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The Glee Project’s Hannah Mclalwain to Perform at 37th Annual Gracie Awards Gala

Adrienne Papp — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 21:33:58 +0000

Alliance for Women in Media Foundation is pleased to announce that Hannah McIalwain, a contender from season one of The Glee Project on Oxygen, will perform at the 37th Annual Gracie Awards Gala on May 22, 2012, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The Gracie Awards (also known as “the Gracies”) recognize exemplary programming created for women, by women, and about women in all facets of media, including radio, television, cable and new media. The awards program also encourages the realistic and multifaceted portrayal of women in entertainment, news, features and other programs.

Hannah began performing at the age of 14 which ultimately led her on her journey to Dallas/Fort Worth where in 2011 she auditioned for the first season of The Glee Project, a reality-TV competition where contestants vie for a recurring spot on the hit television series Glee. After intense competition, Hannah finished fifth. Realizing her dream to pursue acting and singing full time, Hannah moved to Los Angeles. Besides her talent for singing, Hannah can also rap (under the alias Rouge), which illustrates her sincere quirkiness and positive attitude. Currently, Hannah travels across the country speaking at different universities about “True Beauty,” a program designed to empower young people about self-image and self-esteem.

The Gracies are presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Alliance for Women in Media that supports educational programs, charitable activities, public service campaigns and scholarships to benefit the public, the electronic media and allied fields. The Gracie Awards, established in 1975, honors programming and individuals of the highest caliber in all facets of radio, television, cable and web-based media, including news, drama, comedy, commercials, public service, documentary and sports.

The event is made possible through the generous support of the following sponsors: Arbitron, Beasley Broadcasting Group, CBS News, CNN, Disney/ABC Family Group, E! Networks, ESPN, Ford Motor Company Fund, Katz Media Group, Inc., National Association of Broadcasters, Oxygen, Premier Networks, and RLTV; Wine Sponsor: House of Mandela.

About the Alliance for Women in Media (AWM): The Alliance for Women in Media leverages the promise, passion and power of women in all forms of media. Formerly known as American Women in Radio & Television, AWM is the longest-established professional association dedicated to advancing women in media and entertainment, and will celebrate its 60^th anniversary in 2011. The Alliance for Women in Media carries forth its mission by educating, advocating and acting as a resource to its members and the industry at large via inspired thought leadership that illuminates areas of societal need.

About The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation: The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (formerly known as The Foundation of American Women in Radio & Television) supports and promotes educational programs, charitable activities, public service campaigns and scholarships to benefit the public, the electronic media and allied fields. The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation has created partnerships and joint-initiatives with the National Middle School Association, the Emma Bowen Foundation, the American Red Cross and other organizations that are philosophically aligned with the mission of the Foundation. The Foundation supports several public service campaigns, including most recently a radio PSA campaign with the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. The Foundation also supports Empowering America^®, an initiative which pays tribute to many of America’s most pioneering and inspiring women. Through this program, the Foundation provides Empowering America^® educational collateral to needy urban middle schools around the country. The Foundation also produces nationally acclaimed recognition programs, including the Gracie Awards^®, a live gala that honors exemplary programming created for, by, and about women.

About the Author of This Article: Lady Adrienne Papp is a recognized journalist who has written for many publications including Savoir, Beverly Hills 90210, Malibu Beach, Santa Monica Sun, The Beverly Hills Times, Brentwood News, Bel-Air View,Celebrity Society,Celeb Staff, It Magazine, Chic Today, LA2DAY, West Side Todayamong many others. She is the President and CEO of Los Angeles / New York-based publicity company, Atlantic Publicityand publishing house, Atlantic Publisher. Adrienne writes about world trends, Quantum Physics, entertainment and interviews celebrities, world leaders, inventors, philanthropists and entrepreneurs. She also owns Atlantic United Films that produces and finances true stories made for theatrical release or the silver screen. Spotlight News Magazineis owned by Atlantic United, Incwith Adrienne Pappbeing the majority shareholder.

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David Litell’s nutraceutical, Cognition Ignition, scores high at the industry’s California convention

Adrienne Papp — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:09:33 +0000

Cognition Ignition By David Litell

By Adrienne Papp

It only takes one tragic celebrity death, be it Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson or Heath Ledger, to make us all aware of the dangers of prescription drugs. According to a CNN report, one person dies every 19 minutes from prescription drugs, making them a more frequent source of death than automobile accidents. Like our tendency toward overeating and the various diseases that it creates, the dangerous consumption of drugs, especially when combined, reminds us that they are not the answer to living a highly productive and fulfilled life, rather, they are actually counterproductive to it.

Luckily the world is changing and moving in a positive new direction. As part of this movement, we now have encouraging new products like Cognition Ignition, which offers advantages on many levels, all directed toward helping us live a happier, more productive, vibrant and fulfilled life.

Developed by world-renowned, David Litell, six years ago, Cognition Ignition is the result of his desire to create something that would help improve the lives of people around the world.

“When I conceived of Cognition Ignition, I wanted to produce a supplement that would be available to everyone and would offer profound benefits to us all,” explains Litell, who has been in the media frequently, even on American Airlines just recently. “I’ve been in the nutritional industry for 30 years, and was thinking about all the health problems that our culture is faced with, from heart disease to diabetes, joint problems, arthritis, and allergies, – just to name a few, – but in addition I also noticed that people were having emotional difficulties, were losing memory, couldn’t focus, and generally have been living in a world where molehills started to become mountains. As a culture, something was terribly out of balance. We’re also living in an era when the agricultural soils have been depleted for decades, and for two generations we’ve been eating products created by the commercial food industry with substantially reduced nutrients, which also means significantly reduced nutrients for our brains.”

Litell began working to counteract this sad phenomenon and to restore key nutrients that activate enzymes and enhance neurotransmitters for restoring balanced brain performance. He wanted to create a product that allows us to live our lives at our highest potential, spiritually, mentally and physically.

Litell originally began using Chinese herbs to improve academic and athletic performance in 1970 while a student at University of California Santa Barbara. As part of his research, he began studying botanicals in traditional American styles and Chinese Herbal Medicine, using his anthropology degree as a starting point. With his extensive background in nutrition, which includes ethno-botanical knowledge – the way that indigenous people kept themselves balanced – Litell began researching the effects that various food, plants and herbs had on neurotransmitters in our brains. It’s a field that has been also brought to light by Andrew Weill, M.D., who has, at the time, been instrumental in talking about the mind and neurochemistry.

As Litell worked on the formula for Cognition Ignition, the ingredients came together in a way that allowed feelings of being focused, alert, happy and balanced – in short, the way we are naturally supposed to feel as opposed to what most of us feel due to our fast paced society with a great deal of uncertainty in the world. “I wanted to give people the opportunity to enjoy that feeling, and to enjoy it relatively quickly,” Litell says. “This isn’t something that takes weeks or even days for the results to be felt. Most people feel significant improvements in 60 minutes or less.”

This authentic and always cutting edge recipe for Cognition Ignition that David Litell came up with six years ago offers a tremendous advantage and numerous benefits in brain chemistry to people of all walks of life. It gives one the joy of feeling a sense of crystal clear mind contentment and happiness, – just as fully-functioning, highly-evolved humans naturally should feel, – which lends this product a great deal of credibility: Out with the stress and in with a renewed genuine you!

Research to improve cognition

“What I came up with is a formula that balances the huge volume of activities that take place at the biochemical level in the neurotransmitters that operate our brain chemistry,” Litell explains. “This activity has to be balanced for the brain to operate properly. After extensive research and testing I finally had the product ideally formulated, and I decided to put it on the market.”

That was a decision that has offered multi-faceted advantages ever since for people around the world.

“Everything that I had hoped for, and a whole lot more, came together in this product,” Litell says. “People’s mental and emotional performance was improved in terms of focus, alertness, stability and calmness – just about all the things you would hope to find in healthy brain operation. I initially introduced Cognition Ignition through health care professionals and in psychological clinics and counseling centers. It was used with people who were on Xanax or Prozac and similar pharmaceuticals, and many just simply decided to stop taking them of their own accord, which was really encouraging. We also had very good results with many veterans who had post-traumatic stress disorders, or other stress related problems, and now they were able to function daily and sleep without the terrifying effects that had haunted them previously. With these results we knew we were onto something very positive and helpful, and began to feel very optimistic as testimonials validated the effects.”

“The problem with many of the very popular SSRI drugs prescribed,” continues Litell, “is that they work by blocking some of the receptors in our brain, and blocked receptors soon damage normal brain chemistry telling a person that they’re not themselves anymore, and they tend to feel a little displaced and “foggy,” but sometimes, even much worse! The blocked receptors will also tend to atrophy over time, preventing access to our normal higher mind functions like intuition and some of our higher powers. As a result, people who get caught up in the grip of these drugs are never able to feel like their true, natural selves.”

