I’ve been keeping my eye on actress, and international model Jennifer Gimenez ever since my interview with her last year.

Jennifer Gimenez, Model Latina: Miami 2009

One of her recent projects, Model Latina: Miami will premiere this Sunday on SiTV.

I have to admit I like watching model reality contests. The glitz and glamour mixed with the fierceness of a competition is pure entertainment to me.

Jennifer is one of four celebrity judges for this season’s Model Latina in Miami. She joins reporter Ellie Rodriguez, actor/musician Jai Rodriguez, and celebrity stylist Jorge Ramon.

“Watch as 12 beautiful, diverse Latinas take over a Miami mansion and compete for a modeling contract, $10,000, and star status. Only one has the smarts, sophistication and style to be the next Model Latina.”—SiTV.com

PREMIERES SUNDAY 8/2 @ 9PM ET/PT

I might not be an official Latina but I grew up just miles from the border of Mexico so I think that makes me an honorary Latina at heart. Don’t forget my fiery passion or fondness for guacamole.

Check out this Model Latina: Miami photo shoot with one of the contestants named Lisa. This curvy Cubana tells us what it means to be a Latina.

Read my interview with Jennifer Gimenez by clicking here.

Jennifer Gimenez at IMDb.com click here.

Remember to click on hyperlinks and scroll down for the full HIH effect.

While looking for a few songs to post on twitter and Facebook, I found myself going back in music time yesterday. Starting off with a song from the 1950’s, I gradually worked my way back through a few decades. I was surprised to find a lot of video’s from the 1920’s on YouTube.

This video shows clips from the Roaring 20’s, a time when many people “defied Prohibition, indulged in new styles of dancing and dressing, and rejected many traditional moral standards”.  Sounds like fun to me!

After watching this footage, I want to cut my hair to my chin, find a flapper hat and do the shimmy.

It’s been said that Bessie Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920’s. What a gem this video is:

What do you think? Would you like to live in the 1920’s? Ladies, you could wear your hair in a Finger Wave or maybe some Clara Bow inspired make-up?

For more information about what it would be like to live in the 1920’s click here.

I have to admit I have not read or watched any Twilight material. I do watch HBO’s True Blood, but for whatever reason I decided that one vampire series at a time is enough for this housewife.

Comic Con is going on this week in San Diego and much of the hype there is about The Twilight Saga’s New Moon movie. All this Twilight talk got me thinking about another pop culture favorite, the Twinkie. Get it Twilight, Twinkie?

Alright so it might be a bit of a stretch to that “Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling”. Since Twinkie’s creation in 1930 it has been packed in lunchboxes, referenced in movies and television, and part of urban legend.

Rumor has it that the Twinkie has a shelf life that could rival a vampire. According to Snopes, Twinkies are not immortal. Click here for more info.

Here are 5 YouTube Videos with one thing in common, Twinkie’s.

Twinkie the Kid

Because every American snack should have a cute mascot:

Clone your own Twinkie

Do try this at home and let me know how it goes.

Twinkie Weiner Sandwich

Remember Weird Al’s UHF movie? Well I don’t, but this guy was moved so much by the film he decided to recreate this unique recipe made in the movie. Watch and wonder.

Deep Friend Twinkie

Hey it is summer fair time and I’m sure many of you are guilty of this decadent treat. I haven’t had one yet and after watching this informative video not sure that I will.

The Twinkie Movie

If you eat too many Twinkie’s at a time you might have a nightmare like this. Watch as two Twinkie’s, sporting cowboy hats, escape from the factory and hook up with a tribe of Twinkie’s for a sponge cake hoedown.

Still haven’t had enough, click here for Twinkie cuisine with the Official Twinkies Cookbook.

At age 7, my favorite book series was the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Every week I’d also tune in to the television series, Little House on the Prairie, based on the books.

I was one of the many Little House viewers that grew up with the Prairie girls. I watched and learned with Laura, Mary and Carrie Ingalls, always hoping that Nellie Oleson would learn a thing or two more. Nellie was the girl that everyone loved to hate. Well, hate’s a harsh word and I don’t think Pa Ingalls would like me using it.

