So, one of my most favorite movies in the world, The Great Gatsby, has been remade-AGAIN!
And I do mean “again” because it has been made three times before. The first time was actually a silent film (believe it or not).
The second time was a black and white, the third time was with Robert Redford, and now with Leonardo DiCaprio.
I have many thoughts about this new addition.
For me The Great Gatsby was a romance. It was about a man in love with woman he was too poor to have any chance of obtaining-(“Rich girls don’t marry poor boys.”)and this love spurred him on to create great wealth and to do unimaginable things-Not all of them good.

But Robert Redford as The Gatsby was so unbelievably sexy, gorgeous, and more importantly, likable, by both men and women that you rooted for him all throughout the film-you hoped against the inevitable fates.

I did not find this in the new movie. There was no moment where I thought Leo was in any way captivating. I did not wish to be Daisy with him in love with me, and I did not wish to be anywhere near his world. I felt no empathy towards him whatsoever and I found him totally unlikable.

I find that men today who are like magnets, who you want to be like, or be around, or be in their universe, are people who are pretty much publicly likable-even if in the board room for the backrooms they are not good people.

So that was disappointing to me.

However, the movie was so visually stunning that I must say just for that you cannot miss it.

The costumes so gorgeous that you wish they were in your closet.

The houses so magnificent you wish you could visit them.

The time so heady and amazing you wish you could’ve experienced it.

The cars so fantastic, you wish you could have driven them.

So if you were weighing all that against my vision of a romance -that scale tips towards how beautiful the movie is.

The only other comment I can make is the music. The music was definitely not to my personal taste. Felt too contrived, did not feel 1920s, did not give me a feeling of 1920s, and even if F. Scott Fitzgerald was a modernist leaning toward “futurist”
The 1920s is the 1920s. The music was the music and that music gave a definite feel to an era. The music for the film did not do that for me. Period.

Anyway, overall Baz Luhrmann did a magnificent job, (love some of the other touches he put in there which I won’t spill so you go to the movie,)

And on my Twitter @modelCarolAlt I gave the movie a 7 out of 10.

All in all, The Gatsby night was a two thumbs-up night.

Until next time, stay healthy!

NEW YORK, May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – The North Shore-LIJ Health System announced today it raised a record $21.5 million at its spring gala, Destination Celebration, held last Thursday, April 25, at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Manhattan. The system-wide fundraiser exceeded expectations, attracting a sold-out crowd of more than 1,200 who enjoyed special performances by Harry Connick, Jr. and the LaGuardia Arts High School. The event, which the health system holds every five years, was co-hosted by Bravo television host and author Andy Cohen and NBC-TV News special correspondent Meredith Vieira .

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130501/DC05274 )

North Shore-LIJ President and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Dowling said the health system’s multi-year fundraising campaign, called Destination 2020, is the largest fundraising campaign in the health system’s 16-year history. “Every five years we hold a health system gala to benefit the more than seven million people living in the communities we serve across the metropolitan area,” he said. “It is our mission to be constantly transformative and innovative but at the core of all we do, it is always about the patient.”

Thanks to the proceeds from Thursday night’s gala, North Shore-LIJ Chairman Richard D. Goldstein said, “We have surpassed the halfway mark of our $750 million campaign, Destination 2020. It was truly a remarkable evening and all of our patients and supporters should be proud of what we have accomplished.”

Mr. Cohen and Ms. Vieira talked about the important services and programs provided by North Shore-LIJ and the more than four million lives that the health system touches every year.  ”North Shore-LIJ has an unparalleled commitment to our military men and women, and is working directly with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help those returning soldiers and their families,” said Mr. Cohen. Ms. Vieira added, “As a mother, I know the importance of having a dedicated children’s hospital and Cohen Children’s Medical Center  is the largest provider of pediatric health services in New York State.”

Both also spoke about the role of North Shore-LIJ’s Center for Emergency Medical Services in meeting the needs of local residents and employees during Superstorm Sandy, noting that all 16 hospitals remained fully operational and accepted and transported more than 700 patients from other facilities, as well as provided mobile medical services in devastated regions like the Rockaways.

