Help Wanted: Beauty Bash Correspondent

Are you going to the 2009 QVC Beauty Bash??? If you are, I am sooo freakin' jealous of you and all the free samples you'll be getting that Hope in a Jar is practically shooting out of my eyeballs! Ugh!

Sorry, I'm trying not to covet my neighbors Bare Escentuals, but it ain't easy.

Queen Bea, who is certainly never envious of another's good fortune, needs your help. I'm looking for an on-the-scene correspondent to help keep all us poor losers who only dream of going to the Beauty Bash in the loop. We might not be able to sit at the cool kid table in the cafeteria, but we can at least find out what they're talking about!

If you're interested, please email me at homeshoppingqueen@gmail.com. You can be anonymous or not, whatever you're comfortable with. Obviously, there isn't any pay--volunteer? unpaid internship? slave labor?--but you can promote your blog or website or whatever floats your boat. Oh heck, I might even throw in a royal title. Baroness of the Beauty Bash sounds pretty hot!

Last Day for LabelShopper.com Discount!

Today is the last day to use Queen Bea's exclusive 15% off discount code at LabelShopper.com so check it out.

They recently got a shipment of brand name purses you've probably seen on HSN--Iman, Michael Rome, Sharif, and more.

So get yourself a couple hundred dollar purse for less than $30. And don't forget to use the discount code: thankuhsq

QVC Looks to Buy HSN

QVC's parent company, Liberty Media, wants to make a play for HSN.

In case you didn't already know, here's the quick lowdown on the home shopping family tree: HSN was owned by IAC (i.e. Barry Diller); however, Liberty Media (i.e. John Malone), which owns QVC, had a 30% stake in IAC. So HSN and the Q were kinda sorta related--cousins from an inbred family, perhaps?

Anyway, then IAC spun off HSN into its own company cause Barry Diller's got better things to do now--like buying matchmaking websites in China!

On a recent conference call, Liberty CEO Gregg Maffei said that they are prohibited from making a bid on HSN until May 2010. "But we do believe we are the natural owner at some point of that company. We're the one with the most synergies." Maffei added that in the meantime, QVC has the right to increase its stake in HSN from 30% to 35%.

I don't know why Liberty wants even more of the home shopping biz--even though they are the "natural owner" with the most "synergies." Especially considering QVC's recent lackluster sales--domestic revenue fell 12% last quarter (that's the uber important holiday season too) mostly due to declines in jewelry and apparel. However, QVC President and CEO Mike (King) George swears on his brand new Mini Dell that the fall-off is not because that aren't attracting new customers or that their existing customers are leaving, but due to customers just buying less frequently.

And FYI, Liberty also just bailed out Sirius XM, so I'd be expecting a Sirius XM Radio TSV on the Q soon--only 6 easy payments, y'all!

QVC's Dubious Dell Deal

According to PCWorld.com, if you just bought one of the much hyped Dell Inspiron Mini 10 notebooks from QVC, you got a "raw deal."

QVC started selling the Mini 10 about a week ago for $559, claiming that the retail value was $688.

However, if you checkout Dell's website, the a Mini 10 with the exact same configuration (1.6GHz Intel Atom processor Z530) plus shipping is only $487--$72 less than the QVC price and a whopping $201 less than what QVC claims is the retail price.

QVC's President and CEO, Mike George (AKA King George) came from Dell and has built up what appears to be a mutually beneficial relationship between the Q and Dell--much to the dismay of loyal viewers tired of being inundated with all the hour-long Dell shows. Why wouldn't he get the best price for his customers?

Was QVC or Dell preying on naïve shoppers?

Rumor Has It ...

Is she or isn't she ... did she or didn't she ... hmmm ...

Very solid sources say that Sandra Bennett did in fact get married and that Dan Hughes did in fact officiate the ceremony. And, yes, she is pregnant.

Supposedly, Sandra announced that she was expecting on air, but I haven't seen the video, so I can't confirm that.

Compare how Sandra looks in this video from today to how she looks in the video below (there are also some pictures of her beautiful daughter in the video too). You be the judge!



I promise, I'll post more when I know more! :-)

Amy Stran, QVC's New Kid on the Block

This week, QVC announced that Amy Stran "joined the QVC Program Host Team." I love how they refer to the hosts as a team. Do they play softball against the HSN Technibonders? Was Amy a first-round drat pick?

Here's what the Q had to say about Amy:

"From earliest childhood, Amy knew that she wanted to be a performer. After graduation from the Carver Center for the Arts in Towson, Maryland, she attended Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater. Afterward, she toured with a children's theater company based out of Richmond, Virginia. From there she made her way to New York City where she spent six years appearing in plays and on television, including speaking parts on "All My Children" and "One Life to Live." And, as Amy will laughingly tell you, "keeping one foot in the restaurant business." Just prior to coming to QVC, she hosted "Premium TV," a show that promoted premium cable networks.

Amy and her husband Steve have moved from New York to Pennsylvania, a transition they've found surprisingly easy to make, although they're still looking for a good pizza parlor!!"

So it looks like Amy loves the theater, but actually wants to earn a real paycheck for once. Certainly understandable. Plus, I believe her husband is in real estate, an industry that is taking a beating right now.

