FIDM Debut 2010 Runway Show

It’s on the calendar every year. Those with a passion for fashion on the west coast anxiously await for the Fashion Week every March.

One of the treats leading up to Fashion Week is the FIDM Debut Runway show. It’s an exciting time for the students at FIDM, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles.  Over 10,000 people view the invitation-only runway show over a period of 3 days.

I attended the dress rehearsal along with other members of the Costume Council of LACMA as one our annual events.

The theme this year included FIDM’s Theatre Costume Design presentation: “FIDM goes to the movies – A Tribute to Judy and Liza,” complete with 2 Judy and Liza impersonators, a chorus line,  and film clips from their famous movies including, Easter Parade and The Wizard of Oz.

The event is supported by Industry Leaders and the business community. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the FIDM Scholarship Foundation. The event showcases exciting and unique collections from FIDM’s graduating students in Fashion Design, Theatre Costume Design, Interior Design, Textile Design, and Graphic Design Advanced Study Program.

Along with the excitement and festivities for Fall Fashion Week scheduled for March 17-24, 2010, I think I’ll do a bit of spring cleaning in my closet.

Love Hurts, or Does It? A Night of Dating Advice

There’s no shortage of dating advice these days. This week Angelenos were treated to a night to laughter, dating advice, and charity as 826LA, a non-profit writing and tutoring center for children ages 6-12 presented, “Love Hurts: Ask the Experts.”

The event was moderated by Time magazine’s funny man Joel Stein. Featured authors included Greg Behrendt, from He’s Just Not That Into You fame along with Lori Gottlieb, author of the bestseller, Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough and Sascha Rothchild, whose book, How to Get Divorced by 30: My Misguided Attempt at a Starter Marriage
was released earlier this year.

It was interesting to note that both of the men on stage were married and both women were not.

Gottlieb’s book has received a lot of attention and criticism from feminists as well as those who never actually read the book who jumped to conclusion that “settling” was a bad decision before picking up their copy.

Views on Marriage

When the group was asked about their views of marriage, Rothchild said she would like to get married again, but won’t get divorced if she can help it. She added that many get married to wear a beautiful dress and get wedding gifts.

Behrendt told the group that he is not a relationship expert. He wrote two books about how to get out of relationships so he thought he wouldn’t be the one to know how to get in them. He suggested that singles go to Las Vegas to make their relationship legal and have a party in front of your friends. When asked why he got married, he replied with, “I got married because my wife wanted to get married. I didn’t want to lose her.” He says that marriage works for him.

Gottlieb said she went directly to experts to find out what really matters for love, long term happiness and got some answers. . She said she felt like a dating guinea pig and tried out their advice to try to get to the altar. Her findings are written in her well-researched book.

“Settling for Mr. Good Enough does not mean that you are settling with someone who you are not attracted to,” said Gottlieb. She added,  ”We rule out too many people. Good enough is everybody’s Mr./Ms. Good enough.”  The bestselling author says that bow-ties are hot. So are men named Sheldon. She admits that she didn’t use to feel that way.

Rothchild says if you are going into a marriage thinking it will make you happy, you will be disappointed. She hates the line, “You will complete me.” She added, “If two half-people meet up they will be miserable. You can’t expect someone to make you happy.”

Views on Online Dating

According to Rothchild,  online dating works for some people. She likes to get a sense of someone in person and isn’t a huge fan of the system. “You get an immediate vibe about a person when you meet him,” said Rothchild. She added, “You can feel if he is he crazy or not. With online dating,  you don’t get that.” Rothchild said she likes to meet people out playing poker. She met her current boyfriend at a poker game.  Her dating advice to singles, “If you like surfing, go surf. Meet other people who like what you like. Go up to a guy and say hi! If he’s available he’ll say hi back, its that easy.”

Gottlieb says he has to do online dating as she never leaves the house.  She learned that women often rule people out real quickly. She made the analogy of shopping online at Banana Republic where after you buy a blouse online, you are sent to a page to show you other blouses you can purchase.  She referred to the online dating site Match.com in her comparison. On Match, you write an email to someone you carefully select and suddenly you receive a thank you with five other men you should consider after selecting your favorite guy.

