Watching Rachael Ray

As with all Mystery Taster Mondays - there’s someone in the elevator, though this time it’s an entire (not quite) cast in the elevator, as Rachael starts in the kitchen to make a snack - pigs in a blanket with the works. As son as they’re in the oven, she steps into the corner and the Mystery Cast is revealed - and the crowd goes wild! Except for one lady who looks to be mouthing to her friend “who is that?” Ha! Rach gets them settled down and says she’s scared, but starts with the questions.

How many of them are there? 5.
pretty much the whole cast? it’s bigger.
Comedy or drama? Debate among the critics, but once the situation was set, hijinks were set to ensue. The laughtrack ensured it.
Is your show associated with one city? Maybe. It took place somewhere. Nowhere, but everywhere actually. CA plates on the car, always sunny.
Network or cable? Didn’t have cable back then, but can watch it on cable now.

Time for them to go back up, and the show to continue for a while as we get some double duty tips from viewers, from using a funnel to separate a youl from egg white, an egg slicer to spice up your next cheese platter, and keeping pancakes fresh and warm using a tortilla warmer. Check it out here!

Then it’s time for more questions and the reveal of the Mystery Cast! She recaps what she knows so far, then asks a couple more questions.

When it was first on the air - what demographic was it popular with? They covered the range from childhood to adulthood and still do - their audience was the same as Rachaels.
Primary set - like a tent, hospital, school? It was a house and a back yard.
Was it original or a spin off - it was original with many incarnations.
Cool theme song?
Holy cow its the Brady Bunch! Cindy, Marcia, Bobby, Peter and Greg! Everyone comes to the table as she says she shoulda made pork chops and applesauce! Ha!

They say be honest, she learned to cook from Alice - and she says not so much.. ha! How often o they get together? They get together often, especially this year as it’s the show’s 40th anniversary. They all met 41 years ago - so they’re friendships are older then Rachael! Ha! They’re amazed they’re not tired of each other yet. Marcia says she was originally supposed to play Jan “Which would ave changed my frickin life FOREVER!” Oh Marcia, marcia, MARCIA! Ha!

They recorded 5 albums, and when they went on tour it was he first time they got to interact with the fans, and they felt like rock stars. “Well you were!” Exactly.
Some of their favorite episods? Christopher Knight (Peter) says that his were the ones where he got to throw things at Maureen McCormic - Marcia. “Getting her covered with mud, hitting her with the football, the pie fight!” Maureen counters with her favorite which was in Hawaii, but happened off camera, as it was her first kiss with Barry - who blushes and she says it was incredible. Susan Olsen, Cindy, says that the two youngest Brady kids were having their own fling - they used o make out in Tiger’s dog house! Rach says it’s WAY too much Brady information!

Other then making out with their brothers - they had other favorites - Johnny Bravo, Greg making the history class movie, etc. They call Christopher a teaser, and he says he was between Greg and Marsha all the time, but he was always Greg’s wingman. The youngest aided and abbetted the picking on Maureen too - and are proud of it. Maureen McCormic has a book out called “here’s the story.”

They do occasionally watch the show, remembering, but it’s the people they met and knew. They get to watch it with their own kids, now, and it’s a whole nother thing, and much more fun. There is a coffetable book about the brady bunch variety hour - the Brady Skeleton In The Closet - and Cindy also is the “crazy cat lady” and rescues cats with Precious Paws. Greg is in musical theatre and travels a lot, Bobby makes decorative concrete countertops, and Christopher has a gameshow coming - Trivial Persuit.

One audience question - Brady Bunch was on at the same time as the Partridge family - was there a rivalry or were they friends? Marsha wanted to be a Partridge, because they were groovy and hip. When Bobby says the Bradies had the moves - Rach says “clearly the moves on each other!” Here’s more with the Bradys backstage, as well as The Brady Bunch Sound-off!

So, what’s for dinner? Lentil Soup with Sausage and Kale.

Oh I HATE that striped sweater thing. Hate. Ew. Makes my eyes hurt. But I’ll try to ignore it so that I can talk about Tori Spelling! (despite the fact that I never watched 90210. I know, I understand if ya don’t wanna be friends anymore. ha!) She talks about Liam and how he thought the baby was going to go back, and it hit him that she was staying and not like the dresses mama borrows. But now, the baby is 7 months old, and he loves her. Now, Liam is potty training! Rach’s friend got her friend to give the top tips - once the diaper comes off, don’t put it back on and take 5 days off to get it done. Accidents happen, clean it move on, and her friend did it in a week.

Tori says that she doesn’t believe it can be done in a week. ha! They’re on the pullup stage, and loves it when they have Cars characters on it only he says “Cahs” - he even shows them to strangers in the middle of barneys, much to mom’s chagrin! Ha! She’s partnered with Pullup, and has even taught her the “Potty Dance” to use as the reward, instead of candy and such. She even demonstrates it. hahah!

Tori, of course, decided to open up about her life by doing the reality show, Tori and Dean. She wanted people to really know her, not as Aaron Spelling’s daughter, or 90210 actress. So she created the show, and wrote sToritelling, and just put it out there. Her second book, Mommywood, is coming out next month, just as her mom’s tell-all Stories from Candyland is going to be released. She says she’s excited to read the book by her mom and she wants it to do well. She and mom have their ups and downs and it’s a work in progress - theirs is just more exposed. It’s not that it’s bad or different, it’s just on magazine covers.

She does eat. Honest. She and the family loves the healthy eating and family dinners are very important to her. She wants to cook with Rach, and she said anytime!

She’s also back on 90210, and she was nervous as it’s not her story anymore, it was someone else, but it came back right away, and when Jenny Garth joined, they fell right back into giggling like before, though then they talked about Babies, which was kinda odd at first, to realize they all grew up.

They plug her jewelry line too, and show off the pieces she’s wearing - though at one point she points to her chest, instead of the necklace, and just rolls with it, joking “these are mine, i paid for them, they’re mine.” When she grew up her mom always said she’d love diamonds, but she doesn’t she wanted to make affordable FUN jewelry instead!

The audience asks some questions next - more kids? Tori loved being pregnant, seeing what she and Dean create together, and yeah, she’d love to have more. Donna and Brenda gonna do a little rumble? She doesn’t know, but she’d be open to it, and thinks the fans would enjoy it. What was her starstruck moment? She says the stars were always in her back yard, but it was a normal day for her all the time, she didn’t know any different. She does get starstruck though, but is really shy and wouldn’t go up to anyone. She was on the View with Kate Winslet, but she was trying so hard to be cool! But they were talking about breastfeeding, and she was all thinking TITANIC! I LOVE HER! while trying to maintain calm. Ha!

More with Tori backstage!

