Cheers Vet John Ratzenberger to Play Ball With CBS’ The McCarthys
John Ratzenberger is saying “Cheers” to The McCarthys. The TV vet has landed a potentially recurring role on CBS’ freshman sitcom, TVLine has learned exclusively. The McCarthys centers on openly gay (and athletically challenged) Ronny, who is hired as the assistant to his father, a high-school basketball coach. Ratzenberger will play Charlie Ellis, the school’s athletics director. In addition to playing Cliff Clavin on Cheers from 1982 to 1993, Ratzenberger has also landed recurring roles on 8 Simple Rules, Legit and Drop Dead Diva. The McCarthys premieres Thursday, Oct. 30, at 9:30/8:30c on...
read moreFormer ‘Cheers’ Star Advocates for Manufacturing Jobs
When John Ratzenberger spoke at the Wentworth By The Sea Hotel, it was about a topic he feels very passionate about, that being how important it is for this country to recognize the need for, and to provide the training to produce skilled laborers. Before he was a star on the sitcom “Cheers,” and before he went on to other roles that included being a voice in every Pixar movie ever made, Ratzenberger had a number of jobs, among them as a journeyed carpenter. His most recent stint has been as the producer and star of the show “Made in America,” featured on the Travel Channel. “My mother used to give us old radios and toasters, with the cords cut off,” said Ratzenberger. “She told us to take them apart. Growing up, everyone we knew could make something, knew how to fix things. We are losing that and we need to get it back.” Ratzenberger was the featured speaker at Great Bay Community College’s “Advanced Manufacturing’s Night Out,” their third annual Distinguished Leaders Awards night and fundraiser. Proceeds from the annual event, about $400,000, go to support scholarships for Great Bay Community College students enrolled at the college’s Portsmouth campus and its new Advanced Technology & Academic Center in Rochester, which offers industry-based programs in advanced composites manufacturing developed in partnership with Albany Engineered Composites and Safran Aerospace Composites. To date, 168 students have received over $335,500 in scholarship from funds raised at the annual event. Ratzenberger talked about growing up in a thriving factory town. He likened the sights and sounds of his childhood to the crickets and bullfrogs of a farm family’s life. “Kids today are not making things,” he said. “Instead they are going to college to get degrees and can’t get a job. There are plenty of jobs out there. We just need to teach kids the skills. Many today, do not even know how to use simple tools, hammers and screwdrivers. Manufacturers say they can’t even read a ruler. How are they going to build airplanes?” The average age of today’s skilled laborer is 58, said Ratzenberger. He wonders what will happen when they all retire. “I did a talk at a high school and asked how many were going to college,” said Ratzenberger. “Everyone raised their hand, except one boy. I asked what he was going to do and he said he was going to be an auto mechanic. The kids laughed. I said laugh, but you are going to college and will come out in great debt. He will already own a house and you will be paying him to fix your car.” Ratzenberger said kids need to go out and play, and schools need to return to shop classes. “When we played outside, we learned problem solving,” he said. “We fixed our own bikes. We built a tree house. We need to bring back dignity and respect to the people who work with their hands.” Ratzenberger called the manufacturing programs at GBCC a hope for the future, a chance for kids to get good paying jobs, doing decent, honest work. In May 2012, Great Bay Community College opened the Advanced Technology & Academic Center in Rochester to offer traditional academic programs as well as a certificate program in Advanced Composites Manufacturing....
read moreIn the News: Screen star John Ratzenberger stumps for Tripp
This article was written by Donald Eng and published on TheValleyGazette.com on October 21, 2014. Click here to read the full article online. The Phil Tripp Senate campaign brought in a familiar face (and voice) to drum up support for his campaign Monday, with actor John Ratzenberger the guest of honor at a meet-and-greet at Ansonia’s St. Sebastian Club. Ratzenberger is best known for his portrayal of postal worker Cliff Clavin in the long-running show Cheers. He also has voiced numerous characters in Pixar movies Toy Story and Cars, and hosts the Travel Channel show Made in America, a documentary series that takes viewers inside modern factories. During the two-hour event, Ratzenberger shook hands with fans of all ages, speaking to children in his Pixar character voices and spending time speaking to veterans about how humbling it was to portray military men in such movies as A Bridge Too Far and Yanks. Ratzenberger said he supported Tripp because the two shared a common outlook, particularly about the role of industry in the state and national economy. “He’s like Mr. Made in America,” Raztenberger said. “He’s a big supporter of trade schools, and that’s the real strength of America, our manufacturing base.” Tripp’s life experience also was attractive to Ratzenberger. “He’s not like a lot of politicians that have a background in theory. Phil comes from a place that’s real,” Ratzenberger said. “He’s a lietenant colonel that served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It doesn’t get any more real than...
