Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Reading Group Notes Tell a Friend ...
1. Discuss the role of food and cooking in The Lost Recipe for Happiness. What did food mean to each of the characters" What meals left the strongest impression with you as a reader?
2. Consider the town of Aspen itself. It seems that each of the characters is there for a reason. What brings each of them to Aspen, and what keeps them there? Who do you think will stay, and who will eventually move on?
3. There are several secrets and betrayals in The Lost Recipe for Happiness. Was there any point where a secret, once revealed, shocked you? How would you have reacted to each admission?
4. Why does Julian wait so long to disclose the truth about his screenplay to Elena? What does his reticence tell you about him?
5. Several times throughout the book, Elena and others discuss the three most memorable foods they’ve ever eaten. What are yours, and why?
6. Discuss the relationship between Patrick and Ivan. What do they see in each other? Do you think this is a relationship that will stand the test of time?
7. As the child of an actress, Portia has some very real issues with her body image. Consider the argument she has with her father toward the end of Chapter 13. What did you think of her argument? Is it possible for an overweight woman to be truly successful or is it easier for men in this sense?
8. Throughout The Lost Recipe for Happiness, there is discussion about the idea that each person has a soul mate. Do you think this is true in the world of this novel? What about in real life?
9. Elena carries some very real ghosts of her past along with her, as well as the metaphorical ghosts of her memories. How did you feel about the ghosts in the novel? What role did they play in Elena’s life? Do you think that Isobel will be back, or has she truly left Elena for good?
Interview With trace Adkins
Country singer Trace Adkins stepped out of his comfort zone and landed in Genoa City to help Nick (Joshua Morrow) and Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Television and Film are not new to Trace, as he has just finished a gig on Celebrity Apprentice and wrapped up a role in an upcoming film An American Carol with Kelsey Grammer but the land of soaps is brand new territory for this award winning musician.
We sat down with the good ole boy from Louisiana on the day he taped his private serenade for the happy couple and gauged his thoughts on entering the world of daytime dramas. Adkins opened up about how he got his start, getting wrangled into doing the Celebrity Apprentice and what is really important to him.
How were you approached about appearing on Y&R?
"Someone who works on the show [Jack Allocco] is good friends with my manager Ken Levitan and we were already going to be in California so it worked out for us. I am shooting a movie out here and I only worked two days this week and I was going to fly home today but the opportunity turned up to guest on The Young and the Restless and we thought sure, "I'll just stay another day." And I am glad we did because all of the flights were cancelled today and I would probably be down at the hospital cursing and madder than hell!"
"My manager said 'There's an opportunity to be on The Young and the Restless and 85 billion women [he said jokingly] watch it so you ought to do it' so here I am."
Looking forward to meeting any of the cast today?
"Yes!!! Everyone knows there are some serious 'babes' on the soaps. I may have to throw rocks at ole Joshua [Morrow] and compete for Michelle Stafford. But seriously, my daughter watches the show and she's so excited that I am going to be on. My 23 year old, Tara. She just had a baby 3 months ago and she's hooked on soaps now."
Do you think that Soap Fans are your target audience?
"Older chicks dig me. Not so popular with the young ones anymore."
Country songs and soaps have a lot in common. There's a lot of drama in both!
"Everyday life is what we write about. It is what we sing about. We sing about a world that most people can relate to."
This isn't your first acting gig. You have a couple of films under your belt already. Tell us about those roles.
"I did a little tiny part in a little horror flick [Trailer Park of Terror] that is making the rounds at all of the film festivals. It was a good role. I took the role because when I was reading the script and when it got to the part where they reveal my character he is standing in this pasture peeing and it is a big red stream and when it hits the ground smoke comes up. And I thought I'll do it just for that. That's awesome! So in the movie I played the devil and it was cool."
"And the movie that I am filming this week [David Zucker's American Carol] I play the grim reaper so maybe I have been typecast."
Would you consider a short term role on a soap?
"The key would be 'short.' A couple of years ago I was offered a role on a sitcom and I thought it would be just a short term deal and I found out it was going to be much longer. A few weeks are one thing but music is my gig. It is what I do. It is what I am good at. I don't want to chase dreams that may or may not be obtainable."
Your voice is very distinct and it seems to have served you well.
"That is how I got my start in music. That's how I got a record deal. I was introduced to the president of Capital Records at the baggage claim and the airport and he seemed interested. The friend that introduced us said, 'he's playing at a little club outside of town, you ought to come hear him sing" and he said he would. I didn't expect to see him again. But he showed up. Long story short, he told me much later that the reason he came was the timbre of my voice. He said 'I knew if you could carry a tune, I knew we would have something. You have a bass voice but it has an edge to it. It cuts like a tenor.' That's how I got a record deal."
Tell us about the song you are performing "You're Gonna Miss This"
"I love doing this song acoustic. It is one of the songs that lends itself to an acoustic performance. You don't need all the bells and whistles to perform this song. It is an intimate thing. And it is number one right now so I am glad we are performing on the show."
Are you nervous about memorizing lines?
"No! I am a quick study at that kind of stuff. It is like memorizing lyrics. It is not that hard to do."
Let's talk about a charity that is near and dear to your heart"
"F.A.A.N., the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. About six years, we discovered that my daughter Brianna had severe food allergies and we had to find somewhere to go to get some help. We found about F.A.A.N. and they have been a lifesaver ever since. My wife may disagree with me, she always does, but for me it was like discovering you are not in this all by yourself. There are people who are struggling like you."
