Familiar Voice

Hometown: Detroit. Occupation: voice-over artist. Breaking ground: first woman to announce the Academy Awards (1993). She's done six more, five Emmy Awards and five Tony Awards, plus this year's 60th annual Tony's. Sounds familiar: She's the signature voice of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider. Live, from Florida: Thomas records television spots in her Fort Myers home studio. Acting roots: She started as a disc jockey in Detroit and Los Angeles. "In radio, it was all about the voice. [When doing television teasers] you have to go from over-the-top and salacious to really dramatic. That's where the acting comes in." Family: married for 22 years to her manager, Arnie Wohl, who once managed Paula Abdul. They are parents to nine-year-old Rachel, another voice-over talent. Maternal instinct: "I want my daughter to know that her words have meaning and her voice has power." Best compliment: "Getting asked back." Oscar excitement: "It's a three-and-a-half-hour E ticket." She spends the show onsite, tucked in a trailer, but attends the Governors Ball afterward. Voice maintenance: lots of water; no sugar or dairy products. What's next: releasing her first book, Voice for Hire, this summer.