or


[04/30/08 - 11:52 AM]
NBC and Teleflora Shine the Spotlight on Fifteen Inspirational Moms in Nationwide Search for America's Favorite Mom
The winning mom will be crowned by Donny and Marie Osmond during the special, which airs Sunday, May 11 at 7:00/6:00c.

[via press release from NBC]

NBC AND TELEFLORA SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT ON FIFTEEN INSPIRATIONAL MOMS IN NATIONWIDE SEARCH FOR AMERICA'S FAVORITE MOM

Donny and Marie Osmond Crown Winning Mom on NBC's Mother's Day Special, Sunday, May 11 at 7pm EST

New York, NY - April 30, 2008 � NBC and Teleflora today revealed the 15 semi-finalists in the nationwide search for "America's Favorite Mom." The inspirational stories of the three top moms in each of the five categories � military moms, working moms, single moms, "Non-mom" moms and "Chairman of Everything" moms � will be featured on NBC's "Today" show May 5 through May 9. Each day, America will vote on who will continue into the final round. The winning mom will be crowned by Donny and Marie Osmond during the NBC primetime special, "Teleflora presents America's Favorite Mom," airing on Mother's Day Sunday, May 11 at 7 p.m. EST.

"Moms all over can relate to the hard work and sacrifices that go into raising a family, and we want to tell their stories through this television tribute to moms," said Doug Vaughan, Senior Vice President, Special Programs and Alternative Development, NBC Entertainment. "Through uplifting stories and great performances, this special is bound to tug at your heart strings."

"We were just in awe of the thousands of amazing moms nominated on AmericasFavoriteMom.com � there were so many inspirational and heartfelt submissions," said Lynda Resnick, Chairman, Teleflora. Now it's time for America to decide who among these incredible mothers should be crowned 'America's Favorite Mom.'"

The 15 "America's Favorite Mom" semi-finalists include:

Military Moms

� Melinda Gintilas (Fountain, CO): Gintilas is a soldier who survived two trips to Iraq, a tumor in her breast and long intervals and distances from her husband and three children

� Patti Patton-Bader (Pasadena, CA): Patton-Bader is a mother who founded Soldiers Angels Network, an organization that sends care packages to over 200,000 troops overseas

� Rosanna Vasquez-Brown (Harker Heights, TX): Vasquez-Brown's duties to her family include caring for her daughter and husband; her duties to her country will start soon, as she prepares for work as a physician assistant in Iraq

Working Moms

� Lisa Druxman (San Marcos, CA): With two children in tow, Druxman started "Stroller Strides" a small business catering to mom specific exercises

� Patricia Griffith (Pittsburg, CA): Griffith's entrepreneurial spirit led her to open the successful "Southern Oven Baking Company" while also raising two children

� Stacy Horn Koch (New Orleans, LA): The head of a household of two boys, Koch also runs a center for at-risk youth, "Covenant House New Orleans" and heads a project to restore a community devastated by Hurricane Katrina

Single Moms

� Lena Ledford (Atlanta, GA): A mother of five, Ledford never lets anything stop her which is why she's also a part-time vocal, basketball and cheerleading coach as well as a teacher, counselor and cook

� Betty Yerks (Denville, NJ): If there was a popularity contest in Denville, NJ, Yerks would win it. As an active leader for school, community and church volunteer activities, Yerks also raised two daughters while founding "BirthRight," an organization that assists pregnant teenagers

� Shawna Ray (Mount Pleasant, SC): Ray is a "teacher" to her own daughter and a "teacher" to others through a book she wrote about educating kids on diversity

"Non-mom" Moms

� Bernice Burch (Sanford, FL): From taking care of her siblings when she was younger to raising four children and now a large extended family, Burch will always be known as the "neighborhood" mom

� Nora Leon (Casper, WY): Leon is a "mom to many," as she runs an orphanage in Haiti and finds sick children medical attention and even homes with families in the United States

� Jennifer Keller (Home, KS): Keller has seven children, six of which were adopted newborns, who were exposed to methamphetamines. She also is an activist working to make the act of abusing controlled substances during a pregnancy illegal in Kansas

"Chairman of Everything" Moms

� Gwendolyn Beauchamp (Lancaster, TX): A stay-at-home mother of five, Beauchamp has supported her family through hard times despite being diagnosed with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC)

� Lisa Couture (Wesley Chapel, FL): Although she is blind, Couture manages to run the household and even achieve her MBA while caring for her three children

� Courtnee Stevenson (Bremerton, WA): A mother of six including a set of quintuplets, Stevenson is a mom who clearly can juggle it all

The 15 semi-finalists were selected from more than 15,000 online nominations collected at AmericasFavoriteMom.com. A panel of experts that included Stacy Morrison, editor-in-chief of Redbook Magazine, Sally Lee, editor-in-chief of Parents Magazine, and Sabrina Weill, founder of Momlogic.com, helped to narrow the pool. Semi-finalists were notified when Teleflora personally all delivered a specially designed America's Favorite Mom bouquet to each of their homes.

