LilSugar

Interview with Tori Spelling: She Talks Family Ties and 90210

LilSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:00:33 -0700

Tori Spelling is a Mott's mama. In addition to raising two children, the actress-turned-reality star-turned-author has teamed up with the apple juice and sauce company to create a downloadable playdate planner for mothers looking to simplify their kids' social calendars.

Best known for playing Donna Martin on her father's mega hit, Beverly Hills 90210, the star has strayed from her glitzy upbringing to create a down-to-earth foundation for her own party of five - husband, Dean McDermott, stepson, Jack, 9, son, Liam, 17-months and two-month-old daughter, Stella. While the media often focuses on the rift between the celeb and her mother, Candy - in conversation, it's clear that Tori's priority is to keep the communication lines open with her own children. Whether the 35-year-old is talking about Liam holding his lil sis for the first time, planning pirate playdates or suggesting her tot take Shiloh Jolie-Pitt as a girlfriend, it's evident that Tori is deeply committed to her kids.

Currently penning her second book, Mommywood, which hits shelves next Spring and waiting to see if Oxygen is going to pick up Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood for a fourth season, the celeb took time to chat with me about her latest endeavors. To see what she had to say about her family ties and any future on 90210, read more.

Lilsugar: You grew up with the best of things longing for a more normal life. Being that you lead a very public life and have a reality show, have you given up that goal?
Tori: Everyone has their own version of normal and we're definitely trying to live a normal life. On the outside there's the paparazzi, but what I create at home is a very normal environment for our entire family and that is what I long to give Liam.

Lilsugar: It's hectic for any mom to try to take her kids out, how do you deal with the paparazzi and your children's safety?
Tori: That one is really hard. We try to maintain as much privacy as we can and sometimes it's just unavoidable. They don't make it easy. I don't know if I could take both kids out alone. It's really helpful to have Dean or someone come out with me.

Lilsugar: Is parenthood what you expected?
Tori: It's just amazing. The best advice I ever listened to was when someone told me not to listen to anyone's advice because it's an individual experience and as a mom your instincts take over and that's the best thing.

Lilsugar: It's been rumored that your mother is writing a book, what do you think about it? Are you nervous of what she will tell?
Tori: I know nothing about it. I just read it like you. Nervous? No. Everyone has their own stories to tell about their life and everyone is entitled to do so. If she feels she needs to do that then I am all for it. Writing my book was very cathartic and I loved putting it out there.

Lilsugar: What's your best tip for mothers?
Tori: The best thing we've done with Liam is talked to him. We describe everything to him and we don't talk to him like he's a baby. His vocabulary is amazing and he understands so much and he's so happy. It's important to communicate with your child. Now that we've seen that it works, we're doing the same thing with Stella even though she's just two-months.

Lilsugar: Now that you have a son and a daughter, does it remind you of your relationship with your brother, Randy?
Tori: When we were young there was always a big age difference. He was 5 and I was 10 and we were never at the right ages, but then we got to be adults and it seemed like there was no age difference. I'm really excited about Stella and Liam growing up because they are so close in age, I think they will be best friends.

Lilsugar: Are you planning on having more kids?
Tori: If we are able to have more children that would be amazing. We definitely would love to have more children, but we want to take a break right now and focus on Liam, Stella and Jack and let them all become friends and then think about that in the future.

Lilsugar: What's your greatest hope for your children?
Tori: Gosh. Just love - to find love. My biggest thing is I want them to be communicative. I want our whole family to be able to talk about everything. Emotionally, I didn't have a lot of communication in my family growing up and I think it affected me as an adult. I want my children to feel like they can come to us about anything and that we can talk about everything. I can only hope that they find love the way I found it with Dean and that they have an amazing family.

Lilsugar: Since your father passed away, how do you keep his spirit alive for your children?
Tori: I have such amazing stories about my dad that I'll be able to tell Liam as he's growing up. We actually have a family wall in our new house and it has pictures of the family and the kids and there's a picture of my dad. Liam will never be able to be with him, but he'll definitely know who he was...

