Spirited Woman Blogger Team

Patrick Swayze - You Will Be Missed

I was very saddened by the news that Patrick Swayze had died on Monday of pancreatic cancer.

I thought that the depression I felt was a little silly considering I had never met him so I decided to post my feelings on my Facebook page. I was surprised to find that I was not the only one. Many of my girlfriends were also feeling the same sad feelings as me. We discussed our favorite movies that he starred in and how we had a crush on him when we were teens.

Then I started thinking why he was so important to us and I realized that he was the ultimate Spirited Woman Man. Not only was he handsome but all of his characters LOVED women and held them in the highest regard. Who can forget him in the movie Dirty Dancing when he told Baby's father "Nobody puts Baby in the corner!" or when he came back from the dead in Ghost to just kiss and comfort his widowed wife, Molly, played by actress Demi Moore. Even when he was playing a bank robbing surfer dude in Point Break he took Keanu Reeves under his wing and taught him everything he knew about surfing and stick up even though he knew that he was a FBI agent who could potentially lock him up for life. In To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar Swayze was man enough to play one of three gay drag queens who were on their way to L.A. to compete for the national drag queen title and his character also defended a victim of domestic abuse (even in heels!).

He didn't just act the part, in real life he was just as warm and loving and lived life to the fullest. He met his wife, Lisa Niemi, when she was just 14-years-old while she was one of his mother's dance students. They were married for 34 years and had recently renewed their vows in a spur of the moment celebration.

ABC's Dancing With the Stars will pay tribute to Swayze, who was a onetime guest, with a special episode set to air Sept. 23.

Swayze waged a courageous 20-month battle with his cancer and in excerpts published of his memoir written with his wife, Lisa, in People Magazine, Swayze revealed that his diagnosis at first "seemed like a cruel joke. I couldn't be dying—I had too much to live for!" he wrote.

As his character in Ghost said  "It's amazing, Molly. The love inside, you take it with you." This Spirited Woman hopes that's true - because I loved you Patrick Swayze. If he touched your life too, please let me know.

- Kristin Flannery
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What an Up and Down Week for Celebrity Spirited Women...Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Taylor Swift and Beyonce...

....May need a rest after all of this!

I was very sad to see Serena Williams throw that fit at the US Open, now I am not a professional athlete and I do not know that kind of pressure but I was very disappointed. I am NOT really here to talk about Serena at the US Open because even though that got your attention I want to tell you about the real Spirited Woman of the US Open that may have gotten overlooked - the winner - Kim Clijsters!

Kim Clijsters is the 26-year-old Belgian mom who made history Sunday night by staging a comeback from two years out of tennis to become the first unseeded woman to win -- and the first mom to win a major since 1980 -- with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki (and she beat a 19-year-old!). Her little 18-month-old daughter got to watch her mommy from a sky box and when she won, Clijsters dropped to the court and cried in joy. Later, Clijsters was joined by her daughter (binky in mouth) and husband as they handed her the trophy - what a great role model for moms and daughters around the world. To see more about Kim Clijsters you can see her profile on ESPN.

Now on to another bizarre outburst... even though I am too old to watch the MTV Music Awards, this story was all over the web and it was just too (shall we say) interesting not to be mentioned.

Just as Taylor Swift was accepting the award for Best Female Video at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West ran up on stage, took her microphone, and said Beyonce had been robbed for her Single Ladies video. "Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!" he shouted. What's a talented, Spirited Woman to do? Well, she did what any one in shock would do... Swift stood silently holding her trophy and then the cameras cut to Beyonce who looked equally as stunned. MTV didn't know what to do so they cut to break and Taylor never got to finish her acceptance speech... until... Beyonce won the award for video of the year for Single Ladies Put a Ring On It. Beyonce, classy as always, invited Taylor Swift onto the stage to belatedly finish acceptance speech. Wow, I think Kanye and Serena need to take a vacation together and get some rest!

- Kristin Flannery
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Wow - What a Week for Ellen DeGeneres!

I thought that I was busy this week but Ellen DeGeneres is working at full speed! First on Tuesday, Ellen started a brand new season (#7) of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, her daytime talk show, which Warner Brothers says will be full of celebrities, crazy games and non-stop fun.

