By popular request, here’s a link to the article by Elise Nersesian on “Your Man’s Mood Swings”!     

http://match.aolcityguide.com/magazine/article0.aspx?articleid=7246

Go to it, girls!

 THIS is one lady you’ll be glad you met! Bert Curtin proudly wore her Marine uniform as she served in World War II.   

And guess what! 60+ years later, this beautiful woman still fits into her Marine uniform!

Bert’s proud daughter Mary Liz Curtin owns Leon & Lulu, a cool home furnishings store on 14 Mile Road just west of Livernois in Clawson. She wrote me the other day:

“We are having a little fund raiser for Honor Flight Michigan on Sunday, May 4 from 1-4 pm at Leon & Lulu, called Meet
My Mother, The Marine: A Chance to Mingle with the Greatest Generation.  My very own mother, Bert Curtin, is a veteran of  WWII, a Marine air traffic controller who served at Parris Island, SC and one of the few veterans who
fits (and looks fabulous in) her uniform. She is 87, looks great, has a sharp wit and lots of terrific stories, including a tale of throwing up on General Eisenhower’s feet. ”

Bert Curtin will be leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance this Friday, May 2nd around 7:30am. And, this coming Sunday, come by Leon & Lulu to say “thanks” to Bert & hear her stories. And if you’ve got a WWII vet in your family, bring him or her by as well, because they’re going to have a videographer on hand to record vets’ stories.

Mrs. Curtin, a staff sergeant who still fits in her uniform, will be the honorary hostess of the party, from 1-4 pm on Sunday May 4, 2008. Her fellow WWII veterans (and their spouses) are especially welcome to attend and share their adventures, both with the guests and the videographer who will be on hand to record their stories.  Refreshments will be served, and 10% of the day’s sales will benefit Honor Flight Michigan, the organization that helps to send deserving WWII Veterans to see their Memorial in

There will be a gift for each veteran in uniform (and a better gift if the uniform is fully buttoned), entertainment and refreshments served by skating waiters. Join us at Leon & Lulu, the mom-and-pop  furniture, gift and accessory store located in the historic Ambassador Roller Rink at

248 288 3600

Thanks, Mary Liz!

Ok, we’ve certainly been flooded with talk and written words about Miley Cyrus’s photo shoot for Vanity Fair. Certainly the magazine’s gotten a Mt Everest of advance publicity for its upcoming issue…and 15 year old Miley’s got everyone talking about “the picture”…bare back, tousled hair. You’ve seen it. OK, but let’s talk about something that is bothering me just as much, if not more.

THIS:

(from Vanity Fair)

OK. This.Creeps.Me.Out! That is DADDY, not BOYFRIEND. I cannot for the life of me imagine taking a picture with my Dad that resembles this in any way, shape or form. I cannot imagine my husband Sean taking a picture with our 14-1/2 year old daughter Siobhan that resembles this in any way, shape or form. 

So, was this something that seemed like an artsy, cool thing to do when you’re on the photo set in Calabasas, California and big-deal photog Annie Liebovitz is behind the lens? Then, in the light of “the real world”, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all? Is Billy Ray, who really hasn’t been in the spotlight since “Achy Breaky Heart” was a hit a million years ago, overlooking what’s best for his daughter and doin’ what it takes to get back in that elusive spotlight? Has our patience with enabling parents of young stars (hello, Dina & Michael Lohan, Lynn & Jamie Spears!!!) just worn out? Did we want to think that the Cyruses were, somehow, “better” than all of that? Is this a mistake, as the Cyruses claim? And someone tell me how the Cyruses complained that they didn’t know how the photos would turn out when Daddy was right there…and posing like a boyfriend with his daughter?

What do you think? And are you talking to your kids about this?

My hometown of Ferndale is gearing up for its 90th consecutive Memorial Day Parade. This was one of the big highlights of the year as I grew up in Ferndale: marching along 9 Mile in the parade!

This year, the City of Ferndale is seeking volunteers for a parade tribue to the men and women of Michigan who’ve given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. There’s going to be a “foot float” of volunteers carrying placards with the names of each fallen soldier, sailor or marine.

To volunteer, you can email or contact:

Larry Saville, 277 Hazelhurst, Ferndale MI 48220 or email at

MI_Fallen_Tribute@wowway.com

Join this salute to Michigan’s Fallen for Memorial Day 2008.

OK, anyone who listens to the Magic Morning Show knows I’m not the world’s biggest sports fan…EXCEPT when it comes to hockey. Love going to Wings’ games. And when I was in TV, I had the chance to interview the Wings and I always liked that!

