When I interviewed the gorgeous, talented beauty queen/TV hostess and starlet Kyra Batte this week, I thought it would be the typical “Valley” girl-like conversation and that I’d have an enjoyable hour or so, but nothing worthwhile to remember. However, Krya’s enigmatic beauty is just part of her complete package as a budding starlet in Hollywood and internationally. Yes, the poised and stunning beauty is very gracious, very polite and intelligent. But she didn’t come by it the easy way. The stunning brunette told Highlight Hollywood about the teenage phase, which she now looks back on and wonders how her amazing mother dealt with it all, but then she turned her life around and has become one of the most awesome people on the planet, and I can say that without being biased. I was just that impressed.From being bullied as a child, to braces and the acne phase many true beauties often endure before they realize their inner essence, which then becomes a part of who they are as an individual and ultimately inspiring, Kyra Batte spoke honestly and didn’t hold anything back in her exclusive interview with us. Publicist Misty Schwartz of Extreme P.R. said, “Kyra is amazing. I haven’t known her long, but since I got to meet her and have gotten to know her, she inspires me as well. She has a great future ahead. Tommy, Kyra is beautiful inside/out. She gives 110 percent of herself and never expects anything in return. She is a true humanitarian. I’m blessed to know her and be in her life.”

Here is Kyra in her own words; her own honest words.

Q-Have you always been so poised and confident, or did you have a tough time as a teenager or childhood phase to endure like most everyone else?

A-“I most definitely had a tough teenage phase like most everyone else! I was raised solely by my mother and grandmother with very little communication with my father. I never really got to establish a solid relationship with him. Due to that, it made my childhood very difficult. In middle school I had severe acne, braces, and was a victim of bullying. During my teenage years I completely rebelled and had my fair share of detentions and run-ins with authority. I have no idea how my poor mom handled me! I was going down the wrong path and was a very angry, troubled young girl. It wasn’t until I was 16 in my junior year of high school, I realized I didn’t want to grow up that way and have that kind of lifestyle after looking at some of my peers.

“I started taking college classes in high school and advanced math (fun tidbit about me, math was always my favorite subject and I love to crunch numbers!) and was able to graduate one year early. It wasn’t until college I had any kind confidence within myself. I need to let go of the ideas in my head that I was never good enough, that I didn’t deserve good things, or that I couldn’t accomplish anything. I really had to let go and forgive everything that had happened in my life and create a confidence within myself. That is why as a beauty queen I have made it my mission to decrease bullying and improve the mental health and confidence in youth. I was recognized by the Miss America Organization for my community service and have dedicated over 200 hours serving my community, speaking to children at schools and organizations, talking to the public, writing published articles, and built a website to hopefully decrease the bullying epidemic and suicide rates in young adults and I plan to continue to mentor young women.”

Q-You have done lots of TV hosting. What is your favorite gig in the past and why?

A-“My favorite hosting gig would have to be the one I am doing now with Gossip Meets Couture. One of my strengths as a host is my interviewing skills. I am a very curious person and I believe you can learn from anyone. Even before I went full throttle with hosting, I was always told by everyone they could see me as a host. People have said throughout my whole life I speak well and ask a lot of questions. The current gig I do involves a lot a interviewing and red carpet and celebrity events which I have always been a fan of. It gets pretty hectic sometimes having to fight with the other media crews on the red carpet (and believe me, they are not friendly), doing research on of all the celebs so I know what to ask them, and thank goodness I just got the internet on my phone so I can quickly IMDb last minute guests showing up on the red carpet! If you had told me all the cool stuff I would be doing when I was still living in Tucson, I would have never believed any of it!”

Q-Do you have pets, or do you love animals as you seem to?

