Reading is FUNdamental!

Summer is here. Hooray!! Even though summer is associated with outdoor activities, I thought I'd write about one of my favorite indoor locations: the library. We visit our local library at least once a week all year long. Where else can you get all the current magazines, bestsellers, the latest dvd releases and internet access...FOR FREE!? Our library has fireplaces, comfortable chairs and year round activities for kids. We read nightly bedtime stories on school nights and the current favorites for 5-9 year olds are the Roscoe Riley Rules series by Katherine Applegate and the My Weird School series by Dan Gutman. If you haven't been to the library lately, check it out (pun intended!).

You're Still The One!

I thought you might enjoy my birthday photo (Thanks John!) and also footage from the Celebrity Brides show I did:
http://www.joost.com/201rs8y/t/Celebrity-Brides-Unveiled-S2-ep-4

Play Ball!

It's T-Ball season in Southern California! If you've never been to a T-Ball game, let me explain it for you. It's played by 5-6 year olds who have very limited knowledge of the sport. The ball is hit off a "tee", so no one strikes out. After the ball is hit, the coach "reminds" the hitter to run. Every player on the opposite team leaves their respective positions on the field & runs for the ball. The result is a large pile of little children. The sport, at least in the league where my kids play, is completely noncompetitive. The score is always a tie & the parents shout encouragement instead of orders. Definitely a fun way for a family to spend an afternoon. Play ball!

Magic Castle & They Liked My Dress!

Alright, I'll admit it. I do now & have always loved magic! I don't think it has anything to do with being on Bewitched, but who knows. One of the coolest places in the entire world is the Magic Castle in Hollywood. I guess you could describe it as a really hip private club where magicians gather & perform. Last night Darren & I went to the Academy of Magical Arts 41st Annual Awards at the Avalon. Neil Patrick Harris was the host of the event. NPH is not only talented & funny, but he's also a lifelong fan of magic. He's on the board at the Magic Castle & was part of their junior program when he was a kid. The show was amazing & to top it off the press liked my dress!
http://jezebel.com/5166626/the-stylish-had-tricks-up-their-sleeves-at-the-magic-arts-awards#c

Potentially Great News!

I don'​t know if they'​re jokin​g with me, but I got a call that as of today​ I'm in first​ place​ for the Wrest​ling Radio​ Award​s Femal​e Inter​view Of The Year!​!​ I was just hopin​g not to come in last.​ I just talked to one of the DJ's who interviewed me. I told him how surprised I was that I was getting votes. I believe his exact words were "You can't be more surprised than I am!"
If you have the time,​ you can keep votin​g for me once a day & maybe​,​ possi​bly I might​ even win!​!​
You guys are the greatest.
http://wrestlingradioawards.com/ballot.html

Who Likes Wine?

The correct answer is EVERYONE! OK, everyone over 21. You know how hard it is to find the perfect bottle of wine: one that you don't see at every grocery store, one that tastes great & is reasonably priced. Where do you go to find friendly wine merchants who will happily answer your questions & make you feel like family? Two of my favorite people in the entire world (my wonderful sister, Diane & her equally wonderful partner, Laura) have entered the wine business! Their new venture, Classic Vines, has just launched their website:
http://classicvines.com
Since we've already agreed that EVERYONE loves wine, now you know where to shop for those "hard to buy for" folks on your Christmas list. Or get a couple bottles,some cheese & crackers & host your own holiday wine tasting party!
Cheers!

Holiday Travel

We were at the airport the other day & a woman in a very sparkly, very purple, very tight pantsuit suddenly ran right in front of our car (against a don't walk light I might add). After my husband slammed on the brakes, he said "How could someone see that outfit hanging on a rack & want to try it on?". Then I recognized her. It was Paula Abdul!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

CCW Backstage Interview

http://www.cmt.com/shows/series/hulk-hogan-celebrity-wrestling/series.jhtml

I thought you might enjoy this article about my strategy on Celebrity Wrestling.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2008/10/22/7166416.html

Red Carpet Interview About Celebrity Wrestling

All Erin, All The Time!

This Saturday, even those of you who love me, may get sick of seeing me so much. Not only is episode two of Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Champonship Wrestling on four times, but you can also see the episode of Over Your Head that I did for HGTV & WGN is playing a couple episodes of Bewitched. The shows couldn't be more different. On HGTV I'm building flagstone steps for the kids play yard & on HHCCW you can see me...well, that one you'll just have to watch!
Building flagstone steps is almost as challenging as fighting Bonaduce (although I tackled both!).

Celebrity Wrestling to Air on VH1 & TVLand!

