Lisa_Breckenridge's Blog

FOR ALL OF YOU WHO ARE PARENTS, ARE THINKING ABOUT BECOMING PARENTS, OR ARE JUST KINDA ON THE FENCE ABOUT THE WHOLE THING...YOU'VE GOTTA GO SEE THE ONE WOMAN SHOW MY HUSBAND I SAW LAST FRIDAY NIGHT.

IT'S CALLED "MAMAFIED" WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY SUSANNA BRISK.

BELIEVE ME GOING TO A SHOW ON A FRIDAY NIGHT AFTER A WEEK OF GETTING UP AT 2:45AM IS THE LAST THING I EVER WANT TO DO AS I AM SURE TO FALL ASLEEP AND EMBARRASS MYSELF...BUT I AM SO GLAD WE WENT, NOT ONLY DID I STAY AWAKE, WE LAUGHED THROUGH THE ENTIRE SHOW.

IT'S ABOUT MOTHERHOOD AND ALL THAT ENTAILS, THROUGH THE EYES OF THE GORGEOUS AND TALENTED SUSANNA.

THERE ARE ONLY TWO WEEKS LEFT OF THE SHOW, WHICH IS AT THE EDGEMAR CENTER FOR THE ARTS IN SANTA MONICA.

HERE'S A LINK TO THE SHOW INFO, PLUS A PHOTO OF SUSANNA, AND YES HER DRESS IS MADE OF PAMPERS!

www.mamafied.com

i am often asked while i am out and about, about the people i work with...with so many different people and personalities i suppose there's lots to wonder about.

one question i definetly get is this one: "is tony really that nice"...and the question is always yes...and i've got the photo to prove it.

this is tony hooking up my blue-tooth in my car last week! i was one of those people who waited until after the deadline to get it done (even though i had done stories for our newscast on the fact that the law was coming!).

so the day after the law went into effect jean and tony were teasing me on air that i hadn't done it...so i told tony he could do it...after the newscast he hunted me down, and hooked it up!!

so once again, yes he really is that nice!

i wanted to share my vacation photos with you...plus tell you about an amazing website where you can save up to 50-percent on lodging for your roman holiday (i found out about it after we got back from our trip...and with the way the euro/dollar is right now, this would be a great savings for you!!!)

check out: www.rentalinrome.com

now onto my trip:The best part was spending 10 whole days with my husband. He planned the entire trip and did a magnificent job! hope you have fun summer
plans!




this is andy and me walking down some quaint street in rome...we had just eaten at this
restaurant called SABATINI....so good!



here's our carriage ride home from the coliseum back to the hotel, we stayed at the st. regis, it was sooo lovely.



one of my favorite restaurants in Rome was DAL BOLOGNESE, i wanted to eat there
because i remember tom cruise and katie holmes had one of their pre-wedding
dinner parties there and it's his favorite place (okay yes i am a huge dork!) but it was
really really amazing!



after three days in rome, we headed to positano...this is a boat ride to the
hotel after a lovely beachside lunch.








this was our hotel LE SIRENUSE in Positano...it was stunning!

this next picture is in Ravello, outside the PALAZZO SASSO hotel...believe me after the car ride there, i was as green as the dress i am wearing...that road is not for the weak of heart!


Next we spent three days in Capri...we stayed at the
CASA MORGANA, again with the breathtaking views!



we did a lot of walking on the trip which was great considering the amount of great food
and wine consumed on the trip, one of our favorite places was quite a steep hike down (which of course meant straight uphill after lunch)...it's called LA FONTELINA the best lobster i've ever had!





one really fun thing about capri, they'll make little sandals for your while you
wait...i got mine at COSTANZO...i was really excited when i found out sarah jessica parker
got her's there as well...i bought one pair...she got 16!





Sorry for the blurry photo! but they are really pretty.

i don't think i was a teacher's pet...but i certainly had one teacher that helped shape my life starting in high school and continues to this day.
with this being the graduation season, it got me thinking about that teacher, his name is
Dr. Harold Crook....here's a picture of us at my high school graduation back in 1983!


he is currently the principal of newbury park adventist academy.
i still talk to him on the phone, and at least once or twice a year we get to have lunch.
he even performed my  wedding service.
teachers are such a wonderful gift...unfortunately in the biz i am in we often focus on the bad teachers, without giving the praise to the people who dedicate their lives to helping students achieve.
dr. crook was that person to me...he always saw the potential in a somewhat  insecure teenager....there's not enough time to go on with all that he did to help me become who i am today.
but it's my wish that everyone can have a dr. crook in their life!
what about you? any special teachers or mentors that made a difference?

ross the intern is living the dream!
he went from being an intern, grabbing the coffee and making copies on "the tonight show with jay leno" to being a correspondent for the show!

not only that, he's lost a ton of weight! and even has a squash dish named after him at koo-koo-roo!

he is so sweet and fun, his love of life is completely infectious!

he was on the show last week, then i interviewed him for our web extra.
here's the photo we took...plus the link to the interview as well, as i never actually could find it after we did it, so i figured if i couldn't find it, perhaps you couldn't.
 
