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HMB Exclusive Interview: Challen Cates (Nick’s Big Time Rush) Proves TV’s Newest Boy Band Momager ROCKS!

Posted on28. Aug, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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Photo by Jennings Paige

I’ve known Challen Cates for almost two decades now but until our interview last week the most I could tell you about her is that she is from Virginia, is a talented actress and as you can see in these amazing accompanying photographs taken by Jennings Paige – She Never Ages. Just like the character Mrs. Knight she plays on Nickelodeon’s break out hit “Big Time Rush,” I’ve learned there is much more to Challen than meets the eye. Television Star? Yes. But she also proudly plays the real roles of wife, mother and advocate for the prevention of childhood sexual abuse. Oh, and she’s really funny too.

HMB: Looking at your body of work, I’d said your acting background is varied, some prime time TV guest spots, independent film roles, even producing. What attracted you to the role of Mrs. Knight?

CC: I was actually watching a competing show and I said to my husband, ” I’d like to play the mom on a show like this,” et voila that’s exactly what happened. Be careful what you wish for, right?! I love comedy and I really love working on a broad comedy. Mrs. Knight is such a cool and trusting mom and she’s a single mom. I have an incredible amount of respect for single mothers so it is an honor to play one.

HMB: Did you have any hesitations about becoming a series regular or was it more like a dream come true?

CC: This really is a perfect job for me at this point in my life. It’s great that I am working on a show that shoots 15 minutes from my house and a show that my kids like to watch! However, I am an actor and as much as I love playing Mrs. Knight there are also other roles that I want to experience. I love playing against type. Anything that involves totally losing myself in a character that is a departure from me.

HMB: What process did you go through to get the role on “Big Time Rush?”

CC: Besides the obvious sexual favors? Just kidding. Oddly enough, it happened through normal channels. I didn’t know anyone involved with the project. No nepotism. I just auditioned and got the part. As an actor, you go on so many auditions. Sometimes you walk out of the room feeling great and sometimes not so great. This time is just felt right. I was completely at ease with the character, even though we have different backgrounds and lifestyles. I think Mrs Knight and I approach life in much the same way–with a healthy sense of humor to get you through the day.

Challen Cates with Husband Aaron MacPherson, son Colton and daughter Jasper. Photo by by Jennings Paige

HMB: Every actress has to ask herself when the right time is to go from ingenue to more mature roles. Is this the first time you’ve played a mom?

CC: Ha! Moving from ingenue to mature roles wasn’t something that I decided, it was sort of decided for me. But really, aren’t mature role more interesting and multi-faceted!
I’ve been playing a mom for a long time. I’m just better at it now because I have real experience to draw from. And honestly, I think that having children has made me a better person and a much better actor.

HMB: When the show debuted, it was a huge ratings score for Nickelodeon garnering more than 6 million viewers, making it the top premiere in Nick’s history. How rewarding was that for you and the other cast members? Did it put any unexpected pressure on you to continue that kind of ratings success?

CC: We are all very excited that the show came out of the gate with such a bang. The ratings continue to perform incredibly well and we are all very proud of the show. And of course there is pressure to keep the fans in our new season. The creator of the show is Scott Fellows and I think he is sort of the John Hughes of television. He just speaks kid. I guess it helps that he is a father of 4. He really understands kids, their language, their humor. As long as he can continue to tap into that wavelength I think the show will continue to be a success.

Kendall Schmidt and Ciaro Bravo

HMB: What is the biggest challenge of playing mom to Kendall Schmidt and Ciara Bravo?

CC: Um well it is probably that Kendall is so cute and funny it’s hard not to break down and laugh in the middle of a scene. And that Ciara is so darn cute I just want to scoop her up and squeeze her! She is also so sweet and innocent that I feel a natural maternal instinct to protect her. My own kids are only 2 and 5 so I am learning a lot about teenagers!

HMB: Your character is hilarious. I read a description online that Katie (Ciaro Bravo) is “always shown to have more tricks up her sleeve than her mother, who is portrayed as being very naive with regard to Hollywood machinations.” What’s your take on your character? Do you think she’s really that naive?

CC: Scott and I discussed this and we agreed that Katie gets her antics from her mother but Mrs. Knight just can’t see that. I mean seriously, this is the mother who attacked another mother at an audition, dressed up in a chef’s uniform to get an autograph for her daughter, knocked the maintenance man out with a frying pan, and pretended to be a hotel manager so that her kids could stay in Los Angeles. I love it and I can’t wait to do more shenanigans. Mrs. Knight does come from a more innocent place and perhaps she wants to hang on to some of that naivety because she wants her kids to be happy, and like every mother, hopes that they won’t grow up too fast.

HMB: Admittedly, this is me being an armchair writer/director but I would love to see Mrs. Knight have a larger role and more of a good cop/bad cop relationship with Gustavo Rocque (Stephen Kramer Glickman) who plays the boys manager, sort of reminiscent of the relationship Mrs. Partridge (Shirley Jones) had with Reuben Kincaid (Dave Madden) in “The Partridge Family.” It would be a kick to see more of Katie and Gustavo play off each other too. Any chance of this happening?

CC: Will you please call the show and pitch your ideas?! It would be great to go toe to toe with Gustavo. I don’t think he has a clue how fierce a mother can be when protecting her cubs. Right?! Katie is great with him and of course it’s hilarious because she is such a little peanut. I think that in the future there will definitely be more interaction between family and business. Watch out Mr. Rocque. And Griffin too!

HMB: Speaking of Shirley Jones, how does it feel to tackle the iconic role of “Mom of the Band?” How would you like to see your character develop?

CC: I love it! I just wish I could sing like Shirley Jones. I would like to see Mrs. Knight take a bigger interest in Kendall’s (and the guys) future as a musician and singer and in Katie’s future as an entrepreneur. I would also like to see Mrs. Knight be more involved in Kendall’s personal relationships as well. Heck, I’d like to see Mrs. Knight have a first name!

