Welcome to CELEBRITYPINBALL4AUTISM.COM
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SEPTEMBER 25th-27th, 2009
Located on the main floor, level 2 of the historic Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California.
The Celebrity Pinball Tournament & Arcade Game Show will feature 100's of Arcade Games and Pinball machines !
Friday, September 12th the Celebrity Pinball Tournament & Arcade Game Show was visited by the L.A. Laker Girls! Katie, Jeri-Faye, Jessica & Erin know the silver ball is WILD!!
We are currently in talks with a number of different celebrities to help out with the event.
The enthusiasm level has been high and we are very excited about the potential names that could be included.
Celebrities are busy people though and many of them that wish to help out just can't because of their busy schedules, contractual obligations, etc.
Once we have confirmed their participation, we will post the information here. STAY TUNED !
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The word is getting out about the event. The response has been overwhelming from the Entertainment biz folks and not surprisingly, we are getting a lot of interest from other communities too. Many celebrities want to help out but can not commit because of their busy schedules so many celebrities will be showing up unannounced....
TONY POTTS
Tony Potts has laid down the gauntlet and has committed his time to help out. He issued a public challenge to actor JAMES DENTON (Desperate Housewives) to join him during the tournament for a weekend of fun & games!
Tony is the weekend co-anchor and correspondent for "Access Hollywood," the daily entertainment newsmagazine show currently in its 12th season of providing the most comprehensive coverage of entertainment news and personalities on television. Potts joined "Access Hollywood" in April 1999, coming to the show after 12 years in television news and sports. In addition to his duties at "Access Hollywood," Potts also contributes to the "Today" show, MSNBC and CNBC. He is also a frequent guest on CNN's "Larry King Live," as well as CNN's "Showbiz Tonight."
During his tenure at "Access Hollywood," Potts has covered many high profile events, including the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, the Emmys, and the Grammys.
Potts has a couple of film and television credits to his name, including appearances in the Mel Gibson film, "Ransom," the 2002-2003 season finale of the CBS hit show "CSI: Miami," plus a number of episodes of Courtney Cox's show, "Dirt."
Potts has won an Emmy Award for feature reporting, two Associated Press Awards and one Society of Professional Journalists Award. The Seattle-native also won the 2006 MVP award at the NBA's Celebrity All-Star Game in Las Vegas, NV.
KEVIN L'HEUREUX
Kevin is a member of the board and a STAR supporter and contributor since day one. His assistance with this event has been invaluable. He has helped spread the word among celebrities, collectors & enthusiasts. Kevin is a veteran Sound Engineer and his work in Entertainment has been recognized throughout the industry. He is credited with work on Access Hollywood, numerous Super Bowls, NBA All Star Games, The Bachelor, Chopper Challenge and 100's of other productions, feature films and TV shows for ABC, NBC, Disney, Fox & ESPN to name a few.
Kevin is an advanced pinball player with skills rivaling the best players around. His impressive collection includes Spider Man Black, Medieval Madness, No Good Gofers, Revenge From Mars, Cactus Canyon and others.
GINA WILLIAMSON
Another STAR contributor to this event ! This surfer girl is legendary!
She has over 14 years advertising experience in creating iconic design & marketing
solutions in print, broadcast & web, for an extensive variety of companies worldwide.
Originally from the UK, Gina resides in Los Angeles, where she has been creating successful film campaigns for market leading movie trailer Vendors. Her work includes box office smashes The Simpsons (movie), Ice Age, The Bucket List, Dr. Suess' Horton Hears a Who! and many more.
She was also responsible for creating the Home Entertainment branding for SONY's BLUE-RAY technology.
Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Gina owned her own successful company in
London for several years. Servicing the film & entertainment industry;
creating title sequences from concept to completion, trailer & TV graphics,
effects on film & compositing.
When not designing, you'll find her playing pinball, surfing up and down the California coastline or running bigsnoreproductions.com
Her never ending support with ideas, graphics and computer saavy has been phenomenal! Maybe now I can finally get my personal Demo Reel finished! Thanks Gina.
PETER MCKERNAN JR.
Pete McKernan Jr. is a veteran helicopter pilot working in the Entertainment Industry. His experience dates back to the early 1980's when he began working on "Airwolf."
Since then he has been involved in hundreds of productions, commercials & feature films. As an aerial coordinator, Peter's extensive history and experience has put him right in the middle of some of the biggest box office smashes in movie making history -
Die Hard, Mars Attacks!, Con Air, Liar Liar, Gone In Sixty Seconds, Crash, Transformers and next years 70's remake, Land Of The Lost. Peter has generously donated his time to fly one lucky winner in his personal aircraft over the sights of Los Angeles, California. A private helicopter tour over L.A. with a legendary industry pilot is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Thanks Peter !
GREG COLTON - FAMILY GUY
Greg is another STAR contributor!! He's a Los Angeles based animation artist, originally from Chicago (land of pinball) and has been working here for 10 years. Currently a director on the TV show "Family Guy" he is responsible for cabinet and translight art for the 2007 Stern Pinball release FAMILY GUY!
An accomplished writer and storyboard artist, Greg has also lent his talents to shows like The Powerpuff Girls, Invader Zim, Mucha Lucha, South Park and Dilbert!
