Welcome advertisers! Use the contact form below. Thank you!
NEW MOVIES THIS MONTH
PETER PAN & WENDY|THE MANDALORIAN|THE MUPPETS MAYHEM| THE MIRACLE CLUB
In this online magazine, you'll find classic Hollywood celebrity human interest stories directly from the stars. Word for word, you'll enjoy reading what the greatest Hollywood actors, actresses and recording artists in the world personally thought and wanted to share, as well as issues that they believed in. With these original interviews, they shared their lives in a very personal way to renowned Hollywood interviewer and journalist Jay Christian.
There will also be new celebrity stories from famous legends to current celebrities of today!
We are thrilled to have you join our Famous In Hollywood community!
Cover photo image: Jean_Nelson- Depositphotos.com
Welcome!
Every month, you'll read stories that I've written from my interviews with Hollywood celebrities of the past. Each star has expressed to me in conversation, their thoughts and wisdom. I hope you enjoy these revised flashback stories. I'll also be incorporating new interviews with celebs in future issues.
So, visit me each month to find out what the Hollywood celebrities will share, right here at: Famous In Hollywood Magazine!
My best to you-
Jay Christian
RICHARD SIMMONS
His Secrets For Weight Loss
By Jay Christian
Throughout the decades, Richard Simmons has helped millions of people lose weight by what he has taught and preached. But few have ever known (until he told me in this exclusive story) how he kept the weight off with his own personal diet and exercise routine. In this flashback story, he shares all that he did to maintain a healthy lifestyle and his advice for others to follow.
Fitness guru Richard Simmons tells how he maintains a good diet and exercise program, in this exclusive story.
“I was 19 years old and weighed almost 300 pounds before I started losing weight,” says the diet guru. “Now I weigh 150 lbs.”
After trying more than 30 different diets, Richard came up with his own diet and exercise routine, that has been successful to this day. “I use all the food groups in my diet. I use dairy, fruit, vegetables, meat, bread and grains. I use the fats, but all in the right portions," Richard said.
“You won’t feel deprived if you use small dishes piled high with the proper portions of food,” Richard advises. “I have cereal bowls that hold only half a cup and casserole dishes that hold just one cup. And I never feel like I’m cheating myself.”
An hour before breakfast, Richard drinks a 16 ounce glass of warm water with a teaspoon of honey and the juice of half a lemon. “I’ve been drinking this every morning since 1971,” he says. “It’s the best way I know to speed up digestion."
“One hour later, I have breakfast. I stay away from fats and foods that are high in cholesterol. I haven’t eaten red meat in years. I try to stay away from sugar and salt."
“I’ll have a half a bagel. A whole bagel is two portions of bread because there’s a top and a bottom, so I’ll have half or half of an English muffin or a piece of toast. I’ll use a little diet margarine and maybe some low-sugar spread. Sometimes, I’ll have my favorite cereal, a ½ cup of Sun Flakes® with non-fat milk. And, a ½ glass of freshly squeezed apple juice. I have eggs very rarely and I have no breakfast meats. On Sundays, I’ll fix something more enchanted. I’ll make wonderful soufflé omelets, bran waffles or stuffed French toast."
“For lunch, I’ll have soup and an open-faced sandwich or an open-faced grilled cheese and a terrific salad. Or fresh rye bread with an ounce or two of turkey with some lite mayo on it. Grill that up and put a little lettuce and tomato on top."
Richard reminisced, “Years ago, my mother would make soups, freeze them and send them to me on a plane and I would pick them up 4 hours later at the airport. Soups like: chicken gumbo, onion, bean soup, broccoli, cauliflower and vegetarian."
“For dinner, I’ll have grilled chicken without the skin, 3 to 4 oz. Or I’ll roast turkey without the skin and I’ll stuff it with fresh fruits and vegetables. Or I’ll have casserole dishes or nice pasta dishes and a steamed vegetable dish."