Hey Friends!
Thanks for all the positive feedback on our premiere episode. For those of you who don't get the CMT network, I've got some great news. HHCCW will also be running on VH1 & TVLand starting this week. Check your local listings!
http://www.cmt.com/shows/series/hulk-hogan-celebrity-wrestling/series.jhtml

Home Sweet Home!

Thank you, thank you for all your prayers. Our entire neighborhood was saved & we are now back home. An extra special thank you to the firemen and other emergency workers who camped out in our yard to make sure that we all had homes to return to. Words can't express how much we appreciate your efforts.

Evacuated!

We're finally settled in for the night & it's impossible to answer all the e-mails. Yes, we were evacuated today. It was one of those surreal experiences where I watched the news reports about a fire, miles away from our home, drove to pick the boys up after school & came home to Police, Fire & Search & Rescue Officers telling us we had five minutes to evacuate. What do you grab when given five minutes? What is truly irreplaceable? We left our home with our children, pets, family photos & some jewelry. I also packed things to make the kids feel safe & comfortable for our temporary relocation: some small toys, school supplies, clothes & a book to read as a bedtime story. The kids are sleeping soundly, but I don't think Darren & I will be able to. They're expecting 70 mile per hour winds tonight & the fire is headed straight towards our neighborhood!

Chocolate Skittles?

Since anyone who knows me even remotely knows that I have a sweet tooth, & in the past I've blogged about everything from chocolate covered Altoids to chocolate covered edamame, I feel an obligation to introduce you to chocolate skittles! I stumbled across these by accident while out on a Sunday drive with the family. I don't know if they're available everywhere yet, but I found them at a little gas station midway between Los Angeles & Santa Barbara. They come in a five flavor mix, including flavors like brownie batter & s'mores. I can't say that I love them, but I do like them! I volunteer at a therapeutic riding stable every week & I like to keep snacks in my car to nibble between the lessons. I always have those little Trader Joe's individual packets of raw almonds & a bottle of water, but what I really want is a little bit of chocolate. The problem is, most of the year in California, chocolate melts. Chocolate Skittles seem to hold up to heat.

Celebrity Wrestling Video

Hulk has just posted the first video from HHCCW on his website. On his main page, click on the third video. By the way, how cool is our animated banner? I told Dustin he must have bribed the animator to get those biceps. Let me know what you think!

HHCCW

CMT has posted our first photos from Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling. In case you're interested, these were taken after midnight! Episode information & a message board will be following shortly.
http://www.cmt.com/shows/series/hulk-hogan-celebrity-wrestling/series.jhtml
Check out pics of my castmates:
http://www.cmt.com/pictures/hulk-hogan-celebrity-wrestling-championship-cast/1594636/thumbnails.jhtml
& be sure to tune in for our premiere episode on CMT on October 18th.

90210

It's quite a coincidence that the new series 90210 premiered the same week that Dr. 90210 launched his skin care line. While I haven't seen the new 90210 series yet (I tivoed it, so will get to it eventually), we did attend the launch party for Dr. Rey's skin care, Sensual Solutions. On the way to the party we stopped for a quick bite at my favorite sushi restaurant in the world, Matsuhisa. I've been going there about 15 years & every time i eat there, I see someone famous. I've dined next to David Bowie & Iman & Heather Locklear & Ritchie Sambora borrowed my husband's cell phone once. This night was no exception, midway thru dinner a tall, pretty blonde entered wearing a black silk bathrobe looking jacket with something that looked like a gold dragon sequined on the back. She walked over to her table & her date stood & hugged her for at least thirty seconds. It was a really sweet moment. Then I realized who they were; Heidi Klum & Seal!
By the way, I'm not a patient of Dr. 90120. Anyone who watches his show will know, that's the other Tabitha Stephens!

The 60's...Man!

I just shot a segment for a national PBS telethon. Tune in on September 13th for the three hour special live from San Francisco. The telethon will focus on the 60's & feature music & educational programming. Others taping with me were Leonard Nimoy, Carl Reiner, Susan Olsen, Charlene Tilton, Johnny Whitaker, etc. etc. It's so interesting listening to others reminisce about the 60's. I realized that most of the bands I could think of from the 60's started with the word "THE": Beatles, Stones, Doors, Who. Since I'm a California girl, I've always been partial to The Beach Boys. Speaking of which, I went to a screening the other night at the Writer's Guild for a really great film called The Wrecking Crew. It's about a group of Los Angeles session musicians who played on virtually every famous song of the era. The film is currently playing the festival circuit, but if you have a chance to see it, I'd highly recommend it.
If you're a huge fan of PBS (like I am), tune in on 9/13 & show them your support!

