award_received jonathan stark 
The New Christy Minstrels ( officially known as The New Christy Minstrels , Still Under the Direction of Randy Sparks ) is an American large - ensemble folk music group founded by Randy Sparks in 1961 . From their beginnings as prominent figures in the early - 1960s U . S . folk revival , the group recorded over 20 albums and had several hits , including " Green , Green ", " Saturday Night ", " Today ", " Denver ", and " This Land Is Your Land ". Their 1962 debut album , " Presenting The New Christy Minstrels " won a ___MASK20___ and sat in the " Billboard " charts for two years . Gordon Johnston `` Jonathan '' Stark ( born February 16 , 1952 ) is an American television producer , screenwriter , and actor . He created -- along with his writing partner , Tracy Newman -- the sitcom According to Jim and won an Emmy for his co - writing on `` The Puppy Episode '' in which Ellen DeGeneres ' s character Ellen Morgan came out of the closet . He is best known for playing the vampire bodyguard and servant Billy Cole in Fright Night ( 1985 ) , Sergeant Krieger in Project X ( 1987 ) , and Charlie in House II : The Second Story ( 1987 ) . Jonathan and his wife Linda Keefer have been married since May 17 , 1992 . They have two children : Gracie ( b . August 18 , 1993 ) and Ruby ( b . August 14 , 1996 ) . A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a character in folklore and fiction who specializes in finding and destroying vampires , and sometimes other supernatural creatures . A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampires and other monstrous creatures , including their powers and weaknesses , and uses this knowledge to effectively combat them . In many works , vampire hunters are simply humans with more than average knowledge about the occult , while in others they are themselves supernatural beings , having superhuman abilities . A well known and influential vampire hunter is ___MASK86___ Abraham Van Helsing , a character in Bram Stoker ' s 1897 horror novel , " Dracula ". Fright Night is a 1985 American horror film written and directed by Tom Holland in his directorial debut and produced by Herb Jaffe . It stars William Ragsdale , Chris Sarandon , Roddy McDowall , and Amanda Bearse . The film follows young Charley Brewster , who discovers that his next - door neighbor Jerry Dandrige is a vampire . When no one believes him , Charley decides to get Peter Vincent , a TV show host who acted in films as a vampire hunter , to stop Jerry ' s killing spree . Dava Savel is an American television producer and writer . She has written and produced for " Will & Grace ", " That ' s So Raven ", " Sonny with a Chance ", " Dharma & Greg ", " Grace Under Fire ", " Dream On " and " Ellen " for which she won a Primetime ___MASK74___ for co - writing " The Puppy Episode ". Christopher " Chris " Sarandon , Jr . ( born July 24 , 1942 ) is an American actor who is known best for playing Prince Humperdinck in the movie " The Princess Bride ", the vampire Jerry Dandrige in " Fright Night " and Detective Mike Norris in the first entry of the " Child ' s Play " series , and for providing the voice of Jack Skellington in " The Nightmare Before Christmas ". He was nominated for an ___MASK65___ for his performance as Leon Shermer in " Dog Day Afternoon ". Tracy Ann Newman is an American television producer , writer and musician . Newman is a founding member of the improvisational theater troupe The Groundlings ( as is her sister , Laraine Newman ). She was co - creator and executive producer of the 2001 - 09 sitcom " According to Jim ". She is also a singer - songwriter , as well as an original member of The New Christy Minstrels and lead singer of Tracy Newman and The Reinforcements . She is the mother of artist / writer Charlotte Dean , with whom she co - directs the live comedy show " Charlotte ' s Shorts ". " The Puppy Episode " is a two - part episode of the situation comedy television series " Ellen ". The episode details lead character Ellen Morgan ' s realization that she is a lesbian and her coming out . It was the 22nd and 23rd episode of the series ' 4th season . The episode was written by series star Ellen DeGeneres with Mark Driscoll , Tracy Newman , Dava Savel and Jonathan Stark and directed by Gil Junger . It originally aired on ABC on April 30 , 1997 .