March 21, 2012 - Happy 50th B-Day to Rosie O’Donnell! Hoorah, you've reached the BIG 050!

“If you survive long enough, you're revered-rather like an old building."
                          ~~ Katherine Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) American icon, actress
                                of film, stage, and television. Also known for her headstrong independence.

Did you know that on March 21, 2012 Rosie O’Donnell turns 050 years young? A Very Happy Birthday to you, Rosie!

I was very fortunate to get a second opportunity to briefly speak with O'Donnell at last year's Matrix Awards. On top of everything else, O'Donnell is market savvy and a true professional. While I was taking photos of her with many of her fans (of course using their respective cameras) she mentioned her new program, The Rosie Show on Oprah’s OWN where she shared her intrigueing insights.

Rosie believes that there are many promotional tie-ins and sponsorships that can make a big difference if they were targeted more to an audience. "I will be turning 50 in March, and I think there are a lot of opportunities for promotions and sponsorship tie-ins. What I want to see more of is create corporate sponsorships that are more more relevant," said O'Donnell. "What I mean is to tie in how you get corporations to not just give anything away… but to make it more believeable and real. There are a lot of things sponsors are able to do," continued O'Donnell. One of her visions is to consider focusing a program on a particular group (age group for example) and then choosing respective sponsors/products specifically for that age group. “Let’s say we have an audience of 70 year olds, we can give the audience Geritol, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geritol -- whatever,” said O'Donnell. Incidentally, for those very young folks not familiar with Geritol, Geritol was originally introduced as an alcohol-based, iron and B vitamin tonic by Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (in August 1950) and primarily marketed as such into the 1970s? Follow this link for more information about last years Matrix event 2011 and do stay tuned to Matrix 2012:

On Tuesday, March 20th, Oprah announced the cancellation of The Rosie Show.
“All I want to say is thanks!...It's not about the things that occur in your life; It's about how you react to them. Really!" ~~ Rosie O'Donnell

RESOURCE TIMELINE:
Television:
Gimme a Break! NBC (cast member 1986–1987)
Stand-Up Spotlight VH1 (1988–1991)
Stand by Your Man FOX (1992)
The Rosie O'Donnell Show Syndicated (1996–2002) (also producer and executive producer)
The Twilight of the Golds Showtime (1997)
Jackie's Back! Lifetime (1999) (cameo)
Will & Grace NBC (2002) (recurring role)
Judging Amy Fox (2003) (Played Judge Nancy Paul in episode "Judging Eric")
Riding the Bus with My Sister CBS (2005 TV movie) (also executive producer)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (as herself) HBO (2005–2011) (recurring role)
Queer as Folk Showtime (2005) (recurring role)
All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise HBO (2006) (also documentary's producer and executive producer)
The View ABC (September 5, 2006 – May 27, 2007's Moderator)
Nip/Tuck FX (2006) (two episodes in Season 4, four episodes in Season 5)
Little Britain USA HBO (2008) (Series 1, Episode 1)
Rosie Live! NBC (2008) (also producer and executive producer)
Christmas In Rockefeller Center 2008 NBC (2008)
America Lifetime (as Dr. Maureen Brennan) (2009) (also executive producer and screenplay)
Stalking Streisand HBO (2009)
Drop Dead Diva (as Judge Madeline Summers) (2009–10)
The Rosie Show OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (2011–present) (also producer and executive producer)
The Doc Club with Rosie O'Donnell OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (2011–present)
Award ceremonies: Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (Host) (1997–2003)
54th Annual Tony Awards (Host) (2000)
42nd Annual Grammy Awards (Host) (2000)
Radio: Rosie Radio SIRIUS XM (2009)
Theater:
Grease (1994) (as Betty Rizzo)
Seussical (2001) (replacement for David Shiner)
Fiddler on the Roof (2004) (replacement for Andrea Martin in 2005)
Love, Loss, and What I Wore (2009)
Filmography:
A League of Their Own (1992)
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Another Stakeout (1993)
Fatal Instinct (1993)
Car 54, Where Are You? (1994)
I'll Do Anything (1994)
The Flintstones (1994)
Exit to Eden (1994)
Now and Then (1995)
Beautiful Girls (1995)
Harriet the Spy (1996)
A Very Brady Sequel (1996) (Cameo)
Wide Awake (1998)
Get Bruce (1999) (documentary about Bruce Vilanch)
Tarzan (1999) (voice)
Artists and Orphans: A True Drama (2001) (short subject) (narrator)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) (Archive footage)
Last Party 2000 (2001) (documentary)
The Lady in Question Is Charles Busch (2005) (documentary)
Show Business (2005) (documentary)
Pursuit of Equality (2005) (documentary)
All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise (2006) (documentary) (also executive producer)
America (2009) as Dr. Maureen Brennan
Bibliography:
Find Me (2002)
Celebrity Detox (2007)
Rosie O'Donnell's Crafty U: 100 Easy Projects The Whole Family Can Enjoy All Year Long (2008)
Discography:
A Rosie Christmas (1999)
Another Rosie Christmas (2000)
Singles:
Santa on the Rooftop (w Trish Yearwood) (2000)
Nominations and awards
Daytime Emmy Awards:
1997 Outstanding Talk/Service Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell
1998 Outstanding Talk Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1998 Outstanding Talk/Service Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell (tied with Oprah Winfrey)
1999 Outstanding Talk Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1999 Outstanding Talk Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell
2000 Outstanding Talk Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
2000 Outstanding Talk Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell
2001 Outstanding Talk Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
2001 Outstanding Talk Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell (tied with Regis Philbin)
2002 Outstanding Talk Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
2002 Outstanding Talk Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell
2007 Outstanding Talk Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, The View (Nominated)
Emmy Awards:
1999 Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special, 52nd Annual Tony Awards>
Kids' Choice Awards:
2000 Hall of Fame Award
Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards:
2002 Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television