So…fellow hockey fans, just for fun, check out what the genius sports nerds at Sports Illustrated did: taking some of the hockey faces we’re seeing in the playoffs and matching ‘em up with their look-alike celebrity face! (Nicklas Lidstrom & Doogie Houser?!?)

Check it!! 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0804/nhl.players.resembling.entertainers/content.1.html

If you’ve listened to the Magic Morning Show anytime over the past year or so, it’s likely you’ve heard me talk about the incredible experiences I’ve had with Honor Flight Michigan. The mission? Get as many of Michigan’s World War II veterans to Washington to visit their Memorial as we possibly can.

 I’ve had the privilege of serving as a Guardian on two of the flights in 2007 : I will never forget the special moments of those very long days, full of emotion, laughter and tears.

(sharing a laugh with Fred Nunnold, a B-17 tail gunner shot down over Germany in October 1943. He was a prisoner of war until late 1944, when he was sent home in a prisoner exchange.)

From the flight crews on the planes, to strangers in the terminals…

….to those of us who volunteered to watch over these  warriors through a very long day, it is the best way to say “THANK YOU” to the Greatest Generation.

(with my “Flyboy Friends”, B-17 pilot Bob Stauffer, B-17 navigator Bill Rosynai and B-24 bombadier Murray Cotter)

I have joined the Board of Honor Flight Michigan, because I’m so convinced that saying “Thank You” to the men and women of World War II is so important…and time is running out. We are losing over 1500 WWII vets every day. Sadly, their Memorial didn’t go up until 2004, when the youngest of The Greatest Generation was around 80.

Here’s where we need YOUR help: we have over 700 vets on the waiting list for Honor Flights. It costs around $350 per vet to get them to & from Washington, provide breakfast (since we start at 3am with check-in!), boxed lunches, rent buses in Detroit & DC, etc. Volunteer Guardians pay their own way on each flight, but we will not take a penny from a vet. We believe they’ve given enough. And right now, we need more money in the pot to send all of those men and women on the waiting list to Washington.

SO…if you’re a teacher or principal, perhaps you could do a classroom or all-school fund-raising project for Honor Flight Michigan (an especially great idea if you’re teaching WWII history to your class!)…Scout groups…church groups…and individuals like Michael Christina. He recently retired from the Sterling Heights Post Office. His co-workers threw him a retirement party in March. In lieu of gifts, he asked everyone to make donations to Honor Flight Michigan. Guess what Michael’s generous suggestion raised? $2956!!!!!!

A Magic listener wrote to tell me her daughter had decided to hold a wine & cheese party for her birthday and ask guests to make donations to Honor Flight Michigan. Her kind gesture brought in nearly $1600 for Honor Flight!!!

Please consider donations of any size to Honor Flight Michigan. The website is www.honorflightmichigan.com.

It goes without saying, time is not our friend in this effort to say THANK YOU to the heroes who stepped onto those beaches, made those bombing runs, dropped from the skies, shivered in foxholes, sweated in steaming jungles, prayed, and kept the world free for US. They need you now.

(Former POW Fred Reichel…we salute YOU!)

Well, look what’s back from the fashion graveyard!?

Stirrup pants!!!! I read that Jennifer Hudson’s going to rock a pair in the upcoming S&TC movie…and one of the big department stores is actually sold out of stirrups in their on-line junior department.

Good news, ladies? (hey, no trying to scrunch your pants into boots, right? And you just toss on a long sweater/top and no one’s getting peeks at your muffin top!)

Or…as Jim said on today’s show…..”GAH!!! PORKY PIG FEET!!!!!!!!!!”

Your verdict?? Good news… or a hideous joke being played on us by the fashion industry?????

You’ve heard me talking on the show about Ken Paves.

Love his story: grew up around Anchor Bay/New Baltimore. Went to beauty school. Used his great talents and good heart to work his way to the top of the hair-styling world. SO many celebs turn to Ken: Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria Parker,Jessica & Ashlee Simpson, Celine Dion, Brittany Murphy, Victoria Beckham…the list goes on and on. I’ve been going to his salon at 19 & Hayes since he opened it a few years back. And you’ll trip over the stars going to his salon on Robertson in Beverly Hills.

But what I really love about Ken is his boundless energy for doing good, especially when it comes to raising money to battle EB….Epidermylosis Bullosa. It’s a brutal disease that afflicts children, making their skin so fragile it blisters and slides off at the slightest touch. Ken’s involvement in EB began when he met Rachel Nasuti of Macomb County one day at Lakeside Mall. That was the start of a friendship that Ken says has changed his life.

This 18 year old girl’s put up a tough battle against EB for her entire life. Ken’s taken her  to his heart. Wanting to raise money to fight EB, he turned to his celeb friends.

