Cynthia Nixon and fiance Christine Marinoni

Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) is deeply committed to the fight for marriage equality.  Using the power of her passion and celebrity to galvanize an army of people who are just as committed to overturning laws that prohibit gay marriage, Nixon is not only making waves by demanding more of state senators in representing the gay community, she’s also reaching out to and educating an entirely new generation of passionate protesters.

Looking stunning on the red carpet at the 21st GLAAD Media Awards, Nixon took a few moments to speak with Neal B. and ArtofTalk.TV about Fight Back New York (an organization dedicated to removing from office senators who voted against marriage equality) and her experience attending the National Equality March with her family and friends.

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Barker and Tyra

Nigel Barker (the dashingly handsome judge on America’s Next Top Model) chatted with ArtofTalk.TV on the red carpet at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards about his idea of what it truly takes to be beautiful.

Working in the fashion industry for over 20 years and seeing his share of beautiful people all over the world, Barker knows better than anyone how to embody and exude beauty (so take notes!).  He’s in the business of beauty.  Barker recently authored a book on beauty, Beauty Equation (@BeautyEquation), due to be released September 2010.

More photos of Barker and expressions of beauty after the video.

Nigel Barker soaking up beauty with models on the red carpet

Barker and his own brand of beauty as a young model.

Barker with wife Cristen and their two children Jack and Jasmine emanating beauty on the red carpet.

Rachel Maddow and friends - cheers!

We knew Rachel Maddow would know how to partaaaay!

Maddow (@maddow) invited a bartender friend to on her show to demonstrate how to make a classic, flammable holiday drink like a pro (with New York City Fire Department’s Explosives Unit and NBC’s pyrotechnicians on standby with fire extinguishers in case things got out of hand).

The drink looks delicious and hot, hot, hot — a Flaming Holiday Punch from The Handbook for Hosts from Esquire’s 1949 magazine.  The drink contains rum (as any good alcoholic punch should), roasted oranges studded with cloves, apple cider, and brandy and FIRE!!!

That Rachel Maddow knows how to have a good time.  We’d party with her any day (and she can bring her bartender friend… and the firemen)!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Do you ever get the feeling two people in close proximity couldn’t be farther apart?  That is how it felt to watch the interview of B. Smith (@BSmithStyle) on a cooking segment of the The Wendy Williams Show (@WendyShow) earlier this week.

B. Smith and Wendy Williams

To set the tone at the start of the segment, B. (just B.) surprised Wendy with a handbag from her new collection. Wendy seemed genuinely surprised by the gesture. While giving the gift, B. uttered Wendy’s signature line “How yooou dooin?” and proved herself quite saavy in disarming the former-shock-jock-turned-shock-host. Wendy Williams may be the “Queen of all media” but, for this interview, B. Smith was the “Queen of all Wendy.”

After a few more words were exchanged, B. demonstrated the ease of cooking a Jerk-Spiced Grits recipe (page #17, delish) from her recently released cookbook, B. Smith Cooks Southern Style.  Despite the common ground that was established at the start the interview, the media divas still did not connect.  B. then explained that a key ingredient in the recipe is grits and said she used “quick grits” for the meal (something busy people can relate to).  Wendy  looked momentarily puzzled but recovered nicely by asking if another word for “quick grits” is “instant.”  She then followed-up by asserting that she uses that in her house.

B. then added the jerk seasoning and Boursin cheese and this is the point where the interview fell apart.  B. mentioned an exotic seasoning and a sexy garlic herb cheese about which Wendy should have followed up with a question. Instead, Wendy asked about the water used to boil the grits. A question about the water seemed elementary and signaled a divergence of culinary interests. B. graciously answered that she boiled the grits in stock, not water but the video vixens never found a way to come together.

Through the rest of the interview, B. did all the work while Wendy offered commentary that was, at best, remotely insightful.  At one point, Wendy delivered an odd and lengthy diatribe about a hospital stay in Philadelphia while B. stirred, chopped, sauteed and served.  To Wendy’s credit, she did stir the grits once in a 3/4 circle but that was the closest she came to touching the food. There is a certain autonomy that should be awarded a celebrity chef of B. Smith’s stature, but the distance between B. & Wendy was much greater. Wendy seemed uncomfortable throughout most of the interview. The instant grits and boiling water were a comfort zone (as evidenced by her questions and actions) from which she never veered.

If, indeed, Wendy is unfamiliar with the culinary arts, it would be consistent with recent trends that favor convenient over traditional lifestyles. Though not immediately apparent, there is an almost 15 year age difference between two (B. is older).  Separated by a generation, their lifestyles reflect the different choices and opportunities afforded women of their time.  B., in her fashion, career and demeanor has favored a softer, more classic approach, staying within the bounds of socially-prescribed gender roles.  Wendy, on the other hand, respects few, if any, boundaries.

