For years you’ve watched Joan Rivers on The Shopping Channel. Funny, brash, stylish and biting, her visits to our television studios bring with them a unique energy that you just don’t get with anyone else but Joan.

We know bits of her story, we listen to her celebrity anecdotes, but now Joan has revealed herself in a way she’s never done before. In the just realeased, critically-acclaimed documentary Joan Rivers: a Piece of Work, Joan let cameras follow her for a 14-month period. From the back roads of America to her palatial home and everywhere in between, you’ll see what drives Joan to keep getting on stage after all these years.

Retire? Hopefully never.  As Joan was quoted in the Globe & Mail:

“You retire when the audience stops laughing,” Rivers says. “At its best, being onstage, performing well, it’s like everyone falls in love. No, it’s true. Me, the crowd, all of us together, we fall in love. If you’ve ever seen my show and I say ‘I love you’ to an audience, I really mean it. I don’t always say it. But when I do, it’s true.

“Listen, I don’t want to go to lunch with people,” Rivers says. “I don’t want to take cooking lessons. I want to be onstage, making people laugh. That’s where I belong.” Read the full Globe & Mail article.

We look forward to Joan Rivers joining us on our stage once again this weekend. Tune in for her first show at 8PM ET tonight.

Hi everyone -

I’m heading your way this Friday with super Perlier savings. Look forward to huge, huge, huge kits that combine your classic favourites with the best flavour launches of 2010 so far.

Mom Flather will be joining me on my visit to The Shopping Channel tomorrow!

I’m also bringing a special guest - my Mom - for the ride! So tune in to wave at Mom and take advantage of this super, summer event. All you need for your own Italian home spa, and Mom Flather. Does it get any better than that?

Meg Flather
Perlier Natural Recipes

Our action-packed Beauty Views show is back, part of Beauty Day this Wednesday. And we want YOU to join in the fun.

Have a question for our Expert Guests Joli Baker (Pur Minerals), Kym Douglas (Lisa Hoffman Beauty) Dana Bledsoe (Perricone MD) or Nick Chavez?

Click on the “Comment” link below - we’ll be asking some of your questions live on air! You can also post your question on our Facebook Page. Tune in for Beauty Views this Wednesday at 11am and 7pm ET.

Well this week I am seeing the pounds start to come off. I’m down to 125lbs and I’m still dropping inches off my waist. I have really been trying to watch how many carbs I eat in a day. Carbs are important, but it is the type of carbs and when I’m eating them that makes a difference. I am also starting each day off with hot water and a squeeze of lemon. It is a great morning pick me up.

I decided to set the bar higher for myself and book a vacation with the kids to Florida. The thought of the beach is heaven but the thought of the drive there and back solo is daunting. I am hoping the idea of a bathing suit keeps me motivated. As soon as school is out we hit the road!

I really enjoyed seeing the difference this week in how my clothes felt on. We had some great new tops and dresses that I tried on and they fit so much better. I particularily liked how flattering the Kim & Co Blockbuster Set and Red Coral Sleeveless Dress.

I have really noticed how when I am completely stressed that rebounding on the AeroPilates machine helps. I just close my eyes and jump. With the nice weather here gardening has also been good exercise. Hauling topsoil, mulch and digging holes for planting has given me a workout. Don’t forget to wear your sunscreen and we sell a great selection here.

Thanks again for all the comments. Kudos to those of you who are keeping up with the healthier living. I want to hear your progress!

Renee Torrington
TV Host, The Shopping Channel

Related posts:

Follow my “I’m worth it!” promise & progress
My ‘I’m worth it!’ promise - update #1
My “I’m worth it!” promise - update #2
My “I’m worth it!” promise - update #3

The Shopping Channel Viewers are amazing. I have received some of the most beautiful personal messages of encouragement via Facebook. To those of you who have sent them, I thank you for sharing your personal stories and kind words with me. You are all truly inspiring me.

I did my measurements last week and I have made some progress (despite spending two weekends staying in hotels for dance competitions with my kids.) Both my healthy eating and workouts were compromised but I did my best to stay on track. My weight was down only 2 pounds - but the it’s the inches lost that I am excited about. This is what is making
the difference in the way my clothes feel.

Weight: 130lbs to start, now 128lbs = down 2lbs
Hips: 38” to start, now 37” = down 1”
Waist: 33” to start, now 31” = down 2”
Bust: 36” to start, now 35” = down 1”

I still have to work on getting better sleep and drinking more water. I have started taking SleepOn from Nuvo Care on the nights where I just can not shut my brain off. We all have those nights where the pool of things to be done swim in our head. What I like about Sleep On is that it is not addictive and I can take it only as needed - and that I get a great night’s sleep. That allows me to get my butt up and out of bed in the mornings to work out before the kids rise.

As some of you have noticed, I also coloured my hair. I don’t colour my hair for fear of damaging it, but Kelly VanGogh convinced me and now I’m a “Light Red Orange Brown.” My hair is shiny and healthy. I still look twice when I see myself in the mirror but I am enjoying the change!

Keep those messages coming and send my updates on how you are doing. I love to hear them and feel like we are working as a team making positive changes.

Renee Torrington
TV Host, The Shopping Channel

Related posts:

Follow my “I’m worth it!” promise & progress
My ‘I’m worth it!’ promise - update #1
My “I’m worth it!” promise - update #2

So I am continuing my quest to get healthier. One of the things I thought a lot about this week was why do we sometimes turn to food as a crutch? We all have triggers that make us do things we regret. My weakness is chocolate. I spoke with Marjolein Brugman and we agreed that a little cheat for me was better than depriving myself completely and triggering a total pig out day. So, I am allowing myself a tiny piece of dark chocolate each day

The question remains though: what is it that triggers me to want bad foods or to not take care of myself? I think at times we all feel inadequate. I went years trying to meet someone else’s expectations of how my body should be. The fact that I could not meet those standards resulted in me giving up. I was going about it all the wrong way. I should want to be healthy for me. Pressure from others is never helpful - in fact I think it has the reverse effect.

