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COOKIN' WITH KATIE LEE
She's an uptown girl, for sure! Top Chef star Katie Lee Joel, wife of legendary crooner Billy Joel, invited CL over for her signature salad and some small-talk. Not only does Katie Lee know the quickest way to her husband's heart ("he loves my tofu smoothies" she gushes), but she also recognizes talented chefs when she sees them on her show! I caught up with the young beauty at Craft restaurant in Manhattan, where she spent the morning telling us how excited she was about her first job as a TV hostess. "It's not just another reality show — these people really know their craft," she said.
Katie Lee & Ravi
Photos by Scott Gries/Getty Images
The West Virginia native — who loves traveling to Italy with Billy to get some good R&R — also discussed her passion for organic food. Katie's web site (Oliveandpeach.com) is helping consumers to be aware of conscious consumption. Bon appétit!
Pick up this week's issue of Celebrity Living to read more about Katie Lee Joel. -
AT HOME WITH CAROL ALT
Sexy and gorgeous supermodel Carol Alt welcomed Celebrity Living into her beautiful and spacious home in New York City's Greenwich Village to dish about her life! The model-turned-author talked about her amazing career as a former runway model, how much she loves car racing and how she and her boyfriend of seven years, NY Islander Alexei Yashin, just love hanging out at home and eating good food. But you won't find any potato chips in her kitchen cabinets. Carol has "gone raw" for the past ten years, which she says has dramatically changed her life both professionally and personally. Her book Eating in the Raw is a labor of love that she wanted to share with the world about eating and understanding raw food. Check out some of the very cool and very delicious recipes in her book.
Ravi & Carol -
24 HOURS WITH MARIA MENOUNOS
The sexy and very smart Maria Menounos is pretty amazing: She manages her insane schedule working as a entertainment reporter for both Access Hollywood and the Today show for NBC and still has time to make personal appearances, run her own production company and fit in workout sessions. The actress and TV personality is full of energy, loves to go rock climbing with Jack Osbourne (a good friend) and is totally fun to be around. Oh, and by the way, she wants to try Indian food, so naturally I suggested a time and place! I'll keep you posted.
Ravi With Maria Menounos
I met Maria at the NBC studios in Manhattan while she was about to begin her day with CL. She gave us an exclusive look inside the Access studios which really put into perspective how demanding and hectic her days are. She spoke to me about living in both NYC and LA and how crazy it can sometimes get for her. She also has these amazing dogs which her family helps care for while she is away. Maria spoke openly about how she lost a lot of weight and how she keeps her diet simple and closely watches what she eats. The day ended with her attending an event at the Whitney Museum for Pantene Icons for which Maria is the official spokesmodel. The gorgeous gal worked into the wee hours and then did it all over again the next day! More power to her! -
HANGING OUT WITH NIGEL BARKER
Nigel Barker, celebrity judge on the hit show America's Next Top Model is one of the coolest people I have ever met. Since the show's debut, Nigel has become popular and is experiencing a new form of fame which he totally digs. While walking outside with the crew from CL during the interview, women in cars literally slowed down just to say hello to him and tell him how much they enjoyed his show.
Ravi With Nigel Barker
We wanted to find out more about how the talented model-turned-photographer spends his time away from the glitz and glamour of modeling, so what better place to catch him then at home with his beautiful wife, Chrissy, and adorable newborn son, Jack.
The Manhattan-based Nigel gave CL an exclusive look at his beautiful apartment and told us that CL was the first magazine ever allowed in his home (naturally, we felt honored). The lensman talked about his fascinating childhood growing up in England and his travels to Sri Lanka, Morocco and Africa. This guy loves to travel so much that he and his wife have decorated their home with hand-crafted artifacts from around the world. And he never leaves home without his travel companion — his camera! Some things we didn't know about the 6'4'' guy: He loves to cook and doesn't mind changing diapers. Plus: He there's no end to his curiosity about people from all parts of the world. Spoken like a true photographer! -
MEETING THE DUCHESS OF YORK
Meeting The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson (check out the Feb. 6 issue of CL, page 16-17 to see the full story) was indeed an honor for me. The Weight Watchers spokesperson, who's known to the world as the ex-wife of Prince Andrew ("he is a great father," she says) is a working mom of two daughters ("they are my princesses"). It was nice getting to know the Duchess on a more personal level as she opened up to Celebrity Living about her family, her new svelte figure (she lost 50 pounds!) and being single (she finds Bruce Willis very appealing! Hey Bruce, are you listening?)
