celebrities

Win A Signed Copy of Lauren Graham’s New Book!

March 29, 2013 at 8:00 am , by Sonia Harmon

Parenthood star Lauren Graham has come a long way since she began pursuing acting—she once played a dog mascot at the World Cup!—but she never gave up on her dreams. (Read our full interview with her in the May 2013 issue.) In fact, she turned those difficult moments into inspiration for her first novel, Someday, Someday, Maybe, about a struggling young actress in New York City. The book hits shelves on April 30th, but three lucky winners will get a free copy of the book signed by Lauren herself! All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post and you’re entered to win. Good luck!

Only one entry per person, per email address. Official Rules

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Carrie Ann Inaba’s Season 16 Dancing With the Stars Blog: Week Two

March 27, 2013 at 1:39 pm , by Ladies' Lounge

I began this season with cautious excitement. I honestly hadn’t heard of many of the stars and had no idea what they would be like. Last season we had some incredible dancing and we knew everyone because it was the all-star season. But this time around, we’ve gone back to the heart of the show, which in my opinion is transformation. There is transformation on so many levels on our show and I love it. We transform our views and ideas of the stars as we watch them go through an intensely challenging ten-week competition. There’s also the physical transformation for every celebrity that dares to battle for the mirror ball trophy. And of course, there is emotional transformation of their spirit in the process of this soul-baring competition. And I think that’s what gets people hooked on the show.

This year we have some really fun personalities and I’m already excited to see them come back and perform their next dance. I think this season will be remembered as the season with heart. Everyone has room to grow. This is not feigned. It’s real and true, which makes for exciting TV.

Two of the biggest transformations so far are those of DL Hughley and Andy Dick, two comedians who have been through a lot and experienced many challenges in their lives. They were both so genuinely excited and relieved to be safe, you could see how much it meant to them, and that shows me how genuinely hard they’re working.

While I have flashed more “6″ paddles than I usually would at this point, I think our contestants are all very special. They have large personalities and their performances are bright and filled with energy and charisma. They all need to work on their technique, but there’s still an enjoyable quality to their performances. It’s refreshing.

Last night, when Dorothy Hamill suddenly decided to excuse herself from the competition—yes, that was a real moment—I was shocked. But then I was very impressed. In this day and age where we’ve all become so competitive and driven to succeed, she stopped and reminded us that we have to take care of ourselves first. Our health and our well-being should be our first priority. And while I am sad I won’t be seeing her dance again, which was a treat, I wish her well and I hope we women follow her lead by taking good care of ourselves and knowing our own boundaries as she did.

Next week we have a prom theme. I went to about 11 proms when I was in high school and I have fond memories of Journey songs and taffeta. Evening gowns have come a long way since my 80s prom days back in Hawaii! I can’t wait to see what happens next week, and I’m still wondering who would have gone home if Dorothy hadn’t pulled herself out of the competition. Someone got a free pass, but I wish everyone well and we’ll see how they do on Monday night. Until then, let’s all take good care of ourselves.

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Rachael Harris’s Surprising New Role

March 16, 2012 at 3:33 pm , by Anna Schonauer

You may know her from comedies like The Hangover and Kicking and Screaming, but in Natural Selection Rachael Harris proves she can do more than just make us laugh. In the indie drama, which hits select theatres today, she plays Linda White, a housewife whose world is turned upside down when her husband suffers a stroke. What unfolds is a road-trip tale with a bit of a twist as Linda sets out to find her husband’s out-of-wedlock son. Harris’s touching portrayal earned her the SXSW award for Breakthrough Performance at last year’s film festival, as well as a nomination for an Independent Sprit Award. We caught up with Harris, 44, to talk about her career-changing film.

LHJ: You’ve primarily done big feature comedies and TV sitcoms. Were you purposefully trying to do something different, or did this just kind of fall into your lap?

Rachael: I told my agents I don’t want to just do comedy, and I’m a big fan of actresses like Frances McDormand, Kathy Bates and Meryl Streep because they can do both comedy and drama. I knew it would be a tough sell but when they read the script for Natural Selection they thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to step outside of my comfort zone.

LHJ: You’ve said that the director, Robbie Pickering, wasn’t really interested in seeing you for this role at first. How did you change his mind?

Rachael: Well, luckily I didn’t know that he didn’t want me for the role, and I’m really grateful to the casting people who insisted that he take a meeting with me. During our meeting I talked to him about the script—in particular the scene where she’s brushing her teeth and Abe is at the hospital. She’s so overwhelmed and just trying to be normal and she can’t. She’s consumed with fear and loneliness and she has to turn on the water just to feel normal. So I was telling Robbie about my divorce and how I understand this character and he was like, “Oh wow, she’s been through a lot.” Then I read for him and I got the part. I’m glad he took that meeting!

LHJ: How did you get into the mindset of being Linda? She’s much more vulnerable than a lot of characters you’ve played.

Rachael: I think what I connected to the most was Linda’s faith in the beginning that everyone is good. She’s described in the film as “this perfect little angel in a puffy coat” and that’s how I thought of her, as this person that’s just very unconditional and eventually has to learn that people can still be really good even though they make bad decisions from time to time.

LHJ: Was it harder for you to play a dramatic role?

Rachael: I don’t really try to do anything different with comedy or drama; I just try to be real. The movies I respond to are the ones where the performances are so heartfelt and you can really relate to the characters and feel what they’re feeling. When I’m acting I always trying to be truthful in the moment and hopefully the audience feels that.

LHJ: Natural Selection swept the SXSW Film Festival awards last year. Were you surprised?