Litell’s formula for Cognition Ignition is a result of extensive research in the study of nutrition and herbology. “I wasn’t following the drug model, where there were just a few ingredients to create a specific effect,” David Litell explains. “I wanted to produce something that would get us back to our natural state and to find proper balance. When it comes to brain chemistry, recognizing that there are more than 100 billion neurons in our brains, each with up to 10,000 connections is literally mind-boggling. That’s a lot of brain power, and each of these neurons needs to be in balance with others and nourished properly.”

With Cognition Ignition, Litell found a way to provide the proper nutrients to our brain so that metabolism would be improved as nutrient uptake and waste removal improves, and a better dilation of the micro-capillaries occur so that nutrients could be optimally delivered, and an increase in the production of the body and brain’s natural energy molecules called ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) would be induced. “There is no need for stimulants with my formulation when you increase the brain’s own naturally produced energy,” Litell says.

It’s a formula that simply allows the brain to operate at higher, more productive levels and with a comforting sense of equilibrium and balance. That’s been the case for a wide variety of people who have used Cognition Ignition, from military veterans, to students, and highly stressed professionals, all of whom have enjoyed the benefits of improved focus, energy and productivity. “I’ve had physicians tell me that they’ve used it and have had an increase of about 2 productive hours in their workday,” Litell says. “This is a product that can generally be used safely by anyone from kids with emotional problems to jet fighter pilots. Cognition Ignition is a natural way for people to restore proper brain chemistry so that they feel good and have a higher sustained level of functionality in their lives,” Litell explains.

Professionals in the entertainment industry have also recognized the benefits of Cognition Ignition, and the product recently received a high profile introduction at both the Grammy Awards and the Academy Awards in 2012 through Adrienne Papp’s Atlantic Publicity.

“The product uses very specific ingredients that help improve memory and help a performer become more focused and calmer, and even lands a better ability to remember lines thus enhancing their performance,” Litell says. “At the same time, it doesn’t reduce the emotional component like some commonly used anti-anxiety drugs. So not only you can remember what you are supposed to say, you can say the lines with the full emotional spectrum of one’s expressive intelligence. And it offers benefits at any age level. Excellent examples of performers who have taken care of themselves well, and are still productive late in their careers, are Clint Eastwood and Cloris Leachman, among many other great spirited stars who have realized that it is only normal to live a full and very active life well into their eighties,” says David Litell. One recent, amazing example of this is Christopher Plummer, who is the oldest actor ever having received an Oscar in the history of the Academy Awards at the age of 83.

The natural products industry is also a place where Cognition Ignition has enjoyed widespread acceptance. At the recent Natural Product Expo West held in Anaheim, CA, which was attended by 58,000 people, Litell’s Cognition Ignition was a big hit and a standout item in a very crowded field of nutritional supplements. Being recognized by his peer group is an important gauge of the effectiveness of this product, as industry professionals have realized the enormous benefits offered by Litell’s unique formulation.

As we move into a more enlightened age in terms of diet, health and spirituality, it has become obvious that Cognition Ignition is a product whose time has come. It’s a nutritional supplement designed for a new age that includes ingredients of ancient healing practices as well as extensive advanced research.

At Cognition Ignition, they have a saying: “itadakimasu” An interpretation of this Japanese phrase when translated is: “With gratitude and thanks to the Creator, and to all (the sun, earth, waters, elements, plants, workers, etc.) that makes this nourishment possible, I partake of it, and will use this gift to benefit others through the use of this nourishment in my spirit and actions”

That connection to all people and all things is our natural state of being, and Cognition Ignition offers a safe and natural way of making that connection. Isn’t that really the ultimate reason we’re all here?

To learn more about Cognition Ignition that will also be available as one of the most advanced anti-aging supplements, please visit:

www.CognitionIgnition.net

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Inside the 2012 Oscars

Adrienne Papp — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:24:04 +0000

The Academy Awards Has Never Looked Better,

By Adrienne Papp

Who says there’s nothing new in Hollywood anymore? Defying all current trends involving high octane, action hero 3D extravaganzas, it was movie of almost no words that made the biggest noise at the Oscars this year. In a nod to old Hollywood and the nostalgia of early films, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave its most prestigious awards to a silent black and white movie made by a French creative team. The Artist, an almost completely wordless film about Hollywood’s awkward transition to the talkies, took home coveted Oscars for best picture, best director and lead actor. It was the first time in Academy Awards history that a French actor (Jean Dujardin) and a French filmmaker (Michel Hazanavicius) had been honored with the top awards for acting and directing.

“I love your country!” Dujardin proclaimed as he accepted the award for his role as a silent film star whose career begins to slide as the film industry transitions to talkies. The Artist was also the only one of the nominees to be filmed entirely in Los Angeles, and the first silent film to received best picture award since the Academy Awards were first held in 1929, when Wings won the Oscar.

This year, for the 84th Academy Awards presentations on Sunday night, the production team of Brian Grazer and Don Mischer, used familiar industry veterans to set a tone that was classy and nostalgic rather than controversial or edgy. All in all, it was a night of delights and surprises, with a return of Billy Crystal as host, and was an especially good night for French filmmaking.

The show started with a comedy scene in which Crystal was forced to take on the role as host and was then catapulted into scenes from some of the year’s top nominated movies, a skit which included a full face kiss with George Clooney and a sudden meet up with Tom Cruise. That was followed with a song-and-dance medley gently satirizing each best picture nominee.

The Artist went into the awards show with 10 nominations, and eventually won 5, including statuettes for costume design and original score. Hugo, Martin Scorsese’s homage to cinema, which recounts the career of French film pioneer Georges Melies and is set in a Parisian train station, received 11 nominations. It took home 5 awards, all in technical categories: cinematography, art direction, sound editing, sound mixing and visual effects. The Iron Lady was the only other film to take home multiple awards with two honors, including Meryl Streep’s third Oscar.

Other films winning the coveted gold statue include The Descendants (adapted screenplay for Alexander Payne), A Separation (foreign film), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (film editing), Undefeated (feature length documentary), The Muppets (best song), Midnight in Paris (original screenplay for Woody Allen) and the short films “The Shore,” “Saving Face” and “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.”

In another historic win and striking a blow against ageism, Christopher Plummer, at age 82, became the oldest actor to win an Oscar. He won supporting actor for playing a widower who reveals that he is gay in Beginners. ‘You’re only two years older than me, darling,” the always debonair Plummer said, holding the statuette over his head. “Where have you been all my life?”

In one of the night’s surprises, Meryl Streep won the Oscar for her uncanny portrayal of English Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Much of the pre-show buzz had predicted the Oscar would go to Viola Davis for her role in The Help. ”Oh, come on,” Streep said of the standing ovation she received. “When they called my name, I had this feeling I could hear half of America say, ‘Oh, no, not her again,’ “

Streep has been Oscar-nominated 17 times, more than any other performer. She last won 29 years ago for her role in Sophie’s Choice, and also won in 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer. The Iron Lady also won for makeup for Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland.

In the supporting actress category, Octavia Spencer took home the statuette for her role as Minnie Jackson in The Help. She also received a standing ovation, and thanked longtime friend and author of The Help Kathryn Stockett during an emotional speech, saying “Thank you for putting me with the hottest guy in the room” as she looked at her statuette.

The broadcast ran more than 3 hours and was filled with skits and reminiscences about movie memories. The theater at Hollywood & Highland Center, formerly the Kodak Theater, was decorated as an old movie palace, and ushers dressed in vintage costumes handed out popcorn to the glamour stars in the audience. A film montage accompanied by Cirque de Soleil performers showed classic scenes from some of the best movies of past decades.

Throughout the night themes of nostalgia and age were frequently honored with Crystal making jokes about both. Acknowledging the advanced age of some of the winners and nominees, Crystal made a running joke about the demographically challenged Academy, noting at one point that with very senior nominees like Plummer and Max von Sydow, “we’re going to slam the 78-to-84 group.”

Behind the scenes stars were pampered with the all so famous gift bags. The various luxury lounges were full of products and services along with the latest Spotlights in magazines with features on Dr. John Demartini ( one of the stars of the popular movie, The Secret,) and one of the most useful products of our times, Cognition Ignition by David Litell, which not only the entertainment community needs badly, but the entire world with its fast paced life style.

As the curtain came down on yet another celebration of Hollywood and film, this year’s show was an example of what the entertainment industry does best, offering creativity and glamor in an event that sometimes surprises, always delights, and is a classy celebration of the motion picture arts that can be enjoyed by the rest of the world.

