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At The Movies:
`The Last Days'

72

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Meet Joe Black
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Comedienne, actress and best-selling author Suzanne Somers
shares her insights at Women's Campaign event.

SUZANNE CHESSLER

Special to The Jewish News

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sk Suzanne Somers the
reason for her happy
' marriage and thriving
career, and she'll tell you
it's having a strong partnership with
_a Jewish husband. She relies on
Alan Hamel to manage the business
end of all her work — acting,
singing, selling her own lines of
jewelry and fitness equipment and
writing books about emotional and
physical health.
"We spend 365 days a year
together, 24 hours a day," says
Somers, scheduled to speak March
3 at the annual Choices fund-raiser
on behalf of the Allied Jewish
Campaign. "My talents aren't in the
same arena as his so we comple-
ment one another."
Somers' acting talents, which
first brought her to stardom
through the TV sitcom "Three's
Company," also have been seen on
"Step by Step." Her top product,
ThighMaster, puts her before TV
audiences through commercials.
During the weekend of Detroit's
. big snowstorm, Somers performed
her Las Vegas act at the Macomb
Center for the Performing Arts. In
the midst of planning her upcom-
ing Michigan speaking engagement,
she discussed her current activities
with The Jewish News:

JN: What do you have planned for
the Choices program?
SS: I speak to inspire, pulling from
my own life those things that were
dragging me down and [explaining
how] I found a way to use them to
move forward. In other words,

there are no negatives in life, only
lessons, if we choose to look at it
that way and not choose to be a
victim. That means looking at every
circumstance and asking: How can
I learn from this? How can I grow
from this? Where is the opportunity
hidden within this negative cloud?

JN: About how many speaking
engagements do you have through-
out the year?
SS: I do between four and six a
month. I speak at colleges and uni-
versities and before women's
groups, community groups and
fund-raising groups — whoever will
have me. I never planned to be on
the speaking circuit, but as a result
of my second book, Keeping Secrets,
requests came in. I speak extempo-
raneously about growing up with
an alcoholic father. I always know
where I'm going to begin and where
I'm going to end, but I find it more
interesting for me and for the audi-
ence to let a flow happen.

JN: As you discuss alcoholism, do
you ever touch upon binge drink-
ing and what parents should do if
they think their children are sus-
ceptible?
SS: The problem with alcohol is
that it is socially acceptable and
available easily. When my own son
was in college and beginning to use,
I kept confronting him until finally
he admitted it. He went through
this phase very quickly. Also,
because of my background — I
have alcoholic sisters, an alcoholic
brother, an alcoholic and drug
addicted other brother, an alcoholic
father, alcoholic grandparents and
countless [alcoholic] aunts and

uncles — I was very vigi-
lant and knew the signs
immediately. We
really got on top of
it quickly and
hopefully bypassed
any serious prob-
lems he might
have had. He's a
film director [now],
and he and his wife
have a company where
they produce, write
and direct commer-
cials, infomercials
and music videos.

JN: How are you
currently dividing
your professional time? -
SS: My husband and I are
involved in many, many
things. I have a line of
Suzanne Somers jewelry,
which we sell on home shop-
ping. There's a line of fitness
equipment, and we're coming
out with the Facemaster, a mag-
ical little machine that gives the
appearance of a facelift without
surgery. My sixth book, Get
Skinny on Fabulous Food, comes
out next month. I just finished
starring in a television movie that
we shot in Vancouver, and I do
"Candid Camera" every week. I
also tour with my nightclub act.

JN: What does each segment of
your professional life express
about you as an individual?
SS: I find that everything that I do
involves my ability to connect with
people, and I think how we help
one another as human beings is

SOMERS-TIME on page 75

Suzanne Somers:
"I do an
incredible seder"