Viv Says Womens Blog

After hearing about last year’s overwhelmingly successful event, we were excited to find out that this Saturday, Jan. 21, TEDxManhattan is hosting its second “Changing the Way We Eat” conference and webcast. The speakers will explore the many issues facing the sustainable food movement and to try to make connections between the diverse parties involved in responsible eating and farming practices. With a combination of video and live speakers, TEDxManhattan hopes to spark discussion between attendees, as well as among its much larger virtual audience.

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We’re always fascinated by real-life medical mysteries and stories of survivors who beat the odds. So we’re not surprised that singer-songwriter Jewel wanted to host The Incurables, Veria Living’s TV series that delves into the real-life journeys of patients dealing with chronic — and often life-threatening — illnesses, especially since she has dealt with a few health problems of her own.

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Winter is our least favorite season. But it’s difficult to put on a brave face, when that face is dry and pale and just not at its best. At the launch of the new FACES Beautiful Brush-On Mineral Makeup, we learned more about the line and asked founder and makeup artist Gail Sagel for winter makeup and skin tips to refresh our beauty regimen for the new year. And with our finely shaped eyebrows, courtesy of a FACES Beautiful esthetician, it’s harder to make an unseemly cold-weather scowl.

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With a rainbow of vibrant color, dramatic silhouettes and a blinding array of megawatt gems, the 69th Annual Golden Globes red carpet was a feast for our fashion-hungry eyes.

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A decade since she first came onto our radar in the delightful Bend It Like Beckham and two years since she hung up her ER hospital scrubs, Parminder Nagra is back on TV in Alcatraz, an intriguing new series from Lost creator J.J. Abrams that premieres on FOX tonight at 8 p.m. ET with two back-to-back episodes.

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We’re familiar with Anna Deavere Smith from her work on The West Wing and as hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus in Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, and were aware of her accomplishments as a playwright (Fires in the Mirror and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992). So we were excited to hear that she’s bringing her acclaimed one-woman play Let Me Down Easy — an exploration the modern health care system and the way we deal with illness — to Great Performances on PBS Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. ET.

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The yoga community has been abuzz since an article called “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body” was published Jan. 5 in The New York Times Magazine. The excerpt is from an upcoming book called The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards (Simon & Schuster, 2012), by William J. Broad. The section that ran in the Times looked at the risk and severity of yoga injuries. What stuck with us were the gruesome anecdotes: yoga-induced popped ribs, hip replacements, nerve damage and strokes.

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For Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil (W.W. Norton & Company, 2011) author Tom Mueller talked to numerous experts about the history, cultural significance, growing methods and health benefits of olive oil — plus corruption within the industry itself. Among the politicians, chemists, growers and historians, he notes a magic quality about this food. “Even shady characters who’d grown rich making fake oil by the tanker-load spoke wistfully of their childhood spent at the olive mill, and of the life lessons they learned there,” he notes.

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As part of the traditional New Year’s resolutions, most of us probably have at least two or three must-try new workouts on our to-do list. Whether you’re looking to bust out of a routine or craving a new challenge, we selected the top five fitness trends that will add spice and substance to your regimen in 2012.

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Nobody does a high-class serial drama quite like the British, which is why we were totally hooked on the first season of Downton Abbey last year. Its mix of historical fiction, romance and intrigue earned six Emmys and 5 million weekly viewers, and left us eagerly anticipating season two, which returns to PBS’ Masterpiece Classic on Jan. 8.

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