American Idol star and Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson, was on Oprah yesterday and I was really happy to see her looking so well.  As you probably know, Jennifer suffered a huge loss late last year when her mother, brother and nephew were murdered.  The suspect is her sister’s estranged husband, William Balfour.

Oprah asked her about what it was like to win a Grammy and perform at Super Bowl XLIII.  When asked how she was doing, Jennifer said that she’s “in a very good place” and that performing is “therapeutic.”

Jennifer also performed her favorite song “If This Isn’t Love” from her debut CD.  Of course, it was incredible.  Jennifer is an amazing singer and I really hope that 2009 is the year that she deserves it to be.

Talk show host, Rachael Ray, is planning to host another party at this year’s South By Southwest Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas. 

So far, the New York Dolls, The Hold Steady and Ra Ra Riot have been announced as performers at Ray’s food and music party on March 21, 2009.  I wish I was going.  Sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun and you know the food is going to be great!

I wanted to put up the video of Hilary Duff’s appearance on the Rachael Ray show but the whole interview wasn’t available right away.  Anyway, Rachael started by telling Hilary how great she smells and thanked her for giving her some bottles of her fragrance “With Love.” 

Rachael mentioned that Hilary is often described as being wholesome and cute and asked if the singer/actress wanted to change her image a bit since she is now 21 years old.  I’ve actually wondered about this myself since I’ve noticed how mature Hilary seems lately (she’s come a long way since her days on Lizzie McGuire!).  I thought it was great that Hilary said that she prefers being known for being “nice” and doesn’t feel that she has to prove herself to anyone. 

I really love how down-to-earth Hilary is and, of course, my ears perked up when Rachael mentioned Hilary’s NHL hockey player boyfriend, Mike Comrie (recently traded from the New York Islanders to the Ottawa Senators).  I’m a huge hockey fan so I loved when Rachael asked how Hilary handles the crazy fans at the games.  Hilary said that people have tried to rile her up by saying things like “Mike Sucks” but she’s learned to hold her own now that she understands hockey a little better.  I think that’s pretty cool!

The audience were allowed to ask questions and one woman asked “if you could meet Faye Dunaway face-to-face, what would you say to her?”  The question stems from the fact that Faye made some negative comments about the fact that Hilary would be starring in a remake of Bonnie and Clyde as Bonnie, which is a role that Faye originally made famous.  I thought it was petty for Faye to try to put the younger actress down and I’m glad that Hilary chose to take the high road in how she has handled this situation.

Anderson Cooper helps co-host Live with Regis and Kelly and welcomes Tom Selleck to the program. Then, catch actors David Arquette and Brandt Bickford on Ellen as well as musical guests Fallout Boy. Then, make sure to tune in to see Oscar and Grammy winner, Jennifer Hudson on Oprah.

• Bonnie Hunt – Rosie O’Donnell and Oliver Hudson
• Dr. Phil – Fathers and Finance
• Ellen – David Arquette, Brandt Bickford, Fallout Boy and  Yogi Cameron Alborzian
• Martha – Frank Stitt
• Oprah – Jennifer Hudson
• Rachael Ray – Tom Selleck
• Regis and Kelly – Anderson Cooper (co-hosts), Tom Selleck and Top Chef
• The View - Rob Lowe, Jason Mesnick  and “Joy Behar’s Month-in-ReVIEW."
• Tyra - Rosie O’Donnell & Ruby Dee

Tags: Daytime Talk Shows, Dr. Phil McGraw, Ellen, ellen show, Live with Regis and Kelly, Martha, Martha Stewart, on dr phil, on ellen, on martha, on oprah, on rachael ray, on regis and kelly, on the view, on tyra, oprah, Rachael Ray, rachel ray, regis and kelly, The View, tyra, tyra show

Rosie Perez visited the Bonnie Hunt Show yesterday and it was a really funny appearance.  I’ve always been a fan of Rosie’s from her days of being a dancer/choreographer on Soul Train and In Living Color and her break-out performance in White Men Can’t Jump.  She looked absolutely phenomenal – has she aged at all in the past 15 years?

Rosie was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her role in The Take but lost to Penelope Cruz for her performances in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.  She said she was so bitter about the loss that she stole a giant bottle of champagne! 

After the interview, Rosie showed Bonnie how to make her aunt’s recipe for fish sticks.  I cracked up when she said “if you want it to take good, use lard…  If you want to be health-conscious, use butter.”  WOW!  Bonnie said “you don’t get this type of health advice tips on Oprah, I’ll tell you that much.”  Too funny!  I can’t eat fish but it sounded like it would taste good!

Nadya Suleman, a.k.a. the “Octomom” (I hate that term) was on Dr Phil yesterday and today and I really don’t know what to think about the interview. 

On the one hand, I feel that Dr. Phil did, at least, try to treat Nadya fairly which is important given all of the irresponsible reporting I’ve seen surrounding this story.  On the other hand, he was still the same old sensationalist Dr. Phil that we know and love (or hate). 

