December 2009

There’s Nothing Plain About Jane: Glee on DVD

December 18, 2009 at 10:52 am , by Lisa M. Gerry

The always funny, always brilliant Jane Lynch wows us again as the diabolical cheerleading coach on the hit show Glee. (The first season will be released on DVD December 29.) I’ve been a huge fan since I saw her in Christopher Guest’s hilarious comedy Best In Show, and was so excited to get the chance to talk to her. Check out some of the highlights from our recent chat below.

I knew I wanted to play Sue Sylvester…
when they said, ‘She may or may not be on horse estrogen and she may or may not have posed for Penthouse.’

Sue Sylvester’s truth is…
that she’s aggressive, she’s a warrior and she’s always trying to take somebody down. This is a person who is only happy when she’s reigning supreme and every scene that I have is an opportunity for Sue to advance that.

I’m going to sing…
in the second episode of next season, and I am thrilled! But, I can’t tell you what it is…I’ve been sworn to secrecy.

Glee works because…
it is that perfect combination of sweetness, heart and on top of it—snark. The adult characters are kind of ridiculous and excessive, and then the kids are sweethearts. I think the balance saves the show from becoming sappy or High School Musical.

Ensemble comedies are my favorite because…
I love working with a group of people where everyone’s of equal weight and the best joke wins.

I realized I was funny…
in grade school by making people laugh. I don’t think my family thought I was particularly funny—I was just one of many in a witty family.

I look up to…
Meryl Streep. She’s one of my role models because of the huge choices she makes—they’re always grounded in a beautiful truth and a reality; Jennifer Saunders because she takes everything to the nth degree; and Carol Burnett too.

If I could star in any musical…
it would be Once Upon A Mattress. Maybe I could play the queen in that. I’d love to do Gypsy. Or Mame and play Mame or Vera. I would love to do Company—anything Elaine Stritch has done, I would humbly try to step into her shoes.

My playlist includes…
Right now, I’m into Andrea Mann. She’s this jazzy singer who sounds like she’s been around a billion years. I also listen to Joni Mitchell all the time. I like James Taylor, Carole King—I like all the stuff from the late ‘60s, early ‘70s, the folky stuff.

(For more Jane Lynch, check her out in the movie, Post Grad, costarring Alexis Bledel and Michael Keaton, which will be released on DVD January 12.)

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Downsizing Christmas, Upsizing Joy

December 17, 2009 at 5:53 pm , by Louise Sloan

“I don’t care if we just order pizza for Christmas dinner, Mom. Please, let’s just relax!”

That’s the refrain I’ve been caroling at my mom’s house over the holidays each year for the last decade at least. Not sure if my mom ever hears me. She’s too busy frantically sticking fresh-cut greens into circles of soaked peat moss to make handmade wreaths (“they last longer”), shopping for, wrapping and delivering presents to the doorsteps of her close friends, and tackling major housecleaning projects that could have, just this once, been left to professionals (“it’s a waste of money; they never do it right”).

She’s right, of course. Wreaths do last longer when the greenery is fresh and stems are kept moist. It sure is nice to get beautifully wrapped, hand-delivered presents from your close friends. And no, housekeeping services rarely do as careful a job as you would if you had the time.

But… time. That’s exactly what I miss, as Mom stresses her way toward a perfect Christmas. Time for a cup of hot cocoa and a board game. Time to enjoy each other’s company, the way we’re able to do when we get together outside of the holidays. She does make Christmas special in a lot of ways. But, truth be told, my favorite part of the holiday is late afternoon on the 25th, after church, presents, and feasting, when we can all hang out in our comfy clothes in front of a fire and just be. Together.

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Festive Florals: A Quick How-To

December 17, 2009 at 4:08 pm , by cdewet

I absolutely love the holidays! I try to have friends and family over every chance I get. Last weekend I invited my dearest friend Maya and her husband Nick over for a last-minute meal. Just because I made a quick salad and ordered in pizza didn’t mean I couldn’t throw together a quick flower arrangement and light some candles, right? Holiday tunes, some soft candlelight and this arrangement made the impromptu meal feel festive and special. Don’t let the details of a party or dinner stress you out to the point that you avoid it all together. All you really need are a few nice touches, and great people to share them with!

How to Make this Festive Floral Arrangement:

1. First get your flowers. Select a simple white flower—roses or small white carnations are affordable and work well. Then choose a green filler like plain leaves or pine branches. And of course you need a pop of red. I like these berries that I found at our local flower stall. You don’t need very many—just a couple of sprigs.

2. Then fill a wide-necked clear glass vase with lukewarm water. Take all of your flowers out of their wrapping and remove the rubber bands.

3. Place the white flowers in first, and make sure to remove any leaves that fall at or below the water level. Cut the stems* at an angle, and place one stem of flowers in at a time. This way you can vary the heights of the flowers as you build the arrangement. Next add the greenery. Again, remove the leaves that fall below the water level. Lastly add the sprigs of berries in, and you have a fun and festive arrangement!