He continued, “I eat balanced. I’ll have some salad. I’ll have a half of stuffed baked potato with fresh chives, with a nice casserole dish with some vegetables or a pasta dish. Or just a plate of fresh steamed vegetables with a little margarine, such as: steamed broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes and baby carrots. I’ll season it with fresh herbs from my garden and mix those with 2 to 4 tablespoons of oil and pour it all over the vegetables. Delicious!”
Richard makes it a habit to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. “I also allow myself one diet drink a day. I drink a lot of water. I don’t drink alcohol. When I want something sweet, I drink a Diet Hawaiian Punch® and I have no snacks at all."
Richard warned, “Snacking is like telling yourself, ‘Let’s rev up that appetite, let’s rev up that whole stomach and that whole system again.’ I think a lot of it is that we’re just trained to eat a snack, like those cookies and milk after school. We’re trained to have a bowl of ice cream after dinner to watch TV.”
He believes in not eating anything after 9 p.m. “When you slow down at night, so does your fat-burning power,” he says. In fact, he tries to eat all his meals around the same time every day.
“Saturday night is the only day I can have dessert. It can be a beautiful piece of cake, slice of pie, a Mrs. Fields® cookie or a favorite candy bar. Everything is portion. If I had this every night, it wouldn’t be my favorite anymore or have any meaning."
Richard limits his dairy intake and said, “I’m allergic to dairy products, so I eat very little of them. I have very bad asthma and I’ve had it all my life. I use a little non-fat milk for cereal. Sometimes I’ll use dairy products if I’m making salad dressing. I limit my cheese and ice cream."
“With protein foods, one portion of nuts is 6 nuts. So I’d rather have my ounce of chicken or ounce of fish or shrimp or some turkey instead. I don’t eat pork, veal or red meat. I consume 4 oz. of protein a day. I eat the right amount of food for my height and weight."
Richard advises that food portion size is one important factor to maintaining weight. “When you go to a restaurant and order pasta, your body only needs a half a cup. They give you two cups, which means you’re eating enough pasta for 4 people!"
Avoiding fried foods is also very important to him. “I stay away from fried foods as much as I love them. I could fry one of my tennis shoes and eat it! Everything in New Orleans is fried. That’s the big problem in America- everything is fried! So, I stay away from them."
“I don’t drink or smoke and I really don’t take vitamins. I get about 5 ½ to 6 hours sleep a night.”
For exercise, Richard believes in the basics. “There are only fifty exercises that man has, and they were found on the wall of a cave in Africa. We have just taken those fifty exercises and changed them to look different, but they still work on the same muscles. After watching some videos, reading some books and going to some classes, I’ve kind of put my own class together for myself."
Richard continued, “I do three things, seven days a week. I walk my six dogs in the morning for two miles and a lot of it is up and down hills. The walking and striding gets my heart going at a good pace and it makes my large and small muscles move and conditions them."
“The next thing is to burn up fat. I teach a low-impact aerobics class each day and that is an hour long. We cover breathing, warm-up, arm work, lower back muscles, hip work, leg work and cool down."
“And lastly, right before I go to bed, I’ll stretch for about ten minutes to slow down my fast pace from the day. Without your health, you really have nothing and exercise is very important.” *
LA TOYA JACKSON
Photo by: Jean_Nelson- Depositphotos.com
LA TOYA JACKSON
How She Keeps In Shape
By Jay Christian
La Toya Jackson keeps herself in sensational shape, by following a simple daily routine that combines a low-fat diet with walking and a few basic exercises.
“Diet and exercise have given me incredible confidence,” said La Toya, with pride. The 5 foot 4 inch, 98 pound singer/actress credits the combination, with keeping her healthy, giving her plenty of stamina and helping her beat stress.
La Toya says, “I have to keep a close watch on my food intake or I’ll gain weight very rapidly.”
She credits her high energy level to having a dominant diet of fruit and vegetables, that gives her the energy to cope with hectic 14-hour days of modeling, recording, traveling and concert performances.
“I’m very conscious of my body and I feel that you are what you eat. I’ve had this attitude for many years and my diet has proven to be the best thing for me, keeping me very healthy and energetic. I eat lots of vegetables and the only meat I’ll eat is chicken. I’m choosy. I think if you’re aware of what you eat, then you won’t gain weight,” she said.
“People think fruits and vegetables are starvation foods, but in fact, the opposite is true. They are naturally delicious, have no fat, oil or salt and are very low in calories. They also give women the extra moisture they need for better digestion and healthy skin and hair,” La Toya said.
Another of La Toya’s weight-control secrets is to fast on Sundays. “I drink only liquids. It keeps my weight down and cleanses my system. Toxins and chemicals build up in our bodies, so when I fast and flush the poisons out, I feel better and stay healthier. On Sundays, I’ll drink four 8 oz. glasses of fresh grapefruit juice and six glasses of mineral water with lemon juice. Surprisingly, when you drink that much liquid, you really don’t get hungry."
“The right amount of liquids is very important in a diet,” she adds. “Mondays through Saturdays, I drink five glasses of mineral water, one 8 oz. glass of apple juice and one 8 oz. glass of grapefruit juice. I start each morning with a light breakfast- a banana, orange or bran muffin with a large glass of water,” said La Toya.
“For lunch, I’ll have broiled chicken breast with lots of steamed vegetables. My favorites are: spinach, broccoli and cabbage. But sometimes, instead of the steamed vegetables, I’ll just eat an apple, orange or a green lettuce salad with a fresh tomato. And during the afternoon, I won’t have any snacks."
“If I have fruit or a salad for lunch, then I’ll have the chicken and steamed vegetables for dinner. If I have my main meal for lunch, then it’s fruit or salad for dinner."
“When I’m low on energy, a plate of plain pasta, with cut-up pieces of chicken and fresh tomatoes mixed in, will give me a long-lasting energy boost with very few calories."
“Although I eat light meals, I don’t feel deprived because I think the body adjusts itself to smaller amounts of food. Many people eat too much and their bodies don’t need the overload.”
La Toya doesn’t touch coffee, tea, alcohol, bread or dairy products or any animal fat because she believes that they’re bad for her. “These foods clog the system,” she says. “You should eat foods that cleanse your body and purify it.”
The only snack that La Toya permits herself is low-calorie popcorn because it’s low in calories and filled with fiber.
She says her favorite dessert is apple pie. “I really have to stay away from that or I’ll definitely gain weight,” she said with a sigh.
She takes daily supplements of vitamins, including 5,000 mg. of vitamin C, a B-complex and one multivitamin.
La Toya says, “Keeping fit and healthy is more than diet. Exercise is equally important.”
She never misses doing exercises daily. “I wake up at 5 a.m. after seven hours of sleep and do 25 sit-ups. This boosts my energy level. Another exercise I do is leg side lifts. They’re good for your inner and outer thighs. You lie on your side with your legs straight, lift your top leg about 2 feet, hold it there a few seconds, then lower it. I do 20 of them on each side."
“If I’m on the road, I walk a lot during the day. If I’m on tour, I spend a lot of time in airports, but I never take the riding trams. I walk instead. I walk about five miles a day, seven days a week. It’s one of the best exercises you can get. It’s good for almost every part of your body," La Toya said.
She visits the gym three times a week. “I’m there for two hours. I use the treadmill for one hour, walking fast. Then I ride the stationary cycle for one hour. I pedal at a good speed, which tones the legs and strengthens the heart and lungs. While I’m on the treadmill and cycle, I watch television so I don’t get bored. Before you know it, I’ve gotten a great workout.”
La Toya says exercise benefits the mind as well as the body. “I feel good about myself after I’ve worked out. It gives me a very positive outlook on life. My diet and fitness program keeps me healthy.”
La Toya’s diet-
Breakfast: One banana or orange or 1 cup of bran cereal with 1 glass spring water.
Mid-morning: Four very large strawberries.
Lunch: Broiled chicken breast with seasoned steamed vegetables and a small salad with a little dressing and vinegar.
Mid-afternoon snack: Apple, banana or strawberries.
Dinner: Sliced chicken cooked in Indian spices, steamed vegetables with rice, medium salad.
Dessert: Apple pie or desserts made with honey.
Liquids: Eight 8 oz. glasses of bottled spring water, one 8 oz. glass vegetable juice, two 8 oz. glasses of grape juice. During Sunday’s fast: Four 8 oz. glasses of grapefruit juice and 6 glasses mineral water with lemon juice.
Avoid: Dairy products, breads or starches, tea or coffee.
Vitamins: 5,000 mg. of vitamin C, B-complex, one multivitamin. *
GEORGE HAMILTON
Photo by: s_bukley- Depositphotos.com
GEORGE HAMILTON
Stop Snacks and You Won't Miss Them
By Jay Christian
Hollywood’s suave tan man, George Hamilton has maintained his good health for decades. So how does he stay looking so young and healthy? Debonair George says it’s all about his diet.
“I used to eat junk foods, greasy hamburgers and fries,” reveals the 6 ft. 1 in. actor. “After eating, I felt spacey. My body was telling me this food wasn’t good for me. I started to eat salads and learned to love fruit," he said in this exclusive interview.
George changed his diet and feels better for it. He said, "I don’t eat much meat. I have maybe one piece of steak a week, generally very rare."
“I eat lots of salads and lots of vegetables and lots of fruits. No in-between meal snacks- I don’t have any desire for that. I eat really good fruits instead of desserts. When you give up those snacks for a while, you don’t miss it. The giving it up is hard. It’s one of the things in life that comes with habit. Once you break the habit, you don’t have any desire for it. I don’t crave heavy desserts or heavy foods. I eat lightly, I eat often."
George continued, “I eat whatever I feel like eating, whenever I feel like eating it, in spite of the time of day. I’ll eat dinner at 3 in the afternoon or 7 o’clock or 10 o’clock at night, depending on how I feel."
For daily liquids, he consumes juice and water. “I drink hardly any milk. I drink mainly juices, slightly diluted with a little water. I drink a lot of orange juice. I drink Mountain Valley® bottled water. It’s very good.”
George has his own views when it comes to cigarette smoking and liquor. “They’re both terrible. The combination is horrendous to the body. The most I would have for liquor would be something simple like vodka or something mixed with it, at a party. Once in a while, a glass of wine, like Jordan Cabernet. I think America has gone crazy with it (wine) and drinks it like water.” *
CELEBRITY RECIPE OF THE MONTH
MARION ROSS’ SEAFOOD FETTUCCINI
Ingredients:
½ pound fresh mini scallops or large, cut into bite-size pieces- be sure to remove milk sacs
8 to 10 large cooked shrimp, deveined
½ cup fresh spinach, drenched in boiling water
1 teaspoon chopped crisp bacon (bacon bits ok)
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (or to taste)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
¾ tablespoon or 1 mashed cube chicken bouillon
1½ cups water
½ cup dry white wine
1 large firm tomato, chopped
3 large fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
Sprinkling of ground mace
Sprinkling of Italian herbs
Sprinkling of fresh ground parmesan cheese
Fistful of packaged fettuccini
Directions:
Brown scallops in oil (3 to 5 minutes). Sprinkle with ground mace while cooking. Set aside. In a two-cup or larger container, mix water, wine, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, bouillon and condiments. Pour into skillet…add tomatoes, spinach and bacon. Bring to boil, then simmer 60 minutes, adding water if necessary, to make a medium thick sauce. Add mushrooms, scallops, shrimp and cook until mushrooms are tender. Place the fettuccini in a large cook pot filled with boiling water and cook until tender (about 7 minutes). To serve, place equal portions of the strings of pasta on bottom of two oblong dishes. Cover with equal portions of the seafood mixture and plenty of the liquid sauce. Sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese and serve with your preference of roles or bread. Recipe is for two people and can be doubled or more, appropriately for a crowd. Suggested utensils for the dinner- dinner fork and tablespoon.
***
Recipe from the book Jay Christian's Hollywood Celebrity Recipes
Contact form for advertising.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ALL THE STORIES ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAW AND IT IS ILLEGAL TO TAKE ANY PART OF THEM TO USE ELSEWHERE.
ISSN 2770-0968
© Copyright 1978-2023 Jay Christian. All Rights Reserved.