Next up, it’s sisters that are a little competitive in the kitchen. It’s a slow cooking showdown! They both say they’re the queen of the crockpots, Andrea even has a crockpot BAR, to go along with her 6 other cookers. She loves the slow cooking because it gives her more time to spend with her family. Their husbands take the designated sides, of course, fortunately there’s always enough food to go around. The Sisters decide to share the crown, the Slow Cooker Queens!

Rachael has Caryn and Andrea to test a variety of low cookers, and while they were all fantastic, Andrea is still loyal to Crock-Pot Trio Cook and Serve Buffet - which everyone in the audience gets one and I’m totally jealous.

Last but not least, we meet Molly, who teaches her students about healthy eating by helping them grown their own vegetables. She does things like starting with a chicken coop, learning about eggs, all the way to making stir fry. They even have salad parties where the kids pick their ingredients from their community vegetable garden - before they make a farm stand to sell all the produce the kids grew themselves.

Dinner is of the fast cooking variety, though, Gumbo-Style Cunky Hash with Fried Eggs, and Popper Polenta.

We start out with a human lab segment - Belly Fat! Time to see if we can reduce that “muffintop” and “post-baby pooch” with some new things on the market.

Karen is 39 and has thin arms and legs, but her stomach keeps er away from the swimsuits. All the situps and crunches and abrollers haven’t done any good - can she be helped y the Rodial Tummy Tuck?

Yasmin, 30, just had her son 4 weeks ago and is worried that her stomach will never be the same. Will the Belly Bandit designed to help new moms get their pre-baby body back help?

Michelle is 26, and gained 20 pounds, mostly around her mirror, and she hates her muffin top. She tries a treatment at the Beauty by Mary Schook, the SX4000Prow Ultimate Body System, which claims to trim inches and tone muscles by stimulating the body’s blood flow and cellular metabolism. She’s a little shocked at how it looked “Like some sci-fi machine!”, and just hopes she can put her jeans on again.

Doctor Keri Peterson is on hand to talk a little bit about the belly busters. She says that at some point everyone will have a little pouch, but your waist has to be larger then 35 inches to be at risk for the visceral fat that’s under the abs that leads to heart disease.

Karen is extremely happy with the results of the cream, though at first she wasn’t sure it would help, but she’s lost 6 inches (!), and she recommends the cream to everyone. Rach wans to know what it’ll do on the flip side of things - try it on the caboose. ha! What’s in it? vitamins, etc, but nothing that really causes weight loss. The results for Karen were out of the ordinary, but the moisturizer helps tighten and firm the skin whic will help. Whatever, Rach is still stealing that one, she says. Ha!

Yasmin says the belly bandit wasn’t comfortable, but she had some unreasonable expectations. She is content with it, though she hasn’t gotten her pre-pregnancy belly back yet, it’s on it’s way. She lost 3 inches overall, and had to order a smaller size. The band helps keep the muscles together, and heal faster. It also can provide support for those who had a c-section, and ease lower back pain.

Michelle says the treatment made her sore the next day, but it wasn’t too bad. She says her pants feel better, and it’s a combination of the body machine and she’s been eating better, it helped motivate her to continue to tone up. How much does it cost? $200 a treatment. What it does is deliver an electrical current to the muscles making them contract - at 40 minutes, it’s the equivalent to a 20 minute sit up workout. Michelle says that it was a motivator for her, most of all. It helped her put herself higher on the list of personal priorities.

Overall, the biggest misconception is to target your abs during workouts will lose just the belly fat. Overall workouts, aerobic and weights, and good eating habits will improve overall weightloss, including your belly.

After a stop in the prep kitchen for Make Your Own Cheesy Crackers, Elizabeth Vargas gives a preview of her exclusive interview with Sigfried & Roy as they prepared to take their final bow. Elizabeth says it’s incredible to see him today, because he flatlined three times, suffered two strokes, all in the wake of the “incident” as they call it, the attack of the tiger during the show. Roy still says that Monticore was carrying him off stage, trying to protect him from something that was going wrong.

Elizabeth says that because he was so fit and strong, he was able to recover to the extent that he has. Roy says that he will swim with his tigers again, in their pool, within a year. Even while he was still bleeding backstage, Roy was begging them not to kill Monticore, and because of their efforts, the tiger still lives.

They recently took their last bow on stage in a sold out show to give to charity, and now Sigfried and Roy intend to continue with their animal preservation and charity work, as Roy focuses on rehabilitation. Close friends of the pair predict that they will find another reason to take the stage again.

What’s for dinner? Bourbon-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops, Minty Pea Mash, and Bacon and Sweet Potato Hash.

Rach looks cute today - I do love the all dark ensembles that she rocks this year. She looks smashing! She talks about Gabby Reece, who’s back for another HoneyLine segment. Gabby is friends with a whole bunch of jet setting famous women, who are just her girlfriends, whom she connects into her HoneyLine. Gabby says that it’s not a question of famous people, she has less mainstream friends too but as her husband says “Rain falls on everybody’s roof.” The HoneyLine is just your friends that you can rely on, who will tell you the truth, give you advice, and most importantly, help you navigate your life.

Today, she talks with Eva Longoria Parker of Desperate Housewives fame on Wisteria Lane. Gabby starts out commenting on Eva’s laugh - as it’s what drew her to her to begin with, it’s such a large free laugh from such a tiny body. She has always had a honeyline herself, as she came from a long line of woman who just get it done. Growing up Eva realized that no one did it by themselves, Mom had her sisters, she had her own sisters, and in LA he has “sisters of the heart” her best friends.

The co-starts are a big influence on her too, they’ve been through it. Marcia Cross is the warm friends he can always go to, Felicity Huffman is an amazing human being and gives great advice, and of course, Nicollette Sheridan is the crazy good time one “Lets go, get a drink, where are we going?”

Eva says she’s the exact opposite of Gaby, she’s not a label hound, and is comfortable running around town in casual clothes, even with the paparazzi. She thinks that’s why people find her accessible, because she doesn’t shop in designer gowns.

The secret to Eva’s flawless complexion? She credits her outlook on life - she laughs a lot and stas as sterss-free as possible. And, of course, her marriage o Tony Parker also keeps her glowing - she says their long-distance relationship makes it a constant honeymoon. Little things slide, because you want to treasure the moments together.

Gaby has some of her own tips for a successful relationship. “The key is we are not ompetitivie and we have our own lives. My happiness doesn’t rely on him making me happy.” She adds that compromise and flexibility is critical.

More with Gabby backstage!

After a stop in the prep kitchen for individual Pear Tarte Tatins, talk turns to the book “The Necklace” which is about a group of women that pool their money to buy a fancy necklace, and how it changed their lives. Rach found a book club that was willing to read the book, and take up a challenge.

