Holiday Sales!

I'm a girl & I LOVE a good sale! I find it very hard to pay full price for anything. If you shop online (which I love to do), I'm sure you've seen the "code" boxes at checkout. That means that somewhere out there is a secret code that will either give you an extra discount, or free shipping, or...something. There are lots of online sites that will show you current coupons & codes. I like http://reesycakes.com/ or you can google the name of the store you're shopping at & include the word "code" in the search. One of my favorite jewelry designers (Future Fashionista) is having a great holiday sale and her prices are reasonable to start with. Elana handstrung my favorite "kite pearl" necklace. I wore it to the TVLand Awards this year & wear it all the time. It's a classic & seems so much "younger" than my Grandmas' pearls. Future Fashionista is offering 35% off everything on their site until 12/31, with the code "ThankYou". I'm not getting a kick back, just letting you in on a good deal. http://www.futurefashionista.com/

Elf Yourself!

I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I've been an elf for Santa on more than one occasion. It involved volunteering to help out with kids visiting Santa at our local community center & it was tons of fun! One of my blog readers requested that I put a photo of me in a Santa hat on my blog for the holidays.
This is the best I can do & it probably won't be up for long (so enjoy & don't laugh too much).
http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=efe8bab259932988dd881a9G06122408
Everyone have a wonderful holiday. I hope you're all surrounded by loved ones.

Almost Family

I think lots of people have dear friends that they consider family. One of those people in my life is Bill Asher, my "Uncle Bill". I've known him my entire life & he's one of the most charming, charismatic men I've ever met. He's treated me with love & respect since before I was two. He can tell a story better than anyone! He's had the most remarkable career in entertainment. Uncle Bill was the director of I Love Lucy (arguably the best sitcom ever!) & he even came up with the idea of Samantha twitching her nose on Bewitched! His life is so steeped in history that not only was he friends with the Kennedys (including Jackie), he actually spent the last day of her life with Marilyn Monroe. He was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. Darren & I were happy to be there to help him celebrate.

Longtime Friends & a Very Patient Teenager !

Old Friends & The Lakers

I thought about calling this post "Longtime Friends" & The Lakers, but I'm the first to admit, we're kind of OLD! I'm sure some bloggers have lists of things to write about or some general focus to their blog, but since I'm sort of a "baby blogger" (despite my rather advanced age), I just write about things as they happen. So when my dear friend Toni called & invited me to join her & her adorable nephew Tyler at a Lakers game, I thought "I am going to blog about the Lakers game". Well as we drove from the OC to the beautiful Staples Center, I found a new topic for today's entry: "Things You Don't Know About Your Longtime Friends". I've known Toni for 25 years, but I just found out that she is a HORRIBLE driver! I don't know why I've never driven with Toni before, but let me describe some fun facts about our wild ride. I would consider myself a fairly relaxed person & I've taught 3 teenagers to drive, with no incidents or even close calls; but our short drive to LA was like a Disneyland E Ticket (once again showing my age!). I was alerted to Toni's "little problem" when she came within inches of the car in front of us before lurching to a stop. She casually said " I'm not a very good driver, I accidentally hit the gas instead of the brakes." She then started telling a story, that involved a lot of hand gestures, with no hands on the wheel. Toni also decided to point out all the drivers on the highway who she deemed to be worse drivers than she was. This involved her actually pointing at the offending vehicles and her car heading straight at them! After about an hour, she mentioned that she was having a hard time reading the signs. She asked me to get her purse & the new glasses that she'd just gotten!! She casually added that her doctor had said something about her eyes being equivalent to someone 10 years older. People can handle stress in many ways. It turns out that Tyler & I are the type to laugh uncontrollably. Well the Lakers/ Houston game was amazing. They were 21 points behind, but won in double overtime. I'd like to offer a special thank you to Toni's nephew Tyler. He put up with two middle aged women who still occasionally act like silly teenaged cheerleaders. If you happen to meet Toni (she's a smart, funny, beautiful girl) please offer her a ride.
http://web.mac.com/tonimarano/iWeb/ToniMaranoPilates/About%20The%20Program.html

