 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(February 2020) |
Marklen Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Alma mater | Southern Methodist University |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, actor, executive |
| Spouse | Carey Lessard |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | campsite |
Marklen Kennedy is an American actor, producer, film industry executive and founder of In Your Face Productions.
Kennedy was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Plano, Texas. [1] He graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He played college football and was named to an All Southwest Conference Football Team and was a player of interest to both the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders until a motorcycle accident ended his football career. He then moved to Los Angeles where he worked regularly as an actor until the nightlife industry. [2] He moved to Las Vegas in 2002 and continued to expand his career in nightlife [3] as a Vice President for the Light Group and ran FOH for Bellagio's Light Nightclub, Mirage's Jet Nightclub and Tao Groups Tao Beach [4] before launching his career as a film and television producer. He resides in Las Vegas with his wife, Actress and Model Carey Lessard, and their two children, Barbeque and Queso. [5]
Kennedy, was a producer for the History Channel's award-winning miniseries Texas Rising in 2015 and appeared in one episode of the series as Texas Ranger, Zacharias Coffey. [6] He is the owner and executive producer of In Your Face Productions and is the creator and executive producer of several series including Showtime's Gigolos in which he produced with Richard Grieco, [7] [8] FYI Networks Late Nite Chef Fight [9] Lifetime's Postmortem in Vegas and FOX TV's Labor of Love. Kennedy has been a recurring character on Pawn Stars , and appeared in Melrose Place , and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation . He appeared on Lifetime’s series Vivica A. Fox’s Black Magic, which premiered in January 2017. [10]
Kennedy, in addition to being a Producer, is an Ordained Universal Life Church Minister, who officiated the wedding ceremony of actor Cory Feldman and wife Courtney Anne in November 2016. [11] Kennedy conducted the ceremony at Elton John's Fizz champagne lounge at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. [12]
Kennedy, who appears in and produced the movie Cops & Robbers released in 2016, produced the movie Female Fight Club appeared and produced the movie Fright Fest and produced the film Bruja in Mexico with MMA legend turned actor Randy Couture. [13] In addition to his hit series Gigolos, Kennedy has produced Late Night Chef Fight and Trailer Park Housewives. [14] [15]
Billy F Gibbons from ZZ Top is his son's Godfather. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Billy Gibbons, made a surprise appearance inside a Texas elementary classroom to read for a stunned group of 2nd-graders. [16]
| Year | Title | Executive Producer | Producer | Actor | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | SMU Football: The Hilltop | Yes | Marklen Kennedy | TV series | ||
| 2019 | Diamonds in the Sky | Yes | Movie | |||
| 2017 | Cops and Robbers | Yes | Yes | Shakers | Movie | |
| 2017 | Knuckles | Yes | Movie | |||
| 2017 | Treasure Hunter: Legend of the White Witch | Yes | Movie | |||
| 2017 | Dead trigger | Yes | Movie | |||
| 2018 | Fright fest | Yes | Yes | Grapefruit | Movie | |
| 2017 | Vivica's Black Magic | Yes | Yes | Marklen Kennedy | TV series | |
| 2018 | Kinky | Yes | Dr. Weiss | Movie | ||
| 2016 | Female Fight Squad | Yes | Yes | Yes | Carl | Movie |
| 2016 | Gigolos | Yes | Yes | TV series | ||
| 2015 | Late Nite Chef Fight | Yes | Yes | Foodie | TV series | |
| 2015 | Texas Rising | Yes | Yes | Zacharias | TV mini-series | |
| 2015 | Avenging the Alamo: The Road to Texas Rising | Yes | TV movie documentary | |||
| 2014 | Back of the House Brawls | Yes | TV series | |||
| 2014 | Postmortem in Las Vegas | Yes | Yes | John Doe | TV movie | |
| 2014 | Vegas DOA | Yes | TV movie | |||
| 2012 | Vegas Moms | Yes | TV movie | |||
| 2010 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Yes | Pool Manager | TV series | ||
