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Picture Credits: Dow Jones & Company and Jonathan Becker

May 4, 2009 Posted by ej | Career, Fashion, Leadership, People, Politics, Shopping | Business, Business School, Career, Fashion, Harvard MBA, Leadership, Politics, Shopping, Women | Leave a comment

The Theme From Maude: A Duet – Bea Arthur and Rosie O’Donnell

Okay, admittedly we are getting carried away here with the Bea Arthur/Theme from Maude posts! But we loved Beatrice Arthur and we love the “Theme Song from Maude” so bear with us!

In addition, we haven’t had any caffeine yet so our editorial judgment is a little impaired >:) . . . and with that said, we now present another version of the “Theme from Maude” sung by Rosie O’Donnell with Bea Arthur providing backup!!!!

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Click on the picture to see Rosie O'Donnell Interview Bea Arthur and to hear duet.

Click on the picture to see Rosie O'Donnell Interview Bea Arthur and to hear them sing the "Theme from Maude" 🙂

Click on the picture to hear the duet and to see Rosie interview Bea Arthur.

In addition, Rosie also replays the moment on “All in The Family” that the world was introduced to Maude.

During the interview, Bea Arthur also explains how the role came about . . .

it was supposed to be just one episode and all she wanted was for it to be good!!

Bea – It was great!!

=Beatrice Arthur: A Towering Comedic Talent From Another Era (Los Angeles Times)

=Bea Arthur: That Voice, That Wit (New York Times [Slideshow])

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May 4, 2009 Posted by ej | Career, Entertainment, People, Television | Business, Career, Disparity, Entertainment, Television, Women | Leave a comment

A Tribute to Bea Arthur AND The Theme from Maude!!!

We wanted to start off the week with a tribute to one of our favorites – Beatrice Arthur who recently passed away. We loved her on “The Golden Girls” and we also loved her on”Maude”.

Bea Arthur – Thanks for all the great memories and the great laughs!! You will be missed!!!

See below for a tribute to her talent and we’ve even included the Theme from Maude!!! Enjoy!!

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Bea Arthur: Grand Dame of Comedy; Click to read Courier-Journal.com Article

From The Courier-Journal.com

Beautiful Bea Arthur

Editorial

Some people have a time with talented women who aren’t stereotypically “easy on the eyes.” Witness the recent global meltdown over the realization that a woman with prominent eyebrows, an unstylish ‘do and a sturdy body could actually — yes! — sing like an angel.

Maybe that explains why, when the great comedic actress Beatrice Arthur passed away earlier this week, The New York Times — another “grey lady,” incidentally — ran this inelegant headline: “Bea Arthur, TV Battle-Ax, Dies at 86.” We would note that when Carroll O’Connor died several years earlier, the same pub did not use a headline to call him a “TV Bellowing Bigot,” but that would take us away from our point, which is to praise the body of work Ms. Arthur left behind for those of us in TV Land.

Click to hear "The Theme From Maude"

In “Maude,” she was a liberated woman trapped in the older traditions of a changing world. She was a housewife-plus a brash political junkie and pontificator but ultimately a pussycat.

Her softer side made loud and proud “Maude” palatable. She wore her white liberal guilt like one of her extravagant tunics, the flip side of Cousin Archie’s buttoned-up conservatism. When John Wayne came to visit, everyone expected a showdown; instead, she melted and said, “What the hell, let’s dance.”

Ms. Arthur rang the TV legend bell a second time with her portrayal of Dorothy Zbornak in “The Golden Girls.” Smart, sassy and again vulnerable, Ms. Arthur scored in a role that showed post-menopausal women in fine fashion and even finer fettle — no matter that she had . . . More . . .

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Click below to read a great article from the Los Angeles Times and to see a slideshow from The New York Times:

= Bayonne Girl’s Perfect Game Gains National Recognition (NJ.com)

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May 4, 2009 Posted by ej | Art, Entertainment, Film, People, Television | Business, Career, Disparity, Entertainment, Events, Television, Women | 1 Comment

12 Year-old Mackenzie Brown Pitches a No-Hitter and Then Gets to Throw Out the First Pitch at a Mets Game!

Congratulations to Mackenzie Brown who became the first girl in Bayonne, New Jersey Little League History to pitch a perfect game! In recognition of her achievement, she got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a New York Mets game! Cool. Very cool.