Source: wikipedia.org, more about Rosie at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_ODonnell

March 21, 2012 - Happy 50th B-Day to Rosie O’Donnell! Hoorah, you've reached the BIG 050!

“If you survive long enough, you're revered-rather like an old building."
                          ~~ Katherine Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) American icon, actress
                                of film, stage, and television. Also known for her headstrong independence.

Did you know that on March 21, 2012 Rosie O’Donnell turns 050 years young? A Very Happy Birthday to you, Rosie!

I was very fortunate to get a second opportunity to briefly speak with O'Donnell at last year's Matrix Awards. On top of everything else, O'Donnell is market savvy and a true professional. While I was taking photos of her with many of her fans (of course using their respective cameras) she mentioned her new program, The Rosie Show on Oprah’s OWN where she shared her intrigueing insights.

Rosie believes that there are many promotional tie-ins and sponsorships that can make a big difference if they were targeted more to an audience. "I will be turning 50 in March, and I think there are a lot of opportunities for promotions and sponsorship tie-ins. What I want to see more of is create corporate sponsorships that are more more relevant," said O'Donnell. "What I mean is to tie in how you get corporations to not just give anything away… but to make it more believeable and real. There are a lot of things sponsors are able to do," continued O'Donnell. One of her visions is to consider focusing a program on a particular group (age group for example) and then choosing respective sponsors/products specifically for that age group. “Let’s say we have an audience of 70 year olds, we can give the audience Geritol, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geritol -- whatever,” said O'Donnell. Incidentally, for those very young folks not familiar with Geritol, Geritol was originally introduced as an alcohol-based, iron and B vitamin tonic by Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (in August 1950) and primarily marketed as such into the 1970s? Follow this link for more information about last years Matrix event 2011 and do stay tuned to Matrix 2012:

On Tuesday, March 20th, Oprah announced the cancellation of The Rosie Show.
“All I want to say is thanks!...It's not about the things that occur in your life; It's about how you react to them. Really!" ~~ Rosie O'Donnell