Summer

I know, I know it's been way too long since I've posted. The problem is I can't talk about the thing that everyone wants to hear about, Celebrity Wrestling! I promise I will soon & I have MUCH to say. Summer is passing too quickly, as it always does. I know when I was a kid the school year seemed to last forever & summer was gone in the blink of an eye. You'd think that now that I'm a parent & summer means a house full of kids, it would be reversed with the school year speeding by; But that's not the case at all. I think I may love summer even more now: planning fun activities, having friends over, outdoor concerts & swimming every day. Also, no perfume is quite as appealing as the scent of sunscreen. I'm currently busy planning a party for our two August birthday boys & filming a Celebrity Brides show.

Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling!!

CMT and Hulk Hogan are shaking up the wrestling world!

CMT teams-up with Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff (Former President of World Championship Wrestling) and producing partner Jason Hervey in a celebrity fueled reality wrestling competition slated to premiere this Fall. HULK HOGANS CELEBRITY CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING will train ten adventurous celebrities who, through various exhilarating challenges and elimination matches, will compete for the title of "Celebrity All-Star Wrestling Champion."

Each episode will take the viewer through the training process, preparation and performance aspects of professional wrestling. In addition to starring in the series, Hogan will also serve as Executive Producer.

"The CMT audience loves professional wrestling, so a show where superstar Hulk Hogan trains celebrities, gets them into character and into the ring, and really pulls back the curtain on how intense, colorful and difficult it is to be a champion, is a big win for us and our viewers!" said Bob Kusbit, Head of Development for CMT.

The new series will feature 10 celebrity contestants, male and female, in tag teams, performing moves like the Pile Driver, the Running Power Slam, Dragon Sleeper and the Triple Power Bomb as they compete against one another for the CCW title! Former pro wrestlers, Brian "Nasty" Knobs & Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, will train the contestants, with Hulk, former World Championship Wrestling president Eric Bischoff, and Jimmy Hart serving as judges.

Contestants include Dennis Rodman, Dustin Diamond (Screech from Saved by the Bell), Danny Bonaduce, Tiffany (pop singer), Todd Bridges (Different Strokes), Trishelle (Real World), Butterbean (boxer/ Jackass 2), Nikki Ziering (Playboy), Frank Stallone (musician), and Erin Murphy (Tabitha from Bewitched)!!

Famous Neighbors

I was at an event recently & someone approached me to tell me that they'd read online that Micky Dolenz, from The Monkees http://www.mickydolenz.com/, (who was also attending the event) was my neighbor. I chatted with Micky & his wife & it turns out that we live a block away from each other & I walk the dogs past their house everyday. I live in LA, where it's pretty common to see celebs at your local Starbucks. Depending on a person's age, I either tell them that Alyssa Milano (http://www.alyssa.com) or Jamie Farr (http://www.jamiefarr.com) is my neighbor. The Kardashian girls & Lisa Rinna both have clothing stores at the local shopping center & Nikki Sixx's daughter is in my sons' class at school. When I see him daily, it's hard not to mention that I saw him in concert in 1983! Despite all this it not only surprises me that there's a list online of my famous neighbors, but also that I'M on the list!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Canyon,_California

Personal Appearance

I love to attend personal appearances. They're fun for me for many reasons. I get to catch up with old friends, I get to meet celebrities I've always admired & I get to chat with people who know more about my life & career than I do! Several things about these events are consistent. At least 100 people will ask me which Darren was my favorite (I'm going to start saying my husband). A couple famous actors will hit on me shamelessly (which while very flattering, would be much more enjoyable if we were both single). I also get to hear some great stories that I've never heard before. This past weekend I sat next to my friend Lou Ferrigno. He's an amazing guy who's been married for 29 years (& didn't even flirt a little). He told me that in May of 1995 he was in the hospital with pneumonia, that he contracted by drinking milk in another country. Same thing happened to me by the way (one time in my teens & another time with ice cream in my twenties. So be careful in countries that don't pasteurize). Well it turns out that Lou was in the room right next to Elizabeth Montgomery, when she passed away. Lou Ferrigno was the very last person to get Liz' autograph.

Whooping Cough?