Here's a link to one of Amy's television jobs. She's pictured in the third TV from top.

But those QVC coaches haven't finished filling out thier rooster yet.

According to blogger and freelance television host, Andi Barness, there were approximately 6,000 applicants for the host job that they hope to fill by next month. (6,000! Wow! I need a good Shawn-ism here ... holy guacamole!) Andi was one of the lucky few who got flown out to LA to meet with some of the Q's talent executives.

I don't know much of anything about Andi, but in her blog post about the QVC audition she writes about how she got all embarrassingly fan girly when she ran into some American Idol contestants at the airport! She even harassed them for a quick picture. Any girl that who stalks American Idol contestants on her way to a QVC host audition is alright by me.

Here she is with Danny Gokey (not my favorite contestant I might add):



Congratulations to Amy! And best of luck to Andi!

QVC Bans Garment Measurements

QVC decided to no longer give garment measurements on air. Oh well. You didn't want your clothes to fit anyway, right?

According to Dan McDermott on the QVC's "At Your Service" blog. they decided to quit giving garment measurements because the most frequently stated reason for an apparel return was "the fit." QVC believes that using only the body dimensions sizing chart will help customers more accurately choose the correct size.

I do understand where they're coming from. Any woman who has gone clothing shopping even one time knows that you can't go by size on the label. Every designer and manufacturer has their own idea of what a size 8 is. Then you have to toss in vanity sizing, non-number sizing that lumps groups of sizes together (S/M/L), body type (you know, apple, pear, hourglass), style, fabrication, and how you prefer your clothes to fit, how big your butt looks in it, how well it hides your stomach ... well, needless to say, getting the right fit is more akin to alchemy than science.

QVC claims that all their vendors will adhere to their new sizing chart. But come on! We all know that's not ever gonna happen. The issue is far too complex.

I will use myself as a prime example. I'm usually a 12/14 and I'm short ... ahem ... I mean I'm petite. However, I am also a pear (big badonkadonk, little waist). Different sizes, designers, materials, styles all fit me differently. Some just plain do not work no matter what size I try. In QVC's chart I would be either a medium (12) or a large (14). And guess what? I won't know how to determine which one to order because they won't give me any garment specifications.

In theory, the body measurement sizing chart is a great idea. All clothing lines in every store should be so simple. But women's bodies are not simple. And a woman's perception about her body is more complicated still.

The intricacies of the national budget ain't got nothin' on trying to find a decent fitting pair of jeans!

QVC is Tightening it's Belt

QVC recently announced that they were taking more steps to reduce costs by eliminating merit raises for all employees and by reducing hours across the board for call and distribution center workers (equivalent to about one day a week). Right now, QVC is saying that this is a temporary program that they will reevaluate at the end of June. However, once they reassess the situation, the program could possibly end or it could get even bigger. Yikes.

A few months ago, QVC announced huge layoffs. I was not happy with what they were doing and how they were handling it (you can read my rant-filled post here). However, as much as it totally sucks to not get a well-deserved raise and have your hours cut, this is much preferable to firing more people. This feels more like a general tightening of the belt in order to get through this hard time together. I hope it works and QVC doesn't do another round of layoffs.

I have to wonder how customer service--something the Q has long prided themselves on--will suffer because of this.

Condolences

My thoughts and sympathies go out to Lisa Robertson and her family in the passing of her mother, Treva Charlene Robertson.

To view the memorial tribute and share condolences, please visit this site and click on Mrs. Robertson's name on the left side of the page.

Knock it Off!

As much air time as Angelina Jolie's ginormous emerald earrings received during the Oscars, how soon do you think it'll be before we see a knock off on QVC or HSN???

I have absolutely no idea what all us non-red-carpet-goers are supposed to do with these green baubles besides donate them to a needy drag queen, but you know how home shopping channels love to be "inspired" by those red carpet fashions.

Although I do suppose they might be the perfect accessory for when you need a quick midweek dinner, so you decide to swing by the Walmart after work to pick up one of those rotisserie chickens and a bag of triple-rinsed salad.

But the big question is, who will win the frenzied race to be first with their "unique interpretation?"

Kenneth Jay Lane? Joan Rivers? Hot in Hollywood? Suzanne Somers? Diamonique? Absolute?

Angie knows not what home shopping costume jewelry chaos she has unleashed!

Keurig is King!

Queen Bea was sooo naughty yesterday! I have been lusting after a Keurig ever since my Bunn coffee maker decided to leak more than it dripped. Now mind you, I've been watching all the Keurig shows on the Q religiously and nearly had a caffeine-induced nervous breakdown when it was the TSV a few months back, but I stayed strong and resisted.

Yesterday was the last stir straw. I had no more will power left.

But I didn't get it from QVC. Nope. I didn't want that silly little mini, personal, wanna be Keurig they had as yesterday's TSV. No, ma'am! I wanted the big daddy. I took a little trip to Sam's Club and came home with my brand new baby. Check it out:



I love my Keurig! I've had it less then 24 hours and I'm already a spoiled rotten little gourmet coffee brat. I want my cup organic, free trade, dark roasted coffee and I want it now! No one should have to wait for an entire pot to brew. How pedestrian.