Web Extra! Ross "The Intern"





hope you're having a great week.

also anyway feel like they're living the dream?

for myself, once i got in this biz i always dreamed of working at kcra tv in sacramento, i really dreamed about it, picturing myself there (and that was before any self help book told me that's what your supposed to do!) i got that job in sacramento at my dream station, even before i thought it could ever happen.

everything else has been the icing on the cake!
my dreams now pretty much center on raising the twins the best way possible and stealing little moments away with my husband.

here is my little photo diary from my "Sex and the City" trip to new york, it was a great and very quick trip, with a few travel hiccups!
first photo: here I am with every gal's favorite fashion icon! Sarah Jessica Parker.
In case you wonder what she's wearing, it's all from her own closet...a pair of purple nina ricci shoes...a vintage ungaro skirt...vintage belt...vintage liberty of london blouse...and massive diamonds from fred leighton which she practically covered up with the giant beads.
she was very sweet and offered to share her chai tea latter with me as i walked in for my interview as she was about to have some.




Kristen Davis is as stunning in person as she is on camera.
I've enjoyed watching her since her Melrose Place days.
She is wearing prada shoes with a dress from the "simply vera" collection at kohls...a great mix of high and low.



Mr. Big....otherwise known as Chris Noth...so charming and laid back...i was always one of the fans of the show keeping my fingers crossed that he and carrie would finally get it right...do they finally tie the knot in the movie...wish i could tell you...but my plane was soooo delayed i wasn't able to see the new york screening of the film! we were stuck on the plane for 8 hours or so....but we finally got to the city and i was still able to do the interviews with the cast!



Jennifer Hudson...the newbie! The oscar winning actress, former american idol contestant joins the cast as carrie's assistant....she even sings one of the songs on the movie's soundtrack. she sounds awesome, and even with all her success in such a short time, still seems to be really grounded.



Michael Patrick King wrote, directed and produced the movie...he is fantastic! he wanted me to sit on his lap for the photo, and then said afterwards thankfully she was stylish, can you imagine if she wasn't?...so i took that as his official sex and the city stamp of approval!



and finally, a photo with my dear sweet husband andy, who flew all the way to new york with me...even though i was working all the time doing the junkets for two movies, in addition to "sex and the city", i also covered the "narnia, prince caspian" junket...he made sure we had lots of fun dinner and brunch reservations, this photo from outside "joe allen's" a famous place to eat and drink prior to or after the theater....we also ate at "the waverly inn", it's one of those places where there isn't even a published phone number....it was quite the scene and very fun!

yes that's my cheesy attempt to grab your attention...but i actually have been thinking about sex, a lot lately!

before my husband gets to excited, I am actually referring to the upcoming "sex and the city" movie.

this weekend i am flying to new york to screen the movie and interview all the stars, i am beyond excited, it's by far one of my all time favorite shows, never missed an episode, seen most of them at least twice in fact.

when i told the esteemed steve edwards i was going he laughed and said he was already sick of the over coverage of the movie, i told him he better get prepared i plan on doing atleast 17 more stories before it comes out...steve i hope you respond!

what about you guys did you like the show? could you relate to it? the fashions, the sex talk, the relationship issues?

i always enjoyed the fashion and how the show depicted the city, which was of course referred to as the fifth cast member.

and most women could relate to the characters in one way or another....who were you? i think i was always a cross between carrie and charlotte.

anyway, i have my perfect new outfit and shoes picked out....i am taking my camera, and i'll post my sex and the city diary next week!...i am also seeing the movie and doing the interviews for the prince caspian, so i'll let you know about that as well!

i rarely find a good bargain, just ask my husband! although i will say the dress i wore to the oscars was a "marchesa" and it was 70 percent off, it's the pink dress in the photos on my photo page.

in today's lisa's l.a. we featured this adorable shop...it's called "shareen's vintage" a random little shop in a warehouse in east l.a.

think "sex and the city", that's the type of clothing you'll find here...and the dresses are all around 30-bucks...no kidding...plus on the 3rd saturday of every month, the clothing is priced at just 1 to 3 bucks!!!!

here are the links to 2 of the stories we did...plus before you check them out, please tell me about any great bargains you know about...every wednesday we're trying to feature great deals for all of you, and we're always looking for great stories...so please send those in....now here are the links...followed by the address etc...