Photo by Jennings Paige

HMB: I love the fact that your family and the other boys are all transplants and end up living in a hip version of the Oakwood Apartments. Have you or any of the cast members ever stayed in the Oakwoods during your own acting careers?

CC: I almost moved into the Oakwood when I first moved to LA but at the last minute I stumbled onto a beautiful apartment on Crescent Heights in West Hollywood. The drawback was I shared the apartment and bathroom with two testonterone laden young guys. And apparently it’s come full circle!

HMB: How has life changed for you since Big Time Rush? Do kids recognize you wherever you go?

CC: Yeah I get recognized when I’m with my kids on the playground and at Colton’s preschool. Some of his friends are huge fans of the show which totally ups my cool factor. It’s hilarious. I love kids who are fans of the show. I especially love it when they know more about the show than I do. They can recite my dialogue, sing the songs, and correct me on the minute details of the show.

HMB: And an obvious questions, are the boys swarmed with fans?

CC: Oh gosh, yes they are all swarmed with fans and are getting an enormous amount of attention which all seems to be evenly distributed. Kids (and adults) love to tell me who their favorite guy is and I have to say it is very even. It was obviously great casting because there is a btr boy for everyone. The guys are all amazing and they are handling fame beautifully. They are all very close with their real parents which I think really helps keep them grounded.

HMB: You’re a mother and wife in real life also. How do you balance that with your shooting schedule?

CC: I am a mom in real life to my son Colton who is 5 and my daughter Jasper who is 2. My schedule on the show varies so we take it one week at a time. Every night Aaron (Challen’s husband) and I discuss our plans for the next day so that we can make sure that everyone is covered. It can get pretty tricky since both of us are actors and Aaron is also an acting coach (www.aaronmcphersonstudio.com). My kids have a wonderful nanny who helps us when Aaron or I can’t be there. Even when I’m not working on the show I am still running around this crazy city going to auditions and working on other projects. Sometimes I take the kids with me to auditions, especially commercial and voice over auditions. We just make it work out and we try our best to make it a fun adventure.

HMB: What do your kids think of their mom starring on Big Time Rush?

CC: Colton and Jasper just think it is completely normal. Colton says things like, “How was work today mom? Are you going to see Kendall today?” They love to come and visit me on set. They love the cast and crew and the awesome sets. They are also big fans of the show and the music. I love that it is actually a show they can watch. Nothing horrible happens to me on Big Time Rush. Thank goodness!

Challen Cates with Husband Aaron, son Colton and daughter Jasper. Photo by by Jennings Paige

HMB: Do you think either of your kids have the acting gene? How would you handle it if they asked to become child actors?

CC: I don’t know. It’s too soon to really know. At this point Colton seems like a director and Jasper is my little comedienne. It is just such a hard profession. It is hard emotionally. The rejection is brutal and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. However, if they decide they want to be actors, we will do everything we can to support their decision and give them the encouragement and help they need.

HMB: What other projects are you involved with or have slated for the near future?

CC: I did a feature called Foosteps which should be coming out soon. I play a mom in that as well but it’s a chilling thriller and definitely not something my kids can watch. I am actively reading scripts because I would love to produce another feature but it really comes down to finding the right material.

Challen also works closely with the charity Darkness 2 Light, the world’s leading non-profit working to prevent child sexual abuse.

CC: I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and so it is a cause that is very close to my heart. One is 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused. We need to increase awareness and educate adults and children in how to prevent childhood sexual abuse.

ABOUT the Darkness to Light Organization

In 2000, Anne Lee, Darkness to Light’s President/CEO, developed and implemented a strategy for a non-profit primary prevention program with the mission of reducing the incidence of child sexual abuse through public awareness and education. With tremendous community support, over $100,000 was raised and an award-winning Darkness to Light media campaign was developed and launched in June of 2001. Darkness to Light’s public awareness campaign seeks to raise awareness of the prevalence and consequences of child sexual abuse. Their ads are a “call to action” encouraging adults to call or go online for free materials that educate adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Darkness to Light is also actively educating adults through its newest initiative, Stewards of Children, a sexual abuse prevention training program that provides frontline training for organizations and corporations that serve children and youth.

Love these Pictures? Photographer Jennings Paige can be reached at jenningspaige@yahoo.com

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When is a Mom Not A Mom? When She’s A Momager! Once A Star turns 18, Do They Still Need Parents on Payroll?

Posted on18. Jun, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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Ashanti, Lindsay Lohan and Usher all have them – Young Hollywood’s hottest accessory, the Momager. Jessica Simpson and younger sister Ashlee have a Popager. And some stars like Beyonce have both parents on payroll.

R&B superstar Ashanti’s mother Tina Douglas recently told FOXNews.com that there is a reason for the momager and popager trend, “This is a tough business. It is dog-eat-dog and very competitive, but when you surround yourself with people who love you and support you, then you can’t lose.”

So whose parents are on payroll even after they’ve become legal adults?
Ashanti and her momager, Tina Douglas.

Jessica Simpson, 27, employs her father Joe as her manager, her best friend CaCee Cobb as her assistant and childhood pal Mike Alexander as her personal trainer.

Papa Joe Simpson also manages his daughter, pop-star and actress, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz.

Beyonce’s mom served as stylist for her daughter’s R&B group Destiny’s Child and her dad managed the trio.

Usher’s mother also serves as his manager.

While having family members on your team may be a great option for some young performers, it becomes a bumpy road for others.

For instance, what happens when the child becomes the primary or sole bread winner for the parents?

Or perhaps the bread winner for an entire family as was the case with Macaulay Culkin? Christopher “Kit” Culkin, father and ex-manager of former child super star Macaulay Culkin, notoriously lived off the “Home Alone” actor’s assets and that was the least of his reported offenses. Kit Culkin also had a reputation for signing Macaulay up for movies without his son’s permission, being notoriously difficult to work with and allegedly verbally and physically intimidating his then young son.