THEN on Thursday, Ellen announces on her show that she will be a judge on American Idol. That's right... Fox's American Idol! She will take over the fourth judge's seat that became vacant when Paula Abdul resigned in the midst of a contract dispute this summer. Ellen will continue with her daytime show while she takes on American Idol judging duties for their ninth season, starting in January 2010. She has even signed a five-year deal with the top-rated show.

Then on Friday, just when her week was looking up... lawsuit! Don't worry, Ellen is not being sued personally. It was just announced that a handful of the biggest record industry sued The Ellen DeGeneres Show over copyrights. According to Billboard.biz, the labels allege that Ellen’s show has broadcast over 1,000 songs during the “dance over” segment of the show — when Ellen dances through the audience while moving from stage to stage — without ever paying for the licenses.

Wow, what kind of week did you have? Do you think Ellen DeGeneres will make a good American Idol judge?

- Kristin Flannery
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As We Say in Marketing..."Know Your Audience!"

When I was in TV Marketing we were always looking for contest ideas and fun ways to get viewers to tune in to the show. This week, Wheel Of Fortune REALLY threw me for a loop when they announced their latest contest.... America's Most Loveable Pets!

Wheel Of Fortune and People Magazine have teamed up to bring viewers this contest. People Magazine has a website for people who love celebrities AND pets, it's called http://www.peoplepets.com/. If you think you have the most lovable pet then from now until October 23rd you can log on and upload your pet's best photo. Then tune in during Wheel Of Fortune's Pet Lover's Week (November 30 - December 4th) to see if your pet is a winner (you could win the grand prize of $3,000!). This is the perfect contest for my grandma since she loves Wheel Of Fortune and her cat but guess who is going to be the one to upload her cat's photos... yup, me!

Now on to other "know thy audience" matters that make this Spirited Woman a little mad this week - Saturday Night Live! How could they do it to me? I have been a loyal fan for many years. My babysitter used to let me and my sisters stay up to watch SNL when it starred such talented women as Jane Curtin and Gilda Radner. But now, I have just heard that you fired two very funny women - Casey Wilson and Michaela Watkins and replaced them with two obviously attractive women - Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad. I know times are tough, your ratings are down and all that but really? Do you think that's the answer? Don't you know that men are out at clubs on Saturday nights and the only reason that your Andy Samberg's Digital Shorts are so popular is because you send them in clips around the internet (it doesn't hurt that they star Justin Timberlake).

Men are not sitting down to watch SNL on Saturday Night. I just want all the Spirited Women readers to know that Michaela Watkins has been very classy about her exit and even pretty cheerful. I hope to see them both back on my television very soon.

Who's Your Favorite Teacher? Mine is Mr. Schuester from Fox's "Glee"

First Day of School, Ice Cream Social, Spirit Day... it's all coming back to me as my daughters dive into school. Makes me think about my school days and the teachers who influenced me. The ones you never forget, some were a little wacky, some tried to be cool and some just made an impression on you that you could never forget.

For me it was Ms. Hoyt at Prout Memorial High School. She was not only the coolest English teacher who had us dissecting Police songs but we were lucky enough to have her as a guidance counselor and she was honest enough to tell me what schools I should apply to (versus the ones I thought I could get into) and she handed me an Emerson College brochure and the rest is history.

Now, there is a show that captures that same wacky high school feeling. It's Fox's Glee and I have to admit that I'm a "Gleek" (and that is Fox's made up nickname for people who love the show).

In May, Fox gave American Idol viewers a sneak peek of the pilot episode of Glee. We were introduced to the staff and students of McKinley High featuring an earnest Spanish teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) who had been positively influenced by his own Glee Club experience which in turn leads him to try to save the Glee Club program by becoming their advisor. The Glee Club is made up of a crazy group of colorful characters including a wannabe superstar Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), quarterback-with-pipes Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) and a handful of social misfits who join show choir. They don't get along as a group but in one inspirational moment they come together to sing Journey's 1981 hit Don't Stop Believing.

