Deidre Hall— How Does She Do It?

I had the unique opportunity to interview one of my mentors/inspirations on my radio show, The UPBEAT Entertainment News Syndicate Radio... Mom, Actress, Producer, Author, Comedienne and Genuine Person... Deidre Hall. I met Deidre when I was an artist/illustrator... she was so incredibly supportive that I have to confess, it gave me the profound belief and support to reach higher and never ever stop. I loved her book and the energy it exudes... How Does She Do It [originally titled Does This Mascara Make My Ass Look Big]... is insightful, funny, witty and helpful. Unlike other books of this nature, How Does She Do It allows you to feel connected to so many woman who have also searched for a sense of confidence and motivation on a number of levels, both internally and externally.

So, how do those gorgeous women you see on television keep it all glued together, year after year? How in the world do they still look eerily like they did when you watched the show in the eighties with your Grandma? Deidre Hall, best known to many as the ever-patient, impossibly good Dr. Marlena Evans for more than thirty years on NBC's Days of Our Lives, is obviously having fun with this. Along with co-author and longtime pal Lynne Bowman, Hall is sharing beauty secrets, personal stories and professional tips gleaned from decades in front of an unforgiving camera lens. They start with "What Beauty Is and Why It Matters," moving right on through how to get the sleep you need, how to stand, how to move, apply makeup, dress, style hair, groom hands and feet. There are so many candid and comprehensive discussions of permanent makeup, hair removal, plastic surgery and cosmetic dentistry, weight loss, and even great notes on fragrance. Expect to find some truly pro-level techniques you didn't already know, along with a different twist on things you thought you already knew, all wrapped in a surprisingly charming package from one of television's most beloved legends.

Deidre Hall and Lynne Bowman open up in this truly impressive book with an endearing look at their own Moms, [both clearly beautiful women in their own right], and the message conveyed is abundantly clear: Beauty is absolutely timeless, priceless and subjective; it's the creative tools that have changed. To that end, Hall and Bowman go into detail about many of the beauty methods available in all areas today. They present the levels of the beauty preparedness one must have as something akin to the US Terror Alert Scale. If you find yourself laughing in agreement and recognition, prepare to do so throughout the entire book. Their sense of humor and self-deprecating attitude is made manifest as they detail many areas of beauty tools and treatments, such as: Sleep, posture, makeup, lighting, shopping, skin care, permanent makeup, hair care, plastic surgery, exercise, weight loss, dental work, and fragrance. 

Each of these specific dynamics is given a healthy treatment; no stone or eyeshadow palette is left unturned as Hall and Bowman spice up the book with pictures and anecdotes from their own careers and quest for the ultimate beauty tips, tricks and tools in each field of beauty they cover. As in their first book, the overall tone is not at all pharisaical; my favorite line, for example, is, "The girl who put down the books and slept will also look way better at the exam, by the way." Hall and Bowman make it so precisely clear that they are both sharing all of their long-earned knowledge in each of the areas. It's clear they are just as enthusiastic to learn and experiment as much as we, the readers, are. Deidre Hall and Lynne Bowman are scintillating and the friendship these women share with each other and with everyone else is one that feeds and nurtures our souls as well as our psyches.

An innovative brand/style that is so much more than beauty book... it is indeed a journey taken by two close friends, told with warmth, affection, compassion, humor and deeply personal observations... and when the topics get a tad bit serious, insights from professionals are infused into the lessons. The advice is candid and to the point but delivered as though you are sitting at the kitchen table having a cup of coffee and exchanging crucial information learned from the ladies. Everything from hair, make-up and exercise to simple tips on eating right and how to be the best "you" that you can possibly be. Trust me, if you read it, you will absolutely adore it! Bowman and Hall's suggestions aren't just fun to read; they REALLY DO work.

• http://www.deidrehall.com
• https://www.facebook.com/DeidreHallFanPage
• http://bowmanhall.com/

Nicollette Sheridan Case— Twists & Turns

The trial over Nicollette Sheridan's firing from Desperate Housewives featured one last plot twist Monday with the disclosure of a new mystery witness who has indicated show officials tried to cover up a correspondence related to the actress. A judge has ordered the man to appear in court Tuesday morning to determine whetheror not  he will become one of the final witnesses that jurors considering the case will hear from. The man, who was identified as Michael Reinhart, left a message for Sheridan's attorney on Sunday afternoon stating that he mistakenly got an email that suggested that messages related to Sheridan's departure would be purged. The man on the message said he didn't want to become involved in the case, but by day's end had becoming the latest intriguing thread in a trial that has featured a behind-the-scenes look at Desperate Housewives and conflicting testimony on whether Sheridan was struck by show creator Marc Cherry during a September 2008 dispute. 

