Growing Up With Loukoumi

by Katsoris, Nick

• ISBN13: 9780970510037
• ISBN10: 0970510039
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-10-16
• Publisher: Nk Pubns

Summary

Book includes CD. $2 from the sale of each book/cd will be donated to a children's charity.

Author Biography

Bios NICK KATSORIS - Author Having recently become a father, author Nick Katsoris is delighted to venture into the world of children's literature and plans to design a series of books around Loukoumi and her friends, Dean, Fistiki and Marika. In March 2005, he published the title ôLoukoumi,ö and then embarked on a 20 city book signing tour with Barnes & Noble and other venues.Katsoris later designed the Loukoumi plush toy after the beloved character and in March 2006, The Livanis Publishing Organization in Athens Greece purchased the foreign rights to the book. They translated the book into Greek and distributed it throughout Europe.Katsoris is a New York attorney and since 1995 has served as General Counsel of the Red Apple Group. A graduate of Fordham Law School, Nick is Entertainment Editor for the Hellenic Times newspaper, and has published several articles for the American Bar Association and the National Law Journal. Katsoris is also the author of the legal thriller Crimes of Fire (www.crimesoffire.com) and in 2002 he completed a 12 city national book signing tour. Nick is also President and founder of his own publishing company, NK Publications, Inc. which will be releasing several titles this Fall including ôI Get Knocked Down: A Woman's survival Guide in Business,ö and a children's book about a television reporter.Nick is also an advocate of education and in 1989 founded the Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund. Since its inception, he has served as President of the organization and over $1 million has been awarded to over 500 students. He currently resides in Eastchester, New York, with his wife, Voula, a real estate attorney, and their son, Dean.GLORIA GAYNOR - "Fistiki" In Growing Up With Loukoumi, Gloria Gaynor serves as narrator for the book, the voice of Fistiki the Cat and she has graciously lent her singing talents with the original song "Believe." Like Gloria, Fistiki wants to be a singer and ôone day maybe even win a Grammy Award.ö In 1980, Gloria Gaynor's anthem I Will Survive earned her a Grammy Award. The song was also honored by VH-1 at the top of its countdown for the top 100 dance records of all time. Gloria's 30-Year career began with a splash in 1973 as her hit Never Can Say Good-Bye became the very first #1 song on the dance charts, an accomplishment Gloria has repeated often including with her 2002 single Just Keep Thinkin' About You. In addition to being active in countless charities, Gloria's other achievements include her 1998 autobiography I Will Survive, published by St. Martin's Press, a 1999 stint on Broadway in the musical Smokey Joe's CafT and guest starring roles on episodes of That '70s Show and Ally McBeal. Ms. Gaynor has also received The Legend Award at The World Music Awards.OLYMPIA DUKAKIS - "Marika" On the Growing Up With Loukoumi CD, Olympia Dukakis serves as narrator of the original Loukoumi book and also as the character voice of Marika the monkey on both recordings. Like Olympia, in the book Marika wants to be a ôgreat actor and one day maybe even win an Oscar.ö Ms. Dukakis' brilliant career spans over 40 years in films, stage and television.In 1988, Ms. Dukakis received an Academy Award in The Best Supporting Actress Category, The New York Film Critics Award, The Los Angeles Film Critics Award and The Golden Globe Award for her role in The Norman Jewison Film Moonstruck.Ms. Dukakis has also starred in other memorable films such as Steel Magnolias, Mr. Holland's Opus with Richard Dreyfuss, Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite, The Cemetery Club, Picture Perfect with Jennifer Aniston, and The Look Who's Talking movies. On the television front, Olympia has starred in HBO's Last Of The Blonde Bombshells, PBS' Tales Of The City, CBS' Sinatra and A Match Made in Heaven with John Stamos.Ms. Dukakis' heart, however, has always been the theatre having won two Obie Awards for A Man's A Man and The Marriage Of Bette And Boo. She also appeared on Broadway as Rose and previously in the productions of Social Security, and Night Of The Iguana, among others. As a founding member of the Whole Theatre in Montclair, New Jersey for 19 years, she directed and appeared in many productions as well, becoming the proud recipient of The New Jersey Governor's Walt Whitman Creative Arts Award.Dukakis also has a love for education, having taught acting in The Graduate School at New York University for fifteen years. In addition, Ms. Dukakis is active in and supports dozens of Charitable and Humanitarian Organizations. Dukakis currently resides in New York City with her husband, Actor Louis Zorich. They have three children, Christina, Peter and Stefan.ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS - "Loukoumi" The character of Loukoumi is voiced by CBS News Anchor and National Correspondent Alexis Christoforous. Alexis is also News Anchor for the nationally syndicated program "Marketwatch Weekend", and is a contributing correspondent for The Early Show, CBS Evening News weekend edition and the CBS Radio Network. She began her "business news" career at Bloomberg Television and Radio in 1994 where she anchored the national PBS program Bloomberg Morning News and regularly reported live from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. A cum laude graduate from New York University, where she now often lectures, Christoforous is also very active in her community including her participation in the "Feast with Famous Faces" which raises money for the Children's League of the Hard of Hearing. Alexis and her husband, Karl P. Kilb, General Counsel for Bloomberg LP, and their two sons, Karl and Trevor, live in Manhattan.FRANK DICOPOULOS - "Dean" The character of Dean the dog, who in Growing Up With Loukoumi wants to be a police chief, is voiced by Frank Dicopoulos, who has been playing police chief Frank Cooper on Guiding Light since September 1987. Dicopoulos majored in psychology and minored in art and drama at Kenyon College in Gambier, OH. Active in football, basketball and lacrosse, he also set a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III track record in high hurdles. Following college graduation, Dicopoulos moved to Texas. After managing a tire store in Houston and working as an auto mechanic, he began posing for print photography ads and doing television commercials. In a nationwide talent search in Dallas, he became one of four finalists out of 770 candidates to screen test for the Larry Wilcox replacement role on the television series Chips. Although he did not get the role, he did get a small film part and had the lead in an MTV video documentary called Wild Rides, narrated by Matt Dillon. He also hosted On the Move for ESPN and the Miss Teenage America Pageant in Dallas. Dicopoulos moved to Los Angeles in 1984 and appeared in numerous nighttime series including The Tracey Ullman Show, Silver Spoons, O'Hara, Hotel, Dynasty and Falcon Crest, as well as the soap operas The Young and the Restless, Capitol and General Hospital. He also acted in several movies before joining Guiding Light. The actor resides with his wife, actress/writer Teja Anderson, son Jaden and daughter Olivia in New Jersey. In his spare time, he serves as a national spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. CONSTANTINE MAROULIS - "Gus" The character of Gus the bear is voiced by American Idol's Constantine Maroulis.Constantine Maroulis was a finalist on the hugely popular FOX television show "American Idol" in 2005, wowing the judges and audiences alike with his powerful vocal talents. Since American Idol, he has toured with the show and as lead singer of his now former band "Pray For the Soul of Betty." Named as People Magazine's Sexiest 30 year old, Constantine attended the prestigious Boston Conservatory of Music and Berklee College of Music. He is currently developing a sitcom for ABC, is on a national tour and he plans to release a solo album later this year. This Fall Constantine will also be starring on MTV's Little Talent Show: Triple Threat.