In 2000, country singer LeAnn Rimes sued her own father, Wilbur Rimes, and his co-manager, Lyle Walker, for embezzling at least $7 million from her empire. Though Rimes and her father are no longer estranged and the case was settled out of court, one might wonder if a child could ever recover from such betrayal.

Dr. Pamela Hain-Koenigsburg, a psychologist in Baltimore, MD also told Fox News, “A parent, you would hope, would be protective of their child and her assets and say, ‘This money should last you a lifetime. I just want you to be successful and have a good life with it,’” said Dr. Pamela Hain-Koenigsburg, a psychologist from Baltimore.

Another danger in playing manager is that parents end up hyper-sexualizing their own children, which is the most obvious conflict of parental interest.

Joe Simpson, a former church minister, has come under fire for vamping up his daughters Jessica and Ashlee.

Teri Shields, the former momager of Brooke Shields, famously marketed her gorgeous daughter as Brooke Shields and Co. and was criticized for encouraging her then-underage daughter to play a child prostitute and appear in sexually implicit ads for Calvin Klein Jeans as a teen and for nude photos at 10 years old that were commissioned by Teri herself as “promotional tools.” Thankfully there is no way those images would ever be produced in today’s protective social climate.

“I used to look at Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson and wonder ‘How do you let your child dress like that?’” Hain-Koenigsburg told Fox News. “As the parent of a girl, I wonder how you could sex a child up like that and throw her out to the world.” Fox News reports that Hain-Koenigsburg has been particularly troubled by the recent case of Lindsay Lohan, whose oft-imprisoned father demanded that ex-wife Dina split the earnings she’s made by managing their various children. “Her [Lindsay's] situation is so terrible,” she said, adding that she thinks Lohan would have been better off if her parents just remained parents. “When that kind of situation happens, who do you go to and who do you trust?”

That being said, the majority of parents do not equate the duties of being a child performers manager with financial or sexual exploitation, and make concerted efforts that this is not the case. “Celebrities are vulnerable, so it makes sense that they would yearn to have someone close to them there at all times,” said Bonnie Low-Kramen who acts as personal assistant to actress Olympia Dukakis. “It has to be a very special relationship for it to work. I know Olympia, and my business relationship is first and foremost, and we have that boundary. [A parent and child] would have to [set] some ground rules, because it’s likened to going into business with someone. It changes the whole relationship.”

And then there’s the sticky issue of payroll…

“The child has to pay the parent a salary — there is something tricky about that,” Low-Kramen tells Fox News. “I think celebrities welcome the ability to separate the business from the personal.”

But Hain-Koenigsburg said that if a parent’s motivation is genuine, employing him or her might be the best thing for a star. “Nobody will look out for your interests the way a parent would.” Ashanti’s momager Tina Douglas shares with FOX that other managers ”have approached me in a negative way, saying that I can’t manage Ashanti because I’m her mom and I’m ‘emotional.’ But that emotion is what helped get her to where she is today.”

Source: Fox News, FOXNews.com, Google.com

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MOMAGERS: Life is No Ice Cream Cake Walk for Dina Lohan

Posted on17. Jun, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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In trivial and unbelievable Momager/Child Star news today, the latest “scoop” at Carvel Ice Cream is that the Lohan Family’s Carvel Black Card has been Black-listed. For those unfamiliar, a “Black Card” grants the holder free Carvel ice cream for 75 years.

RadarOnline reports that Dina Lohan, the momager of tabloid staple and former child star Lindsay Lohan, claims that a Carvel ice cream shop employee reported her to the police after she used daughter Ali Lohan’s free ice cream card. (Carvel states that the card was issued to Lindsay Lohan.) Dina went to a Carvel ice cream store in East Meadow, New York, to pick up a birthday ice cream cake for her son Cody’s 14th birthday party and wanted to use a special Carvel “Black” card which she believed guarantees her and her family “free ice cream for 75 years.” However, when Dina went to the ice cream store, she didn’t have her own card and instead used her daughter Ali’s card. “I didn’t think it be [sic] a problem,” Dina told RadarOnline.

Dina alleges that the Carvel employee grabbed her arm, took her Black Card and “held it hostage.” She further claims that the employee called the police who then sent over a police helicopter.

If this is true, about the police helicopter, all I can say is that people in Long Island take their ice cream very seriously. Very. Seriously. Or maybe they just hate the Lohan family.

The employee eventually returned the card, but refused to give Dina Lohan a free cake. Dina states that “it just shows how we get treated so much worse than regular people.” She says, “Just wait until Lindsay and Ali hear about this [...] when Ali gets back, I’m going to bring her in everyday to this store–and you can print that!”

CARVEL’S VERSION OF EVENTS:

In their own statement to the press today, Carvel Ice Cream said the following:

“As part of Carvel’s 75^th Anniversary celebration last year, we issued 75 Black Cards to celebrities. These cards were issued in the celebrity’s name and require the card holder to be present at the time of use. Many celebrities have enjoyed their cards at our Carvel Ice Cream shoppes and have shared their excitement with being included in the celebration.”

(Editor: Please note that the following verbiage is clearly printed on the Black Card in question:)

Carvel's Chocolate Mascot, Fudgie the Whale

“Unfortunately, the Lohan family has been abusing the card. While the card was issued in Lindsay’s name only, her extended family has repeatedly used the card without her present. At first, we graciously honored their requests while explaining that the Black Card was not a carte blanc for unlimited Carvel Ice Cream for the extended Lohan family and friends. After more than six months of numerous and large orders for ice cream, we finally had to cut off the card and take it back. Dina Lohan reacted badly and called the police to have her card returned. The police responded and did return the card to Dina with instructions not to use it again. This is an unfortunate situation where certain people feel entitled to use a celebrity’s name for their own purposes. We regret that the Lohan family is upset and hope this matter is put behind us quickly.”

