Today, actress, Kirstie Alley, sat down and talked to Oprah about her weight gain.  Kirstie had famously appeared on the show (in a bathing suit) after losing more than 80 pounds but she’s gained it back and is feeling terrible about herself.

She said that she has found it “humiliating” to regain all of the weight and she also talks about how she feels she has let people down since she had been used as an inspirational spokeswoman for Jenny Craig.  "I have all these people I inspired, and then I let them down," she told Oprah. "I just said, ‘I’m going to cut myself some slack.’ Big mistake."

I don’t know why she stopped working with Jenny Craig but it sounds like it was the first step toward self-sabotage.  She explained that she actually moved all of her exercise equipment out of her house and turned the area into a dining room and didn’t exercise or weigh herself for more than 18 months.   That’s outrageous!

Anyway, Kirstie said that she was inspired by the weight loss of Valerie Bertinelli and the toned arms of First Lady Michelle Obama so she is going to create her own weight-loss program and plans to lose the 80 pounds again.

I’ve struggled with my weight for the last few years and I can understand Kirstie – to a point.  I can relate to just wanting to not think about being healthy but I can’t imagine actually giving up the way she did.  I hope she loses the weight and keeps it off this time!

image: Bauer-Griffin

Bonnie Hunt talked about the fact that, recently, fellow talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, was upset because people thought that she was wearing a weave.  Bonnie couldn’t understand why Oprah was so upset (I’m guessing Bonnie has no idea how hard it is for some people to grow out their hair but I digress…).  Oprah showed a picture of her hair prior to styling so that people could see that her hair is, indeed, real.

To get in on the action, Bonnie explained that she also had to go through a lot to get her hair ready for television and provided a “before” picture of her own.  Watch the quick segment:

Tyra Banks talks to Jamie Foxx about his movie The Soloist and Hugh Jackman visits the Live with Regis and Kelly Studios. Oprah talks about Kirstie Alley’s continuous battle with weight and Ryan Reynolds chats with Ellen. Then, Rachael Ray and Kim Kardashian give us an idea of what the best swim suits for our body types are.

• Bonnie Hunt – Domonic Monaghan and Lacey Chabert
• Dr. Phil – Dump Your Dreams?
• Ellen – Ryan Reynolds and Emily Bear
• Martha – TBA
• Oprah – Why Kirstie Alley Fell Off the Wagon
• Rachael Ray – Sexiest Swimsuits for Your Body with Kim Kardashian
• Regis and Kelly – Hugh Jackman and West Side Story
• The View – Day of "Real Life Hot Topics"
• Tyra – Jamie Foxx

Tyra Banks is always telling her guests and the contestants on her show, America’s Next Top Model, to never bow down to fear and to stand up for themselves.  She proved that she really believes those words by setting an excellent example today when she took a stand against her alleged stalker, Brady Green. 

When talking about the man who recently claimed that the two were “friends,” Tyra calmly explained the following on the stand: "I fear my safety. I feel extremely vulnerable. I fear the safety of my staff. My family. The people in my vicinity.  [My staff doesn't] tell me about fans.  They said this person threatened one of my staffers. At that moment that was it. The first thing is there’s this person who’s more than a fan."

It’s affected her life and her ability to come and go as she pleases.  She described one chilling event:  "I was at work one day about to leave and a bunch of people on my staff said, ‘No! You can’t go.’ [Green] got past security and you need to be here. Never in my career had staff reacted like this. I had to stay in my dressing room for a while."

She also explained that she’s the type of person who enjoys going to movies and restaurants alone but now she has to always travel with security.  She also mentioned the extra expense of having to hire additional protection.

Green faces a maximum of 90 days in jail if convicted.  I think stalkers should spend at least 90 days in a mental facility. 

NBC Photo: Heidi Gutman

A segment on the Today show aimed to provide some answers to common diet and exercise questions. 

What’s the best time of day to exercise?  Nutritionist Joy Bauer recognized that it might be tough to come home after a long work day, eat a big meal and then exercise on a full stomach.  Instead, she suggested planning for a light snack which would allow you to work out before your meal.  Another sneaky suggestion was to park 15 minutes away from work so that you end up getting a full 30 minutes of exercise every day as you walk back and forth to your vehicle. 

She also talked about the difference between brown rice and white rice, low-calorie alcoholic drinks and the best options for food on the road.

