Vera Wang: Designer Extraordinaire

From couture wedding gowns and eveningwear to t-shirts and nightgowns, Vera Wang has the fashion world covered. The fashion designer also designs shoes, handbags and women's accessories, along with china and bed and bath linens. Prior to beginning her illustrious career as a fashion designer, Wang worked as a senior fashion editor at Vogue for 17 years and worked as a design director for Ralph Lauren for two years. She opened her first design salon in 1990in the Carlyle Hotel in New York City.

Wang was born and raised in New York City. She started figure skating at the age of 6 and competed at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1968 with partner James Stuart. Wang did not make the U.S. Olympic figure skating team, so she decided to enter the fashion industry instead. After graduating from The Chapin School, Want attended the University of Paris and received an art history degree from Sarah Lawrence College.

In addition to designing a full range of women's clothing from casual attire to ball gowns, Wang has designed figure skating costumes for several famous skaters, including Michelle Kwan and Nancy Kerrigan. She also designed the uniforms currently being worn by the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders.

Many celebrities and political figures have chosen Vera Wang wedding gowns and eveningwear, including Chelsea Clinton, Avril Lavigne, Maria Carey, Sharon Stone, Kate Hudson and Kim Kardashian. The First Lady Michelle Obama has also worn Wang's evening gowns.

While the award-winning designer is famous for her wedding gowns, she expanded her offerings in recent years by launching her Simply Vera Vera Wang line, sold exclusively through Kohl's department stores. This line includes casual yet sophisticated clothing and accessories for everyday wear as well as fragrances, jewelry, eyewear and a full home collection.

Wang has appeared in several movies and television series. She also released a book in 2001 titled "Vera Wang on Weddings." Her awards include a CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award in 2005 and the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award. She was inducted to the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2009 for her costume designs.

Rosie O'Donnell Plays Matchmaker

Rosie O’Donnell played matchmaker this past weekend while at the Super Bowl. While conducting an interview with Jenny McCarthy for XM/Sirius Satellite radio, Jenny admitted she had a crush on Tim Tebow. When O’Donnell discovered that Tebow was also in the building for an interview, she took McCarthy to meet him. O’Donnell first introduced herself, then McCarthy. She stated that she thought the two of them would be perfect together. McCarthy and Tebow were able to chat for a few minutes before Tebow’s interview, and the pair did exchange phone numbers.

O’Donnell, a New York native, has worked as a comedienne, actress and talk show host over the years. She currently hosts a talk show on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). The show is filmed in the same Chicago studio where The Oprah Winfrey Show was filmed. In addition to hosting her own talk show, O’Donnell blogs, is a LGBT activist and a television producer.

Lady Gaga: Born This Way

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born in New York in 1986. While you’ve probably never heard of her, you have no doubt heard of Lady Gaga, which is her stage name. She signed on as a songwriter with Streamline Records in 2007 after withdrawing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. While working as songwriter, recording artist Akon took note of her vocal talent and signed her to his record label. Her first album, which included the hits “Poker Face” and “Just Dance,” came in 2008 and was an instant success with critics and listeners alike. Lady Gaga’s 18-month second tour, The Monster Ball Tour, kicked off in 2009 and is one of the top grossing concerts of all times. The tour promoted her second album The Fame Monster, which boasted the hits “Bad Romance” and “Telephone.”

Her third album, released in 2011, included the hit “Born this Way.” She is known for her outlandish outfits and unique hair and make up. Lady Gaga is also an advocate of tolerance and actively speaks out on bullying. She announced at the end of 2011 that she will launch the Born This Way Foundation this year. According to a press release, the foundation will “explore the best ways to reach youth and create a new culture of kindness, bravery, acceptance and empowerment.” The foundation launches on February 29, 2011 and will work in partnership with The Berkman Center at Harvard as well as their Graduate School of Education, the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and several other organizations. The purpose of Gaga’s foundation is to promote self-confidence and well-being through mentoring, advocacy and career development, as well as to promote anti-bullying. The foundation kick-off includes a day of events designed to promote awareness of these issues at Harvard University.

Donald Trump Endorses Mitt Romney

The Donald held a press conference earlier today to declare his endorsement of Mitt Romney for the 2012 presidential election. The event took place inside Trump Towers in Las Vegas. After making the announcement, the New York native stated, “Mitt is tough. He’s smart, he’s sharp. He’s not going to allow bad things to continue to happen to this country that we all love. So Gov. Romney, go out and get ‘em. You can do it.” Trump’s announcement comes two days before the Nevada caucuses where Romney is the favorite, according to the polls. Several news sources, including the Associated Press, originally reported that Trump would endorse Newt Gingrich.

