Written by Role Mommy Wing Mom Danielle Feigenbaum
Last week, I was lucky enough to attend a taping of CBS Daytime’s Emmy nominated show, The Talk! They were filming all week in New York City and I was thankful to have the opportunity to see the lovely ladies of The Talk in person. There is something so special about being in the audience of a live show. You can feel the excitement in the air. When I found out that the one and only Idina Menzel was the guest, I flipped out.
I have to admit I have always had a girl crush on Idina Menzel. It all started back when I saw her in “Rent” on Broadway, continued on when she starred in one of my all time favorite musicals, “Wicked” and then my kids fell in love with her in “Frozen”. She was just as wonderful chatting with the hosts and I would hope she would be. They addressed Oscar night when John Travolta butchered her name, and I loved her response “Come on, it’s the best thing that could have happened to me!” It helped her become an even bigger household name. She was incredibly genuine throughout her interview, telling adorable stories about her son and talking about the struggles of being a Broadway performer and mom, she misses putting her son to sleep! I also found out that she played tennis growing up (as did I!), she had a poster of Rob Lowe on her wall when she was growing up (same taste!) and she loves Billy Joel so much she would stalk him outside his house (Billy Joel is my favorite!) If those aren’t all signs that Idina and I should be best friends, I don’t don’t know what is.
Besides seeing my want-to-be-best-friend in the flesh, we were so lucky to be there when Chi-Lan Lieu showed us some great Summer Essentials. From The Miracle Suit (helps you look 10 lbs thinner!) to fabulous Samsonite luggage and more, the entire audience went home with all the items Chi-Lan presented! The show ended with a cooking segment from
the fantastic Sal Scognamillo, who’s grandfather was Pattsy, from the amazing Pattsy’s Restaurant! We all went home with his cookbook and I am definitely going to make FRANK’S VEAL MILANESE this weekend!
An Exclusive Chat with the Ladies of “The Talk”
Idina Menzel on “The Talk” – Courtesy CBS
This week, I had the opportunity to visit the set of “The Talk” while they were filming their shows from Rachael Ray’s studios in New York City. The studio holds a very special place in my heart because my very first real job, as a junior publicist on “The Maury Povich Show,” was in that building. Sure, nothing looks the same and my old office, which used to be in the basement, probably doesn’t even exist anymore. But either way, when I walked up to the entrance of 221 West 26th Street, tons of talk show memories starting flooding back.
But I digress. I was a blogger on a mission. On Monday, I got the opportunity to sit down with hosts Julie Chen, Sharon Osbourne and Sheryl Underwood where I turned the tables on them. The conversation flowed like most do with a group of hilarious and super smart women. We effortlessly switched from one topic to another and the laughter was non-stop.
From their morning beauty regimes, to their favorite guests to engaging with fans to Barbara Walter’s retirement, the ladies of “The Talk” definitely had a lot to say.
Take a look…
The Morning Beauty Routine…
Sheryl Underwood: I would say that by the time I get into the chair, it takes beyond a village. I really have to be spackled and cut and contoured and then the hair. Then I have to make sure that I don’t eat too much salt because that swells me up. People think that darker skin is easier but we can look ashen and washed out. And I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – whoever is lighting us is lighting the most diverse team in talk. That I believe. They deserve an Emmy…I look 35!
Sharon Osbourne: I think for me anyway, I’m always a work in progress. I’m trying to change a lot now. As I’m getting older, this year, I’m trying to wear less make-up and I’m trying to pull it back. When you get to a certain age, the more make-up you wear, I think it makes you look older. So I’m trying to change it up a bit and look a bit more current. I took a look at my hair a few months ago and I felt like I looked like a soccer mom. There’s nothing wrong with looking like a soccer mom, but it’s just not my style.
Julie Chen: My beauty process starts at about 8:27am at our morning meeting. I start by putting on my fake eyelashes because it takes a while for the glue to dry. Then after our meeting, I stay behind to write the show with our writer and our executive producer and we have a blow dryer going and we’re writing and we’re screaming over the noise. We have to multi-task because we have a live show and from there, I head to the make-up chair. The great thing is, I don’t really pay attention to what is going on and I don’t have to because I trust everyone that I work with that I’m doing my job and they’re doing their job and we all kind of co-exist. It all seems to falls into place.
Favorite Guests…
While I got the chance to see Idina Menzel who taped a segment that will air this Friday, I have to say, the hosts totally put guests at ease. I’m not going to share what happened on the show, but let’s just say Idina shared secrets from her past that involved Billy Joel plus she shared the best way John Travolta can pay her back for mangling her name at the Oscars.
Julie Chen: We’ve never had a bad guest and people come here and once they walk through the door, the last person who was here was our favorite person. I feel like we walk off the set every day and say that was a great show. Have fun with us. We’re not going to ask you that humiliating question. We’re here to make you feel good and have a few laughs.
Sharon: When you can turn around and you say ‘Oh my goodness we’ve interviewed Jane Fonda, Debbie Reynolds, Tom Selleck and little Selena Gomez comes on and so cute. It goes across the spectrum. I mean we are just so lucky to meet amazing people.
The Twitter Effect
The hosts say they love engaging with fans in real time and host Sheryl Underwood shares that she loves that “The Talk” features online chats with fans right after the show airs. Sharon Osbourne says she uses social media as a way to take the temperature of her fans.
Sharon Osbourne: I kind of use it as a barometer because you say certain things and instantly somebody will make a remark about your comment. So it’s a very good barometer to check what you’re saying and to keep yourself in line and to know what your audience is feeling because they will instantly come back and tell you.
On Barbara Walter’s Retirement…
We also talked about Barbara Walter’s retirement from broadcast journalism and the ladies shared their heartfelt thoughts:
Julie Chen: I’m sad. Barbara is the whole reason why I got into broadcasting. My mother and I would bond when I was growing up watching her specials. My mom loved her and was like – wow she’s an inspiration to all women, this is something maybe you should consider getting into. She has paved the way for every female broadcaster who has come after her and will continue to do so for the things she has done. So I wish her well but I wish she wasn’t stepping down because I can’t imaging turning on a TV and not seeing Barbara Walters.
Sharon Osbourne: You know what it is? It’s like an impossible shoe to fill. You cannot replace somebody like Barbara with her years of wisdom. It’s like there’s certain music that you grow up with and it becomes part of your life. And it’s like Barbara is a part of everybody’s life. We all grew with Barbara. For me, I look at Barbara like an inspiration and she defies the odds. Look at her. She’s in her eighties and she’s quick, smart, gorgeous, totally into pop culture. She is an iconic figure that cannot be replaced. Nobody can replace her because nobody has that breadth of experience that she’s got in life and in broadcasting. She’s an amazing woman.
Sheryl Underwood: She’s a visionary and a trailblazer. If she had not put her concept together then it wouldn’t be a concept for us. Where would you put women together at a table. But we wish her good luck and God speed. Sometimes it’s good to get your rest and enjoy what you’ve achieved. We hate to see her go but when does she get to take some other types of journeys that she’s always wanted to do? You read the things that she’s accomplished and the people that she’s met and I still believe that Fidel Castro is still pining for her. Look at the life that she’s lived. The doors that she’s opened. The people that she’s interviewed. I’m just an old country girl from Arkansas who never thought I’d be on TV, but look at the door that she opened for a lot of people, especially for women.
Tune into “The Talk” Monday-Friday at 2pm ET and check out this sneak peak of Friday’s show featuring Idina Menzel! Check back tomorrow when we share our behind the scenes visit with some of our favorite bloggers.