Dr. John Chirban :: Articles

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Mary Lou Retton's Critical Choice

"It's only when you get out of your comfort zone and perform that you become a real champion," Mary Lou Retton told me recently. Retton, an Olympic gymnast who was on Wheaties boxes when this month's crop of Olympic hopefuls was still in diapers, certainly knows what it takes to be a winner. For her, it came down to one critical choice...

Tom Hanks' Defining Moment

Given all of Tom Hanks' accomplishments - including Oscar Awards for Best Actor for his roles in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump - few people would guess he had a difficult childhood. Hanks was only 5 years old when his parents divorced; he spent the rest of his youth under the care of his father, who married three times and was frequently too busy working to pay much attention to his son...

Ron Howard's Critical Choice

Ron Howard's memorable roles as America's favorite TV son - first as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s, and then as Richie Cunningham on Happy Days in the 1970s - made him pop culture icon long before he stepped behind the camera as an adult to become one of Hollywood's leading directors...