Consider this blog a public service announcement. Remember all the immunizations you got when you were a little kid? Many of them can "wear off" when you're a grownup. How do I know? Because I caught Whooping Cough! It's also called pertussis & is the "P" in the DPT immunization. How do you know if you have Whooping Cough? First of all you cough uncontrollably & at the end of the coughing fit you inhale a large gulp of air that makes a "whooping" sound. Also, unlike a regular cold, your cough doesn't go away. For many people, including me, it can last for over three months! Before the vaccine became available, 5,000-10,000 people a year would DIE from whooping cough. There's a sudden rise in cases of whooping cough because many parents are choosing not to immunize their children & as a result those kids are infecting the adults (whose immunizations have worn off). Unfortunately once you have it, there's really no effective treatment.

Two Things You Don't Know About Me...

Here are two facts about me that I'm pretty sure you don't know.
1. My Uncle Leo created the sport of Roller Derby.
2. My mother, sister & ex-husband have all been bitten by rattlesnakes!

HGTV & Me!

Have you ever watched a home improvement show & thought "I can do that"? I'm the type of person who thinks I can tackle anything. But my recent attempt at building flagstone steps left me a little "Over My Head". How could I build steps when I couldn't even lift the rocks? So, I contacted my good friends at HGTV & they came to the rescue! I've got blisters & bruises everywhere, but the finished product is totally worth it. The crew was so much fun & totally kid friendly. Plus I have a new love of power tools. I'm sure the execs at the network are hard at work & I'll have my own HGTV series soon called the Helpless Housewife!

Something Funny...A Blonde Joke.

My sister e-mailed me a joke this morning. She is so NOT the type of person to send e-mail jokes (because she knows I hate them), but this one is actually funny.
I've changed the wording a little, since the writer/perfectionist side of me always tries to improve everything:

A blonde calls her boyfriend & says 'Honey, please come over. I have a really tough jigsaw puzzle & I can't figure out how to get started.' Her boyfriend asks 'What's it supposed to be when it's finished?'

The blonde says, 'According to the picture on the box, it's a rooster'. Her boyfriend decides to drive over & help with the puzzle.

He looks at the pieces spread out on the table, looks at the box, then turns to her & says, 'First of all, I love you very much, but no matter what we do we're not going to be able to assemble those pieces into anything resembling a rooster.' He takes her hand & says, 'Second, I want you to sit down & relax. Let's have a nice glass of wine & then...he says with a deep sigh...





'Let's put all the Corn Flakes back in the box'.

Groomer Has It!

Yesterday my enormous Leonberger puppy Zuma & I spent a fun day taping an episode for a new show on Animal Planet (think Project Runway for dog groomers). Being the reality TV fan that I am, I immediately recognized the loft as the same one used for America's Next Top Model Los Angeles. The host is Jai Rodriguez, the "Culture Vulture" from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. I can't give out too many details, (since I signed a $1,000,000 non-disclosure form!). I'll let you know when to watch so you can see Zuma looking beautiful & me with absolutely no makeup on! Only on Animal Planet will they spend hours grooming the dogs & not even put powder on the humans.

RIP: Johnny Grant

It is with great sadness that I discuss the death of the Honorary Mayor of Hollywood, Johnny Grant. I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Mr. Grant many times over the years & I'm delighted that I was able to have a long conversation with him last Friday as he unveiled his last star on Hollywood Blvd: Elizabeth Montgomery's. I'd like to share a story he told me about his first trip to Hollywood. Johnny came to California from North Carolina in the 1940's to serve in the Army in World War II. He was in Santa Monica & asked one of the guys how he could get to Hollywood. They told him to walk outside & stick out his thumb. The first car that drove by picked him up & the driver asked "Where you going Sarge?". He said "Take me to Hollywood!". The car dropped him off at Schwab's Drugstore, where he was greeted by Charlie Chaplin. He told me that the number one thing that got him through the war, was the thought of getting back to the place where he wanted to spend the rest of his life: Hollywood. He was a class act, who was sharp as a tack to the very end. He will be fondly remembered & greatly missed.

Sisters At Heart

Bewitched - Minisode - Sisters At Heart

Add to My Profile | More Videos
In honor of Elizabeth Montgomery receiving her star on the Walk of fame, I'm posting the minisode of her favorite episode of Bewitched: Sisters at Heart. It's one of my favorites as well! I love the story behind the story: the episode was written by an English class at Thomas Jefferson High School. Their teacher asked the class one morning, about the reading assignment from the night before. No one had done their homework, but they'd all watched Bewitched. The teacher came up with the idea for the class to write an episode of the show as a class project. They presented the completed episode to Liz & Bill Asher (who loved it & decided to flm it!). The entire class came to the set & even as a child, I knew how special it was.
For those interested in the star ceremony, there are some great photos & videos on the Harpies Bizarre site:
http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/star.htm