The New York book club often has screaming matches about different books, but they value each other and the friendships they’ve developed over the years. “This has become the place where we could let our emotions out and have support no matter what.”

The challenge was to mimic the book - Each of them were given $500 which they asked them to pool together for something to share. Nothing for the kids, not a cause, one thing they can all agree on and that’s it. Let he debate begin! They admit that they often have trouble picking out a book to read - and Rach says it was definitely a challenge, asking 10 women to spent $5000 on one thing for them all to share was a bigger challenge than anyone expected.

It quickly got heated, the suggestions went from a puppy to a Vespa, to a Buddha or empowering statue… and one says “Why reinvent the wheel?” and wanted to go with the necklace. One lady says how about a charm necklace, where each person can add a charm that represents them. Diane said that some will make it a point to be heard over everyone, and Marion said some didn’t want to listen to other ideas. Beth tried to keep the peace, and the bloodshed to a minimal. Laura likes to cut to the chase, and wants a vote. It took two hours, but they finally came to a decision. They don’t know if it will enrich their life, or define the group, but it’ll be fun to have something to share. They just hope it doesn’t tear them apart, as they were a cohesive group before.

One thought it would be so easy, but it became laden with so much baggage as people wanted it to represent them. One member of the book club isn’t there, as she felt she had contributed in he previous discussions. But it’s time for show and tell - what did they get? They came together to create a single object, a gold charm necklace. Each charm represents one of them, and Jonna says it’s Tribal, that the book club is their tribe.

They haven’t decided how to share it though, but they expect to do it naturally and trade it off during the book club meetings. The important part is that in the end, they all came back together.

Hey, it’s dinner time! Chicken Breasts with chestnut Stove Top Stuffing and Balsamic Cream Gravy

Valerie Bertinelli is on set talking about fears, and how she’s been conquering them. She recently walked in the Heart Truth Red Dress Event. She was so nervous she wanted to vomit, and there was so much adrinilin, and it was fun, for a good cause, but it’s all about feeling your fear and doing it anyway. They show a clip of her walking, and he looks STUNNING, even as she grabbed her butt once she saw it on screen - “I was going for a laugh. It was fun.” And of course her advise for anyone is to just believe in yourself.

They segue into talking about more common fears, the fear of Public Speaking. A viewer wrote in about it and Valerie took it on, and visits Micheline to help her face her phobia. Micheline says her legs shake, she stutters, sweats even thinking about it. It’s worse then butterflies - she even gets a headache, it’s horrible. Valerie sympathizes, of course, but says she needs to feel the fear and do it anyway.

Val takes Micheline to a hypnotist, and challenges ehr to speak at a public event and participate in an improv class. She hopes that maybe working through it, doing it anyway despite the body thinking it’s “Flight or fight” time, they’ll end up thinking it’s not so bad.

Micheline is in the studio for the moment of truth, taking the opportunity to stand at a podium and plug her cake company nationally - and she gives her pitch with confidence and ease. Yay Micheline!

(Sorry, Val - you still won’t see me talking in public! Not that, you know, you’d want too. Heh.)

Next up, Jarod Miller is back with some more animal friends. A Japanese snow monkey, a striped hyena, an African lion, a Savannah monitor Lizard with a split tongue.

What’s for dinner? Oil and Vinegar Flank Steak and BLT Spaghetti.

Chelsea Handler joins Rach on the sofa, talking about dodgeball, and making kids cry. When asked if there was anything she won’t talk about - she says yes, her theory is if he says it about herself, then everything else is far game. She doesn’t like to make fun of kids that aren’t attractive - it’s kinda mean, its not their fault that things aren’t coming together yet. She admits to getting calls asking her to quit making fun of their client - but she just tells them to stop acting ridiculously, for heavens sake! She doesn’t make fun of Jennifer Garner, she acts responsibly and is a normal nice person - but Paris Hilton, Winehouse and Lohan? They deserve it!

She says it’s fun to make fun, it takes your mind off things. “and I know my mind isn’t working during the show!” Who makes her laugh? David Hasselhoff. Ha! She knows she laughs t things that aren’t supposed to be funny, like people dropping an album and they’re not musicians. She got a lot of joy out of George Bush, and doesn’t think Obama will give her that kind of joy. He’s superman. They rock it out!

Who would she invite to a dinner party? Obama - but shed be scared to waste his time. She met him once at a dinner and he said he loved her show and she flipped out - and when he asked where Chuy was, she ws like OMG! Nothing will ever top that experience.

So back to this dinner party - Flavor Flav, of course (of course?!) she’d like to see that grill down some food - The hoff - but needs someone to enjoy the humor with her, so maybe David Sedaris, though she’s never met him.. he’s hugely talented and inspired her to write a book. Not her sister - she sees her enough, so the last one, Oprah would be good! She’d like to talk to her about a couple of things. Now that’d be an interesting dinner probably, hm?

She plugs her books, which I totally want to get and read, they’re all essays and short stories and essays of self depreciation. They talk about waiting tables back in the day. Chelsea hated it because the way people treated them, it was awful, and people that spend 40 minutes deciding on a meal that they won’t remember in two weeks “they need to be smacked in the face. Chew with their mouths closed, say please and thank you and look your waiter in the eye - they’re human beings!”

Then they played “Going too far” - check it out!

After a quick stop in the prep kitchen for some brie sticks with rasberry-mustard dipper, Rach is in the kitchen, where she talks to a couple of viewers who’s kitchen is tearing them apart. Lynda and her fiance Rob have problems in the kitchen, because he keeps taking over. She thinks he’s a good cook, but they cook differently. “the first time I opened a jar of spaghetti sauce, I thought he would pass out!”

He adds seasoning, he likes things spicier, and even the kids note that they’ve grown up with mom’s food, and they have been known to grab pots away from him. He’s a cook, and he doesn’t realize that he needs to “realize this is MY kitchen, you need to back off!” It’s not about the food, it’s went into the food - it’s an expression of love and sharing, and he’d bust in with “Love’s good, but a little garlic…” Ha!

Rach’s hubby John joins to help talk about what makes it work in the kitchen for Rach and him. His first words? “Never mess with the wife’s food, dude!”

It’s all about compromise. If it’s Rach cooking her meal, he’s the sous chef. Basically, whoever’s meal it is - John is cooking, he’s cooking. She helps. If he makes it, he makes it, even if its a recipe of her own. On the other hand, if she’s cooking her food, it’s HERS, and he helps. They decide to give them a little help - a wheel to pin and who’sever head pops up, that’s who’s cooking the next night. ha! They also got them a Wii - when it’s their night NOT to cook, they can play the cooking game on the Wii in the living room, so keep your garlic, knives and wine out of her cooking on her nights! Ha!