The series premiere of Glee will air on Wednesday, September 9th at 9:00pm (easy, right? - 9/9/09 at 9!). In anticipation of the series premiere, the first episode of Glee is available on www.hulu.com/glee so you can catch up. The cast has been traveling the U.S. on a mall tour and Entertainment Tonight gave the cast a Flip camera to catch all the fun! 

This show is not just for the kids, even Time Magazine gave it a good review and check out this clip of the cast doing a great rendition of Kanye West's Gold Digger.

What teacher inspired you? Were you a band member or a cheerleader? Did you get a chance to see Glee and what do you think?

- Kristin Flannery
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Breast Cancer - A Survivor's Journey of Support, Guts, and Steppin' Out in Pink

I had the pleasure of meeting Jonna Peterson over the phone last month and I wanted to share her inspirational story with you. At 42, Jonna went for her first mammogram and, even with no family history of breast cancer, she got the phone call from the Gundersen Lutheran Norma J. Vinger Center for Breast Care - in La Crosse, WI - that every women dreads - asking her to come in for further evaluation. The spot that appeared on her mammogram, was cancer. Her cancer was the size of a pea that would require a lumpectomy and radiation therapy after that but during breast cancer surgery the doctors checked the lymph nodes near her tumor and discovered that one of her lymph nodes was positive for cancer. This drastically changed the course of her treatment.

Now if you think I am going to turn this in to a story with a sad ending then you are wrong. After Jonna healed from surgery, she then endured four months of chemotherapy and a month after her final chemotherapy treatment, Jonna began radiation therapy which consisted of 33 treatments over about seven weeks! I didn't say it was easy but she did it. Today Jonna continues to be cancer free and the smart folks at Gundersen Lutheran were so inspired by her positive, Spirited Woman attitude that they asked her to share her story of survival as part of their support network to reach out to other women with her story of hope. You can read Jonna's inspiring logs AND Jonna is on the cover of Gundersen Lutheran's Living and Learning magazine - now she's a cover girl!

But Jonna wants to do more to get the word out so on September 12th she marks her personal one year anniversary of her journey of breast cancer by walking in the Steppin' Out In Pink event sponsored by Gundersen Lutheran.

If you are as inspired as me and would like to help her reach her final goal then go click here. All proceeds from Steppin’ Out in Pink support the Norman L. Gillette, Jr. Cancer Research Fellowship. It was established at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation through the generosity of the families of Norman L. Gillette, Jr., and Donald & Norma J. Vinger. The goal is to reach $2 million to fully fund the endowment  and help continue their important research.

Who better to step out for the fight than Spirited Woman - Jonna Peterson. Go Jonna! Beat those odds. Win the race.

- Kristin Flannery
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It's "Back-to-School Time" and I'm Not Ready!

Maybe it's the 100 degree weather in California or the fact that my daughters have not done any school work all summer but I am NOT ready for "Back-To-School Time!" I have bought them new outfits (long sleeved before this heat wave) and their school supplies (there is no such thing as a 24 pack of markers - I'm missing colors already) but I have not done a very good job of preparing my little one for kindergarten. I have not spent enough time teaching her to read. We just now started reviewing her writing.

Thank goodness for my celebrity friends, at least they can help me with the reading part with Speakaboos, an online publisher that celebrates classic literary properties for children such as Curious George, Arthur, Goldilocks, Snow White and Aesop's Fables through the voices of today's biggest stars including Kevin Bacon, Nick Cannon, John Krasinski and Kelly Ripa.

During the summer, Kelly Monaco, Rebecca Herbst and other cast members from ABC’s General Hospital taped a reading for a children’s book on their set.

Speakaboos feature storybook videos online with original illustrations and music accompanied by educational activities, games and contests. Parents and teachers can use the story guides, lesson plans based on national standards, worksheets and other resources to reinforce educational lessons at home (or the ones I should be teaching) and in the classroom.  

Also, ...there is a charity element. Speakaboos partners with organizations such as the National Education Association and contributes 15% of all revenues to charities supporting children’s health and wellness. Their entire library is available for viewing for free at Speakaboos.com or you can download each track to your Ipod for ONLY $0.99. The company's goal is to reinvigorate the story telling process of classic children’s stories by having today’s hottest celebrities bring new life to these classic tales. 

