Shopping Around ... Bullseye!

This blogger ordered the dress in the picture from the Q. Notice anything odd about it???

Take a closer look at one of the boobs ...



Bullseye!!!


Ellen DeGeneres will be on QVC remote from LA in January to present Halo, Purely for Pets, a natural pet food company that she partially owns. I hope she's funny. I hope she comes back. And I really, really hope that the "I love Jesus, but I drink a little" lady calls in to talk! She is a hoot!

Miss Tina likes to design her clothes for the curvier woman. She was inspired by "the forgotten woman," noting that "some of Beyonce's backup singers are plus size women." How sweet of her to think of all us fatties.

"Holy mamacita!" Shawn Killinger writes just like she talks. This entire blog entry is pretty funny. Maybe Shawn Killinger and Rachel Ray speak the same strange language that only they fully understand.

The is some controversy surrounding some Upper Deck baseball cards sold exclusively on the Q.

Former HSN host and owner of her own cosmetic line, Kellie Olver, was recruited to manage the marketing for Eveline products.

Debra Messing will collaborate with designer Robert Lee Morris to create a piece of gold jewelry to benefit Youth AIDS.

Here are two inventions that make me wonder why I'm sitting here writing this and not toiling away in the basement trying to invent something:

Real Estate agent and mom, Joya Machabee, invented the Kiddie Kangaroo, which is a storage system for car seats and strollers. She's getting the chance to sell on HSN.

Vince D'Onofrio found a way to mount those little solar lights everyone puts in their yards onto gutters, thus putting lights all along the top of your house. Not only was he smart enough to come up with these Gutter Lights, but he managed to get them scheduled to be on the Q next fall.

One day I’ll think of something to invent.

Eight Dollar Bill Alert

Everything's bigger in Texas ... except the price tag on home shopping fashions. $8 Fashion Outlet stores are popping up all over. And guess what they sell? Fashion items from the Q and HSN. And guess how much they cost? 80% of everything at the $8 Store, costs, you guessed it, $8.

Now why can't QVC and HSN sell them for $8? Or maybe just lower their prices a little. If they're going to give such good deals to all these outlet places, why not give good prices to loyal customers? I simply do not understand.

Have an online bargain bin or a special secret sale for loyal customers. I know that they are always trying to get new customers, but it might also be smart to reward the people that keep you in business!

Check out the video here. You'll recognize many of the items and labels.

Suzanne Somers Sued!

Suzanne Somers is being sued for $400,000 by former business partner, John Bouchillon, over a a restaurant chain that never happened.

Supposedly, he invested the money, but the partners couldn't agree if the chain should be organic or not. Couldn't they have just a done partial organic menu? That just seems like a strange thing for a business deal to fall apart over. And I have to wonder if she was planning on using all her Somersize products in the recipes.

Between this and the gold mesh necklace that wasn't, Suzanne's been having a rough time of it lately.

Patti Gives a Straight Answer in a Round About Way

Can you believe how different Patti looks??? I usually don't notice people's weight gain or loss until I see an old photo. Although I didn't think that she was that big to begin with. Yes, she was a pear--a fruit that I can definitely relate to--but she looked fine to me. Of course, I live in the deep-fried South. We grow 'em big and healthy around here, so my perspective might be a little skewed.

Anyway, on Patti's most recent blog entry, she tries to directly address the ongoing QVC controversy by looking it straight in the ... ummm ... toes and basically avoids actually saying anything at all.

Here's the quote:

"I've been asked a lot about whether or not I'm leaving QVC, why haven't I been hosting more shows lately, etc… I can't give anyone a straight answer on that. "We'll see" is the best that I can do for now."

As to the rest of the blog entry, she sounds depressed. I'm going to play armchair psychologist here and take a stab at what's going on: in the past, she was able to easily blame her problems on her weight, use her weight as an excuse, and generally hide behind it. Now that she has shed the pounds, she's having to face life without any insulation or excuses. That's just my two cents for what it's worth. Who knows ...

There's also a rumor going around that she was dating someone in upper management at the Q, but that they recently broke up. If that's true, that would certainly explain her mood and the whole leaving/staying/leaving/one-hour-shifts-occasionally thing that's been going on.

Another day, another Patti rumor.

ETA:

An Anonymous tipster emailed me this link, which has the following little tidbit:

"Patti is leaving qvc. She is leaving to get married. His name is John K. Lillin. She met him on a trip to England. Everyone is very glad about her weight loss."

The 2008 QVC Christmas Show in Review

I'm almost recovered from Christmas and Dollywood ... almost. But I'll explain all that later. Anyway, here's a funny review of the QVC Christmas programming from this year.