The evening’s performances began with a patriotic rendition of, “God Bless America,” sung by the show choir of the famed LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan. After dinner there was a special performance by Grammy award-winning, multi-talented Harry Connick, Jr. and his orchestra, followed by a spectacular fireworks display by Grucci on the Hudson.

CNN News anchor Chris Cuomo presented Mr. Dowling during the evening’s program. Also in attendance were award-winning actress Cynthia Nixon , music industry icon Clive Davis , co-host of ABC’s The View Sherri Shepherd , award-winning actress Bebe Neuwirth , award-winning actress Christine Baranski , fashion icon and supermodel Carol Alt , award-winning photographer Joe McNally and sports commentator Al Trautwig .

The event not only announced the launch of the public campaign but also celebrated North Shore-LIJ’s growth and progress achieved over the past five years, including the opening of the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine and the health system’s expansion into Manhattan with the addition of Lenox Hill Hospital.

To see a video of the Destination Celebration and photos from the evening, visit: https://support.northshorelij.com/destinationcelebration

About North Shore-LIJ Health System
The nation’s third-largest, non-profit, secular healthcare system, North Shore-LIJ delivers world-class clinical care throughout the New York metropolitan area, pioneering research at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and a visionary approach to medical education, highlighted by the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. North Shore-LIJ cares for people at every stage of life at 16 hospitals, long-term care facilities and nearly 400 outpatient physician practices throughout the region. North Shore-LIJ’s owned hospitals and long-term care facilities house more than 6,000 beds, employ more than 10,000 nurses and have affiliations with more than 9,400 physicians. With a workforce of more than 46,000, North Shore-LIJ is the largest employer on Long Island and the third-largest private employer in New York City.  For more information, go to www.northshorelij.com.

SOURCE North Shore-LIJ Health System

I’ve gone to Washington a couple times before. Once when the Islanders and Capitals played on New Year’s Eve, and once for the Prince of Morocco for dinner at the White House. But both times when I went to Washington, I rushed in and I l out of the city; I never really got to see anything. Yesterday, however, I played tourist! I walked around the city, took in the beautiful architecture, was shocked at how clean and beautiful it was and how nice the people are.

Also for a Saturday, I must admit, it was like the Twilight Zone. There was hardly anybody on the street! All the restaurants were closed for lunch….I guess having been brought up in New York I kind of expected restaurants to be open on Saturday.
Anyway we stayed at the Ritz Carlton-which was very nice, and we went to the White House Correspondent’s Dinner! I never looked forward to dinner so much in my life.

All I have to say is that I had the most amazing dress from Zac Posen, and the most dazzling shoes from Stuart Weitzman.
Thank you to both of them.

But the number of people, the security, the Hilton, stars, the press line, the press stars-was just over-the-top. I saw just about everybody-I mean from Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand James Brolin, Jerry Butler, Claire Danes-even got to say “h”i to Michael J Fox who is also a hockey fan and I might add, an Alexei Yashin fan. Yay!

I also saw many many stars of news and talk shows-just about anybody whose on television. I sat with Georgette Mosbacher. She looked wonderful. Anyway some of the things that struck me about the evening was the security was like the airport, except we didn’t have to take off our shoes, but I did get patted down-LOL.

And at the end of the evening it was impossible to find our car because they jam the telephone lines so you can’t make telephone calls.

Also, it was funny that they didn’t ask you what you wanted to eat but rather brought both fish and beef for dinner, over mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Well, I really didn’t expect a raw meal so I didn’t really eat a full dinner. However, all was not lost because I did eat the appetizer which was a wonderful raw beet salad covered with fresh avocado! They cut the beets very, very small and cubed- but really tiny- and laid avocado over the top and just drizzled olive oil and salt. I think that you can imagine my surprise that the White House dinner had anything raw at all-See, there is hope for this country!

The desert was less impressive – it was a meringue and it was like glue! Certainly it was not a wonderful fabulous Raw desert-I could teach them a thing or two about wonderful healthy desserts!