What the group all agreed on is dating has changed. According to Behrendt, “As a society, we don’t date as a ritual anymore. There’s hook-ups and casual dates. Years ago we went on dates because we didn’t [have sex] so we ate, danced, and had big band music.”

After the panel, I had the opportunity to personally interview Lori Gottlieb about why she felt so misunderstood by some of her critics of her book.  You can read the article: Marry Him: A Conversation With Lori Gottlieb on Huffington Post.

Julie Spira is known worldwide as The Cyber-Dating Expert. She is the author of The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com.

Dating Advice – What’s Love Got to Do With It?

It was a very special Second Sunday at An Empowered Woman where we celebrated the annual Valentine’s luncheon at Mountaingate Country Club in Bel Air.

Desiree Doubrox created a fun day with a Love Panel.  The theme was “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” and I was invited to speak along with Dr. Pat Allen,  who talked about her relationship theories from her two books, Getting to “I Do” and The Truth About Men Will Piss You Off and Cougar Dating Expert, Lucia who told us about the benefits of older women dating younger men. After receiving expert dating advice, we were all treated to the “Male Panel” where guys told the women EXACTLY what love meant to them and what made a woman sexy. The empowered male panel included the Jazz Balladeer Caesar, Sonny Dominguez who has been dating cougar women for 8 years, and hypnotherapist, Gerry Grossman.

Some of the descriptions from the men included confident, charming, and a warm welcoming smile.

Those who were in attendance had the opportunity to interact with the speakers in a lively discussion and do a little last-minute Valentine’s shopping before the big night. I was signing copies of my book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online and enjoyed sharing my stories with the group. With the rising popularity of online dating, it was no surprise that over 60% of the women in the audience had visited an online dating site.

Cyberdating is no longer for those dating-challenged. The room was filled with successful entrepreneurial women who are busy executives looking for love online.

Cougar dating expert, Lucia will be a guest on an upcoming edition of Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert Radio Show on February 27, 2010. I will be joining her on her show, The Art of Love on March 7, 2010.

Now that Valentine’s Day is over, are you ready for spring fever? It’s just around the corner.

Julie Spira is known worldwide as The Cyber-Dating Expert™. She is the author of The Perils of CyberDating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com.

The Life of The Cyber Dating Expert

Having a career as a writer and dating advice columnist allows me to meet interesting people.  I hear about their quests to find love online. I share their success stories in the Cyber Love Story of the Week. I write about their dating disasters in the Peril of the Week. I interview interesting people in the world of online dating. I love my life.

Often, I am asked about my personal life. Many wonder who am I currently dating. They ask me if I have met someone online. I have met hundreds.  They want to know what online dating sites I recommend. I answer with, “There’s something for everyone.” I hear, “What was your best date?” and “What was your worst date?” Sharing personal information with the popularity of Facebook and other social networking sites has not only become the norm, but it has become expected. Years ago it would have been considered exploitation. Now it is fondly known as status updates and tweets, filled with friends, connections, and followers.

As I sit here on the one-year anniversary of my first published book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online, I reflect on why I felt the need to share my personal stories and why I became so passionate about helping others find love on the web.

It was 16 years ago when I posted my first online dating profile. I was a charter member of Love@AOL. It was before the days of Match.com and high-speed Internet. I learned then, as I know now, the vast opportunities that can be found on the Internet. I was a former radio broadcaster, turned Internet executive. Along the way, I became a super-successful cyberdater.

I reinvented my former radio career and every Saturday enjoy interviewing online dating CEOs and bestselling relationship authors on Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert Radio Show where I educate singles on all the options on finding love online.

Although I made the conscious decision to reveal very personal stories– some which were extremely painful, others hilarious, and some heartfelt, I have also made the decision to keep my present personal life private, for a while at least.

For now, I will continue writing about dating, love and romance in a Web 2.0 World. I am appreciative for the many online dating sites that feature my articles. I have a whole new group of friends who are authors and dating experts. I enjoy educating and entertaining my audience. I am often told that I have made a difference in the lives of singles who can relate to my stories. I help people fall in love online. My personal experience and advice has touched many. This brings me joy.

