Candace Bushnell Presents Life in “The Broadroom”

She has influenced an entire generation with her celebrated “Sex and the City” series and film, and entertained countless women with her books and articles. And now, Candace Bushnell is set to capture more infatuated followers with her innovative four-part Web series, “The Broadroom.” The Savvy Gal was at the premiere at Fred’s, the restaurant within Barney’s flagship store in New York City, along with Bushnell and the stars of the show.

The project, sponsored in partnership with Meredith’s MORE magazine and Maybelline New York’s Color Sensational Lipstick, spotlights the multifaceted life of women in the workplace from Bushnell’s classically humorous point of view.

The event kicked off with active mingling, followed by a warm welcome from MORE editor Lesley Jane Seymour, who introduced the Web series, described its target viewers and explained that the “age 55-and-over demo” are among the fastest-growing and biggest users of the Web as well as the most active consumers. “The only women in the stores are the women over 40, these are the people who still have the money,” she said. She acknowledged the cooperative effort of a number of organizations and individuals before she introduced Bushnell.

Bushnell described the evolution of the project and shared how she, Meredith Corp and Maybelline collaborated to create “The Broadroom.” With a preview of the first Webisode, it was clear that Bushnell’s unique ability to present the private thoughts and ideas most women collectively share — but don’t always reveal, would once again prevail in this work. And while the segments are engaging and amusing, what women appreciate most about Bushnell’s writing is that we can recognize slants of ourselves we may think no one else understands. Asked what she hopes to convey to viewers through “The Broadroom,” Bushnell says, “The message to women is to ‘be yourself.’”

The colorful cast of ladies featured in the Webisodes include Jennifer Esposito (“Samantha Who?”), Jennie Garth (“90210″), and Talia Balsam (“Mad Men”).

Decked in a short black dress and red Maybelline lipstick, Garth explained how she hopes the Webisodes would impact viewers: ” ‘The Broadroom’ exposes how complex and diverse women are and that they can in fact handle anything,” she said.

The Webisodes can be viewed at Maybelline.com/TheBroadroom or www.thebroadroomonline.com.

Dixie Carter in “Our First Christmas”

Like every year, Dixie Carter is in her native state of Tennessee, for the holidays. This time she’s arrived earlier than usual, because the auditorium that bears her name, The Dixie Carter Center for the Performing Arts and Cultural Advancement, is holding a national reading celebration called “The Big Read,” in the town of Huntington where she went to high school.

“To watch children come off the bus to enjoy the cultural events in the Center is heartwarming,” Dixie said. “I’m so thrilled to be a part of this significant effort.” She describes her dedication to the event with the same passion she applies to every role she plays, whether in the community or on television.

Dixie has starred in more than six television series and is a frequent guest-star on today’s most popular shows. In 2007, Dixie received an Emmy Award nomination for her guest-starring role as Gloria Hodge on ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.” Although best known as tough attorney Randi King on CBS’s “Family Law,” and prior to that as independent design diva, Julia Sugarbaker on the long-running hit series “Designing Women,” Dixie now takes on the delicate role so many of us can relate to: The plight of the blended family during the holiday season.

“Our First Christmas,” (on the Hallmark Channel) stars Dixie Carter as loving grandma Evie who, having recently lost her son, is still committed to upholding the holiday traditions she has shared with her grandchild. The problem is that her daughter-in-law has remarried and with the holidays just around the corner, the newlyweds are determined to make the new blended family’s first Christmas perfect.

Unfortunately, both families bring conflicting traditions to the table, and there’s no way everyone can do both. This holiday tale explores what happens when the season of giving invades a freshly blended family and their respective long-standing traditions. Ultimately, everyone will have to realize that giving up old traditions doesn’t mean forgetting what they represented, and maybe having a new family calls for starting new traditions.

“I feel for my character,” Dixie explained to TheSavvyGal.com. “It is, after all, her son who has died.” The story spotlights Evie’s experience as a very alone woman who finds joy in her involvement with her family. It exposes the conflicting emotions most blended families experience as they begin to walk forward in their newly revised reality.

Dixie’s portrayal of a woman actively juggling her convictions with her personal desires was a delicate undertaking for the actress. She sought to demonstrate Evie’s strength while simultaneously representing her softer side. “But I learned a long time ago that if we want an audience to empathize we mustn’t ever whine or cry,” so a big job for Dixie was to not feel too pitiful. “I had such a good talking to with myself to avoid a ‘poor me’ situation.”
While the issues of sacrifice and compromise are a given in a blended family environment, Dixie believes that to make it work, trust and good faith play a vital function and must be exercised by each member of the family. “There is a strong message in the story about our power to withhold happiness from others,” Dixie noted. Although her character, Evie, feels disenfranchised and marginalized, she is a spirited and intelligent woman who prevails.