Ravi With Sarah Ferguson
I met the Duchess at the swanky and very classy Palace Hotel in Manhattan (yes, the door men wear top hats!) where she was staying in a spacious penthouse suite that is large enough to have a wedding in. And there were cups of tea everywhere! "Would you like some tea before we start?" she asked. What a classy gal!
I found the Duchess to be warm and friendly(offering everyone in the room tea, not just me!). During our interview, she revealed how she had overcome many obstacles, the difficulties of dealing with family drama (just being associated with the Royal family in itself is plenty of drama!) and how she emerged into a strong and independent lady.
And by the way, you know the saying "diamonds are a girl best friend"? Well, it sure holds true for the Duchess — but in her case, the diamonds are faux! I couldn't believe that she was bejeweled from head-to-toe in Moissanite, beautiful faux diamonds and gemstones that are as she says, "affordable for everyone who wants to have that Duchess appeal."
Click here for more on the Duchess! -
CL'S HOLIDAY BASH
You know, it's not all work for us CL staffers, we do know how to roll up our sleeves and have a good old time! Our holiday party (which we are STILL talking about) was a blast and they even used my photo on the invite — dressed as Santa, of course!
Top to bottom: Ravi Yande and Kelli Delaney, Maggie Kim and Sean Hyson, Deb Moss and Maggie Kim
The party was at the famous NY hot spot called Fredrick's, a private lounge in Manhattan where all the A list celebrities go to have fun and hang out. The velvety and sexy atmosphere (the waitresses are hot!) seems to put people at ease and in the mood for some serious fun!
The party was given by our dazzling Editor-in-Chef, Kelli Delaney who knows how to entertain in style! The staff got dressed to the nines. I have never seen so many designer threads in one room before! We also had a surprise celebrity guest: the gifted and very talented musician John Legend, who partied with us until the wee hours. Our staff had a great time and were excited that the first ever Celebrity Living magazine holiday bash turned out to be pretty darn cool! Can't wait until next year.
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WELCOME TO THE RAVI REPORT!
Hello Readers and welcome to my Celebrity Living blog! First and foremost, let me tell you about what a great magazine CL is and how informed and entertained you will be by reading it! So don't miss an issue!
From top to bottom: Ravi with Nicky Hilton, Nikki Taylor, Ashanti, LeAnn Rimes and Issac Mizrahi
I am lucky enough to be part of a great team of talented individuals that make the magazine a fun and exciting place to work. Celebrities love speaking about their lives and welcoming us into their privates homes to give readers a sneak peek into their personal lives. Whether I am spending the day with Nicky Hilton, who loved giving me an exclusive look behind the scenes of her sexy clothing line and inviting me to her New Year's Eve celebration or spending the day with gorgeous model Nikki Taylor, who revealed how much she enjoyed being a mom and business lady.
Sexy star singer Ashanti, who invited CL to the launch of her new perfume line, gave CL an exclusive look at her life away from the stage. She loved the story so much that a few weeks later, we were invited to her surprise birthday party with all her fab celebrity friends.
Getting to meet Mary J. Blige was a true honor as she told me how much her life has changed since she began to believe in her self. Country hottie LeAnn Rimes told me how much she enjoyed being married and spending time in Nashville with her seven dogs!!!
We even get the best-kept cooking secrets from the most famous chefs in the world. From Oprah's personal chef, Art Smith — who revealed what the Queen of day time talk eats for breakfast — to Food Network sweetie Paula Deen who dished about what it was like acting with Hollywood hunk Orlando Bloom. She still blushes when she talks about the actor!
Fashion designer-turned-TV talk show host Isaac Mizrahi gave me a tour of his trendy new studio as I watched him chat away with his good friend Iman and reveal how he spends his days off. Look for my article in the Jan. 16 issue!
I have been interested in entertainment news all my life. From my days as a CNN talent coordinator to attending red carpet premieres and shows, I have always found that entertainment news — no matter where in the world it is — is something that I am passionate and crazy about!
I hope you find the magazine as exciting as I do, so let me give you a piece of some good advice: jump on board, get connected and watch one of the most exciting entertainment magazines become a big part of your life! Stay tuned!