Lisa's LA: Shareen's Vintage
Lisa's LA: Great Bargains at Shareen's Vintage

350 N. Ave 21
LA, CA  90031
(323) 276-6226 Store
http://www.shareenvintage.com

happy shopping and keep those ideas coming!

every day i know one thing for sure...i am a very lucky girl!...okay maybe not so much a girl anymore as a woman about to turn 43! yikes!  And i am sure steve edwards would say to me why do you tell people your age, oh well,  back to feeling lucky.

here's just one of the reasons i feel that way: My husband!
I know on air he is often the butt of our jokes, most people if they watch the show know we have to sleep in different rooms as our work schedules are so different, that we never get to see each other, except for weekends, the list goes on.

but i will tell you he is one exceptional man and the perfect one for me.
just this week he brought me home my favorite banana chocolate cupcakes from sprinkles, it's the little things that always remind me that he is constantly thinking of ways to make me happy and feel loved.

he is also one of the funniest men i know, there isn't a day that goes by that he's not making me laugh...and he's also taught me not to take myself so seriously...

and i love seeing how he's grown as a daddy! infact i was thinking of posting a photo from our easter egg hunt this past weekend with the kids, but i think he would kill me as he was running around wearing bunny ears!

anyway, i hope you all have someone that helps make you feel lucky! i am sure there are "experts" out there who would say we should feel that way on our own, but i'll tell you there's nothing like having a partner in life that gives you that feeling!

hey there,
you know how that fasten your seat belt light comes on during a flight...it indicates there could be some bumpy patches ahead...that's always pretty much how it feels before starting good day l.a.

dorothy is off, so i am filling in.

and if you're a viewer of the show you know it's unlike any thing else on t.v.

what we do from 5-7am is always live, and mistakes and wrong tapes can happen at any given time.

but on good day l.a. you never know what could go wrong, or right, and sometimes going wrong is going right, you know what i mean?

anyway, with only 5 hours of sleep under  my belt thanks to watching 2 hours of american idol (so i could be sure to give you the in-depth reporting your used to with dorothy)...and my little boy waking up at some un-godly hour (i tend not to look at the clock during the middle of the night, otherwise i start obsessing on how little sleep i am actually getting)...i am almost ready for "the big show".

i'll check back in after the show to see how bad the bumps and bruises are...and to offer any dish from our guests...we've got geraldo and danny bonaduce on!

oh,  and i think in my last blog i mentioned taking monday off, ben & elsie turned 3! hard to believe, it was really fun, there was lots of laughing and crying, and that was just me!!!!

hey all,
wanted to catch up with some of your recent postings
(is that the right blog term? i am still so new to this all).

so aurora, send me your info you never know what could happen!
stranger things have happened, i met my dear husband when he came out to talk with me while i was covering a fatal accident on p.c.h.

sebar, yes i agree with you about liz, i love to see how see looks as well, such a pretty woman, and like most ladies it's always fun to see what everyone is wearing and how their hair and makeup looks!
beyond that she does a great job!

robin, yes elsie is my little princess!!!!
and ben reminds me he is my race car driver (that's what he tells me when i say he's my prince!
so tell me about you, your a telephone psychic? how does that work? don't you have to be in the person's presence? i once did a story while i worked in reno on a woman who was helping solve a murder. she was able to tell things about you by holding something of yours (she held my watch) some of the things made me laugh as she said some obvious things about my family (the watch was a rolex by the way)...but then some of the other things she said were right on, stuff like a scar on my knee from a sking accident that she could have no way of knowing...very interesting...
also almost two years ago right after my mother in law passed away, char came on the show and i ended up big time crying as she knew all about it (contrary to all the teasing the team here gives me, i don't think i cry more than anyone else here) although that day it was big time ugly cry on t.v....nice.

shalimar, very sweet you made my day...as you did too, d-rizzo!

auto bob, for the life of me, or anyone else here for that matter i don't remember a story with people wearing spandex, and we all love a good spandex story!

