HOLLYWOOD SHOW * CHILDREN'S CHARITIES * IMAGINE L.A.

Proceeds from sales on this site and from all my autograph shows go to Imagine L.A. "Where no child sleeps on the street"; Feed the Children, PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) and the Red Cross.

Look at my son Jack, on my birthday. He refused to smile and was embarrassed to sit next to me in case his friends saw him. Check out his crooked half smile in every pic... Hilarious!

Birthday with the family at Islands. The other kids (which includes hubby) were sitting opposite us. Went to see HARRY POTTER after dinner. The kids refused to go, but I LOVED THE NEW HARRY POTTER!! I'm a geek, what can I say? Love fantasy, magic, horror and sci fi. Now I see a resemblance between RUPERT GRINT AND MICK JAGGER as far as sex appeal goes! I couldn't se how Hermoine wouldn't be more attracted to Harry Potter, but Rupert is SEXY!! Draco Malfoy is positively sinister. And I adored Jim Broadbent, one of my favorite actors. So funny!

Now I'm reading the 7th Harry Potter book THE DEATHLY HALLOWS.

Check out Plastic God Lego celebrity icon portraits - GENIUS!


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Lydia and Stephen Rice from "Outside In" a shelter for young people without homes. You can learn more about this and the amazing group of women behind "Made in the Valley: The Valley Girls Grew Up" in the next issue.





GREAT WEEKEND in Burbank at the Hollywood Show!

IN WITHDRAWAL

FROM CLEAVAGE...

I am so sick of cleavage! But I can't quit cold turkey. I'm not spiritually evolved enough yet to stop dressing like a hooker, but I did try on a turtleneck the other day. You can't get a job in this town without "lap dancer" on your resume, and I'm referring to the writers, not the actors.

Ran into so many old friends, flames and great stars like Don Most, Rosanna Arquette, Shannon Doherty, Kathy Najimy, Kristy Swanson, Angie Everhart, Tanya Roberts...and of course my big swiss, Deborah Van Valkenburgh.

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Here are a few iphone snapshots with really bad lighting and a really stupid smile on my face.

Photo #1. BRADY BUNCH stars Chris Knight and Barry Williams

Photo #2: HAPPY DAYS: Anson Williams, Don Most. LOVE THEM!! (Donny and I go way back.)

Photo #3: DAVY JONES OF THE MONKEES

Photo #4: Henry Winkler "The Fonz"

Jack Riley was one of our favorite guest stars on Too Close for Comfort.

Bill Dailey has always been a favorite since "I DREAM OF JEANIE" days! We got to talk for about 3o minutes. He has an amazing life in New Mexico and directs theater there.

One of my favorite people is Rosanna Arquette. I got to say hi and she was so sweet, but I wish I had told her how much I adore her.

Saw the gorgeous Bond Girls Maud Adams and Tanya Roberts.

Kristy Swanson is also a favorite (the original "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") Richard Kiel was there, and all the Jasons from Friday the 13th, including my old friend Warrington Gillette :) Good to see you Warrington. I have fond memories of Aspen! But I don't really remember that much, since those were the wild days of lost brain cells.

My favorite Twilight Zone and Star Trek guest star WARREN STEVENS sat right to my left. He is so amazing, so brilliant. His wife was named Lydia and he has some great sons. I wish I could have stayed and just visited with all the stars, but we couldn't leave our tables. I used to do these shows and never get to walk around.

"The Valley Girls Grew Up" Thank you to Gail Lara of Made in the Valley!

The gifting suite was amazing. "Happy Chocolates" and all the products they gave us from BEE GORGEOUS all natural lotion bars, scrubs, and honey (miel) veil body treatments.

I also loved the homemade chili from MAJESTIC CHEF the best chili maker in the world! Check out a MAJESTIC CHEF CHILI and get some of this amazing chili.

Also, we got these ultra- comfy Oka shoes,

** ONE OF A KIND jewelry from "Not Just Any Old Day" silver calendar creations!!

Star Mineral lip gloss; SANITAS Skin Care - the most scrumptious lemon cleanser;

Marabel Farms Cocoa Beans;

E3 Live BrainON BRAIN FUEL THAT REPLACES PHARMACEUTICALS!

Twisted Silver brass bracelet from a unique jewelry store.

Bedol - A REVOLUTIONARY WATER-POWERED CLOCK!

NAJA TEA - HIBISCUS made with apricots, peaches and dried raspberries;

Organic Spray Tan! from Spray di Sole;

Skin Body Shop Spa;

More... Chocolee Chocola; Garden Kisses Flower Shop; Pilates Plus in Malibu; Head Blade; Affliction Clothing... and lots more. I will profile these amazing organic, Valley Made in the USA hand-crafted products in the new blog coming soon...

