Before She Broke the Internet

Photo:  Paper Magazine 2014

Before she tried to break the Internet, we broke secrets of Kim Kardashian's flawless looks. 

Kim has featured some of her favorite places in my Santa Monica neighborhood on her reality show.  I was astonished when I ran into her that she is quite gorgeous and even more petite than me, except her booty!

During a recent season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, I interviewed celebrity beauty expert Dana Waldie about treatments and products stars like Kim use to get their red carpet looks.  

Check out the links below for tips on everything from choosing makeup to help you get that celebrity glow to determining the best facial treatment for your skin type. 

Keeping Up with the Kardashians beauty series:

Part 1:  Look younger without injections

Part 2:  What it's like working on a TV set

Part 3:  Expert tips for a flawless face

Part 4:  How to get the best facial for you

Is there really any value in Kim's full frontal strip show for Paper magazine?   True beauty isn't measured by the junk in your trunk but by the light of a soul set ablaze.  Still, no harm in stealing a few A-list beauty secrets.

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Runways and Red Carpets

Victoria Beckham.  Photo:  Elle Magazine 2014

Bring on the spice! Over the past year, I've been working with stylists and makeup artists and health experts who make the stars look so good.  They've been sharing secrets from the runway to the red carpet. 

I was never one of those girls who's obsessed with fashion or makeup or perfectly flat abs. Now I have a new appreciation for the creative ones who work in those industries. Instead of shunning the culture of beauty, my goal has been to embrace it in a way that's helpful to women. 

One of the God-given desires of a woman's heart is to feel beautiful. I was being handed so many helpful ways that have transformed my confidence that I wanted to share them. Here's a compilation of videos with guests from my lifestyle webisodes. For more on any of the A-list tips, you can check out full videos on my YouTube channel.

I'm so grateful for you, creative ones. And for you, for sharing this beautiful adventure!

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Katie Couric's No Sugar Challenge: My Astonishing Results

Gwyneth Paltrow doesn't feed her kids sugar, gluten, dairy or soy. Photo from her cookbook, "It's All Good" www.linenme.com

Going sugar-free like Gwyneth Paltrow or vegan like Beyoncé is too extreme for me.  That's why I didn't immediately commit when I heard about Katie Couric's challenge to give up added sugar for 10 days (I also did a video for Katie's "Co-host for a Day" contest).

Fed Up is Katie's new film about our health crisis. The challenge, promoting the movie's launch, intrigued me because of my own struggle with obesity and family history of stroke, diabetes and weight-related issues.

Afraid I'd be setting myself up for failure, I decided to try it for three days instead of 10.  While I've mostly beaten food cravings, some of my choices are still high in sugar:  flavored yogurt, chocolate, fruit juice. I'd already given up most processed junk foods and sodas, so what was the benefit in going totally sugar-free?

Turns out there were plenty!  Starting with a shrinking gut, clearer skin, weight loss, shinier hair.

photo www.katiecouric.com

I share more about how I'm beating genetic obesity on the health and fitness site, Feel Rich, started by music mogul Quincy Jones' son but suffice it to say my body was showing astonishing benefits from being sugar-free for the first time ever.

Most surprising was the rapid weight loss. I wish I'd taken measurements on the first day of the challenge. I didn't expect to firm up and get toned like Kelly Ripa (ok, that might be overstating the results a bit).

Surprisingly, I felt compelled to keep going after the first three days.  It wasn't nearly as brutal as I'd feared; no major withdrawal like headaches or jitters.

the amount of sugar I'd normally consume in just three days!
a 'Katie' viewer suggested putting what you give up in a jar - stunning visual

I believe in listening to our bodies, which is how I lost 50 pounds defying traditional diet wisdom (read my article, Throw Away Your Scale to Lose Weight for Life) and why I kept going for 10 days.

I did feel VERY deprived at first. I especially missed drinking tea with sugar, which I replaced with sparkling water.  I also missed fruit juice - particularly since I'd already given up soda.

Quitting desserts was the hardest part. I'd already swapped super poor choices - cookies, cupcakes, Ben & Jerry's - for healthier ones like frozen yogurt and power bars but those were taboo since they have added sugar.

