I’m going through two trunks of stuff related to a documentary I once tried to make about my aunt, Julie Arden, and her companion Charlotte Brooks. I’m determined to whittle it down to one big box. It should be easy. Just don’t look too closely. … [Read more...]
CASEY KASEM: His End-of-life Family Drama and Avoiding Something Similar Yourself
In 1997, I was honored to present a prestigious radio industry award to one of my heroes in the business, Casey Kasem. The sordid drama that has unfolded recently around his death made headlines around the world. As author of a memoir about caring … [Read more...]
MAYA ANGELOU: A Meeting and an Unexpected Gift
I interviewed Maya Angelou for the Greensboro News & Record's Go Triad arts section in the fall of 2010. She lived in the next town over, Winston-Salem, NC, and was releasing a cookbook for the holidays. I was nervous meeting an icon whose work I … [Read more...]
SHIRLEY TEMPLE: The girl, the woman, the dolls
I’ve now been in the doll adoption business about 18 months. If I had to pick the one doll with the most universal, indestructible appeal, it would be Shirley Temple in all her various sizes and outfits. Barbie is too polarizing. Madame Alexander … [Read more...]
THE 700-DOLL QUESTION
Just in time for Mother's Day, here's my essay on the laughter and tears of selling my mother's dolls that I wrote for The New York Times. Be sure to check out the slideshow as well as the short video made by the very talented Jacob Rosdail. Mama Jo … [Read more...]
The First Top 10 Forever Home Photo Contest Winners!
Photos of me by Mama Jo To commemorate the anniversary of my mother's heavenly ascent, I'm introducing the Forever Home Photo Contest using photos sent to me by new “moms” and "dads" of her dolls. Mama Jo loved to take photos. Many were of her/our … [Read more...]
Q&A with Carol Miller: Rock DJ, Led Zeppelin Expert, Cancer Survivor (Part 2, the Outtakes)
Part 1 of my interview with New York legendary rock DJ and Led Zeppelin expert Carol Miller ran in the New York Times. Click here to read it and here to listen to the accompanying podcast. This is what was cut out. Behind Carol’s glamorous life is … [Read more...]
Q&A with Carol Miller: Rock DJ, Led Zeppelin Expert, Cancer Survivor (Part 1)
I've known of Carol Miller since the day she spoke her first word on the New York airwaves in the 1970s. I was an aspiring DJ myself then. There were so few women on the radio that word spread quickly when a new one infiltrated the all boys … [Read more...]
CALL OF THE WILD: Fine Dining, Traditions and Roadkill
“I hit a fox last night.” I told Rita this as we drove up Lawndale Drive toward Summerfield, just after we’d passed a small carcass on the side of the road. It was late, the streets empty, the air filled with the sweet sadness of a fleeting summer … [Read more...]
CUTE OR CREEPY? Mama Jo’s House of Dolls Captivates Media
Do you think dolls are cute or creepy? Most people fall in one camp or the other. Yet every culture has dolls. Why? My theory is they go back to when a cave woman made one to amuse her kid while she rubbed two sticks together to make a fire. Or … [Read more...]