In all seriousness, I am the only coffee drinker in my household, so something like the Keurig--while certainly still a luxury--is much appreciated. Not to mention the way those soft blue lights illuminate the water tank is nothing less than magical. *sigh*

Lori's Cracking Open the Silver Safekeeper

Lori Greiner, the reigning diva of divine creations, is taking your questions, y'all!

I will be interviewing Lori soon and I want your help (trust me, Queen Bea needs all the help she can get!) What do you want to know about Lori? Favorite flavor of ice cream? Most embarrassing moment ever? Coolest celebs she's met in the Q's green room? What do you want to know???

Leave your questions in the comments section of this post or email them to Queen Bea at homeshoppingqueen@gmail.com.

But wait! There's more! We'll be making a big announcement after the interview (I'm sooo excited!!!) ... so until then keep your silver safe and your questions coming.

HSN has a New Goddess

Offerings jewelry recently jumped the sinking ship that is ShopNBC and swam to higher ground. Looks like all those prayers to the goddess paid off for Richard and Marianna Jacobs, cause they landed safely on HSN island.

Take a gander at this quote from Colleen Lopez's recent blog from the Tuscan Gem Show (emphasis mine):

The highlight of the trip was spending the day with two of the most talented jewelry designers I've ever met: Richard and Marianna Jacobs. I've admired the Jacobs' jewelry designs for years - and many of you will recognize this husband and wife team (and their beautiful offerings) as they have been showcasing their jewelry on television for more than a decade. I'm thrilled to announce that Richard and Marianna will be bringing their glorious collection of Sajen Silver to HSN's Silver Gallery on March 28th.

Don't you love how Colleen was super sneaky and sly with her dog whistle use of the word "offerings?" Pretty slick, if I do say so myself.

Patti is Playing Head Games

First, Patti's leaving ("former QVC host" meta tag controversy), then she's not so sure (vague blog announcements and scattered part-time on-air hours), but then she finally pinky swears that she's absolutely positively officially staying with QVC as a full-time host (the big announcement).

However, nothing with Patti is ever simple. This much I know.

Patti just posted a professionally produced demo reel on You Tube with her contact information included in the video. Why? She's not looking for a job anymore. She's not, right? Right???

I think Patti's just toying with us at this point. She's swirl, tap, buffing my brain!

Watch it for yourself:




Is she just looking for some additional gigs on the side? Wouldn't she do that more subtly through her representation?

Patti better be careful because I do know that QVC is actively looking for new hosts. You can watch all sorts of entertaining audition tapes from hosting hopefuls on You Tube.

However, some of the auditioners are going the more traditional route with professional representation (although some of these places look a little sleazy--I don't want anything those half-nekkid ladies are selling!)

If you think you have what it takes, here's what the Q wants in a new host. It states that they are looking for men or women, but I've heard that they really want a woman. Sorry guys! Although I have to give props to Rick for not only being able to pull off a jewelry show, but he even had to do a Breezies bra presentation recently. Only a real man can sell bras on television!

The starting pay ain't to shabby either ... hey, I'm a woman and I can talk ...

The Ugly Side of Home Shopping

Can I just say for the record that former home shopping employees and vendors who are no longer under any contract, non-compete, or any other can't-talk-to-anyone-about-anything-or-we'll-sue-you-into-oblivion legal restrictions are very near and dear to Queen Bea's dark royal heart.

Former QVC host, Steve Bryant, has decided that he needs some blog therapy, y'all! And we are here to help.

Apparently, while he was still working at the Q, he overheard two sophomoric, snickering nincompoops ... sorry, I mean two program hosts, calling him a liar for a cute on-air story he told about a radio job he had back in college and then they "went into a diatribe about how ugly (he) was."

Steve might not be Miss America, but no one can successfully sell on television for 15 years and look like Nosferatu. Ain't gonna happen. Perhaps he didn't faux tan enough for their liking.

But the story gets better ...

"They didn’t know I was standing right around the corner. I came out and let them know I had heard what they said and that it was good to know how they felt. They were speechless, not even a yum-yum face!"

No yum-yum face?!? You mean like this one?

"Panic ensued! The other hosts in the lounge who were listening to my “put down” had obviously gone to our immediate superior to “rat out” their peers, hoping to beat me to the punch and lessen their “second hand guilt.” Actually, I had no intention of any official reprisal. I was going to confront each host privately and settle things person-to-person.

"Apparently, both of the offending hosts had been contacted by our immediate superior since they called my voicemail and apologized. Neither ever said anything to me in person, I guess believing their voicemail mia culpa would suffice.

"Many years later, I guess I should let it go. Writing this has helped to put this behind me. Still, I would like to settle the score in person and will probably do so soon. I’m no Robert Redford, but I do take exception to the “ugly” thing as well as the lying thing.

"They should at least have the guts to apologize in person. Maybe we’ll have crab cakes and laugh about the whole thing…oh, wait, that won’t work. Those Chinese crustaceans are almost extinct. Maybe some cheesecake…or anything squishy I could throw. Just sayin’…

"I wonder if they read my site? Guess I’ll find out."

Can you believe all this petty, back-stabbing, ass-covering nastiness? Unbelievable!

Check out Steve's Blog--this is just the tip of the crap cake, y'all!

Can We Talk? Cartier Sues QVC!