There were some drawbacks like afternoon exhaustion (managed with a nap) and intense sweet cravings (tamed with fresh berries).

My conclusion?  My body wants far less sugar than I've been eating - even the 'good' kinds like honey and 100% fruit juices.

So will I religiously avoid sugar like Gwyneth Paltrow and other Hollywood stars? Nah, a girl needs her occasional red velvet cupcake. But I do plan to make some permanent changes, like avoiding sweetened salad dressings and peanut butter.

Check out the challenge at www.fedupmovie.com - start your own if you missed this one!

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Daring to Stay in the Race

getting on-camera ready

It's been almost a year since I left my day job to pursue TV hosting and acting full-time in Hollywood.  

Ironically, I hadn't planned to quit my marketing job that day.  In fact, my boss and I were meeting to discuss my big promotion.  But as we talked, I just got this sense of...seaweed. wrapping around my body. suffocating. salty tears. 

Then I heard this quiet, wavering voice. 

I think I need to give you notice.

Was that my voice?!?  Give up my private office with the dual monitors?  Company happy hours? Secret stash of neon Post-it notes?  No way. I need security. I need stability. 

I need...freedom...to chase a dream that won't. go. away.

And then my boss, saying:  Don't be a fool.

So incredibly foolish throwing away a golden opportunity...except when the opportunity is killing something inside that refuses to let you be happy until you find courage to embrace it.

This might be the most foolish thing I've ever done...but I need to leave.

It was finished. I was leaving the small company I had helped build the last five years.

Has it been tough?  Absolutely.  Do I regret my decision?  Absolutely not.

Of course, there have been costs.  Not gonna lie - I miss the little extravagances that don't come with a downsized budget. Spa mani/pedis. Victoria's Secret body wash. Salon shampoo. But those luxuries don't matter much in the big picture.

Of course, there are greater sacrifices - the emotional kind.  Loneliness (even if you don't miss your former boss' wakeup calls!).  Feeling misunderstood; friends seem to think you're "unemployed" and should be available 24/7. Self-doubt. Feelings of rejection when you get passed over - after four call-backs - for a part you were 100% right for.

At times it's just downright scary.

You know, money scary.  I'm one of those people who likes to pay my bills  all on the same day every month, no worries about late or skipped payments.  Goodbye to that system without a direct deposit.  And the car? It'll have to wait for that timing belt. But, Lord, what if it breaks down on the way to an audition?!  Then the phone falls out of your pocket.  And shatters...

But when breakthroughs come, well, those are priceless.  Booking a TV pilot.  Getting published on big websites. And today, waiting to hear back about the hugest network audition of my life, one I could never have imagined.

And of course, it's confidential for now. So you can't even share the victory of finally getting in the room...

Some days the greatest success is just having dared to stay in the race. Is it worth it?  You bet your purple pedicure.
 

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Rock the Room

getting ready for a SAG national commercial audition

Lately I've been focusing all my attention on 'getting in the room.'  Hollywood is so competitive that it's a full-time job pursuing opportunities in entertainment. 

At a recent SAG national commercial casting audition, the director even posted a notice letting us know we were one of the few people chosen out of up to 2,000 candidates for EACH role!

I started the year off by saying I was going to take some risks in 2013.  Well, the big news is that I quit my day job! 

Saying goodbye to a position I'd held for almost five years - and the lucrative, steady paycheck - is terrifying!  But I hadn't been able to audition so it was time to make a choice.

From now until November is episodic season when sessions are held to cast roles for upcoming TV shows. It will be a big change from going to the office everyday but I'm excited to be a able to audition, workout much more and take on creative projects. 

And for you, whatever you do, rock the room!

-- Backstage magazine ran a great article about episodic season from casting director Caroline Liem, click here.  

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Hotshots 6.30.13

Photo: City of Prescott AZ

One of the reasons I've moved away from strictly reporting hard news into TV hosting is that some stories now affect me in a way that kills a broadcast news career.  

Such is the case with the deaths of the 19 Prescott firefighters - The Hotshots.