You can listen to all the celebrity tracks online or if you think you have a better voice you can even record your own for your child. Getting my daughter ready for Kindergarten AND listening to Kevin Bacon... sign me up! Happy "Back-To-School Time!"

- Kristin Flannery
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100th Post for Entertainment Blogger Kristin Flannery - She Celebrates Women Everywhere!

Believe it or not, this is my 100th blog entry for The Spirited Woman and like they do on a production set when a TV show celebrates it's 100th episode, I am eating a big cake with my photo on it. Well, not really but a girl can dream. For this post I am going to do what The Spirited Woman website does best.... celebrate women!

Billboard Magazine is SO sure that there will not be any other woman to top her that they have already named Beyonce "Woman Of The Year" and it is only August! Beyonce Knowles will be honored by the music industry publication at its annual Women in Music event on October 2nd in New York City. Beyonce has had a great year with her smash hit Single Ladies (which MANY celebrities  spoofed on-line - so you know that makes it a  success), she sang at President Obama's inauguration, she had a No. 1 movie Obsessed and a amazing arena tour. She's going to have a tough time topping this next year.

Everyone KNEW that Paula Abdul would be back (and fast). She will be hosting the VH1 Divas concert which will include some of her former  American Idol ladies - winners Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks and also includes Adele, Leona Lewis (who by the way was discovered by Simon Cowell) and Miley Cyrus. The special will air live on Sept. 17 on VH1, hence the title. She's funny, spunky and a tiny bit "out there" and that's why I can't wait to have more Paula.

Beyonce and Paula Abdul... those are my picks for this week. So, in honor of my 100th blog, let me know what Spirited Woman you would like to see us celebrate today!

- Kristin Flannery
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Forbe's Names List of "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" & I Almost Missed It!

A few days ago I was logging into my Yahoo mail and I caught a quick glimpse of an announcement of the Forbes' List of the "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" (but I was running out (BTW, I am powerful in my household) and I thought it would be all over the news and I would see it again. Well, now that I look for it, I have to do a full on search... hmm.. I wonder if it was a list of powerful men would I really have to work that hard? I wanted to make sure that Spirited Woman readers heard about the list too.

These women's rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility - by press mentions -- and the size of the organization or country these women lead. So, you're thinking Oprah, right? Nope...she's number 41! It's not your usual "who's who" of the entertainment crowd and it really opened my eyes (once again) to how much is going on in the world outside the U.S.

For the 4th year in a row, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is Number #1. She is the first female Chancellor of Germany and at the end of September when she seeks a second term in national general election she will be ditching her current "party" (Social Democrats) to form new coalition with the liberal Free Democrats. And you know what? Forbes reports that a recent opinion polls favor her succession (that means they like her enough to stick with her no matter what party she is in).

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of fantastic women from the U.S. but most of them are the heads of such powerhouse companies (versus a chancellor) as PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, DuPont, Sunici, Yahoo, and from Xerox there are even 2 who made the list!

So what do you think makes a powerful woman? Some one who gets all the press or someone who gets the job done? I would love to know what you think of the Forbes' List of the "World's 100 Most Powerful Women."

- Kristin Flannery
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Six Degrees of Separation and Dancing With the Stars!

I have not worked in entertainment in five years but I always get very excited when some one I worked with does well or gets a great part. When I heard the celebrities that were lined up for the upcoming Dancing With The Stars I was over joyed!

I have had the pleasure of working with Melissa Joan Hart on Sabrina The Teenage Witch and Mark Dacascos on The Crow: Stairway to Heaven. I also met Tom DeLay at a wedding (I know, random huh?).

There are so many more celebrities that I can't wait to see - Macy Gray, Kelly Osbourne, Natalie Coughlin, Kathy Ireland, Mya and Debi Mazar... these spirited women are strapping on their dancing shoes and going for a whirl!

Dancing With The Stars will air on ABC with a 3-night premiere event starting LIVE Monday September 21st 8/7c. In the meantime, I would love to know who you would have chosen to compete in this season's Dancing With The Stars.... but this blogger does not count (two left feet) so don't choose me!

- Kristin Flannery
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