Way to go Mackenzie!!

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Bayonne’s Mackenzie Brown Pitches a Perfect Game, Will Throw Out First Ball For Mets on Saturday

Bayonne Now, NJ.com

Bayonne Little Leaguer Mackenzie Brown pitched a perfect game on Tuesday — the first time in the city’s league’s history that a girl has hit that milestone.

She’s getting national recognition for the feat and has been invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Saturday for the Mets — the real ones!

The feat comes on the heels of another first for Bayonne youngsters. Last week, Brandon Pilovsky became the first pitcher in the city’s Cal Ripken League to throw a perfect game. He, too, got national attention.

For Mackenzie, congratulatory calls turned to balloons and appearances on local television stations.

As the Star-Ledger reports, this morning brought a trip to New York City to do a national Fox TV morning program where she threw pitches in their studio.

Last night, the 12-year-old got to sit at home and watch ESPN show highlights of her pitching.

“It’s been pretty crazy,” she said. “In school I have all these teachers asking for my autograph. I wasn’t used to that.”

Mackenzie, who told the Ledger she plays baseball because she always has been successful against the boys and just wanted to continue with it, knew she had something special going midway through Tuesday’s game.

“In like the fourth inning I kind of knew,” she said. “Then I just tried to keep doing what I was doing and not try to mess it up.” More . . .

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Also click on the link below to see video highlights (LINK UPDATED!!!) from Mackenzie’s perfect game!!!!:

= Terri Dial Bio (Citigroup Website)

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Picture Credit: Tim Farrell/The Star-Ledger

April 26, 2009 Posted by ej | People, Sports, Women & Sports, Young (S)Heroes | Business, Events, Girls, Sports, Women | Leave a comment

Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business: #47 Terri Dial

This week, we profile #47 on Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business . She is Terri Dial, the CEO U.S. Consumer Bank Citigroup.

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CEO, U.S. Consumer Bank
Citigroup (C)

Previous rank: New
Age: 58

Recruited in March to overhaul Citi’s consumer strategy, Dial oversees 1,000 branches with $122 billion in deposits. As a member of CEO Vikram Pandit’s inner circle, she’ll be a key player as Citi struggles to navigate this market.

Click here to read more about her:

= The Women Who Are Fixing This Financial Mess (Forbes)

= Playwright Lynn Nottage Wins Pulitzer Prize (Yahoo! News)

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April 24, 2009 Posted by ej | Leadership, People | Business, Finance, Leadership, Money, Women | Leave a comment

Playwright Lynn Nottage Wins Pulitzer Prize!

Congratulations to Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright Lynn Nottage!!

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Brooklyn Writer Lynn Nottage Wins Pulitzer

Joe Dziemianowica, The New York Daily News

Pulitzer pride grows in Brooklyn.

Lynn Nottage’s play “Ruined,” a haunting story of African women scarred by the brutal civil war in the Congo, has won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for drama.

“I’m orbiting the Earth,” said the delighted writer, who was at home in Boerum Hill when she learned Monday afternoon that she had won.

“I hope it will raise awareness about the issues that the play raises. The war ended in 2002, but the conflict and violence against women continues.”

The title of the play refers to a woman’s condition after she is raped and genitally mutilated.

Nottage, who had been considered the front-runner for the coveted prize, has often celebrated African-American New York women in her works, including a turn-of-the-century seamstress in “Intimate Apparel” and a riches-to-rags public relations executive in “Fabulation.”

“I went further afield with ‘Ruined,'” Nottage said. “I went in search of my African sisters. When I wrote it, I felt a greater sense of urgency simply because I feel the conflict is still raging, but interest is fading.”

Inspired by Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children,” Nottage’s drama is set in a Congolese brothel. It tells the story of the watering hole’s wily and charismatic proprietor, Mama Nadi, and several young women who work for her who have been brutalized in the conflict.

Despite the grim subject matter, Nottage’s play is filled with humor, music and hope. More . . .