Alison Arngrim played the role of Nellie Oleson. She played the role so well it became somewhat of a cultural icon with her devilish smirk, her colossal tantrums, her piercing stare and her annoying scream, “Mother!”

I wanted to find out what Alison is up to these days. Here’s my interview with Alison Arngrim:

HIH: What are a few of your thoughts about growing up on television portraying Nellie Oleson?

Alison: Too many to count! Being the most hated child on television did radically change my life – hence my one woman show: “Confessions of A Prairie Bitch” where I explain it all. I am proud to have been Nellie -but I am really glad people have stopped throwing things at me!

HIH: Like most kids watching Little House on the Prairie, I thought Pa Ingalls was right up there with The Fonz on the coolness meter. What was it like working with Michael Landon?

Alison: Good comparison! He was much less like Pa Ingalls and really more the Fonz! Very, very cool and ever so slightly delinquent! One of the funniest people I ever met. Absolutely brilliant – director, writer, producer – you name it! Charming, kind, smart, crazy, flawed, handsome – mad, bad and dangerous to know!

HIH: Do you still keep in contact with any of your co-stars from Little House on the Prairie?

Alison: Nearly everybody! Between E-mail, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and our almost annual cast reunion parties, we keep up pretty well. Right before I wrote this I was e-mailing Melissa Gilbert. Baby Carrie (Rachel Greenbush) came by the house last week, etc. We are a large extended family.

HIH: How much candy did you actually get to eat from Oleson’s Mercantile?

Alison: Ha! Quite a bit – I was very fond of the peppermint sticks and the prop men let me have them if I asked nicely. But we couldn’t eat the stuff at random – the candy that was out on display was often treated with bug spray to control the enormous rat, mouse, ant and roach problem common on sound stages. Ewww.

HIH: Any favorite moments from the set of Little House on the Prairie that you’d like to share with us?

Alison: About a zillion – some of which I really must save up for my book, (also called “Confessions of A Prairie Bitch”) which will be coming out next spring. My deep friendship with Melissa, while we were playing mortal enemies was particularly fun!

HIH: As Nellie got older she also became nicer. Did you miss the younger Nellie when you read your more pleasant dialogue and scenes each day?

Alison: Yes! I loved Percival, (Steve Tracy) but I kept hoping Nellie would have some sort of psychological break down and “relapse”!

HIH: After Little House you were on The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. What shows did you like watching in the 70’s?

Alison: When I was 12, on Friday nights, I would watch The Brady Bunch which I thought was silly, but amusing, The Odd Couple which I thought was GREAT, and being in a progressive household, I was allowed to stay up for Love American Style. I like all the MTM shows – Mary Tyler Moore, Phyllis, Rhoda, etc. and the Norman Lear stuff – Maude, Jefferson’s, etc. I never did like Happy Days or Joanie Loves Chachi. My mom was mad for Columbo so I got into that too.

HIH: “Confessions of a Prairie Bitch” is the name of your stand- up comedy act. I read your one woman show is in French and English. When did you learn French and was the series Little House as popular in France as it was in the United States?

Alison: I found out the first time I went to France in 2002. I now know that Little House is insanely popular everywhere from France to Bangladesh, from Argentina to Israel, from Iraq to Borneo! I am amazed every single day by the people I hear from all over the world. Due to the enormous popularity of Nellie Olsen in France, (but of course, they’d like her, right?), I went back to school and learned to speak reasonably passing French with a slightly less than annoying American accent. (Still working on it!)

HIH: Your husband plays guitar in a band called Catahoula. Do you sing or play any instruments?

Alison: I wish! I do own a saxophone and take lessons very intermittently. (I’m not very good. But I like the sound.) I’m so glad I get to be a groupie for my husband!

HIH: Working with charities such as PROTECT, seems to be a prominent part of your life. What ways can we take action and help out?