I was watching 24 Hours of A Christmas Story on TBS as usual, but I tried to check QVC out a few times. I swear, Lisa R. and Antonella were cooking every single time I switched over to the Q! Did you know Lisa Robertson was raised a vegetarian? I didn't and for some reason I find that very interesting.

I should be back to posting regularly soon. I'm working up to it. My brain just isn't firing on all cylinders right now.

QVC Happy Holidays Screensaver

As usual, I will be watching 24 hours of A Christmas Story. It never gets old!

"You'll shoot your eye out!"

Merry Christmas!

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Even if you don't care for Country music or you aren't a Garth Brooks fan, you should give this one a chance.

How Did You Find Queen Bea?

People stumble across this silly little blog in all different kinds of ways, but there seems to be a bit of a trend. See if you notice anything.

Here is a list of the Top Ten Keywords used to find Queen Bea for 2008 ...

10) Kelly Repassy - The redheaded former plus-size model and recently-ousted HSN host.




9) The Jewelry Chanel - This struggling home shopping channel that was going out of business most of the year, only to reinvent itself into The Liquidation Channel.




8) Davinia Palmer - This little British cutie burned bright as a QVC host, but her time was short.




7) Pat James-Demetri (and her ex, Vince) - Poor Pat has had a rough year thanks to her no-good ex-husband, Vince.




6) Paul Deasy - Another former HSN and QVC host who, along with his wife, Judy Crowell, is trying to make a return to the home shopping arena in a new way.




5) Me! - Some of you got here by actually looking for Queen Bea on purpose ... golf claps ...




4) Bob Bowersox - After 22 years with the Q, Bob was shown the door right before Christmas and made a huge leap into the top five. (The crazy looking picture is from the set of a movie he was in. I just thought it was funny!)




3) Patti Reilly - Patti, Patti, Patti ... she's leaving! she's not! she's leaving! she's not! I swear, the speculation will never end. In the very least, she has certainly dropped to part-time. I still say she's leaving.

2) Models Prefer and its founder, Stacey Schieffelin - Stacy was in the middle of a nasty lawsuit with QVC that led to a complete reinvention of the Models Prefer brand into ybf and a switch to HSN (all while keeping that famous eyebrow pencil and patented hair roller makeup-less face shtick in tact)

And number 1 for 2008 is ... drum roll please ...

1) Dave King!!!

Here today, gone tomorrow. This well-loved host just disappeared without a word from QVC--not even a Bob Bowersox-style hostage video. I guess they just figured no one would notice??? In any case, he had many fans who missed him and didn't appreciate the treatment he got.

Here's a great video of Dave, great host and an all-around stand up kind of guy:



You can also check him out in his new job as a consumer electronics expert here.

Mike Rowe's Dirtiest Job

Dirty, clean, or otherwise, I have a bit of a thing for Mike Rowe. There's just something about that smart ass, opera-singing, oh-so-dirty manly man, former QVC huckster that definitely puts the Quack in my Factory! (Could you even imagine him with Jeanne Bice??? Hah!)

You know, I'm pretty sure that this blog is a dirty job. He should consider stopping by and giving it a whirl.

Check him out making fun of his old job at the Q ... only 9 easy payments!

Bob Bowersox Blast from the Past

Here's a video from Bob's first day ... and you might recognize a few other folks too! And I have to say that Bob looks better with age. Those glasses are not doing him any favors.



BTW, I am trying to find the goodbye video of Bob from Sunday. I didn't Tivo it and QVC has hidden it away in the vault. If anyone has this recorded, please email me at homeshoppingqueen@gmail.com. I promise to keep you anonymous!

Serena Williams Plays Doubles with HSN

According to an interview in h magazine, Serena Williams will be serving up fashions for HSN soon with her new Signature Statement line. She also plans on adding jewelry, bags, and bedding, but I'm not sure if that's for HSN or her high end Aneres line.

QVC Made Brando an Offer He Can't Refuse

According to British Tabloid, The Sun, Marlon Brando tried to get a job as a host on QVC (I'm not sure if they are referring to the UK or American channel). I just want to say that again--Marlon Brando, the freakin' Godfather, wanted to work for the Q!

I guess he needed that money. He was down to his last £6,000 (about $8,400) when he agreed to appear disguised in a wig and women’s clothes. Apparently, he never went through with it though.

Brando in drag selling Diamonique? Huh???

ETA:

More info coming out about this ...