According to WWD, Cartier, that ubiquitous French staple of the wanna be rich and stylish, is suing QVC for selling some Joan Rivers watches that infringe on their designs.

They're kidding, right?

Cartier is threatened by Joan Rivers on the Q? Seriously???

Do they understand that us poor folk survive off these celebrity-endorsed cheap, plastic knock-offs from home shopping channels? How else are we going to look "Madison Avenue" or "Ladies Who Lunch?" Honestly!

I wonder which of her watches they are talking about. Joan needs to leak that information because you know those particular watches would start selling like haute cakes!

Aren't all watches ripoffs of other watches in some form or fashion? I'm sure all of Cartier's designs are "pure" either. If I were Joan, I would take it as a huge compliment that Cartier thinks hers are so good they're worth suing over.

I don't have any of her watches, but I do have this Steel by Design watch that is ... ahem ... Cartier inspired (it even has the blue hands). I love it and wear it almost every day. And, trust me, I wasn't debating between getting the $35 watch and the $10,000 watch!

Quality Value Couture

I actually enjoyed the whole "Live from Bryant Park" shtick that the Q did for Fashion Week. Sure, it was a little contrived, but this is home shopping for goodness sake! What do you expect? Although I'm a little uncertain about Lisa'a outfit. It looks like there was some sort of mishap in the dressing room.



Elisabeth Hasselbeck wasn't my favorite. All the ruffles and bows were way to fussy for me and they also didn't look like they would be flattering to anyone above a size six.

Speaking of which, I was very disappointed that the Q didn't have at least one normal or plus-sized model at their show. I realize that this is Fashion Week and they are pretending to be haute couture, but that would have been such a progressive and empowering thing to do. And I'd be willing to bet that they would get some great press out of it.



This is a picture of Ruby and Raymond, the winners of the QVC and Extra win a trip to Fashion Week contest. They are so stinkin' cute I can't stand it! Doesn't he look like one of those poor husbands wandering around the mall aimlessly while holding onto his wife's purse for "just a minute" while she darts into a store and disappears. Ruby not only got to go to the QVC runway show, but she was also lucky enough to have a make over and be styled by Lori Goldstein (she's the one that had the fabulous military jacket with the ruffles at the bottom).

The picture is from the Melissa at Fashion Week blog on QVC. Melissa describes herself as a QVC writer/Blog queen, but I can't find any record of conferring that particular royal title on Melissa--is everyone a home shopping queen these days? In any case, if you are a fashionista, I would recommend that you check it out. She gives you the inside scoop on all the shows (well, many of them), not just the QVC quasi-fashion stuff. Fair warning--the 80's are coming back!

Sensa, the Magical Powder

"[H]ow could anyone compete with a magical powder with remarkable powers to alter brain chemistry and hormones?"

Due to all the speculation and rumors flying around about why Andrew Lessman decided to pull all his weight management products from HSN after the debut of Sensa, he's started his own little blog. I think Andrew's just trying to be cool like Queen Bea. :-)

First and foremost, Andrew wants it to be very, very clear that he has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Sensa. Nothing, people! I still don't know why he's worried about the association. No one is confused. It's ok, Andrew. Calm down.

He isn't leaving HSN even though they aren't particularly happy about him pulling some of his product.

He didn't pull his products because they are unsafe. He says that there are no safety or recall issues with his products.

He also didn't pull the weightloss products because they weren't selling or had a high return rate. On the contrary, he said that his last Today's Special of Secure Meal Replacements had record-breaking sales.

Andrew doesn't think that Sensa is unsafe, which was one of the rumors going around that actually worried me a bit. However, he does have three major problems with the product: 1) misleading claims (i.e. you can eat whatever you want and still lose tons of weight!); 2) even though Sensa claims to be clinically proven, his "research department has been unable to find a single published, peer-reviewed clinical study showing weightloss resulting from Sensa or any of its ingredients"; 3) the low cost of the bulk of the ingredients verses the relative high cost of the product.

Andrew has also been introduced to the infamous "poof" police (welcome to the club!):

"For now, I will remain restrained in sharing my thoughts about Sensa, but it is unfortunate that many of you who have eloquently shared critical thoughts about Sensa on the HSN Forums have been “poofed” and your postings have disappeared, which makes for some very unbalanced commentary and which has only underscored the need for me to respond."

Don't fret, Andrew. You aren't alone. The "poof" police are notorious on both the HSN and the QVC forums for making posts disappear indiscriminately. Anything and everything seems to fall under the old "community standards" rules except obvious violations and nasty trolls, which stick around and fester forever.

"Exiting the weightloss category at HSN is a huge economic loss to my company; however, my conscience can now rest easy as a result."

If you have any concerns, I recomend that you read Andrew Lessman's blog on his Procaps website for yourself.

Shopping Around ... Slummin' It

In addition to QVC, McDonald’s and Mattel are some of the other new … ahem … lowbrow sponsors of Fashion Week. Why? Money talks. All these high-falutin brands don’t have the roughly $100,000 in cash it takes to put on a show.

And just like they did with the inauguration, Extra and QVC are giving away a trip to Fashion Week. I would never find anything appropriate to wear! Southern housewife trailer park chic, perhaps? Who am I kidding! With Fashion Week slummin' it with Micky D's, I will fit in perfectly!