Alison: Oh please do visit our site at www.protect.org ! We have changed laws in several states and gotten bills passed in Washington D.C. I would ask people to ask more questions about what the laws really are in their state regarding child predators, child pornography, child abuse, sentencing, statute of limitations, etc. Most people assume that their children are well protected under the law. They’re not really. People think that if someone is caught sexually assaulting a child, that they simply go to jail. They usually don’t. We’re changing that.

To get the latest about Alison and her adventures, check out her website at:

www.hgd.com/alison

And to learn more about Bob Schoonover and his music, see:

www.hgd.com/catahoula

With the San Diego Comic Con coming up next week I’ve been thinking about favorite comic books again. Since I posted about this before I’d like to take a step over to cartoons. I’m not talking about full length animated features like Snow White or The Last Unicorn. I’m talking about cartoons, the kind I watched on a Saturday morning back in the day. You know, best watched with a bowl full of Frosted Flakes?

Much of my cartoon watching in the 70’s consisted of shows created decades before like Bugs Bunny (1940), Tom & Jerry (1940), The Jetsons (1962) and The Flintstones (1960). The 70’s wasn’t a great time for animation. There was a lot of skimping going on with productions but some of the characters and ideas were a lot of fun.

This 5 on Friday list contains cartoons created in the 70’s. Even though Rocky & Bullwinkle, George of the Jungle and early Tom & Jerry episodes were uber cool I won’t be listing them here. Only cartoons created in the 1970’s. It’s tougher than you think.

So here they are… 5 Favorite 70′s Toons:

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972)

Hey Hey Hey! Check this out thanks to the Minisode Network, “You may learn something before it’s done”:

Schoolhouse Rock (1973)

This series of mini edutainment episodes made learning fun. All that stuff in my textbooks seemed to make more sense after singing along with Schoolhouse Rock.

“Conjunction Junction what’s your function… Interjection!!” I love singing along to these fun learning songs. To view “I’m Just a Bill”, click here. Click here to watch “3 is a Magic Number”.

Cover of 30th Anniversary Edition DVD

Disney presents Schoolhouse Rock these days. I purchased the 30th Anniversary Edition via Amazon a couple years ago.

The Great Grape Ape Show (1975)

“Grape Ape, Grape Ape”

Not sure why I liked this show so much. I know lots of other 70’s kids that felt the same way. Might have been the bright purple color that kept us zoned in, or maybe the idea of a 40 foot tall gorilla was all we needed.

Titlecard for The Great Grape Ape Show, featuring Beegle Beagle and Grape Ape

For video clips of Grape Ape & his pal Beegle Beagle visit Retro Junk by clicking here.

Hong Kong Phooey (1974)

It seemed like everyone was into martial arts back in the 70’s. Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Black Belt Theater… this dog janitor turned Kung Fu hero was just what Saturday morning needed.

Sublime takes on the Hong Kong Phooey theme song. What do you think?

Own Hong Kong Phooey on DVD August 15th!

Super Friends (1973)

So here we are talking about comics again. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Superman, Batman, The Wonder Twins, just a handful of the characters from Super Friends. This animated series was produced by Hanna-Barbera and based on the Justice League of America characters published by DC Comics.

Check out this Super Friends site for a grown up look at a Saturday Morning classic.

I’ve been addicted to Drumstick’s lately. Those yummy Original Sundae Cones by Nestle.

Not only are Drumstick’s delicious they also have a great story. Thanks to an ice cream maker at the World’s Fair in 1904 for running out of bowls and coming up with the smart idea to use rolled up waffles as cones. The ice cream cone was born. The idea for the Drumstick was a couple decades away.

According to the Nestle Drumstick website:

“… in 1928, I.C. Parker, a manager at a Ft. Worth, Texas candy company, had the idea of coating an ice cream cone with chocolate and peanuts.

His wife, Jewel, thought it looked like a fried chicken leg, so he called it a Drumstick, which is way better than Fried Chicken Leg. And I.C. and his twin brother, J.T. “Stubby” Parker, opened the Frozen Drumstick Sales Co. shortly after.”