Viewers can tune into the "Today" show, the week of May 5 to learn more about these semi-finalists and vote for their favorite one each day on www.NBC.com. A different category will be highlighted each day: military moms, Monday, May 5; working moms, Tuesday, May 6; single moms, Wednesday, May 7; "non-mom" moms, Thursday, May 8; and "chairman of everything" moms, Friday, May 9. Hosts Donny and Marie Osmond will appear on the May 5 show to kick-off the competition.

The five mothers with the greatest percentage of votes will take part in the NBC prime-time television event hosted by Donny and Marie Osmond. The one-hour show will feature an exclusive duet by the celebrity siblings and a special performance by Sony/Epic artists The D.E.Y. singing their new single "She said," a heartfelt ode to mothers. There will also be a special tribute to 100 year-old Opal Trundle, who was born on the first Mother's Day, May 11, 1908. Opal raised six children during the great depression and has 96 grandchildren. Also, there will be special cameo appearances by Christina Aguilera, Tony Hawk, Alicia Keys, Hulk Hogan (NBC's "American Gladiators"), Naomi Judd, Amy Poehler (NBC's "Saturday Night Live") and more throughout the broadcast. At the end of the special, the Osmonds will crown one lucky winner, "America's Favorite Mom."

Teleflora will present the grand prize winner with $250,000, an "America's Favorite Mom" diamond encrusted pendant and a year's worth of Teleflora flower arrangements. The winning mom will also receive a Redbook "Love Your Life" all-expense paid trip to New York City, including a beauty makeover and spa treatment, courtesy of Redbook Magazine, a family vacation package to St. Lucia, courtesy of Coconut Bay and all-new General Electric kitchen and laundry appliances. Teleflora will present the four runners-up with $25,000, a gold pendant, a year's worth of Teleflora flower arrangements and a General Electric washer and dryer.

Executive producers of the primetime special include Lynda Resnick, Teleflora, Al Berman, Berman Productions and Marc Koops, Reveille.





  [april 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· AMERICAN GLADIATORS (NBC)





[05/26/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Eddie Murphy" - Sneak Peek - Netflix
The special honors one of the most influential and beloved figures in film, celebrating a career that has redefined comedy and left a lasting impact on global audiences.

[05/26/26 - 08:06 AM]
"Ruthless" Returns with a New Season June 30, on Its New Home, Paramount+
Influence comes with risks.

[05/26/26 - 08:01 AM]
The Final Season of "All the Queen's Men" Premieres June 10 on Its New Home, Paramount+
What new secrets will we unearth at Eden?

[05/26/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Root Of The Game" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Brazil lives, breathes and exports várzea. This series delves into the stories behind the beautiful game - one with the power to change lives.

[05/26/26 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "The Ribbon Hero" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Brought to life by a powerhouse team of creators, this new anime film arrives August 8, 2026, only on Netflix.

[05/26/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Norway: The Dark Horse" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Hope and history collide as an elite Norwegian squad fights to end a 26-year wait and earn a place at the 2026 World Cup in this rare-access documentary.

[05/25/26 - 01:08 PM]
MLB on ESPN Schedule Updates: Seattle Mariners Visit Baltimore Orioles on June 11; Defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers Host American League-Leading Tampa Bay Rays on June 15
Commentator assignments for both games will be announced soon.

[05/25/26 - 12:01 PM]
Heading to OKC! ESPN Presents Exclusive Coverage of the NCAA Women's College World Series
The final two teams face off in the best-of-three series, beginning on June 3.

[05/25/26 - 08:32 AM]
Netflix Announces Five New Brazilian Productions and Expands Its Presence at Rio2C 2026
Netflix will participate in five panels throughout the event, bringing together executives, creators and partners to discuss topics such as the future of audiovisual production in Brazil and Latin America, sports storytelling, and models of collaboration and financing for Brazilian cinema.

[05/25/26 - 08:31 AM]
"MED," Production Begins on Netflix's First Medical Drama, Starring Clara Moneke
Starring Clara Moneke and set in a university hospital, the series immerses viewers in the intense world of young doctors in training, exploring the emotional, ethical and deeply human challenges of the profession.

[05/25/26 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "The Marked Woman" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a woman is found in a shipping container with no memory of who she is, two detectives race to figure out her identity - and who wants her dead.

[05/24/26 - 09:02 PM]
Video: "President Curtis" - New Series Coming in July - Adult Swim
The new series is coming in July on Adult Swim.

[05/24/26 - 08:46 AM]
Video: HBO Max Unveils Coming Soon Spot Featuring First Looks at Several Upcoming Originals
The spot features never-before-seen footage from "Conan O'Brien Must Go," "Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness," "Monsters of God," "The Gilded Age," "The Man Will Burn," "War," and "Youth."

[05/22/26 - 02:54 PM]
Video: Summer Nights 2026 - All Month Long this June
Summer Nights returns this June with all-new movies every Saturday on Hallmark Channel.

[05/22/26 - 11:15 AM]
"Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" Is Taking a Big Summer Spin!
This summer, "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" brings 10 all-new episodes exclusively to Disney+ and Hulu beginning Friday, June 12.