*Tip: Just cut a bit off the stems to start, and then adjust the height as necessary. You can always make the stalks shorter, but you will find it pretty hard to make them taller again!

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In The News: Loneliness Is Contagious!

December 16, 2009 at 5:12 pm , by Cherise Bathersfield

It’s not just the flu going around this winter. Loneliness is spreading like a virus—minus the bodily fluid—according to a recent study.  Apparently one lonely person’s isolation from their network of friends has a ripple effect causing the connections between other group members to unravel, infecting them with loneliness.

So, during this holiday season while you’re busy setting and confirming travel and dinner plans, don’t assume that everyone has some place to go or people to see. Maybe inviting a non-family member to the annual family get-together would add some extra holiday cheer to this year’s event. And if you’re the one with an empty to-do list, the holidays are a great excuse to email long lost friends. Send them an e-card to let them know that your New Year’s resolution is to keep in touch. Write a comment on your friend’s newest post on Facebook. Or you could try to meet new friends by volunteering or cultivating a hobby. Websites like Meetup give you access to thousands of groups across the country that host events for practically any activity you can imagine. There really is no reason to be lonely this Christmas!

(Charlie Brown Christmas Tree from Amazon.)

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Ladies We Love: Nicole Bouchard Boles

December 16, 2009 at 2:48 pm , by Sonia Harmon

Last year Nicole Bouchard Boles started her blog, The Frugal Philanthropist, as a way to inspire people to create positive change through low or no-cost activities; today she is the author of How to Be an Everyday Philanthropist, a new book that includes hundreds of different ideas on how to make a difference.

Maybe you’ve been meaning to volunteer, but just haven’t found the time—and that’s okay! Nicole has found a plethora of ways for you to make a difference, from donating clothing to using search engines that donate money with every click. We love her enthusiasm for philanthropy, because no matter how big or small, what’s most important is that you’re doing your part.

What makes me a lady: Acting on my values. One of the most important things in life is to determine what is most important.

Favorite guilty pleasure: Shopping on the Internet, although I don’t feel so guilty about it. I always try to infuse my shopping sprees with philanthropy, so I roam though charity malls like OneCause.com to do a good deed for non-profit organizations. And I can spend hours in front of the computer wandering through Nordstrom’s website or virtual window shopping at Williams-Sonoma.

Three things on my life list: 1. To encourage as many people as possible to look at what they already have—then find a need in the world—and fill it! 2. Loving my children so powerfully and unconditionally that never in their life will they wonder what love is. 3. Taking my husband back to New York where he proposed to me under the Brooklyn Bridge.

If I could have a superpower, it would be: To vault all my memories so they never fade. I would capture every smile, every tear, and every precious moment with my children.

Ladies I admire: Mary J. Blige; I admire her attitude tremendously. She is the essence of class and compassion. Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund and persistent advocate of children’s rights. My mother; she’s always been the strongest person I know and is such a nurturer, but she’s really come into her full grace as a grandmother. And finally my daughter, a young lady of beauty, joy and almost immeasurable kindness.

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Donate Your Lunch Money and Make a Difference!

December 16, 2009 at 1:22 pm , by Julie Bain

If you’re out running errands or finishing your Christmas shopping this week, don’t hurry past the Salvation Army volunteers ringing their bells. It’s been a tough year for so many people, and demand for help from the homeless, hungry and unemployed is way up (as much as 200 percent in the New York area, say the folks at the Greater New York Division). Meanwhile, donations aren’t even close to keeping up and in many places are way down. The good news: 89 cents of every dollar you donate goes directly to helping people in need.

That’s why I decided to take what I would have spent on lunch today and drop it into the red kettle instead. Some of my colleagues at Ladies’ Home Journal decided to do the same. So we took our little bag of cash to the nearest donation site. Here are several of our staff (above) with the Salvation Army volunteers at Grand Central on 42nd Street in Manhattan. Ring those bells!

We hope we inspired you to drop your lunch money into the kettle, too. Happy holidays!

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Are Married Women Happier?

December 16, 2009 at 11:15 am , by Emily Chau

Maybe there was some truth behind Bridget Jones’s phrase “smug marrieds” after all.

New Zealand researchers found that marriage may lower your risk of depression, but that once the relationship ends you’re more susceptible to mental health disorders.  This study looked at WHO World Mental Health survey data from over 34,000 people in 15 different countries.  While previous research has shown that married women tend to be more depressed than their single counterparts, this study suggests that wedded bliss extends to both men and women. But if union ends in death, divorce or separation, women are more likely to turn to substance abuse and men have an increased risk of getting the blues.

So what’s been your experience? Is life better as a swinging single or happily married ever after?

Photo by Sweet-Things

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