I forgot how much fun these ice cream concoctions are to eat with their rich chocolate layer topped with roasted peanuts and the creamy vanilla ice cream inside a crispy sugar cone. My favorite part is the chocolatey surprise at the bottom. Oops, I gave it away! These “innovations” were added as the years went by and in 1991 Nestle bought the company.

These days we can indulge with the Original Drumstick and we can splurge with new flavors like Vanilla Caramel & Mint. They’ve created snack size Lil’ Drums and Cookie Dipped flavors.

I remember the first time I had a Drumstick on a hot summer day. My usual favorite, the 50/50 Bar was second runner up once I found the chocolatey surprise at the bottom of my cone.

How about you, do you remember the first time you had a Drumstick? What’s your favorite ice cream truck treat?

Speaking of ice cream trucks, I need to pop in Eddie Murphy’s Delirious DVD again. ICE CREAM!!! Click here to watch a clip.

Listen up Mad Max fans and anyone who loves creative fun!

A friend of mine, Scarlett Harlott, is hosting a 3-day camping/ RV event in the beautiful Southern California Mojave Desert. Scarlett isn’t your ordinary kind of woman and this event isn’t either! The Road Warrior Weekend is an extraordinary 3 day experience bringing the Mad Max movies to life via creativity and costumes.

“Kind of like a post-apocalyptic Burning Man… without the hippies!”

November 20-22, 2009

The Road Warrior Weekend!

Kick Ass video by Dave Stabley “Ravage”

Vernon G. Wells “Wez” from “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior”, “Commando” and “Weird Science” will be at the event autographing, taking photos and answering your questions!

Virginia Hey “Warrior Woman” from “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” & “Farscape” will also be at the event autographing, taking photos and answering your questions!

So get creative, put together your Mad Max inspired costume and visit http://www.myspace.com/roadwarriorevent
to purchase Road Warrior Weekend Event 2009 tickets.

Get them before they’re gone!

Do you remember Penny Robinson from Lost in Space? How about Brigitta from The Sound of Music? What silly questions, of course you do!

Angela Cartwright is the actress that played Penny & Brigitta. These days she’s a photographer, novelist, artist and occasional actress.

The Danny Thomas Show, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Love Boat, My Three Son’s, Adam-12, Logan’s Run, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Family Feud… going through Angela’s acting resume is like a stroll down pop culture lane.

Of course I had some questions for her. Here’s my interview with Angela Cartwright:

HIH: You were on The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour when the Ricardo’s went to Hollywood and the Williams family from Make Room for Daddy rented their house. You were very young but what do you remember from your time on the set with Lucy & Desi?

AC: I remember that was a hilarious show. Lucy loses her voice and she has to mime what happened at the cabin with the Ricardos and Williams families. Lucy had such an expressive face and I loved watching her. She had brilliant comedic timing and was a force to be reckoned with. Even though I was young I remember I really liked Gale Gordon who played the judge. He made me laugh.

HIH: There are quite a few fan made videos on YouTube dedicated to Penny Robinson. How does it feel being part of classics with such a big following such as Lost in Space and The Sound of Music?

AC: It never ceases to amaze me. Lost in Space seemed to arrive on everyone’s television screens at the perfect time. People needed to be swept away and dream of a life in outer space. The way to get there was becoming a reality. It really captured ones imagination. I was lucky enough to go to a real launch at NASA a few years ago. It was an amazing experience. NASA employees told me over and over how Lost in Space inspired them to join the space program… imagine that…Lost In Space inspiring future astronauts.

The Sound of Music enchanted movie goers in a different way. Maybe it was the music, the storyline, the beauty of the film…whatever that magic was, it was universal.

HIH: With all the children at different age levels working on The Sound of Music I imagine there were some fun times filming. Do you have a story you can share with us from your days filming in Austria?

AC: Coming right from The Danny Thomas Show I was thrilled to be working with other children. Heather Menzies (who played Louisa) and I hit it off right away because we both adored the Beatles. We had a club called the HePaulAng Club and we constantly sang Beatle songs on the set. I think the camaraderie among the kids really shows on the screen. We are all still friends today. In fact I just returned from a visit to the Von Trapp Lodge in Stowe, Vermont with four of the movie cast members. What an experience talking with the REAL Trapp family at their beautiful resort located on a mountain that is eerily reminiscent of the Austrian landscape.

