Mahan's efforts to promote breast cancer awareness.
Union Supporters Protest Santa Clara Hyatt, Disrupt Hotel Guests
By Robert Haugh
Disrupting hotel guests with loud chants amplified by megaphones and shakers, about two dozen UniteHere Local 19 supporters protested at the Santa Clara Hyatt on October 12.
With chants including "tell the story, tell the whole damn World," "this is union territory," joined by loud shakers, protesters began chants as early as 7 a.m.
Natali Rodriguez, a Santa Clara University senior says "we personally connect with the struggle of the [hotel] workers," adding the Hyatt is a large corporation with billions, "but they don’t do anything for their workers - they put their workers at risk with unsafe working conditions."
Not Accepting
By Larry Sacks
There’s an old expression, "You have to accept what comes your way in life." While that might be quaint, many consider it defeatist
"The fact is, I’m not okay with [having Friedreich's ataxia]. It’s not okay to know that Phillip [Bennett] died...I had faith the wheelchair would never come, or if it did, it would only be for short periods of time..."
Car Control Clinic Comes to Santa Clara
By Larry Sacks
Teaching teenagers the importance of driving safely is something that everyone seems to agree on. But, teaching how to react in unpredictable situations, what to do when something goes wrong and a skid starts, and what "turn into the skid" means - especially if the skid started at 60 miles per hour, can have many different answers.
Driver’s Edge is a way to get answers to those questions. In a four-hour session, teenagers are given instruction and hands-on training about cars, car control and what happens to their vision when they’ve had too much to drink.
George Rivera Shares "A Journey of Hope"
By Cynthia Cheng
Effective art should captivate, enlighten, and move its audience. George Rivera’s paintings do just that. Viewers of George Rivera’s art may notice the darkness in his subjects, but also spot out the way he reveals the light. So it makes sense that Rivera’s latest exhibit at Mission College is titled "A Journey of Hope."
Rivera is an art instructor at Mission College and the executive director and senior curator at Triton Museum. His own journey of hope stems from the inspiration his family and mentors have given him. A common motif in Rivera’s art is the presence of hope in spite of the darkness.
Actor Frank Ferrante Transports Packed Santa Clara University Theater to Irreverent World of Groucho Marx
by Diane Andrews
Award-winning actor Frank Ferrante is tireless in his energetic, quick-witted portrayal of Groucho Marx, the legendary American comedian he has admired since he was a teenager and impersonated for almost three decades in more than 2,500 performances. But don't worry about Ferrante getting confused about who he really is.
"I have a strong sense of self," he says. "Groucho is a role I love to do."
"It's different every night; we are always tweaking the show. Every night we try to be better," says Ferrante after his sold-out performance Saturday night of "An Evening with Groucho," the first event in the SCU Presents Visiting Artist Series, held in the Louis B. Mayer Theater on the Santa Clara University campus.