On this very important one-year anniversary of my book release and radio show launch, I am very grateful. As I read  the two Los Angeles Times articles today written by Whitney Friedlander called, Make it personal, keep it real and Finding the Right Online Dating Service, where I provided dating advice on Valentine’s Day, I know that I made the right decision in publishing my tell-all memoir. In the manner that I normally end my radio show, I will end this article as well with, “I look forward to seeing you in cyberspace.”

Julie Spira is known worldwide as The Cyber-Dating Expert. She is the author of The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com

The Beverly Hills Women’s Club Valentine’s Lunch

Although this was the busiest week of the year for me with numerous Valentine’s interviews, I took a break from my schedule to attend the annual Beverly Hills Women’s Club Valentine’s Lunch.

This year, our featured speaker was Dr. Pat Allen, author of Getting to “I Do” and The Truth About Love Will Set You Free. The 75-year old relationship expert says she now has a handful of men, although she admits she’s not a regular cougar–well almost. She did mention a 49-year old chap in passing.  The relationship expert pointed out to the members, that “A disco is not a waltz.” She added, “Ginger did everything Fred did, but backwards, in high-heels, and in a long dress.”

Members of the BHWC were inspired by Dr.Pat Allen, but together we celebrated the Beverly Hills Women’s Club historic cookbook, Fashions in Food originally published in 1929. The celebrity cookbook is filled with recipes from Old Hollywood stars including Joan Crawford, Carol Lombard, Fannie Brice, and Will Rogers. One of the dishes we were treated to at the luncheon was Mary Pickford’s Chicken Marco Polo recipe. The Food Network was on site taping the event which will air in April 2010.

If you missed the event, Dr. Pat Allen and I will be featured on The Love Panel on Valentine’s Day at An Empowered Woman’s Second Sunday Series.

To reserve tickets, click here>>>

Happy Valentine’s everyone!

Julie Spira is known world-wide as The Cyber-Dating Expert. She is the author of the Internet dating book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com

iDate Update – The Internet Dating Conference

Once again I had the pleasure of attending the Internet Dating Conference which was held in Miami Beach last week.

The highlight this year was the first-annual iDate Awards where both industry leaders and the public had the opportunity to vote on their favorite online dating sites.

At the black-tie event, the industry winners were announced which included:

• Best Dating Site - Match.com
• Best Up and Coming Site - Zoosk.com
• Most Innovative Company - OkCupid
• Best Marketing Campaign - eHarmony.com
• Best Dating Site Design - Match.com
• Best Mobile Dating Site - Zoosk.com
• Best Matchmaker – Julie Ferman, CupidsCoach.com
• Best New Technology - Iovation.com
• Best Payment System - Paypal.com
• Best Affiliate Program - Friendfinder.com
• Best Dating Software Provider - WhiteLabelDating.com

The next iDate conference will be held on June 17-18, 2010 in Miami Beach. I’m secretly hoping that CyberDatingExpert.com gets nominated for an honorable mention.

Julie Spira is known worldwide as The Cyber-Dating Expert. She is the author of the bestseller, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her atCyberDatingExpert.com

Read full article on Examiner.com

I’m in Heaven – Kirsten Dunst Honored at The Art of Elysium Gala

It was a pre-Golden Globes Red Carpet event in Beverly Hills to support children through the world of art. The 3rd annual Heaven Gala by The Art of Elysium raised over 1.25 million dollars to support over 700,000 children this year. The organization was started 12 years ago when founder, Jennifer K. Howell asked some artists that she knew to get involved with the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.

The event honored artist Shepard Fairey with the 2010 Visionary Award. Actress Kirsten Dunst received the 2010 Spirit of Elysium Award. She shared her story with us on how much her help for the children has affected her in a positive way. Every year she gets involved with a children’s play at Christmastime and told me she believes she receives much more than she gives from the hearts of the children she serves.

Guests mingled in the outdoor cocktail hour and I spoke with Dita Von Teese who has a book coming out, Rumor Willis who looks like a spitting image of her mother – Demi Moore, my friend Downtown Julie Brown, and Gilt founder Alexis Maybank whose discount fashion shopping site now has 2 million members.  Other celebrity guests included Ashley Olsen, Kate Bosworth, Topher Grace, Marisa Tomei, Nicole Richie, Jessica Alba, Adam Lambert, Rachel Bilson, and David Spade.