While Romney left the stage just moments after the announcement was made, Trump lingered and welcomed questions from the press. When questioned about the endorsement for Gingrich, Trump stated that the two were friends and that he knew Gingrich wanted his endorsement. When the press asked Trump’s thoughts about Ron Paul, he answered in true Donald fashion, saying, “He’s just got no chance of being elected. Personally, I think he’s wasting a lot of time.”

Matthew Broderick Brings Back Ferris Bueller

Tony-award winning actor Matthew Broderick has starred in a wide range of plays and movies throughout his career. While his list of credits is extensive, the movie that made him a household name was undoubtedly "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," a 1986 John Hughes comedy and one of the top comedies of the '80s. In the movie, Broderick plays Ferris Bueller, a teenager who decides to play hooky from school and gets into one sticky situation after another.

Broderick went on to play a variety of roles, including an Air Force pilot in "Project X" and a Civil War officer in "Glory." He was also the voice behind the adult Simba in Disney's "The Lion King" animated film. In addition, he added dark comedy roles to his repertoire with films like "The Cable Guy" and "Election."

In 2001, Broderick stared as Leo Bloom opposite Nathan Lane in the Mel Brooks' musical, The Producers, on Broadway. He continued to play Leo Bloom on Broadway until 2003. A couple of years later, he reprised the role on the silver screen in the movie adaptation of the musical, which was based on movie by Mel Brooks. In 2011, Broderick starred in "Tower Heist" and several other films. He will be starring in the Broadway musical, Nice Work if You Can Get It, this spring.

The native New Yorker married actress Sarah Jessica Parker in 1997 and the couple has three children, a son and twin girls. Broderick has been making headlines lately due in large part to a Super Bowl commercial set to air this Sunday during the big game. In the commercial, Broderick revives his Bueller persona and calls in sick to work for a day filled with fun and mayhem in his 2012 Honda CR-V. Although Broderick does not go by the name Ferris Bueller in the commercial, the references to the movie are plentiful and fans of the movie will recognize the background music. To see the humorous commercial, tune in on game day or click here.

A Sneak Peek at a Long-Awaited Sequel

Vin Diesel released the first image from his newest movie, the as-yet untitled sequel to "The Chronicles of Riddick," on his Facebook page earlier this week. The movie, due out some time next year, stars Diesel, along with Karl Urban and Kattee Sackhoff. David Twohy, who directed the original Riddick movie as well as its low-budget predecessor "Pitch Black," is directing the third installment.

Born in New York City as Mark Sinclair Vincent, Diesel began going by the name Vin while he was working as a bouncer at a nightclub in New York City. Diesel came from his friends who claimed he ran on diesel fuel because of his high energy. Diesel has dabbled in screenwriting and film making over the years. He received his first big break when he was cast as Richard B. Riddick in "Pitch Black" in 2000. A series of successful action movies have turned Diesel into the star he is today. He has been cast in dramatic roles in such films as "Boiler Room" and "Saving Private Ryan," as well as comedic roles in films like "The Pacifier." A sixth installmant of the popular "The Fast and the Furious" film franchise has also been announced and is expected next year.

Murray Handwerker: A True American Entrepreneur

Nowadays, hot dogs are as American as baseball and apple pie, but that wasn't always the case. Originally from Germany, hot dogs began appearing in the U.S. in the late 1800s. Thanks to the business acumen of men like Charles Feltman, who began selling hot dogs at Coney Island in New York in the 1870s, hot dogs quickly became associated with amusement parks, baseball games and fairs.

Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker, another shrewd businessman of the time and a former employee of Feltman's, began selling hot dogs made from his wife's recipe on Coney Island in 1916. With $300 in financial backing from pals Jimmy Durante and Eddie Cantor, Handwerker opened his hot dog stand at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues and sold his hot dogs for just a nickel, half the price of Feltman's dogs. Food safety laws were just starting to be developed at this time, so Handwerker made sure that men wearing surgeon's smocks were regularly seen eating his hot dogs.

Nathan's wife Ida gave birth to a son, Murray, in 1921. Their son grew up at the Coney Island hot dog stand and learned everything about the business during his childhood. After returning from World War II, Murray earned a Bachelor's degree in French from New York University and eventually took over the business from his father.

While Nathan's sole goal was to provide for his family, Murray's visions were set quite a bit higher. He expanded the restaurant's menu and opened additional locations throughout New York. The company went public in 1968 and Murray had successfully opened up 43 locations and 10 franchises by 1977. Murray also succeeded in getting Nathan's Famous hot dogs on supermarket shelves across the country.

Although Nathan's Famous hit a rough patch in the early 1980s, Murray persevered, closing several restaurants and franchises to stay afloat. He sold the company to Equicor Group, an investment company, in 1987 and retired to Florida. The name Nathan's Famous is still synonymous with hot dogs and their dogs have been the favorite of celebrities and politicians for nearly a century now.