| 2001 | As the World Turns | Yes | Billy | TV series | ||
| 2001 | Urban Legends: Cyber | Yes | Bill | TV series | ||
| 2001 | Girl for Girl | Yes | Ben | Movie | ||
| 2000 | Everybody Loves a Star | Yes | Cameron Hunter / Tim | Movie | ||
| 1999 | Penny Dreadfuls | Yes | Yes | Sonny | Movie | |
| 1999 | Ryan Caulfield: Year One | Yes | Stockbroker | TV series | ||
| 1999 | Melrose Place | Yes | Bartender Manager | TV series | ||
| 1999 | Santa's Little Helper | Yes | Steve Wilder | Short | ||
| 1998 | The Glass Box | Yes | Ray | Movie | ||
| 1998 | Perfect Prey | Yes | Investigator Lyons | TV movie | ||
| 1998 | Heaven or Vegas | Yes | Donald | Movie | ||
| 1997 | Women: Stories of Passion | Yes | Sean | TV series | ||
| 1997 | Pacific Palisades | Yes | Adam Bentley | TV series | ||
| 1997 | Magenta | Yes | Craig | Movie | ||
| 1996 | Backroads to Vegas | Yes | William | TV movie | ||
| 1994 | On Deadly Ground | Yes | Villager | Movie | ||
| 1994 | A.P.E.X. | Yes | Apex Robot | Movie | ||
| 1993 | The Secret Life: Jeffrey Dahmer | Yes | Victim | Movie | ||
| 1993 | Witchcraft V: Dance with the Devil | Yes | William | Video | ||
| 1992 | Ring of the Musketeers | Yes | Officer Rigs | TV movie | ||
| 1991 | Necessary Roughness | Yes | Football Player | Movie |
ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For 51 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound based on Gibbons' blues style and Hill and Beard's rhythm section. They are known for their live performances, sly and humorous lyrics, and the matching appearances of Gibbons and Hill, who wore sunglasses, hats and long beards.
ZZ Top's First Album is the debut studio album by American rock band ZZ Top. It was produced by Bill Ham, and released in January 1971, on London Records. Establishing ZZ Top's attitude and humor, the album incorporates styles such as blues, boogie, hard rock, and Southern rock influences. Thematically, the album is about personal experiences and sexual innuendos. "(Somebody Else Been) Shakin' Your Tree" was the only single released from the album.
Degüello is the sixth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in November 1979. It was the first ZZ Top release on Warner Bros. Records and eventually went platinum. It was produced by Bill Ham, recorded and mixed by Terry Manning, and mastered by Bob Ludwig.
El Loco is the seventh studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1981. It foreshadowed the band's extensive usage of synthesizers on Eliminator, Afterburner, and to a lesser extent, Recycler, by way of employing a synthesizer on a couple tracks, played by an uncredited Linden Hudson.
Mescalero is the fourteenth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released in September 2003, as the band's final release for RCA Records. While the band still retained their foundation in blues rock, Mescalero explored genres like country and Tejano. Recording sessions took place at Foam Box Recordings in Houston, with Billy Gibbons as producer.
Tejas is the fifth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released in late November 1976, on the London label. The title is a Caddo language word meaning "friends", which is the origin of the name of the band's home state, Texas.
Eliminator is the eighth studio album by American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983, by Warner Bros. Records, and rose high on the charts in many countries. Four hit singles were released—"Gimme All Your Lovin'" which reached the American Top 40, "Sharp Dressed Man", "TV Dinners" and their most successful single, "Legs". Eliminator is ZZ Top's most commercially successful release, with sales of 11 million and diamond certification in the US.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1992.
Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top is a greatest hits album by the rock band ZZ Top. It was released in 2004 on Rhino Entertainment. The title is a portmanteau of "texan" and "mexicano", meaning "Tex-mex Ranch". The 2-CD compilation is essentially a pared-down version of the 4-CD box set Chrome, Smoke & BBQ, released the previous year. All songs are original mixes that have been digitally remastered.