Marc Jacobs

Fashion designers love celebrities. They get tons of free press by giving them clothes. Nothing is better for a designer than having someone famous wear one of their outfits on the red carpet. Designers also love to feature celebs in their ads. Sometimes the celebs & the fashion lines are a prefect fit: Chanel uses Nicole Kidman & Scarlett Johansson is the new face of Louis Vuitton. Sometimes the celebs connection to the designer is humorous: Marc Jacobs featured Winona Ryder after she was arrested for shoplifting his clothes from Saks. The new face of Marc Jacobs is a little puzzling: Dakota Fanning. For some unexplained reason, folks seem to have very strong opinions about Dakota. They either love her or HATE her. I really don't get it. I think Dakota is an extremely talented child actress (much like Jodie Foster) & I think she's very pretty. She also comes across as poised & intelligent. But as far as being a fashion model, she's only 12! Marc Jacobs had to make custom pieces for her to model since none of his designs fit her (no surprise, since she's only 12!). I couldn't figure out what was weird about the photo on the left, then it hit me! The flower in Dakota's hair looks just like a white mouse jumping off her head! Oh well, who am I to question fashion?

Zillow!

I love to find cool websites. I also love to tell my friends about them. One of my favorites is: http://www.zillow.com. You can enter any address, plus the city, state & it will show you aerial photos from four angles. The photos are so high quality, you can clearly see your car in the driveway or your dog in the backyard. You can also scroll around the photos to get information on the neighbors. The site is a fantastic tool for home buyers & sellers because they give you a "zestimate" or accurate current value of the home. For my really nosy readers, you can even find out what your neighbors paid for their home.

Worst Nightmare?

If you ask a child about their worst nightmare, they'll probably tell you a tale about monsters. If you ask a student, they'll surely have a story about walking into class & having an unexpected test. But the worst real-life nightmare for most women involves swimsuit shopping. I think it has something to do with the fluorescent lighting and the three way mirrors. Let me tell you what just happened to me, exactly one week after Thanksgiving. My wonderful agent called to tell me that he had a job offer for me to host a fitness show...but there was one small catch. The producer needed to see a photo of my butt & thighs. Surely, this was an attempt at agent humor. We're in the midst of that fitness vacation that everyone is entitled to (between Thanksgiving & New Years). I'd just gotten back from a feast-filled vacation, it was winter. It turns out my agent was serious, so the morning after I went to a Christmas party (that had a chocolate fountain!), I found myself donning a bikini in my sisters' back yard as she snapped a photo of my butt & thighs. Luckily the product I'm endorsing is working & my rear end proved to be sufficiently photogenic & I got the job!

Almost Famous

Have you ever been on a flight with someone famous? Have you ever noticed how the buzz fills the plane, until everyone knows there's a celeb on board?
I remember taking a cross country flight years ago & Joan Van Ark (from Knot's Landing) was in front of me. I watched her put on makeup for at least an hour. Friday I took a quick trip to Vegas aboard Southwest Airlines. If you haven't flown Southwest, they're an airline that doesn't assign seats & doesn't have first class (you're put into groups A, B, or C depending on when you check-in. I check-in online 24 hours in advance, so I'm always in group A). On my first flight, I learned that Sinbad was aboard the plane. During the entire 50 minute flight, one flight attendant was trying to explain to the other flight attendant who Sindbad was. Sample conversation: "He's a comic, he had his own show." "You mean Martin?" "No, that's Martin Lawrence." "Is he the guy with all the jewelry?" "No, That's Mr. T.". I was so tempted to say "He was in Jingle All the Way with Arnold Schwarzenegger". But, I didn't think naming a 10 year old, slightly obscure film would have helped. Speaking of guys "with all the jewelry", on my return flight Flavor Flav was aboard. He was traveling alone & very friendly. In case anyone might not recognize him, he was actually wearing one of those giant clock necklaces. His other long gold chain got tangled in his carry on bag as he stowed it overhead. It was like watching an I Love Lucy skit. Even an older couple across from me knew who he was. A word of advice for Sinbad: Get on a reality show or hire Flavor Flav's publicist.

Identity?

Yesterday I filmed an episode for a new NBC show called Identity. The premise is that a contestant is faced with 12 strangers on pedestals (kind of like the Deal or No Deal Set). It's a game based on first impressions, hosted by Penn Jilette (from Penn & Teller). The game unfolds as the contestant picks an identity (off a lighted board) - ranging anywhere from a profession to a shoe size - and tries to match it with one of the 12 strangers. The amount of money the contestant accumulates increases with each correctly identified stranger. If all 12 are matched up correctly, the player is rewarded with the top prize of $500,000. Without giving away the outcome of the game, the contestant was convinced that I was...an Army Ranger!!
If I look a little tired on the show, it's because we didn't finish filming until after 2:00 AM, then I had to get up early to make lunches & get the kids off to school (Have I told you before how glamorous my life is?).
The show airs the week of 12/18 from 8:00-9:00 PM.