RESOURCE TIMELINE:
Television:
Gimme a Break! NBC (cast member 1986–1987)
Stand-Up Spotlight VH1 (1988–1991)
Stand by Your Man FOX (1992)
The Rosie O'Donnell Show Syndicated (1996–2002) (also producer and executive producer)
The Twilight of the Golds Showtime (1997)
Jackie's Back! Lifetime (1999) (cameo)
Will & Grace NBC (2002) (recurring role)
Judging Amy Fox (2003) (Played Judge Nancy Paul in episode "Judging Eric")
Riding the Bus with My Sister CBS (2005 TV movie) (also executive producer)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (as herself) HBO (2005–2011) (recurring role)
Queer as Folk Showtime (2005) (recurring role)
All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise HBO (2006) (also documentary's producer and executive producer)
The View ABC (September 5, 2006 – May 27, 2007's Moderator)
Nip/Tuck FX (2006) (two episodes in Season 4, four episodes in Season 5)
Little Britain USA HBO (2008) (Series 1, Episode 1)
Rosie Live! NBC (2008) (also producer and executive producer)
Christmas In Rockefeller Center 2008 NBC (2008)
America Lifetime (as Dr. Maureen Brennan) (2009) (also executive producer and screenplay)
Stalking Streisand HBO (2009)
Drop Dead Diva (as Judge Madeline Summers) (2009–10)
The Rosie Show OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (2011–present) (also producer and executive producer)
The Doc Club with Rosie O'Donnell OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (2011–present)
Award ceremonies: Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (Host) (1997–2003)
54th Annual Tony Awards (Host) (2000)
42nd Annual Grammy Awards (Host) (2000)
Radio: Rosie Radio SIRIUS XM (2009)
Theater:
Grease (1994) (as Betty Rizzo)
Seussical (2001) (replacement for David Shiner)
Fiddler on the Roof (2004) (replacement for Andrea Martin in 2005)
Love, Loss, and What I Wore (2009)
Filmography:
A League of Their Own (1992)
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Another Stakeout (1993)
Fatal Instinct (1993)
Car 54, Where Are You? (1994)
I'll Do Anything (1994)
The Flintstones (1994)
Exit to Eden (1994)
Now and Then (1995)
Beautiful Girls (1995)
Harriet the Spy (1996)
A Very Brady Sequel (1996) (Cameo)
Wide Awake (1998)
Get Bruce (1999) (documentary about Bruce Vilanch)
Tarzan (1999) (voice)
Artists and Orphans: A True Drama (2001) (short subject) (narrator)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) (Archive footage)
Last Party 2000 (2001) (documentary)
The Lady in Question Is Charles Busch (2005) (documentary)
Show Business (2005) (documentary)
Pursuit of Equality (2005) (documentary)
All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise (2006) (documentary) (also executive producer)
America (2009) as Dr. Maureen Brennan
Bibliography:
Find Me (2002)
Celebrity Detox (2007)
Rosie O'Donnell's Crafty U: 100 Easy Projects The Whole Family Can Enjoy All Year Long (2008)
Discography:
A Rosie Christmas (1999)
Another Rosie Christmas (2000)
Singles:
Santa on the Rooftop (w Trish Yearwood) (2000)
Nominations and awards
Daytime Emmy Awards:
1997 Outstanding Talk/Service Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell
1998 Outstanding Talk Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1998 Outstanding Talk/Service Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell (tied with Oprah Winfrey)
1999 Outstanding Talk Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1999 Outstanding Talk Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell
2000 Outstanding Talk Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
2000 Outstanding Talk Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell
2001 Outstanding Talk Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
2001 Outstanding Talk Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell (tied with Regis Philbin)
2002 Outstanding Talk Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
2002 Outstanding Talk Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell
2007 Outstanding Talk Show Host, Rosie O'Donnell, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, The View (Nominated)
Emmy Awards:
1999 Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special, 52nd Annual Tony Awards>
Kids' Choice Awards:
2000 Hall of Fame Award
Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards:
2002 Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television

Source: wikipedia.org, more about Rosie at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_ODonnell

The 41st NYWICI Matrix Awards: Big Effen Deal? You Bet It Was!

“Last thing, for Rosie, if you are ever in your life getting some award and you think: Why me? Just keep moving and say, ‘Why the eff not?’” -- Idina Menzel , star of "Wicked," and Matrix Award Honoree. Menzel was the final honoree, and her closing remarks were an encore and testament to Rosie O'Donnell that despite all of the controversy she has endured, Rosie is truly an inspiration!