Thomas Patrick Colicchio is an American celebrity chef. He co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and formerly served as a co-owner and as the executive chef. He is also the founder of Crafted Hospitality, which includes Craft, Temple Court (NYC), Craftsteak and Small Batch restaurants. Colicchio is the recipient of five James Beard Foundation Awards for cooking accomplishments.
"Sharp Dressed Man" is a song by American rock band ZZ Top, released on their 1983 album Eliminator. The song was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning. Pre-production recording engineer Linden Hudson was very involved in the early stages of this song's production.
Billy Mack Ham was an American music impresario, best known as the manager, producer, and image-maker for the blues-rock band ZZ Top. Ham also gained prominence in the country music world by discovering and managing multi-platinum singer-songwriter Clint Black and founding some of the most successful country music publishing companies. For several years in the 1990s, Ham's companies published a majority of the top-10 country music singles.
Gigolos is an American reality television series about the lives of five male escorts in Las Vegas. The series follows the men, all employees of the same escort agency, through their daily lives and interactions with each other. Cameras also follow the escorts on their appointments with women, including their sexual activity. The series debuted on the premium cable channel Showtime in 2011, and the final episode aired in 2016.
"TV Dinners" is a song by American band ZZ Top from their 1983 album Eliminator. It was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning. The song is a simple, beat-driven and tongue-in-cheek tune with lyrics about pre-packaged, oven-ready meals. Promoted for radio play in the US, and released commercially as a single in the UK, it reached number 38 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. Robert Palmer recorded "TV Dinners" for his 2003 album Drive.
Greatest Hits is a music video compilation by ZZ Top. It was released in 1992 by Warner Bros. Records.
Victor Drai is a Moroccan-Franco American nightclub owner, entrepreneur and film producer. Drai rose to prominence in the 1980s, producing the movies The Woman in Red (1984) and Weekend at Bernie's (1989), before leaving the industry to open a string of high-profile restaurants and nightclubs.
Top Chef: Las Vegas is the sixth season of the American reality television series Top Chef. It was first filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, before concluding in Napa, California. The season premiered on August 19, 2009, and ended on December 16, 2009. Beginning with this season, the prize money awarded to the winner was increased from US$100,000 to $125,000. In the season finale, Michael Voltaggio was declared the winner over runners-up Bryan Voltaggio and Kevin Gillespie. Gillespie was voted Fan Favorite. In 2010, Top Chef: Las Vegas received the Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Reality Competition Program".
The 2010 World Tour was a concert tour by rock band ZZ Top, which began in April 2010 and ended in December 2010. Like recent previous tours, it was a short outing, though for the first time in the band's career, they performed in South America, including three shows in Brazil. The band played many of their classic 1970s and 1980s hits. Critical reaction to the tour's shows was generally positive, although the absence of new material was noted. A great number of tickets were sold within a month of the tour's announcement, which prompted more dates to be added.
Nick Hawk is an American actor and reality television star best known as one of the stars of Gigolos; a reality TV show featured on Showtime which focuses on the lives of five male escorts in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nick has worked on various other projects including several rap albums and music videos. He has authored multiple books and written or been featured in several different magazines. Hawk is also an accomplished martial artist with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
The Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Tour was a concert tour through North America and Europe, undertaken by American rock band ZZ Top. Arranged in support of their 2003 album Mescalero, the band visited arenas, amphitheaters, and festivals from 2003 to 2004. To match the artistic theme that the group created with Mescalero, the tour was intended to differ from their past and surpass expectations of the band. Contrary to ZZ Top's elaborately staged multimedia events from previous tours, the Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Tour was a modest stage setup. It utilized minimalism by adorning "Mescalero" themed props on its stage. To escape their reputation for using stage gimmicks, ZZ Top embodied a more staid and focused image on tour. The Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Tour was central to Mescalero's success.