Am I A Geek?

I'm sure you've all seen the lines of people waiting to pick up one of the latest cool game systems. I've seen stories on the news about shootings and people being robbed while they wait. I've also heard about people camping out for days in tents. It reminds me of when the Star Wars movies come out & you see all the people in costumes waiting for the very first screening. If you're like me, you probably wonder: Who ARE those people? Well, today I was one of the "line people". I got "insider info" about a shipment coming to my local Best Buy that would be released this morning. Did I camp out? Of course not, I'm not totally crazy! I thought the store opened at 8:00 (chalk it up to bad info, from a confused employee), so I got there at 7:45. There was already a line of about 100! I guess my "inside source" was a little loose lipped. The store was only supposed to get 12, but I decided to wait. Even if I couldn't get a system, I could still do some holiday shopping. An employee came out & made an announcement that there were 63 systems & they would be checking drivers licenses since they would only be selling one per household. Guess what, I was number 63! I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but number 64 (right behind me) was not too pleased.

Improving The Wheel?

A few years ago, Dean Kamen hyped an invention that he described as "being bigger than the Internet or the PC". It was nicknamed "Ginger" and it was supposed to change life as we knew it. Well, Segways were introduced to much fanfare and now they're EVERYWHERE!! Just kidding, I've seen them in a couple cities used by mailmen or police officers, but I don't know anyone who owns one. I took a spin on a Segway last week & it's really fun, but not really a practical mode of transportation (where would you put the groceries?).
I did come across another transportation advance that can only be described as genius. On Tenerife they have automatic sensors on the escalators. You approach the escalator and your foot triggers a sensor that automatically starts it. Then the escalator stops a minute after you get off. Works perfectly & probably saves a small fortune on electricity.

Celebrity Fit Club! I Coulda Been a Contender!

The new cast of Celebrity Fit Club was announced today and I'm going to share a little secret with my loyal blog readers. I was almost on it! No, I'm not overweight, so I wasn't going to be a contestant. I was being considered to replace the psychologist, Dr. Linda Papadopolous (who is pregnant in the UK and unable to travel). Since I'm not a psychologist or psychiatrist, and I certainly didn't have time to get a Masters in Clinical Psychology in 4 weeks, I was going to be a life coach to "motivate & inspire by example" the contestants into losing weight. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. The network has hired Stacy Kaiser (a real clinical psychologist & licensed marriage & family therapist). I'm sure she'll be great, but when you're watching, you can pretend that she's me ;-)
Even without me, it should be a fun season with : Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady), Dustin Diamond (Screech), pop singer Tiffany, rappers Da Brat & Warren G, Ross The Intern (The Tonight Show), country artist Cledus T Judd, & American Idol contestant Kimberley Locke. Since I have no plans to gain forty pounds, Celebrity Fit Club is probably not in my future.

TVGASM!

Don't you love when blogs have video clips in them? So do I, but since I don't know how to do that you're going to have to visit my friends over at TVGasm ( http://www.tvgasm.com/newsgasm/images/rocky111506.php) to see our interviews with Rocky & Alex from Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. For a little background, the kids on Laguna Beach aren't actors, they're high school students. So for our interview with Rocky we met her at the restaurant where she works. First she was our waitress, then we interviewed her. Talk about turning the tables on your subject! We filmed the interview the week before Halloween and the episode that had just aired was her big, ugly breakup with her boyfriend Alex. Much to our surprise, Alex came walking in to meet her. Since we're very mature "journalists", B-Side kicked me under the table. Well, they're a very sweet couple. Alex looks just like the actor James Franco & Rocky is incredibly beautiful in person. Not surprisingly they both have TV aspirations. Ahh, young love.

Fantasy Reality Challenge!

