So You Think You Can Dance

Background:

“I've wanted to be a journalist as long as I can remember. As my mom will tell you, I've always been nosy!” Lauren Sanchez

American news anchor/entertainment reporter/media personality Lauren Sanchez was nominated for an Emmy Award for a report showing the risks of aluminium baseball bats, a fact-finding gig she did as a corespondent for Fox Sports Network's Going Deep. She has also received many awards and other acknowledgments for her work. Starting out as a desk assistant in 1993, Sanchez is also popular as the host of the FOX reality-series “So You Think You Can Dance” (2005-2006), and is known as an occasional guest host on “Good Day L.A.” (since 2003), anchor for KCOP-TV's “UPN 13 News” as well as entertainment reporter on KTTV's FOX 11 10 O'clock News, among others. She has appeared in many movies, including “Fight Club” (1999), “The Day After Tomorrow” (2004), “Fantastic Four” (2005) and “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (2007), and “Akeelah and the Bee” (2006), and in such TV series as “Dirt.”

As of August 2005, Sanchez is married to talent agent Patrick Whitesel. They have two young children together with both Sanchez and Whitesel bringing one child to their family. Prior to the marriage, the Albuquerque daughter was romantically involved with football player Anthony Miller, with whom she had a son in 2001, and actor Henry Simmons (separated in 2003).

A passionate runner, Sanchez completed her first Boston Marathon in 2005.

Mother of 4

Childhood and Family:

Wendy Lauren Sanchez, professionally known as Lauren Sanchez, was born on December 19, 1969, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Upon graduating high school, she moved to Los Angeles and attended El Camino College in Torrance, California. She wrote for college newspaper, The Warwhoop, and was named the dean at El Camino. She next won a scholarship to the University of Southern California, where she majored in communications.

On August 20, 2005, Lauren was married to the Hollywood-based talent agent Patrick Whitesell in a luxurious wedding attended by superstars like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jessica Alba and Hugh Jackman. The couple welcomed their first child together, son Evan, on June 22, 2006 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. Their daughter, Eleanor Patricia (Ella), was born on January 15, 2008. Lauren also has a son named Nikko (born in 2001) with former partner football star Tony Gonzalez, and a stepson, from Whitesell's previous relationship.

Killer Movie

Career:

Lauren Sanchez kicked off her broadcasting career in 1993 as a news assistant for KCOP-TV in Los Angeles. The New Mexico native later served as an anchorwoman and reporter for KTVK-TV, an ABC affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona, and became a corespondent for the nationally syndicated entertainment news program, “Extra!” Progressing to the Fox Sports Network, Sanchez was hired as anchor/reporter on Fox Sports Tonight, an entertainment reporter for FSN's “Best Damn Sports Show Period” as well as a correspondent for the sports magazine Going Deep.

In 1999, Sanchez returned to KCOP-TV to anchor “UPN 13 News.” In the meantime, she also emerged as an entertainment reporter for FOX 11's 10 O'clock News on KTTV in L.A., as well as made her first feature film appearance in the David Fincher blockbuster hit “Fight Club” (1999), as the Channel 4 reporter. After becoming a finalist in the national hosting contest for the ABC syndicated talk show “The View” (2000), Sanchez has served as a substitute co-host for “Good Day L.A., “ and is probably best recalled for her hosting gig on the first season of Fox's reality-TV, “So You Think You Can Dance” (2005-2006). The show aims to search for best dancer in America.

Sanchez continues to make cameo appearances in many films and TV series. She played the Chopper Newscaster in the Harrison Ford/Josh Hartnett vehicle “Hollywood Homicide” (2003), the International Newscaster in the disaster film “The Day After Tomorrow” (2004), which starred Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal, and News Anchor #2 in the action/thriller “Cellular” (2004). In addition, she was featured as a reporter in such films as “Fantastic Four” (2005), “Akeelah and the Bee” (2006), “Zoom” (2006) and “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (2007), and TV episodes, including “The Agency” (2002) and “Dirt” (2008). In “Brit Better Have My Money,” a 2005 episode of the WB's comedy “Eve,” Sanches played Aramanda De La Cruz.

The Emmy-nominated broadcaster is scheduled to have a small role as Montana Moorehead in the comedy flick “Killer Movie” (2008), penned and directed by Jeff Fisher and starring Paul Wesley, Kaley Cuoco and Jason London.

Awards:
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