Dixie shares how she and husband, actor Hal Holbrook, have reflected on the core subject matter of “Our First Christmas,” and they concluded that the blended family experience affects almost every home in the country either directly or indirectly.

“For this very reason, viewers will find this story touching as well as thought-provoking,” Dixie said.

“Our First Christmas” also features two-time Emmy nominee John Ratzenberger (“Cheers,” “WALL-E”), Steven Eckholdt (“Secret Santa”) and Julie Warner (“Tommy Boy”). It is a Hallmark Channel Original Movie airing Saturday, December 20 (9/8c).

Daphne Zuniga, “The Mail Order Bride”

With so many dramatic roles to her credit, you may not guess that Daphne Zuniga is one of the most down-to-earth, fun-loving actresses in Hollywood. But this month, Daphne devotees will get to see her high-spirited side when she stars in Hallmark Channel’s original movie premiere, “Mail Order Bride,” a story of the divisiveness of deceit and the liberating power of truth.

Daphne became a familiar face around the world when she appeared for four years as Jo Beth Reynolds on the hit series “Melrose Place,” although she had been busy acting since the early eighties in a number of films such as “Spaceballs,” “A Sure Thing” and “Gross Anatomy,” among other cult classics. Her television credits include the highly rated NBC miniseries’ “Pandora’s Clock” and “Degree of Guilt,” both based on best- selling novels, and guest spots on “Spin City,” “Stark Raving Mad,” “Eve” and “Law and Order.” Daphne recently starred in the ABC Family Channel’s series “Beautiful People” as well as “One Tree Hill” and will guest star on the critically acclaimed “Nip/Tuck.”

Of the Hallmark movie, set in the 1880s, Daphne told TheSavvyGal.com that her role as Diana McQueen was an eye-opening experience. McQueen is a con woman who flees from her handler, then poses as her recently deceased friend in order to marry a man neither woman has ever met. But Diana’s lies begin to unravel when her new “fiance,” becomes suspicious and her former captor comes back to reclaim her.

As she immersed herself in the role, she was able to grasp the reality that women were truly just considered the possession of men. “There were just a few women who were forward thinking and took chances like Diana,” the actress explained. “She was an adventurer and didn’t live the way she was expected to at that time.”

Daphne also noted how her 1880s period attire made her realize the additional suppression women had to endure at that time. “I wore a petticoat, sometimes two,” she said. “And then there are the corsets, stockings and lace-up boots. No zippers; and layers upon layers over undergarments.” Daphne tolerated the discomfort because it helped her become her character. “There’s no faking it when you’re working on a Western. You get in that big old dress and you get out in the open country with the horses and it takes you out of your head and sends you into a different era.”

Daphne considered Diana in “Mail Order Bride” to be the best female character she has ever seen in the pages of a Western movie script. “Women are under-represented in Westerns anyway,” she explained. “So playing one who was so adventuresome and courageous was an absolute joy for me.”

“Acting, in its purest form, is a noble craft,” she said. “People create stories with the intent to let an audience experience humanity. Enjoying the characters sheds a light on a different experience of being human to the viewer.” Daphne said she strives to be objective with every role she takes on so as not to impose “Daphne” into it and completely absorb herself into her character.

In addition to her work on “Mail Order Bride,” Daphne can be seen in a documentary co-created with Chris Anderson called “ConnecTED,” about the TED convention, an annual conference held in Monterey, Calif. that attracts the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers. The busy actress is also producing an upcoming Hallmark movie in which she also stars.

When not acting, Daphne is an activist, involved with a variety of charities and environment programs. She’s currently involved with the group “Environmental Justice,” serving poor people who suffer with asthma in places where the disease has risen to epidemic levels. She divides her time between Los Angeles and New York.

“Mail Order Bride” airs Saturday, November 8th (9:00 / 8:00 c) on the Hallmark Channel.

Shannon Tweed and Sophie Tweed Simmons Support a Cure

If you think most mother-daughter relationships involve strife and conflict, here’s a case to prove otherwise. For Canadian-born Shannon Tweed and her daughter, 16-year-old Sophie Tweed Simmons, the “mom-bond” is nothing short of a blessing.

Their personal connection is loving and solid, shattering stereotypical presumptions. And by their joint charitable work they’re fused with a single-minded effort to promote breast cancer awareness.