According to the Guardian, another newspaper from across the pond, "in his declining years, Marlon Brando – the screen icon and master of the Method – was considering taking part-time work at QVC. According to a new book from an old aide of Brando's, one Alice Marchak, Brando's personal debts had led him to a dark place. "Marlon was serious about QVC," she writes in her book, available in all good retailers. "He had a meeting with a woman from the channel."

Bob Bowersox Gone!

I'm supposed to be on Christmas break! Ugh! Anyway, looks like Bob Bowersox is gone ... retired ... let go ... contract not renewed ... quit ... I don't know yet. I'm trying to make cookies in Queen Bea's Kitchen, people!

In a touching video, Bob said that he wanted to pursue other avenues. Check out this post from a few months back about his other work. Some of it is really funny and some of it is ... ahem ... a little "sexy."

Even though there was a video, the whole thing seems rather strange and hastily put together. Wouldn't they want to stretch out the goodbye?

Personally, I think that he was fired or they just decided "not to renew his contract." If he were leaving because he wanted to go, there would have been a live "party" worthy of his 22 years with the "QVC Family."

I hope that all is well with his daughter (she has special needs) and that the recent credits listed on IMDB mean that he really does have other irons in the fire.

As to the now open Sunday kitchen show ... I vote for Antonella Nester!

ETA:

Bob has made the news and gossip sites. Go Bob!

Also, based on the QVC Programming Guide, it looks like this was a sudden departure. In the Kitchen with Bob is scheduled through 1/11/09.

Bob Bowersox was ranked the number 3 search on Google for December 21, 2008. Wow! I bet the Q never thought that would happen.

ETA: CHECK OUT BOB'S GOODBYE VIDEO.

Queen Bea's Big Thank You!

Merry Christmas in December--not to be confused with everyone's favorite home shopping tradition, Christmas in July!--and a big fat "Thank You!" to you for making this blog so much fun. You guys are an absolute blast to hang out with--even the haters and trolls ... you just add a little spice to the entertainment. ;-)

This blog has only been up and running less then a year now, so I need your help. What do you love to read about on the blog? What do you want to see more of? What could you do without? Be honest, I can take it. I think ... stiff upper lip and all that.

Oh! And I have to tell you about my Christmas present that I found for myself. I 'm sooo excited! On Craigslist, I snagged an 18k yellow gold band ring with channel-set square natural emeralds and baguette diamonds (yes, I do wear real stuff too, people). And get this, the band is HEAVY--I hate flimsy gold jewelry, you know--I think it's about 7 grams of gold stuffed into that little band. I love it! It's gorgeous, it's high-quality, and I got a great deal on it. Apparently some lady was unloading everything her no-good ex-husband ever gave her. In any case, I got a rockin' deal on it. For what I paid for my heavy 18k gold emerald and diamond ring, I would have ended up with some hollowed-out nothing from just about anywhere else.

I will probably be posting sporadically this week. Even though I am lucky enough to get the week off to spend with my family, it's going to be busy. So I'm not making any promises about the quantity or quality of the posts this week. We'll just have to see how it goes.

My family is coming here for Christmas so there is lots of shopping and cooking to do--and that's not even counting all the present wrapping and delivering for everyone on my home shopping Christmas list.

Anyway, my father just started Weight Watchers a few weeks ago, so I'm trying to make the menu a little healthier for his sake. The main dinner is shaping up nicely (brined pork tenderloin with apple glaze, roasted rosemary potatoes and winter squash, hearty vegetable soup, dried cranberry, walnut, and blue cheese salad with balsamic vinaigrette), but the rest of it is a big calorie bust, I'm afraid. Oh well, tis the season! There will be a revolt if there is no spinach dip and bourbon cake!

We're also planning on hitting Dollywood after Christmas to see the lights.

So, by Queen Bea's royal decree, have a very Merry Christmas!!!

In Memory of Murphy the QVC Dog

Dan Hugh's dog, Murphy, recently passed away from cancer.

My heart goes out to Dan and his family. Losing a beloved pet is never easy. In honor of Murphy, please take a moment to click the link below. You don't have to donate any money, simply by clicking on the "Click to Give" button on The Animal Rescue Site, money is donated by sponsors.

Here's a cute video of Dan Hughes that includes a funny little cameo form Murphy at about the 45-second mark:

Colored Gold has Officially Jumped the Shark

After watching Lisa present some Barney-the-Dinosaur, purple-colored gold on QVC last night, I'm officially declaring that colored gold has Jumped the Shark.

The original and natural yellow color is perfect. White and rose are simply beautiful and they are classics. Even a little chocolate, black, and green can be enjoyable in small doses or as accents. But purple? And it's not even a nice, soft understated tanzanite purple.

