Kaley Cuoco Returns to Host People's Choice Awards; John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health Running At ING New York City Marathon

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Kaley Cuoco Returns to Host People's Choice Awards; John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health Running At ING New York City Marathon

Kaley Cuoco, the female lead of CBS's The Big Bang Theory, will return to host The People's Choice Awards 2013 for a second consecutive year, LIVE from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013 from 9:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT, on CBS. The People's Choice Awards is the only major awards show where fans determine the categories, nominees and winners across multiple genres of movies, music and television. Beginning Oct. 23, fans will have the opportunity to narrow down a selection of nominees in each of more than 40 categories. Voting will take place online at www.Peopleschoice.com/nominees until Friday, Nov. 2.

Prior to her role as "Penny" on The Big Bang Theory, winner of the 2010 People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy, Kaley Cuoco was best known to television audiences for her role as Bridget Hennesy in the sitcom 8 Simple Rules, winner of the 2003 People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy. This year, Cuoco starred opposite Rob Lowe in the Lifetime movie Untouchable: The Drew Peterson Story. She was also seen in The Last Ride, an independent film which tells the story of Hank Williams's final days, and in 2011, she co-starred in the family comedy HOP, with James Marsden and Russell Brand. Recently, Cuoco wrapped production on Scribble, an indie comedy about a group of aspiring writers.

Stay with us for full details on the nominations for the 39th annual event in a few weeks!

The late great John Ritter continues to do good for the world. His youngest son Tyler Ritter, Watkins Little (the "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy"), thoracic aortic disease survivors and an aortic surgeon will be among the 15 Team Ritter runners dedicated to raising money for the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health (JRF) at the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. Funds from the NYC Marathon raised for the JRF will go to the John Ritter Research Program in Aortic and Vascular Diseases (JRRP) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) to support research to identify genetic risks for aortic dissections. To donate, visit Edward Norton's Crowdrise online fundraising community.

"We are so proud and grateful to be one of the official charities of this year's NYC Marathon and have the opportunity to raise much-needed funds for life-saving research and education," said actress, writer and aortic health advocate Amy Yasbeck, the widow of legendary comic actor John Ritter, who died from an acute aortic dissection in 2003. "For Team Ritter, we looked for people who are passionate about increasing awareness of aortic dissection and its risk factors and committed to raising funds to support the JRF." As we all know John Ritter, 54, died from an undiagnosed aortic dissection on Sept. 11, 2003 after he experienced chest pain while rehearsing for an episode of his ABC hit comedy 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. After John's death, his brother was found to be at an increased risk for an aortic dissection and underwent surgery to prevent the dissection. Yasbeck formed the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health after John's death and the John Ritter Research Program at UTHealth was established in 2010. John's youngest son Tyler Ritter will be joined in the race by his wife, actress Lelia Parma, whose grandfather suffers from thoracic aortic disease. "By joining Team Ritter, we hope we can raise awareness that will help in effectively diagnosing and treating the disease at its earliest stages," Ritter said.

Other team members include aortic disease survivors; family or friends of people who have suffered from aortic and other cardiovascular diseases; and medical professionals who treat patients with aortic disease. The following are stories of their very personal journeys to the starting line of the ING New York City Marathon.
Please donate for this very good cause and help do good in the world like John Ritter did and how his name will always do. Watch the "Marathon Morning Across America" broadcast on WABC-7 throughout the NYC tri-state area from 9:00am to 2:00pm ET and on ESPN2 nationally from 9:00am to 12:30pm. A national highlight show will air on all ABC stations from 4:00 to 6:00pm ET/PT. Go Team Ritter!