and finally mdgal, yes jose' and his team and really wonderful, i have to tell you monday as you know is typically the weekend for people in the hair industry, it's their day off...yet inspite of that jose' and the crew drive all over southern california with us, giving us their time and talent to help our viewers, they don't get paid for it at all...and the time constraints and even honestly some of the conditions we walk into are clearly not ideal, and yet they are always there smiling excited to do it. it's truely a blessing to be with them each week.
and here's a little secret....NEXT WEEKS MAKEOVER YOU JUST CAN'T MISS!!!!! it's really a truely special one, and unfortunately i'll be missing it. but it's for a really good reason, my little ones are turning 3 on monday so i am taking the day off to be with them all day long...3 years!!! i can't believe it, i feel like i've learned so much, changed so much, and had my life filled with so much love since those babies were born!

okay that's it for now!

most people hate monday mornings, the whole back to the grind thing.
i myself used to get the sunday night blues, knowing that the weekend was over and back to that 2:30am wake up call.

but now i love mondays, in fact it just may be one of my favorite days of the week.
you see, every monday morning after my 5-7am show, i jumped in my car and head off to hopefully give someone a much needed surpise and makeover!

we've teamed up with the legendary hair guru jose eber and his wonderful team, and we knock on someone's door and spend the next 45 minutes working a little magic.

i don't choose the makeover candidates, they are submitted by friends, family, and co-workers who think their loved one needs a little changing...then one of our esteemed producers, steve, picks which one we're doing.

we never really know what we're walking into, most people seem to be truely caught off guard., and all seem truely thankful for the time we've spent with them.

one of my favorite ones came just a week ago, it was the day after the oscars so i was really tired and not completely thrilled to be driving all the way to oxnard, but i knew it was going to be too good to miss.

here is part of the letter we got from melissa's day jerry nominating her:
"at the age of 8...this now 22 year old girl was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor.
melissa has undergone brain surgery...radiation and chemo which has kept the tumor in check...
she's started a project in which she makes and donates bracelets for cancer survivors.
this young girl has gone through so much that this make over would be such a pcik me up for her."

what we found was a truely remarkable young lady who still has plenty more treatments ahead of her, she is also legally blind.

here is the link to the makeover:  Knock, Knock Makeover: Melissa McClelland

and here is the email to purchase the bracelets from melissa:
mimimclelland@hotmail.com

a really lovely family! but then again we meet so many lovely people, and during the hour we're in someone's home, it's always nice to be focusing on the good in life, when so much around us isn't.

have a great week...my blog day is wednesdays now!

MY OSCAR PREP STARTED EARLY THANKS TO MY ALARM CLOCK IN THE FORM OF BEN AND ELSIE MY TWINS...THEY WOKE AT 6:15AM....I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED ABOUT 3 MORE HOURS OF SLEEP, BUT CUDDLING WITH THEM WAS THE BEST PART OF THE DAY...
EVEN BETTER THAN MY GEORGE CLOONEY KISS!

SO MY HUSBAND HATES AWARD SHOW DAYS, AS I AM A TOTAL MESS ABOUT MY HAIR AND MAKEUP WHICH I TYPICALLY DO MYSELF...THIS YEAR I GAVE HIM A GIANT PASS AND WENT INTO THE STATION AND HAD THE SPECIAL EFFECTS DEPARTMENT WORK THEIR MAGIC...THIS IS TAMI IN MAKEUP...GETTING RID OF THOSE MOMMY EYES!



NOW INTO HAIR AND DOTTIE...GIVING ME A CHANCE FOR SOME LAST MINUTE CRAMMING!...BOTH TAMI AND DOTTIE WORK ON THE LADIES FROM "DEAL OR NO DEAL" SO I WAS IN GOOD HANDS!!!


HERE'S THE FINISHED PRODUCT...WITH TIM GUNN FROM "PROJECT RUNWAY"....HE ASKED WHO DID MY DRESS...IT'S MARCHESA , I BOUGHT IT LAST WEEK MAJORLY ON SALE!!! AND HE SAID IT WAS FANTASTIC, LOVED THE COLOR. I BORROWED THE EARRINGS AND NECKLACE FROM CABACHON IN SANTA MONICA...THE REST OF THE JEWELS FROM MY LOVELY HUSBAND.



HERE'S GINO, MY PHOTOGRAPHER, HE DID ALL THE HEAVY LIFTING, HE HAD THAT CAMERA ON HIS SHOULDER FOR 2 1/2 SOLID HOURS AND DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB...IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO HEAR WHATS GOING ON WITH ALL THE SCREAMING, BUT HE NEVER FAILS...I STARTED TO COMPLAIN ABOUT MY SORE FEET AND BACK FROM STANDING IN 3 INCH HEELS, AND THEN QUICKLY REALIZED I SHOULD JUST BE QUIET!