The Winners:

BEST PICTURE – The Artist

ACTRESS – Meryl Streep

ACTOR – Jean Dujardin

SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Octavia Spencer

SUPPORTING ACTOR – Christopher Plummer

DIRECTOR – Michel Hazanavicius

ANIMATED FEATURE -Rango

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – Midnight in Paris

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – The Descendants

ART DIRECTION - Hugo

CINEMATOGRAPHY – Hugo

COSTUME DESIGN – The Artist

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE) – Undefeated

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT) – Saving Face

FILM EDITING – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM – A Separation

MAKEUP – The Iron Lady

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE) – The Artist

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG) – “Man or Muppet”

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED) – The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION) – The Shore

SOUND EDITING – Hugo

SOUND MIXING – Hugo

VISUAL EFFECTS – Hugo

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37th Annual Gracie National Award® Winners Are Announced

Adrienne Papp — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:48:40 +0000

By Adrienne Papp

Alliance for Women in Media Foundation Announces Grand Award Winners to be Recognized at Annual Gala, Featuring the Biggest Names in News and Entertainment

The awards will be presented at a black-tie Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles, CA on Tuesday, May 22, 2012. This black-tie event will be hosted by Angela Kinsey of the award-winning TV show The Office. Local market, public and student award winners will be announced later this week. In preparation for the awards Gala, Gracie Award statues are being engraved for such talented women as Christina Applegate, Giada de Laurentiis, Delilah, Angie Harmon and Rachel Maddow and in recognition of such dynamic programming as ABC’s Revenge, CBS News’ 60 Minutes and OWN’s Oprah’s Master Class.

The Gracies each year recognize exemplary programming created for women, by women and about women in all facets of media and entertainment, as well as individuals who have made contributions to the industry. The awards program also encourages the realistic and multifaceted portrayal of women in entertainment, news, features and other programs.

Each year the Gracies Gala attracts the best and brightest in all aspects of the media. In addition to the above, this year’s national winners include: E!’s Chelsea Lately; HBO/Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke; CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen; Lifetime’s Five; NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro; Oxygen Network’s The Glee Project; MTV’s Lady Gaga: Inside the Outside; ABC Family/Switched at Birth’s Constance Marie; ESPN’s Women’s World Cup Coverage— representing a broad cross-section of outstanding actors, reporters, stories and programs.

“This year’s Gracie Award winners exemplify the profound impact women are making on all forms of media,” stated 2012 AWMF Chair Valerie Blackburn. “We look forward to honoring talented individuals and outstanding programming during the Gracies Gala.”

The Gracies are presented by the AWM Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AWM, which supports educational programs, charitable activities, public service campaigns and scholarships to benefit the public and women in the media. The Gracie Awards, established in 1975, honor programming and individuals of the highest caliber in all facets of radio, television, cable and web-based media, including news, drama, comedy, public service, documentary and sports.

“We are proud to recognize women who create innovative, intelligent, and insightful programming,” said AWMF President Erin M. Fuller, CAE. “The Gracies continues to be the preeminent opportunity to celebrate women’s accomplishments and contributions to the media industry.”

Supporting the Gracies is synonymous with supporting women’s achievements in all facets of media and entertainment.

2012 Gracie Award Winners:

2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup – USA v. Brazil

Outstanding Sports Program

ESPN

60 Minutes: Christine Lagarde

Outstanding Interview Program or Feature

CBS News

Angie Harmon

Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama Series or Special

Turner/Rizzoli & Isles

Because I’m a Girl

Outstanding Soft News Feature

CNN

Callie Thorne

Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama Series or Special

USA Network/Necessary Roughness

Carrie Brownstein

Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy Series or Special

IFC/Portlandia

CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley: Summer Hunger– Woman Tries to Fight U.S. Child Hunger

Outstanding Hard News Feature

The CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley

Chelsea Lately

Outstanding Talk Show – Entertainment/ Information

NBCUniversal/E!

Christina Applegate

Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series or Special

Universal Television/Up All Night

CNBC 360: Innovation with Maria Bartiromo

Outstanding Commercial / Promotion

CNBC

Constance Marie

Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama Series or Special

ABC Family/Switched at Birth

Giada de Laurentiis

Outstanding Host – Lifestyle

Scripps Networks Interactive/Food Network

Deb Carson

Outstanding Reporter/Correspondent

Fox Sports Radio

Delilah

Outstanding Host – Entertainment/Information

Premiere Networks

Elizabeth Cohen

Outstanding Reporter/Correspondent

CNN

Emilia Clarke

Outstanding Female Rising Star in a Drama Series or Special

HBO/Game of Thrones

Five

Outstanding Drama

Lifetime

Florence Henderson

Outstanding Host – Entertainment/Information

RLTV

Hannah Storm

Outstanding Producer – Entertainment

espnW

Harry’s Law

Outstanding Drama

Warner Bros. Television

Hot in Cleveland

Outstanding Comedy

TV Land

Lady Gaga: Inside the Outside

Outstanding Documentary

MTV

Lisa Mullins

Oustanding Anchor – News or News Magazine

PRI’s The World

Lizzy Weiss

Outstanding Producer-Entertainment

ABC Family/Switched at Birthday

Loretta Devine

Outstanding Female Actor in a Featured Role

ABC/Grey’s Anatomy

Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Oustanding Reporter/Correspondent

NPR

Miss Representation

Outstanding Documentary

Miss Representation

Oprah’s Master Class

Outstanding Portrait/Biography

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Rachel Maddow

Outstanding Host – News/Non-Fiction

MSNBC

Revenge

Outstanding Drama

ABC Studios

Rising Violence in California Psychiatric Hospitals

Outstanding Series

NPR

Sarah Shahi

Outstanding Female Actor in a Breakthrough Role

USA Network/Fairly Legal

Savannah Guthrie

Outstanding Reporter/Correspondent

NBC News/TODAY Show

Season 25: Oprah Behind The Scenes

Outstanding Reality Show

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Seriously Funny Kids with Heidi Klum

Outstanding – Children/Adolescent Non-Animated Program

Lifetime

Sheila Nevins

Outstanding Producer – News/Non-Fiction

HBO Documentary Films/Gloria: In Her Own Words

Sheri Lynch’s Commencement Address

Outstanding Talk Show – Entertainment/Information

Greater Media Charlotte

Susanne Rostock

Outstanding Director – News/Non-Fiction

HBO Documentary Films/Sing Your Song

The Glee Project

Outstanding Reality Show

Oxygen

The Peace Corps: Trust Betrayed

Outstanding Investigative Program or Feature

ABC News

TODAY Show

Outstanding Talk Show – News

NBC News

Tricia Brock

Outstanding Director – Entertainment

Universal Television/30 Rock

Wishful Drinking

Outstanding Programming Special or Variety

HBO Documentary Films

WordGirl

Outstanding Children/Adolescent Animated Program

Scholastic Media

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Emotions ran deep at the 2012 Grammy Awards

Adrienne Papp — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:05:11 +0000

By Adrienne Papp

On a night of celebration that was overshadowed by the sudden death of one of its own, Whitney Houston, a singer who was once one of pop music’s most radiant young stars, the music world got together to celebrate the ascendance of its newest star, 23-year-old British R&B-soul singer Adele, who swept the awards show Sunday night with six Grammy Awards for the soulful vocalizations she crafted out of her own pain and romantic despair. It was a time to mourn, and also a night to sing.

Adele delivered the biggest album of 2011 with “21,” a recording that established her as a mature artist exploring the emotional turmoil of a painful romantic breakup, and scored the year’s biggest single “Rolling in the Deep.” The British songstress, who also made a triumphant comeback from vocal cord surgery performing on the Grammy stage, was clearly emotional as she won the night’s final award, an Album of the Year Grammy for “21.” It was last year’s top-selling album with more than six million copies sold and remains lodged at the No. 1 spot on this year’s charts. She won in all six categories in which she was nominated, including the triple crowns of Album, Record and Song of the Year for widely acclaimed work that reaches to soulful depths and delivers solace and hope.

But many in attendance were still shaken by the death of Whitney Houston, who was found dead in her room at the Beverly Hilton, apparently due to a combination of alcohol and prescription drug consumption although not yet officially confirmed by the coroner, but widely spread on TV and the topic of all main stream channels. Houston, who died at age 48 on the eve of the Grammy show, had struggled for years with drug abuse and painful personal issues. She died just hours before she had been scheduled to attend the annual pre-Grammy party hosted by Clive Davis, the veteran music executive who discovered and signed her to her first record contract nearly three decades ago, touching off her career as a superstar with soaring hit vocal performances including “I Will Always Love You,” which also scored a blockbuster movie for her opposite Kevin Costner; “Saving All My Love for You” and, my personal favorite, “Greatest Love of All.”

After Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band opened the show with a rousing performance of the latest single, “We Take Care of Our Own,” host LL Cool J offered a prayer for “our fallen sister,” saying “There is no way around this. We had a death in our family,” before leading the attendees in a prayer for “our sister Whitney.” Stars like Lady Gaga and Miranda Lambert bowed their heads in silence. So did Mitch and Janis Winehouse, parents of Grammy winner Amy Winehouse, who died in July at age 27 and was awarded a posthumous award during the show. He then introduced a clip of Houston singing “I Will Always Love You,” saying that it was “appropriate to proceed with an award show because the power of music is what brings us all here. That said, welcome to the 54th Grammy Awards.” He then cued the segue leading to the evening’s business of musical entertainment and glamour.