Some of my first big stories as a reporter were covering National Forest Service hotshot crews for an Oregon TV station.  The station would often use stringers (freelancers) to get footage from remote mountain areas but if a fire threatened lives and structures, we got the assignment.

What had started as a controlled brush fire in Eastern Oregon was turning into a raging inferno when we got the call.  The fire was burning so hot, it had jumped a river.

A photographer and I met the captain at a base camp before heading to the fire line. We would follow him in our truck to get footage from a safe place; crazy that you can literally walk to the edge of a fire line and not even get singed. 

The scene at a wildfire isn't nearly as chaotic as when a building is burning in a densely populated city. I'm seldom afraid covering natural disasters and that day was no different.  We don't think about dying, we simply do our jobs.  This is what we signed up for.

"Get out! Get out now!"  There was no warning.  In a flash, the wildfire had shifted direction.  We were trapped by an inferno on three sides.

We raced to the trucks but turning a satellite rig around on a narrow dirt road is no simple maneuver.  We hit the bank, nearly tipping.  In these situations, it's not seconds that determine whether you live or die, it's a fraction of a second.

Reporting has made me aware there is no such thing as luck.  Luck cannot keep a truck upright, set its tires straight and turn it to exactly the right degree to slip through an inferno - in a fraction of a second.

For the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a fraction of a second was not enough time.

We ache with the families. I've spent the last few days bearing the weight of a sorrow that makes no sense in the natural. I've come to understand this unexplainable grief I feel over certain stories is a God thing - ironic for someone who spent half a lifetime running from Him. 

There's a spiritual definition called "intercession" but to me it's just means you literally feel heaven's burden on earth.  Yet, it isn't a hopeless grieving, but one that says there is divine purpose yet to be fulfilled.  We often can't see the greater reason but heaven can.

'What went wrong?'  In this intercession place, it's not a question to place blame but, like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene, pouring out the weight of sorrow.

Tears are of little use to a reporter; no weeping on the nightly news.  Foolish girl, my mind warns, Stop crying for strangers. And instantly the heart responds by shutting down.

Until the tears keep falling anyway...Tears won't bring back the Prescott firefighters  but they will honor the heroes who gave their lives on their last call. 6.30.13.
---  
A Facebook page has been set up in memory of the 19 Prescott firefighters. 

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Pt. 2: Keeping Up with the Kardashians - Behind the Scenes of My TV Pilot

E! photo

The pampered Hollywood lifestyle is about as far from my background as you can get. Raised on US military bases, we learned how to salute and survive in the wilderness; in Hollywood, it's all about appearance - like how to apply airbrushed makeup or cover the breasts in sheer tops (Band-aids. Really).

For someone who still prefers combat boots to high heels, I have to step out of my comfort zone when I'm working on camera.  As part of my Keeping Up with the Kardashians series, I take you behind the scenes to show what it's like shooting a TV show pilot.  

I'm on set all week with the team behind blockbuster films like Chronicles of Narnia, The Passion of the Christ and The Secret Life of Bees as they expand their film-making success into TV (in case you're wondering, a "pilot" is basically a test episode for TV decision-makers to see.  Most shows start as pilots before getting picked up as series). 

Like any woman, the Kardashians don't roll out of bed looking flawless.  But unlike most of us, they have a team of stylists at hand.  To me, that's one of the best parts of working on camera - so nice to have someone else take care of hair, makeup and wardrobe while you simply relax, talk or even nap!

In the makeup room

I did channel my inner Kim K. a few times, vetoing some choices like airbrushed foundation that masked my skin's natural brightness and hairstyles needing extra hold since hairspray breaks off my fine hair.

Another great thing: craft services. Who doesn't love a buffet? I arrived at my call time each morning and fueled up on scrambled eggs, fresh strawberries, pineapple, grapes and melon. 

I try to avoid gluten and sugar so stayed away from the sandwich and dessert trays (although I did sneak a brownie or two!).  My vice: drinking caffeinated soda for the long hours on set.

Of course, there are the less glam times on a production, like long wait times between segments for set and lighting adjustments. And deadline pressures and creative differences can lead to friction but fortunately our cast and crew got along well.