Of course hanging out with Deb who played Jackie, my sister was the BEST!! She is my favorite celebrity and one of the best actresses in the stratosphere.

"Sara and Jackie" — Lydia and her Too Close for Comfort costar, Deborah Van Valkenburgh — signed autographs and had a blast meeting fans and taking pictures at the HOLLYWOOD SHOW at the Burbank Hilton in Burbank California For directions and more info check out: Hollywood Show.com

Proceeds from Lydia's sales go to children's & women's charities.

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SOBER FEMMES RECOVERY CENTER FUNDRAISER July 11 in North Hollywood

On Saturday night, July 11, Lydia hosted the First Sober Femmes Fundraiser for Unit A Recovery Center in Burbank, California. Please feel free to donate any amount to keep the center alive and the rent paid. UNIT A has AA meetings, Al Anon meetings, and other life-saving 12-step meetings day and night. They desperately need funds. Here is the address to send a check if you can:

Unit A Recovery Center
10641 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA.

Cornell is a women and children’s advocate, and an inspirational speaker on teen suicide prevention — as well as on drug and alcohol abuse.

Sober for fourteen years, Cornell found her younger brother’s body after a drug overdose, and speaks to recovery groups of up to 300 or more. She is a mother of tweenagers.

She also speaks at schools, colleges, hospitals and women’s groups about her experiences in overcoming loss, tragedy, unemployment, sexism, ageism, depression, self-sabotage, obnoxious teenagers — and every imaginable hardship. Her talks are laced with poignant stories of transformation with an innate sense of comic timing. “If you can laugh at yourself you probably won’t kill yourself.”

People may be sick of hearing about celebrities are in recovery, but as Dr. Drew Pinsky of Celebrity Rehab says, “Addiction is the disease of our time.” Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among teens in America. Young people are in crisis; girls ages 10-15 have the lowest self-esteem and highest rate of suicide attempts of any other group. Add to this the fact that over 85% of violent crime is alcohol and drug related, and we have an epidemic — yet this is rarely mentioned in media reports.

What would cause a once-gifted child to drink to excess, and to risk the life of her own child?

No one ever talks about the hidden element, the most vital element of recovery, which is often ignored in mainstream TV and press. And no one asks the root question: why is everyone in rehab? What breed of person comes to Hollywood seeking the adoration of strangers? Wanting to be famous is an American malaise.

Cornell does not mince words. She has experienced true miracles in sobriety, but people rarely delve into this crucial aspect of 12-step programs. “It’s not enough to put down the drug or drink; once you put down the ‘spirits’ you have to fill the void with a lasting peace. You have to go out in the world and live your life with joy,” Cornell writes.

Cornell answers some hard questions about celebrity and why so many kill themselves with drugs and alcohol — from someone who has not only been there herself, but who lost friends and loved ones. But Cornell overcomes the universal urge to blame others and play the victim. As Michael Jackson said, “It all starts with the man in the mirror.” Or in the words of Stuart Smalley, “It's easier to wear slippers than to carpet the whole world.”

f you live in Vegas you can tune in Live or go to our website and listen in the audio archives.

The Basham and Cornell Show will be back in the fall in national syndication LIVE on AM radio with all new shows and a new format! You can listen online or get podcasts of our last 250 shows, which are archived in the "Audio Archives" section at Basham and Cornell Radio

If you've missed our show, check out the audio archives for MP3 podcasts. We have interviewed Senator John Edwards, Elizabeth Edwards, White House Press Correspondent Helen Thomas; CNN's Paul Begala (former Clinton Advisor); John Dean; Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, Pulitzer Prize winner Charlie Savage, MSNBC's Pat Buchanan (Former Reagan Advisor); Sen. Tom Daschle; Obama advisor Mike Lux; CNN Crossfire's Bill Press, Congresswomen Barbara Lee and Carolyn Maloney, HIlary Clinton Terry McCauliff; Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Elizabeth Kucinich, John Dean, NBC Bureau Chief in Tel Aviv Martin Fletcher, Congressman Charlie Rangel, Valerie Plame, Attorney David Iglesias, Vincent Bugliosi, Dahr Jamail, Senator Mike Gravel; Senator Byron Dorgan; bestselling authors Naomi Klein, Greg Palast, Valerie Bertinelli, Jean Smart, Ed Asner; M*A*S*H star Mike Farrel; upcoming: Bill Maher, Larry Charles, Richard Belzer.