Raw dessert certainly tastes better, looks better, and is more impressive on the plate then that meringue was. Sorry guys I have to tell the truth!

Mrs. Obama looks fantastic and I have to tell you I did pass my book to her! So I am happy to have done that because I did bring it on the press line!

I know I’m crazy and silly. But you know I wanted to use the opportunity to do my part to encourage national health. So I needed to get to the source – Mrs. Obama!

She understands how hard it is to try to move the nation towards health. Easy Sexy Raw Is my way to try to do the same thing.
Anyway I’m happy to report, that raw was even able to be eaten at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner!
So sitting here at the airport waiting for my flight back home, I reflect on the evening. The dress held up, The shoes were comfortable, and people all had a great time!

Hope you guys enjoyed coming along for the ride!

Until next time.

Stay well!!!

Check out some photos from Washington:

Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/red-carpet/carol-alt-the-cinema-society-screening-of-pain-and-gain-2013164#ixzz2TJOacR5O
Follow us: @usweekly on Twitter | usweekly on Facebook

This photo is a photo of me when I was in Rio last month. The coconut was my breakfast. This is just one of the healthy things I do even while on vacation.
My show on Fox will have all these tips. What I would like to do on my show is to bring forth all aspects of health that are still all around us. In other words it’s what we can do today to keep healthy even in this environment. & i do mean “ENVIRONMENT” Today it is not so easy to remain healthy. There’s pollution in the air, in our water and in our food. We process food, we genetically modify our food, and we irradiate our food.
Problem is, or rather I think the problem is, that we don’t understand that when we mess with our food we mess with our health.
In any case, I will be bringing like-minded folk onto my show.
That way you as the consumer, as a person who just wants to be healthy, can see alternative thoughts and make your own choices.
Because after all, isn’t democracy all about choices? Or rather isn’t democracy supposed to be all about choices? Can’t have a choice if you don’t know the choices that are out out there.
So join me on Fox we start airing the week of July 13

I just got back from Rio! What a fantastic time I had. I was there for the Laurius Awards and spent the weekend with such sports greats as Michael Phelps, Ilie Nastase, Bjorn Bjorg, Bolt, and Marcus Allen just to name a few.
I stayed at the wonderful Copacabana Palace Hotel. I had a giant suite overlooking the ocean- I had coconuts every day for lunch. I ate fresh fish and wonderful fresh vegetables. I think I could have moved in to that sweet and stayed there for the rest of my life! Except for the fact that I start my new show for Fox soon! I am so excited. It would have to have been something amazing to bring me back from Rio. And my show is amazing-amazing!
Anyway getting back to Rio: we had the Laurius Awards in the Metropolitan Theater in Rio. It was beautiful. The show was great. And after party even more Fab then I expected.
I am hoping that the Laurius Awards comes to New York soon. They’ve had a show in St. Petersburg, Berlin, Monte Carlo, Rio, and now I’m waiting for them to say, “Yeah, hey, we’re coming to New York.”
I hope I get asked to go to the Laurius Awards again next year. Because I had a really good time.
Check out the work from an amazing artist above (in the photo) who did this crazy sand sculpture. People were lined up to photograph it! I hope he made a bundle because he was excepting tips.
If you ever get a chance to go to Rio, don’t hesitate. I loved it!

Hello again to my loyal fans. I know, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. That’s because I have many surprises up my sleeves, that I cannot really talk about right now. It’s so much fun-I’m doing so much work and so many great things are happening; but I can’t talk about it!
You can’t imagine how frustrating it is! But frustrating with a smile on my face. Some of my dreams are about to come true – things that I have been thinking about and wanting to do for very long time.
I know that most people when they see what I’ve been working on will not even imagine that that has been a dream of mine…
But hang in there and I will be back on a regular basis blogging away and sharing with you my day-to-day exploits in my new projects. It just seems that right now is the lull before the storm!