HIH: The character Dr. Zachary Smith in Lost in Space was always getting into mischief. What was Jonathon Harris like on the set?

AC: Jonathan was a total professional. He always knew his lines and he worked hard at his role of Dr. Smith. He also had a playful side…every day in the early afternoon he went up in the rafters and threw tootsie roll pops at the crew…It was a sugar pick me up we all looked forward to.

HIH: Bill Mumy played the role of your brother Will Robinson on the show. He’s a musician, writer, producer, and actor now. I read that you were working on a fantasy-adventure novel with him. Is this fact or fiction?

AC: Bill has four CD’s coming out in July, Speechless, Carnival Sky (an all instrumental CD). He produced Sarah Taylor’s new CD The Cure to Everything and another Barnes and Barnes CD for the twisted mind OPBOPACHOP. Bill is a very prolific musician, check out his website for more www.billmumy.com

We started writing the fiction novel a couple of years ago and just recently we decided to rework a few things. Bill and I work well together and our imaginations click. I think it’s a good fictional story that people will really enjoy.

HIH: The science fiction novel Logan’s Run was made into a film and also into a television show. You played the role of Karen4 in one episode. Many child actors don’t stay in the business when they reach adulthood. Did growing up in Hollywood ever feel a bit like the paradise city in the Logan’s Run storyline where life ends at 30?

AC: That’s an interesting point. There is no question the transition from child actor to adult can be really difficult. I think sometimes actors are cast in one kind of role and they have difficulty breaking out of that. Actors should be given more credit… They are ACTORS…they can play many different roles if given the chance.
I was fortunate to have been cast as a New York kid, an Austrian Von Trapp and then a space adventurer. It’s hard for actors today who get locked in a certain kind of role. I know many actors who are chomping at the bit to spread their wings.

HIH: You’re a talented artist & photographer. When did you start creating art and what medium did you use first?

AC: I would have to say photography was the first artistic medium I got hooked on. Over the years it has evolved into embedding my photographs into different mediums. My book Mixed Emulsions – Altered Art Techniques for Photographic Imagery explored that concept. I shoot black and white film images and hand paint them with oils, acrylics, and other mediums. Then I cut them up and create new combinations with my photographs to tell my story.

HIH: You have more than a few websites and one of them is dedicated to your artwork, www.acartwrightstudio.com The subtitle is “home of an unruly artist”. Why do you call yourself an unruly artist?

AC: My photography and my art is constantly evolving and investigating image possibilities. Most recently I have turned my photographs into comfortable, wearable art clothing www.acstudio9.com

It’s just one more artistic avenue I have wanted to travel. So why do I call myself unruly? I like to break the rules to see where it will take me.

HIH: Sarah Fishburn collaborated with you on the book In This House – A Collection of Altered Art Imagery and Collage Techniques  and In This Garden – Explorations in Mixed Media Visual Narrative. You also created the Quality Art Zine – Pasticcio Quartz with her. Tell us about your latest book.

AC: Sarah is a great partner in creativity. We both have very different styles but we compliment each other in our passion to make art. In This Garden is a collaborative project involving twelve artists interpreting the word ‘GARDEN’. It’s a follow up to In This House where artists interpreted the word ‘HOME’. It’s amazing to see the diversity and individuality in each artists creations. Give an artist a word to interpret and there will be twelve completely different insights into that word. I love that. The books are also filled with tons of techniques and tips and insights into each of the artists.

Pasticcio Quartz is an ongoing outlet for our thirst for art. It’s a panoply of art from emerging and established artists, books, thoughts, words, tips, quips and lists. The word Pasticcio means a work or style produced by borrowing fragments, ingredients, or motifs from various sources, and that is exactly what it is. We self publish it three times a year and it keeps us in the artistic whirlwind. Art can be intoxicating…isn’t that why we do it?

Visit Amazon.com to purchase Angela’s books, including her latest book, In This Garden.