MEAT LOAF

If you’re an aspiring singer from Texas, what better way to kickstart your career than landing in a cult film musical about a cross-dressing mad scientist? For Marvin Aday - better known for vague reasons as Meat Loaf - it could only be topped by releasing one of rock & roll’s most successful debuts ever. That’s how the Dallas, Texas-born singer-actor decided to play his luck, a gamble that made him one of the 70s biggest stars and paved the way for a 90s comeback. What’s not as well known is that Meat Loaf grew up in a gospel-singing family, a background that shaped his powerful vocal style. After his family relocated to Los Angeles in 1967, he pursued singing as well as acting before taking a role in the West Coast production of Hair. That led to another musical, More Than You Deserve, written by classically trained pianist Jim Steinman. In 1976, he grabbed attention as the ill-fated sax-playing biker Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show; a year later, his Todd-Rundgren-produced solo debut Bat Out of Hell flew up the charts. The teen-angst rock opera spun three singles - "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth," and the ultimate teen make-out anthem, "Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” Meat Loaf was officially a star, with a friendly screen presence that suggested the neighborhood tough with a heart of gold; 1980 brought him his first feature film, playing Travis W. Redfish in the Austin-filmed production of Roadie, directed by Alan Rudolph. While his musical career morphed throughout the 80s, Meat Loaf went on to act in a variety of film and television roles, including Wayne’s World, Leap of Faith with Steve Martin, Spice World, Crazy in Alabama, The Salton Sea, and as Robert “Bob” Paulson in 1999’s cinematic milestone The Fight Club. Meat Loaf also reunited with Jim Steinman in 1993, releasing Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, a wildly successful pairing that sent "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)” to the charts. His iconic image has lent itself to TV roles in House, M.D., on South Park, as a panelist on Hannity, as Jack Black’s father in Tenacious D, and just last year on Celebrity Apprentice. Meat Loaf is currently on the road on his Guilty Pleasure Tour. And the next time someone says there are no great second acts, point them toward Meat Loaf.--Margaret Moser, The Austin Chronicle

BRETT CULLEN

Houston-born Brett Cullen has appeared in numerous films and television series, most recently in the Emmy Award-winning Friday Night Lights. Other notable TV appearances include Falcon Crest, The West Wing, M*A*S*H and Ugly Betty, and his movie credits include APOLLO 13, SKATELAND, THE RUNAWAYS and WYATT EARP. In 2011, Cullen was named the official spokesman for Houston Works, which helps Houston residents with job training and placement.