What’s for dinner tonight? Thinly Sliced Beef Cutlets with Bistro Gravy, and Cacio e Pepe.

Ooooooh, it’s Tom Selleck today! The one and only Magnum PI - hurray! He’s been making us swoon for over 30 years, and just starred in another Jesse Stone, Thin Ice. Rachael says he’s low maintenance and only asked for one thing - he’d heard of the snacks and just didn’t want any vegetables. He was a fussy eater as a kid, like tomatoes - he liked sauce, not ketchup, and he’d eat things with tomatoes as long as you couldn’t see them. The gel and the seeds made them look “not done!” The Tomato guts just turned them off.

He says that they even stunted his growth! He’s actually the shrimp of he family - his brother is 6′7″! Rachael tells the story of her first Tom Selleck siting and asks if anyone makes Tom starstruck. The answer? Faye Dunaway. “You’re not supposed to do this as an actor, but I’m in the iddle of this scene, and it was kind of romantic, and in the back of my brain I was like ‘That’s Faye Dunaway!” and I forgot everything!” He couldn’t tell th director what happened, he just had to get over it. He was floored when Paul Newman knew who he was, too.

He has an avocado ranch - but doesn’t eat them. “They don’t look right. I mean, they’re beautiful! Good for you! I sell them! But why eat one when I could sell them for $2-$3?”

They chat about his family too - his son has given him six grandkids! He had his own kids 21 years apart so that he could handle them. Ha! Hes extremely over protective over his daughter as she dates. She started going out in groups, and he suspected here was dating involved, but she’s a very responsible kid, they did something right. He’s bothered by the texting, but other then that, she’s a good kid.

There is a sixth Jesse Stone he’s just finished working on called No Remorse. “I love him. He’s really a mess. He’s got a lot of bad habits, but people seem to root for him.” He likes to give his character flaws, and he likes to give the 2 hour movie to people to give them alternatives to Reality TV. He’s been asked to do the series as an hour, but he prefers the 2 hour, character driven stories instead.

What would his wife say about his own flaws and strengths? He doesn’t know what she sees in him, but knows why he fell for her - she’s funny, and cute. She doesn’t cook, they eat out a lot and Rachael promises to come over and cook for them. And don’t ruin the arugula salad with balsamic or lemon juice! Just shaved parm an olive oil. He admits to being really strange, and he admits that he had to sit in front of a lot of plates of food for hours to try and outlast his parents. He’d used to eat peas, which he hates, he’d wash them down whole with milk. Now he doesn’t have to eat them, because it’s his plate, not his parents plates! Fig newtons are good - but figs, figs are bad! Figs don’t look finished. They’re finished when they’re in a fig newton. That’s the way a fig should look!

More with Tom backstage!

Next up, kids dish on Dating and Beauty - it’s a new Say What? Check it out.

Next up - Gretta is on hand to help us stretch our wardrobe - rolling one outfit into five different looks. Check it out:

The Black Dress
Gretta explains, “If you can take a look at one item that you love, that you’ve only worn one way, and just test it out — try it with different things.” See the Image Gallery to the right for ideas on how to take the black dress that every woman owns and turn it into a look suitable for cocktail parties, casual outings and even business meetings!

The Vest
Gretta says that one item that can be worn many different ways for men is the vest. “It’s back in and super inexpensive,” she says. “But if you are going to buy one, make sure it’s adjustable in the back so you can layer it.” Check out the Image Gallery to the right to see how your vest can compliment a three-piece suit, a work/casual look or weekend wear.

The Polka Dot Dress
Adults are not the only ones who can rollover their fashion. Gretta advises, “The tip with kids — because they grow so fast and it’s expensive — is stretch material. Stretch is best — think elastic waistbands, and buy a little bigger because you can always do a little sash and wrap it.” Check out the Image Gallery to the right to see how a polka dot dress can look completely different with the right accessories.

So don’t get into a rut wearing an item just one way!

What’s for dinner? Zucchini Fettuccine and Roasted Tomato Caprese

We start off laughing right off the bat as Joan Rivers joins Rach on stage - on a gurney where she tosses out not 8, but NINE babies to the crowd - nanoplets! - much to the amusement of Rachael and the audience! On a more serious note revolving the octomom, Joan says the doctor should have his licensed taken away, and she should have concentrated on the kids she had - and she can’t nurture that many children, she finds it disgusting.

They chat a bit about Mardi Gras, where Joan Rivers tosses some beads to the audience. “The whole city is feathers and beads - you’d think you’re in Tom Cruise’s closet! It’s amazing!” She also plugs her daughter, Melissa’s new purse - it comes prepacked with essentials for primping during a night out on the town.

They shift gears to the Oscars, and who Joan’s favorite couple of the evning was. “Russell Crowe and Russell Crowe! He loves himself!” Of course, she raves about Brad and Angie, but joked about their sitting in the front row. “I think she was hoping the Slumdog kids would fall off so she could adopt them!”

You can catch Joan on the book tour for her new book Murder at the Academy Awards, as well as on the new Celebrity Apprentice. Check out more Joan backstage.

After a quick stop in the prep kitchen for Asparagus Roll-ups, Evette is on hand to help us repurpose some household items - check it out:

• Tie-Back Chair. Spice up an old chair by weaving colorful neckties through the slats on the back. Five or six ties should cover the back, but Evette warns, “You may not want to use your dad or husband’s good ties!”

• Bathroom rug. Cut bath towels into short strips that you can thread through the holes in a rug canvas (available here). Once you’ve filled the canvas, you have a new soft shag rug! Try mixing and matching colors to match your bathroom.

• Sweater boots. Cut the sleeves off of that sweater you no longer wear and stretch the cut end over the top of a shoe or slipper. Attach it using a hot glue gun and trim away any excess. Cover any visible ugly seams with black ribbon and you’ve got a stylish new pair of boots!

And there’s still more tips backstage!

Next up, it’s Ben Miller, who weighed 477 pounds, and didn’t recognize himself in the mirror anymore. The turning point for his weight was when he and his wife sat down to talk about the children they wanted to have. He decided to take his life back and lose 230 pounds, and with every pound he loses he’ll donate a pound to his local food bank. He asked friends and family to sponsor and donate as well, and it’s snowballed to his having raised $7, 086 and 52,859 pounds sponsered or donated to food banks.

Ben has lost over 80 pounds to date, through eating right and exercising, and is still focused onr eaching his target weight. He never loses sight of his larger mission though - “I have an opportunity to not only get better, but to help other people.”

Speaking of eating, what’s for dinner? Rach’s Rouleaden.