Last week, Ken threw a BIG star-studded fundraiser at Eva Longoria Parker’s new Hollywood restaurant, Beso. Among those giving the party? Ken Paves, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, David Arquette, Orlando Bloom, James Marsden and Eva…and the turnout was terrific! The goal? To raise ONE million dollars in two weeks to fight EB? How do I know? Because Sean, Siobhan and I were THERE, thanks to Ken and his super Mom & Magic listener Helen Paves. Sorry, no pictures to post, because it was private and therefore no cameras. But there was a segment on Oprah with Ken about the Big Give to fight EB…and he talked to Jim, Linda, me and the rest of the Magic family on our Tuesday show about his Big Give.

It’s something you can be part of as well. There are loads of unbelievable celeb items Ken has gathered to auction off on eBay. Here is the link that will take you to the items…check it!

http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=kenpaves_biggive

Learn more about EB at this site:

http://www.befriendeb.com

Here’s to someone who is using his fame and fortune to do good in this world. On the Oprah show, he reported his effort has already raised TWO MILLION dollars and he’s hoping to make it THREE!

Here’s an exercise that can get you thinking & get your creative juices flowing! Sum up your life…in SIX WORDS!

Recently, Smith Magazine (www.smithmag.net) published an entertaining book of these six-word autobiographies after challenging readers & some well-known folks to submit their teeny-tiny memoirs. The title was one of the entries: “Not Quite What I Was Planning…”.

Here are some to get you thinking:

“Some hits, some runs, some errors.”   “Wait, I only get six words?” “I still make coffee for two.” (That’s a touching one!)  “Trying to mother the entire world.” ”Cares too much what others think” (Oh WOW! I wish I could lay claim to that one!!) ”How many meetings will this take?” (from a politician!) “Saw the world, came home anyway.” “Baby teeth, buck teeth, no teeth.” “Business school? Bah! Pop music? Hurrah!” “Despite everything, I still have hope.”

And not everyone felt the need to be serious, as evidenced by the person who submitted the following : “I like big butts, can’t lie”.

So I’ve been playing around with my mini-memoir.  It’s a great way to get you to think about yourself, your life & the people in it.  “Life began when I met Sean”. Or…”"Body by Motown, Soul by Ireland”…or “Baked in Detroit, Frosted in Cork”.  Or maybe this? ” Piano, French Horn, Bagpipes, Microphone, Keyboard.” Or…”When do I go on vacation?” Or…”One husband. Two kids. Blessed life.”

Why not give it a try and share YOUR Six-Word Memoir with the rest of us?

Had the pleasure of seeing “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Fox. I’ve been a huge fan of the show since I first heard the songs in the early 70s. Then I saw the movie version in ‘73…the one starring Ted Neeley as Jesus. Loved it then, have loved it through the years. So when I heard that Neeley was starring in this production of “Superstar”, I bought my tickets on day one.

Show was great! Ted Neeley can still hit those big money notes when he sings, even at 64. And the rest of the cast, including Cory Glover of  In Living Color as Judas, was perfect. So my girlfriend Debi and I considered the night a huge success.

After the show, we headed next door to Da Edoardo for a glass of wine. Talked and talked till almost midnight. As we were leaving, I bumped into Mary Beth & the team from Olympia Entertainment, who were with a couple of the people from the Superstar tour. Told them how great I thought the show was, how much we enjoyed talking to Ted on our show earlier in the week & how everyone had commented on what a truly nice person he seemed to be. She answered, “That’s him! Eight shows a week and most nights he still comes out to meet people after the show. He’s still over there now. Would you like to meet him?” I was amazed! This was a good hour & a half after the show had ended! I asked , “Is he back by the stage entrance?” “Oh no, he’s right out in the lobby.”

She took us next door to the theatre and there in the empty lobby, stood the star of the show chatting away with a couple of final fans. No rushing. He made all the time in the world to talk, to sign, to pose for pictures. Once he came over to us, I immediately saw that the warm, NICE person we talked to earlier in the week was the real deal.

Had he worked darn hard all night long? You bet! Jesus is in almost every scene of that play. Did he have a busy weekend ahead, what with matinees & evening performances? You bet! Was he relaxed, open, gracious &interested in what everyone had to say, unhurried? YOU BET!

As he said to us in the interview…and repeated to me that night at the Fox, he’s a rock & roll drummer from Texas who’s found himself playing the Son of God on stage and film for the past 36+ years…ever since he was the understudy for Jesus in the original 1971 stage show…crossing picket lines every night to get to work…

…and he says he’s been grateful for the chance to touch so many people through the songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice. A big salute to a man who’s a class act through & through!