Rest assured, it will only be a matter of minutes before we spy “Team Carvel” and “Team Lohan” t-shirts adorning teens at the local mall, although my money is on the former boasting better sales. Let’s just hope we can forgo the obligatory rubber bracelets emblazoned with “What Would Tom Carvel Do?” or worse yet, “What Would Fudgie Do?”

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HMB Exclusive: Parenting Hollywood Style with Kathy Ireland, Ed Begley Jr., Tony Dovolani & the Original Celebrity Momager, Shirley Jones

Posted on18. May, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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By Contributor Diana Marcketta

Celebrity parents gathered in Beverly Hills this past weekend in support of their friend and fellow celebrity parent, Kathy Ireland who hosted a Mother’s Day reception at Geary’s, a leading retailer of fine luxury gifts, in honor of the launch of her new jewelry line produced by Elan Luxury Collections. The collection includes diamond-studded hoops designed to hang straight without an uncomfortable swing effect, artful crucifixes [pictured on Kathy below], dinner rings and a variety of bangles and bridal items which provides Ireland’s customer with high quality items at a variety of price levels, which begin under $200 but expand to several thousand.

Among Ireland’s guests were the original real life and television momager, Shirley Jones, her husband Marty Ingels, Ed Begley Jr. with wife Rachelle, and Tony Dovolani of “Dancing with the Stars.” HMB Contributor Diana Marcketta had the opportunity to glean parenting tips from each of them, beginning with Shirley Jones who raised a pack of devilish Cassidy boys in the city of Angels. When it comes to parenting in the fast-moving world of Hollywood there are no easy answers, say several of entertainment’s leading moms and dads, but some solid, hard rules can be helpful.

The original Hollywood Mom, Shirley Jones (left), attends Kathy Ireland's celebrity-studded Mother's Day Event at upscale gift shop, Geary's of Beverly Hills. Photo: Diana Marcketta for HMB

Shirley Jones, the “television” mother of the 1970’s sitcom “The Partridge Family” and the real-life mom of three sons (former “Hardy Boys” teen idol Shaun Cassidy and brothers Ryan and Patrick) and one stepson (David Cassidy, former teen star of “The Patridge Family”), was in attendance with husband, comedian Marty Ingels.

Having grown up in a community of 800 in rural Pennsylvania, Jones, whose own decades-long acting career began on Broadway and then led directly to the silver screen in “South Pacific” and “Oklahoma,” says she worked diligently to instill the same kind of small-town values in her children. In fact, she took the role on “The Partridge Family” so she could be home with her children. The father of Jones’ children was the late Jack Cassidy – an highly-renowned actor who died in 1976. She divorced Cassidy in 1974, two years prior to his death, and later married Marty Ingels [pictured above].

Jones recalls that the family originally moved to Beverly Hills because, at the time, the school district was one of the best in the country. What she didn’t anticipate was the peer pressure her sons would experience living in such an upscale community. Shirley immediately felt challenged by the material demands and expectations of her sons. “They would say, ‘That kid has a Rolls-Royce. Why can’t I have a Rolls-Royce?’” says Jones, “I said ‘You can have a car, but you have to pay half [and] I’ll pay half’,” said Jones. “Then I would tell them to go down to [local grocery stores] Von’s or Ralph’s and get a job boxing groceries. At least, they could do that to earn some money.”

With a houseful of boys – stepson David Cassidy, sons Shaun Cassidy, Patrick Cassidy and Ryan Cassidy – Jones endured her share of teen-age antics. “I had a list of rules for each of them written on yellow legal paper stuck to the refrigerator,” says Jones. “So that any time I was out-of-town, or working late, there was no doubt what the rules were. No girls spending the night,” says Jones of some of yellow, legal pad, written rules. “No screwing girls in the car parked in the garage.” And despite Jones’ pleas, each of them followed the family tradition, pursuing careers in show business.

“I begged Shaun not to go into show business. I pleaded with him to go to college,” says Jones of her oldest son. “But [into show business] he went, right after his brother David.” Ryan and Patrick are also involved in the entertainment industry. In fact, Jones was so vigilant in her pleas for her oldest to get a regular job, Shawn reminded her of it immediately following his very first performance at Madison Square Garden. While Jones waited with several family members in an alley way for her son following the performance, she recounts, “He pulled up next to me [in his limousine], rolled down the window, and said, ‘Now do you think I should be boxing groceries?’” says Jones. “[Then] he rolled up the window, and drove away.” Jones says the best advice she could give any parent is to be vigilant about knowing what’s going on in their children’s lives. “You have to stay on top of them,” says Jones.

Ed Begley & wife, Rachelle Carson at Kathy Ireland's Mothers Day Celebration at Geary's Beverly Hills. Photo: Diana Marcketta for HMB

TV actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. and his wife Rachelle Carson, who star in Discovery’s Planet Green series, “Living with Ed,” share similar parenting views with Jones. “We try to spend as much time as possible together as a family,” Begley says of life with their 10-year-old daughter, Hayden Carson. “You can’t let life get in the way of being with your children. There’s always social networking. There’s always that email to send out. You know how it goes, ‘Just a minute, let me send this out,’ and then 10 minutes later, you’re still at the computer. You simply have to walk away and be really there with your child.”

Begley says he makes sure his schedule gives him lots of time at home with his family. “When I’m there, I’m really there with her,” Begley says of parenting Hayden. Begley and his wife monitor their daughter’s behavior, as well as her friends’ behavior. “You want to make sure your kid is hanging out with the right crowd,” says Begley.

Being active with your child is also an important part of being a parent today, says Begley. The distraction of television, the Internet and in some cases cell phones, makes children sedentary, says Begley. “Participate with them,” he suggests. “I’ll go riding bikes with [Hayden] or go swimming, or maybe it’s not a sport I’m into, but she’s into it. Just as long as they’re staying active and you’re staying active with them. I think that’s important.” Begley says because of he and his wife’s environmentalism, his daughter has also had the added benefit of experiencing a garden and understanding where food comes from.