DEBORAH NORVILLE WAS STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO ME, AND AS I'VE ALWAYS ADMIRED HER, I COMPLETELY DORKED OUT AND ASKED FOR A PHOTO...WE REALLY HAD FUN WAITING FOR THE STARS TO ARRIVE...THE RED CARPET OPENS AT 3PM...BUT THE STARS REALLY DIDN'T START ARRIVING UNTIL THE LAST HOUR, AND THEN IT'S GANG BUSTERS!



AT THE TIME HE DIDN'T KNOW HE WOULD BE WINNING BEST ACTOR, ALTHOUGH I THINK EVERYONE ELSE KNEW HE WAS A SHOE-IN....HE SAID IT WAS NERVE-WRACKING BUT AN EXPERIENCE YOU NEVER FORGET!



AND THE FABULOUS MR. CLOONEY...I BELIEVE HE HAS SUCH RESPECT FOR THE MEDIA, AND ALWAYS TAKES TIME TO TALK TO EVERYONE (YOU PROBABLY KNOW HIS DAD WAS A NEWSCASTER)...SO I THINK HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE GET'S A LITTLE SOMETHING FROM HIM.
THIS YEAR HE BROUGHT HIS GIRLFRIEND SARAH WHO WAS WEARING A VALENTINO GOWN, WHEN I ASKED HOW SHE KEEPS HE GROUNDED, SHE REPLIED I GIVE HIM ALCOHOL!
HE GAVE ME A KISS!!!! WHICH IF YOU SEE MY STORY WE REPLAYED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!






THE DEAR RUBY DEE...SHE WAS SURROUNDED BY HER GRANDCHILDREN AND SAID THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE WAS SUCH A HEADY ONE...IN ALL HER YEARS SHE'S NEVER BEEN TO THE OSCARS! I TRULY BELIEVE SHE ENJOYED EVERY SECOND OF THE LEAD UP TO THE BIG EVENT.



WE'RE FINALLY DONE!!!! THIS IS MY FIELD PRODUCER ATHENIA, WHO WAS SUCH A LIFE SAVER! SHE MADE GREAT CHEAT SHEETS FOR ME! AND REALLY PUT TOGETHER A GREAT FASHION MONTAGE FOR MY RED CARPET PIECE...YOU'VE GOT TO CHECK IT OUT!

Hi there,
sorry it's been so long since i've blogged...it's crazy how busy we get with our own lives...and for me trying to balance work and mom to 2 1/2 year old twins!

but today i couldn't pass up the chance to ask you to watch a story i did!

i know the morning show may be a bit early for some of you, so i wanted to make sure you didn't miss my lisa's l.a. segment from today.

it's called "danny's farm"...i hope you take the time to watch it and i know if you do, you'll feel inspired.

it was a true honor to meet the gott family...in the words of jim gott (yes he is the former pitcher for the dodgers), once you go through the grieving process you take action and do what needs to be done not only for your family, but to hopefully help others.

they are definetly making a difference for countless people!

you'll find the story under the entertainment tab, and then go to the lisa's l.a. tab.

enjoy, and all the best this week of thanksgiving to you and your family!

me!

hey there,
did you see it or did you blink? last night i was on hbo's "entourage"...no i wasn't the topless girl in the hot-tub, i was playing myself...and i was on screen for about 5 seconds, and then you could hear my voice after that...but boy did we make the most of those 5 seconds.

the whole thing was a blast, the day i went to shoot the episode they gave me my own trailer, and one of the highlights was having the two kevin's "drama" and "e" come knock on my door and welcome me.

i was pretty nervous that day, when i drove onto the lot which was actually the parking lot at lax that day, one of the parking attendants recognized me from work. i told him how nervous i was and he said why? this is pretend stuff and what you do is the real thing everyday...that kinda put it in perspective i guess.

but of course in my household we made a big old deal about it, had family and friends over...even dorothy her husband and adorable son nash came over (he was so cute playing with my little ones as the show was completely appropriate for them)...and one of our producer's the other lisa b. and her boyfriend came over...anyway we clapped and cheered not only for my 5 seconds but also to see my name in the credits...silly i know given that some weeks i can be working on live-television for 25 hours! but still it was so much fun and i hope you get to see the episode!

i was wondering how many of you have had your "5 seconds of fame"? would love to hear about your hollywood moments, auditions that type of thing! 

thanks for all your funny responses last week!