While many may be critical of Wendy, her choices are also a sign of progress. Wendy’s hard-charging, take-no-prisoners approach is uncommon and unprecedented, especially for women of color. But her drive and perseverance has allowed her to rise to the greatest heights in media. She shares the distinction with Jane Pauley, Joan Lunden (@JoanLunden), Oprah (@Oprah) and Joy Behar (@JoyVBehar) as the only women to successfully transition from radio host to television host.  But success comes at a cost.  With Wendy, as with many women of a new generation, that cost may have been the development and honing of domestic skills. Her clumsy interview of B. Smith was a sobering reminder of the unintended consequences of gender equity. Fortunately, times are changing.

Given the state of the economy, young people are cutting back on certain conveniences including fast-food, take-out and dining out.  As a result, celebrity chefs are finding a new audience as the culinary movement swings back towards tradition.  As important as it was for B. Smith to be on Wendy’s show to promote her new book, it was probably more important for Williams and her male & female audience to be offered a culinary road map leading back-to-the-kitchen.

Despite the awkwardness of the interview, it was good to witness a bridging of generations.  Hopefully, as this trend continues, the gap between the two can be narrowed and we will all be better for it.  Now that’s food for thought… how yooou dooin’?

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At the height of his televangalism movement. Oral Roberts and Elvis share a laugh.

Oral Roberts sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 91 due to complications from pneumonia (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) . 

To say Oral Roberts was a televangelist and a preacher is to shortchange his legacy by a mile.  He was one of the founding fathers of televangelism literally bringing Pentecostalism preaching to 40 million Americans through their television sets (a medium that was only 15 or so years old when he started preaching through the tube).  His ministry, at its height, included 600 million followers worldwide.  From launching companies and businesses to inspire and service his followers (like Oral Roberts University) to defining ministry through television, Oral Roberts’ legacy has made a mark in history that will not soon be forgotten.

We pulled one of Oral Roberts’ last interviews in November 2008 (prior to Barack Obama being elected President).  In it 90-year old Roberts speaks with Benny Hinn (another legendary televangalist preacher) about his life and, more specifically, how we can prosper during these difficult financial times.  Whether you are a Christian, Muslim or atheist, it is an incredible interview that should be seen by everyone (listening to a man who has lived almost a century and seen as much of the world as Mr. Roberts did, should be heard in his final hours — there’s something each of us can probably learn by hearing him speak about his life’s lessons).  On struggling through hard times and the inclination to give up, Roberts says:

“I’ve had losses.  And I’ve been sick at times in my life.  I’ve been knocked down.  I’ve been hurt.  I’ve been persecuted.  I’ve been through a lot of bad things but I refused to lie down… don’t give up.”

RIP Oral Roberts.

Tal Ronnen on Vegan Cooking

Amidst a hailstorm of TigerTalk, sex-texts and “ho”-code betrayals, Extra TV! (@extratv) found time in its gossip schedule to cover the debut of Tal Ronnen’s (@TalRonnen) new book The Conscious Cook.  Ronnen is the much coveted and adored personal chef to talk show divas Ellen DeGeneres (@theellenshow) and Oprah (@oprah) who has appeared on Oprah’s show to tout his healthy, vegan way of eating.  So if you want to eat like Oprah and Ellen (healthy and delicious meals)… proceed.

Ronnen’s cookbook is a 240 page guide for vegans; it shows you how to avoid the health risks and ethical dilemmas of eating meat without sacrificing taste and fullness.  Ronnen is not only the author, but he’s also a client.  Described as a former steak lover, he developed the recipes while struggling with a vegan diet that used to leave him hungry and unsatisfied.  A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, he gained fame when self help author Kathy Freston (@kathyfreston) suggested he develop the menu for Oprah’s 21 Day Cleanse.  Benefitting from the Oprah effect, he went on to cater the vegan wedding of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia deRossi and Arianna Huffington’s (@arrianahuff) party at the Democratic National Convention.

Oprah gives Tal Ronnen and Veganism her seal of approval.