“She’s not afraid of worms. She’s never afraid of worms in the garden, “ says Begley, who taught his daughter Hayden about worm’s role in the supplying needed nitrogen for the garden soil’s benefit. “She knows that food doesn’t come on the Safeway bus nor grown on the Von’s tree.”

Tony Dovolani at Kathy Ireland's Geary's Mother's DAy Event Photo: Diana Marcketta for HMB

Tony Dovolani of Dancing with The Stars and father of three says life moves in the fast lane in Hollywood, not just for adults but for kids as well. “There is a lot of peer pressure to having everything now,” says Dovolani, who lives in Connecticut with his wife and children when not shooting ABC’s hit dance show. “I don’t understand why they don’t want to experience life. Life is a wonderful experience. Experience life as it comes. It doesn’t all have to be now.”

He’s often shocked by teenage girls’ desire to have breast augmentations and lip-pumping injections, and to seek public attention. “Everyone seems to be publicity hungry even if they’re no one,” he says. “It used to be that fame and notoriety came because it was talent-based. Now people want to be famous for being famous and for blogging about nothing. That influences our children, our teenagers, in a negative way,” he says.

Dovolani sincerely understands the concept of hard work. He came to the U.S. under political asylum when his family fled their home country of Kosovo. “We came here with nothing,” says Dovolani, whose father was formerly CEO of a large computer corporation in Kosovo. “But it was too dangerous for us to stay [in Kosovo]. We would not be alive today had we not come to the U.S., but we left everything behind to do that.”

Dovolani says he and his wife have long established a united front in parenting their children…even before his wife Lina became pregnant with their first child more than four years ago. “In our house, the parents are the parents,” he says. “The children do not make the decisions. We do. If we have a disagreement about how something is to be done, we don’t share that in front of the children. We discuss it alone. We share each other’s views. Then when we speak to the children, we speak to them as one.”

Tony learned his communication skills from his own family. “We never fight,” he says of his extended family. “We listen to each other’s views. We may not agree with each other. But instead of getting angry, my father will say, ‘Did you look at it this way?’ and then ask you to consider your opinion from another point of view.” Dovolani additionally shares that he and his wife rely on the comfort and support of extended family that live nearby in New York. But the most important relationship, Dovolani feels, in raising children is for parents to be supportive of one another. “It takes a team,” he says. Dovolani will soon appear on the TV talk show “The Doctors” to share his views about parenting.

Kathy Ireland Photo: Diana Marcketta for HMB

More About Kathy Ireland:

When former supermodel Kathy Ireland, now 47, ended her famous career at 27 or 28, she was anxious to begin her own business.

“I had tried all throughout my modeling career to start my own business, “ says Ireland, who is founder and owner of the brand Kathy Ireland Home and Kathy Ireland Jewelry, both part of the multi-product marketing site KathyIreland.com. “But I kept failing. I tried one business after the other, and it failed.”

“When I ended my [modeling] career, I could dedicate myself to the business,” says Ireland, whose first success in launching the Kathy Ireland brand came in the design of socks for women. “I was turned down time after time,” says Ireland. “They told me I was too dumb to do this, that this wasn’t the right product, that I didn’t know what I was doing, why did they need me, I heard everything. Then I hit my millionth sale in socks…a simple item that women need. Women bought it. I knew I had something.”

What Ireland found was that it was her connection with women, and her deep understanding of their needs as a working mother and wife herself that helped build her success, she says.

“KathyIreland.com is dedicated to finding solutions for the busy Mom,” says Ireland, who has more than 15,000 products to service her customer. “I listen to her, to my customer. She knows what she wants. She communicates to me what she wants, and I respond.”

Ireland reads through emails she receives daily from mothers like herself, who often manage a career, a family and marriage. She penned a book released in 2009, “Real Solutions for Busy Moms; Your Guide to Success and Sanity,” to provide guidance to a population of women whose daily schedules are often packed full of work, children and maintaining a home. “It is heroic for a woman to make it into a store,” says Ireland of most mothers’ busy schedules, “I want them to have a wonderful experience when they do.”

Ireland says she began her business career as a child growing up in Santa Barbara with her sister, Mary. The two would gather rocks, paint them and sell them at a price of 5 cents or 10 cents as paperweights or interesting sculpture pieces. Ireland says her sister made more money by selling her rocks at a higher price, but her own artfully painted rocks were more creatively designed with painted flowers and rainbows. For years, she says, her grandmother kept one of her painted rocks in her purse as a weapon should she be approached by unwanted strangers. “That taught me a lesson in quality,” says Ireland. “That people will hold onto things that are well-designed of a high quality.”

Her own jewelry line, produced by Elan Luxury Collections, includes diamond-studded hoops, ingeniously designed to hang straight without an uncomfortable swing effect, artful crucifixes, dinner rings and a variety of bangles and bridal items which provides Ireland’s customer with high quality items at a variety of price levels.

“At first, she, my customer, told me she wanted something that doesn’t have any fluff. Sometimes my customer tells me she needs a solution to traveling, and we find a solution for that. But now she’s ready for something more romantic with a little luxury, ” says Ireland. “We designed the jewelry line as a solution for people in love.”

Ireland says her days as an entrepreneur for KathyIreland.com vary. “Sometimes it’s about design, sometimes it’s about human resources, sometimes it’s about distribution,” says Ireland, who worked to discern her own strengths and weaknesses in building her business. “I have strengths. I know what they are. I have my weaknesses too. They are many. So I built a business family to support the areas I was weak in and now I feel we have a very strong network. I have a very strong, supportive business family.”

Although Ireland, who gained notoriety for her appearances as the cover swimsuit model for Sports Illustrated is grateful for her modeling career, it’s business that has always been her passion. “When you have a passion for something, it’s not work,” she says.

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MOMAGERS IN THE NEWS: NZ Fans Trample Justin Bieber’s Mom?