Today we tackle online dating! Apparently now more people meet online then anywhere else! It can be tricky, so today we’ll focus on that first date and help out some viewers. First up is Gabby, who’s not done online dating officially yet. She’s been on a site and emailing a couple people - Brad skipped the winking and went straight to email!

When asked about what she knows about him from his profile - she knows he is or was an actor, they live in Brooklen, and love the same drink. She wanted to meet in a public place, and well, the show is public and coast to coast! And of course, here comes Brad, with a quick hug and kiss on the temple. He’s actually behind the camera more often then in front of it now. He thinks she looks even nicer then her pictures, and she sys “good answer!”

They agree they want to go on a date, and they ride over to meet Vita, where they will have a table for two, and they get to date turn the show backstage. Awww!

Meanwhile, we’re joined by DeAnna Lorraine who is a dating and relationship coach - the training is lots of dating and research, and informal coaching her whole life. She says that there’s no more stigma about dating, with a lot of niche single sites to try.

Keith likes online dating and thinks it’s fun. It started with a couple of winks, and he wanted to see if she was any more enchanting in person. He was running late - and the outfit that he had described to her had gotten some punch on him, so he wore something else. Another guy had the same sweater on, and when he got there - they were deep in conversation and he ended up being more of a “Hitch” then dating - but they’re all still friends today!

A happy ending is sitting on the front row - they have been together for 6 years now, married and expecting twins in May! Awww!

Katie is a wedding planner, and is the last of her friends to get married. She and her best friend signed up at the same time, and her best friend met someone in 2 months, but she hasn’t had as much luck as her friend. Online dating can be tricky - some of the profiles are completely different the what they really are. She wants help buffing up her online profile so that she can meet the perfect guy too!

DeAnna has some great profile tips:

• Choose photos that show off your best assets. Katie had her hair pulled back in her main profile photo and she was wearing a frumpy, dark turtleneck. DeAnna switches it to a photo that highlights her beautiful red curly hair and smile.

• Don’t send the wrong message. Katie included photos of herself in a wedding party and holding a baby — both of which could be offputting to some men who might interpret that she is desperate to beat her biological clock or dying to settle down.

• Show off your personality. Make sure your photo shows something about who you are. For example, if you love the outdoors or traveling, let your personality come through with a fun photo from your last hiking trip or vacation.

• Headlines should be short and simple. Katie’s original headline read like a boring laundry list of qualities she was looking for in a match. DeAnna revises it to be shorter, sweeter, and enticing: “Anyone up for some wild ringlets and fine wine?”

• Avoid being negative. Katie posted that her job was very demanding, which DeAnna suggests could be a turn-off. DeAnna suggests that men would be attracted to a woman who’s passionate about her job, so she helps Katie reword her post to convey more energy and enthusiasm.

• Be persistent. It’s easy to get discouraged after a bad experience with Internet dating. But it can take time! So be committed and put the necessary time and effort into it.

They set up Katie with a profile that brings it to life and she says he reaction has been very positive and as even been on two dates with the same guy now!

And that first date? Watch it here as they share a bit of Date Night Fondue.

Next up it’s Kevin Christiana’s No-Sew Makeovers to help everyone pinch those pennies! Here’s some of his tips!

• Turn boring dark denim into edgy, worn-in jeans. Insert a cylinder object (like a coffee cup or vase) in the leg of the jean and then start grating the jeans with a microplane, cheese grater or sandpaper. To get that blistering look, rub the jeans with a sponge that has a little bit of bleach on it. You can also put a cool emblem on the back of your jeans by dabbing a stencil cutout of the design with the bleach sponge. DIY with Kevin for $.99! Get some of his cool stencils here!

• Turn a plain-Jane T-shirt into a designer look. Celebrities are wearing them, and now you can too. Sprinkle cutouts of various designs on to a plain T-shirt. Spray it with bleach until the shirt reaches the washed-out look you desire, and then use a second spray of vinegar to stop the bleach’s reaction.

• Modernize a conservative business look. Cut a button-down shirt underneath the bust line and sew it to the top of a skirt using a hand-held sewing machine. Add a belt and you have a whole new look!

• Turn dad’s old sweater into a little girl’s spring dress. Cut the sleeves off an old sweater around the shoulder seams. Make a hole under each arm using a pin and poke some ribbon through each side. Gather the sweater in the back by tying a bow in the ribbon and you’ve got a dress for your little girl!

What’s for dinner? Sloppy Chipotle Joes.

Sorry guys - i missed Monday’s episode due to a power outage! You can check out clips online at the official site. The big Dancing with the Stars “shocker”? This year, the judges will have a dance off between the bottom two couples, and the judges will decide which one goes home. A little So You Think you Can Dance twist, hm, Nigel?

Anyway - on to Tuesday!

We start off in the kitchen for another 10spot meal - Cheesy Hash Brown Chili, which comes up at an average cost of $8.88 to make!

Up next - it’s an all grown up 21 year old Hilary Duff! She has two fragrances with a new one in the works. She loves going into the lab and and she’s like a kid in the candy store “I wanna smell that one! and that one!” Rachael congratulates her on being so successful, and wholesome, and asks if she’s comfortable being the girl next door? But she wants to be nice an sweet above anything else though she’d like to be seen as grown up too. People make assumptions and she feels like shs doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. She’ll live her life as she pleases. She and her sister are really tight, her whole family live close together, and they share all the care for heir animals when they travel.

Hilary says that red-carpets and pictures is a weird lifestyle, though it’s all she’s known - and her sister is by her side where they can talk about it and how uncomfortable it makes them feel and bond through the experience. Talk moves on to her boyfriend, and going to the games where the rowdy fans are rough, and now she’s really into it as she’s learned about the game. She sits with the crowds, and the fans will try to rile her up and she’s all “HEY! WATCH IT! I’ll come up there, you know!” But she tries not to be the crazy girlfriend. *L* Too cute. She admits to being a total homebody, and watches Rachael’s shows all the time, and she hopes it’ll all sink in and click by osmosis before she dares try in the kitchen.

She’s coming back to television, again - there’s a development deal at NBC and she feels she’s ready for that kind of schedule again after touring for 4 years. She wants a comedy, with the heart of an hour drama. She’s having fun listening to the writers and throwing ideas out there.

She recently took part in the Red Heart Truth Awareness runway show during fashion week, an event that Rachael did last week too. She has a Best Of cd out, and then she sticks around to let the audience ask her some questions too.

Jamie asks about the whole Faye Dunaway thing - that would she say if they met her face to face? She says she doesn’t know what she’d say, as it was little hurtful saying that she’d wish they’d gotten a real actress to play the part and Hilary says that she always tries to take the high road with people, it’s not worth it otherwise. Is she nervous about the Bonnie and Clyde remake? She says that this is not a remake of the movie, but a true factual events and how it all unfolded. She’s hugely excited about it.

