Christy Carlson Romano

Christy Carlson Romano (born March 20, 1984) is an American stage and film actress, author and singer. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the sitcom Even Stevens and the animated series Kim Possible, in which she is the voice of the title character, as well as garnering a considerable boost in fandom for providing the voice of Yuffie Kisaragi in Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. In 1997, Romano made her Broadway debut in the musical Parade by Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown in the role of Mary Phagan. In 2002, Romano became the first person to act in three Disney Channel projects simultaneously, complementing her work at Even Stevens with a starring role in a movie named Cadet Kelly (alongside Hilary Duff) and voice acting as Kim Possible in Kim Possible. The writers of Kim Possible wrote the episode "Crush" based on Romano; she will apparently blush at even the slightest compliment or awkward situation. She is also the voice of Yuffie Kisaragi in the English version of the movie Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, as well as in the Disney/Square Enix game Kingdom Hearts. On February 17, 2004 Romano began a 31 week run of playing Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast on Broadway where she replaced Megan McGinnis as Belle. For her Beauty run, she recorded a New York radio commercial in which she asked, "What's the sitch?" (from Kim Possible). She left the production on September 12, 2004 and was succeeded by Brooke Tansley. On February 22, 2005 Romano won the very first Connecticut's Finest award. Romano recently starred in the Broadway company of Avenue Q, in which she played Kate Monster, Lucy the Slut, and two of the singing moving crates, among other characters. She began her run on September 29, 2008, replacing Carey Anderson, and stayed with the show till November 23, 2008. She was replaced by her immediate predecessor. In May 2009 she hosted the first interactive Youtube Spelling Bee with eight prize videos at the end of the bee. She is currently starring as Michelle in the new Off-Broadway show White's Lies, which began previews at New World Stages on April 12, 2010 and officially opened on May 6, 2010. The show will close on June 13, 2010. While working at Disney, Romano has recorded songs in the soundtracks of some Disney movies and TV series such as Kim Possible and Teacher's Pet. Romano first sang on the Disney Channel on a first season episode of Even Stevens (in 2000) which led to more singing on the series and with Disney in general. In 2004, following her stint on Broadway, Romano focused on her recording career full-time. Romano began collaborating with Matthew Gerrard, Andy Marvel, and Martin Briley. Romano has worked with Kara DioGuardi, Stacy Jones (of 'American Hi-Fi'), Shelly Peiken, Richie Sambora (of Bon Jovi), Jaret Reddick (of Bowling for Soup), The Matrix, Diane Warren, Jonnie "MOST" Davis.[citation needed]In 2004, Walt Disney Records released Greatest Disney TV & Film Hits, featuring her new single "Dive In" (which was written by Christian music singer Cindy Morgan) and her other song, "Could It Be" from the television movie, "Kim Possible: So The Drama". She contributed to the soundtracks to Taking 5 and The Cutting Edge 2. In 2005, Romano signed with Atlantic Records for a 2006 debut. However, in 2006, Romano stated in an interview with TV Guide that she was in between labels once again, this time with Virgin Records. In November 2005, Romano launched a music account on Myspace. She has used her account to post many new songs to share with fans, and showcase her own artistic evolution.In November 2006, Romano changed her record label status on her official Myspace page from major to indie. Christy's music Myspace has been deleted as of May 2009. She is currently working on a new studio album titled "CCR" and as of early 2010 no release information is available. It is unclear which, if any, of the songs will be on her upcoming album. Romano attended the Barnard College, graduating in 2006 with a degree in Political Science. She was a sister of the Sigma Delta Tau Sorority. Milford Mayor James L. Richetelli, Jr. named February 22, 2005 as Christy Carlson Romano Day, and she received the "Connecticut's Finest Citizen Award". She interned for Connecticut Senator and 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Christopher Dodd, who is her godfather. Her hobbies are dancing, singing, swimming, gymnastics, bike riding, tennis, basketball, softball, soccer, ice-skating, and roller-blading.