I'm winning at Fantasy Reality Challenge! http://www.foxreality.com I'm competing against my fellow panelists on Reality Remix with the winner getting a generous donation for charity. It's sort of like Fantasy Football, only with contestants on reality shows. You pick six contestants from a variety of reality shows & you get points each week they stay in. We picked our contestants at the start of the season, so we only had limited info. I'm the only player left with all of my contestants. Unfortunately, I'm going to lose my first player tomorrow night, since we're down to the final 2 (& I picked them!) on Dancing With The Stars.
Here are my contestants & the reason that I picked them. I know my TV!
Dancing With The Stars:
Mario Lopez: Naturally good dancer & America loves dimples (although I consider Ali Landry a friend, so I only put him on my list for the points).
Emmitt Smith: Jerry Rice came in 2nd when he was on the show & Emmitt Smith is a better dancer & he was a Dallas Cowboy.
America's Next Top Model:
Caridee: beautiful blonde girl with an outrageous personality (although a beautiful blonde has never won ANTM)
Melrose: I picked her the week after she was in the bottom 2, because I saw her potential. She'd won the runway challenge & she was accused of being lazy on the shoot (when really she wasn't). Plus I like that she changed her name from Melissa Rose to Melrose since she didn't think she needed the "issa".
The Amazing Race:
Tyler & James: I picked them only because they're athletic, attractive guys (not such a bad reason!) & athletic, attractive guys always seem to do well on Amazing Race.
Survivor:
Yul: He won the immunity idol, which means he'll be on for a while. It's impossible to pick winners on Survivor, because if you look at the past winners, the only consistent is that they're the one you wouldn't pick to win: Richard Hatch, Tina Wesson, Amber (of Rob &), etc.

Root for my contestants to win, since I'm pretty sure I'm the only panelist on Reality Remix who actually has a charity picked out ;-).

We've Got a Winner!

I'm home: healthy, happy and just a little bit jet lagged. We've got a winner to the first ever "Where in The World is Erin" Challenge! I was visiting the Canary Islands, so the winner (for posting first) is Arfies. I did visit Lanzarote, as some of the later posters guessed, but we also went to La Gomera (which was very unspoiled and beautiful), Las Palmas & Tenerife (which had more night life, restaurants, and all of the luxuries of home.) . Arfies, please e-mail me your mailing address & I'll send your autographed photo (& let me know how you want it personalize: Arfies?). Vacation was fabulous & totally relaxing, but...

There's NO Place Like Home!!

World Wide Web?

Remember I mentioned about my internet service on my trip being inconsistent? Well, that turned out to be an understatement! I'm finally back online, so we can continue the "Where in the World is Erin" challenge, since we still don't have a winner. I'll give extra credit to those who guessed that I was in Morocco, since I did stop in Morocco, before I started the challenge. For anyone who has seen the movie Casablanca, I found it interesting that the movie was really filmed in Florida & that in the real Casablanca they can't have bars so they have a Rick's Cafe (see photo). I also learned that The Clash song "Rock the Kasbah" was about the real earthquake in Agadir, Morocco in 1960 that almost totally destroyed the old city & resulted in the loss of 15,000 lives.
OK, back to where I am:
I'll give you a bunch of clues, since I've been neglecting you.
There are volcanoes where I am & they use the heat from the volcanoes to cook.
A semi-precious stone called Olivina is popular to make jewelry.
Fishing is a major source of income & the beaches are beautiful.

I Went For a Ride!

I've gotten several e-mails asking about the animals in the land I'm visiting. There are no kangaroos or koalas, but we did ride a camel! For anyone interested, a camel isn't a very smooth ride (quite a bit like a seesaw actually). Instead of saying giddup, the camel driver says something like "zhiggy zhiggy". Then the camel stands up and starts walking. Really an amazing, cool thing to try if you ever happen to be in camel country. Any new guesses where I am?

Where in the World is Erin?

In case you're wondering where I am, I'm on vacation! I was planning to post regularly, but internet & phone service has been rather unpredictable. To keep my loyal blog readers entertained (and assure you that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth) we're going to play a little game called "Where in the World is Erin?". First clue: It took 18 hours to arrive at the first leg of our adventure.

Happy Halloween!

In every neighborhood, there's one really popular house on Halloween. I'm talking about the house you want to go to twice. It could be the house that gives out full sized candy bars or the older couple who give out money. Some families go all out & create a real haunted house with smoke machines & costumed monsters. In our neighborhood, we're the most popular house...with the parents! For the last five years, we've been giving out alcohol (little bottles of wine & coolers). We noticed after the first year that the parents were lining up early outside our house. I've even heard kids say "Dad, we've already been to this house!". Don't worry we don't serve minors. Have a wonderful Halloween!

I Won a Costume Contest!