Lilsugar: Like many mothers, I grew up watching 90210 so I have to ask - there are rumors circulating that you are not going to be part of the spin-off since your salary didn't match that of the other stars. Is that true?
Tori: We don't know where those comments came from. I am currently not going to be involved, but I hope it does work out for the future and I don't want to discuss the reason why. But, it makes me sad that people posted that today. It should be about the show and not about monetary things.

Lilsugar: So, there's a chance you might be on it?
Tori: Um, maybe in the future.

Summer Reading: Sweet Revenge

partysugar — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:19:37 -0700

As much as I love reading a cookbook, I often enjoy reading novels about chefs, caterers, or culinary personas that have exciting adventures and delicious romances. Whenever I crave one of these culinary novels, I turn to Diane Mott Davidson, author of 14 foodie mysteries. In her latest novel, Sweet Revenge, her recurring heroine Goldy Schultz - a Nancy Drew meets Martha Stewart character - finds herself in the middle of yet another murder mystery. You'll be sitting on the edge of your seat, hungry for each page.

Davidson's prose is delectably descriptive and she even provides a recipe or two for some of Goldy's delicious dishes. However the real bonus is that Davidson doesn't take herself too seriously - she even names her characters after famous dishes (ex. Drew Wellington) - which makes for a refreshing and fabulous read.

Announcing the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards Nominees

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:31:02 -0800

Last year it was all Sunshine all the time when Little Miss Sunshine took home the majority of the Independent Spirit Awards, given out yearly by Film Independent. This year, the nominations are dominated by Juno, the teen pregnancy dramedy opening December 14, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and to a lesser degree I'm Not There.

Some of the nominations have me squealing with delight: Chiwetel Ejiofor nominated for Best Supporting Male for his outstanding performance in Talk to Me, Julie Delpy's 2 Days in Paris nominated for Best First Feature, and the Irish musical Once nominated for Best Foreign Film. Yet then there's the heartbreaking nomination of Waitress for Best Screenplay, which (if it wins) would have been given to Adrienne Shelly had she not tragically died last year.

For the full list of nominees - and there are some greats on there - read more

BEST FEATURE
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
I'm Not There
Juno
A Mighty Heart
Paranoid Park

BEST DIRECTOR
Todd Haynes (I'm Not There)
Tamara Jenkins (The Savages)
Jason Reitman (Juno)
Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Gus Van Sant (Paranoid Park)

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
2 Days in Paris
Director: Julie Delpy
Producers: Julie Delpy, Christophe Mazodier, Thierry Potok

Great World of Sound
Director: Craig Zobel
Producers: Melissa Palmer, David Gordon Green, Richard Wright, Craig Zobel

The Lookout
Director: Scott Frank
Producers: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Laurence Mark, Walter Parkes

Rocket Science
Director: Jeffrey Blitz
Producers: Effie T. Brown, Sean Welch

Vanaja
Director: Rajnesh Domalpalli
Producer: Latha R. Domalapalli

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
August Evening
Owl and the Sparrow
The Pool
Quiet City
Shotgun Stories

BEST SCREENPLAY
Ronald Harwood (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Tamara Jenkins (The Savages)
Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner (Starting Out in the Evening)
Adrienne Shelly (Waitress)
Mike White (Year of the Dog)

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Jeffrey Blitz (Rocket Science)
Zoe Cassavetes (Broken English)
Diablo Cody (Juno)
Kelly Masterson (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead)
John Orloff (A Mighty Heart)

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart)
Sienna Miller (Interview)
Ellen Page (Juno)
Parker Posey (Broken English)
Tang Wei (Lust, Caution)

BEST MALE LEAD
Pedro Castaneda (August Evening)
Don Cheadle (Talk To Me)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Savages)
Frank Langella (Starting Out in the Evening)
Tony Leung (Lust, Caution)