Shannon and Sophie return for the second year as Honorary Hosts of Cure in the Canyons Luxury-Fest for Breast Cancer Research, helping to raise funds for innovative medical and clinical research in the fight against breast cancer, which is held in the Los Angeles area.

Shannon was once a regular on CBS’s “Falcon Crest,” NBC’s “Days of Our Lives,” HBO’s “First and Ten,” WB’s “Tom Arnold Show” and “My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star” with Oliver Hudson. She has also guest starred on numerous shows including “Fantasy Island,” “Frasier,” “Married with Children” and “Wings.”

“I’m a pretty small-town girl who was thrown into the L.A. scene and it took me a long time and a lot of paddling to get out of the deep water. I didn’t have guidance or agents and managers, so I sort of winged it,” she noted.

Shannon and her life partner of 25 years, rock legend Gene Simmons, have two kids, Nick 19 and Sophie 16. The colorful family has been recently featured on their own hit reality show, Gene Simmons “Family Jewels.”

In addition to acting, Shannon has authored an autobiography titled “Kiss and Tell,” is actively involved with her kids’ athletic and academic schedules and she is currently PTA President.

But even with a jam-packed schedule, Shannon considers her work with Cure in the Canyons a high priority. “Being involved with breast cancer awareness, although it’s a selfless activity, there’s a selfish element in it for me,” she said. “I want my daughter to be informed and conscious about the disease and its prevention and treatment.”

Partnering with Sophie in charitable work is critical to Shannon. “I want her to have a bigger vision of the world than her little teenage village,” she said. It’s not that you can’t be competitive in life or in school, she believes, but Shannon hopes Sophie realizes that for as much as people receive, they should learn to give back.

“When you start looking at the world as your neighborhood, then you become a little more philanthropic when you’re older, and you have a bigger view of the greater good,” she explained.

“Sophie is a really good ‘giver and helper’ and I love that about her,” Shannon said. Evidently, Sophie is destined to follow in her mother’s footsteps, which underscores the impact a mother and daughter team can have when they serve side by side.

If you have a passion for luxury, celebrities and entertainment, you’ll want to make your way to Westlake Village, California on Sunday, October 5th to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month by participating in the Cure in The Canyons II, a fundraising event designed to raise funds for ongoing research at the Four Seasons Hotel from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm. For more information and registration, visit www.cureinthecanyons.com.

As a part of the Cure in the Canyons festivities, Shannon and Sophie along with Lorraine Toussaint, currently starring in TNT’s hit “Saving Grace,” will host a Tea Party for Breast Cancer survivors from 12:30 – 1:00p.

Jane Velez-Mitchell’s Passion for the Planet3

“If you love animals, don’t eat them and don’t wear them.” This may sound like a severe statement to some, but not to one passionate woman who believes that peace begins on your plate. Prominent journalist and author Jane Velez-Mitchell suggests you can go through life without hurting a single creature, a principle to which she ardently ascribes.

Unlike some hardcore environmentalists and animal activists, Jane doesn’t fit the stereotypical mold, at times considered inflexible or unreasonable. Sharp and quick-witted, she captivates listeners with an astounding ability to argue a case with grace and empathy. Her big brown eyes engage in immovable eye contact, demonstrating a unique ability to connect with an audience, which is how she has managed to rise to the top of a vastly competitive media industry. Whether face-to-face or as she addresses a television audience, Jane commands attention in a convincing “I’ve got something significant to say” posture.

Although her list of professional accomplishments is long, Jane considers herself first and foremost an animal activist.

“All the work I do on camera is to keep my face out there so I have credibility and name recognition in order to help animals,” she said. Her television credits include more than 10 years of anchoring for KCAL-TV in Los Angeles, where her newscasts won four Southern California Golden Mike awards and an Emmy. She was a reporter for WCBS-TV in New York City for eight years, where she shared an Emmy for her work. She is often seen on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC and other national cable shows commenting on various high-profile cases. Jane provided daily commentary on the Michael Jackson molestation trial for “Nancy Grace” on CNN Headline News and hosted the show for Nancy while she was on maternity leave. She is a correspondent on Showbiz Tonight and has appeared on Larry King Live and Celebrity Justice.

After covering the Michael Jackson trial, Jane evolved as a first rate crime reporter. She has authored a compelling book about some of the most notable cases in contemporary culture, which she likes to call an “anti-crime” book. A fascinating read, “Secrets Can Be Murder” (Simon & Schuster), is a revealing peek into the lives of the most prominent criminals.