Clearly, just 24 hours after Houston died at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the effects of Houston’s tragic end and her memory reverberated throughout the evening. With little time to prepare, the Academy and the telecast’s producers put together a simple and moving tribute to Houston, as Jennifer Hudson stepped up and performed one of Huston’s signature tunes, “I Will Always Love you,” a soaring ballad that celebrated the power of Huston’s instrument, a pure and powerful voice that created anthems of enormous popularity during her hit making years in the 80s. Dressed in black, with only the accompaniment of a piano, Hudson appeared to fight back tears as she sang the song, ending with the line, “Whitney, we will always love you.”

In his performance of “Runaway Baby,” Bruno Mars also mentioned Houston’s passing: “Tonight we’re celebrating. Tonight we’re celebrating the beautiful Miss Whitney Houston.” Stevie Wonder also paid tribute to Houston, saying “To Whitney up in heaven, we all love you.”

But while her death lent a somber overtone to the evening’s show, it did not overwhelm the celebration of the year’s finest music.

The other big winners, in addition to Adele, were Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters, who won five Grammys. Kanye West, who was the night’s top nominee with seven, won four awards. Justin Vernon, whose band Bon Iver beat Nicki Minaj, The Band Perry, J. Cole and Skrillex for best new artist, accepted the award with admittedly mixed emotions.

The event also marked a comeback for Chris Brown, who performed twice during the show and won best R&B album: “First and foremost, I gotta thank God, and thank the Grammys for letting me get on this stage and do my thing,” he said. “All my fans, I love you. We got one. Thank you.”

The ceremony also marked first time he and Rihanna had performed at the same event, since his assault on her two years ago (she sang solo and with Coldplay during the ceremony).

Among the evening’s key performances was an acrobatic dance number by Brown, a performance by Paul McCartney and by Bruce Springsteen, who kicked off the show by performing his new song “We Take Care of Our Own,” a rousing anthem that addresses the troubles of the nation. Most performers did their best to keep a tone that balanced the mixed emotions of the night: The Foo Fighters performed in a tent outside the Staples Center, where the awards were being held, amid a throng of bouncing fans, and in another tribute, Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt paid tribute to Etta James, the legendary singer who died last month. And with Lady Gaga not performing, Nicki Minaj stepped in to provide the night’s most bizarre and controversial performance. The rapper’s number included a clip that referenced “The Exorcist” and a stage show that had her levitating on stage amid a church-like background, with hooded choir members and religious imagery, leaving many wondering what the response from the Catholic Church might be.

There was also a tribute to the recently reunited Beach Boys, celebrating their 50^th anniversary, which featured Maroon 5, Foster the People and Mike Love, Al Jardine and Brian Wilson, the three remaining members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, all singing in soaring harmony as they brought the group’s California rock sound back to life in three beautifully performed songs, including their landmark “Good Vibrations.”

Overall the spirit of this year’s Grammy event was maybe best exemplified by the show’s closing number, a jam session featuring Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Dave Grohl among others, uniting many of rock’s great front men.

On a night when there was so much to be celebrated, the tragedy of Whitney Houston’s death cast a pall over the proceeding in what many felt to be a needless death. Through the ups and downs of her life Houston had been in and out of rehab on several occasions, and was an admitted abuser of alcohol, and street and prescription drugs. With proper supervision and the right treatments this is a life that should not have been lost.

According to Dr. Drew, an addiction specialist prescription drug abuse is more dangerous these days than we thought and this is a topic that has been swept under the carpet for too long. He stated that “those older rock stars who used illegal drugs are still with us, but those with prescription abuse are going with a surprising rate.” Another specialist stated on CNN that “one person dies every 19 minutes from prescription drug abuse.”

More and more studies show now that certain natural supplements maybe helpful to those who chose to try nature’s remedies to cope with stress and anxiety, which sometimes comes with just every day life or when someone is under intense pressure, instead of going for Rx drugs.

There are various remedies out there and many specialists with specific knowledge of how nutritional supplements and other therapies can help, some of which was mentioned by Deepak Chopra as well. In my quest to find some answers, I ended up with DNA Associate’s David Litell who told me about a nutritional supplement called Cognition Ignition, which has a calming, clarifying effect, yet does not numb the brain. Using something as simple as this powerful, yet naturally-based combination of carefully selected ingredients, could potentially help people who struggle with the same issues that so many of us do, including Whitney Houston, along with a number of other big stars.

The unique formula of this supplement provides a wonderful sense of well-being and simply allows one to feel better and perform optimally. It certainly sounds like something like this could at times be a complete turn around in someone’s life and break the cycle of dependence on drugs and alcohol, which combination as explained on CNN can be deadly. So many of our biggest stars’ death were tragedies that could have been prevented, and should have.

Yes, the excesses of the entertainment industry have taken another life, but we also have much to celebrate with the achievements of Adele and all the other Grammy winners. There is much to look forward to in a number of great years to come in music!

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The Woman Behind the Scenes of a Medical Breakthrough

Adrienne Papp — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 08:59:37 +0000

Samar Obagi ( Mrs. Obagi) is becoming a Lady

Westsider, Lady Samar Obagi, Tells Her Inspirational Story. A MUST read!

By Adrienne Papp

On a prominent corner of Canon Drive stands one of the most impressive properties in all of Beverly Hills, a gleaming white complex that serves as the world headquarters of Dr. Zein Obagi, the centerpiece of his dermatological and cosmetic empire.

Samar Obagi is the guiding organizational force behind the empire that now includes international distribution of the new ZO line of dermatological products and managing the extensive research and ongoing seminars that have carried the Obagi name to the forefront in the science of healthy skin.

Samar came to the United States as a young girl in search of opportunities in higher education. Born in Damascus, Syria and married at the age of 17, she had relatives in the U.S. and began her education at California State University Long Beach where she obtained degrees in engineering and computer science, and got a Master of Science Degree in electrical engineering, – even though medicine was her original inspiration. With her strong scientific background in engineering she began her career as a flight test engineer for McDonnell Douglas, the first woman to ever hold the position at the company! “ I was the only woman in the field at the time,” she recalls.

Lady Samar Obagi

Her meeting with Dr. Zein Obagi came about through her sister, who was good friends with the doctor. While married to her first husband with whom she had a baby, when Samar developed some hereditary skin issues, she decided to pay Dr. Obagi a professional visit for advice and was taken by surprise when the noted dermatologist expressed an interest in her in the highest of ethical ways, staying modestly in the background. (We only wish gentlemen like this existed today!) The timing happened to be good, as Samar was in the process of ending her first marriage. “Having that bad experience, I thought that I would never get married again, but somehow I thought that if he asked me to marry him I would say yes,” Samar recalls.

Never one to hesitate when he decides that something is right for him, Dr. Obagi expressed his intentions in a few honest and very straight forward words to Samar, (just like he does his practice that I have witnessed over and over again: always upfront, direct, and to the point,) – and the result was that they ended up getting married in a large ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 1991.

Today Samar manages the large Obagi business empire, and supports his every effort as the Director of Operations in research and education for his procedures, which are based on his unique philosophy and a comprehensive system of treatments that are used around the world by millions of dermatologists, plastic surgeons and anyone who has to do with the concept of healthy skin, which all by itself is a NEW DISCOVERY of the 21^st Century by Dr. Obagi. Samar also handles all of the marketing and public relations functions, and is the Chairwoman of the Company for the new line of ZO Skin Health products.

“He is really a revolutionary in terms of promoting healthy skin,” Samar says. “Before he came along dermatology was only concerned with treating diseased skin. He originated procedures like very precise peels that are based on serious research and his own unique artistry, and the results have been astonishing.”

Although Dr. Obagi has achieved great success, he originally got a lot of resistance from the profession due to ignorance and envy. Today his work is so well recognized there are some places like the Philippines where to promote healthy skin is to “Obagi,” it, meaning that his name is being used now as a verb, not as a product label! That’s all a result of Samar’s dedication to brand-building efforts and her marketing savvy, building the Obagi name as the world’s foremost dermatologist into an international icon.

Recently Samar herself was recognized for her contributions in support of her husband’s dedication to skin health and beauty, receiving the honor of knighthood, as presented by the Imperial and Charitable Order of Constantine the Great and Saint Helen at a recent Investiture ceremony held on October 22, 2011 in Pasadena, California where Dukes, Princes and Dignitaries attended the medieval-type of ceremony. On hand for the ceremonial honors where the Obagi’s friends from Norway, Jarl Bunaes, Unn Bunaes, Bjorn Bunaes, Anne Bunaes, as well as some of the Obagi’s children Serene Obagi, Sandra Obagi, and Zein Obagi Jr. (It must be noted that a naturally striking beauty like Serene in her late teens now, can be found maybe once every ten years if we are lucky! She certainly follows the footsteps of her mother, but has such a stunning appearance that the room went breathless. All of the Obagi’s off-springs are to remember, but Serene being in her young adult age is too unique for anyone to EVER forget! In medical school with a supermodel appearance! I wonder how many times in a century that happens!)

