When I was six years old I was obsessed with two things: New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) and Debbie Gibson. It was the eighties and they were all the rage.  I had everything NKOTB: curtains, stickers, and of course the big button that doubled as a picture frame. I even tried to teach my baby brother all of their names. As for Debbie Gibson, my affinity for her began because my older cousin adored her. Actually, adore is too mild of a word. She worshipped Ms. Gibson and still does to this day. Since I always wanted to be like this cousin, I believe I loved Debbie Gibson music even more because it was something we shared. This is how I ended up going to see the current Debbie Gibson tour, which Tiffany (yes that Tiffany) is opening for. Tiffany was a popular mall touring teen that mostly sang other people’s hits. Her most famous was a version of “I Think We’re Alone Now”.  I still love that song, it’s too catchy not to want to sing out loud when I hear it on my iPod. The con...

Do you ever crave something sweet, salty, crunchy, filling, and ultimately satisfying?? Well do I have the perfect treat in mind for you! It is a doughnut unlike any you have ever had. The Doughnut Plant in NYC has mastered the art of what a doughnut should be. After eating one of these, I am afraid you will be ruined for all others. I found out about this little gem thanks to a little show I swear by called “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” on the Food Network. It is in the episode called “Sweet Tooth.” Here’s a clip of how they hooked me in: Once I added this to my 2011 to do list, I found out that friends of mine had these treats without me!! After my rage subsided, I was pleased to hear it was worth all of the hype and then some. To be sure, naturally I had to go and see for myself. The store is small and you wouldn’t necessary notice it if you weren’t looking for it. The outside certainly doesn’t scream, HEY COME IN FOR THE TREAT OF YOUR LIFETIME, I guess that’s how they man...

Now that I have shared the true stories I love, I wanted to conclude this series by giving you a  peek at what true stories I plan to find out more about. Plays I have tickets for…   Baby It’s You! (Look for a review at the end of August)   Movies currently in my Netflix queue… Cropsey Grizzly Man The Conspirator North Country Cinderella Man Capturing the Friedmans Books on my Amazon shopping list… The Monster of Florence The House on Sugar Beach Between a Rock and a Hard Place Bringing Adam Home, the Abduction That Changed America Gorillas in the Mist A Rope and a Prayer Getting It Through My Thick Skull Miracle in the Andes The Lampshade: A Holocaust Detective Story from Buchenwald to New Orleans Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster A Stolen Life Patty Lapone: A M...

Sorry for the delay between these postings folks, I was having technical difficulties. So what do Julia Roberts, Meryl Strep, and Sally Field all have in common?? To answer our question from the end of Part III; it is that all of these actors have portrayed people in the books I mention below. Books are the real deal – and true stories are almost always made into movies. I usually do not care for stories that transcend mediums. When books are adapted for film, the story and characters are usually ruined. There are limitations that exist in production that don’t exist in our minds, resulting in a finished product rarely as good as the books we love.  These books are some of my all time favorites for the journeys we get to travel on alongside the authors and the lessons to be learned. Anderson Cooper’s “Dispatches From the Edge” (you know I love him and after you read this you will too) – This is the story of Anderson’s life, travels to the hardest hit places of despair, and how...

I am not into reality shows per se. I find most of them mindless and it sickens me that people with a sixth grade education like those rejects on the Jersey Shore are making millions of dollars. When I think of them, it makes me crazy. Now that being said, I could never give up my Kardashians. That’s a family show.    However, this week I am writing about true stories, and I think we can all agree the series listed below are intriguing. (TLC) My Strange Addiction is too soft a term for what goes on here. If you are addicted to sleeping with your hot hair dryer on in your bed or you think a blow-up doll is your actual, living, breathing wife, then you will relate to this show. I want to know what other strange addictions exist in the world that I am not yet aware of. Sundays, 10/9c (A&E) Picture not cleaning your house or apartment in the last ten years and instead throwing garbage and everything you own on the floor. Now on top of that image, you keep buying and ...

Now on to movies based on true stories that I have seen and loved so far. Extraordinary Measures (2010) This details the Crowley family’s journey to save their two sick children from the fatal genetic Pompe disease. At the time, there was no cure so the Crowley’s took a chance and were able to create a biotech company and ultimately a cure for those who suffer from Pompe. See also the book by the family “Chasing Miracles: The Crowley Family Journey of Strength, Hope, and Joy”. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1244659/ 127 Hours (2010)   Based on the book “Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” this is Aaron Ralston’s journey to save his life after he gets trapped between boulders in Blue John Canyon in Utah. This is one of those amazing stories of survival that will make you question what depths you would go to, to save your life when you are stuck in an impossible position and no one is looking for you. James Franco is brilliant as Aaron and makes you stay put rooting for his surviva...