The classic Byzantine bracelet presented last night in purple was just the last straw for me. This is getting ridiculous. As expensive as gold is right now, why would anyone pay for a 14k gold bracelet coated in Crayola Crayon Purple?

I don't get it.

Charla is Da Bomb, Baby

Charla Rines is by far the kookiest and funniest home shopping host out there. Granted, she can be a tad over the top and a little too much to take at times, but I'd rather be annoyed occasionally than bored all the time.

I was channel surfing last night and happened to come by Charla selling Isomers on ShopNBC. If I see Charla, I have to pause and listen for at least a couple minutes. You just never know what she's gonna do.

Charla seemed genuinely passionate about the Isomers products she was presenting. She talked about what she uses regularly and the results that she has seen--using her own face to demonstrate results. And, no, she didn't look like an airbrushed supermodel. She looked like a regular lady fighting the good fight against the ever-persistent hands of time.

Charla was not only entertaining, but she interacted with the vendor, the fabulous Manuela Marcheggiani, as if she were a customer with substantive questions about the products.

For her part, Manuela was personable and informative. She didn't gloss over the research that explained how and why a particular product worked. I see why Isomers has such a loyal following. It seems to be the way Philisophy was in the beginning, before everything became about a big bowl of sudsy Gingerbread Man shower gel demonstrations.

They were perfect together. The inquisitive entertainer coupled with the knowledgeable vendor was so refreshing. It was everything that home shopping could and should be. And this was on ShopNBC of all places!

I almost ordered some anti-reddness serum since I have such a problem with dry, red skin. Almost. I think that the only thing that stopped me was that there wasn't a special on that specific product. But as soon as there is ...

The Tale of Two Gold Mesh Necklaces

Watch the video below of Suzanne Somers presenting a suite of gold mesh jewelry. Even though the model was wearing a sample of the necklace, it was not for sale--only the bracelet and the earrings. Unbeknownst to Suzanne, there was a bit of a problem with the necklace.



The host, Colleeen Lopez, explained that the necklace shipment was delayed for some reason, which happens often ... or at least every now and then!

None of this would be suspicious or strange if it weren't for the fact that a few days later, a heavily-promoted Miss Paula Abdul shows up selling her own gold mesh necklace. Here's the presentation of Paula's version of the necklace:



Did HSN pull Suzanne's necklace at the last minute to placate Paula and her people? No matter what you think of Suzanne or her stuff (and I'm not a fan of either of these scarf-necklace things), she has been with HSN for years and has consistently made them money. Why would HSN dis a proven money maker for a crapshoot on Paula?

Goodbye to the Goddess

It's official. Offerings jewelry line is leaving ShopNBC. I don't know what ShopNBC did, but they are losing one of the few brands they carry that has a loyal cult-like following.

Here is the email that I received:

It's true. This Sunday December 21st to Tuesday December 23rd, we will be live on ShopNBC together presenting our Final Offerings shows. Please do not miss out on this incredible opportunity to enhance your Offerings collection with a major Clearance Liquidation of our jewelry at ShopNBC. We thank you for a decade and a half of an inspiring relationship that has spanned the globe and changed our lives.

Thank you for being part of this magical collaboration.
Best Wishes
Marianna and Richard

I have to wonder if we will be seeing them again soon on another shopping channel.

The Studliest Man on QVC

You know him ... You love him ... He's the best electronics guru on the Q ... He's Oscar!

By special request, here's my favorite video of Oscar getting embarrassed by a rather personal question:



Oscar has a My Space Page that lists his profession as "That short guy on TV" and states for the record that he is in a relationship. Sorry ladies! And by the looks of all the pictures he has posted of a certain lady friend, I believe him.


And I'd like to also take this opportunity to admonish all the hosts who seem to think that it would be funny or cute to make fun of Oscar being vertically challenged. For the record, it's not funny. In fact, it just makes you look like a rude, shallow, mean-spirited, self-centered, immature jerk.

On the other hand, Oscar--after being made fun of to his face--has the good graces to not make fun of these hosts for being ... oh, I don't know ... fat, ugly, or stupid. Would you find that just as funny as the short jokes? No, I didn't think so.

Here's a good rule of thumb, if you aren't a professional comedian in a nightclub, never make fun of something a person can't help. The key to good host humor is self-deprecation. Next time you're gazing at yourself in the monitor, look for the funny flaws in yourself, not others.



So remember, it's ok for Oscar to make fun of himself, but it's not ok for you to do it. Got it?

(Hope this makes you happy MK!)

For Real, the Winner of the Fake Face Off Is ...