Click on the articles below to read more about her:

= Lynn Nottage Always Points a Provocative Pen (Los Angeles Times)

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Chatting with Britain’s Singing Sensation (The Good Morning America Interview)

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Picture Credit: The New York Daily News, Koester for News/Koester, Frank

April 21, 2009 Posted by ej | Entertainment, Journalism, People | Awards, Business, Entertainment, Women | Leave a comment

Hanging Out with Susan Boyle! The UK Singer That Made Simon Cowell Smile

Today we celebrate the power of faith and the beauty of Susan Boyle – The UK Singer whose audition on “Britain’s Got Talent” made Simon Cowell smile.

See below for what we’re calling “Hanging Out with Susan Boyle”. It’s a compilation of several recent interviews and we’ve even got her singing another song 🙂

Click to see video of Susan Boyle having fun.

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Click here to see High Quality Video of Susan Boyle's Britain's Got Talent Audition.

The Beauty of Susan Boyle: The UK Internet Singing Sensation

Okay, you’ve seen the video (click here if you haven’t) of Susan Boyle, the woman auditioning for “Britain’s Got Talent” who surprised Simon Cowell, the other judges, the audience and the world with her singing.

But what is it that has moved her video to be viewed over 30, 000,000 times on YouTube? What is it that moves people to tears?

Is it her singing? Naahh, we’ve heard great voices before.

What we love about her is her having the “temerity” to continue to pursue a dream at the age of 47. The “audacity” to believe that she had a chance; and the “gall” to actually show up at the audition.

As Peggy Noonan, a columnist from The Wall Street Journal said on “ABC This Week with George Stephanopoulus”, “She was lovely, she was modest, awkard . . . humble . . . she opened her mouth and she was transformed . . . and it was very tender.”

In addition, she also serves as a reminder that you can’t always judge a book by it’s cover and that it’s the pages of the book that tell the full story.

Kudos to you Susan for holding onto your dreams and in turn inspiring millions!! We’ll be rooting for you on May 23rd!

Click to see Diane Sawyer's Interview with Susan Boyle

Now that you’ve seen the interview, click on the articles below to learn more about her and even further down you can catch her singing Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”:

= She Who Laughs Last – Songstress Susan Boyle (The Sunday Times UK)

=Susan Boyle, an Unlikely Singer, is a YouTube Sensation (The New York Times)

Click below to watch Susan Boyle’s Interview on “Larry King Live” . During the interview, she gets a chance to talk to Piers Morgan (one of the Britain’s Got Talent judges seen on the video) and she also sings Celine Dion’s song “My Heart Will Go On”.

Larry King Live (Video): Susan Boyle Sings Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On"

Click here to see Susan Boyle sing Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" on "Larry King Live." She starts singing at the 11:10 mark.

More: A Look at Each Harry Potter Movie By the Numbers . . .

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April 20, 2009 Posted by ej | Entertainment, Music, People | Business, Entertainment, Entrepreneurship, Events, International, Leadership, Women, World | Leave a comment

Congrats J.K. Rowlings! Harry Potter Series Set to Be # 1 Film Series of All-Time/***See Official Trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Looks like its time to cue up the Congratulations for J. K. Rowlings!!

The Harry Potter Series is on deck to be the # 1 film series of all-time beating “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings”! And with the summer launch of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”, we know it’s only a matter of time before her films surpass that milestone! Read below for detail (and to find out which series is currently #1) and also check below to see the Official Trailer for the new Harry Potter movie!

Stacking up the “Harry Potter” Film Series

Matt McDaniel, Yahoo! Movies

The novels of J.K. Rowling were already a global sensation when the movie adaptation of “Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone” hit screens in late 2001. Then the enormous success of the film franchise has turned her magical world into a full-fledged institution. Collectively, the five movies so far are the second most successful series worldwide in cinema history, beating “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings.” Only James Bond has earned more money (just over $5 billion, not adjusted for inflation), and with the upcoming release of “Half-Blood Prince,” Harry Potter ($4.5 billion) is sure to jump ahead into the top slot.

Let’s not forget, though, that the Harry Potter films aren’t just commercial successes. Every film has scored a “B” grade or higher with the critics on Yahoo! Movies along with a “Certified Fresh” rating from RottenTomatoes.com. Plus, the series has racked up six Academy Award nominations. Here is a breakdown of how each of the five movies performed at the box office, and how they were rated by both critics and fans. And we have a first look at new character banners and the latest theatrical trailer for movie number six, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”

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April 20, 2009 Posted by ej | Books, Entertainment, Film, Leadership, Mommy Stuff, Parenting, People | Books, Business, Entertainment, Girls, Movies, Parenting, Toys, Women | Leave a comment

“Slumdog Millionarie” Child Star Rubina Ali for Sale by Her Father?

