Christopher David Linnell

Entertainer, Actor, Voice Artist, Writer, Tour Guide 707-762-2596

Entertainer, Actor, Voice Artist, Writer, Tour Guide 707-762-2596


  • Happy Birthday Tim McGraw from Richard Simmons

    It was early in the morning back on May 1, 1998 that Christopher & Co. Celebrity Impersonations got a call from the staff of legendary country artist TIM McGRAW…

    They told me that he and his wife, country artist FAITH HILL, were at V. SATTUI WINERY in St Helena shooting a music video, and that he was trying to ignore his birthday…they wanted to surprise him. They already had the storyline worked out for me, too.

    “We tease Tim a lot that he’s a bit of a homophobe, and he’s petrified of gaining weight and looking out of shape for his fans. So we thought it would be funny if you came in as RICHARD SIMMONS!”

    Needless to say he was surprised, and I gave him and his wife and their staff a performance they will never forget. Richard Simmons had Tim McGraw prancing around the room with him to the tune of the Village People classic “Macho Man,” as Richard poked Tim in the belly, saying, “C’mon, Timmy…I’ve seen better lumps in oatmeal! Let’s start sweatin’ to the oldies!”


  • Cable Car Christopher is featured on the cover & p. 24 of Wine Country This Week

    Nor Cal Edition – Apr 27, 2012


  • Tour Sonoma Wineries with Cable Car Christopher

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    Join Cable Car Christopher on an exciting wine tasting tour through historic Sonoma Valley aboard a motorized, authentic replica of a late 1890′s San Francisco Cable car! The vintage open-air design of the early California Street line offers a scenic view unmatched by any other touring vehicle. As you meet fellow wine enthusiasts and wine curious guests, you will learn about the rich local history of early California, and what makes Sonoma Valley such a popular destination for wine lovers and foodies all over the world.

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    Currently Christopher Linnell is doing Sonoma wine & history tours Wednesdays-Saturdays from 1030am-430pm aboard the http://www.SonomaValleyWineTrolley.com.

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    –Take it from Yelp.com:

    http://www.yelp.com/biz/sonoma-valley-wine-trolley-sonoma

    Debbie D.

    San Marcos, CA

    12/28/2011 1 photo

    So much fun! This was a great tour. A mix of history of the area and four different wineries. Fantastic! We visited two “big conglomerate” wineries and two family owned wineries. The best part…our guide, Chris. He was entertaining and informative; a real character. Lunch was delicious. It was catered from A Girl and A Fig. Highly recommended. Be sure to ask for Chris!

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    –And from TripAdvisor.com:

    http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g33107-d2279746-Reviews-Sonoma_Valley_Wine_Trolley-Sonoma_Sonoma_County_California.html

    Cortni J
    Pewaukee, WI

    “Loved every minute!”
    Reviewed April 23, 2012 NEW

    We wanted to enjoy every minute of wine country and not have to worry about driving. This tour gave us the best of both. Christopher the driver was amazing. He is very knowledgeable about the area and very entertaining. We stopped at 4 amazing winery’s and enjoyed a delicious lunch from Girl and the Fig. I initially questioned spending as much as we did on tickets but am so happy that we did. I would suggest this to anyone who is going to Sonoma and would do it again next time!

    Visited March 2012

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    SaraNYC
    New York City, New York

    “Great tour guide Christopher”
    Reviewed April 8, 2012

    Had a great time with Christopher as our guide on the trolley.

     

    Thomas Buck, Owner at Sonoma Valley Wine Trolley, responded to this review

    April 18, 2012 We are so glad to hear you had a great time with our tour guide, Chris. He is absolutely an amazing character! Thank you for the review!

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    Steve M
    Hayward, California

    “Outstanding”
    Reviewed March 27, 2012

    This is THE trip for wine newbies. Christopher, our driver, was fun and informative. He knew the history of the valley and had many insights to the region and it’s people. The wineries visited ranged from the very big to small private businesses. We had PLENTY of wine to try. And the catered lunch was excellent. I highly recommend this trip.

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    karbar29
    Chicago, IL

    “A day full of wine and history”
    Reviewed March 17, 2012

    My wife and I elected to take this tour as a part of our vacation in wine country. Our guide, Christopher was extremely well versed in the history of Sonoma and a lot of fun. He took us to 2 historical wineries and 2 family owned wineries. The wines were excellent at both locations and the catered lunch from the girl and the fig was great. I highly recommed this tour if you are looking for a cost effective way to learn about and experience Sonoma.