A-“Yes, Tommy, I do! I have two dogs; Kujo, a shih-tzu/maltese mix and Kissy, a toy poodle. I miss them so much, they are still back in Tucson, Arizona with my mom. And yes, I do love animals! Some would be convinced I love them more than humans, although that is not true. I am a PETA member and was a vegetarian for a while until I realized I loved meat too much, but hey at least I tried! When I was the reigning Miss Pima County I also worked with the Humane Society of Southern Arizona as a celebrity model at their fundraiser fashion show and other events. A lot of associating me as an animal lover sprung from my first hosting gig The Pet Friendly Traveler and then followed on with me when I was a radio show host on Green Revolution Radio; which if you can’t tell from the title ‘green’, means environment friendly so when I did my special segment “Green Gossip” a lot of animal rights were included!”

Q-What would you ultimately like to do with your career, I bet acting?

A-“Well, since I was three years old I always wanted to be an actress. It started because I had the biggest crush on Devon Sawa (the human form of Casper for any of you growing up in the 90′s) and I was convinced if I became an actress I could star in a movie and finally kiss him! Haha the silly things kids think. Growing up I did theatre and modeling (the modeling career shortly ended when I realized I am only 5’1″ after my growth spurt) and in college did numerous plays and films. After doing hosting on TV and radio I finally realized, “This is it, I was meant to do hosting all along.” I mean don’t get me wrong if I got offered to star in a movie tomorrow I would take it, and I still do some acting here and there but my main career goal is to incorporate my skills of helping teach people self improvement and motivation (I got my degree in Psychology) and use hosting to reach a bigger audience.”

Q-What is your next major project coming up, and tell us about your plans for 2012?

A-“Hosting, hosting, hosting! I have some hosting projects coming up and mainly focusing on more coverage on red carpet and celebrity events, and also hosting geared toward lifestyle and wellness.”

For more on the gorgeous actress, hostess and beauty pageant winner, go to her official website at

http://www.kyrabatte.com/.

And thanks to Misty Schwartz and Extreme PR www.extremepr.wordpress.com.

You can follow us at www.twitter.com/HighlightHwd.

Written By: Tommy Lightfoot Garrett
Photographs are Courtesy: From the Hostess’s private collectoin

Follow us on Twitter @HighlightHwd or @LightfootinHwd

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cupcake Wars Winner, Annette Starbuck of Goodie Girls teams up with Home Baked Beanies to create “A Sweet Trunk Show” to benefit Reading, Writing, It’s Exciting…
January 17, 2012, (Los Angeles, CA) Goodie Girls are preparing to host their second benefit with Home Baked Beanies, most popular for their “Scented Cupcake Beanie”. This event will take place on Thursday January 19, 2012 from 1-4pm at Goodie Girls (415 E. Broadway #100, Glendale, CA) and will benefit Reading, Writing, It’s Exciting. Guests can expect to be treated to cupcake samples, discounted cupcakes and Home Baked Beanies.

Annette Starbuck, the multi-Award Winning Founder of GOODIE GIRLS exuberates a joyous passion for creating a variety of baked delights through her valiant curiosity and enchanting talent. Even more remarkable, aside from countless independent Instructional Culinary Sessions, Annette has never actually enrolled into any institutional Culinary Programs or attended Culinary School, but she’s achieved acclaimed success only through her seasoned personal experience and pure creative determination. “Baking is a passion of mine and I create every cupcake with all my heart and soul. Whether for a small occasion of getting together with Friends, BBQ’s, Showers or a big event for Charities, Weddings, or Banquets I craft each batch as I was feeding my own family – it’s who I am at the core. I am lucky to have my whole family with me on this adventure including my rock star husband Anthony, my amazing father Doug and last but definitely the most influential, my step mom Stephanie. Together we Rock the Cupcake World!”

HOME BAKED BEANIES are the first smelly hat company. The owner and creator of this new sweet idea is Tracey Scott, as well as the whole family that contributes to the designs. Smelly or not, the styles are totally unique like their cupcakes hats that smell like cupcakes as well as the hand tie rag hats, vintage shabby chic, every color, every style, and every size. They invite everyone to stop and “smell the hats“. Fans of these unique beanies can find their own Home Baked Beanie to match their personality/style at several locations including: Big Bear, CA, San Diego, CA, Los Angeles (Select boutiques), Trunk shows, holiday events and red carpet events.