I won a costume contest last night! No, it wasn't for the costume pictured. But until I get photos, at least it's a picture of me in a Halloween costume. Yesterday was one of those crazy days where I ended up interviewing some of the kids from the Laguna Beach show and totally put off finding a costume for a party that I HAD to go to. Fifteen minutes after I was supposed to leave for the party, I realized that I had absolutely nothing to wear (sounds just like a girl, right?). So, I started frantically looking around the house & suddenly my eyes were drawn to something that was approximately the size of a dress....A bag of dog food!! I dumped the remaining dog food into a container, cut open the bottom and cut arm holes. With a little help from my husband, I pulled it over my head. I completed my little ensemble with a mini nylabone dog bone, tied in my hair. In case you're curious, a bag of dog food is a ladies size 2-4 & I'm ready for the grocery store challenge on Project Runway!

What Happened to Andrae?

Ahh, Project Runway! What can I say, except that in the world of reality television, it's definitely one of the best. They won me over on the first episode of the first season, when the challenge involved making an outfit from items at the grocery store. Austin Scarlett made an entire dress out of corn husks that I would totally wear to a party. While reality stars as a whole may be looked down upon, I personally admire the ones with talent (singers, dancers, designers & chefs). And, if I haven't mentioned it before, I absolutely LOVE fashion! So, when I came face to face with Andrae Gonzalo I became a blabbering idiot (really, no exaggeration). I felt the need to tell him that I was dressed in a Project Runway themed dress: designed by Michael Kors. When he seemed to truly be a fan of mine, I quickly dismissed him & said "No, no, no. I love you MORE!". Andrae told me that he'd be happy to design a dress for me & even gave me his phone number! Maybe we'll meet at Red Lobster! (Project Runway fans will know what I'm talking about.)

Survival of the Cutest!

Last week I met JP Calderon from Survivor at a party. I ran into him again at an event last night & he told me that he reads my blog. So, I told him that I'd write about him. There's a funny phenomenon on the show Survivor. Every season an attractive, athletic guy is voted out way too early. I understand that the tribe might see him as competition, but they should probably keep the really athletic guys around to win the immunity challenges & then vote them off after the merge. That's what I'd do if I were on Survivor. Last week when I met JP, he was convinced that he knew me from somewhere. He was equally convinced that it wasn't from seeing me on TV. After thinking about it a few minutes, he announced...VOLLEYBALL CAMP! I was on the volleyball team in Junior High, when I was 12. I'm pretty sure JP wasn't even born then, but who was I to argue. Luckily I have the most secure husband in the world, who only seems mildly amused when I flirt with the cute Survivor boys. Last night after JP came over to chat with me, a friend asked where I knew him from. I smiled and said "volleyball camp!".

Knott's Scary Friends!

I just noticed that many of my friends are divided into groups. I have my Junior friends that I volunteer with. I have girlfriends that I have dinner & watch movies with. I have mom friends for playdates at the park. I have couple friends for double dates. I have work friends that I meet for coffee or lunch. I have Reality Remix friends who meet monthly for dinner. AND, I have my Knott's Scary Friends!
Knott's Berry Farm is an amusement park in Southern California. Every year, during the month of October, they close the park at night & turn it into Knott's Scary Farm with monsters & spooky mazes (They changed the name to Knott's Halloween Haunt years ago, but it will always be Knott's Scary Farm to me). I started going when I was in high school. My oldest kids now go with their girlfriends and my youngest kids are way too young (it's really scary!). My Knott's gang includes Bill: my amazing website guy, who's an incredible writer (I wrote the foreward to his book). Zack: who's a wonderful singer & was the Obsession model years ago (remember the one with the naked torso!). Now he does stunt work, etc. & works on Standoff & Desperate Housewives. Tony: An actor who was on Head of The Class & is in one of the best/ bad horror movies ever: Chopping Mall. Now he works on the George Lopez show. They're all probably going to kill me for giving out so much info, but I can't help but brag about my friends!

People Read My Blog!

Something really extraordinary happened last weekend! My husband & I were attending an industry/ red carpet type party (the kind people pretend to hate, but I secretly LOVE). Well, the event was winding down & the biggest celeb in attendance was the guy who plays Ari's assistant on Entourage. This has absolutely nothing to do with my remarkable event, but I thought you'd like to know the "level" of stars at the parties I go to (calling them D list would be generous. Sorry Ari's assistant.) Well, I was standing and talking to some friends (who are bloggers at a great site called TVgasm.com) & a gentleman came over who casually mentions that...HE READS MY BLOG!! I think he even said that he ENJOYS my blog, but I was so shocked to have a reader that, I could be wrong. I know this shouldn't be surprising (and certainly not extraordinary), I know that blogs are meant to be read, but I truly thought my only readers were the 20+ friends I sent it to & possibly a couple Bewitched fans. I don't think you can find my blog with a google search and before the party it wasn't even linked to my website. So, let me introduce you to my first unknown reader (pictured above): Jerry.