Lady Samar

Now, Lady Samar Obagi’s induction into the oldest and original knighthood makes her part of a world-wide organization that has historic roots going back to the year 312 A.D. (thus being the first Order even in the World and invited by the Pope himself for its 1,700 year anniversary next year!) The current order of modern Knights and Ladies, such as those honored by the Order of Constantine the Great and Saint Helen, who is considered the Mother of Christianity, are people selected from all walks of life and professions who have demonstrated a dedication to exceptional chivalric values, including dedication, ethics, commitment, education, the need to contribute to a greater good, and even the arts and medicine, which is what Dr. Obagi does with the human skin and which Lady Samar has been promoting in the world. Mrs. Obagi’s becoming a Lady, or as more commonly referred to in America, Dame Samar Obagi, not only recognizes her for her unparalleled abilities all by herself as an independent and very intelligent woman, but all the while it’s maintaining a sense of those great traditional noble values that have become more necessary today that ever. Samar’s husband Dr. Zein Obagi has been given the title “Sir,” while Mrs. Samar Obagi received the title of “Lady.”

For Sir Dr. Zein Obagi and his wife, Lady Samar, the honor of Knighthood is an appreciation and recognition of their ongoing commitment to making the world a better place to live. Their efforts in promoting the science of healthy skin has tremendously improved the self-esteem and enhanced the physical appearance of appreciative clients around the world. One of those people who got their “brand new skin” is me and although I am passed the age of “no return” (as they would say without Dr. Obagi,) I am now required to show my identification card just about wherever I go. When people see that I am indeed 46 years old, they almost faint taken that they did not even want to serve me a glass of wine. To achieve such dramatic results is ART by Dr. Obagi! And, to achieve the worldwide recognition is ART by Lady Samar!

As Dr. Zein Obagi continues his mission to revolutionize the science of promoting healthy skin, wife Dame Samar is a stunning example of how successful his methods can be. With a lovely, youthful face that doesn’t require any makeup, Samar is a classically beautiful woman who proves that healthy skin is really the most beautiful cosmetic of all. “I’m just delighted that things turned out the way they did,” she says, barely looking 25 while almost twice that age with NO makeup whatsoever!

And now that the children are raised, she is in the process of pursuing her real passion of becoming a doctor herself and is enrolled in medical school at UCLA in Los Angeles. It’s a lifelong dream she is now in the process of fulfilling. “My father always wanted this for me, and I wanted it for myself. I feel like I can finally do that for him and for me as if we were one.” As I listen to her my eyes dwell up with tears. Here is a stunningly gorgeous woman with such drive, ambition, and true dedication that one just wants to hug her for the inspiration she gives to others! A ravishing woman of her own, with a beautiful soul dedicated to the well being of all those around her is something that touches all of us to our very core! If only SOME would be like her, we ALREADY would have achieved half of what the world needs: compassion!

At the age of 49 not looking any older than 25, being probably the “oldest” medical student, Lady Samar Obagi is an inspiration to women everywhere for her inherent intelligence, dedication and beauty, a shining example of what the word “Lady” truly means!

Dr. Obagi and Mrs. Obagi

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The New Trilogy That is Taking Hollywood by Storm: Siren

Adrienne Papp — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 04:29:03 +0000

Justin Burgess, Director of Siren

By Adrienne Papp

NOTE: ( The reproduction of this material is strictly prohibited without publisher’s consent as per copyright laws)

Maybe nothing in the history of human creativity has had the enduring dramatic power of the classic stories told in Greek mythology. The characters and themes in these immortal tales have informed and entertained humanity for centuries, and have provided the story structures that have become a part of our life experiences ever since.

It’s no surprise then that much of our enduring entertainment, including fiction, poetry, dance and film, is based on classic Greek mythology. Those heroic stories are the foundation for virtually every form of artistic expression, a connection that has lasted for many hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Which brings us to an exciting new incarnation of classic Greek storytelling, a filmmaking venture called Siren, which incorporates the classic mythological elements of the Iliad and the Odyssey in a contemporary setting, and humanizes the stories in a way that everyone can relate to.

Siren tells the story of a young woman, Kira, who has a rocky relationship with her mother, Claire, and whose world is turned upside down by tragedy. Kira, played by Dina Cataldi, loses her mother and only then finds out she is a Siren. The Sirens, a group which included her mother and now includes Kira, have the duty of protecting the goddess Persephone, played by Eileen Alana.

Eileen Alana, Actress

At Claire’s funeral, Kira meets her estranged uncle and is informed about a world that is invisible to mortals. Kira rejects this news, but is then thrown into a scenario of challenging dramatic events, where she begins to discover more about her identity and her new role as a Siren. The events have been instigated by Persephone after she decides to leave the bondage that her husband Hades (Mark Tallman) and mother Demeter (Maria Di Angelis) have imposed on her for the past 2,000 years.

It is through the help of Leslie that Persephone is able to escape both the Sect, a dangerous and possessed group of demons who are loyal to her father Hades, and the Scopuli, the powerful army controlled by her mother. Upon Persephone’s escape, Hades and Demeter violently reignite their rivalry, which jeopardizes the fate of the world. Hades coerces the Greek hero Odysseus (Anthony St. James), to help track Persephone down and bring her back. But Hades intent is treacherous, as he decides to kill his wife, usurp her power and use an ancient power to resurrect all of the Gods.

Jaeme Griffin, Producer

Siren contains dramatic themes of self-discovery and a longing for freedom that everyone can relate to, and combines the powerful elements of Greek drama with a humanity that brings all the characters to life as fully realized beings, a connection extending from antiquity to the modern day. Never before have the classic elements of tragedy and redemption been told in such a beautiful and emotionally touching way. Siren is the story of a woman finding her freedom and empowering herself. In breaking through, Kira also is able to free her parents from the eternal mythological cycle, as she finally bridges the gap between immortals and normal human beings.

Siren tries to bring these life lessons to its audience, portraying the feeling and emotions that are common to everyone, but with all the action and passion that are found in a heroic movie. “Siren combines the sweetness of self-realization and freedom with an action story. There is literally something in this story for everyone,” says Director Justin Burgess.

Though the story is classic and the actors all highly talented and committed to the project, it’s never easy getting a production like Siren to its intended audience. Intended to be a trilogy, this high concept film is projected as the first installment in a 3-part series that would put it in the same high profile category as films like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or The Matrix. “This material is so strong that it will not only change the way that people look at Greek mythology, it will also change the way they look at the current day and the way that films are made,” say Burgess. “There really hasn’t been anything done like this before, something that captures the full spectrum and spectacle of action films, including intense drama, and yet also has the sweetness of a chick flick. Siren seamlessly incorporates all of those elements.”

Dina Cataldi, Actress, Characters Creator

The characters of Siren were created by Dina Cataldi, who was inspired by the idea of projecting the stories of classic Greeks myths into the modern day. Working with assistance from director Justin Burgess, who got involved to fulfill a promise to direct her, they have been able to create a world of action and drama that also includes many emotional human elements. It’s a project whose time has come, and judging from the dedication involved in the production, the final result will be something unlike any other film project. “We had to approach this effort fearlessly,” says Burgess. “I told the team before we started that we can’t be involved in this as just friends, we have to become family. That means in the sense that you wouldn’t do anything to hurt your family or let your family down, we will not disappoint each other in the realization of this film. We are all committed to putting this story out as a first rate viewing experience, something that you will be talking about long after you leave the theater.”

There are countless stories in the filmmaking business about success through perseverance, actors like Jeremy Piven and a stream of projects that were unsuccessful until they were able to find exactly the right role or combination of elements that allowed them to break through and become successful. Siren is a project that intends to overcome all obstacles, an inspired concept that has been buoyed up by the sheer enthusiasm and talent of its actors and production staff, and it continues to gain momentum. Jaeme Griffin, the executive producer, considered by director Burgess as a “parachute of all times” has been demonstrating to overcome insurmountable obstacles almost daily. She is the dream of all production team. “ I never think in terms of problems, but rather solutions. Everything can be talked about and everything has a solution to it with the proper communication” says Jaeme. (Listening to her, it feels like there is no one who would not need her!)

Siren Production

With a strong premise in terms of the film’s theme, a robust script that involves five lead characters and fifteen supporting actors in the cast, and the exotic-but-familiar context of Greek mythology, Siren has a lot going for it. “We’re actually taking mythological characters and continuing their story in the modern world,” Burgess explains. “This film features heroic female lead characters who are involved in a typical underdog story; it’s the person who you least expect to win the day that comes through in the end. This is based on textbook Iliad and Odyssey themes, and is also an action film with enough female-oriented human drama to play on the Lifetime Channel after the big screen.”