READING, WRITING, IT’S EXCITING (RWE) is a nonprofit literacy program designed to improve the reading and writing skills of at-risk children. They do this by providing one-to-one writing mentors throughout the school year for kids who are chosen by their teachers to participate. The reason for RWE’s program is that research shows that if children aren’t writing and reading at their grade level by the end of second grade, they almost never catch up. Further research has also shown that as many as 80% of those kids eventually drop out of high school, are unemployed, are in prison or join gangs. And how accurate are those numbers? Several states actually base their future prison building plans on them! There are over 45,000 second grade students in L.A., and only 41% of them are proficient in writing and reading. Their goal is to help all of them… For more information about RWE, please visit: www.rweprogram.org

For Press/Media/Booking:
Extreme Public Relations
Direct: (323) 570-1328
Email: mistyepr@gmail.com
www.ExtremePR.wordpress.com

I Have a Dream Speech
Martin Luther King’s Address at March on Washington
August 28, 1963. Washington, D.C.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

Martin Luther King Jr Facts

Birth January 15, 1929. Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Death April 4, 1968. Memphis, Tennessee, USA (assassination by gunshot)
Known for Leading the civil rights movement in the United States
Advocating nonviolent protest against segregation and racial discrimination
Milestones 1954 Selected as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama
1955 Received his Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston University
1955-1956 Led a successful effort to desegregate Montgomery, Alabama, buses
1957 Helped found and served as the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
1958 Published Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story
1963 Wrote ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail,’ arguing that it was his moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws
1963 Delivered his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech to civil rights marchers at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
1964 Won the Nobel Peace Prize
1965 Organized a mass march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, that created national support for federal voting-rights legislation
1968 Was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee
Quote ‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.’ August, 1963, in a speech to civil rights supporters at the March on Washington.
Did You Know King’s nonviolent doctrine was strongly influenced by the teachings of Indian leader Mohandas Gandhi.
In 1964, King became the first black American to be honored as Time magazine’s Man of the Year.
King’s efforts were not limited to securing civil rights; he also spoke out against poverty and the Vietnam War.

As we celebrate the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, this is a good time to draw attention to the fact that no one in the history of reading the Bible from the streets was better at #OccupytheBible than Dr. King. The one fundamental thing Dr. King understood is that you actually had to be on the street to read the Bible from the street.

Streets, banks, parks and bridges have been occupied by the #OccupyWallStreet movement. Recently, I’ve started the Twitter tag #OccupytheBible where each day I tweet a different verse from scriptural teaching on justice for the poor and the way riches are a stumbling block to discipleship. And every day I gain more Twitter followers who want to read more of the Bible than Tim Tebow’s favorite verse, John 3:16. John 3:16 is a great verse, and Tebow’s emphasis on it has inspired a lot of Google searches for the text, but the Bible says a lot more than that one verse, and much of what it says is about economic justice.

The Bible is one of the most important places Christians who are concerned about social justice need to occupy. To Occupy the Bible simply means reading the Bible from the perspective of those who are driven to the streets to protest rising economic and social inequality in our own time, as those who listened to Jesus on the streets did in the first century.

No one has ever done this better than Dr. King. Rev. Jesse Jackson once remarked to me, “All these people getting Ph.D.’s in the work of Dr. King and not one of them could call a press conference.” It’s true. Dr. King could call the press conference, stand up on a podium, and say what really needed to be said, and the dozens, then hundreds, and then hundreds of thousands of people who stood with him on the street could say the same. When King marched, a multi-religious, multi-racial America suddenly became visible, and America was forever changed.

King was no biblical literalist. He was more concerned with how to get people not to be so preoccupied with creeds, and focus instead on deeds. In fact, he believed, the job of the church and its scriptures was “to produce living witnesses and testimonies to the power of God in human experience,” and to commit to action. “Jesus,” he noted, “always recognized that there is a danger of having a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds.”