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    Curtis W
    Salt Lake Senior Reviewer

    “The Wine Trolley – lots of fun and informative”
    Reviewed March 14, 2012

    We had a great time spending the day on the Wine Trolley of Sanoma Valley. Our host, Chris, was fun, upbeat and gave us lots of history of the wineries, valley and early settlers in the valleys. We paid for our own tastings, but they were only $5 – $10 each. Chris showed me some guide books that had two for ones if you want more tastings. Chris provided us with an excellent lunch of sandwiches and pastas and there was plenty of water and pop to go around during the trip. It was well worth the $100 for a great day with the trolley…

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    karbar29
    Chicago, IL

    “A day full of wine and history”
    Reviewed March 17, 2012

    My wife and I elected to take this tour as a part of our vacation in wine country. Our guide, Christopher was extremely well versed in the history of Sonoma and a lot of fun. He took us to 2 historical wineries and 2 family owned wineries. The wines were excellent at both locations and the catered lunch from the girl and the fig was great. I highly recommed this tour if you are looking for a cost effective way to learn about and experience Sonoma. LanderStoddard Atlanta, Georgia “Wine Trolley – great fun, interesting history, Chris was very entertaining.” Reviewed December 7, 2011 Way better than I thought it would be. Sonoma has a lot more character than Napa and the trolley tour really shows it off.

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  • Christopher on the radio Thursday 4/26 in Sonoma

    Christopher Linnell will once again be a guest on KSVY91.3FM Radio in Sonoma on Thursday, April 26, 2012, from 815-9am on the Ken Brown Morning Show http://sunfmtv.com/?cat=170.  Ken is the former mayor of Sonoma, a current city councilman, and he is one of the voices to which the town arises each morning.  On April 3rd, Christopher was the guest of Diana Dawn on her “Some Like It Hot” radio program on KSVY (that’s the photo above; you can listen to that program online at: http://sunfmtv.com/showarchive/public/2012-04-03__18_59_57.mp3 ).

    MORNINGS IN SONOMA is Sonoma Valley’s own morning community show. Hosted by City Council member KEN BROWN and a variety of guest hosts, Mornings In Sonoma gives local television viewers a chance to peek into the inner sanctum of the Sun FM 91.3 Sonoma radio control room, through its simulcast on sister cable TV channel, Sun TV Comcast Channel 27.

    Brown’s daily co-hosts include Wally Breitman, Bill Stallings, Jeff Gilbert, Smokin’ Joe Herrshaft, Donna Piranha and engineering whirlwind HelpMeHarry. Tune in and find out what your favorite DJs wear to work at 8 am and just how much coffee it takes to fuel a two-hour show.

     

    You can listen to KSVY streaming online at:  http://sunfmtv.com/docs/miniplayerpopup.html, and you can watch the show on TV at: http://sunfmtv.com/docs/studiopopup.html


  • Stop SOPA & PIPA as written!

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     If you value your Constitutional right to free speech, please contact both of your Senators and your representative in the House, and ask them to prevent SOPA and PIPA from passing as written.
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    We must control online piracy, intellectual theft, and copyright infringement, but conventionally, on a case-by-case basis, not by shutting down the entire internet.  Google and Facebook are already guiding our browsers too much, don’t let Big Brother do it, too.
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    Wikipedia is the largest encyclopedia ever written.  Here’s what it has to say on the subject:
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    <<SOPA and PIPA represent two bills in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate respectively. SOPA is short for the “Stop Online Piracy Act,” and PIPA is an acronym for the “Protect IP Act.” (“IP” stands for “intellectual property.”) In short, these bills are efforts to stop copyright infringement committed by foreign web sites, but, in our opinion, they do so in a way that actually infringes free expression while harming the Internet. Detailed information about these bills can be found in the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act articles on Wikipedia, which are available during the blackout.>>
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    I have sent the following message to my representatives in Congress:
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    “Please do not allow SOPA and PIPA to be passed as they are.  As a performing artist and writer, I regard my copyright and intellectual property rights highly, but they should be protected more specifically.  My civil rights are at risk when government considers blocking the free flow of information.  Please do not allow these bills to protect my copyright and IP rights by trampling on my free speech rights.  Thank you!”
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    Liberals and conservatives alike can agree that our Constitutional right to free speech is the single most important issue that exists.  Please help to protect it now.
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  • Call out Old Father Time for your New Year’s Eve bash!