It is a change of mindset that will get me further. We have some great books for success here at The Shopping Channel. Some target your mindset (Dr. David Posen) some target outer beauty (Dr. Perricone), some look at taking control of your health (Suzanne Sommers) and some give you fitness & nutrition plan (Harley Pasternak). Take at look at your own mindset and offer it some expanded knowledge. Not to mention that just the simple act of reading is a great way to unwind.

The workouts are going well and I am getting at least 5 workouts in per week. The healthy eating is also getting easier. I will post some updated measurements next week, but I am already receiving comments from people that I look better. Encouragement. That’s what we need.

Remember it is about you and how you feel.
Keep it - we are all worth it.

Renee Torrington
TV Host, The Shopping Channel

Related posts:

Follow my “I’m worth it!” promise & progress
My “I’m worth it!” promise - update #1

The Shopping Channel TV Guest and Canadian designer Monika Schnarre inspired the crowd who gathered for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel annual Women of Peel fundraising luncheon. (Peel is the region of Ontario just west of Toronto, where The Shopping Channel TV Studios also happens to be located).

Mississauga.com staff photo by Fred Loek

Monika spoke about the challenges and pressures of growing up in front of a camera lens, as well as a recent health scare.

To read the full article about the event, click here.

You can shop Monika’s fashion collection - Tall by Monika Schnarre - exclusively at The Shopping Channel.

Let me start off by saying a HUGE thank you for all the positive and supportive comments I have been receiving. It is motivating and really helps when I’m tired and feel like just collapsing onto the couch. I am in Week One of my commitment to better health and feeling good. I thought I would update you on the changes I have made so far.

One of the things I needed to get under control was my hormone levels. As a woman in my 40s things start to change and lack of sleep and exercise contributed to throwing my system out of control. I started taking our Vita Tree VitaWomen’s Formula to help balance things, along with our VitaTree VitaDetox. Even after one week I feel more energy.

I have been getting in my AeroPilates daily, alternating between cardio and the Level 1 workout. It is actually very relaxing to do. I did feel some stiff muscles my first few days and that encouraged me (knowing that it was working.)

This week I plan to tackle my diet. I eat fairly healthy, but I often skip meals. To get my metabolism working properly I have to eat small meals frequently. I am going to try to do between 1400 and 1800 calories each day. I have never counted calories or paid attention to them so it should be eye opening.

Please keep commenting with your own stories so we can cheer each other on. There is power in numbers and this week Tara W you motivated me too!

Renee Torrington
TV Host, The Shopping Channel

Related posts:
Follow my “I’m worth it!” promise & progress

Over the past 3 years my weight has been on a rollercoaster ride. As viewers, you have watched my weight go from 134lbs to 102lbs and back up again. We all have our own stories and stresses in life that effect how we feel and look. I thought I would share my story to encourage others to take time for themselves and realize they are worth it.

Late in 2007 I began an intense workout program to try to get my body back in shape. I saw amazing results and was motivated to keep working hard. The only issue was that I was doing this program while going through a very emotional time in my life. I was trying to lose weight and make changes for someone else,  not for myself. I dropped to a dangerously low weight of 102 lbs and was not eating enough to sustain that kind of workout program.  Stress had me skipping meals and not sleeping. After finally losing weight, I found myself being pressured to gain weight.

In the summer of 2008 my life underwent incredible change and I found myself a single mom of three daughters. I struggled with learning to balance everything life was throwing at me. I was overwhelmed and the first thing to go was my workout time. I was averaging 5 hours of sleep a night. I started to pack the pounds back on and I could not understand why. I am not a big eater - in fact eat quiet healthy. My weight was back up, my clothes were too tight and I felt awful.

I started getting tests done and after months of consulting with my doctor, I found out that my body and hormones were all out of whack. Lack of sleep and exercise were the main contributors.

So here I am now. I have learned to balance better and am in a happy place in my life. I am making changes and making time for me again. I realized that in order for me to be there for others, I also have to take care of myself.

I made an on-air commitment to Marjolein Brugman from AeroPilates to give myself two months of eating right and Pilates. I’d love to share this journey with you. I will be logging everything I am doing and keep you up-to-date on my progress.

Yes, I will even share my weight and measurements! I’m trying to lose 15 lbs, but most of all my goal is to have my clothes feel better on and get myself feeling good again. I hope you will join me and make time for yourself. We have excellent products and experts here at The Shopping Channel. Find something that works for you and commit.

Let’s do it together. We are all worth it.

Renee Torrington
TV Host, The Shopping Channel

PS - ok, here it is, my starting weight & measurements!!

Weight: 130lbs
Hips: 38″
Waist: 33″
Chest: 36″
Thigh: 21″

The last time Dr. Rey was at The Shopping Channel - in September 2009 - he did more than showcase his best-selling shapewear. Along with The Shopping Channel, he gave away a trip for 2 to his sunny home-town of Los Angeles to one lucky customer.

W. McLennan, from Edmonton, and her friend flew out to LA LA Land to lunch with Dr. Rey and designer Bruno Schiavi, take in some well-deserved pampering & a little star gazing.

Congratulations to our winner! And thank you to her for sharing some photos from her Los Angeles getwaway.

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See a list of our current contest winners.