Bakersfield.com Parade: Personality

Suze Orman: 'When I Dance, I Lead'

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:00:06 PST

WALTER SCOTT ASKS...Suze Orman

The financial guru’s new show, America’s Money Class with Suze Orman, is airing now on OWN (Mondays, 9 p.m. ET).

You started out as a waitress. What did you learn from that?
"I learned to treat people with honesty and gentleness. It was my job to meet their needs and give them a good experience. I still feel like I’m a waitress, serving a platter of financial advice."

Why did you and your partner get married in South Africa?
"I wanted to marry in a country where there’s no distinction between gay marriage and straight marriage."

Have you ever been asked to do Dancing with the Stars?
"Yes, three times, but my job is the money lady. And I’m 60 years old! I’ll tell you another thing—I’m not going up there in those dresses, and when I dance, I lead. I do not follow."

What is your biggest splurge?
"When I’m doing business, I fly on private planes, which I pay for, so I’m always on time and I’m healthy when I get there. But otherwise I fly JetBlue."

Suze Orman’s Top 3 Money Tips for a Better 2012:

Live Below Your Means: “It’s the number one thing people really need to start doing: start living below their means but within their needs. Most people think they earn $5,000 a month and can spend $5,000 a month and they're fine. But then they don't have any money to save. If you have a car that is three years old and you want to buy a new car, can you just wait four or five years to do so? Live below your means.”

Make Your Money Work For You: “If you’re working for an organization that has a 401K where they match the contribution, I don't care if you don't have a pot to pee in or if you have $50,000 of credit card debt. You cannot pass up free money.”

Leave Your Money Alone: “If you have money in a retirement account, you are not to touch that money to pay off credit card debt, student loan debt, a mortgage you are behind. You are to look at that money like it's untouchable. Money in a retirement account is protected against bankruptcy so it makes absolutely no sense to take money that is protected to catch you up on bills. Since then you might fall behind again and soon you wont have money left.”

Sandra Bullock: 'I Cry at Everything Now'

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 02:00:07 PST

“I cry at everything now. ... I’ve become more open to surprises and feelings.”

—Sandra Bullock on how motherhood has changed her.

See exclusive photos of the actress

Patton Oswalt's Wedding DJ Past

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:00:06 PST

Q: On his Twitter page, Patton Oswalt mentions having been a wedding DJ. True? —Raymond C. Quon, Westwood, Calif.

First Jobs of the Rich and Famous

A: “Oh yes,” Oswalt, 42, says with a laugh. “I answered an ad and that was how I spent my weekends, presiding over weddings in northern Virginia. I was a budding music snob and impatient with people, but in my defense, I never lost it.” Currently earning raves for his dramatic turn in Young Adult after a series of comedic roles (he voiced Remy in Ratatouille and was on The King of Queens), he says he’s content with his career’s nontraditional trajectory: “I don’t want to know where I’m going next.”

Ordinary People's Elizabeth McGovern's Comeback

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:00:08 PST

Q: Whatever happened to Ordinary People’s Elizabeth McGovern? —J.B., Los Angeles

A: The actress, 50, moved to England nearly two decades ago to raise a family with her husband, British producer Simon Curtis. She’s in the midst of a career comeback and is up for a Golden Globe for her turn as Lady Cora in Downton Abbey (season two is now airing on PBS Masterpiece Classic).

Find out what the actress misses most about living in America

'Cop Fan' Pauley Perrette Has a Law Enforcement Obsession

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:00:06 PST

WALTER SCOTT ASKS...Pauley Perrette

The actress, 42, stars as forensic specialist Abby Sciuto on the CBS hit NCIS, nominated for Favorite TV Crime Drama.

You’re a natural blonde. Would you ever go back to that?
I don’t think so. I actually dyed my hair before NCIS. Back in the day, it was green, pink, fire-engine red—different colors all the time. But I always wanted black hair.

What was your childhood in the Deep South like?
I was always in the woods playing by myself. My favorite thing to do was build dams in the creek and check up on them the next day. I’ve got a wonderful job, but at the core, I’m still that kid.

You briefly attended grad school for criminal science. Now that you’re doing that kind of work on the show, could you still see that as a possible career path?
Oh yeah, I’m super-obsessed with law enforcement. I’m what you’d call a cop fan. I have so much respect for first responders. I get excited meeting police officers the way other people do meeting celebrities.

Get five other fun facts about the NCIS star

The Brains Behind Lady Gaga's Costumes

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 07:00:07 PST

Q: Who are the brains behind Lady Gaga’s over-the-top costumes? —LaDonna Gibbs, Houston

Lady Gaga's Most Outrageous Looks

A: The singer, a People’s Choice nominee for Favorite Female Artist, creates her looks with the help of the Haus of Gaga, a group of friends who are designers, makeup artists, and hairstylists.

Kristin Chenoweth and Aaron Sorkin: A Couple?

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:00:07 PST

Q: What’s the status of the relationship between Kristin Chenoweth and Aaron Sorkin? —Jessica Perkins, Clinton Township, Mich.

Famous Pop Star Make-ups and Break-ups

A: Once a couple, the actress, 43, and the Oscar-winning writer, 50, are now friends. They began dating in 2005 after his marriage ended and were on and off for years. Sorkin loosely based the character of Harriet in his series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip on her. However, by the time Chenoweth’s memoir, A Little Bit Wicked, was released in 2009, they were no longer together. “I love the man, and whatever happens or doesn’t happen between us in the long run, I always will,” she wrote.

Harrison Ford Reveals the Source of His Chin Scar

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 04:00:07 PST

Q: How did Harrison Ford get his chin scar? —Alex Felten, Alta Loma, Calif.