In a landslide victory with 72% of the vote (Wow!!!), Diamonique was chosen by you as the best fake diamond!

Diamonique beat out HSN's Absolute (3%), ShopNBC's Brilliante (1%), Jewelry Television's Bella Luce (0% -- no love for JTV!)

The second biggest vote getter was "doesn't matter, they're all the same anyway" with 12% of the vote and there are still some of you (actually 10% to be precise) out there who "would rather go naked than wear fake diamonds." I can't say that I relate to that particular segment of the population! Put some clothes on people!

Honestly, I would choose Diamonique also. Not because I think it is necessarily better, but because of the lifetime warranty that they offer (but no longer promote). That guarantee is worth spending the extra money. Not too many jewelry items come with that kind of backing.

Technibond on HSN--the gold-plated silver line--also used to be worth the extra money too. But then they got rid of the warranty and now it's just like any other plated jewelry product. Check out the story behind Technibond in my post here.

Here's the thing though. Most of the CZ used in these lines is made by Signity. (Yes, there was a line on ShopNBC by that name that has gone by the wayside and will supposedly return after the beginning of the year under a different name. Apparently there was some confusion between the manufacturer of Signity and the line by same name. I thought that it was very good by the way! Especially the steel and the diamond-coated CZ.)

So, in reality, most of this stuff really is the same. Don't get me wrong though, there are definitely some stinkers out there that look like a piece of cloudy, shadowy, cheap glass.

Since most of the stones are in actuality the same, my main concerns are the quality of the setting and the carat weight. Those flimsy gold setting have got to go. I know that the price of gold has gone up, but trying to stretch one gram of gold over a big ring just ain't gonna work.

Also, those huge stones need to be used sparingly. I have one big honker ring that I bought for fun, but I normally look for low carat weights spread out over lots of stones. I don't know who keeps buying those big rocks, but puh-leeze--for the love of all that's holy--stop!

And to those of you that wouldn't touch a fake diamond with a ten-foot pole, I think that life is short and jewelry should be fun. Spending tons of money and worrying about losing an earring isn't fun to me. Besides, by the time they treat many of those natural stones there's not much left that's natural about it (think Playboy model fake--they've had their nose done, their boobs done, their hair is dyed, they've had lipo, they've been waxed from head to toe, and they have a fake bake--but technically they are real, right?) But to each her own. Whatever you have, enjoy it! :-)

Is Pamela McCoy a Copycat?

Louis Dell'Olio, designer of the Linea fashion line on QVC, is in his own words "livid!"

Why?

Well, it seems as though a certain host/designer at ShopNBC has stolen his design.

Take a look at this Linea jacket from the front:

From the back:

And close up:

Now let's move onto Exhibit B, shall we?

Once again, take a look at this particular Pamela McCoy jacket from the front:


From the back:


And close up:



So, what do you think?


Here's what Louis had to say about it on his QVC blog:

To my amazement and DISGUST....I saw MY JACKET, copied to a "T" by Ms. Pamela McCoy. Let me assure you, the design is MINE and she copied it. I was under the impression Ms. McCoy was a host....at best a host/stylist....not a designer. My jacket was first introduced Oct. of 07 in black and red. It was reordered and we introduced "Purple" as the new color this year. This particular jacket, A74432, was part of a series of what I called my "Leather and Stud" embellished suede jackets, [A14945, A1284, A37843]. .....I CAN TELL YOU WHERE Ms. McCoy got her idea from.....shame on her! If you should ever run into that lady again you can proudly tell her she got ripped off.....You have the original...she has the copy.....and she paid $48 more for it to boot!.....Monday morning I will have a conversation with my manufacturer and my buyer at QVC to see if anything can be done about this blatant copy. Unfortunately, in this country, there are no laws against it. I am on the board of directors of the CFDA [Council of Fashion Designers of America], and we are having meetings right now, in Congress, on copy rite laws protecting clothing and accessory design. I thank you for bringing this to my attention and be assured you have the ORIGINAL!


Louis Dell'Olio was so upset by the stolen design that he had his lawyer write a letter to the CEO of ShopNBC to complain about the design infringement. Unfortunately for Mr. Dell'Olio, ShopNBC is on the verge of total anarchy and collapse, so they probably don't care very much about a jacket. Plus, their CEO gets all kinds of scathing letters. This is just another one to throw onto the pile.


So far, here's what's come of the letter to newly-crowned ShopNBC CEO, Mr. Buck:

A last word on the Pamela McCoy incident. As I mentioned, my lawyer sent a letter, on my behalf, to the CEO of Shop NBC. We received no response..........their silence.......speaks volumns.