Rubina Ali – We loved her in the movie. We thought she was gorgeous in her Oscar dress. We smiled at the pictures of her at Disneyland and now we hear reports that her father is allegedly offering her for sale. . .

Her father says he isn’t.

Read below for both sides of the story.

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From News of The World.

Father Tries to Cash In on Daughter’s Fame

Mazher Mahmood, News of the World

The poverty-stricken father of Slumdog Millionaire child star Rubina Ali plans to become a millionaire himself – by SELLING his nine-yearold daughter.

In a bid to escape India’s real-life slums, Rafiq Qureshi put angel-faced darling of the Oscars Rubina up for adoption, demanding millions of rupees worth £200,000.

As he offered the shocking deal to the News of the World’s undercover fake sheik this week, Rafiq declared: “I have to consider what’s best for me, my family and Rubina’s future.”

Rafiq tried to blame Hollywood bosses for forcing him to put his daughter up for SALE.

As he tried to fix the illegal adoption deal, real-life slum dweller Rafiq declared: “We’ve got nothing out of this film.”

Then, almost embarrassed to speak it out loud, he whispered to an accomplice the price tag he has put on his innocent young daughter: “It’s £200,000!”

That was an astonishing FOURFOLD increase on his opening demand. But Rafiq’s equally demanding brother Mohiuddin insisted: “The child is special now. This is NOT an ordinary child. This is an Oscar child!” More . . .

Picture Credit: News of the World

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From Times Online (UK)

Rubina Ali’s Family Brawl After Father Denies Offering “Slumdog Millionaire” Actress For Sale

Rhys Blakely, Mumbai, Times Online (UK)

There were ugly scenes outside the home of one of the child stars of Slumdog Millionaire today when Rubina Ali’s mother demanded that the young actress be removed from the care of her father.

Rafiq Asghar Ali Qureshi is alleged to have offered the nine-year-old for sale for £200,000 in an illegal adoption deal.

“We are considering Rubina’s future,” he is claimed to have told an undercover newspaper reporter from the News of the World, who was posing as an interested buyer from the Middle East.

“We’ve got nothing out of this film. They haven’t looked after us. They gave some money at the start but they gave nothing afterwards. They gave us around 150,000 rupees (£2,000).

“They’ve been talking about giving us a house, but all they do is talk.”

Mr Qureshi and his brother-in-law Rajan More allegedly initially asked for £50,000 for Rubina – a sum that was hiked to £200,000 at a later meeting.

More . . .

Picture Credit: Gautam Singh/AP

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April 20, 2009 Posted by ej | Entertainment, Film, Global, People | Business, Disparity, Entertainment, Girls, International, Newspapers, Women, World | Leave a comment

Iran Sentences US Reporter (and former Miss North Dakota) to 8 Years in Prison for Espionage

Initially arrested for buying wine in Iran, Roxana Saberi, a US reporter (and former Miss North Dakota) has been sentenced to 8 years in prison in Iran for espionage. The United States calls the charges “baseless.”

BREAKING NEWS Mon. 5. 11.09 (Click on the blue links below for more info):

According to CNN.com: “Iran to Free U.S. Journalist, Father Says”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Additional report from the BBC: Iran “to release” Reporter Saberi

🙂

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Iran Sentences US Reporter to 8 Years in Prison

VOANews

An American-Iranian journalist detained in Iran has been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spying for the United States.

A lawyer for journalist Roxana Saberi told news agencies about the court’s decision Saturday, and said he will appeal the verdict.

The 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, who had been working in Iran for several news outlets, was arrested in late January for working in the country without valid press credentials.

But earlier this month, Iranian authorities announced espionage charges against her, saying Saberi used journalism as a cover to pass classified information to U.S. intelligence services.

The United States has rejected the espionage charges as “baseless.” Source

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Learn more about Roxana Saberi and her case here:

Profile: Roxana Saberi

BBC News

When the journalist Roxana Saberi was first arrested in Iran, her family was told it was for buying a bottle of wine – an act banned under the country’s Islamic law.