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)
Anna Kendrick (Rocket Science)
Jennifer Jason Leigh (Margot at the Wedding)
Tamara Podemski (Four Sheets to the Wind)
Marisa Tomei (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead)

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Talk To Me)
Marcus Carl Franklin (I'm Not There)
Kene Holliday (Great World of Sound)
Irrfan Khan (The Namesake)
Steve Zahn (Rescue Dawn)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Mott Hupfel (The Savages)
Janusz Kaminski (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Milton Kam (Vanaja)
Mihai Malaimare, Jr. (Youth Without Youth)
Rodrigo Prieto (Lust, Caution)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Crazy Love
Lake of Fire
Manufactured Landscapes
The Monastery
The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair

BEST FOREIGN FILM
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
(Romania)

The Band's Visit
(Israel)

Lady Chatterley
(France)

Once
(Ireland)

Persepolis
(France)

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film's director, casting director and its ensemble cast)
I'm Not There
Director: Todd Haynes
Casting Director: Laura Rosenthal
Ensemble Cast: Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Bruce Greenwood

Fragrance Review: Ensoleille-Moi

BellaSugar — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 08:00:50 -0700

Are you missing hot summer days on the beach already? Then you'll love Ensoleille-Moi. Fittingly housed in a beautiful bijou of a bottle, the first scent from jeweler André Gas virtually transports the wearer to a tropical island. It features top notes of Tahitian gardenia and Bergamot, heart notes of coconut and ylang-ylang, and base notes of vanilla and white musc.

Compared to Bobbi Brown Beach, it's a sweeter, more natural-smelling scent. At first, it reminds me of suntan lotion, but it soon develops into a more nuanced scent. Yum liked the vanilla (of course!) but I enjoyed the light floral. Now, I'll be honest: Some of you will enjoy the lightness of this scent, while others will find it cloying. Y'know, if you love pina coladas and margaritas, you'll love it; if you're more of a whiskey-and-Coke girl, it'll be too soft for you. I wouldn't wear it every day, but I'll definitely be bringing it out as a pick-me-up on the dreariest days of winter. (If you can't go to the beach, bring the beach to you, I say.)

Ensoleille-Moi is $68 online, and in the States, it's available only at Gas Bijoux boutiques in New York and Los Angeles. For the store addresses, read more

New York
238 Mott Street
New York, NY 10012
212-334-7290

Los Angeles
8012 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-651-9844

Summer Reading Roundup

YumSugar — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 05:12:37 -0700

Can you believe that August is over already? We hope that you all enjoyed August's summer reading month features. We've had thirty-one options that range from vegetarian cooking, shopping list mockery, world history, children's cooking, vacations, fine dining and more. In case you missed any of them, I've compiled them all in one place for easy perusal, or for you to printout and take to the bookstore!

And don't worry, just because summer reading month is over, doesn't mean we'll stop talking about tasty reads! To check out the full list, read more

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
The New Outdoor Kitchen by Deborah Krasner
I'm Just Here For The Food by Alton Brown
Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
The Cuisines of Spain by Teresa Barrenechea
Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans
French Women For All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Be My Guest by Rena Kirdar Sindi
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee
The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins
Candyfreak by Steve Almond
The Wine Club by Maureen Christian Petrosky
Small-Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos
Barefoot Contessa Parties! by Ina Garten
The Gastronomical Me by MFK Fisher
The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten
Milk Eggs Vodka by Bill Keaggy
Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
Something Delicious This Way Comes by Joshua Ploeg
The Great American Camping Cookbook by Scott Cookman
Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
Martha Stewart's Hors D'oeuvres by Martha Stewart
Sweets: A History of Candy by Tim Richardson
Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy by Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch
Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
Fanny at Chez Panisse by Alice Waters
Cooking with Curtis by Curtis Stone
Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson
The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Cocktail Parties With a Twist by Alexandra and Elliot Angle

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