In case you didn't already know, Louis Dell'Olio knows a thing or two about the fashion industry. According to the Council of Fashion Designers of America:

Louis Dell'Olio attended Parsons School of Design, and from there moved on to work as a major designer at Anne Klein for nearly 20 years, receiving numerous prestigious industry awards including an induction into the COTY Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1995, Mr. Dell'Olio became a consultant to Marzotto USA to assist in the design and merchandising of its Accento bridge collection of women's apparel. Also in 1995, in a position unprecedented in the fashion industry, Mr. Dell'Olio was engaged by a joint venture among Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Holt Renfrew as design director for a unique designer collection of women's apparel. Since 1995, Mr. Dell'Olio has been designing a line of furs and shearlings under his own label for the Le Gar Company, which retails in Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Marshall Fields, Neiman Marcus, and boutiques across the country. He also designs women's and men's shoes and men's suits. In 2000, he entered into an agreement with QVC to design an exclusive line of sportswear under the label LINE A by Louis Dell'Olio, which was so successful during its first year that Mr. Dell'Olio won QVC's prestigious Q Star Award for Product Concept of the Year.

The Gift That She Is

So Paula was on HSN quite a bit this weekend. I for one was completely disappointed. She was relatively coherent (for Paula--it's all relative people!) and no major incidents occurred that I saw. I'm so disappointed.

Yes, she had her usual slow, deliberate, slurred Anna-Nicole-style speech pattern, but I'm pretty sure that I detected actual nouns and verbs in her sentences. Although I did notice that her hands seemed to shake uncontrollably when she was holding the jewelry for a closeup, which isn't funny in the slightest. It's actually very, very sad.

The hosts also took great pains to not only keep Paula focused on the task at hand, but to treat her "like the gift that she is." The ridiculous amount of personal compliments, the fawning over her products, and the sucking-up all seemed like blatant ego stroking and made the hosts look like a bunch of silly sycophants.

I loved how they were selling her picture with a "signature" on it. Not an autograph, just a printed on signature. Awesome! I'm sure it will make a great present for that someone special. The coup de grace, however, was when they offered the big surprise Estaban "Tribute to Paula Abdul" guitar. It's like HSN is trying to make fun of itself.

At least I have American Idol to look forward to!!!

QVC is The Biggest Loser

Season 5 Biggest Loser winner and first woman to take the title, Ali Vincent, just finished her QVC vendor training classes. After losing 112 pounds and keeping it off for a year, she will be the pitchwoman for all The Biggest Loser products.

I admit, I love The Biggest Loser. I also feel guilty sitting on the couch watching these people work their butts off while I'm munchin' on cheesy poofs. Oh well.

I hope Ali gets to bring her mom on the Q too. She was a hoot! And trainer Bob definitely needs to be there. I need a little eye candy while they are telling me how fat and unhealthy I am.

Getaway with Davinia

Former QVC host, Miss Davinia Palmer (wouldn't that be a great drag queen name?), has been spotted on the longest-running Australian reality travel show, Getaway. Here's some behind-the-scenes footage:



Go Davinia!

Honeyshed Gives Home Shopping a Spit Shine

A new web-based home shopping channel, Honeyshed, has just launched. It’s supposed to be geared for a younger, trendier, sexier crowd … but will these hotsie-totsie My Space-generation speed-texters actually buy anything? Will they even watch? I don’t know, but it’ll be interesting to find out.

I gave it a quick spin and I have to say that it just seems to be trying waaay too hard to be cool. If being cool takes this much effort, I hate to tell you, but you ain't cool.





The videos for products immediately start playing as soon as you enter the site. You can let them keep going or click to whatever product video you want to watch. There are lots of leggy twenty-somethings in short skirts workin' what the Good Lord gave 'em to peddle their wares.

You can also listen to music, review the products, and even upload your own content (aptly titled, "Your Shit" so that you don't get confused).

Honeyshed is like the hyperactive lovechild of QVC and My Space who's being raised by a bunch of narcissistic MTV rejects.

Will appealing to the antithesis of a Quacker Factory lady work? Will this new format be cool or become saddled with the dreaded home shopping baggage? I'm afraid only time will tell.

Eccentric Investor Says ShopNBC "Bites"

Greenbacked.com thinks that ShopNBC is an undervalued stock and wrote a detailed article laying out exactly why. That's all fine and good, but the best part comes in the form of some entertaining letters they dug up from Carlo Cannell of Cannell Capital LLC--described as an activist investor--to current CEO, Mr. Buck.