Sirenis slated to run about 2 hours and 17 minutes, and a teaser with some of the film’s action elements has just been finished. In the teaser, we see a version of how Hades is brought to life (on a reduced scale) and the longing of an imprisoned Persephone looking for freedom. We also see a pivotal character and sub-plot between Castor (Martin Harvey) and Sophia, as well as some of the action elements that will be fully developed in the feature version of the film. “Creating the feeling of the immense power of Hades was the best way to get some of the feel of the film across, and this short piece is visually striking due in no small part to the production efforts of Mitchell Lipsiner and Wilmar Luna,” says Director Burgess.

Maria Di Angelis, Actress

The first installment in the Siren trilogy is budgeted at approximately $40-58M, with a projected worldwide gross somewhere north of $600 million. “That’s not a bad return on investment,” Burgess says. “We’re very committed to making sure the vision we have makes it intact to our audience and it’s almost like this project has become its own force of nature, where people just show up out of nowhere when needed and it just continues to gather momentum. I’ve never been involved in a filmmaking experience like this before; the commitment and energy with this group is completely unique.”

With its universal themes and epic scope, Siren is conceived as a film that will stand the test of time, classic themes being told in a classic film style fully mounted in a contemporary setting. Its humanized mythology projected into a modern context offers the broadest possible appeal, and the film is certain to resonate with a broad spectrum of movie lovers everywhere.

There are a number of Westsiders in this movie, including Adrienne Papp of Spotlight and Atlantic Publicity, the number one firm on the Westside of Los Angeles.

“ We are all here to make this movie known to all who look for class, experience, and a real touchable charm that is so hard to find these days. Something you can hang onto and think about after you immersed yourself in this classic yet modern drama,” says Adrienne who lives in Santa Monica.

Siren Teaser

Martin Harvey, Actor

Mark Tallman, Actor

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The Definition of a Modern Knight: Sir Dr. Zein Obagi

Adrienne Papp — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:19:27 +0000

Dr. Zein Obagi is being knighted into Sir Dr. Zein Obagi

By Adrienne Papp

Dr. Zein Obagi, MD, a world-renowned dermatologist and true visionary in the science of skin care, has received many honors in his life, but has also been recently recognized for the greatest honors of all: Knighthood! He is now part of a historic regal tradition that goes back 1700 years in recognition for his ongoing contributions to the science of medicine in skin health, and also to mankind.

Since creating the dermatological concept of improving skin health in 1983, where before the emphasis had simply been on treating diseased skin, Dr. Obagi’s innovative skincare solutions and techniques have fundamentally changed the way people now think about skin and its health. Instead of only treating damaged skin, or using superficial creams, Dr. Obagi has focused on creating and maintaining healthy skin continuously with a complete portfolio of a skincare concept and solutions called ZO Skin Health. These new scientifically accurate solutions, combined with Dr. Obagi’s techniques, now offer real answers for skin that will remain continually youthful, – a contribution that has earned him Knighthood and the title of Sir Zein Obagi, MD! His products are not commercialized, or full of empty “promises,” but ones that truly work and what MOST well known doctors offer in their offices simply because they know these are the BEST they can find anywhere. You can see the results on your skin and how it wakes up the cells! Your skin actually reacts visibly, while department-store-sold cosmetics, even though brilliantly marketed, are not allowed to stimulate the cells enough for them to actually react and start working!

Sir Dr. Zein Obagi has received Knighthood

Some of the revelation of Dr. Obagi’s success can be attributed to his breakthrough discoveries in what was once referred to as a “blue peel,” and which he now calls the ZO Controlled Depth Peel. This is a very intensive and never before procedure that is designed to go under the epidermis to remedy any unhealthy skin condition, such as a rough texture or severe wrinkling. Although the concept of this process has ancient origins, going back to the Egyptian Pharaohs in a very primitive form, it was Dr. Obagi who made the peel process a very precise and scientific one, resulting in a perfect, beautiful, glowing complexion customized for each individual patient.

However, the word, “peel” is widely misconceived today, not only by the wrong use of not only the expression itself, but also of the true meaning of the procedure. For “scrubbing” just the surface of the skin is not a peel, and it is certainly not what Dr. Obagi is talking about! That surface “peel” as they call it is nothing more than a microdermabrasion, if even that! One can do such “scrubbing” at home with the ZO skin care line. The blue peel however goes much, much deeper.

Sir Dr. Zein Obagi, a Certified and Official Knight

The key ingredient in the ZO Controlled Depth Peel is trichloracetic acid (or TCA). It has previously been used in dermatology for removing unwanted skin conditions, but in a very uncontrolled way. Dr. Zein Obagi took this ingredient and used it in a highly scientific approach to get down below the epidermis, using precisely measured concentrations of TCA and application times. “Depth of the application was the key,” Dr. Obagi says, “and through much research we were able to control the use of the treatment to many different levels of the skin. What amount, what duration, to what depth? All of these questions were crucial, yet none of them were answered at the time. Nobody knew. I then added some color, the color blue as in the blue peel, so that we could see very clearly where it was working. I myself was the first patient, so I knew exactly what was happening, and how the skin would react.” And, this very fact is indicative of just who Dr. Obagi is, both as a doctor and a person. It is not another patient Dr. Obagi wants, it is his continuous quest and commitment to new heights and discoveries in science, which drives mankind further ahead: out with the old paradigm and in with the new! Better solutions and resolutions that actually work! That is why people come and visit him from around the world!

But just doing a very precise peel directed at a specific skin level isn’t enough to guarantee beautiful results. Before the treatment, Dr. Obagi’s patients also undergo a full one-month TAILORED treatment to prepare the patient for the peel procedure,- taken that we are all different. Dr. Obagi does not have a “one fits for all”, nor he would want to. This is partially why he is more successful than anyone else. As a footnote: I have worked with Dr. Obagi for years and just had the blue peel for the first time. After the peel I saw my physician unrelated to the matter, but who sees me at least once a year! Unbeknownst to him about the blue peel, he said: “your skin does not even look like you are 21 years of age. It looks better than 21. Much better! What happened?” This statement coming from a doctor I highly respect, and who has known me for 18 years not only made my day, but when they would not allow me into a red carpet event I was invited to, and refused to serve me wine at the age of 46, it was a blessing I cannot describe!

Selena Obagi, Lady Adrienne Papp and Sir Dr. Obagi

There are several layers of the ZO blue peel process, namely five. Dr. Obagi decides based on each person what depth is needed. Mine was depth number four. A ZO Controlled Depth Peel process is followed up with stimulation, which encourages the skin cells to regenerate themselves and replace the older cells that have been removed during the treatment. “We provide treatment both before the peel and afterwards to ensure maximum effectiveness,” Dr. Obagi says. “This is very different from others offering a peel with a very superficial and unscientific approach. Only the ZO Controlled Depth Peel is a precise process that offers maximum effectiveness. I would say that if a patient was to have one of my peels every 4 to 5 years, and take care of their skin otherwise, their skin would never age.” (This is statement I know to be true looking at my own face. Dr. Obagi’s Controlled Depth Peel actually saved me from an eyelid surgery.)

Dr. Obagi is the only doctor in Beverly Hills who has received the honor of Knighthoodat an Investiture ceremony in Pasadena, California. His Knighthood makes him part of the oldest original Order in the World going back to the year 312 A.D originating from the Roman Empire!

Classic tales of knights have long been used in movies using George Lucas’ version of Jedi Knights in the movieStar Wars, or the movie First Knight starring Richard Gere, which retells the timeless tale of King Arthur and the legend of Camelot starring Sir Sean Connery as King Arthur, Richard Gere as Sir Lancelot (knighted by the King, just as today) and Julia Ormond as the king’s young wife, Guinevere. In the film Arthur is reluctant to hand the crown to Lancelot (that is the power of a Knight carried through history,) and Guinevere is torn between her loyalty to her husband and her growing love for his rival, the young Knight, Lancelot. Lancelot must balance his loyalty to the throne with the rewards of true love. A very humane story, yet a very applicable one. A knight, who becomes a “Sir” balances his contribution to the world, while adding to it his commitment to those who look up to him for guidance and answers! Just like we do to Dr. Obagi. I trust him with my life and so does every one of his patience. There will be no artificial look with Dr. Obagi, nor some quick fix that lasts for a week. It will be young, fresh, healthy skin that will glow till the rest of your life if you take care of it!

The Investiture Dinner on October 22, 2011 in Los Angeles

Classic knighthood ideals always aspire to courage, loyalty and honor, and traditionally noble titles come from heads of royal families, called a “royal house,” a dynastic family holding hereditary royal titles and privileges usually based upon modern or ancient geographical rulership, even if that royal dynastic family does not currently rule a nation in modern times.