One positive thing that stood out was that he asked for his viewers to put aside their judgments and help these babies.  I wholeheartedly agree with this because, you can hate Nadya and/or her decisions but that doesn’t erase the fact that she now has 14 children that need more support than she can provide. She revealed that the hospital may not release the babies to her unless she finds a more stable, suitable place for them to live so I sincerely hope that she is able to sort this out soon. No matter what has happened, she seems to love her children and, after all that has taken place, it would be even more tragic to see these kids end up in foster care. 

Don’t get me wrong – I don’t agree with her decisions but what’s done is done and there’s nothing any of us can do to change anything.  The fact is that there are small children in the middle of this media circus and sending death threats to Nadya isn’t going to help anything.

What do you think?  Do the children deserve to be helped?  Why do you think the nation is so upset with Nadya?  Is it because of the economy as she suggested on the Dr. Phil show or is it something else?

I have to say that this story from the Today show really shocked and surprised me.  The BBC hired Cerrie Burnell, a young actress who has been missing the lower part of her right arm since birth, as a co-host on a daily television program for toddlers.  Apparently, they’ve been receiving complaints from parents who say that she is too “scary” and they won’t let their children watch the show. 

One parent complained: “I didn’t want to let my children watch the filler bits on the bedtime hour last night because I know it would have played on my eldest daughter’s mind and possibly caused sleep problems.”  Watch this segment and then tell me what you think in the comment section!

Seriously?  I’m positively stunned by this reaction.  In a world where we should be embracing diversity more than ever, I feel like this is a giant step in the wrong direction.  I can understand how it might frighten small children but it is also important to talk to them about the realities of life.  What will happen if one of those children ends up in a classroom with someone who is missing a limb? 

Burnell, who is the mother to a 4-month-old baby girl, said: “children come up to me in the street every day and say ‘What’s that?’ I wouldn’t say they’re frightened but certainly they’re inquisitive.  I would always take the time to explain to a child. All they want is an explanation. They want to know ‘What’s that?’ and ‘What’s happened?’ and ‘Why are you different?’ And then they will move on."

I don’t personally see why Cerrie shouldn’t be on television.  Do you think she is inappropriate as a host of a children’s television show?

Rosie O’Donnell hits it up with Tyra Banks and Mario Lopez visits Ellen DeGeneres. Joan Rivers heats up the kitchen with Rachael Ray while Anderson Cooper and Donald Trump are welcomed by the lovely Regis and Kelly.

• Bonnie Hunt – Brian Austin Green and Patti Stanger
• Dr. Phil – TBA
• Ellen – Mario Lopez and The Bird and the Bee
• Martha – TBA
• Oprah – Oprah visits Walter Reed Army Medical Center
• Rachael Ray – Joan Rivers’ Oscar® Dish
• Regis and Kelly – Anderson Cooper (co-hosting), Donald Trump and 3 Doors Down.
• The View - "Day of Hot Topics," and The View’s first-ever "Mutt Dog Show."
• Tyra - Rosie O’Donnell

Tags: Daytime Talk Shows, Dr. Phil McGraw, Ellen, ellen show, Live with Regis and Kelly, Martha, Martha Stewart, on dr phil, on ellen, on martha, on oprah, on rachael ray, on regis and kelly, on the view, on tyra, oprah, Rachael Ray, rachel ray, regis and kelly, The View, tyra, tyra show

If you’re like me, you’ve been trying to get the most out of every dollar you spend.  We’re a family of five and I find it’s getting harder and harder to make good food on a budget.  Fortunately, the Today show has yet another recipe that can help you eat well at a fraction of the cost.

In a recent segment, chef Jose Andres showed how a family could enjoy four great meals using just one chicken for less than $30.  How is that possible?  Watch this!

The recipes for Chicken Croquetas, Chicken Rice Paella, Chicken Breasts with Catalan Cauliflower and Roasted Chicken and Potatoes can be found on the Today show site.

On today’s episode of Live with Regis and Kelly (it was a repeat but I hadn’t seen it before), host Regis Philbin learned that he is a cousin of the newest American Idol judge, Kara DioGuardi.  She brought a genealogy chart and everything (Regis flipped out – it was hilarious!). 

Regis and Kelly also asked her about how she got into the business (she was pre-law but decided she wanted to be a singer and dropped out of school).  Kara explained that she is not on Idol to replace Paula Abdul but then Regis pulled out a quote where Simon Cowell said that “one girl is bad enough, two is unbearable.”  Wow, what a gem!

After they showed a clip of her audition, Kelly asked why Bikini Girl was in a bikini.  Kara suggested that maybe the girl, whose name is Katrina Darnell, meant to show up at the Hawaiian Tropics audition.  Too funny!

Here’s a video (forgive the subtitles):