You Look Like a Celebrity!

Have you ever been told that you look like a celebrity? Come on, I'm sure someone has told you that you look like someone famous. Well, I've found a fun website that compares your photo to a database of celebs & tells you who you REALLY look like.
I tried it with a couple different photos & it said that I look like Jessica Biel, Evangeline Lilly & Brooke Burns. OK, it doesn't seem to be very accurate...but it's very flattering!!
http://www.myheritage.com/FP/Company/tryFaceRecognition.php

Not So Random

If you're a teenager, you know a teenager, or you've ever watched an episode of Laguna Beach, you know that the phrase sweeping the teenage nation is: "That's random!" Everything from pizza for dinner to inviting a boy you like to the prom is considered "so random". But what I'm talking about today is the concept of "random acts of kindness" and as far as I'm concerned there's nothing random about them at all. I just got home from our local Cure Autism Now: Walk Now Event (where I gave a little speech), so I'm feeling motivated. There are a couple little things that everyone can do. These are really just basic common courtesy, but others will really appreciate yor kindness.
1. Put the little divider down behind your groceries at the grocery store.
2. Pick up someone else's trash. 3. Smile & say "Hello" to a stranger (this seems to freak people out in New York). 4. Give up your seat on a bus, train, airport shuttle to anyone older, pregnant or injured. 5. Let a car merge in front of you on the freeway (if you swear under your breath it doesn't count). 6. Hold the door open for a stranger. & my number one suggestion: Give the Gift of Time. Find something that you're passionate about and donate your time. It only takes a couple minutes (plus a loaf of bread & pack of lunch meat) to make a tray of sandwiches to drop off at a homeless shelter. You can volunteer to play with dogs at the humane society, or read stories to kids at a local classroom or library. Most adult day health care centers have monthly parties where volunteers can sing, play bingo or hand out cupcakes. If you live by a military base, most of them have programs over Thanksgiving where you can "Adopt a Marine, Soldier, etc" & bring them into your home to enjoy the holiday with your family. I have 6 kids & 4 dogs & still find time to volunteer. If I have time, so do you. OK, I'll step off my soapbox now. http://www.cureautismnow.org/site/c.bhLOK2PILuF/b.1021889/k.BFD8/Home.htm

Lack of Tools

Am I the only person in America without a garage full of tools? I have the basics: hammer, nails, assorted screwdrivers. I'm also proud of the fact that I have one drawer in the kitchen designated to every battery size known to man. But this week I found out that I'm missing the true necessary tools to be considered "crafty". I just filmed a few episodes of a new show for the DIY Network. We made a variety of items including candle holders made out of concrete & belt buckles out of silver clay. I've learned that to be a successful crafter you need, not only time, patience & steady hands but : a nail gun with an air compressor, a blow torch, a kiln and assorted acid sprays & stains. Does everyone but me have a workshop in their garage? Where do you park your car?

Separated at Birth?

The new Bachelor started last night. My early picks are Sadie (the virgin publicist from Carlsbad) & Lisa (the tree hugger who drank too much and got the diamond earrings). I don't think she'll go far, but I'd pay money to see the bachelor have a hometown visit with Erica the "socialite" from Texas!


Is it just me or does Prince Lorenzo look like a cross between Balki from Perfect Strangers & Steve Carell?

High School Confidential

High School photographs are best kept in a box. I think most folks keep them in a closet or the garage. In a perfect world, all high school photos would be kept at your parents' house where you can pull them out every few years at Thanksgiving and marvel at your lack of fashion sense and questionable hairstyles. Your siblings can safely giggle with you, because they looked just as silly. But I can't hide. Someone has posted my high school yearbook on Ebay! How do you like the feathered hair & chubby cheeks?

Minty Fresh?

Every now and then a product comes along that can best be described as counterproductive. A product that is so contrary to its' intended use, it makes you want to scratch your head and say "Huh?". Let me introduce you to the newest such product: Cappuccino Blitz Power Mintz, the new breath mint that makes your breath smell like COFFEE!!