In her latest blog entry, Kim Parrish says that the nautical and safari looks are in for Spring. Ships Ahoy!

QVC is trying to buy more land in Suffolk, VA for future expansion. Looks like they really are closing or shrinking their Northern facilities for good.

Shares of ValueVison (ShopNBC) stock have gone down 95% in the past year to only 20 cents a share. 20 cents! Part of me thinks I need to snatch those shares up and make a bundle and the other part of me remembers that I know nothing about the stock market.

"Extra" co-host Dayna Devon—spokesperson of Sensa—is married to plastic surgeon Dr. Brent Moelleken, who did a well-publicised tummy tuck on her in 2007. Does this matter? We buy cosmetics and skin care from people who have clearly had facial plastic surgery so should it matter if you buy a weight loss product from someone who had a tummy tuck? Check out video of Dayna Devon's tummy tuck and decide for yourself.



Sarah Morgan, the handbag designer behind the new eenamaria handbag line debuting on QVC this month, will be interviewed on the MomAdvice Simplified Podcast next week to discuss simplifying accessories, what to look for in a good handbag, how to care for handbags, and how to spot a fake purses. Right now, these bright and bold purses that look like modern art can only be purchased at eBags.com. You can also check out a review of the Workin’ Weekend Baby Tote on 1800blogger.com.

Apparently Flipo is looking for a someone to be a vendor rep for them. Why must this rep be a 25 to 30-year-old female? Honestly! But if your interested, you do pocket $250-$400 per show. Not too bad.

Is QVC backing out of free $10 promotion deal? Sounds shady.

Funny mock interview with a real colonial blacksmith trying to sell goods on QVC. I guess Williamsburg wasn’t selling enough the old fashioned way.

Interesting interview with Linda Dano. I had no idea that she’s been with the Q so long!

Another product effected by the huge peanut better recall. This only applies to products purchased after August 11, 2008. So if you've got an old cake stashed away in the back of the freezer, you're good. "Annie B's Confections announces a precautionary voluntary nationwide withdrawal of the following Annie B's ® branded wholesale dessert products and Annie B's ® Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake and Annie B's ® Classic Collection Miniature Pastry Assortment sold on QVC and on the internet site, QVC.com because they may be contaminated by Salmonella, an organism, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems."

Kenneth Brown will be debuting a new bedding collection on the Q. He also designed High School musical darling Zac Efron's house, so I suppose that makes him a hot designer.

I know we all need to be safe, but has lead testing gone too far now?

Patricia Field doesn’t like to be too hands on with her collections. In an interview with OregonLive.com promoting the new Shopoholic movie she worked on, Patricia said, “I don't want to be manufacturing and production. For HSN (Home Shopping Network) and Marks & Spencers, I didn't produce it. I designed it and PR-ed it, but I didn't produce it. I'm not an administrator of a big business.” How does that explain away these metallic leggings though?

QVC vendor, Donna Salyers, tells the story of how she went from using real to faux fur—it involves a rather traumatic cat fur scare.

QVC had record sales in tanzanite recently. Looks like after four decades of being on the market, it’s finally starting to catch on.

Forget plant stem cells, jellyfish will be the next new fountain of youth. Just you wait SSC will be on it like white on rice!

Sly "Hearts" Jennifer Flavin

Did you know that Sly Stallone got his wife, Jennifer Flavin, tattooed on his arm? Not her name, y'all! He got a picture of her face. Very handy if you accidentally forget your photo album at home.

Here's a closeup:



Now that's love. Getting someone's name inked on is one thing, getting a huge color portrait is another thing entirely. What can he do if they break up? Draw a mustache and glasses on the picture with a Sharpie? Jennifer might be his third wife, but I'm pretty sure she's his last one too!

I have to wonder if he used her Serious Skin Care Olive Oil line to help with the tat healing. It's supposedly good for burn victims, surely it's helpful for tattoo victims too.

Queen Bea Reaches for the Stars

This is the Paula Abdul "Reach for the Stars" ring that Paula took off her own finger and gave to that cackling contestant who we all love to hate, Tatiana, during last night's episode of American Idol. Tatiana already had the coordinating bracelet and Paula wanted her to have the set. Plus, Paula wanted to oh-so-subtly promote her HSN jewelry line to a captive audiance of millions.

If you haven't been following Idol this season, here's a little sample of Tatiana's cheese-grater ways (and don't say I didn't give you fair warning!):



The ring is on sale for only $12.95 and is a customer pick (!). Tatiana has been chosen as the Vote for the Worst favorite so she might be around for a while for that kind of voting block behind her.

I have to confess, the same part of my heart that loves the cheese of home shopping, also adores the cheese of American Idol. I just can't help myself!


I'm fairly certain that I'll be fishing around for ways to tie American Idol into this blog so that I can write about it with reckless abandon. So far, Paula, Clay Aiken, and Barry Manilow are the only clear links I can think of, but I'm willing to get creative.

How bad is this little addiction of mine? I'll admit to going to one of the American Idol concerts. In my defense, it was just one and I only went to see my all-time Idol fav and number one boyfriend, Chris Daughtry. He totally rocked it too. Mr. Queen Bea doesn't mind me drooling over Chris since they could pretty much pass for twins. It's a healthy kinda lust, y'all!