On set of the talk show pilot

We shot four pilot episodes over two days dishing on everything from sex to marriage to afterlife but we won't know the show's future for several months.  
--
Check out part 3 of my Kardashians series with tips on how to get a flawless face here.

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Fashion Giveaway Winner!

A million thanks to all who participated in my giveaway for the one-of-a-kind scarf Babette's designers created exclusively for Blot Your Lips! 

We had 3,000+ views on Facebook and the big winner was Jorge-Luis in Tampa who took home the scarf.

I capped off the fashion series with a visit to the set of E!'s Fashion Police at their Hollywood studio. Despite her reputation as the "queen of mean," Joan Rivers was a generous host and spent time between segments entertaining us with stories of the stars she loves and the ones she dislikes - passionately. 

We weren't allowed to bring our own cameras into the studio but to get a look at how designs are brought to life, check out my 'Design a Dream' fashion series with Babette creative director, Josephine Tchang here.

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Camera Shy? Tips to Photograph Like a Celebrity

This article appears this month in a Dartmouth alumni publication

We all get the urge to smack someone who sticks a camera in our face:  Your old roommate who posts Facebook photos from hell.  Aunt Lucy who stalks you at family reunions. Your boss who bear hugs you in company photos.  Your local police officer who…scratch that, you don’t want to smack a cop taking your mug shot. 

Many of us are camera shy.  For me, it was rooted in a family history of shyness - so acute in some relatives, we don't have pictures of them - and in being a chubby kid.  Anyone who was bullied or teased about their looks understands.

As an adult, the problem got worse after gaining the freshman 15 (er, 30).  I perfected tricks to dodge even candid snaps - from ducking behind furniture to wearing sunglasses indoors.

Despite my career in TV, I learned to "hide" behind the camera by showcasing other people's stories.  I avoided headshots even though mine looked like relics from our frat row days.  When photos were inescapable, my smile was as fake as Lindsay Lohan trying to look innocent in court.

Camera shyness was sabotaging my career.

I finally called photographer Maria Peterson, whose clients range from celebrities to brides. I've known Maria forever so I could trust her for nonjudgmental advice.

"Even models struggle with self-consciousness," she said, "but they learn to embrace the awkwardness."

If you have a photo shoot on the horizon for graduation or a new job, read on for tips on how to photograph like a celebrity.

Prepare

"Preparation is the key to dealing with inhibition,” says Maria, who suggests starting a week before a photo session.  Some of her clients change how they eat; others get more sleep or do yoga to help relax.

Make that hair appointment, get a manicure, pack a tote with items you'll need the day of the shoot - basic advice but Maria finds too many people wait until the last minute and then are disappointed with their shots.  Taking control early was helpful for an Ivy League overachiever; I already felt more confident.

  

Plan

What should I wear, exactly?  Images of Helen Mirren in Calendar Girls flashed through my mind. 

I planned a trip to the mall.

Not so fast, says Maria.  "It's best not to go out and buy something you've never worn that may make you feel inhibited or may not be you.  It's better to wear simple clothes that accentuate the face."

So that just left the question of what colors to wear. In TV, we avoid green, brown and blue (they don't work well for 'green screen'), red, white and black.

I was surprised Maria said any colors would work. While she thinks most people photograph well in jewel tones, "It's more important to wear what makes you feel really confident, really hot. Keep it simple." 

Practice

In TV there's a term called 'cheating to camera' where we stand slightly angled. It feels silly but practicing flattering (i.e. slimming) poses in front of a mirror helps build confidence as you learn to play up your assets and accept how you look - Dumbo ears, double chin and all.

Confession: friends and I practice our red carpet pose. You know the one: chin down/shoulders back/hand on hip.  Forget copying Angelina Jolie’s thigh-baring Oscars pose but we pull off sexy ok.

You may not walk the red carpet but with practice posing for the PTA newsletter won't leave you a nervous, sweaty wreck either.

Play

Finally, your photo shoot should be fun; it's your chance to show what makes you unique inside. "The more you can drop your guard," says Maria, "the easier it is to capture the real you and have fun."