"You can bounce ideas off these people. Communicate with these people. The correspondence back and forth is helpful, trading ideas and feedback is invaluable, that sharing of information. Education each other and discovering that community that you didn't know existed. The research work that they do is incredible. Hopefully they will find a cure for this stuff one day. They are diligent and they are working hard."
"If you go to my website there is a link to F.A.A.N. and since the Apprentice there has been tons of response from people. They have raised a lot of money. It is so cool."
http://www.traceadkins.com/main/
How did the Celebrity Apprentice come about for you?
"I used to do a show in this building [CBS], Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. About 10 times I think. The guy that used to book the talent on that show, Chuck LaBella and I struck up a friendship. He has since moved on to other things but we have stayed in touch. And he got a gig on this Apprentice thing. I turned him down and then he went around me and went to Publicist, my manager, my wife and they started beating me up about it, saying I should do it. I didn't even know that it was a charity thing. When they told me it was going to be all about the charity and that is when I reluctantly agreed to do it."
We sat down with the good ole boy from Louisiana on the day he taped his private serenade for the happy couple and gauged his thoughts on entering the world of daytime dramas. Adkins opened up about how he got his start, getting wrangled into doing the Celebrity Apprentice and what is really important to him.
How were you approached about appearing on Y&R?
"Someone who works on the show [Jack Allocco] is good friends with my manager Ken Levitan and we were already going to be in California so it worked out for us. I am shooting a movie out here and I only worked two days this week and I was going to fly home today but the opportunity turned up to guest on The Young and the Restless and we thought sure, "I'll just stay another day." And I am glad we did because all of the flights were cancelled today and I would probably be down at the hospital cursing and madder than hell!"
"My manager said 'There's an opportunity to be on The Young and the Restless and 85 billion women [he said jokingly] watch it so you ought to do it' so here I am."
Looking forward to meeting any of the cast today?
"Yes!!! Everyone knows there are some serious 'babes' on the soaps. I may have to throw rocks at ole Joshua [Morrow] and compete for Michelle Stafford. But seriously, my daughter watches the show and she's so excited that I am going to be on. My 23 year old, Tara. She just had a baby 3 months ago and she's hooked on soaps now."
Do you think that Soap Fans are your target audience?
"Older chicks dig me. Not so popular with the young ones anymore."
Country songs and soaps have a lot in common. There's a lot of drama in both!
"Everyday life is what we write about. It is what we sing about. We sing about a world that most people can relate to."
This isn't your first acting gig. You have a couple of films under your belt already. Tell us about those roles.
"I did a little tiny part in a little horror flick [Trailer Park of Terror] that is making the rounds at all of the film festivals. It was a good role. I took the role because when I was reading the script and when it got to the part where they reveal my character he is standing in this pasture peeing and it is a big red stream and when it hits the ground smoke comes up. And I thought I'll do it just for that. That's awesome! So in the movie I played the devil and it was cool."
"And the movie that I am filming this week [David Zucker's American Carol] I play the grim reaper so maybe I have been typecast."
Would you consider a short term role on a soap?
"The key would be 'short.' A couple of years ago I was offered a role on a sitcom and I thought it would be just a short term deal and I found out it was going to be much longer. A few weeks are one thing but music is my gig. It is what I do. It is what I am good at. I don't want to chase dreams that may or may not be obtainable."
Your voice is very distinct and it seems to have served you well.
"That is how I got my start in music. That's how I got a record deal. I was introduced to the president of Capital Records at the baggage claim and the airport and he seemed interested. The friend that introduced us said, 'he's playing at a little club outside of town, you ought to come hear him sing" and he said he would. I didn't expect to see him again. But he showed up. Long story short, he told me much later that the reason he came was the timbre of my voice. He said 'I knew if you could carry a tune, I knew we would have something. You have a bass voice but it has an edge to it. It cuts like a tenor.' That's how I got a record deal."
Tell us about the song you are performing "You're Gonna Miss This"
"I love doing this song acoustic. It is one of the songs that lends itself to an acoustic performance. You don't need all the bells and whistles to perform this song. It is an intimate thing. And it is number one right now so I am glad we are performing on the show."
Are you nervous about memorizing lines?
"No! I am a quick study at that kind of stuff. It is like memorizing lyrics. It is not that hard to do."
Let's talk about a charity that is near and dear to your heart"
"F.A.A.N., the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. About six years, we discovered that my daughter Brianna had severe food allergies and we had to find somewhere to go to get some help. We found about F.A.A.N. and they have been a lifesaver ever since. My wife may disagree with me, she always does, but for me it was like discovering you are not in this all by yourself. There are people who are struggling like you."
"You can bounce ideas off these people. Communicate with these people. The correspondence back and forth is helpful, trading ideas and feedback is invaluable, that sharing of information. Education each other and discovering that community that you didn't know existed. The research work that they do is incredible. Hopefully they will find a cure for this stuff one day. They are diligent and they are working hard."
"If you go to my website there is a link to F.A.A.N. and since the Apprentice there has been tons of response from people. They have raised a lot of money. It is so cool."
http://www.traceadkins.com/main/
How did the Celebrity Apprentice come about for you?
"I used to do a show in this building [CBS], Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. About 10 times I think. The guy that used to book the talent on that show, Chuck LaBella and I struck up a friendship. He has since moved on to other things but we have stayed in touch. And he got a gig on this Apprentice thing. I turned him down and then he went around me and went to Publicist, my manager, my wife and they started beating me up about it, saying I should do it. I didn't even know that it was a charity thing. When they told me it was going to be all about the charity and that is when I reluctantly agreed to do it."
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