So if you aren't into Idol, you'll just have to gloss over these little posts from time to time. I just need an outlet for my obsession.

Home Shopping Escapism

With the economy in turmoil, watching the news is not for the faint of heart. Just a few minutes of watching CNN while folding laundry can result in acute depression, anxiety attacks, and fear-induced paralysis.

Where to turn? What to do?

Instead of turning to a bottle of nerve pills washed down with a stiff martini, it seems to me that many people are turning to the ever-present and always-chipper home shopping channels.

Just pick up that little ol' remote control and click on over to QVC, where it's always sunny and happy--not to mention on-trend. And there are most certainly no problems in home shopping land! Well, except when you have decide which one of the fabulous colors to buy ... oh, what the heck! Just buy one of each. It's just money, for goodness sakes!

I think that folks are watching more and buying less. What do you think? Have you curbed your home shopping spending? Do you still keep HSN on in the background while you're fixing dinner?

Facebook Shmacebook

After getting harassed and teased and called names on the playground, Queen Bea has finally joined Facebook.

I've been told that I will soon become addicted and spend all my free time doing ... well ... I don't know exactly ... mindless, unproductive Facebook kinda stuff, I suppose. If there's a group you think I should join or something that you think I'd like, just let me know. I need to hurry up and turn my brain to a big steaming pile of Facebook mush.

Anyway, I'd love for you to join me. I'm keeping my profile on the down low with a fake version of my fake name: Bea Queenston. Facebook didn't seem to like the name Queen Bea. Whatev!

http://www.facebook.com/people/Bea-Queenston/1420405970

And please don't take offense if I don't respond immediately to a message or ignore you in some way. I'm still trying to set everything up and learn my way around. You know, the usual stuff--do I have time to go to my locker between second and third period? Who can I sit next to in the cafeteria that's not a total dweeb? Can I just keep all my clothes on for the shower after gym class?

ETA:

Now that I've had a chance to play around with Facebook for a few hours, I have a few random thoughts.

-- How and why do you Poke someone? Do I need some sort of prophylactic first? And for the love of all that's holy, what is a Super Poke and why does it involve sheep?

-- The quizzes are fun and addicting!

-- I was very excited to find out that I could update my Twitter with my Facebook and vice versa. They're like Wonder Twin powers activate! Although I'm pretty sure I'm going to screw it up somehow.

-- I am having so much fun snooping around in all my new friends' Facebook pages. It's like peeking in a neighbor's windows and getting to see how they really live. I'm such a nosey neighbor Gladys Kravitz from Bewitched!

-- And why do I feel all nervous and clammy just thinking about asking to be someone's friend? What am I, 13 again? This is ridiculous! What's the worst that can happen?

-- Speaking of invites. If you've emailed me in the past, you automatically got an invite from Facebook. I wasn't trying to exclude anyone.

"Hans" Chriatian Anderson Jumps Ship

Looks like cougar bait "Hans" Christian Anderson is leaving HSN to get back into acting. I certainly hope that in this economy Hans has an actual signed deal somewhere and isn't just hoping for the best. This isn't exactly the best time to be leaving a cushy hosting job.

Christian is still up on the HSN host page, but doesn't have any future shows scheduled.

Although Han's following pales in comparison to QVC's resident stud, Oscar, he has his fair share of loyal fans. If you count yourself amongst them, check out Queen Bea's "Cougars for Christian" post to get the scoop on his acting endeavors.

Mr. Hans, we barely knew ye!

Charles Winston coming to HSN or QVC?

Charles Winston had a recent split from ShopNBC. Since then, he's only been on foreign home shopping channels in Australia and the United Arab Emirates of all places.

But then I found this little announcement on the Charles Winston website:

NEW NETWORK To Be Announced Soon (USA)

Charles Winston's TV show on ShopNBC ran successfully for almost 11-years. Mr. Winston, at the urging of a larger, more far reaching television shopping network in the USA has decided it was time to end his show at ShopNBC. Check back often to watch for the announcement of the new network he will be launching his show.

Obviously, there are only two home shopping channels bigger than ShopNBC. To me, Charles just seems like a perfect fit for HSN. But then I saw the above picture of Marie Osmond wearing Charles Winston jewelry that was posted on the Charles Winston home page. Does that mean that he's coming to the Q? I just can't picture him there.

Is Judy Crowell Back at QVC?

Word going around the beauty parlor is that Judy Crowell, former host at HSN and QVC before that, will be back at QVC as a host as soon as her non-compete with HSN runs out. Supposedly she's already working at the Q behind the scenes.

Here is a tiny bit of vague confirmation from Paul and Judy's webiste:

Sorry the site has not been active as of late. We had hoped to have some concrete news to announce previously, but some of those plans have fallen through. Like just about every other segment of the economy, the shopping channel industry has been hit pretty hard. We are still cautiously optimistic about a few opportunities. We hope to announce Judy's plans soon, and if they come to fruition she can appear on air after April 15th 2009. I did complete the book on opals and began to write a new book on Tanzanite. Hoever, it does not make financial sense for me to print new books until I have a comittment for an outlet to sell them. I may have a different opportunity to speak of (not on a shopping channel), but I cannot divulge until the deal is finalized. Once these plans become more concrete I promise the site will be updated more regularly.Paul Deasy

So everyone keep your eyes peeled for Judy in April! :-)

Beans and Cornbread

I went to my in-laws this weekend. They live in the country--God's country, y'all--picture horse trailers hitched to muddy pickups, hay bales, and tobacco hanging up in the barn to dry.

