Had a Cinemax TV special (later released on HBO Home Video) co-starring Meat Loaf and actor/singer Eric Bogosian entitled Vandemonium in 1987. This was released on VHS including an earlier home video effort of Magnuson's called Made for Television (1981). This was a compilation of phony TV commercials advertising everything from laundry detergent to sitcoms in which Magnuson played all of the characters, ranging from battered housewives to overly ecstatic game show contestants. Was singer/songwriter for underground experimental rock band Bongwater in the 1980s. The band broke up in 1991 after just six releases. She continued her music on a solo basis in the mid-90s with an album titled The Luv Show. Graduate of Denison University, class of 1978. Ann Magnuson Detailed Biography Ann Magnuson has a bright star persona, a multitude of talents, and a definitive sense of style and glamour. Ann Magnuson was born in the South and went to school in the Midwest, Ann Magnuson moved to New York and worked as a theatrical collaborator with Eric Bogosian and Joey Arias. In 1985, Ann Magnuson helped form the performance art group/rock band Bongwater along with her creative partner and guitarist Kramer. While singing and writing songs for the band, Ann Magnuson was also building her acting career. Co-starring Bogosian and Meatloaf, her comedic social commentary special Vandemonium Plus was released on HBO Home Video along with her sly parody sketches "Made For Television." Ann Magnuson's first few films were made by rising young directors Beth B., Sara Driver, and Susan Seidelman. Ann Magnuson also made an appearance in the documentary Mondo New York, along with contemporaries Lydia Lunch and Karen Finley. In 1987, Ann Magnuson made her breakthrough film performance in the romantic comedy Making Mr. Right, ideally cast as the high-fashion publicist Frankie Stone opposite the literally robotic John Malkovich. Ann Magnuson got another juicy role the following year as older woman Joyce Fickett in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon opposite earthy teen heartthrob River Phoenix. The next year Ann Magnuson joined the cast of the ABC sitcom Anything but Love as fashionable magazine editor Catherine Hughes. Meanwhile, Bongwater released several albums on Shimmy Disc before breaking up in 1992 after a legal dispute. Magnuson continued to make brief yet memorable appearances in feature films (Cabin Boy, Clear and Present Danger, Tank Girl) before releasing her solo album The Luv Show on Geffen Records. Staying with her acting career, Ann Magnuson went on to appear in various supporting roles in independent films, mainstream blockbusters, and TV specials. After 2000, Ann Magnuson turned away from comedies toward darker material in The Caveman's Valentine, Panic Room, and Night at the Golden Eagle. In 2003, Ann Magnuson joined the cast of the FOX sitcom Wanda at Large as liberal political commentator Rita and went on tour with her one-woman show "PrettySongs and Ugly Stories". | | |