Rachael asks what she’d do on a day without paparazzi? Hilary says that New York is better then anyplace, but paparazzi are outside her house every day in LA, and she feels like she has to get dolled up to go to the store and sometimes it’s just such a chore. It’d be nice to just be herself in her sweats.

More here with Hilary Backstage!

Next up, it’s Beauty Product Virgins with the American Idol stylist Mezhgan. First, of course, we get to be a little fly on the wall with a behind the scenes peek at Idol, and some dirt on Simon! He needs all the attention, and actually threatened to kick out auditioners if another cell phone went off - then HIS as the next to go off! He also complained that Mezghan didn’t use an Evian spray when she removed his makeup like she did for Ryan! “if someone is getting just a little bit more… he notices!”

Then its time to take on some viewers who have never used some common beauty products - ever!

Dana has never colored her hair, or tweezed her eyebrows, in all her 47 years. She comes out after her makeover - and DAMN she looks good! She looks like a totally different person! Her hair is brunette, and she looks years younger!

Bambi has never worn lipstick because when she was younger she worked in a restaurant in an older community and they left lipstick on everything! Mezghan helps her through her phobia of lipstick, and helps her pick a shade that’s nice for her.

Connie has never used foundation - a working mom of five! boys! She doesn’t like the dark circles and puffiness, and even her boys ask her why she doesn’t wear makeup. Mezghan gives her some tips and a quick simple solution that makes her look young, fresh and gorgeous.

What’s for dinner? Fennel-Pepper Spaghetti.

We start off in the kitchen today for some Oscar Night Goodies! She admits to going completely insane with the names - so we’re making Benjamin Button Pizza, and Slumdog Chicken Skewers, and later for dinner it’s Milk Mac’n Seafood.

After we get some food made and ready - Samantha Harris is doing double duty, handing Oscar Mania from the red carpet with the Insider! They go down the list of the new cast of Dancing with the stars of course, and Samantha is looking forward to a great Season!

Jewel and her hubby Ty Murray are on tap, as is Denise Richards who Sam says she’s looking forward to seeing the woman behind the tabloids and getting to know here. Shawn Johnson’s flexibility could be an asset, but the funnies comment comes about Steve-O from Jackass: “He’s stabled himself and parts of himself to a lot of strange things - I’m a little afraid of what he’s going to do with his partner!” But he’s certainly paired correctly, as he’s partnered by Lacy Schwimmer, the resident edgy ild child! If anyone can take on Steve-O, it’s her! The Woz, Steve Wozniac, why is he doing this? Samantha says it shows that money can’t buy everything - and certainly not this experience.

Her first assignment for The Insider was the Golden Globes, The Grammys, and now the Oscars. She had a moment, “a dork-o moment!” at the Golden Globes. She went to the ET stage to interview, just as Brad and Angie are coming down the stairs! She literally felt Brad’s breath and she couldn’t even MOVE! And she was really geeky girl embarrassed! Especially with the puddle of drool she left for them to clean up afterward!

She is still looking for the dress! Samantha says it’s one of the most difficult decision to make in her life! She shows off some choices from the Style Room at The Insider in a video diary - and Rachael point out her favorites - though she’ll watch in flannel pajamas, and slippers that look like apes. Ha! She loved the gold and the blue.

Next up, Rachael sends Film Critic Leonard Maltin to help out a viewer who really wants to win her Oscar Office Pool this year! Here’s how he breaks it down before the show:

Best Actress: “What a tough choice! Five really great performances. I’m sort of thinking Kate Winslet (The Reader). It’s one of those performances when she transforms herself - she plays herself as an older woman. They’re suckers for that.”

Best Supporting Actress: “Viola Davis in Doubt. Viola Davis makes such an incredible impact in just one scene. She’s also somebody who is not a household name and just delivers the goods, and all that’s on her side.”

Best Actor: “I’m tilting towards Sean Penn (Milk). He just disappears into that guy. You believe he’s Harvey Milk. And of course they’ve given him an Oscar® before, they obviously admire and respect him. So, I’m going with Sean Penn.”

Best Picture: “Logic says Curious Case of Benjamin Button but we all love Slumdog Millionaire, right? I think the Academy members do too.”

Next up, Melissa Leo is on hand to talk about her Oscar Nomination for her work in Frozen River. The film is a thriller, a drama and even with funny moments - but don’t forget the tissues! She’s been in 70 films and TV projects, though this is her once-in-a-lifetime experience as an Oscar Nominee. She says it’s a whirlwind, and she’s rubbing elbows with Hollywood legends! She was interviewing on the red carpet, and someone said he wanted to meet her - and it was Clint Eastwood! “He’s delightful, even more amazing in person!”

Upcoming is a movie called Gretta with Hilary Duff playing her daughter, and coming soon is Everybody’s Fine with DiNiro.

Next up - some ideas to Repurpose your old DVDs and CDs! DIY Networ’s B Oiginal host Michele Beschen suggests you use them for entertainment themed home decorations and jewelry. Here’s some of her tips:

DVD cases as switch plates
VHS tapes as gift-wrapping ribbons
DVD/CD ornaments
DVD/CD jewelry
DVD/CD Mosaics

Yay! It’s Kathy Griffin Day! I love her! She comes out laughing that she can’t move up the alphabet, and you know, she has two emmys, in case you didn’t know, she calls them Emmy and Emily, they’re like twins. She is used to the whole reality cameras walking in on her in the bathroom, etc, and her mom is the real star of the show. Kathy says that at 88 years old, she’s the most popular one, and Bravo has mandated that Mom is in every episode. Kathy? Not so much, but Mom - every one! She’s now moved from a box of wine to a bottle - that’s what 2 emmy’s will do for ya! And hey, at 88 years old? Bottoms up! She’ll drink ya under the table. Ha!

This year the D-list is a little different, but Kathy is going to try to be an A-lister in training… episode one has Bette Midler! And she and Rosie will spend the night with Gloria Estafan!

She’s obsessed with Nancy Grace, and she’s supposed to do an episode with “The twins” where she’ll give them a bath. She’s scared she’ll drop them, so thinks maybe she’ll just hose them down. She loves Anderson, and doing New Years Eve was fun, and he’s yummy. Kathy wants to become one of his investigations. Ha!

What is she doing Oscar night? Finishing off her 4-night stint at Madison Square Garden, otherwise she’s “sure that they’d have me host” ha! And Bu the way! That Jessica Simpson is fat as a house, I swear. I love that! If she’s FAT I need gastric bypass! It’s ridiculous! I love it for my act but real life? Give me a break! The girl can’t even spell, give her a break!”