He's been an avid collector and restorer of arcades for about 5 years now. Greg's collection includes The Addams Family, Lord of the Rings, Revenge from Mars, Spider-Man, Simpsons Pinball Party, Family Guy, Road Show, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Whitewater, Tommy, Class of 1812, Bram Stoker's Dracula and
Funhouse.
Greg will be allowing attendees of the Celebrity Pinball Tournament & Arcade Game Show the privilege of playing many of his prized machines directly from his personal collection. Thanks Greg !
AL CERULLO
You may not know Al Cerullo's legendary name - but you know his work, rest assured. Literally a phenomenon in the Northeast, Al's credits are nothing short of incredible. He's been a fixture on the New York City skyline for more than 40 years and has worked on more movies than I'd like to or could even mention in this small spot on this website.
As one of the most involved child advocates I know, Al is a busy participant in many activities that benefit children. For the Young Eagles program he flies 8-17 year olds in his personal helicopter over the sights of New York City - a rarity among Young Eagle volunteers.
At one such event, Cerullo was introduced to now friend and pupil, Mike Regruto. At the age of 13, Regruto, who sometimes assists Cerullo in the helicopter on shoots, already has 66+ hours in the Eurocopter AS355 Twin Star under his belt - he is the only young man in the country who can claim that at his age.
“It’s a great feeling to know that I’ve made a difference in his life,” notes Cerullo. “How many 13-year-olds fly a Twin Star and go on movie sets? Mike is a far better pilot than some older pilots. He’s smoother on the controls than some guys with licenses already who fly for a living!”
A flight over New York City is a once in a lifetime event for most people. Flying with Al Cerullo, a legendary movie pilot is unheard of. The man himself is a humble, down to earth, Vietnam Vet and genuine New Yorker. His passion for this city rubs off on you immediately and his love of good Italian food almost always ensures that the "aerial crew" doesn't get forgotten at lunch time!
Al's helicopter hangar is adequately equipped with a functioning 1971 Williams Stardust while his home game room features a 1994 Bally Corvette - both of which, I am now going to owe a good shop job! Thanks Al !
MIKE PHILLIPS
There aren't many cities that can rival San Francisco from the air. Just ask Mike Phillips from South Bay Helicopter. He's been involved in aviation since 1979.
In the U.S. Army as a helicopter mechanic stationed in Germany, he began his pilot career by attending the U.S. Army's rotary wing flight school program. During the next four years at Fort Ord, California, he served as a line pilot, maintenance test pilot and test pilot examiner. After leaving active duty in 1987, Mike continued as a reservist until 1997. In 1987 he went to work at Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. in Louisiana, flying Bell Helicopter Jet Rangers BH-206 and Boelkows MBB BO-105. In the summer of 1988, he moved back to Southern California to work for Associated Helicopter Services as a Pilot/Mechanic, and its subsidiaries Island Express and Helitrans, flying Bell Helicopter BH-206, 204, 205, the Astar 350, and HU500. After company reorganization in 1991, Mike served as Director of Maintenance, Line Pilot, and Chief Pilot for Island Express.
In 1996, Mike and a partner started Advanced Aircraft Services, Inc. in Long Beach. AAS was an FAA certified Repair Station for airplanes and helicopters. Advanced Aircraft Services was closed due to a loss of lease at Long Beach airport. Mike then went to work for Helinet in Van Nuys, California flying TV news and charters in GH-206, AS 355 and the S76. Mike transferred to Helinet's Oakland, California base in June 1988 to become the Base Manager of the company's Northern California operations.
In December 2001, Mike accepted his current position as Director of Operations and General Manager of South Bay Helicopter Services, Inc. With South Bay Helicopters, Mike's responsible for the majority of production work, subsequently becoming a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Because of his commitment to safety, Mike has received the HAI 5000 Hour Safety Award and the 15 Year Aviation Maintenance Technician Safety Award.
Mike's giving the Celebrity Pinball Tournament & Arcade Game Show a flight over San Francisco! Don't miss your opportunity to fly over the city by the bay ! Thanks Mike!
MICHAEL FRANCK
Michael Franck is the man in the mid-west. His aerial work on the show PRISON BREAK really helped to raise that show up to a level of professionalism not typically seen in a first-run TV show, it later went on to achieve success with multiple seasons now in the can.
Michael's safety conscious flying and level of expertise over Chicago has put him in the coveted position of being the guy to go to when you need aerials in Chicago. Heli Motion's Eurocopter AS 355 F2 Twinstar is located in Joliet, Illinois (just south of Chicago) and has provided aircraft for 100's of Chicago based feature films, TV shows and commercials. Shows like BAD MEAT, BARBERSHOP 2, BELOW, BOUNCE, CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, JOE SOMEBODY, DRIVEN, I - ROBOT, KINGS RANSOM, INTIMIDATION GAME and many more.
CHICAGO - land of PINBALL, is also a great city to fly over and with sights like the incredible skyline including the Sears Tower, it's sure to be a flight to remember. Don't forget to wear your RF blocking underwear while flying around the top of the Sears Tower - you'll need it ;-) A special thanks goes out to Michael for the donation to the event!