After dinner and the awards, we were treated to a post-party concert with rock-legend Billy Idol.

Congratulations to Chairman of the Board, Ryan Kavanaugh from Relativity Media, The Art of Elysium founder, Jennifer Howell, and the host committee for Heaven on creating a spectatular successful event and for bringing joy and smiles to the children who are hospitalized.

The Art of Elysium is a non-profit 501 (C) (3) organization founded in 1997. They encourage working actors, artists and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions. They provide artistic workshops in acting, art, comedy, fashion, music, radio, songwriting, and creative writing. The Art of Elysium’s Pieces of Heaven Art Auction which will be held on March 4, 2010 in West Hollywood.

Julie Spira is known worldwide as The Cyber-Dating Expert™. She is the author of the bestseller, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com

An Empowered Day with Les Brown

Every year Desiree Doubrox, founder of An Empowered Woman starts the year off on a positive note. This year was more inspirational than most. The featured guest was motivational speaker, Les Brown and the theme was “I’m going to win in 2010.”

Brown, who is known as one of the world’s top 5 speakers, said it was an honor to be the first male speaker at the mostly attended female event.

The event started with a pep talk from Desiree where she asked, “If failure was not an option, what would you do?” She added, “You earn, you learn, you pass it on.” Some of the women in the group have reinvented themselves with titles such as “personal biographer”and “virtual bookkeeper.” Many of the women shared their stories of their personal and professional reinventions.

Les Brown started his presentation with a tribute to his mother. He described how he grew up in a poor section of Miami. His goal was to be able to buy his mother a home someday. Not only did he achieve this, but he successfully has earned over 50 million dollars in his career as a motivational speaker. He instructed the group to say out loud, “It’s your time to win in 2010″ to the others seated at our table. He told the group to decide, believe, take action.

Brown is the author of the highly acclaimed books, “Live Your Dreams,” “Up Thoughts for Down Times” and “It’s Not Over Until You Win.”  He is the former host of “The Les Brown Show,” a nationally syndicated daily talk show that focused on solutions rather than problems.

An Empowered Woman is a community for women that includes Second Sunday events, mastermind calls, and gives tools for women to be successful in business. Mark your calendars for Valentine’s Day. On February 14th, Second Sunday will be held again at Mountaingate Country Club in Bel Air. The topic is “What’s Love Got to do With It?” I’ll be a featured guest on the panel talking about my favorite subject, finding love online.

Julie Spira is known worldwide as The Cyber-Dating Expert. She is the author of the bestseller, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online.  Visit her at Cyberdating Expert.com

The Ball – A Holiday Celebration that Helped the Elderly

The Ball in Hollywood

Angelenos of all ages enjoyed a Christmas Eve celebration in Hollywood.  LetMyPeopleGo.com in conjunction with The Guardians, a support group for The Jewish Home for the Aging hosted 1000 singles at the trendy Opera and Crimson clubs in the heart of Hollywood.

According to Star Magazine, “When Hollywood’s elite want a wild night on the town, they hit the hottest clubs in LA: Opera and Crimson. The two hot spots are livening up LA’s night scene with a virtual playground for A-listers.”

The list of attendees ran the gamut from A-Z, but the crowd was mostly a 30-40ish well-heeled and well-educated group looking to connect over the holidays.

The Ball, now a bi-coastal party, raised over $12,000 for the frail seniors that reside in the home.

The Guardians Director, Norman Fishman and Julie Spira

Norman R. Fishman, Executive Director of The Guardians, was enthusiastic about the support the younger generation was generating that evening. He explained in great detail about their Adopt a Parent Program, where for $39 a day, one can make a difference in the lives of their elderly residents with creative arts programs, concerts, and state-of -the art medical equipment.