In any case, I think I might have gained roughly five pounds in two days. We drove over to the next little town and ate at Cathy's Country Cupboard and let me tell you, it was some good, down home, stick-to-your-ribs kinda cookin'! We had a mess o' fried catfish, white beans, coleslaw, fried potatoes, cornbread, and sweet tea. I have to say that the white beans surprised me. I'm used to pintos (you know, cook 'em up low and slow with some ham hocks or fatback), but these white beans were even better. And then the desserts ... Lord have mercy! This old country gal named Frieda comes in early in the morning and makes all the pies and cobblers from scratch. Coconut pie, pecan pie, peach cobbler, lemon meringue pie, and blackberry cobbler were the selections when I went. Frieda makes what she wants to make. The blackberry cobbler had big, fat, fresh blackberries all through it and the crust was perfection. Frieda is an artist.

That was just one meal. I'm not going to get into the biscuits and sausage gravy, grits, and hashbrowns that happened at breakfast. I'm going to have to eat nothing but salad for days just to get the gravy out of my bloodstream. It was totally worth it though.

A few random Monday morning home shopping thoughts:

I had tons of emails about Lisa Robertson--where did she go? Was she fired? Which I found really funny. We have become so accustomed to the powers that be just canning people with no warning that if someone misses a shift or two, we're pretty sure that the worst happened--post traumatic host firing disorder, maybe? So, calm down. No, she's not fired and she didn't quit. She's back. Word is that her father had a stroke and she--quite understandably--needed to go be with him. I certainly hope that all is well now.

And the other Lisa--Lisa Mason--her hair is to die for! Props to Gino that big Hawaiian hair dresser husband of hers. Love him!

Sterling Silver Designer Day was a total bust for me. I haven't checked out the message boards yet to see how other people felt about it, but I wasn't impressed. The Ripka TSV was covered in hearts and I don't do hearts--Queen Bea is a heartless shell of a woman, you know. There was also waaay too much old stuff, too much expensive stuff, and not enough special deals. I know that the Q is allergic to having "sales," but we are in a recession. Tough times call for some sales on silver.

Speaking of sales, my diva hoops arrived! I totally rocked them down at Cathy's Country Cupboard.

On a side note, I've had some email conversations with several of you about writing. Yes, I enjoy writing. That's why I started this blog to begin with. I wanted somewhere to write that would be fun and freeing. Writing books is a long process that involves more planning, editing, and rewriting than actual writing (writing is rewriting, right?) I wanted instant gratification and I didn't want to fuss over perfect grammar--I wanted to let my participles dangle freely! This blog is a perfect outlet for that.

Anyway, I've once again been bitten by the nasty book bug. A little seed was planted in my head while I was watching a news story one day. That's what happens when your at home laying on the couch with the flu. Your brain is all mushy and fertile--ripe for planting. That little seed has since grown into some characters who I adore and a funny little plot for them to play in.

I know that a few of you are also writers and I know at least one of you is writing a book and another is thinking about it. I'm looking for some buddies to go through the writing muck with me and sit in the dark, lonely trenches. If for no other reason than to provide little word count encouragement. Trust me, it helps! If you've ever done NaNoWriMo, you know that a little peer pressure and competition will spur you to higher word counts. If you don't already know, writers are expert naval-gazers and need a little motivation to actually do something remotely productive. Any takers???

Andrew the Diva?

Andrew Lessman is always touted as HSN's biggest-selling vendor. So I guess it would be safe to assume that Andrew has a little pull in the company. That's why this whole Sensa blowup is so strange.

Why would HSN risk ticking off their biggest moneymaker? And why is Lessman so upset about Sensa anyway?

Word on the street is that Andrew can be a bit ... ummm ... difficult to work with and fancies himself to truly be the King of Vitamins and Lord of Supplements. Apparently he took the addition of Sensa to the HSN family as a personal attack on his high standards and ethics.

Should HSN have asked his permission first or something? I don't know.

This just doesn't make sense to me. Every retailer--not just home shopping channels--sells competing products in the same category. Does Pepsi endorse Coke because they're both sold together ... well, pretty much everywhere? I don't think that Jennifer Flavin-Stallone of SSC is endorsing Wei East or that Emeril is endorsing Todd English ... or Wolfgang Puck ... or Gordan Ramsay ... or, well, you get the point.

Every product lives or dies by its own merits and marketing. Andrew has a huge following who trust him and his products. He has, I believe, the highest percentage of re-orders at HSN. That should speak for itself. Sensa's existence on HSN doesn't devalue that.

Now, y'all know I love Andrew and he's still my boyfriend. We might just need a little relationship counseling is all.

Honeyshed R.I.P.

In my post about this supposed new, hip, young, fresh take on home shopping called, Honeyshed, I described it as ... "the hyperactive lovechild of QVC and My Space who's being raised by a bunch of narcissistic MTV rejects."