King was all about the deeds. This is why he was able, in his famous “I Have A Dream” speech, to move so deftly between “the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and the words of the prophet Isaiah. “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” And then came the deeds part: these words of the founders and of scripture, no matter how inspiring, per King, have to make a concrete change in the attitudes and laws “down in Alabama, with its vicious racists.” Otherwise, as he argued, the words are a promissory note that has been returned in default.

From the perspective of the streets where King marched, “Loving Your Enemies” was the only practical way. This is elaborated in his extraordinary sermon on Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:43. It demonstrates how King interpreted the Bible from the streets in order to turn words into deeds. In this sermon, King took as his text the words of Jesus, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”

King argued in this sermon that when Jesus said, “love your enemies” he was talking about the secret of the power of non-violent action. “There is a power in love that our world has not discovered yet. Jesus discovered it centuries ago. Mahatma Gandhi of India discovered it a few years ago, but most men and most women never discover it. For they believe in hitting for hitting; they believe in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth; they believe in hating for hating; but Jesus comes to us and says, ‘This isn’t the way.’”_

From the street, in Dr. King’s words and his deeds, what works to overcome hate, as he says in this sermon, is “to organize mass non-violent resistance based on the principle of love.” This is exactly what #OccupyWallStreet has been trying to do in following the example of both Dr. King and Mahatma Gandhi. It’s ultimately why those who want to make a change in this country have got to get out on the streets and engage in non-violent direct action.

When police raided Zuccotti Park, the first home of #OWS, and destroyed many of the belongings of the Occupiers, one of the major areas of destruction was the People’s Library. Bibles lay in the heap alongside books by Maya Angelou, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, all marked with the People’s Library stamp.

While lots of households and even Occupy camps have Bibles, though, you actually have to read the Bible, not just own one, to get the message. But when you do read the Bible, studies have shown, it can turn you liberal. Indeed, people become more liberal in their social attitudes by actually reading the Bible, especially on their own, that is, outside church teaching.

The title of the event where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream Speech” was called “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.”

JOBS and freedom. It was a march for economic and civil equality. The human desire for simple decency in economic and civic rights didn’t begin in 1963, and it certainly has not ended here in 2012.

It’s a biblical message through and through. You understand that when you read the whole Bible. And that’s something that Dr. King knew well.

#OccupyWallStreet is a true heir to the King vision and practice.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | 12:52 PM ET, 01/13/2012

Dr. Martin Luther King Official Website: www.mlkonline.net/dream.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cupcake Wars Winner, Annette Starbuck of Goodie Girls teams up with Home Baked Beanies to create “A Sweet Trunk Show” to benefit Reading, Writing, It’s Exciting…

January 10, 2012, (Los Angeles, CA) Goodie Girls are preparing to host their second benefit with Home Baked Beanies, most popular for their “Scented Cupcake Beanie”. This event will take place on Thursday January 19, 2012 from 1-4pm at Goodie Girls (415 E. Broadway #100, Glendale, CA) and will benefit Reading, Writing, It’s Exciting. Guests can expect to be treated to cupcake samples, discounted cupcakes and Home Baked Beanies all to benefit Reading, Writing, It’s Exciting.

Annette Starbuck, the multi-Award Winning Founder of GOODIE GIRLS exuberates a joyous passion for creating a variety of baked delights through her valiant curiosity and enchanting talent. Even more remarkable, aside from countless independent Instructional Culinary Sessions, Annette has never actually enrolled into any institutional Culinary Programs or attended Culinary School, but she’s achieved acclaimed success only through her seasoned personal experience and pure creative determination. “Baking is a passion of mine and I create every cupcake with all my heart and soul. Whether for a small occasion of getting together with Friends, BBQ’s, Showers or a big event for Charities, Weddings, or Banquets I craft each batch as I was feeding my own family – it’s who I am at the core. I am lucky to have my whole family with me on this adventure including my rock star husband Anthony, my amazing father Doug and last but definitely the most influential, my step mom Stephanie. Together we Rock the Cupcake World!”

