Cris Winter still looks like the girl next door even after almost a quarter century in Pittsburgh radio. A graduate of Baldwin High School and California University of Pennsylvania, Winter is that friendly comforting voice, a reminder of why local radio is still important. A staunch advocate for animals -- she serves on the advisory board of Animal Friends -- Winter currently works at WISH-FM 99.7 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The star who would play me in the movie version of my life and why:
Sean Penn. There isn't a role he couldn't take on and pull it off.
Pick one:
A. Jack Bauer of "24"
B. Angus MacGyver of "MacGyver"
C. James West of "Wild, Wild West"
D. Sydney Bristow of "Alias"
B. Angus MacGyver - I love to problem solve...everything has a solution even when you don't have a paper clip handy
In five years, I'd like to:
Own a place near the beach
My favorite thing about Pittsburgh is:
People. Who else is going to let you follow them to your destination if you are lost!
If the TV is on at 2 a.m., I'm watching:
QVC
Star I'd like to dance with on "Dancing with the Stars":
Will Ferrell
Three people I'd love to have dinner with:
Sean Penn, Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson
After a long day, I like to relax with a (pick one):
A.Martini
B.Cold beer
C.Cabernet
D.Herbal tea
E.Hot chocolate
F.Red Bull
B. Cold beer
My quirkiest inherited trait:
My dad's sense of humor and quick wit
One word your mother would use to describe you:
Compassionate
Celebrity crushes:
Actor Sam Elliot -- loved him from the first time I laid eyes on him and his red swimtrunks in the movie "Lifeguard"...GGGrrr
The oldest thing in my refrigerator is:
Butter. I don't use it
When I was 10, I wanted to be:
Talk show host Mike Douglas. I would run home from school every day to watch it. I loved that show and he had the hippest guests -- John Lennon, Ted Nugent and KISS. He rocked!
Musical instrument I wish I could play.
Guitar. I admire anyone who can make it look so easy to play
My favorite comfort food:
Mac & Cheese
Exercise I hate most:
Treadmill. Rather be outside walking.
Vegetable I won't eat:
Green peppers
I'm deathly afraid of:
I can handle rats, roaches, centipedes, worms and I will pick up a snake, but there is something about spiders that completely freaks me out.
If I was auditioning for "American Idol," my song would be:
Queen's "Love of My Life"
Favorite Pittsburgh-area landmark.
Mt. Washington - 'nuf said!
Saturday mornings you'll find me:
Hanging out with my three dogs
Best new gadget I've tried recently.
Pineapple slicer. Cut the top off the pineapple, twist the gadget into the top and you have a perfectly hollowed-out pineapple with slices ... sa-weet!
The worst advice I ever received:
You should cut your hair in a bob and be a secretary
The most famous person I ever became friends with:
"Chilly" Billy Cardille - I grew up watching him on TV and now he is a co-worker and he is as sweet, charming and funny as I remember him on Chiller Theatre.
My most recent eBay purchase:
Rock T-shirts
The movie that always makes me cry:
Sorry guys, I don't get the whole "Rudy" thing. So I will say "My Dog Skip"
My most treasured fashion accessory is:
My eyeglass collection. I would give Elton John a run for his money
The last book I read:
"Heroes & Villains: The True Story of the Beach Boys"
It's not pizza without:
A good hearty sauce
Movie I could watch every time it appears on cable:
"Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
My favorite Web site:
www.livefromdarylshouse.com -- Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates fame) brings artists into his upstate N.Y. home studio and they perform all kinds of wonderful tunes.
My most memorable fashion mistake:
Weren't the 1980s ALL a fashion mistake⢠Acid-washed dresses, tights and pumps that were two completely different colors, double-wrapped belts, parachute pants and, of course, the massively huge hair.
My childhood nickname was:
"Fuzz"...I got a pixie haircut the same day my neighbors decided to shear their overly matted poodle "Fuzzy."
My favorite "bad" movie is:
"Rockstar."
My best karaoke song:
Journey "Patiently"
My first job:
South Hills Country Club snack bar
My worst job:
Never had one
My favorite cable channel:
VH-1
The song that always gets me out on the dance floor and why:
Jackson 5's "Shake Your Body Down to the Ground"...The opening keyboard makes me want to get up and slide across the dance floor and do the line dance the Jackson 5 used to do.
Life would be better without:
People who mistreat animals
If I could tour with any two bands, they would be:
Queen -- rumor has it their after-show parties were over the top -- and Journey with Steve Perry
I never travel without my:
iPod. In my eyes it is the greatest invention
People would be surprised to know that I:
have never been pulled over for a traffic violation, and I can spew out all 50 states in alphabetical order in less than 25 seconds.