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    Now that Santa Claus is done for the year, it’s time to greet Old Father Time as he leads the countdown to 2012.

    At 7.5′ tall, Christopher’s Old Father Time is the perfect guest for your New Year’s Eve midnight countdown!

    E-mail Christopher@HireAStar.net or call 707-762-2596 to book Christopher for New Year’s Eve!

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  • 35 YEARS OF BEING SANTA

    Sure, he looks like Kris Kringle now, but Christopher Linnell has been impersonating Santa Claus for 35 years.

    His first performance as Santa Claus was on December 18, 1976 for the families of the employees of the Bank of America main branch on the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam in downtown Agana…the branch was two stories tall, brand new, and very modern for Guam at the time.

    In 1986 the Bank of Hawaii acquired all of Bank of America’s retail banking operations on Guam, including the building in which this performance was done; the address is 134 Soledad Avenue, 96910 Hagatna (as the island’s capital is now phonetically spelled), Guam, 96910.

    Christopher was hired by branch manager Hank Vynk (shown in the center of the middle photo below, wearing glasses and a yellow shirt, holding one end of the crowd-control pole; and, below that, standing in the Santa photos), and he first that afternoon performed a marionette show for the kids as Chrisco the Clown.

    Then, while Christopher changed costumes, the families dined (no doubt on pancit, lumpia, and chicken kelaquin), and then Christopher returned as Santa Claus.

    Upon moving to California in 1977, Christopher continued performing as Chrisco the Clown, doing his marionette shows, and performing as Santa.  He was hired by Joyce LeMar to be George Washington on President’s Day in 1983, and then again as Santa Claus that December 15-24 at the Washington Square Shopping Center in Petaluma.  Subsequently Christopher was hired by Patti Hilligoss (who later went on to become the Mayor of Petaluma and a Sonoma County Supervisor) to be Santa Claus at the Petaluma Plaza & Plaza North Shopping Centers in Petaluma.

    Christopher performed in hundreds of private homes and at scores of parties and promotions throughout the 1980s as Santa Claus, leading the kids in Christmas Carols, telling Christmas stories, and handing out candy canes and coloring books to all.  He performed for little Kyle Galeazzi and his family on Christmas Eve of 1983, 1984, and 1985.  Kyle is now the fourth generation of Galeazzi’s at Northbay Monnument Company.

    Christopher eventually tired of the hot, stinky, itchy beard, though, and retired his Santa Claus professionally in the 1990s.  Today, however, Christopher has grown into the role, in beard, belly, and age, and would be the perfect Santa for your home visit, holiday party, promotion, or shopping mall.

    This season Christopher was the Santa Claus for the 12/05/11 Tree Lighting of and in the Town of Ross in Marin County, and on 12/14/11 for 60 families who were guests in the home of David Samuel, founder of Thriller Designs in 1983 and Sounds Unlimited in 1984, plus co-founder of: Spinner-1995, Brondell-2003, Grouper-2004, 4 kids-2004-2008, and Freestyle Capital in 2009.

    Christopher also performed for the Galeazzi family of Rohnert Park again this year.  Kyle Galeazzi is the fourth generation at NorthbayMonument.com, a company his great-grandfather, Massimo Galeazzi, founded in Sonoma County in 1869.  Christopher was Santa for Trevor and Kyle on Christmas Eve of 1982, 1983, and 1984, and on Christmas Eve of 2011 he was Santa once again for Kyle’s son, Trevor.

    Christopher is also the resident Santa of the Napa Valley Wine Trolley.

    You can reach Christopher at 707-762-2596, or e-mail Santa@HireAStar.net.

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    Currently Christopher Linnell is doing Sonoma wine & history tours Thursdays-Sundays from 1030am-430pm aboard the http://www.SonomaValleyWineTrolley.com.

     

    Through the month of December we’re offering special evening Holiday Lights Tours of Napa featuring caroling, candy canes, and hot chocolate; visit: http://www.NapaValleyWineTrolley.com.

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  • Christopher impersonates the San Francisco Giants’ Closer Brian “Fear the Beard” Wilson

    Christopher is now offering a fully-costumed impersonation of SF Giants’ Closer Brian “Fear the Beard” Wilson.

    Hire Brian Wilson for your party and promotion.  He comes equipped with a real beard, a baseball glove, a baseball bat, an orange ice chest to swat around, and a real attitude!

    Call Christopher at 707-762-2596, or e-mail Christopher@HireAStar.net.



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