HOME BAKED BEANIES are the first smelly hat company. The owner and creator of this new sweet idea is Tracey Scott, as well as the whole family that contributes to the designs. Smelly or not, the styles are totally unique like their cupcakes hats that smell like cupcakes as well as the hand tie rag hats, vintage shabby chic, every color, every style, and every size. They invite everyone to stop and “smell the hats“. Fans of these unique beanies can find their own Home Baked Beanie to match their personality/style at several locations including: Big Bear, CA, San Diego, CA, Los Angeles (Select boutiques), Trunk shows, holiday events and red carpet events.

READING, WRITING, IT’S EXCITING (RWE) is a nonprofit literacy program designed to improve the reading and writing skills of at-risk children. They do this by providing one-to-one writing mentors throughout the school year for kids who are chosen by their teachers to participate. The reason for RWE’s program is that research shows that if children aren’t writing and reading at their grade level by the end of second grade, they almost never catch up. Further research has also shown that as many as 80% of those kids eventually drop out of high school, are unemployed, are in prison or join gangs. And how accurate are those numbers? Several states actually base their future prison building plans on them! There are over 45,000 second grade students in L.A., and only 41% of them are proficient in writing and reading. Their goal is to help all of them… For more information about RWE, please visit: www.rweprogram.org.

For Press/Media/Booking:
Extreme Public Relations
Direct: (323) 570-1328
Email: mistyepr@gmail.com
www.ExtremePR.wordpress.com

Joyful Noise (January 13, 2012)
“Joyful Noise” is the story of a small town choir out to win a national competition despite overwhelming odds. A story of faith and determination by the choir leaders (Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton) and the young talent who give their all to win god’s praise and beat the competition for the grand prize.
Summary written by Farrell Paura Productions

Cast

Dolly Parton … G.G. Sparrow

Queen Latifah … Vi Rose Hill

Keke Palmer … Olivia Hill

Jeremy Jordan … Randy Garrity

Kris Kristofferson … Bernard Sparrow

Courtney B. Vance … Pastor Dale

Jesse L. Martin … Marcus Hill

Chloe Bailey … OLPT Choir member

Judd Lormand … Officer Darrell Lino

Cait Johnson … Concert goer

Steve Warren … Hospital Patient

Dexter Darden … Walter HIll

Valencia Barnes … OLPT Choir Member

Jilian McLendon … Gospel Concert Goer

Katie Kneeland … Karen Peck Choir Member

David Dwyer … Caleb’s Dad

Kevin Bulla … Stage Manager

Jonathan Hart … Concert Goer
Andy Karl … Caleb

Valeri Rogers … Dancer in Club

Mervyn Warren … PacDiv Pianist / Keyboardist

Jill St. Williams … Extra in Audience Scene

Shameik Moore … Kids’ Choir Director

Dixie Light … Holy Vision Church of Detroit Choir Member

Isabella Amara … Kids’ Choir Member

Michelle Kabashinski … Pacashau Divinity Choir Member – Michelle

Angela Grovey … Earla

Roy Huang … Justin Tam

Maurice Johnson … The Camera Guy

Trey Best … OLPT Choir Member

Ivan Kelley Jr. … Lead singer of kid’s choir

Francis Jue … Ang Hsu

Walter Hendrix … Wedding Patron

Bruce Williamson … Homeless Man

Karen Beyer … Karen Peck Choir Member
Alphonse A. Lambert Jr. … Audience Member

Takara Clark … Holy Vision Church of Detroit Choir Member

Jyn Hall … Karen Peck Choir Member

Masha Dowell … Gospel Concert Goer

Bianca Bonciu … Choir member
Meredith Oliver Oglesby … Mrs. Hoover / Caleb’s Wife

Rachael Ethridge … Dancer in Club

Nia Imani … OLPT Choir Member

Natalie Ragins … PacDiv Organist / Keyboardist

Last updated at 12:57 AM on 5th January 2012

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2082418/Mariah-Carey-keeps-bedside-vigil-husband-Nick-Cannon-suffers-kidney-failure.html#ixzz1iXhqYfXF

As is characteristic of his happy-go-lucky nature, Nick Cannon isn’t letting his recent hospitalization get him down.