In this brief Extra! interview, Ronnen addresses the misconceptions people have about the vegan lifestyle and dispels somes common myths.  He says vegan food does not have to taste like cardboard; it actually does fill an empty stomach; and going vegan doesn’t cost a tofu arm and a soy leg.  Many of these claims are the result of recent advances in the production of meat-alternatives.  Veganism used to be synomymous with tofu-ism but a lot has changed in the industry. One of the earliest pioneers in the field was Now & Zen Company, which marketed its UnSteak, UnTurkey & UnRibs brands as indistinguishable from the real thing. New companies have emerged including Gardein (@Gardein) for whom Ronnen was a pitchman on a recent episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Is veganism going mainstream? It is probably still too early to tell but if it’s been featured and praised on Oprah, it’s a good bet that it has hit the mainstream or will do so very soon.  What we’ve seen, however is a slew of new books on the subject including Living Vegan for Dummies by Alexandra Jamieson (@alexnutrition) which debuts this month.

Tucked between salicious sexual exploits, Extra! took the time to explore the things people put in their mouths that can be shown on network TV. While the story may not generate the hot blooded passions of a tabloid consumer, it was nice of them to talk about something we actually need to hear.

Before the crash.

Stephanie and Christian Nielson talk Matt Lauer on NBC’s TODAY (@todayshow) about surviving a fiery plane crash in August 2008 that left Stephanie with burns over ninety percent of her body and their family (including their four children) struggling to piece their lives back together again.  Stephanie was not expected to live but survived against all odds and has documented her story on her personal blog, The NeiNei Dialogues.

Her husband co-piloted the plane doomed flight (the pilot, their friend, was killed).  Both Christian and Stephanie were in comas before awakening to a very different life and a year of recovery that would bring them to this day when they both, without hesitation, say they are thankful for their lives and the family and friends (and supportive strangers) who have helped them through all of this.

Family first.

Stephanie has advice for anyone struggling through any difficulty life throws your way:

“Any challenge can be overcome with the right attitude.”

Healing day by day.

Thank you Stephanie and Christian.

Jimmy Kimmel opens up.

Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel may seem perpetually fun and lighthearted on his show, but in an interview with Esquire Magazine Kimmel discusses the difficulties he’s faced battling a disorder he was only recently diagnosed with (in his 30’s):  narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that causes people to fall asleep suddenly for several seconds or moments and awake without any recolection of the narcoleptic episode.  It may seem like a relatively mild condition (comparable to other neurological disorders that can completely incapacitate a person) but narcolepsy can be dangerous if the sufferer falls asleep while performing a task that requires full attention.

Kimmel tells Esquire Magazine in an article (”What It Feels Like… to have Narcolepsy“)  that he has not only fallen asleep performing shows but, more frightening, while driving (he doesn’t say whether he still feels safe driving himself).  Ever since being diagnosed, however, he has been very open about educating people on what life is like being gripped by the disorder:

“All I knew about narcolepsy was a character on Hill Street Blues, Vic Hitler the Narcoleptic Comic, who would fall asleep in the middle of his act. But I did know that every afternoon between about three and six, I would get very tired for no reason.  I would doze off in meetings, watching TV, even driving…. You know how when you’re regular tired, your whole body is tired? With narcolepsy, just the inside of your head is tired.  It’s like somebody’s gently sitting on your brain. You have almost no focus.  All you’re thinking about is not falling asleep.”

Unfortunately, there is no cure for narcolepsy.  Kimmel takes Provigil (prescription medication that keeps him awake).  Although this is a serious subject that afflicts people who have more serious cases of the disorder adversely, Kimmel is still a comedian at heart.  He can’t help but see the funny side of having narcolepsy:

“I do have a dream to someday use up an entire hour of television time by sleeping. Have I been approached to be the public face of narcolepsy? No, nobody wants me associated with their groups. I hope that changes, though. I would like to be to narcolepsy what Camille Grammer is to irritable-bowel syndrome.”

Read his entire piece here.

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Who wore which costume?  Which show had the most spectacular Halloween set design?  Check out the round-up of the Halloween scene on a few of your favorite talk shows on Friday. 

Our favorite set:  Jimmy Fallon (it’s contemporary horror – no cobwebs or Frankenstein and Mummy dolls strewn around – Fallon’s set is more Alfred Hitchcock meets Martha Stewart and we love it!).

Our favorite costume: Jimmy Kimmel as Big Bird.

Who had best costume and who was Hallo-lame?

Matt Lauer and Chef Marcus discuss beef tenderloin

Chef Marcus Samuelsson joins Matt Lauer on TODAY (@todayshow) to show us how to make a roasted beef tenderloin and grilled artichoke salad.  Chef Marcus, born in Ethiopia and raised in Switzerland, defines his culinary style as American cooking with an ethnic twist.  His new cookbook, New American Table, is described as “a love-letter to America”.  I’ll just say this, I’m a vegetarian but that beef tenderloin he’s making looks so good, I would seriously consider putting on a carnevor cap temporarily to get a bite of that – looks delicious!