Cougar Roles Are The Cat's Meow

Tovah Feldshu is an award winning actress who has delighted Broadway audiences for decades.  She has played many iconic women including Golda Meir and Katharine Hepburn. She also delighted audiences starring in The Vagina Monogues.  But now she wants to play a cougar.

She says, "as I get older, I absolutely want to do more film and television. It’s simply easier on the body. You think you’re 30, and then you look at yourself in the mirror".  She runs four miles a day and also swims 40 laps, so she's in great physical shape,  But Tovah, like the rest of us, has noticed that her breasts aren't where they used to be.  We all know what that feels like don't we?  

Recently Feldshu has been offered a play about another icon Greta Garbo.  All that is great but to play a cougar would be fabulous.

Tovah is 5 foot-2 inches, weighs 111 pounds, and wants to do glam roles. And, who is more glam than a Real Cougar?  She's says, "I Iove my husband to pieces and he’s my life partner, but Demi Moore, she has it made, baby. That age span between her and her husband, that’s just wild. God bless ’em both". 

I couldn't agree more.  Would any of us send Ashton Kutcher packing? I don't think so.

Reality Show Opp For Women In Southern California

A major reality TV production company has contacted me.  They are searching for a lively group of Southern California women who are into the excitement and drama of Bunco.   

 

Their show will feature several members of a Bunco group and document their lives inside and out of the world of the game, much like the Real Housewives.  They are specifically looking for full or partial groups in their late 20's to late 40's with dynamic personalities and exciting lives. 

 

If you haven't played the game before, it's not a problem.  The show focuses more on your interpersonal relationships than the game itself.  

Their archetype is a true embodiment of the "Real Cougar Woman"!  An empowered female who celebrates her accomplishments, her femininity and joi de vivre! 

Single, in a relationship or married, they are open to any and all, as long as you are fabulous!

If you are interested, please email your name, location, phone, email and recent picture to me at linda@therealcougarwoman.com.  I will forward it to the producer.

Thanks.

Cougar Love Is Alive and Well

After appearing on The Joy Behar Show last week, I got a flood of emails asking  - who was that guy on television with you?  He most definitely raised the hackles on the backs of lots of women, but I guess he feels that's his job.  His name is Steve Ward and he is a  self--proclaimed “dating pathologist” that appears on VH1's Tough Love.

I got the impression that Mr. Ward doesn't like women very much and particularly women over 40.  The Behar segment focused on cougar relationships and Steve doesn't approve of them. He thinks the guys are only there for sex and /or money, but who cares what he thinks?

I want to share with you just one of the hundreds of emails I received extolling the many virtues of cougar relationships.  These fabulous females are sharing their lives with men who love and adore them.  They have stopped listening to the advice of other people and started to listen to their own hearts.  The results have been outstanding.  What follows illustrates what I am saying.

"Linda, I haven't written to you in quite a while, but the catalyst for this note was your appearance on the Joy Behar Show the other night. As usual, you were well-spoken, fabulous and gorgeous, but that idiot that shared the space with you was so insulting and off base, ( I can't even remember his name), I just had to write and tell you that I couldn't believe it.)

My husband is 48 and I will be 66 in March. We just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary and have been together now for almost 22 years. Both of us are very active and enjoy life and enjoy each other. We are a loving, supportive couple. My husband is still advancing in his career and I am happily retired from mine. We adore my two daughters and four grandchildren. The age difference never bothers us, and he is definitely more mature than I am and always has been. Our marriage is better than most and I so resent that man's attitude." 

That's what I keep hearing from women all over the world.  Can they all be smoking funny stuff?  Cougar relationships, like all other relationships flourish when you put in the time and effort to make them work.  So Mr. Ward before you go around making ridiculous statements about who should love who, maybe you had better take a closer look at what love really is.

Cougar Couple Wanted For Discovery Channel

A producer doing a show on cougars for the Discovery Health Channel is asking for my help in finding a couple for their upcoming documentary.

 

This show will be a positve look at the dynamics of a Real Cougar Woman relationship.  It will be a look inside to discover why you were attracted to each other and what keeps you together.  I will be working on this show with the production company and I believe this programming will serve to help all women in cougar relationships.  After all the sensationalism surrounding cougars this would be a true and honest look at what really goes on.  

 

Here are a few of the details:

• They want an articulate, upbeat woman in her 50's or 60's in a relationship or married to a guy 15 to 20 years younger.
• They will be shooting this program in March and will travel to your location.
• You will be compensated for your participation.

If you want to be considered, please email me at linda@therealcougarwoman.com.  The email should contain a brief profile of you and your guy, all your contact information and a recent photo of the two of you.  The deadline is January 31st.  Upon receiving your information I will forward it to the producer of the show who will make the final decision and contact you personally.

 

This could be your chance to make a difference.

Jackie Warner Fans - Here's Something For You

Jackie Warner is in the process of casting "Thintervention" her new show on Bravo.  If you can answer yes to these questions perhaps you could be part of this show:

• Have you spent too long struggling with your weight?
• Have you tried to change your eating habits and stick to a workout routine but have yet to  succeed?
• Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired?

Jackie, star of Bravo's hit series "Workout" wants to help you change your life once and for all.  The“Thintervention"casting team is looking for people to participate in their new weight loss series that focuses on REAL people with REAL issues. (Sounds good since we are Real Cougars).

Jackie will personalize your diet and exercise plan to reach goals that are realistic for you while you continue to live your everyday life. In addition to receiving personal training with Jackie, you will also have access to a counselor who can help address the core reasons behind your weight issues and frustrations.