NO WAR WITH IRAN * THOMAS JEFFERSON

“It is not that Christianity has been tried and failed. It is that it has never been tried.” G. K. Chesterton

On Saturday, I ran into Ed Begley Jr. who has a great 'green' show called "Living With Ed" on the Home and Garden Network. I also ran into Anson Williams of Happy Days' fame. He's one of my favorite people and it was so good to see him. We had co-hosted Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve Special years ago. Anson not only looks great but is the father of five daughters, ages one to eighteen! He is a director and owner of a national brand, StarMakerProducts.com which I'll talk more about in future posts. Anyway, Anson and I got to talking about the world, and he turned me onto a letter on 'Equality' from Thomas Jefferson to John Quincy Adams, which is fascinating. Anson is quite an evolved thinker and scholar now, with a special interest in our Founding Fathers.

It's always good to be reminded of what our nation stands for. In the Preamble to his original draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote:

"We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independant, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these ends, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government shall become destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, & to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles & organising its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety & happiness."

Time Magazine: "His complete, uncompromising, and abiding commitment to the principle of human equality [is what I admire most about Jefferson]. This idea remains as radical today as it was when Jefferson first gave expression to it over two centuries ago. The idea of equality was in the air at the time, but Jefferson, a magnificent stylist, was able to bring it to life by expressing it clearly, simply, eloquently. And he connected equality to other ideas that remain equally compelling: liberty, self-government, freedom of religion.

The ideals of equality, freedom, and freedom of religion are indispensible, now more than ever. It would be instructive, for example, for both those who authorized the torture at Abu Ghraib and those who fight crusades and jihads and do unspeakable things in the name of God to read Jefferson's observations about the futility of torture, the utter ineffectiveness of coercion. "What has been the effect of coercion?" he asked. "To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth."

More on Jefferson and slavery below, but first, PLEASE READ THIS from Wayne Dyer:

"We’re told by those who represent us that the insurgents and the average Iraqi and Middle Easterner hate us because we stand for freedom and democracy. It’s my contention that we have it backwards. We’re hated because we fail to stand for freedom and democracy. In fact, what we do stand for is whatever is best for American financial interests. Under the Shah of Iran, freedom and democracy didn’t exist, yet we supported that regime. The Saudi royal family certainly doesn’t stand for freedom and democracy, yet we have no quarrel with them. The Emir of Kuwait is not about freedom and democracy, and he has our dying loyalty.

The average person on the streets of Iraq isn’t fooled by our occupation of their country. They hate us throughout the Middle East and the Moslem world because we care most about how to make money in foreign lands. They know it and we should know it. But we’re told that it’s our freedom and democracy that engenders this animosity toward us. Residents of Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and other countries throughout the Middle East hate us vehemently because they believe that Americans simply can’t figure out how all that American oil got under their sand. They believe that we’re acting in our own self-interest and that we justify destroying their villages and killing insurgents by convincing ourselves that it’s in the name of freedom and democracy.

If all of this is blatantly untrue, and we have no monetary motives in our continual clean-up campaigns that are leaving corpses and severely wounded people by the hundreds of thousands, then let’s make an effort to communicate with those whom we’re now aimlessly killing. I ask each and every person who conducts this war under the guise of Christian principles to answer this question: How much time have you spent praying for your enemy today? Read Jesus in Matthew 5:43-44: You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

Continued... JEFFERSON and SLAVERY

Don't expect history to offer us simple lessons or perfect heroes. "The most problematic thing about him was his lifelong ownership of slaves and his inability to extricate either himself or his nation from the institution of slavery. Early in his life, Jefferson opposed slavery, writing, famously, "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just." But as he aged, his optimism waned, and he came to fear emancipation even more than God's wrath. Committed to equality in principle, Jefferson's practice was compromised by his racism, which is so distasteful, so repugnant to us today...This is the contrast in Jefferson, and his legacy: Words about human equality and freedom that are as fresh today as the day he wrote them, and words about racial inferiority that are so jarring that we can't read them today without feeling a profound sense of shame.

The standards by which we judge Jefferson are the ones he bequeathed us. We judge him harshly because he kept men and women in slavery, knowing that it was wrong — but it was Jefferson who told us that all people are equal, and that everyone is entitled to liberty and to human happiness. Don't expect history to offer us simple lessons or perfect heroes.

To his white family, Jefferson was both loving and manipulative. He gave them love to last a lifetime, and he left them impoverished. To his black family, he was remote but not unkind. He never acknowledged his black children, but he gave them their freedom, which is the greatest legacy that anyone born a slave ever wished for."

(The above is from Jan Lewis, Professor of History, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey)