Pitiful. Pit-i-ful. P.I.T.I.F.U.L. Ugh!

Some kind of way I got sucked into watching "The Bachelor" and the thing is, I ENJOYED it.

I consider myself a strong woman. Empowered. High self-esteem. So, the whole notion of 25 women flying thousands of miles to all live in one house together, begging some strange guy that they have never met before to please, PLEASE, PLEEEEZZZ give me freaking flower so I can feel good about myself is, well, it's just a foreign concept to me.

But there I was, curled up in front of the television wondering, wagering who it was gonna be. Which gal would get the rose and Jason's proposal?

I always love starting the New Year at a wonderful, inspirational church service.

 

For me, it is the best way to give thanks for all the blessings that I have received, to reflect on what I want to accomplish in the coming year and to remind myself to live a life of service and to be a blessing to others.

 

Last night, my dad and I rang in the New Year at Faithful Central Bible Church at the Great Western Forum with a crowd of about 10,000 and it was simply magnificent!

It has actually taken me a week to recover from being awestruck at all of the incredible sights I witnessed in Dubai.

 

It is a place obsessed with "est's."

 

The biggest, the fastest, the tallest, the most expensive-est. (Okay, I took liberties with that last one but, you get my point.) There is no dream too big, too outrageous or too expensive in the quest to be the best.

 

It is hot. It's winter in Dubai but, it's still 80 degrees and many of the guests here at Atlantis the Palm hotel where I stayed were out sunbathing by the pool sipping on fruity drinks and slathering on suntan lotion, just baking.

 

And then, others are skiing. Yes, you read that correctly. Skiing. In the snow.

I arrived at JFK airport around 8:00 in the morning after taking the red-eye from LA. I was tired, needless to say, because, no matter how much you THINK you are going to "sleep on the plane," they don't call it the "red-eye" for nothing.

After taking the tram to a different terminal, I headed to the ticket counter of Emirates Airlines where the young ticket agent, chatting away on her cell phone, waved for "the next customer," took my passport, started typing up my boarding pass, never missing a beat in the conversation with her girlfriend. (We all know when it's "bizness" and when it's "girl, I'm getting off at six.") After about 3 minutes, she hung up, still typing away, and having yet to look up, she says, "What's going on over there? We've checked in a lot of celebrities. Yesterday, it was Michael Jordan."

"Over there" is Dubai. And we'll get into why it's the NEW spot for the rich and famous a little later.

I told chatty Cathy that I was going for the opening of the Atlantis Hotel, which is anticipated to be one of the most spectacular events of the year.  The agent smiled and told me, "Oh, you are going to have a good time on this flight! The plane is really nice. You should go to the second floor private First Class/Business lounge - it's beautiful."

Becoming even more excited, I thanked her, and headed upstairs.


The Lounge

"Have you ever been to our lounge before, Madame?" said the gentleman who greeted me beyond the private doors.

"No, I haven't. This is my first time."

"Well, welcome. Let me show you around."

As a kid, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. I blame the person who created this day for the incredible sweet tooth that I still carry with me. I absolutely love scary movies like '"oltergeist" which I am watching right now - petrified, even though I know the outcome. "Come into the Light! No, stay AWAY from the LIGHT!"

On this Halloween day, I visited the cast of the "Today" show for their annual costume reveal. This year, it was a Fairytale theme - Matt Lauer as Humpty Dumpty, Meredith Vieira dressed as the long-nosed Pinocchio, Ann Curry was a beautiful Cinderella, and Al Roker was a very tasty Gingerbread Man. There was so much energy coming from the crowd - most of them donning very creative Halloween outfits themselves. But, no one caught my eye more than this adorable little guy:

Dressed as a spider caught in a web, with mommy suspending him from behind in a baby harness, this ingenious costume won the "Today" show's top prize.

He didn't cry once, enjoying all the attention but really not knowing what all the fuss was about. Just give him his pacifier and all's good!

Peace, Shaun

I really owe this picture to Jay Leno.

I was about to tape my weekend show in the hallway across from "The Tonight Show" when I saw all the secret service hovering around. I was so surprised to see Senator Joe Biden was one of Jay's guests and I really wanted to have a picture with him. I asked one of the friendlier looking secret service men if I could have a picture and he said maybe I could catch him as he was about to walk into the studio.

I didn't want to take a chance of missing him so when I saw Jay Leno walk by, I asked if he would make the introduction. Jay, being the lovable guy that he is, agreed, and I started to walk with him towards the room when another secret service guy grabbed me by the arm and told me I couldn't go down there.

I said, "Please?"

He said, "No ma'am, sorry, NO pictures!" still holding my arm.

Jay told him I was fine and not a threat and so, he reluctantly let me go and I walked toward the room - as more secret service stared me down, menacingly!

I peeked inside and there Senator Biden was getting prepped for his appearance by one of "The Tonight Show" staff.

Jay said, "Senator Biden, Shaun Robinson." The Senator flashed that Colgate-smile and said, "Hi."

Then, I said the only thing that came to mind..."Senator! I've given a lot to your campaign!" - which did get me a laugh (except from the secret service).

"May I take a picture with you?" He said, "Of course! Come on!"

So happy, I jumped next to him and handed my camera to... the secret service dude who almost arrested me.

I think I kind of saw an eye roll from him, but he took a great picture!

Thanks Jay!


Shaun

Well, the big day is almost here! No, I'm not talking about Election Day. I'm referring to the opening of "High School Musical 3!"

If you have kids of almost any age, you are well aware of the frenzy surrounding the third installment of the widely popular Disney franchise. When I arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel on Sunday, there were a few more teenage girls hanging around with cameras hoping to get a shot of the two males stars Zac Efron or Corbin Bleu. Security and publicists were buzzing about the hotel - you could tell they were preparing for a big day.

I made my way to the 12th floor when our camera crew had just finished setting up for our interview with the cast. I was happy to find out that things were running pretty much on time - my interviews with the cast were scheduled early in the day so I was getting them "fresh" - not worn out from an entire day of making the media rounds.

It was shortly before 9 AM when Zac and Corbin walked into our junket room - all smiles and excited about the movie. I must say young ladies, these two gentlemen are very sweet and even MORE handsome in person!

I had never met Corbin - so cute with his mass of curly hair. I first met Zac back in July on the red carpet during the ESPY Awards. The only thing that had changed about him was that he was becoming an even bigger star but still seemed as humble.

After the boys, it was time to interview Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale. It's obvious that these two are friends and really like each other. They said there were lots of tears during shooting this movie - knowing that it would be the last time they all starred together.

Or will it be? Could there be a College Musical? Check out my interview on Access to find out!

Shaun

She can turn the world on with her smile! I just took a picture with Mary Tyler Moore and I'm already thinking about how I'm going to get it framed.

Here I am, in the official Emmy Presenter's gift lounge at the Nokia Theater in downtown LA. There is security buzzing throughout the hallways - lots of the stars who are presenting awards or nominees themselves for today's Emmy show are zipping by getting some touch-ups - the hair/makeup and wardrobe rooms are just around the corner.

Oprah's dressing room is right across the hall from where I am sitting now, directly next door to Heidi Klum's, who is one of the show's five hosts and who we watched run in and out of her dressing room to change into her array of outfits . Howie Mandel just walked by followed by four of his helpers. A few minutes later, Josh Groban took a peek inside.

For two days, many of the celebs have been coming to the Gifting Suite to nab some goodies. Brooke Shields, Dana Delaney, America Fererra, and Vanessa Williams all caused quite a buzz when they came into the room. Alec Baldwin, Ed McMahon, Lawrence Fishburne, Martin Sheen, James Spader, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, and Mariska Hargitay. What an exciting night!

The feeling was one of being on top of the world.  

I was standing on the Great Wall of China - some 4,000 miles long and built over 2,000 years ago. It was one of those very few experiences that are awe-inspiring in the truest sense of the word.

The days here in Beijing had been extremely hazy, and many here for the Olympics had talked about visiting the Great Wall and not being able to see very far when they got there. So, when I opened my hotel room curtains and saw blue skies, I knew my prayers had been answered.

The part of the Wall we visited on this day is called "Mutianyu" in the Huairou district of Beijing. History says it was under the supervision of General Xu Da of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the early Ming dynasty. It was many watchtowers and passes built on steep hills and some precipitous cliffs. This part of the wall goes around the ridge like a flying dragon.

"T-shirts! Hats! Cold beer! Very nice!"

Walking up the road that takes you to the gondola is filled with native vendors selling everything from ice cream to Chinese slippers to miniature Great Wall replicas. When we boarded the gondola and started moving, the anticipation was growing for me. Peering out the window suspended high up in the air, I was first able to see the beautiful rolling hills that make the area so magnificently serene. And then, you see "IT." The Wall.

And it is Great. I was just awe-struck. It goes on FOREVER.

My first reaction was "How in the world did they build this?!?" You really want to see how far you can walk, just to see what is on the other side of the coming hill. The parts of the Wall are so different - in some, the floor is flat and leveled, other parts, it's slanted, other times you find yourself climbing very, very steep stairs.

(more great pics, after the jump!)

Breakfast is always a great time of the day for me. The hotel where I am staying here in Beijing has a delicious buffet and I have to race down there every morning in time to get seconds before it closes at 10:00 AM.

This morning, just as the hostesses were telling us, “Last Call,” my friend, Jeremy, who is our miraculous Web site guy here in Beijing, invited me to accompany him to men’s gymnastics. Because this is a popular event, we wanted to get there early enough to get a good seat in the media section of the venue. If we just want to be spectators at an event, our press badges will get us in, but the seats fill up fast with the thousands of credentialed journalists here for the games. The badges will get us in - except if a guy by the name of Michael Phelps is in house and in the water. Forget it. You better have a paid ticket, or you watch it on television.

Jeremy and I scurried through the halls, up the stairs and spotted two really good seats. We sat down just at the moment the predominately Chinese audience erupted into a harmonious chant for their athletes. If you’ve been watching the games, you know they are good.

The Rings…
 
(Pictured:  Korea)













Pommel Horse...

(Pictured:  U.S.A.'s Jonathan Horton)







Floor...

(Pictured: China)







Parallel Bars

(Pictured: Italy)