In a timely episode, Dr. Phil will be talking about financial strategies for surviving the recession.  Some of the guests I saw featured included couples where both of them were unemployed and possibly facing homelessness.  One woman revealed that she is working two jobs.  Not very long ago, hearing people talk about these problems was sad and sometimes shocking but, today, more and more of my friends and family are in the same situation.  It is devastating.  There was one family, however, that went from being almost a million dollars in debt to making $6,000 a month.  WOW!

Along with money advice, Dr. Phil takes a look at how you can get the job you need and what common mistakes you might be making on your résumé.  I’m definitely tuning in!  The episode airs tomorrow, April, 29 2009.

Today, Julia Louis-Dreyfus chats it up with Rachael Ray and Michael Douglas stops by to see Ellen. Dr. Phil gives us some tips on how to get more in our wallets while Oprah takes a look inside the Bunny Ranch Brothel. Then, catch Tyra Banks as she speaks to the latest person to be voted off of America’s Next Top Model. 

• Bonnie Hunt – Kristen Chenoweth, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
• Dr. Phil – How to Make More Mone
• Ellen – Michael Douglas and Faryl Smith
• Martha – Mario Batali
• Oprah – Inside the Notorious Bunny Ranch Brothel
• Rachael Ray – Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Human Lab: Back Pain
• Regis and Kelly – Matthew McConaughey and Rock of Ages
• The View – Harold Perrineau
• Tyra – Kim Kardashian/“ANTM”Castoff

I love hockey and I’m thrilled to learn that Whoopi Goldberg loves the sport too.  She recently revealed during a break on The View that she likes both the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils.  It’s a big night for her, then, since both teams will be trying to stave off elimination in Game 7 (two different series, though).  

"I love the Devils and the Rangers," said Whoopi. "[Rangers center] Scott Gomez is one of my guys. He’s a really great young man."

"The players are like modern-day gladiators," said Whoopi. "They are dressed in full gear, plus they have to backward, forward, sideways on skates performing moves you might expect from Ginger Rogers in one her movies co-starring with Fred Astaire."  I said almost the exact same thing when I was out shopping with my kids yesterday!  What a coincidence!

I want the Devils to win tonight but I initially wanted the Rangers to lose to the Washington Capitals.  I’ve since changed my mind so I’m hoping Whoopi brings good luck to both teams!

image: SplashNewsOnline.com

The swine flu, which is believed to have originated in Mexico, has now been confirmed in 16 countries around the world, including the U.S. and Canada.  Health officials suspect that it is spreading from person to person now so many people are wondering how to keep themselves safe.

In Mexico, the death toll has surpassed 150 infected individuals where, for some unknown reason, the severity of the disease appears to be worse than elsewhere in the world.  As of yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the alert level to Phase 4 (Phase 6 is the highest), due to sustained human-to-human transmission causing outbreaks in at least one country.  After the bird flu began in Asia in 2004 the alert system was revised. Monday was the first time it has ever been raised above Phase 3.  Countries like Canada, Israel and France have warned their citizens to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico.

A lot of people have been asking what the outbreak is.  This new flu strain is a combination of pig, bird and human viruses that humans may have no natural immunity to.  Laboratory tests at hospitals indicate that it is an “unidentifiable strain of Influenza A.”  So far, 68 cases are confirmed in the United States but none of them have been fatal.  In fact, no deaths from the new virus have been reported outside Mexico.

Symptoms include a fever of more than 100, coughing, joint aches, severe headache and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea. Many victims have been in their 30s and 40s — not the very old or young who typically succumb to the flu.

The recommended precautions include frequent handwashing (or sanitizing with alcohol-based products), avoiding travel to Mexico or with people who have recently travelled to the country and wearing a surgical mask around those who could be infected. 

The Today show also talked about what to do if you’re feeling anxious about the swine flu and how you can take a roll in preventing the spread of the disease.

image: Amazon

Talk show host, Kelly Ripa, along with her husband, Mark Consuelos, and their three children Michael, Lola and Joaquin were spotted at Battery Park which is located at the southern tip of Manhattan (a borough of New York City). 

I’m so extremely jealous looking at these pictures because I live in a part of the world that is having freakish weather and I’ve had snow for the past three days.  Meanwhile, Kelly and her adorable family are all decked out in summer clothes!  Aren’t her kids cute?  I can’t believe how much they’ve grown!