2007
Brief biographical information on:
Raymond Arroyo
Pollyanna Dorough
Fr. Miguel Gonzalez
Raymond Arroyo : Special Guest Master of Ceremonies - Raymond Arroyo is an internationally recognized, award-winning journalist, seen
each week in more than 100 million homes around the globe. He has worked for the
Associated Press, the political columnist team of Evans and Novak, and as a
Capitol Hill Correspondent. He studied under theatre luminaries Stella Adler,
Uta Hagen, and Beatrice Straight, before acting and directing in New York and
London. As host and creator of EWTN’s international news magazine, "The World Over Live", Arroyo has interrogated the leading figures of the day. Highlights include: The first, exclusive, sit down interview with Mel Gibson on the set of his controversial film, “The Passion of the Christ” and a landmark interview with Pope Benedict XVI: the only English language conversation ever recorded with the pontiff.
Arroyo and his work have been featured on "The Today Show", "Good Morning America", "Hannity and Colmes",
"Access Hollywood", “CNN Headline News” and other programs. His writings have been published by The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, The Financial Times, and The National Catholic Register. A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Arroyo is author of the New York Times Bestseller: Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve and a Network of Miracles published by Doubleday in September of 2005.
He resides in Northern Virginia with his wife Rebecca and their three children. He is currently working on a mystery series and an original musical.
Pollyanna
Dorough: Master of Ceremonies -
The name "Pollyanna" conjures images of a little girl determined to
see the best in life. Although Pollyanna Dorough is a grown woman, her faith
and unconquerable spirit have given her the ability to still see the best in
life --- as she beautifully demonstrates in her new "Wings of Hope"
CD debut. This album brings together inspirational sentiments of comfort and
faith, with universal melodies and rhythms.
Pollyanna grew up as the middle of five children in Orlando, Florida, always embracing her love of music. She graduated as a voice major from Westchester’s Conservatory of Music at Mercy College in New York. During this time, she continuously encouraged the musical abilities her younger brother, Howie Dorough (Howie D.) of the Backstreet Boys.
Pollyanna discovered she loved writing music. Her first song "Fly to Heaven" was written after her sister Caroline’s tragic death from lupus in 1998. It is now the theme song for the Dorough Lupus Foundation, a non-profit organization established by her family to promote lupus awareness and education. With the incredible response she received from "Fly to Heaven," Pollyanna began writing additional music andputting together her debut album "Wings of Hope."
With time-off from the Backstreet Boys, Howie D. jumped in to encourage his
sister in the studio, writing and 
recording
as the executive producer of "Wings of Hope."
"I’ve been blessed to feel Pollyanna’s uplifting spirit my entire life," Howie says. "I want others to hear and to fall in love with her and her music the way I have." A portion of the proceeds from the album are benefiting the Dorough Lupus Foundation and its mission to help others.
Before releasing "Wings of Hope", Pollyanna has been busy performing her music in the United States and internationally in Germany, Holland, Italy, Poland, South America and Japan. While in the United States, she has performed in countless celebrations including; the Kids Wish Network’s "Holiday of Hope," "Shaqtacular," the "Miss US Teens" competition and the SeaWorld attraction "Viva La Musica" special event.
Pollyanna gained thousands of Latin American fans while touring as an opening act for the Backstreet Boy’s "Black & Blue Tour" that filled stadiums throughout South America, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Panama. Howie and Pollyanna have also toured together domestically and internationally in support of the Dorough Lupus Foundation.
Although
Pollyanna has always had a soft spot for her music, she has also participated
as a featured personality for many different events, such as judging MTV’s "Wannabe"
series, hosting the "Mercadofest 2004," teaching for Holland’s "Christian
Artists Seminar" and co-hosting the "United Catholic Music Video Association
Unity Awards" for the past six years. In 2001, she was tapped by "TEEN
BEAT" Magazine as a celebrity columnist for a monthly feature entitled
ASK POLLYANNA!
Pollyanna is a unique artist whose inspiring message is clear in her music and spirit.
"Life is a journey filled with love, loss, laughter, hope, fear and faith," she says. "My hope is to portray such feelings and thoughts in my songs."
For more information on Pollyanna, to listen to her song clips or to buy her new album, please visit her website at www.Pollyanna.net.
Fr. Miguel Gonzalez: Master of Ceremonies - Fr. Gonzalez was ordained to the priesthood on May 28, 1998. For the past three years, he has served in the Diocese of Orlando as Parochial Vicar at St. John Vianney Catholic Church. Among his many responsibilities within the Diocese, Fr. Gonzalez hosts a weekly spanish radio show on Radio Paz, a radio ministry of the Diocese of Orlando. He also officiates a Spanish televised Mass, which is aired every Sunday on WTMO Channel 40, an affiliate of the Telemundo Spanish Television Network. Prior to becoming a priest, Fr. Gonzalez worked as an on-air personality and music program director for a commercial Spanish music station in Orlando, Florida.