Now, if you aren't familiar with Mr. CEO/Chairman of the Board/Self-Anointed-King Buck or the current tabloid-fest going on at ShopNBC, I suggest you read this post first to catch yourself up.

Here is a snippet of my favorite part of my favorite letter (just keep reading past the investor-gobbledygook to get to the good stuff):

Dear Mr. Buck

…

We will be watching carefully to make sure the committee’s actions are congruent with the interests of shareholders. We are concerned that the hiring of Piper Jaffray & Co. may be a ploy to continue to justify its pattern of wheel spinning and protection of jobs over what is best for the owners of the business. For example, on Monday, September 15, 2008 we were shocked to learn that your agent (Piper Jaffray & Co.) called to “permission” when and to whom we might talk at our Company. This is characteristic of Stalinist Russia, not America. This does not have a good taint to it. You may try to muzzle other investors, but not Cannell. It bites.

...

It is amazing to us how much value has been destroyed under your stewardship. That you would have to hire an agent at all to advise you on what should have been done long ago is shameful.

Godspeed!

J. Carlo Cannell
Managing Member
Cannell Capital LLC


Can I just say that I love this guy! I have worked for all sorts of idiots, but I've never witnessed any of them getting called out on the carpet--much less in such a creative fashion!

So I did a little research on Mr. J. Carlo Cannell and found out that he's a bit of an eccentric financial genius (yes, it appears that he does have enough money to be considered eccentric and not just crazy).



According to this CNN article, he "owns a van with THINK PEACE painted on it in graffiti-art style" and he "loves to swim the Alcatraz Invitational across San Fran's frigid, shark-infested bay."

Cannell also has "no qualms about publicly savaging a CEO who he feels isn't up to the job." Jeez, ya think??? He's oh-so-tactfully called other board members "monkeyshines," "meretricious trappings," and "perfumed menservants."

*sigh* I think I'm in love. What a flair he has.

Ghost Mine in the Sky with Diamonds

The andesine-labradorite mine owner, a miner, and Chiang Min (from JTV's Bangkok subsidiary) visiting the mine in Tibet.


JTV has expanded their “Learning Library” and they sure are busy promoting it! I took a look at it, and from what I can tell--aside from the standard textbook info on jewelry and gemstones--what they are really trying to do is give their side of the whole andesine-labradorite scandal in an “educational” format.

So what do they have to say?

First, the accusations, class-action lawsuit, and huge settlement in the millions of dollars are described simply as "a flurry of activity on red and green andesine-labradorite. " Cute. Iraq has had a flurry of activity these last few years too!

They also state that the so-called Tibetan "Ghost Mine in the Sky" is real and produces natural red andesine-labradorite. They "can confidently state that there is a mining camp and many deep holes in the ground ... There are numerous mine shafts at this mining site, which makes it less likely the site is a diversion or a hoax." The mine is lacking equipment, but they claim this is because they have to mine the stones by hand. However, they are still waiting on lab reports from the samples they collected at the Tibetan "Ghost Mine in the Sky."

JTV also claims that they have "not sold Mexican labradorite as andesine-labradorite." I guess they were accused of shipping the Mexican yellow labradorite to China so that they could claim it was was the more valuable andesine-labradorite. However, they say that they shipped the gems to China for faceting only and never tried to pass them off as anything but Mexican labradorite.

JTV’s "Jewel Hunter Jack" found mines on the China/Mongolia that yielded yellow stones, and when laboratory tested, these stones proved to be andesine-labradorite. The stones are copper-diffused to create red and green colors. "JTV has every reason to believe these mines are real and functioning. It was on this trip that Jewel Hunter Jack learned andesine-labradorite is mined as yellow and treated to transform the stones to red or green. At the time, the miners told Jack the stones were only heated. However, we have now learned they are actually color enhanced/diffused."

Since this has been a long, heated, and complicated issue, I would be very interested to hear a rebuttal from the other side. Anyone?

These Studs are Breakin' Records and Takin' Names

Remember when QVC had that Honora pearl earring stud set as the TSV recently?

Turns out that they sold 287,500 sets, breaking the all-time TSV sales record (I believe the old record was a Dell product).

I remember that they were selling like crazy all day (literally, they were flying out the door!) and I just kept waiting for them to run out, but they never did. I can't even imagine how many of these they ordered.

QVC lived up to its name with this one: it was a name-brand fashionable product, a good price, free shipping, buy more-save more, and a versatile enough of gift to work for everyone from a little girl to a big granny. Quality. Value. Convenience. What a concept!