"There was a definite conspiracy to cover up the correspondence on email-wise in regards to Nicollette," the caller is heard saying on the call, which was played in court outside the presence of the jury. Adam Levin, an attorney for Cherry and the ABC television network, dismissed the claims. He noted in court that he had not spoken with Reinhart. "Today's antics by the plaintiff, conjuring up mysterious emails, appears to be a last ditch effort to save her case," Levin said after Monday's proceedings. Closing arguments are likely to begin on Tuesday as both sides call their final witnesses. Sheridan's attorney Mark Baute, who received the message Sunday, said he would like to call Reinhart as a witness. Sheridan, now 48, is suing Cherry and ABC for wrongful termination and battery and is seeking $6 million in damages. All of us here at UPBEAT think that Nicollette deserves a small fortune for having to put up with Marc Cherry. That's right ABC, we/ believe that Marc Cherry doesn't really deserve another show let alone all of the dubious "ass-kissing", similar to the same empirical treatment given to ex-ABC Daytime Head Brian Frons!

In the end, the character, Edie Britt's death came after she escaped being strangled and survived a car crash only to be electrocuted by a downed power line. Baute, in opening statements, called it a triple homicide that reflected Cherry's animosity toward Sheridan. Cherry told jurors that he had contemplated killing Sheridan's character at the end of season three, but studio and network executives didn't approve. As he began to plan season five, he said he wanted to kill Britt as part of a "risky but potentially effective change to the series."

And of course, ABC, made sure that numerous witnesses for the show's creator and network testified that the decision to kill off Sheridan's Edie Britt character was made in May 2008, four months before her dustup with Cherry on the show's set. Cherry maintains he tapped the actress while trying to give her direction for a scene, but Sheridan claims he struck her hard on the left temple, leaving her stunned and humiliated. For the record, we believe Nicollette Sheridan, not only is she a superb actress, but we've spoken with and interviewed her several times and she's an extraordinary person. Maybe it's time for ABC to grow a set and take better care of their TALENT and the SHOWS as opposed to guys like Cherry and Frons!

As Harriet Ryan from The Los Angeles Times summed it all up in her brilliant piece, "Underscoring it all was the absurdity of asking a group of strangers to care deeply about the minor travails of the very rich and semi-famous." 

Her entire article can be found at:http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0313-desperate-housewives-20120313,0,3547030.story

Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group continues its pop culture connectivity series If You Like with the newest volume, If You Like Monty Python… (Limelight Editions, $16.99) by Zack Handlen. From its perfectly insane television show to its consistently irreverent and riotous movies, Monty Python has owned the zany and absurd side of comedy since its debut and has a massive following to prove it. But there’s a finite supply of Monty Python in the world, and once you’ve finished going through that supply, what happens next? In a world of dwindling video stores— and instructive video store clerks— If You Like Monty Python… guides you through over 200 films, television shows, books, and other material that will satisfy your Python withdrawal. If you have graduated from the Ministry of Silly Walks and want more, this book is for you.

One thing I have to say right off the bat is how much I enjoy the variety the company is employing here. The Beatles is a pretty obvious choice, but The Sopranos is a little out of left field. And as great as Python were, they are still (at least in the U.S.) considered relatively obscure. One thing I really enjoyed about this book is the way Handlen opens it— with a discussion of the roots of the comedy of Monty Python. While it may not be a stunning revelation that the members of the troupe found inspiration in the Marx Brothers, his mention of Charles Schulz's Peanuts was a tad bit unexpected— as was Bob Newhart's 1960 debut comedy Album LP; The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart.

As the book progresses, Handlen details the history of Monty Python's various works, plus the many other programs and such that they inspired. It is little surprise that Saturday Night Live and SCTV are included. But there are some pretty cool connections the author makes which I intend to look into as well. Although I have seen Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971) many times, the mention of it in this context is interesting— and provides me with yet another excuse to watch it (as if I REALLY needed one). 

If You Like Monty Python… navigates readers through Python’s influences from Charlie Chaplin to the Flying Circus’s predecessor on British television, At Last the 1948 Show. Handlen also looks at Python’s contemporaries, other works by the individual Pythons, and those inspired in some way by Monty Python including mockumentaries like The Office and satirists like George Carlin. The book also includes useful appendixes like “Famous Monty Python Quotes, and How to Use Them” and “Master Lists of Musts for Python Addicts.” Surprising connections one may not have initially made are what make the If You Like Monty Python... book such a worthwhile read. This is a great series, and I certainly hope that the publisher continues with it.

Brands Becoming Studios?

In many ways, product placement and entertainment is becoming indistinguishable. I think of just last year, when we watched ads for films which appeared to be just like any other YouTube video, like "Ape With AK-47," which was an ad for Rise of the Planet of the Apes. In my humble opinion, what advertisers are realizing is that traditional commercials are losing their impact more than ever before. We're in the midst of a digital revolution, and we don't pay much attention to commercials very much anymore. And the ones that we do pay attention to are getting more and more ridiculous. Advertisers know now they MUST create compelling content, something that stands on its own as being entertainment, while still advertising the product.

I think there's no doubt whatsoever that brands are going to become their own studios. They'll always have to remind themselves, though, that content comes first, which is what the Coca-Cola strategy is becoming. What I think we might see is, long-form content (episodes) on a particular brand's website or channel, and short-form content (ads) on traditional TV directing people to the website/channel. That's nthe othing new, but I think we're going to see much much more of it. The short-form content will be the length of regular commercials, but there will be a cinematic quality, or story, that will make people want to see the longer version.

The ultimate goal is to convince consumers that they are NOT just getting a reminder to buy a product. The idea will always be to use the product in such a way that an emotional connection is made with both the product and the story.