In America our fascination with knighthood can be seen in colloquial titles bestowed upon celebrities like Elvis, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Michael Jackson, and the naming of mononymic star, Prince, although not in an official and REAL ROYAL WAY! This type of “royalty” here is a mere matter of speech. When movie actress Grace Kelly became Princes Grace of Monaco, America celebrated. An example of the most recent royal sensation, our infatuation with Kate Middleton, a commoner who became a Princess, only adds to the ongoing enchantment of the role of royalty in the modern day. But, what Sir Dr. Obagi achieved is the same as Sir Richard Branson, a brilliant adventurer, as he calls himself, and of course a great entrepreneur; Sir Ben Kinsley, Sir Paul McCartney and the list goes to those the World knows by heart!

Although the USA has no formal association with knighthood or royalty due to its short history (the country being only about 300 years old) while Europe has thousands of years of history with monarchs, it has been decided that private citizens in this country who are exemplary can be honored with knighthood for their chivalric contributions to the betterment of mankind. Other examples of this include the honorary knighthoods granted by Queen Elizabeth II to former Presidents Reagan and Bush and to retired/retiring Generals Norman Schwartzkopf and Colin Powell. A legitimate noble title always has a legitimate royal source called a Fonhonorum (Latin: “source of honor,” the “fountainhead” from which the legitimate title is issued).

The current order of modern Knights and Ladies are people selected from various professions who have demonstrated a dedication to traditional chivalric values, including dignity; honesty; ethical conduct; education; in cases, military service; discoveries; contribution to the world at large; and in general goals that are noble in nature – all the while maintaining a sense of those great traditional values that have become more necessary today than ever before. These honorees, like Sir Dr. Zein Obagi, have been given the title “Sir,” or for women “Dame,” as with Dame Elizabeth Taylor, or Dame Barbara Walters, as more popularly expressed in Europe: “Lady” expressly for these noble values.

Regardless to which Order one belongs to, the modern Knights and Ladies of the 21st Century are by sworn oath required to uphold certain traditional and historic values, which however they have already demonstrated during their whole life. That is why they qualified to this most exceptional honor. During the ceremonies of investiture, the members pledge themselves to the Duke, Grand Master, and to the Constitution of the Order to follow its ideals of personal honor and courage thus setting examples in the world.

Sir Dr. Zein Obagi Lecturing to thousands of doctors worldwide

Though based in old world values, forward-thinking technologies are also part of the heritage of royal orders. A recent example is the work of England’s Prince Charles not needing to be knighted, as he was born into privilege thus carrying the royal title already, is strongly committed to historic projects like restoring old castles in Europe while at the same time promoting the most recent green technologies like solar energy, organic farming, hydrogen energy sources and other self-sustaining principles. He is currently developing a high concept eco-friendly model village for poor people in India that will include schools, shops, and 3,000 homes, allegedly inspired after seeing the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. This multi-million-dollar venture will be placed on a 25-acre wasteland on the outskirts of either Kolkata or Bangalore. Features of the town will include oversized roofs with overhanging palm trees to collect rainwater to use for showering, shade and natural ventilation systems to combat the high temperatures.

For Sir Dr. Zein Obagi, Knighthood is an appreciation and recognition of his ongoing commitment to making the world a better place to live in, and helping countless amount of individuals around the World through his work! His vision has been resulting in millions of people now having access to treatments that allow healthy, beautiful skin they only dreamt about. By offering this innovative advancement in the science of healthy skin, he has tremendously improved the self-esteem and enhanced the physical appearance to the gratefulness of his clients internationally!

As Sir Dr. Obagi continues to explore the scientific possibilities of improving the appearance and health of skin, the Order of which he is now a part also remains actively committed to making the world a better place to live. Since 2005, the Order of Knighthood has raised and donated many hundreds of thousands of dollars and will continue to do so to help the less fortunate, which was the original idea already at conception. The Order now has a growing presence in 13 countries and has been publicized in the press around the world. Next year the Order will visit the Vatican to celebrate the seventeenth-hundred anniversary of its founding in 312 A.D. While no longer required to maintain a “battle-trained horse, three lances and armor in good repair,” the Ladies and Knights of this Imperial and Sovereign Order will continue to grow and prosper expanding their influence and chivalric values everywhere.

I had the honor and great privilege to be appointed in January of 2011 as the exclusive worldwide publicist (or as in the old language, Public Officer) to the Order. Only through personal recommendation can an extraordinary person be invested into the Order as a Knight or a Lady. And after my 15 years of knowing and understanding the work of Sir Dr. Obagi and his lovely and dedicated wife, Lady Samar, I am proud to announce their honorable recognition as extraordinary citizens of the World!

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How the Reality of Death Motivated Steve Jobs’ Life…

Adrienne Papp — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 04:39:12 +0000

…And Changed the World!

Steve Jobs

By Adrienne Papp

In 1976, two young college dropouts with a vision, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, created the first consumer-oriented personal computer in a garage in Mountain View, Calif. They had sold a van and two calculators to raise $1300 to start the business, which they called Apple. Like a lot of other entrepreneurial stories, this one had less than a modest beginning, yet Apple, through Wozniak’s genius for computer design and Jobs’ product vision ended up becoming the single most valuable company in the world in many sense of the word. But the legacy of Steven Paul Jobs of Apple can’t be measured strictly in terms of just dollars and cents. Not only he was a Buddhist, which made him see the larger picture and not just the daily tasks, but also he lived with a goal and mission in mind every day. The legacy he leaves behind is more about the vision and inextinguishable flame of the creative spirit, which all by itself is genius that drove him on a narrow path hardly understood by many. The determination and commitment that this very narrow path calls for is not for everyone. But this very depth of consciousness, which made him reevaluate his course continuously and live up to his own, rather than other’s expectations, is what made Steve Jobs the single biggest genius of our time changing not only the course of technology but mankind.

When Steve Jobs died on October 5, it was a reminder that true greatness can often come from the most unexpected places. He was born on February 24, 1955 in San Francisco and was given up for adoption by graduate student Joanne Schieble. Insisting that her son be raised by college graduates, the baby boy was to be adopted by an attorney, but when the couple decided they wanted a girl, her son was adopted by the family of Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, a working class couple with no college background.

Committed to sending their son to college, as mandated by the birthmother, the Jobs devoted their life saving to sending Steve to Reed College in Oregon. That didn’t make sense to Jobs, as he noted in a famous commencement speech given at Stanford University in 2005:

“I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.”

Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak

One of the classes he took was calligraphy, which had a direct influence on the interface we now see on our personal computers:

“Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating. Ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do.”

If Steve Wozniak was a true computer genius in terms of circuit board design, it was Jobs who had the vision to see how that could be translated into products that were easy to use and able to transform our personal lives. Jobs could take an idea and run with it and create something that would be, in his words, “insanely great.”

The creative legend of Steve Jobs, Apple, and the personal computer began in 1979, when the 24-year old entrepreneur visited Xerox PARC, the research arm of Xerox Corporation and experimental laboratory of technology concepts in the Silicon Valley. There he observed new concept that was the forerunner of the modern mouse. At Xerox PARC, the mouse was a clunky device in a primitive format. But Jobs realized its potential and transformed it into something elegant and functional. Now it’s impossible to think of operating a personal computer without one.

Steve Jobs has been called the Edison of our time, and while Apple may not have been the first company to come up with a breakthrough concept, it was Jobs who had the vision to craft the technology into something with an almost mystical sense of cool. Apple didn’t invent the mp3 player, a company called Audio Highway did. But when Steve Jobs said during a product introduction in 2001 that “to have your whole music library with you at all times is a quantum leap in listening to music” and then pulled the iPod out of his jeans pocket, it became obvious that this was a defining moment in technology, that in creating the iPod Jobs had transcended all existing technology. It first occurred to me about 16 years ago when I was buying a million CDs just to be able to combine a library of music I liked by recording one or two songs of each CD to a cassette tape at the time. I thought to myself: am I the only one who does not want to listen to a whole CD and needs to keep on changing CDs to get the music she wants?

Likewise, Apple didn’t invent the online music store, someone named Ivan J. Parron did. But it was Jobs who brokered the deals with record companies to allow iTunes to become the number one music retailer in the world after its introduction in 2003, eventually selling more than 10 billion songs.

And then there is the iPhone. Apple didn’t invent the first smartphone. IBM, Nokia and other companies had the technology first. But under Job’s direction Apple’s iPhone redefined what a phone should be, a touch screen device that allows you to carry your “life in your pocket,” as he said when he introduced it in 2007. Personally, although I consider myself very lucky and blessed in life with a tremendous amount of joy, trials, triumphs and tribulations, I still say that the best thing that has ever happened to me was the IPhone.