Rachael: We didn’t expect it at all. It blew us away. We weren’t even sure how many people would see it, so we certainly didn’t expect to sweep the whole thing. And then the Independent Spirit Award nomination was even crazier! It’s crazy that I was nominated with Michelle Williams and Elizabeth Olsen. I mean, it was a big deal for me. I’m very proud of the work that I did in this film, so to get this response feels really, really good.

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Get-Fit Clicks

October 18, 2011 at 12:48 pm , by jbrown

* Not all fall foods are unhealthy. These seven autumnal ingredients are slimming, satisfying and pack tons of nutrients. (HuffPo)

* Trying to lose weight? Tweet about it! Senator Claire McCaskill used Twitter to hold herself accountable to her slim-down plan and now she’s 50 pounds lighter. (CNN)

* If you can’t afford a personal trainer, don’t sweat it—just steal the pros’ get-fit tricks. (FitSugar)

* Eating several mini meals a day instead of three squares is best for weight loss, right? Here’s why that may be more fiction than fact. (EatingWell)

* Oh, KFC: I’m going to withhold my commentary on your new Cheesy Bacon Bowl—a combo of cheese, bacon, fried chicken, corn and mashed potatoes with gravy—and instead quote comedian Patton Oswalt’s now-classic riff on your Famous Bowls. (The NSFWish video is here.) “Stop right there! Can you pile all of those items into a single bowl and just kinda make them into a wet mound of starch that I can eat with a spoon like I’m a death-row prisoner on suicide watch?…Is there a way that the bowl can play This Mortal Coil’s It’ll End in Tears album while I’m eating it at 2:00 in the morning in my darkened apartment, just kind of staring into the distance?…If you could put my lunch in a blender and liquefy it and put it into a caulking gun and then inject it right into my femoral artery, even better. But until you invent the lunch gun, I would like a failure pile in a sadness bowl.” (Eater)

 

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Get-Fit Clicks

July 26, 2011 at 12:33 pm , by jbrown

* Ease your killer PMS with these 6 foods. (Bread making the list = a way less cranky me.) (HuffPo)

* And the best type of exercise for a healthy heart is… (Yahoo Health News)

* Hungry Girl’s new recipe for Happy Birthday Cake Shake is making me want to run home to my blender NOW. (Hungry Girl)

* Want to have the body of (the sister of) a princess? Pippa Middleton’s trainer is set to publish an exercise book in January. (NY Daily News)

* Check out Kirstie Alley’s 90-pound weight loss! (USA Today)

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Go Ask Gab: Oscar Fashion Round-Up

February 28, 2011 at 11:09 am , by Gabrielle Porcaro

I think most people are in agreement that this year’s award show was pretty boring. (Reading funny tweets is about the only thing that got me through the night.) Was it the hosts? One who appeared high and didn’t seem to want to be there, and the other one who was way too enthusiastic and exited? The bad writing? The strange homages to great movies of the past? Or was it the dull fashion choices? I’m not going to bore you all over again so here’s my short and sweet sum up:

Cate Blanchett: She was my favorite although her dress got a mixed reaction. (Someone on Twitter said her dress looked like an old chair). Whether you cared for the Givenchy Haute Couture gown or not, Cate makes interesting fashion choices and no matter what she wears she always looks amazing.

Hailee Steinfeld: Finally a 14-year old that dresses like a 14-year old should!

Jennifer Lawrence: She was basically wearing a gown version of a Baywatch swimsuit. You can’t go wrong with minimal and sexy.

Natalie Portman: I have no real opinion on the Rodarte dress (our Fashion Editor Sue thought it was bridesmaid-esque) but I loved LOVED the earrings. Can somebody pick those up at Tiffany for me please?! Thanks!

Gwyneth Paltrow: The Calvin Klein gold column dress was one of my favorites and definitely better than the dress she wore to perform in. (Why didn’t she just wear that jumpsuit she wore to sing with Cee-Lo at the Grammys?!)

Helen Mirren: Age appropriate and looking fine as always!

Hilary Swank and Halle Berry: They take the “If it ain’t broke” approach but I am so bored of seeing them in the same style dress. Lame!

Michelle Williams: I thought she looked adorable. Loved the Chanel gown but I prefer it when she takes risks. A white short-sleeve skin-hugging dress is too safe.

Amy Adams: Her blue sparkly gown looked better on stage then it did on the red carpet. Her necklace choice was wrong.

Mila Kunis: The look was gorgeous. I loved the bottom of the Elie Saab Haute Couture dress but all my attention goes to the boobs and the lace detail. To me they looked like pasties, which I guess in a way they were.

Scarlett Johanasson: I wasn’t quite digging the dress at first. It did grow on me but I do not like the boob region. Above it, yes. Below it, yes. But the middle see-through section — not so much!

Jennifer Hudson: While I’m on the topic of boobs… Ladies just because you have a slamming body doesn’t mean you need to show your lady parts off. It wasn’t working for her.

So what did you think about this year’s Oscar fashion?

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Get-Fit Clicks

December 14, 2010 at 2:10 pm , by jbrown

* If you want to start strength-training, it pays to get guidance from a pro: weight-room injuries are on the rise. (NY Times)

* Will a tax on soda help Americans lose weight? Not so much, according to a recent study. (Yahoo)

* Legwarmer queen Jane Fonda is back in the fitness DVD game! I think my mom still has the VHS of Jane’s Prime Time Workout that we used to do together…ah, memories. (FitSugar)

* The Biggest Loser will be Jillian Michaels-less after the next season. We’re dying to find out who’s replacing her because really, who could? (Hollywood Reporter)

* Westin Hotels & Resorts is now lending gym gear to guests. While I trust them to clean the stuff I’ll still be packing my own sports bras, thanks. (Wall Street Journal)

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