read moreCooking Video Cabbage & Bacon with John Ratzenberger
One of John’s favorite dishes from living in England is the spicy, smoky, and crunchy cabbage & bacon dish seen here. To view the recipe, click here >>
read moreJohn Ratzenberger is Featured Speaker at Mississippi Energy Institute
John Ratzenberger will participate in the 2014 Governor’s Energy Summit at the Jackson Convention Complex. In its third year, the summit’s goal is to highlight the inextricable relationship between energy and the economy. The summit is presented by the Mississippi Energy Institute, a non-profit policy group that seeks to diversify and expand Mississippi’s economic energy base. One of the summit’s featured events is a special address regarding workforce development by John Ratzenberger, the actor from the television series Made in America, which celebrated the USA’s manufacturing industry. Ratzenberger is also well known for his role in the iconic TV show Cheers as well as lending his voice to several blockbuster Pixar motion pictures. See below for the full event...
read moreGreat Bay Community College hosts John Ratzenberger
Great Bay Community College will host John Ratzenberger, actor and U.S. manufacturing advocate, on Thursday, Oct. 2. Ratzenberger, who is best known for his roles as “Cliff Clavin” on Cheers and host of the cable program “Made in America,” will tour the college’s Advanced Technology & Academic Center in Rochester and then serve as featured speaker at the college’s Distinguished Leaders Award that night. The event, themed “Advanced Manufacturings Night Out” is the college’s annual fundraiser and is slated to raise more than $300,000 in student scholarships. The college’s Distinguished Leaders Award event is from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Wentworth by the Sea hotel in New Castle. GBCC opened ATAC in May 2012 to offer traditional academic programs as well as a certificate program in Advanced Composites Manufacturing. ATAC is the largest single project under the statewide Advanced Manufacturing Partnership in Education initiative, formed by the Community College System of New Hampshire under the federal TAACCCT-NH grant. AMPed NH is sponsored by a $19.97 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration. Proceeds from the Distinguished Leaders Award event will support scholarships for GBCC. To date, 168 students have received more than $335,500 in scholarship from funds raised at the annual event. In 2013, more than $200,000 was raised with support from 250 industry, education and community leaders. The third annual event is expected to raise in excess of $300,000 in student...
read moreRatzenberger to Keynote NJIT Opening Ceremony
Emmy-nominated actor and entrepreneur John Ratzenberger of Cheers and John Ratzenberger’s Made in America television series fame will be the keynote speaker at the free Opening Ceremony for ManufactureNJ Week on Sept. 29, 2014, starting at 8:30 a.m. in the Campus Center Atrium at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). John Ratzenberger’s Made in America, an original series broadcast on cable television’s Travel Channel, follows Ratzenberger as he treks across the country in a camper to learn the inner workings of American manufacturing companies including Fender Electric Guitars and the Wilson football factory. Ratzenberger is a senior fellow with Center for America, which focuses on social justice with an emphasis on employment. As a National Manufacturing Spokesperson he has had the opportunity to speak to citizens around the country about the importance of manufacturing. To register for the event, contact Raymond Vaccari. Gale Tenen Spak, Ph.D., Associate Vice President Continuing and Distance Education and Ray Vaccari, Director of the ManufactureNJ Talent Network, both at NJIT, encourage all to attend. “You don’t want to miss what is surely to be a fascinating presentation on a new educational initiative uniquely designed to provide the labor force with the proper skill sets and innovative mind sets to assure the strength of this vital economic sector.” The Opening Ceremony on Sept. 29 will also feature a free screening of American Made Movie, a documentary that illustrates the positive impact of domestic manufacturing jobs on national and local economies in the face of great challenges. The screening will take place at 12:45 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom. On Friday, Oct. 3, ManufactureNJ Week will culminate with a celebration of National Manufacturing Day. The day’s events are designed to introduce as many people as possible to the important role played by manufacturing both in local communities and for the nation. The event, which will take place at The Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset, NJ, will feature networking opportunities, keynote speeches and panel discussions on topics including workforce development, recruiting and retention, innovation and growth and supply chain and logistics. The Inaugural Manufacturing Awards to honor New Jersey manufacturers in a variety of categories will also be held. Full article: NJIT to Host Third Annual ManufactureNJ Week, Sept. 29-Oct. 3: Emmy-Nominated Actor and National Manufacturing Spokesperson John Ratzenberger to Keynote Opening Ceremony Click here to read online...
