Activism

Andre Agassi: A Champion On and Off the Court

“I fell in love with tennis far too late in my life, but the reason I have everything that I hold dear is because tennis has loved me back. I’m thrilled, humbled, quite terrified to be honest, to stand before you. I felt vulnerable on the tennis court many times, but not quite like today. I’ve grown up in front of you. You’ve seen my highs and lows. We laughed together, cried together, but what is so clear to me standing here today is that you have given me compassion, understanding, and love – more than I expected, many times more than I deserved.”

Those words are part of the speech given by eight Grand Slam tournament winner and Olympic gold medalist, Andre Agassi on July 9, 2011 when he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

Andre remains one of the most beloved players in the history of tennis and thousands of fans demonstrated their love the day he played his last game on September 3, 2006 at the U.S. Open.

Jane Seymour: A Connection That Transcends Time

By Marsala

Jane Seymour - Up Close and Personal with Marsala Rypka Royal Wedding Mania has gripped America and ardent fans are anxious for newsy details about anything and everything that has to do with the historic day when Prince William takes Kate as his Princess Bride this coming Friday April 29, 2011.

Jane Seymour, the official British correspondent for Entertainment Tonight, has been happy to oblige – reporting on speculation about the wedding gown designer, the chic custom-made hats for the ladies attending the wedding, the royal carriage ride from Westminster Abbey, the kiss on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, the wedding ring forged from Welsh gold, the tiara, and on and on.

Seeing Jane in London so often this past week reminds me of the interview I did with her in 2007 about six weeks before she appeared on Dancing with the Stars We had a special connection at the time that we spoke. We were two daughters commiserating about the health of our ailing parents. My father who had bladder cancer died ten days after that interview, and Jane’s mom, who had recently suffered a stroke, passed away while Jane was on DWTS about ten weeks later. In my mind there will always be a heartfelt connection that links Jane Seymour to the last few precious days I had with my dad.

In My Next Life I’m Coming Back As Shirley MacLaine

By Marsala

Oprah is counting down the last few weeks of her show and I’m sure the Harpo team has been going through an intense selection process, mulling, deliberating, and debating each possible guest.

So it said a lot when Shirley MacLaine came on last week and Oprah called her “one of my greatest teachers.”

I’m certainly not in Oprah’s league, but I’ve also had the pleasure of interviewing Shirley MacLaine, whose birthday happens to be today, April 24, 2011. Ironically it’s also Easter Sunday, the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and Shirley MacLaine is a big believer in reincarnation and life after death.

At 77 years old she has not only had many past lives, but she has enjoyed many incarnations in this lifetime as an award-winning actress, dancer, honorary mascot of the Rat Pack, best-selling author, political activist, metaphysical student and teacher, and let’s not forget Warren Beatty’s older sister.

Elizabeth Taylor: The Gifts She Left Behind

By Marsala

By now a lot of you may be tired of the many tributes and film clips that have paid homage to Elizabeth Taylor since she passed away from congenital heart failure on March 23, 2011. Before you dismiss this as just more of the same, let me say that this post isn’t only about Elizabeth Taylor, it’s also about you, the shining star in your own life.

Although I am a “Celebrity Scribe” I’m not interested in fluff or gossip. I’m all about seeking, understanding and incorporating the life lessons that are always present. So I invite you to read yet one more piece about Elizabeth Taylor, but this time filter it through a different set of eyes, a different perspective. Think of her life as a 79-year-old treasure map that offers up a bountiful trove of wisdom that might be useful in your own life. [Read more…] about Elizabeth Taylor: The Gifts She Left Behind

Kristin Chenoweth: A Stand for Equality

By Marsala

It’s rare that an entertainer has an equally successful career on Broadway, in movies and on television. But then Kristin Chenoweth is rare! In the horse-racing world, she would be what’s known as a Triple Crown Winner, except for the fact that Kristin also has a recording career which makes her…well, a Quadruple Crown Winner!

On TV, Kristin is most notably known as Deputy Press Secretary Annabeth Schott on the last two seasons of The West Wing; she earned an Emmy playing Olive Snook on Pushing Daisies, the wonderfully quirky comedy about a pie maker who can touch dead people and bring them back to life; and she has made several guest appearances on the hit show Glee.

On Broadway she earned a Tony in 1999 for her role in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown; in 2003 she originated the role of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in the hit show Wicked; and in 2010 she starred in the revival of Promises Promises with Sean Hayes.

When it comes to movies, Kristin has been in Bewitched, and too many others to mention here; but suffice it to say that comedy is her forte, with the exception of movies like Running with Scissors, in which she played Annette Bening’s lesbian lover, and Into Temptation, where she played a suicidal prostitute – two roles many of her fellow Christians were not happy about. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Olivia Newton-John: You Can’t Help but Honestly Love Her

By Marsala

A lot of A-list celebrities hail from Down Under, including Simon Baker, Cate Blanchette, Toni Collette, Russell Crowe, Portia de Rossi, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman, Miranda Kerr, Nicole Kidman, Heath Ledger, Elle Macpherson, Geoffrey Rush, Keith Urban, Naomi Watts, and Sam Worthington.

But none are more beloved by fellow-Australians than Olivia Newton-John, the first Aussie to capture American hearts with hit songs like “I Honestly Love You” (1974) and “Have You Never Been Mellow” (1975).

In 1978 Olivia was catapulted into super-stardom when she appeared in Grease as Sandy Olsson, the goody-two-shoes-girl-next-door who trades in her wholesome “Sandra Dee” image for some skin-tight, black spandex pants, red peep-toe high-heeled sandals, an off-the-shoulder top, teased hair, and horror-of-horrors, a cigarette, in order to win the heart of the leader of the T-Bird gang, Danny Zuko, played by John Travolta.