Posted on28. Apr, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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Teen musician and heart throb Justin Bieber touched down in Auckland, NZ last night and was immediately surrounded by 500 crazed fans, which began a mini riot of sorts.

According to Justin’s Bieber’s twitter: “Finally got to New Zealand last night. The airport was crazy. Not happy that someone stole my hat and knocked down my mama. Come on people…” Yes, it’s true, Justin’s mother Pattie Mallette was knocked over by over zealous tweens trying to worship her offspring.

Later joking that he’s the “most dangerous creature” in the country, Justin told his twitter followers that he wants “to sign and take pics and meet my fans but if you are all pushing security won’t let me. Let’s keep it safe and have fun.”

The 16-year old’s mother had this to say about the incident “Thanks for all ur support!! I’m ok thank you!!! On my way to bungy jumping!!! Whoopeeeee ”

One can only assume she’s none the worse for wear if she’s now willing to jump off a cliff tied to a rubber rope. Or, maybe she’s just had enough of Bieber Mania and this is her attempt to end it all. All kidding aside, Mallette may qualify for “momager of the year” based on resilancy alone. And for those of you concerned with the theft portion of this incident, Justin got his hat back too.

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“The Middle” Child Star: Atticus Schaffer Conquers Physical Disability & Says His Parents Support His Dreams!

Posted on19. Apr, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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Atticus Shaffer, born June 19 1998, stars as Brick Heck on ABC’s comedy, “The Middle.” Eleven-year-old Atticus lives in Acton, California, with his mother, Debbie, and father, Ron, as well as a host of rescue animals including 2 dogs, 4 cats, chickens, fish and a rabbit. He also has a 31 year old brother. People magazine recently reported that Atticus suffers from Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) a genetic bone disorder resulting in fragile bones. About his disability Schaffer says, “It’s a small portion of me and nothing more. I take extra precautions where I step to make sure it’s safe. And I shouldn’t do anything with heavy lifting or anything that could make me slip and fall.”

Shaffer was discovered by his manager in 2006 and quickly booked a guest starring role in the series “The Class.” That role led Atticus Shaffer to the role of Brick in the original ABC pilot for “The Middle.”

As mentioned in this clip with Jimmy Kimmel, Atticus is home schooled by his mom and excels in his education. Of his mom he says “we learn together.” Way to go Debbie! It obvious neither Atticus nor his parents let OI slow him down which is illustrated not only by his acting but his involvement with Boy Scouts. He loves to camp, earn Merit badges, read, play LEGOS and collect World War II memorabilia. Atticus is a wonderful example of a child who is living his life to the fullest despite his disabilities and he gives full credit to his mom and dad for enabling him to do so.

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Hollywood Mom Tracy Bobbitt interviewed on NBC’s NewsRaw

Posted on20. Feb, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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No surprise that I was completely honored to be interviewed by the host of NBC NewsRaw, Mekaloh Medina, last week in NBC’s Los Angeles studios ♥. It’s been years since I’ve been on camera and to say that I had a rusty start is putting it mildly. Spoiler Alert: College kids could make a drinking game out of the number of times I glance up at the ceilingto collect my thoughts. Not a good angle for the chins by the way. Anyhow, the gist of the interview is that, as loyal readers know by now, I’m a Hollywood Mom and I run the Hollywood Mom Blog in an effort to provide news, resources, and an empathetic ear for my fellow momagers and popagers. A big thank you to my dear friend, writer and make-up artist Tamara Gold for helping me to simultaneously find outer beauty & inner strength. XO – Tracy

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Does your Child Actor have her own Website?

Posted on18. Feb, 2010 by Hollywood Mom.

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Some child actors do and some child actors don’t. My kid does. Have a dedicated website, that is. While the debate rages on amongst parents with the “Should we or shouldn’t we?” conversation, many of us have forged forward into the internet abyss, securing our child’s *namesake URL and creating web sites that range from the very basic to the extremely elaborate.

In researching the phenom of the “child actor website,” I’ve stumbled upon other Hollywood momagers and popagers with the same idea. If you’ve passed the hurdle of whether or not to do this, and have decided to create junior’s web site, then the next immediate choices to make are:

What is the site’s purpose?

How do you want the site to function?

How will the site benefit your child actor?

How much time can you dedicate to maintaining and updating your child’s web site?

How much money do you want to invest in the construction and maintenance of the site?

Purpose & Function

My daughter’s web site www.JordanBobbitt.com is an upbeat, age and career-level appropriate site. The primary purpose of Jordan’s site is to function as an elaborate calling card (all her professional contact info is posted) and also to function as a marketing tool. The site is set up with a shopping cart but we do not envision utilizing that feature in the foreseeable future. *I would recommend a shopping cart add-on for a child actor who has branded or relevant merchandise to sell.

Specifically our child actor web site encompasses 1) Resume, 2) Head shots, 3) Publicity Shots 4) Bio and 5) Recent Noteworthy Entertainment Projects. I plan to add a Charity page and in the near future we’re reformatting the site into a blog structure which I will update and maintain with the assistance of our wonderful family web designer Shanna Cote of SiteSquared.com. Don’t think of a blog as a “diary” of your child’s acting life. That won’t be happening here I assure you! However, the new blog format will allow me personally to upload video clips of Jordan’s film, television and theater work. You don’t need to use a designer to create your child’s website, but I knew that Shanna would take Jordan’s site to a level that I couldn’t achieve on my own and would continue to assist me in making it better as her career progresses; for instance, converting the site to a blog structure was her suggestion.

Website Benefits:

A benefit of a personal web site is that it can showcase more head shots than LA Casting and OS Casting accounts hold – not because they couldn’t in fact hold more, but because it’s simply not an economically sound choice. Each time you upload an individual photo to the casting services it costs about $25.00, whereas with my daughters site, I can in theory upload or remove as many pictures as often as I like or as often as she changes, which at 10 is fairly often. I can also post pictures of her at movie premieres, industry events and behind the scenes – photos that would not make sense to post on the casting sites.