read moreRatzenberger is Fan-Favorite at DragonCon
John Ratzenberger highlighted on Sunday, August 31st at DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia. According at AccessAtlanta.com reporter Melissa Ruggieri: “John Ratzenberger began his hour-long interaction with fans by stating how impressed he is as the growth of the Atlanta film industry (he was in Peachtree City a couple of years ago to appear in “Drop Dead Diva”). “What a beautiful part of the world…and all of these film studios,” he said. “You’re not going to be able to swing a cat without hitting an actor.” The impeccably dressed Ratzenberger – a part of Dragon Con mostly because of his voice work in numerous Pixar films – told one fan he couldn’t divulge the funniest scene he shot on “Cheers” (“That’s still classified,” he said with perfect Cliff Claven inflection). But he did have plenty of kind words about his employers at Pixar (Ratzenberger voiced Hamm the Piggy Bank in the “Toy Story” films and Mack the Truck in the “Cars” series, among others). “They do things the old-fashioned way. They work as hard now as they did on ‘Toy Story.’ They’ll work three years just on the story. Here’s the standard,” he said, holding his hand several feet in the air, “and your job is to reach it.” Not long after his panel, Ratzenberger was spotted in the Walk of Fame autograph room, strolling unaccompanied and stopping to shake hands with a military veteran and waving to fans on his way to his autograph corral.” Click here to read the full article on AccessAtlanta.com...
read moreJohn Ratzenberger is Featured Speaker at Distinguished Leaders Award Reception
PORTSMOUTH — Great Bay Community College will host its third annual Distinguished Leaders award reception on Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel in New Castle. This year’s event, themed, “Advanced Manufacturing’s Night Out” will serve as a fundraiser with donations going toward student scholarships and support services. At the same event in 2013, more than $250,000 was raised providing scholarships for students enrolled in both associate degree programs and short-term certificate programs including ACM (Advanced Composites Manufacturing), CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) training, welding, and an insurance industry certificate program. “Through programs such as the Distinguished Leaders Award,” said GBCC President Will Arvelo. “Great Bay and the Community College System of New Hampshire are working to make higher education more accessible and affordable to New Hampshire residents.” This year’s Distinguished Leaders Award event will feature guest speaker John Ratzenberger. He is best known for his role as “Cliff Clavin” on Cheers, lending his voice to Pixar movies and most recently as the host of “Made in America.” Ratzenberger is currently on tour speaking about the importance of advanced manufacturing around the country. “In today’s world, we have this clean manufacturing that the general public is not aware of,” said Ratzenberger, “and institutions like Great Bay are bringing programs, such as their Advanced Composites Manufacturing certificate program, to the forefront. With their help, we are seeing the workforce in that industry expand to fill in the gaps that need skilled and well-trained workers. If you have a program like their ACM program that has had 17 of its 20 students already hired only one year after the beginning of the program, then you know they are doing something right.” “The Distinguished Leaders event serves as a way to celebrate our connection to the community, our students, and the surrounding business and industry in New Hampshire,” Arvelo said. “We continue to do this kind of work because we know that our students, their families and local industry all benefit. We are connecting the outside community to what goes on inside of Great Bay by allowing relationships with companies to flourish and by directing our students to the pathways they need once they finish their time here.” For more information on the Distinguished Leaders Award event or sponsorship opportunities, please visit http://www.greatbay.edu/DLA or contact Bryan Godduhn, assistant to the president, at...
read moreChristmas arrives early in Fairfield as crew films holiday movie
Published on CTpost.com by Gretchen Webster. Christmas has come early to Fairfield. Or at least the illusion of the wintertime holiday as a film crew last week transformed a stretch of Noyes Road for scenes in a Christmas-themed movie. Neighborhood residents said they’ve been told the movie features actress Melissa Joan Hart, who has a home in Westport and is known for roles in the television series “Clarissa Explains It All” and “Sabrina the Teen Witch,” as well as former Bridgeport resident John Ratzenberger, best known for his role as Cliff on the TV comedy “Cheers,” and Scott Grimes, featured on the series “ER” and other television programs. Click here to read the full article...
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