Where have I been? That is the question of the moment. I have been procrastinating-That’s where I’ve been!
Why I’ve been procrastinating, I’m really not sure. It seems I really didn’t have much to blog about. Everything I’m working on is still in a hush-hush moment. And I really cannot talk about them.
And holidays were here! Yay!
I quietly went home, and had a very low-key holiday. I have been studying up on my health information. Keeping up-to-date! Rearranged the office in New York City. I Cleaned closets!
You know the usual stuff people do during holidays when no one is working. The thing is-I love to work! I enjoy it a lot. I enjoy bringing health information to you. And in fact when I Twitter @modelcarolalt, I try to bring as much health, herbal, pop, entertainment, and fashion info as I can!
Actually, keeping up with Twitter is practically a full-time job. LOL! Not really-but you know what I mean. I think about it constantly. Even if I’m not writing.
So well, that’s all the news that’s fit to print! LOL!
I hope you all had a great holiday.
I just wanted to check in and let you know I was thinking about you even if I’m not blogging. I’m looking for things to blog about that I think would fascinate and interest you.
Please don’t think I’ve given up on you and please don’t give up on me!
You guys are super important to me!
Happy New Year!

I called the police to donate clothes and they didn’t know where to have it donated. I called 50 different telephone numbers looking for somebody who knew something about where people were in need. No one knew. My neighbor’s daughter tried to go and lend a hand and they said they had too many hands and sent her home.

Yet, when I went to the Salvation Army they told me that they didn’t have enough hands to distribute all of the clothes that I was delivering. And gas…the situation with the gas is most troublesome because nobody can get anywhere without gas these days -even the hybrids need a little bit of gas.

I cannot understand with the Bay now cleared and refineries working and actually here on Long Island, why there’re so many lines for gas. People are hoarding gas who don’t need it and people who need it don’t have any at all. And worse, people are selling gas at $10 a gallon profiting off of other people’s pain.

The temperature in New York, of course, is now 10° cooler than it normally is at this time of year. It makes you wonder what God is trying to tell us. I have cried more times watching the television news in this one week then I think I have in my entire life.-and I am old enough to remember the ice storm of 1976 and the gas lines of 1973, among other tragedies.

Yet, on the other hand, it’s pretty amazing how all of us New Yorkers have pulled together. I have seen people lend a helping hand who have nothing to give and they give of their time and their energy and go home to cold empty houses. I have seen people who have a lot to give give even more. I have seen people come from other states to help out total strangers that they have never met before in their life.

I have seen people struggle to get to work who before didn’t like working at all! Now they love it and they cannot wait to get out of their homes to work-  The need to be constructive to feel some sense of normalcy is that strong inside of them. Priorities certainly have changed.

I have seen trees down in the thousands. I have seen roads blocked, fences torn up. houses literally ripped apart. it is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a lot. News photos do not do it justice.

At times like these you feel most helpless I don’t even know where to begin to help. I donated clothes, and well, that’s one thing -but to really feel like you’re helping? I have no sense of that at all and I really see a lot of need for help.

The biggest problem is that there’s no way to get to anybody -with no way to travel Long Island. We are, after all, a car culture community; you need to drive everywhere every day!

I see politicians frustrated.  I see them on television every day saying how upset and frustrated they are- yet they have gas, and they go home and to work at heated offices and houses. Imagine how the rest of us feel?

And now they are enforcing rationing! Even license plates get gas on even days and odd on odd!  In New York!

This gas situation is something I’ve never seen in my life and for a community that thrives on driving and a community where there’s no way to live without driving -there really needs to be a backup plan B and C! to make sure that there’s gas. I feel hog- tied.

Hopefully in the future we will  be able to change things; hopefully will see the holes in our Response system and be able to fill those holes for the next storm.Hey because crazy enough I like most people did not heed the warnings to leave the island; I did not believe that this was going to be this big of a storm.  I have sat through so many storms I could not believe that this would be any different.

But it was different

Because, the thing is,  I see the storms only getting worse and only getting more frequent. We need to prepare ourselves and maybe this storm is one way to see where we have holes our response system and early warning systems. I cannot think of any other good to come out of this. Yes, situations like this brings people closer together but there’s so many destroyed homes, so many destroyed lives, that I cannot believe the trade-off was worth it….