Having a dedicated web site also accommodates a full length bio, recent projects list and personal tidbits like favorite shops, CD’s and books. This section on Jordan’s site is still incomplete and could use some love but I’ll get there eventually. Bigger than all of this, the web site is a “marketable entity” for the present or for the future, which I’ll expound upon in a future post.

Time and Energy

I hardly spend any time updating my daughter’s site, primarily because I’m busy with other ventures, but also because it’s as complete as I need it to be for now. She could use some current head shots and press pictures but that’s “a whole ‘nother Oprah!” as they say.

Financial Investment

I was willing to make a financial investment in Jordan’s site because I wanted it to draw people in and relying on a professional is much more effective than my attempt would have been. I also wanted the site to be something Jordan could be proud of, a site she would feel comfortable sharing with her friends and a site that reflects her personality and age.

Sometimes we can best decide what we want by viewing the options. To give you some ideas of what will and won’t work best for your child actor, I’ve gathered samples of different child performer sites found across the web. Enjoy reading them, and feel free to forward more for the list:

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Momager: Dina Lohan’s Shoe Brand Gets It’s Marching Orders

Posted on10. Feb, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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UPDATE: In October 2009 former child actress Lindsay Lohan’s momager, Dina Lohan made headlines with the announcement that she was partnering up with Long Island-based shoe company Lovemyshoes.com to launch (and become the national spokesperson for) her very own footwear line called “Shoe-Han” which was slated to be ready by Mother’s Day 2010. According to PopTarts, the deal has fallen through just months before the scheduled debut.

From a rep of Love My Shoes: Love My Shoes regrets to announce we are not moving forward with the Dina Lohan line of shoes at this time due to continued economic sluggishness and the prevalent mood of today’s shoppers. Love My Shoes and its President, Robert Yeganeh, wish Dina continued success in all her projects.”

But according to a rep for Lohan’s shoes, the star mom is still determined to accessorize the country’s feet. “There was a miscommunication over finances, this was too local and we need a larger partner,” said the rep. “We are currently exploring other options, and we will have another announcement soon.”

October 8, 2009 Los Angeles: Dina Lohan, controversial momager of former child actress Lindsay Lohan, held a press conference today at Trump Plaza in New York to announce the launch of her own shoe line, to be called “Shoe-Han.” The momager of 4 will also become the national spokes person for LoveMyShoes.com a chain of Long Island ladies footwear stores. LoveMyShoes.com will stock Dina’s shoes which be available worldwide Mother’s Day (or Momagers Day as we call it here in Hollywood). Dina will make appearances as a shoe aficianado on both TV and radio commercials later this month.

“I’ve always loved shoes,” says Dina. “I think it stems from when I went to private school and had to wear a uniform; the only thing I could feel stylish about were my shoes.”

With all of her namesake shoes costing less than $100, Dina states: “These shoes are affordable, which is really important in this economy. It’s tough for everybody – even us.”

The official press release below:

Date: 2009/10/7 at 17:01
Subject: DINA LOHAN, ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS MOTHERS TO ANNOUNCE HER OWN DESIGNER SHOELINE ”SHOE-HAN” AND BECOME NATIONAL SPOKESMODEL AT NEWS CONFERENCE ON THURS OCT 8TH-2pm NYC

DINA LOHAN, ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS MOTHERS TO ANNOUNCE HER OWN DESIGNER SHOELINE ”SHOE-HAN” AND BECOME NATIONAL SPOKESMODEL AT NEWS CONFERENCE ON THURS OCT 8TH-2pm NYC

Dina Lohan, diva and star of the hit E! show “Living Lohan,” as well as mother to actress and starlet Lindsay, will be holding a major press conference and media reception on Thursday October, 8th at 2pm at Trump Plaza, 725 5th Avenue, Floor 21, Marc Fisher showroom, to announce a creation of her new own shoe line, “Shoe-han” as well as becoming a national spokesmodel for the popular LoveMyShoes.com retail designer ladies footwear stores.

Other celebrities that have sold millions of shoes include: Vanessa Hudgens, Jessica Simpson, Gwen Stefani, Star Jones, Carlos Santana and more.

LoveMyShoes.com hopes to have Dina’s shoes available world-wide from coast to coast by Mother’s Day. She will be appearing as a shoe fashionista later this on month on television and radio commercials. The shoe store chain was founded on Long Island, home of the Lohan family.

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New NICK Show based on Papa Joe Simpson, Jessica & Ashlee Simpson-Wentz

Posted on06. Feb, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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Joe Simpson, father and manager of performers Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, is developing a Nickelodeon comedy series loosely based on his real-life experience as a minister and psychologist raising two daughters in Texas. No mention of wife and mom Tina’s role, if any.

The as of yet untitled project revolves around one of the daughters who begins imitating her father and giving life advice to other kids in her school.

Emily Cutler (ABC’s “Carpoolers”) is writing the script with Simpson. Veteran tween and teen series producer Tommy Lynch is executive producing. Lynch has a long-standing relationship with Nickelodeon, having produced Nick series “South of Nowhere,” “Romeo!” and most recently “The Troop.”

Following his daughters’ success and his career turn as their manager, Joe Simpson has segued into producing Jessica and Ashlee’s TV projects and recently, the ABC drama series “Women’s Murder Club.” In defense of his managing the girls (reportedly for up to 20% of their earnings), US Magazine quoted Joe as saying: “It’s unfair to criticize me for what every manager does for his or her clients. And in this business, where people can quickly turn on you, who better than a parent to be working for his children?”

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No Momager Should be Allowed to Look This Freaking Good

Posted on02. Feb, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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Seriously no momager should be allowed to look as good, if not better than, her celebrity off spring – much less be expected to look this good. But Tish Cyrus rocks it with grammy chic even after giving birth to and raising 4 children for the last however many years. God bless her.