Jobs and Wozniak

The lesson we can take from Steve Jobs’ visit to Xerox PARC and the products he created based on formative technology is that being first isn’t nearly as important as being great. It’s always better to be the best and Jobs’ defining genius came from taking ideas in their initial, primitive formats and transforming them into unique products of elegant functionality.

As he continued to refine the technology and products that would change our lives, he came up against an adversary that he couldn’t outthink or transform. Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent surgery in 2004, and eventually needed a liver transplant. Those encounters with his own mortality helped shape his views of life and death, a perspective he shared in a remarkable 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University. It wasn’t a rousing speech full of encouragement and rah-rah spirit. Instead it was serious and philosophical, as Jobs urged the graduates to remember that the future is uncertain and that death could be just around the corner, and that life should be a journey of following your heart. In the speech he said “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

His burning desire for greatness began early as Jobs told the students “When I was 17 I read a quote that went something like, ‘If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you will most certainly be right.’ It made an impression on me. And since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I needed to change something.”

Adrienne Papp, Jennifer C, Stephen Wozniak, Bob O and Mrs. Wozniak

Parts of this speech are as important as any of the consumer products that Steve Jobs gifted us with during his brilliant career. He will be remembered for words like these long after the life of his creations: “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose! You are already naked; there is no reason not to follow your heart. No one wants to die … and yet, death is the destination we all share. Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent.”

He added: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”

Steve Jobs parting words to Stanford’s graduating class of 2005 were “Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

I believe that Jobs’ biggest contribution yet to the world were these words: “Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent.” I believe that living with this simple axiom every day would make every single person bring out the best she/he can be on Earth. With this one sentence Steve Jobs summarized what I am trying to convey in my writings, what Oprah Winfrey is talking about every day, what quantum physics teach us, what the chaos theory, which we still just starting to understand explains, and what every working man and woman in whichever profession is trying to do every day IF they are conscious enough: become the best they can be! That is the biggest contribution to mankind a human can achieve! Stay hungry for it! Or, as Jobs put it: Stay hungry! Period!

Every Day Counts

The great test of genius is its longevity, and as some of the most famous people in the world offer words that celebrate the life of Steve Jobs, from Presidents to Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerberg to George Lucas, the people who have helped define our modern world, it is the message that Jobs himself left that rings out the loudest and will be remembered longest:

“Most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition,” he said to those Stanford grads, “they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” And, if these metaphysical words (also wrongly used at times as “spirituality”) do not ring a bell with you from a straight out scientist with world changing technology inventions then nothing will ever do!

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Beyond the Breaking Point

Adrienne Papp — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:31:26 +0000

Surviving an Abusive Mother and Getting a Life Abundant

Debra Pauli

By Adrienne Papp

Life, even under the best of conditions, is often extremely harsh. Even those who live a charmed one suffer their share of pain, disappointment and loss as life takes its toll on even the most privileged among us. As if there was always something to “pay for.”

But imagine what it would be like to start out a life in an atmosphere of total fear, humiliation and hopelessness, to be deprived of the joys of childhood, to be brutalized and taunted from birth and treated as evil by the people who were responsible to love and nurture you — your parents? That was the torture inflicted on Debra Pauli from birth, a case of parental brutalization so severe that it has been documented as one of the worst child abuse cases in U.S. history, which puzzles the mind even more: an innocent baby is “made to pay” for something that she does not even know about. Instead of unconditional love, she receives unconditional hate.

“My Mother had no time or tolerance for her daughters, me or my sister Danielle, who was born eleven months after I was in 1962. Both of us were kept isolated in separate small closets as infants and in the basement as toddlers. The meager food we received was placed in a bowl on the stairs, as if we were pets.”

Physical torture was continual and included cigarette burns and the use of pharmaceutical drugs (four doses of valium per day) to keep Debra quiet. “I was fed an assortment of pills beginning when I was about two years old. My mother had convinced a doctor that she needed adult prescription drugs for her stress, which then she used these drugs to keep me sedated,” Debra says.

Debra Pauli lived every day of her childhood being demonized by her mother and was psychologically and physically tortured well into adolescence. Yet through sheer willpower she was able to survive the horrendous abuse. It’s a story that has drawn a lot of national attention, a childhood drama worthy of an uplifting Lifetime Channel biography. And the best part is that there is no tragic ending. Instead, Debra Pauli was able to triumph over her nightmares and become recognized as an inspiration and champion for victims everywhere, an author, motivational speaker and role model for us all.

Debra at Her 50th Birthday

How is this possible? How can someone with such a horrific history become such a guiding light for abused and downtrodden souls everywhere?

Debra’s early life has been published in a series of candid autobiographical books, searing personal memoirs that reveal a life of unspeakably sadistic treatments as a child. Hers was a nightmare that began at birth as Debra was branded “The Devil’s Daughter” by her paranoid schizophrenic mother.

But that’s all behind her. The most important part of her life is what’s happening now. She has been able to share her survival story and healing process as she has become recognized by the public as a respected and truly extraordinary woman who has the strength that is almost impossible to obtain and yet maintain, especially at her age, and on top of it all, she was able to rely upon this higher calling her entire life! Against all odds, Debra Pauli faced daily torture, along with numerous near death experiences from birth, yet somehow survived to be able to share her message of hope with us all!

“One day I heard a tiny but powerful voice inside me say that things would be all right, a voice telling me that ‘It’s not you, it’s her, your mother” Debra recalls. “If it hadn’t been for that message, I don’t know if I could have survived my crazed mother. Something deep inside me told me that there was something better for me, that my mother’s hatred would not destroy me. My mother could physically and emotionally torment me, but she would NEVER take away my will to survive, but only make it stronger.”

When she finally gained freedom from her horrendous home life, Debra ran into a new set of problems, getting pregnant in her freshman year of high school. “My first husband was also physically abusive,” Debra says. “In my ninth month of pregnancy, he pushed me out of a moving car. During an argument, he leaned over while driving and opened the passenger door and shoved me out. I rolled down into a ditch while desperately trying to protect the life of my unborn child.”

With an indomitable will to succeed, Debra finally got her GED and, though busy raising four sons and taking care of her family, still found time to pursue a higher education, earning a 3.7 to 4.0 GPA and degrees for Graphic Arts/Word Processing and Psychology/Sociology thru a State University. She was finally on track to a healthier, more productive life. There were still numerous pitfalls to be overcome, however, and, after a divorce from her first husband, Debra was to suffer through two more disastrous relationships, including a sham marriage to a man who turned out to be a closet homosexual.

Tormented by the memories of daily childhood terror, torture and near-death experiences, Debra began exorcising the demons of her early life in a series of books, including A Survivor’s Closet, And Then There Was Light – My Spiritual Cleansing, and Why We Cry for a Soul Set Free. The books are brutally honest accounts of Debra’s childhood, and were part of the process of liberating herself from her horrors.

The unlikely ending to this horrific story of torment and abuse is that today Debra has become one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the country. Through her cathartic presentation of raw passion and brutal honesty, she is a living example of perseverance as the key to survival. Her searing life story is testimony to the incredible amount of courage needed to survive even catastrophic child abuse cases. Triumphing over her imposed demons, instead of escaping into drugs or alcohol, she has become the successful role model who now inspires others to overcome life’s harshest realities.

Against all odds, Debra Pauli is now a highly successful businesswoman, best-selling author and life coach who can teach others, as individuals or in groups, not only how to survive harsh realities, but also how to become successful, decent, passionate and loving humans. Her story is one for the ages, and is now attracting the attention of Hollywood for development as a feature film or television mini-series.

Through her efforts to honestly expose her life in books, speaking performances and seminars for small, medium and large corporations, Debra Pauli has become an inspiration to us all, a legend who can show us that, no matter how big our life problems are, we can not only survive, but also make our dreams come true.

Debra Pauli’s story gives us hope and courage. Her triumph over horrific adversities is a message that she now shares with people in desperate need of a voice of encouragement or better known as “One Survivor’s Voice for Millions of Silent Victims”. Through her books, speaking tours and a feature film in the making, we can all be grateful that Debra Pauli is not only a survivor, but also is able to share a personal message that can make the world a much better place for us all.

About the Author of This Article: Lady Adrienne Papp is a recognized journalist who has written for many publications including Savoir, Beverly Hills 90210, Malibu Beach, Santa Monica Sun, The Beverly Hills Times, Brentwood News, Bel-Air View,Celebrity Society,Celeb Staff, It Magazine, Chic Today, LA2DAY, West Side Todayamong many others. She is the President and CEO of Los Angeles / New York-based publicity company, Atlantic Publicityand publishing house, Atlantic Publisher. Adrienne writes about world trends, Quantum Physics, entertainment and interviews celebrities, world leaders, inventors, philanthropists and entrepreneurs. She also owns Atlantic United Films that produces and finances true stories made for theatrical release or the silver screen. Spotlight News Magazineis owned by Atlantic United, Incwith Adrienne Pappbeing the majority shareholder.

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