Celebrity Judges Announced for "The Next Best Thing" on ABC  5/15/07

Celebrity judges on the ABC Television Network's "The Next Best Thing: Who is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator?" 

BIOGRAPHIES 

JEFFREY ROSS Celebrity judge on the ABC Television Network's "The Next Best Thing: Who is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator?"

Jeffrey Ross, a.k.a. "The Roastmaster General," is a comedic genius whose blistering performances at celebrity roasts honoring mega-stars like Hugh Hefner, William Shatner and Shaquille O'Neal are legendary.

As a standup comic, Ross has appeared on dozens of TV talk shows, including with David Letterman, Jay Leno, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel and on "The View." He also continues to perform regularly for American men and women in uniform stationed all over the world, and was very active in supporting the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in New Orleans and Mississippi. Ross has guest-starred on "C.S.I." and has also appeared on "Six Feet Under" and "Weeds." In the summer of 2006 he starred in "Where My Dog's At," a cartoon which he co-created for MTV, co-starring Tracy Morgan.

In film Ross has appeared in the Farrelly Brothers' "Stuck on You," Paul Weitz's "American Dreamz," "Along Came Polly" with Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston, and the critically acclaimed comedy "The Aristocrats."

His directorial debut, "Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie," debuted on Showtime to rave reviews. The film, which is a funny and poignant documentary that captures his life-changing experience entertaining U.S. troops stationed around Iraq, was released on DVD in July of 2006.

Ross has also written and produced celebrity roasts for Comedy Central and executive-produced and hosted his own highly rated re-imagination of the roasts, "MTV's Bash of Carson Daly."

He currently divides his life between New York and Los Angeles.

LISA ANN WALTER Celebrity judge on the ABC Television Network's "The Next Best Thing: Who is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator?"

Lisa Ann Walter is a classically trained actress as well as a singer and comedian, initially making a name for herself as a popular act on the national comedy circuit.

Walter starred in Disney's "The Parent Trap," appearing as nanny to Lindsay Lohan, and earlier played the tarty sidekick to Whoopi Goldberg in the comedy "Eddie." She appeared additionally in "Bruce Almighty," starred in the Miramax hit "Shall We Dance?" with Richard Gere, as well as in Spielberg's "War of the Worlds." She is the star of the indie feature "The Trouble with Dee Dee" and the star and producer of the all-girl comedy DVD, "The Naughty Show." Walter is also proud of her work in an ensemble cast in Fox Searchlab's short film, "Farm Sluts."

The star and creator of the ABC series "Life's Work," Walter also received stellar reviews on the drama "Breaking News." She was seen opposite Emeril Lagasse in the comedy "Emeril," guest-starred on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and was a frequent guest on "Politically Incorrect." She was the winner of the Comedian Special Edition of "Weakest Link," showing her hidden talent for retaining trivia and finishing crossword puzzles.

Born in rural Pennsylvania and raised in suburban Washington DC, Walter grew up in a household immersed in both academics and dramatic arts. After graduating with a BFA in acting from the Catholic University of America, she began performing in various theater productions. When she moved to New York, she launched her comedy career performing at amateur night in a local comedy club, making audiences roar in her own inimitable, irreverent style with her perspectives on kids, politics, social issues and sex.

Walter enjoys gourmet cooking and Fat Burger, reading historical biographies, Beach Bodice Rippers, Beethoven, the blues and dancing. When she grows up, she wants to be Madonna in the "Like a Virgin" era.

ELON GOLD Celebrity judge on the ABC Television Network's "The Next Best Thing: Who is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator?"

When he was just 19, the Boston Herald hailed Elon Gold as "a comedy star on the rise." With numerous standup television appearances now under his belt, including three recent appearances on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," it would seem the Boston Herald knew what it was talking about. Gold is currently one of the judges on ABC's "The Next Best Thing: Who is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator?"

Gold is also a very talented writer and actor, having co-written, produced and starred in the pilot "Good as Gold," developed and starred in the series "In-Laws," opposite Dennis Farina and Jean Smart, and most recently starring in the series "Stacked" with Pamela Anderson, Christopher Lloyd & Marissa Jaret Winokur. Currently he is working on the pilot "Wifeless" and is developing "Goldmine" - a groundbreaking standup comedy/hidden camera hybrid for VH1. In addition Gold continues to perform at corporate events and comedy clubs across the country.

Source: ABC Press Release