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Funny People: Judd Apatow & Leslie Mann on Their Child Actors

Posted on18. Nov, 2009 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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“Funny People” star Leslie Mann reveals that while her children Iris and Maude have appeared in some of the movies she has made with her husband Judd Apatow the kids are not actually allowed to *watch* the films.

“They can’t see the movies and their friends can’t,” Leslie explains. “It’s not on their radar at all.”

[Editors note: This is a scenario I can completely relate to as my daughter Jordan's first scene was in the highly hilarious but very R-rated, "The Hangover." She hasn't seen it and hopefully none of her friends have. LOL]

Leslie shared that she and Judd were worried about the parents of their children’s friends seeing some of their movies such as ‘Knocked Up,’ and ‘Pineapple Express’ and getting the wrong idea about their family.

“Kids’ parents see the movies, and I always worry because I don’t want them to think that we’re some pot smoking family. [But] they actually like the movies a lot, and now they confide in me about their pot smoking ways.”

Leslie Mann Interview

Q. [Regarding] your children, explain why you decided to exploit them by making them work in this movie [Funny People]?

Leslie:(laughs) That wasn’t me. That was Judd tricking me into using them. That’s not something I wanted to do.

Q. They’re very professional. How did they get to be such good little actors?

Leslie: They don’t have any clue as to what’s happening so they’re very natural. They were usually in eating scenes so we put food in front of them and rolled three cameras. Their friends can’t see the movie, and they can’t see the movie, so it’s totally off their radar. It’s like hanging out with mom and dad.

Q. Is it awkward for you to work with your husband and kids?

Leslie: It’s not awkward. If it had been with another director, it might have been awkward, but then I wouldn’t have done it. Besides, Maud’s probably done with it now. I don’t want her to be a child actor.

Source 1 Source 2

Judd Apatow on Hiring His Own Kids for Knocked Up:

“It was definitely my choice [to put them in the film]. I just thought that whenever you see kids in movies they always feel scripted and stiff. And if I had my kids there with us, they would act like normal children and do things that kids don’t do because my kids do all sorts of weird things. They’re really funny and then they’re pissed off, and then they’re suddenly happy again and there’s violent mood swings all day long. There’s a potential for violence and then they just kiss you hard. I thought if I could capture any bit of that, it would show people what being a parent is actually about.

I was nervous about [using them] because I thought if this doesn’t go well it could be a disaster. ‘I’ve already ended their acting careers.’ I said, ‘Your acting career ends Friday at six o’clock.’ But, you know, I thought it could really be a disaster if they refused to do it. They could show up at work and say, ‘I want to go home…’ and then I’m a lunatic if I don’t let them.”

Apatow concedes that it helps that mom [Leslie Mann] is on the set too. “Yeah, she’s acting with her mom and I’m right there. If her mom goes, ‘What do you want for breakfast?’ and she just answers and forgets the cameras are there, you really see the kind of conversations that they have. It’s funny and sweet and very weird at times. And they’ve gotten good at improvising, which is somewhat shocking. Or I can feed them lines and they will repeat them. I said to Iris, it’s true, I said, ‘After Seth walks away, turn to Paul Rudd and say he looks like Winnie the Pooh.’ She just turned and went, ‘He looks like Winnie the Pooh,’ without missing a beat.

Maude went on a rant yesterday in a scene how she thinks babies are born. I said, ‘Say whatever you want, Maude.’ And she went into this really long, bizarre explanation about storks have these eggs that are invisible and they go through your head and they go into your stomach and you push your bellybutton and your butt falls off and it falls out your butt. It goes in the dirt and you dig it out and you hit it with a hammer and then [there’s a] little tiny bird baby and it’s already wearing clothes. She was just going and going.”

Source 3

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Plan A Baby: The Exclusive Hollywood Event for Modern Moms & Moms-To-Be!

Posted on14. Oct, 2009 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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WHAT: Plan A Baby is an exclusive, one-day event to celebrate and pamper new and expectant moms as they browse through a carefully chosen collection of the latest in high-end baby products, services and educational materials for the modern mom will be available to peruse and purchase. Plan A recognizes that modern mothers are hip, sophisticated, style-savvy women with an eye for quality and good design.

WHEN: Sunday, October 18, 2009 | 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel – 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, LA 90028

SPONSORS: Fit Pregnancy, The Cradle, Hot Moms Club

Celebrities Include: Nanny Stella from Nanny 911 will be raffling off a free home visit consultation at The Help Company booth, Jessica Capshaw, Sarah Jane Morris and Ali Landry with more to be announced

PROGRAM:Products & services for discerning tastes, including:
Tiny Prints, Giggle, Rosie Pope Maternity, teutonia, Sprout Baby, Episencial, Bel Bambini, Oeuf, aden + anais, Bel Bambini, Bonpoint, Cloud b, Orbit Baby, Osea Skin Care, Pomme Bebe, Prince Lionheart, The Help Company, Thompson & Spring and Your Baby Can Read on health and well-being issues, including:
The Baby Planners and Dr. JJ Levenstein.

Silent auction benefiting our non-profit partner Healthy Child Healthy Woman with Informal modeling by Rosie Pope Maternity, Spa treatments, fabulous gift bags and more!

EXHIBITS: The best brands in categories such as maternity, baby & toddler fashion, furniture, spa and skincare, fitness, childcare, organic foods, toys, photographic services, breast feeding support, strollers, appliances, stationery, Light bites and tasty treats.

TICKETS:Available online for $35 or on site the day of for $45
Expert speakers will share their knowledge on important topics such as health, well-being, sleep and nutrition, with opportunities for mothers to ask questions and seek advice.

Plan A will be a social and relaxing afternoon for mothers to meet, mingle and connect while reveling in the celebration of motherhood. It’s an exclusive, grown-up play day for moms and moms-to-be to discover, and remember, how much excitement this special time offers. Only here can mothers be indulged, inspired, get the gear and be in the know – all at once!

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