If Moms Ruled the Airwaves...

Okay, so some moms are Sharon Osborne and some are June Cleaver. Still, you have to think TV might be more worth watching if there were more moms at the helm. Better language, better plots, a lot fewer interruptions, and a lot less wasted time.

Let me introduce you to my friend Leslie Owens, who wants to claim her 15 minutes (well, she'd prefer 13 weeks!) of fame. Leslie took advantage of a recent opportunity offered by Oprah to plead her case for hosting a talk show on Oprah's forthcoming new TV network. She sent in an audition tape describing why Oprah should give her a show and is now hoping she'll get that chance.

Leslie lives in Greenville, SC, is married to one of the world's truly great men, and has one of the world's cutest little boys. She's pretty, perky, smart, funny, knows what it's like to balance family and work, is kind to her fellow man, and wants to make the world a better place for her child. Now, really, what more could you WANT in a talk show host?! I'm thinking she could take on Jon Stewart, Bill O'Reilly, and Jay Leno and never break a sweat.

In Leslie's words, however, she's "about five million votes behind," with less than a week of voting to go. I don't think I know five million people but, hey, with a little loaves-and-fishes magic, anything can happen, so I thought if I told you about Leslie, you might be willing to vote for this All American Mom and ask your friends to vote for her, too, because, gee, wouldn't it be nice to have at least ONE hour a day when you don't have to worry if the TV's on while your kids--or YOUR mom!--are in the room?

I asked Leslie to share some of the ideas she has for her show:

Why do you think you'd be successful as a TV talk show hostess?
Because I am passionate about creating a better world for my son and I know every other mom feels the same way about their child. Can you believe there is not already a show for us? Plus I can ‘get my blab on’ with anyone and have a great time in front of the camera. I want to create a show that is educational and interesting and gives every mom a much needed break and a treat just for her--so she can say, “Everyone leave Mommy alone for a little while; I'm going to watch my show!”

Who would you have as your first guest if Oprah's new network gives you your own talk show? Sandra Bullock - she is a new single mom with lots of challenges.

Your video references going into moms' homes to help out with "honey don't" lists. What kinds of tasks do you envision doing?
Organizing areas for book bags, coats, bikes, toys, play rooms, etc.
Cleaning up the garage, backyard or spare room for a safe play area.
Changing fixtures, curtains, bedding, or painting mom's bed/bathroom to help make her space special!

Taking a deserving mom out for a new outfit and arranging a night out on the town for her.

What other regular "features" do you think you might have on your show? I have a million show ideas because, as a mom, you need help with pregnancy, toddlers, teenagers, and it goes on and on. More importantly, my show is about finding out what other moms need help with right now!

I would like to work with the National Center for Missing & Exploited children and feature a missing child on every show. I would also like to have moms send in nanny-cam videos showcasing exceptional and inexcusable child care provider behavior.

Name six people you'd love to interview on your show.
Michele Obama
Jenny McCarthy
Brooke Shields
Katie Holmes
Beth Holloway
Casey Anthony

The moms of the show "Modern Family:"
Sofia Vergara – Gloria
Julie Bowen – Claire
Jesse Tyler Fergusan – Mitchell
Eric Stonestreet - Cam

Here's Leslie's audition tape. Click on the green "VOTE" button to help her out. And if you'd like to throw your hat in the ring to "get your blab on," as Leslie so colorfully puts it, there's information to the right of Leslie's video with details about upcoming casting calls and how to send in an audition tape.

Here's to moms making the world--or, at least, the airwaves!--a better place!

Hey! I'm on MSNBC!

Some weeks back, I got word that a reporter was looking for input from people who grew up in the 40s and 50s and lived to tell about it. You know, back in those BAD old days, before any of us knew the dangers of suntans, red meat, bicycles, cigarettes, hairspray, hard candy, and such. By all rights, we Boomers should be dead, according to today's health and safety standards. But I feel pretty good myself; how about you? I frankly think my childhood was a lot more fun than what kids today experience, so I wrote the reporter and shared some of my thoughts on that. Lo and behold, he used my comments! Who'da thought it? As it turns out, he didn't do much reporting (doesn't even use a byline; what writer lets that opportunity fall by the wayside?!); he just printed some of the responses he got. But, hey, I'll take my fifteen seconds of fame from whencever they come.

Mostly, I thought it would be fun to use this as a prompt for YOUR memories of "dangerous" living during your childhood days. I've heard my big sister talk about foot x-rays (that was before my time) and I loved my mother's tales of driving the family car to school when she was nine. (Nine?!) One of my own favorite activities--which is totally banned these days--was walking barefoot around town in the summer; it felt sooooo good to go from that hot sidewalk on Main Street onto the cool linoleum of Ben Franklin's Five and Dime or the smooth hardwood floors of my Daddy's Western Auto.

I'm as cautious as the next person, but I think sometimes we get carried away with all these rules and regulations, and I have to say, I think the motivation for all the hoopla is more often about profit than public safety. Several years back I read Myrna Blyth's fascinating book, Spin Sisters, which shares in great detail how the media--women's magazines, in particular--thrive on alarmist stories targeted at "power moms"--those of us who are 25-54 with at least one child at home. Blyth should know; she was editor of Ladies' Home Journal for years, and helped give birth to one of my favorite magazines, More. She readily confesses that she was as guilty as the rest in making us moms second guess our belief that our homes and families are safe. Blyth's need to come clean (or, perhaps, just her need to sell a book, but that's okay) resulted in a mesmerizing examination of how media preys on our insecurities and need for approval. If you haven't read Spin Sisters, go find a copy. It's well worth buying, and certainly deserving of a trip to the library.

In the meantime, I invite you to confess all the horrors your mother may have unwittingly exposed you to in your youth, and the appalling risks you may have taken. Roller skating with no kneepads? For shame! B-B guns? The very idea! Truly, it's a wonder any of us survived to have children of our own.

Here's the MSNBC article. Hope it brings back some happy memories; scroll down seven paragraphs and one ad: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31670024/from/ET/ .