The 31-year-old tweeted an update this afternoon after being rushed to an Aspen hospital for mild kidney failure.

‘Currently being transferred to a hospital in LA,’ the TV presenter wrote on his Twitter page.

‘My brave man’: Mariah Carey feeds her husband Nick Cannon a drink after he is hospitalized with mild kidney failure

‘Thank you for all your love, prayers and concern. You know me…I will be a’ight.’

His wife, Mariah Carey, agrees that her husband is in a good mood, though admits that he isn’t doing as well as he would have his fans think.

‘As always, he’s in good spirits considering the situation,’ the 41-year-old Jenny spokesperson told People magazine today.

She said that ‘the situation is not easy’ and says that Nick is stable but ‘in a lot of pain’.

The mother-of-two added: ‘We are hopeful that he’ll be 100 percent as soon as possible. We really appreciate everybody’s love and support.’

Earlier, she urged her Twitter followers to ‘pray for Nick’, though didn’t seem to be genuinely worried about her husband’s health, given her online activity.

She bizarrely posted a photo of herself posing beside an ailing Nick, 31, in his hospital bed in Aspen, Colorado.

But the couple are clearly optimistic he will recover, with Mariah describing his kidney failure as ‘mild’.

The Fantasy singer posted news of Nick’s illness in the early hours of this morning.

She wrote: ‘Please pray for Nick as he’s fighting to recover from a mild kidney failure. #mybraveman.’

She then wrote a more detailed description of his medical drama on her official website.

She wrote: ‘This is us in the hospital – role reversal; Last year it was me attached to the machines (after having babies) and Nick was there with me through it, and now here we are.

‘We’re trying to be as festive as possible under the circumstances but please keep Nick in your thoughts because this is very painful. They tried to kick me out of the hospital but here I am pon de bed with Mr. C.

We’re doing OK but we’re “straaaaaanded in Aspen”. #DramaticDivaPlace (I know, we could be in a lot worse places) but the truth is as long as we’re together, we’re OK.

‘I’m not trying to make light out of the situation because it’s a serious moment that’s very tough on all of us so please keep us and our family in your prayers. LYM.’

The couple have been spending the Christmas and New Year period in Aspen with their twins Moroccan and Monroe.

Nick’s hospitalization perhaps explains why the couple haven’t been photographed out and about in Aspen since New Year’s Eve.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2082418/Mariah-Carey-keeps-bedside-vigil-husband-Nick-Cannon-suffers-kidney-failure.html#ixzz1iXf0WUxd

Giuliana Rancic is ready to say goodbye to the past and hello to her future. The “E! News” host, who recently underwent a double mastectomy, is set to join her husband, Bill Rancic, in New York’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve to usher in 2012.

“This has been a very difficult year for them. But they agreed months ago to host the Nivea ‘Kiss of a Lifetime’ contest, where America’s most deserving couple will join them in Times Square on New Year’s Eve for the year’s most spectacular kiss, and that’s exactly what they intend to do,” a friend of the couple tells me. “Of course, after Giuliana’s surgery they discussed moving forward with the event, and have decided there is nowhere they would rather be than standing strong and in love together to ring in the New Year.”

Giuliana, who will announce the Nivea contest winners on NBC’s New Year’s Eve telecast, has thanked fans for their prayers as she recovers from her surgery.

“My big surgery was exactly one week ago today (December 13),” she tweeted. “I’m recovering better than I had hoped thanks in big part to your prayers & love.”

Giuliana returned to work at E! after Christmas, receiving a warm welcome.

“Back at work today since surgery. Excited to be on set of @ENews. I’ve missed my 2nd family (co-workers and you guys!!!) #thankful,” she tweeted on Dec. 27.

The couple appeared on the “Today Show” Friday to give fans an update on Giuliana’s recovery, and Bill couldn’t have spoken more highly of his wife.