She loves award shows that have awkward moments - if she can’t provide them, she hopes someone does. She wants to see a hookup with like Meryl Streep and mickey Rourke… she wants the unexpected! She says that believe it or not, even she knows when to stop. She doesn’t want to get fired from EVERYTHING, so she behaved when presenting at Emmy’s.

Would she rather - brunch with the Lohans, or dinner with osmands - Lohans. Better dish, and there’s too many osmands to fit in one room, but they’re freaks anyway. She’d rather kiss Simon than the others on idol. She’d take him down in the jungle! She’d rather be stuck in the elvator with Clay Aiken then have Paris sing all her songs. WHen Paris sings she wants to shoot herself. The olson twins vs the girls on the hills? She really kinda wants to kill the girls with the hills… she keeps thinking there’s gonna be drama, and there’s not, until she goes on and shoots them. Ha!

She runs into people she makes fun off - and Kathy says yeah “Like Whitney Housten with her cracky finger?!” She says that she tries to tell them something nice, like she likes Aiken’s new cd, but isn’t going to stop making fun of her. She says if she shows up dead though, call Oprah! She’d be the one to come get her - and Rachael says she’ll as O, and Kathy replies in trembling glory “ON NO DON’T TELL OPRAH!!”

She sticks around and talks about her new favorite charity that she plugs in all her shoes - VetDogs, that provide well trained service dogs to Military Veterans. More of Kathy backstage - her shocking crush, and more on Jessica Simpson!

Next up - Thermostat wars! Is it too hot or too cold in your house for different people? Marie keeps the house cold, because she’s always too warm, while her family has to bundle up. It’s so cold that the meat doesn’t defrost, and they had to get a wine cooler in order to keep the wine warm enough!

Danny Lipford has some solutions to help things better - they installed a zoning system, including personal thermostats so that each room can be as arm as they want.They also installed a ceiling fan that includes a heating element to help warm some things up. They even turned the seats of the couch into heated seats, so everyone can be comfortable as Mama stays cool in her tank top. After 26 years, the cold war is over!

Oh yeah - what’s for dinner? Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese.

We start out with a glimpse of Gordon Ramsay backstage tasting audience dishes backstage, and seeming much nicer then he is on Hell’s Kitchen! Of course, he’s been on the show before, and he really is a pushover - just not when it comes to Hell’s Kitchen. Rach calls the show Bleepin Good Television, and Gordon laughs, and says that you have the muppets, the donkeys, and all the pressure, and the first time he’s fine, second time he’s slightly cranky, the third time it’s really cranky and it gets worse before it gets better. He likes to weed through the crap to find the gems and find someone really good.

The audience brought in signature dishes for Chef Ramsey to try. Gordon says that e still has some stuck in the back of his throat - there was a cupcake that was like gumby’s flipflop, and it was dry. The icing was nice, but the cake was dry, he asked how many days she baked it for, but overall they were great. His four children now start challenging him in the kitchen. Jack, at school, went into the school cafe and told them the mac and cheese needed more salt. And Megan called out her home ec teacher for not washing her hands and Gordan says “she was just like oh lord, she’s a Ramsey!”

He talks about the Turkeys in the back yard that they got in order to teach them the circle of food life for Christmas and Thanksgiving, and they named them. Jack took the ‘taking care of them’ to a new extreme when he was in his bedroom with the turkey “massaging her breasts to make them juicier when we roast them in the oven!”

They talk a bit about the new restaurant in London, and then how the recession is affecting them. Gordon says for a chef it’s bloody brilliant, as everything was getting pretentious and out of hand, and they’re going back to some basic skills an flavors, and things they might have looked over for more expensive cuts before. The new book has a lot of healthy ways to stretch your buck - he admits that at home it’s air traffic control for the kids and meals and it all comes from that.

Did you know at home he has a swear jar? I know right?! He says he’s been on the naughty step more times then them! They make him pay up every time he’s caught too. He also fears his three girls dating, he bribed them all this time to think he’s the best of the best, and now they’re rebelling! They move into the Kitchen, and Gordon demonstrates some Spiced Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Sticky Baked Chicken Drumsticks. Click here for more backstage!

Next up, Rach shows up some LED table runner, placemats, bottle toppers, and Coasters to help you light up your table from Sylvania. Cool! Then it’s time for Home Decorating on a Budget, where a viewer Jenn, moved into abasement apartment in someone’s house, where she really has no idea where to put her stuff, and it lacks serious style. She has a big personality and wants her apartment to reflect that. Rach sent designer Libby Langdon to work her magic and give some great tips. Libby even hits up Mom and Dad’s garage, to get stuff - and the end result is stunning. Here’s some tips straight from Libby to you!

• Find inspiration in a design book, a magazine or a TV show. After you find designs that you like, step back and look at pieces you’ve already got to see if you can retool them. For example, you can make throw pillows out of an old sheet using fuseable tape that you iron on, and even an old door on its side could function as a headboard.

• Paint is the least expensive way you can transform your space. In a small space, people often hesitate to put a bold color on the wall. But you can choose just one wall for an accent color and paint the others a neutral, softer shade like tan. The contrast will add depth and dimension and make any small space feel bigger.

• Use painters’ tape to create white boxes on the painted wall, over which you can hang black photo frames. The white border around the frames will give the wall great contrast.

• If you can’t afford a headboard, apply painters’ tape in a pattern where the headboard would normally go. After you paint the wall and remove the tape, you will have a makeshift headboard.

• Look at furniture you’ve already got and think how good it will look if you just painted it. A fresh coat of paint can make older items look cool.

• Create a unique coffee table by arranging paint chips (free from your local hardware store) and applying a piece of glass on top.

• You don’t need to buy expensive flowers to add accents to your room. Branches or twigs spray-painted white will add a nice contrast to darker walls.

• Use silhouettes or other shapes printed from the Internet to create your own artwork to liven up your walls.

And hey, there’s DINNER too! Lemon-Glazed Roast Chicken with Tangerine-Scallion Spaghetti.

All the way from Australia, it’s Dr. Rob Bell with some amazing experiments to try parents and kids with Pantry Science and he assures us ye only had a couple explosions with the Wife wasn’t happy with, but the kids thought were hiLARious! Rach dons a labcoat and is eager to get messy with the Doc. Kids don’t try them at home alone, of course - so make sure. They use some milk, cream, chocolate, vanilla and…. liquid nitrogen used to freeze it! Lots of smoke and Rach feels like the witches of eastwick - while the doc tells us that nitrogen is REALLY clod, that makes a nice smooth creamy ice cream. It’s like poprocks ice cream!