So if you are ready to make some changes please the casting folks mwacasting@gmail.com the following info: (i) your name; (ii) a contact telephone number; (iii) your email address; and (iv) a JPEG formatted photo. All applicants must meet eligibility requirements, which include, without limitation, being at least 21 years old as of January 1, 2010, a legal resident of the U.S., and living in or within 50 miles of Los Angeles County California, among other requirements as determined by Producers. 

Dr. Phil Show Is Looking For A Cougar

I just got a call from The Dr. Phil Show. They are doing a show on new style relationships.  They want a woman on the show who is dating, or in a relationship with a younger man, and who is having a hard time with friends or relatives who disapprove.

The show will fly all of you to Los Angeles and pay your expenses.  This show will air on Monday, December 14th, so it's a quick turnaround.  

If you are interested please email linda@therealcougarwoman.com and give me your story and contact information.  I will then pass it on to the producer of the show who will contact you directly. Thanks.

Men Of A Certain Age

Men of a Certain Age,” premieres Monday on TNT. It's about three aging friends in Southern California and stars Ray Romano.  On this show, we get to see a believable portrait of ordinary men who feel they have arrived at a stage in their lives where they are backsliding.

For women of a certain age, on the other hand, the glaring awfulness of ABC's “Cougar Town” stands out as this year’s undeserved slap in the face.  We get a totally unrealistic view of a forty-year-old woman who's life is more of a cartoon than real life.

TNT has become a kind of sanctuary where older performers can safely play against type: women are tough and tyrannical cops in shows like “The Closer” and “Saving Grace,” and now the stars of “Men of a Certain Age” are fragile, sensitive creators almost on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Mr. Romano is recognizable in this role. Joe is what would happen to sitcom Raymond if his wife left him, his parents died, and he started to hate his job.

Men and women of a certain age all go through their own "Tsunami of Change".  We start to wonder about our life's purpose, we start to focus on our own mortality and we wonder if it's too late to start over. Perhaps watching this realistic portrayal that highlights our own insecurities, will help us figure things out.

Cougar Woman Emerges on Brothers and Sisters

On ABC's Brothers and Sisters, Nora Walker has won the attention of a younger man.  She did not set out to do this, it simply happened - just like in real life.  It was great to see  the insecurities behind such a pairing - just like in real life.  Nora is not at all like the women in Cougar Town and Real Housewives who are out prowling for young guys as if they are on a do or die mission.

I loved to see that Nora was truly surprised and a little embarrassed by the attention she was getting  - just like in real life.  After all she's in her 60's which would justify her hesitation.  But honestly, isn't it nice to see she didn't have to squeeze into a pair of  skinny jeans to attract a man.

Nora's wasn't comfortable about letting her friends and family meet her younger guy. Even though her guy Simon is 47, successful, worldly and very handsome it still caused a lot of tongues to wag - just like in real life. 
 
I don't know where this particular storyline is going, but I do hope it continues to unfold.  It would be refreshing for people to see how a Real Cougar Woman handles herself.

In case you missed it you can catch this episode on the Brothers and Sisters website.

The Shriver Report - A Woman's Nation

“The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything,” is a comprehensive study examining a social transformation unfolding right now.  For the first time in history, one-half of all U.S. workers are women, and mothers are the primary breadwinners or co-breadwinners in two-thirds of American families. 

This multifaceted report – including a comprehensive national poll conducted by The Rockefeller Foundation in partnership with TIME Magazine – looks at the changing face and attitudes of the American worker and how it's impacting our lives as  families that no longer conform to the traditional paradigm, where men work outside the home and women are stay-at-home homemakers. 

 

This report contemplates what a new America should look like after we finally embrace this important new dynamic and address the challenges not as ‘women’s issues’ but as fundamental issues important to the livelihood and well being of both men and women.

 

Sunday's "Meet the Press" will kick off NBC's week of programming that addresses the changing roles of women. To read more about The Shriver Report just click on this link.http://www.awomansnation.com/

Cougar Town - Television At Its Worst

Heather Havrilesky at Salon.com wrote a fabulous article on how women over 40 are portrayed on television.  It's entitled "High-Flying 40-Year Olds?  Get Out of Cougar Town. Here's the first paragraph of Heather's article.

If aliens learned about our culture by watching our newest television shows, they might assume that planet Earth was terrorized by predatory middle-aged women with hairless, bony bodies and the same blank expression on their overly Botoxed faces, a look of creepy awe at the joys of 20-something tenderloin.

Heather goes on to say, "ultimately, the subject matter isn't the problem. In one memorable scene from the first season of "The New Adventures of Old Christine," a far more enjoyable look at the perils of middle-aged divorcees on the rebound, Christine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) waves off Brazilian waxes, saying, "I did that once, and it was like a hair arrow pointing to my C-section scar."

Don't we want a joke we can laugh at without feeling dirty inside?  Louis-Dreyfus on "Old Christine" Tina Fey's Liz Lemon of "30 Rock," Holly Hunter on "Saving Grace" -- there are plenty of fantastic late-30-something and 40-something female characters on TV who greet the perils of middle age with self-deprecating humor.

Heather wonders, and so do I, why audiences rally around the one show that makes turning 40 look like a life sentence at a sadistic day spa/asylum/penitentiary for the self-obsessed? 

Here's where you can go to read Heather's article. Salon.com.  You will enjoy it she's a great writer.