“She wanted to turn a negative into a positive. If you can save one life through this process, it’s worth it,” he said.

And even with more than 2 million Twitter followers, Giuliana won’t find a bigger fan than Bill.

“He has been by her side the entire time and won’t be leaving any time soon,” a friend tells me. “If Nivea is looking for the most deserving couple to kiss live in Times Square, they have found them. The ‘Kiss of a Lifetime’ will be between Giuliana and Bill.”

Beautiful actress Amber Bela Muse has caught the attention of fans and Hollywood executives in 2011. From the moment she landed on the set of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” she knew that moving to Hollywood was the best decision she ever made. She then landed a role in the exciting film “New Year’s Eve” starring some of the biggest and most famous people in the world, including DeNiro, Pfeifer and Ashton Kutcher. Born in the U.S., but raised around the globe, this American/British actress is extraordinary. She has been a professional actress since age 11 appearing in popular kid shows and TV commercials. As a teenager Bela Muse became a successful recording artist in London and headlined with musicians like Ani Difranco and Amy Winehouse.

Now Muse headlines with silver screen icons, and 2012 is set to be her most successful year ever. I met Amber through famed Hollywood publicist Misty Schwartz, who runs Extreme Public Relations. I’ve worked with Misty for years, and whenever she promotes someone as hard as she has done for Amber, I know that they must be incredible, and after seeing the actress star on “Grey’s Anatomy” and also on “Gossip Girl,” I know she’s headed for greatness. Highlight Hollywood got to speak with the talented and gorgeous actress exclusively over the Christmas holiday. Here is Amber’s first interview with us.

Q-How long have you been an actress?

A-“I started out at 8-years-old doing commercials, kid TV shows and regional theatre. I took a break during my teen years to pursue music as a singer/songwriter and then around 23 I decided to go back to college and study acting which led me to now… So Its hard to say but all together 10 years, I think!”

Q-You guest starred on ABC’s hit medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” How exciting was it to land a guest-starring role on the hottest show on ABC?

A-“It was very unexpected and shocking because it was my first L.A. audition! I had only been here for under a month. So I went into the audition just hoping for a call-back and then to hear, I booked it, it was crazy! I loved being at ABC studios everyday for nearly three weeks. It was the best welcome to Hollywood I could have ever dreamed of.”

Q-You also guest-starred on NBC’s “30 Rock” and “Gossip Girl.” What type of roles were they?

A-” only had a bit part on ‘30 Rock’ I think you can see me for all of two seconds but I got to work with Steve Buscemi, so I will never forget it! “Gossip Girl” was a big deal because it was my first guest-starring role with an arch which meant that I was a key character with a pivotal story and a last name! Not just Girl number one.”

Q-You have an extensive stage background as well. Which genre do you prefer, stage, film or TV?

A-“Honestly, I love them all! I would ideally be bouncing back and forth between all genres. I think with theatre you have more freedom to explore and develop a character… Each performance night changes with the next and you can reinvent your intention to get a different reaction from the audience or your partner. But in film and especially television (where time is serious money) you have to think fast and make choices that will stick because sometimes you only get one or two takes and once its recorded and broadcasted there is no going back.”

Q-You attended Yale University and other very prominent schools. Did your parents instill in you the need for education?

A-“Education is a very big deal for my parents but they were also firm believers that the “road of life” was real education too. Which is why I started college a bit later than the average… I had to travel first.”

Q-Wow, you got a role in the film “New Year’s Eve,” what was that like? Robert DeNiro, baby!

A-Laughing, Amber responded, “Yes, I wont lie. Seeing my name on the same credits of DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer and so many classic actors made me feel proud. It was unforgettable.”

Q-You traveled around the world growing up, what was that experience like?

A-“It made me very adaptable! I love that I can call many places home.”

Written By: Tommy Lightfoot Garrett
Photograph Courtesy: Extreme Public Relations
Follow us on Twitter @HighlightHlwd; @HighlightHwd or @LightfootinHwd