Quite the glowing review, doncha think? (Actually, the entire Honeyshed post is worth a quick read!)

Well, seems like they didn't show enough leg or perky bazoombas to actually get anyone to buy anything because the whole place is shutting down. Investors have pulled the plug after getting modest online traffic and dismal sales.

Even though a good third of home shopping channel sales are from the Internet now, we aren't quite ready to make the full transition yet to online only. I'm sure it'll happen eventually and gradually, but you can't force it. Besides, even all us Internet-only buyers are still watching the nonstop home shopping entertainment on TV. What would we do without it???

For those of you trying to push all those home-shopping-loving grannies into the new millennium, fear not! A new website is trying to fill the void. Shopflick.com is also trying to be cooler than home shopping while still providing online video presentations of the latest trends. It's not as obnoxious as Honeyshed was, but still not quite there yet.

Check out their stiletto-filled video:

QVC's Runway to Reality

QVC dipped their toes into the shark-infested waters of high fashion last fall at Bryant Park. The waters must have felt good because this time they are diving in head first.

According to FabSugar.com, the Q will be showing its new Spring lines at Bryant Park on February 14th during New York Fashion Week.

While all the other designers showcase their latest creations to a bunch of self-important buyers and beauty editors, QVC lets the people decide. Yeah! Power to the people! We don't have to wait for some fashion buyer to bring a particular trendy item into their stores months from now, we can order it immediately--and probably on Easy Pay too.

QVC will showcase its higher-end designer lines like Simply by Chloe Dao (a Project Runway alum) and M by Marc Bouwer--sorry all you Quackers out there! I still cling to the hope that one fateful day, I will witness a Fiber Optic Lighted Frosty the Snowman sweater embellished with sequins and rhinestones strutting down the runway. Quack! Quack!

The Q will also unveil some new designer lines such as A List by Alvin Valley (dubbed the King of Pants by Vogue) and Logo by Lori Goldstein.

Between this and the Sterling Designer Day coming up this Saturday, I'm going to need to find my own economic stimulus package.

Congratulations Joyce!

Joyce is the winner of the Queen Bea and LabelShopper.com Iman Purse Giveaway! My very first winner in my very first contest. I'm sooo excited, y'all!!!

She selected the Iman Global Chic City Tote in brown and had was quite complimentary about the service she received from LabelShopper.com.

Here's part of what she had to say:

Talk about service. ... Thanks again and winning your first contest is exciting. ... I am an avid shopper of HSN and QVC my husband says I spend too much! What can I say, I am a "purse hound".

Don't forget that the 15% off discount code "thankuhsq" is still good at LabelShopper.com until the end of the month!

Ding! Ding! Ding! We Have a Winner!!!

And the people rejoice! After a random drawing, we now have a winner in the IMAN FREE PURSE GIVEAWAY.

I've notified the winner by responding to the email she sent in as her entry. So if you don't have an email from Queen Bea, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you didn't win.

I'm still waiting to hear back from her, so there's still a little hope. I'll let you know more about our lucky winner and her new prize after I get a chance to chat with her.

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest and spread the word on their own blogs and web sites. And I really appreciate everything you all do to make this blog so much fun every single day--well, most days anyway. Hah!

Diva Hoop Dreams

Real Collectibles by Adrienne® Clear Crystal Large Hoop Earrings Item: 363-413
(Clearance Price: $26.95)

The blog posts have been scant lately as I and the entire royal household have been spending more time on the royal throne being royally sick.

As usual when I'm feeling under-the-weather, I buy a little trinket as a pick-me-up.

This time, I splurged on some I-ain't-playin'-around divalicious hoops from the Queen of Hoops, Adrienne (y'all know how I love the Adrienne show). I have been wanting some big, sparkly, yet narrow hoops for some time now, but just haven't found just the right pair at the right price.

These were almost the right pair at nearly the right price, but sickness put its heavy thumb on the scale and tipped the balance.

I did manage to come out of the "Everything on 4 Easy Payments Groundhog Day QVC Spectacular" completely unscathed. Those Evil Pays can add up quick!

Also, I'll be announcing the winner of the IMAN free purse contest today!!!

Louis Dell'Olio's New Fashion Statement

Louis Dell'Olio has a brand new fashion accessory--a cast on his arm!

Did he have a tragic accident in the design room involving a bobbin and a zipper? Perhaps he got into a bar room brawl with Pam McCoy over a leather jacket?

Unfortunately, the reality is quite sad.

According to Louis Dell'Olio's QVC blog, after learning that his 3-year-old Scottie, Ellie, had Lymphoma, a treatable cancer of the lymph nodes, shortly before Christmas, he started chemo treatments right away.

"On Christmas Eve morning [8am], Jac and I were going to take Ellie for her 2nd treatment. I took the trash out to the bin and was coming back into the house through the rear kitchen door, when I slipped on the ice and fell! YES, I heard a crack! I broke my left shoulder! Am I glad 08 is over! Ellie has now had 5 chemo treatments and her cancer is in remission, we and her vet are thrilled....Hurray! I am in a sling, but healing well. The next time you see me on the Q, I'll still be wearing the sling....but I'm fine....thank goodness it was my left shoulder....so I can still sketch."

Thoughts and prayers to both Ellie and Louis.