When I’m asked if I’m having as much fun as it looks like I’m having at the Smart Talk events in Cincinnati…the answer is an astounding, yes! Last night Smart Talk brought the brilliant and hilarious Patricia Heaton to Cincinnati for their Smart Talk Connected Conversations series.
Patricia was bubbly and so interesting. She’s definitely a girl’s girl. She feels like one of your girlfriends. Best of all, she’s from Ohio! (No wonder she’s so sweet!)
She’s not a fussy diva actress. In fact, she was forthright about the “work” she’s had done to her body, some of which are, collagen fillers, Botox, veneers on her teeth, tummy tuck, breast lift, fake nails, fake eyelashes, amongst many other treatments. Hey, she is in Hollywood after all. Of course she feels the pressure to be beautiful. She even jokingly talks of the new hairs that are growing on her face now that she’s hit menopause. …see, I told you she was open to sharing everything!
She’s been married …to the same man, gasp…for almost 20 years! She has four sons that seem to make her world go around. After an incredible successful run as the wife/mother on Everybody Loves Raymond, she’s now on The Middle, which is also enjoying it’s share of newfound success.
She shared with us the trials and tribulations of Hollywood and Motherhood. For instance, at a casting call, a director pulled her aside and said, “look, honey, I want to be honest with you, we are looking for an extremely attractive actress.” Ouch! It takes some thick skin to endure that type of torture. She also speaks about Hollywood’s beautiful people “starving themselves.” She said when she was broke and had no money, her refrigerator only had yogurt and Grape Nuts. Now that she’s a successful actress…her refrigerator only has yogurt and Grape Nuts. Actresses have to starve themselves to remain viable in Hollywood. Hunger would definitely be a downside of fame.
One of the most endearing things I love about Patricia was that she’s deeply spiritual. She “gets” the mind/body/soul connection. She attends church regularly. She has gone on missions to help those less fortunate.
Smart Talk does it again! They always manage to bring the biggest and brightest personalities to their Connected Conversations series. Next week Cincinnati welcomes Patricia Heaton to the Aronoff on March 15, 2010. Patricia will be speaking on Motherhood and Hollywood …and I’m sure she’ll share a little background dirt on her wildly successful run as the wife/mother on Everyone Loves Raymond.
The Smart Talk Connected Conversations series is an incredible experience. The energy is alive. The conversation is brilliant. The company is phenomenal! Tickets are still available …click herefor more information.
What Gossip Girl’s Kelly Rutherford is buzzing about now: Brantley Active Enzymes Plus ($30 from BrantleyCure.com). “I take these every day to nix bloating.”
Seriously, how much fun can you have in one night? Smart Talk Connected Conversations brought Ann Compton to town last night and she nailed it! Literally, from the opening paragraph into her speech, I was captivated…we were all captivated. Ann has so many interesting stories, you could just talk to her for hours. And you can see by the pictures, she’s completely down to earth and sincere.
Ann has covered seven presidents for ABC News in a career that has taken her to the White House and Capital Hill. She is the national correspondent for ABC News Radio, based in Washington, D.C.
It’s overtly obvious that she’s an excellent speaker. She’s dynamic and she captures the audience instantly. Below are some notes I took during her speech. Everything she said was so interesting, I could barely take notes fast enough.
* She was the only broadcast reporter allowed to remain on board Air Force One during the dramatic hours when President Bush was unable to return to Washington.
* The Dalai Lama told President Obama that we needed for female leaders! (ed. note: Team Dalai Lama!)
* President Bush emailed her yesterday. He’s working on a book.
* Thanks to Google Map, she learned Bill Ayres …yes, this Bill Ayres, lives in her childhood home in Chicago.
* On Air Force One, everything, everything, has the Presidential Seal, from the seat belts, the drinking glasses to the razors in the bathroom.
* On 09/11, Air Force One landed in Louisiana …because they were out of gas, and only for that reason.
* The infamous potatoe/potato blunder made by Dan Quayle was, in part, not his fault. It was an error made by a teacher on a flash card that he was reading.
* The biggest news source right now…it’s YouTube, believe it or not.
* Ann’s only lukewarm on the notion of social media. She thinks it’s the dumbing-down of news, and at times, grossly inaccurate.
* On August 6, 1990, president George H. W. Bush sent her an apology note (on presidential stationary) saying he was sorry for being too snippy with her in an interview. He signed it with a smiley face!
* “Social media is fraught with error and bad judgement.”
* One of her favorite websites is the DrudgeReport.com.
* Ann still sees the good in on the spot reporting, however. For instance, reporters were not allowed to view Saddam Hussein being put to death. The reason we saw those images thereafter was due to camera phones of those who witnessed it.
