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Celeb birthdays for the week of June 22-28

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

June 22: Singer-actor Kris Kristofferson is 78. Actor Michael Lerner is 73. Actor Klaus Maria Brandauer is 71. Journalist Brit Hume is 71. Singer Peter Asher of Peter and Gordon is 70. Singer Howard “Eddie” Kaylan of The Turtles is 67. Actor David L. Lander (Squiggy on “Laverne and Shirley”) is 67. Singer Todd Rundgren is 66. Singer Alan Osmond of The Osmonds is 65. Actress Meryl Streep is 65. Actress Lindsay Wagner is 65. Actor Graham Greene (“Dances With Wolves”) is 62. Singer Cyndi Lauper is 61. Actor Chris Lemmon is 60. Bassist Derek Forbes (Simple Minds) is 58. Bassist Garry Beers of INXS is 57. Bassist Alan Anton of Cowboy Junkies is 55. Actress Tracy Pollan (“Family Ties”) is 54. Singer Mike Edwards of Jesus Jones is 50. Singer Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies) is 44. Actress Mary Lynn Rajskub (“24”) is 43. TV host Carson Daly is 41. Guitarist Chris Traynor (Helmet) is 41. Actor Donald Faison (“Scrubs”) is 40. TV personality Jai Rodriguez (“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”) is 35. Actress Lindsay Ridgeway (“Boy Meets World”) is 29.

June 23: Singer Diana Trask is 74. Singer Rosetta Hightower of The Orlons is 70. Actor Ted Shackelford (“Knots Landing”) is 68. Actor Bryan Brown is 67. “American Idol” mentor Randy Jackson is 58. Actress Frances McDormand is 57. Drummer Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth is 52. Singer Chico DeBarge is 44. Actress Selma Blair is 42. Singer KT Tunstall is 39. Singer Virgo Williams of Ghostown DJs is 39. Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz is 37. Actress Melissa Rauch (“The Big Bang Theory”) is 34. Singer Duffy is 30.

June 24: Actor Al Molinaro (“Happy Days”) is 95. Comedian Jack Carter is 92. Actress Michele Lee is 72. Singer Arthur Brown is 72. Actor-director Georg Stanford Brown is 71. Guitarist Jeff Beck is 70. Singer Colin Blunstone of The Zombies is 69. Drummer Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac is 67. Actor Peter Weller is 67. Bassist John Illsley of Dire Straits is 65. Reggae singer Derrick Simpson of Black Uhuru is 64. Actress Nancy Allen is 64. Actor Joe Penny (“Jake and the Fatman”) is 58. Singer Astro of UB40 is 57. Singer-keyboardist Andy McCluskey of Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark is 55. Actor Iain Glen (“Game of Thrones”) is 53. Bassist Curt Smith of Tears for Fears is 53. Actress Danielle Spencer (“What’s Happening”) is 49. Actress Sherry Stringfield (“ER”) is 47. Singer Glenn Medeiros is 44. Actress Mindy Kaling (“The Office”) is 35. Singer Solange Knowles is 28.

June 25: Actress June Lockhart is 89. Singer Eddie Floyd is 77. Actress Barbara Montgomery (“Amen”) is 75. Actress Mary Beth Peil (“The Good Wife,” ”Dawson’s Creek”) is 74. Singer Carly Simon is 69. Keyboardist-saxophonist Ian McDonald of Foreigner and King Crimson is 68. Actor-comedian Jimmie Walker is 67. Singer Tim Finn of Split Enz and Crowded House is 62. Keyboardist David Paich of Toto is 60. TV host/chef Anthony Bourdain is 58. Actor Ricky Gervais is 53. Singer George Michael is 51. Rapper Richie Rich is 47. Rapper Candyman is 46. Guitarist Sean Kelly (Sixpence None the Richer) is 43. Actress Angela Kinsey (“The Office”) is 43. Bassist Mike Kroeger of Nickelback is 42. Actress Linda Cardellini (“ER,” ”Scooby Doo”) is 39. Actress Busy Philipps (“ER,” ”Dawson’s Creek”) is 35.

June 26: Singer Billy Davis Jr. of the Fifth Dimension is 74. Singer Georgie Fame is 71. Singer Brenda Holloway is 68. Actor Robert Davi (“Profiler”) is 63. Musician Mick Jones of The Clash is 59. Singer Chris Isaak is 58. Singer Patty Smyth is 57. Singer Terri Nunn of Berlin is 53. Singer Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays is 51. Guitarist Eddie Perez of The Mavericks is 46. Bassist Colin Greenwood of Radiohead is 45. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (“Magnolia,” ”Boogie Nights”) is 44. Actor Sean Hayes is 44. Actor Chris O’Donnell is 44. Actor Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”) is 44. Keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein of Newsboys is 40. Country singer Gretchen Wilson is 40. Drummer Nathan Followill of Kings of Leon is 35. Singer Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic is 35. Actor Jason Schwartzman (“Slackers,” ”Rushmore”) is 34. Actress Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation”) is 30. Actress Jennette McCurdy (“iCarly”) is 22. Singer-actress Ariana Grande is 21.

June 27: Singer Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys is 72. Actress Julia Duffy (“Newhart”) is 63. Actress Isabelle Adjani is 59. Country singer Lorrie Morgan is 55. Writer-director J.J. Abrams (“Lost,” ”Alias”) is 48. Actor Yancey Arias (“Kingpin”) is 43. Actor Tobey Maguire is 39. Singer Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer is 38. Reality star Khloe Kardashian is 30. Actor Drake Bell (“Drake and Josh”) is 28. Actor Sam Claflin (“Hunger Games” films) is 28. Actor Ed Westwick (“Gossip Girl”) is 27. Actress Madylin Sweeten (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) is 23.

June 28: Comedian-director Mel Brooks is 88. Comedian John Byner is 77. Bassist Dave Knights of Procol Harum is 69. Actor Bruce Davison is 68. Actress Kathy Bates is 66. Actress Alice Krige is 60. Guitarist-violinist Saul Davies of James is 49. Actress Mary Stuart Masterson is 48. Actor John Cusack is 48. Actor Gil Bellows (“Ally McBeal”) is 47. Actress Danielle Brisebois (“All in the Family”) is 45. Actress Tichina Arnold (“Everybody Hates Chris”) is 45. Bassist Tim Nordwind of OK Go is 38. Bassist Mark Stoermer of The Killers is 37. Country singer Kellie Pickler is 28.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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