TV coach Marki Costello gave me the push I needed to finally confront camera shyness. Marki, who coaches stars from Stacy Keibler to Cee Lo in her Become A Host program, says the key is to think about your audience more than yourself.

"Think about what you want to convey to the person looking at the shot," says Marki.  "Are you witty, funny, devious, clever?  Have it come out in your face."

Getting a photo that 'pops' is about showing your personality most of all.  "People are so worried about being glamorous and dolled up," says Marki, "but I want to see something in their eyes and face that tells me who they are."

Even if paparazzi aren't hiding in your bushes, these tips should help combat the urge to act like Alec Baldwin and punch the next photographer who shoves a camera in your face. 

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Brand New Dilemma

Brand Expert Phil Pallen.  Photo:  MellyLee Photography

I recently took a social media workshop for TV hosts with brand expert Phil Pallen who says, "Your opinion is your personality.  Your voice is your brand."

Creating a brand, or image, is a lot harder than you might expect.  A brand is essential to getting hired because it helps agents and managers "sell" you to casting directors.

It's not brain surgery:  Conceive catchy name.  Produce sexy reel and website.  Nail audition.  Get hired to make reality starlet co-host like Khloe Kardashian look good.

If only it were that simple.

Here's the dilemma:  mismatched inside and outside - as dissonant as Ellen DeGeneres wearing a ball gown.  Part of me says red carpet host-type but the truer part screams adventure rebel:  give me a parachute, a hot date (non-negotiable) and let the exploits begin.

At least I was far from alone in the workshop. Many of the hosts were at a loss as to how to develop their brand.  Our jobs demand putting our best face forward but we’re not sure which side is most flattering. 

At least I'll be in style this season if last night's Golden Globes fashion experts are right. They say expect lots of black, less skin, ponytails, big earrings. Check. Check. Double-check.

Style's a big part of brand so bring on the red carpet...I can rock black.
---
For brand and social media tips and strategies, check out Phil's website at www.philpallen.com and on YouTube.

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Mean Girls

Lindsay Lohan star of "Mean Girls."  Photo:  Humza 

A talent agent told me I come off too sweet. "Too 'pink,' not enough flavor," she said. "We need to see the naughty in you."

I can hear my childhood friends roaring with laughter.  I was a mean girl long before Lindsay Lohan.  

The trouble started in 1st grade with a new kid at school.  He  didn't fit in wearing Sunday clothes to school.  He cut in line at recess. I punched him.  He socked me in the eye.

By 4th grade I'd moved on to bullying - teachers. "Hey, guppy lips!"  I taunted one who had a mouth like Mick Jagger.  

Another time Mrs. L. broke down in tears as I led a class revolt against 'the witch.' 

By high school I was hanging out with a crew of misfits who cut class and drank Mickey's in the park. 

Despite the trouble, A's came easy.  "You're going to college," my dad insisted, shipping me off to the Ivy League with the warning, "I don't do bail once you're 18."   

Later as a crime reporter, I confronted killers, gang members, sleazy politicians, with the steeliness of a true mean girl. 

Yet God - radical love - had somehow begun to pierce a hardened heart. 

Too sweet? A friend put it best: "When you're looking for a brand of 'edgy' that is filled with desperation, despondency, depression and dejection and encounter a different brand of edgy filled with love, joy and peace it's difficult to deal with." 

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Failure. Grace.

Funny how the closer you get to a dream, the more impossible it can seem. The nearer the time of fulfillment, the greater the battle.

After working with a TV coach for two months, I'm ready to shoot my new reel (video to send casting directors). In Hollywood, the reel can unlock destiny.

To think this reel will open doors is nuts really.  I'm just one of thousands among many who are more talented/prettier/younger/sexier chasing the dream.   

I recently failed so badly, I almost quit.  The battle raged not with shouts, but whispers:  not good enough.  not worthy...

Back in journalism school, a professor advised us to write down our names before live broadcasts.  "The pressure," he warned, "can make you forget even that."  

Seemed like absurd advice.

And then it happened. I froze on camera.  Gratefully, only a studio audience witnessed it instead of countless TV viewers.

"What happened?" asked my coach.  "I didn't expect you to freeze."  