So many highlights at NYWICI's Matrix Awards. I just had to get my most memorable moment out right away. I must say the most impressive and inspiring moment at Matrix Awards for me was when I had the opportunity to ask Matrix Awards Honoree Cindi Berger my question of the day. Of course, I also asked permission to ask Rosie O'Donnell, and Cindi graciously approved. This year's Matrix Question of the Day had to do with success and was directed to everyone, attendees, honorees, and presenters:
"OK everyone knows that you've made it, you're a success, when did you know you made it?"
"I knew I made it when Lois Smith took me on."
-- Rosie O'Donnell

Besides all this, I was so inspired and in awe to meet PR legend and retired celebrity publicist Lois Smith (right photo). Besides work with Rosie O’Donnell, Smith’s career includes many other A-listers from the likes of Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Whitney Houston, Martin Scorsese, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sean Penn, Dick Cavett, Liza Minelli to other iconic entertainment luminaries including Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier. When asked the Matrix question of the day, Smith replied with a happy sigh:


"Oh, I have no idea; I'm still trying to figure this out." -- Lois Smith

I was honored and impressed to meet, Matrix Honoree, Cindi Berger, publicist and managing director at PMK/HBH,(left photo). Besides work with Rosie O’Donnell, over the past two and a half decades, Berger has handled PR for a long list of A-listers including Star Jones, the Dixie Chicks, 50 Cent, Harry Connick Jr., Billy Crystal, Jessica Simpson, Bette Midler, Sharon Stone, Barbara Walters, Tyra Banks, and Mariah Carey. Berger is known for turning celebrity damage control into an art with her signature "no comment" comment. When asked Matrix question of the day, Berger replied in her true gracious, style:


"Sort of a combination of everything. It's not just one moment. It's moments like this where you go well I guess I've made it!"
-- Cindi Berger

Marketing Strategist, new products expert, and Matrix Honoree, Robin Koval, President, Kaplan Thaler Group (right photo), who has been a driving force in the advertising world for over 20 years replied with delightful insight:





"The most important thing when you know you made it is that you never know you made it. You just keep doing it every day and then one day you wake up and you're saying who is that girl in the corner office?" -- Robin Koval

American journalist, television newscaster, author and Matrix Honoree Gwendolyn L. "Gwen" Ifill (left photo), is truly an inspiration. As managing editor and moderator of Washington Week and a senior correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, Ifill has moderated the 2004 and 2008 Vice Presidential debates it became clear to me why she is known for her "razor-sharp historical perspective and political analysis. Ifill is also the author of the book The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.


"I’m still figuring that out!" -- Gwen Ifill

Also answering "Question of the Day," Matrix Emcee, Lesley Jane Seymour (right photo), editor in chief of More Magzine. I was fortunate to get the chance to ask her the my Matrix Q of the Day. Seymour is known for repositioning magazines and highly regarded for developing editorial programs that result in National Magazine Award nominations to spearheading signature cause-related programs, including Time to Talk Day, which raised awareness for domestic violence and the One World/One Wish campaign for the international relief organization Save the Children. She is also the author of two books: On the Edge: Images from 100 Years of Vogue (Random House), and I Wish My Parents Understood (Freundlich/Penguin). Here's what Seymour said when asked the Matrix Q of the Day:


"That's a good question. You know, I think you never really know that you've gotten there. I think you're always struggling. You're always struggling, You're always never thinking you're there. I mean, if you're like a normal person, you just are going from the next thing to the next thing. I mean for me, the most important thing is being out there and able to help other women. Because that's what communications does, I believe. And once when I was at Marie Claire where I started getting out there, traveling to Africa, and going places by myself and covering things for women elsewhere, for me that was the turning point. And I don't know if it would be a success but that's when I understood I was powerful and I could do something with who I am." -- Lesley Jane Seymour



Stay tuned for more on NYWICI Matrix Awards luncheon by visiting this blog regularly or subscribing to the RSS feed. Hope to see you all at Matrix 2012 same place, same time, on Monday, April 23, 2012!

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Every year since 1970, NYWICI has awarded outstanding women in communications the prestigious Matrix Awards. The long list of past winners reads like a who-is-who of exceptional women in the fields of advertising, books, broadcasting, film, magazines, new media, newspapers and public relations and is a true reflection of achievements by women in communications. For more information visit NYWICI.org