“The hook of the book is that the secrets that criminals kill over are some of the same ones you and I keep,” Jane said. She tells how there are just a handful of fundamental issues where people keep secrets, sex being the first. “Infidelity, illegitimacy and sexual orientation are secrets that can fester, so people create lies to protect that secret,” she said. “Those lies will be exposed if you don’t cover them with other lies, so ultimately people can become so perverse about protecting their secret that they will even kill another human being in order to do so.”

Throughout the book she draws attention to personal honesty. “Life is a journey about self-discovery, so whatever your secret is, it’s important that you come to terms with it,” Jane said. “We need to determine who we really are as opposed to who we think we should be and then remain true to ourselves.”

In addition to being a successful reporter and author, Jane is also a tireless activist. She’s currently hard at work on getting the California Healthy Pets Act (AB1634) passed in her home state. “This bill essentially says ‘spay or neuter your pet or get a permit,’” she said. “Because if you don’t there’ll be an exponential explosion and in a couple of years that dog becomes a thousand dogs.” Jane’s objective is to save the half a million dogs and cats that are killed each year just in California.

She’s also working on a new initiative called The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, which will be on the ballot in California this November.

“This bill simply says farm animals must have room to turn around and extend their limbs,” Jane said. “Because right now farm animals do not even have the right to turn around while kept in their cage.” She explained that pigs and chickens are kept in gestation crates the size of their bodies and they are not able to freely turn. “Cruelty is rampant and it’s barbaric and horrific, and currently there are hardly any laws to protect farm animals.” Her primary focus, using her investigative skills as a journalist, is to inform Americans about what’s really going on inside factory farms.

It’s no surprise that Jane is a devoted vegan, given her penchant for honoring personal convictions. She refuses to use her body as a graveyard for animals. “I don’t want the chemicals, additives and adrenaline that come from the fear of slaughter in my system.” She credits her high energy to her restricted diet: “Cut out the junk, the fast food, meat and dairy, and eat fruit, vegetables, nuts and grains, and you too will be sharper and have more energy.” Even her pooches, three adorable dogs she rescued, are 99 percent vegetarian. They eat vegan canned wet food, lots of tofu, noodles, potatoes, brown rice and veggie faux cheese. (An occasional treat may contain fish, but Jane hopes to wean the dogs from those soon.)

In addition, Jane has a cruelty-free bathroom; she doesn’t use major brands because most of them use animals for experimentation. She buys from and supports places that don’t harm animals or the environment, like her local co-op and organic food markets.

“Reevaluate your notion of what it means to be clean,” she said. “If you’re using products that harm the environment, then you’re cleaning your house but dirtying the planet.”

Although she admits that you probably can’t go through life never using a plastic bag or bottle.

“Just because you can’t do it 100 percent of the time doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.” And as a steadfast environmentalist, Jane uses a metal container for water while on set so she doesn’t have to ask for a plastic water bottle.

To adhere to such a strict routine, one might say that Jane is a woman of tremendous self-discipline, but she credits other influences, those that have taught her to champion over her weaknesses. A recovering alcoholic with more than 13 years of sobriety, Jane has learned that self-control has little to do with discipline.

“I went to therapists for many years trying to quit drinking and had absolutely no success,” she said. “The obsession was almost instantly lifted from me when I attended my first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, it had nothing to do with my will power.” When Jane became sober, she felt all the shame and judgment melt away. “I’ve had many challenges in the course of my sobriety, but it has not ever occurred to me to have a drink.”

Jane doesn’t consider self-denial a form of deprivation, but chooses to replace detrimental practices with actions that produce good. This is even reflected in how she chooses to celebrate holidays and special occasions. This past year Jane declined to receive Christmas gifts and she refused to give them. She used the money she would have spent on holiday gifts to donate to the Smile Train, an organization that provides surgery to underprivileged kids born with a cleft palate.

“Just the wrapping paper alone is hurting our environment,” she said, “Holidays should not be about an orgy of consumption, it should be about giving and being of service.” Jane will not accept gifts for birthdays, or other occasions, and instead wants people to honor her by giving donations to the Smile Train or the Humane Society of America.

Although her award-winning professional accomplishments are impressive, Jane is humble and remarkably “others-oriented.” An inspiring woman on many levels, Jane’s joie de vivre is impressive and infectious. Her profound enthusiasm is balanced by a practical sense of reality. “We can’t go through life without using ANY resources, but we try to do the least amount of damage that we can. That’s my motto.”