Neither did I.  Unscripted TV's always been my strength.  I'm used to adlibbing, no teleprompter, thanks to years of covering breaking news. 

I lay awake tormented by fear and a perfectionism that can neither forget nor forgive such a fundamental blunder.  And then...a new whisper:

Sometimes failure is the gateway to My grace.

But what if it happens again?  On live TV?  What if the failure is so great, people won't forget it? 

My grace is sufficient.

This grace - there is only way one to know it.  It requires moving forward when every impulse screams quit.  And soon you discover grace is fighting the battle for you.

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All That Glitters...

All that glitters...that saying about fake worth is so true in Hollywood, where breasts, lips, buttocks are traded like used cars.  Even though I'm used to being around women with enough fillers and implants to make a mannequin jealous, I find myself battling the image pressure.

That's why Alissa and I went for every beauty trick in the book (excluding plastic surgery) for the Emmys: brow jobs, false lashes, hair extensions, exfoliators, bright red mani/pedis, fake tan, Spanx, more makeup than the Kardashians.

And in the end we were left feeling...not very beautiful.  We lost ourselves.  

"I felt so overdone with crazy eyelashes out to here and these big red lips," said Alissa. "It was too much. I felt like a tranny."

The makeup counter promises and dressing room skinny mirrors were like fool's gold.  Yet the over-the-top glam  left us feeling fake and awkward, especially me since I let others convince me to buy a girly dress instead of a simple one so I was squirming like a six-year-old in a church pew.

Our experience proved that nothing is as alluring as a woman at ease in her own skin.

"We tortured ourselves," said Alissa, "wanting to be who we're not." 

After the show we came home, washed our faces and went out - sans the glitter. 

"Your drinks are on me," said the first man who saw us, "because you are the most beautiful women here." 

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Emmys: Red Carpet Ready - Part 3

Ryan Seacrest interviewing "The Good Wife" Julianna Margulies

We sizzled at the Emmys!  The show literally heated up Sunday night — with the temperature climbing to 100 degrees by the time we hit the red carpet.  

The arrivals usually offer the best view to see TV's leading stars on their biggest night and even the heat was no competition for the steamy fashions.  

Our day started with a quick run to the mall for last minute accessories before meeting HMU (hair and makeup) artists at my apartment. And that's when I discovered the air conditioning had gone out!  With no maintenance around to fix it on a Sunday, we turned one little fan on blast and did our best to match the glitz of nominees like Zooey Deschanel, Tina Fey, Sofia Vergara, Claire Danes and Nicole Kidman. 

Ryan Seacrest was interviewing The Good Wife's Julianna Margulies on the "E" Entertainment podium when we arrived. We took our time heading into Nokia Theater, where late-night talk show comedian Jimmel Kimmel was set to host the three-hour salute to TV's best. 

The show came off very safe, nothing outrageous or offensive. Even the biggest prank—Saturday Night Live comedian Tracy Morgan appearing to pass out on stage—somehow fell flat.

The big surprise award went to Outstanding Drama Series, with Showtime's Homeland, beating out perennial winner and darling, Mad Men. The Outstanding Comedy series award was no surprise, going to ABC's Modern Family for the third year in a row.

Mad Men set a new record after being shutout in every award category despite 17 noms, a record previously held by Northern Exposure.  Mad Men had won awards the past four years but perhaps much like the Emmy's three-hour running time, it may have outrun it's charm. 

Honestly, the show itself feels even longer live than it does sitting at home in the comfort of your living room. The live audience invariably ends up missing segments during commercial breaks with too little time time to head to the lobby, wait in line for beverages and get back to your seat before it's time for the next segment.
 That's a wrap. Enjoy our view from the red carpet!

red carpet arrival

I'm not sure all the craziness of awards shows are worth the massive amount of time and expense they entail but even so, it's a Hollywood rite of passage so we'll be back.  

Michael J Fox to the left of his wife in the green dress

yours truly rockin the red carpet

Michael J Fox received a standing ovation during his awards presentation

Zachary Quinto from Heroes and Star Trek

Nominee Julianna Margulies (one of my favs) at the E! press line

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