Cat Fight!

Today I came face to face with my "arch nemesis". Only 4 people will know what I'm talking about (and I suspect that I'm the only one who finds it hilarious). Let me share the story with the rest of you.
I'm a regular rotating panelist on the Reality Remix Weekend Show on the Fox Reality Channel(http://www.realityremix.tv). The panel typically consists of 2 women and 2 men. Since the host of the show is a woman, the other female spot alternates between me and an author named Anna David. They also throw in the occasional female reality show contestant (but that's irrelevant and only complicates my little story). A couple weeks ago, I received an e-mail from someone asking me if I'd ever met my "arch nemesis, Anna David"! Well, rest easy everyone, this weekend Anna David & I are on the panel together (3 girls & dear Joe Adalian from Daily Variety). Let me report that not only is Anna smart & funny, she has excellent taste (she loved my shoes)! Girls rule!

You Call This a Party?

Have you ever been invited to a party where the entire purpose of the event was for the host to sell you something you didn't want? I don't know if this trend is sweeping the country or only popular with the suburban crowd of Southern Cal. In the last year, I've been invited to at least twenty little get togethers (disguised as parties) that include vendors. I've been pitched everything from lipstick that lasts all day (but burns the heck out of your lips!) to housewares (I'll never use) & clothing (that's not my style). This may be the modern version of a Tupperware party, but I'M GOING ON STRIKE. I love my friends and I'm a big fan of girls night out. I'd love to go out for dinner and a movie or come over and hang out (I'll even bring the wine), but please don't try to sell me anything!

P.S. Girl Scouts are still welcome. We'll take 10 boxes of Thin Mints.

They're Vintage!

Does everyone have something in their closet that they just can't throw away? I'm not talking about the fabulous, expensive outfit that you found on sale and you're sure that you'll wear somewhere, someday. I'm also not talking about the much loved jeans that have more holes than fabric or the concert t-shirt that reminds you that you were once young and cool (at least in your fuzzy memories). Several years ago my beloved Grandma passed away. Since I'm known as the sentimental one in my family, it was decided that I should become the lucky recipient of Grandma's...shoes! Those who know me well know that I'm a bit of a fashion nut & also a fan of classic, vintage items. The problem with my new shoe collection is that Grandma's shoes are at least half a size small and as stylish as my Grandma was, well, they're not shoes that she wore in her 20's (or even 50's!). These are the shoes that Grandma was wearing in her 80's. So taking up a large corner in my closet, I've got at least 20 pairs of shoes that I can't wear or even bring myself to give away. One day I walked into my closet & I could almost hear Grandma say "Dolly, my white shoes would look so pretty with your green dress." So, I threw caution (and fashion and comfort) to the wind & squeezed into a pair. This turned out to be the first (and hopefully last!) time my style was criticized in the press: "Erin Murphy's cute dress was cursed by her matronly pumps!" You just can't win.

& it Tastes Great!

I just watched a Dateline NBC piece about infomercials. Dateline created a pill that they claimed would moisturize your skin "from the inside out". They hired a production company to make the infomercial and a doctor, a host and a group of testimonial people that all said how effective the product was. The problem was, the product wasn't effective at all. It was really...Nestle Quik! The host (who shall remain nameless since we have the same agent) lost all credibility when she acknowledged that, despite her claim, she'd never tried the product. What's the difference between an actor in a 30 second commercial and a host of a 30 minute infomercial? Well, in the first you're "an actor" playing a character, probably even given a different name (He likes it, hey Mikey!). In the latter, you're being yourself and if you say you "use it and like it", you should really use it and like it! I understood the difference between acting and endorsing when I was six. I was hired to promote arguably the worst flavor of ice cream Baskin Robbins ever created. I graced the posters and smiled my way thru the campaign. But when I made personal appearances and people asked me if I liked the flavor, I honestly said that I preferred Jamocha Almond Fudge. As a post script, I saw the host from the infomercial on the season premiere of Criminal Minds and ...she's a really good actress!

16 Minutes

I'm sure you've all heard the old Andy Warhol quote: “In the future everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes.” It always surprises me how many people want to be famous. They see fame as a goal. . They change the way they look, act, dress all in the pursuit of fame. They do unusual or even disgusting things to achieve fame (reality television anyone?). I don't usually acknowledge my tenuous grasp on fame, but for my first ever post, in my first ever blog I feel like I should be candid.
I've been famous...& it's really not that great.