August 31

Amazing week, I have to say. My three-page article in THR with all the hot, hot parties of Emmy night came out last week, and was at least a success to the degree that it got me into a party that was already kicking people out. Woo! I was also invited as a guest to two amazing Emmy bashes, and even managed to starve myself into a dress by the beautiful Rafaela Weber, La Coquine. I had strangers come up and tell me what a stunning dress it was. So merci, ma cherie.

And for those who wonder what I do all day I have a video. I hope you enjoy it. We had fun making it, I promise.

August 24

Rather than go into my rather unsuccessful diet (let's just say I didn't go hungry this week) I'm going to post a video of the work Philip and I did for TV Guide Magazine earlier this month. Sometimes we have so much fun working it's almost criminal. Hope you enjoy it, too!

August 17

Day two of "The Mission" and I'm really hungry. I had a cup of raspberries and a cup of blueberries for breakfast, and an hour later I was eyeing the donuts that my husband brought home from a job. So I had 1/8 of a donut. And then I made green tea. It really must suck to be an actress.

But now that I'm getting dressed for a Cyndi Lauper performance on Emmy night, maybe the starvation is worth it. Is it?

I guess the interesting news is that I burn a lot of calories on the red carpet, stressing over the people I need to get (and didn't). I'd rather have gotten the interviews to be perfectly honest. And right now I really want a donut.

August 16

I'm on a mission. Yesterday I tried on my Emmy dress from the beautiful and talented Rafaela Weber, and it was a liiiiiittle snug. Which is ok, it's just a healthy reminder that no girl can eat just pizza for a month and not have it show. If you can, you're lying. And I know because no one eats like me.

So here's the mission. I'm going to be a product whore and use all the tools I've been given recently to make that sucker drape like it's supposed to. I'm going to use the body bug to make sure I burn my targeted calories every day, even if it means having to (blergh) exercise. I will sprinkle Sensa on my food, which for some reason made me feel like I was done half-way through my egg whites (very strange) and I'm going to use Crest 3D Whitestrips while I surf the internet, because...well, it'll do shit for my weight, but if I revert back to pizza at least my teeth will sparkle and draw some attention away from my hips.

And I'll use that vibrating plate...Power plate? to check my email for ten minutes a day, because, well, it can't hurt right?

Part of me thinks it's idiotic to put so much emphasis on one night, which will be over so much quicker than all time it takes to prepare for it. But then again, if I can get my crap together for just one night, maybe the rest of my life magically falls into place as well. Maybe?

August 6

Some days I surprise myself. This is not one of those. But recently I wrote an article that had not one celebrity in it. Read it here. If you're not big into Finnish, check it out here. That's all I have in me today. More later, folks.

June 25, 2010

I have one of those BodyBuggs, like the ones they use on "The Biggest Loser" and "Losing it With Jillian". For a month I've been staring at the box, trying to figure out if I should use it, knowing fully that it would just fuel my obsession with calories. But today I figured, why the hell not - it's not doing anything in the box. It was a good call. I'm sure I burned at least 200 calories just registering the thing.

Anyhoo. Because I'm not really in need of a weightloss program (Jillian recently called me, and I quote, "a freakin' toothpick"), I'm going to use it for research. Example: The chicken dance only burns 10 calories. I swear. Sitting by your computer burns about 1 calorie every minute, which is pretty amazing - that's almost 60 calories an hour, just checking Facebook. (Sell THAT on TV). I'm going to see what an hour of TV watching burns, next. I'm not entirely sure it's meant to measure the calories you burn while doing nothing, but no one said it came with rules.

June 10, 2010

News, news! Where do I start. My article in The Hollywood Reporter is online and on news stands, and that's really exciting. Why? Well, for one, it's The Hollywood Reporter. Having my byline in the publication that everyone in the industry treats as 'the word of Big G' is a bit of a dream come true. But this year, as you blog reading folk know, was meant to expand my horizons, and I think this counts as such.

I feel like I should give credit to the man who's pretty much responsible for my career in journalism in this country. A year ago, I sat next to David Hochman and told him I felt like I was a one trick pony. "Write your way out of it," was his advice. I didn't really understand how I could, so for a few weeks I sat on it, and then I decided on my plan of action.

I've always had dreams of becoming a foreign correspondent, like Marianne Pearl and Lara Logan, (but hopefully with less drama). Unfortunately that lifestyle doesn't really sit well with someone who has personal commitments in life. And even if I wanted to write those articles, who would think of me as the right choice for that assignment? I'm TV Girl, and proud of it. Yet, I want to be the next Scott Pelley, jetting off to developing countries to tell stories of poverty, adversity and hope.

Out of David's advice came the idea to create a resource for people who wanted to travel abroad, help out, and know that they were doing it as safely as they wanted to. Voluntales, the website that is now up and running, is nothing short of crazy ambitious - look, we're hoping to become the Trip Advisor of Voluntourism - but if it's shown me anything in the short-term, it's that I'm not a one trick pony. I'm a kick ass spam filter. (Seriously...if you're trying to plug your online casino on my volunteering site, it may be time to stop. Now.) I have more stories to tell than ever. And Scott Pelley - I'm after your job, so watch out.

May 29, 2010

Welcome to my new website. Isn't it cool? It was designed by the amazing Rachele Hebrank, with a reel by the uh-mazing Philip Buiser. (It's coming. Keep your pants untwisted.) Because it is so cool, I may have to start sharing news on it again. Like the fact that I was on the CBS Early Morning show last Thursday. If you blinked, you missed it, but I was there and apparently millions watched as I uttered my sentence of expertise.

Watching my reel really made me think of how much fun I have doing my job. I mean, it obviously not always a riot, but when it is, it's pretty cool. That doesn't mean I'm not working hard on becoming the next Scott Pelley. One day that job of his will be mine. But until then, joking around with Matthew Morrison and Ian Somerhalder just ain't that bad.

Anyhoo, welcome to my new home! Hope you enjoy it!

xoxo

March 21, 2010

Making "31" count apparently involves doing things that make you feel like you're a brace-wearing teenager again. But instead of feeling like the skeleton I am, I feel fat. I imagine every teenager feels fat and pimply regardless of their size.

Anyway, so I am taking a hosting class. As in, "Hi! This is Giuliana DiPandi! We have a great show for you tonight!" Yes, every sentence in followed by an exclamation point. That's just how it is. Unfortunately exclamation points make me sound like an idiot. To fight that I turn into the Princess of Darkness. (Because really, who doesn't want to hire an awkward, bitchy and slightly condescending co-host?) Like I said, I'm venturing out of my comfort zone.

What else? My non-human baby is growing, and soon it will be ready for public viewing. I'm so proud. But I don't want to get ahead of myself. Instead I'm going to practice smiling in front of a flip cam. [deep sigh...]

March 11, 2010

Tabula Rasa. I'm turning 31. Such a nonsense age. With 30 you reach a milestone, and realize that you know - if possible - less than you did at 20. At 20 you thought you knew everything. Well, Carita at 20 - you were wrong. But that's okay. We all learn.

I've made some promises to myself to make "31" count. Stop laughing. You made the exact same promises to yourself when you were my age. You can laugh when I turn 32. Until then, let me believe, like I did when I was 20, that the world could be conquered.

I'm putting the blog on hold (like you haven't noticed). It had become a little depressing. But no - not this year. This is the year I make "31" count. Stop laughing!