* Ronald Regan threw great cocktail parties for the press.
* Ronald Regan called Ann in the hospital the day her daughter was born to send warm wishes. (Wow!)
* The speech writer for Obama is (surprisingly) only 27 years old.
* Ann goes directly to the White House every day for work, not ABC offices.
* Ann was offered a job her senior year of college. She says she has never applied for a job in her life.
* Jimmy Carter once referred to Ann as “the reporter with the large diamond ring.”
* Ann is married to Dr. William Hughes, and has four kids.
* Her children are the following: A doctor, a lawyer, a software designer, and a budding media exec.
* She was with president bush at the elementary school when 09/11 went down.
* She first sat down and cried about 09/11 when she got back and checked her email. The first email was from her son, stating his fraternity brother was on the 93rd floor of the World Trade Center.
Ann is truly an inspiration to all career girls, and women in general. She’s a fearless female leader who has earned her place at the top.
Since 1974, when she became the first female reporter to cover the White House on a fulltime basis, Ann Compton has traveled the world in the company of six presidents. From her award-winning coverage of 9/11 to her induction into the Journalism Hall of Fame, she has balanced her professional obligations with those of her own “first” family of four children. For unique insight into the Capitol stories behind the headlines, join the dynamic Ann Compton in Cincinnati on 02/25/2010.
Most of the best advice I’ve ever received in my life has came from my Mom. Check out this latest tip she sent me. I will never peel a potato again. Genius!
…….Last night I had the amazing opportunity to work with Smart Talk Women to invite the adorable Miss Valerie Bertinelli to Cincinnati. And let me just say, we had so much fun! First, with the obvious….yes, she’s as cute and bubbly in person as she is on screen. She graciously and patiently signed her books and went on to speak about “taking your life back.” This girl is truly in her zone, her sweet spot, if you will. It’s hard to imagine that someone with everything that she has could have gotten lost along the way for so many years, but she did. Well, she’s found her groove and she is loving life. Happiness just oozes from her and it’s so great to see her (or anyone) who is in their sweet spot of life. Here’s what our girl, Barbara Cooper, er, Valerie, had to say:
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Without a doubt, the true love of her life is her son, Wolfie (Wolfgang Van Halen.) She delights in speaking about her son and his natural (okay, inherited) passion for music. She said that Wolfie, now 18, has chosen his path in life and that’s certainly music. He tours with his dad, Eddie Van Halen, playing bass.
Valerie on Eddie: They have a great relationship. In fact, she texted him yesterday (on his 55th birthday) to wish him a happy birthday. They have found common ground and both Eddie and Valerie are happy now. Val said when she went to give the “sex” talk with Wolfie, she deferred it to dad, Eddie. She then realized she sent her child to a rockstar for advice on sex! ha!
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On the bikini: Val says it was hard for her to believe, too. She weighed 122 pounds in this picture, and worked very, very hard for it. She said she’s about 10 pounds heavier now, but that was a goal, and, wow, did she nail it. She looks amazing. This is a 49 year old woman looking 22! You. Go. Girl.
Valerie on the weight: Emotional eating is what helped Val pack on more than 170 pounds. She said she was so embarrassed everywhere she went. She heard the whispers….”Is that Valerie Bertinelli? She’s so fat.” Years of being unhappy with herself is what got her to a place of being overweight.
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Flash forward: She lost 40 pounds and she’s running the Boston Marathon in April, a few days before she turns 50! Valerie says running is what has transformed her body. Did she like running? NO! But, she adjusted and is learning to love what it does for her body.
Valerie on boyfriend of 5 years, Tom Vitale: Val says Tom fell in love with her when she was 40 pounds heavier (we love him already.) Not only that, but Tom is a University of Cincinnati graduate! Love that! Tom is obviously her pillar. She even brought him on stage at one point, pointed at him and said “this is why sex is great!” They are very sweet together. He brought her a glass of champagne when she and I were talking, and she responded “thank you, baby!”
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Jalapeno Poppers: The root of all evil. When Val was at her heaviest, she and Jalapeno poppers were the best of friends. This was her go-to comfort food. She said she’d even put cheddar and sour cream poppers in the oven and mix them around …just to surprise herself with each bite. She hasn’t touched them in three years.
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Insight: Valerie on single parenting: “You have to love your kids more than you hate your ex.”
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Not only does Valerie write books, she’s an avid reader. Val has been doing book club with her girlfriends for 12 years!
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Is Valerie in the tech-loop: You bet! You can find her on Twitter @Wolfiesmom and her blog is ValerieBertinelli.com.
