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May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
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May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
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Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
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May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
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The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
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The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
May 3, 2006
/ 5 Iyar, 5766
A walk on the wild side
By
Joel Stein
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
We think we understand what it's like to be a celebrity now that we all know someone famous: "I dated that 'American Idol' reject in high school!"; "That guy walked up to me on the street and wouldn't stop talking about how much he loves his fiance, Katie Holmes!" But to see what it's really like, I decided to travel to the white-hot center of fame.
Unfortunately, the closest I could get was Friday's "Daytime Emmys," which was held in Los Angeles for the first time — and thus immediately undid whatever the L.A. Times Festival of Books was trying to accomplish for the city's image.
I convinced rock star and "General Hospital" actor Rick Springfield to let me walk down the red carpet with him in front of the Kodak Theater, where he was opening the award show with a medley. As we rode in a limo from the Renaissance Hotel to cover nearly an entire half-block to the theater, Springfield recognized some of his fans. "You always recognize the hard cores," he said. When I asked him how he remembered their faces from his concerts, he mumbled something about seeing them from the stage. I think his wife, Barbie, was buying this. We were dropped off in front of the red carpet, where we pointlessly tried to push onto the Tokyo-subwayesque entrance along with hundreds of great-looking people I didn't recognize, just like when I tried to get into parties in high school. "This is kind of dorky," admitted Springfield.
Eventually, with the help of a 270-pound bouncer blocking for us, we got on the carpet. Taking a look at the line to our left that led to interviews with SOAPnet host Lisa Rinna, Springfield's publicist immediately broke right, yanked us along and barked an audible: "We're going right to Mark Steines! We're going right to Mark Steines!" We sneaked in line to be interviewed by "Entertainment Tonight's" Steines, whose questions were indeed worth breaking back into the crowd for. He opened with: "Are you nervous at all?" When Springfield said that he was, the wily Steines hit him with, "Come on, what are you nervous about?" It was the kind of rope-a-dope Tim Russert employs.
Seeing the media from the other side, I was not only embarrassed for my profession but angered that I don't have a Pulitzer. In 20 minutes of interviews with "Access Hollywood," "Extra," "E!," "The Insider," and, for reasons that weren't clear, former "Bachelor" Bob Guiney, I heard each of them improbably ask Springfield how he felt about Maury Povich's sexual harassment suit and Rosie O'Donnell joining "The View." (Springfield: "I don't know what to say about that." Steines: "Good for her." Springfield: "Good for her.") Throughout all of this unpleasant crowding and waiting for interviews, guards kept yelling at the stars to keep moving. Being yelled at by guards made me feel less celebrityish and more like cutting this assembly.
Once we got off the red carpet, we headed up the stairs into the Kodak at warp speed. We stopped briefly so that Springfield could introduce his wife to Jason Thompson, who plays his son on "General Hospital." It was like bringing your spouse to the office, only with people screaming your name the whole time. Which, by the way, dear editors, might be kind of nice.
When we finally got to Springfield's dressing room, I was inexplicably tired from the red carpet experience. "It's like shopping," explained Barbie. "It's exhausting." Worse yet, the one thing Springfield requested — a glass of red wine to calm his Steines-induced nerves — wasn't there. When he tried to get one, he was told there was no alcohol in the building. When we finally headed out to the stage a few minutes before show time, the people who won seats in the Fan Zone seemed less interested in Springfield than getting a free "The Bold and the Beautiful" folding fan.
Because as much as Springfield realized this was all just playing at celebrity, the soap fans knew it too. Even these people — the screamingest, cryingest, free-time-in-the-middle-of-the-day-wielding fans in the world — understood that saying they were here was better than the experience of being here. Especially if they could get on camera.
Running full speed behind Springfield after he finished his song inside the Kodak, I realized that as fun and exciting as all this was, Springfield was right. It's all a little dorky. And I bet he's a much happier person for knowing that. I know I am.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Joel Stein is a Los Angeles Times columnist. Comment by clicking here.
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