Have a great day

Sent from my iPad

And I use the word trivia very lightly as the trivia I love is the information which is curing all my ills and anti-aging me!

There is nothing better than going into a room full of beautifully dressed women who spend their time anti-aging and trying to eat better and working out. Well, really, the ladies who lunch, and dropping the age bomb and watching their jaws drop!

The minute I tell them that I will be 52 in December; my message of raw has a different gravitas! As it should, mind you.

Health and how you look and how you age are, to me, closely related. I cannot believe that just because someone is a Doctor, women follow their every anti-aging edict- this hurts me!  I actually feel sorry for them. They are searching for the fountain of youth and they will never find it.

I do not find that any of the commercial doctors out there who are selling healthy eating and skin care are at all young, healthy or wonderful looking.

Do I want to follow someone who is balding and fat; or someone who pulls their face with plastic surgery; or someone who had a heart attack?

All the while telling me that if I follow their regime and use their products I will anti-age and be healthier…..

What a farce!

I look at who is selling, what they are selling and most important, what they look like.

By the time you hit 45 in this new polluted life, genetics do not protect you.

So when someone tells me that I look how I look because of genetics, it is all I can do to keep from laughing out loud!

At 34 I looked way worse than I do now- and my health? Hah! I did not have health.

Not many regimes out there can say that you can look better as you get older and that you can actually be healthier-except RAW.

But, I see the brainwashing in the women who tell me they think they look better now…..

And when I look at them all I see is the face full of makeup and desperation and the puffiness under the eyes, the brittle, dull hair.

In that moment, I can in no way think that they really believe that they look anywhere near how great they looked in their 20’s.

And I am not saying that I look the same as my 20’s either. I am saying that I feel better, can keep my shape easier and my skin is better than in my 20’s.

When I chose what I wanted to do in terms of a regime, I looked at all the Dr’s out there and what they were selling.  To me, no one looked better in their 40’s (or older) than they did in their 20’s- EXCEPT Dr. Timothy Brantley.

The only way I knew that he was not 24 or 25 is by his command and knowledge.

“Now THAT”, I said as I looked at him, “Is how I want to look–better in my 40’s than in my 20’s!” Just like Dr. Brantley!

And he presented that possibility to me!

And I believed that if he could do it, so could I. The regime he presented me did not disappoint- and it was the easiest regime I ever did. I have stuck to it faithfully for 17 years. That well exceeds the 2 weeks of suffering I did when I tried to follow other regimes and the results I got from trying to go it on my own.

Health was the by-product of trying to stay thin.

Then health became my main goal with looking better and staying thin as the side-effect!

Imagine?

But, believe me, I did not just believe because of what I saw as I looked at Dr Brantley! No, no! I got proof- I saw pictures of him when he was in school studying. So, I had guessed, he had to be in his 20’s-and he looked no different- a little more beefed-up as he was a weight lifter, but other than that, exactly the same.

The same, but, somehow- better.

But hey, I could go on all day as to why I chose RAW as a way of life. But, instead of boring you with rhetoric, all I am asking you to do is to look at the people pushing their information on you; and the products they sell and they way they look.

I truly believe that we have the face we are born with in our 20’s, the face we fight to keep in our 30’s and the face we deserve in our 50’s.

I believe our diets and our way of life shows on our face and when we do something that works, we don’t need to pull our faces with surgery in our 40’s or 50’s.

But don’t believe me. Do your own three-month challenge. Find the raw food you like, replace the food you have in your cupboards, and then, go raw for 30 days.

If you don’t lose bloat, if your heart burn is not gone, if your headaches don’t disappear, and your skin and eyes don’t clear up, then I will eat my books. And I won’t mind-they are after all, RAW books!

Editor’s note: some people detox when changing their diets to RAW. Please work with a doctor if you are thinking of changing your diet.

I wrote this on my iPad. Please excuse typos.