That was in January 2009. Iranian prosecutors then accused her of working as a journalist without a valid press card, before on 8 April she was finally accused of spying for the US.

Between January and March, Ms Saberi was only able to contact her family in the US twice, according to the human rights group Amnesty International.

She told them she was not being physically harmed but was finding life difficult in Evin prison, near Tehran.

Diverse heritage

Ms Saberi, 31, was born in the US and grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, the daughter of Reza Saberi, who was born in Iran, and his wife Akiko, who is from Japan.

In 1997 she was chosen as Miss North Dakota and was among the top 10 finalists in Miss America 1998.

When she received her Miss North Dakota title, Ms Saberi said that her aim was to encourage other people to appreciate cultural differences – an ambition that eventually led her into a career in journalism.

She graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, with degrees in mass communication and French.

Ms Saberi also holds a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University in Chicago and another master’s degree in international relations from Cambridge University in the UK.

She is currently working on yet another masters degree in Iranian studies.

Ms Saberi moved to Iran six years ago and worked as a freelance journalist for various news organisations, including the BBC, before her press credentials were revoked.

Her father said she had been determined to go to Iran, although he had expressed his concerns.

Mr Saberi said that despite losing her press status, his daughter had stayed on to finish a book on Iran and to study. He said she had planned to return to the US later this year.

Shock arrest

But then came her arrest. More . . .

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=How Failure Molded Spanx’s Founder (Business Week)

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April 18, 2009 Posted by ej | Journalism, Newspapers, People, Politics | Business, Journalism, Leadership, Newspapers, Politics, Women | Leave a comment

The Story of Sara Blakely

From our friends at Success Magazine.

One of our faves around here is Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, who is profiled in this month’s Success. See how her ideas can help improve your bottom line! >:)

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Success Stories

Beth Douglas Silcox, Success Magazine

Plain and simple, Sara Blakely wanted her bottom to look better in white pants. She was 27 and peddling fax machines to businesses, making cold-call after cold-call, facing way too many slamming doors. But at this moment, standing in her tiny Atlanta apartment, scissors in hand, she teetered on the verge of invention. One-size-fits-no-one pantyhose didn’t do the job, so Blakely lopped off the feet with two, crisp snips.

Eight years after Blakely amputated the feet of her pantyhose, her brainchild, Spanx, exceeds $300 million in retail sales. She has expanded into other types of shape wear to smooth other problem areas for women. Meantime, her footless hosiery invention revitalized an industry and answered the prayers of women everywhere who wanted to look better in all of their clothes.

Stepping from idea to prototype, she mustered every bit of perseverance and charm learned in her door-to- door years. “If you make someone laugh or smile in the first five to 10 seconds, you might get another 10 seconds,” Blakely says. Authenticity was crucial, as she pitched her idea to hosiery mill executives.

Before Spanx, the male-dominated $2 billion hosiery industry regarded pantyhose as cosmetic and simply accentuated the shine, color or smoothness of women’s legs. “I found, as a consumer, how seriously they were all trying to take pantyhose was ridiculous,” Blakely says.

By contrast, Blakely was pragmatic about her hosiery invention. Spanx would be More . . .

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Click on the items below to read more about her:

=Spanx FounderSara Blakely on Luck, Gwyneth Paltrow and Wearing Wigs (The Huffington Post)

=The Story of Spanx (Spanx Website)

=Strategic Shift is Expected from New Chief at Sunoco (The New York Times)

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Picture Credit: Success Magazine

April 17, 2009 Posted by ej | Entrepreneurship, Magazines, People, Shopping | Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Magazines, Shopping, Women | Leave a comment

Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business: #48 Lynn Elsenhans

This week we introduce you to Lynn Elsenhans, the CEO and President of Sunoco. She’s #48 on Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business list.

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Lynn Elsenhans, CEO and President Sunoco

Lynn Elsenhans

CEO and President

Sunoco

Previous rank: New
Age: 52

Elsenhans, named CEO in July, is the first woman to head a major U.S. oil company. Though the company is huge (revenues were more than $40 billion in fiscal 2007), net income fell 9%, to $891 million, and the market cap is only about $5 billion. Some analysts are expecting a strategy shift.

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Click here to read more on her:

=An Interview with Lynn Elsenhans (Rice – The Magazine of Rice University)