He drops a banana into the bucket of Liquid nitrogen, then a dozen roses are dipped then shattered and it sounds like breaking glass, and when they thaw out they become roses again. Awww… Remember the banana? Now it can be used to hammer a nail into a board, and rubber balls turn into the hardness of a cue ball. A balloon full of air is dipped, and it deflates - and Rach blows on the outside of it and it blows back up as it warms! Rachael is impressed and says she’d have done better in school if she had him - he’s fun!

From cold to hot - now it’s a Blow Torch! Rachael is a little nervous as he says there might be an explosion as she heats up some salt - and they dump a gummy bear into it and it screams because of the sugar… it’s all steam and fire, and flashiness in the test tube as it explodes - a lot of energy in a single gummy bear. It’s purple because of the potassiam.

Peroxide is next, and they release the oxygen from some soap - and it makes a lovely bubbling foamy green massive mess…

And the finale - a mixture of corn starch and water, which goes to liquid when you pick it up - do this one at home! - it’s sort of solid, sort of liquid, and they fill a pool of it, so that they can walk on water… if you go quick you’ll stay on top because the more force you put on it the more it springs up and resists. Dr. Rob demonstrates nd Rachael follows (Oooh it’s gonna be oogie!) and she walks on water! H demonstrates that if you keep moving you can staying to - then stop moving and you sink, and he falls in and tries to get Rachael to join him. Ha!

Next up, Emma knows the justices of the Supreme Court - which she recites while hula hooping, and Derrek can name all 44 presidents, but he doesn’t want to be one. Can’t blame ya, there, kid! Mom says he gets obsessed with things and they just go with it - this time it was Presidents.

After a quick stop in the prep kitchen for Cheeseburger bread, Keke Palmer joins Rachael at the Kitchen Table to talk about her new how True Jackson, VP, among other things.

She says that she learned the words for Akeelah and the Bee with help from her mom, and she has pretty good memorization spells, but she’s not as good as Akeelah was. She loved the movie, as it has great message, you can do anything you put your all into it. She was thrilled with working with Angela Bassett who helped her cry when she needed too on set.

She’s thrilled with the show and the reaction to it - True Jackson is number two behind iCarley, she loves being called True Jackson when she hangs out. She’s 15 years old now, and she’s thrilled to be old enough to drive in August. She is a fellow doglover, and her dog Rusty was kidnapped! But they found him the next day in a truck stop and they had a tracking devise in him, and the guy who swipped him got scared and came back.

Oh and the HUGE moment! She got to go to the inauguration of Barack Obama, and she got to meet all of them, at the NAACP awards a couple years back, and he was working in Chicago. When she got to meet the girls, they said LuLu - her best friend on the show - was their favorite, which made her friends day. Keke has a LOT of energy and couldn’t be cuter!

Next up - Dan Gorske has a REAL favorite food - he’s eaten a big mac every day for 36 years - since the day he got his first car! He’s eaten 23,000 to date - at least 2 a day, but he’s very active too, he walks 10 miles a day. He even proposed to his wife at McDonalds. He’s even in the Guiness book of World Records - he makes his own burgers sometimes, but it’s no Big Mac “that’s for sure!”

Says Rachael “McDonald’s should hook you up, brother!”

So what’s for dinner? Duh. It’s Rach’s Big Spicy Mac! It’s so big that even RACH doesn’t think her mouth would fit around it. Now THAT’S a burger….

We start out with a game, Valentine’s Day More or Less. A viewer in the audience has never had a boyfriend on a Valentine’s day, so they’re going to give her everything she needs - but the man. Samantha is totally cute, and ame to play. It’s a bit like the Price is Right - Samantha will decide if the actual price is more or less then the price they have pictured. Not only is she playing for herself - but everyone in the audience too!

Rachael of ourse gives some very obvious clues, and the audience walks away with $100 gift certificate to 1-800-Flowers (Roses are EXPENSIVE, you know), a candle from Bridgewater Candle Company (Candles are luxurious for a VALUE), Wendy Glez lingerie and Panties and a Pink Microsoft Zune 4 GB MP3 player from Comp USA, and chocolates too!

Then it’s time for the newest Shopaholic - Isla Fisher! Being Friday the 13th, they talk a little bit about superstitions, and Isla says that she’s not much of a supersticious one, knock on wood, but she won’t go under ladders. She is looking forward to going to the movies on Valentine’s Day, which is her favorite thing to do.

Isla is very pleased with her latest role - Confessions of a Shopaholic, which combines the first two books. She loves to do the physical comedy, and is thrilled to have gotten to do so much of it in the movie..

So what was her first red carpet? She does and says it was awful - she went to the Golden Globes and was all cocky in her eautiful blue Herve Leger dress - and realized later that it had ripped right up the back and her right ‘cheek’ was exposed thanks to the small underwear she had been ‘convinced’ to wear - her friends called her “Isla Flasher” afterward! When did she know what she wanted to act? After seeing Viva Las Vegas - and realizing redheads could be on film thanks to Ann Margaret. Who makes her laugh? Tina Fey for sure, she’s brilliant, and Goldie Hawn, Anna Ferris. She got to meet Goldie - they dirty danced together! She says she acted like it was no big deal but she wanted to hug her and freak, and then she danced away, and she wanted to go after her but it was natural moment you couldn’t recreate by stalking. And she never came back, awww!

The audience stepped up to share their own Shopaholic confessions, while Isla admits that she is only a shopaholic about food and cookbooks. Amy has a shopping secret weapon - a “Bride” shirt that got her discounts everywhere and 8 months later she’s still wearing it. Erin actually froze her credit cards into a bowl in her freezer, and the next morning she fell in love with a pair of boots - and the ice didn’t last for even 24 hours!

Isla’s worst confession is that at the hardware store she’ll buy a drill or paint and she knows she’ll never use it - she’s not going to paint anything but she as visions of coveralls and painting together and still keeps trying - and buying!

It’s time for another incredible people segment and we meet 10 year old Winter Vinecki who’s a triathlete. She has been competing since she was five, but dad who was diagnosed with prostrate cancer last year, and she decided to use her talents to help him. She formed Team Winter as a part of Athletes for a Cure to help raise money to fight prostrate cancer and has raised around $100,000 or the cause. She trains with her mom, and after watching her compete in the mile swim, 25 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run, he says to have her finish is almost like he ran it himself - it brings tears to his eyes every time he sees her run.

Mom knew Winter isn’t the typical 10 year old, and knew physically she was capable of it, and who was she to say Winter was dealing with her dad’s cancer the wrong way? They both support her 100%, of course.

Next up - it’s Dinner time, and not just any dinner, it starts with a Valentine’s gift for her mom, she bakes Eclairs - which she learned how to make just for mama!

And for dinner - Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Marsala Sauce and Pasta with Strawberry-Arugula Salad.

And hubby John surprises Rach with flowers! awwwwww!