12 Celebrity Slips, Falls and Other Injuries

A: “A fast car crash, a real mundane way of earning it,” Ford, 69, has explained. Long before he became Han Solo, he had a job at Bullock’s department store near Laguna Beach, Calif. On the way to work one morning, he veered off the road and into a telephone pole while fumbling for his seat belt. He credits slamming his face into the steering wheel and some “inept emergency surgery” for the lasting mark.

Meredith Vieira on Marriage and Her Empty Nest

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 07:00:07 PST

Q: Is Meredith Vieira still married? —Anonymous, South Carolina

Meredith Vieira: 'I Don't Believe That You Can Have It All'

A: Yes, she and her husband, journalist Richard Cohen, have been married for 25 years and have more time together now that their three kids are grown. “The empty nest is great!” says Vieira, 58. Since leaving NBC’s Today in June, she remains a special correspondent for the network and is promoting the nonprofit PajamaProgram.org, which supplies books and clothes to needy children.

Patrick Swayze's Widow Lisa Niemi Opens Up About Her Grief

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 06:00:07 PST

Q: How has Patrick Swayze’s wife, Lisa, been coping since his passing? —H.M., Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Famous High School Sweethearts

A: More than two years after his death, she’s still struggling. “I had no idea how hard this road would be,” says Swayze, 55. “Sometimes it’s all I can do just to put one foot in front of the other.” She chronicles her experience with loss and grief in her new memoir, Worth Fighting For, and is optimistic about the future: “Little by little, I have more good days, just like I was promised.”

Who Said It?: Katherine Heigl or Nicole Kidman

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 04:00:07 PST

Q: Who Said It?: Katherine Heigl or Nicole Kidman

“I’ve never really been America’s sweetheart, but for a minute I think that’s what they wanted me to be.”

See the answer at wonderwall.com/whosaidit.

Andy Serkis' Primate Role in 'Planet of the Apes'

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 03:00:06 PST

Q: In the new Planet of the Apes movie, was Caesar played by a real animal? —Gigi, Los Angeles

Tarzan Chimpanzee Dies at Age 80

A: A primate was responsible for the acclaimed performance, but it wasn’t a chimpanzee—it was actor Andy Serkis. The 2011 film used motion capture technology to harness Serkis’s expressions and movements, which were then applied to animated renderings of Caesar from infancy to adulthood. “It’s about believing you are that thing and totally inhabiting it,” Serkis, 47, has said of the process. Previously, he brought to life Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and King Kong in the 2005 remake.

Timothy Olyphant: 'It’s Fun Pretending to Be Cool'

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:00:06 PST

WALTER SCOTT ASKS...Timothy Olyphant

The actor, 43, returns Jan. 17 as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens for season three of FX’s Justified (10 p.m. ET). Season two will be on DVD Tuesday.

Raylan is a tough guy, known for his unblinking stare. Are people intimidated by you?
I’d like them to be, but they’re usually not. I have a number of ways of telling my children how I can have them arrested. It seems to work.

The show is set in Kentucky but shot in California. Have you gotten any feedback from southerners?
I don’t feel like I run into too many people from Kentucky. I think I’m hanging around in the wrong places.

Will the body count be higher this season than last?
It might be. We’re surely off to the races in the first episode. My guess is a little more blood gets shed this year.

Are you a good shot in real life?
Anything within five feet, I’ve got it.

What’s your favorite part about playing Raylan?
Well, he doesn’t have to run. I appreciate that I don’t have to do any physical exercise. It’s fun pretending to be cool.

The actor reveals more Justified season three teasers

Former 'DWTS' Pro Edyta Sliwinska Dances On

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 03:00:06 PST

Q: What has happened to my favorite Dancing with the Stars pro, Edyta Sliwinska? —Alli Flaherty, St. Paul, Minn.

Photos: Hollywood Stars Caught Dancing

A: Since leaving the ABC hit last year after 10 seasons, Sliwinska, 30, has focused on Dancing Pros, the production company she formed with her husband. Their latest endeavor is a theater show called Dance Temptation. “It’s the story of how a couple’s relationship is tested as they travel the world experiencing different cultures through famous dance styles,” she says.

Doris Day Talks 'Que Sera, Sera' and Her Famous Leading Men

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 04:00:06 PST

WALTER SCOTT ASKS...Doris Day

The star, 87, has a new album, My Heart, featuring previously unreleased songs (all proceeds go to the Doris Day Animal Foundation). She talks with Roger Friedman about music and her leading men.

You selected the tunes for this album, many of which were produced by your late son, Terry Melcher. But back in the day, you didn’t get to pick, did you?
"They used to tell us what to do. If it was a bad song and I had to do it, I just did the best I could. I sang because I loved to sing."

PHOTOS: Doris Day Through the Years

“Que Sera, Sera” is now in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
"At first I thought it was kind of a silly song for that film [Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much]. But it was good in the movie, and people sang it to their children."

Let’s talk about your costars. What was Cary Grant like?
"Cary was very nice, but we didn’t sit around and talk. At lunchtime, he would go outside with that thing you put under your chin for the sun [a reflector], because he didn’t want to wear makeup."

Who did you hang around with? Rock Hudson?
"We really liked each other. He named me Eunice, just for fun. When he was ill, he came to my show [Doris Day’s Best Friends], and at first I didn’t know who he was. He was gaunt. I was almost in tears. But we walked and laughed together. It just about put me away—it’s so hard to be funny when you know what’s going to happen."

Doris Day discusses big bands, Paul McCartney, and much more. Read the full interview.