I thought about ordering these, but I haven't had much luck with Honora. I've had to send back everything I've ever ordered due to quality issues. I understand that these pearls aren't going to be perfect, but huge pits and cracks just aren't gonna work for me. However, this particular set has gotten rave reviews. I think it's because these are only 7mm-pearls, whereas I'm always trying to get a string of boulders around my neck! The bigger they are, the harder it is to get them in a decent quality.

QVC Powers-That-Be, please try to do more TSV's like this one. Learn, grasshopper, learn!

BTW, there's another Honora TSV on the 12th. Check it out here.

I *Heart* Adrienne Arpel

I don't know what it is about Adrienne, but whenever she's on HSN, I am completely hypnotized by her.

I love the way she sweeps her bangs out of her face and leans in towards the camera when she's getting serious about educating you on the finer points of argon oil or hyaluronic acid.

I love how she smears lotions, potions, and makeup all over the models' faces without much regard for how much she's using or where it ultimately ends up (the demonstrations with the multi-colored concealers are by far my favorite part of the Adrienne show).

I also seriously appreciate that she uses ... ahem ... more "mature" models to demonstrate her products. Seeing a smooth-skinned, dewy-faced 18-year-old model happily using an anti-wrinkle cream just doesn't do it for me.

The models Adrienne uses also appear to be clean-faced with no makeup on before she starts slapping on her various face paints (and I do mean slap, Adrienne is not know for her gentle touch!), which is much more than I can say for many other beauty vendors *cough*BE*cough* who seem to put an entire face of perfect makeup on with one easy sweep of their magic kabuki brush.

I love her big jewelry, her pulled face, and her pouty fish lips. I've never tried any of her products, but I'm always tempted.

Blinded by the Light

Solar power ain't just for Andrew Lessman anymore!

QVC is operating the largest solar farm in the state of North Carolina. And true to QVC form, they aren't just using it to power their 1.5-million-square-foot regional distribution center, they are selling it!

Right now QVC's photovoltaic project (doncha love those fancy words?) generates enough electricity for about 150 homes.

QVC President and CEO Mike (King) George said, "It was critical for us to pursue ways to make our operations greener."

You know King George is working out a plan to hike up the prices and spread out those electric bills into five Easy Payments (deferred for three months if you charge it on your Q Card!) And I'm sure Dell will play into it somehow too, but I can't quite figure out that angle yet.

Seriously, I think it it's a good thing. QVC is helping the environment and saving money in the long run at the same time. Not too shabby!

VOTE! Fabulous Fakes or Embarrassing Imitations

I love my fake diamonds.

Go ahead and judge me, I don't care. I'll be too blinded by my bling to notice your disapproving stares.

I am taking a poll though. Check it out on the top of the left-hand column. I want to know what you think about them--the good, the bad, and the ugly. What's your favorite fake?

HSN Cuts Jobs

Following in the footsteps of QVC, HSN will lay off approximately 110 employees, eliminate 52 open positions, and eliminate 75 positions in its catalog division. Most all of these cuts will come from their headquarters in the St. Petersburg, Florida area.

Management said all the usual stuff about the tough economy (HSN stock has dropped 87% percent since August) and the tough-but-necessary decisions it requires, but it all boils down to unsuspecting and innocent workers losing their livelihoods.

Cougars for Christian

Apparently, relative newcomer, Christian Anderson--just call him Hans for short--has developed quite a bit of a girly fan club since joining HSN as a host earlier this year. Hey, don't judge! The ladies--and some of the gents, too--need a little eye candy to get them through these cold and lonely nights when they just can't sleep. I mean, who really cares about the advanced features of a deep fryer at three in the morning?

So what's his story?

He's an actor turned home shopping host cause he likes to do things like eat and pay his rent occasionally. Shakespearean acting don't pay the bills, y'all! According to IMDB, he has managed to land a few jobs though--"Will & Grace," which I loooove, "According to Jim," which I don't really care about at all, and "The Young and the Restless."

Hans hasn't completely hung up his iambic pentameter though. Check out his short film work at SeeYouNextThursday.com.

So we know he's a Thespian, but is he gay? Although cute and entertaining, this video does nothing to answer the question!

Let's Meet: CHRISTIAN!


Hans is also "The Biscuit" on the Internet radio show, The Bachelor. Biscuit? I won't ask.

ETA: I forgot! He's a big Cleveland Browns fan. :-) I'm originally from Cleveland and have suffered through many a season with them. I even went to the last game Cleveland played in the old stadium before they ran off to Baltimore (to turn around and win the Superbowl--thanks Art Modell). My son even wants a Brady Quinn jersey for Christmas--not that Quinn's ever gonna actually play any time soon. Oh well, I'm used to it.