Activism

Filmmakers and Founders of “Green Our Planet” Plant Seeds in Las Vegas

Ciara Bryne and Kim MacQuarrie Create a Nourishing Legacy

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Ciara Bryne and Kim MacQuarrie for an article in Luxury Las Vegas Magazine. For those who haven’t read it, I think you’ll find this daring, adventurous couple’s story inspiring.

Ciara and Kim aren’t the kind of people who just talk about doing things. They’re the kind who roll up their sleeves, see what needs to be done, dive in, reach out, inspire others, pull all the pieces together, find solutions to obstacles, and create something great. That’s what they’ve done in Las Vegas.

Gay rights: Melissa Etheridge, Suze Orman, Carson Kressley, Dave Koz & Sally Field speak out

By Marsala

I didn’t plan it that way, but the last four celebrities I’ve interviewed have all been gay. I find it interesting that I even say that because I certainly don’t say “Oh, the last 12 people I’ve interviewed have been heterosexual.”

But I say it happily because with every ounce of my being I believe in every human being’s right to love and be loved by whoever they choose. I believe everyone should have the same benefits that come with being legally married, and the same opportunity to be parents, often times to kids who would otherwise languish in the foster care system.

Suze Orman: Living a Rich and Satisfying Life

By Marsala

I was so excited to interview Suze Orman because I love everything she stands for, things like delayed gratification, fiscal responsibility, and knowing the difference between what you want and what you truly need.

In the interview which is on another page, Suze validates the principles that I learned at an early age that have served me well. When I started babysitting at the age of 13 I earned 50 cents an hour. I remember how excited I was when the going rate increased to 75 cents and then it was a whole dollar.

After spending five long hours with hyper kids or a fussy infant and coming home with a hard-earned $5.00, I quickly learned to question the value of what I wanted to buy rather than squander it thoughtlessly.

Paul McCartney: Love Is All You Need

By Marsala

Here at Celebrity Scribe I’m always looking for those nuggets of gold, those pearls of wisdom gleaned from people who seem to have it all, that will bring more insight and enlightenment to my life.

Yesterday I was in a reflective mood. Yesterday, Paul McCartney, who I fell madly in love with at the pubescent age of 13, married his girlfriend of four years, Nancy Shevell, on what would have been John Lennon’s 71^st birthday (October 9, 2011).

I believe Paul’s marital choices say a lot about what the person he is. As I look back over The Long and Winding Road that he has traveled, I’ve been able to extract some valuable lessons from him about love, loss and life.

Nate Berkus: Transforming Homes, Transforming Hearts

By Marsala

I liked Nate Berkus long before I interviewed him for Luxury Las Vegas Magazine, and long before I became friends with his mom Nancy Golden, a fabulous leather jewelry designer who, like me, lives in Las Vegas.

The first time I saw Nate was in 2002 when he started doing room makeovers on the Oprah Winfrey show, and like everyone else who tuned in, I was smitten with the design expert and his thick, wavy brown hair, his beautiful blue eyes, and his dazzling smile.

It didn’t take long to figure out that Nate was going to become a household name and follow in the footsteps of Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz and get his own television show. But it wasn’t because of his good looks, or because Oprah was his mentor.

Nate got his own show because he’s not only talented and so handsome you could eat him up, but because he has a sensitive nature, a compassionate heart, and a warm and down-to-earth personality that folks connect with.

“The Help,” Read it, Watch it!

By Marsala

"The Help" Thankfully, first-time author Kathryn Stockett did not give up when her novel “The Help,” was rejected 60 times. When someone finally had the wisdom to recognize its worth, and it was published in 2009, the book sold more than three million copies and spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Millions more of us devoured the brilliantly-written, masterfully-plotted book that is based on Stockett’s own white, Christian, southern upbringing and her close relationship with the family maid who died when she was 16. Years after moving to New York City, Stockett decided to write about that relationship that was so intensely influential in her life. It took five years for her to paint a vivid picture of the humiliation black maids in Jackson, Mississippi endured in the early 1960s by their white employers who trusted them to raise their children but often times not to polish the silver.