Inside, there were multiple dance floors and beautiful people looking for something fun to do on Christmas Eve. I asked one single man how he found out about the event. He said he did a simple Google search for “Christmas Eve Party Los Angeles,” and The Ball appeared on his computer screen. He came in anticipation of meeting a nice Jewish woman, as his 8-year relationship with the girl he met on AOL had ended in 2009. Another single man talked about his career as an Investment Banker and said he was a huge fan of Martha Stewart. He referred to Stewart as a “very a nice person.”

Another man had a list of three singles’ parties in Los Angeles that he was planning to attend on the same night. This was his second stop. The mood was festive and I caught one couple who didn’t need the mistletoe to enjoy their Christmas Eve kiss.

Although this was the second year that The Ball partnered with The Guardians in Los Angeles, their New York event on the same evening celebrated their 14th year of Christmas Eve parties. Singles could club-hop, complete with rented Hummers to take them from door-to-door to five different venues in Manhattan.

If you missed The Ball, mark your calendar for March 18, 2010 for The Guardian’s 15th Annual March Madness Poker Tournament at Hollywood Park Casino.

Julie Spira is the author of The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com

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Christmas in Los Angeles – The Mark and Brian Christmas Show

Dec 24th

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Christmas in L.A.

As a former east coast girl who enjoyed watching the tree-lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center, ice-skaing at the same locale, seeing the Follies at Radio City Music Hall and the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, you would think I’d be melancholy around the holidays in Los Angeles with nothing to do.

This year, I put on my elf hat, thought about all of the new friends I have made (both online and in real life), and have been nothing but grateful to those who have cheered me on in this pivotal year of my life.

When the Nokia Theatre opened at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles just two years ago, I was there for the opening night celebration. The Eagles and Dixie Chicks performed at the new 7100-seat venue, while the rest of the neighborhood was still under construction. There was only a temporary tent set up for the Wolfgang Puck Cafe and it was standing-room only.

Julie at the KLOS Mark and Brian Christmas Show

Last week, I attended the Mark and Brian Christmas concert presented by KLOS at LA Live. The famous morning show duo had taken a four-year break from hosting this exciting event. LA Live was more than just alive. Now filled with famous eateries such as Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar,  Katsuya, Lawry’s Carvery, ROCK’N FISH,  Rosas Mexicano, and numerous others, it was difficult to decide where to dine before the concert began. I chose Katsuya and enjoyed their Happy Hour menu.

Other anchor tenants at LA Live include The Grammy Museum, Lucky Strike Lanes, the Conga Room, and of course next door, The Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Kings hockey team and the Lakers basketball team.

Ice Skating at L.A. Live

Outside LA Live was stunningly beautiful. The holiday lights, ice-skaters, and Christmas tree –not bad for a city where it doesn’t snow.

Inside, the concert was a rock and roll night to remember. The evening, featured performances from Matt Nathanson, who sang his hit “Come Get Higher” and performed his rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.”

Luke Perry

Beverly Hills 90210 star Luke Perry came on stage to drop the yuletide log and after a year of anticipation from KLOS fans, they finally selected their new Music Director, live and on stage. I enjoyed the rocking sounds of Fee Waybil, lead singer from The Tubes singing “Talk to Ya Later” followed by his rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.” Let’s not forget an appearance by Slash and Steve Lukather from Toto. Have I forgotten anyone?

Richie Sambora clearly stole the show and I enjoyed his version of “With a Little Help from my Friends.”  That was, until Foreigner took the stage with their string of hits from 30 years ago including,  ”Double Vision”, “Head Games”,  ”Cold as Ice”, ”Feels Like the First Time”, “Urgent”, “Jukebox Hero”, “Long, Long Way from Home” and another Led Zeppelin song, “Whole Lotta Love.” Their lead singer, Kelly Hansen  has certainly revitalized the group with his on-stage energy. The night ended with a performance from Heart. It was a long evening, but memories of my life back east came to the surface as I had played those songs on the radio when I,  too was a rock and roll D.J. back in New York.

Congratulations to my friend, Bob Buchmann – Program Director for KLOS and to Mark and Brian for bringing the Christmas show back to Los Angeles. It was a wonderful way to start the holidays.

It’s nice to look back on these memories and create new ones, decades later with a little help from MY friends.

Happy holidays to you and yours and all the best for 2010.

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